Vroom Vroom

When I moved to Washington in 2008, I gave my Honda Civic to my dad.  His car had just died and I didn't really need a car in the city.  Sometimes I borrow it, which is really nice of him.  It's the cheap, co-dependent, low-tech version of Zipcar. Recently, my dad talked about maybe trading in the Civic and getting a sports car.  This was very unlike him.  A born saver, one of his favorite pastimes is to shop in the "cheap meat" section of the supermarket.  "What a bargain," he always says about half-price, near-expiry-date deli meat. But hey, he works so hard, he deserves a sports car if he wants one. "What kind of sports car are you going to get?" I asked him. "Well, I was thinking about a Honda Accord," he said. That's more like it.

Tunes Tuesday: "So Far Around the Bend," The National

I'm going to see The National tonight at Merriweather, and I'm super excited about it.  I've seen them once before and they seem like the type of band to always give it their all.

So in honor of the show, enjoy today's tune, which has one of the wildest woodwind sections you'll hear in pop music.  It also has that cheerful music/melancholy lyrics blend that I'm perpetually digging. Did I mention that the lyrics talk about getting high through apples and praying for Pavement to get back together?  The National might have a rep of being a Serious band with a capital S, but I think their lyrics have a sly sense of humor.

New Clock

Check out the super fun clock my friend Kristin got me for my birthday.  I love it.  It's brightening up our little kitchen.  That seemed like a good place for it, what with the cutlery and all.  When Kristin gave it to me, she said "I thought you'd like it, it has all your favorite colors."  Someone in the crowd at my birthday party shouted out, "It has every color!"  

Yes, those are my favorite colors.  Every color. 

Rasika At Long Last

I told Joe we ought to do something to celebrate our one year anniversary, and all month, I nagged him gently reminded him that he should plan something to celebrate. We decided that Friday, August 26 would be the anniversary date.

Every few days, I would ask him "Have you planned something yet? You haven't? Why not? [Minor screeching]" Rinse. Repeat.

Then on Thursday of this past week, over chimichangas and pupusas at El Reconcito in Columbia Heights, I said casually, "I'm going to the movies with my friend tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow?" Joe said, with a worried look on his face. "You're going to the movies tomorrow? On Friday?"

Me: "Yes, tomorrow. Why?"

[Five second pause]

Ohhhhh... that whole thing. The anniversary thingy.

So I interrogated him about planning a date for a month, then I forgot about the whole thing completely and made other plans. Sounds about right.

None of it mattered in the end. I got to see "One Day"* on Friday with my friends.

And thanks to Hurricane Irene, we snagged a last minute reservation to Rasika on Saturday - I've wanted to eat there for years! Even though the streets in Penn Quarter were empty, the restaurant was almost completely full. I ordered the cucumber cocktail, crispy spinach, mango shrimp and black cod. The waiter asked if I had been there before and I said no. He then called me out on my Internet research. Yes, I was holding the menu with one hand and skimming Yelp reviews on my iPhone in the other.

I was so excited to eat that I started spooning my appetizers onto my plate before I even removed the napkin. I looked down to see mango shrimp sitting neatly on the napkin. Good God! Who does that? How is that even possible? I swear, you can not take me anywhere! In my defense, they were the same color, but really.

How lucky am I that my date thought that was endearing instead of incredibly embarrassing for both of us, which it is. Ha. I am lucky.

*As someone who adored the novel, I had reservations about the casting of this movie. Ann Hathway as Emma? But she pulled it off! And I am saying right now, she should be the heir to Julia Roberts' romcom crown. Very charming. By the end, they were absolutely the Emma and Dexter in the book. And even though I knew what would happen, I still teared up at the ending. I had to compose myself during the credits. Call me sentimental, but I really liked the film. Go see it and read the book too...