Dancing equals life - a least in my book. And it had been far too long since I had been dancing, but not anymore. Saturday night I went with some friends, namely Celeste, Kevin, Valerie, and DC Kevin (with two Kevins you must distinguish), out to the Clarendon Ballroom - in which, ironically, they don't ballroom dance. But it was a fun club. We showed our ID, we payed our cover, and then we danced. There was a live band playing called Kristen and the Noise and they were good. Played mostly punk and rock, one country song, and even a Prince song. Now how can you beat Purple Rain? I had lot of fun singing along, rocking out, attempting to head bang, and just being crazy.
The club closed at 1:3o, so we headed over to the Silver Diner across the street. It's a great 50's themed diner, complete with little jukeboxes on each table. Gotta love eating at two in the morning, and the vanilla malt I had was oh so yummy. By the time we ate, walked back to DC Kevin's apartment, tried to find our way out of the parking garage (hey, it was confusing), and drove home, it was 3:45 a.m. I haven't had such a late night, or should I say early morning, in I don't know how long. It just goes to show the lack of excitement in my life. I had to take a nap after church to recover. My 25-year-old body couldn't take it - I know, I'm pathetic.
But there are planned evenings of dance in the future. Gotta keep rockin'!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Baseball/Softball = America
I truly believe the phrase that baseball is America's favorite pastime. On Saturday night, I and some friends went to a Washington Nationals game - they played the Atlanta Braves and won! The new stadium is huge; I heard it holds 40,000. We of course got the nosebleed seats because they only cost $5, but they were pretty decent and we could see everything. First of all, I want to praise whoever mows the outfield, because not only do they make a very pretty checkerboard design in the grass, they also write a very elegant cursive W. Pretty darn cool in my opinion. Watching baseball games live is amazing; there is nothing like the roar of the crowd when a double or triple-play is made, and it's even louder when a home run is hit. The ability of the athletes amazes me. Maybe I need to meet some of the players - future husband material? Oh, I kill myself.
When we were in Boston, Celeste and I went to this museum that had a huge exhibit called Baseball as America. They had tons of old uniforms, stadium seats, pictures, etc. It was so awesome to see all of that history and read about it as well. They also had hands on stuff where you could see how to hold the baseball for different pitches, feel the difference between a wood and aluminum bat, and see on what kind of grass the ball rolls fastest. But the coolest/scariest thing was where you could put your face in the catcher's mask and see what it feels likes to have a baseball thrown at you at 95 mph. Yikes. All I can say is I have a lot more respect for the bravery of catchers. Go catchers!
Yesterday I got to play softball. Maybe not as amazing as baseball, but still lots of fun. I caught balls, I threw balls, I dropped a couple balls too. And I got some pretty good hits in. For me this is a great accomplishment, because in junior high I stunk at batting - but maybe that's because in junior high I played fast pitch and we were playing slow pitch yesterday. Whatever, I'm not going to think of it in that way. I'll just assume I improved immensely.
So, from all of this my love for America's favorite pastime has grown. Play ball!
When we were in Boston, Celeste and I went to this museum that had a huge exhibit called Baseball as America. They had tons of old uniforms, stadium seats, pictures, etc. It was so awesome to see all of that history and read about it as well. They also had hands on stuff where you could see how to hold the baseball for different pitches, feel the difference between a wood and aluminum bat, and see on what kind of grass the ball rolls fastest. But the coolest/scariest thing was where you could put your face in the catcher's mask and see what it feels likes to have a baseball thrown at you at 95 mph. Yikes. All I can say is I have a lot more respect for the bravery of catchers. Go catchers!
Yesterday I got to play softball. Maybe not as amazing as baseball, but still lots of fun. I caught balls, I threw balls, I dropped a couple balls too. And I got some pretty good hits in. For me this is a great accomplishment, because in junior high I stunk at batting - but maybe that's because in junior high I played fast pitch and we were playing slow pitch yesterday. Whatever, I'm not going to think of it in that way. I'll just assume I improved immensely.
So, from all of this my love for America's favorite pastime has grown. Play ball!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Beautiful Boston
Last week I had the pleasure, with my lovely roommate and best friend Celeste, to visit Boston. We had an amazing time. Being out east gives you lots of opportunities to visit some very cool historical sights and learn more about the birth of America. The more I see, hear, and learn, the more I'm amazed and appreciative of the men and women who shaped our country. And the happier I am that I was born in a time with plumbing and electricity!
We got to do and see some pretty cool things in Boston. We walked the Freedom Trail, which is a three mile path marked throughout the city that stops at places like the State House, Quincey Market, the Old North Church, Paul Revere's house, Bunker Hill Monument, and the USS Constitution. At Bunker Hill we climbed up the 300 steps to the top of the monument to see the views of Boston. Let me tell you, we are out of shape! But the views were worth it, along with the park ranger we saw afterward that looked like James Franco.
We did a lot of walking through the city, parks, museums, and shopping streets. We even went to Harvard. We wanted to go into one of the libraries, but we were thwarted - you have to have a Harvard ID to get in. What, don't I look like a Harvard student? My favorite museum was the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. She was an heiress that collected all kinds of art, sculpture, and furniture. Then she decided she needed to build something to house her collection - and the museum was born. The courtyard in it is absolutely beautiful. But my favorite part is that they don't label anything. It's because they want the visitors to interpret the art for themselves, which I loved because it meant I didn't have to feel obligated to read everything about every piece or art. Priceless. We toured Fenway Park where we heard some interesting and funny stories about the Red Sox. I bought a Red Sox hat; I believe now I am a fan. We also saw the Blue Man Group. I don't know how to explain this show other than that it is hilarious and unique. If you have a chance to see it, you totally should.
We ate a lot of good food, including Boston cream pie and canollis. We also ate at the Union Oyster House, which is the oldest restaurant in America. And yes, we ate oysters - they're slimy but decent. You kind of cover up the taste with everything you put on them.
Boston is an awesome city. I highly recommend visiting if ever you have the chance.
We got to do and see some pretty cool things in Boston. We walked the Freedom Trail, which is a three mile path marked throughout the city that stops at places like the State House, Quincey Market, the Old North Church, Paul Revere's house, Bunker Hill Monument, and the USS Constitution. At Bunker Hill we climbed up the 300 steps to the top of the monument to see the views of Boston. Let me tell you, we are out of shape! But the views were worth it, along with the park ranger we saw afterward that looked like James Franco.
We did a lot of walking through the city, parks, museums, and shopping streets. We even went to Harvard. We wanted to go into one of the libraries, but we were thwarted - you have to have a Harvard ID to get in. What, don't I look like a Harvard student? My favorite museum was the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. She was an heiress that collected all kinds of art, sculpture, and furniture. Then she decided she needed to build something to house her collection - and the museum was born. The courtyard in it is absolutely beautiful. But my favorite part is that they don't label anything. It's because they want the visitors to interpret the art for themselves, which I loved because it meant I didn't have to feel obligated to read everything about every piece or art. Priceless. We toured Fenway Park where we heard some interesting and funny stories about the Red Sox. I bought a Red Sox hat; I believe now I am a fan. We also saw the Blue Man Group. I don't know how to explain this show other than that it is hilarious and unique. If you have a chance to see it, you totally should.
We ate a lot of good food, including Boston cream pie and canollis. We also ate at the Union Oyster House, which is the oldest restaurant in America. And yes, we ate oysters - they're slimy but decent. You kind of cover up the taste with everything you put on them.
Boston is an awesome city. I highly recommend visiting if ever you have the chance.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Being Part of the Present
Okay, so I have finally created my own blog. I'm welcoming myself to the present and to the wonderful age of technology. Being someone who enjoys writing and rambling, you'd think I would have done this a lot sooner. But I also happen to be a lazy person, hence the long delay in acutally creating this blessed blog. But now that I have one, I hope to be on here giving my two cents, for what it's worth. So enjoy, my friends, enjoy.
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