a wee bit of bipolarness... bipolarity?

There are some things I'm really loving today (well, this week) and some things, well, not so much. I'll document them in a list for you! Hooray!

Loving:
1. It's payday. That means I could buy some gym sessions to get my ass back in gear. That also means mani/pedi this afternoon! Now to decide what color to choose.....

2. NY fashion week! Glorious. Some faves:

Naeem Khan.

Oooo I love this dress, and I love me a low side ponytail!
But this one is a little *too* reminiscent of my 4th grade school photo.

Zac Posen.
The perfect evening "power suit." Kick. ass.

Marchesa.
I love the lace, love the neckline.
Make it in a lighter color with some thicker lining, and I'd make it my future wedding dress.

3. It's September. That means only one month till October, my most favorite month of the year. It also means the arrival of pumpkin-flavored things: my ultimate favorite. I'll be keeping my eye to the Godiva on M Street to see when they're precious pumpkin truffles arrive! Hey Hello Cupcake, how about a pumpkin seasonal cupcake?

4. This quote, courtesy of mimi, totally made my day yesterday. It was perfection, in my eyes.

"No matter how bad the weather, soiled the past, broken the heart, hellish the war, I believe all that is behind the universe is conspiring to help us-- if we will humbles ourselves enough to let it."-Kevin Kelly

Not so much loving:
1. Hurricane Ike. Headed for Houston, where the sister and bro-in-law recently moved. They'll be fine, I'm sure, but it's all just a little scary. Y"ike"s! (yeah, I just went there.)

2. Hot weather in DC. How am I supposed to get excited about my fall transition clothes when it's supposed to be 96 this weekend?! Argh.

3. Boys. Why are they so freaking non-committal? Thankfully a co-worker and I are living mirrored lives so we can bitch together.

4. Sarah Palin. She's the first politician I've ever vehemently opposed. Eughhh, she just makes me shudder. I'd post a picture, but it would really bring down the integrity of this blog to a place that I'm not comfortable with. You'll just have to use your imagination.

it's payday....

So I decided to make these mine!! Yay for new fall transition shoes!

friday fabulousness.

I am really loving Brian Reyes' fall collection. In addition to the trench/cape I posted a while back, here are some other stunners (click on the runway pics if you want the giant, smush-your-nose-to-the-screen-to-appreciate-their-detail versions). Le sigh.

a mother's love...

I think I'm the only person in this country who isn't glued to the Olympics. I caught my first bit last night: men's synchronized diving. All I can say is who knew Canadians could look so good in speedos?!Yowza.

Ok, moving on....

Prior to catching this event I hadn't seen a single thing and relayed this information on to my mother. She totally freaked out, going on and on about how incredible all of the events had been and highlighted Michael Phelps. Which is when the following conversation took place:

Mom: "Oh my god, Michael Phelps. He's SO amazing. Did you know his feet turn out 15 degrees? Like flippers?! Plus his feet are size 14, and he has 6'7" wingspan. Isn't that incredible?"
Me: "Yeah, whatever Mom. Doesn't anyone remember the fact that he got a DUI a couple years back?! I mean, the guy's a criminal and we're all treating him like America's hero just because he won the genetic lottery."
Mom: "Whatever. You drink a lot. Things happen."
Me: (utter silence)

Thanks, Mom. Love you, too. ;)

In other athletic-related parent-child love news (yeah, you didn't think I could go there, did you?), have you seen this video? I just don't know how anyone could get through it without bawling. My reaction necessitated several Kleenex.

i will always love you, vol 1.

A new feature here on Spaztastic Adventures, titled "I Will Always Love You," which should ALWAYS be sung/read in your greatest Whitney voice. These are the things/places that I'll never EVER get sick of, so much so that I'm proclaiming it in my blog. I'll dig this page up 3 or 4 years from now and I better still like this stuff. Screw fads, this stuff is here to stay.

First installment: the bar I will always love: Dan's Cafe

Have you ever thought that your local liquor store would be the perfect bar? The essentials are already there; you’d just need to add some stools, a decent countertop, maybe a pool table and a blurry TV if you’re feeling spendy. Apparently this is the thought process that some guy named Dan had when opening Dan’s Café in Adams Morgan.

From the outside the blue and white windowless building looks like it should be condemned, and things don’t improve when you enter. The first thing you’ll notice is the smell: a nauseating mix of stale beer, urine, and chlorine. After an hour or two you won’t notice the smell until you wake up the next morning and it’s still hanging on your clothes. This is one place that didn’t benefit from the smoking ban: smoke smells better. There are a few booths lined up along the back wall: be careful, they’re shoddily put together and you may find yourself sitting on a rusty nail or two. If you’re in the mood for a round of pool, this isn’t your place: the pool table is just there for decoration and the cover never comes off. It’s best used as a coat check. Be sure not to look up: you’ll see hanging “silk” plants covered in inches of dust and Dan’s inability to pick just one kind of wall covering (there’s fake brick, wallpaper, and linoleum, just to name a few).

The bar has built-in cup holders to aid its impaired patrons: at Dan’s you’ll need all the help you can get. They serve beer at decent prices but that’s not what brings the boys to the yard. No, it’s the mixed drinks that keep you liquored up and wanting more. Dan’s isn’t a one drink at a time kind of place. When you ask for a gin and tonic, you’ll receive a carafe of gin, a mini bottle of tonic, a bucket of ice and some limes: a starter kit for 3 highly potent drinks. The price depends on the caliber of liquor you choose, but it’ll usually set you back $12-$16. If that’s not enough, shots are served bulk (6 or 7 at a time) in squeeze bottles and are equally well priced.

Be sure to stop by the ATM on your way to Dan’s as it’s cash only. You’ll be hard-pressed to spend more than $25 here, unless you’re prepared to not remember the night or you really want to hear Sweet Home Alabama on the jukebox just one more time.

happy 4th!

to me, this is one of the most patriotic ads ever:



I'm off to Rhode Island for the weekend to be with my BFF and my second family! Hope y'all have a happy holiday weekend!

i know it's 90 degrees outside...

Oscar de la Renta Dip Dye Silk Faille Skirt, $3,250 at Neiman Marcus.

But doesn't this skirt just SCREAM changing leaves and pumpkin pie? Methinks yes. As much as I love being outdoors in the Fall, I love Fall fashion previews even more.

Some other pieces that make me dream of a brisk breeze:Brian Reyes Twill Cape Trenchcoat, $1,995 at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Valentino Ruched Sweater, $1,990 at Bergdorf Goodman.
You really MUST see this one up close!

Alice & Olivia.

Catherine Malandrino.

monday update.

Man oh man, I heart my wee little Macbook. It just hums along so happily, providing me with a connection to the outside world. Quite superb.

The truly exciting facet of my purchase was that I managed to wrangle a FREE iPod touch out of the deal. Ok ok, by "wrangle" I mean they gave it to me, no questions asked, but whatever. Yay for education discounts!

A couple of things for the day:

1. I don't think I'll ever get sick of David Gray's music. I've been listening to it since some point in high school (maybe 2001?) when my fabulous sister gave me White Ladder for Christmas. Well, it's just been love ever since. I'll take some time away from David but I always end up coming back. It's just so.... good.

2. Baskin Robbins ice cream cakes are and always will be the best cakes ever. The cold cake with the ice cream and the super sweet frosting.... heaven! I just polished off the remnants of the mint chocolate chip beauty that my coworkers got me for my birthday. Pretty spectacular, even a week and a half later.

3. I'm on Mission: Make Cubicle Attractive, and it's much more difficult than originally planned. I don't want anything cutesy but I'm in dire need of color! I purchased some awesome vintage fabric from Etsy to cover one of the walls, but I'm not sure what to do elsewhere. Any ideas?

This, my friends, is by far the best office accessory EVER:
And yes, it's already on it's way to me. How could anyone pass up a mahjong business card holder?! Pure genius.

today is the day!

it will be mine.

oh yes, it will be mine.

i think i just crossed a threshold.

I actually had a work letter written FOR me. All I have to do is proof it and sign at the bottom. How weird is that? This is a total departure from my last job, where I was the one painstakingly writing the letters with someone else's name, then getting so ANGRY at the freaking printer. How hard is it to properly MANUAL FEED?!

Ok, so, well, anyway, apparently I'm kind of a big deal.

...and it feels kinda good.


coming soon: updates on birthday, wedding, weekends, pride festival, sunburn, etc.

and remember.... "soon" is a relative term.

happy birthday to me!

Remember these?
Yes, they are now in my possession. For over $200 less than the original price. My oh my how much I love a Bloomie's sale!!

this made me laugh today.

Comment at the DCist: I thought DC's motto was, "At Least We're Not Herndon."

teehee.

Ok ok, back to work!

kinda grumpy.

Sick and tired of work and all that comes with it (stress, lack of sleep, bad eating habits, falling asleep of-the-ass). Only 12 more days till freedom, and freedom means this:

Oh Charleston. This is where my sis' reception will be. So fantastically Chaaaaaahhhhleston.

QT with the sibs (both original and new!).
Annnnd with mi casa. Last time I'll see the house :(

QT with the parentals!

Honestly, who doesn't love a wedding? Nothing is more fantastic.
btw, this photo is from Old Sheldon Church. Where yours truly WILL be getting married. Isn't it just fantastic? I hope my future fiance thinks so! ;)
Birthday!
(this was last year, obvi.)

So yes, all good things.
But to make it through the hard part, would someone like to buy me these?They're on saaaaale!

fridays are better than mondays.

Hi hi readers!

Ok, this will be a quickie because work beckons, but I just wanted to say that I'm famous! Well, kind of. The lovely DCGF over at The DC Goodwill Fashion blog has profiled me! And I mean, really, who loves Goodwill more than me? Well, the DCGF does. But honestly. My love for Goodwill knows no bounds. I mean, I got a pair of MANOLO BLAHNIKS (yes, worthy of caps) for $5.99. Yeah, that decimal is supposed to be there. And Goodwill does so many great things for the community. Plus, there's no end to my lecture on how much better thrifting is for the environment. And we all love that, right? So yes, yes, go visit her blog, check out what she posts on eBay and go to shopgoodwill.com to find even more goodies.

In other news I decided on my bridesmaid shoes! I scoured endless.com, ordered 3 pairs, and ended up settling with the silver t-straps posted below. I've got to get the final approval from the bride and my mother, but I heart them! Super comfy and they're satin, so plenty dressy. AND Endless had them on sale! Snaps for that.

One last tidbit-- come to Fiesta Asia this weekend! Yeah, I know Fiesta Asia is a silly name, but it's FREE and a STREET FESTIVAL and I WILL BE THERE. So yeah, come. I'll be working the Yelp table in the AM before I head to the boutique for the day.

That's about all I've got planned for the weekend because after the 12hour days I've been pulling, I'm ready for some sleep. I think I'm getting old.

quick update!

We're a mere 12 working days from Reunion over here and considering that's basically my entire job, things have been kind of crazy. Still, it's been nearly a month since my last post and my blog is feeling all neglected, so get prepared for the most random stream of consciousness convoluted blog post EVER. Yes, I'm serious about that.

1. All I feel like I do lately is work and work out. Notice the common word there? Yeah, work. I do a lot of it. The working out is going well and I'm very much enjoying my time with CJ, although he's expensive in more ways than one. Yes, the actual sessions cost a pretty penny (but are TOTALLY worth it). The real problem I have is the fact that I'm trying to be good on restricting myself on the drinking/eating front. Good, yes? Well, maybe if I actually could show restraint. You see, when I find myself dieting, not going out and drinking 1000000 calories, not eating ice cream, etc., I feel the need to splurge in other ways. Yeah, that's right. Shopping. Namely shoes (shocking, I know). But for real! I don't want to buy new clothes because the whole goal is to lose weight. But shoes, well, they'll fit regardless. Yeah, that whole "no shoes till laptop" rule is out the window. And if it's not shoes it's other random stuff: my trips to Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Sur la Table (best store EVER), and the Container Store this weekend did not fare my bank account well. And yes, I went to the 'burbs. Obvi. So yes, I need to fix this issue. No more spending on frivolity. We'll see how long that lasts. I did avoid the Bloomingdale's private shoe sale this weekend! Go me.

2. I had a much more budget-conscious weekend a couple of weeks ago, though! And YES, it still involved shopping. Duh. After a service project a friend and I travelled up to Rockville MD to do some thrifting. And thrifting we did! We scoured through tons of consignment and not-so-nice thrift shops and I found a couple sweet things. I scored a faboo white eyelet vintage dress from Goodwill along with a fun comfy weekend top. I also got a porcelain Asian-inspired lamp for my bedroom, and old-school banker's lamp for my office (need to bring that in...), a cool picture frame that I'll re-purpose, and this cool iron buffalo. I have a thing about buffalo. Don't know why or where it came from, but I feel like we're kindred spirits. Plus I like to eat them.

3. I made strawberry cupcakes this weekend-- nearly 3 dozen of them. Yikes. I have proceeded to eat three today. Yes, I REALIZE that this does not work with the whole diet plan but I'm cranky and it's Monday and rainy and goshdarnit I deserve them. Plus I'm going to the gym tonight for about 4 hours. I swear.

4. In all of the shoe shopping I've done in the past weeks, I haven't found the pair that I truly need: those for my bridesmaid dress. I know, I know. Trust me, I've been looking! It's difficult because I want a metallic but nothing too gold or too silver. I want a pretty high heel but still comfortable, which means nothing too strappy. And dear god, nothing bejeweled. You wouldn't think it would be this difficult, but trust me, it is.

I like these but I'm worried the color might be too dark. And they're also a little strappy. I'm especially not too fond of the ankle strap.

Ooooooh I love me a t-strap. Really I do. The material for these looks a little casual and I don't know if they'd make my legs look stumpy, but the price is right!

I think a DSW trip is in order.

weekend recap.

Good lord this weekend was crazy. Crazy amounts of work, crazy amounts of fun, crazy amounts of... crazy.

Friday was absolutely GORGEOUS so the roomies and I headed over to Sammy J's to celebrate Kate's new job. Hooray! Drinking outside makes life so much better. So so much.

Despite fully knowing that I needed to be at work at 8am on Saturday, I proceeded to join the roomies at a house party that a friend was throwing.... in his recently deceased grandfather's apartment. He's living there now, and it's... umm... creepy. Think about what your grandfather's apartment would look like. Then think about drinking out of red solo cups there. It's an interesting picture to say the least. I ended up having a little *too* much fun at the party and staying out far too late (I got home when most people wake up). That led to a rather difficult Saturday filled with both jobs and my attempt to be cheery. It was rough, to say the least.

I managed to rally and head out to meet some friends again on Saturday night at my most favorite Dan's Cafe. I must say that not drinking at Dan's is an eye-opening experience, as you fully realize the true grossness of the place and the smell of urine is even stronger with your sober senses, but I still love it and will return whenever an invite's on the table. You just can't beat it. Post-Dan's we headed to another favorite of mine, Madam's Organ.

Now 'splain this one to me: as soon as we walked in, a tall, young, rather attractive guy walked up to me and asked me if I knew what song was playing. It was Tom Petty, American Girl, of COURSE I knew it. He asked if I wanted to dance to it. That's right. Dance to Tom Petty. I get that he was trying to make conversation, but Tom Petty just really isn't dance-able unless you're at the concert. And even then it's questionable. But hey, I got a free beer out of his proposal so that works for me!

I must recommend going to Adams Morgan sober. It's a lot more fun to actually listen to how guys try to pick you up and you're much less likely to make a stupid decision, obviously. So hooray for that. It also makes Jumbo Slice a whole lot less appealing.

In theory you would think that I would have woken up on Sunday fully energized after my night of no-drinking, but instead I slept through my alarm, finally waking up at 12:15 when my phone rang. Well, kids, that was a problem, considering I was supposed to be at the boutique at noon. I don't normally sleep late so that's a good sign of how exhausted I was.... and still am. It was also a really super gross day outside, so I had zero motivation to leave my house. I finally made it down to the boutique around 1, hung around for a couple of hours during which I think 5 people came in the store, and left to have a quick meeting with the Craig-ster. That led to a couple of beers (BELL'S OBERON!!) and a buffalo burger at RFD with Craig and Keely, then back home to watch Pretty Woman (since, you know, I've never seen it before or anything). Glorious night indeed.

Ok, now that I've written all of this I realize it's incredibly boring and wordy. For that I apologize.

I'll leave with you with a couple of my latest finds:

I'm not a big fan of the whole gladiator sandal trend, but these are delicate enough for me to love.
How unabashedly pretty is this? It's totally motivated me to head to Goodwill and see if I can find something fabulously vintage.

I've got a Spring Fling to go to next week and I'm just dying to find something that screams spring, like this dress. Perhaps Goodwill will have something perfect for me.

interesting....

"If one candidate’s trying to scare you and the other one’s trying to get you to think, if one candidate’s appealing to your fears and the other one’s appealing to your hopes, you better vote for the person who wants you to think and hope." - Bill Clinton

I don't think this had the effect he was going for, because this is what I immediately thought:

failure.

Yeah, you know that whole no new shoes till I get a laptop thing? I failed. Miserably.

But HONESTLY. How FANTASTIC are they???

daily randoms.

1. Things with my new BFF CJ (aka my personal trainer) are going really well. Except for the fact that I'm in pain pretty much every day. By the time the soreness and inability to walk down stairs wears off, it's time for another session. Still, I much prefer this feeling to the gross lazy mess that I was a couple of weeks ago for the past 7 or 8 years.

2. This weekend is going to be GOOD. For several reasons:

• Tommy is coming to visit!! FINALLY. My little brother goes to school just a few hours away and we're going to the BRAVES game (yeah, not Nats game) on Friday night. Can't wait to see the new stadium. It better not rain... and the Braves better stop playing so shitty.
  
• I'm going to Fashion for Paws on Saturday night. I've been kind of stalking this event ever since I heard about it about a year and a half ago and I'm SOOO happy I get to attend this year. I mean, puppies and fashion. What could be better?? Now to decide what to wear....
  
• Sunday is my first and only day off for the entire month of April. This means I will take full advantage. Specifically in the form of watching the Masters finale and getting a mani/pedi. Hoo-ray.

3. Work is getting busier and busier with Reunion approaching in late May. I've got events every Wednesday this month and most Saturday morning, so it's all kind of crazy. Still, I'm loving most of it, especially since we've had some hires and I'm not the new chick anymore.

4. And finally, I really really REALLY want this bag. A woman came in to the boutique with a bright green version and we all flipped out. If someone would like to buy it for me (as it's the same cost as 5 sessions with CJ) then I would be most grateful.

i've got a date.

Friday, 8am.

With a guy named CJ.

He's as big as a house and promises "to kick my ass so hard [I] won't know what to do with it."

Eeep. I hope I survive.

decisions, decisions.

I apologize for this blog turning in to the saga that is "Kiki needs a laptop," but I just can't help myself. I keep thinking of all the cool things I could do if I could, you know, download music and upload pictures. What a wonderful world it would be!

Yet things continue to get in the way.

As most of you know, my big sister's wedding is coming up this June and I am lucky enough to be the fabulous maid of honor. I am so so SO super psyched about the wedding: it's going to be the best party EVER. In my head I had always thought that I'd lose a ton of weight this year in preparation: really get on a diet/exercise plan and shed those extra pounds that have always bothered me. Well kids, I forgot that I have zero motivation for this kind of thing. Sure, I like to go out and run every once in a while, but it's far too sporadic to make any kind of real impact. Plus my serious beer drinking habit is not helping helping things along at all. Oops.

Anyway, this new gym opened near my house/on my way to and from work. It's a personal training gym and I've always thought that the only thing that would get my ass in gear would be a personal trainer: someone who's going to kick my ass and keep me accountable. So, I've pretty much decided that I'm going to put a decent chunk of my laptop savings toward a personal trainer, at least for the next two months. A healthy body is more important than some personal technology, right? RIGHT? I keep trying to tell myself this.

Plus, when I reach my goal weight, I can actually wear stuff like this:

apologies.

I know this whole "post a beautiful something-something and ooh and ahh over it" blogging is boring and repetitive, but I can't help myself. How FAB are these sunglasses?? I want them all, please. So vintage-y and mannish.... just how I like it.

All are by Benjamin and can be found at LeeLeeLunettes, just in case you were looking....

*cough, cough* my birthday is June 12 *ahem*

a pact.

After coming *thisclose* to buying these beauties,
I made a pact: No. Shoes. Till. Laptop.

(should be sung like the Beastie Boys' "No Sleep Till Brooklyn." Duh.)

This is going to be a long, hard road. Luckily I did not cut out impulse buys like this fantastic sustainable umbrella:
A girl's gotta have SOMETHING new for spring, right?!?

i'm noticing a trend....

I am busy. I think we've covered that in the last few months worth of posting, and I apologize for my blog being so neglected. My life is quickly turning from the "hooray! I have so many events to go to-- yay for socializing!" too "oh-my-god I just want to stay home and do laundry... just once!" I have full intentions of staying in on Friday night so hopefully that will provide me with some much needed rest and allow me to go back to wearing my pretty top-of-the-drawer underwear again.

A little recap of the last month? My trip to the ATL was fantastic (except for the tornadoes) and it was so crazy wonderful to spend time with the fam (including aunts, grandmothers and cousins!). I really do love Atlanta, especially in the spring. The pear trees were in bloom and everything was green-- fabulous! Plus the stores were much more stocked with spring merchandise. Yay! Annnnd shopping with my mom is always good. She bought me this:

How great is that going to look with something like these??
She also got me the most fabulous yellow wrap dress that you will see me in a bajillion times this spring/summer: to work, out to dinner, at Eastern Market, whatever. I heart it. A lot.

After I got back from the ATL I threw a quick little surprise birthday shindig for my lover, Miriam. Aren't we cute?This picture actually wasn't taken at her party. I didn't make people wear nametags, I promise. I do have some cute pics from the party, but unfortunately they can't be uploaded due to my lack of laptop. Anyone want to contribute to the cause? This blog would be *so* much better.

Anyway, after Miriam's birthday my week was filled with exciting things like meetings and boutique work up until late Wednesday night when I decided it would be a good idea to drive to Fripp Island, SC... my happy place... and 9 hours away from DC. In fact, it took me 10 and half on Thursday night. Awesome. It was still worth it: 75 degree days, eating on the back porch at Panini's, looking out on to the marsh all day, eating shrimp, and spending QT with the fam all over again. Perfection in my book.

Monday I had trivia night where Craig and I made a big announcement: we'll be hosting our own weekly trivia gig! Scary, exciting, crazy. It's a lot of work and we should be starting next Sunday, the 6th: trust me, I'll post details! Tuesday night was a big Yelp event (the pic of me and Miriam is from that fantastic night) which included lots of wine, mingling, laughing, drinking, Guitar Hero-ing, being dressed inappropriately, and a lonnnng sobering walk back home. Good times, as always. Last night was more boutique work and we FINALLY got new tenants for our basement! Hooray! They've signed the lease so it's official: no double rent payment. Thank the Jesus. Tonight I'm headed to Girls Gone Glam, which should be fun: I love a good fashion event, always!

So that's my recap, not very exciting I know, but at least it's an excuse for this blog being so incredibly lame lately. Ok, so it's always been lame, get over it.

busy busy.

Things have been crazy crazy lately, and they'll continue that way for the next week or so. I don't have much time to write, so I'll give you a picture recap.

Friday, March 14:
Hello, Atlanta! I missed you!
Toooooornados! Scary!
*I know, I know, I should put up a "real" pic of the horrible devastation, but that's just too depressing for el blog-o.

Saturday 3/15:
Happy Birthday, Mom!
Happy Bridal Shower, B!
I heart my house. But why oh why did you sell so quickly? :(

Sunday March 16:
Back to DC!

Monday, March 17:

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
*Surprise!* Happy Birthday Eve, Miriam! Yay Sonoma, yay wine, yay giant cupcake!

Thursday, March 20:
Happy 1st day of Spring!
I think I'll drive 9 hours to the beach today. Sounds like a good plan.
Be back Sunday!

Happy Easter, everyone! Hope you have a fantastic weekend!