Peapod

You know my life is brimming with excitement when I decide to devote a blog post to grocery shopping,
but I wanted to share a little story about the hells of grocery shopping without a car, while living no where near an actual grocery store.

One poignant memory from this summer sticks out: After having trudged up and down the red line metro to the nearest Giant, I emerged out of the underground tunnel toting several heavy bags. It had started sprinkling rain when I left the store, which I thought nothing of, but as I stepped out of the metro entrance I realized the skies had opened and all of the water in the Atlantic Ocean was pouring down into my neighborhood. The uphill walk to my apartment had turned into a rapid river, and people were huddled underneath bus stops and building overhangs. Annoyed and tired from lugging the bags I decided that instead of waiting it out, I would just walk the three blocks home (Note: I can be stubborn from time to time). As you may have expected I ended up drenched, my beige dress completely soaked and see-through. I looked as though someone had just pushed me into a pool fully clothed,  and my groceries were soaking wet- the cardboard cylinder containing my oatmeal had turned to mush. After that I rarely went to grocery stores, and ended up wasting money on eating out a lot more than I should have.

So you will understand my delight at discovering Peapod! It's a service run by Giant (the local grocery store) where you can shop online and have your food delivered directly to your door. It's strange scanning through page after page of pictures of food, and I firmly believe the ease of it all caused me to order way more than I needed. It was magnificent however, to select my delivery time from a timetable as I checked-out and have my food show up a day later, with no problems and no monsoons to travel through.

In a city where not everyone has a car, and grocery stores seem to be few and far between, it's a delight to know that with a click of a button (or 30) my grocery list can appear at my front door.

A little story about Hurricane Sandy, (or stupid things you do when you're young)

In case you hadn't heard, which I highly doubt, hurricane Sandy made her way up the East Coast earlier this week. Fortunately, D.C. was not hit nearly as hard as places up north and, at least in my neighborhood, the most damage that was done were broken tree branches littering the streets.  (Other areas were not so lucky, and my thoughts are with everyone still reeling from the effects of the storm).

This meant that I had two extra days off work, inside, with netflix and my stock pile of snacks to keep me company. Although I loved the ability to sleep in, and was thankful for not losing power, the restlessness kicked in pretty quickly.

Enter, a stupid decision.

Please note: I do not condone going outside in a hurricane with 55+ mph wind gusts, especially when your city is shut down in a state of emergency BUT...

My roommate and I realized we had mulling spices, a working fireplace AND Hocus Pocus streaming online. It was, despite the hurricane raging outside, shaping up to be the perfect fall evening. The downfall however, was our lack of ample red wine with which to mull. So we had a choice to make, forgo a delicious fall drink and let Sandy win, or walk the 10 blocks to the neighborhood wine shop that was still open.

Guess which one we chose.

After putting on our best 'hurricane proof' gear we headed out. From our seats in the living room the storm didn't seem as horrible as the news was making it out to be. Sure the wind was loud at times, but for the most part it seemed manageable and my roommate, who hails from Florida, was not impressed by the category 1 label Sandy was holding.

How quickly our disillusion disappeared.

Within moments of being outside we were soaked, rain was smacking into my face so hard at times I felt like I wasn't taking in any air. We quickly broke into a jog and started scanning the streets for a cab. By the time we had realized how dumb our decision was, we were already half way there.

So we soldiered on, and eventually found ourselves inside the warm wine shop as five male workers stared at our drenched clothes and offered us paper towels. At that moment I was realizing just how ridiculous, not to mention desperate, we must look. Quickly though we realized we weren't the only ones, as at least a dozen or so other people piled into the store.

Please note: I do not condone climbing into a white van with three men you don't know BUT...

There was no way we were running home again. We had learned our lesson, so my roommate started calling cab companies while I stood outside attempting to hail one down. After about 5 minutes, and zero cabs, the kind gentleman working at the store offered to give us a ride home.

So my roommate and I hopped into the back of a white creeper van with three male strangers, and headed on our way. Despite the van, the guys were great and we were thankful for the dry transportation.

In the end, we got home safely and were able to enjoy sweet mulled red wine while watching the best Halloween movie there is.

It may not have been the smartest decision, but when you're a twenty.something the best thing you can do is live and learn.


Happy November!
  

Return to Nature!

Now don't get me wrong, I have always been a city girl. I love the tall buildings, the eclectic neighborhoods, the crazy people, and the fast paced nature of it all. I'm not a country girl, and I know I would never want to live in a small town.

That being said, I love being outdoors. Oregon spoils you a bit in this regard, you're never very far from the ocean, the mountains, or the forest. Living in Corvallis, if I ever wanted to go to the ocean to clear my head I would hop in my car and 45 minutes later I was there. If I wanted to hike there were spots in town and right outside that I could get to in half an hour. D.C. is a little different, mainly because I am car-less.

My confines these last few months have been limited to the reach of the D.C. metro station, so other than some urban forest exploring in Rock Creek Park I really haven't spent much time near anything other than concrete.

That's why I was so thankful when a friend suggested we head out of town about 2 hours south to Shenandoah National Park. The drive down was pretty, dotted with small Virginia towns, apple stands, and Civil War sign posts. While I will always believe there is no better place for summer than the PNW, I have to give fall to Virginia. The colors of the trees were gorgeous yellows, reds, and oranges made all the better by the clear skies and sunshine!

I didn't realize the effect that my limited access was having on me until I got out of town. Hiking through the trees, and up waterfalls put me at instant ease. It was a beautiful day, and am definitely thankful for the time spent out of town... and friends with cars!

Here's some pics of the adventure!

Finding Center; a long awaited return!

Hello again! I have decided that my blogging hiatus has lasted long enough and it's time to make my return.... with a blog revamp to boot!

It has been a long 4&1/2 month journey from the point in which I found out I would be moving to D.C. and now, and I have to admit the road has been a bit bumpy. I feel as though my life has been placed inside a snow globe, shaken and flipped for months on end as I bounced around inside waiting for the pieces to land.

Finally, finally though the disruptions have seemed to slow and my dizziness has subsided enough to allow me a moment on my feet. An attempt to record the last two months would be both exhausting and somewhat futile, so I will skip that and merely attempt to begin from where I am now; at my new internship, in my new apartment (which I move into in about a week and a half), with new experiences.

The last few months were not the easiest of times, in fact they were probably some of the hardest. Many many times I was on the verge of throwing in the towel and heading home, but something always pulled me back and told me I had to keep trying. The week before I moved out to D.C. my grandmother told me "It's not going to be easy, you're not going to be happy all the time, but you have to stick it out... you have to give it a chance." So a chance is what I will give.

 Moving across the country has proven to be about a million times harder than I expected it to be. Fortunately enough, I have wonderful friends and family who have supported me through the toughest of it. A simple thank you here does not begin to do justice for the support I have received from everyone, but it's a start.

 What I have realized is, that amidst all this change I had lost sight of who I was. I was unhappy and letting my circumstances dictate my outlook. This can only happen for so long though and, as always, the light at the end of the tunnel appears, giving you the chance to resume the work of discovering yourself.

So once again, I toast to new beginnings. I have adopted a new perspective on this town and on my adventure, and am anxious to see what the next few months will bring.

A lesson on tardiness

I have never been a timely person. Generally I am running about 5 minutes late, no matter what. When I moved to D.C. I vowed I would be better, and for the first week I did awesome. Soon enough though my old habits started up again and the arguments between getting up or sleeping in were being won by my bed. Last Friday however, it was necessary for me to arrive at the steps of the Supreme Court at exactly 10am. I was going to have the privilege of meeting the first woman on the Supreme Court, Justice Sandra Day O' Conner. A once in a lifetime opportunity, laid at my feet, and all I had to do was show up. 

Enter ::Murphy's Law::

Once leaving my apartment, my morning took on '24' like suspense and I was Jack Bauer,"I must get to the Justice!" 

9:15 Leave my apartment

9:26 Board Red Line Metro

9:45 Exit Union Station 

9:46 Walk up the wrong road

9:50 Find the correct road, head towards Supreme Court

9:55;30 Wait for cross-walk sign

9:56:30 Cross street, pause in front of the steps to change my shoes

9:57 Enter Supreme Court Building

9:57:15 Get stopped by security and wanded because my belt sets off the metal detector

9:58 Go through the first entrance, find security guard, tell him where I need to go

9:59 Go up stair case, find another security guard start jogging behind him as he quickly heads toward a gate. 

10:00:15 Watch Sandra Day O'Conner walk down a hallway into the East Conference Room and the door shut behind her, all while standing behind a locked gate. 

10:00:20  Fight back tears as the security guard tells me he cannot take me into the room once the Justice has entered, and that I will have to wait until she finishes speaking before I am allowed to go in. 

10:00:30 Game Over. 

So that's it kids. I had the chance to sit in a room with no more than 30 people while listening to Sandra Day O'Conner speak and I missed it. If one thing had been different, if I had left my apartment one minute earlier, or I had decided I didn't need to switch from flats to heels, or I had a better sense of direction in this stupid town, one thing and I would be writing a very different blog post. But alas, my life never seems to be the story, but the lesson learned. 

In this town, you can never take a moment for granted. Never hesitate or second guess because the moment you do a large gold gate is shut on your face (literally), and you're left talking to a security guard about why he doesn't like the Beavers after they beat Maryland in the Emerald Bowl a few years back. 

I came out here to pursue my career, and hopefully get lucky enough to meet some of the most influential people in the nation. What I've learned, is that in order to make that happen 15 seconds means everything. 

( After her talk I was let in long enough to snag a pic. A few other interns, Sandra Day O'Conner, and me)

Today, just this.

Something Isa Garcia wrote for a friend going through a hard time.

More than fine.

Thanks Andrea for the link. :)

Happy Hour is the name of the game

The best thing about living in any city is the access to so many different restaurants, shops, and bars. It is never dull, and a new adventure can literally be right around the corner. Unfortunately on an intern budget, city prices can be a bit outlandish. For this reason, and this alone, I think happy hour was invented.

The concept is genius. Take regular menu items that people know and love, and make them cheaper! Then designate time right after work, when everyone is in need of a pick-me-up and bam! you have just created the best idea... on Earth.

Over the past couple of weeks I have been able to scope out some great spots around the district, and I already have a few favorites. Meeting new friends is definitely easier over a $4 drink and a delicious hummus plate!

First up:

The Mad Hatter

This place was great! The moment we walked in the bar area was packed with young people. After snagging a table outside on the patio we were able to enjoy delicious bruschetta, and pizza for $5 each. The drinks weren't great, we had frozen mango margaritas that were small for the price and melted really quickly. The food made up where the drinks dropped the ball however, and over all I would definitely go back! 

Beacon Bar

I really liked Beacon. It's about two blocks down from my office, and their specials were pretty good. They have a great sky bar which gives a view of the whole city, but the drinks are twice as much upstairs as they are downstairs. Once we headed back down, we had two hummus plates, and they were delicious! The drinks were priced well, and the different flavors of Sky cocktails (I had blood orange and passion fruit) were fun to try. 

Pizza Paradiso

This place has by far been my favorite. Once inside the restaurant it is divided into a seating area and the bar. The rule is that happy hour specials are only available at the bar, and let me tell you, it was packed! We had a group of 6 and there was no way we were going to be able to wedge ourselves in, so we awkwardly stood in the way of the staff while we tried to figure out somewhere else to go. Graciously the staff offered to seat us and told us we could still receive happy hour deals. This made us very happy, and we showed our appreciation.

The pizza here is amazing! The crust is a little different, but they have amazing toppings and the cheese is scrumptious. The best part was that they were only $10 for a large, when normally they can be between $14-$18. 

One of my qualms with D.C. is that after living in Oregon with it's many many micro breweries, I can't seem to find decent beer on tap. That's why I was so excited when I found Rogue listed among their IPA's. Normally I'm not a big IPA fan, but I was so excited about Oregon beer, that I had to do it, and it was actually pretty good. 

These are just a few of the places I've been able to visit thus far, but these have been some of my favorites. I have always been a city girl, and I am loving being able to explore with new friends and find new places to go!