Columbus Went to the Zoo

Stardate 65286.9

12:02 - On Columbus Day, I decided to get in touch with my wild side.  I figured my wild side could be found at the National Zoo. OS I went with a "meet-up" group to the zoo to see all of the awesome animals.  For those of you not familiar with "meet-up" groups, they are online groups of people that get together to hang out and do fun things. Being the first time I was apart of a "meet-up" group, the hype met my expectations. The specific group that I am a part of is the "20s and 30s DC and Arlington Group."  So far there are less than 350 members, but they seem like they do a number of fun things i.e. go to the zoo.  The National Zoo is part of the Smithsonian Institute so you get in free. One of the major benefits to living in this city is free entrance to tons of places. And like all Smithsonian places, the Zoo is awesome. However, I must say that there is a decidedly lack of foxes and penguins in the zoo.I did not let that get me down because this zoo has Pandas and lots of them.  The Red Pandas recently had cubs, but they were not on display.  So we saw Red Pandas snoozing in a tree. We got to tower of elephants by walking the Elephant Bridge. Because of the great weather, the big cats were outside and frisky. Amazonia had free range monkeys, which were pretty fun if you stayed out of their splash zones.  We even saw a baby gorilla.  Well, he is technically two years old, but he looks so small next to his six foot Dad. Overall, the Zoo was a great way to spend a Monday off in the city.

What A Little Girl's Made Of

Stardate 65281.5

12:00 - Last Sunday, I went to the double bout opener for the DC Roller Girls, which featured Scare Force One vs. Cherry Blossom Bombshells and DC Demoncats vs. Majority Whips. For me, the roller rink has become synonymous with broken hearts, the “love of my life” skating with someone else, and I believe Maroon 5's 'She will be loved' was involved. These ladies are opposite of me crying in the restroom. If you want a fight with them, you are going to get one, and you ain't even seen them crazy yet. They will show what a little girl’s made of roller blades and hip checks.

This full contact sport pits two teams of five women against each other. The teams consist of four Blockers and one Jammer; the Blockers stick in a pack and try to block the opposite team’s Jammer from passing. Each opposite team Blocker a Jammer passes around the rink scores a point for the Jammer’s team.  Blockers can hip check, booty block, and shoulder charge, but they cannot elbow or shove.  At one point, I saw two women collide with one woman tripping over the other’s head, rolling over her face, and skating away.  The woman on the ground just hopped back up and skated for the pack.

The opening bouts pulled in a great crowd. The first bout was a blowout with Scare Force One mopping the floor with the Cherry Blossom Bombshells. The second bout featured a brand new team majority Whips who beat the DC Demoncats by one point.  Focus Foxies, you are probably wondering which team I support. Considering only one team lost after having a double digit lead at half time, it is a pretty obvious whose side I want to be on.  DC Demoncats, you may have had a disappointing loss on Sunday, but you now have a lifelong fan in this Aggie.

A huge part of the sport is coming up with a name and number.  Each player makes up a new fierce name and a number to match that.  With these names, such as Obitchuary, Ovary Action, Stabagail Adams, and Nasty Pelosi, these women will terrify.  Also, each woman gets an introduction as they skate around the rink before the bout. For example: “She will wreak havoc every 28 days; its number 28 days Ovary Action.” If I ever I became a Roller Girl, I would need a kickass name and introduction.  I am thinking something like this:

“Swift like a fox, killer like a ninja. This Roller Girl will have her way with you. It’s number 2010 Foxy Vengence.”

This Sunday was awesome to watch women leave it all out on the floor in a tough brawl.  Most people think that football players have it rough. Their tackles may be big, but Roller Girl’s hits are bigger.

Focus Foxies at the game: Kat and Simon

Running Through

Stardate 65259.5

I knew the stakes were high right from the start. When he dealt the cards, I bet my heart. Being the last to know that your ex has moved on is one hell of a kick to the gut. It is quite shocking that I did not see it coming, considering my excellent skills in Facebook stalking and the amount of photos they plastered on his wall. Still, I didn't see that coming.  So, I took one of their portraits and hung it on the back of my door with a "Go Work Out" sign above. I did this not to hate, but to motivate. I cannot change what is going on thousands of miles away, but I can loose those relationship pounds that I have been packing.

To do this, my cheap no gym membership buying self is going to run it off. Now, Focus Foxies, me running is a pitiful sight. Let's just say I am no sleek fox scampering along the trail. In fact due to my bum right knee, I am more like coyote that Parry (with an A) has shot. I think I am averaging 11 minute  mile, but I am out there with the cool kids on the National Mall. You can check me out amongst the memorials, monuments, and museums.  I am huffing and puffing and trying to run a 9 minute mile.

It goes against every instinct of mine to run away from a problem, but this problem cannot be confronted head on. There is no way to ask how it took one month for him to get over the past eight. So I run faster past the Smithsonian Castle. There is now way to find out why he checked out of the relationship, leaving me to pull trigger on the relationship. So I run faster past Korean Memorial. I can't ask why I was replaced by a t-sip. It would just cause me to run circles around the Washington Monument.  So I just run around DC until eventually I forget why I started. I know the last good bye is the hardest one to say.  This is where this cowgirl runs away.

Welcome to DC

Stardate 65256.8

Well, Focus Foxies, I recently made the big move to Washington DC, and I couldn't be happier. I am here, living in a basement apartment and trying to make my dreams come true. My first step is to become the most rockin' RA that ever existed. Second step, make some public policy history. Third, live on the wild side.

I know that I abandoned you for a bit, Focus Foxies, but I am here to stay. What can you expect from the FFL? Everything but more importantly, adventures, food trucks, and shenanigans!

Yellowstone National Park

Stardate 65053.7

15:34 - As the oldest national park in the world, Yellowstone National Park remains a wild place in the U.S. My family and I went on a camping trip in Yellowstone in late summer 2011. It took us 3 days to drive up to the Wyoming side of the park. We spent 5 days wandering around the park, passing buffalo and elk, chasing after bears, and hiking up two mountains: Bunsen Peak and Mount Washburn. 

Interesting story, Focus Foxies, throughout our trip I was trying to receive calls from my future employer. They were trying to gauge my interest in the job and were going to have HR call me. Well, wild places, like Yellowstone, do not thrive on cell phone reception, but high up, say on Mount Washburn, you do get service. I returned HR’s call and accepted the job. After months of tears and interviews, I had a job. From then on, I was a happy camper in the nation’s most beautiful park.

Yellowstone is also the location of the largest super volcano on the continent. In fact, Yellowstone caldera is still active with large geysers, mud pots, and hot springs. Almost every day, Yellowstone has mini earthquakes. On the backdrop of mountains and wildlife, these geothermal features seem to put Yellowstone in a world of its own.

 

 A variety of wildlife species call Yellowstone home. We saw buffalo, coyotes, and bears, on my! We had a close run in with a badger that was mistaken for a wolverine. We climbed mountains with mountain goats. Fun fact, Focus Foxies, the best place to see bears would be on the north side of the park. We saw both Grizzly Bears and Brown Bears. The Brown Bear had two cubs! Before we sent to Yellowstone, a Grizzly Mama killed a guy for getting too close to her cubs. Moral of the story: Bears are crazy. A fun little animal we got to see is the marmot. They are cute and live in colonies! I am sad to report that we didn’t see a fox.

Other highlights from Yellowstone include the Yellowstone Grand Canyon. While not as big as the real Grand Canyon, this canyon splits up the east side of the park and offers spectacular views of waterfalls. You can hike around the whole rim of the canyon, but part of the rim was shut down when we were there. See Grizzly Bear induced death story above. Another fun aspect is the below freezing temps it gets to even in the middle of summer. I suggest a warm sleeping bag.

I could spend my whole life in Yellowstone and still find different things about it to explore. I will definitely be back one day (hopefully soon). 

Remember the Alamo

Stardate 64985.3

 

15:25 - Since my little sister Chelsea just graduated 7th grade, we decided to do many mini tours of Texas history sites. For non-Texan Focus Foxies, we study Texas History throughout 7th grade as a course. One of our stops included a tour of the Alamo. Who could forget the Alamo?  All that is left of the old fort is the fort chapel, which is the iconic shape you associate with the Alamo. Walking through this site, you feel pride and learn a little more about the causes that led up to the revolution. All I can say is I'm thankful to be a Texan!


Focus Foxies in attendance: Mama and Papa Fox, Chelsea, and Hannah

Oh the places I will go!

Stardate 64840.7 and 65842.8

20:10 -  Roughly a year ago, I graduated college. Ahead of the game with my masters, I still had many doubts. I had no job with very few prospects of getting one soon.  But I was happy, that couldn’t be taken away anytime soon. That was my day, and I was off to Great Places! I had brains in my head and feet in my shoes. I could steer myself wherever I chose.

I was all geared up to go, but I had to wait the summer out in Houston. Without a job, I started getting stir crazy. I wondered if I would ever get to live out my dreams. Interview after interview, I waited for an answer. Waiting for a fish to bite, waiting around for a Friday night, and waiting for another chance. I was just waiting.  Yet, somehow, I escaped the waiting place when I got a call from the USITC. They wanted me! I got the news when I was on top of Mount Washburn, and frankly the world.

With a job, I was ready for anything under the sky, but I had to move to a new city. An exciting city, it is. Only problem was too few friends. I had never moved to a new city before; I did not know what to expect. Heck, I hadn’t even paid bills before or opened a credit card. The main thing that scared me was having too few friends. Whether I liked it or not, alone will be something I was quite a lot. That was the beginning, and this now. I learned to be brave and remembered one important lesson from A&M: never act too cool for school. I put my best intentions out there. Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as me.

 Oh, the places I’d go! There was and is fun to be done! I fell into a great place with my job and life. I now plan parties, create a home out of a room, and have room to bloom. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done, but it is not impossible. I am not where I thought I would be, but I am traveling the path where I want to be now.