Natty Boh + Spring Shopping

I'm not ready to give up my tights just yet, but I am ready to switch from my black tote to my more neutral taupe one. There's something about the weather that makes me want to crack open a Natty Boh (you are oviously not from the East Coast if you don't know it), crank up the O.A.R., and throw a frisbee around. This is the District of Columbia, though, not Delaware, OHIO, which although it has its perks, means that there is no frat house with dirty lounge chairs. I've subbed cornhole at FIJI for croquet at Meridian Hill park.

Most importantly, this weather makes me want to stimulate the American economy, put together my spring wish list, and SHOP. Specifically outside in Georgetown, where I can head to Urban Chic (away from the dreaded M St chain stores), and pick up a few pastries at Patisserie Poupon.

Here's the 5 Spring Items I've decided I can't live without:


1) Perfect Tweed Spring Dress - tweed is timeless, classic, and always flattering. I'm in love with this little number:

(dress: $365, Milly; available at Urban Chic, Wisconsin Ave at Q St) 

2) Raffia Clutch - essential for the AT&T National, bbqs, the memorial day weekend beach trip...

(Kate Spade Clutch, $245; Kate Spade Boutique on M St) 

3) Chambray Blazer - I'm not a huge J.Crew fan, but j'adore this blazer:

(J. Crew Blazer $158; J. Crew store on M St) 

4) Statement Necklace - one of the best trends I've seen all year, I'm ready to take it to the next level, and abandon my gold-plated feathers for snakeskin.

(Kara by Kara Ross $295; Amazon.com) 

5) Espadrilles, of course! What Spring wardrobe is complete without a new pair of espadrilles?

(Tory Burch $185; Tory Burch Boutique, Tyson's Galleria) 

I Saw the Sign

  Standing in front of me on a giant white wall, with ugly teeth, and a gray body that reminded me of emptiness, I immediately felt a jolt, and I knew what was missing in my life: NOTHING.

The lack of human form in de Koonig's painting reminds me of the androgynous sculptures my grandfather is known for. In my advanced nonfiction writing workshop, I essayed about the relationship I long to have with my grandfather, as we both appreciate the arts, but my sudden epiphany at MOMA explained everything. Grandfather's sexless sculptures have no faces, because they are indeed just sculptures. They don't mimic people, because people are complex and flawed. My grandfather strives for perfection, and seeing de Koonig's painting, "Flesh," I suddenly realized, that I should embrace my flaws. "Flesh" to me became about accepting the human form and loving it for what it is. 

Perfection is exhausting. We shouldn't strive for perfection in our lives, we should strive for the best that we can give, and know that the best is good enough. As a cellist for 9 years, I gave up playing, frustrated that I would always be second chair (even in a group of 15 cellists). I now realize that second is good enough for me; second made me happy, and the euphoric feeling I have when I play Tchaikovsky is like no other feeling in the world.

I'm going to embrace the "good enough" attitude. At 24, I'm financially independent, I have a stable full-time job, live in a wonderful city with so much to offer, and amazing friends. All of this leads to happiness, and happiness is good enough. I can make hundreds of lists of ways that I can make my life more perfect, but if I'm happy now, than what's the point of perfection?

Quarter life crisis?

I find myself at one of those familiar forks in the road: Where am I going with my life? This is a typical gchat conversation among my friends near and far, who wonder the same thing. I'm referring to this as the quarter-life crisis: not old enough to buy a motorcycle, post-college mid-twenties yuppies often find themselves in this situation, freaking out about the future.

As I start to consider graduate degrees and where I want to end up, and how to stick to my five year plan, I often consult my mentors and role models. I strongly believe that Hillary Clinton should be every woman's role model, but others in my list include Marian Wright Edelman, Greg Mortenson, Golda Meir, Grace Kelley (for flawless style, of course), and most importantly, my mother.

My mother is the reason I have a five year plan; I look at her and know that I may wear Tory Burch reva flats over Cole Haan drivers, but I still want to follow in her footsteps. My mother is strong, brave, intelligent, and a fighter. She is extremely successful and but hard-working, a quality that my generation lacks. The next person under 30 who complains to me about how he/she is above whatever he/she is doing is going to get bitch-slapped. My mother has taught me forgiveness, how to trust, and how to want to be successful. My interest in renewable energy issues comes from my desire to want to be like her. I realize how lucky I am to have this role model- mentor relationship. I'm grateful everyday that I have such an inspirational person in my life, who inspires me to work the hardest I can, and be the best in me.

And so, my quarter-life crisis doesn't seem like a crisis after all, because I know that in the future, the apple doesn't fall that far from the tree, and I have a wonderful foundation already. 

LBD 2.0

It started with Audrey and a little Jewelry shop in NYC. (But for the TRUE Audrey fans, we all know Tiffany's is a dud, make sure you've seen How to Steal a Million and Charade)

The little black dress (LBD) is one of those closet essentials. It never goes out of style, is universally flattering, and can be dressed up or dressed down with the right accessories. As much as I like the standard shift, lately I've been rocking the embellished ones.

My current LBD obsession is the Antoinette dress from Tibi ($385)
Amy Smilovic (Tibi) is one of my label lushes, and I'm obsessed with her cap-sleeve dresses. This dress is the perfect blend of ladylike-edge. Enough so that I can pair it with black booties and stockings at night, or a tweed jacket and Mary-Janes during the day. Be adventurous! Vamp up your little LBD.

My new fad is dating

My high school boyfriend set the bar PRETTY high; I heard the L word within 3 months, was frequently surprised with flowers, spoiled with jewelry and small leather goods, and never paid for dinner. But I blew off that one so I could be single in college, and ended up finding myself in a more serious relationship. Flash forward to May 2010, when I decided I would just date, a concept that seemed foreign to me.
However, I seem to have stumbled on fad dating. Categories include: 

The post college frat-boy: P, the top-state-school soccer player, was bro-y enough to still hold my attention, but mature enough to have ambitions and aspirations. That lasted for about 6 weeks, until he stuck his finger up my nose, because he thought it would be funny.

The Ivy educated, nice Jewish boy: Exactly the type of boy I would bring home to meet the parents, but after watching B eat fried food for two months, I quickly realized we wanted different things. He wanted to get fatter, and I wanted to separate – immediately.

The older man: Into the picture walked my knight in shining armor, C. Former speechwriter to the Speaker of the House, C was practically perfect on paper – well mannered, handsome, charming, why did those pesky 17 years have to get in the way? Nearly eight months later, I was freaked out and thrown into the arms of B2.

The rebound: B2 was the perfect rebound, but alas, I seem to have a problem where every guy I meet wants to commit, and so that turned into a relationship. However, I learned my lesson in college about boys with mommy issues. And so a few months later it was on to the next…

Which is where I’m at now. And since December, I’ve covered even more fads:

·         Devout Catholic by day, bad boy at night, who rides a motorcycle and has multiple piercings

·         Boy with unregistered guns who claims to be a tree-hugger

·         Southern gentleman on the hunt for a you-know-what

What’s next? I feel another stalker coming my way... 

10 Things that EVERY DC Girl Needs

DC is all about signatures and branding, creating a look for yourself and sticking with it. You could be dressed in haute couture, but if the look isn't you, then you may as well be a "phony" like Holly Golightly. Your inner voice is shown in your style. This town is all about gossip, slander, and the latest scandal. To try to stay true to myself, I have my 10 things that every DC girl needs: