Old Friends in the City

I saw Angela today for lunch, along with her adorable little boy. And another on the way! SO good to see her; I haven't seen her since Cincinnati and she was about six months along with the last one. Wow. I can't believe it's been 16 years now since starting at SMC and 15 since we've known each other. We've been bad about keeping in touch. But it's nice to know you can go a year and be able to pick up right where you left off. Like no time at all has passed, and you saw each other yesterday, except now you're in your mid-30s and she's a mom and you're married and life is different. Not bad different but we're grown up. Grown ups. Not 21 and road-tripping it and living in dorm rooms but have mortgages to pay and full-time jobs and husbands to take care. And a child to take care of, with white blond hair and big blue eyes.

Where do the years go???

48 Hours

48 hours and we'll be in St. Lucia.
Beach.
Sun.
Good Food.
Good drinks.
Water.
Reading.
Relaxing.
Sand.
Pools with swim up bars.
All inclusive.
Sleeping in.
Kayaks.
Swimming.
Beach. Sigh.

48 hours, less than that now...

Another Good One

It was another pretty good weekend. We went to Belga with Moira on Friday night. I had mussels, which made me very happy. It was a pricey meal, but worth it to sit outside on an only 90ish degree day (opposed to the 93 degrees now at 8pm).

Saturday we watched the US go down to Ghana, again. Ugh. Then we caught up on shopping at Nordstrom's before going to the Arena Stage at Crystal City for R. Buckminster Fuller. He was this sort of brilliant, eccentric, inventor/physicist/architect/philosopher/writer who lived an interesting life through the first 80% of the twentieth century. The actor was amazing, remembering over two hours of dialogue. Wow. I am not sure what one thought in particular I came away with, but I remember thinking of It's a Wonderful Life...how one person can make a different, one person affects everyone, and never be a passive thinker or doer when so much is yet to be done.

Hopefully, I'll catch up with Angela before we leave for St. Lucia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sad

I just received an email from a work friend that they lost their six month old baby, a stillbirth. How utterly horrible and tragic. I can't imagine. I joke about all of the pregnant ladies, but nothing is a given and nothing is set in stone. Horrible things happen, and sometimes they can happy for no apparent reason. I think we go through things thinking like everything is fine, no hidden calamities could occur. Bad things still happen.

Another of our NY lawyers died this week, no one I really knew very well but I did speak to him occasionally and he was involved. And 50s is still young, right?

Thinking of them tonight.

More Trouble for Kwame

Looks like Kwame isn't leaving prison anytime soon.

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, already in prison for probation violations, was indicted Wednesday on federal fraud and tax charges, accused of a turning a charity into a personal slush fund for cash, travel, yoga, summer camp and even anti-bugging equipment.

The indictment said Kilpatrick, 40, created the Civic Fund in 1999 and gained tax-exempt status after declaring it would be a social-welfare organization to enhance neighborhoods, help youth and improve Detroit's image.

The government, however, said the goal seemed to be to enrich Kilpatrick. He is charged with failing to report at least $640,000 in taxable income between 2003 and 2008, the value of the cash, private jet flights and personal expenses paid by the fund.

Kilpatrick used the fund to pay for yoga and golf, camp for his kids, travel, moving expenses to Texas, a crisis manager, cars, polling, political consulting and much more, including "counter-surveillance and anti-bugging equipment," according to the indictment. It did not provide details about the equipment.

How sad is this? His fund was supposedly enacted to help enrich Detroit's image, but all it created was a slush fund for himself and an even worse national reputation for Detroit. Granted, I do think Detroit voters share the blame for voting for this idiot. You reap what you sow, and if you vote for criminals, you get crime. And I love how his spokesperson tries to put a positive spin on things by emphasizing how he wasn't charged with "public corruption." So it could have been worse! As it is, he's facing another two decades in prison!

I hope this is it. Detroit needs to move on, and Kwame needs to disappear from the headlines for good.

Now I Get It...

So we played hooky a bit this morning to watch a very exciting US vs. Algeria World Cup soccer match, which the U.S. pulled out at the very end, 1-0 (should have been 2-0). The BlackFinn was a great venue, and the crowd was so much into the game. Now I get the excitement about soccer...the crowd was every bit as important as the game, and when the U.S.'s Landon Donovan scored in stoppage time to score, the crowd really erupted. The U.S. needed the win to advance to the next round, because England defeated Slovenia, and not only that, by winning the U.S. would be the #1 seed in Group C. And apparently by winning, their chances of not playing Germany in the next round diminished. So that is good, from what I've been told.

It's not that I don't care about soccer. I think seeing it with the crowd added a lot for me. And it was an exciting game, the U.S. clearly dominated, and something was actually at stake. So yeah, a 0-0 game for most of the time was exciting. I'm not sure I could watch a 0-0 game between Slovenia and Algeria, for example. But soccer is growing on me; at least, the World Cup is growing on me.

Summer

It's officially summer and hotter than hell out. I am hoping to adjust my running to 90+ degree days, not to mention high humidity, and lots of sun. Back last winter, when we had ridiculous amounts of snow, we missed this. Funny how your perspective changes. I guess I am just happy I can drive to the gym or the grocery store as opposed to hiking through a ton (literally) of snow.

We leave for St. Lucia in 8 days. Summer vacation is another reason to anticipate the season. This is what else I like about summer:

--skirts and dresses
--fresh produce, particularly berries!
--lots of daylight
--the 4th of July
--traveling for fun
--frozen yogurt
--bright colors
--less new tv, which means more time for reading
--more relaxed days at work, because the lawyers are on vacation
--Congressional recess, which means less traffic
--our second anniversary in less than six weeks

My Dad

Today is Father's Day. And I have a great dad. He shaped my political beliefs, my social beliefs, my religious beliefs. He shared his love of reading and gardening. He works harder than anyone I have ever met and probably receives less credit for it. He is smart, unassuming, and opinionated. He was a fantastic provider and husband. He is sarcastic and snarky at times, but so am I.

I am the luckiest girl to have grown up with a dad like this. I miss him, but he did everything he could to give us every opportunity in the world to do our own thing, to live our own lives. And hopefully I can be half as good of a parent as he and my mom can be to any kids I may be blessed enough to have.

New Furniture

After a fun Saturday night at Cava, we got furniture today! The Axis sofa at Crate and the Steamer. Yes, it was a bit extravagant, but we splurged. We don't splurge often. It will be delivered in August and then we need a new tv, a rug, a coffee table, and a dining room table. Not to mention accessories. But yes, we needed it. We needed furniture for our 30s, not our early 20s. Like we have now. Like this ugly green sofa.

In sadder news, the Argonaut had a horrible fire this morning. We saw fire trucks enroute to the gym, and apparently, this was it. I hope it can reopen soon and DCRA doesn't put it through too much red tape. A great place.

Top Chef DC

The new season of Top Chef DC premiered the other night. The early episodes are always so disjointed--so many cheftestants, so much editing, so little opportunity to get to know the competitors. Angelo and Kenny stood out as the two to beat, but it's early.

It's so strange to see DC represented...it always seems so familiar yet so strange. It shows a different cultural side to the city that you don't often get to know, because you get caught up in your own circles of social. It's like I have my legal/conservative community, Steve has his tech community, others have soccer circles or art or music or whatever else consumes their 9-5 lives or their 5-9 lives. The first show showcased the new Newseum and the Mellon Auditorium: two places I do not frequent. I even googled the latter; seems like it would be a good place to hold a fancy event if you happen to have the funds for it.

Too bad the Detroit contestant didn't make it pass day one of the competition. Though having coming from the Bradley Prizes--where two of the four winners hailed from Detroit--I was happier that conservatism found its roots there, even if good cooking was lacking this time around.

1959

I finished 1959 even earlier than predicted, enroute home from Boston. Very quick read. I'd be interested in following up more on some of the cultural aspects of that era--other than David Halberstam's account of the 1950s, I haven't read much of that time. It reminds me of the antibellum era...between the War of 1812 and the Civil War. The time between the end of WW2 and the iconic sixties is somewhat forgotten and not written as much about. Some contend it was not the news-worthiest time, as Americans stagnated or remained in staid cultural mores, as opposed to how much the nation changed during the sixties, culminating in a more modern era. I enjoyed Kaplan's account of that time, at the brink of the computer age, the space age, the age of more "modern" music and film and art. That was fifty years ago, and a time still foreign to me. I wasn't born yet.

But the times were changing, and maybe I do think Kaplan puts a tad too much significance on a year (because he spent a certain amount of time offering background information), the election of John F. Kennedy the following year is a marker for many. Presidential elections are always harbingers of a new time, a new era, "change" if you will. It's been a decade since the election of 2000, and look at how much has changed since then. 9/11, I think, is a defining moment in my lifetime, a moment when everything changed, and the world was transformed. Maybe I'll look back at my lifetime as "before" and "after" that year. The year I met Steve, too.

We're almost half-way through 2010. It's summer and feels like summer now. The BP spill has dominated the headlines recently, and the election season is moving into full swing. I wonder what we'll remember most about this year??

Boston

Quick trip to Boston yesterday for Henry V. It was a great (albeit long) show, and I'm happy to have gone and seen friends. It did mean I was up a little too late last night, got a little less sleep than I needed, and woke up via the sun too early (it rose at 5:07 a.m.!!!!). I swear I could see sunrise at 4:30 a.m., and woke up, convinced I had overslept.

I'm rallying to go to the Bradley Prizes. I think it will be fun. Fun to see Liz. Now I must talk Steve into it...

Stuff

Heading to Boston soon! Game six of the NBA finals. Could care less, but it would be fun to see everyone in Boston celebrate.

Discovered (again) Greek yogurt. If I have strawberries or another sweet mix-in, I really like it. Plain, eh. And it filled me up for a mid-morning snack.

This humidity is not good for running. Not good.

I finally finished Crisis and Command. It took a while, but I found the last chapters about executive power quite interesting. Now on to 1959: The Year Everything Changed by Fred Kaplan. It is a quick read, and I imagine I'll get through it by the weekend. I need to stock up on some beach reads; have a couple already. Perhaps with my 40% off coupon from Borders I will get another.

15 days to St. Lucia!!!!!

Loving Brandi Carlile live on All Songs Considered...Mad World, Johnny Cash covers. Great!

Sneaking edited versions of Days with Missy Reeves back. She is so gorgeous! Wonderful tribute to Frances Reid coming up. Twenty years since COD!

Good Tunes

So I have my music for the week: NPR has archived many of the performances from Bonnaroo last week. I've already listened to the xx, The Temper Trap, She & Him, Brandi Carlile, Mumford & Sons, and the Avett Brothers, and now the National. Not to mention Local Natives and Mayer Hawthorne in the queue. And later I'm sure I will add Dave Matthews, Regina Spektor, LCD Soundsystem, and the Gossip. Sigh. Good tunes, and I wish I could have been there!

All Songs Considered really rocks.

Weekend

Yesterday was BBQ day. BBQ for Steve's work. Then off to VA to watch the USA-England game (1-1 tie!), and burgers were grilled. I abstained. After three burgers in three days, I don't want to see red meat again any time soon. Then we stopped in Adams Morgan before a very early bed time.

And today was my usual weekend routine after a few weeks off from it: run, church, wine, Target, and Harris Teeter. I love my shopping weekends. So nice. I think I need a glass of wine right now...

And it'll be a busy week ahead with Boston, but only two and a half weeks til St. Lucia!!!!!!

This should not surprise me...

Our country is utterly unprepared in the event of an attack by WMD, biochemical weapons, nuclear weapons, etc. Peggy Noonan's column is a must-read.

She mentions the "failure of imagination" that the government fell victim to in the pre-9/11 mindset. Now, nearly nine years later, enough time has passed that we have forgotten what is was like in those days, to be completely unprepared and taken off guard by something beyond our imagination. But if the Taliban can kill a seven year old, there is all sorts of evil in their minds that could translate into something even far worse than 9/11. The election of Barack Obama didn't change the minds of the Taliban and al Qaeda; it only weakened our resolve, apparently.

Before You Were Hot

Time-wasting webpage here. Maybe I should submit? LOL, not so much. Though I'm not always convinced that the earlier pictures were so ugly. I think some people are too hard on themselves. Luckily, the glasses and bad hair/skin saved me from thinking that. LOL again, right?

I think about that when I surf old facebook pictures. How much we changed, how little we've changed. How much time passes, and how the good looking stay good looking and everyone looks better but no one changes that much. How we present the best picture of ourselves, and how we remember everyone then. How we'd like to forget everyone then, too.

Is it time to go home yet?

I am bored and burnt out and all I can think of is what I want for dinner. Or food in general.

God, do I need a vacation!

I am passing my day researching St. Lucia, cell phone boosters, and finding different National tracks to stream. Currently heavily depending on All Songs Considered (RIP WOXY, boo still). And thinking about food after an eh lunch. And recovering from the eye doctor, boo to that, too.

And feeling peaceful about a night off from running. Need a vacation from that, too. And enjoying the cooler weather and rain, liking that too.

Anniversaries

So twenty years ago this month, two milestones occurred in my life. One, I graduated from 8th grade and left St. V's. And two, I became very engaged in the Jack & Jennifer story as the Cruise of Deception aired.

A third milestone occurred in August, when we left Detroit and moved to the 'burbs.

I was fourteen and more than a little lonely. I didn't have many friends, I was about to start high school, and I never felt very pretty or confident. I didn't feel like I would ever have a crowd of friends of mine or a boyfriend. I remember watching the couples on "Fun Day" dancing and feeling like wow, I wonder if a boy would ever like me. I wonder if anyone would ever ask me to dance. I remember if I ever would feel comfortable in my wardrobe, my skin, my hair, my gangly body. I remember not feeling like I would ever belong.

Watching Jack & Jennifer that summer was such a big thing for me. I remember them vaguely before that, but I don't remember the precise moment I really fell. I don't know if it was their witty banter, the adventure, the longing, the sense of adventure, the insecurity, or the pure romance of it that was timed perfectly for me. I remember wanting to be an adult like that, to be able to get away from everything that I hated. That Cruise of Deception was just absolutely perfect.

Fourteen is a tough age, but it's tougher when you don't have a group to call your own. It is a bittersweet time as we were preparing to leave Detroit, move to an area I didn't really know, and start over, again, with a new group who pretty much resembled the old group. But I had something to cling to, for a while, anyway. Nice that Melissa Reeves is returning briefly to Days this month. Maybe I'll sneak a glimpse, too.

NYC Weekend

OK, it wasn't a full weekend. Or a time in which I had any free time. Lovely. We had our last meeting this weekend, and we ate at SD26. Pasta and veal. It was good, but not a ton of food. Lots of wine to make up for it, though! And afterward, I briefly went to the bar a block or two over, full of palm trees on the roof overlooking the city. Beautiful. Too bad I was SO tired and SO sick of drinking.

Boston next week then the next stop is St. Lucia!!!!!!!!

Founding Farmers

Last night for ladies night out we went to Founding Farmers, a place we've been meaning to check out for awhile. I have to say, it was "eh" just as Tom Sietsema said it was. Not eager to go back. Though the cocktails were good--I had two that tasted similarly, with the Last Word and El Floridita similar. The cheaper Floridita was actually tastier, in our opinion.

We started with the La Quercia Prosciutto, Fig & Mascarpone flatbread. That may have been the tastiest item of the night. I had the blue crab ravioli, which tasted like it was canned crab, not fresh. I ate it up, though, and the portion was sufficient for a ravioli dish. But eh. And we split the donuts for dinner, which were also a table favorite.

The service was "eh" as well. A little over-zealous earlier in the evening, and then a partial disappearing act, later. The place wasn't packed, either.

So nice as always to catch up with friends!

Perfect Game, Imperfect Umpiring

Armando Galarraga pitched the first perfect game in Tigers' history last night. Too bad the umpire profoundly screwed it up.

This has definitely reinvigorated the argument for instant replay. Umps aren't perfect, but last night's pitching was.

Best Conservative TV Shows

My add: Sledgehammer.

But lots you could add...even Lost, for dealing with faith. But I can't quibble with 24.

Woke Up Early

I woke up early to take the husband to Union Station to drop him off for his trip to California. 4:30 a.m. I woke up. Drove him there at 5:15. And at 5:50 a.m., I went for my first early early run.

Wow. I was starving all morning after it. It was hot and sweaty and humid and nearly 75 degrees at that time. UGH. It's going to be a long hot summer. But there is something energizing at being out that early, with it already light outside--daylight at 6 a.m. And I covered over 4 miles, to save up the extra calories for the day.

I would love to be an early morning runner, but it's a struggle. Someday I may have to be out at that time. But today it was my choice.

Post-Vacation Blues

I am trying to keep myself as busy as possible to avoid the post-vacation blues. This morning, all I could think about was playing with Joey and his sandbox. And now he's with his other grandma, one of many, and not being doted upon like we would. Sigh.

I almost get why there are stay at home moms. It's so fun to stare and play with the cutest little two year old boy ever. As opposed to dealing with lawyers and headaches and other issues. Sigh. Sigh.

So I tell myself in one short month, we'll be in beautiful St. Lucia. Drinking daiquiris and margaritas. Oh St. Lucia. Hurry. Please.