Yearly Archives: 2010

Moving…Yes, Again!

12thNovember2010

Yes, it’s true — I’m moving again. Specifically, I’ll be moving in January once my current lease is up (no need to worry, I’m not going far). What prompted the decision?

When I received my rent renewal notice a few weeks ago, I discovered that my rent would be increasing by $200 per month. (Yes, after only one year, which is ridiculous. I’ve lived in plenty of apartments over the years and I’ve never had my rent increase by that much. Stupid Archstone.)

Here’s a glimpse into the pros and cons I considered while going through my decision-making process:

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Pros:

For the same price as what my increased rent would be, I can move into a 1-bedroom apartment in another building. (Granted, the building probably wouldn’t be as nice as the one I’m in right now, but I’m okay with that sacrifice.)

I’ve been thinking about moving into DC for a while, so that’s what I’m going to do. Most of my friends live there anyway, and that’s where I tend to be if I go out after work and on weekends, so I might as well be closer to the action.

I’m looking forward to having a non-studio apartment again. Even though I’ve liked my current building, I always felt weird about inviting people over when my bed was just a few feet away from my living room sofa. I know there are tons of people who live in tiny apartments and still entertain, but I just never got into the habit.

I’m trying to move into a rent-controlled building, so I can be assured my rent won’t balloon drastically out of control in another year.

Cons:

Having to pack all my stuff again. Last year I asked my mom, stepdad, two brothers, and nephew to help, but for this next move I’ve decided to take my friends up on their offer to assist (it seems like a lot to ask the same group to make the 2-hour drive from Richmond only one year later). Luckily, living in a studio apartment means I don’t have a TON of stuff that needs to be moved…but it’s still a pain. Collecting boxes, packing and unpacking, etc.

Having to change my residency from Virginia to DC. Most of that inconvenience has to do with my car…having to pay to register it in the District…changing tags and insurance and so forth.

Address changes! Verizon Fios for cable and internet, credit card, bank…oh, my.

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Oh, and here’s another big deal: I gave notice of my intent to move out this week…and I don’t know where I’m moving yet! I know the area where I’d like to be in DC, and I’ve looked at several buildings, which narrows things down a bit. The problem is, my current building requires 60-days notice, while all of the buildings I’ve looked at in DC only require 30-days notice. So basically I should know in the next month or so where I’m going (hopefully). That freaks out my planning-self a little bit, but I’m confident I’ll be able to find something I like before my lease-end date of 8 January. (The Christmas/New Year’s holidays aren’t a popular time of year for people to move…right?)

In the end, the reason I decided to move is because I think it’ll be fun. A bigger place, continuing to live a short walk from a Metro station, seeing my friends more often and being able to entertain them at my apartment instead of always going to theirs, not having to worry about another huge rent-jump when my lease comes up for renewal again, etc. I’m moving because I think it’ll be better for me in the long-term, even though I know I’ll have some short-term inconveniences.

By Zandria | Posted in NoVA Living | Comments (11)

Shirlington Oktoberfest

6thOctober2010

This past Saturday, my friends Dana and Stacy, along with my sister Elissa, came to see me in northern Virginia and I took them to the Oktoberfest celebration in Shirlington (a neighborhood in Arlington). It was my third year attending and the weather was perfect (low 70s).

My only complaint is that the Shirlington Oktoberfest attracts more people than can comfortably fit in the designated space — trying to walk around involves constantly weaving and squeezing through the crowd. On the bright side: it’s a terrific spot for people watching.

Dana took some photos of us throughout the day, but I like these two pics of me and Elissa the best:

(Old Town Alexandria waterfront)

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(Enjoying our beer at Oktoberfest)

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By Zandria | Posted in NoVA Living | Comments (8)

Bedbugs: My Experience

13thSeptember2010

There is nothing that freaks me out quite like bedbugs. And I have a good reason for that.

Bedbugs have been in the news lately. I’ve read about outbreaks in large U.S. cities which infect entire apartment buildings and temporarily shut down retail stores. I’ve read about the one group who isn’t complaining about the surge (exterminators). I think I pay attention to these stories with more interest than the average reader because I’ve had to deal with bedbugs myself.

My incident happened over three years ago, in the summer of 2007. I never wrote a single sentence about it on this blog while it was actually happening, which was purposeful on my part. I didn’t want anyone to know.

It was because of the stigma. Even if the bedbugs aren’t your fault, even if you aren’t a dirty person, even if you innocently happen to pick them up from a hotel and they multiply on their own…there’s still a stigma. I didn’t want anyone to think negatively of me or wonder if the infestation was somehow my fault. So I told very few people.

I don’t know how I got bedbugs. The worst part is, they had to have been there for weeks before I put all the pieces together and realized what was going on.

Some background: I had a boyfriend at the time, and he was staying over at my place quite a bit. The bedbugs must have liked his skin more than mine because we started noticing what we thought was a rash on his back…however, I never noticed the same rash on myself. (The same thing happens with mosquitoes. I never use bug spray, and I very-very rarely get a mosquito bite, even when others around me are getting eaten-up.) So maybe if I had been the one covered with unknown bites, I would have been more concerned about the source? Hmm…

I discovered the infestation at a good time, relatively speaking. My boyfriend had just moved into a new apartment, and because he and I were spending so much time together, I was invited to move in some of my stuff as well. (In other words, he and I were basically living together, but I still had a few months remaining on my apartment lease so I wasn’t moving all of my stuff out at once.)

So…I was moving some of my stuff out, which involved packing boxes and clothes and such. And taking all the bedding off my bed.

I was horrified by what I found. Completely horrified. There’s no other way to describe it.

They had been hiding under the bedskirt, between the bedskirt and the boxspring. The bedskirt completely hid the Bedbug Party that was happening underneath.

I have said on multiple occasions that I don’t have the best memory, but that particular moment is burned into my mind. When I removed the mattress, I saw just a few bedbugs crawling on top of the bedskirt. When I removed the bedskirt itself, they were everywhere. I was in the apartment by myself at the time and I was completely freaked out.

The first thing I did was grab the vacuum cleaner. I sucked up a few of them before I saw the futility of what I was doing and reached for my phone instead. I called my boyfriend and he arrived not long afterward with a friend in tow. They put on plastic gloves, then threw both the mattress and boxspring off the balcony that was attached to my bedroom (so they wouldn’t have to track it through the rest of the apartment, across the public hallway, and around the building).

I spent many hours dealing with the bedbug problem even after the bedding had been disposed of. I read recommendations online that said I should treat all of my clothes, linens, and towels in high heat, which involved me taking a huge pile of stuff to the local laundromat (they had multiple dryers, so it was easier and quicker that way). Once there, I shoved many, many bags of dry, clean clothes into the dryers and put them on full blast for the full cycle. And then I had to re-fold and re-hang everything.

When I moved out of the apartment to stay with my boyfriend, I left behind most of my furniture. There was a couch, chair, coffee table, and sofa table (all of which had been purchased less than a year before), and a few smaller tables and a dresser I’d had for a few years longer.

I contacted the rental office to let them know of the issue, and they sent an exterminator. I went back a few weeks later to check on things in my apartment, and I could still find random bedbugs crawling on the carpet. I reported the issue once again, and the exterminator was sent out a second time.

Less than a week before I was due to move everything out of the apartment for good (my lease was almost up), I went there again to check out the situation and found a live bedbug on the sofa. That’s what I made the decision to leave ALL of the furniture behind. I estimated I was leaving behind several thousand dollars worth of furniture, and while I realize not everyone would take such an extreme measure, to me it was worth the peace of mind. I’d been at the other apartment for several months with no bedbug incidents, and I didn’t want to risk a new infestation.

The rental office ended up settling my issue with their insurance company (and also dealt with the removal of the furniture), and I received a check for $500. It wasn’t close to the amount that the furniture was worth, but I wasn’t interested in prolonging the fight.

I saw a report not long ago that said DC is on the Top 10 list of most-infested cities for bedbugs. Honestly, if I ever had to deal with this again, I don’t know what I’d do. I’d figure it out somehow, I suppose, but really…it’s a nightmare.

Speaking of nightmares: I had them. For months and even years afterward, I would dream about discovering them in my bed. (I haven’t had a bedbug-dream in about six months, and I’m hoping it stays that way.) They weren’t nightmares in the sense that I was being attacked by a giant bedbug or that I woke up and they were crawling all over me — but they were horrible all the same. Usually they just involved the discovery of bedbugs, and in my dream I knew what they were and knew I’d had the problem in the past. The feeling of dread, and all the work I knew I’d have to do — that was nightmarish enough for me.

Even to this day, three years later, I check under the mattress and bedskirt every single time I take off the sheets to be washed. There’s still a sense of foreboding as my eyes make the scan, and a feeling of relief when there’s nothing there.

By Zandria | Posted in NoVA Living | Comments (9)

As of Today, I’ve Been Blogging for 8 Years

1stSeptember2010

I published my first blog post eight years ago today. I was 22 years old at the time. My life was different back then, and I have no desire to go back. I like my life better now.

When I started blogging in 2002, I did so because I was planning to drive cross-country for the first time, and I would be doing it by myself (I’ve now driven cross-country on a number of occasions, always solo, between Virginia and California). I started blogging to give my family and friends a way to keep up with my adventures, and I’ve been blogging ever since.

I know I’m a different person than I was eight years ago, but there’s one aspect of my personality that hasn’t changed. While I’m no longer in the clutches of a raging quarter-life crisis, my tendency to crave change and look for ways to shake up my life hasn’t diminished as I’ve gotten older.

On the surface, my life is good: I like the Washington DC area where I’ve spent the last four years; I have a lot of friends; I have a good job and my own apartment. But I can’t deny that I feel discontent. There are a few options I’ve considered: I could stay with my current employer, but take an assignment at one of our international offices that would get me out of the country for a while. I could quit my job, or take a leave of absence, and travel around the U.S. for a few months. (I’ve always wanted to go to Alaska. And I’ve never been to New England. Hell, I’ve been to California and many states in-between, but I’ve never been to Philadelphia, which is only a few hours drive away.)

I realize some people consider these options drastic. While I recognize them as life changing events, neither do I shy away from them. Maybe I’ll choose to do one of these things, or maybe I’ll choose something else. What I do know is, I’m glad the decision is up to me and I’m free to make a change if that’s what I decide I want to do.

The thought of drastic change scares me a little, but sometimes you have to force yourself to be scared and uncomfortable. The possibility of regret scares me even more.

By Zandria | Posted in Musings | Comments (7)

Life List: Watch 50 Documentaries

23rdAugust2010

(I’m using this page to update my progress on Zan’s Life List goal: “Watch 50 documentaries.”)

Number watched so far: 36

I’m listing the documentaries in the order in which I watch them, and putting them in one of three categories: Very Interesting, Worth Watching, or Not All That Great.

1. Ballerina
Filmmaker Bertrand Normand’s documentary profiles five outstanding Russian ballerinas from the prestigious Mariinsky Theatre, following them from grueling rehearsals to flawless performances around the globe.
Opinion: Very interesting. (Maybe it’s the little girl in me, but I liked watching the extreme dedication and day-to-day lives of these ultra hard-working ballet dancers.)

2. This Emotional Life
Harvard psychologist and best-selling author Dr. Daniel Gilbert hosts this three-part PBS series [note: I watched the third episode, called "Rethinking Happiness"] that explores the range of human emotions and how we can strive to become more positive in our day-to-day lives.
Opinion: Worth watching. (Some of the profiles went on too long, which made it difficult to pay attention, but I like hearing/reading theories about happiness.)

3. The September Issue
A documentary chronicling Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour’s preparations for the 2007 fall-fashion issue.
Opinion: Not all that great. (I thought I’d like this better than I did. I would have found it more interesting if they talked to Vogue staff members who were lower on the totem pole, rather than focusing mainly on Anna Wintour.)

4. A Wink and a Smile: The Art of Burlesque
The camera goes inside Seattle’s Academy of Burlesque to shadow 10 ordinary women — among them, a taxidermist, a housewife and a doctor — who are learning the art of the striptease.
Opinion: Very interesting. (The class looks fun and empowering. I might try it myself if I had the nerve.)

5. A State of Mind
Two young North Korean gymnasts prepare for an unprecedented competition in this documentary that offers a rare look into the communist society and the daily lives of North Korean families. For more than eight months, film crews follow 13-year-old Pak Hyon Sun and 11-year-old Kim Song Yun and their families as the girls train for the Mass Games, a spectacular nationalist celebration involving thousands of performers.
Opinion: Very interesting. (I found the look inside the girls’ day-to-day lives especially interesting. Even though I’ve heard a little bit about life in North Korea, this made me realize how much I didn’t know.)

6. Every Little Step
Go backstage for an up-close look at a Broadway production with this documentary that follows hopeful dancers as they audition for coveted spots in the 2006 revival of “A Chorus Line.” Drawing parallels between the interactions of the aspiring actors and the events of the play, filmmakers Adam Del Deo and James D. Stern also intercut interview footage of composer Marvin Hamlisch and dancers from the original Broadway production.
Opinion: Worth watching. (Some people are so talented, it’s sickening. In a good way, of course.)

7. Spirit of the Marathon
Six runners from vastly different backgrounds train for the 26.2 miles of glory that comprise the famed Chicago Marathon. Along the way, filmmaker John Dunham provides an informative account at the centuries-old race. Vintage film clips and thoughtful interviews fill out this heartfelt portrait, which also includes appearances by legendary runners such as Dick Beardsley, Paula Radcliffe, Bill Rodgers, Toshihiko Seko and Grete Waitz.
Opinion: Very interesting. (I found the most inspiring marathoner to be an old gentleman who ran his first marathon at the age of 65. He runs slow, but he’s now run multiple races and inspires others to do the same.)

8. Young @ Heart
Coldplay, the Clash and Jimi Hendrix will never sound the same once you’ve heard the Young@Heart chorus, a group of Massachusetts senior citizens who thrill audiences worldwide with their unusual — and unusually poignant — covers of rock songs. Stephen Walker’s humane and heartwarming documentary, which premiered at Sundance in 2008, follows the elderly ensemble as they prepare their latest show for public performances.
Opinion: Not All That Great. (I liked the concept, but it was difficult to get into.)

9. Paper Clips
Whitwell Middle School in rural Tennessee is the setting for this documentary about an experiment in Holocaust education. Struggling to grasp the concept of 6 million Holocaust victims, the students decide to collect 6 million paper clips to better understand the enormity of the calamity. The film details how the students met Holocaust survivors from around the world and how the experience transformed them and their community.
Opinion: Worth watching. (I love the idea of one small idea exploding and inspiring like this one did.)

10. Rank
Filmmaker John Hyams trains his lens on the dicey sport of professional bull riding, focusing on a trio of top contenders for the world title. Cameras follow newcomer Justin McBride, 21-year-old Mike Lee and two-time champ Adriano Moraes as they prepare — physically and mentally — for their wild rides, working through injuries for a shot at the crown and $1 million in prize money.
Opinion: Very interesting. (8 seconds! Constant injuries! What a life.)

11. No Impact Man
A Fifth Avenue family goes very green when writer Colin Beavan leads his wife, Michelle Conlin, and their baby daughter on a yearlong crusade to make no net impact on the environment. Among their activities: eating only locally grown organic food, generating no trash except for compost and using no carbon-fueled transportation.
Opinion: Very interesting. (I wouldn’t want to go this extreme, but their experiment is very thought-provoking. I’m sure it had a huge impact on their life.)

12. The Botany of Desire
While visiting places like Peru, Kazakhstan and Amsterdam, learn from author Michael Pollan as he explains the natural history of apples, tulips, marijuana and potatoes and describes how common plants such as these deftly manipulate human desires. Based on Pollan’s best-selling book, this documentary encourages viewers to look at the world from a vastly different perspective and improve their relationships with nature.
Opinion: Worth watching. (There was some interesting information, but I didn’t find it overly-stimulating.)

13. Urban Explorers: Into the Darkness
Discover the secret world of urban explorers, daring modern archaeologists who seek out the hidden nooks and crannies of cities in abandoned subway stations, long-sealed sewers, and condemned buildings. Filmmaker Melody Gilbert joins these thrill seekers as they hunt for the lost trappings of the modern world and, in the process, shines a light on a fascinating subculture that is, quite literally, underground.
Opinion: Not all that great. (It started off okay, but after the first 45 minutes it wasn’t doing a good job of keeping my interest.)

14. The Business of Being Born
Director Abby Epstein’s controversial documentary takes a hard look at America’s maternity care system, juxtaposing hospital deliveries against the growing popularity of at-home, natural childbirths that some expectant parents are opting for. Former talk show host Ricki Lake was inspired to produce this compelling exposé after a dissatisfying birthing experience with her first child left her with many unanswered questions.
Opinion: Worth watching. (There were more shots of babies being born than I wanted to see, so I looked away.)

15. Blood, Sweat & Teeth
The most intimidating, bloodthirsty warriors of cage fighting battle it out in this collection of extreme matches. Front-row fans should be warned: The hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners action doesn’t stop even when teeth go flying. Packed with some of the most intense cage fights ever filmed, this carnival of carnage captures all of the incredible moves, debilitating knockouts and blood-and-sweat drama of the sport.
Opinion: Not all that great.

16. King Corn
Friends Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis move back to America’s Corn Belt to plant an acre of the nation’s most-grown and most-subsidized grain and follow their crop into the U.S. food supply. What they learn about genetically modified seeds, powerful herbicides and the realities of modern farming calls into question government subsidies, the fast-food lifestyle and the quality of what we eat.
Opinion: Worth watching. (Corn is in just about everything…)

17. Bigger, Stronger, Faster
Filmmaker Chris Bell points the camera at his brothers and himself — all of them users of steroids — for this thought-provoking examination of sports, competition and the unyielding pressure to succeed. By exploring the reasons behind steroid use and its effects within his own family, Bell asks whether the winning-is-everything attitude that’s so prevalent in American society has truly built a better athlete.
Opinion: Worth watching.

18. Beer Wars
Anat Baron ushers viewers into the backrooms and breweries of the ultra-competitive beer industry and reveals what it takes for independent brewers to compete with the corporate giants who dominate the business.
Opinion: Worth watching.

19. Encounters at the End of the World
Filmmaker Werner Herzog takes us on a wild and woolly journey to the South Pole — from the National Science Foundation’s headquarters on Ross Island to some of Antarctica’s most remote and dangerous terrain. With a keen eye for the wonders and sometimes hilarious peculiarities of this icy land’s animal and human inhabitants, Herzog offers an astounding look at the world’s most inhospitable landscape.
Opinion: Worth watching.

20. Inside Deep Throat
This documentary examines the goings-on behind the porn film that grew to become an icon, Deep Throat, which made more money than its producers anticipated and ignited a sexual and social revolution.
Opinion: Very interesting. (It’s kind of crazy, in our current times, to think about what people complained about just a few decades ago.)

21. Pressure Cooker
Three Philadelphia high school students negotiate the challenges of the inner city and the demands of their tough-minded culinary arts teacher, Wilma Stephenson, to become contenders in a citywide cooking competition. This documentary showcases the heights that young minds can reach, regardless of their environment, when they’re expected to succeed.
Opinion: Very interesting. (Tough love! Awesome.)

22. Etoiles: Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet
ETOILES celebrates the legacy one of the best ballet companies in the world by weaving together rehearsals, tour snapshots and performances of classical ballets such as Swan Lake and La Sylphide.
Opinion: Worth watching. (Most of this documentary is in subtitles, if that matters to you.)

23. National Geographic: Camp Leatherneck
In a part of Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban prior to 2009, the U.S. Marines’ Camp Leatherneck now serves as the base of operations for more than 10,000 U.S. soldiers charged with turning the tide of war in a stark and alien landscape.
Opinion: Not all that great.

24. National Geographic: China’s Lost Girls
Accompanied by her team, reporter Lisa Ling flies off to China with American parents set to adopt baby girls, the casualties of the country’s long-standing one-child policy. In hewing to this strict rule, families wind up aborting, abandoning or hiding their daughters, many of whom end up in the United States, brought by couples longing for children.
Opinion: Worth watching.

25. Cocaine Cowboys
Director Billy Corben pulls out all the stops to explore the many dimensions of Miami’s cocaine-trafficking boom of the 1980s, as told by the smugglers, cops and average citizens who were there. The film is an unflinching study of Miami’s most notorious and lethal vice — from how the drug was moved and its financial impact on the city to the havoc and violence that followed in its wake.
Opinion: Very interesting.

26. The King of Kong
When Steve Wiebe got laid off, he turned to the classic arcade game Donkey Kong for solace; soon, he decided to challenge Billy Mitchell’s long-standing record score. Providing a history of competitive video gaming and a look at some of the key players, The King of Kong is at its best when revealing just how far Mitchell will go to retain his crown.
Opinion: Very interesting.

27. The Big Show: A Giant’s World
This pro-wrestling bio offers a bird’s-eye view of what it’s like to be a giant — which, in the case of Paul Wight (better known as the Big Show), makes you one of the most intimidating figures in the WWE. In addition to discussing his battles with wrestling superstars like Steve Austin, Ric Flair and the Undertaker, the Show also talks about his struggles with the genetic condition that caused his extraordinary growth.
Opinion: Very interesting.

28. Good Hair
Actor and stand-up comic Chris Rock hops around the world, going from beauty salons to science labs to comb through the mystery of African American hair. Rock contemplates the purpose and application of a weave as well as women’s self-esteem and their locks. He also gains varying insights from Ice-T, Nia Long, Rev. Al Sharpton, Raven-Symoné, Maya Angelou and other celebrities.
Opinion: Very interesting.

29. Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead
Focusing on two men whose bodies have been trashed by steroids, obesity and illness, this documentary chronicles the rigorous healing path — including a two-month diet of fruits and vegetables — that both attempt in a bid to rescue their health.
Opinion: Worth watching.

30. Super High Me
Determined to find out the true effects of cannabis on the human body, stand-up comedian and former Stoner of the Year Doug Benson chronicles his experience as he avoids pot for a month and then consumes massive amounts of the drug for 30 days. More than just an amusing story about one man’s quest to get superhigh, this 2007 documentary also examines the hotly contested debate over medical marijuana use.
Opinion: Worth watching.

31. Forks Over Knives
Focusing on the research of two food scientists, this documentary reveals that despite broad advances in medical technology, the popularity of modern processed foods has led to epidemic rates of obesity, diabetes and other diseases.
Opinion: Not All That Great.

32. Waiting For Superman
This documentary weaves together stories about students, families, educators and reformers to shed light on the failing public school system and its consequences for the future of the United States.
Opinion: Very interesting.

33. Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop
Following his unplanned and highly publicized departure from NBC, exiled talk show host Conan O’Brien decides to take his show on the road. This documentary captures that uproarious tour as well as O’Brien’s dramatic break with his ex-employers.
Opinion: Very interesting.

34. The Last Mountain
This gripping documentary follows ordinary citizens in West Virginia’s Coal River Valley as they wage a campaign to prevent the infamous Massey Energy Company from expanding ruinous mountaintop removal mining operations in their community.
Opinion: Very interesting.

35. Freakonomics
Several documentary directors each film a segment representing one chapter of Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner’s best-seller Freakonomics, which explains different elements of popular culture through economic theory and statistics. Issues include everything from cheating sumo wrestlers to whether Roe v. Wade produced a drop in crime.
Opinion: Worth watching.

36. Running the Sahara
America’s Charlie Engle, Canada’s Ray Zahab and Taiwan’s Kevin Lin embark on an unprecedented quest to traverse the entire Sahara desert — on foot. Along the way, the runners encounter the beauties and hardships that accompany modern African life.
Opinion: Very interesting.

(This post was last edited on: April 26 2012)

By Zandria | Posted in Life List | Comments (3)