the flipflop fed

think i might be back

2012-01-19T18:14:00.002-05:00

i can't believe that i haven't even been on this blog since july 2011. don't have anything to say right now. just wanted to let you know that i'm back.

gratuitous

2011-07-13T20:32:00.002-04:00

"prophet" or full of shit?

2011-07-10T22:34:00.001-04:00

spent the last 1/2 hour watching the "prophets" on word tv (kristin's just rolling her eyes!) - a few observations -

1) who made them prophets? "prophet" seems like a term that you don't throw around lightly.

2) they've said a lot of words, but haven't said a thing except they want me to give $48 to receive blessings for the next 48 hours. personally i think i'd have a better chance for 48 hours of blessings if i didn't break the chain and forwarded the rack of "forward this to 10 people or you're going to get a boil that won't heal" emails that are currently clogging up my inbox.

3) the main prophet is going on the road over the next few weeks for a series of "prophetic releases" ending with the "great prophetic release." all i haven't to say is lock your bathrooms and don't open them until you're sure he's moved on to the next town.

right up there with "walter the farting dog"

2011-06-15T20:57:00.000-04:00

Bill Maher's New Rules - Osama Edition

2011-05-16T17:28:00.000-04:00

couldn't have said it better myself!

making her famous

2011-05-07T22:23:00.005-04:00

totally forgot that tomorrow is mother's day and didn't even send a card! but you can all help me by making my mom famous because there's no better present than that. if you wouldn't mind - forward this link to everyone you know + 10 people that you sort of know + 5 people that you really don't know, but are hoping to get to know better and ask them to leave a comment on the blog telling my mom -

how pretty she is
how famous she is
how nice her hands are
how you never seen a better picture of someone sticking out their tongue during a professional photo shoot

i will then forward her all of the comments and it will be the BEST mother's day present ever!

thanks for your help. by the way, nothing will happen if you don't forward this on in the next 10 minutes - no death, destruction, bad luck etc. but, you will help me dig myself out of the procrastinator's hole. oh, and not to make you feel guilty, but i'd totally do it for you :)

back yard baby birds

2011-05-06T22:01:00.009-04:00

spring has sprung and the eggs are all hatching. we have 4 little somethings living under our air conditioner and they're very loud!

but even cooler is the little something that was learning to fly today and he was sitting right next to me while i picked spinach out of the garden - while mom and dad watched from the tree above.

welcome to america

2011-05-02T18:23:00.010-04:00

today was a day of confusion and clarity -

riding the bus home today and a woman looking rather clueless boarded after me. she mumbled something to the driver and he told her to just sit down. what she, clearly a tourist with limited english proficiency, said was - "is this the bus to georgetown?" what he she should have told her is what a horrified middle-aged woman barked -"honey, you couldn't be going more in the wrong direction! you're headed over the bridge and there aint no georgetown over there. you need to go back the other direction!" she still look confused and a young boy put his hand on her shoulder and said - "welcome to america ma'am!"

yes, osama is dead; or as the newspaper seller hawking the evening edition of the examiner at eastern market was yelling -

"extra, extra! it took obama to get bin laden!"

"we got him," obama stated emphatically, but i don't think it's as easy as that. bin laden, while despicable and detestable, was not the root of all evil and it would be presumptuous and dangerous to think that we're safer now than we were yesterday. i think that the most disturbing part for me have been all of the stories about the college students celebrating in front of the white house early into the morning. many of those students were from george washington university, my alma mater. at first i was perplexed as to why someone would go to celebrate that a person, again no matter how despicable and detestable, was shot twice in the body and once in the head at close range. it seems beyond explanation. but then i became even more dumbfounded as reports emerged that some of these kids were engaging in debaucherous behavior under the guise of celebrating the death of a man, no matter how despicable and detestable, who was shot twice in the body and once in the head at close range. petula dvorak sort of felt the same way.

but then i got home and the world started to make sense again. why, you ask? because i was greeted by pictures of pippa middleton that i inadvertently left on my screen last night. come on - woman, man - it doesn't matter. that dress is inspirational!

so welcome to america and god bless the flipflopfed! after all, where else could you get a story from the bus, commentary on bin laden and a gratuitous shot of pippa middleton all in the same blogpost?

it's been a while dad

2011-04-30T21:51:00.003-04:00

today marks one year since my dad passed away. not really sure how i feel about it or even how i feel about how i feel. i wonder if i'm supposed to be sad? crying? melancholy? mournful?

i definitely miss him, but there was such a sense of relief that he no longer had to fight to stay alive and that i could let my mind rest.

my mom went to visit him today down by the river and she told me that he really likes the wind chime that we put up a few weeks ago. "not too loud and not to girly," she reported :) i decided to spend part of my day doing something that my dad would have done - volunteering at the food bank. delivering lunches and dinners for meals on wheels was one of his great joys in life.

maybe i'll cry tomorrow, but today's been a good day just the way it was.

harry and pippa 2012

2011-04-29T20:26:00.004-04:00

i'm starting a campaign to marry off prince harry and pippa middleton. they make a striking couple!

in the name of the father, son and holy spiggot

2011-04-29T17:39:00.015-04:00

i didn't get up at 4:00 am, but i have now watched the royal wedding. while it was beautiful, i couldn't help but be completely distracted by my thought that i seen this whole thing once before. no, not the nuptials of charles and diana (although i did get up to watch those - the difference between a 10 year old body and a 39 year old body, i guess); rather one of my favorite movies of all time -

four weddings and a funeral

indulge me before you disagree.

beautiful main characters? check!

goofy rectors? check!

gay friends? check!

john hannah? check!

alright. maybe the pictures haven't convinced you, but watch this scene from four weddings and a funeral and then tell me that i'm wrong.

the wedding of
bernard geoffrey st. john delaney and lydia jane hibbot

there's another great scene where everyone is singing "jerusalem" by charles hubert hastings perry and the camera keys on the characters who are less than impressed with everyone's singing - just like what happened today at westminister abbey.

i rest my case and andi mcdowell and hugh grant should immediately seek royalties from today's broadcast because it was a ripoff!

god save the queen.

* i didn't want to taint my analysis with pettiness, but someone HAS to talk to the archbishop about those eyebrows! i know he's sort of a big deal in the church of england and all, but he was marrying the future king and queen. he didn't have to cut them, but a little gel wouldn't have hurt.

yeah for friends and family abroad!

2011-04-25T21:51:00.002-04:00

a cousin living in japan and friends living in guatemala and mongolia mean that i have an international readership. they're not my first repeat multinational readers though. last year i had a frequent flier from nigeria who needed me to help him cash a check. he was such a nice young man!

the prayers of righteous PEOPLE availeth much!*

2011-04-24T21:31:00.003-04:00

check kristin's fb page in just a few minutes and you will see that your prayers have worked! she is FINALLY profiled with a current picture!

*with all respect to james, narrowing the prayers to just one righteous man was far too limiting. this took all of us to get her to replace that head shot from 2003!

hey mom! what if ...

2011-04-24T21:16:00.008-04:00

... i told you something that irritated you ...

... i said we're not going on any more boat rides today ...

... you won and we did take yet another tour
of annapolis harbor!

bet wonder woman wishes she had some

2011-04-18T20:49:00.004-04:00

back in october i traveled to the great state of kansas right around the same time that the tsa launched that full body scanner. turns out though that kansas - really missouri because the airport's in that kansas city - did not have access to said full body scanner so everyone wearing clothes that were not form fitting was subjected to a front-of-the-hand pat down. i was one of those people since i was wearing a dress. i was a little irritated because i felt that the policy targeted women. to save them the trouble of putting on the rubber gloves, i quickly lifted my dress up over my head to expose absolutely nothing as i was wearing the dress because i liked it; not to hide contraband.

flash forward to today. i was returning to dc from my mom's house in upstate new york. i intentionally wore a sports bra because the substantial under wire on my traditional braziere always triggers a pat down. i made it to the magnetometer and ... it buzzed. they brought me over to the search area and the tsa agent asked if i had any metal to which i replied ...

nothing but my titanium nipples.

true story.

just like me playing with barbies kept me straight

2011-04-12T21:37:00.005-04:00

there's in uproar in the conservative press about a j. crew ad where an employee relishes the fact that her 5 year old boy likes to have his toes painted ... pink. the outrage is that this ad will encourage kids to be gay, or dare i say, trans!

so many flaws to this theory that i don't even know where to begin; so i won't.

when you need to make a choice

2011-04-11T21:44:00.003-04:00

apologies in advance to those who end up saying - huh? - but it's one of those "you either get it or you don't" and explaining it won't make it easier to understand or any funnier once you understand ...

the scene: non-profit organization board meeting

the context: having a discussion to determine whether or not we should revise our board membership requirements; one suggestion was to extend the definition of "mennonite" to include other mennonite churches other than hyattsville or even to other anabaptist traditions

my response: "i'd rather have a like-minded atheist than an evangelical anabaptist"

classic line if i must say so myself - so i do!

not a win for women's reproductive rights in the district of columbia

2011-04-10T21:42:00.005-04:00

obviously i've watched the last few days of news with keen interest; after all, it's been my livelihood at stake. and like many americans, i was irritated to think that the right to show up, do my job and earn a living was pinned to an attempt to legislate through the budget process. but in the end, common sense won out when obama and the democrats, my people, stood firm in their commitment not to agree to any deal that defunded planned parenthood. the rider disappeared and the democrats and obama agreed to the proposed budget cuts and proclaimed a hard-won social victory on behalf of womens' reproductive freedom. but was it really?

no. while defunding planned parenthood did not happen, the newly approved federal budget deal contains a provision that the district of columbia may not use LOCAL funds to support a low-income woman's right to choose. that's right, congress - both democrats and republicans - , with obama's approval, has told the tax paying citizens of the district of columbia what they can and cannot do with their local tax dollars. where's the national outrage over that?! i'll make it easy - there is none.

can you imagine the federal government telling arizona that it can no longer spend its local dollars to enforce its undocumented worker policies? of course not, because it would never happen. first, the arizona congressional delegation would band together to prevent it and other states would begin the cries of states rights. but, that's what happens when you're not a state, when you don't have a vote and when the only representation you have is a city government that no one takes seriously because it's such an embarrassment.

taxation without representation is alive and well!

we're real tax-paying citizens - not some faceless enemy

2011-04-06T19:46:00.003-04:00

the possibility of a federal government shutdown is becoming more and more real as the hours pass. while i've definitely been one to make jokes about being a fed, i do so in jest. i know how hard we work every day - to serve, protect. the work we do is noble and worthwhile - my job exists for the sole purpose of ensuring that infants, toddlers and students with disabilities get the access to the same education as their typically developing peers. doesn't really seem like a waste of money to me.

and yet we have to listen to people talk and write about how we're lazy, unproductive and unnecessary. they talk as if we're this random group of people who are somehow unaffected by the faltering economy. in reality, we're tax payers just like the rest of them and are impacted as well.

i could go on and on and on, but steve ressler said it better over at the huffington post.

attention! boehner's seeking day laborers!!!

2011-04-05T21:30:00.004-04:00

the government shutdown is getting close and the administration is raising the stakes. around 8:00pm all cabinet agencies received notice that the administration is planning for a shutdown.

the message makes clear that POTUS doesn't want a shut down and everyone in the administration appreciates our dedication. now i know who to blame when i am barred from going to work and stop receiving a paycheck - going straight to boehner's office and will be seeking work as a day laborer. spread the word and come and join me!

you know your mom loves you when, ...

2011-04-01T20:21:00.002-04:00

... , after asking her to walk just a few more feet because it's good for her, she pointedly states -

fuck you! i hate you!

ah the joys of having a saucy mom!

i thought it was pretty stupid too

2011-03-31T20:09:00.003-04:00

someone hacked the "how to of the day" earlier today on igoogle. results below -

NOW i see why they're the enemy

2011-03-30T20:07:00.005-04:00

having been one once, i've had a difficult time understanding the vitriolic lambasting recently leveled at teachers from every corner of the political ring. it wasn't until i saw this spot on the daily show that i truly understood! they really ARE the root of all evil!

The Daily Show
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

keeping it humble

2011-03-30T19:41:00.002-04:00

this is why i love my people!

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

(although, i find it very interesting that they only focused the camera on our plain clothes, low german-speaking (no, not dutch, as the reporter stated) brethren and not all those that look just like you and me. makes a better story, i guess. and thanks to sara fretz-goering for posting this - with utmost humility of course - on her fb page.)

homicides in the district to date

2011-03-28T21:01:00.003-04:00

i know this isn't the most uplifting of posts, but it is interesting. homicide watch is a fantastic blog that's sprung up in the past year. laura norton amico started the blog to "mark every death. remember every victim. follow every case." in the district. she's created a fascinating chronicle of the stories that are too soon forgotten. (i actually wish she would have started this a few years ago when nannaboo was murdered because that case has been lost to history for a long time.)

today she posted a spread sheet containing all of the information on this year's murders to date. that got me wondering if there was any pattern to the madness; which led me to develop this map ... zoom in on any of the place markers to view the exact area of a particular homicide. many of the sites are in or near public housing projects. nearly all of those neighborhoods have a similar plan - non-descript, low rise buildings on cul-de-sacs, or dead end streets with no neighborhood services in sight.

View Homicides in the District to Date in a larger map

it's not seer-a-cuse!

2011-03-20T21:33:00.002-04:00

it's SARE-A-CUSE

*maybe it's not the way it's pronounced by merriam-webster, but that's how the people who live there say it so that's got to be worth something. and remember, we're also the people that say "gahd" instead of "god."

oh yeah, it impacted the black people too

2011-03-20T20:53:00.003-04:00

recently returned from a week long trip to training in new orleans. the city, in the wake of katrina, was specifically selected as a case study for leading change. we heard from politicians, school district leaders, economic development firms and federal agencies. and who were these talking heads - white man, white man, white man, white man and white man.

now, my knowledge of new orleans and katrina is limited to what i've seen on the news, but i seem to remember that there were at least a few african americans affected by the storm as well.

to be fair, we did hear from one african american woman - a new orleans native - who returned after the storm and is leaving her mark as a principal in the recovery school district. she was, by far, the most compelling speaker. of course i learned a lot throughout the week, but felt that it was a missed opportunity to hear from those disproportionately affected by the storm.

mennonite confession of faith article 25

2011-03-12T19:48:00.004-05:00

you can read the first 24 articles here, but you will not find article 25. why? because it has never been written down before this very moment. article 25 goes something like this -

we believe that, although we are a small gathering of believers, we will organize ourselves in such a way, with mennos and non-mennos alike, that we might have maximum impact, even under the most stressful and dire of circumstances, within the shortest periods of time.

this is what it looks like in practice -

on friday at 2:00 pm, menno a's boss stops by and says "within the next hour, we must find a student in the district of columbia who meets each of the following 20 criteria, without exception, to attend an event with the President of the United States on monday morning at 7:00 am ."

menno a, not even breaking a sweat, says "not a problem."

menno a then calls menno b who says "oh, mennos c, d, e, f or g will absolutely know someone."

so menno a calls menno c and finds out that menno c is unavailable. does panic set in? no because menno a still has mennos d, e, f and g to call.

menno a then calls menno d who confidently say that, while she doesn't know said super child, she's absolutely positive that menno x, a menno not even in the original equation, will absolutely have a candidate.

at 2:30 pm, menno a calls menno x who says "give me 20 minutes and i'll have someone."

sure enough, menno x calls menno a and informs her that non-menno 1 and non-menno 2 have said super child.

menno a calls non-mennos 1 and 2 and, at 2:48 pm, ends up with not 1, but TWO super children to attend the event with POTUS!

a flow char will follow soon.

when it rains it pours - inside your house

2011-03-10T08:44:00.002-05:00

the renovation coupled with the overnight apocalyptic rains have revealed that we have a leak! grrrrrr :(

the 1000's of dollars $150 project

2011-03-09T19:12:00.005-05:00

remember the trip to lucketts and buckeystown? not to worry, i was there and almost don't remember it because it was so long ago. we had this grand idea to build a bed frame out of old farmhouse doors. that was february 2009.

i'm happy to report that the bed frame is almost finished and it is AMAZING thanks to the wonderful carpentry skills of our friend rex and impeccable color knowledge of our friend lawrence. and it's precisely because that the bed has turned out to be so AMAZING that we're currently living like this ...

you see, we decided that the bed must be the focal point of the bedroom since the bed is really turning out to be art. that meant that we needed to get rid of all of the other furniture in the room (although we will add a little couch or two chairs). and that meant that we needed to redo the closet, which meant that we needed to do a pretty significant renovation to remove walls, replace plaster walls with wall board and add lighting.

check back in about a month to see it in all its glory!

and with only one indigo girls reference

2011-03-09T07:48:00.004-05:00

last night's episode of glee was absolutely fabulous. it was characteristically funny and irreverent and incredibly touching. the episode that began with one of the funniest takes ever on being confused about who you love, ended with a realization that it's less destructive, personally and to those around you, to be honest with yourself about who you love. dorothysnarker has an excellent reflection on her blog "dorothy surrenders." read it here. or watch for yourself -

Untitled from Ria Molina on Vimeo.

BEST discussion EVER about being confused

2011-03-08T21:05:00.003-05:00

on tonight's glee -

brittany: i don't know how i feel about us

santana: let's be clear here. i'm not interested in any lables - unless it's on something i shoplift.

brittany: i don't know santana. i think we should talk to somebody, like an adult. this relationship is really confusing for me.

santana: breakfast is confusing for you.

brittany: sometime's it's sweet and sometime's it's salty. what if i had eggs for dinner? then, what is it?

i don't do macaroni and cheese - the criminal justice edition

2011-03-05T13:53:00.002-05:00

last week, we were called - subpoenaed actually - to our civic duty as witnesses in a simple assault case. turned out that the guy ended up pleading guilty before the non-jury trial began, but that fact did not disqualify us from getting our witness fee. (yep, they pay you at least $40 to be a witness in dc superior court! nice huh, although i'm not sure it's worth collecting if there's a chance you might be intimated or killed.)

this day's fun really began when we were set to go home. you must go to the criminal finance division to collect your witness fee. within the criminal finance division they have 3 cashier windows, 2 "fines/court fee" windows and 1 witness reimbursement window. no one approached the cashier windows and only one person needed to pay a fine; however, about 30 people needed to be reimbursed. i approached both a cashier and a fine/court fee collector to see if they could help out with the reimbursements since both of them were just hanging out on their blackberries. i was quickly informed that they don't do reimbursements - clearly kin to she that does not do macaroni and cheese!

hail to the buff and blue?

2011-03-05T13:37:00.003-05:00

some current seniors at my alma mater have started a campaign to get charlie sheen as their commencement speaker. how could you not be proud?!?@#@? actually, part of their justification is kind of funny -

He is an unemployed winner. And unless the job market miraculously picks up, we too will be unemployed winners.

battle royale - red velvet cupcake

2011-03-03T20:57:00.012-05:00

the newest monument to excess in the district of columbia (no, not kwame's suvs)?

the boutique cupcake.

there are no fewer than 3 cupcake-only purveyors in the district alone, not to mention all of the bakeries that have jumped on the bandwagon. we even have a food truck that sells nothing but cupcakes. and while each has its fan, the reigning grandmommy of them all is georgetown cupcake, she of reality television fame. many have tried but none have been able to match the morsels for which people have been known to: 1) wait in obnoxiously long lines (me included); and 2) pay handsomely (me included). until this week ...

earlier this week, sprinkles cupcakes of los angeles, the self-proclaimed "original cupcake bakery," LA Times-dubbed "progenitor** of the haute cupcake craze," and subject of its own reality television show set up shop just a few blocks away!

so tonight we headed to georgetown to conduct a comprehensive test. here are the results -

branding -

pink box wins! it SCREAMS "georgetown cupcake;" while the brown box, even with its sticker, could be mistaken for your lunch from kfc.

cupcake presentation -

they know how to make it look better in los angeles! the cake is bigger, the frosting has height, and the center confection is flirty. you can just see it riding shotgun in a convertible bentley down rodeo drive.

based on outward appearances we're all tied up. but now for the taste.

cream cheese frosting -

georgetown = smoother and creamier

sprinkles = cream cheesier and grainier

red velvet cake -

sprinkles = lighter and airier with more of a hint of chocolate

georgetown = denser

center confection -

georgetown = understated and complementary sugary bite

sprinkles = colorfully inviting, but make sure that your dental insurance premium is up-to-date before biting into this tasteless, rock-hard disc

and the winner is ...

georgetown cupcake!

in the end, it's the frosting that makes the difference and georgetown's is far superior to sprinkles. and hey, this is dc. we don't do big, flashy and overly sweet. we do unadorned effortlessness with a hint of ennui.

in my humble opinion georgetown cupcake will reign supreme until magnolia bakery decides to jump into the mix. until that time, the battle is won.

**don't worry, i had to look it up too! it means - a thing from which another thing originates.

"zion" or a sign of the third reich?

2011-02-28T21:21:00.004-05:00

either way, or as simple as "2012" as they say, it's a horrendous logo

when the city government is the slumlord

2011-02-28T17:43:00.006-05:00

we purchased our home in 2005 and since 2005 we've been witness to the slow deterioration of the two properties across the way. the district government is committed to ridding its neighborhoods of blight - fining and even taking ownership of homes where the current owner either cannot or refuses to maintain the property. no such enforcement with these homes, but then that would require the district government to police itself. yep, the eye sores are owned by the district of columbia housing authority.

we've tried everything! at one point we even convinced them to sell the properties. now it seems though that the houses are a part of the district of columbia housing authority's new "greening initiative" funded by the recovery act. they even put up big signs so you know it must be true!

of course, there's been no movement on this initiative which led kristin and me to surmise that the "greening initiative" is nothing more than waiting until the buildings decay beyond repair and are unceremoniously returned to the earth.

well said, david carr, well said

2011-02-27T22:20:00.002-05:00

david carr has a great piece in the times about the time bomb that is charlie sheen. i'll let you read and digest the article for yourself, but here's a quote to pique your interest -

so the message from cbs and warner brothers seems clear: abuse yourself and the women around you to your heart’s content, but do not attack the golden goose.

god don't like ugly

2011-02-26T14:25:00.004-05:00

georgetown played syracuse today and georgetown decided not to extend the right hand of fellowship to syracuse fans. you see they thought that they could influence the game's outcome by not allowing syracuse fans to attend the game, which makes the final score even that much sweeter!

hoya suxa!!

GO ORANGE!

what a week!

2011-02-26T13:34:00.008-05:00

let's start off with a little will.i.am -

i went to sleep last night, tired from the fight ... i woke up this morning feeling brand new cause the dreams that i've been dreaming have finally come true!

that's how i felt earlier this week when the justice department announced that it would no longer defend the defense of marriage act. DOMA has many concerning elements, but for me the most destructive has been the inability to have my partner of 9 years - the one with whom i own a house, a car, retirement savings - on my federal employee health insurance. this has been a huge issue as she is currently self-employed. while i know that the policy change won't happen immediately, it's comforting to know that the end is near.

and now for the fun! dc politics is the stuff of legend. we've had a crack addict mayor who kept getting elected and elected. now we have a council chair - the man responsible for the district's budget - who makes incredibly poor personal financial decisions and is deeply in debt. it should come as no surprise then that he would order a fully loaded luxury suv at a time when the district faces a massive budget deficit.

if that wasn't bad enough, our new mayor - the one for whom i voted and had such high hopes - decided to give a $110,000 patronage appointment to a man with little to no relevant experience and who may or may not be a pedophile. oops!

i think howcanihelp sums it up best with her/his comment on this report -

"dc is quickly turning into the place where clown college dropouts go to die"

beginning again

2011-02-14T18:48:00.001-05:00

so i think that i have more to say and will now begin again

don't bother asking because it finally doesn't matter

2010-12-18T18:38:00.003-05:00

well done!

with a special thank you to scott brown, susan collins, olympia snow, mark kirk, lisa murkowski, george voinovich, john ensign and richard burr.

reclaimed art

2010-12-14T21:14:00.004-05:00

more than two years ago, kristin and i took a trip to buckeystown in search of old doors (to make a bed frame that's still unfinished?@!). we came upon this fantastic old barn door and decided that it would make a great "frame" to display our photographs. we finally hung it today. let me describe before you look at the pictures. the hanging brackets and rod are all plumbing supplies - flanges, nipples, t joints and a piece of galvanized pipe.

christmas cards are the first installation.

where's the cry against obstructionist legislators?

2010-12-09T20:05:00.003-05:00

we've heard time and time again that "activist judges" are responsible for ensuring civil rights for all people. so what does it take to ensure the ABSENCE of civil rights for all people? why, obstructionist legislators, of course.

i said where i come from ...

2010-12-09T19:59:00.002-05:00

... it's 47 inches of snow over 97 straight hours and everything's open! (apologies to alan jackson)

LOVE pumpkins

2010-10-31T20:35:00.004-04:00

carved these this year -

this is a great opening line!

2010-10-10T22:33:00.005-04:00

what a way to start a campaign

of bed bugs and bronchi

2010-08-24T19:14:00.004-04:00

story one -

kristin thought we had bed bugs. thankfully, she was wrong. the er doc explained the massive welts on her leg were caused by poison something and lady bug, the bed bug sniffing dog, confirmed that we are bed bug free. that's right - a bed bug sniffing dog came to our house and gave us the "all clear." her determination came at the perfect time because kristin was about to shell out mega-bucks to have the house heated to 140 degrees to kill the suckers.

story two -

i somehow caught a case of bronchitis. i finished my z-pak, but i still have a wicked cough, sweats and back pain, so i went back to the doctor. i saw a resident whose final diagnosis - after reading my chart that lists the ulcer i had in 2002 as a result of too much advil - was acid reflux. thank god the attending intervened and ordered a chest x-ray.

oh the times, they are a changin'

2010-08-06T22:21:00.002-04:00

thank god for -

judges who base their decisions on findings of fact and public officials who stand up for what is right

someday we will introduce ...

2010-06-10T18:47:00.002-04:00

a former colleague just had a baby and that got me thinking "why do people pick the names that they do." then i became inspired to create a truly unique name for our future child -

krreibsetcicna

it a nice, easy to pronounce, versatile mixture of the letters in kristin's first name and the letters in my first name. but, after thinking about it a little more i realized that someone has already thought of it because it is such a nice, easy to pronounce versatile name. i thought about adding some apostrophes, but decided that would make it even more common. that's when it hit me! commas and colons! no one ever uses commas and colons in names!

someday, we will introduce -

krreib,set:cicna

that kid is going to have such a nice life!

8 stitches and all is well

2010-05-18T18:00:00.002-04:00

there have been a few stories here about our mishaps with hubert - there was the $160 middle-of-the-night diagnosis of ear wax and the stint in the oxygen tent - all amounting to nothing more than a few funny stories and a hit on the bank account. well this time he's finally getting well deserved sympathy. the poor guy had such a bad abscess that it required minor surgery and 8 stitches. imagine what would happen to him if he was allowed to go outside?

hmmm - burn the cheese or burn my finger?

2010-05-17T22:25:00.005-04:00

the thought of burning a perfectly good glob of feta made me grab the white hot frying pan without even thinking that i would get second degree burns on my finger.

thanks for the lessons dad

2010-05-11T19:34:00.004-04:00

the following is the eulogy that i gave last week at my dad's funeral -

In thinking about what I wanted to say, I spent a lot of time trying to come up with the perfect phrase or quote to capture, in famous pithy prose or verse, what my Dad – your husband, brother, cousin, Wally, Walt, Walter – meant to me and you.

I looked to Whitman and Thoreau, but it didn’t click. And I’m not quite sure my Dad was too in to either.

Maya Angelou – too lyrical

Rush Limbaugh – if you know anything about me you know that I didn’t even look there.

Honestly, the more I looked the more frustrated I became. None of these literary geniuses captured the essence of my Dad.

About to give up, it occurred to me – who better to “capture the essence of my Dad” than my Dad himself. Believe it or not – he consistently doled out words of wisdom, many of which I live by today.

I’ll give you a few –

At sixteen he taught me how to spell “car.” You’re all sitting here thinking – “isn’t this the kid that went to Harvard? She couldn’t spell “car” at 16?” Believe me – that’s EXACTLY what I thought until he explained to me that “car” was actually spelled J O B.

With those three simple letters he conveyed to me the importance of hard work and responsibility. It wasn’t his responsibility to buy me a car – it was my responsibility to work for what I wanted.

Another one of my favorites was “it’s a long way to go for a sandwich Becca.”

These were his words teaching me commitment – commitment to family, friends, the community.

He would say this when he would return from visiting his sister in Buffalo and stay only for lunch because he knew that it was important to connect with family (but still wanted to sleep in his own bed at night) and would give me these same words of wisdom after driving 30 miles without ever leaving his beloved Baldwinsville while delivering Meals on Wheels or when he would come back from shuttling seniors to and from the doctors for Baldwinsville Senior Express.

Or how about when, EVERY TIME we passed the psychic on Rte. 57 in Liverpool, he would say –

“Hey Bec! Go and knock on the door and ask her if she knew you were coming?!” And then laugh and laugh like it was the funniest thing he had ever heard in his entire lifetime.

Frankly, I just thought it was stupid, annoying and repetitive – WAIT! Come to think of it – it taught me PATIENCE!

And when he taught me accountability.

I was a sophomore in college and had just “earned” my third “D.”

I knew I was going to have to deal with my parents so I came up with the perfect one-liner for the conversation.

The conversation went something like this –

“Bec, one more “D” and you’re coming home.”

“Okay Dad, but you know that you can’t spell degree without a “D.”

Clever on my part, huh?

Without missing a beat, he replied –

“Yes, Rebecca, but you’re stuttering with your D…D…Degree.”

How about this as a way to learn about priorities –

I told him that I wanted to take a 2 credit course in wheel thrown pottery. He told me that he wasn’t paying $3000 for me to play with clay and that if I did, in fact, want to play with clay I could come home and take a $50 class at BOCES.

Now he wasn’t knocking the arts or BOCES. He was merely reminding me that I was studying International Affairs at a renowned school for International Affairs and I should take advantage of those opportunities while I had the chance.

Here’s one that I’m still trying to learn and embrace – living in the moment. Or, in the words of Wally – “it didn’t even enter my mind” or “I didn’t even think about it.”

As in – “Dad, did you ask the doctor about the new medicine?”

“It didn’t even enter my mind, Bec.”

Or “Dad, why didn’t you … (fill in the situation here.”)

“Becca, I didn’t even think about it.”

I want to end with my favorite Dad-ism, but before I do I point you to the words of the poet and author george elliot who famously said – “it’s never to late to be what you might have been.”

This was my Dad and the guy we all knew and loved.

A friend of Bill W. since 1979 – he knew that it wasn’t too late to get sober and start a new life with a more productive focus than the bottle and the bar.

It was never too late to live life despite significant health issues. To give you an idea, the doctor’s gave him 6 months to live – that was 18 years ago. In those 18 years he volunteered, traveled extensively – never letting anything stop him.

And it was never too late to reestablish and repair relationships – to get right with those he’d wronged, with God.

As many of you know, this last year has been rough – the stuff of soap operas really. Revelations led to renewed relationships – with people, with God, with himself.

My Dad worked through some life-long demons and came out on the other side.

While trying and sometimes downright demoralizing and overwhelming – I wouldn’t trade one day. I got to know my Dad better than ever. We shared our secrets, our hopes and dreams, fears and appreciation for one another – his last words to me were – “Thanks for caring so much about me Bec.”

Oh, and lots and lots of laughs!

Bear with me while I set this up, because it’s well worth the punchline.

While my Dad’s mental health improved tremendously over the past year (it was like having back the Dad of yore!), his physical health was in consistent decline. To give you an idea – he suffered two heart attacks in a matter of weeks.

After the second heart attack, he told me that I should just call him TAAAHHHHHDDDD. I busted out laughing!

He was referring to the Saturday Night Live skit from the ‘90s with Chris Farley that went something like this …

I leave you with the most personal of stories and the most life changing of words.

About 10 years ago I had to tell my parents something that I had been avoiding for almost my entire life. Something that I was sure that they were going to find distressing – especially my father.

I told my mom and she was “mom” telling me that it would be okay and that we would work it out. I told my Dad and he was – SILENT

The next day I met him for lunch and pretty much cried the entire time. He engaged in “Wally” conversation – the weather and SU sports.

When we were leaving I couldn’t even look him in the eye – just kept my head down and repeated “I’m sorry. I know you must be disappointed” over and over.

I stared at the ground and he said nothing.

After what seemed like hours, I felt his finger lifting up my chin as he said calmly – “Hold you head up Rebecca.”

He said nothing else before he left.

You know what – I knew that everything was going to be just fine.

When I leave here today, I’ll hold my head up and I think you all should too because that’s what Friend of Bill W., husband, father, brother, uncle, cousin, neighbor, colleague, friend, Walter, Walt, Wally would want.

He would want each of us to hold our head up and do that one thing that’s going to take each of us to the next level because it’s never too late.

Thanks for lessons Dad.

i'll keep holding my head up dad

2010-05-01T14:49:00.003-04:00

june 11, 1940 - april 30, 2010

the first time you realize you can't talk to them anymore

2010-04-26T21:54:00.003-04:00

in september 2009 i posted about my friend townsend who passed away. she was so important to me and i'm realizing that i never told her that enough. truth be told, i've only thought of her on occasion since the day she died. guess i was kind of numb and was moving on.

today was the first day since the minute that i found out she had died that i've had a ridiculously strong desire to pick up the phone and talk with her. i came across something online that i knew she would find amusing - in fact, she's probably the only person that would have had a big belly laugh over it. it's been all that i can do to keep my hand off the phone.

what i wouldn't give for 5 more minutes ...

my new favorite picture

2010-04-10T22:25:00.002-04:00

darlene and her mother are back!

2010-03-29T19:57:00.003-04:00

ever since i decided to keep fred flintstone hours (out the door when the pterodactyl crows), i've been missing out on riding the bus with darlene and her mother. but tonight i stayed until 7:15 and was rewarded with entertainment from the two of them. mom was dressed to the nines as usual, while darlene was rocking a snuggie with pearls and a belt. they were about 5 rows apart and uncharacteristically quiet until mom started to list all of the baby food she enjoys eating. you see - she only eats baby food because her stomach is bad.

i only know her stomach is bad because tonight darlene inquired - "ma? why do you think your stomach is so bad? do you think it's because that white man ran over it when you were a kid?"

the rest of the conversation went like this ...

"now darlene, you know that the white man did not roll over my stomach. it was the white man that saved me."

"i heard that! ma, when do you think it will be all over?"

"what will be over? your life? only the good lord knows that darlene. the good lord up in heaven ..."

"no ma - when do you think that you'll stop giving me money even though my check is bigger than yours."

"when you stop wasting all your money at the liquor store."

"i heard that!"

and then i got off the bus

eating ...

2010-03-26T22:07:00.001-04:00

humble pie

the new "nucular"

2010-03-21T22:15:00.002-04:00

harkening back to the days of making up words through mispronunciation , john boehner just urged his fellow members of the house to return to a sense of "calmity." perhaps he's referring to the state of "CALAMITY" in which he and his friends now find themselves.

I LOVE ... (part deux)

2010-03-21T14:44:00.001-04:00

northern iowa

just what's in that tea?

2010-03-21T14:21:00.002-04:00

i know that i'm supposed to be on hiatus, but events of the past few days are too disturbing to let pass by without reflection.

this is a big weekend of change in the district of columbia. spring has sprung - cherry blossom buds and the number of tour buses have popped over night. right now 10s of thousands of people are marching demanding immigration reform. and in a few short hours, the united states house of representatives will vote to equalize health care in this country. it is this last event that has brought about the most disturbing incidents.

i understand that health care reform is a divisive issue. and i get that people on both side feel passionate about their positions. what i don't understand is why a debate about fixing health care would lead some groups to start using racial and homophobic epithets, and even spit, to make their point more strongly.

many news outlets are widely reporting that the tea party rally at the capitol got a little out of hand yesterday. in trying to make the point that congress should not pass the current health care "overhaul" bill, some tea partyer's got down and dirty spitting on emanuel cleaver, calling barney frank a "faggot," and members of the congressional black caucus "n****rs."

really?!@?!@? how can one even be expected to engage in civil discourse with people like this? they're not even comparing apples to oranges or day to night - it's like half the group is talking about bowling balls and while the protesters talk about squirrels.

I LOVE ...

2010-03-18T21:33:00.001-04:00

OHIO UNIVERSITY

it doesn't take a rocket scientist ...

2010-03-15T18:34:00.003-04:00

... to know that if a magazine photographer takes suggestive pictures of a subject the magazine will then publish those suggestive photos. repulsed by the photos? she should then be repulsed that she allowed herself to be photographed in such repulsive poses.

i did it and you can do it too!

2010-03-15T18:31:00.001-04:00

write in and be counted

oh syracuse ...

2010-03-12T22:25:00.000-05:00

number one to number three in one week and then a crushing loss to georgetown?!@ what is happening to these boys?

not since 1990

2010-03-01T20:15:00.001-05:00

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

SYRACUSE IS NUMBER ONE

annoyingorange.com

2010-02-25T20:58:00.002-05:00

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

annoyingorange.com

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

2010-02-22T20:08:00.002-05:00

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?

2010-02-20T12:13:00.003-05:00

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!?!?!?!

2010-02-19T20:36:00.003-05:00

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

2010-02-18T21:36:00.008-05:00

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

2010-02-15T22:30:00.003-05:00

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

2010-02-15T22:17:00.004-05:00

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!

2010-02-13T16:50:00.003-05:00

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?

2010-02-12T23:04:00.003-05:00

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?

2010-02-11T21:26:00.002-05:00

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!

2010-02-11T13:35:00.002-05:00

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!

2010-02-10T22:19:00.005-05:00

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

2010-02-10T22:15:00.001-05:00

watch more here

snow is not news

2010-02-10T20:14:00.002-05:00

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

2010-02-10T14:22:00.003-05:00

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

2010-02-09T21:56:00.003-05:00

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 ...

2010-02-09T21:49:00.002-05:00

... 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

2010-02-09T18:12:00.002-05:00

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

2010-02-08T21:46:00.000-05:00

no good deed ...

2010-02-08T21:33:00.002-05:00

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

2010-02-08T20:52:00.003-05:00

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

2010-02-08T17:40:00.009-05:00

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

2010-02-07T17:36:00.009-05:00

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

2010-02-07T16:28:00.003-05:00

$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

2010-02-07T10:49:00.025-05:00

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

2010-02-06T10:06:00.004-05:00

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 ...

2010-02-05T20:22:00.001-05:00

BLIZZARD

ft dupont/randle circle snomageddon celebration

2010-02-05T16:42:00.003-05:00

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

2010-02-04T19:59:00.002-05:00

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

2010-02-03T20:55:00.004-05:00

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

2010-02-03T19:24:00.002-05:00

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

2010-02-02T18:53:00.004-05:00

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?

the crips and the phlegms or what happens when you put a parent in assisted living

2010-01-31T17:56:00.003-05:00

this has been quite a week for the flipflop fed. it all started benignly enough with recovery act report reviews and that lasted all of 2 hours before my world changed dramatically. my mom called a little before 9:00 am to say that she had been taken by ambulance to the emergency room the night before because she couldn't breathe. turns out she has pneumonia and was released in the middle on the night after some breathing treatments and a vicodin. of course, i felt bad, but since there was little i could do from my cubicle in the sky, i returned to reviewing reports. i pretty much stayed focused until my mom called again - that's when it all began.

after getting up from her vicodin snooze, my mom headed downstairs to get some coffee and it was there that she found my father unresponsive and slumped at the kitchen table. i'm going to leave out most of the next four days because it's just a lot of hospital stuff, but i will tell you that his sugar count was 39 when the ambulance arrived and he was in full-blown congestive heart failure. in his time at the hospital they were able to regulate his sugar and remove the equivalent of 17 lbs. of water from his body. he clearly had not been taking his medicine.

taking in to account all that has happened over the past 9 months, we decided as a family that my dad should be discharged to assisted living. the transition has been remarkably smooth - he's eating again and participating in taking his medicine. but the best parts are really all of the funny stories from the first few days -

he's one of the younger people there and all of the old biddies call him the "young fellow."

his newest friend is a 104 year old guy who doesn't look a day over 80.

he's taking a rug hooking class.

after being told that there are two wings to the building - east and west - i asked if there were gangs. my father quickly replied -"yeah. the crips and the phlegms."

humor definitely makes an incredibly difficult situation all that much easier.

a small village just outside of ... zambia?

2010-01-24T20:57:00.002-05:00

watching the web series "venice" and i'm still loving it, but this recent episode had a little bit of a gaffe. two characters were getting to know each other, one telling the other that she had been in the peace corps. the potential boyfriend asked "where?" to which she replied - "a little village outside of zambia?" really? they couldn't have done better research to find out that zambia's a COUNTRY and there are thousands of villages on its border.

oh well, guess it can't be perfect ...