The silver lining...

on the cloud where I always lose my phone is that when I leave the charger at my brother's house, I have 2 or 3 extras at home!

An Open Letter

I hate that you never pass me as I walk home anymore.
I hate that we never run into each other outside the building anymore.
I hate that when I yell your name outside the window, no one yells back.
I admit it, I miss you.
I miss our late night giggle-fests.
I miss seeing your green car in the questionable parking spot.
Maybe we could at least have a date night.

Defy expectation

Every once in a while, I pine for that American dream of a house and a marriage and a dog and 2.67 kids. Today's one of those days. It just hit me suddenly. I was scrolling through a couple blogs of my friends and I was hit with some pangs of jealousy of my friends that are getting married and another who posted adorable pictures of their kids peering out the window. I guess I'm allowed to think about it every once in a while.
And, now I'll just shove the lump back down my throat and go on in my life of strength where I am independent and get to do my own thing and live my life differently... the life where I have frequent culinary experiments, I can work as late as I want and move at the drop of a hat. I'm not trying to fulfill the expectations of my parents or even the expectations of my youth. I'm just living my life full and experimentally. Perhaps that's what's so nice about the grow up - get married- have kids - stay in one place ideal. There's a template to follow -- there's some security in that. I have no template. Just a challenge.

Weekend home

Weekends at home always present me with mixed emotions. Nostalgia, longing for natural beauty wonder about what it would be like to live around family, annoyance with the bizarro accent (and annoyance with the fact that even though I grew up there, I cannot duplicate it), frustration with the general pace of life. But, then once I slow down enough to be inside the life instead of watching them live as I whiz by, the nostalgia grows and I have fantasies about moving back and opening music studios and a great cafe and going home at night to pick fresh vegetables out of my garden and grilling them on the huge patio on the back of my house that I could actually afford. And, then I think I'm crazy that I would just go nuts and I dismiss it all. The fantasy becomes more and more detailed every time I go home, though. This time, it involved me becoming a regular at a couple good restaurants within 30-minutes' drive and finding a church that would work for me.
But, I digress...
I actually just wanted to check in and post that I was glad I was able to spend a few days with my parents. They are having a bit of a rough time and although they didn't let me see their emotion, I know this is hard for them and they feel a lot of responsibility to care for Chris and Andy (the neighbors). In other news, my father built this really cool fire pit and we sat out there around a fire on Friday night and roasted marshmallows and he told me about his trips to Montana. It was soo good. Anything that gets my father telling stories is cool. Just one question, why no firepit when I was at home? That would have been awesome. Anyways, I was glad I got home.
It also gave me a chance to get inside my head... I have a tendency to get very "thinky" when I'm at home. I was able to get through another layer of processing. I still don't know how this will all shake out, but I'm getting somewhere with the processing, I think.

Things that aren't supposed to happen

There are some things in life that I just feel like aren't supposed to happen. The kind of things that make me say, God, where are you in this? If you are the good and loving God I believe you are, then why do things like this happen? And, I always come back to the same place... knowing that things like this draw us to Him... that we are more likely to look for something greater than us when things aren't all perfect. That these are the times, more than any other, that we need something to believe in.
On Monday, the 9-year old son of my parents' next-door-neighbors shot himself in the head and subsequently died yesterday afternoon. He was apparently home alone and it's been attributed to an accident. What else can I say? It's terrible and my heart goes out to his parents.
My parents are close to his parents and spent a fair amount of time with the boy since they moved there a few years ago. In fact, my dad was quoted in the local paper... reading that brought me to tears over this for the first time. My dad was really sweet talking about Zach. Here's the article if you want to read about it.

a proud moment

I don't often write about work stuff here, but this morning, our brand-new website launched. I am so excited because it is SO much better than the former site and it feels good to look like a grown-up arts organization rather than a limping chorus. Anyways, I worked pretty hard on cleaning up some of the copy this week... I'm sure there are still a few details to be fixed or improved, but today it's up. I'm proud of it.
Check it out

Good day, #299384

A wonderfully cool day in August: +2
Oversleeping the pool: -2
Still having no voice: -3.5
Getting a temp to answer the phone since I'm a mute: +1
Having the temp complete 3 projects I don't have time to do: +3
Getting a ton of work done b/c no one is in the office (nor apparently in the city): +2
Yummy chicken salad for lunch: +1
Current score: +3.5

Now, to Macy's to return clothing and home to clean, clean, clean!

The muted version

I lost my voice this weekend. I was hoping I would wake up this morning and it would be better, but it is pretty nonexistent today. I feel okay, but my voice is just not there. I had to cancel my morning meetings for tomorrow. It would be a nice surprise if it reappeared.
Froggily yours,
Hy

Pop some popcorn, baby

I've just found my new favorite international issue. I plan to be a spectator of what I'm coining the "Arctic War". Russia planted a flag in a titanium capsule on the bottom of the ocean and Canada is now going up there to "reassert their sovereignty". There's a part of me that hopes they get into a bit of a flag-planting war.
And, just when I thought that conquering and land-claiming were dead to the Northern hemisphere!

Great times.

This is my favorite time of year. (Is the sarcasm dripping from your screen yet?) The time of year when it gets down to 90 at night. The time of the year when it feels like a steamy oven all over the place. Ew. Ew, ew, ew.

In better news, I made dinner for my small group and it was totally tasty and fun (if hot).

In strange news, a guy hit an SUV with his fist when we were crossing the street today and shouted "What? Are we in your way?" when they had to stop with the end of their vehicle in the crosswalk at rush hour. He really nailed it, too. It actually scared me. The girl driving wound down the window and said, "classy". Weird

GJF, Vol. 14

Well, just a few final thoughts. (Well, at least until the recall days.) The last five weeks have been so different than the rest of my life. In a way, it was kind of nice to learn about something all new to me. I really didn't know that much about the criminal prosecution process and it's nice to be more educated about something. I probably could have lived my whole life without hearing about all of those domestic violence cases and without some of the vocabulary expansion. Regardless, it has been an interesting process.
I am more than happy to going back to working just one job, though!

Celebrate the Mattress! (GJF, Vol. 13)

We hear case after case and they tend to run together. Often, we'll refer to a case by the one memorable nugget, an identifying feature: the one with with the brick or the one with the Bobbi Brown lipgloss, something like that. Today, though, we got the best nugget yet.
A witness came in to tell us about an altercation he had. He was a rather confused older man who seemed to have a childlike mentality, for whatever reason. Anyways, he mentioned early on that he had a mattress delivered the day of the altercation. The attorney later asked him if he had any alcohol that day. He responded, "Yeah, I had 3 beers.... I had to celebrate the mattress!" We all chuckled... how awesome is that! Celebrating the mattress. You go! You celebrate that mattress! Carpe Diem, man!
Later, though, I couldn't help but think that perhaps we could all use a little more mattress celebration. We take so much for granted and have such a sense of necessity (and truthfully, entitlement) that we rarely take time to really soak in the little stuff. But, this guy... he was celebrating his mattress. I don't know why it was important to celebrate it. Maybe he was sleeping on the floor. Maybe he saved up for it. I don't know, but I do know that he found it celebration-worthy... and beer-worthy.
Tonight, on your way home, notice the little things. And, celebrate them! Maybe it's just a little smile or a silent "Thanks, God" or a diet coke toast to that great pair of earrings you found on sale for 75% off. It doesn't really matter what your "mattress" is, celebrate your mattress!

Overheard in Georgetown

"I didn't realize that it wasn't a state. I thought New England was a state up there by New Hampshire." Wow... wow, wow.

Also, there was an adorable, swedish-looking family on the bus tonight with two little kids. They both had "Mom cell 202.202.2022" written on their arm. Hysterical. And, smart!

GJF, Vol. 12

Have I mentioned that our foreperson resembles Bill Cosby?

GJF, Vol. 11

It's late. I'm tired. So, this will be short. The lady formerly known as Circus Lady will now be known as Ms. "Have a conversation with the witness rather than just ask a question". Seriously. The jurors are getting restless. If we had more than 1.5 weeks left, there might be a brawl.

In other news, cute blonde girl tried on her wedding dress yesterday. It made her sister cry. Aww.

Candace and I bonded over kohlrabi.

Vote for Jonathan

My esteemed friend, Jonathan, has been nominated for hottest media type on a DC media blog. The voting is going on now and goes until Monday! So, get your virtual self over there and vote for Jonathan.
And, pass it on!

Update: At last count, "J-Shray" was in the lead!

Today's score

Not finding lost phone: minus 2
Feeling crappy from remnants of cold: minus 1
Trick hip acting up: minus 1
Sweet email from boy: plus 3
A very clean kitchen: plus 2

That's a score of plus 1 -- not too bad, I guess.

PS - the grand jury natives are getting restless... personalities are starting to clash... more on that later

A little cold to go with that, please

I have a crappy, crappy cold. I stayed home yesterday, but today, I went in to the office for the afternoon and then to church. I'm worn out now.
Church was good, though. Here's what my mind is trying to wrap around at the moment: "Wishing everyone else would worship you is a product of pride." Ouch. I've actually said that out loud about men. Well, more precisely, "I secretly want all men (esp. my exes) to adore me." If it's not about me, which it's not, then I have to get rid of this. I don't know that it's wrong to want people to like you, but I may be crossing the line here.... big time.
Ouch.

GJF, Vol. 10

Well, it's starting to really catch up with me. I am officially behind at work and to top it off I came down with a cold. Jury duty has been really busy so I haven't gotten much done during the day. And, because I'm feeling a little under the weather, I haven't been going into the office in the evening...a recipe for getting behind, for sure. I can only do what I can do, though.

Today, I made good on my promise to buy TJ a Tendercrisp. She was happy as a clam. It's the little things.

Today's vocabulary word: voyeurism

GJF, Vol. 9

Today was that fateful day. I had hoped it wouldn't arrive, but it did. I lost the Tendercrisp bet. Last week, there was a false alarm, but today I officially lost. Let me explain.
TJ (who sits next to me) eats a Tendercrisp sandwich from Burger King nearly every day. There is another individual on our jury who asks a question of nearly every witness we hear. Sometimes this person's questions are relevant, sometimes not. One day last week, TJ noticed that it really started to annoy me. So, the birth of the bet. I bet her a Tendercrisp sandwich that we couldn't get through one witness' testimony without that individual asking a question.
Last Friday, we heard a witness and she left the room without our friend Mr. Inappropriate Question asking anything. TJ jumped up and declared that she had won a Tendercrisp. But, then the witness was called back and Mr. I.Q. asked something. Decision overturned!
Today, though, we got through a witness without him asking anything. So, I officially owe TJ a Tendercrisp sandwich. So much for that bet. I'll have to come up with a new game to keep me occupied.

GJF, Vol. 8

Tired. So very very tired. I don't wanna anymore. My brain is totally spent. So just one indulgence:
TJ (young, extroverted, sensationalist girl): Yeah, I weigh 130! Weigh me.
Aiesha (pretty 30-something mother and professional): 130? No way! I weigh that.
TJ: Yup. 130.
Candace (40-something reserved woman and all around cool chick): And, it's all in your lip.

Go Candace!

GJF, Vol. 7

Today was one of those days where our down time between cases wasn't really sufficient to get a lot of work done. Translation: I got lots of anecdotes from my fellow jurors. I won't bore you with everything (nor will I be able to remember it right now), but here are a few bits of today.
- After 9 days of jury duty, I nominate Maria as most interesting person. She may not prove to be the most interesting person, but she certainly has entertaining stories.
- The circus lady told yet another animal story that was actually a metaphor. Let's call them fables...Maria's fables. Maria's fables always teach something about human nature and behavior through the behavior and instinct of animals. I actually don't remember the story she told, but I do remember saying, "Everything comes back to the circus. Maria, you should write a book about your life and call it 'Everything I needed to know, I learned in the circus.'"
- She also told us about some custom t-shirts she had made once. She is black and told us about how she used to tease her hair way out. She had a t-shirt made that said, "Happy to be Nappy". But, my personal favorite was (in small writing) itty bitty titty club. But, apparently, her chest got larger when she hit about 30 or so. To compensate, she had "Reformed Member" added to the back of the shirt!
- The timing award goes to Candace for making me laugh the hardest all day. Unfortunately, I don't remember at all what she said -- something about a lawyer, I think, but I definitely don't remember.
- The blond showed me her wedding dress online. She was so cute and so excited to show me. She wanted to show me her sister's bridesmaid's dress, too, but she couldn't find it quickly. I think I'm back in her good graces, which is good cuz we sit just down the row from each other. Honestly, I'm jealous of her b/c she gets to talk to Candace all day. I want to talk to Candace. I want Candace to be my friend because she just seems so cool. (I am so 12.)
- I also found out that another girl on our jury met her husband when he had her paged in her dorm at college. Really? That stuff works? Well, she said that it actually didn't work and she blew him off, but they ended up working together at the library. Yeah, that's where the romance is... in the books.
- Finally, my law phrase of the day: "intent to frighten"

GJF, Vol. 6, No. 2

Today was rough. Not only were we in "court" (I put that in quotes because we don't actually meet at the courthouse, but I guess that technically we are in court.) until just after 5pm again, but the cases were heavy -- the kind of thing that weighs on your spirit a little. On a brighter note, I got to have lunch with Nathaniel! That was nice. I don't get a lot of 1-on-1 time with "Thanny" so that was a nice treat. yay. K - I need sleep.
bye bye

GJF, Vol. 6

I forgot to add an anecdote last week. This is from the same woman that rode the elephant:
When she was 11 years old (11!), her mom used to dress her up and put make-up on her (always red lipstick) and then drive to the club. The mom would go in and have a good time -- drink, dance, whatever -- and then come out to the car and wake up the sleeping 11-year old girl to drive her home. She made the 11-year old drive the mom home! Apparently, she thought that the red lipstick would make her look older, in case the police stopped her. I have a feeling this woman could write a book about her life! The funny thing is that when she tells these stories, they aren't sensational. They're just factual... this is what I did. This was my life.

Also, we had our landmark "baby mama" case today. And there were multiple baby mamas in it so I feel like that made up for the lack of baby mamas last week.

GJF, Vol. 5

Today's Theme:

Sometimes people do stupid shit.

GJF, Vol. 4

Well, one week down. Four to go. Some final observations before I sink into weekend mode (which in this case means work, cleaning, studying, work and hopefully a little sleep).

I've learned about things I never really wanted to learn about. Just a few weeks ago, I had a conversation with one of my friends about how I wouldn't even know where to buy illegal drugs if I wanted them. Now, I know way too many places to buy all sorts of substances. And, give me a few more days and I may even know what to call them without sounding like the naive girl I am.

I also had an interesting thought. All of our cases are US vs. John Doe. I think (though I'm not certain) that this is because we're in DC and we're not a state. I think that in a different place, the same case would be called The State of X vs. John Doe. I think... maybe. I also learned that in states, they can get other documents that stand in as grand jury indictments. I don't know exactly how that works, but I sense that there is some impact made from the fact that DC isn't a state. We'll see if I gain any further insight into that.

GJF, Vol.3

My knowledge is expanding:
Exhibit 1: gaitherizing - the official voting process with indictment in writing in front of the grand jury -- named after the case that made it necessary (I think)

Exhibit 2: assault can be defined as offensive touch.... interesting

Exhibit 3: I know have very clear understandings of prosecutor, defendent, misdemeanor, felony and sundry other legal words

Exhibit 4: Apparently no one but police officers can carry guns in the district? I'm still figuring this one out. I'm having constitutional un-clarity about this one.

Exhibit 5: Body parts and repetitive syllables and animal names are popular street names.

Exhibit 6: I HATE Rapid Indictment Processing (RIP). It's what they do to get an indictment on a pretty open and shut case. They go very fast and are, well, quite frankly, kind of boring (although alarmingly educational).

GJF, Vol. 2

Though I've only been showing up for jury duty for two days, I've already gained a great appreciation for my work environment. I've been in the arts community long enough that I forgot that other industries don't put nearly as much emphasis on aesthetic pleasure. This is the comparison to be made when arts professionals say they have a really great work environment. For jury duty, we report each day to a large building with security where we scan in and out of our appropriate areas. Once behind the locked door, it's a journey through a world of beige. Everywhere, beige... and not pretty, fresh beige (if there is such a thing), but a dingy, kind of beat-up world of beige. The facilities are pretty beat up and more than outdated. Chipped tables, broken witness box doors and holes in the partition under our desk/table. No decor anywhere. Not even any dc propaganda... nothing. So sad. I want to bring in a big plant or something just to make it feel a little more livable. Anyways, so things like that have reminded me of all the great things about my job:

• Although there are no windows, it's a pretty decent looking office. (And, now I realize how important it is to get it "fixed up" again... it's looking a little ragged.)
• I don't have to go to work until 10.
• I can eat, drink and go on break whenever I want to. No waiting for "permission" to step away.
  
• Very little beauracracy.
• I get to work on something that attempts to better people's lives in a creative way.
• I get to be creative and I have a lot of freedom to use that creativity to better the organization.
  
• I haven't been bored in 15 months.
• I don't have to go to work until 10. (Have I mentioned that?)
• I get 4 weeks off plus holidays (like today!!).
• The people I work with are all intelligent, decent, caring humans. That's nice, too.

One more: a woman on the jury was in the circus once. She rode on the neck of a lion and laid on the ground while bears walked over her (or was it lions... lions maybe). The funny thing is that she ended up doing it b/c she worked with this guy whose sister was recovering from a concussion due to a lion stepping on her head. The girl was going to lose her position in the circus unless she could find someone to take her place until she recovered. So, her brother brought the costume to work and paid my fellow juror $20 just to try on the sequined, glittery thing. It fit her like a glove and she flew from CA to Baltimore that weekend to, well, run away with the circus.

Apartment with a bonus

I just watched the fireworks from my bedroom. Sweet. I guess there are a few things I'll miss about DC.

GJF, Vol. 1

Welcome to the first edition of the Grand Jury Files. For the next five weeks, expect to hear about lessons learned, observations made and my usual rant of the absurd as observed from this Grand Jury Member. Of course, the content of the grand juries themselves are secret so I won't be sharing any of that (get off my back, big brother), but this extrovert needs a release valve of sorts so I will write about a bit of my experience from the back row of the jury room (Thanks to Nathaniel for advising me to claim a spot there where the outlets live.) I didn't write yesterday b/c I ended up going to a play and got home very late and now I feel like I have a backlog of blogworthy stuff. I will try to save some for tomorrow (it's our day off), but excuse me if this is a bit lengthy.
Yesterday was an amazing day of people-watching. Grand jury is a very interesting thing in that it throws 23 people together in a room that would most likely never meet otherwise. Young, middle-aged, old, white, black, straight, gay, professional, blue-collar, DC natives and recent transplants. We are a motley crew of sorts. And, if that doesn't create enough to observe, we are all strangers adapting to this new situation in our own way. Some came in mouth-first, some haven't said a word in two days. Some cordially introduce themselves to those around them, treating it almost as an extended networking event. Some immediately draw themselves to others that look like them. One even decided that we should all introduce ourselves. (I'm kind of hoping that she doesn't decide we should do an icebreaker later. I'm also trying to prevent myself from being that person.) It was fascinating to watch the dynamics as we chose leaders, learned about the process and got settled in.
It is also an interesting angle from which to view my own persona. When we were selecting the four people that would have leadership roles on the jury, I had to practically sit on my hand to keep from volunteering. I hate not being active in any process, but I know that I need to be working every minute we're not hearing cases... or situations as our Sargaent of Arms so tenderly calls them. "Be sure to be back by 11:00. That's when we'll be hearing the next situation." I want to be friendly with my fellow jurors, but I will admit to being a bit stand-off-ish when the cute blonde with a sizable solitaire on her ring finger attempted to strike up a conversation with me about shopping. I like shopping. I do. I just don't find it necessary to buy clothing for jury duty. It's ok preppy, stylish girl... I promise to be nicer next time. Just give me a second chance.
Well, I think that's enough for volume one. More insights and lessons learned tomorrow.

PS

I just put up some new pics on flickr

What's happening to me?

Do you ever remember waking up as a twelve-year old and thinking, "What in the heck is happening to me? I'm changing in ways that I'm not entirely comfortable with." Ok, me neither... but those are the stories you always hear. Well, I feel like I'm having one of those experiences. After two years of living practically under the shadow of the Capitol and doing everything I can to remain as far away from it as possible, I find myself strangely interested in surprising topics. From the day I set foot in the District as a resident, I had a passion invoked in me for DC voting rights, but I haven't done much to become active on the issue. Sure, I read the occasional article-let in Express or educate a particularly talkative tourist on the metro, but that's about it. I have some confessions, though. I don't know what the technical definition of environmentalist is, but I think I might be one. I admit it. All those plastic bags from Safeway make my skin crawl and I feel guilty when I have to throw away a bottle. I pride myself in not having to own a car, emitting less carbon than the average American and not owning a lot of stuff. I even feel a moderate level of discontent with Corporate America. I'm not quite as anti-consumerist as the freegans, but it bothers me when I end up buying stuff I don't need.
I also feel strange pangs of what I would have to describe as, well, I think they must be opinions!! I've recently gained an interest in immigration. I try my best to avoid the constant stream of politically riddled "news" flowing through this city, but then I have moments that make me not recognize myself. On Friday, I found myself smuggling an article about immigration and English as official/common/national language onto the metro like it was porn I was trying to sneak by my mother. I scan the paper in the office before I leave to see if there's anything I want to read.... and not just in Arts/Style.
Oh-- Hyla--- dear apolitical Hyla... where are you? You're not turning to the dark side, are you? Can you be impassioned (or at least informed) on issues without being "political"? hmmm... I don't know.... Just call home every once in a while. I may miss you.

Up, down, splish and splash

This week has been a grand series of highs and lows. On Monday, I hated my job. On Tuesday, I really liked it. Today -- not so much again. It really comes down to how much troubleshooting and administrative work I have to do. I'm very good at generating plans, even strategies and pushing them forward. I just don't like troubleshooting problems. I think it comes from my uber-optimism. I want everything to be positive and troubleshooting is not my idea of positive.
On another note, I went back to the pool today for the first time in at least a month and it was delightful. Absolutely delightful. It wasn't crowded and the lanes were the long ways. yay! Back to healthy living for me!

large machinery

Holy freaking crap. This week is rolling over me like a bulldozer. Well, that would insinuate slowly and painfully. Maybe more like a jackhammer... quick, jabbing motions that you barely recover from before more attack you. Maybe.
Seriously, between work being nutso, planning this event, being an active participant in my small groups and my friends having birthdays, it's just about all I can handle. I should swim tomorrow... that would make me feel better, I think.

Bizarre realization

I'm looking forward to going back to work tomorrow.
What?
Really?
Hmm.... I guess I don't hate my job. It is very challenging and I appreciate that.
Weird.

Sneak Attack

Yesterday, I went tubing with some friends on the Shenandoah. It seemed so lazy...just float down the river in a tube, chat it up with your friends and enjoy the scenery. Oh contraire! Today, I have a giant shiner-looking thing on my leg, and surprisingly sore stomach muscles.
Battered by the sneak attack of the Shenandoah.

Overheard on the metro

Teenaged tourist to older chaperone-type tourist: "Yeah, he got in big trouble for trying to pee over the stall into the urinal"
Other teenaged tourist: "Wow... I would be impressed if he could do it"

Gotta love summer in DC

Epiphany at the copier

So, today I was standing over the copier, just innocently waiting for something to finish, when I had an epiphany. Often, I have a resistant reaction when coworkers come to me with a large concept that needs to be rethought or restructured. For a long time, I couldn't figure out why this would be. It's not because I disagree that they need to be addressed. So, what could it be? Well, it hit me today in the midst of document duplication: I'm not qualified for my job. Ok, that sounds a little more dramatic than it needs to be, but in a way, that's the truth. I have a LOT of responsibility in my position and I've never been in a position to sit and learn and soak up exactly how it should be done. I like having a lot of responsibility and have handled it fairly well up to this point, I think, but the truth is that what I'm doing is more experimentation based on my own experience and limited research than anything else.
What does all of this mean? Well, it means that I want the job I just interviewed for more than previously. I really need to be in a place where I'm not the decision-maker on everything marketing (and box office and administrative) and where I can be in a team environment learning from other more experienced people. So, if you believe in prayer, please pray that I get called back for the second round. If you don't, then you should consider believing in prayer. But, in the meantime, cross your fingers for me.

Good news!!

Whoa! Really good news! It turns out the some hyla treefrogs live in DC! So, if you see a frog around here... you never know... it could be a hyla versicolor or hyla chrysoscelis. Or, a new one -- hyla cinerea. Hmmm.... I guess if I named a girl after me, the middle name cinerea would be out. Too bad... that was rising right up to the top, too.
Anyways, tip of the day: Be nice to frogs.

In disporportionate measure

I don't use this word very often because I like to stay away from "Christian-ese", but right now, it is the best word. I feel disporportionately blessed this week. I have done nothing to deserve any of the good-to-great things raining down around me lately. This weekend I met someone when I absolutely was not looking for anything of the sort. Yesterday, I was called for a job interview for something I applied for 6 weeks ago. In fact, I had just decided that I was really okay with putting my head down and working really hard for my organization for another year. I had decided to stop looking for a job for a while. On a lighter note, I went to a great baseball game in great seats and paid absolutely nothing! Which was awesome! Then, tonight, we started our small group for the summer semester and it went really well even though I wasn't nearly as prepared as I wanted to be. All of these blessings that are undeserved and in some cases, not sought after. It's a little crazy and I'm feeling both thankful and a bit confused.
Cool.

So logical...

It all sounds so very logical when he says it. Of course, that's what you do. I'm not used to dealing with boys that use actual common sense in relationships. This is all new.

Sometimes

Boys are neat

Displacement

One Thanksgiving, I found myself explaining to my young niece the scientific concept of displacement using a bowl of floating cranberries and candles as an example. If you take something out, the other things will do their best to fill that space. It can maintain the appearance of "fullness" for a long time even without replacing the removed items with anything new. This is happening in my life this week. I started a fasting challenge on Sunday where I remove something from my routine temporarily with the intention of making room for something else. I am fasting the use of swear words, which is more attitudinal than time-making, and also "extra" social things. I am usually very, very good at filling up every moment of my week with things. So, this week, I'm not adding anything in beyond my volunteer commitments and work so that I have time to prepare for the small group Gary and I are leading beginning next week. Well, so far, I've filled my time up with work (I stayed at the office until 9 tonight) and doing stuff at home. Displacement at its finest. Today is Day 4. Hopefully, I have a very different report by Day 7.

I should really get a list or something

Tonight I went to this reception for CN8, the regional comcast tv station. The setting was gorgeous -- up on the rooftop, just across the street from the Capitol. I didn't decide that I was actually going to go until yesterday. So, as a result I didn't do my homework. I went to do a little networking, which I did. But, I fear I looked a little foolish in the process. I didn't recognize the head of Arena Stage nor a personality from the tv station we were there "celebrating", both of whom I had decent conversations with. I read in a book once that you should always ask for a list of attendees at conferences and events so that you can go prepared to meet and converse with certain people. Otherwise, you may not even know that I great contact for you is standing in the same room. Anyways, that was kind of embarrassing. Oh well. I will email everyone I talked to in the morning and hope they forget that I had schmo-like attributes at the reception.

Standby

Update: I am now on standby for another flight into DCA. If that doesn't work, I think I'll be rerouted into BWI at midnight. I'll keep you updated. (cuz I know you're all waiting with bated breath)

Vacation chronicle

Ok, so I intended to write most days of my vacation, but that effort got thwarted somehow. So, now I will give the abridged version. After I left Arizona, I spent two days in San Diego, enjoyed a little sunshine and reconnected with a high school classmate on a rooftop. The weather there is really awesome this time of year. And, I was surprised at the urban downtown area. Very walkable and livable.
Then, Tara and I drove up the coast, mostly on Pacific Coast Highway. It was sooo gorgeous. I am so glad we decided to drive! Our first stop was a quick lunch on the beach in Malibu. We sat and ate some hummus and pretzels and watched dolphins jump along the waves. Yes, dolphins!! I had never seen dolphins before. I love firsts!!! Just when I feel like there's nothing new for me, I have an unforgettable first. We also some other sea animal that we haven't yet identified.
The drive through the national park was also breathtakingly gorgeous....very windy (with a long i) and awesome.
Then we drove up to the Wine Country and spent one day in Napa, one in Sonoma. We did several winery tours and tastings. It was really fun.... and, we had one of the best winery tours I've ever done... Ravenswood... awesome. We got to ask how they keep the birds from eating the grapes. It was just killing us!
Anyways, then, we headed back to San Francisco Saturday evening and had some yummy sushi down by the embarcadero. I LOVE THAT CITY. It just feels like home. For no good reason, really.... I didn't live there that long and I know other cities better. But, then again, Philly kind of felt like home, too. Regardless, it was good to be back.
And, now I am stuck at Midway. Wondrous. I got bumped off my flight and over an hour later I still haven't been rerouted.
Lovely.

Vacation Check-in #1

Hello from pleasantly warm and sunny Phoenix! Ok, fine... technically, Maricopa, AZ. I stopped here for a few days to see my brother and sister-in-law and my incredibly adorable nephew. (See exhibit A)
Tomorrow, I'm headed to San Diego. Yay! Yay for sunshine and oceans!
More soon....

Anyone else?

If you got engaged in the last week and haven't told me yet, you should do so now. Today I found out that two of my friends got engaged. Ok, scratch that two separate couples I know got engaged in the last few days. So, congrats to Jonathan, Stacy, Kristine and whatever his name is (sorry- never met him) and if anyone else is hiding out, you should come forward now.
Seriously, though, congrats! Apparently, 29 is another one of those years where everyone you know gets married. Why didn't anyone warn me? I need a big sister to tell me these things.

Opposite Effects

Tonight, I had one of those evenings that makes you think things so deeply that you can't even bring everything back up to the verbal level. Some of my thoughts aren't in words. I tend to be very conceptual and tonight those concepts aren't all in English (or any other language, for that matter). I've recently made some pretty major decisions about what I want out of life and what direction my life will take in the next few years and for some reason, the peripheral implications of those decisions just became apparent to me tonight. Well, apparent makes it seem like I understand them, which I don't. So, I guess not apparent, but at least, existent. The point is that I thought I was eliminating some problems by the decisions I made, but it is very possible that I actually heightened them.
Life is tough. It's difficult to navigate situations based on only what we know at any given time. I just feel like I could live my life much more efficiently if I knew the future. But, I don't. Anyways, lots of deep stuff flying around tonight. Maybe I'll "unpack" some of that another time.

A Shenandoah Adventure

Colleen took me on an adventure in honor of my birthday. We went out to the greater Shenandoah area where we may or may not have done some or all of the following: (in no particular order)
antiquing
shnacking
wondering through stores of random things
smacking the daylights out of small spheres
taking in lots of beautiful scenery
driving recklessly in tiny little cars
driving safely on very fun, but curvy roads
dinner at a yummy little restaurant
and, of course, spending time with one of my favorite people!
yay for adventure!

A nice kind of life

I had a somewhat strange thought on the way home tonight. And, it came while during a really mundane task. In fact, while doing one mundane task sandwiched in between two other mundane tasks. I was carrying my groceries home just after shopping and just before cooking. And, yet, it seems I was enjoying all three. When I was walking home, the sun was just starting to go down, it was the perfect temperature and I felt 100% content. I thought, there are a lot of different kinds of lives out there. This one isn't all that exciting. But, it's really a nice kind.
Hope you enjoy yours, too. Now - off to eat some cantaloupe.

Pesto with Potatoes??

Who puts potatoes in pesto? Well, apparently Trader Joe does. Weird.

Also, I got selected for jury duty! Yippee!
I'm excited.

A new life experience

Prior to this evening, I had never been on an elevator with someone smoking. There's a life experience I wouldn't have minded living without.

A mountain weekend

I made a quick trip home to good ol' Western PA this weekend. I expected to see my parents, which was good. I know I'm probably too old for this, but I was kind of homesick. Nothing like a little mountain air and hugs from mom and dad to cure that. I got bonuses, though. I got to see my brother and his family for a little while on Saturday and we all went and visited my Pappy and then my Grandmother. That was cool. We don't get a lot of family time together. Ironically, we were all together except for my older brother.... and it was his birthday.
Then, that night I got to hear a friend of mine sing a jazz concert with some guys she gigs with in Baltimore. I hadn't heard her perform since high school... it was a little surreal to hear jazz in Ebensburg. And, beyond that, to hear jazz sitting in a group of perfectly still white people. But, it was really good and I'm going to try to hear her again soon.
Fun, fun.

Help me!

I need to name a concert of American music and my creativity is waning. All suggestions welcome! If you suggest something I use, I'll take you out for dinner.
Seriously.

Newsflash!

I watched an animated movie tonight and thought it was great. We watched Toy Story 2 and it was so funny! Yay for animation that Hyla likes!

And, yay, also for spinach and feta stuffed chicken! ooh-rah!

Quote of the day

From my dear friend, Amy: You never know when a photo of you dressed as a pharaoh is going to get on National TV.

Also, apparently, I have a new boss. excitement all around.

A good weekend

This was a very good weekend. Friday night I went (with some indulging friends) to the Hirshhorn's afterhours event where I got to see some great art and play with a lite brite! It was really fun. This shot is one of the works on display there right now.... it's pretty awesome... if you live in DC, you should get your tail there and just watch it for 10,15, 20 minutes. Pretty cool. More shots on my flickr site.

Then, yesterday, I drove to Lancaster county, PA to see my friend Lisa and her family before they make the move to Kansas in a few weeks. I will miss having her on the East Coast! We've never lived more than about 2 hours apart (well, except for my brief west/midwest tour). So, I wish them luck. This is her and her daughter, Kayla, who turned exactly 4 months yesterday... is she cute or what?

Arg... why does blogger do that? Sorry for the ugly formatting.

conundrum

It's just so very, very difficult to know what to do.

Also, I lost my phone and had to buy a new, ugly one... blech

more happiness tomorrow

My 2 year anniversary

Exactly 2 years ago today, some friends came over to my house just north of Philly, helped me pack all of my earthly belongings into a UHaul (which took all of 20 minutes) and said Goodbye as I ventured toward my next city. I had just sold my car that morning which left me with my flute as my sole possession of any worth. My father likes to point out that I came to DC with no job, no apartment and no car. That's not all entirely true (I did have a part-time retail gig), but the point remains. But, those are really just things... it was the starting over part that was harder than finding an apartment and a job. It's been good, though. I was fortunate to find a great church that June and I've made some really great friendships there (in addition to the great ones I already had here!). Just this weekend someone said to me, "You've only been here 1 1/2 years? You seem to know everyone!"
So, I guess I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on the ways my life is different than it was two years ago. Two years ago, I didn't have a full-time job. I was pretty close to actually being depressed about it, which is why I decided to try a complete change and move here. I was frustrated with not having any local friends that I could really confide in. I was scared to death of getting trapped in a room with Hill staffers and lobbyists. And, I wasn't completely sold on my church and more importantly, I wasn't 100% sold on my faith. I was ready to make big changes and I wasn't really above making those changes outside of my beliefs. Things are completely different now! Praise God! I have a job and though I complain about it, it's not awful... it could be much, much worse. I have some really great friends, the kind I can call up at the last minute for coffee or drinks. I am confident that if I got stuck in a room with Hill-types that I would come out sane... or at least, alive. And, most importantly, I have a church that I really enjoy being a part of and giving back to. No, actually, that isn't the most important thing. The most important thing is that my life is recentered around my faith once again. My focus has been restored and for the first time in my life, I feel as though I've started to understand how real life and my faith can exist in the same space -- without partitions.
Life is good. And, I'm going to go ahead and say it... I know I'll be sorry I put it in "ink" later, but here goes... I really like DC right now.

Snow!!!

Yesterday, it snowed that perfect kind of snow where you scoop up a handful and it automatically turns into a snowball. The kind that sticks on the branches 3 inches thick. The kind that turns me into a little kid. So, I called up my friend Dennis and insisted we go play in the snow. We ended up going out to Great Falls, VA (I had never been there before) and we hiked and snowballed and built a snowman (see exhibit A) and I even made a snow angel. It was so fun!! I'm still smiling! More pics are here

News Items in Hyla's life

1 - We got a new toilet. Now the bathroom is one less part institutional-looking and one more part normal apartment-looking.
2 - My brother and sis-in-law launched their church on Sunday. Over 200 people showed up for the first week! I am so excited for them and for what God wants to do through them in their exploding community!
3 - There is a very good chance that the reign of the nosering is coming to an end. I have mixed emotions... I don't want to lose my funky, semi-rebellious streak.... I'll have to look for a new "signature".
4 - I have been reminded once again that DC has NO clue how to deal with snow. Perhaps, just perhaps, plows should get out and clear the snow in the first 24 hours. Maybe we shouldn't just clear the main streets and then wait for the rest to melt. Just a thought!
5 - The order of these news items is in no way related to their significance.

A few good things

I've been feeling pretty negative over the last month or so and so I thought I would write a few positive thoughts to counteract that.
- I got a great, sexy tank that I needed for an event for $5 on Sunday!
- My friend Amy has returned to her status as front page Amy with her leading story tomorrow! Congrats, Ames!
- I bought a different version of the Bible last week and I'm totally enjoying reading it... yay God!
- My brother and sis-in-law launch their church this weekend after many, many months of work and prayer. double-yay for God!!
- I did not get frostbite this morning even though I made a poor choice and wore a skirt with no tights.

The aquatic mosh pit

So, now that I'm back to work, I have to find a time to go swimming that isn't the middle of the afternoon. I thought that I'd just stop by after work, swim my laps and then head home for a shower and a quiet night at home. Well, it turns out that at 7:00 on Tuesday evenings, the pool is close to unfit for swimming. Seriously, they turned the lanes around the short way so there were 3.5 (yes, one was really a half) lanes for spurty swimming and the shallow end was roped off for water aerobics. So, there were about 30 severely overweight people lifting waterproof weights to top 40's, aerobics-style, music. Even the instructor was overweight....and I don't mean a little pooch. She was probably 80 pounds overweight. Amy had warned me about the old lady brigade, but this was the shower cap brigade. At one point, I was trying to swim laps in the choppy waters of no-man's-land between the aerobics and the overcrowded lanes when I looked over and cracked up - they all had on shower caps to protect their hair rather than swim caps. So funny. So aggravating and so funny.

Vacation check-in

Well, I just finished day 4 of my vacation. So far, so good. As usual, I can't accomplish quite as many things in each day as I plan, but I'm still accomplishing things.
The living room is now green - it needs another coat, but it's looking good. I've gone swimming thrice and I think this is something I can stick with - yay! Exercise I don't loathe! I've had one career-related meeting and several meetings concerning the event I'm planning. Things are moving right along. (And, I did manage to squeeze a little football-watching in around the edges!)
6 more days of vacation - whoo-hoo!!

Au Revoir, Trader Joe's

I just got home from my last shift at Trader Joe's. I get to reclaim a little more of my time. Now I just need to try find some more creative or more career-related ways to make a little extra cash. Yippee!

The inevitable New Year's Post

Oh, the last day of the year...that day when I get to focus on all that I did NOT accomplish this year. At the beginning of 2006, I posted a few resolutions for the year. They were different than the resolutions of most years... I made things that were achievable, reachable. Well, it turns out that they weren't as achievable as I thought. Here's the year-end status report:
1 - Explore 10 metro stops I've never checked out before. Silver Spring, King Street, Woodley Park, East Falls Church, New York Ave (worth skipping)... I think that's it. So, that's 5. I got a 50% on that.
2 -Read 5 non-fiction books about things I wonder about. I read two. I read a book about the Johnstown flood and a book about Crunchy Conservatism. 40% on this one.
3 - Edit my thesis for publication. Yeah, didn't get anywhere on this one. 0%
4 - Learn a new sport. Again, 0%

So, that's an overall grade of what, 12%? Oh well, that's 12% more than I probably would have accomplished without the goals. However, let's dwell on the positive. Here's what I did accomplish:
1 - I learned a new skill for DC living. I learned to maintain my composure and even keep up when conversations turned to political subjects.
2 - I learned a good bit about event planning, including the fact that I really enjoy doing it.
3 - I landed on my fourth continent - Asia.
4 - I made it through an entire calendar year with one employer...ups and downs marked the ride, but I did it and I'm happy with that.

There's been progress...minimal, but progress nonetheless.
Happy New Year!

Christmas gifts

Ok, so I was reading a friend's blog and she was talking about the gifts she gave which made me want to talk about the gifts I gave. So, Heather, if you're reading this, I'm sorry. I totally stole this from you.
I'm always much more about the gifts I give than the gifts I receive. I mean, don't get me wrong. I get as excited as anybody about a gift card or a well-chosen gift (Thanks, mom, for the slipper shoes - they're awesome), but for me, gifts are all about the giving. I love taking the time to really ponder a great gift for someone. I wish I could say that I did a good job of gift-giving this year, but unfortunately, I was in a major time crunch this fall so my Christmas giving was lackluster at best. And, I did give Amy my mother's gift instead of hers, which she promptly took to Idaho with her. However, I did manage to fit in a few winners. So, without further ado, my list of successful Christmas gifts.
- Taking Mom and Dad to a steakhouse in DC for a really yummy meal that they don't usually treat themselves to. I think that was a winner. They don't say much, but I think they really liked it.
- A good recording of Handel's Messiah for Amy. Amy asked me to borrow mine one day and I realized that I didn't actually own it so I got her a good one... and she's the kind of girl that appreciates it. snazzy.
- Laminated parking instructions for Heinz Field for Tara. You wouldn't think it was so great, but paired with an atlas marked with our road trips and a Steelers car flag, it was a winner.
- a silver "S" necklace for my sis-in-law, Steph. I actually thought I wimped out on this one, but I think she really liked it. She said she'd always wanted one, but never had one. Score.
- a talking pizza cutter for my brother. No, really, I'm serious. Thanks to Tara on this one. It was an impulse buy at Heinz Field on Christmas Eve at her prompting, but it was totally the star of the show. My brother laughed like I remember him laughing ten or fifteen years ago. I love that laugh. That lighthearted spirit is something I love about him. So, if a gift gets that laugh, you're good.
- a book about knots for Jeremy. If you know Jeremy, you know why this is great. Jeremy - have you made me a ladder yet?

So, even though I felt like I didn't get meaningful gifts, I think I still did an okay job in the end. Merry Christmas a little late.

What did you get for Christmas?

Oh, well, thanks for asking. I actually got a spinny bug. What, you ask, is a spinny bug? Well, it's a thing that makes you sick and you feel off-balance for days. On day one, well, you don't want to know about day one... it's gross. On day two, you can have your eyes open as long as your head is supported somewhere and eat small amounts of spinny-approved food. And on day three, you can sit up for limited amounts of time and drink Diet Coke (no really - that's what it said in the manual... honest!) So, that's what I'm doing with my vacation-- a whole lot of nothing!! So much for all of those goals.
What did YOU get for Christmas?

Things learned from changing a lightbulb

Ok, well, only one really. I was up on a chair, changing the lightbulb in the living room when something caught my eye out the window. It turns out that when there aren't any leaves on the trees, I can see the top of the Washington Monument from my apartment. Cool!
And, weird. I mean, those red eyes are ominous. Like big brother watching out over the whole city. But, cool nonetheless!

Addendum: It turns out that we can also see the Capitol from our apartment. Snazzy.

Bows, not bags

Thanks to Colleen, we started a bit of a new tradition last night. It seemed that we had fallen into an unfortunate habit of unceremoniously handing off Christmas presents in their plastic bag wrappings. So, in the spirit of adding a little tradition to the holidays, we got together for a casual dinner, cookie frosting, ornament painting (unplanned, but necessary due to Colleen and Nathaniel's tree only having one ornament!) and gift exchanging. Over champagne, we toasted to the presence of bows and the absence of bags. And, so, Bows, not Bags is born!

Botched gift giving

So, I bought this fabulous recording of Messiah for my friend, Amy, for Christmas. I really wanted her to have it before she left for Christmas today so I left this beautifully wrapped gift in her doorway for her to trip over on the way out the door. She grabbed it on her way to the airport en route to Idaho.
Tonight, I was gathering presents for a gift exchange tomorrow and realized that I still had her CD under the tree. I, being the brilliant one I am, left my mother's Christmas present on her doorstep! Needless to say she was a little confused as to why I would give her a White House ornament!! Oh well, I guess mom's gift will be a little late.

Now that feels awesome!

I just logged out of the class reunion email for the last time! Whoo0hoo! Nothing like actually finishing up a project.
Now, on to the next thing.

Reclaim the margins!

I've recently been very frustrated by the disappearance of margins in my life. Every moment of every day is scheduled out... usually far in advance. One week gets filled up and then the next and before you know it, the white space around the edges of my life is completely gone. This really upsets me. I need my life to be more than scheduled blocks of time all fit together neatly like a tetris screen. I thrive on spontanaeity and when spur-of-the-moment no longer happens, I have a hard time enjoying the craziness of life.
Today, though, I got to hang out with the family in Ebensburg. There's always an adjustment period for me when I come home. I've been going, going, going and then all of a sudden I get plopped down in my parents' living room and life slows down by 240 mph. I don't always handle that well, but today, doing nothing was exactly what I needed. In fact, I worked on a jigsaw puzzle with Mom and Dad and watched a movie I've seen half a dozen times. And, it was really nice.
Now, if only I could figure out how to bridge my inner conflict of being closer with family and handling the rest of my life. But, for now, I will enjoy a weekend at home.
So - go... reclaim your margins!

Scary Stuff

So, today, I'm sitting outside at Furin's in Georgetown, eating a lovely salad and enjoying a beautiful day on my lunch break. This woman walks by me on the sidewalk, leans in toward me and looked like she was staring at my salad. Just as she passed me, she said something that I didn't hear so I said, "What?" "Hey, baby," she said. I kind of turned my head and looked at her and then turned right back to my salad. Before I had time to even digest what had just happened, I heard a familiar voice say, "Don't you recognize me?" It was a friend of mine dressed in drag for Halloween!

Geez! That was about enough to give me a heart attack!!

Happy Columbus Day!

I love holidays that don't have any real events. Because, they end up being actual holidays! I can accomplish so much and don't have to worry about a million different plans or a party or whatever. In fact, it is quite possible that Columbus Day is my new favorite holiday.
So, I was just looking through some pictures and found this one. It was exactly one year ago. Last Columbus Day, I spent the day with Thomas Pappas rehearsing some awesome music and then spending a little time in the city. He grew up in Germany and was asking me how we celebrate Columbus Day, to which I didn't really have an answer, but it turns out that there is a Columbus memorial by Union Station so we took pictures there to celebrate. Perhaps I will make that a tradition and celebrate there again today!

Football is fun. So are friends. So are new-ish friends. I watched the game tonight at Pour House, which is always fun, though less fun when we lose. But, more fun when there are friends around to cheer with me. We definitely had fun... more football to come and hopefully more fun, too.

Update

Ok, I'm feeling much better this morning. I was able to reach a couple of the people helping me coordinate the reunion and at least I don't feel left out to hang by myself. Still lots of friend stress, but the new day does help my perspective a little.

I am so frustrated right now by so many things. I feel like so many things are just going wrong. there are plenty of things going right, but I'm really frustrated by unrealized potential. My class reunion had the potential to be awesome, but it's not going to be... it's going to be totally lame. And, I feel like it's my fault for not wanting to kill myself to work out every single detail myself. I know my friends are going to blame me. And, I absolutely hate letting people down. I know that's probably a result of my selfishness since it's really my image that I'm concerned about more than the quality of the reunion. I just don't want to be blamed for things that aren't my fault. Honestly, I don't even want to go any more. But, I will. I'll get all this stuff done and it will go off and some day I will forget about the absolutely embarassingly awful reuinon I once helped to coordinate.
To top it off, I'm having some friend strife. I'm just barely keeping my head above water with work and my volunteer projects and I don't have time to deal with friendship stress, but yet it is there. I just really want friends that trust me to be their friend and in turn, I can trust them to be mine. It seems like such a simple concept, but obviously, it's not. I'm a loyal friend. I don't purposely do things that would upset my friends and it really distresses me when they are mad at me. My friends are my family and I can't live without them...especially not now.
Well, this is exceedingly long so I had better go and finish putting together the crappy reunion website and designing the crappy invitations to the boring reunion at the lame location with the gross food. Then, tomorrow, invitations, invitations, work, work, work.

God speaks my language

I had the following lighthearted conversation with God today when I was really stressed out and walked into the CVS after work:
Me: Oh, if there is a God in heaven, let there be a Diet Cherry Coke. I really need it today.
God: (silent)
Me: Oh, I'm just joking. I know you exist. Ha, ha.
God: Oh really?
Hyla walks to the back of the store and finds the one last Diet Cherry Coke in the cooler.
Me: Ok, fine. I get it! (much laughter)

Sometimes God knows when I need him to speak just my language. What a great coincidence! (or was it?)

What's this?

I felt a kind of nesting impulse on the way home tonight. Weird. Weird. Weird.
What's happening to me?

Lost in Blogland

Well, it's finally happened. I've failed as a blogger. My life is kind of eating me alive (in a good way - I love being busy) and I feel guilty spending even a short amount of time blogging these days. So, this is my copout for blogging from now until December just in case I don't get around to it.
So - see you then!!

By Request

Amy requested specifics on the games and I must oblige.
We have tickets to the November 5 game against the Denver Broncos and the Christmas Eve game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Whoo-hoo! I'm totally excited. I haven't been to the new field yet and I can't wait to be there in the home crowd excitement.
But, till then I will reign in my enthusiasm unless asked to expound.

The good, the great and the ugly

Good: We finally have a functioning stove and oven that fits in the space designed for it.
Great: Colleen and Nathaniel come home in 3 days!!
Great: Our Steelers tickets came today!
Ugly: The Steelers game is not available for viewing in DC.

What next?

So, Pluto isn't a planet now?? A group of nerdy guys can vote in and out planets? really? I feel like this was all done very secrety-secret and then Boom! My very elderly mother just serves us gnarly.................
What about the sun? We still travel around the sun, right? Can I trust anything I learned in school?
I can handle this, but if they tell me I'm adopted, I'll need therapy.

a good souvenir

Today I saw a souvenir that I actually like. A girl on the metro had on a shirt that said "Smithsonian est. 1846 (or whatever the actual year is)". The ultimate geek souvenir! Sweet!

Family time

The last few days have been so good. I've spent time with almost all of my family. I came home to help my mom work on her father's house, but we didn't really do that much. I think I did help her get her mind off of it a little, though, which is even better. On Sunday, I got to see my brother and his family for the first time in about a year and a half. It's so good to spend time with people that just completely and totally accept you! Partly because they have to, but partly because they were raised that way and because they want to. Today, I got to see my grandmother and my aunt. I think my grandma is amazing! She is almost 85 years old and she is just too cool. She looks beautiful, is totally fun and just a beautiful person.
I am leaving tomorrow morning refreshed and recharged. Now that is a vacation! Back to the daily grind.

Llama fun

I was hangin' out with my family in my living room yesterday and I looked out the front window and just started cracking up laughing. I saw a llama roll over! It was quite possibly the funniest thing I've ever seen! It was laying on its back for a brief instant with its legs up in the air. I cracked up! When was the last time you saw a llama roll over? Heck, when was the last time you saw a llama? Let alone from your living room window. Good times.

mongolian shoe barbecue

I needed a break at work so I designed a shoe. Did you hear me? I DESIGNED A SHOE!
Puma has this great thing where you can design your own shoe. It's a little pricey to have them made, but I am SOO tempted. Check it out!

Where's the weekend

Since when do weekends disappear in 4.7 seconds? It seems like it was just Friday and now it's almost Monday again. Crazy. It's been a good weekend, though. I love having an "open door" home. I've always wanted my place to be the place that people know they can just stop by and be welcome. I want it to be the gathering place and a comfortable place. A friend is staying with us for a little while during her apartment hunt. I'm so glad to have space to offer someone. I really wanted a larger apartment so that I could use it to entertain. God hooked me up with the space and I want to use it for good. To give it back, in a way. It's not perfect, but it's nice. Tonight, we threw a little birthday bash for Amy. There were probably 15 people or so in here. It was crowded, but not horribly so.
Anyways, I got an insane amount of stuff done today. I finished painting the bathroom, cleaned up here and there, bought the stuff for the party, decorated, and pulled off a party that was at least mildly amusing.
Well, off to Monday!

Words of wisdom

Today's words of wisdom:
It is not a good idea to mail chocolate in July.

My favorite

Today, my favorite of all God's promises is the promise of winter. I think I'm going to buy a summer home in Siberia.

My rekindled love for soft pretzels and other such things

I forgot how much I love Philly soft pretzels. I'm at a conference in the Philly area and they had soft pretzels. I love them because they are a good sturdy food. I love them because they take a long time to eat. I love them because you expect a really yummy savory, salty food and yet there's a little sweet overtone in there. mmm... I do miss the pretzels.

I also thought about something in a new way today. It dawned on me that I am a living legacy of my mother, well, both my parents really. I know that sounds elementary -- that I would carry my parents' likeness, but it's not something that I'm frequently aware of. However, I was singing tonight and I could hear a little bit of my mother's voice. It kind of spooked me out - in a good way.

Finally, this conference is held at a church. Not just any church. A big, scary, perfectly manicured lawn church that I drove by the first time b/c I thought it was housing of some sort. I affectionately call it the Church of the Holy Moose. They have these clear pulpits in all of the meeting rooms that have a moose emblazoned on them. I figured that was their mascot. The Holy Moose.

Have I mentioned that I love my friends? Have I mentioned that I love people in general? I've had a good blend of alone-time and together time over the last 24 hours or so and it's just been great. And the "together time" has been with people that I haven't spent a lot of time with lately so it was just so good. I love discovering what makes people tick and how they think and approach things. I had several great conversations tonight that I had really been missing...the kind of serious, in-depth conversations that really fuel me, but that I seem to so rarely have anymore. I also love seeing someone's strength and discovering ways to pair it with someone else's strength to make it even better. I love friends and conversation and wine and serious moments and dreaming moments.

It's gonna be a good day

It was up in there air there for a while, but when I walked into CVS and heard Jann Arden singing "Insensitive", I knew it was all gonna be alright!

even for me

Fly to Atlanta to meet a random guy? That may be too crazy even for me.

first night

It's my first night staying in the new apartment. I have lots of thoughts, but I will try to keep this to a reasonable length.
1. I am starting to get tired. I've been pushing myself lately to accomplish a lot. I feel like for a long time I hadn't been working/living nearly up to my potential so I've been trying to be better about that. And, generally, I seem to have more energy than when I was accomplishing less. Amazing how that works. But, now I'm getting a little tired. Hopefully, I'll be ready to go in the morning.
2. I owe God lots of high fives (does God have fingers?) for hooking me up with this place and my roommate. The apartment is really large, totally affordable and in a location I really like. It's a long, complicated story, but basically, I think I got in under the line to get a really great price on this apartment before the new management company hikes up the prices. And, I think living with JoyAnna will be a lot of fun and an all-around good experience. (Except for football season when we may have to yell at each other a lot.)
3. Friends are amazing. I've lived the vast majority of the last decade of my life away from my family which has made me realize even more how valuable my friendships are. (However, I seem to value my family more now, too, since they aren't around.) My friends chipped in and helped me and my roommate move over the last week. They have been so great to me! Some of them don't even really know JoyAnna and yet they were so willing to help. I don't know how we would have done it without them. Thanks a million times over!!
4. Finally, I must add a seemingly random thought. There are a lot of doors in this place. I've spent the last five years of my life living in either a studio apartment or renting a room in a house. What does this have to do with doors, you ask? Well, in each of those places there weren't very many doors and in the studios, the door to my room was also the door to my apartment. As I was looking around tonight, I realized that I will have to shut doors before I go to sleep from now on...and that the door to my room is not the entrance. You would think this would make me feel more secure, but oddly enough, I grew so used to having the entrance in my room that it feels weird to think that someone could come in and out of the apartment without me seeing or hearing them while I'm asleep. Weird.

New apartment update

It is now 11:30pm and the contractor is still working in the apartment. They are serious about getting us in there tomorrow. I've been keeping tabs on the progress of our new place. As of Tuesday night, the apartment needed the following: paint all walls, replace the flooring in the kitchen and bathroom, replace all carpeting, clean or replace kitchen counters, replace stove and refrigerator (no fridge), resurface tub and sink in bathroom. As of 11:36, all walls and trim are painted, carpet is replaced, new tile (beautiful!) is in the kitchen and I heard whistling coming from the bathroom. Sweet! Also, I saw a bathroom cabinet/sink thing sitting in the living room earlier, that I assume will be put in the bathroom since it would be odd to leave it in the living room. I couldn't see the kitchen counters from my vantage point, peering through the cracked-open door, but I know have confidence that it will all be done in time. I can't believe they're working overtime to get this done as promised, but I am so psyched about my new place!! JoyAnna, you're going to be amazed!!

so hot

It's 85 already. I hate the heat. But, alas, it is the 4th of July. What do I expect? What festivities shall I enjoy today? I've tried to keep my options open for spontaneous fun, but hopefully, that doesn't bite me in the but and turn into no plans at all. We'll see. The fireworks here are some of the best around so I will try to go down and take some in. And, there is a bbq that I'm fairly sure will qualify as giant and delicious, later today. I don't know if I can resist Laura's grilled cabbage with bacon. mmmm I'll let you know what I end up doing.
EDIT: It rained and cooled it off enough for me to make my way to a bbq and then to the mall for some fireworks. I must admit that those are some nifty fireworks they put off in this here city. And, now I get to fall asleep to the smell of primer. yummy.

Random thoughts from the trip home

I had so much fun tonight. I don't know why particularly...just hanging out with a random group of people as usual. I laughed so hard. Everything was funny. The timing was "on". Good stuff. But, then, we rode the metro home with bellies full of ice cream and soda. Ok, so only Kurt and I had the bright idea to add carbonation to milkfat, but the point remains. Not a good idea. We were both leaning over, holding onto the escalator rails (gross) coming up out of the metro like drunk people. I have an ice cream hangover. But, it was really good ice cream. So, it was kind of like being hung over from a couple of bottles of Opus 1 wine rather than from Bud Lite.
Then, I caught a bus home and there was a group of deaf people "chatting" on there. And, they were using the f-word a lot. Is that acceptable? It's not socially acceptable to litter an audible conversation with that word so is it ok to do it in sign language? I'd really like to know the etiquette on that.
That's all I've got for tonight.