24 is Wicked Old

24. Wow! I am now in my mid-twenties. Cue the quarter-life crisis, John Mayer! 24 is old. I got my first batch of grey hairs this year. I go to sleep at 9:30 pm. I'm filing taxes with something other than the 1040 EZ. Disgusting! College is a far distant memory. Where has my youth gone?

Ok, melo-drama over. I had a lovely birthday week and can't thank the big man upstairs enough for the gift of a 2-day work week. It was a wintery mess here this week in DC and we had no school Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and a delay Friday. It was the perfect chance to network for jobs, cross things off my "to-do" list, and enjoy some terrible reality TV.

Friday night, my roomies treated me to dinner at "Founding Farmers." It had to be the best food I've eaten in DC. It's the perfect menu of delicious, simple, locally-sourced American fare. Everything is hand made and cooked to perfection- fresh fish and game, warm crispy flatbreads, home-made pasta...mmm. The cocktails are to die for. Best of all was the ambiance- unlike many fancy restaurants, Founding Farmers is relaxed and comfortable. You feel like you could stay there for hours, and you do! We followed dinner with a few rounds of billiards downtown and some dancing in Dupont.

Saturday was my party at our house, and it was a huge success. My friends brought delicious treats but the winning dish was JinSoo's Pumpkin Cheesecake. Props to Kate P for the photography below, she caught me at the perfect birthday moment:

We ate, drank and danced the night away- well, Wii danced that is. Betsy bought a Wii and it arrived right in the middle of the snowstorm (thank you USPS!) It is our new obsession and was a huge party hit. Seeing huge boys dancing to Beyonce was hilarious and our chandelier almost hit the deck more than once. To finish the night, we caught a cab to H st and danced at Sticky Rice until closing time. I may have skipped the gym all weekend but I know it can't matter all that much considering how many hours my friends and I logged on the dance floor!

Many thanks to all for the birthday love and warm wishes. Peace and Love!

Food and Libations

Twice a year, Washington DC restaurants open their doors to the general public for the glorious festival known as Restaurant Week. The arrival of Restaurant week is always a cause for celebration for me and my roommates. It's a chance for us to go to some of the fancier dining establishments in the city that we could never afford. For $25-35 bucks, most restaurants make a 4-course menu, showing off their favorite plates and most famous dishes.

We've discovered some of our favorite spots in DC from Restaurant Week adventures. This week, we went to Georgetown for some fresh seafood at a place called "Hook." The food was ok, not as great as some of our other restaurants we've tried, but like always, I love meeting my friends and getting out on a weeknight!

The rest of the week was quiet. Wednesday brought grad school, Thursday a quiet night in, and Friday I went babysitting at my favorite "Little Dino"'s house. He is a darling. I have not seen him since Christmas, and he had piles of new Thomas the Tank Engine books for us to read. It makes me laugh at how little has changed. Thomas of 20 years ago and Thomas now are completely identical. The show is the same- puppets that hardly move, the trains' eyes rolling around to show their feelings, the same sound effects. It brings me right back!

The weekend was also low-key. We had TFA professional development and went for a round of mini-golf to putt out the tensions of an extra day of boring teacher talk. And Sunday of course brought the demise of Rex Ryan and all that is horrible and wrong in the NFL. Go Steelers!

This week should be a delight. The next time I write... I'll be 24!!!

Peace and Love.

Sucker-punch!

It's over. Over! The 2010-2011 NFL season has come to a sucker-punch of a close. I didn't think it was supposed to go this way. The arrogant, trash-talking, classless teams are not supposed to win! How is anyone supposed to teach their kids about good sportsmanship in this day and age? I hate the Jets! I hate them! Can't wait to see what Fitzy has to say- I'm sure it will cheer me up.

Ok, rant over. Sunday did hurt, but in the context of the rest of the week, it was a small blow compared to all the fantastic things I did in the last few days. And hey...April is just a few months away!

Tuesday night, I went with a friend to see "Waiting For Superman," yet again. This time it was sponsored by a panel of businesses and playing in Chinatown, so we made a night out of it and got dinner before the film and panel discussion afterwards. Again I stress: If you have not seen this film yet, go! The story it tells, especially to those not directly working in education reform, is stunning. You'll never think about school the same way again!

Wednesday night brought the onslaught of grad school, which I am not thrilled about. But they say every time God closes a door, he opens a window. In this case, our proverbial window is the brand-new Ihop right next door to where we take classes. Late night classes go down a little easier with the thought of chocolate chip pancakes and bacon beforehand.

Thursday, I had a great meeting with a friend of Dr. Charles who works here in DC. The job search process is daunting but the more people I know, and more hands I shake, the better chance I have of landing somewhere meaningful next year. Following the meeting, Brian Spendley and I met up to grab food and see a performance of the National Symphony Orchestra. Being in the Kennedy Center had me skipping with joy- it is overwhelmingly beautiful, and I felt so lucky to live here in DC and have friends with whom to share beautiful classical music.

Friday finally was a chance to veg- so the girls and I bundled up in our snuggies and rented "Despicable Me." Saturday and Sunday were dominated by football watching, and brunch with Meredith's parents.

It's been a non-stop week, and we're going to keep rolling tomorrow. It's Restaurant Week here in DC and we are NOT ones to miss out on 4 course meals at the Capital's fanciest dining establishments for $25. So to Georgetown we go, off for another crazy and wonderful week!

Peace and Love.

T

New Year's Resolution #1- Write a Blog Entry every Sunday.

Wow- the first entry of 2011. I'm stoked. 11 has been my lucky number since the 4th grade. That year, my anal-retentive teacher assigned us all numbers on popsicle sticks. These numbers dictated our daily activities like hot lunch orders or line leaders. After an entire year of being called "11," instead of "Tori", it kind of sticks with you. So 2011 is here- and I'm ready to embrace it.

Resolution number one- write a blog entry every Sunday night. 4 entries a month- minimum. I've been dedicated to this blog since 2008 and I can't stop now. It's cool now to be able to read about what I was doing at this exact moment a year or even two years ago!

The first weekend of 2011 was a special one. Kat(ie) Hornstein was in town! I've been begging her to visit me for years, and thanks to a sweet Southwest.com sale, she finally made the trip to our nation's capital. She came with me to school on Friday, where we visited the Cosmotology department and got our hair curled by my students during my planning period. Check it out below!

Saturday the two of us took a trip to the Newseum here in DC. All I can say is that I've never been to a more beautiful, interesting or heart-wrenching place. The Newseum tells the history of the media around the world, and included exhibits like the Pullitzer gallery of photos and a tribute to the heroes of 9/11. Katie and I giggled at the Elvis wing and laughed learning that George Washington's dogs were named "Drunkard" and "Tipsy." I think they would have been friends with Brewer and Barley, don't you?

Saturday night we went out on the town. When you've only got one night in DC, Adams Morgan must be your destination. The famous strip of bars and clubs didn't disappoint and we enjoyed a night of dancing and living it up.

I am so happy she came and lucky she and I are such good friends. Peace and Love to everyone in the new year!

All I want for Christmas is Youk....

.... And now Gonzalez. And now Crawford. Has there been a better off-season in baseball in... ever?

I'm usually treating baseball like an "off again" boyfriend at this time of year- avoiding memories so I don't think about him too much when I know it'll be forever till we're together again. But it's just too good to ignore! I'm amped about April, and it's December. What am I going to do?

Oh, I know. Maybe I'll just watch Tom Brady play the best season of his career and trounce the filthy Jets. Or maybe I'll kick back and enjoy my undefeated Orange on the court. It's been good times in my sports world lately, which is much-needed now that the bitter cold has set in around DC!

Thanksgiving break was lovely and it's been back to work at full speed leading up to the Christmas holidays. We're trying to jam a whole unit in before Santa arrives, and the kids in the school are sure making it difficult. Monday, the halls were abuzz with stories of five separate fist fights at Saturday's dance. Yesterday, there were two massive food fights that got tons of kids suspended. New facebook groups about "Gwynn park hoes" are causing a lot of drama, and class-skipping seems to be at an all-time high. Cutting through all that noise to try to teach the verb "tener" is quite the task, but I'm getting there. Meredith and I get through our days blasting Usher in the hallways, wearing silly outfits, and going above and beyond with the creativity of our lessons and projects in an attempt to get the kids through the door. It's working- we're seeing some astonishing mastery levels. Our most recent class test averaged at 87%- compared to last year's 60% average.

There's a ton to look forward to this weekend. TFA holiday parties, cookie exchanges, and the high school holiday concert are all on the schedule. My Pandora is set to Manheim Steamroller, and it's probably time to hit the mall for some holiday shopping too. Music-cookies-booze-mall-Tom Brady? Not a bad weekend at all!

Peace and love!

Tori

Gobble Gobble

Well, I finally did it this weekend. On Saturday night, I became a woman.

I was a little afraid to go through with it. I had no idea what I was doing. And I admit- I had to look at a magazine for some pictures to help me out. So much bare skin! And what technique would I use?

No, it's not what you're thinking. I mean, I finally made a turkey all by myself! And, it came out FANTASTIC! Special thanks to REAL SIMPLE Magazine, hilarious roommates, and a really reliable mom to get me through the cooking process.

Saturday night was truly a celebration. We hosted a potluck Thanksgiving dinner for all of our best friends in DC and it was a huge hit. The girls in my house and I whipped up turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy and pumpkin pie. We bought fancy beer and wine and Kate even made jello-shots in the rinds of the fruit flavors they represented- a creative and chewable "cocktail." Friends brought squashes, casseroles, desserts and great stories- and our dinner party lasted late into the night!

After the plates were cleared I mustered up a second wind for the evening and headed out to meet up friends from out-of-town for a night of dancing. We only went home when the lights came on at 3 am. It's been ages since I've stayed out so late and even with some time to nap on Sunday, I'm still recovering today. It took the entertainment of dancing in the halls (including some serious dance-offs with my students) to get through the day today!

Tomorrow I fly home to MA and I could not be more excited to see my family and enjoy real Thanksgiving with the people I love. Check out the pics below for a few laughs at us attempting the turkey!

Peace and love.

Paula Deen is Insane

No, really. If you've ever watched her on TV and thought, "There is something off about that woman. Is it her eyes? I think she's nuts. I think she's a little raunchy. Something is just crazy about a woman that uses that much butter..." You would be right. More on that later. The best way to describe this weekend in all its glory, I think, would be an itinerary:

Friday night @ Churchkey: This is one of two primo beer bars in DC, noted most for its selection of Belgian beers and home-made cask ales. The beers are served all in correctly designed glasses and for the unexperienced beer drinker, may seem oddly warm at 52 degrees. Excellent spot- and one of the best happy hours in DC.

Saturday morning @ The Four Seasons Georgetown: Dr. Charles was in town and treated me to breakfast at Paul McCartney's favorite DC spot. Long discussions were held regarding educational policy, plans for next year and how baseball and education reform meet. The conversation may have been heavy, but those lemon-ricotta pancakes were oh so light...

Saturday afternoon @ TFA Professional development: Possibly the only low point of the weekend. PD in our second year is a drag- we're not experts and still crave pedagogical knowledge, but the information in our sessions feels repetitive.

Saturday evening @ Landmark E St. Theater: "127 Hours" is the new film about Aron Ralston, the mountain climber who became trapped under a boulder in 2003 and in the last few hours of his consciousness, hacked off his arm with a dull multi-tool in order to escape. The film was reminiscent of "Cast Away" as the entire feature focuses on one actor (James Franco) alone, and stuck, in a canyon. I woke up the next day thinking about it and the imagery of the hacking is still haunting me.

Sunday afternoon @ The Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show: The highlight of the weekend, and possibly the highlight of the fall! The DC convention center hosted this enormous exposition of local farms, small businesses, bakeries, and more. 300 vendors offered samples of their wares: I dined on chutneys and bruschetta, cupcakes and specialty peanut butters, infused teas and spicy dips, granolas and yogurts, sausage and seafood, and so, so much more. We watched cooking demonstrations from local culinary schools and product vendors and collected a slew of pamphlets and business cards (some of you may be receiving specialty-food gifts this holiday season!) The day culminated with the crazy Queen of Butter, Paula Deen. The most entertaining part of her cooking show was that she refused to cook! She preferred joking with the audience and talking about her day, sharing inspirational stories, and embarrassing her husband extensively. She was raunchy and edgy and ultimately very genuine and loving and she had the audience in the palm of her hand the entire show. They actually had to kick her off the stage as she continued her schtick for a half-hour longer than it was supposed to go and her security told her she was going to miss her plane.

The perfect weekend ended with a Pats win... peace and love until next time!

Tori