Wednesday, May 26, 2010

DC Bloggers Happy Hour

Calling all DC Bloggers.... it's that time again...

DC HH June 4

What A Weekend

I'm still recovering from my crazy and awesome weekend.  

~ My sister was in town
~ Mom was one of three awardees at a banquet on Friday night, which the family attended together (I cried a little, I was so proud of her...)
~ My friend Alyx, one of the geniuses behind LOLFed, was also in town for a baby shower and to play tourist in DC...

Our Saturday started with  boozy milkshakes at Ted's Bulletin ....

we had the white russian ones... mmmm

... followed by an amazing tour of the Capitol

you've seen this before

that's what's under the dome, FYI

stylishly standing at what used to be the center of DC

did you know the Supreme Court used to meet in the Capitol? 

.... and then lobster rolls at Tacklebox (sorry no pics)

~ Sunday was spent at a baby shower of epic proportions, in honor of one the founders and moderators of Fashionism.org
(this photo credit goes to thumperz)

margaritas in sippy cups

~ Monday, after taking A to the airport and taking a long nap, my friend Sami took me to spend the afternoon on her father's boat as an early birthday present /getaway for me (and yes, this was an approved vacation day, kthx)

You can see the sunburn already!

And now, I'm catching up on work and getting ready for another long weekend. Which will include some sort of celebration for my 31st birthday. Or maybe several celebrations. And you're welcome to join! 

Monday, May 17, 2010

Better Week, Ahoy!

Much love and many thanks to my friends and blog-buddies for the words of encouragement after my last, emo post. I have said it before, and I'll say it again: I truly am blessed to have such supportive people in my life.

The weekend was both restful and productive, which is an amusing and often unusual combination for yours truly. After running errands and spending time at the gym, I went to a party on Saturday night. I made friends while learning a new drinking game -- and remembered that I'm not very good at drinking games. Or very good at them, if by 'good' you mean 'get drunk quickly'. Sunday was spent recovering from the aforementioned party, for the most part.

I also had dinner with my parents on Sunday.  The topic of childhood memories came up, because I'd emailed both if them the link to this hilarious and mildly gross blog, ShitMyKidsRuined. My father said that my sister and I never did anything half as awful or destructive as is depicted in those submissions; I then proceeded to describe a number of times when both my sister and I decorated various household surfaces that were not meant for crayons, markers, fountain pen ink or bodily fluids. Both of my parents were amused by my stories of these early artistic efforts, and I was quick to point out that they were absolutely not as entertained by them at the time. 

Anyhow. I have a busy and entertaining week ahead of me. There will likely be ridiculous pictures to share, or at least amusing stories -- either way, I'll keep you all posted. 

Friday, May 14, 2010

Two Quotes, No Waiting



As a chronic over-thinker, I suspect I might need to tattoo this on my forehead. 
Okay, or maybe just print out a few copies. That's more plausible.


Something else that I need to remind myself of. 

This is a borderline-depressing post, and 100% emo. So, my apologies. But I've had a frustrating week, during most of which I've felt overwhelmed, exhausted and sad. And for no particular reason that I could identify. Maybe it was the (relative) excitement of two work trips, followed by exhaustion and loads of mindless things to catch up on. Maybe it was the fact that the weather was decidedly un-May-like this week, and the cold and rain just got to me.  Or maybe the looming birthday and my lack of desire to celebrate it is depressing me. Or hey -- it could be all of these things!

Whatever the case: I'm moving forward now. It's Friday; it's sunny; my weekend is unplanned and therefore, I've decided, full of potential. 

Thank you for your patience while I have cleared my head of this garbage. Onward, upward, huzzah...!!!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

A Verklempt Moment

I'm wishing it weren't just Tuesday, that I'd slept more last night, that it was sunny outside and that my checking account would magically be filled with a few million dollars. And a coworker just stopped by my cube and said:
"You mean so much to me, Jess. Your work is so important to me and I am so grateful to you. Thank you. I don't tell you that enough."


I'm not sure if I wanted to cry or smile, so I'm kind of doing a little of both.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

My Mom Rules

Last night/yesterday morning, the cat woke me at 3am (shocking, I know). Unable to go back to sleep, I found myself thinking about my upcoming birthday. Which lead to thoughts about birthdays past. So, I started a list in my head about how I celebrated ten years ago, five years ago, three years ago, and of course, last year, when I celebrated the big 3-0.

As I attempted to block the sounds of the cat tearing around the apartment, scrabbling on the wood floors after his little jingly ball and knocking things over, this mini-chronicle seemed like the makings of a really interesting blog post. But, then again, it was between the hours of 3 and 5 in the morning. 

And there really is one birthday story worth sharing: My 21st.

May 29, 2000: It was Memorial Day weekend, I was home from college, and not a single one of my friends was around. And there I was, of legal drinking age and ready to (legally) party.  I was also preparing to spend 10 weeks in New York City, where I'd have an abundance of bars, boys and alcoholic beverages with ridiculous names to choose from -- but none of that mattered, because by then, I'd already have been 21 for, like, a week.

Our family celebration was lovely. We went out to dinner at a nice restaurant, which was followed by cake and gifts at home. I really had nothing to complain about -- and really, I didn't.

But my mother knows me all too well.  (Although I'm sure it didn't really occur to her that I could possibly want to celebrate this particular coming of age in such a fashion that would result with me being sick as a dog.) After cake and gifts were dispensed with, Mom sighed and said:

"Okay, I'm taking you out for a drink."

I stared at her in disbelief.

"I'll be your... designated driver," she said. "Just don't get too drunk!"

Mom took me to Houston's Restaurant in downtown Bethesda. The bar was half-empty. But the bartender and the few patrons there were all too willing to help me celebrate my birthday. They were surprised and thrilled that my mother was the one helping me celebrate this milestone. ("You're really not her older sister? or her aunt?" they kept asking.)

After imbibing a rum and coke, a strange concoction called a "Redheaded Slut", and some drink that involved a shot of jager in seltzer, my mother declared an end to the festivities. As we walked back to her dark blue, 1989 Volvo station wagon, she asked "So, was that okay....?" Giddy, and half-drunk, I threw my arms around her.

"That was AWESOME! Thank you so much! You are the BEST!"

"Just don't puke in my car," she replied.