Shite pop songs that have permanently wormed their way into my life; when/how/(why?)

• "Too Little Too Late," by JoJo; playing on loop for 11 hours on "Top 40" station on United Airlines flight to and from Hawaii, January 2007
• "Big Girls Don't Cry," by Fergie; hated my relationship and job (and cried a lot), Summer 2007
• "Umbrella" by Rhianna; no excuse, Summer 2007
• "Give It To Me," by Timbaland, no excuse, Summer 2007
• "No Air," by Jordin Sparks feat. Chris Brown, overplayed by radio stations while traveling Winter 2008
• "Bleeding Love," by Leona Lewis, overplayed by radio stations while traveling Winter 2008
• "One Step at a Time," by Jordin Sparks (you are EVERY.WHERE.), played every single time I turned on the radio while in Columbia, SC for work trip, Fall 2008
• "Crush," by David Archuleta, played every single time I turned on the radio while home in El Paso, Fall 2008

D.C. and me

Hello from Our Nation's Capital! I've been in Cleveland and Minneapolis since we've talked last too, whee!

I gave myself an extra day here to do some exploring (the Embassies Tour and Museum of American History come highly recommended, as does *Hooters) and I may even try to browse the shops a little. It is payday tomorrow, after all.

*Depends on who you ask.

Eastern and SPECIFIC time

Hello, few but cherished readers. I miss you.

My work life is a little hectic right now with a bunch of business travel and deadlines -- when did I become such an adult, seriously? -- and I haven't had time to post.

NYC was great - sorry I missed you Traci - and I'm in HELLHOT South Carolina (I've either really lost my Texas edge living in the Great White North or it's completely ridiculously hot here) this week.

But listen, after this is all over, I think we should get an apartment together.

A warm embrace for chaos; my life and this entry are no exception

As I was flipping through Self magazine (not my usual cup of tea; too self-helpy) waiting for my highlight appointment yesterday (looks great; thanks for asking), I came across an article entitled "Embrace the Chaos," which discussed the mental health benefits for busy women of "just letting go" of certain things like a messy house or missed appointments or social engagements, etc.

This was an appealing suggestion to me because:

NYC July 17-21, Columbia SC August 4-6, Cleveland OH August 8-10, Minneapolis MN August 11-12, Louisville KY August ?-?, Minneapolis August ?-?, El Paso September 5-9, Columbia SC September 14-19, Dallas TX September 19-21, Cancun September 28-October 2, La Jolla CA October 12-17 + work deadlines + Junior League obligations / my poor neglected boyfriend x OCD's with apartment-cleanliness and gym attendance = omg how am I ever going to make time for Target's latest Botkier launch much less *maintain the illusion of sanity... then my brain exploded and I died. I never was good at math.

So I'm going to follow their advice: embrace the chaos, forgive myself for a **messy apartment, keep a carry-on bag packed with the essentials and pray for some Zen. Who, btw, do you pray to for Zen? Jesus? Or, like, Buddha?

(Observation: Zen is much easier to obtain at my parents house, which is surrounded by a protective bubble from my obligations a thousand miles away, after a full moon and a desert rainstorm. Unfortunately, Zen collected here will undoubtedly be washed away once I arrive at O'Hare later this evening.)

On a separate note, I bought these incredible Jeffrey Campbell tall black leather boots yesterday - so tall they almost (almost!) go over the knee. Perhaps Zen can be obtained through shopping?

*Coffee

** Obvs I will be employing a cleaning service

Family Time; or a summary of my trip to Texas in two words: Diet Coke

(edit) I am now writing you from the glorious DFW Hyatt, after my flight was cancelled (predictable; yet infuriating). Texas just couldn't let me go, I guess. I'm wrapped in the Hyatt robe with a glass of wine, so I guess it's not the end of the world. I'd really like to see my boyfriend and kitty, though, thanks.

I am writing you from DFW, where my flight to Chicago has been delayed from 9 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. One wonders how certain airlines can remain in business with such a terrible record of on-time departures. And/or safety. You know, whatever.

But anyway. Texas. My most recent business trip took me to Midland, where I was able to stay with my grandparents. And my mom drove in from El Paso, so it was a great week. I'll be in Waco next week, with two personal trips to Austin on the weekends before and after. I'm a lucky little Texan.

And speaking of little Texans, this trip reminded me that if there's one thing the women in my family do well, it's drink a lot (like. a LOT) of Diet Coke and spend a lot of money at Target. I found a bunch of tights on crazy clearance (no need for tights in May, Midland?). Any girl living in Chicago knows that tights are essential winter (and fall. and spring. sigh) wear. I got opaque black, brown and charcoal grey.

Other items of note: my Mee-Maw gave me some beautiful vintage jewelry (her mother's - my great grandmother's) this week. Gorgeous and very glam. I'll try to post some pictures, like, someday.

"If a girl is wearing last season's Manolo Blahnik stilettos, I won't immediately rule her out a friend."

IMHO, all of life's situations can be summarized by quotes from Bergdorf Blondes. Today, for example, can be summarized by the heroine's observations on maintaining a career: "Careers are funny things. If you aren't careful to pay attention to them, they go away."

So, I'm busy with work. I've neglected IHE for a week or two. But fear not! dear readers (reader?), for I have some neat posts planned for the coming weeks.

• the politics of denim
• "debit" merchandise
• turning personal tragedy into great hair
• style blogging; why I'm doing it (again)

'Til then!

And where do the politicians' husbands shop?

I love the South and its occasional *charming backwardness.

I probably won't have time to check it out while I'm working in Greenville, but tell me if the ad copy for Maiale boutique in the Upstate South Carolina Travelhost doesn't make you chuckle a little:

"...you won't find the designers she carries in most stores at the mall. Ask Anne to help you put an outfit together; her fashion sense is impeccable. That's why most of the wives of local politicians shop here!"

*Sometimes it's charming. Latent sexism? Can be charming. Seeing a Klan rally on the Raleigh capitol? Notsomuch.

Style report - Knoxville, Tennessee

I'm in Knoxville this week for work and so far I've been pleasantly surprised with the environs. The town is cute, with pretty old buildings, lots of green wooded areas, and the big Tennessee River right outside my hotel room window. I'm going to order a glass of Pinot Noir from room service and watch the twinkling lights across the river before I go to bed.

The drive from Nashville was longer than I wanted it to be, but there was definetely something refreshing about driving in the open country after being cooped up in the city for so long.

I'm still trying to adjust to the whole business travel thing. It's pretty lonely - especially four nights at a time - but whenever I can, I'm going to check out the local style scene in the places I visit. So tonight I'm occupying myself with studying the local lifestyle publications to narrow down some boutiques to visit during the week, and will dutifully report back to you, dear readers (reader?) about what I find.