Classy Is As Classy Does

Mixing the New York and DC crew can be a challenge, especially if you're lazy like me and strong arm the New York crew into regular visits in exchange for 2-buck-chuck (there may have been a coupon involved as well.), but after some intense negotiation the NYC ...ok just Adam...managed to talk us into meeting him halfway. Literally. Atlantic City.

It's the perfect overpriced getaway to enjoy all the fruits of life...the beach (with a hazmat suit), gambling (only when lubricated with plenty of free booze), and shopping (of the pretend discounted aka "outlet"). So of course I mobilized the team for a little weekend getaway!

Being the stellar cruise director, I immediately delegated the heavy lifting to Adam - booking the hotel room. Which, like a good bureaucrat, sat on for three weeks, before sending it right back. Then proceeded to keep his travel plans nice and loose, as I assured him that if we left DC at 11, we would promptly arrive at 1pm - just in time for lunch. Only on a good day, yes even with an easy pass, takes the average lead foot 3 hours.

Now throw in a little gas stop, breakfast, and said cruise directors inability to pack until after the departure time so she was appropriately briefed on the latest Real Housewives of OC episode, and you have a recipe for a wee bit tardy for the party - I mean fashionably punctual.

Fear not, Adam booked the later bus. Relieved we stopped for breakfast. Now there is no road trip to long or short for a little Cracker Jack (Barrel) stop. In an attempt to exit though somehow we missed the turn. Luckily for us Stephanie saved the day with a little introduction to the Waffle House! HOLY HASHBROWN - where has this dive chain been all my life! Roach coach doesn't begin to describe the level of awesome happening under this roof. On Steph's endorsement, we had, yes, waffles, and customized hash browns - chopped, covered, and smothered. Then it was back on the road.

We had four objectives in AC, and 24 hours to complete the mission: gambling, shopping, eating, and dancing. Within 20 minutes of checking in at the Marriott - (no need to Sh** where you eat), we zoned in on some blackjack at Trump. Within 10 minutes I had downed both my gin and tonic, and my $45 daily gambling limit. So while Katie and Adam raked in $250 together, we took a tour of the stellar shopping scene. That killed 30 minutes, 20 of which were spent trying on some elegant stripper shoes, which double as casual heels to wear with your weekend jeans the sales woman assured me.

Then we glammed up for dinner at Buddakan in Ceasers. After all the overwhelming decadence of the day, I was surprised by how genuinely fabulous this restaurant was. From the Saki and cleverly named cocktails to the over-the-moon edemame ravioli, wasabi mashed potatoes and perfectly cooked scallops. They offer a tasting menu at $60 per head, but we opted to go family style and order a la carte. Well worth it.

Then we finished the night learning craps and paying too much for their night club, dusk, which seemed appropriate for bachelorette parties and underage drinkers. I learned a valuable lesson - I am too old to put up with overpriced cover, lycra uniforms, and underwhelming cocktails. I am kicking myself for not suggesting Ri Ra at the Tropicana.

After sleeping off my poor life choices (and a bottle of pinot) we detoxed at 6ix in Bally's. Not the greatest turkey burger, but the back waiter made up for it with a repertoire of jokes you'd find inside bubble gum, spiced with expletives for good measure. While we had a few hours to burn we thought we do a little outlet shopping, not to be confused with discount shopping.

Steph got some baller high tops, circa 1987, and I fell in love with a pair of tennis shoes shaped like penny loafers. CLASSY. We thought we'd finish the tour with a little trip through Coach., which should have been like a spa for spending therapy, but it was more like a blue special at k-mart on Christmas Eve. Every second person with mammary glands in the greater Trashville area turned up to slip a monogrammed wristlet home to their hive. We barely made it out alive (and I got a clutch thank you very much!).

To complete the glam trifecta, on our drive home, I awoke to a motorcyclist outside my window waving. Then his pleasant waving turned to a pat on his seat inviting a little ride along. When our car full of chicks giggled like kindergartners, he popped a wheelie...at 80 miles per hour. Then the Suburban behind us, pulled ahead to sweeten the offering with donut holes. Ah armatures. Too obvious.

Janet ...Miss Jackson If You're Nasty

Miss Jackson hit DC last night on her Number Ones Tour and rocked DAR Hall last night. Thanks to a last minute ticket swoop by Stephanie, as of 3pm I had it locked into my calender.

Having the concert in a smaller venue like DAR Constitution Hall put us close enough to see her dripping sweat off her silver plastic suit. (She was quite zipped in) But her Louboutin boots had nothing on Steph's neon high tops she picked up in Atlantic city, or my super stylish Havaianas and yoga pants.

The 45-year-old Jackson rocked it like she was 19 again and the house followed suit. I thought I was a fan, having the lyrics memorized from the womb, but the guys one row ahead of us, had every song choreographed, compete with turns and fist pumps, damn near knocking their neighbors off the terrace. Both the show, and the subsequent fan-induced sideshows were a perfect end to a long day.

The Ideal Husband @ Shakespeare Theater

No, not my ideal husband - they're still manufacturing him on the island of perfect men, should be delivered at a quarter to never, this is the latest Shakespeare Theater Company production. Linds and I went to see the show last Sunday night at the new Sidney Harmon Hall.


The story is as snarky as the costumes are breathtaking. Written by Oscar Wilde 100 years ago, the satire's cynicism still bites today, and what a better spot for a political satire than DC . The story circles around a prominent London politician, known for his upstanding morals, matched only by his wife. But his success is overshadowed by his dark secret that created to his wealth.  (Sound familiar?) He must choose between letting his wife down, or lose public face and power.

As tense as that story line is, there is plenty of comedic relief. A friend of the politician, with his razor sharp tongue tries to help the situation, but his price is nearly stealing the show with his bumper-sticker zingers and witty repartee.

Yes, it was that good. Go see it now through April 16th.

Wouldn't Mind Having These Guys

Is is just me, or is Gold making a comeback? I'm not a huge jewelry-for-jewelry's sake kind of gal, I love my staples ie: watch, stud earrings, and ring, but this year I was more interested in the glam pieces than dresses when watching the Oscar's. Shocking I know. 

Then I came across these little beauties while doing some internet er...research (shopping) Wouldn't mind having these in the new jewelry armoire. (Rose Gold Diamond Earrings by Simon G)

Friday Warm and Fuzzy

One of my awesome newsroom buddies went to school with this guy. She sent me the link for his Granade cover - which I think is far better than the original (Bruno Mars). But after spending a few minutes on the site - I found the rest of this guy's stuff- and he's flipping awesome. So today I'm posting a few extras! Enjoy!

Home Sweet Homestead

After a year like this one, the last thing on my to-do list was live it up in town for the big-27. In fact, I have been on quite the cool it down kick. And after logging over 66,000 jet miles, the thought of hopping on another flight was about as attractive as poking myself in the eye with a ruler.

So when Linds and I kicked around ideas for the birthday weekend, we broke out the big book. (1,000 Places To See Before You Die) and sure enough it didn't disappoint.

Just 4 hours west from Arlington sits The Homestead; one time playground for presidents, now family friendly retreat.

Talk about spontaneous – with a week, we were packing up and heading for the Allegheny Mountains. Just minutes after dropping our bags (and putting our wine outside to chill - al fresco style in the 20 degree weather), we were off to tour the campus. It took us an hour just to hit the highlights; there is just so much history (and lounging equipment).

After a little Christmas ornament shopping and huddling around the fire (next to the ice skating ring) we headed over to the spa. As part of our Divine Duo package we each had an hour long Swedish massages and as much Spa time as we could stand.

I have to say, it was one of the best massages ever - I was sore the next day..but in a good way. There was nothing frilly about it, no special potions or smelly shiny things- just lotion and a solid, strong, deep rub down, followed by some reading, tea-ing, and jibber-jab time in the Serenity Room. (Apparently we were the only ones who thought serenity equals chit-chat because within 10 minutes, we were the only ones left.) Also good to know - they serve Harney and Sons so of course we helped ourselves to a few extra tea bags for later (but fyi if you’re trying to be discreet - only 4 fit in each pocket of the robes).  BONUS!

Once thoroughly numbed we switched back into our adventure gear (yoga pants and all stars). We had booked ourselves for a little hayride with all the kiddie pops to see the Christmas lights. Our tractor carriage was certainly more entertaining for us then the sippy cup crowd as 90% of the ooing and awing came from Team Chez Copa. The kids were more focused on the cheerio distribution system on board.

But shivering five minutes later, we wondered what grade of crack we were smoking when we signed up for this cry-wagon - and then the tractor hauling my heavy-ass screeched to a stop. Seriously?

Too far (and too cold) to walk back , I started considering our options as snow bunny hitchhikers, when the driver (operator, captain, whatever) starts opening the latch to let everyone out. Not one to assume lemming status (or follow rules for that matter), we stay seated and make our best confused puppy dog faces – while everyone else pops out, with zero hesitation. Hello –we’re in the middle of nowhere – and we’re all popping out why? To check the tires – come on people…..Then el Cap-i-tan practically hand signs it to the smug Washingtonians….SMORES (you idiot).

Clearly we didn't get the memo! We weren't broken...we were all getting gooey marshmallows! You would have thought we just won Oprah's favorite things! It was the best birthday surprise EVER – even for Linds!
Also part of our package was a fancy shmancy dinner and waiting back in the room (well technically outside the room) we had our bottle of wine we smuggled in. Not one to waste - we cracked that sucker open while we dressed up.

I am a terrible day-of packer - despite what I tell myself the night before - and forgot a few of the biggies - as did linds. So dressing up was more of a wish than reality.
Two glasses deep we checked in for dinner. The very American pre-fix dinner was delicious salmon, crab soup, and apple pie, but tack on another Pinot Gris and I couldn't fight the red-faced giggles followed by the sneaky-sleepies. By 11 I had arrived to ZZZ-ville Population-1.
Sunday morning we slept in (-ish) - and although dinner may not have been fully digested - we hit the breakfast buffet anyway. All the classics were also in attendance - eggs, bacon, waffle station, grits, and so much more.

The last thing on our agenda was the Jefferson Pools before heading home. The resort offers a free bus ride to the historic baths, but we figured it was five miles up the road so we might as well check out and make the trip ourselves.

Once we hit the five mile mark with no mineral springs in sight, we figured we missed something. Pulling over and ducking into the Pit Stop, a delightful and helpful shop-owner gave me what I assumed to be directions, which I can imagine it was supremely difficult to manage with so few teeth. After a few minutes of gumming, I mustered my best doe-eyed beauty pageant smile, and started to back out slowly. Luckily his daughter popped out and translated for me.

We still managed to mess up the simple directions and it took another 20 minutes to go a mile. In our defense, it had started to snow, and we were expecting a few signs.
What we saw was a rapidly deteriorating shack. But under the shack are the hot-spring pools and for $17 bucks you can strip down to your skivvies in 20 degree weather and jump into the 100 degree sulfur reeking natural springs for an hour.

The getting in is fine - the water is actually very nice (although the healing properties are debatable) it's the getting out that becomes the issue. It's like polar bear swimming in reverse. But if it's good enough for 200 year old presidents (Jefferson) who are we to be denied the opportunity? You'd think after 27 years of surviving ...I'd learn a few things...

Once we finally restored our core temperatures to habitable - it was back on the road...and reality.

Top This: National Tree Lighting

It's nearly impossible to turn down a good freebie - in this case it was a free star-studded concert to ring in the holiday cheer. Oh and lets not forget, the First Family dropped in to light the National Christmas tree too.

This event is such a blast, when I was in college, we’d get a group of like-minded yahoos together and camp out every November for tickets. But that was when the Starbucks was in my building, and the White House was just a few blocks further down.

The last few Novembers the deadline came and it just sort of fell off the traditions list.

This year though, the Park Service asked if we wanted to cover it for the station, and a colleague of mine was a newbie to the whole extravaganza. It’s one of those things every Washingtonian should do at least once, so the two of us decided to go for it.

But sitting outside on a frigid press riser (still the best seats in the house), I remembered quickly why I hadn’t been in so long…who wants to sit outside in the cold when CBS has the whole thing on prime time Teevee – HD if you’re fancy. This year I had been lured by Maroon 5, Sarah Barellis, little baby Jackie Evancho, Ingrid Michaelson, and of the great BB King. And if the King can do it without handwarmers, damn-it so can we.

Hosted by Common, the hip-hop star narrated...er...freestyled through the program, while my colleague Amanda and I sat in the 20 degree wind. While WTOP's Man About Town, Bob Madigan reported from his ipad, Miss America (aka Miss Va.) Caressa Cameron tried her best to warm up the crowd, and the two of us shivered and snapped photos for the website, attempting to look like we were working.

I also noticed a big difference from the Bush years - The Obama family actually sat with the crowd, as opposed to sitting behind the bullet proof glass. Not sure what to make of that that - is he any more safe than his predecessor - or if it was just a gutsy PR move.

But for all my bitching – it was totally worth it…and I did tuck away a few reminders for next year… (clearly I didn’t think to do this after Inauguration 2009 coverage) must remember - handwarmers, blankets, thermals, flask).

When we stood up after the show to start interviewing the crowd - I couldn't feel my legs - I knew they hurt - but I couldn't feel them. Is that what frostbite feels like? The King must have had a flask.

I Should Have Posted This Ages Ago

TROUBLE

Last June, Momma McG invited Team Awesome up to Chez McG to celebrate the nuptials between her and her wholeheartedly endorsed beau Charley.

The combined bus trip/ train commute took a solid 8 hours (twice as long as expected) but when your girls pick you up at the station by abandoning the car open in the middle of traffic to pelt you with hugs and kisses (think 8th grade N'sync concert style) and then you fist pump California Girlz all the way home you know you're in for a good weekend.

The ceremony was as beautiful as much as it was a blast, and short of a little incident requiring professional removal of a ring (ours not hers) and a the border line panic attack proceeding the removal, everything ran smoothly.  (Megs: I knew you were worried Yen because you went silent.)

And yes those are candy necklaces we wore at the ceremony. Don't judge - not everyone can handle the awesome.

Momma McG's Wedding from Jen Richer on Vimeo.

300 Sigma Kappas Makes Thanksgiving Look Like A Piece Of Pie

BZ, Zeta, Baltimore, NOVA and DC Sigma Kappas

Some ladies need to find a good excuse to hang out with their sorority after graduation. I don't have that problem, but if ever there was an opportunity, Founders Day is it. Every year they drilled into us how critical this celebration was every November, and here I am four years out of school and schvitzing if we haven't locked in the program by July.

Alumnae In Attendance

This year was worth every bead of sweat. The collegians at GWU and University of Maryland put together a beautiful program for over 300 Sigma Kappas. We had Kate Michael (Epsilon Epsilon) and Ann O'Connell speak about life after college and motivating the troops to stay involved.

But the real gold is just like any family reunion, you grown about going, but are so glad you did. There are so many stories to catch up on every year, and new tales to tell - like how I am the only person IN THE WORLD who can mess up a bread maker; or Deanna filling us in on the benefits of a Cuisinart to THE NINJA.

Brain Bleed Panel on The Future of Journalism (among others)

Not going to lie - I see big nerd names that make my brain bleed and I jump at the chance to see them in action. Last month the Creative Coalition hosted a panel discussion on the future of  the creative industry, which currently makes up 8.5% of the workforce. That includes any profession from acting to journalism, to the guy that drives the set golf cart - so my ears perked up.

It was a pretty impressive panel with big names like, Paris Barclay, First Vice President, Directors Guild of America and Emmy-Award winning Movie and Television Director and Producer, Thomas L. Friedman, Foreign Affairs Columnist, The New York Times, Bill Ivey, Director of the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University; former chairman of the NEA, and author of Arts, Inc.
Stephen E. Siwek, Principal, Economists Incorporated and author of Video Games in the 21st Century: Economic Contributions of the U.S. Entertainment Software,  and moderated by: Judy Woodruff, Anchor, The NewsHour on PBS


The question they were looking to answer is where is the industry heading, what jobs are at risk, and what can be done.

SUBJECT TO MOOD SWINGS

In my attempt to break my Pandora.com addiction, my enablers are sending me alternatives.

For you other junkies - try this on.

It's called stereo mood and just like the name sounds - rather than channels arranged around your favorite artist or song,  they've created channels for over 80 moods. Check it out.

Hurricane Earl

This is why I come to work, so I can make this happen!