Everybody, it’s official. I’m 30. I know a birthday isn’t a usual Tourist Tuesday post, but it’s my blog and I do what I want. Also, I went to some nice places in London and ate some delicious food so it is relevant people.

I started my birthday festivities the Wednesday before with a picnic in Hyde Park. Luckily the weather was glorious! Lots of friends came out and we watched the Science Museum’s softball team play, we ate loads of food, we popped the bubbly, and even did a round of tequila shots. I know that I have young friends because when we suggested opening the tequila everyone was down for it. I feel like my 30-year-old friends would have hemmed and hawed and been unsure about it since it was a work night and all. If it hadn’t been my birthday I totally would have been less game. But then, maybe it’s just that I’m not as cool as maybe I once was. But there was loads of food: sausage rolls, cake, peanut butter cookies shaped like Darth Vader, and chips. It was wonderful. 

Then Sunday was the big day! Ryan sang me happy birthday and we had cake for breakfast (which has always been my tradition). That cake was a classic vanilla cake from a box with store bought chocolate frosting. Ryan and I went and looked at a beautiful fancily designed chocolate cake, but I wanted the box. There’s something about the sweetness and simplicity of yellow cake with chocolate that just feels like a birthday cake to me.

After cake I opened presents. Ryan bought me all the flavors of Candy Kittens that Waitrose had in stock. I loooove Candy Kittens and can devour a whole bag so fast – so I’m trying to pace myself. We did break into the sour watermelon flavor, which I hadn’t eaten before and was of course fantastic. I also got a Lego Star Wars TIE Advanced Prototype that came with three little guys (picture below in a bit) and something for the blog which will be revealed eventually. From my friend Charlotte, the one I went to Duck & Waffle with, I got a book about Abraham Lincoln and food – my two great loves combined in one!

I also got a new DSLR camera from my parents!! It’s the one pictured above. It’s a Canon EOS 100D. The lens on the left came with the kit and the one on the right is a Canon EF 50 f/1.8 lens. Hopefully between all of this new gear I’ll get some great new shots. I’m really excited about the camera because I want to become familiar with manual settings. When I was in high school I had a manual camera for a photography class, but I don’t remember much from it. I also remember that developing the film (yes, film!) was my favorite part. So, I have a lot to learn but I’m so excited about it! I can’t wait to have more control, learn a new hobby, and I hope it will improve the quality of my food photos.

Thus far, I’m intimidated but eager. I like that I have a project ahead of me where there’s so much to learn and I know so little. I set up my little photo studio (a box and some white fabric) and set up my new birthday Legos for a photo shoot. I played around for awhile and took about 100 pictures trying out different settings for aperture (the f number), the shutter speed (the fraction number) and the ISO. I was systematic about it overall, but here on the blog I wanted to share three photos with wildly different settings.

See in the first one how practically everything is blurry except the one spot by the wing? But then in the middle photo it’s mostly clear? Then in the one on the right, it’s clear except the back is blurry. I love that with the same subject and lighting the camera can do so much! I also like that some of it is a matter of taste. Ryan like the middle photo best because it’s the most clear, but I like the photo on the right because I like the background a little blurry. Anyway, I find it all really thrilling and plan on doing more Lego photo shoots.

For birthday lunch, Ryan and I made pretzel dogs (above). If you’re not familiar, it’s a hot dog baked inside a soft pretzel. I’ve been missing going to baseball games, and in large part because of the food. So for a birthday treat we made fries, dogs, and a cheese dipping sauce. It was an epic undertaking and we dirtied all the dishes. I even spilled flour on my foot and when I took my foot away there was a clear footprint. I’ve made soft pretzels before, but this was a new recipe for me, and I found it so frustrating. I think I needed a whole cup of flour in addition to what the recipe called for. I also used tons of methods to finally get the dough to come together. There was also some pouting. Because of that, I don’t feel comfortable sharing the recipe here – but I’ll work on it on my own and share when I have something more straightforward.

Even though the making of it was intense, the end product was delicious. Ryan said, “the best thing we ever made” and we both had big happy smiles on our faces. The cheese sauce was crazy good. Rich and smooth – we smothered it on everything. You can find the recipe here. The whole meal did taste just like being in the ballpark, which is something I love doing with Ryan. It was like being transported back to DC just for a meal, and I really liked that.

As if we hadn’t eaten enough the final birthday celebration was out to dinner at Ping Pong. Ryan and I went out with my friends Sarah, Abbie, and Charlotte and their boyfriends. I feel so lucky to have such wonderful friends to share my birthday with. They also gave me some great presents. Charlotte got me a 30 badge (shown at the top of the post) and it’s something I totally wanted. I love celebrating and showing off my birthday and it was perfect. Sarah gave me a pig card and a candle that smells like the sea (which she and I always sniff when we go to Waitrose). And the three girls are going to take me out for afternoon tea, which I can’t wait for! It’s the kind of thing I hoped would happen when I moved here – and now I’ll get to do it with my girls.

Overall it was a lovely evening and we ate a TON! Ping pong is a dim sum restaurant and you order a bunch of small plates to share. We ordered set menus and ended up with a ton of food. You can see the stacks of dishes above. I loved the circular table because it meant our big group could actually see each other and chat. The food was great and we tried something like nine dishes. The dumplings had fillings like beef, chicken, and vegetables. The wrappings were clear, thick, chewy, green. I had no idea there was so much variety! At the end of the meal it was hard for each of us to pick our favorite dish. Mine might have been the tofu and vegetable – which I wouldn’t have thought much of but turned out to be delicious.

Thirty has started off wonderfully. It was a milestone birthday, and I felt a little nervous about it, but I’m feeling good. It began with lovely generous friends and family, terrific food, and a few new things – all indicators that it will be a good year.

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Get ready friends, because this is a big Tourist Tuesday. A lot has happened since last week, and if you don’t remember you can catch up with Part 1 of Back in the DMV. When last I left you, I had been to my friend Mala’s bridal shower and I had spent the day hanging out with my childhood friends. After that I spent the rest of the week walking around DC, catching up with friends, and going to Mala’s wedding. Let me tell you about it. 

On Tuesday, I went to get my hair cut at Fiddleheads in Dupont. Yes, I flew across the ocean and decided to get my hair cut. I haven’t found a place in London that I really like, and I love Fiddleheads because they specialize in curly hair cuts. I had about 4 inches cut off and the pile of hair on the floor looked like a small dog. It was gross and amazing and I sort of wanted to take a picture of it.

I then went to visit my colleagues at Live It Learn It. It was wonderful to go back, but also a little tough since I was so sad to leave the job in the first place. In case you don’t know, Live It Learn It provides students from DC public schools with opportunities to visit and experience the museums and monuments throughout the city. Live It Learn It goes into the classroom to prepare students for their trip, and then students gets hands-on experience at sites throughout the city. It’s an amazing organization. Since I left, Live It Learn It is now in a beautiful new office, and the surrounding area is mostly the same but there were a couple of new shops in the area too. When I arrived we sat around, had some snacks, and chatted. I caught them up on what I’m doing in London and I got to hear about new programs, classes, and developments at Live It Learn It. The organization is celebrating it’s 10th anniversary next month and I got to hear all about their plans for commemorating the event. As I left, I felt blue about not being around anymore but glad that every thing was going well, and that I still get to help out a bit now and then.

Although most of my DMV vacation was about going to favorite places and seeing friends, I did want to do a little traditional tourist site seeing. I took the metro to the National Mall, and decided to walk the monuments. First, of course is the Washington Monument. Here’s my first, but not last, Abrhama Lincoln reference of the post. See where the color changes in the stone? That’s because during the Civil War, Lincoln stopped construction on the monument, and when they started building again they used stones from a  different quarry. Anyway, it’s not DC without construction, so you can see work being done on the Capitol Dome in the background of the bottom right photo.

After that, I went over to the Lincoln Memorial. I saw some helicopters fly by, which is another nice DC treat (photo at top of the post). I like the Lincoln Memorial in part because it has such lovely views. I could see over into Virginia (top left picture, above) and all the way back to the Washington Monument. It’s tough to see, but I attempted a good picture of the Washington Monument with the spot marking where Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. But, I really love this monument because Abraham Lincoln is my favorite, so I love this monument. After I left Lincoln, I went to peak over at the World War II Memorial, and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial (above photo, bottom left).

Next, I did a little tour of places where I used to work. First I went to the Newseum. One of my favorite things about the Newseum is the botched headlines they print on tiles in the bathroom. But, the real reason I went was to see the exhibit called “President Lincoln is Dead,” which is about the news coverage of Lincoln’s assassination. It’s about to be the 150th anniversary of the assassination and the Newseum is on the site of the National Hotel, which is where John Wilkes Booth was staying at the time – so that’s why they are having this exhibit. The exhibit itself is pretty small, but quite nice. My favorite part was learning how papers stayed up to date. The New York Herald printed seven special editions, some within one hour of each other. Each new addition had a new fact (and sometimes rumor) about the events of the assassination. The most interesting paper though was the one above officially announcing the president’s death. They printed black bars between the columns to show mourning and it reminded me of the black mouring bunting hung on buildings, like Ford’s Theatre.

If you’ve never been the Newseum, I do recommend it. For DC, it’s a pricey at $23 for an adult ticket. But the ticket is good for two days and the museum is amazing. They have a piece of the Berlin Wall and part of the antenna from one of the World Trade Center buildings. They have newspapers that are over 200 years old and photographs that will astound you. It’s a cool place, you should go.

After the Newseum, I then headed over to Ford’s to visit my friends/former colleagues. As you can see I had a warm welcome from my friend Anna. But that was just a quick visit, my real time with my Ford’s girls, Anna, Ashley, and Charlotte, was later in the week when we had brunch. We went to Ashley’s house and had a crepe buffet brunch. We had mimosas, Bloody Mary’s, and sweet and savory crepes. My favorite crepe was a bananas fosters one made by Charlotte. Although, when we went shopping for ingredients, Charlotte and I went to Trader Joe’s and bought cookie butter. It was like nutella, and cookies, and sugar, and perfection all wrapped into one. I did bring home two 48oz jars of peanut butter, but I should’ve also brought home one jar of cookie butter. Missed opportunity.

But, the real reason that I wanted to go to Ashley’s was to visit her new baby son. He was so tiny and adorable and snuggly. It was also nice to see Ashley with him. She is a chill mom and seems totally confident and is just wonderful with him. It was also wonderful to see her dog Tuck, who Ryan and I used to dog sit. He is a really loving dog, and you can see he’s curious about the baby – but it’s also clear that sometimes he wants to be petted instead of the baby. I tried to spread the love and give them both cuddles, but as you can see from the photos I was super excited about the baby.

The main event of the whole week in the DMV was Mala and Sean’s wedding in Baltimore. I was the Matron of Honor so I had to make a speech and do a dance! I was a little nervous because since I live across an ocean I haven’t been around for much of the wedding preparation – but once I arrived I devoted all my time to the bride. I held her train, I calmed her nerves, and I safety pinned her into her clothes. Whatever she needed, I was there.

It was a really beautiful day. She had both a Catholic and Hindu wedding ceremonies. Let me say, Mala looked progressively more gorgeous throughout the day with more sparkly and decorated outfits. It was so wonderful to watch her get ready and help her be beautiful. For the Hindu ceremony, it starts with the Baraat, which was Sean’s procession. He came in on a white horse and the rest of the guest and wedding party were dancing in the streets. It was awesome and slowed traffic as everybody watches us get our groove on. What I loved most, was how happy Sean looked and how much he was enjoying himself. I loved seeing him that excited to marry my best friend.

For me, the best part of the day was being there for Mala. I gave a toast, which I think went well. I told some funny stories about her, although of course I kept the best ones to myself. She said it was a “roller coaster of emotions,” which is pretty much what I wanted. And, as I said before, I had to do a dance. The bridesmaids and some of Mala’s family did a medley of dance routines at the reception in front of all the wedding guests. The other bridesmaids and I had practiced and we were all totally nervous – but once the music came on we jumped in and had a great time. It wasn’t perfect, but it was fun and Mala beamed at us the whole time which was nice. It was great that she appreciated it so much.

I also got to see some of my college friends, Lynn, Kim and Norma. We danced, told old stories, made up new jokes that don’t make any sense, and took some funny pictures. We can’t stay up as late or get down as low as we used to, but being together felt just like old times. The whole wedding a blast. I danced so much I was sore the next morning. I don’t think I could have had more fun.

I was nervous about this trip to the DC area. A year ago, I didn’t want to leave and move to London because I was sad to leave friends, family, and jobs behind. I was nervous about visiting again because I like London and I didn’t want those feelings to come back. If I’m honest, sometimes it was tough to be back. I felt nostalgic and homesick and I wanted more time with my friends. But, what I know is that even though time passes and we’re getting older, softer, and more gray haired – the people and places I love are still there for me. They are still there and when we’re back together it’s a blast. And now, I can always look forward to another amazing trip back to the DMV.

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This statue is called Abraham Lincoln,The Man and is by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The original is in Chicago, and this is one of a few copies. It was brought to London in 1920. It’s gorgeous and larger than life. I’m not sure why it is in London. But, here’s a fun fact. After Lincoln’s death Queen Victoria wrote to Mary Todd to commiserate with her, since she, the Queen, had recently lost her own husband. So there’s a little Lincoln and London connection.

But back to the point, yes, Abraham Lincoln is my old friend. You might not know it, but I used to work at Ford’s Theatre, the place where President Lincoln was assassinated. While working there I fell in love with Abraham Lincoln and Ford’s is what I consider the start of my professional career in the museum field.

What does Abe have to teach us about marketable skills? A lot actually, but specifically I think he can teach us about career flexibility. When I say flexibility, I’m not saying that you should say yes to everything even if it is a bad job and even if it makes you a doormat. Flexibility means having a goal, and ambition, but being ok with taking a winding path to get there. Lincoln grew up on a farm and had little formal education, but he was smart and wanted more than what he started with. He had all kinds of jobs so that he could learn more and do more in the world. He worked on a boat, was a surveyor, ran a store, was a militia soldier, was a lawyer, and a Congressman. And then of course, President. Not just any president, but one who saved the Union, helped bring an end to slavery, and is beloved today.

And there’s a lot to be learned from that. When I graduated from college in 2008 with a BA in English Literature. I thought I would get a job, work there for awhile, and over time gain responsibility and grow in the company. I saw everything in a straight upward trajectory. Going to school follows that model, where one thing comes after the next in nice sequential order. But in the real world, things aren’t always that neat. .

My Ford’s Colleagues – You can see the box in the back right

After graduation I landed a full time job fundraising at a DC think-tank and I volunteered at the Smithsonian. I ended up hated the job and loving the volunteering. In 2010 I left that job and went to graduate school in New York City. During graduate school I had 5 internships, in fundraising, education, and visitor services. Two of those turned into paid part-time jobs (one of which was at Ford’s). I graduated with my Master in Museums Studies in 2012, moved back to DC and was working at Ford’s in Visitor Services. I enjoyed the job. I was working with visitors and talking about history, but I really wanted to be teaching. So, I got another part-time summer job working at a pop-up science exhibit. The building had no AC or plumbing. To go to the bathroom we had to shut down the exhibit and go to Potbelly’s around the corner. The conditions were awful but demonstrating science experiments to kids was really fun and closer to what I wanted to do. That job ended in August and I was still at Ford’s, but then landed a part-time teaching job at the Newseum. Yay! I was finally in museum education. After about a year of working two jobs, I finally got a full-time job at Live it Learn It. Best job ever. Then, eleven months later I was moving to London. Luckily, I got to stay on with Live It Learn It writing curriculum from abroad. And on Monday I’m about to start a new job. Whew. That’s a lot of jobs. I’m exhausted just writing that.

As you can see flexibility, is important. It is a valuable marketable skill because it gives you some breathing room. Flexibility allowed me to change my career path and change how I approached my new one. If you only allow yourself to be one thing, and you have to get there a certain way, you’ll be disappointed.  I was disappointed after graduate school that I had to work two part-time jobs. I had spent all this time and money to gain qualifications and I thought I should have a full-time job in a museum’s education department. It was frustrating. However, working two jobs ended up being a blessing. If I had held out for a full-time job I wouldn’t have been making money or gaining skills. After all, I was working in my chosen field, I had two networks of great colleagues, and I was gaining  experience. Those jobs helped make my resume stronger and more diverse, and therefore more marketable.

Me at the Newseum for an election day event

Flexibility isn’t just about taking positions that might be a little unusual, it also applies to how you approach your work. Flexibility opens you up new projects. In my first job out of college I worked at a big think-tank, and I was a very little fish in the office. I spent a lot of time doing data entry and mailing letters. At one point my team was moving offices and I had the unenviable task of packing up everything. Packing is boring, but by doing a good job, I was able to show that I was organized, that I could take initiative, that I could mobilize my colleagues, and that I could approach a large task with grace and good humor. That crappy project showed my boss I could be counted on and after that, I got more fun projects – I got to do more writing and editing of solicitation letters, I was able to staff high-level donor events, and I became in charge of creating large reports about endowment chair activities. All of that might sound super boring, but it was really exciting to me at the time.

Finally, flexibility helps you expand your network. By saying yes to various opportunities and new projects you will never know who you will meet and what you can learn. The people I’ve met have become friends and mentors. They have connected me to friends in London, helped me get my foot in the door for interviews, edited my cover letters, they have given me ideas for curriculum, they have given me ideas of things to cook for the blog, and they have helped me open my mind to a career path that doesn’t have to be straightforward. I don’t have the career I thought I would, but I do have one I love.

Me while at Live It Learn It

But let’s get back to Lincoln a bit. I think Lincoln is successful, remembered, and loved in part because of his diverse experiences. It made him a man of the people. Having done so much, he could talk to anyone. He loved to tell jokes and stories. By getting out there, working all over, meeting people, and connecting with them, he was able to find some great success. He was able to unite a cabinet composed of his political rivals. He held the Union together (sometimes by questionable means) and he was able to bring an end to slavery. And when he died his funeral train from Washington, DC to Springfield, IL was visited by scores of people. You can’t deny he was effective, admired, and achieved his political goals.This an oversimplification, but it does apply. (If you want to talk more Lincoln details, message me and I’m happy to chat). For me Lincoln is a great model and source of inspiration for thinking about how flexibility can help get me where I want to go.

I’ll finish by sharing my favorite quote.

Whatever you are, be a good one.
– Abraham Lincoln

So for those of you out there looking for jobs, whether a new graduate or not, be flexible about your path, what you do, and how you get there. Whatever you are, whether it is the thing you want to be, or just a stepping stone, be flexible, work hard, and good things will come.

Not my usual Tourist Tuesday, I know. Next week I’ll be back with more sight seeing pictures.

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I love today’s job. I’ve been there for over a year and a half, and I started as an intern. I’ve had such fun, I’ve gotten great learning opportunities, and I’ve made wonderful friends. So I decided to do something nice for my coworkers on my last day and make Abraham Lincoln’s favorite cake. I don’t know how the historical record proves this was his favorite cake, but the gift shop says it was his favorite so I’m rolling with it. They sell this recipe on a really cute kitchen towel. I was eager to try it, but also a bit daunted. There are a lot of steps, a lot of egg whites, and I needed an angel food pan. I did some searching and I found some angel food pans for $25-30. I love kitchen gadgets, but I didn’t want to spend $20+ on something I wouldn’t use that much. I reached out to friends and no one had an angel food pan. I looked on Craig’s List and Freecycle, And then I thought about eBay, and there are some great prices but  nothing would arrive before my last day. Yesterday I went to Giant to look for a disposable pan, and I found a real one for $9.20. Awesome deal, so I bought it.

I know I’m talking a lot about angel food pans, but I was a little intimidated. It’s two pieces because angel food is apparently really light and sticky and so having the bottom pop out makes it easier to remove the cake. I found this great Martha Stewart video about how to use an angel food pan. I thought it was helpful because before watching I didn’t know you’re supposed to let the pan cool while it’s inverted. Crazy, right? Anyway, I don’t even know if this cake is even technically angel food cake. It didn’t rise as much as Martha’s cake and it came out really easily without inverting it. Seriously, it was the cleanest cake removal I’ve ever done. I was so impressed by how clean the lines of the cake are, and you can see a picture in a little bit.

Ryan and I really liked the cake, and I hope my coworkers will too when I bring it to them in a few hours. The cake was moist, with a little crunch from the almonds. And also, the frosting is delicious! It hardens a bit as it sits, but when it’s freshly made and still warm, it is just like marshmallow fluff. It was so good. I kept “accidentally” getting it on spoons and my hands and then I just had to eat it to clean everything up. What a hardship.

Again, I thought this cake was really good but what would take it up a notch would be to drizzle on some strawberry or raspberry sauce.  I think it would really brighten the flavor. The original gift-shop-towel recipe does call for optional fruits but I didn’t use them because I really didn’t know where I’d find candied pineapple and crystallized cherries. Anyway, here’s to you Abraham Lincoln and to my coworkers. This is my adaptation of Lincoln’s cake. Thank you for a wonderful year and a half.

Ingredients:

Cake-

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter

3 cups flour

1 tsbp baking powder

1 cup milk

1 cup almonds finely chopped (you can buy this or just throw a bunch of whole almonds into a food processor)

6 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting – 

2 egg whites

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Cake – 

1. Preheat oven to 350°

2. Grease and flour the angel food pan. First I greased it all up with butter. Then I poured  few tsps of flour into the pan. I shook it all around to coat the pan. I also used a silicon basting brush to get the flour into ever nook and cranny. Once it’s well floured, knock out excess flour into the sink or trash can.

3. Cream together the butter and sugar.

4. Sift flour and baking powder 3 times.

I took this picture because I almost never use my sifter and I was excited

5. Add 1/3 of the flour to the butter mixture. Mix. Add 1/3 of the milk to the mixture. Mix. Repeat until all the flour and milk have been added.

6. Add the almonds.

7. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold them gently into the batter.

8. Add extract and mix.

9. Pour into the pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. The top should be golden brown and if you insert a toothpick it should come out clean.

You can see my oven thermometer in the back left

10. Let it cool in the pan for 30 minutes.

11. Remove from pan and let it cool until you are ready to put on the frosting.

Doesn’t this cake have the smoothest edges?! It’s amazing.

Frosting – 

1. Beat egg whites until very stiff.

2. Combine sugar and water in a pot and bring it to a boil.

3. Boil until it spins a thread 5″ long. That means when you put a spoon in it, and then take it out, there’s a fine thin thread between the spoon and pan. This happens at about 240-245°.

4. Remove from heat, and add 1 tbsp of egg whites. Mix.

5. Slowly pour the sugar-water mixture into the rest of the egg whites.

6. Beat until icing forms peaks.

7. Fold in extract.

8. Ice your cake!

Messy Level: Medium-high.

Expert bakers probably have a more efficient use of materials. But for me, the home cook, I felt like I used a ton of dishes! I was going for ease of cooking, rather than ease of clean up. I used two bowls for the flour so I could sift back and forth three times. I used my KitchenAid Stand Mixer for the majority of the cake batter, but I also used a handheld electric mixer and bowl to beat all the egg whites. And, I needed a pot for the frosting. And of course, there’s all the measuring cups and spoons too. This cake takes a lot of work! But, just imagine how difficult it would have been for Mary Todd 150 years ago!

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