Urban Outfitters Owl Lantern, I WANT!

This Owl Lantern is on sale for 14.99, you can find it HERE. 

So cute, I want, badly...

Cameron Diaz Bought Weed From Snoop Dogg

Video: Cameron Diaz Bought Weed From Snoop Dogg 

In this video George Lopez is interviewing Cameron Diaz. She discusses growing up in Long Beach and admits purchasing weed from Snoop Dogg. I thought I would post this video because:

1. It cracked me up 

2. How nice are Cameron Diaz's legs!?!? Good God!!   :)

James Farmer Postage Stamp

James Farmer was one of the most important and most overlooked leaders in the Civil Rights Movement. At the University of Mary Washington I majored in American Studies with a concentration in Human Rights. I was lucky enough to attend the school in which James Farmer spent some of the final years of his life as a professor. For this reason, I am supporting the campaign to honor James Farmer with a U.S. Postage Stamp. Please click the link below to sign the petition. It takes two seconds, I promise. If my short blurb was not enough to convince you, please watch the video below. && Let me know if you did it! I like to know I don't blog for nothing (even if I probably do) =P

Thank you!!! :)

Click Here to Support the Campaign to Honor Civil Rights Pioneer James Farmer with a U.S. Postage Stamp

 

 

Party Like Crazy: Office Decoration Party Kit

A quick recommendation for anyone who works in an office setting is the Office Decoration Party Kit. It is perfect for a coworker who is celebrating a birthday.

 

The kit includes:

• 1 foil banner
• 1 happy birthday flag banner
• 6 latex balloons
• 1 serpentine
• 1 package of confetti
• 1 foil cutout

 This kit has enough stuff to make any office/cubicle look amazing and look as though it took a lot of time. The kit will run you only $4.99 and you can find it in the wrapping paper/party section at Target. 

Personally, I like to wait until my coworker has left for the day so they will come to work on their Birthday to find their work space decorated. It usually goes over really well and it looks like it took a lot more time and effort than it actually did!

On a side note, I never use the confetti because that is just mean :)

Madewell Chiffon Cascade Dress

I was at work this past week when I get this email:

Hmm, 40% off Madewell!? Yes, please!

To be completely honest, I don't usually get excited over sales at my favorite stores because the remaining stuff that they're trying to get rid of is either one of two things:

1. not my size

2. not my style

However, the exception to this rule is Madewell. Madewell seems to always have something on sale that I would have bought full price. So when I got this e-mail I decided to check out the site, mainly because DC Restaurant week is coming up, and I could use a new dress to go out in :) I came across the Chiffon Cascade Dress at Madewell.com.

The Chiffon Cascade Dress is available in "Dutch Lace" which looks white, and "Raccoon" (as shown above). Originally this dress was sold for $148 -- However, the 40% off brought it to $109.99 (SCORE!). Also, if you use the coupon code: WINTER you won't have to pay for shipping (orders over $100). This dress is currently available in both colors in sizes 2, 4, 6, and 8; and is available in Dutch Lace in sizes 10 and 12. 

What I love about this dress is how dynamic is is, depending on the occasion you can make it work! It is currently winter and freezing in Washington DC, so I would wear this with a cardigan, tights, and perhaps accessorize it with a belt. When it gets warmer then you can lose the cardigan and tights,  wear a cute pair of wedges and rock it!

The selection of sale items is always better on-line than in stores,  you may find this at your local Madewell store, however, I have found that Madewell is very true to size.  I would not hesitate to purchase it on-line. If it does not fit, then returns are SO easy. I purchased mine on-line on Thursday and it is already on its way!

Matchbox: Chinatown

Matchbox is a self proclaimed "vintage pizza bistro." Call something a bistro and it becomes totally chic and fabulous and when you are located on 713 H Street a.k.a. Chinatown, Washington DC you need to be as chic and fabulous as possible!

I arrived at Matchbox on a Sunday night with 3 other people and no reservations. There was about a 20 minute wait (no big deal). I decided to stick around with the buzzer while my party walked around to see Chinatown as two of the people I brought had not been in years. About 15 minutes after waiting my party calls to let me know that they are a block away and should be back in a matter of seconds. My buzzer went off right then.

Here is where I had a problem. I brought the buzzer to the host and let him know that my party was not here yet. The host got really irritated with me and stated (I kid you not) "we don't seat people unless their parties are all present, you're lucky that we are already walking to your table or I would push you to the end of the list." I completely understand, they are busy. However, it wasn't like my party was still on it's way, they were seconds, literally SECONDS, away. So I nicely said, "well, they are less than a block away, can I please give you my name so you can let them know where I am seated when they arrive?" The server responds, "No, we don't do that. You can worry about that when they get here." I sat down at the table completely blown away when my phone starts ringing. My party is here and can't find me. Now, Matchbox used to be a grocery store and it is really easy to get lost in, it is a maze of levels and staircases. It took me at least 10 minutes to find my party as I tried to direct them via telephone, then walking around to find each other. It was a complete mess.

Lucky, things got better from there. The food is great!! We began by ordering the 3.6.9 mini burgers. the 3.6.9 are the quantities, we did the 9 ($18). You have the ability to choose the cheese that you would like, so we got all three cheeses. They arrive with a big pile of onion straws, amazing :)

Next, we ordered two large pizzas. One Matchbox Meat which is: pepperoni / spicy Italian sausage / crispy bacon /zesty tomato sauce / mozzarella. That will run you about $20.
The second large pizza was half Fire & Smoke (ire roasted red peppers / spanish onions / chipotle pepper tomato sauce / garlic puree / smoked gouda / fresh basil) (very spicy) and the other half was sausage and sun dried tomato (ricotta / mozzarella / fresh basil / balsamic reduction).
Everything was great! Watch out for the Fire & Smoke if you can't handle spicy food. I love spicy food so I love this pizza, but it is truly spicy!

 The two slices on the left are the sausage and sundtried tomato, the two on the right are fire and smoke. Here is another angle:

We finished our meal off with dessert. We got one order of coffee and doughnuts (cinnamon doughnuts / espresso kahlua crème) ($8) I drank the coffee (amazing) and everyone shared the doughnuts. It was definitely enough to get one order and share with 4 people. After the mini burgers and pizza, we were already pretty full!

Overall Matchbox was a good time. I am not the type of person to let a host ruin my night. I just let it go and enjoyed the food and the company and had a great time!
For families, it is  kid friendly. It is a good place to bring a date, or a large group. Plus, when you walk in there is a bar if that is what you're looking for. No excuses, go check it out!

Luck and Prosperity in the New Year -- Bring it on 2011!

Don't worry world, all will be good in 2011 because I just ate my black-eyed peas!!

Eating black-eyed peas on New Years day is thought to bring about good luck and prosperity in the year to come. This tradition actually comes from the Jewish practice that originated from ancient texts such as Kritot 5B, which states that good luck symbols (such as the black-eyed pea) should be eaten. So on Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, Jews eat black-eyed peas. This Jewish tradition was adopted by non-Jews around the time of American Civil War and continues to this day.

2011 Winter Classic

As a native of Washington DC, I am beyond excited for the Winter Classic this year  because my hometown team, the Washington Capitals, are playing in it against their rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
I have a bet going that the Caps are going to win, because they are....  :)

The game has been postponed until 8:00pm eastern time, which is better in my opinion. I just hope they don't push it back until tomorrow. My fingers are crossed! GO CAPS!

Update on New Years Eve outfit:

I tried a million ways to take a picture of my outfit while wearing it. However, I have yet to master the art of the self-photo! Eventually I asked my boyfriend to take a picture of me for blogging purposes, but I dropped the ball (pun intended) and forgot to have him actually take the photo. There is zero record of this outfit's existence.

HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE!

 This is my 2010-2011 New Years outfit! 

Dress - Kenneth Cole

Cardigan - J.Crew

Shoes - J.Crew

Tights- J.Crew

Hopefully the finished product looks good!

Leatherette lace-up ballet flats

I love these flats.    The corset style lacing up the top gives it an extra bit of flair. Plus, not only are these flats aesthetically good looking, but they have built in cushion to provide maximum comfort. 

Personally, I have held out on purchasing flats because I hadn't found a pair with the right balance of dressy yet casual, feminine, and classy with nothing over the top (Rhinestones on shoes are not for me). These shoes provide exactly what I had been looking for. They get my recommendation :) 

**NOTE** Get a half size smaller than you usually wear, these shoes run a little big! I usually wear a size 8 - 8.5 depending on the shoe, these I needed in a 7.5 :)

Boyle over Yeezy!?

Come on world. Really? I mean... REALLY.....!?
I was on the Rolling Stone website today and I stumbled (more like crashed) onto this headline:

Susan Boyle Knocks Kanye Out of Top Spot

Now, I am not being biased when I say that Kanye West is the best artist of all time. Ok, ok, perhaps not.  But, he is one of the best artists/producers/rappers that is out right now. Susan Boyle sings well and got pretty lucky. We all love a nice happy ending for a (yes I'm going to say it) frumpy old woman. So I guess in some weird universe it is nice that she is having her 15 minutes.

However, what is not nice in any universe is that Taylor Swift has the number 2 spot. Ughhh. blahhh. gaggggg. I could create an entire blog post of onomatopoeias to describe how I feel about the girl but I refuse to discuss her any more than I already have.

I am losing faith music world......

Thank you?

Now, I appreciate that VDOT (Virginia Department of Transportation) wants to provide me with valuable information while on my commute to work. However, this:

Leaves a little too much to be desired...

Just sayin VDOT ;)

"Pleasure From Your Submission"

Is this guy serious!? Please see the below article by Hank Silverberg.

 

Va. lawmaker claims pat-downs part of 'homosexual agenda'

November 30, 2010

WASHINGTON - A conservative Loudoun County lawmaker says controversial airport pat-downs by the Transportation Security Administration are part of a "wide-scale homosexual agenda." Eugene Delgaudio, a Republican representing Sterling on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, made the comments in a widely distributed e-mail sent in his capacity as president of the conservative nonprofit Public Advocate of the United States.
In the e-mail -- reported by WUSA9 -- Delgaudio also says the TSA's non-discrimination hiring policy is "the federal employee's version of the Gay Bill of Special rights."
"That means the next TSA official that gives you an enhanced pat-down could be a practicing homosexual secretly getting pleasure from your submission," he wrote.
Delgaudio confirmed the quote to WTOP. He was first elected to the Loudoun board in 1999 and has previously been criticized by his colleagues for anti-gay comments.
In a petition urging opposition to The Student Non-Discrimination Act introduced in Congress by Rep. Jared Polis of Colorado, Delgaudio said the bill would turn America's "playgrounds into homosexual breeding grounds."
In a fundraising and survey appeal, Delgaudio also reportedly said the homosexual agenda in Congress promotes same-sex marriages and adoptions, which will lead to "men hand-in-hand skipping down to adoption centers to 'pick out' a little boy for themselves."
Delgaudio's Public Advocate organization says it supports ending same-sex marriage and pro-life initiatives, along with "equality under the law, regardless of one's sexual orientation."
The group says it has 100,000 members.

John Legend, The Roots, Sting... Free?

 Yes! This Sunday, April 25 (Earth Day), music artists such as: Sting, John Legend, The Roots, Jimmy Cliff, Passion Pit, Bob Weir, Willie Colón, Joss Stone, Robert Randolph, Patrick Stump, Mavis Staples, Booker T, Honor Society and Tao Rodriguez-Seeger will descend on the National Mall for the Climate Rally. The rally will be an attempt to push for a comprehensive climate bill to stop protecting polluters, create American jobs, cap carbon emissions, and secure our nation’s future.

Speakers include: Reverend Jesse Jackson, film director, James Cameron, AFL-CIO President, Richard Trumka, Olympic gold medalist, Billy Demong, producer, Trudie Styler, author, Margaret Atwood, NFL player and television personality, Dhani Jones, environmental photographer Sebastian Copeland and many more.

If you're in the area and you want more info, just click here!

My New Puppy

Man charged in Manassas bank robbery

By Keith Walker

Published: November 17, 2008

Manassas police have arrested a man in connection with a Friday robbery at the Provident Bank at 10175 Hastings Drive, police said.

Ijaz William, 30, of no fixed address, was charged with two counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery, said Sgt. Tim Neumann, Manassas police spokesman.

Police said a man went into the bank at about 10:52 a.m., placed a duffel bag on the counter in front of a teller, implied that he had a gun and demanded money, Neumann said.

The teller said that when she gave the man an undisclosed amount of money, he ran out of the bank toward Dumfries Road, Neumann said.

Police officers who responded to the robbery found the duffel bag with the stolen money not far from the bank.

Police said that it appeared that the robber dropped the bag after the dye pack exploded.

Officers arrested William a short time later at the apartment complex at Hastings and 7th Regiment drives.

Ijaz was held without bond and is scheduled to appear in court on a Dec. 29, Neumann said.

Well, this is the robbery that I was blogging about earlier. I am "the teller" they speak of.

Playing Tourist

For by birthday I decided that I wanted to go to DC. I live right next door to these incredible monuments, yet I have not actually taken the time to play tourist.

So for my birthday, I became a DC tourist :) Here was my day:

First, my main destination was the Lincoln Memorial. Lincoln is my favorite historical President, but we had to pass by the Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial to get there. Here are the pictures:

We then went to the Vietnam Memorial:

The White House:

We took the Metro back to the Smithsonian Metro Station, giving the perfect view of the Capital:

The National Museum of American History:

This is the actual Greensboro Lunch Counter

Look, They already have Obama!!

And home in time for dinner and cake:

I Was Robbed... Seriously...

I am going to attempt to make a long story short. Ready. Set. Go.
Yesterday (Friday) November 14th I was at work (I work at a bank). Well, my lovely coworkers got be a cake since my birthday is tomorrow (Sunday) November 16th. We finished the cake and were getting back to the normal day, and I was robbed.

A man came into the bank yelling at me to give him all of my money, and to hurry up.
I can't go into much detail, but it was one of the most surreal experiences I have ever had. I wish I could share more but no one really specified what I can and cant talk about. They just said that it is healthy to talk about it but not to go into detail, I'm not sure if that is possible, but ill try.

I just hope I don't have to go to court. I would hate to see him again. I have to say, he was a very mean bank robber. I always just hoped that if I was ever robbed, it would be a nice bank robber who was doing it to help feed his children or something like that.
I guess I am just naive.

Could It Be?

Photo By: Tristan L. Diaz
A Global Recession?

I tried to find a picture I took when it was $5 a gallon three months ago.. no luck.. But I can tell you, I have not filled my tank on $23 in 3 or 4 years.