hiya stranger.

alright alright – i’m more than a stranger at this point. 5 months of nothing… ridiculous. it’s too bad i’ve been such a blogger bum - stephen and i have had an awesome past few months. but between 8 weddings and applying to business school, my free time has been sparse. now that the matrimonial season is over and majority of my apps are completed, i’m ready to pick the proverbial pen and dish on life.

at the moment, i’m on the train sitting at penn station, not quite halfway through my 5+hr ride from new haven to dc. what better time than to play a little online catch up. honestly, i should be sleeping – i’m exhausted! stephen and i spent the weekend up at west point this weekend to see his cousin “little ernie” who plays football for army. unfortunately he’s out for the season with a fractured metatarsal (foot), but it was a great opportunity to escape and catch some prime leaf-peeping. the campus was beautiful and its overlook onto the hudson river, breathtaking. i can only imagine though how depressing it must be the in winter… great stone buildings, grey uniformed cadets, bare trees, an icy cold river and overcast sky… brrr.

on sunday, we got together with stephen’s step-grandmother, "mor mor" in swedish, and attended service at the cadet chapel on campus which was a treat in an of itself. it’s been 3 years since we last saw carla which is a pity because she’s so delightful! she was married to stephen’s mother’s father for 44 years… dr. john prudden – a truly brilliant man in nearly every subject, who was a witty as he was ornery. a harvard-trained doctor and dedicated oncologist, he passed away in 1998 from the one thing he spent the most time researching – cancer. it was truly a pleasure to visit carla’s home and get to see all his young handsome pictures. although i never had the pleasure of meeting "grata", from the stories and pictures, i do know who stephen takes most after.

that afternoon, we said our goodbyes and took the train into nyc’s grand central station. there stephen left to catch a quick dinner with an old friend before busing back to dc. instead, i met up with another one of stephen’s cousins, austin, and headed northeast to new haven. after just submitting my application to the yale school of management 10 days ago, i was on my way to visit campus and fulfill my invitation to interview. since i had only been to connecticut once before to see extended family in greenwich, i was excited for the adventure. it was great to have another buddy on my 2nd train ride of the day, and even better for it to be a yale som alum. although austin just graduated back in 2007, the school has since drastically changed its curriculum to walk the talk of an integrated approach to management – especially in accomplishing its mission of educating leaders for business and society. it ties in very nicely with my relevant experiences working for a private sector company in the public sector world…. yay federal government.

after a light dinner, i snuggled up in my nice comfy bed at the omni (thank goodness for corporate rates ☺) and tried to sleep away my anxiety. this morning, i woke up excited and ready to explore the unknown – yale university. after meeting with some prospective students, we got to pick a class to attend that morning. being the nerd i am, i chose an upper level course on making management decisions with spreadsheets! not knowing what to expect, i found the class highly engaging – especially the professor’s creative approach to an otherwise dry subject of optimization problems. the class was very participatory, most likely due to the collaborative environment fostered by a small class size. we next got a tour of the business school which is basically a handful of 100+ year old mansions that are connected by an underground labyrinth of classrooms and other facilities.

i found the tour guides to be very knowledgeable and was especially pleased to learn one of mine was focusing on the what i plan to study – a hybrid of financial economics and strategic consulting. he took his mid-1st year international trip to singapore and met with some sovereign wealth investors; this was particularly intriguing given the controversy of swf impact on U.S. control of assets. i was also excited to hear of his plans to take jeffery garten’s (former som dean and the barefoot contessa’s husband!) class next semester on “understanding global financial centers” which involves a 2 week trip to new york, london, dubai and hong kong. very cool. after a quick lunch, i jetted back to the admissions building for my 1pm interview, which i thought went well… being the very first day that interviews began, i had both an admissions officer and a 2nd year student in training conducting the session which was a little intimating, but at least i got it done early! fingers crossed.

afterwards, i headed back to my hotel, changed out, checked out and spent an hour and a half walking around yale’s campus before i had to catch my 4pm train home. can i just say… WOW - absolutely gorgeous. i’m sure the bright red and yellow leaves helped add to the academic new england atmosphere, but i was shocked at how ornate and stately ALL the buildings were…. even the local power plant blended in with collegiate charm. i was hoping to get together for a quick coffee with austin’s fiancée, katrina, who is wrapping up her phd in environmental economics at yale, but i was having serious cell phone issues. it’s too bad – we had such a great time chatting when we linked up in the city back in september… and i was dying to see her new ring!

overall it was a fantastic trip. i love visiting historic places and was so thankful all the travel logistics went so smoothly. but now time to return to reality – and oh, yeah, get out the vote tomorrow! finally. i’m beyond tired of this endless campaign and very ready to party hardy accenture-style at the iconic willard. yeah – you could say i really do enjoy the integration of public and private sectors ;)

i once was blind...

BUT NOW I CAN TOTALLY SEE!

amen for lasik. that's right - i finally took the plunge and underwent the laser. after 3 reschedulings and 2 full months of wearing glasses (UGH!), the day finally arrived where i could pitch the frames for good. i never quite understood those people who WISHED they wore glasses - are you crazy?! i still vividly remember the day back in the 4th grade when i got the fateful news that i needed corrective lenses. i cried and cried into my mother's arms, begging that the reality was not true. but alas to no avail...so i got some supercool early nineties glasses - y'know the ones that took up half your face, yeah - and tried my hardest to believe i was no dork.

but after a year of annoyance, i was successful in coaxing my parents that i was mature enough to get fitted for some contacts. although i certainly had my fun with them, sporting various colors throughout my teen years, i also suffered many a times with angst - from the oops, "kitties sleeping on my pillow will definitely cause irritation" days in the 6th grade to the severe infection/inflammation months in the 11th. and then eventually things just normalized, and the routine became something that went without thought. except for those brief moments every morning and evening when i was reminded my true state of vision...i couldn't see squat. ok, ok, maybe 3 inches in front of my face - but does that count?

although i have always had in mind the magic age of 25 to get laser correction, it wasn't until i changed eye doctors a few years ago that things really started to come together. i have to say my eye doctor is GREAT. i recommend him to anyone that i know and have at least 5 friends who have gone and have recommended him to their friends. of course, it is pretty cool that he's also the team eye doctor to many of the Washington sports teams...Wizards, Nats, D.C. United to name a few. like i said, he's GREAT. whereas most optometrists are monosyllabic as they go through the routine eye exam, dr. smithson is very personable and actually explains to you what he sees and why it matters...or doesn't.

when i went in for the first time back in 2006, i found out much to my surprise that i had astigmatism in my right eye...and while my contacts were both regular lenses (not toric as the right should have been), my glasses had BOTH lenses corrected for astigmatism! seriously, i'm never going back to a mall eye doc ever ever ever again. i was shocked!

with that quickly fixed, i was again stunned to find out that i had in fact dry eye syndrome. although my contacts NEVER bothered me, my poor eyes were severely suffering from oxygen and moisture deprivation. i wouldn't not have thought much of it, until dr. smithson quickly explained the consequences of corneal neovascularization, which is basically the blood vessels grow in toward the cornea to bring oxygen to an otherwise suffocating eye. and that if something wasn't done, this condition could worsen and ultimately lead to blindness upon rupturing of one of those vessels in the cornea. eek!!! so i listened, and wore my oxygen permeable, properly fitted, regular on the left and toric on my right, lenses during less hours of the day. and sure enough, just as he described those encroaching blood vessels did a literal u-turn as my eye started to breath again! amazing.

and then following 2 solid of years of showing overall eye health improvement and a stabilization in prescription, i was finally given the green light this past spring that i was a good-to-go lasik candidate! after 15 years of utter dependency, i was more than ready for freedom. yesss. once i was put through a battery of tests, i was scheduled with dr. mark whitten of tlc vision (tiger's doc among other athletes) for my oh-so-anticipated surgery.

now it was originally scheduled for 4/11 but after a major misunderstanding on my part (who knew the lenses actually SHAPE your eye?) preventing accurate waveform topography measurements during the pre-op, that didn't happen. ooops. so instead of risking the irreplaceable, my surgery day got pushed a month later to 5/23. of course only to find out on my next pre-op appt they didn't realize one of my lenses was a toric...apparently this shapes your eye more than a regular lens...and that i needed to be out of my contacts for a full month before measurements could be taken. sigh. fortunately, cindy, dr. whitten's right-hand technician for the last 15 years, was great in working with me to move the surgery back just one more week and scheduled me to come in the day before the surgery to redo the measurements for validation.

so after everything checked fine on thursday (finally finally), i rolled in friday morning with my designated driver in tow. after a quick exam, i was given some valium :), a surgical cap and escorted to the surgical suite. while stephen watched from the window, i was assured that there was nothing i could do to screw things up - whew! after being flooded with numbing drops, the whole procedure was done within a matter of minutes. not more than 10, honest! and dr. whitten was so encouraging...every second he would say, "great", "perfect", "beautiful", "fantastic" - certainly helped put me at ease! and as soon as it was over, i was able to see - whoa what a feeling.

i was left with some tylenol PM so between that and the fully in effect valium, all i would want to do was to go home and take a nice long nap. i called my parents on the drive home, eyes closed because of the dryness but so elated that if i did open, i could totally read the road signs! stephen swung by wendy's to pick up my usual #1 plain with cheese and was so patient in helping me eat as i tried to keep my eyes rested. once my belly was full and my whole being fully relaxed, i collapsed in my freshly made bed (thanks hon!) for a nice long nap...of course i didn't forget to wear my new fashionable sleep goggles.

after 5 blissful hours of sleep i woke up refreshed and seeing better than ever, especially upon the commencing my new 5-eye-drops-an-hour regimen. feeling ready for some more grub, i enjoyed my all time favorite comfort food - ritzy chicken casserole - that i strategically pre-made that morning. stephen and i then packed up a tote with a bottle of wine, glasses for 2 and picnic blanket. we walked 2 blocks to rosslyn's gateway park to celebrate my new eyes by watching the free friday screenings of james bond movies held throughout the summer.

perfect weather, free popcorn, a 007 movie classic with the occasional engine roar of DCA airplanes flying straight overhead... it was a truly great way to end a life-changing day. here's to modern miracles.

winston & tweety.

for over a year now, our little lions have loved the bird feeder we have hung on our patio. while most of their days are spent lounging around and cat napping, this one feature provides endless entertainment and intrigue to otherwise rather boring lives. especially now with spring in swing and summer on its way, all the chipper birdies have been out in full flight with bellies a-grumbling, making our little balcony a very popular hot spot.

usually stuck behind a glass window pane, franklin and winston are tortuously tempted by our feathered friends. upon spotting such a winged creature, they freeze in pose, fix their gaze, open their mouths and start "chirping" at their wistful prey. no matter what you do, they are fixated in a trance. if only they could get their tufted paws on just one!

well this weekend, they had their chance. between the two of them franklin has always appeared to be the more skilled hunter....at least with insects. he can bat them down, capture them between his paws and scarf it down before you are even aware of his kill. what a little bugger. winston on the other hand appears more careless and clumsy...prompting stephen to call them the true pussy of the pair. of course, i rebut by trying to, although ineffectually, defend his honor. he's not worthless!

but this weekend winston proved his prowler status all on his own...twice!

both on saturday and then then again today, 2 different birds flew into our apartment and with one bounding leap, the fierce yet graceful lion swiftly captured the fleeting bird between his teeth. the first time we were both astonished...or rather, i started jumping around screaming for the unlucky bird's life while stephen remained on the couch, merely impressed with winston's fortitude.

the 2nd time was a bit more exciting, as i let winston keep the little sparrow in his mouth instead of forcing him to spit it out. bad kitty. this time he ran into the apartment and crouched down while the bird remained completely still. but as he tried to adjust his grip, the bird escaped and frantically flew around, bumping into windows, trying desparately to get out with his life. but as winston quickly caught him yet again, this time we pushed him back onto the balcony to release frightened being to where in belongs - the open air.

poor winston was so upset...not only has he forever lost, for the 2nd time, his captured prey but his flighty-feathered playmate as well. he wasn't really in for the kill anyway, just a good time. but that's ok, his plumed teaser toy fortunately has the same effect AND without the risk of avian flu. ew.

rolling THUNDER.

memorial day weekend. although this is the first in a long time that we've actually been in town for the holiday, we were well aware of the tradition of bikers rolling into town to honor pow/mia soldiers - a.k.a rolling thunder. and with over 1/2 million bikes come to honor these missing troops, it is quite a sight (and sound). all weekend you could hear bouts of engine revs and roars...leaving me stuck constantly humming the classic AC/DC song thunderstruck. i just can't help it.

with the amazing weather we've been having lately, all the windows are open, and the vespa has gotten some good use. we rode it up rock creek parkway yesterday to head our church's annual spring picnic. of course we passed many many bikers - kind of intimidating. although the big roll into the city wasn't until today at noon, they all congregate in the pentagon parking lots the morning before their big parade downtown.

as stephen rode the vespa to the mall for his weekly get together of sunday morning frisbee/soccer, i had the car to head to dsw to pick up a pair new running shoes. taking route 110, to pentagon row, i always pass the pentagon and surrounding lots. usually dead empty on the weekends, today it was a sea of glinting chrome and black leather. and it went on and on and on - i was amazed!

after scoring my favorite asics kayano's for only $85 (on clearance from the $135 MFRP)!!, stephen and i returned home at the same time...just after noon. he recounted his almost full on embarrassment by getting stuck in the motorcycle rally - all these massive harleys and stephen on his little red italian scooter. lol.

we then decided to put on our new running shoes and take the 15 minute walk to iwo jima memorial. believe it or not, i've never been even though it's practically in my backyard. it was all decorated for the weekend and tourists/bikers were everywhere snapping shots. as we walked around, stephen explained all the battles engraved around the memorial base where the marines have fought. it's astounding how much military history he retains - he could go into succinct tactical detail if i had only asked! rather, i just wanted to the gist of why we were there and what the outcome was. :)

between the motorcycles, iwo jima, shopping sales and countless bbqs we've been to this weekend, i have to say it's been quite the ideal memorial day. THUNDER!

free for all.

every year for few weeks in late may, the shakespeare theater company holds free concerts in rock creek park. it's been years since we've been, but this year we thought we would try and turn it into a double date with our friends john & d'ann. the real trick is getting the free tix. since you are only able to get them the day of the performance, a beautiful sunny day friday makes that probability all the more scant. so after my online reservation attempts failed miserably (timed out pageloads = supreme frustration), i implored stephen to save the day. so at lunchtime, he scooted to the harman center in chinatown to stand in line for the coveted tickets. and he picked them up in a breeze!

after returning home from work, we packed a mini picnic, picked up our friends and headed up the beautiful parkway to the carter barron amphitheatre. what a great quick escape...surrounded by serene lush greenery, you absolutely forget you are in dc. a gorgeous day turned into a chilly evening. during intermission i made stephen go get my accenture/NMAI chief joseph blanket from the car so i could fully enjoy the rest of this great play. :)

i truly loved the modern take on this classic, hamlet. with many of the actors juilliard trained and frequenters on the long-time soap, all my children, the drama was very present - a much needed ingredient in any of shakespeare's works. and of course the delightful combination of wit, double entendres, pregnant phrases, and plot twists makes for an entertaining time.

it also brought back many memories of my one and only writing class i took in college - shakespeare and film... my professor, ann cole brown, who during one of our individual review meetings, noticed my tridelta pledge pin and recounted her delta days at michigan. a few years later as a delta officer, we were looking for a new academic advisor, and i recommended her whole heartedly. she was awesome - funny, warm and courageous...breast cancer survivor. and she really brought shakespeare to life for me which is a gift i will always treasure. thanks ACB!

better together.

happy anniversary to my love!

honestly, it's hard to believe we've been married as long as we dated...3 years. i find it funny how the perception of time changes. it seemed like our dating years were so drawn out and slow-moving, whereas now, we are beside ourselves in no longer being newlyweds. weird.

we also found this anniversary a kind of odd one to celebrate. maybe it's because it was a busy wednesday or the not-quite-yet-a-milestone status... so instead of the typical hoopla, we just we decided to take it easy. hey, at least we weren't stuck on a trans-atlantic flight like last year!

upon returning home, i was greeted with a sweet kiss, a funny card and a beautiful bouquet of pink, red and white gerbera daisies. stephen was so upset that our favorite flower shop, ultra violet, was closed today, but he certainly didn't lose any points in my book. since i had to run off to my weekly golf lessons (my swing is getting sooooo good), we decided to do a late dinner afterwards.

apparently we both had cravings for italian, so after picking stephen up we decided to find a good but laid back place that served pasta. after walking around clarendon for awhile we finally succumbed to the usually disdained chain - the cheesecake factory. surprisingly it was quite hopping at 9pm mid-week. who knew?

after some peach bellinis and a split puttanesca, we enjoyed a relaxed reminiscence of our years together as one. from the good to the bad, the ups and downs... evaluating our past to dream about the future. it was a fun and fulfilling time just "being" with my best friend. although some things have changed, some things never will. and we both agreed, we are far far better together than apart.

i love you, muttley.

back to reality.

after spending 2 full months working from home, today is my official day back to reality. although i've enjoyed logging onto my laptop in my pjs for the past several weeks, i have to say i'm actually looking forward to some day-to-day structure. either that or i'm super bored of the countless CBTs. but at least i got to take FULL advantage of our company's "bench" policy for consultants between projects...in my 3 years with the firm, this is an absolute first.

fortunately for me my upcoming project is a mere 10 minute walk from home. and my role should be all the more interesting... it entails some immigration-related strategy work for the department of homeland security's US VISIT program. really, it's quite exciting! at least i'll stay challenged over the next 6 months. bonus: my new team seems super sharp AND cool. i'm pumped.

so in the spirit of getting back into the grind, i thought i do a quick post on the contents of my "commuting bag" - repacked with all the essentials. y'know, because my 1/2 mile walk is so unbearably long. :)

contents (l-r): longchamp bag (from mom via paris), heels & crocs combo, stick of deodorant (for icky muggy days), go-to water bottle, 2 mini cases for cosmetics and such, diva sunglasses, airborne (life saver), daily planner, favorite parker pen, pink ipod nano (vday gift!), keys with self-defense mace & gym card, aquaphor tube (obsessed.), mini brush, cellie, metro card, change purse/flip wallet/card holder, duck umbrella (april showers...), badge.

green cleaning.

happy earth day!

as many of you know, i'm quite the clean freak. but over the past few months i have been increasingly bothered by the types of products i use... what chemicals i spritz about the house and the resulting fumes i breathe in. slowly i've been going through my cleaning arsenal, trying to figure out what i need and what i can replace. i started to "go green" by picking up a clorox greenworks bottle the other week, but even then, i was left questioning - what exactly is in these products? yes, it does have epa's design for enivronment seal and claims to be 99% natural, but what does all this really mean? needless to say, as one not liking to be duped by a slick "green" marketing campaigns - which we are now constantly bombarded with - i decided to heck with it all; i'm making my own products!

that's right - i'm embracing good old fashion vinegar, baking soda, and the like. if it was good enough for my grandmothers and the generations prior, it should be good enough for me. so after searching online and finding some great resources on thedailygreen.com, MSLO's site and a select number of blogs, i put together a comprehensive list with SIMPLE ingredients. time to phase out my cleaning cabinet from mass-produced to home-made.

here's my list (if you want quantity ratios, just ask):

1. all purpose cleaner (vinegar, borax, washing soda, castile soap, water, lemongrass oil)
2. window wash (lemon juice, club soda, peppermint oil, cornstarch)
3. gentle powder scrub (indian clay, baking soda, lemongrass oil)
4. laundry detergent (indian clay, lavender oil, baking soda, borax, sodium percarbonate)
5. carpet cleaner (castile soap, water, vinegar rinse)
6. carpet freshner (baking soda, lavendar oil)
7. shower spray (water, tea tree oil)

first up, i need supplies. after a 5 minute drive down wilson blvd, i got to clarendon's market common to jump start my new project yesterday. after returning some not-quite-right throw pillows at c&b and pb, i used the returned funds to get my gear. stop #1 - whole foods. i found dr. bronner's castile soap (on sale too!) and picked up some essential oils in lavender, lemongrass, tea tree and peppermint. stop #2 - the container store to pick some of my favorite casabella products - supply caddy/bucket and 2 spray bottles - as well as some hermetic jars and powder shakers for the dry materials/mixes.

then i had to make a trip down route 50 to the pet store to pick up some more food for our "ravenous wolves" - recently nicknamed by one of our friends after spying both f&w scarfing down their kitty kibble like a hungry pack. ha! lucky me, target was right next door, so after making even more returns (i'm picky), i filled my cart with the essentials - baking soda, vinegar, borax, club soda, etc - and even grabbed a few method products that i just didn't feel like making right now - wood polish (alternative: olive oil & lemon juice), floor wash (alternative: castile soap, vinegar, water, essential oil), toilet bowl cleaner (alternative: castile soap, baking soda, vinegar, water, essential oil), & dish soap (alternative: ?)

after getting home, i surveyed my materials and started to clearing out the under-sink cabinet full of cleaning supplies. i really really hate to have things go to waste so i am planning to use up everything i have first. if i've survived this long with toxic household chemicals, i don't think a few more weeks are going to kill me. so this effort will be a phased approach, but i did want to have everything ready to go whenever those products do run out. at this point, the only thing left to get is bentonite (indian) clay which i'll probably have to order online anyway... i also plan to design some nifty labels/instructions on the mac and personalize my custom collection. one step at a time though. :)

till then, i'm looking forward to truly loving my home the safe eco-friendly way. yay for green cleaning!

money honey.

maybe it's because tax day was this week...or that april is financial literacy month...or just this state of shock hit single stuck in my head - whatever it is, i've got money on the brain.

as the numbers-oriented one, managing our personal finances has become my practical contribution to the marriage. not that i mind...after all, my father set a great example of a household CFO. but sometimes finances just get jumbled, illusive and let's be honest, annoying. and with all the identity theft risks out there from online shopping, credit card swiping and the like, it can be a little scary as well.

so today i decided to check in on our financial status. first, it was time to pull our credit reports. i try to do this 3x a year - april, august, december - to take full advantage of the free factor. for me i found it to be a good ritual to get into, not only for our financial security but also peace of mind. well this month it was transunion (my least favorite of all the providers). fortunately no major surprises this time...only a few minor errors to fix, as usual with transunion - uggh. i even coughed up the money to see our credit scores. i can't tell you how much it burns me up to have to actually PAY to see something that i'm judged by others on my fiscal worthiness. it doesn't seem right. oh well - i still paid - out of dreaded curiosity.

and since i was firmly in finance mode, i also decided to tackle the balance sheets; y'know, to ask the age old question: just where did our money go?? well this is where i get frustrated - not with the transactions but with my software. as a long-time quicken user, i was quick to buy and setup intuit's mac version when we bought our macbook last year. the problem? it's super buggy - especially on the one key function i rely on weekly...budget reporting. no joke, the program has the budget v. actual formula reversed, so when i spend UNDERbudget, the report marks it in the red and when i go OVERbudget, it's in the black. simple fix, you think? apparently not for quicken.

anyway, today i got fed up. for the past year or so, i've just retrained my thinking when reviewing reports, but it's confusing, it's static and it takes manual effort - in short, not worth it. yeah, it is over.

so when considering my financial management options, i decided to try out the unique online solution - www.mint.com. i have to confess...i'm smitten! not only is it web-based, FREE, and automatic, but you can link in all your accounts to see your full asset/liability ratio, receive email alerts when you go over budget and compare your money spending by category to other americans by state/city. it's definitely innovative, and more importantly, intuitive. and that's a first for this industry.

now, it's probably not for everyone. i know my dad would probably balk at its simplicity as he expertly manages all his investments and accounts, but then again, he's not your average personal finance guru. however for the rest of us, i think it's brilliant.

check it out...and know where all that money really goes.

back to class.

tonight's my last free evening till who knows when... so why not blog? right.

actually first, stephen and i took advantage of our gold's gym membership and went to a spinning class tonight. last time i took one of these classes was back in my senior year in high school! stephen was a complete newbie so we decided to go to the intro class that started just before the actual class. very informative. then the lights went out, black-lights on and the music pumped on high - whew, what a workout. my butt is already sore; tomorrow is going to be bad news for these legs!

after we got home, stephen was so sweet and poured me a nice hot bath to soothe the aches and also so i could finally use the lush happy pill he surprised me with a few weeks ago! i love that he works in georgetown and likes to remind me of his love though all the fun little gifts he has at his finger tips. i'm such a gifts person anyway - he certainly knows my love language! surrounded by a cheery citrus scent with some candlelight and classical music, i truly felt pampered.

then dinner time - extraordinaire. first time ever at home...surf and turf. while i fixed up the lobster tails, he prepared the steak. very yum. of course the championship game was paused during the actual meal itself but that just makes viewing time that much more enjoyable - bye bye annoying commercials.

so here i am, sitting on the couch next to hubs, watching the last few minutes of the kansas v. memphis game (go jayhawks!) and using my evening's high to prepare for the week ahead...

well, first, i start class tomorrow night! class, yes, class. my good friend friend d'ann had to take some econ prereqs for her graduate program at gw's elliott school, so i jumped at the opportunity to take them with her. i had been thinking about it for awhile but couldn't find any classes that were conducsive to my schedule or budget. but when she mentioned USDA's graduate school - i was very suprised. i've only been sort of exposed to their academic offerings through those ubiquitous blue GS totes i see people carrying around everywhere... but i never could figure out what "graduate school" this was. well, it's the government's - and it's conveniently located in l'enfant plaza (just a few metro stops away) and for under $400 a class, it was cheap. so here i am, i have my samuelson microecon book in hand (thanks to half.com) and i'm ready to be a student again! i'll keep you posted on how things go, but at this moment i'm super excited...if not equally as anxious!

tuesday nights...econ class - duration: 3 hrs, 10 weeks.

next up are my new golf lessons i just signed up for at capital city golf school - finally!!! my parent's wrote me a check for xmas to better myself on the green, and i've just now taken that step. starting on wednesday, i will be on my way to becoming the lady version of tiger woods. jk. but really, i'm so proud of myself of starting to really embrace something to call my own. especially now that the weather is warming up, i'm all about spending some quality time on the range with a bucket of balls and a good instructor to teach me to actually hit the ball right. sigh. plus i love east potomac park - the view alone is worth the trip.

wednedsay nights...golf lessons - duration: 1 hr, 8 weeks.

now this week of new beginnings and self-improvement was originally supposed to be capped off with my oh-so-anticipated lasik surgery friday morning (!!!), BUT unfortunately this had to be rescheduled to may. bummer. probably better on the finances since i'm really bankin' on using that stimilus check to help pay the balance. although insurance covers 25% (i'm lucky, i know), perfect vision never comes cheap. at least i have the confidence of having tiger woods' own lasik surgeon - dr. mark whitten. see, tiger and i, we really do have a lot in common :)

MAC addict.

yes, i admit, i have addiction... my vice? MAC cosmetics eye shadows.

they seriously are the most amazing things - ever. i'm a big fan of eye make-up in general, but i was constantly frustrated with how easily products seem to melt away after a long day - especially in the e/s department. but about a year and half ago, that all changed when my sister in law introduced me to the MAC counter.

at first i was little intimidated by their approach to make-up - i mean, they do have a reputation for going "artistic" with looks, but i guess that's also part of the appeal... you are the canvas, become the artist. but once i picked up my first shadow pot, i was won over completely. not only are the colors beautiful but they go on smooth and velvety, have great staying power and a little bit goes a long way so that one pot lasts forever. really, i have used one shade everyday for the past year, and i still haven't reached the bottom of the pan yet!

the only set-back is that these peeper pleasures are certainly expensive. so i've been slowly building my collection of both basic and play shades - usually through using macy's gift cards i have received by redeeming my company's "celebrating performance" reward points! ingenious. so now my collection has grown, so much that dealing with the individual eyeshadow pots is getting rather annoying, let alone trying to travel with them. uggh.

so i decided it's time to invest in a mac pro palette and depot all my shadows. having heard about this possibility but being clueless on how this was done, i turned to youtube, of course, for some helpful tutorials. after picking up both 15 slot and 4 slot palettes (one for home, one for travel) at my local MAC store in georgetown, i sat down last night and got to work. it was quite a labor-some ordeal but in the end, well worth the effort.

and the best part? their "back to MAC" recycling program which allows customers to redeem 6 of their empty original MAC packaging for a free lipstick. so i'll be due at least 2 new products by just simplifying my make-up drawer! a win-win all around.

check out my before and after photos... isn't it a beaut?!


BEFORE





















AFTER





















COLORS (left to right, top to bottom):
deep truth (frost), nocturnelle (frost), cranberry (frost),
club (satin), steamy (frost), juxt (satin),
silver ring (veluxe pearl), sumptuous olive (veluxe pearl), woodwinked (veluxe pearl),
seedling (satin), coquette (satin), cork (satin),
shroom (satin), naked lunch (frost), girlie (satin)

domestic diva?

ok - so i'm definitely borderline ocd when it comes to certain things... cleaning, list-making and maybe now magazines. for the past 3 years i have hoarded every single issue of martha stewart LIVING. my MIL got me my first subscription right before stephen and i were married in 2005, and i've been hooked since. maybe it's my subconsious desire to embrace my inner domestic diva or just the beautifully arranged glossy pages that capture my attention - i dunno, but i'm fan.

i guess i was first introduced the unattainably perfect lifestyle of MSLO back when i was planning my wedding - i threw out all my other bridal mags when i found how much better martha's were. they really are something. now here i am - 3 years later - with stacks and stacks of issues that i swear i'm going to reference but then never do. the problem is whenever i recall something i read in one of the issues, i can never remember just which one it was in...frustrating! so rather than pulling out all 36+ copies and flip through each one, i decided it was time for me to consolidate and organize.

with my husband's skeptism in tow, i started going through each issue and ripping out pages of practicality or inspiration. as i tore each page from the binding i felt a mix of guilt - i'm destroying my pristine magazines! - and of progress - finally these things will be of use! although this took forever, it wasn't so bad when i combined the activity with watching march madness or whatever was on my dvr. yay for multi-tasking.

once i got all the pages free, i sorted them in categories, trimmed all the rough edges and strategically placed 1-4 pages in sheet protectors...depending on which pages i definitely wanted to see. with multiple trips to office depot, i was finally able to get all the page covers, binders and dividers i needed to complete the job...sigh.

after working on the project on and off for the past 3 weeks, i can say now that i'm FINISHED, and i'm oh so happy with the results!!! here's a glimpse of the end product:


4 binders in all, here are the breakdown of my categories...just in case any of y'all are as crazy as i am and want to pursue something similar

MONTH - 12 dividers - one for each month with relevant pages placed within (ie. valentines ideas in february, halloween in october, etc).

INSPIRATION - 5 dividers: good things/crafts - health - beauty - style - travel

HOME LIFE - 4 dividers: housekeeping (sub tabs - cleaning, laundry, tools, how-tos, resources) - organizing - entertaining

INDOOR/OUTDOOR - 2 dividers: decorating - gardening (sub tabs - flowers, arrangements, fruits/vegetables, how-to's, landscaping)

culinary adventures.

wednesday nights. usually i look forward to a nice relaxing evening at home, but this week it was about getting together with girlfriends, anna and kim. while stephen had a guy's night planned, consisting of smoking cigars and talking foreign policy, no doubt, i was glad to have as equally as interesting plans for the evening.

although i probably see kim on a weekly basis, it had been over 2 months since i last saw anna. considering that her boyfriend and much of her job in development at the FRC takes her out to colorado, she took advantage of overlap and spent 6 weeks out in colorado springs to grow her relationship and meet with current and potential donors. what a lucky arrangement but we're certainly glad to have her back with us for awhile :)

at kim's suggestion, we decided to try some wine-tasting sessions at local restaurants in dc. our first pick was bistro lepic but unfortunately tuesday nights just didn't work for us. so instead, we opted for vidalia which offered sessions every night of the week. after kim picked me up, we made our way into georgetown and spotted stephen on his vespa on his way out - so sexy, honey! we walked around m street for while, made some stops in MAC and sephora, and enjoyed the beautiful weather before making it down to 20th street to meet anna at vidalia.

upon entering, we made our way to the back of the restaurant where the wine tasting spread lay... tonight's wine was chardonnay - love it. with 2 california selections and 1 french, we chatted with the sommelier (and restaurant manager) about the nuances fine wine. i think i asked him a billion questions but really learned so much - everything from the effect of oak barrel age on taste to tannin levels causing headaches. apparently i should try a barbera d'asti or d'alba wine for a more drinkable red - who knew? it makes want to actually take an official wine tasting course - maybe during our upcoming trip to napa valley this summer!!

we had such a great evening together - especially with the very exciting news of anna's recent engagement to rick! july 12th, it is! initially we just started out with appetizers at the bar - split ceviche (we're talking mini octopus, scallops, crab here) and fried frog legs with garlic/parsley sauce. the head chef stopped by to make sure everything was a-ok with us ladies - very nice fellow. well, apparently, he was taken with anna and before we knew it, she was back in the kitchen with him making our own special entree! as she picked the ingredients he whipped together the pasta dish...commanding the respect of everyone else in the kitchen (yes, sir) as anna relished the unique experience! a few minutes later, out they come with 3 plates of anna's special dish - orecchiette with mushrooms, vidalia onions and bacon. even the woman next to us thought it looked so good and asked for it herself! it truly was amazing...especially it being on the house :) sometimes i really love being a girl.

after we practically licked our plates clean, we sat around and caught up on life together. between anna's wedding planning and kim's fun boy stories, it was a wonderful time with friends. however it wasn't long before we were surprised with yet another gift from the kitchen - this time a display of artful truffles! we devoured them so fast (so good) that they came out with yet another! we were beyond spoiled by this place - you bet we'll be back (and that they got a big fat tip).

so if you are ever in dc, looking for some great food and obviously great service, be sure to say hi to our new friends at vidalia!

cherry blossoms.

my favorite season in dc? cherry blossom time, no doubt. this year they bloomed a tad bit early since we've had such a mild winter, but the timing of this weekend's festival could not have been more perfect. although still a bit chilly, the crowd was out in full force as usual - whether on foot or by car, you are at best crawling around the tidal basin. but we didn't mind so much this year...

and you wouldn't have either if you were enjoying the sights from the vantage point of a porsche boxster. that's right - top down, windows up and heat crankin' - the best way, as i have come to realize, to take in the pretty pink display. you see, the night before, stephen was the best man at our friend's wedding...and mark needed someone to take his car as he and his new bride, amy, drove away to their wedding night in their limo. so being the best man, stephen had the distinct duty of taking the porsche home for the night. although mark was a bit nervous (obviously), stephen assured him it was in good hands - after all he first learned to drive stick on the autobahn of all places! i'm not sure if that's so reassuring...

either way, the next morning stephen needed to drop off his tux downtown, so why not make a detour down independence ave?? seemed brilliant in my book as well. so we cruised around dc in the sleek roadster, grooving to my favorite lenny kravitz song - i'll be waiting (btw, looooove his music video for this - what a talent!) and enjoyed a lazy sunday drive. afterwards we stopped by our go-to sandwich shop a la nantucket, jetties, and ordered the usual - the surfside with fresh squeezed lemonade.

it's days like this that really make me love this city. especially via a borrowed friend's boxster - so thanks mark!

unexpected easter.

i can't believe it's easter. i mean, really??? i know this year it's early - in fact it hasn't been this early in last 85 years. maybe it's the timing or maybe it's being convicted of the fact that so much of the "easter holiday traditions" are based on pagan origins - either way, i just haven't been that into it. don't get me wrong, i love easter for the sole fact that it reminds of our savior's ultimate sacrifice, then resurrection - the power of GOD to bring life to deadness - but that's about it. easter bunnies, easter baskets, easter dresses, easter eggs... ???? no desire this year.

so this weekend, instead of doing typical easter activities, it's been pretty low key. i have to admit, i have been preparing for spring - i am excited about that! this past week stephen and i stopped by the garden center and picked up fresh herb seedlings, pansies as well as a gardenia bush. i spent the end of the week into the weekend getting our flower boxes prepared, refilling the bird feeder and sprucing up our patio furniture while trying to add splashes of royal blue to our outdoor decor. i finally painted over an end table and made covers for our ugly plastic chairs with my favorite oil cloth fabric. so pretty.


stephen and i also decided we needed a new wii game. although we love love love wii sports and guitar hero, we were both itching for something a little more interactive. MORE? yes, more. so we splurged and bought dance dance revolution! so much fun! not only do you get to act like a dancin' fool in the privacy of your own home, but you certainly break a sweat - especially in workout mode where they count how many calories you've burned! i heart DDR.

after attending chuch in the evening (glenn's sermon on living the resurrected life was very very good), we went to dinner with our friend john and his girlfriend marsha who was in town visiting from california. we had such a great time chatting over beef brisket and discussing a variety of spiritual topics. all in all, i thought it was a great easter weekend - without the expected easterness. maybe next year i'll actually be inclined to at least dye a batch of eggs!

let's go hoyas!

for some reason i just haven't been too into basketball this year, but now that it is march, i'm starting to pay that much more attention to the sport. back in the fall, stephen talked about wanting to get season tix to gtown's home games, but i quickly talked him out of it. i mean, would be really go to every single game - no way. he could always use his student discount to go to any game he wanted, when he wanted. so with georgetown coming into the big east championship, he jumped at the chance and got us some decent tickets at a great price.

as we metro'd our way to the verizon center in chinatown, the excitement built as hoya fans packed themselves into the trains and toted their pride in grey and blue. however, the louisville fans were also in full force, especially as we had to make our way through the sea of red clackers on the way to will call line. bring it on!

before the game, gtown's alumni association had a great spread set up at bar louie's right next door. being included in our ticket price, we were sure to take advantage of the fresh fruit, mini sandwiches and toasty brunch items, not to mention our 2 free drinks :) classy, convenient and satisfying - very impressive.

with minutes to spare before the opening jump, we found our seats in the upper deck and got ready for some stellar ball playing. it was a tight game between the cards and hoyas from beginning to end, but georgetown prevailed and clinched their 2nd consecutive big east regular season championship under JTIII's leadership. plus it was so fun to see all the star players altogether on the court - ewing, hibbert, jwallace, rivers, etc - some for their very last time at home. the victory was especially sweet since it was GU's senior day.

i got some great shots with my camera and even took some fun video clips. the resolution is not as great as i had hoped but here are two of them -


1st one of the key 3 pointer which turned the game back into gtown's favor in the 2nd quarter


2nd one of them awarding of the championship trophy


love them hoya hoops!

griffin house.

i love live concerts. especially in small venues... squeezing myself through the crowds, climbing closer and closer to the front of the stage, to be able to look into the eyes of the talented musicians before me, to see them obliviously sweat-soaked, basking in the thrill of performance, to feel the hard/soft/quick/slow beat resonating deep within my chest, to have lyrics touch my soul and melodies stir my heart, to rock out and dance like nobody's watching.... just to live in that moment. i love it.

oddly enough, this is really a new thing i have come to discover about myself. so when my good friend claire sent out an email earlier this week about her latest band crush coming into town, i was all over it! stephen might have had plans with "the boys" but that wasn't going to stop me. besides, he's not as into live performances...except maybe when it comes to sports - figures.

anyway, it's a good thing i bought my tix online because by the time we showed up at jammin' java, the concert was well sold out. it's been forever since i've been there, but it's such a great venue - and brings me back to my old homebase in vienna, va. aw, memories. it wasn't long before we all linked up, with half of our cg present who decided this wasn't an opportunity worth missing... not many of us had heard of griffin house (yes, that's his actual name) but a year of claire's praises was convincing enough to bring us together!

after the band, sons of william, opened for gh, they then joined him as back-up. during their opening act, the one girl member handled the bass guitar, which was literally as big as she was! but could she play... she switched to electric with gh and just jammed - seriously, amazing.

over the course of the evening, we all fell in love with griffin's songs and stage personality. one thing that struck me the most was his at-ease approach to the mic... i have to say, chewing gum while singing and playing the harmonica certainly helped add to this vibe. gh's music could probably be classified as folk rock but pressed the limit in genres with many of his songs.

i found it even more endearing to find out my favorite song (the guy that says goodbye) of his was actually written about my friend's roommate's friend...you got that? claire almost died with jealously when she found this out as it is such a beautiful song - and i'm right there with her!!! it's funny how the mere touch of relevance makes music all that more powerful.

in short, i'm hooked. i just bought 3 of his cds on itunes, including his most recent release, flying upside down, that won't be on shelves for another 6 weeks. so if you are looking for some good new music, check him out. i say anyone who garners inspiration from the legends of johnny cash and tom petty are a-ok in my book. oh and did i mention he's been on tour with mat kearney?! yep, he's a keeper.

p.s. random but remember this commercial from valentine's day a year ago? that music is griffin's...waterfall. brilliant!

stryker mgs.

my father-in-law sent out a great email this afternoon about his involvement in the creation of the army's stryker series. and since i'm FINALLY feeling myself again after 10 days of unrelenting sickness, i thought i'd celebrate by posting a tribute to this fine piece of machinery. it really does deserve to skip my long queue of well-intentioned retroactive posts...sigh. for those who don't watch the military channel as much as our household, you're in for a treat.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Friends,

In 1999, I had the privilege of working with a team of some of the Army's best colonels to develop the requirements for the Stryker Family of Armored Vehicles in order to fulfill General Shinseki's vision of a rapidly deployable brigade combat team that could go anywhere in the world and fight with lethality, manueverability and sustainability while affording the infantryman a degree of protection. We designed the Stryker and a totally new brigade combat team organization optimized to fight this weapons system. Shortly thereafter, I was named the TRADOC Systems Manager for the Stryker and the Future Combat System and had the opportunity to see the Stryker through the source selection process and into the fielding of the first Stryker BCT. Today we have 6 Stryker BCTs in the Army and they have performed magnificently in Iraq.

The Mobile Gun System is the last of 10 Stryker variants to be fielded. It has a stabilized turret, auto-loader, crew of 3 Soldiers and fires High Explosive, Armored Piercing, Bee-Hive Anti-personnel, and a new bunker/concrete busting round. The main gun is a 105 mm cannon with auxilliary machine guns. All the crew sit below the turret line for increased protection. It still has some bugs to be worked out but this completes the journey we began in 1999.

The video is pretty impressive. Hooah!

Joe

inside saddam.

during my lunch break today, i watched the recent "60 minutes" release of the exclusive interview of saddam hussein's interrogator, who was his daily company during the 6 months after his humiliating capture back in 2003. stephen forwarded me the link, along with the enlightening news that fbi agent george piro was a classmate of his at georgetown's sfs. small world.

in brief, what i find fascinating is how this insider's view brings saddam's maniacal actions into a more rational light... shaped by the complex forces of geopolitics. so if you haven't yet watched this unique glimpse into the infamous dictator, here's your chance.

part 1


part 2

logic of life.

today my worlds collided on google reader - well, sort of. three of my blog subscriptions coincided on the same topic - tim harford's new book release, the logic of life. now, i admit, two of those blogs are actually harford's - his self-titled site and FT blog - but hey, slate linked to it too. it seems we just can't get enough of these mainstream applied economic books, spearheaded by levitt's revolutionary freakonomics.

anyway, the point is, that even though it was only published yesterday, they posted a few enticing excerpts. an often theorized and sometimes controversial subject, it analyzed the economics of family life through the impact of birth-control on domestic dynamics. in short, the rational explanations on why the sociological make-up of marriage has changed over the past 50 years.

although my perspective of marriage comes from a biblical perspective, thus comprising a minority in the analysis, his behavorial economic analysis is just fascinating.

what are your thoughts?