Easter!

Oh boy, I think that was the most relaxing weekend I have had in a LONGGGG time.  I had the day off on Friday (yay for working for a Catholic institution and getting Good Friday off!), which meant that I got to start the weekend out early with pizza and the Masters on Thursday with Dan.  So. Relaxing.

I metroed home on Friday morning when Dan left for work (at about 6:30), and was able to fit in a run, 2 loads of laundry, cleaning the apartment and packing for the weekend before meeting Lauren for lunch at 2 Amys.  I was feeling pretty good about my productivity, especially since I knew I would neither want to do laundry nor clean the apartment when I got home on Sunday night.  I had decided to spend the weekend at my parents' house, just for a change of scenery.

After Lauren and I gobbled down our favorite pizza, we saw the movie Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, which, despite its title, was actually a fabulous movie.  Afterward, we briefly contemplated running in to the showing of Titanic in 3D, but, good girls that we are, refrained (maybe it was just my group of friends, but we never snuck in to multiple movies when we were younger).  Afterward, we did some nice window shopping, and then we parted ways so that I could meet up with my family and some family friends for dinner at Sequoia on the Waterfront.  It was actually a surprisingly good time (I had been unsure, going into the dinner, of how well the groups were going to mesh), so it was nice to have that good company to start off the weekend.

I started off Saturday morning with my best outdoor run of the season so far.  My previous outdoor runs have all been with Dan, and, perhaps due to the hilliness and my allergies/asthma going crazy, I have spent part of each run in the midst of an asthma attack and completely miserable.  However, my runs outdoors on both Saturday and Sunday were fantastic, so those definitely started my days off right!  Afterward, my dad and I went out to breakfast and got some hearty, tasty oatmeal-wheat germ pancakes.  Then, I made my beloved Cookie Dough Cupcakes (seriously, Kate, thank you so much for passing this recipe along, because it is one of my favorite ones to make, however sparingly I do so!!!) to serve at Easter lunch on Sunday.  After dinner, we headed to Easter vigil Mass...and did not emerge until 2 1/2 HOURS LATER.  Seriously, those were the most miserable 2 1/2 hours of my entire life, and I was FUMING (as was my mom).  The Mass was unnecessarily long, and I was shooting death glares at the cantor as she sang the third of seventh readings...seriously, not funny.  My mom said the next morning that she had been so "distraught" (her word, not mine haha) after Mass that she had forgotten to make her special holiday breakfast, which needs to rise overnight.  Oh well, I guess I wasn't really planning on doing anything after Mass anyway.

After my run on Sunday, I helped my mom get the mountains of food ready before two of my friends and Tim and two of his friends arrived for lunch.  Everything was delicious, and by the time that Molly, Lauren and I arrived back at our apartment last night, we were definitely crashing big-time after our sugar high.  Yeah, I guess I jumped back in to eating sugar a little too eagerly (although the two of them hadn't given up sweets for Lent and ate just as much, so maybe I shouldn't feel so bad?  That's what I'll tell myself haha).  We ended Easter weekend by watching some episodes of Mad Men in sweats, and believe me, it was glorious.

Me, Lauren and Molly down by the Potomac (and looking very springlike!)

Tim, Max and Mike relaxing after their catch

The reason for the sugar high?  Bunny cake, cookie dough cupcakes and chocolate

Time and time again, I am in awe of my parents, particularly how generous they are about opening their home to Tim, myself, and our friends and loved ones.  I never take for granted how lucky I am to have my parents just a short Metro ride away, and the fact that they are so open to making my friends and Dan a part of their lives means more to me than they will ever know.  I truly am the luckiest girl in the world :)

Also, here is a picture of Molly and I with our creations from the painting happy hour we went to last week!

Friday Afternoon Around the Horn

I tend to post a lot of NYT articles to my blog.  What can I say, I enjoy The Times?

The first article that I found noteworthy was this one, in which Rick Santorum equated Mitt Romney with Barack Obama in terms of his anti-gun views.  Really, Rick, you are doing a fabulous job in ensuring that I never dream of voting for you.  Have you been watching the news lately?  Have you seen just a handful of the devastating tragedies that lax gun laws have caused?  To name a few off the top of my head, does Trayvon Martin's name ring a bell?  George Zimmerman should not have been allowed to own a gun, period.  How about the former student of Oikos University, who killed, in a calculated manner, a number of students at the school?  Yeah, maybe he shouldn't have been allowed near a gun either.  Obama, in a speech four years ago in Pennsylvania, "had said it was 'not surprising' that their residents 'get bitter [due to the declining economy and poverty in small-town America], they cling to guns or religion'".  I think our president is on to something.  I certainly don't agree with everything that he says, but I think that both guns and religion are both used as weapons, both literally and figuratively.  Giving people access to guns scares me, because, like George Zimmerman and One L. Goh, so many people abuse their constitutional right to own a weapon.  I'm not saying that all gun-toting Americans abuse those privileges, because those are cases that are sensationalized and blown out of proportion by the media, but I don't think I want to leave that to chance.

Another way in which I hope the Republican Party has put its foot in its mouth: American women (myself included!) are starting to get angry about how so many Republican lawmakers and conservative institutions (Catholic Church) and organizations (Susan G. Komen, led by a right-to-lifer) are waging a culture war on women's health (more specifically, women's reproductive health). I really loved the quote by Stephanie Schriock, the president of Emily's list, who said: “What we are committed to doing at Emily’s List is drive a political movement to get these Republican men out of office. What’s going on in the Republican Party is that they are being hijacked by an extremely conservative faction of the party, and the entire party has taken up the right-wing social agenda to prevent women from having all the choices they need in their lives to be successful.” Her organization is aimed at electing more pro-choice women to office (you can put the emphasis on pro-choice or on women, but both are very noble goals).  And yes, I am not saying that there are not far left-wing liberals who push their own agenda in Washington, but the fact that moderate and liberal women are so grossly underrepresented in positions of power is truly saddening.  In that sense, Decision 2012 is a very exciting time for American women, because enough of us are angry that we are willing to take a stand and stick up for ourselves.  I think that an organization like Emily's list is so invaluable, and I will definitely consider becoming a part of it!!

That's all I have time for...off for a long weekend of Easter revelry with family and friends.  Only a few more days until I am reminded of what sweets taste like :)

A Pretty Perfect Weekend

This weekend turned out to be a busy one, but, if this makes any sense, it felt relaxing at the same time!  My boss let us leave work ealry on Friday (yay!) and I used that extra time to peruse the book selection at Kramer's before meeting up with my dear friend/former roommate Colleen for a quick happy hour.  It was so nice to catch up with her, particularly since she had just returned from a trip to the West Coast, and I always enjoy the time I get to spend with her.  After that, I met Dan at home and we went to a Chicago-style pizza place (YUM) and then, deciding that we didn't want to spend the money to go and see 21 Jump Street, we finished watching Invictus, which we had started the night before (it was a great movie, for those of you who haven't seen it!).

On Saturday morning, we went on a nice little run together, only part of which I literally spent gasping for air.  My asthma has definitely been acting up when I have tried to run outside, particularly when running hills, which is frustrating because, while I am completely capable physically of running hills, I must not be breathing correctly when I do so, because it almost always ends in an asthma attack.  Dan was really concerned towards the end of the hill (we ran down Wisconsin and then down and back up Mass, which, for those of you who aren't aware, is a pretty steep hill).  Anyway, we rewarded ourselves after our 6-mile run with some Dynk's Pancakes.  These are a family recipe, named after the family friend who used to make them for us up at the Lake every year, and they are the most delicious Swedish pancakes (they very closely resemble crepes) on the planet, especially with some maple syrup and berries.  We plunked down on the couch in an exhuasted heap while we ate and put a good dent in The Godfather II (which, I have to admit, I like, to Dan's utter astonishment).

On Saturday night, we trekked out to Virginia to celebrate my friend Liz's birthday.  Her roommate threw her a surprise fondue (YUM) birthday party, followed by karaoke in Dupont.  Being that it is still Lent (only a few more days!!!), I had to abstain from the chocolate fondue, but the cheese fondue was delicious!  Liz was very surprised, and it was a good group of people as well.  I was not crazy about the karaoke place (it was small, which allowed us more mic time, but you couldn't really hear the music, or the singers), but it was still a nice time out with friends.

 Belting it out for the birthday girl

 Ann serenades Liz

Loves

On Sunday morning, my dad and I went for a hike on the Billy Goat Trail at Great Falls (MD), and boy, what a fun hike!  There was definitely some good up-and-down, what with all of the rocks, and there was a short portion of the hike when we were climbing up to a cliff.  I thought I would be terrified, but it was actually so much fun!  There were also blue bells for as far as your eye could see, and getting to see the falls at the end made the hike really worth it.  And, as always, it was nice to have some good daddy-daughter time.  We both marveled at the fact that such beautiful scenery and such a nice hike are available to us not far outside the city. 

The rest of my day was a good mix of productivity/laziness.  I went to Palm Sunday Mass before returning home to go to the grocery store and run to CVS.  Then, since it was such a nice day, I decided to go for a run outside, even though I was exhausted.  After that, I dove under my covers and watched Under the Tuscan Sun, which I had had a strange urge to watch all of last week.  Then, I made myself a nice dinner and Skyped with Kristin before hitting the sack early to re-set for this week.

I have lots of fun things to look forward to this week: I am anticipating that Dan and I will watch the National Championship game (men's basketball), I am going to a Red Sox game with my family tomorrow at Nats Stadium, Molly and I are doing a painting happy hour on Wednesday, and then I get Friday off for Good Friday!  Gotta love working for a Catholic school!  We are hanging around here for Easter, so I am looking forward to spending some quality time with friends and family.  I hope everyone had a lovely weekend!!

JJ!

Holy moly, is this little guy ever cute!!!!!! He makes my heart melt! 

Georgetown's beloved (albeit slothlike) mascot, Jack, has been on the DL since his ACL surgery a short time ago, and it looks like the university has already chosen his replacement, this adorable little Jack Junior, or "JJ."  It's really a shame that bulldogs can't stay that cute and little forever...sigh.

Happy weekend everyone!!!!

Islamophobia and the Failure of Integration

I wrote my college thesis on "l'affaire du voile," or the Headscarf Affair, a decades-long disagreement in France over whether or not, and to what extent, it is permissible for French women of Arab descent to veil themselves in public.  The issue is fascinating, being that there can be any number of reasons, as stated in my 75-page thesis (in French!) that women veil themselves: 1) It could be a personal affirmation of one's commitment to God; 2) It could be something that male members of a woman's family force her into, based on cultural and religious traditions forged in the home country; and 3) It could be a way for a woman to connect with the culture of her homeland, a sort of nostalgia, if you will, based on the fact that full integration of Muslims in France is nearly impossible.

God knows that I love France (heck, I spent a semester studying there, multiple trips there, and dream of living there someday), but the unwillingness on the part of France's administration to admit that there is a serious problem dealing with lack of integration and exclusion of immigrants, especially North African and Arab immigrans, in the country is deplorable.  The shooting rampages committed by Mohamed Merah in Toulouse within the past few weeks which killed three French soldiers, three children and a rabbi represent the failure of the French state, are a prime example of the failure of integration.  Yes, this man, and others, may have been prone to religious extremism and the attacks are inexcusable (not to mention, they give the world all the more reason to stigmatize Arabs and Muslims and brand them all as terrorists), but I have to think that much of the issue lies with how immigrants are treated in France.  Above all, loyalty and allegiance to the French republic are the highest values in the country, so, when immigrants arrive with a strong allegiance to the religious and cultural institutions of their homelands, that creates a problem for the French.  They sense that these immigrants have no interest in integrating into French society, and, as a result (although, perhaps it is the other way around), these immigrants are forced to live in tenement-style housing with immigrants of similar origin in areas on the periphery of cities called banlieus.  They are stigmatized by members of French society, many of whom still bear the prejudices of the colonial era, and, as a result, they feel neither a part of their culture/country of origin, from which they are physically removed, or of France, in which they are physically present. 

I could obivously go on about this issue for the rest of time, but another incident that also occurred recently highlighted the fact that the United States' integration of Arab and Muslim immigrants is far from perfect.  The brutal murder of Shaima Alawadi, who emigrated from Iraq decades ago and raised her five children in the United States along with her husband, emphasizes the still-lingering deep-seeded feelings of resentment and distrust towards Americans of Arab origin in the post-9/11 world.  I am not at all trying to say that what happened on 9/11 wasn't wrong, because it was deeply, deeply wrong.  However, continuing to marginalize, and openly target, American citizens, does not correct that wrong.  It would make me so happy to see that immigrants of all shapes and sizes be able to integrate into a new country as seamlessly as possible, while still retaining some of their cultural traditions.  Maybe I'm just naive, but I think that part of what makes America great is the fact that we are such a melting pot.  That is what our country was at its founding, so I think that that's what it should continue to be today.

Okay, now I'm getting off my soapbox.  This stuff just makes me so upset!  To counter this rather heavy post, will be posting a cute video momentarily :-)

Why I Blog

I was thinking earlier today about why I have chosen to become a blogger.

I first began blogging out of necessity when I went abroad so that family and friends would have some way to follow my goings-on in France and Spain.  Even with those friends and family members with whom I was able to Skype, I think it was nice for them to be able to read more in-depth about my many adventures.  I found that, when I returned to Georgetown for my senior year, I really missed blogging.  Spurred by Kate's (my roomate at the time) decision to start a new blog, I decided to give it another shot, particularly since I was about to enter such a large transition period in my life.

I do not pretend to have a far-reaching audience, but I do it as a sort of online diary for myself and for those close to me (in fact, one of my friends, with whom I am not able to Skype as often as either of us would like, always knows what is going on with me, and vice-versa, because of my blog).

Above all, I get such a deep creative satisfaction out of writing.  Dan and I were talking the other day, both about what our ideal job would be, all circumstances excluded, but also about what we wanted to be when we were little.  I spent much of my childhood yearning to be a writer, and, since I lack both the formal training and the raw talent to be a writer, I enjoy having my little blog as a creative outlet.  Some of my writing, like journaling, I do just for me, so that I can remember exactly how I was feeling at a specific moment in time.  The truth is that memories fade, but I take comfort in the fact that I have been able, thus far, to document the more important moments in my life.  It is through blogging that I can write through an audience, however small, and that brings me a great deal of satisfaction.  My job does not involve any creative writing...literally, none.  So this blog is my mode of creative expression.  Plus, I'm not going to lie, I like the power that comes with feeling like you can write about whatever you want to :)

As much as I love blogging myself, I also really enjoy discovering new blogs!  If anyone has any interesting blogs that they've found, I would love to hear suggestions!  I'm always looking to get hooked on another blog!

My Best Birthday Yet!

One of my friends asked me on Saturday night which of my birthdays has been my favorite, and I have to say that it was this one, my 24th!  There is something about each birthday that makes it special, and before this birthday, I would have said that my 23rd was my favorite, since all of my closest college girlfriends came in to town for a mini-reunion.  However, a lot of changes have happened in my life over the past year that contributed to making this birthday such a wonderful one.

I started off Birthday Weekend with a nice little cupcake party thrown by my colleagues, which was perfect, since I was planning on breaking Lent and eating sweets for the occasion of my birthday.  I'm lucky to work in an office where we take some time out to celebrate everyone's birthday, so it was nice to have that time out of our Friday to relax and eat some yummy treats.  And, what's more, my boss let us leave at 4, right after the party, so my weekend got to start early!

Dan and I had a pretty low-key evening on Friday night, which was exactly what I needed since I had had a long week.  He also had to be up at the crack of dawn (6:30, yikes!) to be a dutiful cousin and go to his younger cousin's swim meet, so we watched some basketball and were asleep at an old people-early time.  On Saturday morning, I got a nice "Happy Birthday" wakeup before Dan had to run out the door, and then I met up with my dad for a nice breakfast and daddy/daughter time. It was so nice to have that time to catch up with him.  He then drove me to pick up my cake from a DELICIOUS DC-area bakery chain Cake Love, and I got my Cookies & Cream cake (and yes, it is as good, if not better, than the picture makes it look!).  The rest of the day was pretty relaxing; I went for a nice run, baked a second cake, and generally got the apartment ready for people to come over.  Dan came over a little bit earlier than everyone else, and then a few of us got Indian takeout (quickly becoming a yearly birthday tradition) before the rest of the guests arrived.

This is the part of the post where I tell you how wonderful Dan is: there were about 10 girls there, and one Dan, and he was such a champ about sitting around chatting with a bunch of girls.  How did I get this lucky??? I made sure to express, on multiple occasions throughout the night and afterward, how grateful I was that he was there, despite being the lone male representative (it hadn't been planned that way, but our few male friends were unable to make it).  I felt terrible for him at multiple points throughout the night, but he hung in there (and even went out dancing, which he hates, for a little while).  I think I owe him one (okay, more than one).  That's how you know that someone loves you, when they're willing to do lots of things they don't want to do for you.  I am the luckiest girl in the world :)

Anyway, since we sat around doing all of that talking, we didn't actually make it to karaoke, which had been our original plan.  We left the apartment at around midnight, and Dan, Lauren, Molly and I went dancing for a bit at Front Page before heading home.  All in all, it was a great night, and I was so happy to have been surrounded by so many wonderful friends.

On Sunday, after a relaxing day, I met up with my parents and Dan for dinner at Filomena, a FANTASTIC Italian restaurant in Georgetown.  It was the perfect end to the perfect birthday weekend, and I was so grateful throughout the weekend to be able to spend time with family, friends and Dan.  A huge thank you to all of you who were either present at some point during the weekend or sent your love.  I feel this way every day, but I am so blessed to have the loved ones that I do!