Things I Learned This Weekend

A new escalator not moving looks the same as an old escalator not moving.
About four months ago, Metro closed one of the entrances to our metro to replace the escalators. They were unveiled on Thurdsay morning and by Thursday evening when I got home one was already not moving. I had predicted it would last until at least Friday, and Karey was generous and gave it a week. It turns out we both have more faith than we thought in our embarrassing metro system.

Sitting at home reading and watching a Carolina tournament game is a good way to end a crazy week.
I watched the game from home on the couch with my PJs and my book. It was a good start to a weekend that would end not good.

Reading even a slightly scary book makes sleeping slightly difficult.
Last week I read "Night Film" and as a result had some trouble sleeping. I just can't handle even a little mystery. Luckily, a trash can in front of the door helps keep out even the mightiest supernatural threat. Or so I tell myself. It was a pretty good book though.

Everything really is better in miniature.
Even mid-century modern furniture, which isn't my style but I do appreciate the aesthetics of, especially when tiny! I broke down and bought this furniture for $2.50 at one of my thrift stores. It's been there my last few trips and when the whole store was 50% off last week, I took it as a sign. It's from the 80s so it has a record player, big speakers, and giant headphones. We had a similar setup at home.

Carrying flat pieces of wood is only marginally safer than carrying a dowel.
A few weeks ago I carried a dowel and almost killed myself/others. This week I carried a few pieces of balsa wood, which was still kind of dicey.

Duke students don't say thank you.
This unopened box of thank you notes was at my thrift store for 50 cents. I assume it's because Dukies never say thanks. Or maybe they just don't write. Remember the sad memo block I found?

It's really important to realize the effect your purse strap is having on the buttons on your shirt whilst shopping at a thrift store attached to a church.
Can you read behind the lines on that one? Yeah, I think I inadvertently flashed the elderly workers at my fave religious thrift store. But it's Episcopalian, and they're super liberal, so it's probably ok.

Spring is trying to arrive.
These little buds were just trying to bust through that stubborn winter ground. After today's snow, they've probably retreated and are considering never busting through again.

Dremel-brand bits fit my generic-brand Dremel and routing is fun.
I basically want to rout all the wood in my apartment. But I won't. For now.

A new lamp can really brighten things up.
See what I did there? The cheap medusa lamp I've had since the summer after college was sort of burning itself. I bought this pretty thing from Target and had to do some rearranging. It was also a good spark to get some organizing done.

Organizing can lead to found and lost things.
I had to move my bookcases in order to accommodate the lamp where I wanted it. This meant I was able to retrieve two of my Breakfast at Tiffany's posters that fell several weeks ago. In the process, however, the wrap and purse for my Holly Barbie fell behind the bookcase. But doesn't it all look so pretty and clean? And now another found lost thing...

It's easier to save money when you remember you're saving it.
Short story: I found $60 in my saving place in my room.
Long story: About 4 years I lost my college class ring. I was devastated. Even more so when I learned Carolina had started offering only one "official" class ring, which I didn't like. Then last summer I saw that they were offering some additional options, including my original one! My first instinct was to buy it immediately and put it on my credit card. Instead I took out some cash every paycheck and kept it in my secret saving place in my room. By the end of the summer I had enough saved and ordered (and received) my ring. I must have decided to keep saving for something else, but then must have forgot after one withdrawal. Oops. On the upside I found $60!

Pantone's color of the year -- radiant orchard -- really is quite radiant. AKA bright.
I'll write about this later this week, but I'm working on a DIY project for my favorite new website, Darby Smart. I got comped some supplies to make it and one was a pot of Pantone paint. It really is a lovely, and bright, color.
 

 
Having friends turn 30 is way better than turning 30 yourself.
I was the first of my close group of friends to turn 30. Now the others are starting to fall over that hill, too. Finally. This was the first of at least four 30th birthday cards I'll have to make this year.

I hate basketball.
Sunday evening wasn't good and I don't really want to talk about it. Except to say that it kind of sucks caring about something sometimes. And sometimes I want to go back to when I didn't care about sports. It'd be easier.

The Only Thing I Learned This Weekend

Tar Heels are everywhere!
Because this happened on Saturday nite at a bar in D.C.

If you don't know, that is former Tar Heel basketball player and 2009 National Champion Marcus Ginyard.

So here's what happened. On Saturday nite I went out with my friend who, for the purposes of this blog, I will call Mr. Wit (MW)*. We had considered going to Georgetown but since I hate it there, had just spent the afternoon there, and people were out celebrating St. Patrick's Day there, we decided to hit Adams Morgan instead. This is a very popular part of D.C. that I've never really cared for. I have reasons but they're all pretty lame so I'll just move on.

We had dinner at a small New Orleans restaurant I had visited years ago with my book club. After jambalaya and beignets we set out for a new-ish bar that I'd only been to for brunch and was entirely new to MW.

After sitting at the bar for a little while, this tall man walked in. I took one look at his face, dug my nails into MW's arm, and squealed, "Oh my gosh it's Marcus Ginyard! No, wait, it's not, it can't be. Oh my gosh I think it's him. No." After letting me carry on like this for a minute, MW had me pull his picture up on his phone and he confirmed it was him.

He tried to get me to talk to him but I refused. I didn't want to bother him and I just knew I'd make a fool of myself. Somehow I got distracted, by a drink or the TV or something shiny, and MW took that as his cue to talk to MG. He told me it went something like this:
MW: So, if I went to UNC, would I know you?
MG: I don't know, would you?
MW: Would I?
MG: Maybe.

Then MW pulled me over and said, "Well, I didn't go to UNC, but she did." And then I died.

I couldn't stop smiling and apologizing for bothering him. I asked him what he was doing in town and he asked me what I did in D.C. I asked if he'd seen UNC's atrocious game the day before. (He had not.) He was so polite and nice. I had no reason to think he'd be otherwise, having only ever heard good things about him, but it's always nice to see.

I asked him if he'd hate me if I asked for a picture, and he laughed and said no, so that's what I did. MW left for the bathroom so I'd have a minute alone to talk to him, which was nice but nerve-wracking because I'm such a goober. When he got back, I moved back to my seat and we continued doing our thing. Well, not true, we continued drinking and dancing interspersed with my periodic "Oh my gosh! I'm so happy! Oh my gosh!"

It was just a fun nite anyway and to have that as part of it definitely made it even better. Had I been alone I would have just been happy to see him at the bar, without saying anything, so I'm glad I had MW to break the ice for me.



*There are certain aspects of my life I keep off this blog for various reasons. But sometimes these areas are important and it feels wrong to ignore them. So my solution is Mr. Wit. Which was one of many suggested monikers. As you might expect from someone called Mr. Wit.

Tar Heel For Life

As I briefly mentioned before, the Toronto Raptors recently came to play the Washington Wizards. If you're like me, you may have thought one or all of the following things:

• The NBA is still a thing?
• Why in the hell is DC's team named the Wizards?
• When did Tyler leave that team he was on somewhere in the Midwest?

Those first two questions I ask myself repeatedly. The last question wasn't asked until after tickets were purchased to see the Raptors vs. Wizards, leaving me to assume he had indeed been traded.

Why do I care about the Raptors? Because, of course, one of the greatest players to ever wear the Carolina jersey happens to be on that team. And with a vibrant UNC alumni community in the DC area, and enough of us that bought tickets and committed to form a fan tunnel, we were allowed on the court prior to game time to do just that.

It was really neat to be on the court. (Especially in heeled boots. The coaches at my high school would've died.)

I was with two of my favorite Carolina girls, of course. Plus about 30 other alums, including a few we've met at events in the past.

After just a few minutes on the court, the Raptors (unexpectedly) emerged and ran through our pom pom-waving, Tar Heel-loving, Tyler-cheering tunnel. Well, some did, others avoided it all together and others just mocked our cries of "Go, Tyler!" Tyler himself just look embarrassed. Oh well. Guess you shouldn't be a beloved UNC player, buddy. Tar Heel is a lifetime title.

We were able to stay on the court long enough to see him take a few practice shots.

Then it was up to our nosebleed seats for the first half. Tyler put in some good time in both halves.

For the second half we snuck in to lower level seats. The stadium was less than sold out but it was surprisingly difficult to sneak past the guards. We ended up in a section with the dance moms of the halftime show, so we didn't exactly blend in, but it worked out.

The Raptors won by quite a bit so that was nice to see. It's so weird to me still that a professional basketball team is just a few metro stops away. I guess I could try and go more but I think we all know my heart lies with a certain college basketball down South.

Things I Learned This Weekend

Nordstrom has very pretty dresses. 
Friday night was our first attempt at finding bridesmaid dresses for B's wedding. Since we'll be wearing black, we're trying out a few national chains in addition to the standard wedding sources. We haven't found "the one" yet, but it was fun to try pretty dresses on. 

It never gets easier to watch your team lose.
Oh, Carolina basketball. I'll love y'all forever, but you're kind of killing me.

Never let your freakishly strong friend handle the wine stopper.
I have the cutest/tackiest wine stopper with a woman's legs coming out of the stopper. Brandie, who you'll recall is an arm wrestling beast, was trying to get it out and ripped her poor legs right off! 

Playing Wii games with friends is a good antidote to bad basketball.
This was our second Wii Game Night and it was another success. I finally got a second remote and we played Wii Sports. And laughed a lot.

We're a little too good at punching.
The boxing game is awesome for pent up aggression. Which we had a lot of apparently.

Tennis is really really hard.
For me. B and K did great. We may have to credit B's commitment to the game, as she's seen here pretending to bounce the tennis ball, just like the pros.

Rameses makes a good bowling partner.
At least according to Brandie.

Vindication can be found in Wii bowling. 
For years, my family's made fun of the way I leap a little when I Wii bowl. My friends were making fun of me too, until I had 2 strikes and about 6 spares, all because of the leap. How do I know it was the leap? Because as soon as K and B tried the leap, they too, scored higher. It's all in the leap, people! 

 
I can quote the vast majority of "Clueless." 
And not just sporadically. 

Justin Bieber needs to stay away from my "Saturday Night Live."
I've seen every episode of SNL since 1997. Even the ones where Eminem was the musical guest. So I feel confident in saying that Bieber seriously needs to leave my show alone. 

Every Sunday should start with "Sabrina" on the big screen. 
My friend Sasha alerted me to the fact that a D.C. theatre was showing Audrey's "Sabrina." I, of course, leapt at the chance to see it and to introduce Sasha to another Audrey film—it's only her second one! (Her first being BAT outside a few summers ago.)

I could listen to "The Weight" on repeat forever. 
I found myself really enjoying the Grammy's this year, no part more so than the collaborative tribute to The Band's "The Weight." I seriously love that song

Things I Learned This Weekend

Even a Friday can't help me enjoy snow.
My love/hate affair with snow has been well-documented on this blog. And even though it's been three years since Snowmageddon I and II, I'm still not quite over my hatred of the white stuff. Even when all I have to do in it is make it to the metro, then the mall for a haircut, then back on the metro over the Potomac, then a bus home. Actually, yeah, even that stuff is annoying when there's white and wet stuff everywhere.

There is such a thing as a good haircut.
Another topic I've exhausted on this blog: my hair. But I think I finally found a good hairdresser up here, and it only took me five and a half years. She cleaned up my tragic split ends and then gave me some good face-framing layers. Pieces are still a bit scary short and don't quite stay up in my ponytail, but it's actually a good haircut, which really makes all the difference.

There's nothing like a bunch of pro-life high-schoolers to ruin the taste of Taco Bell.
One of the main reasons I'm able to handle the tourist madness that is Pentagon City Mall is because of the Taco Bell in the food court. On this particular visit there was a large group of Catholic high schoolers in town for the pro-life march held earlier in the day. One boy was quoting Revelations and there was a Father trying to round everyone up for the buses. As I fought the urge to instigate, they got up, leaving some of their trash beyond. Would it have been wrong of me to stand up and tell them what to do with their trash, since I so despise them telling women what to do with their bodies? Or would it have been a public service to remind them to work harder to protect this planet they're trying so hard to populate.

Taking down Christmas decorations makes a room seem very empty/clean.
Finally took down my decorations on Saturday, a week earlier than the end of January but I had the time and got to it. At first the room just felt very empty, now it just feels right.

There's nothing quite like watching a Carolina game with a room full of Tar Heels.
The ladies and I went to this year's new Carolina bar to watch the Carolina v. State game. There was lots of room, drink and food specials, and lots of fellow Tar Heel alums cheering on our (less than stellar) Heels.

Buffalo Billiards has an interesting interpretation of "side order of fries" .
Karey said side order of fries, and she got fries on the side of her chicken fingers. I said side order of fries, and got this massive basket for $6.99 that we ate off of all night, and still never saw the bottom.

If your team can't look good, at least you and your friends can look good.
Not that we looked good, that would be cocky. But compared to the team, we looked like super models. Except for my demon red eyes, which I can't get rid of.

The best way to mourn a bad basketball loss is with Krispy Kreme.
Carolina girls can't turn down the "hot now" sign. Thankfully, Krispy Kreme is always a win.

The coolest bumper sticker ever is in NW DC.
Doctor Who for the win!

Ikea thread is not very good.
Among other sewing problems I had on Sunday, the thread I bought from Ikea kept breaking. Apparently the Swedes don't sew as fast as I do? Or they buy their thread somewhere else, too.

The "Shawshank Redemption" is amazing.
This was the first time I saw this movie and oh my word was it amazing. Now I know why it was one of my Poppy's favorites.

Too much foreshadowing can ruin the moment.
This is in reference to this week's devastating "Downton Abbey" which didn't make me cry once. And I cry at everything. I'm going to blame it on all the dramatic moments that preceded it which made it not a shock to me. But I'm still a bit worried I'm broken.

Things That Happened in March

On Sunday afternoon, armed with iPhone photos and an actual desire to write, I flopped on the couch with my laptop ready to blog. And then that thing happened that I don't want to talk about. So instead I spent several hours in a depressive funk, stress-cleaning my apartment before attempting to forget about it entirely by watching "Mad Men." Which did work for a few hours and then it was back to trying not to think about that thing that happened that I don't want to talk about.

But now, several days later, again armed with iPhone photos and a desire to write, I'll post some thoughts and photos of my March happenings. All of which are things that happened before that thing that happened that I don't want to talk about.

March 13

I've been so lax about going to the theatre this year. As in, seeing "Spamalot" with my roommate the second week of March was my first show of 2012. Shameful. But what a good show to see! And my second time doing so. Unlike the last time I saw it in London, when my only Monty Python knowledge came from Wikipedia, I now know more about the group and have seen the "Holy Grail" movie, making the play all the more enjoyable. As was seeing it with the roomie, since I rarely seem to go to plays with others.

March 14

The officemates and I celebrated Pi Day by taking an afternoon trip to La Madeleine for some pie/mini-tarts. And why yes, we may have timed it so we ordered at 3:14. Because we are that cool. And also, as we're all writers, any time we can actually enjoy numbers, we pounce on it.

March 20

Grocery store blooms purchased to honor the first day of Spring. When will I stop forgetting how happy fresh flowers in the apartment make me?

March 22

 I try to get out and about during the day on Thursdays when I work from home. Last Thursday I had an appointment and took a different route home to my apartment. It was a route that happened to be flanked by flowering trees. Perfection.

March 23

Before that thing that happened that I don't want to talk about happened, there was still hope, fun, and a Friday in the office in which I wore a Carolina tshirt and a "5" on my wrist. And then there was Brandie and me at a sports bar for 4 hours talking, drinking, eating, watching, stressing, and then sighing. I also drew a "5" on her wrist and we think the waitress thought we were exchanging numbers. Oh well, we're both great catches.

My last post mentioned me trying to find something to wear for this game and I think Mom asked me what that ended up being. (And if she didn't just pretend she did to justify yet another lame bathroom mirror post.) So I went with this year's official student shirt. (Which prompted one of my coworker's to feign shock/concern and ask, "Wait, what? Together we are Carolina?") But since I'm such a diva who can't just wear a plain tshirt out and about, I cuffed the sleeves using hem tape and tied a knot in the back to make it fit better. We'll just call this tricks of the trade.  

March 25

My first pedicure of the season! I also splurged and got a manicure, only the fourth professional one I've ever had. But considering it started chipping the next day, there won't be a fifth one anytime soon.

 

Other things that happened this month: brunches with a friend, book club, Parks and Rec rerun watching, trans-continental Facetime with Jan, basketball, basketball, basketball, and a broken heart. The end.

Saturday night's alright for fighting

Except this past Saturday wasn't so much of a fight. (Unless fight=lay down and die.) In case you missed it, this happened:

Thank you, Did Duke Win?.com. (Though, to be more accurate, maybe we should have a separate domain for Did Duke Get Annihilated?.com Or, even better, Did Duke Get Annihilated On Their Home Turf And Did A Bunch Of Crazies Cry?.com.)

After last month's devastating loss -- still heartbroken, still don't want to talk about it -- we had high hopes for Saturday's rematch. The roommate/bff/fellow Tar Heel, Karey, and I set out for our other bff/fellow Tar Heel Brandie's place on Saturday night to watch the game.

Both decked out in our Carolina gear, we got on the metro and sat in two seats facing each other, beside two boys. We each immediately noticed that vomit-inducing shade of royal blue peaking out of their jackets. But we didn't say anything. I saw the one beside Karey notice my Carolina socks, but still, he didn't say anything. We continued like this for six metro stops before they got off, I shot them a nasty look, and then Karey and I burst out laughing. Sometimes, D.C. is just too small.

We didn't think to take a picture, but I've created this artistic interpretation to fully set the scene.

Thankfully that was the closest we got to Dookies that night, which was closer than Duke ever got to Carolina in points. Which was closer than Duke was ever able to get to the basket. Which was closer than Duke ever got to hitting a majority of their three pointers, field goals, or free thows.

I took this picture during halftime. It's hard to read, but the little stat box is titled "Duke's First Half Woes." That's right, not stats, but WOES. As I'm a classy Tar Heel I will say nothing more.

This was also taken during halftime. We wanted photographic evidence of what Carolina Girls look like when their team has twice as many points as Duke.

We got a little tense when they got within 15, but good prevailed over evil and Roy's Boys did what they came to do.

Other things that happened:

• We had Bojangles for dinner.
• And wine.
• We also took a sip of wine every time a Duke player flopped. I know you know what I mean.
• As a result we were really happy all night. However, was that the wine? Was it the beating Duke part? Was it the Bojangles, the chips and dip, the girl scout cookies, and the peeps? Was it three best friends hanging out? I'll have to answer all of the above.
• We re-created the game with a good old fashioned Peeps Duel

1. Karey marks the UNC peep.
2. Peep Duel: Dook v. UNC
3. Brandie pauses the duel to re-align the swords. The refs look the other way.
4. Another UNC victory! While the UNC one expanded to twice its size -- much like our halftime lead -- the Dook peep, curiously, barely expanded at all. It clearly had a pact with the (blue) devil, too.

And just for fun, our first Peeps Duel, circa  spring 2006, when we were undergrads:



It was a good night all around. (Unless you were a Dookie or a Dook Peep.)

In closing, as part of the pre-game, I wore this shirt to work on Friday. Because nothing says professional like an angry ram on your chest. (And I may or may not plan on wearing the same shirt this Friday for the ACC tourney.)

The more things change, the more they stay the same

April 4, 2005

National Championship Night

The Battlehouse, Chapel Hill, NC

December 22, 2011

2005 National Championship Trophy

Carolina Basketball Museum, Chapel Hill, NC

May 12, 2006

Two days before graduation

Old Well, Chapel Hill, NC

December 22, 2011

Three days before Christmas

Old Well, Chapel Hill, NC