Picture Project Post, April 22-May 2

Luke sat straight up in bed this morning, and with nothing but concern, urgency and compassion in his voice said "If the mice want to leave, why don't they just come in here!" He then said, "I need a drink of water" and fell back on the bed with his head directly on my stomach. After some prodding, he got up, got a drink and then went to bed. I hope those mice got everything figured out.

I think that bluegrass music is wonderfully complicated and simple all at the same time. And I love how classical music is beautifully complicated. These two types of music have filled my nights (and, lets be honest, my days too) these past several weeks. And that's okay with me.

I want to live in the Wild West. Oh, so terribly. You know, like Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. Only life for me would be much more real and much less horribly acted. But you really do have to love Dr. Quinn.

Luke and I just got new cell phones. Luke is recording his voice mail message for the first time since he got his first cell phone in high school. You all should call him and tell him how professional and nice it sounds. He's having a hard time. I like it when he listens to it and laughs. It gives him tiny wrinkles around his eyes. I like those wrinkles.

Well, enough for the mushy love stuff. And for thinking about how I want to live in Colorado circa 1860. And for how bluegrass and classical music sum up my existence. On to the pictures (which I know you all have been anxiously awaiting...)

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April 22, 2009: It was a gloomy, rainy day, but on my way back from Child Trends I saw this delightful woman with a splendid umbrella that brightened my day.

April 23, 2009: This little bike (parked at the metro) summed up my day, which was full of cute children at both the preschool observations and my commute to and from work.

April 24, 2009: Stopped at Chapel Hill on the way to the lake house to spend the weekend with family. We got Cosmic and [B] Ski's and walked and talked with sisters (and I include Amanda in that category, quite naturally).

April 25, 2009: After a relaxing and rejuvenating day at the lake, we went to a UNC Baseball game with the Smith Parents, the sisters (pictured here) and (for awhile) Kevin. We cheered the beloved Diamond Heels onto victory, just like in the days of yore.

April 26, 2009: On the way home, Luke and I stopped at the Stonewall Jackson Shrine. It is the place where he died. The whole thing was surprisingly (and somewhat hilariously...) reverent. Luke said that the look on his face (which I find quite humorous) "depicts his conflicting emotions perfectly".

April 27, 2009: I GARDENED! In the community garden down the street. I spent 3.5 hours there getting blissfully dirty and building a path between our little half-plot and our neighbor's full plot. This is the first time the plot we were assigned has ever been used, so my time on Monday was spent digging up years and years of weeds. These are the majority of them, enough to fill a huge wheelbarrow! I can't wait to plant things and eat the things that I plant. And the whole concept of a community garden, I think is incredibly beautiful on so many levels.

April 28, 2009: On my way home from work I saw this in the Columbia Heights Metro Station. It's a Pepsi Advertisement that says "Together" and under it somebody but a bumper sticker that says "Tooth Decay", complete with Pepsi signs as the "o's". The best part was that a girl who looked like she was in somewhat of a rush stopped and came back to take a picture of it with me. We shared a laughing moment. I think she might have been a kindred spirit (Anne of Green Gables, anyone?). Unfortunately, she was going the other way on the metro.

April 29, 2009: One of my favorite things ever is corn on the cob. Luke and I got some of the "first of the season" and sat eating corn on the cob and listening to bluegrass music with the windows open and the sounds of our neighborhood and a soft breeze drifting through our tiny apartment. The city isn't so bad sometimes.

April 30, 2009: Luke and I went to the Library of Congress to see Peter Brown, an expert on Early Christianity and Monasticism give a lecture on poverty and early Christianity in the Monasteries. It was really interesting. Peter Brown was delightfully old and had huge glasses that kept slipping off his nose. He had a soft, melodic voice with a mixture of accents from England, Ireland and America. And he made intellectual jokes that were actually funny. The intellectual world both intrigues and disgusts me all at the same time.

May 1, 2009: Who needs sleep? While all you weaklings were sleeping I was building this desk. It's the third desk I've built for Polaris. If nothing else, my time at Polaris has given me an accurate picture of what working at a non-profit looks like. No one else to build the desks for you, you build them yourself.

May 2, 2009: It was Latino Heritage Day at National's Park today! Luke and I got there early to get $5 tickets and free Los Nacionales t-shirts (which we are sporting in this picture). We didn't actually sit that close to the field, we were just sitting down there for batting practice. Luke just found out that our starting pitcher (who is from the Curacao, he represented his heritage well) is 22. Today he led the Nationals (or should I say Los Nacionales) to a 6-1 victory over the Cardinals. He pitched the entire game! Luke is wondering why he is only working in a consulting firm =)

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In other news, Happy the Hippo from the Washington, DC Smithsonian Zoo is moving to the Wisconsin Zoo to make room for the new elephant exhibit. It looks like Luke and I are moving to Wisconsin!