princess genevieve

Oh, Look, I remembered I have a Blog!

2010-06-28T15:07:00.002-04:00

It's been really hot here in Washington. Really hot and really humid. And it's gotten me homesick. Not just homesick, but timesick. Is that a word? I'm homesick for a specific place and a specific time.

I miss my grandparents' old house on Lucy Court, in River Ridge, right outside of New Orleans, in the late 1980s. My sisters and I would fly down (without our parents!) every summer, and spend our time hanging out with our cousins and our aunts, who we did not see for most of the year. My grandparents had a pool, and every afternoon, unless disrupted by a thunderstorm, we would swim. (The thunderstorm thing was a fairly frequent problem, though.)

This was when the cousins could still be divided into older and younger sets. I was the oldest of them all, and me, my sisters, and our cousins Katie and Lee spent our time making up crazy jumps off the diving board. Anne Yvette was the oldest of the younger cousins. She didn't like to swim, so she would sit on the steps of the shallow end, water wings and sunglasses on.

I guess I can't go back in time, and my family no longer owns the house on Lucy Court, but I am going to book a weekend home for August. Because it's not summer without a snowball from Plum Street.

Escape from the Blizzard(s)

2010-02-19T16:41:00.003-05:00

Despite two blizzards, or maybe because of them, my friends and I were determined to get to Mardi Gras. A cancelled flight on Thursday? No problem! We'll fly to Birmingham, rent a minivan, and drive 6 and a half hours overnight to get to New Orleans. Snow in Birmingham? Well, we'll just pretend that's not going to happen. A train an hour late leaving the station to get to the airport? We'll take a taxi!

We got to my parents' around 3:30 on Saturday morning, crashed for a few hours, and then spent the next 4 days at various parties which included bartenders, fried turkey, and of course, Mardi Gras beads.

So fun! I honestly had forgotten how much I love Mardi Gras, and I am now planning to make an annual pilgrimage.

First Post in 2010!

2010-02-01T11:48:00.002-05:00

Lately I have been the world's worst blogger. I sort of got out of the habit last year, when I was swamped at work (and working until 11 pm most nights, and working on Saturdays and Sundays too) and when things calmed down, I just never picked it back up. Facebook also has kind of replaced blogging, not just for me but for a lot of people, I think. But Facebook only lets you write quick blurbs. Sometimes it's more fun (and more cathartic!) to write longer essays.

So, I'm not going to promise daily posts, but I will promise to try to keep this blog updated more.

Seriously?

2009-10-20T13:54:00.001-04:00

Last week, my yoga teacher suggested we all stop wearing deodorant, because he said we need to sweat and release the toxins in our body.

I've got yoga class tonight. I really hope no one took this suggestion to heart.

Fall Into Reading Update

2009-10-13T15:57:00.002-04:00

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
2. The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery
3. Brooklyn, by Colm Toibin
4. An Echo in the Bone, by Diana Gabaldon
5. Sammy's Hill, by Kristin Gore
6. The White Queen, by Philippa Gregory
7. Dead and Gone, by Charlaine Harris

So, as you can see, I added two more books to my list, which I've already read. I'm currently working on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. If this were not a book club pick, I never would have chosen it. If this were not a book club pick, I would not have gotten past the prologue. But it is, and although I'm not opposed to giving up on book club picks, I'm about 200 pages in and getting somewhat interested in the story. I'm just not much of a mystery reader in general.

As for the others, well, I loved An Echo in the Bone, but I expected to. I wouldn't recommend it if you haven't read the other 6 Outlander books, though. I even got to go to a book signing with Diana Gabaldon! I got my copy signed, and one for my sister.

Sammy's Hill was cute. I chose this one because I found it on the bookshelf in my communal laundry room, and I like books that take place in Washington. I liked it enough to get the second one, Sammy's House, from the library.

The White Queen was not my favorite Philippa Gregory book. By far. It just didn't seem as well written, and the story did not draw me in in the same way that others of hers have.

And Dead and Gone, well, I love Sookie Stackhouse! One more unread to go in the series.

U2

2009-10-02T16:40:00.002-04:00

Monday afternoon, my friend Jayne called and said her friends Amy and Heath were going to the U2 concert on Tuesday, and they had two extra tickets, so did I want to go too?

Well, Tuesday nights I go to yoga, but it did not take me long to decide I could skip it this week. So off we went.

The seats were on the club level of the stadium, pretty much dead on view of the front of the stage, as you can see. The concert was great! I'm not the world's biggest U2 fan by any stretch of the imagination, but they played a lot of songs I knew, so that was fun.

That spaceship looking thing around the stage was, um, a spaceship, according to Bono. It changed colors and had lights on it that were pretty cool after dark.

Thanks, Jayne and Amy and Heath for inviting me!

Adventures on the Bus, #23536

2009-09-24T15:40:00.002-04:00

Dear Man Sitting Across from Me on the Bus,

It is called personal hygiene, not public, because you do it in private. Therefore, I must politely ask that you refrain from clipping your fingernails on the bus.

Love,
Genevieve

PS - yes, that was me who said, out loud, "that's disgusting."

PPS - I was never so excited to see my colleague Ann on public transport. Gave me a good reason to move seats! (I run into Ann quite a bit on public transport. We live pretty close to each other.)

Fall into Reading

2009-09-23T10:52:00.005-04:00

My friend Amy always participates in Callapidder Days's reading challenges, and I decided to do Fall into Reading myself this year! Here's a list of 5 books (to start) that I plan to read this fall:

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
2. The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery
3. Brooklyn, by Colm Toibin
4. An Echo in the Bone, by Diana Gabaldon
5. Sammy's Hill, by Kristin Gore

I'll update as I read these, and add more, as this will not be enough to get me through the fall!

Flight Home

2009-09-08T16:34:00.002-04:00

I went to New Orleans this weekend to see my family. It was a great trip - we went to the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Sunday with my aunt, uncle, and cousin Rick, because I wanted to try this barbecue place, The Shed, that I had seen on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Luckily it was good, otherwise I would have felt terrible making 5 other people drive 2 hours for me!

Anyway, I flew back to Washington this morning at 6 am. I was trying to sleep, but the guy across the aisle from me kept snoring.

Maybe I should start traveling with earplugs, but in case that doesn't work, any other suggestions?

Well Alright Then

2009-09-04T16:59:00.002-04:00

Last night my home phone rang. I didn't recognize the name on the caller ID, but since it looked like a real person, not "unavailable," I answered.

Me: Hello?
Voice: Hello?
Me: um, hello?
Voice: Hello?
Me, getting irritated: Can I help you?
Voice: No, you can't help me.

And then she hung up.

I guess it was a wrong number, but how weird is that? She called ME. Couldn't she have just said, "sorry, wrong number!"

I'm like a dragon now!

2009-08-19T14:15:00.003-04:00

Last night I went to yoga for the first time in a long time. This wasn't the class I used to go to all the time, but I liked it a lot. The teacher did a lot of focus on stress-reducing techniques, which is great for me.

He also taught us fire breathing! You can do it through your nose, but if you are a beginner, like me, you make a taco tongue (if you are genetically able, that is) and then breathe in and out through your mouth using your stomach muscles.

And today, I'm a little bit sore, but planning to go back next Tuesday night.

Adventures on the Bus, #3456

2009-08-06T15:45:00.003-04:00

I haven't had too many weird bus adventures lately, but Sunday I took the bus to my friend Nicole's. It's not a route I take often, but it is direct from my house to hers.

On the way there, there was this crazy guy who kept talking, very loudly, throughout the entire ride. He told everyone that he works in a cemetery. Then he told everyone that white people kill black babies, and I started to get a bit nervous, because I was the only white person on the bus, and god knows if he's crazy enough to think this, he might be crazy enough to want to seek revenge on me. And then bury me in his workplace, and my family would be none the wiser. I tried to read my book but finally I gave up and just hoped I would make it to Nicole's in one piece.

On the way back, the ride was mostly quiet until we got about 5 minutes from my house. Then this guy got on, who proceeded to tell me he felt very very ill because he had just spent $12 at Taco Bell and eaten all of that. I agreed that would be enough to make anyone puke, but requested he do it off the bus.

I love public transportation! You would not get these two adventures in a private car, that's for sure. Near death and near puke. Awesome.

Away We Go

2009-07-10T10:27:00.003-04:00

Last night I went to see Away We Go with my friend Erika. I loved this movie - I thought it was funny and touching and had a perfect ending. This has nothing to do with the fact that my brilliant cousin, Anne Yvette, worked on this movie. I think I would have loved it anyway, because, well, she also works on Law & Order and I don't watch that, ever.

It's apparently not in wide release yet, because my sister Leslie told me it's not playing near her, but if it's playing near you, go see it!

Lights! Camera! Action!

2009-06-24T14:27:00.001-04:00

Or, just the lights part of it.

Since last week they've been filming a movie in my neighborhood. All I end up seeing are craft services and random trailers and trucks, but my friend Erin did meet Paul Rudd last week. She said he was very nice and super adorable. I've also heard people have spotted Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, and Jack Nicholson about town.

Paul Rudd told Erin it's a romantic comedy, but we don't know the name. I'm excited to see it - I love to see my city and even more, my neighborhood, on the big screen!

La Princesse à Londres

2009-06-02T16:24:00.001-04:00

I had a great time visiting England! And as you can see, they welcomed me by putting my name in neon!
We packed a lot in to a three-day trip. We met my college sorority sister Jess, who is living in London with her husband and baby, for lunch at Canteen. We went on a picnic with Bryony & Greg's friends Helen & Richard. We went to the Hertfordshire County Show. And Bryony and I went to the Victoria & Albert and to see Billy Elliot, which we both loved.
But the most exciting thing? On the train on Saturday, on the way back to St Albans from London, we sat with a crazy guy! With teeth so black they were about to fall out of his head! He started off standing behind us, but then he asked Bryony to give up her seat for him. Which she did, because, well, he was crazy. Here is a sample conversation between us and Crazy Guy with Bad Teeth.
me, talking to Greg: blah blah blah
CGwBT: Are you American?
me: yes
CGwBT: From New York?
me: no, Washington
CGwBT: Oh, Obama. He's not going to last.
me, mistakenly thinking he didn't understand our political system: um, he gets four years. Our system's not like yours.
CGwBT: They killed Bobby and Jack Kennedy! They'll kill him too!
me:
CGwBT: have you been to the Bronx?
me: no.
CGwBT: Do they have murders in the Bronx?
me: um, I guess.
CGwBT: and prostitutes?
me: um, they have a zoo! It's famous!
CGwBT: What is the Bronx?
me: one of the five boroughs of New York City.
CGwBT: What is the Bronx?
Greg: She just told you, one of the five boroughs of New York City.
CGwBT: But what is the Bronx? I am the Bronx.
and on and on and on. We talked about Kissinger, and the Vietnam War, and how I don't know my own history. When we arrived at St Albans, we let him get off first and made sure he went the opposite direction!
More pictures here.

I'm Going to London on Friday!

2009-05-19T16:25:00.003-04:00

So, you know what's up. A movie poll!

Happy Birthday to me!

2009-05-12T11:22:00.002-04:00

And to Miss Paisley.

So, most of the time, I sit at my desk without shoes on. As a result there are several pairs of shoes under my desk. I slipped two shoes on, and without looking, got up to go to the bathroom. I looked down when I was halfway there and I realized one was black and one was brown! (I meant to be wearing the black ones.) I scurried back to my office to change and made it before anyone saw me.

I think I need to stop keeping multiple pairs of shoes under my desk. This is not working out well for me.

Adventures on the Bus #235

2009-05-06T10:42:00.003-04:00

Last night getting home was a nightmare. It's been raining here for what seems like forever. Sort of like living in Belgium again. I think that makes traffic worse.

I managed to sneak out of the office at 6:30 last night, but I didn't get home until nearly 8! And I didn't stop anywhere on the way home. I waited about 40 minutes for a bus last night. There should be one every 10 minutes. Then the traffic.

What was worse, though? There was a guy sitting about two rows behind me snoring. Very loudly. Everyone was laughing and it did not wake him up. The amazing thing was he started snoring right after I got on the bus, and I get on at the second stop. So he couldn't have been on very long, but he was in a very deep sleep.

I put on my iPod. It didn't help.

I was not in a good mood last night.

Here's hoping today will be better!

Happy Shakespeare's Birthday!

2009-04-27T16:33:00.001-04:00

Like my new tattoo? Sadly, it's temporary, and already half Will's head is missing. I spent yesterday in the heat selling drinks at Shakespeare's birthday party.

Monkey Wine

2009-04-20T15:36:00.004-04:00

Last Thursday, my friend Nicole and I went to Grapes with the Apes, a wine tasting event at the National Zoo. It was quite fun, although I was disappointed that there weren't more local vineyards there. Virginia has a lot of vineyards, and despite what my parents think, they're not all bad.

Anyway, we were waiting in line for some tastings when all of a sudden I felt something very wet and cold on my back! The girl behind me had dumped her glass of wine all over me. Luckily, it was white wine, not red, and I wasn't yet wearing the adorable coat I'm wearing in the above photo. I would have been really mad if that had gotten wine on it. Anyway, the girl sort of halfheartedly apologized, and did not offer to pay for my cleaning. Of course I would have said no, because I was just wearing cotton (see: had not yet put on adorable coat) but she still should have offered.

Oh well. I've managed to dry out.

Celebrity Sighting!

2009-03-26T12:59:00.003-04:00

Over the weekend, I went to New York. I stayed with my cousin Anne Yvette, and met up with Molly to see In the Heights, which was fun. But the most exciting thing was on my flight home. Hillary Clinton was seated right behind me on the plane! I sat next to one of her Secret Service agents. In case you are wondering, Hillary drank tomato juice, and did not have a snack.

And, in answer to Amy's comment on my last post, I have no intention of discontinuing the blog. I know I've been a horrible poster so far in 2009. Work has been insane. I've been working since the first of the year in a different building, and working crazy hours. But, this week, that project ended, so things are calming down and going back to normal. Hopefully that means blog posting will too.

Dating Tips from the Princess

2009-03-02T10:20:00.004-05:00

Just a quick photo, totally unrelated to the story I am about to tell, of what I woke up to this morning. Snow! But I am still at the office.

Anyway. Last night I went to dinner with my friend Allison. We went to Jaleo, which is one of my favorite restaurants ever, anywhere in the world. Tapas. Yum. We hadn't even placed our order yet, when our waiter came over and said to Allison, "were you just telling her how you just got asked out?"

Allison said, "no, I was telling her about a sort-of stalker I have..."

Waiter replied, "Oh. Well, I am just about to go on my first date since my marriage ended and I'm a bit nervous..."

And Allison and I proceeded to give him tips. Well, mostly Allison did. My tip was "maybe you should have a drink before you go."

He seemed like a nice guy. I hope it works out for him. Although maybe he should stop inserting himself into his customer's conversations for dating tips.

No Time, No Time for Blogging!

2009-02-02T16:52:00.002-05:00

Still working like a maniac. In the meantime, here is a meme I stole from Adrianne to keep you semi-entertained. I'm considering starting a photo blog dealing with the horrors of corporate catering. Let's see what's for dinner tonight!

Use the first letter of your name to find a word for each of the following:

Your Name - Genevieve
Four letter word - gasp
Boy name - Geoffrey
Girl name - Georgia
Occupation - Geologist
Color - Green
Beverage - Grape juice
Something found in a bathroom -
A Place -
Reason for being late -
Food -
Something you shout -

And, I'm even out of ideas for the rest... can anyone help?

Is there some kind of award?

2009-01-24T12:32:00.003-05:00

For World's Worst Blogger? If so, then I think I win!

It's been so insanely busy around these parts, with working until 9 or 10 every night, and on the weekends as well. I'm at work right now, in fact. Though I am planning to leave at 2 to meet Alison to see Bride Wars. Which I am sure will not be good, but I don't care. It looks mindless, and mindless is good these days.

Last weekend, a blind fell off my bedroom window. I bought new ones, but I didn't manage to hang even one until last night. But as I was standing on a chair, drilling holes into the wall at 10:15 pm, I realized it might perhaps not be that polite to my neighbors to be drilling that late. So I finished hanging the one over the bare window with a screwdriver and brute force, but I still have three more to hang.

I did, however, get to go to the swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, thanks to a. my friend Nicole, who had an extra ticket, and b. a special holiday from work. I'll try to post photos soon.

New York

2009-01-07T11:45:00.003-05:00

I was in New York this weekend, and I stayed with my friend Martha. I've known Martha since we were 12. She's a great host - she was totally into doing any weird thing I suggested, so we went to the MTA Transit Museum and rode the Staten Island Ferry.

The Transit Museum is really fun - it's in an old subway station, and you can climb all over old subway cars. It would be a great place to go if you had kids with you.

Click here for more photos.

Catching up

2009-01-06T17:44:00.002-05:00

It's been oh-so-busy chez la princesse, with no signs of letting up any time soon. Work is nuts, my life is nuts, my parents and sister and her husband are coming next week, my friend Ana arrives from Brussels tomorrow, and I was in New York over the weekend visiting another friend from Brussels who was working out of the New York office last week.

BUT! While I was home in Louisiana over Christmas, my parents and I went to Laura Plantation, pictured above. If you ever find yourself with half a day to kill near New Orleans or Baton Rouge, I would highly recommend this tour. The guide was very informative, and the house and grounds are lovely. They didn't gloss over the bad parts, either. Click here for more photos of Laura Plantation.

Also? You will never guess, but I have actually finished knitting stuff! Click here to see those photos.

And stay tuned for New York photos, and Secret Pal updates!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-27T17:00:00.003-05:00

Hope everyone had a great holiday! I just got back from New Orleans, where I spent Christmas with my parents. Pictured above (all photos courtesy my cousin Lindsay) is my cousin Katie's son, Michael, at our family Christmas party on Christmas Eve. He was cracking everyone up with the glasses. My cousin Candace came, with her almost-three year old, Isaac, and her six-month old twins, Caleb and Sarah. So cute!

Sarah

And a drooly Caleb.

7 Sleeps 'til Christmas

2008-12-18T14:00:00.002-05:00

And after going to the Aimee Mann Christmas show on Tuesday, I am finally feeling Christmasy. (Must've been the talk of krav maga that did it.) I've been listening to holiday music online, but it's getting a bit repetitive. Anyone have a favorite online holiday music station to recommend?

I mean, I like All I Want for Christmas is You as much as the next girl, but honestly, there's only so much Mariah Carey one person can (or should!) take.

Gold Coast

2008-12-17T16:47:00.002-05:00

The last day of my vacation in Australia, we went to the Gold Coast. It was Schoolies week, which is pretty much what we called Beach Week growing up, except for the whole country, not just for the kids from DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Basically, any 18 year old who had just graduated high school was on the beach at the Gold Coast. And they can legally drink! And they were sunburnt!

This is the Gold Coast. Michael noted that mostly, we saw girls on the beach. I think the boys were still sleeping off the hangovers, or, watching weird sports like cricket and drinking more beer.

Note the high rises. I did not really find this to be an attractive beach.

Me at Surfer's Paradise. The orange signs are all for Schoolies... they say stuff like "be safe, watch your mates."

Melbourne

2008-12-10T14:40:00.002-05:00

The second day I was with Miss Paisley, we went into Melbourne. She asked me what I wanted to see. After quickly flipping though my guidebook, I announced I wanted to see the jail. So, off we went to visit the Melbourne gaol. (an aside: Paisley is the best hostess ever, totally indulging my demands to see weird things like "little penguins" and "jail.")

The Melbourne gaol (pictured above) was the hanging spot for Ned Kelly, famed bushranger, which I learned is like a stagecoach robber in the Old West. It actually was a very interesting tour, and I recommend it. If you are brave enough (I wasn't!) they will even arrest you and treat you as a real prisoner. I decided I'd rather eat pizza for lunch than jail food, thank you very much.

We also visited the Victoria State Library, and toured an art museum before I had to go back to Brisbane.

More photos here.

Phillip Island

2008-12-09T17:25:00.003-05:00

I didn't stay in Brisbane the whole time I was in Australia, I also got to go visit the delightful Paisley! She lives outside of Melbourne. I wanted to go see little penguins, so off we went to Phillip Island.

We had a lovely lunch of fish and chips, and we were joined by a flock of seagulls. One even was bold enough to swoop down and steal a chip out of Paisley's hand! After we finished, she was wrapping up our leftovers and the whole flock descended on the table, tearing apart the paper.

We went to a koala sanctuary (see: family of koalas pictured above), a chocolate factory, took a walk along the beach, and, oh yes, saw little penguins. I wasn't allowed to take photos as the flash damages their eyes, but rest assured, they are adorable. They are only 30 cm tall and navy blue instead of black. I love them.

Click here for more Phillip Island photos.

Brisbane

2008-12-05T14:54:00.003-05:00

Most of the time I was in Australia, I was in Brisbane. I was visiting my friend Michael, and that's where he lives now. (Well, if you know Brisbane, he actually lives in New Farm.)

Queensland is called the Sunshine State and it was quite warm. Brisbane is also sometimes called Brizvegas, which you can see in this sign. The sign was outside of the Contemporary Art Museum, which was a lovely, lovely building with not a lot of art inside.

Brisbane is a pretty small city. I feel like I saw everything I wanted to see within two days. But, I did get to go to a Ben Lee concert there! He was playing with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra which was very cool. Michael didn't want to go, but he even told me at the end it "wasn't awful" and while he's not a Ben Lee fan now, he's also not a Ben Lee hater anymore. That's a start, I guess.

Want more pictures of Brisbane? (There aren't many, to be honest!) Go here.

Australia!

2008-12-04T17:38:00.002-05:00

OK, let's get this bit out of the way. I loved Australia. I mean, can I move please?

This first group of photos is from Australia Zoo. Australia Zoo is Steve Irwin (the Crocodile Hunter)'s zoo. Despite the total cheese on the website, and whatever you may think of Bindi, I liked this zoo. Ok, yeah, pictured above is me with a statue of the Irwins, which is pretty silly, I admit. And overall, the zoo is on the smaller side as far as worldwide zoos I have visited go. But I got to pet a kangaroo! And a koala!

Click here if you want to see more zoo photos, including me petting the kangaroo and koala.

Post-Wedding Brunch

2008-12-04T17:11:00.003-05:00

Whew, and here is the last event of the wedding weekend, the post-wedding brunch at my parents' house. Pictured above are my cousin Anne Yvette and myself. More photos here.

Wedding Reception

2008-12-04T16:39:00.002-05:00

Reception photos here. You can see my bridesmaids' dress there, too. I actually liked it, but I'm not sure if I'll wear it again - it does sort of seem bridesmaid-y. I don't have any photos of the actual ceremony, since, well, I was double-fisting bouquets for a lot of the time, but if I get some I'll be sure to post them for you to see.

Rehearsal Dinner

2008-12-04T11:15:00.002-05:00

I'm back from Australia, which was amazing! I promise to have photos of the trip up soon, but I'm working in chronological order here, and I'm not quite done with my sister's wedding stuff. Hopefully I'll get something like 5 posts done today. (Slow day at the office)

Pictured above are my friend Jayne and myself, and the rehearsal dinner for Leslie's wedding. The dinner was at our cousin Katie's house. The food was great - all Louisiana favorites like gumbo and fried catfish and oysters, and a salad made of artichoke hearts and hearts of palm and tomatoes that I loved.

Click here to see more photos of the dinner.

Leslie's Bridal Brunch

2008-11-19T17:00:00.003-05:00

The day before my sister's wedding, there was a brunch at Brennan's, which is a famous French Quarter restaurant. This guy pictured above was making our dessert, bananas foster, which I guess was invented by Brennan's. Personally I'm not a huge fan but then again I don't really like cooked fruit. (I just ate the ice cream out of my dish.)

Click here for more photos.

Long Time, No Post!

2008-11-17T18:37:00.002-05:00

Sorry, dear readers, I was away for my sister Leslie's wedding, and then I had to go to southern Illinois last week for work, and horror of horrors, I had no internet access.

So, long delayed photos will be posted! Let's start with the bachelorette party. Pictured above are Natalie, me, my cousin Katie, Mandy, Jana, Paula, my sister Leslie, my sister Amanda, and my cousin Lindsay. The bachelorette party was a fairly low-key event. We had dinner at a lovely restaurant called Dante's Kitchen, and then went to a swanky bar for a drink before everyone decided they were exhausted and went home to sleep! Click here for more photos.

And I'll keep posting photos - four more parties to show you guys!

I'm also participating in Secret Pal 13! If you are my pal, click here for my questionnaire.

Home for 3 more nights, then I leave for Australia on Thursday!

Election Protection

2008-11-03T10:26:00.003-05:00

For the past few months, I've been doing pro bono work with the Election Protection hotline. It's part of the reason I've been so insanely busy, but I think it's important, and so does my office. They let me go over there during work hours.

It's a non-partisan hotline, and basically, people call and ask questions about early voting, registering, problems at the polls, whatever, and I try to answer the question. It's been really interesting and fun.

So, tomorrow, if you are at the polls and you have any sort of problem at all, or you think the lines are excessively long, or whatever, call! 1-866-our-vote. They are keeping track of every type of problem you report.

I'm leaving tomorrow to go to my sister's wedding in New Orleans, so I won't be the one answering the phone, but you will for sure get a trained legal professional.

Awesome!

2008-11-01T14:26:00.003-04:00

Spotted on my walk to yoga class this morning...

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T09:57:00.002-04:00

I've used this photo before in a Halloween post, but this week has been insanely busy, and I didn't have time to scan another one. Happy Halloween! Here's me (the tv), and my friends Suzi (the bear) and Kristin (the crayon) in our fifth grade Halloween parade.

Props to my dad for making the awesome costume! It's blue because I thought it should be. I never understood why electronics had to be black or silver, and finally, it seems the world has agreed with me. My new laptop is green!

New York, New York (and Brooklyn too)

2008-10-20T18:27:00.002-04:00

I had a great time in New York, even with spending a couple hours in a coffee shop in Brooklyn working on Sunday morning. Pictured above are me and my cousin Anne Yvette, waiting to eat pizza at Grimaldi's, which is fantastic pizza right under the Brooklyn Bridge. I highly recommend it. I also recommend dressing for the weather - you will have to wait outside in line. (We waited 45 minutes for lunch at 2:00 on a Sunday!) It was colder than I expected and I had to buy that green scarf from a guy on the street outside Central Park on Saturday. He said it is cashmere, but as I only paid $10 for it, I'm guessing it's probably kashmere. Which is fine, since I managed to drop a huge glob of cream cheese on it Sunday morning at breakfast.

Click here for more photos.

I Hate Motorcades

2008-10-17T10:58:00.002-04:00

Especially ones that make me late. After working until 10 last night, I was doing quite well and was on schedule to be a half hour earlier than my normal arrival time. (I've been swamped with work and pro bono commitments this week!) However, right when we were about to turn onto H Street and go past Lafayette Square (the square in front of the White House, in case you are not familiar with Washington geography) the bus came to a standstill.

Traffic! And police cars blocking the entrance to the street. I got off the bus, and decided just to walk, since it's not THAT far to the office from there. But when I got the entrance to the square, the cop wouldn't let me in. He told me to go north. I said I needed to go south. He said, "too bad!"

I ended up getting on the metro at Farragut West, and only being 15 minutes later than I anticipated. Had I known, I could have done that from the beginning. It's ridiculous not to let people WALK THROUGH A PARK. Seriously.

And I'm off to New York this weekend! I'm taking the bus, which allegedly has wifi on board. No movie poll because if the wifi rumors are true, I'll be doing work online, and if they are not, I'll be writing a petition, which I need to save to my laptop hard drive before I go.

Surprise

2008-10-14T15:43:00.002-04:00

Today is my mom's birthday. My sisters and I flew to New Orleans this weekend to celebrate with her. She was so surprised! My dad is not great at keeping secrets but he did a good job on this one. My mom said it was the first time ever he has managed to surprise her!

And, my sister Amanda got engaged yesterday! She is very happy so it's great news.

Meme

2008-10-08T11:07:00.003-04:00

From Bryony. I'm not tagging anyone but leave me a comment if you do it too so I can go read your answers!

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

That would have been the fall of 1998. I had just started law school, and I was living in New Orleans. I think it was the only semester I sort of liked law school. I did live in a really great apartment, for only $500/month! It was big, had nice windows, hardwood floors, a screened-in porch, and a driveway.

2. What are 5 things on my to-do list today?

1. Call the tailor to see when my dress will be ready.
2. Talk to Ana. (done)
3. Call American Express about FedEx tracking number. (done)
4. Email replies from yesterday's emails.
5. Work at pro bono clinic.

3. What snacks do I enjoy?

Mostly sweet things, like chocolate. But I also like popcorn a lot. But normally my snacks are boring - today's morning snack (which I may skip, if I'm not hungry) is an apple and the afternoon snack is a yogurt.

4. Where are some places I've lived?

New Orleans, Washington, San Antonio, Paris, Brussels.

5. What things would I do if I were a billionaire?

Pay off my student loans. Do I have to think past that? Give to charity. Buy a nice house in Georgetown and hire a driver so I didn't have to worry about the lack of public transportation there, then buy carbon offsets for all the driving. Set up trust funds so that none of my sisters and cousins would have to pay for school with loans. Work only when I felt like it. (volunteer basis?) Travel more.

I am excited!

2008-10-07T10:41:00.003-04:00

Because I am going to Australia for Thanksgiving. Yeah, yeah, I know they don't celebrate Thanksgiving there. But we do here, and I get two days off work for it.

I am sure my parents would rather I was at home for Thanksgiving, but as this will be my fourth Thanksgiving abroad (2 in France, 1 in South Korea) I'm pretty sure they are used to me saying, "Guess where I'm going for Thanksgiving!"

And I always go home for Christmas.

Yay!

Last Night

2008-10-03T09:57:00.004-04:00

I went to a concert with my friends Kate and Erin. Not just any concert, a New Kids on the Block concert. I am fairly embarrassed by this, but feel that you, my dear readers, would like to hear all about it.

I was a pretty huge New Kids fan in middle school and high school, despite my friend Martha's attempts to make me a cooler music listener. (Martha listened to such hip offerings as Souxie and the Banchees.) But, I had never actually been to a New Kids show before, mostly because they came to Washington in the summers, and I was always in New Orleans with my grandparents. And also, my parents didn't approve of the NKOTB obsession.

Anyway. The concert was terrible. And awesome. Seriously, having never been to a boy band concert before, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I also don't usually go to shows that take place in stadiums. We were all the way in the top rafters (for $78! Like I was going to pay MORE) and I got vertigo, but it was worth it.

I was also pleasantly surprised at how few songs I recognized and remembered the words to. (By the end of 12th grade, I actually had decent taste in music and had given up my pop music tendencies for the much more hip, now defunct, WFHS fm.)

Anyway, there were lots of costume changes, a rotating round stage in the middle of the audience, fireworks, and some screaming. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the evening.

Me: Do you think Joey waxes his chest?
Kate: Probably, but he's still cute.
Me: I'm just sayin', that shirt is unbuttoned pretty far down for that lack of hair to be natural...

Erin: I think I thought I was a much bigger New Kids fan than I actually am.
Me: Agreed.

Kate: Is Jordan gay?
Me: Not sure...

Later in the evening, after Jordan has ripped open his shirt and is standing in front of a wind machine...

Kate: Yes, wax was used.
Me: Yes, Jordan's gay. How did we not know that before?!

Kate: Why do they keep Jonathan around? He doesn't sing or dance...
Me: And who let Danny in the group? Is he, like, Donnie's best friend or something?

Erin: Why is Joey wearing a scarf?
Me: um, it's jaunty? My great-aunt Genevieve used to wear scarves like that...

Me: Does Donnie keep wearing a baseball hat with every outfit because he is balding?
Kate: YES.

Donnie: We just want to thank everyone for coming out. We're not sure why this tour has been such a success. Maybe everyone wants to pretend they are 15 again.
Me: Try 13, Donnie.
Erin: I was 8!!!

Erin took photos, so when she emails them to me I'll post them.

Who are they?!

2008-09-30T14:01:00.007-04:00

Besides me and my aunt... that leaves three unknowns!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
5
people with my name in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Hoi Polloi

2008-09-27T15:29:00.004-04:00

I was in the shower this morning, the only place I listen to the real radio, and I heard a commercial for Palm Beach. They were trying to entice you to visit, and their big selling point was that you could "hob knob like the hoi polloi" or something like that.

I got out of the shower, thinking, 'that's stupid. Hoi polloi means the masses. Why would I want to hob knob with the masses? Can you even hob knob with the masses?'

I went to yoga class, still thinking about this, so I called my dad after class to make sure I had the right definition of hoi polloi. He said, "No, it means the elite."

Well, clearly that is what the commercial thought it meant, but me, I still wasn't convinced. I googled it. I am right, but I also learned that a common misinterpretation of the word is the elite. And that you shouldn't say "the" hoi polloi, as hoi means the and you'd in essence be saying the the masses.

Now I sort of want to call the Palm Beach tourism board.

Just Wondering...

2008-09-26T16:21:00.001-04:00

What is proper e-etiquette? If you get an email that is clearly not meant for you, but you get it because the person hit reply to all instead of reply, should you read it?

OK, one thing if it is short, but if it's several paragraphs, and after the first, you can totally tell that it was an accidental reply to all, should you continue?

I'm sure you guys know me well enough to know what I did...

Food meme

2008-09-25T13:50:00.002-04:00

From Martha.

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you've eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. ~~Steak tartar~~ (aka filet americain in Belgium.)
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding (Didn't like it, but thanks Bryony for the introduction)
7. Cheese fondue
8. ~~Carp~~ (Giant goldfish? I don't think so.)
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. ~~Aloo gobi~~ (I had to google this one. I don't like curry.)
15. ~~Hot dog from a street cart~~ (Nothing to do with the street cart. I don't like hot dogs.)
16. Epoisses (it's possible I've already had this and don't know it. I've eaten a lot of cheese in France.)
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries (if you count strawberries I used to pick from our backyard. They were wild, though.)
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. ~~Brawn, or head cheese~~
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Not sure what happened to 29 and 30!
30.
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder
33. ~~Salted lassi~~ (thanks, google. Sounds gross.)
34. Sauerkraut (Do not like!)
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. ~~Oxtail~~
41. ~~Curried goat~~
42. ~~Whole insects~~ (on purpose? I've eaten bugs by accident...)
43. ~~Phaal~~
44. Goat's milk
45. ~~phaal~~
46. Fugu (pufferfish) (maybe. If I could be sure it wouldn't kill me.)
47. ~~Chicken tikka masala~~
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. ~~McDonald's Big Mac Meal~~ (Is it anti-American that I've never had one?)
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8%
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S'mores
62. ~~Sweetbreads~~
63. ~~Kaolin~~
64. ~~Currywurst~~
65. Durian
66. Frogs' legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. ~~Haggis~~
69. Fried plantain
70. ~~Chitterlings, or andouillette~~
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini (not with blini)
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost
75. ~~Roadkill~~
76. Baijiu (Chinese distilled alcohol)
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini (Cocktail)
81. Tom yumfoods
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant (I wish!)
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. ~~Horse~~ (I just couldn't get the picture of Black Beauty out of my head.)
90. Criollo chocolate
91. ~~Spam~~
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. ~~Rattlesnake~~

They Broke My Arm!

2008-09-24T15:47:00.002-04:00

Today I had lunch with my friends Erika and Colleen. Erika and I were walking back to our offices, and our path took us past the FBI building. As we were standing on the corner, waiting for a light to change, this woman came running past us, screaming, "THEY BROKE MY ARM!!!" And she was dragging a suitcase.

Her arm looked fine. We both thought she was talking to people who were walking behind us, but apparently, she was just talking. I don't know who the "they" is... I am guessing the FBI?

The woman then came up to us, and said, "They broke my arm!" Erika said, "Sorry." Then she said, "Please, can you call me a taxi?" I said, "We're on a busy street. One will come by that you can hail." (True.)

She then left us and went to ask another person to help her. Erika said, "Why do I feel like Gypsies are going to toss a baby at us?" The whole thing was surreal... I'm still not sure what was wrong with her, other than I think she was crazy.

If she really did have a broken arm, this story is going to make us sound very callous. I don't know, maybe we are too cynical. What would you have done?

Test Your Color Vision

2008-09-19T14:05:00.002-04:00

I got a zero. What'd you get?

http://www.xrite.com/custom_page.aspx?PageID=77

(Be careful. It made me a little dizzy!)

Concert Etiquette

2008-09-18T15:27:00.003-04:00

Last night, I went to an Indigo Girls concert (Missy Higgins opened) in Baltimore with my friends Erika and Erin. It was a great show, and we had a lot of fun. But we noticed some odd behavior, and I think it might be time to re-visit Genevieve's Rules of Concert Attendance. (I may have added some new ones on here.)

1. No talking while music is playing, even if it is "just" the opening band. Sometimes, people actually LIKE the opening bands.

2. If it is a GA show, and you have not gotten there early enough to get a good spot, no wiggling your way up to the front.

3. Please, for the love of all that is holy, do not keep taking pictures with your flash right in my eyeball. (Plus, what is UP with all the picture taking? Take one or two. Do you need one of each song?)

4. No making out, especially if you end up backing in to other people because they have no place else to move. This should probably be a general rule for being out in public, as well.

5. If you are right in the middle of the floor, try to do your beer purchasing/trash tossing/bathroom using all at the same time. It's really annoying if you keep pushing in and out of the crowd.

That's all I've got. Anyone have anything to add?

One to avoid.

2008-09-17T15:35:00.002-04:00

Last night I went to a screening of Nights in Rodanthe, the new movie based on a book by Nicholas Sparks. I don't read his books, but I liked the movie of The Notebook, so I thought, why not.

This movie was AWFUL. I mean, really, really bad. The parts that were supposed to be romantic had people rolling in the aisles with laughter. I decided it was one of the top three worst movies I've seen all year, and I said if someone threatened me with an extremely sadistic form of torture and made me chose one of the three to watch again, it wouldn't be this one for sure. (The other two? Sex Drive and 10,000 B.C., if that tells you anything about how bad this one is.)

Possibly the worst part, though, was that Nicholas Sparks was there, and he did a question and answer afterwards. I think he was trying to be funny, but he came across as super full of himself. For example, someone said, "How do you feel about being a man who writes romance novels?" and he said, "I don't write romance novels; I write Greek tragedies." And then compared himself to Hemmingway and Shakespeare.

We had to sneak out during his talk as I couldn't take it anymore!

What's the worst movie you've seen all year?

(Yogurt) Thief in our Midst

2008-09-12T15:03:00.003-04:00

I like to eat yogurt as my afternoon snack, especially if I am going to the gym after work (like tonight) because it fills me up for that hour. Lately, though, if I put the yogurt in the office fridge's door, someone will eat it.

At first I thought it was a mistake. I mean, probably a lot of people eat Activia mixed berry yogurt (yeah, I always eat the same brand and flavor... I really like it!) and maybe they legitimately thought it was theirs.

But come on. I think approximately 10 yogurts have gone missing in the past two months. That is not a mistake. And they never take someone else's strawberry-banana Activia. (because, well, yuck.)

So today I put my name on a post-it, stuck it on the lid, and put the whole thing in the fridge door. When I went in the kitchen around 1:00 to fix my lunch? My yogurt was gone! Even with my name on the lid!

I need a nanny cam. Or, possibly, to start keeping my yogurts in a paper bag in the fridge, instead of in the door.

I Voted.

2008-09-09T15:02:00.002-04:00

To answer (or try!) the Aussie questions from yesterday - the election I voted in today was a primary election. Here in the District, we have three official parties, the two I'm sure you have heard of, the Democrats and the Republicans, and the D.C. Statehood Green Party. I'm a member of the Deomcratic party, but if there is no democrat running for a particular office in a general election, I will vote Statehood Green.

Anyway. In the primaries, we are only voting on our party's candidate. So, for some offices, there is only one name, and for some offices, there are several and you have to chose who you want to represent you in the general election. To vote in the primaries, you must be registered with a party (not registered independant) and you can only vote on your party's ballot. (Like, I couldn't walk in and ask to vote on the Republican ballot today.)

We were not voting on the presidential candidate; that was already decided. Today we were voting on Congressional offices and state party representatives. You may think it's odd we vote for Congressional offices, since, well, we have no representation in Congress, but we do have a non-voting Representative, and we have a shadow Senator and Representative, who are all ready to jump in the second we are named full citizens of our own country.

I think I've already discussed why I think it's important to vote, but it can't hurt to talk about it again. First of all, way back in the 1700s, people died so that I could have representation. Then, there were the suffragettes, who were willing to die and be force fed through tubes and thrown in the slammer so that I could vote. In my opinion, not voting is the same as telling these brave people that what they did wasn't worth it.

Finally, as a resident of the District of Columbia, I pay federal taxes (just like every other American) but I don't have a Senator or a Congressional Representative who can vote (unlike most other Americans, but hey, at least Puerto Rico is choosing to be this way!). Yes, I am taxed but not represented, the very thing we fought a revolutionary war against. But in my opinion, if I don't vote, I'm basically saying that I don't care about all that. District residents should vote, in every election, no matter how small, order to show the government that we are just as able as residents of states to govern ourselves.

Time to Vote

2008-09-08T11:39:00.003-04:00

I have to vote tomorrow, apparently. I didn't even realize we were having an election until I got the voter's guide in the mail.

The voter's guide, though, does not contain info on all the offices or candidates. Anyone know anything about Obama for Change, Obama for DC, Obama4UnityBeatsMcCain, or Obama's Ward One Democrats?

With nothing better to go on, I'm thinking of NOT voting for anyone in Obama4UnityBeatsMcCain, because I don't like the "4" and the fact that it's all one word.

In case you weren't sure, I'm voting in the Democratic Primary.

Apparently, the photo of fall I posted last week was misleading.

2008-09-05T10:01:00.003-04:00

Because it's still really, really hot. Like, in the 90s hot. And the air conditioner in the bedroom broke. It started leaking all over the inside of the apartment, causing some pretty severe water damage underneath the window. So I had to turn it off.

Since then, I've been sleeping on the living room couch, because at least the living room air conditioner still works. (Even though it didn't go below 78F/25C last night by the time I went to sleep. That's still better than no air conditioner!) Though last night, I decided I was tired of sleeping all curled up on the couch, and I opened up the futon.

It was amazing! I slept so much better, and I'm feeling much more rested today. What is wrong with me? Why didn't I think of that before?

But still. Let's hope the temperature drops soon, and I can move back to the bedroom. I don't want to buy a new air conditioner now, considering it's September...

California!

2008-09-03T10:48:00.002-04:00

I went to visit my friend Amy this weekend. She lives in Petaluma, which is in Sonoma County. We toured a bunch of vineyards and tasted a lot of wine! Amy also has a 4 month old baby, Aidan, who is very cute and does not cry nearly as much as she lead me to believe.

Click here to see more photos. And if you've seen Bottle Shock, yes, that's the Chateau Montelena from the movie.

Halloween House

2008-08-29T10:13:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I was on the bus, driving on 16th Street. 16th Street has a lot of really large, really lovely houses. We passed one that was made of stone, with a really big front yard, and a nice assortment of fall leaves lying in the grass. For some reason, I thought, "Oh! Look! A Halloween house."

I don't know what a Halloween house is, but this one just made me think that it was the perfect house for trick-or-treating. And it got me in the mood for fall holidays!

I wish I had taken a picture, but alas, the bus did not stop for me to snap one.

District Love

2008-08-27T09:48:00.002-04:00

Spotted on my way to the bus stop this morning.
And look what else I spied! Is it fall already? I hope so!

Movie Poll!

2008-08-26T14:39:00.002-04:00

I'm going to California this weekend to visit Amy and baby Aidan! As usual, I have some weird netflix choices. I've already seen Prince Caspian, but you can vote for it anyway... it's the movie being shown by Delta.

No puedo leer en espanol

2008-08-22T16:50:00.002-04:00

I finished reading Twilight last night, and of course, I wanted New Moon right away. So I checked online, and it turns out the library near the office had it in stock! Hooray!

I went over there at lunchtime, and went straight for the Young Adult section. No New Moon. The librarian asked if he could help me, and I told him what I was looking for. He said, "Oh, we don't have that." I said "um, ok, well, the internet catalog says you do." He says, "well, I have Luna Nueva if you want to read it in Spanish."

Nice try, library dude. My Spanish is just not that good. I think I'm more at the Buenas Noches Luna reading level than the Luna Nueva reading level.

Stop the Insanity!

2008-08-20T18:29:00.004-04:00

I just heard on the radio that United is going to start charging for meals on TRANSATLANTIC flights out of Washington Dulles. What? That is, at minimum, a six hour flight if you are flying to London. (United does not fly to Shannon or Dublin, at least not from Dulles.)

Come on. At some point, I think it would be better just to raise the ticket prices and stop making people pay extra for every. little. thing. It makes something that's already not fun even more miserable. Bad enough you have to travel through Heathrow, then you have to pay for the horrible food to go along with it.

If I were flying EasyJet across the ocean, sure, I'd expect to pay for meals. But United? The one who keeps advertising during the Olympics, promoting their new international first and business classes? I guess if you're flying economy, they just don't care. If only I weren't loyal to StarAlliance... (remind me to complain later about how they are taking away all the perks of being a premium frequent flyer.)

Sigh. I guess next time I take a transatlantic flight in economy I'll pack my own dinner. It'll be just like taking the bus to New York!

Anyone know how fast the boat can get me to Europe?

Olympics Obsession

2008-08-19T10:18:00.002-04:00

True confessions: I have a slight Olympics obsession. Me, the girl who doesn't watch sports. I will watch nearly anything if it's on the Olympics. Although I must confess to being a bit sick of beach volleyball. It's on, what, everyday? When does that end?

Last night I watched a tearful Nastia Liuken accept her silver medal. She was trying her best to be a good sport but you could tell she just wasn't happy with winning silver. Honestly, who can blame her... I'm still not sure I understand how that tie-breaker was figured out.

I also watched trampoline last night! Is that actual gymnastics, or rhythmic gymnastics?

Question of the day: If you had to go into the Olympics today, as yourself, no time to train, what sport would you chose? Me, I think speedwalking, though there are strong arguments for badminton as well.

Home Improvements, Part 1

2008-08-08T10:47:00.004-04:00

As I mentioned yesterday, I've been doing some home improvements this summer. (Remember when I stepped in paint? Good times.) Anyway, I got this cabinet from West Elm this week. It's actually my Christmas present from my parents! Yeah. Christmas, 2007.

Anyway, getting it home was quite the ordeal. The store wanted to charge me $125 for delivery, so I said no way! I asked the guy if the box would fit in a taxi and he said yes, because it was a flat pack.

Oddly enough, the box didn't fit. Luckily, I had the nicest cab driver in the city, and not only did he not yell at me, he helped me figure out how to solve the problem. We ended up taking all the pieces out of the box and stacking them in the cab.

Then, after Allison helped me get all the pieces upstairs, I tried to put it together. It said it took two people to put it together. I had already sent Allison home, saying, "Oh, I don't need help! I've put together Ikea stuff before that said it took two people!" Um. Yeah. After about an hour of struggles and not getting past step two, I called Allison back and asked if she could help me.

She came back over last night. I bought her dinner in exchange for her labor, and voila! There's a new cabinet in the dining room. Yes, the outlet on the wall is crooked. Nothing I can do about that; it came that way. Also, why it's right in the middle of the wall like that, I have no idea. Please ignore the mess on the table. Cleaning comes later in the home improvement process...

Also? Wanna see what I got in the mail?

Bad Blogger

2008-08-07T10:03:00.003-04:00

Wow, have I been slacking on the blogging lately or what? This summer has just been super busy, both at work and at home, for some reason. And I'm actually home this summer, unlike last summer, when I was living in Belgium.

Anyway, last night I left the office, and I ran into my friend Eric. Actually, he saw me, and was waving to me from across the street, but it wasn't until he yelled out "Genevieve!" that I noticed him. Caught in my own world, I guess. Eric has moved from Washington to, well, this summer he was touring with John Mayer, registering voters, and he's moving to Thailand in three weeks. So I definitely wasn't expecting to see him in Washington!

I've also been doing a bit of home improvement works. Expect photos soon, as soon as I remember to take them in the daylight.

Meme

2008-07-30T17:19:00.002-04:00

Stolen from Molly!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car)
Jacques No Car
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie)
Chocolate Chocolate Chip (that is not a good gangsta name!)
3. YOUR "FLY Guy/Girl" NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name)
G-Mor
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal)
Green Unicorn
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)
Lynn New Orleans
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first)
Morge
7. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The" + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink)
The Pink Coke
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)
Elmer Richard
9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy)Lavender Chocolate
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother's & father's middle names )
W Lynn
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter)
Fisk Frankfurt
12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower)
Autumn Lily
13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you're wearing right now + "ie" or "y")
Grape Dressie
14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree)
Burrito Willow
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: ("The" + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + "Tour")
The Knitting Rain Tour

Good bye, Old Friend

2008-07-29T10:24:00.002-04:00

Pictured above is my car. Or, what was my car. I donated it today to WAMU.

I loved my car. My parents bought it for me as a college graduation present. But it was old. Really old. 21, in fact. In car years, that's like 97. (I think. My math is not very specific or good.) It needed a whole new electrical system, to the tune of $3000+. And it had been hit a zillion times. It also needed the oil changed and the insurance bill was due, and I just decided I didn't need to keep it anymore.

I had been thinking for a while that I would get a new car. But then I sort of thought more about it. I don't use the car more than once a week, and then only to run errands and stuff. I probably don't really need a car. It's just, I'm American, right? And Americans have cars. But I decided that isn't a good enough reason to buy another car if I don't need it.

So for now, I'm going to use Zipcar, which I've been using for over a year anyway, for those times when I wanted air conditioning or um, headlights that work or something crazy like that. It's been working pretty well for me.

I will miss my car, but I feel good about this decision.

Marrakesh

2008-07-22T17:32:00.002-04:00

So, Saturday night I went to the birthday party at the Moroccan restaurant, right? It was a pretty big adventure!

Around 8:15, I left the office and met my friend Alison at the metro, and we shared a cab over there. Good thing I had written down the address! The restaurant had no name on the door. Just something written in Arabic (maybe it said Marrakesh, but I can't read Arabic!) and a number. We went up to the door and it was locked, so Alison knocked with the giant door knocker, and we were let in.

(Yes. I SO should have had my camera for this excursion. I do apologize)

We were introduced by the hostess to others in the lobby, being told that they were here for Sharon's birthday party too. After a few minutes, we were taken to a separate club room, complete with dance floor and disco ball. We were seated at small sofas with little gold coffee tables.

Alison thought there were going to be about 12 people at the party. We found out from one of the people we came in with that there were going to be 25! She had taken it upon herself to invite 12 or so of her closest friends. Oh, and she failed to tell them that it was actually a birthday party.

People started showing up, and after a little while, a belly dancer came in and danced for about 30 minutes. She was really good. Around 9:45 or so we finally got started with the dinner portion of the evening. I was starved - I hadn't eaten since noon!

The dinner was a set course thing - your only choices were meat or vegetarian, then beef or lamb? The whole table had to agree on beef or lamb. (We let Sharon decide, since it was her birthday, after all.) The food was ok - nothing spectacular. The couscous in particular was not good. It was wet.

About halfway through our meal, something hit my leg. I sort of ignored it, thinking it was knocked off our table or something. But then things kept hitting us. It turns out the 12 extra friends? Were throwing bits of balled up bread. When the bread got taken away they started throwing raisins, potatoes, whatever they could get their hands on. I have never in my life been involved in a food fight (and I still don't think this counts, as I did not throw food back! Just was hit several times by rogue raisins and bread balls).

I got home around 1 am. The whole evening was a bit bizarre, but I really hope Sharon had a nice time.

In the Office on a Saturday

2008-07-19T15:23:00.002-04:00

And I am pretty sure the air conditioning isn't on full on the weekends. It's a gazillion degrees outside, but only half a gazillion inside, so I'm surviving. I've got a cup of cold water on my desk next to me.

Don't feel too bad for me. Before coming to the office, I got to see this, which was pretty cool, and actually, just the way I like my museum exhibits. Small and not super crowded. And tonight I'm going here for dinner, complete with belly dancing.

So, not such a bad life after all, considering!

A Summer Tradition

2008-07-18T11:16:00.004-04:00

Last night I went to Wolf Trap, which is the national park for the performing arts in Virginia. We saw the Indigo Girls, and Brandi Carlile opened for them. I'd heard some of her stuff before, but never live, and I really liked her! The video above is of my favorite song that she played, but it's not from our show. Someone else posted it from a concert they went to. At our show, she said she wrote the song for her niece. I can't stop listening to it.

Movie on the Mall

2008-07-15T10:13:00.004-04:00

Last night my friend Nicole and I went to Screen on the Green. It's a free weekly movie screening outside on the Mall during the summer, which is pretty cool when you think about it. This was the view from where we sat - the movie screen and the Capitol building behind it.

It's easy to forget that I live in a pretty great city. Views like this remind me of that.

Architecture Tour

2008-07-11T10:13:00.005-04:00

I've done a bit of touring lately of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.

When I was in Phoenix, despite getting so sick and ending up in the emergency room, we still managed to go to Taliesin West, which is an architecture school. Very cool. It's in the middle of the desert, and I guess during the heat of the summer FLW and the whole school would pack up and go back to Taliesin in Wisconsin.

We had a fabulous tour guide, Dave. Which helped, because there were some super annoying people on the tour.

Last weekend Mandy and I went to see the Pope-Leighey House, which is a Usonian house in Alexandria, just outside of Washington.

Usonian houses were designed and built for the middle class. The idea is that everyone should be able to afford style and still be able to live comfortably. The house is quite small - 2 bedrooms, one bathroom, 1200 square feet. The living room is the biggest room of the house, because you are supposed to spend your time with the family, and not locked away in your bedroom.

I love love love this house. National Historic Trust, are you interested in selling??

Click here to see more photos.

Not a good start to a day

2008-07-09T11:29:00.001-04:00

This morning I decided I wanted a Coke, so I stopped to get one. The fountain sprayed Coke all over me! It was too much to get off with the Tide pen, so I decided I could either go to Macy's and buy new clothes, or take a taxi home and change. I thought Macy's would be quicker, so I'm now wearing a new white shirt and a new red skirt.

I like the new clothes, but it's not exactly how I (or my bank account) planned to start my Wednesday.

Maybe someone is telling me not to drink Coke in the mornings.

An Incident with Paint

2008-07-07T09:38:00.002-04:00

I painted two walls in my living room this weekend. One wall I had done last weekend. So there's one left to go. But...

I accidentally stepped off the ladder straight into the paint tray! Luckily there were drop cloths down and also a plastic bag right near by. I stepped on the plastic bag and scooted into the kitchen, where I cleaned myself off. Amazingly enough, I managed NOT to get paint on the floor.
And here is a finished wall. The paint is actually much closer to the color on my foot, more blue, less grey, but you get the idea.

It's 10:30 at night

2008-06-30T22:33:00.003-04:00

and someone is outside jackhammering or something. Some sort of very loud thing that sounds like a jackhammer. I can hear it even over my air conditioning and fans.

Is it me, or is that unreasonable at this hour? And, who jackhammers in the dark? And I'm pretty sure it's still raining, too.

I think if it doesn't stop by 11 I will have to call 311.

Not my birthday anymore

2008-06-25T09:54:00.002-04:00

Officially. The balloon the office gave me, which has been hanging out on my bookcase since May 12, is sadly deflated.

Time to move on!

Andie and Seth Got Married

2008-06-23T13:34:00.002-04:00

It was a really fun wedding. The location was really lovely - it was on Lake Travis, in Austin, and it looked like an Italian villa. (or a Mexican hacienda... there were conflicting opinions.)

Yesterday, there was a post-wedding brunch/pool party at my aunt Ritamay's house, which was also very fun, although I somehow missed a lot of my back with the sunblock and am now suffering a small sunburn. I'll live.

Click here to see more photos. The dress I am wearing is the one I bought outlet shopping last weekend.

Movie Poll

2008-06-19T14:09:00.002-04:00

I'm going away again this weekend, this time to my cousin Andrea's wedding in Austin. So, 2 approximately three hour flights. I don't have many good DVD choices from Netflix at home right now, so it's a somewhat limited poll.

ABC Meme

2008-06-18T15:14:00.002-04:00

Stolen from Trashy.

Accent- Erm, doesn't everyone? So, depending on where I am and what language I'm speaking. I've been told when I speak French my accent is "cute" and "beautiful... like John Malkovich." (still trying to work out what that means, exactly!)

Breakfast? - yes, every day

Chore I don't like- would it be easier to tell you the ones I do like? Grocery shopping and laundry. I've got a housekeeper to do the rest of it.

Dog or Cat- I like dogs better but I've got no pets.

Essential electronic- internet... the blackberry is great for portable internet. and my iPod!

Favorite Cologne- I like lavender.

Gold or Silver- I prefer silver color, so silver or platinum or white gold.

Handbag I carry most often- Nearly always have my Kipling messenger bag with me. When I don't, and I have a smaller bag, I switch it up.

Insomnia- nope

Job Title- staff attorney

Kids- none

Living arrangements- I live in a one bedroom, 3rd floor walk-up apartment

Most admirable trait- loyalty

Naughtiest Childhood Trait- I have a feeling I was quite bossy. I have a feeling I still can be.

Overnight Hospital Stays- when I was born, I don't think any other times.

Phobias- heights

Quote- Can't think of one... I don't collect quotes or anything.

Reason to smile- chocolate

Siblings- 2 sisters

Time to wake up- round 8.

Unusual talent or skill- I can read really fast.

Vegetables I Refuse to eat- fennel. Is it a vegetable? I also dislike endive.

Worst Habit- ask my mom, I'm sure she could tell you!

X-rays- teeth every, what, 2 years, at the dentist? no others that I can think of.

Yummy Stuff- chocolate. really, must you ask?

Zoo animals I like the most- I like our baby panda at the National Zoo, though he's not much of a baby anymore. And I really dig pygmy hippos.

A Tip for my Readers

2008-06-16T22:30:00.003-04:00

If you ever need to go outlet shopping, might I recommend Father's Day as an excellent choice of days to go?

The world's largest (ok, probably not, but it's really really huge) outlet mall was not crowded at all yesterday. And miracle of miracles, I managed to find not one but two dresses. One I wore to work today, the other will be worn at my cousin Andie's wedding on Saturday.

I pretty much shop online, because I really dislike going to malls. If I really need something, I'll run to Macy's by the office and pick it up. I tried online shopping for this wedding outfit - I had ordered three dresses from three different companies. Two got shipped back, because they looked terrible on me. One I kept, but it wasn't right for the wedding.

For some reason, I decided the thing to do for this wedding outfit was to get a car, drive to the biggest mall I could think of, and shop until I found something.

Luckily for me, it actually worked this time.

Photos will come next week.

Adventures on the Bus, #3456

2008-06-13T16:56:00.002-04:00

I've got two of them to share!

On Wednesday, I was sitting at the bus stop, and this kid came up and sat on the bench with me. He looked to me about 15. About a minute after he sat down, he started smoking a cigarette. Then he pulled out his cell phone and called a girl. I know it was a girl because at one point he said, "You can't be seein' no other dudes! You my baby mama!" And later in the conversation, he asked the baby mama how old another girl that they knew was and whether she was a virgin. (She was 14, and yes.)

I have to say, I was shocked. I think I am still somewhat naive and innocent about things like this. I know, realistically, that kids like this exist, but it's so far from the way I grew up that I just can't get my head around it.

Anyway, this morning, the power was out! Over about thirty blocks of the city! I was at a doctor's appointment and a colleague emailed me to tell me to avoid the metro as a bunch of stations were closed, so I hiked back to the bus stop and took the bus to the office. A bunch of street lights were out, and there were cops directing the traffic. I still have no idea what happened.

Power in my office? On. Power across the street? Off.

Please Help, Ugly Chair!

2008-06-09T13:20:00.002-04:00

This is what I stare at all day long. This chair, in my office for guests to use, and the pattern reminds me of one of Zach Morris's sweaters! (Zach Morris of Saved by the Bell fame, in case you're not sure.) Someone else I know had the same patterned chair, and she just replaced it with a new chair from Ikea. I guess this is possible, as I am planning to go to the Ikea mall next weekend, but I think I'd rather not buy furniture if I don't have to. Anyone have any clever ideas with how to change up the Zach Morris guest chair before I go insane?

Also, I've been knitting! Click here to see what I've been up to.

Volunteering for Tips

2008-06-06T10:43:00.004-04:00

I volunteer at a theatre, and my favorite task there is to work the bar. I love it! I'm sure I wouldn't love it if it were my job, and I don't love the weird men who try and flirt with me, but for the most part, I love pouring bad wine (I always fill the glass to the very top, because I think $5 for a glass of bad wine is a bit of a rip-off) and getting cookies and making change.

Lately, though, people have been trying to tip me! I wonder if they think working the bar at the Folger is my job. I wonder if they have been conditioned by Starbucks to tip. I always say "Oh, no thank you, I'm a volunteer," but lately, they've been more and more insistent. Last night, I started saying my "no thank you" bit, but I only got to "I'm a volun..." and the guy said "shhhhh!" and pressed a dollar into my hand.

I dropped it into the cash box with the rest of the money, as I do with all my tips. Consider it payment for the mint chocolate squares I ate last night.

New Orleans

2008-06-02T15:34:00.002-04:00

I know, it's been over a week since my last post! I'm sorry. I went to New Orleans this weekend. Above is pictured my sister Leslie, with her incredibly neat pile of crawfish remains. I have never known anyone else stacks crawfish like this!

Click here to see photos of the party we went to on Saturday night. And I promise to try and post Phoenix photos this week too!

Movie Poll!

2008-05-21T11:07:00.001-04:00

I'm going to Phoenix this weekend to visit my friends Matt & Angela. It's a long flight... pretty much the same distance as flying to London from Washington. They show one movie on the flight, but the one for the way there is Seabiscuit, which I've already seen. So I didn't include it in the poll.

Around the World in 6 Hours

2008-05-20T13:32:00.003-04:00

Saturday, Mandy, Alison and I went on tours of several embassies, including Peru, Australia, Madagascar, and Japan.

Pictured above is me in the Peru queue, holding a gift bag and a Coke from Trinidad & Tobago.

It was a super cool event! Click here if you want to see more photos.

Hooray for birthdays!

2008-05-19T12:39:00.002-04:00

I had a birthday party this weekend at home. Thanks to everyone who was able to attend!

I got many compliments on my dress, my necklace, and my earrings. Dress: from Target. Necklace: from Claire's. Earrings: from Argentina. It's amazing that the things I spend the least amount of money on are the things that generate frequent compliments.

Wanna see more photos? Click here.

Will wonders never cease?!

2008-05-16T10:04:00.003-04:00

If you don't live in Washington, you may not understand why this is so exciting and/or interesting to me! I got on a green line metro train last night. And this is what I saw:

Tile floor! No icky carpet with old gum ground in to it!
And handles! To hold on to! I still think they are too high up for 5'2" me to reach, but for those of you of a normal height, this is probably cool. Of course, it didn't stop people from congregating near the door, but what can you do.

It's almost like New York! What's next? Bench style seating? Station stops in places I actually need to go, like my neighborhood?

Birthday Recap

2008-05-13T10:50:00.002-04:00

My parents and my grandmother gave me a new camera for my birthday, and I wanted to try it out. So, below, photos of other presents I received! I'm having a party at home on Saturday, too, which should be fun.

Amy sent me a cute journal, nice smelling soap, and solid perfumes.
Erin sent these napkins, which are lovely, and a CD, which I don't have a photo of since it was already at the office.
Paisley made me this really cool bag and sent Tim Tams! Considering I just ate my last Tim Tam on Sunday, it could not have been better timing.

Thank you, everyone! I love it all.

Today is my birthday.

2008-05-12T09:55:00.003-04:00

and, despite the fact that it's pouring rain and my bedroom ceiling is about to fall down (again), I'm set to have a great day. I'm wearing a new dress, purchased yesterday. I'm meeting Colleen for a Thai lunch. I'm meeting Jayne for a meat-on-swords dinner. (and what could be better than meat on swords?!) I'm having cake at the office. I've gotten lovely presents from my family and friends.

Oh! And go wish a happy birthday to Paisley, too. We have the exact same birthday, down to the year.

Sarah wrote my post today.

2008-05-09T14:44:00.002-04:00

It's cold and rainy here in Washington today, which is draining me of all creativity.

So instead, may I direct you to Sarah's blog? She wrote about me today.

Disney World Part 2

2008-05-07T13:59:00.002-04:00

Photo by Disney Professional Photographer dude

Me, Mickey, Amanda, Leslie, and Minnie. We are laughing because Minnie wanted us to pose like she is. Click here to see the rest.

Disney World!

2008-05-06T17:08:00.002-04:00

Photo by Leslie

I went to Disney World this weekend with my sisters. Above, Amanda and me wearing bug eyes for the It's Tough to be a Bug show at Animal Kingdom. Click here to see more Animal Kingdom photos, and I will post Magic Kingdom photos later this week.

I also love my hair salon.

2008-05-02T10:12:00.002-04:00

I got my hair cut last night. Since my appointment was at 7, I came straight from the office, but I got there a bit early. When I checked in with the receptionist, I told her I was a bit early, and she looked at me, and said, "Well... can I offer you a beer while you wait?"

Awesome. I already loved my hair salon, because I think Anna (the girl who cuts my hair) does a great job and is just pretty cool, and they have a 2 week guarantee on haircuts (if you don't like something, come back within two weeks and they will fix it for free), so this was just an added bonus.

If anyone lives in Washington and needs a new place for a haircut, I can't recommend this place enough.

Things I love about Washington, #45

2008-05-01T14:35:00.001-04:00

I went to a movie last night. At the French Embassy. With a wine and cheese reception afterwards. Granted, the wine was bad, so bad I could only drink two sips of it, then passed it to Jayne, saying, "SMELL! It even SMELLS bad!" but still. I was drinking bad wine at the French Embassy.

At the Junior League Headquarters last night...

2008-04-30T09:51:00.001-04:00

Annie: Oh, I knew her, she was in my pledge class... I mean, new member class.
Heidi: It's OK, we all try to pretend this isn't a sorority, but really it... kind of... (looks at me)
Me: is.

Movie Poll!

2008-04-29T11:31:00.002-04:00

I'm going to Disney World this weekend with my sisters! Which means another flight. I have some fairly lame choices from netflix, and one borrowed from a friend. Vote away. Also, if anyone has Disney World recommendations (we're doing Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom) please leave them in the comments!

What movie should I watch on my flights?
	Maid of Honor
	Leolo
	The Boys
	Ballykissangel: Series 3
	Charmed: Season 8
	Prince Caspian

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What movie should I watch on my flight this weekend?
	Charmed: Season 8
	Veronica Mars: Season 1
	Spirited Away
	The Notebook

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What movies should I watch on my flights this weekend?
	Charmed Seasons 7 & 8 (only one episode left in season 7 for me!)
	Veronica Mars season 1
	Down to Earth
	The Notebook
	The Great Debaters

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What movie should I watch on my flight?
	Charmed: Season 7
	The Notebook
	The Fabulous Baker Boys
	Spy Kids 2
	Veronica Mars: Season 1

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