'Tis herself...

Had I the heaven's embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,

I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

William Butler Yeats

The Food Blog, Part One

One of my friends always gets on to me, saying she doesn't travel places just to eat. Bollocks. One of the things I love about new places in the cuisine. With the interesting cultural melange here, I knew this would be a great trip. I've been to so many awesome (and not so awesome) places since I've been in DC....

*Tortilla Cafe - Salvadorean/Mexican cuisine: The first place I went upon arriving in DC. Somewhat of a hole-in-the-wall, but those places are often the best. The food was fantastic, part of which I contribute to the fact that all I'd had that day was a breakfast roll, coffee, and some Triscuits. We ordered the chicken fajitas, sweet plantains, pupusas, and a quesadilla, along with a passionfruit juice. Delicious!!!!
*Various Chinese takeout locations: You could say we were on a quest. Since they moved here, Heidi and Mike haven't found a good Chinese takeout yet. I've had some good places in New York, and actually in Georgia too, and I was surprised that they hadn't found a good place yet. The search continues...
*Trattoria Alberto - Italian: Neat little location on Barracks row. The place got really good reviews. The setup of the restaurant was odd, but the food was moderately priced. Our waiter was really friendly, but I had some of the strangest Italian food. In fact, the only dishes that were truly good were Heidi's Spaghetti Carbonara and the cannolis. I ordered Pollo Marsala, which didn't taste anything like chicken Marsala I'd ever had, and our tiramisu came in individual bowls and was more like ladyfingers with custard sauce than mascarpone. Oh well...
*Le Pain Quotidien - Organic/Italian/French/Pretention: A cute little bakery/bistro, where everything is all natural and organic. Very clean, with lovely classical music piped in. Heidi and I shared the Tuscan platter, which was a combination of sundried tomatoes, fresh ricotta, olives, prosciutto, an olive tapenade with basil pesto (heavenly!), and a juicy slice of melon, along with assorted breads. Tasty!
*Zack's/The Greek Islands Taverna - Greek (duh): Most definitely a hole in the wall, but delightful! We were one of two parties in the dining room for lunch, and it was great to get out of the snow. Heidi was excited that they carried Mythos, our preferred beer while we were in Greece, and we split an order of what turned out to be the best calamari and sweet marinara I've had in my life. We didn't hesitate to throw our fried potatoes on our gyros or souvlaki, and we polished off everything and were happily warm on the mile-walk home.
*Banana Cafe and Piano Bar - Puerto Rican/Cuban/Mexican?(well, quesadillas most definitely AREN'T Cuban!): Heartbreaking. We went to Happy Hour in the Piano Bar for the free appetizers, which turned out to be quesadillas so loaded with jalapenos that they gave Heidi indigestion for the next 36 hours. I had bacalao frito, or codfish fritters, and some fried plantains, which were ok but nothing special. The only thing worth anything there was the mango daquiri. The saddest part was that good latin food is normally so good you'll want to slap your mother. Needless to say, I was disappointed.
*The Old Siam - Thai: OUTSTANDING! The service, above all, was great, and everything we ate was wonderful, from the curry wontons, to the pad thai, to the ginger stir fried with chicken. Mike and I ended up trading dishes and being all the happier for it.

And that was just the first week....more to come!

Breaking Away

Many of you know that I'm here in Washington, DC. In a way, it's a vacation, in the sense that I'm away from home and am not working. On the other hand, I'm here looking for work. I'm really trying to see how life is here, and if I can do it. If anything, I've learned it's expensive. But I have figured out so much more than the money. I love it here. For the first time in years, I feel like I truly belong somewhere. I've been in Augusta for so long I don't know what it's like being somewhere else. I didn't leave for college. I didn't even move out. But I need to. I'm closing in on 26 years, for god's sakes. I really think that if I discipline myself I can make it here.
One of the hardest things was putting my resume out there. I couldn't shake the feeling that somehow what I have to offer wasn't good enough on paper. A friend of mine made an excellent point that I needed to "market" my skills as opposed to just listing them. Without him, I think I wouldn't have applied to anything. Also, I signed up for a job searcher that deals specifically on Capitol Hill. For shits and giggles, I even started looking at apartments. They say that in order to truly get things done one must be proactive. Unfortunately I have long lived with the belief that whenever I get too excited or prepare too much for things, something doesn't work out. Is it my thinking that's flawed? Or my crap luck? Either way, I'm still going for it here.
I love Washington, DC. The culture, the food, the history...I love being able to walk places. I want to only drive if I have to or want to. I'm also lucky that my closest friend lives here. i think she would keep me from feeling entirely lost or homesick. I also have family in the Northern Virginia area.
I want somewhere I can make my own. All I need is a job, and some more money.
Feeling like you belong is a wonderful feeling...

What to do...

I am afraid. I have tried not to rely on an unsure thing, but then again, I've never been in a situation like this before. I know that my information has been subitted to the Georgia Department of Labor, and as of last Wednesday I filed my first claim for unemployment insurance. I filed for this week as of midnight (as instructed) and decided to make an inquiry towards my previous claim to see if and when I might expect it in my account and to know the amount I might receive. However, I was surprised to see that the benefits were "not paid," and that I was to go back to the labor office for assistance.
And now, I am faced with a great big "What if?" What if I don't get any assistance? Is it possible to be denied? It's funny - admittedly, I was nervous about even signing up for the benefits, but after I did they seemed like a small light on the horizon. I've worked every chance I've had, even though I've been sick. I don't care if they only give me $50 a week. It would most certainly help with my bills.
If someone reads this that understands the system better, please offer any information you might have, as I would very mnuch appreciate it. I'm so scared they'll say I don't deserve it or don't qualify for it.
Maybe it would be best just to go to bed...

A New Year...?

Wow...I realized I haven't posted since October. It doesn't seem like that long ago when I think about it, but maybe because I'm thinking of all the times I've considered posting but put it off. I did that last week.
What has changed since last year? Well, the economy got to me and I was laid off from my job. True, this was a job from hell, but it was health insurance. It was knowing exactly how much I would have in my bank account every two weeks. But more importantly, it was health insurance, and a damn good plan at that. I was planning on being out of that job by March of 2009, but not like this. I never thought i'd be drawing unemployment benefits. I never, ever thought I'd be in that place, and most certainly not this soon after graduating from college. My afternoon at the Department of Labor was, by far, the hardest thing I have ever had to do. It was a lesson in pride and humility if I've ever had one. All I could think was that I wasn't like any of "those people" that I saw down there. The whole time, though, I knew that my way of thinking wasn't right, that I knew nothing about any of them, and who knew if there wasn't someone else in the same situation as I was. It was all I could do not to cry out of shame and/or anger. I am, however, extremely lucky to have the Village Deli to fall back on. They have been gracious and generous enough to give me somewhat steady employment. It is better than nothing, and it's something I truly enjoy doing. The customers are better than I could have ever asked for.
In the meantime, I'm trying to figure myself out again. I feel like I'm back at square one, wondering what the hell I am going to do with my life. The job at the apartments wasn't by any means a permanent one, but it was a routine. It was stability. Yet I keep having to ask myself, "Is this what I really want?" Now I think I can take time to get out there and do what I am meant to do and live my own life. We shall see.

To my friends: I love you...

But what I really want to do is vote, then leave the country and not come back until long after the election, and not speak to ANY of you. I understand you do NOT agree with me politically, and although I have not lost any respect or consideration that I have for you, there is no way I am going to agree with you. Regardless of the economical issues, I can't bring myself to vote for someone who goes against my morals in such a way that Obama does. I don't understand your constant need to defend yourself to me, to render anything I have to say as "stupid" or "ignorant," although I haven't done anything of the sort to you. Whether you agree with me or not, let me say what I want to say. If you think it's stupid, leave it at that and keep your mouth shut. Lord knows that's what I've done every time you have something to say about your preferences. It's sad that everyone seems to soak up the media like a rotten sponge, no matter what side is shown. I'm pro-life and anti-euthanasia. Obama is not. As for the idea of higher taxes for the "uber-rich," what I want to know is, why should those who have been successful be punished and made to pay for those who aren't, for whatever reason? I don't believe this is the answer to the improvement of the economy. No, I don't make $250K, but I plan on working hard and eventually reaching that level and beyond. I've seen those that are poor and living off of what the government gives them. Technically, I work for them. Let me tell you something...the last thing they need are more handouts. There are people that truly need it and I will not deny that. But I refuse to dependent upon the government with every fiber of my being. I will not be taken to that level.
So, my friends, I love you, but this is how I feel. It's more than voting with my pocketbook or my rosary. Vote for the person you like the best, and leave me to do the same.

I paid $80 for it; I can call it whatever I want!

I recently made a rather disturbing purchase. Well, maybe it's not so much "disturbing" as it is a radically new move for me. I never really thought I'd buy one, but it's really not such a bad idea. What is it? I bought a girdle. That's right - a beige creation that stretches from just below my bra to the middle of my thighs that must have been fashioned out of what could only be NASA-grade materials. When I set out to buy it, I figured my ideal body shaper would start at my ankles and work its way up like a tube of toothpaste so that I would just end up with a FANTASTIC rack (not that my rack isn't fantastic already). Alas, no one carried what I wanted short of a wetsuit, and wetsuits don't necessarily make one's boobs look good. (And how would I use the bathroom?) I did find something interesting, though. I'm going to call it a girdle because I think it's funny. Correct me all you want. It may really be called a "body shaper," or more commercially, "Spanx," but refer to the title of this post for my comment on that. I did pay $80 for it, after taxes and all. Estimated time for assembly: 15 minutes, or what felt like a lifetime. I needed MORAL support to get this sucker on. But the result? A sleeker me! The fat wasn't gone, but visibly diminished. My sharp curves were all smoothed out. Nice. Worth the 1/7 of my paycheck, after taxes. I wore it to a wedding this past weekend, one at which I really felt that I had to look good. As a test run, I wore it for a full day at work. It wasn't uncomfortable, but I nearly got a UTI since I was so scared of using the bathroom with the thing on. It did, however, improve my posture, and the next evening it looked just wonderful with the dress I wore. Conclusion? Girdles are GREAT. Girdles are magic. Girdles are....expensive. And if your mom really loves you, she'll help you in the bathroom of the reception hall so you can...um...go.