The Kite Festival -- The Beginning of the Cherry Blossom Festival

Saturday was the 44th Annual Smithsonian Kite Festival! It marked the beginning of this years Cherry Blossom Festival. Here are some photos from the bright, sunny, and blissfully windy day!

Where Does the Time Go?

So it's March. And sooner than you realize it'll be April (and April showers bring May flowers?)

COURTESY OF SXC.HU

This isn't cool. By the time I blink and I've taken a glance at my to-do list the day is over. I'm going to start getting up early in the morning and attacking my to-do list. It's starting to stress me out. Here's this weeks breakdown:


MONDAY:

Today is Gabi's 22nd birthday! Tonight we went to Chi-Cha's in U Street which I would definitely recommend. Their drinks are expensive but worth it. And the food. Wow. We got some hummus, plantain chips (yum!) and guacamole, and some seared ahi tuna and they were GOOD. They also have hooka and if you're looking for chairs, good luck finding them. They have couches and nice comfy armchairs around the whole place. They really focus on comfort.

The author of The Bowl is Already Broken, Mary Kay Zuravleff , came into my Writers in Print and Person class tonight. She was very willing to talk about her book and offer tips about her writing process. My favorite quote of hers from the night was "The point of the story is what do we save? What do we treasure? What do we hold dear?" As someone who is desperately trying to de-clutter my material possessions and gain control of my stuff again I thought this was helpful. She said, "Some of the things that we think are beautiful are not worth the most," when discussing things featured in museums.

TUESDAY:

I don't have class tomorrow but I have a lot of work to do! I'm working on designing invitations for the student government's transition ceremony in April and Women's Initiative is pumping out the events! I'm going to try and get up early and head into the office to get some stuff done. I also have an article due on Wednesday that my contacts don't want to get back to me on (EEK!) I'm hoping for some emails in my inbox tomorrow with people willing to talk or I'm going to need an extension.

WEDNESDAY:

Wednesday is Feature Article Writing day. I am desperately hoping I have this article done by then so let's hope that happens.

THURSDAY:

Yoga. We've moved into twists. My back does not like twists.

FRIDAY/SATURDAY/SUNDAY:

I'm taking control of my weekends. I'm determined to go out into the city and do some of the nerdy touristy things I want to get to before I graduate. Some of those things being:
The Postal Museum
Color me nerdy but I think it sounds really intriguing! And it's free . . . come on.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Who doesn't want to go see money being made?
Gravelly Point
This park is seconds away from Ronal Reagan Airport and viewers get a front row seat to the planes taking off! The last time I went here it was dusk and my camera doesn't take good photos at dusk BUT now that I have a new amazing camera I'd love to go back. That and it stays sunny until 7 now!
The US National Arboretum
I have heard good things and seen some even better photos. I'm up for new things so count me in. And again it's free!

That and if I haven't put a serious dent in my to-do list or my "jobs to apply for" list that will need to get done. Hopefully it stops raining by this weekend. But to be fair, it was warm today. It can rain all it wants if it's not freezing rain.

Here's a song that seems appropriate: Forecast by Jazon Mraz because crazy IS the forecast all week.

"See You and Me Have a Better Time Than Most Can Dream Of"

"#21. See Dave Matthews in Concert... no matter how old he is and no matter how old I am."


I just bought tickets! Dave and the band are going to be at Nationals Park this summer in DC--The perfect opportunity. This has been a dream of mine for a while. That sounds ridiculous, I know, but when it was the season for my brother and sister to go to see Dave, I was 12. Not quite the prime age to be hanging out with Dave. But now! I am 21 and I am dragging my poor brother and sister to come with me. 


I. am. so. excited. Check out this video of DMB at the Grammy's. Love this video. 


The wind is really howling outside. This is the season of odd weather occurrences. The most snow the city has ever gotten, winds from 25-48 mph--it's odd. Looking forward to an odd day. It started off pretty well so I can't complain!

I Should Just Move to China

I fear I have a bit of a cold. One of those awesome ones where you can only breathe out of half of your nose. It's a grand old time. That and I've become nocturnal! I don't fall asleep until 4:30 in the morning and sleep until noon, out of the sheer exhaustion I feel after waking up at 9am. If I move to China, I'll be in great shape!

This month has been surprisingly busy. We're almost to single digits on the countdown until spring break which will be fantastic. I'll excited to see sunshine and palm trees.

                                                                                       SXC.HU

Dave Matthews is coming to Nationals Park in July. No one buy tickets :). I'm going to see my first Dave concert. That will knock off another thing on my list of 101 things to do in 1001 days -- "#21. See Dave Matthews in Concert... no matter how old he is and no matter how old I am." I just recently finished "#7. Don’t text message for an entire month (January 6, 2010-February 6, 2010)" and "#37. Go to a wine tasting." I'm still working on making my own web site and making travel plans for all of the places I wanted to go in 1001 days. I have been to 11 of the 50 states, and I think Hawaii and Alaska might be stretching it, but I'm going to attempt some road trips after graduation and see more states. I have "#10. Go to Ireland." For some reason I thought that would be easier than it is. I'm also making a legitimate attempt to finish Gone With the Wind, a book I promised my mother I'd read ages ago. I think I'll bring it on spring break with me as beach/plane reading. 


I think I'm going to buy a bunch of music for the car too. Right now I'm thinking of buying the Glee Soundtracks (1 and 2), an album by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (when I saw them in concert this past summer they were really good!) and of course the new Vampire Weekend album, Contra. Any suggestions for good road trip music? I've already got Michael Jackson on the playlist in addition to whatever country music I have--country is a good sing-a-long in the car genre. I'm starting to get spring fever even though there isn't a SINGLE sign of spring. I guess it should be renamed "I want better weather" fever. That's better :).

I am not the girl I was in high school

I am about to do something I have done very few times before. I am going to talk about the things I like about New Jersey.

I am stuck here, like everyone is stuck somewhere with this obscene snow storm attacking the Northeast. I was expecting to drive home on Thursday to spend the weekend celebrating my dad's birthday with  my family but when Monday's classes were cancelled and another storm front was moving in, my father in all of his wisdom suggested I come home Tuesday. Good idea. I only have one class Wednesday and one class Thursday, both of which were expected to be cancelled, and they were! SO, here I am in New Jersey and MAN do these people know how to handle snow.

I spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday inside with my parents seeing road after road go unplowed for HOURS. It is now midnight after a full 25 hours of snow and the town has plowed my rinky dink street over 5 times! The street is completely clear! Take that DC! It is possible to allow life to continue after snow! You just don't know how to do it! It was infuriating sitting in my apartment in DC just KNOWING that these roads could have been plowed days ago and life and we know it could have continued. Instead you have DC residents going insane in their very expensive apartments due to cabin fever . . . UNNECESSARY cabin fever.

That being said I have had some serious time to dedicate to my craft projects. I am working on a cross-stitching project of Santa leaning over baby Jesus as a Christmas present, I'm sewing myself a jacket with the help of my brilliant mother, and I'm working on a web site and a portfolio. The last one hasn't been getting too much attention, BUT IT WILL!

I am not the girl I was in high school because in high school I hated this town. Standing ovation for it's snow removal capabilities.

Happy Superbowl Sunday/Snow recovery day

Apparently it snowed this weekend? I wish someone had told me. No one on the news or none of my friends . . .  no one was talking about it :). Here are some photos to feed your not snowed in soul and updates on the fun weekend with my parents (YAY!) to come.

Birds finding shelter from the snow on the ledge of a window at the hotel. 

The White House with some even whiter snow on it.

Farragut Square, Downtown. 

Connecticut Ave. Saturday night.

"Sn-OMG" or "Snow-pocalypse"

Snow, Snow, Snow. Is that all we can talk about? Apparently. D.C. got another four inches on top of this weekends six inches and we are expecting (and by that I mean meteorologists are predicting) over a foot this weekend. I hope my parents don't mind snow in the district when they come visit!

Monday in my Literature class Gayle Forman came to visit. She's the author of "If I Stay" our first read in Writers in Print and in Person. We read their books and then they come visit to discuss them with us. I think it's a really cool platform. She signed her book for me too which was exciting!

I'm on a roll with my Feature Article Writing class which is exciting news because I thought it was going to be my most difficult class. I'll post my first piece when it's completed on my journalism blog by Monday. We're already onto the next article, a trend feature. 

I'm working on my web site, or many web sites with the same purpose but none of which are completed to be perfectly honest. It's harder than it looks. Nothing is working the way I want it to, but I'm sure exactly what that is :). I'll probably work on it during American Idol tonight. Next week is Hollywood Week with Ellen! Color me excited!

29 days until spring break and I think I'm going to make it.