In short, this weekend has been a cosmos in the chaos of what has been some of the most interesting and frazzling months of my life. But anyhow, I couldn't bring myself to get any actual work done because I almost felt like if I did it would pollute the niceness of it all. Hmm... "niceness" let's hope my vocabulary expands over time.

I was really struggling to decide whether or not to put all of the happenings of the week in one blog or to do a little a series. Looking over my pictures though, I have farrrrrr more pictures from this particular place than the others. You'll probably be able to see why.


Le Pain Quotidien is a traditional Belgian cafe that strives to serve food made with natural and organic ingredients. It is a chain, but it was the first time I'd heard of it; we went to the one in Tysons. Their name means "daily bread" which is their philosophy, to serve food that is more than just sustenance but a way of life that brings people together.



I learned about this place from Phia since the cafe plays right into her line of style. Beautiful, organic, tastefully decadent food with some wonderful vegan options. And of course... bread. ;D


Phia gave us a list of places to eat in the area and Vince actually picked this one. He believes that if we're going to do something, we might as well do somethings special. We were so hungry though, that we knew we wanted something a bit more like a meal. So, we decided to just grab the one thing everyone says you must try when you go to Le Pain Quotidien. Hot chocolate.

The chocolate is rich and creamy but comes unsweetened and lets you really taste the cocoa, which I personally liked, but Vince is especially sensitive to anything bitter. So, we proceeded to what I call "the lab" of the cafe (basically where all the sweeteners and spices are). Vince had never really heard of agave nectar and was intrigued by the idea that all the sweeteners there were organic. He looks like a serious guy but he's a curious kid at heart; and so, as I talked about each one and let him taste it, he proceeded to dump a little bit of each one into the cup until he was happy. Which actually turned out to be quite a lot, he's got quite a sweet tooth. Heh.

The atmosphere here is wonderful, the staff are incredibly friendly and the soft wood of the rustic furnishings gives the place a warm and cozy feeling of home. And allows you to feel safe and at ease almost as if you were sitting at your own kitchen table, dining with the people you love.

I've made it out! My comrades, however, are not so lucky, they are still trapped in the terror of finals week. My thoughts are with them... beheheh. Jk, I'm sure their fine. They're a lot smarter than I am.

Truth be told though, it's hard to feel bad from where I'm sitting. Pretty much complete bliss from here, though you might not believe it if you heard the background noise *gunshots-helicopter whir-explosions* hmm Call of Duty... No, I don't play. I like watching people play though, or rather, I like watching one specific person play... catch my drift? wink nudge. Maybe not...

As poor college students, we dream of going to exotic, far-off places where you can see things that you've never seen before. But there are so many little wonders that are sometimes so close to use that we don't even see them. It's time we appreciate the things around us before we go looking for the things that are out of our reach. And so, welcome to the Douglas Albert Gallery.

Mornings happen everyday, why not make it a beautiful one?

I have a theory (I have many theories) that morning rituals tend to say a lot about a person, maybe even more than you would find out if you asked them to describe themselves.


To say that I have a "morning ritual" is a very loose use of the term. I am by nature a very inconsistent person. It is, and forever will be, the bane of my existence. I wake up when I wake up (not necessarily when I should wake up), I eat when I'm hungry (with no restraint), and I frequently forget what I'm supposed to be doing when I'm supposed to be doing it. To be honest, I'm not quite sure how I've gotten this far in life.

It's not until you reach the end of your life that you ponder your beginnings... And we've reached the end. The end of every college student's life-- FINALS WEEK. That's right. It's happening. Since we may well lose our lives to the mighty dragon that is Finals Week, we look back and wish that we had done more, seen more, and remembered more and not just in terms of studying. Heh.
Welcome to our end and new beginning (hopefully). Join us as we, as always, share our simple encounters with life.