Speaking of ... Driving, I'll be glad to give it up. Someone once made fun of me by guessing that I drive like a li'l ole granny, given I don't own a car and (used to) walk and Metro most places. Not so. Not so, at all. Tell you a secret: sometimes I'm a bit careless. I won't go into details, but that's one reason I'll be happy to be a pedestrian again.
Speaking of ... Work (to which I drive every day), tomorrow is my last day! To cover living expenses, etc., I signed on with a temp agency when I quit my job (I know, the economy, yada yada). My first placement, which has lasted the past six weeks, is about to end. I should be sad, or at least ... not looking forward to it, right? Because I'll stop getting those handy paychecks. But, between you and me, I can't help but be pleased. I mean, this means my mornings are mine again! That, in my opinion, is reason enough.
Speaking of ... Lack of Income, it's official (as soon as I pay my deposit): I'm on my way to the University of Toronto! Perhaps I'll keep record here of the process of making my way North. I'll try, at any rate.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Changes
I used to Metro to work. I even liked it, some days. Maybe even half the time. And I walked halfway. I enjoyed that walk, in every season but winter.
These days, things have changed. The only walk I have is the walk from my car to the building, and I don't use public transportation at all. I do get a pass onto the HOV lanes, because I drive a clean-fueled Civic Hybrid, but I hardly feel that's a really "green" activity, given I'm not actually carpooling.
The not-green advantages to driving to work:
I've learned how to parallel park, and pretty well, too. Something that needs to be self-taught around here, frustratingly - I know I for one didn't get tested on that before getting my license. The downside to this advantage? Nobody else knows how to, either. Advantage number two: the commute is much shorter, cut about in half. Thirdly, my route takes me down the GW Parkway, which is leafy and comes with a view of the river.
I soothe my conscience by remembering that I do drive a Hybrid, and that I won't be making this drive for much longer.
These days, things have changed. The only walk I have is the walk from my car to the building, and I don't use public transportation at all. I do get a pass onto the HOV lanes, because I drive a clean-fueled Civic Hybrid, but I hardly feel that's a really "green" activity, given I'm not actually carpooling.
The not-green advantages to driving to work:
I've learned how to parallel park, and pretty well, too. Something that needs to be self-taught around here, frustratingly - I know I for one didn't get tested on that before getting my license. The downside to this advantage? Nobody else knows how to, either. Advantage number two: the commute is much shorter, cut about in half. Thirdly, my route takes me down the GW Parkway, which is leafy and comes with a view of the river.
I soothe my conscience by remembering that I do drive a Hybrid, and that I won't be making this drive for much longer.
Friday, March 19, 2010
The Wearing of the Green
Better late than never, right?
Out to find a celebratory drink with a friend this past Wednesday after receiving the best.news.EVER, I encountered seas of green-clad people, lines at pubs and bars, and some already drunk individuals (pretty confident this was no later than 8:30pm). It occurred to me at this point to remember not only was it Wednesday ("hump day" in some vocabularies), it was also MARCH SEVENTEENTH. Duh.
Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day!
At another point during the evening I started to wonder how St. Patrick's Day, or rather St. Patrick's day in the United States, came to be what it is: "Saint Patrick's Day is one of the leading days for consumption of alcohol in the United States, and is typically one of the busiest days of the year for bars and restaurants (source)." Because to my knowledge the way we (I use the term loosely) celebrate the holiday is far removed from the observances that take place in its originating nation. We Americans like to wear green, and consume massive amounts of alcohol.
In light of this question, I have finally remembered to look it up. I was curious, but since I have the internet, unlike Hermione I did not go to the library.
Anyways. Here's the link to my first source.
The green wearing part is pretty easy to figure out. It started with "the wearing of the green", or wearing a shamrock pinned to one's clothing. This term might have caused confusion, leading to the wearing of the color green as opposed to the wearing of a green shamrock. These days, green in America, if it doesn't necessarily mean Ireland, has no trouble being associated with it. Not to mention, if you read the article, it was even worn by Irish soldiers in rebellion.
The drinking, I discovered, is a bit harder to pin down.
Interestingly, it appears that for some time in Ireland, the kinds of observances we have here and now were expressly forbidden: "O'Mara later introduced the law that required that pubs and bars be closed on 17 March after drinking got out of hand (see above link for source)". The necessity for this law suggests that drinking heavily in Ireland was also customary on St. Patrick's Day. This contrasts with its origins as a religious feast day and holy day. A few years back, National Geographic interviewed a U.S. resident, born to Irish parents in England, illustrating the differences between Irish and American customs.
So, the answer to the question, when did Americans start to celebrate St. Patrick's Day by getting pissed (trashed, wasted, three sheets to the wind.... pick your slang) is very difficult to find (i.e. I haven't, yet. Maybe I will have to go to the library, after all...). The answer to the question, why do Americans drink so heavily on St. Patrick's Day, well, that one's a little easier to guess at: perhaps we're a ways removed from the holiday's more religious origins. Or, it could be because we (again, used loosely) like drinking, and any excuse will do.
Out to find a celebratory drink with a friend this past Wednesday after receiving the best.news.EVER, I encountered seas of green-clad people, lines at pubs and bars, and some already drunk individuals (pretty confident this was no later than 8:30pm). It occurred to me at this point to remember not only was it Wednesday ("hump day" in some vocabularies), it was also MARCH SEVENTEENTH. Duh.
Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day!
At another point during the evening I started to wonder how St. Patrick's Day, or rather St. Patrick's day in the United States, came to be what it is: "Saint Patrick's Day is one of the leading days for consumption of alcohol in the United States, and is typically one of the busiest days of the year for bars and restaurants (source)." Because to my knowledge the way we (I use the term loosely) celebrate the holiday is far removed from the observances that take place in its originating nation. We Americans like to wear green, and consume massive amounts of alcohol.
In light of this question, I have finally remembered to look it up. I was curious, but since I have the internet, unlike Hermione I did not go to the library.
Anyways. Here's the link to my first source.
The green wearing part is pretty easy to figure out. It started with "the wearing of the green", or wearing a shamrock pinned to one's clothing. This term might have caused confusion, leading to the wearing of the color green as opposed to the wearing of a green shamrock. These days, green in America, if it doesn't necessarily mean Ireland, has no trouble being associated with it. Not to mention, if you read the article, it was even worn by Irish soldiers in rebellion.
The drinking, I discovered, is a bit harder to pin down.
Interestingly, it appears that for some time in Ireland, the kinds of observances we have here and now were expressly forbidden: "O'Mara later introduced the law that required that pubs and bars be closed on 17 March after drinking got out of hand (see above link for source)". The necessity for this law suggests that drinking heavily in Ireland was also customary on St. Patrick's Day. This contrasts with its origins as a religious feast day and holy day. A few years back, National Geographic interviewed a U.S. resident, born to Irish parents in England, illustrating the differences between Irish and American customs.
So, the answer to the question, when did Americans start to celebrate St. Patrick's Day by getting pissed (trashed, wasted, three sheets to the wind.... pick your slang) is very difficult to find (i.e. I haven't, yet. Maybe I will have to go to the library, after all...). The answer to the question, why do Americans drink so heavily on St. Patrick's Day, well, that one's a little easier to guess at: perhaps we're a ways removed from the holiday's more religious origins. Or, it could be because we (again, used loosely) like drinking, and any excuse will do.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Resolutions and New Beginnings
For the past month, I have engineered more success in my "write more" goal than I would have expected a month ago, given my last post. The thing is, it's easier for me now to write in my journal at home than it is to remember to post on my blog during the average of two hours I spend at the library every other day.
Back at the end of January I quit my job - crazy, right, given the recession and economic downturn - but I hated it. Over the past month I have become my old self again, which is a much pleasanter self than the self I was working at my hated job. Right around the time I quit, at the beginning of February, I made some resolutions. I won't call them New Year's Resolutions, because I don't buy into the whole New Year thing. Never really have, except as an excuse to drink champagne. The ball drop does nothing for me, and I try to live with the philosophy that every day is a new day - why wait for the new year? Anyhow, as it happened, my life changed at the end of January, so what better time for resolutions?
Unfortunately I don't have them with me (they're in my journal, at home), but here are a few of the ones I can remember:
1. I'll laugh more. (So far, so good!)
2. I'll fake confidence until I feel confident. (This one is taking a little more work but I had at least one memorable, successful experience recently.)
3. I'll do one thing every week that scares me. (Really a Fail at this point, sadly.)
4. I'll write more. (Seen this one before.)
5. I should have added something about living a greener lifestyle, but I didn't - at least I have been doing so, even without a formalized resolution!
6. I will stop buying things on impulse. (A very important resolution, thank goodness I've been mostly successful so far.)
I must say, I never thought Santa Claus was such a heavy breather. He's sitting right next to me in the library, and it's very distracting!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
No sign of little elves.
One month later, and I realize how dismally I've failed in my goals. The first, the experimental advent calendar, got to be too much halfway through December. Next year I'll have to scale it down. Maybe I'll listen to one Christmas song per day, or write one Christmas memory each day...
Random thought: My new favorite song is Nil Na La by Solas.
My other failed goal, is to practice writing. That's ultimately one of the reasons I started this blog, and one month without writing anything is a poor showing. "That's alright, nobody's perfect."
So if I were to offer any excuses for not writing, they would be grad school applications, krav maga, job-hunting and job stress. February 1 will see me with finished applications and no job. Absurdly, I'm quite happy about that. Perhaps I'll even write more.
I took my favorite boots to the cobbler today to have them re-heeled. They're Italian, and I've been walking on the wooden heel for months now, ever since the rubber layer rubbed away on the brick and pavement sidewalks of DC. The shop is this little whitewashed closet on the corner. One side is covered in rows of boots and leather shoes and military issue, and the little stool where the cobbler works can be seen through the big picture window facing the street. The other side holds a dry cleaners. No sign of little elves. Happily re-heeling is "greener" than throwing them away and replacing them. Cheaper, too. The heels are going to cost me $16.95, which I figure is a good deal, since the wood needs replacing as well. I hope they get polished.
Random thought: My new favorite song is Nil Na La by Solas.
My other failed goal, is to practice writing. That's ultimately one of the reasons I started this blog, and one month without writing anything is a poor showing. "That's alright, nobody's perfect."
So if I were to offer any excuses for not writing, they would be grad school applications, krav maga, job-hunting and job stress. February 1 will see me with finished applications and no job. Absurdly, I'm quite happy about that. Perhaps I'll even write more.
I took my favorite boots to the cobbler today to have them re-heeled. They're Italian, and I've been walking on the wooden heel for months now, ever since the rubber layer rubbed away on the brick and pavement sidewalks of DC. The shop is this little whitewashed closet on the corner. One side is covered in rows of boots and leather shoes and military issue, and the little stool where the cobbler works can be seen through the big picture window facing the street. The other side holds a dry cleaners. No sign of little elves. Happily re-heeling is "greener" than throwing them away and replacing them. Cheaper, too. The heels are going to cost me $16.95, which I figure is a good deal, since the wood needs replacing as well. I hope they get polished.
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