All Beaten Up

That's what my bruise looks like today. The doctor at work thought I got in a fight with my boyfriend over the weekend. I told her I would have to have a boyfriend first in order for that to be true.

Also today I realized that the typhoid pills give me a stomach ache and make me feel nauseous. On Thursday I experienced the same but thought maybe it was because I ate my lunch really quickly. Unfortunately it happened again on Saturday and then again today, only days I have taken the pills. Thankfully I only have one more to go!

My Arm Hurts

Last week I finally got around to getting my vaccines for Tanzania. I can't believe that it's less then two weeks before I am there! I can't wait. But for now my poor little left arm is not so happy with me. First of all the yellow fever vaccine is the most painful one I have ever received. Not to be a big baby but my deltoid is still sore if I press where I received my vaccine. If my dad were here he would say, "Well don't press on it then!"

After receiving that vaccine I opted out of the typhoid shot and instead went with the oral vaccine. As of today I am halfway through the pills. You take the pills on day 1, 3, 5, and 7 first thing in the morning with a room temperature liquid and then have to wait 1 hour until you can eat. The only downside to this is that I am usually out of the house an hour after I get up meaning that breakfast has been sporadic to say the least this week.

Friday I had a routine doctor visit and they took some blood from my arm. Unfortunately the lab tech was not very good and my arm has been painful since Friday. Yesterday a 3 inch bruise showed up around the site where she took my blood. Not only does it hurt to touch, it hurts to bend the arm and it hurts to straighten it. I don't know how long it will take until it returns to normal but for now I have to deal with the pain and the ugliness of the bruise.

Jazz in the Garden

As I like to do on Friday afternoons during the summer, yesterday I rounded up a group of friends and headed to Jazz in the Garden at the National Gallery of Art. We knew that there was the chance of scattered thunderstorms but decided to head out anyways. Jazz in the Garden is so much fun, you spread out a blanket, bring some snacks, and then enjoy time outside with your friends catching up on life with jazz playing in the background. So peaceful.

Or at least it was until the thunderstorms came. When it started to rain it was only light so we just packed things up into a small pile and sat there in a circle with our umbrellas up. It wasn't so bad and before we knew it the rain had subsided. But then it came back with a vengeance! Huge drops falling from the sky at an unbelievable rate and all we could do was sit there and watch as the water soaked the blanket we were sitting on. But just like before, the heavy rain subsided and we were able to enjoy the rest of the concert.

In the end it was lots of fun. Good conversation, a nice spread of picnic food items and a pitcher of sangria. I have to admit this is quite possibly one of my favorite DC activities for the summer. It reminds me of the concerts I used to go to in LA by the Santa Monica Pier. Same idea, different location, different group of friends, but just as much fun.

Things I Love

Thunderstorms and lightning bugs . . . it must be summer on the east coast!

Where am I?

Thankfully I am home. Despite a few changes in my flight itinerary (see below) I made it back safe and sound from the bachelorette party. After dirty pinatas, pin the macho on the man, 10 hours of drinking, the macarena, lots of photos and 15 hours of sleep over three days . . . I was definitely ready to collapse in my bed last night.

CHANGES IN FLIGHT ITINERARY
On Friday I received a call from United telling me that my flight from DC to Chicago had been cancelled. What?! Being the helpful airline that they are, United had re-booked me on a flight the following day. Right, fly in Saturday, fly out Sunday as though I wanted to spend more time on the airplane then on the ground in CA. After a brief discussion with a United agent I was re-booked on a direct flight leaving that evening and getting me into Sacramento earlier than my original flight. Perfect!

Unfortunately all weekend I had this nagging feeling that my return flight back home was going to leave me stranded in Chicago. How wrong was I! When I arrived at the airport Sunday I learned that the Sacramento-Chicago leg of my flight was overbooked. Being the helpful individual that I am, I offered to rearrange my flight so instead of flying home that afternoon, I was rerouted through LA and booked on a red-eye back to DC that evening. Why would I do that?

1. Because it gave me 7 hours in LA to hang out with my ex-roommate and one of my close friends from college. Added bonus it was that friend's birthday so we got to have a celebratory dinner together.
   
2. Because the red-eye flight was a first class ticket.
   
3. Because I arrived home from a vacation on a frequent flyer ticket with a voucher for another round-trip ticket anywhere in the US.

I don't think it could have been a better weekend!

From One Party to the Next!

Yesterday's staff picnic was a huge success. We had relay races, limbo competitions, volleyball, team building exercises, jump rope, frisbee and lots of food! I am so excited that the staff really enjoyed themselves. I am even more excited that they played and enjoyed the team building exercises. Who knows whether it will improve morale but at the very least we got to enjoy the sunshine for the morning.

Today I head back to CA for a weekend bachelorette party and right now I am counting down the hours until I board the plane. I am so excited! Not only do I get to see some of my really good friends from college but I get to be in CA. Not that I've been missing it per se but I really do enjoy every moment I spend in my home state. I really hope the bride-to-be has a good weekend because, as one of the planners, I think it's going to be incredible! I'm not sure how much I'll be able to tell you about but just know that it's gonna be a fun weekend. Only 2 hours left at work!

Staff Picnic

About a week ago I had the following conversation with the nurse manager at my clinic:

NM: We have been approved to have a picnic for the next monthly staff meeting.
Me: The next staff meeting is a week away.
NM: Yes it is, you're in charge of planning.
Me: Oh.

This sort of last minute planning, unfortunately, is exactly what I have come to expect from my company. At first I was upset with the short notice and then I realized that this was an opportunity to get everyone out of the clinic, into nature, get some exercise and hopefully start building our team. Like Henry Ford said, "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success."

I have just spent the last half an hour reading through ice breakers, team building games, and group activities. We'll find out tomorrow whether the day is a success or a complete disaster. At least it's supposed to be sunny . . .

It's Not Okay to Look!

Match.com's newest marketing campaign has been the slogan, "It's Okay to Look" . . .

Before I continue, here's a little background about match.com:
Match.com is an online dating service. People create accounts and set up their profile which tells you a little bit about them and what they are looking for. If you come across someone you are interested in you can contact them in one of two ways, a wink or an email. By sending someone a wink you are letting them know that you are interested and hope that they will return your wink with an email. Alternately they can wink back to get you to start the email chain. However, if you aren't ready to contact someone but you think they are something special you can add them to your favorites list, similar to bookmarking one of your favorite websites. Then later, you can go back and contact them with a wink or an email.

So now, back to the it's okay to look assertion. Is it really okay to look when match.com tells you both who has looked at your profile and who has marked you as a favorite?

Say for example you come across a profile and open it up only to find out that the person is your ex-boyfriend's best friend. He can now tell that you looked at his profile, is that okay? Furthermore if someone puts you on their favorite list but fails to email or wink at you, are you really a favorite? I mean, where is the privacy that you used to have when it really was okay to just look?

Blueberry Muffins - Take Two

This are quite possibly the best blueberry muffins you will ever have in your life. Sorry Nigella but Betty does it better. Big fluffy soft muffins with crispy cinnamon streusel topping, I can't think of a better way to start the weekend.

Straight from Betty Crocker:
3/4 cup soy milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup frozen blueberries (fresh or canned work too!)
streusel topping**

Preheat oven to 400F, line muffin pan with silicone baking cups. In a large bowl whisk together milk, oil and egg. Add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir together until combined (batter will be lumpy, do not over mix!). Fold in blueberries. Divide batter evenly amongst baking cups. Top with 1 tbsp streusel topping. Bake 20-25 minutes. Remove from pan and baking cups, let cool on wire rack.


**Streusel Topping
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons firm unsalted butter

In a medium bowl mix flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter to form crumbs using a pastry blender or two knives.

A Day Full of Adventure!

This morning soul friend and I hit the road towards West Virginia and "the nation's first spa". The only thing planned for the day was a relaxing soak in the roman baths followed by a massage. It's hard to believe how much we actually fit into the day.

We arrived in Berkeley Springs around mid-day and wandered around the state park, checking out George Washington's bathtub. Then we had our hour of relaxation soaking in the mineral baths and receiving our all too short massages. After the massage we fueled up at a local cafe and then wandered around "metro" Berkeley Springs, taking in the antique shops and checking out the properties for sale. After joking about buying a house together we wandered further along the main drag to the Antique Mall. Little did we know that by leaving our umbrellas in the car we just guaranteed that we would be stranded on the wrong side of town in a rain storm. Lucky for us we were able to wait it out a little while and by the time we were walking back to the car it was a light rain. Not a sprinkle, still a rain, but not enough to make the walk miserable.

Once in the car we decided to head out of town and back towards the outlets we had passed on the way to Berkeley Springs. However, when we were leaving the freeway a historic sign caught our eyes and we made a detour out to the Antietam Battlefield. After a brief stop in the visitor center we started our driving tour around the battlefield ending up at the watch tower. Unfortunately, at this point the thunder storm we had escaped in Berkeley Springs caught up with us and there we were, stuck at the top of the watch tower looking out over the fields with the wind and rain blowing over us. It was cool to see the lightning strike in the distance and then we got a little worried that we were now inside the tallest point, and so decided to head back to the car. Unfortunately this time around we were unable to wait out the storm and in the 20 seconds it took to run to the car we were drenched head to toe.

But that didn't get our spirits down. Nope! We trudged on to the outlets where I quickly made use of the paycheck I received yesterday. One zester, a few outfits, and a new pair of shoes later we were on the road back to Virginia. Our final detour of the day was to the Mountain View Diner for dinner at 9pm. While waiting for our breakfast-for-dinner to be served we put quarters in our table top jukebox and sang along to the music. The food was plentiful and tasty, just hitting the spot before our drive back home.

Now it's midnight and time to hit the sack, I know for sure I am going to sleep well tonight. Today was honestly one of the best days I have had in a very long time. Who knew that with the company of a good friend and a little interest in adventure we could accomplish so much in one day?

Happy 2nd Birthday!

This year's goal was to improve on my food photography and I'd like to think that I have accomplished that. It's definitely not professional grade yet but I like to think that it's better then my first post. My other goal was to make at least three new dishes a month . . . I guess I didn't quite make that one this time around. Oh well, today remains a day of celebration!

My New Hobby

I've decided that one of my official hobbies is buying airplane tickets. Travel bug, world-traveler, and nomad don't even begin to describe my obsession with travel. Lately it's been like breathing air. Maybe it's because I have limited vacation time now that I have a job or maybe it's because there's so much in this world I have yet to see. Either way, I am constantly thinking about, drooling over, or purchasing airplane tickets.

Imagine my surprise today when the ticket I have been thinking about lately, the ticket to the wedding that I am supposed to be a part of in August, showed up on kayak.com as half the price that it has been for the last month and a half. I was so excited I jumped up from my desk, ran home, grabbed my credit card, returned to work and purchased it within 10 minutes. Oh yeah, that's another one of the benefits of living so close to home.

Megan and Derrick, there's nothing stopping me now from being a part of your wedding in August. Let the countdown begin!

Nashville Star

Crappy summer television used to be my favorite. There was always some show that I absolutely loved to hate watching. It didn't change my view on the world, it didn't make me smarter, and it most definitely was not something I freely admitted to watching every week. But that's what made me love it so much. It was pure entertainment, nothing more, nothing less.

What am I watching this summer? So far I have been addicted to the Bachelorette, So You Think You Can Dance, and the Real World Hollywood. As of tonight I am addicted to Nashville Star. Unfortunately part of the fun of watching these shows was discussing just how horrible they were with my roommate and/or classmates. Sadly, I have no roommates, no classmates and none of my co-workers share my interest in these shows.

I guess for now, I'll be relegated to discussing it with my blog.

So, what did you think of these shows this week? Anyone?

ADDENDUM:
Has anyone seen the ads for Baby Borrowers on NBC? This could be my crappy summer television show of the century!

Festival de Chirilagua

Today was the Chirilagua Festival in my neighborhood. Ever heard of Chirilagua? Apparently it's the name of a town in El Salvador and also the name of the neighborhood where I live due to the number of immigrants from that Salvadorian town.

And what a festival it was! Food, drinks, music, dancing, vendors, this festival had it all. Lucky for me I also had connections at this festival. I guess that's one of the pay offs for both living and working in the area. Thanks to a friendly coworker I received a VIP wrist bracelet which allowed me to walk freely down the alley into the back parking lot where there was picnic benches under tents, free beer from the Bud Light truck, and free food. I can't think of a better way to enjoy the deadly heat then in the shade, sipping a cold beer and enjoying delicious food.

Happy 2nd Birthday!

My blog is officially two years old! Can you believe how quickly they grow up?


We've been through a lot this year, moving across the country, travelling to China, passing my RD exam, getting a job, and exploring what the metro DC area has to offer. I can't wait to see what comes up this year!

East Coast Summers

I am very quickly being reminded of some important lessons I learned last summer, my first summer out here on the east coast.

1. Heat Index. When they say it's 96F outside don't stop listening to the weather report. Continue to listen until you hear the words heat index so that you know what the real temperature is, currently 102F.

2. Pools. You must have at least one friend who has access to a pool or knows someone who has access to a pool. There's no other way to beat the heat.

3. Air Conditioning. Unfortunately I was raised in CA where we didn't have air conditioning for the majority of my life. When we finally had it, we never used it. That works fine in CA when you can open the windows in the evening, turn on a fan and let the cool night air enter the house. Not so much when you live on the humid east coast. You have air conditioning, you use air conditioning.