Saturday, December 6, 2008
My New Favorite Place
In the National Gallery of Art building, in the concourse between the East and West buildings, there is a new light installation that I have fallen in love with. This project was designed by Leo Villareal and has 40,000 LED nodes. The lights "move" in random patterns. The randomness is the best part. Sometimes it's really dark with a few lights twinkling and you feel like you're watching a night sky out in the country; other times all the lights are on at full capacity and you're walking through a tunnel of bright light like in a futuristic sci-fi movie; other times the lights create a wave illusion that sweeps over you. I stayed there for the longest time just watching all the different light patterns. It was so beautiful.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Maryland
In my quest to lean more about the state, I figured I would write an entry on information I have gathered about Maryland. This search worked out perfectly for me because I really love state trivia. One of my favorite books is State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America. Each state is taken on by a different writer (usually, but not always the case, the writer lived in that state). It has a really impressive list of writers (including Sarah Vowell, John Hodgman, Dave Eggers, David Rakoff, Myla Goldberg, Susan Orlean, Jonathan Franzen, S.E. Hinton, Jhumpa Lahiri...). And I just loved that book. It was so great hearing about states' little quirks, trivia, history, and what that state means to the writer. And you learn so much about regional differences within the state that you didn't realize. It's great. Furthermore, this past weekend the history channel had a marathon of programs called "The States", where in each series they looked at 5 states. It was another perfect opportunity to hear interesting trivia and history about the states. I couldn't get enough!
Maryland has 8 U.S. representatives (which translates into 10 electoral college votes). Maryland is pretty much a Democratic (with a capital D) state. Democrats have largely controlled politics in the state for many, many years. That's because the most populous areas are the liberal ones. As a result, Baltimore, Montgomery County, and Prince George's County often decide statewide elections. Both senators are Democrats, the governor is a Democrat, and six of the eight U.S. representative are Democrats. In 1980, it was one of just six states to vote for Jimmy Carter. Maryland is often among the Democratic candidates' best states. In 1992, Bill Clinton fared better in Maryland than any other state except his home state of Arkansas. In 1996, Maryland was Clinton's 6th best, in 2000 Maryland ranked 4th for Gore and in 2004 John Kerry showed his 5th best performance in Maryland. Barack Obama won Maryland by a margin of 23 percentage points with 61.4% of the vote.
Seafood is really huge here. Especially crabs (and especially crab cakes). There's even a picture of a crab on the state drivers' licenses. I heard that in the 1940s, crabs were so plentiful that bars in Baltimore offered them for free. One important staple of Maryland cuisine, and a Maryland icon, is Old Bay Seasoning (known for its yellow can) 
Assateague Island (about 3 hours from here) has herds of wild horses. 
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Maryland has the highest median household income of any state at $68,000 in 2007.
Maryland has two professional sports teams: The Baltimore Ravens (NFL) and the Baltimore Orioles (MLB). Though my "loyalties" (that just started) are for DC teams. Though I live in Maryland, I live in the D.C. metro area. I'm about 30 minutes from Baltimore and 5 minutes from D.C. I can't go against the "home" team. In fact, I watched, with disappointment, the Redskins-Cowboys game. They are long-time rivals and the Cowboys won (despite the Redskins starting out stronger). It's still so weird watching Chris Cooley play for the Redskins (Chris Cooley is from Logan High School and Utah State University. His mom was even one of my high school teachers.) 
Maryland has a lot of famous residents. Too many to name, in fact. Some notables include Frederick Douglass, Thurgood Marshall, Nancy Pelosi, Upton Sinclair, Babe Ruth, Billie Holiday, Ira Glass, Spike Jonze, Frank Zappa, Lisa Loeb, Tori Amos, John Waters, Michael Phelps, Cal Ripken Jr, and David Hasselhoff. Edgar Allan Poe was not born in Maryland, but he lived here. He married his 13 year old cousin here, died here, and is buried here. Lewis Black and Ben Stein actually grew up in Silver Spring. Furthermore, Goldie Hawn, Connie Chung, and journalist Carl Bernstein went to the local high school here in Silver Spring. Sylvester Stallone also attended law school in Silver Spring for a semester.
Finally, the state sport is jousting.
So without further ado, I present you Maryland:
Capital: Annapolis (where the Naval Academy is)
Entered Union: 1788 (7th)
Nickname: Free State or Old Line State
State Bird: Baltimore Oriole
State Flower: Black-eyed Susan
State Tree: White Oak
State Song: "Maryland! My Maryland!"
Largest City: Baltimore (I hear Silver Spring is the second most populous)
Population: 5.6 Million. Ranked 19th in the U.S. (which makes sense that our Maryland license plate has 7 letters/numbers. The state has run out of letter/number combinations for 6 character license plates. The "old" license plates had 3 characters on one side, the seal of the state in the middle, and then three more characters on the other side. 
Elevation: Lowest point, sea level (0 ft) at the Atlantic Ocean. Highest point is Hoye Crest at 3,360 ft (Toto, I don't think we're in the West anymore...).
Maryland is considered part of the "mid-Atlantic" region (between the South and New England). It borders Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington D.C. to the south and the west; Pennsylvania to the north; and Delaware to the east.
Maryland has a very distinct shape (it's not as easy to draw as, say, Utah, Wyoming, or Colorado) and the Chesapeake Bay nearly bisects the state. .......
We live in Montgomery county. You see that almost diamond shape chunk taken out of Montgomery and Prince George's county? That's DC. That land was originally part of Maryland. We live at the top point of the diamond.
It's history as a border state had led Maryland to exhibit both Northern and Southern culture/characteristics. It borders Pennsylvania and Delaware (Northern states) and West Virginia and Virginia (Southern states -- well, excluding northern Virginia, which is not part of "real" Virginia, according to some people, including a McCain adviser). Maryland is actually south of the Mason-Dixon line (the Mason-Dixon line makes up the northern border of Maryland). And people have popularly considered the Mason-Dixon line as the line that separates the North and the South -- but that's not what the real purpose of the line is.
Maryland's history also exhibits both Southern and Northern elements. Maryland was part of the Chesapeake Colonies and grew tobacco and relied on slave labor. But Maryland fought for the Union during the Civil War. But they had southern sympathizers, including Marylander John Wilkes Booth (who assassinated Abraham Lincoln). In fact, the state song "Maryland! My Maryland!" (to the tune of "O Christmas Tree") was written in 1861 by a southern sympathizer. The lyrics express hatred towards Abraham Lincoln and a call to join the Confederacy. Here are some lyrics "The despot's heel is on thy shore, Maryland! My Maryland. His torch is at the temple door, Maryland! My Maryland...She is not dead, nor deaf, nor dumb - Huzza! She spurns the Northern scum! She breaths! She burns! She'll come! She'll come! Maryland! My Maryland!" There has been an effort to change the state song, but as of yet it still is the same.
Generally, the Western (Appalachia), Southern, and Eastern Shore regions of Maryland (which tend to be more rural) reflect Southern culture (including speaking in southern accents). And densely-populated central Maryland (where we live) exhibits characteristics of the Northeast.
As Myla Goldberg wrote:
"Picturing Maryland as a gun pointing west, I lived in the suburban portion of its trigger, along with most of the state's population. This area lies sandwiched between the rural areas that form Maryland's barrel and handle. The result is our national red-state/blue-state division writ in miniature. Montgomery County recently approved a school sex-ed curriculum that includes homosexuality, while forty miles north of Baltimore, Cecil County parents recently protested the adoption of a biology textbook that didn't include creationism. Someone driving north from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia on Interstate 95 will traverse these cultural poles in about ninety minutes"
.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Out With the Old, In With the New
I got my Maryland driver's license today. Up to this point in time, I've only ever had a Utah driver's license. The same driver's license I got on my 16th birthday. It was one of those old school licenses with an actual picture laminated on a card. I felt a certain sadness when I had to give up my Utah license in place of a Maryland one. I kind of felt like I was selling away my loyalty to the state I grew up in. I felt I was losing a token of my youth. And as I'm a big "keepsake" person, I was sad to lose my license. My Utah license had the picture of my sixteen year old self, excited to finally be able to drive my friends around in the family mini-van and to have the "independence" -- or the closest thing to independence for a teenager of sixteen -- that comes with having a driver's license. That license also had my sixteen year old signature, which is not the same signature I have now. My sixteen year old signature was pretty much my name in cursive. Now my signature is quick, less legible. The former was naive, the latter was embittered by the world. Kidding.
And now I have one of those digital driver's license. Where the picture isn't as clear or crisp as an actual photograph. Where the signature appears on your card as a result of writing your signature on a computer screen (which never turns out the way your signature really is). Where holograms cover the license. And the girl in the picture is older than she was in the previous license. It doesn't seem like my license.
It also doesn't seem like my license because I don't feel like a Marylander yet. I love it here and I'm really excited to live here, but it's still so new. I get a weird feeling of homesickness when I look down at my license and it no longer says Utah. Instead it says Maryland and there's an outline of a state I don't know too much about. I don't know the state tree (nor did I play the part of the state tree in an elementary school play), the state song, the state flower, the state bird, the name of all the counties (thanks to a song), the history of the state... And that's not to say these are important facts or even that most people in Maryland know this stuff anyway. I know it's trivial stuff. My point is just that I did know this stuff with Utah. I had a history with Utah. Moving to a new place requires that building up of local knowledge and familiarity. And that process can be very exciting and adventurous and I do enjoy it, but it just takes time. So it doesn't quite seem real yet that I have a Maryland driver's license, a Maryland address, that I'm registered to vote in Maryland. And that, all in all, I have a new home.
And now I have one of those digital driver's license. Where the picture isn't as clear or crisp as an actual photograph. Where the signature appears on your card as a result of writing your signature on a computer screen (which never turns out the way your signature really is). Where holograms cover the license. And the girl in the picture is older than she was in the previous license. It doesn't seem like my license.
It also doesn't seem like my license because I don't feel like a Marylander yet. I love it here and I'm really excited to live here, but it's still so new. I get a weird feeling of homesickness when I look down at my license and it no longer says Utah. Instead it says Maryland and there's an outline of a state I don't know too much about. I don't know the state tree (nor did I play the part of the state tree in an elementary school play), the state song, the state flower, the state bird, the name of all the counties (thanks to a song), the history of the state... And that's not to say these are important facts or even that most people in Maryland know this stuff anyway. I know it's trivial stuff. My point is just that I did know this stuff with Utah. I had a history with Utah. Moving to a new place requires that building up of local knowledge and familiarity. And that process can be very exciting and adventurous and I do enjoy it, but it just takes time. So it doesn't quite seem real yet that I have a Maryland driver's license, a Maryland address, that I'm registered to vote in Maryland. And that, all in all, I have a new home.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Silver Spring
There's a perfect balance where we live. South of our apartment is the urban, downtown area with all the shops and restaurants. North of our apartment is a residential area with lots of homes, parks, and open space.
The view to the west
The residential area northeast of our apartment. Walking around the neighborhood reminded me of North Haven
Sligo Creek Park. Two blocks north of our apartment
Cityplace at Silver Spring. 1 block south of our apartment. On the weekend, they shut down Ellsworth drive to cars for 3 blocks so that people can walk around the shops/restaurants freely. On Saturday mornings they have a farmer's market here
Thursday, November 6, 2008
And Now When the Rain Comes We Can Be Thankful
How amazing was Tuesday night? It's so amazing to think I was part of the election that resulted in the first African-American president of the United States. What a historical moment. Tuesday night was filled with cheering, dancing, and crying (good crying. "I'm so completely moved" crying. Especially during Obama's speech).
Yesterday at the grocery store I saw a huge line-up of people by the customer service desk. I was confused what the line was for -- because no one was going up to the service desk, they were just standing by the service desk. When I checked out, the cashier asked if I was waiting for a newspaper. I said, confused, no. Then it clicked. I asked if the line was waiting for newspapers. She said they were, that they had run of newspapers and they were waiting for the Washington Post guy to bring over some more. It was such an historic day that everyone wanted newspapers to commemorate this day. Amazing.
Yesterday at the grocery store I saw a huge line-up of people by the customer service desk. I was confused what the line was for -- because no one was going up to the service desk, they were just standing by the service desk. When I checked out, the cashier asked if I was waiting for a newspaper. I said, confused, no. Then it clicked. I asked if the line was waiting for newspapers. She said they were, that they had run of newspapers and they were waiting for the Washington Post guy to bring over some more. It was such an historic day that everyone wanted newspapers to commemorate this day. Amazing.
I was thinking today of all that we have seen in the past couple of months. We left Vancouver in August and since then we have driven through Washington, Oregon, Idaho. Visited California. Then drove through Idaho, Montana, North Dakota (and visited Fargo), Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
Since being here we have explored areas in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. We have explored different neighborhoods in D.C. and the various surrounding cities in the D.C. metro area (e.g., Greenbelt, MD; Silver Spring, MD; College Park, MD; Chevy Chase, MD; Arlington, VA; Alexandria, VA.) We also took a day trip out to Annapolis, Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay.
In D.C. we have visited many monuments, museums, and galleries. We have found lots of good shopping and good restaurants. We have taken advantage of the many free events that happen in D.C. And even still, I feel that it would be impossible to see everything this place has to offer.
And after all this traveling, we have finally found a place to unpack our suitcases and call home. Or learn to call home. It always takes time, right? Regardless, we now are Marylanders. We live in Silver Spring, Maryland -- which is just north of the D.C. border. We live by the top point of the diamond that is D.C.
We love our apartment and the area (downtown Silver Spring). Our apartment has hardwood floors, big windows, a big kitchen, and lots of closet space. The apartment complex has a pool and a fitness center. We're about three blocks from the metro station. We live next door to the library and a park. We're just two blocks away from several restaurants/eateries and shops (e.g., Pier 1, DWS shoes, Marshall's, Nine West, New York and Company). It seems like for every style of food, there's a restaurant/eatery within two blocks of our apartment. Whether we want Lebanese or Chik-Fil-A, Thai or Noodles & Company, pizza or burgers, Moroccan or Mexican -- it's all here. There's even a cupcake shop called Cake Love -- you can't go wrong with that. We're also two blocks away from a Borders and two movie theatres. One of the theatres is an American Film Institute theatre that plays independent movies, old movies, and film festivals. It's a really great neighborhood.
Since being here we have explored areas in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. We have explored different neighborhoods in D.C. and the various surrounding cities in the D.C. metro area (e.g., Greenbelt, MD; Silver Spring, MD; College Park, MD; Chevy Chase, MD; Arlington, VA; Alexandria, VA.) We also took a day trip out to Annapolis, Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay.
In D.C. we have visited many monuments, museums, and galleries. We have found lots of good shopping and good restaurants. We have taken advantage of the many free events that happen in D.C. And even still, I feel that it would be impossible to see everything this place has to offer.
And after all this traveling, we have finally found a place to unpack our suitcases and call home. Or learn to call home. It always takes time, right? Regardless, we now are Marylanders. We live in Silver Spring, Maryland -- which is just north of the D.C. border. We live by the top point of the diamond that is D.C.
We love our apartment and the area (downtown Silver Spring). Our apartment has hardwood floors, big windows, a big kitchen, and lots of closet space. The apartment complex has a pool and a fitness center. We're about three blocks from the metro station. We live next door to the library and a park. We're just two blocks away from several restaurants/eateries and shops (e.g., Pier 1, DWS shoes, Marshall's, Nine West, New York and Company). It seems like for every style of food, there's a restaurant/eatery within two blocks of our apartment. Whether we want Lebanese or Chik-Fil-A, Thai or Noodles & Company, pizza or burgers, Moroccan or Mexican -- it's all here. There's even a cupcake shop called Cake Love -- you can't go wrong with that. We're also two blocks away from a Borders and two movie theatres. One of the theatres is an American Film Institute theatre that plays independent movies, old movies, and film festivals. It's a really great neighborhood.
Some more good news, Eagan got a job at the Government Accountability Office as a health care analyst. The office he's working for researches health care issues, suggests policy to congress, and evaluates congressional policies. Eagan's really excited and it's a great fit for him.
And I'm still looking. The job process takes a long time here (the period in between applying and interviewing takes forever), so things move slowly. But hopefully soon enough I'll get a job. I was already offered a research position at a research firm, but it wasn't a great fit for me and I don't feel I'm in a place where I need to settle for something that isn't right for me.
And I'm still looking. The job process takes a long time here (the period in between applying and interviewing takes forever), so things move slowly. But hopefully soon enough I'll get a job. I was already offered a research position at a research firm, but it wasn't a great fit for me and I don't feel I'm in a place where I need to settle for something that isn't right for me.
Living in D.C., you have to take advantage of all the free events that go on. Eagan and I have gone to two really great book readings so far. The first was Sarah Vowell discussing her latest book The Wordy Shipmates. She is just as nerdy in person as I was hoping. And just as sarcastic. It was great.
After her book reading we got to chat with her a little bit. We expressed our love for her past works and talked with her about Montana/Bozeman (she lived in Bozeman, where Eagan grew up). She seemed really glad to talk about Montana, the way people are glad to talk about places they've called home with others that know exactly what they're talking about
The second reading was John Hodgman discussing his latest book More Information Than You Require. You probably know who John Hodgman is whether you realize it or not. He's the PC guy (that kind of looks like Bill Gates) in those Mac ads. He's also on the Daily Show. He was so amazingly hilarious. He read from his book, but he also just told a bunch of random, funny stories. He talked about being a "famous minor TV personality". He said now he's rich enough to buy a tux. He said most of us common folk have to rent a tux, but he owns a tux. He said this is in direct contrast to when he was just a lowly book agent and he had to rent regular pants because he couldn't afford clothes. And he just ate Ramen -- but he couldn't afford water so he just ate the noodle cake and snorted the powder.
We also got to chat with John Hodgman for a little bit after his book reading. And on top of being hilarious, he's a really, really nice guy. I don't even remember how it came up, but we started talking about Simon Fraser University and how excited he was that Battlestar Gallactica was filmed there. How many people have that trivia floating around in their head? Needless to say, I developed a mild crush on him after that night (and not because of his love of Battlestar Gallactica).
Walking down the street, a black homeless man said to me aghast, "What, do you have no melanin?!?" I have to say I was quite impressed with his technical vocabulary, but, really, I would have accepted a "Damn, girl, you pale." He didn't need to try and impress me like that...
I will conclude with these...in case you have forgotten what we look like since the last time you saw us:
Saturday, October 4, 2008
An Introduction to D.C.
We have arrived in our nation's capital. The compromise built on a swamp. The district, not state, that has one representative who cannot vote and no senators. Residents weren't allowed to vote for the president until 1961. "Taxation Without Representation" decries D.C. license plates.
Politics are abuzz, as they should be. Political commercials are aired. Full newspaper pages are dedicated to politics. Protests of any size, subject, or nature are staged. Politicians are the celebrities here. There's such excitement during an election year -- though I imagine it never really dissipates. Politics is a beast that never sleeps.
The city, it bustles. And the metro train, it whistles while it carries its patrons home. The rock and hum of the train soothes me as every Best Song to Listen to on a Train randomly comes up on my ipod. Random acts of kindness humble me and overheard conversations entertain me. And I'm breathless when the train goes over the Potomac River.
It's beautiful to peek out at the city through the Grecian-style columns of what seems like ancient buildings. The capitol. The supreme court. The library of congress. Etc.
The city brings people from all over. Very few people that are in D.C. actually grew up here. A city of transplants and visitors. All the different languages you hear on the street meld together like instruments in a symphony.
So much to do and see. A National Book Festival and an economic bail-out protest going on at the same time -- just a reflecting pool separating them. The possibilities of things to do and see are endless. Perhaps a garden of sculptures and installations to stroll through -- particularly intriguing is the Lichtenstein optical illusion.
Perhaps a gallery full of paintbrush strokes from the likes of Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Degas, Gauguin -- they beg for you to get up close and really look; taunting you to touch the ridges, the texture, the oil, the colors.
Perhaps the cobblestone streets of Old Town Alexandria with the quaint little shops, galleries, cafes, and restaurants with perfect little awnings to tuck yourself under, away from the rain. Past the dog-friendly shops, down by the water there is an old torpedo factory that has been converted into art studios/galleries for local artists. These artists produce their pieces of art in the same space weapons of war were produced.
Perhaps a sporting event or two. D.C. is one of the few cities with five professional sports teams. They have an NFL team (Washington Redskins), NBA team (Washington Wizards), NHL team (Washington Capitals), MLB team (Washington Nationals), and MLS team (DC United). On game days, the metro is full of fans wearing their team's colors.
The humidity hasn't been too bad. Most days it feels quite nice. Only one day thus far did it feel really muggy. But that humidity brings gorgeous thunder storms. A storm the other night lasted over 2 hours. I cannot complain there.
The job search is underway as we take advantage of our free month here. Hopefully only good things come out of the job/apartment search. If not, I suppose we'll join the ranks of those with Master's and PhDs that are working at FedEx-Kinkos and on road work crews. Kidding.
It's hard to feel settled right now. We can feel acquainted, but not settled. This is a result of being in D.C., but not in the place where we're going to end up. Where will our apartment be? What will be our neighborhood? What will be our grocery store? What will be our metro stop? We can get familiar with the city in general, but it's not quite yet our city. That will come with "permanent" residence. Despite that, I'm loving it here and I'm really happy to be here.
Politics are abuzz, as they should be. Political commercials are aired. Full newspaper pages are dedicated to politics. Protests of any size, subject, or nature are staged. Politicians are the celebrities here. There's such excitement during an election year -- though I imagine it never really dissipates. Politics is a beast that never sleeps.
The city, it bustles. And the metro train, it whistles while it carries its patrons home. The rock and hum of the train soothes me as every Best Song to Listen to on a Train randomly comes up on my ipod. Random acts of kindness humble me and overheard conversations entertain me. And I'm breathless when the train goes over the Potomac River.
It's beautiful to peek out at the city through the Grecian-style columns of what seems like ancient buildings. The capitol. The supreme court. The library of congress. Etc.
The city brings people from all over. Very few people that are in D.C. actually grew up here. A city of transplants and visitors. All the different languages you hear on the street meld together like instruments in a symphony.
So much to do and see. A National Book Festival and an economic bail-out protest going on at the same time -- just a reflecting pool separating them. The possibilities of things to do and see are endless. Perhaps a garden of sculptures and installations to stroll through -- particularly intriguing is the Lichtenstein optical illusion.
Perhaps a gallery full of paintbrush strokes from the likes of Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Degas, Gauguin -- they beg for you to get up close and really look; taunting you to touch the ridges, the texture, the oil, the colors.
Perhaps the cobblestone streets of Old Town Alexandria with the quaint little shops, galleries, cafes, and restaurants with perfect little awnings to tuck yourself under, away from the rain. Past the dog-friendly shops, down by the water there is an old torpedo factory that has been converted into art studios/galleries for local artists. These artists produce their pieces of art in the same space weapons of war were produced.
Perhaps a sporting event or two. D.C. is one of the few cities with five professional sports teams. They have an NFL team (Washington Redskins), NBA team (Washington Wizards), NHL team (Washington Capitals), MLB team (Washington Nationals), and MLS team (DC United). On game days, the metro is full of fans wearing their team's colors.
The humidity hasn't been too bad. Most days it feels quite nice. Only one day thus far did it feel really muggy. But that humidity brings gorgeous thunder storms. A storm the other night lasted over 2 hours. I cannot complain there.
The job search is underway as we take advantage of our free month here. Hopefully only good things come out of the job/apartment search. If not, I suppose we'll join the ranks of those with Master's and PhDs that are working at FedEx-Kinkos and on road work crews. Kidding.
It's hard to feel settled right now. We can feel acquainted, but not settled. This is a result of being in D.C., but not in the place where we're going to end up. Where will our apartment be? What will be our neighborhood? What will be our grocery store? What will be our metro stop? We can get familiar with the city in general, but it's not quite yet our city. That will come with "permanent" residence. Despite that, I'm loving it here and I'm really happy to be here.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Our Endless Numbered Days
The end is in sight (and not in the apocalyptical sense). We have one more month here. I am happy that the end is approaching because that means I will be done with my thesis/grad school. I am not happy about the end approaching because that means I have to defend my thesis and then move.
Right now I'm kind of in a weird "calm". The calm between the storms. I have been really busy for such a long stretch of time -- collecting data, analyzing data, writing up my thesis (and revising thesis drafts). That's been my life, non-stop, for the past months. Now I'm pretty much done with my thesis. I just have a few minor things to change for my final thesis draft; but I have more than a week until it's due, so I'm kind of taking my time with it. Especially since the weather has been so great lately. So I'm actually trying to enjoy my time before I have to start packing up stuff and preparing for my defense. We've gone on walks, we've played tennis, we've played soccer, we've been cooking and baking all kind of great stuff, we've been enjoying our awesome movie collection, we've been watching soccer games (Yay Spain!), I've been playing guitar and Eagan has been an attentive audience. It's been nice.
Earlier this week was my and Eagan's two year anniversary (our wedding anniversary. We've been together for almost eight years now). Anniversaries aren't really a big deal to us, instead we just use that day as a reason to do something fun. It was a good excuse to drop all our work and just head to the beach. And it was a gorgeous day. Too many sunny, gorgeous days pass by while I'm sitting inside getting cataracts from staring at computer screens all day. [Note: I don't actually have cataracts. I feel it's important to disclose my faux medical conditions because I was just thinking of the time I said something was awesome and I said "This rocks! This rocks the scoliosis right off my spine!!" and Kayelyn laughed and then a couple of seconds later paused and said, "Wait...do you really have scoliosis?"]
The beach was wonderful. We were going to dinner afterward, so we couldn't do any swimming. But I was so tempted to just dive in with my clothes on. My love of water and swimming was barely restrained. I loved swimming so much as a kid. When I was growing up my parents used to say I was always first in the water and the last one out. I swam so much despite the fact it turns my hair green. And though I don't swim as often as I did when I was younger (excluding when I lived in Salt Lake City, when we actually had a pool), I find that my absolute love of swimming is still there. I said to Eagan that I always want to live by water.
Instead of swimming, Eagan and I walked along the shore with our feet in the water. We played in the sand. We lounged on the beach reading light, summer reading (well, I did. Eagan's "light" reading is Blame Welfare, Ignore Poverty and Inequality). We listened to music. I took pictures. It was a really nice day. Then, to top it off we had a great dinner and enjoyed fried bananas for dessert. Mmmhm, fried bananas.
Here's a panoramic picture of Vancouver that I took at the beach. I really am going to miss Vancouver a lot.
Right now I'm kind of in a weird "calm". The calm between the storms. I have been really busy for such a long stretch of time -- collecting data, analyzing data, writing up my thesis (and revising thesis drafts). That's been my life, non-stop, for the past months. Now I'm pretty much done with my thesis. I just have a few minor things to change for my final thesis draft; but I have more than a week until it's due, so I'm kind of taking my time with it. Especially since the weather has been so great lately. So I'm actually trying to enjoy my time before I have to start packing up stuff and preparing for my defense. We've gone on walks, we've played tennis, we've played soccer, we've been cooking and baking all kind of great stuff, we've been enjoying our awesome movie collection, we've been watching soccer games (Yay Spain!), I've been playing guitar and Eagan has been an attentive audience. It's been nice.
Earlier this week was my and Eagan's two year anniversary (our wedding anniversary. We've been together for almost eight years now). Anniversaries aren't really a big deal to us, instead we just use that day as a reason to do something fun. It was a good excuse to drop all our work and just head to the beach. And it was a gorgeous day. Too many sunny, gorgeous days pass by while I'm sitting inside getting cataracts from staring at computer screens all day. [Note: I don't actually have cataracts. I feel it's important to disclose my faux medical conditions because I was just thinking of the time I said something was awesome and I said "This rocks! This rocks the scoliosis right off my spine!!" and Kayelyn laughed and then a couple of seconds later paused and said, "Wait...do you really have scoliosis?"]
The beach was wonderful. We were going to dinner afterward, so we couldn't do any swimming. But I was so tempted to just dive in with my clothes on. My love of water and swimming was barely restrained. I loved swimming so much as a kid. When I was growing up my parents used to say I was always first in the water and the last one out. I swam so much despite the fact it turns my hair green. And though I don't swim as often as I did when I was younger (excluding when I lived in Salt Lake City, when we actually had a pool), I find that my absolute love of swimming is still there. I said to Eagan that I always want to live by water.
Instead of swimming, Eagan and I walked along the shore with our feet in the water. We played in the sand. We lounged on the beach reading light, summer reading (well, I did. Eagan's "light" reading is Blame Welfare, Ignore Poverty and Inequality). We listened to music. I took pictures. It was a really nice day. Then, to top it off we had a great dinner and enjoyed fried bananas for dessert. Mmmhm, fried bananas.
Here's a panoramic picture of Vancouver that I took at the beach. I really am going to miss Vancouver a lot.
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