Hickory Dah

Do you know who Andy Williams is?

If you’re a grown-up reading this blog (and by grown up, I mean, someone older than 40) you probably do.

But if you’re a “millennial” grown-up, like me, you probably don’t. Well, you might not know him by name, but you WILL know his voice, especially if you listen to the Pandora Christmas station. And if you’re anything like me, you had no idea that this guy singing “So whoop-de-doo and hickory dah” was such a big deal.  I certainly didn’t, until my mom visited me and turned on Andy William’s Christmas special on PBS.

This Andy Williams Christmas Special blew my mind.  I'm still struggling trying to figure out anyone or anything to compare him to in our current entertainment scene. Not even Justin Beiber is this cuddly and innocent. Anyways, let me try to explain what I mean: Andy Williams was a pop star. And every year, he did a Christmas Special that was broadcast on national TV. And in this Christmas special, he and a supporting cast sang Christmas carols on a tacky sound stage wearing tacky costumes. Sometimes there was a coordinated, Broadway-esque dance scene --or!-- choreographed ice skating! to go along with the singing. And then, there were times when he would just be sitting on a couch snuggling with his wife and kids, singing Christmas carols.

 

And apparently, the American public gobbled up this corny goodness for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My mom said that you simply DID NOT MISS THE ANDY WILLIAMS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL. It was just what everybody watched. And everybody loved. For more than a decade!

"This was the era when there were only three channels on TV, and they went off at midnight," she remembered. "If something like this was on, you watched it! People couldn't believe they had this kind of entertainment in their houses, for free!"

I confess that I started watching this show sarcastically. I had a "get a load of this, it's so LAME" attitude. But when my mom went to change the channel after about 20 minutes, I heard a voice say "Stop! leave it on..." and it was ME! Something about that show had totally enchanted me, and dare I say it, inspired the warm fuzzies. I found myself so happy to just be sitting there with my mom, bundled in a blanket, watching something so PURE and HAPPY and KIND. There just isn't anything like it anymore, and now I get why old people think our country is going to the dogs and young people are all miscreants. I mean, my favorite TV shows are about zombies, drunk guidos, adulterous advertising executives, and psychotic self-centered brides. What IS wrong with America?

So, in the spirit of Christmas, and an ode to my mother's visit, I give you Andy Williams, everyone. Enjoy, and I won't judge you if you accidentally love it.

Just try not to be obsessed:

 

Peace and Love.

Aventuras, Actualmente.

This blog, and its title, was born in 2008, when I went to Spain to study abroad. Spain was the first time I fully immersed myself in the Spanish language. It was also my first life experience where I felt really, truly uncomfortable and out of my element every single day. Someone once told me that living through another language is like using a prosthetic limb: you can get by, but it's awkward, and you can never quite feel 100% of what is going on.

Despite my "Aventuras" in Spain being one of the most challenging chapters of my life, it was also incredibly special. Learning a second language has been the one of the best decisions of my life. It has opened so many doors for me, and I've never stopped using it. From giving tours in Spanish of Dodger Stadium in LA, to teaching Spanish in Washington, DC and now, using Spanish to communicate with a variety of communities at my current job, I can't emphasize enough how important this "accidental" major has been to my career. But I do have one regret. I have never fully immersed myself in the language since that rocky semester in 2008.

So, when I got an email through some TFA contacts inviting me to apply for a professional development conference in Mexico, I was thrilled. An application process was involved, and I was accepted with a generous grant that would fly me to Mexico for four days to engage in a conference with other young non-profit leaders called "El Arte de Dar: Ladrillo Por Ladrillo" (The Art of Giving, Brick by Brick.) I peer pressured some other TFA friends to apply, and they were also accepted. We were so excited!

But as the week of the conference approached, I started feeling apprehensive. I remembered all those moments in Spain where I felt so lost and confused. I remembered a tearful breakdown my first week in the hotel, and missing classes and even a FINAL EXAM because I never quite understood what was going on. I thought about how hard it was to scrap by then, when I was at the peak of my Spanish learning. That was when I was 20 years old. Now I'm nearly 26. How was I going to make it through this week?!

What I didn't account for was everything else that has changed me as a person in the last six years, and how much I've grown since I was that timid student stepping out of her comfort zone for the first time. I remember our professors encouraging us to make friends with the young local Spaniards, telling us it would be the best way to enjoy our time in the country. Ugh, I wish I was mature enough then to have taken their advice then, because after this trip, I realize what I was missing out on the whole time.

In Mexico, I met young Latinos from all over the world. Participants arrived from Spain, Cuba, Miami, Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico, and many other places. Everyone there was enthusiastic, kind, passionate and so much fun. And to my relief, I was able to dive right in to speaking Spanish without too much pain at all! It was so invigorating to  dust off and actually use the language I worked so hard to learn for four days straight, day and night! One moment that really struck me as special was making friends with participants from Brazil. For them, Spanish was also a second language, and I was taken aback by the fact that we were able to communicate despite not knowing anything at all of each other's native tongue.

Besides the thrill of making so many new friends and learning about their countries, their lives and their non-profits, the conference itself was a really valuable experience that would have been fantastic in any language. We had typical "retreat"-style leadership and trust exercises, and there were also excellent sessions on topics like personal branding, or how religion influences our work in the non-profit sector. Best of all, conference participants got the opportunity to partner with a Mexican non-profit called "Ayudame, soy Tambien Mexicano." (Help me, I'm a Mexican too.) It is a Habitat for Humanity type non-profit in Mexico that works to provide sustainable housing for some of Mexico's most poor.

We spent a full day hauling adobe bricks and building two homes alongside families in rural Mexico (about 3 hours outside of Mexico city). The power of this day is something I'm still processing. This is the first time I have truly witnessed what life is like in the "third world." No water, no electricity. No medical care. No nothing! It felt both powerful and hopeless to work in this community, due to the vastness of the crisis I witnessed.

I returned home fully exhausted, yet fully thrilled with my experience last week. My only regret is that, apparently, speaking Spanish is STILL too mentally taxing for me to handle gracefully, as somewhere between the bus from the hotel and my arrival in DC, I lost my digital camera. Not entirely surprising, but I was mad at myself all the same. So the pictures below are thanks to the beauty of social networking, and the talents of my new friends!

Hasta pronto, todos. Paz y Amor!
A special thanks to the Schusterman Foundation for sponsoring the trip!

America!!!!

Cleaned apartment? Check.
Baked cookies? Check.
Watched at least 5 episodes of "Parenthood"? Check.
Worked out? Check.

Yes, folks, that's my version of "Hurrication" and I couldn't be any happier. As of right now, Monday at 10:30 PM, I still have power and internet. Yay! I've just been hunkered down in my little studio apartment, waiting it out. It is VERY windy, and I feel lucky. The internet tells me trees are down all over my neighborhood, cars are smashed, Connecticut Ave is flooded, and lots of people are without power. I'm crossing fingers that I stay connected to the world and that all of my friends and family stay safe!

Being trapped inside is kind of a blessing in disguise. I'm using this unexpected break and imposed solitude to catch up on all the things that have been lingering on the back burner. (My ironing pile, for example.) On that list of "to-dos" is this sad little blog. I've been wanting to write this post for a while, but knew this entry was dependent on photos. And editing and uploading photos takes time. But, thanks to a day off, and a gloriously lucky power grid, I am finally ready to write! Now to the real story...

___

As many of you know, I do a lot of traveling for my job. My trips are busy, but my hours are odd. I might meet someone for lunch one day, and then dinner. But what to do with that pesky 3pm-6pm time frame when I don't have a meeting? What about a day where I'm attending an event late at night, but the day is free? Well, as thrilling as hanging out in a Holiday Inn Express can be, I've decided to try and sight-see, no matter where I go, or how "boring" it is. I have been so surprised at all the hidden treasures I have found!

I started this process in the NYC suburbs of Connecticut. I was too far from NYC to play in the city, and had time to kill between a morning coffee meeting and an afternoon tea. So, after lunch, I pulled out my GPS and had it search for nearby attractions. It found something called the "Eli Whitney Museum." Somewhere in the back of my brain, covered in cobwebs, I remembered learning about this guy in AP US History. With nothing to lose, I hit "go," and found my way to a beautiful park tucked into the middle of nowhere in CT! There was a tiny educational museum, and better yet, this historical covered bridge. There were trout swimming below, and the sun and smell of the woods was wonderful. Such a lovely detour!

More recently, I had a trip to Cincinnati and Cleveland. When I told people about this trip, it was pretty uniformly met with sympathetic groans. "So boring, Cincinnati, ugh" people said. But this time, I decided to do a little research ahead of time. Unfortunately, a lot of museums are closed on Mondays, when I had a window of free time. One museum that WAS open, however, was the childhood home of President William Howard Taft. I decided to geek out and give it a shot. And lucky me! Since there were no other dorks trying to see a presidential childhood home at 3pm on a Monday, I got a private tour-- for free!! It was wonderful, and so fascinating, especially during election season. I can't speak highly enough of the hospitality and knowledge of the park ranger who gave me my tour.

You can't go traveling to a different city without learning what you MUST eat when you are in town. Friends told me about some freakish chili in the Cinci area that I had to try. To my surprise, this chili isn't to be found at one famous restaurant. It's actually available in a series of chains that battle it out for prominence in the region. The most famous is called "Skyline" chili, and it's more of a meat sauce than a chili in my book. Made with Greek flavors of cinnamon and chocolate, it's unlike any chili you've probably tried. Oh, and they serve it on spaghetti!

Now that I've got a little taste of all that is out there, hiding in the not-quite-off-the-grid nooks and crannies in America, I am obsessed. There are so many wonderful tour guides and joyful volunteers that want to share their time with you. There are so many beautiful gems to be discovered. It's made me wonder why, for example, I've never visited the Crane Paper museum in Dalton. Or why I pass by the countless historical road signs I see around DC. I'm making an effort to change that and learn about the amazing history (and hokey tourist traps) all around me. For example, I found this pumpkin cannon about 45 minutes outside of DC last weekend. I fired it for $3. It was worth every penny!

What is hiding in your neck of the woods? This weekend... go find out!

Food and Friends

Most of the time I think people who post pictures of food on Facebook are annoying, so I suppose writing a blog about it is even worse! If that's the case, this entry officially makes me a hypocrite. But, the adventures of my life this week have seemed to center around food, so, away we ago...

First food adventure: Making Asian pork-filled dumplings from scratch. This was a real project, not for the faint of heart, and brought me back to the one time my mom and I tried to cook pierogies from scratch and ended up doing more cursing than eating. You'd be shocked how little filling you can put in each dumpling. I'm telling you, it was not even a teaspoon. And if you get a little too aggressive, they break and won't seal. Gah, so many wasted wrappers!  These came out delicious, albeit a little bit ugly, but in the end I decided that the frozen ones from the super market are just as good and don't take two hours to make.

Pork dumplings take over my tiny kitchen

Second food adventure: I traveled to the NYC area this past week for work and was lucky enough to hang out with my college roomie and dear friend Stacey! She always plays a great NYC tour guide, and this time we started our evening at the High Line, a public park in Chelsea build on an abandoned stretch of elevated rail road track. It was really cool and a beautiful night! But the real adventure was dinner at Stacey's pick: Max Brenner's Chocolate by the Bald Man. The restaurant blends chocolate factory and fine dining and we ate an embarrassing amount of food, and of course, chocolate! Check out the chocolate in action:

A beautiful evening to look over the Hudson!

Yeah, I'll have some of that.

Third food adventure: Today, I finally took a much-anticipated cooking class in downtown DC with a new friend from book club, Kate. We signed up for a gluten-free baking class, and although I'm certainly not a gluten-free eater, I was excited to learn about ingredients and techniques that I wouldn't normally use. The class was part of a series from Living Social, and if you have the ability to sign up for classes in your city, I highly recommend it. I was pleasantly surprised to see how delicious our treats came out, and how applicable the techniques were to non-gluten baking as well: for example, how to make a good meringue and fold it into a batter, or the right way to boil and peel fresh fruit to use in a tart. I had a blast and our food was so delicious! Many thanks to the instructor and chef, Emma, who owns the Happy Tart bakery in Alexandria.

Kate in the beautiful test kitchen

Finished product number one: peach and blueberry tart!

Baking project number two: almond chocolate apricot cake!

So, I didn't do a beautiful job spreading the ganache...

Well, that's about all I can muster to write at the moment. This food coma's got me dragging!

Peace and Love. 

August Rewind

Here are a few reasons why, despite some funny challenges and odd situations, August was one of the busiest, happiest months on record!

- I miss my family. Lately, DC and Massachusetts seem very far away from one another. But, this month, I did get to visit my sister in Boston, and spend all day with her. We had a great time. I feel the closest to her I’ve ever felt in my adult life, and I’m really, really proud of her.

- If you’ve met me, you know that I sweat. A lot. August featured the single sweatiest day of my life, despite about 1.5 lbs of deodorant and baby powder—but, it was with good reason. Singing the anthem at Fenway Park during the 100th Anniversary Season was worth every nerve-induced drop; because that’s something I’ll be able to tell my grandkids about!

- It’s sad that I can’t have a pet in my apartment, and if I’m realistic, I know I don’t have time to be fair to a dog anyways. But meeting and playing with Baby Bronco, the world’s most joyful Labrador puppy friend, helped ease my pain a little bit!

- My new neighborhood is literally NOTHING BUT HILLS. It is the worst for going on runs, and makes me miss the flat beauty of the national mall so much. But I haven’t quit my regime since January, and this month, I ran six miles for the first time, ever. The best part? It was with my healthy dad by my side!

- I bragged endlessly about the beauty of Berkshire County in the summer, so I was pretty bummed when it poured rain when I brought Jason home this month. But, watching him try Teo’s Hot Dogs, eat venison, and shoot a gun for the first time on his trip to my little town definitely made the trip worth it!

- It’s been an adjustment to pay for rent living alone in DC. But thank god for the discounts of DC’s restaurant week. This month, I tried literally 18 Mediterranean dishes in one $35 meal. It was quite a feast. My friend Kate put it best: “Dude, I got a cramp walking home from the metro.” See you in February, restaurant week, you glorious institution!

- My favorite babysitting family moved to the suburbs. No shock, considering the state of DC public schools. I’m going to miss babysitting those little munchkins! But, I did meet some fun new babies and lovely parents in my new neighborhood and am looking forward to watching a new batch grow up!

- I wish she didn’t live all the way across town, but the return of Kate Pennington in all her glory to Washington, DC has been great. I’m so happy to have one of my best friends back, and thanks to her amazing brain power, we’re going to the Nats game tonight with tickets won from a Trivia night at a local bar!

- Weddings are so expensive, and it feels like there’s so many on the horizon. But, there are rare times when I get to dance the night away with great friends. We went to one this month at the historic Hotel Monaco in DC, and I had a blast!

Feeling that first creep of coolness in the night air means that August is definitely over and fall is on its way. I’m noticing the days getting shorter. The beginning of September brings more weddings, dinner parties, and the return to work trips. Updates soon! Peace and Love.

The tooth, the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth.

Yesterday, I had my wisdom teeth removed.

Yeah, I know... it seems a little late in the game. Why? The doctors and dentists in my family have always advised against slicing and dicing when it's not necessary. But this spring, my dentist down here told me that yes- the time had finally come. My teeth were erupting, one was coming in crooked, and with thousands of dollars of orthodontia at risk, it was time to take the plunge.

Before the surgery, I asked my friends to recount their surgical stories. Most people said things were totally fine. One guy even told me he had all four teeth removed, and then hopped on his motorcycle and got back to work. Another girl said it was 10 minutes in and out and she was fine by the next day. What I've since learned is that every person- in fact, every tooth- has a different story to tell!

I like my dentist here in DC. She's got a nice office in a row house that reminds me a lot of my home dentist's office. The equipment is shiny and new and the service is wonderful. So when she referenced me to the oral surgeon I used, I trusted her. I even Googled him a bit, and read all positive things. So, I went there with confidence, sure it would be fine.

Sure enough, the people there were very kind- from the receptionist to my actual surgeon, everyone was very pleasant and comforting. But the office itself looked like a relic from the 1960's. I think I was in a Mad Men dental set, or maybe a forgotten Dharma station in the heart of DC. Here's a picture snapped of me pre-surgery while I waited. Look at that chair!!

* Gulp *

When it was time for my surgery, the dentist explained to me that he would be using local anesthesia and laughing gas to keep me relaxed. I signed my "You might die, and you enter this surgery willingly," papers, and off we went!

First, the surgeon stuck on a mask and asked me to breath through my nose. Almost instantly, I was in la-la land. It was like I had two brains- the brain that was aware of what was going on, and then the brain that was letting all these weird things come out of my mouth David-after-dentist style. I've never felt anything like it. I'm so glad I had the laughing gas on board though, or else I would have been a very unhappy camper for what followed!

The next thing the surgeon did was numb up my mouth locally. I have to say, it's incredible that they can find a way to avoid you feeling pain in your deepest of root canals. He gave me a few quick injections and suddenly I couldn't feel a thing. Before I knew it, he had one cheek pulled back and  starting pulling. The first tooth came out so quickly and easily I didn't even realize it was over. "Did you get it!?!" I asked incredulously. Yep, it was gone. But the second one was going to be a little more trouble.

The second tooth was impacted pretty deep and took a long while to wrestle out. I was so gassed-up that I'm not sure how long it took, but I do know I was asking some ridiculous questions along the way: "Is my jaw broken? Is it stuck? Is everything normal? I have to go to the bathroom!" I also have some hazy memories that freak me out, now that I think back about it. First of all, my surgeon wore glasses, and I was definitely watching parts of the surgery in the reflection of his lenses. Advice to future patients: Don't do that. It will panic you. Secondly, I was totally unprepared for when the saw came out. He had to saw the tooth, which must have been bent or buried in my jaw, three times. The sounds of that high-buzzing saw is terrifying, and the taste and smell of sawed tooth is utterly foul. I remember thinking at the time that it reminded me of the smell of my dog's feet-- like stale corn chips. But more bitter. Anyways, I was not prepared for that!

Then, without much warning- pop. It was out. And I was sitting up, without the gas mask, ready to go- silly state that I was.

The post-op recovery has definitely not been a walk in the park. One thing everyone likes to joke about is the awesome "free Vicodin" you get out of the deal. My body doesn't do well with narcotics, and apparently this has only gotten worse as I have gotten older-- they make me sick to my stomach. After two pills, I decided to quit them and try my luck with Motrin and Tylenol only. And the swelling, as you probably know, is comical. I feel like it will never go down. How gorgeous is this:

"I'm ready for my close up."

Overall, the pain has subsided a lot in the last 48 hours, which is good. But I'm definitely relegated to bowls of bland mush- yogurt, scrambled eggs, apple sauce, chicken and stars soup. Chewing seems a long way off! But- it's an excuse to eat ice cream as a form of sustained nutrition, so I'll take it!

Thanks to everyone who has been calling and wishing me well the last two days. It means the world to me. And a super special thank you to Jason, who has been a wonderful driver, nurse, chef, entertainer and comforter through this whole ordeal!

Peace and Love. 

Summer Summer Summer Time

This past week was just one of those perfect, epic summer weeks that you dream about all year. Man, summer is the best- there is just such a joy and a magic to this season…the days are so long, and everyone is happier, even if it’s a sweltering hot and humid 100+ degrees.  I just love it- I love summer clothes, summer food, summer music, summer smells, summer everything! Here is why my week was so good:

Monday evening we said goodbye to our good friend JinSoo over a Mexican feast at local hotspot Alero. JinSoo is a TFA bud who is off to bigger and better things in New Orleans- starting a new school in fact, and bringing his love of technology in the classroom to a place where he’s going to be given the freedom to implement it throughout the curriculum. Good luck JinSoo, we’ll miss you!

Bye JinSoo!

Tuesday night I had book club. Book club is one of the more delightful additions to my life this year, it’s brought a whole new group of friends into my world that I never would have met before. We just finished the read “I Suck At Girls,” by Justin Halpern of “Sh*t my Dad Says” fame. It’s a light, fluffy summer read- perfect for the beach! And let’s be real- book club isn’t really about the book. It’s just an excuse to get a bunch of hens together to eat, drink and gossip. Fun!

Wednesday was the 4^th of July, one of my most favorite days of the year. This year was super lucky. Jason had the day off of work so we just got to play, play, play all day! We started out bright and early on our friends’ rooftop for a little celebrating before walking down the street to the Nationals game. What’s more American than baseball on the 4^th of July in Washington, DC? Later that night, we went to a different friend’s balcony in Arlington, VA with a spectacular view of the national mall. In fact, the local network puts their cameras on top of his building to film the fireworks for the TV special, so I guess you could say we had a good view. To top it off, we chowed down on catered BBQ from the best BBQ joint in town. I could not have ended the day more full or happy!

Our view, through the hot and haze as it was getting dark

Baby, you're a firework. 

Thursday I finally took a little rest and used the time to cook a fresh, delightful summer meal. Thanks to Shana Fisher, I found this blog, which is ironically appropriate. It’s called “The Shiksa in the Kitchen” and it’s about a not Jewish girl named Tori who likes to cook Jewish food. Her Israeli salad recipe was delish and I munched it for days! Mmmm!

Friday Jason and I had date night and went to Jazz in the Smithsonian sculpture garden on the national mall in DC.  They sell pitchers of sangria, and everyone likes to sit around, dip their feet in the reflecting pool, and enjoy a relaxing Friday evening of free music. This was an especially fun night- a note got passed around encouraging everyone to flash-mob the reflecting pool at 8pm. (yes, this is the naughtiest thing that DC nerds can think of to do on a Friday night.) We plodded out and danced with the rest of the crowd in the knee-high water! It was silly, but so fun and such a happy date!

Splashing around with some Jazz. 

Saturday, the festivities continued with Meredith’s birthday celebrations. More food, more music, more fun. By Sunday, I was completely caput- and yet, if I could have every week go like this one, I’d be the luckiest girl in the world. Cheers to summer!!

Peace and Love.

Holy Derecho

By now, everyone reading this blog has probably watched the news and seen that the entire mid-atlantic region is in a total state of chaos as a result of the "DC Derecho," a super-violent band of storms that rolled through our fair city Friday night.

The Derecho is a storm type that they say occurs annually in the midwest, and is more like a 1 in 4 years occurrence here in the mid-atlantic. However, the weather guy on TV at the gym today said that DC hasn't seen a derecho of THIS capacity in close to 20 years.

Jason has been harassing me for not "weather watching" this huge event and telling him ahead of time that it was looming, but in my defense, checking the weather forecast that morning at work told me nothing. This bad boy began brewing at about 1PM in Chicago and bowled its way across the country in 9 hours. Derechos are often called "land hurricanes" because of their intense wind power and widespread damage, but there's one important difference- real hurricanes give you days of warning and TV hype to get ready. (cough hurricane Irene cough.) I just hope everyone in the area still had their unused hurricane Irene supplies ready to go when this storm came out of nowhere!

As for me, I am safe, have power, and thankfully, a fully intact vehicle. Seeing everyone's cars mashed to bits on the streets has probably been the worst part of the aftermath. There are still massive trees and branches surrounded by caution tape everywhere. Electric poles were bent over like twigs.

"Free Firewood. You Haul." At least they kept their sense of humor. 

Where was I when this massive storm struck? Of all places, at a pool party. We watched the horizon flicker with lightning far away for a long while before I finally got out my phone to check the radar. When I saw what was coming, I FREAKED OUT. I could see how fast it was moving and how close it actually was. I shouted for people to get out of the pool and started scooping up all of our food and garbage. My apartment building was a short two blocks away.... I figured Jason and I could make it safely back in time.

About one block into our retreat home, the storm struck with brute force. I've never been outside in wind like that. We began power walking as fast as we could, dodging small branches and other debris that was starting to swirl around. It was very scary! We jumped into the lobby of my building JUST as the rain arrived. Not a drop hit us, but the torrential downpour was amazing. All I could do was stand at my 10th floor window and watch the almost incessant lightning flash and the wind gust.

But it wasn't until the next morning that I realized just how bad of a storm it actually was. Jason texted me on his way to the hospital, reporting the downed trees and crushed cars. When I crept out myself, around lunch time, I was appalled at the state of the city. All of the traffic lights were out, entire neighborhoods were (and are still) without power. It really looked like a true natural disaster.

Bit by bit things are clearing up, but the roads were pretty empty today as the government gave their employees permission to stay home. I am thinking of and praying especially for the elderly people who are struggling with no A/C during 100 degree heat. Thanks so much to everyone who has texted or called in the past few days!

Peace and Love.

Makin' Moves

Have any of you ever purchased a lemon? Not the fruit, but the "used car" kind of lemon...something that looks so good on the outside: amazing, can't be beat, too good to be true! Well, I did...and it was one of the more expensive mistakes I've ever made. Listen to me now, readers: NEVER, EVER live in a basement-level apartment!!

When Mer and I found our last place, we thought we had died and gone to heaven. And to be fair, there are a lot of great things about where we used to live. We were super close to everything awesome on Capitol Hill, and just two blocks away from a great Metro stop. We had free, abundant parking, big windows and tall ceilings. And the place was super cute! New floors, stainless appliances, an adorable back patio... but the honeymoon phase started wearing off the first time I saw something scamper across our floor...

I don't know why after two years of DC living my basement-dwelling friends didn't warn me about the dangers of living below ground. I wish I could tell you how many pill bugs, spiders, and THESE THINGS I've had in my bedroom, but I'll spare you. Then... the cockroaches. Oh, the roaches. They invaded the old place too. Finally, I discovered termites. At a certain point, you just can't take one more thing crawling across your ceiling.

There were other problems too: leaks, robberies, and dealing with all the noise from upstairs. So, it was with mixed feelings that Meredith and I decided to go our separate ways and leave Capitol Hill all together, for the wide world of Northwest DC. This past weekend I moved to my very own studio apartment in Cleveland Park, and so far it's the best choice I've ever made. Now I'll be much closer to Georgetown, the Kennedy Center, the Zoo, and the nightlife.

The "before" shot

Below are pictures of my new place, which thanks to a lot of help and design sense from my mom, is the "big-girl" apartment look I've been craving for years. I know I've seemed like an insane person moving each year for the last 7 years, but I'm hoping that this one will finally be a place I can settle for a little while. Besides the lovely layout of my new studio, the building also has a gym, steam room, sauna, and jacuzzi, dry cleaners, parking, and in-house masseuse. It's across the street from the metro and a million restaurants and a movie theater, so cross your fingers that I'm not in for a lemon part two!

Pics of new place:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100615918416406.2602266.5515657&type=1&l=fe7c17d421

Peace and Love.

Kicking off the Summer

Memorial day weekend is when America takes a moment to pause, reflect and give thanks for the sacrifices of those who gave their lives so that we can live in freedom. And after that moment of silence has passed, we do what we do best- party! It's been such a fun long weekend, and a perfect launch to my favorite season. Welcome, Summer!

Friday evening was warm and clear, with a shiny crescent moon and birds and bugs peeping away in the Georgetown air as Jason and I made our way into the French Embassy for the Georgetown Department of Medicine's end-of-year party. I love these kind of semi-formal events. It's so fun to put on a pretty dress, enjoy a lovely dinner, good company, free drinks and live band. But most of all, it's fun to see the residents celebrate making it through another year of sleepless nights and seemingly endless months on-call! I thought I was tired as a teacher, but I seriously don't know how these guys do it -- and keep a sense of humor to boot. Congrats to Jason and all his friends on an awesome year of saving lives!

He made it! Another year down.

Saturday, my friend Amanda and I debated a beach day, but decided against battling Memorial day traffic to the coast. Instead, we ventured out to a local "bucket list" staple- Great Falls National Park in Virginia. It was a hot, sticky day, but that didn't stop us from enjoying a nice picnic and laying out in the sun. I will confess, however, that my small-town childhood got the best of me, and I thought you could go swimming at Great Falls. Sadly, it's not Wahconah Falls, so there's no deep, cold pool at the bottom to jump into and cool off. But it's a beautiful park all the same. I'll be back!

Sunday Meredith and I had close to 30 people over to our back patio for a BBQ and "housecooling" party to say goodbye to our lovely home on Capitol Hill. In June, we're moving to our own studio apartments. We might not have a backyard in our future building, but we will have a rooftop- so no more grills for burgers and dogs, but plenty of space for picnics and beach chairs. I think we'll manage!

Finally, back to reality on Sunday. Laundry, car wash, cleaning... and tomorrow the week begins again. Peace and Love!

I'm so proud of my sister!!!!

My little sister Katie graduated college this weekend! I am so stinkin' proud of her!

She is an amazing and talented graphic artist and designer and if you don't believe me, you should check out her website, www.katleehornstein.com . She made ALL of that, like... from scratch. Even the computer stuff. It's crazy. 

Katie has always been an amazing artist and her work always blows me away. I never know how to describe her work exactly, due to the fact that I'm not an artist. But I will say this: it has soul- it's not just computer art, it's art on the computer. I think there's a big difference. Her professors and her peers notice it too- maybe that's why she got the highest grade possible on her final portfolio review and was invited to an exclusive art show in New York at the end of her Senior year! (I'm bragging about my sister and I don't care!!!) 

I have no doubt that she has a beautiful, creative and inspiring career ahead of her. I only hope we can work together some day. Who knows... Hornstein Public Relations and Branding Incorporated?

 I love her so much!

Yay Katie! (Fine... I'll call you "Kat," but just this once.) Yay Kat!!!

Peace and Love, and Congratulations.

Photos from the day here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100576641223216.2595253.5515657&type=1&l=1f1e757cfc

National History Bee

Writing this blog entry this week is going to be kind of challenging, because, well, I signed a waver saying I wouldn't say very much about it. But I'm going to try, because the topic is so darn joyful!

On Thursday of this week, I got a funny email at work saying that The History Channel would be at Trinity over the weekend filming the final round of the National History Bee. Sixteen of our nation's most delightful and awkward middle schoolers would be descending upon our fair campus to duke it out for a $50,000 scholarship. That is a lot of pressure for a 7th grader, just saying! And best of all, Al Roker, everybody's favorite weatherman, would be hosting the showdown. The email asked employees if they wanted free tickets to the event. I jumped at the opportunity, and convinced Jason, as well as my long time friend Kate, to join me for a "nerdilicious" afternoon.

Al Roker!

I didn't really know what to expect when I arrived at the set. I have never been part of a studio audience before. It turns out that filming a show is an arduous process, even if there is a game in progress. If someone doesn't look at the camera the right way, or if a mic shorts out, or if the judges have to double check an answer, everything comes screeching to a halt, and there has to be a retake. I really felt bad for the kids, all of the stopping and starting must have been so exhausting mentally!

Even though it was a slow time filming, I had a blast. The best part of the day was making friends with all of the contestants' families. The kids were from all over the country- Wisconsin, Alaska, California, Pennsylvania. It felt almost like a beauty pageant. No joke- some of these kids were little "bee" professionals. They were experts to the circuit, they brought obnoxious helicopter parents with them, and they had a cocky swag that told the world this wasn't their first rodeo. Other kids were total rookies and seemed shocked to be on national television. A few were literally paralyzed on stage, poor things. But those kids- the underdogs- were my obvious favorites.

One family in particular really captured my heart. They were from a teensy tiny town in Pennsylvania and were so thrilled to be part of the day. Their child was shy and humble, and the whole family was gracious, warm and enthusiastic. The gang included parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and even teachers. They took up almost two rows, and they all had custom made t-shirts and banners for their child. The best thing about them, though, was that they clearly were a family of values and character- I saw the dad congratulating each and every one of the contestants, complimenting every child his own child was competing with, and wishing them all luck.

Seeing Al Roker was cool too- the makeup artist kept having to jump onstage and dull down the shine of his bald head! He was a total cornball, painfully so, and maybe made one too many "Golly am I old!" jokes, but I thought he was a good selection to host something as objectively lame as a middle school history bee. Plus, it's always fun to see a celebrity in real life!

I wish I could tell you how the competition went down, who won, who were my favorites, if they won-- but I can't, for two reasons. One, there's that darn waiver. And two-- I actually don't know who won! The filming took so long that we left after three hours, with easily another hour and a half to go. I guess I'll just have to tune in to the History Channel on Friday, June 1 at 9PM (primetime, folks) and find out with the rest of the world!

Peace and Love.

My graduation speech...

There have been a lot of "10 Things they won't tell you at Graduation" type articles going around. After all, 'tis the season! I am 25, and I graduated college three years ago. I feel that these three years have imparted enough wisdom on me that I am as qualified to write an advice column to graduating seniors as anybody else! As a matter of fact, if you follow my advice below, you will become wealthy, healthy, have an amazing body and social life, and your dream job!!!

Sort of. Actually not really at all. But I do think that I've picked up a few things along the way, both via my own experience and by watching all of my friends for the last few years on their various post-grad life paths. I've had some major mess-ups, but on the whole, I've learned a lot and there are definitely some things I wish I knew back in 2009. So here goes!
___

1. MOVE OUT OF YOUR PARENTS' HOUSE. When I was graduating in 2009, my class was entering the worst job market since the great depression. I was part of for ABC national news piece filmed at Syracuse about how none of us could find jobs. A lot of my friends moved in with their parents to "save money." We are now entering our fourth year out of college, and many of them are still living in their parents' basements. My friends and I who moved away agree that we feel lightyears apart maturity-wise from our friends at home. There is just so much growing up that happens when you have to be responsible for your own rent check, groceries and laundry. These things seem like burdens, but that independence is actually wonderful. My friends whom I know that still live at home are generally down on themselves, feel trapped, and have no social lives or dating lives. They complain all of the time. Get out! You can do it!

On this topic, I should also say that getting out from under your parents' roof is not contingent on you having a salaried job. Salaries make things easier, but you don't need one to make your own way somewhere. I have friends from NYC to LA who made the interim time work in all kinds of interesting ways: living on an Americorps stipend, working as a male nanny, taking random catering jobs while working at an unpaid internship, temping. It is possible, and while it seems harder, trust me, you will be happier than your friends living at home. As my friend Justin Liang (who risked it all and moved to LA to pursue his dreams in film) used to say: "Ramen noodles taste better when you're looking at the Hollywood sign." It's true!

2. GET A JOB. Listen to me carefully: It does NOT have to be your dream job. Your plans and whatever you want to do right now probably aren't going to work out. To some extent, you have to kind of go with the flow, keep your nose in the right direction, and see what happens. But any job is better than no job. I graduated with a degree in Public Relations from a journalism school and then started my career as a high-school Spanish teacher. Now, I work using my PR skills and my knowledge of the education system to fundraise for a tiny women's college that mostly serves minorities. I have lunch tomorrow with an 102-year-old potential donor. At some point in my life I thought I was going to be working in major league baseball, but instead I'm having lunch with a 102-year old. And guess what? I am very, very happy. This job is something I didn't know existed when I graduated college and I had no POSSIBLE way of knowing I'd end up here, but here I am. And it's all good.

3. GET A JOB. THEN GET ANOTHER JOB. Your twenties are the most glorious time of your life. No parents, total independence, and your only responsibilities are to work, and play! No kids, no house, no nothing. It really really rules. Except that you're also kind of poor in your twenties. A salary doesn't go that far when you have ridiculous city rents to pay and taxes and car repairs and all that. So get another job that is for play money only. I babysit, it's phenomenal. Most cities have a huge babysitter void because no one with teenagers lives in the city, and wealthy parents love having babysitters that are older and responsible and have college education. I used sittercity.com and had great luck with it and so have my friends. But you don't HAVE to babysit. I have friends that wait tables, tutor, bartend- you name it. That extra cash is what makes taking a cab home at night or going out to a fancy cocktail bar ok and guilt free.

4. JOIN A GYM IMMEDIATELY AND GO. Everyone knows about the Freshman 15, but fewer people tell you about the Fresh-outta-college 15. Allow me to explain. When you are in college, you have a dining hall with a beautiful salad bar and tons of fresh-made options every day. When you get out of college, you have a lot of mac n cheese and carry-out chinese and happy hour bar food (more on that later.) When you are in college, you are walking around a big campus a lot, and when you're out of college, you sit stagnant at a desk all day. College is light beer at 100 cals a pop, adulthood is fancy cocktails at 600 cals a pop. Get the picture? There are a lot of contributing factors to why you will gain weight and become even more unhealthy after college than you were in college, and my first piece of advice to you in this department is to not stop exercising. I refused to join a gym after college because it seemed expensive, and I figured that my 20-minute aerobic videos on Netflix were doing the trick once or twice a week. At a certain point enough is enough and I had to stop lying to myself. It's been a slow and painful process getting back on the exercise and healthy eating track, and if I had not fallen off in the first place I don't think it would be this tough. Invest in the money for a gym and make it a priority!

5. LEARN HOW TO COOK. This is another factor that will help battle the Fresh-outta-college 15. Remember how much you complained about dining hall food? Well let me tell you. Once you have to be responsible for your own groceries and meals, you will yearn for the days of 20 meal options from locally sourced produce and unlimited yogurt cups and cereal selections. (News flash: Cereal is like, $4 a box! You get to pick one for the week! One!! How I miss thee, Syracuse cereal dispensers.) When you are out of college, and especially if you are living in a city, you will accidentally eat out all of the time. If you start calculating how often you buy lunch, meet friends for dinner, have brunch with your roomies, you will cry at how much money you are spending and how many calories you are downing. Restaurant food and portions are bad for you. I'm going to confess something to you here so you may learn from my mistakes: One time I decided to calculate how much money I spent on food or drinks in a month that did not come from a grocery store. It was $400. That is DISGUSTING. I have since changed my ways. You don't have to know "how to cook" to start learning how to cook. Everyone starts from somewhere. Invest in a good set of knives, a non-stick skillet, and a saucepan. Also buy a volume of Rachel Ray's Express Lane Meals cookbook series, because she talks to you like the uneducated chef you are, and her food is tasty, healthy and cheap.

6. MAKE A BUDGET AND STICK TO IT/ START SAVING MONEY. It is utterly shocking where your money goes when you are on your own. I cannot stress this point enough. Things stack up and "a little here a little there" really drains you. Someone suggested that I start using mint.com, and I love it. It tracks how much you spend in each category each month and warns you when you are about to go over. So if you say you're going to only spend $100 at bars per month, you can track it, and it will text you with a warning that you are getting close! Pretty amazing stuff. As you are making your budget, automatically take out a certain amount for savings each month, and also start something called a "Roth IRA." This is a retirement plan that we can only do now in our 20's, when we're still pretty poor. If you start making a certain salary, you can't put any more money in it, so the time is now! The reason this retirement account is cool is because it's tax-free, and almost every other retirement account is not. Also, when you tell old people you have one, they get very excited and tell you how brilliant you are for saving so early and how much this is going to mean to you down the road. I don't really get how it works, but since I like approval from old people, and also want to have enough money to travel the world as an old lady myself, I'd say this is a good thing to do.

7. DATE A LOT. But don't be a slut or a man-slut. There's a lot to be said on this topic, except that my grandparents and parents read this blog so I won't get into gory details. You can just watch the HBO show "Girls" to get the idea. What I will say is this: I am very convinced that part of the growing up process is going on lots of dates with lots of types of people, because it helps you know yourself better and what you want out of a life partner. I do not, however, recommend making poor, impulsive decisions regarding these people you date. People do this in the name of being young and having fun, or because they are lonely, but eventually you are going to find someone whom you fall in love with, and you're going to have to tell them about your poor decisions, and that conversation sucks. Also, get over your fears and try online dating. Every one of my friends has at least tried it once. In the very least you get some good stories out of it, and in more than a few cases, you will find someone very special.

8. BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN CHOOSING YOUR LIVING SITUATION. When you leave college, you will likely have roommates. In many ways, roommates are great and a key part of the twenty-something social scene. But it's just not the same as in college. Some part of you WILL start to grow up and will NOT want the sink to be filled with maggot-infested 2-week-old dishes (you're a cook now, remember!) Give a lot of thought to the personality types and lifestyles of the people you are about to live with or you will slowly sink into a living hell of hair in the shower drain and creepy roommates with subscriptions to samurai sword catalogues. A quick list of things to avoid: Weird roommates from craigslist, co-ed living situations, people in serious relationships when you are not, slobs, people who work totally opposite shifts from you, people that have very different financial situations than you. I could write a whole blog post on this alone but I will not. It's common sense. You're a big person, if something looks or feels off, do not live there or you will regret it. Also, if the rent is too low, or seems too good to be true, run. There are probably bedbugs.

9. GET RELIGIOUS. When I first graduated college, I stopped going to church because I was "busy." This is a lie, everyone has time to go to church if they want to. And by church, I don't mean "church" if that's not what you do. A lot of people I know get spiritual by taking a moment of peace and gratitude for themselves in some other way- a yoga class, meditation, journaling, etc. But if you are a religious person, skipping this part of the week probably makes you feel guilty on some level, and neglecting your spiritual side is just as bad for you as neglecting your physical health or mental health. Just like those parts of you, the spiritual part of you needs to be exercised- this may sound terrible, but going to church for me has kind of been like going to the gym. I don't usually want to do it at the time, I make up a lot of excuses, sometimes I skip, but whenever I go I never regret it and I usually leave there feeling pretty good. Psychologists say that for people to be happy, four needs must be fed: work, play, love, and faith. That's not my opinion, that's science. We spend a lot of time on the first three, but why not the fourth? Whatever you chose to do in this category, be consistent and real about it.

10. LISTEN TO YOUR PARENTS- MOST OF THE TIME. They know a lot about careers, relationships, and friends. Whatever drama you're going through, they've already been through. If they don't like something you're doing, they may have a point because they know you better than anyone in the world and they love you more than anyone in the world. They can help you learn to cook and how to get out tough stains. They can teach you how to do your taxes and invest in stocks. They will tell you when you're in a bad relationship, be it romantic or friendship. They know a whole lot, and they deserve your respect. But, when they advise you to move to the suburbs of whatever awesome city you are rocking out in your 20's because you'll get more square footage for your rent, don't do that, because that is lame. Sorry mom.

____

Whew! There you have it- the complete guide to love, money, career, health and beauty for being 25. Congratulations, class of 2012! I can't wait to read this blog post five years from now and laugh at what is sure to be such naive words of wisdom!

Peace and love.

Finishing LOST

When we were in college, circa 2007, my roommate Stacey liked this weird show. She'd come home from a one of her ridiculously long days, change into her PJ's, and make a beeline for the TV. I'd watch her cower under a blanket alone, screaming and gasping and yelling out loud to the characters. Sometimes I tried to catch on to whatever it was that she thought was so good, but all I saw were people marching through a jungle and the occasional creepy flying black cloud. I did not see the appeal, and never understood what was going on. I thought she was nuts!

Fast forward to 2012. As of this Saturday, I finally finished the TV series "LOST" from start to finish. And frankly, I am blown away! I realize I'm about 6 years late to this party, but I feel that my admiration for the series and the accomplishment of completing it (Thank you Netflix!!) merits its own blog post. 

Kate and Jack?

Now that I'm a grown up, and unconcerned what the constituents of Nessacus Regional Middle School think of me, I'm ok with admitting I'm a sci-fi geek. My parents were Trekkies, and my sister and I grew up loving and obsessing over Star Trek, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, etc. We were equal opportunity nerds, and LOST fits right into this vein of guilty geeky pleasure. A little bit sci-fi, a little bit fantasy, I loved every time-traveling detail! 

Or Kate and Sawyer? 

But make no mistake. I like Star Trek, but I really like Gossip Girl and Friday Night Lights and Downton Abbey, too. LOST fills in this void in my TV watching heart-- the love stories, oh the love stories!! I have not found many TV series that invested me so deeply in the characters as LOST did. I still can't believe they killed off ***** (Censored for future LOST viewers)**** after all that!!!!  

If anyone reading this has been toying around with the idea of starting the series on Netflix, but just can't seem to commit (I think I myself watched the first five episodes like, four times before I finally got into it) a word of warning: LOST is a series where you have to pay attention. It's not a good show to watch while doing laundry, cooking, or correcting papers. It's a show that deserves a bowl of popcorn, a beer, and a friend, and no other distractions to the viewing experience. But it's worthy of your attention!

People like to criticize LOST because it goes a little crazy, and there are all these unanswered questions that drive viewers nuts. And even though by the end of the series you don't get all the answers you want, when you think back to all the answers you DO get, the complexity and cleverness of the series is a work of art. There's nothing else like it on TV. I think, if I had to draw a parallel, it's comparable to "Inception," which I also loved.

Anyways. Now that the series is done, I feel like I broke up with someone! I don't know where to begin. "Mad Men" is my rebound boyfriend right now, but I have a feeling he's getting dumped soon. I had a date once with "The Wire," but it didn't go so well. Maybe it's time to call him up again. Or maybe, one of my friends can set me up with someone new. 

Suggestions welcome! 

Namaste, 

Tori 

Space Race

I really, really love living in DC!! It is the coolest city ever and this morning I had one of those "my life is SO AWESOME" moments that I don't think I'll ever forget.

As you may have seen on the news, the Space Shuttle Discovery was retired today to the Smithsonian museum. Officials decided to send it on one final "flight" over the city so America could say goodbye. Our office was so excited- we knew the fly over was happening at 10 AM, so we went about our morning counting down the minutes.

But one thing lead to another, and suddenly I was on the phone with alumnae and taking notes on calls and immersed in work when I heard the roar of a jet engine above our building. I looked at my computer clock- 10:03! The roar faded and I ran to the window. NO! I MISSED IT! I MISSED IT!!! I could hear the roar fading away but the spaceship was nowhere to be seen.

I was so upset. I gchatted my friend Shana and told her I was going to lie to people and say I saw it anyways. I turned on CNN.com where I knew there was a live feed. It loaded up and I saw the spaceship zooming along, perched on top of a 747 (How do they stick it there!? Why isn't it falling off!? How is that thing flying!?!?) and realized it was circling the Washington monument.

I can see the Washington monument from my office window. Was this a second chance?! I ran back- and sure enough, there it was!

It made a wide circle around the monument and then flew back towards the college. It was so cool! Everybody in the office had their windows thrown wide open and were hanging out as far as they could, taking cell phone pictures and literally jumping up and down with excitement. The huge jet flew low so people could get a good look, and a small jet followed alongside, taking the video feed that I was watching on CNN.

By the time I got my wits about me and decided to take a cell phone picture (To prove to Shana that I wasn't lying.) It was far away. Here's my proof that I saw it. See that tiny dot flying away in the distance? That's it. I swear!!!!

And here's a really really super awesome couple of pictures from other people's cell phones that I stole from the internet:

Yay America! Yay space! Yay DC!

Peace and Love.