Weekend Review

How do you like my picture? Lately I've been doing some soul searching. So I went out and did lots of wandering around the town and hanging out with friends. It felt good to catch up with them and hear how things are going with them. I loved it. I realized that there are so many people I know that have known me through so many different stages in my life, and yet they've always loved me for it. It felt really good to know that. So I've decided to make a goal for the summer (which I will carry on, but I need to start somewhere). I like people, so I think I'm going to meet as many as I can. I also need to take a more active part in the lives of my friends. This is a short post I know but my weekend was really just a couple of days of hanging out with people, and taking lots of lovely pics (like the one above).

Weekend Review

Friday 5-16:

Oh boy, what a day. Work was like a grand duchess of the pain squad, and I was her little pawn. I spent the better half of the day running around trying to fix the big shi-bang mess that had been thrust upon me. But, I succeeded and at the end of the day I retired to a delicious night of movie and catching up. M was out of school and drove up to visit people in the area. I spent the night eating steak and watching a movie about law/racism in the south. I can't really remember the name of the movie, but I have to admit...it was good.

Saturday 5-17:

Graduation day. A lot of friends that couldn't graduate with me (or before me) were graduating. Let me tell you, it's the oddest thing sitting at a graduation event as an alumnus. Only a year ago I was the one dressed in green and feeling strangely euphoric about my future life as an independent. Now I was on the other side of the fence. I felt proud of my friends, knowing that they had so much potential. Afterwards I went to a graduation party for R, where his mother gave so much food I was in a perpetual food comma for the rest of the afternoon. Today was also the day that I met the infamous A, girlfriend to the equally infamous M. What a couple! They are so right for each other it's almost sickening...in the best way though. I have never seen M as happy as he was with her. She's one of the few people that I warm up to immediately and I like her. She has beautiful, kind eyes and a face that seems always ready for a warm smile. I like that. Plus she gets points on my part because she gracefully accepted a pounce.

Sunday 5-18:
After an entire night of tombstone (which I was asleep for most of it) and then packing up. I helped R move all his stuff out of the dorm. I'm just grateful that he didn't have as much stuff as most girls. I remember trying to help K move out of her dorm, and it was a never ending stream of cardboard boxes, tape and random knickknacks. Guys are a lot easier to move.

Anyway, after a couple of hours of shoving everything into cars, I practically slept the rest of the day and night.

That my friends was my weekend. Nothing exciting, but nonetheless enjoyable. I've very excited about tonight though, it's James Bond night. More on that later.

Weekend Review

Hello all, yes and yes. I know it's been a while since I last updated. Please believe me, it's because of work. ;) So shall we begin?

Friday 5-9:
Oh let me tell you. Nothing seems quite as fun, as Karaoke and a few good laughs. After a steady bar crawl across the city, I went with a few friends to a Karaoke Bar. I am not an amazing singer, but I still had fun. Yes I looked a little silly, but it was with friends and besides...I had nothing really to loose.

Saturday 5-10:
Today was a day that i was supposed to be enthralled by Shakespeare...except good old William let me down. I have never read a Shakespeare play that I didn't like. This is not the same as saying that I have read all of his plays, because I haven't. This was one of those plays; Anthony and Cleopatra. First, I am a fan of Cleopatra. Yes you can say that she switched sides and had no real loyalty save to herself, but I liked reading about her life. So I went to the theatre with high expectations: Shakespeare showing Cleopatra in the way that she should be. I wasn't very happy.
You know how they say that great actors in Hollywood will sometimes star in a ridiculous movie, simply for the money? They're called rent movies. Well this must have been Shakespeare's equivalent. His rent play. I was so disappointed with how he portrayed the characters. But I won't get into it.
Afterwards I hung out with friends for a bit, and relaxed before heading home for an early bed time.

Sunday 5-11:
Happy mother's day! I went with my mother and my sister to Cafe Atlantico. I have mixed reviews about Cafe atlantico. It's not that the food is not good...it's that the portions are ridiculously tiny for the price. Yes, technically they are "tapas", but having been in Spain for a large portion of time....even in Spain the "tapas" aren't that small. Anyway, the food is good though...just don't go if you're really hungry. Afterwards, I went to go see yet another play. This time I wasn't disappointed and saw for the first time Julius Cesar. Now THAT was a good play. My faith in Shakespeare was reignited.


Short and sweet I know. But I'm trying my best to come up with something that I can squeeze into one my breaks. You'll have to forgive me.

Weekend Review

Hello everyone! Yes I know I've been away for a while, but I must tell you that I've been pretty busy lately with work, so it's hard to update when at the end of the night you are exhausted. Also...I don't have Internet at home.

Anyway, I will start with what was supposed to be yesterday's update. I warn you though, I will rush through it pretty quickly so that I can play catch up.

Friday May 2:
Ah Friday. Quite relaxing actually. I went and watched a couple of movies with some friends and then ate a whole bunch of ice cream. It was delicious, and simple. A combination that I approve of in a lot of things.

Saturday May 3:
I went to the open air market at the national cathedral. There wasn't a lot that I needed but I did buy aluminum wire and talked to some interesting shop owners. I then later went to hang out with a few friends to celebrate a birthday.

Sunday May 4:
Today my company had it's charity walk. I had to get up earlier than I normally do on a weekend and book my way over to the capital to stand at a table and direct people to places. I wore a bright blue wig so that people could see me giving directions and could easily find me. While some of my co-workers almost had a heart attack, a lot of them treated it with a sense of carefree amusement. It did look quite real. When I put the wig on, it reminded me of how I used to be. I was, once upon a time, very very underground. I had piercings and dyed my hair every color of the rainbow. It's a thing that not many people know about, but it was a part of my life. I had forgotten how various people responded to "distinctively" dyed hair. Some people were enthusiastic about it and said that they loved it. Others made rude comments and off-hand remarks. It didn't really bother me, but I forgot how some people did not like anything "different".

Anyway, it was a good walk and there were lots of people. We (my charity group) took up practically half of the Mall. I left sometime at midday and enjoyed a very pleasant walk by the river, still wearing my bright blue hair and just remembering. I made some silent promises to myself, which I'll share with you all in a bit as soon as I can form them into a challenge for myself.

Monday May 5:
Happy Cinco de mayo! Do you know what Cinco de Mayo really is? I'm guessing not because not many people don't. You should! But what a day. I played hookie for the first time from my job, and enjoyed my day so much that I'm tempted to do it again. I went to a flea market and browsed the stalls (a favourite thing of mine to do) and then watched an outdoor movie of James Bond. Dr. NO! It's a weekly event that'll last till September, and I can't begin to express how much fun I had. I'm trying to gather up a group to go with me every week, or at least during the good movies.

How was everyone else's weekend?

weekend review

Good Monday! Well, at least I hope. So how was everyone's weekend? I hope you all had a wonderful time, and if you took part of the Time Capsule Challenge Hurray!! Well lets not beat about the bush, today is Monday and that means a weekend review.

Friday 4-18:
Ah Fridays. I always love it when Fridays come around. Not because it's the end of the work week (even though that is an added bonus), but it's also the beginning of a short time period where things are abuzzing. This Friday I enjoyed a very good night with a couple of friends at Le Bar, which is in the lobby of Hotel Sofitel in DC. I had been there a while back...but unfortunately...don't' remember much of the journey. They've recently remodeled it (will not too recently), and it's website describes it as "modern cocktail bar meets art deco splendour". This isn't too far from the truth, though slightly exaggerated.

We went when there weren't that many people (it fills up pretty quickly at night), and could actually enjoy each other's conversation. Of course, we ordered food, since Le Bar has a pretty good menu. The service was a bit slow, but I imagine because the people that were there were just getting off their shift and the night-time arrivals hadn't shown up yet.

Apparently they have amazing martinis, and are renowned through the entire city as the martini place. You get a choice of many, including some of their signatures like "L'Enfant"-Which if I recall was vodka, chambord, grand marnier and lemon- and "The Marquis de Rochambeau" -which is vodka, dry vermouth, anchovies and olives. I'm not a major martini fan (though I don't mind them I suppose), and I was happy with my gin and tonics.

If you plan to go to Le Bar I will have to remind you that it's not necessarily the most economical of choices. It is on the pricey side, and in my opinion a bit over priced. But it's not horrible. I was perfectly willing to pay for my own drinks and food, but thanks to gallantry (and the fact that I was called a lady), I was treated to a spectacular night of good food, good drinks and good company.

Later on that night, I went home and in my moment of "inspiration" I created my time capsule. Unfortunately I don't have a digital camera, so I had to take a picture with my regular film. I'll upload it as soon as I get them developed. I then fell asleep to some amazing jazz, and a serenade.

Saturday 4-19:

Luckily I was not feeling as bad as my friends, so when I got up, I was feeling very ginger (oh ginger and Jo...how I love you). I found my finished time capsule and decided that today was the day that I would bury it somewhere in the city. Lord knows if anyone will find it. So I trotted off downtown, hid it (in an undisclosed area) and then went to go see a movie. Danearys endorses the movie: The counterfeiters! What an amazing movie. It's about the people behind the counterfeiting of several thousands worth in various currencies during the Nazi regime. It's moving, and truly shocking...but so well done. I don't want to give away anything about it, but I encourage everyone to go see it. Warning though: Since it's a German movie, there are subtitles...but I'm telling you....GO SEE IT!

Afterwards I went out with a few friends (with less partying, but fun nonetheless) to a nice Thai restaurant. It was the last day of Thai week, and I had to take advantage of the reduced prices! Yummy! Then it was back home for some movie time.

Sunday 4-20:

The first major thunderstorm of the warmer months woke me up. The lightning was so bright that it woke me right out of a deep sleep followed by such a loud clap of thunder, that I had to cover my ears. Beautiful! I love thunderstorms, and while yes I know that several people are afraid of them, and if I were stuck out in one I wouldn't be so keen on them, but they are truly nature's reminder of power. Apparently that very storm created tornadoes up in Prince Georges county in MD. It was a laid back day and I didn't do anything rigorous. I was supposed to go out with a couple of friends to go to the earth day celebrations on the mall, but I heard that they were canceled, due to the rain. Instead we went to the grocery store, developed a challenge for each other (I'll post on that later), and munched on ice cream and raspberries while watching dorky movies. What bliss is mine!

Overall, a very busy and full weekend. But one that I would never change. what about you? what did you do?

Weekend Review of 4-11 to 4-13

Well it's Monday. And I have to admit that I'm not very excited about the fact that I have to get back to the working world. But, I like being able to buy food so I must work.

Friday 4-11: I went to a semi formal on Friday night, to celebrate the AePi organization. I don't know how else to describe besides calling it fun and full of nostalgia. I wore my very simple, Marylin Monroe type dress, and felt very much like a cupcake... pretty and tasty as it's been such a long time since I've dressed up. There was dancing and good fun all around, not to mention I got to spend the evening with some of the best people I know. The picture to the left is of one of my favourite couple friends. They looked so good.

Saturday 4-12: One of my friends couldn't celebrate his birthday on the weekend or on Friday. So his girlfriend threw a surprise birthday party at her house. We all bought something to drink and waited in silence, trying not to give away the surprise part until the right moment. It went off without a glitch and the party was a lot of fun. Seriously though, what isn't awesome about a party, big hats, cigars, pipes, wine and cake? Party quote of the night, spouted by a girl that nobody knew, and that no one had any idea how she showed up at the party: "Ew the dog farted...I guess it's not so bad. You guys should smell mine".

Here is a picture of my friend J coming into the house. You can't really see him, but his reaction was priceless...if not a bit delayed.

What's not awesome about big hats? who can forget the lovely ladies of the house?

Sunday 4-13: I woke up with a raging headache. and enjoyed some good post-party Chinese food. The rest of the day consisted of napping, and cleaning. Before passing out again to wake up on time for work. Which is today.

Overall this weekend was a lot of fun. I wish that all of you could have been to all the social events I attended and that, mis amigos, we would have long conversations about practically anything. What did you guys do?

Weekend Review

Bonjour! well how was everyone's weekend? Mine was full of action. However... I unfortunately don't have any pictures (something I plan to remedy). But I will tell you anyway how it went.

Friday 3-28
I was supposed to go out with my sister today. Except that I had forgotten that I had promised a dinner with R & B Lo. Just to give you a description, these two are an old married couple that have been together for about 30 years (or more...I can never remember) and are the epitome of what I'd like to be when I grow up. They still love having fun and do so much with the last few years of their life together. Anytime I have an opportunity to see them I jump at it, because I find them in a sense...inspirational. I often don't know what to say to them, because they are very intelligent and it's daunting sometimes to think that nothing you could tell them would ever be a surprise because they've done so much already. But anyway, I enjoyed my dinner with them (which was a delicious Mango chicken plate), at Clyde's restaurant.

Afterwards, I hoped into bed for a pre-party nap. If you have never taken a pre-party nap...I suggest that you try it. Especially if, like me, you work yourself to death trying to get up early and accomplish all that you want to accomplish. Pre-party naps are a small moment in nirvana to gather energy for the rest of the night. Let me tell you, they help... a lot. I've gone to parties where I haven't had a pre-party nap...and I'm dying to get into bed by the time the party actually gets started. No more with naps! I can now stay up as late as 5 am, which I haven't been able to do since my wild wild never-ending party days. The party was a lot of fun, everyone was enjoying themselves and I got to see people that I haven't seen in a healthy distance time (which to me is about two weeks or so). There were plenty of "Stripz" (I'll write about that in a moment), and lots of fun to go around.

Saturday 3-29
Yes, as usual, I cleaned up my house. It desperately needed it (since I had been in the habit of just collapsing on my bed the moment I got home). Nothing new, but a good review of excellent Chinese delivery.

Sunday 3.30
I was planning to originally go to the cherry blossom festival...but I noticed just how many tourists there really were out there. It was a pain to get anywhere, so I decided instead to book my weekend with a few of my friends and go to the Holocaust museum. Danearys endorses the Holocaust museum. Very original and moving you get to see much more than you thought you would be. However....despite the creative layout of the museum (which makes the hours go by with out you even noticing), they did not do such a good job with designing how it would be with crowds. It was pretty hard to get to read the various signs and watch some of the movies, because you were constantly pushing your way just to see them. Not to mention, I was a bit embittered with the attitudes of some of the people there. I heard comments like: "Look....he's soooo skinny". On numerous occasions I wanted to turn around and shout at them with a sarcastic comment, such as "Well let me put you on a diet of work and air and see how you look like in a month". I know I'm going to sound mean for this, but seriously? Have some respect. There were also plenty of young girls gabbing away on their cellphones talking about their new shoes, just as they were passing signs of "Please turn off your cell phone" Plus...when I'm trying to read about the Nazi invasion of France, I don't really want to hear about "[insert name] making out with [insert name] at homecoming". Plus it's a little unnerving to be watching a video about how the allied forces liberated camps and came to scenes of bodies burned and piled high when someone's obnoxious cell phone rings off to "Shake that ass for me".

Other than that, it was a moving and compelling slice of history. Never again, is what I say. After that I went home and made some Easter eggs...just to make myself feel better. I'll post pictures as soon as possible. How was your weekend? Please do share

Weekend Review

So, how was everyone's Easter weekend? Mine was pretty good actually. As follows:

Friday 3-21:
I have been having a rough time at work, with so many projects being loaded up on my plate. Somehow, I don't know how, I was able to stay on top of it. But by the time Friday came around I was so relieved. I went to a celebratory after work drinks session and scooted home for a quick nap before letting the mistress of the night take over. I ended up going to a party at a friends house that was "invites only". The party wasn't that bad but the only issue was that so many people there knew each other, there was not much of a challenge. Anyway, the other contention I had was that people kept changing the song. It was actually really annoying, just play a song and stick with it. If I had the patience I would have played DJ that night, but to be honest...I wasn't in the mood to be the DJ I was in the mood to be the dancer. Which I ended up doing anyway. Overall the party wasn't bad and I enjoyed myself. It felt good to get out and see people that I liked hanging out with.

Saturday 3-22:
Luckily I have learned when to stop at a party. So I went to bed only feeling moderately dizzy, and waking up feeling only slightly off-track. This of course meant that it was going to be a nice, relaxing day. So I watched movies galore (since I don't have a TV) and cut up things. I made some yummy chicken lemon-zest marinade...it was delicious. I've also started planning my new paintings. More updates soon.

Sunday 3-23:
Happy EASTER! I know that not everyone celebrates this, but I thought I would say happy Easter anyway. I didn't get to sleep in on this beautiful morning, because I had to get up early and go to Easter Mass with my family. It's one of the biggest times to go to church for Christians, and my mother really wanted me to go with her. So I woke up early, (despite having gone to bed the night before at around 3 in the morning), and headed over to Mass. It was a long service, but beautiful; I knew all the songs and we had a full ensemble of instruments. It was really very moving. Afterwards I had a long brunch with my family (as tradition dictates), which was a lot of fun. But since everyone is doing something on a holiday Sunday, I went to a BBQ after my brunch. Overall it was a delicious and bunny weekend.

weekend review

I know, a lot of people missed out on carousel Friday last week. Unfortunately I was tied up and didn't get a chance to update on Friday. Anyway, the start of a new work week.

Friday 3-14:
St. Patrick's falls on a Monday this week, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the Irish celebration. I'm not Irish (in fact I don't think I have an ounce of irish blood in me), but I celebrate St. Patrick's anyway, and I was raised a catholic so the saint is very well known to me. What better way to celebrate the Irish-ness of the holiday than going to an Irish bar. I was originally invited to go to a party that was being hosted at a club...but to be honest, after work...I didn't really want to go. I wanted to sit down with friends and just talk. So I went to a traditional Irish pub, sat down for some good Irish music (called McFadden's whiskey), and drank two gin & tonics (I know the last part isn't really Irish...but I leave it that the lime was green...and therefore I was justified).

I called up a couple of my friends, and waited for them to show. Unfortunately not all of them could show up, but I was soon joined by three. We were a pretty odd looking bunch. A just-got-off-work girl (that does not have light hair or freckles), a dark handsome man of sephardic-German-french decent...that could be anything...BUT Irish, and a small Korean girl. The only one that looked like he might possibly fit in was my fellow co-9-to-5er, who is pretty white with light hair and very Anglo. You know, actually I never thought to ask him if he was Irish....he could very well be.

We talked about an entire assortment of things, ranging from car accidents to zombies. It always comforts me when someone else is as perpetually paranoid about the future zombie invasion. Brian (the "Irish") and I discussed, in depth, what the best gun to have would be in the case of invasion and where we would go if it were strike that very moment. It was a very good night.

Saturday 3-15:
What a beautiful day it was! The sun was out and bright, making it a great day for walking. So that's just what I did; I decided to walk to a Thai restaurant for lunch. Apparently I wasn't the only one with this idea because while enjoying the company I was with and eating my delicious noodles, I spotted someone out of the corner of my eye. It's amazing how your brain remembers faces and relates them to events. The "someone" turned out to be two boys I knew when I was a freshman in college. I even went on a date with one of them. I was tempted to say hi, but frankly, I realized that I didn't really care that much. We were never really good friends, and the date wasn't that great. So instead of going through awkward silences I resorted to a polite wave, and a smile...as I headed out. I know some of you would encourage me to actually go talk to them...but I really didn't feel like it. It wasn't that I disliked them, it just that I could tell by the way that they were that they hadn't changed much from college...and we wouldn't be friends anymore anyway. I settled for what suited me.

After a relaxing and wonderful day, I was invited to the "Irish-celebration-movie-night" at my friend Collin's house. We all call his house "lazy-town" because that's exactly how to describe Collin and his roommates. It was enjoyable, but I only had one drink...an everbull (everclear + red bull). That was enough to last me for the entire night. However, one of Collin's roommates had two everbulls, and a very potent beer called "Lucifer" (I hear it's really good, I've never tried it). I leave you to imagine what happened after he ate an entire bag of old fries.

Sunday 3-16:
After waking up feeling a little queasy, but not really very bad at all. "Lazy-town" embarked to an brunch at noodles and company. While I felt fine and was actually enjoying the sun. The majority of the Lazy-town residents (and guests) felt...not so cheery.

I watched several movies, and bought some nice new sheets for my bed (450 thread count for only 40! whooo-hooo!). I also baked a cake. Yummmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Weekend Review

Hello all!

Well, this weekend was not at all very exciting. But it was needed. Throughout the week I had been running back and forth and not getting much sleep in general. Hence the weekend offered a perfect pick me up. Unfortunately, I didn't get to attend several parties that I had been invited to, but I wouldn't have been much fun in addition to these anyway, since I would probably have been the collapsing from exhaustion.

Friday 3-7
It was quite night where I went to an Indian restaurant and ate delicious vindaloo and tandoori. I then slept after watching some movies.

Saturday 3-8
I woke up early and headed out to the Shakespeare theater to watch "Major Barbara". It's a play written by Bernard Shaw. It was a very good play that It's a small three act play written in 1905. It's a story about an officer in The Salvation Army, Major Barbara Undershaft, who becomes disillusioned by the social ills and the willingness of her Christian denomination to accept money from armament manufacturers - which include her own father - and a spirits manufacturer. Barbara is the daughter of an upper class socialite (the daughter of an Earl) and a very successful and wealthy businessman who made millions in his munitions factory.

As the play opens, lady Birtomart (Barbara's mother) is having a discussion with her son Stephen, about some permanent source of income for her grown daughters. They conclude that they must ask for help from the estranged husband, Andrew Undershaft. Mr. Undershaft was once an orphan, and as tradition, the heir to the Undershaft fortune as he was groomed to run the factory. Undershaft himself had been a poor young man, staying at the salvation army shelter. He improved himself by working hard and wants to give another young man the same kind of opportunity. Lady Britomart has managed to raise the children by herself. because she decides to seek help from her estranged husband, her grown children are reintroduced to their father. During their reunion, Undershaft learns that Barbara is a major in the Salvation Army and is employed at the shelter in the city. A deal is struck between Barbara and Mr. Undershaft to visit each each other's respective places of work. In accordance with the deal, Mr. Undershaft meets Barbara at her shelter the following morning. As he watches her handle various people with a great deal of patience, firmness, and sincerity - while dealing with everyday issues - he is impressed with her abilities. Undershaft decides that if anyone is capable of managing his business, it is his idealistic and committed daughter. He then contrives a way to "convert" her.

Well I won't get into the whole thing but it's really quite funny and I loved the entire play. I suggest you go! However, if you're particularly sensitive to money issues, don't go. There are scenes that are actually grating and - in my opinion- useless for the play.

Sunday 3-9

Basketball games are a lot of fun I've decided, and my school won! I'm very happy about that.

That's about it cupcakes! Hope you had a wonderful weekend too and that you'll tell me all about it.

Weekend Review

Yes I know it’s a Tuesday and I was supposed to post my weekend review yesterday. But I was a bit tied up yesterday with work so I couldn’t do it during my lunch break. Anyway, as compensation I’m writing you multiple articles today. Enjoy:

Friday- 29:
This was spicy chicken fajita night. Yes I know that sounds redundant, but I like to make my fajitas spicy. I sat down Japanese style (because I have no chairs, and only a low table) and enjoyed my homemade fajitas with every bite.

Saturday-1:
My best friend decided to visit me. She drove all the way down from West Virginia, got lost several times, and then finally met up with me right outside my house. It was pretty comical to hear me talk to her. I had no idea where she was, and since my driving experience goes only so far into the area around DC, I couldn’t really help her. I ended up calling everyone else that I knew to see if they could direct her. Luckily she made it.

Later on that night, after catching up during dinner, we went out on the town. One of our mutual friends was having her 22nd birthday party at 18th street lounge in DC. I’ll tell you that 18th street lounge is an unmarked venue, and has an air of pretentiousness that is really pretty obnoxious. They’re extremely exclusive about whom they let in, and it reminds me of partying at a very rich friend’s house. It looked like a regular old town house. What a house this must’ve been though at some point. The rooms were just beautiful and the decoration very Nuevo-sophistique. There were of course a lot of people that thought they owned the world. I quickly dealt with them in my own manner. Just as an overview of the time though:

• ChristoFFFFFFF (that’s his name) is very much a flirt that likes to jump on anything that walks. Nice guy, but very persistent.
  
• Half the people in the bar didn’t know what a "four-horsemen" was…much to my delight and their dismay
  
• People that think they’re so classy…and then end up dribbling their drinks all over their chest and chins….are just plain sad.
  
• Drunken shy guys are the sweetest people.
  
• I saw the poorer version of Paris Hilton…and yes she even had the voice.
  
• Despite what some people may try to convince you, in the hopes of impressing you, Cloves are not some ancient medicinal cigarette
  

Somehow, I was able to stumble us back to my apartment, where we drank water from the opposite ends of classes, ate bread...and passed out.

Sunday-2:
After such a hard night of partying, today was a relax day. Unfortunately my inner clock (sans alarm) is set to wake up at 8….I can’t help it. No matter how tired I am I will always wake up at 8. I can, of course, go back to sleep if I want to….but most of the time I just say to forget it and continue getting up. My best friend left to go back to WV and I stayed home to clean up.

I watched a couple of movies, but was mostly disappointed with the movie “Bladerunner”. One of my friends has said that this was an “awesome” movie. “Completely worth [my] time” and very intellectual. It’s not. The idea had so much potential. But, I suppose the funding for the movie was cut because it made almost no sense, and was just an excuse to screen the idea of realistic androids “falling in love” with humans….while at the same time promoting the fear of A.I. There were some neat aspects of the movie, but for the most part I feel cheated out of two hours of my life.

And that was my weekend. Short, sweet, but deliciously fun.

Weekend Review

Hello everyone. Hope you all had a great weekend, and if you have any interesting stories, by all means let me know. I enjoy a good story now and again. But enough babble; on with it!

Friday-22
It was a snowy and icy day (lots of crashes on the way into the city), and I was walking up the escalators form the metro...when some jerk comes up from behind me and nearly knocks me out of the way as he desperately (for some reason) could seem to wait for a copy of the "express" newspaper that they were handing out at the top. In the process he trips over, not only me, but several other people who were more vocal than I was at his lack of courtesy.

In the process of being pushed over, my heel jammed into a crevice, and I went sliding forward. Somehow I managed to stay upright, but in the process pulled my calf muscle so badly that I could feel the strain immediately. Oh, and just as a side note, a “pulled” muscle used to be believed to be caused by a buildup in acid when the muscle exerts itself. But, it is now proven to be tiny tears in the muscle fiber. These tears then fill up with water and induce swelling, and that’s what’s painful, the movement of free moving water up and down tender tissue. Kinda like when you have a blister from wearing shoes that rub, and then the skin breaks…while you’re in the shower…yeah it hurts. Anyway, I limped all the way to my office and before the end f the day I could barely walk. I supposed to go to a club with some friends that I hadn’t seen in ages, but my calf just hurt too much and I wouldn’t have been able to dance. No point in going to a club if you’re not going to dance. That’s what bars are for.

So instead I took that ancient advice that laughter heals all wounds, and herded a bunch of friends to the DC improv studio. We bought tickets to the Friday night special, which was the Jameson whiskey comedy tour. Along with your ticket for a night full of laughs, you get a free “Jameson cocktail”, so not a bad gig. We arrived all in one piece and sat together in this dark, smokey room ordering out appetizers and drinks. Let me tell you though, the bar tender there…isn’t that great. Anything you ask for will taste like they milked it from the alcoholic cow’s udder. Jameson is generally a smoother whiskey, one that I can handle better than others. I asked for a whiskey sour and got what tasted like whiskey with vodka….not a good combination. Unfortunately there’s a two item order requirement at the dc improv, so it’s a great place if you want to get completely hammered, but other wise not. The food wasn’t that great either.

I’m making it sound like it was a horrible night, and I want to assure it wasn’t. Despite the drinks and the mediocre food, I got a free T-shirt and the comedians were pretty funny. I laughed so hard at some of the jokes that I nearly collapsed out of my chair. The jokes were of course very lewd, but still hilarious. It’s almost refreshing to hear those things said out loud. The comedians also knew how to deal with hecklers and just plain annoying people. There was a gaggle of giggling girls (huh, say that 5 times fast), that were part of a bachlorette party. Personally I am against obvious bachlorette parties. This is not to say that I’m against them at a whole-I fully agree that on your last night as a single/free woman should do anything you want. But, I am against the obnoxious version of the party. For example…the veil? What is up with the veil that says Bachlorette, and has a bunch of miniature penises attached to it? I don’t get it, it’s not funny…it’s not cute. And why is that all of the girls that wear that are loud and have to announce to the world that they are getting married every ten seconds! Congratulations, you’ll drive him crazy…now shut up. These women would should and hoot at anything the comedian said…even if he was telling them to shut up. God…I am embarrassed for them and I apologize on behalf of my sex.

Besides that, it was an amazing night and I enjoyed myself immensely. Even with the penis-lolly-pop waiving, crowd of screaming banshees, I enjoyed myself. I fully suggest that if you like to laugh and don’t mind being in a gritty room, GO TO THE IMPROV!!!!!

Saturday-23
Saturday was a day of biological contemplation. I drove up to Baltimore to see the exhibit “Bodies”. This is the one that was in New York and received great reviews. This German doctor took some bodies (that I must note were donated in life to science) and preserved them so that people could study the body without having to go to an anatomy class. It was amazing. A little creepy at first since everything that was on display once had a conscious thought, but once you get over that…you’re sucked into the world of the human body. And let me tell you what an amazing world it is. It always fascinates me, how among this mess of muscle, bone and flesh we have the ability to create worlds. And, while so complicated we’re so weak in comparison to other fauna. I suggest you go and see it if it ever comes to a museum near you…it’s really quite impressive and you learn so much about yourself. Plus it’s a great guilt tripper, the whole time I was looking at “body x”, with issue y, I kept thinking “man I should I take care of my body more”. And that is actually one of my resolutions. To take care of myself more.

That night though, I was witness to a proud event. One of my friends (by far one of the most socially awkward human beings on the planet) announced that he had a girlfriend…and that she *gasp* slept over. Good for him…he was pretty lonely and needed someone to remind him that not everyone likes to talk about the Air force or how cool some planes are. Not to mention having a girlfriend makes him want to look better and clean up around his house more…a definite improvement!

Sunday-24
Sunday was a lazy day. I cleaned up my little house, and found an ice cream store around my neighborhood. You have no idea how much this excites me, and I have a coupon! I’m saving it for a tough day at work, when I’ll come home and curl up in bed with a bowl of ice cream. I also received moments of inspiration as far as my finances go. I’ve been learning about my FICO and credit scores…and how to try and force my life into some form of sense.
Well that’s my weekend…how was yours? Pray do tell.

Weekend Review!

Friday: Danearys Endorses ATONEMENT

Friday night I was feeling like I should be doing something, but didn't want to go out to a bar for happy hour. So I figured that I hadn't seen a movie in a while and I might as well go see what all the fuss was about when people mentioned the movie atonement. I did not regret it. I'm normally a person that has mixed feelings about books turned into movies. Many times I am disappointed. This was not the case with Atonement.

How do I start? Well here goes:

Atonement is a novel written by Ian McEwan. It’s a pretty complex novel, taken from several points for view, and divided into four different parts. Mostly it is based off the perception of Briony Tallis, a naïve, precocious 13 year old. She has just written a play in celebration of the return of her older brother. Her sister Cecilia Tallis has also just returned from University at roughly the same time as the Housekeeper’s son: Robbie Turner, who also studied literature at Cambridge University. It is clear that Cecilia Tallis is disturbed and confused by her feelings for Robbie.

One day while trying to water some plants, Robbie and Cecilia break a valuable vase and pieces fall into a fountain. Cecilia strips down to her underwear and jumps into the fountain to retrieve the fragments in front of a startled Robbie. Briony Witnesses the scene of sexual tension as Cecilia comes out of the fountain and confronts Robbie, and is confused as to its meaning.

Meanwhile the older brother Leon arrives with a friend, and the assemble of characters (including Robbie) sit down to eat. Through a series of events, children runaway, a girl is raped, a scandalous letter is written, and an innocent man incarcerated.

Part Two follows a character marching through the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940. The character is Robbie, who has been in contact with Cecilia and has promised that she’ll wait for him until his return to England. This part is one of the shortest parts, but one of the most compelling, as it shows the mentality of war and the effects of an action taken long ago.

Part three follows Briony again, only this time as a young woman in the hospital wards during the height of WWII for Britain. Having chosen a hard life over a cushioned student life, the reader sees the daily horrors from war, and how no matter how hard one works, one can never escape the past.

Part Four is the last part, and is taken from Briony’s view as a 77 year old in 1999. She has become a world-famous author and is on the cusp of death, having just finished her “last” novel. This part of the book really changes the reader’s perspective, and is actually some what philosophical. It questions reality and its perceptions.

I’m sorry if this seems really rushed, but I don’t want to spoil either the movie or the book. I tried to sum up enough of the story without having to give it away. Let me tell you, both are amazing pieces. But you have to have patience to read atonement. There are times where the chapters seem to carry on forever, for no real reason. How many descriptions of a flower petal can you have? But once you push through it, you’re well rewarded with a satisfying and though provoking read.

The movie, I think, has done an excellent job in capturing the feelings of the book. Not to mention the cinematography in the movie is just astounding. I also have to say that the design for the characters and the recreation of England during WWII is really just…superb. I love it.

I’ll warn you though; this is not an easy movie. It leaves you feeling somewhat empty and bitter. If you’re a hopeful romantic, it destroys your candy-flavored view of life, and if you’re a cynic, it goes to show that human emotion is often stronger than many give it credit. Go see it now! Plus, Keira Knightley is stunning in this movie, and James McAvoy (boys will remember him from Band of Brothers) is such an amazing actor with tremendous sex appeal (in my opinion), I cannot recommend this film enough.

Saturday: Celebration of early Sinful Tuesday

Saturday was full of movement for me. I woke up pretty early for a weekend, and walked along the parks that snake around my building, before heading into the city to see the Play “argonautika”. It’s a play written by Mary Zimmerman, and is an amazing rendition of “Jason and the Argonauts”. Generally Zimmerman is tied to an element in a play, such as lots of lights or a particular tune. But this time she was more into the ephemeral things in life; the tragedies of man in the cosmos, chance, prophecy and manipulation by Gods. She could have left the tale ending with Jason’s Triumph at Colchis, taking the fleece and the mortal enchantress Medea, but “argonautika” rather reminds us of the hollowness of Jason’s victory, how short-term gains inevitably yield long term follies, and how generally the product of human endeavor is almost always heartbreak of some sort.

The play itself however is pretty witty if you think about. She plays with words and modern phrases. For example, when Jason tries to rationalize his sexual betrayal to Medea, he tells her “It’s not about you, it’s me”, or when the goddess Athena eavesdrops on a moment of heated "wrestling" between Jason and Medea with the urban inflection “oh yes they DI id”. This of course doesn’t mention the use of the words “Fuck”, “Shit”, “Asshole”. They bring a more modern light to the play that could have otherwise been just another classical play. Mind you I don’t mind the classics, but I can see why Zimmerman would want to have everyone interested.


( It was a pretty hot Water Nymph too)

Anyway, I am one of those people that like to look at the surroundings, and the sets for this play are amazing. There’s a tinsel-covered water nymph, a hooded Fury, a gaggle of Harpies that actually vomit, a jester-like Eros, and a giant arrow sticking out of a heart sick maiden. There are even stripper shoes! If you ever get a chance to go see it, please do. You’ll be impressed by its wit and humor, and you’ll see the story with a whole pair of eyes, which make you realize things you never noticed before. For example, I didn’t realize what a tool Jason really was.

Saturday Night: Samba, Dance, Indie, 60’s, Pool, disco fever.
After an eventful afternoon with unrequited love and a hero’s conquest. I went out! Think of it this way. Sinful Tuesday is this week, and then it’s Ash Wednesday. It’s time to get as much done NOW before an entire month of fasting (I’m not really looking forward to that, I love food). And since it’s always that Mardi Gras (aka Fat Tuesday, aka Sinful Tuesday) falls on a Tuesday, people celebrate the weekend before. Ultrabar in dc had a samba band come and play. The doors opened at 930 and it was free admission for anyone 21 and up. Not to mention open bar till 1030, and then half off everything. However, it tends to get crowded really quick and before I knew it, I was pressed into the corner doing the stand-still dance, because there was no where for me to move. I promptly left and went to Club Lima. It was less crowded for a while and I actually could drink my drinks at a table without feeling like I was going to be pushed out of the way for a bigger crowd. The DJ was pretty good, and it wasn’t a bad place to be until all the people that couldn’t fit into Ultrabar came into Lima instead.

I decided to switch from the orange line to the red line, and headed over to U Street. Here is where all the eclectics hang out. We went to Saint Ex, where everyone seemed to be suffering from their latest break up, and I ran into a million people that I had never thought (or hoped) I would run into for the rest of my life. After a quick game of fake catch up and listening to how the world revolved around someone’s broken heart, I went to the Black Cat’s 60’s dance party. I had stepped out of the world of the Emo, and into the world of the 60’s. I swear everyone in that place looked like either John Lennon or Paul McCartney, and every girl either looked like Cher or Twiggy. I stuck out like a sore thumb. I had a pony tail, boot jeans and a black halter-top. Some girls treated me with disdain, but that’s ok…because I didn’t look like I was starving and could actually do the locomotion.

(Twiggy in all her 60's splendor, she was pretty cool)

Sunday: Day o’ football
I’m a world cup girl. I grew up with soccer, I played soccer, and I enjoy soccer. I had never really had much interest in football. However, a lot of my friends do. And they take it very seriously. So I decided to try out my first super bowl: Patriots vs. Giants. Of course, I have no idea about anything in football. I’m still learning…alongside all the other toddlers in the country. But, I decided to take a bet and go against all odds. I bet on the Giants. Everyone thought I was crazy, they told me that the Patriots had not lost a game yet, and the Giants were a “wildcard” team…which I think means something along the lines of they were lucky to get in, because they aren’t really that good in comparison to other teams. But I have a closer tie to the Giants than I do the Patriots….and even though I don’t know anything about football…I know that I dislike Tom Brady. So I bet on the Giants 20 bucks. I don’t need to get into the description of the entire game (since most of you already know it), so I’ll just say that I’m looking forward to spending my 20 bucks.
Go Giants!

(A pretty upset Patriot)

Well my friends, I’m sure that you don’t want to read anymore (and I can only go into sooo many descriptions). But I hope you enjoyed it, and if you hate me right now because I happen to have won 20 bucks from you, I’m sorry…I guess I’m just lucky. :)

Weekend Review

Weekend Review:

Hello one and all. I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend, and that they did something exciting and fun. My weekend was pretty good, though not as action packed as I had originally wanted it to be.

After work on Friday, I headed out to a Shabbat dinner invitation. Now, for those of you who don’t know what Shabbat dinner is, it is the weekly Sabbath (understand now-Shabbat, Sabbath) in Judaism. This is a day that symbolizes the seventh day of rest, in genesis when god rested from the six days of creation. Christians have this day too, it’s technically Sunday. In Judaism it is commonly said to be the Saturday of each week, and is observed from sundown on Friday until sundown on Saturday.

The dinner was hosted by my friend Michelle and her boyfriend Jon at Michelle’s house. They’ll have to forgive me if I miss anything out, or if I spell some things wrong as I’m spelling them the way that they sounded to me when Jon said them.

It begins with everyone washing their hands and then sitting down at the table. The table is covered in food (which I don’t know if it’s traditional or not, but there was a lot of food here). At the ends of the table sit the host and hostess. To her right there are two small candles, and to his left there is something of a chalice, which is called the Kos L’Kiddush. The two candles are lit-one symbolizing the act of refraining from activity, and the other symbolizing the act of remembering Shabbat. Traditionally the women of the household light the candles, though it’s not gender specific.

Before the actual meal, it is customary to sing a song of welcome to the Sabbath angels and followed by Brachot (blessings) over the Yayin (wine) and Lechem (bread), which is also called Challah. I must state that I have never heard Jon sing before, and it was really very nice and uplifting. After all of this, everybody eats, talks, drinks and just enjoys the evening. It reminded me a lot of my family dinners since I didn’t even notice the time pass.

When everyone is done eating, the host sings another song (or prayer) to end the Shabbat dinner. I felt a little bad because Jon was trying to finish his song and the rest of us continued to talk and chatter away. I made a point of not talking to him at that time because I know that if it had been me…I would’ve lost my place. It was really a lot of fun and I would gladly do it again.

I was going to stay the whole night, but had completely forgotten that I had already promised Corrine I would show up to her gathering at her house in Falls Church. So I ushered myself out Michelle’s and heading back down 66 towards Corrine’s house. For those of you who don’t know this already, Corrine is a combination of friend, sister and mother. She loves to take care of you, and her house is always so homey. I love it. Plus, we always drink wine and talk about absolutely nothing and everything.

I didn’t get to bed till around 4 am, but it was well worth it to see everyone and to experience a more personable Shabbat (the last one wasn’t as welcoming to a non-Jew).

Saturday and Sunday were mostly days of reflection, sleep, and shopping. I am pretty happy though. I saw Michelle and Jon again, shared stories from childhood, bought a new mask to make for tomorrow, and bought a couple of pieces of felt (I’ll tell you why when I’m done with them, it’s a surprise!). I also finally bought the clay that I had wanted to get. I haven’t played with clay since I was in high school art class, so I wanted to pick it up again and see what I could create. I’ll post pictures of that in a bit too.

So that’s about it, now your turn! How was your weekend?

Weekend Review

Well hello my pretties!

Welcome to another week. Some of you lucky individuals don't work today; due to Martin Luther King. For the more international of you readers, there is a holiday dedicated to Marting Luther King, and some offices take the chance to honor him by freeing their repressed workers. Other people are not so lucky...no comment.

Anyway, today is weekend review day so we'll get right down to it.

It's always a good thing to connect with your family at some point in your independent life. So, after a long hard day at work on friday, I figured that instead of the usual mellow out time with monsieur pillow and madam DVD, I went directly to my parent's house and simply talked to my mother. We gossiped, talked about our lives and of course (cause you can never avoid it in my family) talked about politics. Even though I am independent of my parents now, and have lived long enough to develop my own views on various topics, I continue to learn from them. Someone once told me that having kids enriches your life. It works both ways. Honor thy mother and father, the fourth commandment calls for.

The next day was another bonding experience with the family, but of a different kind. Having just moved into my new apartment, I need furniture. We had the furniture bond. A little too early on saturday morning my mother, my sister and I drove to the IKEA store outside of the city. For those of you who don't know what the heck IKEA is, it is a swedish company that sells cheap, modern furniture. It is a newbs best friend as far as decoration (note newb= newbie). Now, even IKEA can be expensive but it's generally the right amount. Word of advice though, save up because it's actually cheaper to buy all of your stuff in one go and have it delivered at a flat rate, which is 80. Than have to buy separately and pay 80 for each delivery.

But I digress, back to bonding. There is such a thing as furniture bonding. This stems from the decoration bonding act, and is a tricky endeavor as sometimes the bonding isn't really positive. Positive bonding leads to a feeling of general love, and the idea that you are your bonding fellow's daughter/sister/whatever. Negative bonding leads to the idea that you hate the other person and that they are trying to decorate your house for you. Luckily...that has never happened with me. This was a good IKEA bonding. We arrived just as the store was opening and decided to indulge in the food that they were serving for breakfast at the time. Let me tell you, the Swedish think of everything: Swedish fish, Swedish models- Swedish breakfast for 1.99! After an hour or two of looking around I saw many things that I wanted...but that I could not yet afford all in one go. That was pretty depressing, but I did enjoy helping my mom and sister decide.

After that I cleaned up my house a bit, which really just lead to it being even MORE of a mess. In order to be organized, I realize, that you must first disorganize everything. It proved to be somewhat fruitless, so at around 9 o'clock I called a couple of friends and headed out.

Old town Alexandria is really very charming, and full of bars/restaurants/clubs. Since I was very much into jazz and blues at that moment, I went to a charming little jazz club. The food was great, the music was great...the drinks were great. I do not remember the name of the jazz club, but I'm pretty sure I could recognize the club from the outside when I go back. Immediately afterwards I went to a basement club where they were playing renditions of 80's pop. It's called 219 basement's on King street. I don't think I'll go back, simply because it was a pretty dirty, small, cramped space. At the time I didn't mind it so much, but now that I look back...it wasn't that great.

Sunday was spent recovering from a night of frivolity. I slept a bit, then went to chipotle and returned to my friend Michelle's house to play trivia pursuit till 2 am. Probably not the most sound of choices, but it's a fun game. You learn the most random of things, and even when you don't know the answer it's fun to take a guess. Most of the time for the 90's headliners we just shouted Bill Clinton if we didn't know the answer.

Now it's your turn! What did you do?

Because all 9 to 5ers suddenly find so much joy in the weekend, you may have noticed that I don’t post much on the weekends. This is because I’m generally out and about trying out the things I’ve been longing to do all week. Granted nothing stops me from doing any of these things during the weekdays…but it’s very hard to get up at 5 am if you JUST went to bed an hour or two before.

Anyway, this weekend was a road trip weekend. I went up to the Delaware coast or Delmarva as the locals call it. I had never been there during the winter so it was an experience really. The town that I went to was Bethany Beach. It runs right along the coast and is just south of Rehoboth, Dewey, Ocean City, and Atlantic City. During the summer it’s great.

I am not a fan of beaches were I cannot see the bottom, but Bethany Beach is one of the few places that I don’t mind it so much. Most of the big denizens are just harmless tuna and dolphins. I still like to stay closer to the shore though…just in case.

What I love about Bethany is that it’s still relatively quiet, in comparison to its HUGE neighbors. So when I want to get away from crowds and noise, it’s a good choice. Plus the beaches are cleaner. However, if I want to enjoy the fruits of the 20th century which include heavy doses of kamikaze shots, then I am really just a quick drive to any of the other places (I always have a designated driver though).

So I’ve done a quick review of Bethany for you all to peruse.

Where to stay: I stay with a friend. But there are choices around the area. You can rent a house or you can stay at the Sea Colony resort. There used to be the Blue Surf motel, but it has since been taken down and is being made into a bunch of condos…I personally think that it’s a horrible idea, but I do not have a say in it.

Where to eat:
There are a lot of places to eat around Bethany, but you have to be sure what you want. The restaurants around the beach aren’t amazing. However, I have to note that there IS a difference between restaurant and food stand. Most of the food stands sell yummy, but guilty pleasures. Try board walk fries and TCBY treats while you walk along the beach at sunset. You’ll also find lots of “candy kitchens” which sell delicious little pieces of fudge. It’s right there on the board walk with many little stores. But if you’re looking for a sit down it’s hard to find a good place.

Baja Beach House Grill: Very Tex Mex, not amazing but if you’re craving that fajita they’ll have it.
Mango’s: right above the board walk, it’s got great views of the beach and the drinks are great…but the food is pretty average, neither bad nor amazing.
Patsy's Gourmet & Restaurant : not a bad place in and of itself. I have yet to experience the fullness of the menu so I have reserve a bit of judgment.
As you go farther up the price ladder you do get a few better options:
Five Guy Famous Burger & Fries: I don’t know what they make in their burgers but let me tell you, they are delicious! Great burgers! But you have to wait in line a while and a lot of times you have to put up with other people fighting for their own deliciousness.
Di Febo's Deli & Carryout: I like Di Febos, but it’s not necessarily cheap. I love their wine selection. It’s not the most sophisticated but they do a good job of it and it’s a really good choice. You can’t go wrong.
Grotto Pizza: I go here mainly because of tradition, but it’s really not that great. The pizza is ok, but everything else is pretty average. It’s a great family restaurant though, so let the little tots bounce around if they want.

Where I would like to go:

I am not really a local in Bethany Beach, so naturally I don’t know ALL the secrets, but I’m dying to try a few of these places:

Bethany Blues BBQ Pit: Sometimes you just want some good old BBQ!
Sedona: It’s fusion, which is always an adventure. And everyone knows how much I love adventures.
Things to do: You can do a lot in Bethany if you don’t mind amusing yourself. There are lots of beach shops that if you have time you can poke through and see if you find a treasure. But the draw of it all is the beach. I cannot tell you how beautiful it is. I personally love getting up early in the summer and walking along the beach just before sunrise. One you can see the dolphins hunting and playing, and you can walk the entire beach. Yes it’s a little chilly but so worth it. If you walk all the way down the beach you can reach the WWII look out towers. I did that one morning and found a pretty cool chunk of old metal that had a few markings on it and some small holes that look like bullet holes. I’ve been trying to discover what exactly it is. I like to think it’s a submarine piece.
Kayak and bicycle: If you don’t have a fear of sharks or dark water, go kayaking. Lots of times dolphins come up and play with you or swim along side you. Once I swam out (without realizing it) up to a kayak and swam a little bit with the dolphins. They’re HUGE creatures, but very majestic.
Buy books: one of my favorite pastimes. There’s a delightful little store, Atlantic Books, around the beach front that has several books. I warn you, it’s not a Barnes and Noble, but I also support small time stores.
Shopping: Little knickknacks, and beach stuff. There is however a jewelry store that I would like to go into…but never had the time now that I think about it.
Swimming: obvious
Put Put: There’s now a little put put stop in the center of town. It’s not complicated but it’s there.

If there’s anything else that you want to do/eat/go, Bethany is really just a five minute drive from other action spots. The best thing about Bethany is that it’s the “quiet resort”. Beautifully serene.