It’s Thanksgiving weekend, and if you’re not too full, then it’s the opportune time to take advantage of some killer sales and wicked parties.

SHOP TO IT (SHOPPING AND INDULGENCES)

Black Friday is tomorrow, and more than ever stores are seeking to draw consumers in with huge discounts, online and offline. If the thought of waking up at 4 am to hit the crowded malls makes you queasy, then look for online discounts.

With Black Friday comes Cyber Monday, and here in DC you can attend an event by Shop.org to help the cause for online shopping. Shop.org will provide lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, laptop computers with high-speed Internet access, and will raffle off thousands of dollars in gift cards to shoppers. Shop@Lunch made easy.

Tax free shopping in DC this weekend on purchases that are $100 or less. Stock up on gifts for yourself and others. Look for more local deals from Washingtonian. Bethesda Row is a great place to start the shopping fever!

Shop for a good cause next Wednesday, December 3rd. The Carpenter Shelter for the homeless in Alexandria benefits, while you save! 50% of the proceeds go directly to The Carpenter Shelter. Shop goodies from local designers showcasing their chic apparel, accessories, jewelry, arts and services at HUGELY discounted savings (up to 70% off). 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM at the Westin in Alexandria. Check out the event on Facebook for more details.

Ann Taylor Loft, J. Crew and Banana Republic are featuring sales with up to 40% off. Stock up on professional looking winter wear.

• Ann Taylor Loft has 40% off already marked down sale prices.
• J. Crew offers an extra 20% off from mark downs if you enter the code EXTRA20 online through December 1.
• Banana Republic has 40% off of cold-weather items (think sweaters, gloves, etc.) through December 1.
• Work off those holiday pounds with cute and comfy clothes from Lucy. 40% off outerwear and up to 30% off already marked down items through December 2.

Looking for a special holiday or New Year’s Eve dress? Check out one of my favorite stores, Cusp, which has great sales and is offering free online shipping with with the code THANKS and an order over $150. Stock up on cute gifts for under $50 such as hand-knitted purple gloves ($34), a Bobbi Brown limited-edition lip gloss trio ($45), and shine on with super shimmery Lippmann Collection gold nail polish ($15).

Pre-order the latest book from Harry Potter series author J.K. Rowling, set to release on December 4. The Tales of Beedle the Bard are sure to delight, as all five of the wizarding fairy tales that appeared in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows are featured in this treasury of tales. Barnes & Noble is offering it for $7.59 for B&N Club members. An extra 5% will be taken off if you order online. Amazon is even cheaper with a standard edition for $7.14. For the really hardcore fan, a special hardcover collector’s edition is offered for $100.

For some family holiday fun, check out the Polar Express in IMAX at the National Museum of Natural History. Check out http://www.si.edu/imax/ for details and showtimes.

SCENE AND BE SEEN (EVENTS AND PARTIES)

Thanksgiving weekend features parties all week. A few highlights:

WEDNESDAY

• The exclusive Shadow Room is having a pre-Thanksgiving bash tonight. RSVP for complimentary admission (which means free for ladies until midnight, and free for gentlemen until 11PM with RSVP). Absolute Addiction is promoting.
• The newly redesigned Eyebar is having its own Thanksgiving Eve bash, with no cover and open bar for all, starting at 10 pm. Gobble, Gobble! Go to Primo Productions for more detail.
• Itching for a Dewey Beach reunion? Head to Clarendon Ballroom for their annual Thanksgiving Throwdown, featuring Kristen and the Noise. HiBall events sponsors. Come early for $10 admission, and get in for only $5 with two canned goods. Prices increase through the night.

THURSDAY

• Spend time with your family you turkey!

FRIDAY

• My friend (and new Wizards girl) Lyndsay is hosting an event at Midtown on Friday night. (For those who don’t know, Midtown is the new Play.) The Little Black Dress party is sure to be filled with beautiful people, so make sure you dress to impress.

In other news, select summer 2009 shows are now on sale at Wolf Trap. Take advantage of purchasing Disney’s High School Musical tickets (which are sure to sell out) and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. TLOTR will feature the complete film in HD with performances by a live orchestra, chorus, and soloists. HSM will be arriving on September 1-6, 2009 and The Lord of the Rings is coming August 28-29, 2009. For more fun and to purchase tickets (including Riverdance and 42nd Street), go to Wolf Trap’s website.

EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY (FOOD AND DRINK)

Thanksgiving is all about food. And, what better way to celebrate food than to share with others. Washingtonian is creating a Thanksgiving recipe box, where readers can submit and share their favorite family recipes.

This is a great time to think of others. Consider volunteering at a local shelter or food bank. Many need extra help for the Thanksgiving holiday, but consider volunteering at another time. Help is needed year round. If you can’t volunteer your time, please volunteer your dollars. Check out Food and Friends, Capital Area Food Bank, So Others Might Eat (SOME), Bread for the City, and the DC Central Kitchen.

Union Jack’s new Ballston location is hosting a grand opening next Thursday, December 4th. There will be a free buffet to sample food, and lots of fun to be had for all. Could be a great overflow spot for Rock Bottom’s Wednesday night $1 beer debacles.

Tomorrow I’ll be posting information for a contest to win a 1 lb. box of Enstrom’s toffee. If you’ve never had it, I highly recommend you get into it. More to come…

NOTE: Posted this a bit early this week with the holiday in mind. Check back every Thursday for a weekly round up.

Every week, there are a ton of events that I want to go to - whether it’s a festival, concert, new restaurant, or party. The holidays are coming up, and there will be more fun things happening than I can imagine. For now, just a few highlights. The list will become more robust over the coming weeks. Think of this as Daily Candy marrying the Going Out Gurus.

SHOP TO IT (SHOPPING AND INDULGENCES)

Stop by Sephora for some yummy calorie-free treats. Philosophy is serving up goods that range from hot cocoa bath and shower gel, s’mores, gingerbread, and cranberry scented lip gloss. Don’t forget to indulge in the pumpkin pie. You can stay fresh, clean, and fat-free with these delicious products.

If you’re looking for something a little cheaper, Bath & Body Works is running a special on their Signature Collection scents online. Buy 5 for $25. I’m a fan of Black Raspberry Vanilla, Sensual Amber, and Pearberry. It’s not part of the Signature Collection, but Vanilla Bean Noel is a great once a year scent to stock up on for the holdiays. I usually buy at least three.

Love bling? Go to the International Gem and Jewelry Show at the Dulles Expo Center for FREE if you’re a Goldstar member. Find a sparkling holiday gift for yourself or a loved one. Friday, December 19 - Sunday, December 21.

SCENE AND BE SEEN (EVENTS AND PARTIES)

Jack’s Mannequin (and other guests) will be performing tonight at the 9:30 Club. If only I had heard about this event sooner, I would have definitely tried to make it. The show is now sold out, but check out 9:30 Club for the latest and greatest, including a three-night show in January by Thievery Corporation.

Sports and fashion collide with the Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund’s Fashion Forward event. Tomorrow night from 7 pm to 11 pm, join Washington Redskins and Wizards girls at the hottest spot in town, Shadow Room, for a charity fashion show. Mingle with some of DC’s best philanthropists and party people, all in one spot. Tickets are $50 in advance and $60 at the door.

The 14th Annual BB&T Classic is December 7th this year. Always a good time, the schools competing include Virginia Tech vs. Navy and Maryland vs. George Washington. A local crowd favorite, make sure to get your tickets now. The tournament benefits the Children’s Charities Foundation. Tickets are $15, $40, and $125 from Ticketmaster.

Fun for the whole family. One of my favorite childhood books, Miss Nelson is Missing!, will be shared at Imagination Stage in Bethesda. This musical comedy is sure to please kids and adults alike. There’s plenty of time to see it. The show runs November 22, 2008 - January 4, 2009.

For the more grown up side, Hi-Ball events presents their annual New Year’s Eve blow-out will be held at National Harbour this year. Big Night DC will feature multiple floors, open bars, live music, and more. All-inclusive tickets are at their cheapest right now. A general ticket is currently going for $109.99, and VIP tickets are going for $169.99. While it may not be the cheapest event in town, it will certainly be the largest. Although, you may want to skip NYE this year in favor of an Inaugural Ball ticket. If you are looking for another big party alternative, check out the Downtown Countdown. Tickets range from $119-$200, with group rates available.

EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY (FOOD AND DRINK)

My friend Mar wrote up a great review of Georgetown Cupcake. Whether you prefer Georgetown Cupcake, Hello Cupcake, Buzz Bakery, or CakeLove…there is certainly not a cupcake shortage in this town. With this economy, a cupcake is a sweet treat that won’t break the bank.

Speaking of money, there are a ton of recession specials around town. If you’re into the post-college kickball scene, head over to Kelly’s Irish Times for a $15 all-you-can-drink special featuring Miller Lite, Miller High Life and Blue Moon. Every Saturday night from 8 pm to 11 pm.

Taxi drivers beware, there are multiple Thanksgiving bar tours this weekend. Who knew it was time to give thanks and…drink? On Saturday, November 22nd, residents in DC, Maryland and Virginia can enjoy a full day of bar hopping across the metro area. The 2nd Annual Bethesda Fall Bar Tour and Upper East Fall Bar Tour (in DC) are sponsored by Lindy Promotions. Get $2 Miller Lites, food specials and more for just $10 per ticket. The Turkey Trot Tour in Arlington is sponsored by the Arlington Athletic and Social League and is only $5 (free if you’re a member). Features $2 Miller Lites, $4 Wild Turkey and Coke, and food specials.

So this weekend turned out pretty good. On Friday I went for a drink with a couple coworkers after work, then headed (ironically through DC) into Arlington to meet up with some friends. We ended up at Whitlow’s and Ballroom (the rooftop was still a little sketchy from the “collapse” a couple weeks ago) and I got entirely too intoxicated. Which was fine because I usually don’t drink a lot, if at all.

Saturday I ended up going to Merriweather Post Pavilion to check out Manu Chao and Thievery Corporation, among others. It was an excellent show, and I’m glad that I went (thanks T). The weather was perfect - not hot or humid…and sitting there in the open air listening to some great music made me really, well, happy to be alive. Glad that I was able to head out on a whim to a concert with friends. Happy that everything felt just so right.

Thursday was “officially” the first day of summer, and I’m looking forward to what the rest of the season brings.

On a side note, my parents left today for New Mexico, they are moving out there. I had lunch with them on Thursday, and then I won’t see them again until Christmas. It’s not that different than now I guess, in that I don’t see them that much. But, if I want to, no more weekend trips or them being an hour or two away.

Also, my dad had apparently given me all the old videotapes of me from when I was little (family vacations, ski trips, me dancing around and singing “I’m Bad” - ah the old MJ days)…well, I didn’t know that they were in my car, and so they sat there for over a month. Yes, in the heat. I tried to put the tapes in (the old school VHS adapter was used), and nothing came up. I’m just hoping that they didn’t get erased. He should have told me they were in there! I guess that is my fault for not being responsible and taking the box out of my car in time (hah), but still…I’ll be pretty sad if all those memories are gone. Especially if it’s just because I was lazy.

So last night I attended the Yellowcard and Anberlin concert at the 9:30 Club. It was a good concert, but the crowd certainly made it even more entertaining. In looking around the crowd I thought, how many of these people are breaking curfew? Yes, I did feel really old. The average age there I would say was 20. I bought a beer just to prove I was old enough. Also unfortunate, were the parents that were forced to attend with their young high school kids. I felt so bad for them, they must have been miserable. Speaking of being a parent, on the way out we hit traffic on 66, and I almost came thisclose to hitting the car in front of me. Apparently by default I “mom-armed” my friend. It was quite funny. I wonder if the guy knew how close he was to being rear-ended? Hmm…

Of course, there was a lot of mosh pitting and crowd surfing going on. What is it about rock concerts that perpetuate that? I joked with my friend that only white kids would do that (the aimless jumping up and down and running into each other) and she was like “hey, we can’t dance, it’s what we do.” Hahaha. The appeal of crowd surfing is lost to me as well. “Yeah man, let’s rock out and count on strangers to hold me up so I don’t fall, all the while kicking other people in the face and possibly falling and busting my head open! AWESOME! What a rush!” Yeah, false. I just tried to stay away from that mess.

The highlight of the concert was definitely “Only One” and “Empty Apartment” followed by the last song “Ocean Avenue.” They prefaced “Only One” by saying that you should “look for the girl you want to take home tonight and tell her that you wrote this song for her” - which was hilarious.

 

All in all a fun way to spend a Wednesday night.

Well, I finally decided to recap the great blind date from the concert.

First, let me say that the guy was really nice to me. He didn’t have to be, and we didn’t have to even meet up or anything. I think we both just decided that we were both cool and normal and it wouldn’t be bad to hang out for one night. I guess you can’t really call it a blind date when we both saw pictures of each other before the event and talked on the phone and IM, but whatever. We met up for dinner at the Daily Grill on M Street, then took a cab to the concert. We actually didn’t spend time together at the concert because I ran into my friend in line, and while he went to talk to some girl he thought was cute (who had a boyfriend he found out), I fought the crowds to view the show with my friend up by the stage. Not a bad deal.

So anyway, as I said he was perfectly nice to me, so I feel a little bad about what I’m about to share, but I can’t help it - the things he said!

He informed me that he “only dates really hot girls because I don’t like to waste time with unattractive ones.” Yes. That’s great, thanks. But, it gets better.

So I humored him and we had a thrilling conversation about hot girls, and how it’s hard to find a good one because most of them are either dumb, boring, or bad in bed. Why bad in bed? Because they are so hot guys would just fuck them anyway cause they were that hot. Um, yeah.

I countered by saying this, “well, luckily I’m not hot enough to be boring or bad in bed.”

Oh, I loved it. I was proud of my witty retort. He responded, “whatever you’re cute.” Yeah, sure buddy.

Then in the cab on the way to the concert he said that one thing he really hated was “getting with a really skinny girl who isn’t toned…and when I touch her she jiggles like jello.” Sure, I hate that too. Well, having never touched any skinny girls (or, really any girls period), I wouldn’t know.

But, the best part was when we were waiting in line to get into the 9:30 Club, and he decided to show me some super cool pictures on his Razr. He prefaced by saying that they were some “typical pics of my wild/crazy/cool nights out on the town.” Right.

The first picture was of him from mid-chest down, standing sideways with a girl on her knees in front of well, his crotch. Pretending to give him a blow job. Through his jeans. In a club.

The next picture was of the same (I think) girl, only it was just her legs…spread…in a skirt….with him in between them licking her inner thigh. Just the side of his head, and her legs.

Yeah, I had no words either.

What did he think, that I would be impressed? That I would say, damn I wish that was me! No, definitely not. I wasn’t even that entertained I was more like, what the fuck is going on there and who does that in public and takes a picture of it? And then shows it to some girl you just met?

And, finally, when we met up at the end of the night to grab a cab, he told me that some girl in front of him at the concert had “given him a vertical lap dance” by grinding her ass in his crotch all night. Well, that could also be due to the fact that he was one of about 50 guys in the whole place and probably the only one who wasn’t with a girlfriend or gay. It wasn’t because you were special.

And, that ladies and gentlemen, sums up my blind date experience. Although, I am glad I didn’t pick the other bachelor, because according to this guy he was kind of rednecky and told him (my date) that he was going to “ditch the girl if she wasn’t totally hot and/or blonde with huge boobs.” God. All in all, my “date” was fine, he treated me well and was nice to me - even if he wasn’t the best in other areas.

Sigh. So these are the guys I end up going out with. Not by choice I guess, but still…they always seem to end up the same.