outside the oval office

Why does the cast of The Real World D.C. never leave their house? Lame.

Keep sweeping (but don't forget there's a big world outside, too), Martha

Watched Jennifer's Body.

surf's up

This semester has gotten off to a particularly rocky start.

I'm teaching three classes on two different themes this semester, which, in general, I'm very excited about. Two of the classes are themed around women and food, and the third class is about Mad Men. I'd envisioned a pretty enjoyable spring, reading Diana Abu-Jaber and contemplating Peggy and Peter's relationship.

But, due to a series of events outside of my control, I've had to rewrite the syllabus for all two of the classes that I am teaching this semester. Now, for most people, this wouldn't be a problem. But, in our program, we're required to have about ten pages of front matter. This, in combination with my own obsessive-compulsive desire to start every new semester off with a clear sense of my overall trajectory, makes for a fifteen-page syllabus when you add in my detailed calendar. Now, I'm in the process of reworking all my dates to accommodate the demands of "the Others."

When Friday hit, I needed to visit Surfside. This summer, when all was right with the world, we'd go there about once a week. They have all kinds of delicious food and even more delicious margaritas. And, the best part about it is that we can walk with Ella down to Wisconsin Avenue to pick it up. If we call on the way, it's ready when we get there. I ordered the Nevis; Mr. Beeton ordered the Andros. It felt like summer when we ate.

Perhaps all this beginning-of-the-semester stress is compounded by the fact that we began our house hunting yesterday. The most memorable house - the one with the creepy horror movie music coming from upstairs. The quote of the day - from our realtor who said, "I feel like I'm going to get shot," in the same house.

Keep sweeping - especially when you can't see through the dust, Martha

Watched 9 and The Proposal.

new semester, same emotions

organically grown

One of the things that I like best about living in Glover Park is our proximity to the Whole Foods on Wisconsin Avenue. Having grown up in Pennsylvania, I hadn't been into a Whole Food store until I first visited D.C. to apartment search with my then roommate, E. The two of us, completely clueless (we thought Glover-Archibold Park was a body of water when we looked at our D.C. street map) wandered the city, looking at a dank, dark, English garden apartment in Adams Morgan and one sunny studio at 2800 Wisconsin Ave. At the urging of E, I took the studio (E was afraid I would "Plath-out" in the English garden unit), and elated, the two of us walked down the street to see if we could find some food. We passed a bar, the Grog and Tankard, an old haunt of Mr. Beeton's, and I knew I'd made the right decision. And then, when I entered the mecca of Whole Foods, I felt even more sure that I was on the right track. The apple I bought was one of the best I had ever eaten.

Since that day, I've visited the flagship Whole Foods store in Austin, Texas (Mr. Beeton was in graduate school at the University of Texas), but nothing compares to my Wisconsin Avenue Whole Foods. It's one of the things I'll miss the most if we ever move out of this neighborhood... which we just might. Someday.

Tomorrow, we go to see a realtor. Before Christmas, we met with the bank, just to see if it might be possible to own our own place. And, it looks like it might. So, tomorrow, we're off to see what D.C. has to offer us. I'll keep you posted. For now, Mr. Beeton, Ella, and I will curl up in front of our cardboard fireplace and enjoy our "second floor living without a yard."


Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched Night at the Museum 2.

apartment therapy

A friend of ours had her nursery featured on Ohdeedoh. To see the pictures of the adorable room click here.

Keep sweeping, Martha

Watched 500 Days of Summer.