No, I did not buy a house. (HA! Are you kidding me? Have you seen D.C. real estate prices lately? They are like the only prices in the country not going down.)
But I am now the proud owner of www.iwannabeadomesticgoddess.com. Yep, it's all mine. Paid for in full! The old link of www.iwannabeadomesticgoddess.blogspot.com will still direct you to the site. But you can update your bookmarks if you'd like.
Some new, exciting things are coming to the blog soon! This was just the first step....
Friday, January 30, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Oil and Water(ing Can)
If you ever find yourself and Jeopardy and receive the clue “Auto mechanic and hardware store,” you can buzz in with confidence and say, “Alex, What are two places where Rebecca is completely out of her element?”
Yet that is how I spent my Friday. Completely out of my element.
It was time for my yearly oil change. Yes, yearly. I do not drive enough to justify more frequent oil changes. And believe me, I have tried. I am militant about car care. But the mechanics have laughed me off. I go to the neighborhood auto shop and they are always so nice to me. And know how to calm me down when my car experiences various mechanical issues. I do not handle mechanical issues well. Seriously, just ask my Dad who always gets the 1,000 mile away panicked phone call of “This little light is on and my car is shaking, what do I do?”
But for those of you keeping track at home, I drove 84 miles from January 4, 2008 through January 23, 2009. And put gas in my car exactly once. In July. All of the mechanics were commenting on the low mileage of my car (and even after a year, my oil looked perfect).
Then it was off to the hardware store. There is apparently a famous hardware store in my neighborhood. I have been hearing about it since I have moved here three and a half years ago. My landlord loves the place. But I had never been there. Never really had a reason. But I needed odorless paint thinner for my painting class and I needed this drain cleaner that my landlord swears by. So with my freshly changed oil, I set off to my next stop: Strosnider’s Hardware. That the place is less than two miles from where I live and I managed to make 27 wrong turns getting there is probably why I have never made the effort to get there.
But once I secured a rockstar parking spot, I headed into the legendary store. And I felt like I was walking into the Ace Hardware back home. Crazy friendly staff greeted me like they had known me forever. Every aisle I went down, someone offered me help. Though, Confession: This always happens to me at home improvement stores. I have the Home Depot face down to a science. The face that screams “I am standing here a completely (er, semi) intelligent human being. I am standing here pretending that I know exactly what I am doing when really I do not have a single clue. But I don’t want to look like idiot. SO HELP ME! HELP ME!” And help usually flocks my way!
Three different salespeople helped me find odorless paint thinner and my drain cleaner (which now comes in a “Green” version using enzymes instead of chemicals…Thank you plumbing aisle guy!) and then, all by myself, I found a pink watering can for my rapidly growing greenery (I now have four plants).
After I paid for my purchases, I wandered outside and realized that I was not quite ready to give up my rockstar parking spot. Nor had I spent enough time there to justify my 2 mile, 20 minute drive (I told you I got lost a lot).
So I wandered next door to a store called Bruce Variety. And I felt like a stepped back in time. Like seriously, it was a variety store from the 50s or 60s. I kept expecting the cast of Leave It to Beaver to walk around the corner. Total old school. But the best part….they have craft supplies!!!!!! Aisles and disorganized aisles of ribbons and buttons and paints and everything else that I have been having my mom send to me for the past three and a half years (craft stores are a suburb thing around here and well, we all know how I feel about the suburbs). If Bruce Variety has been experiencing any sort of economic troubles during this downtown (and the crowded aisles offer all evidence to the contrary), I am pretty sure the answer to their problems accidentally stumbled through their door on Friday.
And that was pretty much my Friday.
Hope you all had a great weekend!
Yet that is how I spent my Friday. Completely out of my element.
It was time for my yearly oil change. Yes, yearly. I do not drive enough to justify more frequent oil changes. And believe me, I have tried. I am militant about car care. But the mechanics have laughed me off. I go to the neighborhood auto shop and they are always so nice to me. And know how to calm me down when my car experiences various mechanical issues. I do not handle mechanical issues well. Seriously, just ask my Dad who always gets the 1,000 mile away panicked phone call of “This little light is on and my car is shaking, what do I do?”
But for those of you keeping track at home, I drove 84 miles from January 4, 2008 through January 23, 2009. And put gas in my car exactly once. In July. All of the mechanics were commenting on the low mileage of my car (and even after a year, my oil looked perfect).
Then it was off to the hardware store. There is apparently a famous hardware store in my neighborhood. I have been hearing about it since I have moved here three and a half years ago. My landlord loves the place. But I had never been there. Never really had a reason. But I needed odorless paint thinner for my painting class and I needed this drain cleaner that my landlord swears by. So with my freshly changed oil, I set off to my next stop: Strosnider’s Hardware. That the place is less than two miles from where I live and I managed to make 27 wrong turns getting there is probably why I have never made the effort to get there.
But once I secured a rockstar parking spot, I headed into the legendary store. And I felt like I was walking into the Ace Hardware back home. Crazy friendly staff greeted me like they had known me forever. Every aisle I went down, someone offered me help. Though, Confession: This always happens to me at home improvement stores. I have the Home Depot face down to a science. The face that screams “I am standing here a completely (er, semi) intelligent human being. I am standing here pretending that I know exactly what I am doing when really I do not have a single clue. But I don’t want to look like idiot. SO HELP ME! HELP ME!” And help usually flocks my way!
Three different salespeople helped me find odorless paint thinner and my drain cleaner (which now comes in a “Green” version using enzymes instead of chemicals…Thank you plumbing aisle guy!) and then, all by myself, I found a pink watering can for my rapidly growing greenery (I now have four plants).
After I paid for my purchases, I wandered outside and realized that I was not quite ready to give up my rockstar parking spot. Nor had I spent enough time there to justify my 2 mile, 20 minute drive (I told you I got lost a lot).
So I wandered next door to a store called Bruce Variety. And I felt like a stepped back in time. Like seriously, it was a variety store from the 50s or 60s. I kept expecting the cast of Leave It to Beaver to walk around the corner. Total old school. But the best part….they have craft supplies!!!!!! Aisles and disorganized aisles of ribbons and buttons and paints and everything else that I have been having my mom send to me for the past three and a half years (craft stores are a suburb thing around here and well, we all know how I feel about the suburbs). If Bruce Variety has been experiencing any sort of economic troubles during this downtown (and the crowded aisles offer all evidence to the contrary), I am pretty sure the answer to their problems accidentally stumbled through their door on Friday.
And that was pretty much my Friday.
Hope you all had a great weekend!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Cupcakes in a Wintry Paradise
So did you seriously think I would go all the way to Aspen and not have a cupcake?
I, in fact, found the biggest cupcakes I have ever seen at The Sweet Life, a cute little candy store/bakery/restaurant at the base of the family-friendly Snowmass Village. Clearly an excellent business idea to have oodles of sugar and oodles of kids. Most of them screaming.
I, in fact, found the biggest cupcakes I have ever seen at The Sweet Life, a cute little candy store/bakery/restaurant at the base of the family-friendly Snowmass Village. Clearly an excellent business idea to have oodles of sugar and oodles of kids. Most of them screaming.
Check out these cupcakes!!!
And the requisite cupcake review. I picked out a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting and a white cupcake with raspberry frosting.
Chocolate/Chocolate
Price: $5, I think. EEK!
Packaging: Okay, they did package them "To go" But getting them out of the to-go container required the use of the the grill tools. Tricky!!!!
Frosting: The chocolate frosting was delicious!
Cake: The chocolate cake was a little dry but tasty!
Verdict: It was a fairly tasty cupcake!!!! The cake recipe could use a little refining but the frosting was good!
White Cake/Raspberry Frosting
Price: $5, I think. EEK!
Packaging: See Above
Frosting: NOT GOOD! Cupcakeries need to learn to put the main flavor in the cake and not in the frosting. Outside of vanilla, chocolate, lemon, and caramel frostings, most flavored frostings come off so fake. This one tasted like icky raspberry gum or something.
Cake: The white cake was also dry
Verdict: Not good! Sweet Life, seriously, hire me to bake cupcakes for you!!! I promise they would be awesome. SO much potential to sell some quality yet kid friendly cupcakes is being lost here!
Sundays in Snowmass
After a night of attempting the Dirty Dancing Official Workout DVD (seriously, pure entertainment), we spent Sunday morning lounging around before heading to brunch and then into the Base Village at Snowmass. Snowmass is more family friendly than Aspen. Family Friendly=kids everywhere. Some of them screaming.
Judi and I rode the gondola up the mountain and back down again. So pretty!
And I even took a spin down the mountain!
HA TOTALLY KIDDING! I was content to just stand on the mountain and take a picture. Although when the five-year olds zipped by me, I felt quite inferior.
The highlight of the Base Village is getting to ride the "Skittle". The Skittle is mini gondola-ish type thing that takes riders from the Base Village to the Snowmass Mall higher up the mountain. It is called a Skittle because the cars look like, um, Skittles. We rode in a red Skittle.
SKITTLERS!!!!!
(Judi and Trish bought new hats too. So did Erin but I do not have a pic. When in Aspen, we buy hats. It's what we do.)
We stayed in on Sunday night and prepared a great dinner!! Mainly it was things to dip things in. Hummus, spinach artichoke dip, etc. So good!
And then we settled in to watch some TV. One of my guiltiest pleasures in ABC Family original movies. (Anyone else super pumped that Au Pair 3 is going to be on in March!). Anyway, we watched Another Cinderella Story which may have been the most cringe-worthy of all ABC Family movies....ever. But yet I watched the whole thing.
And my wardrobe is now complete....
So Saturday evening started out innocently enough. We arrived in Snowmass Village to have dinner at Sneaky's Bar. But then we could not find it. So Judi went into a store to get directions and the rest of us followed her to warm up.
And then we found the hat display. And I found the now infamous "Pink Hat." Which goes perfectly with the Pink Snowman drink.
The Pink Hat=pure entertainment. And pure warmth. And pure soundproofness. I needed to lift the ear flaps to hear anything. And pure blockage of my peripheral vision. But everyone loved the pink hat.
Trish
Judi
Erin
And then we found the hat display. And I found the now infamous "Pink Hat." Which goes perfectly with the Pink Snowman drink.
The Pink Hat=pure entertainment. And pure warmth. And pure soundproofness. I needed to lift the ear flaps to hear anything. And pure blockage of my peripheral vision. But everyone loved the pink hat.
Trish
Judi
Erin
The Pink Hat makes me do crazy things. Like pose with bears.
I was usually the first one up in the mornings. On Sunday morning, I stumbled into the dark living room and saw a white glow coming from the couch. A little creeped out, I went and turned the lamp on. And there was the Pink Hat sitting on the back of the couch. Its fluffiness glows in the dark.
We never found Sneaky's that night. But I think the Pink Hat made up for that.
Oh, and while we were in the store trying on hats, our group managed to knock over a chapstick display sending about 300 tubes of chapstick flying across the floor and the staff scrambling in every direction to pick it up. I would have helped but I was laughing too hard.
Oh, and while we were in the store trying on hats, our group managed to knock over a chapstick display sending about 300 tubes of chapstick flying across the floor and the staff scrambling in every direction to pick it up. I would have helped but I was laughing too hard.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Seriously Exciting!!!
Because we had a CELEBRITY SIGHTING!!!!!!
I have been dying to see one since I got here. We had lunch today at Motagna Restaurant at the Little Nell hotel in downtown Aspen. According to my sources, the Little Nell is THE place to see celebs!!!
So we sat down at our table and I peered over the blacony railing to the seating somewhat above us. Then the man whose back was to us turned his head and I recognized his famous profile. My face lit up and I almost squealed. It was Lyle Lovett!!!!!! Or as the lady at the table next to us told us, "It's Lionel Richie!!!!" Ha, about the only common thread there is that both have names that start with "L."
The Aspen gang with Lyle Lovett's back in the background! If you click on this picture, it will enlarge and you can see his reflection in the mirror. (Thanks, Erin for figuring that one out!)
And my attempt at being a stalker-azzi.
I have been dying to see one since I got here. We had lunch today at Motagna Restaurant at the Little Nell hotel in downtown Aspen. According to my sources, the Little Nell is THE place to see celebs!!!
So we sat down at our table and I peered over the blacony railing to the seating somewhat above us. Then the man whose back was to us turned his head and I recognized his famous profile. My face lit up and I almost squealed. It was Lyle Lovett!!!!!! Or as the lady at the table next to us told us, "It's Lionel Richie!!!!" Ha, about the only common thread there is that both have names that start with "L."
The Aspen gang with Lyle Lovett's back in the background! If you click on this picture, it will enlarge and you can see his reflection in the mirror. (Thanks, Erin for figuring that one out!)
And my attempt at being a stalker-azzi.
Seriously, people, you have no idea how excited we were to actually see a celeb!!! Now I have the celebrity sighting fever!!!
Aspen! Day 1!
I have been having serious sleep issues all week. Like I am wide awake at 1 or 2 a.m. and cannot fall asleep again until 4 a.m. Which would be sort of fine but I wake up and start my day at 4:15 a.m. Now throw a two hour time change into the mix and I had a restless night of sleep.
But seriously, if you can wake up to oatmeal in the mountains, a poor night of sleep goes right out the window!!!
We spent of the day today shopping (but mostly window shopping) in downtown Aspen. It was bright, bright sunshiney day (I watched Brady Bunch this morning, haha)! I bought a pair of socks and some Cherry Blossom L'Occitane lotion (my favorite hand lotion ever) to give a little life to my dry hands!
Erin and I in downtown Aspen! Note the super cool scarf my mom made me! I saw a similar one at Anthropologie but at 74 dollars, it was soooo out of my accessories budget So I sent a pic to my mom and she made it for me!!!! She even learned to knit flowers just for this!!!
But seriously, if you can wake up to oatmeal in the mountains, a poor night of sleep goes right out the window!!!
We spent of the day today shopping (but mostly window shopping) in downtown Aspen. It was bright, bright sunshiney day (I watched Brady Bunch this morning, haha)! I bought a pair of socks and some Cherry Blossom L'Occitane lotion (my favorite hand lotion ever) to give a little life to my dry hands!
Erin and I in downtown Aspen! Note the super cool scarf my mom made me! I saw a similar one at Anthropologie but at 74 dollars, it was soooo out of my accessories budget So I sent a pic to my mom and she made it for me!!!! She even learned to knit flowers just for this!!!
About as interested as either of us will ever be in football.
But the REAL excitement of the day deserves its own post. Wait for it....
Friday, January 16, 2009
Hello from Aspen!!!!
This is the view I am enjoying as I write this blog entry.
You are so jealous, right? With Inauguration Day following the day after an already long MLK Day holiday weekend, I was left with a five day weekend where I knew I needed to escape at the Inaug. Day crowds (and if the tourist level of annoyance on my Metro ride home last night is any indication of what is to come, Godspeed DCers.) So I jumped at the chance to join Erin and her mother-in-law, Judi, in Aspen!
Make no mistake, I have no intention of skiing. And not because I do not know how. I totally do. We had downhill and cross country skiing units in my high school gym class. A serious perk of growing up in the Great North! My high school actually has (or had...) cross country ski trails right off the football field.
Anyway, back to skiing. I can ski and I have skied. I like the ski outfits. I just do not like the actual skiing part. That whole flying down a mountain with lines of trees waiting for me to smash into does not mesh well with my need to be in control of everything. HA! So I was lured into visiting Aspen on the potential for celebrity sightings!!!
And it is sooooo beautiful here. And so sunny. My Vitamin D stores have been completely replenished. Hmm, I wonder what job climate is out here. HA!
Due to a series of schedule/airport changes indicative of my recent bad travel luck, I have arrived hours before the rest of the gang! So I am just lounging around and soaking in the scenery!!! And the restaurant downstairs has really good after dinner mints! Not as good as D.C.'s Thai Chef's dinner mints (the dinner mints by which I judge all other dinner mints) but I would probably rank them second on my list!
I will post more of Aspen as the weekend progresses! Fingers crossed for celebrity sightings!
And one more picture, taken from the balcony...so pretty!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
My First Painting
With the exception of graphic arts in high school, I have taken zero art classes in my life. Yes, I took 8 years of art in elementary school but anyone who went to school with me with agree with the following statement: Art class at Coleman Elementary School in the late 80s/early 90s was less about art and more about memorizing the definition of quiet.
I do, however, remember enjoying a painting unit where I did a painting inspired by Monet (and it hung in the high school band room for a while. ha. mainly because I forgot it in there one day and the teacher hung it up). So I was super excited when I finally signed up for the oil painting class at my neighborhood community center. 12 weeks of Thursday night classes for $50. What a bargain!
And the class is so fun! It's all skill levels, working at their own pace under the watchful eye of a great (but sorta critical) teacher.
And today, I am proud to say, I brought home my first painting! I may hang it in my kitchen. (Note: there is supposed to be fruit in the bowl, but I am not very good at painting fruit so I asked the teacher if I could just have an empty bowl. HA!) I think it's pretty!!!!
I do, however, remember enjoying a painting unit where I did a painting inspired by Monet (and it hung in the high school band room for a while. ha. mainly because I forgot it in there one day and the teacher hung it up). So I was super excited when I finally signed up for the oil painting class at my neighborhood community center. 12 weeks of Thursday night classes for $50. What a bargain!
And the class is so fun! It's all skill levels, working at their own pace under the watchful eye of a great (but sorta critical) teacher.
And today, I am proud to say, I brought home my first painting! I may hang it in my kitchen. (Note: there is supposed to be fruit in the bowl, but I am not very good at painting fruit so I asked the teacher if I could just have an empty bowl. HA!) I think it's pretty!!!!
Friday, January 9, 2009
When life isn't all puppies and rainbows...
I am very fortunate that my life is pretty much puppies and rainbows most of the time. Very little drama, a fun job, great friends, fabulous family, good health. Stress in my life usually involves deciding between Anthropologie dresses or deciding where to go on vacation. I am just really lucky.
So I tend to not be so adept at handling the moments that are NOT puppies and rainbows. Like yesterday. Let me begin this by saying that growing up in tiny but lovely and safe Coleman, Wisconsin, did not lead to a childhood where I was schooled in street sense. I do know how to navigate around a tractor that's blocking both lanes of traffic, but dealing with crime? Notsomuch. Naturally, I chose to live in what is on-and-off known as America's Crime Capital. My "rebecca sense" usually kicks in when things don't feel right and generally I avoid any scenario that seems sketchy. Common sense more than anything And honestly, I have never had a problem even though my office is located in a rather sketchy neighborhood.
Until yesterday.
After a productive day at work, I caught the same Green Line train that I have been riding for over three years. I sat down in my seat and began to get my mind in weekend mode. Several stops in, a little kid got on. I am awful at guessing kid's ages but he was only about 10 or 12. And he sat down next to me (the train was fairly full at this point). My "rebecca sense" kicked in immediately. Something felt off.
And then he pulled a steak knife out. And started carving the seat. My natural reaction was to get out of that seat but I was sitting on the inside seat, somewhat trapped. It was this point that he turned to looked at me, knife in hand, and said, "If you scream, I'll cut you." He then giggled, and I had to stop myself from throwing up. And I sat completely shaking (actually, the shaking hasn't stopped since it happened). I will say that the train was FULL and no one did anything to help me and I KNOW the two guys across from me saw this who thing. Which kind of made me lose so much faith in humanity. Should have I screamed "He's got a knife!" Maybe, but somehow doing that while trapped in a seat next to him didn't seem like the best idea.
The seconds that followed are kind of vague in my memory. I remember him waving the knife in front of me and me saying something like, "I have to get out of here." And for whatever reason, he then let me out of the seat. I dashed to the front of the moving train. Which at that point stalled in the tunnel due to the train in front of us having mechanical issues. Out of the corner of my eye (i was beyond making eye contact with anyone at this point), I saw the kid walking toward me, getting closer. Then the train pulled into station and I jumped off, dashing toward the Station manager's booth for help.
And at that moment, the magnitude of what had just happened hit me. Some people react to trauma with silence, other's reaction to it with a scream. Not me. I bring the drama. In the rare moments of my life that have been truly traumatizing, my natural, uncontrollable reaction is a full body, heaving sob that I don't think even an Oscar-winning actress could replicate. (So if you happened to be in L'Enfant plaza yesterday at rush hour and saw a girl in a fabulous salmon colored jacket looking like she was a) having a seizure or b) having a nervous breakdown....that was me).
I sprinted up to manager's office, and she immediately helped me out (through what I could tell her through the sobs) and called the Police. While I sat in the station manager's booth (which is very high tech, by the way), all I could think was "I HATE DC" which is sort of inside joke because when Erin used to live in DC, we use to scream "I HATE DC" anytime anything bad happened. Seriously, I would drop a glass and I would scream "I HATE DC." It was more of a coping mechanism than anything. And if ever there were a "I HATE DC" moment....
The Police arrived in what felt like an eternity later (but was probably only 3 or 4 minutes) and took down the details and called in for the train to be searched. The train had already left the station and was a stop or two away. By the time they searched the train, the kid was gone. While the search was happening, the police tried to calm me down with jokes and chitchat. Which I was grateful for but it really didn't work. LOL. While I was standing there, another person came up to complain about the same kid.
The police told me I should have pressed the intercom button and immediately reported it to the train operator. I realize hindsight is 20-20 but even now, pushing the intercom button on the training and yelling that there is a kid with knife while said kid is still on the train with me and I am trapped underground with him still DOES NOT seem like the brightest idea. I really have no idea what I should have done.
So the report was filed and I doubt anything will ever come of it. I will, however, never forget what that kid looked like.
Physically, I am fine except for some rather shakey hands. Any attempt to actually talk about it leads to a return of the full body, heaving sobs. So that may take awhile. More than anything I am just sad that a boy who should be doing little boy stuff instead decided to take a steak knife and threaten people on public transportation.
So that's how my weekend started. ha. And when life gives me lemons, I organize. It's my natural tendency. So I walked to Staples this morning to get things to organize with. While I was looking at file folders and deciding what my 2009 file color scheme would be, a guy stumbles into the aisle, obviously high and his nose was all bloody. Two seconds later, security is escorting him out for trying to buy/steal something he's been known to huff. I guess he was already barred from even entering the store.
Which sent me home to research job opportunities in America's Safest cities. Yes these things can happen anywhere. But at this point, even a false sense of security sounds good.
(Writing this blog was my own little attempt at therapy. And my public service announcement to be careful. I know the masses are descending on this city for inauguration and it will be an amazing event....but please, please be careful.)
So I tend to not be so adept at handling the moments that are NOT puppies and rainbows. Like yesterday. Let me begin this by saying that growing up in tiny but lovely and safe Coleman, Wisconsin, did not lead to a childhood where I was schooled in street sense. I do know how to navigate around a tractor that's blocking both lanes of traffic, but dealing with crime? Notsomuch. Naturally, I chose to live in what is on-and-off known as America's Crime Capital. My "rebecca sense" usually kicks in when things don't feel right and generally I avoid any scenario that seems sketchy. Common sense more than anything And honestly, I have never had a problem even though my office is located in a rather sketchy neighborhood.
Until yesterday.
After a productive day at work, I caught the same Green Line train that I have been riding for over three years. I sat down in my seat and began to get my mind in weekend mode. Several stops in, a little kid got on. I am awful at guessing kid's ages but he was only about 10 or 12. And he sat down next to me (the train was fairly full at this point). My "rebecca sense" kicked in immediately. Something felt off.
And then he pulled a steak knife out. And started carving the seat. My natural reaction was to get out of that seat but I was sitting on the inside seat, somewhat trapped. It was this point that he turned to looked at me, knife in hand, and said, "If you scream, I'll cut you." He then giggled, and I had to stop myself from throwing up. And I sat completely shaking (actually, the shaking hasn't stopped since it happened). I will say that the train was FULL and no one did anything to help me and I KNOW the two guys across from me saw this who thing. Which kind of made me lose so much faith in humanity. Should have I screamed "He's got a knife!" Maybe, but somehow doing that while trapped in a seat next to him didn't seem like the best idea.
The seconds that followed are kind of vague in my memory. I remember him waving the knife in front of me and me saying something like, "I have to get out of here." And for whatever reason, he then let me out of the seat. I dashed to the front of the moving train. Which at that point stalled in the tunnel due to the train in front of us having mechanical issues. Out of the corner of my eye (i was beyond making eye contact with anyone at this point), I saw the kid walking toward me, getting closer. Then the train pulled into station and I jumped off, dashing toward the Station manager's booth for help.
And at that moment, the magnitude of what had just happened hit me. Some people react to trauma with silence, other's reaction to it with a scream. Not me. I bring the drama. In the rare moments of my life that have been truly traumatizing, my natural, uncontrollable reaction is a full body, heaving sob that I don't think even an Oscar-winning actress could replicate. (So if you happened to be in L'Enfant plaza yesterday at rush hour and saw a girl in a fabulous salmon colored jacket looking like she was a) having a seizure or b) having a nervous breakdown....that was me).
I sprinted up to manager's office, and she immediately helped me out (through what I could tell her through the sobs) and called the Police. While I sat in the station manager's booth (which is very high tech, by the way), all I could think was "I HATE DC" which is sort of inside joke because when Erin used to live in DC, we use to scream "I HATE DC" anytime anything bad happened. Seriously, I would drop a glass and I would scream "I HATE DC." It was more of a coping mechanism than anything. And if ever there were a "I HATE DC" moment....
The Police arrived in what felt like an eternity later (but was probably only 3 or 4 minutes) and took down the details and called in for the train to be searched. The train had already left the station and was a stop or two away. By the time they searched the train, the kid was gone. While the search was happening, the police tried to calm me down with jokes and chitchat. Which I was grateful for but it really didn't work. LOL. While I was standing there, another person came up to complain about the same kid.
The police told me I should have pressed the intercom button and immediately reported it to the train operator. I realize hindsight is 20-20 but even now, pushing the intercom button on the training and yelling that there is a kid with knife while said kid is still on the train with me and I am trapped underground with him still DOES NOT seem like the brightest idea. I really have no idea what I should have done.
So the report was filed and I doubt anything will ever come of it. I will, however, never forget what that kid looked like.
Physically, I am fine except for some rather shakey hands. Any attempt to actually talk about it leads to a return of the full body, heaving sobs. So that may take awhile. More than anything I am just sad that a boy who should be doing little boy stuff instead decided to take a steak knife and threaten people on public transportation.
So that's how my weekend started. ha. And when life gives me lemons, I organize. It's my natural tendency. So I walked to Staples this morning to get things to organize with. While I was looking at file folders and deciding what my 2009 file color scheme would be, a guy stumbles into the aisle, obviously high and his nose was all bloody. Two seconds later, security is escorting him out for trying to buy/steal something he's been known to huff. I guess he was already barred from even entering the store.
Which sent me home to research job opportunities in America's Safest cities. Yes these things can happen anywhere. But at this point, even a false sense of security sounds good.
(Writing this blog was my own little attempt at therapy. And my public service announcement to be careful. I know the masses are descending on this city for inauguration and it will be an amazing event....but please, please be careful.)
Sunday, January 4, 2009
First came love. Then came marriage.
Well, actually in terms of blog-history: First came the Running of the Brides. Then came the shower. So I was SUPER excited to finally attend the wedding of my friend and former (boo!) colleague, Katie to her fiancee Ed!!! (And I have been dying to post a pic of what she found at Running of the Brides.) The wedding was a New Year's Eve affair in Duluth, Minnesota. Yes, it was cold. When I woke up on New Year's Eve morning, the windchill was negative 30. Yes, negative. There was a moment, albeit a very unfashionable one, where I was wearing every single article of clothing that I had packed.
It was such a fantastic wedding and I was soo happy to be part of it! Ha, it was also the first time I attended a wedding where I knew no one except the bride and groom. But everyone was so nice (and some of them read my blog!!!! Hey everyone!). And space heaters are excellent places to meet people!
It was the first wedding I have attended where gloves were included in the Welcome bag.
My hotel room view of the (frozen) harbor. Duluth was hillier (more hilly?) than I expected.
And finally...a picture of what Katie bought at Running of the Brides! Isn't this bridal coat awesome!?!? I love it!!!
I got to ride in the limo with the bridal party (I had the very important task of "Holder of the Veil")! It was my first limo ride ever!!!! Isn't the lighting groovy?!?! We had set it to "mood" lighting.
The wedding ceremony was held at the The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary. The Christmas decorations were still up and it was soooo pretty!!!
It was such a fantastic wedding and I was soo happy to be part of it! Ha, it was also the first time I attended a wedding where I knew no one except the bride and groom. But everyone was so nice (and some of them read my blog!!!! Hey everyone!). And space heaters are excellent places to meet people!
It was the first wedding I have attended where gloves were included in the Welcome bag.
My hotel room view of the (frozen) harbor. Duluth was hillier (more hilly?) than I expected.
And finally...a picture of what Katie bought at Running of the Brides! Isn't this bridal coat awesome!?!? I love it!!!
I got to ride in the limo with the bridal party (I had the very important task of "Holder of the Veil")! It was my first limo ride ever!!!! Isn't the lighting groovy?!?! We had set it to "mood" lighting.
The wedding ceremony was held at the The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary. The Christmas decorations were still up and it was soooo pretty!!!
Okay, if you read this blog and know me at all, you have to know that I will be the wedding guest that will appreciate the small things that add to the big day. And I will be the guest that takes pictures of them. HA! I loved these cute little tissues that were given to guests as they entered the church.
Here she comes.....
The detail on the back of the dress! (Note: I am not good at taking pictures of people in motion!)
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the happiness and excitement that comes through in this picture!
A view of the bride and groom through the pew decorations!
Lighting the unity candle....
And they are married!!! There should be a picture of the "You may now kiss the bride" moment here. But someone jumped in front of to take his own picture at the moment so I missed it. I could post the pic of his head I guess!!!
As guests arrived at the Mansion, we were greeted by the Mansion staff who offered historical information about the Mansion and gave tours. While I was in the "smoking room", another guest asked about a murder that occurred in the Mansion. The Mansion guide in the room was completely bumbling along in his answer. His words seems to be caught between "I don't know that I am allowed to talk about this" and "How much am I allowed to say?" So he answered with a yes and then immediately changed the topic to the family's mining holdings. Naturally I was intrigued by the murders Naturally, I Googled. And the murder story is really quite juicy!!!
Here she comes.....
The detail on the back of the dress! (Note: I am not good at taking pictures of people in motion!)
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the happiness and excitement that comes through in this picture!
A view of the bride and groom through the pew decorations!
Lighting the unity candle....
And they are married!!! There should be a picture of the "You may now kiss the bride" moment here. But someone jumped in front of to take his own picture at the moment so I missed it. I could post the pic of his head I guess!!!
Off to reception!!!! The reception was held at the Glensheen Mansion. The mansion was built 100 years ago by the wealthy Glensheen family. It is now a historical site. It's also extremely beautiful! The mansion was decorated for Christmas and EVERY room had its own Christmas tree.
As guests arrived at the Mansion, we were greeted by the Mansion staff who offered historical information about the Mansion and gave tours. While I was in the "smoking room", another guest asked about a murder that occurred in the Mansion. The Mansion guide in the room was completely bumbling along in his answer. His words seems to be caught between "I don't know that I am allowed to talk about this" and "How much am I allowed to say?" So he answered with a yes and then immediately changed the topic to the family's mining holdings. Naturally I was intrigued by the murders Naturally, I Googled. And the murder story is really quite juicy!!!
Katie and I at the Mansion!!
Okay, since I have a naturally tendency to make things all about me (HAHA), let me tell you about my dress emergency! I bought my dress for this wedding about two months ago. When I got back into town from Wisconsin last Sunday, I was trying it on to make sure the shoes I had picked went with it. As I was putting it on, I noticed that the zipper was broke!!!! AHHHHH!!! I remember that the zipper kind of stuck when I initially tried it on months ago, but really didn't concern myself. So there I was, 48 hours aways from boarding a plane to Minnesota and NO dress. So Monday night after work, I dashed to Georgetown Anthropologie and tried on EVERY dress in the place!!! Seriously, but I kept coming back to this one. I am wearing a separate jacket in the pic above (or else I would have frozen) so it kind of ruins the complete look of the dress. But it is amazing. Kind of like wearing art. So many cool details to it! I LOVE it and cannot wait to wear it again!!!!
One of my favorite details!!! The reception seating assignments were written on small ornaments and hung on this tree. LOVE IT!
The dining area in the Winter Garden area of the Mansion. With the soft, jazzy music playing in the background. I felt like I was a tiny restaurant in France or Italy. Simple. Soft. Stunning.
The cranberry wreaths added a splash of flash against the black and white decor. Katie's dad made the heart-shaped table number holders. Our dads should form a woodworking club.
Cutting the cake in the Lounge (which shared a wall of windows with the Winter Garden!)
Cake!!!! Two flavors, chocolate caramel (which I had and YUM!) and raspberry!!! It was REALLY good cake!
Okay, since I have a naturally tendency to make things all about me (HAHA), let me tell you about my dress emergency! I bought my dress for this wedding about two months ago. When I got back into town from Wisconsin last Sunday, I was trying it on to make sure the shoes I had picked went with it. As I was putting it on, I noticed that the zipper was broke!!!! AHHHHH!!! I remember that the zipper kind of stuck when I initially tried it on months ago, but really didn't concern myself. So there I was, 48 hours aways from boarding a plane to Minnesota and NO dress. So Monday night after work, I dashed to Georgetown Anthropologie and tried on EVERY dress in the place!!! Seriously, but I kept coming back to this one. I am wearing a separate jacket in the pic above (or else I would have frozen) so it kind of ruins the complete look of the dress. But it is amazing. Kind of like wearing art. So many cool details to it! I LOVE it and cannot wait to wear it again!!!!
One of my favorite details!!! The reception seating assignments were written on small ornaments and hung on this tree. LOVE IT!
The dining area in the Winter Garden area of the Mansion. With the soft, jazzy music playing in the background. I felt like I was a tiny restaurant in France or Italy. Simple. Soft. Stunning.
The cranberry wreaths added a splash of flash against the black and white decor. Katie's dad made the heart-shaped table number holders. Our dads should form a woodworking club.
Cutting the cake in the Lounge (which shared a wall of windows with the Winter Garden!)
Cake!!!! Two flavors, chocolate caramel (which I had and YUM!) and raspberry!!! It was REALLY good cake!
Given that New Year's was imminent, we all gathered in the Billiards Room to toast the bride and groom and ring in the New Year!
Aw, so cute!
Okay, this is the second wedding that I have been to in the past year-ish where antlers have been part of the reception decor. At Katie and Ed's wedding, Ed, Katie, and Katie's dad stand in front of this moose (? elk? big deer?)....
...and last year at Mel's wedding, the chandelier was made of antlers!
...and last year at Mel's wedding, the chandelier was made of antlers!
I am going to go ahead and scoop Modern Bride, Martha Stewart Wedding, and every other bridal mag, and say HOT IN 2009: Antlers in Reception Decor. You heard it here first!!!!
CONGRATULATION KATIE AND ED!!!!!!
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