Hunky Dory

Got my Georgetown award letter today... not quite as exciting as my Centenary award letter which was a pinnacle of bright shiny hopefulness compared to this one. But the overarching point is... award letter received. Received. I also got my Georgetown email address. Um, and some form asking if I have tuberculosis.

I have largely given up on Tulane, because they basically stopped communicating with me and although I know it's a two way street, and I want to live in New Orleans so terribly bad... I think that this is the best choice. I think. :)

I'm really glad that I got that letter today because today was fixin' to suck pretty bad. After a long, beautiful, three day weekend, it was a horrid rainy day and everyone at work was irritable, cranky, incredulous, and generally should have stayed in bed.

This weekend was awesome though... Saturday we went to Eastern Market and bought fresh veggies, pickles, lemon-aid, homemade pasta, bread, and a roasted chicken. The one thing I miss most about France, above all things, above all things, was going to the outdoor market and buying a fresh baguette and a roasted chicken every Sunday. This market doesn't put fresh roasted potatoes in the bag as well, but they also don't make pay in Euros, so you win some you lose some. I think Tim and I have decided this is going to be our new Saturday ritual.

Afterward we went to our friend Dan's house for the first time, where we learned that Dan has the hidden ability to play just about any 80's pop song on demand on his Casio key board. I love discovering that people have hidden talents, so that was basically amazing.

Sunday we went to a Nats game with Jana using free tickets we had earned picking up trash in the Anacostia river on Friday. Yes, I took off work on Friday to go out in a boat and pick up toxic crap out of the river and it was the best day I have had in months. It was a beautiful sunny day, I got to see baby birds and be outside and play in the (toxic) mud and help the planet and not be at my desk. Anyway, we went to the ball game and then out to old town Alexandria to a used book store that Dan recommended where I bought a billion more used books (which reeeeeeeally has to stop).

Monday, I finished Redwall. And did nothing else of any use to anyone. Huzzah!

nom nom graduate nom

Everything about this weekend was awesome. Well, all but about 20 minutes and 30 seconds of it, which I'll get to later--but yeah.

Tim's grandparent's were supposed to be the first to arrive in DC on Thursday for his two graduations--however, they were delayed for almost 10 hours in the Dallas airport. So Tim's parents were first to arrive (for the first time since they dropped us off almost 2 years ago!).

Thus the eating commenced.

Let me start by saying that Tim and I get to go out to eat once every 2-3 weeks, if that. And when we do go, we feel guilty. Because we're brokity broke broke broke. Also our "try a new place every time" thing dropped off a while ago because I think we pretty much exhausted everything in the one $ range, which in DC isn't many.

Anyway-Thursday we went with Tim's parents to this place called Vapiano which has delicious pizza, pasta and salads. I had: pizza with olives, artichokes and ham

Friday morning I met Tim's parents and his poor grandparents, who hadn't made it to their hotel until 1:00 in the morning, at the Smith Center on GW's campus for Tim's FIRST graduation, which was solely for the Elliot School of International Affairs, and was the graduation where Tim actually walked. All the graduates got special gold medallions instead of diplomas--I suppose since they didn't really graduate until Sunday? I don't know I've never seen that before. It was pretty much your typical graduation: about four boring speakers, one good speaker, and the WORST wranglers ever. The grad students were wandering all over the place because their handler may or may not have been able to count to ten. Tim's mom and I could have done much better if we had a laser pointer.

Lunch: Bus Boys and Poets, I had: blue corn nachos, bread pudding. (yes, I know I punctuated that sentence poorly.)

2.5 hour nap.

Dinner: Cafe Berlin, fantastic little german restaurant. I had: rahm schnitzel, in honor of Rahm Emanuel-who would speak at the Sunday Graduation, and Bailey's cake

After dinner was 30 seconds that sucked, when Tim's Nana stepped in a hole a fell. She hit her lip on the curb and for about 30 seconds there was that moment I think when everyone was scared that she was really, really hurt. But Nana just popped right up. She had a split lip, but she's tough. I'm 100% that if it was me I would have cried.

Saturday morning we picked up Carly from the airport and went straight to Eastern Market where I ate market pickles and some of Tim's nutella crepe.

Lunch: Tunnicliff's. I had eggs benedict even though I wasn't remotely hungry.

Dinner: Chef Geoff's. OMGOMGOMG. I really think this is my favorite restaurant in DC. I had sangria, Scallops with asparagus and mushroom risotto, and lemon and blueberry bread pudding (again--but I should have had the mousse cake).

Sunday was the graduation for the whole graduate school, which was outside on the National Mall. In the rain. And the mud. Really, it wasn't so bad. The 20 minutes that sucked came after 20 previous minutes of standing up for the procession of graduates, where no one could see anything and it was rather exhausting and boring. Blah blah blah go out and do good blah blah, Rahm Emanuel blah blah, congratulations you are now graduates of The George Washington University!

Lunch: Fado's (my other favorite restaurant--Jared, you've been there). I had chicken pot pie and a hoegaarden. Keep the dessert AWAY FROM ME.

2 hour nap

Dinner: Greevy's. I had a reuben with blue cheese instead of thousand island.

And that was the end of that. Unfortunately. I'm so glad they came to visit. And that Tim finally graduated. But it doesn't even feel like "finally" really because it doesn't feel like it's been two years already, maybe because while he's had semesters and breaks and change, I've just had the same job day in and day out. Basically, last weekend set the bar pretty high for the next people who come to visit.