Dead and Gone

RIP Buck Fiddy. You will be missed. You were the one place Westwood coeds could count on to be open late after fraternity parties to soak up the liter of Jungle Juice we'd inevitably drink. Sure, you didn't have straight As. No one is perfect! The fact is that when I stumbled from a Sig Ep or Sigma Nu party (or even from Madison's or Cowboy Sushi, fine Westwood establishments that felt age requirements for liquor sales were really only loose guidelines...shockingly, they're both also closed), Buck Fiddy was, well, $1.50. A perfect price point for poor college students.

You had a makeover in the last couple of years to try to class up the joint, but in the hearts of all true Bruins, you were still the same classless, yet lovable, shack with delicious sandwiches. And now you're gone. Westwood is sadder for it.

As Seen in New York

On Saturday after my shitload of boring, ridiculous work meetings, I had brunch with my friend Eazy E. She lives in the city and, being the smartypants she is, will be at Yale Law in the fall. After enjoying a gorgeous sunny spring day in the West Village, we walked over to the subway station on W. 4th where I caught sight of this ad, did a double take, and almost vommed all over myself. Fraternity life ftl!




Absolutely vomitrocious. And advertising in a subway station? Desperate much?

***BTW, please note that despite trying to make a strong comeback, my posting has sucked (and will continue to do so for the next week or so). We are going into our busiest time of year at work and as such, I'm going to be running around like a crazy person. I am going to try to pop in from time to time, but consider this a warning!***

Product Review: Maybelline Lash Stiletto Mascara

I am perpetually on the hunt for great mascara. My short, stubby little eyelashes scoff at the efforts of mascaras from the expensive department store brands like Lancome and MAC to drug store types. OK, OK, I can't complain too much because they are naturally curly (thank God because those eye lash curlers look like instruments of torture from Guantanamo). But still...I've been sticking to the drug store types because 1) people tell me that there's basically no difference between the expensive and cheaper, and 2) I'm a poor and soon to be poorer due to law school. However, before my NYU scholarship interview, I decided I wanted something that made my eyes look open and alive. And because I'm a marketing executive's wet dream, I totally fell for the overall aesthetic awesomeness of Lash Stiletto.

The results?

Excuse my crazy eye. I'm not trying to go Runaway Bride on y'all!

You're welcome in advance for helping you create the illusion of bigger, sexier eyes!

And I Want to Thank You

My weekend(ish) of fun in NYC continued on Thursday. I talked to my friend Diva, an aspiring opera singer, and we decided to meet up for lunch. I've known Diva even longer than Mara -- since high school! We hadn't seen each other in 7-8 years until last September when we met up when I was in town on business. I took the subway all the way to midtown from deep in the Financial District. I felt like such a local! Since she works near Central Park, we decided to get sandwiches and take them into the park to eat. It was a surprisingly sunny day and as we sat and talked and caught up on life, I realized how truly excited I am to move here (yeah, I know I say that a lot!). The funniest moment was when we were in the deli:

VF: Hey, so you know I'm moving here, right?

D: *gasps* WHAT?!?!?!?! WHEN?!?!?!

VF: In less than 4 months!

D: Oh my God, are you kidding? Why didn't you tell me?!?!

VF: Dude, it was on Facebook!

D: Weird. I live on Facebook. How did I miss this?

OK, so it's not classically funny but it's funny to me because it seems that none of my friends who actually live here know I'm moving, once again disproving my theory that I'm the center of the universe.

When we finished, I hopped on the subway again. Maybe I felt overconfident from my great navigation earlier, but this time I failed and ended up walking 6 extra blocks to my location -- the NYU bookstore. I wanted to buy a present for my recommenders and had intended to buy them coffee mugs until I realized that breakables in my suitcase with carelessly rough baggage handlers was probably not the best plan -- after all, the dolts managed to break the zipper on my suitcase on my flight here.

However, I found a decent alternative

I'll slap some candy or maybe some nice coffee or tea in there, write a thankful card, and call it a day. I am pretty thankful to my recommenders though. I'm sure they all played a big hand in my wonderful application cycle.

Walking to the subway, I had the chance to take pictures of my new law school. Too bad I took them with my camera and can't upload them until I get home. Alas. However, this walking around made me obscenely late in getting back to my hotel to get changed and ready for our gala event that evening. I had to go early because I was one of the people in charge of check in. The gala was a nice time to thank our awesome funders, recognize our Students of the Year, as well as pay tribute to our Teachers of the Year from our program offices across the country, as well as with our international partners. Check out the awesome seat I had based on this pic!

Yeah, I'm kidding. I was definitely in the last row of tables (you can tell how thankful they are for the staff, huh!) and there were more than 900 people at this event.

Friends Forever

Through the mystical (yet awesome!) powers of Facebook, I was able to reconnect with my friend Mara. We met freshman year in the residence halls. The best word to describe her is dynamo -- she's small, feisty, bubbly, and just a really good person. She's also outrageous in a good way. One of my most vivid memories of Mara happened in the scariest place on Earth communal bathroom. She came bouncing in there as I was brushing my teeth one day and excitedly blurted out "I got my nipple pierced!" As I started laughing, her response was "Want to see?!" and threw her shirt up. There was nothing sexual about the moment, but that just gives you an idea of the kind of wild card that she is. We were pretty good friends through sophomore year of college and then I moved home and she went to Spain. We rarely talked after that.

It's been 8 years since I've seen Mara. In that time, she's lived in a couple of foreign countries and has been settled in New York City for the last few years. Since I am in town on work business, we made plans to meet up. I might think I'm a big deal because of law school, but Mara is even bigger. Her first book was just released yesterday and unsurprisingly, the title is as risque as the woman. Thanks for Coming: One Young Woman's Quest for an Orgasm is an autobiographical tale, but it also has the full force of Mara humor behind it.

We met up at her boyfriend's apartment and just talked for a couple of hours while sharing wine and lots of laughs. I'm really looking forward to moving here and reconnecting with her even more.

I guess that's really the mark of a true friend. Even though it's been nearly a decade since we've spoken, we were able to pick right up where we left off. There was really no awkwardness, no shyness. No weirdness. It was nice to be with someone who knew me back when I was insane and yet, still loved me. I can't wait to finish her book and I strongly encourage everyone to pick up a copy too!

It's Like Rain on [My] Wedding Day

Pre-application cycle, I was really gung ho about going to school in New York because I wanted to be closer to my sister. Scratch that. I wanted to be closer to my nephews. They are now 2 and 9 and I miss them tremendously. I see the Monkey's blog and pics of LMN and I am envious of the ability to see your loved ones easily. I was excited for the chance.

My sister and I have always had a rather tumultuous relationship. We're either super close or fighting. There's really no middle ground. She's really not a well person. Not to speak ill of her behind her back, but there's always been something a bit off about her. I know she must struggle with some sort of imbalance or disorder, but she's too stubborn to get the help she really needs. Back in June, I decided that I had to cut her from my life. It wasn't too hard with her living a couple thousand miles away. Cut cleanly, like those infomercial knives that can cut through soda cans. Neat. Easy.

It seems as though life isn't without a sense of irony.

Now I'll get my original wish. I'll be in the city that I've dreamed of living in since I was a child. I'll be a short train ride away from my adorable nephews...and I won't be able to see them.

Don't Call it a Comeback (I've Been Here for Years)

I feel rejuvenated. Refreshed. Little, yellow, and different? Not so much that. I figured it was time for a facelift, but I guess starting anew is rather like a whole body transplant.

I shut down my last blog for a variety of reasons. Primarily, I found that I was too easily searchable and while going through the law school application process, I didn't want all my personal biz out there. I was also getting tired of trying to find the time. Now, I want to make the time because I'm about to embark on an amazing journey and really, what better way to practice becoming an attorney than by being a semi-anonymous blowhard sucking up bandwidth on the internet?

I had a great admissions cycle this past year and was fortunate enough to be choosing from three full tuition scholarships from Top 10 schools, in addition to admission to the Big H. Ultimately I chose NYU, hence VioletFemme (that, and I have a deep love for the alterna-rock band for which I'm loosely named). I'll be taking my ball and going home (or packing my shit and peacing out for the LEast Coast) roughly around August, so this is my chance to live it up in LA prior to departure. Holler!