Have I ever told you about Ben’s “bitch list?” Back in my undergraduate years, personal webpages were pretty popular and Ben made one to list his general grievances of the world at large. He listed really annoying things such as the speedbumps in his Bethesda neighborhood. They really tend to slow you down from that 90mph you’re trying to achieve.
Well, I have a few problems lately here in DC and I always find that it’s better to get them out than to keep them in. “Better out than in,” I was told recently.
So, without further ado, here is my very own, miniaturized “bitch list:”
○ DC cab drivers. Hands down, no contest, DC cab drivers are the most likely thing to give me a raging ulcer.
○ General DC attitudes. The veneer of politeness that just barely conceals the utter loathing the general DC public has for you is a load of crap. At least in NYC, if a random person on the street doesn’t like you or something you’ve done, they let you know in no uncertain terms. You always know where you stand. In DC, it’s a completely different political landscape.
○ DC food. What is with this place? Everyone keeps telling me that DC has a fine tradition of a wonderful variety of dining experiences. Yet I haven’t been to more than one place (Marcel’s; and we can’t go that often because they charge an arm and a leg and your firstborn for a meal) that makes me want to come back on a regular basis. Most of the restaurants here are more focused on the environment instead of the food (which clearly should always be the top priority). At least in Philly, there were a lot of quality options that didn’t break the bank. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked about the food trucks, or the Royal, or Sabrina’s, or Monk’s… Dammit, where has all the good food in DC gone? (Of course, if you have suggestions, I’m all ears…)
Now that I sound like I hate living in the District, I should probably point out some of the really cool things about the city:
○ The amount of green space. I love the fact that we have a huge park slam-bang in the middle of the city. And I like it much more than Central Park in NYC because there are far fewer people in it; it feels more like nature.
○ My condo. More importantly, my condo’s parking space. This is the equivalent of having my old NYPD parking permit in NYC. It just kicks ass!
○ The museums. Granted, I hardly ever go to museums because I have this (teeny, tiny) problem of becoming extremely bored when forced to appreciate art or history as a totally passive bystander – BUT, just knowing they are there at my disposal makes me a happy chica. And one of these days, I will see one of ‘em.
○ The National Zoo. Yeah, they haven’t always had a stellar reputation for their animal care, but they are working on it. And I love the animals. And the fact that it’s free. In fact, that applies to the museums as well. You can spend a lot of time in this city, reaping the awards of culture and not spending a dime. (Even Kennedy Center performances are free – they have daily live shows in one of the halls that are absolutely free.)
○ My friends. In fact, to make me sublimely happy, the few of you who are not here at this very second merely have to move. (Yeah, that means you.)
○ The Metro. I’m not going to lie – it could be a LOT better. But it does a tap dance on the dead corpse that is LA’s public transportation system and is the cleanest system I have ever seen in a major metropolitan area. And, unlike London’s tube system, DC’s Metro has air conditioning in the summertime. What a novel concept.
○ Dr. Rhea (now Elliott). She is the coolest vet EVER. I was just at the Dupont Vet Clinic yesterday so I may still be basking in the glow that is coming from the fact that Pookie’s urine is now completely crystal-free.
○ Furry children. The fact that this is where I got my kids should also be part of this “pro” list. Grace came to us through the hard work of HART and Pookie was originally fostered through the Feline Foundation.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Closet, what closet?
Yesterday was the last day of the living room doubling as a construction zone. That nearly useless coat closet that used to reside there has now gone into hiding…behind a big, beautiful wall!
We couldn’t quite undertake the home improvement project we wanted to (which involved installing a pocket door to the bathroom) because there was a large concrete support hidden in the wall where we wanted to work, but the end result is pretty sweet. I could have lived without the massive amounts of drywall dust that settled everywhere throughout the condo (apparently so fine that it can fit through key holes and such), but I am quite pleased with the wall that resulted.
I can now get to work on convincing my cable company to install a cable outlet in the wall and on getting a flooring contractor out to install wood flooring throughout. Someday, this place will be fit for living!
And then we’ll move, of course…
We couldn’t quite undertake the home improvement project we wanted to (which involved installing a pocket door to the bathroom) because there was a large concrete support hidden in the wall where we wanted to work, but the end result is pretty sweet. I could have lived without the massive amounts of drywall dust that settled everywhere throughout the condo (apparently so fine that it can fit through key holes and such), but I am quite pleased with the wall that resulted.
I can now get to work on convincing my cable company to install a cable outlet in the wall and on getting a flooring contractor out to install wood flooring throughout. Someday, this place will be fit for living!
And then we’ll move, of course…
Thursday, June 28, 2007
How not to spend your summer vacation
These past two days were the hottest, most humid days of the year so far. Clearly, it was the perfect time for my heat pump to stop functioning. On Tuesday morning, my air conditioning just stopped. Just like that. No workie-workie.
Forty-eight hours later, with most of the humidity down to an acceptable level, our HVAC guy is able to fix the problem. The bonus was that he also installed our new thermostat. Double bonus: he only charged us for one hour of labor, instead of the three hours that he could have. Triple bonus: my thermostat cost me $40 at Home Depot, which I thought was expensive until the HVAC guy told me that for the same exact model his company would have charged me $210. Quadruple bonus: I now have a functioning air conditioner.
Yay me!
Forty-eight hours later, with most of the humidity down to an acceptable level, our HVAC guy is able to fix the problem. The bonus was that he also installed our new thermostat. Double bonus: he only charged us for one hour of labor, instead of the three hours that he could have. Triple bonus: my thermostat cost me $40 at Home Depot, which I thought was expensive until the HVAC guy told me that for the same exact model his company would have charged me $210. Quadruple bonus: I now have a functioning air conditioner.
Yay me!
My 2 cents
Two days ago, Rob Stewart was on the Today Show to publicize his documentary, Sharkwater. What had begun as a simple shark documentary turned into a glimpse at the terrible world of illegal shark finning. I was completely horrified by the images Stewart’s team filmed of poachers catching sharks, cutting off the fins, and then tossing the rest of the shark back into the ocean – WHILE THEY ARE STILL ALIVE. Without their fins, sharks are unable to swim and will sink to the ocean floor. They will be consumed (often while still alive) by other fish.
Watching this interview of Stewart reminded me of a conversation I had recently with two girls, one a vegetarian, the other a vegan. The vegetarian told me that she had grown up on a farm and, if a brand could guarantee that the meat it was selling was from sustainable and ethical farming, she would probably go back to eating meat. It is an interesting dichotomy to hear a professed vegetarian who went “veggie” for the animals tell me that she would eat meat again if the animals were bred and raised appropriately.
And she has a point. Far too much of our fishing and agriculture industries is so overly profit-driven that the quality of life of the animals is at risk. In the case of the sharks, it is far more profitable to ignore international agreements and harvest shark fins for the lucrative pay associated with them. With our cows, pigs and chickens, it is far less expensive to factory farm them. In neither case is the general health and welfare of the animals considered.
I can’t say that I have the answers to either of these problems, nor am I an expert in any of these fields, but I highly recommend that we continue to look into these issues and try to develop lasting solutions. There are professionals out in the field every day, working hard to get us to pay attention to the unnecessary damage we are inflicting upon our world. It isn’t feasible that we could stop farming or fishing, but it is absolutely possible that we can do it in a far more humane way.
For more information about the movie, please see their site. Right now it appears the movie is only playing in Canada, but perhaps it will make it out to the States.
Below are some facts and figures from the movie’s website:
What is Shark Finning?
○ Shark finning refers to the removal and retention of shark fins and the discard at sea of the carcass. The shark is most often still alive when it is tossed back into the water. Unable to swim, the shark slowly sinks toward the bottom where it is eaten alive by other fish.
○ Shark finning takes place at sea so the fishers have only the fins to transport. Shark meat is considered low value and therefore not worth the cost of transporting the bulky shark bodies to market.
○ Any shark is taken—regardless of age, size, or species.
○ Longlines, used in shark finning operations, are the most significant cause of losses in shark populations worldwide.
○ Shark finning is widespread, and largely unmanaged and unmonitored.
○ Shark finning has increased over the past decade due to the increasing demand for shark fins (for shark fin soup and traditional cures), improved fishing technology, and improved market economics.
○ Shark specialists estimate that 100 million sharks are killed for their fins, annually.
○ One pound of dried shark fin can retail for $300 or more. It's a multi-billion dollar industry.
Impacts of Shark Finning
○ Loss and devastation of shark populations around the world. Experts estimate that within a decade, most species of sharks will be lost because of longlining.
○ Unsustainable fishery. The massive quantity of sharks harvested and lack of selection deplete shark populations faster than their reproductive abilities can replenish populations.
○ Threatens the stability of marine ecosystems.
○ Loss of sharks as a food staple for many developing countries.
○ Local waters are invaded by large industrial, foreign fishing vessels that threaten traditional sustainable fisheries.
○ Threatens socio-economically important recreational fisheries.
○ Obstructs the collection of species-specific data that are essential for monitoring catches and implementing sustainable fisheries management.
○ Wasteful of protein and other shark-based products. Up to 99 per cent of the shark is thrown away.
Are there laws against shark finning?
○ Each country with a coastline is responsible for laws and regulations pertaining to fishing in their waters.
○ A number of countries have shark-finning legislation. Many stipulate that fins must arrive in a 5 per cent weight ratio of the shark carcasses onboard. Only a few countries demand that sharks arrive in port with fins attached.
○ According to the IUCN Shark Specialist group, the easiest way to implement a ban is to require that shark carcasses be landed with fins attached. The possession of fins alone on vessels would thus be illegal.
○ Shark finning violates the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.
○ Shark finning is contrary to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's International Plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks.
○ The United Nations Convention on the Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) lists the whale shark, basking shark, and great white shark as species that could become threatened if trade is not controlled. To date, 169 countries have agreed to be legally bound by CITES.
Watching this interview of Stewart reminded me of a conversation I had recently with two girls, one a vegetarian, the other a vegan. The vegetarian told me that she had grown up on a farm and, if a brand could guarantee that the meat it was selling was from sustainable and ethical farming, she would probably go back to eating meat. It is an interesting dichotomy to hear a professed vegetarian who went “veggie” for the animals tell me that she would eat meat again if the animals were bred and raised appropriately.
And she has a point. Far too much of our fishing and agriculture industries is so overly profit-driven that the quality of life of the animals is at risk. In the case of the sharks, it is far more profitable to ignore international agreements and harvest shark fins for the lucrative pay associated with them. With our cows, pigs and chickens, it is far less expensive to factory farm them. In neither case is the general health and welfare of the animals considered.
I can’t say that I have the answers to either of these problems, nor am I an expert in any of these fields, but I highly recommend that we continue to look into these issues and try to develop lasting solutions. There are professionals out in the field every day, working hard to get us to pay attention to the unnecessary damage we are inflicting upon our world. It isn’t feasible that we could stop farming or fishing, but it is absolutely possible that we can do it in a far more humane way.
For more information about the movie, please see their site. Right now it appears the movie is only playing in Canada, but perhaps it will make it out to the States.
Below are some facts and figures from the movie’s website:
What is Shark Finning?
○ Shark finning refers to the removal and retention of shark fins and the discard at sea of the carcass. The shark is most often still alive when it is tossed back into the water. Unable to swim, the shark slowly sinks toward the bottom where it is eaten alive by other fish.
○ Shark finning takes place at sea so the fishers have only the fins to transport. Shark meat is considered low value and therefore not worth the cost of transporting the bulky shark bodies to market.
○ Any shark is taken—regardless of age, size, or species.
○ Longlines, used in shark finning operations, are the most significant cause of losses in shark populations worldwide.
○ Shark finning is widespread, and largely unmanaged and unmonitored.
○ Shark finning has increased over the past decade due to the increasing demand for shark fins (for shark fin soup and traditional cures), improved fishing technology, and improved market economics.
○ Shark specialists estimate that 100 million sharks are killed for their fins, annually.
○ One pound of dried shark fin can retail for $300 or more. It's a multi-billion dollar industry.
Impacts of Shark Finning
○ Loss and devastation of shark populations around the world. Experts estimate that within a decade, most species of sharks will be lost because of longlining.
○ Unsustainable fishery. The massive quantity of sharks harvested and lack of selection deplete shark populations faster than their reproductive abilities can replenish populations.
○ Threatens the stability of marine ecosystems.
○ Loss of sharks as a food staple for many developing countries.
○ Local waters are invaded by large industrial, foreign fishing vessels that threaten traditional sustainable fisheries.
○ Threatens socio-economically important recreational fisheries.
○ Obstructs the collection of species-specific data that are essential for monitoring catches and implementing sustainable fisheries management.
○ Wasteful of protein and other shark-based products. Up to 99 per cent of the shark is thrown away.
Are there laws against shark finning?
○ Each country with a coastline is responsible for laws and regulations pertaining to fishing in their waters.
○ A number of countries have shark-finning legislation. Many stipulate that fins must arrive in a 5 per cent weight ratio of the shark carcasses onboard. Only a few countries demand that sharks arrive in port with fins attached.
○ According to the IUCN Shark Specialist group, the easiest way to implement a ban is to require that shark carcasses be landed with fins attached. The possession of fins alone on vessels would thus be illegal.
○ Shark finning violates the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.
○ Shark finning is contrary to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization's International Plan for the Conservation and Management of Sharks.
○ The United Nations Convention on the Trade of Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) lists the whale shark, basking shark, and great white shark as species that could become threatened if trade is not controlled. To date, 169 countries have agreed to be legally bound by CITES.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Take action against hate crimes
I would write if I could, but living in DC doesn't grant me access to Senators. If you believe in promoting equal rights of gays under the law and want to support legislation that will create tougher punishments for those who perpetrate hate crimes against gay/transgender people, please see Musicguy's post.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Here there everywhere
I have several things to report. First, I finally heard from the Peace Corps last week. I haven’t heard from them in months, and then I got a call from one of their medical staff. They were finally reviewing my medical kit and got to the part where I said that I used to have a shellfish allergy. For whatever reason, they didn’t like the fact that I once had a rash from eating lobster when I was, oh, four years old. I have been armed with an Epi-pen for the last five years and have eaten shrimp, crabs, mussels, clams, lobster – you name it, I’ve probably eaten it. (Well, maybe not abalone – but I saw how Mel reacted to that and I think it’s safer if I stay away.)
So I worked to get them a personal statement that said that I could go out into the big, wide scary world and eat lobster.
Then they called back. And sent a letter. And guess what? They terminated my medical evaluation. I am taking a certain medication on a weekly basis that they don’t support overseas (which I already knew). What they didn’t tell me three or four months ago (when I originally submitted my medical paperwork) was that they will not even perform the medical evaluation until I have been off the medicine for at least 60 days. So they sent me this letter that says they’ve terminated my application, but I’m welcome to appeal their decision within 60 days. Within those 60 days, I must also go off the medication and have my doctor write an official note detailing my condition.
The real problem with this is that it doesn’t fit into my plan. And you know how much I love to plan. I was supposed to find out where I would be sent sometime this summer so that when Anthony bids for his next assignment in September/October, he can bid on places nearby. Now it looks as though we’ll be going into his bidding process blind.
There is also the problem that being off this medication for 60+ days does not guarantee that I will be invited to become a volunteer for the Peace Corps either. My application may be terminated for other reasons. The letter I received indicated that any appeal made by me would be reviewed by a special panel and that panel’s decision about my application would be final. As in no more appeals.
So there was that to ruin my day.
But I am still trying. We’ll see where the appeal process gets me before I really start to despair.
Other things to report… Anthony and I finally took a little road trip out to Annapolis. We heard about this nice little dog beach (Quiet Waters) and thought Grace might enjoy the Chesapeake. No such luck.
Our dog continues to loathe the water. She looked at us like we were INSANE when we tried to get her to jump in the water with the other dogs. I guess we won’t make the mistake of taking her there again.
So we spent the majority of the day walking around downtown Annapolis. It was a nice, quiet Sunday, probably because it was overcast. Anthony bought himself some clothes and new sneakers so I started to look like the disgruntled boyfriend following his girlfriend obediently throughout the shopping mall. It was kind of amusing (especially when he had to use those tiny nylons to try on the sneakers – I have pictures!). My prize for the day was homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream and the purchase of some cat grass in the hopes that we can help Pookie to not eat all the plants in the house.
Speaking of the cat, we have spent the last several days following his vomit trail around the house. Usually there is a hairball or several leaves stuck in it so we have a pretty good idea why he’s puking, but there have also been a few times where it looks like partially digested cat food. Pookie just started on a new prescription diet a few weeks ago (for the crystals in his urine) and he now seems to disagree with the vet’s choice of sustenance. (If you care, the dog doesn’t seem to like it too much either. Not that that has stopped her from downing whatever is in Pookie’s bowl when Anthony and I aren’t looking, but she did get a hold of the prescription cat food once and left a puke trail from the kitchen all the way across the living room and then onto the bed – yes, ON the bed.)
And the last thing that I have for popular consumption is my opinion of the latest installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. Anthony and I re-watched Dead Man’s Chest over the past week or so in preparation and then went to see At World’s End last night. If you have not seen it and are planning on seeing it, I wouldn’t read any further because I’m about to spoil some of the plot points.
I thought this installment was the weakest of the three. Like every trilogy known to man, nothing beats the original. And these movies progressively got worse. The motivational speech Keira Knightley’s character, Elizabeth Swann, gave to the pirate hordes was ridiculous, at best. This tool is so overused in film today; more importantly, it is used badly. Not every movie needs the hero delivering an awe-inspiring speech. Especially if either a) the screenwriter doesn’t know how to script one properly, and b) the actor cannot deliver one properly. Knightley’s speech was totally inappropriate and disappointing. Anthony and I got a good laugh over it.
But that doesn’t even hold a candle to the ridiculous marriage ceremony. The value of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies had been the quick-witted dialogue and the humanity of the characters. There were parts of this movie that came off as desperate attempts to hold the movie together, rather than to tell a story or move the characters forward. The marriage scene was strained, at best. This movie could have been much, much better.
I’m not sure I enjoyed the hallucinations of Captain Jack Sparrow either. It made sense to have him be a little out of it when he was in Davy Jones’ Locker, but to have him continue in that ridiculous setup long after he escaped was vaguely irritating to me.
In the end, too, I’m not sure that this movie needed all the adult elements that were added to it. The first movie, The Curse of the Black Pearl, was delightful because it was so well-written, so fresh, so humorous. By the third movie, there are some truly adult scenes, such as the opening with all the people being hung and the one near the end where Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom are clearly just finishing up their honeymoon. I don’t think the movie needed these scenes to be good, especially considering the fact that this should be a family movie (the whole trilogy is rated PG-13, but the third movie seems so much darker).
Finally, I’m not sure I understand the importance of the opening scene at all. If someone out there fully understood why the singing of the pirate song made all the rest of the movie happen, I would be glad to be educated.
So I worked to get them a personal statement that said that I could go out into the big, wide scary world and eat lobster.
Then they called back. And sent a letter. And guess what? They terminated my medical evaluation. I am taking a certain medication on a weekly basis that they don’t support overseas (which I already knew). What they didn’t tell me three or four months ago (when I originally submitted my medical paperwork) was that they will not even perform the medical evaluation until I have been off the medicine for at least 60 days. So they sent me this letter that says they’ve terminated my application, but I’m welcome to appeal their decision within 60 days. Within those 60 days, I must also go off the medication and have my doctor write an official note detailing my condition.
The real problem with this is that it doesn’t fit into my plan. And you know how much I love to plan. I was supposed to find out where I would be sent sometime this summer so that when Anthony bids for his next assignment in September/October, he can bid on places nearby. Now it looks as though we’ll be going into his bidding process blind.
There is also the problem that being off this medication for 60+ days does not guarantee that I will be invited to become a volunteer for the Peace Corps either. My application may be terminated for other reasons. The letter I received indicated that any appeal made by me would be reviewed by a special panel and that panel’s decision about my application would be final. As in no more appeals.
So there was that to ruin my day.
But I am still trying. We’ll see where the appeal process gets me before I really start to despair.
Other things to report… Anthony and I finally took a little road trip out to Annapolis. We heard about this nice little dog beach (Quiet Waters) and thought Grace might enjoy the Chesapeake. No such luck.
Our dog continues to loathe the water. She looked at us like we were INSANE when we tried to get her to jump in the water with the other dogs. I guess we won’t make the mistake of taking her there again.
So we spent the majority of the day walking around downtown Annapolis. It was a nice, quiet Sunday, probably because it was overcast. Anthony bought himself some clothes and new sneakers so I started to look like the disgruntled boyfriend following his girlfriend obediently throughout the shopping mall. It was kind of amusing (especially when he had to use those tiny nylons to try on the sneakers – I have pictures!). My prize for the day was homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream and the purchase of some cat grass in the hopes that we can help Pookie to not eat all the plants in the house.
Speaking of the cat, we have spent the last several days following his vomit trail around the house. Usually there is a hairball or several leaves stuck in it so we have a pretty good idea why he’s puking, but there have also been a few times where it looks like partially digested cat food. Pookie just started on a new prescription diet a few weeks ago (for the crystals in his urine) and he now seems to disagree with the vet’s choice of sustenance. (If you care, the dog doesn’t seem to like it too much either. Not that that has stopped her from downing whatever is in Pookie’s bowl when Anthony and I aren’t looking, but she did get a hold of the prescription cat food once and left a puke trail from the kitchen all the way across the living room and then onto the bed – yes, ON the bed.)
And the last thing that I have for popular consumption is my opinion of the latest installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. Anthony and I re-watched Dead Man’s Chest over the past week or so in preparation and then went to see At World’s End last night. If you have not seen it and are planning on seeing it, I wouldn’t read any further because I’m about to spoil some of the plot points.
I thought this installment was the weakest of the three. Like every trilogy known to man, nothing beats the original. And these movies progressively got worse. The motivational speech Keira Knightley’s character, Elizabeth Swann, gave to the pirate hordes was ridiculous, at best. This tool is so overused in film today; more importantly, it is used badly. Not every movie needs the hero delivering an awe-inspiring speech. Especially if either a) the screenwriter doesn’t know how to script one properly, and b) the actor cannot deliver one properly. Knightley’s speech was totally inappropriate and disappointing. Anthony and I got a good laugh over it.
But that doesn’t even hold a candle to the ridiculous marriage ceremony. The value of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies had been the quick-witted dialogue and the humanity of the characters. There were parts of this movie that came off as desperate attempts to hold the movie together, rather than to tell a story or move the characters forward. The marriage scene was strained, at best. This movie could have been much, much better.
I’m not sure I enjoyed the hallucinations of Captain Jack Sparrow either. It made sense to have him be a little out of it when he was in Davy Jones’ Locker, but to have him continue in that ridiculous setup long after he escaped was vaguely irritating to me.
In the end, too, I’m not sure that this movie needed all the adult elements that were added to it. The first movie, The Curse of the Black Pearl, was delightful because it was so well-written, so fresh, so humorous. By the third movie, there are some truly adult scenes, such as the opening with all the people being hung and the one near the end where Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom are clearly just finishing up their honeymoon. I don’t think the movie needed these scenes to be good, especially considering the fact that this should be a family movie (the whole trilogy is rated PG-13, but the third movie seems so much darker).
Finally, I’m not sure I understand the importance of the opening scene at all. If someone out there fully understood why the singing of the pirate song made all the rest of the movie happen, I would be glad to be educated.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
It's late and I should be sleeping
It's strange how sometimes you stop to think about your life and you realize that although you have had nothing to say in your Blog for months, your life is so FULL. I don't know when it happened, but some time along the way I stopped having the small moments - even if they were just to realize how busy I really am. Now I live from paycheck to paycheck, bill to bill, one walk with Grace to another... My days are full of small, repeating things that fill up the hours but leave me little to discuss.
Yet through it all, I wish that I was better able to communicate to you guys (you know, the three of you who keep up with my Blog - and actually KNOW me) how much fuller my life is because of you. I love my life, and I love having you in it.
Yet through it all, I wish that I was better able to communicate to you guys (you know, the three of you who keep up with my Blog - and actually KNOW me) how much fuller my life is because of you. I love my life, and I love having you in it.
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