out/about

A day off. Sunny skies after a week of rain. And the parentals are in town. Spent the day in DC, seeing some sights with Mom.

Somewhere behind us, in the chilllllly wind, is the Capitol.

It's beginning to both look and feel like Christmas! 

Miniature buildings in the Botanic Gardens.

Autumnal snacks to give us energy for all the hours of walking.

untitled #8 (hey, if it works for famous artists, why not me?)

Love the incandescence of autumn afternoons. 

I thought yesterday's rate of $14.95 was steep! When the express lanes aren't moving, I think people ought to get a refund~or the rate should drop. Hopefully, I will be moving in a couple of weeks to be much closer to my schools.

Continuing the theme of coffee and biscuits~today was delicious Arabic coffee. The scent of cardamon was perfect for a chilly afternoon. 

Quarter found. 

The newest generation of Norwegians starts her training in 1001 ways to make potatoes.

Completely gobsmacked when I turned the page of my magazine and saw a former student's work! Very glad that I kept his cartoon of me teaching The Scarlet Letter. We just reconnected on fb and had a nice chat. Always a thrill to see an artist succeed.

And then today's email contained these photos of a former singer in Texas who just made two chamber choirs. 

An excellent week for this educator's heart~both with former and current students.

amped up

I am sooooo not a commuter. I've been so spoiled for the past five years or so of having very short and painless commutes. This week has been standstill traffic going in both directions~heavy rains didn't help.

But, it was all made better when my first student served me some elegant coffe. 

And then, the second student served me English tea. I'm not used to so much caffeine nor sugar, so my English words per second was sky high by afternoon.

I enjoyed this delicious salad from Wegmans (or the Choo Choo Store as it's known in our family) and when I read the label, it says that it serves four. Harumph. Much like the fallacy of the Ben & Jerry pint also being for four people.

Still some pretty leaves after the rains.

chatterbox wearing down

Cheese and cider tasting on Sunday night 

When I was little, I've been told that I went around proclaiming that I was a little chatterbox. After only two days of one/one tutoring, I am actually tired of talking. But I am enjoying this new area of teaching for now.

 The cousins took a cooking class at Sur la Tab on Saturday night and then recreated it at home on Sunday. Delicious on every level~from the pear/toasted hazelnut tossed salad to the homemade and verrrry garlicy aioli, it was a treat.

I rarely go to Starbucks, but had a coconut milk latte to power through yesterday. Love their new holiday cup. I couldn't get the whole logo from the cup holder, but the slogan is "Give Good". 

Found that the flowers I was taking to someone fit perfectly in my cup holder~for once, no spilled dirt from a floral gift!  

Dime found, fresh almonds from California, safe driving in the rains, and dinner with the parents and sis and family~lovely ending to a long day.

drip, drip

No four-leaves found, but lots of pretty sparkles.

The grey skies cause the tree colours to pop.

Too wet to have a Guy Fawkes bonfire. 

And my happy car has a brand new battery installed. Next up, brake pads. Cars are just so needy.

full of grate

Got my tires rotated last week and thought everything was fine. Except, I don't really drive much on the weekends and when I hit the road to teach, my steering column was shaking violently. Due to my schedule and the repair shop's schedule, I wasn't able to get my car in until this morning. 

About an hour into my wait, they came out to tell me that I had a large bolt in my left front tire. So, now I have a thick new tire and a deep relief that my tire didn't blow while I was zipping around the Beltway. (I know every city thinks they have the worst traffic, but there's something special about DC. Between the hordes of tourists and the transient residents [and a specific nod to the crazys from Baltimore], getting around via car is rather exciting.)

Bribed myself with a new lipstick as I had to go and rummage around my storage unit for teaching materials. I am now on month five of living out of a suitcase and it's getting a little wearisome. 

But the trees are gorgeous, I'm putting a new battery in my car tomorrow, and my parents are in town for a few days.

AND! We all get an extra hour of slumber tonight~best night of the year.

international

After an interview on Tuesday, I was invited back to teach a class yesterday for observation. They hired me immediately after. I'll be tutoring four days per week in McLean.

So, now I've got an International School of Music and an International Language Academy to add to my resume. We'll see where they lead.

walkin' through Memphis

Not really, but for some reason that tune was in my head as I walked through a most excellent day of eats to kick off November. We started with the annual pumpkin breakfast and then hopped the Metro to visit the Aveda school in Chinatown.

Proof of???? I just thought this sign was thought-provoking~my cousin bought the latest Michelin guide and voila. This place was listed. Now I'll have to go inside.

Back to Hip City Veg for chkn nuggets and sweet potato fries.

Met up with the cousins when they got off work to go to an author event. It's ever so handy that one of them works directly above a French bakery. We needed sustenance to navigate Dupont Circle and eclairs were the perfect item.

And I've found my new city haunt. 

all Souls, all Saints

Happy best month of the year!

The colour didn't turn out so well on these, but little witch hats that went to the Navy Yard yesterday and were a big hit. A few remained at home for our treats.

Had an excellent panel interview yesterday and will go back on Thursday to teach a class. On Friday, I do the same thing for a different institution. If my fingers weren't already exhausted from these past few stupid months, I would be crossing them that both, or one of these jobs works out.

To end on something lighter...