Good Sunday Morning to you and welcome to of my Sunday State of the Union! This is the week in short and will cover everything from A to Z, or at least everything between A and Z that I care to mention. This weekly post will be published EVERY Sunday morning and will be written throughout the week.

.  .  .

What a week. Let me tell you, I am really, really glad that this week is over. Every day has been just one thing after another and I need this nice weekend to catch up and reset. With everything that's happened, I think we all need a little reset. And maybe a manicure too.. But without further ado, here's the week:

 

1. Brussels Attack - Being a weekly review, I can't avoid this awfully sad bit of news. Tuesday morning in Belgium there was a series of terrorist attacks leading to 31 deaths at the time that I am writing this. I first heard the news early Tuesday morning, when J had messaged me about it. All I can say is that I am sending positive thoughts to all those touched by these events. Here's to hoping that world leaders take this as a sign to do more, not in prevention, but in complete elimination of the perpetrators of these awful attacks. If you're looking for more information, I encourage you to check out the linked article from BBC to keep as updated as possible. 

2. #StandWithZoe - On Wednesday night, YouTuber Zoella Sugg posted a picture on snapshot. In that picture, you could see her underwear. And people lost their minds. The underwear covered all of everything going on, but yet so many people considered the picture utterly obscene. Honestly, with all of what's going on in the world, I don't think her picture was really all that important. But since it blew up overnight, I have to say that I #StandWithZoe. She wasn't hanging any of her bits out, it was just a selfie with a cute top and a pair of CK underwear before she went to bed. Comparing this photo to, say, Kim Kardashian's latest nude antics, Zoe's photo really isn't bad. I mean, I've seen more revealing photos on VS billboards in New York. The only think I'm concerned with is where did she get those underwear, because they are super cute, and look super comfy too.

3. Not in Kansas Anymore - Okay, so it's not actually all that new, but I absolutely love the new  spring line from J Crew. Gingham is back! Step aside Dorothy, we aren't in Kansas anymore with these fabulous designs. My favorites? First of all, definitely the popover, a must have for summer. The Martie pant is amazing too, I have such a love for patterned pants, and this is just one pair I definitely need to add to the collection. No gingham shopping spree is complete without a pair of shoes, and no pair of shoes is complete without a bow and the d'Orsay flats fit the bill perfectly!

4. B(v)S - No I mean Batman v Superman. Well, let's be honest it's BS too. Have I seen it? No. Do I plan on seeing it? Definitely not. The linked Vox article is one example of many, many terrible reviews. The one amazing thing about the film though? Henry Cavill. Let's be real though, I'd watch him any day.

5. The Best Bloomberg - As an equestrian, I already loved Georgina Bloomberg. In the linked T&C article Emily Selter interviews Georgina all about her philanthropy and philanthropic interests. She does a lot of work with the ASPCA and has rescued all kinds of animals, dogs, pigs, and even a goat. She's an amazing rider, an amazing philanthropist, and an amazing role model! I definitely recommend that you check out the article.

Photo of the Week:

Taken from the review of La Tomate by the Bitches Who Brunch, this is our photo of the week. I write this on a perfectly cool Saturday morning filled with clear skies, the perfect jeans and flats weather, and the best brunch weather imaginable. Unfortunately, I'm writing this in my pajamas, binge watching Sex and the City for the first time, and pretty much starving to death. Okay maybe not starving, but really, really hungry. I haven't brunched outside of the campus dining hall in months, and I think the fake eggs are starting to get to me. 

Quote of the Week:
"Welcome to the age of un-innocence. No one has breakfast at Tiffany's and no one has affairs to remember."                                                    - Carrie Bradshaw

In honor of my binge watching Sex and the City for the first time, I picked the arguably most iconic of all the quotes from season 1. While I disagree, I think breakfast can always be at Tiffany's and I'm certainly going to make my latest "affair" certainly one to be remembered. While I'm here with my blog to try to prove Carrie wrong, I'm still going to be spending this brunch-less weekend with my new manicure watching SATC and pretending to do homework.

I hope this week is better than last, but until next time,

Writing to you from M, Personally


PS Remember J from the recent relationships posts? He wanted you all to know that England beat Germany this weekend 2-3 after being two down. After my incorrect guess, I was informed that this indeed was soccer, ah excuse me, football, and apparently is a very big deal. So go you England!

SOTU

6:00 AM

Good Sunday Morning to you and welcome to of my Sunday State of the Union! This is the week in short and will cover everything from A to Z, or at least everything between A and Z that I care to mention. This weekly post will be published EVERY Sunday morning and will be written throughout the week. 

. . .

First week back in DC post-break is in the books and I for one am already ready for the summer. Politically this was a big week too, with all kinds of crazy news left and right. Best part of the week? St Patrick's Day of course! The one day a year when everyone is Irish and most people drink like it too. I for one spent my St Patrick's Night in, working on homework and writing for the blog. While rocking as much green as possible of course! Without further ado, here's the week!

1. Marco Rubio Drop - I won't say I predicted it, but I predicted it. Unfortunately, after losing the Florida primary this past Tuesday, Senator Marco Rubio dropped out of the race for president. I liked Rubio a lot, but he just lacked the momentum to get voters to out to the polls. It's not surprising to be honest. All that being said, Rubio definitely has a successful political career in front of him, should he choose to continue on that path.

2. Vine-Tube - We can all agree that Thomas Sanders is a Vine god and John Cozart is a YouTube sensation. This past week, the two of them got together to create Vine vs YouTube: The Song. And it is fantastic. The two of these guys are the funniest and most talented I've seen in a while and you should definitely check out their video!

3. Shut. Up. -  Something big is happening. Change your life big. Bigger than orthodontia big. Princess Diaries 3 is happening. (Momentary pause for excited squealing). The director as well as Anne Hathaway are in for the three-quel. I am absolutely dying right now. Probably the best news I've heard all week to be completely honest. Princess Diaries was my childhood. I totally connect with Mia's transformation in the first movie, from poofy haired awkward girl to stylish awkward princess. I'm just waiting on some Chris Pine-looking, preferably accented, prince to swoop me up like the second movie. Hey prince, maybe going to see Princess Diaries 3 for the first date? Sound's like a pretty good plan to me!


Photo of the Week: 

source

I had another photo, for this week's SOTU. With the problems publishing this post, I decided to edit it last minute, changing the photo to the Belgian flag in light of recent events. An article will be shared in next week's post.

Quote of the Week:
                 "When things go wrong, don't go with them."             -Unknown

Oh yes, after all the issues I've had with Blogger these past couple of days, I've learned my lesson. Always plan ahead and don't let things going wrong take them with you! My lesson for taking the last few weeks of good fortune for granted!


On that note, I'm off to go do my Sunday workout. Until next time,

Writing to you from M, Personally

SOTU

6:58 AM

Good Sunday Morning to you and welcome to of my Sunday State of the Union! This is the week in short and will cover everything from A to Z, or at least everything between A and Z that I care to mention. This weekly post will be published EVERY Sunday morning and will be written throughout the week. 

. . .

With this past week off, I thought I would get more blogging done than usual. Turns out, I was totally wrong. Apparently, playing 3 hours of Skyrim and sleeping for 10 hours every day doesn't lend itself to increased productivity. Who knew? There may be a pretty good chance that I'm writing this entire post while on the bus ride back down to DC.. Oops. Without further ado, here's the week:

1. Nancy Reagan - I'm sure many of you have already heard, but this past week Former First Lady Nancy Reagan passed away at age 94. A beautiful woman, both inside and out, she brought a classic style back to the White House, reminiscent of the Kennedy era. The article I've attached is from the New York Times and, in my opinion, beautifully covers Nancy Reagan's funeral. Written very neutrally and respectfully, it is a great little homage to the former First Lady, much better than I could squish into a paragraph here.

2. International Women's Day - March 8th this past week was International Women's Day! One of my personal favorites of the holidays. I loved the posts shared IFL Science on their Facebook page with the hashtag "Women You Should Have Heard Of" recognizing some of the greatest scientific and medical contributions and discoveries made by women. IFL Science highlighted the women who had been jilted and overlooked by their fellow male scientists including Rosalind Franklin, who's X-ray images lead to the discovery of the shape of DNA, but were used without her knowledge and permission by Frances Crick. Everyone knows about the Nobel winning team, but Franklin wasn't credited for her contributions. Check out her story, and others like hers on the IFL Science Facebook page

3. FemTalk - I'm sure by now you all know I love Estee Lalonde. She's a gorgeous blogger/blogger with a great sense of style and a fabulous attitude towards life. This past week, she débuted a new style of video, breaking out of her previous beauty/fashion blogger mold and more towards a lifestyle channel. Her video, FemTalk was great. I laughed, I cried, the whole nine yards. Well okay I didn't cry, but I definitely face her some serious snaps for 90% of what she said. I've been a pretty dedicated fan for a while, and I am definitely staying that way!

4. Generation Next - While I'm not a huge follower of Oli White, his debut book looks pretty good! It's a fictional insight into the rise of fame experienced by YouTubers, but I'm thinking that it's a bit more fact than fiction.. One of those books where all character similarities are just "coincidental," you catch my drift? Either way, he announced his book tour today, which is unfortunately not coming to anywhere near me, unless you count 3,000 miles away as near. I'll have to see if I can con J into going to the London signing for me.. You think he would wade through a sea of boy-crazy tweens to get a book signed for me? I'll have to work on my persuasive skills!

5. Chicago Away - This past week in Chicago, a Trump rally was cancelled amidst what one can only be called a hot mess of a crowd. Trump supporters, BLM supporters, Bernie supporters, and a couple thousand other people crowded together in a stadium in Chicago and became the cause for a Trump Rally to be cancelled. I don't really have much of an opinion on this story, just one heavy sigh and my eyes rolled so far, I think I can see my own brain. To be honest, this is just a confirmation of my continuing belief that this country's political system is just one big clusterf*ck. Remind me, why am I a Political Science major again? This is one of those weeks where I really consider switching to something less painful, like underwater basket weaving or something...


Photo of the Week:

This week's photo is also a shameless self-promotion. I went to New York last Thursday, and took this picture in Times Square. It's not particularly exquisite, but I like it, so I'm using it for this week. Check it out on Instagram!


Quote of the Week:
                          "If reason fails, use force!"
                                                         -Dowager Countess
I love, love, love Grandmama Crawley. She was the sassy guiding matriarch that every woman needs. While nearly all of her lines are incredibly memorable, this particular one stuck with me. Why? Because that mindset was my unofficial method for life before I watched Downtown Abbey. Now, post Downtown, I finally have a mantra for it. So this week is to you, Dowager Countess Crawley! And until next time,


Writing to you from M, Personally.

SOTU

6:00 AM

Good Sunday Morning to you and welcome to of my Sunday State of the Union! This is the week in short and will cover everything from A to Z, or at least everything between A and Z that I care to mention. This weekly post will be published EVERY Sunday morning and will be written throughout the week. 

. . .

Welcome to March everyone! Only two more months until the spring semester is over and summer break starts, so cue the countdown to the crazy summer. But until then, it's been a pretty neutral week news-wise for me. So without further ado..

1. #MakeYouTubeGreatAgain - Generally I hadn't followed the recent copyright issues on YouTube as much as I should. I learned quite a bit from watching Philip DeFranco's videos mostly. But watching Matthias' video on copyright abuse. Definitely check out the more indepth information videos oncopyright abuse if you're looking to get educated. I 100% support Matthias' demands for his 20 cent check from Studio71. And I encourage you to join the #MakeYouTubeGreatAgain trend and (respectively) tweet to YouTube's CEO, Susan Wojcicki. I will definitely be watching to see if that class action lawsuit does come up, which I think it will. Even more, I'm interested to see who will join onto the suit.

2. Gold Star For Me - A super cute and super short collab song by Dodie Clark and Carrie Fletcher. While this isn't really news, I recently discovered Dodie's channel through Evan Edinger, and she's pretty much the cutest human, like ever. Seriously. After you listen to Gold Star, make sure you listen to her original song, My Face. It's a cute little song that will really perk up your day! Her song Down is also a really great way to explain depression to someone who doesn't understand it. 

3. The What?! - News has come up recently about Fox's new comedy show called The Mick. When I saw that, I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head. I'm sorry, but a comedy show entitled The MICK? Did no one at Fox try googling that first?? Or is it just a casual thing to use derogatory words for comedy titles now? Just because it isn't a common term now, doesn't mean it's not still offensive. I know that Fox's use of the term isn't meant in an offensive way. And I know that the connotation of the word has nothing to do with the show. But there are plenty of other titled that the producers could have chosen. As someone who is extremely proud of their Irish heritage, I find Fox's flippant use of a term historically used to demean Irish immigrants and Irish Americans extremely disturbing, offensive, and just plain ignorant. 

4. Donald's Drumf - Oh yes folks, believe it or not, a presidential candidate discussed his, ah, little candidate, on national television. I don't know in what world that is considered appropriate behavior for a candidate, but apparently the mass of the american people think it's just fine. Excuse me while I research my upcoming move to Canada..


Photo of the Week: I mean, what else could it be?? This week Leonardo DiCaprio finally won his Oscar! I guess the internet is over now, the world's greatest meme has now ended. But in all reality, congrats to Leo for this one!

Source

Quote of the Week:
          "We get to have our hearts broken, dust ourselves off, and go find love again."
                                                               -Devon Werkheiser

That's all for this week's State of the Union, I'm off to go enjoy my spring break (yes, binge House of Cards).

Until next time, writing to you from M, Personally

SOTU

6:42 AM

Good Sunday Morning to you and welcome to of my Sunday State of the Union! This is the week in short and will cover everything from A to Z, or at least everything between A and Z that I care to mention. This weekly post will be published EVERY Sunday morning and will be written throughout the week.

.  .  .

As we approach Super Tuesday, this past week has been politically heavy in my news feed. This week in my SOTU is going to both look deeper into and also look outside of politics. Why? Because if I have to read too many more political arguments and articles, my brain might just explode. I mean don't get me wrong, I love, love, love politics. For goodness sakes I'm even majoring in it. But if it's just 100% politics all the time, yeah I don't like politics that much. Everyone needs a break every so often, yeah? So, without further ado, here's the week

1. Tuesday Night Smackdown - No despite my title here, the WWE has not changed it's weekly schedule for Smackdown. I'm talking about Super Tuesday, the primary election Holy Grail. This coming Tuesday, March 1st, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont and Virginia will have primaries for both Republicans and Democrats. Alaska has a Republican caucus, American Samoa has a Democratic caucus, and Colorado is choosing a Democratic candidate through caucusing and delegates for to choose a Republican. I for one am on the hunt for a Super Tuesday party, a rare occasion that I won't be watching results and knitting.  There will definitely be some live-tweeting and a follow up next week!

2. Bloom - So moving away from politics now, I want to hit up the really important news of the week. Some of you may know Estee Lalonde (formerly EssieButton), a fashion/beauty/lifestyle blogger/vlogger/YouTuber. I've been passively watching her videos for years and over the past few months I finally subscribed and started watching her videos regularly. This Monday, Estee announced that she is writing a book titled Bloom! Last I checked, there was no US pre-order for her book, but the second it does open up, I will be the first on the list! I love Estee and I am so excited to read her book. Check out her blog and her channel!

3. Carrie and the Robots - My absolute favorite Carrie Fisher was featured in IBM's new commercial along side the support group for evil robots. The commercial also features IBM's little Watson, their genius artificial intelligence robot. It'll the cutest minute of your day! The only thing missing is 3PO and R2!

4. Baby Meesha - Little Meesha from the BARCS Animal Shelter in Baltimore, MD was waking up from surgery and making the absolute saddest little puppy noises. According to the post, Meesha was having trouble coming out from the anesthesia, and one of her doctors, Dennis Moses, comforted her by holding Meesha and rocking her. Little Meesha's sad whimpers will break your heart the whole time, but seeing the doc's reaction and comforting of the little dog, it's just the sweetest thing! Check the video out on BARCS' Facebook page!

5. Land's End Weenies Out - I'm sure by now you've heard about how Land's End took down their interview with Gloria Steinem. After pressure from viewers calling Steinem "anti-child" and claiming that Land's End want to "kill off future customers." Which is an absolutely ridiculous claim. Regardless of her recent opinions, Gloria Steinem has worked for gender equality. Moreover, the interview with Land's End had nothing to do with Steinem's opinions regarding abortion or any other political issues. I'm quite ashamed of Land's End for taking down the interview, and I for one will be keeping my business elsewhere for a while.

Photo of the Week:

I found this gorgeous Skeleton Flower on Town & Country. Found in Japan and China, the usually white flower, turns clear when hit with water. As it dries, it fades back to white. Apparently they're also found on the Appalachian mountains, so guess where I'm going hiking this summer!




Quote of the Week: With midterm season starting, I think this quote is pretty accurate.

There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.

-Henry Kissinger

And that's where I'll leave you today. Let me know in the comments what articles highlighted your week!

Until next time,
Writing to you from M, Personally

Politics SOTU

6:21 AM

Good Sunday Morning to you and welcome to the first installment of my Sunday State of the Union! This will be the week in short and will cover everything from A to Z, or at least everything between A and Z that I care to mention. This weekly post will be published EVERY Sunday morning and will be written throughout the week. Being the first post, this SOTU will cover this past week as well. So without further ado..

.  .  .

The post Valentines Day week! The week where the newly engaged couples are happy together, the new couples are happy together, and us single people are happy alone with sale price chocolate. While I sit here eating an obscene number of Hershey kisses, let's see what happened this week:


1.Conservativism on Campus - This past Tuesday evening, GOP strategist Karl Rove spoke at American University. Earlier that day, as a response to some on campus backlash to Rove as well as many other speakers, a friend of mine had an editorial published in the Washington Examiner. Krista Chavez, president of AU's chapter of the Network of Enlightened Women,  wrote incredibly well on the topic of conservatism on campus, a topic that I myself am incredibly passionate about.

2. Apple Does Fall Far - By now I am sure you've read the open letter from Tim Cook regarding the FBI's requesting Apple to unlock the iPhone from the San Bernadino shooting. And I have to say, I strongly agree with Cook. We can all agree that there is no way in the world that the US Government can keep the necessary iOS adjustments secure and only ever use them for extreme cases. I don't trust the government with that technology, and I don't even have an iPhone any more! Despite that, there has to be some way for Apple and the FBI to come to a compromise to access this specific phone to access the information held inside.

3. Missing the Mockingbird - This week we lost a literary great. Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set A Watchman, died this past day at age 89. She wrote the book that help me make the change from children and young adult books to the 'grown up' classics as a child and I have always loved Lee. Her life, especially that surrounding the publishing of Watchman, will be thrust back into the spotlight again, something she often avoided. Regardless, Harper Lee will be greatly missed by all in the literary community.

4. Koch and Bern? - So. Many. Inapropriate Puns. Last week, Charles Koch of the (in?)famous Koch brothers, agreed with presidential candidate Bernie Sanders that our current system is broken, trapping millions in poverty and hopelessness. I for one, strongly agree with him. But does that make me and Charlie K liberal socialists? Heck to the no! Well actually, I should only speak for myself. I actually agree with a lot of what Bernie Sanders says and I like/respect him a lot for bringing these problems to light. That being said, I disagree with pretty much all of his methods to resolve these problems. But talking about these things is the first step towards a solution!

5. U Got The Power - I put this last on the list even though I started last week with this feeling. If you read the conclusion to my little saga last Thursday, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I found the amazing article by Molly Longest from thelala.com about how to deal with one-sided love. I won't lie, this one definitely hurts a bit more than a regular break up, at least for me it does. But I'm going to try my very hardest to keep my head up and my upper lip stiff. Molly's article is the perfect way to jump start the recovery from this. She ends the post with the great song to start off your week. It's silly, but you know you love it, so give it a listen and don't forget to dance, because you just have to!

Photo of the Week:

This past week John Kasich made headlines after he hugged a young supporter, Brett Smith, who shared his story with the Governor. Why did I pick this photo for this week? Because for the absolute first time this entirely too long campaign cycle, a candidate wasn't a acting like a candidate. Kasich too his time to be a real, legitimate human person. When asked about this moment during CNN's GOP Town Hall, Kasich pretty much said it wasn't anything out of character for him and that he has done this before and will continue to do this. While Kasich isn't my number one choice for this upcoming election, this solidified him as a really great guy in my mind, and pushed him to the top of my list.





(Source: Washington Post)





Quote of the Week:
                             "Cultivate Your Positivity"
                                                                 -Devon Werkheiser 


That's all for this week's State of the Union, so until next time,
Writing to you from M, Personally

SOTU

5:00 AM