Today I feel a little bit run-down. Hrm..but totally worth it because I really did have a blast going out with Gaby last night...I'm just pooped.
I got up for brunch - partially because I was hungry, but mostly because I love Ms. Rose. That woman always makes me feel better. :) I loaded up with scrambled eggs, bacon, and a waffle. Yum.
After brunch I couldn't sleep, so I cleaned my room, realized I could indeed get the plastic clips to adhere to my wall, and so I got to hanging my Christmas lights.
I try to have at least one strand of Christmas lights in my room all year round. It just makes me happy, and it's much less invasive than harsh white lights. Being OCD, it took me 2 episodes of House of Cards to get them hung...and then I had to make both sides even...which took half of a third episode. TOTALLY worth it though.
And then, my parents call me to tell me that if I want to get in on the trade-in, they had to make the decision by that afternoon. AH! I searched colors, decided I'd be okay with white, black, red, or dark green. NOT that alien green. I also told them that it HAD to have the sound and light package like NuNu does and one that came with remote start.
They found one.
I said DO IT. (oh man).
I called around trying to find out if we could get the remote start taken out of NuNu so I could give it to Jarrod since he's the one that bought it, but KNicole had driven it to work and my parents had to drive to some tile store far away, so they weren't able to get it done.
They did it.
I had Nom tell NuNu she had been a good car, and then I cried a little. I told you how I am about inanimate objects. NuNu was my first NEW-NEW car (hence her name), and I got a bit attached. Don't judge me.
They called me after to let me know that the payments had gone up by like, $4 but that was it.
I was pumped.
Then they told me that they had to sign a 6yr note.
And then I freaked out.
I'm sorry. I'm like, 14. I don't know anything about trade-ins. When I was told we were right side up with NuNu, I thought that meant we traded it in, paid for TTL, and then had the same amount of payments left. NuNu was halfway paid off...and it was a huge deal for me. Yes, my parents have been paying the payment for me for awhile now, but it still was a big deal. I had been considering a trade-in, but had decided to just pay it off and get her repainted instead.
Now I was back at square one.
And I mean I FREAKED OUT.
I got off the phone with my parents and called Jarrod, bawling my eyes out, because everyone else was working and I didn't know what to do.
2hours later and I was still freaking out - every time I'd calm down, I'd think of something else and get upset again.
So I just called Nom again.
Woman had me chilled out in less than 10minutes. She's just good at that kind of thing. I don't know what it is, but I love her more and more for it every day.
Now that I'm more relaxed I'm just going to try and go to sleep watching some West Wing. Which REMINDS ME! Episode 11 of House of Cards?? Won't play. Every episode before will. The final two after will. I figured it wouldn't be a big deal - they always reference the previous episode in the current one. I start episode 12 and BAM! A main character is DEAD, and another is no longer there...no idea what happened to that one...it figures. The ONE episode I can't get to play is the most intense.
Sheesh.
Holy crap. I have a new car.
*Until Next Time!*
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
DC Adventures Day 11 (2.21.13)
Today at work, L and Ka went to Costco to restock our soda fridge. This fridge sits in a closet in Mr. Hall's office and is for guests that come for tours, or to have meetings. We generally have Coke, Diet Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, and Ginger Ale. I needed to step away from the desk for a bit, so I agreed to take care of stocking everything.
The closet is little, so there is really only room for one person when the rest of the room is filled with cases of soda. The fridge is in the back center, and there is maybe a foot and a half on each side where cabinets start on the adjoining walls.
It took me most of the afternoon, and was a nice change of pace.
I had dinner at TMH and then rushed to Virginia. I had a massage scheduled. :)
I ate too quickly, and my tummy was not too happy with me - I was nervous too because it was my first time getting a massage at this particular Massage Envy. I have had a membership with them since they came to Oklahoma like, 3 years ago and even though I've paid a monthly fee, rarely have taken advantage of all of my credits.
When I had scheduled my appointment, I had to decided to sign up for the aroma therapy session. That meant I picked a scent, and would pay $12 to have it included in my massage.
I went ahead and called ME from the metro station because (of course) the trains were running late. This additional stress did not help my tummy situation.
When the orange line pulled up to the Clarendon station, I was off like a madwoman - rushing up the escalator, bursting onto the street, and...stopping at the intersection because I missed the "Walk" light by about 4 seconds. And there is no jaywalking in Virginia. Not because you get ticketed, simply because there are cars every. where.
Sweaty, gassy, and 10minutes late, I got to Massage Envy.
My massage guy was Aryll. It still makes me giggle because it makes me think of the sister on Zelda Wind Waker.
This particular Aryll is a very tall man, and was extremely friendly. In fact, we talked the entire 90minutes I was getting my massage. He has bartended, had a lower back fusion, he knew how to do hip "adjustments" via massage, and he let me go on about my brother - because he's just a really chill guy. I really enjoyed my massage, which was odd, because I've never enjoyed a chatty masseuse before.
After tipping, I called Nom so I would have somebody to talk to because *gasp* I was walking by myself at night in a strange city. I was walking two blocks to CVS to pick up my Lyrica script which I had transfer ed from the CVS in Rockwall. I also wanted to get some earplugs because the girls around me are just ridiculously rude at night when it comes to opening, shutting, and slamming doors, as well as moving furniture. I'm sick of listening to them.
I swear I walked down every isle but the condom/pregnancy test isle. I had to pause the convo with Nom to ask the pharmacist, and, lo and behold - they were on the condom/pregnancy test isle. Which makes no sense...but whatever. I got some of the cheap, bright orange, foam ones, but I decided to get the wax ones too. I've never used those, but I've used different foam ones before and they've never really worked. I'm not sure if it was because they never seemed to fit in my ear properly or what.
I also got the 96 count pack of Sudafed. Don't judge me. I had to sign into the system to make sure I wasn't a meth cooker (cook? idk, it's been awhile since I've watched Breaking Bad), so I did that, paid for my goodies, and headed home. I couldn't remember how long it took to get back to the Capitol South metro station, so I told her it'd prolly be about 15-20 minutes.
I think it took about 12.
Meaning that when I called her, she did not answer. I had .6m to walk in order to get back to TMH, and I did NOT want to do it "alone". So I called my dad's phone. HE answered. While I was on the phone with him, he mentioned that Kia was doing a trade-in special for previous owners, so to think about if I'd be up for getting a NEW NuNu. I told him I'd consider it.
You have to understand something about me (if you don't already know) - I get very attached to inanimate objects. I'm not sure if it's because my parents told me to love and respect my things when I was little, or what, but I seriously can't even put a can of peas back on the shelf if it's the first can I looked at when shopping. And if I accidentally touch another can first? Well, that one goes in the basket too, because it thought it was going to get bought when I touched it - I can't put it back now.
Now, when I get home, it no longer applies - I just eat the dang peas. Because, there, it's food.
Anyways...at this point I'm not gonna worry about it. I've got other things to think about - LIKE HOMEWORK. Sheesh.
I made it back here to TMH just fine, told my parents good night (Nom decided to talk to me again), and tried to watch episode 11 of House of Cards...but my iPad won't play it! RUDE! I'll try again tomorrow. This Internet connection is fickle, as we all know by now.
*Until Next Time!*
PS I must add this in: I put in the orange foam earplugs...and they are AWESOME. They fit in my ear PERFECTLY, and cancel out all the noises that distract me and/or enrage me to the point of not being able to sleep. HALLELUJAH!
The closet is little, so there is really only room for one person when the rest of the room is filled with cases of soda. The fridge is in the back center, and there is maybe a foot and a half on each side where cabinets start on the adjoining walls.
It took me most of the afternoon, and was a nice change of pace.
I had dinner at TMH and then rushed to Virginia. I had a massage scheduled. :)
I ate too quickly, and my tummy was not too happy with me - I was nervous too because it was my first time getting a massage at this particular Massage Envy. I have had a membership with them since they came to Oklahoma like, 3 years ago and even though I've paid a monthly fee, rarely have taken advantage of all of my credits.
When I had scheduled my appointment, I had to decided to sign up for the aroma therapy session. That meant I picked a scent, and would pay $12 to have it included in my massage.
I went ahead and called ME from the metro station because (of course) the trains were running late. This additional stress did not help my tummy situation.
When the orange line pulled up to the Clarendon station, I was off like a madwoman - rushing up the escalator, bursting onto the street, and...stopping at the intersection because I missed the "Walk" light by about 4 seconds. And there is no jaywalking in Virginia. Not because you get ticketed, simply because there are cars every. where.
Sweaty, gassy, and 10minutes late, I got to Massage Envy.
My massage guy was Aryll. It still makes me giggle because it makes me think of the sister on Zelda Wind Waker.
This particular Aryll is a very tall man, and was extremely friendly. In fact, we talked the entire 90minutes I was getting my massage. He has bartended, had a lower back fusion, he knew how to do hip "adjustments" via massage, and he let me go on about my brother - because he's just a really chill guy. I really enjoyed my massage, which was odd, because I've never enjoyed a chatty masseuse before.
After tipping, I called Nom so I would have somebody to talk to because *gasp* I was walking by myself at night in a strange city. I was walking two blocks to CVS to pick up my Lyrica script which I had transfer ed from the CVS in Rockwall. I also wanted to get some earplugs because the girls around me are just ridiculously rude at night when it comes to opening, shutting, and slamming doors, as well as moving furniture. I'm sick of listening to them.
I swear I walked down every isle but the condom/pregnancy test isle. I had to pause the convo with Nom to ask the pharmacist, and, lo and behold - they were on the condom/pregnancy test isle. Which makes no sense...but whatever. I got some of the cheap, bright orange, foam ones, but I decided to get the wax ones too. I've never used those, but I've used different foam ones before and they've never really worked. I'm not sure if it was because they never seemed to fit in my ear properly or what.
I also got the 96 count pack of Sudafed. Don't judge me. I had to sign into the system to make sure I wasn't a meth cooker (cook? idk, it's been awhile since I've watched Breaking Bad), so I did that, paid for my goodies, and headed home. I couldn't remember how long it took to get back to the Capitol South metro station, so I told her it'd prolly be about 15-20 minutes.
I think it took about 12.
Meaning that when I called her, she did not answer. I had .6m to walk in order to get back to TMH, and I did NOT want to do it "alone". So I called my dad's phone. HE answered. While I was on the phone with him, he mentioned that Kia was doing a trade-in special for previous owners, so to think about if I'd be up for getting a NEW NuNu. I told him I'd consider it.
You have to understand something about me (if you don't already know) - I get very attached to inanimate objects. I'm not sure if it's because my parents told me to love and respect my things when I was little, or what, but I seriously can't even put a can of peas back on the shelf if it's the first can I looked at when shopping. And if I accidentally touch another can first? Well, that one goes in the basket too, because it thought it was going to get bought when I touched it - I can't put it back now.
Now, when I get home, it no longer applies - I just eat the dang peas. Because, there, it's food.
Anyways...at this point I'm not gonna worry about it. I've got other things to think about - LIKE HOMEWORK. Sheesh.
I made it back here to TMH just fine, told my parents good night (Nom decided to talk to me again), and tried to watch episode 11 of House of Cards...but my iPad won't play it! RUDE! I'll try again tomorrow. This Internet connection is fickle, as we all know by now.
*Until Next Time!*
PS I must add this in: I put in the orange foam earplugs...and they are AWESOME. They fit in my ear PERFECTLY, and cancel out all the noises that distract me and/or enrage me to the point of not being able to sleep. HALLELUJAH!
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
DC Adventures Day 10 (2.20.13)
Wow. Thanks a lot to the girl above me who decided to rearrange furniture at 2am. I woke up and could barely move. I was beyond exhausted and could NOT get up to save my life. I emailed the senior staffer I report to in order to let her know I was going to be coming in late. I took my meds for my back, and slept for another hour. Thank goodness for awesome bosses.
I made it to the office by 10a, and was half frozen when I got here. The sun was behind the clouds and there was this awful wind that literally brought tears to my eyes when it hit my face. For the first time since I got here I wore my gloves the whole way to the office. Generally, I get toasty by the time I get to the Capitol building and start removing layers. Not today. Wooh!
I thawed out just in time for the first Capitol tour at 11:10a. I was really excited because I hadn't gotten the chance to shadow on any tours yet, and this has been something I've been looking forward to for the past month - ever since Mr. Hall told me this would be in my job description as an intern.
The tour consisted of two families from Rockwall - the Fletcher's and the Mitchell's. And they were WONDERFUL. They would ask me questions, and were completely okay with me not knowing and having to ask Spencer. We had an absolute blast. Oh, and the Capitol was pretty cool too. :)
When we returned to the office, we took them in to Mr. Hall's office so they could get their pictures taken behind his desk. It's a pretty cool perk because the window behind his desk looks out at the Capitol building which makes for a nice backdrop. The kids all wanted to sit in his seat, so we played it up and took a lot of pictures of the kids having the "power" of the Congressman's chair. :)
I accompanied them out into the hallway, where I took more pictures of them standing in front of the office sign with his name on it. They thanked me profusely, and then I accompanied them down the elevator, because I wasn't sure how to explain to them how to get to the exit they were looking for!
When I came back to the office, I decided to detail the kitchen sink...because it needed it. One of the senior staffers offered to hire me to come clean her place - because I'm just that good.
When I got back to TMH, I talked to B for awhile, and then called Terri. I hadn't talked to her since I left, and she wanted to make sure everything was going as well as I was making it seem here and on FB. And, it is. I'm loving it. I get lonely, and homesick, but I'm loving it. For serious.
We had pudding for dessert at dinner, so I was a happy camper for real. :)
House of Cards and sleep! Tomorrow is my massage!
*Until Next Time!*
I made it to the office by 10a, and was half frozen when I got here. The sun was behind the clouds and there was this awful wind that literally brought tears to my eyes when it hit my face. For the first time since I got here I wore my gloves the whole way to the office. Generally, I get toasty by the time I get to the Capitol building and start removing layers. Not today. Wooh!
I thawed out just in time for the first Capitol tour at 11:10a. I was really excited because I hadn't gotten the chance to shadow on any tours yet, and this has been something I've been looking forward to for the past month - ever since Mr. Hall told me this would be in my job description as an intern.
The tour consisted of two families from Rockwall - the Fletcher's and the Mitchell's. And they were WONDERFUL. They would ask me questions, and were completely okay with me not knowing and having to ask Spencer. We had an absolute blast. Oh, and the Capitol was pretty cool too. :)
When we returned to the office, we took them in to Mr. Hall's office so they could get their pictures taken behind his desk. It's a pretty cool perk because the window behind his desk looks out at the Capitol building which makes for a nice backdrop. The kids all wanted to sit in his seat, so we played it up and took a lot of pictures of the kids having the "power" of the Congressman's chair. :)
I accompanied them out into the hallway, where I took more pictures of them standing in front of the office sign with his name on it. They thanked me profusely, and then I accompanied them down the elevator, because I wasn't sure how to explain to them how to get to the exit they were looking for!
When I came back to the office, I decided to detail the kitchen sink...because it needed it. One of the senior staffers offered to hire me to come clean her place - because I'm just that good.
When I got back to TMH, I talked to B for awhile, and then called Terri. I hadn't talked to her since I left, and she wanted to make sure everything was going as well as I was making it seem here and on FB. And, it is. I'm loving it. I get lonely, and homesick, but I'm loving it. For serious.
We had pudding for dessert at dinner, so I was a happy camper for real. :)
House of Cards and sleep! Tomorrow is my massage!
*Until Next Time!*
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
DC Adventures Day 9 (2.19.13)
Today I was going to be getting my official "I Work for a Congressman" badge, so I decided I would attempt to wear my hair down for the picture. This is how I came to find out that my cheap-o $30 straightener from Target SUCKS. I had it on the highest setting and after running it through my hair, my hair was barely even warm. Ridiculous. Thanks, Revlon. There I was, trying to save money on something, and it was pointless. I was able to get my hair somewhat straight, and I headed off to Rayburn, interested to find out what working in the office would be like while Congress was out of session.
Anna, Spencer, Leslie and I were the only ones in the office at 9a. I went ahead and sat in Janet's office because my computer was not set up yet. I knew I probably wouldn't be in there too long - Janet's daughter is an extern and comes in on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and she uses the computer in her mom's office.
I was excited to find out that Charlie, my dog-phew, got the cast off his leg that he's had on since November. Poor pup had to have massive surgery on his front left paw to correct the way his paw had grown. He was supposed to get it off weeks ago, but the first surgery didn't work so they had to do another one. Then, it wasn't healed completely, so he had to have it on longer. Now he's free! Unfortunately, he's got massive alleries, so he gnawed his leg up pretty bad. :( KNicole said it's funny to watch him try and walk on it...all this talk made me really miss MY pup, pG (pronounced peege - short for Pretty Girl). She's a Corgi-Chihuahua mix, and my little snuggle-bucket. I asked KNicole to send me some pictures, and she said she'd do it after work.
I took a call from a lady who was upset, but by the end of the call we were laughing together - it's amazing how easy it is to please a constituent by simply listening to what they have to say. It's just another reminder how important it is sometimes to just listen.
Two of the senior staffers went to Potbelly's for lunch and picked up food for most of the office. I haven't had Potbelly's in awhile and it was nice to have something I knew from home.
I went to pick up my badge and after walking around Cannon for a bit, I was able to find the room, get my picture taken, and finally receive my badge. Luckily for me, it was cold enough that I had been able to keep my hair down. I think the picture turned out quite nicely which was nice.
When I got back to TMH that night, I changed into my sweatpants (hallelujah!) and went down to the dining hall for dinner. When I was about halfway through, Gaby, the girl who walked into my room Sunday night, came in and joined me at the table. We chatted for awhile, and another girl whom she had met on her floor joined us. It was nice to finally have somebody I knew to hang out with. She walked upstairs with me and we exchanged numbers. I have a friend! :)
Tonight I started watching House of Cards on Netflix. Some of the senior staffers were talking about it during work, so I decided to give it a try. It's pretty intense, so we'll see how it goes. I'm not endorsing anything yet. :)
At 11:56p, a clock alarm started going off in the room above mine. And it kept going off. And kept going off. Finally, SEVEN minutes later, somebody charged into the room (I'm assuming the night manager) and turned it off. Then, the girl gets in around 1:45a, and decides to start rearranging her furniture...at 2a!! She kept going until about 2:30. At this point, I am beyond tired and feeling like absolute crap. It made for a long night with terrible sleep.
Ugh.
*Until Next Time!*
Anna, Spencer, Leslie and I were the only ones in the office at 9a. I went ahead and sat in Janet's office because my computer was not set up yet. I knew I probably wouldn't be in there too long - Janet's daughter is an extern and comes in on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and she uses the computer in her mom's office.
I was excited to find out that Charlie, my dog-phew, got the cast off his leg that he's had on since November. Poor pup had to have massive surgery on his front left paw to correct the way his paw had grown. He was supposed to get it off weeks ago, but the first surgery didn't work so they had to do another one. Then, it wasn't healed completely, so he had to have it on longer. Now he's free! Unfortunately, he's got massive alleries, so he gnawed his leg up pretty bad. :( KNicole said it's funny to watch him try and walk on it...all this talk made me really miss MY pup, pG (pronounced peege - short for Pretty Girl). She's a Corgi-Chihuahua mix, and my little snuggle-bucket. I asked KNicole to send me some pictures, and she said she'd do it after work.
I took a call from a lady who was upset, but by the end of the call we were laughing together - it's amazing how easy it is to please a constituent by simply listening to what they have to say. It's just another reminder how important it is sometimes to just listen.
Two of the senior staffers went to Potbelly's for lunch and picked up food for most of the office. I haven't had Potbelly's in awhile and it was nice to have something I knew from home.
I went to pick up my badge and after walking around Cannon for a bit, I was able to find the room, get my picture taken, and finally receive my badge. Luckily for me, it was cold enough that I had been able to keep my hair down. I think the picture turned out quite nicely which was nice.
When I got back to TMH that night, I changed into my sweatpants (hallelujah!) and went down to the dining hall for dinner. When I was about halfway through, Gaby, the girl who walked into my room Sunday night, came in and joined me at the table. We chatted for awhile, and another girl whom she had met on her floor joined us. It was nice to finally have somebody I knew to hang out with. She walked upstairs with me and we exchanged numbers. I have a friend! :)
Tonight I started watching House of Cards on Netflix. Some of the senior staffers were talking about it during work, so I decided to give it a try. It's pretty intense, so we'll see how it goes. I'm not endorsing anything yet. :)
At 11:56p, a clock alarm started going off in the room above mine. And it kept going off. And kept going off. Finally, SEVEN minutes later, somebody charged into the room (I'm assuming the night manager) and turned it off. Then, the girl gets in around 1:45a, and decides to start rearranging her furniture...at 2a!! She kept going until about 2:30. At this point, I am beyond tired and feeling like absolute crap. It made for a long night with terrible sleep.
Ugh.
*Until Next Time!*
Monday, February 18, 2013
DC Adventures Day 8 (2.18.13)
Oh man. Talk about getting a lot accomplished in one day!
Because I was going to Virginia today, I took the orange line on the metro for the first time. The entrance is south of TMH, right by Rayburn. The walk from TMH was extremely pleasant, the sun was shining, and it was just a really pretty day to walk through DC.
I think I had to go through 11 stops to get to Virginia, but the ride was fine because there weren't many other people on the train. When I got to Arlington (which is weird to type because I immediately think of the Rangers baseball team every time), it was interesting how different it was even though it was a train ride away from DC. There were more cars, and everything just seemed older and a little bit slower. Everyone in DC walks with a purpose - everywhere. In Virginia, it was just more relaxed. I had to bust out my google maps, but I eventually found my first store - the Apple Store.
I haven't updated my iPad in I don't even know how long. I kept trying, but it wanted to back up my videos and that always took too long on my parents' desktop. I finally got them backed up over the Christmas break, but iTunes still wouldn't complete the update for some reason. When I walked into the Apple store I was overwhelmed. Not because it's the Apple store on a holiday and packed with people, but because they had the heater on, and it was packed with people. Having just walked a long distance in the sun, the store was just too hot for me so I walked outside and sat on a bench in the middle of the shopping area. I called KNicole while I cooled off and just took the shopping center in. It's really pretty, it's a U-shaped drive, and there are apartments over the stores that are only one story long.
Once my body temperature returned to normal, I decided to go into Barnes and Noble to see if I could find the Joanna Russ book I needed for Dr. Reid's class. I couldn't find it on my own so I asked an employee for help. He looked it up, told me it did in fact exist, but that he would need to order it for me, and that it would be there in 2-3 days.
I went back to the Apple store and pleaded my case to the employee that asked me what I was needing. He told me that the only option (to get it updated then and there) was to wipe out my iPad and then update it upon restoration. There wasn't really anything on there I couldn't re-download, so he signed me up for an appointment and told me it would be about 40 minutes. No problem. Then, another guy told him that it would actually be over an hour and a half. I let them know that I did not mind how long it took as long as I could get it updated TODAY. And then something strange happened...
...the guy that had been helping me from the get go took me to a table, got me a stool, told the woman working at that table what I needed, she finished with the customer she was working with - and immediately started helping me with my iPad. Everything was done in about 10 minutes. I was even able to access the Cloud and re-download all my apps from before. I lost some pictures from Egypt, but most of them were pictures of the bus floor I took to map our route from the highway by camp to our place at the Red Sea. I'm sure I'll be okay without them.
After the Apple store, I headed over to Massage Envy. As I rounded the corner BOOM! CONTAINER STORE!! I went in...walked around for 20 minutes or so...and left...without buying one dang thing. Look at me go!!
I got to Massage Envy and set up a 90 minute massage with aromatherapy (trying something new) for Thursday night. I'm really excited for it.
I swung by CVS on my way back to the metro and picked up some face cleanser and some other basic day to day supplies while I could remember what all I wanted/needed to get. :)
I got back on the metro and headed back to DC. I had decided to swing by Payless to see if I could find some boots and then to Target to buy some air freshener for my closet. While transferring from the orange line to the green line, it was a hot mess. There is a set of 4 escalators, two on each side, each going the opposite direction, to transfer you from the green line that runs north and the green line that runs south. I didn't understand how it worked, and ended up going down the escalator that was on the same side as the one I went up...and missed my train. So I got to wait for 14 minutes for the next one. That might not sound like long to you sitting there in your comfy home or at your desk, but standing in a subway, at one of the biggest transfer/hubs in the metro rail? 14 minutes is eternity. And people just kept coming. B called and we talked for the majority of it. When it was time to push my way on the train I just went for it and was able to get a seat next to a lady that looked pretty normal (bonus!).
I got to Columbia Heights and swung by Payless. All their boots were $59.99...and they weren't even that cute. I spent a lot of time there trying on everything...and ended up getting a cute pair of actual flats.
At Target I was able to get the air freshener and I also found some tights that have feet. Almost all of them were gone - it was quite the battle finding a black pair in my size - but luckily I did.
And then it was back to the metro to go down to the red line to take myself to dinner at a little place called Tono Sushi.
Tono is two levels, so I chanced it and went to the bottom level. Score 1 for me, because that is where they have their sushi bar. When I walked in, I totally felt like Reese Witherspoon in This Means War, because the hostess sees me and yells, "TABLE FOR 1?!" - I just smiled and said yes ma'am!
I ordered edamame, a rainbow roll, and a dragon roll. They were different from the rolls at Nhinja, but close enough for government work. (You like how I did that? Bc I work for the government!?!) Anyways, the dragon roll was so big I couldn't fit a whole piece in my mouth (okay, I technically could - because I did - but I almost choked on it) so I had to bite each piece in half. I couldn't even finish it - I ended up taking 3 pieces home - which is ridiculous for me. I'm never full after two rolls. The prices were pretty much equal to Nhinja, so that was a very nice surprise. :) I will definitely be going back. It was fun to sit alone and just listen to the conversations happening around me. People being political and whatnot, one lady was speaking in Spanish while the other 3 people with her spoke to her in English - it was very interesting to listen to.
I could barely keep my eyes open on the train ride home, but I guess the walk to TMH from Union Station gave me a boost because I got to my room and *surprise* couldn't sleep. The pillow they supply is crap - it's barely half of a regular sized pillow because it's so old - I keep meaning to ask for a new one, but I never think about it until it's 11p and I'm exhausted. It's on the list of to-do's...eventually. :)
*Until Next Time!*
Because I was going to Virginia today, I took the orange line on the metro for the first time. The entrance is south of TMH, right by Rayburn. The walk from TMH was extremely pleasant, the sun was shining, and it was just a really pretty day to walk through DC.
I think I had to go through 11 stops to get to Virginia, but the ride was fine because there weren't many other people on the train. When I got to Arlington (which is weird to type because I immediately think of the Rangers baseball team every time), it was interesting how different it was even though it was a train ride away from DC. There were more cars, and everything just seemed older and a little bit slower. Everyone in DC walks with a purpose - everywhere. In Virginia, it was just more relaxed. I had to bust out my google maps, but I eventually found my first store - the Apple Store.
I haven't updated my iPad in I don't even know how long. I kept trying, but it wanted to back up my videos and that always took too long on my parents' desktop. I finally got them backed up over the Christmas break, but iTunes still wouldn't complete the update for some reason. When I walked into the Apple store I was overwhelmed. Not because it's the Apple store on a holiday and packed with people, but because they had the heater on, and it was packed with people. Having just walked a long distance in the sun, the store was just too hot for me so I walked outside and sat on a bench in the middle of the shopping area. I called KNicole while I cooled off and just took the shopping center in. It's really pretty, it's a U-shaped drive, and there are apartments over the stores that are only one story long.
Once my body temperature returned to normal, I decided to go into Barnes and Noble to see if I could find the Joanna Russ book I needed for Dr. Reid's class. I couldn't find it on my own so I asked an employee for help. He looked it up, told me it did in fact exist, but that he would need to order it for me, and that it would be there in 2-3 days.
I went back to the Apple store and pleaded my case to the employee that asked me what I was needing. He told me that the only option (to get it updated then and there) was to wipe out my iPad and then update it upon restoration. There wasn't really anything on there I couldn't re-download, so he signed me up for an appointment and told me it would be about 40 minutes. No problem. Then, another guy told him that it would actually be over an hour and a half. I let them know that I did not mind how long it took as long as I could get it updated TODAY. And then something strange happened...
...the guy that had been helping me from the get go took me to a table, got me a stool, told the woman working at that table what I needed, she finished with the customer she was working with - and immediately started helping me with my iPad. Everything was done in about 10 minutes. I was even able to access the Cloud and re-download all my apps from before. I lost some pictures from Egypt, but most of them were pictures of the bus floor I took to map our route from the highway by camp to our place at the Red Sea. I'm sure I'll be okay without them.
After the Apple store, I headed over to Massage Envy. As I rounded the corner BOOM! CONTAINER STORE!! I went in...walked around for 20 minutes or so...and left...without buying one dang thing. Look at me go!!
I got to Massage Envy and set up a 90 minute massage with aromatherapy (trying something new) for Thursday night. I'm really excited for it.
I swung by CVS on my way back to the metro and picked up some face cleanser and some other basic day to day supplies while I could remember what all I wanted/needed to get. :)
I got back on the metro and headed back to DC. I had decided to swing by Payless to see if I could find some boots and then to Target to buy some air freshener for my closet. While transferring from the orange line to the green line, it was a hot mess. There is a set of 4 escalators, two on each side, each going the opposite direction, to transfer you from the green line that runs north and the green line that runs south. I didn't understand how it worked, and ended up going down the escalator that was on the same side as the one I went up...and missed my train. So I got to wait for 14 minutes for the next one. That might not sound like long to you sitting there in your comfy home or at your desk, but standing in a subway, at one of the biggest transfer/hubs in the metro rail? 14 minutes is eternity. And people just kept coming. B called and we talked for the majority of it. When it was time to push my way on the train I just went for it and was able to get a seat next to a lady that looked pretty normal (bonus!).
I got to Columbia Heights and swung by Payless. All their boots were $59.99...and they weren't even that cute. I spent a lot of time there trying on everything...and ended up getting a cute pair of actual flats.
At Target I was able to get the air freshener and I also found some tights that have feet. Almost all of them were gone - it was quite the battle finding a black pair in my size - but luckily I did.
And then it was back to the metro to go down to the red line to take myself to dinner at a little place called Tono Sushi.
Tono is two levels, so I chanced it and went to the bottom level. Score 1 for me, because that is where they have their sushi bar. When I walked in, I totally felt like Reese Witherspoon in This Means War, because the hostess sees me and yells, "TABLE FOR 1?!" - I just smiled and said yes ma'am!
I ordered edamame, a rainbow roll, and a dragon roll. They were different from the rolls at Nhinja, but close enough for government work. (You like how I did that? Bc I work for the government!?!) Anyways, the dragon roll was so big I couldn't fit a whole piece in my mouth (okay, I technically could - because I did - but I almost choked on it) so I had to bite each piece in half. I couldn't even finish it - I ended up taking 3 pieces home - which is ridiculous for me. I'm never full after two rolls. The prices were pretty much equal to Nhinja, so that was a very nice surprise. :) I will definitely be going back. It was fun to sit alone and just listen to the conversations happening around me. People being political and whatnot, one lady was speaking in Spanish while the other 3 people with her spoke to her in English - it was very interesting to listen to.
I could barely keep my eyes open on the train ride home, but I guess the walk to TMH from Union Station gave me a boost because I got to my room and *surprise* couldn't sleep. The pillow they supply is crap - it's barely half of a regular sized pillow because it's so old - I keep meaning to ask for a new one, but I never think about it until it's 11p and I'm exhausted. It's on the list of to-do's...eventually. :)
*Until Next Time!*
Sunday, February 17, 2013
DC Adventures Day 7 (2.17.13)
Today was a very short/long day.
Short because I didn't do anything except clean my room and sleep.
Long because I didn't do anything except clean my room and sleep.
I woke up for brunch, ate my waffle, realized my alarm set for church was an hour early because of the time difference, reset my alarm, and passed out. I did not wake up to watch church online. You can check out their live, online services (Saturday at 6pm, Sunday at 9a and 11a) if you just CLICK HERE. It's a pretty wonderful thing, and I'm upset that I missed it, but they set up links every Monday to watch old services, so it'll work out.
I got on Google maps and planned out what I would be doing tomorrow because it'll be Presidents' Day, which meant NO WORK FOR ME! :) I found that everywhere I needed to go - the Apple store, Barnes & Noble, CVS, and Massage Envy were all within a few blocks of each other in Arlington, Virginia. That made me happy. I like convenient.
By the end of the day, I was crawling the walls. I wanted to talk to somebody, but I didn't know who, and instead of calling somebody, I started eating my stash of breakfast foods that I do NOT have in my room because that would be against some TMH rules. And I ate a lot. Then I felt guilty because I had not gotten out and walked all day, and now it was too late.
I ended up calling and talking with Jarrod for awhile and he told me what all he had done with his mom, Jonny (son), Noah (neph) and Caden (neph) for his birthday weekend. It sounded like they had a good time and that made me happy.
Then it was...you guessed it! Netflix and night-night time...or so I thought.
Around 10:30p, my door starts to rattle. I just figured it was one of my neighbors roughly opening her door. Then my door REALLY started to rattle, and I realized somebody had their key in MY door and was trying to open it. I figured it was somebody new, and they would realize it wouldn't open and they'd walk off.
AND THEN MY DOOR OPENED!!!
I sat up, looked at the girl standing there and said, "Hey. What's up?" :) She got all flustered and I realized she had her bags with her - meaning she'd literally just moved in. I was starting to wonder if all of our keys opened all of the doors when she says, "Oh, I'm sorry. My key says [my room #], maybe I'm not on the north end?" But she was. I got up, told her that this was indeed the right room for her key, and decided to introduce myself. Why not? She looked nice enough and poor thing seemed really flustered.
We started laughing and I told her to leave her bags - I'd walk with her down to the front desk and we could get this thing figured out. When we got down there, the lady at the desk looked up and said, "Oh yeah. I saw your (my) name on the list right after she (Gaby) walked off" and then she paged the night manager. The nm came out and explained that because I was a last minute addition, my name had not been added to the big registration sheet yet, so she assigned Gaby my room #, not realizing I was already occupying it. I went up to my room and stayed with Gaby's bags until they came back up to get them and take her to her actual room. :)
All a part of the adventure!
*Until Next Time!*
Short because I didn't do anything except clean my room and sleep.
Long because I didn't do anything except clean my room and sleep.
I woke up for brunch, ate my waffle, realized my alarm set for church was an hour early because of the time difference, reset my alarm, and passed out. I did not wake up to watch church online. You can check out their live, online services (Saturday at 6pm, Sunday at 9a and 11a) if you just CLICK HERE. It's a pretty wonderful thing, and I'm upset that I missed it, but they set up links every Monday to watch old services, so it'll work out.
I got on Google maps and planned out what I would be doing tomorrow because it'll be Presidents' Day, which meant NO WORK FOR ME! :) I found that everywhere I needed to go - the Apple store, Barnes & Noble, CVS, and Massage Envy were all within a few blocks of each other in Arlington, Virginia. That made me happy. I like convenient.
By the end of the day, I was crawling the walls. I wanted to talk to somebody, but I didn't know who, and instead of calling somebody, I started eating my stash of breakfast foods that I do NOT have in my room because that would be against some TMH rules. And I ate a lot. Then I felt guilty because I had not gotten out and walked all day, and now it was too late.
I ended up calling and talking with Jarrod for awhile and he told me what all he had done with his mom, Jonny (son), Noah (neph) and Caden (neph) for his birthday weekend. It sounded like they had a good time and that made me happy.
Then it was...you guessed it! Netflix and night-night time...or so I thought.
Around 10:30p, my door starts to rattle. I just figured it was one of my neighbors roughly opening her door. Then my door REALLY started to rattle, and I realized somebody had their key in MY door and was trying to open it. I figured it was somebody new, and they would realize it wouldn't open and they'd walk off.
AND THEN MY DOOR OPENED!!!
I sat up, looked at the girl standing there and said, "Hey. What's up?" :) She got all flustered and I realized she had her bags with her - meaning she'd literally just moved in. I was starting to wonder if all of our keys opened all of the doors when she says, "Oh, I'm sorry. My key says [my room #], maybe I'm not on the north end?" But she was. I got up, told her that this was indeed the right room for her key, and decided to introduce myself. Why not? She looked nice enough and poor thing seemed really flustered.
We started laughing and I told her to leave her bags - I'd walk with her down to the front desk and we could get this thing figured out. When we got down there, the lady at the desk looked up and said, "Oh yeah. I saw your (my) name on the list right after she (Gaby) walked off" and then she paged the night manager. The nm came out and explained that because I was a last minute addition, my name had not been added to the big registration sheet yet, so she assigned Gaby my room #, not realizing I was already occupying it. I went up to my room and stayed with Gaby's bags until they came back up to get them and take her to her actual room. :)
All a part of the adventure!
*Until Next Time!*
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