Wow, bad me, no cookie...

...but there are brownies.  I keep not blogging.  Not dead yet.

Thursday and Friday of last week continued with the I'm not sure I can actually get out of here with the ice and stuff, so I read a book (or two.)

Saturday, I went out to an SCA event.  This wasn't an event I would drive all that far to and as it was only about 30 minutes away I thought why not.  It was a little event, a few merchants, a few classes, and a feast.  A nice person was doing henna, so I have a pretty design on my hand.  I couldn't eat the feast, as most everything had paprika or other nightshades, and I was thinking I might stay for the merriment and whatnot at the feast, unfortunately my tummy had other ideas.  It did not like the smells.  Someone had definitely bought new paprika and by the time court was over the entire hall smelled very strongly of paprika, or I'm just really sensitive to that smell.  I went to a couple classes, learned about a museum I want to go to (they have a byzantine collection).  Realized I have one giant flaw in my plan of being a wandering costumer, and that is the which name should I go by problem.  Blog is Vivian, SCA is Theodosia, which are not the same and thus I won't ever get a hey I read your blog type comment (which a little part of me secretly hopes for from someone I have just introduced myself to).  The other problem is they are different faces of me.  So I need to decide do I want to try and change the name of the person that is this blog author (looks like a ton of work) or do I want to try to introduce myself differently in the SCA.  I realized very quickly that in out in Caid, I did not want to go by my real name, so picked an new name, not so sure my real name would have the same problems elsewhere.  I don't know, need to think on it some more, before I go to another event.

Sunday, went to brunch with my sister and her Jewish grandmothers, adopted because everyone needs a Jewish grandmother.  They of course tried to fix my life, I realized I'm not quite ready for it to be fixed.

Monday, broke my glasses, ordered a new pair because the ones that I have left are the ones that make it so I really need to really pay attention when reading and doing close work because I will look under the lenses instead of through and then get eye strain headaches. After that was kinda in a mood and didn't really want to get out, so read a book. I really miss reading for fun.  And I am staying in my sister's library surrounded by books, so I am doing a little bit of it.

Tuesday, I did get myself up and out and I finally made it back to the zoo.  I drove to the nearest Metro station and took the metro.  Unfortunately after I got off the metro, I found that the escalator up was broken, I decided to go for it and started climbing it.  Things for future reference: it was probably equivalent to four or five flights of stairs with no landings, dude there is an elevator, dry plus cold plus exercise equals asthma attack, oh and escalator steps are higher than normal stairs.  I made it up, hit my inhaler, caught my breath, and had no problems then walking up the hill to the zoo.  Which was worth it because I got to see all three Pandas.  The new little one was curled up in a bowl and sleeping, couldn't see much, Mom was eating.

And the third was pacing.

I went and saw more of the inside animals as it was a nice brisk 20ish degrees out and a bunch of the animals are not let out when it gets that low, as they are not designed for the cold. 

From the zoo, I walked to the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.  The walk was nice and cold.  I appreciated the beauty of the area I walked through.  And after the escalator earlier appreciated the mostly downhill. 

Rock Creek Park

I was walking through Rock Creek Park and Potomac Parkway National Park, by my map reading I thought it was just another park, but then I saw the sign.  I would have appreciated the beauty anyway.  I really liked the way ice froze near the surface of the stream.  Appreciate the pretty picture above.  

This is a floor mosaic,look purple, green and white
together in art work.  

About Museum, small but awesome.  Sorry about the quality of some of the pictures, low light, plus no flash, means bad pictures.

Simple bead on wire necklaces.

One of the things that the collectors did was they collected things that they liked because they were different, then later they donated the entire house to be a museum.  So it is one of the more random collections, but also one of the more fun to me museums.  

Amethyst graduated biconical necklace  

Really were else can you go from Byzantine floor mosaics and jewelry to Mayan masks and sculpture to renaissance tapestries to Indiana Jones collectibles.  I went for the Byzantine stuff because I have a byzantine SCA name and want to know more.  The tapestries were a nice surprise because I do love them.
The first piece that I really liked was the floor mosaic above.  Not only is it my colors, it is also fun and spirally, and I looked at it and thought this should be a quilt.  I then read the blurb about it and it says that the middle section is how they represent gingham, which just makes it so much better.

Pretty Tapistry

There was also some nice simple jewelry that would be appropriate.  And then the tapestries, so hard to photograph, but the one I looked at and went, all you people that SCA in hot places need to see the sleeves on this houpelande.  That's right, she has none.  Just a short sleeve and then the blue sleeve is her underdress.  It is hard to tell in my picture, but looking it it in person I am almost certain that she only has the one sleeve on most of her arm.  I think I need to find more of these small collections where I can go and not get quite so overwhelmed.  Anyway, if you are in the DC area and need someplace to go for a couple hours the Dumbarton Museum and Gardens is a good choice.  Unfortunately the gardens were closed something about icy paths.

After the museum I walked down to the nearest metro station, it was a pretty walk this time through a neighborhood, some of the houses have cute little courtyards and then through town, past some of the embassies.  Nothing interesting going on there.

Wednesday and then today Thursday, I spent going ouch, I walked over five miles on Tuesday up and down hills, my muscles are not use to that, plus that stupid escalator equals one sore me. I thought I would try to get out and do something today and technically I did, I went to the grocery store.  It was needed and then I did more fun cooking.  Tonight was broccoli and cheddar quiche, yummy.  I also made more box brownies which are always good.  Been doing more reading and relaxing.   I should sew, I have a quilt to make and only half my blocks have their embrodery.  Need to find something on hulu to watch while I stitch.