Funemployment

I don't want to write a recap about the weekend just yet because I am still recovering and I am sad that it is over. It involved seeing all of my favorite people, a concert, and an all-out Disney costume party, though, so get excited for that post. I feel like I get so spoiled every weekend I visit up there, even when the traffic makes me never want to drive again.

In returning to the 'new normal' of what my summer has become, I am enjoying the pros and cons of what Josh framed for me as "Funemployment": a term I have latched onto because it makes it sound better than it is.

My Funemployment involves 4 main components: babysitting 2 young boys on Mondays and Wednesdays, teaching yoga, continuing GA tasks, and job applications. I am learning so much in each of these positions.

Babysitting: I had no experience babysitting boys prior to this summer. I grew up with two younger sisters and had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I learned very quickly some basic rules. 1) When in doubt, make explosion sounds. 2) Just let them tie you up sometimes. 3) I'm always the bad guy.....The only rule I have for the boys every day is "No lying". They break it every day mostly in the form of "Mommy always lets us ______!" No, I found out, Mommy does not let them have cookies for breakfast, have two sweets a day, play soccer in the house, etc.

Yoga & GA: I have greatly enjoyed my return to teaching yoga (3 times a week!), making my own playlists, and being forced to take out time for myself to be mindful. It really does make a difference and I believe works to combat some of the I-have-no-idea-where-my-life-is-going anxiety. They have also started phasing me out at my previous GA which included putting up the names of the new people who are going to start in the Fall. To ease me through the transition, they left my name on the office white board, and I greatly appreciate that.

Job Applications: Having gone through the lull and uncertainty of not having a job upon graduation before, I knew what to expect. I don't handle change well, and so I knew that patience and perseverance would have to become my new best friends. Still, I've developed a blurb to use for the dreaded "So what are you planning on doing now?" question. I'm "searching for jobs in the nonprofit, counseling, or higher education fields within the DC Metro Area." My lease ends at the end of July so if I do not have a job by then, I will find a new base of operation either at home or somewhere else convenient from which to keep persevering and patiencing.

My youngest sister who also just graduated (from undergrad) is also going through the job search process. She has started blogging here: http://kimhutcheson.blogspot.com/ and is clearly the more talented and artsy of us sisters.

Okay since I need a picture for this post, I will leave you one of how Rupert has been enjoying my funemployment.

Ridiculous.

Weekends do not get better. Fact.

After dropping off Sam for his flight last Tuesday morning, I finished a major work assignment and headed back to Williamsburg that night. I also found out that I had an interview in DC Friday afternoon. The plan was to leave Friday morning, but then I realized I would need a place to put my stuff during the day so I really needed to go up Thursday evening. I realized this Thursday afternoon. If there is anything that brings out Stressy Kelsey, it is last-minute changes in plans. The only thing that kept me calm enough to get everything together in 2 hours was the fact that I was bringing Cheese Shop with me (bread ends and house dressing) and I knew this would make some WM alums very happy.

On my drive up, I only lost about $15.00 trying to work the metro station that would allow me to park overnight. Even though 'multi-day parking' was labeled with sharpie on white copy paper taped in front of parking spaces, I will say that the metro hotline person I talked to was very nice. Upon arriving in NOVA, I was blessed with an invitation into the very exclusive fort that I had heard so much about. The fort is better than anything I've ever created in my childhood. There are rules to provide just the right amount of structure. There is ambience. There is amazing food courtesy of Steph. Then we added Star trek and Clone High. I missed the fort as soon as I left.

Friday was interview day so I spent the morning preparing and, of course, got there 45 min. early. Thankfully, there was a coffee shop close by that I hung out in until it had reached the perfect clearly-early-but-not-too-creepy time of arrival. Interview went well and afterwards, since Mike and I had plans to host Steph and Micah over for dinner, I went to whole foods to pick up the ingredients of a recipe Noah had sent me online.

Main Course: Quinoa Stir-Fry with Vegetables and Chicken! The more cilantro, the better. I highly recommend trying this recipe when you're in the mood for something light and healthy with a lot of flavor:

http://www.handletheheat.com/2010/03/quinoa-stir-fry-with-vegetables-chicken.html


Dessert: I don't know what it's called, but Steph created something with egg yolks, sugar, marsala, dark chocolate, and cream that tasted like heaven. Very rich, but a perfectly easy dessert. Here is something similar I found from Alton Brown minus the chocolate and cream melted together and stirred in:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/zabaglione-recipe/index.html

Saturday, I showed Mike where his gym was and then was embarrassed in a push-up contest. We also went suit shopping and to the zoo. I felt a LOT of pressure going suit shopping with Mike since he normally goes with no less than 3 people, but had so much fun. I even took some pictures. This one is my favorite:

Taking this mission VERY seriously.

After a productive suit shopping outing, we went to the zoo, but, unfortunately, I wimped out after the elephants, and needed froyo stat. Plus, we learned that Selena was in town and that meant a trip to Silver Springs later that night. We watched basketball and ate applecake and saw the greatest lego collection known to mankind. After babysitting, I hated legos and thought they were every mother's worst nightmare. Now I've seen their true potential. 

The next morning, Mike and I met up with Kelly, Alex, and Jake for what was a very successful brunch. These kids know how to brunch out, but I think this was one of our better brunches by far. We all had bottomless mimosas, talked jobs and mutual friends, and even started brainstorming for the New Years reunion. That is productivity. There were many deets tweeted and a few instagrams:

"How much does a hipster weigh? An instagram!"

Finally, to complete an epic weekend, I finished my first viewing of The Room, as well as the special features interview with Tommy Wiseau. I will have to watch this movie at least 5 more times before I'm able to fully reflect on it. Good news: I've already got most of the audience responses down. Bad news: Apparently there will be no more live stagings of it. 

I am back in Williamsburg and ready to rest and get back to work after two amazing weekends with friends.

I will leave you with a few of my favorite The Room quotes: 

"I FEEL LIKE I'M SITTING ON AN ATOMIC BOMB WAITING FOR IT TO GO OFF." "Me too."

"Leave your stupid comments in your pocket!"

"I miss you. I just saw you. What are you talking about?"

But I do miss DC already.

Sam Visits!

The past two weekends have been such a blur, but they were both so amazing that I think each deserves a separate post.

First two weekends ago, on Friday night, Wendy and I got into the city at the same time as like 2 tornados. Yay. But we both still managed to go out and meet up with people at Sara and Davia's new place which is adorable. Highlights of the night include BSB covers, homemade cornbread, seven layer dip, and being introduced to Cards Against Humanity.

On Saturday, my pen pal Sam and I finally met for the first time. Sam and I became pen pals during a 7th grade Civics project. Pen pals were the cool thing to do at least for a couple of weeks until everyone else stopped writing to their pen pals. Sam and I were unaware pen pals stopped being cool so we just kept writing to each other.....for 13 years. We sent pictures and presents, told stories about pets and relationships and family, and saw each other through graduations, moves, breakups, and jobs. When facebook became 'a thing' sometime during college, Sam and I switched to communicating more online.  He told me last year that he was thinking of playing rugby in the U.S. for a little while and, of course, I was a huge fan of this idea.

He actually did plan a visit and came to the States to play rugby in Cincinnati in March. This was the middle of my last semester of my Master's so I didn't even have time to think about planning a visit until after graduation. Sam bought his tickets to DC as a last stop on his way home back to New Zealand for early June. Last Saturday, my roommate Wendy and I went to pick him up at Dulles without any real plan except for to do all of the touristy things we could fit into one day.

We were all running on little sleep. Sam running on less, which is why he has the Red Bull.

After checking Sam into his hotel, we met up with Mike, who showed us around to all of the monuments, memorials, museums, and The White House. Then we proceeded to collect Josh, Sara, Noah, and Kim on our tour which I am grateful for because, if I didn't have all of these knowledgeable people along, I would have just had to make up pieces of our history for Sam. Later that evening, we decided against showing Sam Americanized versions of 'meat pies' and went back to Mike's place for pizza and beer (almost as American as it gets).

Sunday, Mike, his roommate, and I went back to the cutest little crepe place we had gone the day before and were each handed like 8 different samples of gelato. Each flavor was apparently better than the flavor before somehow. I like this crepe place. The Sam met up with us and him and I left the city to head back to Williamsburg after collecting Wendy. Sunday night a bunch of us introduced Sam to the delis, Mug Night, and to cheese fries: there you have Williamsburg nightlife.

Monday, (because I had to babysit), Wendy took Sam on a tour of Colonial Williamsburg and The Outlets. He came back with like 5 bags of stuff after his trip, including chocolates for Wendy and I thanking us for hosting him. Unfortunately, I had to take Sam home that night since his flight was the next morning and I committed the unforgivable sin of not taking him to The Cheese Shop before leaving Williamsburg. He had just eaten though! And we got Chick-Fil-A on the drive up!

Tuesday, I talked my sister into coming with me and Sam to the airport. Traffic was crazy and a great reminder why I never want to be a NOVA commuter, but we got there with plenty of time to snap a pen pal picture!

Goodbyes outside of Dulles.

Now to begin planning my trip to New Zealand:)