The magic of the Wand

I’m currently caught somewhere between desperately needing a haircut and needing to shave my head and start over. It’s high time for a trip to the salon. And this weekend, I was seconds away from grabbing some scissors and taking care of it myself, when Allie offered me the Wand. Her roommate had purchased it a few months prior, and neither of them were certain how to use it.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, the Wand boasts the ability to give curls like T Swift and Miley Cyrus, and after months of hearing all about the clamp-free contraption, I was thrilled to have the chance to use it. Because, let’s be serious, who doesn’t want curls like Miley?

I watched a quick tutorial to make sure I had the concept down, and even if you don’t plan to Wand it up, I highly suggestion watching it. Mainly because the little girl that does it is super cute, and it turns into a music video at the end. For real!

At first attempt, I put the glove on the wrong hand and burned myself. Apparently goes on the non-dominant hand. Seems kind of obvious now…
Please note I also burned myself after switching hands, because the glove is pretty thin. In the Wand’s defense, you’d need a pretty thick glove to protect against a 450-degree metal stick, and I think the ability to use my hand, and not have it trapped between an Abdominal snow glove outweighs a third-degree burn. Amiright?

The first round of curls left me looking like Britney Spears circa Crossroads (I Love Rock & Roll style). I also now understand why our friend from the music video suggested starting in the back of your head. It gets easier as you get the hang of it.
After I finished, I curled the ends with a regular iron, because I didn’t like them straight. I know that’s how Miley’s are, but I guess I was feeling more Swiftish. I didn’t love how it looked until I ran my fingers through it, and walked to the subway station. The wind loosened them up just the right amount.
All in all, I’d say I kind of fell for the Wand. Kind of magical, really. 

The District!

What do you get when you put an Allie, a Courtney, a Sam, a Ryan, a Lily, a Finn, a Crosby and a Whitney all in the same city?

A rilly rilly good weekend! Di! I had so much fun in DC.

The weekend was kick-started perfectly when I arrived in DC (OK Baltimore. I messed up a little) and AlPal had a large coffee waiting for me. Not only that, but she paid $1 extra to get me the travel mug, which was pretty much the best souvenir I could have asked for.
We then went back to her cute apartment, where she’d purchased all of my favorite snacks for an hors d’oeuvres dinner. After that, we met up with her friends in Adams Morgan, and I got to get a taste of DC’s nightlife.
The next day, we did a little shopping, then met Sam and Court&Co. on the Mall. As usual, no words can really express how wonderful it was to be with them. After lunch Allie and I thoroughly discussed our plan to get our family all in one spot again. This GA to VA to IN to CO (and in between!) spread is cramping our style.
Courtney also hand delivered my Reginald’s peanut butter, and, let me tell you: it was worth the wait. I highly  recommend the Cashew Nilla. It’s like dessert, but without sugar! Unreal.
After we left them, Allie and I went on an extremely long walk from her apartment in the District to Georgetown, and back again. On the return route we discovered an exercise trail, which pretty much turned a good walk into a great walk. And, embarrassingly, my obliques were a little sore the next day. I guess those stations work!
Saturday night, we went out in DuPont Circle, to which we also returned the next day for brunch.
I am so grateful to not only have gotten to explore DC – both on foot and via a car – but also to have had the time with Al. I love being able to visualize her life when she tells me she’s running this errand, or seeing this friend.
Thank you for your fabulous hostessing, Allie!

darker than my skin

My freshman year of college, my friend Maggie always forced herself to drink her coffee black, because she, who was pre-med, said that if she was ever going to be a real doctor, she had to learn to like it that way. I'm not sure who told her this, but she was adamant about it as she struggled through the bitter every day.

I have the exact opposite relationship with coffee. Skim? Yep. Cream? Of course. Sugar? Obviously.

For a while now, Katie and Sara have been trying to get my to drink it a little darker. They joke that no matter what, even in the dead of winter, my coffee is always paler than me. I'd like to think they're complimenting my complexion, but I'd be lying to myself.

However, I mentioned last week that I am sugar free so far in 2012 (minus the occasional cocktail), and the most difficult challenge has been my java.

This is how I like it:
However, I'm making strides and am down to just a little cream:
And even sometimes, Maggie-style:
Soon enough I'll be drinking with the doctors!