Redemption's Not That Far and Darkness is Going Down

Hey guys!

Last post of 2013? WHAT? Crazy man... I really want to talk about this year as a whole, but that's for next week, so be excited for that.

This week was Christmas and stuff. I actually worked a few days this week. Which was interesting because they were just like, hey can you work, and I was like shoooooots, then I got there and I was like, wait, what am I even supposed to be doing. But it's alright because I found a lot of things to do. 

S/O to Jen's fake future baby. Everyone is just really concerned about him/her. (While it sucks that she had more health problems, I found that part of the story really really funny). 

Ummm, what else? I go back to Seattle in 6 days. Yup. I have to live things up while it's still warm, but I mean, I guess I'm excited for school to start back up. But not really, like, cmon. 

Christmas party tomorrow (we don't care if it's past christmas. It will always be christmas in our hearts).

And yeah, I'm gonna go back to watching twenty one pilots interviews and crying internally over the perfection that is.

See you in the 2014s.

Why This Week Was Awesome: CHRISTMAS!

Books Read: 13 (I REALLY RALLIED AT THE END OF THIS YEAR AND I'M SUPER PROUD OF MYSELF)

Times Eaten At Chipotle: 17 

Song Stuck In My Head: 

(THIS WILL CHANGE NEXT YEAR!!!)

My Post Last Week Sucked

And by last week, I mean last-last week because this post is supposed to be for last week. 

I am home-home, been for the past week or so, and my laptop died on me (in the middle of writing my papers!) last week so blogging was not on my mind. Plus. There was Christmas to be done. Doing Christmas is always one of those things that you're like "Let's do this!" at first and you are pumped and excited and then you do it and you're like "Nooooo" because you're stressed and tired and sweaty because of all the cooking that you are doing and all the walking back and forth between stores in the mall 'cause you keep forgetting to get gifts for people or you can't make your mind on what to get people and you absolutely hate it and kinda like it at the same time, and then it is over and you're like "Whew! Let's do that again!" because you realize it was actually fun and you can't wait to do it again next year. Like pregnancy. But I wouldn't know, I just heard. I am not pregnant. "Just in case you were wondering"--that's what the doctor said when I went to the Emergency Room a couple of days ago (yep, you can tell my Christmas was great because I went to the ER the day after...nah just kidding, the two are unrelated). 

I went in with back and hip pains that I had been feeling for about three days non-stop and like, I swear, everyone I encountered in that hospital all nonchalantly asked me, "Is there any chance that you're pregnant?" Only one of the nurses though was nice enough to pull me to the side away from my mom and whispered the question to me--everyone else nonchalantly asked me point blank, which was pretty funny given I was not expecting it at all the first time it came up that it took me a moment to answer. 

"Is there any chance that you're pregnant today."

"Wha...oh..what? Oh. Oh no. No. Yeah, it's a no."

Such has been my life for the past week or so--bed rest (read "Korean drama") and pain meds. 

I WANT TO BAKE SO BAKE COOKIES I MUST! (I made my cheesecake bites for Christmas...plus two loaves of yummy banana bread!)

Okay, I am leaving now. 

We shall be back for the Year in Review blog tomorrow.

Baiiiiiiiiiiiii

Risks Taken: 60 << Pretty good!
Books Read Since Graduation: 11  << Failure! I also got books for Christmas so...
Thank You Notes Written: 21 << Yay!

Meaning Maybe Defeating Them Could Be the Beginning of Your Meaning Friend

Hey guys!

Oh lawd. What did I even do this week? I don't even know. I didn't really do that much. I mean, I was out and about every single day, but there was nothing too noteworthy. But, with that said, it was still a good week. Tomorrow, I have to work at school, but that's alright, I'm excited. 

I think I said that I was going to talk about how my quarter of school went in this post. But thinking about it, there isn't much to say. It was good. I had fun. I went to a lot of concerts. That was about it. Nothing extraordinary, it was just good. Lot of good. 

I more am thinking about how the year went as a whole, but that can wait, we do have at least one more week of 2013 amiright? 

I realized that coming home can be stressful because all the problems that were here that you ignored because you were no longer there came back because you are now there. And not even problems that you can necessarily deal with, like, oh no I left my room dirty. But things that are issues in your life that you can't really fix, but that you have to deal with. And then you get away from them for a few months and you forget about them, then you come back and boom there they are again. Not that I'm complaining or that I'm saying that I don't like home or that I'm not enjoying myself. It's more that it's just interesting how that works. Two different worlds is basically what I'm saying. Yup.

Okay. I'm tired. BAI<>

Why This Week Was Awesome: The sun is a plus 

Books Read: 11

Times Eaten At Chipotle: 17 

Song Stuck In My Head: 

Late Last Fall She Ended It All

I. Am. Baaaaaaack!

I am! And I am wearing shorts! And am enjoying the feeling of the sun on my skin and my face!

It feels great to be home.

A'int it Good, Being All Alone

Hey guys!!!

Honestly, it's only been a week, but so much freaking stuff has happened. 

I really want to talk about how this quarter went, but maybe I'll save that for next week because I want to talk about my week.

Well, first, I blogged early on Sunday last week, which makes sense because Sunday night last week was kind of crazy and amazing. Last Sunday Jaime and I went to a concert (big surprise) called Jingle Ball which featured 9 big name bands/performers and it was amazing and we were in the fifth row. First of all, this concert was really different. Partially because we were seated and not in a mosh pit and also cause there were so many acts and they all only had like 4 songs to sing. 

I could go through all of them and tell you what I thought, but I'll spare you and give you some highlights. Fifth Harmony was on point. Icona Pop was surprisingly good. Austin Mahone made me hurt inside. Paramore was amazing and secretly turned me into a fan. New Politics were great. Jaime got to dance on stage with Flo Rida. And Fall Out Boy was perfect as always and I am incredibly grateful to have seen them twice in concert twice in the span of three months. 

I have so many more concerts adventures ahead, but I'll save those for later. 

After that, I spent this week with finals, which were alright. I watched The Holiday on Wednesday night which was WAY too emotional. Then on Thursday morning when I was supposed to go the airport, there was a entire saga of crazy, but it all turned out in the end and here I am. 

On the plane I finished House of Hades, which was way too emotional for me to even handle and I'm still really mad at the world because of it. 

Then I went to school on Friday and went around and saw everyone again, which is always really weird, but really fun and great at the same time. I'm glad that I get to do that, home life is such a different world than my college life and I'm super grateful that I have both. 

Why This Week Was Awesome: HOME!

Books Read: 11 (Like, the end of this year was a good one)

Times Eaten At Chipotle: 17 (17 BURRITOS IN THREE MONTHS I AM A GOD)

Song Stuck In My Head: We the Kings Perfection (and Paramore too though)

If You're Gonna Be The Death of Me That's How I Wanna Go

Hey guys!

This week was the last week of school. Which means finals are next week. Which means I SHOULD be studying. However, I'm going to a concert tonight. A very expensive concert at that. But that's alright. I'm excited. But not able to focus so much right now. Jen's post this week was really good and it made me really happy. I plan on posting something to that effect maybe next week. But I will, I promise. 

Why This Week Was Awesome: Last Week of School!

Books Read: 10 (Who am I anymore?)

Times Eaten At Chipotle: 16

Song Stuck In My Head: 

I am going to have to say goodbye soon

I wasn't very good with updating this yet again. Ugh. Why Jen why?

What has happened since I last posted? Thanksgiving weekend was fun. My friend Adrienne flew over from Boston so that I wouldn't spend Thanksgiving alone. We were originally supposed to meet up in New York with several other girls from our high school but that plan fell through. In the end, she was gonna stay in Boston and I was gonna stay in DC. Until her dad was like, "Why don't you just fly to DC and spend Thanksgiving with Jen there?" So instead of the two of us spending Thanksgiving alone in two separate cities, we had a very nice Thanksgiving weekend just the two of us together! Adrienne is one of the bestest friends I have, she and I are practically sisters. And because this Winter Break won't have many opportunities for us to meet up back home, and because she is looking to spend some of her summer break in Boston for an internship, having a few days together was great.

She got here on Wednesday and I got off work early to pick her up from the airport that afternoon. Then we went to eat Ethiopian food (YES!) and got to eat with our hands and it was spicy and it was good. We were both really glad that we had each other that weekend. We went to a nice Thanksgiving brunch at the LPQ in Dupont Circle (Organic bread basket with their different fruit and chocolate spreads? Yum!) before heading to the National Zoo for the day. Sadly, they don't have giraffes, but we got to see the afternoon feeding of the Giant Panda which was great. That day was the coldest day that weekend. It was mostly in the low 30s and high 20s but the wind chills dipped to the teens. For Thanksgiving dinner, we had made reservations at PJ Clarke's, a classic American cuisine restaurant. We chose not to do the traditional Thanksgiving spread. Instead we got comfort foods--french onion soups, a huge tub of baked macaroni and cheese with bacon and peas, and these short rib spring rolls that had mashed potatoes, short ribs, and green onions inside and which we dipped into a horseradish sauce. And of course, we had pumpkin pie for dessert and some tea! It was a nice dinner and we both felt sad that we were 5,000 miles away from home and family but we were definitely both very thankful that we were together. 

The bad part was I woke up with a cold on Thursday, which meant I was sick for the weekend. Going out every day did not help at all. 

On Black Friday, we slept in and trekked over to Rosslyn, Virginia to visit an awesome pho place called Pho 75. It was heaven. Oh my god, and I thought Pho 14 in Columbia Heights was money! This was better. After the pho warmed us up and made me feel a bit better because of my cold, we walked across the Key Bridge over the Potomac River to go to Georgetown. Now, Georgetown is a shopping destination. It is very much like Waikiki strip, only older and with a different kind of charm. So, of course, M Street was packed with people. But we weren't there for the shopping. We were there for the cupcakes!

DC is one of the first cities that started the whole cupcake craze. In fact, Sprinkles Cupcakes on M Street is one of the very first cupcake bakeries that skyrockethed the whole thing. And right down the street is Georgetown Cupcakes, known for their show on TLC. There is another cupcake place in the area called Baked and Wired, known mostly for their granola/crunola concoction which they call "Hippie Crack." Anyway, we wanted to do the ultimate taste test and finally figure out which cupcake bakery was the best. We both have heard people say that it is Georgetown Cupcakes hands down, but some have pointed out that the mere size of Baked and Wired cupcakes make them more worth your money. And of course, there are people who stick to Sprinkles because they are the ones who started it all. We wanted to find out! Our plan was to visit each cupcake bakery and to order a red velvet cupcake from each, along with one of their seasonal special flavors. The red velvet would be able to tell us which one does cupcakes best--it is a classic, and plus, we were sure that all three would have that flavor. 

So we hit Georgetown Cupcakes first and as usual, the line was out the door, around the corner, and up the street. We were prepared though--we hit Starbucks in Rosslyn first to get some drinks that would warm us up as we stood in line in the cold. It was well worth the wait I think. The cupcakes were adorable. Our seasonal pick was the caramel apple, so we walked away with that and the red velvet cupcake in a cute little box.

Next stop? Sprinkles! It was not crowded at all. Like, at all. There was practically no one there. But that did not deter us. We ordered our staple red velvet and then chose the cranberry orange cupcake as our seasonal flavor. Sprinkles cupcakes are all topped with these circular decorations with colors that indicate the flavor of the cupcake. It was different from Georgetown's colorful and creative sprinkles, shapes, frosting, and more. But again, we knew it would all come down to the taste.

So we walked over down to Baked and Wired and got in line for our cupcakes. Baked and Wired didn't have a line out the door but that is because they have a bigger space than Georgetown. Past the first room where you can get your cupcakes and other goodies (they are not strictly cupcakes, they have cookies, biscottis, brownies, and their granola stuff as well), there is also a separate room for you to get coffee and another one with bookshelves, lounge chairs and an entire wall filled with written-on napkins. It was very cool. We got the red velvet of course, but their seasonal flavor was pumpkin. And because we had already gotten pumpkin pie the night before, we chose to get their german chocolate cupcake with coconut and pecan frosting instead.

By that time, it was already 5ish and we had to rush over to the metro station in Rosslyn to go to the Tree Lighting at Old Town Alexandria in Virginia. It was another cute and charming little town, and we would have liked to stroll down King Street during the day but it was all right. The Tree Lighting was at Market Square which was packed! There were so many kids with their parents. Onstage were a town choir and they led the crowd in singing carols. We watched the mayor interview Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus onstage and it was just adorable how the kids ate up all of their words. It was cute. And after, the big finale, Santa and the mayor lit up the tree! It was heartwarming and Aid and I were both thinking of the Honolulu City Lights and our own trees back home. Again, we felt that sadness that we weren't home but we also felt glad that we weren't alone. 

After the tree-lighting, we made our way to the very packed Starbucks on King Street and found a table. It was time for our taste test! Now, the size of the cupcakes were a notable thing. Baked and Wired cupcakes were by far the largest, they were bigger than my fists. And the Georgetown cupcake was the littlest one, it was so cute. We tasted each one, evaluating the richness of the cake and the taste of the cream cheese frostin on each one. We both agreed that the Georgetown cupcake was the best red velvet, though it was small and it disappeared quickly. Its cake was the richest and its frosting the lightest, really airy. Both the Sprinkles and B&W cakes were pretty rich but they also had a weird texture, possibly because of their size. They were good, but pretty dense. As for the frosting, I think Aid said she liked the Sprinkles frosting better than the B&W one, but I disagreed. The Sprinkles frosting to me was just too much, it was hard, and it overpowered the cake. 

As for the seasonal flavors? We didn't eat those until the day after, but hands down the German Chocolate from B&W was the best. Georgetown's caramel apple was delightful, it had bits of apple in the  cake and the buttercream frosting was drizzled with caramle. As for the Sprinkles cranberry orange, the cake was also good but the frosting was nothing special at all. The German chocolate one was our favorite by far, it was probs even better than Georgetown's red velvet!

Saturday was a lazy day. We woke up late then went over to Eastern Market. We shared a plate of crabcakes and deep fried oysters at Market Lunch, and walked around the farmers market and the flea market. They were selling Christmas trees and the smell of them made me think of how much I love the holidays. We bought and split a gigantic Asian pear and munched on that as we looked at the crafts and vegetables there. We also visited my favorite coffeeshop in that area, Peregrine Espresso, to grab warm drinks. We spent quite a bit of time exploring Capitol Hill Books with its crazy unorganized-but-really-very-organized stacks and shelves of books. Three levels of just books and books in every corner, every shelf, from floor to ceiling, covered in books and these clever labels that help people find books. It was great. There were even books in the bathroom! All the language books were in there. And we found a huge copy of the seventh Harry Potter book with a label on it that said "Ron Dies." I always have a great time just browsing through Capitol Hill books. We ended the day with more Starbucks and then metroed back to school for more sweet and salty snacks and Korean Dramas. 

Adrienne's flight departed early the next day so we woke up very early and metroed to the airport where we had a Dunkin Donuts breakfast after she said goodbye. It was very lonely after having her with me for several days, even lonelier than I felt before she even got to DC for the weekend. But I was sick and all I could do was sleep all day, so I did, which helped not only my cold but also the gnawing silence that filled and surrounded me, like there was an empty space that Adrienne had left that was bigger than the space she had come to fill. It was a sad Sunday for me, and an equally sad Monday as I had to call in sick at work. I was just not feeling good from the no-rest weekend, so having a day extra off was helpful. I was also really gross and I didn't want the Congresswoman to get sick.

But I went back to work on Tuesday and it slowly began hitting me that I was gonna be leaving soon. The office work was the same, except I kept thinking of everything as one of my last tasks. I was able to go on a second Dome Tour after having gone my first time in the beginning of the semester. It was a good full circle--I first got to DC in the summer with a huge and nice view of the city at nighttime at our hotel. And now as my time is ending, I was able to do a full 360 again from the very top of the center of the nation's capital. I did not linger at any point of my view except for the perfect view of Cannon on the southeast side of the Capitol. Again with the mixed feelings: I am glad to be going home, but saddened that my time here is ending. Yesterday, I gave my last Capitol tour ever and it went great--I took them on the Speaker's balcony, all the Hawaii marks in the Capitol, straying from the path that the Redcoats prescribe, and also the House floor and the "secret" prayer room on the House side. 

I am coming home with so many stories, much more than I can really tell people. I am also coming home a different Jen, I think. This is a Jen that has experienced loneliness and sadness that I have never before felt. This is a Jen who has grown much in the past several months. This is a Jen who is, I hope, more mature, learned, independent, stronger. A lot has tested me throughout this semester and here I am. At the same time, there were many high moments this semester both in and out of the office. None of them would have been possible if not for the people I met along the way, the opportunities that presented themselves, and the endless support I got from back home. 

I am getting ready to leave DC, and I know I want to come back, and I will. I may not know how exactly just yet. But I think I will. As I say goodbye to this city on the 14th when I fly back home, I am confident that I will be very happy with what I got out of it, perfectly content with what DC has given me over the months I spent here. 

Note: This post can also be found in my other DC blog.

Risks Taken: 60
Books Read Since Graduation: 11 
Thank You Notes Written: 21 

One Awkward Silence, And Two Hopes You Cry Yourself To Sleep

Hey guys!

Erm, so like, what even were this week. I don't know, I mean, it was a lot of sleeping, eating, and do not much. I mean, I did a lot, but not really? I don't know. 

Nope, yeah, today's post is going to be nothing special. But trust me, I feel something brewin' real deep and it's gonna come out one of these weeks soon, I promise. Yup. 

Why This Week Was Awesome: Thanksgiving

Books Read: 9 (I'm honestly on a role, like, someone stop me)

Times Eaten At Chipotle: 15

Song Stuck In My Head: 

You Say Things With Your Mouth, Cobwebs and Flies Come Out

Okay, you KNOW it was a bad week when BOTH Jen and I failed to post...

ANYWAY, this week was alright. Just another week of school. This upcoming week is thanksgiving. Then one more week. Then finals. Then home. Almost there. 

The only really cool thing that happened this week was I got to hang out with my aunt for a little during the Xbox One launch (cause she works for Microsoft). I got to go to the Microsoft headquarters on the day that it was being released. It was really cool to see people who had worked really hard on something and it was something that they were passionate about and to see them being able to show the world. It was a cool and interesting sight and feeling. I don't know. It makes me want to work at a place like that, even though I don't. Working at a place like that is stressful for me because you don't have a definite future there. If you're working for Xbox, for all you know, there might not be a next Xbox. That's why I'm really confident with teaching, cause, you know, there will always be teachers. But at the same time, I want to be apart of something cool like that. I don't know. I just want to do everything. 

Okay, I need to go to class. BAI!

Why This Week Was Awesome: Free  Stuff

Books Read: 8 (Honestly, what's going on???)

Times Eaten At Chipotle: 14

Song Stuck In My Head: 

I can't do this

11/19/13 11:25AM Add-on

I couldn’t this past Sunday. I just couldn’t. I couldn’t even keep my eyes open at the time that I posted my thing. Lately this has been the trend—me feeling so tired so early (relatively) in the night. It is not good for NaNo purposes, but it also does not bode well for the future (dun dun dunnnnn). What if I have to stay up and work on a paper next semester? What will happen then if I feel my eyelids getting heavier and heavier with sleep and my body feels like lead and my head yearns for my soft pillow? 

WHAT THEN, MY GOOD FRIENDS, WHAT THEN? WHAT WILL BECOME OF ME? OH FIE THIS FATIGUE WHICH PLAGUES ME SO OFTEN! FIE, FIE, FIE! BE GONE FATIGUE! WHAT HAVE YOU TO DO WITHIN ME? DO NOT YOU KNOW THE STRUGGLE WITH WHICH I LIVE IN TRYING TO COMPLETE MY NOVEL DURING THESE THIRTY DAYS OF LITERARY ABANDON WHILST I WORK FORTY OR MORE HOURS EACH WEEK? DAMN YOU, CURSED FATIGUE! I LOATHE YOU, YOU TROUBLESOME AND WRETCHED FOOL! AWAY WITH YOU!

Okay, enough dramatics. I must go and work. I type this from behind my office desk.

Peace yo.

Risks Taken: 60!
Books Read Since Graduation: 11 (This is not going to change because of NaNo...and I started one right before November too...)
Thank You Notes Written: 21 

Does It Bother Anyone Else That Someone Else Has Your Name

Hey guys!

Erm... Yup. That's basically  it. Like, the highlights of this week included, lots of car time. Learning how to make gifs. Lots of walking. Book editing. And not much else really...

Like, this is my life. It was just a basic week. But that's alright BECAUSE three more weeks of school. Three more weeks till Jingle Ball. Four more weeks till I'm home. Like, a month and a half till Christmas. Two months till Panic. 

Life is now and is going to be good. Yup. I really don't have much else for you right now. Sorry I'm not sorry? 

Why This Week Was Awesome: 

Books Read: 7 (Wait.... WHAT????)

Times Eaten At Chipotle: 13

Song Stuck In My Head: 

The Demons Sat There Waiting on her Porch

Hey guys... 

I'm a failure... Damn 3 day weekends, they always get you. 

Anyway, I actually do have something that I want to talk about today. I want to talk about how great and impactful meeting someone in person who you've looked up to for so long can be. 

Well, for context, the reason that this is on my mind is because I went to go see twenty one pilots in concert this past Tuesday and it was basically the best thing ever. First of all, they have been one of my new favorite bands since the beginning of this summer, but they are honestly just perfect. Just, gah, I can't even.

But yeah, we went to the concert (of course got to the front because that's what we do) and got to see Tyler and Josh perform all of their amazing songs literally a few feet away from us. I have a bunch of really great videos from it, but overall it was amazing because there were some parts where they just like to, you know, come out and play drums and sing and stuff on top of the crowd (I was holding Tyler's foot for a little) and also their so weird and crazy and passionate about what they do and I love it.

Then after the show, we ended up waiting a little over an hour and a half outside the venue, in the cold, for them to come out. You know that people like that care about their fans when they actually take the time to come out and greet them and talk to them at like one in the morning. But yeah, we got to meet them and take a picture with them and they were super nice and gracious and it was perfection. 

But basically, it continued to enforce for me how special meeting your idols and role models in person can be. I mean, this is how I felt last spring when I got to meet all those you tubers. When you're a fan of someone or something, you enjoy listening to, or watching, or reading what they do. But when you're in your room listening to a song, it's no where near the same as hearing them perform it in person. While it's great that we have the technology to do that, it will never replace how special something like that can be in person. I mean, even like a vlogger, you basically get to know them and see them right there in your screen everyday, but once you finally meet them and get to speak to them in person, it's an experience that can never be fulfilled by a video. 

Basically, I'm just really grateful that I've gotten to meet and see so many people that I adore and I'm excited for all the people I'm going to get to see in the future. I encourage all of you, even if it includes a few hours of being miserable waiting, to be a part of whatever fandom that you are in in real life because it will guaranteed make that experience a thousand times better. 

(oh, and you should check out my tumblr [alltaco32.tumblr.com] to see all the amazing pictures I got from the concert including the one with Tyler and Josh)

Why This Week Was Awesome: twenty one pilots

Books Read: 6 

Times Eaten At Chipotle: 12 (I think?) 

Song Stuck In My Head: 

What has happened since I last posted? I went inside the White House, saw a good part of an oral argument in front of the Supreme Court, and went to Annapolis for tailgating and the UH-Navy football game!

We lost. Duh. But it was a fun time because I spent most of the game with a high school friend from speech and debate. It was cold and that resulted in my short bout of sickness yesterday but all is well now.

I am all caught up on journaling and finished my homework before sleeping last night. Now time to catch up on NaNo. Oh boy.

Risks Taken: 60!
Books Read Since Graduation: 11 (This is not going to change because of NaNo...and I started one right before November too...)
Thank You Notes Written: 21 

Down In the Forest, We'll Sing a Chorus

Hey guys!

This week? Umm this week was irrelevant. Kind of. I mean, it was Halloween. Then it was November, now it's Daylight Savings and stuff. The most important thing out of that is the fact that it's NaNo time. While I'm not doing the traditional NaNo, it's still a fun time for me, editing my book and all. Let's hope I get through it. 

This week I have that twenty one pilots concert and I'm kind of ridiculously excited about it. Like, it will be my life, but you know. 

Nope. Yeah, that's it. That's all you're getting from me this week.

Why This Week Was Awesome: Halloweek!

Books Read: 6 

Times Eaten At Chipotle: 10 (Guess who just get 5 more free burritos?!)

Song Stuck In My Head: 

I had Chipotle for dinner last night...

...and for lunch today. And also for dinner again tonight.

Now, before you start judging me, let me explain: THEY WERE ALL FROM ONE PURCHASE. I went to Chipotle to grab take-out last night and I looked at it and, really, that was not something that I could eat in one sitting. So I split it into three Jen-sized meals. Kendall, I have no idea how you can eat this multiple times a week. I mean, yes, it was good. It was delicious. But it was so much food! And I didn't even get a baby-sied burrito, I got a bowl, which is the same amount of food, but still!

Seriously man. I now see and understand the whole obesity problem because I have seen the mainland. Like. People here have a thing for burgers and shakes and pizzas. Like. Five Guys. Shake Shack. We the Pizza. Jumbo Slice. Z Burger. Good Stuff Eatery. And I am sure there are more. How are these people not dead?!

Plus, because DC is a young city in terms of its inhabitants, the drinking scene here is a big deal. Millenials--20 somethings, our generation, are becoming a more and more prominent part of the population here and looking around the Hill, it is amazing to see and realize that these young 20-somethings are the ones doing the behind-the-scenes work in running the government. 

Anyway, the drinks. Happy hour places and times and prices are memorized and stuff. Also. DC people have a thing for brunch. I mean, I am a fan of brunch as well but like going to brunch here is a thing that is not just reserved for couples (in contrary to New York I guess, if we take HIMYM as something that speaks truth which, come one, it totes does). And it is a big deal for a restaurant if they are named some sort of Best Brunch award or something. I think it may be the bottomless mimosas. Like I said, DC people like to drink no matter what, even at 10am, on any day, it seems. Work starts at 9 anyway, I guess is their thought process?

Anyway, yes, I had Chipotle last night. Cue the cheers.

In other exciting news, I get to tour the White House next week! Like, actually go in the house. EXCITING! And I have a private dinner/gala coming up and then the UH Navy game and then stuffs.

Yep. 

Ok, gotta go write my novel. I am already behind! But it is all good! I am gonng finish homework in the next hour or so so that I can type nonstop for the rest of the weekend. 

Tootles y'all!

Risks Taken: 59
Books Read Since Graduation: 11 (I AM COUNTING KENDALL'S BOOK)
Thank You Notes Written: 21 

Too Many Stare Downs Between the Sun and the Moon

Like. Honestly. I'm just done...

I'M SORRY FOR MY FAILURE!!!! The one week Jen does exceptionally well and has an amazing week I fail so hard.... So for that, I am sorry!

But anyway this week was good....

Let's be real, I don't even remember it.... All I really remember is that I went to the Seattle Sounders game last night (Soccer). It was actually kind of cool. I mean, other than the fact that it was cold and Seattle-ites apparently don't believe in sitting. It was fun though because we kind of took seats that we weren't supposed to. Also, like, Sounders fans are crazy. They all went super ham. It actually felt kind of like a cult. Like, they all knew the same chants and they all did these same hand gestures. It was odd, but kind of fun at the same time. 

At the end of the game, Jaime was able to get a jersey signed by her favorite soccer player (Landon Donovan). While it wasn't like super exciting for me, I totally know that feeling. Getting to meet someone whom you admire and adore and have only seen through the internet or TV for so long. It made me really excited about live events. Also, on Friday, it was W Day. Which was half for Homecoming at my school and half as a school birthday party. But for one of the events, they had a band perform. I had never heard them before, but they were really really good. Their name is Pickwick. And it was awesome. I love going to concerts and seeing people perform live. There's nothing better then seeing someone who is passionate about something do that something that they are passionate about. 

Then after the performance I was able to go up to them and meet them and buy a CD. I even had them all sign it. It made me really excited for the 3 concerts that I'm going to in the next few months (One of which is next Tuesday and it's honestly going to be one of the best days of my life). 

Yeah, so I'm just kind of stoking on life. And then this Friday starts NaNoEdMo for me. It's time for me to sit down and edit this novel that has been in the making for 3 years. I'm excited though. Even though it's not a good book, I will finally be able to say I'm completely done with it. Kind of. 

Okay, I need to go to sleep so I hopefully don't sleep through my classes again. 

Hopefully next week I won't fail again like this week. 

Why This Week Was Awesome: 

Books Read: 6 

Times Eaten At Chipotle: 9 (It was a good week)

Song Stuck In My Head:

Dear Tomorrow

Hello all. Each day is a new day and a fresh start. But when you keep failing to start anew, it can get frustrating. Nevertheless, you have to keep going right?

So, no matter how many times I say I will be better, and no matter how many times I fail at being better, it does not mean that I have to stop telling myself to be better. 

So here I go again: I will be better. And I will start right now:

This week was pretty slow in the office, so I could not help but be homesick a lot. You know those times when you're just "I want to go home. I want my own bed. I want to be in my own room"? Yeah, that kind of homesick. There are times though when I am quite proud to say that I feel fine, not homesick at all. Yesterday, Max, who is visiting from Baltimore, met up with me and Guthrie for a crepes breakfast and then we walked to the Museum of American History, and then to the Old Post Office Tower (awesome view of the city from its tower!). And when we said goodbye to Max, Guthrie and I took the metro to Rosslyn in Virginia, and as we were walking on the bridge from Rosslyn to Georgetown, we saw a lone kayaker on the Potomac River below us. And Guthrie said, "Let's go kayaking. Now."

Okay, so I had mentioned to him that I wanted to kayak on the Potomac sometime and also pedal boat on the Tidal Basin. Our chance to pedal boat has passed because the company doesn't rent pedal boats past Columbus Day since, you know, it is getting cold here. But there were still kayakers when we were making our way to Georgetown yesterday. But see, when Guthrie spontaneously wanted to kayak right then and there, the problem was that I was not mentally prepared for it. I can't swim, let alone float. I don't want to die. 

I was complaining all the way down as we walked to the canal and to the boathouse. I was complaining as we requested for a double kayak and as we put our stuff in a locker and as we put life vests on and grabbed paddles and got in the kayak (Guthrie in the back and me in the front). I complained even more as we pushed off and started paddling. I was scared and I was getting wet and I did not want to capsize and I hated it whenever Guthrie tried to rock the kayak. But I did it and oh my God, it was fun. I mean, I was terrified the entire time. But it was so much fun. We rented the kayak for an hour and in that hour, we kayaked through a total of three bridges completely around Roosevelt island. Like, if you click here, we started at Key Bridge Boathouse (I marked it on the map), and then we kayaked southwest direction toward the island, went all the way around the island and then back to the boathouse. Like. What even. Never did I think I would do that. Granted, Guthrie did a lot of the paddling, but, hey I helped, too...

Then we went to dinner then we went to see a blackbox theater play by Woody Allen and it was hilarious. Great Saturday!

And today, Guthrie and I got tickets to the White House Garden Viewing! So we were able to go on the grounds (not the actual inside the White House), and see the kitchen garden and the West Wing up close and the outside of the Oval Office and such. Fun times!

See I was better. Let us keep this going!

Fair warning, November is coming up folks so don't expect anything big for our blogs because, yep, we are writing (well, trying to) novels!

Tootles y'all!

Risks Taken: 59 (kayaking!)
Books Read Since Graduation: 10 
Thank You Notes Written: 21 (SA!)

I'm Tryin' to Sleep

I'm sorry about that guys! I was honestly going to blog on monday, but then everything changed when the sickness attacked. Ha ha but yeah. I would tell you about that week but I can't even remember at this point.

Oh, there was the dumpster diving!.... And then some other stuff. Honestly, nope, this is gonna be the lame one. Too bad. Come back Sunday for the good stuff. Yup. That's what's happening here.

Why This Week Was Awesome:  

Books Read: 6 

Times Eaten At Chipotle: 6!

Song Stuck In My Head: 

More Ashamed!

Even more ashamed! I am sorry! Gahhhhh
My life is in the not-so-together phase right now, as it has been for the last two years or so...

October 27 Add-On:
This needs to end.

Ashamed

So I fell asleep....is that a crime? Gahhh....be back later!

Octover 27 Add-On:
I don't even know anymore.

...Too Rare To Die

Hey guys!

So, like, I went out of the country for the first time yesterday. And while that was a really fun time, I think I'm not gonna talk about that today. 

I totes have kind of talked about something like this before, but honestly who remembers that? You know how in Dragon Ball Z, or like other animes or just shows in general I guess, there are like different sagas or story arcs I guess you could say. So like, it goes from like the Freeza Saga to the Android Saga to the Cell Saga then the Boo Saga? Well, I feel like I'm in one right now. I mean, I actually have gone back and made chapter titles for different points in my life, but specifically the past few months have been like an era in my life. 

The interesting thing about this Saga though is that it's been very music driven and the things around me have conformed to that. I guess it all kind of started in the spring when I heard the new Fall Out Boy album and I became kind of obsessed with it. It kind of evolved from there when I I found out that I would be going to the concert and then I started to listen to all Fall Out Boy music. Then I discovered Twenty One Pilots and everything was perfect. 

That was like all my summer. Then the concert. And now the new Panic! album and a kind of new Fall Out Boy album. What makes it so this Saga is evolving is the fact that I'm going to the Twenty One Pilots concert in November and the Panic! concert in January. 

The reason why this is so big for me is because that was kind of my life. Like, everyday driving over the summer I would blast the same songs and sing them at the top of my lungs. I just, I don't know. I can't anymore. When I think about this summer and the crazy fun things I did, I can't help but think about "Young Volcanos" or "Migraine" or countless others. This fall is going to be full of "This is Gospel"s and "All the Boys"s and so on. 

This also relates to a quote that I talked about a few weeks ago. 
"I wish there was a way to know that you were in the good old days before you've actually left them." 
It's kind of the same in this situation in that, you know, you don't know that a period of your life is happening until it has happened. And I guess all that we can do until then is enjoy whatever life you're living in now because you don't know when it's gonna end. 

Okay, I'm satisfied. 

Times Eaten At Chipotle: 5

Why This Week Was Awesome: Canada? Music? Life? All of the above. 

Books Read: 6 

Song Stuck In My Head: Let me live my life. Just one yesterday.

Too Weird To Live...

Hey guys!

I literally almost forgot about you. Which is bad. It's because I just spent the past like 4 hours on my math homework. And you all know that I love math, but this one was just a little blegh at times. But alas, I'm done and I'm exhausted. This was my first full week of school and it was already jam packed. This year looks like it's gonna be pretty great though, so I am excited. Today it was warm and stuff so Jaime and I went exploring a little bit around Olympia, which is always a fun time. 

Yesterday, we went to a haunted farm place. We went there last year too and I really really like it. They put a lot of work into it and it's really good quality. Good times.

I'm sorry, I'm just really tired, but this week was good! Yis. 

Times Eaten At Chipotle: 4

Why This Week Was Awesome: Getting out there

Books Read: 6 

Song Stuck In My Head: