The Funemployed

I went to @Shecky’s DC GNO last week and it was AWESOME!!! I had heard of Shecky’s in passing but did not really know a lot about it.  I found the @groupon for it and connected with another blogger, Katherine of Healthy Glows and she agreed to go with me so I decided why not!  Thanks to awful traffic, I arrived late and found Katheine getting some complementary make up done:

While I was in serious need of some Hairapy (Hair Therapy) from the not so awesome encounter with the Groupon at Charmed Salon but the line was a bit daunting so while Katherine finished up, I grabbed us some Pineapple Sakes and snagged my gift bag:

Not shown are the two bottles of sparkling water that I consumed between complimentary cocktails.  The beauty of this bag is that it is actually stuff that I would use, not all of it, but most of it, which is not always the case with these bags.  This one was far more practical which is better than unusable.  As we made the round upstairs, I was pleasantly surprised to see some AWESOME stuff that was really my style.  My favorite jewelry came from a table I fell in love with and was one of the first tables I saw:

This jewelry, Handmade by Helen, was so great and unique.  I ended up buying a ring and a bracelet from her because I loved the pieces so much.  (There will be some great designer highlight to follow soon!)

Another fun thing about an event like this that I get to do one of my favorite things which is people watch!! I spotted some great outfits at the event:

@MsStarStyles of http://www.msstarstyles.blogspot.com/ was rocking this Vintage Vibe Outfit that I had to snap a photo of!!

@StyleAtelier of http://www.styleatelierblog.com/ was rocking this beautiful and stylish spring dress!!

Another favorite outfit that I spotted was:

Lizzy Nolan of Shop With Stella was working this mint green skirt!! The bold floral print with the softer mint green skirt was well played!  Love it!

My favorite clothing spot where I picked up quite a few pieces was from JHerreras:

Her stuff was cute and wearable and definitely my style!! (A highlight on her stuff is definitely coming soon as well!!)

We ended the night with a photo to commemorate (we actually interrupted some ladies recounting a fight that had almost broke out as we were leaving, they were still a little heated so the picture request seemed like a good diversion.  It got them laughing and broke the tension and actually that led to a future post to come.)  Overall a lot of fun and definitely glad I went and that I was able to make the trip with Katherine.  Good night with an awesome fellow blogger!

Wow am I behind on this one.  Sorry @BlckEyedSusieDC!! Back in January, Black Eye Susie and Sew Frugal & Fashionable hosted a clothing swap.  The entry cost was $10 to bring five or more items and $15 to come without clothes (to swap, no shoes, no shirt, no swapping! lol).  One sign that I already knew this was going to be a better experience than my first swap because of the early drop off!!! It is a swap must to allow time for the clothes to be inspected and put out and organized.  Another smart thing that these ladies did was partner with @TheGetawayDC to offer a free glass of wine during the drop off period.  Since it was their happy hour, they had some nice specials but since I came shortly before I only had time for a glass of wine and to chat with some of the ladies also there for the swap.  When I go back, I’ve got to try the Goat Cheese and Rosemary Dumplings that sounded AWESOME!!  But as usual I digress…

The swap was a mix of the items that everyone had brought and the items in the store that Susie chose to donate.  It is a great way to clear out some of the older merchandise for the new stuff to come in.  After chatting with the other ladies waiting for the swap, it was finally time to go over.  It was a blast, the only flaw of this swap is the store size!! I had a few claustrophobia attacks after getting stuck in the corner while trying to navigate through.  Once I found my rhythm though, it was time to score some great finds!! One of the keys with a swap is patience; you have to make multiple rounds because you will often find new things with each round.  Maybe something you didn’t notice the first time or something someone was previously holding.  Another swapping key is HOLD TIGHT TO WHAT YOU FIND!!! Don’t let the pretty polished outfits fool you… these girls will pounce on an outfit down!  A couple of girls inquired about items I was holding and were keeping an eye out for me to put stuff down.  I had to sacrifice a pair of jeans to make it through!!  Despite that, I was able to get out of there feeling like I’d made a fair trade for all of my items as you can see from the photo!

After the swap, I stuck around to help Susie clean up and put the shop back in order.  Once everyone left, Susie packed up the left over items that didn’t go (and I scored a few more pairs of jeans!) and then we packed it up to go for donation.  Once that was completed, we went back over to the Getaway to have a breather over a drink.  Overall it was a wonderful evening where I met some great ladies, got some great new clothes and I am very excited for the next one coming up April 29, 2012 at 2pm.  More info to follow!!

This past Saturday I spent my St. Patty’s Day with the Lovely Lady Bloggers of DC at the Lady Bloggers Fashion and Beauty Social at It’s Vintage Darling (@vintagedarling1) at 3423 14th St. NW – which is an adorable vintage shop right about Zeba Bar in Columbia Heights.  

It was my first time in the shop and I instantly loved it!! They have a great mix of mainly vintage with some old soul modern pieces that blend in well.  They also do vintage in an accessible and wearable way.  I for example love vintage, but I wouldn’t say that my style.  This is a store that I would feel comfortable shopping in for a great vintage piece here and there but it is also a place that a die hard vintage fan could love as well. 

A pleasant surprise when I arrived was getting greeted by one of the Event Hosts – Dana (@4TheAverageGirl) looking fabulous in her vintage wear plus bow!!! (We went to school together and it is always nice to see a familiar face!).  I was also one of the first 10 people there so I received an awesome gift bag!!

It was a great night of drinking, chatting and everyone’s favorite (SHOPPING!!).  I found some great purses and shoes (purse pictures to come soon – shoes can be seen in recent outfit post).  Saw some adorable outfits – like the one on this lovely blogger below (somehow misplaced her card so if someone recognizes this beautiful face let me know).  The night ended with cupcakes and $6 margaritas at Zeba Bar. Not exactly green beer but still a fun and fabulous St. Patty’s Day!

*Update: This is Courtney and her blog is elanrenegadevintage.blogspot.com

Thank you to the store It’s Vintage Darling (http://vintagedarlingdc.tumblr.com/), and the hosts – Dana of http://thediaryoffrankyj.blogspot.com/ and http://fortheaveragegirl.com/, Sarea of http://sareais.blogspot.com/, and Mika of http://mydesignerdreams.blogspot.com/ for this awesome event! See you next time!

I went to back to @Ulah_Bistro with my girl @CristaArias to use up the @Groupondc that I had for there.  I have been there once before, again with Crista, and food was AWESOME so we planned to go back and when I saw the Groupon for it, I knew it was a sign.  When I arrived, I looked for Crista upstairs and ran into a speed dating session event that was just starting.  I immediately returned downstairs and to my relief, Crista had arrived. 

Since we hadn’t hung out in a while, it took us a while to decide since we had to stop talking first lol.  We both really enjoyed our dishes from our first visit but wanted to try something new.  The first time we were there, I had the Braised Boneless Beef Short Ribs with Gorgonzola polenta, sautéed broccoli, and a root vegetable sauce and Crista had the Braised Lamb Fettuccini made with tender lamb shank, glazed root vegetables, and shaved parmesan.  When it arrived, the lamb shank was so beautifully big, we barely notice the fettuccini underneath at first.  It was delicious and tender and lasted her for a couple meals and ended with a treat for her dog.  As delicious as her pasta was, my short ribs were even more delicious!!!  They were fall off the bone tender and so amazing that it was hard to fight the temptation to not order them again this visit. 

We started off with the Fried Calamari which is lightly battered and served with Marinara Sauce.  It was a little too lightly battered, the batter kept falling off in the sauce, but they were fresh and otherwise well prepared.  We ate and chatted while deciding what else to order and that is when I bit into a piece of plastic.  Now I’ve worked in restaurants on and off since I was about 15 yo so I know that stuff can happen and it wasn’t anything gross or weird so we were not freaked out.  Also to me, how someone handles a mistake says a whole lot more to me then if they make it in the first place. 

I called over our waiter and showed him the plastic and explained and the manager was sent over.  She offered to replace the calamari but we had already eaten half prior to the discovery and did not really want more and thanked her and I stated that we had just wanted them to know.  She insisted on bringing us something else and suggested the Ahi Tuna Tartare which is Tuna Loin, Avocado, Orange-Sesame Dressing, and Wasabi Aioli. 

OMG was it AMAZING!! We weren’t even really upset but had we been, we would have immediately forgotten why we were.  That made everything right and both us probably could have just had a bowl of it for dinner.  It was fresh, soft and DELICIOUS!!! Definitely a must try.  Another must try is the Ulah Peartini which is Grey Goose Pear, Simple Syrup, Apple Juice, and a Splash of Sour.  Both of us got one and it was also excellent.  I tried the Ulah Tea for round two – Stoli Blueberry, Stoli O, Stoli Raspberry, Cranberry Juice, Sour, and Soda.  It was also good but not as much my kind of drink.  Crista had the Sage Cream Orecchiette with ham, tomatoes, mushroom, peas, and a sage cream sauce while I had the “4” Pizza is topped with Pork Belly, Caramelized Onions, Gorgonzola, marinara, arugula, and fig balsamic drizzle.  My pizza was really good and a nice combination of flavors.  Crista seemed to enjoy her pasta as well.  Fortunately/unfortunately our first meal set a high bar that the second round of entrees did not quite live up to but the Tuna Coaster still had us leaving on a high note.  Definitely will be going back!

I decided to go to Charmed Salon in DC because I was in need of a straighten (I had already recently washed my hair but was not up for the blow-dry battle) and saw when I saw their Groupon: Charmed Salon $75 for a Cut, and All-Over Color or Highlights at Charmed Salon – 59% off Beauty & Spa – I thought why not.  It is the start of spring and some color sounded good!  I was really excited because my coworkers had been teasing me about the frizz and I was looking forward to some pamper.  Sadly it started off far from that.  I called the salon before purchasing the Groupon and was able to get an appointment for 7pm.  It was later than I was hoping but I figured that I could stay a little later at work and then head over since the salon is walking distance from where I worked that day. 

I headed over and entered a small but decent salon and released the mane only to be told by my stylist, Reda, that they don’t do “my type of hair” here.  I am a 26 year old African American female with long (past my shoulders) thick natural hair.  While at times it will fight you, it is well trained and takes heat well so it does not take a lot to get it to lay down.  In my younger years, I would have probably jumped down his throat after a statement like that but now I am a pretty calm and rational person most of the time and even though I was exhausted and already on edge, I can proudly say I did not jump, although I could have, and I simply asked what he meant by that.  He stated that although the Groupon did not say it, they usually charge extra for my kind of hair because of the extra time and what not to straighten it.  I stated that I understand but like he said, that was not stated in the Groupon so that was his error and not mine.  He then stated that it would take longer which I had already known and prepared for so I said fine.  He continued with some back and forth and I finally asked, bottom line, what are we talking about in terms of extra?  He stated that it would cost me another $70 to have my hair straightened.  I told him that was unacceptable.  Now maybe I missed something but since when does a color and cut not come with a blow-dry and style? 

However there was this one time that I was in Chicago and I got my hair done for a wedding and the girl neglected to inform me when I made the appointment that blow-dry and style are not included at that salon and so at the end when the girl directed me to the blow-drying station I was almost in tears because I had a wedding to attend and had no idea that was their set up and because they were supposed to tell me first, they ended up completing everything for free. 

So I simply asked him to explain to me what is normally included.  For example, if a girl with straight hair comes in and gets a color, does she walk out of the salon with wet hair or do you blow-dry it for her?  Also how can you properly cut my hair if you do not have it styled the way that I wear it?  He seemed up prepared and baffled by my questions and then told me that no worries, if I didn’t use the Groupon, my money would just be refunded and there would be no issue.   Well on top of wanting some pampering, it was also a girlfriend’s birthday that night and I could not go rocking the messy fro.  I needed it done and I told him so.  He also told me that Groupon takes half and that all that was a lot to do for like $35 and while I sympathize, again it was not my issue.  We picked a highlight color but I informed him that I was already unhappy with how things were going and he stated that he was uncomfortable then to work on my hair.  There was another girl present who he stepped outside and spoke to and then he returned and with barely a word began coloring my hair.  At this point, it was 7:40pm, my appointment was at 7pm.  I sat in the chair for 40 minutes before being worked on. 

He attempted to make some small talk but I was still wounded and offended so I answered but it lacked my usual warmth.  The woman doing shampoos and Reda would occasionally speak in French some of which I could follow.  He later asked me if I spoke any other languages and in French I said I spoke a little.  He noted that I hesitated to tell him and I just said it was because I was rusty but I had really been listening to see if they were talking about me lol.  After he finished the color, which at one point I did ask him about his technique and he assured me that it was that same as the blending version I am used to (which it is not totally but I digress), he put me under the heat.

Once that was complete, he left me with Bushra, the shampoo woman, and she turned the appointment around.  She is a wonderful and warm woman from Morocco who spoke with me in French (so I only caught about half of it lol) but she told me that I had beautiful hair and gave me a free deep condition to help make it soft and we talked about her home and laughed and she soothed my wound which is when I realized that Reda had managed to make me feel ashamed of my hair and Bushra helped bring my pride back.  I will give him credit where it is due, the color came out beautiful on top.  It is a burgundy red that looks very natural and I have received a lot of compliments.  However, underneath it is streaky when I pull it straight back and I already have roots (it’s been about a week, I’ve had roots since it was done).  Also he did not do a good job straightening it, it was puffy and basically just looked like it had been blow-dried and nothing else but I worked it.  When he got me back in the chair from the bowl and began working to blow it out, he started to realize his error.  My hair straightened out pretty quickly and was soft.  He began to apologize for how things had started and stated that the next time my highlights would be on him.  He also stated that he was used to the simple easy hair that usually comes through the salon and that’s when it hit me.  He didn’t know what he was doing!  Now hair is hair but there are definitely different techniques and approaches to each type.  It would have been a very different conversation if he had said in the beginning that he was not as experienced with my type of hair and did not want to mess it up or something than to say, we don’t do your type of hair here!!   Overall I am mostly happy with the color but I definitely would have appreciated some better customer service!! I will probably go back and get my free color but I doubt I will pay for any additional services there… I feel like I have already paid enough…