I just used facebook to scare myself as I investigate what has become of some of my former classmates at BHS. You know, the ones that I said peace out to on graduation day and never looked back. This is our 5 year anniversary, after all.
Some facts:
- One classmate (who I didn't really know) just died, which is very sad.
- One classmate/sworn enemy has moved to DC, so now I have to fear that.
- Several have kids. Relatively old kids, too.
- Many haven't left Bing.
- Most of the people I thought were crazy then are still clearly crazy now.
- Some people live in random places like North Carolina and Texas and I have no idea how they got there or what they're doing.
- One of the smartest kids and one of the dumbest kids in our class may now officially be married.
Happy 5 years, class of '04!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Adventures in Craig's List
I know, I know. The big appeal of Craig's List is that it is free. You can write whatever you want without censors or pay and therefore, you end up with a lot of nutters. But for real - in attempting to look for an apartment, I would love love love to get in contact with someone at least marginally normal so that I stop getting emails that (a) are scams or be (b) I can't tell scam-wise, but are like this:
"I know that out there in the world of evil doers there are still God fearing individuals and i hope that you will turn out to be one of them since i am trusting you not to let me down.I As a man of God will stick to my words and terms of agreement and i hope you will honor
our agreement at the end of the day and that putting a blind trust in you will not make me
regret.I EXPECT YOU TO STICK TO YOUR WORDS. I am putting everything in the hand of God,so please do not let me and my wife down."
This, in response to an email I sent inquiring into how long the lease was.
"I know that out there in the world of evil doers there are still God fearing individuals and i hope that you will turn out to be one of them since i am trusting you not to let me down.I As a man of God will stick to my words and terms of agreement and i hope you will honor
our agreement at the end of the day and that putting a blind trust in you will not make me
regret.I EXPECT YOU TO STICK TO YOUR WORDS. I am putting everything in the hand of God,so please do not let me and my wife down."
This, in response to an email I sent inquiring into how long the lease was.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Have you seen my fox?
Adventures in Cupcaketopia has received some exciting feedback: promises of transcontinental flights to come visit me *coughcupcakeplacescough*, thoughts that I was writing actual reviews, and even someone threatening that I need to get a real job. Which brings me to big update number 1.
I have a real job.
It hasn't started yet - look forward to March 13th for more news on that front - but it's my first foray into the paid world of politicizing the youth.
In small update number 2, my internet has been buggin' out like crazy. For example, I haven't been able to sign into this blog for days because of, as far as I can tell, nothing. More frustrating however, is the innumerable amount of other important things I can't do. Don't get me wrong. When I want to do some mind-numbing facebook surfing (facesurfing?) there is, of course, no problem. Or if I want to stay up until the wee hours watching Firefly? Fine. But when I want to do something trivial like, you know, send in a resume or look at grad schools or - most importantly - upload photos to facebook, the damn interweb seems to buckle under it's own weight. I know, I know - it's not selectively hating on me. But it sure seems like it.
So in short, if you did something like travel through Ireland with me, or go to inauguration with me, or some other such nonsense, and you have been waiting less and less patiently to see the photographic evidence, rest assured: I have absolutely no idea when that will happen. But feel good: not getting the pictures uploaded time after time after time is WAY more annoying on my end.
I didn't even mention the best part of my web-woes: My fox has gone missing. Not my Firefox, mind you, that's still here. I'm using it right now! But my Firefox icons - the little orange fox wrapped around a blue world, you know? - have gone missing. From the whole computer. They have been replaced by mostly clear question marks. Seriously. What once was
has become
Just weird.
I have a real job.
It hasn't started yet - look forward to March 13th for more news on that front - but it's my first foray into the paid world of politicizing the youth.
In small update number 2, my internet has been buggin' out like crazy. For example, I haven't been able to sign into this blog for days because of, as far as I can tell, nothing. More frustrating however, is the innumerable amount of other important things I can't do. Don't get me wrong. When I want to do some mind-numbing facebook surfing (facesurfing?) there is, of course, no problem. Or if I want to stay up until the wee hours watching Firefly? Fine. But when I want to do something trivial like, you know, send in a resume or look at grad schools or - most importantly - upload photos to facebook, the damn interweb seems to buckle under it's own weight. I know, I know - it's not selectively hating on me. But it sure seems like it.
So in short, if you did something like travel through Ireland with me, or go to inauguration with me, or some other such nonsense, and you have been waiting less and less patiently to see the photographic evidence, rest assured: I have absolutely no idea when that will happen. But feel good: not getting the pictures uploaded time after time after time is WAY more annoying on my end.
I didn't even mention the best part of my web-woes: My fox has gone missing. Not my Firefox, mind you, that's still here. I'm using it right now! But my Firefox icons - the little orange fox wrapped around a blue world, you know? - have gone missing. From the whole computer. They have been replaced by mostly clear question marks. Seriously. What once was
has become
Just weird.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Adventures in Cupcaketopia, part II
Sunday was a beautiful day and half of the DC-metro area headed to Georgetown to enjoy it. As such, we had to wait on line for a full 30 minutes with a family from Rosslyn and about 100 of our closest friends before we could even darken the doorway of Georgetown Cupcake. And man, was it worth it.
The tiny shop offers a variety of cupcake flavors, some of which you may have never heard of. Key lime cupcake? They got it. Strawberry? They got it. Peanut butter fudge, with melty fudge center? Bernadette got it, all over her face. I tried a red velvet and a key lime, the classic and the crazy. The red velvet cupcake was quite good, but I'll be honest - my mom makes it better. It all comes down to the cream cheese frosting, which wasn't strong enough in my opinion.
So the red velvet was good, and watching Bernadette eat the peanut butter fudge was highly entertaining. But it all pales in comparison to the Key Lime 'cake (KLC). The KLC will go down in history as one of the greatest, most delicious cupcakes I have ever eaten. Really. The cake itself was moist and delicious, offering just the right balance of tarty sweetness. But the icing - how can I describe the icing? Sweet and sugary, holding visible pieces of lime zest and covering the 'cake in perfect proportion. The whole KLC masterpiece was adorably topped with a small lime slice-shaped gummi candy.
Now if you don't like key lime, well, I suppose you can't appreciate how excellent this little cuppy cake was. But if you grew up as I did, receiving boxes of fruit from Floridian grandparents and cracking into a key pie on holidays, then rest a assured: the KLC is everything you hope for. And there's plenty of variety for the rest of you, as well.
The tiny shop offers a variety of cupcake flavors, some of which you may have never heard of. Key lime cupcake? They got it. Strawberry? They got it. Peanut butter fudge, with melty fudge center? Bernadette got it, all over her face. I tried a red velvet and a key lime, the classic and the crazy. The red velvet cupcake was quite good, but I'll be honest - my mom makes it better. It all comes down to the cream cheese frosting, which wasn't strong enough in my opinion.
So the red velvet was good, and watching Bernadette eat the peanut butter fudge was highly entertaining. But it all pales in comparison to the Key Lime 'cake (KLC). The KLC will go down in history as one of the greatest, most delicious cupcakes I have ever eaten. Really. The cake itself was moist and delicious, offering just the right balance of tarty sweetness. But the icing - how can I describe the icing? Sweet and sugary, holding visible pieces of lime zest and covering the 'cake in perfect proportion. The whole KLC masterpiece was adorably topped with a small lime slice-shaped gummi candy.
Now if you don't like key lime, well, I suppose you can't appreciate how excellent this little cuppy cake was. But if you grew up as I did, receiving boxes of fruit from Floridian grandparents and cracking into a key pie on holidays, then rest a assured: the KLC is everything you hope for. And there's plenty of variety for the rest of you, as well.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Adventures in Cupcaketopia, part I
I've just recently realized that I am apparently living not just in the Capital of the United States, but in the Cupcake Capital of the United States.
Hello Cupcake was the site of my first innocent foray into Cupcaketopia. It's pretty good, though the frosting is overpowering for me. They have plenty of variety and also sell single cupcake lunchboxes, in case you have to get your cupcake on the on go. Since they are based in Dupont Circle which is home to a lot of offices, this actually isn't a ridiculous idea.
Now, I thought that Hello Cupcake was a unique individual here in DC - but then I found lovecafe. lovecafe is the cupcake step-child of Cakelove bakery, and the two are situated directly across the street from one another on U St. The atmosphere is cozier than Hello Cupcake, with low ceilings and a windey little seating area. There isn't as much variety here as there is at Hello Cupcake, and the 'cakes won't fit inside your to-go lunchbox, but - and I'll just be frank about it - the cupcakes are better. The frosting is creamy and thick, but proportionally prefect to the moist mini-cakes that it decorates. I feel a little traitorous because Hello Cupcake was what first lead me on this Cupcake Adventure, but what is the point of traveling if not to learn?
Today I'm going to visit Georgetown Cupcake, which, surprise, is in Georgetown. This cupcakery made national news when they were featured on the Today Show and my mom has been prodding me to check it out ever since. Look forward to its review, as well as reviews of Red Velvet Cupcakery (in Penn Quarter) and Lavender Moon Cupcakery (Alexandria) as Adventures in Cupcaketopia continues.
**In the on-going debate about cake vs. ice cream, it should be noted that I will always choose ice cream, hands down, and that the best place to get it in D.C. is Gifford's near E Street Cinema. So if you don't have time to explore Cupcaketopia, skip it and go to Gifford's for the $2 special.
Hello Cupcake was the site of my first innocent foray into Cupcaketopia. It's pretty good, though the frosting is overpowering for me. They have plenty of variety and also sell single cupcake lunchboxes, in case you have to get your cupcake on the on go. Since they are based in Dupont Circle which is home to a lot of offices, this actually isn't a ridiculous idea.
Now, I thought that Hello Cupcake was a unique individual here in DC - but then I found lovecafe. lovecafe is the cupcake step-child of Cakelove bakery, and the two are situated directly across the street from one another on U St. The atmosphere is cozier than Hello Cupcake, with low ceilings and a windey little seating area. There isn't as much variety here as there is at Hello Cupcake, and the 'cakes won't fit inside your to-go lunchbox, but - and I'll just be frank about it - the cupcakes are better. The frosting is creamy and thick, but proportionally prefect to the moist mini-cakes that it decorates. I feel a little traitorous because Hello Cupcake was what first lead me on this Cupcake Adventure, but what is the point of traveling if not to learn?
Today I'm going to visit Georgetown Cupcake, which, surprise, is in Georgetown. This cupcakery made national news when they were featured on the Today Show and my mom has been prodding me to check it out ever since. Look forward to its review, as well as reviews of Red Velvet Cupcakery (in Penn Quarter) and Lavender Moon Cupcakery (Alexandria) as Adventures in Cupcaketopia continues.
**In the on-going debate about cake vs. ice cream, it should be noted that I will always choose ice cream, hands down, and that the best place to get it in D.C. is Gifford's near E Street Cinema. So if you don't have time to explore Cupcaketopia, skip it and go to Gifford's for the $2 special.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
On Politics and Kids
So, here's my things:
1. I like politics,
2. I like young people, especially kids,
3. I like being outside.
I can think of ways to mix 2 out of 3, but ultimately, I think one of the three will have to take a hit in terms of what you can practically combine into a career.
So, let's say that I want to work on getting young people more involved in politics and human rights issues.* And you know, go camping on weekends.** What do you study in order to do that? Political Science? Public Policy? Social Work with a focus on Youth? Education? ...what?
I like the idea of going back to school because (a) the economy is crap anyway so finding a job is frustrating, (b) I can still get a scholarship from Cornell if I go back to (any) school soon, (c) I think figuring this sort of stuff out involves a lot of research, and nobody researches better than a university.
And then, of course, what do you then do with this additional degree? Work...at a school? For a political campaign? Some office that does stuff for youth but never actually interacts with them, other than by spamming their inboxes? Start your own organization?
Hmm. Sometimes the world is just so big.
*This doesn't mean just the 18 & over voting age crowd. You can work on human rights and political issues at any age through writing letters, lobbying, just learning about them, etc. Don't let voting hold you back, kids!
**Ooor, be a girl scout leader, because I love the girl scouts and could totes work with young kids then. And my troop would be bad ass, so we could camp and hike.
1. I like politics,
2. I like young people, especially kids,
3. I like being outside.
I can think of ways to mix 2 out of 3, but ultimately, I think one of the three will have to take a hit in terms of what you can practically combine into a career.
So, let's say that I want to work on getting young people more involved in politics and human rights issues.* And you know, go camping on weekends.** What do you study in order to do that? Political Science? Public Policy? Social Work with a focus on Youth? Education? ...what?
I like the idea of going back to school because (a) the economy is crap anyway so finding a job is frustrating, (b) I can still get a scholarship from Cornell if I go back to (any) school soon, (c) I think figuring this sort of stuff out involves a lot of research, and nobody researches better than a university.
And then, of course, what do you then do with this additional degree? Work...at a school? For a political campaign? Some office that does stuff for youth but never actually interacts with them, other than by spamming their inboxes? Start your own organization?
Hmm. Sometimes the world is just so big.
*This doesn't mean just the 18 & over voting age crowd. You can work on human rights and political issues at any age through writing letters, lobbying, just learning about them, etc. Don't let voting hold you back, kids!
**Ooor, be a girl scout leader, because I love the girl scouts and could totes work with young kids then. And my troop would be bad ass, so we could camp and hike.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Back Again
It's snowing in DC. I'm staring out my 4th floor window watching it accumulate on the roof of Robert Kennedy's old church. Wonders never cease.
I haven't updated this, really, in over a month, which is too bad. It's been a busy month. I celebrated the sickest (literally) and most pathetic Christmas with my family to date. I rang in the New Year in New York, my 23rd birthday in Ireland, and the dawn of a new era in Washington, D.C. But more on all of that later.
I'm back in DC now, and experiencing something unexpected: unemployment. Oops. I moved down here to take a non-profit job, fighting the good fight for $24,000. As it turns out it really wasn't the job I thought I was being hired for. I'll spare the gory details here, but the highlights include a required 80 to 100 hour work week, being in the office 6 or (preferably) 7 days a week (how else do you work 100 hours a week?), and going door to door, alone, in the dark, everyday in random areas of VA and MD.
...
I don't think it's unreasonable to not want to do these things, especially for a salary that would be equivalent to making $5 or $6 per hour.
So back to square one. I have a couple interviews lined up, and we'll see what comes. Right now, I'm going to go take pictures of the Welcome to Washington snow. Maybe the Obama girls will be outside building snowmen.
I haven't updated this, really, in over a month, which is too bad. It's been a busy month. I celebrated the sickest (literally) and most pathetic Christmas with my family to date. I rang in the New Year in New York, my 23rd birthday in Ireland, and the dawn of a new era in Washington, D.C. But more on all of that later.
I'm back in DC now, and experiencing something unexpected: unemployment. Oops. I moved down here to take a non-profit job, fighting the good fight for $24,000. As it turns out it really wasn't the job I thought I was being hired for. I'll spare the gory details here, but the highlights include a required 80 to 100 hour work week, being in the office 6 or (preferably) 7 days a week (how else do you work 100 hours a week?), and going door to door, alone, in the dark, everyday in random areas of VA and MD.
...
I don't think it's unreasonable to not want to do these things, especially for a salary that would be equivalent to making $5 or $6 per hour.
So back to square one. I have a couple interviews lined up, and we'll see what comes. Right now, I'm going to go take pictures of the Welcome to Washington snow. Maybe the Obama girls will be outside building snowmen.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
We'll take a cup of kindness yet for Auld Lang Syne...
I haven't posted in nearly a month. Poor form. I won't review everything I've done over the last few weeks, because that would be long and boring for most people. Just suffice to say my holiday was probably a lot like your holiday, unless, of course, you don't celebrate holidays, in which case you probably had an awesome time catching up on all those old episodes of House.
I rang in 2009 by clinking glasses with a bunch of Upstate New Yorkers in a cozy apartment in Astoria. I feel like my New Year's festivities ended up being really symbolic of my year as a whole. I managed to spend New Year's Eve in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens, mostly with my backpack on. It was highly nomadic which, if you've been following along, just fits. Also, I managed in one month (and mostly in the 3 to 4 days leading up to midnight '09) to see every single one of my best friends from high school, college (minus Kathleen, geez!) and best of all, kindergarten. I've been particularly privileged this year to build a lot of new friendships, and to those people I'm very thankful. But I'm also truly thankful for the friendships from home and almost-home that I have had for 5 years, ten years, some for over 15 years. A lot of the people I call my best friends now are the same best friends I had in elementary school. If you want a way to stay grounded, that's it. So yes, New Year's was freezing cold and it involved sleeping on floors and a bit too much Carson Daly, but it was a fitting end to an amazing year.
New Year's 2009 made me laugh, mostly because it was so different from NYE '08. If we could step in the Way Back Machine for a moment, let's take a step back to 2007. What a God awful year. Friends moved, loved ones passed away, people cheated, money disappeared, diagnoses were made, Bush was still president with little end in sight, and all of it was an utter, rotting pile of crap. Of my close friends, I can only think of one or two people that didn't experience something life-changing and fantastically depressing. In the days leading up to January 1, "good riddance" and "f*ck 2007" were probably the words I heard most often. I spent New Year's Eve skiing with Austin and going to a big bonfire downtown. At the end of the countdown we both looked at each other, said "Well...thank God that's over," and then went to Ernest's house to eat flan.
True, my first meal of 2008 was flan, but I didn't let that get me down. Fast forward 12 months, and here I am in a little apartment in Queens, toasting with friends and feeling a little remorseful because - I admit it - I wasn't totally down with 2008 ending. Personally, I had wonderful year, complete with major accomplishments, travel, and much time spent with friends and family. I laughed a lot in 2008. I had a lot of odd jobs, and I said yes more often, which is always an adventure. So I'll be honest: I was sad to see it go. But hey - what a fabulous turnaround, 2008. What a great hope for the future.
A new government's coming in, a fresh slew of New Year's Resolutions are already being forgotten, and to date, no one has tricked me into eating flan this year. Hopefully the trend continues. Have a happier, healthier 2009. Nobody deserves it more than you.
I rang in 2009 by clinking glasses with a bunch of Upstate New Yorkers in a cozy apartment in Astoria. I feel like my New Year's festivities ended up being really symbolic of my year as a whole. I managed to spend New Year's Eve in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens, mostly with my backpack on. It was highly nomadic which, if you've been following along, just fits. Also, I managed in one month (and mostly in the 3 to 4 days leading up to midnight '09) to see every single one of my best friends from high school, college (minus Kathleen, geez!) and best of all, kindergarten. I've been particularly privileged this year to build a lot of new friendships, and to those people I'm very thankful. But I'm also truly thankful for the friendships from home and almost-home that I have had for 5 years, ten years, some for over 15 years. A lot of the people I call my best friends now are the same best friends I had in elementary school. If you want a way to stay grounded, that's it. So yes, New Year's was freezing cold and it involved sleeping on floors and a bit too much Carson Daly, but it was a fitting end to an amazing year.
New Year's 2009 made me laugh, mostly because it was so different from NYE '08. If we could step in the Way Back Machine for a moment, let's take a step back to 2007. What a God awful year. Friends moved, loved ones passed away, people cheated, money disappeared, diagnoses were made, Bush was still president with little end in sight, and all of it was an utter, rotting pile of crap. Of my close friends, I can only think of one or two people that didn't experience something life-changing and fantastically depressing. In the days leading up to January 1, "good riddance" and "f*ck 2007" were probably the words I heard most often. I spent New Year's Eve skiing with Austin and going to a big bonfire downtown. At the end of the countdown we both looked at each other, said "Well...thank God that's over," and then went to Ernest's house to eat flan.
True, my first meal of 2008 was flan, but I didn't let that get me down. Fast forward 12 months, and here I am in a little apartment in Queens, toasting with friends and feeling a little remorseful because - I admit it - I wasn't totally down with 2008 ending. Personally, I had wonderful year, complete with major accomplishments, travel, and much time spent with friends and family. I laughed a lot in 2008. I had a lot of odd jobs, and I said yes more often, which is always an adventure. So I'll be honest: I was sad to see it go. But hey - what a fabulous turnaround, 2008. What a great hope for the future.
A new government's coming in, a fresh slew of New Year's Resolutions are already being forgotten, and to date, no one has tricked me into eating flan this year. Hopefully the trend continues. Have a happier, healthier 2009. Nobody deserves it more than you.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
