Needless to say, as a new resident to the area I am beyond excited to get invovled with this spring tradition.

Lilly Pulitzer Jacqueline Dress Novelty Lace in Prep Green

Naturally I had to get in on the fashion action myself and promptly headed to Lilly Pulitzer after purchasing my ticket for a new spring dress in honor of the occasion.

Not too shabby right?

The Breakdown: Power defense attorney Mick Haller operates his defense of criminals business from the back of his Lincoln towncar, hence the title. Never one to actually question the guilt of his client, Haller specializes in turning a cops “black and white” take on a crime scene and turning it into enough shades of grey to cast doubt in the minds of jurors. Always on the lookout for a big fish client, Haller soon meets Louis Roulet. As the case unfolds, Haller begins to question the guilt/innocence of his client for the first time.

Connelly’s storytelling is nothing short of enrapturing. As is traditional with crime novels, I found myself attempting to figure out the ending before reading it. Thankfully Connelly creates a patchwork of facts that continues to grow as the trial progresses and I consequently, I did not guess the ending no matter how hard I tried. But that’s half the fun of reading right? Both a novice and expert in the law will enjoy reading this journey through the judicial process from Roulet securing his lawyer, to discovering, the trial, and finally, the verdict.

Portraying a character known for his bravado and way with words, it’s no surprise to me that McConaughey was cast as Haller. (Flashback to A Time To Kill anyone?) Thankfully though I didn’t envision him while reading and instead relied on Connelly’s portrait of the protagonist, which was equally enticing.

Now off to the theater for me, and a trip to the book store (or Amazon.com for my fellow Kindle readers) for you!

Louisiana created a mini French Quarter with a facade of its signature homes as the event space backdrop.

Saturday night the 13 states of the South came together for the 29th annual Taste of the South fund-raiser at DAR Constitution Hall. Each state committee brought numerous restaurants from their home to the table (literally) with local specialties and fun giveaways. I may be a little biased, but the Louisiana committee really brought their A game. Take a look at what I mean, as well as some other fun shots from the other fabulous states of the South like Texas, Virginia, Tennessee, and more.

The Breakdown: Set in the future when North America as collapsed, the country is now comprised of one futuristic area known as the Capital and its 12 surrounding districts. The Capital residents are well-off and everyone else is not. To remind residents of the districts not to rebel against “the way it is” (according the enforcers at the Capital), and the potential consequences of a rebellion (read: the mysteriously no-longer District 13), each area must sacrifice one boy and one girl aged 12 to 16 to compete in the annual Hunger Games—a to-the-death competition set in a climate-controlled wooded arena created by the Gamemakers that’s aired nationally on TV. Sounds like fun right?

Though one may be originally repulsed by the entire implication of the book’s plot, Collins does a wonderful job of conveying both sides of the issue: those who are (seemingly naturally) appalled that the murdering of children is considered entertainment and those who are fascinated and enthralled by the ‘sport’ and ‘ceremony’ of it all. Narrator Katniss Everdeen and her co-tribute (as the players are known) Peeta, the baker’s son, are thrown into the arena with their wits and whatever supplies the Gamemakers choose to provide them with, as their only defenses. The novel progresses naturally (or not so naturally given the subject matter) as more players are killed off in various means of gut-retching descriptions that really bring the situation to life.

Given its two-curling vividness (both a positive for Collins’ talent chops and negative for the reader envisioning her descriptions), the novel is highly entertaining and exceptionally well written. And to say it leaves you hankering for the second book in the trilogy is an understatement.

Get it. Read it. You won’t regret it.

I recently came across this list of social media guidelines and think its a great way to remind all of us that just because now HAVE medium—or 10—to publicize all of our ideas and thoughts throughout the day, that does not mean that we SHOULD promote them. If you wouldn’t say it out loud, chances are promoting it on the Internet isn’t a wise idea either. (Side note: For those interested in my fun—and never overbearing or unnecessarily personal—musings, follow me on Twitter here!)

Here are OpenForum‘s 5 Often-Forgotten Social Media Etiquette Rules:

1. Offer something of value.
Before you put something out there publicly, ask yourself “Is this interesting? Is it useful?” If you can’t answer yes to at least one of those, reconsider. Whether it’s personal or business, you don’t want to spam and bore people. This doesn’t mean that you have to be brilliant all the time. It’s more about examining your motives. You should be moved to share because you think people will get something out of what you have to say, not because you’re trying to manipulate search results or be the next viral marketing sensation.

2. Observe someone’s habits before engaging with them.
You can’t assume that something you consider to be an essential business tool isn’t considered a distraction by someone else. Twitter might be important to you and your business, but not everyone feels that way. If you prefer to communicate on IM, but notice that a client is always asking you to email them instead, they might not be comfortable with the medium. Someone whose Facebook profile is full of family photos, Mafia Wars updates, and inside-joke wall posts from friends probably sees Facebook as a personal space and may be annoyed if you use it to conduct business.

3. Stop and think before you complain.
Twitter can be an amazing way to get a company’s attention or make them aware of a bad customer service experience… or just let off some steam. But beware of turning your feed into a series of complaints. If you are going to say something negative, hold off for at least half a day and make sure you’re not being impulsive or unfair. If in doubt, don’t say it.

4. Be thoughtful about how you react to criticism.
You may also be on the receiving end of criticism, often from people who don’t worry about being impulsive or unfair. Avoid reacting out of anger or defensiveness. If the complaint is something that you think could apply to others, it’s appropriate to respond publicly. If not, offer to discuss the problem in a direct communication. Now this is assuming the criticism has some merit or at the very least comes from a sincere desire to solve a problem. Feel free to ignore personal attacks or people trying to use you to bring attention to their company or pet cause.

5. Make your style clear and obvious.
Some of us are glued to the Internet, while others check in once a day at most. If you have a flood of information directed at you, it’s good to make it known how and when you will (or won’t) respond to it.

OpenForum recently created a list of the “Top 10 Etiquette Blunders” (which are sadly often made by younger generations of which I’m a member) that I believe is worth a read for ALL of us in the working world. No matter your office atmosphere, there are some important lessons to be learned—or reminded about.

TOP 10 ETIQUETTE BLUNDERS

1. No multitasking while talking.
If you are in a face-to-face conversation with someone at work, you should not text, email or answer unimportant calls.

2. Take off the headphones.
Unless you can do your work by yourself, ditch the headphones – especially in halls and other public places.

3. Avoid being too casual.
Yes, we are living in a far more casual work environment than a decade ago, but casual is not the same as sloppy. Your team needs to know what is and is not appropriate dress. What does ‘business casual’ mean at your workplace?

Additionally, casual dress can lead to a casual attitude. That can be good, but make sure your employees remember that they are at work, not home. The rules are different.

4. Don’t cause cubicle claustrophobia.
People need their space, especially when they work in an ill-defined cubicle situation. Grant them their privacy. Knock before entering their cubicle. Don’t eavesdrop on their calls. Avoid peeking into their area. Don’t snoop.

5. Answer the phones respectfully.
Your receptionist is vital to your brand. As they say, you don’t get a second chance to make a great first impression, and that often comes from your receptionist. Help them help you.

6. Remember, ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ are the magic words.
Do you remember that childhood song? We used to sing it to our kids. Today we need to sing it to our employees. When customers call, they should not be thanking you, you should be thanking them.

Consider having a best practices meeting where everyone is reminded of the importance of using the magic words – with each other, and especially the public.

7. Institute email rules.
Email is now the dominant form of business communication and should be treated as such. Some uniform policies help everyone stay on track.

8. Treat guests like guests.
Someone who walks into your shop should be treated like the guest they are. They are not a pain, bother or annoyance.

9. Respect punctuality.
Ten people should not have to wait to start a meeting just because one person hasn’t learned how to be on time. I once worked at a place where the meeting room door was locked one minute after the meeting began. Harsh? Sure. But people were rarely late to those meetings.

10. Don’t eat other’s food.
Their food is their food. And while you are at it, clean up after yourself, don’t leave spoiled food in the fridge, and repay people when you borrow a buck to buy a soda.

*(Stay tuned for Part II of our segment on Tuesday).

The Breakdown: The lives of three women—the postmistress of a small town in Massachusetts, the wife of the town doctor, and American journalist Frankie Bard—intersect as WWII has rippling effects through America during the 1940s. Split between a setting in London Bard reports on the affairs of Europe via radio, and the small Cape Cod town of Franklin, Massachusetts, the novel is narrated in different chapters by each character struggling with their own life circumstances alongside an international crisis.

I absolutely love reading this book. The characters are interesting and well planned, and the backdrop of the war brings to life a new perspective on what younger generations have been taught in our history books about that pivotal time. My solitary issue with the book arises in what Blake herself admits in an interview was her biggest challenge in writing:

“…with this novel, the challenge was trying to keep each of these women in line, since each one threatened at some point or another to run away with the story!”

Unfortunately I do believe that one of the characters did run away with the story. It did however happen to be the character whose life and perspective I found most interesting. To keep your interest piqued, her name won’t be revealed her—after all the book is worth reading—but as this headline states, it’s clearly not the postmistress.

Founded in 2009 by a group of professional living and working in the District, the invite-only organization works regularly to give back to the community through service projects in the Washington area while providing continuing education and enrichment for members at its monthly meetings.

To attain its goal of raising money for women’s health issues, specifically cervical cancer research at the Johns Hopkins Center for Cervical Dysplasia Tenfold (of which I have recently become a proud member) is hosting its annual—and largest—fundraiser of the year: Winter Wonderland – A Vacation From Your Hibernation.

Taking place on January 29 at Bayou in Georgetown, the event will have a live band, open bar, amazing raffle prizes (imagine you and three friends at Late Night with Jimmy Fallon) and a guaranteed good time all rolled into one.

For those of you in the area who would like to attend, you can purchase your tickets here. For anyone who unfortunately won’t be able to join us, I encourage you to donate to this very worthy cause here.

Look forward to seeing y’all there!

The final descendant of the de Medici family, Catherine called Florence home until her family came under fire from the country and she set off to marry the young Prince Henri of France, son of King Francois I, at the age of 14. In her new world, mistresses weren’t kept secret, religion differences sparked wars, and bearing sons was a woman’s sole duty. Ever as strong as her last name’s notoriety, Catherine rose to the challenges facing her (including the loss of heirs to the throne, murder accusations, and multiple wars) at whatever cost—a trait that both endeared her followers and spurred on her enemies. The result? She became of one of Europe’s most powerful (and hated depending on the country one asked) women in the 16th century.

Told from the former Queen’s perspective, the Confessions mixes sex, love, and duty equally with war, strife, and responsibility make it equally captivating to both male and female readers alike.

It’s going to be a good year…