DJ Night Outfit: Honky Tonk Night at Marx Cafe, August 14

Have you been to Marx Cafe in Mount Pleasant?  They've been doing interesting DJ nights for ages.  Way back in 2006 when I was an intern at DC Style magazine, I wrote an article about a monthly reggae night at Marx Cafe.  To be honest, venturing up to Mount Pleasant was a little scary for a sheltered Fairfax kid like me - I thought this was an adventure.  Now flash forward to 2012 and I live around the corner from Marx Cafe.  And this sign in their window intrigued me.

First of all, the $5 (+.50 rounded up for inflation) beer and whiskey shot is a deal.  Fits the Outlaws theme.   And honky tonk sounds like a good time.  So here's my new feature idea: I'll pick cute outfits to wear to various DJ nights around town.  And since Isabel Marant says that Western shirts are cool, we gotta wear a Western shirt to honky tonk night!  Not cowboy boots, I just can't go there. These little heeled booties keep it sharp.  So what do you think?  A little bit country, a little bit rock and roll with the skinny jeans, I hope. 

Honky Tonk Night at Marx Cafe by adelechapin featuring bandana tops

Free People bandana top

freepeople.com

Madewell high waisted skinny jeans

shopbop.com

Sam edelman booties

urbanoutfitters.com

Cleobella cross body handbag

endless.com

Weekend in Review: Picasso, Bacon and Chevron

Hello there!  How was the weekend?  Hope it was fantastic, and that your Monday wasn't half bad either.

I didn't do much of importance but in the best possible way.  I spent my halfday on Friday at the National Gallery of Art.  I wanted to see the "Picasso's Drawings" exhibit before it closes on May 6, and I highly recommend you do the same.  It's thrilling to see all the different styles Picasso tried out in his early career, starting from his first known work at age 9.  Age 9!  That's like our elementary school art classes when we were drawing houses with chimney stacks and swirly smoke. 

While I was there, I also took a walk through the "I Spy: Photography and Theatre of the Street."  If you are all interested by cities and urban life, this is worth a trip.  I found Bruce Davidson's "Subway" series which captures the horror of the NYC subway system in 1980 so intriguing, because visiting New York now, it's almost impossible to imagine that things could've been that bad, and equally unbelievable that in the span of 20-odd years things turned back around.  The subway cars in Davidson's photos are just absolutely covered in graffiti.  That level of disrepair and neglect is shocking to see.

Remember the bulletin board conundrum in my last post?  I realized I had some white paint, and in the spirit of the white bulletin board in that post, I tried that technique but with chevrons.  I bought some painter's tape and taped them off after reading this chevron-how to.  Good thing this project was practically free, because it didn't turn out so great.  The white paint is splotchy because I'm an uber lazy painter, the tape peeled off some of the cork in places, and in other places the paint leaked under the tape.  Maybe it you are more careful than me it would work.  I need to stop crafting and just buy things.  I don't have the art expertise to make it look good.  But eh, I covered up the problem areas with postcards and Instax photos and Instagram hides a multitude of sins.

I also tried to cook a bit - I made chicken salad and started Joy's Brown Sugar Bacon Biscuits.  I just made the bacon for now, will make the biscuits later...  Joe told me I had to blog about the bacon, guess he liked it.  It was pretty yummy!  My roommate Christine just went vegetarian (she started a fun blog about her journey!), and she snapped this less than appetizing picture, but I promise it was good.  I don't think it tempted her too much though...

Crystal City 5K Fridays

So as you probably imagined, I abandoned my goal of running a mile every day in March.  I made it till St. Patrick's Day, then mistakes were made and the whole goal went kerflooey like a falling souffle.  Once one day had slipped by, then two, it hardly seemed worth it any more.

But that's rationalization for you.  I did dust off my running shoes on Friday, when my friend Luther invited me to run the Crystal City 5K.  He's a Crystal City Friday 5K aficionado.  I was a little more leery after my grim run in the rain last year, where as you'll remember, I was passed by pudgy black Labrador.  But I decided to give it a go and run again this year.

Here we are - thanks to Luther's best gal Michelle for the photos!

This time, I tried to set attainable goals for myself to keep my spirits up.  I'd pick someone in front of me, then see if I could pass them.  Woman running with a puggle?  Passed 'em.  Kindergartener jogging?  Totally passed her.  Mom pushing a double jogging stroller with two juice box-drinking kids in tow?  Nope.  That woman was a beast.  Finally at the end of the race, we were neck and neck, then at the last turn she clicked up a gear and sailed away, leaving me in the dust.

Luther looks a lot happier than me while running...

Look, he's skipping!

It's not apparent in any of the pictures that my feet ever left the ground.

This time turned out to be way more fun and less painful than the last 5k I ran, and yet, I was one minute faster last year.  Oh well, give or take a minute, who cares? It's good to get out in the fresh air and earn that day's smores latte...  I might run the 5k again at the end of this month!

And if you are the type of runner who is inspired and motivated by fancy athletic clothing (ahem), you have to peruse Nike's new tumblr: http://madebynike.tumblr.com/

All I see lately is neon and uber bright running togs, but this line of Nike women's training clothes are all downtown muted greys and mauves and blacks, almost reminiscent of Alexander Wang?  It's the type of stuff that Division 1 athletes turned Vogue staffers would wear to Pilates.

Frosting Fiasco

Is there anyone who can eat a Georgetown Cupcake neatly?  Certainly not me.  Stacks of little miniature cupcakes are served at seemingly every fancy party I go to, and they always look cute and dainty.

But I invariably pick up the variety that has frosting injected inside (perhaps via this device?).  I take one bite, and frosting is simultaneously exploding and imploding and probably all over my chin.  Maybe my nose too?  Then I have to reach for the napkin while trying to hold onto the rapidly disintegrating crumbs of the cupcake, which seemed like a two-bite endeavor but now feels like more of a meal.  Do I keep eating this and continue making a huge mess?  Or do I throw it away?  But is that admitting defeat?  And has anyone noticed this sorry spectacle?

These are the things I worry about while all the other guests are refilling their drinks, ha.

Honey Pig

We went to Honey Pig in Annandale a few weeks ago, and though I had been there before, it was my first visit without Debie there to order in Korean for me.  I'd never even touched a menu on previous occasions.  We were left to own devices this time, as a bunch of white people, and I think it turned out to be fairly successful.  Except, armed with a tip from the ever helpful Debie, I tried to order bokumbap and things went off the rails.  The waitress looked very confused by my request and finally told me it was "menu impossible."

Something must've been lost in translation. We got some sort of rice dish in the end, and all was well.  Good friends, good conversation and sizzling meat. 

Brunch at Mandu

Sorry for neglecting the blog. Seems the busier I am doing fun things that would be interesting to write about, the less time I have to write about them.  I also signed up for the alternative work week schedule at work, in which you work 9 hours Monday through Thursday, then get half-day Fridays.  Seemed awesome, right?  I thought it would give me more time to write and blog and run errands and do the things I like to do.  But so far I've only been able to actually leave at noon once.  That one time was glorious, though.

Does anyone else work alternative work schedules?  Have you had better luck at sticking to your schedule without seeming like you are a slacker?

Anyway, hope you are all ready for the weekend.  Here's my foodie recommendation for your Saturday or Sunday...

Like any good city dweller, I love brunch.  But it can be such an over-priced yuppie endeavor, can't it?  When I read about the brunch plate at Mandu, a Korean restaurant on K Street at City Vista, and I thought it would be fun to try a departure from the usual waffles, eggs benedict, what have you.

$12 gets you Mandu's set brunch plate: gimbap, a Korean omelet, chive pancakes,  Korean-style hash browns and marinated meat or veggies and tofu.

That's a lot of food.  Plus it comes with dessert.  All this, and gelato too?