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.