#SOTU with the #POTUS #AtTheWH

This week, I had a very DC moment. I'd venture to say it was even more "DC" than hugging strangers at the Inauguration. As I alluded to in my last post - and, I'm using that term incorrectly for I didn't allude, I flat out told you - I was selected to participate in a White House Social for the State of the Union. The White House Social series are in-person meetings of people who engage with the White House via social media. You can read about other past events here, including a Holiday Open House Tweetup and a United Kingdom Arrival Ceremony Tweetup. 

This is me at the WH. I did NOT have a Bo Obama sighting.
I'll have to put that dream on a shelf until next time.

(This is the part where Emily gets her shout-out for letting me know about the WH Social opportunity. Follow her on twitter. You now have the direct link twice. So, no excuses. Thanks, Emily!)

The "application" was really just an online form in which you shared your twitter, Google +, Facebook, etc. usernames and - in 500 words or less - described why you wanted to participate.

I'm pretty sure I was the only applicant to use the term "Nutella" in an answer to the question of why I should be included. I don't recall exactly what I said, but my answer was something along the lines of "I believe I represent the average twitter user who doesn't tweet about politics day in and day out - as evidenced by my recent tweets about the Tuesday night TV comedy line-up and the deliciousness of Nutella - but who engages in topics and issues of importance to me, in my own unique voice." 

I just wanted to keep it real - sometimes I tweet about Anne Hathaway's haircut or post links to "Where Are They Now?" articles about the cast of Saved By The Bell. I wasn't going to lie to the President about my social media presence. Besides, all they'd have to do was go to my twitter feed to see what's up. I did go on to to tell them that I admire their efforts to engage and educate the public online and would be honored to have the opportunity to move the online dialogue to face-to-face conversation and gave examples of times I've participated in policy conversations ..but I think it was the "Nutella" that really put me over the top. 

Movie Dating Myself

I love movies. I mean LOVE them. 

This photo is from here.

Much like I do with TV shows on Netflix, I've been known to binge on movies. This is especially common during Awards Season because I think it's important to be an informed voter. Ok, so I don't really vote per se, but I do express my opinions loudly in my apartment and on Twitter while watching the ceremonies which is sort of like voting. 

My parents have previously been dragged in as accomplices in my movie binges. They're so supportive. Last year, prior to Awards Season, we saw five movies in four days. This year, while my Mom was in town, we watched five movies in three days. (To be clear, I'm bragging about this and am ignoring any implications it may have for my current social life. Also, it was cold and rainy so...) We saw Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty, Les Miserables, The Master and Hyde Park on Hudson. (That's also my preferential order - with The Master and Hyde Park tied at the bottom. Sorry.)

Shockingly, the two movies I hadn't seen: Lincoln and Argo. Only the two most talked about of the year! This was a major problem for me. 

Here's an even bigger problem. Apparently, I'm the last person on the planet who hasn't seen them. Whenever I'd ask friends if they would want to go see Argo with me, they would respond with some variation of "Oh, I saw that when it first came out. I can't believe you haven't seen it!! You should really see it. It's amazing." 

Um, thanks, WORLD, for all going to see this movie over the two weeks when I apparently could not. 

But you are all forgiven for I had an AMC gift card burning a hole in my pocket and nothing to do for the first half of my Saturday this weekend. So, I took matters into my own hands.

You see, while movies are definitely more fun with friends, every once in a while, it's kind of nice to go take one in on your own.  

The first time I ever saw a movie in the theater by myself was in 1996. I know this because the movie was Dunston Checks In. My sister had a part-time job at the theater so I got to go for 50 cents. I think I actually saw more than one movie that day but it's hard to remember the details of other films once you've seen the heartwarming story of a hilarious orangutan living in a hotel. That's the kind of movie that just never quite leaves you, ya know? That dear, sweet, mischievous orangutan. 

MTV Cribs - 2013 Studio Apt Edition

Remember that show Cribs that used to be on MTV? Maybe it still is on MTV. I don't know. I don't have cable. Plus, I stopped watching MTV when Carson Daly retired from hosting Total Request Live and I no longer had heart palpitations at the thought of surprise TRL visits by Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync. (Ah, the good ol' days.)

I promise, I have a point.

It occurred to me, as I was perusing back to the beginning of this blog  that I never actually showed you how my apartment turned out. I showed you bare walls, a work in progress, and said, "I'll update soon" and then, nothing.

I'm sorry. That was so rude of me. I'm going to share now. Not because my apartment is cool enough to be published but because, I want to keep my word. 

And also, I haven't really done anything blog-worthy lately. I've spent all week down-for-the-count with a stomach bug and I know you don't want me blogging about that. My poor parents already got all the details. There's something about being sick that makes you want to text your parents 12 times from the floor of the bathroom so your Mom can reassure you that you are not - in fact - dying. 

Good Lord, enough about that. Sorry. I'm delirious from spending most of the week shut-off from civilization. And, since I was unable to rest comfortably and also do not have cable, I was forced to watch multiple episodes of daytime television that frequently included the phrase, "You are NOT the father!" I've forgotten how to properly communicate with the outside world. 

As soon as I returned to the land-of-the-living and discontinued my viewing of televised paternity tests, I cleaned my apartment. I'm talking Lysol-on-every-surface-and-even-sweeping-under-the-sofa clean. So, this seems like the best time of any to make good on my blog promise to show you my new digs (well, nine-month-old digs). 

In no way do I expect my apartment to rock your world - it's a studio, after all. I just want you all to know that I don't still live among boxes. In case there was any concern. And, in honor of the name of this blog, I'll show you the NC touches in each of my rooms in DC - er, in each corner of my one room.