Firefighters Always Remembering, Always Serving
September/11/2011 05:35 AM Filed in: Commentary | Nicole Hanratty
California Firefighters Take a Stand to Defend New York, America
by Nicole Hanratty
While it may look like we were having a good time--okay we were--these Oakland, California firefighters, (Tony the Tiger Tarek, Joe, and Big Mike from Station 8 pictured above), spent time talking to me about honor, service and dedication to their own.
They packed up their courage, kissed their beautiful children goodbye and boarded a plane to New York City. In the face of increased terror alerts, these brave firefighters prepared themselves for anything--paying their own way--to be ready for any call to service.
They define "above and beyond."
Tarek, Joe and Mike--heroes in my book--will wake up this morning on the ten year anniversary of 9/11, dress in their Class A uniforms and attend a special memorial service for their fallen in a show of powerful devotion to their lost comrades.
Read More...
A Funny Thing Happened On My Way to New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week, Part One
by Nicole Hanratty
It was the ultimate Life of a Rock Star™ experience. Sponsored by Prestige Tickets, this LA mom got to put the laundry aside for one weekend of high fashion and adventure. Strap on your seat belts, it's going to be a wild ride.
Dear Virgin America at Los Angeles International Airport,
First off, I speak for all of your loyal travelers when I ask, "Where is the lounge?" Second, and this is an important one, no one wants to hear this song while waiting to board your flight: "Bye-bye Miss American Pie...singing this will be the day that I die." New playlist, please.
Dear Flight Seat Mate,
Fair warning, this safety obsessed mother is not a good flier. One bump of turbulence and I will grab you--it really doesn't matter that we've never met--and scream, "We're all gonna die!" (I've done it before and I'll do it again.) If you see me heading towards your aisle, I advise you to move, or spike my drink. It's your choice.
Dear Man Traveling with Wife and Baby,
I realize your wife may not appreciate you standing in the aisle with your baby staring at me while turning your back to her. However I equally do not appreciate my aisle seat being claustrophobotized* by your cargo bearing rear end smashed up against the side of my face the entire flight. I do love babies but if yours can't sit still for the flight, please feel free to move about the cabin.
*New but appropriate made up word for a very uncomfortable situation.
Dear Town Car Driver,
Your placard with my name on it is calling me back into my natural habitat of luxury and city life. God bless you. Bye-bye carpool mom. I'm calling the shots from the backseat now baby.
Dear Manhattan,
I heart you, even with the bad smell that emanates from your streets and alerts my olfactory system I have returned. It's midnight and you're still OPEN! Such a lovely change from my small town where the sidewalks evaporate when the street lights illuminate. Plus, I've already been recognized on the street by a fellow Virgin American traveler. My dress seems to have made an impression on him... I love a town that is fashion focussed. And no, I am not worried that I am here on the weekend that overlaps the ten year anniversary of 9/11. With the NYPD stationed at every corner, I am feeling quite safe with a side of patriotic.
Read More...
Life of a Rock Star Experience New York Fashion Week
Pack up your suitcases fashionistas--leave the Malibu shores behind--and grab the next flight out to New York City. Mercedes Benz Fashion Week is descending upon the world's hottest destination. Where will you be when Spring's trendiest 2012 looks are sauntering down the runway?
Life of a Rock Star's Nicole Hanratty will be on a whirlwind trip experiencing the high fashion Manhattan hot spots up close and personal. Can't come along? Then follow her live tweets @LifeofaRockStar.
Brought to you by PrestigeTickets.com, this sponsored rock star vacation is a dream experience. Editor Nicole Hanratty will travel the elevated skies with Virgin America from Los Angeles to New York where she will enter the elite world of high fashion.
Read More...
Words With Friends
Words with Friends
by Nicole Hanratty
WWF user name: TheWiner
Words with Friends can be anything but friendly.
Warning: It will keep you up at night and be the first thing you think about in the morning. If you have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, this could be a landmine for you.
Words with Friends is a Scrabble-like word game that is as addicting as crack cocaine, maybe more. Download with caution. Kids, teens, and adults can't get enough of this online game that allows you to play your move when you want without anyone looking over your shoulder. (Hint: integrity seems to be optional.) Throw down any letter combination you can think of and Words With Friends (WWF) will let you know if it counts as an acceptable word. Trying crazy combinations, or knowing words like "nomoi," can be the difference between victory and defeat. The added bonus--you get to trash talk your opponent or whine about your awful letter rack via a chat bubble screen that is attached to every game. It doesn't get better than that.
WWF is currently trending as the number one online game download. It is a sweeping frenzy that has families and friends battling it out and my family is no exception. "You're totally cheating!" Accusations rip across the room at formerly peaceful family gatherings that have now become showcases for high scoring games whose outcomes are always photographed and texted with bragging rights. Read More...
Celebrity Life
Celebrity Life
by Nicole Hanratty
Sometimes life's funniest moments are served with brown rice and fried tofu. Last night I was mid-bite savoring the spicy tang of PF Chang's Ma Po Tofu, when my mother-in-law announced that she had heard--and by the way she was waving her pointed finger back and forth at me and my husband seemed to think was accurate and true about us--that our generation's big problem is that we all want to live a celebrity life. I was speechless. Not because I had a mouthful of food, but because our lives couldn't be further from celebrity or wanna be celebrity status if we tried. No, you won't find us pulling a Salahi stunt any time soon.
For starters, we rarely leave the house. We avoid social gatherings like they're the plague and we can count the number of people interested in our lives on one hand. Okay, maybe two if you count our family members.
Yes, we tend to wear our sunglasses everywhere we go but that's simply because we're concerned with UV rays affecting our long term vision, not because we're worried about being spotted by the paparazzi. (And, sometimes it's to avoid frightening innocent bystanders when I've left home without makeup.)
How can I be certain we aren't trying to live like celebrities? Hmm... Tricky question since my answer is bound to be biassed. But, we do live in a celebrity studded community so I will compare our lives to theirs and let you be the judge.
In full disclosure, real celebrities do engage in mundane everyday tasks just like we do and deal with difficult medical/social/family issues that come with well, being human. They can be seen dropping off at carpool or waiting for their child to finish a high-school placement test, but that is where I see the similarities ending.
Celebrities are sent things for free while we, on the other hand, purchase everything we own at full price. Their names get them in the door while we wait like maroons* at the back of a line arguing about whether or not my less than suave hubby should make another awkward attempt at slipping the host some cash to get us in before our ten o'clock bedtime arrives. They are invited to galas while we are headed off to Home Depot to purchase more plants for the garden where you are likely to find us "oooing and awwing" over our very first apples blooming on our recently planted tree. (See photo above.) They are headed off to fabulous places on a whim via their private jets while we are depositing change at the local Coinstar machine getting our thrills from the digital display as it counts up our cash as if we've won a jackpot. Read More...
Say Cheese
Honest Food Identification
by Nicole Hanratty
Sometimes things catch my eye when I am out shopping and prompt me to stop and ask, "What is this?"
While recently browsing the refrigerator section of Smart and Final--one of my favorite supply stores--I came across this imitation pasteurized process american cheese. (Try saying that three times fast.)
Call me crazy for questioning how closely aligned to cheese this food product really is, but with four other descriptive words, (including the word "imitation"), before the word cheese, I'm wondering what exactly is in those 120 slices. At least it requires refrigeration, that seems like a start. And maybe this cheese gets a second point for honesty in labeling--we could use more of that these days.
After re-reading the label multiple times I emailed a picture of it to my husband with the question, "Do you know what this is?"
Read More...
Women and Super Bowl Sunday
February/08/2010 09:02 AM Filed in: Women | Friends | Sports | Life of a Rock Star | Nicole Hanratty
Women and Super Bowl Sunday
by Nicole Hanratty
For women, Super Bowl Sunday is never just about the game. Of course there is the food and the friends--don't forget the commercials and silly betting pools--but aside from what is happening on the field there is off the field drama as well. I'm not talking about the tear jerking mini-dramas that are played throughout the day about players beating the odds to make it to the Super Bowl or the personal challenges they endure that glue you to the couch in anticipation of seeing these individuals be rewarded for their endurance and perseverance. I'm talking about the drama that is unfolding in the living room.
No- the myths that Super Bowl Sunday see a spike in domestic violence are not the drama I'm referring to either... FYI, these have seem to be rebuked for the most part. [See Super Bowl Sunday, Domestic Violence & Your Health By John M Grohol PSYD]
It's the relationships and bonding, the rivalry and fun, the conversations that happen in the dining room far away from where the game is even being aired. Women have an amazing ability to ease through a testosterone filled room with a smile--showing interest in the game when appropriate--but otherwise huddling together to share their stories, heartache and laughter.
Read More...
by Nicole Hanratty
For women, Super Bowl Sunday is never just about the game. Of course there is the food and the friends--don't forget the commercials and silly betting pools--but aside from what is happening on the field there is off the field drama as well. I'm not talking about the tear jerking mini-dramas that are played throughout the day about players beating the odds to make it to the Super Bowl or the personal challenges they endure that glue you to the couch in anticipation of seeing these individuals be rewarded for their endurance and perseverance. I'm talking about the drama that is unfolding in the living room.
No- the myths that Super Bowl Sunday see a spike in domestic violence are not the drama I'm referring to either... FYI, these have seem to be rebuked for the most part. [See Super Bowl Sunday, Domestic Violence & Your Health By John M Grohol PSYD]
It's the relationships and bonding, the rivalry and fun, the conversations that happen in the dining room far away from where the game is even being aired. Women have an amazing ability to ease through a testosterone filled room with a smile--showing interest in the game when appropriate--but otherwise huddling together to share their stories, heartache and laughter.
Read More...
