Vegetarian

Vegetarian isn't my thing, but this weekend it will be!

That's a hint for posts to come.

No pictures, just complaints

I'm sorry there are no lovely pictures to accompany this post, but it's really impossible to get a snap shot of losing your mind.

Although this is about to be some minor complaints, I can still see the silver lining in it all. Like life.

I'm now a commuter. Something no one ever, ever, EVER wants to be. That means it takes me an hour to get to work, an hour and a half to get to school, 2 - 2.5 hours to get home from work, and one hour to get home from school. I'm single handedly polluting DC and Northern VA. The plus side of this is my newly downloaded 1,523 podcasts. To some, that seems unbelievable and inconceivable. That's what commuting does to me - podcasts me. So podcasts is one silver lining, and the silver lining of that is that podcasts are becoming my new love. I listened to the entire September ensign today (can I count that as scripture study?). Then I listened to a diary from a girl who has been in a JDC for 4 years (very relevant, considering the work I currently do), but was recovering and moving out. And then I listened to some budgeting tips (also relevant - I'm a grad student).

I ordered a text book for school when school started - 4 weeks ago - and it never came. I emailed them to see where it was. That is when they informed me it wasn't coming and they'd refund my money. 2 weeks later, I got it. More than a week ago I expressed ordered the same book from Barnes and Noble. I got an email saying it was shipped. Here I am today, on the phone with BN for 2o mins bc the book isn't coming and they want to refund me too. After 20 mins on the phone he tells me I can get the full price version and they'll waive express shipping. He must think I'm stupid... it says on the home page that full priced text books get free expressed shipping. I told them I can't used BN anymore. Silver lining? I don't have to do my readings for that class... because I can't.

I've annoyed myself after writing this. SO that's enough.

The point I'm actually trying to make is that there can always be something good - even to something bad. It's finding the good in life that keeps minds in tact.

I'm seeing the good.

We No Speak Americano ft. Cleary & Harding

I dream of being half of a power couple one day.

A cool couple.

One that owns a knitting/paper/books/from-the-farm-smoothies kind of store/business.

or something.

or

One that has their own radio show.

about anything.

or

One that does mini amazing races all over the world for fun.

and blogs about it.

or

One that dances with their hands.

Up and Over It

Check them out by clicking THIS

The District and the Pursuit of Happiness

The Bread Line by George Segal is exhibited at the FDR Memorial - it's a beautiful park. It's depicting a bread line from the Great Depression. Notice that the line is made up of very middle-class looking men, emphasizing the impact the depression had on everyone. Unemployment was at 25% during this time. I think we might be at about 10% right now.

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial is one of my new favorites. So to explain this picture - we couldn't bring our bikes inside so we asked a girl to take a picture of us pretending to be on bikes. She not only cut off our bodies, but Jefferson's head. Not everyone's a photographer.

Lincoln Memorial

WWII Memorial

The Washington Monument ^

The Capitol v

DC has so much to offer! On Labor Day Lucy and I decided to bike ride in the city. We took our bikes on the metro (up and down escalators too) from Arlington and got off somewhat near the Capitol. Our ride saw the capitol, all the way down to the Jefferson Memorial on the edge of the Tidal Basin, and along side the Potomac River. The weather here is starting to cool off from the 100's so it was a great, sunny day to be on bikes. (I was still sweating nearly the entire time). We took pictures with our bikes in front of all the memorials and monuments - almost all.

New, Cute Things

Sometimes your life needs new, (teensy) cute things.

Spiral Jetty

My last Utah hoorah was a visit to Robert Smithson's Sprial Jetty. Anyone who has ever taken an art history course has at least heard of this thing. It's awesome. I never thought I'd live to see it. Not only is the spiral spectacular, but so is it's setting - The Great Salt Lake. It's tucked away in a desolate area - shallow water with brine shrimp for the tinted pink, a layer of thick lake bottom salt, and a surface of sea foam. This is one of my favorite places now. Enjoy the pictures of a wonderful day I'll always remember.

"He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how"

Nietzsche

Grad school reading is so wise.