Paper Planes

This is completey random, but I found these last week and I LOVE THEM.  I don't know anyone that hasn't wanted to shush someone before, and I have a few friends that have been shushed by strangers.  And who hasn't been an eyewitness to someone sticking their foot in their mouths before??  Don't you just wish you could stop them as soon as you see the train derailing?  These little daddy-o's could help:

I wouldn't have the nerve to seriously slip one to a stranger, but my goodness there have been times where I wish I could have, and I've also had times where I've wished someone would tell me to hush. If you're interested in purchasing some, check out Set Editions.  Another set of theirs that I particularly enjoy is the "Mercy" set. 

There have been many times in the last 4 months where I should have given L the one that says, "I am in a bad mood and taking it out on you" as soon as he walked in the door after work (work is not the most fun these days), but alas, I didn't know about these!  Just having a card to give him that said that and writing, "I'm sorry," on the inside would automatically make me laugh and make the whole situation better.  The "Truth Hurts" cards also make me laugh, but mostly from the perspective of getting any of them when I wasn't expecting it.  Anyone have any fun card vendors they like?? 

Hometown Glory

So, last night L and I went to a Stars/Capitals game, and we had a lot of fun!  L is a huge hockey fan and I enjoy live sporting events, so when an opporunity arose a few months ago to score some tickets to a Caps game, I jumped at the chance to see my new hometown team play my real hometown team.  The game was unexpectedly GREAT- despite our top deck seats, we were EXACTLY on center ice and could see all the action really well.  Plus, the Capitals are REALLY good (note the shots on goal) and the Stars have been decent but not great (just ignore their shots on goal).  We got there late in the first period and the score was 1-0, Caps.  The Stars came back to take the lead, the Caps tied it, and it went into overtime and resulted with another tie, so then it went into Sudden Death OT.  Stars pulled out a W, which was awesome!  Woo hoo!!  I love you, Mike Modano (even though you didn't play very much last night...)!

In an effort to support the Stars, I sported a black sweater, green earrings, and my black cowboy boots.  I REALLY wish I'd had time to play a joke on L and paint a giant, black star on my face or something, but I also don't think I would've had the nerve to ride the Metro like that and I definitely would have been scared leaving the game (Caps fans were not pleased with the loss).  But it would have made him pee in his pants a little if he'd come home from work and found me waiting like that.

Also of interest: we had a real life astronaut in the crowd across from us.

I bet he's one that has been to the moon.  I wonder how he managed to steal that suit, though.  Not very sneaky to wear it to a game that was broadcast nationally.

This guy was also sitting in our section.  I think he forgot that the Wizards are the basketball team:

It's hard to tell, but the guy just to the right of the center of the pic is in a cape, and he is waving two wands that light up.  I have no idea why.  He was very, very serious about it.

Finally, during the break between the second and third periods, we took a lap around the Verizon Center.  I needed to use the restroom, and imagine my surprise when I saw the sign indicating that this is where women go to throw up:

Okay, upon closer inspection, it's a sign for restrooms and water fountains, but I swear to you, I really thought it was someone barfing into a small trash can when I first glanced at it.

Telephone Hour

The Lenten season is officially upon us.  I'm not Catholic and neither is L, but we both decided to "fast" during Lent.  So what are we giving up?

I have several that all connect together.  The core of it is actually an extension of one of my resolutions for 2010.  L has a Blackberry.  I have a silly version of a smartphone, which I chose because L needed a new Blackberry and we were combining plans and since we were having to pay for all-inclusive service for his phone, I figured I might as well have access to it, too.  So a lame Sprint touch-screen phone is what I went home with (note to any Sprint customers out there: don't waste your money on a Samsung Instinct.  It works, but it's lame and I miss my ghetto white flip phone). 

While it doesn't have all the bells and whistles and fun apps that other smartphones out there have, I do still find myself playing with it in public, often on the Metro if I'm by myself (although sometimes I'm happy to just pull it out and play regardless of whether or not I'm alone).  It has become my preferred method of accessing my Facebook account.  And I realize it's INCREDIBLY rude.  I draw the line at pulling it out at the table- I legitimately make an effort to only do that to silence the phone or for a very specific purpose (for example: looking up directions to wherever the next destination is).  I'm not always fail-proof at this, but I do try REALLY hard because I loathe when others do it to me.  It really does make me NEVER want an iphone or Blackberry... I'm sure they are great to have and lots of fun, but there's lots of people out there with them that are just so bad about pulling them out all the time (including L... he does this out of habit now and doesn't even realize when he's doing it.  During the 18 months he was living here and I was in Austin, he became obsessed with checking sports scores, although luckily he is making an effort to curb this habit), but I'm slowly but surely joining you, especially if I'm with someone at a restaurant and they pull their phone out first... that's when I hear a little voice saying, "It's not rude if they are doing it first".  Note to self: YES, IT IS.  I'm glad my lame phone doesn't have Words With Friends because apparently it's like crack.  I digress...  My original resolution around this was to stop using my phone at the table, so of course I'm going to keep that up.  My first official sacrifice for Lent was not using my cell phone for anything other than calls or texts.  No more internet or Facebook via phone for me.  No more pictures on it (which I also realize is probably a good thing for the rest of the world.  Honestly, I've come to realize that if the person I'm trying to share the pics with didn't ask to see them, they probably aren't that interested).

Closely related to this is no Facebook at all for me.  This pretty much is already negated by not accessing it by my phone anyway, but I figured I might as well go ahead and round it out to none at all for the time being.  I've been really good so far- I've only almost forgotten twice.  Yes, I miss the witty updates and knowing THE INSTANT that someone has a relationship status change, etc., but I don't miss the oversharing of a specific friend about the extremely graphic and personal trials, tribulations, and body changes that come with pregnancy and being a new, single mom who is trying to breast feed.  (If you are wondering why I don't just remove that person from my newsfeed, it's because it's such a train wreck that I can't.  I am always wondering what she could possibly post next that would top whatever I've just read.)

Finally, I also gave up talking on the phone in the car completely.  I don't log nearly as many hours in the car anymore since I work from home and am not within driving distance of any of my friends or family (okay that's a lie- I have like 5 friends here but they aren't the ones I am wishing I could visit), but that doesn't stop me from whipping my phone out 90% of the time when I am in the car running errands.  Effective as of Ash Wednesday, my car is officially a "No Phone Zone".  Thank you, Oprah.  It's actually illegal to talk on your phone while driving in D.C. unless it's a hands-free phone, but that hasn't stopped me before (to be fair, 99.9% of the time it's an accident and if I'm still in the District I hang up as soon as I remember that I'm breaking the law, but usually I'm already in Virginia by the time I remember).  I almost had to break this today because I had to drive L to the airport and simultaneously had an impromptu conference call for work to discuss some big changes, but L didn't want me to be forced to break my Lentin promise, so he drive, I rode in the passenger seat and talked, and luckily, the call wrapped right as we got to Reagan.  I've also discovered that no talking on the phone in the car makes picking up people at the airport very difficult.  I honestly wonder how people did it before cell phones.  Thank goodness Reagan has a cell phone lot where I can park and talk or text if I need to.

I realize these aren't the usual things people give up.  I feel like for me, it's too easy to give up sweets or cokes or coffee or some other "vice".  Giving up meat would have been interesting, but as the meal-preparer most nights, I think we should both try and make that commitment together.  Maybe another year.  For now, I'm trying to make my life less focused on electronics.  A large part of this is probably that I already have so little REAL communication with my friends and family since they are so far away.  Emails, gchat, and Facebook just are not the same as actually talking.  If I'm going to use my phone to email or send someone a message on Facebook, I might as well just call them instead if it's really that important.  So I'm hopeful that this will not only help me really re-connect with the important people in my life but also help me be safe while I'm in the car.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, L gave up cokes.  Really that means he just drinks bourbon on the rocks and a lot of tea and water.  And milk.  The boy loves a tall glass of milk with dinner.

Hello Again

I love Neil Diamond.  Anyway, it's been a few weeks of silence from me.  What have I been up to?  Lots.  Some of which will have posts at later dates because I'm crafty and these things aren't ready to be discussed yet.

The good news is that we've had several visitors, one of which is THE SUN.  Yes, the sun finally decided to be cool and show up and really show off what he/she (is the sun supposed to be a male or female?) and MELT THE FREAKING SNOW.  Most of our front yard was still covered in ice that looked like snow up until last Thursday, and now it's almost totally melted.  Of course, the parts that are still covered are the flower beds that I slaved away planting tulip and daffodil bulbs in last fall, so who knows if they are dead or alive under there.  I would shovel it off with our new ergonomic snow shovel, but that's hard.  Ice is heavy.  And I'm lazy.  And also I don't want to risk decapitating any fleurs that may have managed to sprout under it all.  We'll see.  I've tangented off the original point of this (shocking), which is that we are finally starting to have good weather.  Since we don't have the luxury of covered parking spaces, our cars have been SO GROSS.  Totally covered in snow snot, to the point where it wasn't safe for me to wear either of my white coats while riding in my car.  So 2 weekends ago we took our cars to the car wash to have them totally cleaned out.  This was one of those full-service ones where they vacuum it for you and send it through the wash on auto-pilot while you wait inside and watch it go through... or at least that's what we THOUGHT (because that's how they are in Texas) until I saw a child looking at me from the backseat of the car as it rolled through the car wash (which is shocking when you aren't expecting to see people and you definitely don't see parents in the car because the scrubbers are covering those windows).  No, here in Virginia, you drive that daddy-o through the car wash yourself.  Except it's still in neutral so really there is no point to you being in the car at all (L realized this when it was taking FOR-EV-ER for my car to appear in the wash and rode in the car).  While he did that, I used the restroom and discovered that it really is a high-end car wash.  I mean, they had a full array of products for customers to use:

Yeah, that's a dirty brush in that basket.  And a dirty tea cup, I guess in case you decide to brush your teeth and need to rinse.  Also tape, a spoon, and a velcro roller.  You really could walk in one person and walk out looking totally different if you had enough time.  When we took the truck through the car wash, I rode in the cab and discovered that those kinds of car washes make me nauseous.  Super.
It's been a few weeks of discovery, though.  I discovered a flag holder thing on the front of our house:

I've been contemplating what types of fun flags to display.  Do we go patriotic with American?  Pay homage to the Lone Star State?  Collegiate alliances (probably not)? I'm not one to display stupid ones, ie, a random windsock or ones for holidays (that's what wreaths for the door are for, obvi).  But I also kind of want to play a joke on L.  Much like I realized I should have for last night's fun activity (more to come on that later).

Another discovery: ALLERGIES. Awesome. So glad I'm joining the ranks of the majority of the rest of society now. I grew up NEVER having allergies (none for weather, none for animals... I'm a marvel. I'm not even allergic to poison ivy) and now God decides to pull the rug out from under me. HAHAHA- SO FUNNY! I've been congested for a week now and it's so annoying. Hopefully this will clear up soon.

More posts coming, but that's all for the moment.

And All That Jazz

L and I decided a few weeks ago that since Valentine's Day also fell on a 3-day weekend this year that it might be fun to forgo Valentine gifts for each other and take a trip instead.  Since we're so close to so many places that we've never been, we plan to do this pretty frequently.  This was our first opportunity since we had so many visitors in January, and it couldn't have come at a better time.  After spending a full week completely housebound (after I'd worked already a full week at the house), we were both ready to be out of the house and away from snow.  So off we went... to Chicago.

Yeah, Chicago in the middle of the winter.  In case you were wondering, it's definitely cold there.  And windy.  It's not for the faint at heart.  But the weather was decent while we were there (ie, no snow or precipitation and even sunny!) and we got to do a lot of fun things. 

I could bore you with the minute-by-minute retelling of our trip, but instead I'll hit the highlights:

Day 1
Check in to hotel, which was AWESOME (Palmer Hotel -see pic below)
Puppet Bike
Lunch at Giordanna's
Lots of walking
Food coma/ nap - plan for drinks at the Empire Room at the top of Hancock Tower and dinner in Chinatown (it was Chinese New Year - seemed like a cool idea)
Nap ran long; not hungry anyway.  Get sucked into Olympics.
9:00 - finally decide to move and do something.  I decide to start the showering/ dressing process.  Slow-going process due to Olympics.
10:00 - Still in bathroom.  At this point I'd gotten sucked into the amazing magnifying mirror in the bathroom.  My eyebrows now look better than they have in years.
10:30 - Forgo original plans and just go get drinks in the hotel lounge.  We shut the place down.

Day 2
Brunch at the hotel
Art Institute of Chicago
Puppet Bike
Shopping on Michigan Ave.
Snack
Back to hotel to change for dinner and evening activities
Drinks at Empire Lounge
Dinner - originally planned for Chicago Pizza Oven Grinders but had to change plans on the fly.  No idea what the name of the place is that we ate at but it's a charming, little Italian place next door to CPOG.
Second City Show
Late night drinks at Miller's Pub (or something like that)

Day 3
Extremely late start.  Someone "ate something bad" but might actually be hungover.
Pepto obtained, and lunch for me.
Art Institute of Chicago - Round 2
Brief shopping stint for L.
Head home.

I now have experience using the "El", which apparently smelled like the packaging to a new Barbie doll or a perm (both according to the family sitting a few seats back in our car on the way into the city).  L and I just kind of thought it smelled like pee.  I much prefer the Metro in DC to the El.  Cleaner, bigger cars, and the stations are all less creepy and Phantom of the Opera-like. 

I forgot to take pics of the hotel (and most of the trip, as you'll soon see) but here's a pic of the lobby, courtesy of preservationnation.org:

You might be wondering what Puppet Bike is and why two adults "did" that two days in a row.  Friends, Puppet Bike is magical and heartwarming.  When we first came upon it, we didn't understand what was going on; we just saw a crowd of people standing around staring at something.  As we got closer, we could hear music (Baby Elephant Walk) and then L said he could see two cats fighting (I thought he meant real ones) and then I realized we were looking at a puppet show. 

And it might have been one of the cutest things I've ever seen.  I wish we'd stood around and watched longer but I was STARVING and we figured we'd catch more of the show after lunch (we didn't.  Puppet Bike Room was closed when we walked back by).  Consequently, we both really wanted to try and see another show on Sunday or Monday.  This is what we were able to catch on Sunday:



I do recommend catching a Second City show if you ever have the opportunity.  Very funny.  Maybe one of the cast members we saw will end up on SNL some day, as so many other alums of SC have.  If you go, don't fall victim to the "souvenir glass deal", because it's the easiest way to end up spending $60 on 4 beverages, which is ridiculous.

You're My Best Friend

Two o'clock on a Tuesday afternoon.  Cell phone rings.  I glance at the screen to find out who's calling.  I pick up.

Me: "Samantha*!"

Samantha: "Sooooo... I like a new cd and I don't know who to tell so I called you."

Me: "Okay..."

S: "I feel like I should be embarrassed about this and I am a little bit.  I haven't told anyone about it.  I've been hiding my ipod on all the planes I've been on so that no one sitting next to me could see what I was listening to.  BUT I HAVE TO TELL YOU, I know the words to like half the songs now and they are SO. GOOD.  AHHHHHHHGGGGHHHHH  IT'S SO GOOD!"

Me: "Okayyyyyy...  You definitely have my attention.  I'm very intrigued."

S: "I mean, seriously.  It's that good.  And I know you won't judge me."

Me: "So who is it?"

S: "Heidi Montag.  Her new album is SAH GOOD!  And if you want to change your life, listen to #4 - Superficial."

Scene.

I have to say, I have some fabulous friends.  And several of these fabulous friends have (unknowingly to them) said exactly the right thing at exactly the right time this week.  Samantha continues his obsession with The Hills by investing in Heidi's latest contribution to the world (which I kind of secretly hope results in a me receiving, "To LC, Love Heidi Vol. II" because Volume I was so great and I listen to it all the time in the car)...  Babs had a date with a boy that got a little too attached after one date and turned into a bit of a stalker (a lesson to all: don't use your phone to locate people because that is just WEIRD), but all is well and he finally got the hint and disappeared to pursue greener pastures.  Babs, please start writing publicly again.  I miss it.

And finally, a big thank you goes out to Pink Slip Gourmet (one of my most favorite reads- definitely check it out). I've known Pink Slip since 1991 and she's a very cherished friend, even though we rarely see each other and haven't actively kept in touch in about 5 years. One of the things I love most about her is that every time we talk, we pick right up where we left off the last time we talked.  I've been feeling very disconnected from my friends in Texas and Pink Slip made contact at the right time on Wednesday and said exactly the right things.  Sometimes it's nice to have a friend who isn't trying to solve your problems or be a "fixer"; sometimes it's nice to just hear that someone else understands and can relate.  Again, thank you Pink Slip, and I wish I'd had the foresight to realize you were just like 3 months ahead of me on the same things.


*names have been changed to protect the innocent (Or guilty. Your call.).

Frozen

Definitely channeling Madonna on that one from her 1997-ish album, Ray of Light.  Why?  Because that's our current state of living for the short-term future (oxymoron?).  Witness the following:

This is what the view was like circa 9:30 a.m., except you can't tell how windy it is.  I experienced my first white out about an hour after this was snapped... I was working from the living room so I could keep an eye on the weather from this window and I was typing away on my laptop, when suddenly the window got REALLY bright, so I looked up and I swear to you that it looked like someone was holding a white sheet up against the window.  That kind of made me panic for a second, but then it ended.  Very creepy and now I totally understand how people can get lost in snow.  Also, please note the snow in the street.  The snow plow came through around 3 a.m. and YOU CAN'T EVEN TELL.

Clearly we headed back out to do more shoveling (I helped this time).  Note that the snow comes almost all the way up to L's hip.

 Check out how much snow is on the roof.  Which is responsible for this:

Yeah, the roof on our porch is coming apart.  We're hoping it doesn't cave completely.  L definitely spent time yesterday knocking snow off to help lighten the load, so we'll see what happens.

Another way to see how much snow has fallen: check where my car trunk is and focus on the fact that all that white stuff is on top of it.  Not awesome when you are responsible for digging it out.

My trusty yardstick back in action.  That's all that would stick out.  And that does say 35".

So, needless to say, we've been housebound for 5 full days.  We started running low on food on Monday so L WALKED to the nearest store (a little over 3 miles, roundtrip) with a duffel bag and a backpack and got as much as he could carry.  And then he pretty much collapsed through the front door upon return because he was so exhausted (lots of hills + cold weather) and simultaneously freezing and sweaty.  Don't worry; he's fine.  Such a trooper and totally my hero.  The best part of all this: we're getting more snow on Monday!  SUCK FEST!

And now, here's my recommended cold weather playlist:

Frozen - Madonnna
You're As Cold As Ice - Foreigner
She's So Cold - Rolling Stones
Break the Ice - Britney Spears
Ice, Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice
Freeze Frame - J Geils Band
Hazy Shade of Winter - The Bangles
Snow (Hey Oh) - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Velvet Snow - Kings of Leon
Freeze - T. Pain
Snowblind - Pink Floyd
Winter - Joshua Radin
Winter - Tori Amos
Ice - Sarah McLachlan