Starting this Thursday is Herndon Festival 2005. I remember once telling a friend that I had to go to Herndon Festival with one group of friends on Thursday night, another group on Friday night, go with my little brother on Saturday morning for the carnival rides, see the fireworks that evening with friends and on Sunday go see the crafts show with my mom and sis ... yeah it's one of those things. Other years I've been handing out flyers for HK Lee's Taekwondo Academy (haha, I have to write another post about this website) during the Business expo ... Herndon is the town my parents brought me home to from Fairfax Hospital and it's where I've lived a majority of my life. Sometimes I greet the festival's arrival with trepidation. Inevitably my entire high school class shows up ... sometimes its not so great, like when we all end up at Carpool and I look dorky with glasses, watching all the high school cool kids play pool and ignore me like they did back then. Other years its been gratifying, like seeing those popular girls who peaked too early, pregnant and chubby, in dead-end jobs, college drop-outs. It's the annual reunion for everyone.
This year I'm just not impressed with the bands. Carbon Leaf and Pat McGee band were some of the names this festival drew in the past, but this year the headliner is a U2 cover band, ugh. Anyway, I guess that's what I'll be doing one of the days this weekend ... they have my absolute favorite, so rare ... sweet potato fries!!
Monday, May 30, 2005
Friday, May 27, 2005
Doc fest time!
AFI's Silver DOC's festival runs from 14-19 June (only five days?). Anyway, I'm luckily not working because of my odd hours so I'll happily attend some of the showings, particularly on Wednesday when I have that odd day off. I have to admit, I'm disappointed by their lack of adventure film documentaries, the Banff Film Festival only whetted my thirst for some more reality-based edge-of-your-seat gripping gutsy outdoors films. You would think that having the Discovery Channel co-sponsor this event there would be more nature type documentaries but there are some promising ones:
Romantico
Darwin's Nightmare
Favela Rising
Three of Hearts
Bob Smith-USA
Anyone want to go see?
Romantico
Darwin's Nightmare
Favela Rising
Three of Hearts
Bob Smith-USA
Anyone want to go see?
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
film
I'm a girl who likes to photograph and I've posted some of my pix from Cancun. Unfortunately, to my dismay, they're a bit washed out. I forgot to take them out of my bag when it went through the X-Ray at the airport ...ugh ... it makes a difference. I know I should stop being a neo-luddite in-love with my antiquated film SLR and get a digital camera ....
ridiculous
At Senor Frogs, an establishment that caters to the young foolhardy spring breakers and beach weekers from the States ... in cancun ... that's as silly as I got.
Caribbean Foot
Hehe, actually on a Cancun beach. Believe it or not, the red flags were up and down the beach, dissuading most swimmers. Personally I think people are wimps! They need to check out the mid-Atlantic surf!
Garrafon
They ruined it by making it into a sculpture garden and paving it. Wouldn't it have been nicer with just the peninsula jutting into the sea? Garrafon is highly overrated. We saw maybe two fish when snorkeling, its probably better to snorkel off the beach.
Need a Lift?
Golf carts besides mopeds and bicycles are the preferred mode of transportation on the island.
Villa Vera
Our accomodations, every evening I took a dip in that pool, especially after a day at the beach, when I was waiting for my mom and sister to get out of the shower.
Isla Mujeres!
This is the view that greeted us on the ride from our hotel to town for dinner, we didn't quite make it to the beach when we arrived, but we did catch a pretty sunset over the bahia.
blog=graduate school credit?
Is it possible? I got this e-mail from my lovely graduate institution which continually tries to out do its neighboring federal bureaucracies in red tape and generally exceeding large amounts of consumer 'estimated burden' when it comes to student services:
Interested in studying How to Report U.S. Foreign Policy in Washington, DC?
The U.S. Foreign Policy Institute is offering both undergraduates and graduates the opportunity to take a 1 credit course in Summer 2005 on the relationship between foreign policy and the media. Graduate students can count this course as a skills class.
Reporting US Foreign Policy:
Students will attend sessions covering the complex relationship between the media and U.S. Foreign Policy, undertake site visits and improve their technical skills while producing a piece on U.S. foreign policy, such as a short TV report, a radio story, a blog or a newspaper article. Among the issues covered in these sessions by GW faculty and journalists will be:
Government attempts to manage the news cycle & media resistance
First Amendment issues: leaked information and use of classified documents
Global reporting of U.S. foreign policy
The influence of blogs, Internet sites and NGOs in breaking stories
Investigative journalism: sources, networks and methodologies
U.S. Foreign policy in the field: Interpreting U.S. diplomacy beyond the 'staged pageant'
Reporting U.S. foreign policy from war zones
Students will also undertake site visits including:
The State Department daily press briefing
Al Jazeera
The BBC
CNN
In addition to substantive sessions and site visits, students will enhance their media tradecraft by attending sessions on producing and editing and individually working with a journalist mentor to prepare a piece on U.S. Foreign Policy. Studio and editing time (and assistance with technology) will be available for those who need it.
For more information and an application form, please log onto the USFPI website at www.gwu.edu/~usfpi .
Now wouldn't that be rad? I'm sure if I actually did this, I would scare away the few readers I have and somehow get myself fired from work.
Interested in studying How to Report U.S. Foreign Policy in Washington, DC?
The U.S. Foreign Policy Institute is offering both undergraduates and graduates the opportunity to take a 1 credit course in Summer 2005 on the relationship between foreign policy and the media. Graduate students can count this course as a skills class.
Reporting US Foreign Policy:
Students will attend sessions covering the complex relationship between the media and U.S. Foreign Policy, undertake site visits and improve their technical skills while producing a piece on U.S. foreign policy, such as a short TV report, a radio story, a blog or a newspaper article. Among the issues covered in these sessions by GW faculty and journalists will be:
Government attempts to manage the news cycle & media resistance
First Amendment issues: leaked information and use of classified documents
Global reporting of U.S. foreign policy
The influence of blogs, Internet sites and NGOs in breaking stories
Investigative journalism: sources, networks and methodologies
U.S. Foreign policy in the field: Interpreting U.S. diplomacy beyond the 'staged pageant'
Reporting U.S. foreign policy from war zones
Students will also undertake site visits including:
The State Department daily press briefing
Al Jazeera
The BBC
CNN
In addition to substantive sessions and site visits, students will enhance their media tradecraft by attending sessions on producing and editing and individually working with a journalist mentor to prepare a piece on U.S. Foreign Policy. Studio and editing time (and assistance with technology) will be available for those who need it.
For more information and an application form, please log onto the USFPI website at www.gwu.edu/~usfpi .
Now wouldn't that be rad? I'm sure if I actually did this, I would scare away the few readers I have and somehow get myself fired from work.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
The Beautiful Mather Gorge
Little Sis climbing, Mike belaying, Jon and Meredith lounging, and another friendly stranger lounging beside us.
awkward
I had a date with a boy a friend tried to set me up with. The second time we met he saw me dancing like a crazy at The Black Cat, during one of Selector Seth's Notorious events. It's okay to dance like a nut at Notorious or Mousetrap events at the Black Cat because this is a crew of people who were dancing to these songs alone in their bedrooms ... and uh 15 years later were still dancing like it, just now in public. Thus, it was fairly easy for him to impress me with his moonwalk. Finally, he asked me out over e-mail and said 'okay.'
No harm in an actual date. We met at Gazuza's for cocktails ... he told me how he called in sick to work that day ... I was convinced he still might not be feeling well given by his occasional cough. Then I suggested we go to Cafe Citron, which on a non-weekend evening is crammed with people who are experts at salsa and merengue dancing. Cute as always, he tried to mimick them, but whenever he twirled me around, he would accidently knock my elbow into someone's head or I'd get pushed back into a petite person. Accusing me of having set low dancing expectations at The Black Cat, he said I brought him to Cafe Citron to test him where almost everyone knew how to keep a beat with their feet. He walked me home ... and then came the awkward part.
I know by then, he wasn't for me, but it appeared he had decided that I was worth checking out a second time. So he leaned in for a kiss, aiming for my mouth, anticipating that, I moved my head to the right, in hopes it would land on my left cheek, he seems to have been watching me because what then ensued for that half second was him chasing my mouth. I won, and his kiss landed on my cheek and nowhere near my mouth. To seal it, I kissed his other cheek like all the internationals at Cafe Citron do ... we can be friends but that's it.
No harm in an actual date. We met at Gazuza's for cocktails ... he told me how he called in sick to work that day ... I was convinced he still might not be feeling well given by his occasional cough. Then I suggested we go to Cafe Citron, which on a non-weekend evening is crammed with people who are experts at salsa and merengue dancing. Cute as always, he tried to mimick them, but whenever he twirled me around, he would accidently knock my elbow into someone's head or I'd get pushed back into a petite person. Accusing me of having set low dancing expectations at The Black Cat, he said I brought him to Cafe Citron to test him where almost everyone knew how to keep a beat with their feet. He walked me home ... and then came the awkward part.
I know by then, he wasn't for me, but it appeared he had decided that I was worth checking out a second time. So he leaned in for a kiss, aiming for my mouth, anticipating that, I moved my head to the right, in hopes it would land on my left cheek, he seems to have been watching me because what then ensued for that half second was him chasing my mouth. I won, and his kiss landed on my cheek and nowhere near my mouth. To seal it, I kissed his other cheek like all the internationals at Cafe Citron do ... we can be friends but that's it.
Friday, May 20, 2005
dorkass
Yar, so Julie alerted me to this, I can't help it. I have an inner geek that's still hopeful that I can watch all three of my extended series DVD's of Lord of the Rings in one sitting. It's a Star Wars personality test! And apparently I'm a perfect candidate to morph into something evil and loathesome ... sigh, now you know the truth.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
hate it or love it
Personally I liked it, Candace Bushnell's Trading Up. Yes, it's sad to say that I'm obsessed enough with the Sex & the City HBO series that I'm willing to read a novel by the author who's books spun into a commercial success. I was actually quite happy during my vacation that I was not required to read fun articles like Francis Fukuyama's "The Neoconservative Movement" or P.R. Kumaraswamy's "India and Israel: Emerging Partnership" and instead sink into "Sex and the Single Mom: Hollywood's Wild Child Grows up Just a Little--Angelina Jolie speaks out on Brad and Jen, Dating a Woman, and Sex as a Single Mom" in Vanity Fair and Melissa Bank's The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing.
Anyway here's my stab at reviewing Bushnell's novel. After reading her first book on which the infamous tv series was based, I was convinced I liked the shows better than her writing. Her books are filled with morbidly despicable characters. Trading Up is no exception, except that it has a plot line, and weirdly enough had me turning the pages waiting for the main character's comeuppance. Basically the book is about an aging manipulative Victoria's Secret model named Janey and her schemes to get to her perceived 'top' of the NYC social heap ... marrying a guy who'll buy her a 30 million dollar apartment like her best friend or become the head of a Hollywood studio, like another party attender. Strangely enough, no matter how much I'm horrified by Bushnell's character's machinations and twisted view of the world I realized a tiny piece of me resonated with Janey's character. She's ambitious, and she won't let much get in the way. Unlike me or maybe you, she doesn't really know what she wants, but sometimes like you and me, she wants what everyone else one has that she doesn't. Possibly the most interesting thing about the novel is that it does not end in Janey's demise, instead, she opens up another world for herself which is pretty miraculous after her short-lived delegation to the bottom of the NYC social heap ... there I spoiled the ending. That's what reviews do anyway.
Anyway here's my stab at reviewing Bushnell's novel. After reading her first book on which the infamous tv series was based, I was convinced I liked the shows better than her writing. Her books are filled with morbidly despicable characters. Trading Up is no exception, except that it has a plot line, and weirdly enough had me turning the pages waiting for the main character's comeuppance. Basically the book is about an aging manipulative Victoria's Secret model named Janey and her schemes to get to her perceived 'top' of the NYC social heap ... marrying a guy who'll buy her a 30 million dollar apartment like her best friend or become the head of a Hollywood studio, like another party attender. Strangely enough, no matter how much I'm horrified by Bushnell's character's machinations and twisted view of the world I realized a tiny piece of me resonated with Janey's character. She's ambitious, and she won't let much get in the way. Unlike me or maybe you, she doesn't really know what she wants, but sometimes like you and me, she wants what everyone else one has that she doesn't. Possibly the most interesting thing about the novel is that it does not end in Janey's demise, instead, she opens up another world for herself which is pretty miraculous after her short-lived delegation to the bottom of the NYC social heap ... there I spoiled the ending. That's what reviews do anyway.
iguana
Are everywhere on Isla Mujeres, which is the island my mother, sister and I stayed. I would go into depth about what the island was like, but I took plenty of pictures, so hopefully those will be posted soon (think about three weeks). People rave about Cancun, and I only spent one day there, and it was nice ... but felt more like an extension of the United States ... But Isla Mujeres was nicely off the beaten path. Definitely more laid back, less expensive, .... fewer US Americans. Apparently its where the Mexicans and other Latin Americans go for a vacation. The waters of Playa Norte (beach) are much more placid, unlike Cancun, where the Caribbean Sea pounds the crushed lime sand (although not as furiously as the Atlantic Ocean on the shore--where the wrong move will send you face first into the sand).
Most days it was 90 degrees, by the afternoon you were cooking in the shade. I found that Mexican people there are super friendly, very helpful, and polite ... contrary to the perceptions I got in high school (where english was taught as a second language to a large migrant population). My experience living in Herndon has mostly been that of being shoved into by a group of adolescent hispanic boys so they could cop a feel or be whistled at when going anywhere. But remarkably I found these people to be very honest and very nice. Made me think it wouldn't be such a bad idea to retire in Mexico!
aeropuerto
The post-holiday blues are setting in. I think I dreamed Cancun, the past five days of lying limpidly in the sweltering Caribbean sun, wading in tropical temperature waters, and watching my skin turn darker by the hour. Yesterday morning, I was lazily floating on my back in that pool! Eight hours later I'm back in overcast DC and all I can think about is drowning my post-holiday blues in some sangria at a Clarendon bar. Somehow I made into work today at 5 AM and somehow the Nathan's hotdog I ate at the Ft. Lauderdale airport didn't make a unseemly reappearance. Now that airlines don't serve meals as much, airports must do something about food! The whole time while I was at the airport I craved sushi.
I think it would be neat if this blog could really turn more into a travel blog. A few weeks ago I took the Foreign Service Oral Exam and passed! It was a two sided deal though, I passed, but I'm on the 'eligible hires' list; which is a 'dynamic' list of potential people for a 'conditional offer' (which actually means nothing until you're actually reporting to duty with all your paperwork and your SF 50 signed off for government service). With my score, it's unlikely I'll ever get a conditional offer. But wouldn't that be cool? If this was a travel blog about the day in the life of foreign service officer? Oh well. I certainly wish I had the flexibility and money to take off on frequent overseas adventures. Anyway, I'm just blathering on, not really explaining what I did in Cancun. I'm getting the pictures done the old-fashioned way, so maybe in two weeks I'll post the ones I like the best, and hopefully still remember the stories behind them, but by then I'm sure this city would've crushed my memories of those carefree blissful days to stressed and burned out mush.
Thursday, May 12, 2005
oh sarah
Tonight I got to see her (yes crappy mobile pix of the screen--the zoom is not exactly spectacular on a phone) ... and there were so many things I thought of saying about her but now none of them seem to quite fit.
She writes love songs like no one else, a way that's genuine and performs them like she wrote them yesterday; "Ice Cream" for example:
Your love is better than ice cream/Better than anything else that I've tried ...
Your love is better than chocolate/Better than anything else that I've tried
She's a woman who's been after my heart since I was in 7th grade listening to her songs on my little black Magnavox boombox ...
or "I Will Remember You"
I'm so tired but I can't sleep/Standin' on the edge of something much too deep
It's funny how we feel so much but we cannot say a word/We are screaming inside
But we can't be heard
But I will remember you/Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by/Weep not for the memories
I'm so afraid to love you/But more afraid to lose
Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose/Once there was a darkness
Deep and endless night/You gave me everything you had/Oh you gave me light
Every song on "Fumbling Towards Ecstacy" and "Surfacing" are ones that have a memory attached to them ... a middle school best friend, a high school crush, a college love, a long lonely drive in the middle of the night ...
The girl understands my relationship anxieties like no one else-- self-deprecating, painfully emotionally honest, longing, desire, and frustration ... I almost feel like I'm debasing her performance if I say I liked seeing her more at Merriweather ... Sarah is so organic ... it was awesome sitting in a lush green field under the stars last summer watching her perform. She managed to get everyone up standing and dancing even though the concert venue was the ill-disguised basketball stadium of GMU's Patriot Center.
Monday, May 09, 2005
ezralite
Well once again, one my favorite live acts is swinging around the nation's capitol ... and I get to work (big fat tears). But just so you don't miss out, tix are only $10 for their show:
6.10.05 Fairfax, VA
Fairfax Government Center
Doors: 6PM (approx.)
BTE: 9:30PM (approx.)
Tickets: $10
Tickets on Sale 5.16.05
ALL ages
On another note, one Naomi got to hang out with the lead singer, hottie Kevin Griffin (another big fat tear drop--at my missed opportunity).
6.10.05 Fairfax, VA
Fairfax Government Center
Doors: 6PM (approx.)
BTE: 9:30PM (approx.)
Tickets: $10
Tickets on Sale 5.16.05
ALL ages
On another note, one Naomi got to hang out with the lead singer, hottie Kevin Griffin (another big fat tear drop--at my missed opportunity).
decemberists
After reading Tom's review, I was happy that I had sold my tickets on Craigslist to a cute stranger I met on K & 18th St. He seemed quite thrilled that I was willing to let go of them at their original price ... apparently I was nuts because the show had sold out and other people were selling them for twice as much. Well I had my sister's graduation to attend, and once I listened to their music again, I realized it might have been too mellow a show for me ... although bands have surprised me before ... I've hated many a band to only fall in love with them after hearing them in concert (aka Kula Shaker, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Wyclef, Green Day, and some others). Ah well, apparently one show I was not to miss (and did) was the Audioslave show, starring my high school crush, Chris Cornell. Apparently the band played Soundgarden and Rage Against the Machine songs... sigh, now that would've been cathartic.
60 cent tips
Are deserving of cab drivers who give unsolicitated advice while you're on the way to a movie in Georgetown. I've had my share of cab driver experiences in DC, and this is one that I was surprised not to have encountered earlier. Most cab drivers are very interested in talking to the girls they have to transport from point to point. One example being a guy who asked about girls going to gym and lifting weights, it was absolutely unheard of to him ... he had the attitude that the gym was for men and lesbians apparently. In another case, a cab driver offered to be my boyfriend and teach me Arabic.
This time I got an Iranian man who advised me that I had chosen the wrong type of graduate degree to pursue ... according to him, I should be pursuing law because that's where all the money is. Then he went on to tell me his family's woes, how all America cares is money and materialism, how he has a degree in electrical engineering, yet he's a cab driver ... and on and on. I can sympathize for a bit, but not when they start preaching to me ... he kept trying to convince me that money was the only way to go. My argument for pursuing a career I might find interesting or enjoy (like in the government) that may not fatten up my paycheck too much was apparently naive to him. Then he had to tell me about what a man-ho he was back in his younger days and how his sons are continuing the trend, he bragged about having an italian wife. Stuck in traffic with this guy I told him he could let me off and gave him my usual payment to cabbies, $7, then he told me it was two zones, thus $8.40. So I just gave him two dollars more and then walked the rest of the 3 blocks to the theater.
When I gave him the money, I heard the unclick of the car doors, which I've begun to notice when riding cabs these days. All of a sudden now, once I'm in a cab, I'm in prison, enduring the conversation of the cab driver, and when I reach my destination, it's not until I pay the fare that I hear the distinctive sound of the car unlocking. It makes me wonder, if the doors were locked by the driver, could I still let myself out???
This time I got an Iranian man who advised me that I had chosen the wrong type of graduate degree to pursue ... according to him, I should be pursuing law because that's where all the money is. Then he went on to tell me his family's woes, how all America cares is money and materialism, how he has a degree in electrical engineering, yet he's a cab driver ... and on and on. I can sympathize for a bit, but not when they start preaching to me ... he kept trying to convince me that money was the only way to go. My argument for pursuing a career I might find interesting or enjoy (like in the government) that may not fatten up my paycheck too much was apparently naive to him. Then he had to tell me about what a man-ho he was back in his younger days and how his sons are continuing the trend, he bragged about having an italian wife. Stuck in traffic with this guy I told him he could let me off and gave him my usual payment to cabbies, $7, then he told me it was two zones, thus $8.40. So I just gave him two dollars more and then walked the rest of the 3 blocks to the theater.
When I gave him the money, I heard the unclick of the car doors, which I've begun to notice when riding cabs these days. All of a sudden now, once I'm in a cab, I'm in prison, enduring the conversation of the cab driver, and when I reach my destination, it's not until I pay the fare that I hear the distinctive sound of the car unlocking. It makes me wonder, if the doors were locked by the driver, could I still let myself out???
suckas!
So look what I got to do on Monday morning when everyone was heading into work ... yep, climb ... although this is not an action shot of me, it does show both the routes I climbed this morning, one where the current climber is and another one up the face to the right of the crack on the left side of the picture. Well next time I'll remember to pull out my phone and snap some low res pix. Here I'm just in my awesome pose belaying with an oh-so flattering harness on. Shift work does have its pluses ...
Sunday, May 08, 2005
sunday
Now is a good time to express a rare moment: hating being in graduate school. It's going to be over 70 degrees outside, it's already sunny breezy with clear blue skies, people are brunch-ing al fresco all over my neighborhood, walking their dogs ... my friends are now climbing in the dramatically beautiful Mather Gorge (aka Great Falls), others are biking down peaceful green-winding trails ... and what are my plans ... complete a 10 page policy paper recommending US foreign policy towards Iran based on 4 different theories of international relations ... AAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarghhhhhhhh!
Farghin' Freaking stupid grad school!!! Why do finals have to occur during beautiful days? Alas in less than a week I will be flying to Cancun, with not a worry in my head regarding graduate school ... but still ... wwwwahhhhhaaaaaaaaa!
Farghin' Freaking stupid grad school!!! Why do finals have to occur during beautiful days? Alas in less than a week I will be flying to Cancun, with not a worry in my head regarding graduate school ... but still ... wwwwahhhhhaaaaaaaaa!
buckets o blood
So last evening I had the opportunity to enjoy Ridley Scott's latest, Kingdom of Heaven. As usual one must enjoy Ridley's nod to the graphic gore of the East Asian cinema, particularly the splattering of blood, the slow, then fast motion of the war scenes (which looked eerily like out of Lord of the Rings--Peter Jackson has certainly set the standard for all war movies from now on), and the familiar opening of some snowy part of Europe in the dead of winter.
The scriptwriter also decided to make some commentary on man's pursuit for power in the name of religion, and making all things fair, treated the Islamic and Christian aspects of the movie with good balance. It's pretty funny, when the audience actually roots for Saladin to kill one of the major villains of the movie. Although the premise of the whole movie is pretty simplistic: one or two terribly greedy people in positions of power abuses their power for glory, not caring about the people they serve, and thus sow wars of devastating magnitude. I suppose if you are looking for allegory, besides a pretty enjoyable film, Scott does comment on current times as well. Personally, I could see it again for Orlando Bloom.
The scriptwriter also decided to make some commentary on man's pursuit for power in the name of religion, and making all things fair, treated the Islamic and Christian aspects of the movie with good balance. It's pretty funny, when the audience actually roots for Saladin to kill one of the major villains of the movie. Although the premise of the whole movie is pretty simplistic: one or two terribly greedy people in positions of power abuses their power for glory, not caring about the people they serve, and thus sow wars of devastating magnitude. I suppose if you are looking for allegory, besides a pretty enjoyable film, Scott does comment on current times as well. Personally, I could see it again for Orlando Bloom.
commencement
My little sis graduated today, er yesterday morning!!!! I'm super proud of her ... with honors to, magna cum laude! As I froze my ass off in the JMU stadium, I decided that when selecting a commencement speaker, universities should NEVER choose politicians. At my graduate speech, we had VA State Governor Warner, who went on at length about the bills he was proposing in the state legislature, by that time, everyone was either taking a nap or chatting with old friends or on their cell. For my sister's graduation, they got Secretary of Treasury Snow, who at first seemed to sympathize with everyone about the terror of the commencement speaker, but then went onto praise Bush and Rumsfeld ... thanks buddy, I know you're still looking for a job after you turn in your resignation in 2008 but COME ON!!! Really, maybe I wouldn't mind if it's a 'retired' politician, like Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell, or my absolute favorite, Bill Clinton, otherwise I think they ought to stick to comedians and actors ... maybe I'm missing a bit of tradition here, that speaker's must be people who 'made it' but why make it painful??? Why? Why???
a situation
I'm trying to adjust to a sleep cycle ... tonight I was talked into going to Tequila Beach, a place who's reputation I put down there with Polly Esther's and Lulu's ... I swear, there were people there from Manassas or worse, The Plains (they have young people out there? still???). One thing that particularly strikes me is how one reader review in Wapo claimed that the bar is really cool because it doesn't have the 'usual DC garbage' ... excuse me???? DC garbage?? How about white trash garbage? Oops, sorry. I lasted for about 1 and 1/2 hours which is pretty good, thanks to one friend who insisted the DJ play a Bhangra mix. Geez, I know I'm considered a club snob, but I feel like my adoration of Black Cat and Cafe Citron temper out my outings to 1223, IndeBleu, Zaytinya, Jaleo, or Indique (which are really more eating establishments--I actually love to eat more than drink). And did I mention, IndeBleu has the most amazing 'lamb lollipops' aka uber succulant masala rubbed lamb chops for an appetizer? That Indique has the most amazing crab cakes, with a hint of Bombay spice? Also Zaytinya's has amazing lamb kefta? And a tasty Ouzotini? Also Jaleo's chorizo and vodka spiked sangria ... a girl's best pick me up on a lousy day.
Well the situation: Final due Wednesday for a class I'm failing ... and my friends are going climbing tomorrow!!!! I suppose if I wake up I'll make an effort to go, not fair!!!! Promise to work really hard Sunday night and Mon, Tues, and Wedn. morning.
Well the situation: Final due Wednesday for a class I'm failing ... and my friends are going climbing tomorrow!!!! I suppose if I wake up I'll make an effort to go, not fair!!!! Promise to work really hard Sunday night and Mon, Tues, and Wedn. morning.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
theft
A tale from a friend who had joined me last Saturday night at Black Cat:
We get to the car @ 2am. I notice that there is no water on the window. Then I realize there is no window. Great. WE call police using a cell phone from a shop. Wait for police. Almost an hour goes by no sign. Stop other people on the streets to ask to borrow phone to call police. The 3rd attempt finally we meet someone letting us borrow phone. Again requested an officer to come and file report (insurance etc) It's almost been an hour. Lady says, no it's been 40 mins (apparently that's almost not an hour). Police car drives by at 3:40 am and I honk the car horn like mad and Ryan chases after the car. Car turns around and seeing not emergency tells us that another unit is on its way but he has another situation to deal with. Sigh. back in car waiting in rain and cold. Finally 4am a unit arrives and we give story. We get home at 5 or 6am to start dash of calling to cancel cards etc. We found out punks charged $60 on my friend's card for a metro. Nothing else so far. Next day I pick my other purse and realize. Oh. I don't bring my full> wallet when I go out so I have not lost any cards, and I cancelled them all for no reason the night before. Doh.
Visited cell co (Verizon) to let them know my cell was stolen. Spoke w/ rep, they say I will be responsible for any misc charges that occurred after it was stolen still. I was like what> How is that? I have a report. I'll be disputing this. I actually called my phone yesterday to check my voicemail. Guess who answers. None other than the guy who stole my card. How do I know? Here's conversation
*Ring, ring*
Thief: Hello?
Mei: Who's this?
Thief: Who's this? (pause) oh, oh. Is this your phone. Yeah. Well. I didn't break into your car (applause to the smart, who said you broke into my car? *I AM SO SMART, S-M-A-R-T. I MEAN S-M-A-R-T*) I bought it off this crackhead for $10. I'll tell you what I will sell it back to you for $15. (pause) cuz you know, I know this information is important to you so I can sell it to you for just like $5 more than I pay for it. And I know it's expensive to replace so you know I can sell it back to you for just $15. Come meet me at 9th & U.
Mei: Where is that
Thief: By Howard Univ. Just call me when you get here.
Mei. You have my phone (J-HOLE!)
Thief: right, well um.... Well you'll just have to use a payphone then when you get here.
Mei: Well, how would I recognize you.
Thief: I have dreds
MEi: Well that's not a lot of help. How tall are you? You'll see me, I have dreds
Mei: You're not the only w/ dreds you can give me a little bit more info. How tall are you?
Thief: 6'8" (holy crap)
Mei: ARe you wearing a jacket?
Thief: no I 'm not wearinga jacket.
MEi: then what type of shirt do you have
Thief: Army shirt
Mei: Ok well I'll see how I'll need to get there then
Then I frantically call police requesting to speak w/ the officer on my case and wanting to give them all this info thinking we can set this guy up and get my phone back! Ryan and I drive down to the police station. Wait around for 2 hrs as they all talk to each other. then finally, our officer says in short version "Look, I'll go with you if you want, but my concern is safety first. And this doesn't sit right with me. That location is a troublesome spot. Alot of people down there have guns. And do you really think you're getting your phones back for him making a profit of $5. I feel like this is a setup and he's going to have friends there to mug you. I think it's best if you let us do our job. I'll forward info to a detective. He'll call you in 3-4 days. You can give information to him. Most I can do now is go w/ you and ID guy. I can't arrest him becuz of issues w/ entrapment" yadda yadda etc
Mei: How long will all this take. To get warrant... basically we want to help get this guy caught and off the street
Officer: Honestly, it could take a year. *sigh* we walk back to my car. the one w/ the trashbag taped to the window. Drive home.
We get to the car @ 2am. I notice that there is no water on the window. Then I realize there is no window. Great. WE call police using a cell phone from a shop. Wait for police. Almost an hour goes by no sign. Stop other people on the streets to ask to borrow phone to call police. The 3rd attempt finally we meet someone letting us borrow phone. Again requested an officer to come and file report (insurance etc) It's almost been an hour. Lady says, no it's been 40 mins (apparently that's almost not an hour). Police car drives by at 3:40 am and I honk the car horn like mad and Ryan chases after the car. Car turns around and seeing not emergency tells us that another unit is on its way but he has another situation to deal with. Sigh. back in car waiting in rain and cold. Finally 4am a unit arrives and we give story. We get home at 5 or 6am to start dash of calling to cancel cards etc. We found out punks charged $60 on my friend's card for a metro. Nothing else so far. Next day I pick my other purse and realize. Oh. I don't bring my full> wallet when I go out so I have not lost any cards, and I cancelled them all for no reason the night before. Doh.
Visited cell co (Verizon) to let them know my cell was stolen. Spoke w/ rep, they say I will be responsible for any misc charges that occurred after it was stolen still. I was like what> How is that? I have a report. I'll be disputing this. I actually called my phone yesterday to check my voicemail. Guess who answers. None other than the guy who stole my card. How do I know? Here's conversation
*Ring, ring*
Thief: Hello?
Mei: Who's this?
Thief: Who's this? (pause) oh, oh. Is this your phone. Yeah. Well. I didn't break into your car (applause to the smart, who said you broke into my car? *I AM SO SMART, S-M-A-R-T. I MEAN S-M-A-R-T*) I bought it off this crackhead for $10. I'll tell you what I will sell it back to you for $15. (pause) cuz you know, I know this information is important to you so I can sell it to you for just like $5 more than I pay for it. And I know it's expensive to replace so you know I can sell it back to you for just $15. Come meet me at 9th & U.
Mei: Where is that
Thief: By Howard Univ. Just call me when you get here.
Mei. You have my phone (J-HOLE!)
Thief: right, well um.... Well you'll just have to use a payphone then when you get here.
Mei: Well, how would I recognize you.
Thief: I have dreds
MEi: Well that's not a lot of help. How tall are you? You'll see me, I have dreds
Mei: You're not the only w/ dreds you can give me a little bit more info. How tall are you?
Thief: 6'8" (holy crap)
Mei: ARe you wearing a jacket?
Thief: no I 'm not wearinga jacket.
MEi: then what type of shirt do you have
Thief: Army shirt
Mei: Ok well I'll see how I'll need to get there then
Then I frantically call police requesting to speak w/ the officer on my case and wanting to give them all this info thinking we can set this guy up and get my phone back! Ryan and I drive down to the police station. Wait around for 2 hrs as they all talk to each other. then finally, our officer says in short version "Look, I'll go with you if you want, but my concern is safety first. And this doesn't sit right with me. That location is a troublesome spot. Alot of people down there have guns. And do you really think you're getting your phones back for him making a profit of $5. I feel like this is a setup and he's going to have friends there to mug you. I think it's best if you let us do our job. I'll forward info to a detective. He'll call you in 3-4 days. You can give information to him. Most I can do now is go w/ you and ID guy. I can't arrest him becuz of issues w/ entrapment" yadda yadda etc
Mei: How long will all this take. To get warrant... basically we want to help get this guy caught and off the street
Officer: Honestly, it could take a year. *sigh* we walk back to my car. the one w/ the trashbag taped to the window. Drive home.
Monday, May 02, 2005
gearhead
Recently I've become one ... because for some reason I think its absolutely necessary to treat myself repeatedly to luxuries I really can't afford, particularly after failing or passing midterms/exams. So far my best purchase so far has been my 6 GB iPod mini. It's great, but like most headphones, I ripped them while exercising. So here comes my first product review. I bought Sony's high performance ear buds, which for $50 wasn't really cheap. They suck. Good sound, very very very BAD design. The lame-ass bird brain who designed it put the divider between the buds on the left side, so your left ear bud has a lot more weight on it and if you dare move, will fall out of your left ear. This has made any physical activity while listening to my iPod strife with pauses, curses, and the need to rip these stupid overexpensive headphones to shreds. They deliver awesome sound, however again, because of a design issue, you can hear every sounds the wires make as they rub against your clothes ... ergh!
Onto the other product review, the Griffin iTrip mini is pretty cool. So far has worked on my car and my home stereo. I don't think you get as great a sound and sometimes there's a little static, but that's pretty rare.
Onto the other product review, the Griffin iTrip mini is pretty cool. So far has worked on my car and my home stereo. I don't think you get as great a sound and sometimes there's a little static, but that's pretty rare.
thinking
What I love is how I think of great blog entries, when I can't blog, like in the car when I'm driving. Particularly when I'm coming home to DC from everywhere else. Frankly, I think Washington is the most beautiful city in the United States ... the fact that the city planners were able to turn a swamp into an oasis of elegance and sculpture-ended bridges is pretty much a marvel. My favorite part of returning to DC is driving across the Roosevelt bridge, seeing the glassy Potomac reflecting in the sparsed out lights on the faint shadow of low bridges, the luminescent dome of the Jefferson memorial, the pillar of Washington's monument, and the rotunda of Capitol Hill presiding over all of it. I like how I can see old oaks of the mall rather than the sky scrapers behind me in Rosslyn (okay relative sky scrapers), all trying to out do eachother for a view of the nation's capital.
spelling doesn't matter
you maybe surprised you can read this ... kind of dumb actually :) ... no excuse not to use spell checker though!!!
Cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrdwaht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of thehmuan mnid. Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch atCmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in wahtoredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnttihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer bein the rghitpclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you cansitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae thehuamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef,but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
Cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrdwaht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of thehmuan mnid. Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch atCmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in wahtoredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnttihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer bein the rghitpclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you cansitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae thehuamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef,but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
Sunday, May 01, 2005
in the rain
was not as depressing as last night's post outing homecoming. Tonight we hit Black Cat's Girl Friday: DJ Rekha Bhangra/Hip Hop night ... too much fun. Got to break my feet tonight which I didn't have a chance to do the evening before. Made me wish I was in London, on Green Street, and that other place lined with sari shops advertising their peacock bright silks, perusing Asian Bride and Asian Woman magazines, buying Bhangra and Club Ibiza mixes at the Virgin Record Store in Leicester Square.
Fuddrucker Garden burgers without buns are quite good too, particularly with all the fixins' ;)
Fuddrucker Garden burgers without buns are quite good too, particularly with all the fixins' ;)
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