Things I Learned This (Long) Weekend

Dante was foreshadowing the Crystal City underground when he wrote "The Divine Comedy."
Because Crystal City is a circle of hell. There were many metro delays on Friday evening that had me stuck on a train for about an hour at the CC station. I finally gave up and thought I'd find a bus. Wrong! I wandered around the impossible underground maze of stores, which were eerily devoid of shoppers and owners, for a half hour. On my third trip outside to find a bus, I instead found a cab. Best $25 I've ever spent.

If you love fruit dip and have no self control you shouldn't make fruit dip.
Especially when you're the only one around. But that damn fluff/cream cheese/vanilla mixture is just heaven on strawberries. And a fork.

They really mean "rummage" at a Rummage Sale.
A church at the end of my block had a rummage sale on Saturday, my first rummage! And they really mean rummage. They had tons of clothes in heaps on tarps. I skipped them at first, heading for books and housewares, where I picked up 4 books, a "Votes for Women" packet, a basket, a divided tray, and a solid tray. I then meandered back to the clothes and after spying some nautical flag napkins -- I'm kind of obsessed with nautical flags -- decided to jump in to the heap and dig. (I didn't actually jump, but there was digging.) I found 1 hat, 2 skirts, 1 dress, 1 pair of pants, 2 J Crew wool sweaters, 1 Old Navy sweater vest, and a child's Vineyard Vines polo dress I thought I could wear as a dress. (See more on that below.) What was the grand total for all of this? A whopping $16! (Actually $20 because I donated the change. It's a church!)

I have a big head.
Or at least a head that's too big for a child's dress. I gave it to my co-worker for his daughter. At least it was only a $1.

A sewing machine and a little patience can lead to a new wardrobe.
Or what feels like a new wardrobe. On Saturday I took in six skirts! Two were from the rummage sale and four were from my closet that I've been making fit with safety pins for the last two summers. It was alarmingly easy to take them all in and I'm so happy to have six new (to me) skirts in my repertoire.

The inside of an iron with a retractable cord is a mess.
I dropped my iron for the 100th time, but this time from a distance of about 3 feet on to hardwood floor. The iron still works, but the cord can no longer be stored neatly within.

The Jonathan Adler store is pretty.
And expensive. His store opened in Georgetown in the fall but this was my first visit. I only took one picture, as inspiration for what I can put under my own new (to me) cloche. But the entire store was lovely and modern and bright.

You know you're in for an interesting show when you have to take off your shoes and wear these.
This is B and I before a dance performance at the Kennedy Center. We knew ahead of time we would have to remove our shoes, stand for 45 minutes, and there would be nudity. Wowza was it a show. (See more on that below.)

Some people play fast and loose with the word "art."
I won't get too specific out of respect of the "dancers," but we saw what was billed as a dance show. We walked in to a long, white room with various large squares on the floor. Some squares had plastic cubes, some had piles of paint, two had a disgusting amount of fake, dark hair, and most squares had a person, wearing only flesh-colored undies. Yep. For 45 minutes the crowd walked around and amongst the squares, watching the performers dance, move cubes, freeze, and eventually roll in the paint. (And the hair, which was awful.) It was different, to be sure, but at least we have a good story to tell.

I seriously love a weekend trip to pool.
As I blogged repeatedly last summer, I'm sure I'll be blogging the same this summer in terms of trips to apartment pool. I just love it so. And this year they have new chairs that can lay completely flat! Hello, easy reading on my stomach.

I seriously love a weekend trip to the pool...even if my knees look like a "weird butt."
Or so says an FB friend after I briefly posted this photo. Umm, pretty sure everyone knows those are my knees, and not my butt.

Too much foot soak + electronic foot bath = bubble madness
I made three trips to the kitchen sink with a handful of bubbles before giving up. I bought the bath on crazy sale on Sunday, thinking it would be great for use with all my assorted foot products. I'm hoping it was just user error or else this thing will be going back.

The last month

I've really been struggling lately in coming up with things to write about here. (Which is quite unfortunate timing as I start a six-week writing class soon on personal essay.) But a quick browse through my iPhone photos revealed a number of activities that I haven't blogged about. And then reminded me of even more non-photographed activities from the past month.

Book Club

Generally my book club meets each month at a DC restaurant. But sometimes a member will host a potluck at her home just to mix it up and save a little money. This month I offered up my humble abode. It went really well and I really do love having people over. (Even though I had a number of anxiety attacks leading up to it, but that’s just how I roll.) About an hour before people were set to arrive I realized I didn’t have fresh flowers and I just can’t have people over without fresh flowers. So to Giant I went/ran and purchased these. Three weeks later, I just threw the majority out but still have a few going strong. Best $15 ever.

Joey and Michelle Visit

My brother and his girlfriend came for the weekend toward the end of September. I introduced them to my office, we took a tortuous drive through DC to get to the Nats game, watched the Braves prevail over the Nats, went to Eastern Market, went to the National Mall and visited the World War II and Korean War Memorials, took a Potomac River Cruise from Georgetown, and had some good meals.

Presidential Visit

The wax museum here recently revealed the wax figures of ALL the presidents. All. The. Presidents. The roommate and I were a bit excited about this. (More on this later.)

Les Miserables

In May I bought my ticket to see Les Mis at the Kennedy Center. Unfortunately, I was not a fan. Which I don’t quite understand as I love plays, love musicals, love history, love the French Revolution even, but did not love the play. At all.

Matt Nathanson

I attended my first concert at one of DC’s most popular venues, 9:30 Club, with my friend Lauren to see Matt Nathanson. He put on a great show and was really funny, too.

Good Times

This past weekend I spent an evening in Bethesda with one of my work friends, Shana. We had dinner and then just hung out and chatted at her place until 2 in the morning. You know how I keep going on and on about what great friends I have? Well, I mean it and I do. The next day I met Brandie to see “The Ides of March” and then have a late brunch at Austin Grill. Yes, I had a mimosa and pancakes at a Tex Mex restaurant. But B had a mimosa and tacos at a Tex Mes restaurant, so…

Stalking Tina Fey, Finding Harry Reid: A D.C. Story

Tuesday night I went to the Kennedy Center with the roommate to see the musical "Hair." It was fun, vibrant, and very enjoyable. She has seen it a number of times and warned me about the actors coming into the audience and touching people. (Not a fan of audience participation but they stayed away from us.) And the nudity and other stuff was to be expected seeing as how it's about 1960s hippies. But thank goodness for it all since it led to some of the best overheard conversations ever that included the words stoned, lover, crazy stalking, and genitals.

Tuesday was also the night that Tina Fey received the Mark Twain Prize at the KC. I knew she was receiving the prize but didn't know when until Karey reminded me. I actually started a post last month on how much I love Tina, but have been too intimidated to finish it. Basically, she is very high on my Women I Admire But Am Not Related To List. As in, Audrey's first, Hillary's probably second, and Tina might just be third. Love. Her.

After the play we exited and immediately saw a dozen black suburbans and a red carpet. While most of the carpets are red at the KC but this was clearly a Hollywood-style red carpet. And those black suburbans that are seen all over the city, suddenly took on a new meaning.

Now, the roommate is an expert at meeting famous people. And keeping her cool. I, on the other hand, would rather avoid them at all cost. I just get too panicky at the thought of meeting someone I admire and no doubt would throw up on. But we decided to hang out for a bit in the roped off area -- yes, they made us wait in a roped off area -- to see who we could see. I rehearsed in my head potential talking points were we to get in shouting distance of anyone but could come up with nothing more eloquent than "I AM YOU. I LOVE YOU." (Plus a variety of inappropriate comments to adorable Seth Meyers and just plain fainting if Jon Hamm were to walk by.)

Sadly, or thankfully, after waiting about 10 minutes we decided to leave as it was late and we were tired. Yes, lamest story ever. But, as this is D.C., we do have our own famous people, which is how Senate Majority Leader and recently re-elected Nevada Senator Harry Reid came to walk down that carpet. Harry Reid! A Senator! Who is very tiny in person! And who definitely made me screech, giggle, and hit my friend in excitement. Because I am just that big of a dork.

Probably for the best that we left before Tina and the others came out because I only love Harry half as much as I love them and still lost my cool. Never mind, you're right, I have no cool.

Thwarted!

From Politico:
First couple takes in 'Thurgood'

According to another article, they arrived at the Kennedy Center around 7:28.

I was at the Kennedy Center from approximately 5:28 to 7:02. For the first time in months.

So close, yet, not.

(I went to the Millennium Stage 6:00 free performance they have everyday. Friday's was a blind Japanese violinist. Very impressive.)

Snow bunnies and ballerinas

Beginning around Tuesday or Wednesday I started seeing weather reports on this huge winter storm system headed for the south. And as of Thursday night, as that system was reaching its tentacles across the better part of this great nation, our worthy local weather people were calling for "a chance of 1 or 2 inches," but more than likely we'd just get "a light dusting."

Well, someone has some explaining to do.

Saturday, 12:30 p.m. "A light dusting" on my street.

Escalator at the metro, 12:32 p.m.

Kennedy Center, 4:30 p.m. Still snowing.

And why was I at the Kennedy Center on a snow day? To see the ballet, of course. Because when I bought tickets on Monday there was never a hint that come Saturday I'd have to trudge through 4 inches of snow to see American Ballet Theatre perform Romeo and Juliet. But I did and it was worth it.

I absolutely adore the ballet and this is just my second time to see a performance in person. I got a deal on great seats and it was my first show in the Opera House, which is magnificent. I didn't realize when I bought them that it was ABT performing, and if I had I might have picked a different show so I could have seen some of the dancers I am more familiar with. But it was still a very well-danced and produced performance and a great way to spend a "lightly dusted" Saturday.

Day 356: Joyful, joyful

I've actually had today's activities in mind for about a month now. Trying again to make sure I stay the December Doldrums, I've been looking for things to keep me happy and occupied.

First up, a trip to see the National Christmas Tree, National Menorah, and the official North Carolina tree.
(I thought I'd seen the National Tree last year, but appartently only from afar, as I realized I never got this close last year.)

I took some pictures along Pennsylvania, before heading to Barnes and Noble for some warmth.

Finally, I headed to the Kennedy Center to see Elisabeth von Trapp, granddaughter of THE von Trapps, perform for free on the Millennium Stage. I didn't eat much today and started feeling poorly, so I had to leave early. But I did get to hear a few stories about her family, hear her sing one of my new faves, "What Child is This?" and then a few Sound of Music songs.
All in all, a great day. And now only a few more to go before HOME.

Day 241: Getting some culture

Long week, but luckily, it will end in a long weekend. Sadly, however, Labor Day means summer is officially on the way out, which means friends are arriving, friends are leaving, things are changing. Yuck. But today I made one last grasp before the change starts, and went to a free performance at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Elizabeth and I saw Bilja Krstic and Bistrik Orchestra, from the Balkans.
It was my first visit to the Kennedy Center, which was beautiful, and the orchestra was great. Good mix of instruments and some a cappella. And since Elizabeth took Serbian at UNC, I even got to understand some of what they were saying.

Lots of flags:Ooh, shiny.