Topic #1
The humidity here, nay, the east coast in general, is quite unbearable. There are some days where I walk outside and ask myself, "Who decided to build our nation's capitol on a swamp? Is that really the best indicator of success for the future of America?" It's the worst when it rains just before the sun comes out in the morning and all the water evaporates but doesn't go up into the sky; it just hangs in midair waiting for you to walk by and mix it up. I bet if you looked hard enough you could even see the actual water droplets.
There was one weekend when I had to go to the store and buy some new, cooler clothes because I swore to never wear pants again, only skirts. Thus, my new love for skirts for all occasions.
Today I found myself wishing for slightly more humidity because my hair was getting static, then I kicked myself because that is the last thing anyone should wish for.
Sometimes the heat is really nice. Our apartments can get really cold and they just fixed the air conditioning on our floor so it's as if they want to make up for how hot it was at the beginning so they set the temp on sub zero. So when I've been cold for any length of time at work, home, or in transit (bus/metro) then a short stint outside where I can feel the atmosphere pressing down upon me from all sides is nice.
There was one weekend when I had to go to the store and buy some new, cooler clothes because I swore to never wear pants again, only skirts. Thus, my new love for skirts for all occasions.
Today I found myself wishing for slightly more humidity because my hair was getting static, then I kicked myself because that is the last thing anyone should wish for.
Sometimes the heat is really nice. Our apartments can get really cold and they just fixed the air conditioning on our floor so it's as if they want to make up for how hot it was at the beginning so they set the temp on sub zero. So when I've been cold for any length of time at work, home, or in transit (bus/metro) then a short stint outside where I can feel the atmosphere pressing down upon me from all sides is nice.
There is, in fact, a downside to cobblestones.
I realize this is turning into a fashion blog and I apologize, but let's be honest, one of the main reasons I came out here was for the new wardrobe. Never wear heels when you are walking across the city on cobblestone sidewalk. This happens quite often because D.C. is so darn historic they haven't changed the sidewalks since forever so there is a lot of cobblestone and brick making up my pathway, and because we wear business attire and I like wearing heals. The deadliness of this combination dawns on me almost daily as my heals get stuck in crack after crack. I can feel the fake wood layer around the pointed heal getting scrunched up. Then I can sense the little rubber part on the bottom of the heal literally twist like nails on a chalk board. Then the bottom of the shoe wears out and I'm looking at a $15 trip to the cobbler for some repairs. Bright side: I can say I've been to a cobbler.
New York
So I got to randomly go to New York last Saturday. We were up for 23 hours straight and by the end of the day I could really feel it! Highlights: biking central park, pizza in Brooklyn, Canal Street, Brooklyn Bridge, Stardust Diner, Time Square, New York delies and bagles, long sub zero temperature bus rides, lots and lots of pictures. Here's the thing. A. It's hot outside in New York. B. We're taking pictures. C. Putting the two together does not make for very attractive pictures.
Coping
Sometimes life is stressful. Sometimes you get the sweet pleasure of watching someone else hilariously release their stress. Sometimes that release comes in the form of a rap and a little jig. Sometimes the lyrics consist of the two words "legislate" and "dance" in any number of combinations.
Legislate and dance!
Legislate and dance!
Legislate and dance!
Legislate and dance!
Legislate!
Legislate!
Legislate and dance!
Coping is fun. Then you do a little jig and it's an instant office hit. Done.
Tent Warfare
Yesterday I started a story with, "So, once I was wearing the most ridiculous outfit. . . " That doesn't happen very much, contrary to popular belief. BUT! I think the occasional outrageous flower flowy huge sleeve lace and pearl button top is appropriate. Even if it is a little like wearing a tent. It's so perfect with a navy blue high waste skirt that it doesn't even matter what anyone else thinks. And even if my shoes literally kill my feet I will still wear them because the 3 crucial piece outfit is like an inseparable couple of middle schoolers; they just have too much fun together to break up the trio.
Vague Metaphors
In the Metro and really any escalator in D.C. there is an unspoken rule about walking up the escalator and just standing. On each escalator the right side is for standing and the left side is for walking. I usually walk. I like to think my time is SO valuable and my calf muscles SO huge that I am a walker. And I usually forget about the rule and get shoved into that line anyway so I just end up walking. It's also the overachiever side. OK. So, if I say, "This morning was a right side of the escalator kind of morning," you'll be able to derive some meaning out if it. I think it means that the morning beat me down so much already (before 8:30 am) that to avoid further provoking I should just stand while ascending to the street level rather than racing to my fate. Just for this morning anyway.
Creative Enhancement
Tonight we played this game called R.A.U., Reckless Abandonment Uno. I realize this is an extreme title but quite accurately characterizes the game. Suffice it to say, I will not be able to fall asleep for some time because my heart rate is still falling. Though I was a in resting position I'm pretty sure I got rug burns and may have (probably) pulled a muscle from a victory dance. I don't know which victory dance though because there were too many and they were too epic.
Heaven is Spelled 15 Minutes by the Potomac.
Have you ever sat at the end of the dock at the Wharf at Mount Vernon on a bench facing the water that you are just sure Washington himself relaxed on while letting the wind blow the wisps of your hair every which way but you don't care because you're slipping into a slow relaxing state that may be sleep except the air is so cool and fresh that you stay awake just to make sure you suck in every bit of it you can? Hmm. You should.
Lost Story
So, for the first 3 weeks I was here I got lost EVERY day. To say the least, it was frustrating; for I have never been one to get lost before. I'm no human compass, a moral compass yes, but nothing that points to the magnetic north or anything, but I'm good enough. Every day I went into the metro, came out at some location, and had NO idea which way was the right way. I walk a block or two and if the numbers are going the wrong way then I turn around. NBD. But then! I went to the gym before my first day of work, walked with some people, left a little early and alone so I had to find my own way home. Get running so I can make it on time, run 3 blocks in what I'm confident is the right direction, talk to a security guard, run 3 blocks back in the real right direction, find Pennsylvania Ave., then finally make it home. Same day. Still the First day of work. Get out of the metro and look for the Capitol to get my bearings with no luck and while working my very hardest to not look like a newbie I set off confidently in what I think is the right direction. Walk 3 blocks in the wrong direction, totaling 6 blocks extra in new shoes when I find the office. By the time I get to work my heals are literally bleeding and those physical scars have just recently healed though the emotional scars are still a part of me. To leave this with a happy ending: Today a group of people asked me where Dupont was and I gave the precise and clear directions. Such a local.
More Than Life Itself
Today was a GREAT day.
A. It rained.
B. Saw some interesting people on the Metro ride to work. LOVE the metro.
C. I love going to my work.
D. Gave up my seat for an old lady on the bus (Good deed anyone?)
E. I got some mail thanks to my sha sha deev sister B. You're the best!
F. Got out of the city to participate in a mustache party in a retro Coke Diner.
G. Played an awesome game of Truth or Die.
H. Ran home from the metro in the rain and got totally soaked!
I. Discussed current events and won an arm wrestle. Yes, purposely listed as one event.
J. Topped off the night with half a free Key Lime Sprinkles cupcake from my wonderful roommate.
K. Will soon relinquish my will over to the Sand Man and fall deeply into a slumber experiencing a restfulness only spoken of in fairy tales.
A. It rained.
B. Saw some interesting people on the Metro ride to work. LOVE the metro.
C. I love going to my work.
D. Gave up my seat for an old lady on the bus (Good deed anyone?)
E. I got some mail thanks to my sha sha deev sister B. You're the best!
F. Got out of the city to participate in a mustache party in a retro Coke Diner.
G. Played an awesome game of Truth or Die.
H. Ran home from the metro in the rain and got totally soaked!
I. Discussed current events and won an arm wrestle. Yes, purposely listed as one event.
J. Topped off the night with half a free Key Lime Sprinkles cupcake from my wonderful roommate.
K. Will soon relinquish my will over to the Sand Man and fall deeply into a slumber experiencing a restfulness only spoken of in fairy tales.
Corners?
Every time I point out this statue in the capitol rotunda I say, "And in this corner. . . " There are no corners in a circle room! In this hemisphere? In that general direction? Somewhere in the room you may find a statue that resembles? Vague hand motion? There is no solution. I'll simply continue to say corner and test the intelligence of each group. Whoever reminds me there are no corners in a circular room gets extra time to take pictures.
Let's Be For Real
OK. In all seriousness. I am so thankful that we live in a country with the kind of system that we have where people feel like they can make a phone call and change the world. That is a rare gift so few people in this world enjoy now. So instead of that direct and efficient line of communication they resort to other means of getting their voice heard, usually having something to do with a tragic story on the evening news. So, as I count my blessings please count your own. The shear institutions of our government and the traditions that come along with it should be enough to make us shout for joy and proclaim the glory of it all every time we think about it. So I'll put my soapbox in the corner and get it back out during the next late night uncensored blogging splurge.
Stay in Control
I would like to share with you all some advice. When you are speaking to people on the phone who have an endless list of grievances, do not wait for them to finish a thought before interjecting one of your own. This time will never come. The grammatical abilities and logical thought processes are not sufficient, oft times, to allow for a clear end of sentence, thought, paragraph, or even phone call. In fact, for a person so passionate about what they are saying I feel like they would need some kind of closure at the end of a phone call, like they had completed something, or like something had been resolved. I guess that's why they call back? . . . Do not let them have control of the conversation if you want to be out of there in under 4 minutes. Keep talking the whole time so they remember you're there and they're not just talking to an endless tape recorder. I think of what Fred and George say about Mrs. Weasley, you have to cut her off early or she'll just keep going and will get more and more angry. Same idea. Stay in control. The closing statement is crucial as well because you actually can't take a breath until you hang up the phone. Once you take a breath they have another unshared thought that is bursting to get out to the world. Love. Bless.
Trumpet Man
Remember that one bum who plays the trumpet? The breathing, walking, talking, trumpet playing, begging quagmire? I heard him again today. Across the street from the last place I heard him. It was AMAZING. I must meat this man.
Mrs. Jam
Names have been changed to protect the innocence of all involved.
In the course of my work week I get a variety of phone calls, some from the same person, over, and over, and over, and over. Luckily, we talk about something new every time so it never gets boring. . . One of these persons is Mrs. Jam. Because she, and others, call frequently I made a decision to form a personal relationship with them in hopes of calming the raging storm of information coming through the headset every time I picked up the phone. I hoped that a friend on the other line rather than just a voice would temper their passion. BUT! This backfired. We Mrs. Jam was way too into it and the second time she called following my altered approach she told me she loved me! Right before we hung up she said, "I love you." O.K. Mrs. Jam. That's it. Comment line. Too weird.
In the course of my work week I get a variety of phone calls, some from the same person, over, and over, and over, and over. Luckily, we talk about something new every time so it never gets boring. . . One of these persons is Mrs. Jam. Because she, and others, call frequently I made a decision to form a personal relationship with them in hopes of calming the raging storm of information coming through the headset every time I picked up the phone. I hoped that a friend on the other line rather than just a voice would temper their passion. BUT! This backfired. We Mrs. Jam was way too into it and the second time she called following my altered approach she told me she loved me! Right before we hung up she said, "I love you." O.K. Mrs. Jam. That's it. Comment line. Too weird.
My Favorite Park
In my first week here I happened upon this wonderful gem in the middle of Georgetown and have oft frequented it since. It is a public park behind an old house. This park needs a good poem to go with it. It is so serene and perfect in the middle of a busy city. It's beautiful and relaxing and peaceful. I have a small suspicion that magical things can happen here. In fact, I have evidence to prove it.
Evidence one: there is a bench in this park that curves outward. It is the only one of its kind I have seen thus far in my life. As a HUGE fan of benches (thanks Heather), I appreciate this magical aspect.
I believe I have provided compelling evidence to support my claim. My work here is done. Pictures are provided to aid your imagination of magical things.
Evidence one: there is a bench in this park that curves outward. It is the only one of its kind I have seen thus far in my life. As a HUGE fan of benches (thanks Heather), I appreciate this magical aspect.
Evidence two: once I ate a free magical cupcake there.
Evidence three: the other night we had an ipod dance party during the night. If you know anything about ipod dance parties then you know this is a big deal, and as such, is magical.
Evidence four: I saw my first lightning bug here (magical).
Evidence five: if Harry Potter took place at Georgetown University (it could because Georgetown University is a castle), then he would spend time at this park. AKA, this park is magical.
I believe I have provided compelling evidence to support my claim. My work here is done. Pictures are provided to aid your imagination of magical things.
Airplanes in the Night Sky
Tonight we went to the outskirts of Reagan International Airport to this janky park to watch the airplanes land. So cool, right? Well it is. We took a blanket and laid it out right at the start of the runway and watched the planes fly right above us. There really is nothing like it! Fun: lay down and have them fly over you then roll over really fast to watch them the rest of the way. More Fun: listen after the plane has past for the swoosh of air sound that follows. Funnest: go out in the field and when the plane gets closer start running with it then watch as the ground lights up around you when it flies overhead. Super fun: take jumping pictures with an airplane landing in the background. Slightly less fun but super entertaining: give your camera to the nice man who offers to take the picture so everyone can be in it then take 80+ practice pictures before the next airplane comes then when it does come have him miss the picture completely but it doesn't matter anyway because you're so tired after 90+ practice shots that you can't jump anyway. Then realize that he didn't need all those practice shots, he just thought it was funny that you would keep jumping every time he said, "OK, one more." Then you stop jumping.
Sassy Hobo
This morning I was on my way to the gym with a soccer ball under one arm and my ipod in the other hand. I was in the traditional running getup with the shorts, knee brace, running shoes, sick shirt and hair up. Then! I walk by this hobo and kinda smile at him just to acknowledge his existence. As I walk by he says, "Well get running." Thank you hobo man, but I would look dumb if I tried to run with all these packages. But I appreciate your opinion. Have a nice day!
Danga! Danga! I'm on Fi-ya!
Some of you reading this may have had some vague notion in the past that there is a small part of me that likes to be around, or in the middle of, the action and attention. Though I am not familiar with the origins of this impression, I have been made aware of its existence by a few. Well, you'll like this story.
So imagine me in a small kitchen frying up some teriyaki chicken to top my long grain reheated white rice. I'm cookin' this chicken and am getting so INVOLVED in the whole culinary experience like you wouldn't believe! I'm intensely dreaming of the sweet sauce and nourishment my body will receive that I don't notice the smoke. As I pull the pan off the burner I'm awaken from this dream by a flashing light and siren, here meaning 'fire alarm.' So. Because here at the Barlow Center we all follow directions and strive for the safest environment, people start flooding into the already occupied small kitchen to see who done it. As people file pass and spread the news to other areas of the Center I call the fire department, tell them it's a false alarm, turn on the fan, and go through the necessary procedures to let the curious know that there really is nothing to see. What an addition to my repertoire of experiences here in D.C.
So imagine me in a small kitchen frying up some teriyaki chicken to top my long grain reheated white rice. I'm cookin' this chicken and am getting so INVOLVED in the whole culinary experience like you wouldn't believe! I'm intensely dreaming of the sweet sauce and nourishment my body will receive that I don't notice the smoke. As I pull the pan off the burner I'm awaken from this dream by a flashing light and siren, here meaning 'fire alarm.' So. Because here at the Barlow Center we all follow directions and strive for the safest environment, people start flooding into the already occupied small kitchen to see who done it. As people file pass and spread the news to other areas of the Center I call the fire department, tell them it's a false alarm, turn on the fan, and go through the necessary procedures to let the curious know that there really is nothing to see. What an addition to my repertoire of experiences here in D.C.
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