Last Sunday, I celebrated another birthday. I really didn’t have the energy this year to make a big deal out of it. All I wanted to do was relax, eat some good food, and drink all day which is what I ended up doing. I didn’t want to deal with the headache of hosting and planning things…so I just left it as whoever wanted to join me could join me. I ended up going to brunch with a small group of close friends and we stayed there drinking for 7 hours! The pictures below are lovely flowers that I got for my birthday, a fried ice cream dessert with a birthday candle, and one of my besties giving me a b-day hug.

Here are some of my posts from this week:

Olivier Zahm shares his secrets of photographing beautiful women.

Lenny Kravitz joins the cast of The Hunger Games.

Dita Von Teese glams it up when she shops.

Get a $500 bar tab on us!

90′s Chanel Bag giveaway.

Check out the evolution of graffiti art in this MOCA exhibit.

Eep! Celebs in peekaboo spanx!

Phewf, am I ever so glad we have a long weekend. What are you guys up to? I’m going to be shooting a wedding with my favorite boss, my BFF, and then enjoying a day off lounging around on the beach in Jersey.

And of course, remembering those who’ve lost their lives for our country. A big thank you to those who serve!

Hello! Well it looks like it has finally stopped raining, although the forecast says it’s going to start up again. This past Sunday, I went to my boyfriend’s sister’s graduation at Rutgers, my alma mater. It was the first year that they held the commencement in the stadium and it was the largest graduation class with 12,000 students. (You can imagine how many proud family and friends were in the stands!) The traffic getting there was unreal, we had to listen to part of the commencement speech from the radio on the highway.

I was also out of town for a few days and I can’t even describe how lovely it was to be so disconnected from the world without cell phone service or internet. Hopefully I can find time to post pictures after the weekend.

I didn’t work much this week but here are my few posts from last week and this week.

We’re hoping Arnold and Maria can work it out.

Rolling Stone holds a contest for its cover photo, the first time an unsigned musical act will grace its covers.

I dug around some scary department stores for cheap scores.

More trees please.

Are you free this Saturday? Enter for this rare chance to appear in a video and record cover for Steel Train!

Jennifer Lawrence plays Katniss Everdeen in the upcoming Hunger Games.

I’m dying for a pair of these Grey Ant Status Sunglasses.

What are you guys up to this weekend? It’s birthday weekend for me and all I can think is that I need to find time to do laundry. (Sigh). Tonight I’m gonna go out with my girlfriends for the first time in months. What to wear? Where to go?

Today is my big brother’s birthday and I’m sad I can’t be there to celebrate with him. I am so proud of the man he’s grown up to be. I followed him around as a kid and if we lived closer I would probably still. He is still my biggest hero.

I love you and miss you!

Isn’t it the cutest?

It’s my bestie’s birthday today! She is my sanity and inspiration and I wish her the world! xoxo

Miss Brit had told me before I saw the movie that one of the characters, Agnes, reminded her of me because she has black hair, is a ballerina, and loves unicorns. I could not stop laughing throughout the entire movie. I loved her so much. “IT’S SO FLUFFY!” Gah! (And now I can’t stop talking like her).

Before the movie, we stopped by Rio Grande for birthday crackaritas. Ah, almost just like old times. We got to the movie early so we stopped by Studio Square nearby for some sangria. I was definitely a bit drunk during the movie.

The birthday celebrations continued on Friday at the Volstead in midtown and then Ajna in Meatpacking.

Miss Brit was looking super hot slinging drinks. I miss the days when we ruined people’s lives nights together behind the bar.

My old roommate came out of nowhere. (Well I called him but then forgot). I got separated from the birthday party that moved on to Greenhouse. This is expected of me.

I was so hungover on Saturday and all I wanted to do was stay in and order sushi and paint my nails. I was finished with my nails and was just settling in to watch Jerry Maguire (I am aware of how lame this sounds) on the couch when I got invited out for drinks only 3 blocks away. Twist my arm!

It was so hot today that I just didn’t have the energy to leave the apartment. I decided to clean the apartment from top to bottom and organize. I was covered in dust by the end of the day but it feels great to see the apartment so clean. Let’s see how long it lasts…

We met 6 years ago on an island in Thailand and have since gone on some wild adventures together. From Bangkok to Samet to Koh Panghan to Singapore to Malaysia, lots of shared bungalows and hostels, many hours spent sitting on a bus, boat, 7-Eleven stoops, talking, dancing, drinking, shopping, and pondering the meaning of life (usually when we’re hungover and have nothing better to do).

A never aging face or heart, a real life Peter Pan, a one time stranger who’s entered my life and created priceless memories. Happy Birthday, my dear friend.

Happy Birthday to my beautiful sister!! I wish I could be there to celebrate with her.

So May is the much mentioned “Birthday Month” but last week was “Birthday Week” in serious effect. I went to dinner at The Mark on Tuesday. Wednesday, I met up with Miss Brit for a sushi dinner on St. Mark’s. I’ve missed her so much and we got all caught up over sushi and sake. We then went to meet her friends at a pub where Brit didn’t even remember she had her 22nd birthday. The bar was a dingy little pub where I asked Brit if she noticed that everyone in there was extremely unattractive. I am always skeptical of a bar full of uglies, I joked. It turned out to be a hilariously random night (most nights with her are) that ended with us pigging out on artichoke pizza. My stomach felt like it had a bowling ball in it the following morning.

Thursday, another great friend of mine took me out to dinner at Campaniolas in the Upper East. My friend Tanya, who was my best friend in kindergarten, also came. Dinner was absolutely fantastic. We had antipasto, steak, shrimp, and of course lots of wine and champagne. At the end of dinner the waiter brought out a huge plate filled with various cakes and desserts with a candle in the middle. I was absolutely touched, I really couldn’t have asked for more, as the entire staff and restaurant sang Happy Birthday to me. I was smiling from ear to ear feeling like the most special girl in the world. That is, until I went to the bathroom shortly after and realized I had a HUGE basil leaf covering an entire tooth. An entire tooth!!! I was absolutely mortified! All those people staring and smiling at me. I thought they were thinking how fabulous I am. They were probably just laughing at my huge blackened tooth! I could’ve let it ruin my night (did I mention how mortified I was?) but I figured they must know that I just ate a delicious feast and that I don’t always have a huge basil leaf stuck on my tooth. We drank lots and lots more after dinner and a nice gentleman got me a cab and paid my fare to make sure I got home safely. I must say not enough men my age do this and that’s a shame. It really makes a girl feel like a lady. I felt so absolutely wonderful that night. I remember thinking during dinner that this is just what I needed. I was surrounded by people who cared about me and wanted to do something special for me, unlike The Boy who (at the end) kept reminding me of the things he couldn’t give me. I thought, screw him! I deserve more!

My mood quickly changed Friday afternoon. Perhaps it was the post binge depression mixed with being left alone to my thoughts but I couldn’t stop thinking about The Boy. I moped around on the couch the entire day wondering why I’m so unlovable. Then Little One made my night by calling me to say she was going to take me to dinner and drinks. I just didn’t want to be alone, moping over a Boy who didn’t appreciate me.

Saturday was my actual birthday (it’s hard to keep track with how many celebrations I had). I again woke up feeling incredibly sad. I took “It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to” to another level. My mom called and I just wanted to burst into tears because I missed her so much. I was touched by all of the phone calls and messages but I just couldn’t pull myself of out my birthday blues. I’m not sure what it was. I get it every year. Anyway, I bought a pretty off-whitish dress and cute heels to help cheer me up for the night. I went for an amazing tapas dinner with some of my girlfriends and then a night of dancing until we literally all fell in a heap from exhaustion. My friends are more than I could ever ask for.

(dessert was french toast with cream cheese filling- YUMMMMS!)

The birthday did not end there. I woke up the following morning and my legs were seriously throbbing from dancing in heels all night. I was throwing a birthday BBQ at 3PM and had not done one thing to prepare. Didn’t bake the cupcakes, purchase food and alcohol, or clean. I was so tired I wanted to call everyone and tell them it’s been cancelled. But Bionic Woman came over and lent a hand and the BBQ was a lovely low key shindig. It was slightly chilly at times but I was so happy it didn’t rain like I had feared (and cried all week over).

I can honestly say I am extremely birthdayed out! I had such a good time and am touched by all of my friends and now I need to name June “Birthday Recovery Month.”

I also want to thank everyone for making me feel so special, for taking me out, and for all of the cards and gifts. Bionic Woman got me an awesome shirt and a touching card, Little One made some yummy banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting, and Elfin brought me Hello Kitty balloons (I’m such a child). My brother, the most thoughtful gift giver ever sent me this beautiful red leather journal with my initials monogrammed on it along with a lovely card that brought tears to my eyes.

THANK YOU!!!!!