18th Street Lounge

Stardate 65413.6

 07:13 - The is a story about how this Focus Foxy got her groove back at a little place we call 18th Street Lounge.  Since coming to DC, my Aggie friends do not like going dancing. If it is not the Hall, then they don't go. Lame. So a few Fridays back, I decided not to be lame and instead be awesome. True Story. My coworker put out the bat signal for all 'Dancing Queens' out there to come to 18th St Lounge. I answered her call by donning on my old ropa de Costa Rica, including hot dress, leggings, larger than life hoop earrings and a Rosary. (side note: I have lost enough weight to fit back into these clothes because of DC. What, what!)

How do I describe 18th Street Lounge? Located next to a Mattress Discount store, it is were vampires go to dance (not Twilight types).  This Victorian inspired dance club has different music playing in each room. Jazz is on top, latin in the middle, and house music in different pockets of this three story dance-a-poloza.  Now being in a 'fancy' dance place, I decided to let the bartender choose and make drinks for me.  These drinks were fancy and tasted funky (not in a good way), but I got one free. What you, Focus Foxies, want to know is can I still shake it? Fact. I base this on only Latinos being able to keep up with me. 'La Reigna' still has it. But on a more serious note, I was rusty.

I had so much fun that I almost lost my jacket at the end of the evening. I was so scared when I could not find it because outside the temperature ranged from 35 to 31, and this Texan can't handle that just yet. Bro tip: please use the coat check if inclement weather is about. Only three dollars, it is worth it.

Thankful Thanksgiving

Stardate 65411.4

12:02 - My first Thanksgiving in DC did not resemble anything like a traditional one. I spent it in a bar with my fellow Aggies. I had no turkey but opted for a bevo burn in the form of a hamburger, blue cheese and bacon. As we watched in hope, we were horrified at the last second by a field goal. I fully expected the next morning to wake up to facebook cries for Sherman's head, and there were a few.  I was very happy to see more Aggies still proud to be at Texas A&M despite everything that had transpired.

Of the multitude of reasons for why I love being an Aggie, a few were extremely transparent that day. First, I can always count on having someone to have dinner with on both Thanksgiving and April 21st. I know of no other school where complete strangers are willing to dine and spend a holiday night together. Because despite not knowing each other's name when you came, you leave friends.  As a new person in the city, our little bar was a beacon for new Aggies to the area who didn't have someone to spend the day with, but they had their fellow Aggs. Second, if a t-sip walks in on our bar, we treat them with respect. Expect the vice versa scenario to not be as respectful. Lastly, DuVal Jr. '51 once wrote of the Aggie football team, "I've seen 'em lose and I've seen 'em win But I've never seen 'em quit." The boys on the field had their fight cut out for them, but the team that I saw not quitting was the 12th man. For that, I am forever grateful to have been amongst the Fightin' Texas Aggie 12th man in the decks of Kyle Field.

Thanks and Gig'em!

Ethiopic

Taken from the Ethiopic website

Stardate 65411.4
 
12:01 - Ethiopian food has always topped my list of cuisines to try. After watching Marcus Samuelsson win Top Chef Masters, I was dying to get my hands on some.  Washington DC has a surprisingly concentrated population of Ethiopians who start amazing restaurants.  One such restaurant is Ethiopic on H Street. This quiet and romantic cafe boasts of some delicious Ethiopian food.

For those Focus Foxies not familiar with Ethiopian food, the closest relative would be Indian food (second or third cousin type of relative). Ethiopian food packs a curry like punch and the flavors tend to build over time. A staple in any Ethiopian dish is the spongy sourdough bread called injera. Injera serves as the base of each meal in which each meat or veggie dish is rolled up in. At Ethiopic, we ordered lamb tibs and fosolia caramelized. Lamb tibs consisted of spiced lamb chunks with jalapenos; the lamb was a bit tough but spiced nicely.  Fosolia caramelized involves green beans, carrots and caramelized onions soaked in balsamic vinegar. If I could make any type of vegetable dish in the world, it would be fosolia.  Believe me, since this night, I have tried....and failed. The final (and pretty much Texan part) side order included a pico de gallo mix of tomatoes and jalapenos. As far as wine selection goes, I highly recommend the honey wine which is a Ethiopian specialty. Sweet like the name suggests, honey wine helps mellow out the spiciness of the food.

I stole this one too from Ethiopic. I completely forgot to take pictures

I recommend trying Ethiopian food out; you will not regret it.  You should bring  a whole pack of Focus Foxies with you because Ethiopian is meant to be shared family style. If you decide to go to Ethiopic specifically, get a reservation at one of the alcove tables. It is pretty secluded from the rest of the cafe, but watch out for the lowered ceilings. True story.

Eye of the Turkey

Stardate 65391.6

07:22 - A while back, I posted about my taking up running again.  I wanted to share with you, Focus Foxies, that I have been keeping up with this horrid exercise. I ran a 5k at my gym for their first annual Turkey Trot. Yes, I finished a whole 5k, and I did it in 30:15 minutes.  This puts me at a 9.45 minute mile.  I pretty proud and stoked about that. To prepare for this epicness, I listened to 'Eye of the Tiger' thus the post title. However, the shirts they gave afterwards where an ugly hazard yellow.  I will not be taking a picture of it and showing you decent people because like me, orange offends your eyes.

First Fall

Stardate 65361.6

07:32 - Houston, Texas and the surrounding cities that I grew up in do not experience all four seasons.  Most notably missing is the Fall season.  There exists a week in November where we can turn off the air conditioning, and we have been accustomed to calling this Fall.  However, we generally move from blazing hot to our 'cold' in a blink of an eye or one bad rain storm. All of this has deprived me of ever experiencing a Fall. I mean never. Now that I am in D.C., I can finally see and feel what Fall is all about.  Focus Foxies, I am impressed with the crunchy leaves, changes in color, little kids dressed in cute mittens and coats, and fast moving squirrels preparing for winter.  Side note: D.C. has a ton of squirrels. I seriously worry about kicking one when I go running. 

 One of the benefits of Fall is Starbucks ability to tap into their consumers' love of holiday flavors.  They start offering seasonal drinks, such as pumpkin spic lattes, as soon as October comes around.  It always seemed nuts to me having these holiday drinks when the weather is still in the 80s in Texas.  I do not care how addictive Starbucks may be; in that weather, it's a no go for me.  This Veteran's Day, I enjoyed the cooler weather of DC and my day off. I took the Starbucks gift card from my parents, and I went to try the much beloved and talked about pumpkin spice latte. Let me tell you, Focus Foxies, freedom wasn't the only thing I was thankful for that day; this little latte was amazing until the crappy Starbucks cup exploded on me. So Freedom 1 Starbucks 0.


I have pictures of the Fall for all Focus Foxies still in Texas. As you can see, not all the colors are that ugly orange color.  Maroon leaves can happen. Whoop!

Special shout to my favorite military folks and this post's sponsors: Dad and Mom.

NAKID Karaoke

Stardate 65379

17:35 - I have joined a kickball league called NAKID (No, Adult kickball isn't dumb).  The league is full of young and awesome people from around the DC area.  Occasionally, NAKID hosts pretty sweet parties, and last Friday, they held a Karaoke contest. I have never been labeled a singer. In fact, when I told Mama Fox  I was going to do Karaoke, she flat out told me that I can't sing, and she only hears me in church.  So you know, Focus Foxies, that is the heaven sent truth. Luckily, Karaoke calls for a bit more performance than singing talent. With this in mind, I dragged Abby along with me to sing them a song.

We did not sing in the competition because let's be honest, we couldn't win.  We sang 'Chicken Fried' by Zac Brown Band. We would allow you to join our group, but you would have to wear a purple sweater dress, black tights, and black boots, which we both did without any pre-planning. I will say knowing the lyrics to a song will enhance your performance.  I really thought that I knew all the words to 'Chicken Fried', but it turns out, I don't remember the second half of the chorus.  It was a struggle.

More highlights of the evening include a pair of guys singing 'A Whole New World' from Aladdin. A dude in Dixie shirt wailed Barbra Streisand's  "Wind Beneath My Wings' but refused to joining the entire group of NAKIDers in a round of 'Friends in Low Places.'  Also, I met the guy who won 3rd place in the contest. So I know an extremely minor celebrity.

All in All, Focus Foxies, I highly suggest you sing when forced up to a Karaoke mic by your friends.  Remember, it is not peer pressure; it is just your turn.

Legendary Happy Hour

Stardate 65372.5

Snagged from the HC website

07:22 - A couple weeks ago, a coworker asked me to help plan a happy our for the office.  Focuse Foxies, DC runs on the concept and execution of the idea of happy hour. Washingtonians love a good happy; hell, we will even invite people form Virginia and Maryland to this merriment out of sheer good will and fun times. The challenge to me was to plan a happy hour for a group in a town with no space on a night before a holiday weekend. Challenge Accepted!

Space, location, and funness were all important aspects of a great Happy Hour bar.  Also, good food is a plus.  I searched high and low in the downtown, Chinatown, and Penn Quarter neighborhoods for the perfect bar for the young and old and all around cheap. Eventually, I went with what I knew to be a tried and true place: Hill Country BBQ.  Hill Country BBQ is where expat Texans go to find tender brisket and cold Shiner pitchers. With that in mind, I decided to bring all of my new coworkers to this Texas oasis.
And it was Legen..wait for it dary! Legendary! Half of the office showed up. More importantly, I used my Aggie connections to reserve two huge booth tables to accommodate everyone. Bonus, I introduced everyone to Shiner for the first time, and they were hooked. I actually have never partaken in the BBQ side of the establishment and corrected that, that night by ordering a brisket chomp meal.  Honestly, it tasted almost as good as my grandfather's pit.  Not bad praise from any Texan.

Everyone thought the event was a great success.  So much so, I earned a spot on the Party Planning Committee and am one of two people planning the office Christmas party.

Focus Foxy Shout Outs: Simon for making the Hill Country Connection