Twitterpated

January is a really big month for birthdays. Last weekend, there were 4 separate birthday parties in one night, and this weekend, there were even more- including my own!

But why so many in January? What's going on in April that leads to so many winter babies? I was shocked to learn that most of my friends don't remember Bambi's sex ed lesson where he and Thumper learn the horrible truth about what happens when you become "Twitterpated." Owl dutifully explains that this confusing state of affairs happens each and every spring. And it can happen to anyone!! Oh, Owl, your words are so very wise, as all my January birthday buddies and I can confirm!

Needless to say, I turned 25 this weekend and it felt great. Meredith took me out to brunch at Coco Sala, and the food was so good that I wanted to cry. The s'mores French toast can hardly be called "breakfast," and it took every once of my willpower not to demolish our flatbread smothered in hash browns, cheese, bacon, and chicken sausage in five minutes. I highly recommend this place for brunch, I don't think it gets enough credit in DC's elite brunch scene, but it has yet to disappoint.

Saturday night we hosted close to 40 people for a birthday house party. Meredith themed it "Tori's favorite things" and decked out the place with dinosaurs, baseball paraphernalia and puppies. The star of the night was a buffalo chicken dip that made the whole house smell like heaven. Everyone seemed to have a great night, and I felt so lucky to be surrounded by so many friends!

In other news, life at my new job has been lovely. I have a funny and kind boss, and great coworkers. Trinity is a pretty special place and I've had the chance to meet and work with students, have lunch with professors, enjoy the amazing gym, and generally feel that my efforts to fundraise here are going towards an important cause. THIS ARTICLE is a really great profile of Trinity's history and work, and if you read it I think you'll see how well it connects to what I was doing here with Teach For America and how it dovetails nicely with my desire to live and work my faith.

More updates as they arrive. Peace and love!

A Beautiful Start to 2012

2012 is off to a great start. Here's a short list of my goals for 2012, and my progress on them thus far:

1. See Third Eye Blind Live in Concert!! Ok, that wasn't a real resolution. I am embarrassed to confess that New Year's Eve marked the third time I've seen Third Eye Blind in concert, which is two times too many for a washed-up 90's band. But you know what, until I get sick of screaming that classic lyric: "I believe in the sand beneath my toes!" I don't really feel bad about it. We made sure this year to avoid past mistakes of arriving late, abusing the open bar, or being part of an awkward crowd. This year was about having fun with people who we care about the most. Kate Pennington joined us from Denver, and of course we had handsome men in tow to join about 7,000 other DC-twentysomethings at the Washington Hilton.

2. Try Mussels at Granville Moore's on H St! When Katie Hornstein visited me the first weekend of January, we made getting dinner at this H St gem a priority. Too bad they don't take reservations and there was a 2 1/2 hour wait! It's gonna be a little while before I have the patience to wait around for these mollusks, even if they do beat out Bobby Flay on national TV. A more reasonable resolution: Grab mussels at nearby Belga Cafe (AWESOME), and start spelling "mussels" right (my sister informed me I had been spelling it MUSCLES in my plan-making text messages. Oops.)

3. Train for a 5k: But only AFTER my birthday celebrations are over. Jason made that goal difficult this weekend by treating me to an early birthday dinner of the best Italian food in DC, followed by tickets to Billy Elliot at the Kennedy Center! You know the food is amazing when Bill takes Hill there for Valentine's day. Hey, at least we walked from downtown Georgetown to the Kennedy Center. Baby steps?

4. Complete "Grown up" Living Room Remodel: Three cheers to Dulles, VA for having every furniture warehouse known to man within a 3 mile radius! Three jeers to every furniture manufacturer in America for making so much ugly, expensive crap to sift through! What's a girl gotta do to get a 3-cushion, beige sectional at a reasonable price these days? After an extensive search today, I'm happy to report I'm the new owner of a probably-too-big-for-the-living-room-but-whatever-so-were-all-our-Christmas-trees-growing-up-and-they-were-still-awesome couch!

5. Appreciate more Art and Culture: Does getting hooked on LOST count?

On Tuesday, I start my new job at Trinity Washington University, where I'm joining the Advancement team. I'm so excited. More on that next week!

Peace and Love,

Tori

Christmas Calm

Honda ran a great ad campaign this holiday season, with the theme "At a time it's easy to go overboard..." The ads showed people making a huge deal of the holiday season: hiring Bette Middler to sing carols, for example, or Bobby Flay to cook Christmas dinner. I loved this ad campaign because I think so many of us in America can relate to the pressure the holidays bring to do things bigger and better. After all, it's Christmas! It's here! Once a year! Make a scene! But ever since my dad was sick a few years ago, Christmas has taken on a new meaning for me and my family. Contrary to the stressful norm of the holidays, my family treats Christmas as a time to unplug, eat good food, and just enjoy spending time with one another doing absolutely nothing.

(Katie and I ... being ourselves.)

Christmas 2011 was exactly that, to a greater degree than ever before. It had been more than a year since we managed to get the four of us- just my mom, dad, my sister and I- all together to enjoy some plain and simple family time. And since I only had a few days off, we decided to stay in the Berkshires this year and just relax. My mom cooked amazing food all weekend- one night was an Italian antipasti feast, another a seafood smorgasbord, and I'm still dreaming about our Christmas eve "roast beast." We watched movies together, played xbox, went for walks with our dog, and sat around in front of the fireplace reading books. For the first time in practically forever, we sat down as a family for a football game and got to cheer on the Pats together (ok, not our WHOLE family...sorry Mom.) Our only excursions into civilization were to the Berkshire Mall for some necessary last-minute shopping with Dad.

(He helped us wrap.)

Overall, it was a lazy, calm holiday. But I needed it. I think we all needed it. What's the point in ending a year in a frenzy of stress? For me, at least, 2011 has felt like a non-stop panic fest. It's been a year of perpetual transitions. And I still am not settled! Christmas was a time to take inventory of all the blessings in the year, and take a deep breath before launching into 2012.

Check out the albums from my time home, and the prerequisite family photo shoot. The albums SHOULD be public:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100325942061346.2558575.5515657&type=1&l=45e1f1206a

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100325935215066.2558572.5515657&type=1&l=8673ec8b92

Peace and Love- see you in 2012!

Trash to Treasure

As the gaping time between blog entries can tell you, life's been a bit of a mess lately. Figuratively speaking, it's been a year of messy transitions. 2011 was a year for switching careers, switching homes, switching routines, and switching priorities. But literally speaking, it's been a mess lately too, as any visitor to my small apartment could tell you.

Call it an early New Year's resolution, but I decided last week that it was time to clean up the mess. Time to knock off those nagging to-do lists. Time to follow up on emails, follow through on promises, and get my life in order to kick off 2012 the right way. And there may not have been a better symbol of the mess in my life than my disgusting, broken, get-what-you-pay-for dresser, which can best be described by this online review:

Rating

Do not Recommend

tprice80

from Auburn, AL, Nov 24, 2010

This was the worst money ever spent. It is a total piece of junk. Not sturdy, falls apart, completely unusable about a month after purchase. Drawers will not open. Drawers fall apart. Screws fell out.

I wish I had taken a picture of this thing, for the sheer humor of how BAD it was. As of two weeks ago, exactly 2 of the 6 drawers still worked and the top of the dresser had warped into a U-shape. It was like the dresser was a mouth full of bad teeth, sneering at me. So, none of my clothes could go into it, leading to piles of wrinkled filth all over my room. As I tried to push it out of my bedroom, it literally collapsed into a million pieces, and I collapsed with it. Anyone who has seen me fall in real life before, please take this moment to laugh a little evilly in your head.

When it comes to furniture, I have commitment issues. I've moved every year of my life (sometimes more than once in a year) for the PAST 7 YEARS. This is clearly not the time in my life to spend cash on actual furniture. Actual furniture prices make my head spin. I think I always planned on winning my furniture from a Showcase Showdown on the Price is Right or something. When do people actually go out and buy this stuff?

But there simply was no way I was going to buy another iteration of fake furniture: No more clear plastic drawers, particle-board trash heaps or milk crates. So I decided to go to Goodwill, and embrace the DIY- "design on a dime" spirit. And that's where I found this:

What a beauty. And for only $45. I could tell it needed a little -- ok, a lot-- of love. It was filthy. It was missing handles. The stain and polyurethane was chunked off and melted by an... iron? Well, melted by something. Time to roll up my sleeves and get to work.

I drove straight from Goodwill to the Home Depot and picked up just a few basic miracle workers: Rags, Sandpaper, primer in a spray-can, and black acrylic paint. And, battling cold and the setting sun, I began the attack.

One intense session of scrubbing, a very sore right arm (sanding is really tough labor! I swear!), 3 coats of paint, and only a few minor cuts and scrapes later, I couldn't believe how AWESOME it came out. I'm so proud of it and it's totally changed my whole room! Now my clothes have somewhere to go- and I have a piece of furniture I'm proud of.

This silly dresser project was a great way to kick off the "clean up the mess" campaign in my life. My to-do list is getting smaller and smaller. I'm not there yet, but I'm on my way. Epilogue to the story: I told my mom about the brand of dresser that this is, and she told me that it was worth $700-800! Incredible!! Thanks to my Mom for the painting advice, Meredith for the use of her SUV, and Ron for his incredible lifting powers! Peace and love.

A Little Trip to the Big Apple

New York, New York. To all of my friends living in the Big Apple, I salute you. Every time I visit your metropolis, I return to little DC utterly tuckered out. In one day of business meetings in New York, I easily walked more than three miles! Cabs are expensive and your subway scares me (really, how long does it take you to learn that thing! I am so spoiled by the DC metro.) Also, every time I visit your city it is extremely hot and humid, which is not conducive weather for pre-business meeting nerves. But I have to say: when I took this job, trips like this were exactly what I envisioned, and overall I had a fantastic time!

Awesome perk number one was my room at the Algonquin Hotel. I was told it is the oldest hotel in NYC, and has a very rich Hemmingway-esque look and history. I’ve never stayed at a place like this and since my family is really more into lodgings that have “Budget” or “Econo” in the name, I doubt I’ll stay someplace like it again any time soon. The bed was an enormous king and the Victorian bathroom fixings and décor were lovely. The lobby was luxurious and the walls were papered with old cartoons from "The New Yorker." And you KNOW it was high class when the mini-shampoos are from Bath and Body Works! You better believe I brought those home. The free cocktail upon arrival and free sit-down breakfast in the morning didn’t hurt either. I was only sad my work took up more time and I couldn’t lounge around and enjoy the place more!

During the day I went around Manhattan meeting some of CER’s supporters and donors, talking to them about CER’s priorities and asking them about their needs. It was exciting tromping around the city in heels and a blazer, handing out my freshly minted business card and learning a lot about the state of education in NYC from some amazing people. I had a real “living the dream” feeling when I was there, and hope it’s just the start for me doing trips like this.

Best of all, I got to grab a bite with Stephanie and Stacey and catch up on their NYC lives since we last visited. My old Syracuse girls are so dear to me and I’m happy to report that they’re both doing very well in their journalism careers. I’m so proud of them! I enjoyed my copy of “Parenting” magazine compliments of editor Steph the whole train ride home, probably to the surprise/judgment of my fellow passengers!

Since my return to DC, my schedule has been packed with the usual joys of life these days- visiting new restaurants in my neighborhood, wine nights with the ladies, babysitting my adorable charges, cocktail parties, delightful dates, amazing fall weather… I take back the phrase “usual joys.” There is no such thing. I’m amazingly grateful and lucky for all the cool and special things I get to experience lately.

Tomorrow I go to an official “weather watchers” training class with the Washington Post. Prepare for a gleefully nerdy entry soon!

Peace and Love.

Jumping Out of a Plane

On my birthday in January, there was a Groupon for a skydiving session at a seriously reduced rate. And although skydiving has always been on my bucket list, probably since I heard my dad's stories of jumping out of helicopters, I had no plans to do it this year. But, here was the coupon, it was my birthday, I was feeling crazy, and my friend Brian wanted someone to go with... so in one swift click I had a skydiving ticket on my hands.

We finally set the date and drove out to rural Virginia to redeem our ticket. It gets REALLY country REALLY fast outside of DC, and we were in some serious farmland by the time we got to the dirt road leading to the address. I was a bit miffed- in my mind I was definitely expecting an air strip, but as we followed the spray-painted signs on scraps of corrugated tin that said "skydiving", I realized I was not in for such luxuries.


I'm sure the guys who we skydived with were professionals, they had something like 6,000 jumps each to their names, but nothing about this place made you feel like you were in good hands. It was a certifiable redneck operation. Packs of random dogs ran around the yard, there were little kids clattering around in a go-kart, and the woman who put me in my harness was absolutely chain smoking and wearing pajama pants. The random barn where they kept the plane was adorned with an enormous confederate flag, and the plane itself reminded me a little bit of my dad's old 1988 Bronco II (in size and quality.)

As if I weren't nervous enough, this pack of characters who I was trusting my life to would not stop messing with us. I guess it's how they get through their boring skydiving work days. For example, they'd be like "oh man, they put you in THAT harness? I thought we grounded that harness yesterday. Oh well, it's probably fine..." or "Skydiving is really a lot better after you take some E, don't you think, man?" Against all logic, and probably driven by the sensible thought process of not wanting to look like a wuss, I got into the plane. After rumbling down the field we were off, and up into the air.

At 11,000 feet they start a 3 minute countdown. I have to say- it was sunset when we went, and it was like being in a cartoon of heaven. The sky was full of fluffy cotton-boll clouds, rimmed in gold, and below the farmland was bright green. It calmed me-- just a little-- and then they whip open the door. There is a blast of icy, sharp air, and suddenly, your feet are out of the plane on a little ledge. There's no way to describe that "looking down" moment. I know there's no way I could have jumped on my own- but thankfully, I had a push, and then you're falling, falling, falling...

This must be what shock feels like. You fall at a rate of 120 mph and your face and whole body is consumed by freezing, penetrating wind. I thought I'd scream, or flail, or something- but I was totally and utterly without reaction. I was mentally blank. I just watched the ground get closer and closer and let myself feel the burn of the cold on my face. Then- without warning- you are snapped from your stupor and jerked suddenly upright with the opening of the parachute. My guy did some tricks with me, swirling it in fast circles and letting me "steer". In about 5 minutes time from plane to ground, we landed. Brian hit the field a few seconds after me. All we could do was stagger around and say, "Whoah. Oh my god. That was...that was so cool."

Processing 15 gallons of adrenaline does something to you. I was not hungry for the rest of the day, and Brian and I were in a state of semi-shock the whole way home. We hardly talked about anything and parted ways. I crashed asleep pretty early and days later was still trying to process the feeling of the free fall.

Now the million dollar question: Would I do it again? Nope. Not any time soon. It was wild and crazy and shocking and unreal. And for me, that's a one-time feeling. When I think back to that moment where I looked out of the open door of the plane, I still get chills. It was cool, but also utterly terrifying. I feel no need to go rushing back. Never say never, I suppose- I'm sure someone will peer pressure me into it again one day! And besides, maybe it would be different if it was any kind of operation that at least took your picture as you leaped from the plane. At least I have Brian as my witness that I did it!

Now, off to sleep after a work trip to NYC. That deserves its own blog, which I'll try to get to later this week. Peace and Love!

My Favorite Things

Last night, I participated in possibly the coolest* and most joyful thing I've ever done in D.C.

I went to a Sound of Music Sing-a-Long at Wolftrap, an outdoor Tanglewood-esqe performing arts venue just outside the city. A singalong, you say? Yes. A sing-a-long, just like that Disney series we all had as kids with the little bouncing ball and that owl that introduced each video.

I had no idea that the grown-up sing-a-long was an actual phenomenon. But apparently, it's all the rage in England (research credits: Meredith Rosenberg) where Elton John had a Sound of Music sing-a-long for his most recent birthday party. Other movies that get the honor include The Wizard of Oz and Grease.

So here's how it works: You arrive to the movie, and set up your picnic on the lawn. We brought a spread of wine, cheese, chicken kabobs, dips and chips, brownies and other tasty delights! If you're an expert, you know that you're supposed to dress up for this, because the night starts out with a costume contest. Ushers pick the best Sound of Music look-alikes and invite them to the stage. People were so creative! There were herds of kids in hand-sewn curtain playclothes, plenty of nuns (some in drag!) and every variety of "favorite things". Of course, the cutest little Gretel walks away with the prize, but it's awesome to see what everyone is wearing.

Next, you look at the little baggie of props you were given at the door, and the host for the evening proceeds to tell you what to do with each of them. My favorite prop was a firecracker that you had to pop the moment Maria and the Captain kiss for the first time. Seeing thousands of firecrackers go off at the same moment of the kiss was hilarious! The kit had edelweiss for you to wave, cue cards, pieces of curtain fabric- it was adorable.

It was about more than the kit though. There were very specific instructions for how to best interact with the movie: For example, every time the Baroness enters the screen, you're supposed to let out a mean "hissssssss," and every time Rolf came on, you're supposed to bark like a dog "ROLF, ROLF!" We learned hand motions for every song, and the audience obeyed this without question.

And of course, the singing! The movie played from beginning to end with the words on the screen so everyone could sing along. And I have to confess something: I got all choked up! It was like being in a chorus of thousands of people, and it sounded so beautiful! More than that, it was a special night because it was just so simple and fun and pure. Grandmas and grand-kids, men and women, all ages were there, just enjoying being together, eating a nice picnic, and watching a joyful and beautiful movie. There's not too many events like that out there, and much like my trip to the fair a few weeks ago, I find the simple things make me the most happy.

If you get a chance to attend one of these sing-a-longs in your city, I can't recommend it enough. You will walk out of there on cloud 9 !

Watch the video of the experience here: http://www.wolftrap.org/Find_Performances_and_Events/Performance/11Filene/0910show11.aspx

Peace and Love.

* Cool is what YOU think is cool. - Dad Hornstein