Last weekend I took a much needed trip to Nashville. My friend Kathryn is 3 weeks away from having her first baby, so two friends and I threw her a baby shower. I left from BWI Friday afternoon and a short 2 hours later stepped off the plane and inhaled the sweet, hot, and muggy Nashville air. Before meeting up with my friends, I first needed to grab a few things for the shower and also to stock up on Merle Norman cosmetics because it is unavailable in the greater DC area. (I've been using it since I started wearing makeup, and I find it hard to change.) While at MN, the girl looked at me and asked if I needed my eyebrows waxed. Embarrassed that she had noticed the overgrown tufts of hair above my eyes, I answered affirmatively. She proceeded to lead me into the waxing room for a $5 eyebrow wax special! That never would have happened in DC; I love how Nashville welcomes me back!
I finally met up with Kathryn and Rebecca, and I cannot tell you how good it was to see them. We started girls' weekend with - what else - a Mexican fiesta at Cozymel's. Then Rebecca and I headed back to her house for some shower preparation.
Saturday morning I awoke in a panic. I had made oreo truffles to decorate the cake, but they just didn't look the way I wanted them to. I dashed off to the store to get some better dipping chocolate, but there was none to be found. Instead I grabbed a box of Starburst and headed to Rebecca's. My sister had once told me that you could melt Starburst and make them into letters or other shapes, and since my oreo idea had fallen through, I used this experiment as Plan B. Melting Starburst was a little more of an art than I had intended, but I got the hang of it, and the cake turned out better than it would have with the truffles. Of course, we still ate the truffles because it doesn't have to look good to taste good!
The shower turned out really well - good food and good friends. Kathryn got a lot of cute baby stuff, and we had fun creating a baby scrapbook for her (another idea compliments of my sister). I'm really excited to meet this new little guy!
Afterwards, we headed back to Kathryn's and the pool. It was the first time since April that I have been able to lay out in the sun next to water. And, if you know me, you know that that's my heaven. A few of my nursing girls Christine, Grace, and Neely even came and joined, which made it even better. I loved being able to catch up by the pool.
Kathryn, Becca, and I continued girls' weekend at the MAC store and left with smoky eyes. There's nothing like having someone else do your makeup - if only that could be an everyday pleasure! We then had an old school La Paz patio dinner with Rebekah, Katie G, Anna T, Emily, and Afton. I have certainly missed my La Paz white queso, and La Paz must be missing me - our server DeeDee questioned my recent absence.
A trip to Nashville wouldn't have been complete without a visit to the Vandy MICU. Oh, how I miss that place! I was certainly spoiled with the best coworkers/job ever, and leaving it only makes me appreciate it more.
To end the evening, Becca, Kathryn, and I went back to Kathryn's and attempted to watch a movie. However, the events of the day had been exhausting. I fell asleep less than 30 min in, and they gave up shortly after.
We began Sunday morning with leftovers from brunch (even oreo truffles). Then we headed back to the pool and were this time joined by Rebecca's husband and 2 adorable children. To finish up girls' weekend, K and I got massages. Being almost 9 months pregnant has to be stressful, and K needs some relaxation to prepare for the baby coming, and I, being the good friend that I am, went along - for moral support of course. Sadly, by the time it was over, it was about time for me to start heading for the airport. It was really difficult to say goodbye to Kathryn. I felt like such an awful friend to be leaving during such a new and exciting time in her life, and I miss her terribly. Good thing it's relatively easy to get to Nashville from DC.
On the way to the airport, I made one last stop at Rumba and met up with Katie C, Neely, Grace, and Rebekah. I'm glad I was able to fit in a little more time before heading out. We had a great time catching up and even a little entertainment when I knocked a glass off the table.
I have plenty of boy time in DC, so it was wonderful to enjoy some much needed girl time with my sweet friends. I was asked many times if I missed Nashville and if I wish I had never left. Well, the answer is yes, I miss Nashville a ton! How could I not? I had wonderful friends and a great job in an awesome city. However, I remember transitioning to Nashville, too; it wasn't that easy. As for wishing I had never left, no. Going to Georgetown is an amazing opportunity and had I stayed, I'd be stuck with "what if" and would probably regret not grabbing the chance. Now, ideally I would bring Georgetown Univ to Nashville, but unfortunately, that's not how it works. Until then, I'll just cherish weekends like this.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Real Southern BBQ
This past weekend, Collin and I, along with our friend Jeff (who is from Memphis and grew up with Collin), went to a TN State Society event. In DC since everyone is from somewhere else, most of the states have a society where the people from that state can "celebrate the culture, history, traditions, and people of each respective state." It's a great way to network and meet other people from your area, and it gives you something to do from time to time. (For the record, we are members of both the TN and AL State Societies.)
This event was a Memphis BBQ held in a park in nearby Rosslyn, VA. It was the perfect afternoon: bright, sunny skies, temperature in the 70s, nice breeze, and no humidity. However, we went with a slight bit of skepticim and a backup plan. While DC has a lot of nice, very good restaurants, they are definitely lacking on the bbq. There are several places that claim to be "Southern BBQ," but those are only words, and we feared this event would be catered. Our fears would soon laid to rest as the smell of cooking pork wafted through the air. The event planners must've had DC barbeque too because they decided to make their own, complete with a selection of Memphis bbq sauce (which received accolades from Collin, a self-proclaimed bbq afficionado.). And it was so yummy! As if that weren't enough, there was also a bluegrass band providing entertainment.
I must give kudos to the TSS for putting on a great (free!) event. And I also thank the band for not playing "Rocky Top."
Friday, July 17, 2009
Procastination and the Star Spangled Banner
The first week of June I took a class on health policy. Taking the class was a no-brainer; it was a one week class that counts towards my master's, and I got it out of the way rather than spending 3 extra hours a week sitting in a class. I had to go to lecture 8-5 during the week with one day spent meeting with our senators' and representatives' offices to talk about health care issues. All in all, a pretty neat experience. I just had difficulty finishing the class. There were no tests involved, just 3 papers: one 6 page and the others 1-2 pages.
I should've done the paper weeks ago, but for some reason, I just work better when it's last minute. If I try to do it any earlier, I just end up staring at a blank screen and checking facebook. This past week, I finally hunkered down and wrote the dern thing. Needless to say, I have nothing fun to share with you about this week. But...
A couple of weeks ago, C and I went to Baltimore for a concert and decided to make the day of it. We stopped at Fort McHenry and Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Not the best day for outdoor tourism as it was chilly and rainy, but we made the best of it.
In case you didn't know, Fort McHenry is the place where Francis Scott Key saw our flag "so gallantly streaming" after an all night bombardment by the British in 1814. The fort is not exactly like it was at that time because it was also used in the Civil War, WWI, and WWII, but the way they reveal the flag is pretty cool and will give you chills and some American pride. I won't give it away because I want you to see it for yourself.
After fighting through the heavy Baltimore traffic, we finally found a place to park and headed to the Inner Harbor. We were pretty hungry, so we started with food complete with a great view of the harbor. The city tends to be expensive, but one of the best ways to save a little money and still have fun is happy hour. Many places have specials on not only drinks but food, and we stumbled on a few in Baltimore. We had some yummy crabcakes and shrimp (at an unbelievable price!) and were satisfied enough to take a stroll in the harbor.
We had originally planned to tour the USS Constellation, but by the time we were finished eating, it was closed. It was still neat to see the last Navy all-sail ship in all her glory. To end the night, we saw Calexico perform at Sonar. It was a much needed vacation-like day.
"O, say can you see..."
USS Constellation
I should've done the paper weeks ago, but for some reason, I just work better when it's last minute. If I try to do it any earlier, I just end up staring at a blank screen and checking facebook. This past week, I finally hunkered down and wrote the dern thing. Needless to say, I have nothing fun to share with you about this week. But...
A couple of weeks ago, C and I went to Baltimore for a concert and decided to make the day of it. We stopped at Fort McHenry and Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Not the best day for outdoor tourism as it was chilly and rainy, but we made the best of it.
In case you didn't know, Fort McHenry is the place where Francis Scott Key saw our flag "so gallantly streaming" after an all night bombardment by the British in 1814. The fort is not exactly like it was at that time because it was also used in the Civil War, WWI, and WWII, but the way they reveal the flag is pretty cool and will give you chills and some American pride. I won't give it away because I want you to see it for yourself.
After fighting through the heavy Baltimore traffic, we finally found a place to park and headed to the Inner Harbor. We were pretty hungry, so we started with food complete with a great view of the harbor. The city tends to be expensive, but one of the best ways to save a little money and still have fun is happy hour. Many places have specials on not only drinks but food, and we stumbled on a few in Baltimore. We had some yummy crabcakes and shrimp (at an unbelievable price!) and were satisfied enough to take a stroll in the harbor.
We had originally planned to tour the USS Constellation, but by the time we were finished eating, it was closed. It was still neat to see the last Navy all-sail ship in all her glory. To end the night, we saw Calexico perform at Sonar. It was a much needed vacation-like day.
"O, say can you see..."
USS Constellation
Thursday, July 9, 2009
A Good Ol' Fashion Beat Down
It all started with a swift kick in the shin. I had only been in DC for 10 hours and already had a parking ticket. The punches kept coming.
I thought I would be an honest citizen and rather than keep my residence in TN, which would be cheaper and less of a hassle, I moved my residence to DC like I was supposed to. I got my DC driver's license but couldn't get tags for my car at that time because I had to 1) get my car inspected 2) get DC car insurance and 3) have my title shipped to the DC DMV.
Left hook, right in the eye. My car is only 3 years old. I had no reason to believe that inspection would be a problem, but I was shocked when I was handed a "Failed" inspection notice. What was the problem? The window tint was too dark. Excuse me? You mean, the tint that it came with? Yes. So now you need to go spend x amt of dollars to get it scraped off. For that one, I picked myself off the ground and countered with my own weapon - Collin. He took the car back, spoke to the manager, and got a "Pass." At least I'm earning points in this fight.
Right hook with partial deflection. I've had the same insurance company for 11 years, and my mom has always handled my insurance stuff. I thought it would be easy to switch because going from TN to AL was no big deal. Not so much. My insurance company doesn't do individual insurance in the big city. Great. Now I have to shop around, and I have no idea what I'm doing. I met with an insurance agent, basically the first one that answered my phone call, and she sent me a few quotes. Twice the yearly amount I was paying. The throbbing pain in my head was getting worse. After some suggestions from a friend, I signed up with a well-known company with a rate that was only slightly higher than my current rate. Phew, close one.
Right in the chest. I requested my title from the finance company at the beginning of May. I checked religiously to see if my title had arrived - nothing. Every time I called, it was being "processed." My TN tags expired May 31, and I kept having to get a new temporary parking pass every 2 weeks, so I could legally park on my own street. On May 30, I finally had to go to the DMV to get something worked out lest they give me more tickets. They still hadn't received my title, but they needed a title to give out a tag. Seriously? They finally decided that they would give me a temporary tag that would last me until July 13.
Punch in the nose. Then began the onslaught of photo enforced tickets with doubled fines for "failure to respond." To update a previous post, I have now received a total of 3 photo tickets: 2 for speeding and 1 for signal pass red lite (not really sure what that means). There has been a hearing requested for all 3, so now I'll get to pay DC some court costs.
Another deflection. My title finally arrived the second week of June. Rather than going ahead and getting my tags, I figured I would get my money's worth out of the temporary tag. Since I have to work the other 2 business days before July 13, I chose to go today (July 9). In preparing the papers required to get tags (Yes, you have to have 2. One in front and one in back. I guess that traffic cameras can see you better that way.), I noticed a statement that said that if you have unpaid fines to the District of Columbia, tags cannot be issued to you. My stomach cringed. Somehow though, I was able to get my tags with no problem.
Below the belt. The DC DMV isn't the only one taking shots. I have eczema. One of the main places it appears is on my hands. It usually breaks out a few times a year either when I'm stressed or if I come in contact with some irritating chemical, but it's been pretty well controlled for the past 10 years. It was really bad when I was in high school. So bad in fact, that my then 4 year old sister asked, "Fawn, why do your hands look like an old lady's?" Thanks, Blair. Well, this move has been a little stressful, and my eczema has been out of control. I ran out of medication, so I had to go to the dermatologist who wrote a prescription for a new type of spray and cream. He also gave me some samples. I only have short term insurance (which doesn't really cover much unless it's catastrophic), so I thought that the samples would clear up my hands until I could fill my prescriptions with my student insurance in the fall. While the meds have helped, the eczema keeps flaring up, so I just had to bite the bullet and fill the prescriptions. When I went to pick them up, I discovered that my short term insurance ended end of June. I was totally prepared to just buy 1 medication; however, I had no idea what the price tag was going to be. Guesses? If you said $700, you're right. I had to look at it twice myself. One 4 oz bottle of lotion was $250, and the more effective 4 oz bottle of spray was $450. As I fought back tears, I had to decline.
I've been bruised and battered by the city thus far; I have dry, cracked, swollen hands to prove it. I'm fighting back though. It's kinder sides have broken through a few times, and as I warm up to the city, maybe it'll warm up to me. Until then, your prayers are appreciated.
I thought I would be an honest citizen and rather than keep my residence in TN, which would be cheaper and less of a hassle, I moved my residence to DC like I was supposed to. I got my DC driver's license but couldn't get tags for my car at that time because I had to 1) get my car inspected 2) get DC car insurance and 3) have my title shipped to the DC DMV.
Left hook, right in the eye. My car is only 3 years old. I had no reason to believe that inspection would be a problem, but I was shocked when I was handed a "Failed" inspection notice. What was the problem? The window tint was too dark. Excuse me? You mean, the tint that it came with? Yes. So now you need to go spend x amt of dollars to get it scraped off. For that one, I picked myself off the ground and countered with my own weapon - Collin. He took the car back, spoke to the manager, and got a "Pass." At least I'm earning points in this fight.
Right hook with partial deflection. I've had the same insurance company for 11 years, and my mom has always handled my insurance stuff. I thought it would be easy to switch because going from TN to AL was no big deal. Not so much. My insurance company doesn't do individual insurance in the big city. Great. Now I have to shop around, and I have no idea what I'm doing. I met with an insurance agent, basically the first one that answered my phone call, and she sent me a few quotes. Twice the yearly amount I was paying. The throbbing pain in my head was getting worse. After some suggestions from a friend, I signed up with a well-known company with a rate that was only slightly higher than my current rate. Phew, close one.
Right in the chest. I requested my title from the finance company at the beginning of May. I checked religiously to see if my title had arrived - nothing. Every time I called, it was being "processed." My TN tags expired May 31, and I kept having to get a new temporary parking pass every 2 weeks, so I could legally park on my own street. On May 30, I finally had to go to the DMV to get something worked out lest they give me more tickets. They still hadn't received my title, but they needed a title to give out a tag. Seriously? They finally decided that they would give me a temporary tag that would last me until July 13.
Punch in the nose. Then began the onslaught of photo enforced tickets with doubled fines for "failure to respond." To update a previous post, I have now received a total of 3 photo tickets: 2 for speeding and 1 for signal pass red lite (not really sure what that means). There has been a hearing requested for all 3, so now I'll get to pay DC some court costs.
Another deflection. My title finally arrived the second week of June. Rather than going ahead and getting my tags, I figured I would get my money's worth out of the temporary tag. Since I have to work the other 2 business days before July 13, I chose to go today (July 9). In preparing the papers required to get tags (Yes, you have to have 2. One in front and one in back. I guess that traffic cameras can see you better that way.), I noticed a statement that said that if you have unpaid fines to the District of Columbia, tags cannot be issued to you. My stomach cringed. Somehow though, I was able to get my tags with no problem.
Below the belt. The DC DMV isn't the only one taking shots. I have eczema. One of the main places it appears is on my hands. It usually breaks out a few times a year either when I'm stressed or if I come in contact with some irritating chemical, but it's been pretty well controlled for the past 10 years. It was really bad when I was in high school. So bad in fact, that my then 4 year old sister asked, "Fawn, why do your hands look like an old lady's?" Thanks, Blair. Well, this move has been a little stressful, and my eczema has been out of control. I ran out of medication, so I had to go to the dermatologist who wrote a prescription for a new type of spray and cream. He also gave me some samples. I only have short term insurance (which doesn't really cover much unless it's catastrophic), so I thought that the samples would clear up my hands until I could fill my prescriptions with my student insurance in the fall. While the meds have helped, the eczema keeps flaring up, so I just had to bite the bullet and fill the prescriptions. When I went to pick them up, I discovered that my short term insurance ended end of June. I was totally prepared to just buy 1 medication; however, I had no idea what the price tag was going to be. Guesses? If you said $700, you're right. I had to look at it twice myself. One 4 oz bottle of lotion was $250, and the more effective 4 oz bottle of spray was $450. As I fought back tears, I had to decline.
I've been bruised and battered by the city thus far; I have dry, cracked, swollen hands to prove it. I'm fighting back though. It's kinder sides have broken through a few times, and as I warm up to the city, maybe it'll warm up to me. Until then, your prayers are appreciated.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
A Capitol Fourth
Pretty awesome, isn't it? This year I spent July 4th in our nation's capital. I realize that this is not where the actual signing of the Declaration of Independence occurred, but you really can't get much closer.
I celebrated most of the day at the hospital. Nothing was wrong with me, but unfortunately, other people forget that you're not supposed to be sick on weekends and holidays. (This is one of the downsides of my otherwise fabulously flexible occupation.) Thankfully, they tend to reward you for being there while others barbecue. It also makes you appreciate the blessing of good health. And, don't worry, nurses definitely know how to make the best of the situation.
Collin's sister and brother-in-law Kelly and Brad were in town from Birmingham, so after changing into normal clothes, I met up with the 3 of them near the Capitol (which is also blocks away from my house). We first stopped at a park a short distance from the National Mall with a good view of the Washington Monument, but since this was my first DC 4th, they all graciously agreed to walk to the Mall. When we got to the Capitol, the first shot was fired, and we broke into a(n almost) dead sprint to get a better view. We ended up in a spot in the middle of the Mall and had a great view. There was an enormous amount of people (estimated to be in the "hundreds of thousands") all oohing and ahing. The show was spectacular - an awesome pyrotechnic display.
As short as my July 4th celebration was, I couldn't have asked for more. It was so good to see Kelly and Brad and have them join us for the holiday. The USA may have her problems, but it's still the greatest country on earth, and I got to celebrate that in a place where so much of our nation's history has occurred.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Nocturnal No More?
I have worked night shift for over 3.5 years. I had many opportunities to go to day shift, but the benefits of working nights always outweighed the negatives. I never was able to sleep well during the day, but I never really had a problem staying up all night. Plus, since I didn't sleep all day, I was still able to get out and enjoy at least part of the day before going back into work. I also loved the group of people I worked. They were supportive and helpful and made work fun.
I'm currently doing a travel assignment in which I work both days and nights. I think my body is enjoying a little taste of normalcy. I see a difference in how I feel after working a day shift vs. working night shift. This past weekend, I worked Friday and Saturday night. After waking up on Sunday, I just felt down, as in emotional, don't want to get off the couch, don't want to talk to anyone. This was a very strange feeling for me, but luckily, I have Collin. He discovered me in this state Sunday night and rather than delve into a long discussion about what what was going on (my body's mad at me - that's what!), he hinted that he may want to eat Mexican for dinner.
This may seem like a simple request, but if you know us, we eat Mexican food like it's going out of style. We've tried about every recommended Mexican place in DC and are still looking for our absolute favorite. It's just not quite as good here. That night, we decided on Cactus Cantina.
The temperature was about 75 degrees, so we had a lovely dinner out on the patio. We had some tasty food complete with a very awkward server and mediocre service, which just provided some extra laughs. As a bonus, Cactus Cantina is about 2 blocks from Washington National Cathedral, so after dinner, we strolled down.
By the end of the night, I was smiling again; the night shift blues beaten to a pulp.
I'm currently doing a travel assignment in which I work both days and nights. I think my body is enjoying a little taste of normalcy. I see a difference in how I feel after working a day shift vs. working night shift. This past weekend, I worked Friday and Saturday night. After waking up on Sunday, I just felt down, as in emotional, don't want to get off the couch, don't want to talk to anyone. This was a very strange feeling for me, but luckily, I have Collin. He discovered me in this state Sunday night and rather than delve into a long discussion about what what was going on (my body's mad at me - that's what!), he hinted that he may want to eat Mexican for dinner.
This may seem like a simple request, but if you know us, we eat Mexican food like it's going out of style. We've tried about every recommended Mexican place in DC and are still looking for our absolute favorite. It's just not quite as good here. That night, we decided on Cactus Cantina.
The temperature was about 75 degrees, so we had a lovely dinner out on the patio. We had some tasty food complete with a very awkward server and mediocre service, which just provided some extra laughs. As a bonus, Cactus Cantina is about 2 blocks from Washington National Cathedral, so after dinner, we strolled down.
By the end of the night, I was smiling again; the night shift blues beaten to a pulp.
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