Midterms?

I can't believe I'm already in the middle of my 1st semester at GWU. It is flying by, which could be a side effect of never being home for more than 10 hours/day during the week! I have an avian flu paper due on Thursday (hence the cartoon). I have learned more than I ever wanted to know about that topic, which is a good thing if it breaks out but somewhat pointless if it doesn't. Actually, scratch that, because even if we never see avian flu, I am at least very informed about how inept the U.S. public health system can be. I have also learned from this experience that I would probably love working for the WHO.

"Tai Shan's Snow Day"

I must admit that I enjoyed the Washington Post the other day much more when the above was the headline...at least it was cute! Today's "Cheney Breaks Silence on Hunting Accident" was much more boring. Why can't they just say "There is no real news today"? Or at least they could put up something interesting, like "Current Research Trends Regarding the Energy Crisis." Everyone should stop turning up their noses at those who read "People" magazine and just admit that even the Post and the Times are glorified versions of the same kind of news. At least "Teeny Bopper's" audience is open about what's inside...
..."Baby Boom Bopper" anyone?

Snow!

We finally got the snow Nathan has been waiting impatiently for! A Nor'Easter came through last weekend, giving us 8 in., which is a small amount compared to NY. It was beatiful on Sunday, so we took a walk around Arlington and the Cemetery. The snow has melted now, but it was great to get a taste of what we had in Madison for a few days. We both miss Madison very much. Nate will go there this weekend to get in his 2 loves besides me (skiing and gambling...quite a combination). I will stay here to work on papers, etc. I had my first exam on Valentine's Day, which was better than I had expected, but it's also by far my easiest class. March will be filled with Mom coming to visit (yay!) and me going to Marco Island for family vacation fun.

Adventures in Arlington

We went to see "Pride and Prejudice" recently (go see it!), and I must relay news of the cool theatre. It is called "Arlington Draft House," and it's a very old theatre where the movies are 1/2 price (which isn't saying much here as 1/2 price is $5.50!), and you are served alcoholic beverages during the film. My drink of choice: Appletini.
A recent event that I would not put so high on my list: seeing the Capitol building. High point: the 45 minutes we spent relaxing on the front lawn of "Capitol Hill" while we waited for our tour to start. Low points: I had to throw away a bottle of perfume from my purse (no perfumes allowed) before entering, and we had the unlucky experience of getting the autistic tour guide. And I quote, "I know all the names of the US congressmen, and if you want to stay after the tour, you can quiz me." No joke.
I am being overwhelmed with reading, projects, and papers, but I still love my classes! Nate is a bit weighed down by the beurocratic process of the gov't., but he loves working for the DoD. And, a bunch of them play football on Saturdays, so he's fitting right in.
I can't wait for spring (don't tell Nate) because I hear it's beautiful here!