Blair Style - Red Dress

Anyone who knows me knows that I love the show Gossip Girl. The show itself it's that great in terms of acting or storylines. But I love the character of Blair Waldorf. She's so delightfully bitchy. And she has the BEST clothes. For me, it's worth watching just to see what she will wear.

In last week's episode she wore the most awesome red ballgown. It's a dress that I will never have an occasion to ever wear (or anything even remotely like it). But it's awesome.

Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay

This past week, I read the book Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay. It was an impulse purchase. I saw it in the bookstore and was intrigued. Since I was on vacation early last week, I decided to treat myself. Usually, I do not like to like to purchase hardcover books by authors I do not know. It's just too expensive. But, I made an exception in this case.

And, I'm really glad I did.

It was an excellent book. It moved back and forth between present day Boston and post-WWII Moscow with ease. It also fluctuated between the point of view of a Russian ballerina (in her youth in Moscow and old age in Boston) and a Russian-born Boston professor in present day. The desire to learn the link between the two kept the story moving. I figured out part of it early on but there were a few twists that kept me guessing. I liked that because it kept the book moving.

It's been a long time since I've read a book that I did not want to put down. I was always frustrated to arrive at work because I wanted to keep reading on the metro!

I hope the next book I read is just as good. . .

Metro Song

GoRemy who created the Arlington Rap (which to this day remains my bad day pick-me-up video of choice) has done it again. He's captured the sentiment of true Washingtonians and our hatred and frustration of the metro. This video shows that he really gets it.

I hate the metro.

Let me say it again.

I hate the metro.

You may remember last year, that I wrote a little poem about the metro. This was during one of the many many days last summer where the delays on the red line were out of control. There were days where my usual half hour ride took a good hour and a half. Not fun. You know that there's a serious problem, when a non-poet by myself is driven to such extreme boredom while stuck on the train that she writes this:

Oh red line, how I loate thee

For you have stolen too much time frome me

Time spent standing with the human race

Crammed into such a tiny space

Hours upon hours of delay

With no cell service with which to relay

Scintillating tales heard while eavesdropping

Stories of marrige and break-ups and bar hopping

And no matter what the season

At each stop, trains stall for no reason

And me with nary a bottle of water to drink

For the cops will catch me and toss me in the clink

Precious time wasted in quite thought

Or people watching until caught

By a fanny-pack wearing tourist family

Mom, dad, two kids, and of course a crying baby

But now it's time to end my tale of sorrow

For I will be back at Shady Grove tomorrow

Anyway, enough about me. Check out Remy's video people and you'll see what I mean. It's genius!

Happy Birthday Fiance

Happy Birthday Mike!!!

Today was Mike's birthday. Sadly, we did not get to celebrate since he was away for the weekend. But that's ok. We'll have our own celebration on another day. In the end it'll be even better since we both got sick today anyway. I came down with a migraine and Mike got the stomach flu.

The stomach flu is NOT a good birthday present. In my opinion, healthier celebration is better than a timely celebration. :-)

On his next birthday, we'll be MARRIED!! Hard to believe it. But, I can't wait.

xoxo

Decisions Decisions - Bridal Jewelry

I never thought that trying to pick out jewelry to match my wedding dress would be more difficult than picking out the actual dress.

But it is.

I've gone back and forth between various ideas. I want something that will show up in pictures. I want something that's a little bigger - since I don't need a necklace with the dress, I can go for more than just a stud earring. And, I want something that I'll like enough to wear again.

Currently, I have two front runners. And, they could not be more different.

There are these from J. Crew. They seem very bridal to me but the gold gives them a little bit of punch. Plus, they are a classic style so I can definitely wear them again.


Then there are these by Alexis Bittar. I LOVE Alexi Bittar's jewelry. I have a few pairs of earrings and they are some of my favorites. His stuff is just so different and fun. These are cool because they'll sparkle a bit and definitely show up against my hair. The gold color will look nice with my ivory dress. But, I worry that they aren't "bridal" enough.

Good thing I have 8 months to decide. Or keep looking. . .

What's Awesome Now? This Clutch

I need another purse like I need a hole in the head.

But. . .I found this one online at Topshop and I think it's really cute. However, it's white so it doesn't really say "Fall" to me. However, that doesn't mean I could put it away until next Spring. . .

We'll see how the rest of the month goes. I may need a retail therapy pick-me-up.

Bridesmaid's Dress - check

So this past weekend was a good one. I found a dress for my bridesmaids! Yay.

However, it was not without drama. First we went to the Macy's Bridal Salon and had a horrible experience. The saleswoman was just not helpful. It made me really stressed out. I won't lie - I had a bit of a breakdown. There were tears. However, I pulled it together after a little bit. My friend Steff found another shop to go to and April called to see if we could get an appointment. Thank God for my friends because I was so overwhelmed I could no longer think. They took charge and got us back on track.

And, we found a great dress that everyone seemed to like and it was in a color that I liked. It was a win-win. Plus, they all got a 20% discount for ordering together which made me feel better. The dress was more than I wanted them to spend so with the discount, it got it in a better price range for my comfort.