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August 31, 2004
Wow Whee!
The new iMac design is pretty impressive. Check it out!
Also, Flounder posted the photos from out New York. I made him delete all of the photos of me -- they were all terrible.
Quote of the Day:
| "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go." -Oscar Wilde |
August 30, 2004
Happy Birthday to ME!
I have to say, today I feel like the luckiest girl in the world! I have just had such a great couple of days (with more great days to come!) I can hardly stand it!
It all started Friday, when I went to get a hair cut. I decided I needed a change, and went to my bosses hair stylist. When I sat down the stylist handed me a card. It was from my boss, wishing me a happy birthday and saying she had pre-payed for my haircut as a b-day gift. Awsome! I got what might just be the best haircut of my life. I have never had so much style and I feel wonderful!
Then Saturday
That night we went to Mi Mamas for birthday dinner and broke the exciting news. She was really delighted and made us an amazing meal including stuffed chicken and homemade peach sorbet. MMmmmm!
Yesterday I attended a baby show for some good family friends, and went out to visit my ill Godmother. Nana is having major problems with her back and is going in for surgery this week. So prayers for her that her surgery goes well.
And coming up? Tonight Flounder has some super-secret birthday plan he is carrying out. Whoo hoo! I love surprises! I am also having lunch with my co-workers today as well as KT and DK tomorrow. THEN this coming weekend, I officially move out of the apartment and the following weekend Flounder and I are going up to Pitt for band alumni day. Lots of great plans and fun exciting time.
Yep, I am the luckiest girl in the world!
Quote of the Day:
"Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye."
-H. Jackson Brown Jr.
August 28, 2004
Engaged!
Today was a big day for Flounder and I. I am happy to say we are now offically engaged to be married and we couldn't be happier!
There has been a lot of talk between us over the last few weeks about marriage and the future. And we decided yeah, it's time. So today we went to a jewelry show at the D.C. Convention Center. It was amazing! I have never seen so many sparklies in one place. My heart fluttered. After much shopping and negotiating we picked out THE RING*. While we waited for THE RING to be sized we nipped down to Chinatown for some lunch. It was over our chinese food menus that Flounder proposed and of course I accepted. I know, not the most exciting proposal story, but to be honest (and I think Flounder will agree) we have known we were going to spend the rest of our lives together for quite awhile now -- the proposal was almost a formality. :)
We are both thrilled and excitedly talking about the upcoming wedding. We are planning on paying for this shebang on our own and are looking at May 2006. LOTS of time to plan.
This is a very excited time for both of us! Wish us luck.
Quote of the Day:
"Love is the immortal flow of energy that nourishes, extends and preserves. Its eternal goal is life."
-Smiley Blanton
*THE RING = 2 ct oval blue sapphire flanked by two .30 ct round diamonds set in white gold. I LOVE IT!
Posted by La at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)August 25, 2004
Krispy Bastards!
It was bad enough that my office has fresh Krispy Kreme donuts every Friday morning. Now there is a KRISPY KREME STORE not 2 feet from the Dupont metro excalator. I shit you not. Oh yes, I could smell those hot, sweet little wreaths of diabetes death as I rode up the metro this morning. They called my name. I resisted. Somehow.But how long will I last?
Quote of the Day:
"Generosity is not giving me that which I need more than you do, but it is giving me that which you need more than I do."
-Kahlil Gibran
August 24, 2004
Hello There!
It's been far to long since I have written. Let's see...last Saturday I hung out with Mi Mama. We had a dandy time jewelry shopping. We figured, a girl needs to know EXACTLY what sort of ring she would want -- if a certain young man was to buy her one. :) We had a grea time and quickly realized how might expensive a little bling bling can be.
Sunday Raquel and I decended on my apartment and packed up all of my kitchen stuff and some other things besides. We took 5 or 7 boxes over the house. I got to show of our new place. Always fun. Just as she was leaving
Yesterday Flounder was stuck at work late, which left me wandering around Bethesda trying to amuse myself. Barnes and Noble pretty much did the trick. The late night has left me a bit groggy today.
Quote of the Day:
"Be humble for you are made of earth.
Be noble for you are made of stars.”
August 20, 2004
Good Friday!
I have very high hopes for today. I have lunch plans with my previously mentioned long-lost college room mate, hence forth known as Raquel. I am very excited about catching up. I also have high hopes of big productivity today. On that note, I have simultaniously done a great thing and made a big mistake. I had three different tedious file managment projects staring my down. I HATE filing. So in an unexpected moment of will I tackled them. Go me. Here's the problem: I tackled them all. At the same time. Now I have the debris of three projects clogging up my space and making it hard to work. Silly La! I have got to finish at least one of them and clear it off my plate. For no other reason I need the SPACE!
I have a feeling this fall is going to be very unique. With KT (most likely) moving to NYC, J. Wo in Sweden, Red coming back to the states from the UK with lovely boy intow, Signe and Her hubby (I still can't remember if I named him) working their butts off as law associates, DK possibly taking a job in Dupont, Raquel back in my life, things will be different. People are shacking up left and right! Me and Flounder, Red and lovely boy, E and C, Raquel and her P. -- it's a little bit crazy. Will Condorman continue to be my knife connection? Will Bambi and Yoda continue to anchor our group with cookouts and pool nights? Who Knows? These are the little mini-adventures I can get behind.
Quote of the Day:
| "Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." -Joshua J. Marine |
August 19, 2004
Holy Crap!
I was walking down the street a few moments ago with my boss when I looked up and saw her. My college room mate walking toward me. Now, keep in mind I haven't spoken to her in 3 years and the last time I knew her whereabouts, she was living in South Carolina. It was very VERY unexpected to find her on the streets of DC. I shouted here name and she shouted mine. We got all giggly and started babbling about how we had been trying to find one another. CRAZY. So apparently she works like across the street from me and is attending law school. I gave he my card and I hope she calls me soon so I can get the full story. Yeah for finding long lost friends! I am very excited!
Posted by La at 1:30 PM | Comments (0)Hotmail's come through!
There has been much said about how Hotmail was going to up it's email capacity for pay and non-pay customers alike. It all seemed to be in response the Google's Gmail, and fears of attrition. Well today it finally happened. My email account went from a capacity of 10 megs to 2000 megs. That's TWO WHOLE GIGS! My capcity meter now looks like this:
1% of 2000MB
HA! Microsoft did something right for a change!
Posted by La at 10:31 AM | Comments (0)Healthy Inspiration
Lately I have been in search of Healthy Inspiration. I have encountered a handful of websites that are chocked full of good nutrition info. Some are very WW oriented, others are just health oriented. I thought I would share.
Hungry Girl - This is a great, funny and rather professional site devoted to helping people make healthy choices. It takes WW into account, but is useful for all diet types.
Put down the donut - This one is also WW-centric, but it also has frank product reviews and a bulletin board community.
Diet Girl - This is a terrific blog writen by an Aussie woman, living in the UK who has lost over 100 pounds and is still counting. Very honest, insightful and entertaining.
Dottie's wieght loss zone - The homeland of all things WW. Dottie's site is a public service really. The support and info found in her message boards can't be beat.
Calorie King - Great nutritional info.
Point Counter - Need to figure out the point of that snack before you pop it in your mouth? Here is your point counter on the web.
I hope someone finds these helpful!
Quote of the Day:
"We do not receive wisdom,
we must discover it for ourselves,
after a journey through the wilderness
which no one else can make for us,
which no one can spare us,
for our wisdom is the point of view
from which we come at last to regard the world.”
August 17, 2004
Whoot!
I have just secured my moving team for September 4th. Although I have already moved a lot of stuff out of my apartment, including my bed, I am really looking forward to having someone else move the rest for me! My giant armoire has taken it's share of scrapes in past moves. These guys were so great with
What's up?
This past weekend I had a really frightening moment. I was in the book store at the mall when I approached the counter with my purchase. This is a little bookstore (read: not Borders) with no clear indication of how that line should form. The woman ahead of me was asking the clerk a question and standing a foot of so from the counter poised to walk away. I stepped up behind her, but kept my distance a bit because I didn't know if she knew I was there and I couldn't tell which way she was going to head. As I waited, to girls in their late teens came up. They stood to the left of myself and the woman at the counter, but were positioned between us. When the woman ahead of me left the counter they just stepped right up infront of my. And before I thought to say something they were already being served. So I stepped behind with a bit of huffiness. A few different things could have transpired here. They might not have understood that I was ahead of them in line, or might not have thought I was in line at all. My fear however is that I have become one of those invisable fat people. One of those people that just blend into the background and don't make much of an impression on people. Do you know the sort I am talking about.
Now that is a really scary thought.
Now for something totally different!
I realized today how musically out of touch I have become. I need more iTunes in my life. More upbeat music. Way to much of the music I listen to fall into the catagory of "music to slit your wrist to". No good. In my Real Simple this month there is a little blurb about this site. You can submit a subject (ex. Songs to remind me of the week I just spent in a tiny cabin in the woods ) and the "robots" that run the site will put the mix together for you and list it on the site. A pretty cool idea.
August 16, 2004
A Reminder: It could always be worse
Doctor Treats Man Who Weighed 1,000 Pounds
Posted by La at 9:44 AM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2004
Garden State
I LOVED Garden State.
Visually. I love witty visual jokes. ZB is all about them.
Soundtrack. Rocked. Any film that starts out featuring Coldplay's Don't Panic to highlight the dull quiet ache of loosing a loved one has my vote.
Acting/Writing. I was really surprised how real the character felt. Don't you feel like you have met Sam. I am sure I met her someplace before.
Message. Seize the day. Today IS your real life. No tomorrow. Not when you loose that last 5 pounds or finish school, get married, have kids. THIS IS IT.
Thanks ZB!
Posted by La at 10:49 PM | Comments (0)Getting a Clue
I just figured out that today was Friday the 13th. I have to say so far so good though.
Why didn't anyone tell me that Old Navy was now carrying plus sizes?!? It's about time! I am very excited about the potential of buying the same crappy clothes as all the average sized girls. Whoot!
Posted by La at 4:14 PM | Comments (0)
Monsoon Season
At work today I am feeling v. producitve. Which is quite odd for a Friday. I found out yesterday that I am flying up to Chicago on the 1st of Sept. for a two hour meeting. That's right, I am flying in, attending a 2 hour training session and flying home. An excellent use of time and resources wouldn't you say? Good times!
Last night the skies opened up and dumped an ocean's worth of water on Greater DC. I don't think our yard can soak up on more drop of rain water. Now that we live in a townhouse with a basement I am extremely paranoid of flooding. I can remember what a disaster a flooded basement can be from my childhood. Not fun. So I pray for good health for our sub-pump. Thankfully, the house doesn't have a history of flooding, and we are situated on top of a hill so we should be ok.
Tonight,
Most of this weekend will be spent setting the house right after a week of neglect. We have much more space to mess up these days. Which just means more to clean in the long run! Ah well.
Yess is coming down on Sunday, which will be dandy (and also another reason to clean)!
I am so SAD! I have finished Something Rotten, the latest Thursday Next mystery. Now I have to wait until 2005 the next one. Meanwhile I am also waiting for the next HP. Dire!
Quote of the Day:
"Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the Earth are never alone or weary of life."
Rachael Carson
August 11, 2004
Mission Accomplished
I am very pleased with myself at the moment. Finally is it appears to be settled that I will not be handleing the firms sports tickets any longer. It was a responsibility that caused my great anxiety. There was to much money and to many egos involved in the process, resulting in major stress on my part.
HURRAH!
Also
I found the cutest online gift boutique: Knock Knock Check it out!
Quote of the Day:
To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
August 10, 2004
Status Check
I'm BROKE! Between train tickets, fun times and NYC and having my car battery replaced, I am clean out of dough. It was worth it though. With money on my mind, I was making a list of all the things I want do once I am debt free (!!!!!) in a few months. Some of these things include:
- Replacing the ceiling fan in the master bedroom
- Buying myself a new laptop
- Join a gym (?)
- Officially join WW (?)
- SAVING SAVING SAVING!
Oh, there are more things, but chances are, as soon as I have a store of cash on hand, something will happen and *poof!* it will be gone. My car enjoys teasing me with problems. That poor little Saturn in a money pit waiting to happen. I can FEEL it.
der_flounder and I are going to walk tonight. Our first walk around the neighborhood. It is rather sad that this is our first attempt to reinstate an exercise regime since we moved. But I have appropriate walking garb and footwear so I am ready to go.
Quote for the Day:
"He who joyfully marches in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice."
-Albert Einstein
August 9, 2004
New York, New York!
We are back from New York! What a wonderful weekend! We traveled by train, which was my very first domestic train trip. I love to fly, but the train was so hassle-free, I think we will always go by rail in the future.
We stayed at the Renaissance Time Square with
The weather all weekend was perfection -- in the 70s, mostly clear blue skies with only the occasional cloud cover. Friday night we had dinner at Tao which was an incredible and over the top pan-asian restaurant. The best words I can think of to describe it would be to say, it's like P.F. Chang's older bother -- who does acid. We had an amazing meal with one of jordsd colleuges Y (who was a joy!).
Saturday was spent taking on all sorts of shows and exhibits at the AMNH, including 2 space shows in the Hayden Plantarium -- Passport to the Universe and The Search for Life: Are We Alone? Very Cool! We also took in the Bugs! IMAX movie and the Frogs, A Chorus of Color exhibit which was really neat. Then we hot-footed it across Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Where we spent an hour browsing in the three story gift shop. We were so short on time that we didn't even go into the museum proper!
That night we had a great Mexican meal and went to see the Manchurian Candidate, which was good but not great.
Sunday we breakfast as Maxie's Deli and off the St. Patrick's Cathedral for church, which was terrific, even though I was sitting behind a pillar.
In general it was a great trip! We will definitely be back. I am convinced that I could have stayed 2 weeks and not been able to do all the things I wanted to do, much less explored all the stuff that was POSSIBLE to do. We took a bunch of picture's which we will post as soon as Flounder get's the server back up.
Flounder surprised me with my early birthday present while we were in the city as well. This beautiful pair of earrings I was admiring at the Met. Isn't he the best?
Before we left on Friday I picked up the latest Thursday Next book Something Rotten. So far it is really wonderful (like all the other books!) here is a review. I love this series!
Quote of the Day:
"It is possible to provide security against other ills, but as far as death is concerned, we men live in a city without walls."
-Epicurus
August 5, 2004
They are wise!
I am surrounded by wise and tolerant people. Big thanks to
So, in the meantime -- I am going to focus doing the best possible job in my current position that I can, taking good care of myself and doing the hard thing because the easy way out is rarely the right way out.
*****
Tomorrow Flounder and I head off to NYC. Whoo hoo!
Quote of the Day:
"And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
(I find it very interesting that this quote fell into my lap today.)
August 4, 2004
What to do?
What am I going to do with the rest of my life? Seriously! I've got my
I don't know how many time I have been told, "find what you love to do, and then get someone to pay you for it". Well I am trying to figure out what my dream is. And I truely just don't know! Will schooling be a part of it? Very Likely. What should I study? No idea.
I have thought about teaching. How am I supposed to teach kids when I can't remember my multiplication tables, or how to conjugate verbs? Do I seriously like kids that much? I am thinking no. Plus, I am just not feeling a passion for it.
Anything I can think of just leaves me insecure and unexcited. I guess I am waiting for a thunderbolt of inspiration. Anyone have some inspiration to thow my way?
Quote of the Day:
"Ideologies separate us. Dreams and anguish bring us together."
-Eugene Ionesco
Posted by La at 2:51 PM | Comments (0)
August 3, 2004
A day to remember
Happy International Forgiveness Day!
Posted by La at 8:53 AM | Comments (0)August 2, 2004
I listen to Fresh Air
I listen to Fresh Air nearly every work day, usually I save my most tedious work for 3:00. A terrific distraction. And this is a terrific parody.
This hilarious snippet was stolen from McSweeney's.
My Son's Appearance on Fresh Air.
BY Will Layman
Terry Gross: From WHYY in Philadelphia, I'm Terry Gross ... with Fresh Air. On today's program, 10-year-old Miles Layman. Miles is entering the fifth grade this September and has just published his first book, Blood Dragons. Blood Dragons was culled from dozens of notebooks featuring baroque and bloody pencil drawings of dragons eating people whose hands have varying numbers of fingers. Earlier today I talked to Miles about his work, about baseball, and about being a young man in America during these unsettling times.
Terry: Miles Layman, welcome to Fresh Air. I have to ask you, most of our listeners are hopelessly alienated from their childhoods, so ... what's it like being 10 years old in the post-9/11 landscape?
Miles Layman: Well, it's better than being 9. I don't know about 11 yet.
Terry: Now. I've been reading Blood Dragons, and I have to say I'm extremely amused. There are just, well, a lot of flames and smoke plumes here hnn-hmm-huh. How would you describe your style and medium?
Miles: There are all these dragons, mainly. Big ones with teeth. I draw a lot of cool ones that can fly and also have four sets of claws or can shoot fireballs and even rockets, and they're just all-around dangerous. And they breathe fire too, of course. There's one also that breathes ice.
Terry: So you subvert dragon stereotypes in some ways but conform to our expectations in others?
Miles: The best one is the boss dragon who can release 10 mini-dragons from the hatch on his back in midflight, and every one of those dragons has a grenade in each of his four claws. And they breathe fire too.
Terry: It's funny, you know, as I read that part I couldn't help but think of Thing One and Thing Two, emerging from the hat of Dr. Seuss's eponymous cat. How would you ... how would you say Ted Geisel has influenced your work?
Miles: Thing One and Thing Two mess up the house and all, Terry, but they don't dominate their enemies with grenades, or fire.
Terry: Now, there is a human hero who vainly battles the dragons. You write this dialogue for him: "Let's face it, there is no stopping the dragons. The world as we know it is one big explosion." And-and, I thought it a rather dystopian vision of the world today. Can you talk about that?
Miles: Well, the human is hopelessly outgunned, if that's what you mean. He's got, like, an Uzi up against fire-breathing dragons with grenades.
Terry: Some critics have suggested that Blood Dragons is a not-so-subtle commentary on the Bush administration's foreign policy. I have to say that I agree. How do you feel?
Miles: George Bush sucks, yeah. These dragons would totally burn him to toast. Afterward, one of the little dragons could lightly blow on him and his black cinders would scatter in the wind. That would be awesome.
Terry: Are you concerned that your work's satirical, but admittedly subversive, content will bring you critical personal scrutiny in the post-Janet Jackson, Patriot Act environment, particularly in light of Nicholson Baker's soon-to-be-published novella about a man planning to assassinate the president?
Miles: Terry, my book is cool drawings of dragons, and I have no idea what you're talking about.
Terry: Do you consider yourself a political artist?
Miles: My dad is calling me. Baseball camp starts soon and I have to eat lunch first.
Terry: What's for lunch?
Miles: Peanut butter and jelly.
Terry: Well, Miles Layman, thanks for talking with us.
Miles: Thank you, Terry.
Posted by La at 3:08 PM | Comments (0)
Blah!
It seems like the majoity of Saturday and Sunday was spent doing life stuff, though not nearly enough of it. Except for that 2 1/2 hour nap we took Saturday. That was nice. Saturday evening, Mi Mama came up to g-town we took
Yesterday, after a trip to IKEA, the apartment to pick up a few more things, and the grocery store, I was struck down with the malaise of a head cold. I don't know if it was allergies, the decongestant medication, or the congestion it's self but all my productive plans were dashed and I was sentenced to the couch for the duration of the evening. I did get to watch an Airline marathon which was entertaining. Airline has to be my favorite of the true reality TV shows. There is very little staging (that one can detect) and generally just follows the life of a few different employees of Southwest as they go through their hi-pressure days. At every opportunity (meaning evey single commercial break) A&E was plugging their new train wreak show Growing Up Gotti. What the Hell was A&E thinking? It's really mind boggleing! But I digress... I am still congesed, but not so rundown as yesterday.
This week will be short for me, given our trip to NYC this coming Friday. No, we are not letting the hightened terror level scare us off. It's heightened in DC too where I work ever day. To NYC we go!
Quote of the Day:
Choose a goal that seems right for you and strive to be the best, however hard the path. Aim high. Behave honorably. Prepare to be alone at times, and to endure failure. Persist! The world needs all you can give.”
Posted by La at 8:45 AM | Comments (0)
