Shopping Adventures with my Niece

I got to spend time with my niece today at the mall and it was just what I needed to end my week with.

It started off with us stalking this man who we assumed was a Warriors player - which was a great possibility because I've ran into 3 Warriors player on separate occasions - but it wasn't the player we assumed. However, I did learn that my niece is really good at spying on people.

Afterwards, we roamed around various stores, including Sanrio, Godiva, and Payless! We spent the most time at Payless just trying on random shoes to see if we could use the BOGO deal, but we were good and left empty handed.

One of the shoes I almost bought, but decided it wasn't practical.

My niece fits a women's size 6 already!

Salsa with Ochocinco

Chad Ochocinco maybe known for his crazy antics on and off the field. If you don't know who the guy is, you probably will in the weeks to come because he is one of the contestants on Dancing with the Stars.

Anyway, the reason why I'm writing about him is because last November, he came to Oakland to play against the Raiders and tweeted that he would treat 100 fans in Oakland to a lunch at Jack London Square. Zach & I were lucky enough to be one of the 100 people to have lunch and meet the guy. The experience was surreal and Ochocinco actually appeared really humble and shy. He came to the lunch with no entourage and took a cab out to the restaurant by himself.

How many football players will go out of the way to do something like that...just because (no media attached to this event)...and he wasn't even a local football NFL player at that?!?

I'm rootin' for you Chad. You may not win a Superbowl with the Bengals, but lets hope you win this dancing competition.

The Tonight Show Experience

One of my to-do things in life is to watch a taping of the Tonight Show. Although Leno really hasn't been the same since the switch from Tonight Show to Primetime to Tonight Show, I still went cuz I got free tickets and I needed to get away....bad!

The taping went by real quick. I didn't have to stay in line for too long which was pretty nice. Got there a little before 2pm,went through NBC gates by 2:45pm, was seated, and then by 3:30ish, we were inside the Studio. I was #80 in line.

I was disappointed by Jay's interview skills and his monologue though. There wasn't really any impromptu jokes and he kinda just stuck by the cue cards. And he had Heidi Montag as one of his guests! ugh. BUT, I was pretty happy to see John Cusack.

Anyway....some of the things that stood out to me about the taping:

-Kevin Eubanks looked pretty down and out. When he first came out, I shouted out "KEVIN!" immediately cuz I love the dude. His chuckle is contagious. He responded to my scream with an enthusiastic wave and air fist bump directed right at me. I was smitten. But after that, he just kinda stood there and did not react to any of the "jokes" and pay attention to any of the interviews that went on.

-Jay's Car was pretty amazing. Zach & I tried catching him after the show, but he ended up driving out through another exit and we couldn't get a good picture. We did get to hear his car and watch as he drove away from us.

-The Staff at NBC are pretty cool. The girl that guided the line was kind enough to answer my questions when I asked about Jay's car and if he drove in with a different car everyday. Which he does BTW. He has 2 hangers at the Burbank airport filled with cars that he goes to everyday before work to pick his vehicle of choice to drive.

-Unlike the Conan Show taping when he was in NY, not every audience member got a free shirt. Instead, they had a lame hypeman that only gave away about 7 things to people who were already seated in the front...and to some who had aisle seats. Guess who was seated at the spot where he did not even make any eye contact to?

-Front Row Seats seem impossible for a regular person to get. They have this special VIP line they reign in when all of us who have emailed tickets were seated outside the studio waiting to get in.

I've been a fan of Leno's since high school cuz I love Headlines. But now, everything about his show seems contrived. I am disappointed....not really about the taping itself, but more about Jay Leno. Be spontaneous once in a while Jay. Watch an old taping of Conan and take notes on how he interviews his guests!

**If you plan on going to the show, don't expect any interaction from Jay much unless you are in the front row. He speaks to the audience about 5-7 minutes before the show starts, to ask us to laugh at his monologue and to have fun. Seriously, he said that. And then, when he asked the audience if we had any questions, he picked two girls within the first 3 rows in the front, and they got take take a polaroid picture with him. After that, he took off and got ready for the show.

Feel free to ask any questions if you plan to go to a taping and have questions.

The Buttery Leather

The gorgeous A. Wang brenda zip chain bag that retails for $725 and the Converse One Star crossbody bag at Target for

$19.99.

The latter is faux leather, but surprisingly has that super soft leather feel to it.