And I am SO grateful for all of the people who help me to get over obstacles that seem insurmountable.
This video is long, but it's one of my favorites.
This video is long, but it's one of my favorites.
Last week, when our little family rolled back into town just a couple hours before Irene, I got a little irrational in my hurricane preparations.
I ran to the store and made sure we had some candles, fresh water and food that we could store and prepare without electricity, which I suppose was rational enough. Somehow I also got it into my head that it was essential to hard boil all the eggs in the house. So I did. Lucky for us, Irene was pretty kind to D.C. The power company had warned that we might be in the dark for as long as a week, and a lot of people did lose power, but the lines in our neighborhood are underground, so we were spared even that inconvenience.
We actually had a really nice weekend -- we stayed up late and watched a couple movies with Mimo (including Waiting for Superman, finally. It made me cry and it made me really, really angry). Then the babies slept with us in our big bed through the worst parts of the storm. The next morning, a big(ish) tree right outside our window had snapped in half. But everyone we love and everything we value came through unscathed.
But I had an awful lot of eggs to deal with....
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| The Princess has become a little obsessed with deviled eggs, so the problem was solved easily enough... |
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| We whipped up these bad boys a little earlier this summer. The capers, tomato and roasted smoked salmon were a revelation |
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| Other than the toppings, we just added enough mayo to get a nice texture, and a small spoon of Dijon mustard. |
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| Now, more than a week later, the eggs are long gone. But the tree is still sitting there. I think it's the last tangible evidence in this whole city that we ever had a hurricane at all.... |
So, being away from home and all, I had to get a bank account. This involved getting some plastic, so that I can build up my credit rating. In general, I don't like spending money, so I wasn't thrilled at the prospect of having a tiny card with unlimited* purchasing power in my pocket. This brought up the problem of identity theft and wallet stealing -- how terrible would it be if I screwed up? What if someone reached into one of those huge pockets I love so much and snatched away my credit rating? And money? That would suck, wouldn't it? So I got down to protecting my future. By designing my own card. Eh?
There are some mock-ups below. I think the last one is my favorite.
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| From what people tell me, there's really no way around this one |
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| Still deciding whether it really matters |
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| "If you promise not to laugh at mine!" |
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| Actually, they're hall-mate problems; problems stemming from the fact that Five and I share a bathroom with 6 boys....More on that later. |
I went to college in Baltimore. Lots of people don't really know anything about the city. While scenes from The Wire are probably playing in the minds of those who know of Bmore. But the folks who have ventured out into the streets and neighborhoods of Charm City know that it's, well, charming.
When you're in college you have the freedom to explore your surroundings. But all too often--especially if you're in a city that doesn't get a great rap--college kids stay safe inside the hallowed walls of knowledge doing a lot of learning, but missing out on living. Your studies should of course take precedence, but there is a lot of dead time worked into a typical course schedule. And I know I wish I had used it better. (I remember I tried to make sure I never had a class that started before 10 in the morning so I could sleep in everyday.) But you know what? I never look back and think, "boy oh boy, I wish I had slept more in college!"
So in short, my advice is to learn, but also to live. Take ownership of your new home, so when you go back--like I did to baltimore a few weeks ago--you'll have a whole park's worth of memory lanes to walk through.
When you're in college you have the freedom to explore your surroundings. But all too often--especially if you're in a city that doesn't get a great rap--college kids stay safe inside the hallowed walls of knowledge doing a lot of learning, but missing out on living. Your studies should of course take precedence, but there is a lot of dead time worked into a typical course schedule. And I know I wish I had used it better. (I remember I tried to make sure I never had a class that started before 10 in the morning so I could sleep in everyday.) But you know what? I never look back and think, "boy oh boy, I wish I had slept more in college!"
So in short, my advice is to learn, but also to live. Take ownership of your new home, so when you go back--like I did to baltimore a few weeks ago--you'll have a whole park's worth of memory lanes to walk through.
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| Find new comfort foods. Carma's yogurt and the egg & cheese sandwich from uni mini were my favorites. |
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| There are some people you'll see almost everyday, but never talk to. |
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| Try saying hello. |
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| Do something illegal |
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| Wear weird stuff. It's super fun, and WAAY harder to do when you have a job. |
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5. Tomatoes in all shapes, sizes, colors. But the yumminess is consistent!
4. Local Oyster mushrooms. SOOOO good in most anything but cereal and cakes.
3. Roots! Beets and Carrots this week. (See next post for the most mind blowing beats ever, c/o Brother C!).
2. SQUAsh!!!
Or maybe slightly Snarky Signs
Or maybe Flowers!
did I mention I am not very good at choosing?
But choosing my very favorite was easy.
I know without a doubt what my my top pick is...
1. The ONE (not One) & ONLY
FMT*
*Please note TFMT is only for my choosing. You may find your own TFM. Just make sure he is not TFMT, or we will have some major words. Thank you.