Books, Crowds and Comb-overs

I was riding the metro today, furiously trying to finish my book for book club tomorrow. The book is The Shadow of the Wind and I am on page 199 out of 486. Before chuckling "she's screwed" know this - I read very quickly with great comprehension, the book is a fantastic read, and I was only on page 71 yesterday morning so I'm in pretty good shape to finish before tomorrow night as long as Paul doesn't mind me reading some tonight during the Sox game. Moving on. I decided to take the longer ride to work today since I have all the reading to get done. The trains were crowded so I stood near the end of the car in one of the little alcoves so that I would be out of the way of those getting on and off the train. My position gave me an advantageous view of a gentleman across the aisle with one of the most interesting comb-overs I have ever seen. As is typical of most c-os, he had a very low side part. The interesting part was how very thick and pretty his hair was, minus that one small balding spot on the back of his head. The beauty is I would never have looked up from my book had he not grabbed my attention by looking up at me, checking me out, then self-conciously patting his balding spot.

Boys are Dumb - Throw Rocks at Them

There is something in the air today. And it's not just DC. Boys everywhere are behaving like idiots. No less than three women I know have had their feelings hurt today by the men they are dating, myself included. We are all smart, professional, attractive, self-assured, independent women, IMHO. We all know there are times we have a tendency to overreact and get too emotional about things. We also know that men can be very insensitive (most of the time not intentionally) and well, daft for lack of a better word. We will all get over whatever was done to hurt our feelings (minor in my case, major in others), some of us already have. We are not the types to hold grudges. But if you hurt someone's feelings, you should try to understand why so you don't do it again if you care or will grow to care, at all for that person. And even if you don't understand, you should apologize because something you did, whether intentional or not, hurt them however slightly. It's really that simple.

As an aside, I still think Paul rocks. Just not that much today.

Paul Rocks

It was a lovely evening when I left the office last night so I decided to walk home, hitting Whole Foods on the way. I called my mom to chat and catch up which I've been meaning to do for about a week now. She recently moved to the East Siiide and I wanted to give her time to settle in, find a job, a place to live, etc before calling her. Turns out she's going to be working in Quincy (pronounced Quinzee to you out of Massachusettsers) which is South of Boston and the area a lot of Paul's family is from. Interesting coincidence. Nice to know there are resources for my mother if she ever needs a dry cleaner or florist. I mentioned this to my mom and she was so good. She didn't ask a lot of questions about Paul (only second time I've mentioned him to mom) so my brother probably got hit with them when he got home (she's staying with them while she gets settled). It's understandable. I rarely talk to my family about people I date. That's mostly due to me not dating anyone longer than a month or so, but I am very cautious mentioning people to my parents. Hopefully my mother knows me well enough to not start planning the wedding.

So, I got home, started dinner (yummy pork roast and potatoes), worked out and then thought about continuing to defrost my freezer. I started a bit this weekend and gave up after 20 frustrating minutes. It's really bad. About 1/2 of it is frosted over. In my defense I almost never use it. I really don't enjoy frozen food, rarely keep ice cream in my house and don't really use ice. Anyway, Paul was kind enough to take it upon himself to defrost it for me without me asking. I heard sounds from the kitchen and peeked my head in to find him boiling water and hacking at the iceberg that is (or should I say was) my freezer. A little over an hour later I found out my freezer is actually made of metal, not white frosty ice stuff. He even did the dishes from dinner. I really lucked out with him. And to think, I almost cancelled our first date. I'm very glad I didn't. I think I'll keep him around awhile :)

Things Thrown in the Potomac River

Every year volunteers gather to dredge and clean the mighty Potomac. And every year weird sh*t is found. This year's 17th annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup was no exception. Over 186 tons of garbage were yanked from the river, among which were 43 shoes, 3 weed wackers, 3 tricycles, 2 pornos, 2 bongs and a full keg of beer, $50 in dinara (currency of Bosnia), a bowling pin, a drawer from a cash register, a boogie board (what?), the grill from a police cruiser, a Kawasaki motorcycle, a plastic horse head and a rocking horse, and a Civil War-era sword in its sheath. Makes you wonder what they don't find.

A Really Great Weekend

After being stuck at work late Friday (made up for by my boss giving me a taste of a really good, really expensive scotch) Paul came over around 9. It was really nice to have an evening in. I made dinner, we hung out and then watched some of Arrested Development Season 1. It really is a great, underwatched show - check it out if you haven't. He left around 12:30 and I went straight to bed where I slept soundly for the first time in awhile.

I had every intention of going to the office Saturday to get caught up on some work. I did a bit of shopping then realized it was later than I thought so I hopped on the metro to get home and get ready for my date with Paul. Everything was great until my hairdryer broke while my hair was still sopping wet. Ugh. Our plans were to go see a friend's band then head to a late dinner. Kenin didn't start playing until around 8:30 and it would have been stressful to get to the restaurant in Arlington by 10 so we scrapped those plans and went to meet Paul's friend at her rugby happy hour. Too bad Paul couldn't remember the name or location of the bar. After about 20 minutes of a very nice cabbie driving us around, we gave up and had him drop us off by a restaurant for some food. We asked the door man there if he knew of a place called the 4th or 5th Column (which Paul kept insisting was the right name). Turns out the bar is the 4th Estate and was just down the street from where we were. How fortuitous. So we hoofed it over there, had a couple beers with the friend and her sister (who are both wonderful) and then went to my house for late night pizza.

Sunday morning Paul and I had breakfast and then left to run some errands before his family got into town. We got to the sporting goods store a little bit before they opened so I suggested going to Starbucks to get a warm beverage (it's been pretty cold lately). Paul has never been to Starbucks......nor has he ever had tea. Who is this guy? So he got his hot chocolate, I got my cider and we settled in at a window table for 15 minutes. We went to City Sports so Paul could get some more baseball caps and I picked up a yoga mat and body ball. Then we headed to the bookstore for a bit. It was really nice tooling around the morning with him. It's been awhile since we've just hung out with nowhere to be. I really enjoy him. He's a great guy. We then went our separate ways with plans to meet up later for dinner with his father, aunt and uncle. I stopped by the store to buy a new hairdryer (thank God it happened Saturday and not Sunday) then got a mani/pedi to relax further. It was a really great Sunday.

Paul and his family came by and picked me up for dinner. They are delightful. Dinner was so much fun. Paul's friend Jorge also joined us at the restaurant. It was nice to spend a bit more time with him as well as get to know Paul's family. His dad and uncle are a hoot and his aunt is lovely. Such a nice woman and they were all very friendly. Plus, they love to tease Paul which was fun for me since he insisted on telling the story of getting locked out of my house late that one night. Slightly embarrassing since even a fool could deduce the reason for his visit. But not quite as embarrassing as him referring to me as not "the flavor of the week". Why does he say these things in front of me? The man has no filter. They very nicely dropped me off at home where Paul's dad turned to him and said he'd wait for Paul to walk me to my door and say goodbye (very sweet, plus I got to kiss Paul good night which is always nice). As I was getting out of the car, I thanked his father again for dinner and wished them all a safe trip back home. His aunt placed her hand on mine and said it was very nice to meet me and that hopefully we'd meet again to which I replied "I would like that". Then she kissed me on the cheek goodbye. She's a sweetheart.

All in all a relaxing, fun weekend.

Aquaman Rules

Ahhh Mark. He's really like a second brother to me (that is meant not as an insult but as a high compliment. I love and respect my brother dearly). Over the years in my relationship with my friend Mark (notice the absence of quotes) some constants have formed. Most of them are positive. Take for instance our friendly, light hearted banter, our shared love of music. Then there's the everlasting Aquaman debate. I admit it - he was my favorite Super Friend growing up. He got to hang out with various oceanic creatures, swam all day, didn't need weapons per se, was hot - what more could a young Southern California girl want from a superhero? Batman had Robin, Superman was so obvious, the WonderTwins' only redeeming quality was Gleek (?) their pet monkey. Mark once sent a pages-long diatribe on how awful Aquaman is. Mark will never, ever give up bashing Aquaman....ever. Today he has tried to kill my love for Aquaman by saying Crapman would be a better superhero. While mildly amusing, it hurts. But not as much as knowing they are now drawing Aquaman with a hook for one hand. That's just wrong. Almost as wrong as a grown, married lawyer man watching the new Justice League cartoons.

O'Reilly of the Caribbean

Bill O'Reilly makes me laugh.

Now one would think that since the media frenzy over his settlement with a former producer regarding sexually explicit phone calls (see link below) has died down, Mr. O'Reilly would want to stay away from any mention of him and the Caribbean. But no. I wonder if it is sheer idiocy that makes him do these things or rather the faith in the Teflon coating that most DC Republicans seem to have been doused with (see: Tom, Dick, George, John, et al).

From his website: "Time now for "Most Ridiculous Item of the Day"... Because we do the "Radio Factor" at noon and the TV "Factor" at night, I don't have time to do many personal appearances anymore. --I can't even do book signings. But the Thomas More Law Center, --the anti-ACLU-- has asked me to do a couple of lectures next November on a ship sailing the Caribbean. Now, I'm thinking about it if the interest is there. So if you are interested in checking the possibility out, please go to billoreilly.com for information. If those lectures happen on the ship, there is one rule, however. No throwing me overboard. That would be ridiculous. I am taking a risk here if I get on a ship!"

I wonder if he'll be taking his loofa and falafel with him on the cruise.....

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1013043mackris16.html

Paul Sucks

So I've been having trouble waking up the past few days, which is unusual. I blamed it on the time change/change of seasons and haven't thought much about it. Until yesterday when Paul told me he has strep. My throat has been bothering me a bit since this weekend and it was worse this morning so I decided the wise thing to do would be to go see a doctor. I just got back from the doctor and I have strep. Stupid Paul. It really isn't his fault and he feels worse than I do but it couldn't come at a worse time. My coworker delivered her baby this morning and everyone else in the department is in New York (New York City?!?!? - name the reference, get a prize) for an event we are having this evening. And the phones are going nuts because we have some tax/state issues breaking. I really want to be home in bed, sleeping away the afternoon so I can wake up later feeling better. Oh, and no this will not keep me from going to the game tonight. I will probably leave before the end though. I sent a friend/coworker to drop off my prescription so I can hopefully pick it up before the game tonight and start feeling better tomorrow.

Adventures in Baseballing

A coworker came by late in the day yesterday and invited me to the Nats game last night. One of our member companies wasn't using their season seats and they're much better seats than mine, so I figured why not? I probably shouldn't have since I've been very busy at work, have a game tonight as well and have been feeling a bit run down lately. Generally this is the point where my dad uses that tone of voice he has to say "Stop burning the candle at both ends" and I make my argument that I don't have a choice between work and social obligations and he says something along the lines of "no one is going to take care of you but you" and it goes on and on.

So, I went to the game and it was fun. Agie and I got up to tool around, we went to the bathroom, went to the souvenir stand where she bought a hat for her husband (which she wore during the game not taking the stickers off so that he wouldn't know she'd worn it) then to Dominic's to get our Italian sausage which is the best in the world (seriously, if you haven't had one - do it now). We were both excited and hungry, sat down in our seats to grub and then.....I dropped mine. I was like a kid who dropped his ice cream cone. It was very, very sad. After recovering, I asked everyone if they wanted anything since I was getting up again. Hasan said he would get me one while he was gone. He came back with one just the way I like it - no peppers with just yellow mustard - and nothing for himself. What a great guy. Agie and I have decided on a new career - giant foam finger sellers. Just think of how fun it would be to get paid to yell "Get your fingers here! I've got your fingers right here!"

Best quote of the night goes to Hasan. "So, I saw they elected a new Jesus today".

Tears and Clowns

Jim and I haven't spent time together in a very long time so I was really looking forward to going out with him Friday night. We both were jonesing to see a movie but neither of us had a burning desire to see anything but Hotel Rwanda. Excellent movie. I am somewhat educated on what happened between the Tutsis and the Hutus and the history behind the genocide in 1994 so I wasn't expecting to be so troubled by the film. I cried three times during the movie and Jim did the same at least twice. I walked out of the theater feeling like I needed to vomit I was so upset. So Jim and I went to Biddy's, grabbed a beer and some food and watched soccer to get us back into a sane frame of mind. Man that movie got to me. One complaint - they should have showed more of the history behind the uprising. Most people have no idea the reasons the Hutus had for hating the Tutsis.

Saturday morning I watched Finding Neverland. Pretty good movie with the exception of the scene where he is dancing with the bear surrounded by really, super freaky clowns. That afternoon Agie, Katie and I went to the Postal Museum for a handwriting analysis workshop as part of the Smithsonian Saturdays project. It was really interesting (reserve your comments - we all know I'm a geek) and pretty fun. We have all decided to never handwrite anything again though. Then Katie and I grabbed some beer and a late lunch and traded stories of boy woe. Which made me late for my date with Paul (oops). He was great and didn't give me crap for being 40 minutes late. I beat myself up enough about that. I hate being late. Anyway, we went to the Lifehouse concert which was at a venue neither of us had been to. I'd go to a show there again even if it's a bit of a pain to get there. Their first cd is one that I have not listened to for at least 3 years. The entire thing reminds me of a relationship I had (we both loved the cd) and I just haven't been able to listen to it without thinking of that person and the regrets attached to him and the situation. A few weeks back, I popped it in for some unknown reason and remembered why I enjoyed the cd so much without having too many bad memories. So a few days later when Paul asked me to go to the concert I didn't hesitate at all and said yes. Little did I know that hearing a couple of the songs live would bring me to tears. A bit unnerving and embarrassing to say the least. Thank goodness it was dark in there. I really need to create new memories to that cd or forget it forever. I'd rather go with Plan A for once.

Game On!

Last night I went to the Home Season Opener for the Washington Nationals. Such a great experience. Granted, it does not equal going to Game 7 when the Angels won the Series, but it was so much fun....well, once we got in the stadium. A coworker (the one with the freaky girlfriend - who comes into play later) and I left the office at 5, hopped on the very, very crowded metro and got to the stadium around 5:50. There were, of course, long lines and tons of people the majority of whom were wearing red Nats caps. I had my blue cap on. Katie (my partner for our season [20 games] seats) and I discussed which hats we were going to get - we are such girls. She chose red (she's a St. Louis fan and it's the home hat) and I chose blue (I look better in blue - yes I am that shallow at times). Plus, I'm a blue state girl. I have had a slight revulsion to all things red the past couple months. It's fading, but still there. I know, I know. I am lame.

43 threw out the first pitch so security was a bit nuts. Metal detectors and Secret Service were at every entrance which made getting into the stadium a bit of a hassle (understatement). But it was to be expected. This was not a secret that it was going to take a long time to get in. Yet people insisted on being asses while waiting in line. I use the term line loosely of course. There was no order. The term that comes to mind is clusterfuck. But again, it was to be expected. It's the first baseball game in over 3 decades in DC. The President is there and it's sold out and RFK is a really old stadium. It's going to suck. It's not going to go smoothly. Deal. There were so many guys complaining in line I could not believe it. I finally lost it when some moron made the comment "why are they having the President on the first day? April 9th would be a better day and less crowded". I turned to him and told him that he was a complete idiot and that he should really stop using profanity and complaining about the situation since there were children around and his bitching and moaning was not making the situation any better, it was only making things worse. Of course this is the abridged version, but any of you who know me get the gist of what was said. Anyway, he shut his trap and everyone around was better off.

Got in the stadium just before 7, right in time to hear the national anthem. Grabbed a beer, got to my seat to find that the other three people weren't there yet. They missed out on some pretty cool, albeit hokey, stuff. They had the guy who threw the last pitch before the Senators left DC come out with that ball which he gave to 43 to throw for the opening pitch. The crowd's response to the President was very representative of our nation's voting this past election. 1/ booed and 1/2 cheered. After being told that I couldn't turn my back or read a paper while he was doing this (I wouldn't have) I decided to be a silent protester. I will respect the office, but I do not need to respect the man. Then the last Senators starting line up took the field in their uniforms carrying gloves. Then the Nationals came out and were handed their gloves by the Senators. It was very touching. I admit - I got a tear. I'm such a sucker for anything historic and baseball related.

Ryan and Patrick got there within 10 minutes of me and each other and we settled in to watch the game. Katie had called to let me know her car died in the middle of the highway so she was running a bit late. It was a nightmare for her the poor thing. No one stopped to help her during rush hour traffic. Finally when a guy from Ohio (go Buckeyes) helped her push the car to the side of the road some ass in a Cadillac CUT THEM OFF. She got there just in time to see the first run scored. That and the fact we gave her beer made her happier pretty quickly. It was a fun game and the Nats won. If the concession stands hadn't run out of beer and food it would have been a better experience, but it's the first game. I'm sure it will get better as the season progresses.

Poor Ryan though. We got this missive from him this morning : "Hey, great time last night, even with all the RFK logistical snafus (WHAT?!?! You're out of beer?!?!). Looking forward to seeing you guys throughout the season. Now, the sad part: After all my preservation plans for my schmancy ticket, it fell out of my program last night on the metro and onto the floor. Just as I noticed it was missing, someone picked it up and ran off the train at Clarendon! I kid you not! Anyway, so if any of you three are not particularly attached to your ticket stub, I would be happy to compensate you for it (cash, beer, whatever). Ok, enough of my sob story. Go Nats!"

I can't believe some tool snaked his ticket. At least two of the four of us had a relatively painless experience!

Gnome Sweet Gnome

So ordinarily those little freaky garden gnomes really creep me out. It may be because their owners are usually, shall we say....odd? Or that they are an object that could come to life in a way that ends with much killing (similar to lifelike dolls or ventriloquist dummies - damn you Twilight Zone!). Anyways, this morning as I was getting ready I watched the news heavy Today show and they had a story on a sleepy gnome and how he spent spring break. I love starting my day laughing. Some college kids took the gnome with them on their spring break and the owner had no idea until he was returned with a photo book of where he'd been and who he'd seen. Too funny. The best part of it was the owner. She was a hoot talking about the gnome like he was a son who had snuck out of the house to go to Hooters. She also mentioned that she's keeping him inside for awhile (he's grounded) until the other gnomes get over being mad at him. The link below shows the gnome with 'celebs' Paris, Marilyn and Elvis.

http://www.komotv.com/stories/36265.htm

The Lights Are Out and Everybody is Home

Woke up this morning to no electricity. Luckily I have a battery powered alarm clock so I wasn't late for work but I am not as well dressed or pretty as I usually am. Damn my reliance on irons and hair dryers!

I Wish I Were Home

I had a really packed weekend and I'm paying for it this morning. Friday night I went to a going away party for a friend and her husband who are moving to San Francisco. Normally this group's outings turn into a drunk fest of laughing and bad karaoke. I'm sure Friday was no different but I left before the antics got into full swing. It was way out in Herndon (which is f-a-r-r, about an hour out of the city). We got to the party at 9 pm and left just before 1 am, getting grief from Natalie the entire 20 minutes we tried to extricate ourselves from the party. Best quote of the night while I was there "Indians don't talk loudly, they just have accents".

Saturday was spent having lunch with Katie and Heather and then shopping at Target for far too many hours. We were originally going to do one of our Smithsonian visits but it being cherry blossom season, we nixed it and went shopping. This is the first time I've been to Target since I've moved (over 2 years) so it was a fun, fun trip. You forget how much you can get in one convenient location and since there aren't any in the city it was an extra special treat for Heather and me. So four hours later we get back into the city just in time for me to put my purchases away, hop in the shower and get ready to go to Jim's bday celebration. Paul and I grabbed some dinner and then picked Heather up on our way to the bar. We spent a couple hours hanging out there where I had to explain to Paul that if Jim wasn't such a good friend to me I would think he was a complete ass. We got home and my landlord's party was still sounding strong so we went up to have a beer with them. Ended up staying for a bit longer than expected but they were fun and it was good to spend some time with my landlord.

Sunday I came into the office for a couple hours and then went to help divy up our season tickets for the Nationals. Opening day is Thursday and I can't wait. So excited for the season! I've really missed going to baseball games regularly so having a team in the city I can root for without going against the Angels is great. Now I have a National League team and an American League team and it's not like they're going to be in the Series together anytime soon so I'm golden. The divying took a couple hours since there are about ten of us splitting up four seats for 40 games but it went very smoothly (thanks for the spreadsheet Katie) and no one seems to be ruffled about the outcome. It probably helped that there were only four of us there and some don't care which games they go to as long as it's not Toronto.

Longest Week Ever

This week has been super hectic. A coworker is going to have her baby anyday now and up until today we weren't going to have anyone helping out while she's on maternity leave. I found out today we're getting an intern thank God. I've been so stressed thinking about how much more buried I would be with her out I haven't been sleeping well.

Wednesday night we went to the Tori Amos show at the Warner Theater. Great venue, boring, boring, dull, boring concert. I like Tori Amos, but apparently only in three to four song snippets. She didn't talk to the crowd at all. I've never wanted to leave a concert of an artist I like before. Man, we were disappointed.

Last night we had a little happy hour here at the office which turned into a group of us hanging out and drinking until about 6:30. Then Heather and I went to a kickball happy hour where we had a few more beers. Paul was talking about coming over after work (around 11) all day and I was really looking forward to seeing him. Unfortunately, the combination of eating only a burrito all day, not really sleeping for the past week and drinking for 4 hours put me to sleep right when I got home at 9:30. With the door locked. And my only key inside with me. And my phone in the living room. I woke up this morning to see 24 missed calls on my phone and a voice mail from a very unhappy (understandably) Paul. He's still mad. Not good. I'm hoping a good night's sleep will help him. I feel like a complete tool. Ugh.

Hot Young Doctors and Spring

I can't decide if OB/GYNs should be allowed to be young, handsome men. On one hand, you spend the first five minutes of your appointment (which can be uncomfortable to some, make that most, women) adjusting to the fact that a good looking man is about to examine you. On the other hand, I don't know what woman would prefer an unattractive man. Anyways, the doctor was great - he, the nurse and I discussed the finer points of scotch and Guinness and the exam was over before I knew it.

The cab ride back to the office was beautiful - the city is once again in bloom. My favorites are the trees that have magnolia-like flowers that appear to be painted porcelain. They start as a deep purply burgundy and slowly fade out to white at the tips of the petals. So pretty but I'm sure they're a pain in the arse to clean up. Today is the kind of day that you want to spend napping on a blanket in a park, soaking in the sun and watching squirrels play and people walk by.

Variety Really is the Spice of Life

Let me start by assuring those who are related to me or who have no interest in my sex life, which I hope is most of you - this is not about me or my current personal experiences....okay, now that that is out of the way. Oh, one more thing. These are broad generalizations and not intended to apply to all reading.

I'm coming to the conclusion there is a fundamental difference between most men and women. Now before you shake your head and say "no duh" (you know who you are), stick with me. I've heard a lot of men complain about the disappearance of sex over time in long term relationships or marriage. I've also heard a lot of women complain about the same thing. Which started me thinking. Why is it that two people who couldn't keep their hands off each other in the beginning stages can't seem to put them on each other regularly after some time? I'm leaning towards the theory that women get bored sexually. If we get the same thing, the same way everytime, we're going to lose interest. It really might be that simple. When sex becomes routine, heck when anything becomes routine we stop wanting to do it - be it workouts, what we do for a living, commute to work, sex, going to the same restaurant or doing the same thing every Friday night. If you change it up a bit from time to time, the spark will stay lit, we will stay interested and involved. This doesn't mean it has to be different every time or that you need to be insanely kinky or outrageous if that isn't in you (and it isn't in everybody and that's okay) (also, no pun intended). Speaking from personal experience, a little shake up in routine from time to time can be very beneficial and appreciated. Take into consideration though, this is from the girl who moved 3,000 miles on a whim.

Things That Are Keeping Me Sane Today

In no particular order : Green Day's American Idiot cd. The 10 minutes I got to spend outside enjoying the beautiful weather. That when I empty my spam box in gmail it says "hooray! no spam here". Baseball has officially begun and I get to go to opening day for the Nationals next week. My friends are entertaining, good people who cheer me up when I am having a stressful day.

School Night v. Weekend Night

Whose bright idea was it to start the season opener for two of the top teams in baseball (both on the East Coast) at 8 p.m. on a Sunday night??? Just wrong I say. I watched the (brutal) game last night with Paul, who is a die hard Sox fan so the 9-2 loss was really, really fun....and now I'm dragging. Why is it that I can stay out until all hours of the morning on a Friday or Saturday and not feel tired, but I do it on a Sunday and it's all over? Unfair I say. And no, it's not because I sleep in on Saturdays and Sundays. I usually get up at the same time every day. Maybe God is smiting me? Doesn't He have more important things to do?

Advance Notice is a Good Thing

Paul and I went to a concert last night. We arrived before the first band went on (Longview - the band Paul wanted to see) so we sidled up to the bar near the door and ordered beer. As I was talking with the bartender, I noticed Paul talking to a girl behind me. I turned around to hand him his beer and he introduced me to Lauren. I was a bit taken aback because this is his ex-girlfriend from last year. Not a big deal that he was talking to her (I am not a jealous sort) but he knew she was going to be there and she knew I was going to be there. Why was I the only one who didn't know? A little "Hey, you're going to be meeting Lauren tonight" would have been nice. I would have made sure I looked cuter. Yes, we women are a silly bunch. We stayed for a bit of the second band (Dogs Die in Hot Cars) because I enjoyed them - they were very fun and I've been reading great reviews about them the last couple months. They're kind of ska but not really, lead singer's voice has a Killers tone about it and their keyboardist is to them as Linda McCartney was to Wings. I swear it wasn't plugged in.

Tourist Season

It is upon us. The time of year when people flock to DC for vacation. They come to see the monuments, the White House, museums, and revel in our nation's short but illustrious history. It's all kicked off by the cherry blossoms. Those delicate, beautiful flowers that last just long enough to drive us all crazy with the mass influx of outsiders coming to see the sight of these trees blooming.

For most of us who live here the metro is easy to operate. We go in knowing where we're going, which platform to head to for the correct train, how to operate the turnstiles (do you still call them that when they don't actually turn?) with our smartrips or fare cards. We also have a sense of urgency during rush hours. We know to stand to the right and walk on the left. We know when the doors open on a train we leave a walkway and let those who are exiting do so before we board the train. I think our lives would be much easier if more people wore this shirt as a public service for the tourists:

http://www.cafepress.com/standright