ingrid

art / Museums and Monuments

The Blagden Alley Rainbow Mural

December 8, 2019

In addition to taking selfies in front of the monuments, one of the most photographed spots in Washington D.C., is Blagden Alley — a collection of intersecting alleyways that are covered in murals. Blagden Alley has a La Colombe coffee roasters, several bars, restaurants and art galleries, among other things.

The mural that I’m in front of is called “LOVE” by Lisa Marie Thalhammer — it’s the word “love” written in rainbow colors across four different garage doors. Apparently she has several other pieces around the city, which I’ll have to track down one of these days.

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dogs / Museums and Monuments

Exploring the National Arboretum’s Capitol Columns

October 16, 2019

One of the best things about living in Ivy City is that I am only blocks from the U.S. National Arboretum. It’s basically a massive park that houses the original columns from the U.S. Capitol building.

The arboretum is an excellent place to walk the dogs and has become one of my go-to weekend spots lately.

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Chinatown / dogs / Festivals and Events

The Rainbow Balloons

June 19, 2019

We had a somewhat subdued Capital Pride this year.

Sure, there was drag brunch and meet-ups with fair-weather friends who only come out during holidays. But I refused to make any substantive plans for the weekend and declined a few invitations. Although this was anti-social, I have no regrets because I gained the flexibility to skip the parade (due to heat) and most of the festival (due to rain.) What privilege.

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Washington DC

Cherry Blossom Season in D.C.

May 8, 2019

Cherry blossom season just ended in D.C.

This year I ventured to down to the tidal basin to see the famous cherry blossoms and it was a mess. The place is mobbed with tourists, particularly ones with baby strollers, and it is not the ideal environment to schlep two dogs into.

Also, the tidal basin resembles one large Instagram photoshoot, so you’re basically taking pictures of people taking pictures.

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Chinatown / dogs

The Fire in Chinatown

November 20, 2018

Thank god I brushed my teeth before the morning dog walk.

After doing a loop around the National Mall, I direct the dogs back toward my apartment building.

I can see the fire trucks from down the street and think, “Please, please let those be for another apartment building. Maybe the place next door had a kitchen fire?”

But the fire trucks are totally for my building. And it isn’t just a normal false alarm — the fire hoses are actually plugged in and spewing water all over the street.

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dogs / Washington DC

A Tale of Two Dog Walks

November 15, 2018

The District got its first snow storm of the season today and my dogs have two completely different opinions on the slushy mix.

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Daily / dogs / Washington DC

Ingrid the Rat Hunter

September 13, 2018

Ingrid, the labradoodle, is on high-alert during our evening dog walks now. She’s not worried about potential muggers or prowlers, but instead focused on hunting rats.

One unexpected challenge of walking the dogs in Chinatown is the massive rat population in our neighborhood. The parks are filled with rat burrows and the prancing creatures are a big distraction for Ingrid.

I first realized that D.C. has a rat problem one night when we decided to take a shortcut through an alleyway behind several restaurants near Logan Circle. The alleyway was crawling with rodents that were completely unfazed by our presence. The rats darted from corners and swung from trashcans.

It was the wrong type of party to be at.

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Chinatown / LLM / memories / Work

A year in Washington D.C.

August 26, 2018

On Thursday, I found myself on a small stage at Georgetown Law.

It’s LL.M. orientation week. Last year, I was in the audience listening to alumni give study and job search advice. This year, I am on the same stage talking to a new crop of students.

I don’t get through all of my rehearsed talking-points, but I do manage to avoid saying anything stupid or outrageous. I repeatedly cautioned the students that securing a job offer from an externship is completely dumb luck on my part. But I probably sound like a lottery winner explaining that buying Powerball tickets is foolish.

My best piece of advice is: “Remember that massive book of information that the career office gave you? Actually read that and follow the instructions.”

If just one student uses that advice, then the panel was worth it.

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dogs / Washington DC

A Spring Snowstorm

March 22, 2018

It’s felt like spring in Washington D.C. for a while now. We’ve had warm temperatures, cherry blossoms, and green grass. 

Maybe winter in D.C. isn’t so bad after all…

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dogs / LLM / Washington DC

Hysterics

January 7, 2018

My winter break ended with a cold snap and the dogs had two very different reactions.

Ingrid, the labradoodle, thinks that we are in a winter wonderland. The cold doesn’t bother Ingrid and she is happy to spend her time in the dog park even with a ridiculous wind chill.

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dogs / Washington DC

Dog update

September 9, 2017

The dogs are adjusting to life in Washington D.C. pretty well. 

Dallas was very dog-friendly in terms of parks and poop-stations, but 100 degree days made it difficult to take anything but brief dog walks after 7 a.m.

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dogs

Ingrid turns two

June 15, 2017

I sometimes tell people that my labradoodle is still a puppy. She acts like a puppy — hyper, uncontrollably excitable, and easily fooled. But I just realized today that Ingrid is already two years old.

I got Ingrid back in October 2015 (how time flies!) and she’s been tumbling around my apartments ever since. What a quick two years.

Ingrid the labradoodle among the flowers in Perry Heights, Dallas.

Ingrid the Labradoodle at a Highland Park fountain.

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dogs / Oak Lawn

Back to the tennis courts

April 7, 2017

We finally made our way back to the tennis courts to wear out Ingrid, our labradoodle, and Apollo, the German shepherd that we recently sponsored.

The enclosed tennis courts in our neighborhood are perfect for letting the dogs run around. The speed of our tennis game usually means that they can’t grab the balls — although there were a few close calls.

Apollo the German shepherd at the Perry Heights tennis courts.

By the end of the game, some of the tennis balls were so soaked in dog drool that it felt like hitting a water balloon. (Those ended up getting thrown out.)

And yes, it was as disgusting as it sounds.

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dogs

Why we can’t have nice things

March 24, 2017

I have a pretty nice apartment, but I rarely have guests over.

There are a few reasons for that:

1. The nearby gay bars, restaurants, and apartment pools form important third places that make house guests unnecessary.
2. Constant contact through social media lessens the demand for in-person visits.
3. We are more likely to meet people out for drag shows or theme park trips than a dinner party.

But the main reason why we rarely have guests is Ingrid, our labradoodle.

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Dallas Design District

Saturdays in Dallas

November 5, 2016

We had an extremely busy Saturday.

We took a 12-mile walking tour of the city with the dogs. I was exhausted afterward, but had a hilarious time.

The Puppy

The morning started at Starbucks, where we ran into an adorable chocolate lab puppy.

Ingrid the Labradoodle playing with a chocolate lab mix in front of the Oak Lawn Starbucks.

Ingrid the Labradoodle playing with a chocolate lab mix in front of the Oak Lawn Starbucks.

Ingrid is only about a year old now, but the lab puppy made her seem like a gigantic monster.

We then headed to the Design District, where we passed the Playboy Marfa statue and randomly ran into one of our favorite bartenders in at a car rental place.

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dogs / fitness

Almost Tennis

October 10, 2016

We almost started playing tennis!

I say almost because the primary activity is really sprinting after foul balls before the labradoodle gets to them.

Ingrid the labradoodle hoarding a tennis ball.

Gunter at the Craddock Park tennis courts in the Perry Heights neighborhood of Oak Lawn.

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Dallas Morning News / Oak Lawn

Hillary and the pitbull

September 7, 2016

I got up around 4 a.m. today, wrote the morning news roundup, and then posted the newspaper’s Hillary Clinton ‘recommendation’ to Twitter and Facebook (where it would go viral.)

By 5:30 a.m., I was running for my life down Cedar Springs Road.

I came across a stray pitbull while taking the dogs to the walk-up Starbucks at the edge of Oak Lawn. We were several blocks from my apartment building when I noticed the 70-pound pitbull staring at us from behind an apartment building fence.

Ingrid, my labradoodle, barked at the pitbull and it darted toward a fence opening.

Cut to me sprinting at full-speed down Cedar Springs road with a labradoodle and a Chihuahua. It felt like a scene from Stranger Things (or at least a Dallas version of Scary Movie.)

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Dallas / dogs

White Rock Lake

July 15, 2016

A day at the lake

White Rock Lake is a massive reservoir about 5 miles outside of downtown Dallas. It is the perfect place for an ambitious morning dog walk. Or so we thought.

The lake was beautiful, but the path was very long.

Fishermen at White Rock Lake (and some lady taking pregnancy photos.)

Turtles chilling on a hot summer weekend

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Dallas

Exploring the Great Trinity Forest in Dallas

June 3, 2016

I am not suggesting that we almost died on our trip to the Great Trinity Forest, but let’s just say that it was not totally safe.

It was pretty, at first.

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Accessories / Dallas

Dallas Summer Kickoff

June 1, 2016

…and what a Memorial Day Weekend we had…

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