Wait

I'm waiting in the dentists office. I still can't believe I had to schedule this over my break in order for me to use sick leave. So dumb but whatever. Gotta do what I gotta do. Being home has been great with the exception of my mom, who has gone officially crazy. We are not getting along.

Oh dentist. I hope I still don't have any wisdom teeth.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Fw: Columbia sucks: proof

The city where I grew up was written up in the New York Times <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/22/business/economy/22columbia.html?_r=1&amp;scp=1&amp;sq=Columbia%2520SC&amp;st=cse> yesterday. I told you guys it sucked down there! Ugh. I still CAN'T WAIT TO GO THERE IN 13 HOURS!! Only 13 hours!!!!



Also last night I hung out in Takoma Park and it is the Asheville of DC. Thank god I finally found it. I've been wondering where the hippies were.

cheap ass awesome

I just saved $40 by cutting my own hair. All I wanted was to fix my bangs. So easy!!!!!

internet whore

toothpastefordinner.com

Hi yes I now have twitter and I can blog and tweet from my phone. I am really dumb and a nerd.

haikus of the week

still sick with a cold
I hate everything ever
ready to go home

Christmas shopping time
finding cool things for people
did not get it done

online shopping click
your order will be shipped soon
the best thing ever

two more days of work
hopefully time will pass fast
I am over it

I need to get paid
rent is very expensive
cold medicine too

dishwasher is broke
what are we going to do now
wash wash wash wash wash

so close to the end
I can feel the plane leaving
Christmas don't be late

NYC weekend of awesome

Oh, oh. I don't even remember what happened last week. Friday night I skipped town and took a bus to New York City! I met up with C (who lives there) and we made preparations to have as much fun as possible over the next couple days. It's basically the most awesome thing in life that I can take a bus to NYC whenever I want for round trip $35-$40. It's a 4.5-5 hour bus ride, which is a little grueling after that 3rd hour, but man! Way worth it!

She lives in Brooklyn and I am officially and huge fan of "BK" - the non scary neighborhoods are way hip. On Saturday we went to Manhattan for some Christmas shopping. We hit up the Evolution Store, which was AWESOME - basically a standard Natural History Museum but all for sale. It was kind of weird because they have human skeletons for sale- how does that work? They had lots of seashells and rocks, freeze-dried animals, nuts, bones, way cool stuff. I found Christmas tree incense!!!

We also went to the Dwell Sample Sale because C works at Dwell!!! It was so much fun!!! The stuff there is so high end and unavailable to us (for real rich people cuteness) but since it was the sale we could actually buy stuff. I got this AWESOME weekend bag so that when I go to NYC every single weekend in the future I can use my way hip WEEKENDER. I'm pretty sure it would be the first bag stolen off the bus if a thief happened to be around when I'm traveling- but luckily I made it through the trip home. I got a lot of Christmas shopping done there which is way sweet since Christmas is 10 days away (?!!!)

C and I looked in lots of other stores and had super amounts of fun looking at all the crap that you can only get in NYC. We went to a holiday market and a farmers market that had TONS OF LOCAL APPLES for way cheaper than at the stupid Eastern Market in DC (ugh!) AND hot apple cider?!! omg. I got a huge thing of apple cider. Then we hung out with some really fat NYC squirrels. City squirrels really are the coolest because they are fatter and they are pretty tame. At that point two of the best things in life encountered each other, drinking fresh apple cider with some fatty squirrels. Way cool. We could say, "HEY SQUIRREL, HEY!" and they would come to you!!!

We met up with my homegirl L (from college) which was AMAZING because I hadn't seen her in a year! We went to a really cool Indian restaurant called Milon. It was really crazy, there are so many Christmas lights and pepper lights that you hit your head on them inside. They play crazy remixes of Indian music and if it's your birthday they have strobe lights and a special remix of happy birthday!! The food was very mild, which was kind of nice for Indian food because that way I could use all of the sauces on it without it being too spicy. I'm an official fan. Not to mention that it was super cheap. Afterwards we walked around (I had no idea where we were) and went to a bar.

Saturday was also Santacon for NYC. Santacon is a "Santa Convention" where anyone who wants to dresses up like Santa and meets somewhere and goes bar hopping all day long. Seriously, it starts at 10AM. We saw Santas EVERYWHERE. I tried and tried to find out where all the Santas were- I asked all the Santas I saw. They were all either too drunk to tell me or remember or they didn't know themselves. I even gave my phone number to a Santa to call me when he found the other Santas. Oh, Santas.

On Sunday we went to a cool "flea market" in Brooklyn which was a bunch of vintage and indie hipster vendors selling really cool crap. I miss that kind of stuff in DC; there is way more art and arty kind of stuff going on with young people in NYC. DC is very much suit-oriented, even with the young people. I love NYC with a thousand hearts but I will never trade the DC metro system for anything. We had a "fear/love" scale at my old job at Warren Wilson where you rate random things according to your fear or love of it. On my fear and love scale the NYC subway is way way way far down on fear. It is like a giant bathroom under the city, complete with bathroom tile. Holy god, I still have absolutely no clue where we were or where we went on it.

It'd be cool to have a fear/love scale for the blog. Maybe I will construct an image that will live on the side bar or something and as I blog I will add things to the fear/love scale. I miss that thing.

So all the fun wound down and I had to go to Chinatown to catch a Chinatown bus to go back to DC. Of course I hit up one of the Chinatown grocery stores because they have the most interesting stuff that you have never seen. I stocked up on Hi Chews and boarded the mean long bus back to DC. Now I have a cold and I came home from work early. This week seriously needs to speed up because Christmas vacation is SO CLOSE. I'm back to slothing on the couch watching John and Kate + 8.

Merry Christmas, walrus playing saxaphone

There is a dead pigeon in Union Station that I have seen for two days now. It's tucked in a corner. I think it probably got too cold; the highs were in the 30's for the past few days. I feel really sad about it when I see it because I know that the pigeon will end up in the trash and will never be buried in the dirt (unless I do it). At least it won't go to a landfill- all of DC's trash goes to a waste-to-energy incineration plant.

I came home from work early today because I started feeling crummy. I feel even more crummy after trying to sleep it off- I don't know what the deal is. It was great coming home during daylight, though.

My roommate E and I are going to New York City this weekend. I'm super excited, I'm going to stay with my friend C and take on the City. I'm the most excited to see NYC at Christmastime, I've always wanted to be there at this time of year- it seems so romantic and magical. I want to see the big Christmas tree and I also want to become unafraid of the NYC subway. As it stands I fear it more than any other public transportation / most things in life.

Tonight I discovered a big leak in the ceiling of the bathroom. Maybe we'll get a break in rent or something. This past weekend my roommate E's mom came to visit so we finally tried to decorate. We've put it off for EVER. I took the time to really get my room in shape and now I'm really liking it. It looks like Urban Outfitters and Ikea had a fight in here. I'm pleased. I got a really nice wool carved oriental rug at a church yard sale a while back and it looks nice in here. It reminds me of home a lot, even unconsciously because as soon as I put it down I starting throwing my clothes on it. We hung some pictures up in the living room but it's starting to look a little too grown up I think, I like more tacky and hilarious stuff. We did get a silver tinsil fiber optic Christmas tree at Target, so that helps.

I've adopted the huge Christmas tree in Union Station kind of as my Christmas tree for now. It's really big and it's decorated with US and Sweedish (?) flags. They also have a player piano next to it and every time I walk by it it's playing Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies. I don't know if that's because I walk by it at the exact same time every day or if it's because the piano only plays 2 or 3 songs. One day maybe I'll wait around and investigate it.

I wish I could tell work stories on here, because that would make this blog 8000x more interesting, but I don't want to jepordize my job. Maybe if there is enough interest I can create a password protected thing. Send me a message or comment if you'd be interested.

I'll leave you with this, because it is basically the funniest thing ever:

All my friends, I've returned to sister winter

I've been overwhelmingly homesick since Thanksgiving. Partly because coming back to my job was not exactly thrilling and partly because my roommate's boyfriend dumped her on Sunday. It was really strange and out of the blue. It makes me want to just go where my boyfriend is and make sure that that won't happen to me. It is so sad!

Last night we went out to Tombs, the college bar that serves all the Georgetown students. Sometimes I forget how important and famous DC crap is- Tombs was Bill Clinton's favorite restaurant when he went to Georgetown, the bar in the movie St. Elmo's Fire was based on, etc etc. I am a fan. Apparently, you get your name on a plaque behind the bar if you go to Tombs every night for the 99 nights before graduating from Georgetown. You can miss two nights. If you miss a night, you can make up for it by staying from open to close, 10AM to like.. 2AM the next day. Sounds pretty fun. Anyway, hanging out last night with my roommate E and her brother (who went to Georgetown) and all his old friends was a lot like how things are set up in St. Elmo's Fire- they knew all the bartenders because they went to school with most of them, they knew people eating and drinking there- it was really fun. I also was introduced to Busch Light (to the shock of everyone at the table). I can't help it if I was raised on PBR. Also, there IS NO PBR IN THIS TOWN.

For all the young professionals living far away from where you celebrate holidays and anyone else who may travel- I present to you airfarewatchdog. Sign up for the email alerts and be prepared to hate every plane ticket you've ever bought previously. I know I do.

The theme music to The Office is basically the most wonderful music to exist since The Nutcracker.

More on music: I am currently listening to Sufjan Stevens' Christmas album on repeat. I must get as much listening in in the time I have during the Christmas season. I swear to God, Sufjan will make you feel ecstatically happy and feeling like you're going to cry big whale tears at the same time. His Christmas album is a mix of old favorites, traditional stuff (good stuff) and his own cute Christmas songs. Sufjan is the man. I will post some lyrics to prove that Sufjan is the man:

From It's Christmas! Lets be Glad!:

Since the year is almost out
Left your hands and give a shout
There's a lot to shout about today

Since it's Christmas, let's be glad
Even if the year's been bad
There are presents to be had
A promotion for your dad
Don't be angry don't be mad

I also listen to The Nutcracker, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and any Christmas song sung by the Jackson 5.

PS- the squirrels here are so tame!! and fat.

visitors, thanksgiving, ringtones

I've finally really started to calm down after the move, the new job, etc. I know this because I've started making themed playlists again. In college I made playlists of songs about mountains, songs with clapping in them, stuff like that. Now I'm working on a playlist related to public transportation (or travel in general) and a playlist with songs that include something about Washington in them. When they fill themselves out I'll be sure to report my findings.

So since my last post I've had several visitors. I hope that my life in Washington always has this many visitors, every weekend someone new comes up for one reason or another! RW came up a while ago for a little and we combed Georgetown for things that were remotely affordable (ha!)

My boyfriend was up to visit for the past week- I had to work for a lot of it though which was disappointing and also disturbing. I've never had to ditch someone for entire days like that. I've always been able to move my schedule around. It was nice anyway, we ate lots of good food and explored some great stuff. Unbeknownst to us, there was a Georgia O'Keeffe and Ansel Adams exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum that we happened to stumble upon. That worked out really nicely since my boyfriend is a big fan of Ansel Adams (consequently I am becoming more appreciative, too). There is also a nice folk art section in the American Art Museum, I'm just waiting for the day when our beloved South Carolina Chicken Man (Ernest Lee) gets some of his chickens in there. When I bought a couple chickens from him in October he (Ernest) talked to me for a long time about when he lived in DC and how bad the crime is. Apparently he used to work not far from my apartment!

I was introduced to Tryst (near Dupont Circle/Adams Morgan) by some college friends and I am a fan. Although the place was PACKED when we went, once you do find a seat you understand why no one wants to leave. It's a coffee shop / bar that is super mellow with cozy couches and free internet.

I also decided that I officially have a new favorite food. Panang Curry. You can get it in most Thai restaurants. It is AWESOME if you like the sweet/hot combination, kind of nutty, creamy, mmm so good.

So I flew home for Thanksgiving and I've been hanging out with my mom. It's nice spending time with her. Sometimes when I come home though, I get really really stressed out about nothing at all. Stress just pulses through me and I don't want to hang out with anyone and I don't want to listen to my mom talk and I am mean. It feels like I just need to get out or I want to get out of Columbia, even though I don't because I just got here. I have problems. A lot of my Thanksgiving felt like that. Some breaks aren't like that at all.

So I've been busy making my own ringtones- I usually just sample songs (usually the beginning of songs) on Wavepad and then transfer them to the phone. so far the best songs for ringtones are:

Crayons - Caribou (this has been G's ringtone for a long time, it is seriously the best)
Cemetery - Architecture in Helsinki
Spring 2008 - Architecture in Helsinki
Ready to Die - Andrew WK (only the very beginning of this one)

If you have any ideas for a good ringtone please comment!!!!!

My friends and Beyonce

So this past weekend my friends C (different C) and G came to visit me! They came in on Friday and we had some fab. adventures around DC town. Friday night G and I ate dinner at the White Tiger, an Indian restaurant near my place. The food was great but the service was weird. Saturday we slept in and then ate breakfast at the cute little bagel place around the corner (AWESOME), and then went to a yard sale. No luck there so then we went to Eastern Market. Eastern Market is basically the best place to be in DC on a Saturday morning, if you've already paid a visit to the bagel place. There are produce stands and one of them has a lot of local apples for sale- they have samples of all the apples so we stood around there and ate a ton of apples. Those pictures are a couple I took on one of our walks. Cute little pigeon knows where it's at!

After another yard sale we got a call from P, another friend, who apparently had a layover in a DC airport, we assumed it was in Dulles (which is far far from DC) but he was actually in Regan! So he came and we had more fun times. We visited the Oceans, Rivers, and Skies exhibit at the National Gallery and prowled around some in there.

P had to continue his flight before long so C and G and I headed back to the apartment. We had dinner at Good Stuff and it was AWESOME like usual. Then we had a cookies and beer party and a bunch of people showed up (?!) but we were too tired to really enjoy it.

Sunday we ate lunch at an awesome Thai place in Chinatown that I am most definitely returning to. C and G left shortly after that but it was so good to see them.

Today I had the day off because of Veteran's Day!! I didn't do much. I do want to post this music video. Now, I haven't watched music videos in at least 5 years, but this one was sent to me and I LOVE IT. I've always liked Beyonce- the first time I heard this song I thought it was annoying- but it grew on me. The video though, damn. She is one hot lady and she's not the standard tiny girl- such an inspiration to me and I know lots of other young women. Hot!!! I also am posting the Tun Tunak Tun video because I think Beyonce is using some of their moves. If you haven't seen the Tun Tunak Tun video, you gotta. It's amazing!! Watch Tunak first, then Beyonce, to see the full effect of how similar some of the moves are.

Obama! Yes Yes Y'all!

Obama won!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am still so thrilled I can't even handle all my emotions. One of the first feelings I felt (once I quit screaming) was an overwhelming feeling of protection and safe-ness. Barack won't take away my rights as a woman and Biden will fight for the rights I deserve. I'm so happy. That is only the tip of the iceberg of all the things I'm happy about concerning this election. (HI I CAMPAIGNED FOR AND VOTED FOR THE GUY THAT WON, HOW ABOUT THAT?!)

When I walked to the metro at 7AM to go to work the line to vote at the middle school a block from my apartment was wrapped all the way around the block! The District of Columbia voted 93% for Obama... I am in heaven. I went from South Carolina to 93%... so awesome!!!

C and T came over and I made some "Yes We Can Spaghetti" (success!) and some "Campaign for Change" cupcakes. The cupcakes were good, the colors came out kind of pastel. I need a measuring cup really bad.

So we screamed and toasted and had a lot of fun celebrating. NC STILL has not been called, but it looks like Obama won in the closest race in the country... so my vote did go a long way. Cool. After C and T left I couldn't sleep and was very antsy so I walked to the capitol. It's such a nice walk and so beautiful at night. There is still a lot to be done, we can't ignore the fact that this country is still not accepting of gay people and that will have to change. But for now, I'm just going to be happy about Barack and his cute family. I'll be upset about other things soon enough, anyway. I can't wait till inauguration day!!

Get off your ass and vote for OBAMA!!!!!!!!! OBAMARAMA!!!!!!

Are you ready to VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!??!!!!

Today I was so pumped about the election I had a hard time working. All I wanted to do was call in sick and volunteer for Obama. I did volunteer after work- I stood at a corner in Ballston (Arlington, VA) and handed out fliers and told people to not forget to vote. I talked to this woman from Guatemala for a long time and got her to sign up to volunteer tomorrow at a polling place. Apparently she wrote a song about Obama and wants me to help her with the English. Cool!


Vote for Obama!! Vote for Obama!

Tomorrow I'm having a little election time party thing. I am going to cook some "YES WE CAN Spaghetti" and some other delicious Obama themed treats. Ideas are welcome. God, I was going to make some Obama cookies tonight but I'm too tired.

Subway Rat Habitat

Oh, DC Halloween. I've been curious about how DC celebrates Halloween for a long time. No, people do not dress up for work. Yes, people do dress up at night. I raced home from work to get ready and was looking forward to a short nap to sustain me for the rest of the night but after getting back to the apartment I realized I forgot to pick up my checks at the post office. I had to return to get them because I had to pay rent so I walked all the way back. Waited in line at the post office for a long time, I saw a witch while I was there. On the way back a homeless man shouted at me, "HEY PRECIOUS, YOU GOT SOME CHANGE FOR ME?"

When I came back to the apartment the second time I realized on my walk that the trick-or-treaters were already out collecting their dues! I raced back to throw the Reese's in a bowl and immediately had several little kids at my door. So cute. Does this mean I'm a grown up now? There were way more Hannah Montana's than anything else. One little boy was a dinosaur and when I opened the door he let out a quiet little "raaaaarrrrr".. he must have been 3 years old! So cute.

So I never got my nap. I showered and put my costume on (Subway Rat!!! Rat that rides on the subway...) and walked back out to catch the metro. I knew I was in for it when on my walk through Union Station I saw a HUGE dude dressed like Frankenstein already so wasted that he couldn't walk, he was slumped over on a girl who was two feet shorter than him. Oh, Halloween. There were lots of the slutty college girl costumes (police with cleavage and no real pants to speak of, tinkerbells with magic wands, etc).

I met up with C and T in Dupont for a house party. It was massive- there were probably around 300 people there. I felt really out of place, as did my friends from Warren Wilson. We're just not used to so many people at a party. They had a great DJ if you could even get in the room where people were dancing. They also had bountiful "refreshments" which was nice. There was a girl there dressed up like a bottle of Jagermeister- that was awesome. She even had antlers on. Another guy was dressed as an LOL Cat- he had a sign that said "I CAN HAZ SNUGLEZ?"

We party hopped to another house party that was also really fun. They had a really nice keg of beer in the shower and good chocolate candy. We enjoyed it. THEN we walked to Adam's Morgan and got JUMBO SLICE. Now, I'm pretty sure Jumbo Slice is something only DC peeps know about because I've never heard of it until now. There are several of these shops around areas of active late night activities. You walk in, pay your $4.50, and get a slice of pizza so big that it is served to you on two paper plates.

The pizza is really thin and good and you can put parm and Italian herbs or hot pepper on it. The place was PACKED with all the hungry costumed DC party-goers. C, T, and I sat down and a giant hot dog sat down with us. I remember saying, "HEY... WHY AREN'T YOU EATING HOT DOGS, HOT DOG?" Oh god, what a night.

After trying to get a cab for 800 years we finally got a private driver car who had NO IDEA how to get to Capitol Hill (where I live). Seriously... 45 minutes later we get there after T and I are giving him our own directions.

So today E and I spent recovering from our fun- I was out till 4:00AM so today was pretty shot. We watched re-runs of West Wing and ate candy all day. I celebrated Dia de los Muertos.

I cooked Sam some steak as an offering. I have never cooked steak before but I think I did a really good job! I put it in a skillet with some olive oil, pepper, soy sauce, brown sugar, and chili powder. I liked it , I think she probably did too. So I guess now everyone thinks I'm 100% crazy.. but whatever. It makes me feel better. Feliz dia de los muertos, todos.

So, before all the Halloween candy is eaten I wanted to put up a link to YES WE CARVE- a site dedicated to jackolanterns carved in support of Barack Obama. Kind of the coolest thing ever. Thad showed that to me.

Sarah Palin: Way Better as a Drag Queen

I just got back from the drag queen race in Dupont Circle (and after party shenanigans). The drag queens were SO AWESOME. There were at least 10 different Sarah Palin's, one Princess Diana (and her security guards), the Washington Monument (?!), Rainbow Brite, and on and on and on. Oh yeah, I can't forget the Victoria's Secret Angels. It was so fun. The race was actually at 9PM but the drag queens just parade and walk around starting at 7 or 8, so T and I met up and tried to find a place where we could see. There were a billion people there. Here are some highlights I took pictures of. This is just something you have to see to understand.

At one point this guy Patrick Mara walked by with an entourage of supporters with big campaign signs. We couldn't see any of the Drag Queens because of the signs and none of them were dressed up and everyone around me was grumbling, so without thinking I shouted, "HEY, WHERE'S YOUR DRESS?!" And the guy, Patrick Mara, turned to me himself and said "It's in my pants.. I'm not wearing underwear" or something crazy like that. haha. Apparently he's running for DC Council and supports equal marriage, so power to him, just don't disrupt my Drag Queen watching.

More pictures later? I've been distracted from this blog post for like 2 days now so. Shit. I am so busy. OK MORE LATER HAPPY HALLOWEEN Y FELIZ DIA DE LOS MUERTOS Y VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!!!!

happy birthday homeless man, I got a free facial

Another busy day in DC town. Work kind of sucked, partly because of the cold and wet weather (wind chill of 39 degrees? what is Winter like?) and partly because my supervisor can be ridiculous. But it was ok because thanks to Slickdeals.net I found out about a free mini-facial that the Origins store is doing! I made an appointment last week so today after work I went and had my first ever (mini) facial. It was GREAT. And the sales scheme WORKED because now I want EVERYTHING in the Origins store. Did you know their products are all natural, contain no petroleum based ingredients, contain no animal products, and are NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS?!!! So no cancer and no blind bunny rabbits at Origins!! So... that's why it costs so much I guess. Ugh. I'll hit up ebay and see what I can do. Forget clinique.

I was still feeling great from having someone rub my face with nice smelling things when I was walking to the metro and I saw this one homeless man who is always at this stop. He is in a wheelchair and I saw a woman give him some money and I saw him smile really big. Then I saw a little handwritten sign that read "Today is my birthday, I am so blessed!!" and I immediately started digging around for any cash that I had to give him. It was really touching- and I have seen this guy at this metro stop several times. He had a little portable heater plugged in next to his wheel chair today.

Beyond the homeless birthday man is the table where people aggressively get you to sign up for absentee voting. In the past I've just seen the volunteers shouting at all the rush hour metro people to sign up but today... today there was a woman playing a guitar and singing into a mic some song that she was making up on the spot that basically consisted of: "Going to be out of the county on election day... vote absentee .. vote absentee... avoid the lines on election day... vote absentee... vote absentee.... make sure your voice is heard... vote absentee ... vote absentee..." it was irritating and endearing at the same time.

On that note, today I mailed my absentee ballot off to North Carolina where hopefully it will be put to good use in turning North Carolina blue. I got off the metro at Union Station to go home and put it in a mail box outside of the post office. I had a hard time letting it go, it was so unceremonious, not at all like real voting. I wanted to shout afterwards I JUST VOTED, I VOTED EVERYONE! But I didn't. Voting is so special and exciting. I was especially thrilled to vote in Union Station. I'll never get sick of Union Station.

When I got home I made some dinner (E is back!) and then the guy from the yard sale where I bought the two framed pictures brought them over! They are beautiful- I'm very pleased. This weekend, once the Halloween festivities are over, I will hang them up.

Tomorrow is another big day because it is the annual DC Drag Race. Apparently all the drag queens in Washington all come to Dupont Circle the Tuesday before Halloween and parade up and down 17th street and at 7PM there is a HIGH HEELED DRAG QUEEN RACE. I'm there.

Yard Sailing y el Dia de los Muertos

Today I went to more yard sales with T. We had enormous luck for most of the day- rich people yard sales and items from around the world- my favorites! I got a lot of Christmas presents. It's always good to start working on Christmas presents before you are strapped for cash in December with no ideas. That's the pits. So it was a successful day. It really was a beautiful day (unlike the monsoon that was yesterday) and I wore the exact right thing to enjoy the weather to the fullest. It's days like this that I really dislike my apartment for its lack of windows. The price we pay for living in one of the nicest neighborhoods in DC is that in order for us to afford it we are in a basement apartment. Our windows aren't even windows- they are "light wells." I refer to it as the "time warp" because you never know what time it is when you are inside- it's like a mall. During the week it's fine because we're gone during the day- it's the weekend when I would rather just go out all day while it's light and not be stuck in the time warp.

At the yard sales I found a Holga camera (scenester, I know!), some yarn for household purposes, a great picture frame, a drawing of a fat hippo, two baking sheets, a muffin tin, two cake pans, and a hippo cookie cutter (what's with the hippos today?) and other various christmas present type stuff. Oh, and a great looking Anthropology book: The Anthopology of Media. I love smart yard sales! I couldn't resist that book even though it looked like a text book- it had recycled art on the cover. T and I also cruised the outside parts of Eastern Market, a way cool part of DC near my house that has vendors on the street selling antiques, vegetables, jewelry, international stuff, different things. Yard sales are so fun because the price no longer reflects the actual price of the item- however much it may have cost retail. It takes on a price of the amount of space it takes up vs. how much money the people can actually make off of it. A delicate balance but the winner is always the shopper- if he or she has the space.

Here is a picture of the awesome bumper sticker I got at the Democratic headquarters in VA last week:

I am constructing a shrine / memorial to my dog Sam who died in April. I am still grieving a lot about it because we had her for 16 years- a large part of my life. Since I studied Day of the Dead so much last year for various projects and classes, I've decided to construct a shrine in the theme of Day of the Dead to Sam. Day of the Dead is a holiday celebrated in parts of Latin America- I studied it in Mexico. It is actually Days of the Dead, because it lasts for I think 3 days. It happens every year around the end of October and the beginning of November. The idea is that during that time all the souls of dead people come back to the place where they were buried to "check up" on their family. The families all come home and create lavish feasts and shrines to their dead, cooking their favorite food and offering it to them. People stay up late celebrating the lives of the people they loved- it's a big party that goes on and on. It reminds everyone that the dead are still with us, they never leave for good, and that you are always connected. I read somewhere that it is believed that if you don't put on a good feast and shrine for your dead person they will be offended because all the other dead people will have all their nice feasts and things- and you would never want to disappoint your dead person! They're dead!

So anyways, I'm making a shrine to Sam for Day of the Dead, even though she is not buried here. I think she'll probably come by to see me even though I'm so far from home. It's really hard to build the thing because I'm still so sad about it. I've got a lot of pictures of her and her collar, some special nuts I brought back from Mexico that were used in another ritual, and today I got an icon of Mary at a yard sale. I seriously cry every time I spend any kind of time thinking about it, but it is comforting to know that Sam is still around. I really want to believe in ghosts and Day of the Dead because I want her to still be near me. I'm pretty sure I heard her ghost at home over the summer once or twice. I think a lot of why it was so hard to be at home this summer was because I was trying so hard to avoid thinking about Sam. It's so easy to distract yourself when you're busy- not so much when you have nothing to do at home. Sometimes I am happy and content that Sam is around "spiritually"- and I am happy that she isn't old and weak and having a hard time. But usually I'm just devastatingly sad. Being an only child and she being my one dog that was always around is just really hard. I've never grieved anyone that was this close to me so I guess this is my "learn to grieve" part of my life.

I guess I should also say that I am completely serious about all of this stuff. I am not sure I should even be writing about it on the internet but I'm lonely right now and just need to write. I've never missed someone or been so sad about something in my life.

So ANYWAYS. This weekend was very laid back, but kind of lonely. I'm looking forward to being busy again so that I won't be alone with my thoughts for very long.

Fall Timez

I really should update this blog more. I have so much stuff going on- there are many things worth blogging about every day!


Last weekend I went to Loudoun county for my friend M's birthday. She has a pet cow named Earnest and he is super huge and cute. We also got lost in a corn maze (corn maize haaa) for over 2 hours. It was the perfect weekend for enjoying Fall outside of the city! The weather was cool and crisp and perfect for the Loudoun Farm Color Tour, which was how we knew about the corn maze and some other stuff we did.

This week I saw another mouse in the metro, near the tracks. In New York City I saw the HUGE subway rats that thrive off of the plentiful food trash everywhere. The DC metro is much cleaner then the NYC one, so I guess the big rats can't survive off of the meager offerings that the mice can. I am going to be a subway rat/mouse for Halloween and I'm excited. Cute little mice. I can't believe their whole existence depends on the litter in the metro system.

On Thursday night my new friend T and I went to see Josh Kornbluth's (of Haiku Tunnel fame) latest one-man monologue called "Citizen Josh" at the Area Stage in Crystal City. It was very politically charged but not just a big rant by any means; it is a narrative of a man and his interest in politics and how it has followed him throughout his life. Mr. Kornbluth is very funny, I laughed out loud.

The Area Stage is a really cool theatre venue in Crystal City and in DC that offers a discount for anyone under 30. The tickets were priced at about $40 but for under 30 they were $10!! We found out why when we were there- all bald men and blue hairs. ha!

This week I also discovered that my checking account was overdrawn when I tried to put more money on my metro card trying to get home from work one day. I knew that wasn't right because basically I'd rather die than have to spend money on overdraft fees... so I keep really good tabs on my money. I figured out that when I bought my airline tickets to go home for Christmas US Airways charged my account TWICE. Apparently they do this often when the charge is "pending" and once the actual charge for the tickets post to your account they only end up charging once. Of course in my case with my piddly checking account (having just begun getting a paycheck and having to buy things like plane tickets for Thanksgiving and Christmas) pretending to charge it double sent it over the edge. My credit union refunded me the overdraft fees and everything worked out- but take heed, readers. Always keep at least twice the amount of an airline ticket in your account if you want to be able to take the train home. God. I had words for the US Air rep I talked to.

I inspected the building that houses the Democratic Headquarters for Virginia last week. It was AWESOME. I got some stickers and signed up to volunteer next week (I encourage all you to do that as well, especially if you are in a swing state COUGH NORTH CAROLINA). I also got my absentee ballot for North Carolina in the mail this week. Get ready Obama! I'm voting for you!! I also love you. I am super pumped for the 30 minute spot Obama bought on all the major TV stations. Obama TV everyone! Must see TV! Get ready!

Today T and I went to a few yard sales and I got two framed posters that are BEAUTIFUL! The people who sold them to me said they were from Venice. Together they were $25 total- a steal! The man also was nice enough to offer to bring them to my apartment since hauling things like that around on the metro is not something possible. After we left that yard sale we went to an overpriced thrift store and then ate lunch at a Ethiopian place- my first taste of Ethiopian food! I liked it. Tomorrow we are going out to more yard sales. Yard sailing is way more fun when you have an apartment to outfit.

I want to put something on here about The Keeper. I know it can be scary talking about menstruation but honestly, it's a part of all women's lives all the time. Even dudes should get over their ick factor and just understand that it's a part of life and it's ok. Anyway, I wanted everyone to know that there are alternatives to tampons - The Keeper is one of them and the other is Diva cup. In my quest toward zero waste I'm trying not to buy anymore tampons- I read that it is estimated that an average woman will use and throw away around 15,000 tampons in her LIFE. That is ABSURD. Especially since most tampons are made of cotton and rayon that is bleached with crap that can give you cancer, endometriosis, etc. SO GIRLS: look into using a tampon alternative! DUDES: educate yourselves, your girlfriends, and quit being so weirded out. IT IS OK.

Roommate E went home this weekend- she found a last minute deal and jumped on it. Lucky! It's quiet around here but things are about to heat up again. Next weekend is Halloween and hopefully the weekend after that I will have some fantastic visitors!

PS I love the comments. Please comment more!! It is encouraging to know that people are reading this.

my new city, my new friend

DC is still magical, I'm still excited all the time. I figured out where some of the city pigeons sleep: in Union Station! Those lazy bastards are still sleeping when I go to work. I also keep tabs on the gray squirrels that live/work/play near my office.

Yesterday I found a cheap last minute flight to go home for the long weekend. I was never a believer in the whole "last minute" deals but they are REAL. I'm really excited to see my mom and bring things back to the apartment. Also, the South Carolina State Fair is going on now and I GET TO GO! It's like I get fall break just like I did in college!

I have lots of things I want to write about concerning the Pentagon, since that is where I get off of the metro and get on a bus to get to/from work. My internet paranoia has truly reached new heights so I am not going to tell Pentagon stories other than the Monday morning protesters that quietly hold signs right where you get off of the escalator from the metro. I see them at 7:30AM, who knows what time they get there. One week they protested the war in Iraq, this week it was Afrocon. It's really interesting because probably 80-85% of the people who get off at the Pentagon metro on Monday morning at 7:30 work in the Pentagon, and they orchestrate wars and things, so it's a really significant place to protest something. And everyone is always brooding in the morning.

Riding to and from the Pentagon stop so much has made me realize how exciting and scary and hot it is to see all the men and women in their various uniforms going to and from work. I've seen Navy, Army, Airforce, all kinds of uniforms. It's so attractive! I don't know why!

So I guess I have to go pick out my "party shirt" for the last day of customer service week tomorrow. Good grief. At least I don't have to pack a lunch!

Customer Service Week (makes me sick)

Everyone seemed to blog about the Palin / Biden debate- all I have to say is
1. Who the hell is "Joe Sixpack?"
2. Why isn't anyone talking about women's issues? I'm a woman damnit, and I want to talk about it.
3. Seriously, Palin?

I gotta plug the Good Stuff Eatery. I went there with my roommate E and her brother and her brother's roommate and it is AWESOME. The guy who created it was a contestant on top chef! It's cheap, fast, and one of the best burgers I've ever eaten. If you're ever in DC, I highly recommend it. Don't skip on the fries, either.

Also, my friend R introduced me to Secondi, a great consignment store for women in Dupont Circle. Great prices and really nice stuff. Worth it to visit every now and then to see their ever-changing inventory.

This past weekend I spent mostly just chilling out. On Sunday E and I went to Ikea and I got some stuff for my room. I got a really great desk, a bookshelf, and a lamp. Ikea is cheap and awesome but now I understand why. Putting together Ikea stuff is nothing to laugh at. I didn't really have any problems except for with the bookshelf. I can't wait to go back.

So, I caught a cold. I think this means that I'm becoming comfortable in this new life and the stress is ebbing because my body usually holds off all sickness until the really important stuff is over. For example, fighting off a cold through exams only to get sick over Christmas break.

I went to work this morning anyway, even though I felt like trash. Turns out that in my 2 weeks of work I have earned exactly 2 hours of sick leave. 2 hours isn't 8 hours, so I worked. It sucked. I'm not exactly clear on how this kind of policy is beneficial for anyone because I couldn't do anything productive and I'm pretty sure everyone else in the office will get sick now, creating even more reduced productivity. (slam head on desk now) AND this week is customer service week (bet you didn't know THAT!) So we are "celebrating" by starting work at 7AM tomorrow for some kind of customer service training. We are also supposed to wear themed shirts each day this week. Today was "wear your favorite color" shirt day, tomorrow is sports team shirt day, and Friday is the best. Friday is "happy hour" from 2:15-4 except no alcohol is allowed at work so happy hour is chicken wings, dips(?) and soda. AND you're supposed to wear a "party" shirt. I work in The Office.

Also, since I have cable again for the first time in 4 years+ I have to say that TLC is my favorite channel, besides Bravo of course.

I also need to post that I did end up buying the bed I saw in a craigslist posting and when I went to pick it up the couple gave me basically everything else in their apartment because they were moving. I got a sweet ass deal on a bed, a box spring, a frame, a set of dishes, silverware, a mirror, pots, pans, baking pans, a laundry basket, drawers for underwear/socks and basically everything. Craigslist is my new lifeblood.

New New New New

Wow, things have changed a lot since my last post. I will try to catch everyone up quickly.

I flew up to Baltimore early on Friday 9/19 and, with all my stuff that I could manage to bring on the plane without paying an extra fee, took bus and train from Baltimore to Alexandria to stay with my friend J and her roommates. I couchsurfed her house and spent every waking moment looking on craigslist for apartments. I was too stressed out and crazed to go to parties and be social, which was frustrating because J and her roommates and friends are really cool. I got really homesick and scared the first night but I've been mostly ok since then.

I took the metro a lot to meet with my roommate, E, who was my childhood best friend from home. We went to school together for 14 years! Back together again! It's so amazing how things come full circle sometimes.

The first apartment we looked at we really liked. We let the landlord know that we wanted to sign the lease and he said he'd get back to us in a day about it. He didn't get back to us! So we sadly gave it up for lost and looked at another mediocre place... I thought I was doomed to couchdom for ever (this feeling occurred day 2 of couch time). But the next day the landlord emailed E and said we got it! We signed a lease on Tuesday and I moved in on Wednesday. I'm still on a couch, but at least it's my couch (the apartment even came with a really nice couch, matching chair, and coffee table!)

So I started my new job on Monday and it has been an adventure. I am a low level bureaucrat in a county government. I am a Commercial Recycling Inspector. I go around and inspect businesses and multi-family homes to make sure they are recycling the way that they are required to to comply with the county RECYCLING LAW. That's right, RECYCLING LAW!!!!!!!!! I am really happy, and EXTREMELY lucky that I got this job. Basically I will be teaching people about recycling all day. I won't be stuck in an office all the time! One main hilarious part is that I do have an office, a cubicle, in a short row of cubicles. It's so hideous! I'm going to spiff it up soon, though. So basically recycling <3 <3 <3 dreams can come true. I get to talk trash all the time with people who know more about recycling than I do!!!

Today I woke up early to go yard-sailing. The apartment doesn't have anything in it and E and I both are living out of suitcases only, so we don't have house crap, or a car to get it. I picked up some nice hangers, a pot, a hairdryer, hair straightener, picture hanging kit, peeler, etc at a church yard sale for $10 so that was very fruitful. E and I went to Target and got a lot of things we needed. I'm so used to doing that kind of thing at thrift stores but we really needed the stuff ASAP.

I just got back from going to check out a bed I found for sale on craigslist. It is AMAZING how expensive brand-new beds are, and yeah Ikea beds are cheap but they are crappy. The apartment I went to was a guy and his girlfriend, they had really nice stuff. I wish I weren't so broke (the security deposit and the rent really broke the bank and I don't get my first paycheck till next week!) But I am springing for this bed because it is really nice and almost brand new for a fraction of the new price. I got an iron, too. I haven't ironed a damn thing since I graduated from high school.

It's so weird having to wear work clothes, it's the same crap I had to wear in high school (we had a strict dress code) and I forgot how uncomfortable it is / the ironing part. yeesh.

So I am going to update the blog so it's not "recent college grad looking for work" to "happy college grad starting out new in WASHINGTON DC!!!!!!!!!!!" I'll keep you posted on the happenings of DC, there is always something insane, every day!

OH YEAH: NEW COMPUTER= FULL POSTING CAPABILITIES! I'll get on that!

Are there black people in Alaska?

I just watched this (posted on another blog) and just laughed and laughed. Diddy knows.

I have a job and I'm starting soon! With the "official" news of getting the job has come a mountain of other things to do- I'm getting my very first laptop (!), I'm flying to DC in about a week, I'm super busy. Anyone who has any connections in DC PLEASE hook me up. This is when all the social capital I've been building up my whole life comes into play! Work social capital, work!

Rainbows and Moonbeams

Oh yeah!!! I basically got a job offer today through a voicemail (?) but that's ok with me! I still have to give them my references but OH YEAH!!! Success!

Also WHAT'S UP DEMOCRATS!!! BARACK IS THE MESSIAH!! HE WILL SAVE US ALL!!! I was pretty sure that when he opened his mouth tonight at the DNC rainbows and moonbeams were going to come out but instead it was RAINBOWS AND MOONBEAMS OF HOPE?! I sure hope he can deliver because there are a lot of people who really believe that the man is going to save us all, myself included. So I guess I'm a member of the church of Barack. Let us pray.

I'm back in South Carolina. I'll try to post more now that things are actually happening.

lametown

Job search blues, today for the first time in a long time.  Why is it so hard?  Why do I feel so bad?  It's like being in gym class and not getting picked for either team, all summer. 

So lame.  I feel like an extreme loser.  I'm running out of patience.

Great Northeast Adventure GO!

So I've been adventuring.  It goes like this:

• July 29 (?) started driving to Maine (from South Carolina) for vacation with boyfriend's family.
  
• Stopped in Baltimore and walked the streets (go get your Gram Parsons)
  
• Stopped in Providence and ate at La Creperie with C
  
• Got to Maine

-Farming adventures- harvesting wax beans and lettuce on an organic farm

-Sailing

-Lobster races a la Annie Hall but not as annoying (that movie is weird)

-Hiking at the Holbrook Island Sanctuary

-Discount shopping at Reny's and Marden's

-Endless Flight of the Concords listening

-Being mistaken for townies (only the bf and me) in Portland, ME

-General family cheerleader activities because I'm not actually related

More stories later on that, maybe.  It was really cold and rainy the whole time and I LOVED it.  Being cold.. in August.  It's so magical.  (cue the song "Carolina Girls")

Now I'm in Providence, Rhode Island chilling with C in her apartment.  When my boyfriend's family was driving back to South Carolina I just thought... why on earth would I want to go back there.  Especially right now, when the highs have been in the 100's.  So I just stayed in Providence and watched them leave.  I was only going to stay for a week but I have no real obligations- so I'm going to stay until the end of August and help C move out and drive down to South Carolina.  We're going to have a yard sale on Saturday.  She knits a lot and we cook together.  We got an amazing deal at Jcrew the other day (2 dresses and a skirt for $22? Jcrew?!  did you know they have a 15% student discount?)  We picked a lot of blueberries.  She took me to Ikea!!!!!  Super adventures GO!

Yesterday I went to Boston to meet up with some college friends.  We had so much fun going to the Garment District, walking around Harvard, discussing all the medical study opportunities available in the Boston area, eating in China Town at the best vegetarian restaurant EVER (that had these blended fruit and coconut milk smoothie things), riding the T, finding the perfect iced coffee, just everything.  I have lots of pictures but I didn't bring my camera cord, I'll have to ask C for one.  Seeing all these people (and getting the hell out of South Carolina) has made me feel so much better in general.  I'm still keeping up with the job search and applying and interviewing-- but getting out and doing different things is so nice.  We're going to meet up again next week and try to add more Warren Wilson friends to the mix.  

Today on my way back to Providence I was waiting for the T and I got mistaken for a townie AGAIN.  Way to go me!!!

Another main reason I've been feeling so bad lately at home in South Carolina has been the inadequacy I feel about not having a steady job, not getting a job, all the rejection letters, missing college, etc.  It is such a lonely business to not have a car and be stuck in a town when you had so many dreams about post-collegiate life.  Seeing old friends my age in the EXACT SAME SITUATION having the EXACT SAME conversations about the job search, interviews, waiting for calls and emails- it has made me feel not quite so alone.  It is much better to go through this with other people going through it too.  It's hard to remember that I'm not alone when I'm so removed from so many people I love.

I also started a new project for this blog.  I am always excited when I see how other places recycle- what kind of cans they use, how they label their containers, etc.  I've started taking pictures of all the different ones I've seen in my travels and hopefully I'll get to post them to have a kind of collection for the "trashlady."  Not that anyone would be interested in how other cities and schools recycle- it's just cool seeing it in action.  You can see most of the containers people use in catalogues but for me it is also a documentation of where I've been traveling.  So... soon you can look at recycling containers.

sad

I am just really sad. Sad, fed up, sick, nervous. Reality sure does hit hard.

I get cryptic when things are too much for the internet. It really is such a superficial place. It's becoming weirder and weirder how even though it is so superficial, it has become the communication medium for some really serious stuff. I don't know how to feel about that and my anthropology goggles are whirring at work trying to make sense of it. So sad.

death and rejection

I know it's been a while since I wrote. I had some serious internet paranoia about employers "finding me" on the internet so I worked for a couple days to try to keep my online presence down to a minimum. Let it be known, young bloggers, don't ever use your full name on ANYTHING unless you want it to be found by the pope, your grandma, your novio/novias mom, or the people that you want to HIRE YOU IN THE FUTURE. I have been so naive.

Yesterday I went to the funeral for my great-aunt in Walterboro, South Carolina. I felt really sad for my grandmother because she was so sad that her sister died. It must be such a terrible feeling to watch your family die and know that you're next and not far off. She's about to be 89, so I'm not sure if she even realizes these things or not (a little dementia can be a good thing). The service was at a Baptist church and was really bizarre, not exactly what I'm used to in term of religion. Like any event involving ritual or rites of passage, I had my anthropology goggles on. In this service, it was run clearly by men. Three male preachers or pastors or whatever they were led the pal bearers in a processional inside the church. The three head guys then ran the service, which involved no interaction from the guests (congregation)- except for that optional "amen" at the end of certain prayers. The only singing was done by one soloist man who was in the front, too. I wanna know where the women at? Just not my cup of tea. But- my great aunt's religion did help her a lot in her life and especially when she was sick in the hospital.

You really have to credit religion for serving its purpose sometimes. One thing about anthropology goggles and religion is that it can turn you into an atheist really fast- though I'm not. I still believe but I also understand what the function of religions ARE and how they can change over time to suit the spiritual needs of a culture (not much sacrifice going on in the US anymore, is there? There are reasons for this kind of cultural change).

So anyway. I didn't get one of the jobs that I really really wanted. When that happened it was the first time I have cried during this whole process. It's just so disappointing to be rejected and not know why- it really does make you feel like you're damaged goods or that there is something wrong with you or that you're doing something wrong with the process. Even worse, to not get an answer one way or another from the potential employer by the date they said they would get back to you. I practically spammed this lady to get an answer out of her- and let it be known that if an employer doesn't get back to you quickly / on time, chances are you didn't catch that bus to employment town. They will stay in close touch with those that they want and a lot of times just "forget" about the no-gos. It seems like employers just like to avoid that whole "I'm just not that into you" message so they just don't say anything at all. How hard is it to send an email or call a person and just say- hey, you're great but we're looking for something else. I am trying to stay positive. I got an encouraging phone message about another job- I'm on the "short list." The politics with this stuff are incredible.

So I am alive, happy internet. I'm still dealing with internet paranoia but I think I have it under control now.

point and laugh at the politicians

More interviews. One really good one recently.

The governor of South Carolina flubbed up on tv and it's funny. Point and laugh at the dumb puppet!!! What's the difference between Bush and McCain? NAFTA? Sorry Sanford, I guess there is something worse that has come out of your mouth since you spoke at my high school graduation. His main piece of advice during that speech was "Don't go through life with a bucket on your head." Maybe you should take your own advice, Mark. laugh laugh laugh.

lies

so I guess what they meant by "we'll get back to you by the end of next week" was "we'll get back to you maybe at the beginning of the week after that" or "we'll get back to you whenever we feel like it and just tell you lies."

ps- I wrote a really long post yesterday about ageism toward young applicants but I removed it because it slams a recent interview I had. Internet paranoia is real.

taco extravaganza, cops in Russia, computer sadness

So a couple nights ago the boyfriend and I were watching some late night TV when we came across COPS in Russia. This is kind of like regular COPS except that the cops in Russia are police officers terrorizing the people of Moscow in 1989. So weird. It's not even on imdb.

I got a job offer. I'm not going to take it, though. I don't think it would cut the mustard, especially in the college-loan-payback department. Moving to Chicago to sort recyclables would be cool, for about a week. The people with the organization are really nice though, especially the guy I talked to. He said he'd keep me in mind for future positions. Sheesh. I'm still waiting on a lot of other jobs. I have another interview tomorrow with a job that could be really cool- so things are not completely stagnant. I'm supposed to hear back about a job by the end of this week, too.

Last night the boyfriend (who hates being referred to as "the boyfriend"- I guess I can say "my boyfriend" now) and I went to The Whig, an underground (literally) bar in Columbia, SC. They have $.50 tacos every Tuesday night so we try to go every now and then. Last night we were the last people to order tacos so they gave us ALL the tacos that they had made so that they wouldn't be throwing them away. Taco extravaganza! The Whig is the only bar I've been to in Columbia that I really feel ok going to. All my other experiences usually have involved that nasty sorority girl look-over and frat boy check-out. Ugh, that shit makes me feel like such a fish out of water. I'm so unaccustomed to it having lived in Asheville for the past four years that when I am confronted with it I feel really uncomfortable. My boyfriend was saying that someone referred to The Whig as "that bar where all the guys with beards go." Sure enough, thank God for The Whig.

Yesterday I spent at least 2-3 hours trying to hook up my computer to my mom's cable internet. I have tried everything on my own, re-setting configurations, fiddling with the modem and the ethernet cord, all that crap. I called Time Warner and a girl there walked me through some stuff and proceeded to tell me that the problem was with the configuration (NO DUH) and that it was outside of her troubleshooting area and that I would have to call Dell. So I call Dell and talk to a couple people in India. One nice man walked me through a lot of different things, none of which worked. He then concluded that the problem was either with my ISP (Time Warner) or I just needed to backup all my crap and re-install Windows. Um... is this really that big of a deal? Can anyone out there please help me? It's getting so ridiculous! My computer could connect to all the different connections I had at school. So frustrating.

interviews, peaches, parades and Jesus

The job hunt is kind of like babysitting. You have to constantly check the kids and make sure they heard you over and over until eventually they are the ones calling YOU. Finally, I'm getting calls instead of emails. I had another interview last week that (I thought) went well. I'm supposed to hear back from them next week. I also got called for an interview with another position next week(!!!) Things are happening! Of course, just like the last time things got "rolling" with this process, I'm starting to FREAK OUT about how big this first job is/could be.

In other news: my mom decided this year we really had to go to the Lexington County Peach Festival in Gilbert, SC for the 4th of July. I'm always up for a parade (I am my mother's daughter, after all) so we trekked out to the 'pit' of South Carolina for this classy celebration. The parade piqued my "anthropology goggles" in that all parades, especially small town home grown county-sponsored ones, are representations of a culture as the "officials" would want the culture to be portrayed as. It's a socialization mechanism to reinforce certain cultural values- putting the values on display as "correct" and "celebrated." For the Peach Parade I saw today, I noticed a few things.

In addition to the overwhelming Christian / Baptist presence (a camel with a banner tied to it that read "Come see me at the Christmas Pageant at ___ Baptist Church!" While the girl leading it fed it Mountain Dew. She'd open a bottle, hold it up to the camel's mouth and the camel would take it and tilt it's head back and drink the whole thing. I think that camel probably drank 15 Mountain Dew's today. It's probably dead.) The main representation of women were as beauty pageant winners. All of these women were young, beautiful, many of them teenagers and children, adorned with crowns, gowns, and titles like "Little Miss Peach Queen," "Miss SC Poultry" and some kind of title about "Miss Tiny-Tot." Of course, there were girls in the marching band, some women in the senior center float, the red-had ladies, etc, but by far the most women were in the parade as beauty queens. The one young woman who was not the standard southern blonde skinny type was instantly ridiculed by the audience near where I was standing- they obviously already knew what an ideal young woman should look like- and she didn't cut it: (by rejecting what they saw in offhand comments, they affirm their cultural capital in the community).

The men in the parade, however, were present driving all the vehicles for the parade (all of them), all the tractors (at least 10), all of the politicians campaigning were men (with the exception of one), all of the veterans present were men, etc. Occasionally, a wife would stand behind her husband as he drove the tractor, and with the politicians the families of the politicians would be in the vehicle with them. There were some girls on the FFA float, which I was glad to see, but for the most part the parade had very clear gender boundaries- the most clear of which was that women do not drive tractors, they are queens! My mom grumbled that this was a "masculine parade!" and that she wanted to go to a gay parade next instead. I'll go with you, mom. Parades really are a cultural anthropology pool party. Seriously.

Getting up close and personal with deep southern culture makes me just laugh and laugh. If I don't laugh at it and label it I just get mad. I get mad anyway. One float for the Woodmen of the World had a large banner that proclaimed: "The Woodmen of the World support our Arm Forces." Sweet Jesus. But Jesus really was there with us today. As we were walking back to the car in the 95 degree heat we were becoming very thirsty. Right as one of us mentioned that we wanted something to drink this woman appeared and asked us, "would you like some ice cold bottled water? It's free" of course we accepted and thanked her a lot. We looked across the street and saw Jesus himself smiling at us from the Gilbert Baptist Church. What a day!

I need an evening activity.

I'm shedding small, pretend tears over the extermination of my college email address. Warren Wilson is so pathetic they don't give out alumni email- so bye bye .edu. Bye bye, .edu identity and cultural capital. I'm a little peeved about it even though I knew it was coming. I suppose that since almost everyone I know is on Facebook I shouldn't be too concerned.

Today I went on a long walk. I saw two cats. I walked 4.5 miles. I would think I would have seen more cats than that? I wore a pedometer to see how many steps that was... a little over 9000. I think I'll wear the pedometer more often to see how many steps I take a day. I've been acting entirely too lazy lately.

I made the Moosewood brownies again. They turned out like chocolate cake, again. I just don't know what I'm doing wrong? Maybe I shouldn't use the mixer next time. I know that the batter is too fluffy for it to be a brownie texture.

%&#^@(!

OK. Holy !*%&#

I got a call this morning from someone working for a company called The Resource Center. I thought it was the followup call from the interview I had on Friday from an organization called The Resource Center. So I returned the call just now only to find that this was A DIFFERENT COMPANY and I was on the phone with someone wanting to go through all the "preliminary phone interview" stuff for a job/company that I had NO IDEA WHAT WAS. Cool. So of course I sounded like an idiot because the jobs I've been applying to fall into two categories: recycling and not recycling- and I didn't know what on earth this thing was. One of my saving graces, I guess, was that their job posting didn't say much about them anyways.

UGH I JUST HATE SOUNDING LIKE AN IDIOT. For all you who think that naming your company "The Resource Center" would be great- get a little more creative, I beg you.

I just want a meaningful job.

I'm feeling really down today. I got two rejection emails today from really cool jobs. There have been no new jobs (I liked) to apply to in 5 days. These things are just an equation for self-doubt and frustration. The interview I had on Friday went well and they are going to call back sometime this week for another. I've got another interview for a different job on Wednesday of this week to look forward to, so at least the week isn't blank. ...But ugh, now is when I really wonder why I didn't forgo the fun in college and go to a free in-state school and major in computer science or programming or something. Man, feeling like crap really makes you loose faith.

On Saturday the boyfriend and I went to the flea market (didn't find anything) and to Pets Incorporated, a no-kill animal shelter in West Columbia. That is the shelter I used to volunteer with when I was in high school and it's the shelter where the boyfriend got his dogs. They re-did their whole setup and it's really nice now. When I use GoodSearch I always use Pets Inc as the organization to give to.

So Saturday night my friend WB had an Arrested Development themed birthday party. It's the first "real" party I've been to since I came home- maybe even the first "real" party I've ever been to in this city. I tried to dress up as Rita, Michael's girlfriend that has the brain of a 4 year old. I had a great time hanging out with old friends. They even had chocolate banana shots (which I didn't really like) but it was a great idea (if you've ever seen the show).

these hands used to pick tomatos and now these hands pick brain tumors

Has anyone seen Hopkins? This TV show is GREAT. I'm always a sucker for reality documentary kind of shows. This one follows doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The guy that was my favorite on this episode came to the US as an illegal immigrant from Mexico and worked himself up to be a neurosurgeon. It came on tonight (Wednesday) at 9.

coconutty

So I've been craving some serious coconut since the summer heat hit South Carolina. The coconut popsicles I've been eating just haven't been cutting it entirely (although they are REALLY good). So last night I cooked up some coconut pineapple curry. My mom used to make it a lot when I was in high school and it's really easy to do. It's not really for those who don't like tastebud parties (ie- hot, flavorful food).

Here's what you need:
1 medium-sized frying pan / low rimmed pot
1 can of coconut milk (regular or light, your preference)
1 fresh pineapple (a can of pineapple also works but make sure you drain the juice out! drink up!)
1 can of sliced water chestnuts (drain these too)
1 onion (I like Vidalias if they are in season)
1 fresh green pepper
curry
cayenne (or chili powder, or crushed red pepper)
salt
1 hot green pepper (optional)
chicken (optional)

So you cut the onion and the peppers up and saute them in a little olive oil until it's all a little softer but it's all still crunchy looking. I guess if you were cooking chicken with it you'd throw that in and cook that at this point too. Then you open up the water chestnuts and dump those in along with the pineapple. Stir that around for a short time and then pour the coconut milk in. Cut the heat to medium and add the curry to taste. I use a lot- my curry is yellow like the sun on the Teletubbies. Then I add the cayenne to taste (wait for it, it's a slow heat) and some salt to taste. Let that simmer for a little while. That's basically it- serve over rice and you've got some delicious yellow curry! Watch out for the hot green pepper, though. That will curl your hair.

Next up: Tahitian Coconut Bread. C gave me a recipe she got in Hawaii when she was on vacation with her family. Then maybe some Coconut Milk Sticky Rice with Mango? Homemade coconut popcicles? I better get off the computer- another one of those afternoon thunderstorms looks like it's going to rumble the city for a while.

Good news on the job front! An interview AND an email expressing interest! Things are looking up!

I've spent a lot of the past few days putting together a short essay, a critique of a website, and a marketing plan for a site as part of the application for a fellowship position with that site. It really makes me wonder exactly how many applicants for that position got the follow-up email asking for those materials. It sure would be an easy way to get a lot of really good feedback and ideas for your company, to put applicants through a process like that. Lots of companies pay a lot of money for detailed feedback. Clever! I hope that my efforts won't be for not. It sure is a lot easier to write essays and do tedious MS Word projects when you don't have to go to school everyday.

The last time I applied for a job and was asked to write an essay to be considered for the "next round" I submitted my essay (during the middle of exams while I was still in college) and never heard back from the company. Maybe one day when I am feeling especially heartless I'll publish the company who did that on this blog. For now, though, I'm sure there was some kind of "internet glitch" that prevented me from getting that "sorry, we're just not that into you" email. Yeah. Internet glitch. Jerks. It took them over 3 months just to review the resumes.

When hanging out with my friend C yesterday we talked about how we used to code our own websites and blogs and basically own the internet. We both knew enough about html and style sheets, etc that we could make pretty nice looking websites. Well, she was telling me that she was trying to edit the template of the code for a new blog and that she didn't understand what much of it meant. This is exactly what has happened to me, too! It's so insane that in the past 5-6 years all the coding for the internet has changed so much. I mean, I guess it's not insane, but there are so many new programming languages that we decided it really wasn't feasible to teach them to yourself, as we had done in high school. Kind of disappointing. I considered going to school for web programming- but always thought I could just teach myself anything I really wanted to know. Haha... WRONG. Here I am on blogger with a regular, standard template. Oh well. I guess I could use my old skillz to make a site if I really wanted to. Though they were very simple, they worked.

I just baked a batch of Brownies using the Moosewood Cookbook recipe. The Moosewood Cookbook is seriously my favorite cookbook ever. I could live fine forever with just that one cookbook.