Things I Learned This Weekend

The ratio of marshmallows to oat pieces in Lucky Charms is still way off.
Someone left a small box of the cereal in the work kitchen and I had it for breakfast for the first time in a very long time on Friday morning.

 
There's a reason I don't buy potato chips and keep them in my apartment.
Because in three days I've ate all but a few handfuls of a bag of family-sized Utz potato chips. (To be fair, they were my dinner on Friday and my lunch on Sunday, so maybe it's not that bad.)

Everything is better with a cape.
One of my friend's celebrates her birthday each year with a cape party bar crawl where everyone wears a cape out and about. It was magnificent. More on this later this week.

Beer is gross.
And I don't understand how people drink it.

Bonnie + wine + Rihanna = dancing
I don't dance. Unless, apparently, a friend insists Rihanna isn't singing "birthday cake," but "birthday cape." And, obviously, if you're wearing a cape, you have no choice but to dance to this.

Bonnie + wine + Kanye = more dancing
He wasn't singing about a birthday cape, but it's Kanye, and I hate that I love him.

I need to stop buying fresh flowers.In the past two weeks I've spent $30 on flowers. In case you weren't aware, I'm not a Rockefeller*, so this needs to stop. 

Taking a three hour nap on Sunday and then sleeping easily on Sunday night means I was really, really tired.
And I shouldn't feel guilty about not getting much done yesterday.

There's nothing wrong with eating peanut butter straight out of the jar with a spoon.
And if there is, then I don't want to be right.

*At what point do we stop referencing a Rockefeller or Vanderbilt when talking about great wealth, and start referring to a Gates, Branson, or Buffett? Or do people already do that and I just insist on staying old school?

Halfway

I probably won't post pictures everytime I buy new flowers for my apartment. Or I might, who knows. But these stand out because I haven't been to the grocery store in so long, but went to Whole Foods on Saturday just to buy flowers. Specifically, 30 Virginia* tulips for $18.

My refrigerator may only contain some hummus, wrinkled tomatoes, and 25 condiment bottles,** but damn if my apartment isn't full of fresh spring cheer.


*Whole Foods was very proud of the fact that the tulips were from some farm in Virginia, "just 40 miles outside of Washington."
**Not entirely true. I have more than hummus and old tomatoes. But I really do have at least 25 different condiments.

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.

The last month

I've really been struggling lately in coming up with things to write about here. (Which is quite unfortunate timing as I start a six-week writing class soon on personal essay.) But a quick browse through my iPhone photos revealed a number of activities that I haven't blogged about. And then reminded me of even more non-photographed activities from the past month.

Book Club

Generally my book club meets each month at a DC restaurant. But sometimes a member will host a potluck at her home just to mix it up and save a little money. This month I offered up my humble abode. It went really well and I really do love having people over. (Even though I had a number of anxiety attacks leading up to it, but that’s just how I roll.) About an hour before people were set to arrive I realized I didn’t have fresh flowers and I just can’t have people over without fresh flowers. So to Giant I went/ran and purchased these. Three weeks later, I just threw the majority out but still have a few going strong. Best $15 ever.

Joey and Michelle Visit

My brother and his girlfriend came for the weekend toward the end of September. I introduced them to my office, we took a tortuous drive through DC to get to the Nats game, watched the Braves prevail over the Nats, went to Eastern Market, went to the National Mall and visited the World War II and Korean War Memorials, took a Potomac River Cruise from Georgetown, and had some good meals.

Presidential Visit

The wax museum here recently revealed the wax figures of ALL the presidents. All. The. Presidents. The roommate and I were a bit excited about this. (More on this later.)

Les Miserables

In May I bought my ticket to see Les Mis at the Kennedy Center. Unfortunately, I was not a fan. Which I don’t quite understand as I love plays, love musicals, love history, love the French Revolution even, but did not love the play. At all.

Matt Nathanson

I attended my first concert at one of DC’s most popular venues, 9:30 Club, with my friend Lauren to see Matt Nathanson. He put on a great show and was really funny, too.

Good Times

This past weekend I spent an evening in Bethesda with one of my work friends, Shana. We had dinner and then just hung out and chatted at her place until 2 in the morning. You know how I keep going on and on about what great friends I have? Well, I mean it and I do. The next day I met Brandie to see “The Ides of March” and then have a late brunch at Austin Grill. Yes, I had a mimosa and pancakes at a Tex Mex restaurant. But B had a mimosa and tacos at a Tex Mes restaurant, so…

Summer Flowers

The longer I live in apartments the more I want to make them feel like a home. One way I've tried doing this is with the addition of fake flowers. (Because apparently the corner of my mind reserved for "things that make a home" includes "fake flowers." Alongside "comfortable couch" and "warm.")

A quick apartment tour of fakery. Pink flowers in the entry:

Hydrangeas in the living room:

Calla lilies in the dining room:

Hydrangeas in my bedroom:

Ranunculas in my bathroom:

In my last apartment, I went through a phase where I'd buy a bouquet of carnations for $3.99 from Safeway every few weeks. Though not the most elegant of flowers, one bouquet usually lasted for two weeks, and just brought some cheer to my living room. I haven't done that in awhile but when at the grocery store Sunday morning, decided that I should again. After debating tulips, peonies, and a mixed arrangement, I decided to just go with the old standby carnation.

Entryway. Yes, that is a wine glass. But don't worry, I have others so my wine intake will not be affected.

Side table:

Big bouquet by the TV:

My bathroom:

They aren't much but for $12 I got two bouquets of 12 stems each and they brought a little fresh loveliness to my apartment. Not sure it's a home, but it's trying.