“Take care of the luxuries and the necessities will take care of themselves.”
Gisele looks like such a princess in this photo…love it…
This pic by Corrie Bond makes me want to jet off to Paris!
I love things that sparkle…
YUM!
Doing ballet in couture lingerie…nbd.
Shoe orgasm.
Twinkling lights, so magical…
More cake 🙂
HOT!
The glow of the holidays is beginning to wear off. Its dark. It’s cold. You can’t stop sneezing and a not-so-sexy bruise is forming from when you ate pavement yesterday (thank you ice). I feel you. But instead of fantasizing that you are on a beach somewhere exotic (drinking margaritas with someone even more exotic!), I challenge you perk up, bundle up, and enjoy some of the simple magical pleasures of winter. Why not…
Hello all. This morning as you busily check your Inbox and dive back into projects (and last weekend’s frivolity rapidly fades to a distant memory…), take a second to read some of my tips for making the most dreaded day of the week, well, better!
1. Look extra cute for work (or school…or sitting on your couch!). You just did your laundry, got lots of sleep, and are ready to take on the week, right? I don’t know what it is, but whenever I take the time to look extra nice, I have a better day (I like to call it the “blow-dry and high heels effect”!). Start making a point to look extra fabulous on Mondays and it will set a positive tone for the week to come!
2. Get your most arduous work/school task done first thing in the morning. You’ll get a huge energy boost when you finish and will give day a sense of productivity and accomplishment.
3. Indulge in a good cup of coffee. Monday is not the day to go cheap or go without. You need fuel for your week!
4. Have a delightfully bizarre conversation with a complete stranger in the elevator. I do this almost every day and am a better person for it.
5. Stay away from the office candy bowl…at least until 4pm.
6. Start building a supply of treats at your desk to keep yourself feeling pampered and happy throughout the day. My stash includes aromatherapy peppermint spray (so refreshing and apparently promotes focus), a colorful head massager (really cool looking/makes me popular when people’s kids come to the office), lip gloss (a low-cal stand in for candy…KIDDING), a mini zen garden (so fun to rake…the easily amused know what I mean), Gummy Vitamins (don’t let anyone tell you they’re just for kids), and a fun mouse pad (mine is leopard print!). Investing the time to make your workspace a place you actually want to spend time will pay great dividends on the days you feel close to burnout, trust me!
Have a great week!
Here’s what made my list, in no particular order…
1. Take more bubble baths (potentially wearing a tiara, because really who doesn’t love feeling like a princess?).
2. Dance. Every day. Even if it’s just a booty shake while I brush my teeth!
3. Listen to live music at least once a month. There are so many cool music venues in DC and I have no excuse not to enjoy them!
4. Workout at least four days a week. I heart endorphins. Enough said.
5. Think of three things I am grateful for each night before I go to bed. I read a quote recently that said, “developing an attitude of gratitude is the only path to true fulfillment.” Corny? Perhaps. But I couldn’t agree more.
6. Do more “outdoorsy” things (aka. hiking, camping, kayaking, etc). I always love spending time in nature but I need to make more of an effort to build it into my schedule.
7. Read something inspirational every day (if you want to add this to your list and need some advice, check out some of the blogs I follow!). Also enjoy more solo excursions to Borders (I really do have an unhealthy obsession with bookstores…).
8. Get more professional massages (Don’t ever let anyone tell you this is a frivolous waste of your money. They are wrong!). And on this general topic, spend more of my money on experiences rather than things.
9. Be better at keeping in touch with friends (and siblings!) who live far away. My closest friends (you know who you are!) mean the world to me. As tough as it can be to make the time and play phone tag, it is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS worth it. Friends are everything.
10. Write in this blog once a week (NO EXCUSES!). On that note, take a writing class or join a writers group. Continue to take baby steps toward my ultimate goal of writing a bestselling novel.
11. Go to sleep earlier during the week and wake up a half an hour earlier each morning to write in my journal.
12. Find a community service project in DC that I enjoy and do it regularly.
13. More quality time with Pablo (I love you Becky!! J).
14. Plan more fun (and off the beaten path) outings with friends.
15. Learn to use my super duper really sweet camera and take more pictures. Be “that girl” who’s always snapping away.
16. Take steps toward launching “The Pursuit of Fabulous” with my incredible sister, Lindsay. More info on this to come.
17. And maybe while I’m at it I’ll eat more vegetables, floss regularly, give up chocolate icing binges once and for all, and be more punctual! (These make the list every year but a girl can dream…)
What are your resolutions for 2011?
Tonight, as I began my daily post-work ritual of reading fashion blogs in bed while listening to Taylor Swift (yes, I really am that cool), I came across a blog curiously titled, The Man Repeller. The insatiable journalist living inside me was instantly intrigued. A blog dedicated to repelling men? Was this a joke? I had to know more.
The tongue and cheek site created last April defines a man repeller as “a woman who dresses herself in a sartorially offensive way that will result in repelling members of the opposite sex. Such garments include, but are not limited to, harem pants, boyfriend jeans, overalls (see: human repelling), shoulder pads, full length jumpsuits, jewelry that resembles violent weaponry and clogs.”
The Man Repeller celebrates fashion choices in the vein of Lady Gaga and Carrie Bradshaw (in early Sex and the City episodes). From giant hair bows to fur jumpsuits, “fashion” items that blatantly flout traditional notions of sex appeal and notoriously mystify the heterosexual male species are featured. Additionally, the blog provides readers with advice on how to take conventionally “sexy” items (like snug leather pants) and “de-sexify” them (throw on an oversized knee-length plaid poncho, of course!)
While the tone is light and humorous, the underlying message really got me thinking about fashion, what it means to me and my friends, and how it influences and is influenced by our perceptions of ourselves as women. How much of the clothing heterosexual women wear is an attempt (whether conscious or unconscious) to attract the male gaze, and how much is a statement of individuality and art?
I would argue that the site’s celebration of ways a woman can remove herself from her societally enforced role as a sexualized object through the very medium that subjects her to that role in the first place (the fashion industry and popular media) is actually pretty powerful. What do you think? Would any of you feel bold enough to leave the house in some of these accessories? How about go on a first date?
Question:
What do you get when you combine a roomful of women in spandex, loud speakers blasting Far East Movement’s “Like a G6”, and an extremely toned woman dressed as Lady Gaga ordering you to clench and unclench as you perform sun salutations?
Answer:
A hip-hop yoga class on Halloween, duh!
A few weeks ago, while visiting Boston to attend my cousin’s wedding (congrats Joanna and David, you are adorable!), a close girlfriend and I experienced this playful and expressive form of yoga together for the first time, and loved it!
So if you’ve ever found yourself getting bored in a traditional yoga class, or your two left feet leave you in fear of enrolling in a traditional dance class, give Hip Hop yoga a go, and be prepared to sweat!
I’ve fallen in love with this charming fall-themed pic of my beautiful friend, Kristen Boyd 🙂
I have been a bit obsessed with The Vampire Diaries lately. I know, I know. It’s a teeny bopper version of True Blood that continues to feed Hollywood’s teen-vamp obsession, but what can I say, I’m hooked! I am particularly intrigued by the wardrobe of the stunning centuries-old vampire villain, Catherine (played by Nina Dobrev). Though her character is certifiably psychopathic, her clothes are to die for (no pun intended). Whether she’s dressed as an adorable southern belle living in the 1800s or an edgy 21st century bad girl, she always looks amazing. Check out some of her best looks above.
Here are a few things that have caught my eye lately…
Adore sipping cocoa by a fireplace on chilly nights, immersed in the latest Oprah Book Club must-read? Love lounging poolside in July, Piña Colada in one hand, People Magazine in the other? Heart skip a beat when you last stumbled upon a used bookstore with a cute Nietzsche-reading hipster behind the register? (OK maybe just me…). You fellow bibliophiles out there know there’s an undeniable romance to the act of reading. But if you’re anything like me, you’ve entertained a thought or two about jumping on the new E-reading bandwagon. Well before you drop $150 on the latest Kindle or iPad, or declare yourself permanently anti-Nook, read on as I weigh the main pros and cons of this new literary phenomenon!
The benefits of electronic reading devices appear limitless: Portable access to thousands of books, articles, magazines, and blogs (How fast can you say lighter luggage?); Popular titles at a 10-30% discount; The ability to conduct quick full-text searches in a single book or whole library; Text-to-speech capabilities that not only aid the visually impaired, but also enable listening and studying behind the wheel (potentially further hindering your ability to text and drive…Officer Fred if you’re reading this, I’m totally kidding!); Inexpensive distribution of corrected and updated versions of textbooks (increasing college students’ monthly booze budgets…wait did I just write that?); And finally, file backup capability, which assists the disorganized and accident-prone (Spilled that Piña Colada? House burned down from careless fireplace reading? Misplaced your Nook in, well, a nook? Never fear. Your books are safe—no burnt or soggy pages!)
But before you book it (hah!) to the nearest Barns and Noble, there are several drawbacks to E-reading worth considering. Not all content is currently available in electronic form; Imperfect screen resolution and battery requirements can be irritating (Forgot to pack those Double A’s for you’re red eye to London? Wouldn’t want to be you!); You can’t smell and touch an iPad like you can a real book (That sounded far less creepy in my head…). Nooks make for sub-par living room décor and won’t impress like rows of weathered 1st editions—just ask Blue Water designer, Jen, who calls her book shelf a “trophy case”; And then there’s the oft-repeated “ugly” factor. As Michael Tamblyn, CEO of BookNet, puts it, “No one holding a Kindle at Starbucks has ever been asked for his or her phone number,”(Next time I want a very overpriced *ahem* VANILLA latte, I’ll test and report back!).
So will electronic devices rip the romance right out of reading, or will book-lovers take to Nooks like Hollywood to teen Vampires? For now, the jury’s still out. But whether you end up Team Book or Team Nook, I hope I’ve kindled your interest (couldn’t resist) in another fascinating way technology has merged with one of life’s greatest pleasures: Reading! See you at the bookshop around the corner—and hipster boy, you know who you are…
