Monticello.

My Flickr Tags.

Jump!

Jump!
Originally uploaded by Brian Knight Photography.

Just came back from a relaxing trip to Cape Charles, Virginia.

Good friends, good food, great sunsets.

It's all Happening.

Move was a success. Also bought a car; 37 mpg, here I come!

I have to talk to Mason admissions soon. I'm limited to ten hours for the fall term, but I need 12. Uh oh.

Next Steps.

Starting school again. And moving, to boot.

Only in DC.

Today, we could actually blame the Pope for the traffic problems.

Up, Up and Away.

I love flying through the clouds, especially the giant poofy ones.

I think I read James and the Giant Peach too much as a child.

Friday.

Super-Productive Sunday.

Oil: changed.
Windows: washed.
Living room: cleaned.
Dishwasher: run.
Debit card: canceled due to fraudulent activity in the Midwest.
Police Report: filed.

Happy Leap Day!

That is all.

I think I just wanted the time stamp.

800mg.

Another for the List.

My life right now.

NBM.

So, a bunch of us visited the National Building Museum on Sunday. More photos from the meetup can be found here.

Curiouser and Curiouser.

I have to be happy about moving to Northern Virginia; the past five years have given me opportunities I might never have had. Granted, I moved here to be near my parents over the tumultuous transition years between high school, college, college and real-life, but, by actually being here NoVA (as it's lovingly-- or annoyingly-- called) has changed my outlook on life itself and has allowed me to really see who makes up this world.

I don't think I would have ever had the same opportunity to discover and explore ethnic, cultural, and racial diversity anywhere else; certainly not in Oklahoma, and definitely not to the same extent as New Orleans. I also have to give kudos to George Mason University for helping out, too. Named one of the "most diverse" colleges in the country, Mason also had a hand in my discovery phase.

I guess what prompted this post was an event that occurred this past weekend; I spent Saturday afternoon with my friend Gracie wandering around the Korean shops in Annandale, Virginia. We stopped at a Korean bakery called Shilla for pastries and coffee, where green tea was sold for your "well-being" and good health and giant bowls of fruit and shaved ice were a hot-ticket item.

Earlier that afternoon, we had stopped in a little gift shop where I bought some Rose paper for folded flowers. Gracie had mentioned that she didn't know how to make these particular roses, so I offered to teach her once we settled in the bakery. After a quick tutorial and an hour or so of gab, we noticed people staring at our table. After checking ourselves to make sure we hadn't spilled anything, I thought maybe they were staring at me, I was one of the few non-Asians in the restaurant, but no! They were looking strangely at Grace! She caught on and wondered as we were leaving, how strange it must have seemed for a Caucasian to teach a native Korean to make paper flowers.

We thought it was odd, and nonsensical, and hilarious. And it's my diversity story for the week.



"Oh, dear! What nonsense I’m talking!" --Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Almost Forgot!

Happy New Year!

A (Year) in the Life 2007.

I think I did more self-exploration this year than I have any other. Hooray for being brave, doing what I wanted, and making friends along the way!

So, how does one go about doing a recap? Outlines!

Travels:
Dry Fork, WV
Columbus, GA
St. Petersburg, FL
Chicago, IL
Seattle, WA
Selinsgrove, PA
Altoona, PA
Williamsport, MD
Pittsfield, MA
Trenton, ME
Baltimore, MD
Columbus and Atlanta, GA
Tulsa, OK
Chicago, IL (not planned)

Flight stop-overs include: Detroit, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Chicago, and Newark

Concerts:
Lily Allen
The Thermals
Scissor Sisters
Pete Yorn
Ben Folds
Bob Schneider
Badly Drawn Boy
Blonde Redhead
Arctic Monkeys
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Wilco
Rilo Kiley
Bob Schneider

There may be more, but these are the only ones for which I have stubs.

Photography
Cameras bought (and used):
Polaroid SX-70 (until I broke it)
2 plasticky junky things from the thrift store
Lomo SuperSampler
1961 Canonet rangefinder
Polaroid OneStep from the thrift store

Delighted that my photography actually took off this year; excited about Gallery-worthy and marketable work.

Writing
Every day. I received the best compliment this year: "Have you ever tried getting this published?" From my mother.

Friends
I enjoy the people I have in my life right now. It was fun seeing old friends and getting re-acquainted with family; we'll see what the next year brings!

Family
We've all grown up and we know it.

Work
New job started in October. Whoa.

Via Chicago.

Like everyone else, I got stranded in Chicago Wednesday night on my way back from Oklahoma. Thankfully, I was able to stay with an old friend from high school (hooray bed!).

Annual* Holiday Photo.

dcistgt 137b
Originally uploaded by sintixerr.

Photo by Jack.


Here's my end-of-the-year portrait.

More to come later for my 2007 Wrap-Up. Why do I do wrap up posts? I don't know; maybe I like lists.

*Annual tradition as of last year.

Home For the Holidays.

"Are you OK? What happened?" My mom asked as she peered down the stairs, the kitten poking its head around the corner.

"I think I busted my knee," I responded, still halfway up the painted, plank-stairs, one leg tucked underneath the other, my sock-covered toes balancing my weight. I was half-laughing, half-crying. God that hurt; the part below my kneecap was throbbing where I landed on the stair, the top of my thigh swelling where I forced my knee forward and into the overhang. The apple pie I had dropped was plopping down the stairs-- I didn't lose too much of it, just what was left was going to have to be eaten as an apple crisp, instead of pie.

"Honey, I think you have to carry your daughter again," Mom called into the den.

"Do I have to?" My dad.

"No, I'm OK." I balanced on my left leg, on my real bad knee. I don't know what came over me, thinking I could run up the slick basement steps...holding a pie...in sock-feet.

Maybe the holidays make you think you can run around like you're four again. Maybe accidents like this are there to prove that you're not as resilient (or bouncy, per se) as you once were.

But what killed me was when Mom asked my dad to carry me. Again. When was the last time your dad carried you? Physically put you in his arms and rushed you away for a band aid, an icepack, a safe place?

For me, it was a year ago. It happened last summer, when we were in my grandmother's barn-- the large garage/workshop where we keep and work on the cars. I was wearing sneakers and my jeans were slightly covered in grease and dirt and we were all stinky from working in the garage on a hot summer Florida day when I did something stupid. Well, sort of.

Sneakers protect your feet, not your ankles. And well, I kicked an axl for a 1932 Ford Model A. We have a ton of them laying around, but I miss-judged and kicked it, hard, with the knob of my ankle (or whatever you want to call that protusion). I was in mid-sentence when it happened and I just stopped. I couldn't talk, I couldn't make a sound, I stood there for what seemed ever. I tried to move my leg, but brain-to-foot function wasn't working.

I think Dad sensed something had happened, there wasn't any sound (no loud CLANG when I hit it), but I had zoned out and Danny kept asking for the wrench that was in my hand, to which I had no reaction. Then, in a sort of wimper, I said I hurt myself. And I started to cry.

I couldn't even feel it, and I was thinking to myself, Why the hell are you crying? I'm 23 and I realize I hurt myself, but I can't feel the hurt and the tears are coming anyway I DON'T UNDERSTAND. And that's when Dad knew I needed him. He scooped me up and ran me into Grandma's kitchen where they put my swollen ankle up on the kitchen table and covered it in an icepack. And then I felt the hurt.

I didn't break anything, didn't twist anything; I definitely got bruised and definitely had a hard time walking the rest of that day...but knowing that my dad, at 56 (then) was still ready to jump across the garage and run his (then) 23 years-old-and-still-a-klutz-daughter to the kitchen to get a boo-boo bunny (ask later) put on her ankle still amazes me.

I hope I can do the same for my kids.

Have You Fed the Fish?

My cat hates sushi night...