How I Spent The Twenty-Fourth Week Of The Rest Of My Life

While New York City was expensive, it might prove to be invaluable.  As I was hanging out with my buddy Dan the day before I left, I mentioned that I said that I had Pagemaker experience on my resume.  He pointed out to me politely that Pagemaker no longer exists.  I realized that having this on my resume probably made me look really behind the times.  So I deleted it then and there.  I wonder how many employers have looked at that and shaken their heads before throwing out my applications.

Other than that, New York City was all fun and no work leads.  I didn't even apply for anything in the time I was there (which was probably a bad thing as my bookmarks on idealist.org probably went bad in the meantime.  I never did apply for that job where I needed the references right away.  Though I do know who I'm going to hit up soon to be my references.

About the only other interesting development on the job or expense front in about the last week was that I finally got my security deposit back this morning from my apartment in Chicago.  My landlady deducted $150.00 for cleaning and maintenance expenses, but it will still help.  I kind of messed up my unemployment certification this week, so that won't come in until Monday.  Oops.  But the money rolls out no matter how the money rolls in.

Here's how I "spent" last week:

TUESDAY, JUNE 14 ($27.52)

• 11:56 a.m. Ted's Bulletin - $16.00.  Since I was reading The Great Gatsby in anticipation of going to New York City, I decided to go to my favorite 1920s themed restaurant. I got their veggie burger with an egg and cole slaw on top (apparently this was big back then).  It was incredible!
• 12:55 p.m. United States Navy Memorial - Free.  I was running early for the panel I was going to at the Archives, so I decided to sit near the fountains at the Memorial across the street.  It made me want to work at the Archives and take my lunch there every day.
• 1:21 p.m. National Archives and Records Administration - Free.  Seeing a panel with the magnitude of guests (including former Speaker of the House Hastert) discussing their post-9/11 actions for free was kind of amazing.  And they were all pretty impressive.  I don't think I'll ever be a local until former members of Congress no longer make me starstruck.
• 4:51 p.m. Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe - $6.00.  This will probably go down as the worst date that I ever had.  How a girl can talk about work for over an hour and then leave to go back to work is beyond me. I didn't even stay to get dinner.
• 6:51 p.m. Union Station - $5.52.  I needed burritos to get over the shock of how badly things went.  It set off my schedule, but it was worth it.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15 ($42.03)

• 11:07 a.m. Potomac Mills Mall - $1.50.  Despite how long it had taken me to get home the previous night, I made my way back up to the city.  Though since I got a later start, I had to wait a long time for the bus.
• 12:55 p.m. Gadsby's Tavern - $21.00.  Another tribute to The Great Gatsby was eating here - even if this place has more to do with the 1820s than the 1920s.  It was good food, regardess, even if there was only one item on the menu I could eat.  There were not many vegetarians in the 1790s I guess.
• 2:07 p.m. Walgreens - $1.53.  Someone, maybe me, forgot to bring a water bottle to Alexandria and it was starting to get hot.
• 2:35 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  I did not know that there was a bad part of Alexandria until I walked through it to get to this Starbucks.  But the Starbucks itself was kind of nice.  It's off the Braddock Road Blue and Yellow Line Stop and had more power outlets so I think I'll be here more often.
• 4:38 p.m. Cuba Libre - $3.00.  My first D.C. Yelp event and I got absolutely trashed on the drinks.  It only took three of them.  It was rum and sake mixed.  Quite an impressive combination.  It was good to meet some of the people that I had seen online.
• 9:01 p.m. Buffalo Wild Wings - $11.00.  I didn't remember that there was no Cross County Connector after a certain time, so I got stranded.  Luckily, I was able to watch the Bruins score a couple goals to ensure their Stanley Cup title here while I waited for the Woodbridge A bus.  And I was starving hungry and got nachos.

THURSDAY, JUNE 16 ($37.85)

• 9:45 a.m. FedEx Office - $4.98.  In my drunken stupor of the past two nights, I did not print out my tickets for the bus as the Groupon specified.  Luckily, the FedEx was on the way.  I also bought pens because those were lacking from my backpack.
• 10:20 a.m. MVP Buses - $20.00.  Even with printing out the tickets, a round trip to New York City was dirt cheap.  The bus wasn't the most luxurious one in the world, but there were no real problems with it.
• 2:02 p.m. Clara Barton Service Area - $7.87.  It was too early to eat lunch when we left from Washington D.C. but by the time we got to New Jersey I was hungry.  But there was nothing for me to eat here.  I ended up getting Cheez-Its and an apple pie for lunch.
• 4:27 p.m. New York Penn Station - Free.  While it was good to see that it took an expert six hours to get to New York just like it took when I drove, I was hoping to get there a little earlier.
• 5:52 p.m. Central Park - Sheep's Meadow - Free.  My backpack felt like it weighed a ton, so I was looking for somewhere free where I wouldn't have to check it.  I wanted to check out Strawberry Fields, but got off the train at the wrong stop.  I ended up just watching yuppies play frisbee here.
• 7:51 p.m. Caffe Via Espresso - $5.00.  Since I couldn't figure out what else to do, I decided to use one of my two New York City Groupons.  It turned out this was a coffee shop even though the Groupon said "diner fare."  It was really good food though.

FRIDAY, JUNE 17 ($41.00)

• 12:29 p.m. Carnegie Deli - $16.00.  The last time I was in New York City, I went the entire time without eating at a deli.  It felt like a sin.  So I decided to get it out of the way early this time.  I was very impressed with their organization and the line was short.  I was not impressed with their egg salad, however, sadly.
• 2:10 p.m. Battery Park - Free.  After my big meal, I figured that I'd walk it off downtown.  By the time I got down there, however, I had decided just to spend time indoors.  Especially when it started to rain as I was figuring out my plans in this park.
• 2:29 p.m. National Museum Of The American Indian - Free.  Even though the main branch is in Washington D.C., I decided to check out its artsier cousin in New York City.  It was pretty cool.  Though it's smaller than the outside of the building would suggest.
• 3:44 p.m. Federal Hall National Memorial - Free.  Each time I'm in New York City, where I'm at in my life seems to guide me to what I see.  This is pretty much a shrine to George Washington straight out of Washington D.C.  So, of course, it felt like home.
• 5:08 p.m. MoMa - Museum of Modern Art - Free.  This is another of the museums that I had never seen in New York City that blew people's minds.  It's just so expensive!  But going on the free night was worth it.  I was amazed at how many of the pieces of art that I knew.
• 6:58 p.m. Starbucks - $5.00.  Since this is the closest Starbucks to MoMA, I wondered to myself how many bad pieces of art had been inspired to be written here.  There were so many tourists (myself included, of course) here that I had to wait for a power cord.
• 8:02 p.m. Connolly's Pub - 54th Street - $20.00.  I was wearing a Black 47 shirt.  They play sessions at the Connolly's in Times Square.  I didn't realize it was sort of a chain so I went to this one when I saw it.  The fish and chips that I got were so subpar that the only reason I will ever go to a Connolly's again is to see Black 47.

SATURDAY, JUNE 18 ($60.00)

• 11:06 a.m. Brooklyn Flea - $6.00.  While I'm not huge on vintage things, I had heard such great things about this market that I had to check it out.  There were some amazing things, like a full set of vintage bowling pins.  I know when I get my own place I'll have to come back and furnish my apartment with stuff from here.
• 11:51 a.m. Tillie's of Brookyln - Free.  I got food at the Flea so I just sat in the wonderful air conditioning for a while.  I should have used the opportunity to get a bagel.
• 4:08 p.m. Coney Island Boardwalk - Free.  We left for the Mermaid Parade after it had already started, but it was still kind of cool.  The parade itself was kind of meh, but seeing how much Coney Island had been rebuilt was pretty amazing.
• 5:06 p.m. M&M Gyro - $3.00.  I left New York City without a knish last time and this time I was going to remedy that.  It wasn't the world's best knish, but there was something special about getting one in Coney Island.
• 6:10 p.m. Lobo Park Slope - $21.00.  On the way home, the locals in the car were trying to figure out where to drink in Brooklyn.  As we passed this place, they all agreed that while everyone made fun of it, they kind of liked this place.  So we got Mexican food.  It wasn't great, but it was definitely nothing to make fun of.
• 7:30 p.m. High Dive - Free.  It's amazing how many free drinks you get when you visit a place.  I owed my host a free drink but everyone else was too busy buying.
• 10:57 p.m. The Green-Wood Cemetery - $30.00.  I had planned on going into Manhattan, but my Brooklyn people convinced me to spend the entire day in the borough.  It was expensive to see a play in a graveyard, but something felt very Brooklyn about it.

SUNDAY, JUNE 19 ($59.00)

• 1:43 p.m. Citi Field - $41.00.  New York Mets fans pay a lot of money for really bad baseball.  As I watched them lose 7-0, I pretty much planned the rest of my day.  I did love the stadium though.  And I got a little baseball helmet ice cream.
• 3:51 p.m. Mets Hall Of Fame & Museum - Free.  With how bad the current Mets are, I was desperate to see them in their glory days.  And there was plenty of that at the museum.  I loved all of the players that I recognized from when I was a kid.
• 4:18 p.m. Flushing Meadows Corona Park - Free.  I'm glad that I went to the Mets game by myself.  It meant I got to wander around the bones of the World's Far.  It was something that I hadn't gotten to do before that I remembered.
• 5:48 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  It was funny how many hot women just wandered through this Starbucks to use the restroom.  I needed to do that too, but I also got iced tea lemonade while trying to figure out which Greek diner to go to.
• 6:52 p.m. Mike's Diner - $14.00.  After racking my mind, I ended up going to a Greek diner basically under the train tracks.  I finally got my Greek omelette.  It wasn't great, but it felt like heaven.  I also ate chicken pieces in a really good egg lemon soup.  I didn't even care.  It was that good.
• 8:42 p.m. Socrates Sculpture Park - Free.  Amazingly, I managed to spend the entire day in Queens.  The views of Manhattan from this park were great.  Though walking to the train was kind of scary.

MONDAY, JUNE 20 ($72.97)

• 11:28 a.m. St. Paul's Chapel - $1.00.  Having spent time outside of Manhattan the past two days, I decided this day would be completely spent across the East River. Being in lower Manhattan is less depressing than it used to be, but St. Paul's is still a very sad place.
• 11:57 a.m. 9/11 Memorial Preview Site - Free.  I barely got inside and looked around before they closed it down with an event for the Mayor of New York.  It seems like a nice museum that will be transferred over soon.
• 12:19 p.m. Alan's Falafel WTC 2 - $3.00.  The knish that I had got in Brooklyn just wasn't the same as buying on from a street vendor and eating it on a bench.  There were workers from the World Financial Center, but mostly it was construction workers.
• 12:51 p.m. Irish Hunger Memorial - Free.  I hadn't planned on going here, but somehow I ended up on this quiet patch of grass on Vesey Street like I do so much.
• 1:34 p.m. Trinity Church Cemetery - Free.  Even though it makes me feel a little gothy, all of the cemeteries that I visited in New York City were historic.  Although I never did find Alexander Hamilton's grave in this one.
• 2:55 p.m. South Street Seaport - $11.54.  Since I usually stay in Brooklyn, I have the hardest time catching up with my friend Dan from Manhattan.  We met up and walked over here though where I got real sushi.  Well as real as you can get in a food court and a smoothie.
• 4:04 p.m. LES Visitors Center - Free.  While I found it odd that the person working there lived in Williamsburg, I found it odder that the Lower East Side now has a visitor's center.  It really has made it.
• 4:14 p.m. Tiengarden - $8.43.  Walking uptown gave me a hunger to try some soup.  It was more that my friend Dan talks about all of these amazing vegetarian places in NYC and I wanted to eat at one since he was anyway.
• 6:05 p.m. Motor City Bar - $12.00.  It has been on my list to go back here ever since the last time I went.  I didn't even know that they were open this early, but their happy hour special is 2-for-1 beers.  That was pretty amazing.  Though the fact that the bartender had never been to Detroit was kind of disappointing.
• 8:45 p.m. Kate's Joint - $15.00.  Had I known we were going to eat at a vegetarian place for dinner, I wouldn't have bought the soup.  The not chicken cutlet here was really good.  I was really hungry from being drunk.  I could have eaten two of them.
• 11:06 p.m. Empire State Building - $22.00.  I had been meaning to get to the top of the Empire State my entire trip, so I was glad that the line wasn't that crazy.  The views were beautiful, but I realized that I had lost my hoodie when it was so cold.  I guess leaving it there means I want to go back to New York.

So that's $340.38. The next time that I go to New York City, I definitely hope to spend a little less by not going to a baseball game or the top of any large buildings.  And I'll plan my museum free days a bit better.  This week I pretty much haven't left the condo in order to recover.  My total money spent since I've been unemployed is $5018.91.

How I Spent The Twenty-Third Week Of The Rest Of My Life

Even though I should be out and about and enjoying my final day in New York City, if I don't write this now, I'll be two weeks behind for the first time.  What a busy week it was in Washington D.C. even before I got to New York City on Thursday though.

I have begun to move away from trying to find government jobs.  It feels like they're looking for people with Master's degrees.  So I actually began looking into that.  Just a cursory check.  I'd want to do the degree online as much as possible and I'm not really sure that I want to make that commitment to a subject yet since I'm not sure what subject I want to study.  So I'm thinking of doing a certificate program.  Johns Hopkins offers one in Health Policy.  Which is perfect because that's what Health and Human Services is looking for.  At least if their descriptions are to be believed.  And either way, it would get me some background in policy study.

Speaking of which, that other big event I foreshadowed last week.  It went horribly.  The girl who I met up with last Thursday did nothing the whole time except for talk about work.  I felt like I knew nothing more about her after an hour (at which point she said she needed to go back to work) than I did before we met.

The irony is that there was a thread on Yelp DC about an article by a woman who moved to San Francisco because D.C. is an "intellectual meat market" and people only wanted to talk about work.  I should have known, however, because it was all she talked about while we were e-mailing each other.

Well, so I'm not a hypocrite, I might as well stop talking about work.

Here's how I "spent" last week:

TUESDAY, JUNE 7 ($22.05)

• 1:49 p.m. Noodles & Company - $6.85.  It's kind of sad that my entire life now revolves around a strip mall in Manassas.  Whenever I need to go shopping, it's there.  And whenever I need good chain food, it's also there.  This Noodles is down the mall from the Qdoba.  I couldn't resist.
• 2:11 p.m. Aldi - $15.20.  Even though I knew that I would be leaving some of it in the refrigerator possibly, I needed to replenish my empty food supply.  Since the weather was scheduled to get hot, I needed to do this before it did.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8 (Free)

THURSDAY, JUNE 9 (Free)

• 5:03 p.m. County Center Owner's Association Clubhouse - Free.  The hot weather made me glad to stay inside in the air conditioning on Wednesday, but by Thursday, I was starting to develop cabin fever.  The gym was the only thing close enough to walk to in the heat though.

FRIDAY, JUNE 10 ($32.85)

• 12:07 p.m. Delhi Club - $12.85.  I wanted to explore Arlington.  Someone had e-mailed me "Arlington: The Rap" and I wanted to see if it was really that horrible.  It was pretty bland.  I was about to give up on eating there until I came across this Indian buffet across from the Metro stop.  Ironically, everything there was spicy!
• 2:32 p.m. U.S. Capitol - Free.  It was just too hot to wander around Arlington anymore so I took the Orange Line to the air conditioned Capitol.  The tour was pretty short, but it was educational.
• 3:43 p.m. Capitol Visitor's Center - Free.  After the tour was over, I explored the new visitor's center.  While it seemed a bit like a marketing campaign for Congress, there were some amazing artifacts.  I definitely want to go back.
• 4:21 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  The Starbucks in Capitol Hill has fewer power outlets than most of the ones I had been to.  This surprised me since nearly everyone was on laptops.
• 6:04 p.m. U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial - Free.  I decided to take a scenic transfer between the Orange Line and the Blue Line (rather than just wait for a train at Rosslyn) so I could pass this amazing sculpture.  It's overwhelming in person.  I can see why people want to jog by it.
• 8:05 p.m. City Square Cafe - $16.00.  The Friday before, I had marvelled at the size of the crowd enjoying patios in Manassas' Old Town.  I decide to join them this Friday.  I was not prepared for the price point at this adorable cafe.  I ended up just getting a really good crab cake fritter and a local ale.

SATURDAY, JUNE 11 ($42.08)

• 1:24 p.m. Walgreens - $4.19.  With the heat, my rosacea was going nuts.  I decided that I needed to get scrub before I started to break out even worse than I already was.
• 1:39 p.m. Subway - $5.35.  Since I needed a haircut in the area, I just decided to go to my local Subway.  I'm getting kind of addicted again.
• 1:54 p.m. Great Clips - $17.00.  The stylist I got for my second haircut was much better than the first.  Though for some reason my haircut still didn't look as close as I was used to.  Maybe it's just my hair reacting to D.C.
• 2:22 p.m. 7-11 - $1.54.  The temperature was still nothing to get excited about and I needed refreshment to walk the half a mile home.  A Slurpee was called for!
• 6:34 p.m. G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium - $14.00.  Minor League Baseball just doesn't do it for me I've discovered.  I sat in the stands and was more interested in the conversations around me than I was in the game itself.  But it was nice and cheap.

SUNDAY, JUNE 12 (Free)

MONDAY, JUNE 13 ($27.78)

• 9:54 a.m. Highlands Cafe - $10.00.  I couldn't believe that it had been a month since I first went here and used my first Washington D.C. Groupon.  I went to finally try their famous french toast.  It was good, but I expected more.  I still love the atmosphere though.
• 12:20 p.m. Arlington National Cemetery - $6.50.  Since the weather had finally broken and it was a beautiful day, I did my long awaited walk through Arlington.  I decided to rent the audio tour to really get the full experience.  But I still missed a lot of famous graves so I have to go back.
• 6:21 p.m. Taco Bell - $6.28.  I got back to Manassas at a dead time for buses.  So I decided that I would walk to the Taco Bell on Centreville Road.  If I needed to wait for the bus, I was going to wait for it full.
• 6:46 p.m. Starbucks - $5.00.  Of course I ended up at the Starbucks since I hadn't in the city.  I was grumpy and I needed my iced tea!

So that's $124.76.  It's amazing how much I spent last week when I actually left the condo.  But the fact that I went into D.C. each day before I went to New York City this week means that I'm going to be scared to do the math when I get home from the bigger city tomorrow.  I'll just look at that number and be happy for now.  My total money spent since I've been unemployed is $4678.53.

How I Spent The Twenty-Second Week Of The Rest Of My Life

This entry should be subtitled: Won't You Be My Reference?


See, today on Idealist.org, I came across my dream job.  Social Media and Communications Assistant for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace!

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the world’s premier global think tank, is seeking an energetic Social Media professional to join its communications team in Washington, DC. Excellent entry level opportunity. Primary responsibilities will include executing Carnegie’s day-to-day social media strategy through the use of the website, Twitter, Facebook, and other forms of engagement. Responsibilities will also include updating Carnegie’s media and general contact databases; sending electronic distributions; and monitoring internal events and external news hooks to aid in short- and long-term strategic planning. Position will assist on a weekly basis with event planning and logistics and support the wider communications team in their outreach efforts.


There is only one small snag.  I haven't had to actually hit up references in about 10 years.  There are plenty of people who can vouch for my skills when it comes to chapter relations (I just got a really nice unsolicited endorsement on LinkedIn today from an instructor/Chapter President I used to work with).  The problem is that they don't know my skills on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites.  And Carnegie is looking for three of those.  The job's open to the 20th, so time isn't super of the essence, but if anyone reading this is a former co-worker, and would provide people with the knowledge of both my work and social media skills, it would be great.


I have a couple of people in mind. ;)


Anyhow, besides that, I've just been applying for jobs for the last couple of weeks.  And I've been playing about on OK Cupid.  Ironically, I'm meeting someone for coffee on Tuesday.  So I have a sort of date before I even have a job interview.  What kind of bizarro world is this Washington D.C. place?


She's actually a policy analyst for the federal government.  So even if we turn out to hate each other, I get to figure out exactly what skills are needed for the job I eventually hope to get.  She's got a master's in Public Policy from Georgetown, so I'm guessing something like that.


But I mean, that's in the future.  I still need these references for the job I want right now. :)


Here's how I "spent" last week:


TUESDAY, MAY 31 ($18.00)

• 11:44 a.m. Bilbo Baggins - $14.00.  Okay, I am a huge geek since this is the first place that I went on my day in Alexandria.  More geeky still is this was my third time here.  There are a lot of not-for-profits in Alexandria.  If I get a job at one of them, I'll probably be here all the time!
• 1:23 p.m. Waterfront Park - Free.  Sitting on the Potomac in Alexandria made me want to get a job there even more.  Though most of the jobs are at the top of King Street and this park is at the bottom.
• 2:36 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  The Starbucks in Old Town Alexandria looks historic.  They haven't really done anything to the exterior to ruin it.  But they also haven't retrofitted many power outlets.  Recharge fail.
• 3:59 p.m. Alexandria National Cemetery - Free.  I had planned on going to Arlington had I woken up early enough to beat the heat.  Since I didn't, I went to the smaller, but no less poignant, one in Alexandria.  People had a least put flags out.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1 ($2.10)

• 11:22 a.m. County Center Owner's Association Clubhouse - Free.  It was another scorcher.  I didn't make it to the gym early enough in the day for it not to be 90.  I think I burned as many calories on the way there as I did on the treadmill.
• 9:15 p.m. 7-Eleven - $2.10.  When I read that they were giving away free movie tickets to every 88th check-in, I could no longer contain my craving for a Slurpee.  I didn't win.  Except for the yummy Slurpee.

THURSDAY, JUNE 2 ($15.63)

• 12:02 p.m. Lincoln Memorial - Free.  I actually got to town too early to eat lunch in Capitol Hill, so I trecked back on the Blue Line underground to The Mall.  I had forgotten how huge the statue of Lincoln was.  It's almost intimidating.
• 12:34 p.m. Vietnam Veteran's Memorial - Free.  Some kid was very excited to get a picture of one of the servicemen on the servicemen's statue's butt.  I have never supported child abuse, but I wanted to see it at that moment.
• 1:35 p.m. Ted's Bulletin - $14.00.  This is probably destined to become my favorite restaurant.  Their mission is to make grownup versions of kid's foods.  I got a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup.  And I was in love.
• 5:42 p.m. CVS Pharmacy - $1.63.  Getting home from the city took over three hours!  I needed to stop here just to get a water bottle for the last part of the journey.

FRIDAY, JUNE 3 ($18.34)

• 1:23 p.m. Truckeroo - $11.00.  When I saw that there was an event that promised 20-25 of Washington D.C.'s food trucks, I couldn't avoid going.  I ended up going to CapMac because I missed The Southern's mac and cheese in Chicago.  It was pretty tasty, but not quite as good.
• 3:11 p.m. Thomas Jefferson Memorial - Free.  One thing I thought which proved to be very wrong was that L'Enfant Plaza was closer to this monument than Smithsonian.  This is very untrue.  Though no Metro stop is close.  At least it was a scenic walk.
• 5:26 p.m. Union Station - $5.25.  After what I went through the day before with buses, I didn't even care that it would cost more to take the train.  And with the train, there was Taco Bell.
• 8:01 p.m. Walgreens - $2.09.  My feet hurt!  Had I not been completely out of soap, there would be no way that I would have ran this errand.

SATURDAY, JUNE 4 (Free)

SUNDAY, JUNE 5 ($13.00)

• 6:39 p.m. County Center Owner's Association Clubhouse - Free.  After not leaving my host's condo the entirety of Saturday to rest my feet, I figured a trip to the gym was in order to get back on them.
• 8:58 p.m. IHOP - $13.00.  Even though I had food left in the refrigerator, I really wanted a feta cheese omelette.  When they didn't have this, I got their new cinnamon pancakes covered in whipped cream.  I deserved it!

MONDAY, JUNE 6 ($14.36)

• 9:34 a.m. Potomac Mills Mall - $1.50.  The water that I bought here at the start of the day and the air conditioning that accompanied it was priceless.
• 11:22 a.m. Greek Deli - $8.86.  Still wanting my feta cheese omelette, I went to one of the few Greek places in Washington D.C.  They stopped serving breakfast just before I got there.  So I got some sort of vegetarian combo.  I didn't recognize any of the dishes.  If that's what Washington D.C. calls Greek, it's not good.
• 1:16 p.m. National Archives and Record Administration - Free.  This was my 1776th check-in on Foursquare as was suggested by a friend of mine.  It was as awesome as I remember it from a few years ago.  Though I don't remember the Declaration of Independence being so faded.
• 3:20 p.m. Smithsonian National Zoo - Free.  I finally made it to the zoo!  This was the last day for a while where the temperature was supposed to be under 88 so I relished it.  I actually wasn't that impressed with this zoo, to be totally honest though.  Still that it's free is pretty darn amazing.
• 4:51 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  The back entrance to the zoo is in Mount Pleasant.  So how could I not end up at the nearby Starbucks in Columbia Heights.  It was actually kind of not crowded since it was so "late" in the day.  It was nice.

So that's $81.43. My most spendthrifty (if you can call it that) in a while.  It always helps that I didn't need to buy anything extra expensive like clothes or plane tickets.  At the end of next week, I'm heading to New York City so that's not going to be cheap.  Stupid Groupons!  Why did they tempt me?  My total money spent since I've been unemployed is $4553.77.

How I Spent The Twenty-First Week Of The Rest Of My Life

As I sit here, I'm trying to figure out when the best time would be to take a typing test.  I have figured out that part of my problem was that while I wrote that I can type 45 words per minute on my resume, a lot of the government agencies that I'm applying to for the more clerical of the jobs I'm applying for (which don't pay what I want but are a pretty good in) keep mentioning a typing certificate.

So I went online to ExpertRating Solutions (http://www.expertrating.com/) and sign up (and paid $9.99) for a typing test.  On the 10-minute practice test, I actually scored 48 WPM.  50 WPM with a 96% accuracy rate which brought it down.  But since I did it after a long day of walking around the city, I figured my brain was a little tired so I could bring both scores up.  So now I'm thinking I should do it bright and early tomorrow morning.

I think that shows the kind of initiative that maybe these potential government employers might think I'm lacking.  It's not like I intentionally apply to these jobs at the last minute.  It's just that there's so many that they're kind of overwhelming.  So I usually apply for them on the day they're due to narrow them down.  Though I should really apply for them during the day.  At a Starbucks.  Like a normal unemployed person.

Though I am happy to say that I'm back on a somewhat normal employed person schedule.  So that's a start. Of course I'm doing this by spending a lot of money going into the city and being a tourist each day.  I'm just approaching 1776 check-ins on Foursquare so it will be cool if that happens in Washington D.C.

That won't reflect here sine I'm still a week behind though.

Here's how I "spent" last week:

TUESDAY, MAY 24 (Free)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25 ($25.01)

• 11:55 a.m. County Center Owner's Association Clubhouse - Free.  Part of the reason I've been feeling run down, I think, is that I hadn't been going to the gym.  This has been remedied by finally using the condo complex's fitness center.  It's not as nice as a YMCA but it is totally free.
• 2:36 p.m. Walgreens - $5.88.  I ran out of razors again.  So I made the walk back to the local Walgreens since laziness had broken out all over my face in the form of a beard.
• 3:03 p.m. Subway - $5.63.  Since I was already nearby, I thought about giving Amici's a second try.  But they were expensive without their buffet and this was the day before unemployed pay day, I just went to Subway.
• 3:38 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  It was pretty hot and I didn't want to walk all the way back to the bus stop and wait.  So I killed some time at the nearest Starbucks.  This one was surprisingly college student filled.  I didn't know there were so many in Manassas.
• 5:03 p.m. Manassas 4 Movie Theater - $9.50.  The newspaper said that the 5:00 p.m. showing of Bridesmaids was still a matinee. It wasn't.  I almost decided not to go, but paid for it and enjoyed it.  Since I was alone in the movie theater, no one had to know that I saw it, but I'm revealing that fact now.

THURSDAY, MAY 26 ($27.15)

• 12:39 p.m. Amsterdam Falafel Shop - $8.78.  This was my day of trying out D.C. most visited restaurants.  I kind of loved this place's simplicity only selling two items.  Though they have an extensive salad bar to put on top of the falafel.  And it was all good!  Though the neighborhood, Adams Morgan, annoyed me.
• 1:11 p.m. Rabaut Park - Free.  I had to see Mount Pleasant for myself so I walked up 16th Street.  It was getting hot so the majority of my time was spent in this park.  But it does seem like a neighborhood I'd like to live in.
• 1:59 p.m. Starbucks - $4.00.  In a retreat from the heat, I ended up in my favorite Starbucks in D.C. so far, the one in Columbia Heights.  It's really close to Mount Pleasant.
• 3:39 p.m. Lincoln Park - Free.  After exploring the eastern part of the Capitol Hill neighborhood, which seems to be kind of devoid of trees, I ended up back in the one place I knew I'd find shade.  And not spend money like at another Starbucks.
• 5:23 p.m. Georgetown Cupcakes - $7.98.  After all the negative reviews I had been seeing on Yelp, I had to try this place for myself.  It wasn't bad.  The cupcakes are just really small and expensive.  And there was a line out the door.
• 8:10 p.m. Taco Bell - $3.89.  In an odd twist, I stopped at the Taco Bell that was the first place I ever checked in within my new area again when I missed the Crossed Country Connector.  I now know exactly where it is.  I'm learning the area.
• 8:50 p.m. Starbucks - $2.50.  I must be getting suburban, because this was my second Starbucks of the day. This time I just got a water.  And, amazingly, I used it to apply for jobs.

FRIDAY, MAY 27 ($55.16)

• 1:06 p.m. Hour Eyes - Free.  My glasses came in.  And they look better than I remember them looking on the day that I bought them.  I could actually see things in the distance now.  It was pretty spectacular.
• 1:39 p.m. Hot Topic - Free.  It felt like giving up on life a little to shop here for the first time since college, but they had Converse All-Stars on sale.  Unfortunately, not in my size.  But they were really friendly and the next time there's a sale, I'll probably return.  Embarassingly.
• 1:57 p.m. Potomac Mills Mall - $3.77.  I had been craving sushi and Nori in the food court was a bad choice.  But at least it killed my cravings for sushi.
• 2:25 p.m. Dickie's Retail Store #20 - $5.60.  This store was going out of business so they had shorts on sale for $5.00.  I bought a pair.  Unfortunately, when I got home, they didn't fit.  Oh well, at least I didn't waste a lot of money.
• 2:51 p.m. Robert Wayne Footwear - $37.79.  I found my All-Stars for under $40.00 in my size!  I got a pair of plaid low tops.  They had one for $29.99 but they were not in my size.  I still refuse to believe there are no bargain shoe stores in D.C. though.
• 4:50 p.m. Los Toltecos - $8.00.  In all of the facts she had thrown at me, I thought my roommate said this was a good Mexican restaurant.  She said it was a bad one.  D'oh.  But I did find out where they showed soccer.  It's a good thing I didn't walk out on the bill.

SATURDAY, MAY 28 (Free)

SUNDAY, MAY 29 ($17.54)

• 3:04 p.m. Walgreens - $11.91.  Since the buses were not running the next day, I just ran the one errand that was unavoidable.
• 3:34 p.m. Subway - $5.63.  Nothing says a pride in the United States like going to Subway after seeing commercials for them all Memorial Day weekend.

MONDAY, MAY 30 ($79.82)

• 10:51 a.m. County Center Owner's Association Clubhouse - Free.  The fitness center was actually really full on this day.  It's a small fitness center so five people filled it up.  But now I know to go when normal people are working.
• 2:57 p.m. Banana Republic - $56.68.  Yet another store that I hadn't shopped at in a long time.  This one since high school.  But they were having a big Memorial Day sale so I couldn't help it.  I got two pairs of plaid shorts that are pretty amazing.
• 3:34 p.m. Off-Broadway Shoes - Free.  They also had All-Stars, which I didn't know before.  But they were regular priced.  Well over my $35 or so limit.
• 4:12 p.m. Target (Woodbridge) - $7.60.  I did a little of my grocery shopping and went to Starbucks.  That is a lot of Starbucks in one week.  I might be getting addicted.
• 5:10 p.m. Bloom - $15.54.  While it looks like my total at Aldi, I didn't get nearly as much as I would have at Aldi. But eating products with names on them for a first time in a while might be a welcome change.

So that's $204.68.  But I got a lot of clothes that are necessary for surviving in the weather here with that, so I don't feel too bad about it.  I'm saying it will make me less tired at the end of long days of walking.  Or something like that.  My total money spent since I've been unemployed is $4472.34.