Last month was full of friends and explorations for me and when I sat down to really think about it, I realized that I had gone out almost every single night in June. Which is just crazy. In fact, there were only four evenings during June that I spent at home. That’s a meager 13% percent of my evenings.

Which makes me thankful. Really, really thankful. I’m thankful that I live in a vibrant, young city where there is an endless supply of activites with which to entertain myself. I’m thankful that I have a massive group of friends who are also looking to make the most of their time outside of work. And I’m thankful for all the truly inspiring people I’ve met through the DC Tech Scene (I can’t believe I just wrote that publically, but, yes, that’s what it’s called and it’s pretty happening, if I might add) who have become my friends.

Below, I’ve gone back and tried to reconstruct how I spent the month of June. From moviewatching and birthdays to sightseeing and sporting events, I’ve gotta say, I managed to do it all. Here’s hoping that my months continue to be as (mis)adventure filled as this past one has been…

(Please note: I have tried to be sensitive to other people’s privacy. If your name is mentioned below and you would prefer it not to be, simply let me know and I will remove it immediately.)

Monday, June 1 - Attended a lecture by Keith Ferrazzi on the subject of his recently published book: Who’s Got Your Back. Read my reflections here. Afterwards, had dinner at Bistro Bis with great company: @_VNL, @bucchere, @dcconcierge, and @jjgardner3.

Tuesday, June 2 - Asked my readers: Where do twentysomethings live in DC? Read what they answered and share your thoughts. Hung out at Rumors with @abudman and Mark K. One day I will eat and/or go out to Rumors.

Wednesday, June 3 - I believe I spent the evening at home. The first of four such nights in June.

June 4

Thursday, June 4 - Celebrated @mindyzeidman‘s birthday at Asian Spice with Laura, Jackie, @anj39, and @abudman.

Friday, June 5 - Enjoyed a traditional Shabbat Dinner with @mindyzeidman, Daniel, Laura, Zac, Jackie, Scott, Mark, Ben W, @anj39, @dkatzman54, and @abudman.

Saturday, June 6 - Went out to The Park (with five cab-fulls of friends!) for a continuation of @mindyzeidman‘s birthday celebration.

Sunday, June 7 - Brunch at Cafe Saint-Ex with @dcconcierge, followed by shopping in the U Street area and a tour of @dcconcierge‘s apartment . We were briefly joined at brunch by @technosailor.

Monday, June 8 - I believe I spent the evening at home. The second of four such nights in June.

Tuesday, June 9 - Watched the Red Sox / Yankees game at Porter’s with @akmcquade, @sheffi, @lostonroute66, @abudman, Ben W. and @mindyzeidman.

Wednesday, June 10 - Watched the Red Sox / Yankees game at Rhino Bar with @justinherman, @chrisderose, and @asomyak.

Thursday, June 11 - Attended the pre-conference happy hour for Blog Potomac at Carpool.

Friday, June 12 - Attended BlogPotomac. Read what I liveblogged from the conference. Afterwards, I flew to Boston for my sister’s Bat Mitzvah.

See pictures from both the Blog Potomac happy hour and the conference itself.

Saturday, June 13 - Celebrated my sister’s Bat Mitzvah with my family.

Sunday, June 14 - Flew back to DC from Boston and had a late dinner at Clyde’s with @justinherman.

Monday, June 15 - Attended happy hour at Big Hunt to send off Aaron. Read my review of Big Hunt.

Tuesday, June 16 - Attended Sixth & I Trivia at Capitol Skyline Hotel. Spike Mendelsohn was a guest announcer!

Wednesday, June 17 - Attended the NextGenWeb website relaunch at Darlington House. See pictures from the NextGenWeb relaunch.

June 17

Thursday, June 18 - I believe I spent the evening at home. The third of four such nights in June.

Friday, June 19 - Enjoyed a “girls’ dinner” with @mindyzeidman and @abudman at Sakana. Read my review of Sakana.

Saturday, June 20 - Went out to Public Bar.

Sunday, June 21- Visited the FDR Memorial with Lauren.

Monday, June 22 - Attended happy hour at RFD to send Daniel off on a “find yourself” vacation to Israel. Read my review of RFD. Afterwards, relocated to Sushi Aoi for dinner with Daniel, Sam, Bryan, Eric,@mindyzeidman, @anj39, @dkatzman54, @agrossbe, and @skeevis.

Tuesday, June 23 - Attended the Red Sox / Nationals Game with @mindyzeidman.

Wednesday, June 24 - Attended the Red Sox / Nationals Game with @justinherman.

Thursday, June 25 - Attended the Red Sox / Nationals Game with @dkatzman54.

Friday, June 26 - Enjoyed a somewhat non-traditional Shabbat Dinner (take out style!) with @mindyzeidman, Laura, Jackie, Scott, Ben W, @anj39, @dkatzman54, and @abudman.

Saturday, June 27 - Tried my hand at whitewater tubing down the Potomac River in West Virginia with 21 of my closest friends. Long story short, went over the rapids without a tube or a life vest. Collected several bruises as souvenirs.

Sunday, June 28 - Visited the Newseum with @anj39 and later watched Away We Go with @mindyzeidman.

Monday, June 29 - Watched The Hangover with @mindyzeidman, @the_n0mster, and Ben A.

Tuesday, June 30 - I believe I spent the evening at home. The fourth of four such nights in June.

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On Monday evening, I went to hear Keith Ferrazzi, author of Never Eat Alone, speak about his new book Who’s Got Your Back. A lot of the things he spoke about really resonated with me.

His message was that we, as a culture, have become isolated from each other yet it’s relationships that drive both professional and personal success.

(A sobering statistic: 50% of individuals believe that someone has their back. Of that 70% are married. That means that only 35% of unmarried individuals believe that they have someone looking out for them.)

During the talk, Keith had us do several exercises with the person sitting next to us.

In the first exercise, he had us identify an ultimate goal of ours – something that we longed for and fear we might never achieve. Those who know me well know that I ended up sharing one of my biggest fears with the Indian gentleman sitting next to me who I had just introduced myself to moments earlier.

In the second, Keith wanted us to think of something that was holding us back, a behavior that was detrimental to our success but we kept doing anyway (an addiction if you will). My “addiction” came to mind just as easily as my “ultimate goal”: My perfectionsim has fueled an aversion to answering e-mails.

I am horrible, horrible, at answering e-mails even though I have the best of intentions. The problem is that when I get a personal e-mail, I want to respond in kind. I want to really sit and write from the heart and be able to edit and re-edit until I get the flow and content just right. 

But in the end, the e-mail remains unwritten.

I know, I know, that my contacts would rather receive something than nothing. And yet, I always find myself in the same situation.

So, as of this Monday, which happened to be June 1st, (a nice round date), I vow to hold myself to a higher standard – or maybe to a lower one, as the case may be – and to really make a concious effort to respond to the personal correspondence I receive.

I haven’t yet read Who’s Got Your Back (although when I do it’ll be a copy signed by Mr. Ferrazzi himself), but from what I can tell, the next step in Keith Ferrazzi’s plan for happiness is to seek out two to four people who can act as a peer support system or a board of advisors. These are people who must exhibit: vulnerability, candor, generosity and be able to hold you accountable to your goals. 

So, if I actually go through with this whole thing and you get a call from me asking to be on my “team” I hope you won’t let me forget this promise I’ve made to myself.

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Last week,  it was a question about social media and dating (namely, “When is it appropriate to Facebook someone you are dating?“) that led someone to this blog. This week, the question is about being a twentysomething in DC.

Since the collective of the group is always much wiser than my thoughts alone, I pose this person’s question to you in the form of the poll below. Feel free to elaborate on your answer (perhaps explaining why you’ve chosen the answers you have) and to suggest areas I did not include.

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A few weeks ago -- on day two hundred thirty-seven of my living in DC, to be precise -- I attended IgniteDC. The concept kind of blows my mind everytime I sit and think about it.

IgniteDC -- all similar events around the country -- feature 16 speakers who each have 5 minutes and 20 PowerPoint slides to present. This is where people to whom I’m describing the event get confused and ask: “What are the presentations about? Are they company / sales / product pitches?” And this is the part that gets everyone -- There aren’t any guidelines or limitations to the subject matter.  

What I think is so incredible about IgniteDC is that:

1. There were no incentives for people to present, other than to have their voice heard. There were no incentives for people to attend, other than to hear what others had to share. And the whole thing was a success. It was a simple exchange of creative information and ideas and very cool thing to be a part of. (The event also took place in a not-yet-finished office building and the crowd was tech-y/artist-y which added to the vibe.)

2. The presentations themselves were extremely diverse. It was interesting to see what people wanted to share.

3. As a “business school graduate”, I am a master at PowerPoint slides. Almost every business class I took required at least two presentations to be given (one individual, one group). The PowerPoint slides I saw at IgniteDC certainly reflected the creativeness of the speakers and were used in ways I would have never imagined.

Where you at IgniteDC? If so, did you have any favorite presentations? What did you think of the event? If not, what do you think of the concept for this type of event? Would you attend a similar event in the future?

On a final note, I’d like to share my favorite three presentations with you (although all sixteen presenters did a great job):

Matt Billings (@easement) -- Radiohead, Babies, and SMS Magic

The great use of PowerPoint slides I talked about? It was MASTERED during the presentation. I loved how the slides helped complement the story being told while being powerful and engaging.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyB0ToWRyI4

Erin Rooney Doland (@Erdoland) - The Desk Whisperer

I really liked how this presentation provided information that I could make use of. Seriously. I know that sounds silly, but the points made during the presentation are things that I can do -- little things, non-grandiose things (grandiose things are overwhelming for a perfectionist like me) -- to, simply put, improve my professional life.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=blQqcZnukK0

Sam Nitz (@DCBadger) -- Everyone Needs to Come Out at Least Once

This presentation was hilarious. And provided great advice. 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ShwVuax2Js

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Last night I went to a professional event where I was asked if I wanted to do the “DC handshake”. No, non-DC-ites, this is not as cool as it seems.  The DC handshake is simply an exchange of business cards. But I think the whole thing is very representative of this city.

DC is really the District of Contacts. It’s all about who you know and, in turn, who they know. I know ‘networking’ as a whole has become a craze lately, but here, networking has always been a necessity and a way of life.

I have business cards in the office, at home, in my everyday purse, in my travel bag… I find them in odd corners of my apartment, in between my work papers. And it’s like this because you never know who you’ll meet.

Another observation:

A few weeks ago I was at an event where an attendee mentioned her frustration that the first thing she is asked when meeting someone new is: “So, what do you do?”. She finds it to be pompus and superficial.

I countered that I really enjoy it. In my six months here in the District, one of the things that I have come to love most about this city is that (almost) everyone here is here doing something they are truly passionate about. DC is a place of innovation, progress, and advocacy.  I love meeting people who are here to make a difference in the world.

Many my age are stumbling their way through life (nothing wrong with that!) but I’ve found that my contemporaries who live in the District have, for the most part, come here with a purpose.  It’s refreshing — and gives me hope for my generation’s future — to be somewhere where discussing ideology and politics and theories and similar topics in casual conversations is the norm.

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If you’re a museum, the hip thing to do is choose one day a month and stay open late for an “extended happy hour” where patrons can mingle, peruse the art collection, hear lectures, listen to live music and, of course, sip on a beverage or two.

(I have been told that the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden with its “Hirshhorn After Hours” series was the first to try this and as other museums have seen the popularity of the program, they’ve implemented their own versions… Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, no?) 

The Phillips Collection, just a few blocks away from my apartment, was the first museum of modern art to be established in the United States.  The museum’s “Phillips after 5″ program, which takes place the first Thursday of every month, has been on my list of things to experience in DC, so when I received a last-minute invite yesterday, I jumped at the opportunity to attend.

First, let me say that I’m always amused when I go to a museum of my own volition. As a child, my parents would take me to museums, classical concerts, ballets, etc. Who would have thought that as an adult, I’d have my own appreciation for the arts?

Second, the featured exhibit was Morandi: Master of Modern Still Life. While I enjoyed the museum overall, Morandi’s art, constiting mostly of paintings of bottles, bowls, and jars, really just didn’t speak to me. Which hopefully is okay to say/type outloud.

Third, I thought I’d share three pieces that did speak to me:

Georges Braque - The Shower

 

Bill Jensen - Deluge

 

Ben Shahn - Still Music

 

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When I decided to move down to DC I promised myself (as well as the roommates, friends, coworkers, and family I left behind in Boston) that I would 1. date and 2. take advantage of all the great things that DC has to offer from the ordinary to the obscure in the spirit of “do one thing daily that scares you”. Well, ladies and gentlemen, let me assure you that I have been fulfilling both those promises. But nothing goes as smoothly for me as it does for others. (Don’t I start every blog post this way?)

Anyway, for those of you keeping up, I wrote on Friday how impressed I have been with the manners of District residents. So  I thought it serendipitous when I came across the following tidbit on the DCist while doing my routine scanning of local events and news on Saturday morning:

>> From 3 to 5 p.m., check out the new Founding Farmers restaurant while enjoying a sure-to-be both funny and polite talk with Mind Your Manners!: George Washington’s Rules of Civility author James Henry. The book uses 110 maxims and illustrations to showcase our first president’s “rules of civility,” and the event will include light hors d’œuvres, a colonial drink special and discounted books.

The city seems to be abuzz with the newly opened Founding Farmers, so I figured at best I’d get to hear an interesting discussion and at worst I’d be able to try out the food.

Picture me, arriving at Founding Farmers (with an unsuspecting friend in tow) and awkwardly approaching the event – just a few people hanging out around a table. I was greeted by author James Henry himself, to whom I explained that I am a local DC blogger who covers being twentysomething and living in the District, and that I had heard about his event and was there to offer my support, learn about him and hear about the book. I thought that was pretty smooth until the event coordinators exclaimed how excited they to hear that I was from the DCist… So I clarified that I was an independent blogger who had read about the event on the DCist blog.

What happened next was an impromptu interview of sorts. (Once again, picture me, with no pad or pen, trying to act like I’ve come prepared with questions.) My findings: In his book, James Henry takes George Washington’s 110 Rules of Civilty and updates them for the current day. He believes that being rude and crass is en vogue and hopes that his book can help usher in an era of manners (or at least to remind us what we’ve lost).

There wasn’t much to be said after that (where was the “funny and polite talk” we were promised??) so my friend and I did in fact try the cuisine. The fried green tomatoes were delicious! And after a bit more standing around we graciously said our goodbyes (we were at a manners event, after all), wished James Henry best of luck and made our escape.

I hope you’ve felt as awkward reading this post as I felt during the event. For a much more eloquent write-up of the event, head over to Greg’s List – DC review.

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Apparently, Charleston, South Carolina is known as the best-mannered city in the United States. But, if it were up to me, I would nominate Washington, DC for the title. 

I don’t know whether there are just a lot of transplated southerners and aspiring politicians who have made their way to the District, but as a whole, I am repeatedly suprised by the the consideration I’ve received from strangers here – especially of the male gender.

The men here hold doors open, wait for you to walk in front of them… Someone even gave up his bus seat for me the other day! 

At first I thought I had just stumbled into a few situations of gentlemanly behavior, but it seems this epidemic of politeness and refinement has spread throughout the city.

A girl sure can get used to this kind of treatment.

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Sara Bareilles in Concert

Last night I attended the Sara Bareilles concert at The Birchmere, which was quite appropriate for Valentine’s Week. She is one of my favorite singers because of her powerful voice, abilty to play both piano and guitar, the fact that she writes all her own songs and, above all, because her lyrics speak to me.

The opening act was Tony Lucca, who I had never heard of prior to last night, but whose music I really enjoyed. His music seems very similar to Sara’s (yes, we are on a first name basis) and he was such a good performer that he won over the crowd and recruited some new fans.

Sara was amazing, like I knew she would be. She added personality to the show, talking about her experience at the Grammy’s (where she swears Bono intended to throw his sunglasses to her even though the women sitting behind her caught them), joking about herself and her band, and explaing the stories behind the lyrics. She played her “well-known hits” (Love Song, Bottle It Up, Gravity) and some lesser-known favorites of yours truly (Vegas, Fairytale) as well as some completely new music.

Here’s about a minute of her live performance for those that may be unfamiliar with her music:

What I kept thinking throughout the concert (I blame the Blue Moon for these deep thoughts) was how full circle my music taste has come. Russian music is famous – well at least to me – for its use of piano / guitar and folk feel. These artists who I’ve discovered in recent years seem to all have those two aspects in common in their music.

When I was young, a favorite musical talent in my household of two (my mother and me) was Sergey and Tatyana Nikitin. I’ve included one of their most famous songs below, and even though most of you won’t understand the words and even though it does sound a little cheesy, I do think there are definitive similarities with the music I listened to in my youth and the music that I connect with currently.

The song is “Alexandra” from the movie Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears which was one of my favorite movies when I was little. (It’s actually a very acclaimed film and won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1980.) The story is of a single woman and her daughter who find great success in life even without a father figure in the family. (As a five year with divorced parents, this was quite a comfort to me.)

The lyrics begin:
Everything wasn’t built right away, Moscow wasn’t built right away
Moscow didn’t believe words, but believed love…
… Alexandra, this town is yours and mine…

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Last Thursday, I attended “Breakfast with Jeff Pulver (and friends)”. Jeff  is best known as the co-founder of VoIP provider Vonage. He classifies himself as a Technology Anthropologist and now spends part of his time organizing breakfasts in different cities as a way to bring together people who may have connected online but have never met face-to-face.

To begin, Jeff spoke a little about what he’s currently observing in the world of online communications. To him, it is painfully evident that the way in which we interact with others has changed. People are communicating because of online availability rather than by the arbitray presence of a telephone.

Jeff made a point I found particularly interesting:

There is now an entire generation growing up digitally who – because it’s so easy to communicate online – won’t have the opportunity to develop people skills the way individuals did before the Internet and will, consequently,  find it challenging to communicate in person.

(Does this mean that the same way there was a shortage of Internet-savvy individuals during the tech boom, there will be, at some point, a shortage of proficiently personable people?)

Next, Jeff had each of us go around the room and introduce who were were and a tagline to describe ourselves (my tagline was, of course, was “stumbling my way through life in our nation’s capital”). Then, we were let loose to network our hearts away. We were each given a blank name tag and small sticky squares. The small squares were so we could “tag” others based on the information they gave us during the conversation we were to have.

The whole thing (the name tag with our name and tagline and the name tag left open for others’ comments) is referred to by Jeff as a “Personal Social Networking Toolkit”. He came up with the idea as a way to help each of us define who were are, start a conversation with others, and get feedback on how we’re being understood.

For example:

- My tagline was a shortened version of the tagline I use here on this blog – “A twentysomething Social Media professional stumbling her way through life in our nation’s capital”. This is how I define myself.

- I mentioned in my introduction to the room that I use this tagline because I recently relocated to DC and am doing my best to catalog my time here. This later helped start a conversation with others as they asked me where I moved from, how long I had been in DC, etc.

- Some of the tags I received on my badge: “Gets news 1st @ Twitter”, “friendly”, “intellectual”, “i am content” (a double entendre – being happy and providing information), “social medium” (ie a provider of social media). These are the thing that people take away from meeting me. (Not a bad list in my opinion – that is EXACTLY what I would hope to project at a professional social media networking event.)

I really consider the event a huge success – I was indeed able to meet those I had already connected with online, get to know other DC Social Media influentials, and have an opportunity to think about the role of social media in personal relationships (post to come on that particular subject).

Pictures from the event can be found here.

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