a man's world

I did my continuing education today. Out of the 25 attendees, I was one of two women. I'm not complaining, but where did all the women go? In my graduating class, there were about an equal number of men and women.

our nation's capitol

I spent the remainder of my vacation visiting friends in Washington, D.C. I made the most of my time there.

Day 1--I arrived at the Reagan National Airport 9:00am EST, went to my friend's apartment, walked around Georgetown, grabbed a bite to eat, and hopped on the TourMobile for a narrrated tour of D.C. We saw all the monuments, the White House, and Arlington Cemetery. I remember visiting the Lincoln Memorial when I was about six years old. At the time, I didn't know who Lincoln was, but knew he must have been important to have such a huge statue built after him. I also remember there being a LOT of steps. I was surprised to see that there weren't that many steps, but when you're six, everything seems big. At about 5:20pm, I hit a wall and started getting sleepy. Not bad considering I was working off about 4 hours of sleep and adapting to the time difference. I took a short nap and then we headed out to Adams Morgan. I had Ethiopian food for the first time. It was good, but I still like Indian food better.

Day 2--We went to the National Museum of American History. I liked the First Ladies exhibit. It showed their changing political roles, societal impact, media image, and evening gowns. Then we went to the Holocaust Memorial Museum. It was sobering, but tastefully done. I didn't expect the museum to be so big. We only went through the permanent exhibit, which takes about 3 hours. Afterward, we went to the National Museum of Natural History for something more upbeat. We saw the dinosaurs first. I wanted to find out if it was true that what was named the brontosaurus is actually the mistaken combination of two different species. There was no one to ask. I guess paleontologists don't work on Sundays. We also saw the 45-carat Hope Diamond. For dinner, I had Thai food with three friends from three stages of my life. It was brief, but I enjoyed it. I have nice friends :). That night, we revisited some of the monuments. They look even better at night.

Day 3--I maneuvered through the bus and Metro systems before meeting up with my friend. We went to the National Cathedral, had lunch at Café Deluxe, and went to the International Spy Museum. All three were great recommendations. I was bummed that we couldn't have high tea at the cathedral. In August, when the tourist season starts to wind down, they only have the Tour & Tea on Wednesdays. We walked around the MCI Center and Chinatown, which is more like Chinablock. My friend said it's dinky and the food there is not very good. It's getting worse because as the area around the MCI Center gets to be more popular, trendy stores and restaurants are opening up and some Chinese storeowners are moving out. We had dinner at Gordon Biersch and then walked home from the Metro station. I was tired, but glad my feet and flip flops held up for at least that long.

Day 4--My friend took the Metro instead of the bus to work this morning, so we walked to the Metro station together. I went to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where paper currency, postage stamps, and other U.S. security documents are printed. Coins are produced at the mint. The employees there work very hard. It is a tedious and boring job and the only people they see all day are the tourists. They are not allowed to leave the building during their shifts, for security purposes. There was a plaque that said, "Think how I feel. I just printed my lifetime salary in a few minutes." After the tour, I booked it to the Smithsonian Castle, the Sculpture Garden, and the National Archives, where I saw the original Declaration of Independance, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. I met up with my friend at the Capitol Building and we went to the Botanic Garden, a living plant museum. I was impressed by how well the plants are maintained and it was the first time I saw a banana tree (they grow upside down). After that, we went kayaking along the Potomac. It was very peaceful, "theme-park conditions," as the guy said. We did some bird-watching on Roosevelt Island, the memorial to Teddy, the conservationist President. We were tired and hungry afterward and made it to Chadwick's in time for happy hour. We had dinner in Alexandria, VA and sat on a bench overlooking the Potomac. I didn't think I was a water person, but I really like rivers and lakes.

trip highlights: monuments, kayaking, chillin by the Potomac
trip lowlights: 2 mosquito bites, decent restaurants, but no outstanding food

san diego

I've been in San Diego for the last couple of days. It was so much fun just hanging out and spending quality time with two of my favorite eaters. My eating schedule did get thrown out of whack yesterday when I ate two lunches and had half a Ghirardelli hot fudge sundae for dinner. My friend and I went to the Gaslamp District at night. We went to Olé Madrid, where they had free salsa lessons and no cover charge to get in. I've only been salsa dancing once before, but this time was more fun because I got to dance with the instructor. Everything was fine and dandy until he flung me out and I messed up the steps both times. Yeah well, he didn't teach us that during the lesson. We also learned the cha-cha-cha. It's a pretty basic box step and you add variations and arm movements. Reminds me of the aerobics classes I took in my college days.

I didn't make it to the beach today, but I did manage to hit two outdoor malls. San Diego is great!

staying up late

I've been lagging on my posts for two reasons. 1. I'm on vacation and have been too busy doing to be writing. 2. I usually compose my posts at work during my down time.

Vacation for me started on Friday night when I hung out with my cousins and friend at their hotel, eating Diddy Riese cookies. Saturday--went out for breakfast, played tennis, went to Chick's tent sale, out for dinner, bowling, then tea. Sunday--church, bookclub, and 9 holes of golf. The book selection was Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. As usual, the food was amazing. At least five different cheeses, crudités, paté (goose liver never tasted so good), eggplant dip, prosciutto, buffalo wings, sausages, fruit salad, iced tea with fresh raspberries, plum brandy, and coffee and ice cream for dessert. Even though no one finished the book, we had a good time discussing our favorite characters and parts of the book as far as we read :).

On Monday, I went shopping and then to the King Tut exhibit at the LA County Museum of Arts. As my friends suggested, I picked a day when I thought there would be fewer crowds. It worked out well. I went through the exhibit in about and hour and a half, having seen and read everything, but they did put up additional copies of text to speed up the movement of the crowd. I'm not much into artifacts, but I've always been drawn to the Egyptian ones. What I found fascinating was the forensics involved in determining the cause of King Tut's death. It is still unknown. When archaeologist first X-rayed his body, they found a crack in the back of his skull and thought it was due to a blow to the head from a battle wound or murder. More recent studies involving CT scans revealed that the clot in the base of his skull was actually resin from the embalming process. There were multiple fractures in his body, possibly from mishandling by the archaeologists. One notible fracture was that found above his left knee which occured a few days before his death. It may have gotten infected and taken over his body. Other interesting facts: King Tut was 19 when he passed, 5' 6" and still growing, and had no cavities.

I met up with a friend for dinner at the Farmers' Market. I had jambalaya with mustard potato salad and a cornbread muffin. We played tennis afterward at the Sunset Recreation Center courts at UCLA. We walked through the plaza between the new residence halls. It sure beats the "rape trail" late at night. It was nice to see the finished product of all the construction that took place across the street from my apartment while I was in school. We treated ourselves to taro slushies after tennis.

On Tuesday, I took my car in to get a new timing belt, water pump, and sealant. It was pricey, but it had to be done. I went shopping before going to play volleyball. My church volleyball league just started, and it meets once a week for ten weeks. Since I'm on vacation, I was able to make it for the full three hour session. I made real progress on my goal of learning to serve overhand. Once I go back to work, I'll only be able to make the second half of the sessions. That's okay with me, since it's structured as an open gym, with people rotating into teams of players of all levels. I hope I'll get fewer and/or smaller bruises on my forearms. Tennis and volleyball in that short of a period left me hobbling. My quads (front thighs) were so sore at the end of the session that I was not able to make it up the bleachers without grimacing or using my arms. I guess that rules out rock climbing in San Diego :(.


the reason my bookclub continues to meet

graffiti art

Today I went to the Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). Last night, I passed by the museum and saw a huge crowd outside for "MOCA After Dark," something they have on Saturday nights from 6pm to midnight. So cool. I liked the exhibit, especially the big, colorful works, but contemporary is not my favorite art era. Still, it's amazing to see what an impact he made in such a short time. He was about my age when he died of a drug overdose.

On a lighter note, brunch/lunch at a cafe in Long Beach was yummy. I had a cheese scramble with sausage, potatoes, and rye bread. On our way to the museum, I saw the set up for the X games, but couldn't get a good picture from the freeway. Last night, I had a closer view of the huge skateboard ramp, but didn't have my camera. I guess it wasn't meant to be.

For dinner, I went to my friend's parents' 30th anniversary BBQ. Lots of Vietnamese food and entertainment in the form of karaoke. A good time was had by all.

working hard/hardly working

Tomorrow night I'm going salsa dancing. I have never been before, but I know the girls in my office have. I asked two of them to show me their moves. They gave me a very brief lesson in the kitchen/break room. "Now swing your hips out ... okay, just your hips ... yeah, shake your hips, shake your bootie, as long as you're shakin' something!" I'm ready for my next lesson.

And what a day for flowers! Today a patient brought in an arrangement of pink and red roses for the staff and another patient gave my boss and me each a beautiful orchid lei braided with tea leaves and an orchid bouquet for the office. No special occasion. This is right up there with homemade tamales.

After work, I met up with a couple of friends at the farmers' market where we had hot dogs, bratwurst, garlic mushrooms, licorice, and kettle corn. I bought a necklace. I don't have to be a minimalist when it comes to jewelry since it doesn't take up much space :). We had a lot of fun, but the night was not over! We went to see "March of the Penguins," a very cute movie. I would see it again.

hollywood

Last Saturday, I went to a special screening of my friend's documentary. That's my friend, the writer/director/co-producer. I can say I knew him before he made it big. The 90 minute film is set in Las Vegas, starring the writer's aunt as she competes in the Ms. Senior America 2004 pageant, a beauty pageant for women over 60. She is the first Asian-American Ms. Virginia Senior and the first Vietnamese-American to ever compete in the national pageant. And I got to meet her! A Vietnam War refugee, the widow of a political figure, and mother of three, she truly is a queen.