Good for you US Weekly!

While we're happy to provide you with work-avoiding Paris Hilton stories all day long here at Usmagazine.com, we realize that Paris, like paperwork, is not something you want to take home with you.

That's why this week's issue of Us Weekly is 100% Paris-free!

From front cover to fashion police there are no mentions, no pictures, and nary a "that's hot" to be seen.

So when you're enjoying your weekly bath with the mag, there's no need to worry about Paris bursting your bubbles

Bravo. Golf claps. Standing ovations for US Weekly. I don't know about you but I am so sick of hearing about Paris Hilton. I understand girlfriend's got money and that her dad owns a few hotels (okay more than a few...) but seriously, I'm over it. I was over it awhile ago. Although I must admit, I found the judicial part of this scandal quite interesting. The chaotic few days of Paris being in jail, Paris being on house arrest and Paris being BACK in jail were mildly entertaining to the say the least. The sheriff had a case of celeb-itis and thought he'd get away with it. Not so much.

US Weekly has caught a lot of flack for this decision to pull out of the interview and people are complaining they are a gossip mag, its their job to report the celebrity gossip. While yes, I agree they are definately a celeb tabloid and not the New Yorker, the magazine is still written, edited and manufactured by human beings. They've gotta be just as sick of Paris as I am...its a sad sad day in America when the breaking news on CNN is a socialite being freed from her jail sentence, which came as a result of her own laziness and stupidity (you're worth like $15 billion dollars and you can't afford yellow cab on a Friday night? or better yet, a driver?)and let's face it, she's not famous because of her numerous Academy Award nods or outstanding musical talents. She's famous for her ability to utter "thats hot" during the most advantageous moments and her inability to turn off the camera during the most intimate moments. She spouts that jail changed her and she's going to become a different person now, that she appreciates her life so much more and she's going to make this huge difference in the world. What does little Miss Revolutionary decide to do? Get new hair extensions and do a photoshoot for People. Wow, I think the world hunger problem's been solved!!! And wait- World peace broke out as well. Way to go Paris.
Okay
*stepping off soapbox*
Whew!
Regardless, I am pumped for a Paris Free US Weekly. Plus it has pictures of Suri on the cover... how can you resist?

5 Things I'm Loving Right Now...

So I've seen other bloggers do this and I think its a super cute idea so I figured I'd do one myself... plus it will give me a chance to exercise my cutting and pasting photo skills...

5 Things I Love Right Now:

1. Satsuma Body Butter by The Body Shop

The scent is kind of like oranges but not too overwhelmingly citrus. It just screams summer time to me and I love that its not oily. What's even funnier is that my freshman year of college, my roommate ( looove u Laura ) was obsessed with lotioning herself and I always found her preoccupation with self-lathering to be a bit over the top. Until now. I've joined the club. Sometimes I'll take unnecessary showers just so I can have an excuse to put the body butter on afterwards.

2. Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me?

I just stumbled across this author but Ms. Lancaster is so sarcastically funny and witty. I'm really bummed I didn't write a book like this first.

3. The Boston Red Sox

This is pretty much a given. I will forever and always love the Red Sox. They are the like ex-boyfriend you just can't give up. You know, the one who was horrible to you at times, let you down when you counted on him the most? Yet he was still adorable, charming and attractive so you couldn't let him go? Thats the Red Sox. Although, this season they are 11 games up on the Yankees thus far and that will make any proud Bostonian girl fall head over heels over and over again...

4. The Holiday

I know its almost July and I'm citing my love for a Christmas movie (hence: The Holiday) but I just can't help it. First of all, Jude Law = <3 <3 <3 I don't care that he schleped his nanny on the pool table, I find him irrestibly charming. and Cameron Diaz, who I usually find really annoying, has absolutely the best sweater collection in this movie. I love love love it!

5. The Jackie Cardigan from Jcrew

I pine. I perish. I swoon. The name of the sweater says it all...WWJD? What Would Jackie Do?
She'd buy this adorable sweater set in every color the rainbow!!!!


Special thanks to Tres Poshe Preppy for giving me a clue to just copy and paste (duh!) and who I stole the 5 things idea from!

LOVE LOVE LOVE this quote <3

"I believe in manicures. I believe in OVERDRESSING. I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick. I believe in PINK. I believe that loving is the best calorie burner. I believe in french kissing. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles."
-Audrey Hepburn

Don't you hate it when what you want and what you have don't match up? like wanting the entire summer collection of Lily Pulitzer but actually having only one dress, from 2 seasons ago...

I want to move back to Boston soooooooooo badly...and I want to live in Beacon Hill or Back Bay and I want a job.

What I have: nada. no job. no apartment. zip, zero, zilch. goose-egg. It is so frustrating. I have a couple interviews lined up for the job front so that is promising but I swear this apartment search is going to be the death of me. First of all, I'm doing it from Florida which is no easy feat. People lie, especially people who want to sell you something, so a "spacious, luxurious condo on the water" really translates to a closet sized apartment that faces a sewer puddle outside the nearest T stop. As a result, I've officially become a craigs list addict. Its like my crack. I must check it easily 50 times a day for apartments, roommates and sublets and when I find one I like... aka in the Back Bay or Beacon Hill area, they want someone to move in like tomorrow and I need it for August. I know I will find one. People tell me I'm crazy and that its too expensive and I'll never find one and I need to just settle for somewhere else but I refuse to settle. Not yet anyways. Maybe around July 20th if I'm still going to be homeless I'll expand my horizons. Until then, I'm going to continue to faithfully stalk craigslist, facebook marketplace and every other apartment search engine out there until I find that home I so desire. I have faith my hard work will be rewarded...I do.

sigh.

Being Irish and a recent college grad who was greek at a big southern university, I'm not afraid to say, I love me some drinks! I've always been a red wine fan but recently I've stumbled across a love for the martini. I don't know if its a sign of the times or my progression into my mid twenties but I love love love them now.

What's not to love? First off, the classes are just so chic and cute, especially when filled with a bright pink fruity liquid that tastes delicious.

I stumbled across a bar called the Blue Martini, which obviously, specializes in the $12 Martini in a variety of yummy combinations. It was here, I fell in love with a Key Lime Martini!!! It tasted exactly like my favorite dessert AND had a graham cracker rim! It was fantabulous!

The other night I went out and had a blueberrini (I think sometimes the names make them even better) and it was certainly interesting. It smelled better than it tasted (I swear it smelled EXACTLY like a blueberry muffin)

For anyone interested it was:

equal parts Blueberry Vodka, Vanilla Vodka and Blue Cuarco

In any event, I may not be able to continue on this Martini tradition as per previous post, I am on a money diet, buuuuuut I don't think one or two here or there is going to hurt too much ;)

Sooooo I'm on a diet. No, its not Atkins, or South Beach, or Weight Watchers.

I'm not cutting out carbs or fats or red meats. This is worse than that, harder than that, takes about 32948023984 times more willpower than that....

I am cutting out....SHOPPING.

I'm on a debt diet. I have to be. I plan on moving back to Boston in T Minus 2 months aaaaand I'm spending money like I'm New York socialite whose dad invented the post-it note. So from now on, I've cut myself off. No more buying new clothes, no more spending money eating out, no more buying something just because its on sale and I already own the same thing in every other color except that one.

AAAND as if this new lifestyle wasn't shocking to the system enough, there are rampant rumors flying around the blog world that Marshall's got a shipment of Vineyard Vines!!! How is this possible? Like a fat kid who loves cake, a moth to a flame, I ran to my nearest Marshall's to see if this was true. Alas, my local store had nary a vine in sight (much to my relief- can you imagine the moral turmoil I'd be in?) BUT I did manage to find something else.....the damn knee length madras skirt I've been on my epic quest for....at Marshalls.

I had it in my hands, I walked towards the register and I put it down. I couldn't do it. I couldn't cheat on day numero uno of my diet. Damnit.

As if it couldn't get any worse, I went to International Plaza with my mom this weekend where EVERYWHERE was having a sale. Nordstrom's had a shoe sale that made me nearly lose my breath. As we were riding down the escalator my mom gasped and goes "oh god Marie, don't even look" so of course, the first thing I do is look.... lo and behold...about 15 racks of shoes...on sale. again, Damnit.

The last bit of torture was following my mom into Ann Taylor (also having a huge sale). It was like being on a real diet and being forced to shop in Godiva. I had to drag my mom out of there as my credit card burned a hole in my purse.

gahhhh. Depsite it all, I managed to make it through the whole weekend spending only $7 on a Binder and page dividers at Walmart. woooo hooooooo me!!!!

maybe this won't be so hard after all? riiiiiiiiiiiight.

I seem to be at a lack of creativity these past few days and have nothing fun or exciting to write about sooo instead you get to read my random, stream of consciousness thoughts about what's happening in life.

First and foremost- the Sopranos.

I must say, I don't know what to say....all I know is that last night I was ready to call up HBO and Comcast and unleash holy hell when I thought my cable went out, alas it was merely a clever little plot element from the twisted mind of David Chase. A friend of mine said the cast was at Hardrock Cafe in South Florida and you could pay to watch the finale with them. I would LOOOVE to know what happened when it was over. Did people start booing and throwing french fries at James Gandolfini? or did people "get" the overt symbolism and mysticism of it all? Personally, I'd wanted blood and violence and for them to all get killed like any true gangster tale should end.

Secondly- I've decided I want to do too many things in life. Is that possible? Is there a way that I can become a house flipping, real estate investor/wedding planner who also teaches high school english and is a New York Time Bestselling author as well? I'd like to think so, I do know one thing, I'd be the best diet ever... having 34298230984 different jobs = no time to eat. I wonder what kind of wardrobe I'd need for that though and it'd be one hell of a business card.

Lastly- I'd like to pronounce my undying love and affection for this fun little number. I think it's just too cute and whenever I see it, I picture little me spinning in circles in her patent leather Mary-Janes and white lace socks...

I found heaven.

and yes, it's here on earth. In a shopping plaza on St. Simon's Island, Georgia to be precise. That's right folks, mecca is a little store called Cloister Collection.

What makes Cloister Collection so amazingly, fantastically wonderful you ask? Not only is it a Lilly Pulitzer Premier Retailer, but it also has Vineyard Vines, Eliza B AND Vera Bradley. This means, of course, heaven is not filled with white puffy clouds but pink and green tea length dresses!!! I'm sure I looked like the biggest spaz ever when I stumbled upon this store. I literally stood at the front table for a good 5 minutes just staring at everything, I didn't even know where to start first!!!!

So much of Lilly's summer line is reminiscent of the late, great Jackie O. She is was and always will be the epitome of classy