Not a Wilderness Expert

Photo via Rock Creek Park's Facebook

It's been so freakishly warm out, that yesterday I decided I needed to take advantage of this 70 degree December day and run outside. I live right near Rock Creek Park and there is a little trail near my house that I ran on a few times in the summer. I set out at 4 p.m. wearing shorts with only my keys and my Shuffle. I usually bring my phone, but I was only going to be gone for 30 minutes so why bother.

I got on the trail and noticed that the fallen leaves had obscured the path in some places. I must've gotten really engrossed my Cut Copy playlist, and taken a wrong turn. Suddenly the trail was headed through a ravine and fallen trees, which didn't seem right but I plunged ahead. I navigated down a giant hill, over fallen trees, then back up the other side, slipping in the leaves in running shoes. Then I realized this wasn't right at all. And the sun was starting to set.

I didn't want to be on the path at night, so I got off into a neighborhood in Cleveland Park, but I had no idea how to get back to the bridge I ran over. And no idea where I was. It made me realize how dependent I am on my iPhone map. I just ran for awhile until I bumped into a friendly dog walker who suggested I get back on the trail and it was just a few lefts back to Mount Pleasant. So I got back on the trail at dusk, which is exactly what I didn't want to do.

Stumbling through the brush, trying not to trip over branches and trying to ignore the sound of something else crashing through the leaves, I didn't feel any closer to getting home. Joe and I had just watched that documentary, Touching the Void, where a mountain climber is alone with a broken leg in a crevasse. I'd be lying if I said I didn't think of that. True, I was lost alone in a scrubby park in the middle of the city, and the climber was in the Andes in Peru, but still.

I ran by one bridge, but it wasn't the one I ran over, so I got back on the trail. Then I saw the bridge, but I was up above it, so I got off the trail and navigated down the hill, stumbling out of the forest onto Beach Drive like a confused Bigfoot in running clothes.

That bridge was still not the one I ran over, and now it was completely dark and panic was setting in. If anyone can get totally lost and fearing for her life in the middle of an urban park, it's me, apparently. But all was not lost!  I begged a girl walking with her bike for directions and she was so nice and walked with me out of the park. She was an angel! Somehow by the time I reached civilization, I ended up in upper 16th Street by all the churches, TWO HOURS later. I was lost for two hours. Egads.

Tunes Tuesday: "Our Love Has No Rhythm," Woman's Hour

The video won't exactly burn up the Interwebz, but this simple, dreamy track will stay with you. The lyrics sound to me like everything you'd say to put the breaks on a break-up. "Talk and I will give you/ All of my attention/ We all make wrong decisions/ This is the beginning..." The singer, Fiona Jane, really sells it though. You can download the track for free here on the band's site.

Upbeat Playlist

Upbeat Tunes November 2012 from goshgeegolly on 8tracks Radio.

My friend Debie said yesterday,"I noticed you have not been updating your blog everyday. As a devoted reader, I demand answers."

She's right, of course. I was writing checks my butt couldn't cash.

When I said everyday, I actually meant every weekday. Or rather, every Tuesday and some Fridays.

In penance, I give you a fun Friday playlist. Some background: last year for Christmas, I gave Joe a Shuffle mp3 player and promised I would make him playlists every month, which I managed to do, more or less.

Months into this project, I discovered that Joe only listened to his Shuffle while working out. Hence, he would skip every song that wasn't "upbeat." I had no idea, so I was just putting songs I dig on there. Like Joanna Newsom's "Baby Birch," an 8 minute harp song rumored to be about abortion. So good, I just listen to that song on repeat and weep. But apparently it isn't the best soundtrack for working out.

A lot of the music I like is what Debie deems "sleepytime music." So for this playlist, I tried to go outside the box and choose music that Joe might actually like: "Upbeat music." Which in my brain translates to a mix with a bit of electronica, some indie, and way more top 40 rap and stripper anthems than you might expect. Hope you enjoy!

Tunes Tuesday, "Take a Walk," Passion Pit remixed by Classixx

Turkey Day

Thanksgiving Dinner, 2012

Norman Rockwell meets 2012. Don't worry, this picture is staged. We did talk to each other, instead of staring at our respective smartphones at the dinner table. When you see your parents semi-successfully navigating Android phones, doesn't it make you feel like we are truly in a brave new world?

As for the dinner itself, my brother smoked the turkey outside on the grill, while my mom labored over the sides. In accordance with tradition, I made a mess hall's worth of mashed potatoes. Mostly for myself. It's my favorite food after all.

Other than that, I didn't do too much work. I showed Joe my room at my parents' house, untouched since my teen years. Which means the creepy White Stripes poster is still on the wall and there are stuffed animals everywhere. "Look, I'll show you all the stuffed animals I treasured as a child," I said to Joe, gesturing at an entire bookcase of teddy bears and Beanie Babies.

"Please no," he said, with true fear in his eyes. Then he relented. "Maybe just the most important one or two."

"Well, they all have a long and complicated backstory," I said.

Hope everyone had a delicious dinner and a restful holiday weekend! And I hope your turkey was as gorgeous as this bird!

Tunes Tuesday, "Candles," Daughter

A quiet heartbreaker from the British singer dubbed Daughter. Her stage name is practically un-Googleable, but you won't forget her voice. So pretty.  All her music is this gorgeous.

Along those same lines, have you heard "Love is Won" by Lia Ices? It was used to great effect in Girls.  I love Lena Dunham and enjoyed the show, but Hannah hit a little close to home for me. Wants to be a writer, delusions of grandeur, check and check. No Adam for me though, thankfully.