Sometimes I'm not the sharpest tool...

You know, today I am totally vegging out, staying warm and snuggled in bed and whatnot. I'm watching WAY too much TV. And I'm watching the worst possible show.

I love the National Geographic Channel's "Seconds from Disaster." I've watched their episode on Chernobyl, on the collapse of a shopping mall in Hong Kong/Singapore??, the United flight that cartwheeled and crashed in Sioux City (where Charlton Heston played the pilot in the made for TV movie based on the flight), and some other stuff.

Today, they are analyzing the Air Florida crash that hit the 14th Street bridge shortly after take-off from National Airport. And just like those great friends of mine from high school who thought it was a terrific idea to go see "Executive Decision" right before I flew to Europe (the same summer that TWA 800 and Valujet crashed, I might add), watching this type of show when I am afraid of flying is probably not the best idea. Layer on top of that the fact that the majority of my flying in the near future will be from National, to Florida, and over the coming winter months - well let's just say that I could have picked a better show to watch.

La Bella Figura...

I just finished reading Beppe Severgnini's La Bella Figura - a Field Guide to the Italian Mind. It's an amusing little book that attempts to explain Italian idiosynchrisies to a foreigner (why Italians don't generally think of a Red Light as an absolute command to stop). It's a quick read (I started it yesterday morning and finished on the trip home on the train tonight). Coincedentally, he was just interviewed yesterday on All Things Considered on NPR, which you can listen to here.

I know that his explanations of Italian life and their attitude towards work would just upset poor CC, though.

My next book is Camus' The Stranger, a decidedly different type of reading altogether.

Learning to ... sail?

For DH's 30th birthday, I am giving him a one-day sailing lesson in the Florida Keys with the Offshore Sailing School. It's been a dream of ours to sometime bareboat charter a 30-40 ft sailboat and sail from island to island in the Virgin Islands, and this is just one step in the right direction. Actually, I hope that we'll enjoy sailing enough to want to take more comprehensive training. I've been sailing once before, and I seem to remember enjoying it then.

Unfortunately, the sailing lesson will have to wait until I visit him in November over Veteran's Day weekend. But at least it's something to look forward to.

The laziest post ever

So, I have a very frustrating situation at work... but I don't feel like typing out the whole drama again... so I'll just cut-n-paste from emails that I have sent to DH and Jeffro today.

To: DH
Today, 3:13pm

Hey,

So I'm a little disappointed, but I think that they have already found someone else to fill the opening position in the office. The girl who is leaving was talking to the girl in the cubicle next to mine (who is supposed to be coordinating the effort) and it sounded like they were talking about someone who was a good fit and arranging with the HR rep to make it happen.

I'm so totally bummed, but whatever right. When God closes a door
he opens a window or some such crap.

Argh. Oh well... I knew that it was never a sure thing, but I did
think that it was as close as I was ever going to get. Maybe things will
work out for my Jan. rotation with the Fish folks. If not, I don't know
what I am going to do - but I won't know about that until July of next
year anyway, which is a long time in which to consider my other options.

Argh x2. Eavesdropping sucks.

From: DH
Today, 3:25pm

That does suck. Are you sure it wasn't you they were talking about?
If not you, then I'm sure something else will work out, as you say.

TO: DH
Today, 3:49pm

Hey babe,

I was pretty sure it wasn't me - but about 2 minutes later the girl
who is "coordinating" things started asking me what I felt like I had
accomplished in my month here. I was joking around a bit, and then I
caught that she was trying to get me to "read between the lines" and
make sure that I had a list of accomplishments for my month here to show
when the position got circulated.

So now, needless to say, I am totally confused.

ARGH ARGH ARGH!

TO: Jeffro
Today, 4:04pm

Is it possible to have a complete emotional 360 complete itself in the space of 5 minutes?

You know how I really want the position that is opening up in this office... well I just heard the girl who is leaving and the girl who is supposedly coordinating the hiring for that position chatting about what I thought was the person that they were going to bring on. They talked about getting in touch with the HR person, the quality of that person's connections, etc. So I was sure that they had already picked someone else out and all that.

Then, literally like 5 minutes later, the girl who sits next to me (the one who is coordinating it all) asks me whether I feel like I have accomplished anything in my single month here. I tell her half-seriously that I wasn't really expecting to "accomplish" much considering that it was only a month, but that I had really just enjoyed the different discourse and focus of the office as opposed to my home office. She then kind of restated the question, saying that I should really try and figure out what I had worked on that might push something forward, etc. I then asked " Am I supposed to be reading between the lines, because I get the sense that I should be" and she replied "well, I just want to make sure that you are prepared if that position should get listed" at which point I felt like a high school girl getting used and abused by her college boyfriend. What should I believe, what should I be doing, are they just toying with me or do they really like me.

I thought that you would find that compelling.

ARGH!


There was a lot of frustrated "argh"ing this afternoon, needless to say.

Kitchen Update - Day 34

It's been a while since I posted a kitchen update, but in fact it has been a while since there has been any significant work in the kitchen. Right now we are waiting for the plumber to install the plumbing in the main sink, the new island cabinet to be delivered, the new island countertop to be measured and installed, the new island sink... well you get the picture. Redesigning the island is seriously going to put a Thanksgiving completion date at risk.

Anyway.... the pendant lights have been installed and the handles have been installed on most (not all) of the cabinets... here's a few pics:

Here are the pendant lights:



And here are the cabinets' handles (check out the glass doors!)

So precious

Last night I went out to the movies with a friend of mine and saw the absolutely delightful Little Miss Sunshine. There are just no words to describe how sweet this movie is - there is a reason that it is the highest rated film of the top 50 films out right now on Rotten Tomatoes (93% fresh).

And, it cements my belief that Steve Carell is the funniest man on the planet.

The funniest thing afterwards was that my friend and I went out for coffee and a snack after the movie, and within 20 minutes of sitting outside at the Cosi in Courthouse, a yellow VW bus went buzzing by (horn thankfully silent). About 40 minutes after that... a guy on a moped went wizzing by. It gave us a nice after-movie giggle.

It's that time of year

I know it's not intellectually cool to like to watch TV, but I really enjoy a few shows and am so excited that the Fall season has started!

Of course, Project Runway is virtually over, with its last episode of the season scheduled for October 18th. I'm kind of over this season already... so whatever.

The Amazing Race 10 premiered on Sunday, September 17th. It was both an awesome and awful episode: awesome because they went West-East rather than East-West (Seattle to China for the first leg), but awful because the delightful Arti and Vipul, the show's first Indian-American racers, were eliminated. Sniff sniff. There really isn't anyone else for me to cheer for right now... everyone else kind of rubs me the wrong way. We'll see as the season progresses.

Of course... the big news is the season premiere of The Office tonight, as well as My Name is Earl. I love Earl because of Joy - she was robbed at the Emmys. The Office, well I think that I have said all there is to say about that. I just can't wait to see what happens!

I'm also hooked on CBS's How I Met your Mother. Neil Patrick Harris's character (although he'll always be Doogie Howser to me) is laugh-out-loud hilarious, and it's a cute show with a cute premise. I really want NPH's character to end up with Robin, though, because their chemistry in the laser tag episode was really fun to watch.

I know that there are tons of other shows out there, but these are my favs. I'm scared to get into Lost again, because I just really don't want to waste my energy being frustrated with a show that wasn't as good last season as it was the previous.

Set your alarms for 8:00 tonight and tune in to NBC!

Amazing grace

This is Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Steve Irwin. I watched the Steve Irwin memorial on Animal Planet last night, which was an amazing and appropriate tribute to his life. Watching his friends and father talk about him was emotional, but Bindi's speech was simply incredible. Her poise, grace, maturity, and spirit are a tribute to her father and her mother.

All I can say is that I was Bindi's age (8 years old) when I lost my mother, and I absolutely could not have stood up in front of 5000 strangers and delivered such a performance. Simply amazing. Here's a link to her speech on YouTube.

Also... the pain on Terri's face while watching her daugher speak is heartwrenching. Warning - on a scale of 1-5 tissues, 1 being Katic Couric's departure from the Today show and 5 tissues being the combination of Love Story, Terms of Endearment, and Steel Magnolias wrapped into one sobfest... this clip gets 5 tissues out of 5. Heartbreaking, regardless of what you thought of Steve himself, he was clearly deeply loved.

What planet am I and which should I rule?

I saw this cute little question-quiz over at Basilea, and took it. I was suprised at the accuracy of the result:

You Are From Mercury

You are talkative, clever, and knowledgeable - and it shows. You probably never leave home without your cell phone! You're witty, expressive, and aware of everything going on around you. You love learning, playing, and taking in all of what life has to offer. Be careful not to talk your friends' ears off, and temper your need to know everything.

What Planet Are You From?

One problem with the above... I totally left the house today and forgot my cell phone. It's sitting on the bed, probably confusing the cats.

This one was pretty on target - except the not thinking about the future thing. It seems like all I do is think about the future, and the past, and what's going on now. I really think way too much!

You Should Rule Mars

Mars is a planet that shines brightly and loops wildly around the solar system. You are perfect to rule Mars, because you are both energetic and independent. Like Mars, you seems attractive and bright to others - but you're difficult to pin down. You are a great thinker, but you only think in the present and ignore the future. Full of enthusiasm and inspiration, you are into your own thing... and rather insensitive to others.

What Planet Should You Rule?

Whirlwind drama in a stormy life

Wow! If I don't post constantly, so much stuff happens, and then I feel obligated to share it with the world in one whirlwind post. I'll have to think of a gimmick to get it all out effectively. How about Jeopardy-esque questions & answers?


The Jeopardy round

The answer is: His comedy is better when he stops pandering to his audience.

The question is: Who is Jon Stewart?

The background is: DH and I saw Jon Stewart at the Merriweather Post Pavillion on Saturday night. The warm-up guy - Mark Barbiglia or something like that - was laugh-out-loud hilarious, with a very subtle political edge to his comedy. Jon Stewart spent the first half-hour of his stand-up routine with what was basically a Daily Show redux. Making fun of George Bush and Dick Cheney felt like pandering to the crowd, which was responsive to that line of humor, but it was also cheap and easy. The show improved when Stewart moved away from the direct Bush adminstration bashing (come on - the audience is more intelligent and deserves more than the easy, cheap shots) and explored other strange truths about society and its condition. Particularly funny was his stab at the moderate center - who are too damn busy, you know, living and working and stuff, to get passionate about the cause of "Be Reasonable." Anyway - DH was happy, and it was a cool night.

The Double Jeopardy Round

The answer is: The progress of this room is moving forward, however, a major redesign of an element threatens a Pre-Thanksgiving completion date.

The question is: What is the kitchen?

The background is: Well, we've decided to redesign the island, taking out the 24 inch cabinet in the center of the island, replacing it with an 18 inch cabinet, then installing a new sink and faucet and countertop. This is really going to stretch work until November... because the cabinet is going to take 4 weeks or so, and then the countertop is going to take another 2 weeks. Argh. On the bright side, yesterday they installed the three pendant lights and most of the cabinets handles, as well as most of the outlets and the electrical connection for the cooktop. Disjointed progress, for sure.

Final Jeopardy

The answer is: This is preventing me from updating my blog at night.

The question is: What is a sporadic internet connection at home?

The background is: Last night, I got home to discover that the internet was not working; worse than that, for some reason the cable modem and the airport weren't powered? Very confusing. Since there was electrical work done in the kitchen yesterday, I believe that maybe one of the circuits is off or something, which I don't think that I should try and fix (I wouldn't want to electrocute the electrician). Moreover, I tried to move the cable modem to another room with cable hook-up... but the only room in which I was able to get online was in my bedroom. Very strange. I don't think that it is a physical cable from the wall to the modem - I tried it in the living room, which has a newer cable than the yellow and the blue rooms, and it didn't work there. I am starting to suspect that it might be an in-the-wall kind of thing - but then again, I can't believe that there is a direct cable line to the master bedroom, and the other rooms are all off of some other line. Who knows... I do some experimenting when I get home to try and figure it out.

The good, the bad, and the very ugly

The good:

- DH is coming home this weekend
- The kitchen has countertops
- My rotation is very cool work
- The last two days, I climbed the stairs to the "opposite" side of the tracks and the train was using those tracks! Yeah shortcuts!
- Almost forgot!!!!! The Office Season Two DVD - instant classic!!!!!!!

The bad:

- Stinky kitchen and lots of trash that has now been heavily rained upon
- Bedroom and living room messes, not to mention lots of dirty dishes that I don't feel like doing.
- The grass needs major mowing and the yard needs major tending to.
- It's raining and I get to drive in it
- Eliza was outside in the rain
- The sink has no faucet, drain, or garbage disposal. Also, no dishwasher

The very, very ugly:

- DH's flight is going to be very, very late (1.5 hours and counting)
- DH's return flight is very, very early Monday morning
- Kitty litter that needs scooping
- The realization that I have to wash the dishes in the laundry tub again

Have I missed my chance

A Spinner Shark

Such a bummer! The Palm Beach Post reported:
A 55-year-old man was bitten by a shark while swimming off the beach at Singer Island this afternoon. The bite is a small one, and the man, identified by police as William Carol, is expected to be OK, said Palm Beach Shores Police Lt. Steve Langevin. Carol, of Singer Island, was swimming about 2 p.m. when the brown shark, believed to be a spinner shark, bit his left hand, Langevin said. He was treated at St. Mary's Medical Center.

DH and I were just at the beach on Singer Island over Labor Day weekend.... and the water was murky and sedimenty. I didn't even see a shark (there - we saw one while diving) and this guys gets the perfect bite. Just a small one, enough to leave an interesting scar but no permanent damage.

It was my dream... and someone else is living it. Boo!

Update... Kitchen Drama, day ???

Well, it's pretty exciting, and pretty stinky, but today I have countertops. Well, mostly. Only around the perimeter - a redesign of the island means that that bit is going to be delayed 6-8 weeks. But! I have a kitchen sink! And a cooktop! No dishwasher though.

Here are some pics!

An overview pic

Another overview pic

The "desk" area - the two pendant lights on the shelf will, one day, hang over the island.

Look how big that kitchen sink is! No faucet or plumbing though. Bummer.


That is a full-size gallon jug of water in the sink, Insane!

Insomnia... or something

Ugh. I realize now how much I dislike weekend nights home alone. During the week my FIL stays here, so I don't feel quite as vulnerable, but on weekend nights when I am home alone, I'm pretty sure that the reason that I can't fall asleep until 1:30 am is because I'm trying to be hyper-vigilant for strange sounds. I leave extra lights on, and check that the doors are locked a couple of times. It's crazy.

Anyway, I know that everyone in the media is going nuts over the whole 9/11 anniversary thing, and I generally dislike the over-exploitative media manipulation of the whole day. However, I had two experiences that actually truly made me reflect - non-cynically I might add, which is a tremendous achievement for me - on what 9/11 really should be about.

I was at Jeffro and CC's place Saturday night, and drove home about 1130 pm-ish. The ride back is 395 south of Reagan National and up the GW Parkway. Well, Saturday night they had the Pentagon all lit up, which on my route one drives 3/5's of the way around. One wall section, the wall I presume the plane struck, was bathed entirely in a deep blue light, and the courtyard had a dozen or so spotlights shining up into the sky. It was an eerie, beautiful sight and the somber colors and simplicity of the lights really made me think as I was driving by. Driving on the GW Parkway is a real treat, because it's nothing to look over to the east and see the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Capital Building. I don't really know what I was thinking specifically, but I just thought about the events without the baggage of the following 5 years of political drama and, well I'll just stop there without getting onto a longwinded soapbox about the state of affairs in this country.

The second thing that made me think of 9/11 - again in a kind of pure, non-cynical restrospective way - was the re-airing of the documentary made by the two French brothers who had been the new firefighter, but ended up being front and center for all the NYC 9/11 events. That documentary seems especially nice because it is free from making judgements and political statements about where the failures were that allowed everything to happen and of course all of the following fiasco. The guys who were at the WTC, and the Pentagon and on that plane in PA, they didn't know or care in those moments about all of the peripheral stuff. That documentary was focused only their story, and really lets one reflect on those events without being baited with political and media sensationalism.

Anyway, I live and work near Washington DC now, and I don't necessarily feel any more or less scared of something major happening than I did on 9/10/01. And while I have fairly strong opinions about much of the stuff that has come to pass in the wake of the attacks, moments like the two above allow me to step back and feel sorrow about the suffering and tragedy in the lives of the individuals who were directly impacted.

How Jersey are you?

Well... according to this quiz:

You Are 70% New Jersey!

 

You are definitely Jersey. Well done, my friend. You are most likely from this great state, and you fit right in. Odds are, you love being Jersey!

How New Jersey Are You?

Fairly respectable showing, considering I haven't lived in Jersey for ~12 years. Can't say that I love being Jersey,though, considering that this blog's address is "EXjerseygirl.blogspot.com"

Whittling it down even further... I took the "How South Jersey are you? quiz. The results:

You are 85% South Jersey

 

You will live here forever. You are sooooo South Jersey. Its ok, most people don't move farther than a few miles from home. Go you! You spend your days at the Wawa or down the shore. You think you get ripped off by North Jersey and they give you a bad name! Congratulations!

The South Jersey quiz

Even more damning.

Is there a new "The Office" on yet?

Comcast on Demand (such a nifty lil feature) has a "The Office" Season 2 retrospective, a longer version of the commercial that they have been running as a preview for the new season - can I just say that I cry every time I see that preview, and a 30 NBC fall preview that intersperses previews of the new shows with scenes from a pseudo-episode of "The Office."

I am completely addicted to Steve Carell and "The Office." I might even go to "Little Miss Sunshine" by myself because I am such a huge Carell fan.

I cannot wait for the season premiere! This might be a good TV season. Of course I am looking forward to the new seasons of "The Amazing Race" and "My Name is Earl." I might even watch an episode or two of "Heroes" and try and catch up with what's happening on "Scrubs."

More than anything though, I must find out what happened with Jim and Pam. Because if I see that commercial one more time, I'm gonne cry a river. Not that that's hard for me or anything.

P.S. The snippits of "The Office" on the Comast On Demand Fall Preview thing are funnier than all the webisodes put together. You can check it out on YouTube here.

Time for an update!

Wow! It's been almost a week since my last update... I must be slipping.

Anyway, since I last posted, DH and I went SCUBA diving off Boynton Beach. The visibility was poor, the current was swift, I panicked and bailed out 2 minutes into the dive, until the divemaster calmed me down and descended with me. But, best of all, we saw a 6 foot long nurse shark swim right by us. She was absolutely incredible - so beautiful. It made it all worthwhile.

DH and I also spent a lot of time at the beach, riding bikes, and generally trying to dodge the crappy weather. It was nice to be together, and despite all of the activities that we enjoy doing in FL, it will be really nice to have him home.

Here's a pic of how he decorated his apartment to celebrate my b-day:


Here's a pic of the birthday "cake" DH got me - a Key Lime Pie:


I flew home Tuesday morning and started a month-long rotation assignment with the International and Interagency Affairs Office with NESDIS, NOAA's Satellite and Environmental Data Service. I originally interviewed with them for a PMF position, but was passed over. In any case, I kept in touch with some people in the office, and it eventually led to this position. I'm really excited - finally I'm doing stuff I wanted to do. Working on international policy and agreements! It's very cool. I'm quite happy - although it's only my second day.

When I got home Tuesday night... I had kitchen floors and a new fridge! It's so exciting. There's a pause now while the countertops are fabricated. Ugh.

Here's some pics:

An overview... so much maple... so pretty


Pretty...


Oh! New fridge!

TGIF, TGIIF, TGIGF

Thank God it's Friday, Thank God I'm in Florida, Thank God it's Good Fish!

The flight itself was uneventful - it was pretty bumpy and we flew way west to get around the storm, but otherwise not particularly interesting. The funniest thing (which I am kicking myself for not having gotten a picture of) was the train of wheelchairs lined up in front of the jetway for the preboarding crowd. There were, no joke, 7-10 wheelchair bound women lined up to be boarded with assistance. It was the funniest thing I had ever seen! Hilarious. That must have been the oldest flight by average age of its passengers that I have ever been on.

Anyway, when I landed in Florida, that was when the good stuff began. DH was waiting for me inside the airport (usually he just picks me up outside the baggage claim) with a bouquet of my favorite flowers - stargazer lilies. When we got back to the condo - he had hung streamers and balloons and a "Happy Birthday" sign from the ceilings and walls - it was so sweet. (I took pics, but forgot the download cord-thingee) I totally collapsed into tears - the stress of the day and traveling and kitchen drama from the last few weeks and whatnot just let loose.

In any case, we relaxed for a little while and allowed me to get my composure back (never mind that I looked like Tammy Faye Baker after one of her infamous crying jags, with mascara running down my cheeks) and we went out for an AMAZING fish dinner at Sailfish Marina. We both had the Yellowtail Snapper special, which was sauteed with lobster and portobello mushrooms. It was phenomenal (as were the pistacio encrusted scallops with mango-raspberry sauce). Yummy. I had a very good glass of Sonoma Sauvingnon Blanc, but it was clear that I was a total lush because I was totally tipsy from that just one glass.

We got back to the condo, watched "The Office" and I passed out asleep around 9:45. I was tired, what can I say?

All's well that end's well.

TGIF, TGIIF

Thank God it's Friday and Thank God I'm in Florida. Yesterday, for the most part, was a terrible day. I woke up late yesterday morning, and I had to prep the kitties for my absence - meaning vacuuming up any old food on the floor, getting them lots of new food and water, scooping poop, etc. Of course the kitchen guys were there, although they were running a little late as well.

The first drama of the day was that it appears that the island as designed is a bit too big for the space. My contractor noted that there wasn't really enough space around the island between it and the cooktop. We moved it around a bit and it stuck out into the table space a bit. So that was a big issue. They were laying the floor yesterday, and it just caused a lot of trauma. The designers came out and worked it a bit, but I asked that everything with respect to the island just be put on hold until I get home Tuesday - because I was in a rush that morning and didn't have time to look at it enough. So naturally I was completely mentally preoccupied with that drama for the morning.

The train was running late, which was fine, but I had a ton of stuff that I needed to get done that morning before leaving for the airport. I got some of it done, but not all of it. My boss and some people on my staff took me out for lunch, which was nice. However, I wasn't paying too close attention to time; my flight was running about 30 mins late according to the USAir website, so I thought that as long as I left work by 1:00, I could get to the airport in time for the now 2:35 flight.

I did get on the Metro when I thought I needed to, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I was running way late. The Yellow line took forever, and I was thinking "what if the flight leaves at its original time - 2:10?" If so, I was really in big trouble.

I got to National at 1:45ish, ran into the airport and glanced at the screen. What I caught was "West Palm Beach, Gate 39, 2:05." It was 1:50, and I hadn't gotten through security yet! I totally panicked, ran to the security line, and RAN in my 3 inch heels down to the END of the terminal to Gate 39.

When I got to the gate, there was a group of pilots and flight attendants standing there, and there was no plane at the gate. I kinda knew that the plane was coming in from another flight, so I thought maybe this was the crew waiting for that plane. SO I asked "Where is the flight for West Palm?" One pilot looks at me and said "Oh, it left already."

I almost died right there... and the flight attendant looked at me and said "Oh (Pilot's Name), you are such a jerk." I realized that he was joking, and I almost burst into tears I was so stressed. They told me to talk to the gate agent - who told me that the flight was leaving from gate 38 at 2:35. "But the monitor said gate 39 at 2:50?" I was so confused. "Are you sure that you were looking at Departures?" she said.

Oh my God - I ran back down the ENTIRE terminal to gate 38, and passed more monitors on the way - which I looked a little more closely at and realized that yes, I had indeed been looking at arrivals and not departures. I got to gate 38 and asked the gate agent there when we would be boarding - he said not for another 10 minutes. Phew. I was safe.

That's enough drama for one post! I'll chat more about the good stuff next!