JB in DC: July

Bang!
July started off with a bang as my older sister got engaged on the 1st. Wedding planning has begun, and I'm shocked to find it's kind of fun to see what my sister would like to do, and to make fun of Bridezilla-inducing wedding planning books. I've been promised a non-ugly bridesmaid dress, and that's good enough for me.

The bangs continued because of the godforsaken neighborhood I live in. I might have tiptoed around this previously, but the areas immediately north and west of the apt are the projects. I don't have an issue with that for the most part, and many of the people are friendly, even though I get a ton of stares as the white girl with the dog. My problem is the teenage boys (and a few girls) that set off fireworks daily, especially between 9pm-midnight, from mid-June until mid-July. I could have handled a few days around July 4th - but a month of fireworks has been awful. Poor Izzy has taken to hiding under the table, in the bathroom, or even in a box of clothes in the closet. We couldn't even persuade her to go on walks after dark because the explosions were so constant.

Rugby
Playing 7s with the Furies again this summer was awesome. The only thing I would change is having more opportunities to play. Between vacation plans and being a social side (as opposed to competitive side) player, I was only able to go to 3 tournaments. I feel like I got in shape and played pretty well, scoring tries in most of our games, but I definitely have things to work on. Tackling, never my strongest suit, has definitely suffered from not playing since the fall. And my conversion attempts that must be drop-kicked (that's a 7s rule) were just pathetic - I probably went 3/25 for the summer.



Rugby + Beer
A number of GWWRFC alum are in DC: some playing with the Furies, a few in med school at GW, and most working for a nonprofit in some way. We started coordinating happy hours, and it's awesome to see some of my favorite people, spanning from 2006-2011, on a regular basis. Our first HH was at Lucky Bar, and as I realized a few days beforehand, it might have been my first real happy hour. I'm so used to going home to let the dog out first, or running to practice or lifeguarding, that I rarely do HHs that seem customary for everyone else. We had a second get-together at Stoney's a few weeks later, and are planning a third event, complete with kickball and other possible games, in early August. I'm so glad I'm in DC for this summer, even with the triple-digit heat. Last year I created a bucket list and tried to get to most of the places and see most of the people before I left. This summer feels like a bonus opportunity, to do the things I missed out on, and to spend more time with my favorite ruggers.

Biking, Beach, and Beer Part II:
Brew at the Zoo was on July 14 and as usual, was one of the best days of summer. The National Zoo offered 40 breweries on a uncharacteristically pleasant night, and nine of us were happy were happy to sample and support the zoo. We closed out the night in Woodley Park with $3 margaritas and it was an awesome start to vacation part II. The next day, MEY and I, being the super-cool 26 year-olds that we are, went to go see Harry Potter in the middle of the day.

The next day I headed to Ocean City, MD, with my mom and sister and two bikes on the back of the car. It's been our family vacation spot during childhood, but the week-long visits faded away once we went to college. We had an great spot at 138th street, right on the water, with a hammock hanging on the deck. It was the perfect spot to relax, read, tan, swim, eat, and bike.



Vacation for my family always means special food, like trips to Harpoon Hanna's, with a bread girl who delivers fresh muffins and bread to your table throughout the meal and going to Phillips with my grandparents. But I went for a new food record this week: Seven Days of Shrimp. We started off with fresh steamed shrimp from Food Lion, half price, after getting into O.C. around 7pm on Saturday. We went back for a repeat the next night and did shrimp and freshly made guacamole again. I also had coconut shrimp from Harpoon Hanna's, shrimp on my seafood platter at Phillips, and frozen shrimp out of a box. With leftovers, I managed to eat shrimp all seven days!


We also had a ton of peaches on vacation. We discovered the nearby Bennett Orchard pick-your-own farm, and between mid-week and end of the week visits, loaded up on 30 pounds of peaches. I'm a new convert to peach guacamole.


With all this eating, we made sure to get in workouts, too. My sister and I picked a route that would take us north along the shoreline, west into Delaware, and then home. It was 31 miles and my longest rides have been 25, as part of a triathlon, so I was a little worried about the increased distance and the heat. We did the loop 3 times that week (stopping after 22 miles on Wed. to get peaches) and it was a lot of fun. We were on an incredibly flat course so I worked on getting my average speed up from ~12 mph to 15-16 mph, and I'm definitely improving on my road bike.