September to Remember

My mind is absolutely blown that is has been 2 full months since I left LA.  I am slowly adjusting to the changes in lifestyle: less driving, more weather considerations, decreased social life - but otherwise things are great.

I started the month of September with a visit to Providence and Boston.  Last year on the cruise portion (http://www.azamaracruises.com/) of our Greek/Turkish/Italian adventure, Tuck and I met Jill & Dave.  Turns our Jill is a psychotic Red Sox fan (so obviously she blends with a lot of my LA peeps). When I finally made the decision to move, I contacted Jill and promised that we would go to a Sox game at Fenway before the season was over.  We settled on Labor Day weekend and I booked my ticket to Providence, which is 45 minutes south (not north) of Boston. (side note: I also just learned that Delaware is east of Maryland, not up near New Hampshire.  I guess my west coast bias is presenting itself in my glaringly obvious lack of geographic knowledge)


 

Did you know where these states are?

Double bonus, my former roommate Amanda, also lives in Providence, so I called her up too.  We started the evening with a lovely seafood extravaganza at Hemenway's Restaurant (http://www.hemenwaysrestaurant.com/) while admiring the beautiful river views.  Thanks to my ladies in Supper Club, I have developed a mild obsession with oysters and fortunately Dave was up to the task to share some with me (to go along with his Jules Verne-esque sized lobster dinner). I had some paella, which is in the Portuguese style, not the traditional Spanish style (a little soupier, no crust burnt-ness).  The entire meal, including the company, was spectacular.



from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea




Jill, Me and Amanda

 










Saturday morning we headed out to Boston.  We started at the North End, which is an Italian area and went to Mike's Pastries, where I snarfed a chocolate dipped "Boston Cream" cream puff and Jill & Dave had some tasty looking canolis.  We then started walking and walking and walking.  I saw Boston Common. I saw Cheers. I saw Quincy Market.  I saw the fancy shopping district. I saw EVERYTHING.  Boston is beautiful.

Re-enactment at Quincy Market

We dropped Dave off at the metro and Jill and I headed the last mile to the ballpark. I had my awesome baseball fan moment.  I dragged Jill into the Cask N Flagon (http://www.casknflagon.com/) and had a Sam Adams beer (yes, I know I don't drink beer, but that's what you do in Boston).  We walked down Lansdowne Street and Yawkey Way.  I lost my mind when I saw the Citgo sign, and the we walked into the stadium.  Jill treated us to some AMAZING seats behind first base, and I almost died when I walked through the tunnel and saw the Green Monster for the first time.  Yes, I cried. 

Yawkey Way

Enjoying a beer with Jill



Outside the best bar in America

 After I managed to get myself in check, Jill and I went in search of sustanence, since all we had eaten that day was a pastry.  We bought 50/50 tickets from a vendor and he showed me his 2004 World Series Ring.  Then I loaded up on snacks.  Final consensus: Fenway Franks don't hold a candle to Dodger Dogs, but their pretzels are phenomenal.  To complete my baseball fan experience, I bought a program and kept score.  I told Jill I had a good feeling about the game and I was right: The Red Sox smoked the Rangers 12-7.

Even the vendors get real rings

Sweet Seats

Preztel Thumbs Up, Dog Thumbs Down

I had to leave early the next morning to make a couple of work events.  On the plus side, the Dodgers were in DC for a 4 game set against the Nationals, so I went with some new friends to the Labor Day game.  It was sooooooo freaking hot that day we couldnt even stay in our seats and ended up moving to a covered patio restaurant over left field.  In the 9th inning, I noticed that it cooled down dramatically (in like a 15 minute period of time), to which I was informed that this meant it was about to rain.  And rain it did...like apocalyptic rain.  20 minutes later we were outside at a beer garden playing a game I was calling "tossy-toss" which apparently called "Cornhole" (which I cannot say without laughing, so tossy-toss it shall stay) when the skies opened up. It was raining so furiously you'd think that Washington DC called Mother Nature fat or something.  The craziness lasted 10 minutes.  We went back to playing tossy-toss but a giant puddle formed in front of my board, and my friend Deanna is not a skilled tossy-toss player, so I ended up splashed like I was front row at the Shamu show.  Nonetheless it was a great time.



The running of the Presidents




(outside the Stadium w/Deanna)



Tossy-Toss (aka Cornhole)



Don't piss off Mother Nature



I went to my first USC game watching party at this bar/restaurant called BlackFinn (http://www.blackfinndc.com/) with my new buddy Steve (thanks to Beau Grabner for the friend referral).  There I realized that I am one of the oldest alums in town.  But, amazingly I ran into a guy who was a year ahead of me at USC who I used to work with at the bookstore for 3 years.  I remember him as a total stoner slacker...now he is an attorney with the Securities and Exchange Commission (http://www.sec.gov/) .  I laughed heartily at that one.

The following week, my mom came for a visit.  It was tough to juggle being a hostess along with being in Back to School mode for work, but miraculously, I did not kill her or end up arrested by the federal government, so we will call it a win.  Actually we had a good time.  Since I had started working immediately upon my arrival to DC, I hadnt played tourist yet, so I got to see some sites. Because mom did not heed my warning of only bringing comfy walking shoes, we had to make an emergency shoe shopping excusion (note: 3 inch wedges are not good for walking on 300 year old cobblestone streets).  I took mom to see Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Korean, WW II, & Vietnam Memorial, Georgetown, The Capitol (we even sat in the House of Reps Gallery and got to see Dennis Kucinich (http://www.kucinich.house.gov/) speak on a bill in front of John Boehner (http://www.johnboehner.house.gov/)  - he got a standing ovation from people in the gallery), The Folger Shakespeare Library, The Supreme Court, The National Portrait Gallery and the Spy Museum.  Mom also went back to The Capitol and sat in on a Senate session while I was at a Law School Fair.  She even managed to take the metro back to my house without getting lost or mugged.  I also took mom to an SC game watching party, where she promptly practically married off my new friend Ashley who had brought a guy who she was on her first date with.

Korean War Memorial

WWII Monument w/The Washington Monument

Mom in front of the White House

My favorite contemporary art installation (see description at bottom)

The Constitution on 50 license plates (one for ea state)

The Famous Spiral Staicase in the Supreme Court

The Golden Spike from the Union Pacific Railroads

Me and Mom at the White House

A couple of days after mom left marked the official beginning of Practice Test season in DC.  That means big events every weekend from Sept 24th through Nov 6th.  The first event was at Howard University (http://www.howard.edu/) , where we encountered a power-crazed secruity guard who refused to let us into the auditorium we booked for our MCAT Practice Test.  We ended up having so many people show up that we had to split the MCATers into two rooms, which meant that yours truly had to lead an MCAT event.  It had been 15 years since I had taken Organic Chemistry and Physics, but I still managed to teach back a couple of problems from the test (thanks to an excellent teacher's guide and the google app on my phone).

Me and Meredith with Jack the Bulldog at Georgetown

What's on tap: October will bring 4 more practice tests, a free trip to LA to train my replacement, and a visit from a friend of mine when I lived in Dallas.  Tuck is taking me shopping for my winter wardrobe and there may be an official visit to the Pirate Bar down the street and possibly a drunken quest for waffles with Steve. I guess you'll just have to wait to find out.

I miss you all!!

Love,

Kerry

PS: My favorite art installation is called The Electronic Superhighway. The TV screens play images of what the artist felt each state represented.  Where Washington DC is, is a small handheld TV and a video camera that is recording the gallery and projecting the images on the handheld device.  It was super cool.  http://americanart.si.edu/education/rs/artwork/

Rain, Trains and Old Person Pains

I can hardly believe it has been a month since I left LA.  Time really flies as you get older.  It felt like the decision to actually move took forever.  Then I had an extended "Transitional period"  before I moved, but it feels like my departure was only days ago.  On the plus side, I guess my return to LA will be that much faster.

So what I have I been up to since I left SoCal...

I spent the first week and a half crashing with Tuck and her husband Tim at their house in Laurel, MD while my apartment was being readied.  Laurel is about an hour outside of DC.  I got experience my life as a non-car commuter, taking the MARC train, the metro and the bus (which is surprisingly nice) in to town. I wish I had a suit and fedora because I felt like I was in an episode of "Mad Men".  It's actually really easy to get around as all forms of transportation take a Smart Trip Card for payment (except taxis, but they are soooo much cheaper than in LA so it's not a big deal). I actually like the public transportation thing.  It allows for excellent people watching. Oddly though, despite its communal nature, people keep to themselves on the metro and buses.  Everyone reads or listens to iPods so there is very little talking (the one exception was when I was on the bus in Baltimore and got to listen to a couple nastily argue non-stop for 20 mins in hushed tones - it was funny and uncomfortable).

I moved in to my new place a few weeks ago and it has been amazing.  By a stroke of luck I got upgraded to a higher floor and an apartment with hardwood floors and a washer/dryer for no extra charge.   Thanks to the generosity of my company, I didn't have to do any of the labor involved in schlepping my furniture up to my 10th floor apartment.  The move was seamless as my OCD kicked in and I was unpacked by the end of the day and fully decorated by the next day.  The only problem I encountered was that I managed to get sick almost immediately upon my arrival to the east coast and stayed sick for almost 3 weeks.  I had finally started feeling better when I moved, and then my over-zealousness kicked me back to a full scale assault on my lungs.  I have felt good now for a week and it has been absolute bliss. it's amazing how we take for granted the ability to breathe unlabored.

My apartment is huge and the complex I live in is enormous.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDugrJ6tDjw Once again, I have a rooftop pool and since the building is 15 stories, it has a spectacular view.  Actually, I am on the 10th floor and I have floor to ceiling picture windows in the family room and bedroom.  The view is incomparable and I swear I can see more trees from the view from my family room than are in all of Los Angeles.  It is really, really green here.  I can't wait for the fall when the leaves turn colors (which if you are from LA like I am that is the only thing that east coasters can claim is better than LA). I imagine, my view will be even more beautiful.  I am even excited to see it blanketed in snow (although I am simultaneoulsy terrified).



view from my apartment

My apartment is conveniently located just a few blocks from downtown Silver Spring, which itself is 1/4 of a mile from the northern DC border.  As a matter of fact, 16th Street which is just a few blocks from my place will take you straight to the White House.  Downtown Silver Spring has a ton of restaurants and shopping including the AFI Theatre http://www.afi.com/silver/new/ which thanks to my lovely book club/supper club friends, I have been able to patronize.  It is super fancy and they show retrospectives as well as current high-brow movies. The metro is just down the street and there is a Pirate Bar, yes, I said Pirate Bar, down the street http://www.piratztavern.com/ .  Apparently they serve grog there.  I am waiting for my friend Sylvia to visit so I can check it out.  There is also a shoe repair, dry cleaners, spa/salon and a 7-11 in my building so I actually dont need to leave it much.

I'm at the north just off of the Red Line

Speaking of weather, it is weird that I actually have to pay attention to it for the first time in my life.  I made the mistake of not checking the weather for the first week and managed to get trapped in rain storms without proper shoes, jacket or umbrella.  Not that those would likely help anyway because it rains so furiously that the rain actually bounces off the ground and the wind blows so hard it blows sideways.  I think I will just need to bubble wrap myself. Now I keep an umbrella in my purse at all times. Even when it is 90 degrees outside.  All in all though the weather hasnt been that bad. Apparently the worst of it happened the week before my arrival.  Also, I think I mentally prepared myself for absolute misery, so even bad days don't seem that bad. It's like going into a movie with really low expectations and when it totally doesn't suck you say it is actually pretty good. Although we did have a Hurricane watch or warning, I really don't understand the difference yet, it was a lot of hype a no big deal at all.  It just rained for 12 hours. Unfortunately my floors started leaking.  Yes, I know, weird.  I had little puddles around my house.  Thankfully I have 24 hour maintenance, so they came immediately (at midnight) and wet vac'd, and then came again the in morning. No damage at all other than some wet towels.  Really grateful for that upgrade to hardwood floors.

hurricane damage to my floor and throw rug

Work is going very well.  My new team is cool. I have 2 employees, Christa & Meredith and while they are vastly different in personality, they compliment each other very well.  Christa is very hippie-bohemian and couldn't be nicer.  Meredith is more reserved and very dry and sarcastic.  They both laugh a lot, which make them an absolute pleasure to be around.  Back to school season (BTS) started last week, so I have been working like crazy.  It has been amazing to be on the beautiful campuses of these historic universities.  It's funny how they are all just a few miles apart, but the schools and their students have such vastly different personalities. The kids are George Mason and Howard seem far more open and friendly than those at George Washington and Georgetown, but of course that is just my initial assessment.

We have been tabling on the various campuses for the past several days and the standing on my feet for hours on end is taking its toll on me.  I went to take out the trash to the trash chute and managed to pull a muscle or pinch a nerve in my back.  I had to sleep on a heating pad for a couple of nights and just when it was not bothering me anymore, I reaggravated in when I was getting out of the shower.  Now it's even worse and I'm hunched over like an octagenarian.  I feel more ridiculous than anything else.

my team at George Mason

Since I have been working the whole time, it is has left little time for exploring.  I did make it to the Library of Congress and the Eastern Market and I walked by the Capitol.  Thanks to my friend Adam, I was introduced to his friend Deanna and her friend Ashley.  I have met up with them a couple of times, and even had cocktails at a bar on the patio facing the National Portrait Gallery.  I made a list of all of sites/musuems/attractions I want to see.  The list is long.  Good thing I live here now, otherwise I would never fit it all in. I finally got my car a week ago, and am starting to understand the geography of the city.  Traffic isn't too bad, although throw in a traffic circle in with rush hour and it gets a bit dicier.  I think I have done fairly well though.




inside the Library of Congress



the Capitol









 

So what's next for me... well Labor Day weekend I am headed to Providence and Boston to see some friends and go to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park.  I am beyond excited.  My mom is coming to visit mid-month for a week, and then I kick into high gear for Practice Test season.  Basically I am going to blink and it will be Thanksgiving and I will be back in LA (albeit briefly).

I miss everyone so much.  Please call, email, text, skype (kaplan.kerrywalters) . I would love to hear from you and catch up.  I promise I'll send email updates at least every month.  Subscribe to my blog and you will get a notification when I write. There are a ton of weirdos out here so I will have plenty to update you about ;)

All my love,

Kerry

Vig-Jew-Lante Justice

So last month I Netflixed (http://www.netflix.com/) the movie "Kick-Ass".  The premise is that this kid decides to make himself a super-hero and serve the greater good by protecting society from bad guys.  It was a cute movie and an idea that actually inspired regular citizens to take up the mantle of delivering homemeade justice to local evil-doers. Reading about it in the news made me smile.  I liked the idea of some Dungeons and Dragons LARPer (that's a real thing, look it up) designing his own Home-Ec style spandex dork-a-tard and cape costume and trying to save the day.  As much the concept was charming, it is most certainly insane.

Well, that is what I used to think.  Recently I moved into my own place in Miracle Mile(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_Mile,_Los_Angeles).  The apartment is retro and cute.  Very spacious. Quiet Building. Great Neighborhood. Plenty of Storage. Afforable Rent.  It is really a dream come true...except for the parking.  You see in my quest for roommate independence I had to make one small sacrifice.  I gave up my sweet underground parking in my old building for street parking.

I know it's not like I live in Minneapolis and have to shovel my PT Cruiser out of 3 feet of snow or in Phoenix where my hands would melt if I touched the steering wheel.  Instead, every night I get to play Sherlock Holmes searching for parking with a magnifying glass.  What is frustrating is that I have paid for a parking pass for my street, but so have 8000 other people in the apartment buildings that populate the 2 blocks of my street between 3rd and 6th.  I can park on 3rd or 6th (if there are spaces available) but then I'd have to move my car at 7am (anti-gridlock zone), which I have done many times in the 6 weeks that I have lived here, but then I spend time searching for parking during morning rush hour not to mention my walk of shame to and from my car in PJs, glasses and whatever mismatched footwear I manage to get on my feet.  Don't even get me started on the trials and tribulations of this Herculean task on street cleaning days.

Now, I have lived in Los Angeles for almost my entire life.  I am fiercely loyal when it comes to defending my hometown against nay-sayers who criticize my fair city and say that it is full of A-holes, the people are rude, the traffic is horrible, blah blah blah.  My response is "Well, if it sucks so bad, then just freaking leave. It's just one less kvetchy douche bag for me to worry about on the 405." That idea was definitely formed before I was forced to live and die by public parking.

You would figure that everyone else on my street would feel my same plight and try and be considerate about the lack of parking situation and try to maximize the number of spaces for people to utilize...uh, that would be a big fat negative, nein, nyet, nope.  Instead, the people on my street park worse than an 90-year old grandma trying to squueze a 1973 Lincoln Continental into a compact space at a mall. 

They park 5-feet from a driveway and only leave room for half a car to fit in between their bumper and a red zone. They park in the middle of a section of street so no car will fit on either side of their car between two driveways.  They will park 3-feet from a curb at an angle so even if there is room to park, you can't swing your car in without clipping theirs.  Believe me, it's not because I am some girly girl that can't parallel park.  I did event production for almost a decade. I can parallel park a 24-foot moving truck on the left hand side of a one way street in between two Faberge eggs.  What I can't do is lift a 2-ton Honda Accord and push it forward 3-feet to make my Chrysler fit.  Everytime I get out of the car I make sure I am pulled forward (or back) as far as I can to make as much room as possible for another car.  It is my daily good samaritan act.

Unfortunately my neighbors are not learning by example and I am growing increasingly frustrated.  I am at the point where I am ready to start serving up my own brand of "Vig-Jew-Lante Justice".  I found a website called http://www.youparklikeanasshole.com/ where you can printout fake "parking tickets" with asshole infractions you can check-off.  While it's is an amusing concept, this means I need to print out these fake tickets and have them in my purse with a pen and go up and down the street continually like a meter-maid.  Not exactly the best use of my time for a person by person temporary solution.

My newest (and I think best) idea is to attempt a somewhat of an Anthroplogical experiment.  I think it will cost me about $10 and an hour of my time.  I just need a proverbial "partner in crime" (because I think my idea may actually be illegal and I need an extra set of hands).  I remember reading a story a few years back about a guy so frustrated with the lack of signage on the 110 Freeway that he created his own and actually attached it to a real freeway sign.  It looked perfect and was effective and no one knew it was unauthorized until he revealed it a full year later. (http://www.good.is/post/the-fake-freeway-sign-that-became-a-real-public-service/)  This is my parking version of a freeway sign.

I want to take a tape measure and a can of white spray paint and make regulation length parking spaces on my street. Yes, this is how Nerds solve their problems, with tape measures and T-Squares. I am curious to see if the citizens of Miracle Mile will fall in step a la Dead Poet's Society and actually park within the lines.  If they don't at least I will go down swinging and will have earned my right to bitch and moan about the horrible people in LA. But, if by chance they actually do, then I will Project Runway myself up a dork-a-tard and cape and start carrying an old school ghetto blaster on my shoulder, because as I learned from one of my favorite movies, "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka"... every good super-hero needs theme music.

Applications for my "Robin/Tanto/Kato" can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/5vxn26t