Enriching my world, one room at a time: Interior design projects

By Briana Booker


As I previously mentioned in the blog, I am revamping the interior design of my apartment. The first project is the dining area! I am going for an earthy but warm atmosphere! I decided to use a gold and burgundy theme for coloring! And of course assortments of candle lighting  and a butterfly candle holder ornament of the same gold color scheme! These items allow the dining area to be used for daily use or a nice cozy dinner or dessert atmosphere by candle light!

 It is an easy way to make a college atmosphere, a second home( nothing beats real home). You can get most of the items i used for this dining area at Target, Walmart, Bath&Beyond, and Crate Barrel! But the Best deals for large rugs, for a reasonable price, is Walmart! I love their rug in a bag deal! 8x 10 rug in a bag is only $48 to $68 dollars. I used two of those to cover a large room spacing ! It looks fabulous! And they come in a variety of colors!

Also, a basic table cloth and a fold out table makes moving in and out very manageable for a mobile student . My project is not done yet for this dining area. I am adding cushions to my chairs, place mats to the table and some curtains soon!

If you have any other suggestions, let me know!

Having our say: Tea Party complaints vs. Real complaints.

By Zachary "Buddha" Bernstein


You know what I hate most about the Tea Party?  How they claim that they are suffering under taxation without representation.  Are you, now?  No, my hyper-caffeinated friends – you are suffering under taxation without the representation you want.  Depending where you are from, you may be in the majority on that opinion, but hey, at least you have someone to vote out of office and yell at for voting the wrong way on the health care bill.
      I, on the other hand, am a lifetime resident of Washington, DC.  You want taxation without representation?  Well, when you stop in here for your tax day protests, check our license plates.  “Taxation without Representation,” right there at the bottom. We actually do have this dilemma.  We pay federal taxes, just like you.  We bitch about it, just like you.  We, however, do not have a vote in Congress – unlike you.
      Of course, if the Washington Post is to be believed – and are they, that liberal rag? – That may not be the case for long.  One day before the tax day protests, they reported that congressional leaders plan to reintroduce a bill that would give Washington, DC a vote in Congress for the first time in centuries.
      Before you start whooping and hollering about democracy for all, there is the caveat from hell: The bill will likely, according to the Post, include language stripping the city government of most restrictions on gun-related issues.  Concealed carry?  Check.  Assault rifles?  Check.  Local control?  No check.
      And while our non-voting delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, is trying to water that language down as much as possible, she is quoted as saying this “is the best chance we’ve had to get a House vote for D.C. in my lifetime.”  So expect some of that language to stay in the finished product.  If we want a vote, we will probably need to take all the gun restrictions too.
      What really sucks about that part of the bill is that it was inserted by people from other states who were more concerned about forcing their views on a government they have no relation with, against the wishes of the people who actually live here.  To all the people who live somewhere other than Washington – how would you feel if we used our vote to force you all to convert to Scientology?  Pretty peeved, right?  Trust me when I say I know how you feel.
      And to be sure, the battle does not end here.  If the bill somehow passes Congress, it will be reviewed by the Supreme Court. 
 I know they are supposed to be the fair and final arbiter on Constitutional matters, but I trust these nine with nothing right now.  It could easily be rejected, even though it easily passes muster.
      But at least we are taking a step in the right direction.  We are going to step on a few thorns in doing so, but as an American living in the last American colony, I think it is  probably worth it.
      Suck on that, Tea Partiers.

Fromgirltogirl highlights!

'Buddha' being cool as usual.

As our blog slowly progresses through our early stages of development, we would like to thank all our readers! We will  post on our highlights as we learn to improve ourselves day by day! Suggestions are welcomed!

Recently we attended a free concert to see Andy Suzuki and the Method at American University ! The concert was amazing! We also saw Eric Hutchinson! Here are just a few pictures with/of  the band!

Pictures with the band.

Cool performance poster.

Andy on the piano and vocals.

Kozza on the drums.

Jason on the violin.

We,here at Fromgirltogirl,will keep you posted on what's sexy,cool and hip in the DMV( DC,Virginia and Maryland area)!

If you want us to cover a certain topic you are interested in learning more about, email us at breelalavie@gmail.com !

Until next time,

Fromgirltogirl.

Must see performance: Andy Suzuki & the Method in DC Friday March 19th!

Andy Suzuki, acoustic pop singer who was recently interviewed by Fromgirltogirl will be performing in Washington, Dc Friday March 19th at American University( FREE TO ALL AU STUDENTS)! 


Suzuki and his band will be opening for Eric Hutchinson, a pop-rock folk singer! Both are natives of the DC area! Below are the time and location details of the show! We at Fromgirltogirl hope to see you there! Talk to Suzuki & the Method after their performance!


Location: American University, The Tavern ( in the Mary Graydon center).  


Address: 4400 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC 20016  


Date: Friday March 19th! 


Time: 8pm -8:30pm.

Condo Domain: Hottest Online Real Estate Brokerage

By Briana Booker

Searching for a new place to live? Need to familiarize yourself with an area of a town? Or you need comic relief? If yes to any of these questions, you should check out Condo Domain!                                                   

Condo Domain is an online real estate brokerage founded in Boston in 2005 by Anthony Longo, technology guru. Longo gave a new and unique twist to the real estate search by combining online social media with much needed information on location and residential pricing. This interested people by making finding a new home to be a fun process rather than a completely stressful process.  Longo’s ability to keep people intrigued and informed allowed his business to become one of the top 10 brokerages in Boston.                                                                                                                                                                                 

Since then, he has expanded his company with agencies in Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore,  Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, San Francisco, and Washington DC, just to name a few.                                                                       

Fromgirltogirl decided to ask Condo Domain Washington DC a few questions on real estate in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. We interviewed Simon Landau; Landau is a George Washington University Alum ’09 (as well as an alum of Gilman ’05 high school and Baltimore native). At GWU he majored in journalism, with a focus in media and public affairs. Three months into this field he realized he did not necessarily find journalism that appealing. However, he remained with journalism but narrowed his scope more to multimedia, video and camera broadcasting. Landau first job after college was in the field of freelance video-graphing, film and editing. Some of his work in freelance dealt with filming the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Washington Mystics and creating short advertisements!                                                                                                                                                                                 

Landau, looking for full-time employment during this recession, came across Condo Domain. He was interested in joining the social media project here in Washington DC.  DC is Condo Domain’s second major market place. Landau is presently a social media coordinator at Condo Domain. Occasionally, Landau does social media for Baltimore Domain as well!                                                                                                                     

Landau states the basic real estate’s goal is to give an overview of quality of life, importance of location and what necessities (grocery stores, convenient stores, neighborhood schools, churches, gas stations, public transportation, etc.) are close to one’s desired location for new residency.  Condo Domain gives the basics and much more!                                                                                                                                

Its goal is to keep a tight knit staff that will cater to a diverse population. The company guarantees that if you register with them, you will be connected with a representative that will guide you every step of the way or help you where you prefer to be helped in the process of finding a place to live! In addition, customers are eligible to receive a 20% cash refund commission back after finding a place! On average customers can receive up to $10,000 for a refund!                                                                          

Landau informed Fromgirltogirl that DC real estate market is one of the top real estate markets in the world! He explains this is based on the Federal government jump starting the revival of the economy in DC, the government creating jobs in and around DC and DC being a top employment area. Also, new building developments are coming up rapidly, high demand to buy is increasing and the likelihood of a huge investment paying off is increasing in the real estate market.                                                     

Areas too hot to handle

When we asked Landau to name a few hot spots for real estate attractiveness in DC he told us the following:

1.       The U-street corridors, for its nice neighborhood and convenience to shops and restaurants.

2.         Columbia Heights, for its less expensive but good quality of living that is close to downtown DC.

3.       National Stadium and South West Water front. It is a great cultural area, has a lovely water front and it is near the capital!

What is ahead for Condo Domain?

1.       This quarter Condo Domain will be focusing on Condo Urban areas in New York and Chicago!

2.        Anna Zillow, City Vice President Broker will be hiring more agents in DC.

Why Fromgirltogirl recommends Condo Domain?

We love Condo Domain! It is fun, informative and useful! We visit the website every week just to check up on daily happenings around town such as how people in DC are dealing with the aftermath of the snowpocalypse! The street reporting that takes place leaves locales and real estate searchers able to know more about a community before going to an area. It shows you everything in the community, even looks are surprised when Condo Domain shows them something they never new existed around the corner! Condo Domain is definitely a must read and watch blog (the video blogs are too entertaining)! They promote all readers and video watchers to write their opinions about Condo Domain as well as ask questions!                                                                                                                                                                 

We recommend saying Hi to Landau and the other staffers when you see them around town! They are very cool, laid back, and useful! We think you can not beat that in business or play!                                                                                                                                                                              Check out the blog and website links below:

1.       Need more information on the 20% Cash back refund on commission:

http://dc.condodomain.com/save-your-commission/

2.        Dc domain website:

http://DC.condodomain.com/

3.       The fun and informative blog called DC Condo Loft:

http://www.DCCondoLoft.com/

Hope you enjoy these sites and services as much as we do!

-Fromgirltogirl

9 ways to survive a super storm!

(yes, we think the winter storm would look like her)!

It is 2010. The news states that we are in the midst of a super storm! What  to do? Fromgirltogirl has 9 things to keep you sane and not bored while snowed in your home!

1. Play wii!

We believe it is the best thing since slice bread! Great to play with a group, especially during a snow storm! We recommend DJ Hero and Rock band!

2. Cook and eat!

The snow storm is a great time to learn a new recipe and not just sit on a couch watching the food network! You can be the star in your own kitchen this time! Great to do with yourself, a significant other, or a group!

3. Listen to music!

Oldies are always great and some new music too! Check out Itunes or Pandora for this one! We recommend checking out Corinne Bailey Rae's new album  The Sea! She is amazing!

4. Check out the storm!

Let out the artist in you and play in the snow! Or, if you are into painting or photography capture the moment! We hear  this is a thunder and lightening storm! Amazing!


5. Catch up on some reading!

When you have peace and quite there is nothing better than chilling somewhere with a great book!

6. Take a hot shower or bubble bath!

This will relax you and you'll  feel great right before bed... because you're warm and not freezing.

7. Spoon with someone and if you live alone... spoon with a cat!


8. Check up on your elderly neighbors!

They always have good stories to tell and good food to share! You'll definitely be entertained!


9.  Get organized!

You can tidy up a room or write out errands to get done!



Have fun in the snow!

-Fromgirltogirl