If I get old, remind me of this...

Yeah, it's been awhile since i've decided to post, and this one won't be a long one so don't get too excited. Two days ago, I celebrated my 1 year Anniversary as a DC resident, and today was an utterly perfect example of how I have acclimated to my new life here. It was pretty much your run of the mill day, work wise, but something just kinda felt different. I love how familiar it's become, how 8 months ago I was shy and didn't know anyone, and now I'm kind of a part of the office dynamic. I love absolutely everyone I work with. I realized today, walking home from our offices first softball game, that there hasn't been a day at work where someone there didn't make me laugh so hard that it hurt. We have so much fun, sometimes it really doesn't feel like work at all.
As most of you guys know, I haven't made my assimilation without looking back. I go to NJ a lot, so much that my friends down here think I'm nuts, but I really can't help that I want to see my friends, as often as I can while we're all still settled in the same geographic areas. This weekend is Steiny's pool party, which i'm looking forward to, mostly because i get to see Mel, who I haven't seen in 8 months. I highly recommend that we don't do that again. It was a really dumb idea.
I don't know what else to day except I'm extremely happy. Happier then I was last year at this time, unable to see what the future would bring, and less than thrilled with the new city I was residing in. I've also lost nearly 35lbs since then as well. I feel much better overall, and just amazingly grateful for what I've been given. I hope I will not blow it.

later chicos
-rach

I don't like Mondays....

I woke up this morning and could just feel it was going to be one of those days. for some reason or another, I couldn't sleep. I heard the house creak around 3 am and in my haze of insomniac paranoia, I thought it was a burglar. I thought to myself, if some guy broke into the house with a gun and came into my room, I'd have no where to go. That'd just be it for me. At this morose thought I got up and locked my bedroom door. This morning, when I woke up after only about 3 hours of sleep, I lightly chuckled as my door knob clicked, unlocking itself as I walked to the bathroom. Oh, me and my silly night terrors. And then I went to work, and Virginia Tech happened.
The irony of my crazy premonition really didn't hit me til I was walking home, thinking about those poor kids, trapped in a classroom, with no chance. How they risked nothing by getting up that morning and going to class, and that a year ago I was just like them: a college student with early morning classes, and friends and facebooks. VA Tech is like Rutgers in the sense of it being a large but still incredibly tight knit university. It's hard not to feel a connection to them, and just incredible pity for what they're going through.

It's too depressing to keep talking about it, so just let it be said, though it's probably now gospel: Hokies, we're with you.

-Rachel

and Daydreamed about how to make your life better by leaving town...

Happy March everybody. The 1st marked my 9 month anniversary with DC and I'm realizing that the honeymoon period with this city is just beginning. It's taken me a while but I am starting to feel an actual attachment to this city, daresay, becoming a Washingtonian or DCist as some call them. Worry not, I'll still always be a Jersey girl at heart, but I'm feeling quite enamored with this place, though I can't exactly place the reason. I guess it's a mixture of loving where I work, and the people I'm getting to know, the nightlife and the culture. Absolutely loving my neighborhood, the metro, and just the whole experience of living in a real city. I think the weather had a big influence on me this week, and something just clicked on and made me realize that I am actually happy here. It was 60 degrees the past few days, the sun is staying out longer, and it just makes DC (my part of it at least) seem even more splendid. I never thought I'd see the day where I just enjoy walking anywhere and everywhere, and this weather makes it even more appealing.
Don't get me wrong, I miss people at home, but my last trip back really made me realize that college is over, and it'll never be the same as to when I was there, so I might as well enjoy the memories and quit being so upset that it's over. Life's too short, equally annoying cliche..etc, et al.
I still have no idea about my future, my decisions change every other day. I love my office, but I want more responsibility. Part of me thinks I really need to get shaking on finding something new...another part of me thinks it's foolish to leave such a great work environment. I thought I'd search all my life and never find a place I actually want to go and work everyday, but I lucked out and hit it at the first go, so it wouldnt kill me to be patient and wait for the job I want to open up. I think I may need to go on to Plan B and try to do the campaign thing and worry about the Senator's office after the fact. For now, I'm going with the flow.
I've gotten so many nice visits this past month, first my sis and her bf, then Viki and Co, then Matt and Alison. I'm looking forward to summer with more free time, for my friends at least. The great weather makes it just perfect for touristy crap. So, ahem, friends who've yet to, COME VISIT. DC is amazing. Yeah, you should move here. Definitely.

Don't get offended If I seem absent minded, I get tongue-tied

Huzzah, it is I. Rachel Marcus, absent blogger. I was thinking about letting this go to the wayside for good, but I'm bored, and feel like writing to cyberspace, and figure similar times will come up in the future, so it stays...for now.

Uhh, happy new year? Here we are, in, what I believe to be, the fastest 8 months of my life. As of next week, I will have been a DC resident for 2/3 of a year. Un-fucking-believeable. Didn't we just graduate? And now my 07 pals are a couple weeks into the home stretch. Buckle up kids..the worst has yet to come. As for me, I've gotten comfortable in this new life. It's taking time to get used to, Im still not amazingly satisfied with my social situation, but it gets better every week. I find myself sometimes shunning thw world, and staying in my room for whole weekends, and on the other hand I have forced myself to go out to meetings and get togethers and am pleased with the people I've gotten to know. I continue to love and hang with people from work..I heart the southerners. Still every now and then I miss New Brunswick with a wicked vengance. Especially when there is some sort of party or happening that I really wish to be a part of. Luckily, February has me going up there not once, but twice! My early sort of suprise (to me that is) trip for Viki's grad party is gonna be a bit of a schlep (greyhounding it all the way there and back), but when I head up the weekend of the 22nd, I'll have it better planned out, and have more time to visit with people.

I still really love the house I live in, except downstairs is really cold, since it's a pretty drafty house. I want spring to get here quickly..nothings better than walking around DC in the nice weather. I could probably walk around for hours, as Cass and I did about 2 weekends ago when it was a freaky 70 degrees out. Absolutely gorgeous.

The roommates are still pretty awesome, especially Michele, who I share a bathroom with. Most of the time we insult each other in front of our other roommate, who just doesn't get our mutual rudeness, but of course it's all in good fun. Sadly, both the roommates are gone for the weekend, leaving me, the dog and the cat, which bothers me a little. i think I could stand to be alone in an apartment, but this is a house, and being alone in an old drafty house, when things creak, is just no fun. Sometimes its downright creepy. This weekend is gonna suuuck. I'm just happy that I have plans for sat and sun afternoon so I'm not stuck in here for too long. I'd definitely go stir crazy.

In other news, I started taking a swim aerobics class at the local pool. Its at 8AM on Saturdays, and I want to commit suicide every time my alarms goes off on Sat. mornings, but I know it's good for me, and gets me excercising and blah blah blah. I think it would be easier for me to get up and in a bathing suit if it wasnt 15 degrees outside. Im just saying. In any case, it's enjoyable...the early time is just regretable.

I do think that I've been depressed lately. I dont feel actively sad, really I'm pretty happy and downright chipper. But I've been taking lots of naps on the weekends, I seem to have at least one sleepless night a week, and I've kind of lost my appetite to an extent. Its not that I FEEL depressed, I think it might be a chemical thing, sorta out of my control. Probably caused by the cold weather. Anyway, since I don't feel actively sad, so I won't worry about it. It is weird because its really the first time I've ever noticed that my behavior changed without my mood being affected, and i really couldnt control that I was tired, or not sleeping. Just worries me because I have a family history of depression, and I really never felt like I couldn't somehow, i dont know, MAKE myself be happy. Whatever..dont worry about me, I'm doing fine.

I've taken a break from studying for the GRE's because : a) Im not sure what I actually want to go to graduate school for. I'm really leaning toward education policy, which is a really specialized form of public policy, but it's really what I'm interested in..and B) I reaaally want to do a presidential campaign which, with primaries and a possible general election (depends if I back the right horse) could take between 6 months to a year, so grad school would be a little out of the question. Whatever..grad school will always be there.

Allright..everyone is updated. Now I'm sleepy. Ok, and if you're a NBer, I'll hopefully be seeing you real soon.

Missing you guys
-rachel

I get knocked down, but I get up again.

My friend Jenn wrote that Election Day is the New Year’s Eve for Washingtonians. We stay up late, drink heavily and watch the American public make it’s resolutions for the future of the government. Well if Election night ’06 was New Years Eve, then the aftermath was Christmas morning for Democrats. We went to sleep last night knowing there was a big box sitting under of our proverbial Christmas tree (or Chanukah Bush if you prefer) but instead of that blue bicycle, we got a Lexus. And damn, we’ll be taking that thing for a ride.

I usually don’t get too political in my blog. I tend to get pretty heated up about politics, to an unattractive, some would say whining, point. But this is my first election day in DC, the energy around me is electric, and I can’t not talk about it. (I enjoy that double negative)

Last night was an amazing reversal of 2004. Looking at the close elections in both Virginia and Montana, I am reminded of the sadness of watching Kerry behind in too close to call races, hoping he could somehow pull it together and win Ohio. We still are in too close to call situations, but instead it’s the republicans trailing, and the Democrats with small but substantial leads. After the heart breaking aftermath of 2004, I can’t even feel bad for them. Getting the Senate in Democratic hands would be outstanding. With the numbers on our side, we’re calling it for us. Put that in your political pipe and smoke it.

Rummy stepping down was just the icing on the cake. It spells out the significant defeat of the Republicans in this war that was executed poorly for imagined reasons. Watching Bush eat crow is a beautiful thing. He says he expected to win last night and was frankly surprised. It just goes to show what we all believe, which is that Bush and his aides have fashioned a nice little bubble for the presidency, in which he filters out the negative and focuses on what he wants to hear. At his press conference today, he really did seem like a defeated prince, awed by the message of discontent that was delivered by his once loyal subjects.

Here at the office, we’re still unable to grasp that we may be in control of the Senate. Out cautious Democrat optimism is keeping us from really thinking about it and letting it set in. Of course, that doesn’t mean we’re not gonna enjoy every minute of this.

Thanks to everyone who voted!

We all wanna be big big stars...

Hey Cats and Kittens,
I was planning to update right after I came back from New Brunswick and we see how well that all worked out. Now it’s been over a month and tonight I’m heading once again to NB for a long weekend. I’m getting really excited about it since I have a lot of plans made and I get to see a lot of people who I missed the last time. Not to mention Mel will once again be coming down from Boston as well. I’m so happy that worked out.
Works has been pretty slow lately since we’re still out of session. I got to work on Education research and write some letters to constituents so that’s good. I really wish I could get the ball rolling on getting a more legislative oriented position. Takes time, and it’s only been two months since I’ve started. Ho hum.
Today I started the Everybody Wins program with my work pal Betsy. It’s where they pair up city school kids with working professionals (aka Me) and we read to them during one of our lunch hours each week. We got placed with an adorable 3rd Grader named Monae who basically read to us the entire time. It was funny because I was so nervous to meet a 3rd grader. I used to do this kind of stuff all the time when I was in high school, so I think I forgot how to talk to kids. Anyway, Monae is such a sweet heart and the hour just went by too quickly. It’s so nice that the Senate has a program like this where we can give back to the DC community. I would do it twice a week if they’d let us.
All in all I’m in a pretty good place. I’ve joined a Book Club and I’m studying for the GRE. After my last trip to NB I felt a bit listless and disoriented. I realized it was because of a lack of things to strive for. I didn’t have any real goals anymore. So, now I want to try and get into a graduate program at GW that I can do while working. I think trying for that will get me back on track. I was thinking back before I graduated, I used to have all these feelings like I was tied down. I always felt like I needed to escape and be totally self-sufficient. And since I moved here and got this job, I haven’t felt like that at all. Yay, I’m liberated. Let’s party.

2 hours til I’m train-bound for NJ. I don’t plan to sleep a lot this weekend and I couldn’t be more pleased.
much love
-rae

The years go on and we're still fighting it

Ben Fold's voice makes me think of college, no matter what he's singing. His voice IS college. Like nat king cole makes me think of Christmas. So congrats Ben Folds, you will forever make me nostalgic. Moving on...

I've been moved into my new place for a little over a week. Yeah, the moving process was a lot of fun..probably the dumbest idea in history: literally walking about a mile (each way) with one box at a time over the course of a week and a half. Then on friday, my official moving day, I made three trips in the rain. Yeah, it was totally worth saving $50 not to rent a car. NOT. On the plus side, I did get to do a whole lot of walking. not really a huge plus.
Gripes aside, I really love my new place, but pretty much anything is better when compared to the old one. I'm getting chummier with the roomies, but it's only been a week, so we're still sort of like awkard strangers. I'm getting along swimmingly with the dog and cat though, so no complaints there.
Work is great, can't believe I've been there a month. The time just rolls on by. I'm excited because I'm going to start working on a few issues soon, probably starting with Education, my forte. Hopefully I'll be helping the education LC with letters and research to kind of break up the monotony of my job. I don't mind the specific tasks that I'm responsible for, its just that I've gotten used to them very quickly, and I seem to have a lot of free time, so I'd rather pitch in than just wait for my work day to end. Plus, it's good experience.
This past week was a little tough for me just because of the fact that last week was the 1st, first day of classes that I haven't attended since kidnergarten. I try not to miss rutgers, but it's sort of something I'm unable to control. I need more DC friends..i'm working on that. I can't complain, i've got a great job and house...and a brand new subscription to NetFlix, which will be useful if that whole new friends deal doesn't work out.
I'll be back at Rutgers this weekend, which happens to be Homecoming, a coincidence since my reason for coming up is to go to my Aunt's surprise party at Keats. I haven't gotten a chance to see Ash, and there will be two, YES TWO parties while I am around, which makes it all the more worthwhile. Plus, MEL is gonna be there. no fooling.

Dinner tomorrow at Hard Rock with some new people (I've never been to a Hard Rock Cafe before, though I have seen the tshirts many times) then thursday evening I'll be on a nice long train ride back to Jersey.

Nothing more to report, hit me up if you're gonna be around the Brunz this weekend.

love ya,
Rachel

ps- if you're a face book stalker check this blog out at it's actual page here because it's prettier.