I am so sorry that I have neglected y'all (and this blog) for over a week! Today is Thursday, of the fourth and final week of my "Dream Month" - the blessed month where I never had to wake-up early for work or do anything that I didn't want to do. It has been a spectacular month so far and an overall highly enjoyable experiment in the art of living. Have you ever wondered what your life would look like if you didn't have to go to your job every day? How would you spend the 24 hours of each day if you only had to do exactly what you WANTED to do? Please friends, do save up and buy a month of your life, and live your ideal life for one whole "Dream Month." And find out what you would do if you didn't have to do anything at all. It's fabulous.
The reason I haven't written in over a week is because I've been so busy doing things that I haven't given myself the time to write about it all. Life has been hugely exciting! Let me give you a quick overview.
1. Saturday, May 10th, EU Embassies Open House.
Bright and early on Saturday morning, I dragged Eric to the British and Belgian Embassies here in DC. Every year, most of the embassies in DC open up their doors to the public (and generously hand out free shwag). This was the first year that I took the initiative to go to the EU Open House. The week before, I dragged Eric through six non-EU embassies.
As we all know, I have a "slight" affinity for British culture, so we went to the British Embassy first. We saw the ambassador's residence (as beautiful as a palace) and the perfectly-tended gardens. We talked to people at the Scotland and Wales tables. We got some free Walkers shortbread cookies and ate some bangers for lunch. I took selfies with cardboard cut-outs of Kate & William and the gang from Harry Potter. And I registered to win a Downton Abbey-themed gift basket (if I haven't heard from them by now, I probably didn't win, I'm just now realizing). It was the most fun I had have ever had in an embassy.
Then I dragged Eric to the Belgian Embassy. For those who don't know, I lived in Brussels for two months, back in 2009. I was an intern at the State of Illinois - West European Office of Trade and Investment. Oh, the MAGICAL time I had in Belgium. I gained a sense of confidence and joy in Belgium that changed me forever. I truly hope to go back and visit one day soon.
But back to the Belgian Embassy. We stood in line for...I don't know...maybe an hour. It was quite the popular embassy. But it was absolutely worth it when we got inside and were showered in chocolates and beer. Seriously. Everyone 21 and over got a free bottle of Belgian beer. And everyone got free boxes of Belgian chocolates. It was a delightful (if crowded) tour.
Our feet were pretty exhausted from all that standing in line, so we decided to go home after Belgium. But I will return next year to tour many more embassies!
2. Sunday, May 11th, The Winery at Bull Run, Virginia.
The day after we toured the embassies, Eric drove me to the Winery at Bull Run in Centreville, Virginia. Eric had bought an "Amazon Local" gift certificate for snacks and commemorative wine glasses from this particular winery, and we realized that this gift certificate was about to expire. So even though it was Mothers' Day, and we knew that the place was going to be crowded, we went anyway (because we didn't want his $22 gift certificate to go to waste!).
Hilariously, no wine is produced at the the Winery at Bull Run. You can drink and purchase wine, but it's not a working winery. So there was no guided tour to go on. It's essentially a large estate that sells wine and is a nice place to have a picnic. So we took Eric's gift certificate to the lady at the cash register and asked exactly what we could get for it (since there was no winery to tour, and the gift certificate explicitly said that the coupon could NOT go towards any alcohol purchases). We were told that we could get our choice of bread and cheese, plus $24 worth of non-alcoholic purchases from the gift shop.
So, in summation, with Eric's $22 gift certificate from Amazon Local, we received a baguette, a hunk of Gouda cheese, a tin of peanut brittle, and a chocolate bar with bits of orange peel. I don't know if Eric got his money's worth, but we at least had a pleasant walk around a lovely picnic area that day. :-)
3. Monday, May 12th, Washington Monument Re-Opening Ceremony.
Monday was a BIG day! The Washington Monument re-opened, after being closed since the earthquake in 2011. And Al Roker came to DC to host the party!
Eric had to take the train to New York City for work that day, and since he's still relatively new to the DC Metro system, I volunteered to wake-up with him at 4:45 AM and make sure he caught his 7:00 AM train from Union Station. We took the Metro together to Union Station, found the kiosk where he could print his tickets, I wished him a safe journey, and we said good-bye.
I then took the Metro to Smithsonian and got in line to get one of the first tickets up to the top of the Washington Monument that day. There were only about 50-or-so people ahead of me in line when I arrived at the Monument at around 7:30 AM. While waiting in line, I befriended a journalist from The Washington Post. I could see him talking to the people at the front of the line, so I figured he was writing a story about the re-opening. I walked up to him and asked is he was looking for quotes for his story, and he said that he was. So I said something along the lines of, "The Washington Monument is a symbol of mankind's aspirations to be godlike. It's a symbol of the infinite possibilities of the human mind." And my quote made it into the web-version of that story...for the first 10 hours or so. But when I clicked on the link to the story the next day, my quote was gone. Oh well.
The Park Rangers started distributing tickets before 8:00 AM, which was very kind of them. I soon got a ticket to travel to the top of the Washington Monument at 1:30 PM that same day. Huzzah!
After procuring my historic ticket, I walked to the southwest side of the Washington Monument, where they were preparing for the 10:00 AM Re-Opening Ceremony, hosted by Al Roker! ;-) I saw that all of the chairs were set-up, but no one was sitting in them. So I asked a Park Ranger if I could sit and watch the ceremony. She said absolutely and showed me where the members of the public were invited to sit. So I sat down in the front row, at the very end of the isle. I was as close to the podium as any member of the public could get.
I scored my seat for the ceremony at around 8:00 AM. The ceremony didn't start until 10:00 AM. So I had some waiting to do. I befriended these two lovely grandmothers who were sitting next to me and had travelled from Northern California. We saved each other's seats while we took turns sneaking into the Hospitality Tent (which was only there for invited guests) for free water and bags of free shwag.
The event finally started, and the speakers included Al Roker (as I've mentioned), government officials, National Mall officials, and the rich guy who donated $7.5 million to the restoration of the monument. A children's choir sang, an American Idol sang, and a man and woman dressed as George and Martha Washington sat in the audience and watched, while the audience baked and burned under the hot DC sun (my tan lines still haven't gone away).
But it was a delight and an honor to have been able to attend (something I never would have been able to do with a normal 9-to-5 job and schedule). And at 1:00 PM I returned to the monument to get in line for my trip to the top.
I had always wanted to travel to the top of the Washington Monument since I moved to DC in 2008. But I was always too chicken. I was afraid that I'd have a panic attack at the top or be killed in a terrorist attack on the monument. So I never went. But on this day, this historic re-opening day, I had no excuse NOT to go to the top. If the Washington Monument is supposed to be a symbol of mankind's infinite possibility, then I was going to believe in myself, and trust that my mind and body could survive this journey. And I did. The views from the top really are incredible. And I once again believe that mankind can do anything. And I believe that I can do anything, too. There is no spoon.
4. Tuesday, May 13th, Vision Boards.
Two things happened to Tuesday. One, I felt overwhelmingly ill. And two, I worked on my "visions boards".
Maybe it was all the excitement and activity of the previous three days, but on Tuesday, I felt weak, nauseated, headachey, and feverish. I did no have the energy to write. I spent the day doing laundry and working on my vision boards instead.
I had been working on these vision boards on-and-off for over a week, but Tuesday was when I worked on them the most. They're just cut-outs from magazines and newspapers of things that I'm interested in, or things that inspire me, or things I would like to achieve.
I would like to one day work with Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling, so they're on my vision boards. I would like to attend the White House Correspondents' Dinner one day, so that's on my vision board. I would like to write for the Washingtonian Magazine, the City Paper, or the Express, so they're all on my vision boards. I would like to travel to Italy, write a British sit-com, see The Kids In The Hall perform, and take a dumpling tour of DC, so that's all on the vision boards as well. Etc., etc., etc.
5. Wednesday, May 14th, State Department and Church Night (busy day!).
On Wednesday, I attended an event for DePauw University alumni at the U.S. State Department in Foggy Bottom. The event was hosted by DePauw alumnus Douglas Frantz, of the class of '71. He is now the Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Public Affairs for the State Department. He gave a speech entitled "From DePauw to Diplomacy."
The event was very...fancy. I was the only one there in sneakers and white socks. But there were tasty nibbles and an open bar. The event cost $25 to attend, so I tried my hardest to get my $25 worth of white wine and cheese.
I truly enjoyed my time there. And it was a real treat to be able to see inside of the State Department! Mr. Frantz's speech was interesting and insightful. He was a journalist for over 30 years before moving to the State Department, so I asked him how he got his first newspaper job, and I asked him how he got his first book published. I met very pleasant fellow alumni, and overall had a great time. I then frantically searched for a taxi to get my ass to the Wonderland Ballroom for Church Night!
Church Night really is a hidden gem in the world of DC arts and entertainment. It's a comedy/variety show hosted by the Revered Dr. Stevedore Maybelline Bidet Esq. and Youth Minister Kathy Piechota. Parishioners of Some Souls Church enjoy hymns like Chumbawamba's "Tub-thumping" and Madonna's "Like a Prayer." Everyone is also welcome to receive the communion of "Shots-n-Tots," a tater tot and mini shot of whiskey.
The theme of last night's church service was feminism. The guest musicians and comedians were all women and the Altered Boy Randy St Oats Jr. wore a tight-fitted t-shirt that said, "This is what a feminist looks like."
The cost to attend this "alternative church service" is just $5, but for $10, you get a pew seat. Last night was the first time that I had ever had the pleasure of a pew seat at Church Night, and it was well worth it! I got to hear and see all of the entertainment perfectly (there are usually folks in the back of the bar having their own conversations, and it makes it harder to enjoy the show when people are chatting around you), and it was the most hilarious Church Night I had ever witnessed. Blessings and light, it was a hell of a great show!
And that there, my friends, is what I've been up to this week. I've been "doing" a lot more than I've been "writing." But tomorrow is a new day, and hopefully I will have time for some tamer activities tomorrow, like simply reading and writing.
Blessings and light to all of you!
~Leila
P.S. Check out all ten episodes of The Sherman House Webisodes for free at www.shwebisodes.com!
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