Spain vs. El Salvador

I went to a pro soccer match  w/ my friends.  One of these friends happens to be friends w/ a swarthy spaniard. I tailgated with a dozen or more SPANIARDS. I was in heaven to say the least. After the game we went dancing and i got make out with a tall dark and handsome man to spanish music. I moved my hips and he was a good dancer and he finally went in for the kiss. Lots of kisses. I said, "besame mucho" - i knew it had something to do with kissing. So he starting kissing me a lot. Today i looked it up and it said, "kiss me a lot."
:)
I hope he kisses me a lot more. besame mucho mas.

I dunno if we will see each other again. I gave him my number, but that doesn't mean anything in this town.

But the dancing, him kissing my lips and collar bone and his hands in my hair -

it made me believe for a second that maybe someone, someday will like me again as much as i like them. maybe there will be a boy who likes me and wants to kiss my collar bone and dance with me mucho.

Spring Fever

This weekend was unexpectedly wonderful.
Walking home from the metro my neighbor invited me over for dinner of chicken covered in herbs, garlic, and butter, laying on a bed of crispy kale and a bottle of white wine. We sat on the patio and talked to the neighbors. The weather was perfect. Then my friend came over and we finished off the bottle of wine, went to our favorite local bar and then all three of us went to a Gypsy Jazz show at another bar nearby. Someone at the table ordered a lamb shank and then i had to order a Cabernet to wash it down with.

Food. Music. Good company. It is the holy trinity.

Saturday I wrote all day and then got an email that my Bee article was going to be published on an online magazine. I was really happy to get that news. It is a little accomplishment, but it is the encouragement i was looking for to keep writing and sending my stuff in. Then i went to Opera in the Outfield, watching The Magic Flute on the Nats stadium screen.

Sunday I went to an Andrew Wyeth lecture which blew my mind. His technique and subjects were so interesting. His approach to art was to strip away everything to find the true images, not to add things to make it look "better." The lecture focused on his fascination with painting windows. He painted 300 pictures of windows.

After the lecture I had an inspiring phone call with an old friend, as I sat on the stairs of the steps of the National Portrait Gallery.

I went over to my friends backyard, drank beer and lay in the sun in my sundress, then went to a local bar. They were having an annual celebration where all the men wear sundresses. It was amusing, to say the least.

I got a musician's number. He was wearing a yellow and black striped dress.

Everyone is out in my neighborhood. The streets are one again brimming with Millennials and the occasional stroller pusher. I love my neighborhood in the spring and summer. That when I moved to DC and i think it is the best time to be here. There are endless things to do, see, and people to meet.

Connect the Dots.

Last night i went to a 90s cover band with my friends and had lots of fun. We danced to santaria and hootie and the blowfish - "i only wanna be with you". I texted the guys who asked for my number last weekend and neither of them came. One was "in Baltimore" (i don't know if that was true) and one JUST NEVER ANSWERED.

It's weird when guys ask for your number, text you saying they want to see you and then never respond to any of your texts. But I think it's just because they were bored when they initially asked you for the number and weren't actually into you. Maybe they thought they were when they were alone at a bar. Mostly though I just think that's inconsiderate dick-like behavior. But who am I to judge.

We then went to the corner bar at 1:30 am where all the black men thought i was hot and all the white men were way too young, too handsy and i had to call them out and remove them from my general dancing circle. Race had nothing to do with this, it was just the weird unexplainable thread of the night.

It was beautiful to be out with a group of girlfriends. i really liked that. There is something about drinking beers and dancing to good music with women; and you don't care if men are there or looking at you.

After the last bar i walked to my apartment with my roomie and was hungry and wanted 2:45 in the morning food. She did too. So i went to the pizza shop around the corner and got in line. While in line i see THE WHITE WHALE in the corner of my eye with his fellow photo journalist friend chatting. "FUCKKKKKK," was my first thought. The next thought was, "REALLY?  ... ... ... really...?!" Then the third thought was, "pretend he isn't here."

But of course he was an adult and mature and came over on his way out to say hello to me. Which included a European kiss on both cheeks - I'm attributing that to his suspected drunkeness. He introduced me to his friend. I was graceful and appropriate (yet again) and felt ok about that. Although I've forgiven him, I'm not ready to see him on a 3 times a month basis. I don't want to think about him anymore. It's like when you're happy that your ex is married but you don't need to look at the Facebook album of his wedding day. It's like that. We never ran into each other this much before we dated, why is it more now???

This leads me to question what the Universe is trying to tell me. Am I not getting over this fast enough? Am I being tested by the Universe to prove that I'm "really" over him? Or maybe it's not cosmic at all. Maybe it's not telling me anything. Maybe it's just the truth and that is what happens when you live 10 blocks away from a guy you used to date and abruptly crushed your hopes of a new romance in half and then threw it like dust into the garbage.

Maybe the Universe is just telling me "you gotta keep on trucking, protect your beautiful sass, and cut the assholes off the team."

I don't know what the lesson is and i most likely will not see it until next year. Things that happen in your life are like a "connect-the-dots" picture. You don't see how it all makes sense until you are done and realize that point 1-2 is the arm and 5-10 is the nose and well duh, of course it was a horse!!!! Really though I hope i don't see him anymore it sucks.

Recent Obsessions of late

• Marc Maron - his unlikely sexiness, neurosis, sexy old man-ness, humor, sound of his voice, the fact that he dates women half his age (i realize it's wrong, but i don't care - and it's probably because i am half his age that i approve of this).

• Suki Waterhouse - her hair, face, fashion, and the fact that she has charmed the pants off Bradley Cooper. Girls must have something goin' on. And she's only 22. At the very least she'd have some great stories to share over tea time.
  

• Surfer music and surfers

• Beaches... in general

• Plantation houses - minus the whole slavery issue - that is the one part about liking them i could ignore. 

• Spain. Spanish men. Anything to do with Spain. 

• Swimming in the ocean naked ... off of a Greek island.

Baltimore

I am going to Baltimore this weekend to see two of my dear girlfriends. I'm confident they will get me over this hump! I'm already doing pretty good, but I know a little booze, dancing, junk food, truth speak, and slumber party time will work wonders for my soul!

As ordi­nary things often do

The Orange
By Wendy Cope


At lunchtime I bought a huge orange
The size of it made us all laugh.
I peeled it and shared it with Robert and Dave—
They got quar­ters and I had a half.
And that orange it made me so happy,
As ordi­nary things often do
Just lately. The shop­ping. A walk in the park
This is peace and con­tent­ment. It’s new.
The rest of the day was quite easy.
I did all my jobs on my list
And enjoyed them and had some time over.
I love you. I’m glad I exist.

ahab goes to an art gallery.

I'm going out tonight w/ the white whale to an art gallery....of course. last night we spoke on the phone for 2 hours. This seems to be becoming a regular occurrence. Once we start talking we just have so much to share and we want to get it all out, like we don't have enough time or something.

he told me a lot about himself. he was an open book and shared some pretty major details about him and his life thus far. i deeply appreciated this. but I'm not so ready to tell those things about myself. it's too soon and i gotta trust before any of that happens. and that takes me awhile. i can pretend trust, ignore it's absence - that's easy. but actually trusting with a whole heart is difficult for me.

to love someone too much is a great risk; but miracles still happen and sometimes things come true.
It reminds me of the scene in "Moonstruck" when the mother says to the daughter:

[Loretta announces she's going to marry Johnny Camareri]
Cosmo Castorini: I don't like him.
Rose: You're not going to marry him, Cosmo. Do you love him, Loretta?
Loretta Castorini: No.
Rose: Good.
[She looks at Cosmo]
Rose: When you love them they drive you crazy because they know they can.

 Then later in the movie when Rose decides to marry the man she is REALLY in love with:
Rose: Do you love him, Loretta?
Loretta Castorini: Aw, ma, I love him awful.
Rose: Oh, God, that's too bad.

The White Whale has lived longer than i have. He has more experiences. Yet, we click. We never run out of things to say and i find him devastatingly handsome, like so handsome it has a sweet pain attached to it. sort of like "la dolore exquisite" only i think there is a big chance i will be with him. He's irresistible.

He tripped me up a couple times on the phone with questions and he got quite a kick out of making me go silent. Not many people do that to me.
"So how is it that you don't you have a boyfriend?"
...

I cherish the fact that he wants to go at a glacial speed. I've had to many failures based on lightening speed lustful attractions. It's time to try something new. I want an exclusive partner who wants to get to know me, the true, real me; not just the physical. I'm over that and want the full experience of truly loving someone else.

AHAB HAS CAUGHT THE WHITE WHALE, bitches.

The white whale came over to watch a movie in my turf last night. We ended up cuddling and then smooching as long as we could.

We're trying to stay in an introductory phase for as long as we can. We don't wanna get ahead of ourselves. Even though we find each other incredibly attractive. He is a man's man. Tall, dark (silver fox actually), Italian (meaning he speaks it sometimes which is...!!!), and so so very handsome. and the whole occupation doesn't hurt either. there is a high voltage charge between us that's too much to temper at times, but i'm going to try.

On the subject of books, The White Whale said, he only reads historical narratives.

i chided him and said he isn't giving reading a chance if he's only reading one genre. He replied, "i've read Moby Dick four times, though."

WHATTTTTTTTTTTTT.
that was almost too crazy to believe. 

We watched a George Clooney film and then i put on Roman Holiday. The white whale said,
"Gregory Peck is best in the old version of Moby Dick."

 

WHATTTTTTTTT.

yes, y'all. this really happened. Ms. Ahab finally caught her fish and my did it taste so succulent.

I'm excited to see what the future holds for us. This time I'm excited because we are taking it at a glacial pace. This is a new concept to me. But I've reached a point in my life where I'd rather take my sweet time and invest, rather than waste it all in one shot and be disappointed.

fotos, booze & boys

I will be causing a ruckus in our fair city this weekend and it pleases me to no end.
 


Upon getting ready tonight i will be listening to this song full blast. No, i do not agree with the blatant misogyny the song is founded on, but i love that GD tune!!!

 

tonight I am attending a city photography organization's annual photo week launch party complete with music, OPEN bar, and art ART AND MORE ART. i got the ticket for free, valued at $60.00 :)

Music, booze, and art. My personal paradise. 

The only BAD thing that could happen would be if the WHITE WHALE showed up. It is his crowd's sort of thing. But I'm sure he's too jaded by such imbibing and fuss over art he's already seen. We'll see. I can't say i wouldn't be GIDDY AS A SCHOOLGIRL if he was there to see me in my tight little black dress. 

I was also invited by my gypsy jazz guitar playing neighbor to a belated-themed-Halloween bash. Of course I could not refuse the offer. boys & booze at that one.

 

Saturday welcomes a DJ that only plays soul 45s at a local bar/resto in my hood. I don't even have to travel to get my groove on. VERY excited to dance to Hipster's avenue. I actually had a DREAM last night i was dancing to this very song and everyone was looking at me with shame and embarrassment and i couldn't figure out why. Was this a prophetic apparition? Only time will tell. 

Sunday morning i am going to a exercise class and then brunch. W/ Levo League gals! I've discovered my new haremmmmmm.

 

Sunday night i am going to see JAMES BLAKE!!!!!!

He actually does have the voice of an angel. and the vices too.

Levo League

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a "Levo League" happy hour in DC.

Levo League is a social good startup designed to elevate young women in the workforce by providing the career resources needed to achieve personal and professional success.

Check it out here:
 http://www.levo.com/home

If you check the online community, you can see there are numerous chapters across the country, offering networks to find other women in the same career stage.

As a young woman, I feel belonging to this group will help a great deal in navigating my career. It is a fun way to ask others for advice, or learn what they are doing in their careers.  As a young woman at my first professional job, it's nice to have the support of strong, independent women in the same place as myself, and women who have already gained years of experience in my network.

At last night's happy hour I met some wonderful people. Two of them gave me a VIP PASS to FotoDC's 6th annual photo week launch party!!! I'm obsessed with photography so this is something I did not expect and am soooo looking forward to attending this weekend w/ these new gfs! :)

Last night was a reminder to put yourself out there, meet new people. Having many different networks and social circles can enrich your life in many ways.

They ALSO have a pinterest page!!!
http://www.pinterest.com/levoleague/

Dance.

Some days all you can control is the ability to dance to good music. And if that's too much energy just sway.

Pour yourself some scotch and sway.

and yes i agree the MGMT music video for this song is really whack but whatever.

Women of Vision

Today i went to the National Geographic Museum for the first time.

I saw the exhibition, "Women of Vision" - it's an awe-inspiring look into the experience and work of women photojournalists on assignment from National Geographic. What a life to lead!

The exhibit focused on how the photographers relate to the people or places they observe and photograph, and how they tell other people's stories with genuine dignity and loyalty to being honest - regardless of their personal point of views.

I've worked with photos for six years now professionally, but my new year's goal is to purchase a "fancy camera" and sign up for a class. I think photography may be something I could enjoy and might even be good at. I think it's calling me and i need to explore that siren.

The photographers featured in the exhibit are doing AMAZING, jaw-dropping work. They are speaking up for the silenced and sharing the experience of people in the "non-western" world. Which is a good portion of this world!

http://events.nationalgeographic.com/events/exhibits/2013/10/10/women-vision/


Another reason why i think i might like photography is it gives me a legitimate excuse to go to foreign places. "i gotta take pictures of the place," i will say.

Friday night, the 27th

Friday night i went out with the HCMW (hawt canadian man whore) lawyer.  We went to Union Market for some tasty sea morsels of raw oysters. I ordered the Cava, he got a beer i forget the name of now. Oh and we also hacked away at a glorious crabcake, crispy on all sides, laying on a beg of pretentious (in the best sense) slaw.

The HCMW went to Berlin last week and told me of his travels. He spoke of beer and beer and sausages and bread. and lots of art. and people with crazy hair styles who will be cooler than you no matter how hard you try. He also said the bars were all hole in the wall, divey places with dark dark lights and a band that would consist of violinist and bass - or pick any two other instruments.

After that we then went to a bunch of other fine H Street establishments. They have great bars on that street. They are the kind that you can hide away in and will not see anyone you know. They are a bit smoky, loud and secret.

At the Old Queen Vic we had the most beers. Mostly of the Scottish fare. Then the HCMW continued to romance me and i was done for. We've been dating since August, so the jig is up.

After our fun night we went to the Crafty Bastards Craft fair.  I bought a beautiful print from an Asheville, NC's Marisol Spoon, http://marisolspoon.com/category.php?category_id=2 I got the "Librarian" one. So fitting. She is so cute. I can't wait to stick her in a frame.

The HCMW wears a St. Christopher necklace under his clothes, over his collarbone. He brought me back 3 huge bars of dark chocolate (70%+). He told me he wants to fatten me up so he won't have other men competing for my affections and he can have me all to himself. Ha! I thought that was very saucy to say.

fling.

http://dcist.com/2013/09/the_best_hotel_bars_in_dc.php

 

some man take me to these fancy hotel bars. i will wear a black dress and heels. we can pretend we don't know each other and then go have a fling upstairs.

i hope my married friends are seeing this post.

The Cultural Queen About Town....i suppose.

i am going to a Physicist lecture,

A Curator of the National Gallery private tour.

Andrea Bruce talk @ Corcoran.

Nicholas Sparks talk on Friday.


I'm a Renaissance woman, I am!

Still in the Running

Lawyer - he always plans amazing date nights, pays for everything, compliments me, is really funny and great conversation. and he is smart.

Hot Canadian Man Whore - We began as friends and now we make-out and kiss when we are together. As soon as he found out i was dating boys, be upped his game and now pays for everything. He calls me sweetie, hottie, and tells me to "stop being so sexy." He makes me blush all the time - yet i am friend zoning him b/c i know he does this with all his "girlfriends."

Hawt Ginge - I think i want to friend zone him, but he seems like the sweetest guy ever. We've only been out once but I can tell he is a good person. i just can't tell if i like him that way yet. 

My Date Sunday

I had a date on Sunday with a wonderful man. We'll call him, WG for Wonderful Guy.

The WG came over to my place Sunday morning and RE-BUILT my Bike that i have so long for and missed!!!

It was very appealing watching him get out his tool box and build it for me. and sweat over me.  Very cute indeed.

Then we went for a bike ride over to his house. He lives in a big group house with a huge deck and garden.  He showed me some starter plants and the compost he built last week. He wanted to kiss me right then and there but he didn't cuz i wasn't gonna let him yet.

Then we went to a coffee shop.

Then we rode our bikes to Rock Creek Park and we sat by the creek and he surprised me by pulling a picnic our of his backpack!!!

Baguette, Italian sopressata salami (the fat in it tasted like butter; it was amazing), Blue cheese, figs, smoked salmon and dark chocolate!

Then, finally we went to Meridian Hill Park to see the infamous Drum circle that gathers every Sunday afternoon and has for 50 years!

We were quite PDA-ish and ridiculous and it makes me wonder and/or worry i may actually really want to give more attention than is usually given to men to the WG.

My Date Friday

My Friday Date consisted of amazing imbibing at PX Lounge.







Crispy, succulent Fish'n'Chip fare at Eamonn's Chippery!

This was our Cab ride into DC from Alexandria

And finally we ended the night dancing to WHITE FORD BRONCO at Town Tavern. Awesome 90s cover band!!!  Can you say mash-up of "All for you" and "Run-around"?!

We also danced and made-out sporadically to:
I touch myself
Let's give them something to talk about
Genie in a bottle
Get what you give

It was rather marvelous.

Yoga for Dates

Last Tuesday I went to yoga, then I went to one of my favorite hood bars. Then i got asked out on a date.

Last Thursday I went to yoga, then I went to one of my favorite hood bars. Then i got asked out on a date.

I had no makeup on either time and may have been sweaty smelling. 

I guess yoga gives me a crazy-blissed out face which the opposite sex likes. Also, my theory i am probably happier, not stressed, and more open to my outside surroundings after my practice. 

It's all about yoga and beer i guess. 

lawyer

i met a D.C. lawyer and he is taking me out on Friday night to Alexandria and we are having fish n chips and then going to a fancy speakeasy/cocktail bar.

he is trying to impress me, but i can't imagine why.