Reunionizing

Whew, I've been away for a while. Sorry about that.

I made it back to Texas for a family get-together. It was a really good time - there were a couple of cousins that have babies that I've never even met before, and I hadn't seen most everyone else (that I had, in fact, met before) in ages. We are a loud, loud bunch, and I was feeling a little hoarse by Sunday, mainly because I'd spent all of Saturday shouting over everyone to join in the conversations. Crazy folks, but they are also good people.

Here we all are, in family portrait style glory.

My brother is still the tallest of the crew...not really sure how he managed that. Some highlights included eating and drinking lots and lots, cuddling with babies (well, really just the one in the red sleeves, the other one is a bit wiggly for cuddling, but still good for playing), and generally enjoying each other. The little guy in his dad's lap on the ground won the award for most injuries, the most spectacular of which was a header to the cement driveway. Luckily, he's three and feels little pain.

We're running into some issues with what the babies should call the older cousins. When I was little, all the adults were Aunt or Uncle So and So, but really I'm not an aunt to any of them, plus three of them already have an Aunt Rachel to confuse matters further. Any suggestions?

All in all, a very fun and worthwhile trip. Hopefully to be repeated next summer!

In my meeting this morning, the interpreter conveyed greetings from an artist I had done a program for last summer. Apparently they met up while she was in China. She said, "Oh yes! He very much remembers you - he said you're the one who looks like Venus in all the Renaissance paintings."

Ah yes, I'd forgotten about that one. Hell of a good compliment reminder with which to start my morning, though :).

Texas Trip Wrap-Up

I made yet another pilgrimage to the Lone Star State, for yet another wedding. Based on current circumstances, this should be the last one I will need to go to for a while though - and actually I'm not whining, it's a great chance to see everyone and visit and have people ply me with wine and cake and yummy food. And because we're a bit over going to the clubs and such, it's a good opportunity to get a little dancing in :).

My first (very quick) stop was Houston, Texas. I know you're thinking, what? WHY? Yes, Houston is a bit gross and all, but it is the home of my lovely friend Ginger and her husband, James. She's all preggers and such now, so not only did I want to see their new house, but wanted to spend as much time with the typically tiny Ginger when she has a belly. She's still tiny everywhere else though, which I'm sure provokes much hatred in the waiting room at the doctor's office. At one point, we went to Target to register for things, which was a bit ridiculous, because we have absolutely no idea what babies need. I mean, we've both done some extensive babysitting, but when you do that, the mom already has all the necessities. There was a lot of "um, how many of these do you think we'll need?" "Beats me, just start zapping stuff..." Very productive trip, that.

We then drove to Austin for the wedding, all the while playing the "name that tune/artist challenge" for the 80's radio station. There were also wildflowers everywhere:
The wedding was very lovely - Sarah and Matt seemed very relaxed and happy...
and I got to put my wannabe seamstress skills to use in fixing bridesmaids' dresses. Brianna the flower girl was very cute (can you believe I babysat for her when she was two weeks old? Me neither...) and got to spend lots of quality time dancing with the big kids.


The next few days were mostly punctuated by lots of good meals and hanging out time. I finally broke down and bought myself some perfume. It was definitely time, since we calculated that Sarah gave me the least old perfume bottle I own about eight years ago...and I bought the others in college, so when I wear them, it's like eau de Rachel a 19 ans, which is an odd sort of throwback.

We celebrated cinco de mayo at Trudy's (north) with ridiculously cheap margaritas (at least, so it seemed to this DC gal - $3.50 each!? I'll take four! Wait...bad idea) and all of the yummy snacky Tex-Mex stuff I could squeeze in.

All in all a very lovely time. And now the crazies are planning a summer trip to Vegas, which I can state that I DO NOT HATE FOR THE FREAKIN' LAST TIME, because it's my blog. So there.

A Reminder to Stop and Smell the Roses (or Listen to the Busker, as it were...)

Yesterday all the Pulitzers were announced, with one going to the Washington Post article, "Pearls Before Breakfast." The gist of it is that a Post reporter asked one of the world's greatest violinist to play classic concertos and such on his Stradivarius violin in a crowded Metro station during rush hour. I don't take the Metro these days, but if I did, I would go right through L'Enfant Plaza. Would I have stopped? Who can know...

(via NPR)

Ballet Class, encore

I finally took my first ballet class since high school last night. I really did mean to go last week, and had plans and everything to go with a friend from work, but was in a big rush in the morning, and left the bag with all my stuff in it at home. I was worried I was going to miss it last night too, since I couldn't find the studio ANYWHERE and the time for the class to begin was rapidly approaching. I squeezed in at the last possible second though, so all was well.

And it was really fun! I had forgotten how mental it can be - having to remember all the combinations and such. I'm a bit sore today, but nothing terrible.

I still have the same pair of shoes I danced in in 1998, and they are a bit the worse for wear...there are definitely some minor-approaching-major holes in the big toe area in both shoes. I should get a new pair, but I'm actually really attached to these for inexplicable reasons. We've been through a lot together, I guess :). Then my mind jumped from them to other dance shoes and/or costumes I've had and remember fondly. Here are a few (in chronological order):

-When I was really little, maybe 4 or 5, I was in a tap number and our costumes were gold sequins. They spray-painted our tap shoes gold and put glitter all over them. Of course we left a huge trail of gold crap every where we went, but I remember thinking they were SO PRETTY.

-There was a ballet number once to "Surrey with a Fringe on Top" and I had never seen Oklahoma! at the time. I thought the song was so strange.

-I was one of about twenty Batmen in a jazz dance to "Lemon Crush" by Prince. No really, I swear.

-I had red pointe shoes I wore when I was Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. They were so cool. I mean, hello, have you ever seen the Red Shoes? Case in point. Classic.

Mmmm...

Snuggling down into my bed, with the windows cracked and the sound of rain, with a nice almost spring breeze, gives me the littlest glimpse of what heaven will be like.

Fun Game (with a little charity thrown in)

At work, we are sponsoring several second grade classrooms in a DC public school. When we got the list of "needs", I have to say I was a little appalled. I mean, I realized that DC schools have a bad reputation and are very underfunded, but seriously. The main request is for copy cards from places like Kinkos or FedEx, because there isn't a working copy maching in the entire school and as such the teachers are spending their own money to make copies of worksheets for the kids. They also requested used books for the classrooms, anywhere from pre-K to 4th grade reading levels. So being that I once was a reading nut (and still have that nut somewhere deep inside of be, which will be nurtured in approximately 1.5 days when I leave for Texas on Christmas break and have free time), I went to Border's over the weekend, just to see what I could find.

Shopping in the children's section of a bookstore is some serious reminiscing fun. I wanted to buy everything in sight, and I really wanted to buy some of the books for myself, just to have. Who wouldn't want to curl up with a nice new copy of the Berenstein Bears or Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel? I did a quick texting poll of friends to ask what their favorite books were at the age of 8, and got this list: Little House on the Prairie, Captain Underpants, Choose Your Own Adventure, anything by Roald Dahl, Hardy Boys, The Hurry Hurry Book, Where the Wild Things Are, Dr. Seuss, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, and "something about animals." What I failed to take into account in my texting is that my friends were probably a wee bit more advanced readers than the average attender of a DC public school, so many of those will be over their heads, for now anyway. So I settled on Amelia Bedelia, Little Bear (the same guy that illustrated Where the Wild Things Are did the illustrations for Little Bear too, which was a fun thing to learn), Curious George, and a children's world atlas that was on sale and had pretty pictures.

So now I'll ask you - what were your favorite books when you were 8?

The Trip for Ginger's Wedding in Review

Flying: D-
I seriously had the most hellish trip getting from Philadelphia to Houston. The only reason flying didn't flunk entirely was that my trip home was uneventful (albeit a little tight, as I was in a window seat with two rather large people next to me, and they encroached on my seat space a bit). Getting to Houston involved being bumped off a flight, melting down at the ticket counter (at which some nice lady took pity on me and gave me her seat and some kleenex), hanging out on the runway for an hour, running low on fuel and having to stop in Shreveport, having mechanical problems in Shreveport and waiting there for two hours, and finally landing in Houston approximately 4 hours late. And then my taxi got a flat tire on the way to the hotel, which technically doesn't count as flying, but was a fitting end to the journey, I think.

Clothing: B
Mercifully after that trip everything in my luggage arrived on schedule, with nothing spilled or damaged (including my dress for the wedding, which I was stupid enough to pack in my checked luggage, but it all worked out). Unfortunately, the red dress for which I spent a great deal of time hunting in the spring ended up being a wee bit snug in the um, bosom area, so I was not the most comfortable person on Saturday night. I got a few compliments though, so apparently I was the only one aware of the squeeze situation.

Food: A+
I ate so well - favorites included my fish (trout with almonds) at the rehearsal dinner, Dos Salsas in G-town, and of course some good old-fashioned BBQ at Rudy's. I think the wedding food was pretty good too, but I wasn't all that hungry due to adrenaline and such. And the dress, as mentioned above, did not really lend itself to comfortable eating.

Book, Devil in the White City: A
Now I really, really want to visit Chicago. And am very glad I wasn't born in like 1880 or anything. If you like history/architecture/murder psychology, this is a good book for you too!

Amtrak Station at BWI: F
Seriously, BOTH of the elevators are out of service? Both? What the heck am I supposed to do with this giant suitcase and a freakin' sewing machine in a box, huh? Better yet, what do people in wheelchairs do?

People to whom I would send thank you letters if I knew their names and/or addresses:
Nice lady at the PHL airport
Two guys at BWI that helped me lug suitcases up and down the train station stairs
Taxi driver who continued all the way to the hotel on a flat tire
The people who invented champagne

Happy Marriage, Ginger and James!

Re-Entry

As a few of you may know, I recently ventured back to Texas for a long weekend. Which ended up feeling like a week (at least) due to a lot of activity. Not that I had anything planned mind you. Actually I had no plans at all, beyond eating things and visiting and staying up too late and sleeping in, at which I was remarkably successful.

I also managed to make a purse for Ebony (happy birthday Ebony!), and make coin purses for others with the leftovers, visit with both sides of my family (all of the grandparents, which is a miracle in and of itself, and no less than 6 cousins if you count spouses), and track down our repeat offender escapee cat. My mom talked me into yoga twice, and I am still feeling the after effects. It was freakin' hot in Texas...like lay in your living room languid on the couch because you have lost the will to move hot. I shopped at my favorite cheap jewelry store, went to a Target that was not completely stripped free of sale clothes, and visited the new hip store that Sarah's managing. I woke up at the crack of dawn this morning and still managed to miss my flight, and as such had to take one that left four hours later. Yep, FOUR hours. So I finished reading one mindless fluffy book and then bought another. Part of me felt a smidge guilty, in that I should probably be reading something more high brow, and even though I recognize it's pretty much a waste of time, I still have to admit that I enjoyed myself immensely, and it was a great way to push through an entire day. Plus, a girl can only be so intellectual on 4 hours of sleep.

Coming home to Arlington is a little less hot, a little more crowded, and a little bittersweet. Apparently I'm going to be straddling between here and there for quite some time.

Oh, and my car died. Awesome. So for another $600 (that brings the total to a whole, whole lot that I've put into my car this year) it will be fixed and ready to trade in for something more reliable. Any advice on that front would be very, very welcome, if any of you are so inclined :). It seems like such a grownup sort of thing to face.

So tomorrow, back to work. And oh, there is so, so much work to be done. So. Much. Work. But it was totally worth it.

Adoption link

I don't know if any of you that read this are particularly interested in the topic, but adoption is something that always seems to lurk in the back of my brain as a "someday" sort of idea. Not that I am anywhere near something like that, but there are lots of ways to get involved with adoption and orphan care that doesn't actually involve bringing a child into your home.

Just today, I heard a really wonderful story as part of a series on adoption on NPR. You can listen to all of them here, if you're interested.

Movie love

Voilà, ma petite Amélie, vous vous n'avez pas les os en verre. Vous pouvez vous cogner à la vie. Si vous laissez passer cette chance, alors avec le temps, c'est votre cœur qui va devenir aussi sec et cassant que mon squelette. Alors, allez-y...*

After much of my raving of what a great movie it was, Gina rented Amélie and we watched it last night. I'm not sure that she loved it with all of the crazy enthusiasm that I love it, but I think it's a little hard when you have to read the whole movie. Which is why there are no Japanese films in my top ten list (well, the language thing, and there are other reasons too...).

At the moment, the above line is my favorite, although there are some others that are also genius and may soon win out new favorite status. Just writing it above doesn't do it justice - you need to hear the crouched old man with his slow, gravelly French voice saying it for the full effect.

I was wondering why I like it so much. Maybe because part of me identifies with Amélie - dreaming is often easier than doing. But then the moral of the story is, without doing, you don't get Nino. And I also have a big ol' movie crush on Mathieu Kassovitz, so, you know, lesson learned.

*My attempt at a translation: Look, my little Amelie, you don't have bones of glass. You can take life's knocks. If you let this chance pass by, with time your heart will become as dry and brittle as my skeleton. So then, go...!

When you're stuck with day, that's gray and lonely...

Or all of the bad news just starts to get to you:

www.happynews.com

Enjoy!

Fair Warning

So with the holidays, I've seen so many spots focusing on St. Jude's. Now, don't get me wrong, I am certainly not complaining. I think St. Jude's does incredible work and also think that it's important to spotlight such things, especially during the holidays where the main focus, while probably unintentional, tends to focus on materialism and decadence. But I digress.

The only problem with these spots is that they make me tear up. Or downright cry. But one of the two ALWAYS happens. I can't watch them - even the one with the actors reading the words of parents - without getting a little weepy. And it appears that these spots are going to continue for the rest of holiday season. So this is just a heads up to let anyone who might come into contact with me: I will probably be an emotional wreck by the end of December.

But if you have no idea what I'm talking about, you should check out the work they do - I'm okay with giving into the weepiness if it's a worthy cause.

"Beautiful Man"

Listening to this song makes me wish that it made me think of someone.

When weddings are cool

This last weekend, T got hitched to her main man, and a few of us from work went down to watch adoringly. The two of them are so completely adorable we can hardly stand it, or as I think E put it, "I'm totally in love with them being in love." At least it has set the bar - if the person in question doesn't make me as adorable as T and her man, it's clearly not worth it. But back to the wedding:

I loved that their wedding was so completely about them and the things they like, as opposed to just doing the things they think are supposed to happen at weddings. T walked down the aisle to a bagpiper, the solo was a beautiful acoustic rendition of "Be Thou My Vision" (which totally made me tear up), there was no clear color scheme (T had earlier remarked "My mom keeps asking me about my colors...and I'm pretty sure I don't have colors. This is stressin' me out!"), and the whole ceremony was great. We unfortunately arrived a wee bit on the late side due to a lack of communication about the location of the directions to the church, coupled with an unwise decision to follow people that were obviously going to the same wedding (but had even less of an idea how to get there). The topper of the ceremony was the truly over-the-top, open mouth, not-even-close-to-church-tongue first kiss. My friends are so cool.

And their friends were cool too. The theme of the groom's men was abundant facial hair...full beards to be exact. One guest was sporting a real-live mohawk, and not a little one, but one that stood a good foot off of his head. It was impressive to say the least. And he was break-dancing at the reception. The wedding party entered in to a Pixies song and the first dance was I think by Wilco, but frankly I'm not hip enough to actually know it (but I intend to ask her, because it was a good song!). We danced the night away to such classics as "Hot Steppa," "Gettin' Jiggy With It," and "The Twist." The night finished off with a closing dance to Prince's "Purple Rain." Well, the reception closed, and then we headed back to the hotel to work on our party favors. Which were, in fact, bottles of cheap Trader Joe's wine. Best. Wedding. Ever.

Things are nutty these days at the National Mall, aka the big green lawn that spans from the Capitol to the Washington Monument. There are hordes of tourists, although Sunday afternoon wasn't all that bad...maybe by that point the tourists that were in for the weekend were already starting to head home.

I went to the National Gallery to see the Toulouse-Latrec at Montmontre exhibit. Now, I know that sounds awfully arty of me, but then keep in mind that I've been meaning to see this exhibit since April and I just went on the very last possible day. And it was crowded, not surprisingly. I didn't really get all that annoyed, because I had mentally prepared myself for lots of people...not without some self-criticism ("this is why I shouldn't put things off!!"). One thing that was unexpected: I miss Paris. A lot.

In looking at all of the great lithographs and paintings of people and Montmartre, a wave of homesickness for a city I only lived in for a few months just tackled me, right in the middle of the museum. I miss Paris and its winding, tiny streets with patisseries and crepe stands; and artists standing around and drawing people and buildings; and sidewalk cafes with good strong French coffee; and speaking French and knowing my way around the world's best Metro system; and the beautiful bridges that span the Seine; and the incredible art galleries, especially the little ones that none of the tourists visit; and oh la...I miss Paris.

I realize this might sound a bit snotty, as if I'm writing about Paris like people name shampoo products with French sounding names to make them seem fancier. But French culture and living and people and food and just everything really got under my skin over a long period of time, not just when I was living there. And I don't think I really realized to what extent this had occurred (or maybe I just remembered again...) until this afternoon.

So, Paris in October, anyone?

Today, a distinguished (sharp suit, has graying well-trimmed beard) middle aged man that works in the upper levels of my company pulled out a ham sandwich and two juice boxes for lunch. How cute is that?

I'm going to gush for just a moment

My grandparents are all very lovely, wonderful people. In calling both of my grandmothers (in honor of Mother's Day, of course) I also spoke to my grandfather.

My mom's mom, Dedo. Real name May Delle, I think "Dedo" was the closest my older cousin could come to the real thing. She is about as Southern as they come, often telling me that things are tacky, or even worse, tacky tacky. This could be either about something I'm wearing or displaying bad behavior. It is an excellent, genteel catch-all phrase. In her time, she was an exceptional cook and entertainer. I still call and ask her for recipes, and my other grandmother defers to Dedo's opinion anytime I ask either of them for a recipe (i.e. "Well, this is how I would make fried chicken, but you really ought to call May Delle"). She always wants to know when I'm coming to visit next, even though we never do much once I get there. I wish I could go more often.

My dad's mom, Grandmother. Also known as Mee-Maw to some of the other cousins, I was grammatically and orally gifted as a child (aka non-stop talker) and I preferred this rather formal way of addressing her. Clearly it was the best choice, as almost all of my siblings and cousins refer to her this way as well. She has a soft Southern accent, and always asks about Dedo, because they are friends and she is Grandmother's "favorite of the in-laws." She always wants to know if I'm happy, especially since I'm in a new place, and if I'm making friends. She has never questioned my choices, although they must seem odd to her in comparison with my other cousins' (majored in something practical like business or education, got married right out of school). She more than anyone is who I would like to be when I grow up. I want to name a daughter after her some day...I would be so very grateful if she was around to meet her.

And last but most certainly not least, my dad's dad, Grandaddy. He got his name the same way as above (he was formerly known as Dano), and he is the only grandfather (by blood anyway) that I have had. He gave me a nickname, Ellie, because my middle name is Elise. He's really the only person who calls me that, but even in his email address book my first name is saved that way. He is the most gentle, caring man, and you might never know it because he isn't much of a talker. Only in the last few years has he shared insights about his past, as storytelling was always Grandmother's forte. He would tease us so much when we were young, but loved us so openly and quietly as well. As we said our goodbyes, he told me "see you next week, sugar." He's still the best with nicknames that make me feel all warm and squishy inside.

And barbecue aside, the second two paragraphs are the real reasons I'm looking forward to this wedding.

Siblings, continued

I think it's the ability to pick up the phone and talk for hours about nothing in particular with perfect ease, even if it's been months between conversations. Or maybe the way you can accept what would normally be an insult ("You're not seriously wearing that, are you? Because I won't be seen in public with you...") with laughter and the realization that you should probably take the advice. Or the way that you cringe for their mistakes, knowing that they're necessary to learn and grow, but wanting to keep them from the hurt that is inevitable and so hard to watch. Or the times I feel downright murderous knowing that someone has treated them badly, and if I could personally punish that someone, I would.

There's really not much difference between the way I feel about my biological siblings and the ones I have acquired through life. Somehow though, it's easier to be thankful for the ones that I acquired...taking the two I got from my parents for granted, I think. The order is somehow reversed, since we started off as siblings and now we have to learn how to be friends with each other.

Siblings

There's really nothing quite like them. After reading this, I'm going to call mine today. I will tell about them sometime, but then I should ask them first. That's the nice, big-sisterly thing to do.