Three things

1. The weather people are predicting snow tomorrow, except that they've changed their minds six times in the last eight hours about how much. Predictions run the gamut from freezing rain to six inches or more, which probably means that we see an hour of light flurries that don't hit the ground but still cause evening traffic to snarl beyond explanation. That's the way it goes in Washington. 

Personally, I've been waiting for snow since November, preferably a repeat of Snowpocalypse 2010. I'll be wearing my new snow boots tomorrow, come flurry or snowstorm. 

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2. I'm getting excited for the spring, which is booking up with a number of short little weekend trips. Notably, two of awesome cousins invited me to join them for a weekend in New York City in March. Neither of them have ever been there, and since I'm just a short train ride away and know my way around decently well (and am ALWAYS looking for an excuse to go to NYC), I'm excited to tag along. None of us have traveled together before, and since we only really see each other at family holiday events (once a year, twice if there's a wedding), it'll be a great chance to spend some rare quality time together. 

We're still in the early stages of planning, so tell me--what would you do (and more importantly, where would you EAT) if you were visiting the city for the first time? 

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3. That post about Holly and Lucky the other day might not have been the best idea, because now I cannot stop looking at pictures of dogs. My family's dogs. My friends' dogs. Your dogs. Strangers' dogs. Doesn't matter. But I stare at puppy pictures on Instagram for HOURS. Help.

A comprehensive list of items in the top drawer of my desk

 

Clockwise-ish from top left:

Teas (assorted): Bentley's, Celestial Seasonings, Bigelow, Throat Coat. What's your poison? I've probably got it here. Also some sort of gourmet chocolate tea, which Ashley sent home with me from Saint Louis last fall and which am guarding like it's the damn Ring of Endor.....Is that a thing? From Lord of the Rings? Or, wait, is it Mordor? Eh, whatever. I haven't read the books.

Apple cider vinegar (one bottle): from the time I was having killer acid reflux and read somewhere to dilute it in water and drink it (PSA, if you're thinking of trying it: it didn't really help, and it tasted pretty unpleasant.)

Zicam Chewables (one box, minus one chewable), which I bought last year when I had a cold, popped one into my mouth, spit it out in horror, and have not touched since, despite the fact that they were like $12 or some absurd cost

Lindt Lindor Truffles (1 bag) with only the white chocolate ones (which I dislike) remaining

Ritz crackers (1/3 sleeve), stale and mostly crushed 

Potato chips, classic (two bags)

Danish butter cookies (large tin): obviously I need to eat something with all that tea

Blue tissue paper (one package) and white ribbon (remnants of one spool): What, don't you keep your gift wrapping supplies near your vinegar?

Trail mix (one bag, half eaten)

Cheez-It Snack Mix 100 Calorie Right-Bites (one bag), stolen from a board meeting yesterday

Welch's Berries n' Cherries fruit snacks, with exactly two fruit snacks remaining in bag

* * * * * 

Not visible in photo:

Gladware with one stale cookie, sent home with me by my grandmother after a visit sometime in 2010 (it wasn't stale at the time, of course)

Apple juice (one bottle)

CD, Bach's B Minor Mass

Memoir titled Safe Passage

Coupons for Subway, expired

Seven pieces of Dolle's Taffy from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, which the president of our company brings back from vacation every year for the staff and I only take out of politeness, even though I can't stand taffy

A to Zed

I'm not usually a big fan of the internet meme, but it's been a long week, and this seems good for a lazy Friday afternoon.  (Hat tip to Jules, who got it from Leah.)


A. Age: 28
B. Bed size: Full
C. Chore that you hate: Cleaning out the fridge. Usually I just wait until Jules visits and she does it for me. (Kidding. Sort of.)
D. Dogs: Love 'em, but don't have any.  I have dog yearning the way some women have baby yearnings.
E. Essential start to your day: Juice, preferably orange or cranberry.
F. Favorite color: Yellow, unless I have to wear it.
G. Gold or Silver: Silver, though I've started wearing gold jewelry on occasion.
H. Height: I always say 5'8", but in reality I'm a hair shorter than that.
I. Instruments you play: Piano, french horn, recorder (seriously!). I'll also rock a xylophone if given the chance.
J. Job title: Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications (My boss likes to refer to me as Assistant "to the" Director, etc, like Dwight from The Office in reverse. I've assured him that someday it will come back to bite him.)
K. Kids: 0
L. Live: Washington, DC
M. Mother's name: Susan/Sue to most people, Mom to me, Miss Sue to her students
N. Nicknames: Too many to list. Hannie to some; Pannie to Jules and her family; Arbadella, Poindexter, and #1 to my grandfather at various times; and assorted things related to my last name.
O. Overnight hospital stays: Um. One? Maybe?  When I had my tonsils out? I honestly don't remember.
P. Pet peeves: People who leave their dishes in the sink at work. People who don't hang up their wet bath towels properly AHEM GRETCHEN. The people in my neighborhood who leave six feet in between their car and the next one, thus decreasing the number of available parking spots on our street.
Q. Quote from a movie: "The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize." (Steel Magnolias) "Mutual, I'm sure." (White Christmas)
R. Right- or left-handed: Right
S. Siblings: One sister 
U. Underwear: I'm... in favor of it? (How do I answer this?) 
V. Vegetable(s) you hate:  I like most of 'em, I just can't get behind lima beans. Too waxy or something.
W. What makes you run late: Inability to get out of bed in the morning.
X. X-Rays you've had: Wrist (broken). Chest (asthma). Dental (annually). 
Y. Yummy food that you make: I'm good with soups.  I think I get it from Mom.
Z. Zoo animal: Lions and bengal tigers. They're so beautiful.


Happy Friday, all.

Recently, on Twitter (part C)

Of all the Brit-ified word spellings, the one that most amuses me is "yoghurt." Possibly because I always read it in Alan Rickman's voice.

Right now I'm really regretting not liberating more of those brownies from [Val's] kitchen last night. #superbowl

Was asked to set up Downton Abbey Lunch/Viewing Party & now my inbox is flooded w responses to the all-staff meeting request. I love my job.

OH at Starbucks earlier: "Tebow has God on his side, apparently." "Yeah, but Brady has Giselle on his." #patriots #broncos

Void dire would be a lot more enjoyable if one of the attorneys looked like Will Gardner. @MrJoshCharles #juryduty

My excitement about my huge new "Harry Potter From Page to Screen" book is rather unseemly for a woman of my advanced age, but whatever.

The advantage of watching The Nutcracker in your own home is that you can reenact all the dances from when YOU were in it 18 years ago.

Highlight of day: getting 2012 desk planner for work. Am gleefully adding appointments and events and birthdays. Am SUCH a nerd.

Was literally putting on coat to head home when I found chocolate cake in the kitchen. Back at my desk, eating it with a spoon. #fail #yum

I'm one of the 99%, but if the Occupy DC protestors are even remotely responsible for this traffic mess, I hope they ALL get arrested.

This "relaxing & reviving" cherry/cinnamon tea would be more effective if I wasn't petrified of spilling bright red liquid everywhere.

There's nothing like dropping many, many dollars on new tires to take the luster off of adulthood.

IT IS SNOWING ARE YOU KIDDING ME.  [Ed. Note: It was October.  Relatedly, it is now February, and today it was 56 degrees.]

Look, just because we're nearing 30 yrs old doesn't mean we're not going to sort each other into #HarryPotter houses over wine.

Watching football in sweats and simultaneously breaking in my gold platform bridesmaid heels. #classy #multitasking

Wow, I really don't know how I feel about this whole coconut water phenomenon.

Never too late

Proving that it's never too late in life to have new experiences, my great uncle, who is in his late 70s, attended his first rock concert last weekend. And today, I read this amusing anecdote in The New York Times' Metropolitan Diary section:

Recently, I was at the City Bakery enjoying a bowl of oatmeal. Soon two women of   my vintage (silver-haired, slowish of step, sensibly shod) sat down next to me.

I’m not sure what I expected of their conversation: perhaps an anecdote concerning a grandchild, or the results of a recent bridge game.

Instead, one said to the other, with great enthusiasm, “So how was the Beyoncé concert?” [The New York Times]

I can only hope that when I'm "silver-haired" and "slowish of step" that I'm having conversations like this. 

UPDATE: The 50 Books Project

Hello! What's up, buttercups?  I tell ya what, it's just been a thrill a minute over here recently. For instance, at present I'm sitting on my couch, in pigtails, drinking orange juice out of a crystal goblet, and watching Friends onDemand. I mean, yes, I COULD be out seeing that Contagion movie, but--as I told my friend Angela--I am exactly the right combination of informed and paranoid for that to be a really bad idea.  And did I mention the Friends?

But anyway. Besides all the Friends-watching (there has been a lot of it), I've been working on various capital-P Projects (some wedding related, others in an attempt to rid my apartment of many ancient issues of Real Simple), making 'Countdown to "Downton Abbey"'s Season 2 Premiere in the U.S.' calendars, and searching for gold wedding-appropriate shoes online.  And spending too much time on Pinterest.

Also reading. The 50 Books Project continues apace, to the point where the adorable, rather dorky fellow at my neighborhood library doesn't even have to ask my name when I pop in to pick up the books I have on hold. It's my very own Cheers. Some people are known at their neighborhood bar. I am known at the library.

Anyway, I am ahead of pace with the reading, and I think I'm likely to exceed my goal for the year. I've been reading a lot of different types of stuff, including, randomly, a good bit of young adult fiction. There is some quality literature out there for youth, which is nice to know.  It's not all Twilight.

Anyway, I'm currently 43 books down. Here are a few of the highlights:

One Day: This book is the story of two people who meet on the evening of their graduation from college. It follows them through their lives, year by year, in the anniversary of the day they met. I loved it, except for a part about two chapters from the end, when I literally threw the book across the room. But it redeemed itself at the end. (A movie version of this came out recently starring Anne Hathaway, and while I don't really feel particularly strongly about her in general, I am MOST displeased with this casting decision.)

Will Grayson, Will Grayson (John Green/David Levithan): Hard to explain, but a great young adult novel.

Caleb's Crossing (Geraldine Brooks): Brooks, who I've mentioned before, is possibly my favorite contemporary author. This book, her most recent--it only came out in May-- is a fictionalized account of the first Native American student to graduate from Harvard in the 1600s. Brooks is a particular favorite of all of the members of my book club. We all went to hear her speak here in DC a few weeks before the book was released, and and was our pick a few months ago.

The Lacuna (Barbara Kingsolver): This was another book club pick. Most of us had read and loved The Poisonwood Bible, and no one tells  a story quite like Kingsolver, so we thought we'd give another if her novels a try. Dramatically different from Poisonwood, though no less dramatic, The Lacuna is about communism, identity, loyalty, Mexico, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. It's long, it's complex, and it's thoroughly engrossing.

The entire Hunger Games trilogy (Suzanne Collins): I was so enamored of both of the first two Hunger Games books that I forced myself to save the third one for the beach. I hate that they're over, but hey, at least a movie version is in the works!

The FitzOsbornes in Exile (Michelle Cooper): Early this year, I read A Brief History of Montmaray, the first book in the trilogy, and i've eagerly awaited the release of the second one. It has also contributed to my current obsession with early 20th-century England, though I mostly blame that on "Downton Abbey."

I Capture the Castle (Dodie Smith): This book is pretty old, compared to most of what I've been reading. I think it came out in the 1940s.  Loved it for much of the same reason I loved FitzOsbornes in Exile. It's similar in theme, too.

So what have you all been reading? Any recommendations?

Recently, on Twitter (part deux)

When I haven't been here, I've been over on the Twitter. Turns out, my feed is basically a very brief recap of my summer.  

Lengthy dinner with my sister makes me wish she lived here so we could do this regularly.

Sadness is realizing you've run out of cheese.

Just experienced my Annual @KenCen Honors Announcement YouTube Black Hole, wherein I watch clips from years past & lose all track of time.

If I was the poor schmuck who had to play Roger Federer starting at MIDNIGHT, I'd just forfeit before the match even started. #USOpen

Engaged in standoff w giant cicada. Staring at crack under bedroom door, boot in hand. Bug is on other side of door. Could take a while.

I'm mildly horrified by the number of hours I've spent watching tennis in the past two days. #USOpen
[Ed. Note: TWENTY-ONE HOURS of tennis over the course of Labor Day weekend. I'm not proud of it.]

Aaand we just had an earthquake...I think.
[Ed. Note: We had. Perhaps you heard? It was a bit of A Thing on the east coast.]

I am having a religious experience with this cannoli. #Boston #MikesPastries

Brunch on VT farm, small-town coffee shop, road trip, dinner in Boston, Friends with Benefits, strawberries, catching up w/Jay, bed.

Do you use the word "buzzkill" when talking to your doctor? No? Just me?

OF COURSE I get the hot young senior resident the day I'm wearing old underwear. And of course I have to put on an exam gown. #bummer

Swimming world championships on tv! Where is my boyfriend Aaron Peirsol?
[Ed. Note: RETIRED!  He has retired. What is the point of the Summer Olympics if I don't have Aaron Peirsol to ogle cheer on?]

Recently, on Twitter

When I haven't been here, I've been over on the Twitter...and also apparently watching a lot of television, if my feed is to be believed.


So. We need to talk about Downton Abbey. #PBS #amazing #MaggieSmithIsAwesome

Ya'll! Melanie from So You Think You Can Dance is from Marietta, GA!

Okay, yes, fine, I TOO am glued to the Casey Anthony verdict.

I tell ya what, that Bjorn Borg is a silver fox. (@Wimbledon)

Last night I read literally all of #Bossypants cover to cover. Oh, Tina Fey.

So, uh, how can you tell if you've broken your toe? #justcurious #ouch

I don't know if purgatory exists, but if so, I bet it's a lot like the DC DMV Inspection Station.

Highlight of NJ wedding weekend was Shelley & Ed's rendition of Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers classic "A Christmas to Remember." 

Belgian Marching Duck Parade*

(*Not a euphemism.)  I would truly love an explanation for this.

I like cheese = Gonzaga for the win

If this Facebook conversation is any indication, my old high school pal and I have different approaches to filling out our NCAA tournament brackets.


Jonathan: Printed out RPI, SOS, Pomerory rankings. Going to make the perfect bracket!
Me: Sounds complicated. I mostly just pick based on which mascots I like best and who has the prettiest school colors.
Me: Or which school names I like (i.e. Gonzaga reminds me of gorgonzola, which is delicious cheese). Which might explain why I rarely do well in my office pool.
Jonathan: Your bracket will probably be much better than mine.

Things that happened this weekend

I did my taxes.

I read the entirety of the first Hunger Games book, which was seriously excellent.

The Steelers won the AFC Championship and are going to the Super Bowl, HELL YEAH, leading to a flurry of text messages amongst the family and a discussion with my 18-year-old cousin about the extreme attractiveness of coach Mike Tomlin.

 

My sister got engaged!  That actually happened Friday night, but I wasn't allowed to talk about it. But it's Facebook-official now, so word is out.  No date is set yet, but--combined with the other two weddings already on my calendar--it's gearing up to be The Year of the Wedding: Redux. Stay tuned!

Thursday miscellany

So. Hi. I'm recovering from a cold.  I'm sniffly and rather...gurgly? I guess that's the word I'd use.  Gross, but descriptive.  


*****
How awesome was Gwyneth on Glee the other night? I was impressed. For someone so seemingly aloof and unrelatable (have you SEEN her website, Goop? She says things like, "Now if you're unsure where to get powdered truffles for this recipe, I recommend popping on down to your local organic French food market.  My favorite is on the corner of Rue du Blah blah and the Champs-Elysees."), she was an utterly hilarious guest star--with a surprisingly excellent voice. It was the inclusion of the timeless "Conjunction Junction" and her Mary Todd Lincoln impression that put it over the edge for me.


*****
Well, Wills is getting married. Another dream crushed. I received a text message from Monica, my high school best friend (with whom I reconnected over the summer), on Tuesday night, saying "I wish we could be together at this devastating time."

*****

One week from now, I'll be visiting the DeJ side of the family in Georgia for Thanksgiving. Can. Not. Wait.

Um....thanks? I think?

On Friday evening I was out to dinner with my grandparents, who were in town for a short visit.  We were having a lovely discussion about the arts or our family or the memorial service at which my grandfather was to eulogize the next day, when, out of the blue, I received a text message from my friend Ashley.  Ash's husband Jason is....well, I don't think it's a stretch to say that he's a fan of me.  As evidenced by this:


So Jason and I were just discussing the new show on TLC, "Sister Wives,"** and he says to me 'I wish Hannah could just move to Saint Louis and I would become a polygamist.'


How do you resume talking about funerals after that?


After some thought, I decided to take it as flattery, rather than a sign that I should invest in some Mace. And after further thought, I decided to share it with all of you, because it cracked me the heck up.


**This show looks horrifying, by the way.  

100 cats in IKEA (not a metaphor)

Like cats? (Perhaps.) Like IKEA?  (Obviously. Who doesn't like IKEA?)  Then please enjoy this utterly pointless and yet completely awesome video.

Backassward

I've never been much of a follower.  I cannot stand American Idol.  I lost interest (heh) in Lost somewhere around the third season.  Coffee makes me twitchy.  I don't understand the appeal of Justin Bieber.  I mean, sure, I'm predictably obsessed with Harry Potter, Glee, and Gustavo Dudamel, and there were also a few instances in my teens where "fashion" trumped "better judgment" (one particularly heinous pair of sandals comes to mind), but we all have our crosses to bear.  In general, though, I'm often so obstinately NOT a follower that I nearly miss out on some of the Great Inventions of Our Time, like Facebook, smartphones, and Lady GaGa.   

[Exception: the iPad.  I had one in my hands for approximately four seconds before shouting "I MUST HAVE ONE!" and causing my friends to jump six feet in the air.  I do not yet own one, however, so if you'd like to gift me with an iPad, I would not turn it down, and if it was the 3G-enabled version, I might even kiss you.  Or bake for you.  My chocolate pecan pie is the stuff of legends.]

So anyway, I'm stubborn, and I generally sort of do things my own way, but in recent years, even my body has said, "Well, fine, if you're so intent on being different, HERE."  At the age of 20, after a lifetime of clear skin, I suddenly started breaking out.  I was studying in London at the time, and I assumed that perhaps my skin wasn't used to, I don't know, the weird English air? Or the water? It was too sudden to be a coincidence, but then I returned from abroad and the breakouts continued.  So that was unfortunate.

About three weeks ago, however, I developed this rather entertaining condition wherein I kind of couldn't breathe periodically. I wasn't suffocating or anything.  It was just an occasional tightness in my chest and an inability to take a deep breath.  So I ended up at the urgent care place, as you know, where I was reassured that I wasn't dying and given a super-classy inhaler.  But it didn't go away, so I went to see the nurse practitioner in my neighborhood, and, whadya know: asthma, triggered by seasonal allergies, neither of which I've had before.  At the ripe old age of 26. 

OF COURSE it's asthma.  So now I'm armed with two separate inhalers and Zyrtec, and I can breathe again.  But I'm still without an iPad, so anything you can do to remedy THAT situation would be awesome.

Smurfs, Ugly Betty, and the NEA

I had sort of hoped that if I put those three things in a title together, some sort of theme would come to me.  It didn't.  Consequently, this post is kind of all over the place.  As, by the way, am I.

So. Life is proceeding, now that I have a chance to experience the world outside my office again. Various things are going on here. I dug my desk out from underneath All The Piles of Paper, which was refreshing. Glee returned. The Capitals lost their first playoff game. I'm reading Game Change, about the 2008 election, and it is seriously excellent. I'm not normally much of a non-fiction reader, but I highly recommend it.

Hm, what else. My apartment is starting to look like I live with a Smurf, because there's blue fuzz everywhere from the towels I recently bought at IKEA. They are wonderfully soft and fluffy, but I swear it looks like I'm molting.  Washing them hasn't helped.  The problem is compounded by the fact that my dust buster is, ahem, busted (or it needs to be charged...one of the two), so the fuzz is accumulating.  

Huh. This isn't very interesting. Instead, how about a list? I like lists. We'll call it "Things That Are Currently Thrilling The Pants Off Me." Without further ado: 

Things That Are Currently Thrilling the Pants Off Me

She &Him, "Volume 2." And everything they contributed to the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack. Actually, the entire (500) Days of Summer soundtrack....Okay, FINE, if we're being honest here, I have a girl crush on Zooey Deschanel. I confess. 

Vaughan-Williams' "The Lark Ascending," specifically as performed by Hilary Hahn 

Neil Patrick Harris on Glee. This hasn't actually happened yet, but the anticipation is nearly as good as the event. 

These cookies from IKEA. HOLY PETE, I cannot get enough of them. 

My new(ish) yellow bag. J'adore, ya'll. 

Real Simple 

Lady Gaga, unless I have to look at her, which weirds me out. But the "Recently Played" playlist on my iPod doesn't lie.  Girlfriend's got pipes, yo.

Google Reader. Yeah, I know this is not new. It's not new to me either. But to say it revolutionized my life (or the 80-odd times per day when I click over to see what new posts have appeared) would be an understatement. 

My ATL cords, which I should've bought in lighter colors so I could wear them into spring. Live and learn. 

The Ugly Betty series finale. I stopped watching the show about two seasons ago, but I tuned in for the finale. My reactions were twofold: 1) Betty and Daniel? Really? Huh....Okay, maybe. 2) It's time for me to move back to London. 

Rosemary & Olive Oil Triscuits 

That Capital One commercial with the vacationing vikings and the goat on skis. Cracks me up every time. I mean, a goat on skis?! That shit is funny. 

New red shoes 


Things That Have Me Worked Into a Lather, and Not In a Good Way 
(or, Hold On While I Get My Soapbox...) 
Arts Advocacy Day was on Tuesday, and my coworker Scott saw this video and forwarded it around the office. A Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute called for zero funding for the arts, stating that all public funding for the arts should come literally from the public in the form of ticket sales or private donations. He called the National Endowment for the Arts a government-run “racket” that “extorts” money from taxpayers to give to “politically well-connected artists.” (After I calmed down, I asked Scott if he really expected any less from Fox News, and what the hell were you doing watching that anyway?!) 




Anyway. What a tool.

Heartbreak hotel

I was home in Tennessee for Easter this weekend.  It was delightful and relaxing, but also a bit odd because I was sleeping in the guest bedroom with my sister.  My grandparents are currently staying with my parents as my grandfather recovers from his knee replacement, and they are occupying both my old room and G's.  So we were in the guest room, and G's boyfriend was on the air mattress in the den, and WOW, that made for a whole lot of showers to coordinate on Easter morning.  Also, G and I are not the most amiable co-sleepers, AND she had a cold, so that was interesting.

The big event of the weekend, though (aside from Jesus, you know, rising from the dead, which is a notable event, and also my acquisition of the Most Awesome Red Shoes Ever--pictures to come!), was the West Virginia/Duke Final Four game.  And since four of the seven of us LIVE in the great state of West Virginia, there were, shall we say, some emotions about how the game went.

It didn't go well, in case you missed it.  It was pretty tragic. And so we all desperately wanted Butler to win the championship on Monday night.  Which they didn't. 

But that's okay.  It was a beautiful weekend, and we ate many eggs and large quantities of jelly beans, and I bought shoes, and a good time was had by all.  The end.

Well, HELLO there!

My heart is all aflutter, and I simultaneously feel like I just awoke from one of those dreams where I am on the Metro and suddenly realize that I'm not wearing pants.

It turns out that there ARE more people reading this blog than my family and two best friends and Jules' mom. And if it weren't for the lovely Keenie Beanie, who, I have just learned, lives on the whoooole other side of the country, I would never have known it. So, hello Krys, and hello to Helen from Postcards from the Edge (of the West Country), who apparently led Krys (and, presumably, others) in my direction! And also to whomever else out there is reading Unagi that I'm unaware of. Welcome! I hope you'll stick around.

I cannot tell you how exciting it was to click over to Postcards and see my humble little blog's name in a list with my fave, Nothing But Bonfires, and several other of my must-read sites, so many thanks to Krys, for commenting and leading to this little revelation. Guess I need to step it up a bit and put on some pants. Metaphorically.

It also seems that Helen has "nominated" me for this “Kreativ Blogger” thing, which I don't really understand, but hey, I'll take it. (I'm so surprised! I didn't even prepare a speech. I'd like to thank the Academy...) And as part of the "rules" for that (wow, so many "quotes" in this "paragraph"), I am supposed to share a few things about myself. So without further ado…

1) I will eat nearly anything, but I strongly dislike olives, anything banana-flavored (except actual bananas), Indian food, and anything blue (except blueberries).

2) I quote Friends and The West Wing kind of a lot. One or other is nearly always applicable.

3) There is something about the shape of pigeons that makes me kind want to kick them. Not repeatedly or anything, but punted like a football, which is exactly how they are shaped. I expect that it would make a rather satisfying thwok sound. I should clarify that I have never actually kicked a pigeon, and I’m unlikely to do so unless I have just caught it pooping on my car.

4) The #1 place on my very lengthy to-visit list is Greece. It has been since I was ten years old, when I marked off the previous #1—New York City—which I visited while dressed like a young Amish girl. At the time, it seemed like the height of fashion. But a denim dress and a scrunchie were involved, so I’ll leave you to make your own judgment.

5) I get highly irritated when people pronounce “Appalachian” like “App-a-LAY-shin.”

Anyway, hello, nice to meet all of you, wherever you are. Please comment away so I’ll know who you are, too!

*****

In other news, G and Beth were here this weekend, and we had a grand old time. Basically, we went out for brunch (multiple times), introduced G to IKEA, watched WVU beat UK (word) and Tennessee lose to Michigan State (bummer). Oh, right, and went to see BON FREAKIN’ JOVI last night—the whole reason for their visit. I thought G was going to burst a blood vessel waiting for “Livin’ on a Prayer,” which, naturally, they played last. And, besides being awesome, the concert was also quite the cultural experience. It was as if all of rural Virginia and Maryland had put on their old Slippery When Wet tour t-shirts and ventured into the big city, though there were also a fair number of cardigans (we had three of them) and pearls in the hizzouse, too.

Incidentally, I had no idea how polarizing Bon Jovi is. Reactions to the news that I was attending the concert ranged from “SWEET!” to “Ew. Why?” But whatever, dudes, we all have our own cheesy musical proclivities, and mine lie squarely with Mr. Jon Bon Jovi and his apparent allergy to buttoning the top four buttons of his shirts.

Coming up for air

For approximately six weeks—from the beginning of February (pre-Snowpocalypse) to March 17—I did three things: eat, sleep, work. Get up, work a ten hour day in the office, come home, eat dinner, work until bedtime, lather, rinse, repeat.

Oh, and I destroyed my office. So much so that I had to bring in a second desk and computer because I couldn’t find the first one.**

Old desk:

Additional desk:

**That was mostly because my computer died and I had to use one of the office laptops for a few days, but there was no room on my actual desk, so I brought in another one. And during the last week of the work craziness, I had entered something akin to Finals Mode in college. At one point, I realized I had papers piled on every flat surface, three half empty coffee mugs, assorted food items, and a pair of socks in the corner.

And, okay, yes, the Olympics happened in there somewhere. But did you know that the Olympics make for a great background distraction while working? They do.

Since March 17, I have done the following:

• Read an entire book.
• Mentally composed an entire blog entry/rant about F***ing Republican Tourists and Their Incompetent Driving and Parking Habits, which I did not publish because it involved too many swear words for a blog whose limited readership includes grandparents, great aunts, and my mother. (And before I get yelled at for generalizing, yes, I am sure they were Republican, due to the McCain-Palin sticker on the back of the Escalade.)
• Become obsessed with spring scarves.
• Gotten lost in IKEA.
• Went car shopping for someone other than myself. (Note to Dad: you’re handling my car purchases forevermore. Thanks.)
• Discovered that the OnDemand feature of my cable also includes current TV shows, which led to my devouring of nearly the entire Burn Notice series.
• Had a one-woman dance party to Lady Gaga in my apartment. (That was the evening that I finally was free of my work restraints….and also St. Patrick’s Day. Surprisingly, green beer was not a factor.)
• Mentally composed a blog entry extolling the virtues of The Good Wife in general and Josh Charles in a leather jacket in particular, which I did not publish because it would’ve contributed nothing to public discourse. (If you’re wondering, it went something like this: “Josh Charles: more attractive as Will Gardner or Dan Rydell? Discuss.” ....Perhaps you can see why I did not post it.
• Bought a new purse. It’s yellow. And awesome.
• Spent several hours watching C-SPAN and thinking up pithy things to say about the healthcare debate as seen through the eyes of a West Wing fan (If you’re not on Twitter, you probably missed them. My work-obsessed mind could not handle anything beyond 140 characters, unless the subject was Yo-Yo Ma.)

And that is where I have been, lest you think I have abandoned cyberspace for greener pastures. They were not green, I assure you, but rather covered in stacks of paper and discarded Post-It notes. But I'm back. Hello.

Heard.... (or, rather, typed): Work Edition

As is typical when you work with a bunch of 30-something guys, an innocent chain of work-related emails devolved into sci-fi "humor"...and then unnecessary meanness.

S: We can do better.

K: We will do better.

Me: So say we all!

...

Me: Sorry. Battlestar Galactica humor. Don't know where that came from.

S: Are you three going to turn all Star Wars/Trek on me?

K: How about we make a new Star Wars-esqe anti-slogan for our department? It will show our toughness to the others. "The [company name] Marketing Department. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."

JK (our boss): In the words of Vader, "Perhaps I can find new ways of motivating them, as the emperor is less forgiving than I am."

Me: ...well, that's not ominous at ALL. [begins updating her resume]

JK: I hear [my former employer, having financial troubles] is hiring.

Me: Ok, that was unnecessary.