Sunday again?

You know, I really think that a four day work week and a three day weekend would be a good thing. I know I'm not the only one feeling like this! I'd be so much more productive, and far less grumpy! Ha!



Saturday is over, but it was a good one. I met a classmate at a nearby coffeeshop to go over our powerpoint presentation for class tomorrow night. Education in Kosovo...woo hooo! Then Steve and I went out to Tyson's Corner, in VA. I wanted to check out the $1 flipflips, but of course, by the time I got there, they were gone. As it turned out, they were the very basic ones on sale, the ones that hurt my feet, so it wasn't a big disappointment anyway. I wandered around, but didn't find anything else that I couldn't live without. I went into a few other places, but didn't buy anything. I went into Crabtree and Evelyn, which I love, but rarely, if ever, buy anything. Interestingly, I found some perfume called Found on sale for 75% off, so it was about $11. I'd been needing (okay, wanting!) some new purfume and this smells so nice! So, that was good.



Oh! They opened a new Cake Love in Tyson's and yesterday was the grand opening. I met Warren Brown, the owner AND had him sign a copy of the new cookbook he recently came out with! It's a gorgeous cookbook. I had actually bought it for a friend for her bridal shower a few weeks ago (I couldn't go, I was in Iowa for a wedding), but I think I may make it my signature bridal shower gift.



We also stopped by Penzeys in Falls Church where I picked up some spices. I am seriously in love with that store. If you haven't been, go!



There is also a store at Tysons that I love that has lots of Vera Bradley. I'm not the only one obsessed with Vera, am I? Well, I went in to see the new colors that just came out, and all of the retiring styles were 50% off...but, I was a good girl and resisted...for now...haha!



Now? Brunch with Steve, somewhere in Adams Morgan...then, must do homework. I have three remaining projects for my Childrens Literature class that I must finish soon. Like, this week. Then I have a few slides to make for the powerpoint for tomorrow's presentation on education in Kosovo. I get to talk about when Sesame Street came to Kosovo! Come on, who doesn't love Big Bird? You know you do!

yes no maybe so?

Question of the day?

Say you are a Democrat. Would you be terribly upset and disappointed if your children grew up and became Republicans? Or, vice versa?

How would this make you feel? Would you feel as though you failed as a parent?


PS. ETA-

One parent of mine is a Republican and the other is a Democrat. I'm somewhere in the middle. I've voted both ways, depending on the person, not the party. I'm asking, because of a conversation I just had with a friend who feels very strongly towards one party.

save the puppies!

Like every morning, I had the news on while I got ready for work this morning. Since I live in a small apartment, the tv is in the main (and only, to be technical) room (it's a studio/efficiency, whatever you want to call it), so I can easily hear the tv while I'm in the bathroom.

Like in the news in the last few weeks, they began talking about the floods in Iowa. I may have mentioned, Steve is from IA, so this has been on both our minds lately, for obvious reasons. His immediate family is not in the flood zones, but he does have many friends in the Cedar Rapids area, including a friend whose wife is due to give birth any day now.

They began talking about the dogs and cats that have been left behind, and of course, that about broke my heart. Apparently the Washington Animal Rescue League has gone into IA so help save the puppies. Check out this press release.

So, if you were thinking of adopting a puppy or cat, maybe this might be a nice idea?

Of course, I am always thinking of adopting a puppy....preferably a corgi....but, we'll see...

dream a little dream of me

I had the strangest dream last night.

I was at a restaurant with some friends (no idea who) and we were sitting at a table. Some guy at another table sent me flowers, and they were sent to me at the table I was at, but we didn't know why. He left before I could say anything, so my friends told me to go outside and thank him, so I did. He got into his car, and I opened the passenger side door, and leaned across to kiss him, in order to say thank you, but he turned my cheek away so I couldn't. Then he drove off. I went back inside and told my friendswhat happened...then I woke up.

I still remember it vividly and can picture many of the details! How bizarre is that? Any idea what it means?!

hmmm

So, this is the last week of my summer classes (WTF?!) and I have A LOT of work to do. I have several projects due between last Friday and next Monday due for one of them and NO motivation to do so, in the least. Seriously. The projects are all fairly easy, and fun, but I just don't want to do them. I know that as soon as they are done and turned in, life will be good, but I just can't seem to get into the zone of doing them. Blargh.

I'm also hungry. What should I make for dinner?

i-what?

Okay, so ipods. Great invention, yes? I love mine. I use it to/from work and when I run. Ha, kidding. I don't run. :)

A few months ago, I was on the metro, sitting on one of the inside-facing seats right by the doors. The car was full, but not packed. There was a woman sitting next to me, middle aged, probably 50's or so. My music was on, I was not really paying much attention, until I saw her flailing her arms wildly. I looked at her and she said something. I took the bud out of my ear and she said, in a very nasty tone, "your music is so loud, turn it down."

I was mortified.

I've always thought myself to be a considerate person. I'm careful not to take up more then my seat on the metro. I always offer my seat to someone older, with children, pregnant, with a cane, etc etc etc. I move in if I have an empty seat next to me, so someone else can sit down.

I quickly turned it down so low that I could barely hear it myself, my face beet red with embarrasment, feeling the stares from the other riders. Luckily, my stop was next, so I got off immediately.

Now, I find myself often paranoid that my music is too loud and people are annoyed by it. There are times when I don't have my ipod, and I can hear the music from someone elses, but I don't say anything to them.

Do you say something to someone with loud music? Do you worry that your music is bothering others? How do you know when it is too loud?

sigh

Remember that Def Leppard song, "Two Steps Behind?" That is more or less how I am feeling lately...not behind someone, per se, but behind something...

Last night I set my alarm before bed, as I always do. I noticed that I had two bars of power, rather then three, but figured I was okay. Yeah, not so much. The battery died overnight and the phone shut itself off, causing the alarm to not go off. I was in the middle of a dream, which I still remember much of (don't get me talking about that!) when I woke up in a start, blinked and looked around and had no idea where I was. I looked at the clock and saw that it was 8:23am.

Yeah, oooops.

I just feel like I can't get ahead. I'm working on a second Masters degree. I have some really interesting job experience, in various capacities, and nobody ever seems to call me back about the resumes I send out. I am more then qualified for nearly everything I apply for. It's so frustrating to me. I certainly didn't expect to have my dream job by now, but I don't think its too much to ask to be slightly challenged and happy with your current job.

I just don't like how these things constantly affect my mood. I go between blissfully happy one day to miserable the next. My classes are wonderful, I love being there and hearing the discusssions that are taking place. I feel inspired by what people say and by the things I read. Then I wake up the next morning and realize that I have to go to work, rather then do the things I want to, like build libraries in Albania. Now that is worthwhile.

I used to be a happy person. Now I feel so cynical most of the time. I don't know what happened to that idealistic little girl along the way.

You can run but you can never hide, from the shadow that's creepin' up inside you....

decisions, decisions...

Which dress do we like better? The one mentioned in the post the other day, or this one, in bright berry?

more weekend please

Morning folks!

How was your weekend? Did you do anything exciting?

Friday I went to my boss' cabin for the picnic he was throwing. In the end, I wore navy capris and this blouse from Gap in white. I bought it a few weeks ago, and I love and adore it. So comfy, and adorable! The picnic was lovely. His cabin is out on the Eastern Shore and really beautiful. They are right at the edge of the bay, so we went out on the water.

Saturday we went to Pentagon City for a bit; I needed a birthday present for a friend and a gift for a friend who had a baby. Also, I went into the Gap and tried on the dress I mentioned the other day. I liked it, but didn't love it, so I will think about it. Now I know what size to order too, should I decide to order it. Hmmm, and if I wait a few weeks, it might be on sale! That night was a friends birthday party, so we went down to Old Town for that. We stopped at the Gap outlet on the way, as I had to exchange something there. The birthday festivities were at Cafe Salsa, which I had never been to, but was a lot of fun. Mojitos, yummm.

Sunday I spent some quality time at the library and then Steve made me dinner, which we followed with a trip to Maggie Moo's. He made scallops- my favorite!

I have several assignments due this week, so I am a bit stressed about those. Both classes end next week- eeek! Then I am free until September, which is good. I have a lot on my mind, regarding my classes and what I want to be doing, so this break will be a good time to get organized and figure things out.

I'd like to win the lottery this week.

I booked a flight home for the second week of July. It is my godson's first birthday and then I have a wedding, so I'll be home all week. Excellent. Steve will come up Wednesday and we may randomly drive to Canada one day, just because we can! Tim Hortons....mmmmmm.....

Oh, and if you haven't already, stop by and congratulate Heidi...she's now engaged!!! YAY!!!!

What's on your agenda this week?

dress?

Whoa, three in a row from me!

What do we think of this dress?

I am thinking of ordering for the wedding I have in a few weeks...I could use it as my "Summer 2008" wedding dress...

outfit selection?

Right, so as I just mentioned, my boss is having a picnic tomorrow at his house down the shore. If you were going to your boss's summer home for a picnic with colleagues, what would you wear? I was thinking of a cute sundress, but I'm not sure if that's inappropriate...

Un-Safeway?

Right, so perhaps some of you DCers will agree with me, that Safeway is not the best grocery store in the city. However, there is one a block from my office, so it's convenient. My boss is having a picnic at his house down the shore tomorrow, and I am making cookies. So, I ran over there to get chocolate chips and vanilla extract (I was out!). While there, I discovered that both raspberries and blackberries were on sale. I am usually rather hesitant to buy produce at Safeway and would prefer to go to Whole Foods or Harris Teeter, but I was there and they looked good. I carefully looked over the berries and made the purchase. They looked okay. I brought them back to my office and washed them all.

I am eating them now.

If you don't hear from me for a few days, it may be because of tainted berries.

Let's hope that's not the case!

What grocery store do you swear by?

I curse the day you were born!

As promised, I will share my thoughts on the Sex and the City movie, which I finally saw Saturday night with Heidi and Magda. A good time was had by all.

This movie? Wonderful. I loved it, I did. I had heard so many spoilers that I really didn't know what would happen. Of course, I had a feeling of the ending, and I was right, though it didn't come the way I thought and there were plenty of surprises along the way.

I won't be giving much away, in case you are one of the four people in America who hasn't seen it yet ;)

Some say you can't go home again; Bon Jovi sings the opposite. Saturday night, Chinatown, 7:15pm, I felt at home with those four girls we've all come to know so well. I loved the opening credits, where they reintroduced them to us, by showing some classic moments from each character. I found myself laughing at the little moments that I had forgotten about. Sure, like most others, I own all six seasons on DVD, but how often do I really watch them? Not as often as I could. I'll admit, I find myself watching the reruns at 10 and 11pm instead. I'll even admit that I tivoed an episode last week, before deleting it a few days later without watching it, knowing it was on DVD.

I digress. Really, I thought the movie was lovely, and I can't think of a thing I would change. I saw that people complained about the length, but when it ended, it left me wanting more. I also read complaints about Jennifer Hudson's character, saying how unnecessary she was- I found her hilarious. I laughed out loud at so many of her one-liners. I want to be her friend. There was also mention that some characters should have had more screen time, but in all honesty, I thought they were all represented pretty well. The core of the show is the girls friendship with one another, not their relationship with their husband/boyfriend. Sure, that is a big (pun intended!) part of it, but in every episode, friendship rises above all and I think that is the message that is coming across. Those are the friends who are there for you through anything, good or bad, happy or sad. The friends who lift you up when you've fallen to pieces and the friends who fly with you when you feel lighter then air. Those are the friends who mean the most.

I thought the movie was beautifully done. Like most others, I'm sure, it made me think of my own friendships and miss the ones who have perhaps fallen away. I try to keep close to me the people who matter the most. Once you are in my life, I try like heck to keep you there. Once you have a piece of my heart, I'll never get it back from you. I don't let people out of my life that easily, because if you are there, it's for a reason and I'll do everything I can to not let you go. I've made some pretty amazing friendships over the years. While some may not be as close as we once were, they are still there.

I've never had that core group of girlfriends though, like Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha. Sure, I have friends, good friends and best friends, but most of them travel in different circles and most don't overlap. Sometimes I wish they did, but most days, I love each unique bond that I share with others in a way that nobody else can understand. That's what makes a friendship. Unbreakable bonds.

Here's a quote I love- not from SATC in this case, but from another amazing and now-defunct show- My So-Called Life...

"There are so many different ways to be connected to people. There are the people you feel this unspoken connection to, even though there's not even a word for it. There's the people who you've known forever who know you in this way that other people can't because they've seen you change. They've let you change."

That sums things up pretty well, wouldn't you say?

Alaska anyone?

It is really, really hot and I am not impressed. I'm not a warm-weather girl, never have been and never will be. Put me a turtleneck sweater in a snowstorm any day and I'm a happy girl. This? No thank you.

So! Last night I FINALLY saw Sex and the City: The Movie!!! I met up with Heidi and Magda and had a really great time. Such fabulous ladies. Pomegranate margaritas and guacamole with chips. Delish. Loved the movie, and will write more about it later.

I went to Target today with the intention of buying a new air conditioner. As I mentioned the other day, mine broke at the end of last summer, which wasn't so terrible. Well, they had ONE left, and it was $475. Seriously. Yeah, I didn't buy that. I did buy another fan (3 of 3) and will be buying an AC this week. Ugh.

Right, and now I will be driving to DCA (Reagan National ) to pickup Steve at 12:30am. His first flight was delayed, and landed in Atlanta after the connecting flight had departed. Ooops. The next flight they had gets him in after midnight. I've had his car all week, so I need to pick him up. He did offer to get a cab, but then his car would still be at my apartment, and he kinda needs it to get to work tomorrow.

How was your weekend?

berries galore!

I didn't cook last night. I had every intention to, and had the recipe planned. I had everything I needed, except for the limes, so I grabbed two from Safeway on my way home. By the time I got home, I was so stinking hot that I just didn't feel like cooking! So, I had a bowl of cereal for dinner. Awful, I know.

Coconut-Lime Chicken a la Lexi will have to wait for another night! I've made it before...it's good too!

My office is so quiet today, most aren't here. I am eating fresh raspberries and blueberries that I bought at Whole Foods yesterday. Yum. Oh, and I have this amazing vanilla sugar from Penzeys Spices to sprinkle over it. I am in love with that store. Have you been there? They have one in both Falls Church and Rockville, though I haven't been to the Rockville location. Lovelovelove.

My apartment building is an older building, and it doesn't have CAC (oh, the horrors!). Funny related side story- nearly four years ago, when I was moving down here from the great state of New Hampshire, I was stalking craigslist for apartments, and I noticed that all the ads said "CAC." So, I asked my father what that meant...when he told me, my response was "people have air conditioners in their homes?!" Honestly, I don't know anyone in NH with central air. It's just not needed. Sure, there are days that are hot and sticky, but not like here...so, fans and window units do the trick. Anyway. My point is this. I had a window unit the last two summers, but by the end of last summer, it was beginning to die. So, when I took it from my window (and when I said I, I really mean my big buff boyfriend!), we decided to just toss it and get a new one this year. It had been given to me, so it was several years old at this point. This is the first week where it is truly hot and sticky, so not having one up until now was fine. Seeing how it is supposed to be 90* this weekend, I guess I need to make a Target run! Ugh....

How many of you do yoga? I've been meaning to for a long time now, and there is a new studio that just opened by my office. They are having yoga for newbies workshops, so I think I may go. They are also having a bookclub, and reading Three Cups of Tea, which I am almost finished with, and loving. It is really inspiring and makes me want to do something worthwhile.

Weekend plans? Tomorrow I am going to see Sex and the City: The Movie- FINALLY! So then I can read all your reviews, since I've been ignoring them until now, as I am afraid of spoilers :)
Steve will be back from Iowa on Sunday, so I'll pick him up at the airport. I also have a "meeting" with a "friend." Long story short, a girl I was friends with for nearly ten years decided to effectively end our friendship a few months ago over a misunderstanding. I said something, she misinterpreted it and wouldn't accept my apology, but expected me to forgive her for the really awful and offending things that she said to me. Frankly, I didn't say anything wrong- it was just something that was miscontrued via email, since you can't tell someones tone. I apologized more then once, but she wouldn't have any of it. We didn't talk for a few months and then she emailed me last weekend. So, we are getting together to talk about it. I'm not sure what I want to say at this point....

contest?

The contest is not mine, just one I discovered and am contemplating entering, but today is the deadline, so I have about an hour to decide :)

I found a new food blog- by Rachel-

and look at the contest

Fun, eh? Should I play?

a hypothetical story

Alright, here's a story. Let's say you saw a posting for a job you really wanted. You read the posting, and you were mostly qualified. Meaning, you had every qualification they asked for, with one exception (a very specific degree), but that was only preferred, not required. So, like any other ambitious girl, you sent out a sparkling cover letter with your smashingly updated resume to the HR person listed as the contact. The same day, you received an acknowledgement from said HR rep, saying thank you for submitting your resume, they'd be in touch, blah, blah, blah. You waited. Maybe three weeks later, you emailed the HR rep and asked the status, and were told applications were still being reviewed, thank you for your interest. Two weeks after that, you email again and again, were told that you'd be contacted should they want to speak with you, and thank you for your continued interest.

Say that was three weeks ago, and say the job posting is still listed on the website of the organization. Would you email the HR person a third time and ask about it? Or would you not, because you don't want to annoy the crap out of them and kill any chances that you may have had? Or, would you do something else, and email someone else at the organization, the head of the department for the position you applied for?

Thoughts?

boo to you!

Just kidding. No boos, I just like saying that for some reason.

I am leaving work a few minutes early today, because my second (of two) summer classes begins today and I like getting there early on the first day. Plus, I have no idea where the building is, and GWU's campus is rather spread out. Last semester I had a class on freaking K St. Anyway. Yay for Education in Emergencies!

I went to Iowa with the boy for a wedding this weekend. It was lovely; small and intimate, which I think is much nicer then a wedding with 472 of your closest friends. Ha. It was in the same town where he went to college, which was really nice. We stayed in the hotel in the Memorial Building on campus, and he gave me a tour and everything. We went to some of his old haunts, and I had a gyro from the gyro man after a few drinks at his favorite bar ($2.75 for a daiquiri!). Love it. He actually stayed out there after, he's there all week in fact, visiting his family. So I flew back to BWI alone last night. This included a stopover in Chicago, where I barely made my connection. I was literally the last person on the plane. This is not because I was slowly meandering around O'Hare, but because I had exactly 25 minutes between flight #1 landing and flight #2 departing, and of course, I was at terminal E and had to be at C. So, United Shuttle it was, and of course, there was a massive line. Ugh. Alas, I made it afterall and read Second Chance by Jane Green, which I enjoyed. It was fluffy chick-lit, perfect for in-flight reading. Got to BWI, found my luggage and Steve's car and got home around midnight. I'm a bit tired, but will survive.

How was your weekend?

Sex and the City Movie

I'm not ignoring you- I am just ignoring blogs! I am afraid to read them right now, because I don't want to read spoilers of the Sex and the City movie, since I haven't seen it yet! Until it came out, I had seen so many, so at this point, I have NO idea what will happen, and I want to keep it that way until I see it. So, I must stay away from blogs and gossip sites until this weekend when I (hopefully!) see it!

So, if you saw it, tell me if you liked it or not, but DO NOT tell me what happens!!!