look at these old pictures of dc.

u.s. treasury 1938 rock creek park 1924

Government truck, 1925

u.s. capitol interior

potomac river

u.s. army return, 1919

F street, NW 1908

407 seventh street, NW

All taken from here. My new favorite site for pictures.

stuck on a feeling.

I'm working hard all day today so I can take the 3-day weekend and really take it off completely from work. It's been a rough month, but I made it through June. I learn so much every day and feel a little more confident every week at my job.

I have a good support network and I'm so glad my family is close by.

I didn't have a great morning today. But I'm shaking it off and powering through. I don't need distractions today (not like I ever need them, but its a big day today), so I'm a little unnerved. What do you do though? You turn this up, and put brain in "do it" mode.


Happy 4th!!

giveaway!!

great news!

i'll be offering a giveaway on my blog in the next couple of days. i bet you'll never guess what it is!

{i'll give you a hint: it's a rug}

stay tuned.

now i'm off to shop u st/adams morgan and go to my favorite dc falafel spot, amsterdam falafel.

rugs with style

I bought my rug here, after a month long search with no luck on craigslist, ebay, etc. This is the best site I found for cute rugs that are reasonably priced (think west elm price ranges) - but a TON of selection. They are still having their 30% off sale - I got my rug for a steal!! A Thomas Paul rug for about $250, and that includes delivery! I'm so happy!

welcome summer.

last night: home run derby, popsicles, and watermelon.

I hit about 35% of what was thrown at me. Not bad. I think TH would've been proud of me had he seen me (but he was busy checking his blackberry in the outfield and getting hometaught. oh well).

I saw old friends and met some friends, too. It rained on us, but we played through because what the hell - its summer.

and guess what my dears?
I got a rug. It will be delivered to my dads house in 1-2 weeks (Jen, can you watch out for it please? thank you. i owe you iced cream). Here she is:
I'm thinking of painting my wall purple. Or gray if I'm not feeling so brave. This purple is nice, or something a few shades darker:

mental health day

i took a mental health day yesterday. i left work early and went home to sleep for hours, eat soup, and reflect.

some days you just need to do that. i feel much better today.

but one thing remains - i still need a rug.

this song walked me to the metro today. i love it.

a live version:

the blues.

i learned recently how to play the blues. today it would come in handy.

i'm just not feeling up to it today. my brain feels all cloudy, i feel tired, my body is sore, and i feel like i'm really bad at my job. i don't feel motivated. i get in these funks sometimes, but how to get through this?

maybe this will help.

what a weekend.

This weekend was interesting. I didn't do nearly any of the things I wanted, including wallpapering my wall with removable wallpaper. Turns out the wallpaper was not what I wanted, which I found out only after I cut it to fit. Argggh.

Friday was fish and chips at Eamons, the dublin chipper. Yumm. And ice cream near the old town waterfront.

Also didn't really go to anything I was planning to on Saturday. Instead made black and white cookies and helped Annie move, snacked at Dairy Godmother, and went to see Chris Davies and Dan Jennejohn play music in Herndon. Still all good things.

Sunday was church things and a trip to Folklife Festival - there are some great things to see on the mall right now, including Wales exhibits and storytelling from African American voices. Then a trip to the visitors center to see the Mo Choir of Washington sing a 4th of july concert.

This weekend was semi exhausting and my brain feels like swiss cheese today. You know what? i really miss new york.

dating.

I have been dating a lot lately. As in, I leave work and go date TH and don't get home until 11:30 every night. Monday we went to Mclean to play kickball, learn how to throw a baseball overhand, and sit around a bonfire making smores and cinnamon biscuts. Tuesday we went to dinner. Wednesday we went to U street for some happy houring with energy nerds and then to dinner at Busboys and Poets. Last night we went to the 80's movie festival in SE by the navy yards to watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off (so funny! i hadn't seen it before).

We just really like to date, what can i say.

We also like to walk to the metro together in the morning since we live 3 blocks away from each other. Every morning we call each other to say "I'll be ready in 5!" Or "I'll be there in 5!". I walk to his house and we walk the 5 minute walk to the metro. My favorite part is when I turn the corner I always see him standing there on the corner with his bag around his shoulder, and he waves hello to me. All I can see is his silhouette since the sun is shining in from behind him. Sometimes he runs to greet me. Sometimes he bends down, bracing himself, like I'm going to run to him and he'll pick me up and toss me in the air like a circus trick. We like to kiss at the corner stoplight while we wait for the light to turn. We also like to drop off our netflix movie and talk about the next one we'll get. We get our free newspapers (politico, lately), walk down the stairs, and say goodbye before we go our seperate ways. Him: yellow to huntington or blue to franc-springfield. Me: blue line to largo.

We are so goopy sometimes but I like being a pair with TH. He makes me laugh harder than I ever have.

jake.

yesterday in georgetown. hottie jake gyllenhaal with legally blonde.

i didn't realize that having reese witherspoon in town to film for a movie meant that her boyfriend jake would be here, too! it's like i'm 13 all over again. who wants to go hang out at the ice cream shoppe and wait for sightings? (we can shop at anthropologie too!)

weekends are such fun.

this weekend i hit the town with my man.

after a short-lived effort to see fridays jazz in the sculpture garden (too many people and too hot!), we ducked into the natural history museum to see the new ocean exhibit. i LOVED it - they had a ton of prehistoric scary looking fish and fish-like creatures and the jaw of a giant great white shark. SCARY! afterwards we walked over to Meiwah for chinese food, where i got kung pao'd. i accidentally bit down on a skinny red pepper and honestly thought i would die. my tongue was on fire for a good 15 minutes. i hated it and therefore may never return. but it is a good chinese place in the district if you're looking. just don't eat the peppers!

saturday we brunched at our new favorite dc restaurant, Cedar in penn quarter. I had banana bread french toast - yes, they french toasted their homemade banana bread - amazing. TH had the smoked salmon and poached eggs on potato cakes with hollandaise. oh yum. Best brunch i've ever had in DC and their dinner options looked great! we chatted with an elderly woman sitting next to us, brunching alone. she was the highlight of my month, really. some favorite quips:

"you eat at a place like this and you just know you're enjoying a nice day out"

"you come here to celebrate with friends or family"

"this is just so special - dc needs this restaurant"

she was like 75 and my favorite thing ever.

later that night we went to a vegetarian dinner party and i was in heaven. lots of pineapple, curry, quinoa, exotic fruits, and red red cherries! birthday party to wrap up the night for hannah and enjoyed the company of some dc favorites.

sunday was fathers day madness. i love my family. i also love TH's family. we danced in the living room and ate cake with whipped cream among other things.

i really like being here and the weekends make me happier and happier to be a virginia girl again. back to my roots.

song of the week:

just make it through the first 15 seconds and then this will be your favorite song ever:

firefly night.

i just love virginia in the summer. right around 8:30 is ridiculous - firefly's everywhere you look. we called them lightning bugs growing up and i still interchange the two. we grabbed any glass jar we could find during those hot muggy summer nights and ran around barefoot, on the freshly mowed grass, chasing after the fireflys.

when we caught enough to impress even thomas edison himself, we laid down on the grass, out of breath. by that time it would be dark. we had a jar to light our way home and it always seemed full of magic.

those feeling have not been lost, as i found myself tonight chasing after a lightning bug and holding it my hand to show a friend. watching the glowing pulse come from inside your palm is still magic. but i much prefer to watch them fly around, lighting up the still summer nights, nature's twinkle lights.

yes, virginia in the summer is quite lovely.

balloons

Love these balloon engagement photos of her.

I absolutely love this photo from cup of jo. It doesn't even look earthly.

I just love a good balloon picture.

Loeb's NY deli

In search of the perfect black and white cookie. The search took me to Loeb's NY deli, just a few blocks away from my office. Had an extremely overpriced tuna sandwich, but they serve borscht and latkes, so I might be making a return visit. Actually, they didn't have black and whites today so I'll definitely be making return visits until I eat a cookie.

Cool lunch spot, but a little overpriced. I liked the owner who flirted with me a little when I was paying. He was a new yorker in a previous life. So was I. That life seems like years ago, when in fact it was just 18 days ago.

I tried black and whites at Brown Bag the other day and yucko. Cookie was too spongey and the frosting was granular. I know DC must serve up some good black and whites. Anyone know of a good spot??

the karmann ghia

For the past 6 months or so, TH has been sending me emails with pictures and listings similar to this:

And I think it's a hint. Any day now I will wake up to that baby parked in my driveway with a big bow around it. But when?!

I just love a good suspense story.

building it up.

tonight:

renting my first zipcar (a pickup truck).

picking up my dresser from previous post.

cooking for work lunch - going to try this quinoa.

reflecting on the lovely weekend i had with TH, taza and husband, family, and more family.

i'll write more about the weekend tomorrow.

its off to my zipcar!!

oh, and here is what i'm considering to keep the top of my dresser company, by way of my first paycheck as a semi-adult:

2 weeks. in the bag.

ok finishing up my 10th day.

# of meetings attended: 2

# of conference calls dialed into: 4

# of jordanians met: 5

# of kosovoans met: 3

# of lunches had with coworkers: 7

# of diet cokes consumed: lets see 2.5 x 10 = 25!

25 free diet cokes. these people have no idea what they're doing.

i like my job. monday marks my first paycheck. fully prepared to blow at least half of it (ok probably more like 1/5 of it).

have a great weekend!!

passion pit and harlem shakes.

saw them at the black cat on tuesday.

harlem shakes? yes. got there halfway through their set, but enjoyed what they had to offer. TH and I talked to them afterwards and they were SO nice! nothing like good people to brighten your concert-going experience.

passion pit? yikes. it was ok, but kind of annoying. we danced. i almost got in a fight with a 19 year old co-ed.

the show was in high attendance by the 18-21 year old populus. those kids who don't really know how to hold their liquor and are silly to begin with, and it just spirals downward.

it was nice to be with TH, but we'll think twice about electronic shows before attending again.

decorating my room.

This dresser is perfect. I want something long enough that I can put things on top of it and have it double as a sound studio and bookcase.

This is the wallpaper I ordered. My bed is in a nook, with a slanted wall. I'm covering the wall in this lovely green paper. I love it so much.

I have a white plastic chair that looks like the classic eames tulip chairs from the 70s, so I need a desk to match it. I think I have to get a white desk to make it look right. What do you think?

bugs.

I have seriously been a big girl the past couple weeks.

I am so so so afraid of buggies. But maybe, just maybe, living in new york cured me of my inability to do anything but scream when i see a buggie.

Last thursday i had a tick on my ankle. A burrowed tick. I removed it without even crying. I only silently screamed when I was removing it. Ew. *Shudder*

Last night I came home and there was a B.A.S. (big ass spider) in my room. Just sitting on a box. You better believe I took off my shoe and smashed the ever lovingness out of him. Dead. No crying. No screaming.

Today I felt a weird thing in my shoe and I took it off and there was a cockroach in my shoe. I take off my shoes when I sit at my desk, so it must have crawled in. Well that's incredibly disgusting. No crying. Just took my shoe and smashed the crap out of him. Dead.

So what is the lesson here? I have moved from a state of fear to a state of anger. Will I ever move to a state of peaceful coexistence? Prob not. But I bet TH and my dad and other friends are glad I stopped calling them every time I found a bug in my house. Or my shoe. Ug ug ug. I feel sick.

happy here.

I know I keep saying I miss new york, and I do, but I am already really happy here in DC. I like my job. I like my house. I like my friends. I lurve my boyfriend. I get to do fun things at night since I'm no longer in grad school (still an adjustment!!)

I have a problem that keeps creeping back. It can be hard for me to enjoy the "right here, right now". I'm always looking forward to the future, to the next step in my life. Well, I think I'll be where I am for awhile, and I need to learn how to enjoy living and existing every day.

How can you make the most out of every day? How do you fulfill your daily or weekly goals? What kind of short term goals can a person make? Besides - I'm going to make such and such for dinner, or maybe I'll go running tonight.

I need some structure, I think.

But first things, first - getting my house in order. Literally and figuratively. After over a week of sleeping on the floor, I got a bed last night. TH and I strapped it to the roof of his 4-dr sedan and drove down the highway with full-sized mattress and box spring. Awesome. I just purchased some (removable) awesome lime green wallpaper to put up on some walls in my bedroom. I'll be scouring craigslist and thrift stores for a desk and a dresser.

Hoping to have things set by the end of the month.

My first paycheck in one week will involve a large purchase that I've been dreaming about for years. Pictures to come.

some pictures from the last hurrah as a new yorker.

The last couple days were dedicated almost entirely to museum-ing and shopping.

I only have pictures of museuming, sadly. I went to The Cloisters in upper manhattan and was kicking myself for not going earlier. It is AMAZING. And I learned a valuable lesson - ALWAYS, ALWAYS get the audio guide if you're able to. It makes the experience so much more interactive. And plus it looks awesome when you walk around with a headset, like you are a foreign visitor.

The Cloisters

A cool chair inside the cloisters. I want to replicate it when I start making furniture one magical day.

A door. A plant in the outdoor gardens.
Beautiful stained glass. More cloisters.
A cool tree in the gardens.
Ok, so then I went to the Met, because they are companion museums. If you go to one: free entry at the other!!

I really liked this sculpture. Anyone know it? And this was the desk that Louis XIV actually sat at and made important decisions like "build me more gardens" or "get me more foie gras".
This is a picture that someone drew of me when I was singing The Carpenters at a gay piano bar, Duplex, in the west village. (Awesome).

And a new day, new area. Went to grand central station. Funny story: I grew up in a family of 8, that shared one bathroom. My mom would occasionally try and take a peaceful bath that would inevitably be interrupted by her children. She always asked us: what do you think this is grand central station? When I saw all the people walking back in forth like a million rats, that memory immediately popped into my head. My mother. Never been to nyc before. She was so right.

Ok and this is another place I'd never been to - bryant park. They show movies here in the summer, which i was never keen on attending last year, but i bet they were cool.

Tribeca at sunset, right outside Bubby's Pie Company.

My last grand meal in nyc, finished off with some cherry pie.

And lastly, me and Jess. My NYCBFF. We had such a lovely dinner with all my besties there.

I miss new york!!

sneak post.

I'm in DC. I'm at my new office. It is quite lovely. As lovely as an office can be. Decorating will commence shortly.

I don't have a bed yet. I don't have anything unpacked yet. I haven't even met one of my roommates yet.

Because I'm having a grand ole time here! DC is fun and full of things to do every night with some of the people most dear to me. The weekend was sunny, happy, and adventure filled. Friday night an all-friends dinner in old town alexandria at the beloved fish market. Saturday - Eastern market for lunch, dupont circle for dinner (greek food). Lots of walks. Sunday was church and family time. Monday first day of work and first day of b.e.p. (body enhancement program - yes i stole this idea from mickey). Healthy foods and exercise! Late night show at the galaxy hut with Mary D and nearly every friend I've ever known in DC. It was good, good times.

I love my job. I should actually get back to working so my boss doesn't find me out (there is no need for him to know of my slackerness quite yet). My productivity is sinking as I prolong the diet coke consumption. Oh - best part of my job? FREE diet coke. Yeah, what's not to love??

tuesday

Visited the Cloisters and the Met yesterday. Then a walk down 5th avenue to Barney's. Oh, hello new black pants that I love and sexy new blue dress. I cannot wait to wear you. Then a trip to west village to eat at Surya's (indian food) and closed out the night with Duplex, a gay-friendly piano bar. We were a hit. I sang two songs, and had everyone in tears. Home around 3am.

I LOVE the cloisters. I can't believe I waited so long to go. Plus its free for Columbia students. There are beautiful gardens and paths there, and a fab view of the washington bridge. I also forgot how big the met is. I got lost several times, which was fine with me, because I got lost in the period furniture rooms, where they showed Louis XIV desk, a bed that was about 4 feet high, and drapery and furnishings plastered in gold and fine fabrics. I was in heaven.

I'm closing out the year in new york quite nicely if you ask me.

xoxo

Oh what fun.

What a yummy weekend on all fronts. TH and I painted this town RED. And ate ourselves silly.

Friday night: Malaysian Grill take out on my roof (by candlelight) and IMAX night and the museum 2. Funny, good clean fun!

Saturday: Brooklyn

Coney Island: cyclone twice

games, photo booth, walk through russian brighton beach, and side show. Side show had guy nailing nail into head, sword swallower, fire breather, etc. Crazy, fun, weird carnie freak show. Totally worth it.
Then we went to brooklyn museum

walked along prospect park, then subway back to DiFara's, where I had literally the best pizza of my life. Best pizza of my life. This 70-something year old man has been making pizza by hand, laying the pepperoni's one at a time for years and years. He's a master.

It's a bit of a hike out to midwood in brooklyn, and then about an hour and a half wait, but totally worth it. And we ran into one of TH's old friends from utah. Funny, small world.

After pizza, off to red hook, to Jalopy - a fun fun jazz club. We saw Baby Soda Jazz band - this 30s, toe-tapping jazz band, SO much fun. TH lifted me up for a dance and spun me around so many times. I love twirling.

Then to Jamba juice for a jamba nightcap before we headed home to SLEEP after a long day.

Sunday: museum day.

Frick museum - an amazing collection of one man (Frick) who had a huge mansion in new york and much of the european art is still in the same place in his home. Abso beautiful and worth checking out next time you're in nyc.
Then church for a quick hour.
Over to MOMA, but not before we stumbled upon the waffle truck, where we got a waffelini. This is a mini belgian waffle on a shishkabob stick, with banana slice and strawberry on both ends. Sprinkled with powdered sugar. Oh my.

Lots of lovelies at the MOMA. We liked the Sol LeWitt installation. He's a brilliant artist.

After MOMA, to the Burger Joint - awesome burgers, fries and milkshakes inside a fancy hotel, Le Parker Meredian. You can write on the walls at The Burger Joint. So I did.

Walk through central park, then home to watch movies and rest.

Monday:
Brunch in west village - The Little Owl. Shared poached eggs and pancakes with berries.
Shopping in SOHO - Anthropologie and Uniqlo
Home to cuddle before TH left for the last time!
Dinner at Maoz (delish falafel) and cookies at LEVAINS bakery! Home of the three inch tall cookie. Oh yum.

TH to train. Gnomie sad. Goodbye, see you in 4 days when I MOVE to DC, my love!

But how sad, to leave this wonderful city.

After he left, I met up with friends in Morningside Park for a bbq (ate potato salad and the rest of levains cookie with jess!), then on the way home - teary moment. Every memorial day, the St. John the Divine cathedral has a symphony concert by the new york philharmonic. Last year, my second day in new york, I was walking by and heard the music, sat down in a park where it is broadcasted, and enjoyed the new york moment. Same thing happened today, and it caused me to reflect on all that happened over the past year, to the music of Barber and others.

Seriously. This city.

post.graduation days 1 and 2

Webster Hall: St. Vincent. Annie the pixie singer with dark curly hair, reminding me of my pixie friend Annie from DC with dark curly hair. A gathering of some nyc favorites to see her, and enjoy a pre-show arepa at Caracas.

Next day. Gnomie and Josh beach trip to the nude beach. Yes, the nude beach. Zipcar to Long Island, near Jones Beach, but a walk down proved to be an interesting choice. I saw a sasquatch man laying behind a roofless tent, face down thank goodness. Then we walked through 65 year old potbelly naked man land. Plus a 400 pound woman. All NAKED. We had a good chuckle, then layed out in the sun. Ate strawberries. Ate wheat thins and cheddar. Played with my new holga. Walked to a nearby lighthouse.

See the tent in the background? That's sasquatch man!

This morning? BURNED. Aloe plant will hopefully save me. Staying hydrated. Eating watermelon. Laying on the couch, watching my netflix. Rachel Getting Married. The Changeling. Next up: Friends episodes. Then TH comes into town later tonight! Date night!

Graduated.

Today (and Monday) I graduated. I cried just for a sec when the president of our university conferred diplomas on all of us, then they played Frank Sinatra singing New York, New York. Balloons and streamers everywhere and everyone happy and singing. Blue caps and gowns and thousands of graduates thrilled to end a challenging chapter in their lives, and ready to take on the challenges in the next.

So where does this leave me?

May 29th: moving back to DC (Virginia actually)
June 1: starting a new job in DC

Only 9 days left in this city to enjoy the life of a new yorker. I've enjoyed living here so much and I hope I can move back some day. There is too much to see to have only lived here for one year. My friends were right - a year goes by too fast. I'm so grateful to my family and friends who were there to support me through one of the most challenging and most rewarding years of my life. I'm always a little scared to take on a new adventure, but when it happens - I'm always excited.

This next chapter in my life is shaping up to be pretty great. I have an amazing job doing really cool and interesting things, sprinkled with monthly travel. I get to live in a cool house with lovely people and one of my favorite people in DC. I am in a new relationship - kind of. No more Long-Distance relationship, now it is a 4-blocks-away relationship! I will be back in one of my favorite places with people I love. My faith is strong and my religion is so important to me. It has saved me this past year and I attribute new york and the people here with the saving. This year has meant too much to me, and new york will always be a special place.

I sure will miss it.

I'm taking my new birthday present around town - a pinhole holga (from TH) to document the next 9 days in nyc. Adventures to follow...

aaaaaand done.

As of this morning at 10:06 AM, I have my life back. Or wait. I have a new life. Or wait. I don't have a life and am in the middle of ending me old one and starting my new one.

Grad school is over.

Graduation is on monday.

And then the end of new york city. SAD BOMB.

obamanation.

Maybe you can't tell, but this guys has obama shaved into his head. AWESOME. I had to stop and take a picture. And THAT my friends, is one out of a million reasons why you should always carry a camera with you.

pre-birthday.

I was given so many great pre-birthday gifts today.

1. a run through central park complete with kevin bacon spotting
2. sneezed on the subway and received dirty looks from people who i'm certain thought i had swine flu (hilarious)
3. sunny afternoon
4. good job karma
5. shopping trip for birthday dress and other goodies
6. etc.

I love the day after a long rainstorm. New Yorkers start to emerge from their musty hideouts and squint, bleary-eyed into the sun. Children run, old men embrace, people sit on the stoops, street food carts make the air smell like kabobs and spices. I just love this city.

no title.

Why won't this rain stop?

Sad panda gnomie wants to go running. She also wants to start receiving back some of that good karma she has been putting out there.

I just ate a bag of skittles. It seems to be working to improve my mood. I might have that disorder where you just get sad with a lot of rain. Maybe Seattle isn't for me, after all. I could also just be sad because I'm sitting here working on my take home final for China and it is incredibly boring and tedious. And I'd rather be looking for a birthday dress.

weekends in new york.

There are only but a few left. This past weekend was a great one. TH came up and for the first time since like Christmas, we had a weekend free of pressure from work and school. It was so so so nice.

Friday: shopping in soho. bought a graduation dress. arepas at caracas in lower east side. dessert at the most delicious and highly recommended momofuku milk bar (we shared a banana and blueberry cream cookie and an old-fashioned donut flavored ice cream).

Saturday: run through central park in the rain - ran by the castle, the alice in wonderland statue, the reservoir, and sprinted down central park west. bagel sandwich share at Absolute Bagel - brie and tomato on everything bagel and lox and cream cheese on everything bagel. drool. subway to bronx zoo - baby lion cub, lemur's, giraffes, bears, bison, seals, monkeys, etc. the bronx zoo is so cool and all the animals were out because it was such a beautiful day! we walked through the scariest parts of the bronx to get to Little Italy for dinner. delicious italian food at Roberto's and desserts were canoli's, cookies, and tarts. home to watch 30 rock on TH's laptop, cuddled up.

Sunday: church. puerco tacos with roommates. bye bye TH to train station. c-span and masterpiece theatre till i fell asleep.

i can't believe there are only 3 weekends left here. sad face. but i will make them count. if it ever stops raining, i will get out and enjoy this city!!

bagelzen.

I walked down the street at 11am this morning. One thing on my mind: an everything bagel with butter from Absolute Bagels. It was a beautiful, grey-skied morning - good skirt, cardigan and scarf weather. The bagels had just come out of the oven. So fresh. No need to toast. I sunk my teeth in, and walked down the street, back to my apartment building.

Man, I'm going to miss this city.