I Love Sugar

Yesterday my sister, J, got me my law school graduation presents. We went to the only clothing boutique in this town that I know of (other than Walmart), Sugar. They give you candy when you buy something. It's a great store. They sell Molly B, Ivy Jane, William Rast, and Lilly. I tried on lots of designer dresses, including two awesome Lilly ones that I passed on.

But I picked this Hunter Dixon dress for New Year's.


And this one for Valentine's Day. It's Robin X Robin.


Sugar is def one of my new favorite stores.

It is finished

Law School is so yesterday. I finished my exams and turned in all my papers. I am a J.D. Seriously. Next Sunday, I will be returning to NYC (finally!) so that I can start bar prep classes. Ugh. Right now I am at my sister's house in Greenwood, SC watching tv and eating funny cake my mom made for me. It's so nice to be home in 60 degree weather rather than negative 23 degrees. There was this huge blizzard in Minneapolis right before I left. I have to say, there are a few things I will miss about Minnesota: the friends I made, having a washer/dryer in my apartment, and Chai the Thai restaurant down the street.

I am so excited for Christmas. My sister is in a singing group named Shiloh. They had a Christmas concert last night and I sang a song with them. And I got to play with babies.

On Friday I went to the J Crew outlet in Commerce, GA with my mom and let me tell you. J Crew outlets are like heaven on earth right now. Everything is an additional 20% off beyond the sale prices. I got a new grownup black wool dress coat for $70 (originally $350) and other nice stuff.

There is a Lilly Pulitzer bag under the tree. Thursday cannot come soon enough for me.

Look what I got

I got this off ebay and it came in the mail today. I am always bidding on things on ebay but this is the first time I've won in years because I am cheap. I wish I could get every petal pink Vera Bradley item that exists. I really want the duffle bag but I am too cheap.

1 month to go!

I just want to put a couple things out there. I refuse to buy anything Tory Burch because Lyor Cohen laid me off from my first [read: dream] job. Also, People in law school are too old to still be sporting their LL Bean backpacks. I'm just sayin. I got into a fight with my sister. I called Malia Obama the equivalent of a prissy brown noser. My sister says that it's just because she's the older sister and thus an adult pleaser. This went back and forth until I told my sister that she could be Malia and I would be Sasha. Everything is fine now.

I can't believe law school is almost over. I doubt anyone in MN will miss me and for the most part the feeling is mutual.

Silver Lining

I just read this article that says that Chanel is dropping its prices. Something tells me I still can't afford to splurge on this, but I really really really really want it.

All I Want for Christmas is . . .

something to keep me nice and warm. I will be back in the city in less than 2 months walking around in the bitter cold. (At least it won't be as bad as Minnecrapolis.) I think that this hat from J Crew would do the trick.

This Diane von Furstenburg outfit is perfect for church in the winter.

I am so nervous/excited about moving back to the city. My friend S is in Ithaca. My friends J&E are in Oakland. My friend J is out in the boondocks (Stonybrook). And my friend A is married now so she probably won't be able to hang out anymore plus she might be moving. Yuck. And there are all these new people at church. Gross. I hate new people. From the facebook pictures I've seen they all look really public. (That's a term that my friend R came up with back in college. I have exactly 34 days left in MN and I couldn't be more happy about that. Everything here is so bootleg. Bootleg pizza, bootleg Bloomingdale's, bootleg theatre, bootleg public transportation, bootleg nightlife. Even the tragedies here are BOOTLEG. What I love about the city is that it has the best of everything. It has the best food and the best talent and the best shopping. Por ejemplo, why would I pay $10 performance of The Last Five Years by a couple of law students when I already saw it Off Broadway starring Sheree Rene Scott for FREE? I remember I went to see it with my friend R during college and it wasn't all that. This is the longest I have been gone from New York in eight years. It's killing me.

Oh and I have started watching this new show called Privileged on the CW. It's set in West Palm Beach, FL and it's amazing! I highly recommend it.

Preppy Children & Politics

I love this!

Here are the lyrics:

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah
Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

(McCain supporters)
McCain’s the best candidate
With Palin as his running mate
They’ll fight for gun rights, pro life,
The conservative right
Our future is bright
Better economy in site
And all the world will feel our military might

(Obama supporters)
But McCain and Bush are real close right
They vote alike and keep it tight
Obama’s new, he’s younger too
The Middle Class he will help you
He’ll bring a change, he’s got the brains
McCain and Bush are just the same
You are to blame, Iraq’s a shame
Four more years would be insane
Lower your Taxes -
you know Obama Won’t PROTECT THE LOWER CLASS -
You know McCain won’t!
Have enough experience - you know that they don’t
STOP GLOBAL WARMING - you know that you won’t
I want Obama
FORGET OBAMA
Stick with McCain and you’re going to have some drama
We need it
HE’LL BRING IT
He’ll be it
YOU’LL SEE IT
We’ll do it
GET TO IT
Let’s move itDO IT!

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah
Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

I’m talking big pipe lines, and low gas prices
Below $2.00 that would be nice
But to do it right we gotta start today
Finding renewable ways that are here to stay

I want Obama
FORGET OBAMA,
Stick wit McCain you gone have some drama
MORE WAR IN IRAQ
Iran he will attack
CAN’T BRING OUR TROOPS BACK
We gotta vote Barack!

Obama on the leftMcCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

3 months to go!

This semester in school has been so busy because I am finishing up and I have work also. It's been crazy. Last week in Hilton Head was so great. I basically went crazy in j crew and brooks brothers just as expected. But now I am feeling the repercussions. I have so much work to do and so many shows to watch before they erase from my tivo. I also got to play with a baby all day when I went to Augusta. She was so cute and sweet and made my baby phever even worse.

My friends A & B are both getting married in October. My bf M is getting married in May and I am a bridesmaid so that is exciting. And my friend E is expecting a baby! It's totally insane.

I have been waiting all summer for this

4 months to go!

As usual I am jumping the gun. My vacation is more than a month away and I have already started the lists of what to do and what to buy. This is my plan of attack for hilton head. Find the closest approximation of the items on my wish list for the lowest prices.

1. A-line black skirt
2. white button down oxford shirt
3. sneakers
4. black suit
5. black pumps
6. black cardigan
7. dark blasted jeans
8. black bag
9. argyle sweater
10. little black dress

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People

No it's not the story of my life since I have been in Minneapolis although that would be an appropriate title. It's actually the name of a book I read not long after graduating from college. I think of it as the male version of The Devil Wears Prada. Clayton Harding is to Vanity Fair's Graydon Carter as Miranda Priestly is to Vogue's Anna Wintour. The Costume Institute gala at the MET is to an assistant at Vogue what the Vanity Fair Oscar party is to a peon at it's magazine. I could make analogies between the two books for days but I will spare you. The book is really funny and I loved it. It's not often that I enjoy a book with a male protagonist so that really says something. Unlike the Nanny Diaries I don't remember this book perfectly. Thus, I have high hopes for being satisfied with the inevitable movie version coming out in October starring Kirsten Dunst.

This week, the main thing on my mind is moving. On Sunday I will be moving all of my belongings to my new apartment by myself. People think because people tag me in photos with them on the facebook that I have friends here. They're wrong.

Plus Our Girls are Way Cuter

I take gymnastics too seriously. Last night's judging was undeniably super shady in China's 12 year old gymnasts' favor and we still won.

So take that China.

and that

and that

Oh. And that.

More to Smile About

I got a job for fall semester! I am going to be a research assistant in the career office. This is great news because there are a lot of beautiful argyle sweaters for me to choose from this fall.

Vineyard Vines 145.00

Lilly Pulitzer 188.00

And now for the Cashmere ones:

Brooks Brothers 248.00

Burberry 550.00

Sutton Studio 124.99

J Crew on sale for 59.99

If anyone finds any cuter than these, please let me know.

A Reason to Smile

I have been stuck working in Minnesota all summer, but at the end of September I will finally get to go to my favorite preppy vacation spot: Hilton Head, SC. My sister is all about the beach. I am all about the shopping. I will definitely be hitting up the Brooks Brothers and J Crew outlets. I am so happy to have something to look forward to. I really hope I get a job for fall semester so I can buy lots of cashmere argyle sweaters. Packing for this trip should be so much fun.

Georgia on My Mind

Other arms reach out to me
Other eyes smile tenderly
Still in peaceful dreams I see
The road leads back to you

Do you ever wonder why all the best people just so happen to be from Georgia? I do.

Best signer of the Declaration of Independence (who I also played in 5th grade)

Button Gwinnett Savannah, Ga

Best weirdo singer who is strange like Bjork and also SDA

Little Richard Macon, Ga


Best Christian singer to sell out and go Pop

Amy Grant Augusta, Ga

Best Rapper

Big Boi Savannah, Ga

Best Disney Voice Actor
Sterling Holloway Cedartown, Ga

Best Actress Ever.

Julia Roberts Smyrna, Ga

Best President Ever. By Far.

Jimmy Carter Plains, Ga

Favorite Preppy and the City Stories

I have lived in Greenwich Village, Chinatown, Union Square, the Upper East Side, and Spanish Harlem. While not the most exciting neighborhood in the city, I find the UES to be the most fascinating. The world's best prep schools are all right there. One of my biggest concerns in life is how I can get my kids into one of these schools so they can get into a decent undergraduate institution. Well, according to this New York Post article, UES prep schools may be slippin. Maybe it does pay to be middle class. Nobody was admitted to Harvard from Dalton this year until one person finally got off the waitlist.

I am jealous of UES preppies for two reasons:

1. They get better educations than I did at Westminster

2. They live in apartments with no front door. They just walk right off their elevators into the entrance way or living room of their apartments. No need for keys. I would gladly live in Brooklyn if I could just walk right off the elevator into my apartment with no door.

Here is a book all about them that I am dying to read:

Description from Amazon: "After uncovering this underground economy where a teacher can make the same hourly rate as a Manhattan attorney, Anna herself is seduced by lucrative offers--one after another. Teacher by day, tutor by night, she starts to sample the good life her students enjoy: binges at Barneys, dinners at the Waverly Inn, and a new address on Madison Avenue." (If this is for real, sign me up. Seriously.)

And now for my favorite portrayals of UES preps.

The preppy version of the Breakfast Club. Intelligent. Great dialogue. Rent it.

In a previous post I discussed my love of The Ivy Chronicles. Well this is like the precursor to that book.

SMG is perfect in this movie. My favorite part is when the teacher dumps the coke out of her cross necklace.

B with the haragossip girls.

Thus far, Gossip Girl, you KNOW you love her, is the most intoxicating portrayal of NYC prepster life. One day I will devote an entire post to my deep love and admiration for Blair Waldorf. jk. maybe.

Always the Last to Know

"So I was thinking--I see no reason why we should stress ourselves out with this 'legal career' hoo ha. I think it's pretty reasonable to assume that we will marry rich men, have some babies, travel the world, eat the best food, drink the best wine, and maintain supermodel caliber bodies and looks well into our 50s. That's it--I'm quitting my job! $#%$%$##@@"

Something mildly interesting finally happened in Minnecrapolis. In fact, it has received national attention in the blog world. M, a girl in my law school class, was fired from her summer associate position last week for getting drunk at a firm event and kissing a girl from Cornell. She left the quote above on her friend's facebook wall last year. Supposedly she had been warned to stop getting drunk at firm events. When I met her she was nice and friendly (unlike her friends). I tried to use this "scandal" as a way to distract myself from the 140 hr BA/Corps final I am in the midst of writing. I only heard last night, but apparently it has been the talk of downtown Minneapolis all week and, horror of horrors, billable hours are being lost due to the gossip. Unfortunately, looking at all her drunken photos on the facebook only took up about 10 minutes of my day. So I had to blog about it myself in order to waste the proper amount of time.

If you're curious you can read more about it here: http://abovethelaw.com/lindquist_vennum/. I had no clue that there was a legal tabloid blog. It's boring which I guess is to be expected given the sort of people who read it. May none of these people ever move to the music industry. They couldn't handle it.

5 months to go!

Today has been great so far. The attorneys and staff in my office were going to a Minnesota Lynx game today. I hadn't planned on going, but there was an extra ticket. I thought it might be a hockey team or local baseball (boring) team. Luckily it is the WNBA team here and they were playing the Seattle Storm. Now I am totally out of the loop. The last time I paid attention to the WNBA was exactly seven summers ago when I was living in Orlando going to Miracle games. So guess who joined the Seattle Storm in March. That's right, Sheryl Swoopes!!! Love her. I forgot how much I love basketball. Seattle won. yay. I obviously would never root for anything Minnesota.

This week I have a 140 hour final. Fortunately, there is a 50 page limit. I have so much to do in the next few months and so little motivation. There is this black coat from Forever21 that was advertised in the July issue of Marie Claire. I called the store and looked on-line but they don't have it yet. (otherwise I would totally post a pic) I want it now. I know it's July. I will be patient.

P.S. Less than 5 months till I get out of here. woohoo!

Help me Please

I was going to write about manners, or the lack thereof, but I will do that later today because I have more pressing business right now. This skirt I have been eyeing at J Crew since April is on sale but I have to pay shipping which I hate! It would cost 37.12 total. So quick poll, should I get it? Yes or No. Now remember, not only is it pleated, but also SEERSUCKER. sigh.

Semi Book Review: Kate Spade's Manners

My sister has a Disney book of manners that I loved to read when I was growing up. It really spoke to me because it was all about being considerate to the people around you. Most people I'm close with have wonderful manners. My bf from childhood, M, is her super southern mother's daughter with her yes sirs and no ma'ams. It's so attractive.

There should be a class in elementary school on etiquette. There should be a higher level version of the class taught in high school. Most importantly, etiquette ought to make up a significant portion of the citizenship test. You might say, "Hey! etiquette is something that parents should teach their kids at home." I agree wholeheartedly, but the sad reality is that much like sex education, too many parents are dropping the ball when it comes to this subject. Americans are turning into swine right before our very eyes.

I can't tell you how many times I have been at a restaurant waiting on my food, when the people around me just start eating without even noticing that there are those of us who have yet to be served. Now I like to tell people to go ahead and start, so that their food doesn't get cold, but these people don't even ask. Before I came to law school I actually worked with a woman who clipped her finger nails at work at her cubicle for everyone to see and hear. Adults throughout the country are licking their fingers loudly, smacking their gum, not saying excuse me after they burp, sneezing without covering their mouths, and slurping like barnyard animals.

Now there are some people who might say, "but in my culture this is a sign of [insert lame excuse]." To these people I ask: well, if you were in Iran would you give the thumbs up sign because it has a positive connotation where you are from even though Iranians deem it to be the equivalent of flipping the bird. It is disrespectful to go to Iran expecting everyone to follow American customs; likewise it is disrespectful for people to impose alien forms of etiquette on Americans in our own country and hurtful to dismiss the culture that has formed over out 232 year history. Just as it is not appropriate to extend the middle finger of your hand while bending the other fingers into your palm ("giving the finger) it is also inappropriate for the food you are chewing to fall out of your mouth back onto your plate. (Clearly, my personal pet peeves largely involve noisy and/or animalistic eating habits.)

But for those of us whose moms and dads taught us to say please and thank you, etc I found some gems while reading Kate Spade's Manners that I would like to share. It was not at all pretentious and it was fun to read. These were new to me and are sure to improve the quality of my life and more importantly the lives of those around me.

Personal calls should be returned the same day or within 24 hours.

Remove you hat when entering an elevator.

When you are asked to pass the salt, pass the pepper too.

Food should always be passed to the right, or counterclockwise.

and a few I knew but thought I'd share:

You may start eating before everyone else if you have hypoglycemia or another medical condition (besides rudeness)

The people in the movie should do the talking, not the people in the audience.

Terrrgit

I got this at Target. Not only is it plaid, but it's pleated as well. This means that I am going to have a terrible time trying to iron it. I need to just have an ironing day where I iron everything that I never wear simply because it's wrinkled. Or maybe I will just try to keep it really clean so I never have to wash it. jk. kinda. jk. not really.

Babies

Today we had tax clinic triad, which is when we all meet with our professor to discuss our clients and their issues. My professor took her daughter and her daughter's friend on a sailing trip last week. Unlike many people, I absolutely love to hear people talk about their children, as long as it's not the only thing they have to talk about. After a while, I realized that everyone in the room had kids but me. I have baby fever. I have had it for about 20 years now so I don't think it's going to be going away anytime soon. It's just getting stronger. But here's the dilemma. Unless you are a fabulous celebrity or loaded Park Avenue Mommy, kids make you OLD and also pretty lame. Everything revolves arounds the kids.

But what if all my friends start having kids. My sister's friends are ALL having kids now. So I've decided that I need to estimate when all my close friends are going to have babies. Then I can plan accordingly.


Now let's play name that mixed baby!

Hint: Half Mexican


Hint: Dad was born in London.

Hint: If you know me, you know her.

Hint: Hello, is it me your looking for?

Hint: Jewish, Irish, and Ecuadorian

Must have accessories

I watched the first few episodes of the first season of felicity this week. I cannot believe that show started 10 years ago. That means that I started college 10 years ago. yikes.

When I'm forty I want to look like those ladies on lipstick jungle, i.e. hot. I've started wearing sunscreen on my face at ALL times. I've been doing Laser Hair Removal for a year now. Here is a list of accessories I would love to own by the time I'm forty just to top it all off.

1. Cashmere Burberry Scarf 250.00 - Sooooooo soft. This is the only thing on the list I have already. For plaid, it matches remarkably well with most things.


2. Black pumps 255.00. The Kate Spade Karolina heel hasn't been around for that long but everyone raves about how comfortable it is. I tried cole haan nike airs and I didn't find them to be all that comfortable, perhaps because I have a high arch.


3. Hermes Scarf 325.00 Below is the book that tells you the many ways you can wear the scarf. (on head, as a belt, as a shirt, etc). I learned about this from my law school friend L who has one of the scarves.

4. Chanel Sunglasses (black) 380.00-580.00 - I will never actually buy these because it's just not right to spend that much money on something that I would definitely definitely lose! Although I would certainly accept them as a present. I have target sunglasses somewhere that are big and round in that Jackie O kind of way but of course they are no where to be found.

5. Chanel Mary Jane ballet flats 635.00 - "You KNOW how picky I am about my shoes, and they only go on my feet." Most classic accessories are worth the money because they are durable. But when it comes to shoes I am more reluctant to shell out money because it is inevitable that shoes will be stepped on, rained on, scuffed, etc.

6. Burberry Trench 695.00 - For that price I am perfectly satisfied with my Banana one. But I must say, that if I had a gazillion dollars, I would buy it.

7. Chanel classic flap bag 2450.00. My roomate, A, turned me on to this. At first I wanted a different one, but this one is so classic that I'm sold.

8. Hermes Kelly bag 10,000.00 or more - I want this for my 40th birthday. Isn't it exquisite?

I will be updating this post because I know I left something out.

One more thing I want to talk about. I'm not into Ralph Lauren. It's nothing personal. I love Dylan's Candly shop. When people show up to the Academy Awards in Ralph Lauren I usually think the dresses are simple, elegant, and basically to die for. But as a general rule, I just don't like Polo. Everyone seems surprised when I say I don't like it. But I don't and here's why. It's just too cowboy.