For the Love of Star Wars

While technically this is just a commercial, it made my morning.

Love that kids of today still embrace Star Wars; oh wait strike that, embrace classic Star Wars. Didn't see any Jar Jar Binks in that crowd (thank goodness). Oh, George Lucas (insert head shaking).  Why he continually tries to keep us from just loving Star Wars as we originally experienced it by doing things like throwing weird computer generated aliens into Jabba the Hut's Palace (uuugh), throwing Hayden Christensen into Return of the Jedi (uuugh more), and giving us the less than stellar back story in the three prequels (uuugh the most) is beyond me. However it's stuff like this, where its like we've been able to, in a sense, put all of that aside and just enjoy it for the great stuff we love.  No fancy bells and whistles, good versus evil, kids using their imagination to exist in a galaxy far, far away without ever having to leave their backyard. That in my opinion, is pretty fantastic.

PS, yes I fully realize I'm kind of a nerd about this, but hey, everyone's kind of a nerd about something.

***Update, Greenpeace has put up a new one....

Disney Hodgepodge

I want to go back to Disney World.

I'm a Little More Country Than That

 Confession #1: I’m a girl who grew up in Connecticut, and I love country music. 

Not exactly the norm. When I tell people that I love country music, they ask where I’m from and then look stunned when they find out I’m a Yankee. But yes, it’s true. On top of that, ironically, a few of my best friends from growing up all separately somehow found their way to loving country music as well. When we realized that we now all had this shared interest, four of us decided to make our way to Nashville this past weekend for the 40th Annual CMA Music Festival.

 

Confession #2: I adore outdoor summer concerts.

There is just something so great about sitting outside on a warm night, with friends, a beer in hand and listening to fantastic music. Lawn seats, real seats, picnic blanket; wherever you may be, its always a great way to spend your time. The CMA fest was no exception as it was four full days and nights of outdoor summer concerts in Nashville; Disney World for country music fans. I got to see some of my favorites; Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, The Zac Brown Band, Sugarland, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban. I also got to discover new favorites like Trace Adkins, Blake Shelton, Josh Turner, Easton Corbin, Randy Rogers Band, James Wesley, and Jason Michael Carroll. There was live music everywhere. If it got too hot outside during the day at one of the four stages set up by the festival, we’d just pop into an air conditioned bar and got to listen to some more music inside.  (My itunes bill will be extensive for the next month or so as I gather all of the great new stuff I heard.)   I also must mention how great the people were there.  Everyone was there to have a good time, there to party, there to enjoy the music; and by extension everyone had a fantastic time.  Can’t tell you how much fun it was to be in a stadium full of people all singing along to their favorite music.

Confession #3: I love beer and I love barbecue.

Beer is great. Hot summer day, country music playing in the background and a beer in hand. Nothing better. Or wait, add some barbecue to that, and it just got better. That’s what we had in Nashville. Along with the music, beer and barbecue was also everywhere. There was one day that we went to lunch at Puckett’s Grocery & Restaurant. None of us were super hungry, but we figured we should probably eat lunch as the day was getting on. The minute we stepped through the door, the scent of barbecue that infused the whole place wafted over us and we were immediately starving. Pulled pork was had by all; accompanied by local beer in mason jars. I’d found out about the local Nashville brewery, Yazoo, from some friends of mine who’d been to there before. They sold it everywhere around town, so on Saturday we went to the brewery to check out the tap room and take a tour. Really good beer. Really wish they distributed further than Tennessee and Kentucky. (Fantastic that they had a taco food truck parked outside for afterward)  Guess it will just be something I can look forward to the next time I go back to Nashville, though I did take a growler home to remember the experience.

Confession #4: I love my friends.

We could have been anywhere, at a big event like the CMA fest or just sitting around drinking a beer or having coffee, and still have a fantastic time. Lucky for us we got to be in Nashville, but honestly I feel so lucky to have such incredible friends. We’ve already talked about going back again next year because of how much fun we had, and I really hope that we get to. I will, without a doubt, have my cowboy hat, boots and very best “Yeehaw!” ready and waiting for this time next year.

The Merits of a Refreshing Cocktail or My Inability to Make a Good Mojito

 

So it seems summer has descended upon DC.  Perhaps not “officially” as that won’t happen until June 21^st, but in terms of the actual weather we are experiencing; definitely summer.  For a girl with curly hair I can always tell when summer has arrived in the district; the humidity settles and it seems like my plethora of curls doubles in size. 

In any case, regardless of the heat I really love DC in the summer; there are just so many things to do!  For instance, a summer evening spent at an outdoor happy hour just makes my day.  One of my favorite places to grab a cocktail after work is a sushi place near my office called Nooshi.  They have happy hour Monday through Friday and all of their drinks are half off.  Simply delightful to sit outside on a warm evening with a spicy crunchy tuna roll in front of you while sipping a mojito… or four.  When the weather is warm and the humidity is so heavy you feel as though you are wading through the air not just simply walking, something as refreshing as a mojito just hits the spot.  I’m not even a rum enthusiast, but I just love me some mojito on a warm night.

A few months ago some of my very best girlfriends and I all convened in Los Angeles to visit a friend of ours who now lives there.  After we’d all arrived, our very gracious host announced that she’d gotten the ingredients so we could make homemade mojitos!  Fantastic!  What better way to enjoy the delightful weather of LA in February (70+ degrees) than with one of my all time favorite drinks.  Thanks to google we quickly pulled up a recipe for the drink and got to work.  Now after all of the mojitos I've had in the past, the following thought had never crossed my mind: mojitos are really hard to make!  Or at the very least hard to make well.  There are just so many steps involved.  They are a lot of work!

We set ourselves to the task with diligence, but the drinks did not turn out like the ones I’ve so enjoyed elsewhere.  I suppose someone, somewhere, might attempt to say something profound like, only with hard work can you achieve stellar results, but that was just not the case with us. For that particular evening I believe we compensated by just putting extra rum into everyone’s drink, and for the most part we were happy.  Really it was the company of friends that made the evening great, not just a mojito.  Still, I gained a new respect for the work that must have gone into each and every one I’ve had in the past. 

For sure the next time I visit Nooshi for their happy hour, with each and every sip of mojito, I will appreciate it just a little bit more now than I did before.  After all, a well muddled mint leaf and extra rum is no small thing; not on a warm night where a refreshing drink and time spent with great friends can turn your whole outlook around.