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.

If you were alive when Nixon was president

(and I'm being generous) then you should not be on the facebook!

Shopping Spree

The IRS is annoying. They are experiencing high call volumes due to people calling about their economic stimulus checks. Not only is the wait time for getting through an hour sometimes, but now they are making me call back for each client separately. I have 17 clients! Boooooooo

Last week I went on an online shopping spree while I was bored at work. My first book already arrived in the mail. It's slightly worn but it was only 1.50.

I ordered a similar book called Momzillas: It's a Jungle Out There on Park Avenue Baby! for 0.95. I got a new subscription to Town and Country for 6.99. A used copy of the Kate Spade book Manners for 4.99

I know a few people I can pass that book on to when I'm done with it. I also got a book about a Christian girl in the city called The Book of Jane for 3.00 and a book about the black elite called Our Kind of People by Lawrence Otis Graham for 2.99 They were all listed as Brand New or Like New condition so I hope they live up to their descriptions. If any of them are really great, I will do a book review. I love summer reading. I also love getting fun mail!

Preppy Baby Names

Preppy baby name websites are full of atrocious names like Muffy, Buffy, Biff, Chip etc. Maybe that is a northern thing, because none of my friends growing up had names like that. One thing I do love about preppy names is the use of last names as first names or middle names. Some people seem to have a problem with this but I just don't understand. I remember my friend in elementary school telling me that she and her sisters all have family last names as middle names. Her middle name is Greene. I think my last name would make a perfect middle name.

My favorite preppy names all come from kids I went to school with growing up, with the exception of my favorite boy name.

Girls:
1. Katherine (the only acceptable spelling)
2. Alexandria
3. Genevieve
4. Chandler
5. Elizabeth
6. Bronwynn
7. Caroline
8. Palmer
9. Heather
10. Mimi (I admit I only like this one now because of Mariah)
11. Ansley

Boys:
1. Wentworth (the perfect name)
2. Sebastian
3. Redding
4. Matthew
5. Davis
6. Wilson (also my dad's middle name!)
7. Colin

Now I want to have babies so I can use some of these names.

P.S. People. Please stop using Ariel, Isabella, Nala and other variations on Disney names for your children. It's tacky.

Looking back

I was never one of those people who was like, when I grow up I want to move to a big city, or I want to move to New York. I loved Augusta and I thought I would want to live there when I got older. Truly, I never really thought about it that much.

My first impression of the city was probably from the Cosby Show which was set in Brooklyn.

But at that time I probably didn't even know that Brooklyn was part of New York City. There was also Coming to America, which takes place primarily in Queens.

And of course, there was the Muppets Take Manhattan.

I always loved that movie. My favorite part is when someone steals Miss Piggy's purse in Central Park and Gregory Hines loans her his roller skates.

A book I read in fourth grade left such an impression on me. It took place in the MET and I always hoped to go there one day and see all the places from the book.
I have reread this book several times which is very unusual for me. It is still one of my favorites.

What's really weird is that I changed my favorite Baby-Sitter's Club character from Claudia to Stacey because she was from New York. Maybe I've just always felt this subconcious connection the city. Maybe that is why I was confident in applying to NYU before I even set foot in the city.

As I got older, there was Friends, Seinfeld. TRL, this book I read but cannot remember the title of. But what really opened my eyes to what my future could be was Felicity. I never contemplated moving to the city till then. NYU was on my list of schools to apply to because of its reputation as a liberal campus and it had other qualities I was looking for in a college. It was number five or six on my list but I had no clue, until Felicity, that it was smack dab in the middle of the city. I didn't really understand what the city was. So I thank God for Felicity.

That show totally changed my life for the better and I don't care if it was a stupid reason to go some place. I had legitimate reasons too and it all worked out in the end.

When I was growing up watching tv and reading books that took place in NYC I had no idea what I was missing. Now as I wait in exile, I watch all these movies and read all these books that take place in the city and I feel so jealous of everyone who gets to live there, while I sit here cold and alone. Wow that was depressing. My bad.

The Ivy Chronicles

I just heard that Sarah Jessica Parker might star in the movie version of one of my favorite books, The Ivy Chronicles. I find this to be very upsetting, partly, because I associate her with Carrie. Carrie is just so unrefined and flighty. The book is about a woman who has to move, with her kids, out of the upper east side down to the lower east side. She has to take her kids out of their great prestigous school and put them in a public school downtown. For me that is the saddest part of the book. Finally she makes a job out of helping people get their children into the type of schools on the UES that her daughters formerly attended.

What really bothers me about them making this movie is that I believe her job is the most amazing job. It is the job I want. I don't want to be a lawyer. I want to get deserving kids into NYC private schools. Or I could be a college admissions counselor. But I KNOW I don't need any more competition should I actually find my way to this career. I don't need a bunch of girls moving to the city trying to pursue this career cause "Sarah Jessica Parker did it in that movie." Yuck. Yuck. Yuck.