Chart House

If you haven't been to this seafood restaurant at the waterfront in Old Town Alexandria, might I suggest you take a trip ASAP. It was, from beginning to end, one of the best seafood meals I can recall having.

We started with an appetizer that was mushrooms stuffed with lump crabmeat. You could tell the mushrooms were fresh, because they were flavorful, moist and full. The crab meat was seasoned perfectly, still allowing for the full flavor of the meat to shine through.

I had a difficult time in deciding which entree to order, because many were tempting. I eventually set my sights on the "Macadamia-crusted Mahi." Sounds delectable, oui? Well, it was ridiculously superb, with the fish being baked perfectly, not too dry, yet with the meat shedding in perfect slices. The garnishing was fantastic: macadamia nuts galore, with a peanut sauce (YUM), garnished with green, red and yellow peppers to add that perfect little pop on the palate. The side was steamed broccoli, which they also managed to do perfectly-firm, not too crisp, not overdone, seasoned very lightly with butter.

When it was time for dessert we decided to try the "Apple and Dried Cherry Crisp," which is basically an oral orgasm in a dish topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel. Enough said.

The ambiance of this restaurant is something that must be mentioned as well--they have an outdoor dining area, where we sat since it was 75 degrees even at 8:30pm, which has a gorgeous view of the waterfront harbor. You can also view planes traveling back and forth from National aiport! Their indoor decorating style is very zen modern, with beautiful decorative vases and comfy lounge chairs.

I give this place an A+. I will be going back, hopefully in the very near future!

It's raining outside and I am sitting in front of my window, hearing the splashing of rapidly falling water droplets striking against the tree leaves and my windowsill. It's calming. I feel cozy being inside, like being wrapped in a soft fleece blanket.

Here is the full song I am currently working on in my flute lessons:

"Serenade," by Hadyn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x23OIYrH-Qk
(as a side note, the little girl in this video plays it beautifully!)

I am also playing several duets with my instructor!

Here are some pictures I've taken recently.


Smithfield Farms Bed & Breakfast in Berryville, VA




Birds flying in the waterfront of Old Town Alexandria, VA





Boats in the waterfront of Old Town Alexandria

Weeeee!

For no good reason, other than happiness.

Qu'est-ce que c'est?

Aujourd'hui, mon journal sera en Francais.

Just kidding; it took enough effort for me to remember how to write that first phrase. Fulfilling the arduous task of writing an entire entry in French would take me days, and by then you wouldn't have the patience left to read it.

Part of me wishes to write in list form today, so....

Things that happened since my previous post:

--Jason and I celebrated our one year anniversary on March 9th. Being with him is one of the happiest points in my life thus far (and that's saying a lot, because I've had quite the joyous existence). We went out to a lovely little dinner at a favorite restaurant of mine called Luciano's, wherein we dined on delicious home-made Italian cuisine.

--Jason and I went to a bed and breakfast called Smithfield Farms for a belated anniversary trip on March 12th-13th. This B&B has been in the owner Ruth's family since 1816, when it was built by her great-great grandfather (well, not by him, but by slaves). The rooms are large, tall, wooden squares, full of comfy old furniture, plush carpets, and fireplaces. The floors creak just slightly in some spots, which reminded me of my grandparents' house in Uniontown. It was so nice to relax out in the peaceful, quiet countryside. I can't wait to live there again...someday.

--On Sunday the 13th, my friend Jess arrived and stayed with us for a few days. It was wonderful seeing her again! The week was filled with trips to Silver Diner for their classic milkshakes, and of course a belated birthday trip for Jess to Fuddrucker's. I find it humorous how much she adores American food. She was on her way back to England from a fast-paced journey round the world (Australia, NZ, and several places in South America). I'm quite jealous of her travels, to say the least. That's what you get when you live in a country where you have a guaranteed 4 weeks vacation every year (minimum). Jason and I will be traveling to England in September to see her and my other great friend Alison!

--I found a photography society to join in NOVA! I'm very excited about this. I will go to my first meeting, which happens to be a macro shot workshop, on the 30th. They have all sorts of activities, competitions and workshops that one can get involved in, for all skill levels. I'm making it a habit to seriously pursue my passions.

--This past weekend, Bean surprised me with a visit home! We celebrated my stepbrother's birthday at my parents' house and then came back to Jason's and my place to hang out; all of it was lovely. Bean and I had to, of course, engage in a shopping spree at Ross yesterday morning before enjoying brunch at the Amphora with our father.

--Last night, Jason and I went to see "An Ideal Husband" by Oscar Wilde, which is a very clever satire of the life of the politically inclined wealthy class of 1895. There are, however, serious undertones alluding to the effect that dishonesty can have on the individual, which were brilliantly tied in with the humor. We then enjoyed a late-night dinner at IHOP!

Today, I will do my usual: work out, read, play the flute. I have framed one picture (I cleverly cut it out from an Ansel Adams calendar I got as a Christmas gift years ago), and I hope to frame another by tomorrow. I don't really have much else to talk about, so here is a picture, instead:

A Strange and Disturbing Dream

I only remember parts, but what I do remember I want to record and sort through.

The most significant part of the dream involved two very frightening occurrences: being kidnapped, and a close friend being murdered.

The only thing I remember about being kidnapped is that I was in an unfamiliar place; one I had never been to before. Several men in a pick-up truck came by and snatched up a few other people and me, and took us to a place (I don't recall anything about it now) where they were going to keep us and possibly kill us. There was something about a play or a show in this situation, but I can 't recall it further. I don't know how it happened that I escaped, but I believe it is because they just decided to let me go. There were other people there, some with disabilities, almost causing the kidnap situation to seemingly transform into a hospital-like appearance/theme.

One dream sort of faded into the next, almost like I traveled from being kidnapped into the second one. In this dream, I came upon my old school friend Kelly's father, who informed me that she was dead and that the funeral was going to be that evening. I hadn't seen him or the rest of the family in years, so hearing this news was quite a shock. He said that he had found her crying with her right hand chopped off, and she had lost so much blood that she died. Oddly enough, he seemed sad but not as much as one would expect; the same was true of her mother, when I saw her. The funeral was being planned, we were again in an unfamiliar place for the funeral activities, there were people there I didn't know, and I never did see Kelly's body. I'm not sure where it was.

This is about all I can remember. I wonder what it all means??

Eating

Wake up! If you knew for certain you had a terminal illness—if you had little time left to live—you would waste precious little of it! Well, I’m telling you…you do have a terminal illness: It’s called birth. You don’t have more than a few years left. No one does! So be happy now, without reason—or you will never be at all. ~Dan Millman


I mused over this brilliant quote today as I shoved an Eat-n-Park "grilled stickie" (i.e., a delectable sticky bun heated in the oven in order that all its syrupy, sugary, doughy goodness flow eternally) into my mouth. It proceeded to melt into my tongue and teeth, punching joy and life into every taste bud.

You know how you smile when you eat something with amazing flavor? It's because in that moment, you're truly happy. As Millman points out in his thought above, you don't even have to possess a reason for happiness...but today's food joy was a simple, yet pure way for me to be consumed by it.

The grilled stickies weren't the only wonderful part of the meal my stomach happily digested, either; other manifestations of bliss included blueberry buttermilk pancakes, potato pancakes, and egg whites (yes, even I wondered in an afterthought why I bothered to skip out on the yolk for this feast). My sister and I sipped on matching cappuccinos.

It can be said with certainty that calories consumed during this time were simultaneously astronomical in numeric value and derived from the least healthy of sources. Then, there is the other piece: happiness, in every single second.

I have been somewhat, if not very, neurotic in the last few months about what I'm eating, and today I forgave myself and allowed my spirit to soar into the culinary heavens--and I still feel good, even great, about myself. That's the most important part, and a big lesson learned: if I'm working so hard most of the time to be healthy and then never taking time to allow a reward for the hard work, what's the point? The journey is about happiness, not just the end result. There are rewards to be had the entire time, not just in one moment.

I don't regret any of today, and I will do it again.

MANGIA!

Morning Entertainment.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-cesca/sarah-palins-narcissism-f_b_831187.html

Chilly

That is, quite truthfully, the feeling in my bones this morning. It's not a feeling of coldness, like an emotion, but literally a feeling of being cold. Maybe this is just a pretentious way to introduce a statement like "It is chilly in my room today." Whatever.

The government has decided it will no longer defend the laws banning same sex marriages. I felt glad upon reading the article in the Washington Post yesterday; finally, our president has enough resolve to admit what everyone should know is true: that it is WRONG WRONG WRONG to discriminate against ANY group of people because of color of skin, religious preference, sexual preference, educational level, disability, or any of the other qualities that simply make human beings individuals.

It's nice that on such a major moral issue, the government that is supposed to be FOR the PEOPLE (I interpret that as everyone, not just the hetero's and whites) has done its job correctly and stepped away from blatant, senseless discrimination. I hope that now it will become a wave of acceptance that flows worldwide and etch itself into everyone's brain so they forget what it was ever like to be intolerant and hateful. Perhaps I'm still dreaming....

In happier news, I'm reading a pretty good book right now for the book club that is comprised of my mother, sister, and me, called "Second Glance" (I know it's supposed to be underlined but this stupid blog doesn't allow grammatical accuracy) by Jodi Piccoult. In the first 130-ish pages of the book, I was kind of plodding along, I felt, due to the generally cheesy structure in which the author was writing. The plot line was laid out well enough (I won't go through it here because you can read a synopsis online and I'm too lazy to write a book review right now), but too similar. Every character was introduced in practically the exact same manner, which made it a bit boring. Anyway, the story line is still good, so I kept going and made it through part one. Now, in part two, the writing style has turned a 180 and is being narrated not by a third party narrator, but by one single character....and it's WAY more exciting! I find myself flipping pages more rapidly and discovering the language and observance of self this character expresses to be impressively insightful, beautifully dark and depressing.

Other than that, I'm trying to get through two other books, maybe three. I can never keep track of all the books I read at once, as they tend to pile up. What can I say? I'm a bookworm.

That's another thing: what the hell is the deal with the current obsession with Kindles? EW. I find them incredibly disappointing, because they take away the EXPERIENCE that is reading a BOOK. The arguments may certainly be made for Kindles in that they're more environmentally friendly because they're paperless, you can store zillions of books on it at once, and you can highlight, take notes, etc. as well. I still say, however, that sitting down on the couch with a cup of tea and a book- with all its ink and paper smells, with an actual pen to jot notes on certain pages, to feel the texture of the words and feel the binding crunch when you open it-nothing can replace that. Nothing ever will. I hope that when I die, they use all my books that I have loved to make an Urn for my ashes.

Picture! (read a book in front of a warm fireplace)

It's oh so....quiet....shhhhh, shhhhh.

The title comes from a song in my head by the lovely Bjork, who is, in all outward appearances, quite the odd character; I wonder what she's like in real life? I wonder what conversation might ensue if we sat down to a cup of tea or coffee? Would it change if crumpets were involved?

Anyway....

I slept in until a little after the 11th hour of the morning today. It was grand, snoozing away through the early part of the day, awakening refreshed and ready to do nothing but relax. I read in an article somewhere a while ago that relaxing is overrated; I couldn't agree more.

Today I have: blogged on Tumblr (my website is wannaseeme.tumblr.com), submitted a photo to National Geographic for the Your Shot competition, read most of the introduction by Wilbur Scott to a complete collection of Edgar Allan Poe's work, and blogged here. I have also chatted with my sister and various friends, as well as my mother and boyfriend. I will soon be practicing my flute.

To relax is to heal is to be healthy. Right? Yes. I have had such a wonderful time relaxing in almost complete silence today that I vow to always make some time to do so for the rest of my days.

Picture time: (here's some visual tranquility for you)

Typing naked is liberating.

This is the less important reason I support telework, something about which my mother knows just about everything; it was, and is even in retirement, her life's work and passion. People working from home can be very productive and increases employee satisfaction. Working naked at your desk is awesome. Some micro managers, however, don't appreciate the sort of freedom that bare skin provides.

Going back for a moment to the issue I previously posted about; it seems that the GOP didn't like being caught in what I will so eloquently describe as a "dick move," so they promptly removed the language "forcible rape" out of the exceptions in which abortion would be allowed to receive federal funding. Now it seems that they're trying to take away from women's right to an abortion in other ways, namely these things: (this is an excerpt taken from an email I received from MoveOn.org, and while this is a very liberal organization, they used objective resources to find this information)

Effectively ban abortion coverage in the new health insurance exchanges even if people pay for coverage with their own money.

Impose tax penalties on small businesses that pay for health plans that cover abortion and people who pay for abortion care.

Force the District of Columbia to impose all of the above laws, instead of letting the city decide its own laws.

Permanently ban abortion care for women insured by the government.

This is abhorrible behavior by members of the Congress that is supposed to represent the freedom and rights of ALL Americans. How is it okay for them to tell anyone how to spend their own money? I will spend every goddamn cent I have on whatever I so choose within my legal rights. Since abortion is still LEGAL in this country, I should be able to spend my hard-earned American bucks on it until my uterus falls out if I desire.

Apparently, in a nation full of Bible-thumpers, freedom isn't entirely all-inclusive. As long as Jesus says it's ok, no problem. Right? The only problem with that is, I don't recall the last time that any public figure claiming to follow Jesus had any clue as to what Jesus was trying to relay in his messages to human beings.

Anyway, I'm going to stop writing about negative things, and go sign this petition.
You should, too, especially if you're the proud owner of a uterus.

The exciting part about today is that it's Superbowl XLV!! GO STEELERS.

Pretty picture:

I've always been conflicted about abortion.

Seems an odd statement coming from me if you know me well, yes? Well, probably not to the people who really know me.

The conflict come from this: to me, sex is something you have to make an adult decision about. In the event that a woman and a man, each possessing 50% ability to create a child, decide to have sex with each other, it becomes an "if-then" statement: IF you decide to have sex, THEN you should be prepared to deal with the consequences.

The only instance in which I disagree with abortion is when a woman uses it as birth control, when it's a decision based out of irresponsibility instead of necessity. Still, that doesn't affect my voting choice when the issue comes up in the realm of politics.

What is necessity? That could be so many things. I have always adamantly supported a woman's right to choose because what right is it of mine to tell someone else what to do with their uterus? I know what I would do with mine, and that's my only concern.

One necessity I have been immediately reminded today of is that of rape. Rape warrants a woman's right to choose in every instance. Rape is wrong, always, no exceptions. Why in hell should a woman be forced to have the biological product of being traumatized by some disgusting man? How is it fair or acceptable to force her to have that trauma grow inside of her body for nine months and then have to take care of it, more than likely without the raper's help, afterward? That is where CHOICE and NECESSITY come into play.

Currently, some congress members (namely the crazy Bible-thumping ultra right-wingers) are trying to "redefine" rape. This astounds me immediately, due to the pure and simple fact that if a woman is in any way coerced or forced, whether through blunt physical prowess or something more indirect like drugs, to have sex with a man WITHOUT GIVING HER CONSENT, that is RAPE. It is WRONG. These Congress members are trying to pass an amendment to say that abortion should not be legal in the case of rape IF the woman was date raped (i.e., raped through drugging or alcohol). This, ladies and gentleman, is your result when old crazy men, who have no fucking clue what it feels like to be sexually assaulted or raped, try to keep the votes coming to their table. This is the grand disgusting result of the political game and patriarchal society at its finest. I wonder what would happen if their wives or sisters or daughters got raped? Maybe they'd behave like Dick Cheney does with his anti-gay stance (even with a lesbian daughter) and still be all for limiting choice for "non-forcible" rape (whatever the fuck that means).

The issue of this bill is the use of federal dollars: i.e., it would be ok to use federal dollars ONLY for instances of forcible rape: therefore, sorry ladies, if you get drugged into having sex with someone and get pregnant, you're paying out of pocket for THAT abortion.

I laugh when I hear people say that we no longer live in a patriarchal society. When you have a situation in which it's actually acceptable to tell a person what is legally defined rape and therefore when it would be acceptable or not to receive an abortion after being raped, you can tell men still rule the world.

Sign this petition if you're kind of sick and fucking tired of a few old men attempting to decide where federal dollars go when it comes to aiding women in rape situations:

http://pol.moveon.org/smithbill/?rc=fb.share.smithbill.0.1

I've been entirely lazy today. Well, not completely so, considering I've completed the following:

--sent 9 emails worth of pictures (damn large files!) to Lindsay of pictures I took for Jackie's birthday this weekend

--uploaded and organized the rest of the photos I've taken into folders on my computer, deleting the less-than-great shots of the bunch

--made a pot of coffee and subsequently drank it

--clicked on the charity websites to give them free donations

--researched several DNP programs (doctor of nursing practice)

--applied for a job in the gastroenterology lab/unit at my hospital (in accordance with the post I wrote the other day about wanting more regular hours)

Other than that, I've been on the computer talking with my sister and others, and enjoying watching videos of various birds of paradise doing their silly little dances and intricate arranging of nests. If you've never seen them before, I highly recommend looking them up on Google. It's truly fascinating how hard these males try for a mate (and really amusing).

I plan to go to the gym here in a few minutes. After that, who knows? Unfortunately the weekend will be spent at work, so I've made no real plans for Saturday or Sunday night after I get home. Whatevs.

Picture of some icy grass after a freezing rain storm the other day:

Oh my....

How my writing has waned. Yuck. I can't do that again, where I take a break until literally the next year.

I'm unhappy today, and I don't really know why. It's not that I'm terribly unhappy...just a bit morose, gloomy, etc. Maybe it's the dreariness of the day. I think it's a combination of things. One of the biggest things I can pinpoint is my job. It's tiring, it is wearing me out. I don't feel like I get to really spend quality time with my patients anymore because we've become short staffed and, thus, busier. Management is also an issue. The director of our unit is very out of touch with what it's like to be a floor nurse, and our assistant director is very selfish. I don't feel like going into detail about either one of them. Suffice it to say that they don't do a lot for employee satisfaction on our unit.

I also long for a normal schedule again. I miss having eight hour days. I miss not having to work on weekends and holidays. I like the structure of the Monday-Friday routine, as mundane as that is for some.

So, I'm at a crossroads and I'm not sure what to do about it. I have filled out an internal job switch form for an outpatient surgery center at the hospital, which I plan on turning in today. I figure it can't hurt to see what else is available. A few of us on the unit are going to be trying an 8hour/day schedule coming up soon, though, so I may stick around to see how that goes. That would still have me working various weekends and holidays, though.

Oh, internal dilemmas.

On a happier note, I finished reading Wuthering Heights, which is an excellent novel, and I will be enjoying a lively discussion about it with my mom and sister soon. I also have started two new books, one of which is Primary Colors by Anonymous, and the other is Arts and Ideas by William Fleming. Both are very interesting at this point.

I started flute lessons last night and got through the scale going from B natural down to low C. That low C was a tough one to conquer, because you really have to control your breath well for the lower notes with the flute. The teacher and I were both proud of my progress and I was excited that I picked the notes back up so quickly. So, from here on out, it should only get better!

I think everyone who would read this would know by now, but just in case...Jason and I moved into our new apartment in December and we're loving it. Living with him is so easy and natural, just like the rest of our relationship. I love love love him.


Picture: