DC

Over Memorial Weekend, Mike and I traveled through miles and miles of back country like this:
And through Lima, Ohio (proof below... fellow Gleeks unite!)
And through Pittsburgh (where we got to visit for a bit with our favorite Pittsburgh-ites) until we got to Washington DC! It was fab. We stayed with Mike's sister and fam for a few days, played lots of games, ate lots of really good food, and did a lot of fun touring downtown.

Jefferson Memorial

Lincoln MemorialTickling breakReading breakThere were a LOT of motorcycles in DC. It was pretty entertaining to see the different things written on their leather vests (Masonic symbols, Vietnam/Iraq veterans, "bikers for Jesus," etc.)
Our niece and nephew were good sports as we walked all over the city, always smiling and laughing despite the heat, and always up for a good knock-knock joke.The Supreme Court! So freaking cool.

I love the subway. I know it's weird, considering how dirty and gross it is, but I just have a thing for subways.

On Memorial Day itself we went to Arlington Cemetery. It was really neat to be there on the day we honor those who died for our freedom. We even got to see the 21 gun salute!

Mike ate the Washington Memorial.

The Capitol!

My one request was to go to the Library of Congress. I didn't know Mike took this picture, but I think it pretty well captures my joy/awe. Did you know they have a statue of Shakespeare there?

Not pictured:
--The nasty smell of the lake in the Constitution Gardens
-Our sweat drenched clothes
-Bang!
-The most awesome used bookstore. Of. All. Time.
-Ecuadorian (or was it Salvadorian?) and Thai food
-Potomac River
-Union Station
-Our corny gifts

We had a great time and loved being there. We wish we could have stayed longer! Thanks for letting us come take over your weekend!

Book Reviews

School's Out! I have time to read again. It's great. Here's the latest...




Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen: The best part of this book was the setting. You gotta admit, a depression-era circus train is great fodder for story telling. My favorite character was Rosie, the Polish elephant, although the human characters also managed to draw me in with their dreams and their flaws. I also really liked the ending. There were unfortunately a few too-graphic parts, which make me hesitate to recommend it to anyone though. B-



The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa: I was nervous going into this book, since it was originally written in Japanese. Translated novels feel more impersonal to me, due to the additional step placed between the reader and the author. However, this book still managed to win me over. It's a short (only 164 pages) and simple story of friendship. This is a feel-good book the way feel-good books were meant to be written; not fluffy and hollow, but warm and life-affirming. Definitely a worthy read. A-




The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova: Oy vey. The more time goes by, the more I realize how much I really dislike The Historian. This book is, in a word, disappointing. It had all the ingredients (suspense, intrigue, romantic tension, secrets, etc.) but it just didn't work for the following reasons: 1)Length. It should have been half as long as it was. 2)Character development. The characters all resembled each other way too much, and most of the characters served no real purpose. 3)Plot. Oh man, I cannot tell you how incredibly disappointing the finale was. You plod through page after page just to find out what the big secret is, and then the big secret reveals itself to be... something spectacularly stupid. I think I laughed (guffawed?) out loud out of frustration. Not worth the 600+ pages it took to get there. There are plenty of well-written, perfectly chilling gothic novels out there. This is not one of them. D



The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley: I started reading this book because of its title. You have to admit, that is an awesome title. The main character, Flavia, is pretty awesome herself. She is as clever as she is cunning, and drew me in with her sharp wit and wicked observations. I think I was so taken with Flavia that I felt let down by everything else. It was a good story, just not as good as it could have been. Flavia herself is freakin bomb. But nothing else in the story lived up to her. I liked it well enough, I just think Flavia deserves the extraordinary. B+




Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: Confession. I have not actually finished this novel. I'm not sure I want to though. I'm only about 50 pages in, but from what I can gather so far, this book seems to be about justifying affairs. And that's it. No deeper message, no social commentary, no nothing. I don't like any of the characters (they can all go jump off a cliff for all I care) and I'm not really interested in reading about their inner angst. Is there a reason I should finish reading this?



Next on my list:
Well-Manered Assassin by Countess Aline Romananos
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan (don't judge.)

There is nothing in this world that I don't want to do as much as I don't want to do the dishes right now.

So I'm blogging instead.

Randomness:

-A few nights ago Mike went to bed while I stayed up late to finish a research paper. When I finally went to bed, Mike sat up and started talking to me for a few minutes. The conversation culminated in his congratulating me on becoming a 2L. (That's a second-year law student, in case in you didn't know.) Yes, he was sleep talking. This is a common occurrence in our house.

-One of my dearest friends, Tin, had her baby! Welcome to earth, Kylie. (If you don't know Tinathan, repent. Drop whatever you're doing, go to Portland, shake their hands and apologize for not introducing yourself sooner. Don't worry, they'll forgive you. They're cool like that.)

-Boston Rob is killing it on Survivor. Work it, Rob.

-I despise the word "inappropriate."

-I love, however, the word "persnickety."

-I am getting the itch to go on vacation. Like, somewhere awesome. Like Thailand, for example. Or Mexico. Really, I'm just sick of being cold all the freaking time. And Thailand would definitely qualify as awesome. Who's with me?

-A Coca-Cola can exploded in our fridge. I have no idea how this happened. I'll let you imagine what the inside of our fridge looks like right now. It's awesome. And not in a Thailand way.

-Mike is growing sugar snap peas in an old Progresso Soup can on our windowsill right now. They look promising, but I'm suspicious that they might taste like hearty chicken and wild rice.

-Today is Star Wars day! May the 4th be with you all. Here's a funny video for all you jedi warriors out there. (No seriously, watch it.)

-Mike and I have been listening to the soundtrack from the movie The Way Back. Have you seen it? I have yet to meet anybody else who has, which is really a shame since it is an absolutely beautiful film. Go get it from Redbox. Immediately. Then, let's talk.

Okay, okay, I'll go do the dishes now.

I. Can. Hardly. Breathe.

EEEEEEEEEEEKK!

Survey

So, I'm writing a paper right now about fear, and I need some help. I've already got a good chunk written, but to complete it I need to know...

What are you afraid of?

(All types of fears, large and small, are acceptable answers. For example: heights, darkness, swimming in the ocean, rejection, republicans, Barbara Walters, clowns, relationships, elevators, being alone, death, E.T., hippies, etc.)

Ego Boost

"You look beautiful!"
-Said to Melissa by the 6-year-old boy sitting in front of us at church.

Food: Let Me Count The Ways

I'm a big fan of food. Big huge fan. Seriously. So I was thinking of all my favorite foods and thought I'd make a list of the 5 best things I've ever eaten. Here they are:

BEST FOODS I'VE EVER EXPERIENCED
5. Mangoes and Coconut Juice in Rio de Janeiro. Paradise in every way.
4. Una Pizza Margherita at the Pizzeria in Firenze at the end of the markets. This eating experience is most enjoyable if you are seated in between Sorella Roper and Sorella Jones.
3. My Mom’s homemade whole wheat bread with homemade strawberry jam (comfort food).
2. Nutella* e bucaneve. I downed embarrassing quantities of this between July 06 and October 07. *Note: Must be Italian Nutella.
1. Dutch oven peach cobbler with homemade ice cream. My aunt and uncle used to make this every fourth of July. The memory still makes my mouth water.

Ahh food. How I love thee. However, just as some foods can leave our minds spinning with the delectable flavors and scrumptious textures, some other foods make me want to cut my tongue off. Here are the worst foods in existence:

WORST FOODS IN EXISTENCE
5. Eggnog. Never tried it, never will. My sensibilities just can’t grasp the appeal of drinking something with the word “nog” in it. It just gets worse when you consider that its primary ingredient is raw eggs.
4. Meatloaf. I’d rather eat grass.
3. That oyster I ate in Chicago. Angie said it best- it’s like snot in your mouth. Also that mussel I tried in Brussels had the same effect. Really, all seafood gives me the creeps.
2. Anything at the MTC. Ugh. Gag me with a spoon. I seriously don’t know how I survived. True story: the elders in my MTC district thought I had an eating disorder because I ate so little. I didn’t have an eating disorder, I just really, really, really, really hated the food. The only reason I didn’t wither away in the dark brown halls of the MTC is thanks to the chaco tacos I got from the vending machines in the basement. (Along the same lines, the Cannon Center at BYU is equally bad. Makes sense, since they’re supplied by the same manufacturer as the MTC.)
1. Chestnuts. Just the smell has the effect of making me severely nauseous. I’d say more, but I might lose my lunch. Shudder.

So what's the best thing you've ever eaten? And where should a lover of all good food go to acquire said best thing you've ever eaten? (Or, what's the worst thing you've ever eaten, and why did you eat it in the first place??)