My mother

I found these on my computer... My mama.

My other mama... my Nana.

Minimalist

I've been thinking a lot about minimalism and how it can benefit my daily life. I already have minimalist tendencies, but I want to make a more active effort to make minimalist decisions.

I don't have many personal belongings- I could probably fit everything in a few bags of luggage. Before this year, I didn't have a home other than the dorm rooms, so many of my belongings had to go. Every year I gave up more and more things.
Almost everything I own, I need or use constantly.
My biggest challenge will be clothes...

For some inspiration:

Steve Jobs in his home, 1982. The most successful minimalist.

My Weekend

I had some pretty good days this past weekend.

Friday night I went to Finn & Porter for DC's Restaurant Week. It's a great time to eat super fly food at a super fly price. I wish RW was every week.
Friday was also my roommate's birthday. We celebrated at Wisdom Lounge in Capitol Hill with the funkiest drinks. They had jalapeno-infused rum, absinthe, and little rooms sectioned off with curtains and private radios. Pretty nice, but our waitress was annoyed by all the people we brought.



The birthday party.

Saturday morning I took Mokey to Lincoln Park. It was freezing but there were two or three other dogs that made it outside. In fact, we met a HUGE Great Dane! It was obvious that Mokey is part Great Dane after seeing them both play.

Afterwards, we picked up lunch in Eastern Market. For the last three weeks, there has been a barbeque vendor offering delicious brisket, ribs, and pulled pork. He only caters or does farmer's markets. He's there every Saturday and Sunday! Harry got a full rack of ribs and I got a brisket sandwich. Mmmmm. Haven't had barbeque that good anywhere else other than Texas.

That afternoon, I went to the US Botanical Gardens. I've never been before, but what better time to visit than on a cold winter day? It only takes about 45min to walk through the huge green house and it's free!

The view from the canopy.

I've been using temporary 2-week visitor passes to park on the streets of DC for the last 5 months. Well, the city is on to me and they threatened to impound Baby Jeep if I don't register with DC... So I picked up a DC Driver's License. I'm officially a DC resident! Which makes sense... I've lived in DC longer than I've lived in Texas. I still need to register my car, but I'm waiting for my title to come in from Texas, until then, Baby Jeep is in hiding in a garage.

I ended the day with a long nap, babysitting, and a Georgetown house party. It was a great night and it's been a long time since I've been that inebriated. I had my dancing shoes on and an Asian flush.

On Sunday, I had lunch with Harry at Furin's and then went back to sleep... I decided I was being too lazy compared to all the school work and errands Harry had to do, so I went grocery shopping and made chili and cornbread that night. It was the most delicious batch I've made to date and I used some jalapeno-infused olive oil for the cornbread... sooo delicious!

Big Pot of Chili-Updated
few strips of bacon
half a red onion
bag of frozen roasted corn
three cloves of garlic
half a jalapeno
3 lbs of ground beef
2 cans of 28 oz. peeled, whole tomatos
1 can of 8 oz. tomato sauce
6 tablespoons of chili powder
1 tablespoon of cumin
1 tablespoon of oregano
1 tablespoon of paprika
2 tablespoons red chili pepper

Cook bacon and set aside. Saute chopped red onion, roasted corn, minced garlic, and thinly sliced jalapeno in a little bit of bacon grease. Brown beef and add crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Stir in seasoning, everything that was sauteed, and crumbled bacon and bring to a boil. Stir a few times and simmer for a few hours... the longer, the better!

We ate the chili with crushed corn chips, cheese, sour cream, and some cornbread. It was the perfect meal for a cold day. Harry watched the Jets/Steelers game with his boys and I watched Shameless with some girls. By the way, start watching the show! Lots of shamelessness, so very entertaining.

Anyway, longer than usual post but I just wanted to share my weekend because I had a great time. Didn't do or see anything too fancy, but I definitely appreciate the simple things.

Mokey doesn't want to play with you!

I posted this video a year or so ago on Facebook. I went outside to play in the rain with Mokey and the little boy I babysat for in the neighborhood.

Dragon lady

I went to Texas this weekend and got 6 more hours done on my back. I still have another 10 or so, but at least the top and bottom segments are connected and have a nice flow.

The sugar skull needs to be colored in and the dragon body on the left side still needs to be outlined.

When it's completed, it'll be a dragon dancing in smoke, clouds and ribbons. There are a few sugar skulls in there and the whole piece will be anchored by the lily on the bottom.

The quality of the picture is not great.... but quality of the tattoo is! Hi-def pictures coming soon :)

The Dalai Lama’s 18 Rules for Living

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three Rs:

• Respect for self
• Respect for others
• Responsibility for all your actions

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.

9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. Live a good, honourable life.

12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.

14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.

16. Once a year As often as possible, go someplace you’ve never been before.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

Mighty Mac

Harry was driving down Constitution Ave the other day, when he came to a stop at the bottom of Capitol hill...
When he saw his MacBook Pro fly off the top of the car and crash onto the street!
So, he got out of the car and picked it up, AND IT WORKED PERFECTLY.
The bottom of the laptop was a little bent, but nothing Apple wouldn't fix... FO' FREE.

Get yourself a Mac. It'll last you forever.

The New Year's Post

I conquered 2010.
But I couldn't have done it without the help of family and friends.

This time last year, I was panicking about finding a place for Mokey and I to live before spring semester started. I had given up my dorm room to a friend who was returning from abroad, but my housing plans for the new year fell through last minute.

Thank you to my Nana and Tata for taking care of Mokey while I figured things out. Mokey enjoyed the Maryland countryside for a month.

LUCKILY, one of my best friends offered me a place to stay in her apartment right around the corner from GWU. She cleared out some closet space, propped up her trundle bed, and made me a spare key before I could even say "thank you". And can you believe we lived happily in a little studio for 6 months?

A month after living with Alex, I went to Maryland to pick up Mokey. For the next few months, Mokey spent time with my friend and old neighbor, Will. I am incredibly grateful that Will loves Mokey as much as I do. He put up with the energy of two puppies (Hijur is his dog and only a year younger than Mokey) in his townhouse that he's been renovating. So, when I wasn't sneaking Mokey into Alex's apartment building, Mokey was playing with Hijur across the street.

Mokey and Hijur.

Before the lease was up and school was over and done with, Alex and her family offered me a room in their home for as long as I wanted to stay. I was in tears when Alex told me I had a place to stay for the summer and beyond, of course she thought I was being silly, but I was overwhelmed with gratitude (and excitement!) by the generous offer to continue living with one of my best friends OF ALL TIME. So, we packed up our little apartment and I moved to New Jersey...

But not before meeting my soon-to-be boyfriend! On the day I graduated, Mokey and I went to the dog park for a moment of relaxation. Two hours later, I left the park with a crush on my new friend, Harry.

A quick background story: Mokey and I have been frequenting the dog park for a whole year before I met Harry. I was friendly with his parents and loved their dog, Zeus. During the school year, Harry's dad was helping me edit resumes and applications for jobs post-college. I saw his parents every few days at the park. But I didn't meet Harry until a year after I met his parents.

I love the Hoffman Family.

Summer 2010 was spent commuting up and down the east coast. I built new relationships with friends in New Jersey and the Hoffmans in DC. I applied for jobs all summer, and when I finally got one in DC, I was able to stay with Harry for my first month of employment. Without the help, guidance, and generosity of Alex's and Harry's families, I don't think it would have been possible to be enjoying life as much as I do now.

Alex and her mama, Merci.

I love where I ended 2010. I am 22 years old, I live in a sweet house with my awesome dog, I'm financially independent and can pay for all my bills myself (and there are so many bills...), and I'm completely in love.

2010 was good to me and I expect 2011 will be better, because this time I have some plans.

Oh! And Mokey found some love too!

Mokey and Zeus.