Don't even try to deny it ladies, I know about how y'all keep charts of whose beds your Birkenstocks have been under.
March 31, 2008
A Better Title
Today's xkcd.com comic should not be called "Convincing Pickup Line." It should be called "Lesbian Dating."
Don't even try to deny it ladies, I know about how y'all keep charts of whose beds your Birkenstocks have been under.
Don't even try to deny it ladies, I know about how y'all keep charts of whose beds your Birkenstocks have been under.
National Cherry Blossom Festival, 2008
This past Saturday I was down at the National Cherry Blossom Festival with Rob and Dan. It was the predicted time that the blossoms would be at their peak, so I figured I would go this past weekend just so I could finally see them at the right time for once. Rob and Dan had plans in DC anyway, so it was only logical that we might as well meet up.
First of all, I'm glad I am a regular Metro rider and carry a SmartTrip card. The lines at the farecard machines in Greenbelt were a total clusterfuck. I think all of them had at least 10 people waiting to get farecards or to refill their Smartrip cards. As expected, the train was full, which was no big deal thanks to having good headphones and my Stiletto.
Getting to L'enfant Plaza, the platform for the Orange and Blue lines were crowded, and whan a train going our way arrived the first time, everyone and their mother tried to crowd on the train, which meant there were multiple tries before they could finally close the doors. By the time all was said and done, the people were packed in like sardines. What fools, if some of the people cramming in there at the last moments had just had the patience to wait another two minutes, they would have boarded a much less crowded train.
So I get to the tidal basin and listen to a performance of the Japanese Choral Society of DC before Rob and Dan arrive. We take our time wandering around the Tidal Basin looking at the trees, taking pictures, and dodging some of the crowds that were there. It would be an understatement to say that there were a lot of people there. I just pulled up Metro's subway ridership numbers for Saturday, March 29, 580,751. On the very same date last year it was 464,981.
Anyway, despite the crowds, it was good to be out, and it was a beautiful day. Eventually we wandered over towards the National Mall, where the Smithsonian Kite Festival was going on as well, so we got to see all sorts of kites. I had plans for the evening or I probably would have flown a kite as well. There are pictures of the various kites that were in the sky. There was one club that made a really good effort to make a dragon kite fly, but we think they needed more room to be able to move and get it going, instead of the small space they had in the "arena" that a competition was being held in.
Eventually we headed back towards Metro so I could board, but we got to the one Smithsonian Station entrance that was supposed to be the entrance, and they had made it an exit only, so we went over to the other entrance, and that was gated off, with a big crowd standing around it, so no one was getting in. Who the hell knows what was happening then, but it definitely left me wondering how the hell Metro was going to handle Nationals games if they can't seem to handle the festivals.
Rob and Dan were kind enough to take me over to the Archives/Navy Memorial Station, so I hopped back on the train to head back to Greenbelt before heading to Baltimore that evening.
Great day, I suggest if you're in the DC/MD/NoVA area within the next week or two to go over and see the blossoms. Perhaps the pictures I took will entice you to go ;-)
Brewers vs Rockies, 03/24/2008
The pictures from watching the Brewers and the Rockies play a spring training game are up on Flickr. We were in great box seats at Maryvale Stadium, and now I know that you should try to get seats in the low 100s sections if you want shade.
March 26, 2008
This Is Just Strange
It's a very strange thing when the siren of the fire truck going by actually is in time with the dance remix you're listening to.
I actually had to pause the song to see if it was part of the music or if there was a real siren outside.
I actually had to pause the song to see if it was part of the music or if there was a real siren outside.
March 23, 2008
Phoenix, Day 6
Wow, has it really been my sixth day in Phoenix?
So what have I been up to the last few days?
To start, I found out that Root Seller Gallery and Apothecary moved over to a new location in Phoenix, so yesterday I went to check out their new store. They've done quite well with the new space, and there's definitely a lot to look at. I picked up a present for JH while I was there, along with a few other items. I'm tempted to go back for an item for myself...I have until Tuesday to decide if I want it.
The other night I went out with my mom and a friend of hers to the Ft McDowell Casino to play slots. It's an activity that my mom and her friend do every so often. Basically they go out there at about midnight and play slots for a few hours, moving from machine to machine and playing different ones that "feel right." and at the end they split the proceeds. Well we did pretty well for themselves, me especially on the penny and two-penny slots. One machine has bonus games just randomly show up while you're playing, and one of them I had to keep choosing what bonus I was going to get, eventually I matched getting 40 free spins, so I got to sit back as the coins came in. I had originally put in $20 and I walked away from that machine with $60...and this was a two-penny machine!
We also would be the folks who were playing the big Wheel of Fortune slot machine which does have a big wheel in the middle for the bonus game, and so when we'd get the bonus going we'd stand up and clap. There were a few folks that were staring as we did that but we didn't care, it was all about fun! Also, since it was the middle of the night, there was no one there, so it meant that we basically got to go to any machine we wanted to. The only time we were kicked off was when they were collecting money out of a row of machines that we were playing, which was too bad because I was on a bit of a hot streak with that one.
Friday Night I went out to Apollo's Lounge for karaoke. That place has undergone a renovation since I was last there 2.5 years ago, the major thing being the addition of an outside patio for smoking. It's just basically your neighborhood bar, but with karaoke that's actually up-to-date with the song offerings, unlike most other bars. I had called a friend of mine from college, Robert, and we met up and chatted for a while before I headed home.
Saturday night I talked with JH on the phone for a bit since we hadn't chatted much during the week except via a few text messages. He was leaving a party and heading over to Town, which he would later tell me was a blast and that I need to go with him. Next time he gets tickets or if the cover isn't too outrageous I'll definitely go. I also visited with another buddy of mine, Antonio. We had started chatting online at random one night when I was in my last year of school, and it turned out he had gone to the same school so that spring break we met at Phoenix Pride since he was working one of the booths. Anyway, he's planning on moving to San Francisco this summer and he's always wanted to go so this should be a great opportunity for him. At the very least it means I know someone should JH and I ever travel out that way.
This morning was Easter of course, so it means I was up early hunting eggs in the backyard with my brother. After lunch my dad went to take my bro back to college. My mom and I were going to go to the botanical gardens, but then it just got too hot to be outside for a long period of time. It seems to have skipped the 70's and gone straight to the 80's temperature-wise here, it will probably be another long, hot summer.
Tomorrow my parents and I will be going to watch the Brewers take on the Rockies for spring training, that should be a good game. Tuesday night there are tentative plans to hitPadlock Cellblock with Antonio for a beer, then Wednesday I head back home.
I'm just glad to have taken this vacation, I haven't had to think about work and I can just relax and do nothing. Of course, I have also felt weird about actually sitting back and doing nothing and have had a few moments where I have wondered if I needed to be doing something to stay occupied.
So what have I been up to the last few days?
To start, I found out that Root Seller Gallery and Apothecary moved over to a new location in Phoenix, so yesterday I went to check out their new store. They've done quite well with the new space, and there's definitely a lot to look at. I picked up a present for JH while I was there, along with a few other items. I'm tempted to go back for an item for myself...I have until Tuesday to decide if I want it.
The other night I went out with my mom and a friend of hers to the Ft McDowell Casino to play slots. It's an activity that my mom and her friend do every so often. Basically they go out there at about midnight and play slots for a few hours, moving from machine to machine and playing different ones that "feel right." and at the end they split the proceeds. Well we did pretty well for themselves, me especially on the penny and two-penny slots. One machine has bonus games just randomly show up while you're playing, and one of them I had to keep choosing what bonus I was going to get, eventually I matched getting 40 free spins, so I got to sit back as the coins came in. I had originally put in $20 and I walked away from that machine with $60...and this was a two-penny machine!
We also would be the folks who were playing the big Wheel of Fortune slot machine which does have a big wheel in the middle for the bonus game, and so when we'd get the bonus going we'd stand up and clap. There were a few folks that were staring as we did that but we didn't care, it was all about fun! Also, since it was the middle of the night, there was no one there, so it meant that we basically got to go to any machine we wanted to. The only time we were kicked off was when they were collecting money out of a row of machines that we were playing, which was too bad because I was on a bit of a hot streak with that one.
Friday Night I went out to Apollo's Lounge for karaoke. That place has undergone a renovation since I was last there 2.5 years ago, the major thing being the addition of an outside patio for smoking. It's just basically your neighborhood bar, but with karaoke that's actually up-to-date with the song offerings, unlike most other bars. I had called a friend of mine from college, Robert, and we met up and chatted for a while before I headed home.
Saturday night I talked with JH on the phone for a bit since we hadn't chatted much during the week except via a few text messages. He was leaving a party and heading over to Town, which he would later tell me was a blast and that I need to go with him. Next time he gets tickets or if the cover isn't too outrageous I'll definitely go. I also visited with another buddy of mine, Antonio. We had started chatting online at random one night when I was in my last year of school, and it turned out he had gone to the same school so that spring break we met at Phoenix Pride since he was working one of the booths. Anyway, he's planning on moving to San Francisco this summer and he's always wanted to go so this should be a great opportunity for him. At the very least it means I know someone should JH and I ever travel out that way.
This morning was Easter of course, so it means I was up early hunting eggs in the backyard with my brother. After lunch my dad went to take my bro back to college. My mom and I were going to go to the botanical gardens, but then it just got too hot to be outside for a long period of time. It seems to have skipped the 70's and gone straight to the 80's temperature-wise here, it will probably be another long, hot summer.
Tomorrow my parents and I will be going to watch the Brewers take on the Rockies for spring training, that should be a good game. Tuesday night there are tentative plans to hit
I'm just glad to have taken this vacation, I haven't had to think about work and I can just relax and do nothing. Of course, I have also felt weird about actually sitting back and doing nothing and have had a few moments where I have wondered if I needed to be doing something to stay occupied.
March 21, 2008
Can I Do This?
Let's see...the FBI admitted that they have misused National Security Letters to obtain informations on US citizens. Now we come to find out that State Dept. employees were accessing passport files they should have not been accessing. Of course, we know that they snooped on the US presidential candidates, but who else have they been looking at?
Personally, I would love to shed some light on this for myself. I wonder what it would take to file a Freedom of Information Act request to both departments demanding to know if any letters have been sent about me, and to find out who has been accessing my passport information and when. Hell, would that even be covered under FOIA?
There will be much research to be done...
Personally, I would love to shed some light on this for myself. I wonder what it would take to file a Freedom of Information Act request to both departments demanding to know if any letters have been sent about me, and to find out who has been accessing my passport information and when. Hell, would that even be covered under FOIA?
There will be much research to be done...
Must...Have...
Guitar Hero on Tour
Now this looks like a great concept, and since I'll basically have a "gold" guitar, it will look great.
Between this and the Aerosmith Edition that's coming out in June, I might be Guitar Heroing throughout the summer.
Now this looks like a great concept, and since I'll basically have a "gold" guitar, it will look great.
Between this and the Aerosmith Edition that's coming out in June, I might be Guitar Heroing throughout the summer.
March 20, 2008
Dumbasses...
State Dept. Fires 2 for looking at Obama File.
Oy, what idiots. The worst part is that they probably have a warning appear on their computer every morning when they would log in at work that essentially said "Only authorized activities are permitted, by using this computer, you consent to be monitored and recorded. THERE IS NO RIGHT TO PRIVACY ON THIS SYSTEM!"
I know that's what I have on my computer at work. I also know that if at any time I access confidential information, there is a log being kept of what I accessed and I can have my ass nailed to a wall if I step out of line. Besides, I can only access private information on a "Need to Know" basis, and guess what, I have no "need" to "know" if Barack Obama (or anyone else for that matter) answered any Decennial Census or other survey.
I know for me a violation like that will cost me $250,000 in fines and up to 5 years in jail. It also means I have a big fat felony to follow me around for the rest of my life, boy don't those look good to an employer? :-P
Fucking idiots.
Oy, what idiots. The worst part is that they probably have a warning appear on their computer every morning when they would log in at work that essentially said "Only authorized activities are permitted, by using this computer, you consent to be monitored and recorded. THERE IS NO RIGHT TO PRIVACY ON THIS SYSTEM!"
I know that's what I have on my computer at work. I also know that if at any time I access confidential information, there is a log being kept of what I accessed and I can have my ass nailed to a wall if I step out of line. Besides, I can only access private information on a "Need to Know" basis, and guess what, I have no "need" to "know" if Barack Obama (or anyone else for that matter) answered any Decennial Census or other survey.
I know for me a violation like that will cost me $250,000 in fines and up to 5 years in jail. It also means I have a big fat felony to follow me around for the rest of my life, boy don't those look good to an employer? :-P
Fucking idiots.
Lazy Day
I promise tomorrow will be better...
The only thing I did today was go over to Fry's Electronics to look for some items and basically wander the store. I was rather disappointed in their video game section because it is quite clear which manufacturer has their foot in the door there. Two aisles of Playstation, one aisle of XBox, and one aisle of Nintendo. On the other hand, the fact that there was a big section of clearance PSP also says something about how well that system is doing.
Now if I didn't have to travel with it, I would have considered picking up Guitar Hero III today since it was much cheaper than the rest of the stores I have seen it at.
I did pick up a few movies though, namely ones I had seen on Netflix that I decided were worth buying. I picked up Kill Bill Vol 1 and 2 and Hot Fuzz (they were out of Shaun of the Dead).
Beyond that I just kind of hung out at the house. I have been playing my brother's copy of Trauma Center: New Blood on Wii. It's an interesting game, but man does it get frustrating at times. I may consider adding it to my Gamefly queue or picking up a used copy.
The only thing I did today was go over to Fry's Electronics to look for some items and basically wander the store. I was rather disappointed in their video game section because it is quite clear which manufacturer has their foot in the door there. Two aisles of Playstation, one aisle of XBox, and one aisle of Nintendo. On the other hand, the fact that there was a big section of clearance PSP also says something about how well that system is doing.
Now if I didn't have to travel with it, I would have considered picking up Guitar Hero III today since it was much cheaper than the rest of the stores I have seen it at.
I did pick up a few movies though, namely ones I had seen on Netflix that I decided were worth buying. I picked up Kill Bill Vol 1 and 2 and Hot Fuzz (they were out of Shaun of the Dead).
Beyond that I just kind of hung out at the house. I have been playing my brother's copy of Trauma Center: New Blood on Wii. It's an interesting game, but man does it get frustrating at times. I may consider adding it to my Gamefly queue or picking up a used copy.
March 18, 2008
I Don't Get It
Ya know, there is something about many of the gays that I don't understand about y'all.
Your fear of the genitalia of the opposite gender.
It's invariable, I'll be reading comments on a message board, and a guy will say something along the lines of if there is a picture of a vagina, they'll be scarred for life, or a woman says they'll be scarred for life if they see a penis.
Is it really that traumatic? I'm not bothered if I see some vajayjay in a straight porn.
Your fear of the genitalia of the opposite gender.
It's invariable, I'll be reading comments on a message board, and a guy will say something along the lines of if there is a picture of a vagina, they'll be scarred for life, or a woman says they'll be scarred for life if they see a penis.
Is it really that traumatic? I'm not bothered if I see some vajayjay in a straight porn.
Run Away, Run Away!!
The thought that comes to mind right now is the commercials for Southwest Airlines, Wanna Get Away?
Well I certainly got away alright. My morning started out with an early wakeup call, a dropoff at the airport (thanks babe!), two hops and here I am at the parents house in Phoenix.
It's been over a year since I have visited my parents so I was due for a visit anyway, especially since I couldn't afford to go last Christmas. Thanks to a sale, I decided to get outta DC and head over this way. I also knew I needed to do it now because of how things are going to heat up at work over the next few months with projects hitting the field.
So I'm here, and now it's time for fun and sun. I can't freaking wait, I don't have to think about work for the next seven days, and I get to do whatever I want.
By the way, did I mention I have the worlds best boyfriend? Not only did he actually get up at 4:00 this morning to drive me to the airport, he said that he won't bother me while I'm on vacation, he won't call unless I call him first. That's such a refreshing change from a boyfriend that calls me up and cries over the phone because I only talked to him for five minutes in the past two days, so that must mean I don't care about him anymore. I like it when I can be trusted.
Too bad the pool is still about 40F.
Well I certainly got away alright. My morning started out with an early wakeup call, a dropoff at the airport (thanks babe!), two hops and here I am at the parents house in Phoenix.
It's been over a year since I have visited my parents so I was due for a visit anyway, especially since I couldn't afford to go last Christmas. Thanks to a sale, I decided to get outta DC and head over this way. I also knew I needed to do it now because of how things are going to heat up at work over the next few months with projects hitting the field.
So I'm here, and now it's time for fun and sun. I can't freaking wait, I don't have to think about work for the next seven days, and I get to do whatever I want.
By the way, did I mention I have the worlds best boyfriend? Not only did he actually get up at 4:00 this morning to drive me to the airport, he said that he won't bother me while I'm on vacation, he won't call unless I call him first. That's such a refreshing change from a boyfriend that calls me up and cries over the phone because I only talked to him for five minutes in the past two days, so that must mean I don't care about him anymore. I like it when I can be trusted.
Too bad the pool is still about 40F.
Trainwreck Syndrome...
...or why I need to stay off of the MySpace search function.
Every so often I like to do a school search on MySpace of my old high school and I skim through the results to see what the people I knew there are up to. I don't actually read the profiles (keeps me off of any trackers). I could claim that I do it just because I am curious about how folks are doing, but there's a bit of a darker side to it.
I do it just to prove that I am doing better than them.
Come on though, I can't be the only one who has done it or thought about doing it.
Thing is, I'm also basically right. Most of my classmates ended up staying in and around the town, or if they moved away it wasn't very far. I would say of the 80 profiles I can pull up, there's maybe 10 of us who actually live outside of Arizona. Of course it's also fun to see the ones that thought they were hot shit now basically stuck in a dead-end job and they don't look so very cute anymore. As for education, well it looks like many of them took the easy route and now it's come back to bite them in the ass.
There is one surprise...someone I thought was going to do quite well has apparently moved back to Arizona.
Of course, I also got some vindication as well...one girl who I worked with that would tease me that I was so gay...she just came out as a lesbian. Now I'm just waiting for some of the guys who won't answer the sexual orientation question on MySpace or have answered not sure to come out as well, the irony being that some of them were those who continually bashed me verbally.
I guess I truly do get the last laugh *muahahahahahahahahahahaha* Karma sure can be a bitch.
Every so often I like to do a school search on MySpace of my old high school and I skim through the results to see what the people I knew there are up to. I don't actually read the profiles (keeps me off of any trackers). I could claim that I do it just because I am curious about how folks are doing, but there's a bit of a darker side to it.
I do it just to prove that I am doing better than them.
Come on though, I can't be the only one who has done it or thought about doing it.
Thing is, I'm also basically right. Most of my classmates ended up staying in and around the town, or if they moved away it wasn't very far. I would say of the 80 profiles I can pull up, there's maybe 10 of us who actually live outside of Arizona. Of course it's also fun to see the ones that thought they were hot shit now basically stuck in a dead-end job and they don't look so very cute anymore. As for education, well it looks like many of them took the easy route and now it's come back to bite them in the ass.
There is one surprise...someone I thought was going to do quite well has apparently moved back to Arizona.
Of course, I also got some vindication as well...one girl who I worked with that would tease me that I was so gay...she just came out as a lesbian. Now I'm just waiting for some of the guys who won't answer the sexual orientation question on MySpace or have answered not sure to come out as well, the irony being that some of them were those who continually bashed me verbally.
I guess I truly do get the last laugh *muahahahahahahahahahahaha* Karma sure can be a bitch.
March 15, 2008
Wow
I'm reading about the tornado that hit downtown Atlanta and it sounds like things got crazy, I hope no one was killed by them.
Ironically it means I'm going to have to find out if our regional office is still standing, since I'm supposed to fly into Atlanta next month to do a field observation and a training observation.
Ironically it means I'm going to have to find out if our regional office is still standing, since I'm supposed to fly into Atlanta next month to do a field observation and a training observation.
March 12, 2008
Random Thought
I got an E-mail in my spam account that the True Colors tour is coming back again, and that it is to benefit the Human Rights Campaign (HRC).
Well let me be the first to say it:
Fuck HRC
That is all.
Well let me be the first to say it:
Fuck HRC
That is all.
What A Great Weekend
This last weekend had to be one of the fullest weekends I have had out with JH, and boy was it fun.
It starts out with seeing the show "Simply Ballroom" in Baltimore. It was a show with dancers showing off various dances on the stage, interspersed with bits from Debbie Reynolds and vocal performances from Anthony Fedorov and Vonzell Solomon (American Idol). The dancers themselves were great, there was a lot to try and pay attention to at times, and it was definitely worth watching them. I have to say that Debbie looks great for 75, especially her legs. A few of her comedy bits went on a bit long, but it was cute. As for the singers, Anthony has a good voice but he has got to put some power behind it. I had trouble understanding him at times because it was more breathy than it should have been. I'm betting if I were to watch any past Idols with him in it, Simon would have had similar comments. Vonzell knew how to put power into her voice.
After the show JH and I went out to Howl At the Moon which is a dueling piano bar in Baltimore. That bar is a blast to hang out in not only for the music, but for the people watching as well. Be sure to get the Jello shots when the girl comes by because they're basically loaded in these big tubes and the girl puts some whipped cream on one end, puts it in your mouth, and pushes the plunger. It was fun to watch her get straight boys to get on their knees to get the Jello shot from her. JH and I agreed that if we were straight, we'd try to fuck her, she was smokin hot.
Saturday afternoon was spent at the annual meeting for GreenBeLT Pride. I was there to finish out my term as VP on the board and to help elect a new board. I have declined to run again as I am pursuing other interests. So we got through the meeting, I hung out a while afterward at dinner before heading up to Harrisburg, PA with JH.
We got to his friend DP's place and took him out for dinner as a thank you for all the times he has let us crash on his couch (which he was letting us do again). We later headed out to Neptune's since it was their leather night. We chatted up various people and it was fun.
Sunday JH, DP, and I headed out on a Sunday drive up to a market to pick up some iced tea among other things. We had lunch at Kaufmann's Restaurant, which consisted of 1/2 a tasty rotisserie chicken, mashed potates and stuffing mixed together with gravy, and salad. We eventually said our goodbyes and headed our way back home. JH took a different route than usual and we drove through historic Gettysburg. I am so going back this summer when it's warmer.
So all in all it was a great weekend, if only due to the number of fun things that were packed into it.
It starts out with seeing the show "Simply Ballroom" in Baltimore. It was a show with dancers showing off various dances on the stage, interspersed with bits from Debbie Reynolds and vocal performances from Anthony Fedorov and Vonzell Solomon (American Idol). The dancers themselves were great, there was a lot to try and pay attention to at times, and it was definitely worth watching them. I have to say that Debbie looks great for 75, especially her legs. A few of her comedy bits went on a bit long, but it was cute. As for the singers, Anthony has a good voice but he has got to put some power behind it. I had trouble understanding him at times because it was more breathy than it should have been. I'm betting if I were to watch any past Idols with him in it, Simon would have had similar comments. Vonzell knew how to put power into her voice.
After the show JH and I went out to Howl At the Moon which is a dueling piano bar in Baltimore. That bar is a blast to hang out in not only for the music, but for the people watching as well. Be sure to get the Jello shots when the girl comes by because they're basically loaded in these big tubes and the girl puts some whipped cream on one end, puts it in your mouth, and pushes the plunger. It was fun to watch her get straight boys to get on their knees to get the Jello shot from her. JH and I agreed that if we were straight, we'd try to fuck her, she was smokin hot.
Saturday afternoon was spent at the annual meeting for GreenBeLT Pride. I was there to finish out my term as VP on the board and to help elect a new board. I have declined to run again as I am pursuing other interests. So we got through the meeting, I hung out a while afterward at dinner before heading up to Harrisburg, PA with JH.
We got to his friend DP's place and took him out for dinner as a thank you for all the times he has let us crash on his couch (which he was letting us do again). We later headed out to Neptune's since it was their leather night. We chatted up various people and it was fun.
Sunday JH, DP, and I headed out on a Sunday drive up to a market to pick up some iced tea among other things. We had lunch at Kaufmann's Restaurant, which consisted of 1/2 a tasty rotisserie chicken, mashed potates and stuffing mixed together with gravy, and salad. We eventually said our goodbyes and headed our way back home. JH took a different route than usual and we drove through historic Gettysburg. I am so going back this summer when it's warmer.
So all in all it was a great weekend, if only due to the number of fun things that were packed into it.
Spring Cleaning
For the last month I have been saying I need to clean out my closets. It's part of the changes I have been making over the last year because despite the faults of Joshua, he did get me into the habit of actually going through items and getting rid of stuff that I don't need. I have done pretty well on not going overboard on buying new stuff and trying to get rid of old stuff, but I have also let the organization of some areas fall by the wayside, and it was time for a shakeup. It also did not hurt that I watched this movie last week on folks who are horders and have let clutter take up their lives. If this movie doesn't scare you into organizing your house, then nothing will.
So being as it was my day off, it was a perfect day to get rid of crap from my closets and reorganize. I went through the pantry, linen closet, bedroom closets, and basement storage unit and took a look. I also created a box that was designated as stuff that I was going to give to the church yard sale (or charity in the case of the food).
So I went through all of them and basically cut out a good number of items. A box full of AV and computer cords was cut in half, I got rid of four pairs of pants that had grown too short for me, and I got rid of just a lot of stuff that was taking up space. All in all, about 3 plastic bins have gone to the yard sale, and two bags of food went to charity. I do have a few more items that will go to the yard sale later, including some DVD's that I don't really watch anymore.
Here's examples of my work:
Pantry Before:
Pantry After:
Linen Closet Before:
Linen Closet After:
So being as it was my day off, it was a perfect day to get rid of crap from my closets and reorganize. I went through the pantry, linen closet, bedroom closets, and basement storage unit and took a look. I also created a box that was designated as stuff that I was going to give to the church yard sale (or charity in the case of the food).
So I went through all of them and basically cut out a good number of items. A box full of AV and computer cords was cut in half, I got rid of four pairs of pants that had grown too short for me, and I got rid of just a lot of stuff that was taking up space. All in all, about 3 plastic bins have gone to the yard sale, and two bags of food went to charity. I do have a few more items that will go to the yard sale later, including some DVD's that I don't really watch anymore.
Here's examples of my work:
Pantry Before:
Pantry After:
Linen Closet Before:
Linen Closet After:
March 10, 2008
March 06, 2008
Dining Out For Life - Tonight
Do you want a good reason to try a new restaurant in the DC/MD/NoVA area? How about being able to sample new cuisine and give to charity at the same time?
Food and Friends in DC is doing their annual Dining out For Life event. If you have dinner (and maybe even lunch) at certain area restaurants, they will be donating part of their proceeds for the evening to Food and Friends.
Food and Friends is a wonderful organization dedicated to providing meals and nutrition counseling to those with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-challenging illnesses. Many people in the DC area do benefit from this organization and so it should only be right that we should give back a little.
The list of participating restaurants may be found here. All restaurants on the list will be giving 25% at the minimum, unless otherwise noted. Personally I'll be dining at The Old Siam tomorrow night since it is a restaurant my boyfriend and I love, plus it is giving 50%.
I hope you'll consider heading out tonight to a participating restaurant, whether its a quiet night out for you, dinner with a group of friends, or even a date with that special someone. Your money will be going to a good cause.
Food and Friends in DC is doing their annual Dining out For Life event. If you have dinner (and maybe even lunch) at certain area restaurants, they will be donating part of their proceeds for the evening to Food and Friends.
Food and Friends is a wonderful organization dedicated to providing meals and nutrition counseling to those with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-challenging illnesses. Many people in the DC area do benefit from this organization and so it should only be right that we should give back a little.
The list of participating restaurants may be found here. All restaurants on the list will be giving 25% at the minimum, unless otherwise noted. Personally I'll be dining at The Old Siam tomorrow night since it is a restaurant my boyfriend and I love, plus it is giving 50%.
I hope you'll consider heading out tonight to a participating restaurant, whether its a quiet night out for you, dinner with a group of friends, or even a date with that special someone. Your money will be going to a good cause.
March 04, 2008
Fucking Metro
Dear DC Metro,
Normally I have much love for you guys because it means I get to avoid the hellishness known as the Capital Beltway every morning and evening. However, right now I have no love for the way your buses are running and because of a lack of tracking buses.
I have a choice of three different bus routes I can take to get to my apartment, which in an ideal situation is great because if I miss one bus, I can catch another. However, these three bus routes are stacked up on top of one another when it comes to leaving Greenbelt Station. Essentially they all leave within a 10 minute time period, so if I miss them, I'm waiting at least another 20-30 minutes for the next stack of these buses to show up. That's the first issue.
After a few months of riding the buses, I know that if I am lucky enough to get there early, I can catch the R12, which is the fastest one home, but more often than not I end up taking a slightly longer route, it happens, that's fine. What's not so fine is what happened tonight.
I ended up hopping on one of the longest routes for me to get home, which was irritating in itself because I needed to be elsewhere this evening for a meeting, and I wanted to make it on time. As the bus is leaving Greenbelt station and getting into the clusterfuck of a line on Metro drive, I get the (dis)pleasure of watching the R12 bus (that I could have taken to shave 20 minutes off of my trip) go by as it is pulling into Greenbelt Station 10 minutes late from its usual time. If I had some way of knowing when the next R12 bus was arriving, I could have gotten home much faster this evening.
The worst part is that Metro did have such a system for buses for a while, but their software was so screwed up that currently it's down while they rewrite it. That doesn't help me, assholes.
So in conclusion, you get no love from me right now thanks to your crap scheduling of these bus routes and the lack of knowing when the next bus is coming...assholes.
Normally I have much love for you guys because it means I get to avoid the hellishness known as the Capital Beltway every morning and evening. However, right now I have no love for the way your buses are running and because of a lack of tracking buses.
I have a choice of three different bus routes I can take to get to my apartment, which in an ideal situation is great because if I miss one bus, I can catch another. However, these three bus routes are stacked up on top of one another when it comes to leaving Greenbelt Station. Essentially they all leave within a 10 minute time period, so if I miss them, I'm waiting at least another 20-30 minutes for the next stack of these buses to show up. That's the first issue.
After a few months of riding the buses, I know that if I am lucky enough to get there early, I can catch the R12, which is the fastest one home, but more often than not I end up taking a slightly longer route, it happens, that's fine. What's not so fine is what happened tonight.
I ended up hopping on one of the longest routes for me to get home, which was irritating in itself because I needed to be elsewhere this evening for a meeting, and I wanted to make it on time. As the bus is leaving Greenbelt station and getting into the clusterfuck of a line on Metro drive, I get the (dis)pleasure of watching the R12 bus (that I could have taken to shave 20 minutes off of my trip) go by as it is pulling into Greenbelt Station 10 minutes late from its usual time. If I had some way of knowing when the next R12 bus was arriving, I could have gotten home much faster this evening.
The worst part is that Metro did have such a system for buses for a while, but their software was so screwed up that currently it's down while they rewrite it. That doesn't help me, assholes.
So in conclusion, you get no love from me right now thanks to your crap scheduling of these bus routes and the lack of knowing when the next bus is coming...assholes.
March 03, 2008
Texas Snapshot
Texas in Focus: Census Bureau Pre-Primary Snapshot
Texas, which is holding its presidential primaries on March 4, had a 2007 population of about 24 million that grew 14.6 percent between 2000 and 2007, about double the rate for the nation as a whole during that same time period. Texas’ percentage of the Hispanic population is more than twice the national average, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics. About 57 percent of Texas’ voting-age citizens cast a ballot in the 2004 general election, one of the lowest percentages in the country. The national figure was 64 percent.
These and other statistics about Texas’ population on topics ranging from language spoken to commute times can be found in the American FactFinder section of the Census Bureau Web site <http://factfinder.census.gov/>. More information can be found at Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2004 at <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/voting.html>.
Highlights include the following:
| Selected Characteristics | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Population change: 2000-2007 | 14.6% | 7.2% |
| Median age | 33.1 | 36.4 |
| Women | 50.2% | 50.7% |
| White alone, not Hispanic or Latino | 48.3% | 66.4% |
| Black alone | 11.9% | 12.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 35.7% | 14.8% |
| Median household income | $44,922 | $48,451 |
| Foreign born | 15.9% | 12.5% |
| Persons below poverty | 16.9% | 13.3% |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher (age 25+) | 24.7% | 27.0% |
| Median home value | $114,000 | $185,200 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Total Population Estimates (2007), State Population Estimates by Characteristics (2006), American Community Survey (2006).
Rhode Island Snapshot
Rhode Island in Focus: Census Bureau Pre-Primary Snapshot
Rhode Island, which is holding its presidential primaries on March 4, had a 2007 population of 1.1 million. The state has a higher percentage of people with a bachelor’s degree or more and a higher median household income than the nation as a whole. About 64 percent of Rhode Island’s voting-age citizens cast a ballot in the 2004 general election, not statistically different from the national rate.
These and other statistics about Rhode Island’s population on topics ranging from language spoken to commute times can be found in the American FactFinder section of the Census Bureau Web site <http://factfinder.census.gov/>. More information about the nation’s voting record can be found in Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2004 at <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/voting.html>.
Highlights include the following:
| Selected Characteristics | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 38.2 | 36.4 |
| Women | 51.6% | 50.7% |
| White alone, not Hispanic or Latino | 79.6% | 66.4% |
| Black alone | 6.3% | 12.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 11.0% | 14.8% |
| Median household income | $51,814 | $48,451 |
| Foreign born | 12.6% | 12.5% |
| Persons below poverty | 11.1% | 13.3% |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher (age 25+) | 29.6% | 27.0% |
| Median home value | $295,700 | $185,200 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Total Population Estimates (2007), State Population Estimates by Characteristics (2006), American Community Survey (2006).
Vermont Snapshot
Vermont in Focus: Census Bureau Pre-Primary Snapshot
Vermont, which is holding its presidential primaries March 4, had a 2007 population of about 620,000. Vermont has a higher median age, a higher percentage of the non-Hispanic white-alone population and a lower percentage of blacks and Hispanics than the nation as a whole, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics. About 67 percent of Vermont’s voting-age citizens cast a ballot in the 2004 general election; the national rate was 64 percent.
These and other statistics about Vermont’s population on topics ranging from language spoken to commute times can be found in the American FactFinder section of the Census Bureau Web site <http://factfinder.census.gov/>. More information about the nation’s voting record can be found in Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2004 at <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/voting.html>.
Highlights include the following:
| Selected Characteristics | Vermont | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 40.4 | 36.4 |
| Women | 50.8% | 50.7% |
| White alone, not Hispanic or Latino | 95.7% | 66.4% |
| Black alone | 0.7% | 12.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 1.1% | 14.8% |
| Median household income | $47,665 | $48,451 |
| Foreign born | 3.9% | 12.5% |
| Persons below poverty | 10.3% | 13.3% |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher (age 25+) | 32.4% | 27.0% |
| Median home value | $193,000 | $185,200 |
Ohio Snapshot
Ohio in Focus: Census Bureau Pre-Primary Snapshot
Ohio, which is holding its presidential primaries on March 4, had a 2007 population of about 11.5 million. Ohio has a higher percentage of the non-Hispanic white-alone population and a lower percentage of Hispanics than the nation as a whole, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics. About 66 percent of Ohio’s voting-age citizens cast a ballot in the 2004 general election.
These and other statistics about Ohio’s population on topics ranging from language spoken to commute times can be found in the American FactFinder section of the Census Bureau Web site <http://factfinder.census.gov/>. More information about the nation’s voting record can be found in Voting and Registration in the Election of November 2004 at <http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/voting.html>.
Highlights include the following:
| Selected Characteristics | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.6 | 36.4 |
| Women | 51.2% | 50.7% |
| White alone, not Hispanic or Latino | 82.9% | 66.4% |
| Black alone | 12.0% | 12.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2.3% | 14.8% |
| Median household income | $44,532 | $48,451 |
| Foreign born | 3.6% | 12.5% |
| Persons below poverty | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher (age 25+) | 23.0% | 27.0% |
| Median home value | $135,200 | $185,200 |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Total Population Estimates (2007), State Population Estimates by Characteristics (2006), American Community Survey (2006).
March 02, 2008
Priorities
I mentioned in my last entry that JH and I went out on Saturday because our Friday night plans had to be moved for good reason. That good reason would be the fact that Friday morning, his doctor's office called and said that there were two open slots to get the second sleep study done before he could have his surgery. Either he would go that night, or he would have to wait until April 20th. Being that he has his head on straight, he chose the former (If you want to read about the test, here's his entry).
So he calls me up to let me know that he has to break our date and he's really sorry but it has to be done, and to ask that I decide what to do Saturday. The way it came off was that he was expecting me to lay on a guilt trip because he had to cancel out. As I would tell him, "Your health takes higher priority than a date with me."
Here's the deal, I'm a pretty flexible person when it comes to planning outings with friends or boyfriends. Just from being out here it seems you have to be ready for anything to happen. Of course, sometimes it has bitten me in the ass because I don't always see the line where I should walk away because the plans have been fucked with to the point of no return (Lesson Learned: If people invite extra friends without informing you, turn around and run.)
Anyway, so for JH to have to cancel plans because he needs to get the sleep study done is not a problem to me. If he decided to put it off until April because he wanted to see me, I would have to seriously question his mental health. Besides, JH has always kept dates before, and he's not pulling the classic passive-aggressive move I have experienced in the past of being told that someone would be there or go with me, and then decide at the last possible minute while I'm getting ready that they don't want to go because "they don't feel like it." That's the kind of shit I won't put up with, and I would have good reason to bitch out JH or anyone else if they try to pull shenanigans like that.
Since I'm dropping thinly veiled comparisons to my ex's anyway I'll also point out that earlier this week meant that I was with a very distraught JH and he was melodramatic for good reasons. The thought that came to my mind was that if this was the kind of situation that got him upset and dramatic then thank God because he's normal and not going to play the drama queen victim card at the drop of a hat. Perhaps that's why I like JH so much, he actually works towards a solution rather than crying about everything that's going wrong, and then doing nothing about it to fix it. If he behaved that way, he probably wouldn't have even seen a doctor about the problem in the first place.
The other conversation we had this week was him flat out telling me that if for some reason his surgery fell on a date when I would be in Phoenix visiting my family, I was not allowed to cancel my trip. He knows I've been looking forward to my trip to Phoenix because it has been over a year since I visited and I haven't seen my family in some time. I admit, it was something that I had been thinking about and was going to talk to him about, but he happened to beat me to the punch.
It kind of opens up a small quandary because some people would disagree with what he said because he is my boyfriend after all, and he could be considered family. So the question is, how serious does a relationship have to be to say that a serious situation with the one you're with takes priority over "fun" time with your family? I think in the case of JH and I right now, he would be more likely to want me there no matter what if his immediate family wasn't here in Maryland. Since he does have family and friends that can be there, if I was in Phoenix they could get in touch with me since I'm only a phone call away.
It's not something that has to be answered now, but they will come in time. I'll know in a few days when his surgery is scheduled, and quite frankly, I doubt it's going to fall while I'm on vacation, so I'll be there anyway.
So he calls me up to let me know that he has to break our date and he's really sorry but it has to be done, and to ask that I decide what to do Saturday. The way it came off was that he was expecting me to lay on a guilt trip because he had to cancel out. As I would tell him, "Your health takes higher priority than a date with me."
Here's the deal, I'm a pretty flexible person when it comes to planning outings with friends or boyfriends. Just from being out here it seems you have to be ready for anything to happen. Of course, sometimes it has bitten me in the ass because I don't always see the line where I should walk away because the plans have been fucked with to the point of no return (Lesson Learned: If people invite extra friends without informing you, turn around and run.)
Anyway, so for JH to have to cancel plans because he needs to get the sleep study done is not a problem to me. If he decided to put it off until April because he wanted to see me, I would have to seriously question his mental health. Besides, JH has always kept dates before, and he's not pulling the classic passive-aggressive move I have experienced in the past of being told that someone would be there or go with me, and then decide at the last possible minute while I'm getting ready that they don't want to go because "they don't feel like it." That's the kind of shit I won't put up with, and I would have good reason to bitch out JH or anyone else if they try to pull shenanigans like that.
Since I'm dropping thinly veiled comparisons to my ex's anyway I'll also point out that earlier this week meant that I was with a very distraught JH and he was melodramatic for good reasons. The thought that came to my mind was that if this was the kind of situation that got him upset and dramatic then thank God because he's normal and not going to play the drama queen victim card at the drop of a hat. Perhaps that's why I like JH so much, he actually works towards a solution rather than crying about everything that's going wrong, and then doing nothing about it to fix it. If he behaved that way, he probably wouldn't have even seen a doctor about the problem in the first place.
The other conversation we had this week was him flat out telling me that if for some reason his surgery fell on a date when I would be in Phoenix visiting my family, I was not allowed to cancel my trip. He knows I've been looking forward to my trip to Phoenix because it has been over a year since I visited and I haven't seen my family in some time. I admit, it was something that I had been thinking about and was going to talk to him about, but he happened to beat me to the punch.
It kind of opens up a small quandary because some people would disagree with what he said because he is my boyfriend after all, and he could be considered family. So the question is, how serious does a relationship have to be to say that a serious situation with the one you're with takes priority over "fun" time with your family? I think in the case of JH and I right now, he would be more likely to want me there no matter what if his immediate family wasn't here in Maryland. Since he does have family and friends that can be there, if I was in Phoenix they could get in touch with me since I'm only a phone call away.
It's not something that has to be answered now, but they will come in time. I'll know in a few days when his surgery is scheduled, and quite frankly, I doubt it's going to fall while I'm on vacation, so I'll be there anyway.
Saturday Fun
So JH and I decided to go out Saturday night, there were plans to go out Friday night, but those changed for good reasons, which is being saved for another entry. After having some discussions about where to go, we had decided to head out to Tapatinis for dinner, and then go to The Comedy Spot in Arlington for The Blue Show.
So I arrive at JH's house and we metro over to Eastern Market to get to dinner, and it is there that we discover that while Tapatinis has a great working website, they're basically closed like they're out of business or remodeling. There was paper covering the window from the inside, and the door was locked of course. The lesson here boys and girls is that when you want to try a new restaurant, call to make sure it's still in business since the website is not the best indicator. I just checked the phone number and it is "temporarily disconnected."
We decided we would head over to the Ballston area and find somewhere to dine before the show since we would then be right in the area and not have to rush. We looked at the brewery, but next door was a sushi restaurant. Feeling adventurous we headed over to Asahi Kaiten Sushibar.
The food was excellent, I had the spicy tuna roll, the spicy yellowtail roll, and the salmon advocado roll. JH had the rainbow roll, the tuna roll, and I think he did a salmon roll as well. We also were sitting at the bar and enjoyed sharing one of the plates that went by on the conveyor belt as well, along with a mussel dish that was on the house. Of course, as we would learn later, the place was closing up shop as of Monday. Boy we can sure pick em, can't we? I should have asked if they knew where the particular sushi chef was going because she was very good at what she did.
So we get to the Comedy Spot and get seated. Basically the Blue Show is like Whose Line is it Anyway? minus the pussyfication that Disney did to that show, especially because it was uncensored. Of course, because it's improv, things can be hit or miss, but generally it was a funny show overall. JH thinks it started out funny and went downhill, but I felt it had its ups and downs anywhere. Still, we would totally do it again, and I would suggest it for something to do with a date or a group of friends.
By the time all was said and done, it was close to midnight and JH had to work in the morning, so we metroed back to where his car was waiting and headed home.
So a good night overall, and I am thinking our next project is to check out other sushi places in the DC area. Actually I have to love my church members, I was talking about JH and I's date and was bitching about how we find this great sushi place and it's frigging closing, someone tells me of a Japanese restaurant to try in College Park. So I'm sure we'll have a report on that in the coming weeks.
So I arrive at JH's house and we metro over to Eastern Market to get to dinner, and it is there that we discover that while Tapatinis has a great working website, they're basically closed like they're out of business or remodeling. There was paper covering the window from the inside, and the door was locked of course. The lesson here boys and girls is that when you want to try a new restaurant, call to make sure it's still in business since the website is not the best indicator. I just checked the phone number and it is "temporarily disconnected."
We decided we would head over to the Ballston area and find somewhere to dine before the show since we would then be right in the area and not have to rush. We looked at the brewery, but next door was a sushi restaurant. Feeling adventurous we headed over to Asahi Kaiten Sushibar.
The food was excellent, I had the spicy tuna roll, the spicy yellowtail roll, and the salmon advocado roll. JH had the rainbow roll, the tuna roll, and I think he did a salmon roll as well. We also were sitting at the bar and enjoyed sharing one of the plates that went by on the conveyor belt as well, along with a mussel dish that was on the house. Of course, as we would learn later, the place was closing up shop as of Monday. Boy we can sure pick em, can't we? I should have asked if they knew where the particular sushi chef was going because she was very good at what she did.
So we get to the Comedy Spot and get seated. Basically the Blue Show is like Whose Line is it Anyway? minus the pussyfication that Disney did to that show, especially because it was uncensored. Of course, because it's improv, things can be hit or miss, but generally it was a funny show overall. JH thinks it started out funny and went downhill, but I felt it had its ups and downs anywhere. Still, we would totally do it again, and I would suggest it for something to do with a date or a group of friends.
By the time all was said and done, it was close to midnight and JH had to work in the morning, so we metroed back to where his car was waiting and headed home.
So a good night overall, and I am thinking our next project is to check out other sushi places in the DC area. Actually I have to love my church members, I was talking about JH and I's date and was bitching about how we find this great sushi place and it's frigging closing, someone tells me of a Japanese restaurant to try in College Park. So I'm sure we'll have a report on that in the coming weeks.
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