Me

"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."

~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Family & Friends

Objects that come in a blue box

Sand between my toes

Classical music during dinner

Broadway, Greenwich & Soho

Orange & Black and Green, Black and White [Philly all the way]

Coffee ice cream

Benny's original margaritas

Taxi rides at 3 am

A good book on a rainy day

Sunsets over the water

Chocolate chip cookies

Shoes

Starbucks Caramel Macchiato

Big sunglasses

Singing in the shower

Red wine

Outline of my favorite city

Sing-along-car rides

Movies on Sundays

Road trips any day

Air kisses

Dancing the night away

Being and befriending the fabulous

Matchmaker, Make me a Match

The new season of The Bachelor began a few weeks ago. The new bachelor, Matt, is perfect. He's handsome, British, impeccable manners, a true gentleman. It's a shame I cannot say the same for the women competing for his "love." I don't think you can find love on a reality show. We saw that last season with Brad Womack choosing no one in the end.

Yes, I believe it's possible to fall in love after only a short time of being with someone, but then again I've never felt that way so I can't discuss the issue to great lengths. What I do know though, is that dating in the real world is hard. It's a world where traditional meet ups have expired and online dating had taken its place making the opposite sex profoundly accessible to find; dates based on a few simple questions and photos -this rarely turn into a fairy tale.

What happened to meeting men the old fashioned way? The last guy I met in a bar turned out to have a severe case of ADD and the one before him was a bit of an alcoholic - not the ideal man to bring home to mom and dad. Giving match.com a shot, I discovered that all you have to judge by is a profile filled with [occasionally] little white lies and outdated pictures.

A few posts ago, I introduced you to Mr. X, the borderline insane date I had last fall. I recently found out that Mr. X actually has a girlfriend - and has been with her well before and long after we had our date. How did I come across this information? He walked right into the gym I'm currently working at part-time and said "I'm here to pick up my girlfriend, can I go in?" - it took me about 5 minutes to place where I knew this guy from and when it clicked and I saw who the girlfriend was, I was astonished.

Jerk.

One of the photos he sent me before our date was a picture of the two of them. I'm not sure what he's playing at, but I do know that his profile is still up on match.com.

Match.com makes finding dates easy, but not love. I try to be optimistic but the thought that continues to cross my mind is that what if I seriously start dating someone from match and things start to get rocky, like most relationships do. Many times those relationships weather out the storm...but what is to keep that person from jumping back on match to look for someone new?

Pessimism isn't very becoming and I'm trying to flush those thoughts away.

I suppose that since life isn't always easy to navigate, then love shouldn't be either. It will come when it's supposed to. Still, sometimes I wish to sing out like Hodel from Fiddler on the Roof....
"Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make me a match, Find me a find, Catch me a catch......Look through your book and make me the perfect match....."

*sigh*

Silver & Gold

If you were ever a girl scout I'm sure you will remember a very particular friendship song. Taught while in Daisy's [which, for those that aren't familiar with the hierarchy of Girl Scouts, is the youngest level], the song goes a little something like this.....

Make new friends, but keep the old

One is silver and the other's gold

I can't remember if there was more to it, but the lines above have remained tucked away in the back of mind for all these years. When you're growing up friendships come and go as easily as spring rain showers. Each year you're in a different grade, different activity, and sometimes a different school. But the older we get the more we develop a stronger sense of who we are and what we want out of life; the inevitable being that our friendships will change.

For me, college set those ideas into motion and I was able to follow through with them after graduation when I moved to New York. Looking back, I've met some very interesting people, some leaving a huge footprint on my life. You learn to take the good with the bad in friends, and when times are rough you know that if they are truly meant to be part of your life for the marathon that it is, then they will come around and reach out to you. If they never reach back then you know they weren't meant to be a fixture.

Friends are like soul mates. I cherish my friends from NYC as much as my friends in DC.....and nothing can compare to those friends from college that I still make time for with lunch, emails and phone calls. I accept changes in their lives, embrace their new loves, and support them in any way I can. Acceptance is the big one. Friends are bound to change in their mannerisms and ideas....but stick with them long enough and you see they are still that same person.

I was cleaning out some keepsakes the other night and stumbled across a thank you card a dear college friend gave to me when we were 19. She had broken up with a boyfriend and I stayed the night with her, helping her move on by making her watch Sex and the City [FYI: it works every time]. Re-reading that heartfelt letter led me straight to a box of tissues. She and I have had our moments where we fight, laugh, call each other out on our BS, and then laugh again. We always come back to each other......

So, friends of A Charmed Life...never forget that silver and gold are a perfectly acceptable color combination, but also don't forget that to be a friend's soul mate you have to give it your all, as they should be giving the same to you.

xo

Blossoms in my Charmed Life

After being absent from my Charmed Life since December [and it's now spring - Cherry Blossom season to be exact] I decided it was time to get back on the wagon. I'm amazed that a full year has gone by since the big move to DC. Many things have happened - some good, some bad, some I can't explain.

For starters, DC is still a big neighborhood that should seriously consider extending its metro hours and possibly adding some taller men. Good thing: the Mayor is enforcing meters in the taxis [FINALLY], however, the taxi drivers are protesting it, but then again, it's DC - the peps here will find anything to protest.

Bad thing: Every guy I've gone out with just hasn't worked out quite so well. On the way to one date a bird got its nasty right on my head, which supposedly means good luck. Uh....not in this case. Mr. X turned out to be borderline insane and believes that our fine country is headed toward anarchy. Hmm. Mr. Y turned out to be socially awkward despite his outgoing initial appearance. I suppose there's a level of intoxication that creates that illusion. Mr. Z sent me a cute text after the date saying that if it hadn't been so cold out his next step would have been a kiss. Mr. Z fell off the face of the Earth after I responded. Wow. Aside from XYZ, it's hard to date short men, which is exactly the kind of man that usually pursues me.

Moving on. Last month I attend a fabulous party at the German Embassy - it was Germany's Karneval celebration [details courtesy of Things to Do DC -http://www.thingstododc.com/events.php?show=719]. What did I learn from this event? That Germans know how to throw a PAAARRRTTYYY! The open bar was delightful, the music danceable, the food German [obvi] and the men....well, the men short, tall, strange, outgoing, and unexplainable. One serious note about the event though: if you've been invited to a black tie affair PLEASE please please dress appropriately. Being under dressed is never acceptable.

Moving on again. My personal life is utter chaos right now. One friends wedding cancelled, another moved her date up, three more weddings to attend this summer, oh and two babies on the way from two very fabulous friends. On top of that work is crazy, my apartment is literally falling apart and will be moving soon, but the positive is that I've decided to stick it out in DC for another year.

Sidenote 1: Was the protest on K Street yesterday really worth it? Why can't they just stick to the parks and sidewalks? Quite an inconvenience during my rainy day cab ride to Dupont Circle.

http://wonkette.com/369968/even-more-photos-of-worst-iraq-war-protest-ever

Sidenote 2: baseball season is starting and I must say that the Nationals pitcher J.B. is a cutie. Perhaps I can lure him to one of my work events?? That would be quite lovely indeed.

Ring a ding dang Thong

Lately, I have been hitting the gym pretty hard. Treadmill, elliptical, bike, ab workout, etc....not only are the holidays approaching but there are many weddings to attend next year and I don't want the flab to hang around in any lasting pictures.

The gym is a place for hard core energy exertion and sweating. It's a place to wipe your face on a towel or t-shirt and not be concerned about the way your face is getting red and your hair is untamed. So why is it that last night while on the elliptical I had the absolute un-pleasure of watching a fellow twenty-something run on the treadmill in front of me in nothing but a sports bra and see through white shorts which wonderfully showed off her black thong?

Uh...hello!! When did this become OK? No one wants to have a black thong peeking at them while they are going for 30 plus minutes on a machine. I think it's also safe to assume that this is not attractive to men either.

The thong is a liberating piece of clothing that helps women prevent VPL [visible panty line]. Wonderful for form fitting pants, skirts and dresses. The abuse of the thong through 1. low rise jeans, 2. see through shorts, pants and dresses and 3. namesake bikini bottoms - have given thongs a bad rep. My wish for the fashion forward and respectable lady is to please, please, please use the thong appropriately. It will save both the trend and yourself from embarrassment.

Good Grief, Charlie Brown

After sitting through horrendous traffic last night, I was relieved to finally be home and discover that A Charlie Brown Christmas was on TV. Curled up on my couch with a glass of wine and the glow from my Christmas tree illuminating the room, I enjoyed the holiday classic. As we all know, the movie features the beloved Peanuts character Charlie Brown and his quest to find the true meaning of Christmas. In the beginning, he wonders why he becomes depressed around this time of year. He soon becomes involved with the Christmas play and in the end discovers the spirit of the holiday, with help from Linus who gives a monologue on the birth of Jesus.

The story touches on how commercialized Christmas has become, which devastatingly interferes with the spirit and meaning of this special time of year. Developed in 1965, if commercialism was bad then, think of now. The general public has strayed away from the art of Giving and mastered Taking. To be true to the holiday season we should remember to keep things at a balance. Receiving is always exciting, but giving back warms the soul.

Growing up, my dad would always pick a Charlie Brown tree for our home. I could charge his choice up to the fact that he waits until two days before Christmas to get one, but I prefer to believe that he really meant it when he said "It's important to pick the Charlie Brown tree. It just needs some decoration and attention and then it will be perfect." My dad is someone who has never been caught up in the new gadgets, toys and the "I want's" of the season, but simply enjoys to be around the people he cares about - he understands what's important.

With that, I hope that each and every one of us can stop at some point this holiday season and say "good grief" to commercialism and do something that makes yourself and someone else feel extra special.

A Shopping Oasis

I love the holidays. In fact, Black Friday is one of my most favorite holiday's. Yes. It is a holiday. Prices slashed left and right, speed shoppers weaving in and out of the turtles wandering with no direction, and the music. Ahh the music. Nothing puts me in the spirit like Bing Crosby and Mariah.

I spent Black Friday this year at the Danbury Fair Mall in Connecticut with my fabulous friend Christina. A few mishaps early in the day: Christina overslept and I forgot my wallet. We are the absolute best dysfunctional friends you could find. Back on track, we checked out artificial Christmas trees, specials at Williams-Sonoma, and of course all of the important retailers. It was late in the afternoon when we were not only starving for food, but starving for an unsuspected Black Friday miracle. Then it happened.....we suddenly stumbled upon a store we had never laid eyes on before: Martin & Osa. It was a shopping oasis!

Martin & Osa has been around for about a year and is the high-end sister store to American Eagle. With only a handful of select locations around the country, this store brought a breath of fresh air to our tired bodies [and spirits]. Martin & Osa is crisp, clean and had wide open space - you can actually feel the cool breeze lacking in retailers such as Abercrombie, Hollister and H&M. With an oak decor and colorful images of men and women frolicking in the snow, it seems as though you've been transported to Aspen.

Now for the dressing rooms: oh how they impressed me! The waiting area was stocked with comfortably padded benches with an array of magazines to flip through. The dressing rooms: large, with room for two, a call button near the door, a sign explaining the "Free Alterations" policy....and the Fiji water. A cold bottle of Fiji was handed to Christina and I before entering the dressing room. Can you say Heaven on Earth?

Sadly, I was not too impressed with the variety of silk dresses and tops. Silk just lays awfully on people. However, I found that the men's selection was very nice and reasonably priced - that is, for a Black Friday sale. At checkout, my item was placed in a canvas bag, then placed in a large box. The receipt was put into a little white envelope and added to my shopping bag. Yes, Heaven on Earth.

As I write this, I can only hope that Martin & Osa continues their refreshing customer service in each store they open. It's so rare to find a place at the mall that isn't over-heated or mobbed with teeny-boppers.

End of the day analysis: Great Day. Fabulous Company. Family Gift List Complete. Mission Seriously Accomplished.