a patchwork quilt

Today as we had brunch, as excited as I am about my new place, I will admit I started to realize just how bittersweet the moment was. I'm really going to miss my roommates.

I've really enjoyed having people around me in so many ways. Granted, I'm still not Suzy Sunshine in the morning. I'm perfectly content to arrive at work without having uttered a single syllable (and no, emphatically mouthing lyrics to my blasting iPod do not count as syllables in my book).

However, I've loved the post-weekend catch-up sessions. Few group dinners. Elaborate desserts, including homemade truffles whipped up at the hands of the DG. Funny stories I won't elaborate on here, but let's say thought-to-have been intruders, narrowly avoided calls to the police, and learning the white noise functionality of a rattly window A/C.

And can't forget the fun theme parties... too many to count, as is the case with the photos of the same.

I feel blessed though. Life's all about connections. The people, places, and events that lead you on to a whole new sea of faces and experiences. Sassy was one of those first DC connections, who led me on to meet the DG. And while our year at our "haunted" row house has had its ups and downs, oh my - have we had a time.

Life's a funny thing. Sometimes we understand what's come our way and sometimes we don't. And sometimes it's only months, even years later that we get why we went through something. What it added to who we are. Who we're meant to be.

And sometimes we get so wrapped up on people and how we thought things were supposed to be a certain way in our relationships. Likewise when that person presents themself on that street corner, as they many times do, you realize how unsuited you were from square one and how much better things have been since you went that other path. And that does not necessarily mean that person is a bad person or that you couldn't be friends... but yeah, you *get* it. It's always such a big bridge to cross to realize we surprisingly don't always know what's in our best interest, no matter how much we typically believe we do.

So when someone from my past came up to me earlier, it was good to see them but simultaneously refreshing to see I'm happy with where I am. Where I want to be - no questions. More than happy. Like I said, we don't always get it. More often than not, we question.

But there's just that occasional window, if only a sliver, of contentment. Where it all just gels. And that's why now, flip flops kicked out in the metro, there's a smile on my face.

Cause life is good. Oh yes, it's all good.

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

riding sideways, taken in by the scenery

Well, after years of it being on my list, I finally made it out to California. And just before my time to do so ran out... turns out, AW's husband is going to be changing jobs and they'll be moving from sunny Orange County. I came one month shy of missing the trip!

The trip was so much fun. I'm still dragging from the timechange, lack of sleep, and the like, so this will be a brief one. So what did we do? We tried California cuisine. Checked out a local wine bar, where the worker accomplished her goal of getting me to think I might not hate all merlots. Visited the Santa Monica pier, including a ride on the ferris wheel with its fantastic aerial view of Santa Monica. Shopped up and down the Third Street Promenade, enjoying a nice Italian lunch at Trastevere. We headed to Hollywood, stopping to walk up and down the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard and feeling sufficiently touristy. We went into the Kodak Theatre and to the shops in the Hollywood and Highland Center. We had a dinner of fantastic appetizers at the Grill on the Alley, after getting past a snooty hostess who seemingly scoffed us for not having reservations, who proceeded to walk us in through a sea of empty tables. Interesting.

We woke up super early (3AM) to venture Southwards to Temecula, which would be the personal highlight of my trip (so well worth going into the red on sleep). Our flight was with Grape Escape. So much fun, it was easy to forget we were floating around in what amounts to a larger, heavier version of a wicker basket up to a maximum altitude of 3,000 feet. Nice! After our champagne toast at Wilson Creek Winery (I highly recommend the almond champagne for a mean mimosa - and I don't particularly care for champagne, FYI). From there, it was brunch, wine tasting, and a little pool-side napping at South Coast Winery. It was then back to Wilson Creek (now that it wasn't 6:30AM-8AM and they were open...), where we ran into the most classless bachelorette party. They sadly did not come with volume control. We wrapped up our Temecula run with a stop at Ponte, a really nice winery with a beautiful al fresco restaurant overlooking their vineyard. Absolutely exhausted, we capped off our evening with a fabulous California Mex dinner at Miguel's, followed by catching the early evening showing of I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, which was funny enough to even keep our heavy eyelids open!

We went to Laguna Beach. Enjoyed lunch overlooking the water at Las Brisas. Took in the artsy atmosphere of Laguna, from cute shops to fabulous galleries. Trip back to DC included a layover in Las Vegas. While my first visit to Sin City did not include venturing into the city, I did manage to squander $3 on slot machines (Wheel of Fortune - in light of my mother's stint on the show back in its first year, I thought it was appropriate) only to watch a man win $10,000 around the corner. For two hours, I slept on the cold hard floor in Las Vegas to make the most of my delayed flight. And it was good sleep at that. After 2:30AM, I boarded the plane and was en route to the East Coast again.

11AM I walked in my doorway, luggage in hand (muuuuuch heavier than it left out) and eyes heavy from the overnight flight. Thankfully I didn't originally decide to opt to head into work post 7AM flight, so no issues when my now 10:20+AM arrival left me in no shape to head into the office. I tried, unsuccessfully to head to bed, so instead I headed to run errands. What was the top of the list? Purchase two DVDs... Pretty Woman and Sideways. Go figure.

"I want the fairy tale." - Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman

they call me the wanderer...

Tomorrow after a long time of claiming I was gonna do it, I'm finally off on a trip to California. I can't wait. I'm ready to be settled into my seat (aisle only will do), iPod on, book in hand ... nothing but blue skies ahead.

I cannot even remember the last time I saw the now Mrs. AW. We interned together in South Florida back in 2001. I think we met up at some point in the interim. Somewhere along the way, it all became a big blur. She's planned out all kinds of things for my visit and I'm pretty much all packed up and set to jet.

I do feel like the recurring theme as of late (as it tends to be) has been traveling. I love to travel. I was telling the Aussie that I think in his recent road trip across the US, he managed to likely see more of the US than I have in my 27 (almost 28) years of residing here.

It made me think... the Cajun gave me a book as a present once. You may have seen it. It's called "On and Off the Beaten Track: 1,000 Places to See Before You Die". Wow. I was intrigued. One other night when I should have been doing something else, I found myself scanning the listing and checking off the places I've been...

(The below is how they had everything grouped or broken down... including sites I actually visited within cities they listed just in their entirety)

1) Windsor Castle - Windsor, Berkshire, England
2) Canterbury Cathedral - Canterbury, Kent, England
3) The Lake District - Lancashire and Cumbria, England
4) London, England (Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral)5) Oxford University - Oxfordshire, England
6) Bath - Somerset, England
9) Stratford-Upon-Avon - Warwickshire, England
10) Salisbury Cathedral - Salisbury, Wiltshire, England
11) Stonhenge - Wiltshire, England
12) Edinburgh Castle - Edinburgh, Scotland
13) Vienna - Austria
14) Paris - Ile-de-France, France (Arc de Triumphe, Basilique du Sacre-CoeurCentre Georges Pompidou, Eiffel Tower, Hotel des Invalides, Louvre, Musee d' Orsay)
15) Catedrale Notre Dame de Chartres - Ile-de-France, France
16) Chateau de Versailles - Versailles, Ile-de-France, France
17) The Walls of Carcassonne - Languedoc-Roussillon, France
18) Heidelberg's Schloss - Heidelberg, Rhineland, Germany
19) Rome - Lazio, Italy (Coliseum, Pantheon, Roman and Imperial Forums, Spanish Steps, Vatican City)
20) Sistine Chapel - Rome, Lazio, Italy
21) Il Duomo - Milan, Lombardy, Italy
22) Florence - Tuscany, Italy (Church of Santa Croce, Il Duomo, Piazz della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio)
23) Basilica of St. Francis - Assisi, Umbria, Italy
24) Venice - Veneto, Italy (Palazo Duale, The Grand Canal, Basilica di San Marco, Piazza San Marco
25) Verona - Veneto, Italy
26) Anne Frank House - Amsterdam, Netherlands
27) Oude Kerk - Amsterdam, Netherlands
28) Red-Light District - Amsterdame, Netherlands (just baaaarely)
29) Rijksmuseum - Amsterdam, Netherlands
30) Van Gogh Museum - Amsterdam, Netherlands
31) La Mezquita - Cordoba, Andalusia, Spain
32) The Alhambra and Parador de San Francisco - Granada, Andalusia, Spain
33) Seville - Andalusia, Spain
34) Avila - Castile and Leon, Spain
35) Salamanca's Plaza Mayor - Castile and Leon, Spain
36) La Catedral de Toledo - Toledo, Castile La Mancha, Spain
37) La Sagrada Familia - Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
38) Madrid - Spain (Bullfights - ick, Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, El Rastro, Palacio Real, Prado, El Retiro, Tapas, Plaza Mayor)
39) Lugano - Ticino, Switzerland
40) Castle District - Prague, Bohemia, Czech Republic
41) Old Town Square - Prague, Bohemia, Czech Republic
42) Rocky Mountain National Park - Estes Park, Colorado, USA
43) Everglades National Park - Florida, USA
44) Key West - Florida, USA
45) The Delano - Miami Beach, Florida, USA
46) South Beach - Miami Beach, Florida, USA
47) Walt Disney World Resort - Orlando, Florida, USA
48) The Breakers - Palm Beach, Florida, USA
49) Art Institute of Chicago - Illinois, USA
50) The French Quarter - New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
51) The New Orleans Restaurant Scene - New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
52) Mardi Gras - New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
53) The Freedom Trail - Boston, Massachusetts, USA
54) The Natchez Trace - Natchez, Mississippi, USA
55) New York City - New York, USA (American Museum of Natural History, Central Park, Empire State Building, Lincoln Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island, Times Sq/42nd Street, Bronx Zoo, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Bridge, Grand Central)56) Historic Downtown New York - New York, USA
57) Museum Mile - New York, New York, USA (Met, Guggenheim Museum)
58) Biltmore Estate - Asheville, North Carolina, USA
59) Great Smoky Mountains National Park - North Carolina, USA
60) Heart of Charleston - South Carolina, USA
61) Low Country Cuisine - Charleston, South Carolina, USA
62) Graceland and the Elvis Trail - Memphis, Tennessee, USA
63) Memphis Rib Joints - Memphis, Tennessee, USA
64) Nashville's Music Scene - Nashville, Tennessee, USA
65) Monticello - Virginia, USA
66) Colonial Williamsburg - Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
67) The National Mall and Its Monuments - Washington, DC, USA
68) The Smithsonian and Beyond - Washington, DC, USA
67) Old San Juan - Puerto Rico, Greater Antilles (U.S. Commonwealth)

I'm a numbers person, so let's see. That puts me at 6.7% of the book. Ouch. I have some work cut out for me ... clearly more to see. As I suspected, of those sites deemed "must see" only 40.3% are in the US.

Clearly, more to see here in the grand ol' US of A. This weekend, I'll be knocking off another one (Hollywood). Oh and yes, I know it will be grimy and not pretty (I get it) but I also know I darn better see someone famous or I'll be mighty disappointed.

switch off the preppy

Last night, we were celebrating. WT and AM signed their lease for a place on the Hill. Clearly time to head to our favorite local bright yellow, fruity-themed Mexican joint. Sadly, we learned the main pianist only plays weekends. Clearly, that means that we'll just have to head back again soon.

Today it’s home to pack for my weekend trip. NYC, here I come. My sister’s moved into her new place in the East Village. I cannot wait to check out a new area of NYC… never really hung out in this area. My co-workers were telling me this morning of all of the fun things to see and do (hmmm and the fabulous shopping – dangerous). With my trip to California coming up next week and my move around the corner, I decided to go luxury on this one and opt for Amtrak over Vamoose. A bit more pricey, but I can get some high quality snooze time in this way. Big smile from this direction at that thought.

Tam asked what I wanted to do. Requests include Friday night karaoke (yesssss – love it) and the Sex and the City tour. The tour promises to be cheesy, but we’re gonna love it. I am sad though as I’ve learned today that to my horror Magnolia may be closed down (something about health violations?!?). If so, you can bet we will be souring NYC for a substitution on the cupcake-age.

We’re discussing now though proper attire for the tour, as apparently the attendees dress like their favorite character. I always test out to be Charlotte in those personality profile quizzes, so I’m seeing Charlotte in my future… although dressing as “conservative Charlotte” is not in keeping with the overall recommended attire for the excursion. My mom’s email to me upon helping Tam move was “When you come up here. Think funky and not cutesy or you will stand out too much…”

So, with the exception of our Saturday excursion, consider me taken to Funkytown ;-) That I can do too!

And as a sidenote, I do believe this is post numero doscientos for me. Wow, that's a whole lotta posting...

lj - version 2.0

I knew it had been a while since I’d posted, but over a week? Yeah, not so on top of this these days. Lots of changes. It’s almost like if I were a computer, I went through a system-wide upgrade of sorts. So far though, no complaints. System functioning well and if anything to report, more smoothly than before. (And yes, I did just use an IT-related metaphor.)

Somehow, finding time to sit down and post these days hasn’t happened like it used to, but I’ll find my rhythm eventually. It’s been a busy last week+. Saturday (June 30th) was what may turn out to be our last party at our quaint little row house. We learned though that the poorly insulated, 100+ year old home doesn’t stay cool too well in full-on DC summer heat. Good thing the theme for the party was Bayside Reunion, which allowed for a t-shirt and tennis skirt, substituting for a cheerleading skirt. Funny side note, minor almost wardrobe malfunction as just a few minutes before guests started to arrive I realized my skirt was um see through? Yeah. No good. Thank goodness I was able to improvise a little impromptu solution.

And, thanks to the Fashionista, I had a fabulous, bedazzled-rific pair of faux-Keds for the occasion. She went all out... buddy bands, Malibu Sands ID cards, etc. Very appropriate for the occasion. Thanks to the Mack, we were even able to have Seasons 1 and 2 playing on the TV throughout the evening.

Tuesday, July 3rd was KE’s birthday celebration at the Big Hunt. I’d never been upstairs. It was kinda fun to realize you could look down on the level below. It proved prime real-estate for us to check out the Fashionista’s ex, who had randomly shown up there of all places. The Big Hunt’s definitely not the classiest of joints, but you can always count on an interesting crowd and fabulous music courtesy of the juke box. No complaints here.

For the 4th, it was off to Arlington to hang with my soon-to-be upstairs neighbors (cup a’ sugah?) at their pools. Sassy and I took the promise of a pre-poolside bagel at Brookyln Bagel as extra incentive to arrive on the earlier side. Upon our arrival, Franky and the Mack gave us the scoop on the layout of the terrain. That portion there on the left-hand side? That’s where the international crowd tends to hang. Usually poor sunlight access, so nah. Over there to the right? That’s where the “cool kids” are. They all practically wear make-up to come to the pool. It’s like spring break. On crack.

We managed to find a block of five chairs in what we deemed was soon to be prime ray-catching real estate. Our group of perhaps four soon multiplied to at least ten. It was like Girl Talk meets the pool, just adding about a decade to the age group on hand. I think it took me about five minutes to zonk out for some patriotic napping, even with the obnoxious sound of Cornhole in the background. Sassy had to decipher why on earth these macho looking guys were throwing bags at this lame, busted looking board.

Me: “There’s a name for that?!?”

If anyone is reading this is a fan, please explain why on earth people play this? Ok? Thanks.

From there, it was off to the Fashionista’s place for some BBQ action, Bama style. Her hickory chips were on hand, and we were pleased upon arriving to not only find a fine spread of hot dogs and hamburgers but also some tangy and spicy ribs the HD had thrown on as well. Those were mighty tasty, even though they did require an entire bottle of water to extinguish the burning sensation they left behind. Ouch! The rain came, went, and came again… but we kept on trucking. The evening ended with a bit of impromptu swing dancing and a little Cyndi Lauper sing-a-long before Sassy and I decided it was time to head out, even if before fireworks. I wanted time left to finish cleaning up our place since the Titan was arriving the next day.

The Titan arrived in Thursday morning. I met him at my office with a SmarTrip card and metro map in hand. Thursday night was Jazz on Jackson Place. The threat of rain moved us indoors, but it was still a great time. It was AM’s birthday, and I was glad to see that both she and Mag were able to make it out for the occasion. Even my favorite Tour Guide made a guest appearance, super last minute change of plans on her part, but much appreciated on my part. As always, the jazz, wine, and hors d’oeuvres made for a great Thursday evening (and a perfect start to my long weekend!).

Friday was apartment hunting galore. It seemed to be painfully hot, although looking at temps forecasted for today, I think we were much luckier than we perhaps realized. Saturday I showed the Titan Dupont and one of my brunch faves, Kramerbooks.

Saturday was 07/07/07… I thought it was amusing that apparently it was the largest concentration of weddings in decades. Everyone, apparently, wanting to get in on some luck for the big day I guess. I can’t help but wonder… is it a bad sign if going into a marriage, you think you need the random luck of the 7’s?

Saturday night was D’s Lucky Bash, in keeping with the idea that 07/07/07 was a “lucky day”. Party started at 7, of course. We couldn’t decide how to best dress “lucky” and ultimately went with green. Luck of the Irish, right? Sassy, the DG and I all donned our best green shirts and skirts (cause it was so darn hot!) and headed out to Ballston. The party included Jell-o shots in the shape of green 7’s along with the typical party décor faves, such as the black light wallpaper in the kitchen and the flying pig ceiling fan (a definite classic, standard part of anyone’s apartment decorating scheme). I’d just mentioned I’d never been at a party where the cops had made an appearance when literally five minutes later who should appear? Ta-da! We were all herded like cattle from the common area behind the four town homes and told we had to choose one, get inside, and ASAP.

Sunday I was all about meeting up DrP for some quality time at the pool. Her friend’s rooftop had a beautiful view into the city. The evening I caught up with Stang, who’s soon to depart to head down to NOLA. It’s been a while since I’ve had a good friend in the area relocate. I’ll definitely miss her – she was one of the first people in the area I met coming in. Slowly but surely, I’m seeing the DC cycle occur as I’d always heard would be the case. She’ll definitely be missed.