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.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Beauty and the Web
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.
Aerial view of New York.
Story of a Sign (you need the updated version of Adobe Flash Player to watch).
More to come.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Good things come to those who wait
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!
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!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
2009
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.
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.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Put a ribbon in your hair???
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.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Bedtime Tunes - Updated Nightly
I have rediscovered the loveliness that is Bedtime Tunes: check it out online for some really mellow ambient/electronica/trip hop/folksy tunes.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Monday, December 1, 2008
Ode to Wine
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.
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.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Recap
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!).
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!).
Monday, November 10, 2008
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!).
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?)
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!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
God, I am such a tool
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.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Rest in peace
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.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Honeymoon
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.
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.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Obamabots and Billaryites
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
A good dose of estrogen (and some good eggs)
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.
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.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Quite a way to start the summer.
...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.
And now it's back to reality: Office, Pushing Important Papers Around, you know, The Usual.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
I wear red nail polish too
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.
Never could keep those seams in my hose from not becoming crooked.
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