Love and Hate

With my multitasking this weekend I was able to procrastinate the entire day [Saturday] away from what I had originally set it aside for – grad school apps. But out of the deal I got a super clean apt, a cake and meals for every day of this week. I had also made a little trip over to TCs to borrow a quarter, deliver cake and scope out CFs new girl. Sadly she was cute and nice so I had no material for him(let’s just say I love to make fun of him).

The day was good but the night was a far cry from perfect. Maybe because it started out with me realizing that I had a DD so I could do whatever I wanted. But seeing that I realized this at 9 pm, I figured I’d need to speed up the process in order to be up to par with those I had planned on seeing that night.

Well I did and it was working. A bit of a buzz and next thing you know my DD is waiting. We all pile into the car and head out to the GW parkway. A few minutes in DD friend says “You reek.” I guess my breath was a tad potent. I threw back “Well, that is why you are driving silly!” A minute after that comment a cop car pulls us over.

He asks if DD had been drinking (she hadn’t) and then proceeded to tell us we had a front headlight out. Then he paused for a moment and said, “Have any of you been drinking.” Both TC and I said yes. He’s like – “Good cause I can smell it.” DD turns around and hissed, “I TOLD YOU!” 10 minutes later, after another check and should’ve been pat down (he was cute), we were back on the road.

Our first stop was at Oya. Two words – EXPENSIVE & D-BAG central (but the bathrooms were pretty). I paid $9 for a gin & tonic. And they didn't believe in American beer - pointed that out the bartender. Though if you want to find a man (married or not) to be your sugar-daddy and the like (politically speaking), it’s the perfect place for you.

The next stop was a house party up along U street. It was a friend of a friend kind of deal. About 5 minutes into the party the host asks if I would like a beer. I said yes and asked what kind. He said it was Yuengling. I chuckled and said, “Oh the Lienies of the East.” The host didn’t find this amusing and said I didn’t need to drink his beer. He obviously didn’t get the sentimental joke.

Next thing you know the host was asking which school I had gone to for law school (I didn’t) but said I had friends at the U of M and UVA. He laughed and said that there was nothing wrong with the U of M if you didn’t want to be important in life (he had gone to GW for law school – they are equally ranked). I pointed out that all regions in the U.S. are important. He laughed sarcastically and asked what I did. I told him and he laughed again at the agricultural part. I kindly mentioned that if it wasn’t for the Midwest and agriculture he wouldn’t have food, clothing and shelter. He responded, “If it wasn’t for the Midwest I’d have cheaper clothing, cheaper housing and a belly full of rice.”

I said, “Well, I guess I should leave then.”
Host said, “Yep.”

I have NEVER met anyone so rude and/or arrogant in my entire life. I might be a bit biased about the Midwest but this time I can actually say I didn’t do anything that provoked such an attitude. Luckily we left the place soon after the dumbass fallout.

Luckily Sunday was much better. Maybe because Mother Nature thought she’d be nice and bring me 6 inches of white, fluffy, perfect snowball making snow! It was gorgeous. The only problem was that no one else agreed with me. The city instead decided to shutdown. So I decided to play. I threw on my coat and mittens and ran out to the park where I proceeded to make a mini snowman and create snow angels. There were tons of kids and families in the park and people taking pics of the Iwo Jima Memorial in the snow. It was just too perfect.

After exhausting myself of playing in the snow I thought a good end to the outside frolic would include me throwing snowballs at my neighbor/friends windows. On the third hit they finally came to the window. We had a snowball fight, which I was winning for the most part until CF came out and blindsided me with one right in the face. I mean, it stung! In a haste of revenge I started to run but instead slipped and pulled a muscle. I said I was done and needed to go home (I was NOT about to admit that I hurt myself).

Let’s just say, I still feel the pain but it was totally worth it!

Fat Weekend

With the beginning of Lent most of my friends obviously enjoy the initial part – Fat Tuesday. I can’t even tell you of how many get-togethers and whatnots were taking place. Even though there were invites I declined due to my celebrating Fat Tuesday on Saturday, Sunday and Monday during my little hiatus to the tundra (a.k.a MN).

I would like to thank all of those wonderful people (friends and family) who joined me for a few hours or days of fun. Granted it meant I had little sleep and pretty much looked like a zombie at work on Tuesday (I made it for a ½ day) but it was totally worth it. The weekend may have been full but there wasn’t anything too exciting; unless you count my luggage not making it, seeing F-me Hair boy (yes, he’s still hot), and realizing that the person who was making-out with a young collegiate in an alley way was an old friend.

Not exciting but surely entertaining.

We won’t even include the trip to the NE so Ty could sing ONE karaoke song or getting hit on by old men at Mickey’s Diner with Ad. Not to mention the fun on the airplane when the little girl next to me threw-up on her new Disney doll.

They were just minor details….that somehow will forever be etched in my head, but not as deep as the ones gained from seeing a dozen of my closest friends.

Again thank you, from JCC (June Carter Cash)

You're Going Where?

USDEC Pres: “So you have big plans for the 3 day weekend?”
Me: “Nah, just heading up to MN.”
Pres: *strange look….as if he’s thinking “what the hell?!”*
Me: “I know, I know.”
Pres: “It would be weird if you didn’t have family there.”
Me: “I’m not going to really see my family much.”
Pres: “Then why not Colorado?!”

Some people just don’t understand.

Yes it’s cold there and yes, it’s cold here. But I want to see snow and there were a million other reasons for the little excursion back – not to mention it is free. It’ll be nice to hear a new crowd of people complaining about the weather….or maybe NOT complaining. We’ll see. Regardless I’m a little excited; I get have cheese curds.

Maybe I'll even get to go sledding!

Weekend of the Rose

The weekend presented nothing but few blurbs:

Friday Night:

I ate a rose made entirely of ice cream so Sugar Rush + a few drinks = me singing "Dream On" very loudly.

Found out that there are drinking games for EVERY show out there, including Arrested Development.

Interrupted Dudes weekend with an (or a few) obnoxious phone call(s). Oops. Sorry guys.

Saturday:

Have reason no. 234 of why I sometimes hate D.C. (reason: Tyson's Corner, 14 yr old Blackberry obsessed teens in Uggs spending Daddy's money).

Went to a Pirate Party sober and stayed that way.....but did get invovled in the never ending debate of Priate vs. Ninja.

Five Guys is a amazing.

TC deserves a Gold Medal for Patience.

Sunday:

Watched the movie Miracle and cried.

Watched Purple Rain and about gagged. Love Prince and 1st Ave. but HATE the movie.

Won my first round of curling. It was amazing. I had 5 great draws nipping the 4 & 8 and a handful of good gaurds that kept Team Baxter from winning and let's not forget me hitting the button! Booya.

And now I'm watching Washantonians and NOVAns go nuts because of this!

Grandma Sugarbeet

When I walked out of work tonight without my mittens on and I thought that I was doing well....it was damn cold out! Though, soon afterwards my fingers started to get that weird tingly feeling and I quickly put my mittens on. Next thing you know I'm shedding a tear.........

Just a few days ago my 79 year-old grandma fell while bringing out the garbage. It took her an hour to crawl back to her house to call for help. After being rushed to the hospital we found out that she had a broken femur and needed go undergo surgery. Not a big deal - that is, if you're my age. But she's not and she is currently on a blood thinner - another tricky part to the equation. Luckily they got her level figured out and she underwent surgery, recieving 3 pins at the top of her femur. Sadly though, after that painful bout she finds out that her hands have frostbite. Horrible.....unthinkable.....and udeserved!

But you know what? She's not mad at anyone but herself and she even has a smile on her face. How rare is that? So here I am hastily trying to find my mittens while being all bundled up while my grandmother was crawling to warmth for an hour. Seems unfair. But it didn't matter to her. She is literally the strongest (at heart/mind/physical) person I know. I only hope to gain 1/2 of what she has.

Go Grandma Sugarbeet!

I'm not Clone Worthy

Some days just aren’t YOUR DAY. I think today is mine. It started well…I woke up at 6 am as planned but was too sore from curling so I postponed my morning gym workout until after work. I get ready and head out the door for work. I was pretty excited because the temp was supposedly 18 degrees F…..as opposed to the tropical 80+ degrees goin’ on in my apt. I remember my mittens, and my scarf but I thought I’d nix the hat and just wear my hair down. Not a smart idea seeing I had overlooked the “Wind chill 10 degrees……20-30 mph winds” Oops. So my poor ears experienced a very cold and windy mile walk to work.

Getting into work I all of a sudden got very tired, VERY fast and then my body (even after a 30 minute stretch moment) let the soreness sink it. So I’m sitting here….sore and tired. Great. Little work is getting done. But all was good seeing it was just the beginning of the day and I had lunch to look forward too. Not to mention that I was trying out a new Campbells Select soup.

Lunchtime arrives. I’m excited. That was….until I had dropped my soup on the counter/floor/myself. That’s right. I smell of Mexican fajita soup. It’s lovely.

And to top it off………..I read the below when my mood was already in the red; just allowing this to be the cherry on top.

Arthur Caplan , director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of
Pennsylvania , figures up to 40 percent of American consumers are "in play,"
meaning they are willing to try food derived from clones and their offspring.
They're such indiscriminate eaters that they consider "a Slim Jim , a Slurpee,
and pork rinds" a meal, Caplan said. (1/29/07 Boston Globe)

My two cents: Sometimes I think there are people out there who were put on this earth to say stupid things ….. for example………the man above. Clearly he is not a man of science. Cloning is NOT happening for kicks and giggles. It is being done as a way/idea of the future. It’s a faster approach to natural selection in all reality. So when the man is equating the consumer of cloned food that of such a narrow market (i.e. 16-29 male) I would like to point my finger at him and say “Who gave you a degree?”

I'm Dreaming of a White......395

This is tough. I am happy we have snow but also a bit disappointed. I guess a lot of it stems from the fact that I feel like I’m back in MN but in all reality far from. Very few people appreciate winter weather here. It’s sad. I’m also a bit sad over the fact that I’m stuck in an office cube looking out a window at the snow instead of curled up in my chair with a warm cup of tea and clicking away at my laptop while watching the flakes dance down to the ground. I was spoiled.

This time last year I was working from home mostly so the days included me waking up in the dark, throwing on my slippers and put-zing over to my chair by the window. It was a tough life. So I say “Boo to the grown-up version” where I go to work from 8:30 – 5:00…have the hour lunch break, workout/meetings/HH after work and then home to take care of mail and so on before I go to bed. Boring!

That type of lifestyle has left me with little if any time to enjoy the real weather where I can run outside and make snowballs or throw myself into an untouched area to create a snow angel (which I’ve perfected over the years). Nope. Just here with the crabs that grumble under their breath about the traffic and walking in the cold (which, again, 25 degrees F doesn’t count as real cold). I think I may hold a Real Winter Weather Appreciation Class. We can go over the basics such as: snowball making, sledding, walking on snow/ice w/out falling and then the major one……..driving.

People will argue that I’m not a good driver – which is true the weather is great (I’m not good at doing just ONE task at a time so concentrating on just driving is difficult for me). BUT when you add the challenge of snow and ice – I’m there and I’m good at it. This was proven yesterday when I had to drive back from NC through rain, then sleet and then snow. 110 miles away from DC and I was stuck in 3-lane traffic only going a meager 15 mph. It was nuts. The visibility was 95% and the roads were NOT slippery. But people freaked and stayed in their lane – even the fast one – and went very, very slow. By the time (an additional 1.5 hours later) I got to the HOV lane things had sped up. But I didn’t want to risk it so I hopped on the HOV road (that was far from having had a visit from the salt trucks) and sped along at a nice 55 mph. There were only five vehicles in the HOV with me…let’s see, hunh? They were all from Oklahoma, Maryland and Iowa. I felt safe around them knowing that they’ve more than likely experienced snow/ice a few more times than once a year for the past 10 years. It was good and I managed to only get home 2 hours later than planned. Of course that is when the snow stopped falling. Bummer.

p.s. I would like to point out that the snow had stopped at 2 am this morning and all the roads were cleared before rush hour. But yet, there were school closings. Come on people!

City of Wimps

I can't believe this place....it barley drops below 30 degrees and everyone is complaining. Then you add in the idea that there may be flurries...there's not just complaining but also freaking.

What one earth is wrong with everyone?! It's snow. Little white, fluffy stuff that will melt as soon as it hits the pavement here. Oh and boo hoo that you have to put on a jacket and maybe heat up your car a bit. And let's not forget the easy way to get over being cold is just to move faster.....(this may explain why the north is more fast paced than the south).

Really. DC knows squat about real winter weather.

Spinster

The joke of the week is that I'm going to become an old spinster. It basically came from two things...ready a ridiculous fairytale book for my BCB bookclub and then having a dream where I was 85, sitting in a big chair, knitting while watching Dallas and my cat at my feet. It was kinda sad! (mostly because I already like do so of those activities now!). BUT I don't have a cat and I do date people, so I have a feeling someday I'll actually settle down with a man....NOT A CAT. Though my story of the dream seems to be a hit - it drives girls crazy and makes them freak out whereas my buddies (guys) laugh their asses of and try to pick a good cat for me.

Speaking of cats....I SWEAR my camera is like a fricken cat with nine lives. Every time I'm ready to throw it out (pretty sure that's why it's on its deathbed) the damn thing works fine. I look like an idiot though, cause it will work at home and then I take it out and all of a sudden the thing becomes shy and won't even turn on. I HATE IT. You may be wondering why I haven't had it checked out (yes, I got the $60/5 yr warranty on it) but I haven't because you need to call a lovely 800 number, explain to them the issue and then 'send' it in. I'm sorry...but that's just not kosher with me. I like to be right there, asking questions and knowing that they are actually attempting to revive my once great camera (ahem, I think I know why doctors/mechanics/bankers/etc. have problems with me). Regardless....it's an issue, and I'm fed-up with it. It'll probably work tonight but then flip off tomorrow. argh.

And finally....does anyone else wonder where on earth The Ohio State football team was on Monday night? I swear I was watching Florida play some D3 school. By halftime I was too booed out and ended up going to my room, putting it on mute and reading a girly book. Yes, it was THAT bad. Maybe Glen Mason was there giving tips to Tressel. Argh. The only time I bothered to cheer for Ohio State (I may dislike them, but I always cheer for the Big Ten). Just such a disappointment.

Taxi!

I have been absent for a bit for several reasons....A) I'm attempting to spend less time infront of my computer....B) I'm trying to be less bitchy .....and C) I have little time to spend writing lately (maybe because I've been glued to watching bowl games, haha). In all reality its a part of being 'healthier' which I doubt will ever happen, but I will note that my alcohol consumption has dropped dramatically since Dec. 24th!

But needless to say I'm not totally out of your blogger life. Nope, sorry...just can't do that. I'm still me and that means if no one is going to listen to me (in person) rant and rave about nonsense that happens in my "Oh-so-fab" life then the internet will do. The New Year was good. Not great, but what do you expect. New Years is so hyped and rarely wonderful for anyone. Yes, it's a great excuse to get all dressed up and drink a load of alcohol but more than likely you'll be fighting for that moment of luxury with millions of other people.

I decided this year to not spend New Years in DC. Even though it's my first year living I've already celebrated three years ago in DC so that seemed lame. Instead I headed to Greensboro, NC. Now before you go knockin' it I've got a few good reasons why. First of all......the Southern Scuffle was taking place Dec. 29-30. That is a huge college wrestling tournament in which the Golden Gophers participate in. Seeing I'm a HUGE fan and that I will not be able to see them wrestle any other time this year, it was a golden opportunity. Secondly, a friend of mine was having a cocktail party for New Years Eve down there. And thirdly, one of my best DC friends wanted to hang in town with me and do the girl thang and it allowed for us to stay with her cousin. So it all worked out.....kinda.

Yes, we did the girl thing and she got to experience my Wrestling Appreciation Class (a.k.a. CWAC). It is well known amongst my non-wrestling friends. Even though she took the class I still don't think she gets the concept (e.g. she opted to stay home from the finals). But the UNCG wrestlers took me in and even some cheered with me in Gopher spirit. Good times.

So after two full days of wrestling, shopping and watching the Dogs beat the Hokies (yes, I watched Georgia but not my own team for several reasons...though I was happy that we lost and Mr. Mason was fired) we were ready for a night of craziness. Granted when we meant crazy we were thinking gettin silly while maintaining our lady-likeness. For the most part that happened.

The plan was to pre-game at home, get dressed-up for the cocktail party, cab to party then cab to Downtown to meet the guys wherever they were going to be when we got there. It worked for the first half of the night. We pre-gamed (off of wine coolers and wine, shut-up), got a little silly and listened/danced to Jock Jams and Cash then got our pretty little butts into a cab. Arrived at the cocktail party (where friend knew NO ONE and I only 2 peeps) made an entrance, enjoyed the food/drinks and started yet ANOTHER dance party. It's amazing how you can groove to Color Me Bad music!

But things started to turn.....the wrong way.

We decided it was time to meet the boys downtown. So at 10:30 pm we started to call for a cab. By 11 pm NO SUCCESS. Booooo......so a girl at the party said that it was a short walk and gave us directions, kinda. Well here's the deal - we ended up walking over a mile in heels in a town we've never been to before and IN THE RAIN! By the time we got to the bar we were just a tad, ummmm.....grumpy and wet. We paid our cover charge, recieved our beads and spent the next 15 minutes searching for the boys, who of course were about a 1/2 a dozen shots into the night. But we found them, did the countdown and started....yes, you guessed it....another dance party.

The rest of the night was a blur, with pics galore (out of focus of course), more rain and a 'long' cab ride home. But yes, it was worth it....even with the bad hair moment and semi-broken camera.

Watch it Grow

Everyday we are tempted by something - money, materials, food and so on. One of the reasons why I hate December so much is that when you work for a company that focuses on food, you tend to get A LOT of it. Yes, we get much of it thoughout the year, but of course it increases immensely during the holiday season. So when we do get this food (ranging from cheese, meat, speicalty chocolates, foreign confectionaries, etc.) where does it go? Well most would think to the kitchen, but that's not the case. It goes to the counter by my desk. Yes, right in my line of vision. Right now I have an assortment of nuts, cholocate truffles, specialy dark chocolate and a entire line-up of the Hershey holiday gang. I'm thinking of tagging a price on everthing and making a little cash on the side.

It's death because I appreicate fine foods such as these from far away places, but yet I need to hold back. As much as I love things growing (like my bank account or our GDP) I'm not a fan of a growing ass. So how do I rid of my temptations? Whenever I think of eating the food I instead bring it over to the President and force him to have something or I discretly pick out a piece and randomly throw it away. This way I don't eat anything but yet I rid of it faster. Clever yes, does it really work....eh.....sometimes. I do have some weak moments when my arm overtakes me and let's me take a bite. Horrible and disgusting, I know. I can't wait for the season to be done with.

*******

There are just some things in life that must be shared.......and this is one of them. Snarkywood is a small obession of mine. It's basically a blog-like site that posts photos of a person/persons and 'snarks' on them. It's pure genius and makes me laugh so hard that I must read it at home (afraid of getting fired). This last post was by far one of my favorite. Topic: Food Network Idols. Nice to know that they feel the same as me when it comes to Sandra Lee and her "semi-drunk" show and Rachael "I can't say Extra Virgin Olive Oil" Ray. Read it. Don't be afraid to laugh because really, it's okay.....only a million other Food Network addicts feel the same as you.

DC Sleeps Tonight

I'm back and it feels good... I will say that with each trip to MN I take the less and less excited I am to go there. Not because I don't like MN, it's just that I'm settled into my ways and life in DC and hate for it to be interrupted; hence me refusing to pack until an hour before the flight.

Anyway..Christmas is done. Yay. I'm happy for the holiday for the true meaning of it but like Charlie Brown I get sick of the 'commercialism' of it all. Although, unlike Charlie Brown I don't go out and get a scrappy tree, I instead decorated less, spent more time with those I actually like and did everything on the minimal level. It was nice, 'cept my minimalist view didn't coincide with my mom's. Now first of all....I have a kickass mom, but she is a little too much like Chevy Chase in the movie National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. She tries to do EVERYTHING and gets all mushy. Two things I can't deal with well. But I lived through it....thank God.

I am disappointed though in a few things during my trip back to the homeland. A) There was hardly ANY snow. I saw a few flakes which resulted in me shouting "Thank God for this!" after getting off of the plane (yes, I got a lot of strange looks). B) Forgetting half of my luggage (for some reason I pack better when I'm intoxicated) and C) My cell decided right at 11:59 pm on Thursday night to go to cellphone heaven. That resulted in me going and buying a new one which led to the following:

Scene: Walking into TM Store.....
Me: *gritting teeth* "I don't want to be here. I liked my cellphone,
it was good to me....most of the time."*Looking at cell accessories* "Whoever
buys these jewel things needs to be shot."(muttered under my breath)
TM Rep: "Can I help you? I understand you want some jewel
accessories."
Me: *ignoring the smartass* "Yes, I'd like a phone that let's me take calls and make calls."
TM Rep: *blank stare and stiffled laugh* "Ummmm...okay, we've got some
Razors you might like."
Me:"No. Everyone has a damn Razor."
TM Rep: "Well here's this one for a nice price. It has a MP3 player
and takes excellent video...let me show you." *shows video*
Me: "Turn that off. I'll buy it because you seem like a nice guy."
Ten minutes later, I have a new phone. Bad thing though is
that all my numbers couldn't change over to my new phone because either the
guy was stupid or there was that much wrong with the death of my old
phone. I'm going with the first one.

But in true holiday fashion I had more "happy" moments than bad ones...for example:

I got to spend a lot of time with cousins I haven't seen in ages. And when you get 7 20 somethings together for two days, lots of quality trouble can happen (though it will not make this blog). I also got to spend some time with my new nephew and two nieces, who hold some of the families best genes. I'm thinking, we've got us a future Gopher wrestler and two Olympic gymnasts. And one of the greatest moments was.........*drum roll*........I GOT A BOWLING BALL!!!!!!!!

Yes, it was an amazing moment. Of all the presents it is my most cherised one. I don't know why, but it is. It's a pretty pink marbled one with my name on it. It was so much fun to have it fitted just for me today and I'm sure the guy helping me thinks I have a crush on him. In all reality I was gazing at my new ball, not him. But I'll just let him dream (haha).

So yes, the great holiday moments of 2006 are done. I need to now make it through the next two long days of work before the 4 day weekend for the New Year. Let's hope I can make it seeing there is NO ONE left in DC right now. The city is dark and lonely and my phone is barely ringing (okay that's a lie, but when half of your friends are gone it's really dead and boring). Maybe this will give me some time to find a bowling league to join!

I'm a Slug

Do you ever go through a week where you’re just completely bitchy? It doesn’t matter what’s going on - all you feel is disgusting and tired. If so, I now remember what it feels like and it sucks royally.

I’m a lucky girl though because I have around a dozen awesome friends who have been tiredly trying to rid of my passion for bitchiness over the last week (I’m thinking there is now a special place in heaven for them). A few of them tried it by doing drinks…..you’d think I could cure it with alcohol but that was a negative…..it just made it worse. I’m so crabby that I can’t even fathom downing a nice cool gin and tonic.

Another friend tried it by planning our New Years. That started to soften the mood until I remembered that New Year’s is my least favorite holiday on earth. Seriously, it’s just another day that goes into a new calendar year. Woohooo……don’t forget to toot the horn and wear that crazy party hat!!!! *please note sarcasm* I’m sure you’ve guessed it….I don’t bother making any resolutions. I feel that you can do that at anytime/day of the year.

And let’s not forget the wonderful man who made me pecan pie. I’m sure he thought it would help….knowing that he even made it from scratch (note: the pecans were from his home back in AL). Not only did he make pie but offered it with a fine ale during a football game. In normal times I’d be in my glory, but instead I just sat there and booed life. Okay, I booed mostly things such as the organic market (long story), marriage and federal funding. But I’ll hand it to him; he booed right along with me.

You see, having this mood not only makes me feel crabby but like a bad person. I’ll soon be leaving for home over the holiday. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to go home but I’m afraid this crabby side is just gonna stay. And when you get me around family being all damn perky cause it’s the holidays I have this awesome ability to counteract it with my most wicked attitude you’ll ever witness.

I have not clue as to why I’m crabby. I’ve got some of the best friends on earth, a family who is there for me 24/7 and a job that keeps me secure. Not to mention, I have a social life better than that of college. So instead of finding a scapegoat with any relevance I’ll just chalk it up to the weather. I’m sick of people being jolly over the stupid 73 degree weather we have here. NO WHERE IN HELL do they show happy Christmas commercials where there ISN’T snow outside. But noooo…..we LOVE this warm weather. My gosh, we’re NOT in the south so please Mother Nature, do something about it (ahem, drop the temp about 50 degrees). So I’ve got happy peeps in DC and then crabby peeps in MN cause of the warm weather. And yeah, I hate them both. Not the people but the weather and what it’s doing to me. Winter is my best season and it has yet to arrive. Maybe I’m just getting anxious. Regardless……if I don’t get any cold weather I will go crazy. Sleeping with my window open and a fan on at night just like I did back in July just seems so wrong.

So, I’m just sitting here with a list of stuff to do but just too darn crabby to get my tush off the seat and do it. And of course, I’m upset about that. It’s official, I’m a slug who takes long showers, stares at the tv and wears a robe whenever possible. Okay, I’m only home about a few hours of the day to let that happen, but yet, I’ve mastered the ‘slug’ art during those few precious “me” hours.

Alrighty – I’m going to go now and take a nap before I got to bed.

That's a Nice Drill You've Got There.

I will tell you one thing. Spending 3 hours with a dentist at a time will give you enough time to observe a few things. Not that he’s nice or a good conversationalist because you really can’t talk to the man who’s digging around in your mouth. (All I could do to make a point was a thumbs up sign or a grimace to let him know if I was okay or not). The great thing though is that you can check out some physical features during those three blissful (thank you Novocain) hours. For me I could observe three things very well – the color of his eyes (chocolate brown), his hair (full sandy blond hair) and how tight his abdominal muscles are (VERY TONED!....he had to lean into me cause it was a far back tooth).

When I got back to the office I was a little light headed (thanks to all the drugs) so mentioning this to my co-worker seemed like a great idea…..of course she gave me the “are you crazy?” look and said something loud enough for our boss to hear. Of course that brought out his curiosity and he walked in and said “Who’s got nice hair?” I then proceed to tell him about my dentist. Explaining how difficult of a time I had trying to figure out whether he was married or not. Sadly I still don’t know. As soon as I went into detail on how I knew he had well toned abs my boss shook his head and said “Sometimes you give me a heart-attack.”

There is a reason for his comment….you see my boss is a ‘lucky’ man who works with three women who are the ages of 24, 25 and 34. One is married, the other has a long-term boyfriend and then there’s me…the single one. So of course everyone focuses on why I’m single and then figure out if there’s a way to fix that. We do talk about the each others relationships but yet, again, I really don’t have a real one so that is why they like to hone in on me. Of course I tend to shy away from it even though it can be funny at times, such as being set-up with a Canadian during the Stanley Cup. Or my boss trying to tell me where to go for a first date….explaining what the different prices of a meal would mean for payback. He was also kind enough to point out that a CVS was on the way home. If that didn’t turn me red, I don’t know what would have!

So naturally to get them off of my back I tell them of my odd crushes and the latest, of course, being my dentist. Yes, that is an odd crush to have. But I figured he’d be a good guy to marry for several reasons. A) We already know he’s gainfully employed. B) Free dental care (and I NEED that!) and C) If he doesn’t mind kissing me AFTER he’s seen what the inside of my mouth looks like, then he’s got to be a good man.

Sadly, I don’t think me strategy is working. Oh well…..there’s always the UPS guy.

my boys

There’s a show now on TBS called my boys. Just by chance I came across it one night sitting around at home. Let’s just say, wow, it was like looking into a mirror. Not that I look a lot (or at all) like PJ, the main character, but there was a point where I felt as if that show was a total reflection of my life (in most parts). Here you have a girl who hangs out with these five guys. PJ, is basically one of THE guys. She loves baseball and puts sports first. (I'm the girl who cried because she missed her first home wrestling match for the Gophers in three years). She’s not over dressy and would rather spend a night with her buddies drinking beer and watching sports rather than going out for girly things.

I, like PJ, have five pretty close guy friends that I consistently hang-out with. We have our bar, Stub and Herbs (on My Boys it's Crowleys) where they know us all by name and our favorite drinks. We watch and argue over sports and almost all of us agree that baseball is a true religion. Relationships for all of us can be touch and go so more than not you’ll find us back at square one, or should I say, Sterbs. The poker part is the one thing we don’t have going for us….this is probably because none of us are really good at it (that I know of) and we would rather spend (waste) our money on other things…a.k.a beer.

Another commonality I have with PJ is the fact that the dating is difficult. I guess the new guy gets a little turned off when he discovers your five closest friends are of the male origin. Not to mention with my boys......they don't take to new people too well. Another problem with having all male friend is that you can easily forget to look for men when you are always with them.

One of the finer moments that I've had (like PJ) was whenever I would attempt to dress-up, the boys couldn't figure out why and they would make fun of me for doing so. This is probably the reason for my love for the ‘nice’ shirt, jeans and moccasins. For some reason, they find that hard to mock. (okay that was a lie, I have been called Pocahontas by them).

Unfortunately ‘my boys’ are all (‘cept for one) back in the Midwest and I’m in DC. I miss them all terribly. But I have found that they are truly my boys because no matter how little or how much I see them, they still love me….okay, they have weird ways of showing it; such as telling me that I smell (I even got a phone call one time claiming that the Governor of Colorado agreed I smelled), rolling their eyes and sighing when I start buying cosmos and consistently hitting my arm until it bruises. The list could go on forever! But I also know that they really care because they’ve allowed me on guy trips and have been there for me in some of my worst and best times (that list can go on too but who needs to hear the mushy stuff?!).

Yep. Those are My Boys and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

My Life Soundtrack!

I'm a loser who is extremely hungover right now so instead of getting ready for my party I'm talking on the phone with a friend and figuring out time wasting stuff like - "if you're life was a soundtrack this is what you'd hear!" What you had to do was go into your music library, put it on shuffle and then list the songs down the line to the scene. I will admit that mine was VERY....ummmm....embarrassing.

So here's what it is............

Opening Credits: I’m Through – Vic Chestnutt

Waking Up: Never Saw Blue Like That – Shawn Colvin

First Day At School: Her, You and I – The Changes

Falling In Love: You’re Still the One - Orleans

Shower Scene: Cheer for Me – 95 South

Fight Song: Let’s Stay Together – Al Green

Breaking Up: Back Where I Belong – Alison Moyet

Prom: Just Between You and Me – April Wine

Life's OK: See Ya – Atomic Kitten

Mental Breakdown: Deeper – Attica Blues

Driving: Mickey – B*Witched

Sex Scene: When I See You Smile – Bad English

Flashback: Can’t Get Enough of Your Love – Barry White

Getting Back Together: Taxman – The Beatles

Wedding: Eleanor Rigby – The Beatles

Birth of Child: In the Blood – Better Than Ezra

Final Battle: Drive – Bic Runga

Funeral Song: As If – Blaque ft. Joey Fatone, Jr.

End Credits: Winding – Bonnie Somerville

An Etiquette I'll Never Understand

I've been in DC for almost 8 months now. Sometimes it seems just like yesterday other days I feel as if I've been here for years. For the most part I love it between the various people, things to do and of course the politics. But there is something that I wasn't fully prepared for...the etiquette.

You see, there's a certain type of etitquette for everywhere you go. Now when I say etiquette, I'm not talking place settings and when you're suppose to serve to the left or right. I'm talking about what is normally expected of you because you live/work in that area. I caught on pretty fast but it wasn't until today when I realized how crazy some of it is. So here is my list of etiquette 'rules' that I've discovered since moving here.

If you are a career person, not married and live/work in DC you need to follow the following:
1. ALWAYS have a business card on you. Business IS pleasure here.
2. Always stand on the right side of the escalator in the Metro stations.
3. When approaching the opposite sex walking a dog - stop, smile, pet and flirt.
4. Attending at least one happy hour a week is required.
5. Within the first five minutes of meeting someone you must discuss politics and religion.
6. Checking your Blackberry and taking phone calls during dinner is appropriate.
7. When giving directions to people you must always include the closest metro stop.
8. Shake hands first time, hug second time, kiss on cheek and hug from then on (for greeting a friend).
9. A half smile and nod is the equivalent of full eye contact and a hug in MN....so watch it.
10. Be close to your friends and closer to your enemies (i.e. invite EVERYONE to your functions....word gets around if they aren't on the list).
11. Girl - allow the men to buy you drinks, they are offended if you don't.
12. Everyone should own a black winter coat - color is too risky.
13. Boy - always make sure the girl gets home safetly.
14. Business casual is the new t-shirt and jeans.
15. Going to political socials is more important than going to sporting events.

Now, if you know me, you'd know that I disagree with most of these. For instance, I said no to a political event and a happy hour tonight because the Gophers were wrestling Okie Sate. Even though I can't watch it on TV I will sit myself infront of the computer for live updates the entire night. (I'm doing that right now!.....we're currently ahead...*nervous, very nervous*). To me, very few things come before my Golden Gopher Wrestling team and I wasn't about to start letting my guard down.

But then again, I agree with some of the etiquette such as boys watching out for the girl or the escalator thing. Yet, I do miss the days when I can sit at home, wear crappy clothes, crack open a beer and yell at hockey on the TV. Until then...who's up for cocktails in Georgetown?

I asked for a bowling ball....

x.mas is nearing fast. i've already recieved my gift from my roommate - Pampered Chef baby! and i've officially wrapped 1/2 of my gifts (i did them while i was in mn). not to mention that i've now recieved my 6th holiday party invite. it's crazy! just seems like yesterday i was celebrating Thanksgiving...oh wait i WAS!

anyway, as for x.mas. i'm excited cause it will be my first grown-up one where i rock the work parties along with all the other ones. also, it will be my first White House Christmas party shin-dig too. i'm nervous for that one cause i'm forseeing me looking and acting like a fool. we'll just have to wait a week and see. no worries, there will probably be a post on that.

as for my title.....yeah, i asked for a bowling ball for x.mas. not because i'm great at bowling (well, yes i am when it comes to playing it via the Wii) but in all reality i think it would be 'nifty' to have my own bowling ball with my name on it. then maybe i'll go bowling more than the average 2x a year that i currently do.

when i brought the idea up to my mom, she said "what? why? you rarely bowl." i counter-acted her by mentioning that she had only gone kyaking only once befrore she bought her own kyak. funny how that quieted her down and then came with me to check out bowling balls. i think i might luck out and actually get one. again, i'll let you know if i do.

so yeah, i asked for a bolwing ball for Christmas.

I love you Frank.....

Sinatra is where I find any solace lately. I forgot that once the election was done I'd have 100% more friends again. You see, when it got to September I 'lost' a lot of friends so I started to make new ones to fill the gap....well it's done and my social calendar is a tad full. I shouldn't complain but it's true. I actually used the excuse that I had to wash my hair to gain some extra "me time" (it was amazing time....it included me reading and listening to my man, Sinatra).

Anyway, this Saturday just proved to me how crazy it is. In a matter of 24 hours I hungout w/ the Fed Society, celebrated a birthday, watched Big Ten football, talked to 5 friends on the phone, did the West Wing, saw Harriet Miers, semi-helped a friend move, went to dinner and watched a cab hit a parked car, met up w/ co-workers for another birthday party, and then took a drive w/ a friend who I ran into on the street at 2:30 am.

Phew. I'm exhausted just recalling that. I am happy to say that also during that time I was hit on by 8 guys and got made fun of and/or hung-up on by 2 friends.

Here were my top picks from the 24 hr period:

Best pick-up line: "You....now I'm no expert....but you...you have GORGEOUS hair"

Most Hilarious Moment: "Your name is Aweswome" *then he fell off the stool*

Worst Moment: 45 mins to find parking by Dupont

Most Bizarre Moment: Running into PP at 2 am and then having an agrument

Can't Believe I Went There Moment: Flirted w/ a 1 L from Michigan

Shopping.....*argh*

Originally written 11/13/06

**WARNING - GIRLY POST!!!!**

This past weekend was a nice three day one which amounted to me succeeding at two things – cleaning my apt (to the bare bones) and finding a dress for an upcoming wedding. The cleaning was awesome – I was done in 4.5 hours. I literally got to a point where I ran out of stuff to clean. The freezer and linen closets were even clean!

Now dress shopping was a little different. I am a girl – yes. That is very clear, but when it comes to shopping, I’m very much like a man. I walk in, get what I want and leave. Very little time is spent ‘browsing.’ My mother is a window-shopper. I don’t get it. You either like it and buy it; or you don’t. Simple.

But when it comes to clothing, okay more like dresses (for semi to formal occasions)….it does take me a long time. As in, I will probably try on more than 5 dresses. The there are two reasons for this, you need to look “good” in a dress because nothing is worse than spending a boat load of $$ on something that isn’t flattering for an event in which people do care about what you are wearing. Also, a dress is usually for a function where you will possibly meet someone of the opposite sex or should impress the hell out of your date. If he doesn’t think you look good in a dress…then it’s tough luck for you (i.e. the procession is usually from sweats, to jeans, to business casual, to formal) so basically you’re screwed if you can’t pull off the formal look.

It’s hard to believe but it took me a solid 25 dresses and 1.5 hours to find the right dress. I like the dress and got approval from two friends. I haven’t pre-tried it on man yet, but will before the function. (Man approval on 11/15/06). The I want to make sure that it’s worth keeping. I think I could’ve done better but that would have meant me going to another store and trying on more……something that that definitely wasn’t allowed in my allotted shopping time (I time EVERTHING I do in life down to the half hour).

After experiencing those few hours of hell I took care of it w/ a bottle of champagne and then a succession of bars in Dupont and a trip to Alexandria. I woke up the next morning feeling not so faublous but then I discovered (ahem, remembered) that I had a new dress.....so I tried it on, and all was good.

And in case if you were wondering about my accessories - the martini glass is JUST FINE.