Three Beautiful Things 04/13/15: Angie Chokes Me Up, D.C. Brau Expedition, Superb Soup

1.  One blood draw every thirty days.  That's what I do now so the transplant center has a fresh sample month to month.  I sauntered into the LabCorp lab I always go to with the kit and the papers the transplant center sent me so the blood sample could be mailed in.  These materials discombobulated the front desk employee.  I thought, before going in, that I couldn't be the first person in the history of the Berwyn Heights LabCorb office to bring in an order from the U of Maryland Transplant Center to have blood drawn and sent to them. I think I was wrong.  Well, the front desk employee, after some huffing and puffing, said the magic words, "Angie'll know."  I knew exactly who she was talking about.  Angie has drawn my blood both times I've visited this office and, sure enough, Angie popped up front, studied the paperwork, sent me to waiting room #3, and came back and drew my blood and I have every confidence she mailed it to Baltimore and all is well.

I've worked with a bunch of really good medical services people since arriving in MD and Angie is among them and, to be honest, her calm, her reassurance, her telling me she'd remember me next time when I return, choked me up.

2.  Right over the border that divides Maryland south of Hyattsville from the upper reaches of north east Washington D. C. sits the first D. C. microbrewery, D. C. Brau.  I had one of their beers Saturday at the E Street Cinema.  I knew, when I drove to D. C. Brau that their taproom is closed Monday through Wednesday, but I wanted to scout it out, wanted to make sure I really knew how to get there.  And I did.  So, now, if I (the Deke and I) decide to go about twenty minutes or so south of Greenbelt for some fresh beer in NE D. C., I know how to get there.

3.  I know the Deke really likes the Chicken Sweet Potato and Kale soup I made once before, and, with this being her first day back to school after spring break, I figured she'd enjoy a soup she really likes -- and I was right.  It's a great recipe with layers of contrasting flavors and we won't be eating it much once the summer humidity arrives, so it was fun to have it today.