One-Track Mind

While living in DC it is hard not to be thinking about politics since it is so prevalent. Just this evening, while I was walking to class, a police officer directed me to walk on the other side of the street. Hillary is speaking in the GW auditorium this evening and they were clearing things out for security. I'm sensing that this lady follows me around!

So I guess politics has gotten the best of me! One of my best friends from high school called the other day. I asked what she was up to and she said "registering." I immediately responded with, "oh, good! You are voting in the Texas primaries!" She reminded me that she is getting married in August; a wedding I am really looking forward too. I apologized and she said that DC has given me a one-track mind!

Valentines Day

So today I so wish I had not accidentally put my camera in the washing machine because what I saw coming out of the Metro this evening was classic! I have night classes most nights of the week from 6-8pm so when I am going to class, most people are going home. I ride the Metro to class each day (see post below) and when I get off at the Foggy Bottom/GWU Metro and head up the escalators, I am greeted by all kinds of street vendors. These vendors sell hot dogs and coffee, fake purses, interesting patterned socks, DC sweatshirts, used books and oh yes, flowers. On most days a bunch of roses (1/2 dozen) sell for $4 and come in a variety of colors. Today, however, they came only in red and were selling for $10 per half dozen. I so wish I had had a camera when I came out of the Metro today and saw at least six men in line to buy these roses. They all looked worried as bunches of flowers were disappearing with each purchase. It was classic!

In other news, I had to have some serious willpower today! I did some research on chocolate (that legal research training comes in handy) and surprised John Mark with what might be the best chocolate in the U.S. I ordered it from Candinas and cannot wait to taste it! The package arrived today when I was still home, before John Mark was home from work and there it was....the chocolate I have been so excited about! I called JM and told him that I was doing my very best not to open his Valentine's Day gift...so get home soon!

PS- went back to the Metro after class and although the red roses sold out, there was still a line of men happy to get any kind of flowers!

Public Transportation

So I have a new love/hate....public transportation. Living here in DC, John Mark and I only have one car- his. My car is being loving watched and driven back in Florida. Therefore, I am the public transportation guru of sorts.

When I think about public transportation (pt), what first comes to mind is that you have to live a city cool enough that everyone rides it. New York has the Subway, London has "the tube,” DC has the Metro and San Fran...well, I'm not sure if the locals actually ride the trolleys, but they are awesome. Sure, Dallas has DART and Atlanta has the MARTA, but these systems are not nearly as utilized as others.

I do think that it is amazing however, that pt will take me almost anywhere in DC metro area. Case in point, yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Baltimore for a professional women's meeting. It was a great networking opportunity and I loved the event and everyone I met. Let me backup, so I was invited to this event and really wanted to attend, but Baltimore is an hour away and John Mark has the car for work. So after a little bit of research I ended up catching the Metro to Union Station and catching a train, the MARC, to downtown Baltimore. Very cool. The whole train thing was a little intimidating simply because I have never ridden one in the U.S. I had to buy my ticket on the same kiosks they have at the airport, get my boarding pass and find the correct gate. I was exposed to a whole other world where I could check my bags and go to places like Charlotte, NC or New York City. After I figured it all out, I was pretty happy overall with my experience and would like to do it again...maybe for a romantic weekend get away.

However, since this is a love/hate relationship, I must share the whole story! Even though I like pt just fine, it is still beyond me just how long it takes to get somewhere. My everyday commute is only 11 minutes.....or so they say on the Metro site. Nothing is more annoying than being packed like sardines in a Metro car, sweating profusely, only to be told by the operator, "we will be standing here for 3 minutes due to scheduling." That is just the start! In my short time of living in the city, I have experienced doors that would not open and tracks closed for maintenance so that trains in both directions were running on the same track. The worst though is a nasty smell that creeps up periodically. I don't know if it is the brakes or something mechanical, but it is truly nauseating and I am convinced that whatever it is it has got to be taking years off of my life. Although "an adventure in the Metro" does not happen everyday, it happens often enough that I have to give myself an extra 15-20 minutes of "just in case" time. Yes, I am aware that traffic is bad, but I still hold the opinion that it will take you half the amount of time in a car than on pt.

Well there it is- my love hate relationship with public transportation! Until my car gets here (and we somehow miraculously obtain another parking space), I will continue to use it daily.

Kate

So as promised, John Mark and I were tourists on Saturday. Since it's chilly out, we decided to visit the National Portrait Gallery. Very cool place overall, but my favorite exhibit was named "One Life: KATE, A Centennial Celebration," a small part of the gallery featuring the life of Katherine Hepburn. Most of the collection is posted online, but it was a really interesting look into one of Hollywood’s greatest. I learned that her four Oscars for Best Actress is still a record to this day. They did have her Oscars on display and I was disappointed to see that Oscar has gotten a little cheap over the years. Her first Oscar is definitely the nicest looking one. Ok, but in all reality, who is complaining about winning an Academy Award. The rest of the gallery was very interesting. It included everything from portraits of Robert E. Lee and other civil war heroes to a folk art exhibit which featured a very demonic looking pig. New to the gallery was a Hip-Hop exhibit. I was not sure what to think of the giant over-the-top portraits of rap artists, however the photography was very good. After being there for about two hours John Mark and I insisted that the museum made us tired and that we would have to tour the rest of the portrait gallery another day.

For dinner we met at Zaytinya, a restaurant which specializes in Eastern Mediterranean tapas. Thankfully, our friends Marissa and Peter recommended the fabulous sangria! The atmosphere was very chic and food and company was great! John Mark's birthday is this next week so if anyone has any great DC restaurant suggestions, please send them our way.

Backyard Politics

So living in DC right now is so much fun! When it comes to politics, this city is like no other...for obvious reasons. I caught myself calling John Mark to arrange where we were going to watch the Super Tuesday count after I got out of class.

When John Mark and I decided to rent our condo, little did we know that our patio is literally right next to Hillary Clinton's campaign headquarters. Now, lets be clear- I am not a Hillary Clinton supporter, but at the same time, it is so intriguing to have her so close at times. When she is in the building, the back alley (which is what I face) lines up in black SUVs with men running around wearing earpieces. Because she was first family, she will always have secret service. Again, I am not a fan, but oh my gosh, it's fun and weird all at the same time to see secret service in your "backyard."

Just this evening I overheard clapping from outside. I ran to my patio to find out I had just missed a press conference. All of the news stations were here along with a crowd of photographers. I happened to peak out just as Hillary was escorted to her car and the crowd waived goodbye. Not bad for a backyard!

My Heritage

So my mother called me early January with a great idea to surprise my grandmother by me and my sisters going to see her in Northern California. We were successful and she thankfully did not have a heart attack as we raided her house this weekend. We were in town as well for a giant slumber party composed of all the women related to my great-grandmother. It was awesome to catch up with my cousins since I had not seen most of them in 15 years!

Surprising our Momo! Just after we had walked in.

Many of you know that my mother's whole side of the family is Native American. We often show off our tribal membership cards as party tricks. We are all proud members of the Great Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma although some of us look a little lighter than others- I think I won the glowing leg contest!

All of the ladies related to Momo Price

While catching up I had to ask the question: What did the family name, Hahklotubbe, mean? I knew it was something violent, nothing like zen or peaceful like "running dear." Well, I found out that it means "silent before killing" or "thinks before killing." Hmmmm, so while they were explaining the deep importance of the name, I thought about it, and promptly responded, "Gee, sounds like first degree murder to me!" So there you have it- I get in touch with my roots only to find out my ancestors should be locked up! Oh the joy of family!