Eulogy to A Blender

RIP HB Blender, 2004-2012

I bought you in college in 2004

for under $20; I couldn't ask for more.

Little did I know, when I bought you back then,

you'd last me through college -- and longer than any gent!

From '07 to '09, you took a small break

while I served as a missionary, far from Salt Lake.

Then in August, we headed back down to the U,

to live with Lupita, my baggage, and you.

My internship in Washington meant we had to part ways

but luckily, it wasn't for TOO many days.

Then a full-time DC job: a politica's dream!

But my life here without you had me wanting to scream!

So I went back to Utah to visit my fam,

and I brought you back with me in my suitcase all crammed. 

First we lived in Dupont, then we moved to the 'burbs,

where you sat by the window looking out at the birds.

And then one dark Sunday, you uttered your last.

But you made sure to finish your very last task!

I will think of you fondly as I eat all that soup

(It's potato-red pepper, so you know that it's gooood!)

For nearly a decade, you and me, we were pals.

Through smoothies and turkeys, and lots of good cals.

Now you're still on my counter, because I cannot bear

to chuck you in the garbage, as if I didn't care!

Thank you Hamilton Beach Blender for all the good times.

May you rest now forever, and may I soon stop cryin'!

The Merry Wives of Windsor

On Friday the last, I went with some friends

to catch up on Shakespeare. (We stayed 'til the end.)

For one of our own did star in the show.

As Simple, the servant, Matt suffered some blows.*

*(No, but really! Poor guy got stuffed in a closet, beaten, and grabbed! But he did great!)

Chase preps pre-show by eating paninis & reading Sparknotes. (I was so impressed that he has season theater tickets!)

That Shakespeare was a witty fellow.

Smiles, post-show. :D

By the end of the show, we all were quite merry.

With laughter and mirth, we were not at all weary.

So off to Pitango for a post-Shakespeare treat!

We did eat and did eat (and did eat and did eat!).

Chocolate chocolate-chip + Rhubarb = Mmmmmm...

Eating gelato is fuuuun!

Chase is so uncouth! Look at him with his stripey socks on the counter... Forsooth!

Matching shirts.

After eating our fill, we went separate ways

(Only to meet again the very next day.)

For the ladies, a sleepover was called for post haste!

(It sure beats staying alone when it's late.)

Fun, laughter, and good spirits were encountered by all.

Thank you, Matt, for the tickets! We sure had a ball!

:)

SPRING! and Thoughts on Working From Home

SPRING is here! I'm a big fan. Huge fan. :) Photographic evidence below:

Spring at GW (taken before class, when the
sun was still out).

Spring at GW at night (taken AFTER class, when the sun
had already peaced out).

I'm going to see the cherry blossoms this weekend (Going running there on Friday! Then with friends on Saturday.), and I'll DEFINITELY post pictures!

Unrelated- I have two jobs now, and I really like both of them. I enjoy what I do (thinking, strategizing, organizing, planning), I work with great people at both organizations, and I love that I feel challenged at work again. Another thing I love about my current setup is that I sometimes get to work from home. I love it so much, I decided to share my thoughts with you via poetry (more specifically, a limmerick). That, and it's been a while since my last poem. (For my very first blog poem, see here. Surely, you will be moved to tears!)

"Thoughts on Working From Home"

Working from home is great,

because I can wake up late.

I go running mid-day,

and see deer on my way.

I hope this is always my fate.

OK, so I don't wake up "LATE" late, but I DO get to wake up just a little bit later, because I don't have to factor in commuting time. And I DO see deer! Also, I'm not good at waking up early to exercise, but doing it mid-day? Yes, please! I stopped running last May when I had some issues with my back, but over the course of the last year, I've realized that A- I miss running and being active. B- Not running = BAD news. C- I'm not going to do any other sort of cardiovascular exercise. D- While gyms offer plenty of alternatives to running, they GROSS ME OUT. (Sharing machines with sweaty people? Ewww. Other people's sweaty germs all over the place? No thanks. And don't even get me started on the locker rooms...) E- I hear biking is great, too, but bikes are eh-spensive! So I decided to phase running back into my life, three times a week to start with. I'm bonding again with ice packs, but so far, so good!

In conclusion, I love having the flexibility to work from home, AND I feel that I actually get MORE done this way (including my homework! and even some blogging. Praises!). Although, given the hour of this posting, I'm still up late, but hey, progress is progress, am I right? Why, yes. Yes, I am. I'm really glad I've learned this about myself. Some people work better in an office, with regular 9-6 hours... Apparently, I'm not one of them.

PS Did I share my latest Voto Latino article yet? I don't remember. Oh, well. Here it is!

Homework Haikus

#1

Homework every day.

I work, work, work and don’t play.
But sometimes, I blog.

#2

Paper due today.

Can't wrap my head around this.

Time is running out.

(No, but really. Class is in an hour and a half!)

Ode to a (Junior Bacon) Cheeseburger

Last night, I attended the State of the Union Tweetup at the White House. It was a great experience, and I'm excited to share more about it later! Today, I'm super swamped with work and a school deadline (plus working at the Temple tonight), so I'll share an amazing anecdote instead. After hours and hours (not really, but it sure felt like it) of waiting for the metro last night post-SOTU, I finally made it back to my car just before 1am, and I was STARVING!! I decided to book it to my nearest Wendy's for a junior bacon cheeseburger, and thankfully, I made it just in time! I share my thoughts on this, for your reading pleasure, below: 

Photo brought to you by Polyvore

Ode to a JBC
(written just now by me)

You saved me in college on many late nights

from having to cook when deadlines were tight.

Last night you came through again, oh, JBC fair.

It’s been a long time, but still, you were there.

I ate you so quickly, I made record time.

Deliciously fatty, you sure blew my mind.

So thank you for saving me, dear JBC.

May I always and forever live near a Wendy’s.

(P.S. SOTU Preview- One of my Tweets got included in this article about what DC peeps were saying about the President's speech. Can you find mine? I had to hit "Page down" about 3 or 4 times to get to it.)