Wednesday, February 25, 2009

string

I have a tendency to get pretty obsessive about things like squash (the sport, not the veg), mad men (which is coming back in the Summer!!), James Baldwin, blueberries, baking (when I have an actual kitchen), sex and the city (I just started watching the show last year and have already bought every single season ... it's sick I tell you!), and now ... crochet. I am totally hooked, literally! har har.

I cannot stop crocheting. Nothing can pull me away. The president's speech? I listened, but my eyes did not leave my crochet needle and yarn. Chris trying to talk to me? I'm sure he was annoyed because I was responding with very distracted uh huh's. Bed time? I brought my needle into bed with me and in my head kept thinking ... just one more row, one more row.

Yesterday, my obsession went to the next level: purchasing quality yarn. Right now I had bummed a needle off one of my coworkers and another coworker donated some old acrylic yarn she had bought years ago. Now I must have actual, wearable, 100% organic cotton yarn. Check these beauties out!


That last one I got in a cream color, not lime green. I'm very excited!!! I can't wait until they come in the mail along with my set of 5 crochet needles. YESSSSSS!

(all images courtesy of string. check it out!)

Thursday, February 19, 2009

today: a tribute!

Hi friends. I haven't updated in a while but that's mostly because I am really busy at work and then once I get home all I want to do is go to bed and not look at a computer screen, if you know what I mean. A lot of exciting stuff going on though ... working on another cover feature for the magazine, getting ready for our big conference, the mobilization to end poverty (we've invited President Obama! Hoping he comes!), and having a good time bonding with people in D.C. and hanging out with le boyfriend. Chris and I had a great Valentine's Day geeking out at the Newseum. If you live in D.C. and haven't gone yet, I highly suggest you go! We also ate at two great restaurants--Domku, a hungarian cafe, and Founding Farmers, a farm-to-table restaurant in the heart of D.C. I think we were so into our activities or our food or each other that we completely forgot to take any pictures, so last minute we took a couple on the street in my neighborhood right before Chris left to catch a bus back up to New York.







Yes, yes I know, barf-alicious. But what can I say? He's, like, my best friend.

Friday, February 13, 2009

love is all around

I love Valentine's Day. Even when I didn't have a significant somebody, it was always nice to celebrate a beautiful concept: LOVE! Oh yes, I love love because it elicits such great images, scenes, songs, films, writing, etc. The other night, my friend Joy and I watched the film Paris Je t'aime. If you haven't seen it, I urge you to run out and get it and watch it with your honey or on your own for Valentine's Day. It will make you happy to be a human being who can feel and care and become involved in another person's heart, rather than an animal that just shags and leaves.

So I hope you all have a love-ly weekend.


I <3 Panda!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Radical Valentine's Day Veggies

Why did I even major in professional writing? Here is the latest and greatest installment of "Jeannie-works-as-a-journalist-by-not-doing-any-real-journalism" ... another how-to video with my fabulous colleague, Zab. We make a fun Valentine's Day stir fry that turns a lovely shade of red with the help of some healthy beets. Watching yourself in video is good because it helps you to become more self aware about your facial expressions.

So what do you guys think? Any suggestions for me? I can take it ... I'm a big girl.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Inauguration Day

There's been plenty written about Inauguration Day and I could go on and on, but thought it would be more meaningful for me to keep in mind just two clear memories from my time on the Mall.

1. The metro stations closest to the Mall were closed one by one due to heavy foot traffic in the areas. By the time I got off at the Chinatown metro stop, a passenger had already been struck by an oncoming train, so overcrowding was getting pretty harmful. The only way to get onto the mall was by walking all the way to the back end of the mall, near the Washington Monument. This was a long walk people, through some pretty harsh conditions -- cold, wind, crowds, all on foot, and I was alone. It could have been miserable.

By the time I finally made it to the tail end of the mall, the ceremony had already begun with all the people congregating on the stage, getting ready for the main people to make an appearance. I was starting to get a little cranky when suddenly, out of nowhere, the crowds broke and I saw before me an entire sea of people waiting to see this momentous event. I was so overwhelmed I broke into tears. The yearning of all of those people gathered together was nearly tangible. It was a beautiful sight.

2. While listening to the ceremony I stood by myself, shaking my tail off and trying to stand out of the wind, but in the direct sun light. After shivering for a while, a lady to my right said, "Hey you are shaking! Come stand over here with us and we'll all huddle together." Normally, my shy self would have politely declined, but it was pretty darn cold, so I shamelessly accepted and wedged my body in between my new-found friends from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. There in the middle of strangers, I celebrated this deeply personal and yet profoundly communal event. It was a beautiful way to celebrate.



Walking with the crowds to the Mall





Finally arriving at the Monument





I love this man's inauguration day garb!





The back of the Mall, before it got crazy crowded





A lovely home-made flag





A small idea of how crowded it was





It was a beautiful day



**So ... where were you when Obama took the oath?