a little bit of sunshine.

not the greatest weekend ever, i have to admit. friday's news hit me much harder than i had anticipated, and i had a hard time getting out of bed. i was just a puddle all weekend, and took it really easy. it gets better each day, and there are some things that are making me smile.

monday afternoon drinking

since we worked for about 8 days straight last week, my office was closed on monday. random three day weekends? i could get used to that. i finally managed to drag my butt out of the apartment and did my usual yoga/whole foods routine (omg, could i be any yuppier? i swear...) before meeting up with two of my buds from work. it's funny how after spending 18 hours a day in a room together for a week, i actually missed them - that's a sign of true love. a lunch date turned into a crosstown adventure as we met another friend over on the west side. it was GORGEOUS yesterday in the city, and we actually sat outside! i enjoyed a few champagne cocktails, because my middle name is classy, and then we hit up one of my long-time fave haunts, calle ocho, which hosts MOJITO MADNESS on mondays - $5 mojitos?? madness indeed. and as a mojito connoisseur, i daresay these are some of the best in the city. after starting pretty early, i called it a night by 8pm and was hungover by 11. perfection! i even managed to wake up and make it to yoga this morning.

madness, i say!

what a view. i love the upper west side. 

new shoes

i'm obsessed with these bad boys. they've been stuck in my head for months, and i finally broke down and nabbed a pair. i can't handle the cuteness with a rolled-up pair of skinny jeans, and i'm counting down the days til i can wear them with an adorable little sundress.

my bro

seems like 18 years ago i was in austin for sxsw (wasn't i going to do a recap or something?) and i don't feel like i've bragged enough about my handsome little bro. so i'll just show you what i mean.

he's the man.

more street art (austin edition)

here's to a less-crazy april. and to spring finally showing up! happy tuesday :)

sad.

yesterday, a friend of mine took his own life. he was an iraq veteran. he was incredibly inspiring, and now he's gone. it's senseless, and it's heartbreaking, and i am at a loss. he is why i do what i do.

please take a moment to read about his life. and please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.

i have so much more to say about him and so many other things, but this is all i can muster right now. i'm finally home, feeling exhausted, drained, sad, but also proud and grateful for the opportunity to know and work with people like him every single day.

rip clay.

changing the world. brb.

after a whopping five nights back in my own bed, i'm hitting the road again tomorrow, this time heading to our nation's capitol for the next week or so. it's time for our annual lobbying trip on capitol hill, and it's all hands on deck down in dc.

*stand back! i'm about to let my nerd flag fly*

it's basically my favorite week of the year, as i get to play blogger-in-chief, documenting all the great things that happen when a couple dozen of our members roam the halls of the capitol, demanding that congress pay attention to some crucial issues. it's a crazy long week, full of 18 hour days and crappy hotel food, but it's also inspiring, exhilarating and satisfying like no other part of my job. 

i know, this post isn't quite as exciting as a instagramed photographic journey through austin for sxsw, but i daresay it's slightly more important. wonder if we'll encounter any surprise big boi concerts in dc?

so pardon the absence for the next week, as i'll be stormin' the hill with america's best and brightest. but for now, enjoy a small sample of my dozens of hipster iphone photos taken down in tejas.

fitz and the tantrums!

big boi concert at seaholm power plant

south by san jose at the hotel san jose. sigh. love.

p.s. care to make a difference in the lives of vets returning from iraq and afghanistan? check out www.stormthehill.org.

hey, austin!

back to nyc and real life tomorrow. updates on the best week of my life to come!

wooo spring break!!!

woooooo!!!!

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yeah, no, that's actually not the spring break i'm talking about. i'm talking about...

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nerd spring break!!!

yep, i'm heading down to austin tonight, hipster glasses and all, to converge with approximately seventy trillion other geeks, nerds, techies and other assorted cool people. it's my third year at the conference, and i can't wait to get there. it's inspiring, exhausting, exhilarating, and just downright fun. plus, i get to spend an extra 6 days at home afterwards to hang out with the fam. so you'll have to excuse my absence as i spend my days geeking at out panels and my nights tracking down the coolest parties in town. oh yeah. it's gonna be epic. 

austin, are you ready?!?!

straight from gaga

"yoga makes me feel like i can do anything. lipstick makes me feel like a slut.
i only need these two things to survive."

lady gaga

heh. i love this. ok, so i don't wear lipstick, but rather than some serious, dramatic post about how yoga has changed my life, i think that quote sums it up rather nicely. nothing like some words of gaga wisdom on a saturday morning. 

(it's still) friday and i'm in love...

holy crap. from the minute i woke up late on monday morning 'til the second i finally put my butt on my couch tonight, this week has been a whirlwind, and i couldn't have asked for a better one. granted, you should take all of this with a grain of salt because i just got out of one of the best yoga classes i've ever taken, and i'm feeling higher than charlie sheen. speaking of which, guess who i'm loving this week?

the #winning mr. sheen

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alright, i'll admit, i'm conflicted about this - but hear me out. yes, this is clearly a very sick man in desperate need of help, he has five kids who need him to be sober, and there are obviously far more pressing issues for the media to be focused on 24/7. BUT. i can't help myself. the man is a walking internet meme. he was born to tweet, and 140 characters is just the perfect amount of crazy - not to mention his incredible handle on the concept of hashtags. #tigerblood, anyone? the past week has been the perfect example of why i love the internet so hard. from charlie sheen quotes as new yorker cartoons and super hero quotes to the sheen's speech and the impossible-to-ace sheen vs. gaddafi quote quiz, the internet really stepped up this week. great work, world. thanks for keeping me entertained. now charlie, time to your shit together, please.

the TED conference

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if you've never seen a TED talk, or know what this conference is all about, google it immediately please. it's basically a few days in california when the world's most brilliant people all get together and listen to even more brilliant and interesting people give 18 minute talks on 'ideas worth spreading'. my boss is attending for the second year in a row (jealousy doesn't even begin to describe the feeling), but for us normal folks left behind, he set up one of our conference rooms as a virtual TED conference. we had a livestream of all the talks, snacks and the most amazing beanbag i've ever sat in. sounds weird, but i almost did an entire post on these fatboy chairs. i spent most of my week in that room with my amazing colleagues, soaking up some knowledge and inspiration, and then, when the conference ended earlier this afternoon, putting on an hours-long loop of SNL digital shorts. goddamn, i love my job. and also TED! i'll highlight some of my favorite talks later this week.

(our very own TED)

whoopie pies. VEGAN whoopie pies.

remember that oscar round-up i promised? here's all that matters.

1) gwyneth's dress was my favorite, and i thought mila's was overrated.

2) the king's speech rocked and deserved every damn award it won, if not more.

3) i made sinfully delicious whoopie pies without a trace of butter or eggs. for reals!

these bad boys weren't just adorable, they were so so so good. as only my second vegan baking experience, i wasn't sure how they were going to turn out, but as giant sugar bombs, they satisfied my cupcake/baked goods craving and then some. i used this recipe for the cookies and then this version of frosting for the filling. 

now, if you'll excuse me, imma get my portlandia on and ride out this yoga high. what are you loving this week?