Pale Green Things

You parked behind the paddock

Cracking asphalt underfoot

Coming up through the cracks
Pale green things

Pale green things

-The Mountain Goats

As I sit in my living room, a dark rain is falling and the breeze coming through the window feels like summer. Summer. Finally, after such a long, hard winter. Well, okay, it wasn't particularly hard in DC, where it snowed a handful of times and I got more snow days and late starts than the rest of my life will have. But I just have to think back to trudging through a mile of snowdrifts higher than my knees to get to class last semester and how long the cold, clammy weather has dragged on in DC to know that I definitely deserve some spring in my life.

And lo and behold, the first signs of spring peeked up, putting me into a fluster for a few days. It had been so long since I'd seen green things! I mean, some plants out here in DC keep their leaves through winter, but it wasn't quite the same. Those were the cold, waxy leaves that refused to leave the branches. Spring called for new tender things.

Until then, this was the most spring I had seen, a winter display in the National Gallery's rotunda. Look how happy I was. 

Also there were these cherry blossoms at one of the events I worked at the Library, which definitely put me in the mood for the real thing to happen in just a few weeks. 

I turned my back, and sure enough, it happened, just down the street and visible from my front window. What follows is a pictorial representation of my obsession with spring plants in Washington, DC. Enjoy.

Even the little brown church I pass by on the way home
from the metro looks great when the trees leaf out.

Look how great the Library's Jefferson
Building looks swathed in blossoms!

Happy spring, everyone!

This doesn't involve green things, but
thunderstorms also float my boat.

Fun Springs Eternal

 Oh man, I've been busy as usual these past few weeks. It's hard to even keep track of everything I've done. I'm sorry this blog has just become posts of "A Recap of All the Things Julie has Done and Eaten in the Past Month," but it is what it is. I promise more focused posts to come! I've got a lot planned to fabulously document my last few weeks in DC, so hang tight.

Here's a list of Things Julie Has Done and Eaten in the Past Few Weeks: 

Sometimes I do simple things, like
reading a book in the park.

• Dangerously Delicious Pies. So my good friend who did this internship just over a year ago was kind enough to put together a Google Doc with all the things I should see and do, along with tips like "stand on the right side of escalators or else you will get trampled by angry staffers and soccer moms" and cryptic messages like "there's a great Chinese restaurant in a basement in Dupont Circle. Extra points if you can find it while you're there." (spoiler: I didn't find it, at least, not yet.) One of the things I was not supposed to miss is Dangerously Delicious Pies. The day I wet to the National Gallery, it was National Pi Day, so in the spirit of the season I attempted to go get some pie, but they had run out. I was determined. A few days later I got my hair cut nearby, so I had pie for dinner and dessert. I had their S.M.O.G (steak, mushroom, onion, gruyerre) pie for dinner, and it came with a lil side salad and was perfect. For dessert, I chose their Baltimore Bomb. It was creamy and vanilla-y and  alfway between a cheesecake and a custard. It was heaven in a crust. 5/5 would pie again if it weren't so expensive for a slice.
• Speaking of haircut, have you tried an Aveda hair salon? I hadn't before, but went to the Aveda Institute at Gallery Place (that's where they train their cosmetologists and you get a discount for sacrificing your head to the hair school gods) and it was stunning.  I came in on a Tuesday after work, I hadn't eaten, I had gotten a bit lost when I got off the metro into the basement of a Macy's on accident, and I was a bit tired and apprehensive about walking through the crowded thoroughfares in front of the Verizon Center. The place was buzzing and there were three Julies waiting in line, and since my last name is so unpronounceable there was quite the confusion. But then my stylist was just amazing. She was a "masters student" and it was her last day before graduation, so she knew what she was doing. She offered me "calming tea" though I stuck with water, and asked me more questions about my hair than I've been asked in my life. She was super thrilled that I have short hair, since short hair is fun, and she decided to channel Shailene Woodley for my style. I was okay with that. Then she gave me a shampoo, and you know there's nothing better than someone else shampooing your head. Plus, she gave me a scalp massage because I've "got a lot of tension in my scalp" and I could actually feel the stress melting away. The rest of the haircut was great and the shampoo and styling goop smelled great and I could smell it for two days afterwards. 10/10 would go back just for a shampoo because that was luxurious and also not expensive.
• I went to Ted's Bulletin for an actual meal this time, not just for a shake! I had their most artery-filling meal possible: country fried steak and gravy with mac and cheese and bleu cheese bacon topped brussels sprouts on the side. I don't know how I feel about brussels sprouts, but wow that meal was amazing. Just amazing. I could have drunk a glass full of that gravy.
• Kay found out through the grapevine that there was going to be this amazing thrift sale in Crystal City as a fundraiser for a women's group. Miranda and I were all about that, so off we  ent early one Saturday morning. All clothing was 50% off, so we couldn't help ourselves really. It was a giant grab bag of amazing goodies, and we each had some sweet discoveries and didn't hurt our wallets too much. Boom.

• Afterwards, we hopped over to Carmine's, that iconic family-style Italian restaurant because Miranda had won a gift certificate. I couldn't tell if our server was hardcore judging us or if he was just trying to be nice. We had decided on sharing an order of spaghetti but then he mentioned their special of the day: four-cheese gnocchi. Don't ask me what the four cheeses were, because all I can say about it is YUM. Our server didn't bring us the extra bread we asked for, probably because he could already tell we'd be cheapskates and thus were undeserving of extra complementary bread. Then Miranda went and asked him for some parmesan cheese to put on top of her FOUR CHEESE GNOCCHI and I think if he had been drinking a glass of water it would have snorted up his nose, he was that taken aback. He cautioned her to "not use too much, since there's already parmesan in the dish," a warning  she proceeded to utterly ignore. It was a great meal! 9/10 would cheese again.
• For dessert, Miranda and I stopped for, wait, just guess. Guess where we stopped. If you guessed cupcakes, you would be right! Red Velvet Cupcakes was just down the street, and we just HAD to find out what they were like. We tried red velvet (how could we not?) and double chocolate, and they weren't bad, but the best part of them was that the chocolate one had gold leaf on top. So fancy! 3/5, pretty okay cupcakes.

Then I rode a lion. True story.

• Then another day I decided to splurge and go out to lunch, a rare occurrence, but I figured I didn't have much time left to try this place. The place is Talay Thai, and it came highly recommended. I had green curry as well as sticky rice with mango for dessert, and oh man. It was sooooooooooooo good. The curry was spicy. The sticky rice was sweet. Yum.
• Miranda, Tara, and I went to the Cherry Blossom Kite Festival one Saturday on the mall near the Washington Monument, and even though it was a cold, soggy day, the wind was brisk and we had fun flying the Official Cherry Blossom Kite Festival Kite I bought for way too much money and which broke before the day was done. It was one of the most joyous times I've had out here, truly. There's something magical about flying a kite that immediately turns adults into children.
• The next day was the second Have a Hart Day event that I attended. This one wasn't volunteering at the food shelf because their spots were filled up. Instead, we met on the Mall and hung out and wandered museums together as a get-to-know-you sort of thing. It was a really good time with a really good group of people. Their next event is the day before I leave, and I'm really excited to spend one more afternoon with them before I leave DC.

• Our housing company gave away free tickets to a Nationals preseason baseball game, so I got to go with Miranda and her family, who were visiting that weekend. We had a blast! It was cold and windy, especially since we were sitting in the shade, but those smart vendors came around selling hot chocolate, and I also bought a chili dog with the money voucher that came with the ticket. Oh, yeah, and a game happened or something. I didn't pay that much attention, thought I think the Nats lost to the Yankees.
• After the game, to avoid the certain death that would befall me if I entered the crush of people attempting to get on the metro all at once, I walked a block to the waterfront of the Anacosta River and walked along the boardwalk. That area is called Navy Pier, so there was also a battleship docked nearby, which made for a very enjoyable walk.
• I decided that Easter was a good day to go to brunch, and a friend highly recommended Lincoln's Waffle House as a good greasy spoon diner. Well, waffles. So Kay and I went together, and let me say, that was one of the best waffles I've ever had. The atmosphere was as skeezy as you could get, and I don't want to know the last time that kitchen has been cleaned, but man. If you're ever near Ford's Theatre and the house where Lincoln died, stop by for a waffle. Avoid the eggs, those are a bit runny. But go for the waffles.
• Okay, last thing. I went to Lime Fresh Mexican Grill with friends and WOW, it's some of the best Mexican food I've had ever. The queso was to DIE for, and my steak taco was stunning. It was fresh, flavorful, and not overpriced. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Here's a picture of the Hart Senate office building,
my favorite building on the hill. It's like a
shopping mall, but of senators!

I also worked another event at the Library,
which was turned into a fairyland for the evening.

Welcome to Night Vale, Washington DC

The sun shines brightly down as locals scurry deep into their tunnels to avoid scores of spring visitors arriving for the annual "Cherry Blossom Bloodstone Festival." Welcome to Night Vale, Washington DC.

[intro music]

 

A week ago I went to a Welcome to Night Vale live show at the Lincoln Theatre and had the time of my life. I heard about their live tour a few months ago, but I generally ignore tour announcements because 1. few tours come to Minnesota 2. Even if they do, it's a usually still a long way to travel to get there. 3. Tickets and travel are expensive. 4. I don't know anyone who wants to go with me.This time, I noticed they were doing a show in DC, which I could surely travel to by Metro, and the ticket price was reasonable, so a Friday afternoon in February, I sat at my computer anticipating the moment tickets would go on sale, frantically purchased one of the last remaining seats even though they had been on sale for 15 minutes, and set out to wait.

"Wait, Julie, why were you so excited for this?" Welcome to Night Vale is one of the world's most popular podcasts, and for good reason. It's a story about a small desert town narrated by the dulcet tones of Cecil Palmer, the local radio station host. His smooth voice tells you local news and happenings, such as the appearance of the glow cloud [ALL HAIL] raining animal carcasses upon unsuspecting townspeople; the mayoral race between Hiram McDaniels, who is literally a five-headed dragon, and the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home; or the curious goings-on at the dog park, a place dogs and people are neither allowed to visit nor acknowledge the existence of. As Cecil narrates, you find yourself nodding along, thinking "yes, the panic about antiques escaping from the antiques store makes sense, since antiques ARE such wild and unpredictable creatures." It's an odd, partially ridiculous, slightly sublime show, and it's found a fond spot in my heart. How could you not love that mild-mannered radio show host with an unexplainable past, Carlos the scientist who is always fine, and the revolutionary middle-schooler Tamika Flynn?

I love Welcome to Night Vale for taking me away from my mundane everyday life in one moment and simultaneously making me question the sanity of my own reality and why things are the way they are. Isn't it a fluke of language anyway that "antiques" means old things and not some wild animal?

But the Live Show. Woah. It was the best $30 I've spent out here in DC. I got there nice and early and got to watch people arrive: the mysterious hooded figures, the girl and boy scouts, the people with lab coats, with eyeballs painted on their foreheads, with antlers or axes on their heads, with bow ties, and just a general wash of purple over the crowd. The upper left picture shows how far away I was from the stage. I was about halfway back on the balcony. The builders REALLY should have considered making the balcony's rise steeper, because once you add in some people in front of me who couldn't sit still, and it made for a very neck-craning experience. I felt like I was watching the show through a pinhole camera the way I had to squint between people's heads and shoulders.

"But Julie, how does a podcast do a live show?" I'm glad you asked. The characters in the show, and subsequently their voice actors, have gained a cult status. Everyone's in love with Carlos the Scientist and everyone has strong feelings about Steve Carlsberg, so the audience gets very involved. The show is set up like any radio show: a couple of microphones front and center and a little area for Disparition, the background music guy to create a little ambiance. Mostly it was just Cecil and Disparition alone on stage weaving the story for us, with special guests popping in and out as the story progressed. Dessa was the show's "weather," or musical guest. Yeah, Dessa. You know, that Minneapolis-based rapper and singer who came to Morris that one time and gave a show. The audience was a bit suspicious of her at first, but I think she won them over. She came out and worked the crowd for a half hour before the show started, then performed another song during the show.

The bow at the end of the show. I think. It was hard to tell from so far away.

And what a show it was. I refuse to give any spoilers, and it won't be recorded an made available to listen to until the tour is over, so it's better for you to just trust me and buy your ticket. The crowd was amazing, loud, and cheerful. I just had the best time and felt like I was a part of something for a couple hours, and that made it worth it.

Click Here to check out tour dates and click Here to check out the free podcast on iTunes.

Catching Up: All the things I have done in the past four weeks

Wow, time flies, and when you're finding amazing, exciting things around every corner, it's hard to keep up with blogging about them. So, here's a rundown of the things I've gotten up to in the past four weeks or so.

I've been on so many adventures. Here are the ones I remember.

Places I've Gone:

• The top of the Washington Monument. I freaked out at the incredible view. 

Not many people get to see the front
door of the MRR thrown open like this

• The White House (just out front. I'm still waiting to get tickets to go inside)
• Inside the Library of Congress' Main Reading Room--Finally! I know you're all thinking: what took you so long? I don't really have an excuse except that it's annoying to have to check your personal belongings at the door in order to get in and also I haven't really had anything to research. I'd rather focus on my job hunt! But, during an evening open house event, I got to be the Main Reading Room doorwoman, which meant that I got a nifty silver clicker and got to smile and welcome people through the open front doors of the Main Reading Room (normally researchers have to wind their way to the back entrance for security reasons) and count them with the clicker. It made for a delightful evening.
• Spit Dat open mic. A friend who had my internship a year ago recommended me some poetry events and I have been feeling a bit poetry-bereft lately, so I headed down to a new part of town to try out an evening open mic. And boy am I glad I went. The people there were inclusive and kind and the open mic itself was filled with talented people singing, reading, slamming, or reciting poetry, rapping, playing guitar, and the community was just outstanding. Plus there was fun audience participation. It was an event I felt I had been missing my whole life, and I am glad it happens every week.
• On top of the LC Jefferson building dome My office is the one that gives dome tours, which are pretty exclusive events, but, since I'm the intern I am special enough to get my own personal dome tour! It was amazing and amazingly peaceful. I wanted to stay up there all day. Then after we went up as high as we could on the dome (not quite all the way to the flame of knowledge, but close enough), my coworker brought me into the Main Reading Room for my second time so I could see just how high up we were. Then we left by going down the super secret staircase inside the central desk. It leads to the book retrieval department. Wicked cool.
• On John Marshall's lap. Let me preface this by saying I do not condone climbing up on statues. But it's John Marshall. He was sitting there in the middle of a dim park, all alone and begging for me to go say hello. I was gentle to him, but accidentally not to my roommates who gave me a boost (sorry guys, I'm not terribly athletic). No one was the worse for the wear though, and I only feel a little guilty about the whole thing. I promise I won't do it again.

Museums or Galleries I've Visited:

• Air and Space Museum
• Museum of Natural History
• National Gallery of Art

Things I've Seen and Done:

• DC Fashion Week. These are the sorts of things I wouldn't get up to if it weren't for my fab roommate Miranda. They were giving away free tickets to a fashion week show, and we were stoked. When we got there, we found out that it was in a crappy old storefront and the fashion designers were mostly college students. Hence the "free" pricetag. But it made for fun people watching--and being watched, and we walked away not entirely disappointed.
• Claremont Trio at the LOC. Twin sisters playing strings and their piano-playing friend. Wonderful.
• Too much of and not enough of the Capitol building. Okay, if you haven't been in the Capitol building, let me tell you that it's HUGE, and if you haven't had a tour of it, you're going to get VERY LOST while trying to make deliveries for your office. It was terrifying. I asked a lot of people for help, and some were extremely helpful. I wouldn't have made it out alive if it weren't for some of those staffers. I would have wandered the crypt forever.
• A drag show. My little school in Morris has a student-run drag show every year, and it's the best thing that happens on our little campus. It's fun to see people you know turn into people you very much don't know on stage, it's exciting to see the professional drag queens, and there's always a message of love and acceptance. So I thought I'd share the love with my group of friends and take them to a big city drag show. Plus I wanted to see what they were like when they weren't in a college auditorium. The show was everything I expected and more--there was a lot of glitter. My experience can be summed up in one vingette: me standing in the front row while a queen stares me intensely in the eye and sings "It's a Woman's World."
• Another snow day! It snowed quite a lot so I had the day off and I didn't go outside once, but I did make tarts and was otherwise happily lazy. This is the life, I tell you.
• Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address in person. In person. Lincoln's Second Inaugural. The one where he tries to stitch together a torn country in 700 words or less. This 150-year-old document was just a few inches away from my eyes. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience since the Library doesn't display it often anymore. 
• Curtis Chamber Orchestra. A bunch of kids. Kids I tell you! (they were college students but they certainly didn't look like it) They packed the tiny Coolidge Auditorium stage at the LOC and played some amazing music. My favorite was the one percussionist. He was so earnest. And accidentally dropped a drumstick during the silence following a dramatic finale. <3
• Breakfast with my senator okay, this one is a stretch, but I DID sign up to have breakfast with Senator Al Franken, which is something he does for his constituents every Wednesday  orning. Unfortunately for me, an MS group was there hanging out with him, which took him away from the breakfast. Oh well. The wild rice porridge was still delicious. You should try it. Recipe here.
• The first robins of spring on the lawn of the Jefferson Building on March 12th. Weeks earlier than they arrive in Minnesota!
• Capitol Hill Books. It's a two-story shop absolutely packed to the gills with books, used and new, organized by a very dedicated person who puts helpful signs around pointing you in the right direction. And seems to be a bit crotchety, judging by the sign of youngster slang not allowed to be spoken in the store. But I forgive them.










• DC St. Patrick's Day Parade. It was so cool! Holly and Kay and I made sure to get there really early so we could get good spots on the curb, but we needn't have worried, because apparently the St. Patrick's Day parade is slightly less popular than other parades. Anyway, there were dozens of gorgeous horses, military bands, firetrucks, various Irish cultural groups, bagpipes, and so many Irish dance groups. Seriously. I didn't know so many existed in the country, let alone the nearby area. I got two pieces of candy and stole a shamrock tattoo from a child to give to Holly. You're welcome, Holly. Then after the parade we went to Sweetgreen for some amazing salads. That place is so amazing. It's like chipotle for salads, but not trying so hard.

BOOKS.

Things I've Eaten:

• Free queso at Tortilla Coast--twice. Thanks, Miranda, for getting two coupons for free queso at a giveaway. We made two trips out there, and I'm pretty sure our waiter really resented us for being poor and just getting a drink with our queso so we didn't spend a lot of money. Sorry, man, I would totally have tipped you extra if you didn't give us an entire bowl of crumbs instead of tortilla chips. We'll call it a draw.
• Shake Shack. I got a classic burger and fries at the Union Station Shake Shack, and it was definitely a quality meal. Then I found out they have a nifty hideaway corner where you can sit and work on your computer, so I did that for the rest of the afternoon. Thanks, Shake Shack. I'll have to come back and try a shake next time.
• An Amish whoopie pie at Eastern Market. Miranda and I tried the chocolate (was supposedly nutella but I didn't notice that flavor) and the mint. They were pretty good. I felt slightly more conservative afterwards. Like I wanted to wear only blue and black forever.
• McDonald's. Okay, it seems silly, but you have to understand that there are zero fast food restaurants on the hill. Sure, there are pizza and sandwich shops, there's even a Subway and Dunkin Doughnuts in my work's basement, but they're all so hipster. There aren't any good old fashioned cheap and fast and greasy chain restaurants. So when my roommates and I picked a random direction and started walking, we didn't expect to find a McD's. We all freaked out then bought fries and a shamrock shake and a McDouble to celebrate. Awww yissssss.
• Mr. Yogato. Let me explain. It's a frozen yogurt shop where you can do silly things and answer trivia questions to get discounts on your order. I ordered like a ghost, named one element that ends in "y," and got a giant blue stamp on my forehead that said "Mr. Yogato stamped me!!" in order to get $1.00 off my order. Not half bad! I'm gonna work on the "stand one-legged on tiptoe with eyes closed for 15 seconds" challenge for the future.
• A lot of good homemade food. In spite of not having a fully-stocked kitchen, I've kicked up my cooking a notch, and I've learned to eat mushrooms, made delicious elaborate salads, spaghetti squash, chili, pizza, refried beans, tiny fruit tarts, and more. Mmmmmm.

Things I've Learned:

• DC drivers are assholes. Like to the point where they'll swear at you because you crossed on a "walk" sign and traffic was bad so they were in your way in the crosswalk.
• I'm still incapable of using elevators without getting off on the wrong floor.
• Lobbyists and other groups love to host receptions with open bars and piles of catered food for congress, and if you know anyone in the House or Senate *cough*Miranda*cough* you can just walk in like you own the place. You do have to listen to little men talking about how their companies are looking for the missing Malaysian Airlines plane, but hey, plusses and minuses.

There. Now here is a collage of a whole bunch of photos:

•