a small front-yard garden near Dupont CircleI love springtime - if only it would really get warm and actually become spring...!
P.S. We went snowboarding the weekend before last. It was not a success. But at least I tried!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Spring is Starting to ... um, Spring
a small front-yard garden near Dupont CircleI love springtime - if only it would really get warm and actually become spring...!
P.S. We went snowboarding the weekend before last. It was not a success. But at least I tried!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Quote of The Day
"Money and time are the heaviest burdens of life and ... the unhappiest of all mortals are those who have more of either than they know how to use."
~ Samuel Johnson
Monday, March 9, 2009
A beautiful Saturday in March
It was unseasonably warm this weekend, so the snowboarding trip was postponed. Instead, my boyfriend and I took a walk around the Dumbarton Oaks side of Rock Creek Park; we had hoped to walk through Oak Hill Cemetery, but it is, apparently, closed on Saturdays to all visitors. After slipping through a few muddy hillsides and admiring the suddenly-blooming flowers, we wandered around the residential streets of Georgetown, admiring the beautiful, historic homes, and joking about which one we'd live in if we won the lottery.
One of many little purple flowers that were blooming through the March mud and last fall's leaves. It wasn't sunny, but it felt and looked like spring.
I love the colors of these houses, and the vine growing up the yellow house. I really like how parts of Georgetown feel a little like a suburban neighborhood, even though it's in one of the busiest parts of the city.
We agreed that "playing tourists" in DC (perish the thought!) may be something that we will have to do as it continues to get warmer.
One of many little purple flowers that were blooming through the March mud and last fall's leaves. It wasn't sunny, but it felt and looked like spring.
I love the colors of these houses, and the vine growing up the yellow house. I really like how parts of Georgetown feel a little like a suburban neighborhood, even though it's in one of the busiest parts of the city.We agreed that "playing tourists" in DC (perish the thought!) may be something that we will have to do as it continues to get warmer.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Winter? Huh?
This week started with the first REAL snowfall in DC this winter. It was all iced over by the next day, and most of the roads and sidewalks remained slippery. And I noticed on my commute to and from work that a significant number of women, of varying ages were wearing rainboots or Uggs -- I counted 10 pairs of Uggs at my Metro station, and five pairs of of rainboots.
While not a fan of Uggs, I will admit that I'm rather jealous of what I imagine are the wearer's warm feet. I'm not sure how I feel about rainboots, style-wise, but I do know that they're not good on ice. I personally wore hiking boots to brave the DC sidewalks, and I'm sure I'm committing a worse style faux-pas than others.
But the most ridiculous thing I've seen this past week: Women wearing heels with no socks or stockings.
Maybe these women don't want to schlep an extra pair of shoes to the office. Maybe they don't have to be on the frozen tundra of our sidewalks very much. But shoes with no socks when it's below freezing? Maybe the answer here is that I'm more of a Jewish Mother than I've realized... but this seems absolutely, utterly and completely ridiculous.
Anyhow. After two days of the cold (and ridiculous footwear, natch) the Boy and I decided to stop talking about him teaching me to snowboard, and actually make a day trip this Saturday to a ski resort for my lesson. We started assembling gear of his that I'd borrow, talked about what I should wear (long underwear, absolutely; fleece would be better than wool; are cashmere socks a bad idea?), and looked up prices for board rentals.
But now, we have to postpone our plans: It's going to be almost 75 in DC tomorrow, and not much colder than that at the mountain. Trust me, I am the last person to complain about nice weather -- when it gets to be spring, I will spend hours rhapsodizing about the warm weather, sunshine and flowers -- but this is insane weather for March.
I suspect the tourists will descend upon us once again. Cherry Blossom season is approaching, and this weekend could be a sneak preview.
I bet they make ridiculous footwear choices, too.
While not a fan of Uggs, I will admit that I'm rather jealous of what I imagine are the wearer's warm feet. I'm not sure how I feel about rainboots, style-wise, but I do know that they're not good on ice. I personally wore hiking boots to brave the DC sidewalks, and I'm sure I'm committing a worse style faux-pas than others.
But the most ridiculous thing I've seen this past week: Women wearing heels with no socks or stockings.
Maybe these women don't want to schlep an extra pair of shoes to the office. Maybe they don't have to be on the frozen tundra of our sidewalks very much. But shoes with no socks when it's below freezing? Maybe the answer here is that I'm more of a Jewish Mother than I've realized... but this seems absolutely, utterly and completely ridiculous.
Anyhow. After two days of the cold (and ridiculous footwear, natch) the Boy and I decided to stop talking about him teaching me to snowboard, and actually make a day trip this Saturday to a ski resort for my lesson. We started assembling gear of his that I'd borrow, talked about what I should wear (long underwear, absolutely; fleece would be better than wool; are cashmere socks a bad idea?), and looked up prices for board rentals.
But now, we have to postpone our plans: It's going to be almost 75 in DC tomorrow, and not much colder than that at the mountain. Trust me, I am the last person to complain about nice weather -- when it gets to be spring, I will spend hours rhapsodizing about the warm weather, sunshine and flowers -- but this is insane weather for March.
I suspect the tourists will descend upon us once again. Cherry Blossom season is approaching, and this weekend could be a sneak preview.
I bet they make ridiculous footwear choices, too.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Quiet Day At Work
I'm ~trying~ to be productive. I swear....
My sister has a tumblr account, which is fascinating and beautiful, and after browsing through other users pages, I was quite tempted to sign up for my own account. But since I have this little corner of the internet to myself (not mention a rarely used LiveJournal account, along with my frequently updated Twitter and Facebook), I decided not to do it. Instead, I shall use this space more creatively, and with less self-consciousness.
To wit: I'm sharing some images from a new collection of amazing pre-1960 color photographs online, courtesy of the The Library of Congress and their new Flickr page
I am just blown away by these (sorry, gonna be cheesy) "captured moments". Maybe it's nostalgia of some sort, maybe it's simply respect for the artistry, maybe it's a combination of a few things. But I am just amazed by these.
I used to imagine myself quite the amature photographer. In 7th or 8th grade, I had a photography class at camp and was given a secondhand Minolta. I treasured that camera and would take with me everywhere, even after the class was over, using up roll after roll of film as I took photographs of the most mundane aspects of my daily life. I know my parents weren't exactly thrilled about processing all that film.
In high school, I took a chunk of my savings (mostly Bat Mitzvah money) to contribute towards a new Nikon. And I was taking photography classes again, so my shutterbug habit was less expensive, and more focused on completing class assignments.
And now, I'm addicted to my digital camera. I have so many random pictures and and videos from my daily life... perhaps I will have to start sharing them more often.
My sister has a tumblr account, which is fascinating and beautiful, and after browsing through other users pages, I was quite tempted to sign up for my own account. But since I have this little corner of the internet to myself (not mention a rarely used LiveJournal account, along with my frequently updated Twitter and Facebook), I decided not to do it. Instead, I shall use this space more creatively, and with less self-consciousness.
To wit: I'm sharing some images from a new collection of amazing pre-1960 color photographs online, courtesy of the The Library of Congress and their new Flickr page
I am just blown away by these (sorry, gonna be cheesy) "captured moments". Maybe it's nostalgia of some sort, maybe it's simply respect for the artistry, maybe it's a combination of a few things. But I am just amazed by these.I used to imagine myself quite the amature photographer. In 7th or 8th grade, I had a photography class at camp and was given a secondhand Minolta. I treasured that camera and would take with me everywhere, even after the class was over, using up roll after roll of film as I took photographs of the most mundane aspects of my daily life. I know my parents weren't exactly thrilled about processing all that film.
In high school, I took a chunk of my savings (mostly Bat Mitzvah money) to contribute towards a new Nikon. And I was taking photography classes again, so my shutterbug habit was less expensive, and more focused on completing class assignments.
And now, I'm addicted to my digital camera. I have so many random pictures and and videos from my daily life... perhaps I will have to start sharing them more often.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Shoes and Smoking
I wrote an entry last week about the interesting choices that DC women make in footwear during icy weather, but I didn't put it online -- partially from being swamped at work, but also because the weather has been delightfully spring-like for several days now, which made my thoughts (temporarily) irrelevant. But when the weather changes again in a few days, I'm sure the rain boots and Uggs will come out once more, which will provide me with a chance to share those particular musings.
In the meantime, I am fascinated with this article from the American Journal of Epidemiology, about a potential correlation between smoking and HPV:
Is Smoking an Independent Risk Factor for Invasive Cervical Cancer?
Evidence that demonstrates the negative consequences of smoking just keep piling up. And when I see how tobacco uniquely effects women, I get more anxious for my friends who smoke. And angry at the tobacco companies ... but I won't go down that route just now.
In the meantime, I am fascinated with this article from the American Journal of Epidemiology, about a potential correlation between smoking and HPV:
Is Smoking an Independent Risk Factor for Invasive Cervical Cancer?
The strong correlation between smoking and exposure to oncogenic human papillomaviruses (HPVs) has made it difficult to verify the independent role of smoking in cervical carcinogenesis. .... The point estimates increased with increasing age at diagnosis and increasing cotinine level. This study confirms that smoking is an independent risk factor for cervical cancer/SCC in women infected with oncogenic HPVs. These findings emphasize the importance of cervical cancer prevention among women exposed to tobacco smoke.
Evidence that demonstrates the negative consequences of smoking just keep piling up. And when I see how tobacco uniquely effects women, I get more anxious for my friends who smoke. And angry at the tobacco companies ... but I won't go down that route just now.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
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