It's been a week since I packed my bags and said goodbye to my summer home, the co-op on G street in Southeast DC. I miss the house and the housemates something awful. Here's a not-so-little brainstorm/torrent about what I loved about it.
My first success in sharing a bedroom.
Always finding someone around to chat with.
More politics than a Georgetown library.
Being a stone's throw away from Eastern Market, where I managed to consistently get a week's worth of groceries for about $20.
A well-equipped kitchen and a free shelf to scrounge when I was too lazy to cook.
Cute little mice to keep us guessing in the kitchen.
A garden to toil in, to harvest tomatoes, squash, basil, peppers, and sunflowers from, and to compost in.
Housemates who understood, respected, and catered to my peculiar diet.
Folks interested in good books, good music, far-flung travel, serious documentaries and lectures, patriotic parades, afternoons in the Library of Congress or Ebenezer's Cafe, a good game of scrabble, or a night of karaoke.
A lax policy on drinking in a quaker-owned rowhouse.
A cute, safe neighborhood with kind neighbors and tidy front yards.
A five minute walk to the metro stop.
Amazing rent prices for volunteers and interns.
Nightly games of "tennis" and "soccer" at the nearby park.
Walking everywhere.
Magnolia trees and lavender after the rains.
Sharing resources like laundry detergent, cooking oil, sugar, and toilet paper.
Ceiling fans with half the lightbulbs unplugged to save on electricity.
A great supply of tea and a water heater at the ready.
Room for my yoga mat.
A shower and chore schedule.
House meetings with hilarious, half-hour long icebreakers.
Connecting with friends of friends who share the same level of awareness and compassion.
Nightowls coexisting with morning glories.
A lending library almost bigger than my personal library.
Walks after dinner.
Staying around for an hour talking at dinnertime.
Housemates with lives as busy as mine.
Meeting housemates' friends and being comfortable with them very quickly.
Christians with high levels of tolerance and respect.
A guest policy welcoming people to eat and stay with us for free.
Fit and healthy girls to keep me inspired.
Two daily newspaper subscriptions.
Hanging out at the pool for the first time.
Complete dependence on public transportation.
Picnics on the mall or in the sculpture garden.
Nearby eco-bike tours and a neighborhood bike shop.
Concerts on the capitol lawn for fourth of july and memorial day.
Good listeners.
Cutting down internet use outside of work to the library or slow house computer only.
The house whiteboard for sharing messages.
A paid blockbuster account.
Togetherness and respect of each others' space.
My broadened worldview.
13.9.08
8.9.08
Only child becomes a Big Sis
I fully took on the role of Big Sis for the first time this summer - and really enjoyed it. It's a funny feeling to accept being looked up to: initially, I failed to spot it, but after a while, I realized that what I learned from my experiences in college, in romance, and in the working world have given me a unique ability offer guidance to other people my age or younger. This came in handy with a huge crop of interns arriving at CHEJ in June and departing in early August. Until this summer, I didn't know what a difference there can be between 20 and 23!
Part of the sudden realization is that I can almost feel how much I've grown in the past 6 months or so -- like mental stretch marks. Working in the non-profit sector and gearing up for Peace Corps has separated me from a deep-seated selfishness I've had lurking for a long time. I finally found something to give myself to. In college, I selfishly pursued a degree so I could someday make money (losing lots of my zest in the process); in college, I selfishly pursued a relationship so I could feel good about myself and have an outlet for my energies. Now, although I have learned the value of money in being able to provide for future endeavors from talking to those with 30, 40 years on me, I have learned the value of giving and loving first-hand. Striking a balance is going to be hard, because vilifying money comes to me almost as a reflex to abundance, but walking that line is essential.
I've also matured as a result of a very protracted break-up of my most meaningful tryst to date. I've had tons of time to reflect and re-reflect on my actions, his actions, and everything else, such that I can understand now the objective reasons that we were not right together, quite apart from any feelings involved. I accept that with no feelings of regret or desire for revenge. It makes me sad sometimes, to finally be able to see his flaws. Love was blinding - it took a sudden sharpening of focus to know that.
As a counselor for my friends' relationships, romantic and otherwise, I find I can easily detect patterns of emotionally charged action-reaction so I try to help them to see the big picture. If only someone had done that for me! But it's a little strange to feel like a Big Sis to my friends; won't they realize how they could be thinking their way to being happier? I wouldn't deny them any support they need, though -- someday, I know they will be offering sisterly words of wisdom in my time of need.
Part of the sudden realization is that I can almost feel how much I've grown in the past 6 months or so -- like mental stretch marks. Working in the non-profit sector and gearing up for Peace Corps has separated me from a deep-seated selfishness I've had lurking for a long time. I finally found something to give myself to. In college, I selfishly pursued a degree so I could someday make money (losing lots of my zest in the process); in college, I selfishly pursued a relationship so I could feel good about myself and have an outlet for my energies. Now, although I have learned the value of money in being able to provide for future endeavors from talking to those with 30, 40 years on me, I have learned the value of giving and loving first-hand. Striking a balance is going to be hard, because vilifying money comes to me almost as a reflex to abundance, but walking that line is essential.
I've also matured as a result of a very protracted break-up of my most meaningful tryst to date. I've had tons of time to reflect and re-reflect on my actions, his actions, and everything else, such that I can understand now the objective reasons that we were not right together, quite apart from any feelings involved. I accept that with no feelings of regret or desire for revenge. It makes me sad sometimes, to finally be able to see his flaws. Love was blinding - it took a sudden sharpening of focus to know that.
As a counselor for my friends' relationships, romantic and otherwise, I find I can easily detect patterns of emotionally charged action-reaction so I try to help them to see the big picture. If only someone had done that for me! But it's a little strange to feel like a Big Sis to my friends; won't they realize how they could be thinking their way to being happier? I wouldn't deny them any support they need, though -- someday, I know they will be offering sisterly words of wisdom in my time of need.
6.9.08
Solutions to the Juice Box Dilemma
Avid and capable recycler that I am, I can't seem to figure out how to get breakfast items like soy and rice milk in a sustainable container. However - the hardy, bacteria-free box milks from Tetrapak (a la grade school juice boxes and Parmalat) are recyclable. Woop woop! But who will take them?
This question is actually kind of complex, like the recycling process itself. There are at least 6 separate layers - paper, aluminum, and plastic - that have to be separated - and not everyone's municipal recycler is even interested in something that tedious, and fewer still actually provide the service. I tried to call around today to find out some more local folks to take my boxes, which I've saved up - a whole stinky bag of them, thanks - but couldn't do any better than a place out in Oregon called BRING recycling. I've sent stuff to them before, and they seem pretty reputable, so here's their address in case YOU want to save up and recycle your aseptic packages:
BRING Recycling Warehouse (541) 746-3023
4446 Franklin Blvd
Glenwood, OR 97403
Make sure you flatten them before mailing, and remove any plastic pour spouts, etc.
A last thought: I could try to remove myself entirely from the "American Breakfast Establishment." I've done it in China, where they serve you steaming noodles and veggies with heavy bread. For some reason though, sleepy me always wants something familiar and comfortable - leave lunch and dinner for venturing wildly into unknown food territory. Luckily, another breakfast craving, tea, is available literally worldwide, under amazingly similar names in varying languages. Wo yao cha.
This question is actually kind of complex, like the recycling process itself. There are at least 6 separate layers - paper, aluminum, and plastic - that have to be separated - and not everyone's municipal recycler is even interested in something that tedious, and fewer still actually provide the service. I tried to call around today to find out some more local folks to take my boxes, which I've saved up - a whole stinky bag of them, thanks - but couldn't do any better than a place out in Oregon called BRING recycling. I've sent stuff to them before, and they seem pretty reputable, so here's their address in case YOU want to save up and recycle your aseptic packages:
BRING Recycling Warehouse (541) 746-3023
4446 Franklin Blvd
Glenwood, OR 97403
Make sure you flatten them before mailing, and remove any plastic pour spouts, etc.
A last thought: I could try to remove myself entirely from the "American Breakfast Establishment." I've done it in China, where they serve you steaming noodles and veggies with heavy bread. For some reason though, sleepy me always wants something familiar and comfortable - leave lunch and dinner for venturing wildly into unknown food territory. Luckily, another breakfast craving, tea, is available literally worldwide, under amazingly similar names in varying languages. Wo yao cha.
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