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July 6th, 2008

10:49 pm - 4th of July OK, so West Virginia is NOT almost as good as London.  Especially when it storms most of the 4th, cancels the local fireworks, cans your trip in the inner tubes down the river, and puts an indefinite hold on the 4-wheeling and the camping.  By about dinner time, we had decided that spending the night was not a good idea, that we would eat and leave.  But by dinner's end, the rain had stopped, the sky was clear, and we set up camp. The place was on 18 private acres, right near a creek (or a "crick" as everyone seemed to call it), and it was a beautiful setting for a better day.  But we set up the tent, hung out with some of the other folks, and I even got to go 4-wheeling for the first time... in the muddy dark.  Any doubt that I LOVED IT!!!!???  (I didn't think so.)  After a very late night being up very late, I headed to the tent to call it a night.  I noticed the clear skies had given way to some fog rolling in, but brushed negative thoughts out of my head.  Nothing we can do about it now.  I woke up somewhere in the middle of the night to very loud rain, and remember being impressed how well the tents hold up, then promptly passed out again.  Woke up a few hours later to the drip, drop, splat of rain hitting my face.  It wasn't just our tent.  Everyone had the same problem.  Just way too much rain for the circumstances.  So up very early in a wet mess, quick clean up of camp, and home before 10am.  Despite the damper (pun intended) in the weekend, I really did have a great time.  Did I mention that the 4th of July is my favorite holiday?  And no, I wasn't upset with how the weekend turned out.  I mean, a better day would have made a better trip, sure.  But the company was good, the hosts and some of their other guests entertaining (did you ever read my previous post about West Virginia?), and I really did have a good time. Why is the 4th of July my favorite holiday?  Not too sure.  I think it's a combination of reasons: Family obligations are nil - Don't get me wrong, I like my family, but once it becomes a requirement, there comes a lot of expectation and a lot of stress, and often a lot of residual unhappiness. Lack of religion - I'm not particularly fond of the separatism inherent in religious activities, so I prefer the patriotic holiday.  Sure, it's separatist from the rest of the world, but I'm happy to be American.  Not at the expense of the well-being of others, but I just wish the rest of the world were as lucky... Cause I think it's a pretty darn good place to live. It's just a happy party - drinking, fireworks, BBQ... what more could you want? It's the same month as my birthday.  so it's as close to a party as I'm gonna have. Because of the shortened camping weekend, I had a little time to deal with my current problem of the moment - my computer (an issue for another post), see another friend, and just relax a little.  Overall, it was a happy 4th weekend.  I hope you had the same. Current Mood: good

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July 3rd, 2008

11:01 pm - Missed Opportunities I'm working on this project that is having some work done in the UK.  The people in London have been driving us batty with their requests.  They asked for stuff last minute, we tried to bend over backwards to comply, then they said it wasn't good enough.  They wanted to pick up some sensitive material, and we didn't want to give it to them directly.  Long story short, they offered to fly someone on a plane to pick it up.  Then, my brilliant coordinator has the thought I missed.  "I'll take it to London," he jokingly says.  Brilliant!  Our person, under a watchful eye, and he gets a trip to London.  Great idea!  As I'm explaining this to some co-workers, they ask the inevitable.  "So, why aren't YOU going to London?"  Damn.  Damn, I say!  My underling gets a holiday weekend in London, all expenses paid, just to fly some materials there, wait for them to be used, and to fly them back.  Stupid, stupid, stupid me. On the other hand, I was invited to an overnight camping, 4-wheeling, tubing adventure in West Virginia tomorrow.  West Virginia is just as good as London, right?  Sigh. Current Mood: moody

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June 5th, 2008

07:59 pm - From Bad to Worse Hobbled home last night in the middle of the biggest storm I've seen since I moved here.  Tornadoes not TOO far away.  Lightning up the wazoo.  Power out along my drive, but lights on in houses near home.  I am a block and a half from home (driving thankfully), when pow, bam... and all the lights go off in my neighborhood.  Still no power this morning when I left to work.  Why oh why did I wash my hair?  Hat worn today at work... Went to doctor for diagnosis, then found out Internet is still down at home and will likely require a Comcast technician.  If anyone has known me in the last 3 years, they know how ecstatic I am about having to deal with Comcast again. ( Doctor diagnosis after the cut ) Current Mood: sigh

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June 3rd, 2008

10:21 pm - Not. My. Week. Verdict (pending MRI results) = likely torn meniscus + likely surgery + definitely a pocketful of radiation-erased credit and ATM cards Current Mood: unhappy with LOTS o' pain

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June 2nd, 2008

11:22 pm - When Work Won't Stop, Life Has a Way of Slowing Things Down Work wasn't SO bad today.  I was actually going to get off at a decent hour, "decent" being only about 9 hours of work today.  But I was slowed down by a bit of a problem.  A little history: about 3 years ago I had a lot of knee pain.  Turned out to be patello-femoral syndrome (i.e. how my patella sits over my femur or, more accurately, how it doesn't).  No surgery required, just exercises, and it got better, just a bit achy at times before a rain.  Well, it's been achy for the past week or so, but it didn't go away after it rained.  I figured maybe it was still high pressure in the skies.  It was aching as I went to work today, and just as I was thinking that on my walk from the Metro station to my work, BAM, like a lightning bolt, felt like my knee moved sideways and froze me in my tracks.  Limped in severe pain the rest of the day until I went down to the nurse's office at work and got some crutches, and now an appointment with the orthopedist in the morning.  I'm hoping it just popped out weird or something and can be taken care of easily, though I'm a little bit worried.  Obviously, my weekend soccer game depends on the verdict.  Right now, I can't even walk easily, let alone run or kick.  I've been working A LOT and this is pretty bad timing.  I'm also really hoping it's nothing too serious.  But I'm definitely in a lot of pain.  Guess life has a way of slowing me down when work gets out of control.  Of course, I have NO time to go to the Dr., and yet suddenly, tomorrow an appointment.  "Funny" how that works... Of course, life still has its sense of humor.  Even though I made my way to my car in the Metro lot at 10:30pm, it wasn't enough that I was home WAY later than planned.  No... my car tire also had to be low.  I played up the crutches, though, and hobbled my way up to a gas station attendant, did my best "I look pathetic look" and asked if he could help me fill some air in the tires at 10:50pm.  11pm and I am home, eating, and exhausted! Current Mood: in pain

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May 16th, 2008

07:53 pm - Bittersweet It was with enormous happiness and sadness that I discovered the court ruling to overturn the gay marriage ban in California... just 3 days before what would have been my 5th anniversary. Current Mood: pensive

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April 11th, 2008

10:36 am - Duck Invasion? I came out of work the other day to discover THIS in the lobby: There were thousands of ducks all over the place. Apparently, they are there to illustrate the average number of showers a person takes in his/her lifetime. There were almost 30,000 ducks all over the building. Good thing I had my camera phone, cause they were gone the next day! Wow, what are we doing to the earth? (And I thought the marshmallows were cannibals!)  Check out this link to see more about it. When you get there, click on a stack of newspapers or oranges, and then click on the rubber duck, and then "Behind the Scenes." As you're exploring, there's tons more to see. There's going to be a show on the Human Footprint on Sunday about it, and it looks fascinating, but I haven't seen it yet. Current Mood: pensive

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April 8th, 2008

10:37 am - Headed to L.A. What better time to leave DC when the weather is (theoretically) finally starting to get nice?  OK, I jest.  But I will be in the L.A. area very briefly in just under 2 weeks. Last minute trip following a lot of begging by the folks who wanted me home for the holidays.  As my parents aren't getting much younger (or Junger, ha ha), and since my work affords me enough vacation time that I usually am working too hard to use, I figured I'd better come. I will sadly be limited in time because of the holiday, but please let me know via email or cell if you will be around and able to get together.  I'll be in town Sat. 4/19 - Mon. 4/21.  (flying 4/18 and 4/22) Current Mood: hungry

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April 2nd, 2008

04:54 pm - Bert & Ernie No, the new icon isn't "Bert & Ernie"... Just an old "buddy" photo from long ago.  I have 2 new buddies, however.  Or 2 sets of buddies, to be more precise. Soccer started up again this past Saturday.  Yet again, our team is maintaining the tradition of being unable to field an entire team for a game, thereby leaving the remaining players short and without subs.  Since I broke every promise to myself to maintain some semblance of staying in shape, I have gone now 4 months without ANY exercise, thereby laying the groundwork for a VERY painful and limpy Sunday. So, I limped my way through the Pet Expo, which has been a yearly tradition for me since I moved here.  I felt the reward for the torture would be office pets, so I settled on a mini ecosystem, a little self-contained aquarium which houses 2 African dwarf frogs and 2 little snails.  Frogs have had some significance in my life for a few years now... and besides, they were darn cute!  Apparently, all the frogs are males (the males and females don't get along too well) and I decided to name them Bert & Ernie.  Now, don't underestimate the ability of an attractive co-worker to influence my naming abilities.  The lovely lady in question said "Bert & Ernie was too "predictable" and wanted me to go with "Thelma & Louise," to which I replied they were male and I didn't want them jumping over any cliffs.  I contemplated Ponch & Jon, but it just didn't fit.  And then, said cute lady recommended "Siskel & Ebert," to keep up with the theme of my career.  Oh, how those pheromones tugged at me!  I gave in and now the snails are Siskel & Ebert, my own personal office Magic Balls.  Someone asks about a story idea, just refer them to Siskel and Ebert.  They may be waiting a while, however, as they have no thumbs! But as for the frogs, it was a lost cause.  I stuck to my guns and have settled back with Bert & Ernie.  It was a good choice in my opinion, for several reasons.  2 males sharing the same living environment, with very little prospect of venturing beyond one another to find romance, one darker, one lighter, darker one a bit rounder, lighter one a bit narrower.  Ernie had a Rubber Duckie and Bert had a pet goldfish, meaning they both like water.  (Did I mention African Dwarf frogs are aquatic?).  And lastly, it is rumored they were named after classic movie characters: Bert the Cop and Ernie the Taxi Driver, from "It's a Wonderful Life."  And so Bert and Ernie have come to be the newest addition to my work environment.  And the attractive co-worker?  Well, that's a lost cause too. Current Mood: fruitless try to woo co-worker

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March 21st, 2008

01:21 pm - Spring! Looking out my one of the executive's windows the other day, I noticed the tree in the courtyard.  I thought to myself, "How odd, to have a little frost around the edges of the treetops when it's probably in the 40's or 50's."  Aha!  Not frost... buds!  YES!!!!!  Spring is here!  I like this time of the year, when all of the trees have red or white or green "glows."  The trees haven't quite blossomed yet, but they are almost there, so there is a hue around them, and it feels permanent until one day they just POP even bigger and brighter, full with color.  I think spring has always been my favorite season, but never so much since I moved to the east coast.  The peak of the cherryblossoms should be in just over a week, and if we can just knock the temps up about another 10+ degrees, things will really be looking up! Current Mood: happy

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March 19th, 2008

06:53 pm - Protest of the Week Wish I had a way to upload pix from my phone while at work.  For all the non-interesting protests that I've forgotten about since i started living and working here, today was the biggie.  The 5-year into the War, Anti-War protest!  It was a MAD HOUSE on the way to work this morning.  Streets were blocked off, people were laying in the streets, people in huge pink outfits with huge pink booths on wheels were rolling down the street being asked to move onto the sidewalk by police.  Helicopters, police, crowds, reporters everywhere.  And all right on the street in front of my building.  I'm pretty sure it lasted all day, as I kept hearing sirens until about the time most normal people leave work.  But alas, I was too busy to check.  Sometimes I think the message is lost in the spectacle, frankly.  But as far as living in DC, today was one of the exciting days. Current Mood: curious

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February 23rd, 2008

03:38 pm - 2 excellent links! This first one is short, and so cool.  They're actually doing the same thing only a couple miles from my house today, but I can't make it.  Wish I could... looks like fun!:  Frozen Grand Central This second one is about 11 1/2 minutes of your time.  But it's one of the most inspirational things I've seen in a while.  I strongly recommend you make the time and watch it:  Last Lecture Current Mood: busy

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February 22nd, 2008

06:48 pm - I must really live here now Is it really the Academy Awards this weekend?  Did I really not know that?  I can't seem to figure out if it's because no one out here cares, or because the nominees just keep getting worse and worse.  Or maybe it's because I'm dealing with little things like ice storms about once a week in February. Current Mood: sleepy

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February 14th, 2008

05:05 pm - Brrr My first ice storm as a resident.  Tuesday night.  I had been inside all day Tuesday, no idea the weather had turned bad.  People kept saying to leave before it got much worse.  HA!  The whole city was iced over.  Of course, out in the suburbs where I am... worse!  My car had a nice solid coat of ice.  Like I dipped it in water and stuck it in the freezer.  Metro station is 2 miles from home.  Between trying to pound and scrape the damn stuff off my car and drive home slowly, took about 35-40 minutes, metro to home.  It's cold here.  Less than 2 weeks to Florida... Which reminds me of my other discovery.  I think I noticed it last year the first time.  It happened here last month.  It's that exact moment when the last of your skin pigment exits your body.  The tan you had built up (in Canada, no less!) last summer has been steadily fading throughout fall and winter... and suddenly, you look down at your hands and realize, "OH MY GOSH! THERE'S NO COLOR LEFT!!"  Let me repeat... Less than 2 weeks to Florida.  Those Floridians will definitely need sunglasses when they see me coming, but I will definitely be showing flesh, cause it misses the sun! Current Mood: cold

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January 23rd, 2008

11:32 am Heath Ledger's death has reminded me, ironically, of an incredible special I saw on the History Channel Monday night.  "Life After People."  I'm sure like most cable networks that don't have enough programming to keep original or even syndicated stuff on the air 24/7, this should be re-running a lot.  So check it out if you can.  And have a little moment of silence for dear Ennis Del Mar. Current Mood: blah

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December 19th, 2007

11:07 am - Witness to History? So, on my walk from the metro to my office, all of a sudden all these fire trucks and police and stuff were going haywire, making a beeline in the direction of the White House - I work pretty close to the White House.  One dumb lady trying to get out of the way made a U-turn in front of an ambulance... people are so stupid.  Anyway, was wondering what was going on, so looked it up online and there was a fire at the Executive Office Building in one of Cheney's offices.  They wound up having to destroy a bunch of stuff, including a desk... Makes me wonder if I was witness to an historic event.... maybe Cheney lit the office on fire to cover up paperwork he didn't want to get out.  Maybe I'm witness to the modern-day Watergate!  :)  Exciting! Current Mood: restless to be done with work

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December 6th, 2007

11:19 am - Snow drive home, follow-up OK, not exactly an "adventure," but it's important I note for future reference that metro stations do not plow the parking lots.  Note to self: buy shovel for in-car use.  Got my car unburied from the 5 inches (which is not a lot to some people, but I'm from LA, people!) and carefully drove out of the now very icy parking lot.  On the way home, passed what looked to be quite a major accident on a major intersection near my home.  Police were there, but no fire/ambulance yet.  One car looked as if the driver may have been trapped, it was smashed in pretty good.  That whole section of roadway was really icy right before it, so I was going SLOW.  Since I pass there everyday, I'll have to watch it.  It also floods whenever the snow melts there, too.  Or when it rains.  The snow was light and powdery and I wish it hadn't been 10:15pm so I could be lively enough to play around in it, throw a few snowballs, etc.  But I was beat, so I figured I could save shoveling until morning.  Flash forward to this morning, where I came across a VERY icy path,sidewalk, car, etc.  Again, I carefully maneuvered my way out.  Decided that it will melt in a few days anyway, so left it alone.  Drove to metro, navigated the even worse parking lot, trying not to hit any cars in the vicinity, and made it back into the city.  Day 1 down... ?? more to go.  I hear it's supposed to be a bad winter.  Stay tuned. Current Mood: cold

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December 5th, 2007

07:31 pm - First Snowfall Woke up to the season's first snowfall.  This was my first commute to the city in the white stuff.  No problem as the metro stop wasn't closed (I'm at an exterior one) and when I got to the city, no snow had accumulated, unlike back at home.  However, it was supposed to be about 1 inches in the city, and a little more at home.  When I left, it was already at a half inch and in the city, it's been snowing ALL DAMN DAY!  It was beautiful out, while I could still see it, but now it's dark and cold and since it's worse out in the burbs, I have no idea what to expect.  Last snowfall, I hit a car, so I'm a little hesitant, but I have to leave eventually.  Guess if it's an adventure, you'll hear about it soon enough... Current Mood: cold

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November 15th, 2007

04:27 pm - I Heart Guts Plushies Here is a fun link which reminds me of a similar link posted by stankow years ago.  Current Mood: amused

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August 20th, 2007

07:40 pm - My favorite T-shirt OK, it's not my favorite T-shirt, but one of my favorite sayings I've ever seen on a co-worker's T-shirt: Haikus are easy But sometimes they don't make sense Refrigerator Now, don't forget to create an account and friend me... you know you want to. Current Mood: amused

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