The Week in Review: Mall, Bethesda and Sqashy Disasters

Last weekend, Rowan asked me to go work clothes shopping. Since Miriam had helped me so much, I figured I would pay it forward. Plus, we had a lot of fun.
Not everything fit. Rowan had the opposite problem with pants--or at least she did until she discovered that "ankle" meant they were short.
She came away with a lovely pair of pants, and then we started searching for something to eat. I couldn't resist taking a picture with this smoothie and yogurt stand. (Sorry, pregnant woman. The other 2 shots had someone with their hand down their pants, so this was the best bet)

Tyson's Corners is a huge mall, with all sorts of odd specialty shops. They even had a Lego store, which sold Legos by the scoop as well as in sets.
After dinner at a diner across the street (and a very attentive waiter) we drove into DC, following the instructions of my GPS. This was a poor choice, as we ended up with a full tour of the district, even managing to drive through Dupont Circle. I am still figuring out how to be smarter than my GPS.

Rowan's house was having a cocktail party, and we were only a little late for it. Emily (far right) was in town, and we spent lots of time laughing over Smith things and catching up. She was a regular at the Kosher K, and we have several mutual friends. I was so glad to get a chance to chat with her. From the left is me, Rowan, Kelsey and Emily.
Sunday, October 25: This was my first unscheduled healthy day in ages. I started it with a tzatziki-feta cheese omelet, which came out quite prettily.
Then I had a slow, lovely walk into Bethesda. The trees are changing here, and many have a mixture of all 3 colors on the same tree. This tree is right next to my apartment building.
There are also these short trees with smooth-edged leaves that are very red right now. It was pleasant out as I walked. It felt good to be quiet inside (although I was queasy from the eggs).
I wanted to capture a common sight in Bethesda: this pizza shop closed. It is still in business, but I rarely see it open.
As I walked past the Burger Joint square, I was struck by all the different sources of red in this scene: the umbrella, the 2 trees, the woman's hair. Surprisingly, she did not even notice when I took about 10 pictures of her.
I passed The Blue House, which has awesome home furnishings. I love these pillows. If I had a white couch (which I should never buy), I would decorate it with brightly colored pillows.
After a lap around downtown Bethesda, and some time sitting in the sun by the empty fountain, I settled in at Quartermaine for a latte and some letter-writing. They serve coffee in real mugs if you ask for it, and that made me feel extremely cozy. I sat at the counter and rocked out to '90s hits like "Don't go chasin' waterfalls," and reminisced about these songs with the male barista who was probably about 5 years older than me. It was a wonderful afternoon.
Once home, I decided to cook up some dinner: spaghetti squash with putanesca sauce (from Trader Joe's), mushrooms, zucchini and veggie crumbles. As I cut into the squash, it did not feel as impenetrably hard as usual. Then, without warning, it crumbled under my knife and oozed all over the counter.
Turned out to be fermented on the inside. And do you know how gross it is to sponge fermented squash juice off of the counter, floor, and cabinets? I just had sauce, veggie crumbles, and vegetables for dinner. In only a day, the fermented smell was gone from my kitchen.

Monday, October 26. I know the date of Monday very well because I told it to about 400 people. I spent the afternoon and evening involved in a public health event. It went quite smoothly, and everyone was quite polite. My gaff of the evening was asking a man to answer an uncompleted question on the Spanish language health screening sheet. After he started laughing and making belly-growing gestures, I realized that the question read, "are you pregnant or nursing?"

Tuesday, October 27. At work I spent some time at one of our clinics, answering phone calls about flu. It was overall a positive experience and gave me the chance to get to know some of the ladies at that clinic a bit better. After work I went grocery shopping. Finally, there are brussel sprouts at Giant. And they look so cheery!
Wednesday, October 28: Today when I arrived at work, J had decorated my desk for my birthday! There was a "Happy Birthday" sign, confetti, a card, and a candy jar with m&m's. Made me smile. I thought everyone was mistaken as to the date of my birthday (it's tomorrow), but turns out they all know it's tomorrow, but decided to celebrate early. Fine by me! The whole group took me out to lunch at a Thai restaurant. There were 8 of us total, and there was much joking and laughing, especially on the walk to and from the restaurant. Much of the morning was spent moving office furniture around and rearranging the space in the offices to get ready for our grand total of 7 people, the last of which will arrive on Monday. I work with some really great people.

Tomorrow is my actual birthday and I am headed to Northampton for the weekend. My plans include Herrells, Osaka, naps on Haven couch, shopping in NoHo, time with Smith friends, and surprise anniversary celebration (2 years!). Basically, I am going to eat and hug people. Very much looking forward to the weekend.