Mix Up Your Mani

Summer is the perfect time to experiment with super bright or pale pastel nail polish. Just keep nails short and square shaped to avoid looking like an extra on the set of Working Girl. According to my go-to beauty sources (my friends), these pretty polishes are hands down the best of the season.

Pretty in Pink
OPI Dutch Tulips

Fresh & Fabulous
Essie Mint Candy Apple

Orange You Glad it's Summer?
Essie Vermillionaire









Feeling Blue?
Essie Lapis of Luxury









Rock Your Red
Essie Dramatic Drachmas
(I just tried this - the perfect summer red!)




What  are your favorite summer colors?

Awkward Conference Calls

I work in an industry where conference calls are as frequent as Lindsay Lohan's arrests. After a particularly horrible seven person call today, I decided that the only way to shake the lingering awkwardness, was to write about these phone faux pas.

Dead Silence. 
My call today got off to a rocky start. The first group of us to dial in sat in complete silence for about 8 minutes waiting for the final caller. I think we all knew that small talk would prove a worse alternative, so there was an unspoken decision (clearly) for total quiet. After a few minutes, someone had the heart to at least say, "I'm sure we're all multitasking here...". If by multitasking you mean, debating whether or not to poke my eyes out, then yes.

Awkward Small Talk
A little welcome banter is a nice way to kick off a conference call. 30 seconds is ample time to chit chat it up about the weather and your respective cities. Once you've established that "Topeka is beautiful this time of year", you should hope that all parties are present so you can get down to business.

Small Talk Gone Wrong
Don't get too personal with co-workers during the welcome banter. If it seems questionable, don't ask.
You: "Jim, how's your wife doing?"
Jim: "I'm not sure, why don't you ask her personal trainer, Kip."
You: "Oh, great ... so anyways, I think we need a new strategy for our web initiative."

Picture Perfect

Do you ever flip through your favorite catalogs and wonder if people actually live in homes that look like that? I definitely don't have 16 clear vases filled with fresh green apples on my dining room table. There's no room in my "guest" bathroom for a basket full of perfectly rolled fluffy monogrammed towels. And when I set the table for dinner, I certainly don't tuck a sprig of fresh thyme in each cloth napkin ... or use cloth napkins.

However, my friend Lauren sent me the funniest blog the other day, Catalog Living, featuring "Gary and Elaine", a fictional couple that live in all of our favorite catalogs. They're the people that would obviously have a dish of oversized moss balls chilling on their book case, and a tray of figs perfectly placed under the coffee table with a random straw hat. Because that's normal... 

Check out Catalog Living. And then buy a set of totally necessary wood fish for your living room.

Beat the Heat

Chances are, no matter where you live, it's pretty f-ing hot. So rather than complaining about it, I'm going to use it as an excuse to eat frozen desserts all weekend long. Check out my favorite ice-cream(ish) spots in DC.

Mr. Yogato: Without fail, I wind up with the song Mr. Roboto in my head for hours following every visit here. This tiny spot on 17th street is bursting with deliciousness and fun. (Think Pinkberry but better.) Aside from having an old school Nintendo and Boggle, they offer discounts for doing crazy things, such as:

• Reenact the entire 47-second Michael Jackson Thriller dance for 20% off. 
• Dress up like 80's tennis legend Bjorn Borg and receive 25% off. Sing "I'm Too Sexy" by RSF in his Swedish accent to bump it up to 50%.

And I discovered last night that they have a dark chocolate flavor which is a must-try. 

Dolcezza: So, great news. Gelato is half the fat of regular ice cream. Both the gelato and sorbet at Dolcezza (I go to the location on Connecticut) are deeee-lish. Try half red raspberry sorbet, half chocolate in a cup. And also ask for at least 45 samples before selecting your final flavor.

Rita's: Philly people are obsessed with Rita's water ices. There are a bunch of locations in DC. Straight up lemonade Italian Ice is my go-to choice.

Thomas Sweet: If you can brave the heat and decide to do some shopping in Georgetown, treat yourself to a blend-in at Thomas Sweet. Peppermint Patties blend really well, FYI.

Where are you heading this weekend?

Road Trippin' In Style

This is what happens when you book the cheapest car you can find online. Your husband drives up in something called "The Cube", complete with a mini shag carpet on the dashboard. Because who doesn't need a mini shag carpet on their dashboard? Apparently Nissan tried to make this car representative of a mobile device. If mobile devices look like cartoon milk trucks, then they got it right. Regardless, I am psyched to be taking The Cube out on the road for 4th of July vaca. Have a great long weekend everyone!