So, I missed the Black Eyed Peas in Atlanta. But lucky for me, my friend JC (of Trendsetting Productions) invited me along as his +1 to the Birmingham show and to the after-party he produced at Club 1120 and it…was…AWESOME.
First of all, they put on a GREAT show. They’re each incredible performers, of course, but I also thought it was pretty interesting that the whole show was very futuristic. We didn’t get a great pic, unfortch, but Fergie’s opening costume looked a lot like EZ’s Halloween costume:
Always ahead of the trend...
The show had a heavy focus on technology. For instance, the tour was sponsored by Blackberry and you could BBM Will.I.Am and your message would appear on a screen during his set list. And they had dancing robots. That’s right. Dancing. Robots.
Witness:
see?
more robots
It was a great concert. Each of the Peas had their own solo time. Fergie was, of course, my favorite. I love her. 
Check it out, it’s like she was singing right to me:
So pretty.
We had a BLAST. The icing on the cake was the after-party, though. JC produced the event, and as his +1, I got to accompany him not only to the party, but to the VIP section where all 4 Peas were hanging out. (!!!)
Appl breaking it down
It should be noted that I am NOT COOL around celebrities. In fact, when I lived in NYC, I worked at a high-end retailer on Madison Ave and eventually got banned from waiting on the celebrities after several awkward stammering incidences and a near meltdown over Liza Minelli. True story.
Anyway. Luckily, pictures were not permitted in VIP (otherwise you KNOW I would be plastering 283471242 pictures of my cheesy mug with Appl, Tabu, Will.i.Am AND Fergie all over the Q+DD.) JC and I tried to be sneaky and get them in the background. Unsuccessfully.
Who's that in the background? Oh, just my friend Tabu. Whatevs.
All I knew for sure was that I wanted to chat with Fergie. Bad. Luckily, JC was aware of my celebrity “problem” and was careful to spend what he thought was adequate time coaching me on my opening line. We eventually came up with:
“Hi, Fergie. My name is Lauren. My friend set up this party and we both live in Atlanta but I grew up in Birmingham and it’s great to see such a big name come through here. The show was great!”
We practiced several times. I felt prepared. I put my game face on, headed over to Fergie and….
“Hi. Um, HI. I’m Lauren. The show was…um…I’m obsessed with you.” <grin>
At which point, Jonathan saved me and I was eventually able to make a full recovery and act like a normal person with the rest of the BEPs and the crew.
Even though I was a bit of an idiot to Fergie, it was still “A Good, Good Night.” 
…In retrospect, perhaps I should have taken Mer’s advice and limited my conversation with Fergie to strictly discussing Kids, Inc…
…sssssssigh.
xx, L
Between my Houston party…
My office party…
My party at Smith’s with my cast mates…
Dinner at Woodfire Grill with EZ…
Dinner at Rathbun’s/Krog with my family…
And, of COURSE, the amazing brunch that Lindsay threw at Waffle House…
…dayianu! (that would have been enough)
It. Was. Spectacular! We packed Whiskey Park with popped collars, pearls, cardigans, top siders, even seersucker in the dead of winter. Erin and I were tickled pink (and green!) 
Here’s your official invitation:
PRO: The restaurant itself is awesome. It’s in a really unexpected location (Cheshire Bridge. Not 7-8 months ago did Lindsay drive me to where I left my car on CB to find a full-fledge police hold-up happening ON. MY. CAR. Luckily, Taqueria is close and there’s not a whole lot a stiff margarita can’t cure.)
Be there. I will be. She promises that if 25+ people show up she will perform in a Snuggie. And she will look hawt.
Dates are as follows: 
Here’s the Facebook invitation: 
The best part for me, though, was the shameless lobbying that each charismatic chili chef was doing for their own chili. Loved it. I think it was safe to say that equal parts moxie and chili were served that evening. The Buddha felt like personality weighed heavily on the way he would cast his vote and I had to agree. Eventually all votes were cast…
Y’all: I adore this bar. It’s low key and cozy and funky and just a perfect little place to hang out. We were, of course, NOT eating, but the menu looked pretty darn good. Gastro-pubby. You know.
For better or for worse, some of my best dates in Atlanta have been with my friend EZ. She’s a fabulous date. She’s cute and funny and fun to be around and very creative in her date ideas and Friday was no exception. It was a GNO (Lexicon addition: Girls Night Out) in 4 parts:
Rachel is special. She could drink her weight in tequila, have every man in the room wrapped around her finger in mere milliseconds, and thought everything in the world could be either cured, celebrated, or completed by the presence of a cookie cake from the Great American Cookie Company.
Today, we had one for our colleague, Woodley, who is moving out of state. (Waaaaaah!) The cake may or may not have had Richard Marx lyrics on it.
Like Audrey, I take my cuticles very seriously. Even if I am broke as a joke, my manicure and pedicure are the last thing to go. You’ll never catch me without neatly lacquered nails. Fact.
And when I lived in the Eclipse, this was my go-to as well. It’s the cutest salon ever. It’s pink and girly and PRISTINE. It’s also the best place to get an adorable gift, they offer fabulous 
I considered seeing if the Holeman gang would allow me to take him into the kitchen for an impromptu Quick Fire Challenge…but I resisted.
I just don’t know what else to say.