International Day of the Disappeared

Please visit the ICRC's website to learn more about Day of the Disappeared: http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/themissing

Here is an excerpt from the International Committee of the Red Cross's report, Missing Persons: A Hidden Tragedy

"People have gone missing as long as men have been fighting wars. They might be victims of mass executions thrown into unmarked graves, as in the Balkans. They might be captured or abducted, like the current sweep of young men taken of the streets in Sri Lanka. They might be arrested at their homes and then die in custody or be held incommunicado in secret locations. Sometimes they are civilians fleeing combat, or children separated from their families, as happened often in the Congo. Soldiers might be killed during fighting and their remains improperly managed, such as in the Ethiopian/Eritrean war, where there were reports of bodies being left on the battlefield for years.

It is a tragedy for the person who disappears, but the other victims are the families suspended in limbo, suspecting their loved ones are dead, yet unable to mourn, and in the absence of proof constantly tormented by the possibility of a miracle – a secret prison, a new life in a foreign land. Many spend years, and their life savings, in a fruitless search. Stories are rife of racketeer posing as lawyers, taking money from desperate families in return for help they never deliver. "

More photos can be viewed here: http://www.icrc.org/Web/Eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/missing-photos-300807

Detective Grover

Today I played detective at work. I love the challenge of finding seemingly impossible information. For example, I received a tracing case to find someone in a prison in that -oh-so-familiar city of "Atlanta, Chicago". I'm pretty sure I found the guy.

I also had a case for someone in a detention center in the bahamas called "Kamalco". No such site. But a little super sleuthing led me to Carmichael Detention Center in Nassau, Bahamas. Who would have known?

Happy Birthday, Natalie Rose!

Our sweet niece, Natalie Rose turns four today. We can't believe how big she is, and how much she's grown over the last four years. We wish we could be in sunny Santa Barbara to help her celebrate today.

Today we called to wish her a happy birthday - Lane and I cheerfully sang the requisite happy b-day song. We finished, wished her a happy birthday and nothing... We asked if she was there, and finally she said something she said, "yeah. Wanna talk to Claire?" She must have been having some serious birthday fun!

We love you, Natalie! Come visit : )

Ahhh, Relaxing Weekends!

I just love having Katie as a girlfriend. Lane and I are mostly friends with couples, which is totally fun. And we do hang out with Katie and Marc together, but there’s something to be said for girl time. I mean, sometimes there are just girly, juicy things to talk about without the boys around. We’ve found our special happy hour place with cheap wine (because I am SO not a snob about wine) and heavenly spicy tuna tempura avocado rolls. YUM! On Friday we had a delightful evening together.

Later that night, Lane and I got together with some people from his work and hung out at this new Belgian bar. One of his co-workers started working at this bar and wanted us to check it out. We didn’t realize we’d have to take the metro, transfer lines, and then take a cab after that! It was quite a trek, but we arrived to a laid back atmosphere, a charming old building with good music, fancy muscle appetizers and lots of different beers to choose from.

One of the things I love about weekends are the fabulous breakfasts Lane and I make. He’s mostly in charge of the smoothies. Saturday we had eggs over easy with bacon and sourdough toasts with sautéed spinach, cherry tomatoes and garlic on top. On Sunday we had banana blueberry muffins and nectarines. Mmm. Of course, these breakfasts don’t happen until around 1:30. yay for relaxing weekends.

We also had dinner down at a Thai place in Dupont Circle and then went out to Adam’s Morgan with our friends Raquel, Ben and Joe. All of Saturday night was a fabulous lightning show. You don’t get lightning like that on the west coast.

We spent all of Sunday being lazy and read the whole afternoon and I loved every moment of it.

Lost Opportunity

I’ve been saying for months, that as soon as the summer winds down, I’m going to search for a show to audition for. Now that we don’t live in Reston anymore, we are much closer to the community theatre scene, and have a number of theatres to choose from in DC, Arlington, and Alexandria. And, I’m ready to be back on stage.

It’s a process – first you have to see what theatres are in the area, then find out of a show is upcoming, decide if you like the plot, not to mention, see if there’s even a character for your age range, and finally, when the auditions are.

So today I find a theatre in DC, a show is upcoming in November, the plot sounds farcical, which I totally love, and the characters? Three women in the 20s to 30s age range, who can do British accents. In my last play, I had the opportunity to work on my accent. I’m excited here…So what’s missing? Oh, yeah, the audition dates – LAST Monday & Tuesday. If I had just checked this out seven days ago, maybe I would have had a chance!!

So I did something totally weird that probably will seem a little over the top to the director. I sent him an email just saying that I saw that auditions were last week, and that he probably has cast everyone already, but if he still had any openings, I would be happy to have the opportunity to audition. I told him the shows I’d been in before. He might just read it and think I’m full of myself, in fact, I’d be surprised if he responds to my email.

However, I DEFINITELY wouldn’t have any chance if I didn’t email him. The moral of the store here is to check for fall shows at the beginning of August, not the end.

**sigh**

Kitchen Experiment

Last night I was looking on the food network for a good teriyaki marinade, and got really upset when practically every teriyaki search result was for teriyaki sauce, already made. So I decided to do something all together different.

I cut a few skinny tri tip steaks into cubes and doused them with Montreal Steak Seasoning and then cooked them with a little sesame oil.

When they were almost done, i removed them from the pan and covered them in foil, so they'd contine to cook up.

I put a huge onion in the pan, scraped the bottom of it to get all the seasonings up and poured some chicken stock in it until the onions absorbed it all and were really sweet and tasty.

Here's where I used help from Trader Joe's, I poured in 3/4 bottle of General Tso Stir Fry sauce, put the meat back, cooked it a few more minutes and served it with jasmine rice. We had edamame and fresh pineapple also.

the end.

Long Time, No Blog And Other Ramblings of the Week

I seem to have gone on a hiatus from regular blogging. The truth is (don’t tell anyone), I’ve been writing many of my blogs from work. I have actually been pretty busy recently, and haven’t had the time to update you on our wild shenanigans.

Since I do casework for the Americas, I got a lot of inquiries after the Peru earthquake from American Red Cross chapter caseworkers asking how people can reach their relatives who are living in Peru. Just so you all know, we can’t open cases for US citizens abroad, since those cases are handled by the US Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services. I never knew before working here, but you can register your overseas travel with the Dept of State so they can contact you in an emergency. You give authorization to who can or can’t receive information about your whereabouts when you travel. Good to know.

I had a fabulous weekend – Lane and I went out to dinner on Friday. We rarely ever go out to dinner. Why go out and spend lots of money when you can make a delicious dinner at home? For example, on Monday night we had grilled T-bone steaks, and mashed potatoes with sautéed Portobello mushrooms and onions in a red wine sauce and a salad with fresh berries and Lane’s citrus berry salad dressing. Mmmm. But Friday we were tired, had no groceries and STARVING. We feasted on spicy thai curries and just laughed and caught up on our weeks and the craziness they had been. We couldn’t leave, of course without mango and sticky rice for dessert.

Lane, unfortunately, had to work on Saturday afternoon. Katie and I, on the other hand, lounged around at the pool, and just chit-chatted away until we realized we were starving so we cooked some pasta. (why does everything revolve around food for me?)

We went to a party on Saturday night for this guy I work with. He lives in this neighborhood in DC that’s a little shady. We felt like were in a totally different city on the half a block trip to his house from the metro stop. It’s always interesting to hang out with people from work. This guy’s house was awesome on the inside. He has all sorts of things from all over the world in every room of his house. One room had an entire wall full of African masks. It inspired me to travel more and pick up more stuff for the house when I go. Although, it sounds like I have a lot of catching up to do - he spent 11 years working abroad.

I have a nice girl-time after work evening planned with my dear Katie tomorrow after work.

And in other news, we have gone from deathly humid nasty 100 degree heat to mid 60s you-need-a-jacket weather in a matter of days. Can’t there be a happy medium????

And there you have it, faithful reader(s), a week’s worth of ramblings. Time to get back to work.

Viva Los Gipsy Kings

We had a blast last night at the Gipsy Kings concert with our friends Bill and Julie. I never realized there were TEN Gipsy Kings - That's a whole lot of guitarists.

Wolftrap is an outdoor concert venue and lawn seats are the way to go. We were a little suprised though, when the doors opened and people went **running** to fetch their spot on the lawn. We ended up with a perfect view and immediately set up our feast. That's the great thing about Wolftrap, you can picnic and bring whatever you like. So we dined on bread and cheese and hummus and tapenade and olives and mushrooms and stuffed grape leaves and goat cheese and fig spread and well, you get the picture. We brought a bottle of my dad's wine to share and just relaxed, that is, until it was time to start dancing. The Gipsy Kings played most of our favorite songs and of course, they talked to the audience en español.

The only disappointment of the evening was the short encore. It was only ONE song. Come on now, Gipsy Kings.

We can't wait to go back to Wolftrap for more concerts.
When Bill & Julie went to Hong Kong they noticed *everyone* did the peace sign in all their photos - even in all Bill's cousin's wedding photos. Here they are with their Hong Kong photo poses:Okay, so we got a little goofy toward the end of the night.

Landlord Woes

Lane and I have been renting our townhome in California for two years now. Until today, I didn't know the names of our tenants. We've been working through a property management company and apparently, the lady doesn't do much.

When I asked the window company to work with our property manager to schedule an installation time, they said they just have been told to call directly. I offered to do so and during the course of my conversation with her (she's a very nice lady), I found out these delightful things -
1. They got a dog. A german shepard. They told the property manager, but have we heard anything about it??? No.
2. They are painting a room pink. They were going to ask, but didn't. (really we don't care, but still!)
3. Brand new windows that were installed almost a year ago are leaking. She's reported it to the property management company, but we haven't heard anything about this either. She thought that since nothing happened, the owners just weren't interested in fixing it.

So, not only is our sucky property manager not doing her job, the tenant said she's really rude and talks down to her. Basically this lady is taking a chunk out of the rent and sending us the remainder and that's it. It's so frustrating. I think it's time we tell her peace out. But I'm a little nervous about being a landlord from 3,000 miles away. grr.

Cooking Runs in the Family

If you don't already know, cooking is huge in my family. My brothers and sisters will call me just to tell me all about a new recipe they've conjured up. When we get together with our aunts, uncles, and cousins, there is constant cooking (and eating). Every Friday when we were kids, we'd help my mom make pizza - the dough, the sauce and then we'd pick our own toppings for our individual pizzas. I was so proud to see my little nephew getting an early start. Here he is, Chef Andrew:

Here he is with his mommy.Andrew REALLY got excited about making that pizza dough.

Sweltering Wednesday

So, if you ever plan on visiting us I don't recommend the month of August. Why, you may wonder - it's a nice summer month, perfect time to enjoy the wonders of DC. Well, I'm here to tell you why. It's 9 pm and 92 degrees outside. But wait, with the heat index it actually feels like 98. It was more than 80 degrees when I walked to work at 8 am today. And to make matters worse, the instant you step outside it feels like you are standing right in front of the dryer vent, you know that one that shoots out hot sticky air?

Don't get me wrong, I love this place. But now I know why most people vacation in August. Thank goodness for air conditioning and a lovely pool at our apartment complex.

Living to Tell the Tale

I just started reading this memoir by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and yet again I am fascinated by his writing. First, I was excited to learn that the couple in his wonderful novel Love in the Time of Cholera is based on his parents. It’s interesting to see the difference between the fictitious tale and his parents’ actual love story. I am reminded of how fascinated I was reading The House of Spirits – a novel based onIsabel Allende's family and Paula, a memoir written to her daughter while she was in a coma.

The writing in Living to Tell the Tale is so fluid and vividly descriptive – I forget that it’s a memoir and not fiction. Just by the details he includes, whether it’s about a parrot their family had, the banana companies in their village of Aracataca, or his telegraph operating father, I remember pieces of his novels and see how they all come together to mirror his own life and family history.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is an amazing writer. I’m thoroughly enjoying this book, and can’t wait to learn more about his life. I am also looking forward to the next two books, since Living to Tell the Tale is meant to be the first of a series of three memoirs.

So happy to have my weekends back!

Our weekend started out with a cocktail party, given by one of the girls Lane works with at the Pentagon. We hung out with his co-workers, sipped on delightfully refreshing white wine spritzers (Lane had beer, like a man) and nibbled on tasty appetizers. On the way home, in the wee hours of the night, -we’re talking 12:30, people – I happily welcomed phone call from my brother with a report from the Erasure concert he attended in NYC that evening. I proceeded to have a conversation with his new lady, Alex. Yes, at 12:30 in the morning we were discussing Gabriel García Márquez books and Toni Morrison. I’m excited for the two of them to make a trip down to DC soon.

We lounged around at the pool on Saturday, took a dip in the water and just relaxed in the stiflingly hot afternoon. Katie called me out of the blue with an invite to a party her boyfriend’s friend was hosting. Nothing amazes me more than a rowdy group of secret service agents playing round after round (after round after round) of flip cup and beer pong – it’s like a 30 year old frat party. We observed from the sidelines, participated in the eating galore, and were feasted upon by some serious mosquitoes. I got the nastiest, hugest, itchiest welts of bug bites that I’ve seen in a long while. Good times (except for the all you can eat Elena mosquito buffet).

I think Sunday was the best though. Some friends Lane met through his Pentagon work invited us to go kayaking with them. We went to this place called Fletcher’s Cove and kayaked on the Potomac. Lane and I were the perfect match for a double kayak. One of us was a super duper kayak navigator, having had 50 mile kayak trips under his (or her) belt, and the other was a complete sissy. You decide who was who. It was so peaceful and relaxing, while at the same time a nice workout. The water was still, we observed all sorts of different birds, the trees were beautiful, we explored the little islands and rock formations along the way, and also charged our friends, intentionally bumping into their kayaks and splashing them. Awesome outdoor activity!

Being from California where the Pacific Ocean and Lake Tahoe are ice cold, we were shocked that the water in the Potomac was so warm. It was seriously in the high 80’s, and (sorry, Dad) much warmer than my parents’ swimming pool. So, Lane jumped out of the kayak and went for a swim. He also tested out a rope swing we discovered along the way, and walked on the water like Jesus.

Having worked up an appetite, we all were happy to dine on hamburgers and hotdogs at the park before leaving to clean up and take naps. Talked to our cutie nieces in CA, watched a movie and read some before heading off to bed to start a new week.

I have a new found appreciation for weekend activities and relaxation after having missed the previous two weekends due to my Panama traveling. Loved spending time with friends and the hubby. I was so busy engaging in leisure activities that I didn’t have time for silly things like laundry, cleaning, and grocery shopping.

More kayaking pics can be viewed on Our Pics link.


Here's the Washington Monument in the background.

Panama, Anniversary and Mina's Big Arrival

Last week I spent long days in arctic cold conference rooms of Panama city. It was a great opportunity to meet tracing caseworkers from other countries, talk about our cases, and exchange information. I knew I was doing well with my Spanish when people asked if I lived in Panama, or showed considerable shock when I told them I was from los Estados Unidos. Panama City was very strange - it was much more urban and Americanized than I expected. I did not expect to see Blockbuster Video, Dunkin Donuts or McDonalds, let alone Popeye's, Bennigans, or KFC. It was truly hard to find Panamanian food or culture in the city. So glad we spent an extra day there. Saturday we went to the Panama Canal, and also to Casco Viejo, the old city, where we found no chain restaurants, saw native people, and had the opportunity to buy some artisan goods.

Other things that happened in the last week:
My 7 year wedding anniversary with Lane. It really was sad to be away from him that day, but we were sure to spend a nice evening together before I left. I'm so lucky to have him in my life. We've been married for 7 years, together for 10, and have known each other for 17. wow.

While I was disappointed my new niece was a no-show for my birthday, I forgave her for arriving in time for my wedding anniversary. Mina was born to Tim and Kryzti at 9:29 am. She is so precious. I can't wait to meet her.

Harry Potter arrived just in time for me to take my book with me to Panama. I spent every free moment (on the plane, in the evenings, in the mornings, etc) voraciously reading. I finished on Friday. Afterwards, I was a little sad with the fact that it was truly over, but pleased with the book and how it ended.

By the end of the week I was so anxious to be back home, to be with Lane, and excited to be there early in the evening. My flight was supposed to arrive at 4:59 p.m. I didn't get to DC until after 10. ugh.