Green beer has its kitsch factor, but who actualy wants to drink it?

Not a fan of Irish whiskey, stout beer, or artificially colored anything, I set out to invent a new green drink worthy of St. Patty’s Day. The apple parsley martini is green for sure, but it’s also amazingly delicious and worthy of year-round enjoyment status (which you can’t really claim about green beer now, can you?).

The Apple Parsley Martini
Add 2 oz. freshly made parsley apple juice (on your way home this evening, stop by a juice bar to get the juice (mint is a decent substitution if they don’t have parsley)) and 2 oz. vodka (I like Rain organic vodka) to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously and serve straight up in a martini glass.

Erin Go Brah!

Despite the fiasco known as Dr. Phil, Texas has given us some pretty good shit: Patrick Swayze, Townes van Zandt, Dr. Pepper, and South By Southwest. Once a year, South By Southwest (SXSW), a massive convention of music and film for industry and fans alike, takes foothold in the city of Austin, Texas: the live music capital of the world. It’s a time and a place where it’s not the slightest bit uncommon to start doing shots at breakfast, or wake up wondering how a taco ended up in your jacket pocket. Its huge, its chaos, its fun, and more importantly, it’s days and days of endless shows, bands, parties, booze, tacos, and BBQ.

I’m pretty sure that every single one of those things is my favorite thing, so when my boyfriend’s band got offered a few shows down there, that ticket was bought faster than a hipster can slip on his corduroy cutoffs. So, here’s our plan:

Me and my dude are flying into San Antonio at midnight Wednesday, driving straight to a record label party in Austin, and hopefully arriving by 1am.  The rest of the band and a couple of friends will be driving to Austin straight from New Jersey in the band’s tour van, arriving to meet us sometime early Thursday morning. True to tour style, there are no hotel reservations, no arrangements made whatsoever… besides the shows that are booked. I love it.

We’re all so excited about this trip that many recent conversations (accompanied by tangy Hemingways and bubbly Sam Smith Ciders) have graduated into sessions of bittersweet reminiscence, revolving around old tour stories, grand excursions, fortunate mis-adventures… true tumbling-tumbleweed-type stuff.

Some memories are words of caution that help us to be better prepared this time around, but most just point out the good times to come. Whichever they are, I thought I would share some thoughts and tips about heading south for SXSW.

1.  Go with the flow!

Y’know how when you plan a vacation somewhere new you have to find places to eat, things to do, what to see, blah blah blah. Because you’re not from there, silly, and unless you have cool friends there you’ll spend half the time trying to find a place to hang. You’ll end up lost for half a day in the gay village and porn-shop end of St. Catherine’s with no Canadian money, like us on our first trip to Montreal.

At South-By, there’s so much going on: shows day and night, thousands of bands to see, dozens of parties to go to, hundreds of drinks to drink, and even free food to be eaten! (Tacos and BBQ, um…hello!).  So stop looking at tripadvisor.com like a nerd and just go, be free… in the words of Patrick Swayze, “like the wind.”

2.  Protect your ears and your sanity.

Bring earplugs, dummy.

I know you love music and you can’t keep it out of your soul, you’re a dancing machine and all that, but for god sakes, the music starts at noon every day and the party don’t stop until 8am the following morning!  Enduring days upon days of that can start to drive anyone nuts!  So bring dem earplugs kids, so you can hear yourself think… about what delicious BBQ item you want to eat next, or which douchey cardigan vest you hate the most.

These will also prove handy when you finally want to pass out, yet some annoying girl crashing at the same house or hotel as you won’t die already. Just die!

3.  Be Prepared to Get Wet!

At some point or another someone’s gotta invite us to their amazing swimming pool. I mean, Texas is a hot place, right? I imagine it as one of those places, much like Florida, where a massive percentage of homes have pools. And okay, even if that’s not true, I’ve heard many a band’s tour stories where they get put up in mansions or other crazy spots, so its damn well possible. I refuse to believe that we can’t find a swimming pool on this trip. So, if anything is squeezing into my bag for sure, it’s a swimsuit.

In the same notion of wetness, it seems also to be a consensus to carry Wet Wipes. I see the logic. You’re in bars all day, using bar restrooms, not knowing where you’re crashing, sitting out in the heat at times, perhaps you get some BBQ-saucey fingers.  A little clean-up and refreshment will be in order. So travel wipes are the way to go. So reasonable.

4.   Keep Things Close to the Vest

The day you go home, you wake up on a floor, under a kitchen table, with someone else’s T-shirt over your face, and pieces of cat food stuck to your arm.  You have no idea whether you dropped, sold, or intentionally hid your phone, and a couple hours later they finally find your keys in the backyard. So what I’m saying here is that it’s a good idea to find an easy way to make your belongings remain as close to your body as possible.

I’m thinking, buy a cross-body style bag or satchel, a chain wallet, a clip or carabiner, or hell, even a fanny pack. Whatever helps you keep the random bits that make up your life from ending up in the random bits that once made up someone’s dinner.

5.  Bring It Back With You!

You’ll be seeing bands non-stop for days, and you’ll be drunk, and therefore in love with everything. You’ll probably end up buying some shit. CDs, t-shirts, pins, bottles of BBQ sauce. Not to mention that Austin apparently has some great vintage clothing stores. So bring an extra empty tote, so you can bring back that pair of vintage Levi’s cutoffs for your uncle.

When we first moved in, our bathroom was a windowless closet of florescent lighting and stark white walls. It was gross. We couldn’t afford to spend a lot to remodel, but my darling friend Cody stepped up with a master plan to completely transform the room for under $200.

With that budget, we couldn’t afford to change any fixtures, appliances or the hideous tile. Instead we concentrated on the color scheme and decoration. Cody chose a light orange/pink paint for the walls, with white for the accents and her design for the wall. It was unique and looked great with our collection of Stars Wars figurines (yes, you can laugh). Plus the warm tone in the paint made my skin look good under all that florescent, which is pretty crucial.

After, Version I: Cosmetic Redo

Another big selling point: took less than a day to go from craptacular to spectacular!

Moral of the story: it’s possible to make a big change—and a big impact—for very little money.

However, a few years later our tub started leaking through the floor and it was suddenly time to tackle a bigger renovation. We had a larger budget of $2500 at this point, which turned out to be enough to replace the bathtub, toilet and vanity, redo the tile and paint, plus hire a contractor to do all the work.* Yay!

After, Version II: Complete Renovation

The tile was one of the most expensive and labor-intensive parts of the remodel, but totally worth it. I chose a tile that was durable rather than cheap, but luckily the square footage was small enough that it didn’t hurt our budget to upgrade to a better material.

Even though the room is small, it still took about a week for the remodel. That was not spectacular. It’s the only bathroom we have! But in the end we were pleased with how it turned out. It’s still windowless and the lighting hasn’t improved much, but at least any further renovations won’t involve much more than a can of paint.

*To be honest this was a much more expensive project because the contractor (the proper term is “junkie”) got back on the drugs and later broke into our house and robbed us. Thanks buddy. Lesson learned, we’ll delve into picking a contractor in another article…

Trench coats are the LBD of outerwear; dressed up or dressed down, they are always chic, always appropriate, and transcend trends, so a good trench is the definition of an investment piece. But as you’ll see here, where you can get shopping info on any of the stylish, waist-cinching staples, this investment doesn’t have to break the bank. No matter what your personal style, or income-level, there’s a trench out there for you. Happy spring!

After years and years of watching glamorous movie stars on celluloid float up to their well-appointed bars, drop two ice cubes in a rocks glass, add a generous pour of whiskey, and top it off with a spritz of seltzer hissed from an elegant bottle, I decided that my life was missing a seltzer maker. If only I had one of those, I thought, My life would be just as glamorous as theirs!

Completely by accident, while on vacation in Savannah, I saw the iSi soda maker in the window of a kitchen supply store and knew my dreams were about to come true. And for about $45 plus the cost of CO2 cartridges ($10 for 10), I was in business. Glamorous, movie star business.

Anyway, I use my seltzer as a mixer with bourbon, flavored vodkas, and mojitos, I top off fruit juice with it, and sometimes I enjoy it by the glass when my mouth feels like enjoying some bubbles. The bonus: seltzer is a no calorie mixer.

So, if you want to feel like a glamourpuss when you’re making your post-workday cocktail, take a cue from me and add some bubbles to your life.

As ya’ll know, I have a complete and utter obsession with Dr. Pepper lip balm. Besides the subtle-sweet flavor and the moisturizing properties, one of the the benefits is the sheer red color that becomes deeper with each coat.

As I mentioned in the article linked to above, I have spent much time looking for a similar color in a lipstick. Well, I’m here to tell you that I’ve found it! I’m on to my third tube, which I picked up at Eponymy yesterday, which reminded me I should really share this goody with the rest of you…

Lipstick Queen’s Medieval is the perfect shade of red for anyone. It goes on very sheer and the color gets redder—and glossier—as you pile it on, making it the perfect tube to keep in your purse so you’ll be ready to punch up your lips a bit for a quick happy hour jaunt or more for a surprise date.

Layered over any other shade, Medieval boosts the color and adds a not-to-glossy sheen that’s sure to get noticed.

The bonus is that it’s made with avocado oil, so it’s naturally moisturizing too.

Find a retailer near you and give it a try, or take my word for it and place your order today.

Trust me, this spring, mascara, a chignon, and the subtle red lip are all you’ll need to rock it chic French girl style!

Here are just a handful of the countless organizations that work hard every day to assist women worldwide. In honor of International Women’s Day, read up on their missions below or do your own research and, if you can, make a donation in honor of a woman in your life.

NOW, The National Organization for Women:

Since its founding in 1966, NOW’s goal has been to take action to bring about equality for all women. NOW works to eliminate discrimination and harassment in the workplace, schools, the justice system, and all other sectors of society; secure abortion, birth control and reproductive rights for all women; end all forms of violence against women; eradicate racism, sexism and homophobia; and promote equality and justice in our society.

Planned Parenthood:

Planned Parenthood believes in the fundamental right of each individual, throughout the world, to manage his or her fertility, regardless of the individual’s income, marital status, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or residence. We believe that respect and value for diversity in all aspects of our organization are essential to our well-being. We believe that reproductive self-determination must be voluntary and preserve the individual’s right to privacy. We further believe that such self-determination will contribute to an enhancement of the quality of life and strong family relationships.

Based on these beliefs, and reflecting the diverse communities within which we operate, the mission of Planned Parenthood is

• to provide comprehensive reproductive and complementary health care services in settings which preserve and protect the essential privacy and rights of each individual
• to advocate public policies which guarantee these rights and ensure access to such services
• to provide educational programs which enhance understanding of individual and societal implications of human sexuality
• to promote research and the advancement of technology in reproductive health care and encourage understanding of their inherent bioethical, behavioral, and social implications

MADRE:

MADRE uses human rights to advance social justice. We partner with women in communities worldwide to meet urgent, local needs and create long-term solutions to the problems that women face.
Our programs areas are:
Peace Building
Women’s Health & Combating Violence Against Women
Economic & Environmental Justice

International Women’s Health Coalition:

The International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC) promotes and protects the sexual and reproductive rights and health (SRRH) of all women and young people, particularly in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, by helping to develop effective health and population policies, programs, and funding.

Women for Women International:

Women for Women International believes that when women are well, sustain an income, are decision-makers, and have strong social networks and safety-nets, they are in a much stronger position to advocate for their rights. This philosophy and our commitment to local leadership builds change and capacity at the grassroots level.

Qik Video: I just discovered this beauty, which allows 3G users like myself to take video with their iPhone, and I couldn’t be more excited. Now I don’t have to have 3GS envy! Suck it, Apple! Haven’t had a chance to use it much yet, but I’m sure the beau will be getting plenty of videos of the kitties taking adorable naps or batting a piece of string very soon.

Shake It Photo, Camera Bag, Photo Filters, Hipstamatic, Fantasy Lens, Polarize, and Camera Flash: My myriad of photo filter apps have accumulated over the year plus I’ve had my iPhone. The ones I find myself using most often are Shake It Photo and Hipstamatic, but they each have unique enough features that I can’t seem to pick one to get rid of. Fantasy Lens is a little different in that instead of taking your photo and turning it into a Polaroid or whatever, it takes photos of faces and puts them in great works of art, holiday or season-appropriate scenes, and the like. Silly, but fun. Especially after a few cocktails.

I Am T-Pain: I read about this one here! You sing into it and it auto-tunes your pitchy mess into a hit made for Cher. A party favorite.

A Free Level: As its name suggests, it’s a free level. Just select the app and hold your iPhone horizontally to ensure your paintings are hanging straight. I’ve actually used this app more times than I expected to.

Google Earth: Thought it would be cool to access Google Earth from anywhere. Still haven’t used it once, but at least I know it’s on there…

FS5 Hockey, Labyrinth LE, Morocco, and Hangman: Time-waster games I downloaded, the beau played on subway trips a few times until he got bored of them, and I’ve never opened since. I am on the look-out for games that are actually entertaining that I’ll want to play more than once, so let me know if you have an suggestions.

Pandora: Since I rarely use my iPhone for music, and when I do, I’m often on the subway with no signal, Pandora has not yet been used. Seemed like a good idea at the time…

Qlock Two: Saw this on a design blog and just had to have it. It’s a very cool clock display. Except that you have to open the app to see the time, which is already at the top of your screen. Makes no sense.

Voice Memo: How cool is the idea of leaving yourself voice memos? “Tomatoes, tempeh, toilet paper, and toothpaste.” Except that you don’t and you won’t.

Remote: This is supposed to turn your iPhone into a remote for your computer. I wouldn’t know if it works because when I’ve wanted to use it it hadn’t been properly set up and I gave up and haven’t had the need for it since.

Drinks Free: A free library of cocktails… Why not? I’ve used it once or twice to come to the aid of a bartender, but have books at home that I would generally trust more. Might come in handy if I ever feel like ordering sweet shots with names that sound vaguely sexual, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

FourSquare: I’ll try any new techno-fad for a bit, especially if it might help my clients, so I recently signed up for FourSquare. I’ve only remembered to check in somewhere once, but maybe I’ll get better at it. Or maybe I won’t.

Color Snap (Sherwin Williams), Color Capture (Benjamin Moore): You’re supposed to be able to take a photo of something with your iPhone and then these apps will give you the corresponding paint color. Love the idea of this actually working, haven’t yet found anything to analyze and have no desire to take up any painting projects anytime soon. Oh, but when I do…

Shazam: Ever hear a song and you want to know what it’s called or who it’s by? Turn on this app and point it at your speaker and it’ll tell you… Or not. It’s never actually worked for me when I’ve wanted to know, only when I already knew and was testing it. Oh well.

The Weather Channel: The weather app that comes standard with the iPhone is crap. This gives you much more detail, as well as forecasts. I find myself using it often.

Urban Spoon: A pretty good app for finding restaurants in the area. Have mostly used it when out-of-town and generally decided on going somewhere we passed that afternoon.

That’s What She Said, iHandgun, Zippo Lighter: Total useless time wasters. But if you ever need a button that says “that’s what she said” in different voices and intonations, you know where to find it.

Wifi Track: Finds wifi signals and tells you which are password protected and which are the strongest. Helpful if you’re in a non-3G area.

Yum Yum: Vegan recipes with amazing photos. Still have never cooked anything out of this app, but I could if I wanted to…

Crosswords Light: I love my crossword puzzles and was so excited at the idea of not having to carry my books on the train with me anymore… Until I actually tried to complete a puzzle. It’s no fun on the teeny tiny screen—way too much scrolling. I’m going to upgrade to a paid crossword app, maybe something from the New York Times, and hopefully I’ll have better luck.

Bump: Other people with this app and an iPhone should be able to “bump” iPhones with you to exchange contact information. Haven’t bumped yet.

Yelp, Fandango, Mint.com, The Weather Channel, eBay, Facebook: Because it’s easier to access an app than to go to the webpage.

Kick Light: A totally non-interactive New York City subway map. Actually very useful for figuring out alternative routes when the conductor announces that there’s a police investigation at the next station. It’s just a map, but every New Yorker needs to have a subway map on them.

WordPress: I can write OMFGstyle articles on-the-go! And I have.

Kindle: If you have an iPhone, there’s no need to buy a Kindle—just download the (free) app and *viola* your iPhone’s a kindle (and back-lit at that)! Love the idea, just have never actually used it. I think I’ll probably stock up on Kindle books next time I travel so I don’t have to pack books to weigh me down. Although I’ll still need magazines for the beach!

Veggie Passport: As a frequently traveling vegan, having an app that literally spells out my diet restrictions in 33 different languages is a great idea! Again, I haven’t had the opportunity to use it (yet), but I have the feeling I will!

Okay, so now that I’ve showed you my apps, you show me yours: What’s on your iPhone? What life-changing app am I missing? What will keep me occupied and entertained on long cab rides home? I look forward to adding to the mess that is my iPhone. And maybe, just maybe, I’ve helped you add to yours.

…may not be enough to keep them warm. Plus, how cute is your puppy in a little plaid toggle coat?

Of course, dogs aren’t the only pets that look adowable in people clothes.

Click for information on purchasing any of the items featured in here.

For the safety of myself and the people around me, I need to get the fuck on outta here for a minute.  I’ve never fought anyone in my life, but I’m pretty sure I’m a good week away from murdering your face if I don’t get some sun and fun up in my life, for serious.

So, I will be venturing to LA by my lonesome later this month to visit a friend and, hopefully, to reconnect with others I’ve lost along the way.  I’ve only ever been to LA for work and spent the bulk of my time on location in Pasadena, chomping craft services and trying to look important. I wasn’t. But this time, I am. I’m the most important girl in the fucking world and I travel alone.

Anyway, in the spirit of adventure, I compiled a small soundtrack of my upcoming journey for your listening pleasure.  The inspiration? Well, you know when you come out of the subway on a sunny day and you’ve got someplace to go and you’re amidst a million people, movin’ and a shakin’ in the big city, and you look up at the sky and start smiling and outstretch your arms and spin around in circles and everyone around you breaks into choreographed dance and the whole world hears your headphones and you’re the happiest you’ve been in a long time for no real reason other than being alive on this beautiful day with the best song you’ve ever heard in your life blasting your brain into a million sparkling pieces? That.

Let’s go on a little trip, shall we?

1. Little Garcon – Born Ruffians: This song soothes my soul when I’m descending for landing and convinced I have no more than ten minutes to live….’cause I don’t care just where you go, as long as it’s with me, ya know?

2. Relator – Pete Yorn & Stupid Scarlett Johansson: What? She is. Anyway, I’m pretty sure this song is perfect for picking up your luggage and looking around a crowded claim for a familiar face.  And amidst the chaos, you see it, and (s)he’s waving at you from across the room and you laugh to yourself and run over and have one of those hugs you see in movies that lasts for, like, days.  Also, skipping. This song is good for skipping. In the sun.

3. 1901 – Phoenix: Now you’re in the car and you’re off to somewhere great because, frankly, it’s just somewhere different then where you’ve been.  Also, wind through your hair. This song is good for wind through your hair.

4. Heartbeats – The Knife: You rented a shiny beach cruiser in Santa Monica and you’re riding it along Venice Beach to the Canals and you let go of the handlebars and wobble and almost crash into a garbage can and turn to your friends and laugh and grab a beer out of your basket and crack it while you peddle cause it’s hot and you’re thirsty.

5. True Affection – The Blow: Your friend needs to become scuba certified for a production gig he’s got coming up so you go along, cause why the hell wouldn’t you?  You’re floating around weightless and then a blow fish smiles at you because you’re probably high.

6. Time to Pretend – MGMT: A montage. Definitely a montage. You’re being shown around town, exploring corners and peeking under rocks. Speeding cars, loud bars, and bright lights. It’s fucking LA. You’re tan and your legs suddenly look great in shorts and life isn’t so bad after all.

7. Shake a Fist – Hot Chip: You’re drunk on alcohol and bliss, dancing in a bar you might never step foot in again so who cares? A spotlight shines down on you and you alone in the middle of a crowded floor and everyone around you gets swallowed by the shadows and it all blurs and you’re moving in slow motion with your eyes closed and there’s a strobe light and you’re sweating.

8. Sleepyhead – Passion Pit: Shit’s getting weird. It’s fucking late and you’re either in the passenger seat of a moving car, street lamps flooding the interior every couple of seconds. Or you’re in a living room, not ready to go to bed…dancing in the living room with your eyes closed, bumping into the coffee table and being sloppy, but charming. Totally adorable and charming.

9. Red and Purple – The Dodos: You’re hiking up a trail to a spot that overlooks the city and you’re completely exhausted but you try to act in shape cause it’s LA and people work out, right? But then you get to the top and it’s pretty awesome and you pat yourself on the back cause it’s beautiful and thank god you decided to get off the couch.

10. Red, Yellow, & Blue – Born Ruffians: You’re up in the air heading home and you might be terrified of falling from the sky, but right now, even that seems ok because you just had a fucking trip.

Hey, so, that was fun, guys! Let’s do it again soon sometime.