We went into the weekend with zero plans, but somehow managed to pack it full of fun at the last minute! The biggest highlight of our week was attending the 2019 People’s Choice Awards! (more on that later).

On Friday night, we went to a Halloween party hosted by a couple of friends from Jake’s Econ PhD program. Like the true economists they are, they chose to host the party a week after Halloween because all the candy, decorations, and costumes were 50% off. Very smart and economical lol. For Jake, it was nice to spend time and hang out with people in his program outside of the classroom. For Cindy, it was nice to meet all the people in his program!

 

(we dressed up as Trader Joe’s crew members)

On Saturday, Cindy hung out with her friend from Jake’s PhD program. We like to joke about the fact that Jake’s the one going to school, yet Cindy’s the one who somehow managed to make new friends. The two of them went to the mall and did some shopping together (something Cindy hasn’t done with anyone in a long time). It was so much fun being girly, taking time walking through the mall, and trying on cute clothes just for the sake of trying them on. When we go to the mall together, the experience is more task oriented. Jake is usually standing around on his phone asking if Cindy’s done with whatever it is she went to the mall to do…

 

Saturday evening, Cindy’s sister and her sister’s boyfriend came over for some games and cinnamon rolls (so cozy!). We played some poker and as usual Cindy won. Jake’s pretty sure it’s because we play with such low stakes ($5 buy in) that Cindy can afford to play like a madman. Jake, Cindy’s sister, and Cindy’s sister’s boyfriend have decided that the buy in needs to be higher so that Cindy is discouraged from making crazy bets. Or, as Jake thinks about it, Cindy needs to be encouraged to play trembling hand perfect equilibria.

And finally, the biggest highlight of our week….The 2019 People’s Choice Awards!! Cindy got free tickets to attend the event with a guest as “Bleacher Fans”! It was truly a once in a lifetime experience! Like it was both an awesome and unique experience but also we would probably not opt to do this again. Let us explain why…

Funny and embarrassing story, we got put in the seats in the very back corner because we were not good looking enough. Just kidding, but there is likely some truth to this… maybe we weren’t dressed very well… it was a small blow to our ego. But as Jake would put it, these were free tickets to an event we would not have otherwise had the chance to go to, so it is a net benefit!

Anyways, celebrities we saw with our own eyeballs included Robert Downey Jr., Jennifer Aniston, Adam Sandler, Jimmy Fallon, Zendaya, the Kardashians (Cindy’s favorite sighting!), some Bachelor Universe people (Colton, Cassie, Hannah B., and Tyler), and lots more that we won’t list. It was pretty cool to see the celebrities and to be in the same room as them!

It was also cool to see the different aspects that go into live television. We saw the teleprompter the presenters were reading off of. And we saw and felt the awkwardness when the presenters went off script either because they couldn’t see the teleprompter or because they chose to. For some parts, the presenters stood on stage looking into the camera with their backs turned to the audience. When we got home, one of the first things we did was watch those moments on YouTube and although it felt weird and awkward in person, it seemed so natural and smooth on TV!

 

(grainy pics of the Kardashians lol)

Also, right before every commercial break was about the end, a man would count down the time left before they were back live. And right as they were going live, we all had to give a big applause. Again, all of this just seems so natural and effortless on TV, but it felt very contrived and awkward in real life!

The most interesting part of all was watching the “seat fillers”. In order to make the room look and feel filled, anytime a celebrity left his/her seat for any reason, it was the job of the seat filler to go and sit in that seat. We realized that a lot of celebrities just leave after they receive their award. And by the time the event was over, there were like no celebrities left.

 

Anyways, we feel so lucky and grateful for this experience. It was truly special, unique, and so…LA! But we learned that it isn’t exactly our cup of tea.

And that was our jam packed weekend. Today is Veteran’s Day and we just want to end by saying thank you to all who have served in the military!

P.S. There was a blackout Friday night. We took this rare picture of LA in pure darkness.