Running Into Your Neighbor, Millennial Style

This happened today and amused me so... blog post! Walking home from volunteering, I got a text message from a friend saying he was at the farmer's market I was literally walking through. Thus began a series of text messaging/phone calls to locate the exact place we were each at so we could "run" into each other. Funny.

Another Memorable Moment on the Bus

Public transportation in the city never ceases to provide me with amusing tales, fodder for this blog, the occassional good conversation, and once, even a date. Yesterday on the bus an older black gentleman was sitting down when a mom type and a red headed kid, probably two or three years old, came on the bus and sat down.

The little kid turned around so s/he was looking out the window. I couldn't tell if it was a girl or a boy because the kid had short hair and the clothing was not gender specific. For whatever reason, though, s/he was amused by the older gentleman so s/he kept looking at him.

Finally, the gentleman broke the silence and said "How are you? You are a handsome little man," to which the mom replied "Um, she's a girl." He quickly corrected himself saying "Oh, you are a pretty little girl."

Then began the cutest yes/no series of questioning I've seen in a while. "Are you going home, dear?" the gentleman asked. "Yes," she replied.

"Did you have a good day?" Yes.

"Is life treating you well?" Yes.

"Well, life is pretty good at this stage."

And with that the mom and child had arrived at their stop. The gentleman helped the mom off the bus, taking responsibility for getting the stroller up and running for the walk home in the rain.

Life is pretty good at this twenty-something stage, too. And there is little to no chance of anyone thinking I am a boy.

Tiny, Cute, and Not a Morning Person

One of my friends had a baby recently. I loooove kids and was only too happy to go visit this new little person and spoil him with gifts. En route to work I stopped by the hospital. Baby, mom, and grandma were all there, awake, and happy to see me. The nurse was messing with the baby and he was crying. I thought to myself: "I understand where this baby is coming from. It's early, and she's messing with him when he just wants to sleep." I am not a morning person so I felt like I connected with him.

When the nurse finally stopped messing with him and let me hold him, he fell back asleep right quick in my arms. It was a very relaxing way to start the day.

Girlfriends and Boyfriends

My friend previously referred to as "Girl Friend" is skipping out on very tentative plans we had made today because her boyfriend unexpectedly got the day off work. And you know what? I am totally cool with that. Relationships take time, work, and energy; those times you have together are special and deserve to be preserved.

Some girls get all high-strung when their girlfriends bail. If we had made really firm plans I would be disappointed. But it was very much "if this, then that." And she's with a guy that makes her happy, they both have busy schedules, and more power to them when they get quality time together.

We hung out last night plus we see each other a lot anyway. We work together and are practically next door neighbors. Still, it is sweet she was apologetic about the change in (again) tentative plans. I do appreciate that. Now go have some fun with your boyfriend!

Living Alone

Scene: A corner in my 'hood late on a Friday night. Actors include: Me, one of my girlfriends, and my guy friend who is about to move. I ask Guy Friend how the apartment search is going.

Guy Friend: Good, just a little stressful. I want a roommate because being around people energizes me. It's hard to find the right roommate though.
Girl Friend (who lives alone, a block away from me): Hey, there is nothing wrong with eating Chinese alone in bed on a Friday night! That is what I was doing until Jay Girl called.

Awkward silence followed by nervous laughter.

Girl Friend: Jay Girl and I can live right next door to each other. That would be the ideal.
Jay Girl: What's wrong with a block?!

Group: Ohhh... snap!

So Girl Friend and I can run over to each other's apartment if we want to hang out but then when we want to be alone, we are. I didn't mean to snap at her, though! Next door would be cool, too. But living with people definitely does not energize me. My little home sweet home is where I go to re-charge after all the peeps out there exhaust me. In a good way.

Life's Complexities

This week has been a good reminder of the complexities of life. Everything is a balancing act and my equilibrium is continually shifting. When you're in school it is so easy to sort things into categories: this class, that class, this extracurricular, that party. The challenge is figuring out how to mesh it all together when you're no longer on a four-year graduation plan.

I am moving forward with Peace Corps. But I also got great news about my work project this week. And there may be opportunities to do international work at my office relatively soon. Plus I really like the community I have built up in DC. I guess what is behind the desire to join Peace Corps is the desire to make a difference in communities in West Africa, plus my desire to learn more about that part of the world. So I guess the moral of the story, for now, is there are many paths to the same destination. I just gotta keep balancing them all a little longer and see what works out for me.

Dream Houses

My favorite cube-mate at work is leaving because she bought a cute little beach cottage on Chincoteague Island. I am SO happy for her. She just belongs on the island, at this point in her life, in her cute house with a screened-in porch. To me, a screened-in porch is the sign of a good life.

Her fulfillment of this life dream gets me thinking about my own perfect little corner to live in. Where would I buy a house, if I was going to buy a house? I love the city so I am tempted to say a condo in Chicago or DC would be my "dream house." If it could somehow have a screened-in porch, but no yard that I have to take care of, that would be ideal. The green-thumb gene did not get to me.

But down the road? Would I want a cute beach house at some point? Or a cozy mountain cabin? A city condo may just be my version of the cute beach house. One of my girlfriends wishes she could be "tri-coastal," living in Chicago, DC, and San Francisco. That actually sounds pretty good to me. Though, I may switch out SF for London. I also think it would be cool to have a beautiful old Midwestern farm house somewhere in Illinois, preferably close to my roots. But I can't see myself staying there too long before the city calls me back.

What about you? What is your dream house?

Quick Thought

For a simple Midwestern girl, one thing that is intoxicating about DC is the sense of opportunity. People, institutions, and leaders I used to read about in college are based here. Walking down the street I pass all sorts of cool places and out at night I meet all sorts of interesting people. It is very cool and does not get old.

My Guilty Pleasure: Trash TV

Because of my city life I am lacking a few things most peeps have: a car, a microwave, and a TV. It's a lifestyle choice, really. Having a car just didn't make sense since I can metro/walk/bus anywhere I need to go. My kitchen is tiny so there isn't a good spot to put a microwave and I like my food to be fresh anyway. A TV just seemed like an unnecessary expense, with cable and all, plus as long as it is not there I don't miss it. I work out, read, or blog at night and generally find other ways to spend my time. The few shows I watch I can see online and occasionally I go to a bar to watch a game or match.

When I stay in hotels I am always amazed at the stuff on TV. I make a game out of finding really trashy TV shows. For example, I recently discovered Hitched or Ditched. The TV show producers show up and surprise a couple by saying they will plan their dream wedding (they aren't engaged) but it has to be in a week. All the pre-wedding jitters and emotions have just a week to manifest themselves. At the end of the week the couple decide if they really do want to go through with the wedding or if they want to "ditch." Where do they come up with this stuff?

And then there was this show "I Didn't Know I was Pregnant" or something like that. Crazy! It chronicled girls who, well, didn't know they were pregnant until they started going into labor. There were all sorts of crazy stories and crazy logic on the show. Who comes up with this stuff?

What about you? What's your favorite trash TV?

Roommates

So one of my bff's in my 'hood, the guy who keeps me updated on the openings and closings of our local businesses, the one who goes with me to neighborhood meetings, is moving. His roommate is moving to Boston. (Boston? In December? Brrrr!) While I am pretty sure he will stay nearby, I am a little nervous about the whole thing. He just has such short turn around time to find a new place as he has to be out by the end of the month. And he is out of town for ten days this month. Poor friend! Just a month's notice. Here's hoping he finds someplace quick!

The Launch of the Best Halloween Costume Ever

Once upon a time I went to space camp. I was 13 years old and a size 2. The space camp I went to was just for girls and was in Oklahoma City, so it was cause for my first-ever solo plane trip. Once I arrived, I was given a blue space suit with very official NASA logos and badges on it. I took a test to determine what post I would get at the end of our week when we went on our space mission in an old space shuttle. I was to be the nutritionist, a coveted position as I had one of the few positions in the space shuttle AND was in charge of allocating servings of freeze-dried ice cream.

Last year when I went home for Thanksgiving I discovered the blue space suit still fit. In an unbelievable act of foresight my mom had pulled it from the Goodwill pile; I am not a pack rat in the least. Since then, I have been saving it for the launch of the best Halloween costume ever. It launched last night and was well-received in our nation's capital. I enjoyed the many puns I was able to make like "Is this party ready to launch?" and being able to say "I went to space camp when I was 13 and this still fits!" every time someone asked me where I got the outfit.

And, because I am writing about this, I may as well share my favorite space camp moment with you. I was not really into science, despite going to space camp, and missed the whole sci-fi "stuff" and lingo a brother or male cousin may have filled me in on. I was sitting in the space shuttle, ready for lift off, and everyone kept saying "Roger this" and "Roger that." It was an all-girls camp so I could not imagine who Roger was. To my (later) embarrassment, I asked “Who’s Roger?”

Needless to say I know what roger means now.

Ah, Change

Change. Some are scared of it; others embrace it with open arms. There are many things I can thank my parents for and, whether they meant to or not, raising me to appreciate and embrace change is one of them.

For me, change has always led to an opportunity I would have missed if I had not been open to it. My willingness to take on new things, go on adventures, change on a whim, learn new skills, and be ready to adapt at a moment's notice, has served me really well. This willingness combined with my general calm and collected-ness has been a good blend. Right under my bed are my "moving boxes" and in my kitchen closet are my suitcases. I feel confident I could pack up and go really quickly.

However, this flexibility is not the same for others, in particular some of my colleagues. We have a new boss at work and are going through a merger. No one's job is in jeopardy; in fact people are probably going to get to use their skills in a more productive way, thanks to the great manager we now have. But people sure are cantankerous. There is this nervous energy in the air. And that is kinda hard for me to deal with. Please, peeps, mind your manners and still say your please and thank you's while we work this through.

What about you? How do you react to and manage change?