jamie ann

Oh, hey. So I guess it’s like 2013 now. How crazy is that?

The new year has brought an end to a lot of things and new beginnings to a lot of others. I’m pretty excited about what this year has in store and I can’t wait to share more about it all.

But for the moment, I want to introduce a really rad client I’m working with called CrushHub. Plus, there’s a nice big $300 Visa Gift Card Prize and you totally want a chance at scoring that!

What is CrushHub?

CrushHub is a social matchmaking game on Facebook where you and your friends work together to find the best matches among your single friends.

It’s simple. You pick a friend, tell us what makes them such a great catch (he’s the funniest person you know, she loves adventure), and then invite your friends in to see who can come up with the best match.

CrushHub will help with the suggestions, but ultimately it’s all up to you, the matchmakers.  Oh, and if you’re single, it works the exact same way. Start a game for yourself, invite your friends to play matchmaker, and check out all the awesome matches they suggest for you!

What makes CrushHub unique?

The difference here is that it’s the matchmakers who are in control. From helping create profiles for their single friends, to suggesting matches, to making introductions…everything runs through the matchmakers.

It’s that easy.

Concerned about privacy?

So is CrushHub. We will never post anything to your Facebook timeline, and matches you suggest to friends are never notified. When the person being set up selects their match, it’s up to YOU to make the introduction. CrushHub will never send anything to any of your friends unless YOU specifically give the OK first.

Contest Details + $300 Visa Gift Card Prize

CrushHub is still in private beta, and right now it’s only open to users with a super special access code. Just your luck, we have one for you! And to sweeten the deal, when you sign up for CrushHub using the beta invite code DONIREE between now and January 13, you’ll be automatically entered to win a $300 Visa gift card. I’m pretty sure you could put together a pretty impressive first date with that in your pocket.

Got single friends you’d love to set up? Sign up. Are you single and want to enlist your friends to help you find your perfect match? Sign up. Sign up because CrushHub wants to cover the cost of a kick-ass first date by awarding the winner — you? — a $300 Visa gift card.

Important Note! If you have already been invited to CrushHub, whether as a matchmaker or a suggested match, you will not be asked for an invitation code when you sign up. That’s ok! You can totally still enter the contest. If you are not asked for an invitation code when you sign up (because you’ve already received an invitation), simply reply “doniree” to the welcome email you get from CrushHub when you register, and you will be entered in the contest.

Contest closes at 11:59pm PT on Sunday night, January 13. One (1) winner will be selected at random and will be announced on Monday, January 14 on @CrushHub‘s Twitter account, and on CrushHub’s Facebook page (so be sure to follow along!).

Disclaimers and details: One entry per person, please. Prize is provided by CrushHub.

Lately, it’s been:

• ridiculously long naps on the weekend
• Game of Thrones
• the books Game of Thrones were based on
• green smoothies
• the Logan Square Farmers Market
• glitter accent nails
• Uncharted Books being down the street from my house and their adorable shop pup, Ramona
• The Wire
• more naps
• Edie, duh.

Remember back in the day when I shared my theory that everyone is either Friends person or a Seinfeld person?

(but clearly Friends was the correct answer because something like 67 people agreed with me out of 95 comments)

Well after a day of watching Friends clips on youtube, I decided I could no longer live if I couldn’t watch it whenever I wanted. So I ordered the complete series box set, and after a THREE WEEK shipping ordeal that was supposed to be THREE DAY shipping because I am very impatient and need things right this second, it finally got here. And I didn’t have to punch anyone in the throat even though I really wanted to because the package bounced from Iowa to Kansas City FOR OVER A WEEK.

So yeah, it’s here and I’m probably going to disappear forever so I can watch the whole thing. And when I return I’ll probably end up speaking in Friends quotes and talking like Chandler. And you’re probably going to think that I couldn’t BE anymore annoying. And you’re probably never going to talk to me again, especially if you like Seinfeld and for some reason just don’t appreciate the amazingness that is this series.

The PIVOT! scene is one of my favorites but I just about died watching it in this blooper video.

Anyway, now you should share you favorite Friends episode/scene/quotes with me so I can be on the look out for them because I’ll probably be watching it every single waking moment I am at home!

I know another one, right? Well it’s just that awesome and now you have even more chances to win a copy of your own and trust me you want one.

We’ve all had our moments where we have to wake up and check our outbox to see what exactly happened last night. I may or may not have had one of those nights after my whirlwind 26 hour Vegas trip…

But that is besides the point.

Texts From Last Night is probably one of the best and most hilarious ideas ever. Bored? Bummed? Has it been way too long of a day? Need a pick me up to send a friend? Texts From Last Night: All The Texts No One Remembers Sending will be your best friend. Not to mention when you are spending way too long doing your hair and someone is waiting for and pretty close to leaving without you, this right here can be the perfect coffee table book that distracts them!

If that hasn’t convinced you that this book is awesome here are a few of my favorites from the book that I got to preview:

(510): The party tonight has no theme but I’ve decided to go as a home wrecker.

(410): my mouth tastes like poor choices

(917): I’m once again drinking at eight am on a Sunday in my tutu. This garment is literally my best purchase ever.

(206): how the fuck does easy mac keep making itself at 3am when i’m wasted? what is this phenomenon?

Right? RIGHT?!

Okay, so right about now I’m sure you’re wishing you had a copy of your own and luckily for you, I’m giving a copy away to one reader!

To enter:

• Go to textsfromlastnight.com and pick one of your favorite texts.
• Comment back here with it.
• Tweet or blog about this contest for extra entries and comment again with the link.
• Do this by Monday February 1st and you’re in!

The quandary: We feel terrible. Just horrible. And oh so helpless… if only there was something we could DO for them.

The answer: Ummmm. Did you forget that WE ARE THE INTERNET?!?!!??! And also, Yes We Can!!!

The result: Brandy and your Hot Awesome Dude… this one’s for you. Love, The Internet.

Our Plea

Our friend Brandy is a brilliant writer, a wonderful teacher, and a generous friend.  And she is in love with a man who has just been diagnosed with multiple myeloma.

We are raising money for the Multiple Myeloma Research Fund in his name.  For the price of a cinnamon dolce latte, half-caf, hold the whip, you can be part of an effort to cure a disease that affects approximately 750,000 people worldwide.

http://www.loveharder.org

Every dollar brings us a dollar closer to a cure.  And every donation brings a sliver of hope to a girl who needs all the hope she can get.

Love Harder,

Jamie

What You Can Do

• Give. Be part of a worldwide effort to cure a disease that affects approximately 750,000 people worldwide.  Every dollar helps.
• Pass it on. Forward this story to five people.  Share this blog post.  Become our fan on Facebook.
• Love harder. Life is short, love is unbending, and no one knows what could happen next. Tell someone you love them today.

Where Your Money Goes

• The American Institute of Philanthropy recently named The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation one of the best organizations to give to in terms of their accountability and use of resources.
• By working closely with researchers, clinicians and partners in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, the MMRF has helped bring multiple myeloma patients four new treatments that are extending lives around the globe.
• The MMRF has advanced twenty Phase I and Phase II clinical trials. They need your support to advance these clinical research programs and accelerate the development of better, more effective treatments.
• The MMRF’s Multiple Myeloma Genomics Initiative recently became the first to sequence the multiple myeloma whole genome in its entirety.
• A whopping 98% of your donation to the MMRF will be used immediately to support high-priority multiple myeloma research.
• With diminishing funding for early stage drug development and the next myeloma treatments not expected to be approved until 2011, the MMRF desperately needs your help.

DONATE: http://www.loveharder.org
CONTACT: theloveharderfund@gmail.com
FACEBOOK: http://facebook.loveharder.org
MORE INFO: http://www.themmrf.org

I spent pretty much of all of last week cursing Chicago winter and begging the weather to cooperate on Thursday. Why? Because it was time to kick off doing Epic Shit in 2010. I didn’t have time for a winter storm.

A couple weeks ago, I was invited to attend a press launch party for Swagg. It was going to be making it’s debut in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronic Show. And we all know how much I love Vegas and being asked to attend as press for such a big event was pretty exciting for me. I was praying the incoming snow storm wouldn’t ruin my plans.

Luckily, my flight still managed to take off and four hours later, I arrived in sunny, warm Las Vegas.

I stripped off my winter coat and hurried over to the Hard Rock Hotel where I would be staying for the night. I’ve never been to, let alone stayed, at the Hard Rock because it’s just off the strip but it was a really cool hotel. I had a killer room in Paradise Tower with a great corner view and the most luxurious bed I’ve ever been in.

(I also may or may not have a slightly drunk video tour of it on my camera that I may or may not upload later)

Later that night, I got dolled up in a pretty purple and black dress and made my way down to Body English for the press party. I mingled with some people, drank quite a few tequila filled drinks, seen Kara from American Idol and grabbed a press kit. I made my way over to The Joint because there was suppose to be a VIP Kid Rock concert there. Personally, not a fan of his but Khloe Kardashian was going to be there and I basically wanted to drink shots with her because she’s freaking crazy.

BUT

I got a message on Facebook from a friend who lives about 15 minutes away from me that I haven’t seen in a couple years that he was in Vegas as well. I ditched out Kid Rock and any hopes of getting hammered with Khloe in favor of heading over to the MGM Grand to meet up with Mark.

While I was waiting for him to find me, I sat just outside of the lion habitat (and was very upset they had gone to sleep) and was hit on by two Russian dudes in their 60s. Then Mark called and I walked away in the middle of their what I’m assuming was a plan to kidnap the really drunk girl from Chicago who was very sad the lions had gone inside. The rest of the night involved me playing slots with his money, him feeding me gin and tonics, Burger King, O’Sheas and a failed attempt at frozen hot chocolate from Serendipity 3. Probably lots of ridiculous conversation of which I remember bits and pieces. And who knows what else happened.

I eventually made my way back to the Hard Rock to catch a few hours of sleep. But my phone kept ringing and I guess people in Chicago thought it would be awesome to call me around 8 which is like 5 in Vegas. Then Mark texted me to tell me he was just getting in at 5:45 so lunch the next day was probably out and then the alarm in the room burst into my short lived dreams with Mexican music at 6.

Vegas did not want me to sleep. But who am I to argue with Vegas? When it calls, you listen.

I dragged myself out of bed slightly hungover, got ready for the day, packed my new gifted goodies in my already over packed bag, checked out and headed to the strip. Amazingly, I did not burst into flames when I finally seen the sunlight and decided to take a look at the newly opened Aria which was stunning. I walked the shops in Planet Hollywood, lunched in Caesar’s and finally got my hands on a frozen hot chocolate. Hit the slots again as I waited for my car and made my way back to the airport.

And that my friends, is how you do 26 hours in Vegas.

(I mean if you HAVE keep all your teeth, not find a baby in your closet and wake up with no tigers in your bathroom sans Bradley Cooper’s hot ass in a suit)

(but it could have been infinitely better had I had a suited up Bradley Cooper)

(many, many thanks to Swagg, Mark and tequila for an amazing time in Vegas!)

I woke up this morning feeling hungover. And when you didn’t have a drop of alcohol the night before, that’s clearly a problem.

You see, my weekend was filled with too much awesome. So much that I’m hungover from it.

(Or not enough water, whatever)

At first I was kinda sick and that was just not going to go well with my plans. I had to cancel dinner with Jessica Maria, who was in town, and Ang on Thursday night. And then missed Friday night’s Motion City Soundtrack show and one of the outside pockets of my Marc Jacobs bag got completely soaked on the outside and I had a three minute meltdown in the Target parking lot that included freaking out on Twitter and me being very close to tears because YOU JUST DON’T FUCK WITH A GIRL’S MARC JACOBS.

(Yeah, I’m talking to you, Target carts)

That night after a little bit of  a late start, I met up with an old acquaintance, who I haven’t seen in about four years. Personally, I’m a fan of spending my Friday night talking to a cute boy and eating soup until 2AM. So here’s to new friends!

The following day, I spent it mainly in bed with Barney Stinson and making out Christmas cards which was great until I got a paper cut on my lip. Who does that? Apparently, I do.

(I’m sorry if your Christmas card has blood on it)

But yesterday was a pretty fantastic way to round out an amazing weekend. I was just minding my own business when I see a tweet from Whitney (who has an excellent fashion blog you should check out) that Rodarte for Target was out and I was all HJASDLAK and ran out wearing leggings as pants and my ugly boots. All my clothes were in the laundry and it was CLEARLY A FASHION EMERGENCY so I made an exception to my rule.

Bad fashion for the sake of good fashion. Duh.

Here is my good fashion: crepe lace print dress and this cardigan. The cardigan (mine is grey) is amazing which is to be expected if you are familiar with Rodarte knits. AMAZING.

And then I found out that Brittany Murphy died. WAY HARSH, TAI. But seriously, I need to go buy Clueless and watch on repeat to honor her memory because it’s really one of the best movies ever. She was way too young to come to an end so soon.

My sister, Sara, is also home for the holidays so she was my partner in crime for the night. Then I got a text saying Jessica’s flight got canceled and Sarah flew in from Detroit for the night and we all hung out at the Motion City Soundtrack show! I haven’t really listened to them too much but after seeing them live, they definitely have a new fan.  After we got to run backstage and say hi to Jesse (Jessica’s husband) and it was pretty cool being able to meet one of the people I’ve read about for so long.

The show itself was fantastic even if it made me feel totally old. I use to be the one bouncing around in the crowd freaking out to my favorite songs and this time I was up in the side balcony checking everything out from up top. Regardless, I need more rock shows in my life.

There is only one way to wrap a night of good fashion, music and friends: GRILLED CHEESE. So the sister and I headed to The 44th Ward Dinner Party to grab a Belmont Harbor which is basically the sandwich dreams are made of. No joke, come to Chicago and I will take you there.

And the winner for most awesome weekend ever goes to me.

The other day something arrived in the mail that I never knew I needed to be complete until it was in my possession.

A diamond encrusted toothbrush that allows me to sparkle while brushing my teeth, well sparkle if I wasn’t planning on placing it in a glass case on a satin pillow for all the world to admire and be jealous* that they don’t have a blinged out toothbrush.

Thanks to the lovely, Shaba! No gift will ever compare.

Do you think there is a market on Etsy for diamond encrusted toothbrushes? Just throw Twilight and Edward in the tags and you’ll make millions.

* except for Brandy. Our toothbrushes were separated at blinging**.
** do people still say blinging? I kind of hope not. Bedazzling? Let’s go with bedazzling.

Retail therapy is probably one of the best inventions ever.

No, really.

Sometimes you just need to buy shit. And then that shit makes you feel better.

This past weekend I went out to buy a new pair of boots and flats. But I happened to walk into TJ Maxx first because sometimes they just have good pieces and you get lucky. Well, I just had to do a quick run through of the handbags and then my eyes fell upon it.

THE BEST BAG IN THE ENTIRE WORLD.

(okay, maybe not world but the most perfect bag that I’ve never needed that day)

And I told twitter that I was in love but was having a hard time justifying it, you know with the whole been poor and jobless thing. So I proceeded to take many a lap around the store trying to talk myself into buying it or putting it down.

So I walked and walked around the store and then this happened:

This bag has been sitting here. Taunting me. Begging me to just take the damn tags off already. But I had to consult you all first. Here it is in all it’s purple leather, long strap AND handles WITH a zipper, roomy glory. It’s kind of everything I want in a bag that doesn’t start with “M” and end with “arc Jacobs.”

(It kind of reminds me of this Miu Miu bag I’ve been obsessed with for the past 2 years that I will probably never own until I get a sugar daddy.)

(Now accepting applications.)

So there you have it. The bag I probably should return.

Keep it or return it?

P.S. You’re fucking crazy if you think I’m going to return this. I just felt better pretending I would at least consider it. Let’s just talk about how pretty it is.
P.P.S. Don’t judge me! It wasn’t that that much.
P.P.P.S. FINE, stop pressuring me. It was $150 but it was the best goddamn $150 I have spent recently. Don’t you see how pretty it is?!
P.P.P.P.S. PURPLE LEATHER. STRAPS. HANDLE. ZIPPER. PURPLE.

I know nothing about wine. I couldn’t tell you about the floral or fruity hints to it. Smelling or swishing it around in my mouth won’t do anything for me. Years mean nothing to me.

I just like drinking it.

So what better way to choose your wine than picking out whichever is prettiest?

I told twitter about an adorable bottle of wine I bought about a month ago and then decided all the wine I would get from now on would be based on labels. Twitter wholeheartedly agreed with me and I was all, “OMG Let’s have a pretty wine label party!” then the awesome Working Girl Two was like “I’ll host it at my place!” which was fabulous because I live on the south side and people are afraid of the south side (and I don’t mean south loop. That is not the fucking south side.) and it’s is hard to get to.

ANYWAY.

Yesterday was our party. And it was amazing!

This is only a small portion of all the wine we had.

I really wish we would have got a photo of all of the bottles lined up. We had some really great ones. But at the time, drinking totally trumped photo taking. Understandable, right?

We basically had the best group of people come and had like 423 bottles of wine and snacks. Porch hangouts led to wine shots in the kitchen with Jess and Erin. Things were getting a little crazy and Lacey was like just stay with me and Nicole tonight instead of driving home and then the party REALLY got started. We killed off all of the white wine while having the most epic dance party in the history of the world.

No, really. Madonna. Nsync. The motherfucking LION KING.

And it only got better from there because POP! There went the red wine and the iPod started burning up because we were playing dj and dancing like crazy.

It was seriously one of the best nights I have ever had in my life. Everyone got along famously and had an amazing time. I really need more time with friends like this.

Thanks so much, ladies, for coming and hanging out.

I’m SO ready for Pretty Wine Party 2.0!