Blonde Ambition

I have an absolutely overwhelming urge to go blonde. Blonde, blonde, like the lady above or the new Giselle-featured ad below that started this yearning. I'm trying to justify the act based on half of my hair already being lighter...summer is coming...I need my hair done anyway. There's a few more weeks until my next hair appointment, so in the meantime I'll just ogle all of the beautiful blondes to help me find my perfect shade.

Images via weheartit

Year of the Short

To this day I have an extreme phobia about wearing shorts. Growing up, I was sent to the principals office every time the weather warmed up. My shorts never passed the "finger tip" rule. What my school's didn't take into account was that a long-legged girl most likely has really, really long arms too. Who else could palm a basketball at the age of sixteen? (And still can...) Based on my constant stream of punishment and embarrassment for being all limbs, I stopped wearing shorts of any kind for nearly 10 years (tragic.) Only within the past few years have I slowly "accepted" shorts back into my wardrobe. I'm still paranoid that they look too short or all you see are giraffe-like structures coming out of cut offs, but I'm warming up to them...especially with all the cute looks I'm seeing everywhere (Refinery29, stop making me want to shop!!)

And to be 100% honest, this recent comment made me a little bit more confident about wearing shorts:

Random person I've run into several times in the last week and a half (Oh, LA): "Yo girl, you are banging, but damn, you were really banging last week with those shorts on. You better hang around here all the time, especially when you look like that."

Le sigh. This might have to be the year of shorts. Should I do it?

Images courtesy of weheartit

Clearly I don't recommend these, but the wolf just makes this look so magical ;) 

Work Hard, Play Hard

I can't count the number of hours I worked last week 80? More? It got so bad that an intern candidate even told me I looked like I hadn't slept in days :/ ...so when this weekend arrived I made sure to stay off of the computer, Blackberry and email. And indulged in fun, food, drink & friends...

It had been months since I straightened my hair, and I can attest that Jade's (see a post on her amazing work here) goal of me having, "super long hair like a fucking stripper," has finally been met. I cannot even get it all in a single frame. I also made it a point do do a bit of shopping on Main Street in Venice/Santa Monica, and was sure to fill up at The Rose (one of my most favorite spots in the city) with some fresh fruit, granola and new to their menu, a giant Spanish latte. Unfortunately, plain yogurt never photographs too well. Sorry about that. It was delicious; swear!

Even though this week will be equally as crazy as last, I can look back on these snippets of my weekend and get inspired to power through to the next.    

(Apologies for the missing posts last week, somehow they were all deleted and posted straight up blank at like 1am on Friday morning. I'll make up for it this week! xo!)

Ruby Red Grapefruit, from the farmer's market

Power lunch at The Rose

Making me actually excited for a Spiderman movie

Lazy, but awesome idea

Overdid the reds, ready for summer & white vino!

Huckleberry/Santa Monica - amazingness

Venice sunset to close out the weekend

Perfect Weekend

There's nothing like 82 degree weather in January...over a weekend...over every single day of a long weekend. Needless to say I was in my apartment about 4 hours total and utilized the outdoors as much as possible. If I had to narrow it down, my top five things about this fabulous weekend were:

1. Indulging in Snoqualime's Honey Cinnamon ice cream. Total game changer. 
2. Headed to "my beach" [Zuma] to recharge (so maybe it's a public beach, but since 2005 it's been one of my fav spots to hang when I want some quiet)
3. Apple TV!! (I'm seriously over-geeking right now. Before you think I'm all tech-savvy with my gadgets; think again. I'm technologically inept. There's a 99% chance I'm still staring at the box wondering if it will just work on it's own.) 
4. Realizing that strange men (or doormen at Darkroom, ahem) will hit on you when you wear 5 inch heels & shorts (...but also make you and your girlfriend laugh for a good hour straight.) 
5. A much needed In-n-Out run. The burger was bigger than my thigh. Photo proof below.  

Vanilla Sky

The Ballet Lesson: Redux

You have to be living under a rock to ignore all of the Black Swan hype that's happening. I mean the Rodarte tutu's alone are enough to make any girl go gaga. Long ago, I too was a disciplined dancer who thrived on multiple classes a week and prancing around in pointe shoes. When I was home over the holidays I found my ballet bag filled with pink tights, colorful tutus and black leotards. (I'll skip over the part where I tried to perform in pointe shoes for my family and promptly got laughed off the stage in our living room.) I snuck the basic ballet necessities into my suitcase and set myself on a mission to find adult beginner (le sigh) classes in LA. This week I took my first class in 8 years. To say I'm sore is an understatement. Sure I can run a distance race at a moment's notice, but dancing works the body in a whole different way. Totally hooked. I'll keep you all posted on my progress throughout the coming months...and hopefully with some dedication, I'll be twirling (and giving non-embarrassing performances) on pointe shoes again in no time!

My point needs major work

Convertible tights = fun!

Stolen shoes from home

I Don't Know How I Lived Without

...Swackett. It's 50 and overcast out...80 and sunny...29 and rainy...whatever the weather is, we all ask ourselves - what do I wear? Well, the new Apple App (for your computer) tells you! It's a bit cool in Los Angeles, but sunny - Swackett (Sweater, Jacket or Coat - get it?) tells you that sunglasses and a jacket are most appropriate for the daytime. For you (okay, me) night owl's there's also a "tonight's forecast" option so you know exactly what to chose for a fab (and warm!) night out. Plus, the graphics are so cute, how can you not want to log on a few times a day!

Comforts of Home

My most favorite boots will be making their rotation, starting today

I'm not one for routines, schedules or setting plans light year's in advance. But, something about being home at the start of the New Year just feels right. In the past 24 hours I've gone to spin class, stocked up on detox-able items from Whole Foods, slept for 12+ hours and welcomed my full closet of clothes...and maybe hid my suitcases and any sign of an airport (I could go eons without eating peanuts or pretzels again) far into a closet crevice. I'm really looking forward to seeing (long lost, sorry I've been gone so long guys!!) friends, taking a weekend run up Runyon and seeing where 2011 takes me.

Beds with colorful pillows are so enticing - especially when you're going on no sleep

The newest hybrid apple variety, quite delicious

My favorite time of the week - Monday night spin

Warm scented candles for chilly nights

Photo Diary 1: Vegas

Pretty much sums up my current state of life

A blur. That's what my life has been since mid-December. I promise to get back to blogging regularly. Promise. I've spent the past 6 days in Vegas and am coming out of an additional haze.  One that can be easily lifted with lots of water & sleep. Spending another week away from home turned out to be a blast: my hair's now blonde, I met DJ Steve Aoki (he's so kind) and vowed to give up french fries (even the delicious waffle ones) for a long, long, long time. Oh, and one big, important thing - I got an iPhone 4!