American Association of Museums Meets in Philadelphia

Well, I'm off to Philly tomorrow for a professional conference, where I expect to be busy most of every day taking seminars, listening to intelligent people speak, and taking notes. I'm quite excited about it, except for the usual travelling jitters (must make sure to pack Everything, unless it's easily purchased at a drug store anywhere in the country, MUST leave in time to make the train, cross my fingers the tickets are correct...) I'm feeling quite excited. The weather promises to be less than stellar, but L.A. next week is going to make up for that, I'm sure.

Because I'm not sure I'll be able to post from Philly (I know, who travels without a laptop these days?! - Besides me, of course) most of the weekend will constitute me listening to seminars and taking notes (per the above mention) and of course meeting people in the museum field, and going to meals when I have the time. On Monday, I'll be taking an inside tour of Pennsbury manor that promises to be very interesting, with a behind-the-scenes aspect and a light lunch with staff and other guests. Very excited about that one, for sure.

Now I just need to dust off my networking skills, and finish my check-off list. Here's hoping I learn very interesting things and meet many interesting people.

Did I mention I'm taking the train? So very excited about that, even though it does add jitters. I like trains. No baggage fees, greater baggage allowances, more leg and elbow room... snack cars! Big windows...

Fruit Salad As The New Pasta (or Bread, or Couscous)

The last time I went grocery shopping, I hadn't eaten enough fruits and vegetables in recent weeks, so I found myself checking out blueberries, strawberries and bananas. I'm not a huge fan of melons, grapes (I go through phases) and all the other normal fruit-salady fruits - or what're commonly considered fruit-salady fruits, anyway - but was pleasantly surprised to find a new love: the base for my own version of the Fruit Salad. Someday I"ll add pineapples, maybe some mango... lots of possbilities exist for delicious, melon-free salads. I've been eating the combination for about four days straight. Unfortunately, am all out of both strawberries and blueberries now, but that just means next time I'll have to buy more!

So I love this idea so much that yesterday I forgot to eat any carbs for lunch, and by two in the afternoon, was starving! Had to buy some crackers and Nutri-grain bars (I fall in and out of like with those). I remembered today, but still the greater part of my lunch consisted of fruit. It has become my new must-have, cannot-live-without food staple.

My only regret is that none of these fruits are currently in season, and bananas aren't grown locally (Tropics in DC anyone? Though it might feel like it in summer, we're not even close. Though I wonder if anyone has ever tried growing bananas here...). Ever since university, I've been attracted to locally-grown produce, and the idea of eating what's available and in season locally. It cuts down on a lot of waste (think gasoline for trucks, refrigeration of those same trucks), and sometimes even the cost of the produce. It also just seems fresher. Hasn't taken a cross-country trip in a refrigerator to get to your local grocery store.

However. Alongside this preference lives the knowledge that when technology and global commerce did not allow for cross-country shipments of "fresh" produce, communities only had what was grown locally. Meaning, no bananas for DC. Ever. No oranges, except maybe at Christmas. No berries until they were in season. And one thing that has come with the global economy, is more opportunity for better health. Nobody in first-world countries worries about scurvy anymore (at least unless you're one of those people who never eats fruits or vegetables, which I find extremely sad). And that's only one example.

So I'm going to take advantage of the opportunities I have to eat exotic fruits, even if they aren't in season or available anywhere but the tropics. And I'll try to remember next winter about my passion for fruit salad (does anyone else eat fewer salads, fruit or otherwise, in winter?)

If anyone has ideas about what fruits and veggies are in season right now in the mid-Atlantic region, please share!

In other, unrelated news, the Capitals won Game 7 in the first series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Rangers and are going on to Round 2!!! One grunge match against the Pittsburgh Penguins, coming right up. I have another favorite player as of the start of the postseason: Simeon Varlamov. What a stud!

Earth Day Reprise

Contrary to my earlier, premature post, I did end up doing something Earth Day-related last Wednesday. One of my favorite educational programs at the museum is Victory Gardens (see this post for more details)

Last year on Earth Day I helped children make their own victory gardens, which really was a lot of fun. This year, I had other work to do, but I did manage to take a quick break to make one of my own (if anyone remembers my pumpkin and other vegetable garden experiment, that started out as a victory garden). This time, the seed options were more limited, but I chose alfalfa sprouts, which I consider to be very yummy on sandwiches and in salads. It's currently residing in the bottom half of a regular, small water bottle. I planted them last Wednesday, and already today I think I might need to get a bigger holder for them! I have so many little sprouts they pushed up a pile of dirt. I'd love to have a sprout garden, so I could just cut out sprouts and put them in my lunchtime sandwiches/salads .... Well, I'm quite pleased at any rate. Especially that Earth Day didn't pass completely unobserved by me.

Fashion For Everyone and Sandwich Bags for All Time

I finally started going through my old emails, most of which are the subscription type (newspapers, fashion deals, etc) and I found two fascinating articles.

The first article, about the show What Not To Wear, which I occasionally enjoy watching, describes the tactics used by the hosts of the show, and defines the goal of the show. One of the reasons I enjoy watching it is how harsh they can be about their subjects' pre-makeover wardrobes. The other reason is the more obvious - they point out really great tips for looking good (not just stylish) whatever one's size or shape, or style preference. The article interviews one of the hosts, Stacy London, who, among other things, believes that style is confidence-boosting.

The second article contains no advice at all - it simply describes a new product that I Must-Have. Seriously. The idea is so genius that it's waiting for a patent, according to the article. Really, it says it all. All I'll write here is that the product is an innovation on packing lunches. I'll say it again. Genius.

On a final, unrelated note, the Washington Capitals forced Game 7 against the New York Rangers!! I'll be skipping Krav class on Tuesday to watch it, most likely.... Here's hoping Henrik The King falters again, and the Caps defense keeps up the pressure. Also, good luck Varly.

Earth Day

I'm a slacker. I know this, which I hear is half the battle. And yet, there must be a will to change, and that I fear I lack.

At any rate, today is Earth Day! I don't know about other places of Business, but here on the Navy Yard there are plenty of activities going on, despite the rain. One I missed, but would have been happy to volunteer to participate in were it not for the rain, was the cleaning up of the Yard, i.e. picking up trash. Takes me back to my elementary school days, when in day care every now and then we'd be forced to walk around the school grounds and pick up trash that others had left behind. I never liked the prospect, but can't remember that the experience itself was that terrible.

In honor of Earth Day, I've already bought a styrofoam cup of coffee and a commercially-baked muffin. A great start, I think. Seriously though, I'd much rather be out planting a tree today than sitting in my office which smells of plastic because the windows are being re-filmed (that's UV filter film).

I did find an Earth-related article today via Twitter. (I love Twitter, don't you?) It's about the Lake With The Longest Name Ever. Short, but sweet. Unlike my blog entries.

Happy Earth Day and try to celebrate it with more honesty and enthusiasm than I've managed so far. It won't be hard.

Happy Easter/Passover/Zombie Jesus Day

Happy Easter, to those who celebrate it, Happy Passover to others... and Happy Everything-else to everone else (including just another Sunday).

I realize I haven't posted in AGES, but hope anyone who regularly checks this hasn't been too disappointed - there's been much craziness and upheaval in my life recently. I.e. Looking for a new job, a new apartment, and picking up a new hobby (krav maga).

I spent this weekend being amazingly busy, what with resume-updating, helping my mom shop for outfits for her upcoming trip to New Orleans (must remember to cat-sit), and doing more Eastery things than I'd supposed we would.

Shopping was a great success, I wish she felt comfortable in dresses because I think she can rock them, but we got her a very summery chunky wooden-circles necklace, a linen shirt with frogs down the front instead of buttons, and some very comfy-looking cropped trousers.

Easter, not surprisingly, started at church, where my mom volunteers to help with the coffee between services (oh right! volunteering... need to pick that up again, too). In an effort to reduce their waste, the church has begun using real ceramic mugs for coffee instead of styrofoam or paper, as they used to. To accommodate quick turn-over of mug usage, they purchased a sanitizer, which I imagine are common among the food industry (and very expensive, from what I hear). It looks a bit like a steam-filled cross between a dishwasher and an oven, and can sanitize a rack of mugs in minutes. Faster than I could replace them out front, at any rate.

Since the music for the later Easter service consisted of young children singing the Beatles' "Imagine", and we were both in the mood for something more mature, we went straight to Easter brunch, a gathering of old friends and neighbors, and a crowd of very interesting people.