Friday, October 16, 2009

ditto.

"you say you want
diamonds on a ring of gold
your story to remain untold
your love not to grow cold
all the promises we break
from the cradle to the grave
when all i want is you.." - u2

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

it's in the number 4

I watched this week's Monday night game with mixed feelings. I LOVE rivalries and I love drama so this was right up by ally. But as a football fan I can't imagine how horrible that game was for Packer fans. And the reason I can't imagine that is because as a Washington Redskins fan I have not had the opportunity to enjoy a winning season since I was five. That's right, I was learning how to spell "Anna" when the Skins went to their last Super Bowl. I was singing "ABC, 123" the last time "Hail to the Redskins" was sung proudly through out the District and its surrounding areas.

So Green Bay I don't think its thaaaaaaat big of a deal that Favre went to Minnesota. Because the entire time you were winning, I was watching the Redskins miss extra points and lose to the Arizona Cardinals when they were the laughing stock of the NFL. Or have the living shit beat out of us by Dallas, at home, on Thanksgiving Day.

I actually think you should thank him for giving you 16 amazing seasons of football. 16 seasons of always knowing you've got a chance to go to the playoffs. 16 seasons of him running around with that infamous pointer finger held high and that darling grin from ear to ear as he threw yet another touchdown pass. And as the man who created his own legacy he has earned the right to finish his career in whatever city he wants. I completely understand his sense of entitlement and as fans who own part of the team I would think you'd understand his desire for a bigger piece of the pie.

And if the pain is too unbearable for you, think about Heath Shuler, Gus Ferrot, Michael Westbrook (perhaps you remember him beating the shit out of Stephen Davis, at practice), or my favorite quarterback of all time, Jason Campbell. Because while Brett Favre was being named Sportsman of the Year, gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated, and bringing you back Super Bowl rings these gentleman were brought to D.C. and then (sometimes not so) quietly asked to leave. As in: "Get the fuck out, you have officially disgraced the game of football and we paid you 17 million dollars to do so." And to top it all off, we're STILL STUCK WITH DAN SNYDER.

Green Bay I don't feel bad for you. Mostly because I find Brett Favre charming and I love watching him play. But also because things could always be worse. You could be a Colts fan circa 1983.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

i bid ado..

to the greatest 2 weeks of my life.

u2 with ross.








beijing with eileen.










"some blessings you only understand later on in life.."

Friday, September 11, 2009

never again

a few months ago i signed up for project 2,996. instead of focusing on the monsters that orchestrated the attacks, the goal is to remember the souls that lost their lives that day. i was randomly assigned a name: mrs. dianne snyder.

a quick google search left me with tears streamin
g down my face. dianne married her high school sweetheart, and had two children, a son and a daughter. she loved to play tennis, garden, and bake cookies. she lived in massachusetts. she was a flight attendant for 19 years. and on september 11th, 2001 she was on flight 11 when it crashed into the north tower of the world trade center.

8 years ago today, my high school principal announced that two planes had flown into the world trade center and another crashed into the pentagon. over an hour later, flight 93 headed towards my beloved washington, d.c. would crash into shanksville, pa. my immediate thoughts went to those on the planes, as my mother has been an employee of united airlines for over 30 years. my stomach sank as i tried to remember if my mom had a flight scheduled for that afternoon, and didn't calm down until i heard her voice telling me "they've grounded all planes. i'm home."

and so my heart truly goes out to the snyder family, i can't imagine what this day means to you. but i honor your wife, your mother, your sister, your aunt, your daughter and the bravery i am sure she showed as the tragic events of that day unfolded.


we will never forget.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

talk to the hand.

"you lie."

& i think that's all i have to say about obamacare.

Monday, September 7, 2009

blackberry group messenger

"ok i don't need a man. i just needed the internet. " - s. wist

Friday, September 4, 2009

meredith grey is my homegirl

"Maybe we aren't supposed to be happy. Maybe gratitude has nothing to do with joy. Maybe being grateful means recognizing what you have for what it is. Appreciating small victories. Admiring the struggle it takes to simply be human. Maybe we are thankful for the familiar things we know. And maybe we are thankful for the things we will never know. At the end of the day the fact that we still have courage to keep standing is reason enough to celebrate. "
-grey's anatomy, season 2

Thursday, September 3, 2009

true love

with all the money in the world it would have been quite easy for john kennedy jr. & carolyn bessette to make their wedding an extravagant affair. instead, they chose the most intimate setting possible to promise their lives to each other. in my opinion, it doesn't get any more romantic than that.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

the ninth month of the year.

i've always loved fall, and september is the starting point. it's the month of back to school shopping, block parties, homecomings. well, at least it was. now september is just another month. i don't get to buy new supplies for my office, i don't have a reason to splurge on clothing purchases, and i sure as hell don't live in a world where it's socially acceptable to take a shot of beer every minute for an hour, and then depart my home at 11am with a 6pack of beast ice in my longchamp, holding a mimosa in a solo cup.

what do i have to look forward to? the september issue of vogue? gee great, thanks anna wintour. you see 450 pages of profit, i see 450 pages of why my life will never be complete because the closest i'm getting to couture is watching the contestants on project runway make a dress out of a shower curtain. so guess what september? this month i'm seeing my absolute favorite band of all time in concert. and then i'm going to a little country called the people's republic of china.

SUCKA PUNCH!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

all's fair in hollywood



i love celebrities. i love everything about them. i love how serious they take themselves, i love how they find the time to sit in a room a few times a year and applaud each other for doing absolutely nothing while the clothes on their back could feed a small country. i appreciate their consitent smug attitude and their belief that yes, they are better than absolutely everyone. i love that they just have to memorize some words, and magically they also posess the authority to tell me who to vote for, what kind of water to drink, car to buy, clothes to wear. i dig it. what i don't dig, is being lied to. in addition to memorizing those words, your job is to be attractive. i support you and in turn, your job is to be beautiful and look great at all times. it's all i ask of you. but i can't quite decide if the following people hold up their end of the bargain:

kate moss. you are famous because you are "pretty" but um, are you? i don't know if it's the yurman or the fact that you're in black and white; whatever david has you doing you look FANTASTIC in those ads. but then i see you on vacay in the french riveria and you look like a cross between something that crawled out of a london sewer and that little goblin in lord of the rings; so which one is it?

ellen pompeo. you snagged one of the sexiest men alive and even managed to hold onto him after he found out you called him "mcdreamy" (lame) you have great hair and nice features, but 9 times out of 10 you remind me of a cat that just ate something sour. pull your face together.

julia roberts. you have three kids and all of a sudden it's ok to show up to whole foods with banana on your "life is good" shirt, ketchup on your jorts, and two different birkenstock clogs?? you need to go home, put in "pretty woman" and then take a long look in the mirror.

renne zellweger. you are dating bradley cooper, you are blond, you have fantastic style, and you were able to rebound after one of those lame ass getting married to someone you've known for 3 months on the beach sort of thing. all signs point to yes, you are attractive. but the above photograph tells a different story my dear.

miley cyrus. you're just not. sorry.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

good evening

i've never been a fan of romantic comedies, and not surprisingly i tend to read books and watch movies that prove things have a better chance of falling apart, than they do working out.

this afternoon i watched "evening;" a film that reflects on a dying woman's great love. it was superb in every way possible and while i hate to give credit to life ruiners, claire danes is a lovely actress.

"your mother had her whole life. she sang at my wedding, she raised her two girls; we can't know everything she did. we are mysterious creatures, aren't we?"

Thursday, August 20, 2009

ch ch ch check it out nowwww

one of the benefits of having your own office is listening to pandora all darn day. while i tend to get in the habit of listening to my personal favorites (coldplay, dave matthews band, u2, damien rice) i sometimes switch it up and am reminded of bands that i absolutely positively LOVE, but often forget when i rattle off my usual top 5.

1. the cars.
2. fleetwood mac.
3. hall & oates.
4. the police.
5. the eagles.

Monday, August 17, 2009

acrylic nails make it funnier


"snakes don't kill people"
"ohhh zeyyyyy don't?"

Friday, August 7, 2009

friday, i'm in love

So so excited that today is Friday.

1. I have a 6 hour car ride ahead of me which means 6 full hours of reading Harry Potterrrrrrr

2. I get a (very) short break from Chicago, and the insanity that will be Lolla this weekend.

3. 7 days til I see me bests! <3

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

george w. obama

"President Obama has irked close allies in Congress by declaring he has the right to ignore legislation on constitutional grounds after having criticized George W. Bush for doing the same." - associated press


"It's extremely disappointing," said Anne Weismann, the group's chief counsel. Obama is relying on a legal argument that "continues one of the bad, anti-transparency, pro-secrecy approaches that the Bush administration had taken. And it seems completely at odds with the president's commitment . . . to bring a new level of transparency to his government." - la times

During the previous administration, all of us were critical of (Bush's) assertion that he could pick and choose which aspects of congressional statutes he was required to enforce," the Democrats wrote in their letter to Obama. "We were therefore chagrined to see you appear to express a similar attitude.

2009 is soooooo the new 2000.

Friday, July 17, 2009

b. dylan

so long, honey babe
where i'm bound, i can't tell
but goodbye's too good a word, babe
so i'll just say fare thee well
i ain't sayin' you treated me unkind
you could have done better but i don't mind
you just kinda wasted my precious time
but don't think twice, it's all right

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

VF


i absolutely positively love vanity fair. somehow i am able to look over the liberal opinion they jam down my throat every month and appreciate the quality of writing and beautiful lay out that goes into each issue. one of my favorite things is the "proust questionnaire" found on the last page of the magazine. they always seem to find the most interesting, not necessarily glamourous, celebrities to ask the same twenty-one questions.

this month, i decided to answer the questions myself:

1. what is your idea of perfect happiness? getting my hair washed
2. what is your greatest fear? losing a permanent tooth
3. which living person do you most admire? my brothers
4. which words or phrases do you most overuse? "shut up"
5. what is the trait you most deplore in yourself? the fact that i snore
6. what do you dislike the most about your appearance? i wish i could wear high waisted skirts
7. which living person do you most depise? james carville
8. what or who is the greatest love of your life? james madison
9. which talent would you most like to have? stand up comedian
10. if you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? my height
11. if you could change one thing about your family, what would it be? the distance between us
12. if you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be? a male penguin
13. what is your most treasured posession? my passport
14. what is your favorite occupation? teacher
15. what is your most marked characteristic? my hair
16. what do you most value in your friends? loyalty
17. who are your favorite writers? joyce carol oates, ee cummings, elizabeth gilbert
18. who are your heroes in real life? funny women
19. what is it that you most dislike? short sightedness and helpless people.
20. how would you like to die? with shopping bags in my hands
21. what is your motto? stand up for yourself

Friday, July 3, 2009

girl can't help it


i worship at the altar of coco chanel


"fashion passes, style remains.."

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

paperclip nose

my favorite songs by the recently departed, king of pop

1. the way you make me feel
2. smooth criminal
3. black or white
4. don't stop til you get enough
5. billie jean


1958-2009

bugs in a rug


my lovely wisty woo came for a long weekend to see my two year old life in the windy city. we celebrated our shared love of shopping, coldplay, and all things college.

i never take for granted the triple triangles that introduced me to one of the most special women in my life. see you in august! xo.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

this is not GOOP

My very dear friend India and I receive Gwyneth Paltrow's "GOOP" once a week. We immediately discuss our take on the not-so-valuable and/or practical advice Gwyn gives us. So I have decided to dispense a few Anna Lewis tips:

1. If you see a black dress that you kind of like, buy it. GOOP would tell you that it's easy to come across a LBD when you are bff with Valentino. But it's also easy to find one when you have the ability to walk into a JCREW, H&M or Banana Republic.

2. I am sure life is really easy when you have a personal chef. Life is also easy when you live a block away from Trader Joe's. The two things that should be in every kitchen: turkey meatballs and thai red curry sauce. Both under $4, both delicious. ahhh sank you.

3. I hate high heels but boy I would love a pair of Louboutins. Maybe in another life. Instead I will feel better knowing that I bought a pair, and gave a pair.

4. How do you do Europe on less than $100 a day? You use your parents Marriott Points. Thanks again to the O'Brien and Velleco families!

5. Invest in a good hair cut. A wise woman once said "It's the one thing you wear everyday."

6. I don't have children, nor do I want any in the foreseeable future. But here's how you entertain them: television. And if you're one of those people that don't want your kids watching television, well first off, I hate you. Second, give them anything with buttons they can push. An old telephone, a calculator, a remote control, they will be entertained for at least an hour. So go make yourself a cocktail and watch Oprah.

7. If you want to lose weight, put the beer down, get rid of your car, and buy a bike.

Friday, May 15, 2009

gloomy in chicago

It's a rainy day, but I prefer puddles to piles of snow so I'm not complaining. Instead here are a few reasons why I am so happy to call the windy city my home away from home.

1. Buckingham Fountain. I have a thing for fountains, and this one might be the most beautiful one I've ever seen.

2. Summer. Everyone is just so happy that they survived the winter, you don't want to stay indoors. And the wind that chills you to the bone from November to April is much appreciated in those summer months.

3. Wrigley Field. Not a huge baseball fan, but that place is amazing.

4. Millenium Park. Yea, Chicago should have put the billions of dollars into their public schools, or filling the pot holes that stretch across the street, or maybe...I don't know, not a giant bean. But it's still soooooo cool.

5. I have not met one person who thinks having the Olympics here is a good idea. And yet Chicago is still in the running.

6. The el. It is filthy, disgusting, dangerous, unreliable, and really really loud. I love it.

7. No I didn't vote for him, but yea, it is kind of cool how proud Chicago is of Obama.

8. Peeps in the Midwest are just good people. I think the only snob I know here is myself.

9. Michigan Avenue at Christmas

10. OPRAH WINFREY. hello.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

"i want to remember us just as we are now"


i hate the fact that brad pitt has decided that he and i are enemies. it was with a heavy heart that i watched "the curious case of benjamin button" and actually have to admit that i enjoyed it. it was refreshing to see brad pitt as one half of a very sweet love story.



"for what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. there's no time limit, stop whenever you want. you can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. we can make the best or the worst of it. i hope you make the best of it. And i hope you see things that startle you. i hope you feel things you never felt before. i hope you meet people with a different point of view. i hope you live a life you're proud of. if you find that you're not, i hope you have the strength to start all over again"

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

i like each of you a bit more.


i spent friday-monday with my absolute favorite females in the world. it had been nearly 10 months since we had been together and while each of our lives has changed considerably since July, our very special bond has remained the same.

we spent the majority of the weekend in west palm beach the way we spent the majority of our time at jmu: drinking. gossiping. shopping. eating. and then planning on what we were gonna eat in a few hours. our definition of fun has not changed and neither has the fact that we speak far too loudly in public places, receive dirty looks from strangers as a result, have the worst luck with sales associates, fight over the front seat, take 20 minutes to decide between two bottles of wine, consistently over pack, and rarely call each other by our birth names.

i'm delighted to see that the girls who left jmu nearly two years ago, still exist. even if we're a bit more grown up. just don't fall asleep before midnight because i might just punch you in your face.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

pittsburgh, south carolina


i am reading "the mysteries of pittsburgh." the general idea: a recent college grad and how he spends the last true summer of his life. silly job, silly romances, wasting money because all you have to do is waste time. it's got me thinking about the last real summer of my life. it wasn't the summer right after graduation, it was the summer before that. like most places i have affectionately called home, i moved without ever visiting. and what awaited me were three glorious months of nonstop fun, and not a single care in the world.


so i pay tribute to hilton head, sc; and some of the best times of my life.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

motto

"give what you can to people who need it more than you do."
- state & lake platform

Friday, March 20, 2009

good reads

"..millions of Germans did betray their selves. that was the tragedy. not that one man had the courage to be evil. but that millions had not the courage to be good."
the magus, by john fowles

Saturday, March 14, 2009

SPF 30

I "graduated" from the 8th grade in the spring of 1999. Was there a ceremony? No. Did my parents throw me a party? Not for another four years. But I'll tell you what did happen. Baz Luhrmann dedicated a little song called "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" to the class of 1999. Chances are fantastic he was referring to high school and college graduates but ya know what? That man did not sing a note of that song so he lost credibility from the jump. I strangely remember everything he says, and consistently adhere to what he laid out.

So maybe Z104 is no more (remember the Titanic mixes those people came out with? GENIUS) and Ricky Martin's Livin' la Vida Loca is the song everyone thinks about when they reflect on the music of '99 (guilty) but I'm going to ask you to listen to "Everybody's Free" the next time you're having a little problem. I guarantee that problem will be solved in 5 minutes and 4 seconds.


maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either. your choices are half chance. so are everybody else's.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

ahh sank ya feds!

i'm very excited to get my tax return in a few weeks and the reason why is because i'm incredibly materialistic. kidding. but i do get to break away from pinching pennies and treat myself with some much deserved "yay i survived 2 winters in chicago" shopping.

1. tickets to germany (btw, still no idea if i'm flying out of o'hare or dulles.)
2. longchamp le pliage messenger bag in brown (i have a vice, and it is longchamp bags)
3. navy tory burch flats (i think k&co will celebrate this purchase more than myself)
4. blackberry! finalllllly



and if you are judging me, look at yourself. after all, i'm the one helping the economy!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

dentures

welllllll, i fell asleep 25 minutes into last night's LOST. i was even texting sara questions/possible theories and telling brandon how different this season is from all the others. i see juliet and sawyer drop the l-bomb and next thing i know, its 3:30am, i'm on my couch, and there is a mexi-infomercial on my television. now it took me about 10 seconds to realize that the mexi-infomerical had nothing to do with LOST (can you seriously blame me?) before i eventually stumbled into my room and woke up at 6am ready for another day.


who am i? what happened to the person who would stay up all hours of the night, found sleep to be a nuisance, and could survive a few days with nothing but venti's from starbucks and early morning mr. j's. i'll tell you what happened to that girl.
SHE BECAME AN ADULT



ughhh. i guess things could be worse. i could be rihanna.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

LENT


40 days seems to be the perfect amount of time to give up a vice.



april 12th, 2009

Friday, February 13, 2009

c.e.o.


i spent over an hour and a half on the phone with my person. if we had a cheese pizza from l'italia it would have been the perfect date<3

quote of the night:

"she has really great boobs." - me
"dumb bitch." - christine

Friday, February 6, 2009

gotcha!



candidate obama said he would pull the troops out in 16 months and president obama realizes he had no idea what he was talking about so "i promise to withdraw troops with in 16 months of my presidency" translates into 19 months or maybe even 23 months.

i "promise" this won't turn into my own personal soapbox. i just wanted to document on the world wide web that amature hour starts...NOW!

"The Obama campaign, which relied heavily on new technology and appeals to younger voters, had more in common with the marketing of a celebrity than a presidential candidate. The posters, the logos, the messaging, even the carefully scripted (in a visual sense) public appearances were all part of a carefully managed plan to excite the public in ways that are new to presidential politics. But there is a downside to all this, which the Obama White House has been quick to figure out: the level of excitement the campaign generated is not, in a word, sustainable."-Peter Roff

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

JRL

i just realized every station on pandora is a true reflection that i am my father's daughter. so here's what else i got from james ross lewis:

1. my love/hate relationship with meat starts and ends with chili dogs.
2. i am so quick to defend the south you'd think robert e. lee was in our family tree.
3. maybe it's the fact that my mom was terrified during all three of her pregnancies that she would go into labor on a sunday, or the fact that i remember my father calling his 11 year old nephew an "asshole" for acting like dion sanders whenever we played charades. but i'll be hailing to the redskins until the day that i die.
4. bob dylan, neil young, fleetwood mac, the stones, james brown.
5. the curls, take one look at my father circa 1968 and then look at me. twins.
6. when my mother asked me what my favorite cocktail was and i replied "gin and tonics" she chuckled and said "i think you're father had a few of those when he used to drink."
7. i lack a filter when it comes to cussing and being painfully honest. i also have no control over my facial expressions.
8. my odd obsession with all things thomas jefferson.
9. i am not the only lewis who is known to watch approximately 18 hours of olympic coverage
10. i'm the happiest when the ocean is right in front of me.

Friday, January 30, 2009

bliss

jenny cho and i spend countless hours trying to pinpoint the few times in our lives that we have been truly, blissfully, 100% happy. points in time that if the world were to stop we would be happy in that moment forever. i can tell you this much, today ain't one of them. so instead of bitching about being exhausted, over worked, and seasonally depressed i'm going to reflect on a few of the good times i have been blessed with.

1. block island. living in a run down hotel, ironically named "the overlook," with 100 people under the age of 25 from all over the world? YES PLEASE. horrible decisions were made and quickly forgotten, some of us got fired and threw our work shirts on the roof, others chose to fall off balconies/docks, while the majority of us chose to take irish car bombs 30 seconds before all staff meetings. and somewhere in all of this insanity, i was perfectly at peace with life.
2. hilton head. my job consisted of arts and crafts, grain alcohol cocktails, and watching my boss push children into swimming pools. and after that? we relaxed.
3. the inferno 2007. three years, two arrests, countless emails requesting my presence in standards, followed by numerous empty threats of de-pinning, came to an appropriate end. amid the smoke and flames, i was able to see that yes, perpetual bonds of sisterhood were made and i will forever smile fondly on those three triangles.
4. europe. food was inhaled, voices were raised, camels were rode, karaoke was sang, money was spent/wasted, cats handled turbulence surprisingly well, balls were placed on the back of necks (marissa's) and somewhere between all that, we saw europe. this trip was a remarkable way to end the best four years of my life.
5. the summer before 10th grade or what i affectionately refer to as "the last sober summer"
6. my 22nd birthday trip to baltimore
7. camping trip 2002 parts 1&2, yarbough (both the cul-de-sac and the boat), amoco gas station, the minter's basement; say what i will about fredericksburg but i was able to grow up surrounded by the same faces year after year and for that, i am incredibly lucky

“drink wine…this is life eternal;
this is all that youth will give you.
it is the season for wine, roses and drunken friends.
be happy for this moment; this moment is your life….” - Omar Khayyam

Thursday, January 29, 2009

gimme a berger

i am now the proud of owner of the entire series of sex and the city. while i am sure there will be at least another post laying out my favorite parts of the show, here is one of the scenes that makes me fall in love with carrie.




carrie: i assure you, i would have been very understanding
andrew: yea right
carrie: excuse me?
andrew: you all say that, but then you just freak. and get all psycho bitch.
carrie: really? so now it's all our fault?
billy: all we're saying is that there really is no good way to break up with someone is there?
carrie: well it's funny you should mention that billy. because actually there is. you can have the guts and the courtesy to tell a woman to her face that you no longer want to see her. call me crazy but i think that you can make a point of ending your relationship in a manner that does not include an email, a doorman, or missing person's report. i think that you can ALL get over your fear of looking like the bad guy and actually have the "uncomfortable break-up conversation" because here's what! avoiding that, is what makes you the bad guy. and just so you know allen...
andrew: uhhh andr-
carrie: uh huh! most women aren't angry irrational psychos. we just want an ending to a relationship that is thoughtful and decent and honors what we had together. and my point billy is this. there is a good way to break up with someone and it doesn't. include. a post-it!


and this is why when i am president of the united states, sex and the city will be shown in all sex ed classes. right after the condom/banana day .

Saturday, January 24, 2009

she looks like...


a piece of bacon wearing a bikini.
by jenni ritz
fall 2008
all rights reserved

Thursday, January 22, 2009

oscar who?


Two posts in one day, first time for everything I suppose.

But this is necessary. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

KATE WINSLET WAS NOT NOMINATED FOR REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

The book was incredible, Kate was better. And Angelina Jolie can go F herself.

"You know what's so good about the truth? Everyone knows what it is, however long they've lived without it. No one forgets the truth, they just get better at lying."

goodbye, my friend

I guess all good things do have to come to an end. So with that I've come up with a list of things to thank Highlawn for; the good, the bad, the fannypacks.

Thank you for:
1. Not letting 21 year old Christine O'Brien enter with a valid ID, but accepting her 18 year old sister with a fake.
2. For allowing a certain SK to not leave much to the imagination while dancing on stage to "Crazy Bitch." JMU might be 60% female, but that night 100% of us were lesbians
3. For serving two pitchers per person but having tile floors. So essentially providing an adult version of a slip and slide.
4. For having rude bartenders
5. For having the "corner booth"
6. For serving one person (Josh Jones) 10 drinks at a time; one with a roofie
7. For giving us a North Face fleece
8. For letting 2 girls dressed as Jesus think it was a good idea to smuggle in a bottle of liquor under their robes, and then hide it behind the bar, and then proceed to drink straight from the bottle while standing behind the bar.
9. For not having a dress code. I don't know about where you live, but here in Chicago a bar MIGHT consider 20 screaming Tri Deltas carrying swords, bad for business.
10. For attempting to have a VIP section that was accessible to anyone who:
a. had a wristband
b. knew someone who had a wristband or
c. could say the words "it is my birthday"
11. For making it so we had to arrive by 7:30pm or we were considered "late." Which goes along nicely with...
12. For being the only bar I've ever gone to on a regular basis but never heard a "last call."
13. For giving a certain girl with many many nicknames the opportunity to pull out a crisp $20 bill from her Gucci fannypack and cut the line.
and last
14. For being so understaffed yet so willing to over serve that the text message "I am where the black man sells drinks" was possible.

I'll see you in another life Highlawn...

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

YES WE CAN!

if you know me at all you know how extremely emotional i have been the past few days. i was just so excited, i literally had butterflies in my stomach all week. i couldn't believe that the countdown was almost over. greatness had arrived. some of my biggest questions would be answered, my fears put to rest. my life had been on hold for months, and now, now i could start living again.



and plus, now that obama is in office apparently we won't have to pay for anything anymore. gimme dat piece of the pie.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

seven layer


no i'm not talking about the dip. although how delicious does it look!??!

i am referring to how many articles of clothing i wore to work this morning. SEVEN. it's a sad life i lead where i must put on clothes, and then put on some more, and then some more, and then some more, and then some more, and then some more, and then put on a coat.

Friday, January 9, 2009

24

now that i'm 24 i am old enough to:

1. hold a conversation and use the term "well 10 years ago..." and actually be able to remember 10 years ago.
2. live where ever i want. once i move back in with ross and eileen, i will have time to sit down and think "where to next?" will i backpack? go back to school in a new city? settle down in d.c.? kick it for a while in the 540? you're guess is as good as mine.
3. spend money on nice clothes and justify it with "it's for work."
4. get a dog. no i can't afford one. but yes, at this point i want one more than i want children.
5. consume alcohol. yes it's been three years since i turned 21, and yes, i am still in love with the fact that i can buy beer with my groceries.
6. go to germany with two of my absolute faaaaaavorite people in the whole wide world for Oktoberfest 2009 purely because i want to. i have a funny feeling the phrase, "remember when we went to germany..." will be repeated for years to come.
7. have old friends; and i mean friends "who knew you when you had braces and got peter kotowski suspended for calling you a bitch..." or "who remember when you went to north carolina and forgot to tell your parents you'd be gone for 3 days." if those people are still around, chances are fantastic they are yours for life.
8. know what kind of wine i like, and what kind i don't. and no, deciding on what color of mad dog i preferred does not count.

and even though i am 24 i am young enough to:

1. still be idealistic
2. pick my life up at the drop of the hat and convince myself that "settling down" is the gravest fate of them all...
3. spend money irresponsibely
4. not be able to commit to anything. a dog, a boy, a perfume..
5. get kicked out of bars.
6. travel when i don't have the money to
7. gossip, endlessly
8. drink mad dog. haha kidding, but not reeeeeeeeeeeally......

Thursday, January 8, 2009

The Wire




As many of you know, I become easily obsessed. With what you may ask? EVERYTHING. I am the girl who saw Titanic 16 times in the theater, obsessively read everything that even mentioned the 2008 election, watched Olympic coverage 18 hours a day, skipped school to get tickets to Dave Matthews....twice. And it may be physically impossible for me to run a marathon, but if you've ever shared living quarters with me you know my endurance comes in front of a television screen. Sex and the City? done in a week. LOST? ha! two days. The Office? child's play. Have I changed post-college? NOPE

The latest thing to provide me hours of entertainment is HBO's "The Wire." With incredible ease, complex story lines, and amazing characters, the show takes a detailed look into things about our cities that go ignored; the business of drugs, political corruption, the failing public school system, a biased media. Violence breeds violence, greed breeds greed, and the so the game goes.

I don't think this show would have been as appealing to me if it did not mirror the lives of the children I spent last year with, and the neighborhood I currently work in. Do I think that everyone should quit their job and work in the inner-city? Well yea, kind of. But more importantly I think that you should watch this show, even one episode and realize that this exists. In our country. Right now. While you are working behind a desk, there are good people just trying to get by. And their work isn't done in an office, it's done on the corner. And the politicians you trust, feed off the poor. And test scores, not children, are what matter. And the media twists it all.

And if that doesn't hook you, Officer McNulty is really really hot.

madison, james madison

the friendliest city of them all

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

favorites.

i am sharing a list of a few of my favorite things in the whole wide world.

1. anything monogrammed. stationary, bags, towels, napkins. you name it, it should prob have your initials on it.
2. europe. see you in september 2009.
3. the constitution. read it, it was written for you.
4. bob dylan. listen to him.
5. penguins. is there anything cuter?
6. andy warhol. his work, his life, his words; pure genius.
7. uggs. don't knock them if you've never lived above the mason-dixon line.
8. fountain diet coke. heaven in carbonated form.
9. public transportation. do your part, take the bus.
10. the style books. michelle obama is a girl playing dress up next to diana, audrey, and jackie.
and last,
11. chicago. i fell in love with 40 children, learned to live off of $800 a month, fulfilled my dream of seeing oprah, and gave michael phelps a high five. do i regret my decision to move to a city totally and completely alone? not for one single second.