A Brooklyn Weekend

Who says you have to be a school geek all the time? I had FUN this weekend. No thanks to this guy:
Friday, after watching the debates, we took off to Brooklyn to eat dinner at the Roebling Tea Room. Delicious food and amazing ambiance. Jazz playing, dimly lit, wooden tables, tall ceilings, wallpaper - it was cozy. Fun date and it only took about 1/2 hour to get there! Thank you express train.
Saturday we got up SUPER early (10:30 am) to have Gnomie and TH Day of Fun. What did GATHDOF entail?
Bagels from Absolute Bagels - BEST bagels on the island.

Next up on GATHDOF, we went to the Natural History museum! We spent nearly 4 hours walking around, mostly in the mineralogy room, wherein TH ran around like a kid in a candy store touting the glories of the periodic table. Sometimes I'm like - is this seriously my boyfriend? Until he finds me next to the silicate rocks, telling him about the mantle of the earth and how this does or does not relate to solar power technology. Sooo...we are kind of MFEO.



After museum exhaustion, we took the subway over to Brooklyn and walked the Brooklyn bridge to Manhattan! It was a grey day - perfect for a bridge walk, especially with a delicious slice of Brooklyn pizza in hand. I took approximately 32,906 pictures on this bridge. Here is a sampling:




THEN, we walked through Little Italy, Chinatown, and SOHO, hopped on the subway and headed to Ratatat, where we danced the night away. It was one of the best shows I've been to thus far in my short life. Everyone was dancing and there were so many friends there to hang with! I wish I could see them again. Iggy, have fun for me at the Cat. Wish I could join you!!




After the show, it was home again. We fell asleep to Friends. What a perfect freaking day.
Sunday was church and then TH hopped the train back to DC. Hell, I miss him already. I don't think it ever gets easier to be in an LDR. But these marathon weekends sure do help ease the pain.

lettuce ponder

Whenever it rains outside, one of two things happen.
1. I get really sad and mopey and want to sit around listening to radiohead or kate nash.
2. I get mad because usually the days it rains are the days I have off school (or work).

Yes, well, today is number 1. I managed to get out of the house, but only to go shopping (TH, don't judge me if you are reading this). Then this really great song came on while I was walking down the street and I felt like running, like I was in a music video or something. I looked around and saw the street full of people. Nobody would care if I ran. People are in a hurry all the time in this city. So I just broke out in a sprint, the rain pouring down my face and clinging to the curls in my hair. I felt free and I felt very much alive. I really like running in the rain.

Tonight are the debates and I want to watch, but not sure if I will. Politics can be a contentious subject (obvs) and I want to have a fun night tonight because dunh dunh DUNH! TH is in town. We had fun last night sitting by the window at an italian cafe, watching the neighborhood pass by. I had the yummiest pizza and TH gourdged himself on spaghetts. And then Yolato for dessert! Birthday cake gelato and strawberry fro-yo. Delish.

I think it is prudent to advise you if you ever visit New York, you have to try garlic knots. They are a gift sent from above and I don't know what I'm going to do without them when I have to move. I should do a post about good things of this city. Hmmm. Yes.

Ok last item of business: TH.
TH and I have been dating for...oh...like 9 months cumulatively. That's just officially. Off the record, we've been "in it" for about 1.5 years. Thats a long time! Even 9 months almost beats my longest record. Suffice it to say, we really like each other. But him living in DC and my living in NYC is ridiculously hard. Long distance is really tough, but it makes seeing him even that much better. I don't feel like I ever take the time we spend together for granted, and everything we do is so fun, whether its walking around, going to museums, or even just watching Friends (which we do a lot). Anyway the point is - we really enjoy being with each other. The "not being with each other" part is not as fun though. Has anyone ever been in an LDR? If so, any sage words of wisdom to share with yours truly?

new goal

I'm growing out my bangs. In an effort to stay with this goal, I will be posting a picture every week of my progress. Wish me luck, that I don't end up totally cutting all my hair off in frustration.

Letters to a politician

Another reason to look at alternatives to coal as our #1 energy provider: Chinese coalmine disaster kills upwards of 50.

The U.S. gets 50% of our electricity from coal and India and China are well on their way to surpassing those numbers. Actually, I'm 99% positive that China has surpassed our number of coal power plants.

It is coal that is causing a large portion of greenhouse gases, which are harming our planet and causing global warming. But these unsafe industries are also causing death to mine-workers, not to mention cancer, abnormal fetal development and the "black lung".


Write your senator or congressman and let them know how important it is to you and for our nation to be investing in cleaner, greener, and safer technologies. Not sure how to write a letter? Look here. It can be a fun family activity, too, to encourage political involvement and social awareness in children. You can find information for your senator and representatives here.

I'd love to hear your experiences! This is not a partisan issue. By letting our leaders know what is important to us, we are all making a difference. I will be sharing my "letter to a politician" in the near future. Good luck and have fun!

on privacy

Pronounced privacy with a short i. Like shiv.

Two incidents occurred the other day in/around the student health center.

Incident #1: A guy crosses the study area, heading to the student health center. He's wearing aviators, jean shorts, a black dress shirt and a silver tie. You're with me, right? So a girl shouts across the room: "Where are you headed?" He replies, "Health center." Girl - "Cool, see you later". Tie guy: "Yeah, keep your fingers crossed I don't have syphilis". Really? Did he really just yell that across the room? My land. Some people have no shame. Joke didn't quite come across, especially because he was dressed as he was. Icky. He probably had gristedes, too.

Incident #2: Walking into the health center, a woman asked me* to fill out a survey. Sure, why not. It's a survey on depression. After I fill it out, I return it to the woman and she reviewed quickly and declared "Well, looks like you're not depressed!" Cool, sounds good. Wait. What if I had answered questions and it turned out that I was depressed? I mean, would she have just dropped the bomb on me? "Well, sorry to tell you but you are clinically depressed and should probably be on medication and dear heavens how are you even making it through life right now you poor child without your life taking an abysmal turn into tattered ruins oh dear lord save us all." Is this really something you should be telling to a student who IS DEPRESSED TO BEGIN WITH ANYWAY. It just doesn't add up.

*This did not actually happen to me, but a classmate. But it was LIKE I was there.

contest

I will be taking submissions beginning today for the best Sarah Palin Palindrome. Example: "Are we not drawn onward to new era" - a good one.

Winner gets week supply of favorite drink or lil' debbie snack in honor of Gramma Debdeb.

Recent happenings

Minus school, this is what I've been up to during the past 3 weeks. Oh, plus my sister had her baby boy last night. His name is Elijah Indiana K____. Yes, his middle name is Indiana and for those who know his last name, you may realize how funny this is. Email me if you don't know it, I can fill you in.









P.S. School is so busy, but I feel like I have a better grasp on it this semester, having been inducted to the crazy over the summer. I love being a student.

Coming soon...pictures of my new apartment, complete with rooftop shots!

P.P.S. Please remember to weigh your political options and especially if you live in Virginia, your democratic vote is VITAL. Keep this country alive.

Watch this

This is from June 2008. The crucial part is 3:52 - 4:31. What changed?

New York: not so bad

Standing ovation for the people of new york, particularly block 114 on the west side.
I don't know who avoids picking up a wad of money on the ground for 5 minutes straight, but thank you for leaving it there for me to find in a panic. I will be eating my meals with more gratitude this week.
Thank you and may karma pay you back tenfold, NYC.

Long overdue post about home decor

Here are some before and after pictures of TH's new super hot apartment. I love the way it turned out!