Good morning!!!
I hope you had a great weekend! What were you up to?
I have been doing a ton of reading and writing lately, and occasionally I come across a great word. I have a client who is a walking dictionary, and every time I share a cool one with him, he comes back with one even better! Inspired, I asked my followers on Twitter to send me some of their favorite words.
It turns out, one of the responses is the most appropriate way to describe my weekend: languid.
I got back from North Carolina on Saturday morning after a wonderful, but brief, two days in Raleigh and Charlotte. I very much enjoyed my tour there and had an absolutely amazing dinner date in Charlotte at McNinch House Restaurant. Thank you so much to everyone who made my visit so special!
I went to the pool to do some laps on Saturday morning. Although running is my preferred form of solo exercise (I would play tennis more often if more of my friends could join me), I have been running D.C. for so many years now that I’ve run almost every imaginable route through the city. I sometimes get bored and have to switch it up. Swimming is one of the best workouts! It’s extremely efficient in calorie burning and gentle on the body. So I did a few laps in the pool (69!), then took a nap before going to the Fun House at the National Building Museum with Allison Rose!
Although it is incredibly instagram friendly, as is now the trend within the museum community thanks to social media, Fun House is also an interesting exhibit. It serves as a commentary on what we consider “home” to be. The house is a blank slate - literally, an all white canvas of sorts - that allows guests to make it their own experience. Some of the rooms inside are fun, like the playroom with a huge marble run, while others are meditative, like the brightly lit, cavernous bedroom with thousands of strips hanging from the ceiling.
My date for Saturday evening was so pleasant… he had great news to share and celebrate, before he headed out on a well-deserved vacation! If you’re reading this, and I somehow know you are, I hope you’re having a wonderful time and thank you so much for a lovely evening :-) Also, he brought the cutest gift!!!
I spent Sunday in the pool again - I set a goal for 75 laps and outdid myself with 81! The rest of the day was dedicated to recharging and grocery shopping. I am bummed that I won’t be in Toronto this week for Caribana as I usually am, since it falls on the same weekend as OVOfest. I miss my friend Chloe so much, and her birthday was last week (if you want to do something nice to start off your week, please send her a birthday gift!!!). Until I make plans to visit her in Toronto in the next few months, I am trying to convince her to come to D.C. for a few days - she’s never visited here before! Tell her you're interested by pre-screening. Better yet, fly her here for an exclusive treat or a double date!!!
In spite of the cancelled trip, I am looking forward to relaxing and, hopefully, catching up with you. Let's make plans!
In the meantime, here are some fun reads from around the web:
- Have you seen this animation video of the Grim Reaper overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge? It’s so cool, I had to share it! The talented creator is Justin LeDuc.
- When I was a kid, I loved McDonald’s Monopoly game. I tried my hardest to win. Can you believe, all these years, it’s been rigged? The story of who and how is crazy, scandalous, and wild!
- If you’re going to eat after 8pm, but don’t want to feel guilty, make sure its one of these 11 foods.
- California’s wildfires are, apparently, getting worse due to population growth and climate change.
- The world responds to Rudy Guiliani.
- Some valuable insight from McKinsey about what skill sets are becoming more valuable in certain industries.
- My mom used to always say that the air conditioner (or fan) was the culprit behind my summer cold. Gizmodo got 4 experts to weigh in.
- Who has it easier - men or women? Of course, many of us can only answer that question from our limited experience identifying as only one gender. That’s why I found the experiences of these transgender men to be so interesting.
- Are you bad with names? Ever wondered why? Time Magazine shares the answer, and some tools for being better at remembering them.
- The “No Straw” movement is picking up steam (I am relucatantly on board), especially now that Disneyland has announced plans to get rid of all plastic straws from its parks by 2019/2020.