I just finished reading Jonathan Tropper’s latest book, This is Where I Leave You. It was a great book that I really enjoyed. I found myself laughing out loud through most of the book, and really identifying with the main character, Judd. The fast paced book paints a pretty picture of a family and neighborhood that could be any number families in any suburb across the country. Very relatable.

Judd’s wife has just left him for his boss, and his father has just died of stomach cancer. As a dying wish, his father asks that the family come together to sit shiva, the full seven days. Judd’s older brother Paul and his wife Alice, his sister Wendy and her husband Barry (and their two kids), and his youngest brother Paul and his new fiancee Tracy, all descend on the Foxman house. Through a parade of neighbors, flashbacks, and plenty of family feuds, Judd and his siblings embark on a week that will change the family forever.

My favorite parts of the book included Judd’s recount of how he found out his wife was cheating on him, his reflections to his relationship with Jen, and the family squabbles that occurred. The book covered heartache and relationships in depth, with themes of trust and betrayal, forgiveness and redemption. My only problem was that I didn’t want the book to end, and thought that everything wrapped up a little too neatly. But, overall I highly recommend it.

The book is currently being written for the screen, and I’m looking forward to seeing it. I can imagine some of the book may be hard to translate since much of it takes place inside of Judd’s thoughts, but the characters are real enough to picture. So real in fact, that I included my own picks for the cast of characters.

Judd Foxman - Mark Feuerstein. He’s funny and likeable.

Jen Foxman - Kate Hudson or Portia De Rossi. Need a hot blonde.

Wade - Julian McMahon. His character on Nip/Tuck makes him appropriately heinous.

Paul - Michael Rapaport. He can play angry or funny. I could also see him being a former baseball star. The red hair might be an issue with the other brown haired brothers though.

Alice - Renee Zellweger. She can be pleasant, normal and tragically sad at the same time.

Wendy - Joan Cusack or Jennifer Westfeldt. Joan always plays the perfect mom and “older sister knows best” character. If her age is an issue, then I pick Jennifer, who is fantastic and sweet.

Barry - Jon Favreau. All I could think of was his character in I Love You, Man. A distant jerk in the book, Jon could pull off the powerful, overworked father.

Phillip - Adam Brody. Appropriately young and likeable enough, he could really get into some trouble.

Tracy - Melora Hardin. A nice cougar who could definitely be a life coach.

Linda - Audrey Wasilewski - the neighbor that was more.

Horry - David Cross. Only because I saw him on an episode of Just Shoot Me where he pretended to be a bit slow. I thought he could capture Horry’s brain problems and also be seen as a little bit of a ladies man.

Penny - Natasha Lyonne. Kind of pretty, but mostly forgettable. A fun-loving who never quite got out of town. She must have great legs though.

Hillary Foxman (mom) - Jessica Walter or Amy Sedaris and Keri Russell. Thanks to Gayle for the suggestion of Jessica. Amy Sedaris could be another option (though she would need larger boobs).  For a younger version, I pick Kerri Russell.

Morty Foxman (dad) - Dennis Farina and Eli Roth. Seen mostly in flashbacks, I needed someone tough with a seldom seen soft side. For a younger version, I pick Eli Roth.

Charlie Grodner (Boner) - Josh Radnor. I love him in How I Met Your Mother, and he seems like he would make a great former sidekick-turned-rabbi to the Foxman boys.

I was very honored to be recognized in this article with four other professional women who are recognized for their contribution to the DC tech community.

Thanks to Kim Hart for including me!

Around town, I often hear people referring to a tech start-up as just “two guys in a garage.” But that phrase excludes a gender that, some say, is too often overlooked in the technology industry. In Washington, a number of women are leaving their mark as entrepreneurs, social media enthusiasts and policy experts. And they’re trying to make room for more girl geeks. Here are five women who have established themselves as influential figures in the region’s tech circles and are worth keeping an eye on.

Larissa Fair, 26, has been president of the Washington chapter of the Social Media Club for two years, since shortly after it formed. Under her charge, the group now has more than 900 members (by Facebook’s count, anyway) and meets every month to network and discuss trends ranging from cloud computing to mobile media campaigns. She’s done public relations work for local firms such as Platinum Solutions and Livingston Communications, and now manages Web communications for a nonprofit.

Fair’s main passion is expanding the reach of social networks among associations, educational institutions and government groups.

“The idea of it has gone much more mainstream,” she said. “People are going to be online anyway, so you need to find the way to reach them.”

I recently took a trip to Southern California with my boyfriend, and had a great time. There was the wonderful San Diego weather which mixed nicely with a packed schedule (more to come on activities) and great dining. I definitely did my research before, turning to San Diego Magazine and friends who were familiar with the area for advice. Here are a few reviews of the places we ate.

San Diego & Coronado Island

Fatburger - This deserves the title as the best fast food burger. With a crispy slightly charred crust and bun that wasn’t overwhelming, Fatburger delivers in juicy grilled goodness. The fresh onion rings and rich homemade chocolate milkshake (made with Blue Bell ice cream) really took the cake. I thought it was light years better than the other West coast burger staple, In-n-Out Burger.

Overall Rating: A-

Rockin’ Baja Coastal Cantina - Probably the worst meal we had the whole trip, we wandered all through the Gaslamp District (and passed a ton of great looking places) and stopped here in favor of cheapness. The mix of seafood and Mexican was a good choice for us (since I love Mexican and he loves seafood), so we tried it out. The guacamole was good, not amazing, but the salsa bar was pretty good. I ordered the dirty tacos with steak instead of carnitas, which came with a wicked spicy chipotle sauce and grilled onions. The boy got suckered into a Baja Bucket with weirdly flash-fried shellfish, which was pretty gross.

Overall Rating: C

Peohe’s - Part of the Chart House restaurant group, we went to Peohe’s for the view and Hawaiian fusion. It’s a bit of a cheesy, touristy destination, but the food was better than expected. The coconut crusted onion rings are amazing. The rest of the menu is quite similar to the Chart House. My only complaint was that the main dessert had macadamia nuts, and I’m allergic. We ate on a covered patio on the water and were really amused by the birds that literally divebombed into the water to get fish.

Overall Rating: B

Ortega’s Mexican Bistro - This was a great Mexican place in the Hillcrest neighborhood. We started with some tasty guacamole, made table-side with grilled lime. BF had some chicken mole enchiladas and the huitlacoche and portabello taco trio. It’s pretty funny how huitlacoche (”corn smut”) is marketed, when it’s really just corn fungus (like a tumorous mushroom). I had the Kobe beef burrito for my entree, which was really simple and delicious. Stuffed with Kobe beef strips, charro beans, jack cheese and avocado (I declined the huitlacoche-porcini mushroom sauce), I thoroughly enjoyed this upscale burrito.

Overall Rating: B+

La Jolla

Brockton Villa - The home of the infamous “coast toast” and a fantastic view, this was one of the best breakfasts ever. We shared a coast toast, and I ordered blueberry pancakes while BF had the “bagel tower”. The pancakes were huge, lightly dusted with powdered sugar and had hints of orange and vanilla. The fresh blueberries put it over the top. The bagel tower was amazing and full of house-smoked lox. A bagel sliced in three with alternating layers of cream cheese, tomato and onion. Kind of like a breakfast club sandwich. A seriously delicious start to the day.

Overall Rating: A

Powell’s Sweet Shop - A very cool little candy shop in La Jolla (with multiple locations), Powell’s features candy from all over the world. They also have rarely seen U.S. candies (cherry bombs for example) and an impressive wall of Jelly Bellies and M&M colors. In addition, they have homemade gelato, specialty sodas, and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory on infinite loop in a mini kids “theatre” in the back (complete with Wonka Bars). It’s everything fun and whimsical should be. As a candy lover, this is going in my book as a favorite spot to stop for something sweet, along with Fiona’s Sweet Shoppe in San Francisco.

Overall Rating: B+

George’s California Modern - I searched and searched for the best restaurant in the area, and George’s At the Cove consistently came up. Add in that friend of mine told me how amazing their casual menu was, and I had to check it out. I’m so glad I did. The recently renovated restaurant had a hip but calming ambiance, and service was superb. We started with appetizers and drinks. I ordered a bee sting which was colorful and refreshing with kumquats floating in the drink and a slight sting of honey. I had the romaine, celery heart and fennel salad which was amazingly fresh and included a delicious white-bean olive bruschetta and freshly shaved thick curls of parmesan. I practically licked the plate it was so good. BF had a special which was spotted prawns lightly grilled, which he declared the best shellfish he had ever eaten.

We ordered the Niman Ranch 28 day dry aged Cote de Boeuf for two, which took a bit of time to come out. After a 20 minute wait, our waiter brought out a quick almost amuse bouche for us, compliments of the chef. We were treated to a wild mushroom house made ravoli with spring peas. Absolutely amazing. By the time the actual entree arrived we were both stuffed. The beef was delicious, perfectly seasoned with salt and boasting a delightful crispy crust.

And we couldn’t resist dessert. The stuffed donut holes with dip came out with a trio of sauces and were filled with caramel, strawberry or rubharb. The meyer lemon sauce was tart and light, the dulce de leche decadent, and the choloclate was rich and smooth.

I’ve eaten at a number of fine restaurants in the DC area and have to say that this was one of the best meals I have ever had. But, I’ll let you know my thoughts after Citronelle and The Inn at Little Washington (one day).

Overall Rating: A+

Del Mar

Roberto’s - Hands down the tastiest casual Mexican place I have ever been. I would eat there every day if I could. I got the rolled tacos (basically a crispy little taquito) with beef and sour cream. Amazing and with a side of guacamole a perfect fit. Weird as it is, the refried beans were my favorite of all. BF got a combo fish taco and beef burrito. For a unique side, he tried the jalapeno marinated carrot slaw.

Overall Rating: A

Malibu

Geoffrey’s - we stumbled upon Geoffrey’s thanks to a Zagat Guide iPhone search for a place with a view. We were definitely not disappointed. I had the roasted corn chowder which was sweet with corn and lumps of crab meat and a spicy kick from roasted pasilla chiles. Followed up by a really great casear salad with parmesan croutons. BF had the lobster cobb salad with the best avocado he’d ever had. The food was good but not anything special, but the view made it all worthwhile. Along with the gorgeous ocean view we enjoyed checking out the super expensive vehicles in the valet and on the drive down the 101.

Overall Rating: B-

This past weekend I had the opportunity to take a spin in the 2010 Ford Fusion. I was there to learn about Eco-driving, and had “hyper-miling” expert Wayne Gerdes of CleanMPG to lead the way. Ford also had a mission this weekend to go the distance and drive 1,000 miles on just one tank of gas. This was made possible by a team that drove tirelessly up and down the GW Parkway in Alexandria (Mt. Vernon side), and they achieved their goal and then some, setting a world record of 1,445 on a single tank of gas.

Overall, it’s a nice mid-size vehicle (bigger than the Camry) with good upgrade options like a killer navigation system, SYNC and more. If saving the planet in comfort and style is your kind of deal, then check it out.

I haven’t driven a Hybrid since back in 2000, so this was a new experience for me. I’m also used to driving a stick shift, so the idea of driving an automatic that also had an engine that shut off was a whole new world.  I learned very quickly that I probably burn twice as much gas as I need to, and there are things that even I can do in my regular gas-guzzling stick shift to conserve gas and energy. On my trip, I was able to get 75 mpg on my 18 mile trip. That’s crazy.

Lynn Miller at OrganicMania provided some fantastic tips from her trip on how to maximize your fuel economy.

For anyone else interested in my experience (or learning about eco-driving in general), I encourage you to check out these resources. We can all make the world just a little bit greener by driving smart.

Follow @FordDriveGreen on Twitter and hashtag #hybrid1000

Check out links related to the challenge on delicious

See tons of pics on Flickr

View lots of great videos on YouTube (including mine)

Special thanks to Ogilvy 360 DI and Ford for inviting me!

After 6 long months, I finally secured a full-time job! I will be working at a large international non-profit in DC, doing web communications work. The first step will be managing the re-design of their website, and eventually working to integrate appropriate social networks (because I am no proponent of “shiny object syndrome”). There will be a large education portion from the top down on how and why to use social networks, and I’m excited to bring my experience to really help an organization shine. I’m looking forward to it!

I wanted to take the time to give a shout-out to the many people who helped me through this time. I’ve always been a big networker and have a weird ability to remember people and places. I know that social networks allow us to interact, communicate, and access communities. Never before has this been more clear to me than with the aid of Twitter and my online community.

A quick timeline, I was laid off in November and quickly picked up some consulting work with a local PR firm that carried me through the end of the year. From there I picked up another PR firm in January, some project work in February, and another communications firm for March and April. I definitely identified with @bostonmarketer juggling the job search and consulting work. I’m greatly indebted to those people who were able to give me work even as they experienced rough times and will continue to recommend them as stellar places to work.

Over 6 months, I accumulated over 360 conversation threads tagged “Job 2008-2009″ in my inbox. I went on 5 informational and 15 real interviews from Baltimore to Canada, some of which I went back to multiple times. I managed 2-4 clients at any given time and applied to over 100 jobs. I hustled. I went to temporary employment agencies, I even applied to wait tables. Thanks to my consulting work and a little other help, I never had to do either of those, nor did I collect unemployment (which was partly the fault of the hoops you have to jump to get your $378 a week). I’m proud that I worked hard and further developed my skills, that I was able to basically support myself, and that I got the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people. Many of the places I interviewed were not able to hire me, but passed my resume on to others. In fact, that’s how I secured the job I’ll be starting in a couple of weeks.

Family and friends were always there for me. I’d especially like to thank my boyfriend - who gave me countless hours of advice, support, editing, financial help, a good kick when I needed it, a shoulder to lean on and a smile to celebrate with. My best friend who supported me, kept it real and told me when something was ridiculous. My parents for their support (and worry), and all my friends for their help and for lending an ear.

It really does take a village. In no particular order, I’d like to give thanks to the following people from my “online network”. Without you, I could not have done this. From providing job leads, serving as references, getting me in touch with their connections, sending along my resume, checking for job openings at their company and generally offering their support; these people (and many more) should know how much I appreciate their help. I’m very lucky I had these people on my side.

@geoffliving @marinel @beautifulthangs @michael_nelson @eliz2shea @barryreich @lkthrock @dcjams @jterrill8 @tdbacon @sseawright @thorpus @swhitley @technosailor @kamichat @rmoede @tjohns06 @shonali @annagabbert @mindofandre @mpranikoff @colbcox @stephstad @rdweatherly @shashib @socialbttrfly @ericldavis @dallaslawrence @sradick @bradlevinson @cdorobek @leslieann44 @strategicguy @maiakg @johnny_mac @phillyberg @hautepjones @wamurray @rachellelacroix @noreaster @mixtmedia @sverde @sarahwurrey @fletcherprince @hey_love @kristiewells @mobilediner @jillfoster @stephmurillo @carlynkelley @immunity @thinklynsen @sliqviq @xiobhan @kathymbaird @taradunion @queenofblogs @pamelaspunch @janetdmiller @prjobs @dcconcierge @tdefren @melaniephung @melaniemitchell @sraak @tmn_inc @erinwest @taylortb @jtnt

I always believe in paying it forward. That said, I’ve helped pass on strong job leads to four of my friends in the past few days by sending great job opportunities that I was not able to take and motivating my own networks to help others. I think it’s especially important in these times to help each other, and that is evident in the huge number of blogs, Twitter feeds and newspaper articles on everything from how to interview to where to find a job. This recession has been tough on everyone from business owners to employees. The more we can stick together and help one another, the better off we’ll be.

As a final note, I’d like to share some links that I found were helpful and/or interesting.

• Jobs Lists and Resources from Mashable
• HOW TO: Find a Job on Twitter
• 30+ Websites to Visit When You’re Laid Off
• CAREER TOOLBOX: 100+ Places to Find Jobs
• Daily Kos: How to get a job: what’s missing from resumes I’m reviewing Update X2
• Your Resumé is Causing Hiring Companies To Laugh At You (Revised) | Technosailor.com
• The Interview That’ll Bag a Job - WSJ.com
• Career Hub: 10 Ways To Avoid Sabotaging Your Job Search By Being Desperate
• How to Tweet Your Way Out of a Job « I’m Not Actually a Geek
• Write an Attention-Grabbing Cover Letter

Blogs:
• Survival Mode (from @csalomonlee who has since secured a job)
• Laid Off And Looking - WSJ 
• How I Got My Job | Job-hunting success stories podcast

More social media focused from Jeremiah Owyang:
• Also see my Web Strategy Jobs powered by Job o Matic
• See my community manager group in Facebook
• Check out Jake McKee’s community portal for jobs
• See Chris Heuer’s Social Media Jobs
• SimplyHired aggregates job listings, as does Indeed