The cold & I go to D.C.

Hannah enjoying a Dangerously Delicious lunch.

Paul & I really know how to cut loose.

Sydney & I at the Capitol

This weekend I took a train up to D.C. to visit Sydney and Hannah. We had a lot of fun in spite of the cold weather. I could have stayed there for another week but alas, all good things must come to an end.

On Friday, they had to work so I spent the day figuring out the metro system, shopping, and visiting the National Portrait Museum where several of Alexis Rockman's portraits are on exhibit. I've never really appreciated museums until the past couple of years. I always got frustrated and felt that I was missing something when I looked at a painting, picture, or sculpture. Once I gave up trying to "figure it out," museums became way more enjoyable. Another major bonus of this day was getting lunch with Hannah from Dangerously Delicious' food truck. We both got BBQ pie, which is exactly what it sounds like- BBQ in a pie crust. Yum!

Saturday was another major museum day. Sydney introduced my friend Paul and I to Eastern Market where we got breakfast and perused the different vendors' booths before heading over the Mall. We managed to see quite a bit  but still didn't make it past the Washington Memorial. We took a tour of the National Space and Air Museum where I learned more about the history of flight than school ever taught me.  We also battled the crowds through the Natural History Museum to see the Hope diamond and the Museum of National History before declaring we were museumed out.

That night we went to Georgetown, which is by far the spiffiest college town I've ever seen, for dinner and a little bit of shopping. We drove by Georgetown Cupcake, where D.C. Cupcakes is filmed, and there were people lined up for more than a block just to get a cupcake. I'd have to be offered a cupcake made of diamonds and hugs to wait in a line that long in freezing weather.

This morning when we woke up, there was snow on the ground! I imagine it really put a damper on the Cherry Blossom festivities that began on Saturday in D.C.Global warming-1, Springtime-0.

Other than the Heels losing tonight, it was an absolutely perfect weekend.

Andrew Jenks at ECU.

Last night, I went to see Andrew Jenks speak at ECU. To avoid looking too interested, I played it cool and chose a second row seat when there were several open up front. He had no idea.

Jenks didn't begin making documentaries until he was 19, which seems late considering where he is now at 25. At one point he even said, "I wanna be a filmmaker when I grow up." Funny thing to say considering he seems well-established in that area.

Great guy, great night.

Feeling good.

Want to feel really good about yourself?

Go to a hip hop class at the gym and dance with older adults who know fewer rap songs than you.

Bad news.

I really thought next week was going to be MY week but now I'm not so sure. Next Tuesday, I'm having my final observation from my university supervisor signaling the very near end of student teaching and that night, Andrew Jenks is coming to speak at ECU. 

Not unlike most people, I've developed a few "theories" on things. One of my theories is that fame and talent are contagious. And believing such things led me to believe that next Tuesday was the perfect day for me to catch both those bugs. Think about it. Andrew Jenks isn't too famous and seems nice enough, so he'd be the perfect candidate to be my boyfriend and usher me into fame.

Then I found out that there are over 450 confirmed guests for this little event and they're all girls. How's he supposed to fall in love with me if there are 449 other people there to ruin the moment? Help me, people. Seriously, what should I do?

In reference to what I wrote yesterday,  another one of my biggest fears is not finding my husby as attractive as I find famous, indie men wearing plaid shirts and glasses. This fear leads me to fear that I'm a gold-digger.  There you have it, I'm a scaredy cat.

10 Irrational and Practical Fears

These are some of my fears, in no particular order:

1. Mice and sharks (Can you imagine the terror if these two joined forces?)
2. Talking to men
3. Being boring
4. Never being successful
5. Never living outside of NC for any amount of time
6. Falling down stairs
7. Getting hit in the eye with scissors
8. Teaching Shakespeare to high school students
9. The dark
10. Large bodies of water

Fear number eight has become my life from 8:25 am until 10 am everyday for the next couple of weeks. Not only is Shakespeare difficult to read, he also wrote (or plagiarized, who knows) some intricate plots. Despite studying him in high school, again in college, and even going to the Globe Theater to see King Lear when I studied abroad, I will never feel comfortable with teaching his works to a group of sleepy teenagers who would rather be reading Twilight.