Do This! PLEASE.

The Thomson Reuters StreetApps Challenge has been keeping me tres busy as I crank away the day from atop Times Square. VOTE NOW, or forever hold your peace. It takes .5 seconds.

OK, enough of my shameless work plug... Though I must send a special thanks to NB & SA for being my most rapid voters. You ladies are fab. Much love.

Anyhow, big things are coming up! Yet again, I'm skipping town for the weekend, this time, to -- you guessed it! -- Cape Cod, for another 48 hours of poolside Skinnygirl Margaritas and pub hopping with ML, AC, and company. My "tan" needs a major update from its recent retreat back to its wonderful white, so thanks to the man upstairs for an awesome looking forecast! In the meantime, I have my first Stonehill Alumni Happy Hour to look forward to, in which BT and I will surely represent what it means to be a happening young alumnae.

In other news, I've started watching True Blood... YOWZA.

Ta Ta to the Tar Tar

Spontaneity is something I love to embrace--something made especially evident by my out-of-the blue jaunt to Cape Cod for the 4th of July. This Friday, in a similar fashion, my evening erupted into awesomeness out of no where. After meeting the newly-crowned yoga extraordinaire JE, boyfriend CV, and an entire room of sickly toned arms for a celebratory happy hour at Bamboo 52, ML joined us at STK for an insanely delish meal. Compliments of the far too generous CV himself, my meal included a fig salad, seared tuna, and quite a few extra extra extra dirty martinis. And to top it off, the manager, saddened that our tuna tartar appetizer was still MIA by the time our entrees were wiped clean, brought us a complimentary dessert plattar. Hello, heaven!

From there, obligatory bar hopping followed... How's everyone holding up in this heat wave?!

Recent [non-]Splurges

Once upon a time, I read between 50 and 100 books each summer. I'm not kidding. I spent the greater portion of my early to mid-teens slaving away at my town's public library, and was always the first to have the hottest new young adult chick lit in my hands for an afternoon of beach-side perusal. I know. I was insanely cool--but not as cool as I am now, when I ride the M train with my B&N Nook. Torn between it and the Kindle, I opted for the cheaper e-reader. Come on--it was a no brainer. Now, I have the company of Kelly Cutrone's If You Have To Cry, Go Outside to keep me revved while trekking my way into Manhattan from my darling Queens. And let me tell you a-something, if you need an awesome, ka-pow kind of book to motivate you through some dark times, check out Kelly's frighteningly blunt memoir. It's fab. And it also makes me reallllly want to travel to India...

Continuing my splurges, I finally bought this bag, which I've been eying on this blog for the past year. It's enormous and well on its way to becoming a bottomless pit, but it's the perfect solution to commuting with a laptop and/or change of clothes, completely in style, and with minimal neck pain.

Next up: an SLR camera... but that'll take some time. Happy Monday!

FLF and more!

Today is a good day—so good, that I’ve almost forgotten about how at 7:26 this morning, just seconds after taking the tiniest sip of my traditional Friday Dunkin’ Donuts unsweetened, extra lemony iced tea, that oh do delicious bevy dropped from it’s extremely secure holster between my knees and the subway seat onto the floor of the M train, splattering all over my favorite jeans, my inherited gold shoes, and a collection of frustrated commuters. No big. I survived.


Today is a good day because (1) it’s FLF here at TR. Fun Lunch Friday, a long-standing tradition, has become the best way to bust into the weekend with a bang. Today, we’re Shake Shack bound. (2) Continuing my obvious obsession with food, today marks my third time dining at Butter for Restaurant Week, which is sure to be an awesome evening. (3) And finally, it’s pay day. Hallelujah.


Happy Friday! I hope yours all go fabulously, too!

Taking a Dip

Well hello there! What's cooking everyone? I spent a faboosh weekend back on Long Island, soaking up some rays, dabbling with some errands, and celebrating college graduations with some family. A special congrats to my cousin S is certainly in order. He's bound for Fordham Law this fall, so I'm psyched to have him join me in the big citay come September. But more importantly, his graduation bash was a pool side extravaganza, making it the perfect antidote to the heat wave that's currently wrecking havoc on NYC. Plus, he served up some Firefly-Lemonades, a cocktail that brings me back to my wild weekend at Notre Dame, during which ML and I culminated the festivities by trekking from South Bend, IN to Chicago, IL in less than an hour. Kids, don't try that at home.

Speaking of ML, I'm going to leave you with a recent quote of hers that definitely sums up a puzzling sight to me, as well. And by quote, I mean Facebook status. As it goes, "[ML] wants to know how other girls in NYC can look attractive/non-sweaty & not have frizzy hair at the end of the day in this heat? I've been in awe the past three days of non-wrinkled outfits and smooth hair. Tell me your secrets!!!"

Any miraculous secrets? Help us working girls out!

fabulous for foodies

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ve probably learned that there are few things—if any—that I enjoy more than food. My love of all things culinary began back in the day, during my foray with baby obesity. I mean, I was certainly a damn cute piece of Irish infancy, but I existed as one big ball of baby blubber. Obviously, the onset of Restaurant Week has me literally shaking for the flavors to come. There’s literally nothing better in a foodie’s world than New York’s two-week-long ode to creative kitchen concoctions. Things are shaping up in a way that the entire contents of my next paycheck will fall victim to price fixe food... but that is 110% divine. Here’s where I’m headed so far, but knowing me, the list is sure to grow…

Park Ave. Summer, the Upper East Side spot famous for décor and menus that morph with the seasons.

Megu, the TriBeCa sushi spot that Bethenny and Jason frequented on the premier of Bravo’s newest hit.

Butter, the NoHo palace of “New Americian” cuisine, which has become a restaurant week fixture in my vida loca.

Ajna Bar, the Meatpacking’s old Buddhabar, where a Top Chef's Chef Hung now showcases his stuff.

Can you give me a YUM?

Back to the Bean I Go

Tomorrow marks a milestone in my journey to CEO status (ha). I'm going on my very first business trip. Granted, I'll be traveling to and from Boston in (essentially) less time than last Saturday's morning bus ride to Cape Cod, but it's still a moment that would be photographed and sent to my Grandparents if I still lived at home with my proud Mamadukes.

This week is gonna fly.......

Skip town? OK.

When a wet and wild weekend for the 4th of July seemed a little bleak, the ultra fab ML came to my rescue. In a fit of intense spontaneity, I booked a bus from NYC to Hyannis just 9 hours before departure time, and spent my weekend permanently perched on a poolside lounge chair at ML's Harwichport summer home. While only two-fifths of the L fam were in town for the Cape's most notorious weekend, we had a blast hopping between bars, beaches, and barbecues. Check out my sweet tan in the picture below--and MB's very awesome beach bun! ;-)In other news, I'm completely enamored with my job! While my free time has gone slightly pouf, I have nothing to complain about. A member of the "Mobility Team," I get paid to play with iPads and Blackberries. It's an exciting and cutting-edge industry that's keeping me interested and occupied--but not as much as my weekly shenanigans! Last weekend's highlight was attending the Veuve Cliquot-sponsored polo match on Governor's Island, an event which got my picture to both Page Six and E! News. I kid you not! When the alluring Prince Harry fell off his horse mid-match, the photogs snapped away, capturing two blushing and beautiful brunettes in the background. Some day, BT and I plan to be the actual subjects of the Page Six photos, but for now, we'll settle for blending into the background.
Until next time,

KR