A Whole New World

Okay, reprieve over.

Armpit of the universe: winner and remaining champion: Orlando, Florida. Dear lord.

The saddest thing I witnessed, not only there but maybe in my entire life, was a man videotaping his wife. At a Rainforest Cafe. Gift Shop. Shopping for souvenir T-shirts.

There were a few highlights, such as enjoying my final expense account trip for a while (Seasons52: a fantastic restaurant; Wolfgang Puck: while I thought both the decor and the food would be cheesy and commercial, only the decor was, the food was fabulous; but Emeril's Tchoup Chop: HORRID. I've never seen any restaurant spend so much time crafting such a perfect-sounding menu, only to completely flub the implementation all around); and the weather was great (I came back to DC's frigidity from a 75 degree day). And my companions were great. It was sad that I was just getting to know some of them, and getting to see how hilarious and cool so many of them are, only to leave right after.

Speaking of, a small tribute to the coolest of them all:
The Monica
3/4 Vodka
1/4 Chambord
Splash of Orange Juice
...serve on the rocks, and enjoy your badass liquor on liquor combo.

So anyway, I was basically in survival mode down there, just trying to juggle as many balls as possible, not drop too many of them, and trying to get a million projects done before my last day. Then I came back home--and I swear, it was to a whole new world:
-Anna Nicole. I literally laid down with a migrane and woke up to the news. The jokes about it just make me uncomfortable, because it's just sad all around. That money is a total curse, and will be forever.
-Barneys Warehouse Sale started. My friend K2, a fashion p.r. director in NYC who is preggers, was at the private first day. She scheduled her sonogram so that she would know the sex of the baby in time for shopping, but they couldn't figure it out. She settled for a cashmere AC/DC rock jersey, figuring it would be fine either way.
-My child learned to say his "l"s. I picked him up out of bed the morning I got back (wearing a sweatshirt with writing across it). He pointed to them and said "Yetters. No, Letters." And it at was that moment that he changed from baby to boy and my heart broke just a wee little bit.
-Speaking of, he also is damn near obsessed with Kraftwerk. So that's fun. But he can now spot Jerry Garcia on the guitar--well, he's about 8 for 10 on average. Not bad for a 2-3/4 year old.
-The District Sample Sale is going fabulously. We have 23 total vendors, just about every boutique in DC plus a few accessories/jewelry people, plus Snow Queen Vodka martinis, Peroni beer, yummy apps, and a great after party: The District Sugar Shack, featuring champagne, a CakeBar cupcake bar, and Grooming Lounge treats for the boys. We raised $10,000 our last time out, and with your help, we'll beat that for this season's chosen cause, SOME Place for Kids.
-My last day of my day job was right after I got back. It was weird being at a job for only six months: not enough time to make any more than a negligible impact. On my last day, the clock hit 6, they shut down my computer, and I left. End of story.
-And now I'm off, in business for myself. I'm terrified. TERRIFIED. And thrilled beyond words. My sister is known for this type of cliff jumping, not me. But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I have to take it. Wish me luck. Lots of it.

So there you have it. I'm back, a little tired, but it's a whole new day, kidliwinks.