Hitting the Links!

Happy early Fourth of July!  Between now and Sunday I will be spending my time watching the AT&T National Golf Tournament at Congressional Country Club, BBQing and celebrating a great friend as he moves to Asia for a few months.  I’m really looking forward to this weekend.  Last year at this time I did much of the same but I was definitely not in the same place mentally so needless to say - watch out as I’m ready to party!

The fourth of July has always been one of my more favorite holidays since moving to DC in 2003.  In fact I moved to DC the week before the 4th in 2003 so this weekend marks 5 years! Every year thereafter we celebrated in style!  That includes 2 years of huge parties at my friend’s house with an ice luge.  I’ve never seen so many empty bottles of flavored schnapps as I did those years.  We had too much fun.

As I prepare to leave the office early today and tomorrow to get ready - how do you celebrate the day our country earned its independence?  Do you watch a Will Smith movie? Light sparklers? BBQ? I know I’ll be sunburned and full of plenty libations.  Who knows - perhaps I’ll relive the events of the two years with the ice luge.  One can only hope.

Happy Fourth of July!

Finally Friday - Public Safety

Happy Friday - I think? Yesterday the Supreme Court overturned the DC Gun Ban and I received a flurry of e-mails from my neighborhood listserv regarding not ONE but THREE sexual assaults in my neighborhood. Now add in the crazy severe stormy weather and one would think that things are falling to pieces.

What is happening? Is is the heat? Could it be the impending insanity with the election coming up? Maybe it is Armageddon. All I know is that I am not afraid to say that all of this sounds scary. To be honest - I may actually consider getting a gun - just to protect myself.

Anyway - something to think about as you prepare for the Holiday next week and what will probably mean a lot of BBQs and possibly some drinking. All I would ask is that people remain aware and take the necessary precautions to protect themselves - most importantly if you are one of my friends.

Here’s to a hopefully improved weekend!

Its not easy being Green!

I thought that I would take the opportunity to introduce Green Cotton, Jute & Jackfruit Store and the Jute & Jackfruit Blog - 3 great sites to check out if you are interested in learning about organic and sustainable clothing options. Jute & Jackfruit especially focuses on fashion-forward sustainable clothing options for Women. If you consider yourself green and want to start implementing the green lifestyle into your everyday duds - this is a great place to learn about clothing that is organic but doesn’t have to mean birkenstocks, cargo shorts, a short sleeve button down or a T-shirt.

So - I give a shout out to my friends Shana and Shoji et al who are successfully educating and giving people hip and fashionable options for Green clothing. Now if we could just convince Brooks Brothers to make an organic and sustainable suit - I’d be all in

Maybe it can be easy being Green!

Cup of Joe(s)

According to a recent study - Long-term coffee drinking does not appear to increase a person’s risk of early death and may cut a person’s chances of dying from heart disease. The study actually suggests that drinking up to 6 cups a day is not associated with increased deaths among middle-aged people.  It also suggests that women who drink 2 to 3 cups a day actually reduce their risk of death from heath disease.

I drink coffee, albeit not 6 cups a day, but I enjoy a cup every morning.  There is nothing like a nice hot cup of Eight O’Clock Coffee in the morning.  For my birthday last year - my parents got me a great Cuisinart coffee maker that has the grinder attached - so I wake up every morning to the whizz of the maker grinding the beans for a fresh pot.  Sometimes I get crazy and actually use my French Press.

It is funny to watch the evolution of coffee - what was once a cup of Folger’s (the best part of waking up…) or Maxwell House is now Starbucks, Caribou, Illy or McDonald’s Premium Blend.  Even Juan Valdez has a storefront now.  Whether you believe in fair trade, bold blend, robust blend, flavored or you like a cup of instant - there are a lot of options out there.  I actually have 3 Starbucks within 3 blocks of my apartment.  Not to mention a Cafe that serves Illy and the Bean Counter too!  The coffee house made so famous by Friends can now be as popular as your local tavern and is filled with socialites, students, professors and everyday folk.

So - what kind of coffee do you like?  Maybe you like a coffee drink.  Where’s your favorite place to enjoy coffee? Whatever the answers - the good news is that you can now enjoy your Coffee and Cigarettes without having to worry about the health risks - other than maybe some bad breath and discolored teeth!

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot

It is another scorcher today in Washington, DC but apparently it is supposed to break tomorrow and only be in the high 80’s.  Not too bad considering what it has been like the last few days.

I had a great weekend with friends - sailing, drinking and BBQing.  The summer has swung into high gear and I’m looking forward to many weekends just like this past one.  I’m hoping to get a vacation in soon and possibly a little beach time.  I have been paying close attention to the e-fares out there.

I was talking to some people over the weekend about what a true vacation means to them.  I think that we all came to a consensus - a real vacation is full of relaxation, a trip is to a destination.  I have been lucky enough to have family with houses near beaches.  This means I can go there and not worry about having to eat out every night, can pack lighter and don’t have a schedule to stick to.  Whether it means a bottle of wine, some food on the grill and the Red Sox game on NESN or a night out at the Chicken Box dancing - I have a choice.  So as you get ready for the summer and a summer vacation, think about what you need for a vacation - a trip with a schedule and site seeing or a few days of just stress relief.

SUMMERTIME!

Finally Friday Flowers

It is Friday. For some reason it has been a long week of tornadoes but a second week of successful work. On Wednesday, as the lights flickered, I looked out the window only see what I thought might be Armageddon. Turns out it was a minor tornado ripping through the area. Power was out and the building’s generator was smoking. Needless to say I got to go home early only to experience a drive with lights out, trees down and accidents. Definitely an interesting experience.

Now the flowers…With all of the hype out there about the new iPhone and how it is going to rival the BlackBerry - there is always something new entering the mobile marketplace. As a BlackBerry user, I am definitely impressed with the iPhone. So apparently in an effort to keep competition going with the iPhone, BlackBerry is using a program called Digby as a free shopping application. With just a few clicks - one can order flowers via FTD on their phone and never miss a birthday, anniversary or special occasion because they can’t get to the florist. I’m imagining there are several people that are downloading this application right now.

Again - this begs the question - when is it going to end? Pretty soon there will be no interpersonal communication. I’m imagining that developers will create a mobile assistant/secretary eliminating the need to have an actual person organizing some of our lives.

Me on the other hand - I still like to call the Florist, place my order and either deliver in person or even a surprise delivery at work. For those of you who agree with me and are in Washington, DC - I suggest ULTRA Violet - a little pricey but they have never done me wrong. Whole Foods has a great selection as well for the last minute Sunday floral purchase. I’m thinking about maybe a really nice and bright summer bouquet!

Tuxedo Tuesday

As I mentioned I was at the Estate sale at my grandfather’s this past weekend.  While there I grabbed my grandfather’s sharkskin tuxedo.  It fit perfectly in the waist, the pants and sleeves need lengthening and the jacket fit well in the body.  It is really cool - one button, shawl collar and sharkskin so it is a little shiny. It is definitely vintage.  I took it to the tailor by my office and I’m hoping they can work their magic with it.

I do not go to too many black tie events but I’ve worn my other tuxedo enough times to have paid for it and then some.  Only probably with this tuxedo is that I weighed 250 lbs when I bought it and the jacket is a 48R.  I’m now a 44R.  It looks a little ridiculous on my now - kind of like when Tom Hanks turns back into the little kid in Big (I always thought that Elizabeth Perkins was attractive - even when smoking a cigarette). I’m of course going to eventually get it tailored but it makes me appreciate both my grandfathers’ old suits.  They always had tailor-made suits.  My one grandfather had a family member who was a tailor in NY I believe and my other grandfather got all of his stuff at Lenny’s of Easton, PA.  Growing up as a kid - I remember going to the tailors with my grandfathers.  It was always fun watching them pick out fabric and then the tailor taking their measurements.  Back then, dress pants were referred to as “slacks” and they always had rows and rows of them and in tons of different colors!

So as I hopefully can become more and more successful - I am going to start getting my suits tailor-made - not only are they better quality but they look better and to be honest, things like that make me feel like a king.

In honor of my grandfather who owned a Blouse mill, Yves St. Laurent, the garment workers union and Gianni Versace - I appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into fashion and design - my hats off to you!

Memories Monday

This past weekend I was at home in PA helping my dad, uncle and family with the Estate Sale at my grandfather’s house. It is amazing how much stuff someone could amass in 60 years. As I was wandering around making sure that I collected the final pieces of crystal, keepsakes, clothing and trinkets I wanted - I couldn’t help but start to feel really sad. It is definitely weird to think that people, total strangers, would now own various pieces of our lives.

I think my brother put it best when he said, “$10 for years of childhood memories,” when a family bought the dining room table that we all sat at for holidays all those years (it actually sold for much more). There really is no dollar amount that could replace the priceless memories that we have as a family and I will never take any of those memories for granted, good or bad.

As I don my grandfather’s vintage sharkskin tuxedo, I will remember sitting at the kiddie table, the aroma of homemade sauce, hot dogs and hot peppers and Southern Comfort Manhattans!

Charleston Chews

I officially started the new job yesterday, only to find myself traveling today and tomorrow in South Carolina.  I’m actually pretty excited about traveling - it is great to meet people in the industry and get my feet wet.  Even if I did make the mistake of talking about reimbursement benchmarks. We flew into Columbia, drove to Charleston, have a meeting in the morning and then we are off to Clemson and back to DC.

I’m in Charleston, South Carolina - it is the first time I ever been here and I’m looking forward to heading out to dinner with my boss (Uncle) in a little bit.  Being in Charleston made me think of one of my favorite candies!  I am not a big candy/dessert person but I used to love Charleston Chews, especially when my grandmother would let me sneak one out of the candy drawer.  Even better - stick a Charleston Chew in the freezer for a bit and then let it melt in your mouth.  Delicious.

Thank you to my friends for the dinner place recommendations - I’ll be sure to report back.

Finally a Final Friday!

Today is my last day at my current job.  I want to say that I am sad and I’m going to miss this place but I don’t think that I am.  I will miss some people but all in all - I am ready to move on and start something new and exciting.

The last 2.5 years have been fun and challenging.  I have been in and out of a relationship, experienced my grandfather’s passing and had to rebuild parts of my life.  I’ve even gained and then lost 20 pounds.  My relationship with my parents and brothers has never been stronger and I see things in a much bigger picture now.  So as I continue to start anew, I will celebrate the goods and learn from the bads of the last 2 years.

I hope that I can say that I have been successful with what I have done and I hope that my colleagues respect  me for who I am.  I wish them the very best of luck as they continue to develop professionally.

This Memorial Day weekend - I remember and celebrate and then I wake on Tuesday and start over.

Photographs and memories
Christmas cards you sent to me
All that I have are these
To remember you

Memories that come at night
Take me to another time
Back to a happier day
When I called you mine

But we sure had a good time
When we started way back when
Morning walks and bedroom talks
Oh how I loved you then

Summer skies and lullabies
Nights we couldnt say good-bye
And of all of the things that we knew
Not a dream survived

Photographs and memories
All the love you gave to me
Somehow it just cant be true
Thats all Ive left of you

But we sure had a good time
When we started way back when
Morning walks and bedroom talks
Oh how I loved you then

JIM CROCE