American Idol Girl's Night Review

It was fun watching American Idol last night for girl's night. It was fun to hear the comments everyone had about the performances. There were some really amazing performances and some not so good performances. Here's my recap:

Katie Stevens: (17 year old from Connecticut)

She sang "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson. They always say on American Idol not to choose songs where people will compare you to the original singer. She definitely was compared to Kelly Clarkson and it definitely wasn't as good. They said that she lacks experience and I agree. I think she will go home on Thursday.

Sibhan Magnus: (19 year old from Massachusetts)

She sang "House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals. This girl is a crazy thing! She's very quirky but has an AMAZING voice. I don't really love her personality, but she is very talented, I have to admit. I watch her sing and can't believe what's coming out of her mouth. She did really well! She's staying for sure.

Lacey Brown: (24 year old from Texas)

She sang "The Story" by Brandi Carlile. In previous weeks she hasn't been that great, but this week she was really good! She has a unique voice, and has a lot of talent. I'm not sure that she'll go really far into the competition though.

Katelyn Epperly: (19 year old from Iowa)

She sang "I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet" by Carole King. She played the keyboard while she sang but never got into it. It was kind of boring she just stood in the middle of the stage. Her vocals were not too exciting either. She has sung different kinds of songs every week, so I'm not really sure what kind of music she really sings. I think she could go home on Thursday.

Didi Benami: (23 year old from Tennessee)

She sang "Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac. I thought she was amazing last night! I loved the song, and her voice sounded really good! She played the guitar and had minimal other background music so it was just mostly her. She picked a good song. I haven't liked her before last night.

Paige Miles: (24 year old from Florida)

She sang "Smile" by Nat King Cole/Michael Jackson. This performance was anything but happy. It was very depressing to watch. Her voice was cracking the entire time and she looked like she was going to cry never smiling once. She explained it was because she loved Michael Jackson and so it made her emotional. Why would you pick a song that is going to make it too emotional for you to sing? I don't get it. She deserves to go home on Thursday.

Crystal Bowersox: (24 year old from Ohio)

She sang "Give Me On Reason" by Tracy Chapman. I really like Crystal and she did a really good job! It was a great song for her and she really got into it. You could tell she feeling it. I like that she plays the guitar and is very confident, being true to herself. I think it shows in her performances. She is one of my favorites and I'm sure she'll go far.

Lilly Scott: (20 year old from Colorado)

She sang "I Fall to Pieces" by Patsy Cline. I really like Lilly, but I didn't like the song she chose this week. I thought it was boring and seemed kind of old. She didn't seem like she was enjoying herself as she has in past weeks. I still think she'll go far in the competition, just needs a better song next week.

I think Katie, Katelyn, and Paige have a chance of going home on Thursday. I'm excited to see the guys tonight! I'll write my review for the guys tomorrow. I know that a lot of you probably don't watch American Idol but if you do let me know if you agree or disagree. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

The weather man said 58 degrees today!

Today is going to be a good day! Too bad I'm couped up in the office... I have missed the sun. Going to church yesterday reminded me what I've been missing, feeling the sun on my face. I'm so excited for Spring!

American Idol Top 20

I can't believe I haven't posted about American Idol yet this season. For those of you who don't know but I'm sure you all do, I am a huge American Idol Fan! It is what gets me through the winter. Scott is not so much a fan---he says that he doesn't have a wife when A.I. is on...which is partially true.

Anyways, being an American Idol fan is a big commitment. Right now it is a 5 hour a week commitment which is a lot. If I had DVR, it would be a little less without the commercials, but we don't have DVR. I try to be productive by doing things during commercials, or sometimes things during the show. This is why I do not watch many other shows because it takes up a lot of time.

Recap of this week: We are now down to 8 girls and 8 guys. I was happy about the people that got sent home.

My favorite girl's are:

Crystal Bowersox
Lilly Scott

My favorite guys are:

Lee Dewyze

Alex Lambert (Not to be confused with Adam Lambert)

Citigroup Building: The Building I Work In

It's the silver one with the slanted roof. I work on the 37th floor.

There are a total of 59 floors.

Does anyone write in cursive anymore?

When asked to sign a document for my attorney I realized that I never write in cursive. I'm pretty good at signing my name but when it comes to writing something else I am terrible. It just got me thinking why we spent so much time learning it in elementary school and no one just writes in cursive anymore. I decided today to try to only write cursive to practice but my handwriting is so bad that way. Maybe I should relearn this lost art:)

P.S. I was told that I should learn to do shorthand (by one of my attorneys that's old school and in his 60's). I had no idea what shorthand was so I googled it. It looked crazy and I don't even know how that can save time! To solve this dilemma I asked for a voice recorder so now I can just record when he talks and type it up from there. Do you know anyone that uses shorthand in this day and age? I am more of a technology girl. When I asked for a voice recorder I assumed that I would be given a digital recorder. This recorder that they gave me at work is the old kind with a tape. Do you know how long it's been since i've seen a cassette tape? I couldn't even remember how to put it in right, it took me a while. Now I have to remember how to use a tape recorder...

I think I'm still in the Utah state of mind when it comes to weather...

To me when I hear it's going to snow a lot I just think, "better bundle up to get to work." I don't even think in my mind that work may be cancelled because of the snow. On Friday, I trudged to work and it took me maybe 15 minutes longer than it usually takes me. I got to work and there was a voicemail left on my desk phone. I listened to it and was surprised to find out that the office was closed. I instant messaged my manager because I could see that she logged on. (yes, we use instant messenger within the firm, easy way to communicate). I said, "the office is closed?" she said, "yes, but if you stay you get overtime and money for lunch." So I said, "okay I'll stay." I thought I might as well since I trudged through all the snow to get there. I stayed for a few hours with nothing to do, and they sent me home. It took me about an hour to get home. I commuted for about 2 hours total and worked for 3. At least I worked a little longer than riding the subway. Next time it snows I'm going to call the office before I even leave:) I've lived in New York and have already had 2 snow days. In Utah, I cannot even remember having snow days.

Attempt to Win the Lottery...

No, not the real lottery... the lottery to win front row tickets for In The Heights (a show on Broadway).

Here's the story:
Scott and I were thinking about what we wanted to do during his school break. Since I had to work each day we decided to try to win lottery tickets for a show.

For those of you not familiar, for certain shows on broadway they reserve the front row of the theater for people to have the chance to win them for around 25 dollars a piece. You go to the theater like 2 1/2 hours before the show to enter your name in a drawing. About a half an hour later they draw a certain number of people to win tickets. If your name gets drawn you can buy up to 2 tickets for about 25 dollars but prices vary depending on the show. If you have ever purchased tickets to a broadway show you know that these tickets are usually over 100 dollars a piece.

Back to the story... We decided to meet at the theater right after I got off work on Thursday. On Thursday it was a gross snowy, slushy day. We figured that we'd have a good chance to win because of the weather. We entered our names and waited... and we won! Well my name got drawn. We have found that I am more lucky than Scott when it comes to winning tickets because I have won 2 times so far. We were so excited to see the show!

The Show:
Here's the storyline from the website--In the Heights tells the universal story of a vibrant community in Manhattan's Washington Heights – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It's a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind.

If you want to hear the music go to this link and you can listen to each song: This is the original soundtrack not the one with Corbin Bleu.

Corbin Bleu from High School musical is the lead right now for In The Heights, so I told Scott that he was going to remember me from High School Musical (my claim to fame). He just laughed, but as he was singing a song in the show he looked at me and pointed to me. I started laughing because of what I said earlier. I know he didn't really remember me, it was just funny what I said and then what happened. Anyways, the show was amazing! Super funny, especially if you live in Washington Heights you get a few more of the jokes.

Work Update and Other Ashley Ramblings

I have almost been working at my job for 1 month--can you believe it? I went through 2 weeks of training and am almost done with my 2nd week of after training life. I should be a pro now right? Wrong, I think I will feel very comfortable with my job after I have been here for a few months. New things come my way every day which I really like. The job is not usually boring.

I realized that I didn't go into detail of what my job really is here at Kirkland & Ellis. My job title is a practice assistant which is basically equivalent to a legal secretary anywhere else. I assist 3 attorneys. One is a share partner in the company and the other two are associates. Their title is like their ranking I guess in the law firm. So my job is to assist them by answering their phone, managing calendar, printing things, making copies, proofreading, editing documents, arranging travel, managing expenses, etc. The list goes on and on. There are a lot of different things that they have us do every day. I assist them in whatever they need assisting.

To some, this may seem like a boring job... but I love it! I love working in an office and doing secretarial stuff. I don't know why but I get excited doing document work in word or making a spreadsheet in excel. I have always had a love for office supplies, when I was younger I would love going to Office Max and being able to buy some new pens or something. There's my little secret. (Ask my family, they know what I’m talking about).

I feel accomplished with what I do. When I do something hard in the day that I figure out how to do it right I feel like I can do anything. There is a rush when trying to help an attorney reach a deadline. I like to help people and I get to do that everyday. People are very friendly at our law firm. I feel like I enter a different world that is separate from New York City. The office is very clean, and people don't try to intimidate. It's a good feeling coming to work in a nice building everyday.

This job has been a blessing for me and Scott. I am much happier and so is Scott knowing we have a steady paycheck and that I enjoy my job. There have been so many pieces to the puzzle of living in New York. My employment seems to be one of the last pieces of the puzzle to put in place. The are still a few tiny pieces to add, but the main picture is in place. We are being well taken care of in this city. I never would have seen our life like this last summer. Moving to New York seemed like the death of me, but now everyday I have to remind myself that this is where we really live and that we are doing it successfully.

Happy Birthday Scott!

Happy Birthday To You! Happy Birthday To You! Happy Birthday Dear Scotty....Happy Birthday To You!

Scott is the big 24 today! Leave your birthday wishes for him!

Running Music Recommendations?

I've noticed when I have good, upbeat music it's easier to keep running. What are your favorite songs to run to? Please send me some recommendations because I need to update my playlist! Thanks in advance:)

I don't like running...

I am wondering what I was thinking when I signed up for a half marathon... I have run a few times a week and every time I do it hurts the entire time. Is this something that will go away? My legs don't hurt when I am walking or walking really fast, just running and jogging. I'm up for any tips and suggestions!

Happy Valentine's Day!

How far did you say?

Scott and I are going to run the Boston Run to Remember half marathon! Now, you might expect Scott to run one, no surprise, but me? Hopefully I'll survive. Peer pressure can get you to do some crazy things, but this is a good thing. We are going to run along with a bunch of our other NY friends. It will be at the end of May. We've started our training but of course Scott is further in training than I am. We'll keep you updated on our progress as the race gets closer.

Training is Finished!

I finished my job training on Friday. I took my skills tests and hopefully I passed them. I didn't mention it before, but to get a permanent placement at a desk we had to interview with attorneys. If you don't get a permanent placement right away you'll float around where needed until they find a spot for you. I interviewed with one and got a spot! Only 2 out of 6 of us got spots right away. So starting monday I will have my own desk and space and will start working for reals. I'm excited to get started!

First Day at Kirkland & Ellis LLP!

Here's a picture Scott took of me on my first day of work. I felt like I was taking the traditional first day of school picture. I didn't have to leave for work until 8:30 am. It was so nice to be able to get up and take my time getting ready. I got to work and there were 5 other women starting training today. I of course was the youngest one and the one with zero legal experience so at first I was a little intimidated. I realized though that I will have an advantage with computer skills since the others have never worked with Microsoft Office 2007 and I have used it for a while. There were ooo's and ahhhh's over the company switching over which is funny to me because it's 2010 now.... Training went well today. It's a lot of information all at first, but it'll all come. I have 2 weeks of training which is pretty extensive. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

Side note: Check out my older bro's website. He does play reviews and posts them as well as other people's reviews. It's pretty cool and I am super proud! http://www.utahtheaterbloggers.com/