The Laundry Caper

So, earlier today, I posted about my laundry being snatched from my laundry room. Well, I thought I should update the situation. After a day of getting un-mad at the person that stole my laundry and figuring out exactly which items needed to be replaced this weekend and how I could purchase them the fastest, I got a surprise! I decided to stop by the laundry room on my way back in the building tonight and lo and behold, my laundry was all there in a big pile. I don't know what happened, but it was returned to me!
Yay! I don't have to buy new shirts and undies!!! yippee!!

Today's score

Getting up late: -1
Realizing someone stole 75% of my summer wardrobe from the laundry room: -10
Securing a roommate for the summer: +3
Not being able to reach Chris to vent about stolen laundry: -.5

10am subtotal: -8.5

Mornings

I once had a conversation with a girl whose identity I no longer remember, but I use her line all the time: "There are some things in life that I really wish I liked and have even tried to like, but I just don't." Here are some things I really wish I liked:
beer
running
being alone for long periods of time
mornings

Which brings me to today. Nope, I'm still not a morning person. Every time I have a reason to get up early in the morning, I secretly hope that it will be the catalyst sending me into a lifetime of loving mornings. There are very, very many reasons why I wish I loved mornings. If I liked mornings, I could:
work out in the morning
read the Bible in the morning
not look like a hobo when I get to work
always have time to make my bed
see the sunrise sometimes
consider teaching school as an actual occupational option
understand Chris' love for mornings
generally accomplish SO much more

But, alas, I do NOT love mornings. In fact, I had to be at work at 7:30 this morning and it wasn't until about now (9am) that I'm starting to feel coherent.

Well, back to work... until 4.... when I will leave and go to another job until God knows when. And, then it will pretty much be tomorrow.

Update: Rejection

So far the 2008 employment rejections have looked as such:

Silence: 2
Went with someone more junior: 2
You’re a really strong candidate, but…: 1

I’ll keep you updated as the plot thickens

Coming Soon!

Bike sharing! You thought I was excited about Zipcar?! Now, there's bike sharing. I never got a bike b/c it's a pain to store and I didn't know if I'd use it, yada yada. But, now there's going to be a bike sharing program. I'm pretty excited about this. It costs about $40/year and you can rent and return them at any of the stations in the city.
The only apparent flaw to date - all of the currently planned stations are in NW. Boo. I'm soon we can lobby to get one on the Hill soon.
Imagine the options:
Ride to the movie theater and then just leave the bike so you can go somewhere else afterward.
Ride to work, but then choose to metro home.
Ride to your kickball game on the mall. Park the bike. Get another one and ride to a friend's party. Park the bike. Jump on a bus to get home.
Oh the glory.

Today's goals

• Be productive at work. (starting immediately after I finish this post)
• Shake this incredible allergy attack. Seriously, this is one of the worst mornings I've had in a while. I feel like my throat is going to cinch up and choke me.
• Try not to flirt too much with the super-cute IT boy.
• Find out if I can attend classes at the office gym this week since it's "come on by even if you're not a member and you can work out for free" week.

We know they're most likely not from Antarctica

On the back of my package of adorable little gummy bears:

Product of U.S.A. or Mexico or Brazil or Czech Republic or China or Indonesia

Really? You can put the nutritional information on the back and convince me that it’s accurate, but you can’t narrow down the source of my snack to even 1 or 2 continents?

On the resume wagon

Well, I did it. I had been feeling guilty because I hadn't been sending out very many resumes in the last week or so. I resolved to change that tonight and just sent out 5! Add to that the one I sent yesterday to a friend for a recommendation and we're up to 6 in 24 hours!
Whoo-hoo!!

In other news, cross your fingers, send a prayer, cast a spell or whatever it is you do for us. We've applied for a house here on the hill and we need to both get approved for that house and for the management company here to let us out of our lease at the end of May.

I found the house on Craigslist on Saturday night. I wasn't even planning to look that night, but I did for some reason and I think it may have been a devine appointment. Sometimes God puts you in the right place at the right time with the right people. (2 points go to everyone who knows who I stole that from) Anyways, the house is great. I would have a semi-private space, which would make me mucho-happio, JoyAnna gets a house instead of an apartment and it's 4-5 blocks closer to the metro! yipppeee!

A lesson learned

But, first, the backstory:
Last week, on one of my first days at this temp job, I went down to the cafeteria on the bottom floor of the building. I successfully wound my way around the seeming labyrinth of hallways and promptly ended up at the cafeteria. I wasn’t so lucky on my way back. I jumped on the elevator, but when I got off, I realized that I had gotten on a different elevator than I had the first time so I swallowed my pride and rode back down to the ground floor, crossed the building through the lobby and found my way back to my office. Oh well, lesson learned and only a little bit of scraped up ego.
Until today…
Today, I realized that the “wrong” elevator that I got off last week actually comes out just steps from my office, which is even closer than the “right” one that I take every day. I guess I thought this building was bigger than it actually is. So much for my intuition.

Last moments of my 20's

In less than two hours, I will officially be 30 years old. How very crazy. And, I am totally ready. The twenties were great. So great. I got to see three new continents, got two degrees, and learned way more than I ever wanted to about relationships. I also gained a nephew and many friends and some work experience. I may be saying good-bye to being a twenty-something, but I am very much looking forward to being a thirty-something.
Good-bye 29! It's been fun!

Because what else would I do?

Just sitting here having a traditional tax-day dinner -- macaroni & cheese and jelly beans with diet coke. That is the traditional April 15th fare, isn't it?

Making up for lost time

Not a day goes by that I don't think of something I want to blog about. Unfortunately, many days go by when I don't actually get those thoughts out onto the screen, though. So, what follows is basically a brain dump of the things rolling through my head the last few days.

• This has been a month of reconnecting with long lost friends. First, thanks to the wonders of facebook, I was reconnected with my friend Jess from high school. I had looked for her on and off for the last 10 years or so and am SO thrilled to be back in contact with her. She's just one of those incredible women that you can't help but love and respect! Anyways, her blog is linked here as "long lost Jess". Very cool.
  
• Then, my friend Wynette from college randomly commented on my blog last week after being out of touch for a good 8 years or so. Turns out she's married with 4 kids! I guess a lot changes in 8 years! She's linked now, too. See "long lost Wynette".
  
• I happened to be flipping through some tv tonight and heard this on (of all places) Desperate Housewives. One of the women said, "Church is a place for answers, not questions". Oh my. What a horrible way to try to travel on a faith journey! With suppressed questions? I probably have more questions now than I had 10 years ago, but I also have more faith. I believe a church, or the global church, is not living up to its full potential if questions and doubts aren't welcomed with open arms. Just a thought.
• Pick-up line of the day I was walking Jones today and I thought I'd just stop and get some Chinese food, but when I got there, I was concerned about leaving Jones outside so I was stalling on the sidewalk. There was a parked car beside me with the window down, but I wasn't paying much attention. Then a guy inside the car said, "Excuse me." When I turned around he said, "Will you walk me later?" It took me a good 2-3 seconds to even realize what he was saying. And, then I just had to laugh. I didn't have the quick wit to rebut with a comment about a leash or picking up poop, but that's really probably for the best.
  

Thoughts walking from the Hirshhorn

Quitting my job was one of the best things I ever did. I feel more like myself now than I have for a long time. Today I was just so happy and content and I don't know... I just felt like "Hyla!" And, I was funny, too. I am a funny girl. fuu--nnny.

I love my temp job. The organization is great and does great stuff, has a great office environment and culture (can we say soft and natural light and live plants?) and I've really enjoyed what I've been doing thus far.

This city does have its charms. I can't deny it. The capitol, the monument, the memorials.... it was all beautiful to take in while I was walking to and from the Hirshhorn tonight. The capitol is almost welcoming at night. With no tourists staggering around, it's actually quite beautiful and serene.

Roller Coaster ride

A smattering of the events in my life over the last few days:
- temp job started
- found out that 6 week temp job will only be 2 weeks
- had culture shock of being under utilized
- same temp job unexpectedly ended
- turned down for one job (it went to someone more junior -- geesh)
- rent and bills due
- minor freakout
- frantically try to figure out how to make some money
- decided that tomorrow I need to go to TJs and ask if I can work there again
- got a new temp job offer that starts tomorrow (preempting my need to beg for my TJs job) and pays more than the original one that I lost

Geesh. That was a lot to handle in 4 days. But, through it all, God is good. And, it looks like I'll be able to pay rent for another month. I'll keep you updated!

I couldn't make this stuff up if I could tried

As we all know, I’m unemployed these days. So, the idea of making a few extra bucks is appealing. Yesterday, a friend of mine, came up to me and said, “Hey, would you be interested in doing some data entry to make some extra money? I randomly met this guy and he seems legit… just needs some help on a project.” I said, “Sure” and took the business card and called him on my way to my interview.

I should have trusted my instincts. When someone seems crazy on the phone, they probably are. He insisted he needed help right that minute and that I should meet him at the coffeehouse (he just happened to pick Ebenezers – thank god!) right after my interview. I thought, “well he sounds a little crazy, but I’ll meet with him, agree on terms, get some work to do at home and be on my way”.

As I was walking up to the coffeehouse, I saw him through the window and I just KNEW that was him. He was crazed scientist meets passionate activist meets unwise dresser. He had at least three bags with him and each of them had labels pasted on them with his contact info announcing “Big Reward if Returned!!”. Buttons and stickers declaring his political positioning and conspiricist leanings were dispersed among his attire and belongings. Yup, I’d hit the crazy jackpot. (bearing in mind of course, that I am largely afraid of the uber-political types that litter this city)

But, I couldn’t back out now. I had to at least introduce myself. I’m not entirely sure how this happened, but rather than him giving me work to do at home, he had me stay there with him and work on the project right there. I ended up not only doing data entry, but also editing a grant proposal for his left-leaning project (and by left-leaning, I mean buried deep in a well of left). After a battery of questions to try to pull me over to his conspiracy theory side, I eventually convinced him to let me take some work with me and brainstormed the whole way home how I could bow out gracefully.

So, this morning, I woke up early to finish the project and wash my hands of the whole thing. What was waiting for me in my inbox? An email telling me I was brilliant and that he really enjoyed working with me. AND… he was staying out in the suburbs today and didn’t know if he would be able to make it in today, but would I be interested in coming out and spending some time with him as he would “make it worth my while with both presents and presence”. He followed this with several questions about my personal interests and asked me if I wanted to go swing dancing some time. (Several friends stopped and said hi while I was working and two mentioned swing dancing.) Oh my oh my oh my.

Just too much

I feel immense amounts of guilt for not updating my blog in the wake of all the recent change in my life, but somehow the first week of unemployed life has not been the slow, leisurely life I was anticipating. Instead, the last four days have been an absolute blur of sending out resumes and job-related emails, meetings, preparing for interviews and filling out applications. Yes, filling out applications. I'm going to formalize my pet-peeve in an attempt to upgrade it to a grievance. If I submit a resume, cover letter, professional references and a color-coded file of blood relatives, do I really need to fill out a four page application, too? It would be one thing to fill something out asking for unique information, but the bulk of them ask for employment history, skills and references. Really? I just gave you my resume. Are you even going to read this? I understand that it is just part of procedure, but I find it irritating. I could have made a new connection or applied for another job in the time I spent filling out each application. Ok, end rant.

So, here's my current situation. The last day of my job at the Master Chorale was on Friday. I'm spending this week and part of next looking for a new job and then on Thursday, I'll be starting a temp job that could last about 6 weeks. This is good. This will give me a little time to find something.
I thought when I walked out of the office on Friday, I would feel incredibly free, but it turns out that I didn't really feel much of anything. In fact, I was wondering for much of last week if I made the right decision. However, this week, I'm feeling much better and I know I made the right decision and I'm sure I'll find something soon.
Well, I have two interviews tomorrow so I'd better go. I have plenty of website reading to do. (and, wardrobe planning!!)

Some things to ponder

It takes a great suit to run with the big dogs, but people in nonprofits change the world everyday wearing jeans. The lesson to be learned? If you want to change the world, get comfortable.

This morning the escalator opposite mine broke down with a full load of people on it. No one moved. They just stayed on the step they were already standing on. Some of them were only a few steps from the top. "They're stairs, people. Walk up them!"

People are funny

I love people
until they disappoint me or
display an annoying idiosyncrasy or
assert their own free will
when I don't want to grant it

I want people to need me
until my mood doesn't match their need or
their mood doesn't match my need or
I feel smothered
when I'm actually looking for fresh air

I want to care about people
until that means inconveniencing me or
making me feel things I don't want to feel or
making me think things I don't want to think
when all I really wanted was to hug someone

I want to be admired
until I have to live up to someone's expectation or
exceed their expectation or
impress someone new and all of a sudden
I'm all alone with my independence

I want to spin around with my arms spread wide
until I feel nothing at all and
I feel everything
all at the same time

I want to fall asleep on the diagonal using all of the pillows
I want to fall asleep feeling him right beside me
I want to wake up alone everyday
I never want to wake up alone again

Monday

Song of the Day: Locomotion (because it's stuck in my head)
Accomplishment of the Day: Getting up early enough to swim at Takoma this morning. (The pool there is awesome!)
Tattoo of the Day: The DC flag on the calf of the guy swimming next to me at the pool.
Pick-up Line of the Day: "Excuse me. Do you know when the next presidential debate is?" (Sadly, it worked.)

Today's goals

1 - Write letter of resignation. I still haven't given written notice so that needs to happen today.
2 - Start the job search balls rolling again. Send in applications for at least 2 positions.
3 - Fight restlessness. I am very anxious for spring to be here! I want to just go out and hang out on the mall or walk around until I'm so tired I have to either drag myself home or find a bus to carry my tired carcass home. But, alas, it is not warm enough for that yet.
4 - Clean kitchen.
5 - Shake my fist at Target for being so bloody inconvenient for me to get to without a car.

Lots of news

This week has been nothing if not eventful! I had a good interview for a job here in DC (well, sort of) on Monday. Hopefully, I should hear about that this coming week.
Then, on Wednesday, I closed the door on the gig in California. I had been negotiating a position there and it just wasn't shaping up to be the opportunity I needed. So, I closed that off. That was hard. I was sitting at my desk smiling and crying all at the same time. I am so happy to be here with so many of my friends, my church and of course, Chris. But, I also LOVE San Francisco and it's hard to imagine living my whole life without at least a few more years there. Apparently, now is not the time, though. I am happy to have some certainty... I know I'm staying here... I'm not moving anywhere right now.
And, today. Well, I did something that many would find crazy, but I needed to do it. I resigned my position today, effective mid-March. It not only frees me from something I needed to get away from, but it also lights the necessary fire under my butt to find a new position. But, like I said, perhaps I'll get the job I interviewed for this week.
Well, I'm off. Gail will be landing in DC soon for our annual weekend extravaganza! Yay!

Weird tune stuck in my head

Today, I have this bizarro tune stuck in my head. And, tonight, I realized what it is. It's the tune from a music box my grandmother had when I was a child. I used to play it every time I went to visit. There was something refreshingly familiar and nostalgic about having that song in my brain. Nice.

Waiting for Godot

I was sitting here tonight, in the middle of a mountain of folded laundry, waiting for a specific email and all of a sudden I felt like that was a microcosm of my whole life. Lately, I've been feeling like I'm continually waiting for something. I've been waiting to see if I am indeed moving to California. I've been waiting on this job prospect or that one. I was waiting for a while to "actually" be dating Chris. And, then tonight, I was waiting for the proposal to show up in my inbox. All the while, I'm surrounded by clean, folded laundry... real life... my now life.

To date, I haven't allowed myself to start going through my stuff in preparation for a move or start cleaning out my desk or to fall in love. But, at some point, I have to stop waiting and go on living -- forward.

The sky is falling!!

Or, at least my ceiling, apparently... this is what I came home to tonight after the orchestra!

A new kitchen!!

I came out into the kitchen this morning and there was a brand new stainless steel refrigerator and stove and the cabinets had been ripped out to be replaced with new ones. And, oddly, the blue and green stripes were now horizontal instead of vertical... weird. I thought, "Sweet! A new kitchen!"

And, then I woke up.

Problem!

Ok, folks, we've got a problem. Valentine's Day. I've never been non-single for Valentine's Day... well, at least not non-single and non-long-distance. But, we haven't been dating very long. So, what to do, what to do. I don't feel like the kind of girl that celebrates Valentine's Day, but I think the boy may feel differently. How to not do too much, not do too little!!??? I would be happy making some yummy soup and chatting away, but I feel like that's a little under the bar. Oh, what to do, what to do.
Suggestions, anyone?

Notes from the desert

Hello from Maricopa, Arizona! I'm spending a few days with the family out in the desert. What a great little getaway! I didn't spend the holidays with any family this year so it's good to get out here and catch up. I don't get a ton of time with my brother Scott and sis-in-law, Caryl, but I absolutely adore them and my time with them is so cherished! Last night, I took them out for a yummy dinner (with several wine courses, of course) and fabulous conversation. It was awesome to just have some good heart-to-heart time with two of my favorite people!
And, my nephew, Johnny has been SO fun. The last time I saw him, he was pretty shy, but this time, he hangs out with me, curls up in my lap and talks my ear off! It's pretty cool.
In other news, my dad is still breathing. Under the circumstances, I'll consider that a success!

Double Mountain Day

I feel like I climbed two mountains today!
This morning, I swam a 500 for the first time. That felt amazing! Just to know I can push my body and accomplishing more physically is so great. For so many years, I was the complete opposite of an athlete, but now I am finally at a place where I'm actually accomplishing something in a workout. I've come a long way baby.

Mountain 2: I conquered the ftp mystery and got everything uploaded on the website. That may not sound like much, but being that I had to figure it out all on my own and that 24 hours ago, I couldn't get into the ftp at all, it is giant! I actually jumped up and down and clapped to celebrate when I finished. And, I still got home by 8:30... nice!

Reflections on 2007

I've finally stopped trying to make New Year's resolutions as I tend to only disappoint myself partway through the year. So, instead, I will take some of my first waking moments in 2008 to reflect on how I changed and grew in 2007. (Wow, I still can't quite believe it's over.) Around Christmas, I started really thinking about what of significance happened in 2007 and a few things popped into my mind.
Perhaps the most drastic change was professionally. I'm still in the same position I was at the beginning of 2007, but I have grown leaps and bounds in my professional life. I'm not entirely sure if I can describe this change in words. I just have such a greater understanding of marketing than I had last year as well as experience working at every level in a small non-profit to implement it. I'm also learning, gradually, how to successfully operate in the professional world -- how to make valuable connections with people in the professional realm, how to negotiate business and bring people into your circle to both advance your mission and theirs. Seemingly basic skills, but I can feel how invaluable they will be to me for a lifetime.
I also had the opportunity to take a non-profit gala-esque event from start to finish. Although it wasn't quite as successful as I had first hoped, I'm proud of working through all of the planning, negotiation and execution of that event. Event planning is labor intensive, but I really enjoy it.
On a more personal note, though, I finally started being aggressive about paying down my debts. It feels so good to be moving toward greater fiscal responsibility.
My greatest achievement this year, though, is somewhat intangible, but was a great breakthrough for me. I finally figured out how to spend time with my family (esp. at home in PA) in a way that is enjoyable and meaningful without the frustrating feeling that I don't belong. I realized that when I go to spend time with my family, I just have to drop my usual life and be entirely in the moment. The last few times I've seen my parents and my brother (& his family), it's been really great. When I allow myself to just be a part of their life and realize that relationship is so much more about them than about me, it's suddenly a great time of discovering them in new and deeper ways and not at all about me maintaining whatever level of accomplishment, distance or "hipness" I fancy myself to have. My times with my family this year have been some of the most meaningful times of my life.
So, Happy New Year! Here's to all we will learn and experience in 2008!

Caulking successful!

I decided to tackle a home improvement project. Some of the caulking in our bathtub was gross and mildewy and I just couldn't take it anymore. So, I spent Thursday evening scraping out much of the old caulking and replaced it with new, clean caulking the next morning. And, now, I don't have to avoid touching certain parts of our tub. Yay! Successful home improvement project! See before and after below.

Conversation with Target Employee

Setting: Me holding a tube of caulk in my hand in the aisle where I found it at Target

Me: Excuse me, do you know if you carry caulk guns?
Target Employee (TE): (blank stare)
Me: Well, this is caulk, but in order to use it, you have to put it in a caulk gun. (I make the appropriate gesture here to try to trigger his mind.)
TE: (blank stare)
Me: You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?
TE: No, no I don't.
Me: Never mind.

Seriously. I know we're in a city and all, but still.

A journey begins

I woke up with this quote reverberating in my head.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step"

Christmas Eve

My mind is full of a bunch of things, but I'll try to keep this concise. I just came back from a Christmas Eve service at my cousin's church out in McLean. I'm not sure what denomination the church is, but it was much more liturgical and "high church" than I am used to. There were some things I didn't understand (like the procession of the cross), some things I understood, but hadn't seen in a while (an actual introit), and some things that were very familiar to me (lots of Christmas hymns). Regardless of familiarity and my comfort level with certain practices I see as slightly ritualistic, it was a great time to reflect and collect my thoughts about Christmas and Jesus.

Then, on the way home, I heard a song that I think about all year long, but I only ever hear it at Christmastime. It's called "A Strange Way to Save the World". Just after that, I drove back into sight of the city and realized this is the first Christmas I've ever spent in the city -- any city.

Yeah, I'm ready for Christmas now.

Is today longer?

Now that we've passed the Equinox, I'm enjoying the extended daylight.

Yes. I'm joking.

Weekend of Demarcation

It seems as though this weekend is a line of demarcation in my life... in little ways and in big ways. This weekend marks the end of work in 2007. Now that work is officially over, it seems to mark the beginning of the holidays for me. But on a sadder, and more significant, note, it marks the end of Amy and Hyla: the DC years. Today was the last day of just being there for the normal, mundane bits of "doing life" on a regular basis. We spent most of the day together, just hanging out, carrying boxes to her car, making dinner, watching a movie, chatting about boys -- some of our favorite things. But, then, inevitably, the end came and she had to leave to pick up Luke. Tomorrow, she and Luke will set out on a cross-continental journey (doesn't that sound schmancy?) and end up in a place she will soon call home.

I cried. I cried a little this morning. I cried when we actually said goodbye tonight. I cried on the couch after she left. Fortunately, Jones (Jonathan's dog that I'm watching this week) reached over with an understanding paw at the appropriate moments. I'm not sure why this is so emotional for me. I know people move... especially in DC, it's just a hazard of life. People's lives change. My friendships evolve and change all the time. I've known it was coming for months. And, yet, it has me all choked up.

So today is the line of demarcation that has my dear friend Amy living in my neighborhood, doing her DC life on one side of it and her life with Luke on the west coast on the other side. And, of course, I wish her only the very best.

I sense another line of demarcation this weekend, but I don't want to jinx it so I'll keep that to myself for now. Stay tuned for more! (I've been formulating my new year's eve post for a few weeks now in my head.)

Time to regroup

Because we have such a crazy December (and fall) at work, we get the week off between Christmas and New Year's each year. That week off starts right now! I usually have a grand plan, a detailed itinerary or a to-do list from here to Montana. Not this year, though. I have 10 days ahead of me with almost no plan at all. I'll have to say goodbye to Amy within the next 48 hours. Not incredibly excited about that. But, other than that, it should be a good, relaxing, play-it-by-ear kind of week. I'm hoping to spend a little time with Chris, build up my tights repertoire and hit the pool a lot. Everything else is negotiable. On to vacation!

Random day off

I decided to take today off for several reasons. This week is a seven day week for us - 1 concert day + 5 weekdays + 1 concert day -- voila! 7 day week. So, I decided to take a day off in the middle to give me a little break. It was also to spend a little extra time with Amy today before she leaves and time runs out. We went for a final popping man visit down on Hains Point, spent some quality time on the couch with bbq chicken and a movie and then went and worked off the chicken in the pool. I'm gonna miss that girl!

Well, back to the grindstone tomorrow.

Miracle needed

I need a job miracle. It is SO time for me to leave my position and I am really excited to use all that I've learned at MCW at some new occupational adventure. Anyways, I'm trying to be diligent and working on it, but I could use a little bit of miracle, too. I really want to try to stay in DC, but if the only (and best) opportunity I have is in a far away land, then it would be really hard to turn that down.

Also, it's incredibly, annoyingly cold here today.

Thoughts from a Saturday

As you may have guessed from my lack of posting, it's been a little crazy lately. Just a busy, busy time for my job, but the important thing is I'm here now!
Today was a real whirlwind of a day, but a great one! I got a real tree this morning for the first time ever. It's just a little chubby one, but it smells great and I love it! (Thanks to Chris for carrying it the whole way home!)
Then, after a frenzy of Christmas shopping and wrapping, I got to hear Jane Monheit in concert tonight. She's a fun performer and makes you feel like you're sitting in her living room. I want to go hear her again after she's had her baby... you could kind of get the idea that she was a little more reserved than she normally would. Anyways, that was great! I was fortunate to get a ticket to this sold-out show.
One final thought thanks to some kids on the metro:
"Why are we going back to Gallery Place? It's raining!"
"To spend time together. Because that's what families do.... spend time together."

Novel.

What a weekend!

I had a great weekend! I went to PA and killed about 3 birds with one stone. Bird 1: I got to see my parents for a little while... not enough, but still nice. It's just good to get mom-hugs sometimes.
Bird 2: We (including my brother Grant) went to my grandmother's and got her to show us the pocketwatch of family lore. Grant and I didn't know it existed until earlier this year. Apparently, my grandma and grandfather found it in a trunk in the basement of a house they bought something like 56 years ago. The trunk had civil war uniforms in it, some medals (not from the civil war, though, I don't think) and a very old pocketwatch. I believe the date on it is something like 1842. Anyways, she held onto it and showed it to us. It seems to be in pretty good condition and the intricate engraving on it is just incredible. The key is still attached and there is a 32nd degree mason eagle fob on it, too. Anyways, it's pretty cool. Check it out.
Bird 3: I took Grant to the Steelers-Browns game as a birthday present. It was his first Steelers game. I think he really loved it! It was an exciting game and a ton of fun to watch. It felt really good to be able to do something special for him like that.

Pictures of facepaint and the watch on flickr

Day 1 of Ridiculously Good Health Month

went fairly well. Good swim. Good food. yay.

An acquired skill?

I don't know what it is. I don't know if it's a different social culture or my comfort level in this city or pure dumb luck, but I had three good conversations with guys just sitting at bars today. Ok, that sounds raunchy. Nothing flirty or anything like that. Just random conversations in contrast to eating or watching the game alone. It makes me feel more like Hyla-- the girl who loves people and loves listening to them and discovering new ones.
Maybe there's just something about this city that "fits" me.

DC ballot box

Remember that picture I said I wished I had taken? Well, I got it. How great is this!

Wow.

That's the best word I can use right now. Here's a smattering of the thoughts bouncing of the walls of my brain.
- I cannot explain the feeling I get every time I'm in San Francisco. I only lived here for 6 months and I was so sick for half of it I couldn't even enjoy it. Yet, I always feel like I belong here. Maybe saying it feels like home is too dramatic, but it does seem to fit me.
- I'm going through a high-communication period with God. This is good. But, it's a little scary, too. I'm not ready to make any more big decisions or anything... who knows what will come of this.
- I was oddly emotional on the trip out here... what's up with that? I cried at Evan Almighty! Are you serious??? weird

Random people meetings, vol.2

So, my plan of recording every person I ran into didn't last long. However, today I ran into Amy (blonde Amy, for those of you that know of my long list of Amys) on the mall. I hadn't seen her in a long time! That was fun! I think it may be time to start coming out of my hole. I spent a casual afternoon with Jenn and it was great. I haven't done that in so long. I've been so focused on decompressing and now, I think I'm recovered. Time to come back out of my hole! yay!

I must start carrying my camera at all times!

Two funny things I wish I had pictures of from this week:
-- A plain white sticker stuck on a trash can in Georgetown: "DC Ballot Box (Your vote goes here)"

-- A man dragging two large suitcases behind him.
In giant letters on suitcase #1: MINE.
In giant letters on suitcase #2: NOT YOURS!

Today's score

Oversleeping the pool: -1
Getting to sleep in: +1
Finding money on the sidewalk: +2
A relatively quiet day at work: +1

So far: +3

Oh how I love thee, pool

I just had a fabulous swim in which I swam two separate 250's. Yay! I think that was the first time I swam a 250. I'm proud of myself. I shall do that again tomorrow. Yippee!!

Adventures in Oregon

So, I had this GRAND plan for Sunday. I was going to get up early and drive out to the coast to watch the sun come up (or probably, finish coming up) and then come back to watch the Steelers game followed by a few winery tastings and then the wedding. Well, it didn't quite work out that way. Kurt and I left the hotel at 7am to drive out to the coast. At approximately 7:02, we got a flat tire. (See photo illustrations below.)

At least we laughed a lot about it. So, we changed a tire and went out for breakfast instead. Not quite the ocean, but oh well.
I didn't make it to the ocean or the wineries, but I did make it to Jonathan's wedding. Congrats guys!! I have a few pics on flickr. (Warning: they're not so great)

Worst fortune EVER!

Well, I've arrived in Oregon (officially, my 40th state... I counted today... I was off, I guess.) Anyways, I decided to chill in my hotel tonight with some chinese take-out... a mistake in a small town... when will I learn?? Anyways, I got the worst fortune, EVER:
You will make many changes before settling satisfactorily.
What!?! That's horrible. Anyways, tomorrow, Jonathan gets married! Yay!

Stew bumper

I feel like I've had the depressing post up for too long so this is intended to bump it down on the page. I think of brilliant things to write every day and then every night when I actually have time, I forget what that brilliance was. More soon.

big, stewy mess

I've been a bit messy on the inside for a few weeks and it was just tonight that it hit me. It hit me that I have so much stuff spinning around in my head and in my heart. So many issues -- surface, and way, way below. And, it's hard to figure anything out when another issue keeps coming up and another and another and pretty soon it's a big stewy mess. Oh, isn't life fun? Man, I guess God never said it would be easy.

The beginning and the end

They say that people remember the first thing and the last thing... that's why programming for things like recitals is so important. Or, why we generally over-rehearse the opening and closing of a work. I'm thinking that maybe that is also true for days. Or at least my day today. This morning started out great with Starbucks and seeing what I can only explain as a baby raccoon on a leash. Hey, I only report what I see! Then, somewhere between that and 7pm, there was a minor work tragedy that I won't detail here b/c I'm just beginning to experience a duller pain. But, then tonight, I went to a birthday gathering for Elizabeth (who is fabulous, by the way!) and I had a really good time. I thought I would be in a pseudo-crappy mood, but it was exactly what I needed. We had conversations about our hometowns and how to get free tickets to stuff and the probability of Hyla surviving the Peace Corps. It was pretty awesome. As is Elizabeth, the birthday girl! Happy Birthday, Ms. Fabulous!
So, the beginning of today was good... and the ending was good. The middle was somewhat questionable, but we'll leave that for what it is. On to Friday!

Big shout-out to Dell

I requested a new charger/AC adapter for my laptop last night via chat at approx. 6:15pm. My charger was on my desk by 2:40pm today! I love my service agreement! Thanks, Dell!
(and, yes, Stephen - you could say, "easy as dell")

Yay Dell!

My charger (AC adapter) for my laptop died so I contacted Dell since I have the super-duper warranty and service agreement. They're sending me a new one!
Yay!! That was easy!

GJF, Vol next-to-last

Well, we thought today would be our last day for jury duty, but we got called back for yet another day. It's like the never-ending jury duty!

In other news, I didn't run into anyone today. hmmm....

A new series

One of my favorite things about living in the city and commuting via foot and metro is running into people randomly in the course of a day. So, for a week (or maybe two -- we'll see), I'm going to log my running-intos. So, here we go.
This morning, on the metro, I ran into Pat, from our grand jury.
Then, on the other side of the metro, I ran into Sarah, also from our grand jury.
On the way back to the metro, I saw a former board member (he didn't acknowledge me).
Tonight, I ran into another Sarah on the metro (this one is a musician I know from church).
Then, when I was almost home, a familiar green car drove by... with Amy!

Today's random highlights

This morning, I heard a new announcement on metro. (my paraphrase) "Metro now has new, more secure trash cans. So, throw out your trash without fear." What? Um.... was this a problem? Were people fearful when they threw out their trash?

I did my laundry tonight and it was cause to celebrate. drum roll please...... Both of my dryers worked on the first try!! That is a sheer miracle.

And, now smashed eggs with goat cheese, asparagus and sweet corn. yummy (It was supposed to be an omelet, but um, apparently, I haven't yet acquired omelet skills.)

The silver lining...

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

An Open Letter

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

Defy expectation

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

Weekend home

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

Things that aren't supposed to happen

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

a proud moment

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

Good day, #299384

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

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

The muted version

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

Pop some popcorn, baby

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

Great times.

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

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

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

GJF, Vol. 14

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

Celebrate the Mattress! (GJF, Vol. 13)

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

Overheard in Georgetown

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

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

GJF, Vol. 12

Have I mentioned that our foreperson resembles Bill Cosby?

GJF, Vol. 11

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

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

Candace and I bonded over kohlrabi.

Vote for Jonathan

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

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

Today's score

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

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

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

A little cold to go with that, please

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

GJF, Vol. 10

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

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

Today's vocabulary word: voyeurism

GJF, Vol. 9

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

GJF, Vol. 8

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

Go Candace!

GJF, Vol. 7

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

GJF, Vol. 6, No. 2

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

GJF, Vol. 6

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

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

GJF, Vol. 5

Today's Theme:

Sometimes people do stupid shit.

GJF, Vol. 4

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

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

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

GJF, Vol.3

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

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

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

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

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

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

GJF, Vol. 2

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

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

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

Apartment with a bonus

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

GJF, Vol. 1

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

PS

I just put up some new pics on flickr

What's happening to me?

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

Up, down, splish and splash

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

large machinery

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

Bizarre realization

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

Sneak Attack

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

Overheard on the metro

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

Gotta love summer in DC

Epiphany at the copier

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

Good news!!

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

In disporportionate measure

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

So logical...

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

Sometimes

Boys are neat