Friday, February 19, 2010

Leaving On a Jet Plane

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. I have been so busy at work and have crashed at home.

Fortunately, I am taking a break from the office starting next Saturday -though I won't be on vacation. I will be traveling for 3 weeks to the Philippines and Indonesia. I am so excited about this trip! I am looking forward to meeting new people and seeing the great work my organization is doing on the ground. I hope to post a few (hopefully) interesting posts from there.

Monday, February 8, 2010

That Was One Good Sunday

This weekend was very good. On Saturday morning I spent 2+ hours at Barnes while Joe was at a workshop at UW. We took the dogs to the beach in the afternoon because -miracle of miracles- the weather was actually good. We didn't do much during the evening but relaxed, which was pretty close to perfect since I have been feeling super tired lately. I mean, I turn off the lights at 10:30p, people. I am becoming a grandma -for all of you readers with children, no offense. I'm going to go to bed at 7:30p when I have kids, it's already decided!

Sunday was glorious!

#1- I went to a church which might become my home church: Ste Therese. The choir was lively and the people were of all ages and ethnicities. The sermon was good and given by an African priest. Most of all, I felt good in this crowd. I felt among "my people." I love the Catholic rites, and the fact that the masses are the same everywhere. I like shaking people's hands and wish them the Peace of Christ. I like taking communion.

I really tried to go to a church other than Catholic but I never felt like this was the right place for me. Don't get me wrong: I pretty much disagree with everything the Catholic church stands for but I am Catholic. That's part of who I am. Being Catholic is as true to me as being French. I might not like my government (I really do not like my government) but I am still French. If you want change, sometimes you have to be the change from within. So I have decided to go back to the fold and go to church in a liberal (the Catholic version of liberal!) Catholic church. I found it, I think.

Next Sunday I am going to another church, St Joseph, on Capitol Hill, and then I'll choose between the two.

#2- Joe and I went shopping! That was long overdue. I don't have enough clothes. When I say this, I mean that I have enough clothes compared to most people on the planet, but I don't have enough clothes for work. So I went to Express and bought a new pair of pants and a pair of jeans. The jeans were on sales and I got them for (special wink to Heidi)... $12. That's right, twelve dollahs. I was pretty happy about that! Then we went to Macy's to buy a pair of shoes with heels -because one day I would like to dress like a laydee!- and found one pair for $15 (regular price $70). I was one stocked woman!

Today I am wearing my usual grey pants/ greay sweater / NGO shoes. The usual. But I know that I have different clothes in my closet and that makes me happy.

#3- The Saints won! For once in my life I was interested in football. NOLA deserved to win and the Saints represent the heart of their city. It was good to witness this victory.

Pretty good Sunday, I'd say.

Now it's Monday and I have a hard time waking up, even with a double shot latte.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Oscar Season

February is back! That means that the Oscar nominations are out and it's time for Joe and I to rush to the movie theater to watch as many nominated movies as we can (in the biggest categories only). We have already watched half of the nominees for best picture: Up, Up in the Air, Inglourious Basterds (I hope that Christopher Waltz wins for best supporting actor), District 9, and the Hurt Locker. So far I am on Team Hurt Locker. It's a beautiful movie about EODs (Explosive ordnance Disposal Teams, aka the bomb squads) in Iraq and it captures the difficulties and the adrenaline-induced-addiction of being a soldier there.

Next up: Avatar, the Blind Side, A Serious Man, Precious, Crazy Heart, and An Education.


Bets are open as to who will win in the main categories. Stay tuned as I give you my picks!