Sayonara 2008!

Can you believe another new year is on the horizon? The year always flies by after Summer. I for one, had a pretty enjoyable year. In 2008, I:

- Got a dog (still adjusting to this one though)
- Lost my “Grammy”
- Vacationed in Hawaii (and got robbed!)
- Celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary
- Paid off all debt! (except my student loan, which I’ll have until 2010)
- Did my first craft show
- Vacationed in France/London
- Expanded my freelance business

Already 2009 is shaping-up to be a great year as well. I have a trip to Greece planned for July, and Hawaii again in October. Can you tell I live to travel? It’s why my savings account is always empty. This year, I definitely plan on hitting the gym regularly. I’d also like to take a French class, or maybe an art class. I’ve totally been neglecting my creativity lately. Hm, maybe I’ll apply to grad school and get my MA in Art/Design. My 10yr high school reunion is coming up as well, which I’ve not yet decided if I’ll attend or not. I’m turning 28 too. ugh. I cringe ever year I get closer to 30.

See you all next year! Be safe!

Skin Issues (Again!)

From reading this blog, you know by now that I have a ‘slight’ obsession with my skin. Since the first cold snap, the skin on my face has been out of control! Spring/Summer are fine, because the moisture in the air keeps my eczema and dry skin at bay. But in the winter, my skin gets extra dry, extra flaky, and totally uncooperative.

I’m happy with my cleanser (Dermalogica), but I think I need a better exfoliant, a vitamin serum, and a more effective SPF sunblock. The problem is, there are so many brands to choose from. I’m at a loss researching the pros and cons of Murad, Kinerase, DDF, SkinCeuticals, Exuviance, etc. I think I need to just pick a brand and run with it. I need something that will combat dryness, decrease wrinkles, even skin tone, and reduce redness/irritation.

I’m thinking of trying the DDF Daily cleansing pads as my exfoliant, and the Exuviance Bionic Serum for my anti-wrinkle treatment.

I swear, I’ve spent so much money in skin care items this year – but it really has paid off. Once the winter is over, I’m thinking of doing a ‘microdermabrasion’ treatment to really get rid of the dry skin. Anyone had one before? Pros? Cons? Can it cause scarring?

Oscar Worthy

Over my relaxing 4-day vacation, I was able to see the movie “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. It was excellent, and for once, well worth all the buzz it has been getting online. Typically, I do not watch films with Brad Pitt. I find him rather cheesy…but he was phenomenal in this movie. It was well written and extremely creative. I do not recommend it for people who are sensitive about the topic of ‘death’, because that’s a recurring theme in the movie. Cate Blanchet was excellent as always. I’d call this film a ‘psychological drama’, because there’s something truly odd about the concept of someone aging backwards. It’s unnatural. And throughout the entire film, that concept ‘plays with your mind’ – especially toward the end. I can’t give a full synopsis, because there’s no way I can summarize without giving away the ending. This one is really worth the hype – a definite must see.

On another note, tomorrow I'm dyeing my hair again. This time, I'm not going to chicken-out with the highlights (I think I said that last time too...hm). I'm going to go red again, but much brighter this time. I hope I don't end up looking like a parrot.

Mental Vacation

Today is one of those days that you think, “Why did I even come to work?!”. It’s dead. Everyone has taken off – except for a few shmucks including myself. I hope we get out early. I guess I can’t complain too much – I am off on Thursday and Friday! And because it’s so quiet, I’m nostalgically listening to Radiohead’s ‘OK Computer’ CD – quite possibly one of the best CDs of all time.

See you all next Monday! Only 7 days until 2009!

Out with the NEW, In with the Old

There’s an old saying that, ‘the friends that you make in your 20s, are the friends you’ll have for the rest of your life’. I used to be a skeptic, but now I believe this to be true.

When I was a teenager, I was obsessed with meeting new people. I was overly-extroverted, always organizing parties and dinners, and inviting as many new people as possible. It felt great to build new relationships and I always kept in touch with every person I met.

Now, on the verge of 30, I could care less.

I’m perfectly happy with my old friends. And, I’m more interested in continuing to cultivate those relationships. There’s nothing better than a few cocktails, and great conversation with old friends that you’ve known for years. There’s no pretense, there’s no judgment.

These days, I just don’t have the energy to be a 'social butterfly'. Friendships take time. You have to have an interchange of thoughts and experiences, you have to learn about the other person’s family, background, hopes, fears, etc. It can be exhausting!

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind meeting new people and I definitely don’t mind catching up with old acquaintances. I just don’t obsess as much about cultivating new friendships like I did in my teens. If I really hit it off with someone, and we become close friends – well and fine. If not, no big deal.

Is that wrong? Maybe the older I get, I’ve just learned to appreciate my old relationships even more. Or, maybe I’ve just turned into a major introvert that makes mostly ‘close acquaintances’ rather than ‘close friends’. Either way, I’m content.

It’s Our Anniversary

Congrats to me and Aaron! This Sunday we celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary. Funny how time flies! It seems like just yesterday I was stressing over wedding cake, altering my wedding dress, and making last minute runs to the mall for accessories. Six years ago, we also got married the day after my college graduation – which made for a very stressful semester.

In this day and age when many of our friends’ marriages have ended in divorce, we’re thankful that things have been so smooth for us. Aaron still loves me, even though I hate to cook, I’m almost always late, and I’m allergic to his dog. And I’ve learned not to sweat the small stuff, like when Aaron obsesses over ‘Halo’, or when he forgets half the groceries on my grocery list. =)

All in all, its about great communication and compromise. We’re opposites, but it works. I think both of our personalities balance one another, which is great.

This year’s anniversary will be pretty low key, considering we’ve taken two vacations since September. We’ve made reservations at Morton’s in Georgetown. Typically we end up in G’town, which is my favorite spot in the city. It’s best in the spring time, especially near the waterfront. Oddly enough, that’s also where we got engaged.

And, our anniversary wouldn’t be complete without our annual chocolate/coconut cake from Flowers Bakery, which I’m picking up on Saturday.

Xmas Music Driving me to Insanity

I have a colleague that’s obsessed with this one particular Xmas CD. I’m so SICK of hearing him loop this CD over and over again. I want to smash it, then burn it. I can’t type emails or hear myself think because it’s always blasting. Please save me before I go insane. If I hear “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” by the Jackson 5 one more time….I think I might snap.
(end of rant)

(By the way, I’ve reached my 100th post! Yay!)

The year 2008 in Photographs

Boston.com is featuring a series of spectacular photographs taken throughout 2008. This is a 3 part series. I’ve only seen the first 40 photos, so I can’t imagine how wonderful the next two sets will be. Click here to view the series.

Here’s one of the most amazing images – photo #40. Good thing that surfer never looked at that wall of water behind him!

Feather Headbands @ Etsy

Yesterday, I bought two really awesome ‘feather headbands’ at Esty.com. I know I know, I’m not supposed to be spending any unnecessary money – but these headbands are too cute to pass up.

I’ve been looking for something to dress up my plain ol’ outfits when I have a night out on the town. The headbands should arrive soon. They’re beautiful (see pics below)! This seller comes highly recommended, and already I’ve noticed that she’s very responsive to questions/inquires.

Featherbrain @ Etsy

27 is Old

I have forehead wrinkles. At 27!
Last night, as I was applying my moisturizer I noticed 3 forehead wrinkles. This is totally unfair. I take care of my skin, I use fancy cleansers/moisturizers…I was even an avid Oil of Olay Wrinkle Cream user when I was 16.

I really hate getting older. I can’t lose weight as fast as when I was 18, and I can’t function unless I have at least 7hrs sleep a night. In college, I could function on only 4hrs per night. Never had wrinkles or dark under-eye circles.

My worst fear has always been that I would not age gracefully. I know that’s really vain, but all the women in my family look awesome for their age. I don’t want to be the young “old hag”! Today, I think I’m going to start using the Murad line of anti-aging cream. It’s pretty expensive, but I’ve read some great things about it.

Overall, I know that nothing is going to ‘reverse’ my wrinkles completely. But I want to prevent more wrinkles from surfacing. And if I have to, I am not opposed to Botox!

Yay for Friday!

This morning, my coworker told me she was selling her barely used 1GB iPod shuffle for $40. I bought that sucker in a heartbeat. She still has all the original packaging and everything. Nothing wrong with the item – she just doesn’t have a need for a mp3 player. Woohoo! I know I already have an iPod classic, but I couldn’t pass up this deal.

Then, during lunch, I find out that a new restaurant near my job called “Organic to Go” was offering FREE salad, soup, wraps and sandwiches in honor of their Grand Opening. Sweet! I had already bought my lunch today when I found out, but my free Greek pita wrap will be great for dinner.

Now all I need is to score free Starbucks, and I’ll be set!

Random News, Brought to you by Stephy404

For some odd reason, I really pride myself on knowing loads of pointless/useless facts – most of which I find by reading various news sites online. Here are a few items I found today. It’s my job to educate my readers on relevant local and international news. =)
(News article links included on each item)

1. The Dark Knight sells 3 million DVDs in ONE DAY. That 3mil doesn’t include my money though.
2. Recession woes have lead a poor DJ in England to sell all his teeth.
3. Singer, Usher and wife named their kid Naviyd Ely. I’m not even sure how to pronounce it!
4. Are you cool enough to snag a Flip video? Educate yourself on the top newest pocket-sized digital camcorders.
5. Two KFC employees take a bath in a KFC sink – and post their pics on MySpace.
6. Apparently Lex Luthor (Smallville) and Sylar (Heroes) have the same dad.
7. TV show ‘Mr. Belvedere’ is coming to DVD! I used to love that show, and I still know the theme song (dork, dork, dork)
8. Apparently Metro has too much money on their hands. They are giving us new wool seat covers for our already funky trains. Hey..Thanks Metro! *sarcasm*
9. James Franco might win an ‘Oscar’ for a film about pot?! I love JF, but that’s sad.
10. Use this ‘photo-booth’ to superimpose your head in an 80s style portrait. Use it as your new 'avatar'.
11. If you’re a wannabe paparazzi like I am, you’ll want to arrive at the Harman Center for the Arts by 8:30pm sharp on Tues. 1/20 to snap pics of Sting, Anna Hathaway, Ron Howard, Susan Sarandon, and others.

Friend or Felon?

I found yet another site that violates privacy – and this one is a ‘doosie’. Have you ever gotten a divorce? Filed for bankruptcy? Have you ever been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony? White collar crimes?

If so, the Maryland State Government doesn’t have a problem with making your court records available to the public.

Take a look at this site. Click the ‘Case Search’ link at the top. Type in your name (or any name you wish) and be prepared to be shocked and surprised at the court records of some of your family and friends.

I searched a few people that I know, and it was quite funny to see what some have been busted for. And I don’t mean speeding tickets or traffic violations either. This site only applies to court cases in the state of Maryland. I’m sure other states have a similar way to embarrass their occupants.

This information is public, and it is legal to search – but be warned – you might look at some of your family/friends differently afterwards.

No Anonymity on the Internet

Have any of you ever heard of a site called :123people.com?

My sister heard about it on the radio. Apparently it is yet another site that displays personal information about you on the web. But no only will it give your address and phone number, it also displays:

- any of your uploaded photos online
- your email addresses
- any web links associated with your name
- any web sites associated with your name
- your Amazon.com screen name
- other screen names you have available, like on AOL
- your blog web addresses
- videos you've uploaded to the web
- any news articles that include your name
- any documents with your name in it (i.e., uploaded work documents/articles)
- your facebook or myspace pages

I’ve always felt that this sort of thing is a major violation of privacy. I’m not even sure how this information becomes public – especially when you’re classified as ‘unlisted’. I searched my name, and some of my information does come up. I set up some major restrictions on my Facebook page, so at least that is not searchable to the public. I would hate for photos of my family/friends to be floating around for public view. I’ve set similar restrictions to my Flickr and LinkedIn pages.

I understand that when you put something on the web, you run the risk of everyone somehow seeing it. But, seriously, do random people need to know my address and phone number?

Be careful what you upload online. You even have to be careful what you post on online forums. Those messages are also searchable on Google.

Thievery Corporation in DC!

I just found out Thievery Corporation has a couple tour dates in our area. They will be at Ram’s Head Live (Baltimore) in February and 9:30 Club for three dates in January. I opt for Ram’s Head as that area of Baltimore is way safer than U Street.

It looks like tickets are general admission, which most likely means ‘standing room only’. I guess I better get my tix soon before they sell out! Two of the 9:30 club dates have already sold out!

I've posted their songs on this blog before, but here's one of their more popular ones.
Lebanese Blonde - Thievery Corporation

Lazy Friday

Today is so quiet at work. It always gets like this around the holidays. Not to mention the office holiday party is tonight, so people are leaving early to get all dressed up. I’m not complaining though – because once the new year rolls around, so do new projects. And I’m sure I’ll be swamped.

During lunch I thought I’d take advantage of some of the sweet sales going on at Banana Republic. All sweaters are 40% for 3 days only! I didn’t do much damage though – I only bought a brown turtleneck. I’m on total spending ‘lock-down’ right now, because of a trip I’m planning for next summer.

I’m going to Berlin, Germany in July, and would also like go head to Greece while I’m already in Europe. The trip is organized by a tour group. I’ve already submitted my deposit, but I need to pay for the trip in full by March 9, 2009. So from here in, no shopping, no eating out, no weekend fun, and absolutely no use of the credit card.

Maybe I should post this photo of Greece as my desktop wallpaper to keep me on track in my times of weakness.

Zakynthos (Greece)

Independent Film Festivals in 2009

The Sundance Film Festival starts on January 15th. I had a blast at the 2007 Sundance Film Fest, and would love to go back. If you book it far enough in advance, it’s rather inexpensive. The hard part is getting tickets for the premieres. The more stars in a cast, the harder it is to get tickets. I remember when I went to the festival, tickets for “The Waitress”, “Year of the Dog”, and “Grace is Gone” were nearly impossible to find. One tip: If you’re dying to see a certain premiere, there are loads of tickets being sold on Craigslist.

Here's the Sundance film list for 2009. Some of the movies look pretty cool. Remember to also support independent film in your own area. The Washington DC Film Festival runs from April 16 – 26, 2009. The Tribeca Film Festival in New York runs from April 22 – May 3, 2009. Mark your calendars!

Here’s a pic with me and Adam Brody (from the OC/Mr. and Mrs. Smith) at Sundance 2007. (This had to do since I couldn’t score a pic with James Franco that year. lol)

Inauguration Week Headache

If you live in the DC area, then you know there’s plenty of buzz surrounding Inauguration Day – Jan. 20th.

I’m not sure if this is a national holiday, but government agencies in DC will be closed. And since my job follows the government leave schedule, our offices will be closed as well. Good thing too – the District is expecting a record breaking number of people in the area for Obama’s induction. I’m sure it will total in the millions. Already area hotels are fully booked for that week, and on the news, many people have said they are opting to camp outside on the street or nearby camp sights in order to be part of the Inauguration – despite the 40 degree temps.

I for one, wish I could avoid DC all together that week. Traffic will be a mess, because I’m sure numerous DC roads will be closed. Metro will most likely be overloaded. And, it doesn’t help that I’m only 3 blocks from the White House.

To make matters worse – Oprah is going to be doing her show in DC for the entire week, which will add to the congestion and crowds. Maybe I should take another vacation, and rent our house out for $5,000 during Inauguration.

(Oprah in DC for Inauguration Week)

Films on my List

I think the last movie I saw at the theatre was The Dark Knight. Sad, I know. I’ve hardly had any free time on my weekends.

Right now, there are actually a few films I’d like to see before the year’s end. I’ve yet to see the new James Bond - and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Transporter 3, Boy in the Stripped Pajamas, Doubt, and The Day the Earth Stood Still are also on my list.

One movie not on my list: Twilight. What is the big deal about this movie?! I’m not into vampire flicks, but the PR person for this film is working double-time. Ads for this movie are everywhere! I took this shot in Borders bookstore today. A bit much, right? This was one of 4 booths full of Twilight items, two of which were swarmed with teenie-boppers.

Paris/London: Nov. 21 – 29

First I must say, I’m totally missing Paris today. The week went by so fast. There were 6 of us total that went on the trip, and we all had a fabulous time. Unfortunately, I will not be able to post all of my photos on this blog. You’ll have to view the rest of the photos and video on Facebook.

There are a few observations I made about Paris. First, everyone is thin - which is mind boggling because they mostly eat pastries and bread, and dinner is usually around 9pm. I know Parisians walk a lot, but it’s still quite amazing. Also, they don’t dress that differently than Americans (we saw plenty of knee-high boots and skinny jeans), but I think the difference is, they can really vamp up color combinations and layers. Finally, Parisian women are beautiful! And not the ‘wearing tons of make-up and botox’ beautiful…they’re very ‘natural’. I know it was weird, but I stared at some of the girls on the metro. I noticed the women are all very well groomed…perfect eyebrows and perfect skin. They don’t wear a lot of foundation, but only very little mascara, eyeliner, and subtle lipstick. I wish I could find whatever miracle cream they’re all using.

Besides staring at Parisian men and women on the train, we did fit in some touring. Here was our itinerary: (Day 1) Notre Dame, Champs Elysee, Arc du Triumphe, Eiffel Tower; (Day 2) the Louvre, Arc du Triumphe and Champs Elysee at night; (Day 3) Versaille, including Marie Antoinette’s hamlet; (Day 4) Day trip to London (the Queen was home that day as well); (Day 5) Catacombs, Musee de Orsay, Musee de Eugene Delacroix, walk through St. Germaine dse Pres; (Day 6) Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, Les Invalides, walk through Montmare. Please excuse my misspellings – I took Spanish in school, not French.

We stayed in the Montmare district, not too far from Pigalle or the Sacre Coeur. The area was more residential, so we got a chance to see ‘daily’ Parisian life since we weren’t in the touristy city center. We found a nice little café called “Le Select” where we ate breakfast practically every day. We stayed at the “Hotel France Albion” – and even though it was a two star, it was quite nice. The only ‘con’ was that were next to a bar that was pretty noisy at night. Parisians take their wine seriously, and many drank until this bar closed at 3am. We ate countless pastries at nearly every “Patasserie” in the area. One of my favs were ‘La Bonbonniere de Buci” in St. Germaine des Pres.

Two major highlights of the week: (1) Touring Marie Antoinette’s hamlet in Versaille; and (2) Seeing an exclusive Eugene Delacroix gallery show in the artist’s old apartment in St. Germaine Des Pres. I also discovered my new favorite painter: Etienne Dinet – and I have a newly rekindled fondness for the works of Jacques-Louis David. The man truly was a genius, and painted some of the most historically significant works of French history.

The next time I go back to Paris, I plan on taking more walking tours of the unique neighborhoods in the city. I also plan to spend more time immersing myself in the art and architecture (which is hard to do when you travel with a group of non-artists). Great trip overall - must save up more $ next time.

Click here to view a few of my photos on Flikr.

( Me at Versaille)