but that's only because it's chris's birthday today! from now until thursday 8:10AM, chris and i will be the same age. so he can't say that i'm old just yet.
so if you see him, talk to him, send smoke signals to him, please wish the old man a happy birthday!!!!
11.06.2006
running, etc.
so i didn't do a marathon this year. or a half marathon. or a ten-miler. that's disappointing after having reached the major running goal the previous year, and it's little comfort to say, "well, life happened, so it's no wonder i didn't get around to it." obviously, i don't find that to be a satisfying answer, even though a reasonable person would accept it. but, i've thrown my energy behind others, most specifically kim and other MCMers. kim was AWESOME! there's also some excitement for the New York City Marathon, as that one had some banner finishers (lance!). annoying thing--i had predicted that our cycling hero would not finish under 3 hrs, mostly because it was his first marathon, his build is all this that and the other thing, etc., etc. WRONG. he finished 2hr,59 min, 36 sec. dammit. but really, good for him. and, here's proof that the man is human:
the man who has scaled the alps on his bike, the man who has completed and WON a 2200+ mile race every year for seven years, the man who has overcome cancer says that the marathon is the hardest thing he's ever done!
!!!!
for some reason, i feel validated. kim, you should too.
the man who has scaled the alps on his bike, the man who has completed and WON a 2200+ mile race every year for seven years, the man who has overcome cancer says that the marathon is the hardest thing he's ever done!
!!!!
for some reason, i feel validated. kim, you should too.
11.01.2006
hershey's kisses
i did this a long time ago, and now the Post is just spreading the word. the Chocolate Treatment at the Hershey Spa is one of the best experiences. ever. in the universe. this side of creation.
i got a gift certificate to the Hershey Spa as a graduation present, and i can't thank my parents enough. i got the scrub-down (my body exfoliated with ground cocoa bean shells) and the wrap (the chocolate fondue wrap, to be specific). the wrap was my favorite part: after a delicious massage, my lovely masseuse/chocolatier literally painted my body with chocolate. then, i was wrapped in this metallic "blanket" (i'm not sure exactly how you'd categorize it) and then wrapped again in a feather-touch blanket. the lights were dimmed, and i was left in peace and quiet. the only reason why i didn't sleep like a log was that i was too busy enjoying the feeling of being a bon-bon. after awhile, that ended, and i was treated with a mountain shower, to cleanse me of that now-hardened outer layer.
my favorite part of the whole experience was the after-effect; i smelled like dark chocolate for almost two days afterward. i would do it again in a heartbeat.
if i had $150...
OH WAIT! MY BIRTHDAY IS NEXT WEEK!
*hint*
:)
i got a gift certificate to the Hershey Spa as a graduation present, and i can't thank my parents enough. i got the scrub-down (my body exfoliated with ground cocoa bean shells) and the wrap (the chocolate fondue wrap, to be specific). the wrap was my favorite part: after a delicious massage, my lovely masseuse/chocolatier literally painted my body with chocolate. then, i was wrapped in this metallic "blanket" (i'm not sure exactly how you'd categorize it) and then wrapped again in a feather-touch blanket. the lights were dimmed, and i was left in peace and quiet. the only reason why i didn't sleep like a log was that i was too busy enjoying the feeling of being a bon-bon. after awhile, that ended, and i was treated with a mountain shower, to cleanse me of that now-hardened outer layer.
my favorite part of the whole experience was the after-effect; i smelled like dark chocolate for almost two days afterward. i would do it again in a heartbeat.
if i had $150...
OH WAIT! MY BIRTHDAY IS NEXT WEEK!
*hint*
:)
10.30.2006
he ain't heavy, he's my brother
so in many ways, my brother and i are very different, and, as we've grown older, our paths have diverged a bit, so we don't get to see each other much. but, that doesn't stop me from being very proud of him and his hard work. within the past few years, geoff has positioned himself in the faculty of Philadelphia University, and he has spent a lot of time and energy making things happen. now, he has made a more than significant contribution to Philly U's curriculum and who knows what else. he has managed to create and get approval for a new Bachelor's of Science degree in Digital Animation. he didn't just teach. he created an ENTIRE DEGREE PROGRAM. that blows my mind.
geoff and i don't always agree, and our temperments and preferences can be polar opposites, but i couldn't be prouder to have a brother like him.
geoff, you're amazing.
geoff and i don't always agree, and our temperments and preferences can be polar opposites, but i couldn't be prouder to have a brother like him.
geoff, you're amazing.
10.28.2006
10.26.2006
a classic case of idiodicy, with multiple symptoms of stupidity
so the latest comments to add sparkle to maryland politics come from my grandmother's most beloved radio personality.
i love you, grandma, but come on.
anyway, if you haven't heard yet, micheal j fox appears in ads for democrats who are supporting stem cell research, one of whom is ben cardin (yay, ben cardin!). and, if you *really* haven't heard, rush limbaugh comes out of his little radio booth swinging, alleging that fox exaggerates (sp?), even possibily fakes his symptoms of parkinsons for political reasons.
okay, yeah, i would in fact like to pretend to have a debilitating disease day in and day out just so that bob ehrlich would give more funding to higher education.
not only is this one of the more crass things i've ever heard limbaugh saying, not that there isn't a wealth of quotes to choose from, but he also tries to take some swipes in his "retraction." oh, sorry, michael, you're not faking. you're just exploiting yourself. so is limbaugh saying that anybody with condition X who supports a politician for finding a cure is whoring him or herself out?
now, a slate columnist tries to open our eyes to this being a grand old scheme by conservatives--they WANT us to think that such commentators are dumb as a brick. somehow, the author's reasoning would show that they're not really so stupid at all, that the republicans often achieve power this way. well, i think by this point, enough of the public (and by enough, i mean people who actually care) realize that rush's comments are just a waste of airtime. he's not enough to drive votes one way or another, and his attempts to derail politics via bashing-of-the-infirm just... are... stupid.
rush intelligent for acting dumb?
he's not smart enough to do that.
i love you, grandma, but come on.
anyway, if you haven't heard yet, micheal j fox appears in ads for democrats who are supporting stem cell research, one of whom is ben cardin (yay, ben cardin!). and, if you *really* haven't heard, rush limbaugh comes out of his little radio booth swinging, alleging that fox exaggerates (sp?), even possibily fakes his symptoms of parkinsons for political reasons.
okay, yeah, i would in fact like to pretend to have a debilitating disease day in and day out just so that bob ehrlich would give more funding to higher education.
not only is this one of the more crass things i've ever heard limbaugh saying, not that there isn't a wealth of quotes to choose from, but he also tries to take some swipes in his "retraction." oh, sorry, michael, you're not faking. you're just exploiting yourself. so is limbaugh saying that anybody with condition X who supports a politician for finding a cure is whoring him or herself out?
now, a slate columnist tries to open our eyes to this being a grand old scheme by conservatives--they WANT us to think that such commentators are dumb as a brick. somehow, the author's reasoning would show that they're not really so stupid at all, that the republicans often achieve power this way. well, i think by this point, enough of the public (and by enough, i mean people who actually care) realize that rush's comments are just a waste of airtime. he's not enough to drive votes one way or another, and his attempts to derail politics via bashing-of-the-infirm just... are... stupid.
rush intelligent for acting dumb?
he's not smart enough to do that.
10.22.2006
10.17.2006
politics....
hahahahahahahahahahaha! ahahahahahahahahaha!!
yeah, now steele will get elected to congress...
yeah, now steele will get elected to congress...
10.12.2006
Oops, he did it in the first place...
ahhh, the liberation of K-Fed from the shackles of being Mr. Britney. his big break on CSI tonight will rocket him toward television stardom.
in his own mind.
in case you missed it, the story centered on these "fannysmackings" (already there's a problem with the episode...), with the perps dressed in halloween masks and black hoodies. already, the writers have given K-Fed's big part away--we all know he's the bad guy because he didn't even have to wear a costume. and. and. even better. his character's name: pigman. at one point, he mouths off to nick stokes (played handsomely by george eads) and gets his ass kicked. later, towards the end, he rolls up to "da place" in one of those cars that can't decide if it's a truck or a car. you know what i mean--those 70s era concoctions of the open bed in the back but the "cab" of a car. woooooo! he's a man of his own means and didn't have to borrow brit's SUV. and to crown the episode, it ends with him getting his mug shot.
yup, this'll do wonders for his career.
in his own mind.
in case you missed it, the story centered on these "fannysmackings" (already there's a problem with the episode...), with the perps dressed in halloween masks and black hoodies. already, the writers have given K-Fed's big part away--we all know he's the bad guy because he didn't even have to wear a costume. and. and. even better. his character's name: pigman. at one point, he mouths off to nick stokes (played handsomely by george eads) and gets his ass kicked. later, towards the end, he rolls up to "da place" in one of those cars that can't decide if it's a truck or a car. you know what i mean--those 70s era concoctions of the open bed in the back but the "cab" of a car. woooooo! he's a man of his own means and didn't have to borrow brit's SUV. and to crown the episode, it ends with him getting his mug shot.
yup, this'll do wonders for his career.
10.10.2006
Honey! i'm wearing my halter top! Let's have babies!
are they serious? are they only getting this just now? are we only figuring out now that women dress not-so-subtly sometimes? GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZ.
what i really want to see is a study of men and how/why they dress during their monthly cycle. now THAT would be interesting. guys, what do you dress like when you're feeling like you don't even need a wingman?what are your hormones like at that time? how is your body doing? how about how you dress when you're not feeling awesome? do you still hit up the a & fitch cologne and urboutfitters shirts *even* when you're bloated, cranky and fatigued? help us all out and enlighten us ladies.
:)
what i really want to see is a study of men and how/why they dress during their monthly cycle. now THAT would be interesting. guys, what do you dress like when you're feeling like you don't even need a wingman?what are your hormones like at that time? how is your body doing? how about how you dress when you're not feeling awesome? do you still hit up the a & fitch cologne and urboutfitters shirts *even* when you're bloated, cranky and fatigued? help us all out and enlighten us ladies.
:)
10.08.2006
monkey reunion `06
aug 26, `06: the umbc gang hits patapsco state park, west of ellicott city. the occasion? to celebrate the 10 years that had passed since the founders of the umbc gang met. met... at playfair. silly umbc.
anyway, there was more than just a playground, but hell--those are the best pictures. in the top row, we have truffer doing his best Cheetah impression, then dustin showing his upper body might. then there's kim evading the snake pit by swinging from handle to handle, and erika showing that donkey kong is nothing (she was actually the first to jump on the playground equipment). it looked like so much fun that i tried it next. then we just felt like we had to swing in tandem. yeah, we're not 8 years old... sure... then we have dave, the pseudo-monkey (note that his feet are actually touching the ground--THAT'S CHEATING, DAVE!), the gang's all here, and cheryl and me. i hadn't seen cheryl since mary and nick's wedding, and that was... 2001? wow.
anyway, like i said, there was more than just the playground, most important being the food and alcohol. and the foreplay cake.
...
don't ask. long story.
;)
10.07.2006
it's been a long time, so
i haven't posted pictures in awhile, so here's group #1, Beatty Beach Trip `06. unfortunately, you don't see dad here b/c he was pretty sick, but he's feeling better now! :) anyway, the top three pictures are pre-beach at my parents house. benicio, manny and clara are prepping for the ocean spray via the fisher price hydrant fountain. middle three: tai chi manny, pensive clara, and geoff, mia with clara, and mom. bottom three: chilly benici, chris and manny annoyed at excessive picture taking, and a salty guy and a drowned-rat girl in OC, MD.
what a vacation!
10.05.2006
whoa......... duuuuuuuuuuuuuuude....
who knew that star trek might actually happen?!
(shush, i know it'll take forever to happen, but it's still pretty remarkable.)
questions:
1) what would you teleport?
2) if you had to choose, would you rather be spock or data?
good lord, i'm a nerd...
(shush, i know it'll take forever to happen, but it's still pretty remarkable.)
questions:
1) what would you teleport?
2) if you had to choose, would you rather be spock or data?
good lord, i'm a nerd...
my dog must have a death wish.
so tonight, toby was trying to play "dodge the bus and the escalade." now he's lying on the floor incredibly proud of himself. way to go, toby.
and all of you that hate him, shut up.
and all of you that hate him, shut up.
10.02.2006
10.01.2006
ups and downs. well, pretty much just downs...
this was a tough weekend. yesterday, my parents had a yard sale for my grandparents' old things. it was very weird. it made me realize how much the combination of household items came together to create the atmosphere of visits. as of saturday, all of that was officially disassembled. i hadn't been to my grandparents' house since before grandpa died, so seeing the stacks of dishes and walls bereft of the familiar family photographs hit me pretty hard. it was also a very frustrating morning for my parents; they'd spent hours and hours separating and organizing, sorting and moving tons of stuff, and after all of that, barely anybody came. i think that they might have made a grand total of $50, and that was just because we sold three fairly valuable photographs for $30. there's easily a few hundred dollars' worth of stuff in that house. i was given a jewelry box with some necklaces, a few linens, and a whole bunch of pictures to have for myself, to now inhabit my apartment. i felt complicit in the breakup of the environment that i'd loved so much. i don't see it as gaining lovely things, at least not yet, and i don't see it as holding onto some special family belongings right now. instead, it's more a matter of pieces and separation, and i don't want that. i'd much rather have my grandfather back.
9.25.2006
gotta love the South...
seen on a Bojangles carry-out bag: "Please put litter in its place."
You suck, Litter! Take that! YEAH! STAY DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
anyway, my impromptu trip to raleigh this weekend was interesting. chris needed to run down there to get his car inspected, and we got off late enough that he only got to the garage half an hour before closing. we were optimistic; we'd made it the whole way down without any lights alerting us to WWIII going on under the hood, the ride being jerky, and the windows randomly sliding down into the door. these are major victories, considering the piece of shit that is the Jetta. anyway, he pulls into the garage, and THEN the check engine light goes on. thus, he fails the inspection. just to kick him while he's down, the mechanic tells him that the car is vomiting oil, such that it'll die within the day. oh, and no, he can't look at it today or tomorrow because, well, i don't really know. he just wouldn't.
sufficed to say, after putting $12K for repairs into a car that cost him $12K to begin with, chris has had it with this ridiculous German bucket of crap. thanks to several parties in raleigh, we were able to get the car in capable hands and lay hold of a rental so that we wouldn't be stranded. basically the whole ride home, there was cause to remark how comfortable a car could be, how functional, and how, well, adult. the amanti we got from avis felt decidedly more grown up than that VW money pit. once that thing is functional again, it's coming back to MD, just so that he can have the satisfaction of shooting it himself. well, not really. he's going to try to sell it, and since we're finally in touch with an honest repair person, it'll be in decent shape for a buyer.
so, this weekend was not quite so restful as we had hoped, and i had, in fact, come down with some bug and wanted to throw up the whole time. but, we leaned on each other, persevered in times of distress, and came out on top. we deserve to be taken to Bojangles for being a functional couple and given a bag full of the chicken fingers and biscuits.
You suck, Litter! Take that! YEAH! STAY DOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
anyway, my impromptu trip to raleigh this weekend was interesting. chris needed to run down there to get his car inspected, and we got off late enough that he only got to the garage half an hour before closing. we were optimistic; we'd made it the whole way down without any lights alerting us to WWIII going on under the hood, the ride being jerky, and the windows randomly sliding down into the door. these are major victories, considering the piece of shit that is the Jetta. anyway, he pulls into the garage, and THEN the check engine light goes on. thus, he fails the inspection. just to kick him while he's down, the mechanic tells him that the car is vomiting oil, such that it'll die within the day. oh, and no, he can't look at it today or tomorrow because, well, i don't really know. he just wouldn't.
sufficed to say, after putting $12K for repairs into a car that cost him $12K to begin with, chris has had it with this ridiculous German bucket of crap. thanks to several parties in raleigh, we were able to get the car in capable hands and lay hold of a rental so that we wouldn't be stranded. basically the whole ride home, there was cause to remark how comfortable a car could be, how functional, and how, well, adult. the amanti we got from avis felt decidedly more grown up than that VW money pit. once that thing is functional again, it's coming back to MD, just so that he can have the satisfaction of shooting it himself. well, not really. he's going to try to sell it, and since we're finally in touch with an honest repair person, it'll be in decent shape for a buyer.
so, this weekend was not quite so restful as we had hoped, and i had, in fact, come down with some bug and wanted to throw up the whole time. but, we leaned on each other, persevered in times of distress, and came out on top. we deserve to be taken to Bojangles for being a functional couple and given a bag full of the chicken fingers and biscuits.
but don't forget to put the litter in its place.
9.19.2006
still stealing kwizzes from kim
1. Do you have any big plans for September? I'm not sure. Do I, Chris? October? Yes. November? I think. December? Not a clue.
2. What up-coming event are you most looking forward to? whatever it is that chris has cooked up
3. What was the last song you heard? "I Burn For You" (sting)
4. Quote something from last night: "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz." (me, at 9PM)
5. What time did you wake up today? 4:30 AM
6. What does your last incoming text say? something from steve, i think
7. Is there a vase in the room you are in? No. Nobody has bought me flowers since chris did awhile ago...
8. Any plans for today/this evening? eating and planning for school tomorrow.
9. Have you recently been insulted? No.
10. What is the radio in your car tuned to at this exact moment? 106.5FM
11. Compared to someone else of your age and gender; do you feel thatyou are more or less sexual than the average? More.
12. How many days a week do you work? a BAZILLION. but in reality, seven. we teachers take our work home with us.
13. Are there people you feel more connected to than others? Well yeah.
14. Is there ONE person you feel more connected to than others? definitely.
15. Are you more like your mother or your father? hmmm... sense of humor and faith, my dad. sense of intellect and arts, my mom.
16. Where did your eye color come from? Dad
17. Describe the pants you are wearing: no pants, but an Old Navy skirt, brown with khaki stripes, size 8?
18. Have you ever been in a recording studio? no
19. The myspace picture you've had up the longest, what's going on inthat picture? don't have myspace, but the longest one i've had onlinen is the pic of me in front of the bellagio in vegas.
20. Are any of your myspace pictures alcohol related? the one of me in front of the bellagio
21. What is your worst relationship quality? taking things Way Too Seriously
22. What was your most recent serious injury? whatever it was that made me pass out at the twilight trot--bad enough for me to be taken to shady grove hosp.
23. What were you most recently pissed-off about? pint-sized individuals
24. What song best describes your summer? runaway--the Corrs
25. Are you a fan of cake? yes, especially bts/foreplay cake.
26. What shirt have you not worn in a while that you would like to? chris's black and white Broughton Wrestling shirt
27. Do you spill a lot?Yes.
28. When was the last time you were hit on? by the slimy konick in adams morgan way way way long time ago. i love the guy, but he's a man whore.
29. What is the next concert you are going to and where are you seeingit? i'm not sure. it'll probably be one of ainsley's concerts in DC
30. Name someone you know who is most likely to be found at a bar onTuesday night: russdog222
2. What up-coming event are you most looking forward to? whatever it is that chris has cooked up
3. What was the last song you heard? "I Burn For You" (sting)
4. Quote something from last night: "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz." (me, at 9PM)
5. What time did you wake up today? 4:30 AM
6. What does your last incoming text say? something from steve, i think
7. Is there a vase in the room you are in? No. Nobody has bought me flowers since chris did awhile ago...
8. Any plans for today/this evening? eating and planning for school tomorrow.
9. Have you recently been insulted? No.
10. What is the radio in your car tuned to at this exact moment? 106.5FM
11. Compared to someone else of your age and gender; do you feel thatyou are more or less sexual than the average? More.
12. How many days a week do you work? a BAZILLION. but in reality, seven. we teachers take our work home with us.
13. Are there people you feel more connected to than others? Well yeah.
14. Is there ONE person you feel more connected to than others? definitely.
15. Are you more like your mother or your father? hmmm... sense of humor and faith, my dad. sense of intellect and arts, my mom.
16. Where did your eye color come from? Dad
17. Describe the pants you are wearing: no pants, but an Old Navy skirt, brown with khaki stripes, size 8?
18. Have you ever been in a recording studio? no
19. The myspace picture you've had up the longest, what's going on inthat picture? don't have myspace, but the longest one i've had onlinen is the pic of me in front of the bellagio in vegas.
20. Are any of your myspace pictures alcohol related? the one of me in front of the bellagio
21. What is your worst relationship quality? taking things Way Too Seriously
22. What was your most recent serious injury? whatever it was that made me pass out at the twilight trot--bad enough for me to be taken to shady grove hosp.
23. What were you most recently pissed-off about? pint-sized individuals
24. What song best describes your summer? runaway--the Corrs
25. Are you a fan of cake? yes, especially bts/foreplay cake.
26. What shirt have you not worn in a while that you would like to? chris's black and white Broughton Wrestling shirt
27. Do you spill a lot?Yes.
28. When was the last time you were hit on? by the slimy konick in adams morgan way way way long time ago. i love the guy, but he's a man whore.
29. What is the next concert you are going to and where are you seeingit? i'm not sure. it'll probably be one of ainsley's concerts in DC
30. Name someone you know who is most likely to be found at a bar onTuesday night: russdog222
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
