that's not a bee! that's a bear in a bee costume!

sometimes in my mind i can't figure out the difference between bear and beer. weird.

last weekend i took a last minute trip to the big apple. friday i got to work and decided i needed a little get away. my first thought was to attempt a trip to orlando but after not finding any flights that fit the budget, i tried new york and found something that was perfect and allowed for maximum time in the city. anyway, i wound up having a lovely time the city. highlight was definitely the nbc studio tour at the 30 rock building.

this is my picture with alec baldwin. aka they put my face where tina fey's normal is. take that tina! i also got a 'that's a deal breaker, ladies' shirt. i love it and would wear it every day if that was ok with work.

other highlights: i was able to use public transportation to get from the airport to time square without getting lost. people on the street asked me for directions and i was able to tell them (luckily they were going to the same place as me). the rooftop restaurant where they give you a big cozy red robe to wear because it's cold. watching mythbusters in my swanky hotel room. having the freedom to do or not do whatever i want when ever i want (one of the perks of traveling alone... also there's no one to question your sense of direction or get angry at you when it turns out you've been walking the wrong direction for a while... however there is no one to help you when some random man on the street wants to give you his phone number. you win some, you lose some.).

i love love love mythbusters. mostly b/c i'm in love with grant. that guy is awesome. i love that mythbusters always seems to be on tv when i'm in a hotel. it's one of the reasons i love going on vacation.

yesterday i went up to dc with my favoritest boos. we went to the newseum. whenever i tell that to anyone they say 'oh, which museum?' and i have to say 'no the neeeewwwwwwseum.' it's a museum about the news. actually, it's more like THE museum about news. they had an amazing 9/11 exhibit. i don't know that amazing is the word... shocking, heart breaking, scary? they were showing footage from the attack that i'd either blocked from memory or had never seen before and the magnitude, the horrible loss, the tragedy... it all came back. it's odd to me b/c less than a week prior i had made the trip down to the site of the world trade center for the first time since the attack. with the image of the massive nothingness fresh in my mind, seeing the footage... it just was unreal... unreal to think of the horrible things that happened where i had been standing. horrific to think about how quickly we forget about what happened to us.

the museum also had a great exhibit about the berlin war. i don't know why i feel such a connection to the fall of the berlin wall. whenever it comes up it stops me. i suppose it scares me... the awful things we do to each other. it breaks my heart.

today, i read 'the hunger games.' nate had been telling me to read for a while so i picked it up yesterday while we were up in dc. i started it this morning and finished it this evening (with time to spare for church and baking cupcakes). it's one of those books that is engaging right away. definitely worth reading. i'm still upset about the ending... b/c it's not fair. also, in a way i relate to the main character and i hate it but need to know what happens at the same time. and i'm hooked.

as a side note, i finished 'the lost symbol' and it was a let down. don't bother with it. read 'the hunger games' instead.