Adventures in Laundry

I was supposed to do laundry last Sunday. I went to a baseball game instead. 

 

Then I was supposed to do it Monday. 

I pawed through my closet to find an outfit to wear to work on Tuesday 

and then procrastinated instead.

We’ll just skip to Friday morning shall we? 

That’s when I *had* to do laundry because I had no (decent) undies left 

AND

I need my red Nationals shirt because I’m going to the NLDS Game 1 at Nationals Park and ohmygoodnesstheNatsareinthePlayoffs!!!!

*ahem* sorry

So, I finally did laundry this morning. I got up at 6:30am and dragged my rollie-cart of dirty clothes down to the basement so that I could have as many washers as I wanted. I checked my laundry money card and realized I had enough for four loads of wash and dry.  So, I very dutifully split up my darks and lights into three washers so as not to overload them, and put towels in the last one. I set my timer and went upstairs to start work while things got washed.

Thirty-five minutes later, I’m back downstairs, and for some reason, I went to the washer in the middle first. And when I opened it, I noticed that the clothes were soaking wet! Argh! So I squeezed out as much water as I could then split those clothes up between two dryers so that they wouldn't take as much time to dry. And 45 minutes later, I had one load of nice and dry towels and two loads of mostly damp clothes. *sigh*

But... while I was bemoaning my fate of trying to dry everything again with only enough money for one more round on my card, I realized that one of the guys in the room was actually the technician for the machines. I pointed out that the washer hadn't seemed to spin dry the clothes. He immediately blamed it on overloading and heavy clothes. I have had that problem in the past, I explained, which is why I very carefully "load balance" my washers. Someone else had already started using that washer, so while I was folding the few dry things (and some not as dry as I had thought) I had been able to find, he watched the washer go through its cycles. And sure enough, it didn't spin!

He couldn’t give me a credit on my money card so I could dry my clothes AGAIN if necessary, but he did give my dryer another 30 minutes so that it should dry everything. Hope remains eternal!

And some of it is STILL damp, so I’ve got clothes draped all over my house. *SIGH*

Lessons learned from this adventure in laundry:

1.       Don’t wait two weeks to do your laundry.

2.       Make sure you have cash in $5 or over denominations before you do laundry. Just in case.

3.       If the washer doesn’t spin dry the clothes and they are soaking wet, put them in their own dryer so that at least the OTHER clothes will get dry!

Memorial Memories

I've seen variations of this picture a lot today:

Grabbed from Tom N Kim Chroniger on Facebook

I have been thinking a lot of the real reason for Memorial Day a lot lately, largely because this week is also the anniversary of my brother's last week of life -- and to top it off, my brother was Army. He is buried at Ft. Benning now and I will be going down next weekend to visit his grave with his wife and daughters and other family members. But this weekend, I'm going to try to make it about all of the men and women who have served or are serving our country.

One of my friends posted a link on Facebook earlier to the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and I think I'm going to head down there at some point this weekend. Looking at that video reminded me of when I volunteered for an organization called No Greater Love. The organization was created in 1971 by an amazing spitfire of a woman named Carmella La Spada, and its mission is to support the families of men and women who serve our country. I heard about the organization by reading an article in the Parade magazine insert during Operation Desert Shield in 1990.

I, like many other people, was unemployed at the time, but going to Computer Learning Center (Springfield, VA) and working part-time at Erol's Video store in Rockville, MD. Some people would think that unemployment is the most depressing thing in the world, but it gave me such confidence in myself! I had gotten a pretty decent severence package when I got laid off in May, so I decided to use it to go to school "full-time" - which meant I wasn't eligible for unemployment benefits. But, I ended up getting a piece of paper that helped me get my foot in the door to change careers *and* a lot of transferrable credits toward a Bachelor's degree. I worked as many hours at Erol's as possible without being full-time (so they didn't have to give me benefits), had a boyfriend, and was doing very well in school, and was generally able to make ends meet, but... something was missing.

Meanwhile, in August that year, a bozo in Baghdad decided to invade the rich little country next door. Needless to say, the US government and governments around the world, were NOT happy about that. So, they started Desert Shield about five days after the invasion of Kuwait. I was dating a former Marine (I know, there's no such thing - "former active duty Marine" then?) and my brother was Army so I knew that this was a huge deal for everyone in the military. This was the first major military mission since Vietnam, and every active duty troop I knew was anxious to be sent over there to get combat duty. Needless to say, all of their families were anxious that their loved ones were NOT sent over to the desert!

So I read about No Greater Love and how they supported family members and realized that was what I had been looking for. Maybe it's my missionary kid upbringing, but I thinik I have a "helping people" gene. And this mission just spoke to me, straight to my heart. I didn't have any money to donate so I called them up and was invited to come down and help out. At first, I spent about five or six hours a week in the office, either answering calls from women whose husbands were in Kuwait or parents of sons and daughters, or typing up thank-you letters and donation requests in WordPerfect. Being who I am, I started fiddling with their mail merge and made it a lot more efficient, and then turned my process improvement eye to other things that could be done better. Carmella took notice and asked me if I could work more hours. I explained to her that I was full-time unemployed so I really had to work as many hours as possible to keep afloat - so she offered me a job! She paid me in cash to work additional hours at NGL, and she put the word out to her network of friends and benefactors that I needed work.

Because of those contacts, I was able to get more part-time jobs like being a bookkeeper for a psychiatrist and working in a Norwegian café in Georgetown called Café Ibsen -- in addition to working at NGL and Erol's *and* going to school full-time! I look back on those days and think, "Who was that masked girl?" because I'm FAR too lazy for it to have been me! LOL But, boy, were they fun!

Southern Life

So, I’m kinda settling into Southern life a little now.

I’ve got cable internet which is faster and more reliable than using the Wi-Fi from next door. Only thing is it’s only available on the kitchen table. I also have a 13” TV which my brother and sister-in-law very kindly donated to me – but no cable TV hook-up. But that’s OK, I can watch TV shows on my laptop. In the kitchen. Or I can watch the HD TV at my parents’ house next door. (It worked VERY well for the Super Bowl!) 

Or I could just read…

Anyway - Every day I wake up around 7am, wash face or shower, try to get some exercises in because I’m not walking my normal 1.5-2 miles just getting around DC, feed the cat, fire up the computer and coffee maker, and start working at the kitchen table around 7:30am. I’ve been eating oatmeal for breakfast, but I also have bread, butter, and jam if I want toast instead. And of course, there’s grits, with cheese and butter because I’m a good Southern girl, y’all!

Well, not really. Last Friday, I made an appointment to get a haircut at the same time my mother got her hair “done” and the woman told me the name of the person who would be cutting my hair. I said, “Leah?” “No, Leee-yunnnn”... *face palm* I felt rude for having had to ask her to repeat the name, but I’m just not used to “Lynn” having multiple syllables. 

But Lynn did a pretty good job of cutting my hair… until she got to the bangs. It’s pretty simple really – long straight hair, cut off about 1.5” to 2” to get rid of the split ends. Bangs, cut while dry and keep them just at the eyebrows. Somehow, the bangs ended up about a ½” ABOVE the eyebrows, so every morning I now wake up looking like Freddie Mercury.

No, not this one (thank god!):

(Edited because the picture could not be linked into my post, so here's the link instead...)

THIS One:

Pic from of all places, a hair website article about the worst male celeb hairstyles… hahahaha

Ooo baby.  *sigh* Anyway – I spend the morning writing/revising documents, responding to emails, and generally doing my job (with the occasional peek at Facebook or DCist) until lunch. Most days I just grab a sandwich from my fridge and spend some quality time waking up my cat and annoying him, but today I grabbed my sandwich making stuff and walked ALL THE WAY (about 20 steps) to my parents’ house and had lunch with them. It was quite nice, and they seemed to enjoy the fact that we all sat at the table for lunch, and then we snarfed down our sammiches. Well, they had leftover KFC, which I couldn’t stomach (when did KFC start being so awful?) so I’m glad I brought my own sammich!

Yesterday, I went over a little early so I could take Mom to her writing group. Well, I don’t take her all the way there, but I take her to her friend’s house and then SHE drives her the rest of the way. It works out well because then I only take about an hour to get her there and I can pick up something on the way back. And Dad picks her up in the afternoon because we never know when the group will end and I generally have meetings on Tuesday afternoons.

Originally, I came down to Georgia to drive my parents everywhere because Mom had been the driver until she had a seizure and was told by the state of Georgia “YOU CAN’T DRIVE”. The good thing though is that Dad is actually getting up and driving Mom short distances. This is good because otherwise, Dad really doesn’t move. And that’s not healthy! He and his arthritic (and impossibly cute) dog are a total pair because neither of them wants to move too much, but at least Hogan gets outside a couple of times a day. I guess he has to, or it would be a really messy house! Heehee

SO – I am working four nine-hour days, generally 7:30am-5:30pm, unless I start early or have a shorter lunch. And then I have a half-day on Fridays, which is great! Last week, I gave myself retail therapy and went to Wal-Mart while Mom was visiting Miss Bonnie. It was fun! And I got some really great buys.

BUT… this weekend I head back to DC. And I can’t wait! Is that bad? I love my parents and I’m really enjoying my time with them. And I loved spending a night in Atlanta last weekend with my sister-in-law and niece and her gorgeous Border Collie, Jake. But… I’m a DC girl. And I want to get back home. Even if it’s colder there. I miss my city!

Of course, the drawback is that I have to leave the cat in Georgia...  meow

Something

I skipped a couple of days, because I think that they are related to today's topic - so I'm going to bunch 'em up together.  The topics for Days 21, 22, and 24 are:  "Something that makes me rather happy", "Something that I miss", and "Something that means a lot to me". 

The "something" that makes me rather happy should really be "someone" or "the people who" because I'd have to say it's my nieces and nephew.  I've been so happy to find that they have all grown up into amazing people.  They're intelligent, talented, kind, and they are funny.  They are all gorgeous and they just make me so happy to KNOW them, much less to be related to them!    And they like me! They really really like me! (Thank you, Sally Field! heehee)

I really don't miss a lot of things (vs. people), but I think the thing I miss the most is playing my piano.  Yes, I live in an efficiency apartment and I have a piano (upright, natch).  Problem is that I haven't gotten it tuned since I moved in three years ago, and therefore have not played it at all since then.  I played a bit at my sister's house over Thanksgiving, but I would really love to spend a few hours with my music!  It's so relaxing and I think I might need the stress therapy!

As for something that means a lot to me, I'd have to say my friends.  Being single (not by choice) has it's good side, but when you are experiencing the bad side, good friends are like gold.  It's hard sometimes to be alone, but good friends have a way of reminding you that you are not alone, and that can just lift you up in ways you never thought.  And MY friends make me laugh… a LOT.  I love that we have catch phrases that mean nothing to anyone else, but we can just say the words and bust out laughing.  Like "HOW DARE YOU!!!"  or "F*#$ me and grow a beard" or "Shepherd's Pie" or "Plural" (in a Scottish accent) or just pulling your lip when you talk.  And now I can't stop giggling…

Day 18

(Yep, still working through the Blog-A-Day sweepstakes!  According to them, "Day 18 = What I wore today" - and somehow I translated that in my brain to what happened on the 18th, and what was I wearing.  I think I need some mental help...)

January 18th it was in the 50s – very unusual for a DC January – and it's a holiday.  I was able to walk around in jeans, a t-shirt, and a sweat jacket.  And of course my Timberlands to trudge through the snow… I went to a movie.  What movie?  I have no idea… ;-)

February 18th – recuperating from a fabulous few days in New York City, where I attended the Westminster Kennel Club show, visited the Bronx Zoo and played a lot of Wii with Chats, her dad, kaspi, Max, and Magoo.  It was a lovely time but I was very glad I was able to work from home today, especially in the wake of Snowmageddon last week.  So, of course, I am wearing my jammies all day.  Snuggly and warm!  (And Happy Birthday sister o mine!)

March 18th is my birthday – or rather, the aftermath of my birthday celebration.  Because I was born in Hong Kong, I start my birthday a little after 12:30pm on St. Patrick's Day (yes, I play that International Date Line to my advantage).  On a rainy day like this, I indulged my hangover and sleeeeeeeeeept, still wearing the whatever green I wore yesterday.

April 18th – Daphne and I were scheduled to go pick up a dresser from a horse farm way out in Virginia, but Zipcar called me yesterday to tell me that the car had been in an accident and would not be available.  We rescheduled for next weekend, so I ended up enjoying Earth Day by bundling up in sweats and reading a book out in my park.


May 18th is still dank and damp.  It feels like it's rained for months, but I am in a good mood.  Last week I went with higher level people in my company to Yonkers, NY for a meeting to begin a beautiful relationship with a very well known consumer quality magazine.  Today I was able to tell the rest of our team what we would be doing in our team meeting, so I dressed up a bit. 

June 18th – Ahhhhhh Friday!  I love working 1/2 day Fridays! It's a gorgeous day before the regular summer weather starts in DC, you know, hazyhotandhumid chanceofthunderstormsintheafternoon. I love this weather, just before it turns ugly: warm enough to wear shorts, but not so hot you start sweating as soon as you walk out the door.

Happy Birthday M & E!  July 18th, I went down to Virginia to celebrate my niece's 21st birthday.  While she and her friends groaned and moaned about their hangovers, I reminded them about hydrating while you dehydrate and kicked their butts playing Balderdash.  It was a good day!


On August 18th I am in the middle of the first delivery of my major project so I am wearing black pants and some colory shirt.   Yes, "colory" is a word!  Isn't it?  OK, maybe not.  My brain hurts!!! Oh yeah, and it's raining.  Argh.

September 18th  - Saturday, glorious weather and did I mention it's Saturday?  We released the first phase of Major Project yesterday and it's… yes, I'll say it again!  Saturday!  Maybe some day I'll get caught up on sleep.


October 18th – I slept and worked from home today because I went to the Redskins/Colts game last night with my sister.  Tooo much fun, except for the ending.Weather news came out today indicating that not only did we have record-breaking snowstorms last winter, but the summer was the hottest on record too.  Maybe the Fall will be the most average temps ever? 

November 18th – Ahhh my summer vacation finally begins! (And my mom is back home from the hospital, yay!)  I went to the new Russell Crowe movie sneak preview last night (The Next Three Days – slow to start, but really good!), gone to the doctor's and now I'm getting ready for an evening at the THEeah-tah.  Going to the Kennedy Center to see "Hair" – so what to wear?  Should I dress up in nice clothes?  Nope, I decide to go hippy-chick.  I'm in a tie-dye t-shirt, jeans, tennies, silver rings on every finger, silver feathers in my ears, tiny braids in my hair and glitter ("my own personal starshine" as someone said) on my face.  Let's get groovy people!

And of course, everyone else was wearing nice clothes and I was the only one in "hippy chick chic" … oh well!  It was a blast!

December 18th – I don't know where I'll be or what I'll be wearing.  It's very possible I will be on my way down to Georgia to stay with my parents for a week or so.  If so, I think I'll be wearing something very unusual for me:  jeans, t-shirt, and/or sweats.  If not… probably the same! LOL

Miss Dependent

Something I never leave the house without:  My cell phone.

It has become my lifeline!  I now use my cell phone as my home phone, so that is not hyperbole.  I can access my email, get texts, make calls (what a concept!), and can check my bank balance.  I check my fantasy football stats, take pictures, look at videos, and can even read books!

Well, I could.  That was before it got stolen on Friday night.  *sniffle*

Yes, it was my fault.  I left it on the bar while I went to the Ladies' Room, but I do that quite often when I have friends still sitting at the bar.  But, apparently, my friend was checking his phone and although he thought it was "hinky" when a guy quickly moved his hand from the bar to his side like he was hiding something, he didn't really realize what was happening.  Until I returned and asked, "Hey, where's my phone?" 

Dang it!  When did I get so dependent on my cell phone?

Well, as I said, it was my own fault.  But, I was able to call Verizon and suspend the service AND, something I didn't realize was possible, I was able to put a password on it by remote!  Who knew?  And why hadn't I done that before?  Because I'm an idiot, that's why.

And why didn't I get insurance for my phone, even after losing it a few months ago (and getting it back)?  Because I'm an idiot, that's why.

Now – the lucky thing is that I have a work cell phone, so I'm not completely isolated.  But, it is a WORK phone, so I really can't use it the same way I used my old phone. 

I still have my old LG enV handset which I could use until I get a new phone.  It's got all my contacts on it.  Well, the old ones anyway.   But it's not a smart phone like my Droid was.  So, I probably can't download books onto it or have all the shortcuts and apps that I was used to having.

So, should I spend the money to get a new Droid or should I just go back to my old non-smart phone without all the bells and whistles? (Does that make it a dumb phone?  Idiot phone?) 

It's a puzzlement.

I just found out that a new Droid phone will be about $500+ so…. Hello LG enV!  It's been so long! lol 

 I don't get my "new every two" discount until 12/25/11, so I think I'll just wait a while on the new phone.   At least until my tax refund…

Favorite Song

I don't know if the Hallelujah Chorus is my favorite song, but it is RIGHT up there in the "fun song to sing" (or play) sweepstakes!  My sister posted a great video on Facebook today and it just makes me feel... ahhhhhhhhhhhhappy!

It is not just the absolutely fabulous gloriousity of the music, but the concept of a "random act of culture" -  650+ people of all ages, types, and races took over a shopping mall and SANG their hearts out, accompanied by the Wanamaker Organ - the world's largest pipe organ!  Just wow!

Can you imagine how much fun that must have been for unsuspecting Halloween shoppers? I know if my sisters and I had been shopping there that day, we would have joined in spontaneously because we all love the music and that's just the kind of people we are.  (Wait, you want us to sing?  Out loud?  In front of people?  OK!!!!) 

Not surprising really, but there are several videos of this on YouTube.  I've chosen this one because it's not as jerky as what seems to be the "official" one.



If you have the time and inclination, check out the other "Random Acts of Culture". It's cool!

Peace Love Understanding

According to the list of topics for every day in November, I'm supposed to write about something I crave.  After thinking about it and coming up with really lame cravings, I realized why I was having difficulty: it's Veterans Day.

So, I decided to write about that instead and then I came up with something!  I crave peace.  I want a world without war.  I want people to stop screaming and maybe open their minds and come up with something that works for everyone.  Give a little, get a little.

And most of all, I want all of our troops to come home safely.  I hate the fact that so many of our citizens are facing life and death situations, or getting maimed physically and emotionally.  I truly appreciate what they do for me and for all of us.


Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13).

 So thank a veteran and wear your poppy in their honor.   Not just today though, remember them every day if you can!

p.s.  I wrote this on Thursday 11/11, but did not post it until 11/14 because I'm an idiot. Sorry!

eBooks

Today I'm supposed to write about the last item I purchased.  Well, I got groceries last night, but really the last "fun" thing I purchased was an e-book.  I found out recently that I could download both the Kindle and Nook apps to my Droid cell phone - and I can buy books through Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble and read them on my cell phone, instead of having to buy an actual Kindle or Nook!  So, I downloaded Kindle and then remembered I had a $50 B&N gift card, so downloaded the Nook.  And bought a book!

It's one of the latest Nora Roberts books, but what I found really fun is that I automatically got three free books with the download.  And they are: Pride and Prejudice (my favorite book), Dracula (which I've never read), Little Women (never read either - I know, shocking!), PLUS samples of two books I've never heard of:  American Assassin and The Lost Hero (Heroes of Olympus).

Pretty cool!  Definitely a good way to introduce the classics to people who absolutely MUST have the latest techno gadget! ;-)

You can download the classics for free on Kindle also.  I like it.  Now, I will never be stuck without reading material again!  Woohoo!

The city in which I live

I love DC!

As I mentioned in my post the other day, part of why I like DC is it reminds me of the Hong Kong in which I grew up:  height restriction on buildings, very cosmopolitan, and any kind of ethnic food you can imagine.  But there's more.  I like the fact that I can live here without a car, but that I can rent a car and drive an hour each way and find such amazing history among mountains, beaches, or just neighborhoods. 

I've lived in the "DC Area" for about 24 years now, just over half of my life.  I think I probably moved about 100 times in my first 24 years!  But, I ran away screaming from Atlanta (I'm NOT a Southern girl) and found myself in "DC" because my sister lived in Virginia (Alexandria) and my best friend lived in Maryland (Rockville, but she grew up in Bethesda).  I lived in various Maryland locations (Rockville, Laurel, Bethesda) for about 20 years and then finally... FINALLY!  I moved into the actual District of Columbia.  Who knew what a difference there was?  I had loved living in Bethesda -- right on the Metro, 200+ restaurants within walking distance, 2 major movie theatres, walking/running trails, location location location.  But, then I moved into the city and became a DC resident.

It is SO different, but it's really hard to explain.  One thing is that I now very rarely go out of the District, except to visit family.  What, you want me to drive somewhere?  I can't take a cab or the Metro?  Uh... no.   Too difficult. :-)

Another is:  I didn't vote in the last election.  Why not?  Because it just. didn't. matter.  My rights are now being controlled by a man who was voted into Congress by the fine, upstanding citizens of... Utah?  Yeah, that makes sense!  I really think it is deplorable that American citizens who live in DC do not have voting representation in the House or the Senate.  Definitely taxation without representation, which I believe is what the original Tea Party was all about, right?

Hmmmm, I think I might have to write another blog post about that...  ANYWAY, back to DC.

Where did Glenn Beck and Jon Stewart/Steve Colbert have their rallies?  And could I have walked there?  (Yes... did I?  No)  Where did Top Chef have its latest season?  And did I see any of the contestants?  (No, but I watched the show and followed the comments on DCist, does that count?)  Where do they have the National Book Festival every year?  Yep, right here on our Mall!  (And btw, the "Mall" is not a shopping mall; it is "The Mall" where you will find museums, memorials, tourists and a lot of red, white, and blue popsicles.)

DC is only four hours away from New York City, three hours from the beach (Ocean City), and about two hours away from the mountains.  We have a park in the middle of the city.  It is GORGEOUS here and I have proof!

Taken during Snowmageddon - 02/07/2010

The view from my office

Taken on my walk to work from the Dupont Circle metro station

And we have sports!  OK, only the Caps are doing anything good right now, but hey, the Redskins are better than they were last year! And the Nationals have some pretty good young guys in there, so hopefully they will be better next year!  We won't talk about the Wizards/Bullets...  (No bad vibes, only good thoughts, good thoughts...)

Where was I?  OH yeah...

DC is also an up-and-coming foodie place with some really excellent restaurants and people wanting to create more - and remember that ethnic food comment I made earlier?  You really can get pretty much anything you want to eat here, and it generally will not cost an arm and a leg.  Unless, you WANT to pay an arm and a leg, but that's just crazy talk.

And yes, there is a lot of government business here, but there are also a whole bunch of non-profit organizations which aren't necessarily related to the government at all!  (Disclaimer: I work for one, largely because I couldn't stand being a government contractor any more.)  Yes, there's an over-abundance of lawyers, but not ALL of them are bad... (don't write to complain, some of my best friends are lawyers!)  One of the things I love about this area is that you also have the snarkiness of the Express headlines, City Paper, and DCist.com to keep you sane.  How I survived without DCist.com in my Google Reader, I just don't know!

And that leads to one of the most unique things about DC:  you seem to get news by osmosis here.  Our local news is often national or international news, and it's EVERY WHERE. I love that.

Yeah, I wasn't born and raised in DC, but I figure that I've been here for almost 24 years so I should be able to say I'm "from" here now.  No, I guess I can just say I'm "from the DC area" until I live in the District for 20 more years... :-)

My Day in Close Up

Alarm!

Snooze

Alarm!

Snooze

Alarm!

Snooze

Cat sitting on head

GRR-OFF!

Alarm!

Oh alllllright…

Shuffle shuffle BRIGHT LIGHT!!!  Ow.  TV chatter

Clean litter box

Shower

Get dressed… wait, which sweater am I wearing?  Oh, the red one…  Do I have socks?  Yes, Christmas ones.  Well, at least it's past October now…

Feed the kitty (mreow mreow mreow)

Take the drugs

Pack the bag, get newspaper, stuff it in bag with the rest of my life

Crap, my coat needs to be cleaned or at least pressed!  OK, leather it is…

Good to go?  Bye kitty, be back tonight!  Turn off lights, lock the door.

Go back in, retrieve glasses, leave again and lock the door and leave the building...

Next Bus = 36 minutes?  You've GOT to be kidding me!  Wait, isn't that my bus just coming right now?  Why yes it is!  Woohoo!

Grrrrrr, wouldn't it be great if my DC vote actually counted for something?  I know, I know, I didn't actually vote - for the first time since I was old enough to vote, I really didn't think it would matter.  All of the people I would have voted for won their DC elections, none of the SUPREME nut jobs made it in, and my vote DOES NOT COUNT in the grand scheme of things regarding representation in the House or the Senate because DC does not have voting representation in the US government!  Sheesh...  Grumble grumble grumble

Wouldya look at that?  I'm at work almost ½ an hour early!  Just enough time to stop at Corner Bakery for the worlds best coffee and a bagel!

Work work work

Lunch from the Brown Bag –

I love Dr. Brown's Cream Soda (Diet)!
Just sayin'!

Blog blog blog (during lunch of course, certainly not on work time, oh noooooooo)

Work work work

Database Database Database

Document document document

Lose mind, bang head, face palm
I'm FINE, really!
work work work
(Facebook, Facebook, Facebook)

Is it time yet?  YES!  Laptop, backpack, tote bag... why do I feel like a bag lady?

Walk four blocks to the Metro, get off in Cleveland Park

Hi Mrs. Shaffer!!!! How's married life? ;-)

Home, feed kitty

TV/DVR Castle, last half of Amazing Race, NCIS, Zzzz, Glee, Survivor…

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz MREOW GRrr-off!  Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Positive Picketing

So the other day I'm walking to the Juice Joint to pick up lunch and I noticed a protest going on down the street from my office.

It wasn't so much the shouts of the people walking in a well-organized picket line that caught my attention as much as the giant inflated RAT in the back of the pick-up truck!   I had never seen anything like it, so I had to take a picture and post it on Facebook.  (One of my FB friends illuminated me: apparently this is a "union rat" ... ohhhhhh)

ANyway - I started thinking.  (OUCH!)

Why is it that people only seem to make a big noise about negative things, like unfair pay?  Or protesting against something they don't believe is good and right, like the anti-gay protesters.  Why is it always so negative and ugly?

And then I remembered a video a friend of mine had sent me a few days back, about people in Germany or somewhere giving away free hugs.  (On further reasearch, there's apparently a whole movement about free hugs... Go check out the Free Hugs Campaign.)  I loved the concept - it's positive and reminds people that there is good will and kindness out there in the world, and most importantly, we're not all alone.

As I walked back from JJ, I decided to walk on the same side of the street as the protest and check it out a little more.  I was interested in how much fun the participants were having.  Yes, it was a protest, and they were angry about how they were being treated, but ... they were having fun!  They were chanting and singing and dancing and it was a joint effort.  They had water and shade for people to sit and rest if they got hot and tired (98* in the sun), they had a leader shouting out the chants, and they switched off that role so no one got tired out.

And I wondered...

What if we had positive picket lines?  What would happen if a bunch of people got together and set up a picket line to publicize something they LIKED?  Can you imagine a big line of happy, dancing, chanting people walking around in a circle ... say in Lafayette Park across from the White House, saying "We like Obama!"   Or maybe in front of the Verizon Center saying "Let's go CAPS!"  Or maybe something more lowkey like giving away free hugs in front of the Vietnam Memorial.   Wouldn't it be great?

I don't know.  There is just too much negativity out there, so I just wish we had more "acceptable" ways of celebrating the positives in life.   Or maybe I've just got stars in my eyes.

I'm gonna figure this out...

Random Thoughts - Things I Like

I love the rain.  We've been having big storms lately, with big fat saturated drops that splash happily on your face and suddenly you're sopping... LOVE IT!   Want to go play in it. Except that lightening thing.

Have you seen Inception yet?  Christopher Nolan has a very twisty brain.  Thank goodness!

If I could have dogs in my apartment, Stella, the five-week old Rotty puppy up for adoption on the Washington Humane Society page would be MINE!  She reminds me of Ron.  A very very small (and female) Ron, but...

Hmmm...  Maybe I should move?

Have you gotten addicted to True Blood yet?   I have.  I started watching the Season 1 DVDs a little over a month ago.  And now I'm only one episode behind.  Is there a cure for this?  Don't want it!  Go check out Jessica's blog, it's hilarious!!

My friend from Montana is coming to visit next week.  We will have fun, it is decreed!

Stevie Ray Vaughn is awesome. 

"Unctuous" DOES mean oily, slimy, overly solicitious... like Uriah Heep.   Just ask Webster's Dictionary.  It does NOT mean "delicious".  That's scrumptious. :-)  Not to be bumptious or anything. *snicker*

Speaking of words... I really enjoyed playing Balderdash with my niece and her friends on her 21st birthday.    It was a convivial afternoon, with a bunch of grandgousiers who fnezed.  heehee

And they learned that "hydrating while you dehydrate" is a good rule of thumb for more than just running.

Working half-days on Fridays is really fantastic.  The other four nine-hour days ain't so much fun, but starting the weekend early does NOT suck!

It's nice to know that I have friends and family who care about me.  Especially when I have a panic attack.  Or just need a hug.  Or a giggle.  That IS my name after all! LOL

And my cat is snuggly.

Take care y'all, and be excellent to each other!

I saw Jesus today...

No really!  He was on the bus this morning!  OK, not really.  But I've never wanted to take a picture of a complete stranger SO much in my life!  He got on the DC Circulator in Columbia Heights (I think), a man of African descent, probably around 40, with slightly graying dreads down to his elbows, and a slightly gaunt, handsome face, with deep, very serene eyes.  He wore a cream coloured loose-fitting shirt and black palazzo pants and sandals, and he sat on the edge of his seat with one foot on the ground in front of him and the other on the step down... and he seemed so very comfortable in himself. 

He got off the bus at 14th and P Streets, and I wanted to follow him. 

Maybe it was his serenity, maybe it was the palazzo pants, maybe it was the realization that he looked closer to what Jesus probably really DID look like (although I'm not sure about the dreads...), but... I saw Jesus today and it was cool.

Random Thoughts

So, is it wrong to eat Ben & Jerry's "Everything but the..." ice cream while watching "The Biggest Loser"?