Ah, the joys of New York living...

Hey dolls, it's been a bit. Not sure why I've been out of touch - long hours at work, winter slump, lack of inspiring things to write about...excuses, excuses I know.

Well, even if it's only to explain how stupid I am and have it in writing that I plan to change, I felt the need to write tonight.

I have lived in New York for almost 7 years now, and for the first time, I had my bag stolen. I've been extremely lucky thus far considering I can be careless while out at bars - I tend to put my things down and forget about them and I may have thrown a phone or two into oblivion on a tipsy walk home, but I've always managed to come out without much damage. Not anymore apparently.

Last weekend I was fist pumping away to Pauly D's spins with my Snooki poof and JWoww dress at Sutton Place (yep, I really did that - check out my quote and pic here) and some GRIMY GUIDETTE stole my bag!! My expensive, favorite Botkier bag with all my belongings inside including nice digital camera, wallet with license and credit cards and apt/car keys. Miraculously I still have my phone. One second the bag was with me, the next it was gone. I must've been beatin' up the beat while texting, because there's no other explanation for me to have my phone and nothing else (hooray for multi-tasking!). Searched the bar, called the bar next day, filed a police report, posted a message on Craig's List...nothing. Tried tracking down my last remaining spare car key to no avail. I am now replacing door locks, car locks, credit cards, insurance cards, and sending away for a new license - not fun.

Game-changer. It's time I quit trusting people and became a full-blown skeptical, paranoid New Yorker. How am I going to change? Ohh let me count the ways.

1. No more expensive bags. If I'm only 24 and can barely afford my rent, I have no business carrying a bag that's over $100. Nuff said. For now, I'm relying on Urban Outfitters and sites like Lulus for trendy and not terribly cheap looking bags. And when I go out? Wristlets and bags somehow attached to my body only.

2. No more cameras in bars. Do I think I look good in drunk pictures? Because I don't. There's no need for me to take an expensive camera when I go out. I hate posting pictures on Facebook anyway. I'll leave the photography and bad pictures to someone else.

3. Multiple spare keys left in multiple places. And they need to live near me. Getting a key mailed from another state takes far too long and I've racked up way too many tickets. Thanks alternate-side parking laws!

4. Only one credit card and $40 max are allowed to come with me to a bar. I didn't have much cash on me when the bag was stolen, but seriously all my credit cards? What was I thinking? Canceling 3 credit cards and a debit card is a-nnoy-ing.

5. Time to become a NY resident. I'm sick of mailing PennDOT money and waiting weeks for a new, valid license every time I'm up for renewel/I lose it. Over it. I hate my latest PA driver's license picture anyway and I'm ready to quit paying double state taxes.

My 25th birthday is in exactly a month. Guess it's time I reel it in and man up to responsibility. Oy, wish me luck.

No Longer an At-Home Hair Color Virgin!

As a beauty publicist, it almost pains me to begin this post with an economic tie-in (kind of beating a dead horse at this point). But yet I'm doing it anyway...

Everyone is penny-pinching these days, and I suppose I'm no different. I'm packing lunches (gag... sandwiches get soggy by lunchtime!), doing my own mani/pedis and last week I even dyed my own hair!

I admit I've been a hair color snob in the past. I don't put color on my hair very often, but if I'm going to do it, I do it right and go to the specialists. No way I want to chance screwing up my hair with scary color-altering chemicals!! Sure I know plentyyy of people that have had great results with at-home color, but I never had the desire to go there.

Well, bored with my hair and in the mood for a change, I polled my friends to find the best/cheapest salons in the city for lowlights. At $100 or more, that simply was NOT happening right now. So, I decided to go for it. I researched a little online and bought my first box hair dye: L'Oreal Color Spa Moisture Actif in Medium Ash Brown 20.

The results? I love it! It was just the change and color boost I needed. I chose a demi-permanent, so it will wash out in about 28 shampoos in case I get sick of it, and it's ammonia-free so it won't damage my hair. Since I have light brown hair naturally, I stuck to one shade darker in an ash tone to eliminate any uber shocking color or potential brassiness.

I'm a changed woman and no longer afraid of a $7 boxed color lift. What do you think??

The Aftermath - One Year Post-France

When I was growing up, my mom would give my brother and I one new ornament for the tree each Christmas Eve. The ornament would somehow symbolize the year - a posing Marilyn Monroe the year I fell in love and decided I wanted to be an actress, a shamrock the year I began Irish step dancing, a singing Frank Sinatra the year I came to NY for school...you get the point. Each year has a focal point when you look back.

In 2008, I realized that I didn't need to depend on anyone other than myself. I saw my need for independence and escape, and fulfilled my dream of living in France.

On this exact date one year ago, I spent the afternoon exploring the Marais neighborhood of Paris with an American expat friend - eating amazing falafel, shopping and enjoying happy hour Caipirinhas while discussing the quirks of European men...

Leaving my job last September to live in France for two months by myself was the experience of a lifetime. I got to be adventurous, practiced the language everywhere I went, didn't answer to anyone, and spent each day doing whatever the heck I wanted. I can't believe it's been a year.

Objectively, my life seems a lot more boring nowadays. Today, September 23, 2009, I rolled out of bed to my alarm at 7:45am, headed to work in the office for the day, and came home to watch the season premieres on TV with my best friend/puppy dog Marlon.

I'm kind of okay with it, though. My life has a calm rhythm most days. And, even though I'm not much of a jetsetter, a lot happened in '09. I began volunteering with a pug rescue group, adopted my first dog, found a new job with coworkers and clients I love, and moved into my very first studio apartment (as in no roommates - just me!) in a brand new neighborhood of New York.

2009 has had a different purpose - this year I became a grown ass lady. I took initiative and created a career and life of my own in NY. I took responsibility for something other than myself and became a mom...even if just to a 20 pound snorting pug. :)

That being said, I'm fairly certain I'm getting either a pug or house ornament this Christmas. Good ol' mom.

Vote Ada Polla for Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year!

As a female working in the beauty industry, we gots to support one another.

Now, I don't personally know Ada Polla, but she is the President and CEO of Alchimie Forever, an amazing Swiss skincare line sold at Bendel's, and from looking at her picture, she can't be more than 10 years older than me (or maybe those products work especially well...). A young woman that is the head of a successful luxe skincare brand-- now that's someone you can really aspire to.

Ada Polla is a finalist for Entrepreneur Magazine's 2009 Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award and she is the only beauty industry entrepreneur nominated. That's huge!

Please join me and support Ada, the beauty industry, and female entrepreneurs everywhere by throwing her your vote!

http://www.entrepreneur.com/e2009/vote/emerging.php

The voting process is incredibly simple and won't take more than 10 seconds.

Not convinced yet?

In addition to being co-creator of the antioxidant-based skincare line, Ada founded The Network of Entrepreneurial Women, an association for women entrepreneurs in the Mid-Atlantic region and she graduated from both Harvard (undergrad) and Georgetown (Masters) at the top of her class.

Geez, throw a girl a bone! She totally deserves the honor of Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year. Hope you'll vote!

Week in the Smokies

In the interest of exploring the world one region at a time, I was originally pretty interested in meeting up with my Dad's whole side of the family in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee this summer. Then, I realized that meant my 2009 week's vacation would consist of mountains and Wal-mart instead of beaches and sun.

Let's just say I went into this vacation not the most excited in my life.

Now, it wasn't my all-time favorite vacation, but in the end, there were a lot of great aspects to the Smokies.

1. It was pretty. Tons and tons of rolling mountains and streams and lakes everywhere.

2. There was a lot of green. I guess I'm not really used to nature anymore. Maybe New York does that to you... But, on this vacation, I reconnected with childhood. I played in the woods and went hiking and my uncle fell in the creek. Totes felt like childhood. :)

3. White Water Rafting. Really sweet. See hilarious picture above. (Yes. "That guy" is my brother.)

As a bonus, our tobacco-chewing mountain man River Guide slapped my ass when he pulled me into the raft -- he got a good tip. haha

4. Lots of history. During a drive through the mountains we stopped at a really old church/graveyard combo with tombstones from the 1800's. Between the Southern drawls around us and all the stuff about "Rebels" and the Civil War, I felt a bit like I was in Bon Temps, True Blood-style.

Things I would do differently if I went again:

1. Rent a house with a private pool or not go during the summer. It was hot. Really hot. And I had no ocean or pool to dive into all week. And no sun deck to lay out on. Dreams of coming home with a golden tan = shattered.

2. Do not go into Pigeon Forge. I repeat, do not go into Pigeon Forge. Gatlinburg is also questionable. It's a cheesy tourist trap and I can't believe anyone chooses to vacation like that. We only drove through on the way to the God-forsaken Wal-Mart, but the traffic was intense and the entertainment on the side of the road looked awful. "Helicopter Rides!" "Fireworks!" "Ripley's Believe It or Not" "Dollywood" "Fish and Tackle Superstore!" No thanks on all accounts. In my uncle's words - Red Neck Disneyland.

3. Figure out exactly what you want to do there ahead of time, and stay somewhere close-by. The amount of time I spent in a car that week nauseates me even today thinking about it. The amazing lake with pontoon boats - 45 minutes away. White water rafting - 30 minutes away. Major scenic mountain drives - 1 hour away. Wal-Mart (grocery shopping for 20 people is quite the task) - 45 minutes away.

But, the important part was seeing the whole fam and eating and drinking as much as possible all week. And for that, this vacation totally succeeded.

Invention Convention - Flats for the afterparty

Omg, this needsss to come stateside asap! This was on Perez tonight, and if you're one of the 5 people in this world that doesn't read Perez, I'm re-posting for you.

No lady, tranny or Kardashian likes schlepping it home in heels after spending the night dancing at the club.

Well, a genius Brit has come up with a solution: Vending machines that sell flats!

Female clubbers in Britain have been enjoying the comfort of slipping out of their stilettos and basking in the joy of flats at their favorite hot spots. For about 5 pounds (which translates to about 8 bucks), a pair of cushy flats can instantly be yours for your aching feet. And they boast being super flexible, so they can be folded up and stashed in your bag for latter usage.

Founder of Rollasole, Matt Horan, is one clever fellow and his inspiration was nothing short of moments of sheer inconvenience: "After getting tired of giving my girlfriend a piggyback home every Saturday night, I had a 'eureka' moment."

Bring that shiz stateside! American girls party hard too!

Perez is right, American girls party hard, too and we deserve to have vending machines that sell flats when our feet hurt from killer heels, as well. Can we start a petition? This is such an ingenious idea!

PS - They're cute, too! Check out www.rollasole.com

PPS - I'm betting I have an old boyfriend or two that wishes they came up with this first... hahaha

The Big Move

Breaking News: Moving is Hard.

Yes, I understand this is something I should've known already, but geezzz, for this past month and a half, I've been completely preoccupied and stressed out about moving.

Now, this was a big move for me. I was moving into my own place (yikes!) and moving out of the only neighborhood in New York I'd ever lived in (double yikes!). Plus, I was moving out of a huge (albeit crappy) three bedroom apartment and into a studio, hahahah. Helloooo downsizing.

But, I did it. I am now happily moved into a cute little studio apartment in an awesome dog-friendly building in Astoria. Now I am THE worst at making decisions and I like to wait until the last moment on things often, but I was able to pull off this move pretty smoothly. Here are some services and tips I found helpful through this awful process:

1. Checking out every shady listing on Craig's List or paying a hefty broker fee sort of seems like choosing the lesser of two evils. Guess what? There are other options.

- I signed up on Rent Direct New York. For about$200, you get 3 months of access to tons of legit, no-fee rentals throughout New York. You are assigned an agent that works with you to find listings that fit your needs and they have a midtown office if you want to meet face-to-face for more support.

The downside for me was that my search was very niche. I knew I wanted to live in Astoria (by this point, I'm a Queens girl I suppose...) and I was only willing to pay a certain amount. I didn't end up finding my apartment through Rent Direct, but the extra $200 was nothing compared to what I could've paid a broker and I liked having this service to fall back on.

- No-fee brokers do exist! I called on an apartment I saw listed on Craig's List and got connected with Anu Dutta. He became my broker and I didn't have to pay him a cent. Certain building management companies hire agents to show their apartments, but they pay him, not me. Anu was great. Extremely helpful and I now have a new gchat and facebook friend, ha.

2. Even if you're setting out on your own, bring other people with you to check out each apartment. I had a rotation of 4 different people that I'd bring along every time I made an appointment to see a place. That way if it ended up being a creepy landlord or a dump in the wrong area of town, I wasn't alone. And if I loved it, I had someone else to bounce ideas off of, and sometimes to bring me back down to Earth.

EX: "Yea it's an okay apartment, but open the window. You're right next to the train!" (as the apartment rumbled and a train went by)

EX: "Adrienne that place was a shoebox and smelled like kitty litter. You can do better."

3. You're never too old to ask for help from family. This was the first move where I didn't throw all my crap in trashbags the night before and make my boyfriend lug anything heavy. I needed to sort through things, pack things in -gasp- real boxes and do it ahead of time. I needed help and I realized it. Thankfully, american girl's dad, the ultimate american dad (He's a truck driver, loves classic rock and owns a Harley - case in point.) and the rest of the fam came out to Queens for the weekend to help. Dad and brother = my movers. Mom = cleaning lady and decorator extraordinaire. I couldn't have done it without them.

And now, I'm settled and happy in Astoria. No more Angelo's (although I did celebrate with the family there one last time), now it's all about the Brick Cafe. Moving on up and starting fresh. :)