An Arrest

I am going to make a statement that I know very, very, very little about. And I'm slightly hesitant to do so.

This is what I know:

The man who supposedly murdered T.C.M. has been arrested, along with the man who sold the gun. 

After two and a half years, police in Maseru, Lesotho are fairly confident they have the suspect in custody. This was published in Public Eye, however, not available online until recently. I honestly do not know how this makes me feel. I found out a week ago. And I have been sitting on the news. A huge part of me feels so removed from this incident. I have tried to create a life for myself beyond this tragedy. I do not want to be defined solely by this incident. This was a part of my life, a defining moment, but there is much more.

I want there to be so much more.

Garden Update: Week 6

It is time for a garden update. I am far more into my garden than any one 25-year old should be. But who cares? I am having fun discovering this new hobby, so just let me run with it. Here is a sampling of what is going on…

Basil: You can see the basil is growing like a weed. And by that, I mean it looks like a weed. And it is growing at a rate comparable to that of a weed. So while it does not look like basil to me, I am happy this plant is increasing in size.

Oregano: The oregano was first to sprout. This has remained a sprinkling of infantile sprouts since it broke the soil surface weeks ago. Instead of growing, it prefers sprouting. I am not sure what is going on. My green thumbed friend, J.L.W., claims her oregano took three years to take off. She said the first year hers looked like I described—a sprinkling of sprouts. But this year—year three—she has more than she knows what to do with. There is hope. SO. Much. Hope.

Parsley: The parsley is my strongest hedge. It continues to develop into the parsley-esque plant it is supposed to be. And it is already starting to smells like parsley, which I take to be the best of good signs.

Green Onion: These fellas liked whatever happened when I mixed a combination of water + soil + seeds. Since I love green onions and the addition they make to any meal, I am quite happy with what is going on in these two pots.

Sun Gold Tomato: This is the tomato plant gifted to me by Mom. She has never failed me with her tomato production, so I am looking forward to mounds of yellow cherry tomatoes this season. I did not grow this plant from seed. It came in a grow-ready form. As a first time gardener, I am already seeing the advantage here. 

 The one thing I have learned from rearing tomatoes is they are thirsty. 

If you look closely, you will see two green tomatoes working their way to perfection. 

And here is my beloved strawberry plant. You are thinking… she looked the same a week ago, eh? Well do not judge. She got a late start compared to her fellow balcony mates.

So there you have it.

Preparation Madness

Memorial Day weekend is and always has been the unofficial start of summer here in the Land of the Free. But, as a working gal, to me, it simply represents three days of solitude FAR away from the office. Boyfriend and I decided this would the perfect weekend for camping. And before I start rambling, let me just say we are about to strike it big with the weather. It has been in the 80s all week, with 86% humidity... until last night when a huge storm came through and cut the nasty Washington, D.C. swamp-like atmosphere. I am very much looking forward to weather in the high 60s all weekend, with no chance of rain. (This would be a totally different story if I had made plans to be poolside for the holiday weekend, of course.)

Life around here has been hectic lately, and somehow, it seems that while we have been preparing (for camping) for at least the past week, there was an awful lot still to get done when I woke this morning. The first trip of the season always seems to be the most work. Is that just me? I had an appointment early this morning, then coordinated with Boss Man to work the remainder of the day from home. This move spared me time to finalize the preparations.

I tend to take on way more than necessary. Today was no exception. This was my initial list:

• 9:00 am podiatrist appointment
• Email J.L.W.
• Email H.J.W. 
• Email M.R.B.
• Email roommates
• Send birthday cards to J.W.M. and M.E.K. 
• Send thank you note to M.R.B.
• Write Grandma and Great Aunt B
• Bake muffins
• Make granola
• Make trail mix
• Pack food; pack bag 
• Return honey to Giant
• Run
• Shower
• Empty dishwasher
• Vacuum

I am a crazy person. I think that has been confirmed. And this instance of crazy means I require my home be cleaned before stepping out for any extended period.

Again, thankfully, I am working from home today. The majority of my list, being entirely unrelated to camping, can wait until Tuesday, but I really do not do well with looming lists of tasks needing my tending to. In my mind, it is a dark, ugly picture with me in the center.

On that note, take a look at this picture of my kitchen around noon today:

You will see chaos. Dark. Ugly. Chaos. While whipping up a batch of blueberry coconut muffins, not C.A.R.'s granola, and assembling a half-hearted batch of trail mix, I noticed the my disturbing surroundings. It was one of those how am I going to get everything done? moments.

With only a couple more business hours remaining on this cool, crisp day-before-long-weekend Friday, I am pleasantly surprised to say things are coming together. Now, my non-camping related items will most all sit until Tuesday, but I am more at ease with everything. The 'must-do' items are crossed off from the list... with time to post a brief (and boring) update.

Have a good Friday and enjoy your Memorial Day weekend.

Strawberry Fields Forever + Boston

Meet my new strawberry plant. The one that is going to be awesome. And grow me millions of luscious strawberries. But let me backtrack for a second and say that, at this point, it's not even about the strawberries; it's about winning a competition with my, at times, pessimistic Boyfriend. The one who thinks balconies are no place for growing strawberries. Well, you stayed tuned, these late summer berries are going to make the taste of victory that much sweeter. His mom, M.R.B., the gift-er of the strawberry plant, unknowingly spawned this competition.

Below is a picture of the gracious gift comprising said plant. I share this image mostly because I did not take a single picture in Boston aside from this one. But also because M.R.B. beyond thoughtful (and fun)... and that deserves to be recognized.

Not be to overly redundant of my recent post, Boyfriend moved to Washington, D.C. in late February with nothing more than a duffle bag. I guess you could say he has been living off the land since then. When he decided he needed a few more belongings, I, being the rock star girlfriend I am, suggested we pick his mom's birthday--Mother's Day weekend--to make the journey to his hometown, Boston, MA.

I have to admit the weekend did not start off as gracefully as I would have liked. I was all annoyed with Boyfriend the entire drive for reasons I am not even sure. (Yuck.) And I am sure he would love me broadcasting that all over my corner of the internet, but I need to. It holds me accountable. I would like to promise I will not be that ridiculous ever again. I will definitely hold off for at least six months. Once we got over that hurdled, we had a pretty ideal weekend.

I got to sleep in on Friday. Then have bagels. Then hang in the sunshine and learn all about opening a pool for the season(!!!). The day continued with adult beverages... outside. And for dinner, we had the most amazing Chinese food of my life. I can guarantee China does not do it that well. Boyfriend and I brought home the leftovers... and still, weeks later, we joke about wishing we had more Chinese leftovers. So you think we will be back in Boston soon? I certainly do think so.

(More fodder for the 'return to Boston' agenda: Boyfriend failed to introduce me to Crescent Ridge ice cream. It's National Geographic rated... la, la, la... best ice cream EVER. I had life changing milk from Crescent Ridge while visiting, so I doubt the ice cream will disappoint. Though lets be real, when does ice cream disappoint?!)

On Saturday, I spent the day split between two college friends. First, I headed over to Wrentham for another couple hours of catching up with C.J.R. I saw her three days before (in D.C.) and still needed three hours to sufficiently catch up. If two friends can be sufficiently caught up, I think we are. Then I headed over to the very fancy Legacy Place in Dedham to meet H.C.O. for a birthday, wedding-festivity-planning, catch up lunch.

(Aside from Chinese food and this ice cream Boyfriend and his other hometown friends speak so highly of, I need return to Boston for shopping at Legacy Place. This outdoor mall had all my favorite places--Anthropologie, Banana Republic, J.Crew, lululemon athletica, Paper Source, and Whole Foods.)

That was most of the afternoon, before I headed back to the B's house for an epic fondue dinner. It was epic for several reasons:

1. The cheese fondue was homemade heavenly goodness. And I really do not like cheese. Especially cheese fondue. But maybe, I just do not like cheese fondue from a box?  
2. And there was bread and broccoli and apples for dipping into the cheese. I might not be ra! ra! cheese, these three things certainly top my list of love. 
3. Then it was main course time, in which I was able to participate in because M.R.B. had two fondue pots going--one for meat; one for veggies. 
4. There were veggies galore for dipping, including multiple kinds of mushrooms.
5. The B's use broth, not oil... so that seemed healthier. And definitely did not sacrifice any flavor.
6. So much eating happened during the first two courses, that we all needed a break before chocolate. Yummy, melty chocolate. Marshmallows. Bananas. Pound Cake. Strawberries. 

I might have dozed off in a food coma on Saturday and woken up a bit heavier on Sunday. I have no regrets. It was SO worth it. SO. SO. SO.

After loading the car, we said goodbye fairly early on Sunday in an effort to beat the ever promising I-95 crowds. All that good company (and eating) made me tired... and clearly, want to return. We made it safely back to D.C., unpacked Boyfriend, and I scurried home to sleep.

Unsettling Plans

Let me paint a picture of what this week was supposed to look like, starting with Sunday night.

Evening of May 5, 2013: Meet H.M.O. and A.A.P. for a--as in one--Cinco de Mayo margarita at Uncle Julio's. The atmosphere and company were better than anticipated... so one turned into two or three or five. And drinks turned into dinner. And the night just got suddenly late.

May 6: (Monday mornings, following Sunday night activity, are pretty much my favorite. Not.) If M was still in the hospital recovering from this round of chemotherapy, I would visit him... after many, too many, weeks of not visiting. If M was released, I would recommit to my plans with A.L.S.--post-work dinner and drinks. In the chaos of Monday morning, I accidentally left my phone at home. Classic me. That led to frantic emails... and people waiting on me... and all-around discomfort. M was released, and I ended up at Cave Mezze with A.L.S. The evening was a refreshing one, as I had also not seen her in weeks.

May 7, 7:05 pm: Detroit Tigers/Washington Nationals baseball game at National Park with Boyfriend and my parents. It rained and rained and rained all day Tuesday... amounts enough to postpone the anticipated match-up to Thursday, May 9. This press release did not occur until my parents were sitting in my living room... where the option to about-face into outbound traffic was out. So we chatted--seemingly plenty to discuss despite having spent the majority of the weekend together, and made plans for dinner. (Note: This would make three straight days of eating out. I was a little on edge.) After flipping through January and February copies of Washingtonian's "100 Very Best Restaurants 2012" and "100 Very Best Restaurants 2013" respectively, we landed on Ray's The Steaks, just a mile and a half down the road from my apartment. The food was phenomenal... for there being only a single unlisted vegetarian option. It ended up being a nice night, albeit not the night at the ballpark we envisioned.

May 8, 2013: Dinner at Pupatella's with C.J.R., a dear college friend, mid-route in her journey from Charleston, SC to Wrentham, MA. Year two of pharmacy school for her and my 9:00 am to 5:00 pm job, has us on entirely different schedules, meaning limited phone calls since August, rare for the two of us. I am very much looked forward blabbering away at tonight's dinner. And all went according to plan this night - hooray!

May 9, 2013: The original plans had Boyfriend and me heading to Boston, MA to visit his parents. Aside from celebrating M.R.B.'s birthday (and Mother's Day), this trip will allot Boyfriend time to  collect his belongings... because after two plus months in Washington, D.C., he wants, debatable needs, more than the duffle bag that accompanied him on his one-way trip here and two boxes his mom has mailed.

But with baseball tickets valid only for the postponed game at the horrible time of 4:05 pm, Boyfriend and I intended on opting to use two of the four tickets purchased. I hated, beyond hated, the idea of them going to waste. It literally sickened my soul. And lest I fail to mention: These were good seats. The older I get, the more high maintenance I am about where I sit in stadiums. I used to be satisfied being in the stadium. Not as much anymore. Sigh. But mostly, I purchased decent seats because I wanted to do something kind for my dad--the Tigers being his team--after he did my taxes for me, among other things. The best of intentions came up dry. Like previously mention, this postponement cost him a nice dinner for four. And he would not be joining Boyfriend and I for the afternoon game as his work schedule is not as flexible as my Government one.

And then, just when I thought my tightly made plans had stabilized, they unravelled again. There would be no early bird departure for Boyfriend and my road trip to Boston in order. A final call to Nationals' Officials concluded with suddenly refundable tickets, we could now skip the game and hit the road following my 10:00 am meeting. This left Boyfriend to do essentially all the packing as the change came minutes before I had to catch the metro for a meeting an hour northeast of the city. To say this left me in a state of disarray is to put it mildly.

At this point, I need to get to Boston; where, upon arrival, a long relaxing weekend awaits.