Afternoon

This afternoon was beautiful, but my mind was torn between a run or a nap.

Run or nap. Run or nap.

In the past I have thought, well, I'll just lay down and then go over the pros and cons and we all know what happened then. But I have never regretted getting myself out for a turn through the neighborhood, so that's what I did.*

Then I fell asleep, woke up late with a massive headache and case of nausea but got myself up and out the door nonetheless to play a few tunes, only to come back home after 30 minutes because of said headache. Then I got home and realized that my apartment was a complete wreck - clothing everywhere, donations piled up, the kitchen all cluttered, bed unmade, a pile of unsorted mail.

Disconcerted, I stood in my doorway, and Natasha poked her little head out. She took about three steps into the hallway and staaaared for a few minutes into the abyss. This could have gone on for hours, so I nudged her back inside and began cleaning up, trying to make my home peaceful again, clean, minimal.

At this point, I feel a bit better, but still not quite right. I don't know why not.

*Read: lugged my pathetic self out for a 3.5 mile schlep

150 Things

The idea for this post was stolen from a friend, who, upon reading her list, I discovered, has never tried sushi. Completely unacceptable!

Items in bold are those to which I aswer "yes."

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with wild dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
8. Said “I love you” and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days (not drink)
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Musings

I need a tea straw. A long one. Because who, on a lazy, cold Saturday morning, warm in bed covered with snoozing kittens, wants to disturb everything by leaning over and taking a sip of tea?

Blood

Today I did my duty and donated a pint of blood to the Red Cross. I really like the idea of donating blood (I like the idea much more than the actual procedure), so I do it as often as I can. It helps that my workplace hosts a blood drive several times a year. But today's blood-letting turned out to be a bit of a debacle.

I went down there with a co-worker. We tend to donate blood together at these workplace drives. It's nice to have someone next to you when you're inert and bleeding for fifteen minutes at a time (although, as a female, I suppose I should be thrilled at bleeding for a mere quarter of an hour). He went in for his health interview before me. Thirty seconds later, he was pulling on his jacket and saying "I gotta go - talk to you later." I thought that was odd, but soon understood what happened.

The Red Cross people today were scary. They didn't seem to know what they were doing. They didn't speak proper English. They were slow. The health historian typed with one finger and didn't know how to spell Connecticut (my street name).

The technicians ended up having to take blood out of both my arms; my phlebologist (it's a real word, trust me) had to call for assistance during the final part of my ordeal, the filling of two test tubes, during which time she fished around with the needle inside my vein and jammed the last tube into it's receiver when the flow wasn't strong enough, causing the needle to push even farther inside my arm with no apparent guidance.

Eventually, after I feebly asked how many more times she was going to try, she gave up with that side - but in order for the pint I had just donated to be available for use, she needed to follow through with the two smaller tubes for testing. I let her use my other arm, just so it wouldn't all be for nothing, so now both my arms are sore.

I must say - being on the receiving side of [perceived] incompetent of health workers is frightening. At least it's for a very, very good cause.

Pity Party

Ugh, this is awful. I feel sloth-like and round. I went up to the roof-top terrace and did about ten minutes of lovely yoga in the soft afternoon sun and then got bored. Came back inside. Did about three more minutes and just couldn't get into it.

I feel flabby and soft. This is gross. I am a female whining about her body. Double gross.

If Only

A broken bottle of wine,
a gash on the leg.
suddenly I wish
I had driven, instead of walked,
to
the
grocery
store
.

Home Again

Rob and I just spent a fantastic weekend in my home state. A wedding, a party, some cheeseburgers, lots of Cotes du Rhone, a walk around Greek gardens, tea, sushi, Irish music, family, friends.

Now I am home and the frustrating thing about coming back to DC is that the ride from the airport to my apartment is LONGER than the plane ride from Detroit to Washington. How is that possible, you ask? Well. On the weekends, which is usually when I'm coming to and fro, I arrive at the airport spent approximately fifteen minutes gathering luggage, peeing, etc, and head up to the metro platform. I then wait approximately ten minutes for a train. Travel twenty minutes to my transfer station, and wait approximately ten more minutes for a train. Travel fifteen minutes to my station, and walk five minutes to my apartment for a total of one hour fifteen minutes as compared to a fifty minute flight.

Alas. I am home and my kittens are purring so loudly and I have fresh laundry and a whole evening to myself with a day off (Columbus Day) before me and yoga to do later.

Loooong Weekend

Tomorrow is Friday! Sort of. I have Thursday and Friday off to go back to Michigan for my mom's wedding. I am very excited about this, and also about having Monday off for a holiday!

I apologize for the lack of posting. I can't think of anything provocative to write about. Just the usual - yoga is awesome, etc.

Ohhh.... but this couple I've been watching on the metro... today he got off at her (and my) stop, Judiciary Square, and they stood by the faregates having a sort of discussion. Not really an argument with raised voice, but it definitely seemed as though there was an issue that needed urgent attention. Very interesting.

Vacay

I just scheduled my first ever two-week vacation!

Where I work you have to arrange leave months, if not a year in advance in order for it to be valid should some emergency situation come to pass. They have a tendency to say "No more leave for the foreseeable future" and then you are screwed UNLESS you had applied for leave before the commandment came down. Then you are okay. That is why you have to do things as far in advance as possible.

So for the first two weeks in June I will be enjoying the Mediterranean in all it's blue-white feta cheese lamb olive glory. I'm going to Greece!

Wit

The most ]][================================

Sorry, Natasha decided to get her two meows in there.

As I was saying, what makes The Simpsons so clever is that the jokes are always taken one step further than you think. So once you think you've understood, the hilarity has only begun.

Homer, in the garage, contemplatively: Marge, it's going to be an all-nighter! So put on a pot of coffee. [pause] Drink it, and start making burgers!

Bugs!

I think now that the weather is getting cooler some bugs are coming inside. I have lived here since June and up until two days ago only saw one bug ever, and it was dead. But since Wednesday I have seen TWO bugs and let me tell you how quickly I vacuumed them up.

At work we have huge cockroaches. A few weeks ago I held the door for one. I was trying to enter the stairwell and I looked down and there he was, he just waltzed right into the hallway and didn't even say thank you.

Once a quarter, after they fumigate, the hallways are filled with dead roaches and when you step on one accidentally it's disgusting. My second in command says when it's quiet he can hear mice in the walls next to his office. My office is on the 5th floor (out of 6) and when it rains the ceiling leaks and breaks our color copier. Do not ask me how the ceiling leaks rainwater when we are not the top floor. Also, ever summer when they turn on the air conditioning, it leaks into our office and breaks our color copier. My building at work is very ghetto.

I am WIPED after a tough yoga class. And babbling about bugs and leaks. Time for a nice glass of Chianti.

Weekend

Woot! Holla! I have the whole weekend off! Yoga! Cocktail party! Nap! Kittens!

Asia Nora... sort of

As part of the multi-day birthday extravaganza that I am attempting to throw for Rob, we had dinner reservations last night. I didn't tell him where we were going, just directed him on where to turn until we got to Foggy Bottom and Asia Nora. Unfortunately, they couldn't find our reservation, and eventually realized that it had been booke at their sister venue, Restaurant Nora. I felt awful, partly because I knew when I made the reservation that it would be really easy to accidentally mess it up, so I made double sure to call Asia Nora... but alas, I did wrong.

The evening was nowhere near lost, however, as Rob and I had an excellent meal and half-bottle of Provencal red wine at Restaurant Nora in Dupont Circle. I wish I were better as describing food, because the tomato mozzerella salad, beef carpaccio, crab and avocado salad, filet mignon, veal medallions, lemon type creme brulee, and rasperries in sugar creme were to die for....

Tomorrow is the actual DAY and the present of presents awaits....

Friday

I am so in denial about having to work tomorrow. I have had two weekends off in a row and am getting spoiled!

Yesterday I had a private yoga lesson at the Astanga Yoga Center. It was fantastic! I got into some amazing poses that I had never been able to do before, like Upward Facing Bow and Half Bound Lotus. Also, you cannot beat the location - a 15-minute walk through the gorgeous and expensive residential neighborhood in which I am lucky enough to live.

I have a film tonight but not in the mood to watch it. I just laid on the couch for an hour while a warm little thing named Elena stretched her buzzing body from my chin to belly and took a nice long snooze.

Finding Their Voices

I'm in a narrative sort of mood tonight.

I went shopping after work today and found some super cute clothes for yoga. I've been taking classes at the Ashtanga Yoga Center in Tenleytown, a lovely 15-minute walk through a gorgeous neighborhood, perfect even in inclement weather. On Thursday I have a private lesson; my feeling is that a year of home practice has resulted in a few short-cuts, misalignments, and maladjustments. I'm worried that I may be impeding my progess in the long run, so I just want a little tune up, then it's back to group classes.

Natasha and Elena are discovering that they have voices! Aside from their pitiful yelps on the way home from the shelter, I've scarcely heard more than a tiny little "eh!" from them (the sound of which causes me to scoop them up in my arms and SQUEEEEEZE them!). But now, recently, they've begun "mew!"-ing and it is the most darling sound you've ever heard!

I know they're saying, "Mommy, I love you!"

Either that or, "Sheesh, can you go two seconds without scooping us up and SQUEEEEEZING us??"

Weekend

I actually painted the town on Friday! It had been a while, but a few friends and I decided to head out to Sequoia on the Georgetown Waterfront for the monthly Deaf Professionals Happy Hour. Was very fun. I took the bus from Tenleytown, right down Wisconsin Ave. At 11pm I waited all of 3 minutes for the bus. On Connecticut Ave I could have been waiting 40 minutes. I love the 32/33 bus line.

Not much on my mind these days in terms of complex or provocative thoughts. Just been trying to stay awake past 9pm. It's getting a bit better at work. I have every other weekend off - those in between I will work Saturdays. So I get my life back and still get to keep 10 or so hours of overtime per pay period.

Signing off now to finish up a quiet Sunday afternoon with kittens and my reading chair surrounded by windows with the cool breeze and maybe a glass of wine.

Two Perspectives

Today at work, standing in front of the elevator, I watched a man enter as the down arrow flashed. About 40 feet down a hall, a woman calls for him to hold it, but he's already stepped inside. The doors close. I'm still waiting for the up arrow to flash; the woman stands next to me and runs long-decorated-acrylics through her hair.

"Maybe he didn't hear you," I commiserate, while at the same time she snarls, "People who work in this building are such jackasses."

Cooling Down

Lovely weekend. Two yoga classes, a couple hundred pages of the book I've been trying to make a dent in, lots of tea, lots of sleeping, lots of Rob.

I am really looking forward to the colder weather. All this rain has made me crave fall clothes: scarves, soft, feminine sweaters, cheeks flushed.

In Which the Author Rediscovers the Joys of Being Hidden

I have three days off. THREE whole days.

I haven't had more than one day off in a row in seven weeks.

I am so happy! I have a weekend filled with yoga and not much else. It finally stopped raining, but actually I like the way a rainy weekend forces one to stay inside and be quiet. When it's raining, I'm much less likely to be coerced into going on some zany adventure with my friends.

At this hour on Saturday, the long weekend stretches out in front of me. It will never end!

I Am Uncool

Today I made a most embarassing purchase at Giant: a granny cart.

Yes. Do not laugh. I will be turning in my car at the end of the lease and not getting another, so I am trying to forget that my car exists for the most part so that losing it is not a shock. And now that I have to buy 20 lb. bags of kitty litter for my little darlings, I will need some help in getting home from the grocery store.

I tried to carry a 20 lb. bag of litter home once. It was not a good idea.

And yes, today it was raining, so not only was I pushing a granny cart up chic Connecticut Avenue, I was doing so while huddled under an umbrella.

Embarassing!