Nomad

2012-02-10T23:54:00.000-05:00

after reading some rave reviews about the latest cupcakery to hit dc, the sweet lobby shot to the top of my sweet tooth list. yeah...im a yelp addict. as fate would have it, i happened to be in the neighborhood and happened to have some time to kill (...or specifically took an earlier bus so i would have enough time to snatch up some goods before meeting up with zoe...), so naturally i wandered in. i ogled the pastel pastry case for a good 5 minutes (GAH decisions) before choosing a gingerbread cupcake, a caramel macaron and a pb&j macaron (!!!) for desert. they cost me a pretty penny, but hey, we were celebrating! *i passed my comps!

met up with zoe at the oh-so-adorable-and-fashionably-cramped 7th hill pizza, another long standing list locale. we snagged some prime bar stools and gorged ourselves on the RE-diculously delish pizza *i highly recommend the 'potomac ave' pizza. sometimes i think back to my Dark Years with no dairy, and thank my lucky stars i finally discovered lactaid pills. how i ever survived several consecutive years with no pizza, cheese or ice cream is a complete mystery *my pending semester abroad in france my junior year finally incentivized my switch-the thought of spending 6 months in the land of brie and creme fraiche as a lactard inspired me to discover the magic of les pilules

peregrin espresso for a soy cappuccino nightcap + halvsies on the sweets. the perfect amount of caffeine, sugar and girl talk.

around closing, the ladies at peregrin announced they were giving their pastries away for free (or throwing them away), inciting a pastry FRENZY among the few stragglers left in the cafe. i elbowed some burly mountain man while bobbing and weaving through the crowd (of 4) to grab this yum bran muffin. i was hoping it would last me until at least tomorrow morning, considering i had JUST had dinner AND dessert....but we both knew that wasnt going to happen. it was goooood, and well worth the uncomfortable fullness.

on my way home from work i spied this finely attired (colonial?!) washingtonian and stalked him through the metro station and up the escalator for a closer look. why more people don't rock the tricorn hate anymore is beyond me.

2012-02-06T22:32:00.001-05:00

food frenzy : the drinking adventures continue, rounding out the list of epic chaser failures. *FYI grapes are a definite no go / how non-sports fans do the super bowl...they eat / homemade chocolate covered pretzes. enough said. / turkey balls + humus + chips + pretzels. dinner of champions (err lazy girls)

2012-02-05T11:38:00.001-05:00

zoes birthday 'la boum' brunch. what started out as a perfectly respectable afternoon champagne brunch quickly progressed (digressed?) into an all out anything-goes bottles-poppin beats-pumpin disco- blazin fun-fest dance party. *If burlesque dancers, body shots, table dancing, shirtless men and lady gaga arent your cup of tea, this may not be your scene

What better way to celebrate 26 than to dance up a storm with your best girlfriends and a room full of fun loving strangers?!

2012-02-03T18:26:00.000-05:00

2012-02-01T22:14:00.000-05:00

so my apartment is haunted. and not in the fun friendly-ghost-who-turns-into-uber-hottie-devon-sawa-circa-1995 kind of way.

(you're welcome)

there we were getting into our regular tuesday evening groove (...sitting on the couch waiting for glee to come on glass of vino in hand...) when the biggest badest CRASH ever rang from the kitchen. normally, we're no stranger to random clinks and clanks around the apartment (shout out to apt 508 who has taken a particular fancy to redecorating their apartment at 8am on Sunday mornings). this was no clank. this was a KABOOM

post fiasco precautionary measures

we dashed into the kitchen-barefoot!-to find our coffee pot (we had a coffee pot?) strewn across the floor, shattered into millions of little glass land mines.

how did this happen? the now defunct coffee pot was previously nestled into the coffee machine, tucked away behind our blender a good 2 inches from the ledge. no one was in the kitchen, no one had even rummaged around up there for months (years??). curiouser and curiouser.

the scene of the crime...note the degree of nestle!

only logical conclusion: ghost. but why the violence?? did we commit some unforgivable coffee faux pas? are our appliances starting to revolt? are we making shitty coffee? come to think of it, i DID play the lazy girl card and went for a starbucks run earlier for a mid morning pick me up in lieu of making a pot myself *technically a FREE cup of coffee courtesy of the seven unused starbucks gift cards my dad pawned off on me

i guess our ghost is just one judgy starbucks hatin bitch

2012-01-31T19:24:00.001-05:00

we adventured over to sankofa cafe for a late lunch after reading they serve almond milk (YES!) and killer pesto sandwiches *fully endorse the rave reviews / stopped into smucker farms on the way home to ogle at the delicious sounding canned goods / happened upon trashcat pop up thrift store and scored some cheapo goods! / my new favorite side street. i just cant get enough of those colored rowhouses / STILL deliberating about new glasses. i'm indecisive. *so far ive gotten thumbs up from a few friends and 'still on the fence' from my parents

2012-01-30T10:12:00.000-05:00

birthday shenanigans! to celebrate turning the big 2-6 (and her last year in her "mid twenties"), erin hosted a throwback 90s basement party.

apparently i was little obsessed with the cupcakes (so.good.)

bringin it back. *how do i still remember the lyrics to ALL of these songs??

2012-01-29T12:10:00.000-05:00

partking in some soy dirty chai action after a semi stressful day at work. warm caffeinated beverages make everything better / my new frames came! i'm not used to such large frames, still not entirely sold on them yet (and the prescription is wrong, so theres that...) / allie's fabulously in-your-face bedazzled bug ring. because everyone needs a little bling in their life

2012-01-27T20:12:00.001-05:00

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

2012-01-26T21:58:00.002-05:00

i hereby vow to take FULL advantage of my late start thursday mornings. bring on the coffee drinking, crosswording, reading, brunching, and (my personal favorite) sleeping. unacceptable activities: studying, homework, waking up early (blegh).

i've also decided to maximize my flats wearing potential. winter, schminter

2012-01-24T20:15:00.000-05:00

every now and then i indulge in some treat yo self grocery shopping. what i like to call my 'luxury items' list. jar of pickles (heavy!), soy yogurt (extravagant!), red meat (expensive!), etc. my latest haul from whole foods was heavy on the luxury and hard on the wallet...i see a few oatmeal dinners on the horizon. but hey, go big or go home.

2012-01-23T22:10:00.000-05:00

Somehow this semester seems so much more daunting. Maybe its the winter chill. Maybe its a bad case of senioritis. Maybe its knowing I just need to make it through until May-just long enough to seem like eternity. Maybe its the fear of actually graduating, leaving this life behind, (re)entering the real world. Who knows.

2012-01-22T19:59:00.000-05:00

celebrating at cactus cantina!!! the environmental science masters crew (minus kelli) cheersing to having taken our 8 hour comprehensive exam this sunday (UGH). no more late night study sessions or stressing on weekends! no more student guilt for not studying every waking minute!

now we wait to find out if we passed...

2012-01-21T15:42:00.000-05:00

another restaurant crossed off the list! the wifey and i took each other out to dinner on friday night to celebrate some good news. we trekked over to red rocks pizza in the blistering cold, but man oh man our DELISH appetizer and pizza were definitely worth the risk of frostbite. and with our scoutmob, our bill came out to less than $7 each! (we're cheap dates)

it started to flurry on our way home. perfect excuse to lounge around in our pjs watching movies sippin on coffee and tea all day long. yes and please!

2012-01-19T20:50:00.000-05:00

Back at it, expanding young minds and broadening horizons. aint no thang

2012-01-18T18:55:00.000-05:00

my prints came! an homage to my semi nomadic lifestyle over the years and the 5 rad cities i've had the good fortune to live in (so far)

Sydney / Mossel Bay / San Francisco / Washington DC / Nice

now...where to put them??

2012-01-17T19:02:00.001-05:00

so...i'm moving to san francisco? wot WOT??

i seem to have a knack for sliding into these major life decisions, none of that conventional 'definitive resolution' for me. they almost sneak up on me, like theyve been part of the plan along and ive only just remembered.

the Big Move has always been part of the plan, i just never really knew when, or where. but i told my mom i'm moving back, so i guess its official now. im planning on heading west at some point (late summer?) this year after i graduate *although nothing is definite yet, so who knows what will happen in the next few months...

i had my holy shit! moment walking home today. i dont even know what i was/am feeling....terrified, excited, overwhelmed, relieved, pretty much all around crazy. returning to my hometown, leaving the people ive spent 8 years cultivating friendships with, moving to a different city/apartment, different life. trading one gaping uncertainty (where to go? when to go?) for another equally intimidating uncertainty (what will my new life be like??). yup, i definitely cried on my way home today.

2012-01-16T19:49:00.000-05:00

she bakes, too! allie's fab chili bowl just may be my new favorite cereal bowl / cheersing my lovely ladies at restaurant week brunch at dino. best breakfast bread pudding EVER. try it, immediately. / finallllly made it to kafe leopold for a coffee with erin *another one crossed off the list! / working up a storm at yola on our 'productive' day off / shopping swag: two hats winter hats + tank top + jeans *h&m sells 34" length jeans for us giants(!!), but theyre STILL on the shorter side for me / funky new sunglasses

2012-01-13T21:16:00.000-05:00

food therapy. a good coffee/burger/salad/cookie works wonders for the over worked, over studied and over stressed

Indulging the caffeine addiction at dolcezza / FREE midweek lunch thanks to well always connected erin / catching up with alena / the midnight baker strikes again! homemade insideout oreos.

2012-01-12T21:46:00.000-05:00

my 5 pairs of trial frames from warby parker arrived! inspired some thinking....

is binge eating excused if you're pmsing?

should anyone bother figuring out a 5 year plan when they never seem to come true?

will i remember any level of detail from my many hours of studying for these blasted comps?

does eating beans from a can in front of the tv count as 'vegging?'

when are those overpriced shoes actually worth buying?

which glasses should i choose??

2012-01-10T11:27:00.000-05:00

Tuesday's coming....

2012-01-09T20:48:00.000-05:00

note to self: when the weather report calls for rain, snow and sleet, don't wear thin cloth keds and no socks. commuter shoes FAIL. i did however finally get to try out my new umbrella! *yes, i am wearing glasses because i developed a STYE over the weekend. ugh.

my guest post on erin's blog!

2012-01-07T18:38:00.000-05:00

I took my black flats for a spin today. Determined to take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather, we hiked over to Tryst, moseyed down admo for a sandwich, wandered along 17th to run some errands and loitered around the circle for some people watching.

Bacon chocolate! *I'm not sure I get all the hype... / Finished my book on the roof / Met up with the always entertaining Ms. Matthews at Tryst in admo / Dupont neighborhooding / The Halburn sandwich from the highly praised (and rightly so) Dupont Market

2012-01-05T21:55:00.000-05:00

current obsessions:

bundeling. true to form, DC has been all over the place with weather....arctic temperatures one day, 60 the next. my scarf fetish and i are thoroughly enjoying the cold (but not yet miserable) weather

+

red. particularly of the lipstick and shoe variety *i'm beginning to realize this may be more of a lifelong obsession...

+

iphone picture apps. i'm taking instagram junkie one step further to become an instagram collager. best. app. ever.
+
band of moment is definitely the Cults. i may or may not have listened to their self titled album 5 times in the last 3 days
+
gymming. ha! almost fooled myself there...more like keeping the get fit momentum going

2012-01-04T16:56:00.000-05:00

Studying is the pits. Don't let my excited expression fool you. Not even a fresh batch of Blue Bottle could cheer me up!

The following afternoon I trekked over to Sundevich for some pick-me-up sandwich deliciousness. I opted for The Berlin, per the cashier's recommendation, which was a smidge heavy on the mustard (my eyes were watering! or was that my sinuses...?), but pretty delish. The sandwiches are definitely split-worthy ginormous, but I ate the whole thing myself. Brain food?

...aaaand then it was back to studying. Swapped my new book for reading up on nitrogen fixation, energy outputs and ecotoxicology. Damn you good student guilt!) Pouting & coffeeing at Azi's coffee

When I got home, a belated birthday present just arrived from the bro! Just in time for sneaker weather

All in all, productive day.

2012-01-03T10:45:00.000-05:00

my i dont want to study but have my comprehensive exam i need to pass to graduate coming up in a less than 3 weeks so i need to get motivated playlist:

The Noisettes - Never Forget You
Ra Ra Riot - Dying is Fine
Oberhofer - I Could Go
M83 - Reunion
Whirring - The Joy Formidable
Cider Sky - Glowing the Dark
Vetiver - Sister
Bloc Party - So Here We Are

2012-01-02T16:11:00.000-05:00

ive been feeling 'the nesting impulse' lately. not in the get-married-and-start-a-family sense, more in the go-antiquing-with-my-boyfriend-to-furnish-our-impossibly-fabulous-but-rent-controlled-apartment kind of way. which is VERY confusing/ironic/contradictory, considering the other half of my brain (the non nesting obsessed) is preoccupied with trying to sort out where i want to move and what i want to do with my life come may when i graduate. i dont know if its a warped biological clock thing (im only 25!), a product of spending way too much time looking at design blogs, or some quarter life crisis *which seem to be going around...practically everyone i know is figuring out their post-college pre-adulthood next step(s). or at least pledging to in the spirit of the new year.

whatever it is, its bringing out my domestic side

2012-01-01T18:14:00.000-05:00

Rad party favor! Fatback's not-so-subtle liberal agenda

When life gives you lactose intolerance, make vegan cupcakes (then use them as chasers) *and allie rose with straight hair!!

To graduating from grad school, to deciding on a new city, to crossing EVERYTHING off the list, and whatever other fun/crazy/shambles adventures to come. Cheers to you, 2012!

2011-12-31T11:08:00.000-05:00

all the mess and clutter, yelling and frustration, sounds and smells, comfort and familiarity of home. i'll miss you

2011-12-30T13:10:00.000-05:00

...because im a little bit obsesssed

2011-12-29T20:09:00.000-05:00

Favorites, new and old

2011-12-29T12:02:00.000-05:00

berkeley. the cheeseboard. cafe fanny. rugelach.

2011-12-28T16:48:00.000-05:00

oh how I've missed you, sf boutiques. ive made my obligatory visit to several of my go-to shopping meccas (ambiance, therapy) in addition to wandering into the hoards of other fab shops along valencia and noe. im trying to absorb as much funk and style as possible before i enter fashion hibernation in my city of beige suits and commuter shoes. im hoping my new purchase glow lasts me through my soon-to-be imposed spending freeze come january...

2011-12-25T14:48:00.000-05:00

*I've never seen the family resemblance

I've come to accept (and love) that my semi annual visits to sf tend to revolve around eating. and lots of it. between visiting my favorite haunts, homecooked meals and trying the latest restaurant du jour, there arent enough spandex-wasted pants in the world to accommodate the marathon eating.

This year, i'm piling on the food festivities with belated birthday dinners, friend potlucks, holiday meals and impromptu brunches. i've even managed to squeeze in a meet-and-greet meal with the bro's gf in between the string of chrismukkah breakfast lunch and dinners.

I may come back a few belt loops looser, but isnt that what new years resolutions are for anyway??

2011-12-24T13:42:00.000-05:00

 One of my favorite christmas traditions: making the perennial holiday favorite karjalanpiirakkas with my pops (klingon-esque finnish pastries). We don our favorite aprons, set up our flour and folding stations and have at the endless rolls of rye dough, stuffing each soon-to-be pastry with riisi. Over the years, we've each developed our own styles - my dad's piirakkas tend to look more like the traditional wide and flat pastries while mine...I like to call 'mountainous.' We always put on a quality movie to watch while toiling away (past favorites include the classics Crocodile Dundee and Overboard-we have a soft spot for 80s movies TBS airs on loop)*If you haven't seen either of these two movies go out and rent them immediately. This year my dad surprised me with something a bit more modern, 2004's blockbuster extraordinaire Hidalgo. Viggo Mortensen is no Goldie Hawn, but I'm sucker for a good underdog story. 

2011-12-22T21:56:00.000-05:00

in my favorite city by the bay and loving it! ready to indulge in caffeine binges + feline cuddle sessions + homecooked meals + west coast relaxation

Tony Bennett -I left my Heart in San Francisco

2011-12-22T12:47:00.000-05:00

Back home in San Francisco for the holidays.

2011-12-21T08:48:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: I apologize in advance for the funky formatting, the new blogger platform is impossible

5 simple steps to hosting a multicultural holiday party

Step 1. Brush up on your old finnish family recipes and whip up a vat of riisipuuro *in the absence of an actual double burner, woks work wonders! **leave yourself FOUR hours to let the milk absorb

Step 2: Be considerate. For all of your dairy-challenged friends, make sure you have plenty of lactaid on hand

Step 3: Make laktes. Jazz it up with sweet potatoes instead of plain old potatoes

Step 3: Set the mood. Think candles & music * candles can also double as your menorah

Party season mini indie playlist
Young the Giant - My Body
Discovery - Swing Tree
Frenech Soler - Demons
Dom - Living in America
Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks
TV on the Radio - Will Do

Step 4: Enjoy!

2011-12-17T22:27:00.000-05:00

Fighting off the sunday coffee crowd at Pound for some crunch time finals studying

Brunch at Ted's Bulletin : 1 special order egg sandwich + 1 out of control smores milkshake + 2 FREE homemade poptarts = satisfaction

Midnight argentinian-belgian snacks

Impromptu Burger Tap & Shake run for boozy milkshakes and burgers

As a foodie in training, im all about the culinary adventures. but lets face it. I'd be eating a lot more cereal dinners if it wasnt for miss allie rose. (*not that cereal isnt a perfectly delicious or acceptable meal option. i may or may not have had oatmeal for lunch 3 days last week).

While i do enjoy the occasional food blog, im not really what one might consider a master chef. i am a firm believer in the throw-whatever-i-have-at-home-in-a-bowl method (read: chick peas and turkey balls or black beans and turkey balls). allie, meanwhile, whips up gourmet lentil burgers, goat cheese sweet potato pizza and cookie butter alfajores at 11 pm. while i FULLY support allie's sweet tooth (homemade bread? cookies?? MUFFINS?? yes and please!), the constant supply of baked goods isnt really conducive to my 'get fit' plan...i am however 100% behind our mutual caffeine addiction and mission to eat at every fabulous dc restaurant!!

Midnight City-M83

2011-12-14T17:23:00.000-05:00

new hat. new scarf. red lipstick. crosswords. coffee. <3

Forever & Ever - The Drums

2011-12-12T22:34:00.000-05:00

i have an ongoing love affair with coffee shops. were getting pretty serious. id like to think its a little bit of west coast ive kept with me all these years living on the east coast. they practically bleed caffeine over there! AND apparently my finnish heritage...highest coffee consumption per capita (what?!).

ANYWAY. i love the coffee shop "vibe," the people watching, the foam art. the adorable hipster babies in their mini converse, the buddy holly eye glasses i wish i could pull off, the questionably homeless man sitting in the corner talking to himself, the sea of mac book computers. i love it all!! *also note allies diabolical grin and my death grip on my mug.

2011-12-11T09:47:00.000-05:00

I love dressing up and dinner parties as much as the next food-obsessed clothes-hoarder, but i especially love holiday gift exchange dinner parties (PRESENTS!!), especially with these lovely ladies.

2011-12-09T17:44:00.000-05:00

Oh hey, what up cheesy omelet. But wait, arent you a lactard?! (you ask, aghast). Say hello to non-dairy daiya cheese. We're kind of a thing now.

2011-12-07T21:03:00.000-05:00

I think it might be time to bite the bullet and invest in a functional (!) umbrella. My $9.50 CVS perpetually-inside-out umbrella is entirely useless against these gale force winds and sheets of rain

2011-12-07T20:57:00.001-05:00

Indulging in DC's time honored tradition of weekday boozing. One not so fantastic date night at Wisdom and one fabulous celebratory dinner at Dirty Martini.

2011-12-07T20:49:00.000-05:00

Typical. I lament the day when cereal and oatmeal are no longer acceptable dinner options.

2011-12-04T12:27:00.000-05:00

Benito barn! the second cutest cat i've ever seen (jiggs is forever and always my number 1)

2011-12-04T12:25:00.000-05:00

Catching up over coffee

2011-12-04T12:21:00.000-05:00

I love DC architecture...and peaking into open windows to see how people decorate (creepy??)

2011-12-04T12:20:00.000-05:00

I <3 DC

2011-12-04T12:16:00.000-05:00

Impromptu Avey Tare (of animal collective) show at U st Music Hall....a bit heavy on the experimental sound for me

2011-12-04T12:15:00.000-05:00

Rando old man in elevator "Wow, those are GREAT shoes!"

2011-12-04T12:14:00.000-05:00

Zoo lights (for free!) complete with hotty choc and peppermint schnapps

2011-12-04T12:11:00.000-05:00

Backalley bathtub around the corner from the elusive sundevich (which CLOSED early the day I decided to go, naturally)

2011-12-04T12:07:00.000-05:00

First cup coffee shop reading nook

2011-12-04T12:04:00.000-05:00

The best darn bicycle shaped homemade belgian spice cookie i've ever seen

2011-11-13T22:02:00.000-05:00

I decided to opt out of my bowl of cereal dinner routine for my last meal as a 24 year old, and classed it up with a pasta/sausage/veggie medley. I'd like to think I was loading up on all my carbs, proteins, vitamins and minerals in preparation for drinking, dancing, and all around shenanigans later that evening. I must have done something right, because I woke up the following morning SANS hangover (although those 8 cups of water and late night turkey sandwich might have had something to do with it...)

Breakfast of (25 year old) champions. Post saturday night shambles, myself and 4 other friends headed for a celebratory brunch, complete with homemade chocolate cake topped with sparkler candles, sprinkles, and an always embarrassing round of public happy birthday singing

My last hurrah as a 24 year old took a turn for the worse when a party guest teetered off his bar stool and landed on my foot. Not just any foot, my right foot of das boot fame. The very same foot that I broke some 2 years ago under an amplifier gone rogue. I woke up Sunday morning to a grotesquely swollen, bruised and sore foot. Needless to say, my afternoon plans of strolling the streets and trawling thrift store aisles in all my wise and bargain saavy 25 year old glory were shot. With a little help from HGTV, houseguests, rest, ice and elevation, not even a gimpy foot could put a damper on my bday.

No hard feelings 25. I know were going to have a great year together.

2011-11-07T19:17:00.000-05:00

Epically disastrous redesign FAIL. And not just in a tragic but somewhat endearing kind of way. In a self destructive kind of way.

It all started when I decided to take the plunge and get into the nitty gritty of project revamp. I've been staring at these blank walls long enough, it was time for action!

Mission drapey string turned out surprisingly well, considering my somewhat questionable history with DIY. One suede cord, two push pins and a handful of binder clips (that my office generously and unknowingly donated to the cause) later and I was one step closer to HGTV stardom.

Infused with my newfound flare for hanging things in that casual-yet-strategically-placed aesthetic, I decided to tackle the one task I'd been dreading. That unruly pile of photos, picture frames and postcards staring me down from my chair.

Mid process, I kept noticing red smears across the glass, my wall, even my bedspread. I had been handling a set of red picture frames, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out how i managed to get red paint everywhere. UNTIL I looked down and realize that i was profusely BLEEDING from an open wound on my thumb. decorating casualty!

once i was cleaned up and bandaged, i set to work cleaning up my bloody mess. In a frenzy of frustration, I managed to break the glass on one of my bigger frames-the very same frame that I cut my finger on!! bastard.

so...well just say its a work in progress.

2011-11-06T10:31:00.000-05:00

And so the great room design continues!

What started out as an innocent project to fix a few holes in my wall (who knew 3M made PERMANENT wall tape??!!) has morphed into a full fledged makeover. If you look closely, you might be able to see the blocks of sheen on the wall where I've spackled, primed and painted patches on the wall...fingers crossed that goes away...

Now that phase 1 is complete (at least as good as i can get it), its on to the wall decorations. I've taken down all my pictures and posters, starting from scratch. I'm planning on slowly working on building towards some sort of cohesive design, TBD.

2011-07-10T10:15:00.000-04:00

going to partake in group enlightenment by the capitol building, part of the dalai lama's talk on world peace

copping a feel?

tasting tour at buzz coffee, thanks to our new bffl barista

giddy from free coffee and pastries

adventure day ACCOMPLISHED, sharing a well deserved victory high five

scenes of VA

indulging in some 'tourist photography' courtesy of wmata

2011-07-07T16:08:00.000-04:00

Friday mix

Rill Rill - Sleigh Bells

Whirring - The Joy Formidable

Lost in my Mind - The Head and the Heart

The National Anthem - Yoshida Brothers

Intro - The XX

Cracks - Freestylers (Flux Pavillion Remix)

California Sunrise - Dirty Gold

2011-06-24T13:12:00.000-04:00

nothing can make the awkwardness of a first date more awkward than a hoard of oogling coworkers watching your every move. unless, of course, your date goes in for a FIST POUND after you dramatically duck to avoid his goodnight kiss. OR you happen to burst into hysterical tears mid drunken makeout session at 4 in the morning. OR you spot an older couple you know sitting a few rows behind you in the movie theatre while your date tries (and fails) to grope your boob. and the couple happens to be your parents. watching 8 mile.

awkward dates are kind of my thing.

i usually try to time my awkwardness around mealtimes. i find the food-in-mouth excuse works in almost every uncomfortable-first-date situation. just ran out of witty, charming anecdotes to tell? keep chewing until A) you think of something new to say or B) hes forced to say something to fill the silence. laugh at what you thought was a joke but turns out to be a heartfelt confession? carefully morph your chuckle into a deep, chesty cough as if you just got something lodged in your throat. realize youve just been asked a question but you didnt hear what it was because you can't understand anything he says between the mumble and the accent? mid bite, widen your eyes in amazement, proclaiming this to be the BEST meal youve ever had, as if you are completely absorbed by the food's awesomeness and couldn't possibly think of anything else. if you're into him, offer him a bite (hoping it really IS mind numbingly delicious).

of course, food dates can be pretty high stakes. theres always the possibility of food getting stuck in your teeth, spillage, or my personal nemesis, digestive problems. thankfully, my recent food truck date was amazingly sparse on the food faux-pas. just me, my indian chicken kathi sandwich, and new guy. it was just the three of us until i noticed a bench full of my coworkers across the plaza, craning their necks around at regular intervals. between the natural awkwardness of spending your lunch hour with someone new and the acute awareness of my snickering audience, i was distracted and uncomfortable. i botched the delivery of several jokes (though, to his credit, he did give me the pity laugh). i managed to forget what i was saying mid sentence TWICE. yet, somehow i managed to end the date with most of my dignity and a few good laughs.

while it may not have been my best first date, it certainly wasnt my worst. at least i got a delicious kathi roll out of it.

2011-06-16T13:28:00.001-04:00

i am taking FULL advantage of my brief sojourn from late night studying and paper writing to knock a few items of my to-read list. conquests thus far:

my horizontal life-chelsea handler

room-emma donoghue

bossy pants-tina fey

just kids-patti smith

lapp king's daughter-stina katchadourian

next in the queue

demon fish-juliet eilperin

this is where i leave you-jonathan tropper

little bee-chris cleave

jurassic park-michael crichton

four fish-paul greenberg

suggestions welcome

2011-06-14T13:27:00.000-04:00

oh the many nuances of workplace bathroom etiquette

when to accept personal defeat: when you realize that you are on the same pee schedule as the 70 year old woman who works on your floor.

during your first run-in of the day, the casual sink side banter naturally turns to the weather and the strange smell permeating throughout the hallway. you chalk it up to burnt popcorn and cleaning supplies and share a quiet chortle. you bid eachother goodbye with a friendly wave and smile, assuming this is the last time you will see them for at least 5 more pee cycles.

much to your dismay, a few hours later you spot those familiar khaki loafers peeping out from underneath the adjacent stall. coincidence! you tell yourself, and shoot them an awkward smile as you once again find yourself lathering up in tandem.

by your third pee, you're alone in the room. freedom. just when you think youre in the clear, you hear the muffled sound of orthopedics shuffle across the tile. the door opens and shuts several stalls down. it couldnt be, could it? sure enough, khaki loafers. you wonder how long is socially acceptable to simply sit in a bathroom stall without actually doing anything, trying to avoid facing the sad reality that your bladder is functioning at the same level as your grandma. after 30 seconds of silence (dragging into YEARS), you figure they must have dozed off and decide to make a break for it. you quietly slink out of your stall and tip toe towards the sink. soap up. lather. rinse. you've done it! you're in the clear! just as you lean over to reach for the paper towels, a smug satisfaction settling in, a clink to your right grabs your attention. you look over and THERE THEY ARE! a sneak attack! defeated, you contort your face into a half smile half grimace, feigning sick to excuse your abrupt departure while fighting back tears.

you won this round, but tomorrow is another day.

2011-06-12T23:25:00.000-04:00

weekends are for eating. when i can theoretically spend 48 consecutive hours contemplating, preparing (purchasing?) and consuming food without that whole work thing getting in the way. two full days of uninterrupted indulgence.

and eat i did. despite the hideous heat and lingering threat of thunderstorms, i managed to fit in lunch at hard times, a picnic in the park, a bbq in arlington, a froyo outing, TWO coffee outings, and multiple bowls of cereal.

my makeshift chili 'salad.' fueling up after a busy morning of ikea shopping and costco wandering. after lifting those family sized cans of beans into and out of my cart, i needed to bulk up, feed the muscles. and nothing says 99 degrees and humidity quite like hot chili.

first stop on my weekend cafe/reading tour of dc-qualia coffee. grabbed my soy chai, my banana bread and my latest read and squeezed myself between two ladies totting imacs. the place had a cozy familiar feel to it, hanging-out-in-a-friend's-living-room vibe. that is, if you happen to be friends with trendy baristas who patronize the arts and accept tips from their closest 15 friends

second stop on the tour, the new peregrin espresso location on 14th. exposed brick + serious coffee drinkers + up and coming neighborhood location = hipster haven. while im no true hipster myself, i do love a boy in plaid and my obscure indie bands. alas, i simply dont have enough vintage ironic tees to ever truly belong.

2011-06-10T16:18:00.000-04:00

i'm no country gal, but this tune totally blows jay z's original version out of the water.

2011-06-08T22:34:00.000-04:00

$13 view of downtown DC

2011-06-04T11:48:00.000-04:00

summers in dc usually bring disgustingly hot, profusely sweaty days and slightly less sweaty nights. by some stroke of luck, weve been spared dante's inferno these past few days and ive actually been able to walk outside without perspiring a fine sheen of sweat through my clothes. the lack of offensive body odor and my newly study-free nights and weekends (school free summer!) have inspired me to spend some quality time outdoors.

hot on the heels of the cupcake craze came the froyo wave, an army of overpriced frozen yogurt joints popping up across the city. the masterminds behind the craze managed to convinced us all that buying yogurt instead of ice cream justifies spending $4+ on a cup of curdled milk with some choc chips sprinkled on top. somehow a cup of salted caramel froyo topped with heath bar, brownies and granola seems healthier than a cone of ben & jerries?

after last year's foodtruck mishap (arriving late, having to wait 45 minutes in line, and ending up with a bottom-of-the-barrel plate of rice and pumpkin), i booked it over to truckaroo after work to make sure i would once and for all get to taste the legendary korean taco truck. 20 minutes waiting in line later and i was happily munching on not one but TWO korean tacos. well worth the year-long wait.

the nice thing about nice weather, people are actually OUT. the hipsters, the prepsters, the hill guys, the interns and everyone inbetween come out in droves to take advantage of the summer festivities.

the only thing that stands between sanity and climbing into the refrigerator when those balmy summer days finally do come is knowing summer brings a bevy of free outdoor concerts, festivals, and socially acceptable binge drinking on rooftops. so while i may be miserable, hot, and sticky, at least ill be enjoying some free live music while im at it.

2011-06-02T09:31:00.001-04:00

time to jump back in the proverbial blogging saddle. no papers or exams or paper grading to distract me from the important things in life: entertaining the masses (read: the two people i force to read this blog).

given that i spend 8 longs hours a day, 5 whole days a week sitting at a desk, i have to REALLY step up my game between the hours of 6pm and 12 am, make sure im out there experiencing plenty of awkward/embarrassing moments. all for you!

UNLESS... people are interested in reading about my lunchbreak (what did i make for lunch that day? what was the answer to 4 down on the express crossword?), the latest office gossip (who made the afternoon coffee pot that NO ONE drank??) or better yet, my 4 daily trips to the bathroom (did i run into anyone on the way? were they out of toilet paper?)

...i think ill stick with awkward/embarrassing. at least for now.

2011-01-11T11:05:00.000-05:00

check out my guest post on erin's blog: http://traveleatrepeat.com/2011/01/07/what-happens-in-finland-most-likely-gets-buried-under-a-lot-of-snow/

my get-me-through-the-work-day-and-evening-class song of the moment

2011-01-09T21:11:00.000-05:00

smores and hotty choc on the roof

success!

2011-01-06T14:50:00.000-05:00

so my ex boyfriend's DAD facebook friended me. ummm wot??? I mean, aside from the fact that A. weve been broken up for almost 8 months now (!!) and B. the dad doesnt speak any english, its just plain weird. and out of the blue. i havent really decided what to do-i dont want to come off as an uber bitch and immediately reject the proverbial olive branch, and it is bizarrely sweet. but...its WEIRD!

Weather: 0 DIY homepair: 1

ive always been a DIYer, but somewhat hesitant (slash lazy) to apply my crafty skills to home repair (expensive! dangerous!). but after a few weeks of waking up with a runny nose from the arctic air flow over my head at night, i decided to take action. apparently, my bed-next-to-window setup is more conducive to head colds than feng shui. so, after a few words of encouragement (cheap! easy!), i decided to jump on the plastic weatherproofing bandwagon. 30 minutes later, i whipped that window-plastic-tape-hair dryer combo into one badass airtight window seal. whatdoyaknow, i did a bang up job! i knew i had an inner macguyver hidden in there somewhere!

speaking of head colds....high on the list of weird things ive tried in my life is the neti pot. I also suspect this is pretty high up on your list of things you dont want to know (or picture), so without going into too much graphic detail, it actually worked!! I had a few blissful, irritation free hours of clear breathing until my arid apartment sucked the life out of my neti buzz. but man, those two hours were AWESOME. I did some extensive internet research pre pot purchase (involving multiple youtube videos i wish i could erase from my memory) to figure out if there was any way i could possibly cause permanent damage to myself. i didnt come across any 'girl tries neti and winds up in hospital' headlines, so i decided to take the plunge and try it. i wouldnt say its 'relaxing', or 'pleasant', but it works, so im on board.

and yes, the inevitable. class starts again on mon. goodbye nights and weekends. goodbye social life. hello poorly written lab reports. sigh

my get-me-through-the-workday song of the moment

2010-12-29T11:04:00.000-05:00

i officially hate snow. and airports. and trains. and traveling in general. (well false, i mostly hate traveling on trains/planes in the snow).

what started out as a fun family vacay in finland quickly turned into complete and utter shambles. my bro and i were about to embark on a seemingly impossible trek from finland to NY while i continued on to DC later that evening. or so i thought....

despite the most snow helsinki has seen in a century, those practical finns kept the airport up and running, one of the few in europe that was still operational under all the snow. like the good little traveler i am, i checked the weather forecast in NY, which announced a SEVERE STORM WARMING from 3-8pm. good thing i was supposed to get in smack dab in the middle of the warning around 4. juuuuust great.

we took off about an hour late (because of the famous de-icing process) and made our way to ny 9 hours later, where we circled JFK because, surprise surprise, there was bad weather in ny. apparently the runway wasnt clean enough or some business (the pilots thickly accented announcements were somewhat cryptic over the static intercom). the complete whiteness outside and gale force winds shaking the plane were somewhat disconcerting, but theres not much you can do while still in the airplane. so i just held on for dear life and hoped for the best. after watching the flight path on the screen make a series of figure eights over the airport for an HOUR and a half, we finallllly land into full on white out blizzard conditions. naturally, my connecting flight to DC (and every other flight in and out of jfk) was cancelled. and so it began.

bags in tow, we left the terminal to catch a taxi into brooklyn to stay with some relatives overnight to weather the storm, but it was blizzarding so we decided to take the airtrain to the metro and head into brooklyn that way. after standing in a mob outside the train terminal for an nour, airport staff announced NO trains are running because of the weather. something about too much wind. pish posh! dejected, we go back to the bagage claim with all the other disgruntled travelers. Occasionally, an unmarked bus would drive by that EVERYONE and their mom (literally) ran to flag down. no one told us WHERE the shuttle was going, people were just anxious to get the hell out of the airport. elbows were thrown, babies pushed, the works! survival of the fittest!

weighed down by our massive suitcases, we didnt manage to finagle our way onto the bus so we went back to stand in the taxi line, in the blizzard. after an hour of braving the blizzard outside, the taxi attendant comes by announcing there were no more taxis, nothing is coming in or out because of the conditions on the road. awe-some.

once inside, we stake our claim on some prime floor space against a pillar for back support. i resign myself to spending the night in the airport, settling into my temporary home for the next few hours. meanwhile, people who had been waiting warm and cozy inside the terminal the whole time had gotten cots to sleep on. naturally there werent anymore left so we simply sat and gazed longingly at the comfortable, casually sprawled cot residents. bastards.

after about an hour, my brother decides enough is enough and goes to check the sitch outside. Reporting back about 10 minutes later, i learn there still ARE taxis coming (one every 15 min or so). Damn you taxi stand man who made us get out of line!! so we wait outside. in the blizzard. at some point the line dissolves and it becomes a free for all, people bum rushing anything with wheels that approaches the stand. no one was sticking to the code. the LINE CODE! most taxis that did approach the stand unmolested only went to manhattan, opting for the longer distance to hike up the fares. ugh. seriously??!! after about two hours in line, i reach my breaking point. tired, hungry, wet, cold, i give up hope and beg my brother to go back inside and sleep in the airport. iron willed, he refuses, telling me to wait inside for a bit while he takes one for the team and attempts to flag down cabs for us. ahhh bortherly love.

after something like three hours (that felt like TEN) one of the attendants takes pity on my incessant teeth chattering and convinces a taxi to take my bro, myself and a tiny trendy asian girl to brooklyn for an absurd amount of money. EIGHTY dollars for what normally costs about $30. at this point im willing to give the man my first born child, so i convince the others to just get in the fucking cab already. we finally head out of the airport around 11 or so, braving the unplowed, ridiculous roads on our way to warm beds.

incidentally, the ride was exponentially MORE stressful that actually getting ride. over the course of two and a half hour ride (which normally takes 20 minutes) we barrel through snow covered streets, passing abandoned cars that were stuck in the snow, hundreds of wandering travelers resigned to walking to their destination. the whole scene was a surreal, lawless, day after tomorrow type scenario. very disconcerting. take THAT for climate change disbelieving republican senators!!!

meanwhile, our taxi driver continued to mutter under his breathe, praying to himself in hindi, interjected by occasional outbursts of "oh shit oh shit oh shit". i closed my eyes for half the ride, prayyyying to any and every god to get us to our destination to save me from having to lug my 50+ pound suitcase miles in the snow. images of '28 days later' zombies attacking the car kept popping up in my mind, prompted by people outside banging on the window of the cab, hoping to catch a break from the blizzard and snag a ride from our driver. between the trecherous roads, lack of sleep, zombie people and a very active imagination i was a HOT MESS. (visual effect)

around 2:30, we got to our relatives' house, frazzled and soaked in snow and exhaustion. after a restless nights sleep, i got up and checked amtrak and wmata for a way home. still hopeful, i decided to test my luck and try and make a break for it that day. i booked a 5:39 train from penn station to union station online, optimistic that despite the lack of flights to dc, the trains would somehow still be working. i left the house around 2:30 juuuuust to be sure i wouldnt get stuck on the way there (who knows what the subway would be like!).

i got to penn station around 3:30, ready to tuck in with a book and my ipod for the next 2 hours until my train took off. just as i walk into the amtrak terminal. i immediately sense the aggravated tension in the air. i look up towards the departures board and half expectedly read 'delayed' and 'canceled' postings next to EVERY SINGLE train on the board. MAJOR SIGH. here we go again. a woman announces all trains traveling south are delayed due to an 'earlier signal problem out of penn station.' oh yeah, and the BLIZZARD. i heard that sammmmme announcement six times every hour, for the next seven hours. i was ready to slap a bitch. i do NOT accept your 'sincere apologies for the inconvenience' thank you very much!!!

i found myself a spot on the floor and prepare for the long haul. inbetween pages of my book, i glance up at the board, fleeting moments of hope that by some miracle my train will be departing. no such luck.

SEVEN. HOURS. LATER. the gate for my train finally switched from "delayed" to "stand by". my train didnt leave until TEN FOURTY FIVE. so much for easy traveling.

to add insult to injury, THREE trains that were scheduled to leave AFTER my train had already left the station. where was the justice??? my 5:39 departure stood defiantly on the board until the end, taunting me with the delayed listing. by the time the 3rd train heading to dc was listed on the board i was ready to flip a shit, got up to go demand i get on the train. of course, the ticket couter line was closed and guarded by armed policemen to hoard off the angry mob of stranded travelers. i went to stand with 50 other pissed off people in the customer service line and overheard a group of frustrated passengers, all from my train. just when we had collectively decided to just get on the train that was scheduled to leave before ours in mutual frustration, our train FINALLY listed a departure gate. a stamppppppede of people ran over to the gate, too relieved to complain at this point. but the fun didnt stop there.

once on the train, we got to philadelphia behind schedule only to be forced OFF the train, at 1 in the morning, with no explanation. we were corralled onto another train that had been sitting in the station. ironically, the train we got onto was another train for dc that had left hours before ours. oh irony.

people began swapping war stories, who had had the worst travel experience, etc. at one point i casually threw in i had come from finland to get here, inspring the appropriate oohs and aaahs of the crowd. damn straight i need some recognition for the toils and tribulations i had gone through!

when we pulled into union station at 3:30 am, i was in a state of disbelief. that, and extreme exhaustion and anger. once off the train, we all shuffled into a painfully long, slow taxi line as the metro had long since closed. i had overheard the woman sitting next to me on the train mention she was headed to cleveland park, not too far from me, so i offered to share a cab with her. strategically, she had a working phone to call a taxi (mine had conveniently run out of batteries waaaay back when on sun night). thankfully, my new best friend had the foresight to call a cab and arranged to meet a block from the station to avoid the crowd, so we walked over and met our cab driver. freedommmmmmmm!

i walked into my apartment around 4 in the morning, relieved, exhausted, frazzled, generally out of it.

but the good news, IM HOME!

2010-12-16T08:49:00.000-05:00

Going to the motherland....

in winter (!?)...

for christmas :)

i'll put in a good word for you with santa

(because everyone knows santa lives in lapland!)

2010-12-13T10:19:00.000-05:00

when bad hairdos happen to good people

after 5 long months, i decided it was finally time to suck it up and take the plunge. a quick trim to tiddy up the ends and reshape the layers, a simple procedure. or so i thought.

i was trying out a new place, which is always risky, but kind of exciting. this salon had gotten great reviews on yelp, and allie had gone a few days earlier and loved the cut, so i figured why not?? i browsed through some mags sippin on some green tea before i was called over to the chair for a very enthusiastic shampoo session (no conditioning interestingly enough, apparently my hair was 'exceptionally clean' already). my stylist was funky and chatty, a georgia transplant who moved up to dc looking for 'big city lights.' so far so good.

just when i thought i was in the clear, she started to scrunch. and diffuse. and babble about curlers. ummmm wot? in case you didnt notice when i walked in, i have STICK straight hair. if its humid out ill get some crazy waves, sure, but never a CURL. but straight was simply UNACCEPTABLE to this stylist. rather than just brush and blow dry my hair to its natural state like every other stylist has ever done, she decided to go for curly 'just because its saturday.' saturday or not, i still have to walk outside in PUBLIC with this mess of a hairdo! good lord!

end result: shambles faux perm circa 1985.

i gave her an awkward smile when she finally wheeled my chair around for what i knew could only be a heinous mess. i couldnt bring myself to quite say i liked it, so i stuck with the classic 'oh wow, ive never seen my hair like this before...." translation: wtf!

the second i stepped outside i shoved a hat on my head and booked it home to immediately jump in the shower and rinse out the pounds of hairspray and forced curls. by the time i got home, the top had already flattened out, so i was stuck with a triangle poof. oh the shame.

30 minutes later, my hair was back to its normal state. STRAIGHT

i love a good curl as much as the next girl, but I just looked bad. you can't fight nature, or gravity...

and so the hunt continues for the best dc stylist...

2010-12-13T09:48:00.000-05:00

She bakes! Contrary to past experience, I'm not a total baking failure...

I decided to flex my (rarely used) baking muscles to prepare for jen's annual holiday cookie exchange. i turned to erin for her signature 'crack cookie' recipe: choc chip cookies with vanilla pudding mix. after three trips to cvs for supplies, i was well on my way to the cookie hall of fame.

exhibit A

exhibit B

naturally, as any seasoned baker knows, i had to try some of the batter (quality assurance and all). i mean, look at that deliciousness! and by try, i mean eat 1/4 of the raw batter. helloooo salmonella

by the time those suckers made it into the oven, i was beginning to feel somewhat nauseous from all that raw cookie dough and omnipresent baking smell. just how you want to feel before going to eat MORE cookies.

in all my excitement at actually having made cookies ON MY OWN, i forgot to take a pic of the

end result! for those less imaginative:

they didnt quite meet expectations, but i think i spoiled my tastebuds with raw dough deliciousness. and if its any testament, all of my cookies went at the cookie exchange. so who knows, maybe i have a bit of a baking edge afterall...

2010-11-21T22:00:00.000-05:00

Mt. Vernon adventure

mt. vernon made of gingerbread!

G.W.'s own recipe!

2010-11-14T14:12:00.000-05:00

Birthday montage

2010-11-02T18:21:00.000-04:00

at the rally to restore sanity and/or fear!

dc gathered en mass!

camaraderie

halloween...

....was a bust! NO ONE was out, let alone in costume

2010-10-30T18:41:00.000-04:00

Happy (sharky) Halloween

2010-10-19T16:20:00.001-04:00

you know its bad when...

the elderly woman walking (faster and) in front of you is wearing the exact SAME outfit. red cardigan, grey slacks, black shoes.

omen of my future, or god passing a not-so-subtle judgement on my wardrobe?

2010-10-17T19:16:00.000-04:00

october apple picking/sleepover/hike/eat fest

pickin those apples!

beyond delicious

HOMEMADE apple pie

Lake Seneca...its finally fall!

hiking!

izzy's bagel sandwiches power breakfast/lunch

canoodling

livin the high life for movie night in erin's movie theatre

fruits of allies labor...free pumpkin cheesecake form her bakery

and, of course, your quintessential sleepover pizza (and my fist hawaiian pizza!)

2010-10-15T14:10:00.000-04:00

song of the moment: Beats Antique. beauty beats

2010-10-12T14:35:00.000-04:00

mid-afternoon slump mix

the black keys - lengths

johnny cash - gods gonna cut you down

broken bells - the high road

miike snow - black and blue

snowden - anti anti

starfucker - florida

daft punk - technologic

justice - d.a.n.c.e.

peter bjorn and john - up against the wall

matt and kim - lessons learned

yeah yeah yeahs - heads will roll remix

2010-10-05T15:35:00.000-04:00

cuddle monster or demonic hell cat?

we've been cat sitting for a friend while they're off galavanting around barcelona for the past few days, about one more week to go. now i love fat old cuddly cats as much as the next gal, but i have my boundaries. and theyve been crossed. we are so far beyond the boundary i cant even SEE the boundary anymore.

henry is perfectly adorable and pleasantly cuddle during the day. a bit jump and aggressive with the nuzzling, but overall sweet temperament. but when the lights go out, the claws come out. henry has taken to sitting outside my door and meowing INCESSANTLY. that low, painful 'give me attention or ill die' kind of meow. that im-going-to-keep-you-up-all-night kind of meow. eventually henry realizes simply meowing is futile and starts head butting my door, scratching my door, until he eventually PRIES OPEN MY CLOSED DOOR. he then decides to meow some more, inside the room, jump on the bed, and nuzzle my head for 10 minutes. gets bored, then goes back to meowing. soooooooo annoying.

i havent gotten a full nights sleep in days! ive been a bit of a grump lately (understatement of the year), running off sheer adrenaline to get my midterm papers and exams in within the next few weeks. it all finally caught up to me yesterday when i completely lost the ability to string together coherent sentences in conversation. epic talking fail.

UNTIL last night. i left the door slightly ajar, hoping that might stave off the head banging/meowing/scratching. i filled his food and water bowl to the brim, made sure the litter was clean. and miracle(!), the rascal left me alone. that, or i was too tired to hear his complaining. either way, hes back in my good graces again.

i think this is the beginning of beautiful friendship, henry.

2010-09-30T17:23:00.000-04:00

FML. in that holy shit i just spent $575 at the dentist kind of way.

apparently im a chronic night clencher. which can (and has) led to receding gums, exposing the roots to invasive bacteria. causing extreme sensitivity, and eventually your teeth fall out. yeah, its that awesome. at the tender age of 23 i have an 'advanced' case of teeth clench induced receding gum lines, some 4-5 mm on some teeth. remedy? a $475 glorified retainer. a small piece of plastic. $475.

F. M. L.

so now i have to wear this (and REPLACE) contraption for the REST OF MY LIFE. once a clencher, always a clencher. no one is really sure what causes night clenching, theories attribute genetics (thanks a lot family) or stress. seeing as i cant really change my gene pool, and i dont really see the whole school/work/life becoming any less stressful in the foreseeable future, im stuck clenching. now im creeped out of my own mouth and wonky gums. and theres nothing i can do to stop it! i never even knew i was a night clencher!!

to top things off, im scheduled to go back in 2 weeks to pick up my *personalized* night guard, and fork over another $425 for bonds. bonds cover the gap between where my gum should be and where my gum is now with a synthetic, teeth colored lining. 5 teeth, $85 a pop. WITH insurance. sigh.

i know it could be worse...at least i caught it now? i just cant seem to shake the feeling that i got majorly shafted. i try and be responsible and make a dentist appointment the second i get insurance, and find out i have an irreversible, uncontrollable, unconscious ridiculous condition.

goodbye new clothes, goodbye weekend trips, hello rice and beans.

2010-09-28T16:24:00.001-04:00

shut one door and another one is violently kicked in

this whole life/school/TA/attempting-to-be-somewhat-social combo is kicking my ASS. the latest tribulation in the string of things-that-take-entirely-too-much-time-and-energy was attempting to schedule a dental appointment. now that i finalllllly have health insurance, i decided it was high time to go to the dentists after, oh, 4 + years (wooops). not only is finding a day nearly impossible, between work (earning money to FEED myself) and school (finding time to get shit done so i can SLEEP at night), but apparently i have to be assigned to a particular dental office. who knew? and why didnt anyone tell ME?

After waiting on hold to speak with an insurance representative (gotta love kenny G), i managed to figure out who i was originally assigned to. Great, not too difficult. Look up the phone number, give them a call. Lo and behold, they dont accept patients unless theyve already been treated there! ummm xenophobia much? Fine, ok, ill take my business elsewhere thank you very much. Call up the insurance company again, wait on hold, switch to another doctor. call that office. What was that? you DONT accept my insurance plan anymore? as of FRIDAY? naturally. Call insurance company back, yet again, speak with nancy (oh yeah, we were on a first name basis by now) and switch to a third and FINAL dental office who miraculously did exist, did except me, and does accept my insurance. bitchy receptionist aside, i think we have a winner.

lord knows ill likely be turned away from my appointment on thursday and shunned with a scarlet letter because the insurance company forgot to send me my dental insurance card. i can expect it in the mail in 10 business days. good thing i only have 2 before my appointment....despite the fact that i have a temporary card AND my policy number, im sure it violates 85 policies to be seen without the actual plastic card. maybe im being too pessimistic?

fingers crossed!

2010-09-23T15:19:00.000-04:00

to all the women who have ever endured a breakup (and for those die hard crochet fans): I AM WOMAN

2010-09-22T22:54:00.000-04:00

oh the joys of the being a TA. grading, teaching students biology, teaching myself biology... ive spent every weekend re-learning material that got pushed back into the recesses of my mind over the past 6+ years. pushed back, forgot, never learned, its all relative. despite all that (re)learning, despite the fact that NONE of these kids are biology majors, i somehow ALWAYS get asked the one question im unsure about. to honor the 'all knowing TA' image, i try and fumble an answer. which usually involves me digging myself deeper and deeper into bullshit. thankfully, being a TA has taught me how to entirely evade answering questions i dont know. i DO want them to understand, but hell to the no am i supposed to know everything about biology. the kids in my first lab section on wednesday are the unfortunate guinea pigs, bearing the brunt of my mistakes and wonky explanations as i wade through material i myself vaguely grasp. my second section on friday runs much smoother, im virtually a seasoned pro by then! not sure what beta hemolysis looks like? coincidentally, neither did i 2 days ago, but NOW im all over that stapholococcus identification!

dont deny it, you know you want to know.

2010-09-04T22:42:00.000-04:00

i am thinking about _____________________

2010-08-31T16:24:00.001-04:00

sunday

2010-08-23T22:50:00.000-04:00

where to even begin...

I AM OFFICIALLY A GRADUATE STUDENT! today was my first day at american as a first year environmental science masters student (mouthful!). ive spent so many months thinking, stressing about starting school that it almost feels anticlimactic. maybe im still in shock, the reality hasnt quite set in. did i really just sign my life over for the next two years?? i opted out of a friends shin dig tonight to stay in and do homework. HOMEWORK. ive certainly had my doubts: was this the right choice? am i ready to go back to school? can i handle everything?

...yet somehow it just feels right. terrifying for sure, but right.

it felt weird/natural/uncomfortable/normal to be back in a classroom again. so familiar, having spent the majority of life in a classroom. having spent the past 2 years of my life NOT in school, building a life not dependent on school breaks or exams, the concept of finals, papers, and class participation arent second nature to me anymore. though im sure its only a matter of time before im in the thick of it again!

whole new campus to explore, whole new student body to befriend, all new subjects to learn, personal limits and expectations to test. this is definitely the beginning of new crazy/stressful/exciting chapter in whatever semblance of a life i have left!

2010-08-19T22:39:00.000-04:00

just call me moneybags

Early wed morning i got an email from my soon-to-be advisor telling me they were offering me a SECOND TA shift, essentially doubling my tuition remission and stipend. and he needed an answer ASAP.

after 30 frantic minutes of rapid decision making, i decided i just couldnt pass up FULL TUITION REMISSION ( as in...i dont have to pay-anything-for school) on top of a stipend. so now, in addition to my course work AND part time work, i will have 20 hours of TA work (2 lab sections and grading). thankfully, i worked with the TA coordinator and arranged a friday afternoon lab section that allows me to work in silver spring for a half day in the morning, then jet on over to campus for my afternoon lab section.

im pretty sure i just officially signed over my social life.

2010-08-15T20:35:00.000-04:00

i cant decide if this video is heartening or depressing

2010-08-13T14:31:00.000-04:00

heaven is 2.5 hour drive south of DC: colonial williamsburg

question mark?

ye old colonial children!

i carry that bonnet so naturally, no?

waaaay too excited about pounding wood together

2010-08-12T13:09:00.000-04:00

oh metro. there are no words

on top of dealing with 30+ minute metro delays, i was propositioned by a crazy obese black woman.

stuck somewhere between new york ave and rhode island ave the woman sitting across from me starts to yell 'LADY LADY LADY' to try and grab my attention. when i finally turn to look, her mouth spreads into a wide grin. 'you so seeeeexy, you so beauuuutiful". hhmmmm, flattering, but slightly awkward. "thanks?" i offer up, not really know how else to respond.

not deterred by my overtly uncomfortable reaction, she wages on while i flush progressively darker and darker red. 'Can i kiss you?' UMMM excuse me NO.

having dealt with my fare share of metro crazies, i know its best not to further 'rile the beast' so to speak, so i smiled and simply told her 'no' with an awkward giggle. she stared at me for a good long while, then burst out into a belly laugh, mumbling something under her breathe.

for the next 10 interminable minutes, i focused my eyes on anything and everything BUT her, while she continued to stare at me, her eyes boring into the side of my face. thank GOD she got off at the next stop, shouting out 'bye bye cutie pie' as she exited the train.

i guess this is what i get for switching up my morning commute

song of the moment: home

2010-08-11T09:47:00.000-04:00

funny how thoughts can seamlessly slip between awareness and forgotten, occasionally brushing up against the edge of consciousness. wandering untethered and feral, commanding attention at will. only when forcefully held and surrendered can they seep out beyond recognition.

2010-08-09T13:46:00.000-04:00

holy smokes with a cherry on top, i can now die a happy woman.

friday was the arcade fire concert, a band that has been lingering high on my must-see concert list for quite some time. they were certainly well worth the wait-a 90 minute show jam packed with songs from their AWESOME new cd mixed with a good dose of crowd pleasers. i think i may have peed my pants when the always favorite wake up came on and the entire audience sang along. their cd quality show certainly delivered on the classics, the semi awkward dancing, crazy antics (crowd surfing...from a hipster?!), and inspiring friend envy (i NEED to be the lead female vocal's bffl)

saturday morning i was up early for my grand adventure to williamsburg with erin, the ONLY one of my friends who matches my extreme (-ly obsessive) love for historical reenactments. Guidebook and maps in tow, we drove 4 hours south into the depths of virginia to check out colonial williamsburg (referred to as "CW" by locals, so naturally, we used the abbreviation all day). the early 18th century town was preserved to historical accuracy, providing ENDLESS hours of entertainment to visitors like me, crawling with reenactors dressed the part. for a jane austen fiend like myself, a visit to CW is pretty much up there with achieving nirvana. while they fell short of speaking in a british accents, they did keep in character and refer to visitors as "we" and "kind folk." LOVE IT. By mid afternoon, we had visited every last milliner, coffee shop, government building and garden in town. after a traditional meal of meat 'pye' and locally brewed ale, we scoped out MORE food to sniff out where to buy sweet potato muffins (per a coworkers recommendation. and fyi DELICIOUS). i think i may have to reconsider my grad school plans, move into one of the restored private homes in CW and become a full fledged historical reenactor.

once we had soaked up about all the history there was left in that town, we hit the road again for another major life milestone-a visit to cracker barrel. having passed the restaurant on many a road trip and scoffed at the ridiculous name, it had become somewhat of a mission in life to go there. after a long day of southern history, it was only fitting to jump several centuries forward in time and end our adventure at the classicaly southern restaurant. after a few minutes in the rocking chairs outside waiting to be called (YES there was a WAIT for cracker barrel), we were seated and set ourselves to the task of picking our artery clogging meals out of the hundreds of options. i opted for one of their 'specialties', country ham and biscuits. definitely southern cooking. i literally had to force myself to finish the last few bites, my belt buckle was straining a bit.

i'm practically southern now y'all

Pics to come!

2010-08-05T14:07:00.000-04:00

i am officially the new TA for the fall semester Gen Bio 100 lab for non science majors! those poor, unsuspecting freshman are in for a treat (diabolical laugh)

in all seriousness, hopefully i can make science fun (CHEESE ball i know), inspire some eco love, or at least make these kids thing twice about ordering farmed salmon!!

2010-08-02T15:09:00.000-04:00

following the MUCH anticipated return of miss allie rose from her grand south american adventure, i played mamma bear for a few days and took care of my travel weary roommate. a quick stop at CVS and we were stocked to the gills with saltines, gatorade, soup, and chocolate (BEST cure by far). under my careful care (and days in bed) she was back to health in no time!

when she was feeling a bit more energetic (read: could keep her eyes open for more than 10 consecutive minutes), we were whisked away by some friends for a mystery adventure (!!) that turned out to be a jaunt on H st. wandering around, we stopped off to get some hipster coffee (sova), scoped out a delicious looking moroccan tapas place (souk), and stopped off for some midday snacks in preparation for the marathon eating session later that evening. after we had stretched out our stomachs, we headed over to pasta mia for dinner which was beyond words. we waited over an HOUR in line (no reservations, no list...you just have to WAIT in line). needless to say our stomachs were eating themselves by the time we finally sat down. but boy OH BOY was it worth it. homemade pasta, portions large enough to make even adam richman blush. orgasmic pesto gnocchi, whole wheat ravioli, plates of salad, peppers and mozzarella the size of my head. heaven, in a nutshell. When we finally recovered the ability to move again, we rolled out of the restaurant, then back to our place for some rooftop vino with some friends. two glasses in, i strapped on my dancing shoes and took my asian posse out on the town to lucky bar for some dancing. the night was topped off by a quick stop at julias empanadas, stumbling back home and into falling bed.

sunday morning, i dragged my slightly hungover tush out of bed (two glasses of wine and i was DONE...where has my tolerance gone?!) and to the farmers market for some lettuce and perfect looking tomatos. later, we met up with erin for sunday morning brunch at open city. pre-meal, a hurricane set down, so we moved moved the party inside and enjoyed the rest of our leisurely brunch out of the rain and gale force wind.

bellies full, the roomy and i decided to make an impromptu shopping trip to check out the new warehouse style forever 21 downtown. allie made quite the haul with some pretty fab purchases while i was a little more low key, just a button up with a frilly things near the collar...very j crew esque:

(attempted covert shot)

loaded down with our purchases, we headed home to whip up some kebabs on our NEW GRILL on the roof topped off with some tasty white wine. zoe met us a little later, requisite girl talk ensued, then we all headed back down to the apartment to watch mad men.

pretty badass weekend.