Ahoy Maties

Click above for an outstanding trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean 2.

Life Has Changed As I Know It

Our IT guy just installed my blackberry. My plan is to not tell my boss it is up and working until he asks me the status again. We shall see.

Quote of the Day

To Agie from me: "I like your husband better than my boyfriend".

Don't worry Paul. It's only because he makes her hot toddys when she's sick.

Appropriate/Inappropriate - You Make The Call

Stephanie just came by with a donut from Steve's our little sandwich shop downstairs. Agie and I didn't realize Steve's has donuts and expressed our surprise. What can I say? It's a slow morning here. My boss then decided to poke my stomach and say "No more donuts for you". I probably would have been offended if my stomach wasn't getting flatter and more toned from all the running I've been doing the last month (training for a 1/2 marathon - yes, I know I'm insane but I have lost almost 10 pounds). So I poked his and said "Oh, no - more like no donuts for you". Jerk. That last part was just in my head.

New York State of Mind

I really should not be allowed to interact with people when I am this run down. Yesterday I awoke to the sound of my alarm going off at 5:30 am. I pretty much didn't stop going until I got back home at 1 am. We threw an event in New York last night and decided since our entire department was going to be up there we should have our committee meeting that morning. So my boss hopped on a plane Sunday evening and stayed overnight while the rest of us caught a shuttle flight at 8 am which meant I had to leave my house by 6:15 am. We got to New York about 1/2 an hour before the meeting started and after conferring with a coworker decided it would be best if two of us ran some errands while the meeting was going on so that things would go smoother for the evening. Luckily our errands were pretty much shopping so among other things, we had to go to Tiffany's. We spent a couple hours shopping, grabbed a slice for lunch, saw the tree at Rockefeller Center, waved to Katie Couric and made it back in time to head over to the venue to set up for our evening event.

We had about four hours to set up and we used every single minute available. Then 2 and 1/2 hours of the event, being charming, smiling prettily, standing in heels that I'd been wearing all day. The event was an outstanding success, great media attendance, member companies were happy, etc. We whisked off to the airport a bit after 9 to catch our 10:40 flight and landed back in DC just after midnight in the snow. I crawled into bed at 1 am only to awaken a short time later to my alarm.

I am exhausted and want nothing more than to crawl into my bed and sleep until tomorrow. My boss is coming into the office sometime after 3 (Why God? Why?) so I know it's going to be a hectic three or so hours until he has to leave for an event tonight. I am not looking forward to working with a well-rested individual who even at my best and most well-rested grates my nerves at times. So when I asked Paul if he had plans for this weekend and we got into the whole "you ask this every week why don't you just say hey I want to do this how does that sound" bit I got irritated with him and snapped a bit because really all I wanted to know was if he had to work either day.

I feel bad that I took out my frustration and tiredness out on him. He doesn't deserve my crankiness. I was just telling Jim last night how great Paul has been these last couple weeks since he got back from Thanksgiving in NC. It's not that he wasn't nice to me or didn't treat me well before, but something just seems different and it's been really, really great. So now I have to suck it up and apologize for being Crabby McCrabbs-a-lot. Dammit.

Grace? You Think I Have Grace?

Years ago a couple of us were watching a new Seinfeld episode. It was the one where Elaine is interviewing at the publishing house Jackie Kennedy worked at and at one point in the interview the guy mentions he thinks she has grace. Her delivery of the above line was priceless and became a catch phrase between me and my then boyfriend and his roommate after they told me I reminded them of Elaine. I've used it many times over the years as I'm often told I'm graceful. Some get the reference, some do not. Imagine my lack of surprise when I discovered today that I was born on a Tuesday.

Monday's child is fair of face
Tuesday's child is full of grace
Wednesday's child is full of woe
Thursday's child has far to go
Friday's child is loving and giving
Saturday's child works hard for a living
But the child that is born on the Sabbath day is fair and wise, good and gay.

Quotes From Today

I told Agie I said nice things about her on my blog. Her response: "What'd you type? That cranky bitch better get some sleep soon?". Guess I'm not the only one not sleeping.

Asked my friend how things are going with his boy. Talk turned to my boy. Conversation went as follows:
R: i saw where you were grumpy lately
R: and your man rescued you on his biek
R: bike
planb: He can be pretty wonderful sometimes.
R: maybe boys aren't as bad as we thought
planb: maybe :)

I went out pretty big last night drunk dialing Paul late into the evening. I mentioned to him that my head is hurting and it is a hundred degrees in my office. His response: "I amoverwhelemd with sympthy". I detected a bit of sarcasm and let him know what his Christmas present is going to be. A space bar.

Things To Be Thankful For

1. Family - Even though my dad didn't come through with a visit while Paul and I were in California (story to come - still mad and hurt) I can't tell you how great my family is. We have never been a super tight-knit family, even less now that my grandparents have passed and a number of us have moved out of California but man they will be there for you if you need them. I really feel sometimes as though I don't deserve them. Today I found out my youngest cousin is shipping out Sunday to serve in Iraq for a year. I will pray every day that he returns unharmed. He is such an amazing guy and only 18. Okay, next - I'm tearing up here.

2. Friends - I have said this many times and I hope I will continue to say it: my friends are the greatest group of people you will ever be lucky enough to meet. Case in point: I had gotten to the point where I was okay with being alone on Thanksgiving. Paul was with his family, I was originally supposed to go to Cairo with friends but didn't and the friends who weren't in Cairo all went home. Except for Agie, who upon hearing I was planning on roasting a chicken and making a Thanksgiving dinner for one (wow that sounds so sad and pathetic now) decided to drag me along with her and her husband to his coworker's house for dinner. It turned out to be a really nice time. The boys did all the cooking. Three, count them, three turkeys were made. One baked, one fried and one smoked and they were all delicious. And thankfully spaced out over the evening due to *ahem* "fortuitous" planning and various cooking times. All in all a very good meal.

3. Paul - Go ahead and get the schmaltzy "ahhh" out of the way. We good? Allright. I had a lot of time to let my mind wander this past week and one of the things I did was reread some of my old posts and im conversations Paul and I had when we first started dating. It reminded me of how much fun I have with him and how easy and comfortable it is to be with him. I will be the first to say it hasn't been all flowers and sunshine but no real relationship ever is. I would be bored silly in a week if that were the case. I digress. My point here is that I realized (not for the first time and I'm sure not for the last) that for all the times the man drives me absolutely batty, his good qualities far outweigh the bad and honestly some of those things that make me crazy are the very things that make me like him. I know, I know. It makes my head hurt too.

I Am Such A Brat Sometimes

Paul got home Sunday night from being away a bit over a week. I'm pretty sure it's the longest we've gone without seeing each other and it was kinda tough. I really missed the guy. We talked pretty much once a day, texted a lot but it was no fun. I was busy with work and social stuff for a lot of the time so I wasn't mopey or anything, but I was really excited about seeing him Sunday night. I hadn't been sleeping well (see below) and didn't really eat anything that day (hypoglycemia kicked in) so when the first thing he said to me was "can you put lotion on my back?" instead of a hug, kiss, big smile and something along the lines of "it's really good to see you, I missed you" I was a bit grumpy. I tried my almost best to not make a big deal out of it because I was really happy to see him and I knew how badly his back had been itching all day, but I failed. He was good and snapped me out of it without making a fuss (reason 753 why I like him) and we had a great night hanging out.

Unfortunately every morning starting from the Saturday he left to yesterday, I woke up around 4 am and could not go back to sleep. This was just a minor annoyance for most of the time he was gone since I was off work, but man did it suck yesterday morning. From 4 am to 7 am I was stuck on my back or side trying not to move too much since Paul hadn't slept well while he was gone (sucky bed at his dad's). I was miserable. So when Paul got up and was being all cutsey and playful after telling me he wouldn't go 5 minutes out of his way to walk me to the metro it annoyed me (see prior mention of week of sleep deprivation) and I finally just kissed him and said "I'm leaving" and walked out. I was kicking myself while walking (difficult, very very difficult - do not attempt at home unless under the supervision of a trained professional) when who should appear on his bike? My wonderful boyfriend of course. What? You were expecting Aquaman? Please, everyone knows he rides a seahorse. He rolled up to my trying not to smile face, kissed me and said "hey grumpy" (reason 1257 why I like him). So the day was saved and I am once again reminded how lucky I am to have him around.

New Plan

Here's the new plan. I am going to update my blog with the most recent and current happenings and then slowly but surely fill in the gaps with my missing stories (I've been home and broken into [well, my apartment not me] and Thanksgiving and..... and no blog) so I do not fall even further behind. This whole catchup thing has kicked my ass.

Four Letters. Starts With "L"

A friend and I were talking about when and how to say ILY for the first time in a relationship. She is adamant that the female should wait for the male to say it. As a female, I can see her point. You don't want to say it too early and scare the guy off thinking he's dating some ticking child bomb who is just looking for a husband or an unstable thing who falls in love with every guy she sleeps with. On the other hand, I have been the recipient of a premature ILY and it scared the crap out of me and got me thinking that the guy was off his rocker (which, incidentally, turned out to be not true - I am just that lovable).

I think (as I believe the majority of the free world would) that it shouldn't be planned or thought out, but it should happen spontaneously when the feeling strikes you. Now granted, saying ILY for the first time is quite possibly one of the scariest things ever - not only are you apprehensive of the recipient not saying it back (or worse only saying it because you did, not because they mean it) but you are also scared that the recipient will say it back and I do believe that is scarier than the first option. If it is said back in earnest that means you two have broken down each other's walls, arrived at a point where you know each other better than most others (at least enough of the good and bad to know that nothing short of cheating, abuse or killing puppies in fields of dandelions for sport would change how you feel about them) and being that emotionally close to someone is scary, no matter how well-balanced you are mentally. It is one of the best feelings in the world though.

I have never gone into saying ILY with the expectation of hearing it back. I think it takes away the beauty and honesty of it if you go in with motives other than letting that person know what they mean to you. Some of the best ILYs have knocked both the giver and receiver off guard - said in the heat of an argument, during a laughing fit or worst of all, when you realize you are losing that person. I guess it really boils down to this. There are enough games played (both intentionally and unintentionally) in relationships without adding this to the mix. If you love someone, tell them. You never know when you won't get the chance.

Reason 532430 to Hate FOX

Argh. I am beyond upset. This news is worse than the Los Angeles Angels of Anahiem fiasco (seriously, The Angels Angels of Anaheim?). Arrested Development gets cancelled and Stacked does not?!?!?! I'm sorry. I don't understand. Perhaps you need to not be nominated for and win multiple Emmys to remain on the tv. Well, that would explain Paul Moyer.

In HIS Shoes

Among the many activities that have kept me from updating my blog was the Annual 17th Street High Heel Race a couple weeks back. My coworker Christine invited a few of us to her soon to be former apartment which overlooks 17th Street to watch the race. Here's the deal for those of you not in the know:

D.C.'s annual High Heel Race takes place each year on the Tuesday night before Halloween, allowing men to dress in short skirts and strap on their high heels while they prepare to sprint down 17th Street between P and Q streets. The race is in its 18th year.

Starting around 6 p.m. people gather to watch the drag queens parade down the street to show off their outfits. At 9 p.m. sharp, a pistol shot begins the race and the drag queens run a two-block dead sprint north towards Q Street. The racers who actually do the sprint finish in about 90 seconds.

Click above for a link to some pictures of the evening.

Mark, You Are So Excited!

"More Aquaman news: The WB will give Aquaman the Smallville treatment, but it won’t be a spinoff launched by the recent fish-boy cameo on that series. The new producers promise that the character “won’t be talking to fish or riding a seahorse,” which will basically reduce him to an above average swimmer who wears orange spandex to class. [Variety]"

Fear the Blog

I resolve to never let my blog get this outdated again. The daunting task of getting this thing up to date is near overwhelming. The more I get behind the more I avoid updating. Vicious circle. Ugh.

Tales of Concerts Part Three

Chris Isaak at the 9:30 Club. It was a spur of the moment decision to go. I emailed some of my friends to see if anyone was interested and Heather replied yes so we went. I am so glad we did. Not only did it afford us the opportunity to catch up (she'd been out of the country for a bit) but we also got to get up close and personal with Chris. He has a tendency to walk through the crowd at his live shows. Good strategy - it keeps this girl coming back for more. It was almost as fun when the accordian player (accordianist?) came through the crowd. He took a drink from someone's beer and a hit off a cigarette. The band is fantastic - same one from his show. They've been together 20 some years and it shows. They played everything from Roy Orbison to ranchero (Mexican polka, not the sauce). One bad thing about the show - and I never, ever thought I would say this - I hate tall people. I actually felt somewhat short. And before you ask, no I don't feel any sympathy for the small people.

Is Anyone Surprised?

Sulu is gay. Scooter will be indicted. Rove will not (as of today).

Tales of Concerts Part Two

Def Leppard and Bryan Adams at Nissan Pavilion. It was an interesting crowd to say the least. This outing was inspired by Paul's friend Jorge's love of DL. Melissa and I enjoy Bryan Adams and DL in a completely casual, hey the song is on the radio and we like to sing along with it kind of way. Chris and Paul went because we ladies were going. So when Paul over stressed how vital it was that I leave work early to get to his house when Jorge got there, I complied. Granted, I was a bit annoyed with how little thought Paul gave to the fact that I needed to leave an hour early from a job that rarely lets me do that, but I did it. So, I left work about 15 minutes later than planned and ended up taking a cab to Paul's because he had me so afraid of making Jorge miss part of this concert only to arrive at Paul's and wait for Jorge for a good 20 to 30 minutes. Needless to say I was not in a great mood at that point. All I needed to do was vent for 2 minutes and then I would have been fine, but Paul was not in a great mood either and when I started to say something he bit my head off and I backed away instead of creating more drama. Ugh. To add to this already bad situation, Paul thought Melissa was supposed to call when they were on the way to the concert. When it was about 20 minutes before the concert and she hadn't called, he finally listened to my suggestion that he call her. They were already there. Okay. So we get there, wait around and find them and miss about the entire Bryan Adams set. Paul and I went to get beer and food (neither of us had eaten which added to our surliness) and I tried to talk to him about it in totally the wrong way. "I think it's interesting that the one person you were making everyone stress out about being on time for is the one who made us all late". Yeah, not really the best approach I admit. So when Paul snapped at me in reply I oh so maturely walked away. I grew up and started acting like a big girl and said "Look, all I need is 10 minutes to be grumpy about this and for you to understand that I deserve that 10 minutes" and then everything was okay and we all enjoyed the show.

More Catch Up

1. Tales of Concerts Part One

Weezer and Foo Fighters at the GMU Patriot Center. Originally, Agie and I were going to take our men along with us to this show. Her husband wasn't able to go at one point, then Paul and I broke up for those two hours in NC and I offered the ticket to Katie, then Agie offered her extra to her friend Cindy who is a hoot and a half, then I thought Paul would still want to go so then Agie offered it to her husband, then Paul thought Katie was going, etc.... When all was said and done Agie, Cindy and I went and I had an extra ticket which really kinda sucked but was 99% my fault and I ended up selling it for $20 or so to a scalper.

The girls and I had the day off from work (Thank you Mr. Columbus for "discovering" our great nation) so we headed out early with the thought of grabbing some grub and tailgating in the lot before the show. We stopped and ate some delish bbq, parked at the Patriot Center and broke open the bottle of wine. Keep in mind Paul had warned me not to drink in the parking lot since it was on a campus. Bringing up my numerous drinking in parking lot experiences I pshawed him...maybe even laughed a bit. During the second bottle of wine, the girls and I were laughing and having a great time. Such a great time that none of us paid much attention to the mini-van that parked behind us perpendicular to Agie's car. Nor did we pay mind to the two people in black hooded sweatshirts that walked up to each side of the car. We each thought they were more of the stadium workers being dropped off. Yeah, no. The woman on Agie's side leaned into the window, slid her badge out from under her sweatshirt and said "I assume you all are of age, right?". Oh, the look of disappointment that crossed her face when we said yes. Our word was good enough for her, but not for the Beer Garden peeps inside.

One of the many drawbacks of seeing a show at the Patriot Center is the way they sell "adult beverages". They have these things called Beer Gardens which are fenced in areas that you go to to purchase and consume alcohol. There are only about 4 or 5 of these prisons in the entire arena. You aren't allowed to take any beverages out with you. Basically, if you want a beer during the show you have to miss the show. It gets better. You get carded by a person at a table in front of the BG. They stamp your hand and put a wristband on you. Then you walk five steps to the entrance where you are once again carded while your wristband is checked. Then you enter the BG (which again, is completely walled in) where upon placing your order YOU ARE CARDED AGAIN. Because the double carding, wristband, handstamping and walled enclosure aren't enough. Sigh.

Anyways, the show was fan-fricken-tastic. Weezer and Foo both sound great live so it was worth any hassle. Weezer played My Name is Jonas and Foo played The One. Two relatively unknown but favorite songs of mine. I like to think they knew I was there. And of course, Buddy Holly, Undone, and Everlong.

At A Loss For Words

Paul has been under a lot of stress lately and very busy picking up extra shifts at his part time job. This has made him a bit grumpy and forgetful (both understandable under the circumstances). It sucks having someone I care about unhappy, plus I don't get to see him as much as I'd like, but IMHO I am being very understanding and non-demanding. The one thing I really like is him calling before going to bed. I like to hear his voice before I fall asleep (which given recent events I don't think is unreasonable - more later) and given what little contact we do have during the day is through im or texting on our phones, one one minute call at the end of the day isn't too much to ask, right? Not hearing the voice of the person you are involved with for an entire day (sometimes more) has an odd effect. It tends to make you forget things like how just a simple interaction with that person makes you feel better about just about anything or how funny they can be or the reasons why you like them. So when I got this im from Paul this afternoon I busted out laughing and smiled, remembering why I like the guy so darn much.

"My day got so much better now that I have underwear".

It's No Aquagirl

But I guess I'll deal.

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Lion FlareYour Superpower is Extra-dimensionalYour Weakness is SnakesYour Weapon is Your Kinetic PitchforkYour Mode of Transportation is Dragon

What's" your Superhero Name?

Small Break

Okay, that should tide you over until Monday when I promise to continue getting up to speed. Things to look forward to:

1. Tales of concerts - Weezer, Foo Fighters, Chris Isaak and last but not least the double bill of Bryan Adams and Def Leppard. No, I'm not kidding.
2. Weekend in NC with Paul's dad.
3. Planning for trip home.
4. Work woes.
5. Wedding bells.

Boston Trip

I had such a great time in Boston. I flew up Thursday morning, got picked up by Paul, his dad (Mr. E) and nieces and then went to the hotel for a nap. Thursday evening we had the rehearsal dinner for Paul's cousin's wedding (hereafter known as S&P). It was nice, small and without a great amount of drama. We rode out with Paul's aunt and uncle with Mr. E following with Paul's brother's family (bro, wife, two daughters). Unfortunately, we got lost.....even with GPS. It was pretty funny to us, but I'm sure Mr. E was about to kill us.

Friday we went shopping at the mall to pick up some stuff (belt for Paul, sweaters for the ladies), had lunch and then went back to the hotel for a nap (hey - I was on vacation) and to get prettied up. I must say Paul and I clean up pretty damn well. About 1/2 an hour before the ceremony I got a text from Agie saying "I'm so sorry". I figured my boss was freaking out about something so I texted back "Why?". Little did I know what it really was.

Turns out a coworker of mine (the one in the office that I had the least amount of good feelings towards) was killed in a car accident in KY. Every year we do a media tour through KY and TN right after our big MV event and she was on it this year. Blind intersection, hill, fast truck. She was killed instantly thank God (for the instant part, not the dead part). Just awful. She was only 28. I pretty much felt like a chump having fun the rest of the weekend.

The wedding was at the family church where Paul's mother's family has all been married, baptized, funeraled (yes, I made that up just now - deal). After the ceremony we headed over to the reception which was at a restaurant on the water. Great view, good food and wine and most importantly, a bar adjacent to the reception room that was showing the Sox/Yankees game. Even with the DJ giving end of inning updates, most of the wedding party (including the groom) and the guests ended up in the bar at some point. We ended up catching a ride back to the hotel with Adam, the bride's brother, and his wife. I was done at that point so Paul put me to bed and went to get food and party with his aunt, uncle and cousin among others. Paul and Adam ran into a bunch of San Diego Chargers in the elevator, which I imagine can be a bit disconcerting when you are drunk.

Saturday was spent recuperating and watching more baseball. We rallied and headed into the city to meet up with my brother, sister-in-law and mother for dinner. After trudging (ahem, strolling) around Beacon Hill we finally got a table at a small Italian restaurant and had a pretty good dinner. It was great spending time with my family and Paul. I miss having fun and laughing with my brother.

Sunday we headed back home but of course no Paul and PlanB travel is complete without some sort of delay/trouble with transportation. Our flight was a bit late bording, then we were told once we had boarded that it would be about 1/2 an hour because one of the a/cs wasn't working. Then we were told to deplane because it was going to take an hour to fix. So Paul was chipper at this point. I hate when stuff like that happens, not because of the inconvenience (that is a pain, but it is manageable) but because Paul can get really, um, what's the word..... pissy. He tends to become very selfish in situations like that. He gets mad, complains and pretty much makes it so I can't be grumpy and mad because two of us like that would be awful. I usually try to make it not so bad, he usually foils my attempts and continues his grump. So it was a delightful trip home to say the least. And we didn't even have the worst of it - we were only three hours late getting back. Paul's brother's family didn't get home until after 1 am. Talk about a nightmare trip!

Stop Bothering Me

I realize I have been remiss over the past month. I am sorry. It has been completely crazy here. Let's go back to the start of it all. Mount Vernon. Ugh. Man that was a long, long week. On Friday the 23rd I ended up getting a root canal which I think y'all know about. Well, I worked that entire weekend out at MV and didn't have the opportunity to fill my prescription for antibiotics. Big trouble in little molar. It was bothering me so badly by Monday that I was sleeping maybe 3 hours total a night. So I went back to the dentist Monday morning where she prescribed Percoset and then rethought giving it to me when I said I would be going straight back to work. I talked her into it (I'm persuasive that way) and off I went. She warned me there would be some swelling the next day, but that the pain would be better. Wow was she right. I woke up Tuesday morning with a small country protruding from my lower right jaw. It was awful. I felt like a mongloid. Anyways, I called the dentist later that morning concerned that it was so swollen (I had a big event Wednesday and a wedding with Paul's family Friday) and he prescribed a stronger antibiotic and a steroid. I worked a good 12 hour day on Tuesday and woke up Wednesday with a smaller, but still swollen jaw. At this point I wasn't complaining because I actually got four hours of sleep in a row and the pain was almost gone. Wednesday I worked a 12 hour day on my feet (ankle seems to be pretty much better - YAY) with about 3 bites of a bad Subway sandwich fueling me and my jaw hurting again from talking so much during the day/evening events. So when my boss decided that 9 pm the night of my 10th day in a row working in pain with 3 hours sleep a night and virtually no food was a good time to chew me out for seating people at his table that he told me to seat at his table I was ready to quit. If I wasn't on vacation Thursday and Friday I probably would have. Ridiculous. Instead I walked away after he told me to sit down and have some food (he always hugs after he hits) and burst into tears when one of my coworkers asked what was wrong. Ugh - how unprofessional of me. Anyways, she took me home and I started my vacation hating my job and boss.

An Entertaining Read

A bit long, but highly entertaining. I do believe I have received some of these spam emails. Too funny. And yes, I do realize I need to do an update. Count on it today or tomorrow!

Victoria Has Been Bitch Slapped

They caved and changed their displays. Sigh.

Little Shop of Whores?

You gotta get more original than that lady. Let me start off by saying that under no circumstances should a 13 year old be shopping for a bra by herself, especially at Victoria's Secret. She will have no idea how to make sure it fits properly, nor will she know what style or color to buy. I realize these sound like simple things. Trust me when I say they are not. Also, no one who is the only one taking off their bra should be buying bras that expensive. So to the woman in the above article outraged at the new Victoria's Secret and wondering if this is the message we want to send to our children, I say "No. This is not what children should look like. Which is exactly why this display is not a Limited Too or Wet Seal. It is at a store for adults." People really need to get over themselves.

For Those of You With Standards

In anticipation of next week's World Standards Day, today is World Standards Day Happy Hour - the one day each year to officially celebrate all standards. Raise a pint and toast the fact that there is an actual international organization with the sole purpose of promoting standards around the world.

What Kind of Cheese Are You?

Cheese Test: What type of cheese are you?

Medical Evidence Proves I'm Special

And no, I don't mean short bus special. Man, my week keeps getting better. Turns out my tooth is cracked down to the jaw bone which is the reason anything being done to it is fine for a day or so and then starts to cause me indescribeable amounts of pain. So I had a root canal this afternoon. During the procedure I found out I have four canals instead of the usual three and they are 25 somethings long instead of the usual 23.

My Boyfriend Kicks Ass

So I'm having an awful day. I had a tooth fixed last week which was supposed to mark the end of my dental misadventures for the year. It started bothering me Tuesday, so I went in, they tinkered and told me to come back in 6 weeks. It was bothering me a bit and I hoped it would get better, but instead it has gotten to the point where I didn't sleep last night and even my tongue touching it makes a shooting pain go through my jaw. I called first thing this morning and was told my dentist wouldn't be in until Wednesday, which happens to be the day of our huge annual event. So, they got me in to see another dentist today. Hopefully it will take care of the problem. In addition to my tooth problems, I got to the Metro this morning and realized I had left my smartrip card at home. I didn't have anything close to a small bill in my wallet so I had to dig for change for a fare card. Plus, I've been stressed to the gills about next week. I've been on the verge of tears all morning (which usually doesn't happen, but no sleep plus pain plus unfortunate circumstances in time of high stress will do that to you).

So when I got a call from the front desk that I had a delivery I thought "what else?". The delivery turned out to be flowers with a note saying "Hope that your day gets better, Paul". He really is a great guy, not because he got me flowers, but because he took time to try to make me feel better. This is why he was worth a second chance. I am so glad I was able to give it to him.

My Name is Earl

I love Jason Lee. There, I said it. There is just something about him that I really adore. So when I heard he had a show premiering this season I was very excited. It's a good thing I like Mr. Lee not just for his boyish good looks otherwise this show would be a total wash. 70's CHiPS stache, check. Mullet with receeding hairline, check. T-shirt with sleeves cut off to show non-existent muscles, check. So I watched, nervously, hoping it wouldn't be some redneck comedy. Since moving to what is technically "the South" what little tolerance I had for that type of people has completely vanished due to people like the guy who had a tatoo on his arm of West Virginia filled in with the Confederate flag....viewing made possible by aforementioned t-shirt with sleeves cut off. Moving on. The show was great. See review above.

Romance Update

Real quick update on the Paul sitch. He and I have been spending a lot of time together the past few weeks and 95% of the time it has been great. There have been a few moments of angst, but they have all diffused relatively quickly and well. He's headed to Baltimore this weekend to hang out with the boys. I am a bit nervous about it, but trust him not to do anything that would hurt me or our relationship. I will be working at least all day Sunday, possibly Saturday as well and there is a possibility of hooking up (not in that way) with a former co-worker who may be in town Friday, so that should keep my mind off what he could be doing. Again, I trust him, but can't help the fleeting thoughts. I always had an overactive imagination. Damn my brilliant mind! Okay, it's probably statements like that that make Paul think I'm arrogant. Eh. Bygones.

One World Currency

After sitting with my boss for 40 minutes trying to make sense of his receipts from a trip that took him to two countries and used three currencies I have come to the conclusion that the world should have one currency. That's it. Just one. It would be so simple. It sure as hell would make my life easier and really, isn't that what it is all about? This idea is going up on the wall, right next to my Midwest Plan. If you know not of what I speak, you're totally missing out on gold.

Avast Me Hearties!

It is September 19th and you know what that means..... National Talk Like a Pirate Day. I really do believe my co-workers and I need to get out more given the level of excitement and amusement we are getting from this holiday. Any complainers? I'll make 'em walk the plank.

Foreign Affairs

The last two days have been very busy, stressful days here at work. It sucks. Especially because my boss is in Europe, arriving back in the office tomorrow. Monday, Tuesday and today were supposed to be kick back days. Yeah, not so much. I worked about 11.5 hours yesterday, all of them hectic.

Today I get in to find the following emails:
8:42 am "Hour delay in sofia. Unless delay too out of Frankfurt I'll never make connection. Check with airline/agent to find options. I should be on ground in 1 hour. I'll call. Have options ready. Tnx."
8:47 am "Business a must. Aisle too. See what they can come up with. "

Because that won't be difficult to do. Why on earth would you want to deal with the ticketing people in front of you who know what is going on? Instead, let's have someone in another country with limited to no access to flight information spend FOUR HOURS arranging your travel and hotel. Oh, and call and email every five minutes (no exaggeration) to get updates. And then, after having said person look up hotels in the bustling metropolis that is Sofia, Bulgaria and call five of them to hold rooms, go with the hotel that the airline suggests. He was lucky there were miles and an ocean in between us otherwise there would have been a world of hurt coming down on him. I felt for him, really I did. He'd spent close to 7 hours in a small, Eastern European airport. After hour three that went away and I wanted to inflict pain.

So now he will be back Friday, not tomorrow. I plan on having a leisurely day tomorrow. I will work hard, get my task list done, but I will do it at a calm pace. I don't get paid enough to stress like this.

Another Reason My State Rocks

Yes, I realize it's a Texas tycoon that donated the money, but I prefer to overlook that and focus entirely on where the animals end up.

Oh Quizno's - How You Deceive Me

Went across the street to Quizno's (they have a pickle bar) for some soup and a small salad (always trying to avoid scurvy this one, although the vat of orange juice I drank yesterday should hold me for a couple days). Now, I don't expect much from Quizno's. I generally go there if I don't have a lot of time or if the weather is poor because it is really, really close. Today it was a bit of the time, but mostly I am tired and wanted soup and didn't want to walk all the way to Au Bon Pain (you know I'm tired if 3 blocks is all the way). I sat at my desk, ate up my cup of soup (burnt my tongue - ow) and opened up my salad to find pure, cheap genius at work. A cursory glance at the greens shows a healthy mix of field greens; some purple cabbage, a little endive, spinach leaves, you get the idea. I went in thinking I was getting a good mixed green salad until I ate the two pieces of each of those to discover the rest of the container (about 80%) contained iceberg lettuce. No wonder it's only $2.50. Bravo Quizno's. Bravo.

I Choose to Blame the Cold Medicine

Completely forgot to give mad props (again, it's the cold medicine) to Katie for swinging by my apartment yesterday and dropping off OJ (the juice, not The Juice - she would never drop off a killer, um I mean "accused" killer) even after I bailed on going to the game yesterday. The liquid fruity goodness got me through the painful 9th inning of the Nats/Braves game. I shake my fist at you Chipper Jones!!!

Weekend Roundup

Going into this past weekend, I was excited about all the plans I had. Friday was the Jack Johnson concert with Agie, Saturday out with Paul and his friends (Cute Couple), Sunday game with Katie. By Saturday night I was exhausted and run down and by Sunday too sick to go to the game. I barely dragged myself in to the office this morning. If I didn't have two big projects to get done, I'd be home, drugged in bed. I can't imagine why I didn't see this coming. I've been under a pretty fair amount of stress at work, not to mention all the personal stuff and I've been out almost every night for a week. Thursday was my only night off, which I really needed after the concert with Paul Wednesday.

Jack Johnson was awesome. We ended up standing in the front row of the lawn section and had such a great time. The two girls next to us ended up being a really sweet couple from Agie's hometown (which is pretty small and in PA). Agie dropped me off at Paul's where I woke him up from a dead sleep because the beer I'd had interfered with my usual ninja-like stealthiness. I did feel bad the next morning when he was groggy and grumpy from lack of sleep.

Saturday Paul and I went to lunch where we ran into Katie (Paul's first run-in with one of my friends post-incident. He felt uncomfortable and thought Katie was cool towards him. I didn't notice, but if she was, can you blame her? It will get better I am sure. Over time, we'll all get over it as long as he doesn't do it again - if that happens all bets are off and my friends have free reign) and then went our separate ways. We met back up at Buffalo Billiard and played some pool. We were once again the victims of poor service - these establishments really need to hire more people. The guy started off pretty rude, but eventually made reparations even though we weren't able to order food until 10pm. Ugh. After that we went to The Big Hunt for a couple beers and better service. Unfortunately we only had one of the two. Evidently the bartender was really rude to Melissa. So unnecessary. While she and Chris were outside talking Paul got all hokey on me. To paraphrase : I like you. Really. Thank you for putting up with me. I teased him about it yesterday, but not because it was silly or dumb, because it was really cute and sweet.

Sunday Paul and I went to breakfast where we actually had pretty good service and then split up to run errands and have some sorely needed down time. I woke up sneezy and stayed that way the entire day. I haven't been able to breathe through my nose since Saturday night and woke up this morning completely congested, but sneezing less thank God. Hopefully it will run it's course by tomorrow. I'm in charge of a fairly big tasting event Wednesday and I would prefer to be healthy.

Burn the Boot

I have been boot free for almost two weeks now. Man, life is good. I really, really hated that beast. The ankle has been holding up fairly well, it hurts, but no more than it ever did so I'm taking that as a sign it is healing. The doctor told me as much this afternoon at my follow-up. He reviewed the films from my MRI (I had to go get one last week - freaky) and said there are no tears, ruptures, tumors (what?!?! that was an option?!?!) but there is fluid surrounding my tendon. Which can take up to 8 months to heal completely. Sigh. So much for running by the end of the year.

I'm Such a Geek

I am a little excited about The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe movie coming out. I loved the books growing up (okay, I admit - I don't think I ever finished the Prince Caspian one) and re-read them every couple years. The movies thus far have been pretty bad, but this one is looking to be pretty good....we'll see if they stick to the book.

Update

Paul and I went to dinner last night. It actually went really well once we got out of my apartment. It was a bit rough there at first. Didn't do the kiss hello I usually do and was very standoffish - not intentionally of course, just didn't know what to do or how to act. Once we started walking though it was good. We talked on the walk to dinner and then concentrated on enjoying each other's company and had a really fun time. We stopped and played a few games of pool on the way home which made me remember how good our first date was and why exactly I like him so much.

I came to the realization last night that I am more myself with him than anyone I've ever met...including myself. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. As it stands now, I am forgiving and forgetting (trying) and he is understanding it's going to take me a while to be completely okay. I am hopeful and that is good, right?

So I sent a Reader's Digest version of the above to my friend Mark. His reply : "One thought: have you ever stopped to think that you being more yourself is actually a bad thing? I mean, your personality does kind of suck. ;)" Thank God for friends that keep you humble, eh?

Looting v. Finding

I could tell watching the coverage of the hurricane aftermath that it was slanted, but this makes me disgusted. I'm not sure why I am surprised at this, but it is just awful.

On a more amusing, albeit still disturbing, note some quotes from the one Bush I ever had fond feelings for:


Former first lady Barbara Bush said of those displaced from New Orleans to Houston's Astrodome: "And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them."

Mrs. Bush also said, "What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas."

http://www.npr.org/news/specials/hurricane/katrina/blog_090605.html

Oh Babs.....if only these were taken out of context. I still have a soft spot for ya.

Jimmy Eat Green Day

In all the, um, excitement I have forgotten to mention one of the best concerts (seriously, Top 5) I've been to. Paul, Agie, a friend of hers and I went to the Jimmy Eat World/Green Day show last Tuesday. It was fantastic. Just absolutely pure fun.

Top 5

Below are the Top Five Messages From Friends:

5. Just look inside yourself and ask if this is something worth fighting for.
4. I'm drunk in my backyard looking up at the moon but I can't find it. Oh there's the North Star. Okay, we are under the same star and I know you will be okay.
3. Ok. Take care of yourself and tell me if you need me. It will feel better soon. Do you need comfort sex?
2. When I get mad, I go to match.com and see what else is out there.
1. I tell you that life is sweet in spite of the misery...you will get through this. Promise. Love.

I know I have said this before, but I have an amazing group of friends. I am so blessed (Mark will get mad if I use the term lucky) to have these people in my life. I can only hope I am as good to them in their times of need. I really don't know what I would have done this weekend without them. I can't imagine what it is like to not have a support group.

And So It Goes

Paul and I went down to NC to visit his dad this weekend. I was really looking forward to it - getting away for four days, enjoying the slow calm that is the South; getting to finally spend some uninterrupted time with Paul who has been so busy working this past month. Despite his working so much, the last three weeks to a month (since we got back from his dad's last time right after I was considering ending it) have been great. I'd finally started to feel close to him, like he was letting me in, sharing himself with me and I was doing the same. Trust is a big deal for me and after six long years, I was letting myself fall for someone, giving a relationship a chance. It felt really good to know I deserve to be happy, that I deserve someone who treats me well. The weekend was going great - his dad and I get along well, and we even had a little heart to heart in the car while waiting for Paul. And then Sunday night happened.

I went to check my email while Paul and his dad took some stuff over to the house. I pulled up gmail and Paul's came up. He hadn't signed out after checking his. I know they say curiosity killed the cat, but I couldn't help myself. My initial reason for poking around was to see if he'd ever read an email I had sent him last time we were in NC, explaining why I was having such a difficult time trusting. Long story short, there were a number of emails that someone in a relationship should not be sending/receiving. He'd cheated on me.

I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. The last six months was all a lie. I'd been had. I'd been fooled. So many more thoughts raced through my head. And then I got mad. I decided not to say anything to him that evening. I didn't want to make his father uncomfortable and since we were there one more night I decided to play it cool. He, of course, knew something was bothering me and confronted me about it before we went to dinner. A ten minute conversation with him confronting me about why I was acting strangely (going outside to make phone calls, changing future plans) turned into a two hour fight about his infidelity. At the start I was ready to walk away from him Sunday and never see him again, as painful as that would be. He offered to find me a hotel, whatever I needed. By the end of the talk, I was ready to start thinking about things. He offered to do whatever necessary to make it right, to get me to trust him again, however long it could take, he would understand. He explained some things, things/reasons I won't get into here because they are personal to him. I can bare my thoughts and feelings and experiences but I won't do that with others'.

He went and told his father what was going on (he'd cheated on me, I found out) and we went to dinner. While he was showering his dad said something along the lines of what was Paul thinking about something unrelated and I answered "yes, your son can be a huge idiot". He just looked at me with a sad, understanding look and offered me another glass of wine. Dinner was actually okay for his father and me.

We got back to the apartment and Paul went outside on the steps. I went and joined him and we talked some more. He said he wanted to try and make us work. I do want that. I want to work this out with him. I need some time. Some time to think about whether I can ever trust him again; if he can change; if he wants to change; if he is someone I see a future with outside of this issue, because if he's not then why go through this.

The really tough part for me is this - He is me before I met him. Before Paul, I had a habit of sabotaging relationships before they got too serious, or starting relationships with people who were either unavailable or just no good for me. I didn't think I deserved better so I didn't seek it out. It has taken me a very long time to get to where I am now and I am so glad my gut reaction was not "of course this is happening" or "I deserve to be treated this way and for this to happen".

I don't know what to do or when I will know but I do know I will never, ever do anything to make someone feel the way I've been feeling the last couple days. I've changed. I just wonder if he can.

Weekend of August 18-21

I knew this was going to happen. I have almost completely forgotten what I did. Drat. Oh! Thursday I went to see The Aristocrats with Jim and some other folks. I have not laughed that hard in a movie quite possibly ever. If you are at all easily offended this film is not for you. That said, the movie was hilarious and just the right length.

Friday we went out with Paul's friends - the really cute couple from a couple weeks ago. They are super fun. We hung out, played some pool, had some dinner. The service was near non-existent until the manager who was checking ids at the door started to personally serve us. I should write a letter about that one.

The rest of the weekend is a bit of a blur - sorry if you are reading this and hurt that I can't seem to remember what I'm sure was a great time spent with you. Eh, bygones.

Last Weekend

Let's see.....last weekend. I think I stayed in Friday night. Is that right? NO. That was date night with Katie. We started our evening at the Nats game and then decided that we were having such fun with each other that we should continue our evening at her favorite bar. We had a great time. Best date I've been on forever (just kidding Paul, but Katie - it really was).

Saturday night Paul came over after working until 1:30 am Friday night and working from 6 - 5 Saturday. He was a trooper, not exactly a bundle of fun, but it was really great to see him and spend time with him. We went to bed like an old couple at 10:30.

Randoms

So my boss is supposed to be on vacation this week but managed to find reasons to come into the office today and has been driving me nuts since he arrived at 10:30. Just now, out of the blue, he calls and says "I just want to thank you for keeping the plane running on time. No one is perfect, least of all me and I want you to know I really appreciate you and the work you do". Well wasn't that just the nicest thing to hear.

On another note, I have the theme song to Gilligan's Island stuck in my head because Mark called me Gilligan earlier. And now, I pass the pain on to you.

Birthday

Second weekend update. Yay! This will be two down, one to go which means I just might be able to be caught up by this weekend. Okay, here goes.

August 12 - 14th:

So there are a couple reasons I don't really look forward to my birthday. In order from least important to most:
1. I grew up poor. We weren't destitute, but we were barely comfortable. Anyways, I'm not used to presents and I get really weird when I get them. Don't get me wrong, I love getting presents and I appreciate the thought and effort that goes into them, I just don't expect them and am never disappointed if I don't receive any. For the couple weeks leading up to my birthday Paul kept asking what I wanted. So I eventually just told him that what would make me happy is if he were to get something that showed he has taken the time to get to know me over the last six months (dear God, has it been that long?).
2. I hate being sung to, especially if it is in a restaurant. I blush, get all flustered. It's uncomfortable.
3. For the 6 years spanning from 19 to 25 something bad happened to either a family member or close friend the week of my birthday. We're not talking sprained ankles here. There was a car accident, major surgeries, a death culminating with my father's stroke on my 25th birthday. It got to the point where I dreaded my birthday and almost the whole month of August.

So it's just been the last year or so (since I moved to DC actually) that I've even gotten close to looking forward to my birthday. This year didn't let me down.

Friday, sometime around 3 pm I got a box delivered to my office. Inside were two dozen roses. At the risk of sounding horribly ungrateful, I've never been a huge fan. I'm much more of a Gerbera daisy or wildflower girl. And man do I love tulips. I am now, however, a changed woman. These roses were beautiful. There were four different colors; deep blood red, rich peach, rust, and yellow with orange/red tips. Absolutely stunning flowers. He did real good that Paul. I might keep him around awhile longer. Two weeks later and they are just now ready to get tossed (sad day). I feel like I did something that evening but can't remember. Sorry to whomever I shared that evening with. Nothing personal.

Saturday was great fun. Heather has had a documentary on Scrabble tournaments that she has been wanting to throw a Scrabble party and watch. The only day she could come up with was the 13th. Great, I said, that way I don't have to deal with doing anything for my birthday. She took that not as me saying, yay I get to see my friends and not have it be about my birthday but as yay I get to host a birthday party. So Saturday night a group of us hung out at Heather's, grilled pizzas, watched the movie Word Wars and played a game of Scrabble. Yes, I know I'm a geek.

Sunday was my birthday and I wasn't really planning on doing much of anything that day other than hanging out with Katie and watching Six Feet Under. Paul had to work all weekend and has been putting in ungodly hours at work during the week so I was content with doing things with my friends and seeing Paul on a day other than my birthday. Well, Paul ended up not working Sunday and taking me out to dinner to a restaurant I have been wanting to go to for awhile now. It was a very nice surprise even with Paul's "Don't ever say I don't listen to you" statement as we walked into the place. Then we went to a movie and headed our separate ways home.

As bummed as I was that Paul didn't come to the thing Saturday, I understood that it wasn't something he would have any interest in doing and he was overworked and exhausted. And it was a fantastic surprise to spend time with him Sunday. All in all, a really great weekend.

Three Hour Tour

Finding out I'm going down to Paul's dad's for Labor Day reminded me that I have yet to tell about our previous trip down there. And my birthday weekend. And this past weekend. I'm such a slacker. Okay let's tackle the first one.

The weekend of August 5-7:
Paul and I both took that Friday off to take a trip down to visit his father in NC. Paul came over Thursday night which was nice. We haven't been having a lot of time together so spending an evening in together was great. We headed to Union Station Friday morning and had breakfast before hopping on the train. This is the point in the story where it goes bad. I realized I didn't have my iPod. For a 6 hour train ride. I picked up a cheesy, mindless magazine (Cosmo) and a puzzle book and hoped for the best in train mates. Sigh.

The train was really packed, but luckily we were able to find seats together and Paul was "kind" enough to let me have the window seat (I played the iPodless girl card). Things weren't too bad until an hour or so into the trip when the Satan's spawn a couple rows behind us decided that he needed to yell and scream at the top of his lungs for his mother, who happened to be sitting right next to him. Then, in what can only be described as an effort to calm him down, the mother let him run up and down the train aisle. All I can say is that brat is lucky I was at the window or my foot might have stretched out into the aisle. After an hour or two of that, the older brother, again in an attempt to quell the savage beast that was this four year old, moved seats away from the rest of the family to, you guessed it, RIGHT BEHIND US. It was at this point Paul turned to me and asked "Does God hate you?". I was thinking the same thing. I got fed up and walked through a couple cars looking for two empty seats. In the third car I found them and made Paul move. I was much happier the rest of the trip. Before you get all "Oh, Plan B, they're just kids" on me you need to realize this was beyond a kid being a kid - it was awful. Plus my hypoglycemia was kicking in since it was past 4 and I hadn't eaten since 9. I was pretty impressed with how much I held back. Moving on.

Paul's dad picked us up at the train station and then took us out to dinner. We had a lovely meal. I know I've said this before, but I really like his dad. The next day (Saturday) we went to check out the almost finished new house his dad is having built. It is going to be a really nice home. Very spacious and airy and right on a golf course. After that, we headed to the marina where his sailboat is docked and set sail for a day on the water. I was so looking forward to that! I haven't been out on a boat for a very long time and I really, really miss it. We were just starting to motor out of the harbor when we got called back by the harbor master. Turns out a valve wasn't opened when we started out and it was causing the engine to overheat. We got the engine to cool down and headed out once again. It was so much fun. We got caught in a bit of a storm which actually was great - it cooled us down a bit, even if we did get soaked. I had forgotten how much I love sailing. It's so calming and relaxing. Even when the boat feels as though it is going to tip over (which I know it won't, but Paul seemed concerned a couple of times - damn sharks). We started to head back to shore (which was in sight the entire time) when the motor died. Wouldn't really have been a problem but for the fact there was no wind. So we slowly drifted back to shore over the next two hours. Hey - at least we got to lay in the sun and dry off from the storm, right?

We were all pretty wiped from our day at sea so we grilled and watched movies and went to bed pretty early. The next day Paul's dad was kind enough to drive us back to DC. His reasoning was this - 2 hours to the train station (4 hours round trip for him) + 6 hours on the train = 8 hours travel for us. It would only be about 9 round trip for him to drive us back so he took one for the team and brought us back. We were home hours before we were scheduled to be which was great.

So that was the weekend at Paul's dad's in brief. It was a nice, relaxing weekend which is exactly what we needed. I love getting out of the city!

Really? The Pussycat Dolls?

So I'm flipping through the channels the other night and noticed a promo for the Teen Choice Awards. I will generally tune into these shows for the "live" performances because, yes, I do enjoy the occasional dose of undeserved pop superstardom. The usual cast of characters were there, Gwen Stefani, Black Eyed Peas and then to my shock they mention the Pussycat Dolls. Are you kidding? They are a burlesque act - singing "dontcha wish your girlfriend was (blank) like me?". The words to fill in the blank you ask? Raw, a freak, hot, fun. Sigh. Now, I'm no prude, not too conservative but c'mon there has got to be a line. There were 8 year olds in the audience singing along. Granted, bad parenting may factor into this a bit but don't the producers and talent bookers of the show have some responsibility here?

I Wish This Wasn't a Joke

Just imagine the debates.

Maureen, Oh How We've Missed You!

Maureen Dowd has been on book leave for a couple months. It has felt like years (okay, I admit I am being a tad over dramatic here) but I have grown addicted to her twice weekly column. She gets me through the week, giving me a sense of comfort and solidarity that there are others out there who have the same observations and feelings I do (other than my like-minded friends). And so it follows that I felt an overwhelming sense of joy when I saw she was back this morning and back with a vengeance she is..... A couple choice quotes below.

In reference to the mom camping outside Bush's retreat:

"Ms. Sheehan said that W. had referred to her as "Mom" throughout the meeting, and given her the sense that he did not know who her son was. The Bush team tried to discredit "Mom" by pointing reporters to an old article in which she sounded kinder to W. If only her husband were an undercover C.I.A. operative, the Bushies could out him. But even if they send out a squad of Swift Boat Moms for Truth, there will be a countering Falluja Moms for Truth."

"Selectively humane, Mr. Bush justified his Iraq war by stressing the 9/11 losses. He emphasized the humanity of the Iraqis who desire freedom when his W.M.D. rationale vaporized. But his humanitarianism will remain inhumane as long as he fails to understand that the moral authority of parents who bury children killed in Iraq is absolute. "

So Much To Tell, So Little Time

I hate when work makes me too busy to blog! Most of you don't realize how ironic this statement really is. I've been in a funk the last couple days because of my job and how unchallenging it is. I really feel stuck in a go nowhere position that I am being wasted in. Ugh. Before you jump all over me, I have been taking steps the past two days to make changes to this. Anyway, back to my original thought. There has been a lot going on while I've been gone from the blog:

• Spent a three day weekend visiting in North Carolina at Paul's dad's. Stories to follow include Amtrak ride from hell, sailing, best pork chop ever.
• Drinks with Heather last night.
• Yet another pregnant high school friend (actually his wife).
• The boot saga continues.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

In an effort to bring cheer to my really crappy day, my co-worker and friend Stephanie pointed met to the above site. Ah Josh, you wacky, cynical comic-lover you. How you amuse me!

It Came From His Pants

After a brutal round of physical therapy yesterday (if my ankle had an ass it would've been kicked) I went to the Nats v. Dodgers game with Katie. I was looking forward to it for two reasons. 1 - I am not a Dodger fan so it would have been doubly nice to see the Nats win over them. 2 - Katie just got back from 3 weeks in Qatar and I was excited about catching up with her. Well, the Nats lost unfortunately but the 8th inning was some of the best baseball I've seen.

The most exciting thing, however, was during the sixth (?) inning when I looked over and saw a humongous spider crawling up the pant leg of the guy sitting next to Katie. All I could muster was an "eh...Katie...." and a pointing finger. She did the same sort of thing to the guy who then brushed off the spider to the floor with the intent of stomping on it. Unfortunately, it was the same color of the peanut shells underneath his seat. We spent the rest of the game feeling like we had crawly things on us. I leaned over to Katie and asked "Where could it have come from?". Her reply above.

Do Over

Can I get a do over for the week? It is just plain sad that I want to crawl back into bed until this week is over and it is only Tuesday. I went to the dentist to get a cap put on. It is a simple 15 minute procedure. When the cap fits. Mine didn't. So I was there for an hour and a half. The hygienist they had working on me must have never worked on a patient before ever. He had to fit me 3 times before it worked. I hate him. The corners of my mouth are chaffed and I have a cut on the back of my jaw. I hate him. Oh wait, it gets better. The TV above the chair was on. Regis and Kelly had The Wiggles on. For those of you not familiar, they are a musical group for children who tend to repeat the same four - six words for three minutes and call it a song. They did two of these catchy numbers. Then, as if that weren't bad enough, next up on the ABC lineup was an infomercial/telethon for Saint Jude's children's hospital. So I got to sit there, my mouth hurting, "hygienist" guy spilling Listerine on me, telling myself that I could have it worse, I could be one of the children I was watching dying on television. Man I am done with this week. Really, really looking forward to going down to Paul's dad's for the weekend.

Today Will Be a Good Day

After an emotionally exhausting day yesterday, I have made the decision that no matter what, today will be a good day. I am leaving now for a dentist appointment, working until 4:45, heading to physical therapy, then going to the Nats game with my good friend Katie. I won't tempt fate by asking how could it go bad.....I will just look forward to what the day has in store for me.

I Had To Laugh

As much love as I have for my dear Aquaman, I had to laugh at this website. The guy really is clever even if he obviously has WAAAAAY too much time on his hands. Thanks Mark for finding this for me :)

Tick Tock You Don't Stop

Most of you are fortunate enough to not have any exposure to Color Me Badd. No, that isn't a typo, they really do spell it that way. I, on the other hand, was forced to listen to them my freshman year of college. One of our suitemates Pam, geeze I haven't thought of her in years, was obsessed with CMB. We're talking standing outside their hotel in the rain and waiting to meet them obsessed. It is a bit fuzzy (it has been 14 years - cut me some slack) but I'm pretty sure she met them at some point. Regardless, I was watching VH-1 last night (wow, I really AM old) and they had the 40 Most Awesomely Bad Dirrty Songs....Ever. CMB did not let me down. I Wanna Sex You Up was second only to Physical by Olivia Newton John. For the complete list click above. In spite of the incredible awfulness that was CMB I have some really good, no make that great, memories of times with those songs in the background. Even considering the badness that happened that year (not least of which was seeing a new friend's lifeless body after he'd been in a motorcycle crash) it really was filled with so many great times and memories. I wish I was still in contact with some of those people.

I Gotta Tell Ya....

Happy kitten stories make everything better. I'm such a sap.

I Am Far Too Old For This Type of Behavior

Precursor to story: Even though I started the day thinking I was going to stop seeing Paul, he and I talked about some stuff this morning and the things that have been bothering me about both of us should change. We shall see - I hope so. I kinda like the guy.

Okay, so I've been kinda unhappy with things with Paul for a bit now. I admit, some of it is my fault and I've been avoiding a real discussion with him about it because we have a lot of things coming up that we have committed to. Friday night kinda pushed me over the edge and I wasn't really looking forward to going out with him, his friend and his friend's girlfriend Saturday night. He kept pushing back the time to meet and got crabby with me when I asked questions about what the plans were. So I did something really, really stupid and went out for drinks and dinner with this guy Daniel who over the course of the last year has been trying to get me to go out with him in a more than friend kind of way. Not that I did anything untoward or gave Daniel the wrong impression at all. He knows I am dating Paul and I was very clear it was just two friends hanging out. I just needed to be around someone who was obvious in his attraction to me and desire to spend time with me for a bit of an ego boost. Look, I never said I was mature, okay?

Anyway, Daniel and I had a great time hanging out which put me in a much better mood. I cabbed over to Paul's and his friend & gf arrived a short time later. I ended up having a pretty good time. I had never met them before and they turned out to be a great couple. One of those couples you look at and are happy that they are so happy with each other and don't hate even though they are super cute and in love. Really fun people. Well, over the course of the evening I drank way more than I should have. Turns out drinking for about 6 hours is not a good idea. So stupid. I ended up getting a bit sick and felt like crap all day yesterday. The irony here is that I would have been fine if I hadn't met up with Daniel. Talk about instant karma.

I Spoke Too Soon

Friday, a mere half hour after posting how my day had flown by in a good busy sort of way I got bad busy - 4:59 on a Friday let's decide to create and send out four press releases to media lists we haven't created bad busy. It was awful. We ended up getting out of here around 7:15 so I headed straight to the sports bar to meet Paul who, it turns out, was also reeling from a stressful day/week/undetermined amount of time. So we weren't the most fun people to be around. We ate, had some beers, watched some baseball and then decided to go see The Island. I thought it was awful, Paul enjoyed it. I would have thought it was an alright movie, but the really crappy, sappy, lame ending put it over the "wow this is two + hours of my life I will never, ever get back" line. We both really should have just gone home.

Oh My God It Is 4:04

Where did my day go? I can't believe it is almost over. Yay! It has been one of those days that started off well and continued to go that way. I've been super busy, but it has been a really good busy so I will refrain from complaining. Looking forward to the weekend - hopefully my adventures will create some fun stories for y'all.

What's the Matter With Kansas?

I'm reading the book What's the Matter With Kansas - How Conservatives Won the Heart of America by Thomas Frank right now. It is quite the entertaining read focused around the supposition that it is self-defeating for middle america red states to vote so solidly Republican. He goes through the history of the state from its start as a haven for radical liberals to the uber-conservative state it is today. So when I received an email from my dear friend and soon to be former co-worker Niki with the subject "Just something else that's wrong with Kansas" I was intrigued. And then I became sickened by the article (click on title above). Turns out you can marry a 14 year old boy or 12 year old girl in Kansas as long as there is parental consent. WHAT?!?!? How is that okay? This just gives more backing to my "you should need a license to have children" movement.

Dictator or Sit-Com Star?

This is mindless fun for a couple minutes. Enjoy!

More Jersey

You know how there are just some songs and occasionally cds that just speak to your current frame of mind or circumstances you are going through? Okay, maybe you don't have that connection to music, but I do and right now I can't stop listening to the Garden State soundtrack (especially Track 3 above). It is just that good. I re-watched the movie about a week and a half ago and it was just as good the third time around. It also reminded me of how much I enjoyed the music so I popped the cd into my iTunes and haven't really listened to anything else the last few days. It's calming, relaxing and thought-provoking all at once. I'm done - just promise you'll check it out sometime.

Winning the War on Terror One Kick at a Time

During kickball season we receive Ghost Man on Third which is our weekly newsletter for goings-on in the kickball world. Every week has a top ten and this week's was so great I had to share.

7. KICKBALL IN IRAQ ...

WAKA has launched a kickball division in Iraq -- the Fallujah Semper Fidelis Division. If you don't believe us, check out the following website for proof:
http://www.worldkickball.com/fallujahsemperfidelis/

News that the Marines in Fallujah would be playing kickball got us to wondering: How might kickball in the military be different from our flavor of kickball? We investigated. Here's what we discovered:

Top 10 Ways Kickball Is Different In the Military:

10. Four-woman rule means Honeycutt, Esposito, Carter, and Pyle sometimes have to "pull a Klinger."
9. Pitching rule exception made for squat-thrust technique.
8. "Boo!" replaced with "Drop and give me 50, maggot!"
7. Team leader Sgt. Slaughter gets total head rush when players refer to him as "captain."
6. Spit-shined equipment. (Head-ref has to be able to see his frikkin' reflection in that damn kickball before play can begin, you piece of crap!)
5. "Kicked in the privates" not what you think it means.
4. The Humvee Drivers -- when not AWOL -- always complaining about combat cleats ruining their pedicures.
3. Park Police not the only ones with weapons now, huh? Huh?! How do you like that?!
2. MP Week at Kelly's Iraqi Times always puts MPs in an awkward position.
And the No. 1 way that kickball is different in the military ...
1. No ghost enlisted men allowed.

All jokes aside, Ghost Man salutes our uniformed personnel overseas for their bravery and their perseverance, and we wish them a safe and swift return to U.S. soil.


God bless these shorts.

Spalding Tattoo

I was watching the Sox game last night without Paul - I think the illness is contagious. Granted, I was flipping (there is still hope) and was shocked when I flipped back to the game to see Clement draped on the pitching mound with 10 people around him. Of course this was the one time the announcers had nothing to say so it took a good five minutes of staring at the screen before I found out what happened. I do give the network credit - they warned viewers before replaying the clip of Clement getting nailed in the head by the ball. Unlike the Today show Monday when they kept replaying the video of the woman diver hitting her head on the diving board. Or Monday Night Football about seven years ago (yes, I was that scarred) when they seemed to have the footage of the linebacker (for the Steelers I think?) getting hit and breaking his leg on a constant loop.

Sigh

Ugh. Why are relationships such work? It seems like it would be easy. Two people like each other. Two people spend time with each other and enjoy one another's company. Where does it become difficult? Communication I think. Everyone has their own style of communication and when those two styles don't mix it can be really bad. Some like to talk a lot, some don't like to talk at all and then there are those in the middle. I am usually middle of the road but lately I've been wanting to talk a lot and I don't know what to do with myself. I'm not an over-analyzer, I'm usually really good with go-with-the-flow, let's see what happens situations, and am hardly ever insecure in relationships.

This thing with Paul is different and I am not sure why. Maybe it's because this is the first relationship I've taken seriously for a good 6 years. Maybe it's because I'm older and don't want to waste time (or his) if this is something that is just going to be fun. I've been in the "let's just have fun and then go our separate ways" relationships. They have their place but I've outgrown them. I'm not saying I want to get married anytime soon, far from it. I just really need to figure out a bunch of crap before I go down that road. I don't look at him and think "this man is going to be the father of my children" or write my name with his last or think about marriage with him at all at this point. It's still far too new. I guess I just want to know if he sees this going somewhere or if it's just a filler. God, that's awful. I am going to go to physical therapy, go home, take a bath, drink a glass of wine and relax. This is ridiculous. I need more to do.

Penguins, Cops and Copters

After a very miserable, boring day spent on my couch elevating my ankle (no it isn't getting better, but thanks so much for asking!) I was restless and going crazy. Jim and I haven't seen each other for a few weeks so when he called to see what I was doing, I jumped at the chance to go out. We decided to do dinner and a movie. He mentioned March of the Penguins and I jumped all over it. Feeling sorry for me, he agreed, but spent the better part of the evening trying to convince me to see something else (Hustle and Flow) that I do want to see, but it looks depressing and he and I have a tendency to see sad movies so I won out. Don't feel pain for him - his remark as we left was "Wow, that was excellent".

He drove me home like the gentleman he can be and we saw about 30 police cars on and blocking the street below mine. Then after I got in my house, promptly locking the door behind me, I heard a police helicopter patrolling the area. The scary part? Jim and I saying "Oh, someone must have been shot" and continuing about our business. When did I become a person used to gun violence?

Internet Porn

Agie, a friend of ours and I went to dinner Friday night after work. We went to this Irish pub in Bethesda and were dismayed to find no table for us to sit at in the bar. So we shared one with three guys who proved to be, ahem, entertaining to say the least. We weren't being too social with them at first but when one of them got left at the table while the other two went outside he struck up a conversation with us about Broadway shows. I know. It gets odder. The other two come back and join in the conversation (it had since moved on from NYC) and ask us what we do. Somehow my mouth uttered "internet porn". I am going to blame it on the drugs I am taking for my ankle. It digressed from there and thankfully they left pretty soon after. At least the food and beer was good.

Post Secret

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail-in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. Some are funny, some are disturbing and some will make you think "I am so glad someone else feels that way".

My Own Personal Oompa Loompa

There were quite a few memorable moments from our event last night. Two of my favorite:

The staffer who came in and acted like he owned the place, this after asking where the cash machine was. He then came back and asked where his friends ("our entire office was invited") could put their luggage when they arrived. Um, hello....it is a residence, not a hotel. Oh, and his entire office wasn't invited. The Congressman was, not his interns. Sigh. Hillies.

There was an odd little French man who kept wandering the party. He was about 5'2", roundish with white shoulder length wavy hair. He walked up to me at one point and said "As soon as you are out of that (pointing at my boot) you and me, we will go out". Um okay stranger. Turns out he is Georges DeParis, tailor of the US Presidents dating back to LBJ. He was quite charming and entertaining and if he wasn't old enough to be my grandfather I would take him up on that dinner date.

Ouch

Our event last night was a smashing sucess. Everyone had a fantastic time, the Ambassador was happy and we didn't have to kick anyone out. Unfortunately, standing on my ankle for over four hours didn't agree with it. My leg is pretty much numb from my knee down. And where it isn't numb it hurts like hell. I really should go home, but it is already after four and I'm meeting Paul down the street from my office at 6:30. It just makes more sense to suck it up and stick it out. Ugh.

Inside Voice Plan B, Inside Voice

And by inside I mean inside my head. I'm wearing a top today that I wouldn't normally wear into the office. We have an event this evening and I just didn't feel like bringing extra clothes into the office with me so my shirt is not-quite-but-borderline office inappropriate. It's just a little more low-cut and flouncy than I would prefer. Nothing scandalous by any means. Moving on. My boss came into my office first thing this morning with a huge smile on his face and said "nice boot". Well what I heard and said out loud was "nice boob". I don't know that I have ever turned that red in my entire life.

Cautiously Optimistic

I am hoping John G. Roberts is a man who is able to set aside his personal beliefs and let the law and precedents guide his rulings. We shall see. Otherwise it is going to be a very long 35 years.

P.S. to Newark

Heather reminded me this morning of another part of her Jersey saga. At one point the plane had to taxi back to the gate because it ran out of fuel. She finally arrived home a bit after 8 last night and is bright eyed and bushy tailed this morning.

At Least I'm Not in Newark

I've had a pretty bad day. Work is nuts because we're getting ready for this huge event at the French Ambassador's residence tomorrow evening. The event itself will be really fun, there will be dignitaries and members of Congress there and the residence is absolutely stunning, not to mention ginormous. It's just a lot of work. Add to that my boss' incredibly annoying habit of waiting to the last minute to do things that could have been done way in advance and you've got a surly Plan B. On top of work, I'm really bummed at the prospect of not seeing a lot or any of Paul in the next month, my ankle is still really bothering me, we unintentionally went to the Serbian Embassy instead of the Ambassador's residence, and it's beyond oppressively hot here in D.C.. It's just awful. Not as awful as my poor friend Heather's day.

She's been traveling internationally for work an enormous amount of time the last couple months. She was in Geneva last week, from there to Italy (that one was for fun), then from Italy she was headed to Mexico for more work. The Mexicans moved the meeting to next week so she was looking forward to getting back and spending this week in DC.

The gods are against her. I got these two text messages at 5 pm today:

1. "I'm back ok only kinda im n the us only prob is ive been locked in a plane since 2 on the tarmat we arent leaving until at least after 530 yes n the plane"

2. "stop the madness i just want off the plane hg"

So I called to chat her down off the ledge and turns out she flew out of Paris this morning at 1 am our time and hasn't stopped since. The poor thing. She should be landing any time now, but way out at Dulles which means she won't get home until close to 9. My day will never, ever be that bad.

I'm Sad

Paul is working almost every weekend between now and September. And the one weekend in August he isn't working isn't my birthday weekend which I guess doesn't matter because he won't be here that weekend anyway. Sigh. It sucks liking someone.

Evidently, Not That Friendly

This is somehow better than "The stars fell on Alabama" plate I saw today, but really.....a smiley face on the license plate?

Turns out I AM Perfect

So I guess Paul has been fooled by my jello-sweet exterior.


You are Rosy Perfection Salad!! Though your name
may be innocent and cheerful, your jello-sweet
exterior hides a foul, sinister core.

What Weight Watchers recipe card from 1974 are you?

Don't Drink Don't Smoke

What do you do? Subtle inuendos follow, must be something inside.

I discovered yesterday that my not-quite-a-boyfriend Paul thinks I'm a goody good. I'll give you time to contain your laughter and shouts of "Has he met you?"....enough time? Have you composed yourselves sufficiently for me to go on? Okay, take your time. I'll be here all day.

How to Lose Weight Without Even Trying

Ah the '70s. Such a great decade. Things the '70s brought to the world: Hong Kong Phooey, Schoolhouse Rock, Saturday Night Fever, Rocky, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, and most importantly me. There were fad diets galore, but none surpass this incarnation of Weight Watchers. These cards are frightful. I do believe the creators set about a way to create anorexics the world over by offering these recipes as a motivator to not eat and therefore shed the pounds like excess winter clothing in July.

Homegrown

If possible, my opinion of Katie Couric as a journalist (and I am using the term loosely) sank lower this morning. She began the piece with an opening along the lines of "In light of the recent discovery that the bombings in London were the result of homegrown terrorists, many Americans are asking 'could this happen here in the U.S.?'". Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't it happen in April of 1995 when Timothy McVeigh et al bombed the Federal building in Oklahoma City? Just checking.

I've Been Given the Boot

Sigh. I went to the orthopedist today wearing two shoes and came back wearing one of those and one of the ones in the link above. At least mine is all black, which in addition to being quite practical and matching everything is rather slimming. Oh, and that crap about it offering superior comfort? Yeah, no. So, I'm in the boot for three weeks, physical therapy for four. I have to go back to the doc a week from Monday to review the x-rays. If the ankle is not feeling better I will have to get an MRI. Woo hoo.

Dove Ads Should be Worldwide

Evidently, armed, masked gunmen stole approximately 400 breast implants in Brazil. I got a bit of a chuckle out of this story this morning until I read the entire article. Risk of gangrene or death from botched, illegal surgery? Why don't more women like themselves enough to be comfortable with what God (or whatever you belive in) gave them? Surgery is not fun. I will never comprehend why people get elective surgery.

Thank God for Hockey

Now if only DC had a good hockey team....

Shuttlebut

So no shuttle launch due to a faulty fuel sensor. This is in addition to a cover falling off earlier and damaging a couple tiles on the shuttle. Am I alone in being nervous about this?

Almost as Horrifying as the Cats Story

Ah, good old Senator Santorum. His book "It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good" was recently released to less than glowing Amazon.com reviews. Thanks Randall.

I've Learned My Lesson

About a year ago, maybe more, I was at dinner with some friends in a Japanese restaurant. We were having a good time, eating sushi, drinking saki and Sapporo when we heard a clatter and saw the waitress had dropped a tray carrying water glasses. When she was done cleaning it up, I walked by to go to the restroom and somehow managed to find the one small puddle she had missed. Wearing flippers which are not well known for their traction, I slipped and landed on my backside with my left leg underneath me. Having had some drinks, it didn't really hurt all that much at the time and I got up, went to the restroom and then went to the movie with my friends.

The next day was a different story. I couldn't really bend it, but I could put some weight on it, so I wrapped it up, wrote it off as a bad sprain and moved on hobbling for the next 3 - 4 days. It has bothered me off and on over the months but I haven't given it much thought. I've had bad knees/arthritis since high school so annoying pain in my legs is something I am used to. Well, I've started running again. Let me amend that. I have begun to jog/walk with the pipe dream of running again. As a result my ankle pain has been getting out of hand. On the way home yesterday my left leg from the knee down was numb. Not being a complete idiot, I got in to see the doctor today and was told after x-rays that the tendon going from my ankle up my leg is almost three times the size it should be. So I am off to an orthopedic surgeon Thursday, not for surgery but for physical therapy.....hopefully.

Let this be a lesson to all you "oh, it's just a sprain" people.

What is Wrong With These People?

Call me a bleeding heart, liberal tree-hugger all you will, but I read this story and almost gagged. I have no tolerance for animal suffering of any kind. I almost left Jurassic Park 3 (maybe 2 - I can't remember which awful movie it was) when they were hunting and wrangling up the dinosaurs because they looked so unhappy. Mock away.

You Had Me At Dave Navarro

Dammit. I've been sucked into another show. I really am a weak person. I tried not to watch. Honestly. But I caved because of my love for INXS. I was never a Michael Hutchins girl. My favorite was and always will be the drummer (I have a weakness for them) Jon Farriss. So I watched the first couple minutes thinking I would turn the channel if it was awful. And then came Dave Navarro and I was sold. The guy is a fantastic musician and a pretty fun guy to watch. Plus, the singers auditioning are actually, surprisingly good. Poor Paul. He has no idea I'm going to make him watch it tonight. Before you feel sorry for the guy - just know I will be made to watch Battlestar Galactica when new episodes start airing soon. Ugh.

Friday Night Debacle

It wasn't really a debacle per se, I just love to use that word. Paul's brother, sister-in-law, two nieces and dad were coming up to Baltimore Friday for the Sox game Saturday so I worked a 1/2 day Friday with the plan being to meet Paul and his dad at Paul's and then the three of us would drive up to Baltimore and have dinner with the rest of the family. We left a bit later than we wanted (about 3:45) and hit the road thinking it would take us longer than the usual hour to BWI. Longer turned out to be an almost 4 hour drive. It was awful. There was a sinkhole on the BW Parkway which is the road we needed to be on. This made everyone take the 95, the only other road we could take. Again, it was awful. I tried to keep looking on the bright side - at least I wasn't stuck in a car with people I couldn't stand; at least we had a/c; at least we were listening to good music - but man it was tough. I feel awful for Paul's dad - he had driven up from South Carolina that morning. We finally hit BWI and had dinner with his family which was a very pleasant time. His nieces are two of the prettiest children I've ever seen and very well behaved. They absolutely adore him too. Very cute.

So, after the short visit Paul and his dad dropped me off at the train station so I could catch the 10:30 train back to DC. For those of you smart folks, yes I actually spent more time getting to Baltimore than I spent there. 1/2 hour train ride later I was in DC and on my way home where I had a great night's sleep to start the most relaxing weekend ever.

Dy-no-mite!

I had a relaxing weekend at home after the debacle of Friday night (story to follow). While I was putting away groceries I flipped to MTV for some light, summer entertainment. What should I happen upon but the Best Show Evah! Okay, totally not the BSE but pretty fricken awesome. Or should I say groovy? I was a bit leery of MTV's The 70's House at first - c'mon it is MTV. They don't have a sterling reputation for producing quality television - but I watched anyway hoping for maybe a minute of fun. The looks on the kids' faces as they realized they were going to be living the Brady Bunch instead of the Real World were priceless. Then came the moment they found out they had to surrender all things not '70s... .iPods, laptops, cell phones, beauty products, then the wardrobe. Then, the capper which now has me wanting to watch more - everytime a bell rings, they have to do the Hustle regardless of what they're doing be it playing Pong, showering or sleeping. In the immortal words of JJ Walker, this show is "DY-NO-MITE!!!"

It's Official

Mark is my mortal enemy. He got John Denver in my head the bastard.

I Pity the Fool

I have had the theme to the A-Team in my head all morning. It's all the Express' fault. I read this "T Time - Two collectors pity the fools who get in their way - when it comes to amassing Mr. T memorabilia." Every time I managed to get it out of my head for some reason it popped back in. Maybe it was the police officers leaning against their cars at every Metro station. Or perhaps it was the big armored police vans outside of Metro Center. I don't know - but man did I feel safe riding the metro this morning.

Wedding Crashers

I am sitting here at my desk going into my eleventh hour at work with no food save two apples and a trail mix bar. I put my flippers on at 12:30 with every intention of going out to get food and haven't stopped since. I am now waiting for my jackhole of a boss (he's been good, just showing his ass today as Paul would say) to okay something so I can leave. I've decided to take this time to surf the net a bit and came across the soundtrack for Wedding Crashers. It rocks. It rocks so much that it has made me want to see the movie that much more. Rilo Kiley, Death Cab for Cutie, Guster, Spoon, Bloc Party, The Flaming Lips, I could go on, but I must go work. Click on the link to hear snippets.

Sunday in Murlynd

Jim and I have been jonesing for Red Robin steak fries for a couple weeks now. I haven't been to a RR for a good 8 years or so, Jim probably about 2. We haven't spent quality time together recently so we decided a road trip was in order. Sunday we drove out to Maryland (pronounced Murlynd if you live there) and had a delightful lunch. It was worth the 1/2 hour drive to have some strawberry lemonade and fresh, hot steak fries. We've decided to make it a quarterly outing. If you'd like to find your own RR, click above and enjoy.

And because that wasn't enough suburban Maryland life for me, I went to a co-worker's bbq that evening with Agie. It was a trek, but worth it because he and his wife were so happy to see us. They are a really nice couple. Some bbq, margaritas and the end of an extra-innings Nats victory later we were on our way home to the bustling metropolis of DC. On my way home from the metro I saw the drug dealers and prostitutes coming out to stake their corners for the evening. It was good to be back in the city.

Open Mouth, Insert Foot Part Dos

Saturday night Paul and I watched "Closer". It was a good movie, but awful and gut-wrenching in some scenes if you have ever cheated or been cheated on. One of the main characters has the name of my brother, who happens to be the IV.

Paul: "Who would name their son 'brother of Plan B'?"
Plan B: "I don't know. Why don't I ask my parents? Or grandparents? Or great-grandparents? Or maybe my great-great grandparents would know."

As much as I adore Paul, he can be an idiot.

Friday/ Most of Saturday

Weekend was bueno. We got let out of our office cages at 1 pm and amazingly, most of us were able to actually leave close to 1 which almost never happens. Stephanie has 2/3 of my old bed frame at her house and we thought the last third (headboard) would fit in Agie's SUV. Yeah, we were wrong. So we went to a late lunch at a new restaurant by my house, dropped Stephanie off at the metro and then Agie and I tooled around Chinatown for a bit before I went to meet Paul to watch the Sox game (really, what else would I do on a Friday night of a holiday weekend?). We had a nice time at the bah watching the game then headed our separate ways for homes.

Saturday I was supposed to meet Agie and Renee at the Smithsonian metro at 11 am to take in the folk life festival. Paul was going to meet us a little later for lunch and then a movie and dinner with me. I was running late (left my house at 10 to 11) so I hopped in a cab so that the girls wouldn't be standing around for 40 minutes waiting for me. Little did I know they were running late as well. I ended up standing in the sun with strange children touching me (it was very odd) putting me in a crabby mood. So when they called to say they were getting on the metro at 11:25, I decided to bail to meet Paul at his house. I couldn't get hold of him, so I headed to the office and worked for a bit (so sad, working on a Saturday - but it gave me time today to do this). Paul and I met up at 2, walked to Chinatown and grabbed some Chipotle. Agie and Renee met up with us there and we all went to see "War of the Worlds". Despite wanting Dakota Fanning to die a quick, silent death (I would have preferred a long, painful one but that would mean she would keep screeching at levels not quite high enough for only dogs to hear) and randomly thinking "I wonder how crazy Tom Cruise will get before his career completely implodes", the movie was pretty entertaining. An unexpected appearance by Tim Robbins making some very obvious political comments was a treat.

After the movie, we walked around Chinatown shopping here and there (Agie wanted to go to Urban Outfitters, Paul wanted shoes so he could start using the skateboard I got him) and then Paul and I went to his house to cook dinner. I must say I am pretty damn good in the kitchen. Paul wanted pesto with shrimp and pasta. We get to the market and he says "you're going to make it fresh, right?" Who am I to say no? It's just basil, nuts, cheese, garlic and oil. How difficult can it be? Very if you don't have a food processor. Turns out you can make pesto in a blender. Who knew? Well, other than McGuyver.

Another Reason to Move to Canada

Sandra Day O'Connor is retiring.

"I'm Going to Eat the Fat Bitch"

My boss got a fruit basket this morning. Given that he is out of the office until Tuesday I've busted into it much to the delight of my coworkers. Agie came in and grabbed a banana and some grapes. Niki walked by came in and grabbed a pear and a plum. Looking at the pear we commented on what a nice looking pear it was. Her reply "It's dimply". Me "Don't hate the pear because it is fat". Niki - see above title.

It Ain't Easy Being Green

You are Kermit the Frog.You are reliable, responsible and caring. And you
have a habit of waving your arms about
maniacally.
FAVORITE EXPRESSIONS:"Hi ho!" "Yaaay!" and "Sheesh!"
FAVORITE MOVIE:"How Green Was My Mother"
LAST BOOK READ:"Surfin' the Webfoot: A Frog's Guide to the Internet"
HOBBIES:Sitting in the swamp playing banjo.
QUOTE:"Hmm, my banjo is wet."

What Muppet are you?