The Five Things I Am Loving Right Now

1. Stephen Colbert's "Charlene (I'm Right Behind You)" on Rock Band II. This has been one of my favorites for some time now, but the fact that it is a free download on Rock Band II is the best.


2. The new Belle & Sebastian BBC Sessions CD is making me very happy. It is a great selection of songs, including four rare tracks.

3. This time of year always makes me feel crafty. Last year I made my own Christmas cards. This year I ordered a few embroidery patterns from Sublime Stitching and got to work. So far I have embroidered a cute little hedgehog on a dish towel. Boy oh boy is it cute. Next: zombies and pirates. And a squirrel.

4. I have new hair! It's dark with a little red. Also, say hello to bangs. (I love it.)

5. I finally bought tickets for our flight home for Christmas. Oh jeez, they were expensive. But it is worth it! We have not been in Salt Lake since last Christmas, and I have only seen my family for a few days all year. I'll drop a grand or two every year if that is what it takes.

Bundling Up In Winter Clothes

I am not doing great at keeping this blog up... fortunately I have been doing much better at continuing my running regimen. Judging from my first post, I started running at the beginning of July. My first time out I ran .7 miles straight without stopping. Not bad for a beginner. Now I am up to over two miles without stopping, and I am faster. I like to alternate between that and sprinting/running/walking for 35-40 minutes, and weight training in between. That seems to be a good routine for me.

It is fun to see how much looser my clothes are and how much stronger my arms and legs are. The tape measure usually gives me good news, but lately the scale has been stuck or something. Levi tells me that I should not pay so much attention to my weight since I am obviously gaining muscle, but it is hard not to be discouraged when I stay at the same weight for a whole month. At least I haven't gained any, I guess. And I have managed to lose 15 pounds this year, which is awesome. But none in the past month. Hmmm...

Here is my plan: Now that it is winter and the sun dresses are a few months off, I will bundle up in layers and coats and concentrate on getting my run time down and my endurance up. I will also work on my weight lifting goals. When the sun comes out in the spring, the smaller, cuter clothes will be a perk!

I Feel Like This Kid When I Watch the News

Fear definitely played a huge part in this election. Be afraid of Obama because of his name, because he is different, because he hates white people, because he won't know how to make big decisions, because he wants to give your money to poor people, because he is a Muslim, because he is pro-abortion, because he will take your guns, because his friends are terrorists. The list of things you should be afraid of was endless.

Be afraid of gays getting married. If society gives homosexuals equal rights, your marriage will be less sacred, your kids might decide to be gay, churches will lose their rights and next we'll be seeing people marrying their pets or house plants!

Most of the things that we should be afraid of don't even make sense. Can you tell me why churches would not be able to marry people anymore if homosexual marriage was legal? What law says that churches cannot refuse to marry people? I'm pretty sure that the whole separation-of-church-and-state thing protects churches from things like that.

Many people are terrified of this "change" that Obama is going to bring to us. I can't tell you how many emails I have received with a picture of Obama photoshopped over Bin Laden's face, that said, "You wanted change, you got it," or something similar. REALLY?!?

I am 115% confident that Obama is not a terrorist or a communist or the anti-Christ or any of those terrifying things that I have heard. I look around and see that we obviously need to do something different, and that is his plan. Sure, different can be scary, but at this point, going down the same path is far scarier.

To the people who buy into this fear business, I guess the point I am trying to make is, give the guy a chance. God knows Bush and the Republican-majority congress got several years of chances. We even gave them a couple before we started bitching. It is someone else's turn now! Let him try out a few things before you start yelling that he hasn't found Bin Laden yet, or that people are still losing their houses and jobs, or that the stock market is still down, or that the Sunnis are still fighting the Shias. Stuff like this does not change overnight, but at least we voted to start heading in the right direction.

Cardio Cheer!

It's been a while since my last update, but my cardio is a lot better than I thought it would be at this point! I have built up my running endurance and each time I can run about 1/4 mile longer than I could the time before. When I get up to two miles, I am going to start working on getting my time down. I'll be able to run a 5K in no time!

As far as the sundress thing goes, if I keep this up, next spring I should be able to pick out some pretty cute ones! Right now, most of my pants are starting to look baggy. I am going to have a good excuse to go shopping in a month or so.

This week I knew that I would not be able to go to the gym on Thursday because we were planning on going to a baseball game with our friends. Since Tuesday and Thursday are our gym nights during the week, we decided to go on Tuesday and Wednesday instead. Tonight we are going to volunteer, but hopefully I can do some cardio on Saturday and go to the gym again on Sunday!

Since they closed down our favorite free gym on post, and the other gym has eight hundred people trying to share thirteen benches, we decided to go get a free week at Gold's Gym. The layout is ridiculous and it is unbelievably overpriced, but I do like the little girls room they have tucked away in the corner. I was able to run in piece while watching Wolf Blitzer next to a large woman who was talking on her cell phone and walking on the treadmill slower than she probably walks to her mailbox. Wasting $70 per month? You're doing it... pretty well akshully.

Iz Your Frigerator Running?

My fridge is not actually going anywhere, but I searched for "running" on Photobucket and found this gem. Also, that fridge could possibly outrun me at this point, depending on how tough those little legs are.

I have still been running a couple/few times each week, trying to get better at it. It doesn't seem like I am much better, but I do take a little longer to improve in just about everything. One thing that has changed... I went on a bike ride on Monday night, which I have not done for a couple of weeks, and my usual route kicked my butt. I am sure that fridge could have gone farther than I did.

I guess I need to mix up my running and biking nights. So much to think about! On the bright side, I am slowly getting smaller and stronger, which is a big plus. I must be doing something right.

Once I go out on a run, or jump on a treadmill at the gym, my mind kind of goes blank. I want to just run until I can't run anymore to see how far I can go. Problem is, the distance I can run is not growing. Everything I read says that I should aim for a time limit instead. To start out, alternate between running and walking for 20-30 minutes. Maybe that will help me feel like I am improving more than busting my butt for the first 15 minutes, then dying slowly on the way home.

Garrison Keillor Says It Best

"And it's an amazing country where an Arizona multimillionaire can attack a Chicago South Sider as an elitist and hope to make it stick. The Chicagoan was brought up by a single mom who had big ambitions for him, and he got scholarshipped into Harvard Law and was made president of the law review, all of it on his own hook, whereas the Arizonan is the son of an admiral and was ushered into Annapolis though an indifferent student, much like the Current Occupant, both of them men who are very lucky that their fathers were born before they were. The Chicagoan, who grew up without a father, wrote a book on his own, using a computer. The Arizonan hired people to write his for him. But because the Chicagoan can say what he thinks and make sense and the Arizonan cannot do that for more than 30 seconds at a time, the old guy is hoping to portray the skinny guy as arrogant.
"Good luck with that, sir.
"Meanwhile, the casual revelation last month that Mr. McCain has never figured out how to use a computer and has never sent e-mail or Googled is rather startling. It's like admitting that you've never clipped your own toenails or that you didn't know that toothpaste comes out of a tube because your valet always did that for you. It's like being amazed at the sight of a supermarket scanner. What world does Mr. McCain live in? Where does he keep his sense of curiosity? My 94-year-old mother has sent e-mail. Does somebody plan to show him how it's done and will they explain to him what "LOL" means?"

Pow! Bam! Smack!

When I was a "tween" I did not bother with New Kids on the Block and whatever else those other girls were going crazy for. I know this has something to do with the fact that I am the oldest child and I did not have anyone to mold me into a cool kid. My youngest sister just turned 12 and she gets obsessive over things like Hannah Montana and High School Musical like every other 12-year-old out there.

What did I choose to focus my pre-teen obsession on? Batman, of course. Batman everything - from Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney to Adam West and whoever played the Bat in the awesome cartoon. I watched it all and actively drooled over every version of Batman and Robin. I had posters all over my room and spent my time daydreaming about being rescued by a man in a bat costume and his teenage sidekick. I watched reruns of the old Adam West show every day after school, then laid in bed and used my imagination to put myself into the episodes.

So imagine my excitement when I could drool over Batman again, at 26-years-old, without being considered nutty. I watched Jon Stewart interview Maggie Gyllenhaal a couple of days before I saw Dark Knight. She talked about how exciting it was for her to be rescued by Batman, even though it was on a movie set. She had never gotten into Batman when she was younger, but now she is a convert, and she obviously has a bit of a crush on the superhero now. Just like me! I would have cut off my right hand to be in Maggie's spot when I was 13.

Between my overwhelming crush on Batman and the pictures of Health Ledger that I would tear out of tween magazines and hang all over the place, I was in young-Cali heaven for 2 1/2 hours yesterday. Unfortunately, I don't think I will ever get as excited as I used to... it might not be hormonally possible.

A Whole Mile

Just like I thought, when our friend came into town, the running was put on hold. We got a fair amount of exercise from running around DC and going tubing all day, but we also took in an unbelievable amount of beer calories.

Yesterday I decided that I was taking too long to get back into it, so when we went to the gym I jumped on the treadmill. I ran my ass off for a full mile, which I was pretty excited about. There is some improvement there! When I go to the gym again this week, I will try to go 1.2 miles without stopping.

There is good news from the sundress front. I was digging through my closet for some clothes (but they were all in the laundry, because my housecleaning goes the way of my running when I have guests) and I came across a blue sundress that I bought for our wedding rehearsal dinner four years ago. In fact, it was exactly four years ago to the day. Our dinner was on July 19th, 2004 and I tried the dress on on Saturday, July 19! Ha ha... weird.

Anyway, I put on the dress and it looks great! Better than it did four years ago! After a little shoulder tanning and a pedicure, I will be ready to show it off.

The Joy of Icing Calves

My first day of running left me a little beat up for the next two days. I had no idea that my calves would give out on me like that! After a night of Tiger Balm, tons of water and stretching and bags of frozen vegetables, I was much better.

Yesterday Ashley and I went for our first run together. We went down to the George Washington Parkway since it is flat and beautiful and it has mile markers. We started our running and walked when we got tired. We went about three miles like that, and I was exhausted by the time we got back to the car.

I was more discouraged by the end of this run than I was the first time. It seemed to tire me out more and I think that is because 1) it was after a full day of work and 2) my legs were still recouping from my first-ever run on Monday morning. I learned a less this time and went home and immediately stretched and iced my calves. They feel much better this morning.

It was great having someone to run with. It was less boring and I pushed myself more. I did not want to stop running too early, so I would go just a little farther than I wanted to. It was also much easier for me to go on the run in the first place. We planned on going, and I didn't want to wuss out on her.

My next step is to find a 5K that we are both interested in running. I am thinking that it should be two months out. I am confident that we can train to run a full 3.1 miles by the end of August. Then we can move up to bigger races, like a 5 mile, then 10 mile. I am not going to think any farther out than that.

My friend is in town for the next two weeks, so it will be difficult to work my runs into this altered schedule. I just started, so it is way too soon to lose this spurt of motivation!

Day One: Strangely Nervous

It turns out that I am afraid of running. I have never been very successful at it in the past. Usually I put on my workout clothes, then go sprint until I can't move anymore and don't try it again for a very long time. There were a lot of things that I have done wrong in the past, so this time I am trying to be a little more prepared.

Before I went to sleep last night I told myself that I needed to get up this morning and go on my first run. No sleeping in, no hangover, no excuses. Apparently I made myself so anxious that I kept waking up during the night and looking at my clock. It was that same feeling I get when I am starting a new job or taking someone to the airport and I am terrified of being late.

The sixth time I woke up it was finally 6:30. I threw on some yoga pants and running shoes and my MP3 player, drank some water then left the house. My expectations were pretty grim. I figured that I would run past three houses, then stop to walk. Hopefully I could do that for twenty minutes, then crawl back home. Instead, I started running right out of the door and ran all of the way to the park that is about 7/10 of a mile from my house. I rested for a minute, then alternated walking and running back home. (I mostly walked up the hills and ran on the flat part. Running up hills is not fun.)

I am definitely not sprinting at this point, but I am not jogging either. Somewhere in between. And I don't totally suck at it! 7/10 of a mile right off is not bad for someone who doesn't run EVER.

So overall, I feel pretty great about my first day running. Not only did it burn some calories, but it also got me out of bed and moving early on. I ran off sleepiness and a faint hangover. I haven't been as tired and lazy today, and I drank much more water than i usually do. When it came time for lunch, I wanted something healthy because I did not want to undo the work I did this morning. If I can keep this up, I will be in summer dresses in no time.

How Summer Dresses Convinced Me To Run

Like anyone out there, I want to change some things about my body. Quite a few things, actually. Mainly, I want to be smaller. I enjoy going to the gym and playing with the weights, and I really love riding my bike around. I get a fair amount of exercise, and I have lost weight in the past six months, but there is so much more that can be done.

No style of clothing has made me want to lose weight more than this year's summer dress trend. I love the dresses! There are so many styles and colors and they look so lightweight and comfortable and sexy! I am sure I could find a dress or two that looks good on me, but I want options! I want to feel comfortable in the dress and know it looks great. In order to get to that point, I have some work to do.

I decided that the best way for me to amp up my (not very substantial) cardio workout will be to start running. That is something that I have always been terrible at, and I have always wanted to get into. I don't see many overweight runners... that's gotta tell you something.

Today marks the first day of my cardio campaign. Stay tuned to find out how it goes.

Fifteen Minutes of Absurdity

Today while I was radio surfing I heard a voice that makes me flinch. I decided to stop and listen for a minute, because he manages to get me so worked up sometimes that it is like a mini cardio workout.

On Rush's program he talked about how there is no explaining the idea of liberalism the same way there is no way to explain crazy. We are deranged. A boy called in and suggested that we sign on to the idea of global warming because we are putting our own fear of death onto the Earth. We are so self important that we believe that our life is tied into the Earth, therefore killing the Earth is like killing us.

Why is it so easy for Rush to say these things and stay at the top of the charts? Why do people listen to his gasps for breath between words and his grating voice and raspy chortles? I understand that there are loud members of the fringe on both sides, but it is disappointing that some of them manage to gather a large audience.

So, for all of you who, like me, believe in... no... understand the science behind global warming, rest assured that someone out there understands that your true purpose is to save yourself. I mean, after all, we are just deranged. There is no way to explain the insanity that is liberalism, right?

On the other hand, Limbaugh is as simple to explain as anything. He makes more money for being cruel and outlandish and making ridiculous statements than he does for saying something that resembles reality. The idea that any American voter should care that Barack Obama is not a true black person because he does not have slave blood is something that I do not understand. I sat there wondering why he would even bring that up. I am sure this helps his agenda in one way or another, but I guess it will take some time for me to figure out the steps between.

Thank God I only listened for fifteen minutes.

Summer Wish List

Wanting things is one of the joys in my life. I love to want things. So, much to my husband's dismay, I have a constantly revolving wish list. Here are a few of the things that I am drooling over this summer.

Modcloth.com has a perfectly simple Dinosaur Love tee that I would love to wear all over the place. Of course, I love Brontosauruses as much as the next girl.


I love this print called So Very Happy by dazeychic that I found on Etsy. I would hang this in my room to remind me that every day, I should aim to be happier than a bird with a french fry. Sounds like a great goal to me.



I want a vintage camera because I have been looking to start a new hobby. I saw a few photos on Etsy that were taken using TTV style, which involves a digital camera and a vintage camera. It gives photos an elegant vintage look. I would love to snatch this camera (or one like it) off of Ebay and make my own vintage photo masterpieces.



I have been a big David Sedaris fan for a few years now, and I am very excited that he has written this new book, "When You Are Engulfed in Flames." Unfortunately I have not gotten off my butt and to the bookstore to buy it yet.




It is time for a new couch. Our couches are old and blue and now they are on Craigslist. I have been dreaming about a simple brown couch from IKEA since we moved into our duplex six months ago. As soon as our couches are sold, this beauty will have a new home.



Rock star squirrel art. I think that is all that needs to be said. This gem is by Susie Ghahremani and can be found on her website at BoyGirlParty.com. I especially like the little groupie squirrel off to the side.



This Amelia necklace can also be found on ModCloth.com. I think it is a fun, unique piece of jewelry. I don't usually wear necklaces, but I think I would make an exception here.


And of course, my favorite thing on my wish list - a baby chinchilla. I have wanted one for so long and I still have not come to my senses. The only slightly negative thing about these little guys is that they get bigger than this. Of course, I love full grown chinchillas too. I like to imagine that my baby chinchilla would sleep curled up between my neck and my shoulder and that he would go on bike rides with me in my backpack and I could feed him little pieces of fruit. It's fun to dream...

Slime Mold

I haven't written in my blog for a few months now, so I figured it was time to come back. My first post of the summer is about a disgusting substance I found in my garden.

When we first spotted this yellow crumble, I thought it was either a cupcake or some sort of insulation that a critter dug out from under my deck. We came to find out that it was actually something called "Dog Vomit Slime Mold." Ew.

I guess it shows up in this part of the country after heavy spring rains. It was not there before I went to see the Sex and the City movie, but it looked like this when I got back, so it managed to appear in a three hour period. By the next day it had moved on to the next phase and just looked like spongy dirt. That is when I gave up my little experiment and threw it in the garbage.

Rio Grande Cancer Foundation Wins Communications Award

One of the magazines that I write for, In the Know, won an award! Here's the info:


The Rio Grande Cancer Foundation has been named a Gold award winner for excellence in communications by the 2008 Wilmer Shields Rich Awards Program. Sponsored by the Council on Foundations, a national organization based out of Washington, D.C., the awards program recognizes effective communications efforts to increase public awareness of foundations and their giving programs.

The Rio Grande Cancer Foundation has received the award for its magazine publication In The Know: Understanding the Cancer Experience. The Foundation has been awarded in previous years for outstanding communication in its website www.rgcf.org as well. Evaluators of the magazine commented on the “top flight magazine design”, “crisp, contemporary and engaging writing”, and “compelling stories”.

The award will be presented at Philanthropy’s Vision: A Leadership Summit, in National Harbor, Maryland, on Monday, May 5, 2008. The Summit, a groundbreaking event that combines the Council on Foundation’s three annual conferences, will gather leaders from around the world in one place, at one time, to discuss how philanthropy can work together to address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

“We are delighted to have been so recognized by an organization whose commitment to public accountability and effective communications serves as a model for others”, said Patty Tiscareño, Executive Director of the Rio Grande Cancer Foundation. “In The Know: Understanding the Cancer Experience is beginning its second year of publication and this announcement furthers our resolve to make this important resource the premier publication for cancer patients and their families.”

Entries to the awards program included annual or biennial reports, magazines/periodicals, special reports, public information campaigns and websites. This year, 213 entries were submitted to the awards program.

Good Versus Not-So-Good

Here is some good:






And some not-good-at-all:

Top Twelve Reasons I Am Glad That I Moved

Here are a few reasons why moving here has been really, really good for me:

1. I walk everywhere.
2. I don't have a car, so I can't go shopping and go out to eat in the evenings while Levi is at work. I actually have to find something to do with myself at home, which is usually constructive.
3. No more smoking.
4. I still talk to my family a lot, but now I have much more to tell them about.
5. I get to see and learn more about history and politics than I ever would have anywhere else.
6. I am never bored.
7. I found out that I can make friends like a pro.
8. I don't drink much. I am pretty much healthier all the way around. No smoking, not as much drinking, not eating out as much. Plus, we have Trader Joes, so yummy + healthy is easy to find.
9. Great local music scene.
10. About a million new book stores, music stores, restaurants, coffee shops, etc.
11. Joe got me a bunch of Mac software, so I am closer to my laptop than ever.
12. I live in a place that is cool enough for everyone to want to come visit.

I know there are a lot more, but these were on my mind today.

Some of My Favorite Websites

I love shopping online. There is so much to choose from! Plus you get a package in the mail a few days later, and not much can top that. I especially like shopping online for cute new indie-ish stuff. There are a few websites in particular that I browse on an almost-daily basis.


Etsy.com is God's gift to the internet. It is a website where anyone can sell anything handmade. Even cookies, which is awesome. You will find whatever you want on this site. Of course, since people are posting handmade items, some of the stuff is a little crappy. But you can find some real gems. Look at this cute Owl Messenger Bag I just bought! And it is so fun to see the range of ideas that people have about what a scarf looks like. And if you would rather make your stuff than buy it, go to Etsy to get ideas!


Another one of my favorites is ModCloth. And lucky for me, the company I just started working for does their website, so I get a discount! Yeah! I particularly love the birdie wall decals on the left and the coasters on the right. Susan and Eric do a perfect job of traveling around and picking out new items to sell. Great clothes too. Definitely check this one out.


Last for today is ShanaLogic. This website comprised a good percentage of my Christmas list this year. They have less clothes, but lots and lots of great art (below) and accessories. Some of their stuff can be a little pricey, like this $70 pillow. But a lot of it is pretty reasonable and totally worth the cost.

Next time you are bored at work or looking for something cute and different, check out these sites. I'm always looking for new stuff, so tell me your favorites too!

Going Darker?

After more than a couple of days of giving up on my hair and pulling it up in a ponytail, I have decided that it is time for a change. I like having it long, but it has gotten too long and too straight and way too boring.

I'm thinking of chopping it off right below the shoulders, then dying it dark. Kind of like this -->

Just ignore the long, blonde hair underneath. I am not trying out some crazy layer thing. Take a look at that totally professional Photoshop job and let me know what you think. I'm a big wuss, so I probably won't go that dark. But we'll see. I live in a new place now, so why not have a little fun?

Afternoon to Remember

Nothing is a whole lot cooler than living in DC. Being able to spend a Saturday afternoon walking around the National Mall or browsing the Smithsonian makes life significantly more interesting. There are a lot of things that are completely different to me. For one thing, I can get anywhere I want by walking or taking the Metro. It is not as depressing to be without a car as I thought it would be. I think it actually makes my life a little more interesting.


On Saturday Levi and I took the Metro to Dupont Circle to meet someone who is interviewing Iraq war veterans for a research project. Before we met her, we stopped for flatbread sandwiches at Cosi. Mine was chicken, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil. Levi's was roast beef and wasabi. They were delicious.



Then we wandered into a little bakery / coffee shop and picked up some Valentine's Day sprinkle cookies that I ended up trying to feed to a sad-looking statue later on.




After the interview we walked around Dupont Circle and admired the buildings. Then it was off to Embassy Row. Not on purpose... we just stumbled upon it.



There were statues everywhere... some of them were people and some were elephants. This is in front of the Indian Embassy. We also saw Ghandi and Buffalos and lots of political leaders from around the world.




This is one of the most tolerant churches I have ever seen. On the other end of the church was a SaveDarfur.org banner. Nice to know someone is aware of how Jesus would have really wanted things. (Psst... he would have been a liberal.)



Across the street from the church was a gas station where I had a very random experience. After walking around for a couple of hours, we both realized the need to find a restroom. We spent the next fifteen minutes spell-checking an essay for the clerk's English class. Odd, but kind of fun.

There are so many restaurants in DC, we could eat out every day for the next ten years and never hit all of them. This realization inspired us to make a promise not to eat at chain restaurants anymore. We are pretty good about that anyway, but this experience made it necessary to pinkie-swear. (We might cheat with the occasional Chipotle burrito.)

The next stop was a little independently owned bookstore. It made us promise not to shop at Barnes & Noble anymore either.



While we were strolling, we came upon a street that was all blocked off to traffic. There were a few people walking and biking around, so we thought we would check it out. Turns out it was Pennsylvania Avenue, so we got some nice White House photos.



Right in front of the White House there was a guy with an arsenal of picket signs. Everything from anti-war to pro-life posters. He was sorting through them when we walked by, and I got this picture as he was picking out two of them to hold up. It seems to me that protesting kind of loses its impact if you have a sign for everything.


After several hours of exploring, we jumped on the Metro to head home. We had to change lines in Chinatown, and we decided to get dinner at a place that we had walked by a couple of weeks ago called Wok and Roll. Awesome name for a restaurant. They had great sushi and sesame chicken. Yum.




We have been checking on Joe and Charlotte's dog this weekend, so we stopped for some Corona and went to their house. We played with Georgia-dog and watched Charlie Wilson's War, then one of us had the brilliant idea to take advantage of the Rock Band. Needless to say, we didn't get home until very late. Overall, it was a perfect day.

Tonight we are checking out the Grammy's. There have been a few highlights, but generally not too impressive. Right now I am watching Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis and their dueling pianos. That is definitely entertaining.

Before the Grammy's was Katie Couric and Hillary Clinton on 60 minutes. After the interview she spoke about John McCain not being able to show up for an interview. Here is something that Katie did that needs to stop:

"We look forward to having him on...
...in the near future."

There was a very pregnant pause between "on" and "in." Right in the middle of the sentence. Go ahead, say it out loud. You hear news anchors do it all of the time. It sounds so unnatural, Ms. Couric should probably knock it off. Of course, she is the professional, not me.


I will end this post with a picture of the darling coffee shop birds eating our sprinkle cookies. I don't think I will ever stop getting excited over all of the birds and squirrels that are running around this city. We even saw a mouse trying to get into a Slim Jim wrapper under the Metro tracks. Aw, cute.

Something to Write Home About...

I've had a blog for a while, but it was mostly full of little diddies that I wrote and not much about me. Considering that I don't want anyone to read my little diddies, I figured that was not the best use for a public blog on the internet machine. So, I replaced it with something that I don't mind sharing.

For me, blogging is kind of like the grown-up version of leaving my diary around the house so my mom would read it. I love writing about myself and knowing that someone else is reading it. So, read away. Of course, since i have never been very good at writing in a diary, I probably won't be very good at keeping up a blog. But I'll do my best.

I, like millions of others, am hooked on Lost. And I am ecstatic that it is not one of those shows that is taking a break. Au contraire, while my other favorite shows are on hiatus, Lost came back from the not-quite-dead. Thank you J.J. Abrams, for getting me all excited and giving me something fictional to hypothesize about from Thursday to Thursday.

I am also enamored with finding new music and downloading as much of it as possible. Legally, of course. Since Levi is hunting down bad guys in the evenings these days, I have been spending a good deal of time finding new stuff to please my ears. The Darjeeling Limited soundtrack is fun and different and makes me want to see the movie again. The Elected is a good time... it is Blake Sennett from Rilo Kiley doing something on the side. I knew I liked a few Grandaddy songs, but I love their "Just Like the Fambly Cat." I didn't know if I was going to like "In Rainbows," the new Radiohead. But, I do. Thank you Joe for that little masterpiece.

Here's something to write home about... I quit smoking when we made our big move from Texas to DC. I figured it would either be a big mistake or the perfect time to quit. Turns out, it was perfect. I quit the weekend before Christmas and I have been 95% successful. That 5% comes from two nights when I was out drinking heavily with smokers. Oh well, what are ya gonna do? Anyway, the only time that I really, really want to smoke is when I drink. I also want to smoke when I talk on the phone, when I'm alone, when I am in a car and when I am walking. And right after I eat dinner. But those times are not as bad as when I drink. If anyone can tell me how to get over that alcohol+cigarette craving, I would be eternally grateful. As would all of the other smokers/ex-smokers in the world. Kids, don't start smoking. You know, I think the idea of quitting was worse than the actual quitting. Because the one thing that makes me not start again is the thought of having to quit. Again. Man, it is a good thing I never did heroin.

Enough about bad habits. I would like to welcome all of you to my not-quite-first blog post. My first post on this blog. That turned out to be kind of a downer. Keep coming back and get to know me a little better. Or a lot better, depending on how excited I get about this whole blogging thing.

Until next time...