Cumberland National Park

My refusal to use a calendar of any sort lately has led to a series of recent catastrophes. The first occurred two weekends ago, during the first round of March Madness. On Thursday, I planned an after work coffee date at Chinatown Coffee Co, where there are no televisions, instead of a happy hour on the first day of March Madness. And I went with a new friend, one I was trying to make a positive impression by not checking my phone every five seconds to evade total panic mode.

Further then, with my permission, Boyfriend planned a camping trip I was to accompany him on. A nature versus sports dual. A real tough call. If I lived in Big Sky Country or back near the Blue Ridge Mountains—land of waterfalls, or in the Southwest, nature would without a doubt be my priority. And if winter never came again, nature would also be a priority. But alas, I live in The City, or a city, where nature requires long drives and the rewarding views are those of small towns.

The weekend was planned, the cabin was booked. So after the University of Kansas squeaked out a win during the first round of the tournament on Friday, we headed to Cumberland National Park. We arrived just after 9:00 pm, and, exhausted, I promptly fell asleep. And I slept for quite some time, waking up only when Boyfriend decided to shuffle mattresses in the middle of the night. The next morning, after an oatmeal breakfast, we set off for a hike. We hiked and hiked and hiked. I have no idea how long or how far because we did not have a watch for the entire weekend. That proved more challenging than I would like to admit. The hike commenced with a quality sandwich, trail mix, and goldfish. Then I did some reading, some writing… and eventually joined Boyfriend for a nap under the warm sun. But note, while the sun was warm, the wind was biting. And though temperatures were forecasted in the 60s for the weekend, they barely reached 50 in the rolling hills where we made camp for the weekend. It was much colder than I anticipated when I agreed to this adventure. We spent the rest of the evening exploring around the creek, taking an evening stroll to the lake, and preparing and enjoying a late meal. And pretending I was totally fine being disconnected from tournament hype. When Sunday came, colder than the day before, I had to convince myself we should hike because of our proximity to nature. Around 2:30 pm, we got in the car—my fingers frozen straight—to head home, but my car was stuck in the mud I parked it in late Friday night when that seemed like a good idea. I turned on Satellite Radio and promptly found the remaining nine minutes of the Jayhawks would-be pitiful loss to Stanford while Boyfriend shoveled rocks under the tires and pushed and shoveled more and pushed and remained calm. All the while, I continuously cursed the both the Jayhawks and our situation.

This review of the weekend points to a lot of misery—in the form of cold, mud, no sense of time, and losing, but the reality is this time was much needed, filled with much goodness. Boyfriend and I were able to reconnect. We got away from The City and life, especially important now that I’m back to grinding away full time at the office.

Take Me Home, Country Roads

I enjoy rewriting lyrics, often to insert them, rather timely, into my own life. The results have been known to drastically alter the artist's original meaning. If songs are actually intended to have meaning--The Great Debate. John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" was--quite predictably--the theme song for the venture to West Virginia this past weekend. And while there are lovely parts in WV, Morgantown is not one of these places. In all fairness, it is possible I caught Morgantown on an off weekend as the life of the town--West Virginia University--was on Spring Break.  

As we traveled the country roads of West Virginia, I couldn't help but think that John Denver might have had it all wrong.

"Country Roads, take me home;
To the place I belong;
West Virginia, mountain momma;
Take me home, country roads"

The chorus' third line might have be more appropriately stated: Far from West Virginia.

Plain and simple, I foresee no reason to revisit to Morgantown. Aside from Spring Break, Morgantown never had a fair shot; this trip was planned to see Kansas University bring home a guaranteed win. And that did not happen. Though the final score was close and Andrew Wiggins, KU's stand-out freshman, scored 41 points, the game was only riveting for the final five minutes--no more. There was also MUCH chatter about Wiggins receiving his secondary education training in WV; the crowd seemed to find that worth repeating ad nauseam. I have not followed through as to the truth behind this chatter; I am far too disappointed to care.

After the 12:00 pm basketball game, we dined at Mountain State Brewing Co, which was excellent--drinks and food alike. The restaurant is in a huge warehouse-esque building right on the Monogahela River, both accounting for additional perks to a place I would revisit. Note: They apparently have three locations, only one of them being in Morgantown.

The trip highlight--agreed upon by all--came next: drinking Full Throttle peach moonshine (i.e., not local) crammed in our hotel room as we solved the problems of the world. This being a college town, the night ended doing as [college children] do--paying two dollars for drinks and staying out until 2:00 am. And that sat with us superbly as the clocks sprang forward before our weary eyes... and we realized we had somewhere to be--out of our hotel room--on Sunday morning.

So--looking back--even with these odds against us, we managed to have some fun.

First Day, Round Two

This month marks two years with my company, the longest I have been anywhere doing anything since graduating from Clemson University in May 2009. Gulp. And it is on this day, I witnessed actual growth in my young career. In September (2013), I accepted a new position internally with my company. But because of the nature of my work, I was never given a formal start date (or provided job-related details). So I waited, impatiently, for six l-o-n-g months. The uncertainty of the new position put me on edge and as a result everything in my life felt rocky.

Today though, March 6, 2014, my time came.

So how did it go, you ask?

• For reasons unbeknownst to me, I was up an hour earlier than necessary ready to tackle the day. No longer wanting to waste time, I lifted weights and perfected my abs for an hour. Then I showered, scarfed down a yummy ‘first day’ breakfast, and took off for the city.
• That’s right. The city. My job is accessible by Metro. I crammed right on to the Metro with thousands of other people, grinning from ear to ear. I was the happiest person on the Metro, guaranteed.
• The half-mile walk from Metro, in the continuing sub-arctic temperatures, was not as fun.  Especially since I had only a vague idea where I was going. As I relied on my phone, I nearly missed the building entrance. Oops.
• Upon arrival, with frostbit fingers, I came to the realization that I needed a badge to simply enter the building lobby. Thankfully, after a quick phone call, a co-worker (i.e., an escort) came to my rescue moments later.
• In a way, I’m imprisoned. I have to be escorted everywhere, including the bathroom. This is a place I visit far most frequently than most. And not something I like my entire team knowing on my first day.
• My entire team knows this because I sit in one large cube with seven people, including myself.
• The team I joined is comprised of nine people, much different than my previously solitary gig.
• I was asked to contribute to the purchase of a new Keruig to replace the one that broke before my time. That did not sit well with me.
• My new cube farm is a sauna, without the rocks. I’ll report back soon as to whether I prefer the hot to the frigid, as my prior work space was mighty chilly. And I found the chill to be mighty miserable. For now, these sauna-esque conditions will be great for napping and reading as I wait for my computer…
• Which won't be here for at least THREE weeks. And I thought the waiting period was over.
• There is no cutlery or napkins in the kitchen. So I ate my baked—via microwave—potato and whole cucumber like an animal.
• But, who cares, because I get a lunch break. A lunch break I do not have to feel guilty for taking. Except today, I missed my opportunity. My team left—without my realizing what was happening—and I was without an escort. But, tomorrow, oh tomorrow, I’ll work my way to the National Portrait Museum to dine in the humongous atrium. All will be marvelous then. And going forward.
• There's also no water cooler except...
• In the gym. Yes, there's a gym… with a locker room for showering on the days I bike, run, or walk to work! And the fancy gym is furnished with Life Fitness equipment, my treadmill manufacturer of choice.
• Happy Hour on the first day without warning... after a day of nothingness, not ideal. Note: It wasn’t miserable. But will hanging out with co-workers ever be fun? I'm not convinced. I'm also not convinced I 'fit in' with this crowd (or many crowds). Oh well.

So we'll see, I'm entirely optimistic. I should have my badge in a week and my computer in three. Then the real work begins, I'm told.

Haverhill, NH

The calendar switched from February to March while Boyfriend and I were in Haverhill, New Hampshire with his entire family--gathered at his grandfather's home. The circumstances were less than ideal--a celebration of the life of his late grandmother, a woman I was not fortunate to know.

The older I grow the more difficult being together with loved ones becomes. So while this was not how I had hoped to meet Boyfriend's brother and extended family, this is real life. Funeral (and weddings alike) bring people together, most often regardless of external circumstances.

The weekend can only be described as warm and nice, comforting. There was a ceremony, where more than 250 people gathered in a church with a congregation of about 30 people, followed by a reception hosted by their church. Shortly after, family and close friends assembled at their home for dinner and drinks (and oh my heavens, dessert). On Saturday, there was a luncheon for the 'nearest and dearest' at Dowd's Country Inn, a bumpy ride down the road. The luncheon was lovely--beautiful decor, people congregated, and fabulous food. I do not think I would be alone in stating that the entire weekend was also welcoming; people traveled far and wide because this woman was loved--so genuinely--by many people. I wanted to be there to mourn this loss and celebrate her life. The weekend was not overdone. And, also, not a single iota underdone.

After an understandably emotional weekend, Boyfriend and I received a blessing in disguise--our Sunday flight was canceled due to an impending snow storm in Washington, D.C. and the earliest we were able to reschedule for was Tuesday. We made our way to Boston, where we spent the next two days lounging. There was enough food and trashy television and magazines to go around. And we certainly indulged.

These few extra days were healing, easing and already difficult departure.

Note: These pictures were taken on Boyfriend's grandfather's property and are the best I can do at describing my love for this place. His land is dream-like in nature. I could have stayed forever. His house sits on top of this hill overlooking the Connecticut River. The property continues all the way down to the river, with planted corn fields running along the bank. There are also gardens--contents including such luxuries as fiddleheads and rhubarb--decorating the property; they are beautiful in the summer, I'm told. And the house. The house was built using Frank Llyod Wright's blueprints and is backed entirely with windows, skylights litter the ceiling throughout the house as well. It was through this house and property were designed for me.

February Goal: A Review

I'm back again with an update on my 2014 Personal Goals. My goal in February was to follow a strict vegan diet. And, for several reasons, I failed this before even starting. I am on a strict budget therefore I was not about to throw out half the food in the refrigerator only to replace these items with vegan counterparts. Another was, I'm lazy. There is a lot more work that goes into living a vegan lifestyle; my normal dinner 'go to' options are not often vegan. I did make an effort to prepare several vegan dinners I originally pulled recipes for and planned once the cabinets were cleared. And most of these were successes. Overall though, I was about 20% vegan. Big fail.

Because straight-up giving up is lame, I opted to ditch coffee in lieu of living vegan. And it was hard. In the beginning. On a normal week, I "allow" myself two cups of coffee. I'm on the fence about the amount of caffeine one should consume and somewhere along the way decided two cups per week was the right amount for a person of my stature. Even more limiting, I drink these cups on Monday and Friday, figuring those are the toughest days for me to battle. The twice weekly coffee boost has worked for me. If I ever need more caffeine, I opt for green tea.

This month has naturally been all about the green tea. And it was during this month I realized just how little I delight in green tea. I do not mind this option on occasion but I will never be a full convert. (That was not my goal, just a simple statement of fact.) I tried it hot, I tried it cold. I tried three different brands (this month)--Adagio, Bigelow Tea, and Mighty Leaf. But I persevered. And I was 98% successful. My one indulgence being three ounces on a gorgeous Saturday while visiting home. I resisted on Friday and Sunday. But Saturday, with the weather being oddly nice, my productivity was at full speed. And coffee--my dad's coffee--was too much to resist.

Further, regarding failing in February, I still have not indulged in a day of solitude nor have I really started learning the Arabic alphabet--my personal and spiritual goals for the year.

There was enough going on in February to keep the calendar full--a second 'brew' experience; my first Washington Capital's game; a Super Bowl party; a brunch with friends; a date at Baked & Wired following by a viewing of Peter and the Starcatcher at the Kennedy Center; a field trip to the National Portrait Gallery; catching the Oscar nominated Documentary Shorts at West End Cinema; discovering Nutella hot chocolate during the second (of three) snow day(s) for 2014 (as of March 3); and a weekend with to my parents' home in Northern Virginia. And while each and every one of these events was enjoyable, I was happy to flip the calendar to March and put this particularly cold and difficult month in the past; my self-diagnosed Seasonal Affective Disorder was a beast throughout February.

Last, the upside of the frigid weather is I continued to read book after book; I am unable to put down my current read--A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout. This month I finished three more books, placing me at 20% of my reading goal for the year. Better yet, up next: My March goal is to read five books. So weather pending, I should be fairly successful.