Happy Sunday
Sunday, July 26, 2009
We're expecting company starting today.
The good thing about having company is that it forces you to clean your house.
(Pause)
The bad thing about having company is that it forces you to clean your house.
I don't think I'm alone in this dilemma.
A Photo Essay.
Friday, July 24, 2009
As they like to say in NYTimes or any other news publication. I'm a big fan of photo essays/photojournalism as it combines my interests in... photos and news. I'm a news junkie, though I can't stand TV news for some reason... probably because I think it's all bad. I'll make a plug here for a photo-news site, which regardless of your political leanings, you'll enjoy cause the photos are amazing. It's the Big Picture from Boston.com. I've never checked out what the rest of the site is, though I think it's mainly famous for the Big Picture section. Currently they have pics from the Tour de France and their war coverage is intense and graphic at times.
Anyways it is in this spirit I'm summing up our trip to DC over the 4th weekend in a photo essay form, since we all know who is strong point in the writing department of PeachesandCurry.com (actually the whole Wyche family is a strong point in the literature department!). Anyways earlier in blogger world I had described the fireworks, and this time round I'll share what else we did that weekend:
Well on the 3rd we (Peaches, Curry, Sudhir, Marina and Santosh) decided to do the touristy stuff. Correction: PeachesandCurry (how's that for 3rd person?!) decided and Marina and Sudhir were the gracious hosts with Santosh tagging along. So off we went to the Holocaust Museum... though we decided that due to the crowd we should try it some other time. That should have been an indication of what the rest of the day would be like. So we headed to the Mall for the first stop at the Washington Monument. Upon which arriving closer we found out the tickets were sold out to get to the top. It would have been neat to go all the way up there:
Last time I was in DC the WWII Memorial wasn't completed, so this was my first time. Along the walls they have these neat reliefs depicting different activities during the war period both on the home front and battlefields:
The park is divides into 2 sections: one area for the Pacific theater and the other for the Atlantic:
There is also this engraving, a section of one the most famous speeches in history:
We then made our way towards the Korean War Memorial, where I thought this was an interesting sight:
After that, it was to the Vietnam Memorial. Now I will say it was hard to note the impact of these wars/memorials with the insane crowds around us, but there were touching moments regardless of all the chatter around us:
It started to rain so we, along with a million people, headed into the Lincoln Memorial (probably the only Republican I care for):
The last straw for us was going to a museum. That to we decided on the Natural Sciences Museum. You know, stuff that kids would love. We must have been in there no more than 15 minutes. Caught a glimpse of the Hope Diamond and then bailed. Even the Pachyderm (I'll thank my bro for me knowing that word!) seemed annoyed:
After all that we were hungry. And so I was finally able to eat some Nando's Chicken! Really good stuff and this is the real finger lickin' good chicken! We have these back home in Zambia, so its a big pull for us "Zed ownes":
Anyways later that night we hit the hot spots in Georgetown, which made us Raleigh folk full jealous and wishing for the big city lights, sounds, and sights of a real big city. Of course, everything was packed. Of course. Saturday was the grill and fireworks day followed by a rocking house party where we got to catch up on some UNCA peeps and get our grove on. Dang that was a good party... Sunday was low key where we went and visited some family friends and later Beth caught up her old roomie, fabulous Tasha Daniels. Sudhir, Marina and I played ate some great Pakistani food from a hole in the wall and later played pool in their awesome condo building. Oh, the price of real estate quickly burst our (at least my) bubble of living a big fabulous city. Monday we left DC/North Va. and headed home for some rest.
One last photo blurb and that is next time if you find yourself trying to take photos with way too many people around, either take photos of the people themselves (called "Street" photography and something I'm not comfortable with yet but my bro has the hang of it) or take tight zoomed in photos of something specific. All the remaining photos will be posted on our Picasa gallery soon. Yes, there are more photos. There are always more.
Happy Friday everyone!
-S
There Is A Point To This Story
Thursday, July 16, 2009
So hang in there....
After a week and a half absence, I headed back to the gym Monday night to get a much needed endorphin fix.
Maybe yall are normal.
Maybe you do not posses genetic predispositions to Wyche moodiness that I so luckily posses, along with the Wyche/Britt genes for high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and breast cancer. What can I say? I'm a real hit at the doctor's office.
But alas, I need my endorphins mentally as much as my love handles need the cardio. And so, I trekked to the gym Monday, donned my defiantly non-stylish work out gear, grabbed a magazine prominently featuring some skinny b*tch in a swimsuit for motivation and set out to do a little running on the tread mill.
For once, the gym wasn't too crowded. I guess all the singletons had dates or something because the gym seemed noticeably void of pheromones and complicated mating rituals featuring testosterone strutting males in cut off tanks and gads of giggling girls, high on estrogen and cropped yoga pants.
Since I had my pick of treadmills , I opted for end treadmill on the far right, near the water fountain (in case of impending death), in front of the mirrors ( it helps to see the legs jiggle, to give you that extra push) and in front the mat / freestyle-workout-area (so I can count the more motivated people doing sit ups and push ups. Listen Elmer, treadmills are berry, berry, boring. )
And naturally like any normal person, I made sure to choose a treadmill that did not have neighbors directly on either side. Because it's always a bit awkward when you're in a public space, with room to spare mind you, and someone comes along and plops down right next to ya. i.e. on the bus, in line at the store.
We've all been there. It's a bit a alarming and makes you secretly curse the freak who doesn't understand societal norms, the concept of personal space or your inner desire to become a recluse.
So I began my treadmill journey only to discover that the treadmill I had so carefully and strategically chosen to journey through hell with (cough, three miles) whined worse than a cat in heat.
So I did what any other rational, intelligent person would do.
I jacked the volume on my iPod to a level that would surely make any good parent cringe, while debating which attribute I valued more: thinness or hearing.
After enduring two minutes of permanent hearing loss, I reconsidered my decision and in an act of love, decided instead to forgo the perfect treadmill spot, so that I can hear Somanna in our future rest home when we're old.
Or at least hear him in our well into our fifties. Whichever comes first.
After having spent so much time the first go round determining the best treadmill, and having walked for a total of 3 minutes, I was too tired to fight the good fight and decided to step not one, but two treadmills down to my left and resume my self induced torture on lucky treadmill El Numero Tres.
(I had to skip El Numero Dos treadmill because it lacked a magazine rack. Priorities people, priorities. )
And so I resumed my running on Treadmill Tres with renewed resolve and slight hesitation.
Hesitation you ask? Why what ever for?
Well, see there were only two downsides to Treadmill El Numero Tres.
Primero, it was not in front of the mirrors, a fact I could easily get over given that I look more like a Moose galloping than a graceful Elk when running. But the real downside was that El Numero Tres Treadmill had a neighbor to its immediate left.
Could I be that person who so brazenly and awkwardly invades someone else's personal space?
Why, yes I can and yes I did. All because I did not want to walk any further to begin my gym workout.
I hope you pause for a moment and consider the irony of that last sentence. Laziness is actually a very powerful and motivating force.
Not long after getting back to a-running, I noticed that I was really working up a sweat.
"Ha! Take that ice cream! I shall purge thee from the thy body!" I cheered to myself. Except that when I glanced down I noticed that the left side of my treadmill had lots of sweat droplets and my right side noticeably, did not.
"That's vierd," I thought to myself in a distinctly Goldmember accent.
And folks, herein lies the dramatic conclusion to this whole sordid tale:
My neighbor was a SWEATER.
Lawd have mercy, I chose the treadmill next to "A Sweater." No, not the pullover, cardigan kind. I mean the kind of person who sweats like an addict in rehab, a prostitute in church, hell like Governor Sanford in church (or in an Argentinian night club.)
As this stranger (with whom I was becoming far too intimate with) ran, his electrolytes abandoned ship with such fervor and gusto that they covered half of my treadmill and consequently, my left arm and leg, in their grimy, damp, stinky wake! Can I just take a moment to say, EEWWWWW!!!!!! How gross is that?!?!?!!
Seriously, the right half of my treadmill was a dull ash gray...the left side? A dark, shiny sea of coal colored slate. Fan-friggin-tastic.
I battled waves of nausea with each onslaught of droplets as I clung to the right side of my treadmill. I briefly considered throwing up if only to appear hard core and gain brownie points with the gym staff. But then I remembered that vomit leaves your breath stinking something fierce and opted to keep my lunch down.
Meanwhile, I had to keep turning my head decidedly to the right (as if I'm about to turn right....except NOT. Because I'm on a treadmill.) rather than watch the sweat-shower this one man freak show produced.
When I wasn't turning my head a sheer 90 degrees from the rest of my body, my gaze fell to my feet where it took great concentration and skill to place one foot literally in front of the other, since Sweater Man had cut my two foot running space in half. All this drama in the first six to eight minutes of my intended 30 minute-ish run.
"No worries," I told myself, "Surely if the man is sweating this much, he must be nearing the end of his run."
In case you were wondering, he wasn't. Not in the slightest.
After 15 minutes of enduring Sweater Man's organic ocean spray mist and my own awkward cock eyed galloping, I decided that Monday should be a weights day and not a running day.
Except that as I entered my final homestretch of two minutes, Sweater Man finished.
And walked away. And didn't wipe down his treadmill.
And so the moral of this endless tale of rambling is that your mama was right.
Stay Away From Strangers!
Especially men on treadmills.
AND ALWAYS WIPE DOWN THE GYM EQUIPMENT FIRST AND WHEN YOU LEAVE.
I hope have spared at least one of you.
The End.
The 1st Rule of Fireworks...
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Is something I totally did not think about. Esp. when having the chance to view them in the Nation's capital. I mean, this is suppose to the mother of all July 4th fireworks, right? Our plan was to hang out at my friend Sudhir's work place. Which happens to be a military base, called Fort McNair:
View Larger Map
So as you can see above, it's right along the Washington Channel with a view of the Washington Monument (in the upper left of the map). It was a great day. We basically lied our way in and setup camp along the water, near the bottom of the base. We grilled some burgers and sausages (not hot dogs) and had the usual sides and hit some beers and wine. The weather was nice and overcast, and I was ready.
How ready? I had a tripod, though I actually forgot my tripod by the front door when leaving so I went bought the cheapest one at Best Buy with the full intention of returning it. Which I did, and got my money back. I also had my cable release for the camera, which is what you use to trip the shutter without touching the camera so as to not shake it. I did not bring my big zoom lens because it's heavy and I figured I'd be quite close to the fireworks so it's not really needed.
Anyways, we get all set, and off they go. From afar. Quite afar really... no matter though, right? You can still enjoy the colors and I can always crop down!
Oh, wait that 1st rule; don't be downwind from fireworks. Yep, we basically got a smoke show. With lights. Though honestly towards the end the wind did shift away but I think we were all surprised at how... small it all looked. I'm also blaming it on the economy. It didn't really seem all that balls-out (best expression ever, first heard when Steve Ansari was describing an 80 year old's birthday party)... maybe there is some truth in my denial.
Oh well. But it was a good location, cause there was no crowd and just the 8 of us hung out all day and got a good buzz going. It really was a great day, and hat's off to Sudhir for hooking us up! How the heck were we really going to know the direction of the wind?! As Beth and I say "now we know".
Now you bet I have to go back, and this time I'll be a little closer!
Stay tuned as I describe other portions of our trip! Hope everyone had a good 4th!
-Shaloot (who else?)
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