annoyingorange.com

couldn't let this one pass me by ...

annoyingorange.com

screeeeeeecccchhhhhh ... i'm hitting the brakes on blogging

the flipflop fed is now wearing heals and is therefore taking a break from blogging. i'll catch up with you all in the middle of the summer.

until then ...

how'd i miss this one?

it appears that dick cheney is in support of gay marriage?! this one really flew under my radar! way to take a positive and progressive stand dick!

they stole my stuff!?!?!?!

yesterday i posted my rant from my community listserv. come to find out some people have been taking my ideas (snow balls on election day and others) and running with them! i'm not sure what to think? i mean they really were only thoughts, but don't you think they should be credited instead of claiming them as one's own? in the end, i'm flattered that people would think that what i wrote was worth repeating :)

adrian "ice water in his veins" fenty has me HOT

my rant on my community listserv today in response to this -

I have refrained from criticizing the mayor because the snow events of the past month really have been momentous. However, I have now moved to the anger phase after reading this bit in the Post and watching the video from NBC 4. It even motivated me to call the mayor’s office this morning and relay my frustration.

I remember a joke on my community list serve after the December storm that the city’s snow removal plan consisted of one simple word – SUN. Well, it seems that it wasn’t a joke after all.

Honestly, I do think that it was unreasonable to believe that the city streets should have been cleared curb to curb a few days after such a massive amount of snow given the city’s limited snow removal resources – putting a blade on the front of a pickup does not a snow plow make. As I explained to my father (a resident of a town of 3000 people where they average about 200” of snow per season and have about 15 dedicated snow plows) when he kept laughing about the fact that I didn’t work for four days – it would be like Baldwinsville getting 400” of snow in less time than there is between NASCAR races. And to that he quickly replied “Okay I guess we would have probably had a two hour delay!”

HOWEVER – it has now been more than two weeks since the last flake fell and it’s still a mess. (As an example, I give you 12^th St SW, a major 5 lane commuter route that has been reduced to about 1 lane in each direction with 6’ + snow banks at the intersections. ) Therefore, it is now perfectly reasonable to question this city’s leadership’s response to the storm; which I hope we can now all admit was less than adequate. And that fact dictates that the leader take it on the chin and admit that things haven’t been handled as well as they could have been AND dictates that the leader answer each question respectfully – no matter who asks it and no matter how many times it is asked.

this next part is in response to another poster. can you tell that i'm pissed?

As to Montgomery and other surrounding counties – they are none of my concern. I live, work and pay taxes in this city and it is my duty to hold my elected officials accountable for their inaction with my money – as it is yours.

And taxes – do you know how much we each paid in federal taxes because of the fallout from this??? The government was closed for 4 ½ days to the tune of $100 million dollars a day. Add in a few more delayed openings and the annual leave that’s now being taken because people don’t want to deal with the commute and that’s A LOT of wasted tax dollars that will eventually have to be replaced from somewhere.

In the end, Fenty is proving himself to be arrogant and less than a leader. A real leader seeks out help and a real leader knows when to admit that an outcome is less than acceptable and lets the public know how it will be corrected in the future. That would go a long way in getting people to move past the issue. Until that time comes, I will be stock piling snow balls in my freezer to use on election day as I go from polling place to polling place reminding people of those few days in February where Fenty showed his real character.

SHAME ON YOU ADRIAN FENTY!!!!

we get it - washington does not do snow removal

here's a preemptive post about what is sure to be tomorrow's topic of conversation across the nation - how can it be that, more than 5 days after the passing of snopocalypse, the streets in and around the district of columbia still are not properly plowed and, as such, the commute was an utter disaster. we've heard it from pundits. we've heard it from policy makers. we've even heard it from the president. truth be told - i used to be one of those people that laughed and laughed at the ineptitude of those tasked with removing the snow in washington. i mean (and this is the same justification that you'll hear from the aforementioned pundits, policy makers and presidents) i come from where they average about 200 inches of snow a year and school was rarely closed.

but then i began to think logically about what happened last week - something that often escapes those within the beltway and those who live in places where winter lasts from september to may. on average, the district receives about 17 inches of snow in an entire season. last week we got close to 40" in a span of five days. so we more than doubled our average in less than a week. that would be like syracuse getting more than 400" of snow in less time than there is between nascar races (had to put it in terms that the average 315'er would understand). i guarantee that school would be closed. okay, maybe only a 2 hour delay, but there would still be an impact!!!

forever memorialized

all that remains to document my four years at george washington university - because lord knows the last of the information "learned" during that time fled my brain right around 1997 ...

*wish i could get it to rotate

ugggghhhhh!

we've already established some implements were just not meant for shoveling. for example, it's far easier to clear the snow from your your side walk with a shovel than it is with a spoon. similarly, it's easier to open a beer with a bottle opener than it is with your teeth. i give you those examples as a lead in to my observation for the day - UGGS ARE NOT SNOW BOOTS!

uggs were invented as apres surfing footwear -although the wiki entry says that maybe they were invented for pilots when planes used to have no roofs. regardless, in neither of these scenarios were the boots meant primarily for snow. they are not waterproof, they're really not that warm and they have less than adequate soles for slippery conditions. AND dare i say that they don't even look fashionable when the street is covered with slush and the snow banks are up past your knees. it just looks like some one's trying to hard to be cute and we all know that that's just not cute!

a stripper cake?

watching the olympic opening ceremonies right now and they are doing the tribute to the canadian rockies. i swear that the thing rising up from the arena floor looks just like a birthday cake and i'm just waiting for a stripper to pop out of the top. (i'll add a clip when i find one.)

has he never heard of pee pee teepees?

i saw this huggies commercial on one of the 6 1/2 days that i've been off from work (i get to go back tomorrow!). me thinks that this father needs to invest in pee pee teepees; although he might want to explore an industrial strength option!

pitch forks, brooms and mops! oh my!

just came back from a post-snopocalypse adventure to ihop and georgetown cupcake and it was during this adventure we encountered people with the most ingenious snow removal equipment. there were many variations on the broom and the ... - the broken plastic dustpan and the broom and the pitch fork and the broom. then there was the coed with a mop (see below). but, my favorite had to be the girl attempting to shovel the ice off of her brick steps with a fireplace shovel. we didn't get a picture because we passed her before i came up with the story that we were driving around town taking pictures of interesting snow removal equipment, but you can imagine a regular size girl using an elfin size shovel to clear people size steps. funny!

oh no you didn't chris matthews!

just read in loose lips how chris matthews SLAMMED the district's lame attempt at snow removal. of course he has a point, but loose lips makes a better point when he reminds everyone that our tax base is severely limited because most people who make money in the district of columbia do not pay taxes in the district of columbia. and i would add that the largest land owner in the district - the federal government - does not pay property taxes.

have you learned nothing from family disputes, chris matthews? it's one thing for family members to call each other names and point out each others faults, but it's quite a different story when a "neighbor" tries to convey the exact same information. so back off!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

erin jackson is FUNNY

watch more here

snow is not news

snow is weather. "hey there's a lot of snow on the ground and it's blowing around" is an observation and not worthy of continuous coverage. although, there doesn't really seem to be anything else happening because there is a lot of snow on the ground and it's blowing around.

so to fill the void, i'll bring you today's news from minnesota ave se -

i shoveled.

i slept.

i shoveled.

i watched "couples retreat" and now will regularly slap people on the ass and exclaim "ENCOURAGEMENT!"

i slept.

i got bored of the internet.

i had to listen to my mom say "YOU DON'T HAVE WORK AGAIN! what is going on down there?!" for about the 100th time.

i tried the chinese restaurant on the corner for the first time (the one my neighbor described as "the ghetto version of the olive garden") and the last time.

okay, i guess "there's a lot of snow on the ground and it's blowing around" is more interesting.

nbc, cbs, abc and fox - IT'S SNOWING

we get it. no need to belabor the point. this is not a disaster. we DO NOT need minute by minute coverage. you can really wait until the 6:00 news to tell us that it's still snowing. until then - SHUT UP AND PUT THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW ON!

major announcement

i have a CRAZY case of cabin fever (even though i've been out and about almost every day of this snow event and am really enjoying myself) and will be going into my office on thursday regardless of the federal governments operating status - which i'm guessing will mirror monday, tuesday and wednesday.

you know you have nothing new to talk about ...

... when you begin your breaking weather bulletin from the "storm safety center" with the phrase - "we have nothing new to report ..." got to give them something for honesty.

i'm trying to remember

dcist has this up on their site under the title "remember when snow was fun?"

Washington, DC Snow Storm from Es Video! on Vimeo.

people are so clever

no good deed ...

i decided to venture out this morning to dunkin donuts and the grocery store. it's still pretty dicey out but i had a massive case of cabin fever and i needed an iced tea. when i got to the corner of l'enfant square and pennsylvania ave se i encountered a huge mass of people waiting for the bus - a mass of people who clearly didn't hear that metro decided not to run buses on our side of the river. so me being me, i rolled down the window and offered a ride across the river to as many people as could fit in the car. i ended up doing this a few times and was feeling pretty good by the time i made it to the grocery store. that is until i realized that one of my passengers lifted my brand new sunglasses. oh well, guess he or she needed them more?!

might be getting a little sick of this

the federal government is closed again tomorrow AND they're calling for another big dump of snow AND they keep coming up with names - the newest are snokidding and snow joke.

and THIS is a snow emergency route

i truly hope that the office of personnel management gets a chance to see all of the streets on which federal office buildings are located prior to making a decision about tomorrow's operating status. below is the street on which my office is located with the building in the background - taken around 2:00 pm today.

the spawn of snopocalypse - the gift that keeps on giving update

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS CLOSED ON MONDAY!!!

this is very exciting - really just because i'm sick sick sick and now i don't have to take a sick day. however, really concerning news was announced right about the same time. the district of columbia public schools, (in an effort to show how tough our kids are?) (revealing that fenty/rhee continue to make really bad decisions?) (clearly not having actually been out in the neighborhoods?), will open 2 hours late tomorrow. let's see, the federal government, the largest employer in the district of ADULTS, has determined that it is not safe for their ADULT employees to come to work; yet, the district of columbia public schools believes that CHILDREN, most of whom will have to walk in the middle of the street because the sidewalks are not clear, will be perfectly fine making it to school between 9:00 and 11:00 am. wonder if they'll have any teachers? never mind that all other major school systems in the area are closed, as are all of the district's independent and charter schools. this decision ranks right up there will the invention and marketing of the flowbee.

the spawn of snopocalypse - can't figure this out update

$100 bucks if you can explain the logic behind the "only plow one side of the major city street" strategy -

the spawn of snopocalypse - the aftermath update

the spawn of snopocalypse is officially over for me. we spent 3 1/2 hours yesterday shoveling out our property and the that of the old ladies across the street. and today it took another 2 hours to dig out our car (pictures at the end). most of the side streets are still completely impassable. i know this because after digging out the subaru i took a spin around the block. most side streets haven't been plowed and the others have big ruts and cars stuck every where. i, on the other hand, looked like a car right out of an advertisement. the snow was no match for me and my outback!

there is one thing though that i haven't been able to conquer - snow on the directv dish! who knew that it was actually a "dish" that would fill with whatever came down?! frustrating.

**oh, and i blew out the back of my $5.99 rain pants - see below

the spawn of snopocalypse - the assholes in action update

went to shovel out the old ladies across the street, but ended up helping a woman in a BIG SUV get unstuck from the snow plateau on which her car was suspended - who knew that it was all about clearance!? any way, this guy came by when we were shoveling and told her that for $20 he could have her free in 10 minutes. the best part was that he didn't even have a shovel! i understand the need and the want to make a little money, but how about a little humanity too?

oh, and there's no way we're going to hit the 30" mark, but i'm fine with the 18"-20".

and, unfortunately there will be no snomageddon celebration for me - i've been nursing sickness for a few days and it's finally taken hold. bummer ...

they say it's going to be a ...

BLIZZARD

ft dupont/randle circle snomageddon celebration

all you dc area friends should head over to ft. dupont park at randle circle for my neighborhood's semi -spontaneous (it was planned today) "snomageddon celebration." knowing my neighbors, we'll have a lot of fun and won't pull guns when we get hit with a snowball like that jackass on u street during snomageddon: part one in december.

the spawn of snopocalypse

here we go again. dc, the city that usually has difficulty dealing with the mere mention of snow, is gearing up for the second 16 + inch snow fall this season. i was super excited last time, but this time i'm nearly jumping out of my skin with the anticipation of driving my sweet new ride up and over a massive snowbank!

the news papers and tv stations are selling this one big time - they're calling it "historic" and "epic." the post is even running a "name the storm" contest - my favorite? snOMG.

but, my absolute favorite thing to come from the build up and hype is -

snopocalypsedc.com

you don't have to ask because i'm free to tell

looks like we're finally nearing the end of an amazingly unfortunate era - the ban of openly gay individuals serving in the us military. first obama called for an end to the policy in the state of the union and each day more and more influential military personnel express the need to end the archaic practice.

let's here it for progress!

no gays kissing

the super bowl's almost here and i'm getting psyched for the commercials. i like to laugh. i like to get pissed off at the incredibly misogynistic messages that are put forth in the name of selling chips and beer. but, usually i have to wait until that sunday to experience all of it. not this year though.

i just saw a story on the evening news about an ad, sponsored by focus on the family, that will showcase tim tebow and his mother. in it they will talk about how he is alive because his mother chose not to have an abortion. that's fine. really, people can say whatever they want.

but then comes news that cbs is refusing to air an ad from a gay dating site - mancrunch.com. cbs said -

"After reviewing the ad - which is entirely commercial in nature - our Standards and Practices department decided not to accept this particular spot. As always, we are open to working with the client on alternative submissions."

watch for yourself -


okay, where to start? what's offensive about this; other than i have never seen two gay men who were so unkempt?

sarah palin's right

bet you never thought that i would write those three words. but, in this instance she is - that's the instance of rahm emanuel and his penchant for saying really stupid things. the wall street journal is reporting that, in a white house meeting last august, emanuel shot down an idea as "fucking retarded." sarah palin, rightfully, jumped all over this story comparing the use of the "r" word to the use of the "n" word and pointing out that we would never stand for any public official declaring someone a "fucking n*****." palin goes so far as to call for emanuel's firing. i also agree. unfortunately, it's never going to happen because, as i wrote about last year, his boss thinks it's okay to make fun of people with disabilities. i wonder how many passes people in this administration will get on this one?