"Wow, they're not slimy at all."

Adventure number 2: SNAILS!

Of course I mean escargot.  That's right, I ate it. And it was gooooood. Actually, French food generally is good, as I discovered on Friday evening. It was a pretty expensive discovery, but I'm gonna call it worth it.
How on earth did this come about, you ask? The wife (a future food writer extraodinaire) took me out of my funk... straight to Brasserie Beck. Absolute deliciousness, and I loved it as soon as we were greeted by the staff upon entering. They greeted us like there was no tomorrow, and it made me smile.

Apparently they have the best snails in the city. (I know this not, but Ms. Zagat says so, and I believe it.) And since I'd never eaten whatever sort of animal family snails belong to, and it definitely enriched my life (or at least my tummy), it totally counts as a spontaneous adventure!

Score! Pictures below :)

This is Duck Confit (pronounced cone-fee by the way). It was delicious, but not really the point.

This is the point: escargot! It looks nothing like I expected.

 

This is what I pictured. Not nearly as appetizing... But kinda friendly looking, no?

But, I got over it, my anxiety, and here's proof!

And here's Korsha, who had fewer hangups I believe, trying it out too.

(She's laughing at me taking a pic of everything. Isn't she adorable?)

So we ate them, and they were good- excellent even. They were tender, actually very savory, not the least bit slimy, and I'm glad I had them. I might even have them again.

Luckily though, after the snails and duckies, we went back to much more familiar territory, though still delicious.

This is mussels with apples and curry... 

 

...And this, is a whole bowl of FRENCH FRIES!  WHOOHOO!

And such concluded the first week's adventures. With good old freedom fries. 

Coming up this week, the top two votes in the poll- tree climbing (technical difficulties appear to be resolved) commences Friday. And, at some point I'll pop on some red lipstick...  Still psyching myself up for it a little, but it'll happen! And you'll read all about it! (I hope.)

Pretty Pretty Flowers: Evidence of Adventure 1

On Wednesday during my lunch break at work, I set out in search of my real favorite flower.  My previous method for having chosen this oh so important thing in a woman's life was... dubious.  Luckily, there's a flower shop at 11th and U (short walk from my office) that I'd walked past, so it was an easily remedied problem.

It's gorgeous on the outside...

...And, they have pets! Three dogs I believe, and a cat named Lily, who was the only one awake enough to greet me.  Actually, that's pretty false. Pam was wide awake, and incredibly helpful. When I told her that I'd never chosen a favorite flower, she was appropriately aghast. So we talked about all the possibilities, and she recommended a few things. Take note ladies if you ever need to choose a flower:

1. Pick something that's in season more than a few months. Apparently this is a real hardship for very earnest young men, who can't get phone numbers without flowers that are unavailable.
2. Choose something that's economical. Another hardship. 
3. Pick a statement flower, but keep it simple. Pam seems very Zen in her flower choices- she likes to put a single lily in a vase (I like lilies), or add a bit of eucalytus. I think one of these days I'll try that, or hyacinth, since she raved about the smell.
4. Try different things. This is just good advice for life. So, I am keeping an open mind, per her sage advice. 

But, at this particular moment, I have chosen!

In the front are Pam's favorite, lilies. Calla lilies on the left, and asiatic lilies on the right. And there, in the back, are my favorites. It seems that my gut was correct, even if she's a bit illogical.
Gladiolas are just as elegant and striking as they sound. (Isn't it nice when words fit their objects?)

And so concludes adventure 1. I bought some, and they are currently sitting on my kitchen counter. Good times.

I got it in...

(...the second adventure that is.)

No, I have not climbed a tree just yet. Technical difficulties continue, though they are being resolved forthwith.

In the meantime, I managed to stay on schedule with a bit of spontaneity and the help of my wife- by that I mean platonic, non-exclusive life partner. Our motto has always been "there's always food." So, despite the fact that the sky seemed to be falling (literally, the weather was kind of gross yesterday) we brightened up the day with... SNAILS.

That's right, I ate escargot yesterday. Most definitely counts as an adventure, and ya know what? They were darn good.

So I have officially completed the adventure tally for the week, and owe the blogosphere some pictures! Get excited!

Hope everyone is having an excellent weekend :)

Oh noooos! But then, YAY!

Due to what we're going to call "technical difficulties," no trees were climbed yesterday. At least not by this blogger. But don't worry! We will find a way! This likely just means that the schedule will be thrown off, and 3 adventures will take place next week, rather than 2.

In other news:

• Praying for the Kennedy family, and the nation without the Senator's leadership.
• Hope all the non-alum Dukies had an awesome FWOC (first week of classes).
• Congrats to various alums starting various things recently (internships, jobs, teaching careers, grad and professional schools and the like)! We are SO impressive!
• And on that note:

I am officially a Research and Training Fellow at the Young Women's Project! Score!

 K. That's all. There are indeed pictures from the first adventure. And I will post them this weekend. Promise.

First adventure complete!

Get excited guys! It really happened! What, you ask? Shame on you for not keeping up! I have completed my first adventure.

I bought myself flowers, and they are lovely. Pictures to come, and tree climbing in less than 24 hours!

:)

Updates on the first week of adventures!

Tomorrow, I shall have my first adventure! I am going to a flower shop, to choose my favorite flower! Previously, I'd decided on gladiolas, but it was pretty arbitrary. I liked the name of them... Mostly the way it felt to say it. It sounded like a very sophisticated thing to have as one's favorite flower... But, it seems like there are better ways to choose this, like actually seeing and smelling the plants in person. So, off I go!

I know some of you are wondering,

"Did flowers suddenly become trees, and no one told me?"

Fear not. You have not missed any memos. I'm climbing a tree (assuming I can find one, which may prove to be an adventure of its own) on Thursday. This is just easier, and I don't need assistance.

So, look forward to pictures of the flower expedition! Get exciiiited!

Meanwhile, if anyone happens to know where to find a good Magnolia tree in DC, feel free to drop a line. Kthanks.

We have a winner!

Happy Monday Blogosphere!

Apparently, I am climbing a tree within the next 7 days. I think I'm excited about it, but have to wonder if some of the votes weren't a teensy bit sadistic... If so, shame on y'all.

No matter though, I have a helper and so it will be done. Tree day has been set for Thursday after work. Location to be determined, since I haven't been looking for climbable trees.

I've promised to make these adventures documented, so I guess this will be captured on film... [Insert more apprehension here.] This is definitely going to be an adventure.

Also, I have to come up with 1 more for the week. I'm thinking it will be a bit more chill, but I'll keep you posted!

It begins...

I think I'm serious about this adventure thing... I have brainstormed some ideas, and am finding assistants to help get things done. Thus far, I have one person who's interested enough to comment (shout outs to Rosalia), and another who has volunteered to participate in said adventures.

So, in the spirit of interactivity, I have put up a poll. YOU, whoever you are, get to pic my first adventure! Yes, these are all rather small things, but I gotta start somewhere. They all require little or no planning, and could feasibly be done next week.

The candidates:

• Brussel sprouts- I've never had them. Basically I decided not to like them the way many little kids decide not to like things- it was green. But, since I'm now friends with broccoli, it seems like I could perhaps get down with the sprouts.
• Climb a tree- No, I never learned as a child. I wanted to, but was not much of an outdoorsy girl, and since trees don't grow inside of suburban homes... Yea. This seems like something one should do at some point in their life. Yes, I'm late, but who cares? No time like the present!
  
• Red lipstick- There's sposed to be a shade out there for everyone, right? The closest I've ever come was bright pink, which I used to LOVE in my theater days. (Not necessarily saying this was always a good choice.) Now that was bold, but still, pink is not red. I'm wondering if I can pull this off.
• Cartwheel- For an explanation, see climbing a tree above. Except, add a bit more embarassment because this just seems like a basic skill.

So yea, if at least 10 people vote, I'll let you all choose my adventure. If not, I'm doing what I darn well please.

(Note: all of these are on the list, and therefore likely to be done within the year. It's just a matter of when!)

A plan takes shape

Over the weekend, I saw the movie Julie and Julia. I loved the food, and the romance of it all, and Meryl Streep and Amy Adams, but something in particular inspired me about it. The idea that writing and having a blog to hold her accountable basically changed Julie's life.

Not that my life needs a total overhaul, but, I admit I find myself a bit dull. So, I'm going to take the fledgling thoughts of my last post, and make it bigger. In the next year, starting next week, I am going to get a life, and I'm gonna tell you all (yep, all 3 of you, lol) about it.

Here's the plan:

1. I'm giving myself a year deadline. This is partly a rip-off of the movie, and partly just a logical timeline. It makes sense to have a life a little over a year after graduation, and it seems like enough time to become a genuinely interesting person.
2. Every week, I'm going to have 2 adventures of some sort. Now, some of these will be small adventures, like eating a new kind of food, and others will be much bigger, like the modern dance class I am signing up for. The criteria is just that it be something that could potentially enrich my existence, and that it be something that's out of the ordinary for me.
3. I will blog about it. This guarantees at least 2 posts a week, but seems like it would necessitate more to describe prep, any after effects, etc.
   

Well my faithful readers, let me know if you have any thoughts on this. Between now and Sunday the plan is to come up with at least a preliminary list of the things I'll want to do. I'm thinking it should be a lot of fun. I'm also contemplating ways to make it interactive if I discover that anyone anywhere is paying attention. And, worst case scenario, I'm okay with quiet improvements to my life.

In summary:

1. Love Meryl Streep.
2. I intend to accomplish 104 things in 52 days.
3. Hopefully this will super fun, and not super lame.
4. Please leave questions, comments, advice and ideas!

Oh, and here's a trailer for the movie that's inspired this journey. I thought it was adorable and definitely recommend it, especially for lovers of chick flicks and/or food (the general population, no?).

Gotta go get me a life...

It is hot. I am overwhelmed by said heat, and must comment on it.
Now that that's over, on to more navel gazing subjects.

So, the summer after college is coming to an end, and I have come to some realizations. First, the good news:

1. The economy did not destroy my life. I actually have a job that I <3
2. Living at home as an "adult" is not a bad experience, and for the moment I'm quite alright with it.
3. DC is a pretty great city. There's lots to do and see, and the people on the metro are endlessly fascinating.
4. I tend to have more than enough money to do at least most of what I want, possibly due to the cheapness of residing at home.
5. I am generally happy and fulfilled. Yay!

Now, the not so great news:

1. Said job is very demanding, and kinda stressful. This stress must be relieved.
2. Said home is kinda far from life, and requires a commute to most things.
3. I should probably interact regularly with people who are not from home or job, or anonymous folks on the metro.
4. Commuting eats up more of that money than I would prefer.
5. Happiness and fulfillment would probably increase if I got out and did more things.

The solution I propose is that I get a life. I know, obvious right? Oh, and that I save up money for the next year or so to potentially buy a condo much closer to, if not directly in, the city. But back to this life thing.

How do you socialize yourself into adulthood, without friends from state school? I of course have my Dukies in DC, and a few other promising fronts, but as far as being an active and contributing member of the world, I need a bit of work. So, I'm contemplating a few things:

1. Take a fun, random class- dancing, cooking and learning a language come to mind.
2. Volunteer- dunno doing what, or when I'd have time, but it's on the list
3. Start singing or performing again
   
4. Join a church (this may help with numbers 2 and 3 actually)
5. Schedule 2 friend dates per week

So, we'll see what comes of this, and how it all works out. But, now that these things are in writing I will hopefully be more committed to taking action. And the good news for the 2.5 people who read this thing is- it will give me more to write about!

Shout outs!

There have been requests for shoutouts, and I am quite willing to make a shameless plug and bring in some traffic to the blog, because I'm a member of Generation Y and we like attention.

Dear ladies of Duke in DC: thanks for a wonderful Thursday. Forever.Duke.
Dear Abbigator: Told ya, this is just for you!
While I'm shouting out Dukies: Hi Topeka! (You better read this miss. And let me know when you do.)

Okay, that's about it for that.

In other news, it is Saturday and I'm being kinda lame and have no further plans than the cleaning I already completed. This whole work life balance thing is a bit difficult... It seems I have an on and off switch and need to purchase some dimmers. I've decided to flip the work switch on since I got this super great job, and doing all that work makes me very tired come weekends or week nights. Generally, I can make it out in the world for about 1 activity a week (sometimes admittedly less). If there are suggestions for balancing a 45 hour work week, and being a healthy, social 20 something, while still saving money to move out within a couple years and own, not rent, I'd love to hear them.

Til then, I think I'll take a nap.