Inspiration

I am so lucky to live in a place and time where I can find out about someone on a facebook wall post, google search their name, watch a video interview of them on youtube, see their workshop schedule, and book a three-hour workshop they're teaching just blocks down the street from where I live in 3 weeks all within a few minutes.  

My Christmas present to myself this year will be spending three hours with this incredible woman who has already inspired me.

Thanks personality psychology for making an already stressful first day back from Thanksgiving filled with an entire lecture on Anxiety.

DC

Two weekends ago I met Nate down in DC for a night.  We toured the monuments from the deliciously warm seats of the Audio (seat-warmers were made for people like me!)  After much restaurant arguing and tons of lines everywhere I finally gave in and we ate at Fudruckers, and it was actually really good.  We'd never been before. We stayed about 40 minutes out of the city in Virginia, where hotels are cheaper but just as good.  We watched TV!  Something that may sound simple, but something we don't get to do often, since paying for cable just isn't quit worth it!

We watched "Wild Russia: Siberia" on National Geographic and found it quite incredible.  As we're watching the narrator says "these wild crows are the only known animal other than humans who have fun just for the joy of it".  Being skeptical psychology major I am I said, "how do they really know that?"  The next moment the crows are somersaulting down the snowy slopes.  Nate and I about died laughing.  It was so nice to get away.  The next day we met up with my favorites of the Buckley fam and toured the Museum of Natural History.  It was pretty awesome.

DC reminded me so much of Rome, a magical city I've been lucky enough to visit twice in the last three years.  Of course Rome is approximately 1000 times more awesome (pasta, sorry white house and crab cakes you just can't compete). 

The drive back was the best part because we went to...brace yourself...

the 3rd largest Walmart in the world!!!

Trying to get the entire building in the picture.  It didn't fit!

In Delaware! 

Are you serious?

Which means... 

No sales tax! 

Receipt in one hand, bag in the other.  I was so excited.

It was my first time ever in Delaware, I don't think I'll be moving there anytime soon.  But the Walmart was quite a sight.

At Obama's House!

Museum of Natural History

Capturing Fall

New York has been particularly beautiful in the last few days. 

The leaves have changed colors and the sidewalks are filled with piles of fallen leaves. 

As someone who never really experience seasons until three years ago, I notice a lot of people here take for granted how beautiful the changing of the seasons is.  

So after class today Pumpkin and I went on a fall picture-taking walk through Stuytown in attempt to capture the beauty of this incredible season. 

A fleeting beauty, that is, since in just a few days the trees will be bare and the colors will be gone.  

Of course the pictures don't do it justice, just imagine a gusty wind, not too cold, but not too warm either, filled with a tornado-like rumble of leaves whirling in all directions. 

I am currently on Megabus enroute to DC to meet Nate who had an all expenses paid interview there all day.  It's nice to get out of the city even if its just for one night.  From the top of this double-decker all I can think is how much I love the east coast.  I love California too, but the east coast just has this classic traditional beauty you can't get anywhere else.  The trees surrounding the highway are gorgeous orange, red, yellow, and browns for as far as I can see.  We just passed a sign listing Baltimore, Newport, DC, all cities which such individual flavor, all one bus ride away.  I love the interconnectedness of living on the east coast, how easy and cheap it is to go from one city to another.  I also love that I don't need to own a car to get around.

Last weekend we took the dogs to the Stuytown dog parade.  Pumpkin hated her costume, like most of the other dogs, so it was a quick walk around.  I was Rosie the Rippider and Nate was an Irishman, who had left his real costume in his car which proceeded to get towed.  We met up with people and went to the village parade, which was insane and probably not the best of ideas.  Then we went to Old Town bar.  This 120 year old bar which hasn't changed much in 120 years.  It was voted on of the Best Bars in America.

Pumpkin and Moose the pug had matching costumes

Pumpkin was pissed at her head-piece.