Ginapalooza!

Ocean State

2010-03-29T07:05:00.000-07:00

We're in Rhode Island! Daphne's old and on more medications that the average AARP member! I'm taking riding lessons again! We're spending WAY too much money on restaurants! That's my update in a nutshell.

We did accomplish a lot of to-do list items in our Seattle house before we moved. Interestingly, making storm windows was the one thing that I didn't even start! After completing our work bench, I signed us up for woodworking classes with the goal of being able to make storm windows and instead got started on a night stand that involved way too many joinery methods. Jose chose a more practical, beginner-friendly project and has a nice storage cabinet to show for his efforts. My night stand remains unfinished and is now waiting in the basement for me to get around to loving it again. We did update the kitchen appliances in our Seattle house, redid the bathroom, and now have it rented out to a 4 guys who seem to be responsible (pay rent on time) and take good care of the house (it hasn't burned down yet).

Because we're renting a place here in Newport, we plan to enjoy many non-house related activities this year and luckily for us, this is the perfect place for fun. Not so luckily, the house we're renting seems to be falling apart at the seams, so we might have more trips to the hardware store this year than we would have liked. At least we won't be financially responsible for them- a condition that makes things decidedly less stressful :)

Things I hope to accomplish during our stint here:

Enjoy lots of good food- cook most of it myself, the rest from great restaurants
Spend a least an hour a week on a horse (Already tried polo- fun!)
Learn to sail
Learn how to do a good Rhode Island accent
Get to know New England
Read about local history. Book on Anne Huchinson is sitting on the shelf, waiting to be opened....
Take at least one more MPH course

There. Now it is written. Now it must be done.

Too many dips, among other things.

2009-04-30T15:27:00.000-07:00

That's all there is to it. I just had way too many dips.

My sister's birthday was this past weekend and I volunteered my house for the party on Saturday night. Somewhere along the line, I managed to morph my role in the party into "I'm planning, throwing and paying for the party." (note to self- maybe stop doing this...)

Anyway- it was scheduled for 7:30, so I was hoping people wouldn't come too hungry. Don't get me wrong, I love my sister, but I wasn't terribly interested in serving dinner to 25 of her friends. I did however, want to have some "hearty hour devours" for those who might need a little something to absorb their wine.

I went to Costco (my happy place) to secure provisions. I found a big old ham and bought it. I will do this again. Ham is delicious, and it's easy to eat off of throughout the evening, regardless of sobriety levels. Plus, I'm back on the west coast where you can typically assume that most guests aren't concerned about keeping Kosher. It was a spiral cut and fully cooked number, so all I had to do was heat it up and glaze. Easy enough.

I figured that the table needed a bit more than just a giant ham and some plates, so I also planned on a bread basket and assorted cheeses, a fruit tray with some yummie cinnamon fruit dip, and a veggie tray. And of course the veggies needed a dip. Humm... Ranch dip is good, but kind of tired and not everyone likes ranch style dips, so I'll get some hummus too. But some people like hummus with pita, so I'll grab this bag pita chips too. They were right next to the tortilla chips, and what's a party without tortilla chips? Plus, what if more people than I've planned for for show, up? Tortilla chips are a good filler.... They were thrown into the cart. But crap- now I need salsa. Oh look- pico de gallo is being sampled... yum! Into the cart. Hum... getting a little tex-mex theme here... hey look at this guacamole, (on display next to the pico). Fresh, pre-made guac at a reasonable price? Sign ME up. I should also get some mixed nuts or something for the coffee table... I can use that silver tray thingy with three sections... so I'll need three separate things....trail mix, raw almonds and oooo... chocolate covered almonds.

The theme of the party was 1971-derful (she was born in 1971, so this seemed like a great idea and year-appropriate dress was strongly encouraged) so a had to make a quick trip to the thrift shop for some duds that would help me pull off Yoko Ono. (note to self for next time- a redheaded chick with blue eyes, a black wig and fake tanner on her pale skin will never really be able to accomplish this look- I ended up looking more like Patti from the Millionaire Matchmaker... which I now fully intend to be for Halloween 2010...). While at said thrift shop, an absolutely fetching avocado-colored fondue set caught my eye. What's a 1971 party without fondue?!? It went into cart, along with my Yoko gear. This required an extra trip to the grocery store for appropriate cheeses and wines for the fondue, and stuff to dip into the cheesy goodness.

When I got home from the thrift shop, I had a voicemail from my dad: "Hey- I'm wondering what we should bring- I just got a bunch of chicken wings and was thinking I'd BBQ them and bring them tomorrow- okay, see you then!"

So- have you kept up?

Fruit dip
Ranch Dip*
Hummus
Pico de Gallo
Guacamole
Cheese Fondue w/
-cubed french bread,
-steamed broccoli
-steamed cauliflower
basket of Sliced Baguette
Assorted cheeses
Pita chips
Tortilla chips
Fruit tray
Veggie tray
Copious amounts of dad's chicken wings
Birthday cake

aaaaaaand......

A giant ham

Yes, this proved to be a bit of a HOT MESS and WAY too much food.

The lessons I've learned for future parties:
1) Know your audience- The guests were all my sister's friends, and they stayed for a while, had a few drinks and a polite amount of food, mingled a bit and left. They were not like the guests that we've typically had for our own parties; who arrive, mingle, have a few drinks, eat some food. Have a few more drinks, eat more, sing some karaoke with their new acquaintances and have some more drinks, then devour the food table with reckless abandon with their new best friends.

2) Stick to the plan!!
When I started, in my head, there would be a ham, some bread, mustard, fruit and veggies. The last minute fondue idea was better in my head than it was in practice. The unexpected bushel of chicken wings was no less than a tipping point for gluttony.

3) Shop with a list (that you've developed from your plan- and stick to the list!)

4) Don't try to cater to guests theoretical needs/wants. No one will have less fun at a party due to lack of sufficient dip options. That seems obvious in hindsight...

5) Have a leftover party. I could easily feed another party with the contents of my refrigerator today. If I don't, I'm going to hurting for Tupperware containers for the next week or so, while mine are all in use. If anyone wants to get married today and have their reception at my house (menu above), please let me know. If you want to have a 1971 theme, or a Yoko Ono (or Patti Stranger) look alike as the officiant, I can accommodate.

* toss 1 c of cottage cheese, 1t salt, a clove of minced garlic and some fresh chopped parsley into your blender or food processor. Hit power button until smooth. Make it a day ahead and refrigerate so the garlic can work its magic. Cheap, easy, happy.

Breakfast Burritos? Why not just... burritos for breakfast?

2009-04-07T09:37:00.000-07:00

Seems simple enough. As a dietitian, I wholeheartedly endorse burritos* for breakfast. And no need to add an egg to them to make them somehow more acceptable as a breakfast item. Why are we doing this anyway, America?? It's an overkill at best.

That's all I've got today.

*normal, homemade sized burritos of course. Not these monstrosities that the restaurants are peddling these days. You know, just a tortilla, some beans or a little meat, a little cheese and some salsa.

a preview of our weekend

2009-04-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

We did zero house related projects last weekend and because of two nights out, we also did zero bike riding. Something about a pounding head on a Saturday morning does not motivate one to hit the trails. So THIS week things will be a bit different.

I'm sure a lot of good things happened in 1986, but I don't count our home's kitchen renovation among them. It's not terrible; the kitchen really is quite homey, but it's definitely due for some TLC. The problem is kitchen remodels are kind of behemoth projects and we don't have a budget for one. Judging from the appliances, which are all a lovely GE bisque color with faux wood trim, I'm guessing a somewhat significant overhaul of the kitchen happened in the mid 80's. At this time, it looks like the counter tops, cabinets and appliances were all brand new. At some point (maybe then, maybe a little later?) pergo-type floors were also installed. The rest of the house has lovely old hard wood floors, so I'm not sure what the deal is with the kitchen. Here's a photo of the one spot where you can see a cross section (from a heat register):

What do you think the odds are there there's a cool layer of 1926 linoleum somewhere under there?!? Anyway- at some point, I'd like to do something better with the floor- be it a return to something that could have appeared in the house when it was built, or something newer, but equally fitting in a modern, functional kitchen. Hopefully a little bit of both?

We're keeping out eye out for lightly used appliances. All of ours work (for the most part- the knobs fall off the range if you look at them funny, the microwave is "finicky" and they all drink up massive amounts of electricity) so we're not in a hurry, but definitely looking forward to someday having more efficient appliances that will serve the house for another few decades. It seems like this is a good time to buy newish used appliances- perhaps folks are trying to sell to sell houses and sell their appliances separately to recapture some of their costs?

Anyway- on the list of things to do:

Refinish the cabinets- cut out the wood panels from a couple and replace with glass.
Install new cabinet hardware.
Remove aging wallpaper and replace with paint.
Get new(er) appliances
Replace or resurface the counter top
Remove laminate floor, restore what's underneath or replace it with something less cheesy looking.

I think we can accomplish this on a modest budget, as funds allow. Because we're not trying to totally remodel the kitchen, we can do these things one at a time, and have a functioning kitchen throughout most of it.
I've already started refinishing the cabinets and so far, so good! I'm making some headway, a couple of doors per day. I also ordered some new knobs and drawer pulls to install, as there currently aren' any. I've learned that lack of draw pulls and knobs is not only a bit annoying, but also has resulted in gross dark areas on each door and drawer where people's hands have touched the surfaces to open/close over the past 20+ years. If there's anything grosser in a kitchen than other people's body dirt, I'm not sure what it is. Let's just say that degreasing has been a major part of this refinishing process...

The new hardware: and

They're darker and less yellow-ish in person.

And here's a before and after picture of some cabinet doors. Sadly, it doesn't really look any different in the after picture...

Only 4.5 months to go...

2009-03-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited! I just booked tickets for a trip to Europe this summer and now all I have to do is wait... for almost 5 months...

A few things will be happening across the pond this summer: my sister Lisa will be working in Austria; a colleague is getting married in Poland; and a family friend will be summering in San Tropez. We'll call him "Jet Setter."

Thanks to the gazillions of dollars we've recently spend at Home Depot etc, on our Alaska Airlines Visa, we were able to get tickets on their partner, British Air through our Alaska mileage plan(though we still had to pay a ton in fees etc). We fly into Munich, then about 10 days later, make our way home out of Amsterdam- with a handy little three day stop over in London where we have plans to meet up with Jet Setter AND Lisa. Copious amounts of French champagne will likely be consumed at that point, in honor of the France, who we will not be able to visit on this go-round.

In other news, I'm loving the longer days we're having. Being able to see makes an after work bike ride so much more enjoyable! I had a 100 mile week last week... not so well this week. Unless I crack out 60 miles on Sunday...

Grease Monkey

2009-03-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

Two days ago I got a flat tire on my bike, and upon inspection, I realized two things: 1) I'd managed to get a pretty big puncture in the tire itself, not just the tube, and 2)My bike was really dirty! Bikes get grimy fast when ridden during March in the northwest! So I gave her* a little spa-day yesterday and she's now sporting a new kevlar tire, a sparkly chain and a gunk-free cassette. However, I feel like grime is a lot like energy- it can't be made or destroyed, only transferred. All the grime seems to remain on my hands (and on the bottom of the bathtub in which I dumped the dirty water bucket...)

Does anyone have any good tips or tricks for getting rid of greasy gunk with normal household items/cleaners? I'm looking to avoid a trip to a drug store for a heavy duty hand degreaser. Lemon juice? Baking soda? Anything?? Any advice would be appreciated as right now, despite the fact that I've washed my hands about a gazillion times, it still looks like I dug myself out of a grave this morning.

On a more fun note, we took a ride out to Redmond yesterday evening by hopping on the Burke Gilman trail and connecting to the Sammamish River trail. It was somewhat nostalgic; we rode past 60 Acres, which I am happy to report "still smells like soccer practice" and also past lots of mobile homes and campers that take up residence on the banks of the Sammamish Slough. It was refreshing that this area hasn't been "repurposed" as some sort of high end water-front property (probably aided by the fact that much of this are has an unmistakable odor of slough). I never realized how handy this trail was- it isn't too crowded and nearly pancake flat. I highly recommend it.

By the time we got home it was dark and I was freezing cold. So concluded my night with hot shower and watching a movie by the fire in my Snuggie**. If that's not hedonism, I don't know what is.

*My bike needs a name. All suggestions will be considered.
** Yeah, I have one. And it came with a free book light. Jealous??

String' on The Office?!

2009-03-11T13:44:00.000-07:00

I heard a promo for an upcoming episode of NPR's "Fresh Air" today in which they teased me with the news that Stringer Bell (okay, his real name is Idris Elba) will be on the show soon, discussing his new role on The Office as Michael Scott's boss.

I'm intrigued can't wait for the interview or to see him in a comedy... though I'm guessing he'll be sporting a dead-pan no-nonsense attitude.

On a related note, if you haven't watched The Wire, do it now. Go to Blockbuster and start with season one. Do it. I don't care if you loved Oz and want to talk about how great Lost or Dexter is. Just watch the Wire. You're welcome!

Love... is a burning thing...

2009-03-10T15:32:00.000-07:00

And I... love my new fireplace. (yeah, I'm singing it).

I'm so excited for our first project that we can actually SEE and FEEL and, for the first three hours, smell*.

Behold: the new gas fireplace insert!

It's almost done- the little riser box that will cover the base is still being made, and should be installed in a few days.

Here's the before:

Our house had a lovely masonry fireplace when we bought it, but it had some chimney issues that needed repair if we ever wanted to use it for something silly like... lighting a fire. Our options were to hire a brick mason to fix the chimney's ash dump or to embrace the comforts of our times and install a much more efficient, easy and comfortable solution: a gas insert. If you know me, you know that I have a special place in my heart for wood stoves and wood burning fireplaces. But I have a very different and foul-flavored place in my heart for stacking cord wood, maintaining chimneys, breathing in smoke, cleaning ash etc. Plus, the idea of buying wood for a fireplace just sounds silly. Isn't one of the perks of wood burning fireplaces is that you're heating your home off the fatta' the land? If you're going to have a wood burning fireplace or stove, you should chop and haul your own fuel source. This I believe. Since the age of about 12, I've been OVER the idea of chopping and hauling. Thus, the gas insert was a clear winner.

My only concern about an insert in our fireplace was aesthetic: that it would detract from original masonry. And I learned that, to a certain extent, this is unavoidable. We have an arched brick pattern that doesn't nicely fit any of the prefabricated fireplace surrounds on the market. We thought of having one custom made to match the radius of the arch, but after looking at some photos of sample work from some a few reputable dealers in town I realize that it would be a lot like trying to match a paint color; there was a high risk that the end product would come out looking like we almost got a good fit. And for the kind of money involved, I wasn't too interested in an almost-looking result. We looked at a lot of options and spoke with a lot of people and finally found a good fit in someone who seemed to "get" that a fireplace was not just art and not just a furnace: it's a little bit of both. That company was Sundance Energy, and they've been great from start to finish; from sales to pricing to installation. Interestingly enough, I only called them on a whim in response to a direct mail coupon. All of the places that were recommended to us were overpriced and I felt underwhelmed by their quality in terms of service and product. Go figure.
But back to my point... we decided to abandon the idea of an arched surround, and go with a square that would overlap the existing arch. I'm glad we did. The arch is still visible from the outer perimeter of the masonry, and the doors of the surround echo that shape without being matchy-matchy. The doors also have the same pattern as the two leaded glass windows in either side of the fireplace, so it looks right at home in the living room. I think so at least. What amazed me--and I know this will sound stupid--was how much the fireplace really warms up the room. I'm not sure if it conveys in the photos, but the empty fireplace was really a cold black hole (visually and thermodynamically!) and I didn't realize that until it was gone.

So I'm going to sign off and and go sit by the fire. I predict I will be spending a lot more time in my living room from now on. I really wish we would have done this even earlier.

*I was told to let the thing run for about three hours, during which time it will burn off a smell I can only describe as "new doll smell."

All sorts of new and exciting changes

2009-03-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hi readers! (Okay, adding the "s" to reader is a bit of a stretch, but I retain hope)

At the encouragement of Wohn, and the realization that a lot of silly things happen to me on a daily basis, I thought, in the name of Ginapalooza, I'd stretch out my fingers, dust off my brain and issue a fearsome "bring it on!" to carpel tunnel syndrome. I'm back in Seattle after three years in glorious Washington, DC, and have finally settled in (more or less) to my new house, so no more excuses!

A lot has happened in my life over the last few years, primarily my uninteresting migration from (depending on how you know me, please fill in the blank here)into a married lady who is everyday becoming closer to perfection in the domestic arts. And when I say "domestic arts" I of course am referring to the skills I have adopted of late in the areas of plaster wall repair, attic ventilation, lock set installation and recreational saw'sall operation. Of course I also take pride in my set of fine bone China and make a mean pork chop. But you knew that part already.

I suppose nothing nourishes one's dream of becoming an amateur handyman quite like the purchase of a new home. Specifically, a new home that is anything but new. In January, we closed on the purchase of a 1926 Craftsman in the friendly Seattle neighborhood of Maple Leaf. Since then, I've spent a lot of money at Home Depot, and learned a lot about myself and my marriage. Some bad, but most of it good. One thing is certain: I clearly need to start blogging again.

I want to be clear; this will not turn into a blog about my new adventures of home ownership. I am not a first time home owner, and have already experienced the ups and downs of that rigamarole. I've experienced and processed the "hot damn, I really wish I could call the landlord to fix this!" moments (and there have been several), and I now seem to be finding a lot of this stuff actually kind of enjoyable and dare I say...fun. (Keep in mind of course that this could very well be my subconscious brain trying to help me cope with the costs of home ownership by categorizing them as "fun." I wouldn't put it past me.) I'm not sure if it's because the hardware stores in Seattle are so much better than the terrible ones I experienced in DC, or out of the necessity, as we now have more work than we can afford to pay someone else to do; but I'm suddenly finding that same sense of joy and excitement in hardware stores that I used to find in tack stores when I was a little equestrian with big dreams of having my own horse some day.

I used to love spending time at Mills Tack shop off of Northrup Way in Bellevue. The smell of leather and saddle soap; the peg board walls full of bits, nose bands, hoof picks and blankets. So many tools of the trade that I could use for my some-day horse*. I get that same feeling now at a good hardware store. Only now I actually have a real house in which to play with all of these toys. I mean tools.

In the three months that we've had this house, we've hired licensed professionals to update the electrical service and replace the old knob and tube wiring that was supplying much of the house; replace the furnace with a newer, more efficient model which is not on the verge of death; install a gas insert in the masonry fireplace; and repair a non-functioning kitchen range vent. We've also tackled some projects ourselves: installing dead bolts on all of the doors, repairing a non-closing storm door, replacing window sash locks, installing smoke detectors, weather stripping windows and doors, sealed leaks in some duct work, replaced old scary mystery insulation with new fiberglass insulation (R-49, woo hoo!), rehanging a bathroom door so it opens out instead of in, patching up some spots under the eaves of our attic where resourceful critters could easily get in and camp out for the winter, and creating hundreds of square inches of attic ventilation (still need to do one more roof vent, but we now officially have soffit vents).

My next goal is to be make storm windows for the house. We've got these beautiful old double hung windows that are lovely to look through, terrible to sit next to; I think they're made of mesh. Id like to have storm windows made in time for next winter, and I figure I'll probably need a year to accomplish this and should start now. But before I can make storm windows, I need a STURDY WORK BENCH! I have BIG IDEAS that this bench is going to be my inaugural project that marks the beginning of a fabulous new hobby. Yes, as of today, I fully plan to never buy another piece of furniture again, because I'm going to make it all myself! As long as I can keep all of my fingers, nothing can stand in my way! I'm going to start with with my bench, thanks to the instructions from my very own copy Start Woodworking magazine, which is like, Skipper to Fine Woodworking's Barbi. This is good, because when it comes to wood working, I am very much a Skipper; flat shoes and a can-do attitude.

Wish me luck. I'll be sure to post photos soon...

*I still want to have a horse someday, but still can't afford one, as all of our money seems to be going toward this money pit of a house...

Hains Point Loop- why is it closed?

2008-06-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

This will likely mean nothing to the 3 or 4 people who might routinely read this blog, but if anyone out there on the world wide web knows why Hains Point is closed in the after 3PM every weekend and holiday all summer long, please shed some light. Is this just because it gets too crowded on the weekends? The makeshift gate extenders are going to keep walkers out as well, so I’m perplexed. I’ve been googling all morning and have come up empty. So, people on the interweb: Why is the Hains Point loop closed?!? It’s such a lovely little loop, and while I should get out there in the mornings rather than wait until the evening, sometimes I SLEEP IN on weekends, making this very unsavory. I can't be the only one who likes to ride her bike around in circles on a summer evening. What gives?

2008-06-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

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Well, what do you know?

2008-06-12T10:54:00.000-07:00

I got a letter the other day from the US Attorney’s Office (which, I admit, sparked a few moments of anxiety) informing me that a defendant in one of their open cases had confessed to robbing me. They explained that he had offered this confession as part of a plea agreement and was being charged with a couple accounts of 2nd degree robbery. As part of the agreement, he could not be prosecuted for the crimes that he committed against me, but I was encouraged to submit a “victim impact statement” to for the judge to consider prior to sentencing him for his other crimes. There was no specific mention in the letter of when or where the robbery occurred so as it was, I wasn’t sure exactly to which robbery this was referring. Was it the apartment break in? Bike theft #1? Bike theft #2? Perhaps one of three car break-in’s I’ve had prior to having my alarm installed? The only case I was pretty sure this wasn’t in reference to was my purse theft in Madrid (which, like DC, is a den of thieves!). Considering that bike theft #2 was the only one in which the thief was apprehended, I assumed that this was the case. But before creating my statement, I called the Attorney’s office for more information.

Well, what do you know? It was the guy who broke into my apartment (and stole two computers and a wedding band). I was shocked and delighted that they actually caught the guy! It is almost two years after the fact, but they actually caught him! Apparently he was caught escaping from some 4th floor balcony by a police officer passing by, and according to the attorney, he is quite a professional. His routine involved posing as an HVAC repair guy, complete with a fake van! (Okay, the van was real, the repair company logo on it was not).

I’m sure he’s caused significant heartache and financial loss for all of his victims, so I’m hoping that the judge won’t got too easy on him. I will now happily admit that the score of thieves who rob me in DC is Gina:1, DCPD: 1. Hooray!

What else is new in DC, you ask? Oh, you know, the usual. It has been hot as blazes here all week, with a slight break in the heat today at just 90 degrees. It is excellent popsicle weather, but that’s about it. Our house is a’buzz with air conditioning, yet our beautiful master bedroom with majestic vaulted ceilings and 4 fabulous south-facing windows remains very sweat-lodgy, which is neat. I’m thanking little baby Jesus that the Washington Sports Club down the street opened just in time, as it provides me with a highly air-conditioned environment in which to swim bike and run. Some day, maybe I’ll be able to ride my real bike* again….

But speaking of popsicles… I got a milkshake at Pot Belly today with my lunch because I’ve recently learned that in terms of wifely demerits, being 15 pounds overweight is no worse than squeezing the toothpaste from the bottom of the tube. At least according to this 1930’s husband and wife scoring system. Now all I have to do is stop being such a lazy sack of beans and make the effort to fix my hair and be perfumed and girdled before I start making breakfast every morning for my husband and by golly, I’d be a very superior wife indeed!

*Have I mentioned that I bought a big huge beach cruiser at Target to ferry me back and forth from the metro to my office? It is a beast and weighs about 50 pounds- possibly more with the rad chrome fenders and sweet basket I added. The bad news is that its upright seating position combined with my general dorkiness makes me look a lot like PeeWee Herman when I ride it to and from work. The good news is, it makes my road bike feel like a rocket!

Target: Women...Yogurt Edition

2008-05-13T07:22:00.001-07:00

This is why I don't buy nice clothes.

2008-03-20T12:23:00.000-07:00

I just spilled cold coffee, leftover from a meeting earlier today, down my pant leg.

It feels super, looks smart, and I smell like Yuban.

I'm looking forward to the coffee-induced chapped leg that I'll have by tonight.

Please watch.

2008-03-20T10:08:00.001-07:00

Question of the Day

2008-03-20T09:22:00.001-07:00

What's the deal with people/things that I like doing things that I don't like?!?

Example #1: http://wsucougars.cstv.com I went to the Cougar Athletics site today, because, apparently we're in the NCAA tournament, and I'd like to know more. You see, here in DC, it would seem that no one cares about or covers anything west of, oh, I'll say Fairfax Virginia. Once I'm at the site, I can't get rid of this annoying hovering pop-up-like ad for "tournament gear." (right, because I'm supposed to have both a home jersey AND an away jersey for game watching? Cripes.) I don't consider myself completely computer illiterate, so why is it so hard to get rid of this ad? It's blocking the site content and making me mad! Why Cougars, why?

Example #2: The deluge of e-mails from a Clinton family member (except, one the other day which was from Elton John) asking me to donate more money. I know it's a money raising game, but come ON. Can't we be gracious and just say thank you for what I've already given? Seriously getting a least 2 e-mails a day. These are almost getting to the point of ScarJo's "Please, vote for change" phone calls in terms of obnoxiousness. Why Hillary, why?

Question of the Day

2008-03-06T05:51:00.001-08:00

Are there any Boeing Machinists out there who are capable of NOT using the phrase "bull crap" during national media interviews?

Follow-up question for tomorrow: Could someone --anyone-- with a vested interest in appealing the Air Force tanker contract to Airbus/Grumman please tell each and every Boeing Machinists to STOP speaking with media? I'm kind of thinking that they don't "sell" their ideas very well.

Bulb Watch 2008

2008-03-04T14:21:00.001-08:00

I have officially gardened. I made an impulse buy at Costco this weekend- some bulbs. As in flower, not light. I was assuming that now is a good time to plant them, as they were for sale at Costco, and Costco is rad and wouldn't lead me astray, right??

Heck -if they don't bloom this year, there is always '09, yes?

I still need to prepare the dirt outside in the ground in order for it to support life, but last night, I planted some Begonia's in large pots. Some day, I hope to have these pots full of flowers on the front steps of my house. A girl can dream.

So, aside from playing classical music for and reading to my baby begonia bulbs, what can I do to make them flourish into productive members of my front porch? I'll be sure to post immediately if/when I see any signs of life.

I also pruned our rose bush. And when I say "pruned," I mean, "hacked away at."

Celebrities behaving badly

2008-02-22T13:59:00.000-08:00

I was thumbing through my music collection to prepare for my 80's ski party this Saturday, and came to an old favorite- These Dreams by Heart. I was listening and thought to myself, "self, these vocals don't sound like the powerhouse that is Ann Wilson... is this Nancy?" so I went to the interweb to answer my question and came across something that really helped me wrap my mind around this whole BarackOmania thing that's going on. And by BarackOmania, I mean this fanatic cult following that has seemed to develop over Barack Obama. The recorded phone calls from Scarlett Johansson urging me to vote for change, the hipster celebrity montage videos, the trends of seemingly thoughtful and reasonable people throwing themselves to his cause in the manner of...born agains? Don't get me wrong, I think he's a good guy, but we are lucky enough at this point to have choices, and I don't think he is the best choice.

This video from Heart helped me understand. It reminded me that sometimes even good people can be lead into some seriously questionable decisions. I mean, you can't get much better than Heart. And the fact that the Wilson sisters made video # 1 helps me to keep perspective on the fact that some Generally Recognized as Cool Celebrities (GRACC) all participated in video #2, which- to be honest, seems like the precursor to a group cool-aid sipping session.

And I present Video #1. (enjoy!)

And video #2. (hopefully this will be funny some day too)

But perhaps the biggest lesson learned/reminder of the day is.... never forget that celebrities are just that.

On a side note: I think I'm going to use this as an excuse to stop watching Private Practice. It really wasn't all that good, and the Teevee rots your brain anyway. I'm probably going to still go see The Other Bolyn Girl though, because the book was such a fun read. But I'm going to have a problem getting over ScarJo. Thankfully, she plays opposite Natalie Portman, who should help me to enjoy the movie a bit more. The problem being that Miss Portman's character is going to be really hard to like.... What to do, what to do...

Happy Potomac Primary day!

2008-02-12T13:04:00.000-08:00

I voted on my way into work rather than on my way home, so I could rock the "I Voted/ Yo Voté" sticker all day. There was an Obama volunteer outisde giving out donuts and she was like, "Thanks for voting! Do you want a donut?"

And I'm all: "Um, no- I'm a Dietitian. And I voted for Hillary. Peace out."

Okay- I didn't really say that, but after I got in my car and started driving away, I thought of how COOL it would have been if'n I DID.

(sorry, I just finished reading No Country for Old Men, so I'm feeling the need to use terms like "if'n" more often)

What will you do with your $600?

2008-01-24T11:40:00.000-08:00

Word on the street is that red blooded, tax payin' 'mericans are getting tax rebates of $600 or so. Perhaps by June!

In keeping with the whole point of economic stimulus, we NEED to spend this cash-o-la! Hooray for spending!

So- I'm starting to think about what I'll spend mine on. How can I be most responsible and economically stimulating with this money?

Purchase a CSA farm share perhaps? Dine at locally owned restaurants and order domestic wines?

Yes, both good ideas.

But what about a weekend in Vancouver BC?? Perhaps a quick trip to Mexico?

On what will you spend yours?

The 'Hawks are Undefeatable...

2008-01-03T07:40:00.001-08:00

Yes, please sing the above title to the tune of Robert Palmer's "Simply Irresistible." (you folks who remember that song on the radio get one gold star for living in Seattle in the late 80's. And listening to KUBE. Or was it KPLZ??)

It's that time of year again when people and radio DJ's in DC are saying things like "Seattle? Where is that? Do they even HAVE a football team?" with undertones of snottiness and some sort of lost legacy of football greatness.

Ever since a misguided trip to Hooters on Lake Union circa 2004, when I witnessed and entire family of Hawk people (seriously, even the baby was donning Blue regalia, and I think wearing a beak), I can attest that yes, Seattle DOES have a football team. Not only that, but crazy wacky football fans too. Am I one of them? I answer that with a resounding, "not necessarily." (I admit, I've never really cared much about professional football. Can you blame me though, I grew up in the era of Brian Bozworth.) BUT-- I sure as heck would cheer for the Seahawks more so that that OTHER football team that plays its home games in Seattle. Especially when they're playing the Red Skins. So on this occasion, I offer a hearty "Go Hawks!" to the team in the town that I love.

Here is a fun little article that I wanted to share from the Examiner. I like articles like this, that make it so easy to write off your opponents as total idiots. The comments about the rain and umbrella loss are almost too good to be true. So reminiscent of "But it was snowing! Whaaaa" that it makes my little heart flutter.

And what is this ihateseattle.com business? (No, I'm not even going to give him/her the gratification of a hyperlink.) A dumb little web page with only 4 inarticulate reasons to "hate Seattle"?!?! Please. Anyone worth reading could come up with a whole web SITE teeming with proper reasons to hate Seattle. Was this a lame attempt to copy whyihatedc.blogspot.com?

And I happen to like my Subaru very much. Jerkface.

PS- Is it just me, or does anyone else kind of feel icky when people refer to the Red Skins simply as "The 'Skins"?

Hi 2008! Let's have a fun year!

2008-01-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year reader(s)! Why must blogging and exercising be things that I get really into for months at a time, then blissfully abandon? Don't answer that.

So it's 2008 which is just, well, awfully futuristic sounding to be the present year. But I'm dealing with it, and hoping that this year will have all of 07's pluck with a tad less of its yuck. Hell's bells, I should write for Sassy Magazine!

January 2008 not only marks the beginning of a new year, but also the beginning of my THIRD year in DC. Wherethehelldidthetimego?? I swear I just moved here. I'm still a hip and with-it Seattle type.... right? I know. I know that "hells no" is the only true way to answer that question, but I grasp at the possibility that I'm still a West coaster type (and by that, I mean all the good things about being a west coaster, none of the crap things). I still certainly feel like an east coast outsider. Not that DC is really "east coast" per say, but there sure are a lot of Pennsylvanians and New Jersey-ites around here. (I suppose the New Yorkers stay in New York?) But when I spend more than a few hours around Californians, or- dare I say, even Seattleites, I realize that... I'm not like them either. I'm not nearly politically correct enough or mercury-content-aware enough to fit in at their cocktail parties anymore. But I AM enjoying the Uptight Seattleite column in Seattle Weekly. It's probably been around forever, but I just started reading it.

Heck, maybe I just need to get over it and move to Eastern Washington.

Irritating trend of the day

2007-11-28T09:06:00.001-08:00

Restaurants who bend over backward to ask "Does anyone in the party have any food allergies or restrictions we should know about?"

I'm irritated by this for a couple of reasons:

1) I really don't like ratings/money-getting tactics that are so thinly disguised as genuine concern and care for the customer, like a local real estate developer who noted that "we did our research and determined that we could better serve the community by converting this new housing complex to rental apartments rather than selling them as condos" (as they'd originally planned. Better "serve the community" (by offering luxury rentals) or "not lose tons of money on our investment"?

2) Are we, as a people, SO unable to take responsibility for our own well-being that we need a waiter to remind us of our dietary restrictions? What's next, 'Is anyone here on a blood thinner called warfarin? Because if so, I'll let the chef know to pick out the spinach for you." I can MAYbe see this as a good practice at a place that catered to kids or families with kids because, well, I'd imagine that sometimes parent's brains can get a little fried after a long day, and this could be a helpful memory jogger ("Oh crap- I almost forgot that Lexi will go into anaphylaxis if she eats soy..."). That being said, I should clarify that I'm referring to this practice in restaurants that in no way cater to kids.

3) This just seems like the kind of activity that will someday lead to a human being muttering the words, "Well Hank, he said 'warfarin' how was I to know he was talking about my coumadin?!?" (while trying to harness the blood flow from a paper cut)

4) But mostly I'm irritated by this practice because lately I've seen a lot of restaurants that people are calling "good" doing this. As if it's some sort of indicator of "whoa- hold on to your seat, this food is going to be fantastic because this is a fancy, progressive, cutting edge type of place!" and you're starting to buy into that idea because the decor is classy and the people are attractive (for DC at least) and the music makes you happy....and then the actual food is A-OK. I don't say "bad" because, well, its not really bad food, just not good enough to merit a popular buzz and or jacked up prices.

I suppose if that's all that is bothering me this week, I'm doing pretty well.

Now I just have to convince my dog...

2007-11-27T10:14:00.001-08:00

...that I am a Benevolent Leader.

I want some Sky Blue Waters. I want some Cool Enchantment.

2007-10-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

But I don't know where to find it!?! Does anyone know where I can get some Hamm's Beer these days? Preferably in the Greater DC metro area?!?

I'm assuming that if it is still in production that it is brewed by Miller, Coors or Bud. Does anyone make it at all? I so wish THIS was the beer that got all hip and cool instead of PBR.... that would have ensured its longevity....

I have a sad suspicion that it might be extinct, but I will wait, with guarded optimism, for any advice or tips.

202

2007-10-12T12:46:00.000-07:00

I have a family friend who works at the White House. When he calls, my cell phone just says "202" (the area code for Washington D.C.). I just think that's cool.

Wouldn't be nearly as fun if it said "301" in your phone when I called you from work, would it?

A post that is a long time coming.

2007-10-12T10:44:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to make a post lately entitled, "I hate Flash" or "If you have a flash based web site, I probably hate it." But everytime I find a doozy of a Flash nightmare, I usually end up so irritated and head-achey that blogging is the last thing I want to do.

So--- I have a big announcement. Today, for the first time, I found a flash site that is actually... quite fantastic!

It actually has NAVIGATION (which apparently is something some web designers think they are too cool for?)and uses flash animation in a way that enhances the site WITHOUT interfering in its functionality.

And guess what? Its a GOVERNMENT site! So, huzzah and kudos to the Department of Health and Human Services, for putting out an excellent example of how to use Flash for Good instead of Evil.

Ironically, it was Microsoft who put together this EVIL, EVIL Flash site which makes me want to bang my head on a wall.

I mean, I guess if you're into the pseudo-dominatrix Librarian with a horse whip type of thing, this might get you a little excited about your next web search. But for the rest of us, this is just a flagrant misuse of "fancy." I don't know if I should be offended by, or just plain angry at "Ms. Dewey". Is it just me, or does she remind you of your really cool guy friend's new girlfriend? And he's all into her at first, because she's pretty, but you KNOW that she's going to be THAT girl who drives everyone crazy and slowly wedges herself between him and all of his friends because she is so needy, jealous and childish? And you really want to tell him, but you can't because you're trying to be more supportive and less cynical?

No? It's just me? Why do I hate her so much? Is it the over the top flash that interferes with the sites usability? Is it the fact that you really have no idea what the site... IS or DOES (it is a search engine)? Is it the insanely uncontrollable scrolling that you have to endure to browse your search results? Just a bad actress? Whatever it is, I no likey.

The mean streets of DC...

2007-07-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

I got this via an e-mail forward today. I'm off to Chicago for a conference, otherwise I'd look into it further. Can anyone confirm or dispute these figures? At first glance, I think it might be comparing a monthly stat to an annual statistic...

Subject: Death rate in DC

Regardless of where you stand on the issue of U.S. involvement in Iraq,
here's a sobering statistic:

There has been a monthly average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq theatre
of operations during the last 22 months and a total of 2,112 deaths. That
gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000 soldiers.

The firearm death rate in Washington D.C. is 80.6 per 100,000 persons,
for the same time period, 22 months.

That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in
the Capital of the United States, than you are in Iraq.

And we cant have a gun legally in the District!

PS--- the last line isn't *entirely* true... we can have shotguns.

Overdue for a lightening round

2007-07-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been feeling a lot of thank-you-note-feelings toward blogging. The kind of feeling that you get when you haven't done something for so long, and you know you should (in the case of thank you notes) or want to (in the case of blogging) but you've put it off for so long that you feel like you need some really compelling opening line to kick it all off again.

Eh- I have no opening line. But I did send off about 14 thank you notes yesterday, so I'm feeling quite excellent about THAT.

Life has been fast in the last year. Strangely, wonderfully, horribly fast. I've learned that time flies when you're having fun. And equally fast when you're not. I don't remember what its like to have time move slowly. (I take that back. Time spent jogging and riding my bike on its trainer in my living room is slow time. Minutes are twice as long in these situations. I refer to this as 'treadmill time'.) My hair is getting grayer faster. The skin on my face, especially under my eyes, is getting thinner and more paper-like. It's happening so fast that I can I see it changing.

So here are some thoughts n' things that have been going on in-between the objetos de la vida mas grande:

I've always thought it would be fun to be the kind of person who makes up phrases in foreign languages, then uses them in italics.
My husband told me the other night that he’s breaking up with the dog. He maintains that they’re in a fight. Not growing up with pets, I think he’s having a hard time accepting the fact that she only *really* loves him (or me for that matter) for what he can give her (scraps and walks!) and not who he is as a person. Until now, she’s done a stand-up job of convincing him that she, as a dog, is capable of human-like emotion, reasoning and compassion. The good news is, we both still enjoy playing pranks and practical jokes on her. I figure that since she isn't a human child, it's fine to have fun at her expense. Right?
My sister and my aunt came to visit last weekend and it was GREAT. Fabulous trips to the White House and dining (oy! and wining!) at the Willard didn’t hurt, but we would have had a nice time regardless.
I’m noticing an extremely reduced ability to tolerate annoying restaurant servers. Seriously. I should be required to wear some sort of badge, tag or other identifiable warning device..
I found a great indoor pool which is on my way home from work. And FREE for DC residents (a community recreation center) Good-BYE 5:30 AM groups swims in Georgetown! We still try to make it, but just knowing that I could just as easily hit the pool at a civilized hour later in the day makes Monday nights (and Tuesday Mornings) much more friendly. The most outstanding part of the pool- every time I’ve been between the hours of around 6-8 PM there have been at least two lanes totally open. It’s a ghost town during what I would think would be peak use hours. Hopefully there isn’t something wrong with the pool there that everyone but me knows about... Oh crap, now I’m nervous.
For fun, I recommend peppering your day-to-day conversations with "oh crap..." spoken with a slight twinge of Minnesota-nice a la Kristen Dunst in Drop Dead Gorgeous.
If you feel like laughing at someone rich and famous, and Lindsey Lohan just won't do the trick, head to your nearest Starbucks and check out the Paul McCartney CD. I guess when you get to a certain point in your career, you can override any sensible publicist’s veto of an album photo, but seriously Paul, if I thought you had bad judgment a few years ago for not getting a pre-nup with Heather, this just proves to me that you’re in fact, a total spaz. When I look at this photo, the first thing that I hear in my mind’s eat is “ ‘ello Govna’!” in a excruciatingly Tiny Tim-like cockney accent. What do you hear?
I think that a lady who lives a few houses down from us instantly wrote us off as worthless yuppie gentrifiers who’d be the death of all things community oriented and fabulous through her eyes (of an aging hippie wannabe save the world greener type—which is what I wrote HER off as) as soon as we mentioned, in passing, that we were training for a triathlon. As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I could SEE in her eyes that her mind was saying “Grand. Just what we need. More of YOU types….” Now every time I see her I want to run up to her, tell her I’m a do-gooder type too AND from Seattle, and that aught to get me SOME sort of blue-state street ‘cred. But I haven't.

Donuts

2007-05-24T17:23:00.000-07:00

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/photos/dailydozen/

I love DC, but watching this photo montage made me suddenly so homesick, and ache a little for Seattle. If you've had them, you'll "get" it.

Not much more to report just yet. I'm on jury duty this week (as in, yes, I'm actually on a trial) and I can't talk about the case until it's over...

Gitty. Up.

2007-05-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow marks the first 5:30 AM group swim in the Georgetown pool for Team in Training. Wish me luck....

PS- Went for a bike ride along the Capitol Crescent Trail yesterday. It reminded me why I like cycling so much. Had to remind myself to keep my "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!" to an inside-voice.

Training update

2007-05-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

I went for my first post-crash ride this weekend... and happy to report no major injuries! (Though I was pretty certain I was going to die in a car wreck for about 20 seconds when we got stuck on Rock Creek Parkway. As in- the actual parkway with crazy drivers flying around corners, not the nearby multi-use trail...)

Did have a little impromptu road-side marriage counseling session though, which was fun. J and I worked out the finer points of my request to him to give me a warning or tell me if/when I was going to stop (simply so that I might avoid careening into him and injuring both of us, as I can not, in fact, see through him). Unbeknownst to me, when the words "Hey- can you please tell me when you're going to stop?" come out of my mouth they somehow morph into "Jesus Christ?!? Why the hell can't you tell me before you stop god damn it?!?!"

I'm sure the people walking past us with their children had a nice time explaining that "when a husband and a wife really love each other, sometimes they have to talk to each other in loud, abrupt sentences. They also sometimes like to remind each other that Jesus is the lord!"

Annnyway... our official team training doesn't kick off until next week, when we will be subject to group swims at.... (roll the drum, crack the whip).... FIVE THIRTY IN THE MORNING every Tuesday!

As my grandmother used to say (among many other colorful phrases): "Eee Gads!"

If you'd like to make a donation to support my participation in Team in Training, and haven't had a chance to do it yet, here's the link : http://www.active.com/donate/tntnca04/Gina

(you know, just in case you didn't know how to find the page etc).

Thanks to everyone who has donated already- I'm amazed by your generosity and spirit of giving!!

Darn that head injury...

2007-05-02T16:11:00.000-07:00

Bah! I just realized that I referenced my head bump in my last post, but had not yet provided any background info on said head smush. Perhaps I'm still forgetful?

Here it is:

J and I decided to go out for a bike ride last Sunday, to kick off our training for this triathlon in September. We found a good route on a cycling web site- it was a 25 mile loop on the outskirts of the beltway that passed through a wildlife reserve. We took our bikes on the metro to the end of the green line and started from there. All was well until about mile 15, when I guess I got a tire off the pavement or something, and fell. Crashing my big head right into the pavement. I don't remember much of the next, oh, 5 hours, but he somehow got me to the hospital (an elderly couple driving by offered to give me a ride back to the metro, and he rode his bike back - when he got to the metro, they were still there and they told him "She's a little loopy" I don't recall this AT ALL, so I'm wondering what I was talking about...). Anyway- went to the hospital, got a CT scan x-rays etc. I had a concussion, but nothing else major. J says that I was on a 30 second loop, asking the same questions over and over when we got to the hospital:

"Are you back from Iraq?!?? Oh- yay!"

" ..... Is that a new purse? Ooooo... I love it!..... (I'd just bought it on Saturday afternoon)

"Did I crash on my new bike? Oh Man- that sucks!"

...then I would look at my scrapes and cuts and say "whoa! Look at these!" And 30 seconds later, I'd do it all over again; he said it was like 50 First Dates.

My helmet is cracked down the middle, so thank god I was wearing it. And after telling this story to a few people and hearing back "Oh- that's a good reminder- I need to get a helmet, I ride my bike all the time without one" I have new mission in life: to be the bike helmet Nazi!!

Seriously, I'd probably be disabled for life- if not dead- right now if I didn't have that thing on my head. Even with it on, it knocked me off my feet for two days. I wasn't going fast or doing anything extraordinary, no hills, no speed; just out for a ride on a nice sunny day.

Just my head on the black-top.

Anyway- long story short: Bike helmets rock.

Just when you're wondering how to get some Alan Thicke back into your life...

2007-05-01T10:16:00.000-07:00

Who has time for blogging on days that are full of travel and sunshine? Not I.

So here's a quick recap:

1) I think my brain is healing from its bruise, thought I'm still using that as an excuse for any/all flighty behavior or forgetfullness.

2) Made a quick trip to Seattle and back this past weekend to arrange some wedding details. Got a lot accomplished, and I'm getting more and more excited about bringing a bunch of non-northwestern types into upper Kittitas County. Should be funny; for me at least...

3) Been trying to run a little bit here and there, as this is my least favorite part of the triathlon concept. Speaking of the triathlon; a big THANK YOU to all who have made donations! I am going to work hard to make you all proud (ie. finish the race). If you still want to support my participation in Team in Training, it's not too late! You can even make your donations online!

4) Discovered this little gem on the interweb gem today. Enjoy!

I've got my bike back, now it's time to ride!

2007-04-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! When I got my bike back, I promised myself that I would do a century ride (100 miles) this summer. I've been looking for good rides to train for, and in the process, discovered Team in Training. Long story short, I decided to bite the bullet and not just train for a bike ride, but another triathlon- and this time, Olympic distance! I don't know what's more intimidating- training to Swim 1.5K, then ride 40K, then run 10K (all in one day! In a hurry!) OR raise the $2400 minimum fund raising goal...

I think I've got my work cut out for me! One thing is certain- I need to work out more and get into better shape, and experience has taught me that being accountable to someone or something is my best motivator. And having that something be a fund raiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is a pretty good "something." Right as I was looking for events to train for, I learned that my best friend from 8th grade's mom just passed away, after what sounded like a pretty intense battle with Leukemia. She was the kind of lady I wish I would have known better. In Jr. High she seemed like one of those moms who was hip and with it, and knew everything cool and current, but also a savvy woman- a real grown-up type mom. Like the best aspects of a lot of different moms all in one person. And that was just totally intimidating to me at the time- because clearly I was an idiot (a state that I am slowly trying to work my way out of... one step at a time). Anyway, it was a reminder that blood cancers are a very real, and that organizations that try to find a cure for them are doing the right thing.

If I can get in triathlon shape, the 100 mile century ride should be easy enough to accomplish a few weeks later. After all, I've got a pretty nice bike.

J and I are doing this together, so keep your eyes peeled for a super-fit new version of us, coming to a neighborhood near you... summer 2007.

So- do you want to donate?? Please? It's easy, tax deductible and you can do it RIGHT NOW!!

Here's the link! www.active.com/donate/tntnca04/Gina

If you'd like to make a significant donation, I'm happy to entertain the idea of a sponsorship. I'll wear a sign that says just about anything if the price is right...

Chapter 2 of Nancy Drew Gina Grace and the Missing Green Road Bike

2007-04-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

continued from yesterday's adventure...

When we left off, I had just received no help at all from either the police or my insurance company in providing me back up as I attempted to recover my stolen bike from the thief.

A few hours into the afternoon, I got a call from the seller. I was hoping that he could hear me trembling with fear over the phone line. We figured out that he was coming from Maryland, and that he would be willing to come into DC that evening to show me the bike. At one point, I very nearly forgot that I wasn’t ACTUALLY interested in buying this bike and almost gave him my address, as he was seeming to be a nice enough guy. But my better senses kicked in just in time, and I told him to meet me at an elementary school off of Rhode Island Avenue, around 6:45 or 7PM.

Because my strong and fearless husband was now out of town for the next three days, I called on the support of my friends to serve as beefy back up. “Woody” and “Putty” were my back up guys, and they agreed to meet me at my house at 6:30 PM so we could stake out the meeting place in advance and develop a strategy.

I still had hope that I might be able to get some sort of help from the police, so instead of taking my usual route when walking Daphne that evening, I walked her to the metro station where there seems to permanently be at least on police officer on duty, surveying the scene. Always the ambassador of good will, Daphne helped me to immediately build rapport with the officer there. He was originally from North Carolina, and clearly a dog person. I told him my situation and he was eager to help- though he couldn’t himself leave his existing post. He called for the support of any other officers in the area, and within 15 minutes, I had two new officers to which I had to explain the situation. All were skeptical. I was clearly the only one convinced that this bike for sale was, in fact, the bike that was stolen from me only two days earlier. Never mind the fact that there was already a copy of my bill of sale, (containing the serial number) on file at the station with my initial police report. I didn’t have it in my hand, so it was apparently a moot point. I went home to produce the paperwork, now only 5 minutes from my scheduled meeting time with the shady salesman.

By the time I handed over my paperwork, the officer was finally coming around to believing that this very likely could have been my bike, and I could see cop adrenaline starting to flow at the thought of capturing the bad guy.

I asked him to wait around the corner from the school, while Woody and Putty waited in their car, parked on the street in front of the school. I sat on the front steps of the elementary school. The landscape around me suddenly became a real-life Where’s Waldo scene, where instead of finding a guy in a red striped shirt, I was finding police cars. I was finding them everywhere, in parks, around corners, in parking lots, driving down adjacent streets. And they were all pointing at me. And I waited. And waited. And waited some more. It was now about 7:40, and I was starting to develop a plan of how I was going to get out of this without looking like a complete idiot in the event that he was a no-show. And then he called. He was a little lost and about 4 blocks away. He was going to park his car there since he found a spot, then ride the bike to the school.

So I kept waiting, trying to get into “character.” I was looking to buy a road bike from an online seller. I was willing to pay the asking price of $600. I was a girl, alone in a school yard, with 6 hypothetical $100 bills in my pocket. And he may have been planning to show up, steal my hypothetical money, then kill me. Before I could imagine what he was going to do with my body, and how horrifying and life-altering it would be for the poor child who discovered my half buried corps in the sand box while on recess, I had my cell phone at the ready and was calling Woody to come wait with me. I mean, he wouldn’t have time to kill us BOTH before the cops got there, right?

Shortly after Woody got out of the car to meet me, the Salesman arrived, wobbling down the sidewalk on my bike. Watching him try to ride it with my clipless peddles, served as some much needed comic relief.

I introduced myself, smiled and shook his hand. I tried to make “normal” small talk and asked him how old the bike was. He thought it was about two years old. Yeah… two years cause he bought it at a garage sale about two years ago. And he paid like, $850 for it at the time.

I refrained from telling him that he was sure lucky to have taken that much cash with him when he went garage-saleing that day.

I took the bike for a “test ride” around the corner, where in full view of the police officer, I turned the bike upside down and inspected the serial number. I gave him the thumbs up, and turned it back upright, and heading back toward him. Before I could turn the peddles twice, the guy was being surrounded by 4 officers. I think I heard a “You! Stay right there! You’re under arrest for…..”

There were zip ties, Miranda rights, questions for me with my answers hastily scribbled on note pads, just like in the movies. Photos taken of the bike in various positions etc.

Lots of smiles and cheers on one side of the street, and surely lots of anger, embarrassment and frustration on the other.

It’s still in pretty good shape, but has some new scratches and bruises. So I’d say its resale value went down. It was probably thrown in the back of a truck/van though, so I’m going to have it checked out to make sure the only damages are cosmetic. He also took off my bumble bee saddle bag, which was one of my favorite parts of the bike. Yes, I bought it off the clearance rack in the kid’s bike section of Target for about 2 dollars, but it had an emotional value…. And also contained a not so cheap bike multi tool and repair kit.

I have to give a nod of thanks to the police officers for having a lot of tact in the whole situation (after they started believing me of course) in that as soon as I got on the bike, I had no further interaction with the guy, and was not even close enough to make eye contact with him. This was a good thing, as if I were close enough I probably would have told him I was really sorry for getting him in so much trouble, and that I was sure he just really needed the money, and that I really just needed my bike back. What the heck is wrong with me?? Still kind of wondering why I feel so bad for getting this guy in trouble. Must be some sort of modified Stockholm Syndrome. But I’m getting over it, and I’m happy to have my bike back. But most of all, I’m happy that I got something back! After having quite a theft prone year, it’s nice to know that the bad guys don’t always win in the end. And I’m glad I tipped off the police about this little thing called the internet, where people can anonymously sell things that may or may not be theirs to sell.

But the best part of the whole ordeal (besides getting my bike back) was toward the end when head police officer guy looked over at me and said, (and I’m not even paraphrasing): “Ma'am" that was some excellent detective work.”

Case closed.

Nancy Drew Gina Grace and the Missing Green Road Bike

2007-04-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

Chapter 1: Channeling my inner Nancy Drew.

I’ve always been a card carrying member of the Red Headed Brigade (an imaginary undground network developed and maintained for and by the red-headed community…) but every once in a while I really see the strength of my titian hair surface in my day-to-day life. Yesterday was one such day.

This Saturday morning, I woke up on the early side (for me at least, would have been sleeping in from the perspective of some people. Kelly.) to have breakfast and make it to the 10:30AM spinning class at the YMCA in Dupont Circle. It’s walking distance from our apartment, but much quicker to bike. So I rode my bike the 7 or 8 blocks and parked it on the bike rack in front of the building. It was a bright and sunny day and I was feeling proud of myself for actually getting out of the house before I could get sucked into the home improvement show marathon that would surely be starting up on TLC.

After a grueling 45 minute class, I grabbed my bike helmet and pack from my locker and headed for home.

But my ride was nowhere to be found. Gone. And another bike already in its place, locked securely to the same fixture to which I had so recently locked my bike.

>insert fiery red-head scene of anger and frustration here<

Being at this point, a seasoned veteran of theft victimization, I methodically initiated the usual routine. Call the police. Call the insurance company. Look through the filing cabinet to find the originally sales receipt, invoice, owner’s manual and other documents that can help to prove ownership. Call the police back with the serial number and explain the whole story to the new person on the phone. Be angry. Grieve.

Cut to Monday morning. I was up and getting ready for work and while brushing my teeth, remembered that I wanted to check Craigslist to see if my bike was for sale. I knew the odds were slim, I mean, what kind of idiot would steal a bike, them post photos of it for sale the next day, in the same city? But I suppose it was part of my grieving process. I needed to try. I wasn’t ready to let go.

I was already running late, but I fired up my laptop while waiting for the iron to heat up and typed “cannondale” into the DC “wanted/for sale” search box.

On top of the list there was a heading of “Cannondale R500”… No way…. Click.

There was my bike!

So I called the police non-emergency number and they sent over an officer to help me figure out what to do. An hour later an officer showed up and I told her that my stolen bike was listed for sale on Craigslist.

“Where is that store?” she asked.

“It’s an online classified service. It’s only online.” I explain.

Blank look

“It’s kind of like eBay.” My clever husband ingeniously chimes in.

After explaining the concept of the World Wide Web to this officer (leaving out Al Gore’s significant role as inventor for the sake of brevity), she called a detective at the station for advice.

After an annoyingly long three way conversation, characterized with copious miscommunication between all parties I had my verdict: because we couldn’t see the serial numbers in the photos, there was no way to prove that the bike was mine (never mind the fact that it had my air pump, my pedals, my saddle…). She advised me that my only option would be to contact the seller and arrange a time to look at the bike. Once I saw it and could identify the serial number, I could call 911 and explain that I was witnessing my stolen property, then wait with the seller/thief for the police to arrive.

>insert eye roll here<

I went to work and could think of little other than my bike and how exactly I was to get it back. Not wanting the bike to be sold from under me, I e-mailed and called the seller, leaving him a message of how interested I was in the bike, and that I really wanted to try it out ASAP.

*By the way, his voice mail greeting was “You know who it is. Drop it after the beep.” Clearly an avid cyclist*

I churned ideas around with some friends at work, everyone eager to help solve the crime. I called the insurance company to see if they had any ideas- after all, they have a vested interest in this bike too. The claims person also had no idea what craigslist was, but barely understood the comparison to Ebay. . In other words, he wasn’t much help and didn’t offer any advice other than “I’ll refer this to a Senior Claims agent, she’ll get in touch with you within a few days.”

Am I alone in thinking that police and insurance adjusters should really get ON this apparently untapped clearinghouse for stolen goods??

Humph. No help from the police or the insurance company. And because the previously ingenious husband was going out of town that afternoon for two days for some conference or meeting-type thingy, I’m flying solo on this bike recovery mission….

Stay tuned for the next chapter of ~~Nancy Drew~~ Gina Grace and the Missing Green Road Bike…. (because I don’t have time to finish it right now…. Sorry!)

Presenting... The Most Interesting Thing I've Read All Day:

2007-04-03T12:11:00.000-07:00

...fr om Wikipedia under the listing for "Red Hair:Biochemistry and Genetics":

"There is some indication that the uncommon pheomelanin/eumelanin ratios found in redheads may be correlated with some corresponding variations in the abundance of other hormones and neuropeptides, including epinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine, and oxytocin. Wolves which are bred to be tame have been found to acquire a progressively paler coat of fur as they become tamer and tamer through successive generations. The speculation is that the cell biology which produces epinephrine (adrenaline) needed for the high-energy fight-or-flight response is linked to the cell biology that governs the relative production of pheomelanin and eumelanin. This finding might explain why redheads are often characterized as having a distinct temperament compared to the rest of the population. This finding might also explain why redheads appear to be over-represented in breakthroughs in the cerebral arts. Socrates, Galileo, and Darwin were redheads, as were Vincent Van Gogh, Mark Twain, and JK Rowling. Redheads also appear to be over-represented in comedy, as well. "

For being a completely un-cited source, I found it amazingly insightful.

A non-celebrity endorsement

2007-03-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

I know this sounds like spam, but I in all honesty, I just found the greatest web site. It's www.kayak.com It's a travel web site that is only a search database, so it while it does not sell you tickets directly, it searches all of the search-and-sell sites, AND the individual airlines Web site's prices as well. So--- if it finds you a flight on United, it links you right to the United.com site, where you then buy the ticket. I guess it makes money on your clicks rather than on service charges.

I heart it.

And its got cool features like slider time preference bars so you can limit your flights to certain times AFTER you've seen the whole pot of flights. It even has fun graphs of historical prices of your itinerary over the past several weeks, so you can see if you're buying at a relatively high or low price time.

Anywho- I'm going to be traveling quite a bit for work over the coming months, so I'm excited about this new discovery. However- I am not being paid to rave about this great resources, Sooo... I will end it at that.

Me in pictures

2007-03-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Where have I been all my life?

2007-03-19T12:38:00.000-07:00

Oye! I've been assigned jobs and didn't even know it, as I've been sucked into the vortex of looking for a house while simultaneously planning a wedding: a state of mind where no other reality exists!

Here's my tasking from Lisaopolis, which originated in Zimmerhouse... and I'm finally gettin' around to it.

I’d love to tag others, but since the only bloggers I really KNOW, have tagged this to moi, I really can’t. Shucks.

10) Favorites
COLOR: Can’t pick one. green, blue, orange.
FOOD: club sandwiches on toasted white bread rule.
MONTH: July, but not necessarily July in DC.
SONG: If I HAD to, Had, to had to pick one, the only one that consistently makes me happy- as in every SINGLE time I hear it, I want to stop what I’m doing to listen is Dave Mathews Band’s “Crush”
MOVIE: Oh fer Jeeez, I can’ pick just one.
SPORT: Any equestrian sports. Or Cougar Football.
SEASON: Spring- but maybe that’s just because I’m looking forward to it now.
DAY OF THE WEEK: Friday
ICE CREAM FLAVOR: thin mint girl scout cookie from Dryers/Edy’s
TIME OF DAY: 5PM

9) Currents:
MOOD: anxious
CLOTHES: Navy sailor-front pants and a purple sweater
TASTE: like taste in my mouth? Lean Cuisine. Taste as in personal taste? Classic. (duh)
TOENAIL COLOR: hot pink and needing attention.
TIME: almost 3PM
SURROUNDINGS: I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.
THOUGHTS: I don’t want to give up blogging, but I realize Ginapalooza is needing some major life support.
WONDERINGS: Is she going to accept our offer??(that we put on a house on Saturday)

8) First:
BEST FRIEND: Elisha T, my neighbor in then-Redmond. We made lots of forts and did lots of plays/puppet shows etc.

KISS: Brian H. I was 16, and way too old for my first kiss, but it was pretty rad.

SCREEN NAME: Ginawsu
PET: Peaches the white rabbit.
PIERCING: Ears. One each.
CRUSH: There was a boy in my 3^rd grade class named Brady that I “went with” for about three hours. I must have had a crush on him, though I remember having absolutely NO control over the creation and subsequent dissolution of the relationship, so I think it was more orchestrated by my (by then) friend Marilyn, who had a major crush on HIS best friend.
HOME LOCATION: Bellevue, WA

7 Lasts:
CIGARETTE: Kappa Delta Senior dance, 1998. My junior year. Had just broken up with long term BF, (see#8, item 2) and discovering this whole new fabulous thing called “Being single and available” which involved learning that yes, in fact, I did have it goin’ ON (see #10, item 4). Got set up with a no-love-connection date and drank copious amounts of Captain Morgan. The last thing I remember was standing in the “smoker” of ATO’s (my date was an AGR- I don’t know what happened to him) and taking drags off of Marlboro Reds like I’d been doing it since childhood.
DRINK: Saturday evening, drowning my sorrows after the WSU/Vandy game.
KISS: this morning, as I was half-sleep walking into the shower, and gallant husband was leaving for work. Hadn’t really opened my eyes yet, so I can’t be 100% certain that it was him.
MOVIE SEEN AT THE MOVIE THEATER: Premonition. I highly recommend NOT seeing it. Very disappointed in Sandy Bollocks.
PHONE CALL: husband.
CD PLAYED: “This I Believe” essays from NPR that Anne got me for Christmas. Been listening in the car.
GIFT RECEIVED: Mom and Dad bought us dinner last night when they were in town.

6:
HAVE YOU EVER DATED ONE OF YOUR BEST FRIENDS? I did have an awkward make-out with Mitch in high school, and we were really good friends-only until then. (it was during the first of many temporary break-ups with #8 item 2) But other than that, no. I’d love to say that I’m currently married to my best friend, but we were way “more than friends” for quite some time before we actually became friends.
BEEN ARRESTED: never
BROKEN THE LAW: probably
SKINNY DIPPED: I think I have, but only with family. Wait… that sounds weird. I’m generally not a fan.
BEEN ON TV: I think I was on a short interview clip on the news when there was a bomb threat in Bellevue across the street from my office. The net result to me was a delay in being able to get to my car to go home. I said as much, and they put it on the damned news…
KISSED SOMEONE YOU DIDN'T KNOW: Yes.

5:
THINGS YOU'VE EATEN TODAY: coffee, string cheese, Lean Cuisine (acorn squash ravioli- my fave), coffee yogurt, two mini Hershey chocolate things from co-workers candy basket on her desk that I have to walk by over and over…
YOU'VE DONE TODAY: got up, drove to work while eating string cheese and drinking coffee, worked, felt bad about not blogging…

YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT: Besides many people, Daphne and the thought of moving into a bigger place soon.
YOU CAN HEAR RIGHT NOW: not much.
YOU DO WHEN YOU GET BORED: Look for houses online.
4:
PLACES YOU'VE BEEN TODAY: my apartment, my car, my office.

3:
PEOPLE YOU CAN TELL ANYTHING TO: Beth, Allison, Husband, but primarily Daphne…

2 Choices:
a. BLACK OR WHITE : black.
b. HOT OR COLD: eh?

1. THING YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
Produce little people in my likeness, watch them grow up and do the same. Own a horse. Own a damned house.

Answers

2007-03-01T08:01:00.000-08:00

The Book: Everthing Is Illuminated

Yeah, I'm in a book club. It does wonders for the volume of literature and wine I consume on a monthly basis.

Was in Atlanta for a 30 minute layover coming from Miami home to DC. But the DC area was all closed down becuase of "ice" (which never actually materialized). Kind of wished they would have told us that all of the DC airports were closed before we left Miami, as it might have been nice to spend an extra day there with the new fam, but instead we became well aquainted with the Atlanta Airport Hyatt Place hotel. Which we had to pay for ourselves. Hey Delta Airlines, stay classy!

The Clinton Street Baking Company is at 4 Clinton Street (between East Houston & Stanton), New York, NY 10002. D'lish.

Ginapalooza Lightening Round!

2007-02-28T12:16:00.000-08:00

4 out of 4 Registered Dietitians (in my office) agree with the following statement:

“I’ve tried to like Kashi. Really, I have. But it’s gross.”

If you have to get stuck for over 28 hours in the deep south, make it Atlanta

Georgia

. Seriously home to the nicest people in the world. Including the lost luggage attendants at the airport.

It’s a weird feeling when you show up to Book Club having just finished what you now consider one of the best books you’ve ever read, with a writing style that make you want to wrap up each word in pretty paper and put it under your pillow, only to find out that everyone else totally hated it, and thought the writing style sucked.

Simmering equal parts of maple syrup and heavy cream, then pouring that over blueberry pancakes from the Clinton Street Bakery in SOHO is among the handful of earthy experiences that I classify under the “brought me closer to God” category.

And cripes, that’s all I’ve got time for. Really I should wait to post this until its chalked full of exciting things, but at this rate, that might another several months. Hoping to add more soon…

Back to normal-like life

2007-02-02T08:29:00.000-08:00

I could say that I’ve been too busy to write, but that wouldn’t be entirely true. Why just the other day, I spent a good 45 minutes reflecting on the inherent humor of growing up in the 90’s, and web researching the whereabouts of the actress that played Kimmy Giber on TV’s Full House. Which lead me to the discovery that Jody Sweetin (ie Stephanie Tanner) was almost a child star-turned normal, happy, functioning member of society before a little tousle with methamphetamines. Sounds like she’s getting back on track which is well- just impressive. Good for her. As I recall from my days in the public health “trenches,” that stuff is capital B-A-D and can really mess a person up. Come to think of it, these are the kind of problems that probably could have been easily avoided if there was a conscious effort to make sure there was just as much “Dad and Steph” time as there was “Dad and Deej’” time, as I do recall that about every show ended with Bob Saget kneeling down with a various child actress on his knee, wiping a tear from her eye and saying:

“Ever since mom died, blah blah blah…. You know what I think we should do? Let’s be extra sure to plan more special Dad n’ (insert child name here) time. You know- just the two of us. How does that sound?”

(Thank you Bob Saget, for not only modeling “effective parenting skills” but also for giving any would-be child molesters a perfectly scripted pick-up line.)

And it seems that I’ve gotten a bit off track here…

All is good here with me. I’ve taken several big breaths and have sufficiently exhaled now that J is HOME. Ummm…. home. A nicer word than I’ve ever known.

Been listing to a lot of Nanci Grifith lately. In the car of course, so I can sing along loudly and really solidify my white girl identity. It’s kind of my happy-place music, so I guess that’s where I am.

Great. Story of my life...

2007-01-16T12:27:00.001-08:00

Your IQ Is 135

Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average

Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius

Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius

Your General Knowledge is Exceptional

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

Happy Manhattan Season everyone!

2007-01-16T11:59:00.000-08:00

You don't have to know me very well to know that my Manhattan Season officially kicks off at Thanksgiving (or well, any time in November. Sometimes it's just too hard to wait until that special Thursday). You also don't need to know me very well to know how absolutely, spectacularly charming I am after two of these wintertime favorites. And funny. I'm like wittier than... a really witty person.

And so when I found this on Lisa's blog, it came to no surprise to me that...

You Are A Martini

You are the kind of drinker who appreciates a nice hard drink.
And for you, only quality alcohol. You don't waste your time on the cheap stuff.
Obviously, you're usually found with a martini in your hand. But sometimes you mix it up with a gin and tonic.
And you'd never, ever consider one of those flavored martinis. They're hardly a drink!

What Alcoholic Drink Are You?

Must be a family thing.

Clearly they didn't have the option of "You're a Manhattan!"

K-9 Citizens (and the people who love them)

2007-01-10T13:09:00.000-08:00

Hi all, and sorry for my blog slacking of late. I will invent the word… “slogging” to represent this phenomena. So, sorry for my recent slogging.

Here is a statement of truth: Gina is not a community activist.

Having been raised in the nest of grass roots volunteerism, and knowing first-hand what kind of effects its resulting phenomena like… long-hours-spent-waiting-in-the-car-whilst-copies-are-being-made-at-Kinkos-regarding-topics-and-activities-of-no-interest-to-me could have on any of MY potential off spring, it was relatively easy for me to develop an appreciation for downhill battles, arguments I know I can win, and agreeing to disagree. I admit that in many ways, my personal definition of “compromise” involves more “whatever, you win. I’ll deal with it and pretend to be happy” than “win win.”

(Side note: But I’ll also admit that the older I get, the more I notice myself overcompensating for this. I sometimes surprise myself with a “my way or the highway” reaction here and there. I’m less passive aggressive and more… plain old aggressive. The Phantom headline could read: “Baby Gina takes the reins…and becomes radical despot.”)

But God damnit, there should be dog parks in Washington DC. On this, I am not willing to compromise. And I mean fully-legal, sanctioned and ENCLOSED dog parks. But there are people here- a lot of them- who are anti-dog park. My west coast brain is still trying to make sense of it. I’m trying to see their side of the story, but everyway I spin it, in my head, they are just wrong. Dog parks are GOOD. But after attending a local Parks and Rec. meeting last night, I have realized that dog parks are a lot like prescription drugs. They must be proven safe and effective before they will be approved. And in this case, the burden of proof is on “us” (the dog people and their dogs) to prove that we are good neighbors and an asset to our community.

A statement by me of “Trust me folks, the “crack park” in Seattle’s Belltown totally cleaned up super nice after it became a dog park. It was a relatively cheap and easy way to make an entire neighborhood safe by bringing in positive activity and pushing out crime! Yay for dogs!!” just isn’t going to do it. There are people in this city with some serious misgivings about dogs and people who own them. And I can’t totally blame them. There are tons of dangerously irresponsible (and just plain lame) dog owners in the world. But here’s the thing: Those people don’t generally use dog parks. And if they do, they are so quickly outcast and shunned by we uppity-dog-park-types that they either 1) change their ways or 2) stop showing up. A pox unto the person who does not pick up their dog's poop at a dog park…. My point is: in a sanctioned dog park, there will always be more responsible dog owners than irresponsible dog owners. And responsible dog-owners are good neighbors. Arguably even better neighbors than drug dealers, hookers, and people with guns (or best yet, individuals who encompass all three!)

I think Daphne would make an excellent ambassador of good faith to the otherwise un-dog-inclined residents of my neighborhood. She already attracts children like the Pied Piper, and apparently has made more friends in the district than I have, so I think she is well suited for the job.

I’m going to walk her more often off of my beaten paths, and I’m going to pick up trash in the process. The last thing I want to be confused for is a ~~target~~ community activist, but I’m afraid that could happen given that this idea is both progressive, helpful and… hurts no one. (insert sarcastic eye roll here) In light of this, I’m going to wait to start this until The Man gets home from Iraq (only a few more DAYS!!) so he can escort me, because I don’t feel safe doing this alone. (I’m totally killing two birds here, by not only accomplishing my doggie good-will plans, but also filling up his man-tank with Hunter/Protector fuel!). Kind of a sad statement that I don’t feel safe picking up trash alone, but I’ll try not to dwell on that.

All right, fine. My secret fantasy is out of the bag: I just want to let Daphne charm her way into the hearts and minds of the good people of planet Earth while the sweet sounds of “Love Can Build a Bridge” by The Judds play quietly in the background…. Is that too much to ask for?? Yes, I fear it is. But I’m going to try to be an extra good neighbor anyway.

Explanation

2006-12-23T10:23:00.000-08:00

I should have mentioned- that video is of my grandparents on their wedding day. And they're both still going strong, this summer will be anniversary number SIXTY SEVEN and my grandpa still calls her "my girlfriend."

My mom converted an old reel to reel tape to VHS for their 50th anniversary (in 1990!). Now that VCR's are going the way of the buffalo, I had it converted to DVD last week. And because I was feeling especially techno-savvy, I converted THAT to a .wav file so I could post on the web for those of us who are hooked up to the inter-web :)

Sooooo young!

2006-12-22T15:23:00.001-08:00

My first YouTube experience...

Okay Anne, here's the whole story about my near miss at the spelling bee.

2006-12-19T13:37:00.000-08:00

Well, truth be told, I didn’t come in 2^nd place in the spelling bee. Far from it. I DID however, make it to the 2nd grade class finals, and won for my class. I beat a little boy named Keith (I think that was his name…) because I seemed to be the only kid who knew that the word Grandmother did indeed, contain a “d”.

So- as the winner for my class, I got to go to the all school spelling bee, where I had to compete against 6^th graders! I knew I would have a limited lifespan from the get-go, but I did it anyway (said as if 2^nd graders really have a choice about matters of being in the school spelling bee if they make it…). My first word was “be” and I remember being paralyzed with fear, knowing that this was one of those words that could have more than one spelling. And I actually clearly remember thinking "well self, I can ask them to use it in a sentence, but that won't buy me anything but time, because I don't know which way to spell it for any particuar meaning..." After what seemed like thirty minutes of stalling, I said “…..B…….E…. Be.” Here is where I should add that I had NO idea if I got it right or not until they flashed me the little green card. I sat down and waited- petrified- for my turn to come again.

On round two, I got “House”, and I don't know if it was all the German school finally rubbing off on me, or early signs of a what would be a life of poor spelling, but I busted out a “H-A-U-S, House”. Red card. You’re out Gina. So, long story short, I didn't come in 2nd place, I simply got out on the 2nd round.

And I never spelt right again!! The End.

No More Drama in my life.

2006-12-11T18:40:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I really love my life. Like right now. Cause while I'm sitting on my couch with a glass of wine and a good CD, about to start a new book, the sounds coming from my neighbor's place are decidedly less loving than normal. Girlfriend number one is finally starting to ask the tough questions. And I've learned that my neighbor is a very smooth liar.

Choice lines of the night: "Of course I like her, yeah I spend a lot of time with her, but we work a lot together- I spend a lot of time with everyone I work with." followed up with "Well, all you can go on is what I'm telling you, so I can't control weather you believe me or not."

I'm sure my marriage will have plenty of fights and tears in the years to come, but all I can think right now is: Being boring married girl is WAY better than being THAT girl. I'm also thinking right now how thankful I am that my husband is just as bad at lying as he is at singing. But I love his singing anyway.

Open Letters...

2006-12-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

Snagged from Tracey’s Blog… The challenge: Write 5 open letters. People, places, objects, animals. It doesn't matter. Write 5 succinct letters and express what you can't express in person. Strangers? People you'll never see again? People you're afraid to be completely honest with? Corporations? Celebrities? Your sister's cats? Write to 'em.

Dear Monique Lhuillier,

Congratulations on becoming the next big thing in the wedding gown design world. I realized who you were when I saw a picture of a friend of a friend's wedding the other day and said "THAT's the dress I want. Can you ask here where its from?" Sadly, I then realized that all of your dresses are in the 6-10K price range, which is just so ridiculous that I could spit. No WONDER I like them so much. Even more sad is that I keep looking for other dresses that are similar, and when I finally find one, bang- your name is on the tag again. So cripes, what's a girl to do? If you think of it, could you maybe send one some of your free leftover dresses? Preferably something in Ivory (because as my friend Michelle would say "the jig is up"). And if it could be the one with the cool straps and lace overlay from the Fall 2005 collection, that would really rock. Thanks in advance, and again, congratulations, you're a star! -Yours Truly, Gina

Dear Husband,

I can't wait for you to come home! But the closer that date gets, the more I worry that I'll really have no place to put you. Really. We might have to rent out the soon-to-be vacant upstairs apartment so you'll have somewhere to put your toothbrush and razor. I hope you don't mind. And I also hope you don't mind that I might get cranky about having to pick up my things all the time... I've become re-accustomed to living alone you see and... well- I'll just do my best.

Love- Me

Dear Daphne,

What the heck is up with the snoring lately?? Seriously?? Do we need to get you some doggy Breath Right strips or something? I'm sorry that I have to drag you out to the living room by your collar in the middle of the night, but good lord dog- the snoring is shaking the house! Also- what gives with getting up in the middle of the night EVERY SINGLE NIGHT?? You manage to stay inside for 8 hours everyday without potty breaks, so why the need to poop every 4 hours once it gets dark? While I'm at it- why are you STILL scared of the nail clippers?? I've had you for what- 6 years now? Not once have I nicked you, and I've got to ask- have we ever had a nail-clipping event where copious dog treats weren't present at the end?? I don't understand why you don't salivate every time I get the clippers. So why do you still cower in the corner? I still love you very much and you're my favorite living thing in the world- in addition to the husband (but honestly, I kind of only say that so he doesn't feel bad- I'd be hard-pressed to make a decision on who to pull out of a burning building...). Love- Me

Dear Neighbor,

I know it's none of my business, but I can't help but observe that you're into serial monogamy. With two women. Meaning- two separate relationships that seem to be -outside of each other- fairly "steady."

Don't you ever just want some alone time? Do you also think that it's insane that they drive almost the exact same car? Maybe I'm just lazy, but I can't, for the life of me, imagine having the mental wherewithal to be in a relationship with TWO men at the same time. I mean, sometimes I can barely remember my OWN name and birthday. And that's MEN. And most men are EASY. WHY are you trying to make two WOMEN happy at the same time? Blech- sounds like a nightmare. If neither of them is "enough" why not just ditch them both and look for someone who is? Oooo... and if you already know in your head that girl #1 isn't floating your boat, and that's why you've taken up with girl #2, you should think about ending things with girl #1. Call me old fashioned, but it's kind of the polite thing to do. I know that means getting rid of something (or someone or maybe someones in this case) that you like. Sure, that can be scary. But as it stands now, you have NO time to date or meet anyone who might potential be your "enough" woman.

So neighbor, I give back to you something to listen to- my advice and life observation: With the right person, monogamy is fun. Go find her.

-Your Neighbor, who's trying to mind her own business, but finds it increasingly difficult with the thin walls etc

Dear Friends,

I'm just letting you all know that I'm probably not doing Christmas and/or holiday cards this year. With all of the addressing and envelope-licking of the wedding announcements, and frequent visits to the post office to mail things to Iraq, I'm just kind of over it. Please know that I do indeed with you a Happy Holidays and a safe/fun/fabulous 2007.

Love, Me

Nothing says "holidays" like... Regis Philbin?

2006-11-29T13:09:00.000-08:00

Huh. I just discovered that Regis Philbin has a Christmas album. I've been listening to pandora.com all day today (note to self, get some headphones that don't leave ears burning in pain after a few hours. Ouch!)and got a good Christmas music station going when typing in "Christmas Island". Lots of good old timey Christmas songs (Johnny Mathis, Breda Lee etc), and then out of the blue, 'White Christmas' by Regis Philbin.

And for some weird reason, I didn't give it a thumbs down to make it go away. Is it that I'm mentally conditioned to enjoy only the cheesiest of cheesy Christmas music?

It was followed by the Carpenters (frighteningly endearing)Winter Wonderland/Silver Bells/White Christmas medley, which totally redeemed pandora.com... in my opinion at least.

So. Happy Holidays everyone. What's on your Christmas list?

"A pony" is making its 28th repeat appearance on the top of my list.

Palomino.

2006-11-20T20:45:00.000-08:00

One of the funniest SNL sketches I've seen in a while. I like this "new" gal- I think she's been in the cast for a year or so, but I haven't been keeping track.

Go Cougs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-11-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

It's officially time to start smack talk with any and all fans of the University of Washington, as this Saturday is not just Cougar Football Saturday, but THE APPLE CUP!!

Let the jokes begin!! I'll start with this one, which I found on a delightful little spot on the world wide web called... HuskiesSuck.com.

It's the night before the Husky season opener and the Husky coach gets a call from UW's sole math professor. He tells the coach that his quarterback is academically inelgible because, shockingly enough, he missed his math final from summer session.

In true Husky fashion, the coach asks for a bending of the rules and like a usual UW professor, he agrees and they decide on a one question, all or nothing math final at the 50 yard line in Husky Stadium on Opening Day.

So there's the quarterback at midfield, the entire stadium becomes dead silent, and over the PA system, the math professor shouts "Okay, what is 2 + 3?"

The quarterback furrows his brow, sweat drips down his rather large forehead and he racks his brain with all his might before letting out a hoarse "5?".

The entire stadium erupts in a huge roar with every husky fan jumping up and down screaming "Give Him another Chance!! Give Him another Chance!!"

Good stuff.

Nobody pinch me.

2006-11-08T12:21:00.000-08:00

Maybe I'm just dreaming, but I can't decide if the primary cause of my big dumb smile is either:

1) the latest Tony Bennett Duets CD that I finally bought today, and his version of Lullaby of Broadway with the Dixie Chicks, in which the girls sound a lot like the Andrew's Sisters. (Very smile-worthy)

or

2) Rumsfelt just resigned.

George W. Bush, KFed awaken to joint stark realities.

2006-11-08T04:39:00.000-08:00

Okay, all I've got this morning is that million dollar headline.

My #2 choice was "KFed, Republicans shown the door"

But I should mention that living in DC in a time like this is, to say the least, pretty neat.

(oh yes, and Daphne has not conceded any races yet. She's holding out for recounts.)

My challenge to you all: Send me your catchy headlines that shed light on both politics and KFed.

Daphne, have you been campaigning or what?

2006-11-06T15:42:00.000-08:00

11/6/06 6:15 PM, Washington DC, Corner of 10th and N Street NW. I'm walking Daphne.

Guy I've never Seen Before Walking Past Me on the Sidewalk(GINSBWPMS): "Wait- is that...Daphne?"

Me (out loud): Uh...yeah?

Me (In my head): what the Hell?

GINSBWPMS: Yeah! I thought so. You take her to Wagtime?

Me (out loud): Um... yeah?

Me (in my head): seriously... what's going on here.... How does this guy know the dog day care I take her to?

GINSBWPMS: (sensing that I'm starting to think he's a stalker) Oh- I worked there for a few months, she's a cool dog.

Me: Ah! Okay- yeah, well- thanks!

And so, on this election eve, I have once again been faced with the reality that Daphne, as an institution, is just about as recognizable as the Golden Arches and the Elvis. So I officially announce that she will be using this to her advantage, and is throwing her hat in the ring for Mayor of DC. So go ahead DC, write in Daphne for Mayor 2006.

I honestly think she's has just as much of a chance as anyone at beating Adrian Fenty, so why not?

Forget a meat grinder, I need a silencer attachment for my Kitchenaid Mixer...

2006-11-06T07:32:00.000-08:00

I went candle shopping for J on Saturday morning, as he has requested that I send him some Christmas Tree scented candles since he'll still be "beyond" the tree line for the holidays this year.

"And I want really good ones. None of the cheap candles. You know what I'm talking about..."

That was his request, worded in a way to admonish me for my purchase of generic mouth wash last month. I brought some on the trip, and he was less than pleased with it. In my defense, I'm not a complete cheapskate, I just figured I'd try the generic brand first. If it was, in fact just like Scope only cheaper, why pay more? Alas, it was not just like Scope. Live and learn... But come on, wouldn't most men appreciate having a wife that doesn't put value in brand names unless deserved??

ANYway... I bought him the "Mistletoe" scented candle from Yankee Candles. They're among the most expensive I could find, so I figured he would be able to more clearly see my love and devotion that was poured into the wax (and so obviously devoid from the mouthwash). And I have to admit, the candle smelled good- actually smelled more like a real tree than an air freshener, which was surprising.

While quite literally "sniffing around" in the candle isle (sorry, couldn't resist), I found one called "Buttercream" with a piece of frosted cake on the label. I sniffed. Yum. Cake batter and vanilla frosting. And none of that homemade shortening and powdered sugar kind. This smelled like the fabulous stuff I can eat by the spoonful from out of the tub by Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker. So I bought a small "Buttercream" candle for myself, thinking it might create and inviting and "homey" feel in my apartment.

I brought it home, lit it and left it burning all day and went about my business. About 8 hours later, I realized that I was having the biggest craving for CAKE I'd ever had in my living years.

But what's a girl to do when she lives along and has a hankering for cake? And not just any cake. Going to a restaurant and buying a piece of fancy delicious cake from the menu would not answer this calling. This candle had a distinct aroma of homemade cake, from a mix. With Betty Crocker frosting.

I tried all afternoon, and into the early evening to resist these overwhelming urges. Really, I tried. Until about 10PM last night when I made a break and skipped off to the nearest grocery store for cake mix and tub of frosting. But clearly I wasn't being irrational and going to the store as the first steps toward baking a middle-of-the-night-cake, as that only happens when one drives to the store. And I walked.

Damn Yankees.

PS- This might be the beginning of a fun challenge- to try to end each post with a word or phrase that not only captures the essence of the post, but is also the name of an 80's hair and/or power ballad band.... me likey.

Question del dia

2006-11-04T23:04:00.000-08:00

Why is it that 9 out of 10 people who display t-shirts or bumber stickers that say "Stop bitching and start a revolution" do a lot of bitching and very little revolutionizing?

Discuss.

España! .... now what's the html for the upside down exclamation point??

2006-11-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

On advice from newly aunted Amy B, to “work less, blog more,” I have been looking for a moment to make a quick post to say hello and… “I’m baaaaack…” (read in a creapy horror movie voice).

In three words, Spain was great, and I’d love to write an essay about my fabulous fall vay-cay, but in the efforts of sparing my fingers so that I can reply (AKA: hit delete) to the massive amounts of e-mails that are still lingering in my inbox, I’ll resort to a bulleted list of trip highlights:

Getting to the Madrid airport within an hour of J’s arrival. Which, given the amount of potential chaos in coordinating our travels, was a small miracle.
Having my purse stolen while checking out of our Madrid hotel the next morning, bound for La Coruña. Yes, my phone, camera and passport were in there. In addition to my sweet $5 aviator gafas del sol (sun glasses!) from Eastern Market... More of a low-light really…
Learning all about filing police reports and finding the US Embassy in foreign countries. The embassy was a bit of a let down, I was hoping the experience would be akin to that scene in Not Without My Daughter where Sally Field finally catches a glimpse of the American flag, but in reality, it was a lot like going to the DMV...
Arriving in La Coruña and finally meeting my mother-in-law for the first time.
Having quality family time with my new family- it’s just like quality time with my own family, except with this one, I can relax and enjoy the ride of their craziness rather than get too sucked into it. An excellent concept really, and for the naïve life of me, I can’t see how in-laws have a universal bad rap.
Realizing that I have the cutest nephews on the planet, and they are highly entertaining. I heart them.
Getting to smell my husband, which God-willing, is enough to tide me over for another 6 months.
Taking several day trips around Galicia. A chance to connect to my Celtic roots... (yes, the Celtic people stomped around much of this part of Spain. And you thought the Irish had the monopoly on the Galic people… Eh, that’s okay, so did I.)
Learning that mullets have come back, in a big way in Spain (and I’m guessing most of Europe). Again, more of a low-light. See for yourself. I was standing as a decoy- the real subject of this photo is the mulleted Spaniard behind me…
Putting faces to names of some of the people in Spain on our wedding announcement list… then realizing that we’ll need to send some sort of Spanish translation of said-announcement….
Coming face to face with some scary foods. Some I could deal with, some I could not. Such as…
Missing my flight home from Madrid after being stuck in traffic for three hours. It ended up being a bonus night of vacation, as J wasn’t to leave until the next morning anyway. However, not knowing if I would or wouldn’t get on the next day’s flight on stand-by left me a bit nervy (in light of the fact that J would soon be on a flight to Kuwait, and I had only a temporary passport, a MasterCard, 20 Euros and the language skills/vocabulary of a 3 year old, and the American Airlines gal in Madrid said the soonest flight with seats available was November 7th. “What? That’ won’t work for you? Okay, I have something on November 11th?”).
Coming home to find that the wedding announcements had arrived from the printer. Then asking myself “why the hell did I think it would be a good idea to hand mount 275 of these sonsubitches onto not one, but two panels of (beautiful espresso brown and Tiffany blue) cardstock??? And why does my mothers Big Sister from her Sorority (actually named Dixie- no joke) who I have, until now in my life NEVER HEARD OF, merit reviewing one of these hand-adorned crafts?
Getting to miss out on nearly three weeks of Virginia Senate race campaigning. Came home to find that George Allan has done what I thought was impossible: made himself look like a bigger spaz in the public eye than he did at the beginning of the month. Ha!

And now I’m back to real life, and trying to catch up with everything else…including reading my voters guide. I’ve accepted that my bank ofsocial capital in DC is a barren wasteland, as I can’t recite every states senator and representatives (worse yet, I don’t know who’s secretly creepy –a la the early Foley years- or who is probably gay!), but I figure at least I can attempt to show up at the polls with some sort of recognition of who is on the ballot, and how much I like the sound of their names…

But in my defense man, I know some things about music... and I knew about Windows Vista YEARS ago, when it was still in beta!! Okay, maybe that’s just because Ken and I would routinely crash the “Fun Friday’s” at the PR firm officed on the next floor in my old office building. And okay, maybe our cover was that we were from “the Portland Office, on Kathy’s team. We’ve been swamped with the Vista beta… Hey- is that Doug over there- I’ve got to catch him…” But hey- they had free beer. At work! Yeah, that’s right kids, in Seattle, I was cool. I had social net worth…I wasn’t just some lonely dietitian Navy wife who works at a library… Ah, the good old days.

Which reminds me: I was at the Wonderland Bar one night having a beer with Laura before I left on my trip, and this couple (who looked like they both tried REAL hard to look like a cast member of “Reality Bites”) was sitting next to me on their picnic style tables. And I seriously overheard things like, “Man, that would be so awesome… cause Microsoft is still like, innovative. And to work for them before they turn corporate would be amazing… I wonder if they like, hire people? What would be cool would be to like, work for them as a contractor, or a temp or something. Do they do that? That would be cool. I think it would be cool to work for like, Amazon too…”

I nearly spat out my beer. But I bet they knew gobs about all sorts of bills and pending acts… sigh.

Okay, I’m off to read Wonkette in a desperate attempt to figure out what the hell is going on in this town. But yeah, by the time I’m reading it, it’s likely already jumped the shark.

A call for good vibes...

2006-10-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

for on-time flights and reasonable connections...

I'm T minus 6 days for my flight to Spain to meet up with J for our 15 day R&R/vacation/see each other for the first time in 6 months. He is taking a helicopter from where he is now to some other base in Iraq, then a military flight to Kuwait. From there, another military flight to Frankfurt, and from Frankfurt he'll fly commercial to Madrid. Or something like that.

In other words, there are SOOOO many opportunities for a mess-up somewhere in his itinerary. So if you could all send me some smooth sailing vibes, cast any spells for happy traveling or otherwise channel your good ju-ju and sent it our way, I'd really appreciate it.

As while I'm sure I'd love a solo trip Madrid SOME day to explore the city and soak up the culture of Espana all by my lonesome, that time is not now. If I end up spending this entire trip by myself because of some Military Powers That Be, I will probably have to promptly moon the White House upon my return (while wearing my tacky yet poignant "sexually deprived for your freedom" t-shirt). And that might get me arrested.

Just a little space to say what I’m really thinking.

2006-09-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

I need to lay it out on the line. I need to come clean with a few things. I’m not really sure where to start with this, but I’ve been thinking about a couple of topics that have really hit home lately. No, it’s not about local government, it’s not about how I sometimes feel that I have no social capital here in DC, as I’m not able to incorporate political banter into cocktail party conversations. It’s not even related to my fears about the repercussions of America’s burgeoning sense of elitism in its foreign policies. It’s about TV. And toilet paper. I want to talk about it. And I want to do so using bullet points.

After watching the new season of Dancing With the Stars, I’ve realized that my husband kind of looks like Mario Lopez (yes, as in Saved By the Bell’s A.C. Slater- yeah, the hot one. Zack was the cute one, and Slater was the hot one... yeah, that's what I'M talkin' about...), and I like it.
I discovered that as of this weekend, I no longer have free HBO and Showtime (I had a sweet deal there for a while), and I’m fiending… hard. I’m like a crack addict searching for my next fix. I’m almost to the point where I’m willing to pay gobs of cash for premium TV just to get my weekly “Weeds” fix. And I don’t even want to think about not being able to watch the upcoming season of Big Love. It hurts too much to “go there” mentally.
Lately I’ve been wondering what would happen if, while at work after each trip to the ladies’ room, I started folding the end square of toilet paper on the roll into points, like they do in hotels. I work at a federal library, so this little detail, however minor, would be very out of place. Would the next woman to use that stall think we upgraded out janitorial contractor? Or would she just start to freak out a little, thinking that she worked with someone with a secret toilet paper hang-up? Perhaps she would wonder if she was on candid camera? How many days in a row would I have to do this before I’d start hearing people talk about it in the kitchenette?

Will I ever outgrow thinking of things like this? I have a strong feeling that the answer is NO. And I have a strong feeling that this is why people say things like , “Wow, I just don’t feel like I’m 87 years old…”

The secret power of weddings

2006-09-08T07:40:00.000-07:00

I have this funny feeling deep inside of me that makes me kind of think that.... I have the potential to be a Bridezilla. Two things gave me the feeling that this could never happen. 1) I'm already technically married, so this wedding-like event/reception that will take place in about a year really shouldn't be that big of a deal. Right? 2) I've never been the "wedding I've always dreamed of" type of girl. Or is it that I never had a concrete vision of what I'd want my wedding to be like??? Perhaps.

I've been married since April. Apparently I have not "officially" announced this to the world because I have not officially sent written announcements to billions of people I've never met (yes, "Dixie", my mom's Big Sister in her sorority* is on the list to receive one).

Can you tell by my sarcasm toward wedding announcements that this is not an item that I've been dreaming about since girlhood? So this should be no big deal right? I should just pick a cream colored card out of the book, put our names in the blanks, ask my mom really nicely to help me address them, slap some stamps on and call it done eh?

So why is it that I want my announcement to be Beautiful with a capital B? Why have I been scheming and drafting and toying with color swatches for the past 4 months? Why is it that I instinctively wanted to slap my father when he suggested that "people are going to look at them for 30 seconds and then throw them away!" ? Why do I so desire to have people open these announcements, take them from their beautiful deckled edge square flapped envelopes, gasp while covering their mouths and sigh "My gawwwd.... she has exquisite taste! What a lovely couple."

Is it only going to get worse from here? I've already gone on the record as saying that I don't want a fancy foofy dress. Will that all change once I actually start looking for one? I even joked about silly center-pieces. Will I soon discover that I simply must have fabulous centerpieces, for they are the heart of a nuptial table?!?

Am I really that concerned with what other people (who, for the most part, I don't even know) think of me?

I've come to accept that there is a part of me who does care about what others think of me, and because I'm a brassy blue-state girl, I try like hell to hide that. I think Ann Coulter would say that is part of my Liberal faith.

But there is one great equalizer in this world. One thing that can bring even the MOST self confident, not-giving a rat's ass what Dixie thinks of her-type of girl to her knees.

Her wedding.

There it is. That's the secret.

* I can make fun of sorority girls because I am one.

An Accidental Boot Camp

2006-08-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

I have a membership at the YMCA near my place here in DC. They have personal training available, and I've been thinking it might be a good idea to sign up for a few sessions, as lately I feel like I'm accomplishing nothing at the gym, and not making the most efficient use of my time there. They also offer this team fitness program, where you sign up to be on a team that meets twice a week for training with a "strength coach." Its only 15 bucks per session as opposed to about 120 for an hour with a personal trainer, and you're in a group with about 4 or 5 people total. Figuring that I really don't need someone to stand there and watch me do sets, and that I wouldn't mind sharing a trainer with a group of people, I signed up for this team thing and had my first trial session yesterday.

Oh My Heck.

I meet with the group and introduce myself and we're off. I met the coach, and as we're heading upstairs to the free weight room (which I've never been in because its scary and full of men who are grunting and sweating) he explains that the strategy is simple: Work every muscle group to failure. No sets, no increasing weight gradually, just start big and go until you absolutely can't go any further.

At first its great, because he assigns a weight/lift/exercise to each person (Yay! No requirement for me to think!), gives you whatever weight he recommends, and you go until you just can't. This was fine for like, one or two exercises. And I was feeling all great about myself because he's buffing my ego with things like "You've got really great form- do you lift a lot on your own? No? Oh, are you an athlete?" (clearly he's buttering me up because this is my free trial session) But after my entire upper body was dead, and he's like, "Humm, Okay, Gina- shoulder press- Go!" and I wanted to kick him in the nuts, it just stopped being fun.

It was the same story with lower body, which was great, until we were "done" and then moved onto lunges. I swear to God we did 110, and I could barely walk afterward. And the sweet part was ending the night with a nice long round of wall-sits. And then abs. I really don't think I'd ever worked my legs to failure before- I seriously thought I was going to fall over, my legs were shaking like I'd had a stroke.

The only time I've ever felt something similar was in my triathlon, when I got off the bike and tried to run, only to find that my legs were still trying to peddle. It was like the connection between my brain and my muscles was severed. Weird.

So naturally I've now signed on for the entire 13 week session. It was all I could do to utter "where do I sign up?" So I fill out the paperwork and only AFTER I pay, does he go into the whole schpeal about how its also expected that I will do at least 4 hours of cardio per week in the gym in addition to these two hours of team trainings. And that I need to log my cardio in the book with the rest of my team so they can make sure I'm sticking with it... (And I'm thinking... Buddy, this wasn't in the brochure...Oh, wait it was in the brochure, I just didn't read it.)

Me: "So, can I count swimming or jogging with my dog as cardio"
Him: "well, you can count it every once in a while, but we really prefer you to stick to the cardio schedule that we'll create for you, because we really target anaerobic cardio.... blah blah blah... so rather than say, jogging with your dog for 30 minutes, It would be better to break it in to interval workouts with wind sprints..."

Can you not just see Daphne and I sprinting across the National Mall?

So I guess I've signed on for quite the proram. Wish me luck!

A blog lightening round.... Go!

2006-08-25T13:24:00.002-07:00

A couple of quickie updates then I'll send you back in the world knowing a little bit more about the silly things that have happened to me in the last week or so.

1) My 10 year high school reunion came and went two weeks ago. I was off frolicking in Nova Scotia at the time, and was unable to attend, but there were some photos posted so I was able to live vicariously through the experiences of others thanks to Snapfish. I was thrilled to see that one of the little pip-squeak kids who was in my Advisory (AKA: Homeroom) class turned out to be quite a looker after growing up. Good for him.

2) I now unequivocally accept that my neighbor is not, in fact, gay. I thought he was for a the longest time. I mean, his place is immaculate, he has a baby grand piano in his office (the same room that is packed full of bikes, computers, filing cabinets, sleeping bags, tool boxes etc in MY adjacent apartment) which he plays amazingly well, and he's just such a nice guy. Always willing to help, seems very sensitive and genuine without seeming creepy or sleazy. He is also a "personal friend" (he says) of my landlord, who is gay. They talk a lot, they hug each other hello... if it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, I don't know, I just kind assumed he was gay too.

So this girl has started coming by his place every once in a while and often times she'll come over late at night. (I know this because then you ring the door bell for either of our apartments, you can hear it in the other's too, so we regularly open the door for one another on accident). It didn't strike me as odd, as he repeatedly introduced her to me as "This is Katie- we work together." Something about the "...we work together" added to the end of every sentence made it seem like, well, maybe they were just friends. And when I did think about it, I would come to the natural conclusion that it was none of my damned business, and I didn't really care which way his wind blew. So I continued along my merry path of "I have a lovely gay neighbor man." Until I got home from walking Daphne yesterday.

As I was fishing for my keys to unlock the (new and improved) deadbolts, I had this weird feeling that the upstairs neighbor was watching porn... I think I just assumed the sound was coming from upstairs because the upstairs neighbor guy (as opposed to this next door neighbor guy) does seem a little sleazy. But as I found my key (and the jangling sound stopped) I realized that the sound was in fact coming from the next door- which is approximately 12 inches from MY door.

It was Katie, in all of her splendor. And it was my neighbor (though Katie was certainly the more vocal of the two). They were "working" together alright. And it did NOT sound like this was his first time "working" with a woman. From the tone of her feedback, I'd say he knew what he was doing. It was ALARMING how clearly the sound of their "work" was resonating through the entire front entry way of our small apartment building. To be honest, it sounded like they were doin' it with the front door wide open.

Because I could hear them so well, I just assumed that they could hear ME just as well too (though on further reflection, I'm sure they were a bit too busy to be listening up for the random comings and goings of fellow building tenants). So I immediately was overcome with extreme embarrassment. My reaction was strange- I've had "noisy neighbors" before, and never had a big problem with it, but I didn't really know those people. These two? I feel like I know them. I feel like I walked in on two friends, and now I'm afraid that I'm going to trip over my words or just blush like crazy next time I see them.

Who am I kidding though- I'm actually just jealous. Good for them!

3) All this talk about Pluto being reclassified, and no longer being considered a planet got me thinking. What kind of criteria are there to be a planet? How might one submit an entry for consideration into this planetary status? And who the heck gets to make the final decision?? Are the people on this decision committee huge geeks? Totally cool science wizards? A little bit of both?? How much are school text book companies dancing in the street right now at the prospect that all elementary school science teachers are going to have to order new books for this school year? But my two key questions are:

How cool would it be to have a band named "Planetary Criterion"?
Will calling Pluto a "Dwarf" as opposed to a "Little Planet" soon surface as a Planetary Rights violation?

Any help with these questions would be greatly appreciated.

An Update

2006-08-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

Akk! The following post was written several days ago... I hit "save to draft" instead of "post" so... its just been hanging out, waiting to be read!

Behold... the hidden post of yesterweek:

Hi blog friends!

For a most interesting retelling of my experience at the Dixie Chicks concert last week with Lisaopolis, please visit her blog for a fabulous and (predominately) accurate account. I would have written my own entry, but figured that since SHE was the one who was ensandwiched by two drunk Mommy’s Gone Wild, SHE deserved to recount the evening…

Mom and Dad came down to visit for a quick stop in DC last Thursday before we all boarded the Amtrak to NYC, the embarkation port for our cruise(apalooza) to Canada last week. I refrained from taking photos, as between Lisa and Carnival Cruises (which offered copious amounts of photo ops with people dressed up as Mounties, fishermen, Nova Scotian pipers, pirates etc), I figured that all photographic needs were more than covered. Because of this, I have no photos to offer you (yet) of the actual cruise.

However… I do have photos from CSI Washington. Taken by my camera phone. By me. In my apartment. Which was the crime scene! Yeah, I came home to find that my apartment had been broken into while I was away. Coming home to find my place robbed really filled me with that not-so-fresh feeling of an uninvited stranger lurking through my things- which he/she/they clearly did. I suppose they were looking for computers, cash and jewelry, as they got two out of three from me (please... like I’D have cash laying around?? I’ve been so debit-card-only for the past 10+ years that I barely remember what currency looks like!) Once again, the idiots did not take the road bikes. (Did I mention that my mountain bike was ALSO stolen about a month ago?? The $300 mountain bike that was RIGHT next to thousands of dollars worth of road bikes? Idiots.) So two laptops and one wedding band later, (Shoot. So much for the bright idea of leaving it here, safely tucked in the back of my dresser drawer for “safe keeping” wile he’s in Iraq…) I am once again, dealing with my fabulous insurance company. And when I say fabulous, I’m actually not being sarcastic. USAA is the greatest. I highly recommend them to anyone who needs insurin’.

So thieves, in case you’re reading this, I’m going to lay it on pretty thick now:

Dear Thief:

Thank you for stealing my husband’s wedding band. I hope you have absolutely no clue that it is platinum and let some pawn shop owner suckers you into taking 50 bucks for it. Stupid jerk! I also hope that you appreciate that it was in my drawer (that you pilfered through) because he is in Iraq fighting terrorism AND evildoers AND people who hate freedom, wearing a cheap silver band now, figuring it would get banged up, or lost, or (possibly even) stolen while at WAAAAAARRRRRR.

Love and snuggles,

Ginapalooza

Okay, okay, I know the stuff about the evil-doers and freedom haters was bit much… but if ever there were a time to milk the “my husbands in Falluja” card, why not now?

So in the interest of multimedia, here are some pictures of CSI DC…

Exibit A: Trying to snag a quick photo while the officers were working… trying not to be too obvious about it… while sitting on my couch twiddling my thumbs, wondering what the heck one is supposed to DO while officers are dusting one's residence for fingerprints... Make small talk? Offer a drink? (answers: 1. Yes 2. No)

Exhibit B: My door with the fingerprint dust all over it. Please note my new dead-bolt that my landlord had installed already before I got home. (Yeah, not much good to get prints off a door that had been handled by the locksmith, but heck, at least they tried.)

Okay- that's all I've got for now.

Hi Seattle, it's me.... I miss you.

2006-07-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

When I moved to DC, people kept asking me: "Do you miss Seattle?" For a long time my standard reply would be to give them a thoughtful look into the eye, think for a few beats and then give an honest answer of, "You know, I really don't just yet."

Having grown up in the suburbs of Seattle, then returning from "afar" to spend the last several years living in the Seattle city limits, I'd had my fill of the great Northwest. For a while at least. To be honest, the city was starting to feel smaller and smaller each year. It wasn't too small, but it was getting more an more comfortable; more broken-in. The honeymoon was over and the little things were starting to bug me. Living near Capital Hill, every once in a while I'd find myself fantasizing about walking up to the dread-headed "People Now! Socialism Now!" sign holders and petitioners on Broadway to get up in their faces and throw out a sharp: "SERIOUSLY? Are you DENSE? Oh wait, you are! Okay, carry on." Or even walking up to a UW student shopping at Whole Foods and whispering into her ear: "Pssst... guess what? Just cause it's soy-based Mac and Cheese, doesn't mean its GOOD for you! In fact, a little bird tells me that over-production of soy is depleting ground water reserves in China! What are you gonna do with THAT?!?" then swiftly running away...

I loved (and still do love) Seattle, but I was ready for a change. Until a few days ago, the only things I truly missed about Seattle (besides the obvious of family and friends)
were (in ranked order):

1 Off leash dog parks in nearly every neighborhood
2 Taco Time
3 Decent customer service as the norm, not the exception
4 City streets that aren't littered with potholes (the streets north of Yessler at least...)

But now it's the dead of summer in DC, it's supposed to hit 104 tomorrow and stay nasty for the rest of the week. Thankfully, the peak season of mugginess here has corresponded nicely with my summer travel schedule: I will be on a cruise to Northern Canada all of next week, I spent time in mild San Francisco and Montana earlier this month and will be heading to Seattle twice in September (both trips are for weddings, and in the first one, I hope to attend to a few details of my own, as my marriage is somewhat of a 2 part mini series, with the "wedding" yet to happen...). Thinking about these trips made me realize that I really do miss Seattle. I love living in DC, and there is still much to-do on my list (which I don't anticipate ever not being the case), but I am very much looking forward to my visit home. I am also very much looking forward to the season to hurry up and get here... this humidity stuff is for the birds.

Things I want to do while I'm in Seattle (in no particular order):

1) Touch Yakima River, preferably while floating down said river in an inner tube.
2) Order a soft taco meal at Taco Time (I know, I have a problem)
3) Karaoke. Maybe even at the Rickshaw. But that's like, Varsity Seattle. See photo for example of my skills:

4) Go to any retail establishment and have employee ask me, "Can I help you?"
5) Surround myself with thousands of people who know what the word "WAZZU" means (AKA: go to Coug game in Seattle in the 16th)
6) Listen to KMTT, the Mountain. I admit, I really miss that radio station. I can listen online, but its just not the same.

There are many other things I'd like to do, but with a tight schedule, I'm trying to remain realistic in what I anticipate having time for. So... kayaking around the San Juans etc will just have to wait until retirement.

To all of you Washington State ex-pats, if there is anything you'd like me to do in your honor while I'm there, please advise.

Stop the Presses:

2006-07-27T06:03:00.000-07:00

I agree with the Republican National Committee!

Here's a quote from the Associated Press:

"The Republican National Committee rejected Dean's criticism of Al-Maliki, saying, 'It is incredibly troubling that Howard Dean would seek to score cheap political points by attacking the democratically elected prime minister of Iraq.' "

And that's all I'll say about it. 'Cause I don't have the energy to make this blog a place of serious discussion. I much prefer to discuss locker room etiquette, the cuteness of my dog etc.

Erik, I dedicate this one to you.

2006-07-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

I gave this entry the above title because I'm going to talk about women in a locker room, and I wanted to proactively address any
snickering or borderline inappropriate comments. After all, I am the Queen appropriateness.

I was at the YMCA last night swimming. It was a little crowded, so I had to share a lane with 4 other swimmers, but other than that, it was a fine swim.

As background information, I will tell you that the locker room attendants tend to be older ladies who seem to enjoy sitting at the counter reading paperbacks while handing out towels and mini soap bars on an as-needed basis. Another core function of their jobs is handing out keys for the lockers. You can't bring your own lock; you've got to check out a key for a locker. You give them your membership card, they give you a key. Easy as that.

Each key has its own locker, so the locker that you get (naturally) depends on the key that you are given by the attendant. This seems like common sense- but what I didn't realize before yesterday- is that this system completely removes one's natural ability to select the location of our locker.

Men: Imagine that every time you pee, you have to use a pre-assigned urinal. This would override any/all prehistoric instincts to go to the urinal furthest away from any other person.

I never knew that women had a variation of this instinct as well. To be honest, I'd never paid much attention to the logistics of changing in a locker room in front of other women... before yesterday. As luck (or some weird and somewhat skeezy plan of the locker room lady) would have it, all the keys distributed in the 15 minute window in which I was changing, were for lockers in the same bank. There are about 5 rows of lockers; usually there are one or two people in each row at any one moment.

But here's a schematic of what it looked like last night when I returned from the shower:

(I'm the one in pink- surrounded by the other naked pink dots all crowded into one small space)

It was weird. And judging by the looks of "uhh... where am I supposed to look?" on everyone else's face (as I had to make extra efforts to make either EYE or FOOT contact with everyone else there), I wasn't the only one who thought it was oddly uncomfortable.

A New Respect for Our Founding Fathers

2006-07-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

Or anyone else who could handle living in this sweltering sweat-lodge of a city in the days BAC (before air-conditioning).

This Seattle girl would love to say that she admires Patrick Henry for his mad-skills as a statesman, or TJ (My nickname for Thomas Jefferson, ever since I hung out with his likeness in Williamsburg) for that whole "Declaration of Independence writing thing".. but honestly, I've got to say that any Virginian who was that convicted in turning this place into the next great nation (requiring SIGNIFICANT concentration and focus during the month of JULY no-less...) deserves some props from me.

So there you have it. My self-centered, hot n' cranky statement del dia.

Which reminds me... I've been wanting to go to Mt Vernon at some point. Perhaps I'll ride my bike there tomorrow. Or better yet, drive in my air-conditioned car!

Two more...

2006-07-22T14:58:00.000-07:00

But I'm too lazy to make another table, so here we go:

Then: Celebrities Adopting Babies
Now: Celebrities Having Babies (seriously, has it ever been so hip and cool to be with-child?)

Then: Ugs
Now: Crocks (she says, while sporting a bright blue pair which, I admit, make me look like a complete spaz in my neighborhood)

Then: James Blunt
Now: Gnarles Barkley (as in: it used to be James Blunt who was interesting at first but bordering on annoying as all get-up due to BEYOND HEAVY radio play... We'll see if GB suffers the same fate... So far I hear "crazy" juuuust about every time I get in my car.

And to my commenter who thinks I shouldn't do "then" and "now" when the "thens" are so recent, well... that's kind of the whole point.... and we wonder were ADD comes from... look at the attention span of the general public!

And Lisa, if there IS a German translation of "Oh, SNAP!" you MUST share!

Am I up to speed?

2006-07-21T13:05:00.001-07:00

Okay- just checking in to see if I'm up to speed on the latest. Please, someone let me know if I'm already out of date:

Then	Now
Y2K	Web 2.0
Friendster.com	MySpace ... okay, probably something newer. Facebook?
Dogster.com	Getting off one's ass and walking the dog
Reality Game Shows	Reality Talent Shows
Yahoo Groups, Listservs	Message Boards
Access Databases	php MySQL. Totally.
gmail	AOL, because I'm bringin' it back as a retro thing*

*okay, it's worth a shot. I think I'm the last person on AOL...

My friend...

2006-07-21T10:28:00.001-07:00

I was going to YouTube today to find a clip of GW scaring the heck out of Angela Merkel via a presidential-personal-space-invading-back-rub, but decided to run a quick search for my friend Beth.... She found this lady on YouTube a while back after discovering that they had the very same first and last name. My friend Beth is a therapist. Wouldn't you know it- THIS lady is a therapist too! A LAUGHTER therapist. .. and she's got a whole serries of laughter therapy sessions for all to see online. I'm just glad that when my friends google themselves, they too find all types who share their names... But does this lady like Talking On the Phone and Boys as much as my namesake? Only time will tell... (Please reference my post titled "Oh Me, Oh My!" for more background info if you're lost here...)

The first I saw of Dr. Beth, she was doing a series on the sheer joy and laughter producing abilities of... pencils. Here she is jumping on the pirate bandwagon, complete with eye patch. I don't know why, but I hope someday she does a series as Sean Connery.

I don't know if I'm laughing at her or with her, but I'm laughing. Mission Accomplished Dr. Beth.

Making up for lost time...

2006-07-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

In a desperate attempt to add more to my blog to compensate for recent shortages, I bring you- a silly little survey-like thing...

I am cuddler --- yes, but not if its too hot.
I am morning person --- nope.
I am a perfectionist --- uh, have we met? That'd be a no.
I am an only child --- no
I am currently in my pajamas --- no
I am currently suffering from a broken heart --- no
I am okay at styling other peoples' hair --- depends on how bad it was when we started :)
I am left-handed --- no
I am online 24/7-- nope... are we seeing a trend here? I'm usually not such a "no" girl.
I am shy around the same/opposite gender at first --- unfortunately, I tend to err on the other side. I talk too much.
I bite my nails --- problem solved through hypnosis. I'd love to tell you about it some time.
I can be paranoid at times --- yes, just ask my patient spouse.
I currently regret something I have said --- "regret" is such a strong word... I'm kind of embarrassed by some things, but not really regretful.
When I get mad I curse frequently --- Yes, but not as much as I used to when I worked with a bunch of boys.
I don't like anyone --- Eh? No! Who doesn't "like anyone"??
I enjoy country music --- yes
I enjoy jazz music --- yes
I enjoy smoothies --- not really.
I enjoy talking on the phone --- not usually. Unless its someone I haven't talked to in a while and I'm able to focus just on the phone conversation- I hate feeling like I'm multi-tasking while on the phone, which I'm guilty of too often.
I have a car --- Yes, Daphne and I travel by Subaru
I have/had a hard time paying attention at school --- not when I was in school, but my attention span is getting shorter and shorter each year...
I have a lot to learn --- yes, but I could teach a lot too.
I have a pet --- Daphne. She's more than a pet, she's a lifestyle.
I have a secret that I am ashamed to reveal --- I really don't think I have any 100% secrets. At least one person knows about each of them.... I think.
I have all my grandparents --- Two are still living, the other two are immortals.
I have at least one brother/ one sister --- two sisters
I have been to Europe --- not as often as I'd like. Going to Spain in October!
I have been told that I am smart --- Yes, but mainly by guys trying to get in my pants. Whoa- did I say that?
I have been told that I have an unusual sense of humor --- Yes.
I have broken a bone --- just a finger- while playing goalie. I was scared to death AND I got hurt. It sucked.
I have caller I.D. on my phone --- yes, so stop pranking me.
I have bathed with someone --- yes, but not for a while.
I have changed a diaper --- yes
I have changed a lot as a person over the past year --- Can I get an "Amen"??
I have friends who have never seen my natural hair color --- no, it's all natural baby.
I have had major/minor surgery --- only minor. Knock on wood.
I have killed another person --- with my stellar good looks? Nope.
I have had my hair cut within the last week --- No, but I need a cut. Haven't had one since April!
I have had the cops called on me --- Yes, but only because the people who called the cops were jealous of the amount of fun I was having.
I have kissed someone I knew I shouldn't --- Define "shouldn't." In any case, only in my past life.

Copy and paste as you will.

A sign of the times.

2006-07-20T13:04:00.000-07:00

I don't know what all the fuss is about, it is clear from this graffiti that I found in a ladies room stall in the San Francisco airport that our education system is NOT in fact, letting our kids down.

In case you can't see the handwriting, it says "Semicolons are fun! Try them!" and the observer has drawn in her own semi-colon to replace the existing comma that was original to the sign.

As you were.

Quantity, not quality, is sometimes necessary.

2006-07-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

Most of you are probably aware that the world has seemingly gone to hell in a hand basket since I last wrote. There’s a crazy little man in North Korea testing weapons, Israel and Lebanon are once again going at it, gas prices continue to climb and it all adds up to being over-my-head depressing. And my life goes on, and so does yours; filled with all sorts of inconsequential things. And sooner than later, I’m realizing that these inconsequential things are blessings everyday. I love being able to sit here and write about utterly non-important garbage. It has to mean that I’m high enough on Maslow’s hierarchy that I can sit here and dither about camping trips and conferences in Florida. And it’s a privledge that I do not over look. And with that….

Here are bullet points that Ginapalooza should have been covering over my last one month blogging hiatus:

I mentioned a camping trip in my almost-last post. It was grand. Learned the spray-on Banana Boat Ultra waterproof sun block is the way to go for all of my active, outdoor, water-logged sun protection needs. I am now a believer, and open to any spokeswoman contracts that may be available. And needless to say, the dough-boys were a hit.

Took a trip to Clearwater Beach Florida for a conference, where my stupid phone broke… and was broken way too many days before I even noticed that it wasn’t functioning. I just thought no one was calling me. A blog-worthy even in itself.

Took another trip (this time for pure fun and girl bonding) to Bozeman Montana to see Amy and Casey reaffirm their vows and soak up some Big Sky. It was lovely, as were all of my friends who attended. And unlike the normal post-wedding funk I go through- after I realize that the big fun event is now OVER and it will be God-knows-how-long until I see my girls again, this time I knew that I’d see most/all of them again soon at Erin’s wedding in September  Joy!

Followed up the trip to Bozeman with a road trip with Tim and Beth to visit Cora and Thomas at their home in Jackson Hole. WY. The trip included white water rafting, more fun in the sun (again, with above-mentioned banana boat sun block) and numerous jokes about being a Sister Wife and/or Second wife. Trust me, it was more funny than awkward at the time. I also got to see the very site where the Veep flies in and out of on his trips home from DC (AKA- the Jackson Hole airport) which was a thrill to behold.

Came home the night of July 4th, where I experienced my very first DC Independence Day… from the seat of my couch, home alone. It was pouring down rain so hard that the plans I had were sacked, making the whole event rather anti-climactic and alarmingly lonely. I seem to have bi-polar 4th of July’s. They’re either really good, or really bad. Sadly, the combination of foul weather and coming down from a high of being with the best group of friends a girl could ask for put this one into the “really bad” category. I threw a small pity party for myself and got over it.

Toiled away at work for about a week before having to head out again for another conference- just as I was finally getting my e-mail’s in-box cleared up. This time I had to head out for a trip to San Francisco for another conference. The conference was great, but my favorite part was probably just being in San Francisco- where one could actually drive down the street with the windows open and feel cool fresh air. Not like DC in the least, where the outdoors are the enemy these days. Where all efforts must be made to keep the outside… out!

Aside from a lovely little dinner party the night of the 14th, which was of great assistance in helping Ginaplaooza ring in her 28th year, I was able to snag one more night of girl time with Beth and Baum a few days later when they came up to the city for dinner and a movie. We saw the Devil Wears Prada (loved Meryl Streep in it, but ultimately left the theater feeling very dowdy, as my own lack of fashion know-how was made only more apparent…) and went to dinner at a little place called “Steps of Rome.” This place was fully staffed by young Italian men who, according to the one who spoke and understood English fluently (he was from Connecticut rather than the motherland directly) had all stayed up way too late the night before and were entirely hung-over. First there were forgotten salads, then there were way too many salads... We weren’t sure if Who was on first or if What was on second. Connecticut-guy explained to me that it was a combination of their lack of English (“these damned Italians don’t understand a word…”) and the fact that they’d all cracked open several bottles of vino in the back room in efforts to get a little hair of the dog from the night before. They were all so charmingly ineffective. I loved it. Lord knows I pity the foo’s who end up marrying these boys- as I highly suspect that they’d need their mothers to accomplish MOST tasks in life, but for a night, they were altogether lovely and delightful. Yes, it really takes very little these days.

Which brings me to the preview of what’s to come at Ginapalooza. I’ve been trying to build a metal Top 10 list of best things about having my husband in Iraq for a year.

I figure anyone can make a list of Top 10 worst things, so why not try to take the optimistic path and solidify some things that are actually good about our current situation? In three months, I’ve only been able to come up with about 3 things, so I’ll try to think on it a bit more and hope to have 10 solids red-checker items soon.

Oh Me, Oh My...

2006-07-19T21:20:00.000-07:00

As if I needed proof that I should be blogging more frequently (I'm sorry- I know its been a long time, I offer no excuses), I just googled myself and
THIS is what I find...

I have no words for this.

I DO have an actual blog entry started, which I was working on while waiting for my plane to board for my flight back home from San Francisco- it's still in the works, but there will be photos of bathroom graffiti caught on camera phone, so get excited for THAT!

In case I forget, remind me to tell you all about my last two trips out west- once to Bozeman/Jackson Hole, and this last one to San Jose and San Francisco, where I discovered the male equivalent of the "Dumb Blonde" (which would be the "Italian Waiter") Something refreshing about people who are most likely incapable of doing anything of consequence, but look great doing it. This will most likely be the first in my "Little Miss Married's Chronicles of Looking But Not Touching."

With that, I offer one thousand apologies for my absences, and hope to get back into the swing of things shortly.

Chief Camp Rangerette, for the weekend at least.

2006-06-16T07:34:00.000-07:00

So…. Guess what I’M doing this weekend? This afternoon I’m taking off for the high lonesome hills of the Shenandoah Valley (which is neither, high, extremely lonesome or hilly, but go with it) or maybe it’s off the Shenandoah River? Eh, I didn’t plan it, and honesty have no idea where it is on the map (note to self: get directions) but it’s about 1.5 hours outside of DC, somewhere in Virginia. All I know is that I’m bringing Daphne, my mountain bike, river shoes, a sleeping bag and about 8 gallons of sunblock of the SPF 45+ variety. And some beer.

I’m co-hosting the Saturday breakfast, and you can bet your sweet sit-upon that there will be dough-boys involved. No, that’s not the North Carolinian way of pronouncing the last name “Dubois,” but rather the warm and tasty campfire biscuit delights that I first discovered as a Girl Scout. I reluctantly admit that I have burning desire to bring my Brownie uniform that wore for Halloween a few years ago…

I went to Costco yesterday afternoon to stock up on food for my meal responsibility and also happened upon a couple of choice CD’s that will make the drive there simply divine. Duran Duran Greatest Hits AND a Johnny Cash three DC collection. How set am I??

Speaking of CD’s, I don’t want to jinx myself here, but the last 5 CD’s I’ve purchased have all turned out to be fabulous. I’ve come to expect a dud every few purchases, but for the life of me, I can’t remember the last DC I bought that I don’t totally love…

Keith Urban’s newest one, Imogen Heap, Dixie Chicks, Thievery Corporation’s newer one, and now this Duran Duran album (which truly IS a Greatest Hits. Every time a new song comes on, I think to myself, “no… THIS is my favorite Duran Duran song… and then the next song is Rio… Or Girls on Film! Too hard to choose just one.)

Even this Johnny Cash set is a good one. The last one I bought was notably lacking Get Rhythm, I’ve Been Everywhere, Cry Cry Cry, AND Hey Porter… which is asinine. This set however, doesn’t contain Jackson OR Ring of Fire which is both shocking and bewildering. But I of course already have those, so I’m not missing them too much.

So what do you think- why is it so hard to find a TRUE best-of/greatest hits/box collection for an artist with an extensive career?

Jackson Hole Wyoming... Is that in Ontario, Canada?

2006-05-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks Kelly, for passing along this fabulous video to me. In the spirit of my recent transaction with www.cheaptickets.com, in which all I wanted was a flight out of Jackson Hole, Wyoming (yet the call center agents couldn't, for the life of them, understand that Wyoming was a State... in the United States of America), I'd like to share this video with all of you. I found it hilarious.

You'll need Flash 8 to play it correctly. If you don't have it, you can download it here...

Here's the link! http://www.callcentermovie.com/

Health and Beauty Products: Go Big or Go home.

2006-05-18T10:01:00.000-07:00

I suspect that I’m like most other women in that it pains me to think about how much money I’ve likely spent on health and beauty products so far in my lifetime. From that first jar of Oxy 10 astringent pads which lived in my Caboodle with a myriad of flavored lip glosses, to my most recent purchase which reflect an affinity for any products that boast abilities to “reduce the look of fine lines and aging,” I’ve experienced my fair share of winners and losers.

In the spirit of sandal season, I’d like to take a moment of your time today to share with you a product that has been around for ever, but I’ve just discovered. A truly effective callus remover.

Ladies and gentlemen, please raise you hand if you’ve ever questioned the usefulness of a pumice stone. Who among us hasn’t sat in the bathtub, scrubbing away at their heals, building enough thermal energy to nearly start a fire, while wondering if all efforts were truly just in vain? Don’t be shy, raise those hands high. Nothing to be ashamed of. We’ve all been there.

Or how about the giant stiff brushes? Yeah, because if a porous brick won’t do the trick, surely a good foot brushing will magically slough off the dead skin. I even invested in a dremel-tool like electric device that essentially sand-belts the calluses away, but even that left me feeling short-changed.

I’ll be real honest with you folks. I gave up. Sure, I went through the motions; I’d continue with the occasional salon pedicure and interim home maintenance. But my heart wasn’t in it. I’d lowered my expectations. I’d accepted that I would always have calluses on my feet. Pretty feet and soft heals were for the other girls, not for me. I didn’t deserve true and lasting fulfillment. I tried to tell myself that it was okay, that it was an advantage, because in a pinch, I could walk across a gravel drive-way barefoot with slightly less discomfort than those other…. soft-footed girls.

But a funny thing happened to me the other day. A funny thing called “hope.”

While shopping at Target for a pair of cheap sandals to replace last year's cheap sandals which were behond trash-worthy and falling apart, I heard a little something from my inner voice. My inner voice said: “Gina, listen to me. Maybe this year things will be different. Maybe this time products will work. Maybe today you should let go of your fears. Your fears of failure, fears of disappointment, fear of unreciprocated devotion to nice-looking feet. Just PUT YOUR SLEF OUT THERE girlfriend! Do it! Try again! You haven’t lost until you’ve stopped trying! If you can believe it, you can achieve it!”

I looked to my inner voice, my higher power, and what I heard was “YES!”

So I did it. I zeroed in on the Sally Hanson product display like an elite member of the podiatric Delta Force.

Delta One to Inner Voice: “Same old shit Inner Voice, brushes, lotions, creams. This is child’s play. Abort and reroute to heavy artillery. I’m going to talk with The Good Doctor... Dr. Scholl that is.”

Inner voice to Delta One: “Excellent work Delta One, but you’re on your own now. Keep us advised here at Command Control. Good luck. Good luck and Godspeed….”

(in case you couldn’t tell, my Inner Voice went from resembling an Oprah/Dr. Phil hybrid to sounding an awful lot like Charlton Heston. Charlton Heston circa “Soylent Green,” sans the gun-toting NRA spokesman vibes. Hey- it was in my imagination, I’m allowed to mess with reality)

I repositioned and found myself uncomfortably juxtaposed with wrist braces, anti-fungal powders and bedpans. This was a different ball game. No longer was I shopping for a traditional health and beauty aid. No longer was I comforted by the proximity of my friends Bonny Bell and Max Factor. I was in the land of non-prescription medical assistive devises, drugstore reading glasses and adult incontinence aides. I was damned near the pharmacy.

And there she was. Right next to the Gold Bond Medicated anti-itch powder and bunion removal pads (still not sure what an actual bunion is, but the name alone makes them sound unfortunate enough to cast much doubt that a little sticky foam pad would be effective in removing them): a product that both frightened and fascinated me. Not just another “callus remover,” but a callus remover with the words “strong German blades stay sharp longer!” written on the outer package.

Was this true? A callus removing product containing actual razors? A tool that I could potentially REALLY hurt myself with?? How delightfully retro! The generic version’s $3.50 price tag only served to encourage my fascination, as I love products that reinforce my theory that “You get what you pay for. Except with health and beauty supplies.”

I grabbed the $3.50 store brand callus shaver thing, my $9.00 sandals and was out the door (after paying of course).

Fair reader, I’ll spare you the details of the actual callus removal process, but leave you with the following adjective that described my process:

Effective, gratifying, quick, thorough, fabulous, horrendous, shocking, intriguing, unexpected, liberating, frightening, joyous, fulfilling.

All for $3.50.

So today a part of me is gone. A dead and callused part of me, and I’m a better person for it. I thank you Inner Voice, for pulling me out of that foggy haze of foot apathy and depression, and I thank you Dr. Schol, for reminding me that like eye-lash curlers, sometimes the freakiest and oddest-looking contraptions make the best healthy and beauty must-haves.

End scene.

Topic for another day: I no longer have any respect for Paul McCartney, as he apparently turned down his then fiancé’s offer to sign a prenuptial agreement citing that it was “unromantic.” Nice move Paul. Maybe all those trips to the strawberry fields took a larger toll on your ability to perceive reality than one might have initially assumed. She’ll likely be walking away with hundred of millions. (of still valuable POUNDS). You’re a frigg’n BEATLE for the love of God. You have A LOT to lose. Did you learn nothing after teaching Jacko how to buy music rights? Sometimes reality interferes with an individual’s ability to be super nice. It’s the world we live in Paul. Welcome to it.

Once again, I've been peer-pressured into the Circle of Youth.

2006-05-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

I’d been resisting MySpace. Resisting it like I’ve resisted Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Blackberries. I’ve been duped before by passing trends- I always seem to be on the losing end of them. I have an extensive Beanie Baby collection. I have a Palm Pilot with at leather Tumi case which is likely worth a whole lot more than the device itself. I have a page on Friendster. Heck, Daphne has more friends on Dogster than I have on Friendster. And SHE’S one of my Friendster friends…

I wasn’t going to spend my precious Gray’s Anatomy Watching Time on a MySpace profile. I mean really, It’s not like I’m looking for online MySpace love or anything, and certainly not looking for attention from old men who have grown a recent and unexplainable of fear of Dateline NBC.

But leave it to Jennifer to sway the Ginapalooza Opinion Poll toward jumping right into the BLEEDING EDGE of technology and all that is NOW and COOL and YOUTHFUL! (don’t worry, I was trying to be ironic by using the term “bleeding edge”, because it, and MySpace are no longer the newest/hippest/coolest). Because it’s true, everyone is on MySpace. Okay, not everyone, but enough people who I haven’t seen in years just to make it interesting. And since I won’t be able to make it to my High School reunion this summer (which is weird, because of all people, I never thought that I would be among the married people at my 10 year high school reunion. But hey, the world has its own timeline… which rarely coincides with my own. Okay, digressing again.), I thought this would be a fun way to sneak up on old acquaintances.

So once again, I’m jumping on a trend wagon. With this in mind, you can almost guarantee that MySpace will be “sooooo over” in about three months. The clock starts today.

The smell of Love and Sunshine...

2006-04-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

Can be found by nestling your face up to the ear of a dog who has been lying in the sun on the back pouch napping.

I'm heading to the American History museum today, as it will be closing for renovations soon, (so I finally have a sense of urgency that will get my butt to one of the Smithsonians this century).

Knowing that this will be an all day affair (and its already noon...) I decided to take Daphne out for a quick walk around the block for a potty break.

Its a beautiful, sunny day out and when we returned home, I gave her a snuggle after taking off her leash. I had to linger there for a while, at the spot on her face just anterior to her ear. It smelled like a country dirt road on a warm sunny day. Dogs, dirt roads and sunny days. It reminded me of being little. I figured it out: it smelled like growing up.

So... if anyone is looking for smell of love and sunshine, I found it. It's on my dog.

Overdue, but here she is...

2006-04-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

I know I said I'd post this "shortly" and its over a week later, but this girl has been busy with family in town, infuriating bouts of lower back pain, seasonal allergies and getting married etc.

While Lisa was in town she got to try on the ring and model it for all to see. Here it is:

The ring is still looking for a good home...

An Open Letter to My (old) Fake Engagement Ring

2006-04-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

It’s been a good run old girl, but its time you moved on, you need someone who can love you and take care of you the way I can’t. You deserve more than to be shoved away into some storage box, never again to share your sparkle with the world. You have performed dutifully my comrade, and for that, I thank you.

And to think, I didn’t even know I’d need you until I moved back to Seattle and joined the Downtown 24 Hour Fitness. It was there that I learned that I do in fact, have a sign on my forehead that reads: “If you’re a guy who’s under 5’2” and you like to grunt while you lift weights which are far heavier than you can safely lift, I am totally in your league. Please come talk to me. Limited English skills a plus!”

So I did it. I bought you. You were an impulse purchase at Nordstrom Rack- you called to me while I was waiting in line to buy some shoes. You were hanging there on a circular display, surrounded by some of your friends. Your friends were gigantic. Like Pamela Anderson’s breasts, they screamed of fakeness. No- I was looking for something different. More of a Dolly Parton. Big? Yes. In your face? Yes. Somehow tastefully over-the-top? Exactly. And your $12 price tag was in my budget.

We set out from there together. You lived in my wallet’s change compartment and were happy there. Though you were only called to action a handful of times during our years together, you faithfully stood on-point, ready to serve around the clock.

You even helped my friends- which was perhaps your role which brought me the most joy. Like a ninja, I learned not only how to locate you and get you onto my ring finger in a swift and virtually undetectable motion, but also how to subtly pass you into the hand of a girl-friend-in-need. Drug dealers in South Central LA would envy my ability to make such a stealth transfer under the watchful gaze of a Mr. Wrong. You helped Allison that time at Lelani Lanes when even the presence of her actual boyfriend didn’t seem to discourage her pursuer. You helped Ann dissuade Mr. Important-Job-on-Capitol-Hill the at the bar in DC by acting as the ring that was not only her great-grandmother’s, but also a sign of commitment between her and her life companion. (All of this serving as the logical excuse for why you were visibly WAY too big for her).

But most importantly, you helped me. Helped me, and enabled me to avoid uncomfortable honesty. Have you essentially helped me lie? Yes, but have you helped me lie in a why that spares others’ feelings? Yes. In my opinion, the ends justified the means.

But now I have a real engagement ring. It is beautiful just like you. I hate to say that it is more beautiful than you, so I’ll spare your feelings. Besides, while you both feature impressive micro pavé set accent diamonds and a bezel-set center stone, you two are made of very different materials and have totally different reasons for being; This one is meant to stay on my finger- forever. I really shouldn't take this one off- even if I want to get hit on. So I won’t say that my new ring is better, I’ll just say that it’s different. In a good way.

I will always have a place in my heart for you, but we both know that its time we parted. I’m happy now- you deserve to be happy too.

So I’m having a contest write here on Ginapalooza. I want to find the best home for you, and I want to hear from each interested reader why HE OR SHE deserves to have you. I want to know what kind of home you will have, what kind of activities and jobs you can look forward to etc. Readers can comment below as to why they feel they are the most deserving of a new fake engagement ring. I will consider all applicants, and your full custody will be awarded to the winner. Special preference will be give to applicants who promise to send me pictures of you in action throughout your times together.

(note to readers: I will post photos of this beauty shortly...)

The Dixie Chicks strike again!

2006-03-31T12:47:00.000-08:00

Hot digidy!

I’ve been out of the music loop lately (um, was I really ever in it?) but I heard from Darling Beth today that the Dixie Chicks are releasing their new album later this month so I did some snooping online and found that aolmusic.com released the video of the single, “Not Ready to Make Nice” today. Watched it. Loved it. Voted on the poll afterward expecting to see that most others loved it too. Wrong-0.
I was in the minority. About 30% of viewers loved it. The rest hated it. Someone must have organized some sort of a Vote “Hated It”-Clear Yer’ Cookies and Vote Again! Rally somewhere down in Texas, as there STILL seem to be some people who are pissed off about the Dixie Chicks. So much so that they can’t recognize a good song when they hear it. Oh, maybe that explains the success of Toby Keith…. Ah, I see. Now THERE’S Someone with good, strong ass-kicking American family values exemplified in these lyrics outlining the benefits to just knocking one out in a one-night-stand rather than dither about with all that relationship garbage (which apparently is “too demanding”.)

Sorry… back to the Dixie Chicks-The whole song was very angsty, full of emotion and a big old “Screw You!” to all who reacted so violently against them after they voiced their disapproval of GW however long ago that was. And when I say “violently” I mean it- the lyrics allude to death threats received by Natalie Maines received as a result of her opinions. Because God knows, there is nothing more un-American that having an opinion and voicing it. Sheesh…

So my plea to the people who are going to get all worked up again about the Dixie chicks and spend a bunch of energy hating them: just save it. It’s a great song, they’re great performers and they can rock their instruments and voices. Besides, as I’ve already mentioned, there are PLENTY of other country artists out there who will sing you nice songs about America Kicking Ass etc. Go listen to them if it makes you feel better. Or just, well, open your mind a bit.

For now, I'm going to go on loving country music among other genres, wishing that a lot of it was better, enjoying the good stuff when it comes around, and simply changing the channel when there's a song that I don't like.

2006-03-16T11:57:00.000-08:00

Things that have happened since you heard from me last:

Had too much to drink at the Army Navy Club. I’m sure many people throughout history have said that, and now I’m proud to be among their ranks. Proceeded to go out for oysters at a near by restaurant and assume role of “Oyster Aficionado/Goddess” solely because I am from the State of Washington.
Went to see the WILD PONIES(!!!!) on Asseteague Island off the coast of Maryland.
Got a scoffed at by teen-aged waiter at a local crab restaurant because I’d never had soft shell crabs. (I mean he was really looking at me like I was an alien- I think he thought I was lying to him or something? His exact words were “Um, you’ve never had soft shell crabs? Um, that’s weird.” Regardless, I’m proud to say that Dungeness are way better. Soft shell crabs can get off their high horse as far as I’m concerned.
Learned that J will be leaving in 2 weeks. Then found out yesterday that he actually has to leave a week earlier than that to go to a class back in Washington State before he leaves… I swear.
Looked at a Condo for sale in a not great but not too terrible part of town that was tiny, had one bedroom, a den/office, kitchenette and 2 bathrooms that was selling for 360K. “Cozy” would be an accurate description.
Went back to the Middle Eastern restaurant with the great dessert- paid attention this time and learned that it is called “Namoura.” I think that is Arabic for “Best three dollars you’ve ever spent in your life- period.” The place is called Mama Ayesha’s and I highly recommend it on your next visit to The District.

That’s about it. What have y’all been up to? Plans for tomorrow’s St. Patrick’s Day? Me? I’ll probably throw on the trusty “Everyone Loves and Irish Girl” shirt, have a Harp or two and… end up singing Molly Malone until the downstairs lady calls the police again??

2006-03-07T06:25:00.000-08:00

1) I totally forgot to mention that the downstairs lady called the cops on us last weekend at around 9:15PM on Friday night for being too loud. Lisa had just arrived for the weekend and we were playing Kareoke Revolution. I guess her version of Bobby McGee was just too good to ignore? Or perhaps it was me...
So my new mental notes to self: No bone chewing at after 9PM for Daphne, and no fun-having past 9:15 for the rest of us.

2)There is only one dog park in the DC city limits, and when we go there, we always park (illegally) in the neighboring restaurant’s parking lot because there is really no parking for the park- which is just a little quirk of DC... I always feel like a sneaky bad-ass with a guilt complex for parking there, but its usually just for 15 minutes or so.

Last night, knowing that there were no groceries in the refrigerator, we decided to have dinner there after the dog park. It is a really lovely Middle Eastern place. I just wish I would have known how great the food was a long time ago. The dinner was great (I had stuffed cabbage, very ugly but very tasty) but the dessert was out-of-this-world fabulous. It was kind of like baklava, but lighter- kind of fluffier, not quite as dense. I forget what it was called, but god-willing, I’ll be able to recognize it on a menu again some day. Essentially, I wanted to embrace our waiter for having recommended it to us in the first place. If I knew his name, I’d likely put him in my will (though Lisa already has first dibs on my most valuable asset: Daphne).

So- not only did I feel like I finally supported the restaurant at which I regularly park illegally, but I food that made me want to jump up and down and clap. All in all, a good night.

Hello Friends

2006-03-02T13:17:00.000-08:00

Funny how things like oh, say, blogging just don’t seem as appealing when I am mentally taxed all day at work. Kind of says a lot about my last job eh? Just imagine that you are about a year old. You’re standing at one end of a hallway. Someone at the opposite end is standing there, looking at you and says “Walk over here.” Now, as a grown person (or even a 5 year old) you see no big challenge in walking across the room. But friend, you are only one. You can barely walk. This molehill seems like a mountain.

That’s how I feel at work now. I know that soon I’ll look back and realize how not hard this really is, its just all so brand new that I have to learn every tiny aspect from nothing.

So imagine me, as a one year old. When someone asks me to walk across the room, I want to do it. I see how easy it is. Millions of people do it everyday… it even looks kind of fun… But first I’ve got to figure out how to balance, flex my muscles, bend my knees and pick up my feet.

You dig?

Now let’s talk about my car:

I got a new battery at Sears for my car. While I was there, I figured I’d get new tires too, as I would be pushing my luck to continue driving on my old ones for much longer. And I mean really, what’s not to love about dropping $500+ on your car in an afternoon? But now I can stop each and every time I hit the brakes, which is good.

I thought I was driving a really hard bargain by opting out of the road hazard extended warranty after I noticed that it was automatically added to my work order and bill. (PS- if you want to really irk me, sell me something and charge me for it without asking me first- I love that!). So after opting out of said extended warranty protection (I mean come on, tires are thick and strong- and they have a manufacturers warranty in case anything major happens…) I promptly hit a massive curb/drain/pothole-like thing on the street when I was trying to park at night. And when I say “promptly,” I mean “the very next god damned night after buying brand new tires”. Huge gouge in the side wall of the new tire. Swear words were spoken. A guy in a wheel chair stopped on the sidewalk and told me I should have my alignment checked. I was furious. The kind of furious that you get when you have no one to blame but yourself, and even then, it really isn’t your fault. So to speak.

So with my head hanging low, I returned to Sears and told them my story, and fully expected to have to pay another $100 and some change on a new tire. But they guy said, ‘Oh, you might be okay- it’s probably covered under the warranty… (reads through paper work…) Oh shoot- looks like you opted out of the road hazard warranty. Too bad.”

We had a laugh about Murphy’s law and he was an agreeable enough guy. And then the unthinkable happened:

Guy at Sears: “Listen, why don’t I just charge you the $45 for the extended warranty as if you bought it yesterday, and then the cost of the new tire and realignment is covered under the warranty.”

Gina: ______________(that’s the sound of me being speechless with delight).

So- Thank you guy at Sears, you really made me feel like less of an ass for nearly popping my tire while parallel parking!

And advice to all others who live in cities with terribly maintained roads*:

Just pay for the warranty.

*I’m not complaining, just making an observation.

Car Topic 2: I took my car in for its 60K mile tune up today, and I get a call that both of my “marker lights” are burnt out. After a far-to-long conversation with the gal on the phone about not only what “marker lights” are (the lights in your head light unit that are neither headlights or turn signal lights…?) but also their function which apparently is to accompany the headlight and tell others that they are in fact, viewing the front of your car rather than the back (Which I was only able to ascertain after loudly stating “I understand that they are MARKER LIGHTS, I need you to tell me what they DO- what is their reason for BEING), she gave me a repair quote:

“that’ll run ya $154.”

I guess this dealership has a woman service manager available to speak with other woman clients so we don’t feel like we’re getting screwed over, but its hard not to feel like your village was just pilfered when someone tells you that they’re going to change two light bulbs, and charge you $154 (in addition to the super spendy 60K service, about which I am already conflicted, given that they’re really just changing the oil, checking the fluids and changing my spark plugs…).

She said that the parts are only $6, but the labor is what costs so much because they have to remove the entire headlight assembly.

Maybe I should have learned my lesson re. “getting what you pay for” with the whole tire warranty deal, but can you blame me for wanting to see if I can fix the damned lights on my own before I spend that much to have someone else do it?

And its not even for my headlights (which work fine) but for my MARKER LIGHTS, which truth be told, I didn’t even know existed before today.

So… anyone know how to take apart a headlight assembly in an ’02 Subaru Outback Sport?

And all this for a car when I’d just prefer to take the metro everywhere so I can listen to the Ricky Gervais Show Podcasts on my iPod…

Almost Heaven, West Virginia...

2006-02-21T18:52:00.000-08:00

Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River….

Hot Damn, isn’t it great that just the thought of John Denver can put a smile on your face? What? It didn’t put a smile on your face? Okay, just the thought of John Denver puts a smile on MY face. And probably Anne’s. And Kari’s too!

I was a real live Mountain Mamma this weekend- I went to West Virginia!! J and I went skiing at Snowshoe for the three day weekend and had a lovely time. I was prepared for crappy ski conditions, as I was advised that all snow on this side of the country is pretty much 100% pure garbage, but really- it wasn’t too bad. Not great, but ski-able. The double black diamond runs were closer to hefty blue squares in my book, and there was a fair amount of man-made snow, but it did the trick.

And here’s what put me over into the “I’d ski there again” category: The West Virginians.

Seriously the nicest people- as a whole- that I’ve ever encountered. Real salt of the earth types. Sure, our waitresses generally had sideburns that reminded me of my grandfather in the early 80’s, but what they lacked in fashion and dental hygiene, they made up for in good-hearted wholesomeness. No other way to word it.

I’m looking forward to going back there in summer- I predict that it will be a beautiful drive when everything is alive a green. Daphne will also appreciate a return trip to her homeland. I don’t know that she really has roots in WV, but I’d like to think that she does.

So aside from skiing, there was soaking in the hot tub after said skiing (much needed), Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture (at which I totally RULE!), eating of good food, and watching of Olympic level curling, bobsledding and ice dancing.

Ah- there was also a flash lesson in auto care and maintenance, as my car wouldn’t start on Sunday or Monday morning- well, it did start, but not without heavy prompting, channeling of positive vibes and looking through the owner’s manual with a crooked brow. I think it was one part old battery that “needs replaced” (as they say in WV) and one part FRIGGEN FREEZING cold outside in the mornings. As in… my entire car was frozen solid because I parked in the shade. So cold that when I released the clutch after trying to start the car, it stayed completely engaged. Guess that’s why they plug in their cars in Alaska… Or maybe my battery just never fully recovered after “The Great Stuck- on-Snoqualmie-Pass-With-Lisa-Whilst-Running-All-Accessories-on-Full-Blast Capers of ‘05”??? The world will never know…

In any case, a trip to Sears is in order this weekend. And not the Softer Side. I hear DieHard’s are the way to go.

Is this irony or just plain crap?

2006-02-17T05:13:00.000-08:00

J is supposed to be driving a desk these days, pushing paper etc. We just got to DC about a month ago (well, I did at least, he's been here for about 2 months). We're finally unpacked for the most part, I found a job that I like, things have been going swimmingly. This was supposed to be our time to finally be normal young people in love...

But he found out yesterday that he's getting deployed again. For a year. And he leaves soon. I have milk in the refrigerator that expires after he leaves. This time, he won't be on a ship traveling around through bad-guy waters, but actually on land in bad-guyville. You can imagine how thrilling this is to me.

As much as I've been wanting to scream "BUT YOU CAN'T DO THAT- THAT'S NOT THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO GO!! HE JUST GOT HOME!" I realize that it really doesn't matter how/why/who this is all coming from. Regardless of why its happening, or how incredibly... not fair... it is, it's happening. And it very well could turn me into a bitter, bitter person. In theory, I should get pissed, I should be bitter, I should lead the protest march. I should help stick the "Step Down Bush" stickers all over DC.

But I don't want to be bitter and mad because that's not who I am. I like being happy. And I need that trait right now more than ever. I'll be damned if THIS ("this" being a very broad term here) is going to change my core. I've learned that, for me at least, having the capacity to be pissed at "The Man" is a luxury I don't have. For now at least.

And in response to a comment left on my last entry, yes, I did like McDreamy when he was just a nerd in Can't Buy Me Love. Duh...

Valentine's Day Observation

2006-02-13T16:25:00.000-08:00

I stopped into Rite Aid today on my way home from work today(Oh yeah, the new job is going really well by the way- totally overwhelmed, but in a good way. I think.) to get a card for J. Granted, tomorrow is Valentine's day, but really, who needs more than a day of lead/prep time to buy a card?

I was irked to see that all of the cards for men including the "Love, for him" and "For Husband" etc were pretty well picked-over. Only some cheesy ones left. Then when I did find one that was okay, I couldn't find a matching envelope for it... (It was oblong).

Interestingly enough, the cards "For My Wife" "Romantic- For her" were completely well-stocked. And looked as though they hadn't been touched.

Not entirely surprising.

So readers, what are y'all doing for Valentine's Day? And if you respond with "Nothing- its just a holiday created by the greeting card industry to make us feel that spending money on our loved ones is the only way to show how much we care!" Please, be honest- do you really feel that way, or is that the opinion that you've had to adopt in order to avoid pending disappointment?

Huh. that was uneventful

2006-02-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

Okay we lost, even though we played what many would consider, a better game. I found the whole thing entirely anti-climactic. Perhaps a product of being a Cougar fan where we blow big leads in the last minute in heart-breaking, but exciting (for the other team) losses.

I found myself saying, "well, there are 3 minutes to go and... looks like there's no way we could win. Darn."

But how 'bout those Stones?!? Sheesh! I never thought I'd say this, but I think Mic and Keith might be in better cardiovascular health than me. Or anyone I know for that matter.

Even the commercials weren't all that glorious. I did like the streaking lamb and the little colt trying to pull the Budweiser wagon. What was your favorite?

Off to watch Grey's Anatomy.

Future blog topic: Saw Brokeback Mountain this weekend and fear that my new fascination with Jake Gillinthal might be stronger than my feelings for Dr. McDreamy. I'm shocked.

Kidding!!

2006-02-03T06:47:00.000-08:00

Perhaps I should have clarified in my most recent post...

Of COURSE I'm kidding about my money being transfered to a no-access-by-me account! It was just a little joke... perhaps not so funny in some situations, but when we're talking about gina-money-maven-palooza, its at least... silly.

Now I really want to comment about me starting to assume responsibility for his child-support payments- at least until he starts working again, or collecting on that disability claim... But I won't. Becuase some women really DO do things like that.

And no, he doesn't have any children... That he knows of.

The end is near

2006-02-02T16:42:00.000-08:00

The end of sleeping in everyday and not having to go to work every morning that is.

It looks as thought I'll be starting a new J-O-B next week, and while I'm happy about it, as I think its a good fit, I'll miss my early DC days, and all of the long walks and daytime television programming that it brought to my life.

I was even able to watch Days of Our Lives two days in a row, and (not) surprisingly enough, was able to pick up right where I left off back Junior high... And yes, it seems that Marlena Evans is once again, brainwashed. Not sure if it (again) was all the work of The Evil Stephano (who has likely died and come back to life at least a few times in the past 10-15 years) but its still the making of good TV.

On a seperate note, J and I have recently opened a joint checking account with which to pay our joint expenses, (he's having me do direct deposit of all of my pay check into it, and is taking out about 90% of it each month and putting it into a special account I don't have access to "for our future," this is a good idea right?? No silly...) and the checks arrived yesterday. The first set was free. This sounded fine until I got them, looked at them, and found that the free checks are kind of a sample-pack of about 5 popular styles that we can choose in the future. A good idea in theory, until I realized that an Anne Geddes design is included, which means that every 5th check we now write will have BABIES IN GD FLOWER POTS on them...

Hey, that sorority girl from 1998 called: she wants her checks back! Good lord...

So on that happy note, here's a little somethin' for y'all. Have a super day. And remember, shoot for the moon. 'Cause even if you miss, you'll still be among the stars!!

When it's good, it's good

2006-01-31T07:57:00.000-08:00

I was reading the DC City Paper a couple of days ago and had to tear out an ad that really spoke to my heart. It was a small black and white ad in the corner of the page for Madams Organ, a bar that I've been to only once, but liked quite a bit near our place in Adams Morgan. It caught my eye because I'd been there before and recognized the name. But it captured my heart when I read:

"Rolling Rocks 1/2 off for Redheads Everyday"

Thank you world, for understanding the plight of the American Redhead.

Not trying to jump on the anti-corporate/Supersize Me band-wagon but...

2006-01-30T11:16:00.000-08:00

I think I have the short answer to America's weight problem: Let's start looking (with both eyes)at how much food we're eating! As a Registered Dietitian, I feel that it is necessary to stay up-to-date and current on availability of fast food at popular American franchises. So I went to Popeye's Chicken the other day for an evaluation. Which involved eating a three piece chicken strip meal...

Which enjoying my meal (which ironically, I didn't enjoy at all because, well, it was pretty gross- I honestly don't know why I went there, other than I remember that the biscuits were really tasty when I went there in New Orleans... which is about all I remember. Which should have told me something.) I was reading through the flyer on my tray and discovered that it contained 4 columns of coupons for use at future visits. What I'm about to tell you is not an exaggeration, I'm reading it as a type (yes, I took it home because I planned to mail it to Kelly, who I knew would appreciate the insanity of it).

column Number 1 "Snacks": 3 pieces and a biscuit

Does the world need a reminding that HALF of a chicken is a bit more than a snack? Maybe this is why people think that a dietitians mantra of "at least three meals and two snacks a day" sounds so impossible. At that rate, there would be no more chickens pecking this earth... A string cheese and some raisins... celery and some peanut butter people... THAT is a snack!

Column 2 "Meals for 1": Free 2 Piece Meal with the Purchase of 2-Piece Dinner.

I hope for the sake of our nation's total LDL levels that they're considering this for a total of 2 people, but I fear all 4 pieces will head toward the same mouth...

Column 3 "Meals for 2": 10 pieces, 1 Large Side and 5 biscuits $9.99

That's it, no buy one get one free, just 10 pieces of deep fried chicken, a large bucket of side dish, and 5 biscuits. Between 2 people though, I'd hate to see the fight about who gets a third biscuit, and who gets stuck with only two measly biscuits, (plus 5 pieces of chicken and about 2.5 cups of mac and cheese, baked beans or mashed potatoes...)

And yet, as a nation, how much do we spend on the diet industry???

Column 4 "meals for the family": Buy a bunch of chicken and then go hide the bones in the cracks of the sidewalk for the neighborhood dogs to choke on!

Alright, that's all for now. I'm going to go drink some water and maybe have an apple. And 15 pieces of chicken. Cause I'm trying to watch my portion sizes.

The things I like, the things I don't care for.

2006-01-26T07:08:00.000-08:00

Because my mother always said that its more polite to say "I don't care for XYZ" than "I don't like XYZ". She was referring to food at the dinner table, but I'm hoping it’s still the case here.

So- it's been a week and two days, and here is what I have gathered so for about DC:

Top 3 Things I don't care for:

1) The unbelievable number of chicken bones that litter the sidewalks of this city. I can honestly say that not once in my life have I ever felt the urge to eat a piece of chicken while walking down, or sitting on the street. But if pressed, I suppose I can see a certain appeal in such a mobile snack. But when finished sucking all the meat off the bone what kind of person says to him/herself, "Self, I think I'll just drop this chicken bone right here on the street, after all, the rats are looking awfully skinny these days, I'm sure they could use a nice meal. Or may it will just biodegrade?!"

To and/all people who may assume the above: In reality, the fate of your chicken bones is a little different: Here's the real deal- the bones don’t just disappear, they get kicked aside and slough off into the cracks of the sidewalk, the medians, or the strips of dirt that run between the sidewalk and driveways, and share their new home with broken glass, dirty band-aids, and a plethora of other unsavory human waste items. Then, when people are walking down the street with their dogs, specifically, dogs with extra keen senses of smell...the hound group for instance... their dogs take great joy in finding the bones and stealthily snapping them up in the mouths. Unfortunately, cooked chicken bones splinter, and are a big safety no-no in the world of domestic dogs. Because of this, the owners have to pry open their dogs' vice-grip jaws, reach their hand into the dogs' mouths and fish around for the bone fragments, pull the dog-saliva coated hand/arm out of said mouths (all the while cursing and rumbling things like "son of a BITCH! Where the HELL are all these GOD DAMNED chicken bones coming from?!?!?"). Then the dog owners are sitting there with shards of dog and human chewed chicken bone in their hands, and wander around like that until they find a proper trash receptacle in which to toss the bones.

So my proposal to the world of chicken-bone-throwers is this: I'll continue to pick up and throw away my dog's poop, if you drop your bones in a trash can instead of the sidewalk. Deal? Great, thanks.

2) Customer Service Attitudes (or lack thereof)
Wow. I'm only basing this on my experiences at the DMV, the grocery store and the Vet's office, but g-wiz, the only thing I have in my memory bank to compare it to would have to be... Eastern Block Europe- in the early 90's.

Granted, DMV employees are typically not known for the outstanding personalities, but these folks were real peaches. But I suppose I did eventually get my car registered and get my license. But I did a lot of research online and got all my ducks in a row before stepping foot into their offices, (and I only got sent home once to get more documentation...) I felt really bad for the other people I saw there who needed some help figuring out how things worked, and they clearly were not going to get that help. Ever.

As for the grocery store and the vet's office, its just a general feeling of apathy toward long lines of waiting customers, and an "I'll get to you when I get to you" type of attitude that I -now that I think about it- rarely saw in Seattle.

3) Our downstairs neighbor that started pounding on her ceiling last night with a broom handle (in what I can only imagine was an aggressive attempt to tell us to be quiet) while J and I were quietly filing papers and organizing our book shelves. It was about 9:50 PM. We finally realized that it was Daphne. She was on the floor, chewing on her new bone that I got her at the pet store after her trip to the vet. Apparently the sound of her chewing was just too much for this lady to handle.

Am I a bad person if I am eagerly awaiting her next session of (what is routinely audible) sexual intercourse during which I plan to jump up and down on the floor?

Payback can be a bitch. And sometimes, so can I.

Things that I LIKE!

1) The Metro.

I just can't help it. I think its fun, exciting and just so damned great!

2) The insanely aggressive driving. I was toying with putting it on my things I don't care for list, but in all honesty, I think I'm growing to like it. At first, getting honked at for not driving like a total spaz make me nervous and defensive, now it just fuels the fire that is... me. Now that I have my DC plates, I feel more justified in honking at people with out of state plates when they say… need to get out of a turn lane and the last minute, or take more than 1/8 of a second to accelerate when the light turns green. Kind of like hazing...

3) The best things in this town are all free!

All the sights, museums etc- all free. America: Membership has its benefits.

4) This is where its ALL HAPPENING. And its not like I'm part of it, heck, I'm really not involved in any of it. But it feels more real. And I have a front row ticket.

5) I'm on the East coast, but I don't feel like an alien. Everyone is from somewhere, and there is a little bit of everywhere somewhere.

6) I can see the Capitol and the Washington Monument every time I take Daphne out for even the quickest walk.

So- for now at least, there are more things that I like than I don't. And you can't ask for much more than that. I'm off to dabble in the job hunt... which I admit, is still half-hearted, as there is so much to do here, that who really has time to work?

...until I run out of money...

Abrir la ventana

2006-01-20T14:15:00.000-08:00

Or... "Open the window" to those of you who not in the Spanish-know.

It's something that I can do now. After living in a 420 square foot studio in Seattle for over two years with NO windows (which I really didn't realize until after I signed the lease- that's what happens when you find a place that allows big dogs, has a washer/dryer in the unit AND is in your price range- you just TAKE IT.) It had French doors that led out to a little patio, so I didn't feel boxed-in, but you can't exactly leave those all night. Well, okay, I did all the time. And I'll publicly admit that now, since I no longer live there and feel fairly confident that no one will come looking for me there anymore, but really- that was right up there with driving drunk as far as risky behaviors go.

Anyway...

Now we have more windows than I can shake a fist at. And we're on the 4th floor, so I can leave them open at night, during the day etc without worrying that someone is going to meander into my place unannounced.

So let me just say, after not being able to open a GD window for so long, I am loving fresh air... while I'm inside! Without fear of being stabbed to death by a night stalker!!

And as it were, its unseasonably warm in DC right now, so its just delightful. Until I start thinking that its due to the effects of global warming, and that my grandchildren will have to wear space-suits on the playground to avoid having skin cancer and growing tails by age 3 1/2 if we keep going at this rate...

But hell, for now, I'm a happy girl.

That's about it for now. On a side note, I'd like to throw this out there: I'm thinking about referring to Daphne as "My Bizo" from now on. Thoughts?