Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Wildcard Wednesday: Girlfriends


I moved to DC 15 months ago. I haven't dedicated a lot of time to making friends for a number of reasons. I'm busy, I'm happy, and I have many of the most amazing friends on the planet, they just happen to live far away.

Some days their distance takes a toll. When I hear people in my office heading out to lunch or grabbing a drink after work, I think of how badly I'd love to be able to do the same with a close girlfriend.

Here's to us!!! You know who you are!

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Timewarp Tuesday: First in Line

When I was in college, I was a HUGE fan of the Cocteau Twins. My older brother introduced me to their album Treasure, and it stuck. I especially liked listening to Cocteau Twins when I flew. Something about this music and clouds goes together.



My senior year, Cocteau Twins toured the U.S., a rarity for this UK-based studio band. They played at Tulane, and the day the tickets went on sale, I sat in the hallway of the student union building for at least an hour to make sure that I got the best seats in the house.

I dragged my good friend Nadia to the show at McAlister Auditorium, even though she hadn't even heard of the band. My boyfriend at the time made fun of the Cocteau Twins because you can barely make out their lyrics, so I wasn't about to invite him.

The show was alright, considering that the band consisted of Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) and Robin Guthrie (guitar) and some computerized machine that seemed to fill in a lot of other sounds. If it weren't for her otherworldly voice, it might have been a bore.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Monday Musing: Tease

We had beautiful warm weather last week. It's been raining for the last few days.

These chairs so want people to sit in them.


And then I got this light show while I was waiting for the bus. I could hear a pulsing bass line, but otherwise nothing appeared to be happening at 1215 Connecticut. Anyone?

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Sunday Sentiment: Reality Bites

It's a cool, rainy Sunday afternoon and I'm all too aware that playtime is over. That Whole Foods and laundry await when all I want to do is lie around Wood's apartment (or teleport myself home) and play on the computer, stare at the ceiling, or watch TV. Sometimes I'd rather just be a character in a comic book. Here's the view from that world at this moment. Then again, I like my world in color, too.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Thirsty Thursday: Cajun Dancing

I love to dance. I love music and I love to dance to it. One of the most fun dances is cajun dancing, and I'm delighted that my time in Louisiana led me to discover it.

This being the eve of the New Orleans Jazz Fest, I bring you some people having a lot of fun dancing at Mulate's, a restaurant and dance hall in the Warehouse District. If you've visited NOLA with me, chances are I brought you here for the amazing Cajun food, great music, and lively dancing.



By the way, there's also a Mulate's in Breaux Bridge, LA. I've never been. They call the music they play "chank-a-chank." God bless, Louisiana.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Wildcard Wednesday: What Comes Between Me and My Calvins?

I bought some skinny black Calvin Klein jeans at Macy's yesterday. I can't wait to wear them. Back in the day... like the late 70s/early 80s buying Calvin Klein jeans at Macy's carried some serious caché. Between Gloria Vanderbilt, Sassoon, Sergio Valente, and those jeans with the puffy tulips on the pockets, Calvin Kleins were the bomb. (Except that we didn't say "the bomb" yet.)

Before she started sticking cigarettes in her ears, Brooke Shields did commercials for Calvin Klein!



Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Tuesday Timewarp: Grrrl Power, Part Deux

Happy Birthday on Earth Day to one of my very favorite earth mother/Taureans. My dear friend Beth and I haven't been quite as regular in our communication over the past several years, but fortunately, she's one of those close friends with whom you can pick up where you left off as if a day hasn't passed. That's the true test of enduring friendship.

Case in point. She visited DC last July. And the first thing we did together? Yoga. She kicked my ass, by the way. She, who had been traveling and should have been considerably stiffer than me, kicked my ass. Beth was a dancer long ago and has a dancer's flexibility you see. I, on the other hand, work intensely for every pose. Then we went for sushi and to, well, pick up where we left off. It was short and sweet.

Beth amazes me with how totally f*ing cool she is, yet she is a major geek with a charmingly neurotic personality. I think both are reasons we get each other. She's tattooed. She entered college at 16. She was an erotic dancer in San Fran in the early 90s. She is an L.C.S.W. She plays bass guitar. And she knits. I still wear the scarf she gave me a couple of years ago. In fact, she has sent me a birthday and/or Christmas present (usually a few months late) for many, many years. She let me sleep on her couch when I broke up with my live-in boyfriend. She'll travel to New Orleans or to Eastern Europe with you at the drop of a hat. She and I (and a couple of other amazing women) founded a radio show called Girlie Magazine. She's classic riot girl. And she rocks!

So here's another riot girl tribute:



Monday, April 21, 2008

Monday Mallardy: Chatty Girls

Wood and I caught Mr. and Ms. Mallard hanging out in a fountain near the U.S. Navy Memorial. I love how they make the city their own. After all, it was 80 degrees out. Time for a swim.

I don't know what Ms. Mallard is chatting about in this pic, but the Mr. doesn't seem particularly engaged. Perhaps he is thinking about sex or food. I guess gendered relationships are universal across the species. My girl cat Lucky is quite a chatty catty, too. Romeo on the other hand is very cuddly, but not very talkative, but sometimes I think that's because he's the big, sweet, slow boy in the class. (And he's quick to pounce on Lucky but as he is neutered, I'm not sure if he understands why he pounces.)

Wood can attest to my regularly talking his ear off, and he's a good sport about it, God bless him.


Saturday, April 19, 2008

Saturday Sentiment: Where in the World....?

Yesterday on my way to work, yet again, police and security were swarming around the Washington Hilton as were John McCain's campaign people and some Catholic anti-war protesters.Apparently, McCain and Bush were attending the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. My friend with in the yellow shirt told me that they wanted to make sure McCain knew that even though he was hangin' with the Cats that they don't agree with his proposed policy in Iraq. (Guess they gave up on Bushy a while ago.) Speaking of Bush, I caught his motorcade cruising up Connecticut Ave.

Here's the closest I'll come to the President.

Morgan Spurlock (the Super Size Me guy) calls Bush the 2nd Most Wanted Man in the world. The first is Osama bin Laden, the subject of Spurlock's new film, Where in the World is Osama bin Laden? which opened nationwide yesterday.



I found the film to be a hopeful testament to the people of many countries in the Middle East (with the exception of Saudi Arabia and the Israeli-occupied areas of the West bank, whose on-screen behavior gave me serious chills.) Coming off his Super Size Success, expectations were high and reviews have been lukewarm. Minus a slow beginning, it's a really funny, sincere film that, like Super Size Me, should be required viewing for all Americans.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Thrilling Thursday: Warm Weather Arrives

Wood and I had a lovely impromptu get together with his mom, her friend Peter, and her neighbor Amy on the roof of his mom's building. We ate salad, pasta and pizza and enjoyed it with a glass of wine under a terrific sunset followed by a gorgeous nearly full moon. The evening was perfect. On days like this, you realize that life is good.

Sadly, I didn't take any pics. Was too in the moment, I suppose.

Instead, here's a fun pic of Wood and I from last Wednesday's big blowout 25th Anniversary Party for my company.
I met more celebrities that night than I could imagine, but that's "the biz"!


Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Wildcard Wednesday: I Am Officially a Fence-Sitter

Ok, I admit it. I am now officially a fence-sitter. It wasn't tonight's debate that did it, but a host of things that have transpired in the last month.

I made this nifty graph so that you can track my level of excitement for the candidates over the course of the last several months.


Apparently, I'm not alone in my vacillation. Check this out this Morning Edition story on NPR.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Timewarp Tuesday: Grrrl Power

I picked up my guitar for the first time in a long time today. I had been listening to this Salt Lake indie-rock band Lovesucker on my iPod, and it brought back vivid memories of my years playing in the hole in the wall venues like the defunct Spanky's, and The Zephyr and Burt's Tiki Lounge, Urban Lounge, and Liquid Joe's in the late 90's. My bands (Echo 7 and then Sugarpants) often shared a bill with bands like Lovesucker, Fistfull and Fumamos. The common element between the three of them, besides being loud and rockin', was that they had really powerful women in them. (My band seemed to be the exception with my being the only grrrl.)

It reminded me that the 90's were quite the era for grrrls getting loud. Here's one band I really enjoyed seeing play live (once in Madison, Wisconsin and once in SLC): Babes in Toyland from Minneapolis.



That Kat Bjelland! Now she can SCREAM!!!! And I love Lori Barbero on the sticks.

And if Kat reminds you of anyone, it's because she used to play with Courtney Love, although in Kat claims that Courtney ripped off her signature "kinderwhore" (that's what she called it) look. Courtney says Kat copied her look. Who do YOU believe?

Monday, April 14, 2008

Monday Mania: Woodmiser

Ok, today was uneventful. Nothing of note happened. Really. And I'm winding down to take take a long bath and then watch Hell's Kitchen.

So, from the the An-in-Dig (pronounced "An-in-Dij") archive comes the Woodmiser. Just so you know, my darling Wood is as sweet as peach pie and he's even added a little a la mode as of late, making him super-sweet.

However, when he gets a little steamy-headed, I tend to compare him to the Heatmiser. And so when we saw this Bailey's liquor ad featuring the Heatmiser and Snowmiser, we couldn't pass this shot up.

Notice the resemblance?

I suppose one might ask why Bailey's is using characters from a children's Christmas special to sell sinfully delicious drinks, but I suppose most people who remember Heatmiser and Snowmiser are well past drinking age.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Saturday/Sunday Scenarios: States, Scientology and Suburbs

Notes from this weekend.

On Friday, my galpal Jessica and I had dinner at a great little Peruvian joint Inti. Half-way through our shared flan, I realized it had become a miniature custard version of the United States (including Hawaii!)

Saturday, on our way through Dupont Circle, Wood and I encountered a lively anti-Scientology protest. As you might guess, taking place in front of the Church of Scientology at 20th and R St.

Sunday, Wood and I went on a field trip to the end of the Orange Line in Vienna to meet up with his pal James to look at bikes at REI and have a hearty burger at Five Guys. James rather innocently described the area as having "everything you need" since the new construction everywhere you looked had a Safeway and Blockbuster and a Romano's Macaroni Grill within a stone's throw. Throughout the day, Wood and I had been contemplating our possible future home base and decided it definitely was NOT going to be in Fairfax County. I'm thankful every day that my sweet and amazing boyfriend have the same sensibilities and aversions in this regard.

Upon returning to "the District," we were approached at a bus stop by a woman who asked us, "What do you think about the European colonization's effect on the African mind?" We discussed it with her as well as a native Chinese guy who was in town on vacation where he lives (San Francisco). As odd as it was, we decided the daily assault was preferable over the slow death of the strip mall.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Friday Fantasy: The West


On my way to work, I engaged in my pretty regular fantasy of returning to my roots on the West Coast. When I imagine my perfect place like when we're asked to do a visualization in yoga class, my mind always retrieves an image of me somewhere near a beach in Southern California.

It's a little strange since, I'm not from SoCal but NoCal. Maybe it's because my earliest memories of vacations (and hence, adventure) usually involved going on a car trip down South. Or perhaps, it's because I am a swimmer and the water near LA-LA-land has always been more inviting. Then, again, anywhere in the sunny Golden State makes me happy.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Thirsty Thursday: Flowers on Fire

It was our first LOVELY warm spring afternoon in DC today. And near 24th and K Sts., this is what these beautiful tulips actually looked like. It's like a painting.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Timewarp Tuesday: Army Dreamers

I've been listening to NPR replay the Senate Committee hearing on the state of the Iraq war.

Of course, in the 80's, we were still in the midst of the Cold War with Russia. As a result, 80's music was full of apocalyptic themes. Duran Duran sang "you're about as easy as a nu-cle-ar war." ("Please, Please, Tell Me Now") And Frankie Goes to Hollywood's famous "Two Tribes" video featured look-a-likes of then-President Ronald Reagan and Russia's Konstantin Chernenko in a wrestling match. The list of 80's Cold War songs is long.

So, it seemed appropriate to share with you a video by another amazing late 70's/80's artist who probably needs no introduction, but if you've never heard Kate Bush's voice, you're in for a treat.(You may recognize her from doing back up vocals with Peter Gabriel, but she is very much an artist in her own right, being the first woman to hit number #1 in the UK with a self-written song. The queen of her own undefinable style, she's influenced many artists including Sarah McLachlan, PJ Harvey, Bjork, Tori Amos, and Sinead O'Connor, but this short list underestimates her reach by a long shot.)

This one's dedicated to soliders all around the world.



Monday, April 7, 2008

Monday Musing: Starbucks Story

I frequent the Starbucks around the corner from my office and near the Balston Metro station at 901 N. Stuart Street in Arlington. There is a big, white guy with brown hair, probably mid to late twenties. When he first started working there, I remember asking for a "skinny" peppermint mocha.

"You know what a skinny is?"

Having ordered "skinny" lattes since he was a pimply pre-teen, I paused and said "Yessss. It has skim milk." This I know because I am from the west coast, and long ago in southern California I remember hearing drinks ordered that way. After all, people in L.A., of course would be the first to call something "skinny."

"No, it's with sugar-free syrup and skim milk." This snot-nosed barista informed me. Boy was I schooooled.

Little did he know that Starbucks had only co-opted the term to promote its own lo-cal drinks. (See its December press release.) Coffee dictionaries offer my definition. By the way, for "the skinny" and some venti-ing on the subject check out the Starbucks Gossip.

Anyhoo.... That was a few months ago...

Today, I ordered my same drink which despite having ordered it about a thousand times, I only have finally gotten down how to order it, so I don't stand there grasping for adjectives ("Peppermint, skim, mocha.... uh, tall or is it tall, mocha, skim milk, shot of Peppermint?)

"Tall, SKIM, Peppermint Mocha, please"

And Mr. Snot-nose asks me, I assume politely, since I haven't been schooled for at least a few months, "Do you want whipped cream?"

"No, thank you."

"Well, you should really SAY that."

Huh? I'm getting corrected on my order again? Who's paying whom here?

What a wake up.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Sunday Solace: Intro. to Social Dance

Dance classes can make or break a couple. In Wood and my case, I think it did both. We started our Intro. to Social Dance (a.k.a. Ballroom) class the Saturday before last. While we sailed through class number one with relative ease, class two became more challenging and by its end, Wood and I were not happy dancers.

Of course, we didn't immediately pinpoint our frustration on the teacher who had been late for both classes, effectively cheating us out of 1/4 of our dance time, adding to the pressure of learning something new in a rush, but named each other and stepping on eachothers' feet/getting one's feet stepped on as the culprit. It is so easy to blame the other with something so intimate as partner dancing. And it just melted down from there.

After said meltdown, and I won't go into the gory details, we took a deep breath and did a pretty decent job of pressing the reset button on our evening. After dinner at one of our favorite unpresumptuous restaurants Astor Cafe and dessert at the even less fancy Baskin-Robbins, we ended up finding the perfect place to try out our new moves---at the bus stop! (Yet again, public transportation creeps into my blog.) We then practiced in our sockfeet in the foyer of Wood's apartment building, so that even if we DID step on eachothers' feet, it didn't hurt as much. And it was a metaphor for our general increased forgiveness for eachothers' imperfections.

They don't let you take pictures inside the studio, probably because of the delicate partner relations that happen there.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Saturday Sentiment: Tumultuous Times

We've been reminded of 1968 this week. MLK was shot and killed 40 years ago yesterday and reference has been made to the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy just two months later. There was a war of questionable intention that was going on overseas that had started 5 years prior, escalated by a Democratic president. His popularity, too, declined significantly and the incumbent president surprised the nation by not running for a second term, leaving the field open. Turbulence at political party conventions made front page news. Social unrest was at its peak. Any of this sound familiar?


My dad took this picture of my older brother Hans, me and my mom in November 1969. I was born six months earlier during a multiday standoff known as the People's Park Riots between demonstrating UC Berkeley students and the police, ordered by Governor Ronald Reagan and California Attorney General Edwin Meese, which culminated on "Bloody Thursday" when a Cal student was fatally shot. While the violence hadn't yet erupted the day I was born (on Saturday, the 10th), I'd been told that my dad had to take a circuitous route in to the hospital to get around the area that had been cordoned off.

On my last visit to my home state of California, my mom and I took a day trip to my birthplace Berkeley. As we drove past a Safeway, she mentioned that during that tumultuous time, she would ask my dad to come home during his lunchtime to watch me (my brother was probably at school), so that she could do the grocery shopping. She didn't dare take her babies to public places.

Students for a Democratic Society had bombed police cars in February 1970. Just a few years later, the SLA (Symbionese Liberation Army, which took hold in this California town) would kidnap heiress Patty Hearst in her Berkeley apartment.

Did you even know that Ted Kaczynski (the unabomber) was a Math professor at Berkeley at the time? (He resigned. Apparently, his students found him to be aloof.) My friend Kristin would find it quite interesting that after he left Berkeley in the summer of 1969, he moved in with his parents in Lombard, Illinois. I always knew we had a special connection.

Amazing what you can find out on Wikipedia, huh?

Times were uncertain, indeed.


Thursday, April 3, 2008

Thursday Thought: Emotional Math

This is how I feel right now.

For most of today, I was feeling pretty ok. And how you feel seems to be made up of a bunch of little moments and how they add up (or subtract) from your daily experience.

For example:

I went out last night to a black tie event with some co-workers, and we had a lot of fun. (+5)

I got a message from my boyfriend last night, (+10)
but didn't get to say good night to him. (-5)

I was able to extend my "blow out" so my hair looked nice today (+3)

My boss and I worked productively on a project that we're about to finish (+3)


The vendors I work with and my staff were all very responsive today (+2)

I ate left over red beans and rice and my boss shared his sweet potato fries with me (+2)

My college friend Amy who lives in Virginia e-mailed me. (+5)

I had some miscommunications with two people at work (-2), but then were resolved (+1)

My boyfriend called me at work (+5)

I got thanked for my work in front of the entire company. (+5)

Someone was inconsiderate to me at work (-5). And continued to be (-5).

I got through my day's "to do" list. (+3)

It got really cold and rainy (-3).

My Metrorail "Smartbenefits" were not very smart and credited me for $80 instead of the $100 that come out of my paycheck. (-5)

I had to use a super small locker at the gym (-2) and there were no hangers for our coats (-1). But the staff was very courteous (+2)

Our Zumba instructor was almost an hour late (-3) but a bunch of the regulars rallied and taught the class (+2).

I missed the 42 bus by about 1 minute (-2), but another one came withing 5 minutes (+2)

I got home to my sweet kittens whom I love.(+10) I'm sad that I haven't seen my boyfriend in a few days. (-8)

I figured out a blog topic and still have time to cook dinner and watch the two episodes of Law & Order I taped last night. (+5)

So, you can see that my day peaked at around 3 in the afternoon when my day had a score of 34. Then it started losing considerable points, declining to a low of about 15 when I got to the gym where it started to turn around. Now with my cuddly kittens, dinner, and L&O imminent, I've bounced back to about a 24.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Timewarp Tuesdays: The King of Cool

Many of you have heard that Roxy Music was my very first concert (at age 14)*, putting me on a path toward musical je ne sais quoi at an early age. Bryan Ferry IS in fact one of the coolest people to ever walk, no swagger, on the planet.

For those of you unfamiliar with Roxy Music, they were THE influence behind bands like Duran Duran. They created style way ahead of their time. Take a look.



And because they are so classic. Here's another. No wonder this style was termed "the new romantic." Check out all the pointed gazes at the camera.



*I am forever indebted to my older brother Hans who, because his best friend Dion had been grounded the day of the concert, tolerated bringing his little sister to the show.