The Eagle Has Landed

My apartment is finally coming together, after a short three weeks since moving in--it's a good feeling and definitely nice to come home to at least one complete room versus just a lot of stuff and not a lot of places to put it all.

It was an interesting weekend, full of lots of humor and revelations about where I currently exist. And it was all positive. I had a startling, yet timely, realization that it was time to let people go who had been nothing but judgmental and unsupportive for too long, and it was also a weekend of realizing the great people who remained to keep me balanced.

One of my favorite people in D.C. (and in my life), CB, woke up early with me on Saturday morning to head out to Ikea as it opened to try to find this elusive dresser that has kept my bedroom in a seriously un-zen state for 22 days. We hauled ourselves up there, coffee in hand, and made our way through the maze that is Ikea, College Park. They force you to walk through the ENTIRE store causing people to believe they need far more than they actually do. I was a victim of it, as was C, but it was wholly successful and the afternoon was full of promise as we pulled back into the District.

An interesting thing has happened in the last few weeks. Everyone I know seems to be doing some sort of home improvement/restoration. It's fun to have a posse of people who are all thinking about the same kinds of things--color schemes, furniture placement, curtains and bedding. CB was no exception. Having bought a new fabulous bed and all the fixings that go with that, she, too, was in the market for some accents and new goodies. Most notably a rug. Now, here's the first downfall of shopping with good friends--we persuade each other that what sits before us is really what you absolutely need right now no matter the price!!!!! Thus CB walked out of the rug department with a beautiful Gebbe rug far more expensive than the ones she envisioned purchasing before we arrived. (But it looks great, girlfriend!).

Strolling through the aisles and maze of "rooms" Ikea sets up inspired both of us, but after I located the dresser I wanted, we headed down stairs to the abyss of $hit you have to walk through to first get to the aisles where the boxes of furniture sit, and eventually to the checkout. I call this area the abyss of $hit because it includes everything you never EVER knew you needed, but HAVE to have. Case in point: The Jello Shot Trays.

Let me paint the picture: CB and I, weary after making it this far through the store, walk through the kitchen area of the abyss, stunned by all the shiny things they have. OOOHH a Wok! (I hate stir fry, and I was tempted to buy it). OOOHHH new plates! (I just bought a brand new set before moving in here). OOOHHH a weird grilling thing that has a bendy handle that moves and causes me to think I broke the damn thing just by picking it up (I don't even know on which kitchen surface I would use this). So you get the point. Just when we think we're in the clear, the two of us strolled past a bin filled with rubber trays with cut outs--stars, puzzle pieces, hearts, (beer) bottles. A large sign was advertising "Ice cube trays, $1.99!!!!". The two of us stopped dead in our tracks. If one of us had had a Sharpie I think we would have taken the sign, crossed out "Ice Cube Trays" and penciled in "Jello Shot Trays" since that's what we both exclaimed at precisely the same time we saw them. Clearly, we were purchasing a few of these and of course, we would throw a dresser warming party that night and try them out.

An hour later we were in the car back to the city, a Saturday morning well spent.

One of the things I hate about Ikea is the self assembly required for all their furniture. CB had assured me she "loved" putting Ikea furniture together and was a "pro" at it, so I happily dragged her back to my apartment and put her to work on the dresser, while she sent me away to get lunch. Now let's be clear: this was not one of the three drawer Ikea specials you see in most college dorm rooms: it's a large (and pretty) 8 chest bureau. I don't know if CB really took that into consideration as she pronounces her love of furniture assembly. As she steadily worked on the dresser, employing me as needed, I put together some bathroom fixtures and ran out to get the necessary ingredients of Jello shots (Vodka. Seriously. It's the only necessary ingredient. Oh, and Jello is helpful) and sent out the email to the gals about the impromptu party being held that evening.

3.5 hours later the dresser was put together, the Jello shots were firming in the refrigerator and CB and I were lounging in the living room having a celebratory vodka soda. It dawned on us, somewhere between the first and third ounce of vodka, that this is one of those boy afternoons where you kind of don't realize what missing until you need someone power tool inclined and wicked strong. But we also realized that girlfriends can make a pretty good team and stand in for the boy (we exclaimed as we gave each other high fives!) and we settled back in to our drinks comforted knowing that we could be each other's boyfriends as the opportunity presented itself.

The gathering, impromptu and small, was a great event. IG, our local male captain of the Pink Team graced us with his presence, was charming and complimentary as an captain should be, and fed us all jello shots out of a spoon. (Note to those rushing out the door to hit Ikea and get the Jello Shot Molds after reading this post: The actual formed alcohol infused jello is quite tricky to get out of the mold. Proceed with caution). It was just the end as great a day as anyone could have asked for, and I got to show off my new bedroom and fabulous dresser in the "preview" to my housewarming party (which might take place in December, based on the rate things are coming together!).

I love the times when the negative is canceled and buried by the positive and you're left with only the good and a bit of a lighter step. Cheers to that!

The Celebratory Summer

*This was supposed to be published on Aug 11--it's a couple of days late getting up there!*

Today is the first day of the rest of all of our lives. I suppose every day is like that, but for my good friend LP I think that statement is really true.

LP and GC are marrying today--the same way I felt with my sister before her wedding is how I feel today-there is nothing more thrilling than seeing someone you love find extreme and true happiness with another, and being present and able to help them celebrate. Weddings are these great events--they are multidimensional because the day is truly about the 2 people who are getting married, but equally as much a celebration joined by the people who traveled down the path at so many different stages of life to get them here.

LP and I have been friends since working in the Good Senator's office--a moment after college, during 9/11 when L, J, R and I felt like we were the princesses of the marble halls of Russell and Dirksen. I think every young staffer feels like that--we were no anomoly--an it's funny to experience the metamorphisis from feeling heady and important (ha--22 years old--what a great and delusional age) to gaining the understanding that the work we were doing is important, but we are simply one of many many many people helping to make a machine run.

We were the fun ones in the office. We bonded at cocktail receptions that the Senator and his senior staff were invited to but passed their invitations down to us. It was comical--all of these lobbying groups, companies etc would provide lavish spreads--booze as far as you could see, mounds of cheese, h'ors doerves and when you looked around it was all junior staff coming to partake in the bounty. I'm not going to lie. It was hard living in DC on $26,000 a year. So we took advantage anytime free food and drink was offered. I used to say that it should be illegal to give away free alcohol to anyone who made less than $35k/year as it seemed to foster what some might call "excessive drinking".

As naive (but fun!) 22 year olds, L, R and I made highly intelligent decisions. The one we still laugh about (frequently) is when hatched the brilliant plan to document our escapades as young, single, bargoing DC girls in one of the hill online rags, HillZoo. We even got the committee's press person to ok it. We did not, however, cover our bases with the senior staff in the personal office. A decision that would come back to haunt all of us....

The posts were hilarious--witty, racy, and totally inappropriate. The editor of HillZoo loved us--probably because we thought it completely fine to use taglines such as this highly memorable one: "Brass Monkey: A bar where you start the night pounding shots and end it pounding a random stranger". (Mom, I know, you should feel proud).

We did this for months and months. When it took us more than three weeks to give them a new column, people would actually complain. L was famous for smacking people's asses after a few cocktails and having it end up in that week's column much to her chagrin and pleas of more editing. But it was harmless fun..until I left the Senate and the news leaked out...

I left to save the world (Peace Corps, duh) and we all decided to hang up our HillZoo shoes upon my departure. For months the editor wanted to publish our identities or who we worked for. We refused to let him (deep down we all knew that this would probably reflect poorly if, say, the Senator discovered his three young staffers penning this kind of article). When I left and we pulled the plug, the editor pleaded to keep it going between R and L, they said no. We told him thanks, but it was time to move on. I left for Vermont a few days later to get ready for my next big adventure and left L and R and J in DC...

Then the email arrives. "DLS: Chief of Staff wants to talk to you. Oh, and you might want to check HillZoo's comings and goings section". Oh. Shit. Our agreement with editor was that he would never reveal our identities--the most people new of us were our first names and that we worked for a senator. What we did not ban, or not overtly anyway, was the revelation of identity after we had all finished. That's right, front and center on the first page of HillZoo was an entire bio about me leaving, who I worked for, where I was going, and the column we all used to write. And L and R were implicated just as much. Oops.

I got off the easiest--I had already left the office. L and R had to sit face to face with Chief of Staff and Scary C and get their little life lessons. I sent an angry and forceful email to editor demanding he take the latest post down. Life went on.

J, L, R and I reminisce a lot about that year. They all stayed on for various amounts of time (J is still there, and is super important now, but this time for real). But we've all grown up a lot too in the past 6 years--it's a joy to think L is getting married today, and R will be in less than a year. And I have no doubt that our naive beginnings are being replicated by many more heady, ambitious and carefree 22 year olds. But I do believe that we had and continue to have more fun than any of them.

Congratulations LP and GC--you two are perfect for each other and I cannot wait to celebrate this amazing day with the two of you.