An Ode to Wacky DC Weather

Apparently, something happened in DC last week which caused not one but TWO natural disasters to pass through the city.

The first was a magnitude 5.8 earthquake last Tuesday. I was covering for our Front Desk Coordinator's lunch and, suddenly, the glass windows and walls ahead of me began undulating violently. I froze for a moment, and I think I mouthed to the student who happened to be standing next to the desk, "Oh my God, what's going on?" before coming to my senses and realizing that this was an earthquake. The MSB's response was, in a word, terrible. There seemed to be no emergency plan in place, and the fact that upper level administrators (as well as my superiors in my own office) were panicking and yelling only made me freak out more. It was a bit of a surreal experience, and, after about 20 minutes, we were told to gather our things quickly and go home (the excuse was that the structural integrity of the building had been called into question. Really, MSB? Really? You should have thought about that when the building was being constructed while I was an undergrad.

I think that the most interesting part of the day for me was to hear the wide range of reactions, which really did run the gamut from, "Oh, that's an earthquake. Okay" (my father) to "GET YOUR THINGS AND LEAVEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!" (an upper-level MSB administrator, who will remain nameless). The only thought that crossed my mind was that this was, in fact, an earthquake, while others, who had perhaps been in either DC or New York on 9/11, immediately thought that it was a bomb. We really are the post-9/11 generation, where we will always question whether a tremor or a strange noise is a naturally occurring phenomena or a terrorist attack.

Anyway, moving on, we (like much of the Eastern Seaboard) were hit over the weekend by Hurricane Irene, which was (I believe) only a Category 1 storm by the time it reached us, but wreaked havoc nonetheless. I believe that BGE reported about 160,000outages (at least that's what the TV at the gym told me this morning), and many unfortunate people are still without power. Luckily, for me, I moved in to my new apartment that same weekend (yay!), so the constant rain and wind initially provided me with justification for being a hermit for the weekend. But then, my type-A personality kicked in and I thought I might die of boredom. It reached 10:30 on Saturday night, and I was faced with a dilemma: I could either watch more mind-numbing TV on my computer, or I could put myself out of misery and go to sleep. Needless to say, I chose the latter.

I was kind of okay with old Irene...until I wasn't anymore. Dan, who had been on vacation with his family in Florida for the week, was visiting a friend in New Jersey for the weekend. Anticipating that the weather would be deteriorating, he tried to book a 2:40 train on Saturday, only to find that it was canceled. The next available train was on Monday morning at 5:15, which, when he called on Sunday afternoon to book it, he was ASSURED by Amtrak, would leave on-time. When he called back at around 10 that night to get his passenger number, he was told that the train had been canceled since Saturday, and the Amtrak rep had no idea why the other rep had told him that the train was going out. Understandably, he was livid. Wanting to make it back to DC sometime in his lifetime, he went to Newark and rented a car, arriving back in DC at around 3. The real kicker, though, comes when I tell you that he was phoneless. His phone had started freaking out (the screen went white, and then purple, and many shades in between) on Saturday, and by Sunday, all it was good for was dialing any number he had memorized (which was, essentially, his home number). So he got to the airport to drop off the car, and then had to look for a cab at 3:00 on a Monday morning (fact: this does not exist, at least not in DC), so, as he tells it, he was wandering the airport aimlessly, looking for anyone with a phone so that he could call a cab (because a VA cab company was not the one number he had memorized...shucks). Eventually, he made it home at around 4,and somehow survived the work day.

Moral of the story? Yes, I may have been bored out of my mind and, aside from two trips to the gym and numerous hours of unpacking, had nothing to do, my weekend paled in comparison to the suckiness that was Dan's. I'll take solace in that. Poor thing :(

(In related news, Saturday is our 6-month anniversary!!!! And, fun fact, both of our dads were also born on that day and happen to share the same first name...weird, right?!)

Because it's me (and we all know how much I love pictures), here is the now infamous tongue-in-cheek picture of DC earthquake "damage".

Countdown to My Happy Place

I'm leaving tomorrow to begin the long trek up to Winnipesaukee. It's okay, you can be jealous :) Back the 22nd!

Two Smile-Inducing Things

This morning I was looking at my favorite blog, Bippity Boppity Boo, and came across this video. It reminded me a lot of "When Harry Met Sally" because of its couples' confessionals, so I just had to share it. Although short, it is an adorable, "Awwwwwwww"-inducing video! (source: meredya via betterthanfine)

Secondly, I was on Netflix editing my DVD queue to make sure that Mad Men Season 4 would be on its way next. Dan initially got me into it, and I've been tearing through it ever since! Anyway, I discovered that it is now on Instant View!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! For those of you that I have raved about the show to, this means you have no excuse not to watch it! Why is it such an elation-inducing discovery? Because the only reason it has taken me this long to get through the series is because I have to wait for the DVDs to be shipped to me. If you're looking for me until I head to the Lake (a week from today!!!!!), you will most likely find me watching Mad Men :)

Metro FTW

I think that everyone who regularly rides the DC Metro has a love/hate (perhaps hate/hate?) relationship with it. Yes, it may get you where you need to go for the most part, but it sometimes takes its pretty time doing so.

I had an incident this past weekend where I was trying to get to my bf's in VA from my apartment in Friendship Heights. I usually plan about 45 minutes for this trip, as it includes a transfer at Metro Center. Knowing that the Red Line was single-tracking that weekend (it had taken me over an hour to get from Chinatown to FH, and the two stops are on THE SAME LINE), I left my apartment at 3:40, knowing that I wanted us leave the bf's house by 5:30 to go meet my parents for dinner. 45 minutes later, I was in Dupont...5 STOPS AWAY, and a trip that usually takes less than 10 minutes. The single-tracking was happening between Dupont and Judiciary Square, meaning that I would have to change trains to go two stops to Metro Center, then change lines at Metro Center.

My trusty little iPhone Metro app told me that a rain would be coming in 3 minutes, so I thought, 'I can handle that.' The problem was, the number of minutes kept creeping up. When it hit 10, I decided to get creative, shun Metro and its deceiving ways and take the new Circulator line to Dupont. Despite Dan's willingness to drive into the city and pick me up, God damnit, I was going to beat the Metro system! I walked out into the blisteringly hot day, so hot that the streets were relatively deserted, and there, on the corner of 19th and N, was an air-conditioned Circulator bus, just waiting for me. I was filled with glee, because I had beaten the Metro!!!

Yesterday, I was reading a friend's blog, and she linked to the DC Metro People blog, which showcases creeptastic candid pictures that some random guy takes of people riding the Metro from his iPhone. Again, kind of creepy, but I can certainly appreciate its artistic value. From there, I was linked to several other sites, including How Fucked Is Metro, which determines how fucked you are (depending on delays, wait time, etc.) depending on which Metro stop you live near. The next was Unsuck DC Metro, a humorous look at that embattled public transit system. Finally, this gem was my personal favorite. When asked what his worst escalator story was (God knows there are many, but you would have to be a regular Metro rider to know that), this gentleman replied with a humorous anecdote. Long story short, I had myself a little unintentional Metro StumbleUpon moment yesterday (without even visiting that website itself).

Stay classy, DC Metro. If the Red Line is single-tracking again this weekend, you may have one pissed off lady (yours truly) on your hands. Please try to stop sucking, and maybe then the occasional, fleeting thought of buying a car to save my sanity may cease to be necessary.

Bonus Visit!!!

This past weekend marked yet another triumphant return of Kristin and Kate to DC. Kristin had already decided that she would be coming in for the weekend, and Kate, due to unforeseen circumstances, decided that she, too, would be able to journey up to the Nation’s Capital. It was my idea to make Kate’s visit a surprise to the other girls and, I’m proud to say, the three of us did an EXCELLENT job of containing our obvious excitement.

Kate got into town on Friday (I was luckily able to take the afternoon off, especially because I was comatose after having gone to the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows midnight showing with Dan the night before), and she and I meandered down to the Sculpture Garden to stake out some spots by the fountain for Jazz. It was so wonderful to bask in the summer sun and get a chance to chat in person, because, despite having kept in very close touch due to our similar Gchat omnipresence and our willingness to Skype often, neither of those options is a substitute for the real thing. Allie and Kristin were the first of our friends to arrive, and Allie’s look of shock, her eyes getting wider and her mouth open more by the second as she broke into a jog, was priceless. Molly, sadly, did a sneak attack and, thus, saw us from behind first, so by the time she got to us, it was no longer a surprise, but she was still overjoyed to see Kate. As has become our Friday custom, we dangled our feet in the fountain, sipped our sangria and caught each other up on the happenings of the past few months. We then walked over to dinner in Logan Circle, a neighborhood whose restaurant and bar scene I have started to explore but would love to get to know better.

Given the fact that we were all exhausted, we went back to our respective homes and made plans to meet up for a late brunch the next morning. Kate, Kristin, Allie and I all wanted to run, so a late brunch seemed like the best option. For the first time in over 3 weeks, I was able to run!!!!!!!! After having been diagnosed with a sprained ankle and being told that I couldn’t run for at least two weeks, I was, frankly, depressed. I went from having a constant runner’s high to having something I love being taken away from me. Not only was I in excruciating pain, but I was also not a happy camper. But anyway, I was FINALLY able to run again!! Even though I said I would take it easy and only run a mile or two, in true Kristen fashion, I ran 3.5, mostly because I was having so much fun and had a smile plastered on my face the entire time. After some seriously annoying Metro delays, we arrived at Ted’s Bulletin in the Eastern Market neighborhood, which boasts, among other baked goods, homemade pop tarts. I cannot even begin to describe to you the deliciousness of my blueberry cheesecake pop tart. After a deeply satisfying brunch, we wandered around the market for a while, eventually finding our way back to Molly’s apartment for takeout pizza, drinks, Sex and the City and girl time.

On Sunday morning, we revisited our old haunt (Tombs) for brunch, where Dan was introduced to my few close girlfriends who he hasn’t met (Kate and Kristin). He’s such a good sport for hanging out with the gaggle of girls so often (we speak to him very frankly about the fact that we have very few guy friends), and I thought it was a very nice brunch. Then Kate and I spent some time at the pool, made Congo Bars, and, along with Molly and Allie, ordered Indian takeout for dinner and chatted. After the girls left, Kate and I hunkered down in my room and watched 30 Rock (Dan’s and my new obsession). Ever the trooper, she got up to work out with me yesterday morning, and, after a nice, leisurely breakfast spent chatting and listening to country music (yes, my other new obsession…thanks Gareth), we said goodbye for the last time before she and Dave move to TX. I really can’t wait to visit them (as soon as my finances will allow for it). I said to her as I left that, although I was sad that she and Kristin were leaving, I feel so fortunate that our group has been able to have so many reunions and mini-reunions over the past year-plus. I feel like that is so rare, and it warms my heart that my group of closest girlfriends is still so committed to making the time to see each other, despite our busy schedules and tight budgets. Even when we’re not in each other’s physical presence, we are emailing, Facebooking, Skyping Gchatting and texting, which I feel infinitely fortunate for. Hopefully the next reunion of the YaYa Sisterhood will come sooner rather than later!!!

Here are some pictures from the weekend (as well as another of Dan and I from 4th of July that one of our friends just put up):

Two Things I Love Right Now

I know I just posted about the 4th, but I have to share two things that have got me excited right now:

1) Kate told me about this website called Pinterest, which is essentially a photo tagging site that has a social media focus. Basically, you can "pin" (or tag) pictures that you find on the interwebs and then consolidate them on a series of bulletin boards. My profile consists of everything from pictures of places I've traveled to or want to travel to, fashion trends that I love, things that just make me happy in general, home decorating and food, so check it out if you're interested!!

2) I finally signed up for a half-marathon!!!! I have been saying all year that I'm going to run one, but constant injury (ankles and knees) has prevented me from doing so. My friend Andrew told me about the Parks Half Marathon, though, which is on September 11th, so I signed up to run it. Click here for more info! The one little wrinkle in this plan is that I recently sprained my ankle (I went to the hospital on Friday and that fact was confirmed), so my training schedule is going to be a little more compressed than what I would like, since I am under strict instructions not to run for at least two weeks, but I hope that, if I continue to stay active, I should hopefully have the cardio base to be able to jump right back in once my ankle is feeling better. Leave it to me to injure myself the week I sign up for a half-marathon (not to mention the fact that I'm the worst sick/injured person in the world. When you lead as active a lifestyle as I do, it's really hard to slow down!!!), but I'm just grateful that nothing is broken!

Hot Town, Summer in the City

Happy Independence Day!!!!
Yes, 'tis the season in DC for barbecues, afternoons by the pool, hordes of sidewalk-hogging, Metro-crowding tourists rushing to the Mall in throngs and scorching summer days. I have a love-hate relationship with DC summers: I love those lazy afternoons at the pool and the fact that I can walk around outside without a constant, rainy chill in the air, but I cannot stand the hordes of tourists that make daily life slightly more annoying and the oppressive heat and humidity that sometimes make multiple daily showers a necessity. In addition to the omnipresent tourists, a new group, Hill interns, descends upon the city, and the interns make themselves a very visible presence throughout the city.

One of the highlights of DC summers is 4th of July weekend. In terms of total celebrations, I would argue that no city does it better than DC (although the Boston firework show is, in my opinion, better). There is truly nothing like being on the National Mall with several thousand of your closest friends (I don't know what the final count was last night).

Before I get to the official 4th of July festivities, I'll go through what we did the rest of the weekend to make it such a fantastic time. On Friday night, the group met up at the Sculpture Garden, as per usual, for jazz (which has been Lauren's and my weekly summer tradition since last summer). On Saturday night, Molly had a bunch of people, including Alexandra (who was in for the weekend from NY) and Jordan and Nick (two of Molly and Alex's friends from Dalton who will be in the city until the end of this week) over to her place for fruit pizza and Kings. It was a lot of fun, especially getting the chance to meet two more Daltonians!

On Sunday, we went to the Nats-Pirates game. Dan and I already had tickets (which ended up being AMAZING seats about 25 rows behind the Pirates dugout), which, unfortunately, were directly in the sun, so all vanity quickly went out the window. We went up to visit the rest of the crew for a few innings in the nosebleeds in the hopes that we would be in the shade (which definitely did not happen). Afterward, the girls and the Dalton crew headed down to the Southwest Waterfront because our friend Joelle was in Elegy for Rose, a short play about Tennessee Williams' sister, Rose. Joelle did a fantastic job, and it was a good excuse to explore an area that I had never been to before. I quickly went home and showered (to wash off both the puddles of sweat from the game and the rain from the unexpected downpour that we got caught in) so that I could meet up with Dan and a few of his friends from home in Georgetown. We grabbed a drink at Martin's, and then Dan and I split off from the group to take a trip down memory lane and go back to Tombs (for whatever reason, he knew that I would want to go there haha). It's funny, because the place itself never changes, but they just funnel through class after class of college juniors and seniors, so as an alum, it feels really weird to go back (particularly during the summer, when there are so few people there to begin with). I was reminded of how wonderful Tombs is when our waitress, so apologetic that it took a little bit of time for our drinks to come (I was not actually upset at all), informed us that our drinks were on the house. Score.

On Monday (oh, how I love bonus weekend days!), Alex had the group over to his house for a 4th of July BBQ. I was elated at the chance to have one of Alex's delicious homemade veggie burgers and some home brew, and, as always, there was great company. The other girls and I left around 6ish to head down to the Mall, wanting to stake out a large enough spot for our growing group. We found a great spot on the northwest corner of the Washington Monument, so we had a great view of the fireworks. Our group of about 20 people had a great time enjoying the best spectacle that DC has to offer. And, as was the case on July 5th of last year, getting back to work this morning was a little bit tough.

Here are some pictures from the weekend:
The Dalton Crew

Some casual Saturday night Kings at Molly's

Dalton and Georgetown- worlds collide!!!

Dan and I looking gross and sweaty at the Nats game

Georgetown loves