J.Lo and the Mad Hatters

Friends, I've been "saving" money like nobody's business. Last weekend we were in Washington DC for the HRC National Dinner and I wore my $168 dress for the fifth(!) time.  As New Blue was kind of older now, I "treated" myself to a green clutch which was "relatively" inexpensive, allowing me to purchase an industrial pair of Spanx to reign in the summer splurging - landsakes those suckers are pricey! Anyway, enough of the speechmarks madness....

Me and Kevin leaving the St Regis for the HRC Dinner. 

The new purse and  jills 

J.Lo was honored at the dinner (she is unbelievably beautiful and, seriously, who else could pull off this dress?) Sara Bareilles sang (King of Anything)  and Obama sent a video speech 

Me and Kevin at the Capitol

There was some angst on my part about getting ready for the Dinner (besides the constant tucking in of my new under-arm fat). The hairdresser doing the blow out said I had hair as rough as a horse and it was the best she could do. It was so hot (80 degrees) that my spray tan melted down my face when I emerged from the booth. I had to wash it off and start again.

Talking of madness, while in DC we were able to witness the Shutdown madness wreaked by the Tea Party.  With a name like that you would think they are a jolly ole' bunch of bods sipping tea and nibbling on baked goods. In fact they turn out to be a pack of wankers who don't want people who are poorer than them to have access to decent healthcare. Their time would be better spent cutting the crusts off their tiny sandwiches.

OK, political broadcast over. Five things to do in Washington DC during the Shutdown.

1. Four Hour Walking Tour:  Not sure why, but we spent a lot of time listing all the Jamie Leigh Curtis movies ever made. As our friend Mike said to the guide: "That's what you get when you walk around DC with a gay couple, a metrosexual and his wife."

Reflecting War Memorial

Martin Luther King monument

2. Spy Museum: Who cares about the James Bond exhibit but fascinating stuff about a British woman with a wooden leg who milked cows and leaked secrets at the same time.

3. Rooftop cocktail at the W - best views in town.

4. Phillips Collection: Rothko to Picasso in an elegant building near Embassy Row.

One of the many Picassos in the Phillips Collection, launched in 1921, the first modern art collection in the US

5. Newseum: I don't have the same fascination as many of the rest of the US with the grassy knoll and the Kennedys, but you'll be transfixed by home videos of the first family.

Jackie in a home video on their boat in Hyannisport

One of the Pulitzer prize winners for news photos

What did you get up to over the weekend?