A reflection

I just got back a few days ago from a great visit with my family in Arizona that included a few days on a boat on Lake Powell. This gorgeous place on the border of Arizona and Utah had amazing views of rocks during the day and unbelievable starry skies at night. It was so good to just sit back and decompress, enjoy each other, and well... be inspired. Here are a couple of my favorite pictures and a poem I wrote while I was there. (The poem is a little rough, but I wanted to share anyway.)

Shades of Remembrance

Run up on shore

Rocks all around

Crisis or Opportunity

Captivity or Freedom

The sun falls on the rocks in gorgeous shades of remembrance

The reflections sparkle against the water demanding stillness to properly reflect their beauty

The shadows dance between crags

I look at the rocks, the barrenness, the difficulty, but all I see is beauty

I want to sit and stare, soak in the majesty until the sun demands a rest

This is not a posh overnight beauty of abundance

This is the beauty of generations

She who sits still, watching, will be rewarded

Shadows shift. New colors emerge. Shapes are revealed.

She could stare for a lifetime

Once Upon a Barstool

Once upon a time, I moved into a new apartment with a counter/bar that needed some barstools. I got this great vision for the space that involved some awesome green leather barstools. Once or twice, I gained a glimpse of the perfect barstool. After those first few glimpses, though, I never saw it again. But, I didn't give up hope. I kept seeking my ideal stool with its sleek shape, minimal footprint, funky green color, and uncommon height. I visited several specialty stores, looked at the Big Box stores, even tried to custom-order something. I scoured the internet trying to find the stool that by now I was afraid I had created in my design-friendly imagination. Eventually, I started thinking that perhaps my perfect barstool didn't exist.... that I may have to give up one or more characteristics I previously thought were mandatory...that I missed my chance for barstool happiness. I considered fabric rather than leather, legs rather than a pedestal, even trolled Craigslist for something used that I could recover. But, nothing seemed quite right. I always found something wrong with each one.

One day, I was looking once again at the Big Box and something caught my eye. It didn't meet all of my wishes or demands or requirements, but maybe this stool would be good enough. I kept walking that morning, but that evening when I sat down to eat my bowl of pasta with red sauce on my nearly-white couch, I realized it was time to give in. I carefully finished my potentially stainmaking dinner and then went directly back to pick up two barstools. They're not everything I wanted or thought I needed, but they're not bad. They look pretty good there and now I can actually sit at my counter to work or eat like a grown-up.

Perhaps if I ever see that perfect barstool again, I will feel a twinge of regret. But, I'll probably just keep walking, knowing that I have all I need in the barstools I have at home.

Dear SOVA

I absolutely adore your living room-style upstairs. I love sitting at the little tables in somewhat uncomfortable chairs staring out at the still somewhat gritty block of H street. I do NOT love your lattes.

Thursday Thoughts

• I do NOT love Thursdays. Nor do I love mornings.
• Overheard from a teenager at the gym: "I think your hair is peanut butter color" Awesome. We should use foods as color descriptors more often.
• Today's awesome surprise: My favorite instructor was teaching kickboxing today. Yay for getting my sweat on!
• I am down both an Amy and a Robin. Sad face. (Good for homework accomplishment, though!)

A post from Hyla the kid

I went through a bunch of my old stuff that was in my parents' attic today. I've always prized my writing and so some very old English projects were left in there. And so, today's blog comes from Hyla of yesteryear. Hope you laugh and smile as much as I did!

From 3rd or 4th grade (spelling errors left in):

• I think that I would enjoy (water) skiing because I love being in the water and I sure wouldn't mind falling accidently!
• I prefer comedey and adventure stories more than the usual sit-down stand-up books. I only read those kinds of books through my eyelids.
• Outside of the United States, I would love to go to France. I love French food, so I would just have to go to restaurants everyday. I would probably go on a huge shopping spree for clothing. The rest of the time I'd just spend being lazy.
• After school, I am actually a very boring person. I sit around and talk to my Mom, practice music, (not very much, but some) and eat, eat, eat!

From Junior High:

• (In response to the question, Do you wish you were someone else? If so, who and why?) If I was someone else, I would be Candace Cameron. I would be Candace because she is not only pretty but also intelligent. She also has a lot of fun filming shows....

From sometime around age 12?:

• (About my future) I want to go to college.... My major will be music, possibly minoring in drama. After receiving my bachelor's degree, I may go on to get my master's. I hope to someday teach piano lessons and hopefully get married. I would love to someday live in New Hampshire or Vermont.

(Ok, I can't not comment on this. First of all, how could my parents not have seen my fettish for degree-collecting coming? And, Vermont or New Hampshire??? I had never been in either of those places and have NO idea why I would have been enchanted with them. In another place, I said I wanted to live in Vermont. Handily, I'm going to VT for the first time this week. Perhaps, it will confirm my childhood desire.)

Emergency and funny thing

Emergency: I found my first gray hair this morning. I'm hoping it was just a fluke. I rapidly pulled it out of my head. This is not funny. I do NOT want to handle this situation. I know I said I would grow gray gracefully, but screw that! I don't want to grow gray at all!

Funny thing: There is a sign at the end of my parents road with an arrow and balloons directing traffic to a wedding or reception or something. However, apparently, the bride's name was too long so it says:

Christina

and

DAVE

Pretty funny. I'll have to take a picture of it tomorrow if it's still there.

Life in the city or City in my LIfe

It's amazing to me how much I feel invigorated by the city. When I scanned my SmartTrip card at the other end of the metro to head back home, I instantly felt relieved. It's like I get a new burst of energy just knowing that I'm heading back into the city. Maybe I'm just making it up in my head. Who knows?

New requirement for Mr. Perfect

I baked muffins tonight. Everything that went into the muffins was wonderful. The muffins themselves... not as wonderful. Not terrible, but not great. This only reinforces the fact that I am not a good baker. But, you know what? I want freshly baked, healthy muffins. So, new requirement! Mr. Perfect must be able to bake yummy, healthy muffins.

Quarterly Buying: Brilliant or Bogus?

So, I have this harebrained idea I've been tossing around. I'm wondering if quarterly shopping would be profitable to me in terms of both time and money. At first, I was thinking just of my typical Target trips, but then I started thinking that maybe it would work for groceries, too. Here's how I think it would work:

• Make a "standard" list of all the things I normally purchase during the year other than clothing, furniture, etc. So, napkins, shampoo, cleaning products, make-up.
• For the first "quarter", I'd have to make an inventory of all of those items and then decide what quantity of each needed item to purchase.
• For later quarters, it would be a matter of monitoring how much I've used and purchasing anything I'll need for the next three months.

Eventually, I would fall into a rhythm where I would know what quantity I need to buy. In the past, I've been very against bulk buying because of limited space. However, quarterly buying seems like perhaps a happy medium. The groceries would be tricky, but I could at least stock up on dry items and maybe frozen items, too. I'm going to have to buy produce on a weekly basis anyway.

I'm hoping it would save me time because I'd only have to do major shopping 4 times a year. And, I'm hoping it would save me money because perhaps the items I buy more than once a quarter, I could buy in multiple and take advantage of a deal.

Anyone out there that's tried this?

Successes!

Success #1: I changed my headlight today. And, I didn't even call my dad for help or advice. Oh yeah!

Success #2: I ran 3.2 miles this morning! Yippeeee! I am so excited. I've been hovering between 2.5 and 3 for a while now, but today I did it. Part of it is just making sure I run a big enough route to be that long, but also, feeling good enough to keep running that long is quite an accomplishment. Yay! That was longer than the 5k I'm going to run in November. My goal is to be able to run five miles by that point. Then, I'll probably just maintain the distance and try to get a little more speed. It just seems so crazy to me that I am able to run that far. I'm the girl accused of cheating on the one-mile run in the fifth grade. Anyway...

Various and Sundry Thoughts

1 - The fact that my middle-aged stats professor drinks juice boxes in class is awesome.

2 - Today, I drove by that tuba-playing guy on Braddock Road again. Hilarious! Also, his tuba has a license plate that reads "TUBA"

3 - Last night I followed someone whose plates read, "CMYKRGB" I thought that was pretty dorkily awesome, too.

4 - I FINALLY got back on track with the Bible reading plan today. (Our church is doing a year-long reading plan called From Garden To City) Today's reading was Proverbs 3-4. Wow... that's some challenging stuff. This passage has a beautiful contrast between seeking wisdom and the value and glory in that and yet not resting on your own wisdom. It's pretty profound stuff. Proverbs 3:7 particularly hit me-- "Do not be wise in your own eyes." How often do I pat myself on the back for how very wise and astute I am!? Ahh... but to seek after a higher wisdom. Humbling, terrifying, but yet exciting.

5 - I've been working out a lot (for me, at least) lately and I'm starting to feel perpetually achy and sore. It's a good feeling, but for the first time in my life, I kind of want a massage. Ack! I do NOT have room in my budget for another luxury item!!

A few random updates

• Today, I ran 2.8 miles. I'm getting there. I was hoping it would be 3mi, but when I got home and tracked it, it was not. I can almost taste the 5k!
• I got a new shiny computer. yay.
• I do not enjoy the discipline of studying. I'm not doing so well with the transition back to school this semester. Oh well... it will happen.

Yesterday....

I saw a giant green John Deere tractor going down 8th Street here on the Hill.

Hilarious and Bizarre.

More weekend thinkings

There are lots of things that I wish I could do every day or most days, but alas, my schedule is just not conducive to that. Other things (like work and MBA) kind of get in the way. If I could I would do the following things most or every day:

• read scripture
• play flute
• work out
• cook

I played flute several times this weekend. It was so so very good. This marked a break in the longest playing hiatus yet. I played two weddings in 2008 and I honestly can't remember if I've played at all since then! I definitely felt some fear getting the instrument out of its case. I was afraid that I wouldn't remember how to play.. that I would sound so awful that I wouldn't want to play anymore...that my technical ability would be so far gone that it would just be ultimately too frustrating. I can't quite explain how I felt when I started playing. I put Mia (that's my flute's name) together and started with some long tone exercises just to warm up a little. I was nearly overcome with emotion. I fought back the tears, but they were close. It was beautiful. Such a warm, beautiful sound that was so familiar... like someone's voice you haven't heard for years. Comforting, intimate, mine. This may sound corny, but I felt whole again.

It feels so good to be playing again. Right now, I'm not sure exactly where this will go. If I'll find an ensemble to play with, start playing at church again, build a teaching studio, or what. But, I absolutely can't stop playing. This is part of who I am and I never want to lose it again.

Fatgirl's triathalon thinkings

I am considering doing a sprint Triathalon next June. It is a .62 mile swim, 17.5 miles biking, and 3.4 miles running. I am no athlete by any man's standards. However, there is something in me that makes me think I could actually do this.

Reasons I think I could do this:

1 - Though I haven't been swimming for a while, I was regularly swimming a mile as my workout so .62 mile wouldn't be that bad.

2 - I don't really find biking all that hard. 17.5 miles is kind of far, but if I actually trained, I think I could do that without much trouble.

3 - I'm learning to run. Today, I ran 2.4 miles (my longest run ever) so 3.4 doesn't sound so scary anymore.

4 - I have friends that are not in the best of shape and they did the sprint tri without dying.

5 - I am generally capable of doing most things I set my mind to... this should be no exception.

Reasons I think I could NOT do this (or obstacles):

1 - I have never done a workout consisting of two different activities right after each other... let alone three!

2 - I don't even own a bike right now. It is difficult to train for a bike ride without an actual bike.

3 - I am fat. lol Ok, so, I am considerably smaller than I once was, but I am still a big girl and this sounds scary to me.

4 - This will require some serious training, which I don't really have time for given the MBA program, work, intense commute, etc.

5 - I might die.

All of that considered, I think I'm going to give it a sot. Time to start finding a training schedule, I guess. Registration starts 9/20 so I guess I have until then to chicken out.

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!