Week 18: Happy 30th, Steph!

This past weekend my family and I celebrated a big milestone for my near and dear cousin, Steph: her 30th birthday! It turns out this is a big year for birthdays in the family, as my uncle is belatedly celebrating his 50th this coming weekend, and we got together to celebrate my grandpa's 90th on Tuesday of this week. For a family like ours, this means lots of celebrating with tons of food... I'm definitely not going to complain about that! Happy Birthday, all!

Here's a shot of me and Steph before the party got too wild!

Week 17: Spring (or is it Summer?) has finally sprung!

After some bizarre recent DC weather (hailstorms in April?), it seems we've now skipped entirely over spring and launched right into an early DC summer. It was in the mid-80s all weekend, so I enthusiastically welcomed flip flops and shorts back into my wardrobe, and spent Saturday night grilling outdoors with some cold beers.

Hopefully we'll get some real spring back before the gross and humid summer is here for good. For now, these temps are a welcome change, so I definitely can't complain.

I also forgot to take an SP til today, so this is what you get... me cruisin' in my car with the windows down.

Week 16: Down to the lowcountry!

From April 19-22, John and I took a mini-vacay down to Charleston, S.C, our first visit down to this beautiful, historic and quaint old city. During our quick getaway, we had a great time thanks to wonderful weather and delicious southern cuisine. Charleston is full of little secrets -- you'll turn a corner and find a mysterious alleyway that opens up into an amazing garden; or stumble upon a street and find a row of gorgeous houses each with its own unique charm. We even took short trips to Folly Beach (on the West side) and Isle of Palms/Sullivan's Island (to the East) to enjoy some beach time, which everyone knows is my favorite thing.

All in all, it was a great trip! Here's an SP taken at the end of the Folly Beach pier.

Week 15: Bonding at the bar

This week's SP comes courtesy of John's long arms. There was just no way I'd be able to attempt or successfully complete a 6-person portrait. I'm counting it as this week's shot because I was the one who (mis)directed John into cutting half his face out of the photo. He should know better than to take my advice.

Kim & Natty were in town from New York so we all met up at Fado in Chinatown on Friday night for some late-night fun and cousin bonding. Had a great time!

Week 14: Eating my way through NYC

Auddie's Spring Break started last Friday and she was itching to get out of Springfield. She convinced me to take her up to New York for a few days, and we enjoyed a nice mini-vacay, despite the rainy and cold weather.

The three days consisted of eating, shopping, more eating, visiting Kyle & Avery (cutest kids ever!), more eating, and basically just hanging out with Kim.

Meal highlights included: Bulgogi hot dogs (don't forget the kim chi!), cheap dumplings from Chinatown, mini cupcakes, and a sampling of delicious mac 'n cheese!

It had been over a year since I'd been up to NYC and I was reminded how much I enjoy myself up there! Great food and great company. Can't go wrong!

Week 13: Fashion for Paws / Fancy Night Out!

On Saturday, March 28, I attended the third annual Fashion for Paws fundraiser for the Washington Humane Society at the Italian Embassy. The event was centered around a fashion show featuring some really cute pups (escorted by human models). Unfortunately Val Kilmer, an honorary chair, did not make an appearance, so the people watching was focused on the rest of the DC "socials" in attendance. This is not the usual way I would spend a Saturday night, but it was a nice way to change up my normal routine, have an excuse to get dressed up for a good cause, and experience a different DC scene for an evening. I had a great time!

Here's this week's portrait, a shiny and glossy shot of me with John & Mai taken toward the end of the evening. My SPs are improving, don't you think?



Here's another non-SP of me & Mai in front of the celeb backdrop looking colorful. We're totes famous, inbd.

Week 12: March Madness!

This week marked the official start of spring, followed by the official start of one of my favorite sporting events of the year: March Madness!

After Thursday's tip-off, I spent a lot of the time in front of the TV watching the games and tracking my bracket. I look a little silly here, but this week's portrait best captured what I wanted from this week. This is me and John on Saturday night. We had some pizza and beers while enjoying some of the games. Not a bad weekend evening!

Week 11: Happy St. Patty's Day!

On Saturday, March 14, I went to Kelly's Irish Times near Union Station to celebrate Green Beer Day with a bunch of Miami of Ohio alum. Upon further research, I discovered this is an actual big deal at Miami (Oxford, Ohio) some huge party that's been going on for over 50 years. I'm never one to turn down green beer (yes, John, I like novelty items) so I enjoyed myself even after discovering that Green Beer is just regular beer with green food coloring. I'd hoped there were little leprechauns who came out for St. Patty's to mix up a special recipe or something. Alas, it's not the case. Happy St. Patrick's Day! Hope you, too, can enjoy some Green Beer this week.

Week 10: Spring Forward!

This week's post will feature three (3), count 'em three self-portraits.

To kick off March, the weirdest weather month ever, DC had its biggest snowfall of the year. This was me on my walk to work last Monday, March 2:


Only a few days later, the snow melted as the temps rose, and here I am on Saturday, March 7:


You can't tell, but I'm wearing flip flops and loving it. That's me with Cleo. She belongs to John's sister, Meg, and is a very cute and lovable german shepherd mix. John was dogsitting Cleo this weekend, and since the weather was so nice, we spent some time on his back patio enjoying some beers and food. It was my personal highlight during what was a very lovely "Spring Forward" weekend. Despite losing an hour on Sunday and waking up to pitch black (again) this morning, it was pretty amazing to see daylight at 7 pm today.

Finally, last night I was home in Springfield for a belated family dinner celebrating Huan & Molly's birthday. Had to throw in this SP for kicks -- add it to the "Classic Pouy face" collection.

Week 9: Happy National Chili Day!

National Chili Day was on February 26. In years past I have been to Hard Times Cafe since they offer free chili on this important holiday, but since I didn't make out to the burbs this year, I was unable to celebrate on the actual day. I made up for it this weekend with a belated and delicious chili meal, courtesy of Good Stuff Eatery on the Hill. I've been here several times but this past weekend was my first taste of their chili-cheese burger, known as "Uncle D's Chili 'N Cheddar burger." It seems odd that it took me so long to try it since everyone who knows me knows how much I love chili! The burger, while sloppy, did not disappoint. The chili had zest and the scallions added a nice flavor as well. I definitely didn't regret my order.


As an aside, John ordered the "Blazin' Barn," which is Spike's take on a Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwich, made with carrots, daikon, cilantro, basil, and the delicious Sriracha mayo that is part of what keeps me coming back to this place.

Week 8: Early Bird Dinner & M. Ward

This past weekend I caught my very first music show at the Sixth & I Synagogue. It was definitely a cool experience to watch a rock concert in a historic and religious building, sitting in pews instead of standing in a sweaty basement.

The show opened with the Vivian Girls, who, despite critical acclaim for their debut album, failed to inspire or move me. Their particular brand of garagey girl punk 1) was already not my speed, sound & genre-wise 2) did not sound good within the walls of the venue, and 3) reminded me of a high school talent show performance.

Luckily, I was there to see M. Ward and he did not disappoint. The show was predominately a mix of songs off his latest release, Hold Time, as well as some of my favorite tunes off of his previous album, Post-War.

While the show felt a bit short, I thought it was a great performance. It was a nice mix of his rollicking, full-band tunes alongside nice, acoustic numbers. M. Ward impressed the crowd with his guitar skills on a John Fahey number, and warmed us with his earnest and gravelly voice on some slower ballads. All in all, a great time with great company. Looking forward to my next chance to come to this venue as it is truly a unique place to enjoy music.

On an unrelated note, this week's SP is from my pre-show dinner at Westend Bistro. Now everyone knows I'm not really a dessert girl at all, but John and I really enjoyed the Apple Cobbler, and more notably the homemade vanilla ice cream that was served alongside it. The delicious meal was a great start to a fun weekend night!

Week 7: Happy Valentine's Day!

This Valentine's Day I spent a lot of quality time with friends and family. I ate and drank too much (mostly ate) and my stomach/body are still recovering, but I had a great time and think that spending Valentine's Day with loved ones like this is just as fulfilling as doing something cheesy and romantic with your s.o. (though we all know that based on my love of chick flicks and hopeless romanticism in general, I am not opposed to such things).

This week's SP includes my cousins Steph, Kim & Natty (Sorry for the face and head cut off, Steph & Natty! I'm still working on my technique, though I'm not sure short arms can be overcome!). We all went out to Fly Lounge on Friday night for an evening of dancing. It was a nice change of pace from my usual venues and nights out, and it was great to bond with the family over it, too!

Week 6: A Beautiful Winter's Day

This past weekend we enjoyed some unseasonably warm weather in DC, so my cousin Mai and I decided to take advantage of it, motivate each other and go for a nice run downtown. We headed to the national mall as part of our DC funsies day, part 2.

So the run wasn't quite as productive as we would have hoped (net running time ~25 minutes), but we still got our legs moving and broke a sweat, which, in the end, was probably a good warm-up for our out-of-shape winter bodies.

Really the day was about enjoying the weather, taking in more of DC's landmarks, and of course, embarrassing ourselves silly. Give us a couple cameras and that's what we do best!

I'm a giant!! This photo took a zillion takes and a few location changes before I got it just right.


A classic, jumpity self-portrait (courtesy of remote shutter and Mai's new Gorillapod). Just imagine the looks we got from all the other tourists walking by!

*Editor's note: Neither of these photos are self-portraits by me, and thus neither is my actual Flickr self-portrait selection of the week. They were just my favorites of the day.

Week 5: DC Funsies Day!

This past Saturday I had a fun, touristy DC day with my cousin, Mai (Tuti/Kam). We started the day with a delicious brunch at one of my favorite local spots, Logan Tavern. This is where the cameras came out and we proceeded to embarrass ourselves (Thanks for being seen with us in public, John!).



After enjoying some tasty food and even more delicious bloody marys, Mai and I headed to the National Building Museum (where we posed with the lions outside -- perhaps the first tourists to find this an amazing opportunity for self-portraits), then the National Portrait Gallery. After a quick snack break at Penn Quarter's new TangySweet, we made our way to Eastern Market and strolled around for a while before Mai made the best purchase of the day: 4 pairs of sunglasses for $17 to add to her already huge collection.

It was a rare day of so much touristy DC activity, but I had a great time!

The photo above is this week's "official" self-portrait, but since there were so many great ones and I had a hard time deciding, here a couple more gems from the weekend:

Week 4: Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, or as they say in Vietnamese, Chuc Mung Nam Moi! Today marks the first day of the year of the Ox in the lunar calendar.

Here's wishing all my family and friends health, happiness and success in the new year!

This week's portrait is of me in my brand new Snuggie, reading a book with my brand new book light. That's right, after talking about Snuggies all winter long, I finally stopped into Bed Bath & Beyond and picked one up this weekend. The only color they had in stock was the Royal Blue, so I really didn't have any problems deciding what to get.

The funniest part was that there was another woman shopping near me, too, and I looked down to see no less than 10 boxes of Snuggies in her cart! Someone was stocking up for the cold winter! Hahaha.




Anyway, here's my honest review:

-fabric is a little cheap, not as thick and plush as one might think
-the fleece comes off and sticks to whatever you're wearing underneath (my white t-shirt was covered in a light coat of blue fleece)
-"one size fits all" is a bit of a stretch. The sleeves are about a foot too long and the length is about 2 feet too long... I can't really walk around in the Snuggie unless I want to be dusting my floor at the same time!
-the Snuggie may cause static problems

-the Snuggie is a really great accessory for playing the Wii. So much free arm movement while staying warm!
-there is definitely Halloween costume potential here... stay tuned...

Haters (you know who you are!), if you are going to say mean things, please use a *, #, @ or $ in the appropriate places. This is a family-friendly space.

Week 3: Happy Inauguration!

As everyone knows, this was a big week for the country, and especially a little place called Washington, D.C. For the long inaugural weekend, D.C. had a brief shining moment of hype, we felt cool, and everyone was talking about us!

Being here for inauguration weekend was a special experience, but after dealing with the masses, I'm glad to see all the tourists return home and allow D.C. go back to its uncool, normal self.

On Sunday, I headed down to the Mall to see the opening Inaugural celebration concert, "We are One." Despite the cold and crowd, it was a pretty exciting experience to be part of such a big scene. You could feel the excitement in the air that set the tone for the rest of the weekend.

The concert itself was not bad -- it was cool to see some of the big name acts up close and personal (on a jumbotron...), but there were definitely some awkward moments (Bald Eagle, anyone?) sprinkled in, that were as awkward to re-watch on TV as they were to see live.

On Tuesday, due to coming down with my second cold in as many weeks, I watched the Inauguration from indoors rather than battle the estimated 2 million* who braved the cold and congregated on the Mall.

All in all, it felt great to be able to witness such a big part of history right in your own backyard. I think I can speak for lots of people when I say I'm excited to see the Obamas take their place in the White House and am looking forward to what's to come.

Here's a shot of me and John on Sunday, January 18. We were en route to the "We are One" concert and stopped to take in the site of the swearing-in while we could get a close view.



I didn't get any celeb autographs and didn't hit any fancy balls, but I definitely still enjoyed the long, historic weekend! Hope you all did, too.

*If anyone has a more accurate estimate of numbers, please do share!

It must be my lucky day!

I just returned from a much-needed lunch trip to McDonald's, and I open my box of nuggets to find the following:



"Wow," I thought! A deformed nugget -- how freaky! But wait, it's almost the size of two nuggets, so It's like I got 11 instead of 10! This must be a sign of good things to come...

Thank you for rewarding this loyal Nuggnut, McD's. You just made my day!

Starting anew? week 1 & 2...

I was recently convinced to participate in a 52-week self-portrait project for Flickr. My cousin, Maitai113, is doing a daily 365-day project but I didn't want to get overly-ambitious just yet. So for now, I'll be posting one photo a week to my 52 weeks/2009 set. The rules are simple: the photo has to be taken by me, and some part of me (however small) must be in the photo. I decided that in conjunction with this project on Flickr, I'll also be blogging the photos here. That way, I'll have some sort of visual and written documentation of my year, and it will at least guarantee a blog post a week! Everyone wins!

For starters I'll post the first two weeks in this post and go from there... Enjoy, all, and Happy New Year! So far, '09 is looking pretty good and I couldn't be more excited about what's ahead.

week 1: 1/1 - Happy New Year!
This is my first selection, taken just seconds after midnight on January 1, 2009. You can see my hand in the left-hand corner of the photo, holding a glass of champagne to toast the new year.



week 2: 1/10 - ski weekend in Seven Springs
This is a shot of me and my sister, Auddie, on the ski lift at Seven Springs. About 20+ of us (family & friends) took over the mountain and spent a nice weekend there.



Stay tuned! We still have 50 weeks to go!

My Top Songs of '08

10. He Doesn't Know Why - Fleet Foxes

9. Sarah - Ray Lamontagne

8. No One Does It Like You - Department of Eagles

7. I Stand Corrected - Vampire Weekend

6. Lost Coastlines - Okkervil River

5. Head Rolls Off - Frightened Rabbit

4. Flume - Bon Iver

3. Furr - Blitzen Trapper

2. Too Too Too Fast - Ra Ra Riot

1. Family Tree - TV on the Radio

My Top Albums of '08

Call this the blog that won't quit. Just when you think I've said my last piece, I keep coming back for more! Only about five posts ago I was writing about the music of 2006, and here we are fast approaching 2009.

Not too much has changed between now and then, but I like to think that my musical tastes have broadened and I'm continually discovering and enjoying new genres and styles all the time (Thanks to eMusic and other unnamed influences with good taste).

As for my current musical fixation... well, it's no longer The Shins' album from last year. Let's just say for the past couple months I've been rotating a lot from 2008 to prepare for this post. As always, there is plenty that I missed or albums I didn't have enough time to enjoy, so rather than a "Best" list, I prefer to consider this a "Favorites."

So without further delay, I present my top albums of 2008. A list of my top 10 songs is forthcoming...

10. Department of Eagles - In Ear Park
(4AD)


For full disclosure, I'd never heard Grizzly Bear prior to this, so I came in with fresh ears to this particular spin-off/side project. The first time I heard this album, I thought, "This is weird." When I say that it doesn't exactly mean I thought it was weird, but rather... let me explain. It's music that, in contrast to, say, Vampire Weekend, if I blasted on my iPod while in the car with my brother or sister, they'd say, "This is weird," rather than saying, "Hmm what's this? I like it!" (I'm not mocking my siblings -- this just happens to me more than you can imagine.) So I guess what I am saying is, this is not immediately accessible nor particularly "catchy." That said, I kept listening. I couldn't stop listening to "No One Does It Like You" in particular. And I really got into this "psych-pop" (is that what they call it?), in all of its fuzzy, lo-fi glory.

9. Blitzen Trapper - Furr
(Sub Pop)


I heard this album in bits and pieces before it was officially released. Based on the sampling of mp3s I had, I was convinced I would love the rest. While that was eventually true, I didn't love this album immediately. It seemed a little all over the place - funky disco songs like "Saturday Nite" sandwiched between other Dylan-esque acoustic numbers didn't quite work for me. But then that's why I started to like it. I never knew what to expect, and each time it would surprise me. Listening to this album is like a roller coaster ride, but the energy never stops and every song is solid. As a side note, I'd buy the whole thing again just for "Furr."

8. Okkervil River - The Stand Ins
(Jagjaguwar)


After this album was released, all the critics jumped on it and adored it, but for some reason I didn't listen to it until way, way after it had come out. And I liked it. I wasn't like "OMG this is the best thing I've ever heard," but I did enjoy it. I'm starting to think of Okkervil River as a simply reliable band. When "Lost Coastlines" starts up with the delayed bass line, and Jonathan Meiburg, with his haunting tenor voice exchanges vocals with Will Sheff, I can't help but tap my feet.

7. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
(Sony)


To me, this album has one of the best Track 1-5 lineups of any listed here. Big bass beats, some synths, hand-clapping, and dramatic multiple-vocalist choruses make for a bunch of really epic and anthemic tunes. I find it to be great walking music. When I leave my house and start down the sidewalk with this on the iPod, it really gets me going, inspires me, and makes me feel like I'm setting out to change the world (even if I'm not - but at 7 am, everyone needs a pick-me-up).


6. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
(XL)


What more is there to say about this album. It's not the best, but it may have been the most enjoyable. I never got fully on board with the Vampire Weekend hype, but listening to this album on any given Friday afternoon definitely got me excited for the weekend. It's the ultimate windows-down, catchy, sing-along summer album, written by a bunch of Ivy League 20-something prepsters. I'll take it.

5. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
(Sub Pop)

Fleet Foxes deserve praise for having the best vocal harmonies of any album on this list. I saw these guys live and the vocals were impeccable, harmonies spot-on. The folksy album makes you feel like taking a hike, or enjoying the great outdoors. Tunes featuring reverb and rollicking guitars and piano are sandwiched between slower acoustic ballads with booming, echoey vocals. An all-around solid effort.

4. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
(Jagjaguwar)


Bon Iver's album was one of those with a backstory; in short, Justin Vernon moved into a cabin in the woods for a few months and walked out with this masterpiece debut. With a story like that, you'd expect music that was isolating and lonely, but most importantly, moving. It's haunting, chill-inducing, folk-rock aided by Vernon's falsetto, steel-string guitars, horns, and dramatic crescendos throughout. Perfect for these cold winter nights!

3. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
(Interscope)


This blurb comes from someone who was never a TVOTR fan prior to this record. I'd heard a couple tracks, but never really gotten into them. Then came this release. Unlike some albums that take time to digest, this one hit me immediately and was the only thing playing on my iPod for a week straight. The music is layered with buzzy guitars and vocals upon vocals, the production is crisp and clean (just how I like it), and the songs are to me, a cohesive collection. They belong together and I love them.

2. Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
(Fat Cat)


I downloaded this after browsing eMusic, and truth be told, I didn't love it right away. But I got into a couple tracks here and there, and slowly, it grew on me. And then I saw them live at the Backstage of the Black Cat in June, and that changed everything. The small room was filled to capacity, and I was close enough to the stage to see every drop of sweat pouring off the lead singer's face. They claimed it was the best/biggest crowd they'd ever played to, and their enthusiasm was reflected in every song. It was a high-energy, inspired performance that completely sold the band and the album to me.

1. Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line
(Barsuk)


Sure, this album got props as a good full-length debut, but my guess is that it didn't top many other year-end lists. I struggled with picking my #1 - swapping in other critical darlings and not able to commit to this one, but in the end, it was really no decision at all. This was the album that, from top to bottom, simply pleased me every time I listened. I first heard "Ghost Under Rocks" as part of a mix CD (yes! those still exist), and it had everything I loved in a song. It was, at once, dark and slightly depressing (credit to the cello), but also poppy and upbeat. And from the first time I heard "Too Too Too Fast" -- where did those synths come from!! -- I was hooked. Great melodies paired with wonderful string arrangements make for an easily-accessible and catchy album. And at the end of the day, that's what gets me going.