…apparently this is still here. Let’s see if we can’t jump start it for the new year, eh?

I accomplished my primary goal for the weekend: to paint my toes.

The urge came over me on Friday when I wore sandals to work for the first time this spring. Brain said, “Feet, don’t you think you’d look prettier with a little sparkle?” Feet were sold.  They needed to shine!

(Side note: the answer to that question is always yes. The more sparkle, the better.)

Saturday afternoon, as I rooted around my tiny makeup Caboodle (yup, still got one!), I had quite the realization. I hadn’t painted my nails since pre-South America. Since 2006.

Well, Brain was right. They do look pretty. However, it’s just not a sight I’m used to seeing. I keep catching a glimpse out of the corner of my eye and Brain shouts, “Ah! There’s something on your foot!” Chill out Brain. This was your idea, remember?

Next step towards normaldom – invest in some remover so the sparklies aren’t still hanging on a month from now.

(Yes, I have veiny feet.  I blame on the decade of my youth that they spent in ballet shoes.)

Check this out.  DC has the best “track” ever.

That’s Haines Point.  3 miles around a park, all lined by Cherry Blossom trees.  I’ve taken to riding there in the morning before work.  It takes about 5 minutes to ride across the bridge and over to my boat.  I <3 my boat.

December?

April.

Egads.

Restart?

We started dipping into the holiday spirit this weekend.  We own exactly one box of Christmas decorations.  Most aren’t quite up yet, but at least the box is now open!

We visited the DC version of Madame Tussaud’s this past weekend and I’m afraid to say that we were rather underwhelmed.  I’ve visited the original in London, which was much more enjoyable.  DC’s installation is in the basement of a building and feels as such.  The exhibits are small and crowded and it took all of 45 minutes to walk through.  Thankfully we had discount tickets so we weren’t disappointed.

However, the lack of ambiance doesn’t take away from the sheer intricacy/creepiness of the figures.  If you haven’t been to a wax museum before, it’s definitely worth the trip.  And of course the fun comes from striking a pose.

This one’s for Bec Bec:

Hangin’ out with Mr. Dylan:

routine, n.

• A regular course of procedure; a more or less mechanical or unvarying performance of certain acts or duties.*
• Something that my life has been lacking…but which may fall into place soon.

* Oxford English Dictionary

I find it humorous that this particular word of the day landed in my inbox this evening.  Having had a few weeks to settle into the new job I’m really looking forward to starting new routines in the coming weeks.

Nicaragua – the land of lakes and volcanoes.  Our first tourist outing was to visit Volcan Masaya the weekend before we settled in to work.  The volcano was a beautiful sight.

This one was definitely alive, spewing out some very noxious gasses.

It shoots out boulders from time to time, and tourists are warned to back-in park in case you need to make a run for it!

Public transport doesn’t reach the volcano, so we hired a taxi for the day.  Our private tourmobile!

The FCAT is over, and what a whirlwind of an experience it was.  I’m staying on in Nicaragua for the next week to enjoy a little tourism and should have some time to reflect on this great adventure.

Saludos desde Nicaragua!

I have felt the rumbling for a post, so here are a few photos of my first few days in Nicaragua. I flew into the capital, Managua. It’s a pretty depressing town, having been devastated by an earthquake a few decades back.  “Ramshackle” describes it pretty well.