Post-grad.

I usually consider myself an optimist, however, sometimes you have to call it like it is. No sugar coating - life can be tough. Someone once explained to me that life if full of peaks and valleys. I currently find myself in a valley. A deep, dark valley. This valley is known as the post-collegiate life.

After four years of living off your parents dime, you're on your own. Any semblance of idealism that you developed during college quickly disappears when you realize that you'll never see a large portion of your paycheck (if you're one of the lucky ones who has found employment in the worst recession in our country's' history). The apartments are shoeboxes, New York public transportation is frightening and you can't afford the designer duds that only a few months ago made The Devil Wears Prada/young professional struggle seem worth it. Fighting the good fight while wearing Loubitans and the perfect Catherine Malandrino dress didn't seem that bad when I day-dreamed about it during my three hour commencemenet ceremony a year ago.

Finding employment wasn't easy for me and is still a challenge for many of my peers. Considering the economic state of the country, we are forced to compete with our friends and older professionals who are seeking employment due lay-offs.

When I first returned home after graduation, my mother encouraged me to get creative and said that I should always be looking for a job. A few days later, I went out for the night with a few of my close friends. At our first stop of the night, as we ordered a few beers, I was approached by three older gentlemen who inquired about the color of my dress (a conservative Lilly Pullitzer number - don't hate, I went to college in Connecticut). I told them it was cerulean. I have always played close attention to detail. I guess they enjoyed my answer and introduced themselves. All three worked in advertising, so as a Comm. major and a former advertising intern, I asked for their advice about how to find a job in advertising. All three gave me their cards and I took my mother's advice and followed up with them the next day.

Maybe it was my own naivete, or the fact that I had blatently mentioned my boyfriend at the time, but I was surprised (shocked, even) to receive the following response to my email inquiry...



This e-mail was followed up with many emails from this individual saying that he was "willing to help" I did not reply to any of them. This was my first glimpse at the reality of post-grad life and taught me that I'd have to expect this sort of thing going forward (a sense of humor is imperative).

If I had responded, it would have sounded like this:

Dear Steve,

You are old enough to be my father. You should be more careful when you try to pick up girls in Murray Hill under the guise of helping them out with their careers, as most of them are 17.

Regards,
Cait

So I found a job and got an apartment in a great location where I could park my car outside. Too good to be true? Yes. I awoke last Saturday morning to find that someone had stolen "Big Red", my crappy 1997 Honda CRV, leaving me car-less. I decided to craft the following poster to be the good neighbor and warn everyone who might also park in front of the building.



I hope this at helps out my neighbors. I also hope they enjoy the cartoon. I feel as though the cartoon accurately reflects my emotions: my gypsy tears and the pain of realizing that I no longer have a car and now that I need save for a new car, I will never be able to afford the larger Louis Vuitton bag that I currently refer to as the "Mama" of my current bag. Baby is an orphan.

The shining beacon of hope among this bleak period in your life is that you're not in it alone. All of your friends are here with me and we can commiserate with each other.

Here's an email that one of my friends recently had to send to her landlord:



Here's to being 23 and broke. Life's an adventure.

Sainz is No Saint

There's no question in my mind that Ines Sainz was not treated as a professional journalist upon entering the NY Jets' locker room earlier this season. Of course she wasn't - professionals journalists do not wear skin tight jeans, heels and mid-drift halter tops with plunging neck lines to work. Sainz is no victim. Sainz is a woman with a closet full of skimpy clothing.

Let's rewind back a few years: Erin Andrews is a young reporter, who is breaking barriers for women in her field. While getting dressed in her private hotel room, a man photographed her without her consent. This man illegally took pictures of the young journalist and displayed them for the world to see. She was a victim.

If you are ever to watch Erin Andrews on the sidelines of a football game, take note of her outfit and makeup choices. Andrews, who is undoubtedly attractive, dresses like a professional and conducts herself as such. She wears conservative clothing, as she is there to do a job. She has an enormous amount of respect for both herself and her career. She is aware that she is a role model for hundreds of young girls and continues to further her career through hard work and dedication.

No woman deserves to be sexually harassed, but Ines Sainz does not deserve sympathy for being the subject of locker room cat calls when she dresses like a pussycat doll. A great journalist should be selling the fact that they possess strong communication skills, an eye for a great story and the ability to deliver excellent coverage in their area of expertise, not the way they can fit in jeans that are two sizes too small.

You will never see a male journalist enter a woman's locker room to conduct a post-game interview with his shirt unbuttoned to his mid-chest. He would be fired immediately.

It saddens me that this woman, who has so little respect for herself and her career, has garnered the amount of media attention that she has. If this woman did not expect the reaction she got from her outfits, she is dumber than the person who sued McDonalds because they were burned by their hot coffee. But, this is America. The coffee-burned genius won their case and Ines continues to press coverage and a pity party. I maintain that this isn't a case of ignorance. So, thank you, Ines, for the crack in a road that woman like Erin Andrews and Andrea Kremer so gracefully paved in an industry dominated by men.

Bemba Beauty

September 17th is a special day. Since 2005, this day has been spent celebrating the birth of one of my closest friends, Elizabeth. By now, you can tell that I am BIG on birthdays. This year and last, however, we have not been able to celebrate this momentous occasion in our usual way (which typically involves shopping and primping for the theme bash of Eliz's choice) as she is currently serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia, Africa. I can't tell you how proud I am of her.

Elizabeth is one of the most stylish people I know. Throughout college, she managed to make even her gym outfits chic and perfectly accessorized. She taught me how to layer and even introduced me to Benefit's Benetint. I recently wrote her to ask her about how her experience has changed her views of beauty and style.


CG: What is your daily beauty regimen in Zambia?

EO: I start my day by writing in my journal, getting fire and water boiling. Once these things are completed, I do about 15-30min of yoga as i wait for my coffee/tea water. After that, I wash my face with tea tree oil on a cotten swab and moisturize. Then I put on an SPF 50 sunscreen (or higher), brush my teeth and floss.


Eliz, doing yoga with a pint-sized admirer at her side.


CG: Has your time in the Peace Corps changed your self image/the way you
feel about needing to apply makeup/to do your hair/dress?

EO: Yes! I feel like so much more of a girlie girl now. It has abled me to embrase my feminine side a lot more. I wear more nail polish and when in a city, I wear makeup because it's fun and something that I don't/ can't often do. Also I live in an enviornment were curves are considered beautiful and being fat is sought after! Here, a compliment you'd pay to someone after not seeing them for a while is telling them "Bamaayo! You have grown VERY fat!" I don't like this very much but I'm starting to get used to it.

I only have a very small mirror that is nailed to my wall at a height were I have to really try to see myself when I want to. This has caused me to have more confidence in just being me and to care less about what I look like. It's interesting because when I am around mirrors again, the self-consciousness returns bit more than I would like. As for my hair...it is very short and head bands are my best friend.

CG: What surprises the people from Zambia most about you, being an American girl?

EO: That I want my skin to be darker, that I'm not fat (nor do i want to become fat) and that I chose/wanted to come to a place where I had to give up modern day conveniences.

CG: What is a typical days outfit?

EO: I do a lot of biking and walking,so I find it best to wear things that I can easily move around it. It's also really easy to get filthy fast, so sometimes I wear the same thing for a few days straight. I have night clothes to wear when I get home and after I clean up, then day clothes that put on again in the morning. This also helps me to fit in - a Zambian can go a week without changing their clothes once (which is understandable when you only have a few sets).

I wear either dresses or skirts that have been made for me out of chitenge, the traditional cloth that is worn by all women, or lose fitting pants. In the village it is very inappropriate to wear tight clothes or show off more than a bit of your calf.

CG: What do people who are native to Zambia do to get ready/primp that may
be different from Americans?

EO: People primp themselves here in ways that we may think is over the top or gaudy. To them, this is beautiful. They only know fashion from the over the top ads or in movies.

They try to express status through the way they dress when going out. At a special event, they will wear everything nice thing they have all at once, even if it does not match.

CG: How much do you miss your BFF, Cait?

EO: More than she can imagine. I miss drinking diet coke, going shopping, talking about boys, and having her support. [Editor's note: I agree on all counts and you always have my support.]


Elizabeth continues to be stylish and maintains her ability to accessorize while entering her final year with the Peace Corps with red wayfarers and a key necklace that Tiffany & Co. made ever so popular this year. Perfection. You go girl.

Movin' on out.

I am finally flying the coop after a year of post-college home living! Here are some ways that we're thinking of decorating our new home...

C'est la living room:



The bedroom:



And the bathroom:



Neither of us are big cooks, but I suppose we could use a recommendation on how to make our kitchen cute - and them some cooking lessons.

What do you think of our choices?

La La La La Labor Day!

Happy almost Labor Day to all those working folks out there! Labor Day means four things: You can no longer wear white, summer is over, you get a three day weekend and there's only about a month until my birthday! I'm not one of those people who says things like "My birthday's not a big deal. It's fine". In fact, I love my birthday.

I was out to dinner the other night to celebrate my father's 55th birthday and my sister joked that it would be funny if she pretended like she forgot my birthday. I told her that this would not be "funny" and that there would be definite repercussions. I can't understand how omitting the celebration of Molly Ringwald's 16th birthday did not lead to her having permanent/severe issues, however she does star on the show The Secret Life of an American Teenager, so there you go. If I were Molly, I would have gone crazier than Naomi Campbell in a Verizon Wireless store.

I apologize for that long winded rant about my birthday. It's really not about presents and cake at all, but about having a great time with your friends and family and celebrating you. There is nothing wrong with that! I lied a little. It really isn't about presents, but cake is always important.

In order to have a great time, I need to look the part. I need to feel good in order to have fun. This is not sad - I get this trait from my mother. I love birthday dresses! Last year, I wore a structured, one-shoulder French Connection number that I absolutely adored. It was a gift from my mother, so it's that much more special. I also wore it on New Year's Eve. It's a great go-to cocktail dress for the fall and holiday seasons.

Last night I purchased two lovely dresses for this year's festivities. I am planning on wearing the Blue on the night of my birthday. How would YOU wear this dress? Leave no detail out: shoes, jewelry, bag, coat, other accessories, hair, nails, make-up, the works!



I also found this dress, which I got for a steal of $68 dollars. There's nothing that I like better than a good deal, except of course, cake. Check it out:



Labor Day weekend is a great time to shop, as fall clothing has arrived at most department stores (Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Lord & Taylor) and there's a possibility you might get these new items on sale! Nothing better than starting of a season with great looks that didn't break your bank.

Have a great weekend!

Benny-Wenny-Boo-Boo-Boo.

My all-time favorite romantic comedy is a film called How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days starring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. I HIGHLY suggest watching this film and so I will not go into specific details of the plot. I will, however, commend the film's writers, as they were able to craft arguably the most embarrassing array of pet names given to any male in the history of time. The main character of the film, Ben, is lovingly referred to as "Benny-Wenny-Boo-Boo-Boo", "Benji" and "Princess Sophia". Though this comedy is in no way a portrait of a normal/healthy relationship, perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to judge these or any other pet names.

The Journal of Social and Personal Relationships once published a study which found that pet names are very healthy for a relationship. Pet names signify that a couple feels close enough to develop their own language and culture. This is an example of positive communication, which makes for a happy relationship.

Think of any close romantic or non-romantic relationship in your life. I bet you (and I'm no gambler) that you can think of a pet name or nick-name that you have been given or have given to someone else. My best friend/college roommate and I have countless nicknames for each other. Some of these names are more endearing than others, but they've all grown from an event or a detail that we've experience in our history together. When we use these names, our positive relationship is reinforced.

Simon and Garfunkel and even John and Abigail Adams had secret names that they used when communicating with one another.

What pet names have you given/been given?

In the spirit of pet names, I'd like to dedicate this post to my pet.



The happiest of 25th birthdays to you, boo-boo-boo-boo-boo.

Hair we go.

Today I casually read (stalked) the blog of a good friend (stranger) who was in need of some hair advice. She wanted to know secrets of how to keep hair healthy.

As a fellow dirty blond, I am familiar with what those pretty little pale highlights can do to your hair....

1. We'll start out simple: Do not wash your hair everyday. By using shampoo and conditioner daily, you constantly strip natural oils from your hair and then replace them. If you find that your hair gets greasy after going a day without washing it, baby powder is a great trick to absorb excess oil.

If you're not too thrilled about putting baby powder in your tresses, follow Rachel Zoe's lead and use The All Nighter Styling Powder. This powder comes in many colors to reflect the natural or dyed shade of your hair. It absorbs icky oil and leaves your hair looking just about as fabulous as it did before.

2. Avoid your flat iron! I am guilty of breaking this rule. My Chi and I are best friends. If you HAVE to straighten your hair every day a la Sammi Sweetheart, use a heat-protective cream on your hair before you do it! I like Kiehls' Heat Protective Silk Straightening Cream. Kiehls can do no wrong in my book.

Every once in a while, it is very important to give your hair a little break. Why not go grunge for a few days or get in touch with your inner hippie?

3. Get in the kitchen, ladies. What does this mean? There are many at home remedies that you can use to make your hair look and feel healthier -- and most of these can be found in your home. Olive oil, beer, chamomile tea and even mayonnaise have all been known to help make your hair look and feel more beautiful. If you really think about it, have you ever seen a St. Pauli girl with limp, broken hair?

Now go and let your hair grown until a really handsome prince can climb it without you feeling a thing. Talk about having some tricks up your sleeve...