Pandora Tunes

This website is really cool. The Music Genome Project has gone through and classified thousands of songs by certain characteristics of music. When you type in something you like, it will play other music to you that is similar to what you like. It also explains to you how the new song is similar to the one you submitted. It really helps to fine tune the music you like because when you don't like a song, you tell it so and won't play it again.
http://www.pandora.com/

That's all! As you can tell, I'm searching for ways to fill the silence this afternoon. I'm tired of my regular playlist, and it's terribly boring here today, but I'm getting stuff done.

Weekend Update

I never understood why people would claim they lived for the weekends. There are seven days in a week, and not enjoying the majority is quite unfortunate. However, after a year and a half of working full time, I'm beginning to understand that proclamation, and half heartedly admit that I, too, live for the weekends. (You should already know that I certainly don't live for Tuesdays.) Weekends like this last one rectify this line of thought.

Friday night, I put on my cute Adidas tank top and shorts and ran off to the courts to play in the Blake Carter Invitational tennis tournament. Ha!! Me playing tennis: a joke! Enough said before I embarrass myself. When given the choice to play more, I quickly opted to turn in the tennis shoes and raquet for a chill evening at Summer's house. Ah! I felt SO normal and comfortable hanging out with friends that I'm very much at home with... a big contrast to the foreign environment the courts offered. The evening wrapped up with conversations that put my brain into a whirl. You know, the kind where you're not sure how to interpret what was said or how you feel about it. But I will assure you that it's SO rewarding to come to a correct and full understanding of something rather than make assumptions on what you incorrectly inferred.

For a good time, I don't recommend Midas at 7:30 on a Saturday morning. After years of dealing with an okey rigged exhaust system, I finally went back to the stock version. The car sounds like new... well sort of... it's over 10 years old!

I have this friend whom I LOVE spending my weekends with. We're always in the mood to leave our lives and get out of town for an adventure (and we're really good at doing it, might I ad). This weekend, in order to satisfy in some minute fashion our joint longing to be in the mountainous west during the last week of August, we trekked out to Shenandoah National Park for a hike. The forest and unpaved cobweb strewn path is exactly what we needed. My great friend Caitlin was there too, and I will never forget running up the mountain on that path with her.

Who loves the Counting Crows?!?!? Who loves the Goo Goo Dolls?!?! Well, if you do, you're jealous of me! I saw them both in concert at the Nissan Pavilion Saturday evening. Aside from being surrounded by more cigarette smoking 14 year olds than I've seen in one concentrated place since I left South Dakota, I loved it! The crowd was young, the weather was perfect, and the rockstars were fabulous ;). The music, the ambiance, and most importantly the company made me feel alive and happy.

What an August weekend! I always say that July is my favorite month... not this year. August is taking the lead this time around.

East Coast Portrayal

By no means am I condoning Smirnoff, but this clip is hilarious! It makes me want to bust out my argyle socks and play croquet.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=PTU2He2BIc0

Tuesdays

This morning when I was not getting out of bed after my alarm went off, I realized that I'm never very motivated for Tuesdays. Mondays are not the dreaded days in my book. For some reason, Tuesdays are slow... right from the start. I'm slow getting ready. I won't hurry for work, even though I'm late. I'm typically tired. And is it just me or does Tuesday tend to be the busiest day of the week?

While I took the long way to the metro this morning (which only added to my lally-dagging), my mind raced toward the quotidian thoughts that usually occupy my morning commute. What happened yesterday? What do I need to do today? How do I feel about this, that or the other? How do others feel about me?

I began to ponder upon my lack of zeal for these third of seven days. In a quick moment, you know, the powerful kind that comes in that split second that you decided you want to change the course the day, I changed my question. What do I want to be today? The answer is simple and motivating. I want to be me today. Me as determined by the choices I make and the attitude I maintain. Regardless of the to-do list, the what-happened-yesterday list, the want list, and the many other lists that cause dissatisfaction and anxiety, I am in charge of today. I can be great today!

So how am I going to be great today? Something amazing happened in that moment I mentioned. A mere a paradigm shift occurred! Rather than expecting a mundane day after Monday, I switched gears entirely. I thought about the characteristics I value and wish to uphold... charity, faith, love, kindness, and being active, creative, honest, diligent, focused, insightful, etc. Just allowing those words to resonate in my mind gives me a lense for which to answer the rest of the questions Tuesdays bring.

And alas... Tuesdays will never be the same.

Lunch anyone?

It's restaurant week in DC! I am not making that up; check out http://washington.org/restaurantwk/. My awesome intern, Heather, and I took advantage of this event yesterday at Galileo, one of the area's premier Italian dining experiences. You'll never believe what I ate... octopus!!! YIKES! What a delectable delecacy adventure! I actually liked it. It tasted like calamari except it wasn't as chewy. The texture on the tentacles weirded me out. I don't eat octopus everyday, so I decided not to let the funny bumps bother me. As for asthetics, which from what I understand is a major aspect of fine dining, those little 8 armed fishies just aren't pretty. No swirling pesto sauce and diced cherry tomatoes are going to redeem the strange looking grill on my plate. So, would I eat it again? Certainly! And I highly recommend the restaurant.

huh?

I don't quite know what to do with this! I have all these friends who write blogs, so I thought I should jump on the bandwagon. I went through the motions and within minutes, wah-la! Now I have a place to write anything and everything to the rest of the world. Imagine that! But the instant it was created I suddenly fell blank. I have no clue what to say or what anyone would be interested in. I will get used to it, I guess! Here goes my newest hobby... Look, Mom! I'm a BLOGGER!