valentine’s day and drag queens

By Emily on February 16, 2014

On Friday I celebrated Valentine’s Day, aka Singles Awareness Day, for which the acronym is SAD. This upsets me because, while it’s nice to have a special someone in your life to buy you overpriced flowers and chocolate on a specific day dictated by society, it doesn’t have to be a depressing holiday just because you’re unattached.

I’ve been single for the past 3 Valentine’s Days and they’ve all been filled with love from people who are close to me. The past couple years I felt love from family. This year I got to add the love of my friends…and drag queens. What???

Yup, this year my girlfriends and I had an awesome Valentine’s Day. While we’re not all single, we all ended up being free for Valentine’s Day, as boyfriends were either working or out of town. We got gussied up for the night, because nothing makes you feel more fabulous than looking fabulous. I wore my new red dress that I got at J.Crew’s Black Friday sale and ended up being perfect color for the holiday of love! I even braved wearing booties with a heel for the occasion, knowing full well that it was probably the stupidest decision of the night. More on that later.

I met two of my girlfriends at Papagayo, a great Mexican restaurant in Boston. That’s a bit of an oxymoron, as Boston doesn’t have too many great Mexican restaurants, but this is one of the better ones. We ordered margaritas and food..and then I ordered a glass of milk because the sweetness of the margaritas gave me heartburn…apparently I’m 80.

From there we went to Jacques, a fabulous drag show cabaret in Back Bay. We’d never been there but heard it was a hoot. And what better way to spend a girls’ Valentine’s Day than with other boys dressed like girls?! The queens were amazing! Like I was dying at how nice their butts were in sequin catsuits, amazing. The show was awesome and we were dancing, singing, and cheering them on like it was our job.

From there we walked to to Club Cafe, a gay bar where we met up with some of the stars from Jacques. On the walk there, my smart friends changed into boots, as they knew that drinking and heels and ice don’t mix. I also know that drinking and heels and ice don’t mix, but threw caution to the wind that night. I even tweeted about it.

However, I got caught up in the excitement of the evening and forgot to exercise massive amounts of caution. I walked over some ice and found myself in a not-so-ladylike position, splayed out on the sidewalk. It was hilarious…but not. Thankfully, it didn’t stop me from tearing up the dance floor at the club with my girl friends and a bunch of boys looking for boyfriends (although it did keep me from attending a blogger Flywheel event the next day and I have several impressive bruises!).

My Valentine’s Day was fun and full of craziness and love…how was yours?

weekend wrapup: kickballs and sunshine

By Emily on September 30, 2013

This was one of those weekends where I had a bunch of stuff planned and did none of it. Friday I was supposed to go to happy hour with my girlfriends from law school so I got dressed up in my fabulous embellished sweatshirt…because it was Friday and the bossman was out of the office…not like anyone ever needs an excuse to wear a sweatshirt with rhinestones.

Unfortunately for my friends, the practice of law got in the way of happy hour. Lucky for me, the server at work needed to be reset so at 4:50pm the IT guy kicked us out for the weekend. Not knowing what to do with the extra time, the office went out for happy hour with a cheap beer bar crawl.

I lasted about 5 bars before calling it a night at 7:30 and taking ridiculous pictures in the cab I took home.

Saturday was beautiful and a perfect day for a walk around town and kickball in Cambridge. I play in a Saturday league, which is usually a good time, unless you catch an out with your face, scrape your chin and almost break your nose like me. However, a ball to the face is nothing that karaoke can’t cure, so it’s a good thing that our apres kickball bar is nothing but Cambridge’s sketchiest karaoke dive.

(I’m not even going to mention the Badger game that I didn’t watch because it was so horrible)

On Sunday I was supposed to go apple picking but decided against it thanks to a sore face and killer headache. After suffering a concussion in May, there’s nothing as being too careful after a blow to the face. Shopping cures everything so I eventually dragged my butt out of bed, threw on my new Bobeau cardigan from Nordstrom (I’m obsessed with this comfy blanket that some genius made into a shirt) and went shopping at the awesome Nordstrom Rack on Boylston.

The rest of my night was super exciting. I chopped up veggies for dinners this week and made myself salmon with cucumber dill yogurt sauce, spinach with lemon juice and roasted veggies.

My weekend went from fun to more fun to boring but productive.

How was your weekend?

what I’ve been wearing-fall season openers

By Emily on September 25, 2013

Because its a bit more interesting than “What I’ve been doing” which is nothing aside from work, drink beer, watch football, and occasionally attend a meeting about fulfilling wishes for children with terminal illnesses (more on that another time).

Fall has officially started in Boston, just slightly early of the first day of fall according to the calendar. Accordingly, I’ve broken out my fall clothes. Which, aside from sweaters and heavier fabrics, include finding fun ways to layer summer clothes, including the one last wear I got out of a black maxi dress.

During a freak couple warm days last week I wore my favorite versatile green dress and a tunic from J.Crew Crew Cuts. My boss told me the striped tunic looked just like the one that his 8 year old daughter has…umm yeah, probably because it was the same one. Ain’t no shame in a 29 year old shopping in a kids store. Ok, maybe a little.

This week I broke out the gingham, corduroy and suede Tory Burch flats. I ordered a new sweater/sweatshirt from Nordstrom that came in the mail yesterday (yay, for shopping at a big girl store!) that I can’t wait to blog about.

Fall is my favorite season on account of the awesome clothes, beer, spiked cider, crisp air, and awesome outdoor activities. If only I could find some time to go apple picking!

How’s your fall starting out?

things that are totally not awkward in my life right now

By Emily on September 24, 2013

1. MY NAME IS NORM

For no reason other than I can’t remember any of the names of the female leads in Cheers but yeah, I’m officially a regular at a bar. And not just in the “everyone knows your name” kind of way, but in the “everyone knows your first and last name because you come in so often to drink beer to be part of a meaningless club” kind of way.

2. I BOUGHT A BIKE HELMET

There’s nothing not awkward about buying a bike helmet. It’s even more awkward when you’re me, walk into the store, and ask for help in “Not looking like a penis, please”.

3. GLASSES MAKE ME PRETTIER

I’m either meeting people with a thing for spectacles or my face looks better hidden behind black frames. I’ve gotten way too many compliments since I started wearing glasses in lieu of contacts. I totally don’t have a complex about it or anything and I’m definitely not making mental notes of which dudes to tell they look better wearing a hat. Newp, nuh uh, not at all.

4. MY COWORKERS FOLLOW MY INSTAGRAM

I get a lot of comments about the beer I’m drinking at the bar where everybody knows my first and last name. Probably why #5 is happening…

5. MY BOSS THINKS I’M A BOOZER

It’s totally normal and not at all awkward when your boss volunteers you to join his brother in a recreational corn hole league…at a bar…on Wednesday nights.

Am I the only one with a super awkward life right now?

weekend wrapup: parents and birthdays

By Emily on September 16, 2013

This weekend my parents came to visit, which was awesome. I knew it would be a busy weekend so I took it easy on Friday night and worked on my Mug Club at Parish Cafe. I currently have about 87 beers to drink in about 100 days. I made some good headway recently considering I was way behind in my numbers just a couple of weeks ago. This Mug Club is something that definitely requires dedication.

One day my name or sassy slogan of sorts will be engraved on a mug hanging from the ceiling. Someday…

On Saturday my parents drove up from New Jersey. Being the great parents they are, they schlepped my winter clothes and boots and newly tuned-up bike, had a couple meals with me, and left the next day. My mom also started me on my newest addiction–Alex and Ani bracelets. She picked up the “E” bracelet as a belated birthday present to me and insisted that we stop in the store on Newbury Street for another. I’m super excited about my new arm candy!

On Saturday night I had a girl friend’s 30th birthday party. We rented out a trolley to take 40+ people around Boston for drinking shenanigans. I got all gussied up in stilettos for the first time since my ACL surgery and went heavier on my makeup for the occasion. I’m finally getting a handle on cat eyes, I think.

My hair is looking pretty auburn in this pictures, which is an inspiration for my hair appointment on Friday because I’m going full auburn for the fall.

On Sunday my dad took me to Ikea for a power shopping excursion. I needed a wardrobe to make up for a serious lack of closet space. We were in an out of Ikea in 30 minutes and I only bought 2 things over what was on my shopping list–score!

I planned to spend the rest of Sunday putting this bad boy together but it took less than an hour and then I took a nap.