December always brings a full calendar to the DC area, and it seems there is an endless stream of parties, food, and shopping to be had. Everyone can be a socialite in December!

SHOP TO IT (SHOPPING AND INDULGENCES)

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, right? Two sparkling events are happening this week from the diamond industry. The Baubles and Bubbles event at Chas. Schwartz & Son in Mazza Gallerie tonight will feature special pricing on $5 million worth of diamonds (from 2 to 10 carats). Talk about bling! Mervis Diamond is also having their annual trunk show this weekend in Tysons. Stop by for a fabulous opportunity to get something sparkly for that special someone.

SCENE AND BE SEEN (EVENTS AND PARTIES)

Friday night just keeps getting better. Start the night at Midtown where they are rolling out the red carpet to host a charity event for Becky’s Fund, which is sure to be a blast. A $20 donation to fight domestic violence is suggested, and the happy hour starts early at 5 PM.

After that, make sure you stop by the City Tavern Club from 8 PM to midnight for a not-so-naughty drink in honor of the 75th Anniversary of Repeal Day. The Repeal Day Ball is a classy soiree featuring some snazzy drinks and jazzy costumes, so make sure to dress the part (sophisticated cocktail attire is recommended). It may be a recession, but we can still drink to old times. Visit www.dccraftbartendersguild.com to purchase tickets. Can’t get enough of the CTC? Their annual Santa Soiree is Saturday night. This black tie event is sure to be an affair to remember.

Get into the holiday spirit by taking part in a DC tradition. The Mormon Temple’s (no, not the Magic Kingdom) Festival of Lights is happening right now at their Visitor Center. Be dazzled by displays of Christmas cheer. For those with a wilder side, make sure to check out Zoo Lights at the National Zoo. Cuddle up with that special someone with date night at the National Zoo this Saturday, December 6th. Tickets are only $30 per couple for FONZ members and $40 for non-members. Starting at 5:30 PM, warm up the night with hot chocolate and gingerbread men, and a cuddly plush animal gift.

A personal note, the Alexandria Singers will be having their annual holiday concert, “A Mall and the Night Visitors” on Sunday, December 7th at 3 pm at Bishop Ireton HS in Alexandria. Come out for good family fun and an entertaining musical event. Yours truly will be there with bells on. Purchase tickets online at www.alexandriasingers.com. Make sure you mention my name when you buy!

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

Holiday treats include on of my favorites, cookies! Check out Rock Creek at Mazza on Saturday, December 6th for Baking for the Holidays the Rock Creek Way at 10 AM. For $65 per person, you can enjoy a class from the pastry chef for healthy holiday desserts, including cookies and gingerbreads. That’s a deal when you factor in lunch and goodie bags! Santa will also be making an appearance at the mall from 9-10:30 AM, so come early to get in the holiday spirit!

A new matchbox is opening in DC. For those who love the Chinatown staple for great pizza, brunch, and more; make sure to visit the newest location at 521 8th street SE (near E). matchbox opens on Friday night.

P.S. For more great events - check out my latest issues of The Scene in Bisnow.

Well, there might not be anything else of interest posted for awhile, because tomorrow I start my new job! I am really excited about it, and of course nervous. I think that it will definitely be a good change for me and help direct my career to a better place.

Of course, I am not happy about this change with the wintry weather. Having to park who knows where is not a happy thought with the frigid temperatures and random flurries. It also sucks knowing what shoes to pick out to wear, I can’t wear sneakers all the time! I’ve been wearing flats, but I much prefer heels, especially for work. I know, I have it better off than people who metro and walk…but I’m a wuss when it comes to the cold. That and I’m allergic to cold, I get hives! I know it’s really gross. It’s actually called cold urticaria. (I am pretty much allergic to air, I should live in a bubble.)

In addition to the new job (and thoughts of falling on the ice), the post title is referring to a number of bloggers I know that have moved over to Wordpress in the past few weeks. I guess that’s what is hot in 2007.

In other news…wtf is wrong with Britney Spears. I hope that there are sane people caring for her children, because she has obviously lost her damn mind. Someone needs to just put her out of her misery. I also find it alarming that her antics get picked up by the news. Since when is celebrity gossip headline news?

And finally, I had another great weekend. Thursday I had a happy hour with some friends (turned out to be all guys, sorry for them) to celebrate / cry about my last day at work. That turned into a late night (actually an interesting boy story, maybe I’ll get motivated to share later) which led to a lazy Friday off. That night I met my friend for dinner and then went to hang out with some old coworkers/friends who had a little video game party type thing. Gears and Beers as they so named it. Man, they were hardcore because I ended up hanging out with them until 4 am. Fucking hilarious time though, I guess three guys polishing off four growlers from Sweetwater will end up being funny. Of course Saturday was another lazy day for me. It was good to have a weekend to kind of just chill out and hang out with good friends. Now, I’m reading up some more on my client for work, and trying to prepare myself to waking up earlier.

Enough rambling…City Sparkle, signing out!

Now, maybe it’s just me, but isn’t the point of the business trip so that you can order porn at the hotel?

Kidding of course.

But seriously, doesn’t the FBI have more important things to worry about? Shouldn’t all those conservative groups be busy fighting, oh, I don’t know…terrorists? Well, maybe not….

Seriously people, I’m all for family friendly places and overall decency for public consumption…but give me a break.

I’ve always been told to choose my battles wisely, and this would definitely not be one I’d want to stand behind.

Ah well, another weekend has come and gone, and still here I am. My weekend was pretty uneventful, but still fun. On Friday I met my friend at the bar at Clyde’s in Tysons for drinks and a long dinner. Then I came home and passed out early, was out by midnight. For some reason the past week I just haven’t seemed to be able to feel caught up on sleep and rested.

On Saturday I met up with my best friend and we went on an adventure that involved manicures, shopping (I bought three great books - The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, The History of Love, and the maybe not so great Chloe Does Yale) and a viewing of the movie Step Up. Don’t laugh, it was a good movie - the dancing was great and Channing Tatum was HOT. It made me want to go out and dance!

Sunday I headed to Arlington to hang out with my roommate’s family for a pre-birthday (hers) celebration. We went by the Arlington County Fair to check out the pig races, which were really cute! In addition, we walked around all the booths, which I found to be quite interesting. Down one row we had the Lesbian and Gay Alliance of Arlington. Down the next, the Parents of Gays and Ex Gays. (WTF is an “ex-gay”…yeah…I can’t even discuss that.) There were also two pro-life booths, which I’m all for people displaying their views and free speech and all…but there was a mom there with a little boy (maybe 5) and he was playing with the plastic uterus models. Yeah. That’s not so cool. But, I did get a really cute picture of the pig races….

Monday as you know I met up with some lovely blogging ladies for dinner and we certainly had an interesting time. It was great to see everyone, and much food and laughter was had.

Today, well…today was not so good of a day at work. But, it happens. Sometimes we all need to take a moment.

Well, at least tomorrow is Wednesday - happy hump day!

Happy first day of classes….

“The fact that the guy can blend in so well with campus students is kind of scary,” said Josh Burnheimer, 20, a Virginia Tech junior from Ashburn, Virginia. “Everywhere you look there are police snipers on the roof.”

That is scary!!!! He even looks crazy….

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