On: Run With It...

Over the last month, something miraculous has happened. By the grace of God alone, I have taken to waking up before the sun rises (most of the time), clumsily fighting my way into my yoga pants and sweat shirt (in the dark so as not to wake Jon), and walking down to our complex's work-out facility (often times with very interesting and provoked-looking hair) to run/walk before work.

I truly think this is a sign of aging... In college I never would have dreamed of working out in the morning before class. I also never went to bed before 11:00. Now, the pendulum is beginning to swing in the other direction. Being married means that your body isn't your own to abuse with caffeine and sleep deprivation anymore. Also, I knew it was only a matter of time before years of sitting (in class, at work, in the car) would catch up with me and start to alter both shape and posture. And another thing-- I have suddenly become a "miss" or worse, a "ma'am" to most teen-aged restaurant hostesses now. All motivation to drag my bum out of bed in the morning and stay healthy.

So now it's been several months of multi-vitamins and more whole grains, fruits and veggies. More recently the treadmill has become less of a mockery of my coordination and more of a friend (the ipod helps). And you know, I think I thrive on the endorphins! I feel more awake in the morning, I feel more pleasant, and I have more energy! This makes for a happier, more productive home and work Jenn.

Jon is a distance runner, so I still have a ways to go before I can keep up with him, but this is a good start. Would you believe also that he is eating leafy greens and other colorful veggies!? That's right! Attempting to eat well and stay fit: evidence that we are getting older. Hopefully the pendulum doesn't swing too far...

Seventies, you and the wife retire to Fort Lauderdale, you start eating dinner at two, lunch around ten, breakfast the night before. And you spend most of your time wandering around malls looking for the ultimate in soft yogurt...

--Billy Crystal
City Slickers

On: Space...

Before we moved, Jon and I were trying hard to consider the adjustments we would have to make given the amount of space we would be living in for the next year. We decided that brain-storming would be easier with resources. So we did what any couple with limited space and a budget would do--we went to Ikea.

Phase 1: Strategery

We are practical people, but Ikea doesn't mess around with space saving.

Nor does Target mess around with tiny adult-looking chairs for small people.

Phase 2: Ponder

This was our life, in 336 cubic feet:

And then we flew across the country and waited for our things to arrive--just a couple of days. It gave us a chance to ponder how we would explore our new surroundings and how we would arrange our new living space:

Phase 3: Organize/Execute!
(This is still a work in progress)

I would love to say that we're completely unpacked and settled in, but for the moment I can't. This is our living space now. As you can see, we have some more decorating to do. It will happen. This is our place as of this past weekend:

View from the front door.

View from the kitchen doorway.

View from the kitchen.

View from our window.

We love our space, and soon, it will have more character!

On: I think it's the humidity...

DC is a dynamic place to live. This is true. I know we've raved about the beautiful views and fun outings, but for the sake of objectivity, I think I should share some of the more unusual elements of DC that we encounter more often than we'd like...

I give you:
the cicada. Disgusting, I know. They are everywhere... How do I know this? You can hear them practically anywhere you go (especially around heavily wooded areas). Cicada's sound like nature's sprinklers. It's not a terrible sound, and really, they can be very relaxing to listen to in the evenings. But, they sound a lot less calming after you see one... Seriously, this isn't an insect, it's an alien. Jon and I have only seen a few of them--all dead--most likely because of the next prehistoric-looking insect...

I have to scoot the lappy away from me, these things evoke a lot of anxiety... Meet the cicada killer wasp. This is an African breed of wasp that is commonly found in the Georgetown/Arlington area... Are these not the craziest beasts you've ever seen? Apparently, they're only deadly to cicada. Also, from what I've read, the males are harmless and the females will only attack humans if provoked. What a relief right? Next time I encounter one, I'll simply ask its gender, politely, in its native African tongue...

So there you have it... Some of the animals that, on paper, are completely harmless. If you were to ask me, I would insist that these things are waiting for the opportunity to attack us from the air and devour us.

On: Evidence...

Hmm... I wonder if Jon has been here... (Image of lecture notes posted on our bathroom wall).

On: First Days...

Last Monday (the 4th) marked my first day of work, and Monday (11th) marked Jon's first day of class.

We are officially "full time."

This change in status makes for relatively full days, but exciting days none-the-less. I take that back, our days were full and exciting before any of this came to fruition, it's just that our days are full of work now.

Allow me to paint you a picture with my summary brush:

I really like my job with consulting firm. I'm currently working within the Federal Human Services division in the Children, Youth and Family group on a project that helps low-income families save for, and purchase assets (homes, small businesses, or education). The firm has about 130 employees and it's been around for over 30 years. Also, from what it looks like, I will be working between 45-50 hours/week. Ah yes, since this is not a government gig, all bets are off regarding over-time:) In the grand scheme of things, this is not bad, AND, there are cool perks:

• I enjoy the work
• I have my own, small office
• Every Tuesday we're provided with free bagels & shmear from Manhattan Bagel!
• Every Wednesday the company offers massages for a small fee.
• Every Thursday we're provided with free cookies from Mrs. Fields(!!!!)
• Great benefits/time off
• Cool co-workers
• There seems to be free food everywhere, much of the time

And Jon? His first week has been, well, very academic (as you can imagine). Because of the change in curriculum, his schedule has been (and will continue to be) a little schizophrenic. He has classes five days a week, but none of the classes are scheduled at the same time each week--if that makes any sense... Molecular and Cellular Physiology (MCP) from 9-12 on Monday during week one, may fall from 9-11, then 1-2 on Monday of week two. Fortunately, he's developed a very strategic study schedule and has been flexing his organizational muscles, so all is well. This present term, covering MCP lasts until September 5. The following term starts up again the following week-- Metabolism and Signal Transduction. From what I've seen of the material, it looks VERY exciting. The human body is both amazing and disgusting. :)

The transition for both of us, from gainfully un-employed to super-full-time student/employee, has demanded that we both make the most of our time. This means being extremely diligent at work and school to ensure that we have time in the evening to hang out with each other and relax. I think it is safe to say that this is the most organized either one of us has ever been. Ever. It feels good:)

On: Down at Fraggle Rock...

A few days ago we ventured down to the American History Museum to see Jim Henson's Fantastic World--an exhibit honoring the 50th anniversary of the Muppets. Why? Because in the late 80's/early 90's we grew up on Sesame Street and were down with Fraggle Rock!

This particular exhibit housed a lot of the muppets that were made famous on "The Muppet Show" (like Mahna Mahna, Doctor Teeth), "Sesame Street" (Bert & Ernie and of course, Kermit), "Fraggle Rock" (the doozers, Red and Cantus), and "The Dark Crystal." They had also displayed a lot of Jim Henson's original sketches, posters and ideas for shows.

The truly sweet thing about the whole experience was watching the adults enjoy the exhibit (I know we did). Most of the children there hadn't gone under their own volition, the parents were excited to go and see figures from their childhood under glass. It's fun to be in a room full of adults who all light up at the sound of a familiar theme song--"It's time to play the music! It's time to light the lights!" Good stuff. Grown men sitting on tiny stools next to their kids reading books and drawing pictures.

On: Ms. Rowling would be proud, Our digs, and the Newest member of the Pagan family...

This will be a bit of "DC in Review," mostly documented by pictures.

Primero: Welcome to Hogwarts--I mean, Georgetown...
This is the view of GU as seen on the Key Bridge (the bridge that crosses the Potomac, connecting Arlington & Georgetown)

I half expected to see "Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus" etched above the doors of Healy Hall. I can't say that I've read any of the H.P. books, but after doing some substantive research, I dare say it looks a bit like... Well, I'll let you be the judge:


vs.


Blessed indeed. This is where Jon gets to learn for the next year. Classes begin in ten days, so there will be more to update then.

Segundo: River Place

This is the building in which we live!
Gotta love the bricks. This place is nice and reasonably quiet--offset enough from Washington, DC so as not to be RIGHT in the middle of everything, but close enough to the city to enjoy it when we want to. It's also just two blocks away from a metro station, so we're a short ride away from all of the museums/restaurants/excitement. We're also a three minute drive away from the Pentagon and other cool monuments.

This is the view from our parking spot (Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol in the background). Very cool.

We're still organizing the apartment, but once it's done, we'll post more pics.

Tercero: Gainfully Employed!

As I had mentioned in a previous blog, I start working at my new job on Monday! Last week I accepted a position with a consulting firm that is about ten miles from our place here in Arlington. I am very excited... They do helpful work, I start at 9:00, AND they observe casual Fridays (and by "casual" I mean they wear jeans)!

And to get to this new job/around DC...

We are the proud owners of a new car! Again, so blessed and so excited!

A serious thanks to everyone who has been praying for us. We have had a great transition and on top of all of this--cool apartment, beautiful campus, great new job and smooth wheels.

On: Glasses...

Showin' off the specs... That's all...

On: Prepare! I found some pictures and I want to blog as much as possible before I start work on Monday!

Warning: Possible Thunder Showers...


Last week Jon and I met up with some friends for dinner in Georgetown. As we were walking back home across the Key Bridge, we exchanged some, "I think it's starting to sprinkle," s. Before we were half-way across, the heavens opened up and dumped several thousands of gallons of water all over the DC metro area... and us.

No joke, it was like the scene in Forrest Gump where Tom Hanks is describing, "big ol' fat rain."

On the brighter side, it was warm outside, which made things nicer. Jon and I raced back home, laughing hysterically, soaking wet and squishing around in our shoes. Welcome to DC.

After getting into the elevator to get back to our place to dry off, one of the people next to us smiled and said, "They just sneak up on you sometimes." Good memories:)

One of my favorites:

On: Geeks...

Our beloved lappy with all of our pictures on it recently decided to stop working...

Thankfully, we live near a Best Buy. We've given the lappy to the Geek Squad with the hope that they can revive it. I'm sure they can.

Once it's up and running, more pictures and posts of what we've been doing here in DC!

On: JPs in DC...

After two weeks of "good-byes" and a few tearful moments, Jon and I boarded our red-eye and headed off to DC (Arlington, VA, to be exact).

We flew out Monday night, landed in New York the following morning, then landed in DC on Tuesday around mid morning. They were some of the least hectic flights we've ever had--no lost or "abandoned" luggage, no crazy plane acrobatics, no offensive perfume. Excellent.

On Wednesday we rented a truck from a very helpful Jeremy and iphoned our way to the pick up sight in Maryland to retrieve our relo-cube. After unloading the cube and re-loading our life into the truck, we noted only minimal damage to some of our things: chipped mirror, gauged dresser, broken cirque du soleil mug, dirty couch--nothing outrageous. Then we drove back to Arlington, making sure that we didn't take the wrong highways that didn't allow trucks...tricky. Next came another round of unpacking and hauling all of our things up to our new place. Since we live on the ninth floor, we were singing the praises of the freight elevator and hand truck that made our move much, much easier.

Now we're just in the process of unpacking and organizing! As some of you may know, our place is small, but we've discovered that it's very cool. More pictures to come once we put everything away. For now, this is a picture that a kind Japanese lady snapped for us in the Sacramento airport--we actually ended up sitting next to her on the plane.

(This is us awake for many, many hours).

On: "It's good..."

Oh my gosh... Some friends of ours recommended "Enchanted" as a movie to add to our netflix queue. Sweet movie, although I think this scene is our favorite. Listen for, "It's good..." We can't say these two words without laughing now.

On: Bon Voyage BSA...

July 3, 2008 was my last day at the BSA. I have to say that I had the pleasure of working with the best co-workers I've ever had. Also, I sat in the greatest cube of all cubedom-- they (cubies) took the liberty of strategically hiding Big and Small (the wooden drawing figures) on day the last... Very sweet.

Admittedly, the last eight hours were full, but not hectic. It was actually a very special day, full of Cilantro's and toasting frozen yogurt with J, L and M. Every office should have a J, L and M--the thought of not seeing them during the work week anymore is very sad...


And so the last day came and went. I filled out the paperwork. I said my goodbyes. I caught the 43 (Davis Express Bus) one last time, and then I walked home listening to Collin Hay, Ben Folds and Paul Simon--while humming. Then I sat down and took in the days events, trying to digest the fact that the following week, I would not be going back to the office. To a degree, I still feel like I'm just enjoying a long weekend... [Photo illustrates some of the contents of my desk that I carted home like a crazy person--or a person who forgot to bring a box for the contents of her desk on the last day of work].

On: Happy Birthday America. And Matt...

Happy fourth of July from Team Pagan!!!

I believe that God created our balcony just so that we could have the best view (in Davis) of sunsets and fireworks...

Proud to call the U-S-of-A home? You bet we are:) To all of our friends (and those we don't know) in the service, thank you.

Today also happens to be my brother's birthday, so I thought I would take a moment to acknowledge him and the celebrities with whom he shares this special day:

1. (*My favorite*)Giraldo Rivera
2. George Steinbrenner
3. Ann Landers
4. Rube Goldberg
5. Calvin Coolidge
6. Abigail Van Buren
7. Louis Armstrong
8. Nathaniel Hawthorne
9. Matt (standing)
   
10. The USA (According to Leon, it's actually July 2)

On: Beyond, "If the shoe fits...."

I've taken a fancy to trying on hats in different stores (prep for when I am old and start to where purple or track suits). I found this one recently, and while I've never been "hot for Hilary," I had to include the mug in the shot... It matched the hat (kind of).

On: Take me out to the....

I think the last time I went to a baseball game was when I was six or seven years old... Recently, we went to a River Cats game (local AAA affiliate of the Oakland A's)--what a great time!




This was Jon and me chillin' in the shade while it lasted...













The view from our seats! This picture was taken somewhere in between the eating of the classic baseball junk food: hot-dogs, nachos, icees... It's all part of the event, practically a requirement.






And then the sun moved. Some of us don't tan so well, and don't care to tan, which is why we wear giant, floppy white hats to outdoorsy events. This is fine, but then the poor guy behind you is forced to stretch a bit to see what the players are doing.

On: Tablelessness

This afternoon, I was sitting at our dining room table:

















A few hours later:

I was sitting in the void that our table once occupied.


So as not to be confused, we are intentionally selling things off before we move. This picture just captures the realization that having guests over for dinner will require a creative spirit.