I AM.
I WANT so much out of life, including a house with a yard and a kitchen in which both Anthony and I can cook – at the same time, a career I love, an income with which I can support my family, and enough cash to travel the world in style.
I WISH I had a miniature pig to cuddle.
I HATE DC cabbies. Only DC cabbies. What the hell is their problem?
I MISS my family and friends – why can’t we all live in the same town/city?
I FEAR dying before I figure out what I want to be when I grow up.
I HEAR voices in my head telling me to avoid my homework.
I WONDER if every time a bell rings, an angel really gets his wings.
I REGRET former acts of rashness and anger.
I DANCE when no one is looking.
I SING for myself, but much less than I used to.
I CRY during commercials, movies – I’m welling up even now.
I MAKE WITH MY HANDS scrapbooks, when I get the time (5 years behind and counting, my friends).
I WRITE to let people know I care and that I’m still here, livin’.
I CONFUSE some people all of the time and all people some of the time.
I NEED more time…to spend with Anthony (and Grace and Pookie), to write, to scrapbook, to see my friends, to read for class....
I SHOULD call people more often – at least as often as I think of them.
I START nothing that I do not finish.
I FINISH people’s sentences when they take too long to catch their breath.
I'M GLAD da’ Momma gets it. She so does.
Yoinked from Musicguy.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Friday, February 01, 2008
Graduate school for dummies
I started back at school on the 23rd and am now missing my six-week winter break like deserts miss the rain. Sure, I spent most of that time piecing together the most beautiful (read: looks like a six-year-old completed it – in crayon) fellowship application ever, which really means that I spent six weeks agonizing over the essays, the reference letters, and the biographical data, slowly working my blood pressure up to a boiling point. Oh yeah, and that ulcer I’m working on, it’s coming out GREAT.
I have three classes this semester, which should really help my stress levels. I’m at work from M-F, 6:30AM-3:30PM, and then I have classes on Mondays (Ethics), Wednesdays (Program Evaluation) and Thursdays (Intro to Public Admin) until 10PM. My professors this semester seem to have no indication that people actually work outside of the classroom, so they have each assigned a year’s worth of reading for each day of class. I have been reading like crazy and still haven’t caught up – and it’s only the second week of class!
Let me give you an example, so you know that it’s not just me, whining, moaning, and generally complaining my way through the week. For my Intro to Public Administration class last night, I was supposed to read about eight different academic “essays” (which we all know means that each one is twenty to thirty pages long), along with the first chapter in our case studies book. Let’s be generous and guesstimate that I only had to read 200 pages of text. This is on top of the estimated 200 pages of text that I had for each of the other two classes, which somehow must be fit into my Tuesday or Friday evening or the weekend, and must jockey for position with feeding and walking the kids, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, banking…you get the idea. And then Anthony wonders why I am so crazy during the semester. Maybe, sir, it’s because you left your dirty socks on the couch again, which you know gets my undies all in a tizzy. Grumble, grumble.
For a moment there, I thought I was developing an ally in Anthony. After New Year’s, he began his six months of Spanish language training. He spends five hours each day attempting to speak a foreign language and then has to spend a whopping twenty minutes at home completing workbook assignments. After about ten and a half seconds, he develops a headache, announces his need for a break, and then runs to the fridge to grab a beer. He proclaims his misery for at least a half hour to an hour each day and then starts the process all over again in the morning. I thought that because of these experiences, he would be more understanding of my plight.
Not so. He seems to think every night is a good night to participate in happy hour, or go to a movie, or just slack off in general – as if he just forgot that I attend graduate school and am a slave to the man. It’s almost as if he is enjoying the look of pain on my face as he dangles yet another tantalizing idea for playing hookey in front of my eyes (come on, let’s face it – even scrubbing the toilet with my toothbrush and then brushing my teeth with it is a more tantalizing idea than reading yet another public administration textbook).
Yet there is good news to counter the fact that Anthony keeps forgetting that I’m in graduate school (and ergo have no life). Earlier this week, I received a letter from the Director of my program, inviting me to join my program’s honor society, Pi Alpha Alpha. So at least my hard work is paying off in that arena – I will be inducted in April! Can I get a woot-woot?
In other news, Anthony and I are hosting a dinner party this weekend with six of our closest friends. It’ll be a collection of Jews and vegetarians so the dinner menu will be limited, but I think I’ve come up with a good compromise. I’ll try to get online again sometime and tell you how everything turns out. But no promises.
I’m also supposed to attend an MPA happy hour tonight, but I’m not sure I’ll make it. After a full week of reading til late, attending class til late, and stressing out over both, I may want to get some grocery shopping done this evening and then get started on my homework instead of kicking back with a beer and twelve of my classmates. Anyway, my friend who organizes these events just came down with a wicked cold and may not be a) there, or b) a whole lot of fun to hang out with.
We’ll see.
I have three classes this semester, which should really help my stress levels. I’m at work from M-F, 6:30AM-3:30PM, and then I have classes on Mondays (Ethics), Wednesdays (Program Evaluation) and Thursdays (Intro to Public Admin) until 10PM. My professors this semester seem to have no indication that people actually work outside of the classroom, so they have each assigned a year’s worth of reading for each day of class. I have been reading like crazy and still haven’t caught up – and it’s only the second week of class!
Let me give you an example, so you know that it’s not just me, whining, moaning, and generally complaining my way through the week. For my Intro to Public Administration class last night, I was supposed to read about eight different academic “essays” (which we all know means that each one is twenty to thirty pages long), along with the first chapter in our case studies book. Let’s be generous and guesstimate that I only had to read 200 pages of text. This is on top of the estimated 200 pages of text that I had for each of the other two classes, which somehow must be fit into my Tuesday or Friday evening or the weekend, and must jockey for position with feeding and walking the kids, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, banking…you get the idea. And then Anthony wonders why I am so crazy during the semester. Maybe, sir, it’s because you left your dirty socks on the couch again, which you know gets my undies all in a tizzy. Grumble, grumble.
For a moment there, I thought I was developing an ally in Anthony. After New Year’s, he began his six months of Spanish language training. He spends five hours each day attempting to speak a foreign language and then has to spend a whopping twenty minutes at home completing workbook assignments. After about ten and a half seconds, he develops a headache, announces his need for a break, and then runs to the fridge to grab a beer. He proclaims his misery for at least a half hour to an hour each day and then starts the process all over again in the morning. I thought that because of these experiences, he would be more understanding of my plight.
Not so. He seems to think every night is a good night to participate in happy hour, or go to a movie, or just slack off in general – as if he just forgot that I attend graduate school and am a slave to the man. It’s almost as if he is enjoying the look of pain on my face as he dangles yet another tantalizing idea for playing hookey in front of my eyes (come on, let’s face it – even scrubbing the toilet with my toothbrush and then brushing my teeth with it is a more tantalizing idea than reading yet another public administration textbook).
Yet there is good news to counter the fact that Anthony keeps forgetting that I’m in graduate school (and ergo have no life). Earlier this week, I received a letter from the Director of my program, inviting me to join my program’s honor society, Pi Alpha Alpha. So at least my hard work is paying off in that arena – I will be inducted in April! Can I get a woot-woot?
In other news, Anthony and I are hosting a dinner party this weekend with six of our closest friends. It’ll be a collection of Jews and vegetarians so the dinner menu will be limited, but I think I’ve come up with a good compromise. I’ll try to get online again sometime and tell you how everything turns out. But no promises.
I’m also supposed to attend an MPA happy hour tonight, but I’m not sure I’ll make it. After a full week of reading til late, attending class til late, and stressing out over both, I may want to get some grocery shopping done this evening and then get started on my homework instead of kicking back with a beer and twelve of my classmates. Anyway, my friend who organizes these events just came down with a wicked cold and may not be a) there, or b) a whole lot of fun to hang out with.
We’ll see.
Two days later...
I actually yoinked this from Erin a few days ago and am just now getting around to posting it. Clearly, this whole "class" thing is really getting in the way of my fun.
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Technically, my mom got the name from a female character on one of her soap operas and thought it was cool. My middle name is my grandmother's fourth husband's last name, or, to make it more readily understandable, the last name of the man I always considered my grandfather.
2.WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Watching the Iron Giant with Anthony on Saturday night. I'm a sucker for a good Hallmark moment.
3.DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Sometimes. But it's nothing like my mom's, which is brilliant.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Bologna. With all that fatty goodness. Tastes best fried.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Two: Grace and Pookie. Well, three, if you allow me to count Anthony.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Sure, why not?
7.DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Is the sky blue?
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yuppers.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Abso-freakin'-lutely.
10.WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? We mostly get Kashi cereals now or maybe Raisin Bran or Frosted MiniWheats, but I could slay me some Reese's Peanutbutter Puffs anytime.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Despite the majority of my shoes not having laces, yes, I do.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Probably a little more-so than average for a female in my age group. I could definitely whip some twelve-year-old boy's tush, though.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Ben and Jerry's. Mmmmmmm, so creamy delicious.
14.WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their eyes and the rest of their face.
15. RED OR PINK? Red!
16.WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I'm so damn uptight – about everything! When the day doesn't go as I planned – down to the smallest detail – my cogs and wheels sproing and I am unconscionably angry.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My mom. Shortly thereafter are my girlfriends from Penn…
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? No.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Pants: chocolate brown with cream pinstripes. Shoes: Camel Aerosole knee-high boots.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? My daily morning dose of oatmeal with raisins.
21. WHAT ARE YOU listening to RIGHT NOW? My coworker talking to my boss.
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Orange.
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Dryer vents, chlorinated pools, Anthony's cologne, Grace's "lavenderangel" scent (i.e. when she gets a bath), Pookie's nasty little kittybreath, that crisp scent before it snows, Spring rains, lavender,anything baking (brownies, apples, cookies, cakes, whatever – I don'tlike to eat them so much, but smell them, YES!)…
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Anthony.
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I yoinked it from Erin so it wasn't actually sent to me, but yes, I like her.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? American Gladiator, or maybe Ninja Warrior. (But to be fair, I hardly watch anything on t.v.– I'm more of a cinephile)
27. HAIR COLOR? Brown, brown, and more brown.
28. EYE COLOR? Brown.
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No need when you have 20/20.
30 FAVORITE FOOD? Potatoes in any shape, size, or form. (Something about being Irish…)
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings. I don't watch scary movies (although Anthony didsomehow manage to wrangle me into seeing Rob Zombie's House of 1000Corpses – grrr!).
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Love Me or Leave Me with James Cagney and Doris Day – I highly recommend it.
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Tan, with chocolate stitching at the hem and cuffs.
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter. I am not a fan of the summer months – something about the humidity.
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Big fat, cuddly hugs.
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No one.
38. Least likely to respond? Everyone.
39.WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Other than a really bland collection of Public Administration andEthics textbooks, I am also wading through Madame Secretary byMadeline Albright, How the Scots Invented the Modern World by ArthurHerman, and Lonely Planet's guide to Peru.
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I don't have a mouse pad – at work, I have a wireless mouse and athome I have a laptop with a touchpad.
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? The news.
42. FAVORITE SOUND? Grace's snoring, waterfalls, the crackle of wood fires, silence,Anthony's laughter, my mom's voice reassuring me that I'm not entirelycrazy (the crazy, it runs in the family)…
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles.
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Egypt. But I'm shooting for Nepal some day.
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I don't know how special it is, but I'm particularly good at organizing things.
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?Worcester Memorial Hospital in MA.
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Meh.
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Technically, my mom got the name from a female character on one of her soap operas and thought it was cool. My middle name is my grandmother's fourth husband's last name, or, to make it more readily understandable, the last name of the man I always considered my grandfather.
2.WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Watching the Iron Giant with Anthony on Saturday night. I'm a sucker for a good Hallmark moment.
3.DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Sometimes. But it's nothing like my mom's, which is brilliant.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Bologna. With all that fatty goodness. Tastes best fried.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Two: Grace and Pookie. Well, three, if you allow me to count Anthony.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Sure, why not?
7.DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Is the sky blue?
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yuppers.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Abso-freakin'-lutely.
10.WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? We mostly get Kashi cereals now or maybe Raisin Bran or Frosted MiniWheats, but I could slay me some Reese's Peanutbutter Puffs anytime.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Despite the majority of my shoes not having laces, yes, I do.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Probably a little more-so than average for a female in my age group. I could definitely whip some twelve-year-old boy's tush, though.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Ben and Jerry's. Mmmmmmm, so creamy delicious.
14.WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their eyes and the rest of their face.
15. RED OR PINK? Red!
16.WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I'm so damn uptight – about everything! When the day doesn't go as I planned – down to the smallest detail – my cogs and wheels sproing and I am unconscionably angry.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My mom. Shortly thereafter are my girlfriends from Penn…
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? No.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Pants: chocolate brown with cream pinstripes. Shoes: Camel Aerosole knee-high boots.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? My daily morning dose of oatmeal with raisins.
21. WHAT ARE YOU listening to RIGHT NOW? My coworker talking to my boss.
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Orange.
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Dryer vents, chlorinated pools, Anthony's cologne, Grace's "lavenderangel" scent (i.e. when she gets a bath), Pookie's nasty little kittybreath, that crisp scent before it snows, Spring rains, lavender,anything baking (brownies, apples, cookies, cakes, whatever – I don'tlike to eat them so much, but smell them, YES!)…
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Anthony.
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I yoinked it from Erin so it wasn't actually sent to me, but yes, I like her.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? American Gladiator, or maybe Ninja Warrior. (But to be fair, I hardly watch anything on t.v.– I'm more of a cinephile)
27. HAIR COLOR? Brown, brown, and more brown.
28. EYE COLOR? Brown.
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No need when you have 20/20.
30 FAVORITE FOOD? Potatoes in any shape, size, or form. (Something about being Irish…)
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings. I don't watch scary movies (although Anthony didsomehow manage to wrangle me into seeing Rob Zombie's House of 1000Corpses – grrr!).
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Love Me or Leave Me with James Cagney and Doris Day – I highly recommend it.
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Tan, with chocolate stitching at the hem and cuffs.
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter. I am not a fan of the summer months – something about the humidity.
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Big fat, cuddly hugs.
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No one.
38. Least likely to respond? Everyone.
39.WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Other than a really bland collection of Public Administration andEthics textbooks, I am also wading through Madame Secretary byMadeline Albright, How the Scots Invented the Modern World by ArthurHerman, and Lonely Planet's guide to Peru.
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I don't have a mouse pad – at work, I have a wireless mouse and athome I have a laptop with a touchpad.
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? The news.
42. FAVORITE SOUND? Grace's snoring, waterfalls, the crackle of wood fires, silence,Anthony's laughter, my mom's voice reassuring me that I'm not entirelycrazy (the crazy, it runs in the family)…
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles.
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Egypt. But I'm shooting for Nepal some day.
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I don't know how special it is, but I'm particularly good at organizing things.
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?Worcester Memorial Hospital in MA.
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Meh.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Friday, January 04, 2008
Apparently I'm a Democrat
Eric will be so proud.
Although I have to say, this poll is behind the times: Dodd and Biden dropped out of the race already.
82% Hillary Clinton
82% Barack Obama
79% Bill Richardson
78% John Edwards
77% Chris Dodd
70% Joe Biden
64% Dennis Kucinich
63% Mike Gravel
60% Rudy Giuliani
56% John McCain
47% Mitt Romney
43% Mike Huckabee
34% Fred Thompson
30% Tom Tancredo
14% Ron Paul
2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz
Although I have to say, this poll is behind the times: Dodd and Biden dropped out of the race already.
82% Hillary Clinton
82% Barack Obama
79% Bill Richardson
78% John Edwards
77% Chris Dodd
70% Joe Biden
64% Dennis Kucinich
63% Mike Gravel
60% Rudy Giuliani
56% John McCain
47% Mitt Romney
43% Mike Huckabee
34% Fred Thompson
30% Tom Tancredo
14% Ron Paul
2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz
New Year’s resolutions are for…
…anyone but me.
However, I’m not so much of a humbug to not wish the world wide internet a big, fat, Happy New Year! Even if it is a few days late.
I’d like to pretend that I was far too busy with more important things to be more timely, but that’s simply not true. I have done really exciting things like go to work, write essays for my Boren Fellowship application, watch four episodes from season six of Gilmore Girls while Anthony whines and rocks back and forth in the corner, harass the neighbors (one of my specialties) and force my dog on their laps, and (gasp!) join Facebook.
Could I take a moment to say something about Facebook? (As if you have a choice…) Who the hell invented this thing??? I have to say that, after working for the past three years in the IT industry, this is the most inefficient and cluttered user interface I’ve ever seen. I’m not saying the idea is bad, just the execution. I spent far too many hours of my time on previous social networks like Friendster (and I am sure Facebook will eventually travel the same route to obscurity) so there should be no question about my affinity for these services. But I am not the hugest fan of complicated webpages. Other than the fact that my generation and those that succeeded us have grown up with computers and can logick (like that word invention? Cuz I do) their way through bad programming, Facebook is a difficult medium. You have to navigate away from your profile to leave messages on a friend’s “wall” and it honestly took me over an hour to find my own profile. It’s not particularly intuitive. I would never recommend this website to anyone in my mother’s generation or older. Unless they’re like my grandfather and were magically ahead of the curve (something about working on computers for the Navy, way back before Al Gore invented the internet).
So that’s my rant on Facebook. I doubt I will spend a lot of time there, if only because I really can find better things to do with my time. I have these really great time-wasters (thanks for the new word, Eric) like graduate school and balancing my checkbook that tend to take a higher priority. However, I did love touching base with an old friend from high school. Although we attended different high schools, Katy and I used to work at CVS together and she was my Pookah since I turned 16 and was legally able to work. We ended up going to college together and were inseparable for a while. But time passed and our lives took different paths. She is now married to her college sweetheart, living in FL, and working as a nurse. I honestly couldn’t be happier for her and am so proud of who she is today. Way to go, hoochie!
So, back to New Year’s. Anthony and I spent New Year’s Eve on the couch because, as far as we knew, all our friends were out of town. We rang in 2008 with Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the Kathie Griffin marathon on Bravo, a bottle of Moet, and the only redeemable minute of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Eve (you know, the part where Dick Clark actually hosted – the last 30 seconds of 2007). As far as New Year’s Eves go, this one was pretty awesome.
Kind of related to that whole New Year’s theme is a new idea I thought we would put into action. Since I’m such a raving lunatic during the semester, and Anthony has every right to call me lovely four-lettered terms, I thought we should try to consistently take time out to be with each other. Since last fall, I really only see Anthony’s back as he cooks dinner, or washes dishes, or plays video games (on mute, no less – can’t disturb Ryan’s cone of silence!). And he has only seen my forehead, which peaks out above my laptop monitor. So I thought we’d start “date night.”
I know Andrew will be the first in line to tell me how corny that is, but we had our first “date” last Saturday at this great little French restaurant in our neighborhood called Napolean. The place comes highly recommended because, as far as DC restaurants go, this place is moderately priced and the food is excellent. We shared lamb lollipops and then I got the rack of lamb and he got the rabbit fricassee – everything was just perfectly cooked. Yum.
Anyway, it was nice, and it was relaxing. And I could see Anthony’s face – and he could see mine. It was refreshing.
We had also gone to Zoolights at the National Zoo prior to our dinner. Although the actual exhibit was lame, I got to hold Anthony’s hand as we walked around and pushed toddlers out of our path. It was pretty groovy. (Right up until my mom called and told Anthony he was a big, squawking chicken for not asking me to marry him yet – which she then went on to explain is why she bought him a YELLOW dutch oven in particular so he would know that she knows that he is “yell’r!”)
This week we are sharing our “date night” this week with our friend Marilyn and her friend, Liz. First we will spend some time at the National Portrait Gallery (sans the other ladies) and then meet up with Marilyn and Liz at Zatinya, a Spanish tapas restaurant that Marilyn tells me is her absolute favorite DC restaurant. I love tapas and I saw that the restaurant has Turkish coffee, along with a decent wine and drink menu, so I figured, “Happy hour!”
Once we’re done getting filled up on caffeine and booze, we’re heading out to the theatre to see Sweeney Todd, the only horror musical I’ve ever heard of. I hear it will be delightful. (And I’ll try to let you know how it goes.)
However, I’m not so much of a humbug to not wish the world wide internet a big, fat, Happy New Year! Even if it is a few days late.
I’d like to pretend that I was far too busy with more important things to be more timely, but that’s simply not true. I have done really exciting things like go to work, write essays for my Boren Fellowship application, watch four episodes from season six of Gilmore Girls while Anthony whines and rocks back and forth in the corner, harass the neighbors (one of my specialties) and force my dog on their laps, and (gasp!) join Facebook.
Could I take a moment to say something about Facebook? (As if you have a choice…) Who the hell invented this thing??? I have to say that, after working for the past three years in the IT industry, this is the most inefficient and cluttered user interface I’ve ever seen. I’m not saying the idea is bad, just the execution. I spent far too many hours of my time on previous social networks like Friendster (and I am sure Facebook will eventually travel the same route to obscurity) so there should be no question about my affinity for these services. But I am not the hugest fan of complicated webpages. Other than the fact that my generation and those that succeeded us have grown up with computers and can logick (like that word invention? Cuz I do) their way through bad programming, Facebook is a difficult medium. You have to navigate away from your profile to leave messages on a friend’s “wall” and it honestly took me over an hour to find my own profile. It’s not particularly intuitive. I would never recommend this website to anyone in my mother’s generation or older. Unless they’re like my grandfather and were magically ahead of the curve (something about working on computers for the Navy, way back before Al Gore invented the internet).
So that’s my rant on Facebook. I doubt I will spend a lot of time there, if only because I really can find better things to do with my time. I have these really great time-wasters (thanks for the new word, Eric) like graduate school and balancing my checkbook that tend to take a higher priority. However, I did love touching base with an old friend from high school. Although we attended different high schools, Katy and I used to work at CVS together and she was my Pookah since I turned 16 and was legally able to work. We ended up going to college together and were inseparable for a while. But time passed and our lives took different paths. She is now married to her college sweetheart, living in FL, and working as a nurse. I honestly couldn’t be happier for her and am so proud of who she is today. Way to go, hoochie!
So, back to New Year’s. Anthony and I spent New Year’s Eve on the couch because, as far as we knew, all our friends were out of town. We rang in 2008 with Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the Kathie Griffin marathon on Bravo, a bottle of Moet, and the only redeemable minute of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Eve (you know, the part where Dick Clark actually hosted – the last 30 seconds of 2007). As far as New Year’s Eves go, this one was pretty awesome.
Kind of related to that whole New Year’s theme is a new idea I thought we would put into action. Since I’m such a raving lunatic during the semester, and Anthony has every right to call me lovely four-lettered terms, I thought we should try to consistently take time out to be with each other. Since last fall, I really only see Anthony’s back as he cooks dinner, or washes dishes, or plays video games (on mute, no less – can’t disturb Ryan’s cone of silence!). And he has only seen my forehead, which peaks out above my laptop monitor. So I thought we’d start “date night.”
I know Andrew will be the first in line to tell me how corny that is, but we had our first “date” last Saturday at this great little French restaurant in our neighborhood called Napolean. The place comes highly recommended because, as far as DC restaurants go, this place is moderately priced and the food is excellent. We shared lamb lollipops and then I got the rack of lamb and he got the rabbit fricassee – everything was just perfectly cooked. Yum.
Anyway, it was nice, and it was relaxing. And I could see Anthony’s face – and he could see mine. It was refreshing.
We had also gone to Zoolights at the National Zoo prior to our dinner. Although the actual exhibit was lame, I got to hold Anthony’s hand as we walked around and pushed toddlers out of our path. It was pretty groovy. (Right up until my mom called and told Anthony he was a big, squawking chicken for not asking me to marry him yet – which she then went on to explain is why she bought him a YELLOW dutch oven in particular so he would know that she knows that he is “yell’r!”)
This week we are sharing our “date night” this week with our friend Marilyn and her friend, Liz. First we will spend some time at the National Portrait Gallery (sans the other ladies) and then meet up with Marilyn and Liz at Zatinya, a Spanish tapas restaurant that Marilyn tells me is her absolute favorite DC restaurant. I love tapas and I saw that the restaurant has Turkish coffee, along with a decent wine and drink menu, so I figured, “Happy hour!”
Once we’re done getting filled up on caffeine and booze, we’re heading out to the theatre to see Sweeney Todd, the only horror musical I’ve ever heard of. I hear it will be delightful. (And I’ll try to let you know how it goes.)
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