Mascots

So Agie was complaining that the Nats mascot was the same as the Caps mascot just shorter. Her point: "couldn't we come up with anything different?" my rebuttal:"well the eagle is our national bird" her response was to flip a double bird and say "well this is a bird too". And my reply?

"imagine how cool it would be to have a giant middle finger as our mascot. "

How appropo.

Googlism

It may seem like I have accomplished nothing work-related today but that is not true. I was doing some internet stuff for work when I came across "googlism". Very fun website that tells you what Google.com thinks of you - just type your name in and you get a list of "name" is....

When I typed my name (not PlanB because who wants to hear about alternative birth control right now?) here are some of the results (with my comments in parenthesis) since I refuse to post all 172:

1. * is sick of spineless men (so true)
6. * is a woman on a mission
11. * is living a carefree life
13. * is really nice to me
14. * is graceful (see? I told you)
21. * is a knockout woman
32. * is feeling well again and eager to compete in the swiss open
41. * is phoning Richard (not really all that often anymore)
48. * is the only survivor after her village is destroyed and her family murdered (not true)
54. * is in brownies (?)
58. * is taken over the owners knees for a good hand spanking (shouldn't I remember that?)
70. * is shown as a strong woman vampire who can control herself until the anger in her can no longer be withheld
88. * is done with her explosive detection class and ready for work
99. * is drugged, the other a third personality stuck in *'s head is able to roam free (that would explain a lot)
135. * is a happy girl who doesn't demand a lot of attention from you
172. * is sexy (don't you know it)

Most Awesome Thing I've Heard Today

Agie and I have a fun little game we like to play to make our days here in the office more enjoyable. It has no official name but if it did it would be something along the lines of "Try to Get the Most Annoying Song Possible Stuck in Your Friend's Head". Most often it devolves into one of us pulling out "Loving You" which is the worst song ever because just when you think you've managed to get it out of your head you find yourself walking down the hallways singing "doo doo doo doo doo doooooooooo....ahhhhhhhhh" in ear piercing tones. I usually start the war and am sometimes hated for it even though most times my motive is not to annoy others, but to share the pain of the random songs I hear in my head. Take this morning for example - Agie and I were in the kitchen preparing our customary cups of coffee and tea respectively when I turned to her and said "give me some sugar, I am your neighbor". For a good hour after that I was singing "Hey Ya" unwillingly.

So imagine my pleasure when Agie just walked into my office and said "I don't know why and I don't know how but...." and then proceeded to sing "Suck on my chocolate salty balls" from South Park. HA!

Song of the Beautiful Thursday

Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner - Fall Out Boy

One would think it got SotBT because of my undying love for that line from Dirty Dancing but not so people....well, partially, but it is also quite the catchy ditty.

I've Been Drinking the Wrong Kind of Tea!

Getting high from morning glory seeds?

Eventful Evening

Just left an event (and am supposed to be on my way to another but am heading home instead...shhh) where Senator Clinton spoke briefly. Despite wearing an illfitted suit (seriously the people responsible for selling it to her and the tailor should all be fired), she looked fantastic as usual. She, like John Kerry and various others on the Hill, looks so much better in person. She is a lovely, gracious woman and a fantastic public speaker.

Her Secret Service were mostly young, attractive men - way to go Hil... You can always pick them out of the crowd (granted there were only about 25 people there but still) - they never show reaction to what the speaker is saying. How dull that job must be. Although I am sure not having to laugh or smile at really lame jokes must be nice.

Good Thing I Look Good in Red and Blue

Your results:
You are Supergirl

Supergirl 80% Spider-Man 75% Iron Man 75% Superman 70% Wonder Woman 70% The Flash 70% Robin 65% Catwoman 55% Batman 45% Hulk 45% Green Lantern 45%

Lean, muscular and feminine. Honest and a defender of the innocent.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

So It Goes

Which, actually may have to be the song of the day (by Wes Cunningham). Moving on.

I signed in to IM this morning and saw that there was another communiqué regarding Gumby and Pokey.

plasticpetliberationleague: We have had more sightings. We share now those images. Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37853743@N00/sets/72057594124144695/show/

Again, click on title above for the slide show. Evidently they are against infant circumcision. Who knew they were so politically active?

Remember Gumby and Pokey?

The saga continues. Oddly enough, this message was sent Friday while I was on vacation. I didn't sign in to IM until 20 minutes ago and this popped up:

Dearest Plastic Pet Owner We are a group dedicated to stomping out the ceaseless abuse and endless kidnappings of our special plastic pets. We must continue to protect our identities so we shall remain anonymous. We had targeted your particular plastic pets for rescue and were very close to freeing them when they suddenly managed a miraculous escape from their captors. We have, unfortunately, lost track of them. But we have spread the word to our vast network of Plastic Pet Rescue Rangers and your pets have been spotted around the city. While we have not managed to recapture your pets we have managed to capture a few cell phone photos that we will share with you. We will be in touch. (Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37853743@N00/show/).

Click on title for slide show of my guys touring the city. At least they look like they're having fun now....and have managed to clean up a bit since last we saw them in their cage.

Songs of the Longest Tuesday Known to Mankind

Shake it Off - Mariah Carey. Yes, Mariah Carey. Deal.

Charm Attack - Leona Naess. A fun sing-along warning of those men (we've all known at least one of them) who are 'smoother than the LA weather'. Watch out girls, they'll charm you.

Vacation Rocks

If I could somehow find a man that wanted a stay at home mom without having kids that would be awesome.
Not that I would want to do to nothing all day but a couple days a week to do with what you wish....not such a bad thing.

Conversations With My Boss Today

#1-2:30 pm

PlanB: You are aware I am out tomorrow and Monday, right?

Boss: Yeah. Why didn't you take those days while I was in Scotland?

P: Because I was supposed to be going to CA.

B: You aren't now? So you'll be here.

P: No. I am still taking the time off.

B: Are you sure you want to use the days? How about just one?

P: I have over 20 days. I am pretty sure I can spare them. I am going to take them.

B: *Blank stare*

#2-5:45 pm

B: (walking into my office) You sure you want to take both days? I was just gone for a week. Wasn't that enough vacation?

P: No because I was actually working while you were gone.

B: How about just Monday?

P: How about both? That sounds much better. Go away and let me work.

These types of conversations are not unusual people.

Sweet Sweet Vacation

I am heading home from a long day at the office to start enjoying my long weekend. You see, I was supposed to be flying home tomorrow for Coachella but because I am a complete idiot at times I forgot to book my flight and with last minute flight prices being what they are I am not going and I have no one to blame but myself. Sigh.

Up until yesterday afternoon I was just going to work instead of taking the scheduled days off. Then my boss was a tremendous ass. So I decided to do something I have never done - take days off with nothing scheduled. Crazy, I know.

Song of the Day

Take This Job and Shove It. Artist doesn't matter. Brazil better be worth this.

Song of the Night (Morning?)

All at Once - The Fray

"Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same. Maybe you want it, maybe you need it, maybe it's all you're running from. Perfection will not come".

-Plan B has been very introspective as of late and evidently has had one too many serious talks with friends recently :) She apologizes for late night/early morning seriousness and promises to return to scheduled levity just as soon as she can fall asleep and get some rest.

Part Deux

April 5 a big group of us went to a Caps game. Good times. A few in the group had never been to a hockey game before (I know...I know...)so we spent a good part of the game explaining things like icing and sending people to the good beer stand. Agie and I left after the second period and I still have no idea who won. Oops.

The next night, Thursday, I met up with Matt and others including XMs ex for a happy hour at Busboys and Poets. I wanted to stop in (I walk right by it on my way home) and have one drink. Four hours later I found myself at a club in Adams Morgan listening to a Bulgarian band surrounded by Eastern European mafia. Very strange evening indeed. I was luckily sober and sane enough to extract myself from the night before it got out of hand. Others were not so lucky and there were some emails sent from dark rooms the next day. LOL

Friday Agie and I met Melissa at the State Theater way out in Virginia for a concert featuring The Getaway Car and Emmet Swimming. I have been a huge fan of GC since my friend Jim had them at his Live on Penn concert series and I fall a bit more in love with Todd the lead singer every time I see them. Sigh. He's so dreamy and just my type. A moment please..... Okay. So then Emmet Swimming came on. I knew nothing about them, but Melissa raved and they deserve it. They were fantastic. Kind of a cross between Dave Matthews and Bare Naked Ladies but so much better than that sounds :) Good clean fun had by all - except us snarky girls in the corner making fun of the three (four?) girls in tiaras and bad outfits.

Saturday and Sunday I have no idea what I did. Bad notetaking on the part of Plan B. Drat.

Dear God I'm Behind

Today and tomorrow are catch up (so much more for me and my fading memory {damn you old age} than you gentle readers)! Here goes...

Weekend of March 31st.
That Friday was the first game for our season seats. It was a preseason game against Baltimore. Agie and I went out to dinner first and had some leftovers so we had the waitress wrap them up (she was nice enough to include plastic ware) and we went looking for a homeless person to feed for the evening. No luck as evidenced by the quotes from that night. We ended up leaving it on a low wall where drug dealers and homeless people usually hang out and metroed to the game. We had a great time sitting with Ryan and his wife Stephanie. I really like the way we divied up the tickets this year - all of us will be sitting with each other at some point - makes it much more social. Somewhere around the 7th inning they find the Fan of the Game and it almost always is some kid. We complained a bit about it (not because we were anything near fan of the game, just for the sheer lack of creativity) and Ryan told us this little gem of a story about last year.

He and Stephanie were at the game one night and the Fan of the Game came up as a man sitting in Nats gear, not really cheering all that much. Stephanie starts taunting the screen loudly saying things like "HE'S THE FAN OF THE GAME?!?!" and "He's not even waving or clapping. HE'S NOT EVEN STANDING!!!!". Just then the camera pans back and shows the wheelchair said Fan of the Game is sitting in.

Saturday was spent doing things around the house as is my routine these days. That night XM and I met up for dinner and NCAA playoff watching. Turns out third is the charm - we went to my fav sports bar - it was packed. Went across to Cap City - it was packed. Went to my NEW fav sports bar (the new Bobby Van's) and it was perfect except for the obnoxious Florida fans. Very fun. Good times. During the evening I somehow figured out that if you hit the bar just right in a certain spot the Heineken tap light would go off and on. It is now dubbed the Fonzie bar. I refrained from "hey" ing.

Sunday was brunch at Katie's which was super great. She always has a fantastic array of food and beverages and the people are always fun. I guess that could be chalked up to the fact that we're all friends with each other....anyways after brunch Heather and I stopped to check out a one bedroom on Logan Circle that was for sale. $450,000 for a smaller apartment than mine. Crazy. Absolutely crazy.

Song of the Interminably Long Afternoon

Sing Me Sweet - Matt Nathanson

Lovely melody and lyrics. You can't help but smile when you hear this song.

Song of the Afternoon

Good Intentions - Toad the Wet Sprocket

The road to Hell is paved with them, no?

Tennis Shoes or Sneakers?

I came across this nifty survey a couple days ago and have just now spent the time to look through it. I was definitely raised in California. It's a pretty interesting study in how certain areas of the country pronounce things and different names we all have for the same things (i.e. soda v. pop v. coke v.....). All fun and games until you hit number 59. Do any of you know of this "game"? And my mom thought us playing capture the flag in the cul-de-sac after the street lights came on was dangerous.

Olhe de Brasil!

Looks like I need to start learning some Portuguese. I have received official word that I am going to Brazil in August for work. I am so completely excited!!!!

Roasted

What in the world happened to Kenny Rogers' face?!? Dear God it is frightening.

Weekend Roundup

Yikes! I am really behind which is a shame since I have been having a lot of fun since getting over the wp as Matt called it. Here's this weekend now that it is over and as soon as I put my boss on his plane to Scotland later this week I plan to catch up (I've been keeping notes so I don't forget anything. Sad, I know).

This weekend started Thursday night. My boss decided someone - me - needed to go to a kick-off party at XM radio's studio for a new sports show hosted by James Carville and Luke Russert (Tim's son). So I dragged Heather with me. For 2 ladies who really didn't want to be social we ended up having a blast. For the first time I actually walked up to people and introduced myself, and even networked a bit. I usually hang back and let myself be introduced but not this time and it payed off in a funny, unexpected way. Not only did we chat with Carville but also with Tim Russert who had the photographer take a shot of he, Heather and I which ended up on Wonkette of all places. I got an email from an old friend informing me that it was up, told Heather and we haven't stopped laughing since. After the festivities we met up with some folks and headed to one of our fav restaurants (El Tam) for some food and unneeded margaritas. Oy. Ended up staying at XM's place and somehow managed to get to work on time feeling too well for what the evening before was. Heather was the same way.

Friday was a short day at work thankfully. Came home, took a nap and had dinner with a friend before heading home early. It was also my cousin's 20th birthday which he spent in Iraq....

XM and I had made plans early in the week to do dinner and a movie Saturday night. We changed plans and ended up going to the DC United game. So much fun! I had forgotten how much I love watching soccer games. One of the things I can thank my ex Jake for - the love, not the forgetting. (For his birthday one year I surprised him with 3rd row center field tickets to the men's game where USA beat Brazil for the first time. Pretty awesome.). We ran into a coworker and her husband who gave us a ride part way home. We had a late dinner at a great Ethiopian place I hadn't been to and parted ways at the corner of my street since we were both kinda worn out.

Today I went to Easter service at a new church and then met Jim for brunch. It was a beautiful day so I didn't mind walking to Woodley (probably around a mile and a half) until I took a wrong turn and ended up hearing things in Spanish about gringa and boobs. Ew. Moving on, brunch was fantastic. Great new place called Open City. Came home, took a nap, threw some laundry in and caught up on some dvds I've had forever.

All in all a very relaxing, fun virtually peep free weekend (thanks for the photo Katie).

Slide Away

Does the world really need another Goo Goo Dolls album? Please don't get me wrong, I don't completely hate the Goo. Slide is a near-perfect example of what a pop song should be. It is catchy, damn near infectious actually, upbeat, guy proclaims undying love for girl (and unless you are dead inside we all love those lyrics and hope to someday meet someone that feels that way about us), complete froth and nowhere close to being offensive in any way. It's just that pretty much all of their other songs are the poor man's Slide and the few that aren't are really bad. It is good to know the album cover is a photo of a girl with eyes as dead and lifeless as their talent.

It Wouldn't Be Easter Without Peeps

Ugh. Why won't those disgusting candies go away already? Click above for a combination of my three least favorite Easter treats. All it needs is a black jellybean garnish and it will be complete. Blech.

Christmas in April

I just found a completely kick ass (what am I a 14 year old skater?)site full of free concert recordings (of bands that allow recording and free sharing of course) including, but not limited to, Jack Johnson, Matt Nathanson, Glen Phillips, Carbon Leaf (a local band here that I adore), Death Cab for Cutie, Guster, Matt Costa, Ben Kweller, I could go on and on. OOOOOh...It also has Emmet Swimming, another local band that has been around forever that I was just introduced to this past weekend at a Getaway Car (also on the site) concert - more on that later. I'm stoked.

Song of the Moment

Big Time Lullabye - The Getaway Car.

Caged Like... Well, Animals

thegumbynator: The pretty pets remain safe. But for how long? Are you ready to play the game?

The maniac(s) have struck again. I want it noted that they were never this dirty and disheveled while in my care. Nor were they ever caged!

Ransom

I feel like I'm in a bad Mel Gibson movie. My Gumby and Pokey figures that Jim got me for my birthday last year have been missing for a couple weeks. I received the following im message this afternoon:

thegumbynator: It is time again to initiate contact. The pretty pets have not been harmed. Your cooperation will determine if that remains true. Please see (Link:http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h307/thegumbynator/516b144b.jpg)

I've got my people working on finding the perps. I will keep you updated on their situation....

All I Wanted Was a Pepsi

Song of the night. Oldie but goodie from 1983. Institutionalized - Suicidal Tendencies. I'm not crazy. Institutionalized. You're the one that's crazy. Institutionalized. This one's for Tam and Michelle.

Paul Part 2

He is amazing. He gives so much back to not just his community but towards the betterment of the world. He and his wife (Joanne Woodward) fund camps for sick poor children in more than 15 countries. He also ate his dog food for $10. He is one of the biggest most recognizable celebrities ever and so humble and gracious. Lindsay Lohan et al should take lessons.

Newman's Own

Juat got home and Paul Newman is on the Tonight Show. He looks like he just rolled off the schooner.  He has on a sweatshirt and his sunglasses are around his neck on those foam glass holders. They don't make em like they used to.

Quote of the Game

Tom: "In the periodic chart of musical instruments they are on the same side."

The Office PSAs

These are fantastic. Link above to the spoofs of those "The More You Know" PSAs that run on NBC.

I Apologize

The actual quote of the month spoken to Agie:

"I was with you on the penis until I saw crossed legs".

Second Favorite Quote of the Day

"Drug dealers need to eat too."

Quote of the Day

"Why are there no homeless people?" in response to not finding anyone to give our dinner leftovers to.

Kite Fights and Bruin Ball

Saturday I met XM at his place and we walked down to the mall for the annual kite festival. We stopped for a quick lunch at an Indian restaraunt we both have been wanting to try and then headed to the festival. It was really neat. All around the Monument were 100s of kites of all shapes and sizes. I had warned him that I turn about 5 years old around stuff like this (also see: fireworks, etc.) and I didn't disappoint.

We walked around looking at the different kites, sat for a bit and then headed over to the WWII memorial because he hadn't been there yet (how's that for taking your city for granted?) and then headed back through the kites. We were about to leave when I heard an announcer saying something about kite fights. We had to stay! It turned out to be pretty exciting to watch. Very fun.

Later that night Jim and I watched the UCLA/Memphis game which is quite possibly the worst display of bball I have ever seen. After the embarrassment that was the game we headed to a party out in the burbs. Very odd group of people. We left pretty quickly after arriving.

25 Years

Today is the 25th anniversary of the shooting of Reagan. I was but a young lass of 7 when it happened but I can remember it like it was yesterday.

I was in second grade and had just got my first pair of glasses. Our teacher had us all write letters to Ronnie and to prove that I don't hate all Republican presidents I will share that my teacher suggested that 13 reallys was plenty when saying I really (xs 13) hoped he got better soon. Who would have thought 25 years later I would be living down the street from the Hinkley Hilton?

Album of the Day

James Hunter - People Gonna Talk

Perfect album for a beautiful Spring day. You can't be in a bad mood listening to this. Unless you don't like Van Morrisson, Sam Cooke, etc. then I suppose this would put you in a bad mood. But seeing as how I'm a sucker for horns and a good rhythm section this album rocks.

Pink Elephants and Dumbo

We've been discussing pink elephants this afternoon and a few people who are usually very informed had no recollection of the pink elephants on parade scene in Dumbo (for a refresher or an introduction, click above). Now, I may be more familiar with it than most because whenever my cousins from up North would come down to visit they would want to watch Dumbo over and over and over and over and well, you get the point. Looking back, I can't really fault them - they weren't allowed to watch television or movies - but would a little diversity have hurt them? I can't tell you how many episodes of A-Team my brother and I had to sacrifice for those younger cousins.

Friday

Melissa and I hung out Friday night which was a fun time. We both realized halfway in that it was the first time we had done something together without anyone else along. Luckily we like each other. DC 9 was having a listening party for the new cd of a band she really likes (Mates of State) so we had a few drinks, listened to some good music and chatted. She has always been a really fun girl to hang with but Friday night I found out we actually have a lot in common and we touched on some pretty serious stuff too. It was a very enjoyable night and hopefully we will do it again soon.

Song for the Afternoon

One Thing - Finger Eleven.

Ron asked this afternoon if I had this song along with some others. I didn't know what song he was talking about (I immediately thought of the INXS song) until I heard it and realized I love this song. I can't figure out where I've heard it - must be a movie trailor or some slo-mo, cheesy, heart-tugging montage at the end of some TV show. Give a sister a hand and tell me if you know where I've heard it. Thanks!

Things That Are Keeping Me Up Tonight

Literally, these are the thoughts that I am thinking as I try to fall asleep. In no particular order. God help me.

1. What games am I going to get when we divvy up our Nats seats next week?

2. Why does my cat nap all evening and then decide to run around like a bat outta Hell right when I am going to bed?

3. I am honestly 95% happy with my life right now. Not too shabby. Especially considering the 5% is being worked on.

4. My chances of going to Brazil are looking better and better. Still not getting my hopes up too high.

5. Thinking about this weekend and how I am going to fit in naps (still not 100% better). I'm going out tomorrow night, lunch date with XM Sat, party Sat night with XM's ex and others, movie and drinks Sun. I'm tired just thinking about it. One would think I would be able to sleep but no.

6. I am really far too impressed with my 'plumbing' work earlier this evening. Granted, I've always been pretty mechanically inclined...much to the dismay of my mother coming upon my brother and me taking something apart (always his idea mom). It didn't hurt having a very strong, independent grandmother who helped raise me and a grandfather who encouraged us to learn how things work (see above reference to taking things apart). Also growing up fairly poor really teaches you to fix things and do things on your own rather than call someone to do it for you.

7. I miss my grandparents every day. No exaggeration. Something makes me think of one or both of them every day. And every day I appreciate having had them in my life more and more. They were truly amazing, wonderful people and I can only hope that I am 1/2 what they were.

8. I wonder if I will ever get to hold a panda.

9. Whatever happened to Paul Reiser?

10. If train A is travel...just kidding.

11. I want to learn to play accoustic guitar this year. I am fairly confident I can teach myself. I'll keep you posted.

12. I think I could be okay never seeing Paris or London if I got to see Moscow and parts of Africa.

13. I really like the people I work with for the most part and for that I am thankful.

14. How did 'Paint the Silence' get stuck in my head?

15. I would love to be asleep right now. Tomorrow is going to drag.

Plan B the Plumber

My showerhead has been giving out less than stellar water pressure the entire 2 years I have lived here (I have always blamed the low-flow feature on it) but recently it has been near non-existant to the point where it takes me a good 5 minutes to get the shampoo out of my hair. Ridiculous!

I mentioned to Ron at lunch that I need to buy a new one and he suggested I just take it apart and remove the gravel buildup that was most likely the culprit of my lessening water flow. When I mentioned it was low-flow he also told me I should just remove that device while I had it apart. I *heart* him!

I got a pipe wrench and headed home to tackle my shower head. Turns out all I needed was some needle nose pliers. The head came off relatively easily and I was able to remove the gravel buildup with no difficulty. Still bad pressure so I took it upon myself to dismantle it and see what would happen. I ended up not breaking it and with enough power to rinse my hair in seconds. All of this without an astronomical bill or plumber's crack! I'm stoked.

Last Night

Jim and I haven't seen each other for weeks (I was gone on trips and then he was) so it was great to catch up with him last night. We ordered Chinese and watched The OC from last week that he had missed. I really miss him when he's not around and evidently he misses me so it was wonderful spending time with him. We will probably be hanging out this weekend as well - some sort of party that will likely turn out to be another odd evening given the track record of the person throwing it...I'm a bit leery but have signed up regardless.

Some interesting news I found out yesterday - I may get to do some international travel for work this summer. I'm trying not to get too excited about it until it's finalized...and I don't want to jinx it by talking about it too much...but if it does work out it would be an amazing opportunity to see a place I've been wanting to go for a long time. Keep your fingers crossed for me :)

Colbert Report

There is something about Steven Colbert that is attractive. I can't put my finger on it but am going to chalk it up to his sarcasm and intelligent wit. It isn't all the time but take his show last night. He was interviewing Connie Chung (click above for link to video) and she asked what he looks like without his glasses. So he whipped them off and ... Oh crap. I just realized he reminds me of my friend Mark...it was the glasses thing. In French class in high school (was it senior year Mark?) M. Mason had us do commercials en francaise of course. We decided to do our version of the International House coffee commercials. Mark and I were a couple in front of a fireplace (no fire but I'm pretty sure we put something in it - help me out Mark). In one take he whipped his glasses off while he said his line and it was quite possibly the funniest thing I had seen up to that point.

Laughing now at the memory...Colbert not so sexy now that I think of Mark when I look at him though. No offense to Mark. I'm told he is attractive, I just haven't ever thought of him in that way.

Meow

I have fallen in love all over again and I blame XM. I had completely gotten over my unrequited (only because we haven't met) love for Josh Charles. But now, after spending hours with him and Sports Night over the past few days, I am once again a smitten kitten. I think I may have to start going to more O's games now that I know he is from Baltimore.... He is the near perfect man. If only he was taller than 5'11".

Brunch and Bach

Breaking News - I totally overdid it this weekend. I called in sick to Angie last weekend for the New Order v. Duran Duran dance off at the Black Cat so when I should have done the same today I couldn't.

A friend of hers from undergrad is in a touring musical group and they were here in DC today performing Bach and Vivaldi. We got there right on time after meeting for brunch. Turns out we should have got there early. Who knew a free concert at the National Academy of Sciences on a Sunday afternoon would fill up? We hung out in the foyer with the 50 other people who underestimated the city's love of classical movements and concertos. They were piping the music so we could at least listen to her friend sing his solo.
We met up with him later and she was able to say hi and catch up.

It was a great afternoon with one of my favorite friends and I am paying for it now. So sleepy and run down....and the damn Sopranos made me cry.

Another Saturday Night

After my doctor visit yesterday which went well, spot on my lung is getting smaller yay, I went home, took a nap and thought about whether or not I wanted to go to the Matt Pond PA concert. I decided I did because I really like the guy so next step was finding someone to go with since I had cancelled the scheduled date earlier in the week due to the whole walking pneumonia thing.

Katie ended up being the lucky girl. She's a good friend. We met up at Dukem's, the city's best Ethiopian restaurant, and had dinner with her roommate and two of his friends from TN. Really fun time. Her roommate is a really funny guy who pretty much says what is on his mind. Good times.

We walked over to the 930 Club and just as we got to the coat check (one of God's many gifts to us) Melissa and Chris walked up and said hello. It was great to see them and we spent a minute catching up. The first band tried really hard to be something different than every other non-offensive band out there. Luckily they didn't play too much longer. Melissa came over to chat in between bands which was great. I really like her and am so glad she and I have been able to cultivate a friendship outside of who we are dating. After some time she wisely decided to rejoin the group she was with, which included the person I met her through and some of his friends I used to know (more on that later).

Katie and I are pretty tall girls and we were both wearing heels so the concert was great. We had a completely unobstructed view of the stage and had a bit of convo about how we just can't feel any compassion for short people at concerts. I usually try to not stand in front of uber short people but other than that my thought is deal.

When he announced last song we headed to coat check to beat the rush and I inadvertently picked what turned out to be a bad route. Walked right smack dab through the ex's group of friends. I discovered this because I looked up, saw a friend of his that I had done numerous things with during the 11 months, said "hey" very nicely because that is what you do in that circumstance and got a really rude, bitchy head nod "hey" in return. Okay then. Good to know that's how it is being played.

Melissa came and caught us at the coat check, said goodbye, hugged and made sure we are going to do something in the future. Katie and I walked down to Local 16 (the site of her first date with Peter and mine with XM) for a beverage since the night was still young. We had fun chatting and then both headed home.

Ryan caught me as I was almost home and somehow managed to get me to turn around and meet him out for a bit. I made it for one drink before pulling the plug but it was nice to see him.

Soul Beat & English Asylum

Wait, that isn't right. Went to the 930 Club last night for a double bill of Soul Asylum and English Beat. So much fun! I actually had energy for the first time in a week so I was able to enjoy myself. XM and I met for dinner before heading to the show. I have a good time with him. Conversation never feels forced. I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up friends.

We got there after Soul Asylum had started. I was relieved to see we were nowhere near the oldest people there which was a welcome change. Treat of all treats - Tommy Stinson was playing bass. For those of you not in the know, he was one of the founding members of The Replacements....at age 12.

English Beat rocked of course. They are always so much fun and sound great even in their 50's and without Rankin' Roger. They didn't have a set list at all which made the concert more fun somehow. Good times.

I walked XM home this morning on my way to the dr (which is where I am now, waiting to get my follow up chest x-ray) and am looking forward to going home and taking a nap. Not entirely certain if I am going to go to the concert tonight. I don't know if I should push my luck going out twice before I am completely better. I will make the decision post nap and x-ray.

I Don't Need You To Talk

Vin Diesel makes sounding dumb hot. He blushes whenever he gets asked about dating and makes sure to talk about his mom in almost every interview. I wonder if he is actually somewhere near intelligent. After all, he is working on a movie about Hanibal to be filmed in 3 languages. I wonder if that would make him hotter. Mmmmm...hotter Vin Diesel.

Moms and Dr.s Are Always Right

I totally should not have gone into work today. I am feeling worse than I did this morning, but still better than yesterday so I guess I am still ahead of the game. I will be staying home tomorrow.

Good news is I will get to watch seasons one and two of Sports Night thanks to some thoughtful courriering by XM. He had planned to bring it by my place but I threw a wrench into his plans by going to the office. So he had a messenger bring it to my office as a surprise with a nice little note inside. When I thanked him, all he said was 'You’re welcome.  You’ll find I’m very strong on thoughtful acts that require no cost or effort on my part.'

XM story 2 of the day (I promise this will not be a daily fixture): out of the blue, today Matt invited me to a party Saturday night that is being thrown by XM's ex's friends of all people. What are the chances? DC is turning into a very small city.

I've Got Cabin Fever

I am going into work tomorrow against the advice of both my doctor and my mother the nurse because I am going crazy. So not good at this stay home sick thing. Mad About You, Knight Rider and Sin City aside, the lack of anything even resembling good television is definitely compounding this insanity. And before you hassle the hoff, I loved that show as a kid. Plus it was either that or the Golden Girls and I am neither a gay man nor 80.

XM (new name for the ex guy - his name starts with M; if you don't like it come up with something better) checked on me a couple times today and offered up some quality viewing along the lines of Sports Night and News Radio. I'm still feeling like crap, haven't showered for two days and am vain so I didn't take him up on the offer but he definitely won points for the offered effort and taste in tv shows :)

I've talked more about the sitch with Jim, who has been checking in on me from CA, and I'm getting more concerned with the position this has the possibility of putting him in. He keeps saying he knows nothing and that will be the story I stick to as well. Plus it isn't like he had anything to do with the set up. XM had my email from awhile ago. Still afraid of possible repercussions especially if this turns out to be just a fun spring fling. I'm taking my meds and going to bed.

At Least It Isn't TB

I have had a head cold for about a week and a half now. After the wedding weekend it had moved from my head to my chest and I developed a pretty nasty sounding cough. I was going to see the doctor last week but my coworker was out and we were hideously busy. I took it easy this weekend but still woke up this morning with a fever over 101. So I emailed in sick and got an appointment for the afternoon.

Turns out I have walking pneumonia. I feel as though I have been beaten, my body is on fire and I get tired walking from room to room. My temp is still pretty high and I've been sleeping all day even with the shot he gave me and both meds. Figures this would happen when the weather is so incredibly nice outside.

Almost Too Cute

He had an appointment yesterday morning so we walked out of his place together, kissed goodbye and exchanged some fun banter before walking in opposite directions. I'd gone about 100 feet when my phone rang. It was him (EBoFoaF - I need to come up with a better moniker if this sticks) so I answered with "you can't possibly miss me already". He laughed and explained that protocol is to call the next day but since he wasn't sure what the next day was in this case he was calling then. We chatted for a bit and said goodbye after letting each other know again what a good time we had with each other.

Normally something like that would make me roll my eyes but in this case, it was really cute and sweet and unexpected and it made me smile to have someone go out of their way to tell me they enjoyed my company. It has been a long time.

Outside Drinks

So it turned into a date. I had a really great time and am a bit unsure how I want to procede from here. We had arranged to go to a concert this weekend before the night turned datey so I do know we're going on a date this weekend. My concerns are these:

1. He ended a 2 1/2 year relationship right about the time I ended my shorter one.

2. The girl he dated is a really good friend of Jim's. I talked to Jim about it who intentionally didn't ask questions when he found out I stayed the night (nothing more than some kissing people - get your minds out of the gutter). He said no when I said I would walk away in a second if he wanted, but he doesnt want to know what is going on which is understandable.

My main concern is my friend so I will play it by ear. I don't know that this is going to go anywhere so I shouldn't worry about it too much I guess.

Is This Okay?

I just got an email from the ex of a good friend of a good friend asking me if I want to drink outside somewhere. My first response was "yes. heavily. now." but that's just because of the day I'm having. I don't think it would be odd to grab a drink and hang out on a patio with him - I hear it's absolutely beautiful outside and I will hopefully get out of here before I have to be back tomorrow morning. But then I started thinking about it wondering if it was okay. It's not like it's a date, right? I can't imagine he knows I am single since I haven't seen him since,I don't know, October? Granted I wasn't very happy at that point and it became kind of a joke that night but I can't imagine he is asking as anything other than friends. I don't even know what I would do if he was. Hopefully I won't have to think about it. It's okay that I go, right?

Fridays Are Supposed To Be Fun

Big stuff in little DC. We got a heads up yesterday afternoon about something airing tonight and our office has been in full speed since. To say it's been stressful around here would be an understatement. At least we're all laughing and having fun, well as much as possible given that we all have to work tomorrow for an as yet to be determined amount of time. Did I mention we're having our first nice weekend in forever? Yeah. Woo. Hoo. I did get a newfangled Blackberry - very, very sad that THIS is the highlight of my day. Sigh.

Song of the Day

Landed - Ben Folds

I've always been a sucker for musicians, especially folically and/or optically impaired ones for some unexplainable reason (See: Midnight Oil, Weezer). That said, Ben Folds has been a mainstay in my playlist rotation for quite some time (seeing as how he's both). No one else rocks the suburbs quite like him. Landed is one of his newest songs - the poignant lyrics kick ass plus the piano, as always, is beyond high quality. Enjoy.

Have You People Ever Seen A Chicken?

Chaw! Chee Chaw! Chee Chaw! This cracks me up everytime.

Weekend Update(s)

I'm going to try to post *brief* write-ups of the weekends I've been remiss in posting about. Here goes.

February 17 - 20
Birthday and Bachelorette Bacchanal Bashes.
Friday was Angie's birthday party. All us ladies went in knowing we needed to take it easier than usual because Heather's bachelorette was the next night. I didn't listen to my own advice. Shocking, I know. It was a really great time with Cuban food and karaoke. Okay, the karaoke wasn't great (there is a reason none of us are famous singers - I did not partake btw) but the conversation and company were. Mojitos and wine flowed and I got home about 1 am. Thankfully I slept in (10 am) that next morning and recovered in plenty of time to meet the girls at 7 for dinner. We met up at Rumba Cafe which (aside from being a near perfect first date restaurant) is a great place for Central/South American food and drink (caipirinhas, mojitos and pisco sours). The 8 or so of us had a nice, two 1/2 hour dinner and headed out for dancing. The Black Cat kicked us out around 2:30 am and we headed over to an after hours club that only lasted another 45 minutes or so. The five of us remaining didn't feel like we could let Heather go home before the sun came up so it was off for Bloody Marys, steak and eggs. Unfortunately, it was too late for Bloody Marys so we ate, had a great time until about 4:45 and headed home (this is where the "Oh wait, there's more" story comes into play). I woke up at nine, couldn't go back to sleep and ended up going to a noon lunch/movie with Agie. I was hurting to say the least. Can't recall what I did the rest of Sunday and Monday. Hmm.

February 23-27
Concerts and The Vegas.
Thursday was The Fray concert at the 9:30 Club and my first post-breakup run in with Paul. It was weird. 'Nuff said. Angie and I had a great time. Friday was The Dan Band concert with Agie, Melissa and Melissa's sister (twins, but you would never guess it). Agie and I met up first to grab a bite to eat and a beer and sat with a table of guys that had been drinking pretty much since lunch. I gave one of them most of my dinner - he needed it more, trust me. The concert was beyond fun. We ended up meeting these two guys (Pat and some jackhole brother of a friend of his) who Agie and I hung with most of the night and grabbed drinks with after the show. Nice to know my ability to attract young, 20-something, freakishly tall, attractive boys hasn't diminished. He even gave me his number. Too cute. I got home sometime around 2 am and started packing for my 6 am flight. Which was cancelled. Totally. Sucked. Went home, took a nap and got on a noonish flight. Got into Vegas around 6:30 and met up with Debby at the circle bar at Hard Rock where we were staying where we met some guys who had just won $40,000 (not sure if they had all their teeth - we are lucky, lucky women). Went up to the room, refreshed and had dinner at Simon's, cocktails at the circle bar where we met these guys straight from the movie "Hitch". There were about 45 of them there on a field trip with their instructors. We caught on after the second guy came up with pretty much the same opening line. Odd to say the least. Then we headed to Body English for more drinking and dancing. We got pulled into a booth and spent most of the night with a group of people who had been out in LA and decided flying to Vegas for the night sounded like a good idea. Fun times. Debby went up to the room earlier than I did and I met some more interesting people. Included were the older brother, twins and quadruplets all from the same parents without fertility drugs. Crazy. I've never had so many married men hit on me in my entire life - and I live in DC. Moving on. I got to the room around 11 am I think....went to sleep, woke up to Debby eating a BLT, ate 1/2, went back to sleep and woke up for good around 5:30 pm. At this point neither of us were feeling a pressing need to get out of our pjs and get pretty so we decided to stay in, order room service and watch movies and TV. It was great. We both left that weekend feeling like we'd been at a spa we were so relaxed.

The wedding really deserves it's own post so I will end this lengthy one here.

Songs of the Flights

iTunes loves me - always knows what I am in the mood to hear. I generally make playlists for any trip I am going on and didn't have time this go about given that I was only home for three days between trips and most of those three days were spent working and doing the wedding cds. There was a date thrown in, but we'll get to that later. Maybe. Moving on. I put my pod on shuffle on the way to and from Nassau and my ears were delighted to hear, among other songs:

1. Last Stop: This Town - The Eels
2. My Town - Armor for Sleep
3. Miracles - Michael Tolcher

I have had all of these songs for a long time. I forget about 2 and 3 so it was a nice little reminder of some good music that I hardly ever listen to, but 1 is one of my favorite songs and I have loved it for going on seven years now. Not sure why, but it makes me happy every time I hear it and I really needed that on the way there Friday. I was originally supposed to be going on a nice, romantic getaway and instead was heading out solo to a destination wedding in a romantic setting with mostly couples. Yay. I wasn't sad, but I wasn't looking forward to the weekend as much as I have in the past. I did a lot of thinking on the flight and on the beach and came to the conclusion that I had a way better time alone than I would have if someone had gone with. Not because I wouldn't have had fun with the guy, but because I would have been constantly wondering/worried that he wasn't having a good time which would have impeded on my having a good time. Which I did. It was a completely great weekend from start to finish.

I'm Back!

Okay - I'm back from my globe-trotting adventures and will spend time as soon as I can updating you guys on the escapades. Was planning on doing some of it from Nassau, but the Blackberry wasn't working down there (darn....). In short, the wedding and trip were awesome, Vegas was a ton of fun and I feel like I've had a month's vacation. Ahhh....amazing what sun, sand and good friends will do for your mental well-being.

Song of the Day

"I Believe" - Chris Isaak. Putting together a bunch of cds for my friend's island wedding this weekend and came across this one. Totally inappropriate for a wedding, but a great, beautiful hopeful song which is exactly what I needed this afternoon. Will catch y'all up on Vegas baby and the last weekends when I get home tonight.

Movies

I have met one of my annual goals. Every year I try to see all 5 movies nominated for best picture. I had seen three (Brokeback, Crash and Munich) which left Good Night and Good Luck and Capote - the two that are not being released on dvd until the week after the Oscars. Luckily they were both playing in the city so I didn't have to go too far out of my way.

Sunday we went to the Uptown and watched GNaGL (far too long a title to type while I sit here in Chicago, although quicker than this now lengthy explanation). Good movie. A bit slow in parts and not completely historically accurate (shocker). Overall enjoyable, probably would have been more so if I wasn't hurting from the previos night's bachelorette party that lasted until 5 am (would have gone longer if there was anywhere open).

Tuesday night we went to Dupont (scariest theater besides Union Station - last time we were there two people got into a shouting match at the snack bar). Great movie, Phillip Seymore Hoffman was fantastic and I can now rest easy that when he wins it won't be the worst thing ever.

Bloody Mary

Why are you so good to me?

I am sitting at the airport drinking a Bloody Mary waiting for my flight that is about 7 hours later than originally planned due to a cancellation. That would have been so great to know about before I didn't sleep last night. Ugh. There's nothing like a BM to help you through the day while you are hung over and tired.

Catch Me If You Can

I promise to utilize the down time in airports and on planes (while not sleeping - cut me some slack I have to leave my house at 4:30 tomorrow morning after a concert tonight) this weekend to update my blog.

Oh Wait

There's still some left! Ask and I will tell the story.

So Ready For The Weekend

So ready. You have no idea. Here, let me help you a bit. It's pretty sad when the highlight of your week is getting flowers on Valentine's Day with a card that has no signature and the most likely candidate is No Chemistry Boy (Bryan). The last couple weeks at work have been incredibly stressful and busy with two big stories hitting or rather, us trying to get them not to hit, plus we're readying for a release of a report we do quarterly, all in addition to our regular workloads. It's been pretty much a madhouse here with late hours and high tension. A coworker of mine (he's an older, part-time guy who works in my department - wonderful man) had a stroke Wednesday evening so we've been worried about him (he's home and doing okay as of this afternoon) and I've been doing his job (not upset - just adds more to my already heavy workload).

So I've really, really, really been looking forward to the end of this week because it means the start of three short weeks in a row. Next Monday we are closed for President's Day (thank you Federal Government!), then Saturday I leave for Las Vegas and lots of fun (I'm pretty certain Debby is as if not more stressed than I am - watch out Nevada is all I'm saying), get back Monday, work Tuesday, my boss is in Florida T,W,Th and I leave Friday for my friend's wedding in Nassau (no, I am not planning on getting my groove back, although if the opportunity arises, who am I to say no?) for a nice, long, tropical weekend, getting back the following Monday. Seriously, is this week over yet?

No Booty/No Call

There's something to be said for not letting people know where you live. I had some trouble getting to sleep last night. I went home from work, had dinner, watched some Olympics, then met Ryan and his friends out for a drink before heading home to get some sleep for what is going to be a pretty draining (fun, but draining) weekend. I got home around 1 am and went straight from the shower (ugh - smokers) to bed. I had just fallen asleep when I was awakened by the sound of persistant, constant knocking on my door at 2:36 am. I peeked out my shutters to see who had been knocking on my door for 10 minutes (I had tried to ignore it in hopes whoever it was would go away) and saw Ryan. I opened the door and he stumbled in. Given that he was too drunk to drive home, I offered him a place to stay for the night. After an hour spent warding off his drunken advances mostly while laughing at him, I finally got back to sleep. I would have been really mad but he was actually really funny, apologizing constantly and admitting that he was a complete "douche bag" a term I do not hear often now that I'm out of Junior High. LOL I sent him on his way early this morning without giving him too much grief considering he looked like death.

Call Me Michael

You are Michael. You make use of the cards your

dealt. You are smart and a go-getter. You

just hope to be recognized for your hard

work.


Which Arrested Development character are you?
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Short Stuff

Short track skating is one of those sports that completely fascinate me but that I would never under any circumstances do. The relay is incredible. All the skaters on such a small track travelling at such great speeds.  All of this activity in a confined space yet it is strangely beautiful and calming to watch.

Really? I Can See?

So, I had the surgery Monday afternoon. I was starting to get apprehensive, mostly due to inadvertently seeing the person ahead of me's eye being lasered on the TV in the waiting room. AIEEE. So I started getting scared. Not enough to back out of it, but enough to affect my breathing. I met with the doctor before heading into the big, round glass room where my eye would soon be on display to scare others. He allayed some of my concerns and calmed me down. I won't go into detail, but there was a point where I lost vision. This is normal and expected. The doctor warned me but it still freaked me out to the point where I stopped breathing. He pet my head and reminded me to breathe. Before you mock, just think about your vision going black before A LASER is going to cut your eye and thinking "That out of focus, blinking red light might be the last thing I ever see". The entire thing was over in 8 minutes for both eyes. Simply amazing. I sat up and was able to see without glasses or contacts for the first time in 22 years. It was like looking through a piece of gauze, but I could focus on things. I actually started crying, apologized to the doctor who said "Don't worry. Cry. It's good for the healing. You're the type of person I do this for, not like the guy before you (he had 20/60 - I was far worse than 20/400 which is seeing the big E - I just saw a blurry white blob). You aren't doing this for cosmetic reasons or for vanity. This is about quality of life for you." Which made me cry a bit more and tell him I wanted to give him a hug. He opened his arms and said "Dr. Wills loves hugs" and really hugged me. Did I mention he was awesome?

So, Jim picked me up and drove me home where I napped (doctor's orders) for a couple hours before beginning my regiment of two kinds of drops every 6 hours and rewetting drops as often as necessary. Oh, and I have to sleep in goggles for a week. Tres sexy. Katie came over and kept me company in my dark (eyes were still sensitive to light) apartment watching 24. I slept fairly well Monday night considering my eyes felt like they were full of sand.

I woke up yesterday morning and for the first time I can remember could see. I'm telling you, that is never, ever going to get old. I'll admit - it made me tear up again. It's completely indescribable if you have sight how amazing and unreal this is. So I went in for my post-op check up yesterday morning and my eyes are at 20/20. So that was great news. My left eye is a bit blurred today, but they said it's normal for the eyes to get better, worse, then better independent of each other over the next month. It is still absolutely amazing that I can see - I keep thinking I'm wearing contacts or that it's going to go away and I spend a lot of time just looking at things.

The Eyes Have It

Or at least they will soon. I am on my way to Alexandria to get the surgery that will hopefully banish all need for corrective eye wear. Check back later for the vision update and details on the snowy weekend.

Late Night First Date

So Bryan and I have been trying to set up a first date for about a week now and neither of our schedules are being very helpful. So when he was able to sneak out (with project manager's permission of course) last night for a couple hours at just the time I was heading home, we met up at Shelly's Tap Room for a drink and conversation. Really nice guy. Cute. Tall. Funny and thinks I am (huge bonus). Smart. Wasn't checking out other women. Good times and I'm sure y'all will be hearing more about him in the coming weeks. I will definitely be taking this one slow - have learned my lesson there....

Handwiches & Frozen Bananas

After working until 7 last night (I only got out that early because I insisted to my boss that I had plans and ever since I broke up with Paul he's been trying to pimp me out to find a new man - more on that later) I headed to Randy's for an Arrested Development viewing party (NO TALKING!) to watch what could be the final four episodes :( We had a great time. It was a very small group of people so that everyone could see and hear and the no talking was strictly enforced. Great eps and good times. It all went downhill from there.

Randy's roommate Aaron has a karaoke game for his Playstation. Wow is all I can say. I was emailing with Bryan (he of the 3 hour phone convo) who was stuck at work until 5 am and at one point it was "song of the moment - Here I Go Again by Whitesnake". I kid you not. I cannot make this stuff up.

Julie Cooper Nichol Strikes Again

Waiter: Oysters?
Julie: If I'm going to swallow something that disgusting there better be something in it for me.

Good Things

2006 is turning into a really kick ass year. I got a decent raise, I am fixing my eyes, I just booked my flights for Vegas and Nassau, I'm going to Coachella and other great concerts in the next few months, I'm getting in shape again, very close to starting to finish school, winter has been mild to say the least, I could go on but I will spare you. I'm just really excited to be looking forward to a year that didn't start out so hot.

Let There Be Sight

My appointment went well this morning and I am scheduled to get lasered Monday afternoon. I can't stand myself I am so excited. I can't begin to imagine what it is going to be like to wake up and see clearly for the first time in 22 years.

Song of the Day

"She Is" - The Fray.

Odds and Ends

I'm on my way to see if I am a candidate for Lasik. Fortunately I am too tired to be nervous. I had a three hour phone conversation last night for the first time in I don't know how long. Sometime around 2:30 we both realized how late it was and decided to wrap things up. Crazy.

Speaking of tired, I spoke with my doctor earlier this week about my sleep study results. I have severely congested nasal and throat passages and now have to take a super decongestant and do a nasal spray every day for a week to see if it helps. If it doesn't I have to go to an ear, nose, throat guy. If there is one thing on this earth I hate as much as clowns it is nasal sprays. The whole idea just gives me the heebee jeebies. Ick.

Grammys 6

It would be really nice to see Christina Aguillera continue to deskanify and class up her act. She has a bigger than life voice and it should be appreciated without being distracted by chaps and a thong.

Grammys 5

Holla we want pre-nup. We want pre-nup!

Grammys 4

Jay Z and Linkin Park good. Throwing in Paul McCartney? Brilliant even if the harmonizing was off. Best. Grammys. Ever.

Grammys 3

Mmmmm......Joe Perry. He is the definition of dirty hot.

Grammys 2

Say what you will about Mariah Carey the woman has a gift. Her range, her power (who else can hit a perfect note and have so much power behind it that the mic picks it up when being held 2 feet away?) And the sheer joy of singing that is apparent whenever she is onstage. Emancipation of Mimi has more than made up for Glitter. One of the best albums of 2005.

Grammys

Mary J Blige is singing the hell out of "One". The woman's voice is phenomenal.

Just Did It Again

My music experiment worked so well the other day I went for it again. I really love the song "Honey and the Moon" by Joseph Arthur and while browsing through Borders (as much as I love me the iTunes there is nothing like holding a cd) a cd of his caught my eye. Bought it even though it doesn't have that song on it and now I can't wait to get home, open it up along with the others I got and fire up the old cd player. I will let you know how it goes :)

Coachella Here I Come

I'm so beyond stoked! I've just firmed up plans and tickets for Coachella in April. Again, so completely stoked. I have always loved festival concerts - not only do you get to see some of your favorites but also some lesser known bands that you like, but maybe not enough to go see an entire show or they're too small to stop in your city and in addition to all that, you just might hear and fall in love with a band you would never have heard of otherwise. Ahhh....this is GREAT news.

Highlights from the two day lineup (in website order):
Depeche Mode, Franz Ferdinand, Common, My Morning Jacket, She Wants Revenge, The Walkmen, Imogen Heap, Matt Costa, Tool, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bloc Party, Paul Oakenfold, Scissor Sisters, James Blunt, Digable Planets, The Dears, The Magic Numbers, stellastar*, Mates of State (recommended by Melissa), The Subways and Minus the Bear.

Weekend Recap

I have calmed down considerably since my last post thank God. Scary thing is that post was after Ryan had calmed me down some. Received a call on Saturday which lasted 40 minutes and helped resolve some outstanding issues and all SHOULD be well from now on. We'll see is all I'm going to say on that.

Saturday I did some stuff around the house and had planned on running a bunch of errands until I realized it was pouring and I had no umbrella at the house. So after a day of cleaning and organizing Jim picked me up and we went to dinner and a movie with some friends of his. Dinner was fantastic (mmmm - Mediterranean tapas), albeit quick since we only had about 40 minutes to eat before meeting his friends for the movie. The movie of choice was Munich. Let's see. Um, it was long and felt it. Somewhat preachy and overcontrived. I wasn't completely hating it until one of the last scenes in which a character is having sex with his wife while thinking back to the hostage killing - basically a montage of clips of Eric Bana sweating and grunting, people screaming and getting gunned down with machine guns, and his wife laying there obviously not enjoying it at all. Disturbing to say the least. Hmm....something positive. It wasn't as bad as Crash or The Island. Oh, and it makes me want to know what actually happened. That's all I've got people. Sorry. I may have enjoyed it more if it hadn't been 97 degrees in the theater, but most likely not enough to recommend it.

Jim took me grocery shopping for Super Bowl fixings after the movie which was very kind of him. He really is a great friend to me. Also handed over a friend of his' cd who is fantastic. Check her out if you like blues singers (click above).

Sunday started with a nice, quick run to clear my head from the week's events. Work has really been pushing me to the limit lately (boss calling three times during the game yesterday really didn't help - where in my job description does it say I am supposed to talk to my boss at 10:30 on a Sunday evening {thank goodness I hadn't been drinking} ABOUT HIS iPOD?!? I only answered because there had been a small crisis earlier). Like I told Matt Wednesday, moving to Santa Monica, rooming with Debby and bartending my way through school is really beginning to sound better and better. Anyways, spent the early afternoon cooking for the Super Bowl party and then headed out to Agie's for the game. We had a great time being bored by 3/4 of the game and entertained by the commercials.

Are You F'ing Kidding Me?

Paul didn't even stick around for Getaway Car because the two opening bands were awful. Words cannot (nor will they EVER) describe how fucking (sorry mom) pissed off I am. That fucking (again, sorry mom) asshat.

Song Of The Not At My Concert Night

After telling my mom about me and Paul, working late and being banned from my planned Friday night activities, I am out with friends and just heard "Last Chance to Lose Your Keys" - Brand New. Love this song. Choice lyrics: "Its girls like you make me think I'm better off home on a Saturday night with all my doors locked up tight. I won't be thinking about you baby." And the " This isn't high school, this isn't high school." refrain strikes a particular chord this evening.

The Dears

I did something today I don't think I've ever done and I'm loving it. I bought a cd by a band I've never heard of and thankfully it's turned out to be a good album. There is a good chance on any other day I could hate this album, but it's fun and different and that's what I needed today. Check out The Dears or go buy it on your own and be adventurous like me!

Frozen Food and Bartles & James

Julie Cooper Nichol never fails to amuse each week on The OC (don't call it that).

After discussing strip Pinochle: "If you'll excuse me, I have a hot pocket in the microwave and a wine cooler with my name on it."

And the pick up line to use this weekend:
"This could be your lucky night. I have an extra hot pocket."

It has already worked for Niki. She put it up as her AIM away message and got a reply from a classmate saying "We have so much in common, i go to law school, you go to law school, I like hot pockets, so do you. You are hot, and so am I....we should def have hot passionate sex" What girl could resist that kind of charm?!?

Death by Lego

There is something wonderfully entertaining about these photos. Click above and enjoy!

Song of the Day

No, Teeters it isn't "That Boy is Mine" by Monica and Brandy. Rather, it is "Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweathearts" - The Arctic Monkeys. Actually today anything by The Arctic Monkeys would do.

Hmmmm

So the guy had some good points but I can't say that I agree with him necessarily. I'm all for higher wages and better health care for single parent homes (the majority of the people in question) but the way they are going about it I just can't get behind.

We are both being very Washington right now - I am obviously blackberrying (to my blog no less) and he is on the phone. Matt suggested dinner so I'm off to do that. Update on this later.

Drinking Liberally

Promoting Democracy, One Pint at a Time.

I've been trying to get to this organization's events for some time now and tonight I am finally getting to one. Jeremy Bird is speaking to the group tonight about his group "Wake Up Wal-Mart"
(http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/). It is either going to be very interesting and educational or incredibly boring and non-factual. Either way, it should be fun - I'm going with Matt who is an intelligent, fun guy. You may remember him as Jim's friend who threw the Derby party. And if the event is Dullsville we can enjoy the $3.50 beers and free appetizers, right?

Baby Baby

My friend is going in for a C-section this afternoon. I'm still trying to imagine her as a mother. Should be interesting. This makes two down, one to go!