Sunday, November 13, 2011

Weekend Report: Three Days of Awesomeness

I strongly believe that weekends are meant to be three days long. Two days is just not enough time to achieve the appropriate activity-to-relaxing ratio that constitutes a weekend well spent...And as the above title suggests, I had an awesome three day weekend! (Happy Veteran's Day!)


Let's start with Thursday night, which in the long weekend scheme was like a Friday night. I went to LLC's to celebrate a certain friend's return from Costa Rica. LLC prepared a Chinese feast (as she is wont to do in these circumstances) and we sat around her small dining room table, chopsticks in hand, enjoying the hot and spicy tofu, vegetable, and dumpling dishes set before us. (Well worth all the oil I saw poured into her wok during the preparation process!)


Friday was a bonus day, so I felt no pressure to be particularly productive. First, I prepped a birthday cake for a certain SpeedyKate. In the afternoon I went for a beautiful autumn-y Rock Creek Park run. The leaves on the trees above me and the bikepath beneath my feet were vibrant shades of red and orange and yellow and the air was cool but not winter-cold. Fall running reminds me of Cross Country, which reminds me of Saturdays spent at Lexington's Exit 30B trails in college...sigh, good times.  


Between baking and running, I think I read my book? Lazy days tend to disappear into a black hole of I-can't-really-remember-but-I'm-happy-with-that sort of abyss.


Saturday evening, however, was incredibly memorable and eventful. I started at a party hosted by my Swahili tutor who just defended her Ph.D. prospectus on the role of armed groups in local governance (wow, isn't that the most DC-ridiculous sentence ever???) and needed to celebrate.


Then I went to an absolutely amazing dinner at the Tabard Inn. I'm still daydreaming about the fish I had -- sea bass with polenta and artichoke hearts and green olives -- it was delicious! And then I went to a bar in Logan Circle called Vegas Lounge -- not quite as skeezy as it sounds -- that has a live blues band on weekend nights. And then I was tired, obviously.


But my tiredness didn't stop me from making the most of Saturday, Day 2 of this long weekend! SpeedyKate and I met for a run on the Mall, which at 8 miles in 62 minutes was the longest/fastest run I've done since early summer. I heard all about her recent vacation to Turkey, and gasped out updates on my life whenever I had the breath.


I spent a lovely Saturday afternoon bouldering at the rock gym in Alexandria (my forearms and fingers are still sore), where small children may or may not have totally showed me up with their skills...then made my way back home to put the finishing touches on my cake.


It was all worth it when I revealed a Treat Yourself! cake at SpeedyKate's Parks and Recreation themed birthday party Saturday night. (More on that tomorrow...I'll give you a hint, it involves chocolate and salted caramel!)






Day 3 (aka Sunday) was much more laid back. 6x6 and I shopped in Georgetown, since when summer ends my work wardrobe becomes drastically limited (I'm more of a tank top than sweater person). And per usual, we finished the expedition with coffees and cupcakes, enjoyed on the Waterfront. 


And finally, to combat the building bouldering soreness in my body, I hit up Sunday night yoga...which I think ultimately made me more sore...how is that even possible? 


And that, my friends, is how 3 day weekends are done.