Twenty-eight hours after last night’s overindulgence at a chocolate-themed restaurant and I’m still full. So this is what people mean when they say they feel like they’ll never want to eat again…

In the meantime, I offer you three other beautiful things from this past week. (The chocolate clearly needs to stand on its own in a post over the weekend…)

1. On my way into the Metro this morning, I see a man who reminds me of the head of math department when I was in high school. Mr. Munley was the stereotypical nerd: big glasses, short-sleeve dress shirts, bad comb-over, awful jokes. But he also had a big heart and was kind. He died while I was in college, so the sight of this unknown man (wearing a large hat and backpack and clutching a shepherd-like walking crook as I could totally imagine Mr. Munley doing while travelling) feels bittersweet.

2. Knitting typos make me giggle and I’ve seen several in the last week. I wonder if self-stripping sock yarn has tassles. And uprooting a ewe from an overly shady garden sounds traumatizing for everyone involved. Not only am I a geek and a knitter, but I’m a geeky knitter.

3. Because Rudi rides his bike downtown for the Friday jazz concerts, he, John, and I walk home together afterwards instead of taking the quicker Metro option. The three of us manage to make the four miles or so take about 45 minutes, so there’s plenty of time to chat. Sometimes our conversations revolve around our everyday lives or music or politics. But other times, the talk strays toward those late-night dorm conversations where you try to hammer out the BIG IDEA topics. John tends to take the more middle ground stances — very sensible ideas demonstrating a great deal of pragmatism. I, on the other hand, tend to make the impassioned arguments about how life *ought* to be irrespective of how it actually *is*. And Rudi falls somewhere in between. In the end, though, I’m always left thinking — sometimes for days — about issues that matter, which has to be a good thing.

Three beautiful things on the Thursday of a truncated work-week:

1. It seems so pedestrian to note it, but having Monday off really is a nice thing. Three days is just about enough time to really wind down.

2. This week’s strawberries are close to perfection. They’re big and red and firm and sweet — and taste of summer’s promise.

3. I pass a young woman, perched, talking on her cell phone. She’s dressed in a well-tailored business suit with a crisp Sangria-colored blouse — and bright blue Crocs. A tote bag, presumably filled with uncomfortably smart heels, sits at her side.

Before I head out to see the new Indiana Jones movie at the Uptown, I wanted to post my Three Beautiful Things from the past week:

1. Monday night we went to see the Nationals beat the Phillies. While I was wandering the stadium looking for food (I eventually found where they hid the knish stand), I got the chance to see some of the views Taxation without Representation Park was supposed to offer — and at sunset. If you’re on the fifth floor, you can see the Capitol out over the outfield. And if you’re walking up the ramps in left field, you get a great shot of the Washington Monument — in this case, against a gorgeously deep pink sky.

2. It’s been chilly here this week, which means more time wearing the winter clothes I haven’t yet put away. On Tuesday, I wore my Every Day Cardigan — possibly for the last time this spring. I ate lunch with a bunch of coworkers I don’t see too often and one of them, knowing I was a knitter, asked, “Do you know the person who knit your sweater?” “Why, yes, I do!”

3. On Sunday, we attended a memorial service for Mike Shor, an older member of D.C. for Dean, the political group we all helped run. It was a touching afternoon, as his daughter and sister shared personal memories of his love of food, family, and the outdoors; his childhood pal talked of rainy hikes and animated discussions; and two fellow DC4D members offered insights into his political character. It was a touching and fitting send-off of a fine man.

ETA on Friday: Oops. I started my post on Tuesday and then forgot to adjust the time stamp when I published it. Thanks for pointing out the error, Mum.

Folks, this is my thousandth post. [Huh. Apparently WordPress doesn’t care to document that event and has skipped ahead to 1001.] I can’t believe I’ve written that much — and that you’ve kept reading! Thank you! And here’s to a thousand more (just not all at once)!

But you didn’t come here for accolades. It’s Thursday, so you must have come for the three beautiful things:

1. May 9-16 is the busiest birthday week of the year in our household. Happy birthday to all these beautiful friends: Rudi’s Penny, Eri, Jenn, Kim, and Rudi.

2. On Sunday, I visited the National Geographic Society’s museum for the very first time. (It’s a really cool museum and I foresee it being the subject of a My D.C. in the near future.) But, people, the reason it was so beautiful? Frogs. Hundreds of frogs. I took photographic evidence, but to whet your appetite, they ranged from giant bull frogs to these tiny peach-colored frogs that were the size of my pinkie nail. Amazing!

3. Sunday also offered us delights at the farmers’ market including the first strawberries of the season. We snapped up two quarts and have been parceling them out with dessert each night. Tonight we had them on ice cream sundaes.

As a note, I’ve been documenting three beautiful things every Thursday for more than three years now. Think that’s impressive? Clare has been doing it every day for four years. Please stop by to wish her a happy blogiversary.

The yarn fumes are starting to wear off from this weekend’s adventure, but there’s still lots to rejoice over. Here are three beautiful things from the past week:

1. I’m doing well in fantasy baseball — 3rd place. I’ve never done well in fantasy baseball. And I’ve discovered the secret to success — laziness. Fiddle with your roster as little as possible, and you will climb the charts. On other competition fronts, half of our pub trivia team from last month reunited last night to test our prowess again. We finished in second place, which was enough to land us in the money again. Hooray!

2. Monday morning was so lovely I thought it time I pull my bike out for the season and bike to work. Unfortunately, this has been a week of working late prior to a deadline, so I hadn”t been able to bike home (I’m pretty sure the battery on my headlight is dead. Something for this weekend’s to-do list.) until tonight. But still, that’s two short bike rides this week.

3. Rudi sent this to me over IM and it made me laugh out loud at my desk at work.

Happy May Day! Blessed Beltane! What better time to post three beautiful things than today?

1. Julia does not have cancer.

2. When I stopped by the garden on Sunday (I waited to go until after the rain, Mia, just for you.), peas and beans were just sending up their first tiny, tender shoots. I can’t wait to see what they’ve done this week with all the lovely rain and sun we’ve had.

3. Wednesday, I had a scoop of Coconut Seven Layer Bar ice cream as part of Free Cone Day and then for supper Rudi made me a coconut curry.