Mad About Mad Men

As you all well know, we LOVE the Gossip Girl recaps that the kids over at the Daily Intel at New York Magazine post every Tuesday morning (in fact, it is always the best part of Tuesday morning). Now we have even more to celebrate! There are now Mad Men recaps!

If you are new to Mad Men be sure to rent or download the first two seasons on itunes to catch up. It starts slow but seriously is an amazing show once it gets going.

Christina, You Melt My Cold Cold Heart

There was only a glint of tear on my part, I promise.

Freshen Up The Playlist

Just because summer is almost over doesn't mean it is time to let yourself go. Remember, skinny legs look better in adorable riding boots.

Here is a quick new playlist for a three mile run (assuming you run under a 10 minute mile):

1. Liquid Dance- A.R. Rahman (2:59)
2. Express Yourself- Madonna (4:04)
3. Fight Song- The Republic Tigers (3:47)
4. Everytime We Touch- Cascada (3:20)
5. Any Way You Want It- Journey (3:22)
6. Cried Me a River- Kristinia DeBarge (4:22)
7. FNT- Semisonic (3:30)
8. Hair- Ashley Tisdale (3:10)
9. Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now- Starship (4:30)
10. One Week of Danger (Demo Version)- The Virgins (3:38)

End of an Era...err - the past 3 years

Your 1st job out of college is a pretty crazy thing. I literally had 10 days in between graduation day and my 1st day of work (6/6/06 - that should have been my first sign of things to come...). In the current market I am sure plenty of grads would find that to be more "awesome" than "suck ass", but I saw my very last summer crammed into 10 days before my eyes and well, it sucked.

As it turns out, having a real job is nothing like having an unpaid internship at a government office that Daddy set up. You can't take the day off because it's your birthday. You can't go shopping for 2 hours on your lunch break. There are no field trips. And worst of all, people no longer find your antics cute and charming, they find you irresponsible and annoying.

Despite all of this, my 1st job was probably the best situation a girl (well, THIS girl specifically) could have asked for. At the time of graduation, the base pay combined with overtime was fair, and could support a lifestyle in NYC, granted I wasn't buying bottles and bottega, but I was doing fine. And while I worked long hours, it was with a team of hard working, smart, young, fun individuals. The past 3 months have been pretty crazy working for "the man" and "the machine" but when you are going through a shit storm, what matters most is being prepared and having the best team in the trenches with you. I hope they miss me when I leave, but more than that, I hope they know that I will miss all of them infinitely more.

The postmortem period of Mr. Brown and I really lit a fire in me for a deep need for change, couple that with a quarter life crisis (25 - ahhh!!!??) and I signed a new lease, got a new job, and am currently watching my life make a 180 right before my eyes. (Girls Take Note: Post-breakup, if you need change you can do MANY things, but cutting your hair shouldn't be one of them!).

So I did what I had to do to make my own happy! Will keep ya'll posted!

P Dot S - Post Grad is the cutest movie I have seen all summer, loved it and love Alexis Bledel!

18th Century Sex Pot- We Swear

Someone was walking down the hall..

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Elle to me

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and talking aobut our love... Alexander Hamilton...

poor guy could never be presdeint b.c. he was born in bermuda.
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For Shame!

When is this bootie thing going to go out of style? This is AWFUL. I love Sandy, but come on... those shoes/absolute monstrosities completely ruined her outfit (although the dress is a bit weird too....still, it could have been salvaged by some sky high CL's).

Wearing a shoe that shortens instead of extends the line of your leg? It's a DON'T (unless your name is Gisele and you are currently incubating Tom Brady's baby)

Shoe Lust!

Want of the day! Patent heels by Jerome Rousseau. These beauties will set you back a COOL $595 (p.s why do people say a "cool __", there is nothing cool about paying $600 bucks for shoes, just saying).

Mark That Filo!

Season 3 is almost here :)

The Pursuit of Happiness

Last week Elle posted things that make her "fuzzy" inside which I LOVED. So many times it is the intangibles that can make us smile or tear up. Here are 10 of mine:

1. The gold medal ceremony's during the Olympics when they play the Star Bangled Banner. Always, ALWAYS cry.
2. Buying magazines off the newsstand (for some reason it's just better than getting it in the mail)
3. The September issue of Vogue
4. That feeling in your legs when you are done working out where you know you have really pushed yourself
5. The beginning of football season
6. College nostalgia... anytime I visit even for lunch I just feel SO happy to be back in a place where I have so many amazing memories.
7. The first crisp fall day where the leaves are starting to turn colors and the perfect outfit is jeans, sperry's and a crew neck sweatshirt that has been washed a bazillion times.
8. 700 line gchat conversations with Elle
9. The first time in the season you hear "All I Want For Christmas Is You" on the radio at TJ MAXX. Christmas is finally here!
10. The smell of banana boat tanning oil

I Love Personality Tests

I think the only reason I enjoy doing these is because I love answering questions about myself. (What? That's honest!). I wouldn't be embarrassed to say it if I was, but I have never signed up for online dating, HOWEVER, have I spent 30 minutes doing the quizzes about myself and my perfect match? OH, all the time!

Anyway - I came across one today that is perfect because 1.) Its Free 2.) It doesn't take more than 3 minutes 3.) You don't need to register and be spammed with hundreds of emails. 41 Questions, 1 Personality. Check it out.

P Dot S - According to my profile, I sound a tad boring.

I Drink Too Much

While visiting this past weekend, my roommates boyfriend took a picture of some of the corks I have in a large bowl decorating a bookshelf. Mind you, these corks were amassed with friends, boyfriends and parents. Anyways, I saw a few of my favorite corks which have made their way to the top and thought I'd share/recommend quickly:

1. Toasted Head: By far my favorite grocery store Chardonnay. Very oaky, dry and delicious. Normal price is 16 dollars but you can usually find it on sale for less. Their Cab is also very good. (You might note their are several Toasted Head corks haha)
2. Clos Du Val Pinot Noir or Cab: My absolute favorite Napa Winery. You can find their wine in most high end wine retailers and some grocery stores. Every bottle is around and above the 20 dollar mark, but it is worth the splurge. If you are in Napa, make sure you stop by the winery. Breathtaking.
3. Vincent Arroyo Port: This quirky winery in the Napa Valley is amazing to visit- and also the only way you'll ever get to taste their delicious concoctions. However, it is absolutely worth it to find your way to the small winery (which is off a bendy road) in that their tour is original, they have adorable black labs and they will let you taste wine right out of the barrel! If you visit their website you should be able to order their great wine.... but it might take a year to get it. All part of the charm!
4. Bogle Chardonnay: Affordable, crisp and perfect for a glass or two when you get off work.

Back at you, red.

There are many fashion and beauty trends that are great in theory but poor in implementation. As much as I like the look of red lipstick, I fear that this may be another one of those trends. I love love love the look on other people, but I am almost fairly certain the look would be an EPIC FAIL on me and I would just look like "Chaquita Banana - The Working girl". Diane Kruger and Leighton Meester, well done ladies.

In the words of Gwyneth Paltrow, "Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That, or a kick-ass red lipstick."

"He does dress better than I do, what would I bring to the relationship?"

Call me an idiot, but sometimes its hard to tell if its just two casual friends having dinner or if its a "date". To be fair, girls in their 20's in NYC are exposed so minimally to traditional "dates" its no wonder we don't know what they are.

Recent example, I went out to lunch a few times with a friend from college. The mood seemed chatty, friendly, and comfortable. We were having lunch during the week in midtown east, clearly this could have been interpreted as platonic, despite the fact that he paid (I thought he was just being chivalrous). Back story: I had a crush on him back when I was a sophomore in college, I mean, he is tall, lanky, and wears Nantucket red pants, how could I not? That was 6 years ago (ugh, I feel old). So it looked platonic, felt platonic, and by every sense of the definition was platonic, that WAS, until he suggested dinner.

Despite the dinner invite, I was still in the air as to "is this a date?". He called the night before to hammer out details (datey). Restaurant selection was casual (neutral), the dinner was midweek (leans towards non-date), and not flirty (non-datey). We split a salad and a thin crust pizza (sharing is datey). He paid (datey). Dinner ended with a hug, no kiss (non date). After parting, he sent a text asking if I got home alright (datey), and said he had a great time (datey) and wanted to do it again soon (datey).

Flash forward to a few days later when I am home in San Diego. He sends a text re: a joke we had over dinner, and says we should have dinner when I get back to NYC (datey). Interesting. On a weekend (datey). We texted throughout the weekend, bordering on flirty, but to be honest, I am pretty awkward so I wouldn't know even if it WAS flirting, but that's another story.

Bottom line: I suppose I am in no rush to find out either way at this point, because the company is enjoyable and its summer, and this is what summer is for. FUN.

Oh no!

I am all settled in my new apartment (yay!) but still without cable and internet (for shame, comcast!). Which is why I am now camped out in the business center of the new place where I (figuratively) wrestled the TV away from a woman watching a "Serial Killer" special on MSNBC for Episode 2 of Mad Men. Sugar and spice, ladies, always wins more points.

Anyways! Should be up and running tomorrow.

XO,

Em

"That's a Deal-Breaker, Ladies!" - Liz Lemon

A while ago, Elle wrote a "Deal Breaker" post concerning broad issues that could put a serious hitch in the step of your relationship. While laying on the beach during a brief family vacation, I was trying to think of my own deal breakers, and if any of them could be considered to be universal.

It then occurred to me that life, a lot of the time, is not easy. As I have begun to think of the things that could be ahead of me, I have also begun to realize that many of these things will be amazing but also very difficult (marriage, children, demanding career etc).

Ultimately, life is hard enough as it is...a "deal breaker" in a relationship should be anything that will make your life harder than it should be on top of all of the other things life will serve you- like serious signs of substance abuse, problems with money, very different ideas on religion, conflicting ideologies etc etc.

Bottom line...we are all flawed, and loving someone that is equally flawed is natural- but when you are thinking about what you want in a relationship, you want to be with someone who is in all ways, shapes, and forms, your equal partner, not a liability. Life is way too short.

Elle is on the move!

Headed home to San Diego tonight to see the fam, go to dinner, hit the beach, go to the Del Mar racetrack and R-E-L-A-X. When I get back, I have nothing but goodness as I have only 4 yes, FOUR days left at my job, and a move into my new apartment. Ch-ch-changes! AWESOME!

Grooveshark v. Pandora

I was a Pandora fan. I liked the design, i liked that relatively easily I can pick a band, oh say, Fleetwood Mac, just for example and it will play their songs and some CCR, James Taylor and a host of other bands and songs that I will like. I am cheap however, so while paying $36 for the year doesn't seem like a huge deal, its annoying. The commericals, while short still annoyed me, and if I say I want songs LIKE "Womanizer", it would help if you actually PLAYED womanizer as well.

In comes Grooveshark. Its FREE. There are no commericals. You have unlimited hours. You can listen to any song at any time. You can create playlists, and queue up new songs. The only problem I find with it is that its invariably much more work, but such is the case with many things that require work, its work it. I threw on some Fleetwood, James Taylor, Goo Goo Dolls, Coldplay, Lifehouse, Taylor Swift, and I have been jamming out all morning.

So come September 1, when I have a fresh 40 hours of Pandora playtime, I may switch it up and have a day of that, because its easy, but I am not missing them right now.

PS Jamming at work makes the day SO MUCH better.

Nostalgia

I love this quote from Mad Men, Season 1 Season Finale "The Wheel". How true:

Don Draper: Nostalgia - it's delicate, but potent. Teddy told me that in Greek, "nostalgia" literally means "the pain from an old wound." It's a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone. This device isn't a spaceship, it's a time machine. It goes backwards, and forwards... it takes us to a place where we ache to go again.

“If a woman rebels against high-heeled shoes, she should take care to do it in a very smart hat”

I am very committed to wearing hats this Fall because (1) I have long hair (2) I am a follower and I love Mad Men style and (3) the whole reason I wanted to live where it was cold: Ali MacGraw in Love Story.

How do we feel about these retro finds from etsy:

I love dogs, and this is quite possibly the cutest dog I have ever seen. I sent this link to my co-worker who replied, "He looks VERY HAPPY. He must not work here". TRUE.

But seriously, who doesn't love dogs who look like people?

"...these are a few of my favorite things"

Em is right, DYFU has been lacking a bit in the inspired posts department. So in an effort to take it back to where I come from, I tried to think about what REALLY inspires me, like what really fires me up or really gets my imagination running wild, so I thought and I dug, and here it is, my short list of a few things that give me alot of inspiration.

• Town & Country Magazine
• A GREAT run
• American Revolutionary History
  
• Great conversation with a good friend
• Ducking under a wave
• Ronald Reagen Speeches
• Sotheby's Real Estate Website
  
• Going home to San Diego for a few days
• Casablanca
  
• Yoga class
  
• Autumn in New York (ACTUAL Autumn, not that horrible Richard Gere movie)

PS - Try to come up with your own list, its cheesy, YES, but I swear you will get a little fuzzy inside.

Can I live here?

Give it a Darien, CT address and I would be a happy gal. And yes, I know it isn't very Darien, but since its so hidden in the back, the neighbors wouldn't know, I promise!

(Via Home Sweet Home - Check 'em out!)

Picture of Poise

Every time it is revealed that another politician has had an affair or hired a prostitute, my first thought goes to the wife. How must it feel to be so publicly humiliated? To be expected to stand by your husband while he admits such transgressions? Are there any other options besides standing by your man or purely blaming the other woman?

And then there is Jenny Sanford, wife of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. What a class act. As a new Vogue article notes, "before Jenny Sanford came along, the options for wronged political wives were pretty poor. You could suffer silently (see Silda Wall Spitzer), deny everything (hello, Hillary), or make catty asides about the harlot who caused your husband to stray (Elizabeth Edwards)." Jenny Sanford goes on to say:

“Mark is not a bad person,” she says. “What the world saw in that press conference is someone who is struggling. None of us are perfect. We are all trying to do the best we can. I also feel sorry for the other woman. I am sure she is a fine person. It can’t be fun for her, though I do sometimes question her judgment. If she knew the newspaper had those E-mails back in December, why did she want him to come in June? But I can’t go there too much. All I can do is pray for her because she made some poor choices. Mark made some poor choices. A lot of people were brought down by this, and I am sure that is not what they wanted ... . All I can do is forgive. Reconciliation is something else, and that is going to be a harder road. I have put my heart and soul into being a good mother and wife. Now I think it’s up to my husband to do the soul-searching to see if he wants to stay married. The ball is in his court.”

Classy, classy lady.

Photo Courtesy of Vogue. Click here to read the whole article.

Words of Wisdom

"Let me tell you something kid; Everybody gets one chance to do something great. Most people never take the chance, either because they're too scared, or they don't recognize it when it spits on their shoes." - The Sandlot

Suffice It To Say We Need a New Muse

If Elle and I had a theme for DYFU over the past few weeks it would definitely be UNINSPIRED. Usually we have lots to say, and a lot of the time it centers around our love lives....we range from happy to enraged to bitter. Rarely, very rarely in fact, do we just feel numb about it all.

After a string of break-ups though, we are actually ready to move on with a clean slate and new lives sans angry/cathartic blogging or crying jags. Elle posted this quote a few weeks ago but I think it bears repeating. With new changes and new starts, anything can happen, and hopefully the inspiration will return to our lives AND this blog.

"For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again." - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Boo, you whore!

Discussing outfit options for tomorrow's date:

M.A.: but why are you an id...iot

Elle: b.c i didnt think that i could bring clothes to change INTO

M.A: ah ok, yes you can

no need to be a little hoochie in the office

a waspy hoochie, but a hoochie nonetheless

Elle: WORD

M.A: we dont want people calling you the waspy Insert Name of Scantily Dressed Secretary

bc she kind of rules office hooch

Elle: Haaaaaaaaaaaa

Like hello 10 inch heels

she IS hooker heels

M.A: or giant sneakers

hooker heels and skinny jeans

that my friends is business casual

when you're a hooker

So NO to hooker heels, and giant sneakers. Outfit still TBD.

Because sometimes when you win, you lose.

The person who defines your understanding of love is not inherently different than anyone else, and they’re often just the person you happen to meet the first time you really, really want to love someone. But that person still wins. They win, and you lose. Because for the rest of your life, they will control how you feel about everyone else - Chuck Klosterman

* Side Note: NOT about Mr. Brown

Feed Your Mind

There is nothing more relaxing then lounging either outside or in the comfort of your air conditioning with a really great book- whether it be a classic, biography of the Queens of Henry VIII (my personal fave) or a trashy beach paperback, reading IS sexy. So put down that US weekly and pick up a book during these dwindling days of summer....having something interesting to talk about is a DO.

PS: It's almost fall. Whoop!

Can I still use the term "FIERCE"?

I sure hope the term isn't passe. I always loved that FIERCE was well, fierce, it was asserting that you aggressively thought something was kick-ass, and well, who doesn't love that? Speaking of things that I am loving aggressively, Heidi Klum's kick ass pink suit for the Project Runway debut. Whatever you want to call it... fierce, hot, awesome, fabulous, I love it.

Their Crowning Glory's

Just saw this hilarious collection of all the first ladies hair styles. Whose do we like the best?

Pet Peeve of the Day

Would you like to know what irks on a daily basis? Oh, I'll tell you. When someone im's/ g-chats/ texts you and says "Hey", you respond, "Hey! Whats going on?" then nothing. Silence. Crickets. UM, why did you initiate correspondence in the first place? Or when they DO finally respond its like, "Hi, sorry, so busy", um well, when I am busy I typically don't reach out for chit chat, but that's just me.

So yes, THAT is what is annoying me on an otherwise beautiful Friday. YAY for the weekend!

Is it the weekend yet?!

...ALMOST. Happy Thursday. Just keep swimming kids, we're almost there!

More ridic cute pics at Cute Overload.

Can someone please explain Rick Pitino's correlation between 9/11 and his womanizing..?

Maybe I'm running slowly today, but forgive me, I do.not.get.it. Coach Rick Pitino issued his personal statement yesterday. Mind you, he invoked 9/11 yet again only a few weeks ago saying if he can "can get through 9/11, I can get through anything in my life. And I got through 9/11 and there's nothing ever going to come close to that. We'll get through this in a positive way and move on." In case you were wondering, what he is currently trying to "get over" is the fact that he had an affair, lied, paid a women $3k to "get rid of it" tossed in some extra dough for health insurance expenses (Hey Obama, looks like Rick has his OWN health care plan). So in other words, Pitino is comparing the pain of a national tradgedy with 3,000 lives lost to the results of an extramarital affair that took place in a public restroom at a resturant. A stretch? Yes.

"I am from Holland. Isn't that vierd? Yesh! "

Evidently Em & my vocab is rather limited today:

Elle: I know the feeling

its weird

Em: its just weird

hahaaaa

Elle: its a weird juxtaposition

hahaha

can we think of a word other than weird?

clearly not

New You Can't Use

I was going to do a post on news you CAN use....but the news today is kind of snooze worthy. I know, I know...health care....war....economy. But there are no big headlines today....so, instead let's focus on the frivolous.

1. Hillary Went Bat Shit Crazy on a Student in the Congo: A seriously frumped oh Mrs. Clinton showed up in the Congo for who knows what... because now everyone can only talk about how she was in a very, very scary mood. Catch the clip here of Clinton being super pissed when someone asked her what her HUSBAND would think about the sexual violence occurring in the Congo. I think her outrage is hilarious...in that the whole reason she is a political figure AT ALL, is because she was Slick Willy's wife.... and clearly she couldn't get the American journalists freed from North Korea on her own.... her husband did it. Oh Hil, it has been a rough week.
2. Bachelorette Cheating Plot Thickens: Shockingly, another Bachelor/Bachelorette relationship looks like it is hitting a serious rough patch....in that Ed had a girlfriend the whole time he was courting Jillian. Given the dismal couple success rate of this show, I wonder why anyone is still intrigued.
3. Benny Boo Boo's (nee Rothlisberger) Legal Team Does Some Dirty Work: In legal documents filed Friday in Washoe County, Nevada, Ben's legal squad goes after McNulty's "false and slanderous" claim -- and insists she "boasted to her friends and co-workers that she had consensual sexual relations with Mr. Roethlisberger and was happy about that." (from TMZ)
4. Bradley Cooper and Renee Zellweger Caught Engaging in PDA: Yawn, yawn.

OMFG

Leighton and Ed's shot for Elle magazine is how we say, en fuego? Kind of loving her lipstick, not really what I call an everyday look, but tot smoldering for sure!

Gossip Girl: Season 3 WTF

Its back Monday Sept. 14th, get ready!

"You Say I'm Crazy. I Got Your Crazy"

Back story: So a guy goes on a backpacking trip in Europe for 2 weeks, fails to tell his girlfriend at the time (um, slightly weird), the below is a montage of the series of emails that she sent to him while he was away. Starting with "Miss you. Love you" and all the way to "I fucking hate you".



Don't be this girl. Not now. Not ever.

P DOT S - This Em isn't our EM, OBVS.

Your Oprah Dose of the Day

"In every challenging experience there's an opportunity to grow, enhance your life, or learn something valuable about yourself." - Oprahabout 8 hours ago from TwitterFon

juliaallison

Julia Allison

Blair Waldorf: Success

Leighton Meester showed up to the Teen Choice Awards and killed it. Black white and red = classic. Love the stripes, love the heels, love the hair. Love love love. I don't know if Blair would approve, but I do!

Blonde Ambition: FAIL

Kim Kardashian as a blonde. No me gusta. I get it, she is going through a post-break up transformation. I can speak from expirience when I recommend breakup-orexia, far more effective. This is unnatural, which while far from something that she is unfamiliar with, its just not a good look.

PS - Doesn't she tot look like beyonce?

So Long, Farewell.

Sorry we have been bloggless this weekend. After a rehearsal dinner and wedding for some very close friends, valiant attempts at packing to move, and saying good-bye to my now ex-boyfriend as he travels 15 hours ahead of us and across the globe...I am...exhausted. I have blogged about break-ups before- but this time I am happy to say I am not angry/bitter/heartbroken. This time I am just very sad I had to say goodbye to my best friend (besides Elle, obvs) as he moves onto to (hopefully) bigger and better things.

Anyways, back to happier things come tomorrow and hopefully a hilarious fashion post about some questionable clothing buys and why they now are being shipped to good will. Call me corny, but I leave you with this quote from He's Just Not That Into You.

XO,

Em

Every movie we see, every story we're told implores us to wait for it: the third act twist, the unexpected declaration of love, the exception to the rule. but sometimes we're so focused on finding our happy ending we don't learn how to read the signs. How to tell the ones who want us from the ones who don't, the ones who will stay and the ones who will leave. And maybe a happy ending doesn't include a guy, maybe it's you, on your own, picking up the pieces and starting over, freeing yourself up for something better in the future. Maybe the happy ending is just moving on. Or maybe the happy ending is this: knowing after all the unreturned phone calls and broken-hearts, through the blunders and misread signals, through all the pain and embarrassment... you never gave up hope.

Mad Men Is Back August 16th.

So, SO excited.

Picture from VF.com

On Point!

"I'm disgusted by him. Here's a guy with eight kids who runs off to 'find himself' — well, he should have found himself a condom." — Joan Rivers on Jon Gosselin

Make New (Boy) Friends, But Keep The Old

One of the worst times in a friendship can be when one friend is single and the other is in the first flush of a new relationship. Honestly, I don't believe it is the jealousy which causes the problems(although that can obviously be part of it). In my experience from high school, college and beyond, the rift in a friendship that comes with a friend spending a majority of her time with with her new boyfriend is just a combination of misunderstandings and simply missing one's friend. It seems like these issues should have left us behind in our teens, but just because we have a college degree to our name does not necessarily mean we are any more sane when it comes to personal relationships.

The thing is, friends on BOTH sides make mistakes in these situations. I've made them, Elle's made them and both of our friends have made them. So how do you avoid these awkward, and often friend ending situations?

1. Don't Lie: Seems obvious right? Not so much. If you want to spend time with your boyfriend, SAY SO. You are an adult and it makes sense that you want to spend time with your significant other. Honestly, though, what is worse in a friendship than finding out that your friend lied to you about what she was doing? This just adds fuel to the fire and is unnecessary.
2. Remember, This Is Not High School: Confession...I have totally been pissed at a friend before for ditching me to spend quality time with the boyfriend. But come on ladies.....this is no longer a high school boyfriend whose expiration date is about any minute now. These could be the future Mr. Em's and Elle's....and even if they aren't, they probably matter a lot more than the boys did when were sixteen. Have some perspective and realize that your friend still values you friendship, but you might not be THE MOST important relationship to her all of the time. And that should be okay. Even if you think she is busy CALL HER to invite her. Don't just assume. These miscommunications are often the first cracks in a friendship.
3. You Still Need Your Friends: Also, don't be an asshole. Having a boyfriend who you are crazy about is amazing, but you still need your friends. It is not cool to only call on your friends for support when you are pissed at your boyfriend or he is out of town. Hey, I've done it....and guess what. It's a DON'T. You may see your boyfriend now more than your best friend, but make an effort and do not take them for granted.

Movin' Out!

I hate to break it to everyone, but it is almost the end of summer. The end of one season and the beginning of another is always a great time to start over, do some feng shui or finally get rid of all the crap that has been accumulating.

Since I am moving (in two weeks, AH), I have no excuse not to throw away nail polish bottles I've had for way too long or box up my out of date clothes (i.e. anything that requires leggings under it, for shame!) and bring them to Goodwill. Regardless, cleaning out your life is always a DO. You'll feel less cluttered, more organized and ready to add some new fall items to your wardrobe. No reason to postpone a big Spring Clean until April.

Jennifer Love Hewitt - Where are your tennis whites?

Summer sports are a do, however, "playing" tennis in a bikini AND heels, well, thats an epic fail and a major don't.

P Dot S - you could have at least put forth the effort to wear a white bikini, for shame.

Live Every Week Like Its Shark Week!

Last year Em and I paralleled Shark Week with Breakup Week on Do You Fancy Us, at the time it was unplanned and yet seemed so fitting. This year, Christmas came early and Em and I had Break Up week slightly earlier (out of necessity). I think you can agree that we have had plenty of break up chatting/ venting around here as of late, so this year we're going to shift the focus of Shark Week.

A few things we call all learn from Shark Week:

• Be the shark. There are plenty of fish in the sea, a shark doesn't chase mindlessly or without forethought, it hunts. "The reality is that sharks are big-brained fish whose mental capacities fall in line with those measured for birds and mammals". Don't be haphazard about your love life. Know what you want, think about the means you will use to achieve these desired end. Don't settle. Be decisive. Be Smart. And be slick.
  
• Don't go looking for trouble. Most sharks aren't your Jaws type of aquatic beasts, they steer clear of trouble and only fight when provoked. Fighting isn't romantic, and drama isn't cool. I am not advocating that you should be a pushover, if something is important to you, speak up, don't be a doormat.
• Attack Midday. Sharks don't just attack teens frolicking in the moonlit waters. They hunt their prey during the day, and so should you. Don't limit your hunting to loud bars on a Friday. Always be on the prowl (P Dot S - Who can resist a boy in a suit? Not I). Smile as the guy in front of you at Cosi. Take your head phones off every once in awhile and notice the cute boy on the uptown 6 with the Credit Suisse gym bag.
  
• Employ all your senses. Sharks utilize keen sight, smell, and hearing in navigate, hunt and exist. You should learn to trust all your senses, and never underestimate the "intangibles". If you have an "off" feeling about someone, trust that feeling.
  

And obvs don't forget to check out Shark Week on Discovery!

Sunless Tanner Recommendation

I LOVE being tan (why is it we all look so much better with one?), but being pretty damn Irish, getting super tan takes multiple, MULTIPLE days at the pool/beach. Who has this kind of time?! So, obviously, I have become QUITE the connoisseur of sunless tanner (sprays, lotions, wipes- they sell it, I've tired it).

For the absolute, best results, I love Bare Essentials Faux Tan. However, it is a bit pricey and is still a lotion- which can stay greasy and feel a little gross (esp if wearing it overnight). If you are on a budget and like a lighter tanner feel, you must try Jergens FOAMING sunless tanner. It is UH-MAZING and doesn't have that sick, sticky tanner lotion feel. Available at your nearest Target!

Also, tanning tip: always buy one shade DARKER than you think you need, especially in drug store brand. Sure, you may be fair skinned, but you WANT to be medium skinned by the end of tanning. Often you'll see little to no change if you stay with the lighter colored formula (unless you are practically albino).

The Product of Break-Uporexia

Looking good J. Simps.

Photo from x17