Freedom

   today while walking by the White House we passed a food truck and Ashley said, "mmmm! It smells so good!" to which I responded, "it's the smell of freedom! and capitalism! and democracy!"

   I'm going to be so obnoxious here. I can feel it and I don't know how to stop it. gah. C'est la vie!

The Mall, the job, the sights, the art

Today I had a Big City Adventure!
   I took my little 'ol self and my new metro card (that was given to me by the family I am currently living with. They are so kind and nice. And funny!) and I went to work.
   Well, not really work. I just had to go figure out where I am supposed to go to work, and how all my first-day things will work out.
   I mean what I am about to say with all the passion I am capable of feeling: I WORK IN THE PRETTIEST BUILDING IN THE UNITED STATES CAPITAL. Fo' realsies. Here is a picture:

                               I WORK IN A FRENCH STYLE PALACE.
   I don't care how un-American that sounds. That building was stunning. HA! Take that White House!
   After I was done oggling my new workplace, we walked down the mall, and I saw the Washington Monument, the Capitol Building, various and sundry Smithsonian buildings and monuments, and spent a long long time in the National Gallery of art. They have the unfinished David-Apollo by Michelangelo, which is super interesting. But the real David is better.
   GUYS I WORK IN A FRENCH PALACE. IN CASE YOU FORGOT. CAUSE I DIDN'T.
   The Mall is so lovely. I have a feeling I will spend many a lunch break walking there and enjoying the sun. It reminds me very much of Hyde Park. I also found out DC has a Pret A Manger. I am so excited to be here!
   After toddling around the super touristy sights, I went to Georgetown. Holy-super-cute! ah! I loved it. That town looks like something off a Christmas card. We went to get cupcakes (at Sprinkles AND Georgetown cupcakes - cause I have to compare the two! Sprinkles won with a stunning s'more cupcake.)
   I am very excited to be here. I had such a careful and meticulous plan for my life and it did not include...well....anything I've done. But what's life without a little adventure?

You thought I forgot about this place, didn't you?

I'm not dead!

   Defying all common thought, I made the drive across the country in complete and unexciting safety. I didn't even have a flat tire. In the movie of my life they will probably leave out this epic drive. You win some, you lose some.... I guess. 

   Anyway, driving across the country all by myself was a ton of fun. Mostly because of all the fun and funny things I got to see. I chose to drive on I-20 through the south. I love the south. I love it so much. 

   Louisiana was a particular favorite. I guess I never expected that people actually talk like that...but my beloved 3 readers, THEY DO. And when I stopped for gas I tried so hard to not talk like them. but. i. just. couldn't. Southern will out. Here is a clip from princess and the frog, so you know what I'm talking about. They sounded just like Ray. 

   There was also the funny time when I stopped at gas station in the middle of nowhere Louisiana and there was a cemetery next to the gas station. Which had about 20 pickups outside. And I was this lone little car. And I walked in and about 40 guys all turned to look at me. And the gas station sold alligator jerky. So, you know, that was exciting. 

   I also really enjoyed Texas. There's this line in Newsies where Jack Kelly sings "I want space/not just air" and  that always resonates with me when I go into a city. Texas is huge and flat, and the sky just goes on and on forever. The stars at night are big and bright! 

   Have I talked about the south enough? Like how the spanish moss was so pretty lazily sitting on the great old trees, or how North Carolina is really really into boiled peanuts and how South Carolina smelled bad, and how the dirt is really red in Georgia? It's a lovely part of the country. 

   All good things come to end, however, and the crazy driving in DC brought me to my final destination. There are more cars here then I ever thought I'd care to see. But it is exciting to live so close to the capital. I've been lucky enough to see so many other countries and their capitals, and now I finally get to see mine! Go USA.

"Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am, And wild to hold, though I seem tame."

Someday the world will stop messing around with all the other poets, and acknowledge that Sir Thomas Wyatt reigns above them all in a cloud from which he throws the garlands of mind to us lesser mortals.

The title of this post comes from my 2nd favorite of his, with other such wonderful lines like "I am of them that furthest come behind." and "Fainting I follow." and "in a net I seek to hold the wind." Such pretty pretty words. I do love them.

Stephen Fry once made the comment that poetry is the language of strength, and so few people (I feel) understand that. Like any art, if you hate poetry it is because you haven't found the right kind yet.
So here is another Wyatt, my personal favorite poet. (I found the translation out of Middle English because I love and care about all 3 of my faithful readers...)
 Help me to seek for I lost it there,
   And if that ye have found it, ye that be here,
   And seek to convey it secretly,
   Handle it soft, and treat it tenderly :
   Or else it will plain and then appear ;
But rather restore it mannerly,
   Since that I do ask it thus honestly ;
   For to leese it, it sitteth me too near;
                                   Help me to seek.
Alas and is there no remedy ?
   But have I thus lost it wilfully ?
   I wis it was a thing all too dear
   To be bestowed, and wist not where :
   It was mine heart, I pray you heartily
                                   Help me to seek.

My useless skillz

Here is some random stuff: I know completely useless and random facts. And I have a ridiculously large knowledge of men's haberdashery. Seriously. I know all this random stuff about stitching on suits, the lay of the buttons, patterns of fabric, appropriate ties for occasions, the differences between italian and english and american suits, what kind of material lays nicest against certain body types, and how choose the right cloth for any occasion.
BUT WHAT THE HECK IS THIS KNOWLEDGE FOR? Honestly.
I'll tell you what this knowledge is for. It's so that I can totally geek out over this totally awesome blog I found that I freaking love so much cause it knows so so so so so so so much more than me and I love learning about pointless things.
I hope I marry someone who is going to need to wear a lot of fancy suits.

3 piece suits make me melt. Every time.

Take Courage

There are these two signs I see everyday, one coming in, one going out of London. They are so inspiring, and I love seeing them everyday. The one above is the one I see as I leave. It's wonderful because immediately after the sign, I go into a tunnel, and the tunnel takes me from cityscapes to country side. That sign is like my portal to Narnia.


This one though, is my favorite. It is the sign I see as I go to work, and its background is the dome of St. Paul's cathedral, the Tower Bridge, and an old Norman Church. I'll try to snap a picture on my in someday, but for now, you'll have to have the ground level version. Isn't it lovely?
And doesn't perfectly capture the ideals of London circa WWII?

Another I like....

5 favorite things:
Movie: Shawshank Redemption
Song: Some Mistakes by Brad Paisley
Book: The Count of Monte Cristo
Food: Anything SPICY
Season: Summer

4 smells I enjoy:
Oranges
Old books
Fresh cut grass
Onions as they are being sautee`d.

3 places I want to go:
Bali
Istanbul
Taj Mahal

2 favorite holidays:
Thanksgiving
4th of July

1 person I'd marry on the spot:
mmmm...The man I won't name.
Or Zachary Levi. Tall, dark, and handsome. And Republican. score. I know that's 2, but sometimes you need a back-up plan, ok?