Monthly Archives: February 2012

I love this blog but…

29 Wednesday Feb 2012

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It’s kind of boring right now.  Because my life is kind of boring right now.  I mean, a lot of things are coming in the future, but not a lot is going on right now.

Work has been blah, I’ve been busy with KD meetings and my consulting work, and the weather is stuck in that weird not-yet-Spring but not-quite-Winter area that is too warm for your coat but too cool for your jacket.

But, even though nearly every minute at work has been a minute where I wish I was at home taking a nap, some pretty interesting things are happening:

1.  Snooki is pregnant.  Maybe.

2. The Academy Awards episode of Fashion Police was awesome.

3.  I cannot wait to watch the season finale of Parenthood.

4.  I am going on a surprise trip this weekend but I can’t tell you about it until Sunday!

5.  I am going to the eye doctor [tomorrow] and then ordering new contacts and glasses.  I’ll be needing your opinions on my frame choices.

I know, whoa, I just blew your mind with awesomeness [boring stuff], and now you have no idea what to do.  Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll be back in action soon.  It’s just been one of those weeks, right?  Right.

Train Thoughts

22 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Blogging, DC Life, Politics, Religion, Uncategorized, Vacation/Break Time, Work-Life Balance

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1. I always think about 100 Years of Solitude on Ash Wednesday and how all 27 (is it 27? Is that right?) Brothers get murdered by a shot through the ash mark that never washes off.

2. I’m really glad I don’t have the same name as my sister and 25 other family members.

3. I am excited for Santorum to get the nomination because then I know Obama will win the election.

4. Santorum is so intense he scares me. if he became President I might take two years in the Peace Corp or something.

5. If Santorum were President he probably would cancel the Peace Corp, or at least forbid women from entering it, so I need to get a new plan.

6. It looks like I can get to NYC in 5 hours for $25 each way on a bus that picks up by my work. I’m kind of getting excited about the prospects of spending 6-8 weekends in NYC this summer.

7. I tried to change the subject but I am still really annoyed about the anti-birth control conversations going on. I kind of want to punch the GOP in the face. I mean, seriously, you want to go back to subjugating women by keeping them pregnant, out of work, and dependent on a man’s income to survive? Have we really learned nothing over the last 1000 years?

8. Sorry for number 7.

9. This guy was being really friendly on the metro this morning and it was all great or whatever until he asked what stop I was getting off — and that totally creeped me out.

10. I am exhausted today but H packed me a pumpkin spice kashi granola bar and a fruit-on-the-bottom Greek yogurt for breakfast and I am so excited to eat it and drink coffee and do my work. Because yesterday I got this really cool assignment to write a paper on something I’m not allowed to see, which is basically like playing pretend and I am TOTES good at that.

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Accidental Outfit Post

20 Monday Feb 2012

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This post was a complete and total accident — I was teaching H the ways of pinterest and polyvore for an MBA project and just created a random polyvore and then taught him how to pin it.  Ooops.

outfit

 

Lands End lands end shirt
$12 - landsend.com

Old Navy denim skinny jeans
$25 - oldnavy.com

Lands’ End lands end shoes
$50 - landsend.com

J Crew link jewelry
$70 - jcrew.com

Dogeared tahitian pearl jewelry
$20 - charmandchain.com
But, now that my mom left me a comment and it’s been just sitting here on the blog for like 24 hours I’m chalking this up to serendipity and just going with it.  You are welcome, H, that I put your homework and understanding of female shopping habits above the awesomeness of my blog.

I have been too tired to blog.

20 Monday Feb 2012

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I am running on empty!  KD activities four times last week, my last round of edits on the article were due today, plus my work activities and H’s school activities and Leo’s cuddling needs have been filling up my life. And not in the “lots of fun things so my blog sounds cooler” way — in the OH MY GOSH I HAVE NO CLEAN PANTS TO WEAR TO WORK way.

But, all that aside, I am really happy and trying hard to use my time wisely and to build better relationships and grow professionally.  I miss my family and need to go on vacation but exciting things are coming soon.  H will be working in New York City all summer, so I can take three-day weekends and visit him as often as possible and we can explore NYC together.  I’ve never been to see the Statute of Liberty or Ground Zero or gone shopping in Manhattan or eaten pizza in Brooklyn or any of the things that America loves about NY, so I’m going to make that happen.  Also, I have a long-lost friend working down there who I will hopefully get to see.

We have two weddings coming up in March [shopping, anyone?], as well as a potential weekend hangout with another friend coming up to DC.  The weather is going to be getting warmer soon, and the cherry blossoms will be blooming before we know it.

I usually love winter and hate warm weather (I like to cover up in a million layers like the Amish) but I am SO excited for spring this year.  Today was beautiful and a high of 50 and I was nearly skipping back from the laundry room.  But not really skipping, because I HATE doing laundry with a passion.  I mean, seriously, laundry is the worst.

Soul Writing

15 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Blogging, DC Life, Literature, Stress Reduction, Style, Uncategorized, Vacation/Break Time, Work-Life Balance

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I started writing a book about writing. I realize that this is totally weird and pathetic since I’ve never actually written a book, but it just came out of nowhere last week and suddenly I had written 2500 words in 45 minutes. And for some reason when I’d written it all out I felt different.

Spending my days with mediocre words (not always, but often) has been draining my soul a little, and so I guess I just needed some time to rejuvenate my spirit. You see, government policy documents (which I review for content and clarity, of course, and not poetry or beauty) are kind of lame. If someone wants to add a point in, no one revisits the structure of the piece or creates an opening, introduction, or tie-in for the new information. That’s not how we roll. Instead, we just pick a spot, add three sentences that may or may not match the tone of the piece, and move ahead.

And obviously, that’s usually the right thing to do. Policy documents should convey policy. And policy is a collection of choppy and disconnected bits of things.

But this week, while I’ve been just so exhausted from attending a million meetings and commuting to College Park a bit too often, I’ve been craving musical, rhythmic, soulful writing. I looked up last night and saw Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon on my bookshelf, unread, and made plans for my weekend.

I’ll be starting that right after I finish this month’s InStyle magazine. :)

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V-Day failure

14 Tuesday Feb 2012

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So, I made Jack Daniels fudge for H’s valentine’s gift. I stirred and boiled and browned and melted and created 60 squares of half-cooked fudge. Oops.

I mean, I think it’s under-cooked but I honestly can’t tell what happened except that it does not taste smooth and delicious and creamy — it tastes chocolatey but also has an oily texture that I do not love.

But, it looks beautiful. So I packed up about a dozen pieces to take to work, leaving only 48 pieces of not-fudge chocolate weirdness for us to eat (throw away) at home.

But H has already made my day. First, he bought fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt for me! I hate fruity yogurt but I love fotb yogurt! It is just so delish. He handed it to me along with a spoon and breakfast-to-go as I left this morning.

Second, he is cooking dinner (I will “help,” don’t worry) tonight and has planned a fantastic menu: Rib-eyes, roasted asparagus, Alton’s chipotle sweet potatoes and — pause for emphasis — a chocolate soufflé. Wait, WHAT? H is making a soufflé? Seriously?

So chances are there may be two chocolate disasters in our kitchen this Valentine’s Day.

Sending my love to you and yours.

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This week has been so busy!

08 Wednesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Blogging, DC Life, Uncategorized, Work, Work-Life Balance

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This week has been so busy — but I have been loving it.  My work responsibilities have been seriously enhanced since last Wednesday or so, and I am loving it.  I am doing something that is really important and I am doing a good job.  And being fulfilled and challenged at work makes me feel satisfied with things even though they are still kind of crazy.

For example, I’ve been gone a lot lately so things like, oh, I don’t know, clean or pressed work attire are difficult to find.  And it is currently 11:44 PM and I am writing a blog instead of sleeping.

But seriously, it is fantastic.  I’m feeling like myself again and making magic happen all around me.  And by all around me, I mean during a few high-level government meetings.  But it counts. And this Saturday morning, I get to sleep in a little, make a pot of coffee, and sit down with the prison rape elimination article I am editing and really dig in to the final round of comments.  And I LOVE doing that.  I love the words and the sentences and the sources and the thinking.  And the punctuation — I literally love punctuation.

Please don’t judge me.

Monday was kind of awesome.

07 Tuesday Feb 2012

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And Tuesday (today) was even better.  And I’m sitting here totally excited for Wednesday.  I’m about to read my bible study materials for Thursday, and I’m going to start reviewing the last round of my consulting materials for Saturday.

February is looking up.  Hope yours is too.

This weekend I made 3 friends and one…

07 Tuesday Feb 2012

Posted by in Blogging, DC Life, Stress Reduction, Uncategorized, Vacation/Break Time

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I’ve delayed updating this weekend/week because I am torn about what to write. As most of my real-life (aka Facebook) friends know, I am an advisor for a local KD chapter and have been so excited to dig in and make great things happen with these talented and lovely college-aged women.

And I have been digging in, spending more days than not there this past week and preparing for the new member program which is starting soon and will require 1-2 days of commuting from work to campus each week from next week until April.

Even though it is so much time away from H and from Leo, I love doing it because the mentor-mentee capacity of Greek life is immeasurable and teaches excited women to conduct themselves professionally and responsibly (in most settings, at least!). And I love KD, like whoa.

But another advisor attacked me in an unprofessional way and I am not sure if I should let it go or confront her about it. So while I am so proud and excited of our collegians, I’m struggling with my relationship with this individual.

Thankfully, the rest of the advisors are funny, friendly, and pretty awesome. They love fro-yo and rainboots, and they always offer to drive me in their grown-up new cars with leather seats and plug-in phone jacks. And while we were co-advisors for a while, after handling recruitment together we are friends.

So I guess this weekend was 80% great and 20% terrible. Which is pretty great, considering.

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