I finally got to take mom to see the cherry blossoms

Unsuccessful self-portrait

Slightly more successful self-portrait

Mom by the Jefferson memorial

They were just soooooo beautiful

Kitchen knives in purses and other stupidities

I have been having a wonderful birthday. I appreciating being 28, a transition between years which is relatively easy, not a completely major adjustment. I am still young (despite the comments of a few irritating co-workers) and have a lot of time ahead to explore.

Mom flew in on Tuesday afternoon just in time for a birthday dinner. I had jokingly told Merissa and Mari I wanted Popeyes for dinner and they went overboard and took me to Nora. I admit a small group fried chicken dinner isn't exactly out of the ordinary, but Restaurant Nora maybe overboard!

For those of you familiar with Merissa's goings-ons, I will say her recent troubles make me realize what brilliant lawyer I could be if I just had the patience and the desire to sacrifice my life to argument. Doing research on a subject quickly (1-2 day period) and doing it every day is another story.

Alright, down to the headline story. Yes, I commited a complete betise and put a kitchen knife in my purse. Merissa gave it to me for my birthday Tuesday night. So when I decided to make this fabulous wild rice salad I wanted to use the new Santoku knife. Mom and I went grocery shopping nuts. Food for the century except focused on perishables (yeah fruit and veggies!). But in line to pay I reach into my purse for my Safeway card, totally forgetting the knife.

I tried to downplay how deep I thought it might be. After all, I was in a Safeway in DC. I didn't exactly want to admit I carried a big kitchen knife in my purse because I am a complete idiot. Nobody freaked out, but I did get tons of free bandaids from the store manager, who now knows who I am and thinks I am a dufus but NOT potentially homicidal (which is good, because that is the best grocery store in DC!). I kept asking the manager, really pleasantly and jokingly, for gauze or something. He kept offering bandaids or alcohol wipes. Finally we managed paper towels.

Another adventure with Malia. Good times.

A new look: in honor of Spring, cherry blossoms, and my birthday

Today it was time for a fresher look. For the blog. Also kinda thinking for me too. My hair desperately needs a cut.

All of that is external. And frankly small potatoes. I find out about school soon (hopefully Friday, more likely early next week). I have mostly given up pretending: I do have my whole heart desperately wishing for this opportunity. I have learned, slowly but surely, that padding myself from disappointment by never being emotionally engaged doesn't help save me hurt in life. It just always hurts. Because I am always disappointing myself by not reaching for the things I want. Not little want. Like seriously dreamed about my whole entire life. You know, being a medical doctor. Being disengaged emotionally is a valuable skill when used judiciously, but similar to chocolate, after a while it will just kill off your heart.

I hate "middles". Have I mentioned that before? It bears repeating. I hate that fact that a high functioning life (emotionally and physicially) is always about finding middle ground. Between cravings for sugars, for attention, for shopping sprees, for vacation, fulfillment of immediate desires versus long term gain.

I am working to love middles. Working being the key to that sentence.

I feel . . . sloshy

I feel that rolling boat feeling. Not the "stomach is going to empty" but the head/body feeling of boat rolling. But I am sitting upright in a chair at work. I started to get sick Saturday morning and by night I had a full blown sinus infection feeling. A little sudafed and I felt loads better. I even did some yoga with Merissa and Mari last night. However it didn't help me sleep. At all.

I am not sure if it was the CVS Nyquil knockoff or what. I was fighting sleep hard (that is just me for some reason) and then I couldn't sleep at all. Finally turned the light off for good at 2am. I tried at 11:15pm right after leaving a message for Mom, then she called me, but I was trying soooo hard to go to sleep so I let it ring through to voicemail. I should have just stayed up to chat. It would have been a better use of time. Even though the light was off, I didn't sleep. I finally got out of bed at 4:50am and started reading. Watching the sun. Might as well. Obviously not sleeping any time soon.

I feel fine. Honestly. When I cough I sound like a victim of TB or 30 year smoker, and the whole rolling boat feeling. But other than that . . .ok I should have stayed home. But I don't have a whole lot of sick days and government may go on furlough in which case I would have to take days off. . . excuses. Long story short (too late you say) I am playing typhoid Mary at work. Except work is definitely where I got this little sickness. So share and share alike.

New Year's Eve Celebration

The rest of the White House Residence Photos

Courtesy of Mashari! Who has no shame about taking pictures whenever, where ever. Which I can't quite pull off but I totally appreciate the results of.
Not my best pictures but they could be worse.

This shot is by the Christmas tree (there were dozens!) by the residence portico entrance (see picture below)

Me showing of the house (and the dumpster? "22"?) Mashari and I enjoying the break in a work day.

The trees lining the door had crystal/glass drips that caught the light and looked like glittering ice. It was really cool.

Another shot of those really awesome wreaths made of gourds of some sort.
This is Mashari's favorite room, the red room. It definitely felt the "warmest", the most inviting, even though it was as formal as the rest of the house!

The "gingerbread" house below is case in white chocolate and has little cut aways so you can see inside two rooms in the building. It was the highlight for the all school kids that were on our tour.

Another shot into the blue room, looking at the Christmas tree. That one was complete ginormous and took up a lot of space.

Last year's tree light ceremony, I think.

White House residence tour pictures

I will post more pictures once I steal them from Mari, but these are the sampling of photos from my White House Residence tour yesterday. Normally tours are through the West Wing, the working wing, so to speak. But Jesse (Mashari's awesome friend who happens to have grown up right down the street for where my parents now live, in unincorporated Lynnwood) got tickets for the girls bible study (unofficially the PGBS). Unfortunately, Merissa and Janet weren't able to make it, but Jesse joined us which was so much fun!!

Pomegranate wreath

This really large cotton shag-esque reproduction was of the First dog. Who I got to see on the lawn playing while we were there! I am still bummed they didn't get a mutt from the pound. But how can you turn down a dog this cute? You can't!

This wreath made of small gourds was in the same hallway as the pomegranate wreath. The effect was really impressive. and don't you love the crystal/ice effect they added to the branches surrounding the doorway?

This ginormous tree was in the Blue Room. And no, its not hanging from the ceiling and the ceiling is not slanted. The wheat Christmas tree topper is just that tall.

New project #4

Yep, I started a new project at work. Again. Man I need to grow up and go back to school and do something I truly love and believe in. If only I felt sure all the time that I knew what that actually was.

I started working for a really awesome PM, who had been a colleague on a previous project. Unfortunately the project may end soon, we aren't sure. We are up for recompete on this project too. I live in a wasteland of short term contracts. Thank goodness I finally took a leap on an apartment. If I kept waiting for something long term, I might never be going anywhere.

On this project, I finally get to be an analyst instead of an admin. Officially. On the last job, I totally made up my own title. I don't take appointments for someone elses calendar, I don't handle a general phone line, and I don't have to deal exclusively with one messy government client. Just a group of four clients, all battling for supremacy. Which may end up being worse after all.

Let you know how it goes. I may have to go into witness protection, but one day, I will find a venue for the ridiculousness I have been privy to working for the government.

Update on the move to a more healthy Malia

So I am not sure there has been any substantive weight change since I started last Tuesday night. I have until Wednesday morning before I start demanding a refund. But I have noticed that the focus on portion controls, and not really having much option but to eat less food as well as just having a more defined meal (its all there, I don't need to/get to add anything) have helped me a lot. I am still adding a few extras (double-bubble anyone?) mostly drinks. This weekend I ate a 2nd "dinner" of a salad (blue cheese and dressing and apples, mmm good). Saturday I ate well until I substituted dinner I didn't want for a large piece of pizza. And Sunday I ate brunch with Merissa and Samantha and had pancakes for lunch and then steak dinner with Rebecca and Steve.
So I am not totally with the Diet-To-Go program . . . But I added plenty of exercise yesterday when Merissa's dog, Clyde, decided "off-lead" meant "totally gone." Roughly an hour and a half later (my phone was dying and I was too stressed to pay attention to the time) a lovely couple who had grabbed the triumphant hunter/hound dog who was barking and circling a dead deer carcass. Clearly it was the biggest animal Clyde had ever seen. I think he was rather proud of himself for finding it. He was not at all repentant for the stress. My cute little black flats will never be the same. Kelly and I circled the nature reserve several times trying to find Clyde. Ironically the dog who really needed the long walk was Clyde, but Kelly and I sure were the ones to get it!

Its hard to stay when no one else will. . .

Specifically the office. My new clients do tend to stay 'til later hours and then actually leave their work at home (no midnight emails yet). But right this moment its 5:02 pm on Friday night. I want to bolt but I really need to stay an few more minutes. My work so far has been rather limited in scope and interest but I am hopefully that my tasks become more complex and the people will stay friendly and without personality disorders.

I worked out this morning. I am so proud since this has almost become a habit. Unfortunately for every workout and healthy meal, I eat almost commensurate amounts of the junk. Ironically it was easier to eat better before I started trying to eat better. Today my project manager brought in cookies: oatmeal-raison, chocolate chip and sugar cookies. Not super fantastic (actually the oatmeal was rather excellent) but I still ate quiet a few. Ugh. If I truly had stopped to ask the question, "is this really where I want to spend my calorie budget today?" the answer would be "No."

How did I make it to Friday?

Life seems to be whirling by. Days get longer, months get shorter. How does that happen? Just another time paradox. I can't tell you how lovely it is to have warmer weather here in DC. A balmy 55 and Samantha pulls out her flip-flops for getting to work.

Even the rain today is wonderful. It makes me feel at home away from Seattle, plus it is significantly whittling away at those large piles of snow still left from the February storm. One of the piles has been blocking the path to the bus stop for more than a month and forces every one to climb over it or step straight into the muck.

Last weekend, my friend Aaron and I went biking ride around the Mall. We talked about going again tomorrow morning but I think the rain and "urban flooding" (otherwise known as large puddles) may keep my exercise indoors. I convinced Merissa to try this yoga place in DuPont that I still haven't even been to yet! I have never done yoga actually so trying it out tomorrow should be funny for all the on lookers, at the very least.

I am starting in a new position with my same company, in the same building. Different folks but still working for ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). It will be a whole new challenge. I am getting very excited to start full-time on Tuesday (my current position closes on Monday, March 15, the Ides).

And I am really excited for my birthday this year. March 22 I will be 27 years old. That isn't too bad. I have made it this far without completely messing up. I like being older and growing in confidence and hopefully wisdom. Thank the Lord we don't have to stay 12 for our whole lives

I didn't plan to be here, but that's ok

I didn't plan to still be in DC. I planned to be happily returned home to Seattle by now. Except now its more than just me in the US location with licenses plates "Taxation Without Representation." I joined Hope and Terry and Payton and Hailey. My friend from UW, Samantha, moved down from New York. Now Merissa has moved out and so has her best friend Mashari. Suddenly I am surrounded with family and friends. And I have wonderful friends from work: Rebecca and Kristen. God has truly taken away my loneliness for friends that I felt so deeply last winter.

And so I find myself actually living in DC. And apparently staying for while. School ... there are lots of questions there. In a week from Tuesday I will be starting with a new contract, a new client, doing something hopefully a little more interesting and challenging. Still a contractor for the federal government supporting Immigration Customs Enforcement. How completely odd to say that! It has been a learning experience. I hope (I believe) my patience and understanding has increased.

I don't know where I will be in 10 years (I hope I will be doing something I love). It is nice to feel that I may actually be where I am supposed to be for while. For me this is a huge step forward.

Dumbarton Oaks 5

You know those magical European gardens you dream about? Frankly those
were always a let down to me. The "secret places" tucked away, shapes
evolving over years. They tended to be more prosaic and open, too
organized for any really magic to hide. Dumbarton Oaks garden started
to evolve in 1920ish. It was designed over many years by the same
female architect comissioned by the Bliss family (primarily the wife).
It wends it's way down the hill from the house, each section whole in
and of itself yet somehow contributing to the next, part of a whole.