We just got back a little while ago from a lovely weekend at the beach with our friend Wendy.
Wendy and Joe used to work together at the same County mental health center. They became very good friends, and when Joe left the County 10 months ago, he and Wendy promised their friendship would outlive their work relationship. They meet for lunch every other week or so, and stay in touch through email too.
Two or three years ago when Wendy expressed an interested in going to grad school, Joe really encouraged her to do so. They both knew it would be hard, working full time and going to school, but Wendy decided it was what she wanted. So she enrolled in George Mason's Conflict Resolution masters program. Fast-forward to now, and Wendy has graduated. So we decided to go to the beach to celebrate her achievement.
Despite the fact that Wendy was 35 years old and had never been on an airplane, she has begun to make up for lost time. Her first 'adventure' was to go to the United Arab Emirates. She enjoyed this exotic travel so much she decided to go to Spain and Alaska. Her conflict resolution classes afforded her opportunities to visit other countries where conflict could be studied, such as Northern Ireland, Egypt, Cypress, and most recently Bosnia.
We left Fri night, shortly before 8pm and got up there just before 10:30. The traffic was good, even for this being the last weekend before the "season" starts. We had great weather on Sat, and enjoyed a nice walk on the beach, shopping in Rehoboth, and napping and reading. Rehoboth was having their sidewalk sale and Wendy found some bargains. Sunday the weather was a mixture of clouds and sun, but still very pleasant. We went for a walk on the boardwalk, and finished up the sidewalk sales in Rehoboth. Wendy took advantage of the 'down time' to go threw her photos and organize many of them into photo albumns.
During lunch on Sunday Joe asked Wendy about her pretty earrings. She said she'd gotten them on her trip to Bosnia, and that she always bought a pair of earrings on all of her trips. This gave me a thought: since Wendy loves to write about her travels, loves to take photos, and always buys earrings, I suggested she write a travelogue called "The Earring Diaries". The book would feature her photos and stories of the places she visits, along with a photo of the earrings she buys there. I think it would be a big hit!
We left at 5 and got home at 7:30. It was a fun weekend, and hopefully a good way to celebrate Wendy's graduation.
Tomorrow I have to go to Richmond for work. I have a meeting with some folks to hopefully talk them into doing some things the right way, which of course it my way. Since I drove 4 hours on Thursday, 2 1/2 hours on Fri night, and 2 1/2 hours tonight, I am sort of dreading the 2 hours down to Richmond and 2 hours back home tomorrow. But it can't be avoided. I hope the meeting goes well. While I'm there I'm supposed to meet some of the others I have worked with via email and phone but not met in person yet. That could be fun, only it probably won't be. These people live in Richmond. Need I say more?
I have nothing against Richmond in principle. It's just that they all live and work there, and I live and work here. Even though Richmond is only 2 hours from northern VA, it might as well be a different planet. They think differently, they talk differently, they have different expectations. They are used to dealing with other people from Richmond. I am used to dealing with people all over the US. Its just very.... different. But hopefully tomorrow I can 'build some bridges' that might help connect their planet with mine.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Traffic Court
Oh the fun of traffic court... in Essex County VA, near Tappahannock. (Insert sarcastic smile here.)
Okay, I know, nobody likes going to traffic court. But its not like I had a choice. The officer who pulled me over going 78 in a 55 mph zone explained to me not once but twice that this was not a ticket you could simply pay. "You must appear in court."
It was a Saturday morning, around 9am and I was on my way to the Northern Neck of VA, to help Hugh build that screened porch. It was bright and sunny, the roads were completely dry, and it was 9 o'clock on a frickin' Saturday morning in Essex County VA so there were no other cars on the road. Except officer Allen's. (Note to self: when tempted to speed again, only do so on the highway where there are other cars around in order to provide the officer with a selection.)
Traffic court starts at 10am, so I left at 8am and got there just 2 minutes before 10. As I filed into the little court room I thought "Don't tell me ALL THESE PEOPLE have court dates today... we'll never get through them all". I mean, there were at least 60 people sitting there nervously waiting their turn to ask the judge for leniency. They wound up needing to postpone the criminal court which usually starts at 11am until the afternoon. Unfortunately, I seemed to be like number 52 or of 60, so I was there for quite a while.
One thing traffic court will do for you is make you feel a lot LESS like a loser. At least it did for me. On my way down there I was thinking "Man, what a loser I am. Reckless driving. Damn." But that was before I heard why all the rest of those people were in traffic court. Probably the most common violation seemed to be speeding and driving on a suspended license.
The most extreme case was a 25 year old guy, dressed in a suit and tie, who was in court this day for driving away from the court house a month ago after his license had been suspended. He was trying to tell the judge that since he was acquitted of whatever the other charge was that day, he didn't think his license was suspended. The judge realized he was playing a game and ordered the transcript from his previous case to be read. The guy continued to play his game and the judge got fed up with him. Well, I suppose the 9 speeding tickets and 2 license suspensions in the last 2 years added to it. Long story short: he was found guilty of driving on a suspended license, for which he was fined $1500. AND he was found guilty of perjury, for which he was sentenced to 6 months in jail. The sheriff escorted him from the court room.
I didn't feel like such a loser at that point.
The cast of characters in that court room could be material for several days' worth of blogging, but I will simply summarize them all by sharing this take-away point with you: If you are ever stopped by a policeman, do not say anything other than to answer his questions because what you say CAN be used against you. Just keep your mouth shut and sign the ticket. It says right on the ticket that signing is not an admission of guilt, but rather, a promise to appear in court. Many in the court room that day had apparently never been given this gem of wisdom, which made it harder on them to appear worthy of leniency.
Oh, and did I mention my shock at how some of these people were dressed? Once girl had on very tight, faded hip-hugger jeans, flip flops, and a cropped top. She looked more like a hooker than a court room defendant. Some of the men had on jeans, tennis shoes, construction boots, wrinkled shirts, logo T-shirts, and sweat pants. At least the dress code monitors made them take their baseball hats off in the court room.
I was able to get my reckless driving reduced to speeding, which made it totally worth the 4 hour round trip and the 3 hours of sitting in the court room waiting for my case to be heard.
Okay, I know, nobody likes going to traffic court. But its not like I had a choice. The officer who pulled me over going 78 in a 55 mph zone explained to me not once but twice that this was not a ticket you could simply pay. "You must appear in court."
It was a Saturday morning, around 9am and I was on my way to the Northern Neck of VA, to help Hugh build that screened porch. It was bright and sunny, the roads were completely dry, and it was 9 o'clock on a frickin' Saturday morning in Essex County VA so there were no other cars on the road. Except officer Allen's. (Note to self: when tempted to speed again, only do so on the highway where there are other cars around in order to provide the officer with a selection.)
Traffic court starts at 10am, so I left at 8am and got there just 2 minutes before 10. As I filed into the little court room I thought "Don't tell me ALL THESE PEOPLE have court dates today... we'll never get through them all". I mean, there were at least 60 people sitting there nervously waiting their turn to ask the judge for leniency. They wound up needing to postpone the criminal court which usually starts at 11am until the afternoon. Unfortunately, I seemed to be like number 52 or of 60, so I was there for quite a while.
One thing traffic court will do for you is make you feel a lot LESS like a loser. At least it did for me. On my way down there I was thinking "Man, what a loser I am. Reckless driving. Damn." But that was before I heard why all the rest of those people were in traffic court. Probably the most common violation seemed to be speeding and driving on a suspended license.
The most extreme case was a 25 year old guy, dressed in a suit and tie, who was in court this day for driving away from the court house a month ago after his license had been suspended. He was trying to tell the judge that since he was acquitted of whatever the other charge was that day, he didn't think his license was suspended. The judge realized he was playing a game and ordered the transcript from his previous case to be read. The guy continued to play his game and the judge got fed up with him. Well, I suppose the 9 speeding tickets and 2 license suspensions in the last 2 years added to it. Long story short: he was found guilty of driving on a suspended license, for which he was fined $1500. AND he was found guilty of perjury, for which he was sentenced to 6 months in jail. The sheriff escorted him from the court room.
I didn't feel like such a loser at that point.
The cast of characters in that court room could be material for several days' worth of blogging, but I will simply summarize them all by sharing this take-away point with you: If you are ever stopped by a policeman, do not say anything other than to answer his questions because what you say CAN be used against you. Just keep your mouth shut and sign the ticket. It says right on the ticket that signing is not an admission of guilt, but rather, a promise to appear in court. Many in the court room that day had apparently never been given this gem of wisdom, which made it harder on them to appear worthy of leniency.
Oh, and did I mention my shock at how some of these people were dressed? Once girl had on very tight, faded hip-hugger jeans, flip flops, and a cropped top. She looked more like a hooker than a court room defendant. Some of the men had on jeans, tennis shoes, construction boots, wrinkled shirts, logo T-shirts, and sweat pants. At least the dress code monitors made them take their baseball hats off in the court room.
I was able to get my reckless driving reduced to speeding, which made it totally worth the 4 hour round trip and the 3 hours of sitting in the court room waiting for my case to be heard.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Idol recap
Last night there were just 3 contestants left: Carrie, Vonzell, and Bo. Since they had a full hour to fill, each contestant got to sing 3 songs. There was Clive Davis' choice, the contestant's choice, and the judge's choice.
First were Clive's choices. For Vonzell he chose the Dionne Warwick hit "I Know I'll Never Love This Way Again". Now that is a challenging song. It has a full octave jump, 3 times, back-to-back in the chorus. But Vonzell did it! However, Clive cautioned her about smiling too much during a song that is supposed to be somewhat reserved.
For Carrie Clive chose the Roy Orbison/KD Lang hit "Crying" - another really challenging song. This song has a very wide range, but Carrie did a beautiful job with it.
Clive chose Elton John's "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" for Bo. I thought "WHAT???" That song is no where NEAR the difficulty of the songs he chose for the females. Any half-talent could sing that song. That just didn't seem fair.
Next was the contestant's choice, and Vonzell sang the Aretha hit "Chain of Fools". Carrie surprised me with an Air Supply hit "Out of Nothing at All". Bo sang his choice a cappella, but I had never heard the song before and can't tell you the name of it. I didn't like it.
Finally came the judge's choice. Randy chose Donna Summer's "On The Radio" for Vonzell. I'm guessing he picked that song because of it's boring, repetitiveness. He must have thought 'if she can make THIS song interesting, she's a star'.
Paula chose the Rolling Stones' hit "Satisfaction" for Bo. Once again I thought 'why in the world would you pick that song for a singing competition?' There's barely a melody line, and there aren't more than 4 or 5 different pitches to sing. Once again, it seemed to me that Bo was given an incredibly easy song to perform.
Simon chose the Shania Twain hit "Man, I Feel Like A Woman" for Carrie. As you'd expect, she did a good job and had fun with it.
At the end of the night Joe & I both said we hoped Bo would go home, and the finale would be between Vonzell and Carrie. If that were the case, I wouldn't mind who won. I think they are both great singers and performers. But we both knew that Bo was too popular, and that Vonzell would be the one to go home on Wednesday.
We were right. Poor Vonzell had to go home, so next week's finale will be between Carrie and Bo. I still think Carrie will win. She's definitely the better singer - hands down.
What am I going to watch on Tuesday nights when American Idol is over???
First were Clive's choices. For Vonzell he chose the Dionne Warwick hit "I Know I'll Never Love This Way Again". Now that is a challenging song. It has a full octave jump, 3 times, back-to-back in the chorus. But Vonzell did it! However, Clive cautioned her about smiling too much during a song that is supposed to be somewhat reserved.
For Carrie Clive chose the Roy Orbison/KD Lang hit "Crying" - another really challenging song. This song has a very wide range, but Carrie did a beautiful job with it.
Clive chose Elton John's "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" for Bo. I thought "WHAT???" That song is no where NEAR the difficulty of the songs he chose for the females. Any half-talent could sing that song. That just didn't seem fair.
Next was the contestant's choice, and Vonzell sang the Aretha hit "Chain of Fools". Carrie surprised me with an Air Supply hit "Out of Nothing at All". Bo sang his choice a cappella, but I had never heard the song before and can't tell you the name of it. I didn't like it.
Finally came the judge's choice. Randy chose Donna Summer's "On The Radio" for Vonzell. I'm guessing he picked that song because of it's boring, repetitiveness. He must have thought 'if she can make THIS song interesting, she's a star'.
Paula chose the Rolling Stones' hit "Satisfaction" for Bo. Once again I thought 'why in the world would you pick that song for a singing competition?' There's barely a melody line, and there aren't more than 4 or 5 different pitches to sing. Once again, it seemed to me that Bo was given an incredibly easy song to perform.
Simon chose the Shania Twain hit "Man, I Feel Like A Woman" for Carrie. As you'd expect, she did a good job and had fun with it.
At the end of the night Joe & I both said we hoped Bo would go home, and the finale would be between Vonzell and Carrie. If that were the case, I wouldn't mind who won. I think they are both great singers and performers. But we both knew that Bo was too popular, and that Vonzell would be the one to go home on Wednesday.
We were right. Poor Vonzell had to go home, so next week's finale will be between Carrie and Bo. I still think Carrie will win. She's definitely the better singer - hands down.
What am I going to watch on Tuesday nights when American Idol is over???
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
What a week!
I wish that meant 'Wow, that week was so good I wished it wouldn't end'. Unfortunately the opposite was true.
Last week was so hectic at work I felt like I was having a nervous breakdown. So much stress and pressure. I fought really hard not to stay at work for 9 and 10 hours a day as I have done in the past. Its just not good for you to do that.
Friday evening I was SO HAPPY to be going home from work! I knew I had done all I could do, and that would just have to be enough. Friday evening we met up with our friends Mike & Clark and Ron & James and we all piled into our Suburban (nick-named Subur-barn) and headed up to the beach!
We had a fantastic weekend! The weather was beautiful so we had a lovely time doing some outlet shopping, people-watching, and walking around in downtown Rehoboth. Saturday night we had a fabulous dinner at Fish On, a real quality restaurant in Lewes.
We did a lot of talking, a lot of joking, and a LOT of laughing! It was exactly what I needed after such a long, hard, stressful week at work. How fortunate we are to have such great friends with whom to relax and unwind!
Tonight is American Idol. There are only 3 contestants left now... speaking of pressure!
Last week was so hectic at work I felt like I was having a nervous breakdown. So much stress and pressure. I fought really hard not to stay at work for 9 and 10 hours a day as I have done in the past. Its just not good for you to do that.
Friday evening I was SO HAPPY to be going home from work! I knew I had done all I could do, and that would just have to be enough. Friday evening we met up with our friends Mike & Clark and Ron & James and we all piled into our Suburban (nick-named Subur-barn) and headed up to the beach!
We had a fantastic weekend! The weather was beautiful so we had a lovely time doing some outlet shopping, people-watching, and walking around in downtown Rehoboth. Saturday night we had a fabulous dinner at Fish On, a real quality restaurant in Lewes.
We did a lot of talking, a lot of joking, and a LOT of laughing! It was exactly what I needed after such a long, hard, stressful week at work. How fortunate we are to have such great friends with whom to relax and unwind!
Tonight is American Idol. There are only 3 contestants left now... speaking of pressure!
Monday, May 09, 2005
I'm tired
Wow, what a weekend. Unfortunately I don't mean 'Wow, how great'. I mean, it was okay. I'm just tired.
Saturday I went into work, which is something I am staunchly against. To me, if an employer knows you'll come in on weekends to keep from getting too far behind, they'll feel confident that you will get the job done even when the job is too much. But, this time I decided to do it because we are in a state of transition at work, and everybody knows I'm up to my eyeballs in work. So, I told my boss that I would come in on Sat and get a big chunk of work done, but that I wanted to take another day off in its place. He agreed. So I worked from 9-5 without a lunch break. It did feel good to get so much done. I never have 8 hours of uninterrupted work time.
When I got home, I was hungry and in the mood for pizza so Joe & I went to CiCi's pizza and pasta buffet. Pretty good food, cheap price. Afterwards we went for a little drive, since it was still light outside and the neighborhoods are beautiful this time of year. Azaleas, cherry trees, dogwoods - you name, its here. There's nothing like Spring in DC. Then we went home and I watched decorating shows and Joe watched some lame movie on HBO.
Sunday I was determined to finish the painting in our office/library. Embarrassingly enough, I started painting this room in October. Yes, you read correctly. October. I had to do a lot of wall and ceiling repair, as the previous owners of this house appeared to have played darts on the walls in this room. Either that or they tried to wallpaper using postcards and pushpins. Either way, there were a lot of holes to fill before I could even start painting.
I had painted the ceiling and all 4 walls, and had started priming the trim. All the baseboards, door jams, door molding, window sashes, and window moldings had been painted with oil-based paint. Since I don't use oil-based paint, I had to prime all that trim before I could paint it with latex, or it wouldn't stick. So, as of October, I'd gotten the baseboards primed. Then, it seemed we got a bit of Indian Summer, so instead of continuing with the painting, Joe & I ran around with the top down on our car on the nice weekends. Then came Thanksgiving, then came the purchase of the new place at the beach, then Christmas, then moving from the old beach place to the new beach place, then came cleaning the old beach place and having some repairs done, then came showing/selling the old beach place. All the sudden, it was May.
So yesterday I was determined not to let the pretty weather or anything else distract me. I primed the doors and windows, took a quick break for lunch, then painted all of the trim. It took me 6 hours. I would have finished the room except I absolutely had to stop painting to get showered and shaved for Mother's Day.
Joe & I took his mother and my aunt to McCormick & Schmick's for Mother's Day dinner. It is a fine restaurant, and they loved it. I had a fabulous seafood fettucini alfredo. Joe had blue fish, and Evelyn and Mary both had the broiled seafood platter. Then we all got dessert! Needless to say, I was absolutely stuffed, and in no condition to finish the last little bit of painting at 9pm last night. I was so tired I went to bed at 10.
So this evening, after working a full day, I painted the attic door and the door jam and molding. It took 2 coats since the color is rather dark. Tomorrow, when there's enough light for me to be confident I don't need to touch up anymore on the door, we'll be ready to fold up the drop clothes, pull up the tape from the wood floor, vacuum, and put the furniture back where it belongs. I can't wait to see the finished room.
"Hi, my name is Mark, and I'm a cable-TV-decorating-show-aholic."
Saturday I went into work, which is something I am staunchly against. To me, if an employer knows you'll come in on weekends to keep from getting too far behind, they'll feel confident that you will get the job done even when the job is too much. But, this time I decided to do it because we are in a state of transition at work, and everybody knows I'm up to my eyeballs in work. So, I told my boss that I would come in on Sat and get a big chunk of work done, but that I wanted to take another day off in its place. He agreed. So I worked from 9-5 without a lunch break. It did feel good to get so much done. I never have 8 hours of uninterrupted work time.
When I got home, I was hungry and in the mood for pizza so Joe & I went to CiCi's pizza and pasta buffet. Pretty good food, cheap price. Afterwards we went for a little drive, since it was still light outside and the neighborhoods are beautiful this time of year. Azaleas, cherry trees, dogwoods - you name, its here. There's nothing like Spring in DC. Then we went home and I watched decorating shows and Joe watched some lame movie on HBO.
Sunday I was determined to finish the painting in our office/library. Embarrassingly enough, I started painting this room in October. Yes, you read correctly. October. I had to do a lot of wall and ceiling repair, as the previous owners of this house appeared to have played darts on the walls in this room. Either that or they tried to wallpaper using postcards and pushpins. Either way, there were a lot of holes to fill before I could even start painting.
I had painted the ceiling and all 4 walls, and had started priming the trim. All the baseboards, door jams, door molding, window sashes, and window moldings had been painted with oil-based paint. Since I don't use oil-based paint, I had to prime all that trim before I could paint it with latex, or it wouldn't stick. So, as of October, I'd gotten the baseboards primed. Then, it seemed we got a bit of Indian Summer, so instead of continuing with the painting, Joe & I ran around with the top down on our car on the nice weekends. Then came Thanksgiving, then came the purchase of the new place at the beach, then Christmas, then moving from the old beach place to the new beach place, then came cleaning the old beach place and having some repairs done, then came showing/selling the old beach place. All the sudden, it was May.
So yesterday I was determined not to let the pretty weather or anything else distract me. I primed the doors and windows, took a quick break for lunch, then painted all of the trim. It took me 6 hours. I would have finished the room except I absolutely had to stop painting to get showered and shaved for Mother's Day.
Joe & I took his mother and my aunt to McCormick & Schmick's for Mother's Day dinner. It is a fine restaurant, and they loved it. I had a fabulous seafood fettucini alfredo. Joe had blue fish, and Evelyn and Mary both had the broiled seafood platter. Then we all got dessert! Needless to say, I was absolutely stuffed, and in no condition to finish the last little bit of painting at 9pm last night. I was so tired I went to bed at 10.
So this evening, after working a full day, I painted the attic door and the door jam and molding. It took 2 coats since the color is rather dark. Tomorrow, when there's enough light for me to be confident I don't need to touch up anymore on the door, we'll be ready to fold up the drop clothes, pull up the tape from the wood floor, vacuum, and put the furniture back where it belongs. I can't wait to see the finished room.
"Hi, my name is Mark, and I'm a cable-TV-decorating-show-aholic."
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Dinner Parties
This past weekend was our 'entertaining at home' weekend. (If you're new to this blog, check my post on Jan 31.)
Friday night Joe & I had dinner at Rocco's, an authentic family-style Italian restaurant in McLean. He had gnocchi with meatballs and I had the ravioli special. As usual, it was too much to finish, so we brought home left-overs.
After dinner we went to the grocery store. I really don't like grocery shopping, but I also don't think it fair to send Joe alone, especially since the purpose of going that night was to get food for our dinner parties - a task of my inventing.
As a treat to Joe for his recent promotion, on Sat morning we splashed into the city in the rain and bought him a used Tony Little Gazelle exercise machine from someone on Craigs List. It was what he wanted. Then we came home, had our Italian left-overs for lunch, and started cleaning the house.
Man, do I miss our cleaning lady. (Actually I prefer the term housekeeper over cleaning lady.) We used to have a housekeeper come every other week. Some may think of this as a luxury. I used to. But then I decided it was simply a decision based on how I want to spend my time. Do I want to spend every weekend doing some kind of housecleaning, and never having the entire house clean all at the same time? The answer was no. I preferred to part with some of my money and have the entire house spic-n-span on the same day so I could spend my weekends doing other things. So, for about 6 years now we have had the same housekeeper. But 6 months ago we got fed up with our housekeeper (long story) and informed her that her services were no longer required. We figured we'd go back to cleaning ourselves for a few weeks, and see how it went. Unfortunately, we have not yet returned to having a housekeeper. We kind of enjoyed having that extra money, and we just kind of accepted not having a clean house every two weeks. Anyway, back to my story...
After cleaning the house and starting the cooking, we both showered and got ready for our company. My cousin Nez (short for Inez) and her husband Steve came shortly before 6. We ate in the kitchen. We had chicken breasts stuffed with feta, ricotta and spinach, lightly breaded and fried. Dee-lish! We also had salad and almond rice. They brought a chocolate cake for dessert. We had a great time talking, laughing, and catching up. It had been over a year since we'd seen each other. She only lives 45 minutes away, but our lives are very different. They left shortly before midnight. Good times.
Sunday we went to George's house for his big yard sale. The weather was a thousand times better than the day before. On the way home we stopped by our friends Michael and Jamie's new condo. They were painting, but seemed to enjoy the interruption in order to show us around. It's on the top floor and has a huge, fabulous balcony. The decor was a bit dated, (the kitchen screams 'Golden Girls') but I know these guys, and this place will be FAB-U-LOUS when they're done. They're getting married in MA in Sept.
Then we came home and started getting ready for dinner party number two. Our friends Gene and Tracy were supposed to come, but on Sat we found out that Gene's dad had recently had bypass surgery, so he and Tracy were in PA with his family. So we invited Kerry, Hugh, Kelly, and George to dinner in place of them. Since there were 6 of us, we ate in the dining room. We had pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, peas, and biscuits. (Sound familiar? See our menu in my post dated Feb 13.) It was delicious - Joe is such a good cook - and everyone enjoyed it. For desert we had a fruit torte and coffee. They left at 8.
I may have trouble keeping my New Year's resolution to have a dinner party every month, because in May we are going to be out of town every weekend except the first weekend, which is Mother's Day. But I don't feel too badly about it since my original resolution was for one dinner party every month, and so far we have had 2 dinner parties each month. They really are fun, and we have gotten used to entertaining casually. And since we will likely be spending many weekends at the beach this Spring/Summer, its nice to have these dinner parties to stay in touch with our friends.
Bon appetit!
Friday night Joe & I had dinner at Rocco's, an authentic family-style Italian restaurant in McLean. He had gnocchi with meatballs and I had the ravioli special. As usual, it was too much to finish, so we brought home left-overs.
After dinner we went to the grocery store. I really don't like grocery shopping, but I also don't think it fair to send Joe alone, especially since the purpose of going that night was to get food for our dinner parties - a task of my inventing.
As a treat to Joe for his recent promotion, on Sat morning we splashed into the city in the rain and bought him a used Tony Little Gazelle exercise machine from someone on Craigs List. It was what he wanted. Then we came home, had our Italian left-overs for lunch, and started cleaning the house.
Man, do I miss our cleaning lady. (Actually I prefer the term housekeeper over cleaning lady.) We used to have a housekeeper come every other week. Some may think of this as a luxury. I used to. But then I decided it was simply a decision based on how I want to spend my time. Do I want to spend every weekend doing some kind of housecleaning, and never having the entire house clean all at the same time? The answer was no. I preferred to part with some of my money and have the entire house spic-n-span on the same day so I could spend my weekends doing other things. So, for about 6 years now we have had the same housekeeper. But 6 months ago we got fed up with our housekeeper (long story) and informed her that her services were no longer required. We figured we'd go back to cleaning ourselves for a few weeks, and see how it went. Unfortunately, we have not yet returned to having a housekeeper. We kind of enjoyed having that extra money, and we just kind of accepted not having a clean house every two weeks. Anyway, back to my story...
After cleaning the house and starting the cooking, we both showered and got ready for our company. My cousin Nez (short for Inez) and her husband Steve came shortly before 6. We ate in the kitchen. We had chicken breasts stuffed with feta, ricotta and spinach, lightly breaded and fried. Dee-lish! We also had salad and almond rice. They brought a chocolate cake for dessert. We had a great time talking, laughing, and catching up. It had been over a year since we'd seen each other. She only lives 45 minutes away, but our lives are very different. They left shortly before midnight. Good times.
Sunday we went to George's house for his big yard sale. The weather was a thousand times better than the day before. On the way home we stopped by our friends Michael and Jamie's new condo. They were painting, but seemed to enjoy the interruption in order to show us around. It's on the top floor and has a huge, fabulous balcony. The decor was a bit dated, (the kitchen screams 'Golden Girls') but I know these guys, and this place will be FAB-U-LOUS when they're done. They're getting married in MA in Sept.
Then we came home and started getting ready for dinner party number two. Our friends Gene and Tracy were supposed to come, but on Sat we found out that Gene's dad had recently had bypass surgery, so he and Tracy were in PA with his family. So we invited Kerry, Hugh, Kelly, and George to dinner in place of them. Since there were 6 of us, we ate in the dining room. We had pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, peas, and biscuits. (Sound familiar? See our menu in my post dated Feb 13.) It was delicious - Joe is such a good cook - and everyone enjoyed it. For desert we had a fruit torte and coffee. They left at 8.
I may have trouble keeping my New Year's resolution to have a dinner party every month, because in May we are going to be out of town every weekend except the first weekend, which is Mother's Day. But I don't feel too badly about it since my original resolution was for one dinner party every month, and so far we have had 2 dinner parties each month. They really are fun, and we have gotten used to entertaining casually. And since we will likely be spending many weekends at the beach this Spring/Summer, its nice to have these dinner parties to stay in touch with our friends.
Bon appetit!
No more Idol predictions
What can I say? Apparently 'America' and I do not have the same taste in singers/performers. My predictions for last week's Idol elimination were totally off. I predicted Scott would go home, but he wasn't even in the bottom three. I predicted Constantine and Carrie would be the final two, but instead, Constantine went home.
So, no more predictions - only commentaries.
I thought Scott did an amazing job last night. He has not been one of my favorites, but I must give him credit for his performances last night. I wonder if Simons' (and my) predictions that he would get sent home last week scared him into pulling out all the stops this week. I was impressed.
Another singer that continues to surprise me is Bo. Honestly, I do not see what everyone else thinks is so great about him. Maybe they like that husky, smokey voice of his, but I don't. I am also annoyed by his frequent, jerking head motions when he sings. Why is that necessary? All the other performers manage to keep their heads from inappropriate movement. Its as if he has turettes or something. I want to put one of those foam collars that people wear after a car accident around his neck.
I thought Spencer's boy Anthony did a good job on his second song last night, but his first one was uninspiring. 'Poison Ivy' was not a good song choice. But he's awfully darn cute and sexy and I wonder how many 13 year old girls and 20 year old gay boys are voting for him for just that reason. :-)
Vonzell continues to do a good job every week. Consistency should be her middle name. Vonzell Consistency Solomon. She's very attractive, has a beautiful voice, and has very natural stage presence. She'll be a star one day.
That leaves Carrie, whom I predicted weeks ago would be the winner. Well, true to my decision tonight to stop predicting, I am not going to say anything else about her chances. Instead, I will say that I think she has the best vocals of them all. And since this IS a singing contest, she should do well.
Tonight is elimination night...
So, no more predictions - only commentaries.
I thought Scott did an amazing job last night. He has not been one of my favorites, but I must give him credit for his performances last night. I wonder if Simons' (and my) predictions that he would get sent home last week scared him into pulling out all the stops this week. I was impressed.
Another singer that continues to surprise me is Bo. Honestly, I do not see what everyone else thinks is so great about him. Maybe they like that husky, smokey voice of his, but I don't. I am also annoyed by his frequent, jerking head motions when he sings. Why is that necessary? All the other performers manage to keep their heads from inappropriate movement. Its as if he has turettes or something. I want to put one of those foam collars that people wear after a car accident around his neck.
I thought Spencer's boy Anthony did a good job on his second song last night, but his first one was uninspiring. 'Poison Ivy' was not a good song choice. But he's awfully darn cute and sexy and I wonder how many 13 year old girls and 20 year old gay boys are voting for him for just that reason. :-)
Vonzell continues to do a good job every week. Consistency should be her middle name. Vonzell Consistency Solomon. She's very attractive, has a beautiful voice, and has very natural stage presence. She'll be a star one day.
That leaves Carrie, whom I predicted weeks ago would be the winner. Well, true to my decision tonight to stop predicting, I am not going to say anything else about her chances. Instead, I will say that I think she has the best vocals of them all. And since this IS a singing contest, she should do well.
Tonight is elimination night...
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
"Off night" for Idol
What was UP with American Idol last night? It just seemed like all the performers were 'off'.
Perhaps the theme of last night's show, songs from 2000-present had something to do with it. Modern music sucks for the most part. It was a lot more fun when they were doing songs from the year they were born, 70s dance music, songs from musicals, etc.
I must congratulate Vonzell and Anthony though. They had the only 2 performances worth remembering from last night.
Although I think Constantine is a crowd pleaser and a crowd favorite, even his performance last night was boring. He just ran around the stage, flinging his hair and kicking at the camera. What was that all about?
The absolute worst performance of the night was Scott. It is not easy to sing a Luther Vandross song and make people think you did a good job. But he did a terrible job. There was not 1 ounce of personality in that performance. It was if he'd been awake for 48 hours, singing 1001 songs in a row without stopping, and then he did that performance of 'Dance With My Father' last night. It was a one-way ticket to Yawns-town.
I predict Scott will be voted off tonight.
And as long as I'm predicting, I think Anthony will be voted off next week (sorry Spencer), followed by Bo the following week, leaving Vonzell, Constantine, and Carrie in the top three. I think Vonzell will go next, and Constantine will be the last to go, leaving Carrie as the winner.
But only time will tell...
Perhaps the theme of last night's show, songs from 2000-present had something to do with it. Modern music sucks for the most part. It was a lot more fun when they were doing songs from the year they were born, 70s dance music, songs from musicals, etc.
I must congratulate Vonzell and Anthony though. They had the only 2 performances worth remembering from last night.
Although I think Constantine is a crowd pleaser and a crowd favorite, even his performance last night was boring. He just ran around the stage, flinging his hair and kicking at the camera. What was that all about?
The absolute worst performance of the night was Scott. It is not easy to sing a Luther Vandross song and make people think you did a good job. But he did a terrible job. There was not 1 ounce of personality in that performance. It was if he'd been awake for 48 hours, singing 1001 songs in a row without stopping, and then he did that performance of 'Dance With My Father' last night. It was a one-way ticket to Yawns-town.
I predict Scott will be voted off tonight.
And as long as I'm predicting, I think Anthony will be voted off next week (sorry Spencer), followed by Bo the following week, leaving Vonzell, Constantine, and Carrie in the top three. I think Vonzell will go next, and Constantine will be the last to go, leaving Carrie as the winner.
But only time will tell...
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Not exactly Mother's Day
I was raised a Jehovah's Witness. In 1993 I came out to my family (as gay) and told them that I was leaving the religion since it did not tolerate gay people. They claimed they were shocked - they had no idea I was gay. (I find this very hard to believe. I mean, I have photos of my hair in the 80s...) They also said they were heartbroken that they would no longer be able to see or talk to me anymore since I was leaving the church. That I believed, as I knew those to be the church's rules. My family plays by the rules, too. It has been 12 years.
In October of 2004 my mother called to tell me that my father had suffered an unexpected medical emergency and was in the hospital. Jehovah's Witnesses are allowed to communicate with a "disfellowshipped" family member in the event of an emergency, so I wasn't totally shocked to hear from her. I patiently let her tell me all about his situation, and the doctor's prognosis that he would be okay. I thought for a second or two about checking on his condition later in the week, but decided against it.
A few weeks ago I got an answering message from Paul, the son of Marie, a longtime family friend. Marie and my mother were childhood friends. Paul's message said he was trying to get in touch with my mother to let her know that Marie has passed away, so I called Paul back and gave him my mother's phone number. Then I sent an email to my mother, letting her know that Marie had passed and that I had given her phone number to Paul. A few days later I received the following email from my mother:
"Hi Mark,
I was surprised to see the e-mail and shocked to hear the news about Marie. I had no idea she was in distress so that she died. I just talked with Paul and he said Marie was found in the house by the police because neighbors hadn't seen her and her news papers were still there. She had been depressed for a few years but her main problem was diabetes. So she probably had a heart attack or a stroke. So sad, my friend for 69 years. Our mothers were friends before we were born.
Mark, there wouldn't be a problem for you to call me about such a matter. Neither would there be for you to inquire about your Dad's health. Fortunately, the Dr.s didn't find a reason for his blacking out so we are just regarding it as a fluke-a once in a life time blip or chemical imbalance. He is going on with his life and is fishing with Steve in Md. for 3 days. He is wearing a monitor but since he has had no symptoms, it's almost a waste. His most serious problem was a bruised kidney from when he fell. It is healing and he is resuming his normal activities. He is enjoying retirement, having a life free of other peoples schedules. He is still the presiding overseer in the cong. and a fine example to all. Just a great human being. A phone call or a card would have been nice, just to let him know you still care. Mary shouldn't be your only source of info.
I hope these days you are well and happy in your job. Many still inquire about you- I just wish I had something positive to tell them about you, spiritually. But, only time will tell. I hope we are still here if it happens.
We love you Mark, and wish circumstances allowed for us to be together. It is our greatest wish.
Love and hugs,
Mom"
I could hardly believe that in the same email, she could scold me for not inquiring about my father's medical situation AND claim she wished circumstances allowed for us to be together. At first I shook my head in disbelief. Then I started getting angry. Then I decided I had had enough of the manipulation, and that I would write back to her in a few days when I wasn't angry and could clearly and concisely explain why I hadn't called to check on my father and why I hadn't called to relay the information about Marie.
So about two weeks later I sent this email:
"Mom,
I realize that I could have called you regarding Marie's passing and to inquire about Dad's health. In fact, I could call for no reason at all if I wanted to, because your religion's rules about association only apply to you - not to me. But I chose not to call because I didn't want to. Twelve years ago you, Dad, and my sisters made it clear to me that I was no longer a suitable associate for you all, despite my being your son and brother. So I find it irritating that you expect me to come running back to you all when one of you is in some kind of crisis. It is as if you think you can ignore me during the 'good' times, but expect me to be there for you in the 'bad' times. I don't think that's right.
For just one moment, think about what it was like for me when I took the only step available to me to be happy, and you all cut me off. It took quite a while, but I finally grieved the loss of my relationship with you all, the way a survivor grieves the death of a loved one. Only for me it was the equivalent of grieving the loss of both my parents, my sisters, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, and friends - simultaneously. It was not easy. But knowing I would never return to the JW religion, I eventually made piece with my losses and moved on.
I have had very little contact with you, even less with Dad, and absolutely none with my sisters, brothers-in-law, nieces or nephews. As I recall, Dad told you in front of me that he wasn't going to join us in the living room because he did not want people to think it was okay to associate with disfellowshipped people. I likely wouldn't even recognize the kids, so you can imagine how odd it would be for me to continue to feel warmth toward these people I used to know. Twelve years have gone by, and in that time I have been fortunate enough to be blessed with a second family. When Joe's father was alive Joe and I would frequently have Sunday family dinner at his parents house. After his father passed, Joe and I decided to visit his mother and go out to dinner with her every Thursday night. We spend time with Joe's brothers and sister and their families, too. Next month will mark 9 years that he and I have been together, and his family has been a real family to me from the start. You know that I am in frequent contact with Mary and Nez, too. So when there is a family crisis, it will be these people to whom I will run, and it will be these people that I will hold dear. I have already dealt with the loss of my first family. It would be redundant for me to to act any differently.
I realize you were probably not prepared to read this, and that my words may sound strong or harsh. But there is an old saying that goes 'you can't have your cake and eat it too'. You can't ignore me when things are going well for you and then expect me to jump at the chance to comfort you when things aren't going well for you. I'm not going to do that.
I firmly believe that we all make choices - lots of them - every day. Many times we can choose again if we're not happy with how things turned out. I know of others like me who are no longer JWs whose families eventually found a way to have a relationship with them. But every day you choose to let your religion separate you from your son. It is your choice. And I choose to continue trying to be an authentic person who does now hide behind tradition or religion or anything else, but strives to be as open and loving and genuine as I can be. That is my choice.
So when people I used to know inquire about me, I hope that you will tell them that I am healthy and happy, because that is the Truth.
Mark"
Its been almost a week and I've not heard back from her. Honestly, I don't think I will. I imagine she was shocked by what I'd written, and likely now believes that my 'heart has grown cold'. (That was an expression she used on me once before.) But I sent the email and I'm glad I did because I needed to say those things and she needed to hear them. My intention was not to shock her, although I did anticipate that's what would happen. My intention was to be honest and to stop this silly cycle of no communication for months or years, as long as they are both healthy, and then to suddenly expect me to rally around them when they have a medical condition. My mother is 69 and my father is 72. At their ages, medical conditions are likely going to be coming more and more frequently. But they have three obedient Jehovah's Witness daughters whose hearts are surely as 'warm' as fresh-baked bread, so they will not be alone. And neither will I.
In October of 2004 my mother called to tell me that my father had suffered an unexpected medical emergency and was in the hospital. Jehovah's Witnesses are allowed to communicate with a "disfellowshipped" family member in the event of an emergency, so I wasn't totally shocked to hear from her. I patiently let her tell me all about his situation, and the doctor's prognosis that he would be okay. I thought for a second or two about checking on his condition later in the week, but decided against it.
A few weeks ago I got an answering message from Paul, the son of Marie, a longtime family friend. Marie and my mother were childhood friends. Paul's message said he was trying to get in touch with my mother to let her know that Marie has passed away, so I called Paul back and gave him my mother's phone number. Then I sent an email to my mother, letting her know that Marie had passed and that I had given her phone number to Paul. A few days later I received the following email from my mother:
"Hi Mark,
I was surprised to see the e-mail and shocked to hear the news about Marie. I had no idea she was in distress so that she died. I just talked with Paul and he said Marie was found in the house by the police because neighbors hadn't seen her and her news papers were still there. She had been depressed for a few years but her main problem was diabetes. So she probably had a heart attack or a stroke. So sad, my friend for 69 years. Our mothers were friends before we were born.
Mark, there wouldn't be a problem for you to call me about such a matter. Neither would there be for you to inquire about your Dad's health. Fortunately, the Dr.s didn't find a reason for his blacking out so we are just regarding it as a fluke-a once in a life time blip or chemical imbalance. He is going on with his life and is fishing with Steve in Md. for 3 days. He is wearing a monitor but since he has had no symptoms, it's almost a waste. His most serious problem was a bruised kidney from when he fell. It is healing and he is resuming his normal activities. He is enjoying retirement, having a life free of other peoples schedules. He is still the presiding overseer in the cong. and a fine example to all. Just a great human being. A phone call or a card would have been nice, just to let him know you still care. Mary shouldn't be your only source of info.
I hope these days you are well and happy in your job. Many still inquire about you- I just wish I had something positive to tell them about you, spiritually. But, only time will tell. I hope we are still here if it happens.
We love you Mark, and wish circumstances allowed for us to be together. It is our greatest wish.
Love and hugs,
Mom"
I could hardly believe that in the same email, she could scold me for not inquiring about my father's medical situation AND claim she wished circumstances allowed for us to be together. At first I shook my head in disbelief. Then I started getting angry. Then I decided I had had enough of the manipulation, and that I would write back to her in a few days when I wasn't angry and could clearly and concisely explain why I hadn't called to check on my father and why I hadn't called to relay the information about Marie.
So about two weeks later I sent this email:
"Mom,
I realize that I could have called you regarding Marie's passing and to inquire about Dad's health. In fact, I could call for no reason at all if I wanted to, because your religion's rules about association only apply to you - not to me. But I chose not to call because I didn't want to. Twelve years ago you, Dad, and my sisters made it clear to me that I was no longer a suitable associate for you all, despite my being your son and brother. So I find it irritating that you expect me to come running back to you all when one of you is in some kind of crisis. It is as if you think you can ignore me during the 'good' times, but expect me to be there for you in the 'bad' times. I don't think that's right.
For just one moment, think about what it was like for me when I took the only step available to me to be happy, and you all cut me off. It took quite a while, but I finally grieved the loss of my relationship with you all, the way a survivor grieves the death of a loved one. Only for me it was the equivalent of grieving the loss of both my parents, my sisters, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, and friends - simultaneously. It was not easy. But knowing I would never return to the JW religion, I eventually made piece with my losses and moved on.
I have had very little contact with you, even less with Dad, and absolutely none with my sisters, brothers-in-law, nieces or nephews. As I recall, Dad told you in front of me that he wasn't going to join us in the living room because he did not want people to think it was okay to associate with disfellowshipped people. I likely wouldn't even recognize the kids, so you can imagine how odd it would be for me to continue to feel warmth toward these people I used to know. Twelve years have gone by, and in that time I have been fortunate enough to be blessed with a second family. When Joe's father was alive Joe and I would frequently have Sunday family dinner at his parents house. After his father passed, Joe and I decided to visit his mother and go out to dinner with her every Thursday night. We spend time with Joe's brothers and sister and their families, too. Next month will mark 9 years that he and I have been together, and his family has been a real family to me from the start. You know that I am in frequent contact with Mary and Nez, too. So when there is a family crisis, it will be these people to whom I will run, and it will be these people that I will hold dear. I have already dealt with the loss of my first family. It would be redundant for me to to act any differently.
I realize you were probably not prepared to read this, and that my words may sound strong or harsh. But there is an old saying that goes 'you can't have your cake and eat it too'. You can't ignore me when things are going well for you and then expect me to jump at the chance to comfort you when things aren't going well for you. I'm not going to do that.
I firmly believe that we all make choices - lots of them - every day. Many times we can choose again if we're not happy with how things turned out. I know of others like me who are no longer JWs whose families eventually found a way to have a relationship with them. But every day you choose to let your religion separate you from your son. It is your choice. And I choose to continue trying to be an authentic person who does now hide behind tradition or religion or anything else, but strives to be as open and loving and genuine as I can be. That is my choice.
So when people I used to know inquire about me, I hope that you will tell them that I am healthy and happy, because that is the Truth.
Mark"
Its been almost a week and I've not heard back from her. Honestly, I don't think I will. I imagine she was shocked by what I'd written, and likely now believes that my 'heart has grown cold'. (That was an expression she used on me once before.) But I sent the email and I'm glad I did because I needed to say those things and she needed to hear them. My intention was not to shock her, although I did anticipate that's what would happen. My intention was to be honest and to stop this silly cycle of no communication for months or years, as long as they are both healthy, and then to suddenly expect me to rally around them when they have a medical condition. My mother is 69 and my father is 72. At their ages, medical conditions are likely going to be coming more and more frequently. But they have three obedient Jehovah's Witness daughters whose hearts are surely as 'warm' as fresh-baked bread, so they will not be alone. And neither will I.
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Those annoying ribbons...
Okay - first I will preface this posting by saying that Joe told me not to blog about this. He thought people would get the wrong idea and think I'm not patriotic. But I'm going to blog about it anyway...
I am so f'ing sick of those annoying ribbons people are putting all over their cars: yellow ribbon stickers that read "Support Our Troops", red white and blue ribbon stickers that read "I Support Our Soldiers", stars and stripes ribbon stickers that read "I Support Our Troops and Our President". I feel like pulling them off of every car I see.
And some people just don't know when enough is enough. I've seen some cars with as many as 4 ribbon stickers on them! Alright already - we understand how you feel. Quit "shouting" it at us.
Don't get me wrong. I, too, am appreciative of those who would willingly enlist in the military to protect our country. But right now our troops are in Iraq because of phony, bogus, grossly exaggerated claims of 'weapons of mass destruction'. Professionals have searched and searched and did not find any in Iraq. So then our president announces that America is still better off without Saddam Hussein.
Hello? He said the US was taking pre-emptive action against Iraq because there was imminent danger of them using WMD against us. THAT was the reason given for going to war. The fact that the world is a better place without Hussein in power is a totally different subject.
So, maybe I'm not patriotic at the moment. Maybe I am a little embarrassed by what I believe the rest of the world is thinking about America ("the bully") right now. Maybe I feel like the conservative fanaticals have 'hijacked' patriotism. And maybe that's why I am so sick of those annoying ribbons.
I am so f'ing sick of those annoying ribbons people are putting all over their cars: yellow ribbon stickers that read "Support Our Troops", red white and blue ribbon stickers that read "I Support Our Soldiers", stars and stripes ribbon stickers that read "I Support Our Troops and Our President". I feel like pulling them off of every car I see.
And some people just don't know when enough is enough. I've seen some cars with as many as 4 ribbon stickers on them! Alright already - we understand how you feel. Quit "shouting" it at us.
Don't get me wrong. I, too, am appreciative of those who would willingly enlist in the military to protect our country. But right now our troops are in Iraq because of phony, bogus, grossly exaggerated claims of 'weapons of mass destruction'. Professionals have searched and searched and did not find any in Iraq. So then our president announces that America is still better off without Saddam Hussein.
Hello? He said the US was taking pre-emptive action against Iraq because there was imminent danger of them using WMD against us. THAT was the reason given for going to war. The fact that the world is a better place without Hussein in power is a totally different subject.
So, maybe I'm not patriotic at the moment. Maybe I am a little embarrassed by what I believe the rest of the world is thinking about America ("the bully") right now. Maybe I feel like the conservative fanaticals have 'hijacked' patriotism. And maybe that's why I am so sick of those annoying ribbons.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
This 'n that
Last weekend Joe & I were supposed to join our friends Kerry & Hugh at their cabin in the Northern Neck. Hugh wants to screen in half of the large, open back deck.
Joe decided to stay home with Jordan, so I went by myself. Joe was afraid that if Jordan started feeling badly, we would be so far away from the vet that it could be bad for her. Additionally, on Friday Jordan had an 'accident' in the TV room, and Joe was afraid that she might do that again at the cabin.
It was wonderful weather to work outside - lots and lots of sunshine. Saturday was a little on the cool side, only about 58 degrees at the warmest point in the day. But Sunday was divine: bright and sunny and 70+ degrees. Hugh and I made good progress in taking down the existing railing, removing enough of the log siding to attach the ledger board, got 2 of the 3 walls up and got the rafters put on. My drive home with the top down was deliriously enjoyable.
Tonight, about 10 minutes before 9, we heard two smashing sounds outside. All our windows are open because its so warm right now. I ran outside to see some of my neighbors coming out of their houses too. Someone had thrown a chunk of a cinder block threw the back window of my next door neighbor's cars - two of them that were parked on the street. Unfortunately this is not the first time this has happened. When the kids were out of school for Spring break, the next door neighbor family went out of town, and the same thing happened to the one car of theirs that was parked in front of the house. So it is my suspicion that this was not random, but rather, some high school kids who go to school with my neighbor's kids.
Last night was American Idol, and I really enjoyed the show. The theme was 70s dance songs, so I was in heaven! My guess was that Anwar, Scott, and Bo would be in the bottom 3, and that tonight we'd be saying "Buh-bye" to Anwar. Tonight was the results show. I was close. The bottom 3 were Anwar, Scott and Anthony, but Anwar did get the boot.
Today while at lunch I overheard an interesting conversation. Two men whom I perceived to be straight and in their mid 40s were talking at a table about 25 feet from mine. One of them spoke so softly that I was never able to hear what he said. The other, however, caught my attention when he said "You know, I heard about this on Oprah... there's this thing with men - they refer to them as down low, or low down... down low guys - something like that. Anyway, these are men who are married and have children - they love their families and want to stay with them, but they have anal sex with other men. There's no kissing, no love - they don't want a relationship with these men, they don't even want to know the names of the guys they meet. They are adamant about saying they're not gay, but they have this, I don't know, animal attraction and want to have sex with men sometimes." Then the soft-talker said something in reply to this, but of course, because he talked so softly, I couldn't hear him. I can only imagine what the rest of their conversation was like, and how the down low conversation fit in.
Joe decided to stay home with Jordan, so I went by myself. Joe was afraid that if Jordan started feeling badly, we would be so far away from the vet that it could be bad for her. Additionally, on Friday Jordan had an 'accident' in the TV room, and Joe was afraid that she might do that again at the cabin.
It was wonderful weather to work outside - lots and lots of sunshine. Saturday was a little on the cool side, only about 58 degrees at the warmest point in the day. But Sunday was divine: bright and sunny and 70+ degrees. Hugh and I made good progress in taking down the existing railing, removing enough of the log siding to attach the ledger board, got 2 of the 3 walls up and got the rafters put on. My drive home with the top down was deliriously enjoyable.
Tonight, about 10 minutes before 9, we heard two smashing sounds outside. All our windows are open because its so warm right now. I ran outside to see some of my neighbors coming out of their houses too. Someone had thrown a chunk of a cinder block threw the back window of my next door neighbor's cars - two of them that were parked on the street. Unfortunately this is not the first time this has happened. When the kids were out of school for Spring break, the next door neighbor family went out of town, and the same thing happened to the one car of theirs that was parked in front of the house. So it is my suspicion that this was not random, but rather, some high school kids who go to school with my neighbor's kids.
Last night was American Idol, and I really enjoyed the show. The theme was 70s dance songs, so I was in heaven! My guess was that Anwar, Scott, and Bo would be in the bottom 3, and that tonight we'd be saying "Buh-bye" to Anwar. Tonight was the results show. I was close. The bottom 3 were Anwar, Scott and Anthony, but Anwar did get the boot.
Today while at lunch I overheard an interesting conversation. Two men whom I perceived to be straight and in their mid 40s were talking at a table about 25 feet from mine. One of them spoke so softly that I was never able to hear what he said. The other, however, caught my attention when he said "You know, I heard about this on Oprah... there's this thing with men - they refer to them as down low, or low down... down low guys - something like that. Anyway, these are men who are married and have children - they love their families and want to stay with them, but they have anal sex with other men. There's no kissing, no love - they don't want a relationship with these men, they don't even want to know the names of the guys they meet. They are adamant about saying they're not gay, but they have this, I don't know, animal attraction and want to have sex with men sometimes." Then the soft-talker said something in reply to this, but of course, because he talked so softly, I couldn't hear him. I can only imagine what the rest of their conversation was like, and how the down low conversation fit in.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
American Idol review
Last night was the ‘results show’ for this week’s American Idol. I was eager to see how America had voted.
What I found to be curious was how surprised everyone seemed when the ‘bottom 3’ were announced. I’m thinking: We’re down to the final 8 contestants. They’re all good. They’re all talented, and they could each win this competition. So, why did the live audience and Randy, Paula and Simon seem surprised that Scott, Bo, and Nadia were in the bottom 3? Somebody had to be there. And honestly, if I were picking the bottom 3 strictly from Tuesday’s performances, I would have picked the exact same 3. Judging just from Tuesday’s performances, I thought Scott, Bo, and Nadia’s were the weakest.
Scott’s rendition of Hall & Oats’ “She’s Gone” was very pitchy. He did not correctly sing most of the notes in the lower range. I have never liked the song “Free Bird”, so when Bo sang it, I wasn’t impressed. That song’s melody line doesn’t have enough movement so it is impossible to impress with that song. I don’t think most people had ever heard Nadia’s “When I Dream”, which is never a good thing. You will not get many votes if you choose a song the audience isn’t familiar with, whether you’re trying to be ‘artsy’ or not.
I was a little surprised that out of those 3, Nadia got the boot. I really thought it was going to be Scott.
I was super-impressed by Constantine’s performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody” on Tuesday. That is a difficult song to sing, and even more difficult song to sing well, but he did it. I used to not like him because he had a heavy rock background. But each week that he sings a song that is not rock, the more I like him.
I’d give Anthony kudos for a great performance of Paul Young’s “Everytime You Go”. (Spencer – get your hands out of your pockets!) I also enjoyed Vonzell’s rendition of “Let’s Hear It For The Boy” and Carrie’s departure from her country roots in “Love Is A Battlefield”. That was a gutsy move for her, and I think she pulled it off with flying colors.
I am really enjoying this season’s American Idol. I think this is the best set of contestants so far. I think Simon has toned down the negative and hurtful comments a little, which is good. I usually agree with Simon’s review of the performances, but I don’t think he needs to be so blunt and often hurtful. Then at the opposite end of that spectrum is Paula, who loves every performance and is “so proud” of every performer. It’s almost like her comments just don’t matter anymore, because they’re always sappy and ultra congratulatory. Sometimes I wonder if Randy has a pitch problem.
If you recall my early prediction was that Carrie, Jessica and Nadia would be in the final 3, and that Carrie would win. Well, I was wrong about Jessica and Nadia, but I stand by my prediction that Carrie will win. But I think Constantine and Vonzell will give her a run for her money.
What I found to be curious was how surprised everyone seemed when the ‘bottom 3’ were announced. I’m thinking: We’re down to the final 8 contestants. They’re all good. They’re all talented, and they could each win this competition. So, why did the live audience and Randy, Paula and Simon seem surprised that Scott, Bo, and Nadia were in the bottom 3? Somebody had to be there. And honestly, if I were picking the bottom 3 strictly from Tuesday’s performances, I would have picked the exact same 3. Judging just from Tuesday’s performances, I thought Scott, Bo, and Nadia’s were the weakest.
Scott’s rendition of Hall & Oats’ “She’s Gone” was very pitchy. He did not correctly sing most of the notes in the lower range. I have never liked the song “Free Bird”, so when Bo sang it, I wasn’t impressed. That song’s melody line doesn’t have enough movement so it is impossible to impress with that song. I don’t think most people had ever heard Nadia’s “When I Dream”, which is never a good thing. You will not get many votes if you choose a song the audience isn’t familiar with, whether you’re trying to be ‘artsy’ or not.
I was a little surprised that out of those 3, Nadia got the boot. I really thought it was going to be Scott.
I was super-impressed by Constantine’s performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody” on Tuesday. That is a difficult song to sing, and even more difficult song to sing well, but he did it. I used to not like him because he had a heavy rock background. But each week that he sings a song that is not rock, the more I like him.
I’d give Anthony kudos for a great performance of Paul Young’s “Everytime You Go”. (Spencer – get your hands out of your pockets!) I also enjoyed Vonzell’s rendition of “Let’s Hear It For The Boy” and Carrie’s departure from her country roots in “Love Is A Battlefield”. That was a gutsy move for her, and I think she pulled it off with flying colors.
I am really enjoying this season’s American Idol. I think this is the best set of contestants so far. I think Simon has toned down the negative and hurtful comments a little, which is good. I usually agree with Simon’s review of the performances, but I don’t think he needs to be so blunt and often hurtful. Then at the opposite end of that spectrum is Paula, who loves every performance and is “so proud” of every performer. It’s almost like her comments just don’t matter anymore, because they’re always sappy and ultra congratulatory. Sometimes I wonder if Randy has a pitch problem.
If you recall my early prediction was that Carrie, Jessica and Nadia would be in the final 3, and that Carrie would win. Well, I was wrong about Jessica and Nadia, but I stand by my prediction that Carrie will win. But I think Constantine and Vonzell will give her a run for her money.
The latest on Jordan
Jordan continues to improve every day!
On Tuesday when Joe lifted her into position to pee, she was able to support her weight and stand up while she peed. She tried to take a few steps, but her hind legs kind of collapsed.
On Wednesday she was able to stand up without assistance, and take a few steps. Then she’d sit down for a few seconds, then get back up and walk a few more steps.
Today, she is able to walk, almost like normal. The linoleum kitchen floor and the hard wood floors are harder for her, but she does great on the rugs and carpet. In fact, we are trying very hard to limit her because we don’t want her to try to run around or try the stairs. The vet’s instructions were clear: no running and no stairs for at least 2 weeks.
But we are thrilled at her rapid progress! Of course, she is still on steroids, anti-inflammatory meds and pain meds, but they will all be finished tomorrow. Honestly, I am more than a little nervous about how she will do without any chemical assistance.
My boss told me about a natural substance called Glucosamine that is good for joints and arthritis. He said his 10-year old dog would occasionally limp after an especially vigorous day. He began giving her Glucosamine and his dog hasn’t limped since then. He also told me that you could buy dog food and dog treats that have Glucosamine in them, which sounded like a great idea to me.
Joe agreed, so after work we headed to the PetSmart and bought some of the dog food and dog treats with Glucosamine. I wasn’t worried if Jordan would eat them or not because she is not picky. She’ll eat anything. Sure enough, she gobbled down the food and enjoyed the treats. So, I am hoping that the Glucosamine food and treats will pick up where the prescription meds leave off tomorrow. Stay tuned to find out.
On Tuesday when Joe lifted her into position to pee, she was able to support her weight and stand up while she peed. She tried to take a few steps, but her hind legs kind of collapsed.
On Wednesday she was able to stand up without assistance, and take a few steps. Then she’d sit down for a few seconds, then get back up and walk a few more steps.
Today, she is able to walk, almost like normal. The linoleum kitchen floor and the hard wood floors are harder for her, but she does great on the rugs and carpet. In fact, we are trying very hard to limit her because we don’t want her to try to run around or try the stairs. The vet’s instructions were clear: no running and no stairs for at least 2 weeks.
But we are thrilled at her rapid progress! Of course, she is still on steroids, anti-inflammatory meds and pain meds, but they will all be finished tomorrow. Honestly, I am more than a little nervous about how she will do without any chemical assistance.
My boss told me about a natural substance called Glucosamine that is good for joints and arthritis. He said his 10-year old dog would occasionally limp after an especially vigorous day. He began giving her Glucosamine and his dog hasn’t limped since then. He also told me that you could buy dog food and dog treats that have Glucosamine in them, which sounded like a great idea to me.
Joe agreed, so after work we headed to the PetSmart and bought some of the dog food and dog treats with Glucosamine. I wasn’t worried if Jordan would eat them or not because she is not picky. She’ll eat anything. Sure enough, she gobbled down the food and enjoyed the treats. So, I am hoping that the Glucosamine food and treats will pick up where the prescription meds leave off tomorrow. Stay tuned to find out.
Monday, April 11, 2005
Update on Jordan
When I came home from work today I was pleasantly surprised to see Jordan more alert. I'm not sure if it was because her narcotics were wearing off, or if she was simply feeling better. When I looked into her eyes I could see her again.
As I sat on the edge of the sofa and talked to Joe about her, I noticed her trying to scratch her face with her back paw - one of the 2 paws she'd been unable to move yesterday! I told Joe to look and she did it again. I rubbed her head and told her what a good girl she was. She enjoyed the rare petting from me, since I am allergic I usually don't pet her.
Then Joe told me that while he was out of the room for a few minutes she had managed to get herself into the bathroom, where her water bowl is usually kept. (The meds make her thirsty.) This too, seemed to be an improvement, as she had not been mobile since Thursday!
We decided to go out for dinner and talk about Joe's interview. For the last 3 months he has been acting as interim director and today was his 2nd interview, a panel interview, for the permanent director position.
Normally Jordan barks when she hears the car's engine stop and she knows we've come home, but she had not done that since Thursday. Tonight when we pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine, it was like music to our ears: Jordan was barking! Joe said excitedly "Do you hear that??"
When we got inside Joe lifted Jordan into her laundry basket and we went into the back yard so she could go to the bathroom, eat, drink, and have her meds (cleverly smuggled into peanut butter balls or slices of cheese). He sat her on the grass, and before he could lift her into her typical peeing position, she tried to get herself up and walk. She didn't quite do that, but she did get herself a few feet away, where she leaned forward and peed. She had not peed without assistance since Thursday. When she finished peeing we gave her lots of praise and petting, and she ate, drank, and took her meds.
So, the fact that she is getting some movement back in her hind legs, she's started barking again, and the fact that she never stopped eating, we are very hopeful that she will continue to improve. Of course we can't tell if she will fully recover or not, be we are certainly much more hopeful than we were on Saturday.
Thanks to all for your kind inquiries and concern. More later.
As I sat on the edge of the sofa and talked to Joe about her, I noticed her trying to scratch her face with her back paw - one of the 2 paws she'd been unable to move yesterday! I told Joe to look and she did it again. I rubbed her head and told her what a good girl she was. She enjoyed the rare petting from me, since I am allergic I usually don't pet her.
Then Joe told me that while he was out of the room for a few minutes she had managed to get herself into the bathroom, where her water bowl is usually kept. (The meds make her thirsty.) This too, seemed to be an improvement, as she had not been mobile since Thursday!
We decided to go out for dinner and talk about Joe's interview. For the last 3 months he has been acting as interim director and today was his 2nd interview, a panel interview, for the permanent director position.
Normally Jordan barks when she hears the car's engine stop and she knows we've come home, but she had not done that since Thursday. Tonight when we pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine, it was like music to our ears: Jordan was barking! Joe said excitedly "Do you hear that??"
When we got inside Joe lifted Jordan into her laundry basket and we went into the back yard so she could go to the bathroom, eat, drink, and have her meds (cleverly smuggled into peanut butter balls or slices of cheese). He sat her on the grass, and before he could lift her into her typical peeing position, she tried to get herself up and walk. She didn't quite do that, but she did get herself a few feet away, where she leaned forward and peed. She had not peed without assistance since Thursday. When she finished peeing we gave her lots of praise and petting, and she ate, drank, and took her meds.
So, the fact that she is getting some movement back in her hind legs, she's started barking again, and the fact that she never stopped eating, we are very hopeful that she will continue to improve. Of course we can't tell if she will fully recover or not, be we are certainly much more hopeful than we were on Saturday.
Thanks to all for your kind inquiries and concern. More later.
Friday, April 08, 2005
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."
Saturday morning we drove with the top down to Maryland to conduct the final transaction that would officially make the LRG belong to it's new owners.
They were very sweet and very excited. They made coffee and had scones and other assorted baked goods from a neighborhood bakery. We had an English breakfast as we talked about the LRG. We answered their questions and offered them little tips for avoiding the worst of the seasonal traffic. We even got a little cheeky and posed for photos of them handing the check to me! It was a delightful Spring morning, and we were all so happy to be doing what we were doing.
Many of those who came to see the LRG were really just locals interested in an inexpensive place to live. The fact that it had so much retro charm was completely lost on them. But these folks seemed to be sent by God. They have a full-time home and wanted the LRG as a weekend/summer place, like us. They really "got" the whole retro-ality of the LRG and it suited them. We felt really good turning over the place to them. We felt pretty good knowing we wouldn't be paying half the mortgage on our new house AND the land rent on the LRG anymore, too! All the possibilities of what to do with the money they paid for the LRG made us giddy for a few moments, until we realized that we really should just pay some bills and put the rest away in savings.
Unfortunately, the whole day was not so pleasant. Yesterday morning our dog Jordan was unable to stand up or walk. We were quite frightened! Joe lifted her into a laundry basket and rushed her off to the vet, who confirmed that she had another inflamed disc in her back.
She had a disc problem a year ago, which caused her to develop a severe limp. The vet had prescribed steroids and anti-inflammatory meds, along with strict limitations on her movement, and within a few days, the limp had improved greatly. A week or so later and she was back to normal - no limp at all.
This time, however, she didn't have a limp - she woke up unable to stand or walk at all. The vet prescribed the same steroids and anti-inflammatory treatment and told us to contact her if Jordan's condition seemed worse today. This morning it became apparent that she was in a lot of pain, so Joe took her back to the vet.
The vet suggested that there were 2 options: surgery and putting her to sleep. Since they didn't do the surgery there, they referred Joe to another vet for a surgical consult and x-rays. This vet said that the surgery was most successful on smaller dogs, but that Jordan's size and weight meant that the rate of success was not as high. They also said that they could repair the disc(s) they found to be damaged, but that other discs could become damaged weeks or months later, and she would be back in the same situation. The icing on the cake was when they gave an estimate for the cost of the surgery (think: 2nd mortgage) and indicated they would not start the surgery until we had paid in full.
Joe was just beside himself. The surgery was certainly far from a guarantee, and the price was completely out of the question. But he also didn't feel like putting her to sleep was the only other option. So Joe asked the vet "If she were YOUR dog, and this surgery was out of the question, what would YOU do?" The vet said she would continue with the steroid and anti-inflammatory treatment, along with meds for pain, and see if Jordan responded. (She also said that some success might be had from acupuncture.)
So, that was the decision we made. After 6 hours at the vet, Joe brought Jordan home in her laundry basket, along with more meds, and we tried to get her settled. It was quite challenging, but we were finally able to help support her weight so she could go to the bathroom. To our surprise, she was also willing to eat a little and drink some water. A little while later the pain meds kicked in and she nearly fell asleep sitting up. The pain meds keep her from being in pain, but they also help her stay relaxed and sleep alot, which are important to keep her from moving around too much. On the down side, they also rob her of her unique personality. Looking into her eyes she seems vacant. Its so sad.
Although I often complain about her shedding (I am allergic to her fur) and needing to be walked, fed, let in, let out, cleaned up after, etc, this situation has really shown me how much I love her and would be sad if we lose her.
Send positive, healing pet vibes our way! More later.
They were very sweet and very excited. They made coffee and had scones and other assorted baked goods from a neighborhood bakery. We had an English breakfast as we talked about the LRG. We answered their questions and offered them little tips for avoiding the worst of the seasonal traffic. We even got a little cheeky and posed for photos of them handing the check to me! It was a delightful Spring morning, and we were all so happy to be doing what we were doing.
Many of those who came to see the LRG were really just locals interested in an inexpensive place to live. The fact that it had so much retro charm was completely lost on them. But these folks seemed to be sent by God. They have a full-time home and wanted the LRG as a weekend/summer place, like us. They really "got" the whole retro-ality of the LRG and it suited them. We felt really good turning over the place to them. We felt pretty good knowing we wouldn't be paying half the mortgage on our new house AND the land rent on the LRG anymore, too! All the possibilities of what to do with the money they paid for the LRG made us giddy for a few moments, until we realized that we really should just pay some bills and put the rest away in savings.
Unfortunately, the whole day was not so pleasant. Yesterday morning our dog Jordan was unable to stand up or walk. We were quite frightened! Joe lifted her into a laundry basket and rushed her off to the vet, who confirmed that she had another inflamed disc in her back.
She had a disc problem a year ago, which caused her to develop a severe limp. The vet had prescribed steroids and anti-inflammatory meds, along with strict limitations on her movement, and within a few days, the limp had improved greatly. A week or so later and she was back to normal - no limp at all.
This time, however, she didn't have a limp - she woke up unable to stand or walk at all. The vet prescribed the same steroids and anti-inflammatory treatment and told us to contact her if Jordan's condition seemed worse today. This morning it became apparent that she was in a lot of pain, so Joe took her back to the vet.
The vet suggested that there were 2 options: surgery and putting her to sleep. Since they didn't do the surgery there, they referred Joe to another vet for a surgical consult and x-rays. This vet said that the surgery was most successful on smaller dogs, but that Jordan's size and weight meant that the rate of success was not as high. They also said that they could repair the disc(s) they found to be damaged, but that other discs could become damaged weeks or months later, and she would be back in the same situation. The icing on the cake was when they gave an estimate for the cost of the surgery (think: 2nd mortgage) and indicated they would not start the surgery until we had paid in full.
Joe was just beside himself. The surgery was certainly far from a guarantee, and the price was completely out of the question. But he also didn't feel like putting her to sleep was the only other option. So Joe asked the vet "If she were YOUR dog, and this surgery was out of the question, what would YOU do?" The vet said she would continue with the steroid and anti-inflammatory treatment, along with meds for pain, and see if Jordan responded. (She also said that some success might be had from acupuncture.)
So, that was the decision we made. After 6 hours at the vet, Joe brought Jordan home in her laundry basket, along with more meds, and we tried to get her settled. It was quite challenging, but we were finally able to help support her weight so she could go to the bathroom. To our surprise, she was also willing to eat a little and drink some water. A little while later the pain meds kicked in and she nearly fell asleep sitting up. The pain meds keep her from being in pain, but they also help her stay relaxed and sleep alot, which are important to keep her from moving around too much. On the down side, they also rob her of her unique personality. Looking into her eyes she seems vacant. Its so sad.
Although I often complain about her shedding (I am allergic to her fur) and needing to be walked, fed, let in, let out, cleaned up after, etc, this situation has really shown me how much I love her and would be sad if we lose her.
Send positive, healing pet vibes our way! More later.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
A Whole 'Nother World
I needed to make a trip to Georgetown, DE to obtain a document necessary for the sale of our mobile home, the Li’l Retro Getaway (or LRG for short). Since the office is not open on the weekends, I had to take a day off to go there. Since the LRG’s yard still had leaves and twigs from last Fall, I thought it would be nice if I cleaned that up for the buyer, since I had to be up there anyway.
I chose today to accomplish these tasks because the weather was going to be superb! I am so tired of rain, overcast skies, and cool temperatures – I am ready for Spring! Since Joe was unable to come with me, last night I headed up to the shore in my convertible.
This morning I was greeted by the brilliant sunshine! After a quick breakfast, I headed over to the LRG to get started. The thermometer on my car read 56 degrees at 9am, so I started my leaf raking with a fleece jacket on. A few minutes later I took it off and continued raking and collecting dead branches that had fallen from a huge tree on some windy day, breaking them into pieces small enough to fit inside a plastic ‘lawn and leaf’ bag. I finished everything in about an hour and a half. ‘Not bad’ I thought to myself. Then I congratulated myself on saving at least $50, because had I opted to call some yard service to come and clean up the yard, that’s what I would likely have had to pay. But I did it myself because I had to be up there anyway for the document.
When I had packed everything up I took a ‘last look’ at the LRG and felt a bit melancholy. I thought ‘This is the last time I’ll clean up this yard.’ When the moment had passed I thought how odd it was that the moment had struck me then. I mean, I would have expected it when we had moved all of the furniture out and had gone back to clean. I would have expected it on one of those visits to show the place to a potential buyer. But no – it was when I had finished cleaning the yard that I felt nostalgic. I didn’t expect that.
After tossing the leaf bags into the dumpster I checked the thermometer again: 61 degrees. I decided to put my fleece jacket back on and put the top down! The sun was shining to beat the band and I couldn’t resist. I drove back to the beach house to shower and change clothes, and then headed over to Georgetown.
My first surprise was that there was lots of free parking in front of all of the County buildings in Georgetown. In the county where I live, there is very little parking and it is not free. You literally have to pay the county to park while you attend to county business.
Unsure which building I needed to be in, I walked into the closest one and explained the nature of my need to the lady behind the counter. She was very nice and smiled as she directed to the building across the way. “You have a nice day,” she said. When I got to the office I needed, I was again surprised that there were no theatre ropes creating a maze for people to wind through before getting help. Nope, just 3 chairs. I waited perhaps 2 minutes at the longest for the person already at the counter to finish. I walked up, stated my business, and within 5 minutes had obtained my document. Fabulous!
The kind lady concluded our conversation by asking if there was anything else she could do for me. I decided to pull a ‘Rachel Ray’. On her TV show “$40. A Day” Rachel goes to different towns for sightseeing and such, and tries to eat all 3 meals for $40. She always says that when in an unfamiliar town, ask the locals. So I replied, “Yes, I have one more question. Where would be a nice little spot for me to have lunch?” Where I live, the county employee would not have known what to say because they’d be so shocked to have normal human interaction. But this gal didn’t miss a beat. “Smith’s, right around the corner is good” she told me. I smiled and thanked her for all her help.
Since I was parked in a 30-minute spot I decided to move my car, thinking lunch might exceed that time limit. So I drove around the corner to Smith’s and was surprised yet again to find a parking place (no meter) right in front of the restaurant. Was this just my lucky day?
I walked inside and stopped at the counter where a woman was ringing up someone’s check. ‘Now that’s something you don’t see everyday’ I thought to myself, ‘someone whose job it is to just ring up guest checks. All the restaurants around here require you to pay the server, which means waiting for the server to cash out the check and return your change, while taking other people’s orders and bringing out their food.
When the payers had left the cash register lady looked at me and asked, “Are you waiting for someone?” “No” I replied, “it’s just me today.” “Oh, well you can just sit down anywhere you want, Hon” she directed me. I loved that! I got to pick my own table and she called me Hon!
Within 4 seconds of me sitting down, my waitress Donna arrived. (Don’t call her a ‘server’. Smith’s has waitresses.) She handed me a plastic-enclosed menu and a Xeroxed sheet of paper with the day’s specials on it. “What are ya drinkin’” she asked me. It sounded like something you should hear from a bartender. I told her, and looked at the specials. I couldn’t believe how inexpensive the food was. In a flash she was back with my drink and asked if I needed another minute. I ordered the pork barbeque special, with potato salad and cole slaw. At only $4.95 I was skeptical.
I looked around the restaurant to check out the local flavor. The first thing that struck me was that all the waitresses and table busers were Caucasian. Where I live, it is much more common to find restaurant workers who are Hispanic. Then I looked around at the other diners. There were blue-haired retired-looking ladies lunching, there were lots of blue-collar workers, there was a black couple with two kids, and there were professional-looking men in suits and women in slacks with blouses. Before I could finish my survey of the restaurant, my food arrived! “Wow, that was fast,” I said to Donna. “Yes it was” she replied with a smile.
My pork barbeque sandwich was delicious; chunks of pork in a tangy sauce on a warm sesame seed bun. The potato salad and cole slaw were terrific too, and homemade, I’m sure. I don’t think Smith’s gets those 5 gallon buckets of already made potato salad and cole slaw from one of those big food distributors. That just wouldn’t be their style. This tasted really good and homemade.
My lunch and drink came to $6.20 and since there is no sales tax in DE, the bill really was $6.20. I left $2.00 on the table for Donna, which was more than the standard 20% tip, but the prices were so low that I didn’t feel I should just leave 20%. Besides, I liked Donna. So I took my check up to the cash register lady, paid my bill, and hopped in my car. I was in pure Nirvana as I drove back toward home: top down, music blaring, spirits soaring.
I guess I should have thought about sunscreen before I left the beach house, but I didn’t. I have such a fair complexion that I really shouldn’t be out in the sun without at least some SPF. When I got into DC and slowed down, I noticed that my face was feeling hot. I didn’t even think about it while I was zooming down the road with the wind keeping my face cool. But when I stopped at the first traffic light in DC I could tell: I was sunburned. As I type this now my face is really REALLY hot. But I don’t regret it. I had a fabulous ride. But I do need to be more careful so I don’t wind up with skin cancer.
In just a few minutes it will be time for American Idol.
I chose today to accomplish these tasks because the weather was going to be superb! I am so tired of rain, overcast skies, and cool temperatures – I am ready for Spring! Since Joe was unable to come with me, last night I headed up to the shore in my convertible.
This morning I was greeted by the brilliant sunshine! After a quick breakfast, I headed over to the LRG to get started. The thermometer on my car read 56 degrees at 9am, so I started my leaf raking with a fleece jacket on. A few minutes later I took it off and continued raking and collecting dead branches that had fallen from a huge tree on some windy day, breaking them into pieces small enough to fit inside a plastic ‘lawn and leaf’ bag. I finished everything in about an hour and a half. ‘Not bad’ I thought to myself. Then I congratulated myself on saving at least $50, because had I opted to call some yard service to come and clean up the yard, that’s what I would likely have had to pay. But I did it myself because I had to be up there anyway for the document.
When I had packed everything up I took a ‘last look’ at the LRG and felt a bit melancholy. I thought ‘This is the last time I’ll clean up this yard.’ When the moment had passed I thought how odd it was that the moment had struck me then. I mean, I would have expected it when we had moved all of the furniture out and had gone back to clean. I would have expected it on one of those visits to show the place to a potential buyer. But no – it was when I had finished cleaning the yard that I felt nostalgic. I didn’t expect that.
After tossing the leaf bags into the dumpster I checked the thermometer again: 61 degrees. I decided to put my fleece jacket back on and put the top down! The sun was shining to beat the band and I couldn’t resist. I drove back to the beach house to shower and change clothes, and then headed over to Georgetown.
My first surprise was that there was lots of free parking in front of all of the County buildings in Georgetown. In the county where I live, there is very little parking and it is not free. You literally have to pay the county to park while you attend to county business.
Unsure which building I needed to be in, I walked into the closest one and explained the nature of my need to the lady behind the counter. She was very nice and smiled as she directed to the building across the way. “You have a nice day,” she said. When I got to the office I needed, I was again surprised that there were no theatre ropes creating a maze for people to wind through before getting help. Nope, just 3 chairs. I waited perhaps 2 minutes at the longest for the person already at the counter to finish. I walked up, stated my business, and within 5 minutes had obtained my document. Fabulous!
The kind lady concluded our conversation by asking if there was anything else she could do for me. I decided to pull a ‘Rachel Ray’. On her TV show “$40. A Day” Rachel goes to different towns for sightseeing and such, and tries to eat all 3 meals for $40. She always says that when in an unfamiliar town, ask the locals. So I replied, “Yes, I have one more question. Where would be a nice little spot for me to have lunch?” Where I live, the county employee would not have known what to say because they’d be so shocked to have normal human interaction. But this gal didn’t miss a beat. “Smith’s, right around the corner is good” she told me. I smiled and thanked her for all her help.
Since I was parked in a 30-minute spot I decided to move my car, thinking lunch might exceed that time limit. So I drove around the corner to Smith’s and was surprised yet again to find a parking place (no meter) right in front of the restaurant. Was this just my lucky day?
I walked inside and stopped at the counter where a woman was ringing up someone’s check. ‘Now that’s something you don’t see everyday’ I thought to myself, ‘someone whose job it is to just ring up guest checks. All the restaurants around here require you to pay the server, which means waiting for the server to cash out the check and return your change, while taking other people’s orders and bringing out their food.
When the payers had left the cash register lady looked at me and asked, “Are you waiting for someone?” “No” I replied, “it’s just me today.” “Oh, well you can just sit down anywhere you want, Hon” she directed me. I loved that! I got to pick my own table and she called me Hon!
Within 4 seconds of me sitting down, my waitress Donna arrived. (Don’t call her a ‘server’. Smith’s has waitresses.) She handed me a plastic-enclosed menu and a Xeroxed sheet of paper with the day’s specials on it. “What are ya drinkin’” she asked me. It sounded like something you should hear from a bartender. I told her, and looked at the specials. I couldn’t believe how inexpensive the food was. In a flash she was back with my drink and asked if I needed another minute. I ordered the pork barbeque special, with potato salad and cole slaw. At only $4.95 I was skeptical.
I looked around the restaurant to check out the local flavor. The first thing that struck me was that all the waitresses and table busers were Caucasian. Where I live, it is much more common to find restaurant workers who are Hispanic. Then I looked around at the other diners. There were blue-haired retired-looking ladies lunching, there were lots of blue-collar workers, there was a black couple with two kids, and there were professional-looking men in suits and women in slacks with blouses. Before I could finish my survey of the restaurant, my food arrived! “Wow, that was fast,” I said to Donna. “Yes it was” she replied with a smile.
My pork barbeque sandwich was delicious; chunks of pork in a tangy sauce on a warm sesame seed bun. The potato salad and cole slaw were terrific too, and homemade, I’m sure. I don’t think Smith’s gets those 5 gallon buckets of already made potato salad and cole slaw from one of those big food distributors. That just wouldn’t be their style. This tasted really good and homemade.
My lunch and drink came to $6.20 and since there is no sales tax in DE, the bill really was $6.20. I left $2.00 on the table for Donna, which was more than the standard 20% tip, but the prices were so low that I didn’t feel I should just leave 20%. Besides, I liked Donna. So I took my check up to the cash register lady, paid my bill, and hopped in my car. I was in pure Nirvana as I drove back toward home: top down, music blaring, spirits soaring.
I guess I should have thought about sunscreen before I left the beach house, but I didn’t. I have such a fair complexion that I really shouldn’t be out in the sun without at least some SPF. When I got into DC and slowed down, I noticed that my face was feeling hot. I didn’t even think about it while I was zooming down the road with the wind keeping my face cool. But when I stopped at the first traffic light in DC I could tell: I was sunburned. As I type this now my face is really REALLY hot. But I don’t regret it. I had a fabulous ride. But I do need to be more careful so I don’t wind up with skin cancer.
In just a few minutes it will be time for American Idol.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Weekend Review
For several weeks now, we had planned a weekend at the shore with Kerry & Hugh, Kerry's dad George, Joe's mom Evelyn, and possibly an additional friend or two. Because of all the people involved, we picked a future date and made sure we all saved that weekend. It was sure to be fun, and we'd been looking forward to it for so long.
Unfortunately it was raining on Friday night as we headed up to the shore. Despite the anticipation of a fun weekend, I was not in a good mood. I had a very stressful day at work, and when I got home I found that Joe had told his mom to bring her dog with her. (Her dog was supposed to stay at her daughter's.) I don't like her dog because she's spoiled and she stares at me. She is a pug, with those ugly bulging eyes, and she will sit and stare at me like I'm some circus freak or something. But the real reason is that her dog is allowed to get on the furniture, which we do not allow. I am allergic to dogs and can't tolerate pet hair and dander on the furniture. Now we were heading up to the shore for a weekend of rain and three dogs. (Kerry & Hugh always bring their dog, whom I don't mind because he's so tiny and doesn't lounge on the furniture.)
On the way up there it seemed we got behind every clueless idiot possible. I'm not an aggressive driver, but I like to get where I'm going quickly and safely, especially when its dark and there's no sightseeing to be done. But we got behind people driving 5 mph under the speed limit in the left lane. Three of them. At different times. I gave them the courtesy quick-flash of the high beams to let them know 'hey, I need to move out of the left lane now'. Only one of them responded. The others had to get step two, which is me drifting slightly to the left so that my headlights are in their side view mirror and then I give them the not-so-courteous longer flashes of the high beams. One of them still refused to move, which made my bad mood even worse.
While that was going on, Joe's mom's dog was going nuts. She's not used to riding in the car for more than 5 minutes, and she just wouldn't settle down. She kept whining and barking and snorting, and I was getting more mad at Joe for bringing that hideous thing along. All the while Joe's mom (whom I love dearly) kept making random comments about the rain. Maybe she was nervous because her dog wouldn't shut up. Maybe she just didn't know what to say on a 3 hour car ride. But I could see it was raining. I had my windshield wipers on. We had already talked in depth about the forecast for rain all night and all the next day. I think the rainy weather had been sufficiently established already. Let's move on. Don't get me wrong - I absolutely love spending time with Evelyn. We have dinner with her every Thursday and we always laugh and have a good time. :-)
We finally get up there and Joe helps his mom and the two dogs get inside, where the others are all waiting, leaving me to unload the suitcases and other bags all by myself, in the rain. I really wasn't in the mood to socialize, so I made up ours and Evelyn's beds and distributed towels to all of the bathrooms in the house. When I had nothing left to do and was feeling a little less pissed off, I joined everyone in the living room and made myself an Appletini. Actually, it was more like 2 Appletinis because these martini glasses are so big that a single drink looks silly in them, so I made it a double. Meanwhile, more comments about the rain.
The next day we all had a leisurely breakfast of doughnuts, crumb cake, coffee, juice and milk and planned our day. (My mood was back to normal.) Kerry & Hugh were going to Ocean City and Bethany to run some errands. Some of the others wanted to go to some outlet stores, so after showers all around, Kerry, Hugh, and George went to OC and all the rest of us went shopping. Again, more comments about the rain. It had also gotten very windy, so it felt even colder than it really was, so we cut our shopping trip short and headed back to the house. Some napped, some watched TV, and others made comments about the rain.
Kerry, Hugh, and George returned and we talked about where to go for dinner. Once again, someone (not Evelyn) thought it necessary to inform everyone that it was raining, because this could likely make a difference where we ate. I'd had it! I said to everyone: "Excuse me, may I have everyone's attention please. I believe we all know it's raining. In fact, we've all been out in the rain at some point today. So if anyone else says that its raining, I'm going to shoot myself... after I shoot them." There were a few chuckles, and I believe my point was taken. We had a lovely dinner at The Lighthouse Restaurant and then returned to the house to watch "Serial Mom", after which everyone went to bed.
Sunday morning we had another leisurely morning (same breakfast food) but this time we sat around longer, just talking. I think that was my favorite time of the whole weekend. After showers, everyone began packing up. Kerry & Company headed out for more shopping, and Joe, Evelyn, and I went to lunch and then headed home. Although we got caught in a traffic jam related to the Bay Bridge repaving, hey... at least it wasn't raining!
Although the weekend started off badly for me, we all had a really fun time.
Unfortunately it was raining on Friday night as we headed up to the shore. Despite the anticipation of a fun weekend, I was not in a good mood. I had a very stressful day at work, and when I got home I found that Joe had told his mom to bring her dog with her. (Her dog was supposed to stay at her daughter's.) I don't like her dog because she's spoiled and she stares at me. She is a pug, with those ugly bulging eyes, and she will sit and stare at me like I'm some circus freak or something. But the real reason is that her dog is allowed to get on the furniture, which we do not allow. I am allergic to dogs and can't tolerate pet hair and dander on the furniture. Now we were heading up to the shore for a weekend of rain and three dogs. (Kerry & Hugh always bring their dog, whom I don't mind because he's so tiny and doesn't lounge on the furniture.)
On the way up there it seemed we got behind every clueless idiot possible. I'm not an aggressive driver, but I like to get where I'm going quickly and safely, especially when its dark and there's no sightseeing to be done. But we got behind people driving 5 mph under the speed limit in the left lane. Three of them. At different times. I gave them the courtesy quick-flash of the high beams to let them know 'hey, I need to move out of the left lane now'. Only one of them responded. The others had to get step two, which is me drifting slightly to the left so that my headlights are in their side view mirror and then I give them the not-so-courteous longer flashes of the high beams. One of them still refused to move, which made my bad mood even worse.
While that was going on, Joe's mom's dog was going nuts. She's not used to riding in the car for more than 5 minutes, and she just wouldn't settle down. She kept whining and barking and snorting, and I was getting more mad at Joe for bringing that hideous thing along. All the while Joe's mom (whom I love dearly) kept making random comments about the rain. Maybe she was nervous because her dog wouldn't shut up. Maybe she just didn't know what to say on a 3 hour car ride. But I could see it was raining. I had my windshield wipers on. We had already talked in depth about the forecast for rain all night and all the next day. I think the rainy weather had been sufficiently established already. Let's move on. Don't get me wrong - I absolutely love spending time with Evelyn. We have dinner with her every Thursday and we always laugh and have a good time. :-)
We finally get up there and Joe helps his mom and the two dogs get inside, where the others are all waiting, leaving me to unload the suitcases and other bags all by myself, in the rain. I really wasn't in the mood to socialize, so I made up ours and Evelyn's beds and distributed towels to all of the bathrooms in the house. When I had nothing left to do and was feeling a little less pissed off, I joined everyone in the living room and made myself an Appletini. Actually, it was more like 2 Appletinis because these martini glasses are so big that a single drink looks silly in them, so I made it a double. Meanwhile, more comments about the rain.
The next day we all had a leisurely breakfast of doughnuts, crumb cake, coffee, juice and milk and planned our day. (My mood was back to normal.) Kerry & Hugh were going to Ocean City and Bethany to run some errands. Some of the others wanted to go to some outlet stores, so after showers all around, Kerry, Hugh, and George went to OC and all the rest of us went shopping. Again, more comments about the rain. It had also gotten very windy, so it felt even colder than it really was, so we cut our shopping trip short and headed back to the house. Some napped, some watched TV, and others made comments about the rain.
Kerry, Hugh, and George returned and we talked about where to go for dinner. Once again, someone (not Evelyn) thought it necessary to inform everyone that it was raining, because this could likely make a difference where we ate. I'd had it! I said to everyone: "Excuse me, may I have everyone's attention please. I believe we all know it's raining. In fact, we've all been out in the rain at some point today. So if anyone else says that its raining, I'm going to shoot myself... after I shoot them." There were a few chuckles, and I believe my point was taken. We had a lovely dinner at The Lighthouse Restaurant and then returned to the house to watch "Serial Mom", after which everyone went to bed.
Sunday morning we had another leisurely morning (same breakfast food) but this time we sat around longer, just talking. I think that was my favorite time of the whole weekend. After showers, everyone began packing up. Kerry & Company headed out for more shopping, and Joe, Evelyn, and I went to lunch and then headed home. Although we got caught in a traffic jam related to the Bay Bridge repaving, hey... at least it wasn't raining!
Although the weekend started off badly for me, we all had a really fun time.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
American Idol, week 3
Last night was week 3 of the finalists. ACK!! I missed the first 4 performers: Jessica, Nadia, Bo, and Anwar, so I'm afraid I can't really stand behind my prediction of who will get eliminated tonight. But I did see the other 6 performers last night, and using those performances along with what I've seen so far, my prediction is that Anthony Federov will be eliminated.
At this point, I think all 10 of the performers have good - better than average - voices. I think Anthony will get eliminated because his performances the last few weeks have just been good, and not exceptional. Most of the other performers have had at least one performance where the audience, the judges, or I said "Wow!", but not Anthony. I think he has a wonderful tone to his voice, but his body language and stage presence seem less comfortable than the others.
The person with the least pleasing voice tone (to me) is Nicco Smith. Personally I would vote him off tonight, but I don't think the audience will because he has terrific stage presence. He moves around and works the audience, which in this case appears to be worth more than a pretty voice.
Of the 6 performances I saw last night, the most disappointing to me was Scott Saval. He usually does a really good job, but last night he seemed almost tentative during his song. It was a challenging piece to sing, as it had many large jumps from chest voice to falsetto and back, and I don't think it was a good choice for him. But I think it was a single non-Wow performance, whereas Anthony has had several non-Wow performances.
I'm sticking with my original prediction that Jessica, Carrie, and Nadia will be in the top 3 (weeks from now), and that tonight we will say "Buh-bye" to Anthony.
Later that night...
Okay, so I was totally wrong about who got eliminated. Anthony was not even in the bottom 3 tonight. Unfortunately, we had to say "Buh-bye" to Jessica, whom I think is a very good singer. I can't believe America voted her out, and left Nicco, Anthony, and Anwar in there. Oh well, so much for good taste.
On a totally different subject, the folks interested in buying our little place at the beach called tonight. We settled on an offer, and plan to complete the transaction this weekend, god-willing. Hopefully the property manager will be available on Saturday for an inspection and to do the necessary approval on the buyers. Hopefully it will all work out and we can finally be done with it. We have 'moved on' from that place, both physically and emotionally, so it will be good to pass it on to someone else.
The weather today was beautiful! Finally the sun showed itself and it was 68 degrees. I can not even begin to tell you how SICK I am of rain, drizzle and overcast skies. As you might have expected, I celebrated today's beauty by putting the top down on my car at lunch time, and driving home from work with it down, too. Pure enjoyment... Unfortunately, the forecast for Thurs, Fri, and Sat is cloudy skies and scattered showers. God, I can't wait for Spring to come.
At this point, I think all 10 of the performers have good - better than average - voices. I think Anthony will get eliminated because his performances the last few weeks have just been good, and not exceptional. Most of the other performers have had at least one performance where the audience, the judges, or I said "Wow!", but not Anthony. I think he has a wonderful tone to his voice, but his body language and stage presence seem less comfortable than the others.
The person with the least pleasing voice tone (to me) is Nicco Smith. Personally I would vote him off tonight, but I don't think the audience will because he has terrific stage presence. He moves around and works the audience, which in this case appears to be worth more than a pretty voice.
Of the 6 performances I saw last night, the most disappointing to me was Scott Saval. He usually does a really good job, but last night he seemed almost tentative during his song. It was a challenging piece to sing, as it had many large jumps from chest voice to falsetto and back, and I don't think it was a good choice for him. But I think it was a single non-Wow performance, whereas Anthony has had several non-Wow performances.
I'm sticking with my original prediction that Jessica, Carrie, and Nadia will be in the top 3 (weeks from now), and that tonight we will say "Buh-bye" to Anthony.
Later that night...
Okay, so I was totally wrong about who got eliminated. Anthony was not even in the bottom 3 tonight. Unfortunately, we had to say "Buh-bye" to Jessica, whom I think is a very good singer. I can't believe America voted her out, and left Nicco, Anthony, and Anwar in there. Oh well, so much for good taste.
On a totally different subject, the folks interested in buying our little place at the beach called tonight. We settled on an offer, and plan to complete the transaction this weekend, god-willing. Hopefully the property manager will be available on Saturday for an inspection and to do the necessary approval on the buyers. Hopefully it will all work out and we can finally be done with it. We have 'moved on' from that place, both physically and emotionally, so it will be good to pass it on to someone else.
The weather today was beautiful! Finally the sun showed itself and it was 68 degrees. I can not even begin to tell you how SICK I am of rain, drizzle and overcast skies. As you might have expected, I celebrated today's beauty by putting the top down on my car at lunch time, and driving home from work with it down, too. Pure enjoyment... Unfortunately, the forecast for Thurs, Fri, and Sat is cloudy skies and scattered showers. God, I can't wait for Spring to come.
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Winding Up The Week
I forgot to mention that last weekend was our 'entertaining at home' weekend... Our friends Robert & Liz came over Saturday night. Joe made homemade pizzas! But Robert & Liz got stuck in a terrible traffic jam and arrived an hour late. Unfortunately the pizzas weren't as good because they were baked, then came up to room temperature while we waited for Robert & Liz to arrive, then got warmed up again. But we had a great time visiting with them. We ate in the kitchen.
On Sunday our friends Ron & James came over. We had pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, peas, corn casserole, and biscuits. Unknown to us, pork tenderloin is one of their favorite meals, so it was a big hit. James brought a delicious apple pie, which we had a la mode. We ate in the kitchen and had a wonderful time catching up with these friends we don't see as often as we'd like. We also talked about plans for a trip to the shore with them and our friends Mike & Clark in late April or early May. (We've done this before and have always had a blast.)
My American Idol prediction was correct, and with hesitation we said "Buh-bye" to Mikalah. (Am I the only one who thinks she looks like Fran Drescher from 'The Nanny'?) I'm looking forward to this week's competition. I think all of the remaining singers are good, so it is going to be more difficult to predict each week's parting contestant.
We went to the shore this weekend. My company gave me (Good) Friday off, and Joe had some comp time, so we left at 11:30 Friday morning. After a late lunch at our favorite lunch spot Cafe Sole, we went to the grocery store and the video store, then headed back to the house.
We put up curtains in two of the bedrooms, Joe took a nap while I watched a little TV, and then we decided to drive down to Ocean City to have dinner at 'The Wharf', an all-you-can-eat buffet. The food is pretty good and the price is pretty reasonable. The place is decorated with all kinds of nautical stuff, from compasses to fishing nets, to oars, to barometers, to laterns - you name it. It's kind of kitchy, which of course appeals to us. Then we headed back to the house and watched one of our movies "The Motorcycle Diaries". Two pals from Argentina set off on a 5,000 mile tour of their continent on an old motorcycle. Rather than just being a scenic trip, it becomes a life-altering experience for both of them. I thought it was pretty good. Joe loved it. I thought it was too long. It seemed like it could have ended a few times. But perhaps I felt that way because the movie is in Spanish and we had to read the English subtitles.
Saturday we had an appointment to show the Li'l Retro Getaway (trailer) so I experimented with a product called Liqui-Sew to hem the curtains we needed to hang again after washing. It worked like a charm and before you knew it, we were over at the LRG, curtains hung, just waiting for the potential buyer to arrive. The sun had finally come out (even if only for half an hour) and it almost felt balmy, so we sat on the deck until they arrived. They loved the retro feel of the place, and one of them is a teacher who has lots of time off in the summer, so it seemed like a good fit. Tonight they called and said they are interested in buying, and will call us tomorrow to make an offer!
After showing the LRG we made a stop at a store where we picked up some inexpensive fabric and some beading. Revved up by my Liqui-Sew experience earlier in the day, I decided to make a pair of curtains. I couldn't believe how fast and easy it was! In the time it took for Joe to have a nap, I measured, cut, and Liqui-Sewed a pair of curtains AND began attaching the beading onto an old lamp shade. I put up the new curtains and a pair of store bought panels, for a total of 4 pairs of curtains in the house and 1 pair at the trailer. Mission: Accomplished!
After dinner at home we watched another movie "Connie & Carla", written by and starring Nia Vardalos from 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'. This was really cute! It's about these 2 girls who do a cabaret-style show in an airport lounge who accidentally witness a murder. In order to not be caught by the murderer, they decided to leave town and go somewhere unexpected... somewhere there is no cabaret-style shows where the killer would find them... like LA. They pretend to be drag queens at a West Hollywood bar and eventually talk the owner into making it a dinner theatre where they perform regularly. There were some really funny moments, and a LOT of Broadway musical renditions. Then we watched "Boat Trip" starring Cuba Gooding Jr. I had never even HEARD of this movie before, but Joe said he'd seen a trailer for it. It turned out to be cute too, but a bit sillier than "Connie & Carla". Cuba Gooding Jr and his buddy get 'accidentally' booked on a gay cruise instead of a straight singles cruise. You can imagine the characters they encounter and the antics that ensue.
This morning we had breakfast, cleaned up the house, and headed back home. We both showered and shaved, and got ready for Easter with the family. Joe's brother Louis and his wife Karen host Easter at their house every year. (Joe & I have Thanksgiving, and his sister Mary has Christmas.) We had a delicious honey baked ham, potato salad, macaroni salad, beans, sweet potato shuffle, green bean casserole, rolls, and deviled eggs. And candy. What would Easter be without candy? We all had a ball. It was really fun to have the family together, catch up on the kids' activities, and enjoy the afternoon.
So ends my week.
On Sunday our friends Ron & James came over. We had pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, peas, corn casserole, and biscuits. Unknown to us, pork tenderloin is one of their favorite meals, so it was a big hit. James brought a delicious apple pie, which we had a la mode. We ate in the kitchen and had a wonderful time catching up with these friends we don't see as often as we'd like. We also talked about plans for a trip to the shore with them and our friends Mike & Clark in late April or early May. (We've done this before and have always had a blast.)
My American Idol prediction was correct, and with hesitation we said "Buh-bye" to Mikalah. (Am I the only one who thinks she looks like Fran Drescher from 'The Nanny'?) I'm looking forward to this week's competition. I think all of the remaining singers are good, so it is going to be more difficult to predict each week's parting contestant.
We went to the shore this weekend. My company gave me (Good) Friday off, and Joe had some comp time, so we left at 11:30 Friday morning. After a late lunch at our favorite lunch spot Cafe Sole, we went to the grocery store and the video store, then headed back to the house.
We put up curtains in two of the bedrooms, Joe took a nap while I watched a little TV, and then we decided to drive down to Ocean City to have dinner at 'The Wharf', an all-you-can-eat buffet. The food is pretty good and the price is pretty reasonable. The place is decorated with all kinds of nautical stuff, from compasses to fishing nets, to oars, to barometers, to laterns - you name it. It's kind of kitchy, which of course appeals to us. Then we headed back to the house and watched one of our movies "The Motorcycle Diaries". Two pals from Argentina set off on a 5,000 mile tour of their continent on an old motorcycle. Rather than just being a scenic trip, it becomes a life-altering experience for both of them. I thought it was pretty good. Joe loved it. I thought it was too long. It seemed like it could have ended a few times. But perhaps I felt that way because the movie is in Spanish and we had to read the English subtitles.
Saturday we had an appointment to show the Li'l Retro Getaway (trailer) so I experimented with a product called Liqui-Sew to hem the curtains we needed to hang again after washing. It worked like a charm and before you knew it, we were over at the LRG, curtains hung, just waiting for the potential buyer to arrive. The sun had finally come out (even if only for half an hour) and it almost felt balmy, so we sat on the deck until they arrived. They loved the retro feel of the place, and one of them is a teacher who has lots of time off in the summer, so it seemed like a good fit. Tonight they called and said they are interested in buying, and will call us tomorrow to make an offer!
After showing the LRG we made a stop at a store where we picked up some inexpensive fabric and some beading. Revved up by my Liqui-Sew experience earlier in the day, I decided to make a pair of curtains. I couldn't believe how fast and easy it was! In the time it took for Joe to have a nap, I measured, cut, and Liqui-Sewed a pair of curtains AND began attaching the beading onto an old lamp shade. I put up the new curtains and a pair of store bought panels, for a total of 4 pairs of curtains in the house and 1 pair at the trailer. Mission: Accomplished!
After dinner at home we watched another movie "Connie & Carla", written by and starring Nia Vardalos from 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'. This was really cute! It's about these 2 girls who do a cabaret-style show in an airport lounge who accidentally witness a murder. In order to not be caught by the murderer, they decided to leave town and go somewhere unexpected... somewhere there is no cabaret-style shows where the killer would find them... like LA. They pretend to be drag queens at a West Hollywood bar and eventually talk the owner into making it a dinner theatre where they perform regularly. There were some really funny moments, and a LOT of Broadway musical renditions. Then we watched "Boat Trip" starring Cuba Gooding Jr. I had never even HEARD of this movie before, but Joe said he'd seen a trailer for it. It turned out to be cute too, but a bit sillier than "Connie & Carla". Cuba Gooding Jr and his buddy get 'accidentally' booked on a gay cruise instead of a straight singles cruise. You can imagine the characters they encounter and the antics that ensue.
This morning we had breakfast, cleaned up the house, and headed back home. We both showered and shaved, and got ready for Easter with the family. Joe's brother Louis and his wife Karen host Easter at their house every year. (Joe & I have Thanksgiving, and his sister Mary has Christmas.) We had a delicious honey baked ham, potato salad, macaroni salad, beans, sweet potato shuffle, green bean casserole, rolls, and deviled eggs. And candy. What would Easter be without candy? We all had a ball. It was really fun to have the family together, catch up on the kids' activities, and enjoy the afternoon.
So ends my week.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Saying "Buh-bye" (American Idol, part II)
Tonight was the 2nd of the top 12 finalists' eliminations.
Last week I agreed with the judges that all of the performances were lacking. It was like someone forgot to tell them 'we're in the finals now - you've got to step it up'. Even strong performers like Carrie Underwood were lack-luster. Last Tuesday I correctly identified Lindsay as the weakest singer and the one to whom we'd have to say "Buh-bye". On Wednesday I was right.
After watching tonight's performances I thought that all of the singers really injected themselves with steroids. Every performance was outstanding tonight, with the exception of Nadia. I thought this was her worst performance, although she is a great singer.
Ever since the first time I heard Mikalah sing I thought 'her voice and diction remind me of Taylor Dane'. 'Maybe she'd do better if she sang a Taylor Dane song'. Low and behold, tonight she sang "Love Will Lead You Back" by Taylor Dane! But as much as I like Mikalah, who looks like Fran Drescher (The Nanny) and sounds like Taylor Dane, I believe that she is now the weakest singer and I predict that tomorrow night it will be Mikalah who we'll have to say "Buh-bye" to. Tomorrow night we'll see if I am correct again.
Although it is only the 2nd of 12 finalist performances, I am predicting that the last 3 left in the competition will be Carrie, Nadia, and Jessica. My gut tells me Carrie may win.
Last week I agreed with the judges that all of the performances were lacking. It was like someone forgot to tell them 'we're in the finals now - you've got to step it up'. Even strong performers like Carrie Underwood were lack-luster. Last Tuesday I correctly identified Lindsay as the weakest singer and the one to whom we'd have to say "Buh-bye". On Wednesday I was right.
After watching tonight's performances I thought that all of the singers really injected themselves with steroids. Every performance was outstanding tonight, with the exception of Nadia. I thought this was her worst performance, although she is a great singer.
Ever since the first time I heard Mikalah sing I thought 'her voice and diction remind me of Taylor Dane'. 'Maybe she'd do better if she sang a Taylor Dane song'. Low and behold, tonight she sang "Love Will Lead You Back" by Taylor Dane! But as much as I like Mikalah, who looks like Fran Drescher (The Nanny) and sounds like Taylor Dane, I believe that she is now the weakest singer and I predict that tomorrow night it will be Mikalah who we'll have to say "Buh-bye" to. Tomorrow night we'll see if I am correct again.
Although it is only the 2nd of 12 finalist performances, I am predicting that the last 3 left in the competition will be Carrie, Nadia, and Jessica. My gut tells me Carrie may win.
Monday, March 21, 2005
American Idol
Okay, I admit it - I am addicted to American Idol. But, at least it makes sense for me to be addicted to this show. After all, I am a singer. And I was a 'Dominant'. (Kerry is smiling at that.)
When I was in high school I started singing in the Concert Choir. It seemed I had some talent, and when I'd go for All-County, Regional, Honors, and All-State choir auditions, I always made it. In fact, in my senior year I tied the record at All-State choir auditions by getting a score of 299 points out of a possible 300. But that's not what made me a 'Dominant'...
'The Dominants' was an award-winning vocal jazz/show choir from my high school. From the first time I heard them (as a freshmen) I knew I would one day be a member of this prestigious singing group. The name 'Dominants' is a play on words, referring to the 5th of a chord, or the dominant of the chord, as well as performers who dominate at competitions. And yes, there were competitions...
I will never forget in my junior year 'The Dominants' were enrolled for some vocal jazz and show choir workshops followed by a competition in Jersey City, NJ. We were a little scared that schools from New York would be there, as we imagined 'Fame' choirs putting us to shame. The workshops were from like 10 am to 4 pm, and the competitions were from 6-8 pm. Unfortunately for us, our County school bus broke down on the way, which delayed our arrival by several hours. We got to the auditorium just as the workshops were ending. Fortunately we arrived in time to have a quick dinner, change into our costumes and compete.
All of the high school groups were competing in either the vocal jazz OR the show choir divisions, except for 'The Dominants'. We had two different performances and were enrolled in both divisions. As we watched the groups who performed before us, we got more and more excited because we knew our songs were better and that we were simply more talented. But the proof was in the pudding... err, the performances.
First was the show choir division, which involves more choreography and less complicated vocal arrangements. We were like group 5 out of 10, I think. Then came the vocal jazz division, which involves very little choreography, but complicated tight harmonies. You can't fake a vocal jazz performance. We drew the coveted position of performing last. Remember, we were the only group to compete in both divisions, using 2 different sets of songs.
After a brief intermission for the judges' votes to be tallied, they reassembled everyone for the results.
"The trophy for best choreography goes to... The Dominants" followed by thunderous applause. "The trophy for best vocal solo goes to... The Dominants." More thunderous applause and whistles. "The trophy for best costume goes to... The Dominants." The audience was going crazy - even our competitors were happy for us. On and on, The Dominants won all of the trophies except for one: best instrumental solo. As I recall, one group had a fabulous trumpet solo that got duly recognized.
Then came the finale. "Best overall performance in the show choir division... The Dominants." We were all on our feet, screaming, jumping up and down and hugging each other. Then came the last one. "Best overall performance in the vocal jazz division... The Dominants!" We were all hysterical by that point. We were in such an excited frenzy you'd have thought we'd each won a hundred billion dollars. What a night! I'll never forget that as long as I live.
Then there was the vocal jazz competition where the volunteer student from the audio/visual club was practicing for the Emmies. Each time a group was named as a winner, he'd play a snippet of one of their songs as the choir director went up to the stage to accept the trophy. When we won first place there and our song was playing, I swear I felt like I was on an TV awards show! The entire 24-member choir charged up on stage to be photographed with our choir director and that big-ass trophy.
If I wasn't 41 years old now, I'd have auditioned for American Idol when they came to DC. But although I look younger than 41, I honestly don't think I could pass for 28, the cut-off age for American Idol. So instead, I will look at the photos taken with my fellow Dominants and I'll remember when...
When I was in high school I started singing in the Concert Choir. It seemed I had some talent, and when I'd go for All-County, Regional, Honors, and All-State choir auditions, I always made it. In fact, in my senior year I tied the record at All-State choir auditions by getting a score of 299 points out of a possible 300. But that's not what made me a 'Dominant'...
'The Dominants' was an award-winning vocal jazz/show choir from my high school. From the first time I heard them (as a freshmen) I knew I would one day be a member of this prestigious singing group. The name 'Dominants' is a play on words, referring to the 5th of a chord, or the dominant of the chord, as well as performers who dominate at competitions. And yes, there were competitions...
I will never forget in my junior year 'The Dominants' were enrolled for some vocal jazz and show choir workshops followed by a competition in Jersey City, NJ. We were a little scared that schools from New York would be there, as we imagined 'Fame' choirs putting us to shame. The workshops were from like 10 am to 4 pm, and the competitions were from 6-8 pm. Unfortunately for us, our County school bus broke down on the way, which delayed our arrival by several hours. We got to the auditorium just as the workshops were ending. Fortunately we arrived in time to have a quick dinner, change into our costumes and compete.
All of the high school groups were competing in either the vocal jazz OR the show choir divisions, except for 'The Dominants'. We had two different performances and were enrolled in both divisions. As we watched the groups who performed before us, we got more and more excited because we knew our songs were better and that we were simply more talented. But the proof was in the pudding... err, the performances.
First was the show choir division, which involves more choreography and less complicated vocal arrangements. We were like group 5 out of 10, I think. Then came the vocal jazz division, which involves very little choreography, but complicated tight harmonies. You can't fake a vocal jazz performance. We drew the coveted position of performing last. Remember, we were the only group to compete in both divisions, using 2 different sets of songs.
After a brief intermission for the judges' votes to be tallied, they reassembled everyone for the results.
"The trophy for best choreography goes to... The Dominants" followed by thunderous applause. "The trophy for best vocal solo goes to... The Dominants." More thunderous applause and whistles. "The trophy for best costume goes to... The Dominants." The audience was going crazy - even our competitors were happy for us. On and on, The Dominants won all of the trophies except for one: best instrumental solo. As I recall, one group had a fabulous trumpet solo that got duly recognized.
Then came the finale. "Best overall performance in the show choir division... The Dominants." We were all on our feet, screaming, jumping up and down and hugging each other. Then came the last one. "Best overall performance in the vocal jazz division... The Dominants!" We were all hysterical by that point. We were in such an excited frenzy you'd have thought we'd each won a hundred billion dollars. What a night! I'll never forget that as long as I live.
Then there was the vocal jazz competition where the volunteer student from the audio/visual club was practicing for the Emmies. Each time a group was named as a winner, he'd play a snippet of one of their songs as the choir director went up to the stage to accept the trophy. When we won first place there and our song was playing, I swear I felt like I was on an TV awards show! The entire 24-member choir charged up on stage to be photographed with our choir director and that big-ass trophy.
If I wasn't 41 years old now, I'd have auditioned for American Idol when they came to DC. But although I look younger than 41, I honestly don't think I could pass for 28, the cut-off age for American Idol. So instead, I will look at the photos taken with my fellow Dominants and I'll remember when...
Monday, March 14, 2005
Surprise - an Artist is born!
We didn't have specific plans for this past weekend. We were supposed to go to the shore with our friends Justine and Liz. But the weather forecast was for rain Friday night (when we'd be driving up there) and rain and/or snow on Saturday. Justine and Liz would have to leave Sunday morning to keep an afternoon appointment, so it seemed like the weather just wouldn't be conducive to taking a walk on the beach and shopping at the tax-free outlets. So we mutually decided to postpone the trip.
Friday night it did not rain, and Saturday it was bright and sunny. Joe and I had breakfast at McDonald's (I know, shame on us) and then ran a few errands. When we returned shortly before noon, there was a message from Justine and Liz, so we called them back and decided to meet for a late lunch.
On the way to lunch we stopped at an estate sale. I bought a pink ceramic ashtray from the '50s for 50 cents. Then we went to my favorite Thai restaurant for lunch. We hadn't been there in so long because the last few times we tried to have dinner there, the wait was too long. A late lunch was the perfect answer! The food was amazing, as usual, and we had a great visit with Justine and Liz.
Then I decided to become an artist. I bought 3 18x24 canvases from a craft store for $4.99 each and then got out some wall paint left-over from when I'd painted some of the rooms in the house. I came up with a simple, geometric design and began applying the paint with foam brushes. In about 20 minutes I had 3 fabulous canvases. An Artist was born! I took them to my office and hung them in a straight line. They looked great!
My art must have inspired Joe's creative juices to begin flowing because as I was putting away my supplies he reminded me that it really wouldn't take that much to get our downstairs 'Retro Lounge' looking good. The basement of our house has a large L-shaped family room, with a stone corner fireplace and nice large windows. We have a large sectional sofa from the '50s that is orange with gold threads woven in it, a smaller sectional sofa from the '60s that is tan, and two upholstered chairs, one turquoise and one purple. There are a number of original '50s and '60s accessories, ranging from pink and turquoise ceramic ashtrays to fabulous lamps with fiberglass shades. A friend once said that being in that room is like taking a step backwards in time. However, we don't use the room very often because the asbestos tile floor is not so attractive and the room has a 'cold' feeling.
So Saturday night we decided to buy a new TV for the room and to look for a new rug. Actually, we had been discussing buying a new TV for that room for several months, but had not decided when to do it. We'd been shopping around but on Saturday night we decided to bring one home. A 32 inch flat screen. Man, was it heavy! We also found a large rug we thought would work, but needed to measure the room first. After heaving that huge TV into the house, we measured the room and decided to go back the next day for the rug.
But first we needed to move all the furniture to one side and vacuum and mop the floor. We decided that would have to wait til the next day.
Our friends Michael and Jamie had invited us to join them for brunch at Bob & Edith's diner, in the event that we did not go to the shore. So Sunday morning we met them at 10:30 for pancakes, eggs and sausage or scrapple. We enjoyed hearing about their recent moving in together as well as their search for an affordable condo/townhouse/house to buy. They're great guys.
After brunch, we decided to look for some fabric with which we could make curtains for the large windows and to section off the L-part of the room. After careful measurements, we calculated we would need 24 yards of fabric. I thought to myself "this is going to cost a fortune" but I didn't say it outloud, so as not to burst Joe's bubble. He was quite gung-ho on the curtain wall to divide the L-space. To my amazement, we found some retro-looking rayon with all the colors in our room... priced at $4.50 per yard... sitting in the 50% off area. It seemed too good to be true, so when the sales girl was unrolling the fabric to measure it I said outloud "it will be totalling amazing if there's 24 yards of fabric there". There wasn't, but there was 23 3/4 yards so we bought it. Just over $50. and we had enough to make a gathered wall of curtains for the 12 foot wide opening and 4 curtains for the windows.
Next we went back to get the rug. "This is all working out so well" I said to Joe. "That black and tan rug will look perfect, will fit the space, and is so reasonably priced". I'd spoken too soon. When we saw the rug again in the light of day we realized it wasn't black, it was midnight blue. But, the size and price were great so we decided we could live with the midnight blue.
So, we rolled out the rug across half the room, moved all the furniture onto the rug, rolled it out the rest of the way, and began returning the furniture to its original location. Then came the chore of hoisting that beast of a TV onto the stand. Yikes - we almost dropped it twice! Then the room came together quickly. We vacuumed and arranged all the accessories and it looked great. We saved the curtain-making for another day.
Kerry, Hugh, and George came over at 5:30 to view my art and the updates to the Retro Lounge before we headed over to CiCi's Pizza and Pasta buffet. We enjoyed a lot of pizza and a lot of laughs.
Friday night it did not rain, and Saturday it was bright and sunny. Joe and I had breakfast at McDonald's (I know, shame on us) and then ran a few errands. When we returned shortly before noon, there was a message from Justine and Liz, so we called them back and decided to meet for a late lunch.
On the way to lunch we stopped at an estate sale. I bought a pink ceramic ashtray from the '50s for 50 cents. Then we went to my favorite Thai restaurant for lunch. We hadn't been there in so long because the last few times we tried to have dinner there, the wait was too long. A late lunch was the perfect answer! The food was amazing, as usual, and we had a great visit with Justine and Liz.
Then I decided to become an artist. I bought 3 18x24 canvases from a craft store for $4.99 each and then got out some wall paint left-over from when I'd painted some of the rooms in the house. I came up with a simple, geometric design and began applying the paint with foam brushes. In about 20 minutes I had 3 fabulous canvases. An Artist was born! I took them to my office and hung them in a straight line. They looked great!
My art must have inspired Joe's creative juices to begin flowing because as I was putting away my supplies he reminded me that it really wouldn't take that much to get our downstairs 'Retro Lounge' looking good. The basement of our house has a large L-shaped family room, with a stone corner fireplace and nice large windows. We have a large sectional sofa from the '50s that is orange with gold threads woven in it, a smaller sectional sofa from the '60s that is tan, and two upholstered chairs, one turquoise and one purple. There are a number of original '50s and '60s accessories, ranging from pink and turquoise ceramic ashtrays to fabulous lamps with fiberglass shades. A friend once said that being in that room is like taking a step backwards in time. However, we don't use the room very often because the asbestos tile floor is not so attractive and the room has a 'cold' feeling.
So Saturday night we decided to buy a new TV for the room and to look for a new rug. Actually, we had been discussing buying a new TV for that room for several months, but had not decided when to do it. We'd been shopping around but on Saturday night we decided to bring one home. A 32 inch flat screen. Man, was it heavy! We also found a large rug we thought would work, but needed to measure the room first. After heaving that huge TV into the house, we measured the room and decided to go back the next day for the rug.
But first we needed to move all the furniture to one side and vacuum and mop the floor. We decided that would have to wait til the next day.
Our friends Michael and Jamie had invited us to join them for brunch at Bob & Edith's diner, in the event that we did not go to the shore. So Sunday morning we met them at 10:30 for pancakes, eggs and sausage or scrapple. We enjoyed hearing about their recent moving in together as well as their search for an affordable condo/townhouse/house to buy. They're great guys.
After brunch, we decided to look for some fabric with which we could make curtains for the large windows and to section off the L-part of the room. After careful measurements, we calculated we would need 24 yards of fabric. I thought to myself "this is going to cost a fortune" but I didn't say it outloud, so as not to burst Joe's bubble. He was quite gung-ho on the curtain wall to divide the L-space. To my amazement, we found some retro-looking rayon with all the colors in our room... priced at $4.50 per yard... sitting in the 50% off area. It seemed too good to be true, so when the sales girl was unrolling the fabric to measure it I said outloud "it will be totalling amazing if there's 24 yards of fabric there". There wasn't, but there was 23 3/4 yards so we bought it. Just over $50. and we had enough to make a gathered wall of curtains for the 12 foot wide opening and 4 curtains for the windows.
Next we went back to get the rug. "This is all working out so well" I said to Joe. "That black and tan rug will look perfect, will fit the space, and is so reasonably priced". I'd spoken too soon. When we saw the rug again in the light of day we realized it wasn't black, it was midnight blue. But, the size and price were great so we decided we could live with the midnight blue.
So, we rolled out the rug across half the room, moved all the furniture onto the rug, rolled it out the rest of the way, and began returning the furniture to its original location. Then came the chore of hoisting that beast of a TV onto the stand. Yikes - we almost dropped it twice! Then the room came together quickly. We vacuumed and arranged all the accessories and it looked great. We saved the curtain-making for another day.
Kerry, Hugh, and George came over at 5:30 to view my art and the updates to the Retro Lounge before we headed over to CiCi's Pizza and Pasta buffet. We enjoyed a lot of pizza and a lot of laughs.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
My life as Carrie Bradshaw, Part II
Okay, so we get an email last week from our friends Roger & Bugsy, inviting us and our mutual friends Mike & Clark to dinner tonight. Rog reminds us that it's "Dine Out for Life", a fundraising opportunity where participating DC area restaurants donate a percentage of their proceeds from the night to Food & Friends, a DC area AIDS organization. Food & Friends delivers 3 meals a day to homebound people with AIDS. I used to be a kitchen volunteer there a few years ago. So, as if we needed an incentive to go out to dinner with friends, of course we said yes.
Then yesterday I get this idea: Let's have a "Sex and the City" boy's night out! You know how the "Sex and the City" girls get all dolled up, meet at some restaurant and have cocktails and dinner. Miranda wears that smoky eyeshadow that she only wears for such evenings, Samantha wears those 6-inch long dangly chandelier earrings, Charlotte wears a sleek strapless number (she always does), and Carrie will have to buy a new pair of $400. shoes. You get the picture...
To their credit, they all four agreed it might be fun, so it was settled. However, Rog & Bugsy said that although they'd heard of "Sex and the City", they'd never actually seen the show. My heart began to sink. I know Mike & Clark had seen the show, but they are usually not the dress up type. In all reality, I just felt like we should do something different, and not go out to dinner wearing the same old clothes I'd worn to work that day.
I'm pretty lucky: I can wear whatever I want to work. Most of the time it's jeans and a pullover. In the summer it's shorts and t-shirt. Since I never see clients face-to-face and I work in a small office, I dress in what is the most comfortable so I can be the most productive. At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I just didn't want the six of us to meet for dinner looking like I look everyday at work. I wanted the glamour, the sparkle, the feeling of being a "Sex and the City" girl. Yes, this night had to be different. I had to be different.
So, being the eternal optimist, I took and deep breathe and wrote back to the boys to lay down the fashion rules of the evening: no jeans, no sneakers, a solid sweater was okay, but a shirt had to have at least two colors. Now, you might be surprised at my need to review the fashion rules with 4 gay men. But, contrary to the stereotype, not all gay men are good at floral arranging, hair styling, home decorating, and fashion. Now you know. But after a little initial jeering, they all agreed to the terms. And I knew exactly what I'd wear.
I'd wear the ensemble I had put together for Joe's company Christmas party. Although I didn't know anyone when I arrived with him, I knew practically everyone by the time I left. They were all compelled to talk to me about my 'loud' shirt. My outfit was a big hit!
So as I began to dress this evening, I started feeling excited. I started with a pair of black gabardine slacks by Liz Claibourne that I'd found for a mere $39.95. Next came the infamous shirt: a very large paisley print in pink, grey, and black on a white background. Although I got it for only $19.95, it looks WAY more 'designer' and expensive. To tone down that outrageous shirt I slipped on a black leather sport jacket. Now, this is NOT a jacket you'd wear outdoors for warmth. Au contraire, this jacket is cut like a sport jacket you'd wear with dress slacks and a dress shirt - only its made of smooth black leather. Hot!!! I got it just before our trip to Las Vegas in Dec '03. And the finishing touch was a pair of black, square-toed leather shoes I snagged for only $29.95. You must admit that men's leather shoes for under $30. is unheard of! Unlike the real Carrie Bradshaw, I am the quintessential bargain hunter.
Joe looked very sharp in a pair of black slacks, shiny black leather shoes, and a smart-looking blue, black and grey stripe shirt. It looked especially good on him with his black hair. With our ensembles complete, we left to meet the boys. I dropped Joe off in front of the restaurant, since the garage was full and there was no street parking, which made us late. He joined the boys and I finally found a place to park.
Our table had a curved banquet and 4 chairs, and although I'd have pushed others aside to sit in the banquet, I didn't need to. The only empty place when I got to the table was one in the banquet. As we sipped our Cosmopolitans, I leaned back and tossed my arm up onto the back of the banquet, exposing more of my 'loud' shirt, and enjoying brief but fleeting glimpses of "Sex and the City"-ness.
Roger & Bugsy made concerted attempts to dress appropriately. I especially enjoyed Roger's bright multi-color stripe shirt and sunflower tie. Mike & Clark broke the rules, but I tried to hide my disappointment. Clark had on a dark grey crew neck and khaki pants, and Mike had on a hunter green cotton button-up and khaki pants. Can you say "Casual Friday"??? Mike joked by saying that he didn't own any fun or funky clothes. "Everything in my closet is solid or beige." I'm afraid my gasp may have been audible, but I hid it by pretending to cough.
Then our dinners arrived and we enjoyed the delicious and spicy Indian specialties of the Aroma restaurant. We talked and laughed and caught up on each other's lives. We really had a good time, and were too full for desert. I couldn't believe how quickly the time passed, and it was soon time to go home. After all, it is a school night.
Then yesterday I get this idea: Let's have a "Sex and the City" boy's night out! You know how the "Sex and the City" girls get all dolled up, meet at some restaurant and have cocktails and dinner. Miranda wears that smoky eyeshadow that she only wears for such evenings, Samantha wears those 6-inch long dangly chandelier earrings, Charlotte wears a sleek strapless number (she always does), and Carrie will have to buy a new pair of $400. shoes. You get the picture...
To their credit, they all four agreed it might be fun, so it was settled. However, Rog & Bugsy said that although they'd heard of "Sex and the City", they'd never actually seen the show. My heart began to sink. I know Mike & Clark had seen the show, but they are usually not the dress up type. In all reality, I just felt like we should do something different, and not go out to dinner wearing the same old clothes I'd worn to work that day.
I'm pretty lucky: I can wear whatever I want to work. Most of the time it's jeans and a pullover. In the summer it's shorts and t-shirt. Since I never see clients face-to-face and I work in a small office, I dress in what is the most comfortable so I can be the most productive. At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
I just didn't want the six of us to meet for dinner looking like I look everyday at work. I wanted the glamour, the sparkle, the feeling of being a "Sex and the City" girl. Yes, this night had to be different. I had to be different.
So, being the eternal optimist, I took and deep breathe and wrote back to the boys to lay down the fashion rules of the evening: no jeans, no sneakers, a solid sweater was okay, but a shirt had to have at least two colors. Now, you might be surprised at my need to review the fashion rules with 4 gay men. But, contrary to the stereotype, not all gay men are good at floral arranging, hair styling, home decorating, and fashion. Now you know. But after a little initial jeering, they all agreed to the terms. And I knew exactly what I'd wear.
I'd wear the ensemble I had put together for Joe's company Christmas party. Although I didn't know anyone when I arrived with him, I knew practically everyone by the time I left. They were all compelled to talk to me about my 'loud' shirt. My outfit was a big hit!
So as I began to dress this evening, I started feeling excited. I started with a pair of black gabardine slacks by Liz Claibourne that I'd found for a mere $39.95. Next came the infamous shirt: a very large paisley print in pink, grey, and black on a white background. Although I got it for only $19.95, it looks WAY more 'designer' and expensive. To tone down that outrageous shirt I slipped on a black leather sport jacket. Now, this is NOT a jacket you'd wear outdoors for warmth. Au contraire, this jacket is cut like a sport jacket you'd wear with dress slacks and a dress shirt - only its made of smooth black leather. Hot!!! I got it just before our trip to Las Vegas in Dec '03. And the finishing touch was a pair of black, square-toed leather shoes I snagged for only $29.95. You must admit that men's leather shoes for under $30. is unheard of! Unlike the real Carrie Bradshaw, I am the quintessential bargain hunter.
Joe looked very sharp in a pair of black slacks, shiny black leather shoes, and a smart-looking blue, black and grey stripe shirt. It looked especially good on him with his black hair. With our ensembles complete, we left to meet the boys. I dropped Joe off in front of the restaurant, since the garage was full and there was no street parking, which made us late. He joined the boys and I finally found a place to park.
Our table had a curved banquet and 4 chairs, and although I'd have pushed others aside to sit in the banquet, I didn't need to. The only empty place when I got to the table was one in the banquet. As we sipped our Cosmopolitans, I leaned back and tossed my arm up onto the back of the banquet, exposing more of my 'loud' shirt, and enjoying brief but fleeting glimpses of "Sex and the City"-ness.
Roger & Bugsy made concerted attempts to dress appropriately. I especially enjoyed Roger's bright multi-color stripe shirt and sunflower tie. Mike & Clark broke the rules, but I tried to hide my disappointment. Clark had on a dark grey crew neck and khaki pants, and Mike had on a hunter green cotton button-up and khaki pants. Can you say "Casual Friday"??? Mike joked by saying that he didn't own any fun or funky clothes. "Everything in my closet is solid or beige." I'm afraid my gasp may have been audible, but I hid it by pretending to cough.
Then our dinners arrived and we enjoyed the delicious and spicy Indian specialties of the Aroma restaurant. We talked and laughed and caught up on each other's lives. We really had a good time, and were too full for desert. I couldn't believe how quickly the time passed, and it was soon time to go home. After all, it is a school night.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
What a different a day makes!
Please note the date: Tuesday, March 8, 2005.
It is snowing. The streets, sidewalks, and cars are covered in a blanket of white.
What a difference a day makes.
It is snowing. The streets, sidewalks, and cars are covered in a blanket of white.
What a difference a day makes.
Monday, March 07, 2005
A Beautiful Day
Last Monday and Tuesday we had snow. The next few days afterwards it was only in the 30s and 40s. Yesterday was pretty; it was clear and sunny, and in the 50s. But today... today was beautiful!
Please note today's date: Monday, March 7, 2005.
At lunch time I forced myself to put my hectic work life on hold and leave the office. When I came outside it was so warm I took off my jacket. Excitedly I got in the car, hit the bottom to lower all the windows, and then I opened the latch that secures the convertible top and pressed the button that in 14 seconds lifts the roof and my spirits. I absolutely love driving with the top down, and beautiful days like this make the experience even more enjoyable. It can change my mood from 'over-worked and under-paid' to 'who cares about work, I'm livin' life'. (See my 2/7 post entitled 'Convertible'.)
I pushed the 'Temp' button on my dash and the display read 69 degrees.
Since I had no cash my first stop was the ATM. (Please note I did not say 'ATM machine' which is redundant.) After snagging some cheese I headed to Taco Bell for even more cheese - a chicken and cheese quesadilla to be exact. Once finished and still with plenty of time left in my lunch hour, I decided to take the long way back to the office. I cruised along with my sunglasses on, the radio turned up to a decent decibel, sipping my 1/4 Wild Cherry Pepsi 3/4 Diet Pepsi combination. It was grand!
Eventually I had to go back into the office, but I left the top down as an incentive for Old Man Winter to stay away. Sure enough, it was still beautiful when I came out of the office again at 5:45. So I drove home with the wind in my hair and a song in my heart.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
My life as Carrie Bradshaw
Last night as I was watching a re-run of Sex and the City, I was envious about how Carrie Bradshaw always has so much free time on her hands. She's always shopping, meeting a friend for lunch, meeting the girls for cocktails, or something else that I never have time to do.
'Doesn't she ever work?' I thought to myself, immediately followed by 'Duh - of course she works; she's a writer'. Every episode shows her tapping away on her laptop, seemingly transcribing her random thoughts about life, men, sex, relationships, and Minolo Blonic shoes. These random thoughts somehow get messaged into a weekly column in a New York newspaper. She makes a living from this, and can afford $400. a pair Minolo Blonic shoes. Lots of 'em.
Then I started to think 'I've got random thoughts about life, men, sex, and relationships. Why can't I get paid for writing a once-a-week column so that I too can have loads of free time on my hands? No sooner had I completed that thought, that I answered my own question: because I write a blog for free.
I jokingly mentioned this conundrum to a friend in an IM today at work, and he told me that some people get paid for blogging. Although the idea wasn't totally surprising to me, it did make me wonder if any blogs get that much visibility that advertisers would actually pay people to write blogs and mention their products in them. He told me about one blog that regularly gets like 400,000 hits a day! That reminded me that a friend/colleague at work who knew of my blog had clipped an article from the newspaper entitled "How to make money from your blog".
So, I scrounged around in the desk drawer I thought I may have tossed the clipping into, and sure enough I found the article. But I didn't have time to read it. Because unlike Carrie Bradshaw, I have a full-time, 5-days a week kind of job and do not have loads of free time to be shopping, meeting friends for lunch, meeting the girls for cocktails, or reading newspaper articles. I only have time to write in my blog... for free.
'Doesn't she ever work?' I thought to myself, immediately followed by 'Duh - of course she works; she's a writer'. Every episode shows her tapping away on her laptop, seemingly transcribing her random thoughts about life, men, sex, relationships, and Minolo Blonic shoes. These random thoughts somehow get messaged into a weekly column in a New York newspaper. She makes a living from this, and can afford $400. a pair Minolo Blonic shoes. Lots of 'em.
Then I started to think 'I've got random thoughts about life, men, sex, and relationships. Why can't I get paid for writing a once-a-week column so that I too can have loads of free time on my hands? No sooner had I completed that thought, that I answered my own question: because I write a blog for free.
I jokingly mentioned this conundrum to a friend in an IM today at work, and he told me that some people get paid for blogging. Although the idea wasn't totally surprising to me, it did make me wonder if any blogs get that much visibility that advertisers would actually pay people to write blogs and mention their products in them. He told me about one blog that regularly gets like 400,000 hits a day! That reminded me that a friend/colleague at work who knew of my blog had clipped an article from the newspaper entitled "How to make money from your blog".
So, I scrounged around in the desk drawer I thought I may have tossed the clipping into, and sure enough I found the article. But I didn't have time to read it. Because unlike Carrie Bradshaw, I have a full-time, 5-days a week kind of job and do not have loads of free time to be shopping, meeting friends for lunch, meeting the girls for cocktails, or reading newspaper articles. I only have time to write in my blog... for free.
Mis-used words and nonsense phrases
Have you ever noticed often people mis-use words and use nonsense phrases? Lately I have been paying more attention than usual to this, and I was surprised at how often this occurs. And its not just because I hang around with illiterate people. I've heard radio DJs and people on TV do this, too. Here are some of the most common ones:
Actually (mis-used word)
Use of the word actually indicates that something is so, despite how surprising or incredulous it sounds. "I actually saw him bite off his finger" would be the correct usage of the word. However, I was watching a show on HGTV called Semi-Homemade where the host, Sandra Lee, was demonstrating how to make something and said "Okay. Now, you're actually going to add the flour to the mixture in your bowl." Now what is so surprising or incredulous about adding flour to a mixture in a bowl while cooking? In fact, that was exactly what I anticipated she was going to do with that flour.
"To tell you the truth..." (nonsense phrase)
How many times have you heard someone you know - not a stranger - begin a sentence with "To tell you the truth..."? So what does that mean? All the other times they've been talking to you they were telling lies, but this time is different? Hmm...
Literally (mis-used word)
This one can be really funny! Some people use the word literally when they mean figuratively. "I literally kicked their butts during today's game!" Is that so? Wouldn't there be a penalty for doing that? What they really meant was that they figuratively kicked their butts. However, this mis-use bothers me less than most since it often creates comical mental images.
"Quite frankly..." (nonsense phrase)
This is truly a nonsense phrase, as it adds no value at all and is redundant. "Quite frankly, I hate her." I don't know about you but I would never confuse the statement 'I hate her' as anything other than frank. It certainly isn't subtle. Mostly, its redundant.
Irregardless (mis-used non-word)
This is probably my favorite. Irregardless is not a word. Regardless is a word. "Irregardless of how much money he makes..." almost sounds like its correct, but it isn't. The prefix 'ir' means without. (Irrelevant means without relevance.) The word regardless means without regard. So, if irregardless were a word, it would mean without without regard. If something is without without regard, then it has regard. But we use the word regarding to mean something with regard.
"I could care less" (nonsense phrase)
Here's another one that means the opposite of how people use it. "I could case less about her new car." If one could care less, that means that they do care to some degree. Yet, when people say "I could care less" they really mean that they could NOT care less, or they have no degree of care at all. So, "I could care less about her new car" really means 'I am mindful that she has a new car and I think about it".
Now don't get me wrong; I'm not suggesting that everyone stop mis-using words and prefacing sentences with nonsense phrases. Sometimes they can be quite funny. And to tell you the truth, I could care less if literally everyone actually used them in every sentence, quite frankly, irregardless of whether they made sense. :-)
Actually (mis-used word)
Use of the word actually indicates that something is so, despite how surprising or incredulous it sounds. "I actually saw him bite off his finger" would be the correct usage of the word. However, I was watching a show on HGTV called Semi-Homemade where the host, Sandra Lee, was demonstrating how to make something and said "Okay. Now, you're actually going to add the flour to the mixture in your bowl." Now what is so surprising or incredulous about adding flour to a mixture in a bowl while cooking? In fact, that was exactly what I anticipated she was going to do with that flour.
"To tell you the truth..." (nonsense phrase)
How many times have you heard someone you know - not a stranger - begin a sentence with "To tell you the truth..."? So what does that mean? All the other times they've been talking to you they were telling lies, but this time is different? Hmm...
Literally (mis-used word)
This one can be really funny! Some people use the word literally when they mean figuratively. "I literally kicked their butts during today's game!" Is that so? Wouldn't there be a penalty for doing that? What they really meant was that they figuratively kicked their butts. However, this mis-use bothers me less than most since it often creates comical mental images.
"Quite frankly..." (nonsense phrase)
This is truly a nonsense phrase, as it adds no value at all and is redundant. "Quite frankly, I hate her." I don't know about you but I would never confuse the statement 'I hate her' as anything other than frank. It certainly isn't subtle. Mostly, its redundant.
Irregardless (mis-used non-word)
This is probably my favorite. Irregardless is not a word. Regardless is a word. "Irregardless of how much money he makes..." almost sounds like its correct, but it isn't. The prefix 'ir' means without. (Irrelevant means without relevance.) The word regardless means without regard. So, if irregardless were a word, it would mean without without regard. If something is without without regard, then it has regard. But we use the word regarding to mean something with regard.
"I could care less" (nonsense phrase)
Here's another one that means the opposite of how people use it. "I could case less about her new car." If one could care less, that means that they do care to some degree. Yet, when people say "I could care less" they really mean that they could NOT care less, or they have no degree of care at all. So, "I could care less about her new car" really means 'I am mindful that she has a new car and I think about it".
Now don't get me wrong; I'm not suggesting that everyone stop mis-using words and prefacing sentences with nonsense phrases. Sometimes they can be quite funny. And to tell you the truth, I could care less if literally everyone actually used them in every sentence, quite frankly, irregardless of whether they made sense. :-)
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