China, here I come.

So I did it. I chose China. I choo-choo-choose China. The class. Not to actually GO there. I have not made that decision yet.

How else will I ever learn about agrarian societies and the great leap forward and the song dynasty? Of course I want to be a part of a course that features Dynasty's. I love myself a good dynasty, soap or no soap.

Anyway I still need to write about my christmas present from TH. This will be my next post, if I can find my camera cord to download the pictures. Um...it was really one of the best nights of my nyc life. When you're buried up to your ears in econ homework and policy papers, its hard to remember how much this city has to offer. And it is a LOT.

And the race is on.

I need to make a decision on which elective I'm taking this semester. I tested out of my stats class, so I have an extra spot and I'm freaking out because I don't want to miss out on something good.

My ideal elective: Interesting, quantitative or skill-oriented, looks good on transcript, not much homework, no exams (only papers or problem sets).

My choices:
Advanced GIS (mapping programs)
International Project Development and Finance
Environmental Finance
Economic Development of China
Carbon Sequestration - Techniques and Policy

What would you pick and why?
Here is what I'm already taking:
Microeconomics II
Financial Management in Government
Electricity Markets
Workshop on Renewable Energy Policy

I'm going to go bang my head against the wall. Argh.

As if I didn't get enough.

I'm back, baby. Ok, I seriously really didn't realize how much I missed NYC, but now being back - I feel home!

I love my ny friends and my ny apartment/roommates and my ny spots. I have a plan for these last 4 months that include a "culture club". At least once a month we're going to an opera/ballet/broadway show/etc. I also need to check out museums (including the Guggenheim, MOMA, and Cloisters). And lastly, the shows, people. The SHOWS. Hopefully Jess and Abby will rope me into the shows I need to attend. :)

Saturday was a trip with all the grocery shopping. My calves are burning from all the stair climbing, still today. But it wasn't enough catting around NYC, apparently. I am doing a little dress shopping today - down to Century 21 in wall street and hitting up some shops near Lincoln Center. This thursday is the opera and I want to dress the part. I have no idea what to wear to the Met, but I figure the hotter the better, right? I think that is a general rule, unless you are talking about pajamas or sweat pants.

And so I'm off. I love having less classes this semester!

Coming back to NYC.

I was gone for over a month.

I am back home.

After a big-fat party last night and looking forward to possibly two more today, I'm thinking I need to get settled-back-in. I'm going grocery shopping.

One of the first things I did when I got back was to go to Absolute Bagels and treat myself. I couldn't get my favorite because I was going to class and it would've been too smelly (my favorite is everything bagel). My favorite things are more and more the smelly foods. The second thing I did in nyc was to go to my local pizza joint and pick up some buttery spicy garlic knots. Ohhhh. I could eat them again right now. But instead I will go get that everything bagel I've been dreaming about for a month.

Then I'm going grocery shopping in union square. Grocery shopping is a tricky thing here. I'm bringing bags with me so as to prevent all the plastic bags from going into the deep ocean and ruining it for the jellyfish. I have to carry all the bags on the subway, then climb up my 5 flights of stairs with said bags. My arms are exhausted just thinking about all the carrying.

When I came home late wednesday night, I had a HUGE suitcase full of my month-long wares in DC. It took me about 5 minutes to carry that behemoth up the stairs. I wanted to cry. I think I strained my back - that thing was atleast 50 pounds.

Anyway, it can be tough living in the city, food wise. But I love it for all its charms and quirks. And the food you can get here is out of this world. It's smack your mother good. It's lie down on the floor comatose good.

I also have a new addiction: Siggis yogurt (blueberry). It was $2.19 in DC. Here? It is $3.69. I'm going to go see about buying in bulk, or perhaps become a major stockholder in the company.

TTFN.

Happy Birthday Lizzie bear!

You are two today! To celebrate, my gift to you is the gift of photography. Remember when Lizzie posed for pictures with her auntie JuJu?





I love Lizzie girl!! She is so much fun and I bet she would LOVE new york city. Cause she's cool like that. Happy birthday Lizzie!

Inauguration: There and Back Again.

4:15 AM. The alarm rings. Press snooze.
4:23 AM. Snooze goes off. Grumble. Swear your going to die. Stand up and blearily look at clock. Yes, it really is 4:23AM and yes you really are going to wake up now.
--Make pb&j's, throw on all clothes you own, bundle, bundle, stuff sandwich in pocket and candy in other pocket, grab camera.
4:55 AM. Walk out the door.
Make way along Mt. Vernon trail. It is a 3 mile walk to the Memorial Bridge, but be damned if getting on metro this morning. Over a million people expected to use metro and will be walking, thank you very much.
Walk is brilliant. Ice flows in Potomac, we hear it cracking and echoing in the quiet morning air, geese sleeping on the icy shore, as we near the bridge we start to see more people.

6:00AM. Momentous occasion as we cross memorial bridge. Camera crews are setting up, national guard standing around waiting for assignments.
6:15AM. Use PortoPotty as last minute attempt to use facilities until post-inaug.

6:30AM. Come to spot on mall. We are right in front of national history museum, right at 7th street. Not bad - 7 blocks from the ceremonies. There are jumbo-trons set up in front of us and loud speakers. It is cold. It is dark. Everyone is freezing. Already massive amounts of people. But there is a reason we are all here.

7:15AM. Sun starts to rise. Warmth is imminent. Crowd starts to stir. Hokey pokey and electric slide is performed and chants of O-ba-ma to stay warm and avoid frostbite.
9:30ishAM. We are all tired and excited and still freezing, but the jumbotrons start showing the inaug concert from Sunday. Sad to have missed that, but relived the experience and the crowd started singing along with Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Garth Brooks, etc. I cannot feel my toes.

11:00AM. Ceremony starts. Choir. Entrance of congressmen and women, senators, Oprah! *cheers from the crowd*, Dustin Hoffman!, old people, Dustin Hoffman again (why?), Beyonce! And she brought Jay Z and Puffdaddy! *cheers*, MLK III *cheers*, pan to Bush and Laura walking through capitol *boos*, dick cheney is in a wheelchair? Totally evil! what a way to go! *boos*, then we see the First Limo *cheers cheers cheers*

12:00AM. Anytime Bush is mentioned: silence or boos. Obama speaks. Crowd goes completely wild. I cry. Guy next to me from France with video camera records me and others in crowd. Surrounding crowd shouts "amens" and "yes" and other notions of agreement.
Obama is sworn in and everyone celebrates. Hugs all around. Cheers. Little american flags waving in the chilly air.

We are ready for this.
1:00PM. Then the walk home. Crowds, crowds, crowds everywhere you look. We stand on 7th for about 10 minutes without moving. Someone breaches the chainlink fence. The fence comes down and we all make a break for it. Smithsonian gardens trampled, people running on top of stone walls, we all want to get out!Finally we see a way out: They are letting people walk back to Virginia on the 395 bridge. Cool. We walk back to Crystal City on the highway. Almost get run down by bus. Eat candy. Celebrate. Marvel at our wonderful country.A truly remarkable day, not one I will soon forget. To get the real effect of "being there", compare the crowd reactions in 2 videos below. First is Obama, second is Bush.

My month in pictures: A review.

On change.

It's not that I don't have time to blog. It's that I have been occupying myself with other things. Namely, interning, spending time with my lover, reading for pleasure, watching movies and episodes of Friends, and taking trips to see family and friends.

My time in DC is coming to an end. I've been here for a month as of today. That is a LONG time to be away from the place you live! But I have been able to see so many cool things and DO so many cool things. I love this city.

Tomorrow we're headed into the city at the break of dawn to stand around with all the other revelers and welcome Barack to the white house!! I cannot wait. We're not allowed to bring any bags with us, so we'll be stuffing our pockets with granola bars and bananas and other relatively flat foods. We'll walk a mile, cross memorial bridge, and walk as far as we can up to the Capitol steps. Only 22 hours until GWB is outta here. Woot woot!

And on that note...I'm off to the mall!

Blogging more was not my new years resolution

I am a delinquent blogger, I know. In my defense, my boss has really been pushing me at work. I work ALL day long. Even at night I still have to put in my time with my boss. Kidding folks. That's a horrible thing to say. My boyfriend is not the boss of me. He just happens to be my work boss for a few short weeks. He puts on his hat when we leave and it magically turns him into my boyfriend. It's quite nice, really. I've been thinking about the different hats I could wear for different situations. I've compiled a list below:

1. Sushi hat
2. Fine cheeses hat
3. Public transportation hat
4. Canadian vacation hat
5. Blogging hat

Any time I wanted to do any of the above activities, I would first have to ensure that my hat was on, properly snug, before I could commence with said activity.

Gnomie, want to get some triple creme brie?
Sure! Let me just grab my hat (runs to get hat)...

See how fun that could be? Costumes make every day things seem just a bit more enjoyable. Like work clothes. I have to go to a Very Important Job Conference on thursday and I get to wear a SUIT. It's fun dressing up. I try not to look so conservative because I'm not 47 and also I don't live in DC anymore so I don't have to be a minion. I'm starting a work wear revolution! I should open my own work wear clothing store! I'm going to call it...Plantain Commonwealth. I'm sure it'll be a hit with the upperly mobile thirty-something crowd. A hit. My only rule will be:: no pleats in any trousers. You can bet on it.

Ringing in the New Year.

Oh to be healthy again.

2009 is off to a rocking start. Besides the fact that I am sick as a dog and working in a dark office right now and its 6:10 PM on a Friday night. My boyfriend is 3 desks over and we are busily wrapping things up so we can go out to eat at the Bilbo Baggins restaurant. Yes, a LOTR themed restaurant in Old Town Alexandria. I am planning on getting the wrathe ragout, or maybe some rabbit stew.

Yesterday being new years day, me and TH celebrated by going to Mt. Pleasant and Columbia Heights. Very cool neighborhoods in DC that are much better seen during the day. Yes. Lots of Meridian Hill Park. Lots of cathedral and historical house hunting. Did you know that 16th street was used as the prime meridian for USA mapping until it was established in the UK? I had no idea.
We went to brunch (all-you-can-eat) at Tonic. It was average, but awesome to eat ALL i wanted. I feasted on eggs, hash browns, and lox bagels with capers, onions, and tomatoes. Yum!

We went to the National Aquarium. I had NO idea DC had a national aquarium - how pathetic is that? I freaking grew up as a DC tourist. Anyway, the aquarium was pretty lame which explains its poor attendance and neglect on the tourist maps. But they did have some really cool turtles and fish that were fun to watch.

We went to see Benjamin Button. It was long. But really enjoyable.

We got take out from mexican and thai places and watched Friends.

We fell asleep reading. Me: The Prize. Him: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.

Now I am sick. I am drinking OJ. But we ARE going out tonight to the Hobbit Place.

Then tomorrow I am going wedding dress shopping with Mary and the rest of the girls in my family. Girl time is the best. I love mi familia.