20:00

Went for my first post-flu run today. Wanted to keep it light and simple since I am still prone to the occasional coughing fit.

I was slightly overdressed for the weather (mid-30's) but overall the run felt good. Legs, lungs, everything felt strong. It was short but that's fine... I just wanted to get my legs back under me.

Friday Night Booze Tales

I really wanted to make tea - all mugs in dishwasher (which is running).

So, I thought, whiskey would do the trick - all glasses (drams and otherwise) in the dishwasher.

I settled on a beer, in the bottle. It works :)

Frustrated with the flu

I am going on day seven of this stupid virus, and let me tell you, it's NO FUN.

The ONLY positive is that my weight is down, but that's because I've barely eaten since last Thursday.

Last Thursday was also, incidentally, the last time I ran. It was a good one - an hour - but I've missed some prime running weather. I have reconnected with light yoga routines but I'm itching to go outside and move my legs. Maybe that's a good sign.

I've been at work since Tuesday but today the nausea was back. I have been sleeping deeply when I can fall asleep, but I have this dry cough which wakes me up several times during the night. Dry coughs are terrible; once you get going it's really hard to stop an attack.

Oh well. It's GOT to be about done. Every day is one step closer to health, right?

I just want to run. And eat a cheeseburger.

Quiet Night

I feel like I'm on the last leg of this flu or whatever the hell I had. All I know is that it knocked me flat for three days. And even though I'm still coughing, nursing a sore throat, and trying to get my appetite back, I still feel a pang of guilt for bowing out of a social engagement tonight.

Why is it so hard to just stay in?

Partly it's because I don't want my lift or my time in this city to pass me by while I remain a homebody. Also, I don't want to be forgotten by my friends. But really, I think I'm just so accustomed to going at full speed that slowing down feels unnatural.

I will say that I'm making progress on some of my winter goals. At least before this flu thing hit, I was rock solid with running and weight workouts. I've also been reading a lot, plowing through Patricia Highsmith's Uncollected Stories and looking forward to hitting up the library this weekend for another couple of novels.

I think I'm just annoying at being sick. I missed a perfect running day, I'm missing a friend being in town, and I just plain want my energy back.

BLAH!

Diagnose Me

Symptoms:

Sore throat
Dry cough
Body ache
Headache
Lethargy/weakness
No appetite
Nausea

No fever
No vomiting
No stuffy nose/head congestion

I feel like death. Haven't eaten since Thursday night.

Sonnet XLIII

What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why,
I have forgotten, and what arms have lain
Under my head till morning; but the rain
Is full of ghosts tonight, that tap and sigh
Upon the glass and listen for reply,
And in my heart there stirs a quiet pain
For unremembered lads that not again
Will turn to me at midnight with a cry.
Thus in winter stands the lonely tree,
Nor knows what birds have vanished one by one,
Yet knows its boughs more silent than before:
I cannot say what loves have come and gone,
I only know that summer sang in me
A little while, that in me sings no more.

--Edna St. Vincent Millay

Annual Thanksgiving Rant

I hate Thanksgiving food! There, I said it.

One of my health and fitness rules is to not eat anything I don't like. How many times have you chowed down a piece of junk food that doesn't taste good, doesn't make you feel good after, but is sweet or savory or fatty or whatever it is you're craving? Personally, more times than I can count. And for what!

So now I eat chocolate, but it's good stuff. Not a random Snicker's bar. I drink beer, but good beer. And not too much of it.

I eat what I like and not too much of it.

But my rule is difficult to follow during the holidays when we have work potlucks, family get togethers, and other occasions where there's pressure to eat food that I don't really like.

Turkey, stuffing, cornbread, casseroles, pies - not my thing. I don't enjoy the look, the smell, or the taste of any variation of the above. But it's hard to avoid this type of food during the Thanksgiving season without hurting feelings.

So, I've learned to take a few polite bites and leave it at that, but I certainly don't pretend to love the food and I'm absolutely not one to gorge myself silly on Thanksgiving Day.

This is one of the perks of being an adult, I guess. No one forces me to just "take three bites" - nothing goes down my gullet unless I want it to!

Staying In

It's been a hard week for me. Work has been hard on multiple levels and there are some things going on in my personal life that are probably taking more of a toll than I realize. For the past four or five days I've been fighting a run-down sort of feeling. You know the feeling you get when you're in the middle of an all-nighter... your eyes are dry and fuzzy, you have a low-level and chronic headache, you can't really focus even though there's a lot to do...

That's how I feel. So even though I have a really hard time taking it easy I'm going to skip church tonight and try to chill out. Make tea, read work on the crossword, watch a little TV... good old fashioned night in.

I dreamt about tapeworms last night

I dreamt that a girlfriend of mine had a tapeworm. She showed it to me. It was long and translucent and had a huge head. It crawled in through her belly button when she was sleeping and she said that if she is sitting or laying in one position for a long time she can actually see the outline of it against her skin.

Vomit!

Now, I take Freud's theory that dreams are wish-fulfilling. So what the heck.

Yes, I am a dork

My new couponing hobby has taken on a life of it's own! Now that I sort of have the hang of this I am determined not to pay full price for anything I buy.

Well... this is not entirely true. I buy a lot of things that never go on sale and for which coupons don't exist, such as the olive bar, fresh produce, spring greens, etc.

But everything else is fair game. With a little planning and organization so far I am doing well! The key to really saving money is to stack manufacturer's coupons on top of in-store sales.

For example, this was my recent trip to CVS:

1 box Kleenex
1 bottle L'oreal Vive Pro conditioner
2 tubes Colgate Total toothpaste
-------------
$3.37

Not bad! How did I do this? Well, the Kleenex was on in-store sale, one box for $0.99. The conditioner was on in-store sale for $2.99 (down from $3.99) and I had a $1 off coupon so I paid $1.99

The toothpaste was on sale for $2.89/tube - down from the regular price of $5.79 AND the in-store sale was buy one get one free. On top of that, I had a coupon for $1 off. So I got two tubes of toothpaste for $2.89 - $1 = $1.89 = $0.95 per tube.

I also had $1.50 CVS Extra Care Bucks. Total saved: $9.89

Voila!

I did NOT get the thing I needed most because I couldn't find it, but oh well. I made out pretty well regardless!

Saturday Morning Routine

Up early, I love feeling the day stretch ahead of me and not starting things in a rush.

Washington Post magazine, read slowly over tea and/or coffee.

Light chores and cleaning before heading out for a run.

When I come home my apartment is tidy and I can shower and make more tea to sip on while I start the Post Mag crossword.

Around noon if I feel like getting out and doing something, I do.

New (geeky) hobby

Okay. This is a majorly geeky confession, but I'm brave. My new hobby is using coupons! You guys would not believe what sort of subculture there is out there of coupon-users. They have tons of websites, forums, blogs. It's nuts. People spend hours and hours every day chasing down deals, driving to different stores, stockpiling 50 tubes of toothpaste that they managed to get for $0.12 each, etc.

I am not that into it. BUT I do feel that I could be doing a better job saving money on groceries. So I've been reading the forums and clipping coupons. I even have them all entered into an excel spreadsheet so I can make sure that I don't miss the chance to use them before they expire!

Now the key, for me, to saving money instead of wasting it is to only take advantage of deals on things I will actually use. If you browse the forums you will see that people get amazing deals on things like Glade candles, hamburger helper, Kraft macaroni and cheese, etc.

I do not use these things, so buying them, even at super cheap or FREE is not actually doing me any good.

Today, as it happens, I brought three coupons to the store but didn't use them because even WITH the coupons I would not save enough money to justify buying the item. If, however, the items had been on store sale (via the club card) I would have used my coupons to get an additional discount off the club card price - THEN it would have been worth it because I would have been spending about$2.50 for an item that is ordinarily $7.49.

I did, however, only pay full price on five of the items in my cart, so that is pretty good. Yes, this is another outlet for my obsessive organization and tracking... and I'm sure my faithful readers will be hearing much more about it in the future.

Pressure!

Why do I put so much pressure on myself? To do things that should be fun?

Case in point - I have a glorious night to myself tonight, one of the few I'll have in the foreseeable future. It's only 3:30pm so the afternoon is young. I don't really feel like doing much besides vegging in front of the television, working on a crossword, reading, maybe going for a walk later if the weather clears up.

But I have three films from Netflix. And while I don't really feel like watching a movie, I keep thinking that I SHOULD because they're HERE and I can't WASTE them! Why? What is the point?

I'm just so accustomed to making everything in my life high-test and high-pressure. Everything has to be on a schedule, nothing wasted, no idle moment, everything organized and efficient. It's a pointless waste of energy. I'm naturally organized and efficient and effortlessly un-lazy, so why do I still push myself in these silly ways?

Sigh... okay... off I go to do a little bit of nothing and revisit the movie-watching option after dinner.

Elena Sleeping Hard

Time to get bendy again!

I have had a hell of a time restarting my yoga practice since moving to Capitol Hill. My old studio, Ashtanga Yoga Center, is simply too inconvenient. I know that I would be able to maintain a faithful studio practice with AYC - traveling one hour each way for a 90 minute class just won't happen.

The one yoga studio in my neighborhood gives me a weird vibe. They advertise their abs class as "celebrating the belly" - yuck! Touchy feely yogi I am not - nevermind that I don't even really believe in such a thing as an abs class. So... I've been stuck without yoga for several months now, unable to get a good home practice going and becoming stiffer and stiffer every day.

Enough is enough! I decided to go back to basics - the yoga DVDs I used before I started a studio practice. I favor Yoga Zone and loved the six-CD set I had, but after beginning a studio practice I slowly gave the DVDs away to my yoga-curious friends. I've re-ordered it through Amazon and can't wait to slowly start opening my body again.

People Suck

This morning on my way to work: I had just gotten on the train. I have about five stops to go from my transfer point to the stop I use to get to the office. I sit down and start paging through the Express paper.

Suddenly I hear a woman say "Stop!" and smack skin of some kind. Then I hear a baby crying. It sounded like a pretty young child, the cry was still tinny if that makes sense? I try not to turn around but the child cries for two stops so finally I turn and see a woman/girl sitting a few rows behind me and facing the other direction. She's wearing a backpack and I can't see the kid but I can still hear him/her crying. The woman/girl looks like she's struggling with the kid to take something away and she keeps saying, "Stop! I'm not doing that. I ain't playing. Stop! Stop!" and her voice is getting more and more high pitched. She smacks the kid again and he/she starts crying again.

I'm feeling sick by this point and my stop is coming up so I stand and move over toward the doors. I look back and see the child peering over the seat at me, so I smiled but then I started to cry.

What a way to start the morning. Now I am crying at work. Sigh...

Light and Dark

Now that we are back in Eastern Standard Time the sun is up by the time I get off the metro to go to work! I love it. Yes, it's still dark when I leave the house, but having daylight upon resurfacing is priceless for my morning mood.

It is, however, getting dark much earlier in the evenings. This has the curious (or maybe not so curious!) effect of making me feel like I want to go to bed at 7:30pm. Now, to be fair, by 7:30pm I have been home from work for five and a half hours and it's been dark for two hours. I think most people are winding down after five and a half hours, it's just that for normal people that means 11pm!

In fact, I've gone to bed before Congress several times in the past couple weeks!

The upside of the evening darkness is that the atmosphere lends itself to study and contemplation. I have a long reading list that I'll be working through over the cold months, I'm learning French via Rosetta Stone and want to spend at least 30 minutes every day studying my lessons, and I have a brand-new book of crosswords to work on as well. My rule for crosswords is to work on one puzzle for at least three days before moving on to the next.

Between those things, my winter workout schedule (adding length to my runs and continuing alternate-day strength workouts), long walks in my awesome new neighborhood, and continuing to see a certain someone when I can, I feel good about the upcoming season.

Winter is a time of settling in. I'm ready.

Ma Francais

As much as there is to complain about my workplace, I have to admit they've been doing some cool things for employees lately. Recently they have arranged for employees to have free and unlimited access to Rosetta Stone language software! How cool is that? The software is pretty expensive and not a cost I could justify, but since it's free I will gladly partake!

I'm all signed up and about to start brushing up on and improving my French. I took French all through high school and college and am planning a trip to Montreal in the spring... so... better get crackin'!

Morning Walk

This is what I saw on my walk to work this morning, cutting directly in front of the Capitol under a full moon. That's the Washington Monument in the background.

Corn Maze

Went to a corn maze in upper Maryland today. It was hard! We lost our way pretty much immediately and managed (miraculously!) to figure out where we were a few minutes later. We found two of the checkpoints but eventually gave up. When we finally exited, we came out of a different maze than we went in... heh...

My lovely corn maze partner... who was absolutely no help... but we still had fun getting muddy!

New Routine

I'm trying to get back into shape. Much of that means adding length to my runs. Yesterday I had an epiphany - why not get organized the night before, bring running clothes to work, and run home a couple times per week? This would accomplish the following:

*Save time! The most direct route from my office home is 3.6 miles or about 30-35 minutes running. My commute on the metro is about 30 minutes. So if I run home I essentially save my commute time and add 30 minutes to my afternoon! And there are plenty of ways to add length to the route if I want to.

*Save weight! If I know I'm going to be running home in the afternoons I will be more likely to eat lightly at lunch.

*Save money! Okay, this isn't really part of the reason why I want to run home from work. I'd save about $1.35 a couple times a week. If I do this twice per week I save about $11/month. I mean, I'll take it, but it's certainly not going to make or break my bank account.

*Stay accountable! I can't tell you how often I look forward to my afternoon run only to get home and eat, fall asleep, or otherwise get distracted. This way, I don't have time to let anything else get in the way of my run.

I started today. Brought running clothes and shoes to work this morning, changed clothes at the office and ran home a long-ish way (route below). It took about 45 minutes and I felt great. Tomorrow I'll bring home the clothes I left at work.

I Love Where I Live

This is what I see when I walk home in the evenings.

It's Officially Autumn

On my run this afternoon a leaf went down my cleavage.

Jihad for Love

I just watched this documentary on Netflix. It chronicles the difficulties of gay men and women living in Middle Eastern countries. Many of these countries follow Shari'a law which criminalizes homosexuality. Most of the men featured in this film have been forced to flee to other countries after trials, imprisonments, and one case a sentence of 100 lashes for living homosexual lives.

What strikes me the most about what I saw is the completely unwavering faith that these people maintain even in the face of their persecution. They all firmly believe that Islam must have a place for them, despite their sexual orientation. They believe that they were born in the image of God and don't understand why being gay and having faith must be mutually exclusive. Instead of abandoning their faith, they endure great trials to live freely with the ones they love.

Only in secular Turkey do we find a couple, female, who are able to live together and go about their lives openly in their relationship. The rest have fled to other countries and filed for political asylum. They live in fear that their families will be tortured by authorities wanting to learn their whereabouts.

This film really made me think about the freedoms we as Americans take for granted every day. We can love who we want. Openly and in public. We don't fear political or legal recourse for our choice in relationship. Most of us never give this fact a second thought. Especially the heterosexual among us don't really think it's a big deal.

But just as a thought experiment, wonder for a second what it would be like if the roles were reversed. If homosexuality was the norm and heterosexuality was judged, if straight people were targeted for hate crimes, if straight people weren't allowed to get married. What would that feel like? Would you be able to "turn off" your straightness and "be gay"? What if you had to get married to someone of the same sex and live your life that way, completely unnaturally to you, never finding a true romantic connection with someone, never sexually fulfilled? People thinking you're deviant and disgusting for your attraction to the opposite sex?

Doesn't quite make sense when you think of it that way, but millions worldwide feel the same bewilderment and frustration at the obstacles facing them as homosexuals.

It just breaks my heart that gay people would think that their faith has no place for them, that for something as intrinsic as the color of their eyes they would be targeted as criminals.

Jihad for Love, a film by Parvez Sharma. Available on Netflix "Watch Instantly." Watch it.

A good life

Sometimes I look around and can't believe my luck. I'm sitting here in my gloriously quiet condo with two snoozing cats on the couch drinking a glass of wine, alternately reading and working on a crossword, employed, healthy, with plans for the future and things to look forward to.

Sorry about the magnificat! I was just overwhelmed there for a minute.

My table is only two days old and it's amazing how it's been encouraging me to read! I have a hard time reading in bed - I fall asleep no matter the time. And reading on the couch for some reason doesn't feel right, I don't know. But reading at a table feels good, it feels studious. I feel more focused. My wine is convenient (but so is my laptop, grr).

It's amazing how long the evenings feel when I'm not parked in front of the TV.

Which reminds me - as winter approaches I need to put together my reading list. I always read a lot more in the winter than I do in the summer. For some reason I read better when it's dark outside, and in the summer by the time it gets dark, I need to be asleep to catch my insanely early alarm.

So, hmm. Reading list will be forthcoming. A mix of classics and new novels with some contemplative works sprinkled throughout, I'm sure.

I feel so civilized!

For the first time in my life I have a little breakfast table! I'm sitting at it right now, blogging, drinking tea, looking out the window at the lovely construction zone and Capitol dome beyond. I feel like a real person! I had lunch here a while ago - for the first time in my adult life I ate a meal in my own home NOT at the coffee table!

I've arrived at adulthood.

Running in the Rain

Well after feeling like absolute crap all day yesterday on account of the energy-sucking weather, I managed to, after four cups of tea in bed with 30 Rock and kittens on my feet, find my inspiration and go for a run.

My tummy didn't feel too good (too much tea!) but my lungs felt great and I was fast, in the tradition of winter running.

Isn't it funny how sometimes when you feel terrible you can get out there and run great - and when it's sunny and you have all day and have been looking forward to a run you can feel like crap? There doesn't seem to be any way to predict how well a run will go.

And the lesson here is: get out there! Even if you're SURE the run will go badly, you lose nothing by lacing up those shoes and giving it a shot. You might surprise yourself, and you'll always feel better having given it a shot than having stayed in.

Yuck Yuck

This has been the worst week, weather-wise. Cold rain, alternating between driving and misting. Cold, damp mornings, wet pavement. No sun. Energy sapping.

I am due for a run but I just don't think I can muster it today. It sounds much nicer to get in bed with my cats, a pot of tea on the nightstand, and 30-Rock (Season Three!) on the laptop.

I'll run tomorrow. Promise.

Heh Heh

So I just noticed the following arrangement of books on my shelf:

Tight

I'm tight. I have slowly, over the course of the summer, lost all of my hard, yoga-earned flexibility. I have been rocking my strength workouts and running well but I don't feel long and loose.

Unfortunately there is not currently a viable yoga option for me on Capitol Hill so I'll need to start a home practice which has it's... complications... considering I can barely sit through a 3o-minute sit-com without checking my freaking email.

Something, however, has to change. I miss the gazelle-like feeling of completing a long, sweaty week of yoga practices. I need to work something out, and soon.

Cold Fall Morning

... and the perfect way to spend it... with two cats curled up at my feet.

My baby!

This is what mine and Nik Lidstrom's baby would look like, via morphthing.com

I'm thinking of naming him Thor.

(Creepy, I know.)

Starting to Feel Like Home

I finally got my artwork hung on the walls!! My black and white photographs above the couch, five shots from my travels around the world in the entryway, the Greek icon of Diana the Huntress in the entrance to the kitchen, and my nude in the bathroom. It's amazing what that's done to really make the place feel like home.

Don't get me wrong, I still have TONS of wall space, and over the years hope to accumulate more artwork. I have 15-foot ceilings and would love to hang art high up! But all with time.

It seems like all I've wanted to eat in the week and a half since being in the UK is eat vegetables! Roasted vegetables with greens or pasta, raw vegetables with hummus. My body has been CRAVING vegetables and I'm giving in for all it's worth! I feel good though - lean and strong, and the weather has been perfect for running.

I think I've hung up my racing shoes, though. People have been encouraging me to register for a couple of upcoming races and I just can't get excited. I don't NEED the race to improve - I like running for the heck of it, so the motivation excuse doesn't apply to me. I don't feel competitive. I don't even crave the race atmosphere which is actually a really exciting and fun one. I just don't have the racing jones anymore.

Overall, I'm looking forward to a nice autumn in the city. I'm not traveling for the holidays and am trying to keep a (relatively) clear social schedule. I do have a girlfriend coming down to visit from Baltimore this weekend which should be very fun - my first houseguest! But aside from that and a couple of day trips, I just want to get lots of exercise, read lots of books, explore my new neighborhood, and continue doing well at work.

Sick to Death

The hockey season doesn't even start for 20 more minutes and I am already sick to death of hearing about "Ovie." God damn it shut UP about him! Just because he's the best player YOU have doesn't mean he's the goddamn savior of the world!

Go send him to Russia for a few years and he'll figure out that a) he's not the second coming of Christ and b) he isn't half as good as he could be with a little mentoring.

Anyway, I signed up for NHL Game Center on nhl.com which lets me watch every single game online via streaming video. I can watch up to four games at once by simply dragging and dropping from the score counter banner down to the video area! Awesome! Each game has full DVR properies so I can pause, rewind, etc.

This is great because even if I did have cable I wouldn't be able to see any Wings games unless I got some extra fancy cable package for $150/month. This is $150 for the whole season, forty games per week including playoffs.

Let the season begin...

Oh!

In Edinburgh we saw the most pierced woman alive! She is relatively well-known (if you know about such things). I have seen her in certain TV specials (Taboo and whatnot...)

Anyway... she's pretty hot. She was set up letting people take photos with her, but I opted not to. I don't like to treat people as spectacles, even if it's their livelihood.

Anyway:

Photo Problems

Sorry about the photos guys... not sure why they aren't showing up, but if you right click on the red x and go to properties, just copy the URL and paste it into a different web window and the picture should show up!

Oh, and the route!

Over 900 miles... 917 to be exact, I think!

Some Photos!

We took over 200 photos... but here are a few nice ones:


Edinburgh Castle:

St. Andrew's Chapel, Holyrood Park, Edinburgh:

Whiskey tasting in Edinburgh:

Having a tune in Stirling:

Stonehenge:

Me in front of Buckingham Palace:

Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and Big Ben from the Londond Eye:

Ahh...

.... it was SO NICE to shower in my own bathroom, sleep in my own bed (it was crowded! I had two furry creatures with me all night), wake up in my own home and make breakfast in my own kitchen. I am so happy to be home!

The laundry is done and I'm going to head over to Eastern Market later this morning for some fresh produce in a bit.

Now it's time to get to work on my home. First order of business - hanging artwork! I plan to print and frame some of the better photos I've taken from my travels for the entryway, I think that will be nice. So I need to get thinking about which photos would be best, as well as hang some existing artwork that I didn't get around to placing before I left.

I need to take some stuff to Goodwill and start thinking about buying a little breakfast table. Those things will happen over the next few weeks. A home is a work in progress, right?

Home

We ended the trip with a bang of sorts.. decided to go for a hike in Holyrood Park, which is more of a set of mountains than a park. And I mean serious mountains - rocky crags and grassy valleys. The hike was extremely strenuous but rewarding - we stumbled upon beautiful views of Edinburgh and St. Andrew's Chapel in ruin.

Afterwards, we walked down to Grassmarket for our final meal. Ironically, we ended up eating at a pub called The Last Drop - a play on the Scots' two favorite passtimes: drinking whiskey and hanging people. The Drop is directly across from the site of the old gallows. Lovely.

After a walk down the hill for a fried Mars bar we decided to call it a night. A long but uneventful trip home today, and I have two happy and healthy kitties climbing all over me.

Photos to come...

Scottish Music in Edinburgh

Not so good.

We had another Beheading Stone moment trying to find the Antiquary pub where I heard from my new friends in Stirling a session was on Thursday night. Trying to follow a map of roads that originated as cow paths in the dark and with inconsistent sinage was something else! We had a blast traipsing to the other side of town but had a hell of a time trying to find the pub.

An attempt at going around the block (like I said, cow paths) put us about a half-mile out of our way, which we realized a little later when we came again into the shadow of a huge clock-tower that had been marking our way thus far.

We finally found the pub and realized to our chagrin that we had walked down that exact street about 20 minutes ago and just didn't see it.

The Antiquary is a real gem of a pub, dark and warm and cozy, but the music was terrible. More of a "jam session" and heavily song-focused (though they started with I'll Fly Away, randomly) there was absolutely no energy or vibe.

So after two beers and a wee dram we had the munchies and headed back to our hotel with the intent of finding a curry house along the way. And, though we had passed several on our trek to the pub, we couldn't find any on the way back. Desperate, the Golden Arches summoned. Against our will we surrendered to the pull until Saigon Saigon came into view and we ducked in for pork curry, sweet and sour chicken, and a spring roll.

A late start to our final day. I slept in for the first time in two weeks and we're just catching up on the news before checking in for our flight and embarking on our last day in the United Kingdom.

In Edinburgh

We are in Edinburgh for the last leg of the trip. The drive from Stirling and return of the rental car was uneventful, and we have a great location here, half block off the Royal Mile, halfway between the Castle and the Palace.

Oh - we found the beheading stone!! We made a point to find in on google earth and then stop there this morning on our way out of town. Like everything else in Stirling, finding the stone involved a long, steep, strenuous hike generally straight UP to the top of a huge hill. But it was worth it!

We started with a stroll up the Royal Mile toward the castle, stopping in some shops along the way. Edinburgh Castle is HUGE... we spent more than an hour wandering the various towers and buildings. On the way back, we decided to try a scotch whisky tasting. We splurged on the "gold" version which gave us not only the complimentary tasting that everyone gets but a tasting of four additional whiskys (from each region in Scotland that produces whisky - the Lowlands, Highlands, Speyside, and Islay) at the end. It was great! The tour started with an in-depth look at how scotch whisky is made, followed by a tasting in the vault, where the largest collection of scotch whisky in the world is held - over 3,000 bottles - and then our final tasting in the bar. The Lowlands and Highlands were my favorites. I didn't care at all for the Speyside and Islay malts.

I am in desperate need of a burger and deep-fried Mars bar so... off we go to spend the rest of the day in town. Tomorrow we'll try to go on a self-guided walking tour, visit the writer's museum, pub-crawl, wander, and get ready for the journey home.

Scottish Music in Stirling

So at lunch at the No. 2 Baker St pub in Stirling we found out they were having traditional Scottish music that night. We went back to catch a tune, and along with some bluegrass banjos one guy was playing a tenor banjo. At the break, I went up to see who made it, and he let me try it. A minute or two into the first set of the second half, they invited me up for a tune! It was way cool. So I played a plugged-in banjo in Stirling, Scotland.

Day Four on the Road - Scotland

Scotland is windy and rain falls from blue skies. The mountains are bare and gorgeous and there are sheep everywhere. From the coastline of Wales we drove through the Cambrian Mountains and then through the Southern Uplands as a nice contrast to the ocean.

Once north of Manchester and Liverpool, it was smooth sailing to Hadrian's Wall, a huge, 83-foot stone wall built by Emperor Hadrian to mark the boundary between England and Scotland. We stopped at Birdoswald Fort and wandered around the ruins, including a cemetary currently being excavated by archaelogists, the idea being that the excavation beats the cemetary falling into the valley below, as it slides further and further down each year.

From there we crossed the border into Scotland and went straight for Stirling Castle, a huge fortress way on top of a mountain in Stirling. When we arrived there were loads of tour buses in the parking lot - daytrips from Edinburgh and Glasgow - but hoards of people were exiting the grounds as we were entering and we had the place relatively to ourselves to wander around the amazing grounds.

After taking in our fill of kitchens, great halls, gardens, chapels, courtyars, and the most incredible views over the Scottish lowlands below, we went in search of a B&B. We have had the best luck - thanks in part to my trusty Lonely Planet guide (I NEVER travel without one) and found a darling little place in the city centre.

When the innkeeper was explaining how to get to the coffee shop where I'm sitting (for free Wifi), she kept describing the "wee chairs" out front. I love it!

Starving, we stopped for a beer and a bite then went off to hike around the city walls - again - through the cemetaries, around the castle, and in search of the Beheading Stone - the place where the beheadings happened, naturally, and is now barred off to prevent anyone from re-enacting the scene...

... well, a long and valiant effort ensued, and we just couldn't find the spot! The maps weren't clear, we couldn't find any landmarks, and a later check of Google Earth confirmed that we were nowhere near the correct spot. Oh well. We'll try to swing by in the morning on our way out of town to Edinburgh, where we'll return the car and spend our remaining day and a half exploring the vibrant capitol of Scotland.

Third Day on the Road - Back in England

After a long tour in Wales we are back in England - barely, settling in the town of Chester for the night, just over the border. I had wanted to make it north of Liverpool and Manchester but we are just south of those cities and that's fine - Chester is an old Roman fort city with walls circling the town centre. You can walk along the top of the walls the entire way, about two miles, past a castle, a cathedral, the channel, the river, different neighborhoods. It's really quite cool! There's also a Roman amphitheater in ruin and a great pedestrian shopping area. Not a bad place to hole up for the night.

After leaving Cardigan we drove through a foggy, misty Welsh morning along the rocking, foamy coast. Beautiful coastline indeed! After some deliberation and a few changes of minds, we pointed the GPS toward Harlech Castle on the northwest coast, a large seaside fortress. We spent a while wandering around the grounds in the whipping wind, got a sandwich and a steaky and kidney pie for lunch, respectively, and hit the road for Chester.

After walking the walls we had a pint in an old pub which used to be the tollgate into the city, then went in search of a room. We've had great luck with kind innkeepers and clean, ensuite rooms for good prices.

Tomorrow we will drive to Hadrian's Wall on the England/Scotland border and find a little Scottish town to stay in night. Thursday morning we arrive in Edinburgh, where we'll stay until we fly out on Saturday morning.

Second Day on the Road - from Wells to Wales

This morning we left our B&B and drove through Bristol and over the Severn River into Wales. We immediately headed for a large and imposing castle at Carreg Cerren - a huge fortress set high up on a hill. And high it was - the climb was grueling but rewarding! We wandered around the towers and rooms and down into a cave before getting back in our car and pointing south to Pembroke.

We wanted to see Pembroke Castle and possibly wander around in Pembrokeshire National Park, but time got away from us and after touring the second castle (more of a residence than a fortress but boasting a lovely climb up 100 spiral steps to the top of the highest keep, panoramic views of the Welsh countryside!) we decided to head to a closeby town and hole up for the night.

We had encountered a Welsh traffic jam earlier in the day, which didn't feel much different than an American traffic jam, and I think that added to our sense that we'd had enough driving time today!

We're in Cardigan right now, on the western Welsh coast, and tomorrow will head north through Wales and back into England briefly, then north to Scotland. Towns and activities TBD.

First Day On the Road

A full and exciting first day out of London! We picked up our car from Gatwick airport and pointed the GPS toward Stonehenge. What a magnificent site! I honestly didn't think Stonehenge would be that interesting, seeing as how it's right next to the freeway and loaded with tourists - but it was very interesting and beautiful and I'm glad we stopped there.

We both really wanted to see the Roman ruins at Bath but my guidebook said that traffic in Bath was awful and it had an "infuriating" one-way road system. The guidebook suggested a nearby Park & Ride service but we weren't sure we'd be able to find it. A little searching with the GPS, however, and we found a listing for "Bath Park & Ride" at Odd Down, just south of the city. The parking lot was half-empty, the bus just about to leave (four pounds for two return trips!)... so we hopped on the 10-minute ride to Bath.

Amazing! We ate lunch in the courtyard of the Bath Abbey, a very imposing church, before entering the baths themselves. I didn't know how extensive they were! They was the Great Bath, fed by the hot spring directly, East and West baths, a sauna, a cold "plunge pool," changing rooms, and lots and lots of pathways and walkways between. It truly was amazing to see ruins thousands of years old and walk the same paths the ancient Romans walked.

It was late-ish by the time we got back to the Park & Ride, and, not wanting to drive in the dark, we consulted the trusty guidebook and found an interesting town about 10 miles away -Wells, the smallest city in England, featuring an imposing medieval cathedral. One B&B in particular got a good review so we pointed the GPS to the Infield House and set off. The proprietor met us as we were walking in and had a room, which was great.

After checking in we walked into downtown Wells, around not only the cathedral but also the Bishop's Palace and another huge Anglican church (St. Cuthbert's) before deciding we needed a beer. The first place we stumbled upon happened to be a pub, the building built in the year 1549 and used as the jail - complete with bars on the windows as a solitary cell! We ate outside, though, in terrace, not needing the feeling of being in jail while relaxing in southern England.

The definite highlight of the meal was a chicken breast stuffed with ground sausage and herbs, all wrapped in bacon... mmmm...

On that note, I am offiically getting FAT. But loving every minute of it!

Tomorrow we hope to make it through Wales to Snowdonia and spend part of the day Tuesday hiking in the National Park. Mount Snowden is supposed to be lovely. After that we'll head north into Scotland, settling in Edinburgh for the last leg of our trip by Thursday afternoon.

A good last day in London

We had a nice last day in London! Very leisurely. We started out with a run down to Brompton Cemetary and had breakfast at a little cafe on the way home. We wanted to see two museums and hit up a specific Indian place for dinner. Between those activities and visiting with my cousin Neil and his wife Mandy, we didn't have much on the agenda.

The Natural History Museum was gorgeous and interesting. And free! After that, we took the Tube down to King's Cross to visit the British Library which has an amazing collection of manuscripts including ancient copies of illuminated texts of every major religion (Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Jainism, Islam, Buddhism, Tao, and probably other's I'm forgetting), original letters from Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud, and others, original notes and lyrics from the Beatles, original sheet music from major composers, Beethoven's original tuning fork, and even a copy of the Magna Carta.

After that we browsed King's Cross including a couple of bookshops, had lunch at a pub, and headed back to Kensington to meet Neil and Mandy. What nice people! We had a coffee and shared stories of travel and just got to know each other. They gave us lots of advice for our impending road trip.

After resting in the room for a bit we decided to take one last walk around Hyde Park before heading to the Indian place for dinner, which was amazing, despite my spilling a glass of wine. Sigh.

Tomorrow morning we head back to Gatwick airport where we have an (automatic) car rented. Atlas in hand, GPS turned on, we'll head first to Stonehenge and then to Cornwall. No specific itinerary except to be in Edinburgh on Thursday afternoon.

I hope to have some time to blog about every other day, but I'm not sure what our internet access will be like... stay tuned! The adventure is just beginning!

So much curry...

... oh my god. So much curry. The Indian food here is to die for. We've had it two nights in a row for dinner - last night after a long stroll through St. James' Park, around St. James' Palace and down to Downing St. We hung out along the river until we were starving, at which point we came back to our neighborhood (Earl's Court) and had the most amazing Indian meal right down the street from our hotel. Heads above the curry we had the night before. We have one more Indian place to try tonight (The Owner Eats Here, brags the sign) just for comparative purposes.

We figure, we'll have plenty of time to sample traditional English, Welsh, and Scottish fare while out in the country... might as well take the opportunity to get what is considered to be some of the best Indian food in the world while in London.


We are about to walk down to the Natural History Museum and then catch the Tube up to King's Cross and the British Library, where the Magna Carta is on display. Then we'll catch up with my cousin Neil for a cup of coffee before figuring out what to do with our last night here in London...

It's all who you know!

We were a little early to meet our friend at Scotland Yard yesterday so we took some time to wander around Westminster. We saw Westminster Abbey - unfortunately, photography was prohibited inside! But lots of royalty are buried there, including Mary Queen of Scots, Queen Elizabeth (arch-rivals), and Muzio Clementi, the father of the piano. From there we wandered around to Buckingham Palace and through St. James' Park back to Scotland Yard.

After lunch, which brought some surprising news (in a minute!), we walked down past Big Ben, over Westminster Bridge, and hopped on the London Eye, a huge ferris wheel where you ride in glassed-in capsules providing an amazing panoramic view of the city. Two young pages sweep each capsule for bombs between boarding! Eep!

We had a bit of time before our unbelievable evening plans (patience!) so we walked back to our hotel to change, and, still having time, walked down to Brompton Cemetary which has to be one of the creepiest I've ever seen. Crows caw, the lawn isn't mowed, graves are basically on top of each other, haphazardly arranged.

After a good stroll, we decided to hit the tube down to Tower Hill, where - here it is, drum roll please!! - we would meet up with a friend of our Scotland Yard contact for an event that is NOT open to the public and very few people get to see - the Turning of the Keys at the Tower of London.

The Turning of the Keys is the ceremony that essentially locks the Tower, and, since the Crown Jewels have been housed there for hundreds of years (the Queen has been housed there herself as well during certain reigns) this is a ceremony that is taken very, very seriously, and has changed little if not at all in the past 700 years.

We began at the Tower Entrance where we were given an overview of Tower Hill and it's history. We then moved through the first gate and were oriented with the different towers (there are 20 in all!) and their functions. Some were prisons, some were torture chambers, some were (and are) residences, one holds the Crown Jewels. The guards of the jewels and the tower live inside the walls - kids, pets, everyone, locked in at 10pm nightly and taking various guard posts throughout the day and night.

We stopped into the chapel where not only royalty but the bodies of those beheaded (which, in some cases, were royalty!) are buried and is still a functioning chapel today. Then we moved onto the little pub (which was closed to the public when we went back the next day to actually tour the towers and the jewels) where we had a drink and socialized with the other lucky people for a while until it was time for the ceremony to begin.

The guardsman with the keys walks around and locks each gate, accompanied by an armed Royal escort. Then, at one point, a guard of the tower challenges them, asking who goes there and who's are the keys. The man locking the towers replies that they're the queen's keys and is allowed to pass. The last gate is locked, the jewels are safe, and all is well.

Today we woke up late and booked our car for the road trip which begins Sunday. After that, we headed back down to Tower Hill to take a look around in the daytime. Being there in the bright sunlight with hundreds of other tourists was a MUCH different atmosphere than walking around in the pitch black with 20 other people. And at one point we overheard a tour guide saying, "At night the gates are locked up in a royal ceremony which the public is not allowed to watch." The GENERAL public, maybe ;-)

After the Tower we walked along the Thames and over London Bridge to Burough Market, which is an indescribable menage of booth selling all manner of prepared foods. Of the more exotic we saw Basque charcuterie, ostrich and kangaroo meat, types of cheeses I've never heard of and can't remember, ostrich and duck eggs, skate, scallops in the shell, all manner of sausage and fowl. We got toasted cheese sandwiches and sat on the lawn of the Southwalk Cathedral to eat. And eat we did. After spending a little more than an hour walking around with our mouths hanging open (and sometimes being stuffed with samples), I headed home to nap and my travel companion over to Whitechapel to hunt down some of the sites of the Jack the Ripper murders.

Tomorrow, our last day in London, will be spent at the Natural History Museum, getting together with a cousin of mine on the Irish side who drives a cab here in London, a trip down to the British Library to see the Magna Carta and other delights, and maybe a concert at St. Martin's in the Field.

Then we depart for the countryside!

Running in London

Running in London takes a lot of mental effort. The traffic patterns are odd, you have to look the opposite way first before crossing the street, which takes a lot of getting used to. The last thing I'm trying to do is get hit by a car in another country!

Running in London, however, is very rewarding! It was about ten minutes from the hotel to Hyde Park. From there, the route took us past the Prince Albert Memorial, past Kensington Castle, around a gorgeous little pond, and through some gardens. We stopped at an Italian cafe on the way back for pain au chocolat and espressos. At the table next to us were two little English schoolgirls and their mother, having hot chocolate and canolis before school. We are definitely NOT situated in a working-class neighborhood!

We spent yesterday getting acclimated. Took a long walk through Kensington, stopped in Herrod's (a foodie's paradise!!), strolled through Hyde Park, got fish and chips and ale at a pub, and generally walked our poor feet off.

After a snooze we went to Earl's Court for a nightcap - more beer and two amazing snacks: stilton and mustard melted over crostini and a couple of wedges of a lovely Scottish sheep's milk cheese with pickled pearl onions.

One thing I am totally digging is the tea! I stopped at the grocery store and picked up a box of Yorkshire tea, which I knew I loved because my mom had brought some back for me before, and the hotel room has REAL MILK in little tubed, sealed specially to last at room temperature. No Lipton's and cream for me! No sir!

Today we are going to meet one of our friends from Scotland Yard for lunch and head down to the Tower of London/London Bridge/etc area for a while.

I'll try to post something every day but don't yell at me if I'm not perfectly consistent! There's a lot to see and do here besides blog ;-) and once we get on the road we may not have internet access every day. But, do not worry, I will do what I can to keep my dear readers informed!

Chillin' in the UK

Arrived safely after a long but uneventful trip. Slept like a rock over night. Still tired, but gonna head out for a run down to Hyde Park and back... more later...stay tuned!

Heading Across the Pond

I will have a laptop with me in the United Kingdom... so expect blog posts, sporadic as they may be... see everyone from the other side of the Atlantic!

My sweet girls

I woke up from a snooze this afternoon to find that I was not alone. Swoon!

I don't think I can go to the library anymore!

Ugh, I totally screwed up at the library and I don't recover well from faus pax like that. I am so embarassed. I don't know if I can go back. Ack!

I wanted to go today and check out a few books for my trip, but I hadn't been to the Capitol Hill branch of the library yet. I assumed it would run similarly to the Cleveland Park branch that I had been using. Mistake, apparently.

So, I walk in and over to the computers. A few are free. I sit down at one and start to sign in using my library card ID, as the screen says. It doesn't work. I try three times and I can't get it to work. I try to ask the woman sitting next to me but she absolutely does not acknowledge that I've spoken to her. She sort of glanced at me and then straight back at her screen and wouldn't look at me or answer my question!

Just as I'm starting to think that's odd, the librarian comes over and asks me if the computer has been reserved for me. Um, what? Of course it hasn't been reserved for me. I have no idea what she's talking about. She reaches over my shoulder and clicks "CANCEL" and the screen says, "RESERVED FOR AJANNETTE." Um, what? She says, "You have to reserve these computers ahead of time." Meanwhile, Ajannette is standing behind her giving me the sinkeye and I feel totally embarassed.

So I follow the librarian over to the reference desk and I apologized and said that I never had to reserve a computer at the Cleveland Park Branch, I'm new to the neighborhood, I don't know how it works, sorry, sorry, etc and she says, "No. You have to reserve the computers at all branches." Um, what? I have NEVER had to reserve a computer in Cleveland Park! I swear! And no one ever yanked me out of the chair and admonished me! But I kept my mouth shut because by now everyone was staring at the clueless chick who barged in on the reservation line like an idiot.

She asks for my library card and driver's license and asks me if I'm over 18. Um, yes. I'm almost 30 and I have gray hair :) But, I said, I don't need to reserve a computer now because I have lunch plans and just wanted to look up a book quickly but I don't have time anymore.

"It's not lunchtime."

Well for some of us 11:30am IS lunchtime, but okay... I still needed to go... so I told her I didn't need a computer, got my ID card and license and left the library with no books.

I am SO embarrassed! I wish there had been signs on the computers reminding people to reserve them. How are we supposed to know?? Ack, I hate it when I don't understand the rules someplace and make an idiot out of myself. I'll have to wait a few weeks before I go back, and even then, I know I'll be walking on eggshells. :(

I love fall

Autumn is my favorite season. The crisp, clean breeze. The crunchy leaves. Pumpkin muffins and peppermint hot chocolate (though not at the same time!). I love turning the AC off and sleeping with the windows wide open, covered with lots of blankets (and cats). I love running and wearing makeup that doesn't sweat off. I love soft, ballet-inspired sweaters and early-morning wisps of spooky fog.

I love it all.

Cats have so much to teach us

... about self-care!

My cat Natasha always manages to find the coziest spots to rest in. Not like Elena, who is known to curl up in the middle of the floor and snooze. Um, what? Convenient, yes, but not cozy. Not like my Natasha.

Here she is between her scratching post and the little step into the bathroom.

And here she is in ooth of their favorite new spots, lounging in the very wide windowsills..

And just to be fair, here's Elena hanging out in the windowsill, too.

.

Life Update

I started running again! I'm such a Type A.. I thought to myself that I would start running again this weekend, it being a long holiday weekend. Fine. But today was so gorgeous that after work I wanted to run. But I told myself, "No, you said you would start this weekend and that's when you start!" What the hell is wrong with me? I am such a rule-follower... especially when the rules are self-imposed! So anyway, I went for a run and no kidding - it was hard! But very satisfying. I'm looking forward to a long fall/winter/spring of running.

I feel very settled in my new home. I've been cooking and the kitchen is feeling more and more natural. I had a package delivered today and my mail has started coming. I know my commute and it's still a pretty easy one (30 minutes to work by bus, 30 home by metro). I'm finding my way around the neighborhood, to the little corner stores and whatnot.

I'm not sure what to read right now, though. I've been shopping my bookshelf and I have a few unread books but right now I want something comfortable. I'm thinking of re-reading the Claudius novels by Robert Graves. I absolutely LOVE them. Maybe I'll start those as well as a new one, so I have something on standby for when I want to read but don't feel like paying attention to a new plotline.

The long weekend is coming, followed by a short week. On the 11th I'll take a train to Connecticut for the weekend to attend my cousin's wedding. I get back on Sunday the 13th and on Tuesday the 15th leave for the United Kingdom for two weeks.

Why should my life slow down?

This is the weekend!

Yes folks, this is it. This is the weekend when I will resume running. As my faithful readers know, I have taken the hottest summer months off from running to focus on weights. And it's been great! But the weather is getting cool now and I'm itching to get out there. This coming weekend is a long one and now that I'm two blocks off the National Mall I really have no excuse to keep the shoes hung up.

Reports forthcoming...

Evening in my new pad

Just a Sunday night, drinking wine and working on the Washington Post magazine crossword, with the Capitol dome in the background. Sigh......

I'm Home

Well I'm here an unpacking. I'd say I'm about 80% done. It was not as rough a day as I expected, but I can't help feeling a little melancholy. Homesick? I know that sounds weird, but I feel like I've left my home to move to a new place. This place doesn't feel like home yet, but I will. I know it will.

I'd say the weirdest thing about all this, and maybe part of my anxiety, is that I'm really here now. I never had any plans to leave DC but now I'm REALLY not leaving. Not for ten years at least. That, my friends, is a very odd feeling - I'm really not far off that hectic part of life where everything moves in four-year bursts. That's over now, and I'm in the settling in part of life where roots and routine really matter.

I feel like I've entered a new stage of life, and not just the "oh you're a homeowner, you're all grown up!" part, but even without the home... the life I have now is probably similar to the life I'll have ten, fifteen years from now. Good thing I love my life :) But it wasn't so long ago that something brand-new was right around the corner - new school, new city. No longer.

This is it... and I think I'm doing good :)

I'm a homeowner!

And it really wasn't that stressful! After doing the final walk-through this morning and getting the keys, I splurged on a hot chocolate and we went to the settlement office. I signed my name about fifty times and paid an obscene amount of money... and we were done!

A couple of nice things: everyone involved was great. The seller was very nice (it was an investment property so he is used to this process). The realtors were very nice, the settlement attorney was great. Everyone was in good moods and the vibe was lighthearted.

I had been over the three main documents with my brother, a mortgage lender in Miami, the night before, so I really felt as though I understood everything that was happening, and I had the chance to get my questions cleared up before signing my life away. That surely helped the process go quickly and smoothly.

There were no "surprises" no additional fees, etc. In fact, my monthly payment (mortgage, taxes, interest, insurance, and PMI) ended up being about $100 LOWER than on my earlier estimate. Not complaining!

My realtor very kindly bought me a bottle of Korbel champagne which I will enjoy tomorrow night while looking at the Capitol dome from my new pad!

Did I talk about New Orleans??

Okay well... I will! I was there working, actually, but found enough time to have some fun. I ate my freaking HEART out. Poboys, wine, mufaletta sandwiches, beignets and coffee for breakfast every morning, a random night of sushi, cheese, gumbo, fried alligator tail... you name it, I ate it! I definitely did not deny myself. Surprisingly, my pants still fit by the end of the week!

This is a shot of me giving my conference talk:

I had a great turnout and lots of good feedback.

I went with a friend we rented Piaggio Fly's for a couple days and took our own graveyard tour! The graveyards were awesome and super creepy. Here is me on my scooter all decked out in rain gear:

All in all it was a really good trip. Long enough to really get a feel for the city and know my way around. Long enough so that I missed home :) But not so long that I was wondering what to do with myself. I'm glad to be home though and will be glad when all this upheaval is over!

Progress and Sadness

Well, the books are packed. Artwork is off the walls. Most of the real packing won't take place until Friday afternoon. I'll need stuff until then, and I'm not the type to pack halfway. I'm not going to pack the whole kitchen except for one dish. No way. It's all gonna go at once. I'm neurotic like that.

God, I guess this is actually happening. I'm not getting cold feet (yet) but I do feel sad. I talked to my neighbor this evening about the move. We've been trading cat-sitting duties for years, and he's lived in the building for 14 years... so he's seen a lot of people come and go. He got me a gorgeous pair of earrings made from 2000-year old Roman glass! Sob!! I have it good here. A gorgeous flat, nice neighbors.

But I'm really excited about my new place, my new neighborhood, my new investment... a place to call my own, where no one can raise my rent, where I'm contributing to the local economy, where I can paint the walls and re-do the floors (eventually... heh). I'm ready for this and I can't wait for Saturday evening. What happens between now and then, well, I'm just getting through.

Countdown

Thursday - Final walkthrough
Friday - Settlement
Saturday - Move

I HATE MOVING. I hate it so much. I hate being confronted with the mass of my crap. I hate the mess and confusion. I hate the sweat and the dragging and the multiple trips.

I do enjoy setting up a new place and exploring a new neighborhood. I just hate the process of moving and it's such a long process... I feel like time stands still in the middle and there's that point where you aren't close to the end at all and you feel like you'll be in the process of moving for the rest of your life.

But... I have little choice... am just trying to keep my eyes focused on the end result. My own home!

Presentation Success!

Having a grand old time in New Orleans. Feeling thick around the middle and hazy in the brain, but managed to pull myself together to give a great presentation a few hours ago. About to get together for a happy hour cocktail with some of the others in the field that I only see once a year or so at some annual conference or another.

Tomorrow - vespa rental! Gonna cruise around the city on a little 50cc vespa and give myself a personal tour of the graveyards.

Return on Saturday evening and prepare for the week of packing, signing my life away, and moving into my new digs.

Oh PS

I HAVE MY FINAL LOAN APPROVAL!

Oh god that means I am going to be paying a mortgage.

Quick Hello from New Orleans!

Having a fantastic time in the Big Easy. Started Sunday with a long exploration of the French Quarter and riverwalk. The food is too good to be believed, though the French Quarter nightlife scene is not really my thing. It's great for people watching but full of groups in their early 20's just looking to drink as much as possible and highlight their evening by puking in the street.

Monday I was in a workshop for part of the day (I AM supposed to be working, after all!) but found the time to take the St. Charles St trolley to the Garden District. The houses... amazing... I love the second-story porches and floor-to-ceiling shutters. Love it. Walked back along Magazine St through the warehouse district and ate at Mother's, a New Orleans institution.

Now I am waiting for my travel companion to get back to the hotel with our rental car. We're setting out to explore the bayou and find some real Cajun food...

The conference starts tomorrow and I speak on Thursday. I do intend, however, to find some more jazz, do some more shopping, and continue to commit a very slow suicide by food.

I can tell that I'm stressed

This condo situation must be stressing me out more than I think. Lately, every little inconvenience has felt like a catastophe. I can't handle the slightest bit of uncertainty and my frustration level over things that are really no big deal is through the freaking roof.

Case in point: I just found out that use of the fitness center at my hotel in New Orleans next week is $10/day. I honestly feel short of breath with anger over this. I'll be down there for a week and I really want to maintain fitness, continue with weight-lifting, etc so I don't undo all my progress being sedentary. But I'm trying to drop a couple hundred thousand dollars on a condo and really don't want to spend $70 for the privilege of working out for 45 minutes per day.

And before you tell me to just bring clothes and run outside - it's an option I'm consider but it's not ideal. I haven't been running this summer because of the heat, and the heat in New Orleans is going to be WORSE than the heat I've been avoiding in DC. So I'm not acclimated. And even if I were, the amount of running I would have to do to maintain my current fitness level (which is pretty damn high, frankly) would be difficult if not impossible to fit in, time-wise, along with conference obligations.

Something SO SIMPLE - finding a place to work out at a hotel - has become difficult, and my disproportionate reaction is a strong clue that I am tolerating - but barely - massive amounts of stress and frustration.

I imagine that some people function like this all the time. I can't imagine that. Feeling like I'm on the edge of a major meltdown is just no fun; if this were my status quo I would definitely be in therapy or on medication - or both.

Sharing Experiences

I think it's fascinating, the human inclincation to share experiences. I was walking home from dinner tonight and there was a ton of heat lightning in the sky - some big flashes and some bolts. After a particularly severe bolt, I look around and there was a girl walking behind me and we both sort of smiled at each other as if to say, "Did you see that?"

If you've ever seen anyone high-five a stranger at a sports game or peer over a crowd to see what people are looking at, you know what I mean. I've done a fair bit of traveling on my own, which has it's advantages, but there's nothing like the feeling of witnessing something amazing/touching/hilarious/weird and saying, "Do you see that?" and getting the affirmation and talking about it with someone.

I think this inclination goes to prove that man really is a social animal; even the most shy and reclusive among us.

Killing Time

Don't you hate it when you have like 30 minutes before you have to leave the house? It's too soon to get ready to go but not enough time to really start reading a book or get involved in a project. So here I sit, obsessively refreshing my email (none new), doing the dishes (took five minutes), putting away laundry (another five minutes) and back to my email again.

In other news, I can feel a major purge coming on. I have some little knick-knacks lying around, random papers and things that have been shoved into drawers, a couple pairs of shoes to get rid of. Moving is hopefully at the end of August but before then I hope to be a lot "lighter" - both in possessions and weight.

In preparation for two upcoming trips, one to New Orleans and one to the United Kingdom, I am trying to slim down so that I can stuff my face with beignets and beer and still fit into my pants when I get home. That effort is going pretty well, but I leave for New Orleans a week from today, so it's crunch time... gotta stay on the train for seven more days.

I have absolutely nothing in my fridge but milk, butter, mayonnaise, pumpkin butter, and a little bit of raspberry syrup - I am very much looking forward to stocking up on healthy veggies, yogurt, greens, eggs, and hummus for the week. For lunch I am going to make my very simple, delicious, and healthy two-bean salad:

One can chickpeas
One can cannellini beans
One large bell pepper (color of your choice)
One bunch scallions
Three large cloves garlic
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Drain and rinse beans, chop vegetables, mince garlic, and combine all in large pot. Serve as a side dish with half a sandwich or eat as lunch.

Okay... now I have fifteen minutes before I gotta run out the door. Time to get dressed. Thanks for letting me kill some time.

Where have I been?

I light of my upcoming trip to the UK, I thought I would make a list of all the countries I've visited. This does not include airport layovers or passing through on a train; for a country to be included on the list means I've spent intentional time there.

United States
Canada
Ireland
Greece
Germany
Austria
Switzerland
Liechtenstein
Czech Republic
The Netherlands
China
Iceland

In September:
England
Wales
Scotland

Hopefully next year:
Denmark
Sweden

Now you go!

Standing up for Myself

I am very bad at standing up for myself. I'm bad at asking questions when I don't understand things. But I can't afford to take the easy way out with this condo purchase, and today I stood up for myself twice and had very positive results!

Situation #1 - Home Inpsection.

My home inspection is tomorrow. My realtor told me to expect the price to be between $150-180, which is fine. But when I got the invoice, it was $250! And this was after two BS "discounts." The original price was $310. So I emailed my realtor to see if he knew if this price was negotiable. I was really embarassed about doing this, but at this stage every dollar counts. He wrote back and said that everything in life is negotiable He said when the inspector sees the actual square footage tomorrow, the price will be close to $180, and that he has my back. Whoo!

Situation #2 - Good Faith Estimate

My lender advised me to ask the seller to contribute xxxx amount to cover my closing costs. I wrote that into the offer and the seller agreed. Then, when I got an updated estimate, the closing costs were almost $1000 higher - and of course *I* have to pay any closing cost overflow beyond what the seller agreed to. I was pissed! WTF So I sent the estimate to my brother who is a mortgage lender and he told me to ask my lender to reduce the "Loan Origination Fee" by xxxx amount so that the closing costs would equal what the seller agreed to pay. I NEVER would have done this on my own. I asked my lender to reduce the fee feeling confident that he was going to say no or try to tell me that he couldn't do it even though my brother told me he absolutely has the power to reduce the fee.

My lender wrote back almost immediately and told me the fee had been adjusted I'm really annoyed that he jacked up the fee when HE WAS THE ONE who told me what the closing costs would be.

Oh well - two good lessons here, and I'm proud of myself. Plus I had French toast and a milkshake for dinner. So it's been a good day :)

An Unexpected Afternoon to Myself!

I was 50% sure I had plans after work today but they have been postponed, so I have the afternoon and evening to myself! Ah, the luxury.

Here is my plan:

• After work, nap.
• Wake up, lift weights, get sweaty
• Shower and crack open a bottle of wine
• Finish Season One of 30 Rock and maybe start Season Two
• Turn a few more pages of the great novel I'm knee-deep into reading
• Fall asleep early

Doesn't get much better than that :)

Oh Angelina!

Yesterday I went up to Baltimore to take a workshop from my all-time favorite banjo player, Angelina Carberry. She taught a great set of jigs but didn't spill nearly enough information about how she developed her style.

Afterwards, she and her husband Martin Quinn played an intimate little show at the Stony Run Friends Meeting House. Here's a quick shot that I snapped with my phone (I have a fancy new phone and couldn't figure out how to turn off the flash - thanks to Sean McComiskey for admonishing me via text message! Was that really necessary? (Heehee)

I noticed that she holds her banjo a lot differently than I do... with the neck out at a 45-degree angle from her body. I also found out that she uses much heavier strings that I do, but about the same thickness of pick.

Anyway, the result of all this is that I am more inspired to play than I have been in recent months. All I want to do is go home and practice my new set of jigs!

Friday Night Connundrum

Here I am on my usual Friday night - relaxing at home with the cats. Boring, I know. But it's been a long week; a couple of late nights, interrupted sleep, a lot of emotional energy spent on the condo situation. So I need a night to just relax by myself.

I'm in the middle of a great book called The Bell by Iris Murdoch. Murdoch writes beautiful prose and captivating, dramatic stories but they are undoubtedly downers on the topic of relationships. I would, however, love to get a few pages in, the only problem is I'm sure I'll fall asleep if I start reading. Then I'll wake up at 9pm and be awake the rest of the night. Not a great way to start the weekend.

So I'm making some tea and might watch a little television or a movie and go to bed (for the whole night!) on the early side.

Tomorrow afternoon my dear friend Eileen is getting married in northern Maryland. I'll go up for the day but not stay overnight. I'm excited for her because I know that she's excited. Congratulations Eileen and Matt!

I signed the final contract for my condo, so everythig is ratified. The home inspection is Wednesday. Stay tuned...

Condo Update!

I am negotiating an offer on a fantastic condo on Capitol Hill. The building went up in 1800 as a convent and was completely renovated in 2005. It's a block and a half from the US Capitol and sits on an angle, so my unit has a view not only of the dome but also of the Washington Monument. Whoo for the Fourth of July!

It's a block from the metro and has 15-foot ceilings.

I really, really want this to go through. This unit is even better then the previous one I had an offer one (the private entrance/rosebush unit) - and the FHA spot approval that tripped us up last time shouldn't be an issue this time.

Now if only the seller would get back to me about the counter-offer....

Book Splurge!

It has been a while since I've blown a chunk of cash on books, and since Trover's on the Hill is going out of business, I thought I would take advantage of their sale and help them get rid of their inventory.

I got:

Les Miserables (Victor Hugo)
The Psychology of Love - Selected Essays (Sigmund Freud)
Dracula's Guest and Other Weird Stories (Bram Stoker)
Dangerous Liaisons (Choderlos de Laclos)
The Bell (Iris Murdoch)

So much for saving money by going to the library!!

I am keeping my cats up

I can tell they both really want to take a nap. But they have this thing about following me around. The three of us move around my tiny flat in a little pack. They always want to be near me... but right now I am kind of restless. I was watching TV and they were sleeping on the couch, then I went to the other room to work on a crossword and they both came and flopped down on the floor and fell asleep, now I am back in the living room and they are both here with me, trying to sleep on the floor by my feet.

Poor things. Poor, sleep-deprived kitties. Life must be so hard for them.

Minor Annoyances

I have been compiling a list of books I'd like to read, but for some reason I took my library card out of my wallet and haven't put it back. So I haven't been able to get to the library. Gah! I have nothing to read! Well, that's not true but I am bored with everything I have here. I want a novel. A long, engrossing, summertime novel.

My goal is to make sure I hit the library Thursday or Friday so I can read all weekend long.

Update

I guess I owe everyone an update. I have been on leave all week and it is GLORIOUS. I took off for southern Virginia for a few days and revelled in the complete lack of cell phone reception.

I spent all day yesterday on a sailboat, blissfully detached from the outside world.

All four parental or semi-parental units will be passing through town this weekend, which means a couple of free meals and drinks.

I am actually not dreading going back to work on Monday because, well, I like work.

So... all is well.

The Best Laid Plans

I always have plans on payday to make a huge, luxurious, spendy grocery trip, but somehow I freeze up when it comes time to really go nuts.

FOr example, this afternoon I really wanted to go nuts at the store and stock the fridge, freezer, and cupboards with all kinds of staples and goodies that I am usually too frugal to buy.

Well, I came away with this:

Spinach
Goat cheese
Two bottles of wine
Assorted olives
Frozen soybeans

All for a grand total of $30.16

Look out world... Diana's going craaazy!!!! ::sarcasm

Wow

Okay, so it's been a crazy and eventful weekend. I'm thankful for a (mostly) cool head in times of crisis and thankful for the emotional rock of a great friend who keeps me stable.

Did I mention that my Capitol Hill condo fell through? Well, it did. We couldn't get the seller to accept my financing. So, that is sad. But I have a good lead on another condo in Dupont Circle, which would also be a great location for me. I am trying to be patient with the process.

I have also been thinking a lot about the concept of "loving" a condo. You hear people talk this way when buying real estate. They'll say, "Don't buy a place unless you love it." Well.. does anyone really "fall in love" with a studio condo?

I am looking to invest my money in a small home in a fabulous urban neigborhood. But I don't necessarily expect to walk into a property and think it's my dream home. My dream home is not a studio or even a one-bedroom condo. But those are the homes that are available to me because I have made the conscious choice to live in the city, and in popular city neighborhoods.

So, I am slowly letting go of the idea of looking for a condo that I love and am focusing more on finding a good living space in a neighborhood that I love. That seems to make more sense to me.

Well, I'm off tonight to my first barbecue of the summer! Yay beer! And then I just have four days of work until I am off for a week - well, ten days if you consider both weekends and the July 3rd holiday. I can't believe how badly I need the break.

Condo fell through but my arms are getting hard!

So, my beloved Hill condo fell through. We don't have any more avenues to pursue it, so we withdrew our offer. Very sad, as the place had two features I am unlikely to find anywhere else: a private entrance, and private outdoor space.

I do, however, have a lead on a Dupont condo that is:

*bigger
*cheaper
*two blocks from my office

So, we will see.

In other news, my arms are getting ROCK. HARD. from all these kettlebell drills. I love it!

I don't think it looks ugly

Dramatic maybe, but not ugly.

Fuck 'em.

Condo Update

I just wrote a post about my condo but blogger had a publishing error. I'm not going to retype it. I don't have the energy. Instead, I'm going to bed.

Sorry.

Stuck

I should work out but I don't really feel like it.

I should go to the grocery store but I don't really feel like it.

I should write the second part of my journal article but I don't really feel like it.

TV is boring me.

The internet is boring me.

I darkened the color of my hair and it looks ugly.

I am sad. For no apparent reason. :-(

Great Run

I squeezed in a run between massive thunderstorms today and was richly rewarded for my risk! I took a longer and more strenuous route than I had intended, but it paid off. Winding through the park, I saw a beautiful deer, munching on some grass about two feet off the trail. I didn't see her until I was almost past her, but she saw me - just looked and calmly turned her head to watch me go by.

I ventured off the paved trail to follow a hilly and rocky off-shoot called the Western Ridge Trail, which ended at Pierce Mill Park, where I was headed. No running there - it was hands-and-knees climbing up the ravine wall for the most part! But the further I got into the woods, the less I could hear the cars. Really, I could have been in the Shenandoahs for all I knew... it was so quite and serene back there.

I took the long way up the huge hills leading back up to Connecticut Ave, exploring the embassy-lined side streets behind the Levine School of Music.

By the time I got home my legs were shaking but solid, like long, slender tree trunks. I was perfectly spent and ready to be productive, which I have been this evening, attempting to turn a conference presentation into a somewhat-compelling journal article. Wish me luck.

We Lost

After a long and noble playoff session, the Red Wings' hopes for a repeat of the Stanley Cup victory last year are officially over. It was a great matchup and both teams faced formidable opponents in each other. I'm proud of my team and am looking forward to a new season in October.

Part of me is thankful for the end of the season. Playoffs make me miserable. I'm miserable when we're winning and miserable when we're losing. I get anxious. I drink. I get grumpy. Being a true fan is emotionally draining.

Plus, now I can revolt against RCN's completely unconscionable rate hike and cancel my cable. I plan to use hulu.com and Netflix Instant for my TV viewing. All I need is an antenna to make sure I can get the local channels for news. That is first on my list of things to take care of next week.

Rethinking Yoga

I have not been attending yoga classes lately. There are several reasons for this, and for a while I was struggling with it, but suddenly I feel at peace.

My methods of achieving health and fitness have been shifting lately. Last year I was running a lot and eating a highly-structured, robotic diet. I felt okay, but it was punishing, complex, and not very much fun. Over the past few months, however, I have begun to let running go by the wayside in preparation for taking the summer off. I've been lifting weights and eating a much lighter yet more relaxed diet.

My yoga practice was at it's peak during my times of running, but it wasn't really serving a purpose. I wasn't improving. I wasn't having fun. The system of Ashtanga is not the right system for my body type, but I had developed a history with the studio, it was conveniently located, and I was in the habit of attending classes there.

I have realized, however, that my main reasons for attending the studio involved my instructors. I like my instructors a lot. I want their approval; I want them to view me as a dedicated, focused student. And so for a while there I was attending practice mostly so I wouldn't be seen as a slacker.

But, yoga is not cheap. And because I'm trying to buy a condo, I've been trimming costs where I can, and the savings are adding up. I've also realized that I need to stop caring so much about how others view me. My dedication to yoga is not seen through how many classes I attend per week. And if I have instructors who see it that way, well, they're the ones missing the point.

I feel healthy and strong and happy with the decisions that I've made. Yoga IS for me. I feel great when I'm doing it and it's had a tremendous influence on my life and my health - spiritual and physical. The system of Ashtanga specifically, maybe not so much, but that's a minor detail.

Once I move and get settled, I'd like to find another studio, local to my new home, and begin formal practice again. In the mean time, I practice at home in a way that enhances my life. Because my life is mine, and the beauty is that no one but me has to live with my decisions.

Random Observations

In the metro this morning, a young boy wearing a yarmulke speaking Hebrew with his mom. His mom pulled out a diet pepsi and began drinking it. Then the boy pulled out a bottle of water and began drinking it. Then he pulled out a bottle of chocolate milk, drank some, and offered it to his mom, who drank some. How many beverages do two people need to take the train in DC?

I finally got around to changing my cats' litter this evening. They must have been desperate, because Natasha went to pee and Elena tried to crawl in there with her. That was a scramble of yowls and claws and litter going everywhere. Good times.

My knee randomly hurts for no reason. It could be that I had poor squat form yesterday while doing weighted kettlebell squats because I was fatigued from running.

Holding Pattern

I am in a holding pattern. My condo purchase is in a holding pattern, my social life is in a holding pattern. And it's okay.

I am digging a slower pace of life lately. The condo search is stressful and emotional and right now I don't know if I'll get the one I love (isn't that the story of life?) and I won't know anything until June 24th. So I wait.

I have been exhausted lately but after a rejuvenating trip to Michigan feel much better. Taking control of my social life has helped. This week I'm pretty much staying in except for a session in Virginia on Wednesday night. Other than that I'm holing up for the hockey playoffs and focusing on my health.

Weight lifting has treated me well. My body is getting stronger.

Gratuitous photo: kayaking on Walnut Lake with my mom over Memorial Day weekend.