My (Admittedly Silly) Stake in Scotland's Independence Referendum

When I was younger--maybe 15 years or so ago--my brother dared me to memorize all the countries in the world in alphabetical order, probably because I was bothering him and there's no better way to get rid of someone then by sending them off to a ridiculous task that seems most impossible. After all, around the year 2000, there were approximately 190 countries in the world, so a pretty hefty list. I didn't see it as a useless task; rather, I found a fun challenge, and thus began my excessive organizing skills.

When I travel to every country starting with a letter of the
alphabet, I am crossing it off this list. There are no W or X
countries, so those were gone first. I traveled to Qatar--the
only Q--in 2010. And I hit up both Zs--Zambia and Zimbabwe
earlier this year. I'm a few countries away from any other
letter except the ones that only have 1 or 2 total, so it might be
awhile until another country gets crossed off.

It's amazing how you can find patterns in things when you need to in order to make life easier. Maybe that sounds obvious, but memorizing 190+ countries really put that into perspective for me. For instance, I could always tell if I missed an early-alphabetical country because I knew Dominican Republic, the last of the 4 Ds, was #50, and 50 is an easy number to which to count. The end of the Es is Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia...or "Er", "Es", "Et". Peru follows Paraguay, two South American countries.

Problems soon arose, however, because the world is not a static place. Since originally learning the list, I've had to add in East Timor (Dominican Republic, East Timor, Ecuador)...which then changed its name to Timor-Leste (Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo); Montenegro (Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco); Kosovo (Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait); Serbia (Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles); and South Sudan (South Korea, South Sudan, Spain). Kosovo was a great addition...it now means that the Ks are now "Ka" (Kazakhstan), "Ke" (Kenya), "Ki" (Kiribati), "Ko" (Kosovo), "Ku" (Kuwait), and "Ky" (Kyrgyzstan). Yeah, that got me excited! :)

I'm conflicted about whether to add Palestine, and I don't do changes well. When Cape Verde became Cabo Verde, it moved it up a couple of spots, just far enough to mess with my patterns. Stupid Cabo Verde. So here's my stake in the Scottish independence referendum: if it passes, I'm going to have to figure out where Scotland fits in the list. I know, I know, this is a silly, ridiculous thing to be upset about. Scottish people are deciding their future, and I'm worried about having to re-alphabetize the countries of the world. I guess we all have our priorities???

So how many countries are there in the world? CGP Grey does a good job of explaining...or not explaining.

An Outdoor Concert in Tysons Corner

The new plaza at Tysons Corner Center

Tonight was an absolutely beautiful evening. As the temperatures started to dip into the 70s, the sun began to set and spending time outdoors was an absolute must. I knew I was going to be outside, I just needed to figure out in what capacity. Step in Tysons Corner Center with a free outdoor concert on its new plaza. Tonight's "headliner" was Andy Grammer, known for such hits as Keep Your Head Up and Fine By Me. The concert was a ton of fun--Andy played in front of a crowd of maybe 200-250 folks who were all in generally pleasant moods. The nascent bustling-ness of Tysons nearby seemed to be an eternity away as his music enveloped the space, blocking out the honking horns and the metro trains speeding by. We were only temporarily interrupted by an ambulance racing down the highway (acceptable, in my opinion).

Deloitte/Intelsat

Unfinished Apartments

This was my first time on the plaza, so I went as much for the music as to check out the plaza itself. It's small, but cute. It also has interesting views. Ahead are two tall buildings--one occupied by Intelsat and Deloitte, and the other a currently unfinished apartment building. To the left are cranes and a rising skyline. To the right is the Beltway and trees, and far off in the distance one can see some tall buildings. Some deduction skills were necessary (with the aid of Google Maps), and based on my location and the angle at which I could view the Beltway, those buildings could only be in Rosslyn, probably a good 10 miles or so away. I know not everyone gets excited by these things, but I do. I find it cool! :)

Anyway, it was a great experience tonight. A free acoustic concert by an up-and-coming artist who I had previously heard of. Below is his current song on the radio, and the acoustic, audience-participation of this song was super fun. He also explained where one of the lines came from: "So here's to the cheap sunglasses, Red Bull and minivans." Getting the personal story on that was an added bonus.

I hope Tysons decides to continue these concerts next summer...definitely something I could get used to!

A Sappy Post About A Beautiful Wedding

Oops, it's been a little bit since I last wrote, but that's because I was SUPER BUSY these last two weeks. Or, please believe that. In any case, I have done a lot; I've become much more comfortable with my public transit commute, and I traveled a fair distance to attend the wedding of two great friends. So I'm only now getting back into a nice routine. The lack of stress by commuting with trains/buses is doing wonders, and I'm so happy I have the ability/opportunity to commute via public transit. So much more relaxing.

But on to the truly exciting stuff. Two of my best friends got married this past weekend. To attend this wedding required a trip to the northern reaches of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Perched on the shores of Grand Traverse Bay--an arm of Lake Michigan--sit the small villages of Suttons Bay, Omena, Leland, Lake Leelanau, and Peshawbestown. Because the Leelanau Peninsula is near no major forms of transportation, three friends and I flew into the lovely city of Flint (*please note the sarcasm*) and drove the 3.5 hours up north. I was a bit disappointed in the drive; I don't know what I was expecting, but interstate highways in Michigan look just like interstate highways in the rest of the US. I guess I was hoping for it to look different, but that's based on nothing than hope, I guess.



A beautiful spot for a wedding ceremony.

Anyway, the Leelanau Peninsula was a wonderful setting for a wedding. The rehearsal dinner on Friday night was half-outside, and with temperatures in the mid-70s with a cloudless sky, it was a pleasure to eat, drink, and chat with friends. An after-party sitting around a bonfire was a great way to cap off the night. The wedding on Saturday was perhaps even better. Temperatures got into the low 80s. Set in a cherry farm, the scenery was stunning and the ceremony absolutely beautiful. I'm going to embarrass myself and make my second reference to the movie 27 Dresses on his blog. In that movie, Katherine Heigl's character says:

You know how the bride makes her entrance and everybody turns to look at her? That’s when I look at the groom. Cause his face says it all you know? The pure love there.

And later in the movie James Marsden's character says:

When the bride comes in and she makes her giant grand entrance, I like to glance back at the poor bastard getting married. Cause even though I think he’s an idiot for willingly entering into the last legal form of slavery, he always looks really, really happy.


So as the bride started walking down the aisle escorted by her parents, I looked back at the groom. You shouldn't go to chick flicks (sorry, romantic comedies) for advice of any sort, but this was pretty awesome. As James Marsden says, the groom looked "really, really happy."

The cocktail hour was outside with giant versions of games like Jenga and Tic Tac Toe. Dinner was under an outdoor tent. And dancing was in an open barn that made me think of the last scene in the 2011 version of Footloose--some lights strung in a barn and awesome music playing while everyone danced like there were no cares in the world. Even though I only knew a few of the other people at the wedding, it was fun just being a 20-something and enjoying life.

Wine Tour Party Bus

The next morning after Sunday brunch, the three friends I drove up with and I went on a wine tour through northern Michigan's wineries. It was my first time on a wine tasting tour, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to try so many different types and flavors. As you might guess, northern Michigan would be a fruit-lover's paradise (on top of the cherry farms, there are lots of apple orchards and pear farms(?), and collections of other fruits too), so many of the wines were infused with different fruits. Most were very good, although a few were pretty questionable. Especially the adult ciders. Oh well. Overall, it was a great time.

And now I'm back. I'm looking forward to my next wedding and having such a great time again. I'm glad I had the chance to see two friends tie the knot and look so happy before, during, and after the ceremony. Until next time, enjoy this cover of Sia's Chandelier from a contestant on America's Got Talent. Flawless.

Have You Considered That Maybe That Dress Doesn't Fit You Anymore Because You Gained Some Weight?

Friday night I did something I've never done before: I went out late on a Friday night to see a comedy show. One of the guys I've mentioned on this blog before--South African comedian Trevor Noah--was in DC doing a series of four shows. Actually, he was in Arlington, but for his sake, we'll pretend it was DC. As he noted in the beginning of his set, it's easier to say DC than Virginia because people understand "DC." Anyway, he was absolutely hilarious and had great social commentary on US airport security practices, why soccer is such a great game, why toddlers are evil, and a great critique of women who bottle up their thought and misinterpret men's comments. For instance, when a woman asks if she looks fat in something or wonders why a particular piece of clothing no longer fits, the man usually offers a hypothesis. But while he was just opining that perhaps she gained weight, all she heard was "FATTY FATTY FATTY FATTY FATTY." Hence, discord between the sexes.

I'm glad I went out Friday night; I'm going to try doing it more often. There's an elevated plaza at Tysons Corner Center that is now doing free concerts Friday nights, so future Friday nights may be spent there just relaxing while listening to some up-and-coming artists. I feel like I'm finally starting to take advantage of some of these cultural events that living near a city (Washington) and a wannabe city (Tysons) offers!

And in case you need a short Trevor Noah fix, he does a mean Jacob Zuma. At our show, he noted that Zuma told FIFA ahead of the 2010 World Cup that there wouldn't be a terrorist attack because al-Qaida sent him a letter, and while they may be terrorists, they're not liars. :)