Friday, July 22, 2011

What I'm Most Excited About RIGHT NOW- In Priority Order

10. Vacation away from work (first one since March 2009)
9.   Exiting the excruciating heat wave emanating over New York City
8.   Vacation= the only acceptable time to eat anything and everything in over-consumption quantities, while wearing a 2-piece
7.   Visiting Mayan ruins (my 2nd wish ever was to be an archeologist)
6.   Turning twenty-six (FINALLY)
5.   Celebrating my birthday with my whole family
4.   Being off the grid and in the sunshine
3.   Hanging out for 9 days with my whole family (WOO!)
2.   Watching my sister perform dances while wearing wigs in different colors
1.   Receiving the best birthday gift in 26 years: hugging my sister for the first time since Easter (xo)

Oh. And 1 more.












The chance to share a margarita and raise the roof (or sky?) with this guy.


Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Buying A Little Girl's Life BACK

By just giving up less than $22 (which, by comparison, is less than 2 cocktails in NYC) you can bring a little girl in India 1 step closer to becoming educated versus being sold into sex slavery.

I'm an avid believer in this strategy: educate a woman and chances are, her family will believe she will earn money for them once she's older, so they will not allow her to be sold while she's just a child, to a man who could be her grandfather's age.

I think everyone should be a believer in this strategy, so I URGE, and BEG, you to please help them out as well.

I have butterflies in my stomach just thinking that the opportunity to actually help a little girl by doing more than vocalizing emotions and thoughts is SO possible! It's amazing!

Please go to http://the-girl-store.org/shop and help buy a little girl her LIFE back.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Showing a Little Love for the 1980s

If you know me personally, you know I L O V E the 80's. From the Molly Ringwald movies to the big hair, I just feel such a close connection to the fluorescent and neon decade, sometimes it's tough for me to admit that the current year is 2011.

I have to admit, I was only alive for 4.5 years of the 80s, but my appreciation started to grow the day my mom popped "Troop Beverly Hills" into the VHS player. Soon after that, Ferris Bueller caught my attention and he really was, as Cameron agrees, "my hero." (Ferris was the original Zach Morris- I don't care what anyone says.)

Reason I'm bringing this up is because a friend pointed out a brand new website to me. And because I work in digital, I, of course, had to sign up and see what this new site was all about.

It's called Turntable and you can listen to any songs you want- but, there's a catch. Imagine a club (similar to the BBC if you're one of my friends from high school when we went with the "older boys") with many different rooms with different kinds of music. That's what this is- just a digital version of it, and there are 5 DJs who play the music in the rooms.
  1. It is a music site (similar to Pandora or Rdio) BUT has a sort-of creepy avatar/2nd life aura about it. Which is creepy unless you're in a room with JUST your friends, then you can chit chat to your real-life friends, rather than talking to a fake Dead Maus DJ who could probably be this guy in real life.
  2. The best part about it is that one of the public, default rooms is called "I <3 the 80s." I found it, and haven't looked back since!
 This is a screenshot of the room that I'm currently in looks like. 


Kinda creepy, right? I mean, with all the Avatars, and the chance that no one really knows each other, I don't know- it's just an episode of SVU in the making. And even worse, nothing will stop me from staying in this room and listening to the 80s songs I've long forgotten about! (I just make sure not to start conversations with... say... "Mellow Johnny" (see screenshot chat above.))

I highly recommend you to 
a. listen to more 80s songs 
b. watch more 80s movies
c. get yourself onto Turntable. Even if only for the chance to become a DJ of your own room and get enough points to turn yourself into Dead Maus... or the giant gorilla in the back-right.

I'll leave you with this...


You're welcome.

xo

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Vogue's Infuencer Network!

I just received a fantastic email. Check it out...


That's right, Vogue chose me as an Influencer.

I always knew I had influence over little cousins and my sibling, but for Vogue to hand-pick me, (one of just 1,000 women,) who can influence their friends and followers about style, fashion and work-appropriate shoe-wear... is just awe-some.

This is taken from the Influencer Network page on Facebook:
What is the Influencer Network?
The Vogue Influencer Network consists of an exclusive group of the most influential fashion and beauty enthusiasts hand-selected by Vogue. Vogue Influencers are the first to know and share just-launched fashion and beauty collections, industry events and exclusive product samples.
Check out the article on AdWeek... 

I'll keep you posted on any cool, new products that I'm made aware of through the network. I'm going to take advange of this and try as many new beauty products as possible, and be 100% honest and open with you about how well (or not well) they work.

And, for the men who read my blog, fear not! I'm not just going to talk beauty and clothes... I'll talk swimsuits too.

xo

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Guess What?

Find a place to give blood near you! Red Cross Blood Drive


Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Work-Appropriate Shoe-Wear

The word "hussy" came to my mind this morning when I saw a 30-something year old woman wearing a pencil skirt and button up dress shirt, walking very slowly wearing 6+ inch platform heels on Madison Avenue. (See photo below...)

I base much of a person's personality based on their footwear choices. (If others do that to me walking to work, they'll think I'm obscenely lazy in my Rainbow flip flops...) So, although she was wearing appropriate attire from her shoulders to her ankles, that H-word came to my mind.

Also, I didn't mean "hussy" in any other way than "those are Saturday night shoes and you're wearing them to work on a Tuesday."

But, I mean they were 6+ inches! On a Tuesday! TO WORK! I don't think that's appropriate.

She wants some nude pumps? What about these? Those are pretty, nude, and work-appropriate.
Maybe she wants something a little over the top? Then here you go. And they're even on sale.

And yes, the thoughts came through my head: maybe she's in fashion [but her outfit didn't really say that,] maybe she was just breaking them in, maybe this, maybe that. Regardless: it's a Tuesday before 9AM.

To give you background about my shoe-beliefs: I am a shoe-snob when it comes to heels and will not wear anything under 4 inches on my feet (unless they're considered "flats" or "sandals.") Currently, I'm wearing black Nine West pumps with a 4" heel. I don't like to wear anything smaller than this- it's just a thing I have about my own shoes.

I do, though, know the difference between heels for work and heels for play.

I KNOW I'm not the only person who judges a person based on their shoes. (Ah hem...  there's a book about it....) And like the old adage says, "You can tell alot about a person by their shoes."

Construction workers don't wear loafers. Strippers don't wear flats. And business women shouldn't wear Saturday night shoes on a Tuesday.

End of story.


Friday, July 8, 2011

Checking-in On My Bucket List



It's been just under 1 year since I wrote this post about the top 12 things I'd like to do before I'm 30.

To refresh your mind (and in case you didn't click the link above...) this is the list...

12. Travel more than 700 miles (within one trip) alone
11. Visit Ellis Island to look into my family's histories
10. Go on trips with my best friend and sister
9. Increase my net worth by 925%
8. Get promoted/become account supervisor by mid-2011
7. Visit my family at least once a month
6. Be 10 lbs lighter, consistently for more than 1 year
5. Dedicate more of my personal time to helping others (St. Judes, or raising money for cancer cures)
4. KNOW what I'm allergic to, finally!

3. Finish Atlas Shrugged and move onto The Fountainhead
2. Treat my family to an expensive dinner, even paying for the wine- not on credit
1. Buy myself a Louis Vuitton or pair of Christian Louboutins

All the highlighted number (10, 8, 5, and 4) I've completed or at least partially completed. 

10. My best friends have visited me and I have visited them/their apartments. I'm going on a cruise to visit my sister in less than a month- so this is a basically a completed Bucket-Check-Off
8. I left the agency I was working for when I wrote this original list, so I'm seeing this as a partial promotion- still working my way up the ladder... just on Madison Ave now. :)
5. I have volunteered my time a few times to local kids in Harlem, as well as starting/being the captain for a Great Urban Race team- where all the raised money goes to St. Jude's children hospital.
4!!! I have a solid list of foods that I'm allergic to. The list includes (in case you'd ever like to take me to dinner, these are foods we have to steer clear of...)
  • Carrots, Celery, Red/Green Peppers, Arugula, Red Leaf/Mesculin lettuces, Pears, Apples, Plums, Peanuts (and sniffle.. peanut butter...,) Tree Nuts (walnuts, cashews, almonds)
  • SOMETIMES: Avocados, Chick-Peas, and maybe Quinoa (still trying that one.)
    • I know- you're probably like "wait... those are like... healthy foods? I don't get it..." I know- it's pretty messed up. 
    • BUT I'm able to have other veggies like asparagus (I make some mean asparagus dishes,) zucchini and summer squash, and I have my salads with Romaine lettuce. 
Overall, I think that in less than 1 year, I'm doing pretty good with keeping up my list. In the near future, I'd like to complete the following.... 11, 7, and 2.



I'd also like to ADD the following (whenever completing a goal... remember to dream up new ones...)
13. Be more kind
14. Read more books (I read about 9 a year, but I can definitely increase that number if I decrease the amt of shows that I have on DVR.....)
15. Run another 5K

What is on your bucket list?





Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Fitz & the Tantrums

Sitting on a luxurious bus in a thick rough patch of traffic on I-95 driving south from my 4th of July weekend in Boston, I decided to take some time and tell you about the band I'm listening to right now.

If you haven't yet heard about Fitz & the Tantrums, please pause your reading and enjoy the best song on the radio/VH1/my iPod...

Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring you MONEYGRABBER!! (crowd noises overheard)



You're welcome. Wasn't that fun? I'm really loving their take-me-back retro sound. I fell in love with them around February of this year. In June, they performed at Dave Matthew's Caravan music festival in Atlantic City and they're also going to perform (on the same stage as this band) in August at MTK. Clearly, I must have great taste in music as two performers at the "Music To Know" festival are bands I've seen live before and which I've blogged about... clearly, I know what I'm typing about ;)


MoneyGrabber is just one of a few songs of theirs that I just can't NOT dance to when I hear it!
Don't Gotta Work It Out and Breakin' the Chains of Love are almost as catchy as MoneyGrabber and are perfectly suitable soundtracks for a work day or evening with a bottle of wine and "that someone special."

Not to mention, News 4 U is, literally, on the soundtrack for Mob Wives. So, the band has great background music for those hair-pulling-girl-fights in your life, also.




To conclude, Drita, from Mob Wives, is calling each reader to thank you for listening to her favorite band from the soundtrack of her hit, new VH1 show.


Team Drita!


xo


 
Image: istock photo, Kit: Queen of Quirk, Design by Bloggy Blog Designz Copyright © 2010