My Hollywood Doppelganger?

Today at work, I was told I look like Jessica Biel - dead ringer.

I think that guy's going a little bit blind.

OR IS HE?!

Yeah, you're right, he probably is.

This also may not be the best photo comparison I could make, but I didn't feel like searching all through my pictures, and I was scared to look up too many Jessica Biel pictures - you know, the internet these days...

Anyway.

If that's the kind of compliment I get on a day when I threw my greasy hair into a ponytail and didn't spend enough time trying to look my best, then I'm never getting ready for work again!

The woman with this guy who decided I was a "dead ringer" for Jessica Biel was also in complete agreement, though I soon got suspicious that she readily agreed with anything that guy said.

Oh, and this group just got better and better, the longer they were in our office. They had a cute young woman with them, who was an up-and-coming musician on the country music scene. This guy was part of some songwriters association, meeting with a staffer on an issue, and as he waited for their meeting, he let Joe the intern (who had already fallen for the young woman's reserved charms) and me know we'd be getting a musical performance by the up-and-coming musician after the meeting, if we liked.

How do you say no to a free concert at 1:30 on a Monday afternoon?

True to his word, we were called in for a quick performance after the meeting ended. We found out that the girl is 16 (sorry Joe - 2 years!) and we should hopefully hear her on the radio in about a year. Her voice was really pretty, I liked it a lot - not too country, a little bit unique. And I have high hopes that in this next year before it's Radio Time, her songwriting will mature a little bit. The song was a cute love song that had something to do with getting struck by lightning and dying. Yeah. It was a little wordy - but this year will see her tightening her lyrics up a bit, and then she'll be good to go!

Intern Joe and I were both sad after they left and we realized we ought to have gotten a picture with her - you know, for when she's the next big thing in Country Music in a year. Then we could look back at the time the new Taylor Swift met the fake Jessica Biel in a congressional office on Capitol Hill. But then we remembered that she and Joe would start dating in 2 years, when she's legal, and then she can write a song about him (either in relationship mode, or in bitter, post-breakup mode - either way is fine) and that'll be way better than a picture.

Here's to the future!

Ma Musique

Is it weird that I've been listening to french music lately?

Because I've been enjoying it, but if it's strange, I'll stop.

I certainly don't understand what I'm listening to (4 years of high school french 7 years ago only gets you so far). Maybe I should look up the lyrics, at least to make sure I'm not supporting some crazy french opinions. I don't think I am, though. But of course, I still don't really know.

And it's not like I'm listening to weird, old music; it's current, popular music of today - at least, I think it's popular in France right now. Though I don't really know that either.

I'm only listening to one artist's music anyway, so maybe that's better? I'm not going crazy and listening to all things french now. Or maybe I should - maybe that'd make it less weird?

Oh forget it, I'm going to continue listening, without shame.

Did you hear me? SANS SHAME!

Excuse moi, Je vais aller écouter ma musique française à nouveau.

à bientôt, mes amis!

Eastern Market In Autumn

This is the view I wake up to each morning these days. This tree is right outside my window, directly in my line of sight once I sit up in my bed a little. Great visual to start your day with, no? Just thought you should know about it. So you can be totally jealous.

And this is a not very great close-up picture of my personal burning bush/tree:

 So Autumn is in full-swing out here these days, in case you hadn't picked up on that from the above pictures. And what a better way to celebrate the new season than with a trip to Eastern Market!

Eastern Market is basically a really big farmer's market in DC - a designated space in the city that is always bustling with vendors selling their produce or craft, and consumers consuming produce and craft. There are tons of little tables and booths set up all over, selling jewelry, flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables, furniture, meat or poultry or fish, soaps, soft pretzels, jewelry, artwork, baby clothing, hats, scarves, jewelry, jewelry, scarves, flowers, etc, etc.

Yes, I did repeat myself with a few of those items - there are a lot of booths selling jewelry, okay?

Anyway, I went to Eastern Market this morning to enjoy the freshly crisped Autumn weather and spend some time with dear friend Jen, who's in town this weekend from Utah.

We got to the market and Jen immediately grabbed some warm apple cider from a vendor at the front of the market, while the kind old gentleman behind us in line talked with me about how difficult it is to know when someone's actually in line or not. Apparently we both have the misfortune of always standing patiently behind the person who isn't actually in line, just to find out 10 minutes later that we've been waiting for nothing...sigh.

Then we wandered through the indoor food market, where millions of other people also like to wander - there's a lot going on in there. There's a spot inside that makes such awesome pancakes that the line for them went out of the room and into the main "ballroom" area of the building. We gave the line about 5 minutes before heading out in search of the "delicious mini donuts!" we saw advertised on a homemade sign as we came to the market (and they were in fact delicious, once we found them).

We met some very amiable booth owners as we wended our merry way around. We also learned that many of the items for sale were made with the same special ingredient - love. We asked a woman how she made these beautiful glass-spun paintings? Love. We waited in line for some yummy crepes - a sign told us they were made with Love. So much love around that market.

And Amish products. Love and Amish. Those are the two main variables at the Market. If you're thinking to buy something, and it doesn't say anywhere that either Love or the Amish had something to do with it's creation, you're not getting your money's worth. Walk away, right then and there. Say you'll come back for that item when they've added one or both of those ingredients.

After moseying around for awhile, having eaten our donuts and crepes, we called it a day at the Market and headed for the Metro to go home. As we walked though, a bright pink truck caught dear friend Jen's eye.

Curbside Cupcakes!

DC is all about their food trucks - an old coworker of mine (co-worker Matt with all the vices, who got a new job recently) used to track where certain trucks were so he could make sure he got to the lobster roll truck when it came near the Hill. Curbside Cupcakes is also a popular truck, with it's bright pink outside and delicious treats inside. We stopped, took a picture so Jen could prove to her friends that the Pink Truck in her stories was not mere legend or myth, and then got a cupcake to celebrate our morning at the Market. You know, because we hadn't gotten enough sugar out of our donuts and crepes yet.

 Dear friend Jen with the pepto bismol Pink Truck

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcake - with white chocolate and rich chocolate chips inside. Soooooo rich...

The cupcakes were a wee bit rich for us, though, so after getting through as much of it as we could without getting diabetes, we sadly threw them away in the solar compactor garbage can that we suddenly have in DC. Interestingly, I think that was the weirdest thing I saw all day.

Which is saying something, since the list of things I saw today includes a random statue of a "Cash Pig" (beon the grounds of the nearby high school, who's mascot is in fact not a cash pig at all. 

It also includes the homeless man setting his home up by the school's fence, 200 feet away from the non-mascot pig. I wonder how often he'll start yelling "get off my lawn, punk kids!!" before the police remind him that's not actually his lawn...

And that my friends, has been my Saturday so far. Not too shabby.

And here's a list of things I'm looking forward between right now through next weekend:
The nap I'm going to take in 20 minutes
Our church Halloween activity tonight (Coincidentally, I'm also not looking forward to this. Weird, huh?)
Watching Revenge on Wednesday (what is Daniels' friend's deal? What is he up to??)
BOSTON next weekend (EEEEEE!!!!!!!!)

I promise to post about one of these events after it happens - which one would you like to hear about? :)

Sometimes My Life is So Hard

So I only have 2 real TV shows that I really watch at a time.

Two.

Two shows I allow myself to get fully invested in.

One comedy. One drama.

I can't really handle more - as soon as I have to start caring about another show, a former one drops off the radar.

This season, it's Psych (my comedy) and the edgy new drama, Revenge (drama - obviously). I happened upon this new show on it's premier night, after watching Modern Family at a friend's house. There were 4 of us at the time this show came on: two friends were in the kitchen chatting; other friend and I were on the couch and were instantly hooked to this juicy little "Count of Monte Cristo in the Hamptons" playa. 3 episodes later, I haven't regretted opening my heart up to it.

Psych has been the love of my comedy-show life for these last 6 seasons of tv watching. I truly love this show - always have, always will. My two boyfriends, Shawn and Guster, make me smile. Every time they come on screen. Long story short, I'm a better person with Psych in my life than I was without it.

Only two shows.

Simple.

BIG PROBLEM ALERT!!!!

BOTH shows decided to air Wednesday nights at 10pm/9pm Central. WHAT?!

How did both of my shows - the only two I watch with any eagerness and excitement - get the EXACT SAME AIRING TIME?!

I can't possibly watch both shows at the same time - I don't have a DeLorean or Time-Turner to allow me to do that, as much as I would really, really like to.

I know people will have all sorts of solutions to this predicament I find myself improbably dealing with:


DVR saves lives by letting us record shows and watch them whenever we want, even skipping commercials!
1. I don't have DVR. None of my 3 Revenge friends have DVR. I don't like watching Psych with other people - unless it's dear friend Jillian.
2. With my Revenge group, we need those commercials to regroup and discuss what we just watched in the last 8.7 minutes, and to predict what might come up during the next 9.3 minutes before the next commercial break.

Shows are all put online, watch Revenge with your viewing party, and watch Psych later!
But I'm so anxious to watch them right away - I don't want to have to wait! And with my show that fills in during Psych's hiatus - White Collar - the new episodes didn't get posted until a month after airing! What if USA Network does the same thing with Psych?!
Plus, for whatever reason, I find watching shows online annoying. I'm not sure why, but I do. I still do watch them online - but I just don't enjoy it as much as tuning in to a real television, you know? Call me old-school, but that's just how I roll.

All the other thoughts and ideas that might fix this one problem in your life!
I didn't want thoughts and ideas! I just wanted some commiseration from you on the fact that, of all the days and times that shows can air, the two I care about are at the exact same time on the exact same day! Crazy! Improbable! Unfixable!

Life is just so very hard sometimes.

But all of this unnecessarily long complaining on my part was, of course, a moot point on this very Wednesday. I met up with some friends, including my dear friend Michelle, who's visiting from Utah, for dinner tonight, and we didn't even leave the pizza place (which was really great. and I definitely don't know what it was called. It started with an "A." bummer about my increasing memory loss.) until 10pm/9pm central, so there was no way I'd be catching either show tonight. Sorry viewing party. Sorry tv boyfriends. But real life friends have to trump fake, scripted friends - and I'm nervous for my social life when they no longer do...

Seriously - apple pizza and pumpkin ravioli. This pizza place knows how to do Autumn specials. I'll pass up two tv shows for that tasty goodness, hands down.

Saturday's Song of the Day

So remember a few weeks ago, when I discussed my first experience with Zumba, and how I sadly cannot shimmy?

Well, I found this little gem, which makes me think maybe I can shimmy better than I thought, if a song has been written all about it:

At the very least, I'll be practicing my shimmying, so my sister Abby can learn this song and start singing it - truthfully.

True or false: this song is also ridiculously catchy.

New Zealanders, Jigsaw Puzzle Part 3, and the Obligatory Puzzle Picture (and one more random thought)

My New Zealand boyfriend came to the office again yesterday. I was giddy all day in anticipation of his arrival. I've decided I like all New Zealanders by default, since the 4 that I've met through work have been just lovely. Particularly my boyfriend.

I sat at my desk, peering over my hutch to catch a glimpse of him as he waited just on the other side for my boss to come out and welcome them into his office for their meeting. He asked me a few questions sporadically during that time, and I tried to keep the girlish giggling in check for my responses. Then they went into the meeting, and I started breathing again.

Coworker Rachel knows I love him so very much, so she's been teasing me since I put that meeting on the schedule. She was sitting in on the meeting, and she smiled conspiratorially as she followed Boyfriend et al into the office. When the meeting ended, Boyfriend and another guy came out to the main office while the boss kept the 2 main guys back, joking around with them about their workout schedules (one of them was quite fit for an older man) and other things that seasoned leaders of countries chat about. Rachel kept looking over at me as Boyfriend and other guy chatted with coworker Darin. Finally, as the men came out of the boss's office, Boyfriend came over to me to thank me for getting this meeting set up with him. He smiled and shook my hand, and I melted a little as I tried to say something that resembled, "no problem, I'm glad we could get something set up."

Unfortunately, while I melted on the inside, my hand remained cold as ice while he shook it. I know I have cold hands, and spending all day typing on a computer or using a mouse makes them extra cold, but shoot, even I wondered if he was shaking hands with Death when I touched his hand and realized how warm normal people's hands are...blast. Sadly, he didn't offer to warm them up before they all walked out. He did give me one more darling Boyfriend smile as he left our office, though - I can still see it in my mind...sigh.

I jumped on gmail a little bit later and started chatting with former coworker Tyler to let him know he missed the New Zealanders - he's got a bit of a man-crush for these guys, too. Well, on the whole country, really (who doesn't?). He asked me if I worked it with Boyfriend, if I showed him "a little midwestern charm."

My response? "No, I was too nervous!!" Because I was. Then I confessed all my anxieties and disappointments and joys about Boyfriend to former coworker Tyler, and he gently eased my worries and supported my hopes with, "he'll probably call later."

I'm still waiting for his call...

But I think it'll come soon.

**************
In completely unrelated news, I've finished my jigsaw puzzle! And here is the picture of the completed puzzle, as proof:

I actually finished it Monday evening - thank you again, Christopher Columbus. It's sitting on my table still, to remind me of what perseverance and determination can bring about. And because it was quite a bit of work, so I don't want to clean it up just yet. Plus, I just don't like cleaning up puzzles. It's kind of a bother, pulling each piece apart, so that I won't cheat myself the next time I do it.

Anyway, it's done, and I'm a nerd. But I'm okay with it.

P.S. Have you watched the Harvard Sailing Team's video, "Boys will be Girls?" I mention this only because my last sentence of "But I'm okay with it" almost looked a lot different - in my head, I quoted a line from this video, but then I didn't want to explain it, but then I couldn't stop thinking about it, so instead of just saying what it is and ruining it for anyone new to the program; instead I'm going to say something obscure like something made me think of something else, and you should watch that something else so that, while you still don't know what the original something is, you can choose what you think it might've been yourself. Is that enough of a run-on, confusing piece of my brain for you? Basically - you need to watch it, and then we can discuss it later. I don't often direct people to YouTube for silly videos - that's coworker Matt's job. So trust me on this, if you aren't already laughing because you know the video I'm talking about. And if you already do know what I'm talking about? Watch it again anyway. It's still funny, even if you've seen it before! Whaaaaaaaaat?!

I'm a Runner Again! Well, Sort Of...

I just went running for the 2nd evening in a row.

That's right. 2 consecutive days. Check it.

This sudden running surge I'm feeling is a result of 2 main factors:

1. The South Davis Recreation Center Annual Turkey Trot 5k is only a month away (November 24th), and I have recently made big plans to DOMINATE. I anticipate the Barlow family members in attendance showing up in a really big way on that presumably chilly, unsuspecting morning. South Davis Rec Center formerly known as the Bountiful Bubble - are you ready for this jelly?!

2. I think my body and mind are both in harvest mode, gathering up all the beautiful, warm weather before the Big Chill sets in for Winter. This girl is no stranger to the Winter Blues. I suppose maybe I'm subconsciously holding said blues off as long as possible, at least so they don't set in prematurely. I could feel WB trying to get comfortable in me during the latest cold spell two weeks ago, but it's only October - you're not welcome here for another 1.5 months, minimum, Sir! I refuse to go into hibernation mode until absolutely necessary this year. So I'll be finding some sort of way to get outside as much as possible while I still can. Which isn't actually that hard, now that I walk to the Metro. I'm outside for a good 20 minutes everyday, no matter what.

There's also 1 minor factor involved in this, which I feel deserves mentioning.

1a. This time of year is probably the absolute best time to run/exercise outside. The entire Summer has been altogether too hot to really want to exercise in, and the slight drop in temperature, particularly at night is a welcome feeling, while not being so cold that your body doesn't have time to adjust. It's still warm and beautiful out, but not nearly as suffocatingly hot and humid as it was one month ago. And the slight, cool breeze that accompanies the transition from Summer to Autumn? So refreshing during and after a nice run/bike/whatever. I stretched outside longer than usual after my run, and now I'm sitting on our porch, enjoying the coolness. LOVE IT!

Come November, I'll finally sign up for the gym we have on the Hill, since I HATE running in the cold. And a fun bonus to all this exercise that two days has convinced me I'm going to do consistently? I've got a good argument for new workout clothes. Yay! I don't know what it is, but new workout clothes really makes me excited. And motivates me to work out more, so I can wear my new outfits. So it's a win-win, right?

So, are you ready to take up the challenge of the Turkey Trot?

Prepare to eat. my. dust.

On Minor Holidays and 3-Day Weekends

 I absolutely adore 3-day weekends.

I think they should happen more often.

And thanks to government employment, they do happen more often!

This was the first time I've ever been able to celebrate Columbus Day. Thanks, Chris Columbus, for doing something that seemed important enough for some Americans to take a day off of work to not really celebrate what you actually did because we really are just happy to not be at work, and that's all that really matters, when it comes down to it.

As for me, I celebrated sleeping in and lounging in bed until late morning. I worked on my puzzle (it's so close to being done, I'm so excited!), then got ready for the day around 1pm. Friend Jillian came over at 1:45 or so and we walked over to 23rd Street, where some of our local restaurants are (including Freddie's, the gay bar - strange, no?) and had a nice lunch at a thai restaurant, basking in the beautiful Columbus Day weather as we sat at a table in their porch seating.

I love outdoor seating at restaurants. I'm already dreading the closures of porch seating at restaurants, due to the cold. I went to dinner Friday night with some friends, with the only stipulation of where we ate being that it had to have outdoor seating. Friday was gorgeous out here, and I just wanted more time out there.

Same with Saturday. It was so beautiful and warm, I spent most of my day outside. I went for a walk, did some shopping at a strip mall so I had to walk outside to get to each store, and then roamed some monuments/memorials I hadn't yet been to - the Jefferson (I know, I can't believe it took me that long to see it either!), the Albert Einstein Monument (complete with a star map on the ground matching the sky on the night of April 22, 1979, the day it was dedicated), and the FDR monument (which is HUGE - 4 sections, representing his 4 Presidential terms. Who'd want to be President that long?!). Thanks to friends Lance and Brian for indulging me in my desire to wander around DC all night.

So thanks Autumn, for staying warm enough that I can wear flip-flops and short-sleeve shirts during the day, and transition into sweater weather apparel for the evenings. I appreciate the slow easing into Autumn you're allowing me.

And thanks again Columbus, for giving me the day off. I appreciate you more this year than I ever have before.

I'm No Doctor. But Sometime I Like to Pretend I Am.

So I know self-diagnosis is sometimes (most times) not the most accurate way to decide whether you're healthy or you've got some sort of illness/disease/syndrome, and that a visit to the doctor is probably (usually) better than reading the Mayo Clinic's website to see if you match any of the symptoms of any one of the myriad conditions they list for your perusal.

But despite all that, I'm pretty sure I have Raynaud's disease. Based on my own mayo clinic reading and self-diagnosis. I'm fairly certain my diagnosis is correct, too. Not even kidding.

I don't really like being sick or having a "condition" in general, so I usually wouldn't really think I have anything - I'd rather talk myself out of those thoughts, even if I thought it could be really, truly, actually possible.

But Raynaud's doesn't really seem to be life-threatening or anything (at least not at my level), so I'll accept it. Plus it gives me a name for my perpetually ice-cold hands and feet, accompanied by accelerated numbing of random fingers/toes in cold environments. My pointer fingers and middle toes are the worst - they go white SO quickly!

And according to Mayo Clinic, that is Raynaud's:

During an attack of Raynaud's, affected areas of your skin usually turn white at first. Then, the affected areas often turn blue, feel cold and numb, and your sensory perception is dulled. As circulation improves, the affected areas may turn red, throb, tingle or swell. The order of the changes of color isn't the same for all people, and not everyone experiences all three colors.

Occasionally, an attack affects just one or two fingers or toes. Attacks don't necessarily always affect the same digits.

Cold temperatures are most likely to trigger an attack. Exposure to cold can be as simple as putting your hands under a faucet of running cold water, taking something out of the freezer or exposure to cold air. For some people, exposure to cold temperatures isn't necessary. Emotional stress alone can cause an episode of Raynaud's.

So there you have it - I have Raynaud's. My hands and feet are freezing as I type this. Awesome.

Now if only I could find a guy with some "excessive warmth" syndrome who would love to date a girl who's cold hands and feet could cool him off, that'd be perfect.

Yogurt Wars, Part 2: Revenge of the Spoon

We ran out of our spoon supply in our office this week (and I haven't made it to the store yet to get more...oops), so I grabbed an extra spoon from the cafeteria yesterday to have on hand at my desk for the time when I'd be ready to eat my yogurt.

That time was this afternoon.

Turns out, the cafeteria spoons are all basically soup spoons - really circular and really deep.

It also turns out that soup spoons are difficult to eat yogurt with.

I have a hutch in front of my desk, blocking me from the general view of anyone who walks in, and no one was really in the front office anyway, at the time that I had my yogurt craving. Luckily. Because even with no one around to see me, I still felt more than a little silly as I tried to enjoy my snack, fumbling around the yogurt container with this giant, rotund spoon, trying to dig into the top and bottom crevices to get to all the Orange Creme goodness Yoplait had to offer.

When I could get yogurt on the spoon - like, say, when the container was still full and even a puppy could get yogurt on a spoon, despite its lack of opposable thumbs and general coordination with eating - the spoon was so deep, I would have to flip it over in my mouth, just to give me any chance of getting to the yogurt at the bottom of the giant chasm that was my spoon.

Finally admitting defeat, after toiling helplessly to reach square corners with a round device and exerting far too much energy for 4:15 on a Wednesday afternoon, I tossed the mostly empty, though still full enough to be sad about it, yogurt container in the garbage behind me. And kept the spoon. Because even a difficult spoon is better than no spoon at all (yogurt's a tough food to eat with your hands).

And thus continues my troubles with one of my favorite mid-day snacks.

I will persevere!

Cookies, a Puzzle Update, and a Random Picture...or Two

New roommate Caity decided that 10pm tonight seemed like a good time to be domestic.

So we made peanut butter cup cookies and pumpkin cookies.

And by "we," I mean "she." Though I played a vital role in getting the peanut butter cups unwrapped and pushed into the cookies. So really, I was essential to this cookie-making.

The recipe for the peanut butter cup cookies was interesting in that it said to bake the cookies in mini-muffin tins, so these cookies, while delicious, are much thicker and muffin-looking. But so yummy, so who cares.

The pumpkin cookies are in progress, so no pictures, sorry. But I'll tell you right now that they will be pretty and delicious, too!

I also thought you should know how I'm getting along with my jigsaw puzzle. It's certainly coming together, though I've been intentionally avoiding the "grass" and "tree foliage" parts - but I'm getting somewhere with it, whenever I can give some time to it. This week's been a bit busy, so it hasn't gotten much attention, but still, I'm proud of my progress so far:

And I've got one more picture for you! I keep promising pictures of my room, but it keeps being messy or just not fully finished the way I want it. But I'll give you a sneak peak of one part of my room - what I like to call my reading nook, or my entertaining area. It's what you walk into when you come up the stairs. And it's my favorite spot:

No that's not just some picture I got off a magazine or decorating website. That's a part of my room. That I arranged all on my own. And yes, that's a floor lamp with pink shades. No it doesn't match my room at all, thanks for asking. The girl before me in this room left that behind - she's selling it though, so I'll be replacing it soon...Anyway, that's my favorite part of my room right now, I spend a lot of time there. I feel especially proud because I built the bookcase - and the couch! And nothing has fallen apart yet, yay!

Okay, one more picture - this is me with my new hat and scarf, which I got for a steal at Eastern Market a few weeks ago. It's my attempt at being french-chic, or bohemian, or something...hence why it's just an attempt...

The hat looks best with curly hair...though I promise I'm not balding around my left temple. It only looks that way...I rarely put self-portraits on here though, so I thought I'd be different and try indulging in my egotism a bit this time around.

And with that, it's time for me to go taste-test some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. See you on the flip side of this 10-pound weight-gaining night!