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.