May 2011 • Eat, DINK and Be Merry

Networking night

By Amber, on May 5, 2011, at 11:00 pm

Fresh off my Rutgers networking event, I decided to dive into Drexel’s networking night at a restaurant close to my house. I knew that one of my Toastmasters peers who happens to be a Drexel alumnus would be there, but beyond that I had no idea what I was in for, and worried a little on the way over. I envisioned a packed bar and awkward conversation. Should I just keep putting hors d’oeuvres in my face if nobody wants to talk to me, and what if I don’t like the food? I have $13 and I need to tip the valet — am I also going to have to tip someone to keep bringing me water? Why did I have to be so punctual??

I needn’t have worried — there were fewer than ten of us, everyone was friendly and relaxed, and my water glass was refilled frequently. Houston is having an unusual cool, dry spell, so we were able to sit on the patio and enjoy the weather. It was worth it just for that — we probably won’t see weather like this again until November!

I didn’t necessarily make the kind of contacts this time that might lead to a dream job, but I am more likely now to show up to other local alumni events!

New love: Orly Bonder

By Amber, on May 3, 2011, at 9:45 pm

I got a manicure a couple weeks ago (a once-yearly occurrence, if that) and was scolded for my stained nails. See, my last base coat was no match for dark colors for more than a couple days, but I guess that’s why it was free. It was also no match for my life. I try to remember not to pry things with my fingernails when they are painted, but the reality is that I am hard on nail polish and it seldom remains intact for more than a couple days. I seem to create the most chips when I am lifting, and that happens three times a week. I stuck it out with that disappointing product because I hate to waste even a free polish, but the last couple months were torture because I just wanted to move on so I could try this:

in background: opi y'all come back ya hear, out the door top coat

Friends, it was worth the wait. I have tested a couple of colors over this, and so far it seems the staying power and stain resistance are excellent. It dries quickly and grips the heck out of your polish. Tonight I put it over OPI’s Y’All Come Back Ya Hear, which takes three coats. The first coat is usually pretty uneven for me, but I thought it seemed to go on far more evenly over Bonder. Ditto for my experience last week with Houston We Have a Purple (I don’t know what it is with these OPI Texas colors; they are beautiful but they go on like watercolors).

I have to say, I really love what I have tried of Orly products so far. I started with these and was so impressed that I soon bought another color. Of course I keep getting sucked in by OPI’s fun names, but c’mon, I had to have a couple of the Texas colors!

What’s your favorite brand of polish, drugstore or otherwise?

Weekend snaps: crawfish boil!

By Amber, on May 1, 2011, at 10:25 pm

We have some friends here in Houston with whom I rowed in college (in Philadelphia!). Every year they have a huge crawfish boil and every year Mark has to work that day. This year he decided he was calling out sick if necessary, but fortunately the planets aligned and we got to go, free and clear! These friends take food seriously and they lived in New Orleans for several years, so they have their technique down and it was a real treat for us.