Cherry Blossoms

Nothing says "resting after a half marathon" like more exercise. On Sunday, Andrew and I rented bikes and rode to the Tidal Basin.

The Cherry Blossoms are budding, winter is officially gone.

Tweed Ride

(photos courtesy of dbking, alexandrajones14 and LaVonDesigns3)

(photo courtesy of LaVonDesigns3)

(photos courtesy of LaVonDesigns3, dbking, and dbking)

Dandies and Quaintrelles held their annual Tweed Ride in DC.  They celebrate "refined style and purposeful living."  Tweed, riding boots and bikes? Win, win, win.

This is not making me want an elbow-patched sweater any less.

How This First Lady Moves Markets

(Image via Harvard Business Review)

Throughout 2009, David Yermack, a finance professor at NYU, studied stock prices of the retailers and designers worn by Michelle Obama.  He found that when the First Lady wore a particular designer, they experienced atypical gains in stock prices.  On average, he calculated that $14 million was generated by one public appearance.

More than once, I’ve noticed the First Lady wearing a JCrew item that then sells out in hours.   Yermack explains, “Descriptions and images of what she’s wearing spread across the social internet in near-real time, and consumers can buy these fashions almost instantly online.  For the first time in history, the cycle of influence is immediate and ubiquitous.”

Imagine all the pill box hats that would have flown off the shelves if Jackie O had been around in the Google Age.

Dearly Devoted to Dexter

Photo courtesy of Marios Tziortzis

I have used 1.8 GB out of my 2 GB iPhone plan. Which should be enough to send and receive 10,000 emails, plus view 4,000 Web pages, plus post 500 photos to social media sites and stream 200 minutes of video.

OR, it is enough to stream the first season of Dexter. Oops.

Thank goodness that the National Mall just got free WiFi. Guess I’ll be streaming from a park bench.

Screen on the Green

Photo by Muckraker, used with permission

Allison, Soy and I took advantage of the wonderful weather (83 and breezy!) and went to Screen on the Green, where they play classic movies on the National Mall.

I knew I recognized Juror #2’s voice, and it was driving me crazy because I couldn’t place him. Turns out, he is the voice of Piglet. “Oh dear!”