Totally Hectic

It's been a hectic week. I have worked some very long days, and the work has been mentally and emotionally tiring. I'm so far over my hours for this week that I came home today after only 3 hours and am now in bed. I am debating forcing myself to take a nap. I don't nap very readily, so it is a struggle to just lay down and close my eyes and still my mind. Even more of a struggle to actually fall asleep.

The main thing notable/sharable since Sarah left has been Daniella's and my discovery of Veggie Tales. Her piano student's mom recommended the song "oh where is my hairbrush" to her, and we proceeded to watch it on YouTube two or three times in a row. And then sing it non-stop for the next day and a half. "The Pirates who don't do anything" was also a hit, especially once we figured out through google that Mr. Lunt is a decorative gourd. If you don't know what I'm talking about, google "cucumber hairbrush," and you are in for a very silly treat.

I thought I'd also post some non-Thanksgiving related pictures from Sarah's visit. In addition to cooking, Sarah and I:

Went out for coffee (twice)

Laughed and giggled

Made cards

Stayed out late in Adams Morgan over falafel and dessert (the cookie sandwich at The Diner)

And saw more of those green balls, both in living sculpture

and store window plastic

I will now start a label for those green balls, as they seem to come up with inordinate frequency.

Sukkot, Yogurt, and More of those green plant balls

I'm at my kitchen table right now, after a trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond that left me feeling less than enthusiastic about my home improvement plans (namely, buying an iron and some bowls). But, I am now happily eating whole-milk yogurt from the Blue Ridge Dairy, purchased at the Dupont Farmer's Market with honey from the Shenandoah Valley, purchased at the Manassas Farmer's Market. Local bliss. This has done much to improve my mood.

Monday, October 5: Miriam and I made plans to meet up after work. She had had a hellish day, so I gathered a small present for her, which I stashed in my purse so it would be a surprise.
Miriam was appropriately grateful.

The lovely vegetation gift did not accompany us to dinner at Nest, a cozy new restaurant off the beaten path in Bethesda. Relaxed atmosphere and a menu with many tempting choices. Afterwords, Miriam and I strolled in the fall night air, savoring the comfortable quiet that comes with knowing someone for about 13 years.

Tuesday, October 6: Work Monday and Tuesday was extremely busy. My phone never stopped ringing, and every time I got off the phone, I had a new message waiting. It's a different kind of productive on these types of days, measured more by the number of people who have gotten off the phone with their questions answered and feeling better about something than by letters written or emails sent. On Tuesday I also gave 2 presentations to the employees of the county landfill. I was pleased with the presentations, and got good questions. These questions brought up points I had missed, or things I forgot that most people don't know. I talk about flu so much that I sometimes forget what most people think of when they think of H1N1. I also got to take a tour of the landfill, which was really cool. The views from the top of the carefully-constructed mountain were quite scenic--trees and hills as far as the eye could see.

In the evening on Tuesday, I went to Sushi in the Sukkah, put on by the local Chabad women's group. The sukkah was decked out!
In addition to the artistically arranged food here (including kosher sushi from New York), we rolled our own sushi and discussed the connections between sushi and the holiday of Sukkot. Both involve wrapping. On Sukkot you wrap yourself in the sukkah, one of two mitzvot involving wrapping (our host N. cited the other one as being immersion in the mikvah, but I wonder about laying T'fillin or wrapping oneself in a tallis. Since it was a women's group and Chabad women do neither of these things, I kept my questions to myself). Also, the lulav and etrog bring together the "4 species" in one group, which you then shake in all directions (east, south, west, north, up, down--in that order) to show that G-d is everywhere. When rolling sushi, different foods--rice, avocado, fish, etc--are brought together. Soooo, not a super-intellectual comparison, but it works.
It was a fun evening, but I missed the "outside" feeling that most sukkahs have. This one, while spacious and well-lit, had canvas sides and tightly spaced bamboo skak (the roof, which must be made of natural materials and leave space to see the stars). The sukkahs in Rochester have corn-stalk roofs, and most have wooden sides. A very different feel. Even though I technically fulfilled the mitzvah of eating in the sukkah, I don't feel like I did.

Wednesday, October 7: I drove behind this truck on my way to work this morning and it made me smile back.
Work was fairly low key today, a welcome break. It certainly feels like fall in the office, as we have candy corn in our candy dish (everyone digs for the candy pumpkins), hand-picked apples at the ready, and gourd decorations.

Project 365 Day 30

Today was a really productive day at work. No one was around, which was a bummer because I was wearing one of my cool new outfits, but on the upside I got a bunch of tasks done that required lots of concentration. With my cute outfit, which involves brown pants, I decided to wear some brown suede heels I had bought in my pre-arthritis days. You should know that I never wear heels. I don't stand or walk much in this job, so I figured it was worth a try. I pretty much walk like a bad drag queen in these heels. At one point I tottered to the kitchen in the office, and one of the older ladies from the front said, "you're not walking so well. You're walking like me--and I'm old!" Always a boost in a comment like that!

I walked to get my pants hemmed, and saw the following:
While this does appear to be a squirrel eating a tennis ball, it was actually eating this giant fruit/seed/thing that is in abundance this time of year. They have hard green outsides, with shiny brain-like ripples. I have seen kids using them as soccer balls, baseballs, and the kind of balls you roll down the slide to your parents. They're cool-looking, but I hope none of them drops on my head. I proceeded to the tailor. While I was standing on a fitting block, the small Asian seamstress started rapping on my left ankle. Assuming she was commenting on my stance (I sometimes put my feet in funny positions), I shifted my weight. She continued rapping. It wasn't until she started tugging at my pants that I realized I was standing on the hem she was trying to pin up.

I had an important realization today. I do not detest all tea. The other day I had some Earl Gray, which was palatable but not delicious. Today I tried some Lady Gray, and I actually liked it! The funny thing is that everyone has been trying to get me to drink herbal tea, which I really don't like. But it seems like black tea is far less offensive. Tomorrow I try Irish Breakfast. And since I didn't take a photo of my tea, I post a photo of this:
It's Stick Tea for real! Two years ago a doctor had told Sarah to drink a certain medicinal tea. It was muddy brown, and, in accordance with its taste, Sarah named it "stick tea." I guess twig tea has smaller pieces.