DC for Dummies

A friend of mine, who also just moved from the OC, posted this recently. I thought it was great... explains the joys of DC. You should laugh with me as your read them. And yes, I have become a DC snob because if you block my way on the metro or take more than 2 seconds getting through the metro terminal, i will pretty much run in to you. not on purpose... it just happens.

DC for Dummies

Following you will find a list of the things I have discovered/learned since I graduated and moved to the District. And in case anyone is curious, they are in no particular order.
1. When it's 115 degrees outside it is pointless to shower or apply makeup.
2. Unless you want to become the living scum of the Metro system, never stand on the left side of the escalator. If you are not walking on the left side, every DC snob who is attempting to get to work/school/the office will be muttering about the tourist/out of towner under their breath who has just managed to prolong their entrance to the office by another ten seconds.
3. Once you have learned to ALWAYS walk on the left side of the escalator, you can begin to identify yourself as a DC Snob. This means that you know your way around every traffic circle/roundabout, can point wayward tourists in the right direction (usually toward the Washington Monument), and can differentiate between Marine 1 and the decoys when the president is leaving the White House.
4. Never go to Georgetown without looking like you at least tried to look presentable when you climbed out of bed that morning.
5. Anacostia is not someplace you want to go after dark.
6. Capitol Hill is a small world. You would be surprised how many people you know who know someone else you know and somehow you all happen to end up at the same happy hour on Thursday night.
7. Seer sucker is definitely in vogue. Whether you're a skinny, stylish blonde or an overweight gent, make sure you own at least one piece of seer sucker attire if for no other reason than the fact that you will put it to good use when "Seer Sucker Thursday" rolls around every June.
8. There are approximately four 1st Streets in this city and none of them are connected to each other. In fact, it is entirely probable that 1st Street NW doesn't even run in a consecutive line. Chances are you will travel west on 1st Street NW and without explanation find yourself on D Street NW traveling south. Blame Pierre L'Enfant. Although the city was designed to halt retreating armies, it has done nothing but hasten the retreat of locals who want nothing more than to live on the other side of the river in Virginia, or at least in a location where there are no one way streets or round-abouts.
9. Fast food? What's that? Wendy's, you say? I've never heard of it. Yeah, that's right; around here a $9 salad from Corner Bakery or a $7 dollar vegetarian wrap from Au Bon Pain counts as fast food. If you love your Wendy's or Taco Bell, I would recommend against living inside the Beltway.
10. If you plan on going out at night, leave your purse, cell phone, iPod, and debit card at home. Carry only the essentials. We're in the middle of a "crime emergency," in case you hadn't heard people and carrying any of the above makes you look almost as appealing to a thug as a box of donuts does to someone on the first phase of the Atkins Diet. Be smart.

So this is life now...

well, prior to when reality hits and we start work/school. Hah.

That's the Capitol behind us:




This will be my new home Metro stop. I shall frequent this lovely place, but most likely I will rarely take the time to notice it. I will be rushing to and from work, to and from church, to and from life... oh wait... i have no life here. :)

Professional?

In one week today, I will begin the life of a "professional" - whatever that means. I have accepted a position at the Airport Consultants Council. While everyone is going back to school, I will not be; instead, I will be working. Every summer I have ever known has always ended with the fall semester coming, but now, it ends with a job. A job that will not stop next May for summer recess. In my career-focused life, I have always dreamed of the day when school would stop and the career would start, but now that it is here, I don't know what to think. I don't know what to do.

I'm excited to begin, but scared of disappointment, failure, and mundane life. I'm scared it will change who I am, or even worse, become who am I. I will give it a 100%, but my goal is for it not to control me, rule me, or give me worth. Just as I was not defined by my grades in school, I will not be defined by my job failures or successes. (yes, this is me reassuring myself of this and trying to convince myself of these "truths.")

To all of this, I say, "Cheers to life. Cheers to dreams that come alive. Cheers to the dreams that crumple."

The Return of the Prodigal Son

This weekend I read Henri Nouwen's The Return of the Prodigal Son, a review on Rembrandt's painting.

He writes:
"To whom do I belong? To God or to the world? Many of my daily preoccupations suggest that I belong more to the world than to God. A little criticism makes me angry, and a little rejection makes me depressed. A little praise raises my spirits, and a little success excites me. It takes very little to raise me up or thrust me down. Often I am like a small boat on the ocean, completely at the mercy of its waves. All the time and energy I spend inkeeping some kind of balance and preventing myself from being tipped over and drowning shows that my life is mostly a struggle for survival: not a holy struggle, but an anxious struggle resulting from the mistaken idea that it is the world that defines me.

As long as I keep running about asking: "Do you love me? Do you really love me?" I give all power to the voices of the world and put myself in bondage because the world is filled with "ifs." The world says: "Yes, I love you if you are good-looking, intelligents and wealthy. I love you if you have a good education, a good job, and good connections. I love you if produce much, sell much, and buy much." There are endless "ifs" hidden in the world's love. These "ifs" enslave me, since it is impossible to respond adequately to all of them. The world's love is and always will be conditional. As long as I keep looking for my true self in the world of conditional love, I will remain "hooked" to the world--trying, failing, and trying again. It is a world that fosters addictions because what it offers cannot satisfy the deepest craving of my heart."

I have often compared myself to both of the sons in the parable of the prodigal. Growing up and remaining for the most part in the Church, I have related frequently to the angry and self-righteous elder son. Nouwen pointed out the Father's longing for both sons to join the party and celebrate. Ultimately, however, Nouwen challenges that we are to become like the Father. We can easily identify with the sons, for they are broken and full of humanity's problems; but the call is for us to grow to become the Father with compassionate hands welcoming home each person.

a week?

In some ways, I feel I have been in DC a month now and that this time is now well into beginning. In other ways, I wonder if I have not only been in this city for a few hours. According to our calender of time, a week has passed since I first arrived into Regean Airport. My plane flew over the Pentagon and I saw a glimpse of the city that is now home.

While nothing is for certain (but then again, it never is), but the job and apartment search may be over. We may well be settled into this new ideal of a life. Genae and I have gone everywhere in this city during this last week, we have seen, tasted and smelled only a fraction of what it has to offer. At times, we want to runaway and never look back. Yet something calls us back. Something pulls us nearer. We never wanted to be trapped. We dreamed of this from years ago. It's harder than we could have ever imagined, yet its better than we could have dreamed. Oh yes, this is my melodramatic stage of thinking. Feel free to laugh at me and even mock me... it's far more honest at times.

Back in the big city...

I made it. I actually did it. Genae and I have begun our life transitions to this new place - Washington, DC. The nation's Capitol. What is it going to look like? What do our lives mean and involve here?

I arrived here on Thursday to housesit for a professor of mine. Genae arrived yesterday. Shock and sadness began to set in as we realized we had left the lives we loved behind and started out on a new journey. We are excited, but why did we leave our friends (our families) behind? I spent the last four years adjusting to California... but now, that's gone. No, actually, it's not gone... it's just time for the next stage.

It's exciting to be here, but so much is unknown. We looked at our first apartment today and fell in love with it, so we've already applied for it. We'll find out Monday probably if we got it. Job searching. Apartment searching. Church searching. Life searching. This is now. Not in the future, as it has been for so long. Here we go...

Relaxing. Chilling. Loving. Living.... at Emerald Bay

Six days at Emerald Bay is rather stressful, well... if you consider being in the most gorgeous areas of the world with lots of toys, food, and family around you stress.... so maybe it was just amazing.

here's a quick recap of it.

we learned how to caddie a golf game on the way up to Tahoe and then we played Camp Golf. hmm... who ever let Chrystal hit a golf ball, oh wait... it took her 8 tries to hit the ball. Those balls are damn small.
Is there really fish in this lake?



Our... umm... golf coach?
Wait... Chrystal is driving a boat... this is probably quite frightening... but where's Cari... oh yes, on the bow.... hmm...



Lots of giant trees.


The family working hard on a portion of the floatzilla... meet Big Mable.

The waterfalls... beautiful.

Oh my... it was TRUE... Randy did catch a fish! Here's proof...
ok, so maybe it was just a pissant.