Happy Halloween!

Halloween was celebrated on Saturday in this neck of the woods. With Hurricane Sandy a day away, it added a bit of extra spook to the evening. I trekked to Columbia Heights to celebrate my friend Vansa's birthday Halloween style! I dressed as a German girl because, well, I was just there and also I was going to be an Olympic swimmer, but my friends at this party I know through swimming. I just couldn't bring myself to be a swimmer at a swimmer party.

The people at Vansa's were dressed as everything from smurfs to warriors, taxi cabs to crash victims. And then we went out on U Street. And then this picture happened at the end of the night.

Happy Halloween everyone!

On risk taking

There is no sure thing. As a matter of fact, the likelihood of changing needs or incompatibility is high. But it's the imperfections and idiosyncrasies of you that draw me in.  Those things make you challenging, like a puzzle.  I'll work on it at midnight when the storm is in full swing, threatening the comfort that I take for granted and forcing me to acknowledge that feeling safe is more important to me than I realize.  I like that those quirks keep me interested, giving me reasons to keep searching and dwelling on what I appreciate, forcing the negative behind the rose colored lenses.  In my search, I see the potential, and I take one more risky step forward.

I already compromised. I ate at midnight, and I returned to the familiar. For me, ignoring my head and focusing on my heart was a compromise. But I want to take this risk. This risk sits right in the middle of everything that is the same, making everything around me different from what it once was and making it impossible to ever have it be the same as before.

You are difficult and intense.  I am flexible and quirky, unafraid of strength but afraid of losing. I am focused but not blind. I will encourage you to stay true to yourself and to meet your potential because I extend the same courtesy to myself.

I want to take the risk so that I am the one you turn to for encouragement, the one who convinces you not to fear change.

I want to shake you out of the comfort zone.  Don't stay stagnate, because it's impossible to do that anyway, and it disappoints me. Trying to avoid change, hurt, or discomfort creates voids, I think. You'd risk pain, devastation, or loss in exchange for the protection of your beliefs because it's worth it. And I am too.

I can't make promises to the end of the Earth that there won't come a time that it won't work. But I can promise to always give in faith and mind. I can't be someone else or give what others have given, just in the same way that I can't be French or look like that new Bond girl every second of my life. I can't be the perfect mix of attractive and intelligent. I can only be me. And me is not always like you. And me is a woman, your greatest fear. Me is someone who is powerful because I am charged with holding your heart safe while I balance, always on the verge. But in exchange, that risk I've taken too. I've contracted the protection of my heart out to a mercenary instead of using my own forces which I've carefully built since Day 1.

Every risk I've ever taken has enriched me, filled me, reminded me that I'm human. I am not afraid.

Green thumb

Some people were meant to keep beautiful plants and nurture them to grow and produce beautiful petals, tasty vegetables, or aromatic herbs. And some people can bring death to any plant, anywhere just simply by thinking about that plant for longer than 1 second. I am one of the latter.

I was just introduced to egg, tomato, basil, and goat cheese paninis.  In an effort to recreate this sandwich in my own kitchen, I decided that it would be a good time to try to grow basil again. Last time I had a basil plant, it was kept alive for about 3 weeks only because my roommate Courtney also made an effort to take care of it. Well, this time I was on my own as a caretaker. I went to Harris Teeter and for $2.99 bought a basil plant.  In my head, I figured 3 bucks for a lifetime of basil was probably worth it. In reality, this is what happened in exactly one week:

I followed the instructions. I just don't understand. Sorry, little basil plant, for bringing you home to your doom.

The squirrel ate my Halloween.

Remind me to have a stern chat with the resident psycho squirrel in my front yard. He is a Halloween scrooge.

Lincoln looks awesome

Have you guys seen the trailer for the movie Lincoln? O my lanta, I want to see it. And the new Bond flick. And Finding Nemo 3D, which I am embarrassed that I haven't gone to see yet. Unacceptable.

Also, sorry I haven't posted anything for a month. I haven't been feeling particularly bloggy (no one should probably ever feel "bloggy"-- it sounds horrible). But I'll be back soon with tales of life in DC. xoxo