SPAMalot is an utterly entertaining show. It takes the basic plot of MPSHG and expands it to include other MP references, pop culture, musical songs, tap dancing and various thinly veiled jabs at Broadway. Okay, so maybe 'thinly veiled' is an overstatement. There is a song in there about how one can get one's show on Broadway which is, in predictably tasteless and offensively funny MP style, fabulous.
I'm waiting for the SPAMalot on ICE version starring Brian Boitano as King Arthur and Katerina Witt as the Lady of the Lake. Patsy, of course, would be played by Scott Hamilton.
And the cow would be played by Chazz Michael Michaels.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Perhaps a change is in order?
When you get to the point where you view the days spent recovering from wisdom tooth extraction as a kind of vacation, and are actually looking forward to the procedure, it may be time to rethink your job. Seriously.
Plants
When you begin buying furniture expressly for your plants, you may have need of a greenhouse. Or perhaps a straight jacket.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Sock Wars!
So. My sister probably knows about this. Mayhap she even participates, I don't know.
This sounds like an amazing amount of fun - so, you sign up for this thing, you receive a kit with a person's address, name, sock size, and a pattern. If you get your socks to that person before someone sends you socks, then you keep going. Otherwise, like the Assassin game, you're dead.
It's enough to encourage me to learn how to knit socks :)
**I don't have a link to the site where you can sign up yet for next year. Will find one!**
This sounds like an amazing amount of fun - so, you sign up for this thing, you receive a kit with a person's address, name, sock size, and a pattern. If you get your socks to that person before someone sends you socks, then you keep going. Otherwise, like the Assassin game, you're dead.
It's enough to encourage me to learn how to knit socks :)
**I don't have a link to the site where you can sign up yet for next year. Will find one!**
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Highly Amusing.
The other day someone told STM that he looks like Orlando Bloom.
Wicked awesome.
Apparently I've spent more time with my friend from New England than I realized recently, since 'wicked' has become my new favorite adjective.
Wicked awesome.
Apparently I've spent more time with my friend from New England than I realized recently, since 'wicked' has become my new favorite adjective.
Yay! Our car is fixed!
Remember this?
Well, with the wedding coming we decided to wait to fix the damage until we were a bit more financially secure. We brought the car in about a week after Thanksgiving. It was only supposed to take a week, but the mechanic had surgery just around the time he was starting work so it took about 2 1/2 weeks. Since this meant that we got to test drive a 2007 Malibu for a couple of weeks courtesy of our insurance company we didn't mind too much. Also, the car place threw in a few minor repairs and a discount for taking so long with the car. Yay!
Yesterday we picked up the newly refurbished (and sparkling clean - I don't think I've seen it that clean since the first time STM let me drive it ;) ) car. It's nice to have the good old Prizm back :) Even if the Malibu DID have wicked pickup and a great sound system ;D
Well, with the wedding coming we decided to wait to fix the damage until we were a bit more financially secure. We brought the car in about a week after Thanksgiving. It was only supposed to take a week, but the mechanic had surgery just around the time he was starting work so it took about 2 1/2 weeks. Since this meant that we got to test drive a 2007 Malibu for a couple of weeks courtesy of our insurance company we didn't mind too much. Also, the car place threw in a few minor repairs and a discount for taking so long with the car. Yay!
Yesterday we picked up the newly refurbished (and sparkling clean - I don't think I've seen it that clean since the first time STM let me drive it ;) ) car. It's nice to have the good old Prizm back :) Even if the Malibu DID have wicked pickup and a great sound system ;D
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Crafty with a "C" things...
So, as some of you may be aware, friends of ours have a sheep farm. This has quickly engendered a fascination with fiber in me, along with many a fun weekend doing things such as feeding llamas and sheep and dogs and cats and horse (did I miss anybody? Oh, yeah, the people :) )and helping with crutching and shearing and preparing for lambing, etc. I think I really fell in love during lambing season last year when Super Thin Man and I went up and saw some day old little lambkins - they are truly cute.
ANYWAY...so this evolved into taking a class from Ashley (the shepherdess) on how to hand spin fiber. It's very soothing and there are lots of different fun things to try and spin (Yes, I actually did try to spin the cotton wad you get in the top of a large bottle of ibuprofen. It is much easier to spin wool or llama or angora.)
Two of my sisters are knitters. This, I feel, may be enough knitters in one immediate family. Thus, I am learning to weave. I have procured a small triangle loom and am currently experimenting with my first gift project - a scarf for a friend who lives overseas.
Thus begins the cycle of my weaving and fiber fetish exploits in blog form.
ANYWAY...so this evolved into taking a class from Ashley (the shepherdess) on how to hand spin fiber. It's very soothing and there are lots of different fun things to try and spin (Yes, I actually did try to spin the cotton wad you get in the top of a large bottle of ibuprofen. It is much easier to spin wool or llama or angora.)
Two of my sisters are knitters. This, I feel, may be enough knitters in one immediate family. Thus, I am learning to weave. I have procured a small triangle loom and am currently experimenting with my first gift project - a scarf for a friend who lives overseas.
Thus begins the cycle of my weaving and fiber fetish exploits in blog form.
In the spirit of awesomeness
One of my coworkers sent out a company wide email the other day. This doesn't happen quite as often as one would think for an organization of about 80 Arlington based employees.
Her business trip in the Middle East was extended. Awwwww.
BUT, she'd gotten tickets for Spamalot at the National Theater in DC for tomorrow.
What a SHAME. She had to sell them.
Guess who's going to Spamalot tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll try to remember to post pics.
Her business trip in the Middle East was extended. Awwwww.
BUT, she'd gotten tickets for Spamalot at the National Theater in DC for tomorrow.
What a SHAME. She had to sell them.
Guess who's going to Spamalot tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'll try to remember to post pics.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
In the spirit of the season?
Um, well, in reference to something that is in progress on my sister's blog, I went and found this.
As always, good for a laugh :)
As always, good for a laugh :)
Monday, December 3, 2007
More things to be thankful for:
Lindt, the makers of that deliciousness known as the Lindor melty dark chocolate truffle, is something we should generally be thankful for.
However, recently I discovered a reason why we should be extra special thankful for them:
Peanut Butter Melty Chocolate Truffles.
It's like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup on some really gooooood crack.
I highly recommend. They carry them at CVS now. Heavens above.
However, recently I discovered a reason why we should be extra special thankful for them:
Peanut Butter Melty Chocolate Truffles.
It's like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup on some really gooooood crack.
I highly recommend. They carry them at CVS now. Heavens above.
Things to be thankful for....
That my sister, who is considerably classier than certain individuals, did not proclaim her impending motherhood to the world in, say, THIS fashion.
Thank you. From all of us. I mean thanks to my sister, not the other one. That one needs to start looking in mirrors and checking proofs before signing on the dotted line that allows pictures to be published.
Warning - slightly NSFW. May require a bit of mental floss. Extreme cases may be treated using brain bleach, extra concentrated.
Thank you. From all of us. I mean thanks to my sister, not the other one. That one needs to start looking in mirrors and checking proofs before signing on the dotted line that allows pictures to be published.
Warning - slightly NSFW. May require a bit of mental floss. Extreme cases may be treated using brain bleach, extra concentrated.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Long Time, No Write
Well, I haven't been keeping up with this blog very well. There have been plenty of things to write about, I just haven't gotten to any of them!
I think the most major recent event would be my sister's baby shower (yay, baby!) She looks predictably fabulous, and seems very sane. This bodes well for the rest of us, I hope :)
We had the shower at my other sister's house, which was very nice! Everyone seemed to have a lovely time and apparently my sister's baby is going to be extremely spoiled - which is a huge shock. Really.
We got the baby a sheep woolskin to line his/her bed, and the great part is that it's machine washable! I'm hoping that there aren't any allergy issues for my sister or her husband, but in theory if there is anything left one or two washings should take care of it, especially with some outside airing time (if it's not too cold right now...)
After we picked up said woolskin Super Thin Man and I realized that WE have a sincere need for a soft, fluffy, machine washable piece of wonderfullness as well. It will wait until our friends at Willowhawk Farm have another batch of them however. Apparently they sell rather quickly. I have no idea why!
In addition to the lovely shower, Super Thin Man and I stayed the night at my sister's house. We spent the evening with Witty, Witty's hubby, and Witty's Mom-In-Law (the real one, not the step-one...ahem, don't ask, it's complicated :) ) playing increasingly bawdy Apples to Apples and consuming large amounts of Shiraz and pizza. In the morning, when I was amazingly not hung over, after having slept on the trapeze-like combination of three inflatable mattresses (two of which slowly deflated over the course of the night), we ended up playing Quelf. Ahhhh....Quelf, my new favorite board game. I say that because I cannot imagine any other way I could EVER get my sister to act the part of a weeping willow complete with hummed movie theme song. I am not kidding. It was just as amusing as it sounds.
In short, it was a blast! We are seriously considering purchasing this board game for our ski trip in January :)
Oh, yeah, and we had a lovely Thanksgiving at my aunt's house, with copious amounts of excellent Turkey Day food and a real treat - pineapple sparkling wine from Hawaii. If you haven't tried it I do recommend. Yum!
On Friday we had a bit of a stressful day, since my grandmother fell and had to be rushed to the hospital. Since STM and I had already planned to visit his family that day, and my sister CGB was going to be stranded at the 'rents, she came with us to H-burg.
Her reaction: gee, STM's granddad is just like OUR granddad. Well, duh, but she didn't know him well enough to say that before, so fair enough :)
The upshot of that situation is that it looks like my grandmother is in very good hands for her rehab therapy. I'm hoping her wrist and hip heal quickly and without complications!
Well, that's not nearly all, but I will have to get the rest written later!
I think the most major recent event would be my sister's baby shower (yay, baby!) She looks predictably fabulous, and seems very sane. This bodes well for the rest of us, I hope :)
We had the shower at my other sister's house, which was very nice! Everyone seemed to have a lovely time and apparently my sister's baby is going to be extremely spoiled - which is a huge shock. Really.
We got the baby a sheep woolskin to line his/her bed, and the great part is that it's machine washable! I'm hoping that there aren't any allergy issues for my sister or her husband, but in theory if there is anything left one or two washings should take care of it, especially with some outside airing time (if it's not too cold right now...)
After we picked up said woolskin Super Thin Man and I realized that WE have a sincere need for a soft, fluffy, machine washable piece of wonderfullness as well. It will wait until our friends at Willowhawk Farm have another batch of them however. Apparently they sell rather quickly. I have no idea why!
In addition to the lovely shower, Super Thin Man and I stayed the night at my sister's house. We spent the evening with Witty, Witty's hubby, and Witty's Mom-In-Law (the real one, not the step-one...ahem, don't ask, it's complicated :) ) playing increasingly bawdy Apples to Apples and consuming large amounts of Shiraz and pizza. In the morning, when I was amazingly not hung over, after having slept on the trapeze-like combination of three inflatable mattresses (two of which slowly deflated over the course of the night), we ended up playing Quelf. Ahhhh....Quelf, my new favorite board game. I say that because I cannot imagine any other way I could EVER get my sister to act the part of a weeping willow complete with hummed movie theme song. I am not kidding. It was just as amusing as it sounds.
In short, it was a blast! We are seriously considering purchasing this board game for our ski trip in January :)
Oh, yeah, and we had a lovely Thanksgiving at my aunt's house, with copious amounts of excellent Turkey Day food and a real treat - pineapple sparkling wine from Hawaii. If you haven't tried it I do recommend. Yum!
On Friday we had a bit of a stressful day, since my grandmother fell and had to be rushed to the hospital. Since STM and I had already planned to visit his family that day, and my sister CGB was going to be stranded at the 'rents, she came with us to H-burg.
Her reaction: gee, STM's granddad is just like OUR granddad. Well, duh, but she didn't know him well enough to say that before, so fair enough :)
The upshot of that situation is that it looks like my grandmother is in very good hands for her rehab therapy. I'm hoping her wrist and hip heal quickly and without complications!
Well, that's not nearly all, but I will have to get the rest written later!
Friday, October 5, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Mattresses - Victory!
Yay! So, I finally got tired of the dithering around we've been doing over this mattress issue for the last few weeks, and did some more internet research yesterday. Turns out Macy's is having a really amazing mattress sale, and they carry Simmons Beauty Rest, which was the kind we wanted.
Mission accomplished for probably about 50% cheaper than the mattress we bought usually retails!
Yay - no more sleeping on the air mattress with a feather blanket as cushion on top of the POS posing as sleep substrate!
If you need a mattress, I suggest you consult Macy's between now and the end of the sale!
Mission accomplished for probably about 50% cheaper than the mattress we bought usually retails!
Yay - no more sleeping on the air mattress with a feather blanket as cushion on top of the POS posing as sleep substrate!
If you need a mattress, I suggest you consult Macy's between now and the end of the sale!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Buying Mattresses...
So, Super Thin Man and I need a new mattress. This didn't seem like a complicated purchase to me-you go, lie down on a couple of the things, buy one, and get them to bring it to your house. Bonus points if they will also remove the sagging POS currently posing as a sleep substrate.
Well. I was wrong.
First off: There are about 1000 different kinds of mattress from probably 50-ish different manufacturers.
Second: One person who will be using said mattress is slender and tall-ish and gets upper back and shoulder pain from sleeping. Since this person is so slender, there is the issue of their shoulders being much wider than their hips, so the upper back takes all the weight... The other person is...ahem...curvy and a little bit shorter, therefore having lower back pain because their body takes the weight quite differently. This results in each of these people finding different mattresses which are comfortable for them.
Third: Mattress stores are creepy. They only ever have one staff member working and rarely ever have any other customers in the store. As a consequence when a customer walks in they are practically hounded by the lonely associate and are forced to lie down on all the mattresses (an oddly intimate thing to be doing in public...) in front of a complete stranger who is trying to sell you stuff. This sets off the creepy factor quite well.
Fourth: MY GOD. You could buy a decent used CAR for what a mattress costs. And the comfy ones are all even MORE expensive. Damn. Just...Damn.
Fifth: One can find better deals online, as well as see a much wider variety of mattresses, but you cannot test them online. This is a problem. See Point 2.
So, I suppose the solution is to grin and bear the creepiness of the deserted mattress stores to find the one you like, then go online to actually buy the thing.
Sigh.
Well. I was wrong.
First off: There are about 1000 different kinds of mattress from probably 50-ish different manufacturers.
Second: One person who will be using said mattress is slender and tall-ish and gets upper back and shoulder pain from sleeping. Since this person is so slender, there is the issue of their shoulders being much wider than their hips, so the upper back takes all the weight... The other person is...ahem...curvy and a little bit shorter, therefore having lower back pain because their body takes the weight quite differently. This results in each of these people finding different mattresses which are comfortable for them.
Third: Mattress stores are creepy. They only ever have one staff member working and rarely ever have any other customers in the store. As a consequence when a customer walks in they are practically hounded by the lonely associate and are forced to lie down on all the mattresses (an oddly intimate thing to be doing in public...) in front of a complete stranger who is trying to sell you stuff. This sets off the creepy factor quite well.
Fourth: MY GOD. You could buy a decent used CAR for what a mattress costs. And the comfy ones are all even MORE expensive. Damn. Just...Damn.
Fifth: One can find better deals online, as well as see a much wider variety of mattresses, but you cannot test them online. This is a problem. See Point 2.
So, I suppose the solution is to grin and bear the creepiness of the deserted mattress stores to find the one you like, then go online to actually buy the thing.
Sigh.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Then again...
By The Way, I have several much more important posts, but for now I'm not able to concentrate on work, much less this....
Yew Wand
The following wand has chosen YOU:
Yew; Demiguise Hair; 13 and 1/2 inches
-Associated with both death and rebirth
-Enhance magical and psychic abilities
-Especially suited to spells of transfiguration
-The user of this wand must be extremely careful of its innate, destructive workings
Which Magic Wand Are You Destined To Pick?
Yew Wand
The following wand has chosen YOU:
Yew; Demiguise Hair; 13 and 1/2 inches
-Associated with both death and rebirth
-Enhance magical and psychic abilities
-Especially suited to spells of transfiguration
-The user of this wand must be extremely careful of its innate, destructive workings
Which Magic Wand Are You Destined To Pick?
Sure, why not?!
Your Score: 12", Holly, Dragon
You scored 42 wisdom, 33 bravery, 21 emotional, and 16 martyrdom!
Holly is a powerful protective wood that good for use against evil, but it also represents dreams and fertility. Your dragon's heartstring core makes your wand very effective in hexes.
| Link: The Harry Potter Wand Test written by sputnik845 on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test |
Monday, August 13, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
Um, okay...
Your results:
You are Iron Man
Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...
You are Iron Man
| Inventor. Businessman. Genius. |
Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Oh yeah, I almost forgot!
In all of the wedding and Harry Potter and summer heat craziness I almost forgot.
I got promoted again, with another payraise.
Yay!
I got promoted again, with another payraise.
Yay!
A Thought...
What would happen if you slipped Klatchian coffee into Professor Trelawney's tea?
First--would she know not to drink it?
Second--if she drank it, would she become a full-on Seer?
Third--would such a rift between the universe of Discworld and Hogwarts ever be mendable?
Fourth--would Professor Trelawney, having drunk said coffee, then be able to give more detail to supplement the disappointingly sparse epilogue to book 7?????
What a thought.
First--would she know not to drink it?
Second--if she drank it, would she become a full-on Seer?
Third--would such a rift between the universe of Discworld and Hogwarts ever be mendable?
Fourth--would Professor Trelawney, having drunk said coffee, then be able to give more detail to supplement the disappointingly sparse epilogue to book 7?????
What a thought.
Welcome Samer!
We have recently welcomed a new member to our crazy team here at work, Samer. Samer seems a nice fellow, and he has the advantage of speaking Arabic, French and English fluently as well as being a Middle East/North Africa expert. Which is how he found his way to our little pocket of insanity.
Samer has Klatchian ancestry. I'm sure of it. He made the coffee today, see, and now I'm so sober I can see the future.
Need to buy melons, yes, melons would be useful.....
Samer has Klatchian ancestry. I'm sure of it. He made the coffee today, see, and now I'm so sober I can see the future.
Need to buy melons, yes, melons would be useful.....
Monday, August 6, 2007
Plea For Rain...
This is a formal request to any critter out there who/which might have a bit of influence with the weather:
My friends lost Simon Templar, one of their llamas, last week due to parasites, which grow much more quickly during drought. They keep their llamas as companions, (and they also guard sheep flocks, go figure!) not livestock animals, so it was like losing a close friend.
Other friends, who own a vineyard, will probably have to cut 30% of their crop this year in order to get any harvest at all without overstressing (and therefore possibly killing) the vines.
They aren't the only ones: everyone in this area is suffering from this drought.
Please send us some good, soaking, gentle rains.
Thank you.
My friends lost Simon Templar, one of their llamas, last week due to parasites, which grow much more quickly during drought. They keep their llamas as companions, (and they also guard sheep flocks, go figure!) not livestock animals, so it was like losing a close friend.
Other friends, who own a vineyard, will probably have to cut 30% of their crop this year in order to get any harvest at all without overstressing (and therefore possibly killing) the vines.
They aren't the only ones: everyone in this area is suffering from this drought.
Please send us some good, soaking, gentle rains.
Thank you.
Friday, August 3, 2007
By all that's holy, have some sense!
These people must be wealthy. That's all I can figure. Why, otherwise, would you attempt to repopulate certain small countries all on your own, and how would you also have the freedom to school them in your probably crazy ways while you do it???
Now, I know I come from a large family, but there are large families and then there are people who like to imitate rabbits. Which are prey animals, and not really known for their cunning except when it comes to finding ways to steal from people's gardens. I'm just saying.
Now, I know I come from a large family, but there are large families and then there are people who like to imitate rabbits. Which are prey animals, and not really known for their cunning except when it comes to finding ways to steal from people's gardens. I'm just saying.
Urasov
Is an unfortunate last name. Even in Russia, where the derogatory term for one's backside is different, they might still snicker. They watch a lot of American movies over there....might as well be named Uranus.
Yay-we own the Moon!
This is the third in a series of posts on my friend's blog (to which I occasionally send articles, and which is actually translated and read around the world in several different languages, go fig!) on the ridiculousness of Russia's recent...globalization policy.
BTW-the blog is Eternal Remont, and there is a link to the right over there...
BTW-the blog is Eternal Remont, and there is a link to the right over there...
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Harry Potter 7
Well, I clearly owe everyone a good long entry or two on the wedding and honeymoon, but for now other business...
No, This Isn't A Spoiler. I can't, I heaven't read the whole book yet. I could have gotten it on the honeymoon, but we were having far too much fun doing other stuff so I chose not to. That, and I'd preoredered it at one of those discounted prices at a store in Fairfax before I realized it would come out during our honeymoon. Sigh.
I must, however, point out one irony, and this is towards the beginning and not a major plot point, so don't worry: exactly one week after my own wedding out comes a book which features a wedding whose color scheme is purple, gold, and white.
For those who may not have attended our wedding or not been involved, I offer the following picture of Super Thin Husband Man and I:
Edited to add: Just for the record, while we had a fabulous photographer, this is one of the pictures my friends took. I have not received Kristen's pictures yet, though there is a teaser....
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Final Countdown begins!!!
It's currently 9:48am EDT. 75 hours 12 minutes until our WEDDING!!!!
It's finally getting to the point where I can transition from worrying about the color of the flowers in the bouquet and whether there's enough of the silly plastic grapevine for the centerpieces to...
OUR WEDDING IS IN 75 HOURS and...10 MINUTES!!!
Today is my last day of work, and between the fact that I'm already excited and my coworker's baby shower this afternoon, I don't imagine it will be my most productive day....
75 hours and 9 minutes.
Tonight we have to get the programs written, though we can't print them until we have the music finalized and we are probably finalizing that tomorrow. We also have to do seating arrangements and place cards and table descriptions tonight. This was supposed to be finished last weekend, but eh, things happen......
75 hours and 8 minutes...
O My Goodness. We're Getting Married!!!!!!
Yayyyyy!!!
It's finally getting to the point where I can transition from worrying about the color of the flowers in the bouquet and whether there's enough of the silly plastic grapevine for the centerpieces to...
OUR WEDDING IS IN 75 HOURS and...10 MINUTES!!!
Today is my last day of work, and between the fact that I'm already excited and my coworker's baby shower this afternoon, I don't imagine it will be my most productive day....
75 hours and 9 minutes.
Tonight we have to get the programs written, though we can't print them until we have the music finalized and we are probably finalizing that tomorrow. We also have to do seating arrangements and place cards and table descriptions tonight. This was supposed to be finished last weekend, but eh, things happen......
75 hours and 8 minutes...
O My Goodness. We're Getting Married!!!!!!
Yayyyyy!!!
Monday, July 9, 2007
Argh!!
Stupid Ancestors. Shoulda' just bought the recipe.
Then, this would be me.
I'm sure that all of my sisters would be much more tastefully enfrocked, even if we WERE beer heiresses.
Which could SO easily have happened.
WHEN will I get a time machine for my birthday? WHEN??? (I'd take a Pontiac Solstice GXP instead, if anyone is taking notes...)
Then, this would be me.
I'm sure that all of my sisters would be much more tastefully enfrocked, even if we WERE beer heiresses.
Which could SO easily have happened.
WHEN will I get a time machine for my birthday? WHEN??? (I'd take a Pontiac Solstice GXP instead, if anyone is taking notes...)
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Sigh.
I have made a not-so-novel discovery: I have friends of many different types, and getting tham to all happily share one space is like herding cats. Several of them, while being perfectly fine with me, are downright rude to each other sometimes. See, as with any group of people forced to spend large amounts of time together, there are feuds that go back YEARS between a few of these people.
Unfortunately my wedding has been a situation where normal boundaries of friendship circle have been crossed. I say 'unfortunately' because I am aware that this has causde more than passing tensions amongst said group of friends. This saddens me a bit because I kind of hoped that people would see this as an opportunity to see the good sides of the others, and although I know that goes against the nature of most people, I have an extremely stubborn optimistic streak I just can't seem to get rid of.
Please, for your own sake as well as my sanity/guilt capacity, Please try to get along for a little while at least?
Thank you. Believe me, when this is all behind us we will all be happier if we try to have a good time.
Unfortunately my wedding has been a situation where normal boundaries of friendship circle have been crossed. I say 'unfortunately' because I am aware that this has causde more than passing tensions amongst said group of friends. This saddens me a bit because I kind of hoped that people would see this as an opportunity to see the good sides of the others, and although I know that goes against the nature of most people, I have an extremely stubborn optimistic streak I just can't seem to get rid of.
Please, for your own sake as well as my sanity/guilt capacity, Please try to get along for a little while at least?
Thank you. Believe me, when this is all behind us we will all be happier if we try to have a good time.
Nine days to go....
Happy Fourth of July to all, I hope you were able to enjoy your day off, and that you aren't too...tired...to deal with being back to work today!
Anyway, Nine Days to Go Until one of the biggest events in my life.
Other big events of note:
1) Being born. I rate this fairly high on the scale of important life events. Thanks Mom and Dad :D
2) Various firsts: first solid food, first walk, first year with no hospitalizations, little things like that.
3) Education firsts: first day of school, first detention, graduation from grade school, graduation from high school, graduation from college, graduation from graduate school.
4) Living abroad.
5) Well, lots of things that won't get listed here...
6) The next major thing: Super Thin Man and I are getting married in 9 days.
My most recent obsession is that we are finally close enough to The Big Event for me to check the weather report for that day. You see, I am hoping against hope and praying to any divine force that will assist for a relatively sunny day in the 70s with low humidity that day. Ahem. We are talking about Washington DC in the middle of July, where the average temperatures are 86* for the high and the humidity is often around 60% or higher with a good chance of thunderstorms. I am basically asking for a miracle.
Anyway, Nine Days to Go Until one of the biggest events in my life.
Other big events of note:
1) Being born. I rate this fairly high on the scale of important life events. Thanks Mom and Dad :D
2) Various firsts: first solid food, first walk, first year with no hospitalizations, little things like that.
3) Education firsts: first day of school, first detention, graduation from grade school, graduation from high school, graduation from college, graduation from graduate school.
4) Living abroad.
5) Well, lots of things that won't get listed here...
6) The next major thing: Super Thin Man and I are getting married in 9 days.
My most recent obsession is that we are finally close enough to The Big Event for me to check the weather report for that day. You see, I am hoping against hope and praying to any divine force that will assist for a relatively sunny day in the 70s with low humidity that day. Ahem. We are talking about Washington DC in the middle of July, where the average temperatures are 86* for the high and the humidity is often around 60% or higher with a good chance of thunderstorms. I am basically asking for a miracle.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
In other News...
However, on the list of acceptable wedding gifts I must include this. And after the wedding I promise to post some pictures of us in our outfits, which will justify this even more.
Besides, who DOESN"T want an ancient drafty castle once slept in by Vlad Tepesch?
On a side note: does this story smack slightly of George-Washingtonism, or is it just me? Vladdy-boy slept there once? Do we have any proof? I mean, there's this rock overhang which is constantly being ground away by trucks going down a road near my parents house. The legend as to why the darn thing has never been removed is that once George Washington slept under it, this presumably having happened when the road was a dirt track and one could sleep at the side of it without fear of crazy Main Line people in SUVs. But that doesn't make the legend true.
I think it's a cheap selling point. I'd still take the castle.
Besides, who DOESN"T want an ancient drafty castle once slept in by Vlad Tepesch?
On a side note: does this story smack slightly of George-Washingtonism, or is it just me? Vladdy-boy slept there once? Do we have any proof? I mean, there's this rock overhang which is constantly being ground away by trucks going down a road near my parents house. The legend as to why the darn thing has never been removed is that once George Washington slept under it, this presumably having happened when the road was a dirt track and one could sleep at the side of it without fear of crazy Main Line people in SUVs. But that doesn't make the legend true.
I think it's a cheap selling point. I'd still take the castle.
Argh!
So, I know I haven't been posting lately, and I even have a birthday to report on, but I've been a bit busy with wedding planning.
Speaking of which.
Yeah. This is another reason why we are NOT getting married this weekend. Craziness!
If any of you get us luck-themed gifts I may start hurling them at the walls of the winery at the reception in hopes of breaking them. Unless they are very clever and well thought out (not that any of those in the article above are...) in which case I will treat them with the respect they deserve for that reason.
Not that we don't want luck, or a happy, long and fruitful marriage, but we EMPHATICALLY do not need European designed Lucky Shot Glasses. We need a Framed Four Leaf Clover even less.
Thank you.
Speaking of which.
Yeah. This is another reason why we are NOT getting married this weekend. Craziness!
If any of you get us luck-themed gifts I may start hurling them at the walls of the winery at the reception in hopes of breaking them. Unless they are very clever and well thought out (not that any of those in the article above are...) in which case I will treat them with the respect they deserve for that reason.
Not that we don't want luck, or a happy, long and fruitful marriage, but we EMPHATICALLY do not need European designed Lucky Shot Glasses. We need a Framed Four Leaf Clover even less.
Thank you.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Also On the Dresses...
As of now, most of the people in the bridal party have received their outfits for the wedding. Everyone is either extremely pleased and has made it clear, or still somewhat mortified by my choice of gown/doublet and have been very good at lying to me. (okay, I know at least one person would take the option to switch to a tux if I let them...)
I am very impressed. Witches Closet Creations (see link on the right) is made up of a pair of ladies in Washington State who make and sell clothes and other sundries by mail order. That being said, they managed to fit just about everybody just about perfectly from...oh...between 1500 and 3000 miles away. Nice. And they did it for a price I'm still not sure I believe, especially considering what other similar frims charge For The Same Bloody Thing But Less Well Made.
Cheers, and Kudos to you, Liz and Laura!
I am very impressed. Witches Closet Creations (see link on the right) is made up of a pair of ladies in Washington State who make and sell clothes and other sundries by mail order. That being said, they managed to fit just about everybody just about perfectly from...oh...between 1500 and 3000 miles away. Nice. And they did it for a price I'm still not sure I believe, especially considering what other similar frims charge For The Same Bloody Thing But Less Well Made.
Cheers, and Kudos to you, Liz and Laura!
Murphy's Law, and How It Could Be Worse...
So. You have a wedding in three weeks. You are getting prepared, you have a lot of the details worked out, you're getting pretty excited, right?
Three weeks: it's good that there's that much of a window when you manage to sprain your ankle playing softball on your company team. It wasn't even an exciting play, I'd just gotten out, and turned to run back to the 'dugout' (um, we play on the National Mall. It's a field where they plunk down bases and a pitcher's 'mound' to make it a diamond), when my foot caught...or something...and turns the wrong way, and suddenly my ankle wouldn't take any weight. Which led to three hours in the emergency room. Over which time they poked it a little, took my vitals, took some x-rays (it's not broken, thank all that's holy), and gave me a splint, crutches, and an Rx for some STRONG Motrin and sent me on my way. I think I made out well there, too. Could have been an all-nighter, that could.
So, today is my coworker's last day before he leaves to get married and honeymooned (which is much better than just getting mooned, there's HONEY involved), and therefore I couldn't call out sick. I'm taking over for him while he's away. Yup--here's me at 8:45am catching a cab outside of the Rosslyn metro with my crutches to get the 0.2 miles up the hill to my office. Those of you who know the Wilson Boulevard Hill understand me. Those of you who have watched the Philly Bike Race at 'The Wall' understand me. Those who don't? Think 25* up-angle on a submarine. And now I'm stuck trying to juggle the crutches and my coffee cup (of tea, I'm weaning off coffee again, finally) because I forgot my big Nalgene and can't go with an empty cup.
The VERY good news: three weeks should be enough time--unless I do something stupid--to heal. The more difficult news: I'm stuck on crutches for at least three days and we have our engagement photoshoot tomorrow...at a sheep farm. With rolling hills and such. Wow, that was stupid! Guess we'll be sticking near to the barn, where I can hobble ten feet. Because I really don't want my ankle to match my bridesmaids gorgeous purple dresses.
Three weeks: it's good that there's that much of a window when you manage to sprain your ankle playing softball on your company team. It wasn't even an exciting play, I'd just gotten out, and turned to run back to the 'dugout' (um, we play on the National Mall. It's a field where they plunk down bases and a pitcher's 'mound' to make it a diamond), when my foot caught...or something...and turns the wrong way, and suddenly my ankle wouldn't take any weight. Which led to three hours in the emergency room. Over which time they poked it a little, took my vitals, took some x-rays (it's not broken, thank all that's holy), and gave me a splint, crutches, and an Rx for some STRONG Motrin and sent me on my way. I think I made out well there, too. Could have been an all-nighter, that could.
So, today is my coworker's last day before he leaves to get married and honeymooned (which is much better than just getting mooned, there's HONEY involved), and therefore I couldn't call out sick. I'm taking over for him while he's away. Yup--here's me at 8:45am catching a cab outside of the Rosslyn metro with my crutches to get the 0.2 miles up the hill to my office. Those of you who know the Wilson Boulevard Hill understand me. Those of you who have watched the Philly Bike Race at 'The Wall' understand me. Those who don't? Think 25* up-angle on a submarine. And now I'm stuck trying to juggle the crutches and my coffee cup (of tea, I'm weaning off coffee again, finally) because I forgot my big Nalgene and can't go with an empty cup.
The VERY good news: three weeks should be enough time--unless I do something stupid--to heal. The more difficult news: I'm stuck on crutches for at least three days and we have our engagement photoshoot tomorrow...at a sheep farm. With rolling hills and such. Wow, that was stupid! Guess we'll be sticking near to the barn, where I can hobble ten feet. Because I really don't want my ankle to match my bridesmaids gorgeous purple dresses.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Last names...
An Observation: When the cashier at Safeway actually looks at your name from the receipt and is able to pronounce it normally, there is no reason why the rest of the population should have any problem with it.
As a Side Observation: When the underpaid, overworked cashiers at Safeway are pleasant and courteous, it is a sign that the world will shortly be ending. I would leave any major urban areas if I were you.
As a Side Observation: When the underpaid, overworked cashiers at Safeway are pleasant and courteous, it is a sign that the world will shortly be ending. I would leave any major urban areas if I were you.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
In which I observe...
...that there is a whole list of things that your apartment could smell like that are worse than the scent of jerk seasoning. Mmmmm...jerk chicken :D
Monday, May 21, 2007
Ahhhh....
This has been a long time coming, and had several roadbumps/construction sites/unbuilt bridges and various other challenges along the way, but I did indeed graduate. I now am the proud owner of two very fancy pieces of paper (one undergrad, one grad) written in Latin (I told you they were fancy!) about two and a half by two feet in size to hang on my wall, about $55k in debt, and more knowledge on various subjects of interest to about ten people in the world than I probably care to admit.
Mom and Dad came down for the ceremony, which I made very little noise about for several reasons: First, I actually wasn't sure it was truly going to happen until about a week and a half ago, second, my wedding is fast approaching and I thought it was a bit much to make a big deal about both, and third, MAN, am I just happy to be FINISHED.
So, Super Thin Man sat with the Parents and got to be all happy and proud (which was fun...I was actually much happier about the whole thing than I thought I'd be) and then we went to Le Mistral for dinner. Wow. Super Thin Man gets big time credit with the Parents for that particular find. Mom officially put him in charge of finding nice restaurants when they are in town. Tee hee. It was a very nice dinner all around, good food, good wine, good company. In short, it was the kind of meal that in reality you only get once in a great while, but that you'd like to have much more often.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Ha hahaaaaaaaa.....
Do you remember this post? And the one preceding it?
Well, this evening Super Thin Man and I bottled our very first ever home vintage. It's actually not bad, either! (Of course we had to taste it. How else can you tell whether it's ready to bottle?)
We racked it twice over the course of the past 5 weeks, used a potassium metabisulfate solution to stabilize and sterilize it, clarified it last weekend using SuperKleer, and today as a study break we bottled it.
As we were tasting over the last couple of weeks, we discovered that the merlot from the kit we bought was, like, really high in alcohol, to the point where it was more like weak, young brandy. The fruit wine on the other hand (equal parts organic '365' brand concord grape, cherry, and blueberry fruit juice) was very weak in strength and was overwhelmingly fruity. We tried 75/25, 60/30, and 50/50 blends of the two wines, and discovered that providentially a 50/50 blend of the two balanced the fruit and alcohol very nicely. Odd, but a pleasant surprise. The original merlot kit was meant to make four bottles. With the blend it came out to seven bottles plus one glass (I'm sipping it now-ahhhh! Young, but with potential! :D ).
All in all, including equipment, chemicals, and juice, we ended up with seven plus bottles of eminently drinkable wine for about...$50? And several of the pieces of equipment (wine thief, brix/alcohol meter, racking pump, corker) are reusable.
Nice.
So you all...well, all of you over 21...now know what you'll be receiving for Christmas and birthdays for the rest of your lives.
Cheers!
P.S. We may get into beer and mead at some point, given the opportunity. And don't worry, we'll get you to taste it before we start giving it as gifts :D
P.P.S. The picture is from the tour we took at Ingleside Winery not far from Westmoreland State Park, where I spent Spring Break.
Update: On the Job
Remember when I bitched mildly about the gummint?
Yeah. It looks like they are eyeballing me to TAKE OVER THAT WHOLE SECTION.
The Department for Redundant Redundancy Department is something of an understatement compared to what I will be dealing with in the near future.
On the up side, this is actually a position of some responsibility. I hadn't considered that they were planning to give me a REAL job.
Neat.
Yeah. It looks like they are eyeballing me to TAKE OVER THAT WHOLE SECTION.
The Department for Redundant Redundancy Department is something of an understatement compared to what I will be dealing with in the near future.
On the up side, this is actually a position of some responsibility. I hadn't considered that they were planning to give me a REAL job.
Neat.
Office Orchid Update!
So, in a move akin to my sister's updates on her varied and sundry knitting projects, an update to the office orchid situation I mentioned last month.
The two orchids I rescued from possible death have both survived, and are actually well on the road to recovery. One of them has several visible, healthy new roots. The other, the one whose root decay was much worse, has become visibly healthier. This points to root growth in the medium where I can't see it.
My third office orchid, the Kalapana, has new growth but is kind of in a stall. I don't think the office has the right sort of atmosphere for them to truly thrive. My orchids at home get a similar amount of attention and care--in fact I spend more time with my office orchids--but the office ones don't grow as quickly and haven't shown any indications of future infloresence.
I have experienced dramatic improvement in health and happiness of other plants when I have taken them out of my office and into my apartment in the past, that may be the solution here, too.
In short, my office has too many stressed out people for plants to be happy. Poor vibrations and bad karma, apparently.
The two orchids I rescued from possible death have both survived, and are actually well on the road to recovery. One of them has several visible, healthy new roots. The other, the one whose root decay was much worse, has become visibly healthier. This points to root growth in the medium where I can't see it.
My third office orchid, the Kalapana, has new growth but is kind of in a stall. I don't think the office has the right sort of atmosphere for them to truly thrive. My orchids at home get a similar amount of attention and care--in fact I spend more time with my office orchids--but the office ones don't grow as quickly and haven't shown any indications of future infloresence.
I have experienced dramatic improvement in health and happiness of other plants when I have taken them out of my office and into my apartment in the past, that may be the solution here, too.
In short, my office has too many stressed out people for plants to be happy. Poor vibrations and bad karma, apparently.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Oh, that's what we're missing.
A leader, even a figurehead one, who actually doesn't have their head up their butt.
Queen Elizabeth II put Bush squarely in his place as only a long-time monarch can do to an idiot.
Queen Elizabeth II put Bush squarely in his place as only a long-time monarch can do to an idiot.
One down...
I handed in the 33 1/2 page behemoth today. That may be officially the longest paper I have ever written-I kinda hope that if I write like that again it won't be for a crunch-deadline. Two more, gotta get 'em done!
Edited to add:
This is not the result of dieting for a role. She looks like I do right now, other than that whole fact that I weigh at least twice as mu....wait, Super Thin Man weighs twice as much as this, what was I thinking???!!
I think she is secretly in her last semester of grad school.
Edited to add:
This is not the result of dieting for a role. She looks like I do right now, other than that whole fact that I weigh at least twice as mu....wait, Super Thin Man weighs twice as much as this, what was I thinking???!!
I think she is secretly in her last semester of grad school.
In which....
I think it's finished. But it's 4:32 am EST, and I may be hallucinating.
There's still two papers to go: Why Everybody Hated Poland in the 17th Cantury, and How Jewish Family Life Changed in the 19th Century. These aren't really related in any way....though if you went all Six Degrees on them they could be.
But the How Wine Culture In Russia is even More Backward Now than it Was in the 17th Century and Gee Isn't it Interesting How the Russian Oligarchs get Treated Just Like the Nobles Used To paper is finished. I think. I'm still somewhat doubtful.
Make that 4:35 am EST
There's still two papers to go: Why Everybody Hated Poland in the 17th Cantury, and How Jewish Family Life Changed in the 19th Century. These aren't really related in any way....though if you went all Six Degrees on them they could be.
But the How Wine Culture In Russia is even More Backward Now than it Was in the 17th Century and Gee Isn't it Interesting How the Russian Oligarchs get Treated Just Like the Nobles Used To paper is finished. I think. I'm still somewhat doubtful.
Make that 4:35 am EST
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Capstone
Just for the record, when I finish this damn paper, I'm going to find a way to post it on this website--all 35 damn pages of it--so all of you can see why I've suddenly turned into something approaching a cross between Bridezilla and the most passive-aggressive person you've ever met. It's not you, it's not wedding planning, I don't have cold feet, and I am actually really unhappy to have to keep telling you all to leave me alone at such a crucial period in the planning process.
I'm Sorry.
But it's not going to get a great deal better until this weekend.
I'm Sorry.
But it's not going to get a great deal better until this weekend.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Tuesday Night BBQ
This Tuesday our department had the first of its end-of-year events. Unfortunately these are always on weeknights. This event is the annual end-of-year barbeque. Last year it was held at Old Glory, but since the Alumni House at 35th and O St. is finally reopened they decided to hold it in the new courtyard. I must admit-they did a good job with that place. It had been condemned in my sophomore year of college and sat there for several years before it was gutted and rebuilt.
In any case, they had the event catered and hired a bartender. This guy was crazy-he kept mixing up this rum punch that took the whole 'punch' idea a little too literally (as in 'punch in the jaw'), but you couldn't tell when you were drinking it. Over the course of the five hours we spent at the Alumni House I consumed three glasses of this and ate a fair amount of BBQ. We went to someone's house to continue the party-and I zonked out on the sofa within half an hour. Super Thin Man, deciding to take advantage of the situation, let me sleep for two more hours before he took me home. I think the stuff must have been about 50% rum. I had work the next day. Let's put it this way: although I had theoretically not imbibed a huge number of drinks, I was still rather less productive than usual yesterday morning at work.
The thing that I'm wondering is how other people did the next day. There were several people drinking that stuff like water.
Gaw. Note to self: if you meet a bartender who is making his own mixture of rum punch, and if he spends a significant amount of his time in Jamaica, and if you have work the next day, be warned.
And now I've said way too much.
In any case, they had the event catered and hired a bartender. This guy was crazy-he kept mixing up this rum punch that took the whole 'punch' idea a little too literally (as in 'punch in the jaw'), but you couldn't tell when you were drinking it. Over the course of the five hours we spent at the Alumni House I consumed three glasses of this and ate a fair amount of BBQ. We went to someone's house to continue the party-and I zonked out on the sofa within half an hour. Super Thin Man, deciding to take advantage of the situation, let me sleep for two more hours before he took me home. I think the stuff must have been about 50% rum. I had work the next day. Let's put it this way: although I had theoretically not imbibed a huge number of drinks, I was still rather less productive than usual yesterday morning at work.
The thing that I'm wondering is how other people did the next day. There were several people drinking that stuff like water.
Gaw. Note to self: if you meet a bartender who is making his own mixture of rum punch, and if he spends a significant amount of his time in Jamaica, and if you have work the next day, be warned.
And now I've said way too much.
Air and Space
This past weekend, my sister came down to DC. She had this amazing deal by which for $15 she got a chartered bus round trip and a ticket to the Spy Museum (I'm jealous. I've never been, at least not yet, and the tix cost $16 if you just walk in. I don't know how her school found that deal, but they deserve some props for that). Since she was going to have the afternoon free, we decided to get together. Super Thin Man, my sister and I went to the Hard Rock Cafe, DC for lunch. My sister had never been to any Hard Rock (oh, the Horror!), and I'd never been to the DC one, so it was a good time for all (Super Thin Man has been there, he was amused by the two of us giggling like silly people :D).
Then we went to the Air and Space Museum. We had though to take sis to the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space in Northern VA, but we realized how much time that would eat up, so we went to the one on the Mall. Udvar-Hazy. Udvar-Hazy. Teehee, I love saying that :D
Super Thin Man forgot his professional ID (again) which meant he didn't get the free ticket for the IMAX (again), but we went anyway-those 3D effects were really cool.
Then we decided to go check out the simulators. Well, sis wanted to go with me. I was pilot and she was gunner-we hit all of one target. This was mainly due to my inability to get the plane to go where I wanted it to go. Super Thin Man was by himself and therefore gunner/pilot-he hit six. Gee, I wonder who spent their youth playing flight simulator video games :D Next time I vow to:
A) Practice first so I have a better idea of how to use the controls and
B) Mention that if she ACTUALLY wants to hit something, she might consider going with STM.
All in all, it was a very nice afternoon and an ideal study break. I hope she gets the chance to come down like that again!
Then we went to the Air and Space Museum. We had though to take sis to the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space in Northern VA, but we realized how much time that would eat up, so we went to the one on the Mall. Udvar-Hazy. Udvar-Hazy. Teehee, I love saying that :D
Super Thin Man forgot his professional ID (again) which meant he didn't get the free ticket for the IMAX (again), but we went anyway-those 3D effects were really cool.
Then we decided to go check out the simulators. Well, sis wanted to go with me. I was pilot and she was gunner-we hit all of one target. This was mainly due to my inability to get the plane to go where I wanted it to go. Super Thin Man was by himself and therefore gunner/pilot-he hit six. Gee, I wonder who spent their youth playing flight simulator video games :D Next time I vow to:
A) Practice first so I have a better idea of how to use the controls and
B) Mention that if she ACTUALLY wants to hit something, she might consider going with STM.
All in all, it was a very nice afternoon and an ideal study break. I hope she gets the chance to come down like that again!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Monday, April 30, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
So, In Conclusion...
I have been preparing and writing my Capstone paper all this semester. I actually began preliminary research before the end of the fall semester. For anyone who knows me this is an amazing feat of non-procrastination (not that I didn't procrastinate!). I have my paper presentation in my department today at 11am.
So, what have I learned from months of reading and research?
-Wine was always freakin' expensive, and unless you lived in Italy or France, it was reserved for the super-wealthy
-There have always been wine snobs
-Russia doesn't really have any wine-growing regions, since in winter it gets FREAKIN' FREEZING. Ahem.
-Putin and the Romanov Dynasty have more in common than people want to admit: namely that he is a strong ruler who keeps a tight hold on the elite (formerly nobles, currently oligarchs) and who has serious isolationist tendencies. This is related to the wine commentary, I swear!
-There will always BE wine snobs
-Where a decent bottle of wine may cost $50 here, it can cost $100 or more in Moscow. Damn that oil wealth.
Wow. All that reading summed up in six points.
So, what have I learned from months of reading and research?
-Wine was always freakin' expensive, and unless you lived in Italy or France, it was reserved for the super-wealthy
-There have always been wine snobs
-Russia doesn't really have any wine-growing regions, since in winter it gets FREAKIN' FREEZING. Ahem.
-Putin and the Romanov Dynasty have more in common than people want to admit: namely that he is a strong ruler who keeps a tight hold on the elite (formerly nobles, currently oligarchs) and who has serious isolationist tendencies. This is related to the wine commentary, I swear!
-There will always BE wine snobs
-Where a decent bottle of wine may cost $50 here, it can cost $100 or more in Moscow. Damn that oil wealth.
Wow. All that reading summed up in six points.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
On the Job...
As the semester wanes and my time in graduate school comes to an end (if I survive the next two weeks, which is somewhat debatable...) I am being trained in a new part of my organization in preparation for me to go full time.
The section in which I'm working right now deals directly with a government agency. I had no idea how not-stereotypes all those gummint stereotypes are.
Wow.
Well, at the very least I am getting the idea that I have job security: my boss comes by my office approximately twice a week now to mention that this is going to be a chunk of my duties when I go full time. I think he's getting a kick out of the fact that I'm staying-you must understand that every time he does this he has this almost-manic glee in his manner. It's actually pretty amusing :D
The section in which I'm working right now deals directly with a government agency. I had no idea how not-stereotypes all those gummint stereotypes are.
Wow.
Well, at the very least I am getting the idea that I have job security: my boss comes by my office approximately twice a week now to mention that this is going to be a chunk of my duties when I go full time. I think he's getting a kick out of the fact that I'm staying-you must understand that every time he does this he has this almost-manic glee in his manner. It's actually pretty amusing :D
On the other hand...
Apparently Captain America sightings are up recently. And he's being a very bad superhero indeed!
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
To quote the Express: "Rocking Out"!
So, those crazy Serbs strike again!
They've found a mineral with the same composition as Kryptonite!
Superman sightings are predicted to fall by at least 50%.
Conspiracy theorists suggest that Lex Luthor may be spearheading the mining operation which uncovered the rare mineral.
They've found a mineral with the same composition as Kryptonite!
Superman sightings are predicted to fall by at least 50%.
Conspiracy theorists suggest that Lex Luthor may be spearheading the mining operation which uncovered the rare mineral.
Monday, April 23, 2007
And yet another passing...
Boris Yeltsin has passed away. This is a tragedy for all those who loved the fellow for his crazy rantings and drunken benders. He is and will be beloved by many.
To his memory, we must have a vodka toast when we arrive home this evening.
To his memory, we must have a vodka toast when we arrive home this evening.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Virginia Tech Tragedy
To all those affected by this horror, I once again extend my thoughts, prayers, and blessings.
Here is a link to the most recent article I have found concerning the victims of this tragedy.
I have nothing else to say. There really is nothing more to say.
Edited on April 25th to include the latest of the lists.
Here is a link to the most recent article I have found concerning the victims of this tragedy.
I have nothing else to say. There really is nothing more to say.
Edited on April 25th to include the latest of the lists.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
And I thought my lunch was bad...
What this guy ate makes my Ramen noodles look like haute gourmet!
Then again, I could have done this over the weekend...
They might have even thanked me!
The party could have gone on for days....at this place!
I would, however, need to avoid this place.
Then again, I could have done this over the weekend...
They might have even thanked me!
The party could have gone on for days....at this place!
I would, however, need to avoid this place.
Monday, April 16, 2007
What the...?
I often wake up in the morning with a fairly good outlook on the day ahead.
Then I read about things like this....and I wonder whether, indeed, today IS the day that i should start shopping for that remote mountain peak away from everybody.
Edited to add:
The death toll has now reached about 32 people. My thoughts and wishes go out to all those affected by this tragedy!
Then I read about things like this....and I wonder whether, indeed, today IS the day that i should start shopping for that remote mountain peak away from everybody.
Edited to add:
The death toll has now reached about 32 people. My thoughts and wishes go out to all those affected by this tragedy!
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Hmmmm....
Have you ever had a feather pillow or blanket? Have you ever noticed how these things, over time, start to smell slightly of ancient farts?
Now...since I was riding the metro when I thought of that, I wish I knew where it came from. If I figure it out, maybe they won't put me in the looney bin quite yet.
Now...since I was riding the metro when I thought of that, I wish I knew where it came from. If I figure it out, maybe they won't put me in the looney bin quite yet.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
This Just In
Warning:
Do not follow this link in a place where you might get in trouble for ACTUALLY rolling on the floor laughing.
Use caution when handling coffee, tea, or other beverages while viewing this site.
Eating is also not recommended while viewing this site, as one may choke during a laughing fit.
If you have high blood pressure, you may bust a capillary trying to laugh silently if you attempt to view this site at work.
http://www.engrish.com/
Do not follow this link in a place where you might get in trouble for ACTUALLY rolling on the floor laughing.
Use caution when handling coffee, tea, or other beverages while viewing this site.
Eating is also not recommended while viewing this site, as one may choke during a laughing fit.
If you have high blood pressure, you may bust a capillary trying to laugh silently if you attempt to view this site at work.
http://www.engrish.com/
Unsurprising Revelations
When one lives in or near a large city, one gets used to seeing things like empty beer bottles near metro stations, usually 40 oz bottles in brown paper bags. This most often happens in the early morning before the local maintenance crew has made its first round, if you live in an efficient and clean city.
On my way to the Metro this morning just before 7am I noticed an empty half case of beer. It was Black & Tan. When the people who drink near the metro station are buying Black & Tan, it really hits you that you live in a very different section of town. Even the litter is freakin' upscale.
On my way to the Metro this morning just before 7am I noticed an empty half case of beer. It was Black & Tan. When the people who drink near the metro station are buying Black & Tan, it really hits you that you live in a very different section of town. Even the litter is freakin' upscale.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Khakassia Part Deux
For the record, Khakassia is a republic of Russia in the south center meaning that it is mountainous and not in the desert. This is a rather small, but indicative picture of the actual area. Looks nice! There are several other gorgeous pictures of the mountainous regions of the Russian Federation here. This is the Wikipedia article on the area. The ethnic natives are Khakas. I am not kidding.
Khakassia? No way!
My friends have a blog which outlines strange, interesting and funny news from the Former Soviet Union, Central Asia and Russia. This is the most recent posting.
No kidding. Now, I've studied that region for...well, it's going on nigh 12 years now. And I never knew there was really a region of the RF called Khakassia. Is that, like, the butt of a pair of khaki pants? I mean, honestly! I'm seeing sand. LOTS of sand. Something like this. Or perhaps this. Or maybe this even.
No kidding. Now, I've studied that region for...well, it's going on nigh 12 years now. And I never knew there was really a region of the RF called Khakassia. Is that, like, the butt of a pair of khaki pants? I mean, honestly! I'm seeing sand. LOTS of sand. Something like this. Or perhaps this. Or maybe this even.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Easter
Well, Happy Easter to all of you who celebrate, also Happy Passover, Happy Ostara, and if there's some equivalent other holiday, Happy whatever.
My mother really enjoys Easter, and she is completely enabled by all of the adults in our family who still love to run around like little 'uns and find plastic eggs filled with candy. Every year the Egg Hunt gets bigger and funnier-each person gets one special egg with their name on it and more candy inside. This is the cause of much hilarity as for the past two years people have-in their zeal to collect as many eggs as possible-grabbed other people's eggs. Fortunately it's all in good fun...even if my aunt DOES get so into the whole thing that she brings comfortable shoes to change into in order to be more competitive.
It's also a guarantee for a good meal, as my mother gets everything all set up for a huge feast, always involving a ham that seems to be bigger than any one pig could produce :D This year my sister also chipped in with these phyllo-wrapped asparagus spears that were FABULOUS. Even if they probably did constitute most of my calories for the day :D It's Easter, after all, and the celebrations always include more food than is probably good for you...so I figure, enjoy! It only happens once a year, and as we get older it seems to be more and more fun for all of us to get together and celebrate in that manner.
It was a shame, however, that my other sister (whose birthday it was) wasn't able to be with us, but from what I hear she and her husband also had a wonderful holiday. I can't wait for the pictures from kayak-point to start appearing on her blog :D
Happy Birthday and Happy Easter!
My mother really enjoys Easter, and she is completely enabled by all of the adults in our family who still love to run around like little 'uns and find plastic eggs filled with candy. Every year the Egg Hunt gets bigger and funnier-each person gets one special egg with their name on it and more candy inside. This is the cause of much hilarity as for the past two years people have-in their zeal to collect as many eggs as possible-grabbed other people's eggs. Fortunately it's all in good fun...even if my aunt DOES get so into the whole thing that she brings comfortable shoes to change into in order to be more competitive.
It's also a guarantee for a good meal, as my mother gets everything all set up for a huge feast, always involving a ham that seems to be bigger than any one pig could produce :D This year my sister also chipped in with these phyllo-wrapped asparagus spears that were FABULOUS. Even if they probably did constitute most of my calories for the day :D It's Easter, after all, and the celebrations always include more food than is probably good for you...so I figure, enjoy! It only happens once a year, and as we get older it seems to be more and more fun for all of us to get together and celebrate in that manner.
It was a shame, however, that my other sister (whose birthday it was) wasn't able to be with us, but from what I hear she and her husband also had a wonderful holiday. I can't wait for the pictures from kayak-point to start appearing on her blog :D
Happy Birthday and Happy Easter!
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Best Laugh I've had in a While
tickle me elmo
Legend has is it that a new employee was hired at the Tickle Me Elmo factory and she duly reported for her first day's induction training, prior to being allocated a job on the production line. At 08:45 the next day the personnel manager received a visit from an excited assembly line foreman who was not best pleased about the performance of the new recruit. The foreman explained that she was far too slow, and that she was causing the entire line to back-up, delaying the whole production schedule. The personnel manager asked to see what was happening, so both men proceeded to the factory floor. On arrival they saw that the line was indeed badly backed-up - there were hundreds of Tickle Me Elmos strewn all over the factory floor, and they were still piling up. Virtually buried in a mountain of toys sat the new employee earnestly focused on her work. She had a roll of red plush fabric and a bag of marbles. The two men watched amazed as she cut a little piece of fabric, wrapped it around a pair of marbles and carefully began sewing the little package between Elmo's legs. The personnel manager began to laugh, and it was some while before he could compose himself, at which he approached the trainee. "I'm sorry," he said to her, not able to disguise his amusement, "but I think you misunderstood the instructions I gave you yesterday.... Your job is to give Elmo two test tickles."
This was found on this website :D
Legend has is it that a new employee was hired at the Tickle Me Elmo factory and she duly reported for her first day's induction training, prior to being allocated a job on the production line. At 08:45 the next day the personnel manager received a visit from an excited assembly line foreman who was not best pleased about the performance of the new recruit. The foreman explained that she was far too slow, and that she was causing the entire line to back-up, delaying the whole production schedule. The personnel manager asked to see what was happening, so both men proceeded to the factory floor. On arrival they saw that the line was indeed badly backed-up - there were hundreds of Tickle Me Elmos strewn all over the factory floor, and they were still piling up. Virtually buried in a mountain of toys sat the new employee earnestly focused on her work. She had a roll of red plush fabric and a bag of marbles. The two men watched amazed as she cut a little piece of fabric, wrapped it around a pair of marbles and carefully began sewing the little package between Elmo's legs. The personnel manager began to laugh, and it was some while before he could compose himself, at which he approached the trainee. "I'm sorry," he said to her, not able to disguise his amusement, "but I think you misunderstood the instructions I gave you yesterday.... Your job is to give Elmo two test tickles."
This was found on this website :D
Hee!
Моя сестра решила вчера, что очень круто писать её "блог" в каком-то азбуке морзе , и ещё по-ипсум лорум. Я, поетому, решила писать свой "блог" по-русски . :D
Я люблю языков, и мне нравиться, что она тоже думает, что лингвистика-интересна :D
Я люблю языков, и мне нравиться, что она тоже думает, что лингвистика-интересна :D
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Fun Facts
So, I was reading the instructions to the wine kit (yah, I know, reading instructions is for GIRLS...but I am a girl :D), and it mentioned that a person over 21 can legally make up to 100 gallons of wine, beer, or mead in one year for personal consumption, as long as they do not sell it.
I'm not sure about you, but I'm pretty sure that 100 gallons already constitutes alcoholism, and a HELUVA lot of free time to be making this stuff. That's about 2 gallons a week, or almost 2 bottles of wine every day.
It also states on the outside of the box that the kit is meant only for persons over the age of 21. See, I don't think that they can prevent a person under 21 from buying the kit, technically, since it does not contain alcohol...but it gives explicit instructions and precisely measured ingredients and equipment to MAKE alcohol, which could be a problem.
Hmmmmm. I wonder what the cashier at BB& Beyond would do if a 12 yo kid tried to buy this thing.
I'm not sure about you, but I'm pretty sure that 100 gallons already constitutes alcoholism, and a HELUVA lot of free time to be making this stuff. That's about 2 gallons a week, or almost 2 bottles of wine every day.
It also states on the outside of the box that the kit is meant only for persons over the age of 21. See, I don't think that they can prevent a person under 21 from buying the kit, technically, since it does not contain alcohol...but it gives explicit instructions and precisely measured ingredients and equipment to MAKE alcohol, which could be a problem.
Hmmmmm. I wonder what the cashier at BB& Beyond would do if a 12 yo kid tried to buy this thing.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
On Comments
I realize that other people are most likely reading this blog. I respectfully request that if you have a comment, please post it here, not elsewhere.
Hee Hee!
The fiance and I went to FINALLY do our registries, after spending the night at my friend's aunt's house on Saturday out of depression over the Gtown loss....and some Shiraz...and some games of pool, and some poker (which I lost badly, reference Shiraz above)...yeah. We had lots of fun after we got over the loss, though, which is a plus :D
Anyway, back to the subject. We did two registries, which took most of the day. While we were scanning china patterns at Bed Bath & Beyond, we noticed a box on one of the discount shelves: a mini winemaking kit, just big enough to make four bottles of Merlot. Weeeell....since we live in an apartment, we haven't really ever done the making of wine thing before (for the uninitiated, it kinda takes up space), but this was a tiny kit, and it was on SALE...so now we have grape juice happily fermenting on the kitchen counter.
As a second experiment, I also took organic grape, black cherry and blueberry juices and mixed them and added some of the yeast to that as well. I actually think that one is going to turn out to be tastier, but we shall see.
One of these days we'll have a backyard...or, rather, we'll have a vineyard where there was once a backyard :D
Anyway, back to the subject. We did two registries, which took most of the day. While we were scanning china patterns at Bed Bath & Beyond, we noticed a box on one of the discount shelves: a mini winemaking kit, just big enough to make four bottles of Merlot. Weeeell....since we live in an apartment, we haven't really ever done the making of wine thing before (for the uninitiated, it kinda takes up space), but this was a tiny kit, and it was on SALE...so now we have grape juice happily fermenting on the kitchen counter.
As a second experiment, I also took organic grape, black cherry and blueberry juices and mixed them and added some of the yeast to that as well. I actually think that one is going to turn out to be tastier, but we shall see.
One of these days we'll have a backyard...or, rather, we'll have a vineyard where there was once a backyard :D
Friday, March 30, 2007
Gipqwudjhn Public Service Announcement of a Sort:
Right. I'm not sure you can actually overload your brain, but I certainly did try this week. At one point I said something to my younger sister about my classload, and she basically told me to suck it up and deal, because SHE has to write something in FRENCH. Uh huh.
Try reading sources that are written in 17th century Russian. Or even 17th century French, I'll take that, too. Then talk to me. Oh, yeah, and you don't have a job yet, either, do you? Or really, anything taking up your time except school and the attendant college-related fun times? Not that I don't sympathise-I had some winner roommates, and I know she's dealing with one, but hey, I think our playing field isn't really level here. Just putting that out there.
Yes, I have been a bit whiny and cross about things recently, especially those concerning my degree. I realize this, and as soon as I have a full week's normal sleep back in my system I'm sure it will calm down. Also, if they count the credits from this past summer like I hope they will and I get to graduate in May, I promise to be a much happier camper.
I will say that I'm REALLY looking forward to the wedding. I had a lot of fun at both my older sisters' weddings, and I truly hope that everyone has a really good time at our wedding, too. I am also quite grateful to my sisters for their support and advice. I must also note here that I had no idea how smart I was being when I asked my best friend to be my MOH. She rocks. Also everyone else who has been helping out/offering to help out thus far, I really appreciate all your help!
I've also mentioned that work is going reasonably well. This I must be grateful for, especially since there are others in my program who have yet to find jobs, and several people from last year's crop of graduates who didn't find a job for six months and more. Yeesh.
All in all, I have much to be grateful for, and so when I get whiny and moany, I will try and remember these things.
This has been a test of the emergency broadcast system, yadda yadda yadda.
Try reading sources that are written in 17th century Russian. Or even 17th century French, I'll take that, too. Then talk to me. Oh, yeah, and you don't have a job yet, either, do you? Or really, anything taking up your time except school and the attendant college-related fun times? Not that I don't sympathise-I had some winner roommates, and I know she's dealing with one, but hey, I think our playing field isn't really level here. Just putting that out there.
Yes, I have been a bit whiny and cross about things recently, especially those concerning my degree. I realize this, and as soon as I have a full week's normal sleep back in my system I'm sure it will calm down. Also, if they count the credits from this past summer like I hope they will and I get to graduate in May, I promise to be a much happier camper.
I will say that I'm REALLY looking forward to the wedding. I had a lot of fun at both my older sisters' weddings, and I truly hope that everyone has a really good time at our wedding, too. I am also quite grateful to my sisters for their support and advice. I must also note here that I had no idea how smart I was being when I asked my best friend to be my MOH. She rocks. Also everyone else who has been helping out/offering to help out thus far, I really appreciate all your help!
I've also mentioned that work is going reasonably well. This I must be grateful for, especially since there are others in my program who have yet to find jobs, and several people from last year's crop of graduates who didn't find a job for six months and more. Yeesh.
All in all, I have much to be grateful for, and so when I get whiny and moany, I will try and remember these things.
This has been a test of the emergency broadcast system, yadda yadda yadda.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Orchid Update!
A while back I posted about the orchids I rescued from my office, both of which were kind of on their last legs.
I am happy to report that one of the two is now growing 5 healthy new roots and the other, while being a bit more shy in the root department, is growing a new leaf-which means that both of them should survive! Luckily I have an office with a window, so they do get a dosage of sunlight each day. If I were in an inner office I would have to have some sort of plant light for the fellas.
I'm looking forward to a few months down the line when they flower again!
I am happy to report that one of the two is now growing 5 healthy new roots and the other, while being a bit more shy in the root department, is growing a new leaf-which means that both of them should survive! Luckily I have an office with a window, so they do get a dosage of sunlight each day. If I were in an inner office I would have to have some sort of plant light for the fellas.
I'm looking forward to a few months down the line when they flower again!
I give people, I give.
So, although I've been posting (pretty much for myself, at least at first) on this blog for a bit now, my sisters hadn't been in on the fun. But now that the filial blogs are reaching critical mass, I figure it's only fair to pitch in to the madness.
My boss, whose birthday is today, is a curious creature. I've mentioned his oddness before on this blog, but I am forced to repeat myself: an Actual Good Boss is a rare thing, and must be commended when found.
Happy Birthday Shawn, whereever you happen to be today. I hope you took your convertible and went to some beach somewhere or something like that!
In other news: Masters Degrees. Not for the faint of heart. I commend my brother in law, seeing as how he is almost finished a PhD. Wow-this Masters Degree is more than enough to handle for me...I don't think I'd be up to the challenge of a PhD. I might feel differently if I wasn't working almost full time and planning a wedding, but hey, life happens.
Speaking of wedding planning, aside from an intriguing idea to have my dress made from 'hemp' fabric (tee hee), we've found ourselves a caterer!! Oddly enough, we ended up going with the woman who reminds me strongly of my sister. Well, at least I know that if she's like my sister, who (well, okay, all of us are like this, but hey, she came first :D) has a bit of an attention to detail thing...some call it perfectionism, but since I also suffer from this I'll be kind...then I figure she'll make a good wedding caterer. :D
And, in other news, I get to write an entire paper on the history of wine in Eastern Europe and how the perception of it can be seen as a reflection of social change. No Kidding. I can even support that thesis.
My boss, whose birthday is today, is a curious creature. I've mentioned his oddness before on this blog, but I am forced to repeat myself: an Actual Good Boss is a rare thing, and must be commended when found.
Happy Birthday Shawn, whereever you happen to be today. I hope you took your convertible and went to some beach somewhere or something like that!
In other news: Masters Degrees. Not for the faint of heart. I commend my brother in law, seeing as how he is almost finished a PhD. Wow-this Masters Degree is more than enough to handle for me...I don't think I'd be up to the challenge of a PhD. I might feel differently if I wasn't working almost full time and planning a wedding, but hey, life happens.
Speaking of wedding planning, aside from an intriguing idea to have my dress made from 'hemp' fabric (tee hee), we've found ourselves a caterer!! Oddly enough, we ended up going with the woman who reminds me strongly of my sister. Well, at least I know that if she's like my sister, who (well, okay, all of us are like this, but hey, she came first :D) has a bit of an attention to detail thing...some call it perfectionism, but since I also suffer from this I'll be kind...then I figure she'll make a good wedding caterer. :D
And, in other news, I get to write an entire paper on the history of wine in Eastern Europe and how the perception of it can be seen as a reflection of social change. No Kidding. I can even support that thesis.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Spring Break
Well, it's been a while since I posted, but I've been busy.
I just got the promotion I mentioned in previous posts and I was away for a week over Spring Break (grad students still get it, yay!)
Westmoreland State Park, VA is a gorgeous little park with lovely cabins, beaches, a pool, fossil hunting galore, bald eagles, a ton of cool avians in fact, tons of critters...gosh, it was great. As soon as I figure out how to post photos I'll put some up here for anyone who happens to wander past.
Ta for now!
I just got the promotion I mentioned in previous posts and I was away for a week over Spring Break (grad students still get it, yay!)
Westmoreland State Park, VA is a gorgeous little park with lovely cabins, beaches, a pool, fossil hunting galore, bald eagles, a ton of cool avians in fact, tons of critters...gosh, it was great. As soon as I figure out how to post photos I'll put some up here for anyone who happens to wander past.
Ta for now!
Monday, February 26, 2007
Snow, Oscars, blah!
This weekend was...eventful. Friday night I ended up going to the 18th Street lounge with some friends...lots of fun! I LOVE the fact that it has no sign-just a doorway. The fiance's been under the weather, so he stayed home. This was kind of weird considering we go almost everywhere together. It was okay, though, he got his sleep and I got my hang-out time.
Saturday....hmmm....oh, yeah, I finally found a pair of boots that fit my ginormous calves. Of course, I have to wear 2 pairs of socks with them because they are 9 1/2's (I'm normally between a 7 1/2 and an 8, depending on how wide they are) but they ROCK!! Which is good, because I only buy boots...well, any shoes for that matter...when my old ones begin to actually have holes and such. Maybe my sister will be a kind soul and knit me a pair of socks that are thin at the top and reeeally thick at the bottom and cozy. And perhaps purple. Hmmm. I should ask her :D
Sunday we were supposed to visit a friend with a sheep farm and baby lambkins (three of whom were born as we were supposed to be driving up there. Neato!) but when we tried to go to the grocery store beforehand, we ended up on the median at the exit from our apartment complex. It was snowing, you see, and about three inches of white, fluffy, slippery stuff was on the ground. Thus both obscuring the median and the road markings. In a situation resembling less coincidence than Providence (after we ended up on the median with all four wheels about 1/2 inch off the ground) a guy wandered past with a hitching cord. And a guy in a HUGE...I mean we are talking B.A.T. also wandered by, and they pulled us off the median. Which is good, since USAA's 'roadside assistance' was going to let us cool our heels for two hours before the 'assistance' was supposed to arrive. Fab.
This meant that we A)didn't get groceries and B) missed the lambing. We stayed home all day. Fiance sulked for a while over the car incident (I was driving, he figured he would've avoided the situation, I refrain from commenting on this) and then got over it when I made chicken soup. For those who may not have tried my chicken soup, it's always enough for about a week and very tasty :D
So, we decided to watch the Oscars. Although I enjoyed the E! pre-game show, it wasn't as much fun as it would have been had they made more comments about how people were dressed (and if I had agreed with more of the comments they did make-sheesh, they thought Cameron Diaz looked good. Who could think that a woman whose hair looked like it'd seen the business end of a vacuum cleaner, whose skin was an orange color normally associated with highlighters and whose outfit looked like she'd forgotten a dress and therefore had to badly improvise with a white satin sheet could look good?????). Then the actual show started, and within an hour we were both ready for bed...they put us to sleep by about 9:30...and I hear they went on well past midnight! Wow, did they really think that people who had work on Monday were going to watch that stuff????
And that was my weekend.
Saturday....hmmm....oh, yeah, I finally found a pair of boots that fit my ginormous calves. Of course, I have to wear 2 pairs of socks with them because they are 9 1/2's (I'm normally between a 7 1/2 and an 8, depending on how wide they are) but they ROCK!! Which is good, because I only buy boots...well, any shoes for that matter...when my old ones begin to actually have holes and such. Maybe my sister will be a kind soul and knit me a pair of socks that are thin at the top and reeeally thick at the bottom and cozy. And perhaps purple. Hmmm. I should ask her :D
Sunday we were supposed to visit a friend with a sheep farm and baby lambkins (three of whom were born as we were supposed to be driving up there. Neato!) but when we tried to go to the grocery store beforehand, we ended up on the median at the exit from our apartment complex. It was snowing, you see, and about three inches of white, fluffy, slippery stuff was on the ground. Thus both obscuring the median and the road markings. In a situation resembling less coincidence than Providence (after we ended up on the median with all four wheels about 1/2 inch off the ground) a guy wandered past with a hitching cord. And a guy in a HUGE...I mean we are talking B.A.T. also wandered by, and they pulled us off the median. Which is good, since USAA's 'roadside assistance' was going to let us cool our heels for two hours before the 'assistance' was supposed to arrive. Fab.
This meant that we A)didn't get groceries and B) missed the lambing. We stayed home all day. Fiance sulked for a while over the car incident (I was driving, he figured he would've avoided the situation, I refrain from commenting on this) and then got over it when I made chicken soup. For those who may not have tried my chicken soup, it's always enough for about a week and very tasty :D
So, we decided to watch the Oscars. Although I enjoyed the E! pre-game show, it wasn't as much fun as it would have been had they made more comments about how people were dressed (and if I had agreed with more of the comments they did make-sheesh, they thought Cameron Diaz looked good. Who could think that a woman whose hair looked like it'd seen the business end of a vacuum cleaner, whose skin was an orange color normally associated with highlighters and whose outfit looked like she'd forgotten a dress and therefore had to badly improvise with a white satin sheet could look good?????). Then the actual show started, and within an hour we were both ready for bed...they put us to sleep by about 9:30...and I hear they went on well past midnight! Wow, did they really think that people who had work on Monday were going to watch that stuff????
And that was my weekend.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Sigh...
So, tonight we have to go to one of those meetings where they assess your 'readiness for marriage.' I'm somewhat torn on this issue. Fiance has a bit of a history, but I've never been this close to actually telling someone officially that I want to spend the rest of my life with them and them alone, so the enormity of that decision makes me a little nervous. What if they say we aren't prepared? Argh! And I'm definitely hormonal, which always makes me a little melancholy. All in all I am starting to understand why people elope.
We did find a very nice photographer, though, and she has really reasonable package deals. Nothing's set yet, but she's at the top of the list so far. We haven't even started looking for a DJ, and the caterer situation is only just starting to come into focus. The seamstress, who has been great thus far, is being very patient with my current turtle-like speed of communication, but that has to start happening again, too. So much to keep track of!
I wonder what this would be like if I weren't in grad school and working 4 full days a week....
We did find a very nice photographer, though, and she has really reasonable package deals. Nothing's set yet, but she's at the top of the list so far. We haven't even started looking for a DJ, and the caterer situation is only just starting to come into focus. The seamstress, who has been great thus far, is being very patient with my current turtle-like speed of communication, but that has to start happening again, too. So much to keep track of!
I wonder what this would be like if I weren't in grad school and working 4 full days a week....
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Honeymoons are like cotton candy.
Since we are currently in negotiation about how one can possible afford to ever get married (we must assume this is only a prelude to the "eek, how are we ever going to pay for this child's education!" discussion) looking at possible honeymoon sites is like considering that bag of cotton candy at the NJ boardwalk. It's always overpriced and looks fabulous, but may be nothing more than air and attractively packaged spun sugar. All things considered I love the occasional cotton candy. So, we've downgraded from the fabulous 8 day trip to Hawaii (airfare's a pain!) and are now considering a lovely Caribbean destination (hey, not a bad compromise, hoping to keep the 8 day thing, too)...but since we're not sure how we will be paying to FEED our multitude of family members short of a miracle involving a poorly shaven fellow in a robe and some cheap dried fish and bread, it's interesting that we haven't given up altogether.
Sigh. I must really love him a lot :D
Edited to add:
That last is meant to indicate that this kind of stress is only reserved for people you really like. Why on earth would one do this otherwise?
Sigh. I must really love him a lot :D
Edited to add:
That last is meant to indicate that this kind of stress is only reserved for people you really like. Why on earth would one do this otherwise?
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Ah, some people...
Have a very good sense of humor. Would that the people they have a sense of humor about woke up and started realizing what silly people they are. Anyway, this is what George Bush and Hilary Clinton would make if they made wine. I personally like the bubble shaped glasses that would come with Britney and Paris' wine, but hey, I'm a glassware junkie to boot :D
Orchids
So, in the office where I work, they brought two phalaenopsis plants to sit at the front desks of each floor (we occupy two floors of the building) about a month or so ago. At this point both of these poor fellows are living in my office struggling to survive the terrible medium they were forced to live in. One had a single healthy root with no signs of new growth, the other is in slightly better shape with one root that had partially survived, a couple of stumps of root that are still hanging on, and three little bumps that will grow into new roots given time. I've repotted both with new medium, mostly sphagnum moss with a little bark and sponge rock mixed in, and put the one that's in worse shape in a plastic bag with the top open for air circulation. I haven't decided yet whether I'll allow them to go back into the office if they survive or to officially adopt them :D For now they will keep the oncidium I brought into my office back in December company.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Snow!!!!
Ah, winter. I love snow, I love winter weather. I have this deep conviction that the benefit of enduring the cold, short days of this part of the year should be rewarded with snow to blanket the earth and make everything pretty. Not to mention said snow allows all sorts of things to grow in their proper cycle, both by providing insulation and spring thaw water. We are getting a bit of snow today. Not as much as I would like, and it's going to turn into tree-and-power-line-coating ice (eek!), but it's still wintry precipitation. I've missed it!
Let it Snow!
Let it Snow!
Monday, February 12, 2007
Signs that you need to get out of that winter funk and off your butt:
When you lean over to check your bottom drawer for a clean shirt and your back goes completely out on you, and then later at the doc's office...while you are getting dressed after another dignity-crushing exam involving a catheter (interstitial cystitis-not for the faint of heart or the shy of strangers poking at places most people never see!) it happens again, well, then you realize that maybe it's time to start practicing yoga again and stop using the cold weather as an excuse not to run.
Also not for the faint of heart: wedding planning. It's rather difficult to arrange meetings with florists, photographers (some of which leave you waiting 45 minutes after your meeting was supposed to start after asking you to move the meeting up from 5:30 to 4pm...) and caterers when you are getting fed up with certain people involved in said wedding and are handling several other things at once. My advice: be rich. This makes things much easier. Second piece of advice: since you are rich, hire a wedding planner who knows your style. Ah.
When all else fails get a fabulous deep tissue massage!!!
Also not for the faint of heart: wedding planning. It's rather difficult to arrange meetings with florists, photographers (some of which leave you waiting 45 minutes after your meeting was supposed to start after asking you to move the meeting up from 5:30 to 4pm...) and caterers when you are getting fed up with certain people involved in said wedding and are handling several other things at once. My advice: be rich. This makes things much easier. Second piece of advice: since you are rich, hire a wedding planner who knows your style. Ah.
When all else fails get a fabulous deep tissue massage!!!
Friday, February 9, 2007
And later in the day...
Well, it's always interesting when a coworker leaves. If you are friends with said coworker, this can involve a bit of time on their last day being less productive than you ought to be...it's good that people don't leave very often. It also is nice when you enjoy working with your coworkers.
I will miss Julia, she is a hard worker but also knows how to have fun. I wish her good luck in her next job.
I will miss Julia, she is a hard worker but also knows how to have fun. I wish her good luck in her next job.
Random Car Incidents.
So, the question is...how exactly does one get a compact car into such a situation where it is stuck between hitting the car you are trying to parallel park behind or doing some elaborate curb jumping while scraping the meter you are trying to park next to....which happens to be out of service, but through this whole thing you don't know that...in order to get into (and then out of...which was markedly simpler) the space? I don't know either. But I hope it never happens again. And the great irony is I parallel parked perfectly...on the left side of a one way street...in the second space I found. Apparently I'm in backwards land today. Sigh.
Edited to add: For the record, the cars in front and behind were never so much as touched...but the sidewalk was well used.
Edited to add: For the record, the cars in front and behind were never so much as touched...but the sidewalk was well used.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Good Bosses Are A Rare Gift.
I am an intern. I am a lucky intern-I am not unpaid. This is rare.
This having been said, I still get intern-like things to do, often involving updating spreadsheets (I am not actually an Excel goddess, but I'm certainly getting close to demi-status.) and other, well, tedious tasks.
My boss actually recognizes the work I have done, and even occasionally says thank you, while being very flexible about things like classes and doctor appointments, not to mention the fact that he often shares these tasks with me and the others instead of just making others do the tedious work for him. He even occasionally gives me something of real importance to do, such as the project I just completed...and I think he just offered me a part-time-which-may-just-evolve-to-full-time job. Wow.
Thank you, boss, for caring!
Edited to add:
And I'm pretty sure that the reason why interns are treated so well here is that my boss started as one. Here. As did several other now-higher-ranking members of the staff. Yay!!
This having been said, I still get intern-like things to do, often involving updating spreadsheets (I am not actually an Excel goddess, but I'm certainly getting close to demi-status.) and other, well, tedious tasks.
My boss actually recognizes the work I have done, and even occasionally says thank you, while being very flexible about things like classes and doctor appointments, not to mention the fact that he often shares these tasks with me and the others instead of just making others do the tedious work for him. He even occasionally gives me something of real importance to do, such as the project I just completed...and I think he just offered me a part-time-which-may-just-evolve-to-full-time job. Wow.
Thank you, boss, for caring!
Edited to add:
And I'm pretty sure that the reason why interns are treated so well here is that my boss started as one. Here. As did several other now-higher-ranking members of the staff. Yay!!
Weddings...
I have come to realize recently that weddings...are stressful. People become, well, insane when you involve them in weddings. I have this odd theory that planning such an event should be fun and happy, ya know, 'cause getting married should be a GOOD thing. But perhaps this is too much of a stretch. Anyway, it seems like sometimes you meet a person whose sole purpose in life is to try and make themselves the center of attention.
It's Freakin' Cold!
So, it's officially been colder in Washington, DC than it has been in Moscow for the last several days. This is clearly an indication that the end is near.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
First Posting
Yeesss...I've delved into the world of Blog. I think someone may be crowing with laughter out there...I think I hear it!
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