Just Wear a Skirt - It Will Finally Feel Like Spring And Other Lies I Tell Myself

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1. Tossing together lots of random leftovers in the fridge makes for a delicious meal.

2. Really cheap nail polish isn't cheap for a reason [aka that it won't actually stay on your fingers for more than 1 day].

3. Setting my clock 14 minutes early actually helps me to arrive places on time.

4. I really don't need a shopping cart for my groceries. I can get through the store quicker without one and can totally manage to carry everything I'm planning to buy.

5. Pandora can read my mind and knows exactly which songs to play when I want to hear it. That must be why the same five songs loop on the Beatles' channel.

6. Life is easy. As in turn on the auto pilot, it's all clear waters ahead.

7. A mental to-do list is just as effective and likely to get checked off as a written one.

8. Paying bills, getting to the bottom of your car's mysterious new clunking sound, dealing with credit card companies, having a root canal - these are all wonderful parts of life as a real, live grown-up.

9. It doesn't really bother me that a coworker of mine insistently makes "hmmMM" sounds as she walks past my desk several times each day. Or that another smacks her gum repeatedly.

10. No matter what my roommates claim, my sporadic, semi-hearing loss is not reflective of what is currently being said [read: selective hearing].

11. That whole "stinks and stones" thing is just a rumor; those words didn't hurt me. I just brushed them away.

12. Driving my car on E for 20 miles isn't ill-advised; it's an adventure.

13. I totally know how to iron out tough wrinkles in a shirt, change a flat tire and get a red wine stain out of white carpet. You know, all those essential things a girl should know how to do.

14. Coffee is not an addiction. I can stop drinking it any time, starting . . . now.

15. Speeding a few miles over the limit to get to church on time is acceptable and pre-approved for Christians. God understands.

16. If a friend and I split a dessert or eat the same number of chips, the calories cancel themselves out. Every time.

17. Buying something I don't need, but is highly marked down - 50% or more, is part of my essential duty as a shopper.

Rainy Day Playlist

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When blue skies fill with clouds and rain covers every inch of the roads and sidewalks, all sense of productivity and desire to work goes out the window. The only things that make sense are long naps, dozing off and catching up on some shut eye. [Notice how those are all variations of the same thing?] 

For a killer case of the rainy day blues, when not even a heaping mug of coffee with an extra shot of espresso can completely do the trick, have a listen to these songs that are soulfully wonderful to hear, whether you're in all-day PJ mode or actually attempting to get work done. As for the former, I can dream about thunderstorms and snowstorms having synonymous effects, bringing "rain days" off to people everywhere, can't I? And in the case of the latter, best of luck to us all.

When in Shirlington . . .

Do what North Virginians do. Read, copy and repeat. Just like washing your hair, minus the shampoo part.

Throw your dog a bone at the Shirlington Dog Park. Big and small canines alike have plenty of room to romp around the grassy paradise. Off-leash is allowed. Small baggie not included. Don't have a pup? There's a long path that runs alongside the park that's perfect for a nice weekend walk through town.

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Enjoy an evening of poetry and lattes. Restaurant-turned-bookstore-turned-coffee-shop Busboys & Poets hosts an open-mic night on Mondays at 8:00 P.M.. Cover is $4 - cash only - and definitely worth checking out.

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Meet up with friends for wonderfully discounted appetizers and drinks [read: happy hour]. Shirlington boasts tons of cute establishments and good deals. It's difficult to pick just one restaurant. Check out DC Happy Hours for a complete list of village specials.*

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Browse through the latest pretty blouses and spring dresses at Periwinkle, a trendy boutique that will have you coming back for more.

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Test your smarts with a game of trivia. Round up a few of your most Mensa-like pals and head over to The Bungalow for a little "thinking while drinking," as they like to call it. Mondays at 8:30 P.M.

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 *I said village because, as funny and old-fashioned as it may sound, it's "The Village at Shirlington." Classy stuff.

Need Directions? Put A Ring On It

My fellow big-city dwelling friend came to visit this week and we got to talking about getting completely lost and trying to find our way through the maze of alphabetically and numerically confusing streets.

Her snazzy trick for a real-life GPS when navigating the Big Apple? That would be a compass ring. 

I was just saying how it's not even helpful that I know I need to head south when I don't know which direction that is referencing. But slip on a working compass that doubles as fashionable bling and always points north. What do you know - problem absolutely solved. No childhood NESW rhyme necessary [for me, it was Never Eat Soggy Waffles].

Ms. NYC got her ring at the Brooklyn Flea. For us non-New Yorkers, a handy-dandy compass ring can be purchased for under $20 on Amazon or here, here or here on Etsy.

Do you find it tricky figuring out directions in a new/big city? Have any tips for those of us who are, um, directionally challenged?

Grey Squirrels, Brown Bananas

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Cherry blossoms, step aside. What's trending right now in the District? That would be squirrels. Yes, those cheeky creatures that dart into oncoming traffic and race across sidewalks in a furry flash. WaPo columnist John Kelly has deemed these next few days "D.C. Squirrel Week" and is tweeting hilarious and factual tidbits from a first-squirrel perspective here. Their range of interests also includes college sports, as it turns out.  

DCSquirrel's national championship prediction? "Butler or UConn?? http://wapo.st/edbracket Which campus has more squirrels - that's my question."

But on to a tastier update - if you're looking to use up any overly ripe bananas lying around in your kitchen, here's a recipe for yummy banana bread so quick and easy I made it in 1 1/2 Gossip Girl episodes last night.

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Sweet Brown Banana Bread

[from allrecipes.com]

What you'll need: 

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar [or raw] 2 eggs, beaten
2 1/3 cup mashed bananas [the browner, the better]

dash of cinnamon/nutmeg

What to do:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Also, grease a 9 x 5" loaf pan.

2. Measure out and combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Do the same with the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and bananas; stir/mash until it's all homogeneous [big SAT word for "looking the same throughout"].

3. Take your banana mixture and mix well with the flour mixture. Then, all that's left is to do is pour it into your pre-greased pan and pop it into the oven for 60 to 65 minutes.

4. Once it's reached the point of slightly brown around the edges and passes the toothpick test [read: it comes out clean], take your loaf out of the heat and let it cool down. After ten or so minutes, cut a thick slice of banana bread heaven and call it a day.

Kate Middleton's One Classy Brit

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Even while flipping flapjacks in the air, the soon-to-be royal Kate [April 29th!!] doesn't have a curly lock out of place. Is this an inherited trait? I'm pretty sure that my hair has never looked like that while whipping up breakfast. Ever.

In addition to great hair, Kate the Great has truly lovely taste in clothes. 

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Go over to What Kate Wore for more of stylish brunette's outfits as they stalk her every fashionable move.

How Not To Be A Wedding Crasher

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1. Don't show up wearing a tacky Hawaiin print shirt and wrinkled cargo shorts when the understood dress code is semi-formal. This isn't Sam's Club.

2. Similar to #1, wearing jeans is just as equally a dead giveaway that A. you don't belong, B. you're not very creative and C. you didn't really think this through, did you?

3. Drunkenly swaying around the perimeter of the dance floor screams, "Look at us! You don't know us but we're underdressed and drinking your wine!"

4. When someone from the bridal party approaches and asks you if you are crashing the wedding, under no circumstances should you admit that yes, you are indeed crashing the wedding. That's a fail if I ever heard one.