At Limbo

I got the mostly wonderful hug from a coworker today, and I can’t thank him enough for it; turned out to be exactly what I needed!

Life has been more stressful than usual these days, the joy of taking on an entirely new and daunting endeavor, I suppose. However, I’m learning to savor the little things instead of worrying about the big picture that I have no control over. It’s a process, I’ll admit. But here are some little things:

♥  kind words from my boss to a room full of people I admire.
♥  plans in the works for the 2010 Capital Pride celebration!
♥  discovering new trendy restaurants to make my own.
♥  the warm weather finally coming back to D.C.
♥  being given the opportunity to speak to a group of empowered, successful women today.
♥  the new friends I’ve made on this crazy path so far.
♥  having people who will stick up for you.
♥  my Twitter lists.
♥  software that works and makes life so much easier.
♥  last but note least – an amazing happy hour this coming Monday; seriously, it may be for my job but that’s not why I’m so excited: drink specials, a great LGBT crowd, and one of my favorite bars in the District!

It’s been over a week now. Since I left the Day Job, since I started the New Job, and since I went a little bit crazy missing At Limbo. I can’t be without it, it seems. However, as there is a New Job to focus on, I wanted to tell you all a little bit about it and invite you out to an evening we’re hosting this week!

Along with the DC GOP, come join us for a fundraiser in honor of Marc Morgan’s campaign in DC’s Ward 1! (Ward 1 is home to some of my favorite live venues – 9:30 Club, DC9, Velvet Lounge!) I’m ecstatic to be Marc’s Campaign Manager and so incredibly proud of the team off volunteers we have at this early stage of the game. Info on the event is here, come on out in support of a great candidate & mix & mingle with At Limbo!

Also, while you’re surfing today, check out our site (which we’re still working on) & ‘like’ us on Facebook (because you know you like us!).

The day is finally upon me. As of 5:30 this evening I will no longer be an employee of my office. Three years of amazing research, mind-boggling opportunities (I did mention that time I met the PM of Zimbabwe, right?), and an incredibly amount of stress – all over as of tonight.

In the place of all of that? A job of 24/7 commitment, an obsession with local news, more blogging, more writing, more running, learning more about this great city and the amazing people who live in it. Instability. Couch-surfing. Suitcase-living. No health insurance.

I couldn’t be more excited.

I am finally getting back on my feet from my fall a week ago! I don’t look nearly like a prize fighter anymore, and the migraines from having one’s face rearranged by a wooden staircase have almost subsided. Yay! To celebrate, and because the DCYRs are wonderful and offered me a chance to volunteer, I’m going to be at tonight’s Lincoln/Douglass Dinner, the DC GOP’s big annual shindig! After that, I plan to head home and dig into some awesome new music care of M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel, aka She & Him. The duo released their second album – Volume 2 – today and I was glad to see a spot on review of the band’s work in this morning’s Washington Post Express.

What made me so glad about this particular review? It made a point of discussing the difference in Deschanel’s confidence levels, which is the only thing about their debut album, Volume 1, that grated on my nerves in anyway. Knowing that she’s grown into herself as a singer and songwriter gets me so excited to hear their newest effort. So check out the review, pick up the album, and let me know what you think (I’ll be doing the same)!

Jessica Wakeman, over at The Frisky, published a great post today titled “17 Phrases We’re Tired Of Hearing About Women” about the cutsie and/or insulting ways language refers to women. My biggest pet peeves from the list? Princess; Drama Queen; Being a Pussy. Seriously – since when did being associated with pussy become a bad thing? Always? That just seems so weird in my book! You’d think people – especially straight men who probably use the phrase more than others (I’m seeing jocks and popped-collars in my mind when I hear the phrase) would want to be associated with pussy.

by shobe90 via tumblr

But I digress. The article got me thinking about things I am tired of hearing about women or because I’m a woman. My list, after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry →

Tonight, Limbo will be ritzing it up at a truly fantastic fundraiser here in the city (one I wrote about last month that got delayed thanks to Snowmageddon)! You know you want to come out for the cause, CCC, and hobnob with City Councilmembers, philanthropists, pols, and me!!

Held at the Twelve Restaurant & Lounge (which just looks truly delicious), the event goes for two hours and for a donation of $25 (to the Ward 7 non-profit College & Career Connections group*) I know I’m excited to put on a cute suit (naturally!) and meet the likes of Chair Vincent Gray and Council members Kwame Brown and Michael Brown (who are both participating in the silent auction!). Face it, you know you want to come out, especially considering the awesome cause it supports. Details on the event, and CCC (provided by a friend of mine who sent me the media advisory, so it’s ‘official’ for once!), all follow. And feel free to spread the word!

DATE: Thursday, March 4, 2010
TIME: 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Program to begin at 7:15.
PLACE: Twelve Restaurant & Lounge – 1123 H Street, NE

*College and Career Connections is a local nonprofit serving Washington, DC’s Wards 7 and 8. Since 2007, CCC has engaged over 1,000 8th and 9th grade students in interactive workshops, and college and workplace visits that connect their current interests and education with college and career options. In a community where only one in twenty students will graduate college, CCC both inspires students to envision college in their future, and informs them of the concrete steps they need to take now to achieve that future. Please visit www.collegeandcareerconnections.org for more information.

I often find that being a music-dork and hipster takes over my life. Why in the world would I want to do anything else when there’s a live show somewhere on U St./in Arlington/out in VA/right here downtown? When I can see someone I’ve seen a hundred times because I just love that music that much or check out some great new underground DJ from Manhattan at a hole in the wall in Georgetown? The feel of singing along, dancing until my knees feel like jelly, meeting people who are just as insane as I am (day jobs? Yeah, we got ‘em, so what? 2 hours of sleep is plenty…) – that’s what drives me most days. But then there are the other days.

The days that bring a big foreign poobah to the District and I get to drink coffee over fascinating lectures. Days that bring hobnobbing happy hours and strict suits, when no one in the room knows or dares to ask if I have tattoos. I moved to DC years ago because of those days, because of the rush I get from a great campaign trip or how good it feels to make a phone call on behalf of a candidate and hear the enthusiasm on the other end of the line. These days are few and far between lately (though I did create a little bit of one myself last night, but checking out the lounge-esque happy hour at Current. Great eel nigiri, by the way).

And so, when a dear friend told me about a fundraiser she’s working on, I jumped at the chance to check the event out. Silent auctions for golf days and lunch dates with DC Council members, an open bar, free food, and all the elbow rubbing and photo opportunities you can handle!

Held at the Twelve Restaurant & Lounge (which just looks truly delicious), the event goes for two hours and for a donation of $25 (to the Ward 7 non-profit College & Career Connections group**) I know I’m excited to put on a cute suit (naturally!) and meet the likes of Chair Vincent Gray and Council members Kwame and Michael Brown (who are both participating in the silent auction!). Face it, you know you want to come out, especially considering the awesome cause it supports and the Valentine’s theme (what better way to spend a lonely, bitter holiday than doing some good with fabulous people?). Details on the event, and CCC (provided by a friend of mine who sent me the media advisory, so it’s ‘official’ for once!), all follow. And feel free to spend the word!

DATE: Thursday, February 11, 2010
TIME: 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Program to begin at 7:15.
PLACE: Twelve Restaurant & Lounge – 1123 H Street, NE

**College and Career Connections is a local nonprofit serving Washington, DC’s Wards 7 and 8. Since 2007, CCC has engaged over 1,000 8th and 9th grade students in interactive workshops, and college and workplace visits that connect their current interests and education with college and career options. In a community where only one in twenty students will graduate college, CCC both inspires students to envision college in their future, and informs them of the concrete steps they need to take now to achieve that future. Please visit www.collegeandcareerconnections.org for more information.

I don’t often indulge in politics here in Limbo, because this blog is about the art, music, and philosophies that bang around in the head of a 25 year old. However, I thought today was a great chance to point out this piece I wrote months ago, as to why I’m a Republican, how I believe that there are issues outside of social ones, and the strange reactions most give me when they find these things out!

In light of the GOP victory in Massachusetts, any thoughts?

from hellocherie @ flickr

At the beginning of October, I embarked on a somewhat laid back ‘change some things about my life before the new year’ adventure. I wanted to enter 2010 in a much better place than coming into 2009 saw me, and I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job so far, but a public gut check is never a bad thing, so here we go.

Goal #1; Focus on my health more acutely. Thanks to having been struck down with one helluvan ear infection which then took over my brain/body for about a month (I’m still battling it a bit, to be honest), I have certainly focused more on my health in the last month and half. I have been forced to take nights off from live music, been spending more time attempting sleep, having to eat better (chicken soup for the win, completely). Orange juice has been a diet constant. Through it all, I know I’m not ‘feeling’ better because of the lingering cold, but I’m still aware of how doing better things for my body is only going to be good for me in the end; it’ll eventually feel great!

Goal #2; Branch out musically. I have! I’ve moved from almost exclusively seeing shows at IOTA to checking out Galaxy Hut, the Kennedy Center, Jammin’ Java, coffee houses all over the city, and of course, the web. In the last month or so I’ve checked out amazing free style, falling in lust with DC-rapper Wale’s national debut “Attention Deficit”, gotten to dance the night away to a thumping bluegrass jam band, spent an entire afternoon surrounded by Joni Mitchell albums, and rediscovered my love for country western and opera. I’d say I’m on the right track.

Goal #3; Trim down what I own. I fail. With the move coming up, I keep saying “as I’m unpacking, I’ll go through everything” but that sort of defeats the propose of trimming things down so that moving is easier. Oy.

Goal #4; Win NaNoWriMo. I’m working on it for the next two weeks!

Goal #5; Lastly, I will get back to my roots. I have jumped back into the delicious world of campaign politics as if door knocking were my air. I volunteered on both the Christie and McDonnell campaigns and couldn’t get enough election coverage straight up until the last ballot was cast and the winners were announced. It feels wonderful. It feels like coming home. It’s the reason I came to DC 8 years ago and I’m so grateful to be involved again, I don’t plan on walking away this time! Oh yeah, and it helps that we won!

As for entering 2010 in a better place, I’d say I’m right on track. With a move into a new house I feel as if I’m physically coming out of a somewhat… for lack of a better word emo… state. Moving out of the basement, into the sunshine, if I want to be very poetic about it. This can only be a good thing. I’m taking off the kid gloves, taking trips to brand new places, taking more time to simply appreciate my friends & family, and really excited about having heat in my bedroom for the first time in a year… Yes, 2009 has been a year of transition, and I’ll be ending it with one more. I’m almost ready for the holiday season, folks. This list’s butt is mine to kick.