lay down this bottle of wine

some random pictures and a link to allll of the pictures at the end! get excited, as becca says. 

this is us at happy hour. 

 the ring pillow before it got bedazzled

so adorable.

andy feeling rough in the first hour of the wedding. it was funny/sad.

john's phone

toasting. but it's more to give you an idea of what the tent actually looked like (while the power was on)

you can look at the whole album right here. and i think you should be able to see the professional pictures too if you're interested. (can someone let me know if that link doesn't work? thanks :)

you will feel no rain

so these are the wedding highlights. it was on saturday; prime hurricane time. we got there at 3pm and it was just kind of like a normal, run of the mill thunderstorm. the nepali ceremony was moved inside.

i feel like you know all of these people by now. friends from high school plus spouses and a girlfriend. 

mango lassi! they passed around indian/nepali hors d'oeuvres between ceremonies. 

i put the cape on for 3 seconds before losing my nerve. all of abha's friends from northwestern were in these really avant garde, chic dresses.. and i just felt too weird in it. plus it wasn't the best for trouncing around in the rain. but i felt pretty in just the dress. 

ring pillow! they hooked on with a loop rather than tying on with a bow. 

the ring bearer and flower girl were very cute. nirav was in the room with them while they were teaching the flower girl how to sprinkle the rose petals, so while they were walking, nirav was whispering 'sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle' at the table where we watched from.

abha had a dress picked out, and then it was hemmed too short in alterations, so she ordered 3 more online the week before the wedding. she chose one that was a pippa middleton reproduction. it was very pretty on her.

the reception was outdoors in a big tent, and we lost power a few times. we sang a lionel richie song for their first dance since the DJ had no power. but you could see pretty well thanks to a candle on each table. before the reception, we heard the venue staff talking to abha about candles, and she said to 'buy every candle in the store.' :)

definitely a memorable wedding! they couldn't have handled it with any more grace, and they were so radiant that you didn't even really think about the hurricane outside anyway. 

finally made it

this was such a fun trip! i'm back in austin today, but i'm missing DC. it was so much fun to see so many friends. we really packed quite a bit into a 5 day spread. these are the pictures that aren't the wedding. we'll do wedding tomorrow.

miriam (who came in from NYC) and i met up with one of my friends from the internship for lunch at teaism.. this is miriam eating what i always get, the chicken bento box. so delicious.

bec and i in the park

andy and bec. we were watching people jog by and exercise on the wooden exercise equipment as we lounged. it was beautiful out that day in the mid 80s. 

andy and i in front of the washington monument on the way to see the new MLK memorial. can you spot my birthday purse? it came in so handy. i could fit my camera/umbrella/a book/a sarong/my big wallet in it. 

this is the entrance to the MLK memorial

people were saying it doesn't look like him.. but i think it's pretty close. 

so the MLK statue is on the left, with the mountain on the right, and then there's a wall that runs around the outside with quotes on it.

thursday

wooo, DC! it's really wet and humid here. becca said it rained all morning.. thankfully stopping just in time for me to get from the airport to her apartment, and then it rained all afternoon, which didn't matter a whole lot as we were comfy inside chatting on the couch. we're supposed to get a hurricane this weekend. everyone is really concerned about it. i guess i'll eat my words if something bad happens, but it's just a whole lot of rain and wind. and the metro is underground. how bad could it be?

it's funny to be back here. the odd muffled ding ding the metro reminds me of going to the internship in my gray skirts and black low heels. along with everyone else in their gray, black and navy. that's one thing i definitely don't miss. and the unsmiling strangers. but open city (a cute restaurant/cafe near their house) was a welcome sight. and green grass, and trees.

last night as i was packing, maj and i were talking about how i should make a PDF of a generic packing list, because you always forget silly everyday things. and what's the one thing i didn't pack? a toothbrush. how does that happen.

exciting day tomorrow!

weekend

well i didn't know that i can't update my blog via my iphone, but i can't. i found a coffee shop down the street with wifi though so crisis averted until we get wireless in the apartment.

yesterday i moved into the apartment [that's chinese grammar]. for now, i've got a room to myself until my friend miriam moves in (hopefully) and then we'll move into the bigger room and share it. it's really nice and bright and i've just thrown my stuff around the room so it feels like mine. well last night i met up with lesley and her mom and we went to a really wonderful restaurant in adam's morgan called meze. lesley ordered almost one of everything veggie and it was all really delicious. zucchini cakes, dill and cheese cigars, spinach strawberry salad, roasted eggplant on toast, salmon skewers,... her mom started her own non profit to help women in developing countries and she's on an apertif spree, so we were drinking raki. it's like milky white, black licorice concentrate in liquid form. took some getting used to, but i'm glad we tried it.
i think/hope lesley and i will get together at least once a week or so. she goes to school close to where i live and she's always doing something cool and finding new places and things to do. a perfect start to a social life in DC.

then today there was a street food festival in adam's morgan. i guess what happens is that each neighborhood has its own day. today was adam's morgan day. so i met up with my friend john who i went to high school with and we wandered for a bit before meeting up with a fellow intern. i had two tacos al pastor for $5 and watermelon agua fresca. soo good on a hot, sunny day with a million people around you in sundresses and sandals. it all felt very austin-y really.

THENN i went to the grocery store and did my shop for the week. i'm trying to make it so that everything i bought would be used in 2 different meals. strawberry salad, chicken enchiladas, quesadillas, bagels and yogurt with mixed dried fruit and nuts.
i made the chicken enchiladas tonight and i learned an important lesson: it's probably worth $1 to not have to pick chicken off of bones. it's definitely worth 10 cents to buy the cheese already shredded. and i'm not sure that i'm ever buying unpitted olives again. that was just an honest mistake. they were the only black olives in the store.

let's end with a recipe. i'm proud of it because it's one of the 5 things i can make without a recipe.
majjy's chicken enchiladas
serves 4 or so with leftovers
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or tenders, or on the bone)
1 white onion
1 can of black olives
cheddar cheese
1 large can or 2 small cans of the red enchilada sauce in the yellow cans
10 small or 5 large flour or corn tortillas

cook and shred chicken or cut into chunks. you can also leave it raw, but it's easier to make sure you don't have any gross bits if you cook it first. dice onion and olives. mix all of the chicken, olives and onion in a bowl with half the enchilada sauce and 3/4 of the cheese. pour some enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x9 pan, dredge 2 tortillas in enchilada sauce and line to coat bottom of pan. put a layer of chicken stuff on top. keep layering and finish with tortillas on top. cover with the other half of enchilada sauce, pushing the extra down the sides and into the corners. cover with rest of the cheese. bake at 325 or 350 for half an hour or 45min or an hour (depending on whether or not you precooked the chicken) until the cheese is bubbly on top.
voila! keeps well in the fridge for a week or so. it's ok if it gets crispy in the microwave.. i think it's better that way.

did i say that i love you?

isn't it interesting how every region in america has its own vibe? i was born in california but i really grew up in flagstaff, arizona. we were there for preschool-4th grade. it's really clear and crisp. we used to go drive my dad's beat up truck in the aspen forests and go skiing in the winter. it was an overwhelmingly outdoorsy place to grow up. i used to grind up plants (and grasshoppers. i admit it.) in the back yard with cinderblocks and pretend like i had my own cooking show.

anyway if i keep going like this, it could be a long night. but today was a good example of how DC feels like a northeastern city. it was drizzly and gray all day. the trees felt like leaves were bending down with rain and the slate on sidewalks and front porches was darker than usual. you just wanted to curl up with a sweater, socks and a bowl of clam chowder or cup of coffee.

but in austin, a rainy day is a whole different thing. it's usually clear until all of the sudden a big downpour happens with giant rain drops and water rushing down the streets. everything gets dark for half an hour or so and you curl up on the couch with a book, but next thing you know it lets up and it's back to normal and sunny except that everything seems a little greener and perked up.

i guess this week has just been a lot of me thinking about what kind of environment i'm looking for. i liked the adventure of taiwan but it could sometimes feel very far from home. i like austin because it reminds me of how much fun i had with big groups of friends, but they're gone now. i like DC because it's 'northeasternyness' reminds me of summers in new hampshire at my grandparents' house. it's nice to feel like i could go in any direction, but i also don't feel particularly tied to anywhere which can be a little scary.

unrelated: i made it all the way to work without slipping on rainy sidewalks and RIGHT when i walked into my building, i was rushing to the security desk, stepped off the carpet and onto the marble and my legs went out from under me and i fell right on my butt with my wrist on the floor. i get it! enough already.

one more day

week 1 observations about DC:

• everyone is/thinks they are very important. and i'm sure many of them are. but no matter how important you are, it shouldn't exempt you from being polite, helpful or friendly
• 75% of people don't make eye contact with strangers
• you can't wear khaki to work
• the most put-together looking people are the ones with at least one print and one accessory
• the more secure people are with themselves, the more friendly and helpful they are to you, no matter what your title [or theirs] is
• lunch is almost invariably at least $8 (thankfully, except at a few places like potbelly, where we went for lunch today)
• it's always chilly outside and boiling hot on the metro
• you should never laugh at the people with tennis shoes and suits. those are the smartest people in this town
• there are real indian restaurants with food made by real indian people and it's cheaper than taiwan!

i don't know if you were with me at the start of blonde in taiwan, but this is how we do things around here. not so sure at the beginning, maybe a little pessimistic, and then we grow and learn and get comfortable from there. and i really am loving it. but taiwan showed me that there's more in life than offices and suits and DC can just be a whole lot of that.

called the kuo's tonight!

catch up

i haven't read anyone else's blog in a really long time so i'm going to use the next hour or so to catch up which means tonight will be short. it's ok because i only have one story. DC is full of these silly, giant metal grates all over the sidewalks which (i think) run over the metro. well this morning it was drizzly so everything was wet, and i was wearing my new shoes which have absolutely no traction.

so i'm checking my email on my phone and holding an umbrella and all of the sudden i step on a metal grate and my legs go in two completely different directions, bambi style, and the next thing i know i'm flat on the ground. i fell like you fall on the ice. knees hard on the ground, palms out, where you want to cry because it legitimately hurts but you can kiiind of bite your lip to stop it. AAND i look down and there's a trickle of blood running down my leg and both of my knees are all scraped up.

i ran to starbucks across the street, grabbed a handfull of napkins and tried not to draw much more attention to myself as i dabbed at my knee. thankfully, another girl i met is super prepared and she had purel and a bandaid.

so that was my morning. the day only got better from there. seriously. :)

unclassified

i wish i could tell you all of the cool things that happened today. i'm not sure how enthralling this blog is going to be. but i'll keep truckin' until it becomes apparent that i have nothing to say. today isn't that day yet though.

things i CAN tell you:
made it to work on time!
i nearly bit the dust on the metro. that thing makes sudden and forceful stops. i ended up grabbing onto a girls shoulder and then faking my best light texan accent to say 'ohmygoodness i am so so-ray'. ok this is a lie. but i did apologize enough that it was painfully obvious i was not from around here.
decided to wear stockings. this was a back and forth issue among other interns. i decided to be on the safe/mildly uncomfortable side.
fun wiki fact: the wooden staircase railings in the executive office building were replaced with brass ones during the taft presidency because president taft was too hefty for the wood.

other exciting news: i finally met my future roommates and saw the apartment. it's decorated kind of tribal african-y. deep reds and oranges, lots of plants. it's up on the top floor so we get a nice breeze and my roommates are lovely. the guy, ruda, and i have been talking through email a ton in the last month so it was nice to actually meet him. he's awesome. did city year through americorps. he's friendly, outgoing, nice. we went to dinner and chatted up this guy scott, who made our sandwiches at potbelly. i told scott we're going to be besties by the end of december. i think he's excited.

i don't know if it's because this was my method for practicing chinese in taiwan, but i literally can't help but talk to strangers now. i stopped to talk to a woman on my way down the escalator in the metro because she was holding some birthday balloons. talked to people in the grocery store. no one is safe! then they always ask where i'm from. people commented on my lack of texas accent. the re-education begins. i think maybe i should just be a 'real texas' ambassador.

ok nirav and i are making mojitos. until tomorrow. i think the sugar in my tea made me wired.

9 hours..

today was a nice final day before the work week. ran some errands with bec and nirav in the morning and we had lunch at a really good restaurant near the metro, open city. later i met up with lesley who taught with me in taiwan. we had delicious chai tea and coffee. she's doing well and excited about her job here. she also had some good tips about DC and getting around, what there is to do, etc.

i just ironed my shirt and hung up my suit for tomorrow. i'm nervous about waking up on time but really excited to just get the first day overwith! i want to meet everyone else, figure out where i'm going, see what people in my office are wearing.

i'm going to dry my hair and get to bed. talk to you sooonn!

metro maven

well, until i figure out what i want to do about the new blog, we'll keep going here. i arrived in DC yesterday and bec and i went to watch the UT game with a bunch of people she knew from grad school and her fiance, nirav. many exciting things there. UT won! OU lost! sam bradford is out! anyway they have a lovely apartment and i'm so glad to sleep on a comfy air mattress with my down comforter in the interim.
tonight i went to dinner downtown with 25 or so of the other interns and they are all amazing. everyone's done cool things, friendly, put-together and bubbly. the organizer is a total powerhouse. she was mingling like a pro, knew who everyone was. and one guy noticed that three of our birthdays had just gone by so he brought 3 cards, had everyone secretly sign them and bought us tiramisu! totally sweet, right?
and there's a mandarin speaker. he said my accent was good [!]. so now i'm extra excited to start on tuesday. i met 3 people who will be working in my office and they're all really sweet so it will be great.

DC itself is nice. it feels safe, young, "vibrant".. which is a word i don't think i've ever seriously used. but there are people walking around everywhere and fun shops and trees all over the place. bec and i drove by the neighborhood i'll be in and it's totally cute. there's a street with all kinds of cute little shops, a grocery store, and twooo indian food places. i think i'll be making friends with those owners.

so that's the update!

DC

i'm leaving for DC in 4 hoursss! i guess i'll have the 5 hours on the plane to think of my new blog name because it should probably start tonight, right?
right nowww i'm thinking
a) DC blondie
b) the DC chapter
c) coincidenceless

i have a couple errands to run this morning and i can't fit one more thing in my suit case, so that's finished. getting excited!