I live my life up and down I-95

Blog Break

2008-08-20T10:25:00.002-04:00

In a couple of days, I'm headed to Nepal to work with an organization that creates and produces social development radio programs for kids and teens. So it looks like I won't be taking any trips along I-95 for the next 7-8 months. A new trip, a new blog. I'll be trying to update my new Julie in Nepal blog weekly, so make sure to check it out.

Byyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeee!

look who's 3! (yesterday)

2008-07-10T20:37:00.001-04:00

a little late... but happy birthday, Tai Shan. my favorite panda (even more than the engagement pandas). :)

getting back into climbing

2008-05-08T19:52:00.002-04:00

so for my ecotourism class, i decided to go back to something i know (knew?) and write about rock climbing. remember the days that i used to consider myself a climber?? yeah, that was awhile ago. in my research and while writing my paper, i rediscovered my crush on super climber Chris Sharma. i LOVE this guy. SO good and cute, too! :) anyway, i've decided i need to get back into climbing. because i used to love it and it's so much fun. so now i'm looking for climbing walls nearby (by nearby i mean, near every place that i'm applying for internships...). until then, let's watch this... Sharma doing some of the coolest and toughest climbs. word.

holy crap...

2008-04-22T16:08:00.001-04:00

i'm engaged! gordon and i are finally engaged... i'm sure everyone is so surprised. haha. gordon asked me in memphis - at the zoo! by the pandas! so it was really fun and cute! yay us! and yay for gordon actually surprising me! :)

My new favorite song

2008-04-13T19:22:00.000-04:00

I went to Spain

2008-02-22T22:42:00.003-05:00

in January, Jenny, Katie, and I went to Spain (Madrid and Barcelona) for a week. I haven't had time to blog (sadly... I have no time for anything these days). So here's some pictures to tide you all over... and because I think I've sat on these pictures since we got back. Enjoy! And go to Spain when you can!

Yay for winter break!

2007-12-28T20:45:00.000-05:00

here's a slideshow from the holidays - it includes my tour of the Library of Congress with Joy and then more Abellas than you know what to do with! happy holidays and season's greetings!

Snowed in...

2007-12-17T00:08:00.001-05:00

Seriously... the snow needs to stop. I want to change my statement and say that I DO like snow. I'd like to be able to play in the snow. I would enjoy this last round of snow if it weren't finals. :(

Today I stayed in... I wasn't about to get in the car and sit in traffic. The last storm we had this past week, I was stuck in traffic for 2 hours just getting home from school! Besides, I needed to stay in to write.

I've got 3 papers due this week. And then I'm DONE. About time, too. I've been getting restless (of course) and I'm ready to drive to DC and home. And I'm ready to go to Spain. :) CAN'T. WAIT.

What I'm not looking forward to? Researching NGOs for my second year practicum. At least I know where I'd like to go: Nepal. And I kind of know what I want to focus on: Girls' Education. It's a good thing I have a month off from school to think about other school things.

I used to like snow.

2007-12-10T01:02:00.000-05:00

I really did. Back when it would fall and school would be canceled. Or when you didn't have to do anything but play in the snow or stay indoors. Now I have to drive in it. And go to class (not outdoors, of course...). Snow is only fun if you get to see it from inside where it's warm... or when you get to play in it. Gordon seems to think I've asked for this winter. And I guess I did -- I did move to Boston with the knowledge that they have snow.

Snow is also bound to be more fun when finals are over. Hard to believe the semester has come to a close. No exams for me (luckily)... however not lucky is that I now have 5 papers to write. It'll be over soon... and that's what gets me through the days. Well, that and coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. Yay for having a Dunkin Donuts so close! America may not really run on Dunkin Donuts, but I sure as hell do.

Gordon meet Boston. Boston, Gordon.

2007-10-06T19:31:00.000-04:00

So last week Gordon came to visit. It was his first time in Boston (I'd say it's his last except he promised to come visit in the spring). We had a great time as always. We're just silly together! Who else would sit with me for a few loops on the trolley tour? :)

We hit the good stuff - the spots I like - Harbor Islands and Wagamama's. Finally got up to the North End, though we skipped out on Mike's Pastry because I forgot the name and then there was a line and I don't do lines. Went to see the Red Sox play at Fenway. While neither of us are fans of the Red Sox, we do enjoy baseball and baseball stadiums (not to mention the hot dogs - though we don't like that they use sandwich bread as a bun).

Gordon got to meet some of my friends so that was cool. The weekend felt really short, but I guess because we had so much fun. Pictures are posted to the left.

this is what grad school is like?

2007-09-23T02:36:00.001-04:00

It's been a few weeks since school started... and I guess I can deal with this. I like my classes for the most part and I like the people. It's not that bad.

I'm a little overwhelmed at times. I had a big assignment due this past week where I was freaking out about citations -do you know how long it's been since I've cited anything?? There's tons of reading, and sometimes I don't think I'm getting it at all. Other times, I'm bored out of my mind just looking for something to do. No one really mentioned that part when I signed up.

In the past few weeks, I've landed a job at the local (well, sort of local) REI. Finally, after years of wanting to work there (hello, discount and pro-deals!), I finally get it. :) Hopefully, I won't be too stressed out trying to balance school and the job. The people at REI seem pretty flexible, so that's good. As long as they realize I came to Mass to go to school and not to primarily sell gear. Speaking of gear, I wonder how many pairs of Chacos I'll need to pro-deal...

Being back at school reminds me of how everything always boils down to high school. Whether your in undergrad, grad school, or hell, even the Peace Corps, it always seems like there's drama that is just unnecessary. There's always rumors (which some are true, some aren't), there's always secrets, and there's always an in group. I try to stay away from that whole in group/out group thing, but it is interesting to watch it all play out.

So far school is going well. Gordon is coming up this week, so that'll be exciting! :)

And so it begins

2007-08-30T17:32:00.001-04:00

After having a weeklong orientation, classes have finally started. My first class of the semester? Econ on Thursday nights from 6-9. So unlucky, but I guess it's good that it's only for half a semester. My program has module classes that meet for half semesters (module I at the beginning, module II at the middle of the semester) alongside a few full semester classes. So what am I taking?

Monday
Rights-based Development (mod I)
Monitoring and Evaluation (mod II)

Tuesday
Sustainable Energy (mod II)
Ecology (mod I)
Gender & Development (mod II)

Wednesday
Framework for Development (full)
Planning & Implementation (full)

Thursday
Masculinity & Gender (mod II)
Economics (mod I)

Written out like that... it doesn't seem like this semester is going to be too bad. I'm trying to get most of my required courses out of the way so I can take fun classes next semester. It's hard to pack it all in to one year because there are SO many interesting classes. I'd like to take as many gender and ecology classes as I can because those are the most interesting to me.

Orientation was a little frustrating... but just because it was so long. I thought it would be a week of name games, but it wasn't too bad on the forced togetherness. I'm a little tired of the "what is your name? where are you from?" conversation, but I'm sure I'll get to know more people in my classes. I've met some really cool people so far and it's great to know that there are people out there that are somewhat similar to me. Working at the PR firm before was like hitting a wall - wanting to do good, but not being able to because it's not the bottom line.

In the middle of orientation, I celebrated my 26th birthday. I went out with some new friends and caught up with an old friend. :) I don't really do birthdays, so it was nice to keep it low key. Looking back, 25 was a pretty good year. Different, but good. I don't like to stay around too long in one place, so it's nice to have my 26th year in a brand new place with all new people.

Maine really is the way life should be...

2007-08-21T19:42:00.000-04:00

So about 8 years ago, I went up to Maine to meet up with some friends I had met on my Europe trip. My parents drove me up from North Carolina on a 16 hour roadtrip. It was me and 3 other girls (Katie, Stephanie, and Amanda) meeting up in Stephanie's hometown for a small reunion of sorts.

This past weekend, I went back up to Maine because now that I'm living in Massachusetts, it's only 2 hours away. The great thing I've learned about New England is that EVERYTHING is in driving distance. If you decide to go one place, why not drive a little farther to see something else while you're at it. In the case of my last roadtrip, I decided to drive all the way up to Acadia National Park and stop in to see my friend Stephanie on my way back down.

I love national parks. I think it's one of the best things about the United States and I wanted to finally visit the first national park east of the Mississippi (true fact, the NPS says so). I have to say that Acadia NP may be my second favorite national park - second, of course, to Glacier National Park in Montana. Maine is a lot like Montana... except it's got that rocky coastline putting one both at the beach and at the mountains at the same time. After rushing to the park to get a nonreservable campsite (yes, Mom, I camped by myself!) and setting up my camp hurriedly so I could get back to exploring... I drove along the Park Loop road and stopped along the way to check out some of the sights. Park Loop road is like GNP's Going-to-the-Sun road, except not as scary and not high. I went up to the top of Cadillac Mountain for a great afternoon view of Bar Harbor (you kind of have to use a Maine/Boston accent when you say it) and the Frenchman Bay. I devoted the rest of the day to driving the loop more than a few times and stopping to see Thunder Hole (a cool inlet that at the right time sounds like a thunderstorm when the waves crash), Sand Beach (the only sandy beach in the area - the rest are rocky!), and the Bass Harbor Head lighthouse.

After camping in the rain (no worries, my tent was dry thanks to my rain fly), I got up at 4:00 to drive up to the top of Cadillac Mountain again... this time to see the sunrise. It was densely foggy and windy when I got to the top. Luckily, the fog cleared for a good 20 minutes as I watched the sunrise over Bar Harbor and the Frenchman Bay. This is the first place to see the sunrise in the United States!

Since I was up, I thought I'd drive along and hit the cool spots again, though it was like I had the whole park to myself since it was so freakin' early. I stopped by Thunder Hole again to see if I would finally get to hear it sound. It did. :)

After packing up my campsite, I started on my hike on the Bear Brook trail to the summit of Champlain Mountain. It was a great hike... though I must say that hiking, while it's fun by myself, it's more fun hiking with a friend (Katie!). Besides, how many self portraits can you take... well, I took many.Made a quick stop in Bar Harbor - for an hour because parking was a highway robbery total of $5/hour! Then I headed down to Poland, ME to stay with Stephanie and her new family! Poland, ME... yes, where Poland Springs water is from. Cool fact: Stephanie has Poland Springs water straight from the tap!!! Awesome.

Stephanie, her husband Rick, and their cute little boy Andrew brought me to the Auburn/Lewiston Hot Air Balloon festival. It was really cool getting to see the the balloons and the hot air at night, though I think Andrew was a little overwhelmed. :)

The next day, Stephanie, Rick, and Andrew set off to Old Port - the historic part of Portland. It was super cute with lots of cool shops and restaurants. I think I could live in Portland... or at least outside of Portland since it's expensive there. They also brought me to Ocean Park to the beach and then back to Auburn to a family party. It was great hanging out with Stephanie and her family (her parents and sister are great!!). Later on, we went to a driving range and played miniature golf in the dark. :) Since it was the last roadtrip of the summer... why not take a more scenic route and go through the White Mountains in New Hampshire. I drove to the top of Mount Washington - a stop on the Appalachian Trail and the home of the highest recorded winds (213 mph in 1934) - where it was snowing, foggy, windy, and cold. It was great! Middle of August and I got to see snow and ice... and almost blow off a mountain! After coming back down, I saw a moose that had just caused a motorcycle accident on the roadway. crazy.

All in all... a great roadtrip and a great way to end the summer. Seeing Stephanie was great! And since Portland is only 2 hours away, I know I'll be seeing her soon. :) School starts next Thursday... and orientation starts this Friday. Here's hoping I get excited somewhere along the way...

Boston on hold... and catch up

2007-07-24T19:19:00.000-04:00

Since my last post I've explored the area a little more. Here's what I've found:

Salem (yes, the Salem - as in the witch trials) is a very strange town. A cute and very touristy place, there's more to do there than there is in Waltham. Thought about getting my palm read, but when I found out that it was $30 for a 15-20 minute reading, I said no thanks! Plus, it smelled too much like patchouli EVERYWHERE (much like how I think Boone is like). Tip: you can get your palm read for at least $5 in DC. I liked that Salem is very walkable and has a great museum (not the witch museums, those are more like the Pirates of the Carribbean ride meets storefront churches) the Peabody Essex Museum. Got a tip from Mom about the origami exhibit there and it was really cool.

Witch Trials Memorial - 19 benches for the 19 people executed during the trials. Each inscribed with a name of the accused.

Origami of a wizard.

Waltham (where my school is and where I am now) doesn't really have a lot going on. There's two main streets of interest - Main (imagine that) and Moody. On Main Street (Rt. 20) it looks like there's 2 pubs/taverns that look kind of cool. My walk on Moody St. did nothing for me and took me all of 30 minutes. I had ice cream at Lizzy's (okay) and went into the comic book store. I left the comic store shortly thereafter because Fantom Comics it is NOT.

Tried to find the Boston Rock Gym... that was a disaster. Next time I'll try to use the interstate rather than backroads - especially when it's raining. I never made it to the climbing gym.

Burlington AMC movie theater. It has come to my attention that there aren't very many stadium seating movie theaters in the area. Seriously? You want me to watch a movie with someone's head in my way? Oh how I miss the Regal in Chinatown (DC). Even the Uptown in Cleveland Park isn't like this! However, I did see HP5 again (I've been on an HP kick since FINISHING book 7 - more later) and saw Hairspray as well. While I love Zac Efron, I'm more excited about High School Musical 2 than I was about his almost no speaking role in Hairspray. I did like the movie, though. It was cute and I even liked a few of the songs.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED READING BOOK 7...then again, why haven't you finished yet???)I finished the book in 2 days (one was spent reading on Spectacle Island)! I liked it. Was it my favorite? No. I still love Goblet of Fire. Was it worth it? Yes and no. I think JK Rowling took the safe route in finishing the book. Gordon says, "Well, it IS a kids book." So it's understandable, but I still found it anticlimactic. I did enjoy the parts with Ron and Hermione and the most upsetting part was early on when Ron left! I can't wait to see what they do for HPaDH in the movies. I have NO idea what they can possibly cut out. And I did see the goat in HP5, Jen.

So that's what I've done... I'm going to DC and NC for the next week and half. Oh happy driving times for me. I'll be seeing HP5 again (but on IMAX this time, though not IMAX 3D which kind of sucks), seeing the boy and the girl from Once sing, and hanging out.

Think I'll go to Boston... Think I'll start a new life...

2007-07-17T21:33:00.000-04:00

Boston skyline from Spectacle Island

Yeah, odd how that Augustana song came out right around the time I got into grad school. So I've made the big move (though, it will probably only be for the year) up to the Boston metro area. Doesn't have the same ring to it as the DC metro area, but why not try another city on the east coast?

The whole family got together (plus Gordon) to help me move on Saturday. What a long trip that was! We got everything moved in to my apartment and now a few days later and my room is all set up - pictures hung and everything! As I mentioned before, I have 2 roommates and the apartment is great! It's like a Chapel Hill apartment except in New England!

Yesterday, I ventured into Boston to see what's what in the city. Also, I heard that Mandy Moore was playing in the city, so I had to go see - because I heart her! She sang only stuff from Wild Hope (her new and completely different album). Someone rudely yelled out for her to sing Candy, but honestly, that song was CRAP. Here's a clip of her singing "All Good Things" - my favorite song on her album.

So after going to her free concert at the Prudential Center (they have shops there, though I only went into the B & N), I went up to Faneuil Hall for some Boston sightseeing and people watching. Faneuil Hall (if you don't know) is a big marketplace and with shopping and eating. I would liken it to Covent Garden in London, but with more touristy things.

Faneuil Hall with Samuel Adams statue.

Big highlight: Wagamama! A great noodle bar from London that just opened their first two American stores in Boston (lucky!). DC needs to get a Wagamama and Boston needs to get a Five Guys. Just found out the closest Five Guys is in Connecticut! Grrrr.

I also took the ferry to one of the newest National Parks - the Harbor Islands. On a tip from Katie, I decided on a whim to take the ferry out to Spectacle Island which boasts a great view of the Boston skyline. It's true! The ferry ride out to the islands is cool (it was nice to watch the city drift away) and they run pretty often, so you can stay for as long or as little as you'd like. I even got to see the pebbly beaches (not too rocky, Jen). The island is actually built on top of a landfill (but you wouldn't guess it as it looks like pretty clean). Learn more about Spectacle Island here. Anyway, I definitely want to go back and check out the other islands and get in some hiking and possible camping (before the winter hits that is). I didn't get a lot of time on the island because I had to go check out Mandy again back in the city.

Me on Spectacle.

After the beach excursion, it was on to the Borders in Downtown Crossing (another large shopping area) to see Mandy give an interview, sing a couple of songs, and sign cds. The interview I wasn't too interested in because it was conducted by a life coach and I don't know how I feel about those. Especially ones that are emaciated and fake looking - what kind of advice can they give?? I waited in line (not too long, because I don't like to wait in lines) to get Mandy's autograph, but it kind of sucked because they weren't allowing pictures with her. I'm not really one for autographs, but since we were denied pictures (much cooler) I'll take it. Though... I didn't like having to buy another copy of Wild Hope - that's all she would sign and I forgot my copy at home!

So that was my trip into Boston/slightly stalking Mandy Moore. :) I definitely will be going back into the city this week to do the other touristy things (best to get them out of the way early on) like the Freedom Trail, Harvard Square, and the Museum of Fine Arts. I also want to get back to the Harbor Islands and check out Little Brewster Island (oldest lighthouse site in the country -1716).

It is still kind of weird to be living here and not just visiting... and I'm still freaked out about starting school!

Kennedy Ate Here... but who cares?

2007-06-26T19:36:00.000-04:00

from the DCist.

Walking around in Cleveland Park yesterday, I noticed that Yenching Palace had a business closed sign up on the door! While I have heard the rumors and known that Yenching would be closing, I was always hoping that it wouldn't be true. I love that place! The owners were always so nice and were always happy to see me and Gordon order our take out.

It's amazing to me that a place that is so rich in history could be closed down. And for a Walgreen's... when there's a CVS down the street.

Don't know about Yenching Palace? From their menu:

"During the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, the Yenching Palace was one of the meeting sites of the personal intermediary of President John F. Kennedy and the Emissary of the Soviet Premier, Nikita Khrushchev. It was at the last of these meetings held at the Yenching Palace that final terms were agreed upon which ended the crisis and avoided war."

See. This place was so cool! The food was great (their spare ribs AWESOME) and the staff and owners were super nice! The building itself is pretty - very frozen in time art deco with classical music playing inside.

After reading this article in the Washington Post, it looks like the owners are getting out of the Chinese food business because of health/family stuff. However, they own the building and they'll be leasing it out to Walgreen's. So yay! At least the family will still get money from Walgreen's.

Yenching... I'll miss you!

Scavenger Hunt Winners... again

2007-06-25T23:08:00.000-04:00

winners!

While some may think it is dorky (and I don't think it is)... Jenny, Gordon, and I are scavenger hunt winners again! We did another Watson Adventures scavenger hunt - this time in Fells Point, Baltimore, MD and came out on top.

We did one last year at the National Gallery and won - beating older and supposedly wiser teams. I'm sure they were wise, however, I like to win. And my team wins.

Jenny and Gordon think I'm very competitive and I'm sure others would say the same, but I don't think it's a bad thing. Who doesn't like winning?? And I don't mind if you want to play to just have fun, but I'm playing to win, so that makes it much better for me if you don't want to win.

Our scavenger hunt this time was a secrets of Fells Point hunt. There were, I think, 4-5 teams. We were given 2 hours and 22 questions. Joy likes to think that her hunt a few weeks ago was harder, because they had to solve a mystery. I say ours was probably just as hard since Gordon and I had never been there and Jenny probably didn't remember a lot of the places. Also, ours was harder because it was in a neighborhood and not in some museum that Joy has been in a thousand billion times.

We had to take a few pictures along the way. Luckily, Gordon and I like to be silly and don't mind taking weird pictures of ourselves... and Jenny plays along. So here are few that helped us win (the hunt judge liked our name - The Fast and The Curious - and our pictures).

Task 1: Act out a show/movie that has been filmed in B'more. Gordon and I acting out Homicide.

Task 2: Act out your team name. Gordon as the fast, Jenny as the curious.

Task 3: Act out a superhero deed. Gordon as the Hero (I let him be the hero) saving me from an oncoming car (not really, it was parked).

Here's a picture of one of the answers we didn't get. It was very much a hide in plain sight kind of answer... and we missed it! Even took the picture of Gordon and me by a car right under it!

They have hunts all over the east coast. I'm thinking of seeing if I can do one in Boston, or maybe even hosting a hunt myself. It seems easy enough and you get to see what everyone writes as the answers! You can check out their website here. It's a fun DC metro kind of thing and they have hunts in Philly, Boston, Baltimore, and NY.

Take Me Home... Country Roads

2007-06-22T00:22:00.000-04:00

So a couple of weekends ago, Gordon and I roadtripped out to West Virginia. Not the most obvious of choices when one thinks of roadtrips, but we were looking to get out of the city one last time before I move up to Mass.

After ditching the idea of going to New York (because I dislike the place. Sorry, Joy.), we decided to head out to WV because we'd both only ever really been to Harper's Ferry with JrNYLC - every Monday. We went to Berkeley Springs, WV, because we'd heard that it was really cute. What's there to do in BS, WV? Well, not a lot. As the name implies, there are some springs - famous ones at that. George Washington liked to take in the waters in Berkeley Springs. I think that may be all it is famous for actually. But it IS a cute town.

Our first stop however was getting back to my outdoorsy roots and going hiking. Here's the odd thing about West Virginia: being close to DC (like an hour to an hour and a half), you get a lot of the "weekend warrior" types. You know the ones that think that outdoorsy is wearing rainbow flipflops and stepping outside of your car. The ones that are used to driving up to the panoramic vistas and thinking they've never seen anything better. It's one of the things I dislike about DC. Anyway, so Gordon and I went to the Cacapon State Park which was supposed to have great trails and a big lake. We thought, hey, we'll pick up a trail map at the park HQ and be on our way for a few hours. That's so NOT what happened. Somehow we ended up lost on the roads through the park... which somehow ended up at the lookout. The lookout where a platform was built to get a better look at the pretty view (seriously). A platform. Luckily the view was pretty good... though I don't think it needed an unnatural eyesore of a platform to see it:

view from the top

Gordon and I drove back down the mountain and said forget the trail map, let's just go. So we hiked for a little bit on the Ziler Loop trail. Now, I haven't been hiking in quite sometime. I'm not as young as I used to be... nor in shape. Even before I was a slow hiker, but this time I was making us stop every few minutes! We hiked up the mountain some more, however, and found a good lunch spot on some rocks. After enjoying our bought from Food Lion sandwiches (poor planning on our part), we decided we should probably head back because we didn't know how much time we'd have to check out town and make in time for our 4pm reservations at the springs. So we hiked out and went to discover town.

Gordon and I on the trail

The thing is... there's not a whole lot of town to discover! Their downtown which everyone told us was cute... WAS cute, but also only 2 blocks long. We stopped hiking for this? Now, I come from a pretty small town, too, so I was thinking cute, historic, pedestrian friendly. Berkeley Springs however was cute (and overpriced boutique shops and restaurants), historic in that Geo. Washington liked to go there, and there was all of 2 crosswalks on the main drag (which is also a state highway and busy with mack trucks). The springs? The center of town at the Berkeley Springs State Park - the smallest state park and where state park includes a public pool.

see? told you he was here.

I had my first massage experience after taking in the waters at the springs. The massage was pretty cool for being a person that does not like people touching her. The roman bath was pretty cool. The state park offers the best deal in the area on spa stuff - a 20 minute private roman bath, 30 minute full body massage, and 5 minute shower all for $45. I would do it again. What I wouldn't do again is get a pedicure. As much as I don't like people touching me, I like even less people touching my feet. I thought I'd use the pedicure as a way to get over my phobia... but no. I still don't like people touching my feet even if my toenails are now a cute silver color.

Lucky for Gordon and I for our night in town, we had reserved tickets for a local play. Lucky, I say, since there really is nothing to do in the town (you can only sit at the springs until dusk anyway). The play was The Nerd. It was hilarious!! So funny and not what I was expecting it to be.

The next day, I had that pedicure that I didn't like and then we left town. Stopped by the farmer's market on the way out -- all 6 tents. That took up like 2 minutes. With the car still our's until evening, Gordon and I headed to Charlestown Races and Slots and lost money. Seriously, a huge room with nothing but slot machines. It's like Vegas but without the high rollers. However, I did end up liking the place, because it was SO seedy, it was awesome!

We ended up going back to Charlestown this past Friday for the evening as well... and losing more money again. Gordon won some, but it doesn't count because he didn't give me any.

Who Says You Can't Go Home...

2007-06-13T10:31:00.001-04:00

Though I don't call New Jersey home (I'll leave that to Bon Jovi), I do call North Carolina home! A few weeks ago, the three of us went down to visit the old alma mater UNC-Chapel Hill. Gordon and I just hung out and went to the zoo with his brother and around the old school. Jenny was busy writing a story. Check it out...

School's Out

And here's a couple of pictures from the NC Zoo in Asheboro (no pandas here, though still a good zoo.)

Spots that aren't in Jenny's article that shouldn't be missed in Chapel Hill:

- Pepper's Pizza (my FAVORITE place to eat in CH - has now grown up and moved to an actual real restaurant space on Franklin St.)
- The main quad on Sunday morning or pretty much any place on campus on a Sunday summer morning. Carolina is at it's second best without anybody around. (First best is bustling with college students before the 12 o'clock classes).

T-13 days

2007-06-12T22:25:00.000-04:00

I submitted my letter of resignation today. While it's been known for awhile, it's still kind of weird to think that I am actually quitting. I'll be moving up to Massachusetts in July and then school starts in August. Whoa.

I'm not sure what I'll do once I move up to Waltham. I suppose to could try and get a retail job-- go back to my outdoor gear shop ways and try to beg for a job at REI. It looks like there's a couple within 20-30 mi of my apartment. There's also a couple of rock climbing gyms that could also be possibilities. I'm excited to get to know a new place. It'll be good to get the lay of the land before I start school so I won't be too freaked out. Maybe if I start climbing again, I'll make some new friends before school starts.

Statue at Brandeis

I'm not excited about moving... but I'm not moving too much stuff. Pretty much just clothes and a bed. I pushed my move in date so I could watch Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix here in DC. I'm a dork, yes, but it's much better to see HP5 with people I know than not. Besides... I want to see it at the Uptown (the best place to see a big movie in DC).

You can see the trailer here - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix trailer

i love this kid!

2007-06-02T22:02:00.000-04:00

some Tai Shan footage... he's SO big now! He'll be 2 on July 9th. He's so cute.

How come people don't visit Missouri?

2007-05-29T23:25:00.001-04:00

Gordon and I went to visit Katie this weekend! We had a TON of fun (of course... there's only fun times with Katie!). We went all over Missouri and even ventured into Kansas for a little bit (but we hurried back out as soon as we could).

Katie says there's not much to do in Missouri, but Gordon and I (and I'm pretty sure, Katie, too) were exhausted after our trip! Kansas City is the city of fountains and my first trip to the city I saw only 1 fountain. This time, I may actually believe that it IS the city of fountains as I saw definitely over 10. Some observations about Missouri's fountains/statues:

- they like horses. I asked Katie what the horses were about, but she didn't know. I don't know either. UNLESS... it's going back to the whole homesteading/western expansion era. hmm. possibly.

- they really honor their firefighters. Seriously. Every fire department I saw had statues of firefighters. Katie says that firefighters are heroes and should be honored. I agree, but just pointing it out.

- Kansas City and its fountains are like Philadelphia and its art. Everywhere you turn, around every corner, there's a fountain. However, I found KC to be quite cleaner than Philly (but I hate Philly).

We went to the Great American Barbeque Festival. We got there before the midwest crowds descended upon the place, so it's like we had the whole place to ourselves. The barbeque was GREAT... and American. haha. It was a lot of fun even if there was a crappy 80s cover band.

Katie took us to the Nelsons-Atkins Art Museum, a surprisingly good museum. I say surprisingly good, just because would you have expected it? It had some good works by Calder, Renoir, Monet, Manet, etc. A lot of good sculptures, too. The Asian art was also a good collection. Apparently, the Kansas City must-see art are these giant shuttlecocks (haha) in the sculpture garden of the museum. Very whimsical and interesting. I recommend taking pictures of yourself like your holding a shuttlecock in your hand. We did.

We went to the Liberty Memorial which offers a great view of the city. I enjoy any skyline view - it gives a better sense as to how big the city is and help put it in perspective and shows you landmarks so you can't get lost (scratch that, easier to get un-lost). :) We walked around the Plaza (the high end shopping area. Think Rodeo Drive but in middle America). I bought the Paul Shirley book, but missed his book signing. If you don't know who Paul Shirley is, you can check him out here (he's funny and cute - of course, I like him!).

Katie drove us across the whole state (past many many many porn stores and billboards) to St. Louis to see the sights and go to the Cardinals game. Katie got to catch up with her friends from school and I got to FINALLY see a Cardinals home game - and in the new Busch stadium! The stadium is awesome, the Cardinals are great (even if they aren't playing consistently well this season), and we all had a lot of fun. Even when they had a rain delay with 1 (ONE!) out to go. The Nats decided to play some baseball and try to rally in the 9th inning, but with the heavy rain not letting up, they covered the field. Then they uncovered the field. Then they covered the field. Then they uncovered it again and started throwing fresh dirt between the bases. And it kept on raining. So we left and stayed at Katie's friends' AWESOME victorian house which made me consider settling somewhere and buying a house. But then I re-thought that and decided no. The Cards finished playing the game sometime later. They won. YAY! :)

We saw the Arch with all the rest of the Memorial Day tourists and then headed back to Kansas City (with a stop at Mizzou and Shakespeare's Pizza - yum). Completely pooped (yes, pooped) we baked cookies and stayed in (my perfect night in) and watched movies. Yesterday we went to see Katie's family for lunch before heading out. I love Katie's family. If I were living in the midwest, I'd want them to hang out with. Her family is SO much fun!!

I had such a fun time hanging out with Katie!!! I wish we lived closer together. Maybe after grad school we'll move to Seattle and have more Julie and Katie fun times. Besides, she likes Gordon too... so he can come along if he wants. :)

When we got home... we thought (silly us) it'd be a good idea to watch Pirates of the Carribean 3 at the Uptown. A good movie. Long, but good.

Mad about TV

2007-05-16T11:36:00.000-04:00

This week are the network tv upfronts where they tell the public about what's on this fall. It's a time for shows to finally get renewed or cancelled. It's a time to show us what looks good and what's worth recording (or TiVo-ing if you're into TiVo).

However this time around, there's been nothing (as of yet) to get super excited about.

Friday Night Lights was renewed (YAY!) but it's been put to a crappy timeslot at 8pm on Fridays. Seriously? Fridays? Thanks, NBC for bringing back a quality show-- one that needs to get viewers, but already has the critics on their side. What better way to get viewers than to put a great show on Friday night when almost no one is watching TV!!! Why did you have to bring it back, NBC, if you were going to put it in a suicide timeslot? Just so you can get all of us who are hooked even more invested and then you'll take it off your schedule after a few bad ratings?

CBS canceled Jericho. Another good show, that yes, maybe was slow after the long hiatus, but was a good show. So now we'll never know what could happen after a nuclear holocaust. The season (now series) finale left us with them fighting it out to save their town-- a little Angel-esque, but even Angel is finishing the story in comic books. CBS says that Jericho wasn't performing even though it had a pretty solid following in the beginning. CBS shouldn't have waited so long to put it back on the air (ABC did the same with Lost and got the same results-- but would you cancel Lost? Of course not.) Maybe the network execs shouldn't put such long breaks in the middle of intense tv shows.

ABC took Men in Trees off of the schedule this spring and didn't let them finish their season... even though they had finally gotten viewers after Grey's Anatomy (don't even get me started on that crappy show). So they brought Men in Trees back (yay!) but also put it's original timeslot of 10pm on Friday. Really? When it didn't get a good following in it's first run in that timeslot? The network knows it doesn't work, so why try it again?

I'm still waiting to hear if my other show on the bubble, Supernatural, will be coming back to the CW. I mean, it's the CW... what ELSE will they put on that network?? Chances are with the way things are going... another good show will bite the dust.

But what's in store for the fall? Prepare yourselves for another slew of television's worst -- 2 shows based on Lipstick Jungle? Didn't we already have Sex and the City?? A spin off of America's Co-Dependent Women, I mean, Grey's Anatomy? A show based on the Geico cavemen? Do you think it'll be funny beyond a 30 second commercial?

ABC Fall Preview
NBC Fall Preview
CBS Fall Preview

I don't think that network executives actually watch tv. How did they feel when their favorite tv show got dumped from the schedule in the middle of the season? How about when they became invested in one really good show only to have it pulled in the second season?

While I will be giving up on TV next year because of studying (we'll see how that works out)... am I really going to be missing anything important? Have the network execs really given up on providing quality television for whatever next celebrity reality show sells (really, Skating with Stars)? Will there be anything other than CSIs -- maybe a CSI: NO ONE REALLY CARES? Can we see something other than America's youth embarassing themselves over trying to be the next idol, model, etc? Somehow I think I'll get out of school and still see the same crap television that's just recycled and repackaged for the next year. Great...

UPDATE: Supernatural was renewed. :) Yay!

I'm a Travelin' Wo(Man)

2007-04-30T22:37:00.000-04:00

Another delayed post. I've been super busy and traveling all over. Well, not all over, but for the past 2 weekends and then another 2 weekends straight in May!

Two weekends ago, we took a roadtrip to Pittsburgh, PA. Why Pittsburgh? Seriously, because it was there. Pittsburgh is one of the few cities up here that none of us have been to. Surprisingly enough, P-burgh was actually very interesting.

There's a lot of museums to go to-- random ones, like the Andy Warhol and there's one about the French and Indian War. We went to the Andy Warhol one and saw some of his great works. I'm not a fan of Warhol really-- maybe it's the drugs and the sex with everyone, I don't know. But I like his "Silver Clouds" installation. Silver balloons floating around an empty room. Very fun!

We also went to the Heinz History Center to see an exhibit showing all of the Pulitzer prize winning photos. What did I learn? To win the Pulitzer, you have to shoot something sad and depressing. Looks like none of my photos of silly faces is going to be winning a Pulitzer anytime soon.

We also got to tour the Heinz Field-- where the Steelers play. Obviously, I'm not a fan of the Steelers, really, as I dislike football (unless it's the Dillion Panthers on Friday Night Lights). The stadium was still very cool to go around and see. Got to go right down to the field, go into the Steelers locker room, sit in the super expensive club seats. The place is HUGE, but I suppose most NFL stadiums are.

On the way back home, we stopped off to see 2 Frank Lloyd Wright houses. We're big on Frank Lloyd Wright houses. We saw his famous Falling Water house and his lesser known, cheaper Kentuck Knob. Falling Water was what you'd expect-- very cool and interesting. Kentuck Knob was also cool but in a different way, like someone could actually live there. Falling Water is one of those houses you'd love to have, but wouldn't really be able to live in it. Kentuck Knob has cool sculpture garden and a more lived in kind of feel to it.

So that was Pittsburgh.

This past weekend, Gordon and I drove up to Waltham/Boston to go apartment hunting for me. We left Friday night (without any sleep really) and got into Waltham at 6am -- 3 hours ahead of my first apartment viewing! After seeing 5 apartments, sleeping in random parking lots just trying to get ANY sleep at all, and driving all over Waltham... I've found a place that I think will be very good for me. I'll be living with 2 girls in a very nice apartment complex (almost like the cute new-ish ones in Chapel Hill). I'm very excited, though the decision between places was really hard! :( Luckily everyone was understanding and I got to make the decision without feeling too guilty.

I got to show Gordon my new school-- Brandeis University. It's a very cute campus. Nothing like Chapel Hill, but I guess not a lot of schools are going to be like it. I bought a t-shirt that says Brandeis, but in Hebrew! How cool is that? I'll post a picture soon.

We also got to see Fay!!! Yay, Fay! She's living in Brighton and going to BU for Public Health. I'm really excited that we got to see Fay since we haven't seen her since we've been back in the states. I'm also superexcited that she'll be in the area for a little while when I move up to Waltham.

So now that I'm back in DC for the next 2 weekends before my next two trips, I plan to sleep and recover. Well, sort of. Next weekend, we'll be volunteering with Servathon 2007/Greater DC Cares by rebuilding a nursery playground. We'll also be catching up on movies-- Hot Fuzz (Have you NOT seen Shaun of the Dead???) and Spiderman 3 (so we can finally end the madness that is Tobey McGuire as a superhero).

Check out the pics from my Pittsburgh and Waltham trips.

I'll Take It!

2007-03-22T23:43:00.001-04:00

So if you don't know already... I love panda bears! Tai Shan, the cutest baby panda here at the DC National Zoo is my super favorite animal. However... there's a new baby bear that's been getting a lot of attention lately: Knut, the baby polar bear. If you haven't seen him in the news or on CuteOverload (the funnest website ever!), you've been missing out on this new bear that's giving Tai Shan a run for his money-- maybe.

Knut was born at the Berlin zoo... however, his mom rejected him and so animal activists were demanding that the bear be killed. KILLED?! They think that if he were out in the wild and his mom rejected him, he would die. I love animals-- baby ones are the best-- and I wouldn't kill it just because it's mom can't or doesn't want to take care of it. So now the cutest little polar bear will be sent to a different zoo (wouldn't it be cool if it was the DC National Zoo???? Tai Shan and Knut could be BFF!). If they can't find a zoo to take little Knut in, I will. I would gladly raise a little polar bear (especially since I can't raise Tai Shan). I'd much rather have a baby bear (panda or polar) than a baby human, for sure.

Knut's got such a cutie face-- like a little grandpa. And who doesn't like baby animals? People without a heart, I'm sure. Enjoy the couple of videos of the cute Knut romping around and Tai Shan back when he was a mere babe.

Hockey at it's best

2007-03-21T14:14:00.000-04:00

So maybe it wasn't the Flyers (oh how I loved the Lindros days), the Rangers (I liked them with Messier in the net), or even the Penguins (who doesn't like the Mario Lemeiux story???), but the Capitals game on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Lightning was pretty exciting!

I've never been to a hockey game, though, I would say that I like the sport. I'm not one to follow the Stanley Cup finals or track draft picks (I don't even know if UNC had a hockey team-- I'm guessing not). Pretty much all I know about hockey, I picked up from the Mighty Ducks movies (classic!) and the Cutting Edge (another good one). The game on Sunday was pretty exciting-- and I wasn't bored at all. The score was 7-1 in the end, so there was even a lot of scoring (which you don't get at soccer games, or even all baseball games). I saw a guy get a hat trick (3 goals in one game) and saw another come close. We saw a fight-- what everyone wants from a live hockey game, but doesn't always get. I would have preferred a bench clearing fight, but those are pretty rare (and I'd rather see one in baseball anyway), so I'll be okay with only 2 guys fighting. :)

Another cool thing about the hockey game-- besides the W, the fight, and the hat trick-- the music is way better than at basketball and baseball games. It was kind of like listening to 106.5 the End (if you live near Charlotte, NC, you know what I'm talking about)-- all 90s alternative rock. I half expected to hear my favorite band of old Bush, but instead they played Prodigy and who doesn't like "Smack My B*tch Up"?

Gordon and I wondered if the Russian mafia shows up to Caps games. We're pretty sure they go to the Rangers games-- though looking at their roster, perhaps it's the Czech mafia that supports the team instead. There's a couple Russians on the Caps, but I don't know if there's enough of a Russian community around here for the mafia to be out and about. Either way, no one near us was part of any mafia that we could tell. There was a cute little girl though that had a ton of energy and really liked to spell C-A-P-S. I don't really see her as being a mob boss. :) We did however see a really cool Russian Ovechkin jersey (he plays left wing)-- it's always nice to get to use my Cyrillic skills! I think my favorite Capital is Olie Kolzig (the goalie from South Africa). He's getting on in hockey (and pro-sport) years-- he's almost 37!-- and been with the Capitals for 17 seasons!

Here's to some more hockey games while I'm still in DC. Go Caps!

O Say Can You See Fort McHenry?

2007-03-13T23:06:00.000-04:00

So on a whim this past weekend, we decided to go to Baltimore. None of us are really fans of Baltimore-- their baseball sucks, it's not really (probably never was) the city that reads, and there's nothing much outside of the inner harbor. Besides, Gordon and I spent many nights in Baltimore sleeping in the Maryland Science Center with JrNYLC.

But it was a nice day... and we were restless. So we went to Baltimore and decided to go check out Fort McHenry. Some background information about Fort McHenry (for those of you that don't know):

During the War of 1812, the brick fort defended the Baltimore harbor and stopped a British advance into the city. Surrounded by water on three sides and far enough from Baltimore to provide protection without endangering the city, it was the valiant defense of the fort by 1,000 Americans that inspired Francis Scott Key, a lawyer and amateur poet, to compose the Star Spangled Banner, originally entitled Defense of Fort McHenry.

--http://www.baltimore.org/fort_mchenry.htm

Fort McHenry was pretty cool. It's a fort-- so it's very fort like. And there's actual ramparts, though we saw nothing bursting in air. We had a lot of fun posing with cannons and jail cells (see pictures to the left).

It's good to know that there's other fun things in Baltimore. You should check it out.

best band to see live...

2007-03-12T23:30:00.000-04:00

Guster. Saw them a couple weeks ago at the 9:30 Club and once again, they put on a great live show. If you haven't been, you should go as soon as they get to your city. If you haven't heard of them, you should give them a listen. Going to their concert is like hanging out with your friends and having a sing along in the car on a long roadtrip. :) I wouldn't say that they are my favorite band, but I would say that they never disappoint. I've seen them 5 or 6 times now and I'll probably see them again whenever they come back again. I'd really like to see them in Boston (that's where they're from-- they all went to Tufts).

Anyway, check out their myspace page and go see a show.

http://www.myspace.com/guster

I actually did make it back from the PI

2007-03-09T23:12:00.000-05:00

It's been forever since I posted here, but after the Philippines and Hong Kong it's been non-stop craziness! The Philippine Islands were great. The night in Hong Kong was really cool! I had a really fun time. I won't post the whole trip in here, but I will add the photos (there's like hundreds--I'm not kidding).

Things to remember: Religious festivals (Sinulog) in religious countries (the Philippines) may lead to human stampedes, everything's cheap in the Philippines, resort stays may be something to look into, throwing up on a plane is NEVER fun, who knew Hong Kong would be so cheap and cool and kind of cold, US Customs officers are NOT friendly, NOT courteous, and ARE jerks, and Viva Pit Senor!

Since the Philippines... Katie AND my parents came to visit (YAY!), it's been non-stop Peace Corps volunteer reunions, everyone and their mother comes to DC all at once, the Eastern Shore is very cool-- and very quiet. I've taken tons of pictures, so take a look if you really need to catch up with me. Or really catch up with me via email/phone/smoke signals/etc.

Peace Out... I'll be better at blogging.

One thing I remember from Uzbekistan

2007-01-18T00:27:00.000-05:00

A very cool bollywood club song that I heard ALL the time in my favorite restaurant in Jizzakh (my site). This song always came on the tv (all the good restaurants had one) and I always wanted to buy it, but could never find the CD. Baby H-- yet to have a CD here in America, but was the coolest music you could find in Uzbekistan (though not on CD).

Here's the video:

http://www.markacadey.net/mcn/audio/india/films/html/hindi-video-mere-naseeb-mein-baby.htm

And it's available on iTunes if you like it... just look up the title: mere naseeb mein

Tonight-- drive to NY. Tomorrow night-- fly to the Philippines. Word. So weird that it's finally time for this vacation. Couldn't come at a better time. :)

Next Stop: the Philippines

2007-01-13T15:07:00.000-05:00

So next week, my family is going on our second family vacation in 6 months-- the Philippines. Back to the homeland. It'll be my first trip to the PI (Philippine Islands-- there's over 1800 of them) and my second trip to a developing nation.

This trip is causing a stir among the family because the PI isn't just any regular trip. My dad wants to see his classmates (as always), my mom gets to see her family that's still there, and the three daughters? 2 of them are stressing out and I'm okay with it. Jen and Joy have been freaking out the past week because of what will we do in the PI? where will we stay? what should we bring? I figure everything will work itself out-- and I knew Jen and Joy would want to plan things anyway. That's how London worked, too.

What am I looking forward to? I've never been to the Philippines, but from pictures it looks cool. I'm not one for hot weather, but it shouldn't be unbearable. A balmy 82 degrees last week and should remain steady at 82 for this week, too. I really want to go to the bazaar there because I miss that from my Uzbekistan experience. You can always find cool local stuff at the bazaars. The exchange rate is good-- that's what I love about developing nations, everything's cheap! $1 = 48.87 pesos. There will be some cool stuff to see in the Philippines, too-- Magellan's Cross (for full backstory click here), Sinulog (a festival for St Nino-- he's huge in the PI. See pictures of Sinulog 2005), Bantayan Church, but here's my favorite:

Merman Discovered in Cebu, Philippines

(you gotta see these pictures! scroll down when you get to the page)

I'll post again after the trip. We've got a layover in Hong Kong that we're all pretty excited about as well...

Myspace: Wanted Dead or Alive?

2006-12-28T12:48:00.000-05:00

Probably dead actually. I have to say that for awhile there, I fell onto the Myspace bandwagon. But now? I think I'm over it.

I missed out on the whole Myspace thing to begin with... when I came back to the states, I had no idea what this internet social networking thing was. And it seemed a little creepy to me due to pedophiles, child predators, and just dirty people. Then I was little intrigued when you had to be a member to see people's myspace pictures, so I created an account just so I could see people's pictures (a little stalker-ish, but I wasn't hurting anyone). After that, I kind of felt obligated to create a myspace page, decorate it all fancy, and actually use it. I went a little crazy with the decorating for like 3 weeks-- wanting to change the background, the layout, and the music. And then, I stopped. I just lost interest. It wasn't fun anymore. Well, I can't really say that it was fun outside of the design part for me.

Myspace, I've now realized, is it's own world. You definitely have to be into it if you're in it... otherwise, you're really just wasting time. In the beginning of my myspace foray, I had people from my high school wanting to be my "friend," but really, I had a hard time figuring out who some of those people were! This whole farce of myspace friends is just weird to me. Which makes me think... if we weren't friends in high school, we probably wouldn't be friends now. I don't want to be mean, but as a self-proclaimed anti-social, I'm not really one to want to start random friendships with people. Sure there's people on there that I am actually friends with, but really, just because we went to the same school doesn't mean I knew you. My high school was kind of big (not in ideas, mind you, but in population), and I'm pretty sure I didn't like school in general, so there are definitely people I didn't know. It's the same with those people who are living in DC and who randomly ask me to add them. WHY? Because we live in DC? It's not like we live together. Last time I checked DC is a pretty big city.

So I've lost the interest in Myspace because I don't think it's a social network that's actually helping people come together. Though only speaking for myself, I found that Myspace just brings along a bunch of creepies looking for very unsavory things. However, my sister has found people from her high school class that she actually knew and wanted to get back in touch with... so maybe Myspace works for some. To me, though, myspace is dead. I'd rather contact my real friends through email. :)

To see some creepy stories about Myspace read these:

Myspace Murder Plot

Weirdos at Home

Is there LIFE after KIDS??

2006-12-18T17:59:00.000-05:00

Something I've been wondering for awhile... as I love working with kids, but really don't want any of my own. Do parents get to do fun stuff after they have kids? I know all parents in the entire world think "oh, having a baby is one of the best things that I ever did... it changed my life." Well, of course, it changed your life-- you had to be responsible for another human being and you had to feed it and educate it and worry about it.

But my question is... can you still be selfish after you have kids?

I was at a concert this weekend-- annual Joy of Christmas choral concert at the National Cathedral (click here for a virtual tour)-- and saw something that made me wonder. There was a group of families-- maybe about 2 families, each with small toddler-ish kids. One of the moms showed up 30 minutes late (which at that point, do you really want to go to the concert at all??) with kid in tow. She sat down, the kid got antsy and she left. SERIOUSLY... they left. After sitting for about 20 minutes. Another kid in the group, after the choir (who weren't bad, definitely not Raffi... but at least it could have put a kid to sleep) finished a hymn, the kid yells, HE SUCKS. Yeah... that's pretty good raising of a kid if they are saying things suck at the age of 2. So after trying to quiet the tyke down to no avail... they left too. Pretty soon... the entire group was gone. Tickets wasted, parents without the concert they were hoping for.

So when you have kids and you have to watch them and entertain them... does that mean you don't get to do the fun stuff you always wanted to do? Does your life essentially stop once their's begins? Interesting, and just a little sad.

Is this why tons of families in DC and other metro areas have nannies (also, note, a lot of them here are filipina nannies)? Does having a nanny give you the time to be selfish again?

Awhile ago, there was a story of a woman who climbed Mount Everest. Her name was Alison Hargreaves and she was a mother of 2. She summitted Everest without oxygen (no small feat, in case you didn't know, considering Everest is 29,000+ ft. tall). Her husband, a climbing photographer, stayed home to watch the kids. The same climber summited K2 in Pakistan. Shortly after summitting, she died, along with 3 other climbers in a sudden storm. She was criticized (yes, after her death) for taking on such a dangerous sport while being a mother. Is that fair? She was a climber before the kids and a climber after the kids were born... did that make her a bad mother? Was she supposed to stop when she had the kids? Something to think about... FYI: her son has an interest in climbing now, too.

I like kids... but I also like being able to do what I want. Does that make me selfish? Yeah, I guess so. I like being able to sit through a concert, even a choral one-- which I've decided I don't like, if I want. I like the choice. If I had kids, I'd probably still sit through the concert... but my kids probably wouldn't be shouting that someone sucks in a very quiet cathedral.

Back in the saddle...

2006-12-12T23:10:00.000-05:00

Hi ya'll. So I know... where the hell have I been lately? I leave you (all 3 of you) with rants about TomKat for like 3 weeks or something??? Sorry about that.

I have to say it's because I've been busy. Busy gym-ing, watching tv, working, etc. A 10-second catch-up:

Thanksgiving was awe-some (she says in a sing-song-y voice). Had a lot of fun... and we convinced Joy to come down to surprise the parents. Good eatin' and fun NC times-- Tanglewood (the lights that Mom wants everyone to see every year) and Biltmore Estate. See pictures at the left.

Joined a gym and have a trainer for a few sessions. She's from NC, too. Been working out 3 times a week... and I still don't like gym-ing, but it needs to be done.

Took a day off from work and Gordon took a sick day (which we proclaimed as Senior Skip Day-- Gordon didn't have one in high school!) and we played around in Virginia. Visited the George Washington Masonic National Memorial and the new-ish Air and Space Museum out by Dulles airport. See pictures at left.

Movies I saw and liked: Casino Royale (not as cute 007, but more classic James Bond action), The Holiday (a cute romantic comedy where Jack Black shows that he can act normal-- sort of). Movies I didn't like and wasted my time with: Hoot (seriously, Jimmy Buffett can write better songs than those on the soundtrack-- right???)-- a conservation-y for kids flick that definitely has some homosexual undertones which was just out of place for the genre.

What's next? Keeping up with the blog better-- I promise! Seeing more movies-- looking forward to We Are Marshall (what day is it? game day!). More gym-ing. Holidays in NC again-- yay!

It needed to be said...

2006-11-20T16:35:00.000-05:00

I'm so over TomKat. Honestly... I think Tom Cruise sold his soul to the devil to have everything he wants. And there goes Katie Holmes' "great" acting career. And their kid looks like they had it like a year and a half ago... Nicole Kidman got out while she could.

Headlines from "THE celebrity nuptials of the season":
Tom, Katie Cruise to Matrimony

Mr. and Mrs. TomKat off on honeymoon

Whatever... it's sad to say I'm more interested in Britney Spear's didn't-see-that-one-coming divorce from that dumb guy.

Maybe Amazing Race for me...

2006-11-19T22:24:00.000-05:00

Well, folks-- I'm working on convincing Gordon to try out for the Amazing Race 12. Turns out that applicant entries for the next Amazing Race (11) was June 6, 2006. 2006! So we don't have a chance at getting on that one (besides, Jen says its an All-Stars one). So now they have applications up for Amazing Race 12 due Jan. 2007... that would shoot during the summer of next year. I could totally see Gordon and I doing it this summer! We would be the coolest team, too. We'd be competitive, smart, and ready to do anything. Except maybe not swim-- as we're both not good swimmers, but we can totally work on that! And Gordon can do all the eating the gross food challenges. And I can do all the climb-y ones. So come on... let's go already!

Not sure if anyone out there (like anyone reads this!) watches the Amazing Race this year... but the cute Asian team -- the Cho brothers-- got kicked off tonight. They were really nice... okay, a little too nice (I don't think I would've waited on the other team as much as they did), but they still ran a good race. But to get kicked off like that?? Having to stop to talk to Ukrainian police? Not fair! Also, really, having to put up with the Alabama team's constant complaining and coat-tail riding? The Alabama team should've gotten kicked off for me ungrateful and lazy for not running their own race. They'll be the next to get kicked off because who will do the race for them now that both the Chos and the Kentucky people are off.

On a completely different topic... going home this week for T-giving. Word. Can't wait! :)

Dear Metro Rider...

2006-11-10T22:33:00.000-05:00

I'm one of those people. You know the ones. The ones that sigh in exasperation when you use your paper farecard and you hold up my morning and evening commute. The ones that curse under their breath when you stand on the left of the escalator I'm running up. The ones that give you the mean look when you and your tourist family are standing at the doors when the stop for the Smithsonian metro is five (5!) stops away. I'm the one who isn't talking on her cellphone on an otherwise quiet train... but is forced to listen to you talking about how you hooked up with that cute guy from work and nobody knows yet-- we do now. Yes, I'm talking to you. I know who you are. You're the one who takes up both seats on the metro-- one for yourself and the other for your jam-packed CVS bag, file folder laden backpack, and smelly gym bag.

However, I'm also the one that actually waits on the escalator and stands on the right (I'm allowed-- it's the rules) as you're rushing by with your clickety clack heels a-racing. On the weekends, I'm in no hurry... because it's the weekend. At Dupont Circle, I don't care if your running late meeting your friends (who are already drunk) at Cloud or Lucky Bar or whatever's the "cool" place to hang out.

I love Metro. I love the SmarTrip cards, the signs that tell you when the train is coming (when they are working), the non-smoking (when people follow the rules) in every station, and the coming-soon-to-a-station-near-you express lanes for only SmarTrip holders. Joy may like her NY subway with it's who-knows-when-the-train-is-coming platforms, station stops every 1.2 seconds, and flimsy, lose them in your bag Metrocards (at least they're not tokens anymore). I'll take my walking for 2 blocks to work even after taking the train 3 stops.

What I don't like about Metro (besides the above mentioned Metro don'ts)? 3 years ago, Metro was strict about their rules about no food or drink on the train or in the station. Remember in 2000-- they arrested that little kid for eating french fries in the station? I don't think we should go back to that. There are other crimes-- drugs, drive-bys, and school shootings-- to deal with instead of Metro riders that can't get on the metro when they're done eating. I think it's sad that there even has to be a rule about eating or drinking. Honestly... do YOU want gross gigantic rats running around in the stations and across your feet? Do YOU want someone's left over apple core or Starbucks latte sitting in the only open seat on a packed train with 6 more stops until you get off? No thanks.

It's a love/hate relationship I have with Metro... but not with the Metro workers or Metro in general. It's with the people who don't even care that other people would rather not have a disgusting train to get on. And I think we could all get along. To you, Metro Rider, I say... I won't get annoyed if you stop acting annoying. And everybody wins!

See you on the Red Line--

Julie

Vote or Not Vote?

2006-11-07T22:56:00.000-05:00

While the polls have closed... ever wonder if you are informed? Wonder if you should have voted? Would you have voted for Bart Simpson had he been on the ballot? Check out two tests below:

http://www.dontvote.org/

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/special/issues/caucus/quiz.html

Other good websites to check out:

Project Vote Smart (shout out to my old non-profit!)

Open Secrets

Michelle Malkin (beware: she's conservative)

Daily Kos (liberal)

FYI: I love watching the guys on NBC get all punchy during election coverage. Tim Russert-- bring out the white board. :)

3 concerts... 5 days

2006-10-30T17:15:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not a Deadhead. I only like some of their music.

So last week, Jen made me go to a concert-- she lured me with the promise of everything paid-- to go see The Duhks (new grass/country band from Canada). I didn't think I'd like it-- not because I don't like bluegrass, but just because I don't like their name (in case you're wondering, you say it like the animal-- ducks). Anyway, so Jen and I went to the Birchmere in Alexandria. I think the Birchmere is my favorite concert venue for many reasons.

1- it's non-smoking so I didn't have to worry about smelling like someone's nasty ash tray.
2- it's a sit-down place where they serve you food... so I didn't have to stand so long and try to see.
3- they serve food-- and it's not that bad.

The concert was cool. The Duhks, despite their not so cool name, are actually very entertaining and their songs are actually cool. It's a little Allison Krauss, a little Nickel Creek, and a little Riverdance all in one band. And the bands opening for them weren't too shabby either. A man-and-his-guitar singer/songwriter, Rex Moroux opened the show. A an all-women band named Fruit opened for the Duhks. Both were very good bands. I ended up buying the Fruit CD-- because their music is fun. It's very Ani DiFranco and Indigo Girls, but happy.

Second concert-- National Symphony Orchestra playing Halloween-y tunes on Sunday afternoon at the Kennedy Center. Played stuff from Harry Potter (my main reason for wanting to go), Psycho, and other scary-like music. It was a great concert. It was a kids concert where they could go and where their Halloween costumes and the orchestra also dressed up. It was really cute! My problem was with the parents. This family in front of us were UNBELIEVEABLE. The kids were fine-- well-behaved, even. The parents were antsy and talking and just annoying. I finally had to just stand up so I could see without their head in my view or their whispering in my face. Crazy.

Finally, the last concert was on Monday after work at Iota in Arlington. We went and saw this band called The Veltz Family (formerly Cecilia). I have a history with this band. When I first saw them a few years back when they opened for a band I was seeing, I really liked their sound. I even went to their website and ordered not 1 but 3 of their CDs. So I waited and waited... and no CDs ever came. So I emailed the band and actually got a response back where they apologized and sent the CDs again. Again, no CDs in my mailbox. I gave up on them eventually, but when I heard they were coming back to DC on Monday (I'd missed the last few times they were around here), I thought I'd give them another try. It was a great show-- not crowded at all, only problem was the tall people in front of me-- but I went for the music and not for the sights, I suppose. Jenny bought their newest CD and it's really good. Lesson: Buy indie music at the concert and not from their cheapo website.

I think I'm done with concerts for now... I hadn't been to a live concert in awhile (I think Nickel Creek was the last one... they're breaking up by the way at the end of 2007). It was nice to go out and hear live music again and hear something new for a change. Oh, something interesting: Turns out that on Monday, Beck had a surprise midnight show at another club in the DC area. Didn't make it to that one. Maybe next time Beck...

2006-10-27T17:36:00.000-04:00

GO CARDS!

A muddy slip-n-slide weekend

2006-10-23T23:47:00.000-04:00

So this weekend, I spent a lot of time out in the country... an office party at a farm in WV and then a day visiting farms in MD. The office party was pretty cool. Got in a hayride and brought home some fresh apple cider. It was weird to see people from work... not at work. Also, it was a little weird as it was very much an "All-American" scene-- guys throwing around a football, little kids rolling around in the grass, dogs and puppies everywhere. Almost like a Kennedy affair-- not that I've been, but what I'd imagine a Kennedy affair would be like.

The farms in Maryland were very cool. Our main reason for driving all the way out to Maryland (almost PA)-- a corn maze. Actually, 4 mazes in 1 GIANT maze. See picture below in my last post. It had a Civil War theme (naturally-- we are in the south). They warned us before that it would be muddy... little did I know, they were NOT kidding. Unlucky for me, I wore my current favorite sneakers instead of my old beat up gore-tex shoes. Here's my shoes when all the mazing was done... how will I get them clean???

The maze was really cool. Lots of twists and turns... and more corn than I would know what to do with. I'm not really sure when we got into mazes... but this year alone, I think I've been through like like 3 or 4. Weird, I know. It reminds me a little of Labrinyth... the creepy David Bowie and young Jennifer Connelly movie... with the puppets.

Anyway, we had a great time at the maze farm. We got to shoot pumpkins from a pumpkin cannon. Seriously... a pumpkin cannon... kind of like a salad shooter, except it shoots out pumpkins! And they had targets to aim at-- an old boat, some broken tractors, tires, barrels, etc. What did I hit? Not a single thing... but I like to see the pumpkins go splat on the ground. Jenny didn't hit anything either. Gordon, however, hit the boat (the highest target) and broke a tractor even more.

Saw 15,000 turkeys that will be market sized (meaning... ready to sell and eat) in a few weeks-- just in time for Thanksgiving. Turkeys... are surprisingly white... and they smell... like poop. But interesting to see that many turkeys. And only now have I thought about how they were treated! It was in a pretty long and open barn... but maybe they trap them in cages after everyone goes home. OH NO! Jeez... maybe I can't eat turkey anymore.

All in all... some fun times in the Maryland countryside. I never realized how much I missed fall! Uzbekistan doesn't have seasons so much as just cold and hot. Yay, it's fall! FINALLY!

Check out the pictures from this weekend on the side under Newest Pics...

Who's got a new TV?

2006-10-21T00:38:00.000-04:00

That's right, folks. Jenny and I have said goodbye to our sad, blurry TV. Hello, Sharpie-- our new flat screen Sharp tv! Gone are the days of the screen blurring whenever red or yellow is on the screen. Yay for HDTV. Amazing thing, that HD. I never thought it would be that great of a deal... but ESPN in HD makes it look like you're actually at the game (so it's kind of like I could have been at Game 7-- GO CARDS!), The Lion King looks like Africa-- for real, and Little Mermaid? Well... not the greatest "remastered" Disney DVD, but still a great movie. And... on the Today Show Meredith Vieira, not the prettiest in HD, but Anne Curry, still pretty.

Who knew TV could look this good? Oh, I guess all of you people that have had HD for like 2 years or something already. Then again, I also didn't know what a DVR was when I came back to the states.

Tonight, Jenny, Gordon and I saw Flags of Our Fathers. You should see it. It's very good... and if you can look past the fact that Jesse Bradford (yes, the guy in Bring It On) is a jerk, you'll enjoy it. Ryan Phillippe did a pretty good job. And you'll recognize a lot of the war buddies too (my favorite-- Jamie Bell, Mr. Billy Elliot himself!). Anyway, I think it's good... and very interesting since I had to take gaggles of children to the Marine Corps Memorial here in the DC area (actually in Arlington). A little disillusioning, but good.

Things I'm looking forward to in the coming weekend? A corn maze in Maryland, an office party (the cider squeeze) at the big boss' farm in WV, watching the new TV, and possible sunshine so I can finally wear the new sunglasses after a gross and rainy week. Word.

awww-- bunnies!

2006-10-17T22:29:00.000-04:00

I never had a bunny when I was growing up... but lately I love them! I wish I had a bunny! Check out this cute disapproving bunny:

http://www.birdchick.com/adventures/rabbit/index3.html

Can't Get You Out of My Head...

2006-10-17T12:53:00.000-04:00

Do you ever walk to work and out of NOWHERE... all of a sudden you're singing some song in your head and you have no idea where it came from?? It happens to me all the time! This morning on my rainy walk to work, I had that song... you know that song... by Suzanne Vega??

Tom's Diner. It's so catchy that it gets stuck in your head... even though I didn't even like that song growing up or now. Apparently, the song has some really interesting background:

Did you know the exterior shots of the diner on Seinfeld are actually the same diner from the music video?

Maybe it was the rain that made me think of the song... as I vaguely remember it talking about raining in the music video, who knows.

Anyway, interestingly enough, there's a list of songs that get stuck in your head. And if it's posted on WebMD, it must be right... right? And another one for all you hoarders of all things pop culture.

yay for new glasses!

2006-10-14T16:25:00.000-04:00

So apparently, my eyes have gotten better... which means I'm now 5 steps from blindness instead of 3. And finally with insurance and a great vision plan, I decided to get a pair of perscription sunglasses too! Word. So now I can see and wear sunglasses without having to wear contacts and touch my eye. :)

Other things happening this weekend... went to a Russian church bazaar here in the city. It was really cool! Got to have some food that I haven't had since UZ and bought some cool Russian gifts. I guess it makes up for never going to Russia while I was in Uzbekistan.

Lasting effects of movies...

2006-10-10T14:28:00.000-04:00

I love movies... you kind of have to if you want to hang out with my sisters. We quote movies and know where the quotes come from. Gordon and I do that, too... but our quoteable movies are very different as in he doesn't think that Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a classic for our generation! But there are two movies that have had negative lasting effects on me... I say they traumatized me...

As a doctor's kid... we saw some pretty gross stuff. All the infectious diseases journals with disfigured body parts and nasty symptoms (think the grossest episdoe of House and multiply it times 10). Also, my mom made us watch "The Miracle of Life"-- the old documentary that follows the life of a fetus-- from conception to birth. Yeah, that was pretty bad. It'll put anyone off making babies for sure. Even now, it makes me shudder. Seeing that as a young kid scared the hell out of me. EW. What I remember most from that documentary? The birth at the end. The #1 reason for why I don't want to have kids. You can still get that documentary-- done by PBS and Nova back in 1983-- at Amazon if you'd like to scare someone into NOT making babies. They did an updated version that everyone STILL loves-- adults watch it and think it is beautiful (silly). Another memory of that movie was me thinking about hiding the video when we moved to our new (current) house so that Mom could never make me watch it again.

Another movie that I have to say I remember TO THIS DAY... "The Day After." There was some discussion about this movie between Jenny and me. With the new show Jericho being about a post-nuclear attack on middle America, we both thought back to when we saw this movie that showed the aftereffectsnof a nuclear attack on middle America. We couldn't remember what it was called but we remembered sepia tone coloring and a general fear of nuclear attacks (and general dislike of mushrooms-- because they can grow in basements even during nuclear attacks is what Mom told us). And then this weekend what is the Sci-Fi channel showing but THE DAY AFTER! So we taped it... and watched it in two parts because . Have to say, still one of the creepiest movies ever! It was very scary and just disturbing. Also disturbing is that in the end they say that the movie's events are less severe than what would happen in an ACTUAL nuclear attack. Great. So it'll be worse than Steve Guttenberg's hair falling out, the military guy's skin and teeth falling out, and the squatters killing the farmer and eating him.

So while I enjoy Little Miss Sunshine and The Departed (if you haven't seen it yet, you should-- I heart Matt Damon even when he's evil)... it's the movies that freak me out that I'll remember the most. Kind of scary because now I don't want to have kids and I'm afraid of a nuclear attack.

Rats, Little Mermaid, and Beck

2006-10-05T22:31:00.000-04:00

Ew. Today after work, the gang of 3 went to Borders to use our handy Borders Rewards coupons to buy some new stuff. While looking at books and whatnot, all of a sudden there was a ruckus in the Borders Cafe. What the hell is going on...?? There was a RAT in the cafe... scurrying around and going BEHIND the food counter!!!! EEEEEEEWWWWWW. So everyone was all yellin' and screamin'. The best part?? This big dude was standing on his chair when he saw the rat yelling just like a girl!

Meanwhile, I bought the new Beck CD-- buy it in stores, yo. You get to make your own CD cover! So Gordon and I decorated my new Beck CD cover. Gordon used to look like Beck-- back when Gordon's hair was long, and Beck's hair was shorter. Also, bought The Little Mermaid-- straight from the Disney vaults. The Little Mermaid is the best Disney flick.

So be careful out there when you're browsing the local Borders.

It's like a new blog... every day!

2006-10-05T00:05:00.000-04:00

So for those few of you that read my blog... maybe you noticed a couple of changes (every time you look at my blog). I've found that I've become almost obsessive with re-doing my blog. Last month, I was on myspace all the time, redecorating my page and this month? It is my blog.

I've been trying to learn some basic coding stuff which puts me on the road to computer geek-dom. Great. However, it is just because I covet other people's design savvy and want their blog. So I had to make do with what I had-- the blogger templates-- and came up with this one with my own photo. So the photo up above is actually not from any cool or exotic place. It's not Uzbekistan, London, or anywhere in Italy. It's Salisbury!

Growing up, I passed by this statue ALL the time. It's right in the center of town (so like a mile from each end... I exaggerate-- a little). Even now, I have to ask Jenny what the statue is for. Turns out that it's for confederate soldiers. With Salisbury, NC being in the south, it makes sense. I never really thought about the statue, except for when the town made a huge deal about it being taken down for awhile to get clean-- it was copper and like the Statue of Liberty and the nasty penny in your pocket, it turned green. But on a recent trip home and my new cool digital camera at the ready, I got this nice shot of something so ordinary.

Lesson of the day: Sometimes the cool stuff is where you least expect it-- like back home instead of in some exotic locale.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy the blog... we'll see how long it takes before I take it down and substitute another picture.

word.

A reply to Katie's post...

2006-09-28T23:34:00.000-04:00

In Katie's last post she talked about things she wanted to do before she was 30... My list is a little different. I don't want to be SMART goalsetter (shout out to JrNYLC!) and give myself a deadline because I'll end up changing the deadline anyway... so why fight it?

So here's a list of things I want to do... eventually:

Travel to Nepal (finally!) and at least see Everest.

Buy a house and restore it-- a la Save Our History (the Salisbury, NC episode)

Shave my head to see what it looks like.

Do Peace Corps again (because the language training is the best there is) probably in Africa or the Pacific.

Learn Arabic and/or Chinese.

Visit every National Park in the US.

Travel around the world like this girl Megan (I came across her blog and LOVE it).

Start a non-profit to help women get involved in the democratic process-- possibly in the EAME or Asia.

Get back into climbing and kayaking.

Volunteer or work with pandas!

What's on your list?

There be pirates, matey

2006-09-25T09:41:00.000-04:00

So this weekend, the gang of three decided to go back in time-- to a time of ladies, knights, kings, queens, jousts, knife throwing... wenches and pirates?? Ah, yes, the Renaissance Festival. A place of good eatin' and random people dressed in doublets, tights, feathered caps, and puffy sleeves.

We drove to nearby Annapolis to experience the Maryland Renaissance Festival where it was Pirates weekend. From a non-costumed perspective, I would say that Renn Fests are both interesting and weird. There's so much to see (especially at this one just because it's HUGE!). We saw King Henry VIII, picking up ladies to be wives. We saw this old lady with a goose... turns out that she was Mother Goose! There were knights and jousts-- that part was really cool because they also had a part where they beat each other over the head with clubs! Who doesn't want to say Huzzah when people get beat over the head???

Gordon threw battle axes, with a funny hat to boot-- however, the hat didn't help make the axes stick into the target! Jenny, Gordon and I threw knives and some of them actually stuck! And we got cool prizes. We ate and ate and ate. There's just SOOO much food! Enough to make you want to puke. We saw magic shows-- why are there always magic shows at renaissance festivals?? There was this lady that was all bend-y and playing a recorder-- how that's renaissance-y, I don't know, but I couldn't look (ew).

What I DIDN'T get about the Renn Fest is... why pirates? The Renaissance was from about the 15th to the late 16th centuries. Pirates (as most of us know it-- the Johnny Depp kind, I'm guessing) didn't really show up in history until about the 17th century. However, there were some pirates attracted to the trade between Asia and Europe in the 16th century, it wasn't really part of the Renaissance. So my best guess is that pirates are the new trend-- thanks to Johnny Depp and his wonderful friends at Disney. Also... maybe the people at the Renn Fest (the ones who dress up) wanted to include their friends in the dress up madness and created Pirates weekend.

Either way, the Renn Fest was cool to see even though I wasn't dressed up as a lady, wench, manimal, or pirate. Good people watching there, too... the Renn Fest draws ALL sorts of people. Never thought I'd see an Asian fairy, pirate, or wench. And it was funny to see a full-on period dressed Pirate... talking on his cell phone.

I think that renaissance festivals aren't so much about the Renaissance as they are about the pop culture perspective of the time period. When people think Renaissance, I guess most people don't think about great art and literature, the plague, exploration, and the reformation. Nowadays, they think about incense, beersteins, tight corsets that make you pop out of dresses, fanatical people dressed as anything from wood nymphs to manimals to full on fairies, and tights. Maybe they just really like that "renaissance" style...

Great Falls Park... not so great?

2006-09-20T23:28:00.000-04:00

So after visiting the Pope-Leighey house, we drove to Great Falls Park-- not really that close to the Pope-Leighey, but we figured we had a car, might as well drive it somewhere. I've always heard about Great Falls Park in Virginia. I heard about great climbing, great kayaking, and it's a park, so I thought that I would love it.

Here's what the NPS has to say about Great Falls Park:

Great Falls Park, a site that is part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway,
is an 800 acre park located along the Potomac River 14 miles upriver from
Washington D.C. The park is known for two things, its scenic beauty at the head
of Potomac River fall line and the historic Patowmack Canal.

Here's what I have to say about Great Falls Park:

It was kind of like Jellystone Park-- you know, from Yogi the Bear cartoons. Tons of people, tons of trash (it kinda smelled like it too), concessions stands, and 2 minute "trails" that led to the Falls. The Falls? Kind of cool-- a little foamy (like the gross, marshmallow-y foam that you find in rivers and lakes), some trash (Hey, look at that trash nest!), but it looked like it had some good rapids. There were some kayakers, but they didn't really do much while I was watching.

There were SO many people at the park! It was weird. It wasn't like being in any national park that I've been to. Like at Glacier, you only really see people on the really popular hikes, or at the hotels. In Great Falls, there were people everywhere. And it was such a crowded space that it was very claustrophbic. They have straight level trails (thanks to some wooden planks and boards) that lead you right to an overlook of the Falls. It wasn't like Glacier where you have to hike for at least half an hour to see something a cool.

I guess Great Falls is good for that "weekend warrior" who wants to get outside (outside being out of their offices and straight into a picnic area). I think I was expecting too much. Maybe next time I should try out the rock climbing-- I've heard it's actually pretty good.

Here's what the NPS has to say about Glacier National Park:

Come and experience Glacier National Park's pristine forests, alpine
meadows, rugged mountains, and lakes. With over 700 miles of trails, Glacier is
a hiker's paradise for adventurous visitors seeking wilderness and solitude.
Relive the days of old through historic chalets, lodges, transportation, and
stories of Native Americans. Explore Glacier National Park and discover what
awaits you.

I know, I know... I'm not being fair to Great Falls, but I can't help it. Glacier is the best park there is-- and I'm not biased at all!

I have a car... not really

2006-09-17T08:52:00.000-04:00

So I finally joined the car-sharing revolution here in DC. I have to say, it sounds like a great idea! I just recently joined ZipCar because I wanted my sister and BF to have a chance to drive wherever we wanted in the city. It is kind of nice to not have to ask for a ride or wait until someone else is headed in the direction we want/need.

And today, we're using our very first ZipCar. We're going to Great Falls (finally!) to see a more nature-y side of suburb VA. And we're going to the Frank Lloyd Wright house nearby - the Pope-Leighey. It is a very cool house, that Jen and I have been to before. Gordon hasn't seen it... and neither Jen nor I mind seeing it again. I wish I could live in a Frank Lloyd Wright house! He has some really interesting architectural designs.

Anyway, so ZipCars seem like a pretty good idea-- I pay as much as I drive, they pay for gas, and ZipCars are at almost all the metros that I always at- which makes it even easier to get to places.

To all you metro-bound people out there, I suggest looking into a car-sharing progam (there are lots). I also like that I can now use ZipCar in Chapel Hill (why didn't they have it when I was there???), Boston (good to know for next year), and NY (in case I ever want to live on the edge and drive in that yucky city).

I'll post more after our first car-sharing adventure.

What about Bindi and Bob-Bob?

2006-09-06T17:55:00.000-04:00

I'm sad that the Crocodile Hunter died! Pretty random that it was by a sting-ray. I hope they never release the video of his death... 'cause that's just weird! Who wants to see someone die like that??? Or at all?

I think it is really sad because have you seen his kids???? Bindi and Bob-Bob are the cutest little Australian-American kids! Now they don't have a dad. :( Animal Planet is doing a lot for his family and in his memory-- renaming a garden in Silver Spring, MD in his honor, starting a fund for Bindi and Bob-Bob's education, showing a lot a lot of his shows on Animal Planet (everyone should really check out the one where Steve Irwin and his family go to different National Parks in America! The one in with National Parks in Australia is also very cool.).

Anyway, I hope everyone will watch Animal Planet and watch out for the animals (because I like animals) and think about the great things Steve Irwin did for conservation and the environment.

Presidential tours... I am a history geek

2006-08-31T23:22:00.000-04:00

So for the weekend before my birthday (yay, I'm 25 now!), I decided to round up my 2 sisters and boyfriend for a weekend in western Virginia. 4 Presidents, 1 weekend. Only my family would be interested in seeing houses of old dead Presidents... well, my family and Gordon as it would seem.

So we left DC early early early on Saturday in a SW, no W, no SW direction towards Charlottesville and Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and Woodrow Wilson. First up... James Monroe. Monroe was better known by people outside of the states than by his own countrymen. Odd... but there you go. A statue commissioned by Venezuela is on the property. What you might know about Monroe: helped out with the Louisana Purchase, the Monroe Doctrine, and Monrovia, Liberia named after him (apparently Joy didn't know this). What you don't know about Monroe: Played chess with Thomas Jefferson-- they were like BFF, his house, while cute... isn't very "presidential."

TJ!!!! Ah yes, Thomas Jefferson, writer of the Declaration of Independence, POTUS, founder of UVA (boo cavs)... and slave owner. Couldn't keep it in his pants kind of slave owner... but no one at Monticello (his estate) wants to talk about it. His house, unlike Monroe's was over the top and full of crazy inventions that he really just stole from other inventors. But everyone loves TJ!!

James Madison, our 3rd president of our roadtrip had an estate nearby as well. Sadly, the DuPonts (yes... THOSE DuPonts) became owners after JM died and added 33 (count 'em... 33!) rooms to his cute little house. And now since the DuPont lady died, they're trying to bring it back to its original state. The BEST tour of the trip. It wasn't about seeing an old house with old smelly furniture. The tour was about restoring a house back to its original condition and finding cool things... like a letter lost in a wall, the original driveway, a lost archway.

Last president: Woodrow Wilson. We didn't tour his house because it was EARLY EARLY (again) and honestly, I think his house here in DC is much cooler. But Staunton, VA is ALSO home to a GIANT watering can and other GIANT gardening tools. And one of the best breakfasts ever (though London was still the best).

A short (but really a long) drive on Skyline Drive with lots of vista views and stops for pictures and a bear search with no bear.

To cap of the trip, something for Gordon-- a visit to Luray Caverns. The tour guides are 15-year-olds with no clue as to how a cave is formed and they are all up-talkers. Some cool formations in the cavern, some VERY weird tourists (I think I heard some Russian, too!) and the best part? A garden maze. Again, I am a big dork, but who wouldn't like a garden maze??

And then back to DC. All in all, a great roadtrip. This weekend? A roadtrip through a tropical storm to get to NC to visit the parents. Word.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes! :)

DRIVING PROVIDED BY: GORDON! Thanks Gordon! :)

2006-08-25T00:16:00.000-04:00

I heart Fluffernutter!!!

He's not my bunny. I WISH. Check out other cutie animals.

Take it to the chorus...

2006-08-24T23:47:00.000-04:00

What does Justin Timberlake's song mean? And why is Sexyback ONE WORD? The song makes no sense. He's "bringing sexy back... go ahead be gone with it. Get your sexy out. Take it to the chorus." How exactly does one get their "sexy" out?

A very strange turn for JT, indeed. It sounds nothing like him. Kind of like a robot. And can Timbaland have ANY MORE songs out on the radio. Have you seen this video? It seems like JT sees himself as James Bond... except there's like 2 of him... and 2 girls (I think) that look very much alike. I have NO idea what's going on in the video.

Anyway... as much as none of it makes sense, Sexyback is (you read it here first, folks!) THE song of the summer. It shouldn't be that Crazy song by Gnarls Barkley (that song makes even LESS sense... and JT is cuter). Sexyback is a cute pop song that's catchy and gets in your head (whether or not you like it). And I play it everyday. Seriously. Justin Timberlake has come a long way from his mouseketeer days... and though, he's not far from his *nsync time-- hey, at least he's not gay.

And I'm bringing sexyback!

Whatever that means...

Why? They can't hear you...

2006-08-14T23:56:00.000-04:00

So I went to the movies yesterday to see Little Miss Sunshine for the second time. STILL a funny movie in the second viewing. I go to the movies... probably every week... and if not, at least 2 weekends out of the month.

Out of all the movies I've been to, I'd have to say that at least 90% of the movies end with the audience clapping. Honestly... why clap? Was the movie so enjoyable that you feel that clapping will make it all come true? Will the clapping somehow prolong your movie-going enjoyment? Can the actors (and they are actors...) really hear you through that big screen and oh wait... NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU CLAPPING... but the rest of us in the movie theater.

I don't want to tell you to NOT enjoy your movie watching experience. By all means, laugh at the funny parts, I know I will. I'll probably be the loudest one there laughing-- especially if it involves someone falling onscreen. Have a good laugh, even cry if you really want to. Clapping you save for the real theater-- that long lost entertainment where real live people are in front of you acting. Clap for them because they'll actually appreciate it. Somehow I think that Steve Carrell and Johnny Depp and Will Ferrell will somehow appreciate the money you paid to watch their films. And another question for you clappers out there... Do you clap when you're watching at home sitting on the couch in your PJs with your NetFlix???

Truly Outrageous...

2006-08-12T07:58:00.000-04:00

Remember the show Jem? Like... Jem and the Holograms? I think it was only on for like 3 or 4 seasons back in the '80s. It was about this rich girl (Jerrica) who led a double life as a pink-haired rock star (Jem). And she would press on her cool star earring and say, "Showtime, Synergy" and she would become Jem-- with the crazy pink hair, geometric patterned clothes, and tons of eye makeup. They don't make cool shows like that for kids. Animation is dead-- giving way for CGI (like Pixar movies).

How truly outrageous is this... because animation is dead and because there must be TONS of mid-twenties women who watched Jem as a kid... Seasons 1 and 2 of Jem on DVD are like $88.00!?!? That's highway robbery! But I want it. :( I would consider buying Jem on DVD if it were like 30... maybe even 40 dollars, but not 88. Thank goodness for NetFlix! We're watching Season 3 now-- Season 1 and 2 are still very very hard to get on NetFlix even. It's good! Very cheesy writing, and now that I think about it-- Jem kind of had horrendous clothes (but then again, didn't we all back in the '80s?) and her eye makeup was more bozo the clown than punk rocker. The songs, though, are still cool-- as I've been able to remember them for like the last 20 years. And it was a cool concept for a kids show. Even dealing with some hard themes like losing a father, hate crimes, and winning and losing friends. See... they just don't make them like they used to.

Show's over, Synergy.

I'd much rather have a baby panda than a kid...

2006-08-12T00:10:00.000-04:00

WHO DOESN'T LOVE TAI SHAN-- the DC BABY PANDA.

Only the beginning...

2006-08-11T23:19:00.000-04:00

So I've never had a blog before. To be honest, I had no idea what a blog was when I first came back from Uzbekistan. Online journal? Random rants and raves? Who knew. I guess I'll have to see where this takes me.

What does one write about in their first blog entry?

I live in DC for the moment. I don't want to feel like I'm tied down to any one place. I like to keep moving because I get bored really easily. I guess that's why I volunteered overseas for awhile. Can't get bored when you starting fresh in a completely random and foreign place. But now I live in DC and I guess you could say it is getting boring. I've been here a year so far-- living with my sister and finally working at a paying "normal" job. Luckily, I'm going to grad school next year (in keeping with my never settle in one place rule).

By the way... the title of this post is the same as the first episode of Jem (the '80s cartoon with the songs that I can still remember even like 20 years later.)