I'm a Yankee :(

I don't think being out of school and really being on my own hit me until last night. Between talking with my dad and Margo about income, rent, bills, etc...I never felt like I REALLY had to watch what I spent, until now. I was feeling uncomfortable about signing the lease with the group house because I almost felt rushed into it, and that I wasn't ready to pay the security deposit along with September rent. I also felt a little uncomfortable with signing a lease on my own...not fully understanding the ins and outs of the text, and worried I might miss something important. Also, the landlord added a surprise $200 to the rent every month ($33 each)! That being said, Margo offered to come and even though I wanted to be able to do it on my own, I knew I would feel better if she was there. Plus, if anyone knows Margo she can ruffle some feathers and do some serious intimidating...she intimidates me half the time! haha.

So, we roll up to the house with the others there already...there are 5 others and we pretty much cover every corner of the country: Atlanta, Austin, Arizona, Seattle, Minnesota, and Buffalo...and now living in the DC area. We've come full circle! They are all Research Interns at NIH, studied Biology/Chemistry (something science-related), and are all scientists pretty much on their way to being doctors! Yeah, uh...I took Anatomy! They are all super-nice and I think it'll work out great! Anyway, everyone has been worried all day about the rent hike at the last minute by the landlord...in comes Margo, "I hear he's trying to get some extra money out of you...we'll talk him down." It was hilarious how quickly everyone's faces brightened. It was like we were all 10 years old again and we had an adult there to save us. We gave Margo the tour of the house and everyone told me, "your aunt is awesome!" It definitely gave us confidence to have her there.

Long story short, we didn't get the $200 lowered because it ended up being reasonable why he added it, but we did get clarification and felt good about the lease. So, I signed a 12-month lease which pretty much matches my commitment to NIH...we'll see what happens after that! Moving some things in today, I don't have much except clothes right now, but my Dad and Beth are coming up next weekend or one shortly after to bring my bedroom furniture. Everything's working out really well and coming along pretty quickly! I'll keep you posted :)

The Real World: Bethesda

This is the Real World DC house...2 blocks from Margo's! The season should air in 2010, after the next RW/RR challenge.

So, I've settled into my job...loving it! Everyone is so great! Today I actually am working from 1:30-7:30, so I got to sleep in :) I decided since I'm working in Bethesda, that it is more practical for me to live there! It would be closer to work, a little more affordable, easier to have my car, but still on the metro line and extremely close to DC! I found some people on Craig's List that were putting a group together to live in a house. Definitely makes rent a lot cheaper! I met up with them at the the house yesterday, and it was fabulous! The house isn't much to look at on the outside, but the inside is newly renovated and looks great! There would be 6 living in the house...3 guys, 3 girls...everyone is from different states. Georgia, Minnesota, Arizona, New York, North Dakota, and a few other places. Very Real World-esque! The catch is that two rooms in the basement are joined, so you have to go through one room to get to the other...AND the bathroom is inside one of the rooms. There are also 7 people trying to get a spot in the house, and there's only room for 6. 4 people are locked in, but I'm one of the 3 that isn't. Fortunately for me, they want 3 girls and the other 2 that are trying to get a spot are guys! We'll see what happens! They are signing the lease tomorrow, ahhh!

Bethesda is really a great city! It's right inside Maryland...pretty much on the border between DC and Maryland. It has a great downtown area, lots of restaurants, lots to do, easy to get around. My initial idea when I moved here was to live in the district, but as I think about it...it's more practical and affordable for me to live in Bethesda. Plus, it is really close to DC anyway.

I'll keep you updated :)

Aerobic Annie

This is the escalator on the way down to the metro at Dupont Circle...and this is after you've gone down half of it already!! The metro definitely makes it easy to get around the city. A lot easier than trying to find parking!

I've had a fantastic week this week! I officially got the Fitness Specialist position at NIH and started on Wednesday. I get there around 7am :( but get to leave at 3pm! Everyone I work with is extremely nice, and so are all the employees that come to work out! When I tell people that I just moved here from Georgia, they look at me and ask where my accent is...I think they're a little disappointed that I only say "y'all" on occasion. Maybe I should start faking a southern accent. Anyway, basically what I do is roam the floor, socialize with the employees while they workout, help them with any exercise-related questions, activate new memberships, renewals, give tours/orientations, do exercise assessments, and give occasional lectures. Pretty awesome job if you ask me! Great benefits as well (paid holidays!)...working for the government pays off!

Throughout the day there are a few aerobics classes that take place...there's a separate room attached to the gym where these go on. I walked in a few minutes before the class starts to introduce myself to the instructor, and a couple ladies who were warming up. The first woman I see is around 50 years old, short "blonde" hair, glasses, probably the skinniest stick of a woman I have ever seen. The best part was her outfit...sweat headband (oh yes) with poofs of hair pouring out the top, workout pants pulled up high, white tank top tucked into the pants. This woman was serious about her workout! She was quickly pacing around the small room with high knees, turning about every 3 seconds because she already reached the wall. I immediately knew I had to "observe" this class. I know this doesn't sound very nice, but when something is funny...it's funny. There ended up being about 8 ladies for the class, which filled up the room nicely. Our lady grabbed a set of 5lb. weights (which wasn't required, no one else did) and a spot with plenty of room. It looked like she would need it. Typically in an aerobics class there is a little moving from side to side, but for the most part you stay in the same vacinity. Oh no...not our lady. She explored the whole room, almost in her own little world. She would add arm pumps when there weren't arm pumps to do, kicks when no one was kicking...it took everything in me to keep my face at a smile! I really don't think it would have been as entertaining if she wasn't wearing the headband. I did love her enthusiasm for exercise!

So now that my job hunt is over, it's time to start looking for a place to live! As you know, DC is not the cheapest of places and my job is actually in Maryland, but only right across the border. So this is next on my to do list. Hopefully won't take toooo long...the job came quicker than I thought it would, so hopefully it'll be some of the same!

You Mean I'll Get Paid To Do This?

Margo's building...nice, huh??

Before I tell you how my job hunt is coming, I want to just list a couple things I've seen/heard in the past few days...there's no way for me to incorporate them into the story with any kind of smooth transition:

-I was on the metro (subway) the other day, when I got on the same car with about 5 or 6 Italian boys...all cute. They proceeded to talk about how many chin-ups each of them can do, while I am standing in the middle of them. To my disbelief, one of them actually started doing chin-ups on the metro! Luckily, the metro came to my stop and I walked off smiling/laughing to myself. If any of you have seen The Wedding Planner, you know what I am talking about.

-Saw a completely black squirrel carrying an acorn bigger than he was...not gonna lie, freaked me out a little. I was waiting for it to morph into something else.

-Wandered down Connecticut Ave. yesterday and found a Borders...interesting layout putting the kid's section by the adult restricted section.

-Searched online for the nearest Bank of America ATM and found one about 12 blocks away. I had time to kill so I decided to walk...when I was on my way back and about 1 block from the apartment, I see a BoA ATM...a little too ironic for my liking.

I wanted to keep you all updated on how my job search is going! After being in DC for a little over 2 weeks, I am really happy with the job prospects I have right now. I heard from the National Institute of Health this morning, and they said they have narrowed their search for the Fitness Specialist down to 2 and I was one of them! This job would be from 7am-3pm helping employees with fitness equipment, workout programs, possibly do fitness lectures, etc. So I should here the final word about that in the next few days! My other job opportunity, which I have pretty much already accepted as part time, is working with Just For Kids. It's a program run by this guy that teaches sports to kids. What could be better?? The classes are in the afternoons, so it wouldn't conflict with NIH...but in order to make enough money to make a living up here, I need both. So, John (founder of Just For Kids) called me this morning to tell me he ruptured his Achilles Tendon this weekend!!! Uh oh, turns out he needs a lot more help from me than originally intended. It would be kinda tough for him to teach kids soccer without being able to use one of his legs. So...if I do happen to get the Fitness Specialist position, it's going to be tough balancing the two but I am up to the task!

A Small Misunderstanding

To my suprise, I have actually had some great luck with jobs this week! I didn't think things would be rolling this quickly, but I'm sure glad they have! I had an interview with the National Institute of Health as a Fitness Specialist on Tuesday, lunch with a friend of Margo's today that works with kids year-round doing sports classes, and just some casual rubbing of the elbows with established business people that are looking for anyway to help!

One of Margo's clients is a well-established dermatologist and has an office in Georgetown. She has been really sweet and offered me a part time job in her office to start making some money during my job search. She also has a 3-year-old daughter that needs some babysitting every now and then, which I would be more than happy to do. Anyway, she gave me a call this morning and told me to stop by the office so we could meet...and I was like okay, great...my lunch meeting (love it...makes me sound professional, doesn't it?) is in Georgetown, so this will be perfect. So I walk over to the office, walk in and tell the girl (we'll call her Leslie for the story's sake) at the desk who I was, and that I was there to see Dr. Isaac. Leslie smiled, said ok, and nudged the sign-in sheet towards me...I then told her I didn't have an appointment, but Dr. Isaac was expecting me. Leslie looked at me confused and asked if my visit was medical-related. After I said no, she was even more perplexed and told me she'd let her know I was here. So I went and sat down feeling a little awkward, now knowing I wasn't fully expected. After about 5 minutes, a girl dressed in scrubs came from the back, looked at me, then walked over to Leslie and whispered, "is that her?" She wasn't a very good whisperer. After learning that I was indeed the girl she was looking for, the girl in scrubs looked at me and said, "Erica?"....close enough, I let it slide, just glad she was there to get me out of the waiting room. So I smiled and followed her to the back. Immediately, she told me her name was Laura and started giving me a tour of the office and the description of the job Dr. Isaac was offering me. I was taken aback because this felt a little more like a first day on the job, rather than an informal meeting. I'm pretty sure everyone that worked there was wondering who in the world I was...some random girl in flip-flops, a short-sleeved shirt, and shorts about to grab a clipboard and start bringing patients to the back. Umm what?! At this point I was thinking "someone bring out the doctor, she knows who I am!"....and finally she came out of one of the rooms, smiled at me, and I felt the biggest wave of relief. I hadn't even met this woman, but couldn't have been happier to see her. We started talking a little about what I was doing job-wise, while I think Laura was standing there still confused as to why I was there. Dr. Isaac then looked me up and down, and said "well you won't be able to start today because you don't have the appropriate clothing." I'm sitting there thinking "I'm sorry...I don't generally go around meeting people wearing scrubs....I don't typically bombard people with medical terms when I meet them either."

But anyway, it ended well and i'll probably be doing that part time for a little while to make some extra money. Margo left this morning for Lake Tahoe...she'll be gone for a little over a week. Time for me to spread my little wings! No weekend plans yet, but we will see!

It's Like Riding a Bike...

You never fully understand the saying "...it's like riding a bike," until you hop on a bike after not riding one for 10 years. I felt like the most uncoordinated person on the face of the earth when I tried to get on it! The seat is a lot higher then it used to be on a kiddie-bike and it's a lot harder to reach the ground, so...watching me attempt any kind of mount/dismount makes for an entertaining show. ANYWAY, after I got all of that out of my system, my aunt thought I would be ready to take a ride around the city...and I was, but she'll never know how many times and how close the handlebars have come to bumping a rail or pole and sending me to Trauma 1. She'll throw a glance back my way makin' sure I'm still there, not knowing the second before I was battling to stay on the sidewalk. How else will I learn? :)

My personal favorite place to ride is underneath this bridge where they have you pinned between a rail and a wall on the sidewalk...this has definitely tested my baby-bird bike skills. The worst part is that you see it coming for about a hundred yards so you have time to think.."am I supposed to fit through there?"..."there's no way i'll fit through there"...so you almost start building speed like you're about to perform some big jump, but thinking it'll be easier to keep the bike straight if you go a little faster. So I pedal faster, holding my breath, wishing I could close my eyes in this neverending tunnel! With God's amazing grace, I have somehow managed to come out of that tunnel alive twice!....sorry, anticlimactic I know....don't worry, it's not my last venture through the tunnel.

It really is a great way to get around the city! Everything is so accessible and really makes it easy to get from A to B...except for dodging pedestrians and cars. You can definitely tell who's a local...the people zooming in and out of traffic without the helmets, the one pant-leg rolled up. Here's Erin...going a little faster than the speed of a pedestrian with fingers on the breaks, on the sidewalk, with the helmet! Whatever, I go at my own pace. It's really been awesome to have the freedom to just bike down to the National Mall and see all the monuments, ride by the White House, bike through Georgetown, etc. I love Atlanta, but it is definitely not an easy place to get around...DC practically begs you to use anything but cars. Great metro, busline, lots of walkers, bikers...definitely an eco-friendly city!

I've been staying pretty busy! Got to go visit some old family friends this past weekend, the Pecks! We used to live right next door to them from about 91-95. They took me back to my old neighborhood, school, soccer park, and everything looked tiny!!!! It really was mind-blowing, but so great to see! Thanks again for having me!

Lots of stuff to do this week...figuring out student loans, an interview with NIH, meeting up with friends, and then who knows! I love it!

Exciting find for those who may care: Margo and I were walking to dinner when we saw a couple guys being followed by a filming crew. They weren't engaging with the cameras at all so I immediately thought it was some kind of reality show when it hit me....MTV is having the new Real World in DC this summer! Come to find out the Real World house is 2 blocks from where Margo lives in Dupont Circle and apparently the new cast just moved in last week!...this could be interesting.

New Windshield and a Tennis Match

So when I came to DC, I had a huge crack across the top of my windshield. Didn't think much of it because it wasn't obstructing my view and I thought I'd get around to it when I had some extra money. Come to find out that a law in the district states that you cannot have a broken windshield or it's ticket city!! So great...paranoid about getting a huge ticket. Long story short, I ended up getting a guy to come out and replace it on the street for a lot cheaper than taking it in! I would like to think I'm a good barterer, but it kinda happened by accident...oh well, I'll take what I can get! Embarrassing side note: when he was done I saw some black goo on the edge of the windshield...and since I'm 5 years old, I decide to touch it and this stuff would NOT come off! In fact, I think the tiny bit I touched spread into about a gallon. So I'm sitting here trying to pay him with all this goo on my hand that definitely was NOT supposed to be touched (and now I know why).

Exciting story of the day! Last night I got on Twitter and I follow Andy Roddick. He had a post that said he was giving away 150 free tickets at the Lacoste down in Georgetown the next morning at 11am. What?! My aunt and I have been trying to get tickets to this tournament all week! So I ride a bike over there a little before 10am because there is no way I'm missing out and I was about the 5th person in line....yeah!! Turned out not too many people heard about the giveaway, so I snagged 2! Going to see Andy play tonight, woohoo!!

Still working on finding a job...nothing too promising yet, but hopefully soon!

DC...here I come!

I'm starting this blog to keep everybody updated on what's going on with me and my life in Washington, DC! Hopefully I'll have some exciting stories to come!

My drive up here definitely was looooong. It ended up taking me 12 hours (6am-6pm) to get here! I hit some serious traffic after Richmond...and that killed me! Nearing the end of my trip, back stiff, legs falling asleep....sitting in traffic within miles of the VA/DC border. But, all in all it was an easy drive! I was so excited driving into the city...the first thing I saw, of course, was the Washington Monument standing in the middle of the city. I don't think that will ever get old to me.

My aunt, Margo, is letting me stay with her for a little while until I can find a job and place to live! How awesome is that? Not too much space in DC apartments (not too mention I brought way too much stuff), and she's letting me take up some of it! I haven't had much down time since I got here...we've always been doing something! I've already been introduced to the speed of city life/traffic and it's definitely apparent that I am a foreigner that's been living in small town GA for the past 4 years!...not to mention I haven't parallel parked in years and I've already done it a hand full of times! I should be an expert in a few weeks.

Lots of people to meet this week about jobs and such...wish me luck! I'll keep you updated!