The Monacle

This afternoon J and I had a really nice time outside in the sun taking advantage of our neighborhood.

First, we walked from my house ten minutes down the road to the US Botanic Gardens where I really wanted to see the orchid exhibit. It was lovely! There's something about an orchid - delicate, detailed, and unusual.

Then we walked through the Grotto and past the carillon, bells ringing, to The Monacle, a 60-year old bar tucked in behind the Senate office buildings. It's a small, cozy, dark bar that really fits its name.

One dirty martini (me) and bass draft (him) later, we strolled home fifteen minutes up First St SE back to my place, grabbing some Thai takeout on the way.

The weather was perfect - sunny and in the mid 50's. Great for spending the afternoon outside and finishing off with a cocktail, home early enough to feel mellow and relaxed for the evening.

2012 Photo Project - February - Silhouette

Ugh. I'm way behind on my photo project for no reason except laziness! The first half of February was supposed to be spent photographing images in silhouette. Finally I decided to march myself down to the National Mall to see if I could capture the planes flying in low across the Washington Monument. Unfortunately when I got down there I realized that planes were departing across the Mall instead of arriving. This means that the planes were much higher in the air when they crossed the monument than they would be if they were incoming. Oh well. Enjoy!

Cooking!

My President's Day Monday didn't start off quite according to plan but I'm back in the saddle and ready to go. I have a full day of cooking planned that will be fruitful but easy.

Sausage and Peppers:
Dice one green, one red, and one yellow pepper along with one large sweet onion. Peel one head garlic and toss all with olive oil. Spread on cookie sheet and bake in a 350-degree oven for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove casings from 5-6 mild Italian sausages and break apart. After 25 minutes, place on cookie sheet and into oven with vegetables for another 25 minutes (50 minutes total for the veggies, 25 minutes for the sausage).

Remove, toss together, serve hot.

Simple Roast Chicken:
Remove giblets and rinse one whole fryer or roaster chicken, inside and out. Loosen skin and tuck lemon slices and peeled garlic cloves between the meat and skin. Stuff one lemon, halved, and additional garlic into the cavity. Spread softened butter over skin, salt and pepper to taste.

Roast in a 350-degree oven according to chart for chicken's weight.

This should do it for lunch and dinner all week... throw together some wild rice or a salad as a side dish and slice off some of the chicken. Easy and delicious!

Nice Change of Pace

I'm having a very nice morning, for a Wednesday. Ordinarily I'm up and out the door in fifteen minutes flat. I leave for work so early that I just can't bear to get up any earlier than absolutely necessary. My morning routine has been chiseled to its essence; perfectly efficient.

Today, for various reasons, I don't need to be out the door until about 8am, a good couple of hours later than usual. But because I like to keep my sleep schedule consistent I woke up at the same time I ordinarily would. And my goodness is it nice to have a slow morning!

I've made coffee (which I never do at home on workdays, no time for a cup), checked my email, am watching the morning news. In five minutes I'm going to jump in the shower and I'll STILL have about an hour to relax, read, and get organized before heading out the door.

I could get used to this. Maybe. I do like that early start time means early quit time but this change of pace is quite nice.

Rebelling Against Busyness

I have a strong work ethic but no need to compete with the world over how busy I am. I've never understood people who wear their hectic lives as a badge of honor. Sometimes I wonder about their time management skills. Sometimes I wonder what they're avoiding by setting up their lives in such a way that they don't have a second to breathe.

Probably the most striking way in which I've actualized my low threshhold for chaos is in my decision not to have children. Another is my decision not to pursue the corporate career-ladder and rather keep a job that, while stressful, has defined hours and a generous vacation policy.

Rather than be impressed by people who are "crazy busy" (I hate that phrase), I usually feel sad for them, most often while practicing my banjo for an hour followed by an evening of reading, practicing yoga, prayer, and a good meal.

These are the ways in which I live well. Not by running myself ragged all day every day.

To each their own.