Hair Today, Blonde Tomorrow

I've been in a rut with my hair the last few years and am totally bored with it. The most change I make is with color (lighter brown in the spring/summer, dark brown or auburn in the fall/winter). So I went to a new sylist yesterday. She does the hair of a girl here in the office and it always looks amazing so I figured "Why not? What do I have to lose?". She was fantastic, spent a long time with me figuring out what I want, what makes me happy, what I haven't liked about past haircuts/color.

So 3 hours later (hello short work day) I walked out of the studio much blonder than I've ever been and somehow I'm kinda liking it.

Another Update on Crime

You guys might not find this as fascinating as I do, so I will just say it gets more and more interesting and possibly sinister as time goes on. If you'd like to know the latest developments, click above.

Buses and the City Girl

I took the bus to RFK Stadium three times in seven days. Two were completely uneventful but the third (actually second in the timeline) had enough crazy for all the busrides I'll take for the rest of my life. I've attached a diagram so as to make the storytelling easier.

Tuesday I was on vacation and ended up meeting everyone at the game. I didn't have a set plan on how I was going to get to the game since I was leaving from home. I figured I would take whatever bus came first. I ran into Christine who was walking home, we stopped and chatted and while we were doing that the 53 came by so I hopped on that, asked for a transfer and took it to the D6 which goes right to the stadium. Other than being late for the game, no drama.

Last night Agie and I left from the office and decided to catch the D6 which stops catty corner from our office. Again, no drama. More on last night in another post.

That leaves us with Friday night. I again was on vacation (I had more than the max number of days you can carry over so I needed to burn a couple) so Courtney and I met up at 15th and U to catch the 96 which goes straight to the stadium. Mistake #1. Never again my friends. I don't know what maelstrom of insanity we got caught in but wow. Our ride started out peaceful enough. We sat in the front of the bus and she filled me in on the happenings I had missed out on in the office and what was going on with a couple former co-workers. A few stops later a number of people were going to get on the bus, among them some elderly ladies, so I suggested we move to the back of the bus so that they wouldn't have to maneuver through the bus and up the few stairs to get a seat. Mistake #2. We sit down and resume our chatting and among the people getting on the bus are three guys who shall henceforth be known as 'Cosby Sweater Guy' (due to the 3/4 length Cosbyesque sweater he had on - odd fashion choice given the shorts and black high tops he chose to pair it with, moving on), '40 Man' (he had a 40 of some type of malt beverage in his paper bag) and 'Gin Guy' (who had a fifth of gin in his paper bag, and it wasn't his first judging by the smell of him). Gin Guy strikes up a conversation with 40 Man about booze and Courtney and I just kinda giggled. At some point a couple got on, Big Mama and Detroit Hat Man and sat in front of the stairs. They would have completely escaped our notice considering we were being amused by Gin Guy alternately passing out and talking to himself except for their argument which escalated from a simple disagreement to a full-blown, slaps flying fight in minutes. It was bad people. Sample things we couldn't help but overhear - all from Detroit Hat Man:

"I love you. I say these things because I love you so much. You're stupid."
"When we get off this bus, I'll show you what I'll do to you. You won't be able to walk"
"I'm drunk and you're high. We should talk about this later."
"Revenge is sweet like p***y." (Sorry, just can't bring myself to even type that word)

At one point he was standing in the aisle yelling at her. He never laid a hand on her. All his abuse was vocal. She, on the other hand, got in quite a few good slaps including one where she grabbed his face and slammed his head into the window. Good times.

Sometime during this altercation 40 Man got off the bus and a nice little lady took his place. Gin Guy perked right up and came over to stand above her, essentially trapping this poor woman in the corner. Despite his best efforts to make a connection with her ("I'm from Africa and I came here to meet women" her reply "Well, you should have gotten off at Union Station. There are plenty there.") she repeatedly let him know that she did not want to have anything to do with him and that she was not available (she's engaged). Two young guys got on and sat between them and that seemed to quell his interest in anything but his empty gin bottle (he had finished it about 10 minutes after he got on the bus). Somewhere in Eastern Market he asked if there were more buses behind the one we were on. We all said yes to get him the hell away from us (enough drama with the fighting couple) and he exited the bus. I looked back and saw him open the gate to someone's yard and go in, presumably to hurl or nap. I didn't watch long enough to find out which option he went with. One down, two to go.

Two stops before the stadium, with Courtney cowering beside me (I continually asked her if she wanted to switch buses, take a cab, etc. to get away from the scary madness but she didn't want to leave the nice lady alone) the fighting couple got off the bus. As soon as they got off the bus they threw down their bags and she rushed him. She was not a small woman. He was not a large man. I turned to the three guys (two young and Cosby) and said "my money's on her - she can take him". They all agreed. The lady sitting by Courtney said "she's pregnant". We all gave the same opinion which was she was too big and jiggly to be pregnant. The woman said "No, she's pregnant. I know her.". Okay, um, if you know her how could you just watch that happen? Although, Big Mama could have taken the lady too so maybe she was wise to stay out of it. Detroit Hat Man ended up hugging Big Mama to him while she beat him around his head until she tired out and they just walked away from each other.

Upon entering the stadium, Courtney and I immediately got margaritas and tried to erase the horrors we had just endured. We watched most of the game and then headed to the concert where we encountered more odd people. Good times. Good times.

When I Hear Music

It makes me dance (that one's for you Mark). It has been a kick ass week for live music. What a great way to spend the week leading up to my birthday! Yay! I like when life likes me :)

Monday I saw Pete Yorn (he's so dreamy) at an instore at Olssonn's in Dupont. He is so incredibly good live, especially in such an intimate setting. Granted, it was stifling hot in the store, but so totally worth it to see him up close and personal. Yum!

Last night after the bus ride from hell (story to follow tomorrow) and the Nats game, Courteney and I headed to 9:30 and caught Ari Hest opening for The Clarks. I have no clue how I know The Clarks, but I love them. They are super fun and even more so live and Ari Hest is cute and talented to boot.

Tonight Melissa and I went to 9:30 to see Mae. Opening bands were good and Mae kicked ass. They were so good. I love shows like that! It was super great to hang with Mel - I haven't seen her forever so it was awesome to catch up with what is going on  with her. There are some friends that when you are with them you don't notice anything around you and she is one of them. I was so out of it I didn't even notice a super cute boy giving me the eye. Okay, chances are good I wouldn't have noticed on a regular day, but I usually catch on before it has to be pointed out to me by the guy doing the hitting. I am completely oblivious to that stuff. Regardless, it was a fun, mellow night.

Scary Senator Clinton

This is just odd. And vaguely disturbing. This bust (no pun intended) is now on display at the Museum of Sex in New York. It is by the same artist who created the sculpture of Britney Spears giving birth on a bearskin rug. I can't make this up - click on the link above for the Brit statue. If I were Hil I'd be a bit perturbed by the wrinkles but the beautiful line of her shoulder makes up for it I guess.

Update on Crime

The story about the man stabbed near my home gets stranger and more intriguing as time passes. Basic details that have trickled out over the past week include:

- He was found inside the home in a second floor bedroom.
- He was stabbed with a knife from the kitchen.
- There were no signs of breaking and entering and so far nothing has been reported missing.
- Two of the three people who live in the house have lawyered up and are not commenting while the third has seemingly cooperated with the police.
- There may have been a fourth (fifth if you count the victim) person present.

Full article above.

A Bit Too Close To Home

I joke about living in the hood realizing that I live in the safest quadrant of the city. Lately there have been a number of assaults in Adams Morgan which is a short walk from my house but nothing in my neighborhood. I'm pretty smart about when and where I walk and generally am not out alone at night after a certain hour. Other than hearing gunshots in my alley and my apartment getting slightly robbed awhile back there hasn't been too much crime in my immediate area. Until last night.

About four blocks from my house (easily a 5 minute walk) a 32 year old man was stabbed to death just before midnight. I'm not one to be too terribly disturbed by this type of thing. I'm a safety girl. I take precautions (as mentioned above) but I may start taking cabs home from 9:30 the next couple concerts.

If I Could Marry A/C I Would

A coworker and I were going to walk home from work last night until I received a call from Agie saying this:

"I am walking outside right now and can't breathe. My throat is dry and my tongue feels as though a layer of dirt is on it. And I've only gone 2 1/2 blocks. Don't walk!"

So I opted for the bus. My coworker had to stick around later than I did so I headed out on my own. Just as I began to appreciate the soft breeze blowing as I stood waiting for the next bus a man who can only be described as creepy and troll-like lit up a cigarette. There is little in this world I find more disgusting than smoking on a Code Red day with temperatures above 100 (the fact that the gas station in our neighborhood allegedly sells mayonnaise by the scoop is up there). He ruined my breeze that bastard and on top of it he kept pacing closer and closer to me. Thankfully a bus came about five minutes later. Unfortunately all the windows were open which meant no a/c. Normally it isn't too bad. You can get a cross breeze going if the bus doesn't have to stop too often. If it does it can get to be an oven inside (see previous story about hellish commute). I got a prime seat by a window and settled in with my pod for the ride home. Just as I began to enjoy the soft breeze blowing in the window the creepy, troll-like smokey man sat right in front of me. The odor that emanated from this man was a combination of not bathing and a stale, burnt cigarette smell. It was nauseating. I couldn't get off that bus fast enough.

This morning's commute (it feels odd to call it that since it's only about a 10-15 minute bus ride) was much more pleasant. The bus was cool and just a bit crowded but not too. I got off at the stop I usually do so I could cut across the park. It's a bit longer but a really lovely way to start the day. The park is so lush and green and the fountain is refreshing. Unfortunately, the fountain was being cleaned and after waiting on the corner for less than a minute sweat was forming on my forehead from just standing in the sun. It was 8:35 am.

Needless to say, I was a bit crabby. And then I saw that practically every bench in the park (it's a full city block - lots of benches) had a homeless person on it probably literally close to dying from the heat. My life is not that bad.

Reason 523 It Is Good To Be A Girl

We don't have to wear long sleeves, pants and ties in 110 degree heat. Thank goodness for skirts and strappy sandals.

When Did My Life Become This?

Not only is it hot as Hell outside but I now find myself trapped in Hell. I've spent the better part of my day researching bunting. "But you love the baseball Plan B" you might be saying. Yeah, not that kind of bunting. I'm having to find 100 yards of 36" bunting to hide a fence for an event we're doing in September. This should be easy, no? No. I am working with people who want to see swatches of each before they make a decision. Seriously.

Song of the Day

There's a Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought of it Yet - Panic! At The Disco

A different song from the same album came on shuffle this morning and reminded me how fun the album is (even with songs like 'The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage') and with the weather outside (hey! by 9 pm it will only feel like 106!) I need all the joy I can find in life.

Homeless Story of the Month

After the movie Thursday night Christine and I shared a cab home and had the driver drop us off in between our houses which are about a block away from each other. It has been established that I live in the hood and with the recent 'crime wave' that is hitting our city a girl needs to be more careful than usual. So I set off to walk the block and a half at a brisk pace. I've been referred to (quite accurately) as a tall drink of water, most of that being my legs, so I was moving pretty fast as was pointed out to me by the homeless man trying to keep up with me.

"I thought I walked fast! Man those legs God gave you are sure working overtime!"

I laughed which seemed to signal to him that he should continue his commentary. It was quite entertaining and completely non-threatening once he made sure I knew he wasn't following me home.

I Used to Want My MTV

Tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of MTV's debut. Just typing that makes me feel old. Click above for a nice stroll down memory lane with 25 memorable moments in MTV's history. MTV was a completely different creature back in the day. One could go on for hours discussing whether it is better or worse now. I don't feel that strongly about it so I won't. I will tell you about how I felt so deprived because we didn't have cable in 1981 but the much more pressing concern was not having call waiting and missing all the calls from friends talking about the latest video or how dreamy Mark Goodman was.

We finally (1983) got cable after what seemed an eternity of running across the street to Niki Londo's house to watch SelecTV (or maybe she had "ON" can't quite recall). Though we almost lost it after Madonna's performance at the VMAs that year. Luckily the grandparents didn't care for the music so they weren't paying that much attention to the writhing and dry humping on stage. Seems fairly standard and boring now, but back in the day it was outrageous for TV. You must also take into consideration that my mother was adamant that I not go see Dirty Dancing with my friends (which absolutely crushed my will to live that weekend). A week or so later she saw it and her direct quote was "Oh, it wasn't bad. I really should have let you go". Don't ever wonder why teenage girls are such awful human beings.

Anyone Want to go to Dublin With Me?

So a bookmaker in Ireland joked about holding the world's biggest strip poker tourney and it has now become a reality (press release above).

In August a couple hundred poker players will compete in the largest strip poker game and one lucky clothed son of a gun will be crowned the first World Strip Poker Champion and get a Guinness Book of Records mention. Also included is a "golden fig leaf" trophy which might come in handy depending on which articles of clothing the winner has decided to discard and about $18,000 in cash.

Snippet Turns Into Rant (I Apologize Now)

I'm sure you regular readers are aware of my...let's call it distaste for the current administration. One of the (many) issues I disagree with them on is the Defense of Marriage Act that has been making the rounds in state and federal courts. A blog I check regularly had this to say on the topic (link to blog above):

To almost no one's surprise the Washington State Supreme Court upheld the state's 1998 Defense of Marriage Act yesterday affirming that same-sex marriages are not legal here. I think the ruling was probably correct from a legal standpoint that it is the job of the legislature to define marriage, not the courts. I am not arguing today "fer" or "agin" such unions but do make one request.

Please don't be dishonest and continue to call this bill, "The Defense of Marriage Act." There is nothing in the bill that defends anyone's marriage. Whether the Court upheld or overturned the ruling it would not impact a single Washington State heterosexual marriage in any way. Why not at least be honest and call the legislation the, "'I Pick And Choose Some (But Not All) Biblical Verses To Interpret And Make Law And This Is One Of Them' Act?"

We are good friends with a couple here on the island named Jessica and Kirsten. If they could legally wed the only effect on my marriage would be that we'd have to reserve a Saturday for them and buy a gift. It might be worth it to see the bride kiss the bride.

My favorite line is in bold. I was raised in a somewhat religious household. Went to church with my grandmother most Sundays, did youth leadership in High School (which is where my idea to send all Jr. High students to boarding school developed), all in all I have a pretty strong faith. I don't go spreading this around to everyone I know. I don't try to make others bend to my beliefs. I try my best to respect others' opinions and points of view if they can back them up logically.

What I cannot abide is people who don't do these things (oh Plan B how quickly you judge). I have family members who are incredibly conservative (to the point of wearing anti-abortion t-shirts to a holiday function). For many years I've referred to them as my cult family which the rest of the family got on me for until they came around to my way of thinking and realized I'd been correct all those years. They call themselves Christians but happen to be the most judgmental, unaccepting people I have ever come across. I've long believed these types of religious people are bad apples ruining the bunch of Christians who are unassuming, everyday people just trying to lead good lives. 'Good' being completely subjective of course.

Sorry for my Dennis Leary rant which was not my intention starting this post. I just get worked up sometimes. A tidbit for those of you thinking I'm not enough of a liberal tree-hugger - I'm going to see An Inconvenient Truth tonight with some friends. Review to follow tomorrow or maybe even tonight.

The Joys of Public Transportation

Man it was a chore getting into work today. After waiting about 15 minutes in the already hot sun I hopped on the bus and actually got a seat by the window. It was lovely. I settled down, started reading and didn't look up until the next stop two blocks down the road when the bus didn't move for a couple minutes. Huh. Everyone had gotten on or off. The light was green. It only took a moment of keen observation on my part to figure out from the beeping and tilt of the bus that the driver wasn't able to raise the bus after lowering it for the passengers to get in. After a couple minutes we all got off the bus and squeezed onto the one behind us. Then we all got off that bus because it couldn't move due to it being behind the one that wasn't moving. After about 10 minutes the bus was raised and we were all comfortably on our way. Luckily most of us thought it was comical and everyone got seats on the nicely air conditioned buses. The only bad part was that it took me 35 minutes to take a 10 minute bus ride. But hey, at least I got to read more of my book.

Song of the Day

Augustana - California's Burning

Somehow seems appropriate today. Thanks for the heads up on the band Debby! Also listening to a lot of older O.A.R. today. Good stuff.

Songs of the Day

This Time is the Last Time - Mae

Enjoyably mediocre band that has some good tunes.

On a Good, Non-Complaining About the Heat Note

Last night the girls and I went to see the Pink show at the 9:30 Club. Absolutely fantastic. The opening act was this guy Matt Nathanson who is just a cute, funny guy with a guitar. Courtney is calling him Bob Saget because his banter would be crude and hilarious leading up to his songs which would in turn be soft and sensitive. He isn't the best musician in the world but you do end up having a crush on the guy after seeing him live. He's just good, not-so-clean fun.

Like her music or not, Pink puts on a really great show. Her voice sounds better live than on albums and she has more energy than anyone I've ever seen perform. You can tell she obviously loves performing and her interaction with the crowd was genuine. Before she sang her song "Dear Mr. President" she made a comment about how it is a good thing she isn't played on country radio because if she was, she'd be f*cked. Which, while funny, is true. On a side note, Suzy from Rock Star: INXS is her backup singer. Random. If you ever get a chance to see her in a small venue for $25 do it.

Hell on Earth

You know it's going to be a bad day when the heat advisory for your city is extended through 9 pm. I got on a bus this morning at 8:37 am. By the time we went the 10 blocks to my stop the entire bus was sweating because there was no air and it was so crowded there were people standing on the stairs at the front of the bus. Did I mention it is only going to get hotter this week. Ugh.

Song for the Most Humid Day Known to Mankind

Seriously. You go outside and just standing there you start to sweat. Blech. And it has been that way since 8:30 this morning. So today I needed a song that would be fun and different and settled on

Butch Walker - Maybe It's Just Me

Because maybe it is just me that hates DC in the summer. Between the oppressive humidity and the misbehaving tourist kids (I've managed to avoid them for the most part by taking the bus and not the Metro) it is a miserable season here in our Nation's capital.

On a happy note, there is a fun happy hour tonight and I found a fantastic website for super cheap music downloads. I got the Gnarls Barkley cd for $1.47. Can't beat that with a stick!

Booo Disney!

Some of you (I would hope most) have fond memories of Adventures in Babysitting, a gem of a movie from 1987. I have seen it at least 50 times thanks to my brother's still unrequited crush on Elisabeth Shue...and really? Can you blame him? I mean, I wouldn't go gay for her or anything but she's pretty hot. Moving on. I have some terrible news for you. Disney is remaking Adventures in Babysitting. As if this wasn't bad enough, there's more - Raven Symone is going to star. I don't know too much about her other than she's got a tv show where she's the sassy funny girl. This does not bode well for the remake. One of the reasons AIB was so entertaining was that Chris Parker (Shue's character) was such an everyday normal girl in extraordinary circumstances. She didn't get cutesy or sassy to get out of the scrapes she found herself in. And what exactly are they going to do with the (fantastic) scene where Chris and the babysittees find themselves in an inner city dive bar where she has to get up on stage to sing the blues to ensure their safe exit?

I generally don't like remakes at all. I can't think of a single one right now that I truly enjoyed (I'm sure you'll correct me). The movie being remade is usually dumbed down from the original or doesn't work in the current climate because what made the original so good was the commentary on society at the time. Look at some of the classic teen movies from the '80s. Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Pretty in Pink, Some Kind of Wonderful, Weird Science - really any of the John Hughes movies pre-Beethoven. None of these greats would be good if made today.

Almost Makes Me Want To Downgrade the Pod

Nike has this kick ass product for running that works with iPod nanos. Why can't it work with the video ones?

Supernova

No not the Liz Phair song. So yeah, I got sucked into Rock Star: Supernova to the point that I taped it while I was at the concert. I love it. Even if you just tune in for the house band...they are incredible. There are about 4, maybe 5  good singers that would actually fit well with a band that is made up of a member of each of Guns n Roses, Motley Crue and Metallica. That said, seriously check out the house band if you at all appreciate good musicians. And stop mocking me for watching - you know I have a thing for musicians.

Tonight

So I didn't email XM last night (cue Super Chicken theme song and if you don't know Super Chicken I don't know that I want to know you...) but he forced my hand tonight. I have officially ended it (finally!!) but still feel like a complete asshat. Blech. Let's move on to more fun things shall we?

My friend James and I discovered Friday that we both adore The Weakerthans (check them out, they kick ass). I mentioned that they were playing 9:30 with The New Amsterdams (another band I enjoy as evidenced by song of the day a bit ago) on Tuesday (tonight) and we decided in our glee that it would be great fun to go to the show. Well today he realized it would be in his best interest to do his project for grad school instead of going to the concert. I would normally go by myself but it wasn't a sold out show so I didn't want to be the loser in the corner alone. I put out some feelers and Cindy decided that she wanted to go with. Thank goodness she did. The show kicked ass.  Both bands were more than fantastic live - check them out if you can. The only bad thing about the show was this kid in front of me who was about an inch shorter than me and kept backing up into me. You know someone is standing too close when you can't drink your beer without hitting his head.  I'm pretty sure it was his first concert. He made the geeky kids from Weird Science look like the coolest kids ever in the history of mankind. At one point he offered Altoids to the people he was with. I pretty much stood on my tip toes the entire night - hey Barbie calves.

All in all a good night.

Fourth of July Part Two

This one actually includes the Fourth. Honest.

Sunday BWCP wasn't feeling very social and needed some comforting after England's World Cup loss so I headed out there to have dinner and movies in with him. It was a really nice, relaxing evening which I needed after the three previous nights out.  We ordered Thai (yum) and watched The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I am and have always been a huge fan of the Chronicles and thought the movie great as far as movie adaptations go. I did have to leave the room during the sacrifice scene though. Yes, I realize it was a CGI animal but it disurbed me more than any fight or death scene involving humans I've ever seen. After the movie we watched the end of the Yankees game (BWCP is a Yanks fan). We got to talking about perfect games, which turned to a hat trick in Cricket which led me to ask about the rules. After about five minutes of wickets and bowlers and batters and running back and forth I accused him of making it up as he was going along and insisted on a diagram if the lesson was going to continue.

Monday I met some work people out for HH because it was James' last week with us. Good for him, bad for us. We met up at Bar Pilar, had some nibblies and drinks then headed to Courtney's to view the Juggs magazine the previous tenant had left behind. Totally and completely dominates in the category of "Disturbing Things I Will Never Be Able To Unsee". We're going to leave it at that. We all felt dirty in a bad way after and headed to Stetson's to try and cleanse. We played Connect Four and then made the tragic mistake of starting a game of  Life. It isn't the same as when we were kids and really sucked the fun and energy out of us. We headed to Polly's for a bit and then all parted ways.

Tuesday was the Fourth and our friend Katherine invited Jim and I along with some others over to her building's rooftop to watch the fireworks. It was great fun. From her roof we could see four or five different sets of works as well as the neighborhood ones. Luckily the thunderstorms held off and the lightning flashing across the sky during was pretty awesome.

Wednesday was spent doing stuff around the house. Yawn. And that brings us to this past weekend which was a lot of fun. Gots to wait until tomorrow for that one - bed is calling my name.

Fourth of July Part One

The Fourth weekend started on Thursday with a HH thrown by some friends of Matt, who is in Argentina for the summer. I felt an obligation to go because they are making an effort to keep Matt's friends in touch with each other while he's gone. Plus, some of the guys (and gals) can be pretty fun and it gets me out of my circle of friends. That said, I made Katie go with me because I am a total scaredy cat about going places where I don't know if I will know anyone. The intention was to go for a drink or two and then I was off to tell XM I don't want to date him anymore. As I stated earlier, I am an awful chicken and we were having fun so we stayed and I put off the inevitable yet again. Yes, I know I am not being fair to him. He is a really good guy and deserves to be treated better.

Friday was spent watching quite possibly the worst game of baseball ever. Seriously, I went to better games back in 1979 when I had to go to my brother's Little League games. I turned to my friends at one point and asked if anyone else felt like they were in the movie Major League.  Later in the inning, after the pitcher threw for 2 home runs in just 8 pitches, someone in the outfield started doing the Cleveland chop. Guess I wasn't alone. Man, it was bad but at least the beer was cold. I took the bus home for the first time from the stadium and I must say it was much better than dealing with the crowds in the metro station even if it took just a bit more time.

Saturday I met Jim, Agie and Renee in Chinatown for dinner and a movie. Good times at dinner. Jim spilled a bit on his shirt and for some reason felt the need to lick it off instead of, oh I don't know, maybe using a napkin.  Agie and I saw it happen. I started laughing, she called him "Shirtlicker" and the conversation went rapidly down hill from there. We went to see "The Devil Wears Prada" after dinner. Agie and I have both worked (and sometimes still do) for a Miranda Priestly and loved and related to the book. The movie differed from the book of course but was still enjoyable. Lines such as "I'm looking for that piece of paper I had in my hand yesterday" really hit home. After the movie Jim and I went to Stetson's to grab a beer and chat. We ran into a kid who worked on the Alaska campaign with him. We got to talking with him and his friends and before we knew it, it was 3 am. Jesse and I were walking the same way when a homeless man (I'm guessing at this given my track record and his state of dress) said to me "oooh, I like your shape". I was laughing too much to get out any reply other than "then you should call my parents and thank them".

Songs of the Day

Whew! It's been a busy day. After happy hour tonight I am heading home unless Angie catches me in a moment of weakness and somehow talks me into going out with her. I have a busy weekend ahead and it's been a long (but good) day.

1. From California - The New Amsterdams
2. Let It Go - The Clarks
3. Boys Lie - The Clarks

Good fun songs for a good fun day.

The Ultimate Bi-Partisan Ticket

Vacation Backlog

I have been out of the office this week and the last thing I wanted to do was spend time indoors emailing to my blog so I've fallen behind yet again. I'll do some catch up tonight and tomorrow and tell you all about my Fourth of July five day weekend....well not all about. A girl needs to retain some level of mystery.

Ann or Adolf?

Click above for an intriguing little quiz which asks "Who said this? Ann Coulter or Adolf Hitler?". I only missed two, but I took an independent study class focused on the Holocaust so that may have helped me. God knows it isn't because I'm familiar with her writings.

Song of the Third Scary Rainy Day

Pink Spiders - Little Razorblade

I've been really close to just walking out of here today. This song has the right amount of fun and angst to fit my mood perfectly and keep me from doing something unprofessional.

Boy Update

Here's the lowdown on what's going on.

1. Boy Scout Man - I had lunch with him two Fridays ago and it was great fun. We laughed pretty much the entire time. I'm such a sucker for a guy who can make me laugh. He was an Eagle Scout and now works for the Boy Scouts of America (Ah ha! The nickname makes much more sense now they say) and really loves his job, if not the politics of the organization. That could have been a deal breaker. Remember, I'm the girl who stopped seeing someone because they had a pinky ring. He's tall, good looking, intelligent enough. Drawbacks you ask? He's basically at camp in like Manassas until August which means he gets one day a week off to be home and catch up on stuff. So we've talked a couple times since then, always after 11 pm. Good thing I'm a night owl. We may meet up tomorrow.

2. British West Coast Pat (BWCP henceforth) - I met BWCP at a friend's house three Fridays ago. I felt comfortable with him, almost like I'd known him for years. We immediately struck up a banter that amused our friends to no end. Sometime around glass of wine number 4 it hit me. He is a taller, British West Coast Pat (the guy I was dating when I moved here and still remain friends with) down to the sense of humor, gestures and even occupation. It's freaky. Seriously. I've known WCP for going on 8 years. He's a great guy, fun, not the best looking but one of the best people I've ever had the good fortune to spend time with. We don't talk as much as we used to, probably about once every 6 weeks or so. So it was very coincidental that he called the very night I was getting to know his doppleganger (or as WCP calls him, his evil twin). The randomness of this world will never cease to entertain me. BWCP and I ended up having a great time that evening and he asked if I wanted to meet up with him Saturday after the Race for the Cure. I said yes, he gave me his number and we parted ways. I ended up not calling him and emailed him Monday explaining why and letting him know I enjoyed meeting him. He called and suggested taking me to dinner that Friday night and I accepted. We had a marvelous (I can't believe I used that word either) time. I'll leave it at that. He's great fun. I just need to be careful that I'm making sure to get to know him and not just enjoy time with him because he reminds me of someone I am fond of. We're having dinner this evening after not seeing each other last weekend. He made an attempt to see me Sunday evening but I had already made plans. I'm actually looking forward to a third? date. Something is amiss at the Circle K.

3. XM - So I've been avoiding him. Look, it isn't something I'm proud of in any way. I just really, really, really hate telling people I am not interested in them as more than friends. Especially after being somewhat romantically involved with them for a couple months now. Ugh. So not looking forward to it. I feel awful about the situation. I have no clue about how to do this but I know it needs to be done. It will just keep getting worse if I don't kill it now, right? I need to keep reminding myself of that. Double Ugh.

4. The Homeless - they love me. It is the weirdest thing. I have a ton of stories of random homeless men commenting to me about how lovely I am or how lucky the guy I'm with is, but I'm going to focus on the ones in my hood. There are a number of homeless men that hang out on the block where I catch my bus. Over the two years I've lived in my current apartment we've come to know one another. When I was in that horrid boot last summer one of them would check in on me as I was hailing a cab or walking past to see how I was healing. He even told me he thought of me as a wife which would scare anyone else, but I found rather sweet. I love my homeless guys. They always have kind words for me, be it a simple "Good morning" or "You look very nice today". They notice when I have a new suit or outfit and tell me it looks good. What girl wouldn't want to start her days this way? They're also quite protective of me. One night I noticed someone walking behind me and got a bit nervous. Just when I passed my homeless guys I heard them stop the guy and call out to me "It's okay sweetie - we'll keep him from following you home" and they did. So Wednesday morning I thought nothing of it when the wife comment guy came up to me while I was waiting for the bus and asked if the strange, scary homeless guy was bothering me. I said no and he looked at me and asked "So, when are you and I going to go to dinner?". I couldn't think of anything to say but "I don't think my boyfriend would like that very much". Be quiet - he didn't know I was lying. He then went on and on about how he wasn't asking in that way and that he was just being a gentleman asking a friend out for a meal. Thankfully my bus pulled up then and I said good bye.

Okay, I've got to go get pretty(er) for my date with BWCP. This weekend should be fairly tame - tomorrow I'm hanging with Jim and Sunday I've got the wine festival with friends.

Quote of the Day

I had an evening of tapas and sangria with Angie a couple weeks ago. After giving her the lowdown on the boy situation (it was right around the time 24 and R professed their feelings for me out of the blue among other male happenings) she looked me straight in the eye and asked "Are you sure you want to get married?". I was able to honestly say "I don't want to just get married. More than anything else, I want to get married to the right guy." She said she asked because I seem to really enjoy being single. And believe me, I do. It's fun and sometimes exciting to meet new people and go places you may not think to go on your own. It also can be tremendously dull, time consuming and exhausting. My reasoning for being so sure that settling down and marriage are what I want? Well, that is the quote of the day. I recycled it a few minutes ago to a friend feeling a bit down? guilty? about the number of people he's dated.

"At least when we settle down we will be happy in the knowledge that there isn't better out there because we have dated and/or slept with everyone else".

Take comfort where you can people.

AOL Hell

Everyone has one of these stories or knows someone who does. A long, long time ago when I was younger and less wise I had an account with AOL. When I wizened up and realized I could get better service cheaper elsewhere I went to cancel my account. There was no way to do it online and the number they listed (which took forever to find and I am quite internet savvy) was always busy. On the rare occasion it wasn't I was on hold forever and one thing or another would cause me to hang up. I eventually just called my bank and told them I lost the card that AOL was charging every month.

Click above to hear a man who had way more patience than I did. Absolutely ridiculous that they continue to make it this difficult to cancel an account. And people think Microsoft is the devil.

"Life is a Banquet

And those poor sons-of-bitches are starving!"

Last night the girls and I went to the Kennedy Center to see Mame.  We met at the rooftop bar first to have some cocktails and nibblies and had a great time chatting - which set the tone of hilarity for the evening. Let's just say there was more than one Mame at the table.

Christine Baranski was the titular Auntie Mame and Harriet Haris was her good friend Vera. Harriet is Felicia Tillman on Desperate Housewives. You might also recognize her as Frasier's agent. Anyways, the show was fantastic. There were points the six of us were laughing so hard we were crying. Who knew the Man in the Moon is a Lady? Thank goodness we were in the back row and pretty much everyone in front of us was a blue hair with bad hearing.

After the show Agie drove home, we put Angie on the Metro shuttle and Sarah, Heather, Katie and I got in the cab line. Sarah ended up hopping into a cab pretty fast, sharing it with some strangers who were also going to Arlington. I hope she didn't get stolen. Heather, Katie and I eventually got into a cab (we live in a very convenient line through the city) and somehow Katie talked me into going to McDonald's with her so she could get a sundae. Man, the McD's in my hood is a creepy place at 11 pm.

I Know, I'm a Tease

Things I promise to catch you up on in the next couple days:

1. Romance (term used loosely) including dates with boyscout man, British West Coast Pat and guy I wanted to ditch within five minutes; my avoidance of XM because I hate telling people I'm just not that into them; how much the homeless love me.

2. Nighttime activities including movies, concerts that were supposed to be and never were as well as concerts that are coming soon, dancing and drinks with friends.

3. Sports. Man the sporting world has been good to me lately. Still can't believe the Nats game Saturday. Just wait until you hear the story of Yankee boy. A classic!

I know there are other things I am forgetting. Drat. I hate it when I don't keep up with the blog, so many things get lost.

Worst Date Ever?

D.C. can be a difficult city to date in. According to Jim (not the awful show, my friend) my dating life has been far above the average. Unfortunately he's talking about quantity, not quality. I could make some broad generalizations about D.C. men (i.e. they're short, arrogant when they have no reason to be) but I won't because I know better. There are some really good people in this city and I have been very fortunate with the friends I've made here. That said, D.C. is not the easiest city to be single in - most people are married to their jobs either by choice or necessity. It's a city where something is always going on, which can work in your favor sometimes, but most times it just means everyone is too busy to invest a significant amount of time to a relationship. I'm not judging here - I've been guilty of that far too many times to count. Anyways, this is not what I was meaning to post about.

I had three really fun dates last week (more later), so when a co-worker mentioned at the screening the other night that she would be going on a bad date Wednesday Jim and I asked her a couple questions....How do you know it's going to be bad? If you know it's going to be bad, why are you going? etc. Her replies were "they are always bad" and "he knows someone we work with so I feel I need to go". We laughed and said that maybe it wouldn't be that bad. Oh, I have never been more wrong....

"It was probably to worst date of my life. I really feel like I need to tell about it in person, but just as a little tid bit, the following occurred:

1. He told me he spent a year in prison.
2. He wants to "introduce" me to some Arab men.
3. When I caught him looking down my shirt, he yelled, "I hate your cleavage!"
4. He rubbed his head on my arm and said, "I love your arm."
5. He professed his love abruptly and frequently.

I am not making this up."

As soon as I got my laughing under control, I had her come to my office to get the detail in person. Hard to believe but it was much better with the live re-enactment. I now consider myself a lucky girl for never, ever having a date anywhere near as bad.

The Brit

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this, but I'm a casual fan of Britney. Watching her interview with Matt Lauer this morning I started to feel sad for her. I can't imagine what it must be like to be always surrounded by people yelling your name and taking your picture, waiting for you to look bad or do something stupid. Yes, she surrendered a certain part of her anonymity when she decided to pursue a career in music, but there has to be a line. Anyways, I was feeling some sympathy for her, no one should have to deal with constant harassment, but then I saw the outfit and the gum chewing. Now, I'm not saying she deserves to be hounded by the paparazzi because she's a tacky, tacky girl (seriously, who goes on Dateline to garner sympathy showing so much leg and wearing a shirt so low that their clashing bright pink bra shows?) but if you want to be left alone, maybe, just maybe, you should stop handing the tabloids so much ammunition. Clean yourself up, get your husband to stop wearing manpris and wifebeaters, or at least buy him a belt and put your kid in a stroller/carseat and some sort of pants. I've seen enough of your family's underwear thank you very much. Just a start, but baby steps Brit, baby steps.

With Roommates Like These, Who Needs Friends?

I can't stop laughing. Last summer a Quiznos opened across the street from our building and every day there would be some poor schmo dressed in a soda cup suit. I kept hoping he would trip just to see if he could get up without assistance. I know, I am a bad, bad person, but the site above proves that it would be entertaining if not hilarious.

Does This Make Me A Bad Person?

This story made me laugh. I'd like to think that if I were suddenly homeless and without possessions I would use the funds the government gave me for something more substantial than "Girls Gone Wild". The champagne I can see (although who knew that Hooters carried $200 bottles of champagne?)but these people are from New Orleans - haven't they had plenty of opportunity to see girls flashing boobs?


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A $200 bottle of champagne from Hooters and $300 worth of "Girls Gone Wild" videos were among items bought with debit cards handed out by FEMA to help hurricane victims, auditors probing $1 billion in potential waste and fraud have found.

The cards -- given to people displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita -- also bought diamond jewelry and a vacation in the Dominican Republic, according to the Government Accountability Office audit.

The GAO uncovered records showing that $1,000 from a FEMA debit card went to a Houston divorce lawyer; $600 was spent in a strip club and $400 was spent on "adult erotica products," all of which auditors concluded were "not necessary to satisfy legitimate disaster needs."

Today Totally Rocks

For these reasons (in no particular order):

1. I discovered that I can listen to my favorite radio station from home online. I now get to spend M-F mornings with my good friends Kevin & Bean. Ahhhh....that alone could have made today totally rock, but wait, there's more.
2. I just got passes to an advance screening of Nacho Libre for this evening. I want to see this movie since it has the potential to be very funny, but am hesitant to pay money for it since it has the potential to be very bad. This is perfect.
3. It is absolutely gorgeous outside.
4. There are still tons of World Cup soccer games to watch. I've got the fever.
5. The clip of Stone Phillips (yum) on The Colbert Report (click above) has been cracking me up all day. "Suddenly, and without warning, it turned into a real life game of Hungry Hungry Hippos".

Boys Are Dumb Throw Rocks At Them Part 2

More accurately part something higher, but I lost count somewhere around part 156,257,865. I am meeting a friend in a bit for a drink because evidently all ex-boyfriends are complete asshats at times. Guys, is it that hard to be just a bit sensitive even if you aren't the one who broke up? Help me out boys. Restore some of my lost faith in men. Thanks much.

Most Random of the Day

I was standing outside SoHo today waiting for my friend Ron to finish his cigarette (I know. I wish he'd stop too) when I felt something hit the side of my foot. I looked down and saw an apple core. This thing was brown people. It hadn't just been finished and discarded. Oh, and there was no one within 20 feet of us.  The sky is raining down used fruit - watch out.

Hillies Are Lame For The Most Part

But I don't spend my entire life hating them. Just saying. Which, in essence, is why the date last week with D will be the last with him. I'm a naturally happy person. I enjoy life and take pretty full advantage of what it has to offer. If there is something in my life that I don't like, I try my best to rid myself of it or figure out how to deal with it until I can. He was too cynical for my taste. Really good looking, funny, smart but man does he hate him some people and things about life. He wasn't a morose, unhappy person. It is hard to explain. It isn't two hours of my life I can never get back, but it is definitely two hours of my life I won't be giving again. Make sense?

Oh - hillies are hill staffers. Much like the ones being mocked in the link above mocking the Washington Post article on "wing men". Enjoy.

First Trimester Rule

I think the FTR should apply to multiple situations, not just pregnancy. Take dating, for instance. I am going on a first date tonight. I'll admit, I'm a bit nervous. What if I'm not as fetching as I am in my emails? Worse yet, what if he isn't? Or what if all this time I've been thinking he gets my sense of humor, he has been taking me seriously and we're both in for a rude awakening tonight? Moving on before I freak myself out and getting back to my original point. A couple people have been asking me questions about this evening's date (which was set up last minute given the postponement of my evening's original plans) and I've been very hesitant to talk about it. I don't want to jinx it. I don't want to get too excited about the boy and have him turn into a dud like all the others...no offense if any of you others should happen to be reading this. You're all great people, just not for me, yadda, yadda, yadda. I may have to institute FTR here. Unless of course the date goes incredibly well tonight in which case I probably won't be able to wait to write about it. We shall see.

In other news, we are narrowing down the suspects in our office that could be Wonkette's blind item. Stay tuned.

In The Immortal Words of Shaggy....It Wasn't Me

From Wonkette (the Page Six of DC):

BLIND ITEM: Now That’s Dedication to One’s Work
From the inbox:

So, what lobbyist for a distillers association last night celebrated her birthday on Capitol Hill by throwing up on someone’s tuxedo jacket (not to mention all over the floor)?

OK, that’s the item. I don’t know her name, but she works for the distillers association. BTW, it was my jacket. We are always happy to help further random personal grudges. If they’re funny.

(BTW — we don’t actually care who it was. And we do so love the alcohol lobby.)

Evidence in my favor:
1. My birthday is in August.
2. I am not technically a lobbyist.
3. I was home last night.
4. I wouldn't be caught dead on the Hill. Especially on my birthday.

We have spent the good part of the last hour trying to figure out who this could be.

Memorial Day Weekend

Going into this weekend I had a modest amount of plans in place. They all happened with a couple extra jaunts thrown in for good measure. Here we go....

Thursday a couple of us from work "had" to go to a couple bars to do some bartender research. That was fun. XM met us out since we hadn't seen each other in a couple weeks and turns out the boy misses me when I'm not around. That's sweet. It's unfortunate I don't necessarily feel the same way. I got home around 9 and went straight to bed.

Friday was a long day at work until we got to leave at 4 and my boss actually let us which is nice. I went home, took a nap and woke up just in time for XM to come over with yummy Indian food. We watched some Scrubs since I needed some mindless entertainment to make me laugh the stress away from the week (the 2 bottles of wine probably helped with that as well).

Saturday was the Nats game with Jim. I was looking forward to seeing the Nats beat the Dodgers (you know, that LA team that actually plays in LA) but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. After a couple hours in the sun, sucking down water and a soda, we took our sweaty selves to the Metro and then our respective homes to clean up for our evening activities. Every Memorial Day (I use the term 'every' loosely given that this was only the second time we've done this) we make an annual pilgrimage to Red Robin for the best. steak. fries. ever. We had a great time catching up on his dating and work life. We headed to his apartment to watch Broken Flowers, but really he just wanted me to sew a couple buttons onto a pair of shorts he wants to wear on an upcoming date. Being the good friend I am, I did. We got through about 20 minutes of the movie before we decided to not finish it. I was tired and could barely see the screen, he had fallen asleep twice. He drove me home around 10 where I received the aforementioned call from R professing his feelings for me. Some choice lines from the conversation include "Here I am in beautiful f'ing Tuscany, surrounded by beautiful Italian women and all I can think of is you" (what woman wouldn't fall for that line?) and "Of all the women I've had in my life, I can't think of any that challenge me like you do. You have some kind of hold on me.". Just for the record - we've never dated. Ever. I meet him and his cronies out from time to time for drinks and that is it. Nothing untoward has happened with this man who is now all over me. As Elaine said in the Seinfeld ep I saw last night "I cannot be that desirable." I'm focusing on the humor of the situation. Oh, and he's called every night since then to say good night and invite me to spend the next two weeks in Tuscany. Sweet, sweet man.

Sunday I ended up going to another Nats game with XM and his friend who I really think he should date (if that isn't the kiss of death to someone you are dating, what is really?). They bantered quite cutely and really seemed to get along. Anyways, the game was way better than Saturday's - the Nats destroyed the Dodgers. Yay. Sunday evening I headed over to a bbq at Heather & Gary's. Katie and I were fed and entertained by the newlyweds (not to mention the Magic Bullet pisco sours) and then the four of us headed to the Black Cat for the Prince v. Outkast dance party. It probably would have been way more fun if the four of us weren't so tired and hot. We stayed for a couple hours and then headed our separate ways home.

Monday was oppressively hot and since I'd spent the last two days languishing in the sun, I decided to give my not-quite-tan skin a break and did stuff around the house. I got out a bit, ran some errands, and then took a nap (scandalous!) and cleaned my apartment. It was a really calm, quiet day. Perfect ending to the weekend.

Turns Out It Doesn't Snow In May

I am so beyond bummed. I've been looking forward to seeing Snow Patrol for a good couple of weeks now. I was fortunate enough to have seen them last year before anyone really knew who they were (thanks to the boy I was dating) and got hooked. I managed to get tickets to their sold out show at the 9:30 Club tomorrow night which made me beyond happy. Until this morning when I went to the 9:30 website and found out the show has been postponed. Erg. Normally I would ask something along the lines of "why does God hate me" right about now, but if this is the major problem I am having I consider myself lucky. With my luck, the show will be postponed to the week I'm in Brazil and I won't be able to complain about missing it. Ha.

"You Just Bought Yourself Another Saturday"

If only that were true. Paul Gleason passed away Saturday. He was the principal who raided Barry Manilow's wardrobe in The Breakfast Club. Sure, he was in other movies but he will always be Dick, excuse me, Rich to me.

"Don't mess with the bull young man, you'll get the horns."

What The Hell Is Going On?

Twice this week men I have known for two + years have professed strong "I've never felt this way about anyone. You are always on my mind. I can't stop thinking about what we could have had if only we'd give it a shot." feelings.

These are both great guys that I have also had feelings for, but never really let myself explore them or even acknowledge them because they acted as though they were not anywhere near serious about me, nor would they ever be.

At this point nothing more can shock me in this regard. It has all been quite flattering, but really...24 was doing it for purely selfish reasons (full story later) and what R's motives could be remain to be seen since he wants to start really dating once he gets back from Tuscany which is where he just called me from - the balcony off his suite in a Tuscan villa.

Seriously, if someone calls out of the blue and tells me he can't quit me I may go insane.

A Rant From A Friend

This email made my night last night. Too funny....

"Parrotards just peg my chucklehead-meter, but you knew that already. It's not Mr. Buffett's music that infuriates me so much as what it represents -- not to mention, I find the man's hypocrisy just appalling. Mr. Buffett is a shrewd businessman who labors hard and makes bakery trucks full of dough by selling a carefree lifestyle of sloth and addiction to unsophisticated working-class rubes who have no idea that they're being hustled. 'Here,' says Jimmy, 'use the money from Dakota and Kayleigh's college fund to buy into my lifestyle; don't mind me getting rich -- you'll scrape by installing cable boxes.'

"And don't even get me started on chucklehead Clyde’s patrons who bleat out "I've Got Friends in Low Places” at the end of the night as if they were world-weary rural sorts drinking away their woes in some isolated watering hole. Yes: your pals on the Hill and at Covington & Burling are indeed in low places. Have another Ketel One appletini."

Song of the Day So Far

Decent Days and Nights - The Futureheads

For some reason I find myself thinking of soccer hooligans when I hear this song.

Blast From The Past

I was going back through my im history with my dear lovely friend Randy and came across this gem of a conversation we had in Feb '05. Enjoy while not passing judgment :)

[15:44] planb1973: so Secret Agent Man wants to meet tonight for drinks.....
[15:46] Randy: SAM?
[15:46] Randy: now which is he again?
[15:46] planb1973: 6'5" - first guy out of the 3 I slept with
[15:46] planb1973: so he kinda has dibs right?
[15:46] planb1973: lol
[15:47] Randy: lol
[15:47] Randy: sounds like he already got your dibs

Wait...this one may actually be better....

[15:59] Randy: and he gets the most face time with you
[15:59] planb1973: You are so good to me
[15:59] planb1973: True
[15:59] Randy: er, whatever body part he's speaking to

And the capper.....if only I listened to myself....

[10:31] planb1973: So SAM was really fun and great and feisty last night
[10:32] planb1973: and I found out he had a gun in an ankle holster on our first date
[10:32] planb1973: so hot....
[10:32] Randy: omg
[10:32] Randy: yeah that's hot as hell
[10:32] planb1973: Vince Vaughn packing heat. mmmmm.....
[10:32] planb1973: and he has a scar.....

Oh iTunes, How Do You Do It?

Relevant lyrics I heard on my way in today after a very surprisingly emotional eventful last night:

1. Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts - Arctic Monkeys
"They got engaged, there's no intention of a wedding"
"I said I wasn't sad to see her go, I was only pretending you know"

2. Inside Out - Eve 6
"Want to put my tender heart in a blender, watch it spin around to a beautiful oblivion. Rendezvous, then I'm through with you."
"SoCal is where my mind states, but it's not my state of mind"

3. A Good Idea - Sugar
"The air was thick with the smell of temptation"
"Some things are best left alone"

4. Just a Ride - Jem
"Life, it's ever so strange, it's so full of change, think that you've worked it out. Then BANG! Right out of the blue, something happens to you to throw you off course."
"Truth, we don't wanna hear. It's too much to take. Don't like to feel out of control."

5. Our Finest Year - Better Than Ezra
"I am hopeful, full of doubt, And I am trying to work this whole thing out."

6. Center of Attention - Guster
"One of us won’t last the night. Between you and me it’s no surprise. And there’s two of us, both can’t be right. Neither will move till it’s over."

7. Pretty Girl (the way) - Sugarcult
"Pretty girl is suffering, while he confesses everything. Pretty soon she'll figure out you can never get him out of your head."
"It's the way that he makes you feel. It's the way that he kisses you. It's the way that he makes you fall in love."

I can't tell the story of last night right now. Still too fresh and confusing. I will catch up with everything else today though and maybe by the time that is all done I'll be able to write about last night. Sheesh. I'm making it sound so dramatic. I'm sure it will turn into not a big deal. I just got some news last night from an old I guess you call him a friend that I hadn't seen or spoken with for about two years. Completely knocked me on my ass. Not the reaction either of us expected. Ugh.

Quote of the Chili Cookoff

"You are what you eat" to the white guy eating crackers.

Quotes of The Evening

1. Sit down - you have bobby pins in your hair.

2. Why is that guy freaking out? (see sidebar)

3. Why is it okay to sneak onto the roof of RFK stadium but not to throw things?

Things Seen on Way to Metro

1. Used condom

2. Old man staring at me like I was a piece of meat. And by old I mean 90.

3. Very large woman in very tight clothes including painted-on jeans with a seam to seam rip across the back of her left thigh.

4. A red mini with stuff on top that looked like frozen margarita, sides emblazened with pictures of cointreau and cuervo bottles. Very small on the bottom of the doors: "don't drink and drive".

Reason 6 I Miss Living in CA

I would be all over this "estate" sale! I wonder if they'll have a cornballer for sale.....

Good news for you fellow Arrested Development fans - Season 3 will be out on DVD August 29th.

Why Don't People Just Believe What I Say?

Why must they question me? Sigh. I came across a photo of my favorite freeway sign from home and sent it to a couple coworkers. Two out of three didn't believe it was real. So I had to dig up an article (click above for link) to prove these signs exist. I am saddened to hear they will not be replaced as they age or get stolen.

Song for a Beautiful Friday Morning

My goodness it is absolutely stunning outside today! I am in a fantastic mood so don't read anything into my song choice for this glorious morning (yes, I'll stop now - I'm annoying even myself).

You Could Be Happy - Snow Patrol. Another gem off their newest album. The song you wish all your exes wrote about you.

"You Could Be Happy"

You could be happy and I won't know
But you weren't happy the day I watched you go
And all the things that I wished I had not said
Are played on lips 'till it's madness in my head
Is it too late to remind you how we were
But not our last days of silence, screaming, blur
Most of what I remember makes me sure
I should have stopped you from walking out the door

You could be happy, I hope you are
You made me happier than I'd been by far
Somehow everything I own smells of you
And for the tiniest moment it's all not true
Do the things that you always wanted to
Without me there to hold you back, don't think, just do
More than anything I want to see you go
Take a glorious bite out of the whole world

Song for a Rainy Afternoon

Love Vibration - Josh Rouse

Happy little tune that makes the rainy day even more enjoyable. Yes, I love the rain. Perfect for a run later!

Song of the Day

Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol. Favorite song on their new album 'Eyes Open'. Get it - they're great.

And on a side note, can James Blunt (I would settle for just You're Beautiful, but really the world would be a better place without his whine altogether) please go away? And maybe, just maybe if God really loves me, take Bad Day by Daniel Powter with him? I mean, I liked the song 6 or so months ago when I first heard it way back in a time before every show/ commercial/ radio station/ movie preview on Earth was playing it. Ugh. I'm better. Thanks for listening.

They're Alive!!!

I have them back. I think. I opened my office door today to find a Gumby and Pokey on my desk with this note:

"I know that you and have been overwrought by our disappearance and the evil communiques you have been receiving. Although it has been interesting and very educational to visit the many tourist attractions in and around the DC area, the inhumane and cruel treatment we have received at the hands of our tormentors has destroyed any joy we might have had. To alleviate your distress until we can escape from the horrid "gumbynator", we have sent out distant cousins "Pokeycuz" and "Gumbycuz" to be with you and to allay your fears of never seeing us, your beloved Pokey and Gumby, again. Please be consoled by the presence of Pokeycuz and Gumbycuz and hopefully we will soon be with you once again. P&G (AKA Pokey and Gumby)"

Hmmm...I also received this IM which came right after I got in this morning:

plasticpetliberationleague: We have had more sightings of your pets. They appear unharmed. Happy even. Why, we believe they are frolicking.

(Click on title above for pics. The last one may be my favorite of all...)

What Is Wrong With This Picture?

You know, it is just plain sad when the first thing the President of your company says upon seeing you get in the elevator with him at 6:00 pm is "You can't possibly be leaving this early".

Song of the Moment

'The Mixed Tape' - Jack's Mannequin

No reason other than I really like this song and just heard it. Plus I believe the mix tape is a lost art form.

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.