Saturday Sighting: Obama and Me

One of the cool things about living in Washington, DC are the "celebrity" sightings. Friday I was walking down Connecticut, iPod on (learning German... "Woher kommst du?"), when a woman in a black trenchcoat and an earpiece puts her hands up, stopping the sidewalk traffic. Out from the Washington Sports Club (a local health club chain), come a group of men in black, including in a black athletic wear and a baseball cap, Obama! Off he went into his getaway vehicle. It all happened so fast.

I wasn't quite this close, but almost. This is from the Obama campaign office in the building where I work. While I vote in DC, I'm thinking of volunteering for the campaign since I spend almost 1/3rd of my current life in the swing state. Obama's looking especially shiny. It must have been the workout.

By the way, this morning while I was on my way to German class, the streets were blockaded for, I presume, Bushy. *Yawn*

Sunday Sober: Welcome to DC

A few days after the fact...but on 9/11 the Dupont Circle metro station was swarming with police. Not putting together that they were on alert because of 9/11, I decided to take a picture, as I often take pictures of cops, ambulances, and motorcades.


I snapped this shot, the cop turned around, having noticed my camera flash, and I ducked into the train, my heart racing. "Shit! What have I done! He's going to memorize the car I'm on and I'll be picked up at Metro Center and put under suspicion as a part of a terrorist plot! What I am thinking taking photos in the Metro in DC on 9/11!"

Well, that didn't happen. I made it to work as usual. Phew.

Saturday Stay-Inside: What You Can Do When Staying Overnight in the Munich Aerport

As we on the lEast Coast are hunkered down for Hannah, I will share an informative photoessay I produced especially for AiD readers called "How to Entertain Yourself Late at Night in the Munich Aeroport after Everyone Has Left the Building."

Simulate the view from the cockpit and realize that it is actually incredibly dull, especially since the stewardesses stopped wearing cute outfits.

Experience the podlike structures straight out of 70's sci-fi movie sets. Runner!!! (This is where I slept, btw, and I didn't feel as renewed as I thought I would sleeping in a pod.)

Help yourself to as much kaffee and news as you like! Wilkommen!

What you do after you've drank all of the kaffee you like. (Until they shut off the TV at 11.)

Pretend you are the bionic woman by running up and down the moving "walk"ways.

Hmmmm. Tempting.....

Admire Bavarian Motorwerks engineering in Bavaria.

Take your time choosing a seat for you 6am flight.

Sunday Slow-Down: Back from Vacay

After just a mere 40 hours of travel back to civilization (Washington, DC) from the birthplace of civilization (Greece), I return to blog central.

I took a rare pic of myself on this trip, but here is one from day one, after lazying about in bed most of the day one (jet lag-induced). It hardly looks like summer, right? It rained 2 of our 3 days in Berlin. Thankfully, we had a very cushy bed and the Olympics on tv.


We headed out to eat shortly there after at one of Wood's favorite Turkish restaurants. (Berlin has the largest Turkish population outside of Turkey.) I admired the place's multicultural touches. And then we enjoyed our celebratory, vacation-commencing glasses of German beer.
Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, Wood got violently ill in the restroom and we rushed back to the hotel. By 2am the next morning, I insisted we go to the hospital so he could get IV fluids. It was an inauspicious beginning.

We spent a fair amount of the next day in our very lovely hotel room with its very lovely view.

To be continued....

Saturday Sojourn: Kittens Left to Their Own Devices

I'm about to leave for Berlin and Naxos (Greece), so the kittens are being left to their own devices (and the pricey catsitter).


Here is a rare picture of them lying next to each other. It was Romeo's idea. Lucky likes her personal space. This lasted for, oh, about a second. Romeo will try to work you in trance.... turn away before it's too late!!!!

I may or may not blog over the next two weeks.

Monday Mania: The 100th Post

Something you should know about me if you don't already. I need lots of sleep. Most of today I've been feeling the effects of my sleep deprivation. Last night my bus from NYC was an hour late, so I got home at just before midnight. So today I've been feeling pretty grouchy.

Fortunately for you, I have lots of fun pictures to share from my weekend in NYC with one of my best friends, Moya. Here is her glamorous self.

It was a rather quiet and unseasonably cool and rainy weekend, but we did see some important landmarks.

In particular... Carrie Bradshaw's apartment building on Perry Street. This brownstone in the West Village plays an apartment on the Upper East Side on TV and movies.

(Sorry for the poor color on both of these... for some reason my camera was in low res mode.) Here's a set of stairs that often doubled for her stoop, in the proper resolution. Notice they actually look brown as in brown-stone?

And another landmark... for fashionistas, er, Project Runway fans. Tim Gunn was no where to be seen.


And these next few are for my boyfriend, who likes to "eat his way" across New York. A Mexican food cart outside the Jackson Heights Subway stop in Queens.

An automat in the East Village. I promise we won't waste one of our meals on this. I guess hipsters eat there.

And a sentiment... also from the East Village.

Sunday Snapshots: The Neighborhood

Since the post I just posted (see below) was sans photos, I thought I'd share these:

Aren't these doors pretty? Sights like this are everywhere in DC, which is one thing I love about the city. I think this is an international labor union of some kind.

And you gotta love the metal elephant statue among the lilies in front of this townhouse on Biltmore. Even better is that he has these strange spikes all over him. Random statuary in DC is common, too.

Saturday/Sunday Summary: Doing Less

Part of my commitment to slowing down has been, well, less blogging. So, while we are getting some pretty killer thunderstorms (the sky is the color of peach ice cream), I'll summarize my "crazy" weekend with a few photos.

Kicking it all off, I worked late on Friday, staying until after 6pm. (During the summer, our office closes at 3:30pm on Fridays.) Then I met Wood at the gym. I had a 7pm appointment with my trainer Darryl. Later we ate at Mixtec, which was the most over-priced, bad Mexican I have ever had. In fact, I just wrote a scathing review since no bad Mexican should go unpunished. Yes, I am a snob about Mexican food. And boy, do I miss Red Iguana.

On Saturday, we slept until 11 or so and then went to get brunch at Tryst where we shared a chaipuccino, my very favorite frozen drink. It made up for the bad Mexican, but it undid the good I did with my trainer. (Not the animal crackers you get with your coffee at Tryst!)

We watched the Euro Cup at Wood's place. (The Ruskies beat the Dutch and as of the time of this posting, they will be playing the The Spainards.) Then we went grocery shopping. Wood got his blood pressure taken at the new Harris Teeter! His b.p. was at first a bit high, but we attributed that to all of the fun we were having.

Later we watched our NetFlix pic Walk the Line to which Wood commented in all seriousness, that I am his June Carter. (Awww.) I didn't let on that I do believe that is the sweetest thing he has ever said to me.

Today, we got up, watched CBS Sunday Morning and then I took a field trip to a part of town to which I have never been---a sleepy neighborhood called Brookland, near Catholic University. I was checking out some real estate, which I've been known to do, just to see what kind of interesting opportunities abound in DC.

Saturday Sentiment: New Orleans

I've been thinking about what's truly important to me. One of those things is New Orleans.

There are few things that have captured my heart like that city, so for this post, I'm borrowing a post from fellow native Californian and part-time New Orleans resident Harry Shearer. It's called "The New Orleans You Don't Know."

Monday Musing: Utah Redux

I returned from West Coast last night. (California pictures and stories forthcoming.) Today I am embracing a Zen attitude and smiling and greeting people more, even if the favor isn't returned. Just because I live in DC, I don't have to become it. I'm always up for a cultural challenge.

Speaking of cultural challenges, my Utah friend Jeremy who is attending med school in Cleveland alerted me to the following article on the curious experience of Blacks in Utah that ran in the Washington Post yesterday. Of course, there being few African-Americans in Utah, I was not surprised that my dear friend Erika was featured it this piece!

And just in case you wanted to get a little taste of Utah, here's a snippet from So You Think You Can Dance?, the Salt Lake City auditions.



(FYI, last season's winner was a black girl from Utah!)

Saturday Seasonal: The Nats

Here are Nick and I at the Nats game. Wood and his mama were with us, but they don't like getting their pictures taken.
The Nats lost to the Brewers 2-5, but there were a lot of happy Wisconsinites.

And Nick added yet another ball park (and the newest in the country) to his long list.

Saturday/Sunday Senses: A Sunny Day in NYC

My younger brother Nick and I went to NYC for the weekend. Straddled by two rather rainy days, Saturday was absolutely glorious! I'd never taken the Staten Island Ferry, so he, his friend Amanda and I did. Here's a terrific shot from the ferry, just in case you didn't believe how perfect of a day it was.

Earlier that day we stumbled upon Trinity Church, also looking gorgeous in such lush surroundings.
Right as we walked through the grounds we heard wedding bells. I love how urban this wedding looks. Goes to show there are surprises around every corner in Manhattan.

Wildcard Wednesday: Prince of Petworth

My younger brother is coming to town tomorrow. In fact, he's getting on a flight in less than three hours. So I'm running around getting ready.

I was reading the blogs I regularly read and I wanted to point you to one that I love for its simplicity in its appreciation of the everyday in DC and its role as a community builder.

Check out Prince of Petworth, if you have a chance. I aspire to be this guy.

Wildcard Wednesday: Warehouse Theatre

Here's where I went last night: The Warehouse Theater.

I went to what can be described as an open-mic for performing arts. It was mostly dance, really. Works in progress. Mostly modern dance. Some solo routines. All about the length of a pop song. A discussion with the choreographers ensued afterwards, but I had to get home on a school night.

The Warehouse Theater has been called "An Avant-Garde Kennedy Center." It's mostly empty at the moment as they are slowly shutting down this location due to rising property taxes and will relocate in Columbia Heights. You can read all about that here.

There are still a few things going on there. The next of these "open mic" nights is Tuesday, June 3rd. $5 is a good price for a fair amount of entertainment value and for an hour or two that feels like you are no longer in DC.

Thirsty Thursday: Bizarro Sights around DC

On my way to work yesterday... Another protest taking place in front of the "Hinkley Hilton." They weren't protesting the other white meat.


On the way home Tuesday, at Connecticut and K Street. This demolition has been taking place for over a month. The slowest demolition EVER!!!

Here's the same building two weeks ago. Different angle, and more intact. I've heard of halting con-struction because of funding, but halting de-struction? Bizarro, indeed.

Saturday/Sunday Scenarios: States, Scientology and Suburbs

Notes from this weekend.

On Friday, my galpal Jessica and I had dinner at a great little Peruvian joint Inti. Half-way through our shared flan, I realized it had become a miniature custard version of the United States (including Hawaii!)

Saturday, on our way through Dupont Circle, Wood and I encountered a lively anti-Scientology protest. As you might guess, taking place in front of the Church of Scientology at 20th and R St.

Sunday, Wood and I went on a field trip to the end of the Orange Line in Vienna to meet up with his pal James to look at bikes at REI and have a hearty burger at Five Guys. James rather innocently described the area as having "everything you need" since the new construction everywhere you looked had a Safeway and Blockbuster and a Romano's Macaroni Grill within a stone's throw. Throughout the day, Wood and I had been contemplating our possible future home base and decided it definitely was NOT going to be in Fairfax County. I'm thankful every day that my sweet and amazing boyfriend have the same sensibilities and aversions in this regard.

Upon returning to "the District," we were approached at a bus stop by a woman who asked us, "What do you think about the European colonization's effect on the African mind?" We discussed it with her as well as a native Chinese guy who was in town on vacation where he lives (San Francisco). As odd as it was, we decided the daily assault was preferable over the slow death of the strip mall.

Friday Fantasy: The West

On my way to work, I engaged in my pretty regular fantasy of returning to my roots on the West Coast. When I imagine my perfect place like when we're asked to do a visualization in yoga class, my mind always retrieves an image of me somewhere near a beach in Southern California.

It's a little strange since, I'm not from SoCal but NoCal. Maybe it's because my earliest memories of vacations (and hence, adventure) usually involved going on a car trip down South. Or perhaps, it's because I am a swimmer and the water near LA-LA-land has always been more inviting. Then, again, anywhere in the sunny Golden State makes me happy.

Monday Musing: Blossoming Wonder

Having lived in DC for almost 14 months, I finally went to see the celebrated cherry blossoms. Here is the money shot. (The Jefferson Memorial is somewhere in the distance, but who cares when you have these pretty flowers to enjoy.)

Now while 14 months may seem long overdue, let me tell you about these blossoms. For all their fame, you'd think they'd blossom for more than say, a week?! Yes, this was my impression in spring of '07. Hence, I blinked and missed them entirely. While they have just reached full blossom, we have rainy and windy days forecast for the next several days. So, who knows how long they'll last?

Which is why everybody was getting out this past Sunday, even though it wasn't warm and sunny. I love how the trees just envelop you! And the transient nature of these blooms is also the reason we all take pictures to capture them. Cameras were flashing everywhere. This young lady used a more traditional medium. I "painted" her, painting the scenery.

And, in case you needed proof that I was actually there, here I am (with my sweetie, of course.)
Happy Spring!

The City that Care Forgot: New Orleans, Mon Amour

The General who saved New Orleans visited our office today. (I work in the entertainment industry, and we represent him.) New Orleans is one of those visceral cities for me. I went to college there and have very rich, sensory memories of it that will stay with me forever. I often wonder what more I could be doing to help the slow-going recovery. It's strange how little we hear about New Orleans and the Katrina-affected areas these days. As they say, it is "the city that care forgot."

It's still like losing a friend. I miss it.