Category Archives: Blogology

Nerds on Parade

By nopasanada | Published: January 31, 2011

“I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends”. ~Nancie J. Carmody

This is the second night of BlissDom. It is far different than 24 hours prior when I sobbed in my room over an open bottle of wine and See’s chocolates, threatening to leave. More on that joy tomorrow. But for now, we are nerds. Adorable, fun, semi-drunk unless you’re Allison over there who parties like a Mormon. Which is to say she was out later than I and not nearly as full of Makers Mark. Smart girl.

Thanks, Mishi for the photo!

Also posted in Humdrum | Comments closed

What I Wore: BlissDom

By nopasanada | Published: January 30, 2011

“Souls wouldn’t wear suits and ties, they’d wear blue jeans and sit cross-legged with a glass of red wine.” ~Carrie Latet

Me packing for DC: Ok here are some black pants and a black shirt and a black blazer and black shoes and let’s throw this shit in a black bag with some pearls and call it a day, mmmkay?

Me packing for a Blog Conference: Okay, let’s start with a Google Doc spreadsheet, color code it and highlight by outfit. And by outfit I mean day outfits vs. night outfits and perhaps we should try everything on before leaving to make sure that this shoe looks perfect with this dress and let’s have a spontaneous Movie Montage Outfit Party. [Insert your favorite 80's song here]

Packing for conferences makes me twitchy. Real life is easy and bland and so very ordinary. I once wore a yellow sweater and someone was all “YELLOW! That’s different!” I own a pink coat and you should see the looks I get when I walk through the Rayburn Building. But when it comes to blog conference with the 5D Mark IIs with the giant flashes, I go all out. I like to have fun. I like to incorporate color into my wardrobe without someone being all so you wore black with red? Interesting.

So here’s what I wore during BlissDom this past week. Good times. Even gooder (yes, I said that) shoes.

Wednesday Night

Tunic – Old Navy

Boots – Annies via Endless (wide-calf, baby!)

Ring – Anthropologie

Thursday Day

Sweater, Dress/Tunic if you’re not a size 4, necklace – All J.Crew

Thursday Night

Gold top – Gap

Necklace – Anthropologie

Earrings – Musette Made Etsy shop

Sparkly flats – Banana Republic

Tattoo – Poor decision making at age 17

Friday – Speaking!

Wrap Dress – Banana Republic

Earrings – Kenneth Cole

Scarf – Mustard Seed in Bethesda

Shoes – Nine West via Endless

Friday Night

Sweatshirt – via my brilliant mother. Not sure where she got it but my goal is to just to own a lot of Salinger stuff and/or things that make me look smart and literary.

Also posted in I like this, What I Wore | 13 Comments

Someone needs balance. Or a massage.

By nopasanada | Published: January 25, 2011

“Don’t let your mind bully your body into believing it must carry the burden of its worries.” ~Astrid Alauda

There are two new posts up on Poliogue right now – Of Pomp and Circumstance and Mr. Obama Goes to Schenectady. I feel all fancy and on top of my shit when I’m able to get something up over there without neglecting people who really could give two shits as to who their congress-person is sitting with during the State of the Union. I’m having an equilibrium issue. Not just online but in life. Everything feels out of whack and if I move just too inches to one side everything on the other end will just fall over with a resounding thud.

Sometimes I find myself so overwhelmed that I don’t eat and I pray for a bout of mania. Then there are the days when it’s all too much, too soon and instead of saying, Go get ‘em, Tiger! I think fuck this and stay in bed with Wii on my Netflix. I mean Netflix on my Wii. See? I can’t even get that right.

I leave for Nashville in the morning where I will speaking about writing and how I do it and why I do it but I feel like I’m not the person who should be up there. But that is a processing – my personal processing – issue and not yet one to air for all to see.

So I’m stressed. I have all of these ideas at the top of my head waiting to burst out from everywhere. I can feel it all straining agains my eyes and my fingers because they’re all ready, ready, ready and I cannot bring myself or stop for a few minutes to let them out. Let’s just say that my brain is all Pandora’s box up in there.

Nashville. Tomorrow. More. Tomorrow. Now, there there brain. Take a breather.

Also posted in On Writing, That's Life | Comments closed

Hibernate

By nopasanada | Published: November 9, 2010

“The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes.” ~William James

For a long while things were perilous. Also depressing. Add to that maddening. And oh my hell, the tears! I’m finally over a three year slump that involved Jack Daniel’s, milk based products and a ‘fuck that’ reaction to going to the gym. I’m feeling more like myself once again as opposed to feeling like I’m on the precipice peering down at my demise. It feels good. It also feels like my head isn’t filled to the brim with self-loathing thoughts but now with sudden productivity and ideas. This all probably sounds so hyperbolic and dramatic and I am laughing because I really wish you had residence in my cerrebelum over the last three years. And then you’d be all, “oh damn…” and jump out fearful and crying. Yes. THAT bad. But now I’m better and ready to move the fuck on with things and put my nose to the grindstone. There’s only so much stalling in life until you realize that while you’d love to check out, it continues to move on. Time really does heal all wounds. With that I need some time away from here. Not for nothing though but because there are things I’d like to do and some refashioning and refocusing and all that jazz. But wait! What are you doing December 6th? I’ll have thousands of photos processed and I’ll have more stories than you’ll know what to do with. So will you check back then? Good things are just around the corner. I can’t wait.

Also posted in On Happiness | 4 Comments

Housekeeping and Happiness

By nopasanada | Published: September 28, 2010

“Happiness is excitement that has found a settling down place. But there is always a little corner that keeps flapping around.” ~E.L. Konigsburg

First a bit of housekeeping; the winner of a *signed* copy of Half Baked by Ms. Alexa Stevenson is lucky number 10: Amber Please email me your address at NoPasaNadablog@gmail.com so I can get your prize to you.

***

Now to the happiness.

You all, I had the most glorious weekend. It needs to be written about over at Poliogue but it was awesome and inspiring and I totally geeked out when the political director of ABC news came to give me a hug. I ended up leaving the inaugural AMP Summit with a giant smile on my face and projects under my belt. Because of Julie and Joanne I feel ready to do something great. It’s a feeling I haven’t had in quite some time. Though I’ve been saying it here a lot; I can feel that something good is coming. And this past weekend The Good fell into my lap. It jump started and renewed my belief that I do, in fact, have something to offer. You know what I’m talking about, right? When you feel kind of ‘blah’ about things. And nothing seems to go well and you feel like a failure. That’s how I’ve been feeling about many o’ things but I feel better and ready to take on the world. Or as Joanne said, we have a conspiracy and we’re about to build an empire. I cannot wait to share with you more about AMP or about our plans but for now I have work and fundraisers and midterms to think about and clothing to purchase because my ass has expanded. Those are my priorities.