Touched Down in Dallas for the Power Networking Conference

Today I’ve flown Virgin America first class from DC to Dallas to attend the Power Networking Conference. Just out my view inside and outside the cabin!

Virgin America Glass

Virgin America Lemon Sorbet and Cookies

Virgin America Pappadelle Beef

Dallas outside of my window

Dallas outside of my window

Quick 1st Half of 2014 Assessment

                I must admit that I hadn’t expected to be where I am at today, June 21, 2014. On January 1, 2014, I expected to have my PMI-ACP certification but then PMI announced that it was having a PMI-PBA pilot program. Immediately I jump at the opportunity.  I must also admit that in the past 6 months I have become a Small Business Book Award judge, attended the White House spring garden event snapping photos, and have an article published.  With today being 9 days until the halfway mark, I do see myself accomplishing these key objectives:

·         PMI approving my PMI-PBA certification application

·         Completely outlining PMBOK chapters 5, 8 and 13 to prepare for the PMI-PBA

·         Finished reading BABOK chapters 2 and 3

·         Scored 80% on the RMC Project’s PMP scope, quality and stakeholder management knowledge area practice exams.

·         Completed Ed2Go Introduction to SQL and Advanced Excel 2010 online courses

·         Enrolled in the USDA Graduate School SQL course for in-person assistance

·         Expand my personal and professional network

·         Have fun the entire time

Although this looks like a lengthy list, I am already in the process of completing many of these tasks so I will meet all of these obligations before June 30, 2014. Furthermore, here are my prospective 2^nd half of 2014 goals below:

·         Transfer the PMI-PBA knowledge and start studying for the Certified Business Analyst Professional (CBAP) exam by October at the latest. I think that I will finish it before then.

·         Get promoted

·         Seek more challenges

·         Travel more

·         Improve my SQL and Oracle programming skills

·         Pass the PMI-ACP certification test

Passport DC 2013: Chronicling Four Embassies and Three Different Continents

            I walked to DuPont Circle to pick up my media badge. When I received it, I thought ‘I could automatically skip the lane because I have credentials.’ I sashayed my way to the Embassy of Argentina with my pass swinging around my neck.  I arrived at the entrance only to be told by the lady that I must get in line because the embassy was filled to capacity. So much for the media pass. The Argentine embassy was fun and informative. I learned a lot of the country’s history, culture, and embassy’s infrastructure. I was disappointed that it did have a pope exhibit since he hailed from Argentina. That was the main reason why I went. Upon leaving, the embassy had a sports exhibit highlighting the 1986 World Cup and 2004 Olympic men’s basketball gold medal wins.

Argentine Embassy

Argentina-US Bilateral Relations Placard

Argentine Ambassador to the US

Tango Lessons

Argentina Sports Superpower Placard

            Next I walked to Chilean embassy where the line snaked to the Trinidad embassy’s driveway. The line moved fast and in less than 10 minutes I was inside. The first stop was the arts gallery showcasing the country’s best photographs. Afterward, there was the food gallery where the crowd sampled the desserts.  Upstairs was the fruit and wine.  The staff let people eat the grapes, blueberries and blackberries but not the pears. (Rats! I thought free grocery shopping!). Anyhoo I enjoyed it. Now onto the Australian embassy!

Me in the Chilean Miner Suit Cut-Out

Outside the Chilean Embassy

The Ambassador's Residence Sign

Chancery of the Embassy of Chile

Office of the Ambassador

Ambassador's Office

Living off of Scott Circle, for years I would dread seeing the long line. Some years it stretched beyond P Street! I gulped walking all the way past the church intent on seeing the inside. A volunteer told everyone that we’d receive bags. Put everything in it because we were going through the metal detectors. Whoa! That was new because I didn’t have to do that with Chile and Argentina. At least they fed up while waiting. Once I passed security, the Aboriginal man blew the horn. There were four lines. The left-most was the nation’s top universities. The next one was to the auditorium. The third line was the wine line. The right-most one had the souvenirs. I went right for the souvenirs. The volunteers gave me two kangaroo pens. Next I went to the Armed Forces area picking up stickers and pamphlets then proceeded to the wine line. Afterward, I stood in the auditorium line to see the amphibians. That was a first! I was giddy because there live animals. Seeing zoologist, I secretly thought ‘That was I would had been if I cut dead frog I got for my science kit during one past Christmas.’ Well, I ended up as an economist so I was okay. Upon leaving the embassy, I snapped photos of the tank. I admitted that the Australian embassy was the most impressive (thus far). Onto the Kazakhstan embassy!

Aboriginal Man

Australian Flag

Embassy of Australia Sign

Australian and American flags

Australian napkin

Zoologist with bearded dragon

Tank

            While in line at the Australian embassy. I saw some people in native costumes across the street. Secretly I thought I would go there after visiting the Australian embassy. Fast forward to walking past the tank, I headed down 16^th street. There was no line because all of the people were inside. I loved it because the Eurasian country’s culture differed from the other three. I took photos of all the hunter-gatherer artifacts. It was great to have someone on staff (I didn’t know if she was an anthropologist) explaining all of this to us. The intimacy was noted because unlike Chile, Argentina, and Australia, Kazakhstan was small.  The other three countries’ staffs expected crowds to know something about them. Here the Kazakhstan embassy projected genuine appreciation that we showed up! I was pretty happy that covered four embassies on three continents. That was major progress!

Kazakhstan people welcoming us outside the embassy

Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Hunter-Gatherer Artifact

Kazakhstan President with President Obama at the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit

Houston Aquarium

            I’ve taken some time off from NBA All-Star Weekend to take in the sights.  I promise myself that I would go to the aquarium.  It is conveniently located two blocks from my hotel so why not?  The Houston aquarium doesn’t disappoint!  Below are some of my photos:

Jellyfish

Coral Reef

Anemones & Seastars

Octopus

Asian Rainforest Archerfish

Rainbowfish

Emerald Tree Boa

Rainbow

Electric Eel

Turtles

LivingSocial Gingerbread House Making course

This past Tuesday I went to LivingSocial’s headquarters off of 918 F Street NW for my gingerbread house making course. I decided to purchase this deal because my job was stressing me out.  Initially, I thought that there would be an instructor…but, no, the lady told us to use the icing to create a base and start making our own gingerbread houses from the kit.  I didn’t know what she meant by creating a base so I assembled my house without putting icing at the bottom to hold it still.  Towards the end, one of the sides caved in but regardless I accomplished a craft project.  Here is my photo:

Louisville View from the Ohio River

            As an Ohioan and a native Clevelander, I’ve never seen the Ohio River.  I’ve been living off of Lake Erie. When my job takes me to Louisville, I get the chance to see it while dining at Joe’s Crab Shack.  Where the city is situated, I can see Jeffersonville, Indiana, from across the river.

Ohio River View from Louisville Joe's Crab Shack

Jeffersonville, Indiana across from the Ohio River

Joe's Crab Shack Louisville Cherry Limeade

Joe's Crab Shack Louisville Crabmeat on top of Shrimp with Dirty Rice and Vegetables

Passport DC

            Passport DC is the annual open house for all embassies.  Though I come out late for the festivities, I still manage to get my Cultural DC pamphlet stamp with four countries’ passports.  Even though I live right across the circle from the Australian embassy, that round-the-corner line deters me annually.  I opt for Mozambique Embassy off of New Hampshire avenue.  Later I cross DuPont Circle continuing down Massachusetts Avenue to the Bahamas Embassy where I take a photo of a man in carnival costume. Walking up Florida Avenue to Connecticut Avenue, I cut back to New Hampshire for Rwanda Embassy scoring a pamphlet.  I return back to Massachusetts Avenue. Seeing that the Trinidad and Tobago Embassy’s line has dwindled, I enter the building. After getting the stamp, I take a photo of the steel band and fellow Trinidadians. Then I bypass a man in a carnival insect costume crosses 17^th street. Taking his photo, I go withdraw money to purchase Peruvian food.  Ordering pollo and causa rellena for $10, I return home satisfied that I have a ball at Passport DC!

Having an Actual Labor-Free Saturday!

Today I have awakened finally able to catch my breath and enjoy this Saturday without running errands. I walk to Books-a-Million (partially because my beloved Borders is out of business) to purchase the latest Washingtonian and Dolce Vita magazines. The latter is an affluent lifestyle magazines befitting of the DuPont Circle area. Seeing that the Books-a-Million doesn’t have the latest Capitol File magazine, I walk down Connecticut to News World magazine shop to buy it. I can always count on this store to have the latest magazines. And viola! Of course, News World has it along with O magazines. I grab these two magazines and head back to my apartment where I watch the Food Network and read these four magazines before departing at 12:30pm for my Four Seasons restaurant lunch date.

I decide to wear the floral v-neck Eliza J dress and carry my larger brown embossed croc Kate Spade purse to accommodate my Capitol File magazine while walking down M street. Realizing that I late, I hail a cab at 21st costing me $5.25. Though I know that I could’ve walked seven more blocks and been late, I think that it is my personal responsibility to be on time. I refuse to take advantage of other people over some meal. I arrive there ordering fish tacos (which dare I say are better than Oceanaire’s that I had during restaurant week and that eatery is renowned for its seafood!) and leaving with a $26 bill ($22 meal with $4 tip). My lunch is cheaper than yesterday’s breakfast (Four Seasons charged $6 for orange juice. Luckily, it didn’t charge for refills.).

I walk back home down M Street crossing the St. Mathews church where the bums that I’ve scrapped with sitting on the streets. Since I report them to the church father, they haven’t said anything to me. This makes my day since it’s static-free. I settle down watching TV yet automatically become uninterested because I love wearing my floral dress and must get outside. Therefore, I drop off eleven dresses to the dry cleaners. Since the weather is starting to cooperate staying in the upper 80s instead of the blazing 100s, I can now wear lined dresses. Dropping them off also means that they no longer occupy my mesh bag but now will hang from the closet. I can pick them up Wednesday. Still feeling fidgety and realizing that the Books for America store is still open I call it asking for donating my 15 books. Ironically, the Labor weekend has me doing my spring (fall) cleaning because the end of American summer. I stock all of them in my CVS reusable bag and walk through DuPont Circle down P street to 22nd street where Joshua reviews them for highlighter marks then hand me my donation slip.

As I head up the hill, 15 books lighter, Pesce restaurant captures my attention. It opens up at 5:30pm coinciding with my climb so I enter asking if it’s opened. The bartender says yes and I ask to be seated near the window. Out of nowhere, the waiter puts the large menu board in another seat right next to me. This is a first. I ask him questions about the appetizers and the entrees before ordering the spaghettini. Containing shrimp, corn, broccoli, and linguine sauce, this dish is worth the $20! Since this is a local seafood restaurant not part of a national chain, I will patronize this establishment again. Finally, for now I have returned to my humble abode full of no hard errand running just having fun, enjoying the weather, decluttering my life and reading my favorite magazines.