Closing Up Shop

It’s been a great year.  Almost fortuitously, the day after I wrote about my year in review, my domain (that was supposedly renewed) experienced some horrendously flukey glitch, and somehow, even though I had paid for another year, through April 2010, some spammy site was allowed to snatch up my domain.

Horatio says he loves you all, and it’s been so much fun. Also, due to this fun fluke, my email address is also no longer valid.  If you wish to say hello, check up on me, or see if I’ve moved on to greener bloggy pastures, feel free to email me at the following:

0oj6sh302@sneakemail.com

Like I wouldn’t mask my address, heh.  But rest assured, I will get anything you send to that address, and more than likely respond.

Anyway, keep it real, people.  I will be. Because that’s how I roll… in a very real fashion.  Yes.

“But I Digress”: One Year

Well, today is the one year anniversary of WhatLizSaid.com, which is pretty amazing.  What’s also pretty amazing is that in my eight years of blogging, this is the first time I’ve ever remembered to commemorate my “blogoversary”.  

This time last year I was unemployed, and rather depressed about it.  Patrick and I had only been together for a little under four months.  We were living in Beltsville, Maryland, which is Spanish for “Liz was wasting away in the suburbs, and about to die!”  Our little Horatio had only been with us for about two weeks.

Since then, quite a bit has happened.

1. Patrick and I got engaged two weeks after the blog started.
2. We moved to Washington DC.
3. I worked for an adult kickball league, but their disorganized antics scared me off.  Even the lovely salary and the ability to work from home couldn’t keep me there.
4. I started working at my current position in August, and have been here for the past happy eight months.
5. Patrick and I celebrated our first BIG family Christmas together.  For Christmas 2007, we had been together for a total of 20 days, I believe?  It wasn’t a big to do.  This past Christmas we traveled from DC to the Eastern Shore of Maryland to Alexandria, VA, with Horatio in tow.
6. I started back to school, pursuing a Bachelor’s in Communications, because apparently working full time and wedding planning wasn’t enough for my plate.  I like a challenge.
7. We moved again, from our hellhole in Capitol Hill (it’s sad how nice apartments can be ruined by bad management) to our glorious apartment in Glover Park.  Can we say lots of natural light and a kitchen island?  Yes we can! 
8. Survived a rather scary layoff at work.
9. We expanded our family with another dog.  This time a rescue.  A miniature dachshund, named Clover.  
10. Repaired a friendship.
11. I Made new friends.

I’m sure this year will be no different, as we have quite a bit on the horizon.  I remember when I moved back home at the end of 2007 thinking to myself that I was going to take 2008 to relax and restore my energy.  2007 was quite the bear.  Obviously that did not happen.  Then I remember thinking after 2008, with all the moving around and upheaval (most of it positive!), that I would instead try to make 2009 a year to recuperate.  Well, as mentioned, we kicked off this year with me going back to school and us moving again.  

Oh well. 

I feel that while this year has been a year of new beginnings, it is also a year of atoning for sins of the past.  Whether it’s attempting to mend badly burned bridges, or returning to school to finally get the degree I failed at the first (second, and third) time around, I’ve finally stopped running, which is what I have spent the past several years doing.

The thing is though, when you actually stop, some of the things you have ignored catch up.  It’s not a bad thing, although it can be a bit overwhelming.

I’ve finally started paying off some rather embarrassing debts.  I’ve made some long overdue apologies, which is very tough.

I think one of the major issues I had in my younger years was an inability to take responsiblity.  I was an ostrich, burying my head in the sand, hoping whatever crisis loomed above would soon pass.  

Even better, I would be the one to set a house on fire, and then complain incessantly about how hot it was.

I could displace blame and responsiblity like it was my job, and unfortunately, for a number of years, I basically acted like it was my job.  

Now I’m 26 years old, paying for the mistakes of my idiotic 19 through 25 year old self.  While experiencing a timewarp that is mapped out by previous mistakes biting me in the proverbial ass is a rather cringe-inducing, it’s been satisfying to slowly tick off things I have accomplished.

Paid off $600?  Check!

Apologized for being a self-involved pity-partying douchette? Ugh, check.

Even though some items are not always fun, I think it’s really helped to face things head on.  Even if some apologies are not accepted, or the time I spend waiting for a response is filled with agitation and anxiety, I think it’s worth it to finally be honest with myself and others.

My father said something that has always stuck with me, and I’m sure he was quoting something, but I have no idea where it’s from: “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.”  Now, that is not to imply that my father was a religious fanactic.  Quite the contrary.  The moral of his story was that, for example, you may have had the best intentions to pay your rent on time, and you may be a good person, but does your landlord care?  Not really.

You may have the saddest sob story in the whole world, but the real world does not care about your problems.  Think of the world like a really large DMV office.  You can cry and cry and cry about how you SWORE you had the right form with you today, and you promise it IS filled out!  You swear!  

Doesn’t matter!  They might even express compassion and sympathy, but you still have to come back tomorrow to wait for another 3 hours.  You should have remembered your paperwork.

This wasn’t a concept I was very good at up until… it’s sad to say, probably only the last year and a half or so.  Even if the first six months of my “transformation to good!” phase was marked by significant trial and error.  

Whoops.

My only fear is that, with some people, I have practically drowned them in a sea of apologies andd declarations of reformations in my character and/or way of life.  I would spout off all the life lessons I thought I had learned (and hadn’t) in long emails that bordered on pedantic.  

While I know deep down that this time things are very different, I cannot expect that everyone will draw the same conclusion.  That’s something else I’ve come to peace with: consequences of my actions.  To many, in spite of my own personal evolutions, I still may still sound like Same Old Liz.

One can only say sorry so many times, right?

In the end, though, I feel good.  The nerves, the anxiety, and the rather demoralizing calls to some collectors are worth it, because for once I feel in control of my own life.  Instead of complaining about how life was happening to me, I’m actually taking charge.

What’s amazed me the most, because my irresponsible ass of yore didn’t seem to get this concept, is the more I take control of, the easier things get.

Okay, I’m bordering on self-help book language here, so I’m going to move on.

This year?  I’m getting married.  This year?  I’m trying to right the wrongs of the past, no matter what the reception may be.  This year?  I’m probably going to have to endure putting my mother in a home.  I’ve spent the past year pretending that some parts of her had changed, but they hadn’t.  She isn’t taking care of herself, and I’m bracing for the resentment and subsequent fallout, which are sadly inevitable.  That’s a post for another time, however.

Who knows what else.  Every time I go into a year thinking I know what’s going to happen, I’m either wrong, or there’s a lot more down the pike that I never bargained for.  I guess we’ll see a year from now what I’ll be recapping, aside from an awesome Old Town wedding.

No way of telling now, but I’m very excited.

Who knew a blog anniversary could be so deep?  Or maybe the better question is, “Wow, does Liz really buy her own b.s.?”

Another Weekend…

Here was my weekend, told through a few photos:

Global Playground’s Night Under the Stars 2009, a charity event. Went with the lovely Lexi (plus her beau) and Christine.

Clover likes helping me in the kitchen.

Homemade pigs in a blanket, with from scratch dough. (Hence some of the prep above.) I practice elevated and sophisticated cuisine, obviously.

Horatio and Clover, playing tug of war.  For those of you who know Horatio, aka the Furry Monster, you know he’s not the largest dog in the world.  He may be about 30 pounds, but he’s merely small and stocky.  Clover, by contrast, is tiny. But they’re cute. Aren’t they?

Other than the outing on Friday evening (which was just out of this world), it was a very lazy weekend.  Patrick and I started out our weekend with our weekly brunch.  We’re complete brunch junkies, and every week we try out a new place in DC for lunch, and then we judge. Harshly.  So far Nathan’s in Georgetown is the favorite, although the view at Sequoia (Washington Harbor) is insane.

This week we went to J. Paul’s in Georgetown.

Eggs Maryland. Basically an Eggs Benedict with crabmeat.

The verdict?  Alright, but bland overall.  I’m not the pickiest eater, but seriously I felt that, at the end of the meal, I was full for absolutely no good reason.  The whole thing felt really creamy and rather tastless, although they seem to know how to poach eggs better than the chefs at Sequoia, so points there.  (At Sequoia, one of my eggs was perfect, and the other was pretty much cooked through and solid.)  Another highlight was their J. Paul’s Ale, their house beer. Really good.  Two thumbs up.

After that, we retreated to the apartment.  It was a soggy windy day, so we stayed in, watched movies, and played with the pooches.  Sunday was much of the same, but due to the beautiful weather, we threw open the windows, turned up some spring-y/summer-y music (hello, “Summertime” by Kenny Chesney), cleaned the apartment, and I cooked.

* * * *

This past Friday, I also finished a really great book:

For those of you unfamiliar with Christopher Buckley, (A) he’s my favorite author, and (B) he’s a political satirist and humorist, whose novels are as smart as they are hilarious.  He also used to be a speechwriter for former President Bush Senior, back in the days of yore, hence his “finger on the pulse of DC” tone, at times.

The book is actually a “walking tour” of Washington DC, which is not what I expected when I opened it up.  I love him so much that I literally bought this book without any knowledge as to what the book was about.

I live dangerously.

The author, from the first person narrative, takes us around DC on various “walks” while imparting historical facts, ranging from the interesting to the even more interesting to the “Wow! You’ve got to be kidding me!”, all while maintaining his usual off the cuff smugness, which he can get away with because he’s funny, and he’s Christopher Buckley.  He’s allowed, because he’s engaging.

While I did grow up in and around Washington DC, I am aware that there are many things I do not know about the city, but I was surprised at how much I learned from this book.  It’s worth the read, just on that account.

What I didn’t expect, however, was during one the last “walks” (how the book was divided up) to be left rather teary.  The author, while many things, isn’t one who generally tugs at the heart strings.

One of the stops on this walk was the Arlington National Cemetery, where he imparted how not only brave men, but also brave women made this their final resting place.

In Section 8 [of the Arlington National Cemetery] you’ll find the gave of Marie Therese Rossi, Major, US Army.  Her stone reads:

FIRST FEMALE COMBAT COMMANDER TO FLY INTO BATTLE
OPERATION DESERT STORM

Below that it says: “In memory of my sweet little wife, whose beauty could only be outlived by my love for her.”

Cue the waterworks, right?

Either way, a surprisingly good read.  It’s not that I wasn’t expecting a great book, but it was just a surprising gem.  Highly recommended.

Je Suis Occupé

I am back at work, even though I am not at 100% yet.  My brain is a bit scattered and, as such, this posting will be a bit scattered.  Also, WordPress is on notice for eating my first draft completely.  Firefox is also on notice, because it seems to be crashing about five times a day for me now.  Not a fan.

1.  Quitting smoking is one of the best things I’ve done for myself as of late.  Getting glasses and updating my wardrobe was great and all, but becoming a quitter is just tops.  The only thing that really makes me crazy (and they don’t tell you this) is that I get the same bad “side effects” of smoking WITHOUT smoking, and it’s worse.  I have the coughs and the painful chest.  My throat sometimes, like today, feels raw, like when I used to go on my pack a day benders while living in Ft. Lauderdale.  Thankfully this all passes, and I know it’s worth it.  In the interim, however, I am not pleased.

2.  I saw the neatest book while cruising around a bookstore in Dupont Circle this past weekend.  The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood.  It’s the story of The Odyssey told from the perspective of Penelope, Odysseus’ wife.  Neat, right?  Sadly I cannot justify the purchase, as my “to read” pile is getting higher and higher by the day.

3. So, in the summer of 2007, I had glasses.  In the summer of 2007, I also had a puppy with The Ex, who literally thought these specs were not, in fact, optical aids for yours truly.  No, no! They were The Best Chew Toy Ever (TM).  This past weekend, I finally went for an eye exam, and on Tuesday, I received my new pair of glasses.  They’re a bit on the chunky black glasses for emo kids side, but I love them.  Not only that, I love being able to see.

4. As a result of my newfound vision, I finally get what the big deal is about HD television.  I’m not speaking in hyperbole.  Pre-being able to see, I could see the television alright, but I couldn’t see the difference between HD and non-HD. Now that I can, my whole world is changed.  I also learned that Obama has very large pores. (His press conference was the first thing I watched with glasses.)

5. Right now, I’m in the midst of my Adult Developmental Psychology class.  Ironically I thought this would be a class that I love.  I kind of do, but I also kind of hate it with a fiery passion that could heat 1000 suns.  I always thought I would be very into psychology, and while the theory is nice, I find a lot of it to be common sense.  In addition, I’m not a huge fan of how I have to delve into all the not so fun facts about my history for my papers.  Granted, I could gloss over some things or outright lie, but then I wouldn’t be doing the assignments properly.  Whatever, I only have a week left of these shenanigans, and then it’s back to stuff that makes sense: writing!  I think I’ll be sticking with concrete things like writing, history, and literature.

6.  So, in the past few weeks, I have joined the 20th century.  (No, that’s not a typo.)  I got a Netflix account, a paypal account, and even an eBay account.  I’m so hip and now, I know.  This whole Netflix thing is great, though, in case you didn’t know.  Their WATCH INSTANTLY option has made my CSI: NY addiction return like gangbusters. I spent most of yesterday dying on the couch, watching CSI: NY Season Three, when I wasn’t passed out, and probably drooling on myself.

7. In other embarrassing news, I ordered Legally Blonde the other day.  It will be arriving soon.  When it does, I will relive my senior year of high school, and all its glory.  I will also be singing along to “Perfect Day” by Hoku because I have no shame, I love that movie, and I’m sad it took me this long to buy it.

8.  Slight change of plans for my Masters, which I know is a long way away, but I like to have my goals in sight.  Instead of history, I’m going to continue on my communications track.  Thank you, American University, for providing me with yet another Masters program over which I shall drool profusely, with reckless abandon.  For the click-averse, it’s a Public Communications Masters.  The great thing is that I’ll be able to take all of my courses on Saturdays, once I get to that point.  Hopefully 2011?

9.  So, I got angry with my Samsung Omnia cell phone.  Seriously it’s the most counter-intuitive and annoying phone on the planet.  At first, it’s amazing, and then all of these quirks reveal themselves, and they’re not the cute “I’m in love in an Indie movie!” quirks.  Storage issues, non-reactive touchscreen, plain weird, etc.  I don’t know why I didn’t do this the first time around, when I had to replace my phone a month ago, but I returned the Samsung, and it exchanged it for a Blackberry Storm.  I couldn’t be happier with my choice.  I have returned to the land of Blackberries, where all is happy and gay. The keyboard is wonderful, although it takes a little practice to get the hang of it.  No more than any other touch screen, though.

10.  Tonight is book club.  There will be margaritas.  I’m jonesing.

“Horatio Judges You”: Episode 23

 

Dear Diary,

I’m in love.  At first I was apprehensive.  I thought mom and dad were joking, with their vague threats of bringing another dog into MY kingdom.  MY domain.  

The day started with a car ride, and I spent the whole time mouthing off, voicing my displeasure at the whole enterprise.  We finally arrived, and it was raining.  Did they carry me across the puddles? No, of course not.  No jacket sacrificed for my comfort.  No red carpet.  Not even a me-sized umbrella.

Then I saw her…

Clover.  My heart stopped.  My tail wagged furiously.  My thoughts raced.  Could it ever work, I pondered?  She’s only 10 pounds to my 25.  She’s a miniature daschund… I’m black.  What would the world say?

For now I will long for her.  I will continue to follow her around the apartment, let her boss me around, eat and drink out of my food and water bowls, and tease me by pawing at me and nuzzling me.

Sigh.

She’ll be the Lady to my Tramp.  The Scarlet to my Rhett.  The Eva to my Adolf.

Behind every great man is a small woman, stealing his kibble and taunting him mercilessly.

C’est l’amore.

 

Kibbles & Hearts,

Horatio

Shayna’s Weekend in DC

The weekend was freaking fantastic. I know it was Shayna who was on vacation, but seriously, I felt like I was on vacation in my own city. I know, I have a new puppy to write about (who is just a little bundle of amazing, by the way), but it’ll have to wait until tomorrow.

For now, I have a ton of pictures and a lot to document.

Friday evening was a celebration for Heidi‘s liberation from her hell job, and she seems to be well on her way to a life of being successfully self-employed.  A few of us met up at the Capitol Hill Club for a nice happy hour.  Patrick and I spent a little time at Heidi and Adam’s afterward, gabbing and hanging around.  It was a nice way to start the weekend.

Shayna arrived on Saturday morning.  Like I said, I’ll cover the new pooch tomorrow, so right onto that evening.

Saturday, we were invited by Adam and Heidi to attend a big church throwdown for St. Patrick’s Day at St. Peter’s in Capitol Hill, complete with food, free bottomless beer, and Irish Step Dancers.  The lovely Magda was there, as well. It was so much fun.  Lots of fun conversation, the beer and food was tasty, and the dancing was so neat!

Afterward, we all headed out for burgers at Tune Inn, in Capitol Hill. It was fabulous. Cheap beer on tap.  Good company.  Even a Northeastern hockey game on tv.  Later, we parted ways, and Shayna and I ended our evening (as Patrick snoozed) with some wine and a viewing of “Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind”.

I should note here that on our way home, I severely hurt myself. In that I am almost sure I have fractured my ankle and potentially part of my foot.  Walking is absolute torture. After limping around all weekend, I am finally succumbing to Patrick’s demands to see a doctor tomorrow.  It was so embarrassing, too.  Out in the middle of Dupont Circle on a Saturday night… one of those oh-so dramatic falls that ended with me, arms outstretched on the ground.  It was awful.  I’m an ass.

Due to my injury, sadly, our plans to join a few ladies on a winery tour were dashed to the wind. Instead, Shayna and I had a nice girl’s day, in spite of the rainy weather. Originally we were going to check out the Phillips Collection, an art gallery here in DC, but decided against that. Well, originally we stopped into a little bake shop (Firehook in Dupont Circle) for coffee before the art gallery, but that quickly evolved into us grabbing lattes, snacks, and gabbing for a few hours. It was really nice, and I think a much needed detour, where I think we both got to talk about a lot of things that had been on our mind, regarding our lives.  In short, it was great to finally catch up.  And there was something a bit movie-esque about sitting in a cafe on a rainy day.  Platonically romantic, even.

Soon we realized we needed to dash, as we had dinner reservations to make, and we needed to get back and get gussied up. We, of course, got sidetracked in a bookstore in Dupont Circle called Kramerbooks, but it was still fun.

Bourbon Steak is the relatively new Michael Mina (renowned chef) restaurant at the Four Seasons in DC.

This gem of an evening was the idea of Shayna, who had secretly placed reservations prior to her arrival, in the hopes I would agree to her idea. I am so glad I did. The meal seriously is the centerpiece of the trip, I think. I have to admit I was a little skeptical when fries were brought out as a complimentary starter, but I was blown away. The flank steak was out of this world, although Shayna’s filet mignon could have been a bit better. The sides were perfection. The buttered truffle rolls… oh my goodness.   They did seem to enjoy mentioning repeatedly how their fries were made with duck fat, but it was okay, because as I mentioned… delish!

Aside from the wonderful food, the service was excellent, as well.  Seriously, I highly recommend it if you’re willing to splurge.  It was a singular fun experience.

We stayed there for about three hours, and our waiter was fabulous, telling us about the places he had served before in New York, etc. I have to admit, we felt a little bit like rockstars. Not because of attention or anything, but it was so fun to go out with my best friend, be rather extravagant, and just enjoy great food, great wine, and great company. (Good call, Shayna!)

We finally made it home around midnight. Watched “Anchorman” and fell asleep.

This morning we slept in. Luckily I did not have to be at work today. It was so needed. I woke up to two snoozing pooches (Miss Clover and Mr. Horatio), and the realization that Shayna was leaving today.

Our last stop was a reservation I had made at Cafe Bonaparte, near our apartment, in Georgetown. They specialize in sweet and savory crepes, and have a lovely French cafe menu.

It was really really good. Really good. So good that I’ve already preemptively made another reservation for Thursday night for Patrick and myself.   Seriously, the cappuccino was out of this world.  I was so jealous I hadn’t ordered myself a cup, but Shayna let me sneak a few sips.

We people watched and enjoyed ourselves. It was a nice way to sort of wind down the weekend, although it was kind of sad, knowing that she’d be leaving soon.

Following lunch, we putzed around Georgetown, going into stores where we couldn’t afford the wares, etc, heh. It was rather lovely… but eventually we had to head back, and soon Shayna was on her way out the door, heading to BWI airport. Sadness.

Now I’m at home on the couch, with my ailing foot propped up, two sleeping pooches, and a sweet fiance.  Granted, I have about eight million pounds of homework to do before I go to bed tonight, and really I should stop looking at Masters programs at DC schools and focus on my current degree, but what do I know?

Back to work tomorrow. Probably going to end up with a cast on my gimpy food.  So sad.

Oh So Dangerous

I have to say that there is something quite lovely about waking up to breakfast in bed, which is exactly what happened this morning, courtesy of the lovely Patrick.  A girl could get used to this.

On my way home from work last night, as I made my way to my bus stop, along 22nd Street NW, I came upon something that made me excited.  It was a used book shop.  Well, I am lying.  I actually saw it yesterday, as they had stacks and stacks of book out on the sidewalk, on display.  I resisted, but that only lasted until yesterday evening.

I walked out with two acquisitions for our library:

In case you couldn’t tell, I love US History.  (Shhh! Don’t tell!)  I’m so happy, because I bought those two beauties for only $9.  In this new bookstore, I realized all of my dreams were possible.  I knew I was home when I walked through the door, only to find the US History section immediately to my left, beckoning me into a big literary hug with its clumsy bookcase arms.  (I do like to personify inanimate objects. What of it?)

It came to me, how dangerous this bookstore will be, when I noticed it wasn’t just a regular ol’ bookstore. It was a Books for America outpost.  It’s an organization with the following goal: “Building and improving libraries in Washington, DC area schools, shelters, hospitals and more; supporting reading programs; and providing children in the Nation’s Capital with their first take-home books!”

As if I needed another reason to blow money there.

At least now I have a good excuse for those nights where I randomly come home with books, when I should have spent the money elsewhere.  (Dog food, cell phone bill, Metro fare for work.) 

When Patrick got on my case for irresponsibly buying books, I could just say, “Well, what about the children, Patrick?! And the libraries! I suppose you don’t care about them?”

It’s the perfect plan.  I’ll be broke, but it’s the perfect plan.

Man, life was so much easier when I was younger and didn’t appreciate books.  It was a life where books were dead to me, unless there was a corresponding movie adaptation.  Now I want to “learn” and “expand my horizons”.  What a crock.