La Petite Cherie in DC

Finding happiness and beauty in everyday things, and being thankful for them

2009-06-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

Normally I look forward to June and the official start of summer. But between the Air France Rio-Paris flight (our organization lost two researchers), the Holocaust museum shooting, the Metro crash, one of my coworkers passing away suddenly...all in all there are many unfortunate things that have been happening that have hit really close to home. This month has been bad. (On a less serious note, because it’s not exactly life or death, I wasn’t offered a job I was interviewing for, a job I really wanted.)
Therefore I’m taking solace in the things I would normally overlook - small things I usually take for granted, things that are relatively inexpensive or free and make me happy. Here is my ode to small, beautiful everyday things.
To Yamaha:
Ok, so my digital piano was definitely not free, but I looove it. It makes me happy to make music. I’ve been practicing every day since I bought it for myself for my birthday in May. It feels like a real piano. I’m finally learning how to play the Moonlight Sonata and Erik Satie’s Gymnopédie. Props to my hubby for putting up with my practicing and occasional false notes.
To the kid who wrote on the sidewalk:
I was walking to work the other day through Foxhall Village, a cute neighborhood with Tudor-style houses. You had written on the sidewalk with colorful chalk: “Be happy with your life. Be good to the Earth.” Somehow these words really resonated with me and I’ve been repeating those phrases to myself. I love their simplicity and sincerity. I love that at your age, however old you are, you have the wisdom to understand what’s really important and remind us adults not to lose perspective.
To the two mourning doves that have nested on our windowsill:
We’ve dubbed you Rocky and Roxy, and a week ago you pulled a fast one on us, and out of nowhere your two little chicks appeared in the nest. You seem to not mind our presence too much, and we certainly try not to disturb you, but I love peeking at you in the morning and evening to see how your little ones are growing and changing. They have soft little grey feathers, and you both have taupe feathers and dark eyes rimmed in light blue. The vine growing up the side of our building provides a bit of shade for you and the windowsill is definitely a sturdy place to have built your nest. I hope you stay. I fancy myself a birdwatcher now.
To Blurb’s Booksmart:
Ingenious! I use you to publish my own books, filled with photos and text and entirely designed by me. My mom loved her Mother’s Day present, and it didn’t even break the bank.
To the Georgetown public pool on Volta:
Thank you for being free. I love swimming in the summer after work. I also like watching happy dogs run around the park next to the pool.
And speaking of dogs, here’s to Stella:
You are filling a big hole in my family’s life. I like how you jump up and wrap your paws around my waist to give me a hug, and I like to watch you swim in the creek at Fisher Park. And to Padawan and Lilly: We all love to spoil you, and you both deserve it.
Bubbleicious: I've rediscovered something from childhood and it makes me happy.

Beauty and the Web

2009-04-30T12:43:00.000-07:00

Celebration of colors.

Aerial view of New York.

Story of a Sign (you need the updated version of Adobe Flash Player to watch).

More to come.

Good things come to those who wait

2009-03-24T11:29:00.000-07:00

Many exciting things have been happening these past few weeks.
First off, I got accepted into graduate school! I'm going to be pursuing a Master's part-time starting in the fall.
I was accepted to George Washington University's Higher Education Administration program with a focus on international ed, but am also in the process of applying to American University's International Training and Education Program. My ultimate goal is to begin working in study abroad at a university or college, or at a foundation working in international academic exchanges. I'd really like to be a study abroad advisor, helping students travel abroad and helping international students acclimate to the US. For me it would be a great combination of things I like: international affairs/relations, counseling/working with people one-on-one, possibly traveling? and working in a university environment (it would feel like home...that's because I grew up in a college town).

Or who knows! Maybe someday I will have my own study abroad program and get to do site visits around the world. :-P We shall see where this fork in the road takes me!

I've been volunteering more and more with Homeward Trails Animal Rescue, working at dog adoption events and meeting transports to get adopted and fostered dogs handed over to their new families. It makes me so happy to see these animals placed in good homes; plus, people are elated when they get to meet the newest member of their family.

Typically the people that would say this don't do any volunteer work themselves, but sometimes I get asked why I would choose to volunteer for an animal-rescue organization, as opposed to volunteering for an orphanage or at a soup kitchen or some other organization that helps people instead of animals (and for the record I have volunteered at organizations that help people).

My mom, who also picks up a lot of stray animals and tries to place them in good homes, has also gotten this remark as well, and my answer is quite simple: it doesn't matter where you give your time, as long as your heart is in it, and as long as you make a difference to someone. The dogs and cats that we rescue are going to bring a lot of joy into their adopter's life, perhaps someone who has never known the kind of unconditional love that an animal is capable of giving. And the animal in turn is going to benefit from having a loving family.

Being more humane towards animals is good for society as a whole. Have you noticed that the most-developed nations typically already have a system in place for animal welfare, whether it is veterinary care, humane societies, ASPCAs, and animal rescues? (it makes sense: you can't begin to address the welfare of animals in a country where the people are dying of hunger).

The HSUS (Humane Society of the United States) doesn't just advocate for cute little furry kittens and puppies. A lot of their work involves preventing cruelty towards farm animals - and after reading Fast Food Nation and Omnivore's Dilemma, and learning about the kind of work HSUS does, I have been much more conscious of the kinds of meat I eat. Did you know for example that grass-fed cows actually only spend two-thirds of their lives out in the pasture and the rest in a feedlot? Apparently "grass-finished" cows are the ones that spend their entire lives living the way cows are meant to live - out in an open pasture, able to roam and graze freely. If I'm going to eat meat, I have to be accepting of the fact that an animal died for my consumption, and as far as I'm concerned that animal should have had the best life possible (not to mention that the meat from happy cows and pigs is probably much better for your health).

But I digress...
I'm also very excited to be going home for Easter. Yes, it's sleepy old Davidson, whose Main Street hasn't changed in 25 years, and where people leave their doors unlocked, but it's very comforting to be home, and I love North Carolina in the springtime. Also, I get to get away from DC drivers for 4 days.

Jacques and I, after almost signing a lease for a new, larger apartment near American University, have decided to stay in our cheaper, smaller place near Georgetown in order to save some cash and (maybe?) buy a place in the area! Prices seem to have gone down a little. Granted, it would probably be a 1-bedroom condo, this is still the DC market we're talking about! Home-ownership, meeee? Who would have thunk it. The first thing I'm doing if and when we move is get a dog and cat!!!

Finally one more exciting piece of news, my dear friend Nathalie from France, who was one of my bridesmaids, is going to be visiting me the week of my birthday in May! I am definitely throwing a party. We're also probably going to the Big Apple for a few days.

Hooray for all these good things. Toodles!

Pretty as a picture

2009-02-16T11:17:00.001-08:00

2009

2009-01-28T11:09:00.000-08:00

My first moments of 2009 began on the beach in Acapulco nearly getting pummeled in the face by misdirected, poorly-placed green fireworks and then hiding under my napkin. Let's hope that is not an omen for how the rest of the year is going to turn out. In Mexico, as in Spain, they give you twelve grapes on New Year's Eve which you are supposed to eat at midnight, one for each chime of the clock. I decided to forgo that part, not wanting to choke, and I was too busy avoiding the fireworks.

I actually have a very intense fear of them, if I'm too close, and of firecrackers, too. I think it stems from when I was five and in Paris with my parents for the summer. Bastille Day in July 1989, the bicentennial of the start of the French Revolution: there were thousands of people in the streets that night and people were throwing firecrackers on the ground. And then my parents and I had to walk several kilometers back to our apartment late in the night because the metros were filled to capacity. I remember it vividly, probably because I was scared out of my wits!

Anyways, I digress. I actually had a fantastic New Year's Eve this year, although it didn't feel like New Year's Eve because of the balmy weather in Mexico. We were treated to a scrumptious meal on the beach with dancing until 8 am (I keeled over at 4:30, not quite being able to party until sunrise anymore). Most of the songs were Mexican eighties' pop.

We're almost a month into the year and I have yet to write my resolutions. Hmmmm...here are several. I've given a lot of thought to them because 1) I firmly believe your resolutions should be doable and 2) if they're not doable I won't stick to them.

- Invest more in my friendships. They're more stable and have a higher value than the stock market anyways.
- Become the Bill Gates of cooking. This will probably take much longer than one year, but I am taking baby steps.
- Write more to my grandmother.
- Be more patient and less clumsy. I say this to myself every year.
- Finally learn to drive stick-shift and speak Italian. Not necessarily at the same time.
- Get into just the right shape so that my favorite jeans will also become my most comfortable jeans again. My heart will thank me too.
- Be kinder. That is a universal resolution.

Put a ribbon in your hair???

2008-12-18T15:15:00.000-08:00

Oh man. Just when I think women have a long way to go to achieving equality, I find something that reminds me how far we've come already! Courtesy of Jezebel (a blog I read voraciously) I found this AWESOME "Good Wife's Guide" from 1955. I'll have to ask hubby how I measure up, considering my culinary masterpiece is Kraft Mac&Cheese!
I particularly like the part about "Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it." And "Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours." Haha! Click on the image above for the full article.

Bedtime Tunes - Updated Nightly

2008-12-17T13:08:00.000-08:00

I have rediscovered the loveliness that is Bedtime Tunes: check it out online for some really mellow ambient/electronica/trip hop/folksy tunes.

In other news, the sky is blue.

2008-12-02T07:19:00.000-08:00

Food price crisis and financial crisis present double threat for poor people. Nooooo, really???

Ode to Wine

2008-12-01T11:52:00.001-08:00

I am short on inspiration today, so I'm letting Pablo Neruda's words work their magic:

Day-colored wine,
night-colored wine,
wine with purple feet
or wine with topaz blood,
wine,
starry child
of earth,
wine, smooth
as a golden sword,
soft
as lascivious velvet,
wine, spiral-seashelled
and full of wonder,
amorous,
marine;
never has one goblet contained you,
one song, one man,
you are choral, gregarious,
at the least, you must be shared.
At times
you feed on mortal
memories;
your wave carries us
from tomb to tomb,
stonecutter of icy sepulchers,
and we weep
transitory tears;
your
glorious
spring dress
is different,
blood rises through the shoots,
wind incites the day,
nothing is left
of your immutable soul.
Wine
stirs the spring, happiness
bursts through the earth like a plant,
walls crumble,
and rocky cliffs,
chasms close,
as song is born.
A jug of wine, and thou beside me
in the wilderness,
sang the ancient poet.
Let the wine pitcher
add to the kiss of love its own.

My darling, suddenly
the line of your hip
becomes the brimming curve
of the wine goblet,
your breast is the grape cluster,
your nipples are the grapes,
the gleam of spirits lights your hair,
and your navel is a chaste seal
stamped on the vessel of your belly,
your love an inexhaustible
cascade of wine,
light that illuminates my senses,
the earthly splendor of life.

But you are more than love,
the fiery kiss,
the heat of fire,
more than the wine of life;
you are
the community of man,
translucency,
chorus of discipline,
abundance of flowers.
I like on the table,
when we're speaking,
the light of a bottle
of intelligent wine.
Drink it,
and remember in every
drop of gold,
in every topaz glass,
in every purple ladle,
that autumn labored
to fill the vessel with wine;
and in the ritual of his office,
let the simple man remember
to think of the soil and of his duty,
to propagate the canticle of the wine.

Recap

2008-11-20T08:05:00.000-08:00

Somehow we managed to fit my parents and my brother in our lil "pied a terre" in Georgetown for the weekend. I threw my first "official" dinner party as well with my parents and my in-laws on Saturday night! --- meaning, we busted out the fine china and crystal glasses, which we then had to spend the better part of the evening washing by hand. It's tiring playing house!

We did cheat a teensy bit on the main dish: we served a rack of lamb that comes herbed and ready to cook from Trader Joe's (is that a total travesty? At least the meat is free-range and organic).

We continued the gluttonous weekend by having dim sum on Sunday at Fortune (Seven Corners, VA) - HIGHLY recommend it, have been there 3 or 4 times now and each time I come away from it I am happily stuffed. If you plan on going, be sure to make a reservation, it gets packed.

I also went to see the new James Bond which I really liked (plunk me down in front of mostly any spy movie and I will be content, especially if it includes Daniel Craig, shirtless). Maybe not as good as Casino Royale, but still worth seeing! If you're a fan of Daniel Craig, you should check out the movie Layercake as well.

And then we had dinner once again at Brasserie Beck, this time with the dozen usual suspects in tow, to celebrate a birthday (Happy birthday hubby!). And thank you to everyone who came out, even though it was a weeknight. You guys are pretty much irreplaceable. When I was a teenager I watched Friends a lot and thought, "when I'm in my 20's I'm going to have a really great group of friends too." And I do!

Also a BIG THANK YOU to a certain someone who offered us two bottles of Perrier-Jouet even though she couldn't be there with us (you know who you are, and you are my hero!).

2008-11-10T12:44:00.000-08:00

I've started taking an art class at the Art League School in Alexandria. It's painting with pastels, something I haven't done diligently since high school, and I'm glad to report that my first project, still life with vase and mandarin orange, doesn't look like a big poo! I may not be Monet but at least it's three hours every week that I can set aside and devote to me. It's been a long time since I've had an activity where I end up getting lost in it and losing track of time.

I've also started volunteering for Homeward Trails Animal Rescue to fill the gaping hole that is "not having a dog in my daily life." Someday I will have one..or two, or three...and two cats - one will be named Cleopatra (Cleo for short), the other Leopold (Leo for short).

It's somewhat hard on the soul to volunteer at the dog adoption events, because there are so many good dogs that need good homes, and if I had the resources I would take them all in (I'm an equal-opportunity dog lover).

Also I woke up on November 5th feeling really good...because for the first time since I was 18, I was super super proud of my country (and my home state of North Carolina!).

Much happiness to Mr. and Mrs. Hall (or is that Mr. and Mrs. Reddick?)

2008-11-10T12:35:00.000-08:00

Our friends got married in a little garden in Chevy Chase, MD on November 1st. Everything was so lovely, and the vows were funny and touching. It seems even the Man Upstairs was on call to paint the leaves the same shade as the bride's bouquet and ensure the weather was cooperative.

Congratulations to V&D!

God, I am such a tool

2008-10-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

The other night we watched "I Am Legend" and I started to bawl my eyes out when Will Smith's dog was bitten by zombie dogs and died. I really need to get a grip.

Rest in peace

2008-10-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

Midnight was my best friend. She died of cardiac arrest on a Wednesday at 6 in the morning after 10 days in the hospital with a blocked bile duct and two operations. She was 12. I wish she didn't have to go that way, I would have liked for her to be in the comfort of her home instead of scared and alone in the animal hospital, but she had a great life and was very pampered and very loved from the minute we found her and her sisters and brothers, abandoned, when they were only about a week old. We placed all of the other puppies and kept her, the runt of the litter. She had purple spots on her tongue (she was a black lab/terrier/chow mix, we think) and liked to dig for moles in the ground. She was a sweetheart, very loyal, shy almost to the point of being skittish with people she didn't know, she was calm, she had the softest ears. She will be greatly missed.

Honeymoon

2008-07-28T07:10:00.001-07:00

It has been a long time since I have written (hey, give me a break! I was planning a wedding and enjoying three weeks of not being in the US). Just to get you up to speed - we were in France from June 28th to July 8th (and were married on July 5th), and then in the Seychelles Islands from July 8th-July16th, and then in Paris from July 16th-July 20th. The 20th marks our return to DC and to its lovely summertime humidity, and it's taken me at least until today (July 28th) to settle in/get over my yearly post-vacation funk/organize my life after this dreamy, magical interlude.

Let me just say that the Seychelles Islands is everything I hoped it would be: paradisiaque, as they say in French; the bluest waters and whitest sands of the Indian Ocean; smooth granite rocks bordering the beaches; tropical fish and birds; Creole and Thai food to die for; basically, it was very depaysant (meaning I felt like I was in a different world). It was so beautiful it felt like I had walked into an amusement park, like it was man-made. There were many European, Russian, Indian tourists, but we only met one American tourist and he lived with his Romanian girlfriend in Dubai. So I guess it's somewhat off the beaten path for us Americans, but well worth the time needed to get there. We took a direct flight with Air Seychelles from Paris to Mahe, the main (and largest) island of the Seychelles. It's about a 9-hour overnight flight. We spent four days at the Banyan Tree, a resort overlooking Anse Intendance. There were mainly couples staying there. Each couple has their own villa recessed into the hillside complete with its own little patio and private pool.

The first day we got there we decided to treat ourselves to a three-hour spa treatment. First you start off with a cup of chilled tea and an icy face towel that is perfumed with mint essential oil. Then we each had a body scrub with orange, yogurt and sugar; you're rinsed off with warm water, rubbed with honey and then rinsed off once more with warm milk and then you have a 10-minute steam bath. THEN you have an hour-and-a-half Thai full body message. They have to help peel you off the massage table after that because you're completely limp. And then you're treated to hot ginger tea and oranges. That was a GREAT way to start the vacation!! We ate at a Thai restaurant on our first day for dinner and I bit into a pepper that was so hot I thought my head would explode. Otherwise the food was scrumptious.

The next day we went on an excursion by boat to Moyenne Island and went snorkeling in Baie Sainte Anne which is near Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles. Moyenne Island is a private island owned by this crazy kooky English guy since the mid-1960s. He lives there on his own with a bunch of tortoises and dogs. He has spray-painted each tortoise with a big orange letter so that he can identify them, and has also created a "museum" which consists of seashells he's found and articles about himself in newspapers (the "real Robinson Crusoe").

On the third day we took it easy by the pool and the beach at Banyan Tree. Swimming, Scrabble, reading, taking underwater pictures, and applying sunscreen every 10 minutes (Seychelles is 4 degrees south of the Equator). On the fourth day we also spent some time by the beach and pool, and treated ourselves to another massage (they were that good).

And then our time at Banyan Tree was over - the next day we left for another island called Praslin, which is a 15-minute flight from Mahe. Praslin has some really beautiful beaches, especially Petite Anse Kerlan at the Lemuria resort where we were staying, and Anse Lazio, considered by some to be one of the best beaches in the world.

From Praslin we also took a day trip to the island of La Digue, a very small island where people get around mainly on bike. Anse Source d'Argent is a really famous beach there - we spent some time snorkeling and taking pictures there as well.
V. relaxing, lovely vacation...the stuff of dreams.

The difference between a man and a woman

2008-06-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

Life explained (funny).

Obamabots and Billaryites

2008-06-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

Regardless of your political beliefs, this has been a historic week in the history of the US: a racially-mixed man has clinched the presidential nomination of a major party for the first time. It would be no less historic had Clinton been the nominee.

For all of the dirty politics that have been in play these past few months from both sides of the Democratic party, for all of the age/gender/race/education divisions that the media love to talk about and that I'm sick of hearing about, look how far we have come already: a woman and a black/white man as serious contenders for the presidency. That would have been unthinkable 50 years ago, when women had three options for careers (nurse, teacher, secretary) and black people had to sit in the back of the bus. I mean, I wasn't around then, but I think it would have been unthinkable. I really do admire them and congratulate them both for the fact that they got into politics in the first place, 'cause it's not something I would ever be capable of doing. I couldn't deal with the slime, spin and backstabbing.

It makes me happy that we are living in an America where two such people are able to run for president and be taken seriously. And for the Democrats that are saying that they will abstain from voting in November if their candidate is not nominated (ahem, Clinton supporters), you're just silly. We have a lot of work to do. Sigh.

I happen to like Obama. The media might say that's typical, since I'm young, college-educated and live in an urban, progressive area. I also eat arugula, shop at Whole Foods on occasion, don't own a gun, and believe that people should be able to marry whoever they want (gasp!) - go ahead and categorize me into your predefined boxes, if you'd like. I have my own reasons. But if Clinton was the nominee, I would still vote for her in November. Voting for McCain because you're unhappy with Obama would essentially be undermining everything Clinton promised to work for. It's like throwing out the baby with the bathwater...errr... buying the milk when you could get it for free...or something like that.

(On a side note, and I'm walking on eggshells on this one, Obama is 50% white, 50% black, so I have always wondered why people refer to him as black if he's equally black and white in his genetic makeup? Why don't they say "of mixed race" or something along those lines?)

On a more frivolous side, Sex and the City was totally fabulous - a lovely little guilty pleasure full of shoes, being pathologically self-absorbed with oneself, objectification of men, and forgetting about the real world for 2.5 hours - and if you liked the show you should go see the movie. With some girlfriends, of course.

A good dose of estrogen (and some good eggs)

2008-06-03T12:44:00.001-07:00

Ok, now I know what you're thinking when you read "a good dose of estrogen:" no, it has nothing to do with the monthly bill. It's just that I'm gearing up for a long weekend of gal-pal bonding. Ooooo I am so excited.

Wednesday I'm going to see Sex & the City with a bunch of girlfriends, Friday I'm hanging out with three of my favorite Lynks from college, and Saturday there is something of a surprise in store for me: a bridal shower & bachelorette party, the details of which I know little to nothing about. Fiance will be off doing his own thing, his boys are taking him somewhere for the weekend and told him to pack a pair of gloves and some goggles (I don't want to know.).

Also about the good eggs thing: I always thought that was a quirky but kind of cute thing to say as a toast with your best girlfriends. I guess it means that you're a great person and should definitely reproduce someday (as opposed to some people who should maybe...not.). So, here's to some damn good eggs.

Quite a way to start the summer.

2008-05-28T13:20:00.000-07:00

...with a Nationals baseball game on Saturday evening (Boeing Co. box seats and super-convenient parking courtesy of our friend Phil - thank you!), a BBQ on Sunday in Maryland, complete with firepit, s'mores, real Coca-Cola made in Mexico with sugar instead of HFCS (high-fructose crap syrup) and staring at the stars through the night, and a day trip to Chrysalis Vineyards in Middleburg, VA (gorgeous views, bad wine), this kind of weekend might have to become a tradition.

And now it's back to reality: Office, Pushing Important Papers Around, you know, The Usual.

I wear red nail polish too

2008-05-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

I found this Wife Chart online. I think my score comes to about -4 (that's negative four): abysmal failure as a wife by 1939 standards.

Never could keep those seams in my hose from not becoming crooked.

Hope it's not their first date

2008-05-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was undoubtedly the most exciting dinner I've been to in a long time. I mean exciting in a bad way, like you think someone's about to die.

We had just ordered our sushi at Kotobuki (a small, intimate restaurant that seats 30 people max) when the woman seated at the table next to us started yelling to call 911, that it wasn't a joke, as she leaned over and grabbed her boyfriend, whose eyes were rolling into the back of his head and he was passing out. I couldn't tell if it was a stroke or seizure, but it was something bad. After a few moments and 5 people calling 911 simultaneously (including me, a first) he came to and could speak, but he really didn't look so good because he first turned the color of the wall (eggshell white) and then turned greener and greener, until he vomited all over the table. Poor guy. Good thing an off-duty paramedic was there and helped him lie down and offered suggestions on what to do. Finally the paramedics arrived and took him to the hospital. I kinda lost my appetite after that but still managed to enjoy my spicy tuna roll.

I am a fashion maverick

2008-04-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

Got a new pair of eyeglasses. They are by DKNY and have red frames. They make my face look nice. Yay!

(To the kid in the fourth grade who called me Four Eyes: ha, look who's hot now. You're probably in jail anyways. That also goes for the kid who called me Bony Rony in the sixth grade: I know you're in jail. I knew it starting from the day in third grade when you threw that chair across the classroom and then proceeded to bite that other kid on the head. Quality public-school education.)

Tuning out

2008-04-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

Hey, word to the media: I don’t care if Obama doesn’t wear a flag pin on his lapel. I don’t care if Hillary “misspoke” about her trip to Bosnia. I don’t really care about whose pastor said what on what day (ever hear of separation between church and state??). I don’t care about seeing John McCain’s tax records; I can imagine he makes much more money than I do anyways. I don't care that Obama is bad at bowling and that Hillary drank a shot of whiskey or whatever it was in a bar in PA. I don’t care that Michelle Obama said that for the first time in her life she felt really proud of her country since her husband is running for president, because frankly I feel the same: it’s about time that we had a woman and a black man that are both serious contenders for the presidency.

I’m so tired of the mud-slinging, Swift-boating, over-analyzing, ridiculous circus that is the US media. It’s an insult to my intelligence. I don’t want a president who is just like the average American. Look where electing a “good ol’ boy,” someone you’d like to have a beer with, got us: the worst presidency ever (and by the way, I don’t think that someone who was born into oil industry money, who attended Andover and Yale, is technically an “average American.”). I, frankly, expect the president of the US to be much smarter than me, and much smarter than 90% of the rest of the American population. I expect him/her to be eloquent, extremely intelligent, diplomatic, open-minded, non-abrasive, and surrounded by some damn good advisers. Sometimes I wonder if the media just tries to spin non-important things into huge controversies so that Americans will keep being distracted from the real issues at hand (and in between their spins, they place commercials so that people can keep buying shit they don’t need. America goes shopping: the national pastime.).

This is what I care about:

What is the next president going to do for the single mother scraping by on 30K a year, with no health insurance, who gets laid off from her job at a factory because she has to take care of her sick kids?

What is the next president going to do for the Iraqi veteran who comes home maimed, with PTSD, and who receives only substandard care in a roach-infested room at Walter Reed?

What is the next president going to do about the US’ tarnished reputation abroad?

What is the next president going to do to ensure that kids coming out of public schools can read and write?

What is the next president going to do about health care costs going through the roof?

So to the media: get back to the important stuff. Please just stop with all the BS and the scrutiny of minutiae, lifting candidates’ words out of context and turning them into convenient little packages of sound bytes so that you can improve your ratings and increase your viewership. Because I’m tuning out.

Every bride's worst nightmare

2008-04-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

Last night I dreamt that it was "the big day," you know, the day that symbolizes the beginning of the rest of my life (or the end of it, depending on who you ask) and absolutely nothing was ready. I was trying to set up a tent in my parent's backyard in Davidson and it was raining, dark and muddy, and I already had on my wedding dress, which had mud and grass stains at the knees. The tent's cover was dark blue and had "Blockbuster" written in yellow all over it. The priest was nowhere to be found, nor was the groom.

If anything, at least my real wedding can't come close to being that disastrous....right?

Note to my French peeps

2008-04-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

It is absolutely forbidden to eat cupcakes with a spoon!

Spring cleaning

2008-04-16T07:19:00.000-07:00

It's funny how springtime always makes me feel like it's not only time to clean out my closet but also clean out my life. And when I say clean out my life, I don't mean getting rid of anything in particular but re-evaluating things: I always get antsy when it starts to get warm again, when the flowers bloom and the trees are just starting to show new, light green little delicate leaves. It's a yearning for renewal in some shape or form, the creation of something new even if that means making the smallest of changes. What I do know is that my next step, career-wise, is either going to be grad school or a new job (this, btw, won't be until at least 2009. Also, my boss knows that I will not be at the Embassy forever - in fact he has urged me to think about the next step).

In either case, whether my next step is grad school or a new job, I am going to be extremely picky (90% of jobs on Craigslist do not appeal to me in the least) because I have to admit I have been incredibly spoiled at the Embassy. It really is the perfect situation for me: I use my French, I get to travel every now and then, I like my colleagues, I have a lot of autonomy in the type of research activities I do, I've met some very interesting people. Alas, it is not the type of position I can stay in forever since there is no room for advancement - unless by some miracle the French Foreign Ministry would let me bypass their entrance exam - and everyone needs new challenges and responsibilities. Somehow, though, I know that things will generally work themselves out - they always do, in the end, that's the optimist in me - because four years ago when I was graduating from college I never could have imagined I would be here, doing what I do. I feel in retrospect that I didn't know anything about anything when I was fresh out of college.

I'm also itching to take up oil pastels, drawing, watercolors again and I really need to devote some time to that soon. That, and maybe take a dancing class. That's also part of my yearning to create something new. I also really need to go to the seaside. Eat some crabs. Have a margarita. And finally learn how to cook & bake. I don't think I mentioned that the other day I tried to bake a lemon cake, and it was a total disaster. The whole apartment was full of smoke. I then tried to redeem myself by making blueberry pancakes, and they were undercooked. Needless to say, I am far from becoming Martha-Frickin'-Suzy-Homemaker-Stewart.

How to tick people off, by anon

2008-04-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark, 17-inch paper, 99 copies.
In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sexual favors."
Specify that your drive-through order is "TO-GO."
If you have a glass eye, tap on it occasionally with your pen while talking to others.
Stomp on little plastic ketchup packets.
Insist on keeping your car windshield wipers running in all weather conditions "to keep them tuned up."
Reply to everything someone says with "that's what you think."
Practice making fax and modem noises.
Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and "cc" them to your boss.
Make beeping noises when a large person backs up.
Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with the prophecy."
Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over your ears and grimacing.
Disassemble your pen and "accidentally" flip the ink cartridge across the room.
Holler random numbers while someone is counting.
Adjust the tint on your TV so that all the people are green, and insist to others that you "like it that way."
Staple pages in the middle of the page.
Publicly investigate just how slowly you can make a croaking noise.
Honk and wave to strangers.
Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply eat their complimentary mints at the cash register.
TYPE IN UPPERCASE.
type only in lowercase.
dont use any punctuation either
Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones and reroute whole streets.
Repeat the following conversation a dozen times.
"DO YOU HEAR THAT?"
"What?"
"Never mind, it's gone now."
As much as possible, skip rather than walk.
Try playing the William Tell Overture by tapping on the bottom of your chin. When nearly done, announce "No, wait, I messed it up," and repeat.
Ask people what gender they are.
While making presentations, occasionally bob your head like a parakeet.
Sit in your front yard pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.
Sing along at the opera.
Go to a poetry recital and ask why each poem doesn't rhyme.

Might I also add my own:
32. U shud alwayz rite in txt msg format (LOL! OMG! ROFL...)
33. Walk really really slowly on the sidewalk when there are lots of people behind you.
34. Start up a conversation with your next-door stall neighbor while sitting on the toilet.

Love love loving it

2008-04-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

Goldfrapp's album "The Seventh Tree" kind of transports me to a different place, and depending on the song, makes me think of a melancholy mime in a park when it's cloudy/James Bond driving in (what else) an Aston Martin on a scenic overlook near Monaco/a lady walking on a sun-dappled street in London in springtime/some high-roller with chrome rims rolling up to a velvet-roped club in South Beach, Miami. What has YOUR music done for you lately? =D

Mr. Picassohead

2008-04-11T07:24:00.000-07:00

A throwback to that grade-school classic, Mr. Potatohead.

You know you're getting older when...

2008-04-11T07:02:00.000-07:00

you are planning a yearly beach trip with your girlfriends from college!
Charleston, SC, August 14-19, 2008
Wooooooot.

Quite true.

2008-04-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

My better half sent me this, by anon:

9 WORDS WOMEN USE (obviously written by a man)
(1) "Fine" This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up [or conversely, when they are mad about something and won't tell you what it is].

(2) "Five minutes" If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

(3) "Nothing" This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

(4) "Go Ahead" This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

(5) Loud sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) "That's okay" This is one of the most dangerous state ments a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) "Thanks" A woman is thanking you, do not question, or Faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome' ... that will bring on a 'whatever').

(8) "Whatever" Is a woman's way of saying SCREW YOU!

(9) "Don't worry about it, I got it" Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3.

Cupcakes

2008-04-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

A shameless plug for my future sister-in-law:
http://www.couture-cupcakes.com/
IMHO, they are way better than the Georgetown Cupcake cupcakes and the Baked & Wired cupcakes (and you don't have to wait in line).

Guilty pleasures

2008-04-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

I admit it: www.thesuperficial.com has reeled me in. It's crass, mean, insipid, and all about celebrities. But it is so funny.

A second confession: the steak-frites at Bistrot du Coin is so good, I almost didn't feel guilty about eating cow for a second.

Duh.

2008-04-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

I'm all for scientific research. I think it serves a very useful purpose for society at large, for the economy, blah blah blah - in essence for many things. If scientific research didn't exist we would still be thinking the Earth is flat and blood-letting to cure disease. What I don't understand is the purpose of scientific research that does not seem to bring anything new to the table. Some recent examples of studies I have read about in EurekAlert! where all I could think of was "tell me something I don't know":

"Study finds that discrimination varies by gender and race"

"Childhood mental health problems blight adult working life"

"Backpack straps can decrease blood flow to the shoulder and arm"

"Basic yoga moves could help prevent falls in women over 65 years old" (Ok, maybe not so obvious to the majority of the population, but to a yoga practitioner that's like telling them the sky is blue.)

And my favorite "Duh" study of the day:

"Having a husband creates an extra seven hours a week of housework for women, according to a University of Michigan study of a nationally representative sample of US families."

While we're on the topic of science, I have just a couple of words for the creationist tour guides of a natural history museum (see Dateline video below): that's totally irresponsible.

Recent obsessions

2008-04-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

- Bedtime Tunes.
- Eat, Pray, Love.
- Mint tea.
- Recapturing lost memories from college with Hot Butter (my friend who has just moved to DC from South Beach).
- Cheery cherry blossoms, kites on a Mall, orchids in a botanical garden sanctuary.
- Waking up to songbirds and spring smells in my little pad in the Palisades, and then walking to work in the sunshine .
- Curry cravings (especially the Panang Curry from Bangkok Joe's).
- Crate & Barrel yuppiness.
- The blog 'Stuff White People Like' (sarcasm, people).
- Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii.
- Blockbuster Access (currently on my to-watch list: Atonement, Darjeeling Limited, Ghandi, The Simpsons Movie, Across the Universe, The Syrian Bride, Boys Don't Cry...and about 50 others).
- Kotobuki: the best & cheapest sushi in DC.
- Grinding my own coffee.
- Rooting for my homies from Davidson College in the NCAA tournament...until they lost to Kansas (even though I didn't go there, Davidson will obviously always hold a special place in my heart! And there is something so gratifying about seeing 'the underdog' win).
- Yann Tiersen's "La Chute" and attempting to play it on the piano.
- Enur's Calabria 2008. This song would make a dead person dance.

Work is hard; playtime is harder

2007-11-16T12:48:00.000-08:00

Just got back from a three hour lunch with my coworkers in Georgetown for a goodbye party for a colleague who is moving back to Paris. Aaaaand now it's ten til four the last day before my Thanksgiving break actually starts. I'm really feeling super motivated to work. Woot.

Happenings

2007-11-15T13:59:00.000-08:00

- Reading Bridget Jones' Diary for the second time because it's so funny. She's my hero.
- Attending crazy hair party tomorrow evening at Redbull's place. Think might wear hair in Princess-Lea style but punkier.
- Fondue for MF's bday Saturday yaaaaaay.
- Went to Citronelle to spoil the fy-an-cee for his birthday last night. In a nutshell: amazing. He almost started crying it was so good.
- Thanksgiving. MMMM!!!

70%

2007-11-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've made it through my quarter life crisis. Hurrah!

Perhaps it's because I like my work and my co-workers. Perhaps it's because I'm engaged. Perhaps it's because I'm less strapped-for-cash than I was two years ago. Perhaps it's a combination of several things... in any case it is a wonderful feeling to feel like I've figured things out. Mind you, I haven't figured things out entirely, maybe only 70% or so, but I am much further along on the "figuring-things-out" spectrum than I was when I was two months from graduating from college. What I can say, after having been out of college for three years and made it through the rough ride of the quarter-life crisis, after having had the first job and the first big bills to pay, and the first real twenty-something relationship, is these are the things I want for my life:

- Painting in a sunlit room on a Saturday afternoon.
- A piano, and the time to play it.
- The company of a dog and cat.
- Enough money to buy some groceries at Whole Foods.
- Picnics in the park and hiking in the mountains.
- Living in a place that has cobblestoned, tree-lined streets and the changing of the seasons.
- Tea: chai, Earl Grey, jasmine...

Funny, these are the same things I have wanted basically since college, and they're mostly free. I guess the things that continue to make you happy don't really change, regardless of how high you've climbed on that proverbial ladder.

For you artists out there:

2007-10-10T11:23:00.000-07:00

-What to do when you're bored with those hands of yours
-Creepy lifelike sculptures that will titillate your sense of perception
-Pretend you're Jackson Pollock (click your mouse to change colors)
-All about Dali, with wallpapers for your computer

Oof!

2007-10-03T12:55:00.000-07:00

I have made it through a "big deal" kind of event. I know you probably don't want to talk shop, and I probably shouldn't give many details. But suffice it to say that my boss' boss (the kind of person who always travels business class, lives in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, has the corner office with crown molding and a mahogany desk) was in town for an extended weekend... and everything went very smoothly. Whew. I also met some very interesting people: we had a dinner - lobster, scallops, rockfish mmm! - for 15 at the French Ambassador's residence on Friday evening, visits to various organizations on Monday (which was a very strange and eventful day, the low point of which the embassy chauffeur ran over a cat in Arlington). I'm not going to go into much more detail, but I will also say that sometimes, when you are the only 25-year old woman in a room full of men who are directors of such and such and hold PhDs in so and so, it is a) hard to get people to pay attention to you and b)when they do it is hard to get them to take you seriously. I will leave it at that.

After my diplomatic dinner on Friday (I had been on my very best behavior) I was ready to let my hair down. Man Friend, our buddy "Tetra" and I went to a coworker's place for his goodbye party (he left for France last Sunday). This coworker is the archetype of the French dude - kinda short, long dark hair, glasses, a big fan of Ricard, with the pitch-perfect French accent, and as soon as he saw Tetra and MF promptly gave them a sweaty kiss on each cheek. We proceeded up to his apartment where there were about 50 people crammed into a smoky and smoking hot living room, dancing and bouncing around to bad 80s music with crazy hats on their heads. I love how French people really could care less what they look like when they dance. It's such a refreshing change from the pretentiousness of American clubs. And there's no grinding! Needless to say it was a great time, but it was nothing compared to the party we went to on Saturday.

Another coworker (yes, the French do lots of parties, and do them well) lives in a house on Foxhall with two other internationally-minded types: a Frenchman and an Italian. They always throw theme parties; one was a white party where you had to dress in all-white; another was a Hawaiian luau. This one happened to be a "back to school" party (read: Catholic schoolgirls, of course). Total damage, ie number of empty bottles lying around on Sunday morning (and this is according to my coworker, whom I will call Le Toulousain) was:

Whisky : 2
Gin : 2
Rum : 8
Wine : 20
Vodka : 12
Beers: 100+

Le Toulousain and his housemates throw some sick soirées. Tetra had so much fun we had to drive him home before we resorted to duct-taping him to a sofa so he wouldn't get into too much trouble (more on that some other time).

Sounds like the majority of people I know

2007-09-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

"Cockroaches are morons in the morning, geniuses in the evening"
"Dramatic daily variations in the cockroach's learning ability are reported in a new study performed by Vanderbilt University biologists and published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

Thanks to Eurekalert for another tidbit of totally useless information.

Oh no

2007-09-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

"Consuming large amounts of caffeine while taking acetaminophen, a widely used painkiller, could potentially cause liver damage, according to a preliminary laboratory study. The toxic interaction could occur not only from drinking caffeinated beverages while taking the painkiller but also from using large amounts of medications that intentionally combine caffeine and acetaminophen, the researchers say. "

How am I going to get through Mondays now??

Ten years of hindsight

2007-08-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

I like to people watch (I could spend hours people watching). Last Friday night at the movie theater the place was teeming with teeny boppers, Britney Spears wannabes, bref, just your general teenage population stuck at the movies because they can’t yet drive anywhere. Like I said in one of my previous entries, I’m glad I’m not a teenager anymore. Perhaps with 10 years of hindsight, now I can safely say I’ve made it, and also offer a few words of wisdom.

If I could go back in time, and in the future if I ever have a daughter, I would say:

Your worth is not determined by your low-rise jeans, your glossy lips, your Coach bag, the straightness of your hair, your easiness. Don’t let any guy tell you otherwise.

You might get bored with the same old Friday night at the movie theater and Saturday night at the local coffeehouse. Enjoy it while you can, before you become a slave to the college textbook.

That really pretty girl is probably just as insecure as you are. Don’t judge her, for everyone you meet might be fighting a harder battle.

Less is more: less skin, more intrigue; less flash, more class.

Be choosy when picking your friends; be pickier when choosing your boyfriend. True friendships and the best relationships work both ways: you have to give in order to receive, support in order to be helped. It’s like a rubber band: both people pull equally. But if one or the other pulls too hard, there is too much resistance for it to work and the rubber band will snap.

Someday you will look up to your parents again. You might even start to admire them. For now, just know that your mom is probably always right and your dad most likely has your best interests at heart. In the end, they are the ones who will always be in your corner.

As awkward as adolescence is, and as much as you want to get through it as quickly as possible, make the most of it: you’re only a teenager once. Take your time growing up, and go at your own pace. You have lots of time in college and in your 20s to explore.

In the grand scheme of things, the most embarrassing situations now will be funny to you in ten years. That might not diminish their importance in the present, but it might help you not take yourself so seriously.

Your world might be tiny. Try to expand it, and it’ll put your problems into perspective.

I know you think you’re invincible. But take good care of your body; it’s the only one you’ll ever have.

Talk to me in ten years and I can tell you what I’ve learned from my twenties!

Two rafts

2007-08-22T10:26:00.001-07:00

Question: "If you were on a raft and had to choose between saving a baby and a dog, which one would you pick?"

My answer: "I wouldn't have to pick! There would be two rafts, one rescuing the babies and one rescuing dogs. "

Ever notice how people who question why you would volunteer at an animal shelter or make a contribution to the Humane Society (instead of volunteering at an orphanage or sponsoring a child in Africa) don't dedicate their time or money to any charity?

Summer daze

2007-08-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

I'm still walking around in a daze after a long vacation in France. It feels like when you were little, in grade school, and the summer was almost over and the entire school year was looming over your head, and you were really worried about who your science teacher was going to be. No more lazy days at the pool and biking to the Soda Shop for a milkshake. Nope, those days are over - now it's time for waking up early, wondering what to wear, downing a Pop-Tart and catching the cheese-wagon, hoping Geoffrey the red-haired kissy monster won't be on it (by the way, there really was this redhead named Geoffrey in the first grade who would chase girls around the playground, hence the name 'kissy monster.'). That's how I've felt since I got back from my trip.

The only fun part of back-to-school was new clothes. Maybe I should do some retail therapy. Oh and buy some pens. I love new pens.

The vacation wasn't a true vacation, actually: we were very productive planning for next year. Planning a wedding has not been as traumatic as it is generally portrayed in movies or on that awful show "Bridezillas" (I can't stand those people). It's actually been quite fun (picking out the dress - the second one I tried on was it) and easy (finding the all-in-one location site). All the big details are taken care of already, and the rest of it we take care of via email. Bada-bing! I should become a wedding planner.

I don't understand how weddings have become such a big production nowadays. I just don't think it's healthy when your obsession with having a monogrammed aisle runner or matching sashes on the bridesmaids dresses have become more important than the ultimate purpose of the wedding (and what comes after the party's over). It's like it's some huge traumatic event that you're supposed to be super-stressed about. How are you supposed to enjoy your day? And I also don't understand the level of extortion that is inherent in the bridal industry. A nice bouquet of flowers at a grocery store? $12.99. Oh, but a bridal bouquet? $120.99. Some of the dresses I've seen can only be described as fugly (like a Barbie doll princess gown that a big pink bird seems to have exploded onto) but they cost upwards of $10,000 and you wear them once. Sheesh! I think I will pick the flowers myself and tie them with a pretty ribbon, thank you very much. As for the dress, it is a tenth of a price of those designer ones and a hundred times prettier, in my humble opinion.

Since coming back from France I have had to catch up on my movie-watching, namely, the summer blockbusters that I can't believe I'm paying $10 to go see:

Superbad was supercrass, and lowbrow, and terribly offensive, but I couldn't help laughing in spite of myself at the hilarity of some of the situations and awkwardness of the main characters. I say in spite of myself because I did cringe...perhaps it's because I can't really identify with the hormone-crazed teenage boy (or college guy, for that matter) whose ultimate goal in life is getting laid. And call me old-fashioned or prude, tell me to lighten up if you will, but I can't stand the p word and my ears got a full dose during this movie. I can say the movie seemed authentic in its portrayal of high school boys, and I'm really happy I'm not in high school anymore. Not the kind of movie I would go see with any of my family members. Especially my 15-year old brother (the Bourne Ultimatum was solid, though, and so was the Simpson's Movie).

Last weekend I went to a Brazilian steakhouse, Fogo de Chao, for a friend's birthday. It was a true "meat party:" all-you-can-eat meat - sausage, chicken, filet mignon, roast beef, lamb - served to you on swords by "gauchos" (ie waiters). It was truly gluttonous. And wonderfully tasty. Glad I'm not a vegetarian even though I do sometimes feel really guilty eating meat. Happy birthday Victoriño!

I Love DayQuil

2007-06-28T10:39:00.001-07:00

It is almost July and I have a fever of 101, a sore throat, and a NyQuil hangover. Not fun. Especially since my parents, aunt and uncle are coming up tomorrow for the week. We're trying to figure out what to do for the 4th of July. My friend P is throwing a party at his place in Adams Morgan but I don't think it's the kind of party I can/want to take my parents to, much less my 75-year old uncle. We would have a nice view of the fireworks from the rooftop, but that involves shimmying through a bathroom window onto the fire escape and then climbing up a ladder (hello, vertigo).

I was in Houston ten days ago for work. No offense to you Houstoners, but Houston is the kind of American city that makes me depressed: humidity, sprawl, strip malls, concrete, no charm or history...a kind of generic, corporate, overbuilt bland metropolis where there are no pedestrians (we walked back to the hotel one day after our meeting and got honked at at least 5 times in 15 minutes). I saw at least 3 Office Depots and 4 Starbucks on the way from the airport. Oh, and a drive-through Starbucks, too. How lazy can you be, people!

We did have a nice time at the dinner though, where we were treated to some really good margaritas and Texan barbecue. But it's true that I was glad to return to my little Washingtonian enclave where there are trees! - and old houses!! - and sidewalks!!!

In other news, I found the wedding dress of my dreams. It's by a Spanish designer called Pronovias. And no, you can't see it! Wedding plans are in the works...we're going to be married next summer in France, near Bordeaux where my family lives. I hope to have a website all about it up and running soon.

Speechless

2007-05-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since my last entry.
I celebrated my 25th birthday last week and it was one of the most memorable weeks of my life, I think: dinner on Thursday with MF at La Ferme, a French restaurant (delish); tapas and margaritas at Oyamel on Friday, followed by martinis and dancing til 3 at Blue Gin; recovery on Saturday with Red Bull/Gatorade/jasmine tea/Alka Seltzer/greasy breakfast; and then I had about 15 people over to continue the celebration on Saturday evening where we cooked hamburgers/made S'mores/sat under the wisteria arbor with Christmas lights twinkling/ate birthday cake and drank champagne/took group pictures in the studio. And then Sunday we went to Middleburg, VA at Chrysalis Vineyards for some wine, a picnic with leftovers and a walk in the countryside. I can't think of a better way to have spent my 25th, especially in the company of such good people.

Also, I am engaged to be married. AAAAAAA!!! MF flew to Switzerland (all the while telling me he was in Rochester NY for a business trip...sneaky monkey) to get a diamond from his grandmother; and proposed in front of the Tiny Jewel Box in DC. It's impossible for me to get any work done right now...I feel woozy!

Bienvenidos a Miami!

2007-05-04T12:21:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Miami tomorrow until Tuesday to visit my best friend from college. Yay! In the very near future I see: cocktails, the beach, a boat ride and flashy cars. And probably sunburn too, although I wear SPF 50, a hat, shirt and sunglasses.

Photos to follow. Cheers!

25

2007-05-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

I turn twenty-five a week from tomorrow. Ack!! That's halfway to 50 and halfway in between 20 and 30. Yikes!!

I always thought 25 was so old. I don't feel old now though, I feel like my life is just starting. I am so blessed in so many ways, grateful and humbled by how kind life has been and how many things I shouldn't take for granted: good health, a man I love that loves me, my family, my amazing friends, a job I feel fulfilled in and that gives me a glimpse of what a true career is, and enough money to live comfortably and travel every now and then...I am humbled because I know it's not the same for many, many people I share this planet with. Every now and then I have to remember not to take it all for granted...it's easy to let life pass you by without stopping to appreciate it.

The other day, for example, there was an accident on Canal Road on my way home from work. It wasn't moving at all so I decided to turn around and park near Lock 6 by the river. I had my yoga clothes (a tank and a pair of sweatpants) with me and changed into those in the car, but I had no tennis shoes - although I did have a pair of big blue slippers still in the backseat from my last trip back home to NC. So I went walking down to the river to watch the sun over the water. People on the trails were looking at me like I was bonkers: I was wearing workout clothes with blue slippers. But I could care less. It was better than wearing my black pointy-toed work shoes. I sat next to the water and just enjoyed the scenery and let all of the other drivers back on Canal Road fight traffic.

Tuesday evening MF and I had dinner with our friend G who is an amazing cook: she made curry salmon (the homemade kind where you add each individual spice yourself and let it simmer). And then we watched the movie Kinky Boots: I highly recommend it. It's like the Full Monty - British humor, cross-dressers and bad teeth. It's the story of this little shoe factory in a sleepy town in England that is going belly up, so the owner decides to start making kinky boots for drag queens (basically, patent leather stilettos that are tough enough to hold a man's weight) and hires one as his shoe designer. It's funny but also endearing - especially in terms of social acceptance, identity and open-mindedness. One of the lines that sticks with me is "Change your mind about someone." I'll leave it at that - you should see it.

Playing Dress Up

2007-04-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

Warm weather is finally here, after two weird weeks at the beginning of April. It makes me ancy (antsy? ansy?) or however you spell it.

I tried on wedding dresses this past weekend. Fear not, I am not getting married anytime soon (the thought of planning and paying for a wedding actually makes me break out into a cold sweat and rash). The reason I tried on dresses is that I am going to be modeling for an event at the Four Seasons Hotel - I think it's an event for wedding planners and brides or something like that - and wearing a dress from Hitched and jewelry from the Tiny Jewel Box. They are also going to fit me with a Marie-Antoinette style wig. It should be very glamorous and fun...as long as I don't trip over myself at the event (this dress I am wearing is huge...why anyone would actually wear that on their wedding day is beyond me, considering how limited your walking/dancing capabilities would be under these 500 pounds of satin and tulle.).

I hope I don't jinx myself. Is it bad luck to wear a wedding dress if it's not your wedding day?

Candy Ass

2007-04-13T14:28:00.000-07:00

So I have a funny (albeit bittersweet) story. Last night MF (Man Friend) and I went to a Thai restaurant. Somehow between the Chicken Satay and Pad Thai I started talking about my cousin Emma's wedding. She got married in 2003 in France, more specifically at Aubeville, this little tiny town of about 10 people in the countryside near Bordeaux where my family lives. Anyways, the conversation went something like this:

Me: "It was honestly the most beautiful but the most simple wedding I've ever been to...she arrived in a horse-drawn carriage with flowers in this beautiful brown and gold dress for the civil ceremony, and then changed into her wedding dress for the religious ceremony, they got married in this 15th-century tiny Roman chapel, and she made the bouquets for the chapel herself, and had her family members sing the music, and then you walk out of the chapel and it's just fields of sunflowers..."

And then I start tearing up and then just start outright crying at the restaurant and cover my face with my napkin, and stop talking entirely because I'm choking up, at which point MF says (jokingly, and lovingly, of course):

"You candy-ass!"

And then I try to explain that I wasn't crying because of the sunflowers or how pretty the wedding was, but because I have an image in my head - all I can think of is my grandfather kissing the bride outside after the ceremony and he is crying, and people are throwing rose petals. My grandfather would pass away two years later, on Oct. 13th, 2005. I still miss him so much. And so I try to explain this to MF who is looking at me like I am one of those sappy candy-ass emotional girls crying at a Thai restaurant over sunflowers!

Also, my family's place in Charente is a very special place for me, and it reminds me of my grandfather and my childhood - I spent every summer there when I was little. My mom cries every time we leave, without fail. My grandfather always said that the sunlight in Charente was the most beautiful and would tell us stories about his youth there.

Some really good news and some not as good news

2007-04-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

Really good news: I am moving on up in my career! I know that I said before on this blog that I wouldn't talk shop, but it is pretty exciting to have a promotion. I've never had a promotion (granted I have only been on the job market for all of three years)!
All I will say is: I get to go to Paris for work twice a year for a couple of weeks at a time. Woot! Tonight we are celebrating with our good-looking lawyer friends (as opposed to our good-looking engineering or consultant friends - I know it sounds kind of trite or superficial and silly but it really is true that all of our friends are indeed successful and good-looking when I stop to think about it) by having fondue (cheese AND chocolate) and champagne.

Not as good news: I went to dentist for the first time in nearly two years this past week. I have THREE cavities. This is not good. I've never had a cavity in my life. It makes me feel like a horrible candy-eating, slacker-brushing person. So now I have to do some serious damage control and have to swish this fluoride thing after breakfast. I hate going to the dentist and being admonished and made to feel very guilty ... this is why no one likes you if you are a dentist and that within the medical profession dentists have the highest suicide rate.

On a random note I also learned where the middle finger gesture came from. Apparently in WWI the Germans would cut off the middle finger of their prisoners (the middle finger was used to fire guns) and so the prisoners would show them the middle finger to essentially say: ... well you know.

Ok. So let me wrap my head around this:

2007-03-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

A guy is exiting the Gare du Nord train station yesterday afternoon around 5pm in Paris when he is stopped for a "control" (where the train station agents check to make sure you have a ticket or "titre de transport"), and he doesn't have a ticket. Then he hits the two agents, one on the shoulder and one on the face. And then from there policemen arrive and break this guy's arm for assaulting the agents. So we know this guy that didn't have a ticket is stupid, and probably the police reaction was heavy-handed as well.

But it doesn't stop there. Four hours later a bunch of punks arrive at the lower level of the station and have a stand-off with the police and it degenerates into these kids looting stores in the station, setting fire to trash cans, yelling "Nique la France!" and breaking stuff. Are these kids bored? Do they have nothing better to do than go around vandalizing stuff? Does that mean they think it's okay to bum a ride on a train without a ticket or that it was unreasonable for the agents to do their job and conduct a routine inspection? If these kids have a cause, they're not helping to promote it by doing what they've done. It seems they just want to take part in the name of anarchy, because resisting any kind of authority is cool.

Even if the police acted in a manner that was more brutal than necessary (and should have done anything to prevent this from escalating) this whole incident makes me embarrassed for France and ashamed of the people of my generation. It's pathetic and maddening. Especially when you consider that the Gare du Nord is where the Eurostar train arrives, and you have tourists maybe getting their first glimpse of Paris in the middle of this chaos. Police in heavy duty riot gear, tear gas and a bunch of delinquents running around stealing shoes from Foot Locker doesn't exactly make for the nicest welcome. France certainly has its own problems...

You can see a video from Youtube here.
Also, the BBC has more.

Mangoes in Acapulco

2007-03-27T13:33:00.000-07:00

The mangoes in Acapulco are so sweet. The way they eat them in Mexico is by taking a fork with three prongs, and the middle prong is longer than the others. You stick this fork into the mango and insert the longer prong into the seed. Then you peel the skin off the mango and eat the whole thing like a popsicle. I ate mangoes everyday while I was in Mexico.

We got up every day with the sun and walked on the beach while the mist was still lifting from the ocean and pink and purple hues were just starting to show in the sky. Breakfast, around 8:30 or 9, was huevos rancheros (scrambled eggs with chorizo and salsa verde) with tortilla, fresh papaya, kiwi, watermelon and pineapple; good strong coffee, fresh-squeezed orange juice and buttery flaky croissants. We were famished after walking on the beach for an hour or so.

The better part of the morning and early afternoon was spent reading in the shade by the pool or under the tent near the ocean, taking pictures or playing in the waves which if you weren't careful could a) knock you over or b) pull you out to sea (Acapulco is notorious for its undertow and strong currents). Lunchtime was when we were hungry, and we ate so well. On various days we had: homemade mole; enchiladas; homemade spaghetti; salad with avocadoes; tacos with beans, chorizo, lettuce, avocado and cheese; and then mangoes for dessert.

Siesta was on a chair by the pool facing the sea, under a thatched straw arcade so the sun wouldn't burn. The constant breeze and 88 degree weather was perfect. We had 12-hour days so sunset was at 7:30 and the entire bay became golden and things became calm when the sun dipped. And then a shower and dinner brought relief from the sand and sun. After dinner I read "Hola Mexico!" which is like "People" for Mexicans (but a lot classier) until finally crashing into vacationally-induced blissful sleep around 10. Party animal, I know.

One morning after breakfast we went to the local supermarket - the Walmart. Yes, the Walmart. It is twenty minutes away on foot, on an avenue that is lined with palm trees and borders a gigantic golf course. We bought Mexican chips and candy at the Walmart. One candy is called Bubu Lubu, it is chocolate with marshmallow and some kind of jam. So yummy. That was our only excursion since we were far away from the Acapulco downtown area (and apparently it is not very nice to see, like Myrtle Beach times ten) and were only visiting for three and a half days. One young man was selling silver jewelry in a palapa on the beach near our place. Another lady was selling genuine pearl necklaces for $30.

Not too far away from the apartment there is a huge hotel called "Princess" with several pools, many tourists, bars, and Mexican riff raff hanging out on the beach in front of the hotel offering gringos everything from massages to pot to horse rides to ATV rentals. But where we were, there are only apartments and condominiums, owned mainly by Mexicans, and since it was a low season we had the entire place and the pool to ourselves. Everyone we met was so friendly. There is also a bar near the pool where we had pina coladas, margaritas and fresh coconut (cut for you on the spot) while lounging around the pool.

So now, it's back to reality...I like feeling what I can only describe as "dépaysée" every now and then, enjoying things to the fullest...

Mini Spring Break

2007-03-21T13:18:00.000-07:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I will be AWOL for the next few days enjoying the sun in Mexico. Acapulco, Mexico, where it will be 88 degrees Fahrenheit every day and the margaritas are on the house.

Not to rub it in your face or anything while you freeze over in the District. Tata!

Daniel Craig is yummy

2007-03-19T06:49:00.000-07:00

Casino Royale with martinis on Saturday night sure beat standing around in a crowded Irish pub waiting for a Guinness to celebrate St. Patty's Day. And anyways, I'm not Irish! (At least I don't think I am, but I do enjoy a nice slice of potato bread every now and then)

Experimented with new cocktails Sat. evening: one called a Blue Lady is especially yummy: cream, chocolate liqueur, and blue curacao.

Also am totally sore from yoga yesterday. Everyone around me in my class kept audibly farting...at least they weren't the smelly kind.

Also particularly peeved that Mother Nature wasn't cooperating Friday evening...Spiderman (the boyfriend) and I tried to go to a friend's house for a party - something I had been looking forward to for at least two weeks now because whenever this friend and his roommates throw parties I am always out of town - but the roads were slick with an inch of ice. Boo.

So to sum it up the weekend was pretty low-key, and this week is going to go by fast since we're leaving to go to Acapulco on Thursday morning. Woot! My next post will therefore be much more interesting, with pictures of sunsets on the beach in Mexico included.

Paris je t'aime

2007-03-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

My boss sent me a Powerpoint of Paris. Pictures in the dusk, in the morning, at night under the rain - in every picture, a piece of the city that invariably looks beautiful, nostalgic, quaint, calm, inviting, warm. To go along with the pictures is a song by Charles Aznavour singing about youth and friends and being a carefree twenty-year-old. So for a moment I am taken back to the city's statuesque monuments, its energy and aesthetic that is so gorgeous it almost hurts.

And then I realize that the City of Lights is also grimy, and the heat in the subway in the summertime is stifling, and it's full of tourists and peddlers and people who will rip you off, and there is graffiti and lots of cigarette smoke and rude people and smelly people (yes it's true), and it is overpriced and the Seine is dirty, and the weather is rarely nice in the fall-winter-spring seasons like it is in DC. There are very ugly parts of Paris, too: next time you're there, take the RER train to the Charles de Gaulle airport through the northern suburbs (the "American Dream" in Suburbia is definitely an American phenomenon...).

But in my mind's eye Paris will still and always be a place that actually lives up to its reputation, where even the streetlamps and the trash cans are pretty; where the Eiffel Tower, as cliché as it sounds, lit up at night looks like a concoction of golden lace, a woman's corset, a bizarre champagne glass...where birds in Victorian cages adorn windowsills looking over trees and cafés, where people sit for hours watching other people.

Perhaps this idealistic view of Paris is because of my childhood: I am very lucky to have spent all of my childhood summers in France, and we usually spent a few days in Paris. I think it was in 1989, when I was six, I roller-skated around the city with my mom and dad while we were there for the summer. I had hot pink rollerskates with purple and silver stars on them. That year was the bicentennial for the French Revolution and so on July 14th it seemed like the entire city was out in the streets. I remember being on my dad's shoulders and being so scared when people were throwing firecrackers onto the sidewalk. We walked home for two hours because the subways were full. But I loved it.

One of my dreams for a few years now has been to live in Paris - for at least a short while. I know that if I do ever live there, my idealistic vision of the city - already a bit tainted - will truly be dashed to pieces. My family who lives in Paris never actually go to the monuments (just like I, as a "Washingtonian," have rarely been to the monuments in DC either). I would probably live in a shoebox attic apartment somewhere and complain all the time - as the French do - about any and everything. I would use my weekends to get out of the city and go to the countryside. I know this.

But at least I might get this Paris bug out of my system.

Crankjockeys and a dog named Snax

2007-03-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

So the other night I went to see Flip Orley at the DC Improv. Flip is a hynotist-slash-comedian and I think his show is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. He invites volunteers from the audience - maybe 20 or so - to come up on stage and participate in the hypnosis and then progressively narrows the crowd down to the people who are totally hypnotized by asking them their names (but tells them beforehand that they won't be able to remember their names, and the ones who go completely blank are hypnotized).

So you're left with 7 or 8 people on stage, and Flip devises these funny situations, like "Every time I say the word green you will smell something horrible coming from the audience," or "When I snap my fingers you will think my clothes have all fallen off." Or even, "when I say the words ladies and gentlemen, you will think someone is gooching you from under your seat." And then he gets them to tell us any random thought that is popping through their heads: "I have a dog named Snax with an x." "Don't let me poke myself in the eye, I just had Lasik." Doesn't sound as funny on paper... I think you had to be there to appreciate the hilarity that ensued.

One such situation is that all of the people onstage were in a British yodeling-slash-rock band in the 80s together and that they all dislike each other, but they're back for a "Behind the Music" type of show on VH1 or MTV. So this one guy states (in a really bad British accent) that they are called the "Crankjockeys" and then proceeds to demonstrate how the group yodeled on the song Magic Carpet Ride: "Oh lay HEE HOOOOOO! YEAH! Magic Carpet Ride dunna nunna!" It was classic.

The funniest thing is the people's expression on stage. While everyone in the audience is laughing their head off, they are totally straight-faced throughout the show.

In other funny things (and COOL IDEAS!) my friends are throwing a Rubiks Cube party next weekend. Yes that's right. You're supposed to dress up in a Rubiks Cube color. I'm guessing they will have fun colored red and blue and green drinks and lots of Rubiks Cubes to play with or just put in your pants. It should be a good time and it's too bad I can't go...I will be in Me-hi-co for a long weekend-slash-short spring break (I'm not complaining).

Twentysomething...and strapped for cash

2007-03-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

Today was hot and so everyone at work was in a bad mood. My coworker who will remain unnamed pops in, sits down and we both start to commiserate about being young and fabulous...and broke, stuck paying our dues and living out our twenties as slaves to "the man." I remember when I was an idealist in college and thought money didn't matter, only that you felt fulfilled in your chosen profession and then everything would be rosy. Ha!

Hmph. Think I will go eat some ice cream.

Yoga is not for Sissies

2007-03-13T08:08:00.000-07:00

In the last few months I have started to do vinyasa yoga. For any disbelievers as to the difficulty of yoga, let me correct your assumptions and tell you right off the bat that it is really hard, and it will kick your butt.

Spiderman (my boyfriend - I will call him that since he sincerely believes he is an arachnid-man) thought it was "girly" until I took him to a class where all the guys - half the class - looked totally diesel and my dearest ended up huffing and puffing his way through the asanas until he collapsed into a sweaty mess onto his mat (I was also like this the first few times). I am very proud of him, though, because now he goes too and is not only Spiderman but will someday be a master yogi.

In yoga, you will find yourself in some very compromising positions, things you had never thought you could make your body do: putting your legs over your head, reaching around with your right arm between your crotch to catch your left arm under your right thigh, squatting while balancing on your tippy toes. You wouldn't want anyone tickling you while you do this.
Wear long pants, for the love. Also, mind you, this is done in a room that is heated to your body temperature, so it is generally inevitable that everyone leaves a nice little puddle of sweat on the floor after their practice.

So why would anyone engage in such masochistic tendencies? Sometimes I too ask this myself in the middle of crow pose when I'm trying to balance my entire body on my elbows.

I, for one, wasn't able to do a pushup 4 months ago. I cheated and did the dinky knee-on-the-floor-pushup for middle school girls. Now I can do LOTS! And they're not the knee-pushup, they are the real deal. Also, I feel really energized afterwards - but not tired. That's the chakra, the mojo, being released and helping to keep the yang up :0)

I've also been much more aware of my breathing and posture during the day. It's funny that I pay someone to teach me how to breathe; but in our society we're not really aware of that. It's the same reason I will pay good money for a great massage, which is essentially paying someone to touch you for 60 minutes: it's all about focusing on yourself for a moment.

One more thing about yoga, though: all the release of that energy comes out in different ways too. At one particularly crowded class some woman kept releasing her foul-smelling brew three feet away from my face, and this in a space where you are being told to focus on your breathing! There are also people - male and female - who come to class wearing little more than tiny shorts made of dental floss. Avoid placing your mat directly behind these people, you will regret it in cat pose. And like I said before, wear long pants.

The Art of Blogging

2007-03-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

So... have decided to jump on the blogging bandwagon. It's about time, I guess! Anyone know the rules for blogging? Are they as similarly contrived and outdated as the rules for dating (like at Bob Jones University in SC where you must ask for permission to kiss someone)? Are you supposed to be witty and funny a la Bridget Jones when you spill your guts into cyberspace?

Because it seems like there are a lot of blogs out there that I wouldn't really want to read. Ie, some guy I've never heard of writing about their coffee date with the girl from their office who has really big ... teeth. Or is the main purpose of blogging so that your friends around the world can have a peek into your everyday life? I suppose that could be part of it. I've also heard about people who blogged about their jobs or their bosses and got fired. So I will be refraining from mentioning any names or details about my work life. Besides, who wants to talk shop on their own time?

Speaking of Bob Jones University, it's kind of funny that the initials turn out to be BJU. Right. Mind in the gutter. But remember, this is a place where girls are expected to wear ankle-length skirts and pantyhose to class. Kind of ironic, you have to admit.