Songbird

Once when I was in middle school my dad gave me a CD for my birthday. It was Eva Cassidy's album "Songbird" and it had a photo of Eva on it where the sun sort of hits the side of her face and she's looking at you smiling. At the time I thought, "Never heard of her...probably gonna love this and and probably gonna get made fun of for loving it...perfect." I was in 6th or 7th grade at the time. I thought, "Why doesn't he just get me a t-shirt that says I'm a dork on it and call it a day. Could he not find the Madonna section????" but.... he looked at me and said, "You'll love it. Trust me." And I always did, and I always have trusted him...especially when it comes to music... but you know it's funny....sometimes dad's have a sixth sense when it comes to their daughters... in a way only dad's can. So fast forward to over a decade later when the other night, I was home alone watching "Love Actually" and I realized that in one of my favorite scenes they play "Songbird" in the background. It's the scene where Laura Linney's character is about to get it on with the man she's been secretly crushing on for 5 years...and it's all happening and it is one of the most touching scenes in the movie...because it illustrates new love beautifully and somehow seems to capture all the little nuances and insecurities that come out when two people are intimate for the first time. It's sort of the way I felt the first time I walked into Barneys New York. Overwhelmed, intimidated, but so filled with emotion I wanted to scream and shout and run around touching everything... Oh Barneys...how I miss you!

Bridget Jones and Trampolines

Have you ever been so happy that you just want to run around in your underwear and jump up and down and just scream and dance and fist pump? Yeah... me neither...I hate people who do that. So childish. It's like...grow up :) In all honesty though I've had a really difficult time sleeping. I am seriously thinking about investing in a trampoline just to get this energy out of my system. I will weight the pros and cons and get back to you on a final decision. Till then...not even my iced coffee in the morning makes me this giddy and I've already asked about 10 people to slap me. No one will... I don't know what's happened to me. All I know is that last night I listened to Songbird by Eva Cassidy on repeat about 500 times and okay fine... yes... I watched Love Actually while eating Dove dark chocolate in bed while simultaneously drinking diet coke. I'm like an American Bridget Jones only with better clothes and I don't write as consistently as she did... I am so annoying.

Home Is Where the Stripes Are

I live in what most Americans would probably describe as a box. A studio apartment. One room with a separate kitchen, vanity and bathroom. I pay an exorbitant amount for rent (compared to most people's standards), and I lack a lot of the modern day amenities most of my peers wouldn't even consider living without. It is, to me, the quintessential single girl in the city lifestyle and when you get right down to it, it's pretty amazing.* (Need more convincing? Check bottom of post). 

But being single in the city has it's challenges and one of them is the fact that I am rarely actually in my apartment. Sure I sleep there, and shower there and my clothes are there but most of the time... I'm not. To remedy this situation my best friend finally convinced me it was time to paint the accent wall I had been talking about since I moved in. I agreed. So this weekend, I finally buckled down and painted. Above is the final outcome and I am thrilled about it. The funny thing about the wall is that it changed the entire look of my apartment. It made it seem bigger. It broke it up. It added a bit of glam to the place and most importantly, it made it so that my apartment finally feels like home to me. 

*Let's think about this....I can skip the commuting. My walk to work consists of 5 blocks, and in 2 inch heels takes about 15 minutes (including a trip to Starbucks). In 3 inch heels...maybe 20. I have coffee shops, restaurants, bars, clubs, and shopping all within walking distance of my place. I rarely have to spend money on gas, and I live right by the polo grounds, so if I want to walk by the reflecting pond, or see the WWII memorial, or do a run downtown, I can. I am between 3 of the most trendy and uptown neighborhoods in DC. Dupont Circle, Georgetown, and Chinatown and I live within 2 blocks of the blue line and 4 or 5 blocks of the red line. Obama and I share a zip code, and I can walk down to the White House anytime I want.  I have hardwood floors, decently tall ceilings, and 3 walk-in closets. I have a Queen sized bed, a 40 inch TV, a cafe table, a dresser and a console table and still my apartment feels large. I never have to worry about the metro closing, and I never need a designated driver. I am also within walking distance of all of my doctors. I have a 24 Hour CVS at the end of my block, and a police station and fire house 2 blocks away.