A Floozy Named Vanessa Crooner

Saturday started early with the need to clean like mad. Our landlord is trying to sell our house,subject to the expiration of our lease. There was a couple who wanted to see the house again. 3 of the girls in this house are not messy. I, on the other hand, tend to let things go. Granted I haven’t had time at home to be clean, but I had let it go for way to long. My room looked like a natural disaster had struck and my bathroom, hadn’t been cleaned in over a week. Knowing that it wouldn’t be in Showing condition but wanting it to be clean, we got up to make sure that it was presentable. Afterwards Regina was kind enough to make pancakes, bacon and eggs for my breakfast. I am continually grateful that I have a roommate who loves to cook for other people.

After the People had come and gone I made a grocery store run. Gina had sat down with me and we made a list. I then borrowed her car and went shopping. ON MY OWN. Don’t worry she has seen the error of her ways. What should have taken me less then an hour, took almost 2…I just kept seeing things that I thought we needed….or it was on sale. I got popsicles…the good kind 2 for $6….it was a good price, I swear. Then there was the Bananas…I was craving them….and Gina makes killer Banana bread. Anyway...you know how it goes....never let me go shopping hungry and alone. Lol!

Once the groceries were put away (before Gina was even aware I was home so she didn’t learn of my spending spree) I was only running 30 minutes behind schedule. I started throwing together the enchiladas for the dinner party I was to attend. I was actually pretty excited about the party it sounded like it would be quite fun. But more on that later. Kim came and we went shopping for necessities for the party.

Kim and I ran a little late but we were still able to make it to the party only 30 minutes late. Kate was already there. It was a Dinner and a Murder Mystery Game and we all had a part to play. If you ended up dead you were reincarnated as someone else. It was fun. The theme was Murder at the Four Deuces.

















Big Jim was murdered…along with some others. We had to figure out who the murderer(s) was and why. Kim was Lesterbella…a local comedian who performed in Big Jims night clubs. Kate was R.K. Oswald, a famous radio station owner. I was Vanessa Crooner, a former Entertainer, whose husband had mysteriously died leaving me with all of his money…enough for me to be comfortable for a good long time.
My daughter Carrie, 19, was recently married to Big Jim, who had a temper. He hit her. I was not a fan. Lol!

So we all set out trying to find out information, money changed hands, rumors were shared, notes were taken, and accusations were made. It was a fun time, with some fun people.


There were a good number of people there and the accents were great…..not many could hold a 1920’s gangster accent. Many of the women, me included, kept falling into a southern accent. Lol! It was funny. The food was good and so was the company. I won't tell you who killed big Jim...all I can say is that I didn't do it...but I would to thank the person who did!




Here are the women...the men took their own photo. Lol!
By the time Gina and I got home it was after midnight. Just as I was going to bed I was pinged by a friend. It was nice to be able to talk even if it meant that I was up till after 3 am. Sleep who needs sleep?

Spidey and Marriage

I don’t usually discuss my religious beliefs on this blog. Maybe there is a fear of rejection, but Friday night was an amazing time for me and I would like to record some of my thoughts. Those who do not want to read the spiritual side, you can just jump down to the Spidey part; I will not be offended.

We started the evening early, racing to beat traffic to the Centerville. Elder Richard G Scott (one of the Apostles (leaders) of the LDS Church), was giving a fireside. Kate picked me up at my office at 5 pm and we were off to save seats, knowing the crowd would be immense. We found great seats in the second row and were shortly joined by Amber, Kim, Kristi, Tara, Regina, and the rest of the singles world here in the DC area, filling the chapel and the cultural hall. The meeting was fabulous; Elder Scott has an awesome sense of humor. Yes, of course it was on the usual topic, he disguised it, at the beginning, by saying he was talking about “making correct decisions”. In reality it was about the decisions of marriage and dating. Not a topic I am usually very comfortable with though I was encouraged by the thoughts and love that was expressed. I realize that as a single person, I am very selfish. I am not sure when it happened. I don’t think I was always selfish, but now, as there is no one in my life that I have to constantly care for, I worry mostly about myself; my wants, my needs. If I don’t who will? Lol! But Elder Scott promised that (and I’m paraphrasing here) if we do not compromise who we are, our values and goals, and spend our time instead serving and worry over other people, we will find a richness in life that will allow us to find peace and happiness; regardless of marriage. I find this to be a very comforting thought. I have not given up hope on marriage; I just don’t really focus on it any more. I realize that marriage would require dating and…well…. men who lived in the area that would be willing to date me. Lol! I know that not all Mormon girls get to be happily married; some stay single for their entire lives. It is not a happy thing to live single in a church/culture which focuses so heavily on marriage and family. It is a difficult task and yet I know that God would not leave us comfortless. I might be single for many years to come, for the rest of my life even, but I know that when I serve others I can find joy. I have recognized this in the past, but it was good to be reminded.

SPIDEY

After the meeting, and with a minor communications error, we met up with Perry at the local Multiplex to watch Spiderman III. It is not a bad theater, but way out of the way, I am glad that we usually go to the movies closer to my home. Now I don't want to spoil the movie for anyone...but I am not a Spiderman fan. I haven’t really enjoyed the previous ones; they don’t really pull me in. I think they try to cater to many crowds, the sentimental loving women, the action loving men, and the kids. Plus, as Perry says, it was not true to the comic book version of Spiderman, meaning in my own words (and correct me if I am wrong Perry) Spidey wouldn’t spend the entire movie crying.

We spent time just talking afterwards, it was very nice. Kate found her favorite family and needed a picture to document. She is so excited about the upcopming movie. I have good friends. By the time I got home and to bed my clock read after 3 am and I was already dreading get up the next day.

Thursday Night Soccer

Last night the plan was to go home, clean house and relax. I have not had a nice night at home all week long. Not that I am complaining, it has been a very fun week; full of activities. But, I was looking forward to a nice quiet evening in.

Boo called at the last minute to invite me to a DC United Game. I figured what the heck; I might as well try it. Apparently the Soccer people...are trying to designate Thursdays as "Soccer Night" (I guess kind of like Monday night football) so that fans know they can tune in to ESPN and catch a soccer game.



There was a mad rush to the metro only to be delayed again and again. Poor Boo was left waiting for an hour until I arrived at RFK. When we finally arrived and found our seats, I couldn’t believe our luck. They were amazing. We took tons of pictures. This one guy walks around banging a drum to help the crowd cheer. It was cool, so we took his picture too.













It was a fabulous time, with fun people and a good game. This weekend looks pretty full…Elder Scott, Spiderman 3, and a how to host a murder party with a 20’s theme! Lots of fun and I will be taking my camera everywhere. I’ll be sure to tell you all about it later!

"I carried a watermelon.

That was the summer of 1963 - when everybody called me Baby, and it didn't occur to me to mind. That was before President Kennedy was shot, before the Beatles came, when I couldn't wait to join the Peace Corps, and I thought I'd never find a guy as great as my dad. That was the summer we went to Kellerman's.

Baby, Dirty Dancing

20 years ago I was a snot-nosed, 8 year old kid running around Kearns, Utah; clueless to the fact that one of the all time greatest movies was opening in theaters. Dirty Dancing opened and I can’t say how it did in theaters or what the effect was on the rest of the world at large. What I can say is that there is a generation of women who know that you “never put Baby in the corner.” We melt when men sing to us while we dance, we never end the season with the pachenga, and we know that God did not give us maracas if He didn’t want us to shake them. In high school this was the chick flick that everyone knew. It is the movie that was watched at the sleep overs with popcorn and pizza. It was the movie that Sarah,the bishops daughter, and I would sneak in to the basement to watch. Heaven forbid, her parents find out. Lol! Every girl swooned over Johnny, hated Robbie, and sympathized with Baby.

Tonight the Ballston Theater is giving us the opportunity we were to young to appreciate in 1987. We get to see Dirty Dancing on the big screen for it's 20th Anniversary. Boo, Kate and I are going. Here’s hopin’ we have the time of our lives!

The weekend part 2.......

Friday night ended in the wee hours of Saturday morning, it was almost two when I crashed on the couch of a good friend to catch a quick nap before I had to be up for my early morning hike. I was up by 4 am and headed out to the Shenandoah Valley to meet Ol’ Rag. I thought this would be a fun hike and had been planning on it all week. I just hadn’t intended to do it on an empty stomach with only 2 hours of sleep. Lol!
Eddie, Parker, Marty, Julie, Leslyn, Millie, and Bonnie allowed me to join them as they headed up the mountain. It is lucky that I enjoy taking pictures….because it gave me an excuse to stop every 10 minutes. Lol! I have attached a few of them here. I can’t post them all. Half of them I can’t even use due to the fact that my hands were shaking to hard to keep the camera steady, but it allowed me the chance to rest. What a lazy bum I am. I am determined, that shall change.

The last third of the hike up the mountain was not really hiking, but not classified as rock climbing, either. It has been described to me as bouldering, and it is my favorite thing in the world! There is something about climbing through the massive boulders that gives me a thrill. Finding a way to climb over the rocks, through the caves, and across the crevices, takes me back to my jungle gym days.

It was an enjoyable day.....We couldn’t have asked for better weather, with blue skies and a fabulous light breeze. The company was enjoyable, and the exercise was good. I fell pretty good that I was able to make it. Even if I told Parker and Marty that I wasn't going to. Lol! Those false summits are cruel and unusual punishment.

The hike down was much quicker, even if the trail was now crowed and we bottle-necked more then once. By the time we reached the cars our mountain was covered with boy scouts, troubled teens groups, many others. So while I hated Parker for making us get up at the crack of dawn, as we came down I was grateful for his foresight.

I must give a special thanks to Marty and Parker who didn’t leave me behind even though I know they wanted to travel ahead. Especially when we were in the boulders, I know it is not safe to climb when you are that tired, so thanks for making sure I didn’t break my neck! I promise not to do it again. :)

And a final humongous thanks to Sarah….who got me home…after the hike and the metro home, I was unsure how I was going to make the 10 minute walk home, thanks for talking me through it.













As a final note….I got home at 3pm and was asleep by 5 pm….I remember nothing until 7:30 the next morning. Now it is 2 days later and the only thing that hurts are my knees. Really, I am getting old! Lol!









So that was my weekend. I hope you enjoy the pictures!

The weekend part 1.......

I started a blog yesterday by hand, but I have decided to not to use that and start over.
This has been a long weekend for me. As my previous blog noted, Parker called it a test of my endurance. I guess it just goes to show that I am nothing more then a whiner. Lol! I am obviously not good at the whole at the enduring thing.



Friday was a busy day of interviews at the office, which ran almost on time, (snaps for me). After a rushed hour of preparation that evening I joined Scott and Boo at the Naval Academy Spring Formal. The hair cut and new top were fabulous and the music was pretty great.



As the night progressed, I accepted my age and sat out most of the last dances. This gave me the opportunity to sit and chat with Anne, Tara, and Cherie, while Scott and Boo tore it up with various partners on the dance floor.Boo the queen of the camera that night captured these of the night…

Now this is a sad thing.......

So I found this article on Sherpa's Blog. Eastern Market has been one of my favorite places to visit and I have gone on multiple occasions. I sincerely hope that the building can be rebuilt and preserved for another 100 years.

Parker called it a test of my endurance...

I firmly believe that it was a test of my intelligence (or should I say stupidity). But I made it through the 3 hour dance(Fri) and the 6+ hour hike(Sat), on only 2 hours of sleep, a McDonald's Happy Meal and a slim fast bar.
I am still sore, but it is wearing off. I think I got some good shots from the hike but we will have to see once I download them.

Hope everyone else has a good weekend. I will try to blog with pictures tonight.

It's that time of year again

BEFORE

So yesterday it hit...the over whelming need to cut my hair. Poor Kim had to sit quietly (or not so qiuetly) as I hounded my hair stylist for an appointment. I impatiently waited till today at Noon. The back is a little shorter than I wanted but over all I am ver pleased. AND it is still wash and go! I know...I am spoiled.....what can I say. *sigh* all is right in my world again.

AFTER:

On my mind.....

Number 5 just cries a river a minute
7 wants to tie you up and drown you in it
Yeah, 14 just wants to say so long, bygones
32 wants to do things to you that'll make you blush
10 would key the El Camino that you love so much
And there ain't nobody wants to mess with 23
Oh, lucky 4 you tonight I'm just me

Shedaisy”Lucky 4 You (Tonight I’m Just Me)

I dug my key into the side of his pretty little suped up 4 wheel drive,
carved my name into his leather seats.
I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights,
slashed a hole in all 4 tires.
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats.

Carrie Underwood “Before he Cheats”

Right away Mary Anne flew in from Atlanta
On a red eye midnight flight
She held Wanda's hand as they
worked out a plan
And it didn't take 'em long to decide

That Earl had to die
Goodbye Earl
Those black-eyed peas
They tasted all right to me Earl
You're feelin' weak
Why don't you lay down
and sleep Earl
Ain't it dark
Wrapped up in that tarp Earl?

Dixie Chicks “Goodbye Earl”

Oh yeah
Ready ready ready ready...ready to run
All I'm ready to do is have some fun
What's all this talk about love

Dixie Chicks “Ready To Run”

For some reason, these types of songs have been on my mind lately. These are just the chorus of a few of them; I didn’t want to bore y’all with the full lyrics. But one would think I was in a ‘man hating’ mood…Lol!
I’m not. I Promise! I just like these songs…

Which makes me wonder…

When did I get so jaded?

You know some of them will always be there.....

I got this note from the universe today...but by the time I got to the feather boa part I knew it was really from Steph...Lol!

I do believe it should comfort you to know, Rachel, that whenever you face a fork in the road of life, no matter which path you choose, I'll be there in all my glory.

(Probably moon walking, with a long feather boa trailing in the breeze...)

I have thought about you...

I have actually thought about blogging quite a few times this week. I have even taken pictures for the Diner's Blog. But I haven't blogged. I haven't talked about the Cherry Blossom Festival, or Perry's Un-Birthday, or Game Night, or Stake Women's Conference, or the tragedy at VT...... There is so much to say and no idea how to say it all. I have started blog after blog in my head only to be side tracked before I get it to my laptop.

Sometime soon I will sit down with my thoughts and my camera and write....but probably not tonight(visiting teaching)...maybe not even tomorrow (working late) or the next day (formal dance at the naval academy...if we are still going) and Sat is a 4 am hike of Old Rag (if I can get a ride) so probably not that day either.

Grrr.....when did life get so full?

There’s a sad sort of ‘chirping’…..

So I skipped Church today. I feel a little guilty about it, but only to some extent.

1) Allergies have taken over and I have no voice; I can’t tell if it is better then yesterday or not. The parade yesterday was fun. I ran around like crazy. Somehow there was a snafu with seating arrangements and I was elected to help fix it. I never know how it happens, but often when I volunteer I go from being a lackey to being in charge of people. It made me laugh every time I was told to get one of my volunteers to handle a problem. Like any one listened to me. Lol! But sure enough I could always find some one to take care of what was needed. I think I was lucky to have been losing my voice. It made people more sympathetic to my situation. Especially when I had to tell that that we were sorry but no more chairs were coming.

2) The smoke detector in our upstairs hallway has taken to chirping every couple of minutes. I have taken it apart, called my dad and Gina’s dad, and cannot figure out how to make it stop. I know what you are thinking and yes I know that chirping indicates a “low battery”. The problem is that our smoke detectors are “wired in” to our AC….which I don’t really know what that means other then that there is NO battery. I have looked. I have taken off the cover I have removed the plate from the ceiling….THERE IS NO BATTERY! Sorry, every one keeps telling me to change the battery. Last night after searching online for information to no avail we finally emailed our landlord. He has until noon today to get back to me before we start calling him. He will be on psycho dial until we get this fixed. (**As a side note: we would have turned off the power to the smoke detectors if we could have found our breaker box. We are still not sure where that is either. Lol!**)

So to add to the no voice I have had very little sleep and what I did have was filled with odd chirping noises….Any one got a couch in a quiet house I could crash on for a couple of hours? Lol!

***UPDATE***
So we found the breaker box and since we don't know which switch to flip we shut down the power to the whole house and turned it all back on. This did stop the chirping for quite a while. Unfortunately the chirping has started again. We don't know what to do other then flipping the breaker again. Any one know how long we are going to have to do this?

**************

Mid-afternoon shower....

As I sat in my office this afternoon, trying to find something to do to avoid work, I heard the telltale signs of a storm outside. Excitedly, I ran to the nearest conference room to investigate. Ladies and Gentleman …...Finally......It is raining! I love it. I had to take a picture. I love the way the water looks on the windows.

I hope I get to use my new umbrella tonight on the way to dinner.

Calling Dr. Jones...

A couple months ago Tara added this song to her blog play list.
I immediately downloaded it to my iPod and have since listened to it frequently.
It gets stuck in my head and will not leave.
Oddly enough, every time I hear it I think of Boo and her desire for a certain Doctor Jones.




So this is for Bond Girl; hopefully Dr. Jones can cure you! Lol!

Just a bit of light reading...

Last night was typical of many nights in my life. I watched a movie with some roommates and friends, spent some time talking on the phone to various friends, and then retreated to my room to read. There was laughter and games to be had with the group in my dining room but I was in a mood to read. I have learned from previous experience that people feel obligated to include me if I read while they are playing in the same room. If I decline the invitation, they feel as if they have to continue to invite me, to make sure I do not feel left out. They do not understand that I am completely comfortable….and dare I say happy…..to just listen to the sounds around me and enjoy what ever I happen to be reading. I know that at any moment I could join in the laughter and games but there was no requirement that I do so. Last night, so as not to disrupt the fun, I took myself off to my room as I just wanted to sit and read.

I read a book that I had purchased while I was working nights at B & N. I had sobbed my way through Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom and had decided to try his earlier work of The Five People You Meet In Heaven. This is the sweet story of the death of Eddie Maintenance, the maintenance man at Ruby Pier (an amusement park). It discusses his death, his life, and his path to Heaven. I was especially touched by a line of this book, when discussing the lives that we lead it said “…each affects the other, and the other affects the next, and the world is full of stories but the stories are all one.” I might not agree with this version of “Heaven” but the book made quite an impact on my thinking.

This morning I picked up the play Pygmalion. Many months ago in a small used bookstore in Texas I came across this play by Bernard Shaw. My older brother, Ralph, told me that I should read it, that I would recognize the story. I flipped through it and immediately recognized the story of Miss Doolittle and Professor Higgins. I refused to purchase this book, as I have never liked the ending of My Fair Lady. Ralph explained that he disliked the play because it had a different ending, that Eliza didn’t go back to live with the Professor. This peaked my interest and since the book only cost me 50 cents I figured I would take it home to read. It has taken me forever to find the time, but I can’t say that I don’t like the play any more then I like the musical…the words of the musical were taken directly from the play entirely. I could even tell where to add the musical numbers. I am unsure if I like this ending any better then I like the ending of the movie.

What do these 2 books have in common? Why am I writing of them today? Both of these stories are considered “romantic” due to the transformation of the main characters; Eliza, from lowly flower girl to Lady and Eddie as he comes to realize the secret of Heaven.
But what romance can be found in the story of Eliza….I find her story sad, without the love and acceptance that I would find necessary in my life. She changes from the innocent girl of the gutter to a Lady of the world, knowing she is never going to fit in to the world that she has been brought in to. She lives out her life, with “some consideration” from Colonel Pickering and the complete adoration of Freddy Eynsford Hill.
Eddie on the other hand, his story I find to be tragic and full of romance, an old man with a life that has been lived. Not the life he would have chosen for himself but one that was necessary. There was tragedy from war, neglect from his father, and a job he never wanted to have. But to balance it out, he had the “girl of his dreams”. Their life was not always a happy one, but together they withstood, even after her death he loved her. And even though this book was about Eddie’s death, as I finished Eddie’s story last night I felt as if I should have been sad. I wasn’t. I was happy for Eddie. In contrast, as I finished Eliza’s story this morning, I couldn’t help but feel sad for her. Even though she had her life yet to live, was married, had her flower shop and her friends, I feel as if she would never find the happiness that was Eddie’s. And that, I feel is the saddest thing of all.

Completely Distractible

Today is already shaping up to be a doozy. The morning barely started when there was a closed door meeting with my boss. That is one of the joys of riding in to work with your boss…..you don’t get to sneak in. She knows when you get here and how long it takes your computer to start up. Lol! There are so many things I need to be doing….but everything comes out wonky. The emails I need to write sound overly formal (I hate sounding pompous) , I can’t focus on the paperwork I am supposed to be taking care of, and worst of all, the database I should be working in hates me (or I hate it, take your pick).

Every time I turn around I get distracted….I caught an email on Visiting teaching for April, Some one needs a correction on their information, I need to pull a few files, I found another song I like and downloaded it. Most of the distractions are work related…okay not the music or the visiting teaching but the others are……but they are not getting the work I have to done.

*sigh*

Maybe my theory is wrong; maybe Wednesday is the worst day of the week.

Just a Quick Note.....

I know I need to blog the weekend...I have some great pics from the Race on Sunday and Conference was fun with various people and roommates.....But i do not have time. Maybe that is something I can do for FHE tonight. For now I wanted to let you enjoy what I am listening to today.....

Donna Summers (Greatest Hits Vol. 1&2)

and

Aerosmith (The Big Ones)

I know they don't seem to go together very well but they have surely brightened up my day!

My note of the day....

Question: What do rich folk daydream and visualize about?
Answer: Yeah, Rachel, whatever they want.

Question: And what do poor folk daydream and visualize about?
Answer: Yeah, whatever they want.

You're coming along so quickly, Rachel -
The Universe

So really......I should expand my dreams.....I guess I could work on that. :)

The Hockey Game!

So I have 30 minutes before I am supposed to head out to dinner with the gang, I thought I would take the time to blog a bit. It has been a whole week. I wanted to write about my sister’s visit. I wish I could say that it was nothing but fun, unfortunately I ended up sick as a dog. Tiana spent Sat and Sun entertaining herself. I know, what kind of hostess am I? Kate came by on Sat and took T to dinner and I don’t think I have ever been more grateful. They ended up going to 5 Guys, which I love, but there is no way I could have handled either the smell or the actual food. I was stuck to an applesauce, water and ginger ale diet for the weekend. :(

But for the fun part, and we did have fun, I actually took pictures. T arrived in the middle of the night on Thursday. We crashed and I headed into work Friday morning. There was a lot for me to do and I couldn’t afford to take the whole day off. This, actually, worked out well because T wanted to take in a session at the temple. We met up around 3 pm and headed back to my house to change to play clothes. We had tickets to watch the Washington Capital’s take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. We metro’d in and I got some fun pictures with the rain. I really love playing with my camera (even if no one else likes the way the pics turn out Lol!).
Our tickets were in the nose bleed section. Of course, what can you expect when you only pay 10 bucks a ticket? I spent time in that section learning the art of self-portraiture and taking pictures of the tiny men racing around the ice.

See we finally got a good one!

As you can see, even with a zoom lens we were pretty far away.


After the 2nd period T and I decided to walk for a bit. By the start of the 3rd period we were comfortable ensconced in the cushy chairs on the first level. As you can see the view was much better. Unfortunately, I was unable to get a really good picture of Steph’s favorite boy, but I got some fab ones of our Goalie!



There was almost a fight...but the refs waded in and broke things up before it got to far...So sad. I was looking for someone heading to the box for 5 minutes. I'll just have to be satisfied with a win. Lol!

The little girl in front of us was in love with my camera and the chance to look at her self on camera so I took a few shots to keep her occupied. I was going to offer to send them to her parents but I didn’t want them to freak out…who takes pictures of other people’s kids? Though…she is a doll isn’t she? Some people’s children…just adorable!

It was already dark out so we headed home. We must be getting old as we didn’t want to go play in the district. We headed back to my place and spent the rest of the evening playing the old school Super Mario Brothers (yes, on the original machine) and talking on the phone to various important people in our lives.
All in all it was a good night!


Next post will of course skip ahead to Sunday. We took some great pics….I can’t wait to share.

Becasue everyone else was doing it.......

Put a fork in me I am done...

First day back after being sick all weekend and this is all I can think:

Less then 4 hours and I can go home!

Can't win for losing....

I thought I would illustrate the dichotomy that is my life.

Wednesday, March 14th:

I caught a ride from my boss. This is normal; she lives about 15 or 20 minutes from me (walking time). She was running late, so I offered to walk to her house. It is an easy walk and so I grabbed my back pack and jean jacket and headed out the door. I must admit that I had dressed down in jeans and tennis shoes and I think that factors into the reactions that followed. I was almost to her house when I noticed a group of teenagers waiting for their bus about 3 or 4 blocks from me. I thought nothing of it as I watched the bus pick up the kids. What shocked me was that moments later, as he drove towards me, I watched this man flip on his flashing lights and start to pull over to pick me up. I mean I am told I look young…but not that young. Good heavens!

That afternoon the administration department went out to lunch to celebrate the “31st” birthday of a man with children older than I am. As we sat at lunch in Legal Seafood, munching on oysters and calamari, many in the group were ribbing people about their age. I, of course, got teased because I was the only one actually under thirty (I believe the jokes were about me being carded to drink my cherry coke). In a moment of what I will call “man brilliance” one of my male co-workers looked at me and asked… “You’re not 30 yet?” My response of course was, “Why do I look older then 30?”

*sigh* So goes the days of my life….. Lol!

Antsy…..

I don’t want to be sitting at my desk….I shouldn’t even be blogging but I can’t focus.

I am in the middle of running an interview, prepping for 2 new hires, finishing up paperwork for the last 2 new hires, and working on emails for our FSA plan. That is a lot to do…

What am I thinking about instead……

The fact that in a few hours I get to go running…AND I am excited about it....

I know…..it’s a little sick….and a lot out of the ordinary. I think I am going to schedule myself an appointment with a shrink.

....Caught in a Trap........

Today while IM’ing with a good friend the conversation turned to Elvis. This is not something I talk about much. I think I got Elvis burnout when I was a teenager. My sister Gretch is the Elvis lover, and she was known to have it playing pretty constantly. But today while talking I was reminded of the good songs….so I thought I would share with everyone, what I am listening to today…..cuz every so often you need a bit of The King!

Words to live by.......

I know I have previously commented here about the Girl Scout cookies that are sold every year. Some how, I always cave and end up purchasing them. I love them really I do….but for future reference:

I strongly advise AGAINST buying the aformentioned cookies when in a state of unhappiness and/or stress.

That is how you end up with 3 boxes of tagalong, 3 boxes of trefoils, and 4 boxes of samoas. Yeah I might not be a math whiz but even I know that adds up to 10 boxes of cookies…

*sigh*

All I can say is that there was a moment of weakness. Thank heavens they can be frozen and eaten later. Any one need a dessert for a party?

All by myself.....Sort of...

It was a night like any other…There was Pakistani food and hot coca with a friend…a chat with Kate about girl stuff….a nice phone conversation with another friend who was half asleep….and then preparation for bed….sounds pleasant doesn’t it? If I had been able to fall asleep right then this morning would have been even worse then it was.

Lucky for our house I was not asleep when my roommate Jen came knocking at midnight asking for matches. Apparently our pilot light went out again. Now this might not seem serious to you, as a matter of fact it might not even seem blog worthy. But for us on Chapman street this was a serious problem…4 girls in their mid twenties and none of us knew how to fix this…were we to call the landlord? Were we to call the gas company again? My family happens to be the farthest away and the most likely to be awake at midnight EST so I finally got a hold of my sister Gretch. Why Gretch you ask….no that is a very good question as she in also in her mid-twenties. But unlike me she and her husband are rebuilding a house…yeah I have seen pictures…she put in a staircase….and remodeled a bathroom…and there are other things…she is amazing. And She is PST. so that made it much earlier for her. Anyway, after talking to her for a bit and realizing she really couldn’t help with out being there and then realizing it wasn’t our furnace but our water heater (yeah, you can go ahead and laugh, I won’t hold it against you) I settled into reading the instructions on the water heater itself. Yes, I am brilliant. Watch out world. I’ll spare you the boring details, but the pilot light was lit, there were no major catastrophes and the only casualty was the massively ugly bug that decided to crawl across the basement floor.

Every one should be proud of me.... I sure am!

One last shout out to Gretchen’s husband Mark, who called me to make sure everything was okay, and who quickly realized I was too tired for any real conversation. He is the greatest brother-in-law ever

Billy Joel -

I can clearly remember sitting in the stuffy auditorium at SAIS-R in Saudi Arabia. I was 10 or 11 years old and we were attending my big sisters choir concert. Tiana I must say that I have no idea what your choir sang. But I remember a choir singing We Didn’t Start the Fire with a slideshow running behind them. And thus my love of history was born along side my love of Billy Joel. All through high school I wanted to be a high school history teacher, I wanted to incorporate We Didn’t Start the Fire into my year end exam. Unfortunately, reality set in, I don’t have the temperament to teach teenagers, but my love of Billy Joel is still going strong. His was the first concert I attended (Him and Elton John…let me tell you in Utah it was me and my friend and the elderly…quite a site LOL!) Today as I was trying to get focus on work Various Billy Joel Songs were playing on my iTunes and I felt the need to share…I wanted to share Captain Jack (one of my favorites that is some how tied to Kate, we are not sure why but it is)…. but that was not available… I didn’t want one that every one plays…. so I settled on this one. I hope you enjoy.....

Capital Hill Books: A.K.A. Rae's Personal Slice of Heaven

Steph is in town…..I have missed her. I am glad that she is here to visit. I will blog about her visit after she leaves…then I can put all of the pictures in at once.

Today I found heaven. A group of us went to Eastern Market this morning. I love Eastern Market. There is a children’s bookstore called The Fairy Godmother that I love….I try to pick something up there whenever I have the chance. Today I added 2 more Madeline L’Engle books to my collection.





The find of the day was a place called Capital Hill Books. I walked in realized I had found my Eden. We were short on time and so I immediately started up the stairs directly in front of me; only to find that the stairs were stacked with US and UK military books. Upstairs was fiction…..there were stacks of books everywhere. I had to take pictures….I mean…this is my dream….my safe haven. Steph called and it was time to go….I have yet to get more then a peek at the main floor…and rumor has it there is a basement….
*sigh* I can’t wait to go back

If Only.....

It is 10 o’clock at night, it is Wednesday. I should be at B & N counting down the last hour of my shift. But I am not. I am home. I am tired and will probably go to bed soon. But I must be honest. I kind of want to be at B & N. Alright, I take it back. I really want to be at B & N.

Now I recognize that I can’t handle the shifts. And I really don’t miss only getting 4 hours of sleep at night multiple nights in a row. Nor do I miss having to work during parties and other fun things, or stressing about missing my bus at 11:30 at night.

With all of that in my mind…..Why do I wish that I hadn’t quit?

It starts again.....

There are reasons that I don’t like going to the doctor. Every time I go I end up having to go see more doctors…have tests done…and spend a lot of time and effort just so some one can tell me that they have no idea what is wrong with me.

It started again today. The first round of blood tests has been started. I get to go to the hospital on Friday afternoon for a couple of tests. (Steph I will try to make dinner but I think I will be late. I am not sure how long these will take this time.)

As a side note: I am finally giving up the Barnes and Noble Job. I can’t do it. I’m tired all of the time and I want to have a life. Here’s hoping that this helps. Lol!

Disappointment…..

Well Ralphie was able to catch an earlier flight home. I understand the reasoning. He was done with everything. He has a wife and baby in Utah and who wants to stay an extra 24 hours when you have that waiting for you at home.

T, decided to take an evening in. Which is good for her; we are all a little stressed.

But still…….THIS……would have been fun, with just the three of us.

*sigh* Oh well maybe another time.

Santa Claus is coming to town.....

Or it could be my “favoritest brother named Ralph.” (cuz I have so many brothers named Ralph…)

I am so excited. He is coming into Baltimore for a few days and has allowed for an evening of dinner and fun with his 2 east coast sisters. Tiana is going to drive up from BV and we are all meeting up at Union Station.

Any suggestions for dinner in the district….something authentic and wild?

The Universe tells me that......

Letting the opinions of others dampen your enthusiasm, restrain your joy, and stifle your creativity, Rachel, is often exactly what they were after.

Pity for them, huh?

Let's rock -
The Universe

Past the point of no return.....

No second chances.....daaa de da de daaaa de da....This song from 'Phantom' is running through my head for various reasons. I know it will go away if I just listen to it. Sadly, I do not have the soundtrack to this musical...so the same line will just continue to repeat in my head.

In all honesty, I think I am "past the point of no return" I need sleep. :(

Confirmed Yet Again

As if the whole world didn't already know I was a pushover. Lol! Defender of the underdog, shy to a fault......Gonna have to work on that...Ha Ha Ha

Matt Parkman You scored 62 Idealism, 37 Nonconformity, 25 Nerdiness

I don't want to be a chump. Congratulations, you're Matt Parkman! You're a great person: caring, hard-working, and honest. You might not have the best of luck, but you do your best in all areas of life. Your kind and responsible nature is rare, and you should be proud of it. Your best quality: Heart Your worst quality: You may take more abuse than you deserve

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on Idealism You scored higher than 99% on Nonconformity You scored higher than 99% on Nerdiness

Link: The Heroes Personality Test written by freedomdegrees on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Words of the days.......

I don’t know if I mentioned this already but my desk calendar for this year is a “Word-A-Day” calendar. I love desk calendars that teach me something. I know I am sick. Sorry. But what I really love is the fact that on the back of each page I get to learn more about the roots of the day’s word. Some words I have known, like disingenuous, or imbue, others are new to me, and still others are words that I thought I new but can have different meanings. Unfortunately, I have been ignoring my calendar since the 12th….I have been rather busy (or lazy depending on how you look at it) here at the office.  So here are a few of the words that I caught up on today. Maybe you guys recognize these words(yes that means you Perry and you too Professor).

February 12th:
Comity (kŏm'ĭ-tē) n: Friendly civility
:courtesy

February 14th:
Twee (twē) adj. Chiefly British: Affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute, or
quaint.
Apparently this word comes from baby talk, an alteration of the word sweet. In the early 1900’s it was a term of affection, now it just means that you have bypassed sweet and are in the realm of disgusting.

February 17th:
Catawampus (kat-uh-wom-puh s) adj.: Askew, awry, catercorner.

Interesting to note (according to the calendar):
Back in the Middle Ages, the French word for “four” could be spelled quatre or catre. Speaker of Middle English preferred the form cater, and they used the word mainly to refer to the four spots on one side of the die. Someone noticed that you can connect these four spots to make and “X,” a fact that might have helped cater to develop the extended sense of “diagonally.” Over time, that sense was built into dialect compounds meaning “diagonal” or “askew,” including “catercorner,” a word linguists think was later modified to create “catawampus.”

So while all that was interesting….can some one please tell me how that made sense? And how in heavens name was catercorner turned into catawampus?

And Lastly:
February 19th:
Bromide (brō'mīd') n. 1: A compound of bromine and another element or chemical group.
2a: A commonplace or tiresome person
*2b: A commonplace or hackneyed statement or notion

Apparently, in the mid 1800’s potassium bromide was added to medicine to induce sleep. By the 20th century “bromide” was being used to describe anything that might put you to sleep. We have since advanced medically but apparently not figuratively. So there you go…another word for those talks in Church!

Off to Clean.....

A day off….It was nice to sleep until the sun woke me this morning. Did you ever see the musical Oliver, when Oliver wakes that first morning in the house of the rich people. He wakes to the sun and the sounds of the world outside his widow. I have always loved that. I love to wake to the sounds of the outside world......today was a little cold to have my widow open so I just woke to the sun. Good enough for now. The problem is that here it is 11:30 in the morning and I am bored. There are things I should do. I should finish unpacking. I should clean my room as it looks like a disaster. I should do laundry. These are things that I have avoided doing because I have been working or sleeping so much lately. But now that I have the time…….Well who wants to spend their day off cleaning? Now that I have complained, I will buckle down. I tell myself that I will have everything done in time to go to the movie tonight. Here’s hoping!

Beauty and the Geek

Regina was kind enough to wait to watch Ugly Betty so that I could finally watch the season finale of Beauty and the Geek last night. Wahoo!! Regina is now in love with Nate. And me, how do I feel about it? Well in the immortal words of Steph Harbour….
“I love me some Geek!”

Happy just the way I am....

It’s not as if I didn’t recognize that it was Valentine’s Day. I even posted the poem yesterday morning. But it didn’t feel any different than any other day. I received a couple of nice e-cards from the girls and Mark. AZ Dad even sent a text message (which he hates to do). So I wasn’t forgotten, I just didn’t do anything big for the day. Last year I made a big fuss. I handed out valentines to all of my co-workers and friends and spent the evening at a fabulous restaurant with all of my friends. This year, it didn’t really feel like a holiday. It didn’t really feel like anything. I spent the morning working from home. Came into the office for a few hours and then finished the evening at Barnes and Noble. I talked to Steph on the way home (thank you for keeping me occupied on the bus…. I might need you again next time, not sure yet.) There was nothing really special to mark the day. I don’t think that is a bad thing. There was no one in my life really that I needed to go out of my way for. And no one I expected to go out of their way for me. Maybe someday there will be someone that I want to buy little cheesy gift for and from whom I will expect flowers and such. But for now I am happy just the way things are.

And that is a good feeling.

In and Out of time

I am sorry that I haven’t blogged recently; all I can say is that I am tired a lot, and I will be going to the Doctor on the 28th. The cycle is repeating itself. Don’t worry. I will blog what is going on in my life some time soon.

But in the interim I am following Bond Girls Example.

This poem was first introduced to me through a chick flick. Tyler Perry’s “Madea’s Family Reunion” gave me the opportunity to hear Maya Angelou actually recite it. It was beautiful. I found it in a book later and bought the whole book just for this one poem. I can't explain my feelings in regards to this poem. They are there for it all, the good and the bad, the happy and sad. And yet, the love is there. The love is strong enough to with stand the trials of our day. Who finds that any more?
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Have a wonderful Valentine’s Days.

The Sun has come out
The Mists have gone
We see in the distance
Our long way home

I was yours to love
You were always mine
We have belonged together
In and out of time

When the first stone looked
Up at the blazing sun
And the first tree struggled
From the forest floor
I loved you more

You were the rhythm on the head
Of the conga drum
And the brush of palm
On my nut brown skin

And I loved you then

We worked the cane
And cotton fields
We trod together
The city streets

Wearied by labor
Bruised by cruelty
Strutting and sassy
To our inner beat

And all the while
Lord, how I loved your smile

You’ve freed your braids
Gave you hair to the breeze
It hummed like a hive
Of busy bees
I reached into the mass
For the honeycomb there
God, how I loved your hair

You saw me bludgeoned
By circumstance
Injured by hate
And lost to chance
Legs that could be broken
But knees that would not bend
Oh, you loved me then

I raked the Heaven’s belly
With torrid screams
I fought to turn
Nightmares into dreams
My protests were loud
And brash and bold
My, how you loved my soul

The sun has come out
The mists have gone
We see in the distance
Our long way home

I was yours to love
And you were always mine
We have belonged together
In and out of time

Dead or Alive - Brand New Lover

Thanks Chag.....
My latest theme song...

Sorry....

I am too tired to write. :s

P.S.
My books are finally unpacked...
3 sets of shelves in the main room and a set in my bedroom....
It is like being back with old friends....
It is.............
Comforting.

FYI

Just so you know.........

I am finally finished listening to the Wicked soundtrack on repeat.

It only lasted 3 days.

I think my co-workers are grateful! :)

I know you were curious. ;P