Olivia's Sunrise of New Beginnings

What's happened since...?

2011-12-03T17:17:00.002-05:00

Wedding and Honeymoon

The wedding last September was wonderful! Short and sweet, but an experience enjoyed by all. Ceremony was at the little stone church we go to (whenever we feel like it, ahem!) Reception was at the best French restaurant in the area. It was a shockingly hot day for that time of year, but better than cold and rain.

The honeymoon in Antigua was fun, after Jeff got over the bad cold he came down with on our wedding day. The resort was peaceful, the food was great and the people friendly. One day we got out and went on a powerboat > kayaking > hiking > snorkeling adventure.

Goodbye to the first love of my life

I spent a number of weeks in London over November/December with my mother and her condition was such that I could not commit to anything for the springtime because from that visit on, I knew I would have to wait for that call, in the middle of the night -- and it did come eventually, right when I thought it would.

I had bought a ticket to visit her in March/April. About a week before I was set to fly out, a call came in the middle of the night. The doctor was with her and after her carer spoke to me, the doctor told me to change my ticket because I didn't want to wish I had been there. So I went. Jeff came with me for a few days. He said goodbye to his Ruthie. She was on constant ventilation, and in relentless, heartbreaking distress, aware of nothing around her because of it. The morphine injections were not enough and a few days after I arrived the palliative care team took over from the district nurses. They put her on a steady syringe driver of what I shall now call the "Exit Cocktail" and came to check and refill daily. No child should have to see their young parent go through that. Each day from there on, she slipped away further and further, until a few days later I knew it was not my mother in that bed. The following morning she was gone.

We had the funeral nearby in the church she went to when she could get out. Everyone we knew there, family, old friends and new, came. People all said the same thing about her rich, warm, loving spirit; her shining smile and big bright eyes; her love of people and how she cared for and cooked for everyone, how much she taught them, and how what they do now is as a result of her influence, and how she was pretty much everyone's Mama.

I miss her, every moment of every day. It is still such a reflex to want to call her for the big things, and especially the little things. Like,

Mum, how much flour do I put in this recipe?

Guess what, Ma, the doc said I was OK.

Mumsy, what do you think...?

Mummy, why is this so...?

She always has been, and always will be, my angel.

A Few Lost Months

Not sure what was going on over the summer. Obviously time passed and I got on with things, but it's a bit of a blur.

In August we went to my cousin's wedding in Canada, where I served as a bridesmaid in an electric blue dress. It was outdoors and beautiful, all very touching; she was a crying bride, but the groom shed tears when he "married" her daughter too. Not a dry eye in the field, and I was fighting so hard not to cry, one of my aunts in the 3rd row was ready to run up with tissues.

On our return home, I started the IVF process. It's something I knew had to be done from the moment he told me he had CF. There were more needles than I could count, and they hurt and the meds burned and caused bruises and welts. Jeff, my skilled but reluctant injector, wanted to quit because he hated putting me through this, and also kept apologizing that it was his fault I had to go through it, but in the midst of it all I loved him more than I did before. Anyway, extraction, culture, transfer = no success this time. But it did a number on me, and I was in recovery for some time. We'll thaw the rest out in January and try another transfer.

Then around our anniversary -- a few days after I recovered, Jeff got sicker than he was after our wedding; he was fighting something again and was OK for our dinner - at the French restaurant - but then it turned into pneumonia and we went to hospital and they threw scary antibiotics at him, and sent him home with the whole IV setup and everything. Took him at least a month to come out of that.

Enjoying the End of 2011

So after everything we'd been through the last few months, we've decided to put things on hold and just enjoy the end of the year.

For his birthday, I took him to see Cirque du Soleil's Quidam, when they were passing through DC.

For Thanksgiving, we drove up to NYC for a few days to be with cousins and hang out with friends and see the city. We stayed at a nice hotel across the water in New Jersey so we could get full and amazing views of Manhattan across the river. We walked around and saw all the usual things like Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, St Patrick's Cathedral, Times Square, South Street Seaport.

And we saw a proper musical, Anything Goes, written by P.G. Wodehouse and Cole Porter.

Next up: Christmas

Just Checking

2011-11-17T15:01:00.004-05:00

Hi y'all

Anybody out there?

I've been taken up with life, and Facebook, but you'd be surprised how often I think of those of you I haven't been in contact with. A lot has happened, sad things and happy things.

I guess this was inspired by looking for a Guyanese recipe on Google, and the only place I found it was on Guyana Gyal's blog from years ago. Ironically, she'd never heard of it until I mentioned it.

I've got enough time on my hands that I could take up blogging again, and I have enough to say that I really ought to.

:-)

Nearly there

2010-09-20T18:26:00.003-04:00

Hi guys

Guyana Gyal was sweet enough to stop by and say I pass through her mind. All of you pass through mine also.

It has been a crazy time. Since June, the only thing we seem to have done is plan the wedding. Made harder by the fact that there is nobody around to help us, to pick up the slack, to delegate a task to. The whole process is like something I must endure in order to marry my love. Looking back on it through photos, the video, and with friends and family, will make it worthwhile.

In July-August, I spent two weeks with my mother, and Jeff joined me for the last few days of the trip. She is not doing well. Her speech and swallowing have deteriorated, yet she has refused the feeding tube, so while unable to take in enough nutrition, she is at greater risk of choking on nothing much, like yogurt or Ensure. I still encourage her to get the tube while surgery is still feasible though. Every little movement takes so much energy, and she certainly shouldn't be starving herself. Even her nurse wants her to fight. I know she doesn't want to prolong her misery....The end is inevitable, but she needs it to be as easy as possible.

A couple of weeks after returning from London, my position was terminated. Lately it felt as though I'd been commuting for two hours a day in order to wait for something to do...so I think I could feel that coming for some time. But I was then freed up at a crucial time to hire vendors and make all sorts of decisions regarding the wedding, which has been great.

We've even been taking dancing lessons and on our 6th and last we finally got our wedding dance down.

Well....

We are getting married on Saturday. It's nearly here! My father arrives tomorrow. It will be nice to spend some time with him.

And...

Sunday at the crack of dawn we begin our trip to Antigua.

Oh Wow

2010-06-21T11:16:00.005-04:00

You guys have been commenting without me knowing - I just had to moderate a bunch of them. I was thinking of my old blog this weekend and missing it, and feeling sorry that I'd neglected it. I guess it's because I don't get much time alone, which is fine. But on Sunday, because Jeff went to the driving range, I was home alone and spent the middle of the day working on our wedding website on The Knot. I got a lot accomplished with it, and realized that's the only way to work on blog and things...

Let me know if you all are still out there...*sigh* sorry for not writing. Although I still think of you all more than I imagine. Though, it's easier for those of you who are now on Facebook :-)

The other thing that's restrictive about blogging still is that I must be tied to my laptop at home in order to handle all the pics. I have an iPad (b-day pressie from Jeffy), but can't get my photos to transfer. If I could, I'd blog from there because I can loll about in the living room and work on things there. This summer we are also looking into getting smart phones, so there's another option. I can then blog while out and about!

Once I get everything all set up, I'll revive this site, how about that?
Must run, as I am not supposed to be doing this right now!

Christmas to remember

2009-12-20T16:39:00.004-05:00

Today is January 9th, 2010. I've been writing this since December 12, 2009! I just retrieved it from draft status....

So here's what I wrote in December:

At the beginning of the month, we went to the Christmas Revels on the campus of George Washington University, an annual DC tradition for the past 25 years. The Revels take place in 10 other US cities, including Houston. It was my father who went to one there many years ago, who turned me on to seeing one someday, so when I found we had one right here, nothing would stop me from seeing it. If your city has one, you must go! They put on spring and harvest festivals also.

This year, it was set in Renaissance Florence, and we, along with every one of Italy's noble families (Doge of Venice, Medici, d'Este, Borghese, et al. in all their sumptuous brocaded and bejewelled splendor) were guests of il maestro Leonardo da Vinci and his hilarious assistant Esmeralda.

We learned all sorts of Italian carols and winter songs, were treated to traditional Renaissance music and dances, as well as one segment to Saturnalia, the Roman winter solstice, and saw some of da Vinci's inventions at work. By the end of the first half, the whole audience was skipping around the auditorium to "Lord of the Dance" and by the end of the second half, we were singing in rounds.

********************

We were supposed to move to our new home this weekend, but that plan was completely ruined by the worst winter storm in nearly 70 years. It stopped short of a blizzard because although the winds did gust a little, they didn't pick up too much. It snowed so heavily for about 24 hours that visibility was reduced to about half a block, and we got at least a foot of snow. The whole world looked as though it had been smothered in whipped cream and meringue and icing sugar.

Stores were sold out of anything that could possibly be used to slide down a hill, and therefore every slope in the city was being used.

We went out in the SUV and wondered at the people who thought they could take their cars out in all that snow. Loads of them were spinning wheels and stuck in drifts. Even the SUVs were challenged, but we managed. It was fun exploring the winter wonderland.

People were discouraged from walking on the plowed streets, and were left to trudge through snow up to their knees. Some smart ones actually cross-country skiied.

Lots of people hitched rides, and when we got to Tenleytown we picked up a woman and dropped her off at the apartments across the road from the National Cathedral. Jeffy told her that someone had done him the same favor 10 years ago when he too was living there.

By 4pm, we found ourselves in Georgetown, which is picturesque at any time of year. We were determined to walk around, fall down, and make snow angels somewhere. We soon found ourselves at Book Hill Park near Dumbarton Oaks, the museum, library, and gardens we visited in the early summer. There were a few people there snowboarding and skiing down the hill beside the steps, and we stumbled and slipped our way up the snow mound to a circle of benches on a plateau. The snow was undisturbed and I was tempted to sit in the foot of snow on each bench. But we were there to make snow angels, my first ever --- or so I thought.......

As I fumbled about in my ski pants and down-filled coat, slightly deaf with my furry hood on, I wasn't properly absorbing whatever Jeffy was saying. This is what I gathered:

"Why is this park important?"

*Thinking....something to do with the Revolution?*

"I don't know Jeffy......because we're in it....?

*He laughs* "Sort of."

He keeps talking, something about how we keep saying we are so well matched, my Mum and God designed him, and his grandmother and God designed me.

I climb onto a bench to face him, just because the fresh snow made me hyper, and place my hands on his shoulders.

He says something something something, how much he loves me, something something, [I get suspicious].......and isn't this a good time to acknowledge how we feel [it registers in my brain]. He puts his hand in his pocket.

I jump off the bench, somehow sensing a little velvet black box is going to appear.

A little black velvet box appears.

He opens it and after the acknowledge part, something about "ask you to marry me".

I say "Oh my bee" followed by "Of course."

How did I know? With us, it was inevitable. But quite often we are thinking the same thing, and often steal each other's lines. So perhaps because I was holding his shoulders as I jumped off the bench, I was again reading his mind. :-)

His best friend wanted him to propose at his 40th birthday at the end of November, with all 20 of his closest friends and relatives at the table, but he told Jay he didn't have the ring yet.

Ah yes, about the ring. It took Jeffy two weeks to choose and design it. He "interviewed" many diamonds at 10-15x magnification and considered many bands, until he finally settled on a stone and a band that went together and said to him "Livvy".

It's delicate, dainty, simple, and sweet. I think "sweet" is one of the first words I used to describe it the moment I could catch my breath. I feel as though I don't deserve such a fiery stone.

I'd love to post pictures but it seems the process has changed - I can't link to pics on Flickr anymore, but feel free to look at them here:

Snow in NW DC:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/artmeliana/4204675664/

Georgetown before climbing up to Book Hill Park:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/artmeliana/4204675626/

Jeffy just before proposing:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/artmeliana/4204675642/

The ring in two lights:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/artmeliana/4204675944/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/artmeliana/4204675922/

Now I must be off to get ready. When Jeffy comes back from his Baltimore house (which he's just rented out to a nice young couple) we will go out to get a rug and look at furniture.

We moved for 4 days between Christmas and New Year's. It was exhausting, and now we have stuff everywhere and no furniture to put it in though the closets are full. Jeffy has accumulated junk, and repeatedly moved with it in numbered boxes. I've opened his eyes (a bag of receipts from 1987? A video camera that hasn't worked for 6 years? An empty camera box inside an empty box?) so he's promised himself and me that he will de-clutter so we can find space for the things that matter.

Stay Tuned

2009-12-14T00:31:00.002-05:00

Thank you for the December nudge, Glo!

Stay tuned for an update...

Happy November

2009-11-11T21:53:00.004-05:00

Hello, hello, and thank you Glo for nudging me!

Not only has Facebook made me lazy, but I still can't figure out how to blog with everything going on. Jeffy and I are buying a home! Closing probably at the end of this month, so we'll celebrate for Jeffy's birthday, and be in before Christmas.

It's not too far from here, and in the same "area", but it is about a block from the DC line. I'll be one stop closer to work, and a much shorter walk from home, so I estimate shaving 15-20 minutes off my commute, and saving 80 cents per day. Which means I could stay with the same morning schedule and get in earlier! Whereas he walks now and his office is right above the metro, Jeffy would have to take the metro one stop north. 'Tis only fair...

The condo we're buying is a real gem. The area is considered the Rodeo Drive of the East Coast. (Ironically I don't shop at Fendi, Tiffany, Saks 5th Avenue, Bloomingdales, or Lord & Taylor, but there they are. It lends a nice atmosphere, of course. However, my other favorite stores are also there: TJ Maxx, Filene's, Loehmann's, and all the other groceries and bookstores - a Whole Foods is under construction too!) Our building is in a "village" that encompasses only a few blocks, so, basically, a desirable neighborhood within a desirable area. The village runs a shuttle bus from the residential buildings to the main stores. There is a new village center that has a fitness center, gallery, theater, classes, library, and so on. Lots of twee green spaces, flowers, benches, sculptures, a fountain. Sort of a hidden enclave behind the shops, so I never knew about it when I lived in the area before and used to shop around there.

How do I describe it in short? It's going to be difficult because I've never lived in such a neat place. The building is high-rise and has more amenities than we can shake a stick at - valet laundry, dry cleaner, and convenience store downstairs. Gym and huge pool with lanes on the roof, as well as a roof deck. Beautiful lobby, marble floors, brushed bronze and wood paneled elevators with discreet tinted mirrors.

The 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo itself is nearly at the top and has been refurbished to the highest standard I've seen. Maple and tile floors. High end brushed steel appliances that would be so far out of my price range I'd never look at them in the store. Gorgeous light fittings. Granite counters in the kitchen and bathroom. Brushed nickel fixtures. Tons of storage.

I can't wait, and neither can Jeffy. He is excited about the kitchen.

On Halloween, we went into Georgetown dressed as a buccaneer and buccaneer babe. Pics are up on Facebook of course, clicky here.

Work has been good. I've been working hard. I had the day off today because my company gets federal holidays. However, it was cold and rainy. I bummed around all morning and then met Jeffy for a quick lunch. Then I went down to the shopping area near our new home, and did some shopping in preparation for winter, having grown out of most of my clothes from last year!

Well, it's nearly bedtime and it's back to work again for me tomorrow, so I'd better say goodnight and try to visit your blogs another day.

I hope you all are well. If anyone comes by, perchance, do leave me an update in the comment section! I'd appreciate that. Miss you all!

Till next nudge ;-)

PICTURES!

2009-09-09T12:04:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone, time for another email blog post!

Thank you Glo for the nudge. I think I need you around to do that from time to time :-)

My dad is in town this week, and Jeffy and I are meeting up with him every evening after work. I haven't seen him in nearly three years. Unfortunately, the DC area has been inflicted with some cooler temps and English rain for the week but that doesn't stop him. He's even more outdoorsy now than he was before moving out to Calgary.

I have posted a link to my Facebook album of this summer, so I hope you visit and get caught up. Also feel free to add me since that's easier for me to update daily.

Going chronologically:

Early on we spent a weekend at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. It rained a bit but we still got our feet wet and played Skeeball.

Then there was a Tracy Chapman concert in Baltimore where we hung out with one of Jeff's law school friends.

We took a quick trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania where we learned all about chocolate and even ate some, including taking a "chocolate flight". We ate dinner one evening at Jeff's cousin's house nearby. Lovely place, great kids, huge dog, etc.

There was a double birthday at Jeff's sister's house in the Baltimore area, where I met his mom (in town for the weekend) and his younger sister and her 3 very well-behaved boys, though her hubby was out of state at a reunion. We played a bit of pitching and batting with the boys until the mosquitoes ate us alive, followed by Scrabble with his mother (she won).

A couple of weekends ago, we joined Jeffy's mom at her lake house in Traverse City, Michigan. It was cold and rainy but we managed to enjoy ourselves before leaving by climbing the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. Also, I beat them both at Scrabble!Labor Day weekend was just that - laboring in the house to tidy up, hang shelves, run errands, and just enjoy having a 3-day weekend.

We went to a wedding near Sugarloaf Mountain, where the groom approved of me and said all the good things about Jeffy that he could think of. He said Jeff had told him I was pretty, but added that I was even prettier than he'd expected. And the bride said, "You're next!" We danced, tried to catch the bouquet/garter, and ate chocolate covered strawberries.

Well, must get back to work now.

I hope you're all well and I'll try to pop by and say hi this weekend.

Email blog

2009-08-11T15:13:00.001-04:00

*wind whistles forlornly*

*tumbleweed rolls past half-heartedly*

Is anybody out there...?

This is a quick post to say - I am still here, and I think about blogging more often than I can. But I think I've discovered the problem: I am never home long enough to check blogs, and it's not allowed at work. Email blogs will do. And I no longer stay up till 3am; I keep normal hours instead. I think adulthood has begun in earnest...

Facebook rocks, however. We are allowed to do that at work. Status updates are the way to go.

Blog update, anyone?

Still doing the whole organizing and buying of organizational things. Every weekend consists of going to Bed Bath and Beyond, or HomeGoods, or the hardware store, so it's falling into place one thing at a time. Also, Jeffy is homehunting, well, his colleague-who-is-also-a-realtor is doing so on his behalf, but not fast enough.

As a result of partially re-organizing the kitchen, we're able to cook at home a couple of times a week. Grilled veal with a spicy quinoa-rice blend (by me), and a salad with walnuts, feta, and raspberry dressing (by Jeffy). Or tuna steaks in a soy/honey/sesame chili oil/sesame seed reduction (by me) with garlic wild rice (by Jeffy), and a salad of sliced tomato sprinkled with feta, cilantro, xtra virgin olive oil, and balsamic vinegar (Jeffy). We're still a good team in the kitchen!

But THIS weekend we take a break and are going off to Hershey, Pennsylvania to visit Hershey's Chocolate World - where we will take a ride through the story of chocolate-making, and have a choc-tasting experience, and go to the museum. (There is also Hershey Park, which is a theme park, but that's not what we're going for.) Then we go to another town nearby to meet his cousin and family. We will stay at a lovely Victorian B&B in Hershey, then on Sunday we're off to Baltimore to hang out with his law school buddy F, and catch a Tracy Chapman concert.

P.S. I drafted this probably sometime Friday. I hope to give a weekend update soon - we did remember to take SOME photos, but not as many as usual.

P.P.S. Thanks Glo! Once again you've come looking for me, so I got this out of my Drafts box and sent it off!

Forgotten July

2009-07-19T12:37:00.004-04:00

Like some of my fellow bloggers, posts have been few and far between. There is simply too much going on.

Jeffy and I are still setting up house because we can only make progress on weekends. People who accomplish things on weekday evenings after work must be superhuman.

Yesterday I scrubbed the kitchen from top to bottom while Jeffy assembled our fantastic bamboo kitchen cart. Yes, it is made of bamboo! It's quite heavy and substantial, a really nice piece of furniture - the top is half bamboo board and half granite slab.

It looks like we will have to go to London in early September. Some of you may remember that my mother has been suffering for over a year now with an undiagnosed degenerative nerve condition and has been undergoing a series of tests at Whittington Hospital. Her neurologist there had referred her to a leading research specialist in the field at University College Hospital's Institute of Neurology, which has the best neurologists in the country. She was finally diagnosed on Thursday with Motor Neurone Disease, which is progressive and incurable. The outlook could be a few months, or a few years, but unless she is lucky and hits a plateau (like Stephen Hawking), there's likely not that much time. There are 4 types, and after further testing, and just seeing how it progresses, they will know which type it is. Mum herself suspects ALS (Lou Gehrig's). Most of the family has been notified that if they want to see her they must go to London, and soon, just in case she loses the ability to speak.

Essentially, MND is the worst diagnosis possible. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) would have been infinitely preferable. Imagine saying about a parent: "I wish she had MS"...

You may think I sound matter-of-fact, and yes I am - but I have had my moments this week, especially at my desk at work, and I am sure they will continue. In the face of it all, Jeffy has been a godsend. I don't know anyone else who is so full of peace, positive energy, internal strength, and pure goodness. Without him I would probably have been in pieces.

*****************

In order to end this on a lighter note, I must share something lovely. One of my most faithful and longtime readers, Moody Minstrel, has composed a delightful acoustic ballad for J and me. Those of you who know of my odyssey will see that the lyrics are perfect. It's called Matching Smiles and was inspired by the photo of us on the tall ship in Old Town Alexandria. I am sure MM won't mind me sharing this with you all, since you are also in the faithful reader circle, and I thank you for that.

Thank you a thousand times, Minstrel-san!

Matching Smiles

What flow of karma, blessed winds of fate
From Heaven's gate
Led our paths to cross?
A scene no artist's brush or author's pen
Determined how and when we came together.
Like an angel dropping from the sky,
You came, and I
Didn't see you coming.
Now I almost fear that I'll
Open my eyes and see
It's all a fantasy.
Nobody pinch me!

A breath ago I fled a grayer place
And turned my face
Toward the setting sun.
I only hoped to sate my wanderlust,
Do what I must to find some warmth and color.
But instead I found a deeper truth
Of rhyme and rhythm
And a brighter promise.
Now the words are dancing
On your lips and on the page
While language sets the stage,
A whole, new age!

We look upon the world with matching smiles
And go in style
Where even words don't go.
We'll hear the music on the 18th Street,
A swinging beat to kiss the week goodbye now.
Turn the darkness to a brighter day,
A place to stay
That is a house, a home.
The candlesticks are red,
The smell of cookies fills the air.
Between us not a care,
As long as we share!

The 4th of July

2009-07-04T11:34:00.004-04:00

Happy Independence Day!

And a happy belated Canada Day to those of you in the north :-)

Sorry I haven't been able to check in - here or on your own blogs. I wanted to email in another post from work, but it was busy last week, and I do feel quite selfish, just posting here and lacking the time to come by yours. I really do miss you all and our old routine. [It wasn't so long ago I was neglecting the blogs, while settling in DC and my new job. Now I have to resettle in Maryland and have all that related paperwork/tax forms/HR info/driver's license, etc.] Anyway, my final nudge came from Glo whose last comment I've just read in my inbox, saying she was thinking of me and wondering if I could check in soon. Thanks, Glo - I really was touched.

Well, quick update. I moved in with J last weekend. For the first few days I kept repeating to myself, "Omigod I live with a booooy...!"

He works next to the metro, so we walk to work/metro in the mornings; he's all about holding hands on the 10 minute walk, bless him. It's a neat routine, although if I wanted to work from 9-6 Instead of 10-7 I'd have to leave alone, an hour early. Maybe eventually, eh? Plus since the metro accident (June 22) the red line has been awful, it's just like commuting in London with the delays, and standing cheek to cheek with strangers, where usually I don't wait long and get a seat.

I have a pile of STUFF in the living room through which I am still excavating/standing in puzzlement, although a lot of STUFF is hanging in my half of the closet. We went to IKEA yesterday and I learned, for the third time in my life, why I don't want to buy furniture there again. If you have to find the door, the drawer mechanism, the legs, the handles, the cabinet front, the frame, the countertop - oh the horror! - and can't pick it up on the showroom floor, then we have resolved not to buy it. The lower price is not worth the trouble in the end.

Last week we got some warm lamps. For Jeffy, nice lamps and warm colors seem to symbolize a comfy home, and that's our goal.

Update (short version)

2009-06-22T21:47:00.007-04:00

I have written a long version to this update which I will share with you when this is all over, unless it just seems unnecessary and very old news by then.

In short I will say that neither reason nor the law have been enough to promote compromise, and Jeff is taking very good care of me, and has removed the situation from my hands almost entirely.

Last week I was inspired to create a quote:

Hope and optimism are the things that keep you looking past the present darkness

It is the sort of saying Jeff's maternal grandmother Amalie would have appreciated. She wrote a book of uplifting daily passages that I hope to finish reading sometime. It seems to run in the family, for he is never short of encouragement. Negativity is anathema to his way of life, and he follows a strong internal code of honor which is rarely seen in this day and age. It really puts me in mind of the knights of old, that is how strongly he is motivated to do the Right Thing.

I cannot get over how his capacious mind never stops creating, thinking, and considering things from every angle. Because not only does he stand on that reservoir of peace I mentioned last time, he also seems to create time with sheer willpower. He never says, "I can't". He almost always manages it, usually succeeds at whatever he puts his mind to, and never makes excuses on the rare occasions he doesn't accomplish something.

He is a Visionary I think, and when he envisions the future, I can see it too.

And then he goes and says, "But you know everything, Livvy." (When I said "I don't know" the other day to a question about the Atlantic Ocean. We were at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and I was pretty knocked out by sea air at the time, but I think now I feel an answer formulating somewhere in the back of my brain...)

I am also thankful for my job and my supportive colleagues (those who need to know); the environment of sanity that it provides; an escape from the tension of my situation at home.

Life Happens

2009-06-17T18:20:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone,

Sorry it's been so long since I wrote here. Believe me, I wanted to, but many things are going on and .... well, I have just realized that I am probably undergoing a major life transition now.

First, I have learned a hard lesson: Current company excepted, I will from now on try to limit my dealings with New Yorkers.

My landlady finally went on the long-awaited rampage, a little earlier than I'd expected. I have never seen such wild eyes in my life.

Jeff turned out to be my knight in shining armor, surprise surprise - although he is sorry that his efforts to protect me from her by - calmly and quietly, as is his way - citing actual DC tenancy laws are what precipitated the drama and we would have been totally justified in calling the police on her.

He is representing me, and her daughter is representing her. He's drawing up a new agreement to end my lease.

He seems to "stand upon a reservoir of peace" (this is the image in my head), and uses words of wisdom, and a tone of reassurance. Within a couple of minutes he had turned her daughter's vicious approach over the phone into a reasonable legal discussion tinged with just the right amount of humanity.

I will move in with him around the end of July - he offered twice in two days, and I can stay for as long as I like, even forever. He wants to make a home, and is intensively looking to buy a place.

He has told me with utmost sincerity that he is here for me; it is a miracle that he found me; he only wanted to protect me and cannot see why anyone would be mean to me; he cares for me unconditionally and limitlessly; that Fate and Destiny have only good and bright things in store for me, and for him, and he can't wait.

And the way he looks at me...I haven't seen that since my father used to look at my mother...just the thought of it takes my breath away.

Dilatory Me

2009-06-02T23:28:00.003-04:00

I was going to blog much earlier and then 3 people called in a row!

However, the delay between Memorial Day weekend and today is long enough that my blog ought to be nice and succinct.

We went to Cape May, New Jersey. The End.

Just kidding.

Here are some pictures:

We stayed at the Angel of the Sea, one of the best B&Bs in the country. J said he chose a place where he thought an angel would sleep. ;-)

The Pink House

The Union Jack with the Stars and Stripes

A Mustang on Ocean Drive

This is the Fire Department!

This is a bank!

Sunset, Day One

Cape May Lighthouse, Day One

Cape May Lighthouse on 5x optical zoom

On Saturday evening after dinner at the Ugly Mug, we played skee ball, which was a ton of fun.

Tea at the Angel of the Sea

A seaweed-covered jetty on the beach. It was chilly on Sunday but we ran around on the beach collecting shells and stones, getting sand between our toes, catching our feet in the lapping waves, and digging up baby sand crabs. Then we played mini golf. In the evening, we smartened up a little and enjoyed a fine dinner at the Merion Inn on Sunday night, where an old guy played some excellent jazz numbers on a baby grand, and someone sang along. It was all so good that we wanted to kidnap the old-timer and haul the inn back to Bethesda.

But it was suddenly HOT on Monday! We had popcorn and frozen custard and got tanned.

The 3 hour drive there took double the time on the way home because everyone else was travelling at the same time.

We passed through Goshen, New Jersey, at a snail's pace, so I got some interesting pictures of classic white churches, there was even an old one-room school house but I couldn't get my camera out in time.

Sunset over an inlet at Cape May, one of the best photos I have ever taken.

This weekend, J and I got some pics developed, bought frames, and put them up in our respective offices. He's had fun showing us off to colleagues and clients.

Well, it's past my bedtime so I bid you goodnight! I'll come and see you soon, a few at at time for the rest of the week.

Impromptu weekend

2009-05-20T23:19:00.004-04:00

Saturday we went to the Bethesda Strut Your Mutt dog show, but we were hungry for lunch first and so ate and relaxed (digesting is hard work for two small people), by which time everyone was packing up. But we saw more than enough dogs, met a few, and nearly adopted one.

Then what to do? As the afternoon was young we decided to check out the Greek Festival and all I will say about the one in DC is it cannot hold a candle to the one in Houston. It's more like a street market than a festival - no printed guidebook with menus and schedules of shows, no dancing or live music. Bah humbug! Good thing we're planning on going to H-town in October!

It was a heavy afternoon so hot and sticky we walked a couple of blocks from the festival to the National Cathedral, where we sat on a bench under the trees to rest, cool down, watch children playing, birds catching worms, and the breeze rustling the leaves. Then at Evensong time, 5pm, we went to the door only to find out from the chatty guide on the steps that the board was wrong and we'd missed it by an hour. So now what?

Jeff has an idea for everything. Dinner in Old Town. Old Town where? Old Town Alexandria. So we drive across the Potomac River from Georgetown into Old Town and go exploring.

We find free tours of an original creation - a Tall Ship, owned by an interesting commune.

(Somebody looks pleased as Punch in these photos, and I'm not referring to me.)

We found ourselves in a quaint old seafood establishment that had a big walk-in fireplace in the bar. King Street in Old Town is full of 18th century terraces. There's also a Queen Street, Duke Street, Princess Street. I didn't see a Prince Street. NYC seems to have stolen that one. Next time I will take more pictures. We both forgot our cameras though I had my trusty phonecam.

Anyway, I had calamari with the BEST, I mean, BEST, accompaniment EVER. It was cilantro and sweet chili mayo, emphasis on the cilantro here, and in my opinion you can never have too much cilantro. That's coriander leaf for my British readers.

I also had She Crab soup. Not sure about why it's called that, but it's creamy and spicy and full of sherry so there's a warm bite of alcohol followed by a warm flush of spice which builds as you eat.

**********************

On Sunday J's mother was in town for a conference over the weekend, which she left early so that he could drive her up to Baltimore to see his nephew, who had been hospitalized earlier in the week but is now fine. Baltimore is roughly a 45 min drive from here. They knew he was on a schedule so he was in and out the door, and back in DC to pick me up and take me to Andrews Air Force Base for the Joint Services Open House and Air Show.

Sorry Flighty. We got stuck in traffic owing to an accident, and by the time we were out the parking at the stadium was closed and the shuttle buses were finished and the air show was closed to further entry.

In driving around looking for a vantage point to park amongst the hundreds of other people lining the empty spaces with their cars and tailgate parties outside the event, we found ourselves turning into the AFB and down past the visitor's center to a checkpoint because we were unable to turn around. So the guard took his driver's license and he drove round a U-turn to the exit, and his DL was returned by another guard) both carrying machine guns, and we were out.

By then I was starving with a cherry on top and fixing to faint, so he took me to Washingtonian Waterfront in Gaithersburg, where he fed me an excellent Mexican dinner of chile relleno (stuffed poblano chili - the spiciest I've had yet), and when I perked back up again we went to Target. He bought an electric kettle so he can properly make tea, bought tea...so he can...make more tea...even though he already has tea. And he bought me a vase for the next time he surprises me with flowers.

Then we went to his place, seasoned the kettle, made tea and more tea, two kinds, ate cookies and watched My Best Friend's Wedding until 11pm when I panicked since it was past his bedtime and we had work the next day.

I have not caught up with my sleep since then because my schedule is now pushed back too far...grrrr.

Teaser: for the long Memorial Day weekend he has booked us a quaint holiday in Cape May, New Jersey.

RED

2009-05-19T16:31:00.006-04:00

A comparison of color in verse:

As she breathed deeply into the scented rose,
she remembered his words:
Only you, dear Ruby, are my love,
my life, the flower of my dreams,
the fire in my heart.
And she blushed as she gazed
into the flaming sunset,
the cherry blossoms wafting
onto her russet locks.

**********

Olivia Klonaris, Red, 1994

And her sweet red lips on these lips of mine
Burned like the ruby fire set
In the swinging lamp of a crimson shrine,	15
Or the bleeding wounds of the pomegranate,
Or the heart of the lotus drenched and wet
With the spilt-out blood of the rose-red wine.

**********

Oscar Wilde, In the Gold Room: a Harmony, 1881

What I do

2009-05-15T23:47:00.004-04:00

Yes, this is part of what I do.

Care to guess what language this is? Facebookers are excluded because you already know.

This is a CDC publication targeted at immigrant communities to prevent the spread of certain communicable diseases. I look at the English source and the translated target side by side on paper, and mark up anything that I think needs changing. Then I pass it to my fellow QC spec for back up - she runs her eye over it, adds things and discusses with me anything she finds noteworthy. Then I annotate our notes in the PDF document that was produced by the Graphics department - with edits for Graphics, and questions for the Translator.

Graphics implements their changes first if possible, otherwise their further issues are addressed by the project manager, then the PDF goes to the PM who passes it to the Translator to have the questions addressed.

In the photo, I am re-annotating the PDF for Graphics in a second round, according to the Translator answers which came in a detailed table. This being an incomprehensible language to me, it took a lot of shape-hunting and at times I was zoomed in at 400%. Here, the translator has addressed my issue that "sick" and "not sick" are not bolded in the translation. The Translator says he did bold it originally in the document he sent to Graphics, so I have written a note to Graphics here to ask them to either bold it again or enlarge the font slightly, if bolding is not possible.

Another issue was that the title on the poster used different characters to the identical title on the leaflet, and the Translator then provided a better phrase. I also marked a LOT of stray characters here and there which Graphics will remove.

So, that's sort of what I do and hope it makes more sense for those of you who are still mystified as to how I perform my job. Don't worry, you're not alone - sometimes I wonder too!

***************

Last weekend we didn't do photogenic things, probably because we met up with some of his friends on Thursday night to watch the opening of Star Trek. It was an amazing movie and I recommend you go see it. Afterwards we all went for dinner so he didn't escort me home until way past midnight. Obviously, we both paid for that wild episode on Friday and felt too lazy for an epic weekend although we accomplished much.

On Saturday:

Ate lunch at Cici's Pizza - yay for jalapenos!
We searched high and low at the mall for a Scrabble game, and dropped my boots off at the cobbler's bench
Went to the grocery store for baking supplies
Baked Magic Cookie Bars, which are delicious by the way, and we have both eaten a couple of squares every night this week, and they're still not finished
Ate dinner at a really good Indian restaurant in Bethesda and listened to a young white jazz band (and they were amazing) outside the Haagen-Dazs down the road
Played Scrabble and ate our baked goods. He won. We're both good with words, but he's a better strategist and I'm a better speller. So he'd say, "Livvy, how do you spell the word for..." and give the definition and I'd supply the spelling. And then when I gave up he helped me, and we finished all the tiles, but he still won.
On Thursday, Jeff said, "Livvy, we make a good team in the kitchen." I agreed.

On Sunday:

Went for brunch at the Pancake House in Bethesda
We hung out at the fountain, watching people out on their best behavior with their mothers all dressed up for Mother's Day
Also watched children and dogs, as usual
See, told you it was boring but we like it
And we had ice cream at H-D
Then he went to the driving range for the first time this year. He's got some snazzy golf shoes.

Not done yet. On Monday (!):

He picked me up after work and we went to the mall to collect my boots and have his shoes shined
Had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. If you have one near you, I highly recommend the mango tandoori chicken pizza, my new favorite
Although I was in one of my nice London outfits, I said he looked so much more presentable than I did in his pinstripe suit and nice tie, and he said, "Livvy, if I look presentable it's because I'm with you."
Awwwwwwww....!

OK, that's enough for now. As I get home so late in the evenings, I can only visit you all in bits and bytes. I do miss being able to spend lots of time on blogs now, and I'm sorry. I am still trying to tinker with my schedule so I can find the right balance. I'd like to go to work earlier so I can come home earlier, but this week I could not effect such a change, so I will keep trying...

A couple of weekends

2009-05-10T20:48:00.004-04:00

Oh no! We have catching up to do!

Last Saturday, I got flowers for no reason...and was speechless for once.

Last weekend was full of rain, but before it all hit we managed to spend some time at Dumbarton Oaks Museum and Garden in Georgetown.

The museum is a Harvard research library filled with Byzantine and ancient artifacts, a stately mansion which used to belong to a family who founded the gardens. If you've ever read The Secret Garden, it's a magical like that, only not wild and not a secret.

My photos came out quite fuzzy because I didn't realize my camera was stuck between Auto and Scenery, so obviously didn't know what to compensate for. However, here are some of the best, and a couple from Jeff's camera.

From J's camera - on the Juliet balcony overlooking one of the garden levels

An interior gate between two small gardens

The pebble fountain and wisteria

J and the spewing horse

The back of the library museum

White wisteria?

An urn garden

Pretty, but no public access area.

The rain started as soon as we left the garden!

I don't recall where we had dinner after that, but it was somewhere around Dupont Circle. Afterwards we went to our favorite haunt the 18th Street Lounge, and oh boy do I have a story, which I already shared on Facebook so for some of you this will be a repeat but for most of you it will be new and "excessively diverting", to somewhat quote Jane Austen.

***************

The 18th Street Lounge jazz floor is usually host to a sophisticated and level-headed crowd, unlike the young clubber types on the trance floor downstairs.

We managed to snag a sofa that was vacated not long after we arrived, but before the band set up. Jeff went to get the second round of drinks so there was me, a little space, my bag, and the next sofa. Some tall dude came and plopped himself down in Jeff's spot. I tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, somebody is sitting here." He looked at me like I was lying, asked if he could sit there until my drinks did arrive, and proceeded to introduce himself, "Hi, I'm Bob." He sounded Irish. He put out his hand and I gave him a fingertip handshake, as almost a reflex of politeness.

He said, "Aren't you drinking?" I said, "I'm waiting for my drink." He said, "Are you here with your girlfriend or boyfriend?" I said, "My boyfriend." He said, "Just checking." Then he said, "Thanks for saving me a seat." I said, "This is not your seat." He looked shocked. By now I'm desperately thinking to myself, "Jeff, where are you...?"

He then proceeded to ask, "Are you in school?" I said, "No." He then asked, "What do you do for work?" I said, "None of your business." And proceeded to shoo him away, like you do with garden critters. And with audacity he proceeded to touch one of my shooing hands. I shooed again with more vigor and when I spotted Jeff approaching very nearly shouted at him to buzz off. He did leave and when Jeff sat down a moment later I told him my story and thought I could point out my "admirer", but he had simply disappeared.

As for Jeff, he too had a story. He said that a guy had bought us our drinks! There was some mix up with the queue so the guy who was mistakenly placed ahead of Jeff was kind enough to order in such a way that the bartender told Jeff that, by the way, the drinks were already paid for.

Quite an odd evening at the 18th Street Lounge, if you ask me.

The following evening when retelling the story to Jeff's law school friend at dinner, when I was describing how "Bob" had taken hold of my shooing hand (I think I'd forgotten that part when first telling it), Jeff said with surprised cuteness, "He took your hand??? Nobody touches my Olivia...!"

***********************

This past Thursday we joined 4 of his friends to see the opening of the Star Trek movie. It was excellent! I know prequels usually have a bad reputation but this one was perfect, probably not least because it had J J Abrams at the helm, he who created Fringe. It was a great mix of drama, romance, action, and comedy without losing balance.

That is all I will say, since it's so new yet.

J and I ordered one medium popcorn and medium drink to share, and unsurprisingly, despite working hard at it, we didn't even finish quarter. Next time, we should order small and perhaps get half of it finished ;)

We enjoy what we eat or drink but can't always finish, and waitstaff are continually surprised.

After the movie, we all went to a brewery restaurant which was alive and kicking at 10pm on a Thursday night. I don't know how. J didn't drop me off at home until past 12.30 - this was very wild of us, and I paid the next day by having waking dreams in front of my computer.

*************

We decided to have a relaxing weekend, so there are no adventures to recount. We ran errands, ate lunch at Cici's Pizza (my first time there since leaving Texas!) scoured the stores for a game of Scrabble, and bought ingredients for baking.

We used my nice kitchen to bake Magic Cookie Bars, had a cup of tea, then left them to cool while we went up to Bethesda for a light dinner at an Indian restaurant. I had the most intriguing tamarind margarita. Didn't get a buzz off it, but it was an exciting blend of tart and spice with a latent burn in the throat, like an authentic cup of masala chai would give. And the papri chat starter will probably haunt me this week, I liked it that much.

As is our wont, we shared the starter and the entree (tandoori shrimp with naan), so as to leave room for dessert. While we were eating outdoors, a jazz band down the street caught our attention so we ambled down there to check them out. They were playing on the raised patio outside the Haagen-Dasz place so customers and passersby were sitting and standing around, expressing their appreciation with generous tips. The amount of stray quality bands on street corners in this area is amazing! These boys were very white, kinda preppy, kinda geeky, and college-age, but that was some of the best jazz I've ever heard.

Dessert consisted of magic cookie bars with tea. We played Scrabble. He won by a long shot. We're both good with words but I'm a better speller and he's a better strategist. Girl vs Boy.

Today was an even quieter day, the usual Sunday tradition of hanging out in Bethesda watching people, children and dogs - and today it was quite a show because of Mother's Day.

We were defeated by our brunch - buttermilk pancakes, eggs, sausages, bacon - but had room later on for one scoop each of Haagen-Dasz ice cream.

Tomorrow I see him again because he's taking me to the mall to pick up my shoes at the cobbler, and we'll have dinner at California Pizza Kitchen.

Haiku by email

2009-05-06T17:23:00.002-04:00

Just wondering if I really had enough down time at work, perhaps I could blog via email.

Today, after a string of intense days where my eyes nearly popped out, I was faced with nothing to do.

So I wrote a haiku:

Birds sing in the trees
Sunshine warms the earth and sky
Smell the sweet springtime

Annapolis Adventure

2009-04-29T22:26:00.004-04:00

It's not often I wait until Wednesday to blog about the weekend, but it's been a busy week and I can't quite figure out evenings.

I work from 9.30am-6.30pm. I've worked those hours before in London, with an equally long - but much more tiring - commute. Perhaps the reason I'm confused is that back then I stopped planning as soon as I got home. Now, the 9 o'clock hour is reserved for talking to Jeff, so I like to get chores done beforehand and internety things afterwards - and weekends are also no longer laundry-filled lolling about in pyjama days. I have things to see, and places to explore, with somebody!

So anyway, this has been a hard week so far, mainly because of this one English project. I got one phase of it QC'd and handed over but it was mind-boggling because the client gave it to us so mangled up the project managers and graphics department are in overdrive. And I have to sift through that confusion. I tell you, it was such a relief to turn to the relatively simple Italian documents sitting on my desk all morning.

You know what I like hearing when I am on the metro? Leaving the Foggy Bottom-George Washington University station, the driver often says, "This is the last stop in the District of Columbia. Next stop is Rosslyn, the first stop in the Commonwealth of Virginia." I'll have to tell you more sometime about Virginia, the Old Dominion founded in 1607 as the first English settlement in North America. And of course you know it's named after Elizabeth the Virgin Queen?

***********************

But you want to know about Saturday, of course.

It was a lovely nearly-hot day which was pushed a little late because J had training to do at the office. When he picked me up, we went to get a hat for me (which I couldn't wear because it was so windyu) and a pair of sunglasses for him (which he wore because it was so sunny).

On to Annapolis. It's only about a 45-minute drive so we were there around mid-afternoon and wandered about a bit, taking in the atmosphere and watching the people, including midshipmen (male and female) in their summer whites. It is a quaint, pretty, quirky town full of arts and crafts, seafood bars, galleries, antique shops, cafes.

Then we came upon a 40-minute boat cruise on the Severn River, which took us past the US Naval Academy, towards the Chesapeake Bay.

Up the Severn River with the US Naval Academy to the left

A pretty sailboat

Afternoon skies over the USNA

Sunset over the Severn River

Sunset over the USNA dorms and chapel dome.

The dorms are the second largest in the world, housing 4,000 midshipmen.

The chapel dome has a gilt cupola on top.

Returning to dock after the cruise.

Jeff's cool new sunglasses and my old ones

McGarvey's Saloon and Oyster Bar on Pinkney Street, Annapolis.

It was all wood-panelling, tile floors, marble tables, Tiffany lamps. There was an atrium room where we ate in the left building, which had a real tree growing out of the floor and it reached the glass ceiling. I couldn't take a pic as by then it was too dark.

I was taking a photo of the chocolate marquise we shared to round out the 3-course seafood dinner. Even this we couldn't finish. We rarely finish anything. And yes, J is well aware that any photo I take could end up here, which is kind of why he did that.

The Maryland State House and Flag on State Circle, Annapolis.
Built in 1772, the state house is the oldest continually-used capitol building in the US, and for a short while even served as the nation's capitol.
The Maryland flag is unusual and probably the only one in the union to be based on heraldry:

It represents the quartered Calvert and Crossland family crests. MD was founded in 1639 as a English colony by Cecil Calvert, 2nd Lord Baltimore. Crossland was his mother's family and as she was an heiress he was entitled to use her family crest in his own (the red and white cross bottony). The yellow and black palisades represent a fortress. Maryland is the only state to display a gold cross on its flagpole.

Coming up for air

2009-04-20T22:42:00.005-04:00

Yes, Glo, here I am - I read the late comments on my last post!

Omigosh! It's raining cats, dogs and a few horses out there! It started just as I typed the last sentence. This evening walking home the air was heavy, warm and moist, like a primordial soup, with a few silent flashes of lightning. Like the rebirth of life was about to happen.

Anyway, you want to hear about the job. The image of the cherry blossoms above are from the two trees flanking the office entrance in Arlington. Everyone is so nice and friendly there. It's a quiet and studious environment, which is perfect for me. When it's a hectic week, you can hear a pin drop. When there's not enough work, it gets noisy.

So far, I've edited documents in Latvian, Portuguese, French, and - get this - Azeri (from Azerbaijan) for things I shouldn't tell you about. But I now know how to say gamma and neutron in more than one language.

I'm a tri-stater now: live in DC, work in VA, hang out in MD. I've never crossed state lines so much in my life.

*****************************

This weekend with J was wonderful! Saturday was hot - nearly 80F/27C - so we absolutely had to stay outdoors. We went to Great Falls national park which sprawls across both Virginia and Maryland. We were in the Md. part of course, on a part known as the Billy Goat Trail. Being a native Marylander, J knows all that there is to do in that state.

Some rapids where we spotted a few kayakers going sideways

After about a mile hike, resting on the rocks at a small inlet beach

Leaving the inlet and heading back the way we came, we stalked a blue heron. This is 5x zoom.

At a quiet pond we spotted another heron - can you see it?

There he is - being all still and zen waiting for a meal

Roots of a log that spans the stream

Pretty blue flowers (any of you expert floraphiles know?)

Gritty, sweaty, and icky, we freshened up (good thing he only lives 10 minutes from my place), I got picked up again and crossed back into Maryland where we went to dinner at a very swanky Vietnamese place in Bethesda. It was some of the nicest decor I've ever seen in an Asian restaurant down to the details - very homey despite the soaring ceilings, the fancy aquarium and the waterfall behind the bar.

As a result of all the clambering and climbing, I was very sore today. My quadriceps and even my deltoids are feeling it because I used my arms a lot to climb up and down. It's funny because J feels it in his calves, but mine are fine.

****************************

Sunday was very Sunday-ish. J picked me up and we went to lunch and then Macy's. My mission failed in that they were out of my shade of makeup. J's mission was accomplished in that I helped him pick out a new shirt and tie for a client event on Tuesday. If it doesn't work I accept the blame. Even though I used to buy ties for Dad, I haven't had that much practice matching them with shirts and suits. Then we went to DSW Shoe Warehouse where I made up for the lack of makeup by buying two pairs of shoes for work.

We rambled around downtown Bethesda for a while and enjoyed the band playing Led Zeppelin outside Barnes & Noble. When it tried to rain, we retreated inside to share a big cookie and sat together reading magazines until it got dark and chilly outside. Finally, we went to Austin Grill for a dinner of starters, enough for two small people. I think we stayed out much later than I had expected for a Sunday night!

Two interesting cakes in the window of a cupcake bakery:

I shall call this one Wedgwood

More Easter Birthday Weekend

2009-04-14T15:26:00.004-04:00

I'm moving quickly here because I know that once I start work I will be somewhat wiped out at the end of each day until I establish a routine and break myself back in to the work process. Certainly I can say that Glo, who recently started a new job, knows what I mean.

Anyway, if you haven't seen my last post, then make like a tomato and ketchup!

A pic from Claire's camera of dessert at Rosa Mexicano on Friday. She had three flavors of sorbet: mango, coffee-Kahlua, and raspberry-rose. I had a tres leches (3 milk) cake topped with soft peaked meringue on a base of lime glaze and garnished with sweet mango salsa.

*****************

On Saturday, Claire went to meet an old college friend for lunch and an afternoon outing. I rested at home,which for me, an introvert and an only child, is always welcome.

After Jeff had his car serviced, gone shopping and had brunch with his mom, and seen her off to Baltimore, he came to me bearing gifts. I wanted nothing from anyone this year, all the other blessings I've received are enough for me - but I have to say they were exquisite things, handmade items from those Fairtrade cooperatives.

A Nepalese satin jewelry box

A Peruvian bamboo and turquoise necklace

We met Claire downtown and scouted out the Dupont Circle area for dinner, finally settling on Thaiphoon which satisfied the list for an exciting menu, an array of spicy foods, and a decent atmosphere.

It was still barely dark when we left but we were sure the restaurant looks great at night. We joined the crowds making their way down to the Waterfront to see the fireworks put on the mark the end of the Cherry Blossom Festival. Everyone oohed and aahed, and then the crowds all headed out again.

I'm sure J wouldn't mind me sharing this picture he took with his phonecam
That's me with a firework coming out of my head, in case you were wondering

And then, as we were really not done with the evening, we headed back up to Dupont for the famed 18th Street Lounge that we'd visited once before, after the Indonesian Embassy evening. Claire really enjoyed it, specially since unmarked venues are often the best. It really is just a door to the townhouse and you climb up the stairs into 3 floors of atmosphere. First there is the ultra-hip floor filled with trawling single types. But our floor of choice is the live jazz level (or as someone calls it, the Jeff and Livvy room) which is more relaxed and very sophisticated. We arrived fairly early before the band set up, so were able to snag a comfy red couch, though not the nice Queen Anne we had a few weeks ago. Just like last time, a couple standing on the open floor suddenly broke out into some fairly good swing dance.

I enjoyed the Nat King Cole numbers sung in sultry style by the band's chanteuse.

The End

P.S. Wish me luck tomorrow!

Easter Birthday Weekend

2009-04-12T12:09:00.006-04:00

I don't know where to start. "At the beginning," most of my friends would say.

I received a call early this morning and.............................I got the job!

I start on Wednesday and I will be at the top of the stated salary range (woo!). I must have done a good job on those tests, eh? Expectations may be high.

I can't believe I have a job, actually. I feel as though I've been looking for the One for most of my adult life.

**********************

My friend Claire, a former colleague at the dental office in NYC, came down for Easter weekend.

She arrived late on Thursday night and on Friday we went downtown to see the few remaining cherry blossoms, and when I say few I mean next to none. Remember the blossoms I captured a couple of weeks ago at the Smithsonian Castle gardens? They are all gone now! Even the weeping cherry tree is becoming bereft of blossoms. And everywhere the blossoms had been there are now budding leaves.

After that, we visited the Freer Gallery next door. It's a little gem of a place, filled with all sorts of Asian art and antiquities. Well, not filled so much as tastefully arranged.

Bodhisattvas

Kongorikishi warrior (Japan, 12th-14th century)

A calligraphy hanging with vase, and a Japanese lacquer box with inkstone

Having rabbit radar, I spotted this before entering the room

Singh?

James McNeill Whistler

Whistler's Peacock Room - Fighting Peacocks, and the Princess of the Land of Porcelain

Delicate Egyptian relief

One of my aunts looks like this!

Loggia at the Freer Gallery

Top: Labor supported by Science and Art

Bottom: Law supported by Power and Love

Why? I think that Labor requires science in its conception and art in its execution. Law needs power in order to be carried out but love to prevent it from becoming oppressive.

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After the Freer we wandered over to the Smithsonian Castle which is also the SI Visitor's Center.

Despite never having stepped foot in America, James Smithson is interred here. Why he bequeathed his fortune to the people of America for the advancement of knowledge, we may never know. There is no way in the early 19th century he could foresee that this nascent nation would become a world power and thereby enable a spread of knowledge worldwide. Think of all the advancements that have come out of the US in the 20th century alone.

A pier table and mirror in the hall where there is an exhibition of about 6 proposals for the new Museum of African American History, including one from Norman Foster

The Great Hall was lined with exquisite glass cases containing iconic American artifacts, from nature to technology

The Washington Monument

A little something for Flighty

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We tried to visit the Sculpture Gardens across the Mall but it was just closing for the evening, so we walked a few blocks to Chinatown

The Chinatown Gate. Claire noted that, although NYC's Chinatown is much larger, it has no gate

On the way to the restaurant, we stopped in at the Teaism shop next to the teahouse, where the walls were lined with fabric tea boxes, teapots, and teacups

Stained glass at Rosa Mexicano, where we enjoyed a dinner of delights:

1) the best guacamole ever, prepared at the table

2) spicy chicken flautas and crab cakes with mango salsa

3) mini personal pitchers of Sangria

4) 3 types of sorbet, and a tres leches cake covered with soft meringue and topped with a birthday candle!

I was still full more than 3 hours later...

My next post will cover the subtle delights of Saturday, so stay tuned.

Cherry Blossoms...

2009-04-05T13:54:00.005-04:00

...or "Livvy Petals" as J called them which I think is very cute.

49th Annual Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival

I was to meet up with the Meetup.com World Culture group in front of the Natural History museum before 10am, and having had a long week, Jeff would join us at noon. I set my alarm for 7.15am, but didn't notice it was my Monday-Friday alarm, so woke up sometime after 8 and wasn't downtown until at least 10.30. I caught most of the parade, but I didn't have a great vantage point, most of them already being taken. I really don't need to go to another for a very long time, but I enjoyed the marching bands.

J arrived at noon and we tried to fight the crowds at the food stalls, but there were too many people and in my opinion not enough food stalls, so we ditched the festival and took the metro down to the Daily Grill where we ate in civilized fashion. So - no martial arts shows, no taiko drums, no dancing geisha. Sorry!

We cabbed it back to the Tidal Basin area and spent the next few hours wandering through cherry blossoms and dodging pointed cameras.

It was an extremely windy day and everyone had wild hair. The wind was chilly but in the pauses the sun was hot. We were disappointed that the wind prevented the paddle boats from going on the water, but another time perhaps...

When we got to the Jefferson Memorial we sat on the steps and watched Indian dancers on the stage opposite. When they were done, a band from Gibraltar spent about a half hour setting up while Led Zeppelin played over the speakers to keep us distracted. The Gibraltans played very foot-tapping Spanish-style numbers but we couldn't stay much longer as the sun was getting low and it was time to keep moving.

On the way out of the area, we walked through the endless FDR memorial, which is made of granite and is full of waterfalls, fountains, engraved bronze surfaces, and rough-hewn blocks of juxtaposed pink granite. We also discovered across a random lawn a small memorial to those District of Columbians who gave their lives in the Great War.

And then on the way to the metro we took a small detour so I could see the more famous side of the White House (since in January I only got the back, and lots of ice) with the bonus addition of cherry blossoms.

Nearby is the Department of the Treasury, with a statue of Alexander Hamilton:

We went up to Bethesda for some good sushi, sake, gyoza, and green tea. Halfway through dinner, I got a text from Diva saying they were nearly ready for our webcam session, so J stepped up the pace saying, "We have to go, because you have a show". It had been Nags' surprise 40th birthday party, so Amy and Pandy were there too. The connection was worse than last time, so we gave up after a valiant effort, but it was lovely to see everyone and say hi and have them "meet" Jeff.

Midweek Miscellany

2009-04-01T17:37:00.003-04:00

On Monday, after a mini-adventure up to Jeff's office (where he had kindly printed out my thank you letter to the translation company), I visited World Market to buy spices and an apron. I was so thirsty I also picked up a lychee drink. The bottle was very interesting, so I sat in the atrium of the Mazza Gallerie to open and marvel at it, and roll the glass ball around inside.

I happened to look up, and this is what I saw:

I ran some more errands, and going up the stairs to my porch, I picked these up off the ground:

The courtyard is full of trees with white blossoms.

Yesterday, the translation co emailed me a second QC test to print out and mark up using provided proofreading/editing marks plus company guidelines - it was a bad faxed copy of a cost table in Russian, and the English translation. There were some bad errors, but it was tricky enough that I flapped my hands about a bit. The all-in-one printer I inherited from my landlady would not scan, so I faxed it from the UPS Store this morning.

Interesting development, that, isn't it?

Falling Mist

2009-03-29T12:25:00.006-04:00

That describes the weather on Saturday. Chilly and damp, but still busy.

But first, this somebody I've been talking about actually wants to be named and said it was ok to put our picture up from the embassy. As I think many of you have looked it up, I'll wait until the next photo op.

I thought it would have been fun to give him a nickname, that favored blogger thing to do. Zigzag because he doesn't walk in a straight line? Freckles because he has some (and they're cute)? Bonsai boy because we're small? But he says I can use his real name, so everyone, meet Jeff.

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Second, I've just realized many of you are wondering how the interview went on Friday for the position of translation quality control specialist. I feel really good about it. I think I answered their questions succinctly, and to the best of my ability. I even got to use the word "circumspect" :)

The two tests they gave me were fun and easy (though I am sure many would be bored to death by such work), so I hope that shows.

The first one was comparing a source English user's manual to the target German user's manual. If I saw anything at all that needed changing or correcting, I had to make marks and was also allowed to mark the source to aid the next person. Layout, formatting, spelling, etc. After I go through it, a native speaker would recheck my work.

The second test was formatting a target body of text in Word, dotted with notes to the editor, to resemble as closely as possible the finished source document in my hand. It was a translated first page of a Russian nuclear contract.

I really had fun doing those.

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On to the Saturday adventure. J. picked me up in the falling mist and we went downtown to see some kites. Since it wasn't technically raining, the 2009 Kite Festival went on by the Washington Memorial.

Walking through the courtyard of the Ronald Reagan Building of International Trade and Commerce. I took this photo because it reminds me of the gate of the Royal Academy where it exits to Piccadilly in London.

Passing by the Warner Theater, we saw all these signatures in the sidewalk: Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash, Eric Idle, Englebert Humperdinck, Tommy Tune, Liza Minnelli, Twyla Tharp, and many others.

Kites in the gloom - can you spot the Lincoln Memorial in the misty distance?

In the Smithsonian Castle gardens:

There are many different types of sakura - these are in the Magnolia family

Gate of Heaven - entry into a small tribute to the Garden of Heaven in China

Standing under a weeping cherry tree

Leaving the garden

At the US Botanic Garden:

A baseball cactus in the Desert section, and a stella type plant in the Bromeliad family (of which pineapple is a member.) OH! I forgot to take a pic of a pineapple plant!!

L: Looking down from the second level in the Jungle section.

R top: Pink Powder Puff - yes, it was called that and J. is certain it is my favorite.

R bottom: Orchids are his favorites.

We went to the neighborhood of Adams Morgan for dinner, and chose a Himalayan restaurant. The weather demanded spicy food and a warm atmosphere, so we chose well. I forgot to take pictures of the food, so he reminded me to take this one of the gulab jamun we had for dessert.

Starters were crispy puri with seasoned aloo (potato), chickpeas, and tamarind sauce.

For mains I had some spicy Himalayan dumplings with chutney, and he had lamb rogan josh.

Afterwards, we went to a bar called The Reef, which was filled with aquaria. We had chocolate martinis and watched an iridescent fish and a yellow fish. I claimed the iridescent one because it fascinated me - J. named him Walter, and his yellow one was called Sunshine. Sunshine was well-behaved and polite, but Walter was a rabble-rouser.

I also had a nuts and berries drink that I likened to drinking cake. Then we had a second dessert (!) of lavender cake. Lavender, I tell you! All in all it was a wonderful day, sun or no sun.

Papou Panos

2009-03-26T12:34:00.010-04:00

I know I posted a rather frustrated entry yesterday. Today I shall try to remedy this.

It's very rainy and English outside, so much so that the White House has turned grey!

However, tomorrow promises to be glorious and warm and sunny.

Now, on to the meat of this post. It's kind of especially for Tea N Crumpets because she's Eastern Orthodox, and my Cypriot Papou (grandpa) was a Greek Orthodox priest for a while, so it is in my blood even though I was brought up Anglican.

Here is Panayiotis (or Panos for short). Love the bow tie. On the right, he looks very young (the other fellow is his cousin Nick).

Panos was a little man, fiesty and affectionate - he stood only up to my father's shoulder, and my Dad is not much taller than me (I'm 5'3" / 63 cm). He had olive skin and blue eyes. I have just noticed, he looks like a dreamer.

I never met him, for he died of a heart attack following a house fire, the year before I was born. I would have loved to hear his accent, and maybe hear him sing.

He trained to be a priest in the Troodos Mountains of Cyprus in the early 1900s, and his pure voice was famous in the area. However, he did not stay. As Cyprus was a British protectorate, he immigrated and found a new life in London running two restaurants. He was a good cook at home and could whip up a feast from nothing, all the while singing his sacred music and chasing everyone out of the kitchen.

When I was a toddler, I scared my mother when I would sit under the dining table and sing my heart out, something sounding very much like Papou.

This video is from 2006, but I still talk like this - because Tea N Crumpets rightfully imagines me with an English accent. (There is sometimes a slight mix of Texan in there though.)

Today I can still sing my heart out, in both Greek and English and a couple of other languages, but it took many many years for me to discover Greek Orthodox chants for myself. I too have a pure voice, like a choirboy, with no vibrato - I know this from singing Handel's Messiah every year at home.

Panos Kavarnos is Greece's current angelic voice. If you can wear headphones while listening to this, or listen in HD, even better. It gives me goosebumps all over. Surely this must be what heaven sounds like. Or if not, I hope one day Kavarnos is appointed God's Choir Director!

Prep

2009-03-25T23:22:00.005-04:00

I'm 94% better now, but it was "one of those days" including lady blahs.

But also, I was feeling trapped in my bubble of silence with the remaining congestion in my head.

I went grocery shopping and caught up with all the things on my list. I do like watching the total plummet as soon as they scan the store card at Safeway. It's like a game: "How far will it drop today?"

I bought Drano for my bathtub, but afterwards shone a light down the drain and was shocked as I extracted a bundle of long blond hair about the size of a small cat. *gak*

It's going to rain on Thursday, so I guess I will stay in and do my NY State and Federal tax returns. Wooooooooo.

Mostly, though, I am just waiting for the interview on Friday. Monday to Friday is a long wait.

I've been studying the company website, which is ridiculously informative and as a result I don't have enough questions. What's really cool is that I must be able to obtain security clearance. That's a valuable commodity in this town.

The interview is at 11am. I may wear my brown pinstripe trousers from London. Possibly not a jacket, as it's a casual environment. The QA director sounded very amiable on the phone and his emails are the politest I've ever received from a potential employer. I hope this is an indicator. I have to say, the company values are very much like my own, so that's good.

Come on Friday morning...*sigh*

Good Things

2009-03-23T14:59:00.006-04:00

"Good things come to those who wait," said a certain someone to me at the jazz lounge on Friday. This saying is true on many levels.

Those of you on Facebook know the rest, but anyway...I swore to myself I wasn't going to get into this on my blog, but really, it's even more exciting than my museum visits.

Upon finding out on Saturday that I was unwell, this same someone (who probably deserves a nickname at some point) promised to bring me get well treats. And so on Sunday I received a call while he was at a rather nice gourmet store, gauging my interest in items, reading ingredients, deciding on things, and then asked my permission to come see me.

He came bearing good things: chicken noodle soup, tomato basil parmesan soup, a chocolate tartlet, a fruit tartlet, organic OJ with pulp, and a bunch of PINK TULIPS!

(I thought this only happened in movies.)

I was so cheered up that I felt good enough to go out, so we went for a ramble round the neighborhood in the sunshine before he left to visit his folks.

(Girls are not supposed to admit this, and I didn't, but no guy apart from my father has given me flowers before.)

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In other news, I had a pre-interview phone screening with a company in Arlington, and it looks like I will be getting an interview later this week.

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Oh, nearly forgot - if you want to see pics of us at the Indonesian Embassy, then go to ThingstodoDC, click on the Photo Gallery link on the Right hand side menu, choose the Embassy link, and take a peek at the pics.

Embassy Evening

2009-03-21T12:30:00.004-04:00

Boo. I am fighting a cold today. Since when does a cold start with a mildly irritated throat and take 4 days to actually get started? So, last night was a real Cinderella event because as soon as I got home, the symptoms started.

So here I sit, with my 1,000 mg Vitamin C booster drink from Nikki (perfect timing - I'm taking the second one tomorrow), a carafe of home blend spicy masala tea, a bowl of grapefruit, and a box of tissues, so that I can tell you about my lovely evening in very nice company.

There are many embassies around Dupont Circle, and on Massachusetts and Connecticut Avenues. The Indonesian Embassy is on Mass Ave.

The Walsh Mansion was built in the Beaux-Arts style at the turn of the 20th century by an Irish-American gold mining tycoon and was the center of society functions during the Teddy Roosevelt administration. Over the years, it has housed various government offices, including the Rural Electrification Commission in the 1930s and the Red Cross in WWII. At a state dinner there in 1919, Queen Elizabeth of Belgium presented Mrs Walsh with the Order of Queen Elizabeth for opening her home to Belgian relief volunteers during the Great War.

Their daughter, Evalyn Walsh McLean, was the last private owner of the Indian blue 44.5 carat Hope Diamond which I saw last week at the Museum of Natural History.

The government of Indonesia bought the mansion in 1951 for less than half the construction price and spent a great deal of money restoring it to its former glory, which judging from the ornate detail and plasterwork, must have been painstaking. It is now on the National Register of Historical Places.

I wish I had taken a picture of the staircase and the giant stained glass skylight above it!

After receiving our glasses of wine, we entered the grand Louis XIV ballroom, stopped for a chat with one of the diplomatic staff, and wandered around the other public areas. The buffet was laid out beside the ballroom in the organ room where, yes, there was a pretty impressive pipe organ. The light fixtures were fantastic - not chandeliers, but something more unique. There were glass cases displaying the varied national costumes of Indonesia, building models, jewelry, and traditional objects. In the hall with the staircase there was a huge ornate masked dragon made of real animal hair and a fearsome wooden gargoyle that had been presented to the embassy by the Bank of Indonesia.

We enjoyed starters of traditional potato croquettes with a spicy peanut sauce, followed by a history of the mansion from a member of staff, a speech from the Ambassador which of course mentioned Obama's Indonesian roots, and then some entertainment. We were treated to some gamelan music, 3 pieces. One was called the dragonfly.

Then a man in a googly-eyed masked did a dance that left me feeling unsettled, so I think he was supposed to chase away demons. Thankfully he did not give me nightmares.

Then there was a buffet of rice, goat (?) curry, noodles, vegetables, chicken satay, and the most spicy chicken wings EVER. Brain buzz hot. It was yummy. We ate at a table with two couples who were pleasant to talk to.

Then we got to try playing the gamelan. I couldn't get the hang of it, but my companion evinced a clear ear for music.

We left around 9.30pm and walked to the Eighteenth Street Lounge, which is a large townhouse with a selection of rooms in eclectic and ornate styles of decor and music. Every light fixture was different. Every landing had a console table with mirror, lamp, and plant, and there were candles everywhere.

Of course we chose the jazz room with big antique sofas and settles, baroque picture frames, and the deepest red ceiling. I think we chose a quaint Queen Anne sofa. The music was great, but then a live band arrived. They took ages to set up, but it was worth it and we were treated to some random scat-style jazz with a keyboard, trumpet, flute, conga drums.

My Cosmo

Happy Surpriseday

2009-03-19T17:19:00.005-04:00

Today was like my birthday and Christmas all rolled into one.

A surprise parcel arrived today from the lovely Nikkipolani! I found it inside the front door when I went downstairs for breakfast, and ended up running upstairs to open it and ooh and aah over each item as I pulled them out of the box!

She had filled it with samples from a trade show and Trader Joe's. I love smorgasbords.

Looks as though I was too excited to focus properly, but there are tasty snacks, teabags, chocolate bars, chocolate covered blueberries and pumpkin seeds, all sorts of natural lotion and soap samples, and lip balms...goodness me!

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Today as it was drizzly out (spring got cold feet), I stayed home cleaning up my poor overworked hard drive, downloading software for a printer that my landlady has given me, AND I may soon (hopefully tomorrow) receive a phone call to discuss a job with a translation company. *holding breath*

Tomorrow evening, somebody is taking me to a swanky do at the Indonesian Embassy including traditional food, music and dance, and a tour of the mansion, so stay tuned for a review.

Slow Day

2009-03-18T21:19:00.008-04:00

Shot myself in the foot by posting today's photo as the banner pic - so here it is again.

Do any of you gardeners know what it is? (I don't.)

Thanks to all the unfamiliar pollen, I'm fighting non-sneezy allergies (headache and sore throat) BUT...still excited because:

Spring is here!

Birds were broadcasting their joy like maniacs in trees, and squirrels were busy chattering at each other over mistaken nut stashes.

Crocuses purple, white, and yellow, are still around.

A few stubborn wilting snowdrops persist.

Daffodils are turning up their bright faces to the sun.

Yellow and purple pansies have been planted in front gardens.

Most trees are still biding their time, but some are smothered in white blossoms.

And blooms in varying shades of pink inhabit different kinds of bushes.

But most importantly, the stars of the city - the sakura cherry blossoms - are coming out!

They have nothing to do with real cherries, but are actually magnolias indigenous to Asia and a mainstay of the annual spring celebration across Japan. Most of the sakura in the US were gifts from Japan at different times in history for different reasons. More on this after I've been to the festival sometime in the next month.

Algerian Evening

2009-03-17T00:27:00.005-04:00

The sun has been hiding behind clouds and mist for the past few days - very English, which is a novelty for the locals but I'm drumming my fingers waiting for it to go. Fortunately, the sun wil return on Tuesday.

I was heading towards hibernation after going out on Friday, but I was taken out on Sunday too.

We went to the Kennedy Center - a cavernous 1960s style venue not far from the infamous Watergate Hotel.

Pic taken nearly halfway down the endless length of the hall - a stage at either end and a giant bronze bust of JFK in the center

For approximately a week, there were free concerts on the Millennium Stage, and art, jewelry and costume exhibits as part of the Center's Arabesque: Arts of the Arab World series.

Unbelievably, it was announced that there is a free concert on the Millennium Stage 360 days of the year!!! I should live there then! And, you can watch the webcasts!

Anyway, Sunday's treat was Djamel Laroussi, an Algerian musician with his band of four playing for the first time in America (probably the first time for most of the other bands/ensembles this week). Very lively, enriching, and fun. Alors, c'etait super!

They kept us clapping in time, middle eastern women ululated, and there was a small knot of people at the front who wouldn't stop dancing, which annoyed the elderly ushers but on the last number, everyone got up so it was a lost cause.

Afterwards, in the mood for mideastern cuisine we drove into Maryland to eat a hearty Greek and Turkish dinner.

NMNH

2009-03-14T14:27:00.003-04:00

On we go to the National Museum of Natural History!

But first, I had a great evening on Friday. I was taken out to U Street, the home of Washington's jazz scene. We checked out a couple of places, but ended up at Cafe Nema, a cozy, relaxed little place with friendly staff. There was a good selection of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Somali food. Most importantly, the band was ablaze - so much energy - they played from the heart. They're called the Young Lions and have played with Branford Marsalis. It turns out we were sitting next to the previous mayor (Williams) and his friend, and they dedicated a song to him.

On Sunday, we're going to a desert music concert, so I'll tell you about that too.

Also, I now have my DC driver's license, and was able to use it mere hours later to get into a bar. They shredded my NYC license in front of me and I said bye bye. Back home, my roommate said, "Great, now you can drive the car you don't have!"

Actually, I plan to join Zipcars eventually. Every neighborhood has a fair selection of cars, pickups, SUVs, cabriolets, or station wagons which you can find on a map. You pay a small yearly fee ($50), receive a proximity card which opens the car you have booked online, and then pay a low hourly ($9-11) fee and can extend your booking via SMS text if needed. Sounds awesome. You can rent a Mini Cooper or even a BMW.

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OK, are y'all ready to go to the museum now? I think we can do this in one post.

The National Museum of Natural History

Ooh look, another rotunda!

There was the usual T rex skeleton in the great hall, and so on. This little bird fossil was captivating.

There was a temporary exhibition on Africa. Here two things from Ghana: a front door, and a fancy coffin, which is like a status symbol. This one is a KLM jumbo jet.

A plesiosaur and a giant turtle from the Pleistocene Era

Which natural history museum does not have a whale hall? Here is an ugly bugger, called the Right Whale - because it really is the one that the Inuit whalers meant to catch.

Also, which whale hall does not have an outstanding feature? This one was that all the wall friezes were video screens of underwater footage.

An amazing show, like that touchable flag display at the American History museum, here is the Story of Earth - projected onto a rotating globe.

Clockwise: intro > earth's fiery gaseous volcanic birth > the names of the continental plates > following the minor ocean currents using rubber duckies, which as they continued became as tumultuous and water-swept as a van Gogh painting. The narrator told the story of the development of life on earth, the effect of the water on climate, earthquakes and tsunamis, lightning strikes, hurricanes, volcanoes, the underwater canyons currently being mapped, Pangaea and Panthalassa...

Did you know it takes some of the deepest slowest currents nearly 1,000 years to circle the globe?

Emperor penguins sort of have fur

And a sealion gives a cheeky glance

The stuffed animals at the museum, not being 100 years old, all looked alive to me because their fur and feathers were so fresh.

In the Exploration and Discovery hall, a new species discovered at the Geothermal Vents in the deep sea: the Yeti Crab, named after the abominable snowman.

The benches lining one wall were inset with nautical knots, a neat detail.

A special exhibition of hundreds of FRESH ORCHIDS detailing Darwin's study of orchid evolution.

North American Plains - a hare, a bison, and by the bison's back foot, a screaming rodent

I have always thought the South African Dik Dik was adorable. It's hardly bigger than a jack russell terrier and it's teeny weeny hoofs are unreal.

The giraffe becomes one of the most graceless animals when drinking water.

A nectar sipping bat

The gorgeous Arctic Fox in camouflage

It's a good thing my phonecam battery ran out before the Gems and Minerals hall because I would have tried to show you those too. Had a look at the Hope Diamond and lots of touchable rocks.

Spring Stroll

2009-03-12T14:38:00.004-04:00

We are taking a small break from the museum overload I've instigated. If you were just getting into it, though, the next in the series will be the Museum of Natural History.

Yesterday before this cool front blew in, it was overcast, slightly humid, and warm (about 63F/17C). The birds were singing everywhere, tiny buds had made a show on the branches, and a couple of sheltered trees were already sporting nascent blossoms.

So because I'd stayed in all day I thought I'd go for a walk before the weather changed, run a couple of tiny errands, and explore some side streets off the Avenue. I am still falling in love with this area.

Seriously, can houses get any cuter than this??

NMAH II

2009-03-09T01:29:00.005-04:00

Today was very English - grey and overcast, breezy, mild enough to go out with a scarf and gloves but take them off after a few minutes walking.

I walked about 3/4 mile down to Tenleytown to go shopping at Whole Foods, and as I exited the store just the right bus came along. It's possibly my first bus ride since last time I was here (I tend to avoid buses, unfortunately) but as you know from before, they're easy here because the next intersection is usually announced AND they stop every block and a half so you can't really get lost.

Anyway, I've come to realize I need to re-learn a few southern courtesies. I've been working on remembering to smile at people, or how to respond to a neighborly exchange. Well, when I got off the bus, the person in front of me thanked the bus driver, and the person behind me bid her a good evening. As I walked home, I felt as though I'd been remiss, and am now resolved to fix this. I'm trying to remember if people say hello when they get on too.

I am no longer in either London or NYC, that's for sure.

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Continuing on from the first part, let us move on to two permanent star exhibitions at the NMAH:

First Ladies at the Smithsonian

The ever-popular and changing First Ladies exhibition at the Smithsonian which holds most of the inaugural gowns.

L, top: Mary Lincoln, 1861

L, bottom: Mrs Warren Harding, 1921

Center: Mamie Eisenhower, 1953
R, top: Martha Washington, 1789

R, bottom: Dolly Madison, 1809 (or maybe Mrs James Monroe, 1817?)

In a case alone, the inaugural gown worn by Helen Taft, 1909

The pale yellow Oleg Cassini gown worn by Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961 did not show up so well in my photo. There was also Laura Bush's 2001 fuschia gown. Michelle Obama's has not arrived yet.

In the center of one exhibition there was a huge Colonial Massachusetts farmhouse in various stages of "undress" from the layers of wallpaper to the mortise and tenon structural joins and ceiling joists. As you walk around the exhibition viewing objects and events occurring during the house's different historical eras, the room setups change to reflect the style of the day. So, for instance, in the Abolition section opposite the Wedgwood "Am I Not a Man and a Brother?" pendants, the house would show the parlor set up in mid-19th century style with the Bible and abolitionist pamphlets on the table.

In our photo above we see a Colonist's evolution into a Revolutionary. An English settler who becomes a Minuteman to fight for his new country. The ribbonlike textile attached to the sleeve is a length of homemade lace, with the bobbins hanging from it.

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The Star-Spangled Banner

The right side of the above image shows the entrance to the iconic exhibition (no photos allowed), The Star-Spangled Banner: The Flag that Inspired the National Anthem - excellent online exhibition here.

Where do I start with this? It covered the War of 1812, a crucial rite of passage for the young nation seeking credibility and a place on the world political stage.

There was a charred piece of wood from the White House. Here's something I remember from history class. The White House is white because the British tried to burn it down in 1814. After refurbishment, in order to cover up the charring and fire damage it was whitewashed and so it has stayed ever since.

I won't get into the whole story of the war, that could be its own post, except I don't do politics here :)

The Star Spangled Banner, the flag itself, is made of English wool bunting and was sewn by Martha Pickersgill over seven weeks in the summer of 1813 with her daughters and a servant. They were contracted by the Fort and were specialists at making ships' colors and signal flags. At 30 x 42 ft, it was larger than the footprint of the house so the work was moved across the street to a brewery and upon completion was hung on the ramparts of Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, an important seaport which was the site of the pivotal battle. The British bombarded the port for 25 hours while the Americans throughout the States held their breath.

Francis Scott Key was watching from aboard a ship a few miles distant. As morning arrived he could see the flag still flying and the British ships withdrawing, the United States having withstood the bombardment.

Inspired by the sight of the flag intact in the sunrise, he penned his famous poem.

The flag remained the property of the family for the next 90 years while the song gained in popularity across the nation, but it was displayed at local celebrations. They lent it to the Smithsonian in 1907 and a few years later officially gifted it to the nation. But the Star Spangled Banner did not become the national anthem until 1931. And before the War of 1812, the flag was not the most iconic symbol of this nation but used mostly to identify ships and forts. During the Revolution 30 years earlier, the major symbols were the eagle and lady Liberty.

The flag is now 10 feet shorter and missing one star, owing to the family giving out cuttings to keepsake collectors, and thus it remains. After a major painstaking preservation and reinforcement project in the late 1990s, it has been held in a special climate-controlled protective display chamber and tilted at a 10-degree angle for both support and visibility.

The most amazing technological feature at the exhibit is the giant interactive table onto which is projected the flag in movable sections, with point and click info boxes. Almost like the Microsoft Touch table. Another fantastic interactive flag is available here.

I was quite touched to imagine how Key must have felt seeing that flag still flying in the morning, and penning his four inspired verses.

O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watch’d were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

[...]

O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their lov’d home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with vict’ry and peace may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the power that hath made and preserv’d us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto - “In God is our trust,”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Onto lighter things, I bought a pin for the cherry blossom festival. Difficult to read the card, but it says: The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual two-week event that celebrates springtime in Washington, DC as well as the 1912 gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan. (Proceeds go towards the Festival to offer cultural and community-based events that are free and open to the public.)

I also bought a pin of the Great Seal of the United States of America (proceeds go towards the mission of the Smithsonian Institution, "the increase and diffusion of knowledge"). The card says:

"Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson were given the task of creating a motto and seal for the Nation by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. The official seal was finalized on June 20, 1782. The Great Seal features the American bald eagle as its main element, a symbol that represent the American spirit.

The Eagle breast is a shield made up of thirteen vertical stripes representing the thirteen original States. The Eagle's claws clutch thirteen arrows in one and an olive branch in the other. The banner in the Eagle's beak is inscribed with E pluribus unum, which means "out of many, one".

A huge vat of marbles at the museum shop, thus ending on a fun note :)

NMAH I

2009-03-08T15:15:00.004-04:00

On Thursday, I went to the National Museum of American History.

Well, first I went to a pre-interview test, but let's just say...have you ever walked into a place and wanted to walk right back out before anyone noticed you'd arrived? Yeah, it was like that.

But it was a gorgeous day, around 10C/51F with dazzling sun and a mild breeze, so I decided that rather than going home, I'd stick around downtown. Deciding to skip the metro, I was lost around Dupont Circle for nearly half an hour wondering which way to go and not remembering which had been the correct way to my original destination for when (if?) I go back next week for the interview.

I waited for a bus for a few minutes but I have no patience for that kind of thing, so I used my feet instead, which feels much more productive. In fact, from leaving home to returning at night, I walked a total of 6 miles on this day.

I headed south a little too soon so ended up at the western end of the Mall, to the west of the Washington Memorial. Needing a little rest, I sat at a bench in Constitution Gardens overlooking the water. I felt SO HAPPY in the moment that I sent a picture message entitled "Peace" to my dear friends Diva, Pandy, and Amy. Diva enjoyed it so much that she blogged about it, and sent me a return image of her own "Peace"! Indeed I agree with her in that the wonder of modern technology allowing you to share special moments with your friends thousands of miles away can be quite miraculous.

As soon as I'd texted them, a couple of ducks came waddling over, female in the lead, male bringing up the rear just like a couple going shopping. She stood there quietly pleading for some lunch while her hubby stayed in the background preening. Craning her neck as high as she could and peering up at my lap with her big brown eyes, she'd look down from time to time to inspect the floor or nibble my toe, convinced I had a sandwich and insisting I could share it with her. I leaned over, talking to her and showing her my empty hands, and I am sure people walking past thought I was off my rocker.

Hello there, large two-legged being.

Do you have any lunch?

I'll wait.

Hm, your toe looks tasty.

The Canada geese have been arriving over the past weeks, and are out in full force grazing on the open green spaces.

Looking West on the Mall

Looking East on the Mall

By the time I finish blogging about all these museums, you will know what's at all the Washington DC compass points!

The splendid Environmental Protection Agency sits across the road from the Museum of American History.

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Soon I was at the museum learning all about American history and it brought all that book-larnin' to life for me.

The collections and exhibitions encompass so many interesting things such as:

Penicillin

Plastics

Bomb shelters

The Pill

Nuclear power and the Manhattan Project

Laser

The 1950s middle class housing boom

Julia Child's Kitchen (she was the American Fanny Craddock/Delia Smith)

DNA splicing

The patented DuPont Oncomouse (the first patented animal developed to receive the cancer gene for research)

Oil-eating bacteria

The Texas Supercollider

CFCs and the Ozone Layer

Colonial life

Abolitionists

Immigrant workers

Wartime homemaking

L, top: A Renaissance automaton, the Walking Monk. When wound up, he rolls forward turning his head from side to side, opening his mouth, rolling his eyes, and beating his hand on his chest while holding a rosary with the other. There was a video showing a complete version in robes and church paraphernalia.

L, bottom: An early 20th century chemical laboratory

Center: "Stanley" won the DARPA Challenge 2005, one of many robotic cars competing to make their own driving decisions. In case of emergency, they can be overriden to go remote control.

R: A small cross-section of the Texas Superconducting Supercollider, a giant project which Congress closed down in 1993 but which was supposed to be the largest atom smasher in the world. It has now been replaced by CERN underneath Switzerland/France.

Let me know if you're interested in finding out what exactly is accomplished by smashing atoms. I could rustle up a blog post about it...

Or anything else. Please cast a vote for what you would like to read about.

FLIGHTY, the following is especially for you, part of one of those neat little glass cases stuffed full of little accoutrements, the best snapshot of an era.

WWII Ration Book. One coupon for meat, fats, fish, and cheeses. Another for 5 lbs of sugar. There were also mileage and gas coupons for motorists.

In the next installment, we will learn about the Star Spangled Banner and the First Ladies' gowns.

National Gallery of Art II

2009-03-06T00:05:00.005-05:00

Now I'm really getting behind. Today I went to the Museum of American History, and tomorrow housemate and I are going to the Museum of Natural History.

So, Flighty, one more artsy-fartsy post for you to endure but there are some photos from today's excursion that you may like, and three I took especially for you - and that was before I came home to find your comment about the NGA ;-)

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So on we go:

National Gallery of Art II

The main entrance to the original West Building

A restful Fountain Courtyard inside the gallery

The fountain in one of two courtyards

The sculpture gallery is the spine of the museum, connecting the rotunda and two courtyards. All specialty galleries branch off from it.

L: Justice

R: Calliope

(19th C French Neoclassical sculptures)

Bacchus and a putto

(19th C bronze sculpture)

L: Neapolitan girl

R: Painting and Sculpture

(19th C French Neoclassical sculpture)

Approaching the Rotunda
Americans love their rotundae.

An Apollo fountain with fresh flowers under the rotunda dome

The oculus (eye) and embossed dome. Reminiscent of the dome of the Pantheon in Rome (and by that token, probably the one in Paris too though that memory has faded)

My pick of the post: a bust of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, who in nearly every depiction frowns more than anyone else.

Continuing the Greco-Roman foundation of the building, there were lots of olive trees in the museum's open spaces.

I didn't know photography was allowed in the rest of the museum because not many people had cameras out, so I felt self-conscious then found out later photography is allowed everywhere except where noted and in special exhibitions. So....you missed a load of exquisite Dutch masters and American 19th century landscapes and still lifes.

But each gallery was equipped with those easels used by art students and copyists for anyone to use, I guess. Each section also had really good free mini-guides. I have three: one from the Pompeii exhibition, one from the Dutch and Flemish Cabinet Galleries, and one from Dutch Cityscapes of the Golden Age (special exhibition).

Here's one from Dutch Cityscapes which I recognized with a shock of recognition because I bought the postcard of it at the National Gallery in London! (View in Delft by Karel Fabritius, likely painted with the help of a lens casting the image onto a canvas in a dark room, hence the uncorrected convex effect which today we can duplicate with our fisheye cams.)

I really really like the Delft domestic scenes. Amsterdam artists tended to paint buildings and civic architecture, but the Delft artists like Johannes Vermeer and Pieter de Hooch focused on the quiet domestic chores in great detail, though Jan Steen managed to combine both elements. The Delft works give me a feeling of satisfaction, de Hooch in particular (many of his postcards I also bought at the NG London) because of the equal attention to architecture and people, who lend humanity to the potential sterility of a solely architectural focus (I know I am guilty of this, however).

The Courtyard of a House in Delft, de Hooch,

But check this out, a Bird's Eye View of Amsterdam by Jan Micker (1652):

The artist thought of cloud shadow!

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Stay tuned for today's adventure, it was such a wonderful day!

National Gallery of Art I

2009-03-03T21:15:00.004-05:00

Winter is going out like a lion this week, which I hear is highly unusual for the area. Tonight I hear we will be breaking some 100 year old record lows, and places deeper in Maryland or Virginia with more snow cover are still not opening schools tomorrow.

This is some pretty snow though. It's so white and really complements the Colonial-houses-with-picket-fences-ness of the neighborhood.

I'm not kidding, on my way to the Metro I was thinking about how white picket fence this section of town really is. I think it's a bit like St John's Wood (NW London), or a combination of the Museum District and the Heights (Houston) or The Woodlands (north of Houston). Chris thinks it's like Austin.

Icicles outside my window, though this morning the sun was so bright there was considerable melting going on, with sheets of ice sliding off roofs and icicles crashing to the ground.

By the weekend we will have definite spring temperatures approaching 65F/17C!!!
The Park Service predicted today that the cherry blossoms will peak around the first week of April.

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On Saturday I was to join a cultural group at the NGA to see the exhibition, Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples.

On my way there, I was crossing Pennsylvania Avenue and happened to look to my left and THERE was the Capitol dome. I looked down and laughed to myself thinking, "Wow, I'm in Washington."

I couldn't find the group, and neither could a few others, but the organizer promised to hold a sign next time so I hope to join them again for more cultural activities.

So back to the museum. It's FREEEEE (like the UK), and so are the special exhibitions (unlike the UK), and even coat check (it's £1 in London). And the restrooms are so nice (definitely unlike the UK). I don't know how they do it. So much for the years of threatened budget cuts to the arts...?

Speaking of toilets, Chris had high praise for the Metro, which he said made him feel like he was in a real transport hub going somewhere, rather than the NYC subway system which he said is like traveling "in a toilet".

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Anyway, back to the museum (again).

This is the modern East Building of the NGA

The Pompeii exhibition, held in the East Building, was small and intimate. It showcased a comprehensive array of artifacts, objets d'art, frescoes, mosaics, including duplicates on the floor, and sculptures. I've been to Pompeii so it was like a taste of something familiar.

Large, light common areas showcase large modern sculptures

Afterwards, I decided to make a day of it and flitted through a few more of the modern galleries.

Remember similar ones at the MoMA in NYC? Giaccometti, he is everywhere...

And so is Picasso, and Mondrian...

I am calling this the ABC sculpture. One view from the side, one view straight on.

The walkway between the East and West buildings is enshrouded in a randomly programmed LED light display called Multiverse (2008) by Leo Villareal.

Sometimes they are all alight, sometimes they shoot, crawl, flash, wave. It had me gaping, slack-jawed, to see what would happen next.

The walkway takes you through the HUGE Cascade Cafe, filled with a variety of food stations. I was tempted to eat there. But I passed through, then realized I'd left my coat in the East Building, so went back to get it and then exited out the side and crossed to the West Building's side entrance.

The East Building. QUESTION: Do these glass pyramids remind you of something somewhere?

The West Building

Stay tuned for the second NGA post. (I thought I could do it all in one installment but you know brevity is not my forte when it comes to this blog!)

The Other NASM III

2009-02-28T20:51:00.005-05:00

This is the last installment in our series covering the National Air & Space Museum - Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. Keep up, people, we have so much more to see after this!

For instance, today I went to the National Gallery of Art and need to blog about that soon. (Before I forget all the interesting things I thought while I was there.)

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So after the SR-71 Blackbird, and the Shuttle Enterprise, what else is there to see?

Well, the Concorde...and some other shiny birds.

The camera can barely capture it and certainly doesn't do it justice. My attempts from ground level were even worse.

How do they fit them all in? Do they have a Gulliver to remove the roof and shuffle the little planes around like a child arranging a jigsaw puzzle? No, unfortunately they probably have to open the hangar doors and move everything out one by one in an interminably tedious and risky process. The poor guys who had to plan the layout, eh?

This is very cute and looks almost like a desktop model with perhaps a remote control!

The Shuttle Enterprise mockup from a second story viewing platform.

This battered old thing has seen a lot of action, a North American P-61C Black Widow with radar turret. It began combat operations after D-Day 1944, at night and in bad weather, in German airspace and over the Pacific. After the war it was used extensively in weather research, altitude testing, and in the National Thunderstorm Project.

The back end fell off this one. Or, it's a frog with wings. No, it's a Waterman Aerobile.

My favorite in today's post, the Pan American Airlines Boeing 307 Stratoliner Clipper Flying Cloud. They covered everything in that name!

I love this shot from above...gorgeous machine. I love unpainted planes.

Dulles International Airport as seen from the Observation Tower

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No rest for the wicked. Chris, N and I went back to Washington, met up with her cousin A, and had dinner at Rosa Mexicana where the best guacamole I've ever had is made at the table. It being the last day of Restaurant Week the others had their $35 menus but I settled for a single item which was fine because Chris practically begged me to eat half his starter, some delicious and spicy chicken chimichangas (I think).

They ended up taking their dessert home because we were running late - Chris had to drive back to NYC and wanted to leave before 8pm, and we girls wanted to be at our event by 7.30. He made his deadline, but we were half an hour late to ours.

Frustratingly, our restaurant was across the street from the Verizon Center Arena, but we had to go back to my place so Chris could pack his car and N could pick up hers to drive us back into town for the game.

"The game?" you ask. Yes, the game...

Still haven't guessed?
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Well, those of you on Facebook would know.
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BASKETBALL! Yes, Olivia went to a GAME.

The Washington Wizards were playing the San Antonio Spurs. Go Texas! They won by a long shot, 98 to 67. Washingtonians were leaving half an hour before the end it was such a lost cause.
San Antonio has won 14 of the last 17 meetings with Washington. Hehe! You don't mess with Texas. (Even as I type, the Houston Rockets lost a close 102 to 105 against the Chicago Bulls after long maintaining a 17 point lead.)

Half of the fun was the game, and the other half was the audience participation. At half time there was a contortionist who arrived in a small box, wrapped himself in knots and passed through a toilet seat and a tennis racket, making us all squirm in our seats. There were the Wizards cheerleaders who came out a couple of times in all their out of sync glory. (Nobody beats the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, again don't mess with....) There were the team mascots who came out and danced, and others who shot free T-shirts and golden balls into the stands.

Best part, though, was the Kissing Cam during halftime, which had the fans in stitches. The cameras (which I never spotted) would zoom in on a couple who would have to kiss, though a couple hid their faces giggling. We all wondered "What if they choose a pair on a first date?"

There was a live DJ during timeouts, and the cameras mostly focused on the cute dancing children, and some adults. Then they spotted a really old white guy who was really getting his groove on! He was so good, they stayed on him, and we all cheered him on, he had so much energy and some proper moves! He was down with the kids ;) Yes he was...

...Stop now Olivia.

Neither of the girls are avid fans - it was A's first and N's second time. Alright, I may never have the opportunity to go to another game and it was an expense I could have bypassed, BUT it was fun and I am glad I had the experience.

The Other NASM II

2009-02-26T01:56:00.006-05:00

But first off:

1) Who are these people who are able to answer their phones and do text messaging and emailing on the Metro? Every time I check, I have no reception. Must just be my crappy phone.

2) It was so warm today (62F/17C) that I took off my jacket. After the winter-long heating has removed all the moisture out of the fabric of the house, suddenly on the first mild and humid day you smell the carpets and the curtains until you get acclimatized to it. But not for long, a front is blowing in tonight and there will be a wintry mix by Sunday.

3) I gave a homeless man a quarter today.

4) Landlady's younger brother (who is an actor or something and was in last week's episode of Law & Order) is staying here this weekend. You know who he looks like? Billy Bob Thornton. Maybe tomorrow I should ask him how many people have said that...

5) I bought turkey bacon yesterday and fried it up this morning. It is AWESOME! I may never go back to pork bacon, ever again!

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Now, where was I with this second NASM series?

Oh yes, Enterprise.

Tadaaaaaaa...

Original development mock-up of the Space Shuttle. In deference to eager Trekkies who demanded it, NASA named the model the Enterprise. It was tested in wind tunnels for aerodynamic integrity and even dropped from a piggyback to glide back to earth with a test pilot aboard. But it is made of some composite material.

This looks like it just floated out of the payload bay.

See those little men beside it? That is how big this is.

Rocket booster ring...?

ANDROID. It was developed in the 1960s to perform functions that would be repetitive and harmful to a human subject, such as testing space suits.

(Let me know if you can't read the label.)

Remember when laptops looked like this?

Note the Velcro tabs for sticking pens and useful objects onto the computer. There are Velcro patches all over the place, on every surface, all over NASA equipment.

I quipped that after astronauts retire they probably don't ever want to see another piece of Velcro. Either that, or they use it for everything and drive their spouses round the bend.

(Again, let me know if you can't read the label.)

Although this looks like a relic from the 1970s, the plate (which in this view is obscured by the label) states it was manufactured in 1989.

Space diapers - these ones have Sally Ride's name tag on the back. Developed for female crewmembers to wear during launch or EVAs. Men used to wear urine collection hoses and bags. Now both male and female astronauts prefer the commercially available disposable diapers. (Which is why the former astronaut driving from Texas to Florida in diapers without stopping was not unusual in the space flight community, although her reason for doing so was wrong.)

Apparently (according to Chris, who used to be a tour guide at Space Center Houston) Apollo astronauts liked peeing and releasing it into space because they enjoyed seeing their "tinkle twinkle". The yellow briefs probably belonged to Alan Bean.

Important part of the Apollo survival rucksack. I suppose in case the capsule on reentry seriously overshot the rescue crews or if prevailing conditions delayed rescue. Every eventuality has to be prepared for when it comes to space exploration.

Contains: Flashlight, compass, mirror, four fishing hooks, needles, knife blade. Made of grey-painted steel with brass fittings.

A Mobile Quarantine Facility. Probably from back when NASA thought alien microbes (as in, unknown, not little green man germs) would return with the astronauts. It is a modified Airstream and there are six lovely plush olive green velour seats inside.

There will be a third installment of this series. Teaser word: Concorde.

The Other NASM I

2009-02-22T22:06:00.006-05:00

It was an immensely busy weekend.

Chris drove down from NYC to spend a couple of days and kill three birds with one stone: to go to a fellow intern's birthday, see my place, and go to the NASM out in Virginia.

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THE OCEANAIRE

It was Restaurant Week in DC over the past week, so most of us at the birthday dinner on Friday evening ordered from the set menus. We were at The Oceanaire, a classy art deco style seafood room only a couple of blocks from the White House.

I ordered a glass of Chilean Chardonnay and for starters I chose Caesar salad.

This was followed by a main course of grilled Arctic charr in a citrus soy sauce with sesame chili cucumber.

[Arctic charr is a very respectable, richly-colored cousin of salmon. It is extremely moist and tender in texture, contains much less mercury, and is palpably high in heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. A favorite with the Inuit, it is generally consumed in Canada, the US, Iceland, and Scandinavia but is rare in Britain. It seems like an excellent fish to eat once a week.]

For dessert I ordered the warm cookies and whole milk, which I drank but was too full to eat the cookies, so they were boxed up for me on a doily in a reusable dish.

There were about 15 people at the dinner. I met the birthday girl N, and quite a few other people. Z who promises to invite me to see plays and performances which she seems to attend quite often, along with C who is in the army but is a dancer and very elegant. L who wants to know all about what to do on a trip to Europe, and E who shares a fine taste in food.

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NASM-VA

Chris and I went to a diner near my place for breakfast, and I won a bet. He ordered bacon with his breakfast, and I ordered sausages. After he ordered, I sat there going "bacon bacon bacon" like the dog in the Beggin' Strips commercial. After our server left, all of a sudden somehow he was sure he'd ordered sausage and I knew for a fact I'd heard him say bacon. So I said, "No, you ordered bacon" and he said, "No, I ordered sausage" and it went back and forth like this a few times. Eventually he asked, "What do you want to bet?" I replied, "I bet.....breakfast!" Both smugly nodded in agreement.

The plates came and sure enough, he had bacon. I crowed, "See? See? You got bacon! He's paying!" The poor server thought she'd made the mistake and kindly offered to take the bacon back and bring sausages, but Chris honestly conceded he must have ordered bacon, so we told her the story and she had a good old laugh.

N couldn't wake up in time for breakfast but when she did finally join us, we got into Chris's car and headed out. It took nearly an hour, as the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center is in Chantilly, Virginia, right next to the airport.

Consisting of giant hangars and an observation tower for watching takeoffs from the airport next door, there are views south towards Prince William county, west towards the Blue Ridge Mountains, east over Fairfax county towards Washington, and north to Dulles International airport and Maryland.

Today's installment is dedicated to the jet of all jets, the legendary SR-71 Blackbird. It is the very first aircraft I fell in love with as a teenager. The Vangelis in the background is the perfect accompaniment to such a magical sky flyer.

A thing of beauty - 45 years after its creation, the SR-71 Blackbird is still the highest and fastest aircraft that has yet taken to the air, even though it was decommissioned in 1991. Pilots had to wear high pressure suits, very much like spacesuits.

Think about other things designed in the 1960s. They look nothing like this, do they?

The skin is approximately 85% titanium. I got braces when I was 12 and remember thinking, "Oh wow, this is the stuff the Blackbird is made of!" Titanium is light yet strong, and has a memory for shape. The cones move back and forth to control airflow through the engines.

The great afterburners. It is the only aircraft that can fly solely on afterburn but becomes more efficient at higher speed.
The Blackbird carried no weapons or anti-aircraft missiles. It flew so high it was invisible to radar, and flew so fast nothing could catch it.

Flying over Mach 3, it took 1 hour and 54 minutes from New York to London

After that, who wants to look at bread and butter helicopters? Well, here are a couple....

Both look as though they served in Vietnam, but since I didn't make it down there to read the plaques I can only guess.

There was an afternoon talk with four of the original Tuskegee Airmen, America's first black military pilots. Navigators, gunnery crews, and bombardiers were trained at other bases around the nation, but the pilots came out of Tuskegee Army Airfield in Alabama - nearly 1,000 between 1941 and 1946.

There was an activity for kids, but we joined in and designed our own Mission Patches.

Clockwise L-R:
1) This represents my life in the USA. The top is the flag of the District of Columbia. Below that is a failed attempt at clasped hands of friendship, which I modified into a dove (coincidentally columba is Latin for dove). So the dove of my dreams is shown flying into the sunrise of new beginnings. At the bottom is the Lone Star flag of Texas because that's the state that made me an American, and once a Texan, always a Texan.

(Heyyyy, anyone see some potential blog titles in there...?)

2) Chris being Chris drew a dinosaur with its eyes closed beside the accidentally misspelled slogan "Dino-surs Unite!" which is still making me laugh.

3) We had just walked out of the fantastic IMAX presentation "Blue Planet", so inspired by this amazing film, N. drew our planet.

4) In honor of two pairs of old friends reuniting and one pair of new friends being made, Chris designed a mission patch with our three names at the bottom.

Stay tuned for a second installation. Teaser: the word Enterprise.

Settling in like Snowflakes

2009-02-20T00:28:00.006-05:00

My new living situation has made it possible for me to take adorable domestic photos like Nikki's. I have always enjoyed seeing life through her lens.

These strawberries were actually on the vine when I bought them!
May I point out that the bowl is landlady's but the mini fork is mine, and they kind of match. The art nouveau mirror was the first thing I bought when I moved to Bay Ridge, optimistically anticipating more atmosphere than I had, really.

Landlady left the pretty flower arrangements in my room. I think the roses are my favorite.

I took a photo of a house on sale. Do you like this one?

Or should we pool our pocket money and get this one instead?

Having run out of houses for sale on the street I walk to the metro station, I finally snapped a shot of the cutest yellow house with its yellow Bug parked in front. And check out the giant fir tree. It's on a fairly busy corner, but not so busy that nobody will notice me...I'm always self-conscious about photographing houses...

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This is an exciting place to live. I've got everything I need within walking distance but in case I need to travel further afield I'm only a short metro ride away from some new shopping developments.

Where I am, though, there are so many amazing luxury stores that I will never need - Dior, Gucci, Tiffany, Van Cleef and Arpels, et al. are literally sitting in a row. Practically across the street corners from one another are Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus. Obviously Macy's just wasn't good enough to join in.

The Mazza Gallerie has Ann Taylor, Williams Sonoma, and some other specialty stores I don't need, Neimans being the anchor for this development. Across the road, the Chevy Chase Plaza next to the Embassy Suites was a surprise waiting to be found, and I did discover it finally yesterday. There's Ann Taylor Loft (more my line, where I buy my suits and better classic casuals), Pottery Barn, the Cheesecake Factory, J. Crew and Banana Republic (both more old-school preppy than Ann Taylor Loft), and my favorite, World Market, where I found some long-needed spice mixes, exquisite spicy snacks, and talked myself out of buying the Digestive biscuits even though I miss them, because I'm used to buying them for pennies, and would rather have gourmet cookies for that price.

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People I've encountered have been very chatty, friendly, helpful, and complimentary - without me reaching out first. Many people smile if you make eye contact, even accidentally, and my response to this is not as automatic as it was when I lived in Texas, but maybe it will come back. Once upon a time I used to smile so much more than I do now. You can't smile at Londoners, they think you're a) loopy, b) high, or c) going to mug them. There were random New Yorkers who used to tell me to smile as I walked down the street, but then they're not incidental smilers themselves!

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Oh! I nearly forgot to tell you about the dinner I had with C, the lovely lady who hosted me when I visited last month. She took me to a place near all those swanky shops I told you about. It's a brasserie-bar called Clyde's, and apparently a Washington institution starting with the smaller original in Georgetown, where all the good old boys and other political types congregate. No two Clyde's are the same; depending on the location, some are country casual, some are antique classics; the one near me is large and spacious as befits the neighborhood, with cushy little booths and for once I didn't feel far away from the table, or too low behind it. Very wood-panelled with potted palms, the free walls are covered with art deco murals from the Golden Age of travel. Scale model replicas of classic planes hang from the ceiling, and racing cars sit on the counters. Next time I go I promise I will take photos. In the meantime you can see some at the link above.

We ordered a starter of creamy crab and artichoke dip with baguette.
On Tuesdays most bottles of wine are half price, and we ordered a crisp Chardonnay which came in a silver ice bucket on a stand.
We split our main courses of:
1) Two fresh large-chunk crab cakes with aioli, green beans, and two little stacks of sweet potato slices pan fried to crispiness on the edges. I am no lover of sweet potato but this was a winner and I ate it all.
2) Rainbow trout in a delicious and hearty parmesan crust with green beans and roasted new potatoes.

We were way too full for dessert. I love the classy yet laid-back vibe there (perfect after a hard day at work) and hope to return not too long from now. It certainly wasn't cheap, but definitely not as pricey as it sounds, and way less than the dinner on Park Avenue last week.

There will be more adventure this weekend as Chris is driving to town from NYC for a snazzy dinner party and a visit to a museum so stay tuned.

Home Sweet Home

2009-02-17T13:56:00.007-05:00

After some goodbyes in NYC, I went home to Washington.

Good byes should always be made with good food and farewells should always be made with decent fare.

Two weeks ago, I went to dinner with dear friends at Niko's Mediterranean Restaurant on the Upper West Side off Broadway.

Grilled Halloumi (a fresh Cypriot cheese) presented in the nicest way I've seen yet

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A week ago, I went to dinner with a friend I'd made at the dentist's office when I worked there. We've met up quite a few times since then and really ought to become critics because we photograph and savor everything we eat on our foodcentric outings.

We met at Cafe Centro, an art deco gem inside the Met Life building which is on Park Avenue behind Grand Central Station. It was Restaurant Week in NYC (as it is this week in DC), so we went with their set menus.

I chose a frise salad with toasted pecans, slices of honey roasted pear, and mini gorgonzola fritters. I was so hungry, I forgot to take a photo, sorry. We each had a glass of white wine, mine being a California pinot grigio.

This was followed by:

Long Island duck breast (medium rare) on a bed of spinach, with cranberries and a vincotto (wine reduction), and a mini pureed chestnut flan

Dessert was a chocolate almond financier in a butterscotch sauce topped with brandied whipped cream and a rolled chocolate stick

On the subway afterwards, the two of us decided to meet again on Friday afternoon for the long-promised 3-course dessert at Chikalicious in the East Village. It was VERY windy and freezing cold, but I had essentially finished my packing and I could not leave NYC without undertaking this project:

We ordered the cocktail of the day, which was sparkling white wine with a frozen cube of raspberry juice with a raspberry in the middle - so as it melts, the wine turns pink

My main course was hot chocolate soup and banana ice cream with freshly chopped banana, topped by a cocoa bean crispy wafer

The final course was a little plate of teensy weensy petit fours

Then we went across the street to their bakery and I picked up a couple of their most perfect cupcakes.

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MOVING DAY

The morning mail included a gorgeous handmade card from Nikki and Roomie, which I packed in my hand luggage and have now set on my little dresser. Thanks, girls :)

I can't believe it took only two days for that card to travel nearly 2500 miles!

The moving guys started after 9.30 and left at 11.00 am for their 4-hour drive south. Chris came by for moral support and to help roomie and me eat breakfast. It was past 1pm when I reached Manhattan and found Penn Station after wandering west from 34th St-Herald Square (having taken a taxi last time, I didn't know it was right underneath Madison Square Garden).

All panic stations when I missed the 1pm train, the next two were sold out, and I couldn't get a train out of NY until 3pm - two hours are precious when you are following a moving van! I called them and they were already in Maryland - not far to go. I called the office and they said they'd send them on their secondary delivery so as to buy me time. I called landlady and she said if I wasn't there by then, she could write them a check, and that everything would be alright and that I mustn't forget to breathe.

I got on the Acela Express, you know, the tilting bullet train. It was nice, but as regards comfort, not really that different from the slower and slightly less spacious Northeast Regional. It was, however, fast enough that I couldn't think about everything outside the window, so I fell asleep for a much-needed nap.

I'M HOME...

Arrival at Union Station nearly 6pm. As I left the gate I smiled and said, "I'm home."
No way the guys would still be at the house, so I took my time and snapped some pics

The lovely embossed barrel vaults make this a very classical space, the cleanliness, potted plants, and mood lighting promote calm

Classical figures stand in every niche. One day I will find out who they all are.
I got into a taxi and once again carried on a lengthy conversation with the taxi driver. People here are very southern in their social skills.

Once home, my bed was assembled, my bags and boxes piled against the wall, and my hangers in the closet. I was up until the wee hours, putting things away like a little squirrel storing nuts for the winter.
Here is my bed after I made it and rehung the voile curtains. No need to shut the curtains now in order to shut out the room.

In fact, I woke up in the middle of the night and smiled. You know how usually when you're in a new place, you wake up and don't remember where the heck you are? Well, that didn't happen.

Yesterday I went out with the other upstairs tenant to Columbia Heights, an up and coming neighborhood with some excellent brand new stores. Between Target and Bed Bath and Beyond, I got a cute kettle and a great trash can.

Simplehuman are very cool. I like their slow close lids, because it is so annoying when lids shut suddenly in a blast of trash can air

And my elegant little Oster kettle which works fine so far

Same time, same place, stay tuned for more.

Bah Humbug

2009-02-12T15:57:00.005-05:00

I'm packing, packing, packing and have run out of steam. Not that much stuff, but it's confusing, like putting a bomb site into small containers.

When I was younger, I liked packing suitcases, but in recent years the chore became more frequent and for less exciting reasons than going on holiday. I even have a selection of weekend and overnight bags packed at the ready but packing still doesn't get easier. "I'm packing" makes it sound like I have a gun. I actually would have a few years back, if I'd taken a certain job!

Anyway, isn't it funny how it's easy to organize other people, but not yourself? Like how therapists need therapists...

It was quite warm yesterday at 58F/14C and it was lovely just wearing a light coat. Apparently, it went all the way up to 70F/21C in Washington. I bet people were in short sleeves there. I hope the trees didn't get confused, because it will be cold again on Saturday.

I went out to meet friends last week and this week, but due to my continuing NASM series, didn't tell you about it. I will do that when I get settled because I've been eating some delicious things and I took photos :)

The moving guys come on Saturday morning, bright and early. It will be cold and cloudy in NYC, and dull and dreary in DC. Oh dear. That must be what's blowing in with the gales we've been having today. The house moves, I swear! My bed was swaying this morning. The first time we had gale-force winds last year, I thought we had ghosts because I couldn't see anything moving, I can only feel it. One of my friends says I should get a dog and call it Toto, but I am certainly not moving to Kansas.

I will talk to you all in a few days. Be good!

NASM IV

2009-02-09T12:36:00.007-05:00

I can't access my Flickr pics at the moment, so the fourth and final installment of our NASM tour awaits while I blog a bit and hit reload every few minutes...

So. Only 4 more days to go!

On Saturday next, I will have moved 5 times since July 2007. But this time, it feels like I am going home. No more nomadic ways. In fact, I am so full of anticipation that I feel dizzy at times. Whereas my move from London was full of relief and desperation, this move has a completely different anticipation, almost like a ... well I don't know. A first kiss?

Both my mother and I have been running from unhappiness, searching for a new home and looking for peace that hasn't materialized. But I told my new landlady that this feels good. Both my parents feel good about it too.

So we are returning to the starting position: Mum is fed up of London (ooh surprise) and wants to return to Texas, and I am going where I have wanted to go for nearly a decade.

Apparently, I have already inspired two or three people to make their own changes, formulate new plans, or at least become restless with their own situations. Amongst fellow bloggers, Glo is one seeking a lifestyle change. Sure my move back to the US was important, but there is something even more significant about this move to Washington, and it's what other people have said about it that has made me aware of this...

Let life begin.

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And onwards to the end of our tour:

Grumman X-29, which never actually went into production and looks like something you'd throw at a dartboard.

A collection of rockets which carried numerous missions into space. Did you know that a rocket is just a rocket, and that the first were merely modified military missiles with the command module/payload bay/capsule where the warhead would have been? Anyone can correct me if I'm wrong because I don't remember when or where I picked this up but it's stuck.

Turning from the rockets, I stepped into the backup Skylab Orbital Workshop. Two were built: one went into space and the other was transferred into the museum in 1975 after the Skylab program was cancelled, owing to NASA's refocus on developing the space shuttle.

It was too big to capture in a photograph, so here's a little of the interior:

A collapsible shower. The entire living area is small, but you'd better not have claustrophobia and then get into this thing.

The Skylab mess and kitchen for the three man crew.

Please don't laugh at the 70s-era mannequin.

The Skylab personal hygiene pod - tubes for waste, little lockers for items, a waste disposal airlock in the floor.

Skylab 4 command module - note the re-entry burns. Downstairs you could get right up close to the Mercury "Friendship 7" in which John Glenn orbited the earth. Though it is encased in a close-fitting acrylic shell, my eyes were mere inches away from the heat shield at the base of the capsule, looking at the charring on the surface!

The F-1 engine, powerplant for the Saturn V rocket that powered the Apollo Project.

This was a clever configuration in that there are only 1.5 nozzles present, but the mirror setup shows the eye all 5. A modern trompe l'oeil.

Space suit from the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Too many tourists in the way, I couldn't see more.

Guess whose flight manual this is?

Some of the food from the maiden flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1981.

Freeze dried bananas, no wonder nobody ate them.

A model of Sputnik I

The entrance lobby of Union Station.

A sweeping staircase that led up to a pleasantly situated oyster bar, like a bird's nest in the vaulted ceiling.