The Big Break Up

Dear Bangs,
You are really great and have always been there for me. The past couple of years have been filled with many adventures, lots of laughter and fun times. I've met some great friends through you, but I think it's time to move on. It's not you...it's me, I think we've just grown apart. I know it's going to be a really hard but hopefully not too awkward of a transition, I can't really imagine my life without you but it's time to shake things up and try something new. We might find our way back to each other someday but for now I must say goodbye to you.
xo,
Alison

Nerd Crush...

So I have serious obsession with Franklin Roosevelt. I read a biography about his presidency during WWII, No Ordinary Time, and ever since then I cannot get enough of him!

Luckily for me the cutest mom in the world, mine (!) shares my love of FDR. Although not quite to the same degree.

Last time my mom visited NYC we went up to the Roosevelt home and FDR presidential library. It was amazing, all things Roosevelt! Even the bus from the train station to the house was Roosevelt themed.

Taking photos with this bronze version of the Roosevelt's was a highlight of my day. The statues were slightly sketchy but super awesome!

I recently went to a cocktail/happy hour thing at the Roosevelt's NYC home. It was just renovated and will be the home of a new Policy program at Hunter College. They took us on a tour of the home where I learned that I knew more about the Roosevelt's then the tour guide.

I totally would've been the president of his re-election campaign. I have serious admiration for the way he ran the country during 2 difficult times in history. It takes serious guts to govern during times of crisis and he led the US through the depression and WWII. During the depression the Roosevelt administration had the kind of out of the box thinking that simply doesn't and quite possibly couldn't exist in today's political culture, even though it seems as though in this moment in history we are in desperate need for it!

ABC Family's Moral Dilemma...?

So I always assumed that ABC Family was a channel geared towards family friendly programming, you know the kinds of shows I'm talking about, shows with some sort or moral message. Basically a bunch of shows just like 7th Heaven, my idea of a nightmare. Well, their version of family shows is just plain weird and their "messages" are buried pretty deep and are often hard to find.

ABC Family is responsible for Secret Lives of the American Teenager, apparently teenagers secret lives involve sex and teen pregnancy. Let's get real, that's not really that big of a secret, right? I sadly don't watch this show so I can't really speak to it's message, but I think we can all pretty much assume how it goes. Smart girl makes a poor choice, has sex, gets pregs, must deal with the consequences of being a teen mom. She must navigate between trying to maintain her normal teenage life with being a mom. She must keep the baby because girls with morals don't do abortions or I guess adoptions...although if that happened there would be no show would there?

Sadly I do watch (and shamefully enjoy) Make It Or Break It, a show about a bunch of teenager gym stars and the drama of their lives. Being an elite gymnast is surprisingly dramatic. There's the poor girl who is forced to take a job to help support her family, her boss is a "meth head". Yes they actually refer to her as a "meth head". Then there's the overly insecure girl who got drunk and lost her precious virginity to her BFF's boyfriend and then spends the rest of the season trying to make up with the BFF and also scheming of ways to make the boyfriend fall madly in love with her. Along with underage, sex, drinking, drug use and lying by the kids we also have cheating, lying and shit talking parents. None of this seems very family friendly, does it? Well enter Candace Cameron's character, remember her from Full House? Well she's the sexy single gym manager who despite being a teenage slut now practices abstinence and preaches about Jesus and his love all while being a huge cock tease, I mean flirt! Well alrighty then, apparently under all that dramz is some kind of convoluted moral message. I guess Jesus is the magic word that gives morality to any situation...I'm going to have to remember that, thanks ABC Family.

ABC Family has a new "hit" on it's hands which signals a move away from message shows and towards campy, over stylized, over dramatic teen soap operas that seem to be targeted more for adults than teens. I don't have kids or anything but if I did, sure wouldn't let them watch this show. Centered around the lives of 4 best friends and the murder of their other best friend; it's basically a weird mystery. They are being stalked and tormented by either the girl who was supposed to be killed or the killer. Sounds confusing right? Mix in a little student teacher affair, sexuality issues, shop lifting in order to get attention, slutty single moms and cheating spouses you have a very entertaining 45 minutes of TV.

The Joy of Sunday Funday

There are so many activities to take advantage of when you live in a city like New York, it can be slightly overwhelming. However in an attempt to have a super fun summer despite the heat and be more adventurous I'm determined to do more of the free stuff this city offers.
First on my list...Summerstage, a (mostly) free concert series in Central Park. A couple weeks ago on a very hot, very muggy afternoon Raphael Saadiq played and it was the perfect opportunity to lounge with friends and a great way to beat the heat!

When I have to have a no bang day, you know it's humid, sticky and hot!

Good music, good snacks and sangria are perfect ingredients for an awesome Sunday funday with the ladies

It was also a great day to make new friends, or at least friends for the day!

Tried to be "sneaky" and get a pic with this guys shirt. Don't think it worked!

I love that outdoor concerts are the types of events where everyone can have fun

Some people napped

I am fascinated by what I see as a reemerging trend to use one's shirt/cleavage situation as a holding place for stuff. This girl was holding her Blackberry in her crop top.

Most people danced...I found this woman very entertaining.

Ok, so I hate socks and shoes and would like to be barefoot all the time if I could but it was like 100 and humid this day, how in the world was this person wearing socks!? I do have to give props for the Annie blanket though!

Saw this sign right outside the venue. Not a very welcoming family, right?

Another Steamy Day...

This is my official "it's hotter than hell NYC" jam of the day.

I don't want to seem like I'm complaining about the heat, because I'm not. It's totally hot, humid and gross out, but it's better than it being freezing puffy coat weather. I mean in reality in this kind of weather I'm only out of an air conditioned area for like less than an hour a day. As long as my hair is up and I have a fan when I'm outside it's totally fine, sweaty but fine. However, I will be happier when the mugginess goes away.

I love Bananarama and I just learned this song came out in July 1983, 27 years ago! Isn't that wild? It's hard to believe that the 80s were so long ago. I'm totally digging on the haircuts and all the overalls.

They Should Be Called Genius Phones....

I've often said that the iPhone changed my life, well until recently I wasn't sure exactly how much. A few days ago the most amazing deal came my way that I just couldn't pass up. A friend was looking to send an iPhone to someone overseas and offered me $150 for mine! This means that I can get the new iPhone for $50, which is amazing because as a slave to every new product available I've been drooling over the new iPhone! Unfortunately what I didn't realize is that that the phone was sold out everywhere! I had to sell my phone immediately so what do I do in the mean time? I can't go without a phone. Well I was able to borrow a friend’s old hot pink razor and this is when I realized that my life is dependent on the technology that the iPhone provides
The day I got the razor I had to run a bunch of errands and unlike the past few years I actually had to know where I was going. I'm used to being able to quickly Google map any location I'm trying to go and get exact subway directions, including where on the platform to stand in order to exist close to my destination. On this day I had none of that and just happened to be carrying a 15lb bag of cat litter around; needless to say I would've loved my iPhone in that moment. The other thing I can't believe I ever lived without is a full keyboard; texting on a flip phone is a nightmare!
I was lucky enough to borrow a very quirky and confusing phone with a full keyboard from another friend. Once I can figure out how to do things like turn it on/off it will totally tide me over just fine until I get my new phone. I think all in all this will be a good experience for me. It’s probably for the best to slow down and be disconnected to technology and maybe more connected to the world for a while; but just a very short while! In today's fast paced world smart phones seem to be almost a necessity; we are just too dependent/addicted on technology to not be able to check email at any time, take a funny picture and upload it to Facebook immediately, or find a bar/restaurant in an unfamiliar neighborhood. I definitely appreciate the ease and convenience smart phones have brought to our lives and I won’t take my pretty new phone for granted at all!

WTF Wednesday...Damn You Apple!

So I'm a marketing person's wet dream. I basically feel like I need every new product that comes out! It ranges from snacks to shoes to electronics, if it's new I want it! My newest craving is the iPad, I am so mad at Apple for their clever ad campaign that I'm convinced was made especially so I would go crazy lusting over this new gadget. When it was first introduced I was confused as to what the iPad was, I thought it was a really big phone. When I found out what it was I thought it seemed pointless and way to expensive.
Well that was until this commercial which uses colorful adjectives to make me drool: thin, beautiful and magical. They called it a revolution and I love to be ahead of the trends. It's like they knew some of my favorite things and have worked them into the commercial just to tempt me! They used both Winnie the Pooh and Edward Kennedy's memoir True Compass (I love the Kennedy's) and it's working...I'm tempted! The worst part is that it still seems slightly pointless and way too expensive only now I don't care, I just want to own it! Damn you Apple!

Cute Kittens Everywhere!!

You know people talk a lot about their kids and their dogs but for some reason it's considered weird or sad to always talk about your cats. Well I'm not having it! I have these super attractive cats that I should be able to show off without being judged as a sad cat lady.

They started out so little! Herman and Matilda, the sweetest cutest kittens siblings ever. They were rescue kittens and the ASPCA makes you adopt kittens in pairs; everyone wants a buddy right?


Herman has turned into a huge majestic man cat. He's extremely handsome, a bit of a couch hog, a bit of a bully and a total scaredy cat (no pun intended)! He hides in the shower whenever he hears a loud scary noise.


Matilda has turned into quite the supermodel! She has the face of an angel but don't mess with her! She's very ladylike and a bit of a snob. Just like any good model she loves make up and sadly has a bit of a weight issue.

I was very happy with Herman and Matilda, having 2 cats is perfect. There's 2 humans that live in the apartment, the cats can keep each other company, you don't have to worry that 1 is lonely. I was very happy with this situation.

Well over Thanksgiving weekend we came home to find this lying right outside the front door of my apartment....

This little girl was skinny and dirty and her whiskers were totally uneven but she was so cute and spunky I had to take her in. She captured my heart immediately, and while an effort was made to find her a new home I think she knew we belonged together.

Eliza Doolittle has had no trouble fitting right in! Even though she's the littlest she basically runs the show and bosses the other 2 around.

Herman has definitely accepted his new little sister. They are homies. Matilda on the other hand has no time for another bitch up in her area. They have yet to really bond.



Recently Eliza had a legion on her back and needed to keep it covered so she wouldn't scratch it. She ruined the gauze wife beater the vet put her in so she was put in this lovely tee shirt. She was super unhappy about it....but I sure thought it was funny!

Herman was nice enough to also wear a tee shirt while his sister was convalescing. He's a nice big brother aka it's super funny and awesome to put him in a tee shirt!

It's a little crazy to have 3 cats in a NYC apartment, it feels a bit like a zoo sometimes. However even though 3 cats is a lot I love them all and feel grateful they've let me into their lives! That being said, 3 is it! Another kitten better not show up on my doorstep! If the amount of animals doubles the amount of people in an apartment that's when you've crossed into crazy town!

The Body Image Peril

Here's a story....
Recent Saturday night. Get ready to go out, take a lot of time on my hair, try not to get too discouraged when I don't love how it turns out. Pick out an outfit I've been excited to wear for a while, a vintage purple silk jumpsuit paired with a ton of ghetto gold and some heels. Checking my self out in the mirror and feeling pretty good about myself. Head out for the evening. Fast forward 12 hours to when I get a look at the photos documenting the evening and all my self esteem goes right out the window. How can I feel so good about an outfit when clearly on film I look like a fat cow?
This story isn't unique to that particular Saturday or even to just me. So many beautiful, awesome women I know have crazy body image issues and we are so hard on ourselves about them. My self consciousness about the way I look sometimes actually prevents me from just letting go and having a good time. If there's a camera around I'm more concerned with how I'll look in a picture then just enjoying the moment. I was recently reading my dear friend Olivia's blog talking about how critical she is of her cellulite but at the same time gives props to ladies that don't let a little cellulite dictate their fashion choices. See when I look her I see a total babe with a body to die for. I'm jealous of her flat stomach and nice rack. I hate that we notice flaws about ourselves that others barely pay attention to.
This has got me thinking why can't we accept our bodies they way they are? I talk a lot about self acceptance but always seem to revert back to being overly critical of myself, it's completely ridiculous! I can think about acceptance just fine, it's feeling it that's the trouble. I know that this is the body I have and while I can workout and be healthy there are some features that aren't going to change. Since this is the case I need to feel appreciative of what I was born with everyday instead of just sometimes! Instead of finding flaws first I need to start with finding what's positive about a picture or outfit or whatever! The problem is this is easier said than done; I wish it was as easy as flipping a switch in my brain. Alas, I think it will take a bit more effort than that...can anyone say affirmations?!

WTF Wednesday...The Grossness of Celebrity

I don't know what the tipping point was but the obsession over the celebrity has reached a level of grossness that I don't want to be a part of. I have always been a fan of pop culture but celebrity culture has become too wrapped up in pop culture. I sit at a desk all day long and it's hard not to follow the world of celebrities. But I've had enough!

The term celebrity has also taken on a new and disgusting definition. People used to become famous for being talented (actor, singer, athlete) or sometimes being a politician, or the wife or child of a politician led to fame (the Kennedy's). With that fame came some kind of responsibility to try and behave in a certain way, not that olden timey day celebrities were perfect but they were held to higher standards then the "celebrities" of today. These days it seems almost anyone can become famous and for doing almost anything, look at the Kardashians. They are everywhere, but why? Has the whole family has become famous because of Kim Kardashian's ass and sex tape, really? Now they have a reality show, a line of clothes, a line of weight loss products and probably a whole bunch of other stuff. It's weird!

Back in the 60s John F Kennedy was forever cheating on his wife and the press didn't cover it. Even more unbelievable is that even though Franklin Roosevelt was basically paralyzed from polio he was never photographed in a wheelchair. That just would not happen today. We've seen what happens in today's world...can anyone say impeachment hearing? Today JFKs mistresses would be all over the media! There would be new stories and photo spreads, they would become "famous." I imagine FDRs handicap would have made it impossible for him to become Pres but if he was elected he would be photographed, ridiculed and the Rush Limbaugh's of the world would talk shit about if it made him a better/worse leader.


Today we are bombarded with celebrity bullshit all day every day. There are gossip blogs that spend their days talking smack about celebrities - perez hilton has gone so far as to call certain celebries babies ugly. These websites often use painful experiences that people have (drug addiction, infidelity) and make money off of it. It is disgusting and it makes me feel really bad for famous people. Paparazzi follows celebrities around, often creating dangerous situations, just for a picture of Jessica Alba going grocery shopping. It seems so intrusive...

But wait! Because at the same time these gossip blogs are spreading rumors the celebrities themselves are over sharing their lives on Facebook and twitter. It's so weird! I can find out what Puff Daddy, Ashton Kutcher and Nicole Richie are doing every second of every day. There is a milkshake shop in Hollywood that got all this "press" and all these celebrities to create milkshakes; there's a Miley Cyrus shake and a Pamela Anderson vegan shake. Well this shop is actually owned by a member of the paparazzi. Yuck.

Well I say enough is enough! Let's live our own lives. Let's want to look up to people for creating positive change in the world not for creating a reality show or sex tape. The only way that these people will cease to exist is if we stop going to the websites or buying the mags! Oprah has a no texting while driving campaign well I want to start a no celebrity gossip blogs while working campaign...who's with me!

The Drama of the Future!

Here's a question I wish I would've taken a little bit more serious.....What do you want to be when you grow up? When you're a kid this question is asked of you all the time and given that the world is still your oyster answers like "I either want to be president, an actress, a doctor or a Jazzercise teacher" are all totally acceptable answers. As you get a little older we are expected to narrow down these choices and eventually (and by eventually I mean by the end of college) have it figured out. So much pressure!

So what if you don't figure it out? Well that's the question I'm trying to answer. It seems so daunting to try and figure out the future. My life is passing me by and I still haven't found any kind of field I want to throw myself into. (If only I could I find a career that involves getting paid to give people my opinions that would be perfect! I'm super good at that already and I really like it. If anyone knows of a job like that; PLEASE let me know!) Sure I have a lot of things I'm interested in: marketing, PR, public policy, buying, trend forecasting, sportscasting just to name a few, but I feel equally as interested in all of them. I'm generally an indecisive person but this is beyond indecisive. The stress of not knowing "what I want to be when I grow up" has begun to feel like a pre-pre-mid life crisis.
So I thought maybe I should revisit the options of my youth...


I'm totally down to be President but besides the fact that I'm unsure I could handle the pressure of leading the free world not to mention the fact I have a feeling my past would get in the way....damn skeletons! All those fun times in High School would come back to bite me!

So maybe I should look into acting. I could be an actress, I do have a flair for the dramatic! However the best thing about being an actress would be to win a Oscar and since I've already held an Oscar I guess I can retire before I've even started...?

Alright, next on the list is becoming a doctor! Um...I don't think I could be a doctor now. I basically failed High School chemistry so I'm not really off to a good start. And I wouldn't graduate and be ready to be an actual doctor until I was like 150 years old! BUT I could be an actress who plays a doctor on TV! That would sort of be like killing 2 birds with 1 stone, right? Too bad George Clooney isn't still on ER...oh and that ER isn't a show anymore.


Well that leaves Jazzercise! It's really too bad there's no more Jazzercise anymore because I would love to do that. The outfits alone are to die for! I LOVED my mom's Jazzercise teacher so much I think I went as her for Halloween once. Today I'd have to become either a yogi or a pilates instructor or I guess I could teach stripper aerobics. None of those options sound that great. I don't think kids want to be a yoga instructor for Halloween as the outfit is boring; and if a child has the opportunity to see what a stripper instructor is wearing then we have so many other problems!

I guess I really just need to remember how happy I was as a little girl with all the options I had in front of me. Life was still an adventure and the unknown wasn't as scary as it seems to be today. The future was something to be excited about not something to be stressed over. I know I will find my path in life, my journey might longer than I want it to be, but I have to remember that's ok!