Getting Acquainted with Prince William

The last few days I've felt like I was in a fog. The weather has been cooler and rainy, and I come home every evening unsure of what to do with myself. Yesterday I made curried lentils and cauliflower. They came out really well; I could taste all of the tumeric. But I should have just eaten them for dinner and taken a break. Instead I ate them for dinner, then lunch today, and then dinner tonight. This was a poor choice.

Yesterday (9/10) driving to work I missed my exit and ended up in rural historic Virginia. I knew it was so because I passed the historic site of the Battle of Bull Run, and the historic brick building standing next to it.

Also, because the fences looked like this.


I thought it was pretty cool, but was soon extremely lost, so I called my boss and said, "I'm lost. I'm not sure where I am but there are these funky fences..." Luckily, she knew where that meant I was, so she gave me directions and I got to work only about 10 minutes later than usual.

Because gas prices are about 30 cents cheaper in Manassas than Bethesda, I figured I would see if the same was true with groceries. It was interesting to compare the Giant there with the Giant I shop at usually. I think the products in a grocery store can really reflect the demographics of the area--flavors of snacks, types of produce, and relative amount of devoted space in the "international" or "ethnic" aisle. In Manassas, the kosher section had about 2 boxes of matzah and some Kedem Tea Biscuits, while further down the same aisle was this extensive collection of Goya sodas. And this doesn't include the cans of fruit nectar. In Bethesda, there are 4 kinds of Bisli, but only coconut soda and Malto.


As a public health person interested in the demographics of the region, this reflected what I had been told about Prince William County. Few Jews, many Spanish speakers. It's my time out of the office that is helping me to get to know where I am working. It's really different from Bethesda, and I like it.

Friday, September 11: Today was a very busy day at work, but good. I got a lot done. After work I was feeling, as we put it in my family, "sad and lonely," so I went to downtown Bethesda for some coffee and people watching. It had been raining, so the number of people out and about was reduced, but the teenagers were out in droves. Not older, oh-so-cool teenagers, but 14 year olds in tight packs, lighting candles in a piece of cake and singing happy birthday in front of the gelato shop. And vaguely pubescent boys, skateboarding through pedestrians while warning, "on your left." This all reminds me of growing up in Pittsford and having nothing to do on weekend nights. At least these kids have somewhere walkable.

I popped by the grocery store tonight for some beans (not for me, for a potluck!), and found this gem of a cake. It's made of cupcakes and I think is a lion that ran into a wall.