A Love Reaffirmed

I love NPR. And here in DC, although it's a big city with lots of colleges, the radio stinks. Which means I listen to NPR almost constantly in my car. And today, while driving to Trader Joe's (about half my credit card bill is there every month), I was reminded of why I love NPR. Here's something I never thought I would see together in a sentence - NPR reviewed the new album by Britney Spears, and actually gave it a positive review. Hearing this reminds me of what I love about myself and also so many of my friends. The intelligent, serious, responsible side that also holds a funny side that loves pop culture. Nothing like hearing the Fresh Aire credits being read over a little Britney.

The Line That Divides Man and Bum

Am I turning into George Costanza?

I live in a large apartment building with a big wall of mailboxes and a big trash can for unwanted mail for those who don't recycle. Yesterday, I checked the mail, and sitting on top of the trash can was an issue of The New Yorker and an issue of Elle Decor. They were on top of the can, not in it, not sitting near the top but technically below the brim, but ON TOP. Anyway, they aren't there anymore, they are now on my bedside table. Is that gross or just environmentally conscious since I'm reusing and I'll recycle them when I'm done?

My So-Called Almost-Lost Weekend

I just got this in the mail today. I have fun plans for the weekend so I won't get to watch too much of it, which is good. I am very tempted to watch it all in one long marathon.

Mmmmm, Jordan Catalano, even with his reading problems and calling Brian, Brain.

Honk! Ooops, Sorry I'm Not From Around Here

So I have Utah plates on my car which is nice when I do something stupid on these crazy Northern VA roads.

This week I worked W, Th, and Fri nights, meaning that I left work around 7:30am the next day.

Thursday night, going to work, my car was acting a bit funny and I realized I hadn't changed the oil since driving here. So Friday morning, I wanted to stop on the way home and pick up a few quarts of oil to get me through the week till I could get it changed. In a combination of sleepiness and being new to the area, I took the exit before mine, thinking I would pass a store on the way home. Then I remembered I had done that before and there is nothing on that road. So then I turned around and, long story short, spent almost 90 minutes driving around, figuring out where I was, using my trusty map, buying oil, and getting home.

The next day, Saturday morning, on my way home, I thought it would be nice to swing by the farmers' market in Old Town Alexandria. The best way to get there is take the exit just past mine. Well, somehow I missed it, and it's the last exit before you go over the Potomac river into Maryland. No problem, I'll just take a Maryland exit, turn around, and take I-495 back over the Potomac into Virginia. EXCEPT...the traffic in that direction was backed up for at least 5 miles, completely stopped. That pretty river I like on almost every other day means you can't just take side streets back, you need a bridge. So again I turned to my trusty map, took a side road up into DC, onto the 395, over the Potomac in a different spot, and came down Route 1 into Old Town and to the farmers' market. It was small but nice, bought some eggplant, peppers, and apples.

But I have now resolved no pit stops on the way home from work unless I know exactly where I am going.

Glad I Wasn't a Pioneer - It Was Long Enough Just Driving It!

Day 1 (9/4/07) - Utah to Hays, Kansas
Not much to report about this day except a cruel twist of fate. I haven't had a date since October but in the middle of Colorado, my phone rings; it's a guy from my ward asking me out. Of course, the day I move out of the state, I get asked out.

Day 2 (9/5/07) - Hays, Kansas to Memphis, Tennessee
You know you are in Middle America when most of the stations you can find are country music, Christian music, or sermons. Later, flipping through the stations I caught the farm report 4 times. I also heard a nice mix of Poison, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Guns n Roses, and several other songs by hair bands. You would never buy the album but you know every word. Towns have signs off the highway declaring that they are the birthplace of Bob Dole or some other politician. I wonder if any Democrats were born in Kansas and the towns just don't claim them? Plus I got to Memphis...

Day 3 (9/6/07) - Memphis, Tennessee
We spent the whole day in Memphis. We stayed in the Artisan Hotel. It's filled with fountains, ornate furniture, and replicas of paintings on every surface, even the ceiling.

First stop was Graceland. I want to post every photo but will limit myself (but it's still a lot). I bought a few souvenirs, a postcard with a recipe for peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and the new, limited edition, Peanut Butter and Banana Creme Reese's. The house wasn't as big as I would have thought but each room is different and one-of-a-kind. The entryway and stairs are paneled in mirrors.
Then around the corner is the jungle room with green shag carpet (on the floors and ceiling), plants and a waterfall.
Downstairs, there's the TV room with blue, yellow, and white decor, and a few ceramic monkeys.
The billards room where every surface is draped in fabric (and not a boring solid fabric either)
And then we got to the part that's more of a showcase of awards, lots and lots of awards, gold records, grammys, and more gold records.
We bought the deluxe tour so we could TCB (take care of business) and see more...
The cars
The planes (those seat belts are 18K gold plated)
And, most importantly, the jumpsuits.

We went to the Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel. This is where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot in 1968. It was amazing, lots of information about African Americans from the 17th century to present day. So many powerful, moving displays about slave rebellions, the Underground Railroad, Rosa Parks, the bus boycotts, sit-ins at lunch counters, and the March on Washington. And also an exhibit about human rights and Gandhi. No photos were allowed inside so this is it...

Then on to Sun Studios.
While I was excited to go to Graceland and the Civil Rights Museum, this was the highlight for me, and not just because of our cute tour guide.
When I was 19, I dated a guy who served his mission in Memphis and he had a Sun Records T-shirt. I really, really wanted that shirt. I do realize, I could have just bought one online but it's not authentic unless you go there to get it. The tour was great, we got to hear recordings of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and some other people that I had never heard of. Our tour guide was adorable and played guitar for us. He also let us take our pictures with a microphone that Elvis used.

We went to Beale St for dinner and Kaylyn got ribs. I just got chicken since I don't eat mammals. It was a fun street to walk down especially at night with all the neon lights.

We then drove a few hours to Nashville and happily crawled into our beds for a good sleep.

Day 4 (9/7/07) - The Nashville Nightmare. While we could have gone to see the Grand Ole Opry or some other tribute to country music (which is low on the list of my music choices), I got to spend several hours in a public health clinic waiting to get an MMR booster shot so I could start work on Monday. As you can imagine I was more than a little annoyed by this. My agency didn't tell me I needed this till I was already driving and I had to have it before I started. The nice lady at the clinic made up an address for me since they only treat people from the Nashville area. And I convinced my agency that they need to reimburse me the $50 it cost. But what about the 3.5 hours we lost. I guess I needed to learn some patience and also some gratitude for having insurance and not usually having to rely on clinics for my healthcare. So after that, we just drove to Staunton, Virginia and spent the night, very excited to have crossed the Virginia state line. One highlight of the day, I found an NPR station playing a tribute to Johnny Cash and the station stayed static-less until the end of the program.

Day 5 (9/8/07) - The Last Day, Staunton, Virginia to Alexandria, Virginia
Not too much happened on the drive except I do have to say, the mountains of Virginia are beautiful. I can't wait to get a cabin for the weekend and see all the leaves change color. We got to Alexandria with only about 2 U-turns. The apartment is huge which is another cruel twist of fate, I finally have a giant apartment with lots of closet space and I don't have any stuff. But I did fill some of my pantry with my first errand...

See, I Told You

At the end of my Life Is Good post, I said I knew even better things were on the horizon. And I was right!

I just got my first assignment with my travel nurse agency. It's been in the works for a while, 1 1/2 years, 3 months, or just a few weeks depending on how you look at it. I wanted to travel right out of school but you have to have at least a year of experience so I moved from Portland to Salt Lake for a change while getting that experience. 3 months ago I mentioned this to Kaylyn, a nurse at work. She wanted to travel too so we decided to try for September. A few weeks ago, I called an agency and started the process. A few days ago, I had an interview. And today, I got an offer!

We originally wanted to go to Boston or Austin but neither of those worked out for various reasons. So we expanded our search and I now have a place to live in September.

My first assignment is in Fairfax, Virginia, just outside Washington DC. I'm so excited. I really think this a perfect first assignment for me. My friend, Emily, lives there and we've been friends since we were 7. I have a cousin there too and a few friends from Portland have moved there. Plus Kaylyn got an offer to the same hospital. I wouldn't have known anyone in Boston. This will be a big change so it will nice to have a few friends immediately.

It's always reassuring when my risks turn out to have been worth taking. I gave notice on my apartment 11 days ago and at work too so I would have been homeless without a job.