Easter Birthday Weekend

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.

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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...

...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.

Happy Surpriseday

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.

Home Sweet Home

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.