I was walked down the escalator from the MARC train to the metro and a metro train was waiting at the platform. Despite the FACT that trains come every two minutes, people RUN for the train on the platform like it's a life or death situation.
I was hobbling along like an old woman because of being sore from broomball when I see a skinny man dressed in a suit with a briefcase sprint past me and the crowd, jump up on the cement metro bench, jump over the bench, dodge another crowd of people and scurry into the metro.
I was in awe that someone has that much energy in the morning and ambition to catch the train. I had to stop and laugh. Again, I felt like I was the only one who saw this. No one else seemed to take notice. LOOOOVE IT!
Promise to post inauguration soon...
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Hair Tie and Metro Doors
You could call it a hair tie malfunction. I boarded the MARC train this morning for my daily commute, found the perfect window seat, and settled in for my ride. I had my hair up for practical reasons (much easier to deal with) and felt the need to let my hair down a la herbal essence shake. I reached back to pull the hair tie out and a second before it was loose it sprang out of my hand like a rubber band, hit the window, and plopped into the woman’s purse in the seat behind me. I cautiously turned to see where it had fallen and spotted it in the forbidden purse. For a moment, I contemplated reaching back to retrieve it before realizing the potentially awkward Seinfeld-like moment that would ensue. I made peace with my loss but can only wonder what the woman will think when see finds a rouge hair tie in her purse…
Metro Doors. Running to catch is a train is a normal occurrence despite the fact that trains arrive every 2 minutes. So even if you don’t “catch” the one at the platform, you only have to wait a few seconds for another one. I safely hopped into a car after arriving via the MARC, but another rider wasn’t so lucky. He made an admirable attempt but wasn’t quite fast enough and as a result was wedged in the closing doors. Other Metro riders saw this situation develop, which led to three people grabbing hold of Caught In the Doors to tug him safely into the car as the Metro started to move. I watched in amazement. Beware of Metro Doors!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
New Year, New Post
I surprised myself to see that I have not written since late November. My absence from the blogosphere is a combination of the inevitable holiday stress, the new job transition, sending off the final schools aps, and being tired of the Internet after spending all day at work on it. I suppose I will "resolve" to be a more consistent blogger in 2009.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Ohhh... what a week!
Sooo the commute was an adjustment, to say the least. The new job required I shift my wake-up time two hours earlier to accommodate the hour and some MARC/Metro commute. Monday I survived mostly on adrenaline and excitement. The rest of the week I struggled to not give into the exhaustion due from a lack of sleep, learning a new tasks and overall adjustment. By Friday, I started to get used to the schedule and was starting to be able to function.
In addition to persistent tiredness, these are some of the events of the week:
Monday: I walk the two blocks to the White House/Washington Monument/Mall... very cool for a "lunch break."
Tuesday: a man died after falling from a construction site on the GWU campus. Being a member of University Relations, this was a shock to me on my second day as the office was crazy with media and questions.
Wednesday: a man boards a MARC train with an assault rifle at the station I use. I wasn't on the train but I was close enough to see the man, the gun and the cops at 7am in the morning. Story here.
Thursday: the GWU metro has one entrance/exit and is operating with one sky-high escalator for people leaving and entering the station because the other two are broken. The result: a line two and a half blocks long to get underground. after waiting 15 min, i give up and walk aimlessly until I find another station.
Friday: TGIF or not... the MARC train leaving DC is broken... delayed an hour. I'm OK with it, at least I survived the week!
In addition to persistent tiredness, these are some of the events of the week:
Monday: I walk the two blocks to the White House/Washington Monument/Mall... very cool for a "lunch break."
Tuesday: a man died after falling from a construction site on the GWU campus. Being a member of University Relations, this was a shock to me on my second day as the office was crazy with media and questions.
Wednesday: a man boards a MARC train with an assault rifle at the station I use. I wasn't on the train but I was close enough to see the man, the gun and the cops at 7am in the morning. Story here.
Thursday: the GWU metro has one entrance/exit and is operating with one sky-high escalator for people leaving and entering the station because the other two are broken. The result: a line two and a half blocks long to get underground. after waiting 15 min, i give up and walk aimlessly until I find another station.
Friday: TGIF or not... the MARC train leaving DC is broken... delayed an hour. I'm OK with it, at least I survived the week!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
New Job
Tomorrow is a big day! I am nervous and excited and am afraid to fall asleep because it will be morning too quickly. After two years in Baltimore, I decided to take a job in the big city down the road. Washington, DC that is. I always pictured myself working in a city and taking the metro/subway everyday. I'd feel like an authentic city person. Instead I ended up with a job in an eccentric building that didn't resemble the skyscrapers I had dreamed of, and the commute to work was far less glamorous than jumping on train in the nick of time. Hopefully my new commute won't lose its charm too quickly!
The new job is at George Washington U in the Foggy Bottom/Dupont Circle neighborhoods. I am returning to work in higher education, which I have missed and <3 so much. I will continue to do communications without so much of that sales and marketing that my previous job included.
A new job?? What about law school?! I am still planning on attending school in the Fall. The position is short-term through the summer of 2009 with the opportunity to go full time if I choose to attend (and get accepted to) GW Law. If I decide to go to school out-of-state, perhaps Chicago?, I will be able to leave the job without any problems.
It feels surreal making such a big change...
The new job is at George Washington U in the Foggy Bottom/Dupont Circle neighborhoods. I am returning to work in higher education, which I have missed and <3 so much. I will continue to do communications without so much of that sales and marketing that my previous job included.
A new job?? What about law school?! I am still planning on attending school in the Fall. The position is short-term through the summer of 2009 with the opportunity to go full time if I choose to attend (and get accepted to) GW Law. If I decide to go to school out-of-state, perhaps Chicago?, I will be able to leave the job without any problems.
It feels surreal making such a big change...
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Chicago in the Fall
I was excited to once again return to the windy city that I love. A little less than a year ago last December, I took my first trip to the city to stay with a friend who was scheduled to there for two weeks. This most recent trip was our 2008 version of the December 2007 trip. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay the weekend because I was in Vermont for the wedding but we made the most of the three weekdays I was there.
We met up at the hotel and headed around the corner to sports bar to grab a few drinks and catch up. A friend met up with us and we decided to check out a bar that supposedly had a late night happy hour. We must have been too late because the bar was closed. We headed to a local dive bar and promptly upped the ante to vodka. The interesting thing about Chicago is bars don't close at hours deemed normal in other places. It is undetermined what time we left that night. However, it was very clear there was something in that vodka.
The next morning after forgetting my room number and trying to open a door to the wrong room after eating breakfast, I pulled myself together and prepared for my law school interview with Northwestern University. I had planned accordingly and scheduled an afternoon interview. I think it went well, and hopefully it will get carry some [positive] weight during the application review.
Thursday night we decided to see the Jersey Boys musical. It chronicled The Four Seasons' to rise to fame. After the show we had intentions to head out again... buuuut... neither of us were feeling it after struggling to stay awake all day.
Friday we decided to rent bikes and ride all over the North side of the city. Our idea was a good one but we didn't take into account the chilly wind or the frightening experience of riding in the streets without helmets. We hit all of the sights on the way and made it all the way to Wrigley field. In two hours, we biked more than ten miles! After the ride we hobbled down the street for our mandatory deep dish pizza.
Now, more than ever, I am looking forward to move to Chicago in less than a year to attend school...
We met up at the hotel and headed around the corner to sports bar to grab a few drinks and catch up. A friend met up with us and we decided to check out a bar that supposedly had a late night happy hour. We must have been too late because the bar was closed. We headed to a local dive bar and promptly upped the ante to vodka. The interesting thing about Chicago is bars don't close at hours deemed normal in other places. It is undetermined what time we left that night. However, it was very clear there was something in that vodka.
The next morning after forgetting my room number and trying to open a door to the wrong room after eating breakfast, I pulled myself together and prepared for my law school interview with Northwestern University. I had planned accordingly and scheduled an afternoon interview. I think it went well, and hopefully it will get carry some [positive] weight during the application review.
Thursday night we decided to see the Jersey Boys musical. It chronicled The Four Seasons' to rise to fame. After the show we had intentions to head out again... buuuut... neither of us were feeling it after struggling to stay awake all day.
Friday we decided to rent bikes and ride all over the North side of the city. Our idea was a good one but we didn't take into account the chilly wind or the frightening experience of riding in the streets without helmets. We hit all of the sights on the way and made it all the way to Wrigley field. In two hours, we biked more than ten miles! After the ride we hobbled down the street for our mandatory deep dish pizza.
Now, more than ever, I am looking forward to move to Chicago in less than a year to attend school...
Friday, November 7, 2008
Roadtrip + Ass-u-me = Vermont
I don't even know where to start to describe the longest four days of my life in recent history. So much happened I actually thought we had been gone two weeks instead of a weekend.
My co-pilot,Megan, and I left on a Thursday in early October to head up to Vermont for our best friend's wedding. Although the three of us attended high school together in Maryland, something possessed Jen to not only attend college in rural Vermont but stay there post-college. Consequently, we set out at 4am to make the trek for the wedding.
In retrospect, the first four hours of the trip were probably the calmest. If only we had known what we were in for... After skipping past NYC without encountering traffic, we made our first of several stops in Stamford, CT for breakfast. Even though it was only 9am, Megan and I felt like it was mid-day and were disappointed to find that the only restaurant open in town was a less than desirable diner. We choked down our breakfast after Megan was mistaken for a movie star by the hostess, and continued on our way.
Driving along in the left hand lane, I saw the glint of the Yale University sign. I quickly negotiate another stop and steer us across five lanes of traffic to make the exit. On campus we take an obligatory picture in front of the sign, and I informed the admissions office that despite being accepted, I will be turning down the law school offer. haa
Seven hours into the trip, delirious and tired, we are in the depths of Northern Vermont dodging brightly colored foliage when the oil light of my car comes on. Luckily, we are only 10 miles from the civilization. I say only as it is not uncommon for exits to be 25-35 miles apart in Vermont. We stop and buy a couple quarts of oil. Upon putting it into the oil reservoir, we discover it is draining immediately out of the car. In a panic we immediately locate a garage. An hour later and $98 poorer, I have a new oil filter to replace the shoddy one I received from Meineke two days before.
Almost twelve hours after leaving Maryland, we arrive in the "village" of Island Pond and realize we are stranded without cell phone service (the closet cell phone service is 10 miles, yes miles, away). That night we are introduced to the culture and dialect of Northern Vermont. Right?!
Friday morning we roused ourselves much earlier than I would have preferred to make the thirty minute drive to the closet town to have our nails done and communicate with the outside world. We spent four long hours at the salon then headed back to the village to get ready for the rehearsal.
One would assume a rehearsal would be a relatively simply process of the whole wedding preparation process. Assumptions, as we soon learned, are the quickest path to disappointment. As if we didn't have a enough time to ponder the mysteries of life at the salon earlier in the day, we had the opportunity to ponder further during the three hour rehearsal event at the church. Due to scheduling issues, we had to wait for the entire wedding party to join us before we proceeded with the rehearsal. After memorizing the Bible and considering the thought of drinking the holy wine, the rehearsal went on and we soon headed to the BBQ rehearsal dinner.
The bride brought her A-game and was ready to drink, evidenced by the wicked intense shots of Apple Pucker. Ok, maybe not. After dinner and several drinks, we schlepped back to the hotel room to sleep.
Saturday morning, wedding day, Megan and I headed into town to meet Jen at the salon and have an authentic Vermont breakfast. The diner didn't disappoint, but I was disappointed to find out Jen would have to compromise her vows at the wedding.
After brunch it was finally time to don our foliage colored dresses and prepare for the big moment. Getting ready was fun and before we knew it, it was time to walk down the aisle. Jen looked absolutely beautiful and radiated happiness. The ceremony was quick, and we were whisked away to take pictures in the "summer-like" temperatures, according to Jen. Summer-like translated into gale force wind gusts and temperatures in the high 40's. Now I know what it feels like to be a model and appear nonchalant in summer clothes despite the winter temperatures. Smile!
Given that the wedding was in the village, one would assume the reception would be close by. Close by... or in Canada?, pretty much the same thing. We headed to the reception hall, 40 minutes away and a mere five miles from the Canadian border, to toast the new couple and [line] dance the night away.
The dinner was surprisingly delicious and the celebrating began. Megan and I introduced urban beats to the reception with a karaoke rendition of Juicy by Notorious B.I.G. Somehow I ended up catching the bouquet and having the awkward garter experience. And, a small fire broke out, the cause "unknown". Thank goodness 80% of the reception attendees were employed by a fire company.
Three days and 40 hours later, Megan and I gleefully packed up our belongings and started the journey back to Maryland metropolitan area. Since the trip would most likely be the first AND last time I'd travel multiple New England states by car, we made the most of our roadtrip and stopped in Boston on the way home.
At 2:04am on Monday morning, I parked my car on the street and, for the first time in my life, couldn't be happier to return to Ghettomore.
Congratulations Jen! Despite all of my bitching and jokes at your expense, I am honored to have been a part of your wedding and share the experience with you. I wish you all the best!!!
My co-pilot,Megan, and I left on a Thursday in early October to head up to Vermont for our best friend's wedding. Although the three of us attended high school together in Maryland, something possessed Jen to not only attend college in rural Vermont but stay there post-college. Consequently, we set out at 4am to make the trek for the wedding.
In retrospect, the first four hours of the trip were probably the calmest. If only we had known what we were in for... After skipping past NYC without encountering traffic, we made our first of several stops in Stamford, CT for breakfast. Even though it was only 9am, Megan and I felt like it was mid-day and were disappointed to find that the only restaurant open in town was a less than desirable diner. We choked down our breakfast after Megan was mistaken for a movie star by the hostess, and continued on our way.
Driving along in the left hand lane, I saw the glint of the Yale University sign. I quickly negotiate another stop and steer us across five lanes of traffic to make the exit. On campus we take an obligatory picture in front of the sign, and I informed the admissions office that despite being accepted, I will be turning down the law school offer. haa
Seven hours into the trip, delirious and tired, we are in the depths of Northern Vermont dodging brightly colored foliage when the oil light of my car comes on. Luckily, we are only 10 miles from the civilization. I say only as it is not uncommon for exits to be 25-35 miles apart in Vermont. We stop and buy a couple quarts of oil. Upon putting it into the oil reservoir, we discover it is draining immediately out of the car. In a panic we immediately locate a garage. An hour later and $98 poorer, I have a new oil filter to replace the shoddy one I received from Meineke two days before.
Almost twelve hours after leaving Maryland, we arrive in the "village" of Island Pond and realize we are stranded without cell phone service (the closet cell phone service is 10 miles, yes miles, away). That night we are introduced to the culture and dialect of Northern Vermont. Right?!
Friday morning we roused ourselves much earlier than I would have preferred to make the thirty minute drive to the closet town to have our nails done and communicate with the outside world. We spent four long hours at the salon then headed back to the village to get ready for the rehearsal.
One would assume a rehearsal would be a relatively simply process of the whole wedding preparation process. Assumptions, as we soon learned, are the quickest path to disappointment. As if we didn't have a enough time to ponder the mysteries of life at the salon earlier in the day, we had the opportunity to ponder further during the three hour rehearsal event at the church. Due to scheduling issues, we had to wait for the entire wedding party to join us before we proceeded with the rehearsal. After memorizing the Bible and considering the thought of drinking the holy wine, the rehearsal went on and we soon headed to the BBQ rehearsal dinner.
The bride brought her A-game and was ready to drink, evidenced by the wicked intense shots of Apple Pucker. Ok, maybe not. After dinner and several drinks, we schlepped back to the hotel room to sleep.
Saturday morning, wedding day, Megan and I headed into town to meet Jen at the salon and have an authentic Vermont breakfast. The diner didn't disappoint, but I was disappointed to find out Jen would have to compromise her vows at the wedding.
After brunch it was finally time to don our foliage colored dresses and prepare for the big moment. Getting ready was fun and before we knew it, it was time to walk down the aisle. Jen looked absolutely beautiful and radiated happiness. The ceremony was quick, and we were whisked away to take pictures in the "summer-like" temperatures, according to Jen. Summer-like translated into gale force wind gusts and temperatures in the high 40's. Now I know what it feels like to be a model and appear nonchalant in summer clothes despite the winter temperatures. Smile!
Given that the wedding was in the village, one would assume the reception would be close by. Close by... or in Canada?, pretty much the same thing. We headed to the reception hall, 40 minutes away and a mere five miles from the Canadian border, to toast the new couple and [line] dance the night away.
The dinner was surprisingly delicious and the celebrating began. Megan and I introduced urban beats to the reception with a karaoke rendition of Juicy by Notorious B.I.G. Somehow I ended up catching the bouquet and having the awkward garter experience. And, a small fire broke out, the cause "unknown". Thank goodness 80% of the reception attendees were employed by a fire company.
Three days and 40 hours later, Megan and I gleefully packed up our belongings and started the journey back to Maryland metropolitan area. Since the trip would most likely be the first AND last time I'd travel multiple New England states by car, we made the most of our roadtrip and stopped in Boston on the way home.
At 2:04am on Monday morning, I parked my car on the street and, for the first time in my life, couldn't be happier to return to Ghettomore.
Congratulations Jen! Despite all of my bitching and jokes at your expense, I am honored to have been a part of your wedding and share the experience with you. I wish you all the best!!!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Alcohol Egress Study
Most would agree I am willing to volunteer for anything, especially if it involves free alcohol. I stumbled upon an alcohol egress (wtf does that mean, you may wonder) study after friend forwarded me an email from a listserve. The study consisted of monitoring one's ability to egress or escape a simulated fire environment while intoxicated. Each participant's escape time would be recorded at BAC levels of .00, .03, .06, .09, and .12.
We met on Sunday at the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institue in College Park and entered one of the four story high rise buildings used for fire and emergency training. After a few tests, we did a sober run through of the escape to get a baseline time. We started in a dorm room with a bunkbed, had to roll to the floor, crawl across the room, open a close door, crawl down a 25ft hallway, open another door and descend a flight of steps. There wasn't any fire but plenty thick, thick non-toxic "smoke" (see picture below).
After our run through, we were given specific amounts of alcohol based on our weight. Unfortunately, I fell into the lowest weight category and was only given 8oz of beer. After drinking, we'd do breathalyzers to monitor of BAC. Once each level was met, we'd do the escape run through.
I didn't "feel" any different or slower during each session but, according to the research, each person's time progressively gained 30-45 seconds after each BAC level. The day was a lot of fun, plus I had the opportunity to consume alcohol for science!
http://media.www.diamondbackonline.com/media/storage/paper873/news/2008/11/03/News/Ability.To.Escape.Fires.Declines.After.Drinking-3520894.shtml
We met on Sunday at the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institue in College Park and entered one of the four story high rise buildings used for fire and emergency training. After a few tests, we did a sober run through of the escape to get a baseline time. We started in a dorm room with a bunkbed, had to roll to the floor, crawl across the room, open a close door, crawl down a 25ft hallway, open another door and descend a flight of steps. There wasn't any fire but plenty thick, thick non-toxic "smoke" (see picture below).
After our run through, we were given specific amounts of alcohol based on our weight. Unfortunately, I fell into the lowest weight category and was only given 8oz of beer. After drinking, we'd do breathalyzers to monitor of BAC. Once each level was met, we'd do the escape run through.
I didn't "feel" any different or slower during each session but, according to the research, each person's time progressively gained 30-45 seconds after each BAC level. The day was a lot of fun, plus I had the opportunity to consume alcohol for science!
http://media.www.diamondbackonline.com/media/storage/paper873/news/2008/11/03/News/Ability.To.Escape.Fires.Declines.After.Drinking-3520894.shtml
November Update
I have been neglecting my blog for much too long. Mostly because of laziness but I could come up with several more excuses. A LOT has been going on, which I hope to update on and begin regularly posting again. Here is the short list:
- After PBI and UVA, there was a road trip to Vermont for a wedding and a Fall trip to Chicago
- Homecoming in College Park
- Alcohol Egress study
- a NEW job
- School applications
- After PBI and UVA, there was a road trip to Vermont for a wedding and a Fall trip to Chicago
- Homecoming in College Park
- Alcohol Egress study
- a NEW job
- School applications
Sunday, October 19, 2008
UVA Roadtrip
Anticipation and hope always accompany a road game and this trip was no different, especially since we were going up against UVA who had just received an embarrassing beating from Duke. Among four cars, fourteen of us heading to Charlottesville for the 7pm game. It was essential to get down South by 3pm so we could set up shop and begin tailgating.
An early morning start set us up for an uneventful ride. However, we did stop at the glorious Virginia quick stop Sheeeeetz. For those that are unfamiliar, Sheetz is a delcious, glorified WaWa with a deli counter featuring more choices of sandwiches, wraps, and random food one could possibly ever devour. Sheetz needs to spread its operations to Maryland.
At the tailgate site, we set out our supplies and prepared for a day of making new bffs, beer pong and mandatory drinking. Tailgating always goes by much to fast and it wasn't long before we made the two mile trek to the stadium for our assumed victory.
Haa silly Maryland. Instead of that win, we were handed a loss on par with a killer whale attacking a lone seal. The two mile walk back to our cars seemed even longer with the bitter loss and stone-cold soberity. We sulked back to the hotel room to drown our sorrows and curse the idea of a roadtrip.
An early morning start set us up for an uneventful ride. However, we did stop at the glorious Virginia quick stop Sheeeeetz. For those that are unfamiliar, Sheetz is a delcious, glorified WaWa with a deli counter featuring more choices of sandwiches, wraps, and random food one could possibly ever devour. Sheetz needs to spread its operations to Maryland.
At the tailgate site, we set out our supplies and prepared for a day of making new bffs, beer pong and mandatory drinking. Tailgating always goes by much to fast and it wasn't long before we made the two mile trek to the stadium for our assumed victory.
Haa silly Maryland. Instead of that win, we were handed a loss on par with a killer whale attacking a lone seal. The two mile walk back to our cars seemed even longer with the bitter loss and stone-cold soberity. We sulked back to the hotel room to drown our sorrows and curse the idea of a roadtrip.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
