Today's New Experience

A few days ago, I finally ran into the clarinet player that I've heard practicing in the building over the last year. It turns out that she and her boyfriend play in the marine band and she is working on a masters' program in the area. Anyway, she mentioned that she was playing a solo tonight at a concert on the capitol steps and invited me to come. So, I did!
Shamefully, I have never gone to any of the concerts on the capitol steps, even though there are concerts four night s a week in the summer. It had also been a LONG time since I had gone to a wind concert at all. I have to say that I enjoyed myself. It was 95 degrees, at least, so intonantion was a challenge at points, but there is just something so gratifying in watching people do what they absolutely love to do. Plus, I was introduced to some new music. She played a piece by Andreas Makris called Intrigues. It turns out the composer has deep local connections. Anyways, it was an interesting piece with some real challenges... especially in the heat.
So, there we go -- I discovered a new, fun activity for the summers... and met a new person and a new piece in the process.

Notes of Joy from a Long Trip with a Short Boy

Backstory: Yesterday, I got up early and flew with my 6-year-old nephew back to Phoenix and then immediately turned around and flew back home. The boy was safely delivered back to his parents and I was safely, but tiredly delivered back to DC.
Small Joy 1: Just hanging out with my nephew. I rarely get to see him so it was fun to get some one-on-one time with him. Who knows? Maybe this will be something he'll remember when he's grown up.
Small Joy 2: Watching him from a distance and seeing a little piece of my brother's wonderfulness in him. We had about an hour to wait for our first flight so we went and sat at the gate at the end of the terminal so he could watch the planes. He walked over to the window and within two minutes had made a friend with another little boy who was five. One of Scott's great attributes (in my humble, yet accurate, opinion) is that he can engage anyone in a conversation and make them feel special and included. It looks like his son is well on his way to mastering that art.
Small Joy 3: Watching my nephew study the step-by-step safety guide in the seat-back pocket. Seriously. He studied that thing front and back for a good 20 minutes on each flight. If the boy doesn't become an engineer or an architect, the world will be a worse place for it.
Small Joy 4: Getting to see my sis-in-law's excitement at having her little boy back after more than three weeks away from home!
Small Joy 5: The descent into Salt Lake City. Holy cow! What a gorgeous, gorgeous sight. I had been in Utah, and even Salt Lake City, but I had never flown into it. That was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen from the sky. And, it was a total surprise because I didn't even look to see where I was connecting until that morning. Very cool.
Small Joy 6: Making it back home and falling into my bed. A pillow rarely feels as good as it does after a 19-hour day filled with 6000 miles of air travel.

Good times.

Caring for a Small Human

This evening, I'm hanging out with my little nephew before we fly back to his home tomorrow. We went to the park, looked through all of his pictures from his Pennsylvania vacation, grabbed some dinner, and then pretty much hit the hay. He must have been tired... I don't think he even moved after he laid down. Tired little boy, I guess.

I love this kid. I gave him three choices for dinner. 1 - sushi, 2 - Thai food, 3 - pizza. The kid chose Thai! How awesome is that. Now, to be fair, I knew ahead of time that the kid loves Thai food and that was pretty much what I wanted, but I thought it might be a crapshoot with the pizza thrown in there. Anyway, that was awesome.

Tomorrow: 4 airports, 4 flights, 1 6-yr old, and an awful lot of work time

Random Things

Favorite new website: StillTasty.com - As its name suggests, it is a searchable database of shelflife for all kinds of stuff. So far, I've only looked up black beans, but just knowing that it exists makes me a very happy girl.
Thoughts on Inception: I definitely liked it. I don't know that it will go on my list of favorite movies, but I am glad that I saw it. Definitely an originality factor to it. I could have done without some of the gunfire. Ok, so I realize that there's some mass appeal, male audience drawing power with guns and explosions. However, I'm not sure that all of that was really all that integral to the heart of the story. Also, fewer gunshots would have meant fewer minutes spent watching the movie through the crevices of my fingers. Just sayin'. I also thought that a few points were belabored. Some things maybe weren't quite clear enough (though the ambiguity is definitely part of the intrigue), but then other things repeatedly hit the audience over the head. And, of course, no commentary from Hyla would be complete without something about the soundtrack. They definitely chose one emotion and carried it through the whole film. At different points, I kept thinking, "If the music was lighter here, this whole scene would be light." But, truthfully, there was almost no reprieve from the pulsating intensity... if I was recording that score, I think my stress levels would be through the roof at the end of every session. It's just an awful lot of very similar, intense music. Once I saw at the end that Hans Zimmer wrote the score, though, it made a lot more sense.
National-Hyla-relearns-the-flute-month: August will be this month for me. I'm planning to spend the first week just doing tone and technical exercises. That way I won't feel so "flabby" when I actually start reading music again. It's been a long time since I've read much music. I'm hoping that after a month-long action plan, I'll be ready to consider playing in public again at some point.

Things that make me happy

(taken from today's experiences)

1 - holding Sebastian

2 - Pasta with shrimp, dill, peas, and feta

3 - Killer breakfast sandwiches from Presto Gourmet. (No seriously, they'll actually kill you.)

4 - calm evenings -- even if I am working

5 - editing copy (Yes, I know I'm weird.)

6 - planning stuff, like my super-fast visit w/ my sis-in-law on Monday, and seeing Jeremy this weekend.

7 - blogging

8 - diet coke

Dear weather gods,

Remember this?

Dear first (or 2nd?) date girl,

Don't let him do that to you again. Seriously. He had 150% of the control of your date. He owned the physical space by leaning like that. He owned the psychological space by asking you all of the questions and then butting in with his own stories. He did everything he needed to do to see if all the little details of your life, your ambitions, even your body would fit into what he wants. The date-cum-interview was honestly a little hard to watch. Don't you see how there would be absolutely no give-and-take in your relationship? Don't go out with him again. You're just going to end up feeling stifled and used.
Sincerely,
eavesdropping-while-waiting-for-my-friend girl

PS - You're really quite beautiful. A little less hairspray and makeup would become you.

Stuff I'm good at

Making quiche and business law exams
1 - Tonight, I made a quiche, including a homemade crust. It was awesome. And, it wasn't difficult at all. I am totally adding that to my repertoire. This one had onions, mushrooms and spinach, but I could add lots of different ingredients. I took it to Colleen and Nathaniel's and it disappeared in good time. (Although, I may have been the one primarily making it disappear. )
2 - I've been hesitant to put this on facebook or anything because I don't want to be too boast-y, but I totally kicked butt on my Law Exam this week. I actually got a 100. (There were 6 bonus points available so I did miss a few questions, but still....) I am very proud of myself. Never mind the intense level of fear I have about my grade on the Cost Accounting exam from last night.

New Goal: Survive this week!

Wow -- One crazy week down -- one crazy week coming up! Today I got up and studied for a few hours, threw some things in a bag and headed for Ebensburg, but not before catching about half of leadership summit. I have about 24 hours here with my big brother and little nephew before I have to head back for a week of work, two finals, and a couple of dr's appointments thrown in there. Whew - hoping I make it through this whirlwind!
More soon!

another life changer

Cilantro and Jalepeno hummus from trader joes. Seriously, I will never be the same again. You should go straight to Trader Joe's and get some. Do not pass go. But, go ahead and collect $200 if the opportunity presents itself!

Super-Hyla!

Well, paint me an S on my chest. I just got back from a run in which I did not stop and walk at all. When I got back, I promptly went to mapmyrun.com and discovered that it was 1.76 miles. Now, this may not sound particularly feat-ful to you, but to me.... well, I feel like a superhero. I don't think I've ever run more than about a mile without stopping before. So, this is a major accomplishment to me. I realize it's not exactly a marathon, but hey, it's something.
Yippity yay for the awesome weather outside tonight so I could do that!

the last, not the next

I woke up in the middle of the night with this going through my head:

I'm not looking for the next guy. I'm looking for the last guy.

I suppose I've felt like this for a while, but I don't know that I've thought about it quite like this. I don't want someone to date anymore. I want someone to spend my life with. I want to stop looking. Dating is difficult and often so hurtful... not only do I get hurt, but all too often, I'm the one hurting someone else. I'm not foolish enough to think that the hurting will stop if I get married, but at least a path of wanton hurt can stop at that point.

I no longer have time or energy for the next guy. But, I certainly have the energy for the last guy.

Today's score

Getting to sleep in a little since I was driving today: +1
Hearing "Single Ladies" on the drive in: +2
Learning that McDonald's now has breakfast snacks: +1
Resisting using new information about McDonald's morning menu: +2
Getting "Straight Up" (that's right - Paula Abdul, baby!) stuck in my head: +4
----------
Today's score so far: +10

Completely Random Things

New Vocabulary Word: penumbra --A partial shadow, as in an eclipse, between regions of complete shadow and complete illumination; An area in which something exists to a lesser or uncertain degree. (This word-of-the-day brought to you by my Law for Business class.)
Me vs. Women's Groups: I love, love, love small groups. Call 'em life groups, small groups, mini-churches, discipleship groups... call 'em whatever you want. I love them. Except... women's groups. I am afeared of women's groups. I've been involved in a few and unfortunately those experiences weren't great. (With the one exception of the Women in Leadership group I attended at 730am a few years ago) Too often, though, women's groups deteriorate into surface-y conversation or gossip or "Singleness is hard" bitch sessions or even too-personal-too-fast scenarios. However, I'm giving it another shot. Tonight I went to a small group led by one of my favoritest chicks. All the women seem to be married or engaged so maybe that will help cut down on the "woe is my single self" factor. Or, maybe in three weeks, I will just feel completely inadequate. Who knows?
Mrs. Warren's Profession: I went to dress rehearsal of Mrs Warren's Profession last night. I'm not very familiar with George Bernard Shaw's work, but it seemed awfully narrative. Monologues that just go on and on and on. Perhaps, I was just too distracted by things I still wanted to accomplish. I don't know. It also seemed that people in the front found it a lot funnier than those of us a section or two back. Maybe the lackluster projection was prohibiting the funny from getting to us? The sets were pretty, though.

Another weird dream

So, I had another totally bizarre dream. I'll leave it to you to decide which detail is the most implausible.
I was shopping at Wal-Mart when a guy with some unruly hair growth on his neck came up to me, shoved an electric shaver/trimmer in my face and demanded that I shave his neck. I employed my usual tactic of dismissively saying "No, man. Sorry." (To clarify, this isn't a tactic developed from experience with shaving requests... more just random people wanting to "walk and talk with me" or asking for money.) Anyways, back to the dream. So, I started to walk away, but he grabbed me from behind and continued to demand that I shave him. When I refused, he started threatening to hurt (kill?) me. So, I started screaming for help right there in the aisle of Wal-Mart. Someone started holding him back and I took that opportunity to grab the trimmer from the guy and throw it across the store. (I'm not sure how that is really helpful, but whatever.)
Once I got free from him, I apparently gained access to the employee break room where my brother was waiting there to comfort me. So, I just stood there and hugged him for a while. Then, I stooped down to tie my shoe. When I stood back up to hug Grant again, Chris (who was apparently an employee of Wal-Mart) was there in his place. I don't remember much else other than that an attorney wanted to talk to me on my way out.
Weird.

A few pictures as proof of state 43

This is my proof that I was in Kansas... that I am holding a Kansas magnet. Because, obviously, this is foolproof.

Me with Maddie and Lizzie (Annie's girls). We had fun getting to know each other for a few days. Yay!

Me and Jeremy! (Apparently, there were no pictures of Annie??? Sorry!!)

Me with the Nelson kids. (Again, no pictures of Lisa!! AAACK!!)

I'm sorry, but is this not the cutest thing ever??

The way the midwest won

I've known for many-a-year that I'm allergic to spring. However, I've most recently been reminded that I am oh-so-allergic to Midwest May. Holy cow! Seriously, I haven't had this serious of a reaction in a long, long time. Perhaps, not even since the horrific outdoor date in Philly a few years ago where I was so full of allergens and sneezing and such that there was absolutely no way that any other human would want to touch me, let alone the hot-former-coworker guy. But, I digress. The point is that I am pretty much unable to go outside here and am quickly acquiring a claritin addiction. Throw a couple of cats into the mix and I am feeling pretty suffer-y. Yuk. Oh well, seeing friends of awesomeness is totally worth it.
Down with pollens!

A Week Away From Reality, Phase 1

So, after all the chaos of getting the new season launched and a new performing arts center opened, I was finally able to slip away for a week prior to my summer classes beginning. So, on Tuesday I flew into Kansas City for a week-long getaway in Kansas (plus airport time in MO). In addition to this being my 43^rd state (yahoo!), I get to spend some long overdue quality time with two of my favorite people. Since Tuesday, I’ve been hanging out with my friend Lisa and her family. We went to both college and grad school together, but haven’t seen each other at all since they moved out to Topeka about 3 years ago. It is so good to reconnect with someone who knows so much of my history and with whom I am completely comfortable just being myself. And, to boot, I get to hang out with kids, which I never get to do. It’s been pretty cool to hang out with Joshua (5), Kayla (3), and Tyler (1) the last few days and realize that they have no idea that I am completely experience-less with kids. They just trust me and love me and want to hang out with me. There’s something so charming about children that just expect you to be a part of their life from the moment they meet you. It’s a crazy-stark contrast to my usual day-to-day life, but it’s really quite refreshing.

Tomorrow, I’m on to Kansas, Phase 2: Jeremy, Annie, and the girls. More reports soon.

Once-in-a-lifetime

Last night, I got all dressed up and headed out for what may have been a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. Saturday night was the gala dinner and performance (a.k.a. the formal night) of the three-day grand opening weekend at the Hylton Performing Arts Center. George Mason (my employer) is one of the three significant partners in establishing this gorgeous venue in Prince William County. It is located on one of Mason's campuses and the operations side of things rests squarely on GMU's shoulders. As such, I have had a role in preparing for its opening over the last year or so. Though my role is fairly insignificant in the whole scope of things, it was definitely enough to give me a real sense of pride in the whole project.
As I sat in a brand new chair in a beautiful new hall, looking at musicians sitting on a brand new stage, I couldn't help but get excited about the many years of enriching arts experiences that would be had in that hall, or even in that very seat. Someone may be inspired to write a play, pursue playing the piano, take up ballet, or underwrite a season of concerts from that very spot. I had gotten so caught up in the minutia of the work that I had forgotten what a monumental event this really was. Performing Arts Centers don't get opened every day. And, most certainly not in this economic climate! It was an honor to be there among the first to be a part of this event.
I would love to be a part of opening another new venue someday, but I also realize that this may have been a once-in-a lifetime experience for me. I am honored and humbled, thrilled and inspired to be a part of enriching the lives of a community in a new way. This is what inspires me.

Random things from today

• I finally mailed Christmas presents to my family. I gave up on actually having all of the birthday presents to go along with them. So, they get a package of May presents and that's just the way it is. Hey - at least they get them!!
• I love my job. It is crazy and I can't keep up with it, but I really do love it. I am so fortunate to be in a field where my passions also are.
  
• I was amused by a very serious looking envelope I got in the mail today from "Federal Investigative Services Division" that was imprinted with the date and "Have a nice day". Looks like they're trying to do some image management? It just seemed like a very lighthearted thing to print on such a dour federal envelope. It would have been a bit better, I suppose, if it said 'The Feds say, "Have a nice day!"'
• Dinner with Liz tonight! So good to see her again -- she was my first ever frolleague. Someday, we will once again have adjacent doors and get a custom plaque that says "codependent since 2007." Yay for time to actually catch up with friends!
  

Old news

So a few weeks ago, I cut a bunch of my hair off. Here are two before shots and one after. I'm still not sure which I prefer. It's possible that I have a little cutter's remorse. I mean, don't get me wrong. I love, love, love my new hair, but now that I'm looking at the pictures, I kind of miss my pretty long hair, too.

Awesome things from last week

Awesome Thing 1: My Birthday! Ok, so I may be stretching the definition of week a little tiny bit here. However, it was lovely and low-key and involved several of my favorite people, including my mama!! Success, I say!
Awesome Thing 2: Amy came to town!! Yay! She was here to interview for a fellowship, which she got. Congrats, Ames! So... now she gets to come back to town in a little over a week. Whoo-hoo! Lots of Amy doses. Plus, she reminded me that they are supposed to be relocated to Georgia this fall, which means much easier Amy-dose-procurement. Yippity!
Awesome Thing 3: We saw a dog walking down the street beside its owner carrying its own bag from Pawticulars. That was awesome.
Awesome Thing 4: So, I was thinking the dog bag-carrying trick was pretty cool until later that night when I got to meet Sebastian - Colleen and Nathaniel's brand, new shiny baby. Ok, maybe not shiny, but definitely new and a-dor-a-ble! We've all been waiting so long to meet him that it was just so cool to finally see him. Double-yay for new family members!

I'm all out of awesome things for now.

A Day Charged, A Penny Saved

So, I thought my old-school phone had finally bit the dust. I couldn't seem to get it to charge during the day yesterday so I wrote it off and figured I would be without a phone for a few days until I could replace it. However! When I got home I was able to fanangle my charger to start pouring some resuscitating life back into my phone.
In the words of my astute frolleague: "A Day Charge, A Penny Saved"

Lessons Learned from Impoundment

So, apparently, last Thursday night, my car insisted on being parked in front of some guy's driveway. As a result, it got a three-day vacation in a special resort lot, aka DC tow lot. But, I did learn a few things:
1 - When you're parallel parking and think you should have hit the curb, you probably should have.
2 - D.C. suddenly gets all Christian on Easter weekend and closes up their tow lots.
3 - Sometimes menial, even annoying tasks end up being absolutely joyous. Tonight, I was cleaning the proliferation of waxy chalk numbers and letters on my car's windshield when a neighborhood guy walked by and said, "Lucky you have something like that to do tonight." It struck me as odd, but then I started to think about it. There I was, cleaning the windshield, somewhat begrudging the fact that I was out there undoing my marks of shame all by myself without anyone to help me or keep me company. But, this guy was just taking in the beautiful evening, enjoying a conversation with his buddy, and in the process showed me that there was joy to be found in that task. And, with each of the remaining letters and numbers I erased, I tried to soak in the rhythm of the task, the feel of the warm spring night, and the neighborhood sounds... conversations, buses, bikes, dogs. That task could have been a punishment, but instead, it was a rewarding experience in which I felt I was really "living".

Crossing the threshold

So, tonight, I needed help deciding which boots to wear with a new outfit. I just didn't really like either one, but they were the only options I had so I needed a second opinion. However, as you will recall, I live alone. No opinion givers here. So, I emailed my nextdoor neighbor and asked her if she could come over for a fashion consultation. And, she did! Yay! We're getting to be real friends. That's what real friends do -- late night outfit checks. (well, other stuff, too... but we'll get there)
And, in case you care -- knee high chocolate brown boots

Operation Ink Refill: Fail

Printer ink is expensive. Hyla is cheap. (Well, at least when it comes to ink.) I thought I would beat the system, take a friend's advice and refill my ink cartridges for much less than the cost to buy new ones. The refill kit I bought claims to provide enough ink for many refills so at about $20, is quite a steal. Even if it filled 8 cartridges, that's a savings of about $100, probably!
So, tonight, I set out to be industrious, practical, handy, even sleuthy. But alas, my plan was foiled. The package claims to work for over (sic) 750 printers. Apparently, my printer is #751. (Thanks, Chris. The one we swapped this one out with was probably #749, but hey, I'm not bitter.) Anyways, so I got a lot of yellow ink on my hands and in my sink... not so much stayed in the ink cartridge and then none of the plugs fit it anyways so it was a lost cause. Sigh.

Back to Staples I go tomorrow. Defeated and down $20 or so.

I win!

I just finished one of my favorite games of psychological manipulation: Housecleaning against the clock. Here's the way it works. I give myself a set amount of time to clean the apartment. In this case, it was one hour. I make a list of all the cleaning tasks I want to finish in that amount of time. And, then.... GO! I race against the clock to see how much I can get done on my list. Tonight I was very very successful because I was able to finish all of the tasks on my list. In 60 minutes, I was able to:

• gather clothes from around the house and either fold them and put them away or put them in the laundry
• Put away my shoes (sounds simple, but my floor is really just a social gathering place for all of my shoes)
• Clean the bathroom
  
• Gather trash (I would have taken it out, but the alley is a little scary at night.)
• Go through mail and straighten up kitchen counter
• Clean all of the floors in my apartment
• Run dishwasher, put away pots & pans and wash few straggling fragile glasses by hand
• Quick kitchen touch-up (stove, counters)
• Wash a load of towels

Aaahhhh! I LOVE this game. And, I totally win! Now, all I need to get done tomorrow is take the trash outside and wash sheets.
Ok, Gail, you can come visit now. :) Yay!

Two Things for Today

1. I made myself a smoothie today. All by myself. I did it without Chris. This was an important milestone. I know it sounds silly, but I was never as successful with the smoothie making as Chris. So, I decided that making smoothies could be his job. But, today, with a lack of Chris and a need for smoothie, I made it myself. And, it was good.

2. I drove to work today for the first time in 5 years (well, at least in my own car). That was very weird.

Today's mistake

This morning I thought I sent the following text to Dan, one of my best friends from college who got married today:
"I just wanted to tell you I'm thinking about you today. I hope your day is perfect. Sorry I can't be there."

Unfortunately, I sent it to my coworker, Dan by mistake.
Fortunately, I didn't send him the follow up message which said:
"I look forward to spending time with you and your new bride soon!"

Oops!

A perfect dinner

Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, turkey kielbassa and blue cheese on a bed of spinach..... consumed while watching highlights from the olympics including Lindsey Vonn's gold medal ski run. Perfect.
Lonely
but perfect.

Two New Experiences

Two new experiences in the last 24 hours.
1 - I went to an NBA game for the first time last night. I got free tickets from work so Robin and I went to the Wizards/Nuggets game. It was a lot of fun.... including light-up pom-poms and pulled pork nachos. Yummy!
2 - Today, I registered a car and got the tags and the whole nine yards. I don't think I've ever done that before. I don't really know where the tags came from on my last car. My parents must have taken care of it for me or something. Anyways, so, yes... as of today, I am the proud, conflicted owner of a car. I know it will both complicate and simplify my life, but for now, it is a necessary evil. I guess 5 years was all I could take. So long to my proud carless ways and so long to my diminished carbon footprint. Don't worry, Metro! I'll still take you at least two days a week. And, Metrobus - you'll still be my best bud to get around on the weekend. Yes, I've taken a new transportation lover, but my friends ever you will be.

Hyla admits she was wrong

Ok, so it is possible that I was wrong. Last week, I declared somewhere (that I can't seem to locate right now) that "it wasn't like we would be snowed in for a week or something!" Um, let us take stock. The University closed last Friday at noon-thirty and is reopening tomorrow morning for the first time all week. Public transportation, and especially buses, have been all but stopped for most of a week. The only places I've gone this week have centered around provision gathering, snowfun (concentrated in the first few days before that got old) and efforts to prevent going crazy. So, yes, I suppose that every 120 years or so DC gets hit so badly that we really are snowed in for a week.

I am SO looking forward to going to the office tomorrow. Not so much looking forward to the trudging, but at least resuming my life!

Real-time Window Snowcast: Snoverkill

It's that time again! Time for real-time snowcasting from my window. I'll keep you up to date on whether this is a storm worthy of the name Snoverkill or whether it was truly a dissnowpointment (Thanks to Colleen for the editing suggestion.).
Tuesday at 4:22pm - Flurries have begun. It feels a bit surreal to me to see it snowing again with so much snow still on the ground. Also, there is a UPS truck stuck out front. Hopefully, the four people currently working on it will get it out before the new snow starts to accumulate!
10:15pm - Flakes got bigger. Hyla went to cook dinner and watch half of Malcolm X. Flakes disappeared.
Wednesday at 8:00am - Flakes have returned. I can hardly see out the window. Lots of confused looking flakes blowing around out there.
9-ish am - I heard on the radio that there is a blizzard warning in effect. It's hard to tell accumulation since there was lots out there already, but I'd guess about 5-7 inches so far.
1:38pm - According to DCist, my coworkers, a friend from my school cohort, and my screen, it's a blizzard out there. Apparently, there were whiteout conditions earlier and now it's really blowing around while some snow is still falling. Apparently, the feds have already called off for tomorrow. Craziness.
2:20pm - Just heard that the roof collapsed on a Smithsonian storage facility. Fortunately, all the artifacts are safe! Whew - this live blogging thing is consumptive!
3:54pm - Snow seems to be mostly subsided. Only flurries at this points. There are some wicked icicles hanging off my neighbors' roofs, though. Also, a Diet Coke shortage is impending. Why didn't I buy more yesterday!!??
5:30pm - Snow is steadily waning. Hard to tell at this point if it's snowing or just blowing around. And (drum roll please...), it's official! As of 2pm today, this is the snowiest winter on record for DC ever. Well, at least since they started recording in 1884. We've officially received 54.9 inches of snow this winter which breaks the previous record of 54.1 inches. And, remember that back then, they measured up in NW DC where accumulations are usually higher than the current measuring point on the river at National Airport. Even more impressive! (I hate to say this out loud, but there are rumors of more snow on Monday.)

Here We Go Again!

Well, apparently, we're stuck in some kind of crazy pattern where God has his finger stuck on the "Snow" button for DC. For the third time in ten days, we're expecting a snowstorm. Let's restore perspective a bit. The average annual snowfall for DC is 15". Last year, I don't even think we ever got any accumulation. At least, none that I recall. And, our total snowfall this season is at 45" already. And.... drumroll please....
--The National Weather Service has just put out a warning calling for 10-20" tomorrow!
DC is NOT equipped to handle this. I'm on snow day #2.5 tomorrow and I'm betting I won't see my office until Thursday, at least. Also, the name "Snoverkill" has been bandied about. I love it!

But, don't you worry! I'll keep you up to date. Snowcast will not let you down!
More soon ... and who knows, maybe one of these days, I'll post something non-snow related!

Snowcast final report

Well, it's debatable how much we actually got. I think a final estimate of 2 feet is more than reasonable, but there are places in the area that reported 36-40 inches. Definitely not a snowpointment! I already heard that the University is closed tomorrow so no work for me! Ok, in actuality, I'll probably work most of the day because I have my stuff with me and can work from home. But, I can at least sleep in and take it easy!

It was an absolutely gorgeous walk both to and from church last night. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea. The picture quality on some of these isn't great, but I wanted to give you an idea of what a the streets looked like last night ... and these were the "good" streets! More pictures on flickr momentarily.

Above: lumps formerly known as cars

Above: 3rd street NE, taken at the intersection of 3rd & F

Real-time Window Snowcast Update

It's time to start keeping track. Check back here regularly for updates!
Location: 15th & D, NE - Capitol Hill

12:30pm - Snow has been falling for about an hour. Steady, but fine snow. No evidence of sticking.
1:30pm - Still steadily snowing. Still fine flakes. Possible sticking on neighbor's steps, but may be remnant from earlier this week. Overall, no conclusive evidence of sticking.
3:06pm - Flakes are varying in size, but still fairly light snow. The first evidence of accumulation has appeared. There is officially a "skift" appearing outside my window right now. Snow is now beginning to stick to the tree in my neighbor's yard.
4:55pm - It's that really beautiful stage right now! Each branch of the tree is highlighted with a line of snow and everything is looking festive and wintry! Still firmly in skift territory, though. Time to finally quit working. We were dismissed at 12:30, but I was working from home so I ended up working all afternoon. yuk! More soon!
6:31pm - Just discovered a flaw in my window snowcast plan. Um... it gets dark. It appears to still be snowing and we may be around the 1-2" mark. Updates may be scattered until it gets light again... and while Hyla sleeps!
8:39pm - Ok, it is getting GORGEOUS out. The snow is thick and wet and everything is getting just gorgeous. The trees are just hanging full of snow! Winter is a pain in the city, but I really DO miss winters with lots of snow. Sigghh. My best guesstimate at the moment is 3-4".
10:30pm - Snowmygod! Operation Window Snowcast is being compromised. This snow is sticky! And, it's choosing my screen to stick to. After taking drastic measures (read: plastering my face up against the window), I've come to the conclusion that it is CRAZY snowing out. Huge flakes (I think) and current guesstimate nearing 6 inches if not already passed. It looks like the prediction of an inch an hour is coming true for now.
Saturday
11:49am - Wow. This is no joke. The snowdrift on my windowsill is a good 8 inches, but above that I can see the pile of snow everywhere outside -- and it is huge! We're definitely over a foot, but at this point, there's so much white that it's hard to tell exactly how much there really is. That poor tree in my neighbor's yard looks like it can hardly hold up the snow anymore. It's really sticky snow so there is 6 inches or more on its branches. I'm going to go to church as long as it isn't cancelled so maybe I'll have more exciting info then!

My snowcast

So, the entire DC metropolitan area is freaking out. I've heard predictions of 12-18, 18-24, even 40-60 inches (!! -- I'm truly not joking on this one, but it wasn't the most reliable source, mind you.) And, so, I thought it only fair to bring some reason to the table, for you, my few, my faithful, my dear-dear readers.
Factors for consideration in Snowcast:
1. Snow may start falling as early as 10am Friday and continue until 10pm Saturday. I do recognize that this is a crazy long time for snow to fall, if it, indeed, does fall continuously.
2. The temperatures are predicted to hover right around the freezing mark. Now, any good mountain girl knows that those temperatures make for a good, heavy storm. However, that also means there's a possibility that it will rain and freezing-rain for many of the hours of the storm.
3. People (and governments) in the metro area are crazy when it snows. (This one is for free and does not necessarily affect my snowcast.)

My Official Snowcast:
Either:
1. World ending Snowpocalypse: 26-30 inches of snow, requiring two days to clean up, snowman building, and at least one snowball fight in the District requiring police intervention.
2. Snowpointment: A dissapointing 6-10 inches of snow resulting from 2 hours of snow followed by 12 hours of rain/freezing-rain, followed by another few hours of snow. Along with this comes the terribly annoying sound of freezing rain that is likely to go on most of the night. Snowpointing, for sure.

Check back here for updates!!

Today's score

Awesome scenery thanks to beautiful thick snow on every branch this morning: +4
All the snow falling off the trees by noon: -1
Productive and relatively non-frustrating workday: +1
Not getting into my favorite kickboxing class even though I got there 15 min early: -2
Getting a pass into spinning class to try something new: +1
Not getting into the spinning class because someone must have snuck in and there weren't any bikes left: -1
The tv on the treadmill not working: -1
Realizing I was pushing the wrong button: +1
Getting a ride to and from work today: +2
Losing the war against the vanilla oreos: -2
-------------
Today's total: +2

Civil Rights and Snow Days

Two Things I'm pondering today:
1. Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the first sit-in. I was truly flabbergasted when I heard it on the radio yesterday morning. It just seems impossible that it was only 50 years ago. I guess that really put it in perspective that just 50 years ago segregation was alive and well. Or, at least alive. I suppose the chronological positioning of my birth has a lot to do with it. It does restore my faith in humans a bit, though, just to think that we are capable of making this much progress in just 50 years.
2. It is snowing again. Will it snow enough to get a snow day? I sure hope so!

Today's Consumption

I just thought this was a wee-bit humorous so I thought I would share my consumption so far today:
a banana
10 pretzel thins
seaweed (snack pack)
vitamin water

Today's score

+1 for awesome weather including a 60-degree morning!
+3 for super productivity at both work and home
+2 for getting a pass into zumba class (college girls are crazy in January!)
-1 for not being able to see the instructor from the back of the class
-1 for having to put up with screaming zumba instructor who insists we smile (I'm sorry, but I'm there to work out, not perform... sheesh)
+1 for relatively quick commute home (under 1.5 hours!!)
------
Today's Total: +5

Feelings of failure

Wow. I don't know what hit me today. By the time I left work today, I felt like such a failure. As I walked from the venue to the gym, I actually started crying a little. I really don't know exactly what was affecting me, but I think it was some compilation of a new, demanding schedule, plus the realization that the next four months at work are going to be quite intense. In addition, I went into the office today for one particular meeting and felt like a dismal failure in that meeting. And, then after that meeting, I worked on another project for an hour that I feel I've completely mismanaged. Put that all together and I guess you get some tears. The good news, though, is that I did get to the gym for a brief workout and I feel much better about things now. I'm going take the rest of the evening "off" and then dive into studying head-first in the morning. My goal is to do as much as possible tomorrow so that I might have a little time to play on Sunday.
Moving on.

2010 Suggestions - Update 2

I am chipping away at my objective to read 8 books this year. As of today, I have finished two books in 2010. I just finished reading Good to Great. I decided this book should finally move off my reading list and onto my "finished books" list, most especially because I am starting my MBA this week. I didn't want to show my face up in an MBA program without having read that book. And, actually, it was really quite good. Not only was it a good read, the points they made through the research are quite compelling. I would actually recommend this book for anyone who wants to improve anything - an organization, a team at work, a volunteer effort, a sports team, anything at all. It gives a really simple, focused way to look at things. And, if you're in a hurry, he gives summaries at the end of the chapters so you could really sit down and get the gist of the book in an hour if need be.
So, there we go - book 2! (I figured I'd need a head start since I probably won't have a lot of time for personal reading while the semesters are in action.)

Suggestions update

I have an update on two of my 2010 suggestions. So far, I've finished one book: Primal by Mark Batterson. It's a book written by our lead pastor about getting back to the "primal" basics of Christianity - loving God with your heart, soul, strength, and mind. It wasn't bad. Since I get to hear him speak all the time, I had heard a lot of those thoughts at various times over the last few years, but there was also new material in there, too. I was pleasantly surprised. So, that's one of eight. (Sneak Preview: I'm more than halfway through my second book!)
By the way, my assigned reading for school doesn't count toward my goal of reading eight books.
Also, I am keeping up on my Bible reading. So far, so good. However, this chronological reading plan quickly took me out of Genesis and through the entire book of Job. That is one onerous book, let me tell you! In fact, I keep meaning to take a little time and dig up some commentary on it or read it in another version because so far, I'm not a big fan. And, I'm sure there's something good to learn there.
The health suggestion -- doing ok. Better on the working out than the eating well. 1% better every day. I need to remember that.
Eating out - not too bad. I think I'm roughly on target in that category. Yay! However, this means that I desperately need to go grocery shopping this weekend!

Generosity

I just gave my GMAT study book away to someone via Craigslist. I put it in a plastic bag for him, but, generously, didn't charge him for the bag. How nice of me! I considered making a joke about it, but I think he's from VA so I didn't know if he would get it.

Notes from today

New Word of the day: re-fangled (not new, just rethought)
Weird Happening of the day: Same boy that allegedly tried to hit on me at the gym yesterday was sitting at the same place in the gym tonight when I was there and gave me a similar look. This time, I fiercely avoided eye contact.
Accomplishment of the day: I ran for the second day in a row with very few walking breaks. My calves were killing for the first .5 mile, but then it was fine. I guess I just have to get past that. Will I ever actually "like" running? I have my doubts.
MBA News of the day: I got an email about orientation. Not only do I have to wear professional dress, I also have to read case studies and be prepared to discuss them at orientation. Pre-homework! Seriously, what is this about!!??

Today's slip-up

(Preface: The big street that runs North/South through Philly is Broad Street. The big street that runs North/South through DC is North Capitol Street.)

Me: So, I have a Dr. appt tomorrow.
Other person (OP): Oh yeah, where?
Me: Up on North Broad
OP: -silent pause-
Me: Did I just say North Broad?? I meant North Capitol!

I guess I subconsciously miss Philly!

How the Bag Act will discourage Hyla from recycling

The new "Skip the Bag, Save the River" law seems like a great idea. Encourage reusing and recycling and use the profits to clean up the river. If you haven't heard about this, it's our Great District's latest revenue generating scheme. Now, every time we visit a store or restaurant, we'll have to take our own bags or be charged 5 cents per bag. There are lots of arguments against this, as you can imagine. However, I have an argument that is perhaps less obvious. I use the paper bags from Harris Teeter and Trader Joe's to hold my recyclables, but if I'm not getting paper bags anymore, then I don't have anything to hold my recycling. This will actually discourage me from recycling! Ok, fine, I suppose that I can buy a new bin or something.
So, happy New Year and welcome to the newest tax in the District. Wait, what? What was that you said? Taxation without Representation? Oh, yes. Pile it on.

2010 Suggestions

This year, I will call the things I would usually label resolutions, "suggestions". Setting resolutions is a really good way to set myself up to feel like a failure. So, instead, I am making "suggestions". Here are the few I can remember right now.
1. Read through the Bible chronologically this year. I'm hoping that will help give me some perspective on the story.
2. Read eight books this year. I've realized that I've become an underperforming reader. This is particularly deplorable for a girl that has three hours of commuting several times a week.
3. Lose another 10-15 pounds. Continue to get healthier. Work out a minimum of 4 times a week.
4. Eat out less! This is to help me reach my health goals and my financial goals. Eating out soaks up a lot more of my income than it needs to. I'm going to attempt to eat out no more than three times a week. This doesn't count lunches at work, though, because I can eat for $5 and I still have to carry two meals with me since I am gone for such a long time each day.

I think there are more, but I can't think of them right now. I'll add them as they come to me.

Happy New Decade!

2009 Highlights #4: thearts!

Well, maybe this is cheating since the arts would land on any highlights list for me. But, I will be more specific and choose a few experiences that were particularly memorable for me.
Shakespeare: It was a banner year for me and Shakespeare. I was fortunate enough to take in at least three Shakespeare plays, including As You Like It, King Lear and Much Ado about Nothing. (Am I forgetting one? Maybe there were four...?) DC is a great Shakespeare town, with two great theaters entirely devoted to the bard's work and I have been fortunate enough to take in several of these great performances this year. King Lear was particularly notable.
Brandenburg Concertos: Or shall I say Concerti? This spring, we presented the Academy of Ancient Music at the Center for the Arts and they played a rare program consisting of all of the Brandenburg Concertos. What a great program! To hear them all together, in succession, on period instruments, and played with their historical expertise was pretty awesome. It reminded me how very much I do enjoy Baroque music. I've gotten so wrapped up in late romantic and 20th C. works that it is easy to forget both the simplicity and intricate complexity of those earlier works. Good for the soul, I say. Good for the soul.
Barnes Collection: I meant to write a more complete post on this weeks ago, but time just got away from me. At the end of November, I finally (!) made it up to the Barnes Collection just outside of Philly. This is one of the largest collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art in the world. The art itself is incredible, but it's not just the art that is notable about this museum. The founder, Albert Barnes, purchased almost all of the art himself and arranged it in the building where it is currently housed so that it could be available to engage and educate "common" people, including the workers in his factories, etc. Maybe one of the reasons, this collection was so attractive to me was because Dr. Barnes passion is similar to my own -- to engage anyone and everyone in the arts. But, his collection is unique -- not only for the incredible depth of art, but the fact that it is housed on his estate. So, it's essentially just a building on private property out in the suburbs. It's pretty cool that way. The collection is going to be moved downtown into a new space within the next two years, though, so I wanted to be sure to get there while it was intact in it's original habitat. I think the most striking thing, though, is the arrangement of the art. This is no typical gallery. This is room after room after room with every wall absolutely crammed full of art. It wasn't unusual for one wall to house 9 or 12 paintings. And, every wall was perfectly symmetrical. Oh, there's so much more I could say, but alas, I will lose you, dear reader. So, here's a picture instead.

2009 Highlights #3: smaller-ness

How could I almost have forgotten this one!!?? I lost somewhere around 35 pounds this year. Though I still am not quite down to the weight where I want to be, I am so much healthier and am getting quite a kick out of fitting into a size that I've never worn before in my life. Yay!

2009 Highlights, #2: Alpha

One of the year's highlights is definitely the two courses of Alpha I helped to lead at Ebenezers. It is such a privilege to be part of something that allows people to re-engage in their faith, connect them with other people on a similar journey, or discover the joys of Christianity for the first time altogether. The team of people that have been working alongside me to make this happen are incredible and I couldn't have done it without the energy and spirit of people like JT, Kim, Aaron, and Min. It is so encouraging to see people developing their leadership skills right in front of my eyes. Plus, the group of people who just went through Alpha seemed to have an incredible experience and I can forsee many of them being an important force in the leadership at NCC in the future. Very cool!

2009 Highlights, #1

I thought I would write about a few of my highlights from the year. And, so, I will start with of my earliest experiences this year. In January, I joined a few hundred thousand of my closest friends (and a few of my actually close friends) on the National Mall for the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama. It was the first inauguration since I've lived in DC. And, of course, this inauguration held historical implications beyond that of most years. Not to mention the personal implications. Despite the near-frozen toes, claustrophobic conditions, and long walk, I am very glad that I braved it to go to this event. It is likely to be something I'll remember for the rest of my life.

Thundersnow pierogies!

So, our (fourth?) annual Bows not Bags Christmas party/gift exchange got postponed due to massive amounts of snow that prevented several integral members of the group from safe travel. But, in its stead, Meredith, Jeremy, Nathaniel, Colleen and I (and eventually Chris) gathered about for stew, Jeremy gift bestowment and my inaugural homemade pierogies. The general consensus was "awesomeness". Yay! I wasn't sure about the thickness of the dough, the dough to contents ratio or even the general structural integrity of these pockets of yumminess. However, they seem to have turned out well. This attempt included pumpkin pierogies (soon to make a repeat appearance at Kim's potluck) and cheddar potato with onion and herbs. Hmmm... if people continue to react so positively, this may well become my signature. Oh, them many ways I could customize them!!! I'm getting excited just thinking about it. There will be goat cheese pierogies and cheeseburger pierogies and cherry cream cheese pierogies and sauerkraut pierogies and, and, and.....!

Ok - my tired self is going to bed. Too much trudging about in the snow today!

Beautiful thought from my current read

I'm currently reading Transformation of the Heart by Dallas Willard with my fall small group. It is a deeply philosophical book that is, honestly, difficult for me to wrap my head around frequently. However, I've been enjoying the challenge and it's good to read and discuss something out of my comfort zone. Anyways, I came across this beautiful passage in the book today and just thought I'd share it here:

"Our soul is like an inner stream of water, which gives strength, direction and harmony to every other element of our life. When that stream is as it should be, we are constantly refreshed and exuberant in all we do, because our soul itself is then profusely rooted in the vastness of God and his kingdom, including nature; and all else within us is enlivened and directed by that stream."

Fall culinary experiments

I derive great joy from putting together a great meal with minimal time and money, particularly without a recipe. Experimental cooking that turns out tasty is its own reward! And, so two minor victories from earlier this week:
1 - pumpkin mashed potatoes -- simply made mashed potatoes and mixed in pumpkin puree (from Mom and Dad's garden!) These were good, but good have used a little more flavor. Next time, I will either add cumin and nutmeg or go the spicy route with cayenne.

2 - roasted butternut squash with turkey kielbassa on a bed of spinach - This was pretty awesome, but would be even better with a little goat cheese and some pepitas. I didn't have those things on hand so I went with what I had.

Just some simple fall meal ideas to put out there for ya!

Thanksgiving Quandries

Q. If there was no traffic between DC and Ebensburg, how long would the trip actually take?
A. 2 hours 50 minutes

Q. Will there be stuffing balls for Thanksgiving?
A. Yes!

With those two things, I am a very happy girl. Yay

End of an Era

It is getting late and I've been intending to do this all day so this will be a little shorter than I had hoped. Perhaps this will be a multi-part-post. Anyways, so, this morning, I walked into church at the theaters at Union Station for the last time. To make a long story short, the movie theater's lease was revoked, effective this week, so with very little notice, NCC is down a location... our largest, oldest location.

I wanted to go this morning, one last time, but I don't think it would hit me quite as hard as it did. I took a picture of the marquis outside the theater because I realized that the entrance to that theater was as much of a physical symbol on my spiritual journey as I have. When I walked into that theater the first time, I was professing with my mouth, but in my mind, I was contemplating walking away from Christianity all together. But, there, in an old, sticky-floored movie theater, I rediscovered God and my faith in a whole new way. And, I fell in love with NCC, discovered Alpha, and learned to embrace the rich life I am fortunate enough to have here in DC.

But, today, I walked out of that theater, along with hundreds of other NCCers who have invested their time, money and energy in that space, making NCC what it is today. NCC called that theater home for 13 years. Where next? No one knows yet, but it is sure to be exciting!

The defeat of Stench Monster and other kitchen tales

It all started on Thursday. Chris stopped by my place, thinking that I was working from home that day, and then promptly called me to tell me that a stench had overtaken my apartment. We both attributed it to trash that needed to be removed from the premises and left it at that. However, it soon became apparent that Stench Monster did not live in the garbage bag. After some rather extensive stench research, we came to the conclusion that Stench Monster resided in the refrigerator. I threw out everything that I could possibly attribute such a horrible odor to and wiped out the refrigerator. Stench Monster remained. At that point (already Saturday!), we decided that the stench was just lingering in the refrigerator and that if properly cleaned Stench Monster would leave us alone. So, while I was taking the GMAT yesterday, Chris got down and dirty with the fridge, cleaning it out with bleach and some good ol' elbow grease. And, yet, last night the stench remained. We even went out and bought two boxes of baking soda in hopes that they would soak up the lingering stench.
Now, at this point in the story, allow me to interject an important point. Throughout this War Against the Stench Monster, Chris kept asking me about the fresh-cut broccoli in a ziploc bag in the fridge. I was adamant that it could not possibly be the broccoli as I had just brought it back from my parents' garden and it seemed to just smell like broccoli through the bag.
Now, back to the story. So, this morning, I got something out of the fridge and when I did, the Stench Monster reared his ugly head again. And so, I threw out the very last thing that I could imagine to be the source of the smell -- the broccoli. I was still certain that it wasn't that and that somehow Stench Monster had imbedded himself in between the layers of my refrigerator door and would be a permanent resident. I then left for church, leaving the broccoli in the garbage can. When Chris and I came back a few hours later, the entire apartment, reeked of Stench. Indeed, it must have been the broccoli, whose horrible odor powers were released to permeate the entire apartment while we were off praising Jesus. So, now, the broccoli is removed, the apartment aired out, and it seems Stench Monster has retreated. So, fine. I guess Chris was right. (But, just this once!)

Also - I would like to know how there can be a metal rack in my microwave, but I'm not supposed to put anything metallic in it myself. Huh?! I don't get it. Any explanations?

Stars are good. Family is better.

It's good to be home. I was homesick. In fact, I was curled up in Chris' arms two nights ago with tears streaming down my face because I was just homesick. As I get older, the term homesick takes on some very different meanings, but I just missed family, MY family, my parents, the open space, the garden, my history. Coming out here every now and then helps to keep me centered. Just as I need some time alone every now and then, I also need a little time out here to help keep everything in balance.
Once again, I wish Chris was here with me. I know it will be culture shock for him, but I can't wait for him to see firsthand the surroundings that first shaped me into the Hyla I am today. Everytime I see something distinctively "smalltown", I keep thinking that I would love to see the expression on his face when he takes some of this stuff.... horse and buggy, clay targets for sale in the aisle at Wal-mart, a huge tractor driving down the road. I suppose those days will come soon enough. But, regardless, it's good to be here.
Mom helped me alter some clothing this morning. That was fabulous! Now a bunch of my clothing actually fits again. Yippity! It starts to make up for the 3 bags of clothes I had to get rid of (sad).
Tomorrow, church and then some sort of an event at an amusement park where my brother and his family will be, too. Monday, a quick stop at the county fair with Jan (she says they have a rabbit skills-a-thon!) and then back to my real life.
Well, I'm off... maybe I'll go out and stare at the stars.

Just three blocks, but a world away

I did something this morning that I probably should have done ages ago. I visited a church down the street. It was a small church (though larger than the many storefront churches in the neighborhood) with about a hundred people worshipping this morning. The music was good, the minister energetic, and the ritual of tradition deep. I never knew what to expect exactly when someone in the sanctuary changed position or we stood or there was a quiet pause. This was a church filled with traditions and practices that were largely unfamiliar to me. The style of the preacher, the combination of music with the preaching, the offering procedure, the songs.... all unfamiliar.
I knew before I walked in, though, that it would be unfamiliar. I would be lying if I said that I walked in confidently. I walked up the sidewalk to the front steps, took a deep breath, and said out loud, "I can do this." I knew that whatever was inside those doors would be unfamiliar to me. I knew that I would be the only white person in the building. (Incidentally, I was right.)
I didn't just walk into a different church this morning. I walked into an entirely different culture. Three blocks from my house! This was a mere three blocks from my house. I am living right beside people with such a different experience of worship than me. How can I live here and be ignorant to this culture? Better yet, how can I live here and endeavor to reach beyond my ignorance? Ignorance is not bliss -- Ignorance lacks love. True love does not live in ignorance. I want to be a part of the neighborhood, not be afraid of it. I want to love the people here, on my block, down the street, on the bus. But, how can I love these people if I don't understand them? Or, at least attempt to understand? And, how do I start to understand? Lots of questions. Not many answers.

A few books for a few prisoners

I went with a small group of awesome people to help out a local nonprofit that sends books to prisoners. For two hours, I hung out in a smallish, dank room in the basement of a church in Dupont Circle, filling requests from prisoners for books. We read their letters, then looked for books that matched their requests, wrote them a short note, and packed them up to be shipped off. Many of the requests were for dictionaries, fantasy and other sundry kinds of fiction, but I did fill one request for erotica. (He said it would fill a need of his. :) But, alas, that is not the point. The point is that I really enjoyed spending my evening that way. It definitely had the feel of a small, underground (literally!) band of mismatched people getting together to make a tiny little difference in the world. One person opened a letter from someone who said he'd been in prison for 40 years. I can't imagine what it would be like to spend 40 years - an entire lifetime - in prison. I can't even stand being in my apartment for a full day! I hope to make an effort to go back and help out again. And, now I will look at books at yard sales in a whole different light!

Dream of the Day

Last night I dreamed that I got a tattoo. This is strange for several reasons:
1 - I've never considered getting a tattoo and don't reckon that I ever will.
2 - It was on my upper arm, near my shoulder. If I was ever going to get a tattoo, it definitely wouldn't be on my arm or any other place where it would be easily visible.
3 - It was some sort of cheesy looking banner thing that said Christie Jean IV.
4 - In my dream, I had a conversation with someone in which it became apparent that I didn't actually want it to say "Christie Jean IV".
5 - I concluded that I could probably have it "fixed" to say Christopher and make the IV into a heart!

It amuses me to no end that I came up with all of that in my sleep! Fortunately, when I woke up there was no tattoo on my arm.... or anywhere else for that matter!

Today is Amy's birthday!! (and other stuff)

Nightmare on 15th Street - The other night I dreamed that someone stole my flute. I woke myself up crying. Sadly, this is not the first time that I've had that dream, nor the first time I've woken myself up crying in my sleep.

Runnings-Into - As aforementioned on this blog, I love randomly running into people around town. In the last few days, I've run into several people. Last night, on our way home, Chris and I saw Ian and Bekah (super cool folk from my small group who are moving to "East Asia" next month). A few days ago, I saw Candace (of Grand Jury Fame), but we were in a car and I thought it might be weird if we stopped so we just kept going. Then, this morning I ran into Molly in the metro station. Speaking of Molly, she just started a new blog. I haven't even visited it yet so don't yell at me if you don't like it. :)

Also, I would like some frozen yogurt please. sigh.

Second Grade expert

I remember being in elementary school and thinking that anyone who passed second grade was then qualified to teach it. That made sense to me. After all, as third-graders, we were second-grade experts! Of course, now I realize that there is a lot more to teaching second grade than just having been through it. However, it seems like that elementary school logic is applied in a lot of situations. Frequently, people come to me or my friends (maybe even you!) and ask for advice about something that I've just barely been through. Lately, it seems to be related to relationships. I guess people have always come to me for relationship advice (which was VERY strange when I had never even been on a date and people came to me for advice!), but now it's more specific and drawing on my experiences. Anyways, that happened again today so I will attempt to be helpful and draw on what little wisdom I have to share. :) So, as a wise old third grader, I will bestow my knowledge on a second-grader!

Thursday Thoughts

• When one shops for a new skirt, one should try sitting in said skirt before purchasing, lest the new owner discovers that it falls open in a not-appropriate-for-the-office kind of way
• I'm hoping bad stuff doesn't happen in threes.... at least not this time
• 2 hour commutes are so overrated
• I am so thankful for my close friends and for Chris who truly have operated as a family recently.
  

Little things for a Wednesday

One of the things I love about working from home a few days a week is being able to cook a quick healthy lunch for myself. Today I had sauteed green beans with corn and spinach over a bed of whole wheat couscous. So yummy! And, nutritious! And, I got to eat so many veggies that I am very very full now. It is hard to get many vegetables when you eat out.

Also, I really need to go buy some fruit. I just can't decide which grocery store to go to. The Safeway on Bladensburg is closest, but the one down on 14th is probably a safer walk. I really hate having to consider that every time I go out. I do NOT want to live in fear. I WILL not. well, maybe just a little. sigh.

I'll let you know how my attempt on a new tofu and broccoli recipe works out tonight. I'm pretty excited about it. By the way, I thought maybe I could add some turkey bacon to it and tried to look for recipes like that, but apparently tofu and bacon don't show up in the same recipe very often. Psshaw.

Tears of Joy

Something fairly uncommon in my life happened this morning and so I just wanted to be sure to make a note of it. I cried tears of joy this morning. I was sitting in my awesome red chair finishing up a banana from my breakfast/brunch/lunch when suddenly I was just struck with deep joy and happiness. I don't know entirely why. I was just looking around and thinking how very much I love my apartment and though, I don't have everything exactly as I want it, I just absolutely love my space... it makes me happy to have such a great place to live life. I think that's what triggered my joy, but then I started thinking about how I have a job and work arrangement (work from home two days/week) that I love. And, I'm with the man that I love so much and he adores me. And, I love my new smaller, healthier body. And, my God is so good. Even when life is difficult and deals us a crappy hand, there is joy and rest to be found in Him. Today is probably extra joyful because it is Baptism by the Bay day. This is my absolute favorite NCC event each year. We all head out to Sandy Point and hang out, picnic, then go down to the water to worship with some music and then, the main event... baptism! People make a public confession of faith with this very symbolic act. Right there in the Bay... it is so exciting to be there with people as they begin their public faith journey ... some for the first time... some with vigor for the first time. And, every year, among those baptized, there are people who have been touched by Alpha getting baptized. It reminds me why I do what I do and gives me a tangible moment to be grateful that God allows me to be a tiny part of those people's journey and experience of Him.
And, so, this morning.... tears of joy.

What fruit am I?

So, one of our assignments for small group this week was to ask someone which fruit of the spirit they thought was most evident in our lives. Of course, in the spirit of under-achievement, I waited until the day before small group to do this. But, in the spirit of over-achievement, I am asking more than one person. So far, I have 1 love, 1 joy, 1 patience and 1 watermelon. (One of these things is not like the others.)
What do you think?
As a refresher, the choices are:
love
joy
peace
patience
kindness
goodness
gentleness
faithfulness
self-control

I'm not dying!

And, rusty nails will not harm me!
I went to the doctor today. A real, run-of-the mill, everyone should have one and go once a year or so, doctor. And, she says I'm not dying.
Normal blood pressure - check!
Normal cholesterol levels - check!
Normal red and white blood platelet levels - check!
She poked and prodded and inspected and listened to me and pronounced me to be healthy. Plus, I got a tetanus shot so now I don't have to fear rusty nails and wild chipmunks. Life is good!

Sport Identified!

Meredith, you were right!! It's bicycle polo. Remember a few months back when I was so intrigued by the random sport I stumbled across on my way to the store? Well, apparently, I'm not the only one that's intrigued. Check it out:
The Washington Post picked it up: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2009/07/02/GA2009070201500.html
http://www.dcfixed.com/teams/polo/

Playgrounds and airplanes and transformers, oh my!

So, this last week has been fun! Caryl (my sis-in-law, by way of Scott) and Johnny (my nephew, by way of Scott) have been in town. We've been to playgrounds, the Air & Space Museum (at Dulles), Eastern Market. They've been on the mall, seen dinosaurs, animals at the zoo and lots and lots of Firetrucks! Here are a few fun pics from the weekend.

Caryl and Johnny in front of National Airport at Hains Point. We went down to watch the airplanes land.

Me and monkey boy! At one of many playgrounds.

At the air and space museum at Dulles. Notice which boy is NOT behaving!

This is the face of a boy who demanded a repeat visit to Jaleo. (Yes, an upscale tapas restaurant.... they've created a monster with a sophisticated palette.)

Behold! "Clean-out-the-freezer" eggs

For those of you who keep returning to my blog for more punishment and only to find it not updated, you may recall my earlier fondness for "clean-out-the-fridge" salad. Tonight, I ventured into a new land that I will call, "Clean-out-the-freezer" eggs. I ate way too much for lunch so I was trying to figure out something to eat tonight with lots of veggies and without lots of calories and fat and such. This fit the bill. And, fortunately, it turns out that spinach, roasted corn, shrimp, eggs, feta, salt, pepper and dill is really quite, quite tasty. I think perhaps I shall try this method again soon. (But, not too soon, I did, after all, make a dent on cleaning out the freezer.)














In other news: Screen on the Green is saved!!

The Long Way

Tonight, I had a first. For the first time in my life, I swam an Olympic length pool, the long way. And, guess what? It kind of is a long way! I was disappointed to realize how very slow my 50 is, but oh well.... I guess that means there is plenty of room for improvement. Plus, the workout goes fast because each length takes twice as long and I swim half as many.
Anyways, just thought I would share! (LOVE my gym!)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is why I love my job!















When I brought up the fact that we really needed to get my 6-month review done, my boss promptly grabbed a post-it pad and gave me this. Seriously.

Today's score so far

Walked outside to discover 92nd day of rain this month: -1
Caught bus immediately: +2
Was bigger person and said hi to girl on bus who seems to routinely ignore me even though we've gone to the same church for a long time: +3
Passed Calculus (with an A- !!): +5

Total so far: +9

Derivatives Be Done!

I just finished my calculus exam a little bit ago. Whew! I am so glad that's done. And, I think I did surprisingly well on it. At the minimum, I am confident that I passed. And, let's be honest. That was the goal here. For those that don't know, I was taking calculus this semester as a pre-req. to get into the MBA program at Mason. Let's just say that it wasn't a walk in the park. The professor was less than stellar (he actually answered his phone during class one night!) and well, calculus is hard! Well, it's difficult for a girl that hasn't done high-level math in about 15 years! Anyways, so it's over.
However, I have to get a tetanus (tetnus? huh. I don't know how to spell that. That's embarrassing. embarassing? eh - I must just be tired) shot before I can find out if I passed the class. I never turned in my immunizations so my account has a hold on it and I won't get my grade until I do that. Since I haven't had a tetanus shot in the last 10 years, I have to do that first! So, if I have to go get a shot and then find out that I failed the class, that's going to be a real double-downer. Hopefully, that's not the case.
Hmm... lots more to say, but I'm wilting.
Ciao

Thoughts from a Seashore

A few random thoughts from today:

• It must not just be the swimming that I enjoy. I think I enjoy the repetitive motion of many activities that I like. Today we went for a fairly long bike ride and I had the same experience - where I could just put my body on autopilot and zone out, allowing myself to think and reflect and observe whatever I wanted.
• My father and I were walking on the beach. He picked up shells that were pretty (his word) and perfect (my word). I was looking for unique, interesting shells. I have a feeling that says a lot more about our differences than just our shell aesthetics.
• I never want to take the ocean for granted. I could sit and listen to and watch the waves for forever. Here are a few random shots just to make sure I don't take it for granted. (There are a bunch of other vacation photos here, too.)
  

Today's to-do list

• Cuddle with my nephew
• Hang out with parents, who I rarely get to see
• Drink diet coke
• Sit on deck listening to ocean
• Lay on beach reading a magazine and getting some sun
• Give hugs to Scott and Caryl for first time in 9 months.
  

Good stuff!

A Walk Across Philly

I love walking around cities/towns that I love. Yesterday, I spent all afternoon just walking across Philly, stopping wherever I wanted to check out a shop, get a manicure, have a mojito, take some pictures, whatever tickled my fancy. It was very hot, but I did get to at least go to Reading Terminal Market, Elfreth's Alley, Jeweler's Row and walk by Independence Hall and City Hall.

I realized that I really miss a few things about Philly. I miss the grit... the blue-collar working-class feeling you can get there. I mean I met a machinist one night. I can't imagine meeting a machinist in DC.

I also miss the rich, rich homegrown arts scene in Philly. One of the best orchestras in the world, dance companies, Curtis Institute, lots of visual artists, a culinary canvas to compete with any city... there is a lot to miss. Like many things in DC, the arts are often (or at least feel) imported. Of course, that's one of DC's strengths: an internationa population and attraction. Even for a city, I suppose one's strengths can be one's weaknesses.

Maybe, though, what I should really do, is make an effort to do a better job of living in DC... finding great restaurants, unique shops and neighborhoods that love me back. I mean I love my neighborhood, but there surely aren't any designer boutiques there. I should go find them. They're not going to come to me.

If only I could get Philly pretzels in DC!!