Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Elegance

Europe 2011: Part 8, La Tour Eiffel

2012-05-13T09:02:00.002-04:00

Next on my trip, I continued walking from the National Assembly all the way to the Eiffel Tower (on foot)... please enjoy the pictures from when I got there! The journey continues in my next post on Europe!

Close up panoramic shot

Very nearby, panoramic photo synth image (click to activate and pan around using silver light)

Close up normal photograph

They periodically turn on strobe lights

Here's a video of the strobe lights!

Taken from exactly underneath the tower, panoramic photo synth image (click to activate and pan around using silver light)

Europe 2011: Part 7, From the Élysée Palace to the National Assembly

2012-05-08T23:52:00.001-04:00

Élysée Palace

This time, we return to the Europe series! I'm not nearly done, there are a bunch of these posts waiting to be written and published in my drafts! (Once I finish with France, there is a whole week or so of England to tell you all about!)

Please enjoy my photo journey as I walked on foot from the Élysée Palace (aka, French Presidential residence) to the National Assembly by way of the church of La Madeleine.

Being that the palace is important, the state news service was actually in the region when I walked by doing some sort of a report!

The journalist was actually reading off an iPad, definitely pretty cool!

Church of La Madeleine

This Obelisk is from Egypt and sits on top of a pedestal describing what went into bringing it to France

Additionally, it happens to be at the center of a large circle (view facing away from monument)

Here is another view with the monument behind me

Panoramic closeup of the monument

Just down the street in the other direction from the Obelisk is the National Assembly... we will get there shortly

Panorama of Obelisk in the Place de la Concorde

Close up of the writing, describing the dedication by HM King Louis-Philippe

Pictures showing the transportation of the obelisk

Additional pictures of obelisk transport

In the other direction there is a lovely park (notice the obelisk in the background)

This garden used to be the site of a palace, but it burned down and all that remains is this park. Sadly I didn't have time to walk around much and enjoy it, but I did take a few quick shots!

Jardin des Tuileries

The gate for Jardin des Tuileries

This is the hill above the gate for Jardin des Tuileries

Panorama of the Jardin des Tuileries

And now, the National Assembly

(and at night)

These last three are all panoramic shots including the National Assembly building and some portion of the landscape near the bridge that crosses from Place de La Concorde to the National Assembly:

Social Media Update

2012-05-03T17:30:00.000-04:00

Dear readers,

I'm working on trying to be present on as many social media platforms as possible. Sadly, I don't update all them equally well, but I do try to allow for additional ways to interact based on your preferred medium.

However, I feel that as I have been adding newer platforms, I haven't necessarily announced them! Please find them all below--you should totally follow, like, +1, etc. all my pages!

Blogger:

This one's obvious, you're looking at it right now. I had almost 1,700 views last month! Thank you everyone for reading my blog, really appreciate it!
www.lifelibertyelegance.com

Facebook:

I tend to update this one the best.
www.facebook.com/lifelibertyelegance

Twitter:

If you tag me, I will probably eventually respond... feel free to retweet me!
https://twitter.com/#!/elegancehq @elegancehq

Foursquare:

I don't really update this, but if I get followers, I'll try to start checking in at interesting spots!
https://foursquare.com/elegancehq

Dailybooth:

Watch my style unfold through time!
http://dailybooth.com/elegancehq

Google+:

Still working on this... any of you use this? I just created this page within the last few weeks, so I need you guys to get on it and add me to your circles!
https://plus.google.com/u/0/114859147583826004173/

Space Shuttle Flyby (Silver Spring, Maryland)

2012-05-02T17:30:00.000-04:00

On April 17th, the space shuttle Discovery was flown to Dulles after being decommissioned. It will be in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center) at Dulles from now on.

This is what it looked like flying over Silver Spring as seen from the office windows in the Lee Building. I took these pictures with my point and shoot camera:

Say hello... incoming from South/East!

At this point... I ran from one side of the building to the other... and got the planes from the other angle as they rounded the building...

Leaving town on the North/West side of our building

The Red Slippers, Kansas not Included

2012-05-01T17:30:00.000-04:00

As a continuation of my on-trend application of smoking/albert slipper/shoes... I have added red shoes to my collection (again, from Topshop). That means I have both tan and red shoes, which allows for extra variety. I am getting tons of compliments on both, which makes me wonder why they aren't easier to find!

However, this color was a bigger challenge for me to pair with outfits than the previous one. Tan goes with just about anything. However, red shoes aren't as popular with men at large, so there aren't really any accessories to match. In fact, the shoes are such a light color red (nantucket red/sailboat red/etc.) that I couldn't find anything in stores that was even the same shade.

Cutting out fabric (colors here are incorrect due to lighting)

Getting ready to sew

The result is that I ended up having to go to my local fabric store (G Street Fabrics) to pick out fabric that would match. I purchased a beautiful red silk, red poly silk-imitation, and light green silk/linen blend fabrics to make projects. The first two projects are pictured here: red silk cravat/ascot and light green linen/silk pocket square for accent color. I was in a hurry making them, so unfortunately I don't really have construction pictures. However, my technique hasn't changed on the ascot/cravats and you can find the instructions here on my blog! There will be forthcoming additional accessories made out of the fabrics, as I bought a yard or two of each kind.

See, it matches!

Check out my awesome complimentary color pocket square!

And another closeup so that you can see the color better.

I then came to the conclusion that the grey trousers had a tendency to make the shoes appear pink under certain lighting. As a result, I decided to try these accessories and shoes with my seersucker suit. I think this was generally more successful and I rather like the end result. This is also the first time I've ever worn the seersucker suit with an ascot/cravat.

Closeup of this color combination

I decided to use white socks, because my tan/white stripe suit basically looks white and I couldn't find a good contrasting sock color

Modeling the outfit

Let There be Color!

2012-04-22T02:27:00.000-04:00

This year I am trying to experiment with color! I've gotten really good at the classic look and being somewhat preppy, but I think it's time to branch out and add some more life to my wardrobe!

As such, I'm trying things I would never have dared before, such as purple socks (J.Crew)! The idea was that the purplish socks with the tan smoking loafer slipper shoes would be similar to my burgundy-purple/golden stripe bow tie. Sadly, in normal daylight, no one thought they matched too well. That said, I still really like the contrast against the white/tan stripe seersucker suit I wore.

For those who are curious: yes, I did actually wear this to work. Everyone noticed: my boss even took pictures! (I think he wants to blackmail me or something, ha ha!)

Attempting to match the colors!

I absolutely love the contrast! I knew I had to have these socks when I saw them at J.Crew!

Matching silk knots!

Later in the day, I decided to test the socks with sock garters to keep them from sliding (all socks that are shorter, in my experience tend to slide to some degree or other). These miracle workers are generally for wearing with silk hose with a tuxedo, but I wear them periodically with any socks that I want to keep up. The downside, is that they can dig into the skin a bit, depending on how they are worn. Yes, I'm old-school... no, I'm not sorry.

Being silly, striking a pose on my new sofa!

Back to normal, again new sofa! (Pink wasn't exactly my first choice, but I really love the style of the sofa and the fabric design is gorgeous!)

I finally found a better way to tie the socks into the outfit today: pocket square to the rescue!

ICDC Fashion Show + Easter in DC

2012-04-20T23:25:00.001-04:00

Fashion Soiree / Dance Party at Josephine Lounge by ICDC

I should probably stop apologizing for my busy life, but it keeps happening. I keep wanting to write yet end up postponing things because my mind is distracted or I simply don't have the time. That said, I'm cool with interesting distractions to keep things exciting and diverting... feel free to suggest good ideas!

In the theme of good distractions, I recently attended a fashion event put on by the International Club of DC... a group I am enjoying for classy and creative events here. (You should join too!)

The collection was by designer Evgenya Luzhina and had interesting elements, such as a heavy focus on headpieces and bright colors. While I'm not sure that I was entirely enamored with any of the outfits, I did generally appreciate concepts and ideas in the gowns. Some of the color contrasts, such as a gold crisscross pattern on blue really worked very well. She also made good use of green and turquoise tones.

Enjoy my pictures here:

My pictures were basically pretty bad, so my friend Esam was kind enough to send me the following pictures from the event:

Can you spot me in the background trying to get my phone high enough to take pictures?

Easter 2012!

Today [Easter] I sang in choir at church during the most glorious Easter service I have ever been to in my life! The power of music and truth is a beautiful thing! (Also, how did I miss this all my life? This new church is bringing me in touch with so many blessings of the true church through the ages)

~My Facebook status from Easter 2012

On easter Sunday after church, I got together with friends I met at the ICDC event a couple days before and we had a delightful picnic by the Jefferson Memorial. It was very happy... although it was also a bit too windy. I think we would have been able to have our picnic magical-flying-carpet style had it been a bit more gusty!

Riverfront picnicking!

After the picnic, I ended up walking around DC, going to museums and clothing shops at random. It was enjoyable (albeit frustrating, because I'm way too picky), but by the end I was absolutely exhausted!

fro.zen.yo is a really great way to relax!

Don't ask me why I went inside Forever 21... the store is a disaster... however, I really like their chandeliers!

YDA Faith and Values Summit

2012-03-31T20:38:00.000-04:00

Dear readers, here is another diversion from the main content... with recent events taking hold of my blog again, as I must share with you a wonderful conference I attended last week!

Opening reception at the National Democratic Club

The YDA Faith and Values Summit (a historic first, incidentally) was remarkably good and productive by my present estimation. As some of you know, I joined the party a couple of years ago for various reasons. One of the things that has sadly come from this has been unfair discrimination from secularists inside the party and from religious people outside the party.

Morning sessions in the auditorium

Despite the attempts at stereotype, I have been really pleased over the last couple years to have met many people of faith, both people of surprisingly old-fashioned views and completely new ones. With efforts like this weekend, my hope is that attacks against people of faith will be deflected in the future to some extent. I came away confident that there are many people who genuinely care and want to respect each other within the party, even when there are significant disagreements.

Afternoon Sessions on Saturday

30 second participant bios and testimonies, public speaking practice

My belief is that there is a movement within the party not simply to sugarcoat the message (as some in the other party would like to suggest) but to honestly have a conversation about how our faith and values should impact our decisions in public policy.

To tell you the truth, I had some of the best discussions, debates, and conversations I've had a in a while at this conference! This was also the least judgmental and most sane YD conference I've ever been to, which was really encouraging. I would go as far as to say that if this were a model for how our political groups functioned generally, we'd be a much better country for it. I've made many new friends and good contacts as well as refreshed longstanding friendships and acquaintances in the process.

Sunday afternoon sessions with lobbying and public information organizations

After the conference, I went with a new friend, Kate, to visit the Smithsonian... we checked out the exhibit about Jefferson's Monticello and Bible... you should check out these exhibitions!

Thomas Jefferson's Bible

Source books for Jefferson's tome, and an early reprint of the volume

Capitol as seen at night on the National Mall

Shoes, Art, Friendship

2012-03-14T19:17:00.002-04:00

Dear readers, I return today with more recent happiness. Today is a day for celebrating shoes, an art gallery trip, and a very stylish friend! :)

Currently the smoking slipper/slipper shoe/albert slipper/etc. is one of the trends of the year (or at least 2011). As such, it has become remarkably easy to find variations on it from many different sources. You may recall last years' review of the Del Toro pair (which are still on my wishlist). However, while I save up for the better shoes, I've found that due to the increased volume, many pairs are much more affordable.

In my case, I was able to find a pair from Topshop in the UK. After guessing at the British and European sizes, I was quite pleased to find out that the shoes actually fit. A couple of things to note: the shoes are real leather (suede)... as opposed to some of the cheaper variants made of synthetic uppers. The soles are a bit flimsy and the support of most standard shoes is not present. However, all in all I really like these. Once I wore them in a bit, they fit very nicely. One of the things I like about them is how open the tops are... I hate the sensation of having my feet suffocate in shoes... these are to the contrary much happier!

Also, the color is extremely striking (I got it to match with my seersucker suit, initially)... I've found it works with everything while not being too crazy. I have been getting many compliments on the shoes, so I think this is a general success. I was thinking about removing the gold trim and replacing it with a tan/brown edging in the general albert slipper style, but I find they work this way just fine at the moment.

Notice the thin profile of the shoes

The heels are very short... almost too short... I may put a pad in the heel to cushion me when standing for long periods of time.

Again, notice the long opening... what is the point of nice socks, if you can't show them off?

Albert slippers are traditionally velvet, which is a no-go for outdoors. I was happy to find these are suede, which looks similar, but is more durable.

Next Up: Random visit to the National Gallery of Art! (A week or two ago.)

I love going to the National Gallery of Art to just walk around, relax, and eat gellato. The art collection isn't terribly huge, nor does it change too dramatically. However, the architecture of the rooms and the general atmosphere is generally happy and enjoyable. How many other neoclassical art galleries exist in such a convenient spot in DC? Also, because probably most people are bored of the gallery, it's usually not too crowded... which enhances the relaxing part of the visit.

Please enjoy a few selections that I particularly enjoyed this time around!

I especially like the dress the girl on the right is wearing... such good taste!

This is a perennial favorite of mine...

Previously, there was a piece of modern art on display that was a slice of bread. It was with amusement that I found a small French painting of butter in nearly the same location this time.

For some reason they are doing repair work on the modern art gallery section... I find it interesting that the building is actually brick, with stone stuck on the front.

Gigantic gellato at the National Gallery of Art... hand for size. (yes, it was delicious)

And now... the outfit that took me to the NGA...

I just love the slim profile this style of shoe gives! :)

The full outfit... (left) and... oh look... now I'm surprised! (right, very silly)

And last... but not least! The surprise visitor!

My friend Shayna from Oklahoma. She gets the award for good taste in style and the perfect smile! :)

This lady is up and coming in political circles, it's a real honor to know her. I should also mention this is what she looked like after a grueling day at a recent political conference (she's so awesome, you can't tell!). I'm impressed with how well she takes all the traveling and manages to consistently look well put together and ready to roll. Every time I've seen her, you could do a magazine spread with her, because she knows her style so well. :D

Shayna, I enjoyed spending time with you and our conversations about life, politics, fashion... keep up the good work! :)

Recent happenings! (aka... February!)

2012-03-11T17:10:00.001-04:00

Dear readers... I'm sorry for disappearing so long again! Life has been amazingly busy... I'm going to try and stay on top of this once again!

To give you a glimpse as to what happened in Late January and the month of Febrary... here are a few highlights:

Chinese New Year: Chinatown, Washington DC

My friends and I (plus I made new friends in the process!) went to Chinatown to enjoy the lion and dragon dances and just spend good time together. I love the friends I have and continue to make... everyone has great ideas for activities and broadening our horizons and understanding of current events and world history (this was no exception, one of my friends proposed the excursion, and it worked out wonderfully... excepting my cold feet!). Here is a bit of the scenery!

The New Year's Wishes of the Consul General of France

I was pleasantly surprised with a lovely invite to attend the Consul General's New Year's best wishes reception at the French Embassy. I have to say that the staff at the embassy, many of whom are new, appear to be very nice people! I've had good luck working through paperwork with them and can honestly say they are polite and helpful! :) That said, the event itself was lovely and the Consul General made a statement that was very fitting, genuine, and had a proper part of humor. The Consul General is actually new to this embassy and I am quite pleased with what I've seen of him so far.

Here is a quick photo of me with Consul General Alméras.

Latin Dance Lesson:

Yet another ICDC event! I'm still perfecting my latin dance skills, which are somewhat lacking but improving. Excepting the small size of the room, it was a good lesson for most of the basics. I'll probably have to repeat this a couple more times to get it right! Special thanks to my friend Sarah for being very patient and learning with me! :)

Me with Sarah, my dance partner who has been lovely and a good friend

Skiing in Pennsylvania

That's me!

Doing some sort of a move down the hill... I look really stupid in this shot, but there weren't any better ones!

This ski trip is an annual (almost) tradition going back to when I was a teenager in youth group. We still go nowadays and get the band back together along with new recruits to spend a weekend skiing and spending time together. Always good memories, even if the hill is rather small!

Ski Sawmill

Europe 2011: Part 6, Shopping in Paris

2012-01-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

Time to return to my Europe series... I think this is going to be a long and recurring theme at this point. I did so much, it's going to take a while to finish blogging about it!

For this installment, we take a visit to the Au Printemps department store, beginning with the observation deck on the top of their tallest building. The department store consists of 3 entire buildings for Women, Men, and Children/Home/etc. It has numerous restaurants and sub-boutiques for more luxury brands than I even was aware existed! My friend Estelle clued me into the awesomeness of this place, and I'm very thankful to her!

The architecture of these buildings is fabulous.

Tour Eiffel in the background

Yours truly enjoying the sunshine and traveling :)

It's a long way down! Oh look... that's the metro entrance!

See... here's a closer look... Paris Metro

At the other end of the patio, here is the view

Closer up!

One thing I noticed about Paris is that they really managed to do a good job with integrating buildings, trees, traffic, and people.

The spires you see at the other end of this picture are where I was originally standing

There was even an AstroTurf lawn with deck chairs up here on top of the building! An outdoor patio seriously called for ice cream, which I had while being blinded by the sun, lol.

In case there was any doubt as to the scale of this... check out the floor plan! Those are three entire buildings!

This is the plan and list of departments for one floor in context!

Some of the buildings seen from one of the bridges

Yet another angle showing the buildings

What is a shopping trip though, without shopping? I wish I could have taken pictures of everything... it was amazing what they had. However, I did find something that I liked enough to buy on the spot. I found a bow tie from Alain Figaret. The real kind, that you actually tie yourself (not the childish clip-ons that are so often sold)! Plus, as an added benefit it was handmade in France!

Wearing the Alain Figaret bow tie recently (January 2012)

Close up of the bow tie... it has a woven pattern of dots within circles, here I have paired it with a navy blazer and ecru shirt.

In Defense of Formality in Attire

2012-01-28T16:49:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

Allow me today to ramble upon a topic which I feel is either misunderstood or undeservedly maligned in today's society. This my friends, is the role of attire in promoting the respect and social position of the wearer.

In 2012, clothing is often considered to be an object of practicality and utilitarian importance, primarily. The suggestion that clothing should be rigid or represent a particular form would appear archaic to many. In fact, dressing for work has become considered an insurmountable chore and encumbrance by numerous contemporaries. The result has been the sloppiest and most ill-dressed generations the world has ever known.

While clothing that is comfortable is obviously a benefit from a practical perspective, it must be remembered that much of the clothing today goes beyond this and is designed as a form of rebellion against the most ancient traditions our culture has had and against the class system that has to some extent given our society meaning and place.

Why is a rebellion against the classes bad? The classes have enforced cultural norms and promoted social decency. Without classes (and perhaps religion), anything might be permissible. In fact, once there is no structure for society, we lose all rules and common values. In effect, we become meaningless as a people.

What good is a society that has no meaning, no traditions, and no respect? Would you be willing to defend such a society with your life if it were attacked? My view is that such a society is indefensible and the only people who would willingly die for it are guilty of stupidity and perhaps falling into the trap of the insipid propaganda enforced through military brainwashing.

This brings me to why we need to bring back clothing that has meaning. When our clothes help form our actions, they work together with the doctrines of a well-ordered society. A society with rules and customs, one where dressing up to show respect isn't a periodic fantasy, but rather a daily practice.

But it goes both ways... the clothes are only the outward portion. When our minds choose to embrace beauty, we wish to show it outwardly. We must not be tricked into believing that clothing is only external or that beliefs are only internal. We must create a gorgeous fusion of loveliness and glory that is reflected in everything.

The idea the the universe is chaotic and unpredictable is irrational. In fact, all of modern science and most of the western tradition fight against this. Order is present in every facet of nature. I believe that when our society embraces this, we will find our bearing again.

When we find respect, value, and navigate ourselves forward, we will have discovered a true society worth fighting for. A society where there are rules and obligations, but also where merit has value and recognition. Where inequality isn't a blind measure of fairness, but where actions are rewarded with social standing and respect, regardless of race and prejudice. (Please note that this does not suggest that I support the oppression of anyone in society or the undeserved rise of individuals who trespass on the good of their fellow man)

This my friends, is the new aristocracy of taste and merit. It is calling all of us to show respect to our fellow men and to claim the respect that we are all due by not being lazy in our choice of attire. It is choosing not what is easy, but that which is invariably deserving of honor and praise.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
(Philippians 4:8 ESV)

My Daily Style Choices

2012-01-22T22:00:00.000-05:00

Dear readers,

I've decided to document what I wear on a daily basis by using the DailyBooth website. The whole point is to upload at least one picture per day. I thought it would be cool to see the progression of what I wear, as well as keeping track of trends and ways I can vary my look more. I also find that it would be better than blogging about everything daily, as you all would tire of reading it. (I may do an end of the week style post, based on the best pictures I've uploaded, though) Additionally, the latest image I post automatically becomes my profile picture here on blogger!

Feel free to visit my page on DailyBooth and offer comments and whatnot. Click here to head on over!

Spin Dryer / Essoreuse / Laundry Centrifuge

2012-01-21T15:08:00.000-05:00

Dear readers, I recently ordered a spin dryer, alternatively known in France as an Essoreuse, or in English as a Laundry Centrifuge. What is a spin dryer? Simply put it is a centrifuge that spins at around 3,000 rpm (3.000 trs/mn) and which due to the forces created, naturally causes water to be expelled from the clothing, without the use of heat. What does it not do? It does not completely dry the clothing, it only gets most clothing partially dry.

If the spin dryer doesn't actually fully dry the laundry, why bother? There are a couple reasons. First it is incredibly energy-efficient. By using the spin dryer for a couple minutes with a load of cottons, I cut my tumble drying time in half (after spin drying, it took under 35 minutes in the tumble dryer, as opposed to 50-65). Clearly, you can see there are green environmental reasons for the use of this dryer in addition to electric bill savings. By using less resources, we conserve energy and money. Additionally, less heat means that the clothing may last longer; also, when the water is expressed it takes some remaining detergent with it. This means the clothes are healthier, as the residue isn't baked into the clothing, but rather removed.

Once the spin dryer has run for 2-4 minutes, it is then possible to load the laundry into a tumble dyer or hang it up to air dry. Either way, it makes the process faster. The catch is that loading the spin dryer does take a few minutes, because it is essential to balance it properly. Make sure heavy/large items are at the bottom, and you will want to wrap the items around the sides. I did it wrong the first time and it really didn't go terribly fast. I'm looking to use the spin dryer to allow me to do more line drying and cut on my tumble dryer costs by doing more than one load within a timed dry at my apartment.

One last note: for those of you who think this is a new invention, it's not. My French grandmother has had one for at least 20 years, if I'm not mistaken. It's just harder to find them in North America than anywhere else. In Europe there are numerous competing brands. You can even get them from La Redoute, lol! I got mine from The Laundry Alternative, you can find the product page, here! There are a couple of competitors here in North America, but they charge 2-4x as much.

Here are my unboxing and initial testing pictures, enjoy!

For size reference, the unit reaches slightly above my knee when unboxed and standing on the floor.

Opening the box at home

It tomes with a sheet describing the unboxing procedure

Took the machine out of the box, it's shrinkwrapped

Once I got it unwrapped, I had to remove the Styrofoam and instructions/cardboard in the drum

Inside of drum without debris, you can see Styrofoam I broke off the base on the floor. I also had to clean the inside, because there was some manufacturing ickyness left, including some sort of grease potentially.

To protect the motor, they attached it to a piece of wood, here I am unscrewing it

And it's ready!

Here is what the machine looks like, filled with laundry and the clothes protector sheet placed on top

To start the machine, close the lid, and pull the sliding lock switch over it

And we're off! :)

You will want to place a bowl under the spout, as the water literally just runs out

This is a bit of an exaggeration, as I placed laundry I wet in the sink and barely wrung out for a first test. It does do this for laundry coming out of a top loader, but only briefly... it's mostly a long trickle

Spin in progress!

My Black-Tie Birthday Party! :)

2012-01-11T01:36:00.000-05:00

Dear readers, I'm still playing catch up! My birthday was at the end of November! I thought it would be great fun to do the sort of party I've never had before.

"[I invited a couple of my friends to] an elegant party where we can all get together and enjoy some good conversation and desserts."

As you might have guessed, it was black-tie optional. I like to bring back classic style as many of my readers know; having events like this is a way to add a glamorous side to life. My friends, colleagues, and family really made the time a success! Special thanks goes to my friend Barbara who helped make many of the treats and reminded me what I needed to shop for! I was especially pleased that as my first ever party, everything turned out rather well too! If I didn't invite you and we're friends, it was probably just because I was too busy to remember everyone; I plan to have other parties and to invite people I may have forgotten unintentionally this time around!

From the original email I sent out about the party:

"I'm tempted to have a black-tie (optional) dessert party... to celebrate my birthday. Think of this as kind of an old-fashioned elegant style event in the era of Mad Men, James Bond, or even Downton Abbey (great excuse to break out your tux, or even LBD glamour)."

Cheese and breads... special appearance by my steamer!

Desserts, with drinks in the background! A great place to relax as the party unfolds...

The scene was quite busy with much interesting conversation! All ages were represented!

And rather interesting stories!

...some of which took on a life of their own...

... as you can see, we were having some sort of intense discussion! (I'm not actually angry!)

Candid blooper/prep pics:

It's true, I know how to operate an iron

I'm not sure what I was doing here... but at least my face is sparkly, lol!

I also lit up my bookcase with LED lighting to add to the mood, unfortunately the rest of my mood lighting wasn't ready for installation prior to the party! I must have another event to make use of it... :)

Photos for this post were sent to me by family, colleagues, or taken by myself at my party.

Happy New Year!!!! 2012!!!

2012-01-01T04:00:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year, everyone!

Let's hope that 2012 is better than 2011! I just got home from a lovely gala, met some new people and was very pleased to see a lovely friend again. I hope everyone else had fun ringing in the new year! Black-tie events with real dancing are a part of our culture that we need to keep alive!

(Also, I did basically slip and fall while swing dancing on a slippery floor covered in balloons! lol)

Politics!

2011-12-27T00:14:00.000-05:00

I know that my blog is focused on style and design... however, the life/liberty parts dictate a small amount of irrelevant happenings be featured as well. Additionally, this will explain what has taken most of my time in the last two months:

First, I was present to celebrate both the re-election victory and swearing in of my friends to Gaithersburg's City Council.

The unofficial results of the election are being read

Taking a closer look at results

Coucilman Jud Ashman and myself right after the results were announced

Secondly, I'm currently running to be on the board of a local political organization. My goal is to become Director/VP of Communications. Unfortunately, the deadline to register as a member if you wanted to help has passed by a few days! However, needless to say, the campaign has definitely put a strain on my available time. Despite this, it's been a rewarding experience so far, and I'm hoping both myself and the friends who have joined our slate will win in January. For those on both the left and the right who have questions about what is going on with my political projects, please message me directly, so I can explain anything you have questions about! :)

Also, we would love if you joined our facebook page... www.facebook.com/ydreboot

This is me at one of our meetings, photo by mariostylianou.com

Happy Christmas!

2011-12-26T01:31:00.000-05:00

Happy Christmas to all my friends, family, and blogger universe!

I will have substantive posts coming up soon. I've been really busy with life, work, politics, etc. and rather tired from trying to do too many things at once! I apologize for disappearing for over a month here; I'm going to try and see if I can get back on my schedule of at least one post every week or two. Due to the delay, there are a number of catch-up posts which have been sitting in the back of my head for some time.

--Justin

Europe 2011: Part 5, Panoramic Louvre

2011-11-10T16:45:00.000-05:00

This post is fairly self-explanatory: these are mostly all panoramic photo experiences that you can drag around and look at to feel as though you were with me on my travels. This first installation is obviously the museum of the Louvre. I have additional ones from both France and England to come soon.

Additionally, I have plenty of other posts that will be coming up as I have been quite behind on my blog writing! Please enjoy these in the meantime as I collect everything and get back in gear!

Stairway by the Winged Victory of Samothrace

Staircase near various galleries and cafe

View of the outside from second story in museum

The following ones are from the Carousel of the Louvre (the shopping area underground):

Ground level

Atop the staircase in the pyramid

This is the view from the staircase

Lastly, I have standard photo panorama shots... you may wish to click on these to open them larger. Hopefully they run off the side of the page a bit so you can see them larger, as they do contain a good deal of surface area.

Ceiling in carousel by ticket offices

Carousel after hours as seen from escalators

Carousel after hours as seen from floor level

Additional area in the Carousel near a set of function rooms that can be rented out

My International Week in DC!

2011-10-23T15:47:00.000-04:00

So... this is a brief interruption in my Europe travel series... but interestingly enough, still involves Europe! As it turns out, this week has been filled with internationally-themed events starting with the French Expat Meetup on Tuesday:

Click here for more pictures!

Then it was on to the Waltz lesson practice for the Eigth Anniversary Gala and Masquerade Ball on Thursday:

The room for the ball is beautiful! (National Museum of Women in the Arts)

Look at all the details in the woodwork! (And the chandeliers were awesome)

Another item of note, is that half of what you see is made of faux-finishes

Dance lesson, after which my feet ended up hurting so much that I could still feel it when I went to the ball on Saturday! (Stone floors with simple loafers on are not a good combination for dance! Thankfully, I wore different shoes for the ball)

And back to France on Friday with a visit to French soil at the Embassy of France to hear a presentation on the financial crisis and investment strategies (Conférence: CRISE FINANCIÈRE: Vos finances au sein de la crise). My friend Ivan from the French meetup was one of the panelists, and it was quite enjoyable! Presentation was entirely in French and was organized by Union des Français de l'Etranger and Chambre de Commerce Franco-Américaine de Washington:

Seated panelists, from left to right:
YANN COATANLEM, CITIGROUP, Directeur, Think Tank Club Praxis
IVAN ZABALOIEFF, MS, Conseiller en Gestion de Patrimoine, AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL INC.

French Embassy consulate where the presentation was held

And Finally, yesterday (Saturday) I had the Eigth Anniversary Gala and Masquerade Ball at the Grand Ballroom of the National Museum of Women in the Arts:

Choreographed dance, it was really beautiful

Live waltz band on the right background of picture... chairs on left background for latin band that played second half of the evening.

Only picture of me from the evening, with new friend Q from the ball!

The ball was great fun and I met lots of new and interesting people in the process. Also, I braved the dance floor a few times and didn't screw up as badly as I worried I was going to. lol. Now for more lessons and more practice!

I even took some panoramic shots of the event! Remember to use a real computer equipped with silverlight to view these, you'll have to click on them to start the viewing experience:

During the dance

After the dance was over

Europe 2011: Part 4, Musée du Louvre

2011-10-16T19:27:00.000-04:00

Next stop in Paris was visiting the Louvre.... but on the way I needed to take care of some stuff at the Apple Store. Yes, it's true... I can actually locate one anywhere I travel! I think this time I mostly just bought a battery charger.

Now, I must say using these rechargeables in the the emergency battery charger I got off of Amazon works amazingly. Instead of getting 30% extra charge, I was finding myself reaching 60% or greater.

Inside the Apple Store

Charging my phone outside of the Apple store

Anyhow, enough about batteries! On to the fun stuff...

They had this really impressive model of what the Louvre looked like during the medieval period

Foundations for the Medieval Louvre

Notice the scale compared to people... it must have really been huge!

And of course, the Winged Victory of Samothrace

Stairs leading up to Winged Victory... lower level has sculptures, upper paintings

This time I paid special attention to the Regency/Empire paintings and I have a selection of them for you now...

I think this picture is in every book about men's fashion from the regency/empire period!

I love this painting... I may get a print of it for my home!

Again, Coronation of the Empress by Jacques-Louis David. Notice how large it is compared to the people. There is another copy of this painting at Versailles. I think this one here is the original.

This year I'm a huge fan of sheer materials... look at the sleeves!

I believe this is the last painting of the Empress Josephine before she passed away

Look at the exquisite detail of the material!

I'm also really impressed at this neckline's construction... whoever came up with that had to be a genius, because it doesn't look easy for it to work right.

Note the fashion of hand placements... there is a famous painting of Napoleon much like this

Nice regency style with cravat, etc.

I love the sheer again here... the construction of this is dress is so simple and delightfully elegant

This is a great musical portrait

I believe this is the dauphin, King Louis-Phillipe's son.

This man's outfit is intense... the amount of cravat and shirt frills is impressive!

I think this was for Napoleon III, but could be mistaken... what's interesting is that instead of carving the designs, they painted them in apparent 3 dimensions.

The Louvre Pyramid as seen from inside the museum

The usual republican piece... :P

I love this staircase! I will have a better view of it in the next post, which will have panoramic views of the Louvre

They have a little cafe up here... isn't this lovely?

Throne chair... I think for a temple, but I do not exactly remember

I love how they hid the outlets!

The fountains are surrounded by a bench and are a lovely place to sit and have conversations (particularly if you had someone to talk to)

And what it all looks like at night:

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to go back again and reshoot some things I saw two years ago, but I plan to return in the near future! My next blog post will have panoramic shots of the Louvre that you can navigate on your computer. Stay tuned!

Europe 2011: Part 3 Driving in France and Politics!

2011-10-10T12:57:00.001-04:00

In case you're wondering: Part 2 was the wedding post. :)

In this latest installment of my travel adventures, we follow my path from visiting with my family to going to the political conference 'Universités de rentrée' for Debout La République. Finally we end up in Paris! :)

I rented a really nice mini cooper, with the disadvantage that I didn't really drive stick... so I learned how to work the car in the middle of Lille, which isn't a small city!

I finally left the car in Lille for a couple minutes so I could buy a bluetooth headset at the FNAC. My phone got messed up at my grandmother's and I figured that even if the unit couldn't produce sound, it would likely still work with a bluetooth headset if it was only the DAC on the motherboard that was bad. Thankfully, I was right!

My sister took this picture of me driving in my mother's home town in France :)

To get to the political conference, I had to wake up extremely early and sneak my way out of my grandmother's home, without waking up anyone! This is the sunrise on the highway to Paris.

My attempted route... from Nord-Pas de Calais to Dourdan in Ile-de-France, and finally arriving in Paris.... it was supposed to take about 3.5 hrs to get to destination 'B' and then about an hour or so to get to 'C'... the reality is I probably took at least 4 hours to get to Dourdan and then at least 2-3 to get to Paris, because I misread the signs and ended up in horrible traffic jams caused by 5-7 car pileups!

Oh... I nearly forgot... the speed limit on French highways is 130kph... aka 80mph! Pretty epic!

Finally made it, they're introducing our main candidate right here

Waving the flags, waiting for Dupont-Aignan to arrive!

And he's here!

Let's zoom in!

And a bit more!

Everyone had their cameras out and people were making tons of noise!

After welcoming Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, we all sat down and he gave an epic speech, tearing in to the current French political establishment and European Union policies that hurt everyone in France and Europe. It was a very good speech and well delivered!

Afterward, Dupont-Aignan (who happens to also be running for French President) was mobbed by reporters in the lobby

Sadly there wasn't really time this year to take a real picture at the event, so I took a self-pic in the parking lot before leaving. Everyone was parked everywhere... this place really needs to add a garage or something for when this conference occurs!

And after sitting in bumper traffic for 2-3 hours, I found a restroom and the car rental agency! This is me before returning the vehicle. I took the wrong highway direction somehow, had to turn around, and then got stuck on the peripherique and then couldn't fin the entrance to the right garage at the station! It was a mess!

[Update] Here is the route I actually drove from Dourdan back to Paris... notice the complete detour I took to the south-east for no obvious reason!

The mini also has a really great storage area... I was able to fit everything nicely :)

The inside of the vehicle was cozy and comfortable

Gare de Lyon from the outside... the right corner is the Mercure hotel (which I did NOT stay in, lol!)

Going to One Wedding Brings on Another

2011-10-03T07:30:00.000-04:00

In Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, John Thorpe attempts to sneak his way into marrying Catherine Morland and a snippet of the conversation goes as follows:

[John Thorpe] "A famous good thing this marrying scheme, upon my soul! A clever fancy of Morland's and Belle's. What do you think of it, Miss Morland? I say it is no bad notion."
[Miss Morland] "I am sure I think it a very good one."
[John Thorpe] "Do you? --that's honest, by heavens! I am glad you are no enemy to matrimony, however. Did you ever hear the old song 'Going to One Wedding Brings on Another?'

During the course of this last month I have had the honor of being invited to two weddings, which while they were no more connected one to the other than John Thorpe's fantasies were to reality... did at least in my life happen to occur one after the other. I was therefore reminded of the reference. :)

As a result, I send my official congratulations to my cousin, Ismail and his lovely bride Capucine, whose wedding I was able to attend during my Europe trip. My cousins are all rather cool people and I was really happy to be there for the special day. Living on different continents means we only all see each other sporadically, but thankfully my family and I have been able to visit periodically since I was an infant. This wedding was also really good for bringing most of the French family together in one place, which hasn't happened in a long time. I also met much of my uncle's family for the first time, and they appear to be a good and enjoyable group of people!

French civil wedding

My sister and I with Capucine... brilliantly my sister and I both wore seersucker!

The first dance at evening reception :)

Secondly, this last Saturday I was at the wedding of a wonderful friend of mine, Peter and his delightful bride Erin. I've been friends with Peter and his family for some time now, and they are really amazing, solid people. If everyone were more like them, the world would be a better place! :) Again, blessings and congratulations on the happy couple!

Lovely Episcopal service in Virginia

The conclusion to their first dance :)

I should throw in that Peter's brother Kevin is now in the National Philharmonic Orchestra's choir... and I went to see his first performance with the orchestra, in which he sang Ode to Joy in Beethoven's 9th symphony! Yet another great reason to go listen to good music!

At Strathmore with Hannah, Kevin, and Eric!

One last passing note... not only were both weddings very fun and enjoyable--with regard to style, I thought they were really well done... both brides picked dresses that were flattering and lovely! It really does give me hope when I see good taste in dress. The future may not be completely lost! lol :)

Jane Austen Spoofs!

2011-10-02T17:15:00.001-04:00

I generally am a purist and don't like twisted up versions of the Austen stories... however, some of these are classic or infamous in their own right, or simply worth a laugh. As a result I am sharing them with you now for my more daring readers. Some of them may be slightly offensive and for that I do apologize in advance. I obviously didn't design them myself, or else they would have been a bit different, undoubtedly.

Enjoy!

Jane Austen Fight Club (viral video):

That Mitchell And Webb Look: Posh Dancing (wherein, Darcy shows of his sweet moves)
(note: there is one offensive word in the middle, fyi)

I just ran into this series: 'Jane 08'... which parodies the films in the style of an American political advertisement to promote a fan-fiction novel. (The best part has to be the one about the environment)

But wait... there's more! 'Truth'...

And it continues! 'Leadership'...

This last one counts as explosive... and advertises beer... be ready for gratuitous gunfighting...

Europe 2011: Part 1

2011-09-30T18:31:00.000-04:00

This is going to be an ongoing series of pictures, anecdotes, and stories from my recent vacation in Europe. I visited family, friends, places, and participated in many fun and exciting events during my time. I hope you enjoy the ride! :)

Riding to airport in shuttle

Flying to Chicago O'Hare from Reagan National

View out the window prior to take off at DCA

Panorama while in the air

Chicago O'Hare inside and outside the terminal

Me again, now on the flight from Chicago to Brussels

We even had a bit a of food... and the obligatory apple juice :)

The movies and tv were about as bad as usual, but we made it to our destination nonetheless!


And then it was on to the train!

And I make an appearance on the train

Those items on the wall are actually mirrors... some girls got on and used them to do their makeup, lol

Riding through the city...

...and the countryside


And I reached my family in France...! :) (Can you tell I look tired? I pulled an all-nighter before getting on the flight to Chicago, so I was up for something like 2-3 days straight)