I started grad school.
I feel like that's all that needs to be said in ways of explaining my lack of posts over the last 3 months. From Day 1, I've been overwhelmed. But now that I've made it through 8 weeks, 3 midterms, 1 final, 1 final paper, and a new internship, I'm starting to feel like I've finally got the hang of things. I'm taking this time to write as many posts as I can before all the projects and tests start back up again... in 4-5 weeks.
I'm loving grad school.
The weekend before my two-week long orientation, John and I took a small vacation to Washington, DC. One of the perks of Pittsburgh is the location. DC is only a 5-hour drive, which saved us the hassle of flying and gave us the luxury of having our own car. However, one of the perks to John, I'm finding out, is the perks. His aunt and uncle were extremely generous and kind to us, and they let us stay in their condo. The condo is within minutes of the first stop of the redline, so we could take the metro into town.
I literally just discovered that I lost all of my pictures from the trip--except for like 5 random ones. Luckily, I had Instagram'd a collage of pictures so I have very pixelated screen shots of that to use for my blog.
The first night we got there we decided to visit the Mall and all of the monuments. I even convinced John to take a romantic nighttime stroll along the surprisingly desolate reflection pool. We soon found out people weren't walking along the reflection pool because there were gnats EVERYWHERE! And since construction was the theme of the week, there was no way to exit the path. We had to walk the ENTIRE thing! I probably swallowed like 5 gnats because I wouldn't stop talking/complaining.
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| The blue mark on the leg is from the vandalism that had happened shortly before. |
The next day we went to the zoo! The zoo is free, although John reminds me that our taxes pay for it. The only downside to this is that they charge you $3 for a map! We decided to go without and were pretty disappointed starting off. We constantly felt lost (it wasn't an easy-flowing zoo), and none of the animals were in the exhibits! Since the pandas were weeks away from giving birth, even they weren't out! Visiting the National Zoo and seeing no pandas--a shame!! We took a lunch break, and the visit picked up after that. (I'm not saying the food was the game-changer but... BGE*). There were two highlights for me: the otters and the O-line. The National Zoo has 11 otters! 11 playful, funny, active otters. One of them was playing with a rock (pictured) and another was seen carrying an entire tree branch in his mouth. We have no idea what he was doing with all that tree! The O-line is essentially a tight-rope that the orangutans walk across to get from one monkey house to another. And I should mention that the monkey houses are on opposite sides of the zoo! They go right over the heads of the visitors without a net or anything. It was SO COOL!
The next day was John's day. We went to Arlington National Cemetery and the American Natural History Museum. We happened to walk up to the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier right as they were about to do the changing of the guard. Arlington National Cemetery is probably my favorite place in DC. I just love the view from the eternal flame. I had never been to the History Museum, so it was fun to see the first ladys' dresses and the ACTUAL Star Spangled Banner (no pictures allowed).
The reason for the trip, of course, was to go to a Nationals game. John's uncle again generously left us his company tickets. So after an exclusive tour of the Washington Post by John's friend Tim, the three of us headed to the game. The seats were incredible and the presidential mascots were amazing. It was President Taft's debut, so he sneakily got a head start in the race. Unfortunately, sharknado got him! Never fear, Abe Lincoln dressed as batman saved him. It was wild and crazy, and I forget who actually won. I think we were mostly just confused.
We also ate a lot of excellent "cuisine." We visited Baked & Wired for cupcakes and treats, as well as the famous Ben's Chili Bowl. It was AWESOME!
It was such a great trip and I'm sure the first of many for us. Next time I promise not to erase my pictures. Ugh!
*BGE is a term created by my very clever brother-in-law Robert. He uses it when my sister becomes so hungry she gets angry. It means Bitch Gotta Eat. I've shared it with my friends, and it has since take off like wildfire.
