Will someone do my dishes?

The only downfall with living in a single non-kitchen room is the lack of a dishwasher and the lack of big sinks. This means that all of my dishes pile up quickly. I have to do dishes twice a day to keep them under control and I refuse to do such a thing. I hate dishes. Everything about them. If I didnt believe in the environment, I would use disposable plates. Seriously. I would. But, no I have a conscience and could not do that to the world around me.

So I guess I will just have to start doing my dishes. Ugh. I really wish I were rich enough to hire someone to do them for me. Not a maid. I can clean my own house, just a dishwasher(not the machine that still requires me). I know many people think it is weird not to like something so easy. Ask my parents, I have cleaned the entire house including the bathroom, just to get out of dish duty. This is serious business.

I have fallen in LOVE with Georgetown...

...enough said. That is all.

The Weekend

I have decided to go to Maryland for the weekend. It's not that I'm bored here in the city, because there is no way of that, but my aunt seemed to really want me to say yes. Especially, when my grandmother called to ask if I would come and then proceeded to hand the phone off so I could say yes. It doesnt get more obvious than that.

It also happens to be my first trip on the metro...alone. Now this will provide a ton of stories Im sure.

My mother told me to write down everything from my first days in the city. I've tried to only post the important details. I dont want to bore anyone with my mundane life. However, I realize that was is important to me, may in fact be boring to all of you. So I do apologize for that and ask forgiveness for the following post.

Saturday was my first night as most of you know. I didnt do anything but unpack and reheat leftover chinese food for dinner. I even found time to sit by my window and read and observe all of the sites that are so convenient to see. I ended up going to bed extremely early due to an extreme case of exhaustion. Moving takes a lot out of a person.

Sunday I woke up extremely early. I had my alarm set for 9am but I didnt pay attention to the fact that the city woke up at 6am all on its own. So by the time my parents called to say they were on their way, I had already had my cup of coffee and had a shower. I ended up waiting forever for them to get here simply because my phone apparently wouldnt receive their phone calls. This made them angry (they thought I purposefully ignored them). By 11am they were here and I was making the final touches to my room. We grabbed lunch at The Dubliner, a cute little pub near Union Station. After lunch we went to the Mount Vernon Campus. My father felt the need to grant me permission to attend classes there. So once he was satisfied he brought me back to my apt where we then left to go stock up on groceries. My mother insisted on going before they left, she wanted to buy my first load, so I wouldnt run out of money. Before my parents left to head home, my mom made me promise to call her everyday for a while (until she got used to me being gone). Of course, she never acted that way when I went to Longwood, not even my first year, but I guess a big city will do that to some people. That night I was so sore that I did some yoga (see below post for info).

Monday was my first official day alone. I woke up early (again), after completing some AM yoga I drank my coffee and got ready for a day of exploration. The first thing I did was find the nearest BB&T. It was a decent walk but doable. Once I found that I headed back passing a metro station (so if I didnt want to walk I could just hop on that). I entered campus on the opposite side of where I live and found a cute little cafe, Uptown Cafe, which had a salad bar that sold by the pound. I bought some pasta salad for lunch and carried it back to my apt. Before that I sat on a bench in a quaint court. I'm not sure of its name, though I'm sure I will find out. I just sat and watched people for maybe a half hour before I decided to head back. It was only 11:30am but was already in the 90s. When I got back I ate my lunch and cooled off for awhile. Around 1:30pm I got a little stir crazy. It was so pretty outside that I knew I shouldnt just sit indoors all day. I decided to see how long the walk to Georgetown was. It took me about 15min, so not too terrible. I passed various shops that indicated the type of people at Georgetown, lets just say it is a bigger version of Hampden Sydney, and maybe richer. I also found one of the biggest Barnes&Nobles ever. Three stories high. Doesnt sound like much, but I would walk to it everyday. The Starbucks is on the 2nd floor. I bought a smoothie simply because I had walked in the heat, so I was a little parched. I was blown away by the place. I will admit I was in shock at first when I saw that the escalator went up another floor. After about an hour I left reluctantly. I walked back to my apt where I felt satisfied with the day so I just stayed in the rest of the night. It was also my first night cooking in the community kitchen. I cant say I really liked it. But you do with what you have. Luckily most of what I fix can be done in my room and I only need to go in there when I need the stove or to wash dishes (my second sink it's quite deep enough and I refuse to wash them in the tub). I ended up in bed early again. I blame the heat.

Tuesday I fought the noise, the light, and everything else and stayed in bed until 8:30am. I know I'm a late sleeper. I did some morning yoga to stretch out my stiff joints. I drank my coffee and ate a bowl of cereal. Then I did my usual Facebook, Email, Financial Aid checks. That's when I decided that the Financial Aid office was going to get another little visit from me. So I got ready and had some lunch before I left (I would need my strength). Let's just say I dont like them. Not one straight answer. Oh well, they cant get rid of me, at least not that easy. Then I went upstairs and bought a lanyard to hold my ID (Im sick of having to keep finding it). Once that was taken care of I went back to that same little court and sat and read. It was great, just the right amount of shade. Once the place started getting crowded I decided to leave, that was maybe an hour later. As I was walking back, this lady and her daughter/granddaughter? stopped me to ask me directions to a building on campus. Now I must remind you all that I have only been out twice, but it still pleases me to know I dont look lost or new. Luckily, I knew where they were talking about and how to get there. Before going back to my room I decided to walk up to Trader Joes. Now for a reference point, you have to walk up past the road that goes to Georgetown to get there. One block more to be exact, so not bad. I didnt grab a cart when I went in because I really wasnt planning on shopping. I just went in to look at their wine and grab some cherries. That's when I remembered that I was planning on having spaghetti tonight and I didnt have meat. So of course I had to grab some of that, then I past some amazing looking French Rolls. I grabbed those too, or at least the man in front of me did, since I had my hands full of deliciousness. Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about carbs. I cant stay away. So when I tell you those rolls are phenomenal you may not believe me (since I love food so much), but let me just say that I am willing to walk there everyday for one roll. Luckily I remembered to bring my rolled up bag with me. I love that the city charges $0.05 for a bag, but hate it when I get stuck on that end of the bargain. Trader Joes credited me $0.05 for having my own, so it was an even bigger plus. When I eventually made it back home around 2pm I had a bowl of fruit (cherries and oranges), a glass of water, and of course one of the rolls. Yummy. I then spent the rest of my afternoon reading by the window, that way I felt outside while really being in the air conditioning. It makes me feel better about being inside while everyone else is working. Around 4:30pm I did some more yoga (my legs were sore from walking, I am so out of shape). I hope yoga helps with my tight muscles, but I must admit that since I am so out of shape, I'm not that great at all of the stretches. Then I prepared my delicious Italian meal. Spaghetti (elbow noodles) with ground beef (organic lean), onions, and red pepper spaghetti sauce. Oh and a roll, accompanied with a glass of Joseph Handler Sweet Red wine (German). The wine was difficult to open. I had to put a lot of elbow grease into it, since the stupid cork screw was worthless. Otherwise, it was a very sweet semi dry wine. It was a blend of raspberry and plum. Went extremely well with the pasta and bread.

Tomorrow I will need to go back to Georgetown. I've already finished the book I bought there yesterday. Maybe I should stop reading, it really is putting a damper on my finances.

Me? A Yogi?

After moving all of my stuff into my new room and unpacking all of the boxes and bags, my body retaliated. Every muscle in every limb hurt to move. I know that means I did something wrong in the moving process but I dont care, they still hurt. So I decided to do something about it.

I recently read Eat, Pray, Love and the way yoga was described and how it made her feel actually made me want to try it. After the tension in my shoulders wouldnt let me relax I decided to. I did an internet search online to find some stretched for shoulders and lower back. I downloaded the six videos from my iTunes and tried the PM video for relaxation before bed.

AMAZING! My entire body felt relaxed and loose. My shoulders still held some of the pain from the days before but they felt 100 times better. I was actually able to lay down and go to sleep. Pain free.

When I woke up I did the stretches from the AM video, which was supposed to wake your body up and loosen the joints. Again I felt fantastic.

Day 1 of DC exploration:

Started by walking six blocks down and three blocks up to find the nearest bank (BB&T). Not so bad. I ended that journey by stopping by Uptown Cafe and grabbing lunch. I then walked back to my apt and spent a few hours resting and cooling off.

After being fully recovered from the previous adventure, I decided to see exactly how far away Georgetown was. Driving there isnt so bad, but walking? Really not that bad. To get there I walked five blocks up and five blocks over. I ended up in front of a huge Barnes and Nobles and figured it was the perfect place to rest. I bought a delicious raspberry smoothie and rested for about 20 minutes. I ended up passing a yoga stand and decided to buy a mat. While looking at them I found a beginners kit and settled for that (it included a mat, block, strap, and DVD). I also ended up buying yet another book (how could I not?). When asked if I needed a bag I replied yes, why should I carry the big box all the way back to the apt, I was charged five cents for a bag that wasnt big enough so I ended up carrying it anyway!

So I guess I am a Yogi. Well almost. It's not like Im taking classes or anything. Maybe once my flexibility is where I want it to be.

All settled in the big city

I am finally moved-in. Completely moved-in. All of my clothes are put away, groceries purchased, electronics set up. Done.

I must say it is a great feeling. Im on my own again, except this time I have no one to turn to just yet. I know where the movie theaters are (even the free old films in the city), the best places to eat, and I have all of the passes I need to get around.

Im set and ready to go. Two weeks from now I will be in classes studying my booty off. Until then Im going to enjoy having something to do!

Worst day in a long time!

Today has been the worst day in the history of August days in 2010.

This morning around 7:30am my cat started meowing. I paid no attention like always. BUT THEN. I noticed she had jumped up onto my bed (I usually dont let her sleep with me) and she proceeded to PEE on me (hence why she doesnt sleep with me).

Not a good way to start a morning. So I stripped my bed, and changed my clothes (mom was in shower), grabbed my cup of coffee and that's when I knew that it was going to be one of those days.

Around 9am I got ready to go to Walmart, the bank, and anywhere else I needed to go. I got to my car and turned the key....NOTHING HAPPENED...my battery had died. When this happened I dont know. I hadnt used my car since Monday, so who knows how long it had been that way.

One thing I did notice about my car was that the drivers door was partially open, as though it hadnt quite gotten closed. So I figured that the light had stayed on and drained the battery. I called my Dad and told him to come jump-start my car but I had to wait until 11:30am. Great.

When he finally got here, we couldnt push my car down the drive-way so he had to maneuver his to the front of mine (not good for the neighbor's flowers). Well, jump-starting didnt work. My car still wouldnt start. Luckily my neighbor had a battery charger and I was able to get that hooked up. Unfortunately, it had to sit for two hours.

So I took my Dad's car on my errands and when I got back my car would actually run. Of course that couldnt be the end of it. Apparently, my silent security alarm was going off, that is what drained the battery, not the open door.

What caused my silent security alarm to go off you may ask? Oh Ill tell you. The alarm would only go off if the car was forced open. LIGHT BULB. My door was partially open (remember!).

SOMEONE TRIED TO STEAL MY CAR!!!!

Oh if that wasnt the icing on a perfectly good cow pie of a day. I simply thought it was my haphazard closing of a door, but nooooooo someone actually tried to break in. This is the same car that someone slashed a tire on.

Dear thief/tire slasher,

I get the message. You dont like me for whatever reason. Whatever it is I have done, please move on, it must have happened oh so long ago. I am so sorry for it, but could you do me a huge favor and LEAVE MY CAR ALONE.

Thank you so much,

Megan

So I wrap up this post with the hope that tomorrow is a MUCH better day. But until then...

Not quite there, but close.

Today was the infamous move-in day that I've counted down to for months. It wasnt that spectacular, or at least not as I imagined. I still have one more week at home and the room isn't quite together yet, hopefully next weekend ties together the loose emotions.

Let me describe for you my future/present home.

The building looks small on the outside, it is cream in color and rather dull to look at. It is situated directly across from some of the most magnificent buildings I have really ever been near. They aren't architecturally great or anything just beautiful. The building was once an old hotel, so that explains the front door(or sliding doors). There is a round-about where you can be dropped off or drop off, etc. The sliding door opens automatically as you would expect, but the difference is in the second sliding door. You have to walk over to the far wall and swipe an ID card to allow access. All this while simultaneously stepping in front of the motion detector to open the door, if this isn't done in a matter of seconds you must repeat the process.

Inside is what you typically find in an old hotel. There is a concierge desk to the left and another on the right. There is a door before the second desk that leads to mailboxes(this is how you know it is no longer a hotel). The elevators are down the hall and around the corner(typical). There is a set of stairs that lead to the Mezzanine Level. On this lever there is a "study" lounge and a weight room. I don't think I will use either, though the idea is valid. To use the elevator or stairs for that matter you must swipe your card again and wait for the green light and then hit the "up" button. Why you must do this escapes me, I mean if you got into the building, you must belong there, and on the off chance that you don't, then you will just keep following the same person up the elevator (DUH!).

My room. It is located on the 3rd floor. There are signs on the wall after exiting the elevator that point in the direction of your room number(again a reminder of former hotel life). My room happens to be in the corner at the far left end of the building. This I don't mind, simply because it isn't going to experience a ton of traffic and it happens to be a little more private. Each room has a hotel "door knob" that has the option for swiping a card or using a key. No worries folks I have a key. When you open the door you are faced with a closet. Once inside you can look to your right and find a sink and then the bathroom door, where there is another sink. I really am confused by the two sinks but oh well right? Under the sink were two trash cans, which I came to understand as being for recycling. Anyone who knows me knows that I have finally found my home. The store across the street even charges for plastic bags! Now I know I'm in the right place. Back to the room, after the initial view of the bathroom you are drawn to the fact that there are two closets. Then the fridge. I take pride in this simply because it is not the baby fridge you get freshman year but an actual fridge. With ice. A grown-up fridge if you will. Now I happened to notice not all rooms had this same big fridge, so that makes it even more special. I also have two dressers, they are small and together would be one but I like the not-so-high-off-the-ground feel. Then there is a desk, of course, and this is also special to me. It is my first ever left-handed desk. That may not sound great to everyone, but to someone who is left-handed and has always had a desk for right-handed people, it is very special. You may be thinking "big deal, it's a left-handed desk, like that makes a difference" oh but it does. Instead of having to completely twist in my seat to write and use the computer I can simply stay in the same comfortable position for both. Next time you sit at your desk, notice how easy it is and then try to do it from a left-handed angle, you will soon understand. Okay, enough about the desk. My bed. Is a disappointment compared to the fridge and desk. It is a twin. Which I had all my life, but have recently gotten used to a full. Oh well, it is only for one year and I enjoy twins. Now the downfall to my room is that there are no chairs. At all. No place to sit, except for the bed. Now I am not sure why but I feel gypped. Also there is a cool balcony that I am not allowed to go out on. Safety reasons. And I get that, but I'm naturally a safe person and still feel short changed.

Well that is all I can say about my humble abode. I have posted pictures on Facebook of the plain Jane walls and atmosphere. No worries, I will post more when it is all said and done. I don't want in-between photos, just Before and After.

Today is Friday, August 6th. That may not mean much to many of you, but it means that tomorrow is move-in day for me. I have packed my life away (most of it) and my car is stuffed to the brim and prepared for the long journey to Washington, DC tomorrow morning. I can check in around 8am so I believe we are trying to get there super early to beat the heat.

Im not staying there tomorrow, I have been talked into coming back home for another week. It's not too bad of a thing, I dont think Im as ready to leave as I keep making myself believe. I know that sounds weird but it's just the way it is.

So tomorrow is going to be a LONG day. I mean driving 4hrs, unloading the car, organizing the room, lunch?, dinner?, and then the journey home. Of course doing it again the next weekend wont exactly be fun either but I wont have to return.

Im sure Ill post pictures of my tiny room...so until then...