My computer is broken right now - so I probably won't be updating until I get it back or :gasp: I get a new computer...hopefully mine isn't completely dead.

In recent news:  I met Gandalf.  Yup, I met Ian McKellen and shook his hand.  I have the best job in the world.

Also, I just registered to walk in the Homeless Walkathon on Nov. 21 on the National Mall.  I'm trying to raise money for it right now and here's the letter I've sent out.  If you already received this in an email, I'm sorry!  But please pass this on to anyone you know that might be interested. I know this is a DC-specific gig, but I think everyone could use a little Hoosier friendliness and support!

Dear Friends and Family,

On Saturday, November 21, I am walking in the Fannie Mae Help the Homeless Walkathon on the National Mall and I would like to ask you to support me with a tax-deductible donation.

I know I'm far away from you all now, but I think this is a very worthy cause - and I've chosen the Anne Frank House in DC as my personal beneficiary.  More than a hundred nonprofits will benefit and 100 percent of the money I raise goes to these nonprofits.  The Walkathon on the National Mall on the Saturday before Thanksgiving has become a Washington, D.C., tradition and as a new resident here, I'm happy to participate.  

If you want to sponsor me, all you have to do is go to the website below and select the "Click Here to Sponsor Me" button. If you won't want to make a donation online, just email me back and you can mail your check to me.  I only gave $15 (so maybe I won't go out to watch the Colts game this week!) but anything you can give, from $1-$20 can help.  A lot of smalls make a big!!

Also, if you feel like it, please forward this to your friends and family.  I'd love to reach a lot of people and get some good 'ole hoosier support out here!

Click here to visit my personal page.
If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://www.helpthehomelessdc.org/site/TR/Walk/General?px=1125045&pg=personal&fr_id=1121&et=iMJVa29fonICW66SmV6PGQ..&s_tafId=4311

Today is the epitome of a blustery, rainy day.  It has been raining for three days now, which is slightly reminiscent of Maine, but much colder.  And of course, I had to go to the grocery store, so I came home soaking wet, but my fridge is full now (not a hard thing to accomplish), so I'm planning on spending the rest of the day watching movies in my nice warm, finally heated apartment.

Another recent development: I now have 4 keys for 2 doors for my one-room economy apartment.  Riddle me that.  Three locks on one door.  And the bonus- they all work now!

A couple weeks ago I went to Velocity DC, a dance festival featuring performances my DC dance companies.  My favorites were Ron K. Brown and Evidence Company and the Washington Ballet.  They were both very, very different pieces, but incredible dancers.  The WB piece was all to Philip Glass music, which I didn't think I'd ever be able to stand after The Photographer, and they even used music from The Photographer, but the piece was just spectacular.  I also met up with two friends that worked with me at Jacob's Pillow (summer 2006), so that was a complete blast from the past.

The Shakespeare Theatre Company costume sale was last weekend- over a thousand people came to the Harman Center and spent upwards of $20,000 on costumes that had been cleared out of storage.  I even found a Halloween costume and sent another to Kelsey for her birthday.  Don't worry, she already got it.  I worked from 8am-3pm, so I saw EVERY SINGLE costume we had.  It was really fun to watch people try things on a try to justify buying it.  I can justify anything, of course, so I'd like to think I'm responsible for a couple thousand dollars worth of sales.  Too bad I don't get commission...

This week is going to be pretty crazy because our Gala is on Sunday.  I found a dress at the costume sale-champagne colored, strapless, with a sweetheart neckline and a full skirt.  Very pretty.  And it fit almost perfectly.  I took it to the tailor this morning to get it fitting perfectly, so I'll put up pictures after the Gala.  It turns out the couple that owns the place I took it to are Korean, just like Vity's.  Too bad their prices are higher...

And I've finally made plans for Thanksgiving!  One of my friends is in Boston, another in New York, so the three of us are going to do Thanksgiving in either New York or Boston.  Turns out the bus to Boston is about 11 hours long, so if we do go to Boston it's actually faster if I bus to NY, then bus to Boston.  Weird, huh.  But I'm excited about cooking my own Thanksgiving dinner!

   I got my first paycheck and it is going...straight in the bank.  Things are MUCH more expensive out here on the East coast in the big city.  Food, public transportation, movies, furniture, cleaning supplies, just about everything.  So my paychecks, for now, are going straight in the bank to pay for everything I've already bought!  And soon, you will see how the Rabbit Hole transformed from a tiny hole in the basement to a quite cozy and liveable little burrow.

My parents drove out last weekend (on their anniversary no less, so they must love me at least a little) and packed the car to the brim with my clothes, storage containers, and KITCHEN SUPPLIES!  Can you tell what I'm most excited about??  So they got out here Friday night, we unloaded the car, got some dinner, and then I unpacked and proved to them, that despite their negative attitudes, I COULD fit everything they brought in my apartment.  And make it look good too!

Saturday we had a little more fun, taking a tour of the Capitol Building and spending the afternoon in the Newseum, which was much cooler than I anticipated.  I think Dad was a little confused because some of the equipment he's used was in there on display....  We did more shopping on Saturday, taking an excursion to Target.  And it was the weirdest Target I've ever been in EVER.  It's vertical.  Two floors.  SO WEIRD!  And they were completely cleaned out from the college rush, so I got most of the leftovers, but they worked nonetheless.  Then we came home and did more unpacking/putting together/organizing.

Sunday we did the Holocaust Memorial Museum in the morning, walked over to the White House in the afternoon and then we hit Eastern Market to get some stuff to make dinner.  Because now that I have all my kitchen stuff, I can actually COOK!  So we bought some fresh, homemade raviolis (goat cheese & basil, smoked mozzarella, and ricotta and basil), fresh salad greens, and fresh fruit and made a lovely little dinner in my Rabbit Hole.  After that (crazy weekend, I know!) we headed over to Capitol Hill to listen to the National Symphony play their annual free concert.  We got rained out after about half an hour, but I think it was worth it.  Then we came home and had dessert.  GREAT weekend.

And I almost forgot to mention-on one of our cleaning/unpacking stints in my apartment, Dad took the air conditioner out of the window to see if he could get it to stop making noise.  Then he saw how filthy it was.  And then he opened it up.  And we found mold.  Yup.  So then my parents (the best in the world, in my opinion) cleaned out my air conditioner so I won't get mold sickness, or whatever it is.  And now my apartment smells a lot less like basement (but still a little because, well, I'm in the basement).

This week at work has been pretty busy with donor events and other things at the Theatre every night, so I've been keeping very, very busy.  Last night when I was walking home from the metro I noticed an obscene number of policemen and police cars around the metro and the capitol.  And then I realized, OBAMA IS IN THERE!  So basically, I was three blocks away from Obama.  I couldn't even walk on the sidewalk on the same side of the street as the Capitol building, but he was there!  And I was that close!

So that's the past week in a nutshell.  This weekend I'm planning on taking advantage of some of the free stuff going on downtown, so we'll see what happens!

And if anyone has good recipes that include a small number of fresh ingredients that make 1-4 servings, please let me know!

And now: PICTURES!

The first meal I cooked.  Chicken in peanut sauce!My kitchen, after I cooked my first meal.

The mold in my air conditioner.  For some reason, this picture is much larger.

Cleaning out the air conditioner...

The bathtub was necessary for some cleaning...

My room, on the left side of the door.

the view across from my door.  Closet on the left, bathroom ahead, kitchen on right.

My tiny, tiny kitchen.  Can you see the top of my mini fridge underneath the microwave?

The view of my room from the kitchen.  I'm using present wrapping ribbon to tie my curtains until I get some prettier ties.

New Jersey chose this guy (not my dad) to be in the Capitol to represent their state.

The dome of the Capitol Building Rotunda

The view of the Washington Monument from the West doors of the Capitol.  This is what Obama looked at, plus several thousand people, when he was inaugurated.

You can't get very close, but if I was living there, I wouldn't want a swarm of people outside my front windows either.  But I have decided that I'm going to try to do a homestay with the Obamas.  Tips on achieving this are appreciated.

The Capitol Building at night.