I’m actually proud to say I’ve made it another whole week! Follow the jump for my second week of success — baby showers, days in bed, and more!

I figure, there is no better time to focus on the Love in my daily life than when I’m feeling kicked while I’m down. So here you go, it’s Friday, and I’m in Love.

→ Everything that Nicki Minaj touches. Girl is gold. Her voice, her spitfire, her style, her pure confidence. I need more of all of that in my life. Been listening to Pink Friday non-stop all week, hoping to up my own badass, awesome chick levels.

→ This emotional, heartbroken playlist.

→ Party Planning: I think maybe it’s my calling in life (I’ve always kind of thought that, but lately it’s been loud & clear). Between the Greater Boston Young Democrats’ Holiday Party (December 14th, in Dorchester, you should all be there, obvi), a massive science conference (May 2012!), an office holiday luncheon, and a brainstorming potluck hosted at my apartment this weekend, I’m knee deep in party planning these days, and really I’m okay with that.

→ The term #UFSI, which I found on Thought Catalog. I am #UFSI these days.

→ State Rep Alice Wolf, who cares about women and youth and the elderly and took the time this week to speak with the Young Dems of Mass Women’s Caucus. Chick is inspiring, brilliant, and generous.

→ State Rep Carolyn Dykema, who took the time this week to spend an evening with the Women’s Bar Association and the Mass Women’s Political Caucus, telling us her story of being a woman on the campaign trail and, now, a woman legislator. She was gracious, funny, and so down to earth, it was a privilege to hear her story in her words.

→ My interns and our new office. Yes, my “department” (events, communications, development, of which I am technically – and really, I suppose – in charge of) has it’s own office now. And my interns have been there for me this week, helping me keep work straight, listening to me when I need to vent, and being kind, understanding human beings as I try to sort through my stress and hardships. I really am blessed to have them on staff!

#occupywallstreet – Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley was picketing personally this week. Yep, carrying a sign and all. “I mean, listen, it’s cheesy,” he said, “but I want to do whatever I can. Let’s be honest: I’m on fucking Gossip Girl. It’s absurd that celebrity power is what it is, even on that scale, but, like, use any tool you have, you know?” – Source

• Obama’s jobs plan – I’m not the best Democrat in the world, especially when it comes to money & social programs spending, but I think the bill announced last night really is a good combination of both Parties’ ideals and goals and will actually do something to create progress in our industrial economy. Woohoo!
• The community here at theluckiest.net and on twitter at #theluckiest! In a week of big change and total exhaustion, a month full of grey days, missed opportunities, and cold rain, you have kept me going, inspired me, and made me smile. I’m an incredibly lucky girl!
• I’m loving all of the media and reflection on Sunday’s anniversary. Yes, I’ll be writing about it here, but there are those out there who bemoan “over-saturation” and claim the media are just sounding off or using the anniversary to gain ratings or make money. Poppycock. All of it. In my opinion what good came from 9/11 was our coming together as a country, as a people, and around the world. This public mourning process in the media is part of that, so let me have all the over-saturation those guys don’t want. I’ll read every article and take a moment for every photo.
• Everyone and everything on #mhsm on twitter. What an amazing group of people, companies, and non-profits focusing on mental health and Stopping the Stigma!
• And to leave this on a lighter note: The hypocritical world of the hipster barista. Needs no explanation.

When I was born, my father wanted to name me Mercerdes. Despite the awesome power of the name (and the car, naturally), I cannot picture myself being called Mercedes. What would my nickname be? Mere? Desi? I don’t seem like a Desi, I don’t think. Then again, I’ve never seen myself much as a Tina-Marie, either (my mother won the ‘naming the daughter’ debate and I was named for a dear friend of hers, hyphen and all, sans middle name).

I spent 13 years as a student and teacher at a dance academy. I’ve studied so many forms of dance, I’ve probably forgotten a few. My specialty (and what I taught to the little kids’ classes) was tap (Broadway, to be specific). I also studied ballet through advanced (pointe), choreography in ‘hip hop’, jazz, and modern styles, and musical theater. I was also a gymnast and Varsity cheerleader in high school.

I don’t like Shakespeare’s romances. I’m not going to fall for it if you’re quoting Romeo & Juliet, despite the title of this post. Quote Henry V‘s St. Crispen’s Day speech, then maybe we’ll talk.

I’m obsessed with history: American, personal, religious, fictional, it doesn’t matter. I can sit around arguing dates and facts with my father for literally hours. I will never tire of reading my own old diaries and journals and middle school class notes. My life has been one religious contradiction after another and I love studying how all of those forces came to be. And re-imagined history is absolutely one of my favorite genres of literature (Philip Roth’s Plot Against America is my favorite example).

If I could go back and do college again, I’d take a second major and get a second BA in environmental sciences rather than graduate early (possibly having to graduate late!). I’d keep my Poli Sci major and my American Literature minor. I have learned more about myself in the six years since I graduated than I ever knew before or during college. I have seen changes in myself – some for the better, some unfortunately for the worse – but this is one of the greatest. I never imagined life outside of policy and campaigning. Suitcase living, mobile offices, twenty hour car trips – these were what I wanted for my norm. As I’ve grown I’ve found there is more that I want, and a background in sciences, green technology, and immediate global climate issues would have been a great start.

First and foremost, I cannot wait to finish reading The Mortal Instruments series, including the just-released fourth installment. I’m nearly half way through the third (City of Glass) and despite its schmaltzy language, slightly twisted love triangle, and eye-roll inducing plot devises, I love it. Maybe I’ll look past just about anything if I like a story enough. Cassandra Clare comes from a writing background of Harry Potter fanfiction, so the lady certainly knows what fans want – pretty people, angst, intense, quick action, and the occassional swoon-worthy kiss. She even through in a clumsy, totally-doesn’t-think-she’s-pretty main character and a brooding, bad boy with a heart of gold love interest. It’s pure cheese. It’s morally questionable. It’s terribly written most of the time. But it’s fun, too, it’s captivating and full of bright colors and well-handled characters, and that’s what I look for in entertainment, so this is just my cup of tea (or maybe more my tall glass of strawberry daiquiri). Find more romance, history, and suspense below the jump!

Summer tends to be the time I give non-fantasy romance fiction a go. I’ve just never really liked non-supernatural love stories with very few exceptions (the work of Scott Spencer, Story of O, Shakespeare – though I like his histories the best of all his work), but during the summer I’m always up for new experiences and broadening my horizons. So I’d like to try a book that falls more into the classical romance genre but I’ve never been a fan “bodice rippers” no matter the season and I figured I’ve heard great things about Nichols’ One Day, so why not?

I’m also feeling woefully light-headed lately – having celebrated 5 years since graduation last year – and am really excited to hit up some autobiographies and non-fiction tomes. I’ve got a pretty extensive collection of Republican biographies and analysis, but I’d like to read outside of that box (no matter the ideology) now that I’ve moved on from conservative politics. I’d like to read David Plouffe’s The Audacity to Win; George Bush’s All The Best (because he’s a Republican but it’s a more personal non-fiction); David McCullough’s 1776; Trotsky’s My Life; both Clinton’s autobiographies – Bill’s My Life & Hillary’s Living History.

On a slightly less serious topic, I’m excited to read one of the few Rainer Maria Rilke bios I haven’t ready yet, Rilke: A Life by Wolfgang Leppmann.

Finally, as far as the list goes at least (because I love just picking up whatever book or story that strikes my fancy – one of the reasons my To Read list will never be whittled down to nothing, I’m sure), I’d love to try an author that I’ve always been interested in but just never had the chance to check out. Carl Hiaasen writes “environmental thrillers” according to Wikipedia, based in Florida. What better to read in the summer than hot, corrupt, well-layered, comedy with thrills, suspense, lush backgrounds, laws broken and anarchists?

So tell me, what are you reading this summer?

Those of you who have been reading The Luckiest/Atlimbo for a while may remember my rock and roll infatuation with a fauxhawk, pictured above.

Today, I went back to my roots, nearly literally.

I’m inspired to show you this, my favorite of hair cuts, by a meme seemingly making the rounds of person blogs. The meme is something along the lines of “What I Wish You Knew About Me” and I’ve seen examples here, here, and here among others. So, here we go, after the cut: what I wish you knew about me.I have food issues at times. (Specifically – issues convincing myself I need food). I’ve always been hesitant to admit this, not only for the embarrassment that such confidence issues can bring on an otherwise self-posessed and strong woman, but also for the fact that I don’t really feel they’ve ever been all that bad. I’m certainly not going to lay claim to full blown disorders or psychological issues concerning eating, but there’s always been a smaller issue hanging out in the back of mind (or stomach), either way. It’s never been intentional and never taken a toll too drastic to reverse without some introspection and diet detailing, but it’s something about me most people don’t know.

I have terrible taste in music. This really isn’t objective, it’s also not self-depricating. We all know terrible music when we hear it – Miley Cyrus, Rhianna, the Jonas Brothers, & Ke$ha come to mind. These are a few of my favorite (musical) things. I don’t care that they are corporate entities cultivated since birth (most of them), I don’t care that they can’t carry a tune with a bucket and have probably never written their own stuff – I absolutely cannot get enough and will boogey down absolutely no matter where/under what circumstances I hear them.

I consider myself more of a Southern than a New Englander. Despite my 17 years being raised in Maine, my family’s deep history in Dorchester/Boston, and my admiration for rocky beaches – I have always identified personally more with Southern style/tastes/philosophies than I have with the North. I miss the heat, the beaches, the twang, the food, the music (country music For The Win. Always.). I miss BBQ culture and seersucker, Carribbean influences, garden estates, Spanish. The laid back, friendly atmosphere than envelopes everything and, yes, the politics of it all. To my ear I slip into a Southern accent (despite never having had one) when I get really sleepy and warmth, but then again, that could just be in my dreams.

I was a serious Pro-Lifer until college. And even into college. My freshman year I marched in annual March for Life on The Mall, to protest Roe v. Wade, I volunteered exclusively with pro-life candidates, and considered myself a life-long member of the social/Christian Right. As I got further into my Political Science degree and my academics focused more narrowly on gender issues, my opinions changed and I’ve been a die-hard Pro-Choicer since Sophomore year.

I am a lapsed Catholic/Baptist/Congregationalist/World Assemblies of God Fellowship Member. Notice I dont’ say lapsed Christian. I believe completely in the Christian God but have always had a hard time sticking to any one organized religion. I’ve spent the most time with Catholicism, being raised as such; read the Bible for the first time in High School with a Baptist church; and was Baptised my freshman year of college by the Assemblies of God group Chi Alpha in our university swimming pool.

I am a strong believer in Humanism, the god Bacchus, and Bokononism, despite their contradictions with Christianity.

No matter how many times I argue about the compliment, I love the color of my eyes. Look at that freaking picture up there! That is how blue my eyes actually are. It’s creepy in what I love to think is an awesome way. I grew up calling it “blueberry blue” and one of the easiest ways to get a smile out of me is to compliment them, even if I hate when that sort of thing is used as a pick up line. The color of my eyes is also one of my absolute most favorite inside jokes with my Boyfriend, so even more reason to celebrate them!

I am Bipolar and prone to panic attackes with Obsessive Compulsive tendencies. I’ve known this for years, I’ve been through lots of different sorts of treatment, and I’ve written about it before.

In November, I wrote a list out of things I was grateful for, from the small to the profound, and I find that it’s a wonderful way to boost your confidence in the everyday. This list included the phrase: “Knowing that Boston still stands & I can always go home.”

I have a bad habit of mentally longing for easier places to live – places where I already know the social & economic landscape (Maine); or where I have the comfort and familiarity of family and friends (South Carolina or Southern Virginia); places that miss me as much I miss them (DC); places that afford me a no-strings-attached approach to life (Rome or Paris or some other exotic, impossible locale). I have trouble, mentally, internally, giving Boston enough credit. And so here we go, after the jump, a list of things I’m grateful to Boston for, to get me through this short-week version of a hump day:

A lack of humidity. Caring and hilarious co-workers. The opportunity to be involved in a community & government that actually cares about green/environmental issues. Insightful friends. The Young Dems, who have welcomed me with open arms & minds despite my two decades of volunteering/working with the Dark Side (& the awesome members of the Greater Boston Young Dems who voted me in to be their Secretary!). The chance to reconnect with friends & family from Maine (whom I haven’t visited in over three years now). The relief that writing honestly can bring. People who appreciate you & your work & say as much. Boston.com’s Love Letters (advice columns are a guilty pleasure of mine, this is one of the more entertaining I’ve ever discovered). Fort Point. Finally being able to claim Dorchester By Choice (DBC) – proudly. Sharing a home with the love of my life, a relationship that I doubt I will ever be able to justify with language. Being close to the water again (I grew up near coastal Maine, the smell of the ocean is a must have for my mental clarity & strength. Boston brings me close enough every day). Tall buildings (they simply do not exist anywhere else I’ve lived & there is something so beautiful about them). The Commons. Dorchester Day. Sidebar. Irish pubs that you can actually hear Irish accents in. A bustling, delicious Little Italy in the North End (DC doesn’t have a Little Italy! The tragedy!). Friends who will pick you up on a Sunday afternoon just to take your lazy butt grocery shopping because you don’t have a car. Sunday night dinner parties & BBQs galore. The State Democratic Convention, where I had a complete blast. Scholar’s. The amount of history I walk by every single day just getting to work. The campus at U Mass Boston, which is a nice languid walk from my apartment; Harbor Point is one of my favorite places in the city.

Honestly? No. I do not want to think about what Mitt Romney looks like in swim trunks, no matter how much I appreciate the man’s fiscal policy. And face it, Sarah Palin may have rocked the bathing suit pagaent circut at one point, but I doubt we’re going to see her strutting down the run way any time soon being that she’s super-conservative these days.

And so, of this curiosity, this list was born: the next generation of poltically involved, somewhat dyanstic cuties. What do you think? Anyone I’ve missed? (list is in no particular order and Party/affiliation didn’t particularly matter!)

** You’ve been warned, fyi, of the complete ridiculousness to follow. Vapid fan-girling, harmless crushing, and behavior worthy only of giggling and possibly shaking your head are sure to be included. Feel free to join me, if you like, or you can explain this away with an air of seriousness I simply don’t possess today. Either way, warning of total silliness officially declared. **

First up, the Romney brood - all boys, all classically good looking (all married young?) and super motivated/involved. Oh yeah, and all Mormon. But we don’t discriminate here at The Luckiest, so maybe it’s just hot they believe in anything at all!

Megan McCain – I have friends on both sides of the aisle with full blown crushes on her. She’s sharp as all get out, gorgeous, brazen, and stands up for herself and her beliefs no matter who tries to knock her down. What more is there to ask for? Oh yeah, how about being an incredibly successful blogger and author in her own right?

Rep. Anthony Weiner, and yes, I thought he was awesome (his hashtags are The Best On Twitter, I’m convinced) before there were possible pictures of his under-roos on the internet. The Representative from NY is charismatic in a dorky sort of way, incredibly passionate and witty about his chosen issues, and seems to have a lot of fun with life – this sort of humor and outlook would turn most interested heads without even mentioning his striking New York good looks and youth.

Obviously, this wouldn’t be a list about young/good looking DC without including the youngest member of the US House, Aaron Schock. I’m still always surprised when people point out he’s a Republican, but I guess the Party I’ve called my own all these years has to have done something right in the looks department to have survived this long, right? Because we don’t want to admit it, but attraction and star quality have a lot to do with voter turnout and the ability to win. And the man has like 14 abs. It’s clearly at least 2 six packs.

Kirsten Gillibrand from NY was a surprising progressive to come out of a generally centrist-conservative US House District when she took over Hillary Clinton’s spot in the Senate, but she hasn’t let that stop her. I love how she carries herself – her simple, timeless style with pinstriped suits, a variety of colors, and impeccable blond hair is only complimented ten fold by her self-assurance and brilliant smile. One for the win column here, folks. The woman’s been photographed by Vogue. That really just tells me all I need to know.

Speaking of NY (dude, if this list has anything to say about it – NY is doing something right, is it in the political drinking water there to just be hot?!), I miss Harold Ford Jr. He is just so freaking good looking. I mean it. Look him up. I don’t care your type (he’s not really mine) or your Party – he’s just got something. I’d love to see him jump back into politics in some capacity because he always seemed to genuinely love it and it just isn’t nearly as fun watching C-SPAN when everyone looks like Newt!

Just like including Rep. Schock, as a somewhat-former-Young-Republican, I can’t make a list of political cuties without including George P. Bush. I remember thinking he was the most elibible bacherlor in the entire world (sorry Harry & Will) when I was in high school and college. He’s got his father’s politics & his mother’s looks, one of the most dynastic family bloodlines in US history (I’d say the Bush’s are second to only the Kennedy’s?), and has stayed out of a lot of the family drama (something I find highly attractive!). I remember me and my girlfriends feeling betrayed and awestruck on his wedding day (you’d think he was a Jonas Brother and we were all 13, but alas, we were not, why am I admitting this?).

So, what do you think? Senator’s daughters, President’s nephews, and a hell of an impressive body of legislature – how are we doing with the attraction-factor in US politics? I promise – every single one of these politicos has a lot more to offer than their charm and looks, but when you get both substance and aesthetics, what’s wrong with that?