Today was the most beautiful day ... I just want to soak it all in before the terrible heat and humidity grabs hold of this city. I went on a walk around Capitol Hill today on my lunch break and found some new houses that I liked ... I want to own a house on Capitol Hill someday they are just so wonderfully old and strong and detailed and all DIFFERENT (that is my favorite part - the styles are so eclectic) ... sigh. Perhaps they just looked even more wonderful today because the cool breeze was blowing through my hair and I was taking it all in.
In other happiness I saw my first fireflies of the season tonight. I remember the first time I saw one in real life. It was my first time to DC in the summer of 2001. My parents and I were walking down by the reflecting pool, making our way to the Lincoln Memorial (this was before the World War II Memorial was built). It was dusk and the fireflies were just starting to come out! It was wonderful. I was so excited to see them in real life - how they suddenly light up and then just as quickly fade into the darkness. I had read books that mentioned them, but I had never seen them, such things don't exist in the west I guess or maybe they just don't exist in suburbia.
I still want to try to catch fireflies in a jar someday ... wouldn't that be fun? Ah, these are the good parts of summer ... if only I had a porch. And some fresh lemonade. One day - when I have my Capitol Hill house!
P.S. - did you know that the process of light production in fireflies is called bioluminescence. Its function in the adult beetles is primarily to locate other individuals of the same species for reproduction. Many species, especially in the genus Photinus (genus), are distinguished by the unique courtship flash patterns emitted by flying males in search of females. Photinus females generally do not fly, but give a flash response to males of their own species (from wikipedia).
Of course the cool light action would have to do with reproduction ... figures.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
My Cool DC Life
After work I usually spend an hour or so at the gym ... sweating it out. Today, however I had the IN to a Capitol Hill presentation on displacement and I did some celebrity stalking - all at the same time!
Ryan Gosling was the celebrity (as well as Ben Mackenzie from the OC - but he didn't speak and all I saw was the back of his head) and let's just get it all said and done so we can move on to what he said and what the !Enough campaign is all about. Ok - he looked really really good. Scruffy (just the way I like my men), brooding, contemplative, and sincere. He was wearing a white collard shirt, open at the neck, with a suite jacket. His hair was short and messy (kind of like the picture here but a bit longer; and he was talking mostly about Norther Uganda, not Darfur like his shirt says) and he looked really really good. He sounded EXACTLY like he does as Noah in The Notebook. It was dreamy.
Take a good long look ...
and now lets move on to what was said and what I observed at the presentation.
P.S. - check what his wiki says about his family:
Ryan Gosling was born in London, Ontario and raised in the small paper mill town
of Cornwall. His parents, who were Mormons, divorced when he was young.
And this article confirms it in his own words ...
another peep in Hollywood (or at least a former peep)
Lets make them end sooner, rather than later.
Ryan Gosling was the celebrity (as well as Ben Mackenzie from the OC - but he didn't speak and all I saw was the back of his head) and let's just get it all said and done so we can move on to what he said and what the !Enough campaign is all about. Ok - he looked really really good. Scruffy (just the way I like my men), brooding, contemplative, and sincere. He was wearing a white collard shirt, open at the neck, with a suite jacket. His hair was short and messy (kind of like the picture here but a bit longer; and he was talking mostly about Norther Uganda, not Darfur like his shirt says) and he looked really really good. He sounded EXACTLY like he does as Noah in The Notebook. It was dreamy.
Take a good long look ...and now lets move on to what was said and what I observed at the presentation.
P.S. - check what his wiki says about his family:
Ryan Gosling was born in London, Ontario and raised in the small paper mill town
of Cornwall. His parents, who were Mormons, divorced when he was young.
And this article confirms it in his own words ...
another peep in Hollywood (or at least a former peep)
First and foremost - the room in the Dirkson Senate Building was FULL of young female hill staffers. Multiple presenters, including Mr. Gosling, commented on the youthfulness of the Hill. It was interesting to see how the ENOUGH campaign was using celebrity to promote the cause - which is totally the thing to do. Mission - create awareness (because really that is the first step to success - people need to know about it). How to accomplish this mission? - enlist the visibility of a celebrity. CHECK.
All the speakers encouraged us to send letters to the President of the United States ... does that really work? Perhaps I am skeptical. Also, they asked the audience (mainly staffers of Senate and Congressional offices) to go to work tomorrow and ask their bosses to "sign on" ... I hate to break it to them - but that crowd was mostly interns that are lucky to even say hello to their bosses the Congressmen/women or Senators, let alone suggest they support a US delegate to the peace talks in Uganda (there I go again with the skepticism).
But really - lots of good things were said. There was an aura of hope in that room, even though the topic is seemingly hopeless. Children being stolen from their beds in the night to be enlisted in the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Really tragic things are going on there ... its hard to believe, but I know its true especially because my roommie lived in Uganda running a medical clinic for four months. Its bad there and she didn't even really deal with the LRA or the issues of Northern Uganda.
In conclusion, it was a good presentation and Ryan Gosling was sincere in his desire to make a difference ... to do something more.
In response to the looks on the people's faces in a displacement camp - looks that seemed to say "you can help us" he said,
But he realized he could help by speaking about his experience. He said of a boy he met in a camp,
The five minute film Displace Me was also touching. Demonstrating the many peoples around this world that are displaced from their homes because of war. The destruction of culture, families, tradition, health, and other basic fundamental qualities of life that occur due to displacement. It is heart breaking. The movie ended with this great reminder:
All the speakers encouraged us to send letters to the President of the United States ... does that really work? Perhaps I am skeptical. Also, they asked the audience (mainly staffers of Senate and Congressional offices) to go to work tomorrow and ask their bosses to "sign on" ... I hate to break it to them - but that crowd was mostly interns that are lucky to even say hello to their bosses the Congressmen/women or Senators, let alone suggest they support a US delegate to the peace talks in Uganda (there I go again with the skepticism).
But really - lots of good things were said. There was an aura of hope in that room, even though the topic is seemingly hopeless. Children being stolen from their beds in the night to be enlisted in the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Really tragic things are going on there ... its hard to believe, but I know its true especially because my roommie lived in Uganda running a medical clinic for four months. Its bad there and she didn't even really deal with the LRA or the issues of Northern Uganda.
In conclusion, it was a good presentation and Ryan Gosling was sincere in his desire to make a difference ... to do something more.
In response to the looks on the people's faces in a displacement camp - looks that seemed to say "you can help us" he said,
"I'm just an actor ... I just pretend to be people who you think can help you ... I am just a guy."
But he realized he could help by speaking about his experience. He said of a boy he met in a camp,
"This little tiny boy was more of a man than I will ever be."
The five minute film Displace Me was also touching. Demonstrating the many peoples around this world that are displaced from their homes because of war. The destruction of culture, families, tradition, health, and other basic fundamental qualities of life that occur due to displacement. It is heart breaking. The movie ended with this great reminder:
EVERY WAR HAS AN END
Monday, June 04, 2007
oh happy day!
I just registered for my first term of graduate school! How fun is that! I know its totally dorky - but I am really really excited about it. School doesn't even start until late September (so late huh - don't be jealous ... school goes until mid June) but I am ecstatic! Probably because I am taking some really interesting classes -
- Research Methods (ok - not that cool)
- Introduction to Historic Preservation (cool)
- 19th Century Architecture (getting cooler)
- Seminar on Green Cities (coolest)
I still have a myriad of details to work out - student loans, health insurance, etc. but I am so happy to now have my schedule set. Maybe I will pick up one of the books on the reading list ... yeah, that sounds like a great idea!
You laugh - but I think I just might.
[end geek girl excitement]
- Research Methods (ok - not that cool)
- Introduction to Historic Preservation (cool)
- 19th Century Architecture (getting cooler)
- Seminar on Green Cities (coolest)
I still have a myriad of details to work out - student loans, health insurance, etc. but I am so happy to now have my schedule set. Maybe I will pick up one of the books on the reading list ... yeah, that sounds like a great idea!
You laugh - but I think I just might.
[end geek girl excitement]
Saturday, June 02, 2007
a gem of a park ... unfortunately it is made out of pebbles
My last reflection that had been overlooked in the past month or so was my little excursion to a park in my neighborhood. Meridian Hill Park is a beautiful Italian style garden park with balustrades (which I love), alcoves, stairways, balconies, and a large stepped fountain. The design is just great! I have been meaning to take a walk through it since it is only 6 or so blocks from my house and now that the weather was getting nice, I decided to do it one Saturday morning.
This is the classic photo of the fountain that everyone takes. It is built on a hill so the water cascades down 13 different steps or basins. I was hoping for some more flowers around the sides of the pools ... sadly it wasn't living up to its glory at the moment.
Water is such an interesting thing to watch or photograph - catching the movement in one moment as it breaks over the edge!
My only other complaint about Meridian Hill park (besides the lack of up keep on cleanliness and on planting) is that the stunning architecture is composed of concrete aggregate ... apparently it was an experiment ... who thought that was a good idea?! I hate it. I want a clean smooth service ... it looks outdated, not classic like the forms it has been shaped into.
I love that there were these banisters on the stairways - it makes the garden feel like a room or an extension of your living space. It feels very romantic, like a fairytale. Couldn't you just picture running down these steps in a ball gown and into the arms of prince charming? (Ok - I just lost half my readers in this moment - sorry, I am done now!)
I had to take a picture of the balustrades up close to show you how sad it is that it is made out of concrete aggregate! What a crime of aesthetics! In case you don't know - concrete aggregate consists of small pebbles specially selected for size and color from which forms are pulled while the surface is still susceptible to treatment. Wire brushing and acid washing are then used to expose the texture. YUCK!
Meridian Hill Park has the only female equestrian statue in DC - it's Joan of Arc of course. You all know by now how much I love oxidized bronze ... its so green, runny, and pretty. I like the angles I could get too of this statue since it was so high up.
This fountain is very much like the large fountains in St. Peter's Square in Rome outside the Vatican. The Italians are so good - I love how the large scale compliments the details found in everything.
This is the classic photo of the fountain that everyone takes. It is built on a hill so the water cascades down 13 different steps or basins. I was hoping for some more flowers around the sides of the pools ... sadly it wasn't living up to its glory at the moment.
Water is such an interesting thing to watch or photograph - catching the movement in one moment as it breaks over the edge!
My only other complaint about Meridian Hill park (besides the lack of up keep on cleanliness and on planting) is that the stunning architecture is composed of concrete aggregate ... apparently it was an experiment ... who thought that was a good idea?! I hate it. I want a clean smooth service ... it looks outdated, not classic like the forms it has been shaped into.
The over all view of the water feature ... cascading down the hill. Very beautiful. Can you believe that this is in the middle of DC?
I love that there were these banisters on the stairways - it makes the garden feel like a room or an extension of your living space. It feels very romantic, like a fairytale. Couldn't you just picture running down these steps in a ball gown and into the arms of prince charming? (Ok - I just lost half my readers in this moment - sorry, I am done now!)
I had to take a picture of the balustrades up close to show you how sad it is that it is made out of concrete aggregate! What a crime of aesthetics! In case you don't know - concrete aggregate consists of small pebbles specially selected for size and color from which forms are pulled while the surface is still susceptible to treatment. Wire brushing and acid washing are then used to expose the texture. YUCK!
Meridian Hill Park has the only female equestrian statue in DC - it's Joan of Arc of course. You all know by now how much I love oxidized bronze ... its so green, runny, and pretty. I like the angles I could get too of this statue since it was so high up.
This fountain is very much like the large fountains in St. Peter's Square in Rome outside the Vatican. The Italians are so good - I love how the large scale compliments the details found in everything.
Eastern Market Fire
The next item on my reflection list (and in my iphoto) is the fire that occurred in Eastern Market on April 30, 2007. The 134 year old market is located on Capital Hill. Funny thing was that morning I was planning on taking the long way to work and get off the metro at Eastern market instead of the Capitol South, the stop before because I wanted to stop by and grab something for breakfast at the market. But once I was on the metro with my headphones on I was in auto-pilot and got off at my usual stop Capitol South like every other robotic hill staffer or LOC bookworm. It wasn't until I was half-way to work when I realized I got off too soon. I hate when I feel like a zombie and don't even think about what I am doing - I just follow my routine and am not even aware of the world around me. That makes me feel like I am just barely getting by in life and not really living.
Anyway - it was a somber mood when I went by the Market on my lunch break. I couldn't believe how the windows had just melted - they looked like sheets of caramel or satin curtains the way they draped down in the frames. It was a sad sight. Thankfully no-one was hurt in the fire that occurred early in the morning before anyone arrived.
These were taken over the course of two days after the fire. Easter Market will be missed and I am sad that the beautiful architecture was damaged.
Anyway - it was a somber mood when I went by the Market on my lunch break. I couldn't believe how the windows had just melted - they looked like sheets of caramel or satin curtains the way they draped down in the frames. It was a sad sight. Thankfully no-one was hurt in the fire that occurred early in the morning before anyone arrived.
These were taken over the course of two days after the fire. Easter Market will be missed and I am sad that the beautiful architecture was damaged.
Re-cap
This is the first Saturday I haven't had anything scheduled in almost two months I think! It always nice to have plans of course - to be out and about in the city - but I like having time to reflect on those plans and just life in general and I feel like I haven't had a moment to do that. So today is the day for reflections. I may be bouncing around in these next few posts ... just as a warning. I will let me iphoto be the guide.
First up on my reflection list is a Saturday service day in late April with a few friends. Maya's company teamed up with "Hands On DC" to help clean up a school in the same neighborhood as their office. Maya invited Maria and I to come along and help paint. (Random side note - Maya and I were BFF's in High School and both just happen to live in DC right now. Also, Maya's friend Maria grew up in Irvine too and they became friends out here ... small place that OC is!) I said - YES I want to paint a school, SO FUN! I was pumped to be able to get dirty and be productive.
So we get there and get started on a stairwell outside of the cafeteria and the gym. The people in charge gave us some sponges and a bucket of water and asked us to wipe everything down before they would give us the paint. This stairwell had not been hosed down or swept for that matter in ages. There was standing dirt on the stairs. It was terrible. Yet they still wanted us to paint the railings. As the day wore on I got angrier and angrier ... there were dust bunnies in my paint brush! I was upset that we were doing cosmetic things and not a deep clean in this place. It made me upset that while I understood that painting was a "lasting", once-in-a-while thing and that cleaning was something that had to happen on a regular basis - that we were doing something so backwards.
Maria and Maya hard at work "prepping" the railings
If you are going to do something, do it right. Those railings had chipped paint that should have been sanded down and stripped before being repainted. The stairwell should have been scrubbed - on our hands and knees. Cleanliness would have shown these kids that they were worth it. Your environment is so influential to learning. I was so frustrated that low-income was being acquainted with dirty ... you can be poor but still be clean. What was this saying to the kids? It was inadvertently telling them that they weren't worth having a clean learning environment ... that has got to kill your self-esteem. And what was this telling the volunteers who were predominately white and upper-middle class young professionals ... a half days work of paint and you have done your community service. Grrr.
More prep-work
Do your yoga breathing Bethany! I realize I am being incredibly hard on the volunteers and the organizers. You need to make a situation where people will volunteer to help. You need to foster that desire first and foremost. And you have to be realistic in your expectations of how much time and effort people will be willing to donate. I am sure they are doing the best they can. Maybe I am just projecting my own self-disappointment onto others. I know I could do more to help. I know I could be less self-serving.
These are before pictures ... I was too upset to take after pictures.
First up on my reflection list is a Saturday service day in late April with a few friends. Maya's company teamed up with "Hands On DC" to help clean up a school in the same neighborhood as their office. Maya invited Maria and I to come along and help paint. (Random side note - Maya and I were BFF's in High School and both just happen to live in DC right now. Also, Maya's friend Maria grew up in Irvine too and they became friends out here ... small place that OC is!) I said - YES I want to paint a school, SO FUN! I was pumped to be able to get dirty and be productive.
So we get there and get started on a stairwell outside of the cafeteria and the gym. The people in charge gave us some sponges and a bucket of water and asked us to wipe everything down before they would give us the paint. This stairwell had not been hosed down or swept for that matter in ages. There was standing dirt on the stairs. It was terrible. Yet they still wanted us to paint the railings. As the day wore on I got angrier and angrier ... there were dust bunnies in my paint brush! I was upset that we were doing cosmetic things and not a deep clean in this place. It made me upset that while I understood that painting was a "lasting", once-in-a-while thing and that cleaning was something that had to happen on a regular basis - that we were doing something so backwards.
Maria and Maya hard at work "prepping" the railings
More prep-work
These are before pictures ... I was too upset to take after pictures.
Friday, June 01, 2007
oh, oh - we're half way there
The houses in the Outer Banks are crazy big. So fun to run around and see all the different ones that the Peeps were staying at. We took a picture in this house with the big sale boat in the window. You could see it from the street - it was great!
Some other highlights include:
- theme song of the trip (it doesn't get much cheesier and good than this people):
- wide open spaces - the beach and houses are far removed from town, which is small anyway ... but it was nice to be out of the city.
Last but not least on the list of highlights:
- being pulled over outside of DC by a Virginia State Trooper for speeding ... he thought that April and I were kids in the back ... until he saw our white trash Miller Lite portable cooler. Yeah - it had cut up veggies in it - not beer. And if that officer only knew what April and I were talking about back there! Ahhh, good times.
Matt, Bethany, April
Some other highlights include:
- theme song of the trip (it doesn't get much cheesier and good than this people):
Summer Love ~ Justin Timberlake
"tell me how they got that pretty little face on
that pretty little frame ... girl"
"let me buy you drinks, better yet rings"
"I can't wait to fall in love with you,
you can't wait to fall in love with me -
this just can't be summer love, you'll see"
- Lighthouse trip (you saw the pictures here)
- church with 800 plus people
- "secret, secret, I got a secret" (thank you styx)
- Livin on a prayer - Bon Jovi ... three times (I could sing this song all day long)
- Karaoke
- dance parties ... lots of JT
- "secret, secret, I got a secret" (thank you styx)
- Livin on a prayer - Bon Jovi ... three times (I could sing this song all day long)
- Karaoke
- dance parties ... lots of JT
Me bustin a move in the karaoke bar.
- wide open spaces - the beach and houses are far removed from town, which is small anyway ... but it was nice to be out of the city.
- making memories with old and new friends.
- getting sunburned (oh wait - NOT a highlight)
Victoria, April & Bethany - we hit up all the parties together (hahaha)
I am so burnt ... it hurts just looking at the picture.
- what on earth is a Brew Thru? We saw tons of them! I was so confused.
- a sales girl at a surf shop commented on the fact that I was one of the only people she has heard pronounce the brand name RVCA correctly ... April informed her that I grew up in CA and it all made sense to her.
- the KFC/Taco Bell fast food place only had KFC! Ever since leaving the west I have come across many places that just don't have things at the moment - how strange is that.
- speaking of fast food - I started a new book at the beach ~ Fast Food Nation. Once again, it is incredibly interesting! More about economics than the food. Bet you didn't even realize how Fast Food changed America did you? - don't worry I will tell you all about it in future posts.
Last but not least on the list of highlights:
- being pulled over outside of DC by a Virginia State Trooper for speeding ... he thought that April and I were kids in the back ... until he saw our white trash Miller Lite portable cooler. Yeah - it had cut up veggies in it - not beer. And if that officer only knew what April and I were talking about back there! Ahhh, good times.
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