Top schools in Massachusetts: MyFoxBOSTON.com

I think doing television is easier when you don’t think about it. Or at least that’s how it went this time. Since I oversaw the magazine’s Best Schools issue for September, I got the chance to talk it up a bit on our local Fox affiliate. What you can’t see is the extra set of cue cards we used so I’d be able to keep the awards straight. If the president can use a teleprompter, I can use a cue card, right?

I’m exhausted from a whirlwind visit to San Francisco this weekend, but this photo makes me feel contemplative and at ease. It’s actually a color photograph taken at the gorgeous Pier 24 photography museum, a 28,000 square foot space that only allows in 20 guests at a time. The current exhibit has some of the masters from the 20th century: Arbus, Friedlander, Eggelston, and Evans, among others, and its white walls are unadorned—without nameplates or explanations. It’s an aesthetic explained on its website with the simple phrase: “A place to view and think about photography.” It was just exquisite.

My profile of the very cool, community-oriented neighborhood of Mount Rainier in Prince George’s County for Urban Turf is just out. I wandered around while Tim got to take his grandfather’s bikes to the co-op and work on them. Nice deal on that end. Things of note: The sweet potato cupcakes at Delectable Cakery are fabulous, as is hanging out with the owner of the antique shop on the corner of Route 1 and 34th street. He’s a hoot. An excerpt:

There’s no one way to describe Mount Rainier.

“It’s a group of well-educated, politically-minded, middle class people, both elderly and young,” said Vincent Philips, a partner in local bakeshop Delectable Cakery.

“It’s a socially aware community, with an anti-war contingent, strong GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) presence, and a simple living element,” says P.J. Park, who co-founded the neighborhood’s bike co-op.

“Takoma Park at half the price and twice the diversity,” writes one local blogger, perhaps most succinctly.

Given that the tight-knit century-old community boasts an arts district, a food co-op, an active e-mail listserv and even a silo full of corn used to heat homes, perhaps it would best be described as Park Slope, Brooklyn meets Ames, Iowa. However, nowhere in Park Slope are you going to find as affordable homes as you will in Mount Rainier.

[Read the rest of the story here]

I used to love the idea of hiding stuff when I was a kid, an always kinda wanted those shaving cream cans with the unscrewable bottoms where you could keep stuff safe. Along those same lines, I loved fake books where you could hide your secrets, and have contemplated making myself one, just for fun. But these Book Clutch handbags from Kate Spade are way more stylish and cool. Plus you can download the artwork that appears on their covers, which was based on original book designs from Penguin. Fun!

I took this shot this weekend in New York, pausing to snap it with my iPhone before dashing across the street, ducking into Grand Central, hopping on the six, riding uptown, changing my clothes, grabbing in a cab, eating dinner with a friend in SoHo, then grabbing another cab to the Lower East Side where I went into an unmarked bar–with a list–to celebrate my friend’s birthday. That’s after an already full day (eight hours!) of bridesmaid dress shopping, plus some brunch and beers tossed in. And you know what? As overwhelming as it was, I was completely calm. And this photo absolutely captured it.

When I first moved away from New York, I found that when I came back I’d feel slightly overwhelmed. The buildings were so tall and the streets so dirty compared to D.C. It was as much about the differences between the two places as it was about the shock of not being there, I realize. But now, after being gone for a while, I find myself on autopilot when I’m back. Subways make sense, and my own sensibilities get pushed back to where I’d left them. Yes, it’s still ridiculous to wander through SoHo and see price tags that could cover my rent for two or three months, but it’s also a relief to be able to sit down amongst friends feeling completely overwhelmed and know that you’re in a place where everyone struggles and fights to make a name for themselves. And you can tap back into that collective sense of pride that yes, often manifests itself in the ugly ways, but also makes you feel so lucky to be there, in the midst of it all.

So yeah, I’m feeling a little homesick. And I’m not going to lie, the song Empire State of Mind hasn’t been helping it at all. And just when I want to go and get mad at Alicia Keyes and Jay-Z for making me a nostalgic mess, the kids of P.S. 22 have to go and make my heart burst with longing for home. Oh New York.

I try not to be that girl that obsesses over her relationship, but when you get engaged, it’s kind of a big deal. Particularly when it’s in the spot where you went on your first date eight years ago in Boston. I’m a lucky girl.

I checked out my first roller derby this weekend, cheering on Bikini Killer (aka Jen) and the Cherry Blossom Bombshells in a very close match (is it a match? I feel like Zoolander) against the D.C. DemonCats.

It was so close, in fact, that I came close to brawling on the sidelines with a few overzealous fans from the opposing team (I think you can hear me say “shut your mouth” in the video). Now, I just need to pick out a roller derby name and learn to skate. Oh wait, there’s a Roller Derby name generator:

My brand-new Roller Derby Name is Belle Cantankerous.
Take MIA PSYCHO’S ROLLER DERBY NAME GENERATOR today!

Well then, there we go.