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Snowed in, Again: Feb 3rd

Most Ridiculous Horoscope Ever

I'm not sure what the astrologist was smoking when they wrote this but it really cracked me up:

Pisces:
You'll spend time with someone who highlights your soulfulness. Together, you'll tumble into precious moments of depth and then rise out of them with hearts as light as helium.

I'm probably as hopeless a romantic as a pisces can be but even for me this was over the top. Oh, balloon man with your helium filled hearts of love . . . where are you?!

No Postage Necessary

Many of my clients have heard me complain about how the US Post Office with its need for efficiency and mechanization has ruined sending fun things through the mail. It used to be you could paint a piece of wood, affix the proper amount of postage and away it would go. But no more, everything has to be uniform and BORING.

In Sunday's post, Andrea Sachs wrote a great article about an island in the Galapagos called Floreana where travelers leave postcards in a barrel and other travelers go through them and deliver them by hand. The tradition was started by 18th century whalers as a way to stay in touch with family and friends in England.

Photo by Andrea Sachs/Washington Post

Washingtonian for a Weekend

Dusting my butt. I used to never pay attention to weather predictions because I thought they were full of poo. However, since having a kid I take the forecasters' magic eight ball declarations a bit more serious--I have to plan ahead when there might not be school or more importantly keep my precious safe from impending floods, blizzards, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc. But that's my anxiety talking and another topic all together. The point is, I decided to attend my cousin's 30th birthday party in DC on Friday night knowing that we may receive a 'dusting' of snow--no more than an inch. My anxiety meter registered this on the 'no need to freak out' scale so around 5pm I took off.

I checked into my favorite DC hotel (and client) The Carlyle Suites in Dupont Circle and then walked (yes walked--something confusingly foreign in rural WV) to the Science Club for the party. Like most DC clubs, the Science Club is three floors of an old DC building--narrow with lots of nice architectural elements AND they were serving a Samuel Smith's Winter Ale--delicious!

The next morning I walked back into Dupont for tea and breakfast at Teasim (ginger chai shake, smoked salmon and a scone) and then checked out the Phillip's Collection. I really like the Phillip's--small enough to get through quickly and they have some really fantastic pieces. This time around, I found myself drawn to several George Braque paintings and The Philodendron was by far the most intriguing. I was also impressed by the photographer Josef Sudek and his image of record albums--unfortunately they wouldn't let me take a photo of it and I can't find a copy on the web. Many people feel that the Phillip's is too expensive--most DC museums are free. I don't mind paying the $10 but what I do mind is having someone follow me around the whole time. They must have had two people for every room for this purpose.

At this point it began snowing quite heavily but thinking it would soon end, I packed up got in the car and headed to Trader Joe's a mile away. That's when I realized I wasn't going anywhere. I turned around and my hosts and the Carlyle graciously granted me another night. Being stuck in DC, while a bit lonely for me, is a great city to be stuck in. I shopped some in the Circle (one of my favorite stores is Tabletop a designer's paradise--Lotta Jansdotter, Orla Keily, Jonathan Adler and more) and then later I was able to walk from the hotel to Perry's in Adams Morgan and warm up with a fisherman's stew and stuffed dates. After FREEZING on the street for a while, I finally got a cab and we slid our way through the city to the E Street Cinema for Crazy Heart. While the 'Lebowski's' performance was really remarkable and T. Bone Burnett produced a great soundtrack, the movie itself was a bit lackluster. No real story or maybe no new story when it comes to aging alcoholic musicians.

I took the Metro back to Dupont, made a stop at Starbucks and headed back to the hotel. I awoke to a beautiful, sunny, Sunday morning and looked out my room window over snowy DC rooftops to the Washington Monument. Pretty impressive view. After breakfast at Luna Grille & Diner (smoked salmon omelet) I once again loaded up and finally headed over to Trader Joe's on Pennsylvania avenue to stock up before heading back to WV. All in all a lovely forced vacation weekend. Thank you snow!!