In my last apartment (heretofore known as the Second Worst Place I’ve Ever Lived In), setting off the smoke detector was fairly common. That detector was crap. It would go off even when there wasn’t any smoke. Sometimes that happened when no one was actually cooking anything.

When roommate Kaitie and I moved out last May, it was one of the many, many, many problems that I was glad to be rid of.

The time since then has been such a blessing. No high-pitched chirping noises. No mad scramble to open windows. No searching for something fan the detector with.

Mind you, it’s not for lack of making the apartment smoky. More than once, I wondered if the first-floor detector was, you know, functional.

Tonight, while making dinner, I found out it worked just fine. I flashed back to the days of yesteryear, when this kind of thing happened several times a week. And, just like all of those times, I let out a loud, exasperated sigh, said an expletive and took care of the situation.

Ah well. It was a good nine months.

I get to check “visit the Statue of Liberty” off my life to-do list now.

Made it to the pedestal with friend Mackenzie. Next time I go, it should be for the crown (though to be honest, I don’t know if I want to climb the 354 steps to do it).

Why today was awesome:
– coffee + donut
– dim sum in Chinatown
– passing by Billy Crudup while wandering through midtown
– No Man’s Land
– waiting at the stage door and snagging autographs + photo of Ian McKellen w/ friend Mackenzie
– more wandering which led to watching ice skating, LEGOs, American Girl dolls
– Met
– sketching at the Met
– pizza

And now sleep, because it’s Daylight Saving Time, which is the worst in the spring.

Currently sitting on the bus to New York. Friend Mackenzie is asleep in the seat next to me, and I’ve managed to stay awake through both “42″ and finishing the last few chapters of my book.

Counted in my head — this weekend’s trip will be my 8th since I moved to D.C. Most of those visits center around theater:

– November 2010 with friend Zeller (denoting differences of the many Amys in my life; previously mentioned Amy is Lauder in this post). Saw Promises, Promises because Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth.
– April 2011 with friend Sara (from college). Was the weekend of the royal wedding. Saw How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying because Daniel Radcliffe.
– October 2011 to visit friend Melody for her birthday.
– October 2011 with friend Adam. We slept at Melody’s.
– August 2012 to visit friend Melody for no other reason that to visit. Saw Potted Potter.
– January 2013 with friends Mackenzie and Lauder. Saw The Heiress because Dan Stevens. Also got to see Evita, though Ricky Martin was off that night, sadly.
- August 2013 with Lauder. Saw First Date because Zachary Levi.

This visit is no different. We’re seeing a production of No Man’s Land starring Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen. Review to come.

Discovered that the fantastic “A Knight’s Tale” was available to watch for free on Comcast’s On Demand, and roommate Kaitie and I took part immediately.

A few notes:
– 13-year-old me had no idea who Geoff Chaucer was. Well played, writers.
– Jocelyn’s clothing is definitely not period appropriate, but hey, which parts of this movie really are?
– The music transition into David Bowie’s “Golden Years” during the dancing scene is sheer brilliance.
– Heath Ledger sings very briefly in this movie, reminding me that he was a talented soul and also making me want to watch 10 Things I Hate About You right now.
– The group-written letter is still sappy perfection.

My dearest Jocelyn,
It is strange to think I haven’t seen you since a month. I have seen the new moon, but not you. I have seen sunsets and sunrises, but nothing of your beautiful face.
The pieces of my broken heart are so small they can be passed through the eye of a needle. I miss you like the sun misses the flower, like the sun misses the flower in the depths of winter. Instead of beauty to direct its light to, the heart hardens like the frozen world your absence has banished me to.
I next compete in the city of Paris. I will find it empty and in the winter if you are not there.
Hope guides me. It is what gets me through the day and especially the night. The hope that after you’re gone from my sight, it will not be the last time that I look upon you.

With all the love that I possess, I remain yours.

The knight of your heart

I am not a particularly good Catholic, but I am a Catholic nonetheless, which means every year, I feel guilty for not going to church on Ash Wednesday and then I celebrate (put myself through?) Lent.

For the next 46 days — something that never came up in Sunday school was that Sundays weren’t counted in the 40-day total — I won’t have any ice cream or buy any new books.

I don’t really think of it as a sacrifice (another reason why I am a not-very-good Catholic), but rather, giving up indulgences. One year, it was MySpace (don’t judge, it was 2006) and another year, Starbucks (though not actually coffee. I fudged the rules a bit).

An actual sacrifice on my part would be a little more extreme. As stated, coffee of all kinds. Alcohol. Social media as a whole. You get the idea.

So, just like every year, I’ll get by with giving up my indulgences. Maybe I’ll even end it with going to Easter mass this year.

In a one-minute span of walking through the lobby of the Washington Hilton (all I did was go from the free Wi-Fi area to the Coffee Bean), I managed to lose a gray wool beret I bought this winter. My ability to misplace things never ceases to amaze.

I now feel like this bear.

When I first read this book last October, right before roommate Kaitie gave it to toddler Eric (the 2-year-old son of friends Emily and Joe), I said the bear and I were kindred spirits. Now that is even more true. Le sigh.

Started Divergent on Friday. Finished it about an hour ago. In the time since, have put in an order for the other two books in the series (sending mental apologies to whoever has to put that box together) and started reading through the author’s notes in the back (the results of the little quiz were inconclusive: I could be in Abnegation, Amity or Erudite).

It was a fast, easy read, and I enjoyed it enough to continue on*. While I could use this moment delve into the topic of dystopian fiction or the upcoming movie or what my phobias are, I mostly just want to say that I figured out who the love interest of the main character, Tris, was going to be because the first time she saw him, she talked about the color of his eyes.

Spoiler alert: I’m about to quote said moment, so if you don’t want to know (though I promise, if you ever read it, you will recognize it when you see it), stop now.

Continue reading →

Just spent the last five-ish hours focused on the Oscars. A summary:

Best dress: Lupita Nyong’o
Best tux: Chris Hemsworth (ohmygod that maroon)
Best presenter moment: Jamie Foxx singing Chariots of Fire onstage (close runner up: Kevin Spacey becoming Frank Underwood for a mere moment)
Weirdest presenter moment: I don’t even know what John Travolta said
Presenters who I hope host in the future: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Emma Watson
Best beard: Chris Evans
Best musical moment: Bette Midler singing Wind Beneath My Wings because it made me cry
Worst musical moment: When Idina Menzel missed her high note in Let It Go
Question I still have: Did anyone ever give Kerry Washington pizza?
Number of Oscars won by Great Gatsby: 2
Number of Oscars won by Wolf of Wall Street: 0
Number of times Matthew McConaughey won Best Actor: 1
Number of times Leo DiCaprio won Best Actor: 0
Movie I still have to see: 12 Years A Slave
Final Oscar pool pick tally: 19/25

Thank you all for being awesome and American.

– Friend Isabel, who is celebrating her first year in the United States tonight. To America and to Isabel!