Obsessions

This spring I am obsessing over a pair of R.M Williams boots. Unfortunately these goodies are not precisely within my budget. I have been pleading, and pleading, and pleading to Ms Money Penny, my sensible alter ego,  that these R.M. Williams boots are not, and therefore should not, be considered regular boots as much as a great investment. The same pleading helped secure a classic Burberry trench. As well as the beige Kors bag, which for the record, have saved me on many moody bag days.

To complete the look this spring I am yearning for this classic – the Barbour jacket. I can already feel the winds twirling my hair as I walk the country, complete with a Jack Russel…of course.

One dollar baby

How much do you love a cafe Latte?

Today I gave a homeless man a orange on my way to work. I am not going to lie. It felt good. I felt good. Three blocks down less so. Did you know that according to the World Bank rising food prices have pushed another 44 million people into extreme poverty in the last year? People are starving and there I am, an employee of the organization whose mission is to eliminate poverty, enjoying my 10 AM Latte.

What prevents you from donating to a cause? Is it...

...stakeholder issues? Wondering where your donations really end up

...lasziness. Was planning on. Forgot. Uhm.. had the intentions….the list is long, the excuses tiresome.

...starving children in your living room at dinner time. Being exposed to a large amount of donation campaigns. So feed up with starving people showing up in your living room.

It took an orange to realize how sad my excuses are.

Did you know that if you would spend US$5 instead of US$10/week on lunch you could literally save someone’s life? Yep. For US$28 you can help a child to food, water, and an education. Find out more here

Do something good today. Take the 4 question survey offered by the UN World Food Programme. In exchange they will donate a warm meal to a child in Haiti. For more information and to take the test visit http://gifts.wfp.org/quiz/haiti?lead_source=fbshare-wfp-haiti-quiz

Guilty Pleasures

I have a secret, rather guilty, pleasure. Passing time I like to guess..ehm...make up my fellow commuters life. It can be the older married looking man on the metro gazing at the younger woman sitting across the aisle, the well dressed man in the Starbucks line obsessively typing on his blackberry, or the imagined chemistry between two people in the elevator. Some may be inspired by muy dramatico Spanish soap opera, but you may pin it on any drama series you like. This "secret pleasure" of mine stems from when my sister and I used to make up stories about people in restaurants and bars. What did they do for living? First date? Second date? Affair? [gasp] We never, out of shame, asked our "objects" for the truth.

My point? Who needs a kindle when you have passion-live-to entertain you. For a [short] period of time, this made me consider a career within writing. Many are my muses and many more are the dramas surrounding them. But, to be honest, I don't think I could work for spare change. It's the thought of having to choose between shoes and food. How would one choose?

Life in D.C. is ever as exciting. Work is interesting, friends are entertaining. Last Sunday I casually ventured out for a run outside. Glorious weather, good times! To bad my mother’s voice kept appearing. "...dress warmer. You are going to catch a cold..." Great! My mother now lives in my head. As it turned out she was right. I now am pandering around with what easily could be mistaken for an oversized orange in my throat. If only she could foresee trends as well. That way I wouldn't be stuck with an oversized cardigan, in the wrong color that I JUST had to have. Stay warm!

Trader Joe’s from Chicago

I was recently graced with a ten day visit from my sister and brother in law.

Me to sister: Where is your additional luggage? Did the SAS lose your other bags?
Sister to me: Oh, there is a second bag inside the first bag, and we figured we just buy a third and if needed a fourth one here.
Me to sister: ????
Sister to me: Well, we have a few things we would like to purchase giving the US-SKR exchange rate.

Global knifes, Organic ___[fill in blank], Ralph Laurent towels, Lexington, Trader Joe, US$ vs SKR, I.D. make-up, Pancakes, iPod, Whole Foods, More shopping, Starbucks overdose while shopping…

For just anyone, words in random order. For my family, these words have become the definition of “Family Vacation” in the states. There seem to be a bond [borderline obsession] between our family, decorating, and household applications. You can say it is our version of hiking, biking and whatever it is other families bond over?! We decorate and we like shopping.

[Side note: Confession. When entering a room I mentally redecorate it. A few weeks ago I reached my low. In the midst of a church sermon, deep in thought, frantically scribbling on a paper napkin, while the pastor was preaching the good Lords words…there I was, redesigning the altar. Yep. Pretty low.]

During their, we (sister and I) fell madly in love with this tote bag from Trader Joe. For no apparent, nor logical, reason my brother in law added a “from Chicago”, accompanied by a dance move, every time Trader Joe was mentioned. First I thought it was sarcasm for the family he married into. As it turns out, it is part of a song by a Swedish jazz musician. Since I love my brother in law I decided to label it as cute. Unfortunately, I find it hard passing a Trader Joe store without a “…from Chicago…” leaving a smile on my lips. So there you have it.

With Love, “Trader Joe from Chicago”

Singing in the Rain

DC is great. Rain is bad. It’s raining. Me sad.

It has dropped 20 degrees Fahrenheit (that's 10 degrees Celsius for you fellow Europeans), the leaves are falling off the trees and did I mention the RAIN. Two weeks ago I had a great time, it was WARM! People were happy. I was happy. Is it just me or does everything seem better when people are tanned, wearing flowy dresses and shorts, attending outdoor concerts, sipping on ice coffee (its coffee, its cold, it’s not complicated.) Ohhh to complain over the heat wave once more. Ohh to wait in line 20 min for ice coffee again. And number one on the complain list of the ohh's. Waking up at 5.30 am because the sun is up. Magical!!! I promise to never complain again summer. Just come back to my life.
Since summer has yet to consider my proposal. Here are my favorite perks with autumn.

1. Autumn fashion *hear hear to that*.

2. It is ok to stay in bed on weekends because of rain. I love being outside. But here is to guilty pleasures of staying in bed the entire morning, eating crumpets, reading the paper without guilt.

3. High tea in flowy dresses, gloves, and fancy hats.

4. Movie marathons.

5. Less Gym hysteria! Knowing that you will not be showing off that body in a itzy bitzy tiny bikini for the next months results in less mass of crazy aggressive gym people that somehow always manage to get the last spot at kick boxing class, leaving you with Pump class or, even worse, oversized men in love with their own reflection in the mirror, which, we all know, is the truth. Ultimately leading to less bad feelings for not using that gym membership you so painfully signed up for and have not really used because of the reasons above.

6. The holiday season. Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas Carols, Gluhwine, Gingerbread houses…Oh so much fun.

This weekend, I am heading to the Republican Convention in Minneapolis?! Since I have no political aspirations, nor decided on political affiliation I intend on asking a lot of questions, and enjoy the excitement of politics.

Enchallah Enchallah

Sitting on the dock of the bay

Bad conscious. Intentions to write on a monthly basis turned into a once every third month scenario. What to do then apologize.

After a long lunch with my friend Ethan I once again came to the conclusion that I am in the need of a hobby- something I keep realizing once every few months/years. So what will it be? Shall I go back to sailing? fencing? Spanish? I had a fabulous idea of taking up shoemaking. You know, create/design/breed my own shoes. That, however, would require me to move to the Big Apple. So running and yet another episode of runway it is. Close enough.


4th of July is two days away, Charleston 1 day away. Beach, great music, and flipflops - how divine. Friday- Dave Matthews Band (http://www.dmband.com/), Lyle Hewitt on Saturday. Sailing on Sunday. Lovely, lovely, lovely.


D.C. is a cool place even during summer. The only matter separating it from perfection would be the Potomac River. A flaw I got to know a bit better last Sunday during a 4 hour kayak session. It was great, part from one particular problem. Now, one might say to oneself how bad can that problem be. After all, kayaking includes enjoying a splash (or a few more if you are in my league) of cool water as you sail along the water, with the sun beaming, leaving beautiful reflections in the water.
Reflections, sun beams and all- the Potomac is still contaminated waters, even how cool and tempting it might look … Big NO NO

Enshalla Enshalla next month

here we go

im a suitcase missplaced by British Airways, at least thats how Im feeling these days. Sounds kind of sad i guess, but at the same time really exciting. In this suitcase sceanario i get to figure out what i need, want and how to get it. Sounds egoistic? well, deal with it. oh dear... look at the time. Im have to run again. Signed up for the Hash Running group as im contemplating to participate in a 3 mile race in april. Need a goal to whip me into shape. also need a cook, cleaninglady and a privat chaffeur...but thats a whole other story.

Heading up to New York in a few weeks. Should be fun. saying hi to the big apple. Then my sisters arrive two weeks later. Ready to bring out the guest album once again...

This months quote. Obama comments on Clinton being the first "black" president. - I need to check his dancemoves before i can take a stand to that statement.

A polite way of telling what everyone already knows... white boys cant dance...