movie reviews?

Absolutely not. Wapo was fucking with me last night when it told me that "House of Flying Daggers" was showing at Ballston, three of my friends (several figured out before hand or decided to stay home and pay bills ;) showed up to find out that it wasn't showing at 7:40 but at 9 PM. So we had beers at Bailey's ... a place I never went to unless it involved comped food and drinks by a) the partner of my ex-consulting firm or b) a Guiness promo party. Well my cat is chomping on the power cords so I should go before he electrocutes himself. I promise I'll try to write something more meaningful next time :)

rar! go me!!! 

and to prove that i was there :) 

This blog has been missing some pictures, and to prove to you all that brave warriors scaled Old Rag Mntn on Inauguration Day, here's one picture of this event. 

the handsome guy who wakes me up before my alarm ... an hour earlier 

LOTR has semblance in today's world

I had just put on my gloves when the cover of the WaPo magazine caught my eye. Instantly I was engrossed in a story worthy of a season on Jerry Springer or whatever talk show is on. I never actually thought that people on Jerry Springer's shows really existed or at least there were very few. This article however convinced me that there are some screwed up people out there in the boondocks, more so than any city soul around here. Of course all I really needed to believe in were those X-Files episodes. But one quote was quite telling:

"It was like the money was eating away at whatever was good in him," Misty says. "It reminds me, like, 'Lord of the Rings,' how that little guy -- what's his name? Gollum? -- was with his Precious. It just consumes you. You become the money. You are no longer a person."

And this is from the stripper who connived to rob him. I suppose you can steal anything if it's from gollum.

The article makes one wonder, 'What would I do if I won the Lotto jackpot?' Not having ever won a jackpot, I think the first thing I would do is hire a financial manager who would invest it for me and I would just live off the interest made. I would like to think that I would keep my job, pay off my mortgage and student loans ... and all the rest of that baloney like find some charity to give to.

Movie marathon weekend

This weekend I managed to see 3 Oscar nominated films and one very silly film. Friday night I saw Sideways again, which was much better the second time around. The first time I saw it with my sister for lack of anything to do in New Orleans on the 5th day in the freezing rain. We thought it might be one of those lackluster films the Oscars nominate because all that came out in 2004 was crap ... like the years About Schmidt or As Good As it Gets came out. We were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't a wholly depressing movie and had funny parts. This time I saw it with several friends and a few bottles of wine between all of us. Definitely better when the anticipation of the funny parts makes up for the slow parts and you know you're not going to end up feeling depressed after the movie. Also makes one appreciate lines like "tighter than a nun's asshole."

Saturday my mom and I saw two rather very good films.

The first was The Aviator. Normally I'm a fan of Martin Scorcese even though I didn't like all of his films. Mostly because Daniel Day-Lewis idolizes Martin Scorcese and I idolize Daniel Day-Lewis. Also despite diCaprio's playboy hollywood image I grudgingly admit he's a terrific actor, especially after having seen What Eating Gilbert Grape? It's a good film, and not terrible downing even though it chronicles partly a man's descent into madness. I get the sense that Scorcese films aren't meant to be experienced, but just watched.

Afterwards we saw Million Dollar Baby. I'll spoil it for you but it's a tear-jerker. My theater was filled with middle aged and elderly people who were sobbing by the end of the film, the men included. Although it's a much better effort by Clint Eastwood than Mystic River, which I HATED!!!! How can someone stand through an ultra long movie and see Sean Penn cry most of the time??? Well back to Million Dollar Baby, I haven't seen so many people in a theater cry since Whalerider. The film is not about Swank's climb from trailer trash to sell-out Vegas boxer but really more about Eastwood's character. The boxing and training scenes gave me the itch to get back into Taekwondo training. Hilary Swank's body in the training scenes were to die for, how many New Year's resolutions have I made to try and look like that by the time I hit the ring .. to make my opponents cower in fear and throw in the towel??? Sigh if only I didn't have to work full-time I would probably try to work out 6 hours a day in hopes of fulfilling my closet dream of going to the World Champs as the US Lightweight Champ. Well acted, well scripted, well filmed ... the boxing scenes definitely got the adrenaline running in my veins. The climax scene (well there are several climaxes) where Swank's Gaellic aliased character has to fight the most vicious possibly evil character in the whole film (not including her family) Blue something for the title, positively sent shivers down my back. The Blue character, a mean looking man-chic who disregards the rules, much to the detriment of her opponent's lives would send me running or if I absolutely had to fight her I would pull every dirty Hap Ki Do move I knew plus any drop kicks I could land on her ugly face in hopes that she would just die. Of course Swank wants to box, not get involved in an alley fight and has respect for rules of the ring, much to her demise .... well okay, I told you I was going to spoil it a bit. But GREAT film, heartily recommend it, but take some Kleenexes okay?

Also to make the evening more lighthearted saw a quality film, "The White Chick" with my high school cousins after being stranded in Herndon. Funny, in that comic crime solving race/gender stereotype way. But funny how race gender stereotype movies are so funny. I laughed, shamelessly.

unproductive weekend

unlike last weekend, this weekend was decidedly un-productive. Yesterday I meant to go home and come right back in the evening, but the snow and sleet kept me in Herndon. I finally escaped in the afternoon today ... got my supply of curries and sundries from mom, refueled the car, hit the ATM and went to Giant for Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal cookie ingredients.

I don't usually bake ... and I mean bake cookies or sweets in general. I did bake a chocolate frosted chocolate cake for a boyfriend's birthday once ... and ate most of it myself (he really liked pies and that was too ambitious for me to make in the short time I had between work and when he was coming over). But anyway, most things I bake, like biscuits and stuff usually come out of the oven resembling charcoal or building materials. I'm a Great cook, and I'm Great at baking meats and veggies in the oven, but things that are supposed to rise while baking confound me.

So tonight I'm going to attempt to bake these cranberry white chocolate chip oatmeal cookies which i once had at a diplomat's house. That is hopefully before I tear into the Craisins and eat them all.

Even though I haven't written my presentation or paper for Thursday's class, I did screen some Oscar nominated films.

my good deed

I'm a slacker but I did some good last night. This man from the 'burbs approached me as a I left the Farragut West stop. He told me he didn't have his wallet and needed fare for the metro to get back to Vienna. Well lucky for him I had just received my metrocheck allotment, and out of the generous-ness of my heart gave him a metrocheck worth $30. He looked at me quizzically and gave me a half-hearted thanks. I guess he wanted the money instead.

In other matters, this is why, even though I've become a dc resident will always despise Marylanders. Read and laugh your heart out!!!

blog fever

For those of you blog fans the competition is underway according to this BBC article. I couldn't even get onto bloggies site because of the limited bandwidth. Very curious. Well I'm glad to know that I am not in the 40% of blog starters who don't update their blog more than 2 times a month!

*wink, wink, you know I'm trying hard :) Also it makes me feel loved and wonderful when somebody comments on my blog, which hasn't happened yet. So lemme know! Although I've heard from other blogging friends who have seen my blog,

notably:

Unrequited Narcissism (Catherine & Tom)
The World As Only I Know It (Naomi)
and then there's Julie's blog which I was quite enjoying reading but since I would access it from Catherine & Tom's blog which for some reason the link is gone, I haven't kept up with it.
Also there's Becca's blog which I can't get to for the same reason
Shoulda bookmarked it.

more tourism

this is my second tourism related post. I am particularly fascinated by unique and different tourist experiences and would like to consider myself a traveler but other things seem to get in the way.

Can a bordello really be sold as a resort destination? Nevada is the only state in the union where brothels are legal, but prostitution is by no means a hallowed trade. Brothels are usually seedy affairs, tucked discreetly away from churches, town halls and the like (or so somebody we met in a bar once told us). But Lance Gilman, who owns both the Wild Horse bordello and the trademark for the Mustang Ranch, is building a sex village complete with museum and souvenir shop.

Vegas is certainly an interesting place, one cannot ignore the fact that once you leave the hotel, it takes you about 30 mins to actually leave the grounds of the hotel, all the while seeing hispanic immigrants shuffling porno ads for service like a deck of cards. They like to decorate the fences with these ads as well. One makes you wonder if they can read or understand what they are distributing, as I've seen women also passing these out too.

what's the point

One of the greatest things about being a govee is the pay scale system. Regardless of who you are, Congress will typically vote in a cost of living adjustment, anywhere from 3-6% to keep up with inflation. So even if you get bad ratings in your performance your salary will still increase every year. That's something the private sector does not enjoy. I've known friends in the private sector who've had the same salary since they got the job ... three years ago!!! Most of them have moved onto other rival companies to increase their salaries and job potential. Also, in the government, every year you get a step increase within the grade, automatically giving you another 3% or so raise. Usually, you don't have to resort to that. Barring absenteeism and never getting any work done, its practically assured you will be promoted to the next grade, non-competitively, ensuring an additional 5-7% or more raise.

Well now the government is looking to experiment with the pay-band scale. Commonly used in the private sector. Why the freak did I transition from consulting to government anyway? Besides having a more interesting job, more security, it was the civil service scale ... which ensures practically regular promotions. Although I make less than my private sector counterparts, unlike them, I don't face a big risk of lay-off or having my salary/promotions stagnate, forcing me to look for a job elsewhere.

Okay so I'm done ranting. But I will be pissed if this thing comes to fruition. For my private sector friends, if this thing happens, look to me for a possible referral bonus :)

bp city culture

Okay so one more post, but it'll be the most I do this week!!! I promise (not). I had no idea gas stations were a place to purchase habit accoutrements of the restricted kind.

But Washington isn't buying the sweet sentiment attached to the item. "There is no other reason to sell it," he says. "You're not going to spend $3 for a plastic rose to give to a loved one. You're not telling that person much about how much you care for them—unless you're a crackhead."

I really had no idea. I will never look at a plastic rose in a gas station the same way.

so much going on Jan 20th

I didn't stay in town for inaugural day, but seemed like the place was quite hopping.

For instance there's already a trial underway for someone attempting to blow up the White House.

The hearing was the most detailed public account yet of the standoff Jan. 18 in which Timmers allegedly threatened to blow up the van and White House. The incident, at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW, occurred when the city was teeming with security because of inaugural events and forced the closing of many downtown streets during the afternoon and evening rush hour.

Anarchists in Adams Morgan.

Okay, well I'd continue but I should get to work.

whine

Yesterday blogger didn't work so I couldn't post the Harry Potter 6th book coming out madness commencing mid-July. I'm already looking forward to summer. Also it's Wednesday, one more day that I have to work that I didn't work last week. I was spoiled rotten last week by having only to work two days because of the holidays. This week is shock treatment: 40+ hour week in addition to a full week of evening course. Otherwise, I'm fairly excited about a class at GWU that I just managed to slide into: Diplomatic Negotiations Course. I like the fact that a) there's very little reading b) all the work is done during class hours rather than outside ... hopefully it will be one of those graduate classes that'll actually be useful in the outside world. Also found out next Tuesday's course is cancelled. I must treat myself!!! This opportunity may not happen again ... quick must make plans ... but what must do? Pho? Black Cat Show? Cook? Dinner with friend haven't seen in long time???? Late night avante guarde theater??? Movie???

things that make you go hmmmm....

And I thought South Asians were particularly big on conspiracies. Arabs as well as Iranians.

Nearly half of the 500 African Americans surveyed said that HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, is man-made. The study, which was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, appears in the Feb. 1 edition of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

*Last* Sunday night

Last night I saw a Cartel show at the Black Cat. Very good. Very local dc band. Very interpol-esque. They only have an EP out but hopefully soon they'll have a full album. I figured this would be my last evening out ... until May at least; so I braved the below 0 Celsius temps to walk up to my favorite dc nite spot at the request of friend of mine. I think for another one of their shows I'll try to make it out before May :)

i know, so many have already spoken of this

Yesterday after I finished doing everything I thought could be productive and attempted to watch "The Tango Lesson." I was very excited to discover that my $100/mo. cable package comes with the Sundance and International Film channels. Well truthfully, my brain was not really in the mood to watch t.v. so I continued reading the 9/11 Commission Report. I must say very good read. There were two places the book got me completely choked up. The first was the introduction where it described the events on that infamous day and second was when it went into details about the rescue ops in the Chapter entitled "Heroes and Horrors."

It really brought back memories of my own rescue squad days, attempting to play hero every Sunday night from 6 PM to 6 AM at the Scottsville Rescue Squad. Very little actually ever happened at the Rescue Squad because it seemed maybe 12 families lived in our section ... (well I exaggerate). But I suppose its an extraordinary thing to be someone who put their own life at risk so that they may save other lives. Anyway, that was tearful part of it.

Well I just got back from working out and cleaning the snow off my car before it hardens and my car becomes encased in an igloo. Now I'm working up the courage to go to Whole Foods, only three blocks away to do some grocery shopping. So I can cook my Bengali-style Lebanese meatballs!

i didn't say it

Larry's Blog

dc+white+Saturday=productive

So this morning I slept in and still managed to work out, do the laundry, clean my entire place and have a conversation with a professor on the phone about the first day of class that I missed. Upon trying to figure out other productive things to do not involving leaving my building, I decided to explore other blogs. Hahaaa, and I found a good one. I haven't actually read anything but I'm impressed by his pictures. This particularly impresses me because using that thingy blogger makes you use to post pictures confounds me and seems to take too long.

I think the rest of the day I'm going channel surf and drink homemade chai which for any of you interested is worth the time to make b/c the stuff they serve at coffee shops is not chai. It is concentrated crap. Although i will buy and drink it because I'm lazy. But in case you are interested; here is Naz's recipe for superb chai (measurements approximate):

Real Chai:

put one part milk, one part water in a small saucepan, put heat on low. Put however many teabags or loose tea ... loose tea from 'desh is preferable but if you must resort to store bought teas I recommend PG Tips bag tea or loose Twinings English Breakfast.

pinch of ginger, ground or fresh
brown sugar or honey to taste
an inch of cinnamon stick
cloves to taste
ground cardamom to taste

continue heating on low until evaporated to a thick consistency and a nice creamy brown color ... usually 20 mins. or so. Serve.