hey!

this is eleanor and her mom on a walk to roosevelt's island

i just wanted to stop by and tell you that i am studying A LOT and learning about brain problems and drugs and the genital area. and boobs! and it's all really trying. but duh, me whining about that must be getting old. i'm happy.

mostly [completely] because tonight i'm going to go get some falafel!! if you're ever in dc you must eat some of these balls.

i'll leave you with a good quote from teddy himself

xoxo,

k + e

preview

a summary of forthcoming blerg posts: stay on your toes, friends!! there's a lot of catching up to do!

apple picking

halloween - what are our costumes??

election night

thanksgiving

white house christmas tour

christmas

touristing around town

inauguration

inaugural ball

a lil this a lil that

 isn't it just slap-me-on-the-noggin beautiful out right now???

the levitating wonderdog loves tug-of-war!

[disclaimer: i know this is prolly unsafe. she's just so determined!]

some craftiness

hi team! it's a monday! i didn't do much other than finish up some crafts so i can concentrate on school with a put together apartment. here i what i finished up:

you'll notice the felt ball garland, one of my favorite mary oliver quotes, a vintage pic from steamboat springs in 1948, and various eleanor inspired art (a silhouette and a picture graciously bestowed on us from none other than danny stone of smelly ellie and me at the supreme court now grace the wall above her "room"). i also incorporated lotsa this new amaaaazing fabric my lovely auntie po bought for me at the awesome urban arts and crafts in kc. 

remind me to tell you about my weekend tomorrow!

until then, 

k and e

spring has indeed sprung

the princess and i headed home a week and a half ago to have some major relaxin:

we spent the majority of our time in kansas with the ever lovely elva lola grandmother, which is a whole other post of its own, but here are some pics from the trip and our escape to kc for a day (los compas! huge dos equis! friends (and alex)! family! we're spoiled!)

ellie beholds our hometown from urban arts and crafts (if you haven't been, go. right now. 2 projects in the works from treasures found there). we certainly miss our town and all it offers in friendship and fun.

shortly after this photo was taken, we were ushered to the airport where we flew on back home. i think the princess and i should be qualifying for a free flight soon. we were greeted by a district where spring had sprung forth in a beautiful abundance. i mean, just look at my patio tree (top center) dripping with bright blossoms, or the forsythia shining golden. the irises i planted are still alive, and i even made it for the tail end of the cherry blossoms. i can't take it. so, so breathtaking. 

. . . heaven is an eternal spring. 

today i placed a really funny amazon order that contained two books (heaven is here - i love nienie's blog - and health care reform: what it is, why it's necessary, how it works - in cartoon form!), a package of biodegradable princess eleanor poop bags, and 4 oz of silver glitter. ever since i moved to dc i've been pining after some good old fashioned glitter to use to spruce up my depressing apartment. and maybe some to sprinkle on myself and be all like "long day at the office, tee hee".

alright that about brings you up to date for now. i've gotta head to a new part of town to be a tutor. wish me luck.

happy hump day!!

xoxo, 

k and the incomparable princess e

princess eleanor rose is famous

super cute photos of eleanor, not so much of me. don't look at the girl holding the dog. however, it was a nice privilege to be on the andrew sullivan blog, gq, npr, and ap yesterday! sort of silly, sort of gimmicky, but hopefully it ended up raising a little awareness about the issue at hand: that is, the importance of the individual mandate in the affordable care act to encourage individual responsibility and systemic change for the better [and more affordable]. of course no one quoted me as saying that, only some silly musing about eleanor's puppy insurance [i didn't realize i was on the record! apparently you always are!].

anyway, we [doctors for america represent!] headed down to the supreme court monday morning to show a little support for the aca. it was so nice to see different groups there supporting the law as well, like now and a group of people of faith for health care. it is a good example that this bill has far reaching benefits for those in all walks of life. for some strange reason, rick santorum showed up around noon to say "hey". it wasn't really his type of crowd.

bottom line is: i hope the supreme court gets it right.

we made it home, again!

we're sorry for being mia lately. we just spreak breaked it up back home and will shortly have an abundance of photos and stories alike. first, though, i have to go teach my students about the mcat. specifically, organic chem. ha! if you know me, you know that's a joke. or, my students wish it was a joke

marchy march

march came in that winter like the meekest and mildest of lambs, bringing days that were crisp and golden and tingling, each followed by a frosty pink twilight which gradually lost itself in an elfland of moonshine

[l.m. montgomery]

also, i may be the last person alive to see this hilarious video:

[pardon the language]

daffodils

the daffodils are here. we are happy over at this house.

she turned to the sunlight 

and shook her yellow head, 

and whispered to her neighbor: 

   

 'winter is dead'. 

[a. a. milne]

i was pretty sick. it was miserable. and other things.

clockwise from top l: e keeping me company when i was so ill, the longest road in settlers of catan (with ali, michelle and andy - fun times), the view from my sickbed, my sick face, eleanor looking glorious in the morning light flooding in the bedroom window, new belgium brewing co xoxoxox, daffodils - we are so happy about the spring!, another one of ellie being incredibly cute, and the middle picture is titled "waiting on a cab - the life of someone who might as well live in the country" and also "green pants".

goings on

hi hi! sorry that my last post was so long ago, and full of silly contraceptive drama. i thought maybe it would go away, but it has surprisingly blossomed into a media shit storm, pardon my french. what decade is it, anyway? that's all i'll say on the topic, i guess. if you're reading this, you probably agree with me anyway so we can talk about other [more fun] things.

for example, new shins:

here is an update with photos that you can glance at while you're listening to the fun song:

 dessert and hot toddys with the "j" of pb&j at kramerbooks a week and a half ago. 

it was so good to catch up and do some righteous hemhawing  

1/2 off falafel, pecan pie, and planets in the sky with the other "pb" of pb&j

we're on a falafel tour of the city with 50% off coupons.

alright team, more over the next few days. i want to fill you in on fun things, like: 

1. four days of sinus misery

2. is it spring? is it winter? 

3. that one time that i met senators boxer, feinstein, murray, etc etc

4. princess eleanor rose update

and much, much more. 

talk to you soon!

xoxo, 

k and e 

the control of birth.

hi friends!

i can't help but speak up about this three ring circus currently underway over on capitol hill. i've been trying to ignore it and focus on school, but i really can't help but fume a little every time i see a panel of stodgy white bros deciding whether or not i should have to pay $76 out of pocket each month for a prescription. it strikes me as absurd, especially given the white house compromise allowing religiously affiliated institutions to pass the onus of contraceptive coverage to the insurance company. it is now a story of some religious leaders asserting that if you are a woman, and you work for or attend school at a religiously affiliated institution, you should not be allowed to take your preventative health in your own hands. talk about a nanny state . . .

what's wrong with this photo?

so here's the deal: if you think this mess is a ridiculous waste of government's time, call your representative and tell them that you support access to preventative care. tell them to support women making the responsible choice to protect themselves from an untimely pregnancy. tell them to support women going through severe menstrual health issues. tell them to support women, period. this is not a partisan issue, friends. this shouldn't be about left vs right. don't allow washington to turn your health into an election year rhetoric game. speak up.

xoxo,

kate and the princess

p.s. it's not all doom and gloom. i got some plum colored skinny jeans yesterday!

leaving

returning

i left dc in a blaze of nighttime lights for a much needed break from here. getting back to my roots is so funny. it's a wonderful respite - not just wonderful, though: necessary. life can get pretty stressful here. i absolutely love getting back to the places and people that are truly home to me. i know i gush a lot about my friends and family, but it's only because they are the best people i know. a few weeks with my people has and will always recharge my batteries. thanks, y'all. 

i'm back now, moving forward as that is the direction things typically move. i'm excited to take advantage of all this semester has to offer. i am also pretty pumped to be involved in doctors for america right now. the health care system is seeing its biggest shakeup in almost half a century and it's all happening here. i'm feeling awfully privileged to be able to play a role in disseminating information about the affordable care act and how it moves our country toward a more stable and equitable health care system. if you have questions about it, please please ask! i love a lively chat.

let's talk again soon, kay?

xoxo,

k and e

mm srry

hi friends. what's up? sorry about the lack of anything substantial lately. usually when i'm out walking about doing my things i compose potential blog posts in my head that sound ahhhwesome, but then when it's time to sit and tap it out, i think of better things i should be doing [sending emails! prepping for teaching! learning things! watching steven colbert and hoping that there will actually be a "south carolina serious, classy republican debate" on animal planet!] and/or i think all the ideas i previously thought up to chat about with you guys would sound LAME in print. this isn't an excuse. i just wanted you to know what is up, and have an excuse to post some more pictures. that's what you're interested in anyway, right?

k and e on the last beautiful day of 2011, watching the clouds roll in 

the things that are easier said than done and my motto for the week:

1. Out of clutter, find simplicity;

2. From discord make harmony; and finally

3. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

[albert einstein] 

sister thanksgiving

i'll be back soon, i promise!

to my wonderful grandmother

 

i traveled home to kansas this past weekend to celebrate my grammy's 90th birthday. that is right, 90 beautiful years! i've been so blessed to know her for 26 of them. she is my family's rock and is one of the strongest people that i know. she is witty, she is generous, she is fiercely protective, and she is so loving. i couldn't be more lucky! now i'm just counting down the days until the next holiday when i get to see her and the rest of my crazy/wonderful family.

"it is always sad when someone leaves home, unless they are simply going around the corner and will return in a few minutes with ice-cream sandwiches"

[lemony snicket]

exactly how i feel every time i hop on a place back to the district. this time i had to choke back tears as we sailed home over the beautiful midwestern plains. i cried because i love my family so much and it's a shame not to see them more often, and because life is short, and because school is hard, and because i didn't track down any bobs 47 while i was in town. but then a couple of hours later i saw my little townhouse in miniature out the airplane window and put my [figurative] big girl panties on and got to the business of life.

i'm back.

labor day weekend

this was my birthday party a few weeks ago. we ate dinner at busboys and poets and got drinks in a fancy speakeasy and laughed until our abs hurt. i love my friends!! top left: the metro escalator at dupont circle that i feel like i have to run up every time even though it's like the longest escalator that exists. why?

here i am, you can find me here

here is back in dc, settling in and getting adjusted to the school year and trying to stay on top of things, instead of playing perpetual catch up. good luck, me!

first we celebrated michelle's birthday with peach picking and dinner, which was wonderfully fun:

then, the next day, we had dinner and the best froyo i've ever had at mr. yogato to celebrate the real birthday:

today little miss eleanor split the dew claw on her left paw which bled and hurt her so we went to the vet and paid an arm and a leg to have it trimmed back to the nail bed (poor baby! she had to have lidocaine and hardcore antibiotic shots too) and like the little sneaky pup she is, she kept chewing/licking the wound so she ended up in one of these:

we're accepting good vibes sent our way. hopefully she's feeling less sneaky tomorrow so she can have the collar off. 

we'll chat more later! i'm off to finish the rest of a $3 bottle of whole foods chardonnay!!

xoxo, 

kate and the bruiser

happy memorial day!

it's a real scorcher today, folks. 94 degrees and rising (the weather channel says it feels like 99F . . . and they are correct). simply standing on the patio and taking some cute pics of the pooch in her 'merica clothes made beads of sweat cascade from every pore. therefore, i'm not too sad about staying indoors and studying. it does get old hauling my teeny fan from room to room (well, from bedroom to living room and vice versa . . . those are technically the only two rooms i have. haha) though. i'll invest in another [fan] probably, because i hear it only gets hotter from here on out in the lovely district. there's always something to look forward to.

anyway, i wanted to be sure to mention my gratitude to those who have served the the united states in military capacities, especially those who have been and are in combat zones. your sacrifice does not go unrecognized and i thank you so much for combating malevolence in this world. however, i can only keep hoping and praying that someday peaceful discourse will become the order of the day. if we make thoughtful progress toward combating hate with love and showing the world that we can be a respectful and caring nation, then i am convinced that a more peaceful future can be ours. i think we owe that to every man or women who has dedicated their lives to this country.  


if everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace. -john lennon