People Go Gaga Over Me

Or at least tell me that I look exactly like her at least once every day. I'll be waiting a table or getting a drink at the end of my long night, and I'll suddenly be approached with the question "Do you know who you look exactly like?". At first I thought it was just because of my hair cut, since I have really blunt, blonde bangs, but realized that I've been asked this even when I thought I was Lauren Conrad for a couple months and wore side swept bangs with long hair extensions, the epitome of exactly what Gaga is NOT. As a huge fan of her music and her originality, I see this as the blessing and a curse. The good? Maybe some people out there think that I have an unconventionality to my look, which is a good thing in my eyes. The bad? Other could speculate me to have a penis, which I will confirm right now, is not even a little bit true if it was a question in your mind.  Regardless, this is something I enjoy and something I embrace a little bit, since I think Gaga secretly has a little bit of guido inside of her, too (I've seen her rock the hoops, the leather jackets, the red nails, everything I like, basically).

The Gaga-resemblance was full force this past Tuesday evening, in which I attended the Lady Gaga concert after party at the Donovan House, a Thompsan Hotel located in Dupont Circle. With the party being held on the rooftop, there was a beautiful pool, lighting, and long chaises which I proceeded to lounge on after my feet hurt since I decided to wear my most uncomfortable shoes possible out for the evening (needless to say, they looked amazing). I was extremely impressed with the rooftop, and felt that I was at a Vegas pool party only during the evening and instead of having drunk, steroid boys as the majority, was graced by refined, gay men who were so gorgeous that I thought if I stared at them hard enough would turn straight (didn't happen). After one glass of champagne, the pool looked so beautiful that I was convinced for five minutes to jump in (I didn't), and the cocktails were generous (I was wow-ed by the huge wine pours the bartender kept giving us). The Tuesday night parties are invite only, but as most "exclusive" parties are in DC, just make sure you look nice and pretend like you're on the list, and you'll get upstairs no problem. The crowd was classy, fun, and by one o'clock when everyone was a little bit drunk, bought into take pictures with me thinking it was Gaga (although they were probably just being nice). While I've never stayed in the Donovan before, it radiates the feeling that you'd get at a boutique hotel, but still is over ten stories and was formerly a Holiday Inn. The view is priceless on the roof, and for a second, you'll forget you're in DC and think that you're in a small European city (after you've had at least three drinks, of course). 

The Donovan Hotel is located at 1155 14th Street with rooms starting at $299 a night. Trust me, you'll get to stay somewhere adorable and party with some of the most beautiful gays in DC...

See you next Tuesday,

Angela xo

The Capitol's Own Criss Angel: Josh Norris

With all of this Twilight and True Blood vampire and mysticism hoopla on the rise, it's no surprise that Americans everywhere have developed a strong fixation for magic and the supernatural. Maybe it's utilized as some sort of escape with the recession hitting everyone and all (a la my mother, Joan Milas, who likes to use for an excuse for absolutely everything) or maybe it's a subconscious model of power thirsted for by our generation, craving the idea of being able to cast a spell and manifesting one's greatest desires. Frankly, I think it's a complete BS rationalization and don't even know why I wrote that in the first place, but think that the whole *vampire schtick* right now is nothing more than a fad. This time last year, girls were throwing themselves at Daniel Radcliffe during a time dubbed as "Potter-mania", hoping that they could take a personal ride on his Quiditch broom. Now, girls are drooling over the albino vampire in one of these two shows, and frankly, I don't know what's worse; to want to have sex with a man who needs shampoo and Mystic tan and will suck your blood in between, or a pre-pubescent wizard with an unfortunate looking scar on his head.

Whatever the flavor of the week is in mysticism, there's one flavor that will always have a sense of permanence; Magic tricks. From Harry Houdini to David Copperfield to Criss Angel, magic has played a critical role in pop culture, entertaining fans on a grandoise international level. With nationally touring magic shows, hundreds of blogs dedicated to strengthening the craft, and many television shows focussed around the most impressive of their kind, magic continues to arouse the curiosity in people everywhere. 

Lucky enough for Washingtonians, we have a magician to represent the nation's capitol who has the bullet of the Angels and Blanes but for a fraction of the cost (and with the stud-factor of Criss Angel, I may add also); Interactive Magic's Josh Norris.

Growing up outside of Annapolis in farm country, Josh Norris proved from the very beginning that an interest in magicianship was not only for the Dungeons & Dragons-playing guys his age. After discovering a small magic kit, he began to develop an interest in the art when he wasn't busy playing sports or helping his parents on his beautiful stretch of farm country. Throughout high school and college, he began to take on private parties as clients, offering the most superior tricks that his abilities could offer, but soon decided it was time to specialize in a particular genre; card tricks. Known around DC for his absolutely enigmatic tricks, Norris will be able to make your card appear from close to anywhere (mind out of the gutter, please).  Considering his trade "interactive magic", he describes it as "highly visual, audience involving magic". 

Norris continues to serve as DC's prominent magic man. Voted by Washington Life Magazine as "Best Live Display of Performing Arts", Norris prides himself in working over 100 events each year. His charismatic, enthusiastic nature (and incredible looks, ladies) make him an asset to any corporate function or trade show. Catch him "disappearing" weekly every Sunday at Kemble Park Tavern (5125 Macarthur Blvd NW) at 6 pm. You'll score a good meal, some crazy tricks, and who knows, you may even end up dating a magician if you play your "cards" right. 

Abracadabra,

Angela xo

Josh Norris can be contacted at 443.992.3108 or via email at magic@joshnorris.com. Please visit him online at www.joshnorris.com to book him for your next corporate event, trade show, or bachelorette party. 

DC versus RI: A Cross-Cultural Analysis

So I promise that this whole blog will not be an obsession with discussing every Rhode Island quirk but being in Rhode Island for this long has cast some kind of spell over me. Not just because I'm sure of the fact that Georgetown's famous M Street was named to commemorate Mineral Spring Avenue or that Nick's Riverside Grill totally copied Harborside (or Hahbahside, if you're true to your roots) in East Greenwich, but probably because this state will always carry a sense of nostalgia for me in one way or another and a classiness that you'll never be able to find anywhere else.
Take, for example, this morning when I was getting my roots done at Salon D'Talia (notice the incorrect use of the apostrophe in the title). As I was trying to figure out how the stylists were able to do my hair in stilettos for three hours straight on faux-hard wood, a thirty-something woman walked in and was warmly greeted. She was friendly, well dressed, and surprisingly didn't have the distinctively guido accent that characterized most of the other clients that morning. Everyone began to tell her how great she looked and how much they had missed her. It kind of reminded me of how I felt when I returned home from studying abroad in Paris. Like this young beaut, I had lost roughly fifteen pounds, had a new sense of style and gave off an aura of newly-gained experiences. When I could fit a word in edge-wise, I asked the woman where she had returned from.
Jail, she responded ambiguously. And I thought that she had just come off from Sabbatical in Saint-Tropez.
DC and Rhode Island definitely carry their respective differences, but are quite similar, too. As I learned in one of my many SIS courses at American University, a cross-cultural analysis is instrumental in determining the main differences between two distinct groups of people. Here is my take on the important elements that differenciate the two:

Size of Captiol Cities ---> DC: 591, 833 RI: 232, 453

Distance to Shoreline ---> DC: 208 miles RI: 28 miles

Ethnic Majority ---> DC: 68.6% African American RI: 55.4% Portugeuse American

Famous Citizens ---> DC: Barack Obama, Marvin Gaye RI: Debra Messing, Audi from Megan Wants a Millionaire

State Mottos---> DC: "Justice for All" RI: "Hope"

Beloved Restaurant ---> DC: CityZen RI: Sienna Restorante & Trattoria (I don't personally agree with this at all, just quoting from Rhode Island Monthly)

Hottest Nightclub ---> DC: The Park at Fourteenth RI: Monet Lounge

Club Give-a-ways ---> DC: First class plane ticket anywhere in the world (FLY)
RI: Breast Implants (Monet Lounge)

Movies Filmed in State Location ---> DC: The Exorcist RI: Me, Myself & Irene

State Staples ---> DC: Ben's Chilli Bowl RI: Del's Lemonade

Local & Thriving Business ---> DC: Latham Law & Associates RI: Anthony's Jewelers

She-she Private School ---> DC: Georgetown Prep RI: St. Mary Academy Bay View!!!

Hipster Scene ---> DC: U Street RI: Thayer Street

Movie Theater Snack ---> DC: Glazed Chicken Wings RI: Fresh doughboys (No joke)

Young Local Socialite ---> DC: Katherine Kennedy RI: Vinnie Denofria

Okay, so this was probably just for my own enjoyment, but you get the picture. And can you believe Monet Lounge is giving away breast implants for their Labor Day Hot Body Contest prize?! Gotta love it here, I guess.

<3,
Angela

Sparkles and cleavage and neon, OH MY!

It is very rare that I have such strong convictions for a designer. The same thing happens to all of us; Without naming any names, we throw all of our trust onto the one *it* designer that seems to be all the rage until we finally make it to Bloomingdales to try on pieces for ourselves and realize that they were probably only made for the Kate Mosses, Chloe Sevignys, and Mischa Bartons (or Mushy Fartone, a la fellow blogger Perez Hilton) of the world. The cuts are in all of the wrong and most unflattering places, my love handles look like two doughboys dangling from either sides of my hips, and my breasts are pushed apart from each other in such an offensive way that it looks like I'm milking. These "designers" who supposedly sculpt the fashion ideals for each season don't cease to amaze me in how they manage to make my body look anything but fashionable when I wear their clothes.

Don't get me wrong; I definitely love and appreicate good style, read my InStyle magazine and sift through the Saks 5th Avenue sale racks in Chevy Chase at the end of each season with the endurance of an athlete. But do you know how happy it makes me when I FINALLY find a designer who actually enhances my body?

For the past two years, I've had an obsession with Sky, a moderately priced Los Angeles-based clothing line of tops and dresses that completely enhance the person lucky enough to be adorned in their regalness. Utilizing all bright and dramatic colors, Sky showcases everything from clubby halter tops to ornate maxi-dresses holding consistency in their image with the sparkly (and often heavy-but worth it) and sometimes gaudy pendents always situated beneath the bust line.

These clothes work miracles, let me tell you. With the majority of their tops having breast cups, Sky can turn Rosie O'Donnell's breasts into two perfect little LaLohan lumps. Plus, they're great for clubbing, but more importantly, great for nights of heavy eating when you still want to look sexy. Being tight in chest area but always loose from that point downward, they are a Wonderbra for the body that may leave the man for a surprise when he chooses to disrobe his prize at the end of the night. Regardless, DC girls really need to get on the band wagon with this one.

If you're looking for a deal on these sometimes expensive but necessary pieces in every woman's wardrobe, a good friend of mine from Rhode Island, Kelly Salvati, launched a very successful website that sometimes carries pieces for as much as half off! Check out http://www.shopritzyrags.com/ for some sweet deals on Sky, and along with that, a barely there midsection with Jessica Simpson boobs. Because what's better than diamond embelishments and great cleavage?

Think about it.

xo,

Angela

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