I Would Like to Thank the Academy...

I would like to thank the Academy...and my mom and dad, my husband, my fabulous friends, my high school basketball coach... Am I getting shuffled off already? Anyway, I am not up for an Oscar and I sure as hell didn't win one, but watching the Academy Awards last weekend reminded me of a couple of things. First, maybe I shouldn't sit on my acceptance speech and I should definitely dress the part.

First, it might well be that I won't win any major awards in my lifetime, and I might never even do anything that I recognize as a "moment." But, when I watch awards shows, in addition to the fashion, I always love listening to the acceptance speeches. And it occured to me this week that maybe I should figure out who helped me be the person I am and let them know. It doesn't have to be a grand production, but it's never a bad idea to let people know what they mean to you. Maybe I'll carry a crinkled up piece of paper in my pocket at all times, and then when I run into one of my peeps, I can mumble "I didn't expect to be here" and pull it out and begin reading. Maybe not. That might freak them out. But honestly, it's already too late to thank my high school basketball coach - she died of breast cancer more than five years ago - and I really, truly wish I had had the opportunity to tell her what an impact she had on 15-18 year old me. And sometimes I take for granted that my husband always (almost) listens to me and loves me even when I'm a brat and that my friends listen to me no matter what hair-brained scheme I think up. It's not too late for so many people, so awards be damned, I can't wait on that sound mixing Oscar to think of who I'm grateful for. And tell them.

Second, and while on the surface it's a more, well - surface - I took from the Oscars something I forget sometimes when I'm "working from home" (looking for a job), DRESS THE PART. Certainly the obsessive attention to what the stars are wearing, who they're wearing and how many millions in borrowed jewels they're sporting, is above and beyond most of our idea of getting dressed. But in there somewhere, when you sift through the Joan Rivers, Jay Manuels and Khole Kardashians (what? her? really? moving on) there is that glowing kernal that rings true from the red carpet to the aisles of the grocery store: it matters what you wear and how you wear it. It is never about spending money, but about knowing that the way you present yourself to the world is the way they see you. So when I wear sweat pants, a t-shirt and flip flops to the grocery store that's what anyone I see knows of me. Does it suck? Yes. But does it matter? I argue yes. I will lean on my good friends (whether they know it or not) Clinton and Stacy of What Not to Wear who teach even the hardest cases into believers. Sure what they teach is how to accentuate your "tiny waist" or how to hide that bit of a tummy, but what they really preach is that when you dress yourself - no matter where you're going - it's you presenting you to the world. When I watched the stars strut and pose in their finery, it's the same thing, just on a wildly exaggerated scale. This week, even if it's just to sit at my desk in the house or run to Target, I have gotten dressed, brushed my hair and accessorized while thinking of Gaby Sidibe. She worked the hell out of her Oscar dress and spilled confidence all over that red carpet. I garuantee you that several directors/producers/casting agents took note. I don't know who took note of my belted tank and cardigan combo today, but I was dressing the part just in case.