Ostara excitement!

     I loooove holidays, and Easter is no different. The Ostara celebration is full of fun traditions. My husband and I celebrated in a low-key sort of way, but it was still fun. I we dyed eggs, which I hadn't done in years.




Of course, I had to sort in rainbow order.


In my mom's tradition, we labeled each egg with family names--me, my husband, and our cats.
     We only dyed a dozen eggs because I don't like hard-boiled eggs. My husband is going to have to eat all of them!

     That was Easter Eve. On Easter Day, we went out into the world--and a beautiful day it was--for a nice breakfast.


My landlord's puppy, Daisy, on Easter Day.


The cherry blossoms are in full bloom.
     And finally, I leave you with a picture that my mother-in-law took of one of the baby bunnies that run through her back yard.


Meet George!
     I hope you had a great holiday weekend!

"It's a great day to be a particle physicist."

     She blinded me with Science! It' s poetry in motion! Check this out!:

Cern LHC sees high-energy success

     This is extremely exciting. If you're not sure what they're doing at CERN, check this out first:



     This is another useful article. Notably, it says that we're not likely to see Higgs Boson evidence until after 2013, when the collider is boosted to collision energy of 14 TeV. We're at 7 TeV today. Woo for science!

     Also, nice to know that the future isn't trying to sabotage us this time!

Spring is here!

     And I must admit, I really have been enjoying it. Summers can be incredibly stifling in DC, to the point where I forget that other seasons can be quite pleasant. Ask me again in two or three months, and I shall tell you that I hate this city irreparably. Right now, though, when the cherry blossom trees are blooming and there's a breeze through the streets, things are just lovely. I could live here forever if only it would always be this temperature.


That sky--talk about blue!
     I also just spent a nice and rainy weekend in NYC. My birthday was last week--26 years old!--and my husband took me to see a great new Broadway show to celebrate! It was a really fun trip, despite the rain.


Madison Square Garden in the rain--waiting for a taxi.


We saw a preview showing of The Addams Family, starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth. They were amazing!


There are gargoyles outside of our room on the top floor of the Radisson Lex.
     A short summary of my trip in photos is above. Omitted are photos of the largest martini I've ever consumed, along with photos of restaurants, hotels, and all of the indoor fun that can be managed in NYC.

     Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Best hoodie ever!

     I am enjoying the coziest hoodie ever, thanks to my wonderful husband. It is a Cashmere Waffle-Knit Hoodie from L. L. Bean. I think the Nautical outfits that are on the L. L. Bean's front page today are adorable! End sidebar. But this hoodie really is great. It has a dual zipper, which means it zips from the top and the bottom, and it's jut really comfortable. I have it in the pink shade shown below. The pastel shades are on sale here and darker shades are at full price here.



This hoodie reinforces my idea that my entire wardrobe should be made of cashmere.

Quick Revalations

     I have a few quick revelations.

1. I do NOT have green eyes. My eyes are brown.

2. I should not try to "force" my eyes to be green by trying to bring out their green-ness with green-enhancing eyeshadows, like the one made by Almay.



If I do force the issue, then I look like I was mugged on the way into the office. Case in point:



It does not matter that it looked really cute on Angela Kinsey on an episode of The Office. She is blond, and I am not, so it will not look cute on me. That is all.

Think warmer thoughts.

     Rain makes snow look icky. That's the state of DC lately. Yesterday, I wore regular shoes, but I found that to be a mistake, what with all of the melty, rainy snow, so I'm back to my Uggs. Super office-appropriate, I know.


     Some quick things that I saw and loved today:


Zipper Cups


Williams-Sonoma Steiff Bunny

As an avid tea drinker, those mugs are really charming. As the wife of a deutschophile, I really appreciate the Steiff brand of toys. Hand-made quality always gets me. I used to collect bunnies as a child, too, so I find this really adorable.

     For those not enjoying the cold, think warmer thoughts! March is less than a week away, and although the weather might not care, it just sounds like a warmer and more springy month!

WFD: Meatless Monday

     Have you ever visited MeatlessMonday.com? In general, I am a health spectator. I've learned all about what is necessary for good health, like exercise and nutrition. I've taken classes on it, and I think that I could advise someone about their own personal wellness, if I were so asked. However, I certainly do not participate in all of this knowledge. I do not practice what I could possibly preach. Not in a weight-loss frame of mind, but in an overall wellness frame, bodies like good food and to move. I have learned about good food and how to move, so I just need to do it. Back to MeatlessMonday.com. Their about statement:

Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health. Our goal is to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.

And that just so happens to be a purpose with which I agree. Wellness for me, the people, and wellness for the globe. I am down, so I will give it a try.

     It also helps with my favorite question: WFD? What's for dinner? I browsed the recipes with my pantry inventory in mind, and tonight, I think I will try the Tagliatelle with Mushrooms. I have mushrooms, and I should probably use them up soon. I might pick up a flavored tagliatelle, as the recipe suggests, if I can find one in Whole Foods after (or before) I go to the gym. Baby steps. :)

     N. B. Another great answer to WFD can be found in my brother-in-law's new blog, The Militant Carnivore Cooks for his Vegetarian Wife. My brother-in-law is brilliant with the food-stuffs, and his creations should be pleasing to a wide variety of palates. In one post, he'll describe a great cheeseburger, and in another, he will present Wheat Berries with Dried Cherries, Pecans, and Rosemary. Variety abounds!

Weather gone wild!

     Although it is essentially old news at this point, I tried to thoroughly photo-document the blizzard of 2010 that struck DC and the Eastern seaboard in this album:





2010 January and February: Snowbound!
     A series of photographs featuring me, my husband, and some stir-crazy cats during the biggest snowfall some people have ever seen. My husband and I were stuck in our apartment for ten straight days (although some of those days were spent teleworking on my end), which is unprecedented. We really had a lot of fun, though, being the cold- and snow-loving people that we are. I don't mind saying that I miss it and wouldn't mind another go, weather-permitting. Psst...don't tell anyone in DC that I said this, or else they may come after me with pitchforks.

     Yay for snow!

Miss me? Housekeeping.

     Wow. I am not good at the consistent blogging thing.

     Okay, yes, it has been over two months since I last posted, and I very conveniently skipped what is arguably one of the biggest holidays of the year. Mea culpa. You are exactly right, and I apologize for it immensely. I just got so caught up in the fun of it all! I spent the holidays with my in-laws for a week, and then my family for a second week, and just couldn't find the time to get into "the office," so to speak. Real life fail, I suppose. It is lucky that I have a readership of zero at this point, or else people would be upset!

     With hope, I can now jump back into the posting frenzy with whatever good ideas I may find, or whatever craziness my fall out of my head. You'll notice that I took the time to de-autumn-ize the design of the blog. The photos are taken with my own cell phone camera, so I hope you enjoy them!

Quickie

     Because I have lots of work to do today, but isn't this adorable?







Gingerbread House Luminary from Bath and Body Works

     In the Christmas spirit yet? :)