I Can Has Caffeine?

Hello, friends.  After a whopping 9.5 hours total of sleep over the past two nights, updating this blog is all that I can do to stay awake.  It is on days like these that I wish I had developed a coffee dependency in college, but, sadly for me, I can't stand the stuff.  So I must soldier on and get through this day with a foggy, heavy head and no caffeine.  The causes for the late nights have been the following: a Nats game on Tuesday that we got home from at about 11 due to our Metro train being off-loaded...grrrrrrr.  Last night, the Pens and Bruins played Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Championships, and the game went to double-OT.  I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself if I had missed the end, so I stayed up, with a quick 20-minute cat nap in between the first and second OT periods, that Dan assures me that I was out like a light for.  Well, our Pens lost, and we didn't get to sleep until about 12:30.  WOMPPPPPPP.

Anyway, I promised to talk about a plethora of things, so let's see if I can remember back to the last time that I posted:

Tim's Georgetown graduation was the weekend before Memorial Day weekend, and, being that family members on both sides had other commitments, it was mostly our little foursome, aside from a brief cameo by my uncle Ed.  On Friday night, we had a nice dinner together and then went to Senior Ball, which, after going my senior year and falling in love with it, I practically forced Tim to attend {in the end, though, I think he realized that essentially EVERYONE was there}.  I never turn down an opportunity to bust out the long, formal gown that I bought for my Senior Ball, and it was nice to see family friends and Tim's roommates, along with their families.

Tim and some of his roommates at Senior Ball

Family at Senior Ball

On Saturday, we all grabbed brunch at Metro 29 {we don't need a fancy brunch haha} and then putzed around before Tim's graduation ceremony.  The Business School had a 6:00 p.m. graduation, and the weather looked more and more threatening as the day went on.  They made the call at 4 that graduation would be out on the lawn, and, as we walked outside to snag some seats, we found that it was raining.  Bummah.  We still had two hours to kill and were likely to get soaked, and, more importantly, I felt awful for the graduates, who, I imagined, would not have umbrellas with them.  Luckily, it only sprinkled a little bit as we waited, and the rain held off during the ceremony.  Alleluia!  I was so proud of my baby brother as he walked across the stage and was incorrectly hooded by a professor who was probably 8 inches shorter than him.  The perils of being tall!  But anyway, I am so proud of everything he has accomplished, and I have no doubt that he will continue to do great things.

After taking the requisite pictures, we grabbed dinner, and, just like that, with absolutely no fuss, graduation weekend was over.  While I loved having so many family members at my graduation, there is definitely something to be said for having an intimate group.  It was such a special weekend, though, given that now 3 out of the 4 of us in our little family have gone to Georgetown.  It is a tradition that I have been so honored to share with my dad, Tim, and other family members who have gone here.

So proud of our graduate!

Totally posed

Filing in

The Lake siblings, all grown up!

In my next post, I will bring you up to speed on our move {!!!!!!!!}, which, as you will remember, had me all riled up and nervous.

So long, September!

It's no secret that I was not a huge fan of the month of September this year.  I learned more about rhabdomyolysis, CPK, AST and ALT levels, and what the inside of a hospital room feels like this month than I would ever have cared to know.  Dan has been such a trooper this month, but I think that he and I are both ready to put September behind us and hope that October is the month when he finally gets back to normal.  We're really hoping for good news after he gets his blood drawn again in a few weeks.

This weekend was an uncharacteristically social one for us, because, ever since we got home from the hospital, we have been laying low as Dan recovers.  On Friday night, we grabbed dinner at District of Pie, which, I think it's safe to say, is our new favorite pizza place (we have been there several times over the past few months).  Before we went, however, Dan had a little surprise for me.  He knows how much I love surprises, but, since I am almost always on the giving end of those surprises, he decided to do a little something sweet for me.  He had texted me on Thursday night to tell me that he had a surprise, and, I think, thoroughly enjoyed seeing me sweat it out a little bit.  When I got to his place on Friday, I found that he had gotten me Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America, which is a plotline (and actual book, penned by the show's writers) of Parks and Recreation, one of our favorite shows that we watch together.  He had been at Barnes and Noble, and couldn't resist the temptation to get it for me.  He really is the best, and I truly appreciated the thoughtful surprise :)

Then, I met up with my friends to celebrate Molly's birthday at Muzette, a karaoke place in Adams Morgan (side note: we had all gotten together to celebrate Lauren's birthday over dinner on Thursday).  This place was great, because we got a private room and, thus, controlled all of the songs for two hours.  You have no idea how fantastic this is, particularly since we have a lot of people in our group (myself included) who love to belt it out!  From Muzette, we headed to Dan's Cafe, which I had never been to before (I discovered why the moment I walked in, because this place was the diviest of dive bars that I have ever been to).  We ended the night at, you guessed it, Brass Monkey.  Sometimes a gal just needs a little bit of dancing!  I got to bed at about 2:30, which is easily the latest I have stayed up in a while (it's okay, insert grandma joke here)...only to get up at 7 to run before Homecoming.  I know, crazy.  I felt fine for most of the day, and then hit a major wall at 6 or so.

The tailgate was actually a lot of fun, although I am definitely going to have a hard time deciding whether or not to go next year.  My thought was that most of the people who were there were people that I already see.  It was still fun, though.  Poor Dan still wasn't able to drink anything because the doc hasn't cleared him for it, but he was still able to see a few of his swimming friends.  After the tailgate, Dan, Goran, Nicole and I went to Piola in Rosslyn, which has an all-you-can-eat gnocchi special on the 29th of each month.  We tried six different types of gnocchi (I was only able to eat three, because the other three either contained meat or ingredients that I am allergic to), and I think that it is safe to say that Goran and Nicole could eat Dan and I under the table.  The two of them do somewhat-regular food challenges, and neither Dan nor I are particularly big eaters, so we filled up a lot more quickly.  For the rest of the afternoon, we watched the Ryder Cup (we watched on Sunday as well), which is what I fell asleep watching at 9:30 (that's what 4.5 hours of sleep plus a packed day at Homecoming will do to you haha).

Yesterday morning, we got brunch with my parents at Metro 29, which was nice (Dan hadn't seen them in a while, and I hadn't seen them in a week or so).  I got my French toast, which made my tummy happy...until I went for a run three hours later.  I felt like I was going to be sick the entire time, so it was not such a pleasant run.  When I got back and Dan expressed concern at how sick I looked, I pointed out that at least I could run, which he agreed with.  Once I felt a little bit better, we grabbed some dinner from a sports bar in his old neighborhood (I smartly opted for a salad, because I was feeling very nutrient-deficient after last week) and watched the thoroughly depressing end of the Ryder Cup.  Damn it, 'murica!  Overall, I had a great weekend with friends, but especially with Dan.  I'm not going to get to see him until Wednesday, so I try to be very appreciative of the time that I do get to spend with him!!  I'm glad that we have a long weekend to look forward to this coming weekend, because boy, could we use it!

Pictures from this weekend to come soon! I got back too late last night to edit/upload photos...

I hope you all had fabulous weekends!

That moment when...

...I rediscovered Georgetown!  And oh, what a discovery it was!  I have spent so much time in Georgetown over the past 6+ years that, frankly, I had gotten a little sick of it, preferring to explore other areas of DC.  Last night, I met up with my dear friend Jamie, who I had not seen in AGES (thanks in part to her extensive work travel and my NH vacation and then stay in VA Beach) for dinner at Café La Ruche, literally one of the most adorable restaurants I have ever been to.  I first went there two-and-a-half years ago, during Senior Week, for Allie's birthday dinner, and, being that it is really tucked away on a side street, I always tend to forget about it.  But Jamie and I were planning on gorging ourselves on cupcakes after dinner at Baked & Wired, so, when she suggested some place with light fare for dinner, Café La Ruche came immediately to mind.  See pictures below!

Seriously, have you seen a more adorable restaurant?!

The interior, also adorable

Not only is the restaurant cute and quaint (French décor, including Parisian street signs, everywhere), but the food is cheap and delicious!  I got a vegetable quiche and Jamie got French Onion Soup and a brie plate, so we got to sit there and catch up, munching on our yummy food and listening to the guitar-playing of the resident musician.  When we got there, the restaurant was empty, but, before long, a HUGE French tourist group (we're talking 30ish people) crammed into the tiny restaurant, and, I think the fact that there were so many French people there proves that the place is legit.

From there, we walked a block along the canal to B&W, where we got to sit and chat some more before shutting the place down.  A walk back to Dupont was a perfect ending for the evening, since the rain, which had been following constantly throughout the day, had let up for the evening.  A wonderful evening with a true kindred spirit, as Anne Shirley would say!

Someone Make Time Slow Down!!!! (please)

I started the weekend early on Thursday night, when Dan and I went to the Nats-Pirates game (knowing full well that it wouldn't matter if we had a late night because all I had to do on Friday was work at graduation). It was a lot of fun, for several reasons: 1) the Bucs won (yay!); 2) Some family friends sat next to us at the game, and I also got to meet one of Dan's golfing buddies, who happened to be at the game; and 3) I got a Shake Shack milkshake.  Heavenly (albeit terrible for you, I'm sure).  All in all, a very fun night, and I was glad that Dan's team won (for those of you who may be curious, while I have become a Pens fan, I will never, EVER abandon my allegiance to the Red Sox, no matter how much they suck.  In fact, I wore my Sox hat to this game), despite some serious threats from the Nats.

My students graduated on Friday under flawlessly beautiful skies, and I was so glad that I got to be there and witness it.  True to form, I cried during the alma mater (and alternately was quite pleased at myself for knowing ALL of the words haha), as well as during President DeGioia's speech when he welcomes the newly-minted graduates to the Georgetown alumni community.  For some reason, that sentiment always gets me.  Georgetown alums are sure a special group :)  I was also reminded of what a nightmare it can be to work graduation when graduates' families tried to walk up to the stage to take pictures of the graduates.  Seriously, one man was practically sitting in the lap of one man in the wheelchair section as he tried to get a picture.  Seriously, people are so inconsiderate!  Thus, my job as bad cop was made infinitely more difficult.

Immediately following graduation, I rescued Kristin from boards studying in Uncommon Grounds and, after stopping by the post-graduation reception for a hot second to grab some lunch, she and I walked down to the mecca that is Baked & Wired and stuffed our faces with cupcakes.  Sure, come to town and twist my arm to eat delicious cupcakes ;)  It was so nice to catch up with my beloved friend as we sat by the banks of the canal.  It is so rare that I get to see my out-of-town girls nowadays, so I was in my element that afternoon.  It also didn't hurt that the weather was, as I mentioned, fabulous. 

On Friday night, Kristin, Molly and I went to Senior Ball to support Kristin's brother, Justin, a Class of 2012 Georgetown College graduate (woo!!!).  Again, twist my arm and make me dress up to go to a BALL.  It was, as expected, a very good time, and, although we all agreed that the literary theme was less awesome than the circus-themed ball our senior year, there was a Gatsby-themed photobooth (complete with accessories) this year, which certainly knocked this Senior Ball up a few notches! 

Right back where we were two years ago

On Saturday, Lauren and I headed to Pentagon City for some retail therapy...and ended up buying the same shorts.  Oops?  In her defense, she bought them first.  Then we went back to her apartment and watched the exciting conclusion of the Belmont Stakes (I could care less about horse racing, but I get easily amped up about major sporting events, so I thought I could spare the three minutes to watch it.  Bring on the Olympics!  Dan and I have already agreed that we're not budging from in front of the TV).  Afterward, I met up with Dan for a delicious dinner at Commissary before heading to Local 16 for the much-dreaded goodbye party for Colleen and Patrick (I say much-dreaded because I have been dreading saying goodbye to them, not because I dread going to parties).  It was a really great time, especially when we migrated to Policy (two weekends in a row, not sorry) and had our own little private dancing area.  Dan, who hates dancing, was an amazing sport about going out dancing, which is one of the many, many reasons why I love him, and I was delighted to have so many of my favorite people together to celebrate two incredible friends.

 I will miss these two so much!!!

Wonderful friends!

 

So much love :)

Yesterday was a complete lazy day once I got home from Dan's.  I did go to the gym (yay me), but aside from that, I lounged around, did laundry, and watched lots of Gilmore Girls and Mad Men (the latter with Molly).  After weekends that jam-packed with activity, I really needed the lazy day.  As a result,  I was able to have a really great run this morning (because I was about as well-rested as I'm ever going to be), despite the fact that I had to fight the urge to stay in bed.  I have a lot of things planned for this week (literally, every night was planned out as of last Monday), including what I'm sure will be more teary goodbyes, but I'm very much looking forward to the long weekend next weekend.  I'm hoping that the weather will hold out so that we can go to the beach! 



Graduation

Wow.  Graduation season is upon us again.  HOW DID THIS HAPPEN???????  It really does seem like just yesterday that my friends and I were reveling in Senior Week and preparing to walk across that stage, but alas, that was actually two years ago.  Sigh.

This graduation season has proven to be a particularly controversial one on the Hilltop this year.  I mean, in general, the University seems to have been in the news a lot this year, but when an uncharacteristically decent lineup of commencement speakers (really, they are usually terrible at Georgetown) was announced earlier on this month, people went bananas. 

Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and one of the main authors of Obamacare, particularly the portions of it that pertain to contraception, was selected as the commencement speaker for the Public Policy Institute.  Immediately, a maelstorm erupted surrounding the decision, with Catholic archbishops calling on President DeGioia to rescind the offer.

You know what I am most proud of?  The fact that my alma mater (and employer) is a place where people of differing opinions can flourish.  People come to Georgetown to become more worldly and to be exposed to differing opinions, all while receiving a world-class education, not to be around people who think exactly what they think, not to mention what the Catholic Church thinks.  I have said it before and I will say it again; I am a practicing Catholic, but I think that there are many areas in which the Church is out of touch with reality.  Georgetown may be on the Vatican's shitlist, but at least it is a place where civil discourse and free expression are encouraged. The fact that Secretary Sebelius was invited to speak here does not mean that Georgetown is abandoning its Catholic identity. It is not a prerequisite that the commencement speakers' opinions be the most popular or shared by the greatest number of people.  I truly admire Georgetown's decision to extend the offer to Secretary Sebelius, and I hope that people do not make fools of themselves at the ceremony.

This year's MSB ceremony will be a bittersweet one for me, because this was the class that started their student careers just as I began working here, so it will be very emotional for sure.  I'm going to miss all of them!!! Let's see if I can make it through this year's graduation without sobbing.  It's doubtful, because the Alma Mater gets me every time.  Congratulations to the Class of 2012, and may Georgetown live forever!

Yet Another Reason Why I Love Georgetown

A short time ago, I blogged about women's health and about how, in the months preceding the 2012 presidential election, my views on the social issues that are coming to light in the context of the election are becoming increasingly clear to me.  The thing that frustrates me the most in the debates over contraception, abortion and a woman's place in the workforce is that women seem to be losing our agency in the debate. 

This past week, Sandra Fluke, a third-year Georgetown Law student and a former president of Georgetown Law Students for Reproductive Justice, was embroiled in a very public attack on her character after she testified before a Democratic mock panel in support of HHS' proposed mandate that would require all employers, even the religiously affiliated, to provide free access to contraception for their employees.  In response, Ms. Fluke was lambasted by Rush Limbaugh, in my opinion one of the most deplorable human beings on the face of the earth, who has made a career out of spewing off inflammatory comments in order to elicit a response.  His comments are not fit to be repeated here, and, in fact, I had a great deal of difficulty making it through the videos and articles I read detailing his response.  His comments were not only a direct and inappropriate attack on Ms. Fluke's character, but also an attack on all women.

News sources quickly picked up the story, and such an uproar was caused that many lawmakers even wrote a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner, urging him and the rest of Republican senior leadership to reprimand Mr. Limbaugh for his disgusting comments.  Now, I would agree that the letter was very extreme, but, despite the fact that Mr. Limbaugh is protected under the law to freely express himself, his comments never should have been made.  He insulted a woman he had no knowledge of, calling her a "slut" for wanting free access to contraception (a very costly drug treatment if not covered by insurance)...but then saying that, if she wants to have so much sex, she should at least videotape it and put it on the internet for the viewing pleasure of others.  Way to make yourself look good, Rush.

However enraged I may have been by Limbaugh's rampage against Ms. Fluke, I could not have been more pleased by the response of politicians and of the Georgetown community.  President Obama called Ms. Fluke personally, and not only applauded her for taking a very public stand on an issue she is so clearly passionate about, but also reassured her that her family (which, I learned from an interview she conducted, is of a different political persuasion than she is) should be proud of her, contrary to what Limbaugh had suggested.  Point for Barack.  Then, John J. DeGioia, the President of Georgetown University, circulated an email to the campus community voicing his strong support for Ms. Fluke's respecful civil discourse, calling for everyone in the campus community to engage in such discourse, even if they are of a different opinion.  I was truly touched by his statement, because, being that President DeGioia is the president of the country's pre-eminent Catholic and Jesuit university, he is required to side with the Church on certain moral issues (even if those beliefs may not align with his own).  So, even if he does not personally agree with what Ms. Fluke is proposing, his strong support for her as a person and for her right to express her own personal beliefs brought tears to my eyes.  The president of a Catholic and Jesuit organization is not the first person I would have pegged to release a statement of that kind, but I think that it was truly significant, and, in a way, I believe it confirmed the fact that women should be their own agents, their health should not be dictated by men.  Point for DeGioia (and for the Jesuits).  Hoya Saxa.  I am so overwhelmingly proud of my University, and of Sandra Fluke for taking a stand that is so important to me as well.

For further analysis of President DeGioia's letter, I think that Jon Meacham did a very nice job. 

Post about anniversary weekend to follow :-)