Monday, July 9, 2012

Happy Birthday South Sudan!

Happy July 9th!!! To most of you this seems like just another summer day, a Monday in July, no big deal. BUT please let me enlighten you: This July 9th marks the one-year anniversary of South Sudan’s independence. That’s right – today the youngest country in the world celebrates its first birthday!


At first we're happy - yay South Sudan!
But then we remember there are some problems...
If you’re thinking Hmmm I don’t know much about South Sudan? OR Why did South Sudan get its independence and from whom? OR Wtf is a Sudan? Is that even a thing?  I am happy to answer all your questions via my newest creation that I’m pretty darn pleased with – this section of the Enough Project website (that I’m going to go ahead and take most of the credit for writing and creating for you).

Here’s the BEFORE (note it's just text on one page):


And the AFTER (sections, sub-sections, jump-links, images, timelines!):



And that my friends is what I do when I’m not baking, running, reading, or perusing the interwebs.

As far as what I did this weekend – meh, it was pretty uneventful.

I spent a total of 5.5 hours literally in the pool: 3.5 Friday night just chatting and lounging in the water (Francis Pool in Foggy Bottom extended its hours! Open till 9pm on weeknights!), and then an almost-2-hour pool run Saturday afternoon.

Saturday night I had a delightful dinner at Zengo, one of the few small plate restaurants I deem fit to patronize. It's Latin/Asian fusion food, and four of us split:
(arepas)
  • achiote-hoisin pork arepas (corn masa / avocado / crema fresca)
  • peking duck tacos (curried apple / orange-coriander sauce)
  • pork-mushroom gyoza (jalapeno / porcini / soy sauce)
  • angry zengo roll (yellowfin tuna / wasabi tobiko /cucumber / avocado / chipotle rouille)
  • edamame
  • asparagus and daikon
The goyza (aka dumplings) were probably my favorite and they come in an order of 6. The duck tacos were also really good – the “taco shells” were actually rounds of thinly sliced dikon (I think) which was fresh and interesting.
(duck tacos)
Sunday I went for a run at 95-degrees-o’clock, and spent the rest of the day puttering inside because it was UNGODLY hot out. I really really really try to refrain from weather complaints, but jeeeezzzz DC you are killing me. It is cooler in South Sudan than it was here yesterday.