Illumination

It is thrilling - THRILLING - to me, that the Omaba administration is filled with public intellectuals. I think this is huge. I think this is a massive change. That the public good is entrusted to highly intelligent scholars rather than CEOs is a paradigm shift.

I don't think I am exaggerating here.

I think this is something I am going to kick around for a bit and write about. Hopefully with a bit more thought and clarity!

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Last weekend, to celebrate both our birthdays, Christmas and Valentine's Day, A. took me to Glenwood Hot Springs. It was so awesome, soaking in mineral hot springs and spending the day traveling and chatting and relaxing and just enjoying the hell out of each others' company.

After soaking in the springs until we both became prune-like, he took me to ONE OF THE BEST RESTAURANTS I have ever been to in a nearby town, Carbondale. The food was better than anything I ever had in DC. So wonderful. The butternut squash ravioli was anything but run of the mill. Holy cow, was it delicious. Our main entrees were out of this world, too.

So sweet. I am one lucky gal.

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A. was disappointed in me in that I didn't remember Doc Holliday had died in Glenwood Springs. "How can you not remember that? There was a shot in Tombstone that showed him in the Glenwood Sanatorium." He was truly exasperated.

He really, really admires Doc Holliday. The more I learn about him, the more interested I am. I have always been rather bored of the history of the "Wild West," but Doc Holliday was quite a character. A very, very intellegent fella. Have any of you read any good books about him that you'd like to recommend?

We tried to find his grave, just by driving around Glenwood, and failed. I think another trip is in order!!!

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To further exasperate A., I used the light from the screen of the GPS do-hickey to illuminate the paper map as we navigated our way back home. He just about died when he saw what I was doing.

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Happy Monday to you!

Cotton Swabs Taste Gross First Thing in the Morning

This morning I registered with the National Marrow Donor Program. It was super easy and I happily discovered that you just submit four cotton swabs from your cheeks rather than say, BLOOD STOLEN FORM YOUR BODY BY A SCARY, SCARY, POKEY NEEDLE.

I have a terribly overactive imagination and the places my brain goes at the thought of someone drilling into my hip bone or cycling my blood through some weird machine and PUTTING IT BACK INTO MY BODY, ALTERED, scares the shit out of me. (Really, I could have been a production designer for the X-Files, or more recently, CSI. I swear.)

However, someone losing hope of recovery from an illness scares me even more. So, I registered.

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As I was walking to work this morning, I noticed this older gentleman in front of me. He was a wonderful character. He had shoulder-length, curly, silver hair that was a bit out of control, flowing all over the place from under his maroon stocking cap. The cap was a bit too long so it had this funny sticky-uppy poof thing going on above his head.

He was fumbling with his cell phone, trying to answer an incoming call. He finally found the send button and pushed it, and from what I could hear he and a mate were trying to locate each other. Just as I passed him, the other end of the conversation came in through my other ear. His lady friend was ten feet away from him.

I turned to watch them for a bit, delighted for whatever reason. I waited until they found each other. If they continued to walk next to each other without realized it for too long I think I would have intervened.

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Dogs are IDIOTS. And I love them.

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DOGS!!!!

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I have mentioned before that one of my biggest pet peeves is abandoned shopping carts in parking lots. How can people be SO FUCKING LAZY?!?!?!

Anyway.

Last night I pulled into a parking spot at the grocery store, careful to avoid the TWO ABANDONED SHOPPING CARTS in the PARKING space intended for my CAR. I wrestled the two carts together, totally pissy and smug about it, and proceeded to very awkwardly push them to the nearest SHOPPING CART CORRAL THAT IS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED AND CONVENIENTLY LOCATED TO HOUSE USED SHOPPING CARTS.

Later, when I returned with my cart full of groceries, there was another shopping cart in the EXACT SAME SPOT the two I had moved earlier.

Funny, Universe. Funny.

Friday Five

1. This morning I woke up to NPR only to hear of the horrible plane crash in Buffalo. I teared up a bit. I hit snooze.

2. Ten minutes later I woke up to hear that the number one security threat to the United States is economic instability. Visions of hungry, desperate, frightened people all around the world inciting riots filled my head. I hastily smacked the snooze button once more.


3. Finally, after another snooze session, I woke up to the beautiful voice of Nigella Lawson, carrying on about cupcakes. (Recipes are posted at NPR!) I love, love, love Nigella. She transforms the activity of waiting for water to boil into a tantalizing exercise of flirtatious anticipation.

Needless to say, I finally rolled out of bed with a dreamy look on my face, surrounded in a warm blanket of cupcake daydreams.

4. I don't have any of Nigella's cookbooks. I need to remedy that as soon as possible.


5. A. and I don't celebrate Valentine's Day. Both of our birthdays fall closely to it and it would be too much planning for one month! Also, we just aren't into it. Hell, we are both equally ambivalent about marriage; we certainly aren't going to dive into Valentine's Day with abandon.

A.'s birthday is Sunday. Do you 'spose he'd be as tickled with some of Nigella Lawson's cupcakes as I am? Or should I stick to his favorite cake, the Crazy Cake with homemade caramel icing? What do you think?


Happy Friday and Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!

Gentle Little Reminders

I love NPR but I think I shouldn't wake up to it anymore. I just cannot take the doom and gloom news right of the bat.

A friend sent this video to me, and it snapped me out of my morning funk. It reminded me that the world we live in is so much more than the morning news.

Enjoy!

Friday Five

1. I cannot wait to see the movie, Coraline!  I love, love, LOVE stop-action movies!

2. Wouldn't it be amazing to work on a stop-action movie? I wonder how many seconds of film would be completed by the end of one workday?

3. My birthday was earlier this week and it was an all-around LOVELY day. It was fun to get birthday wishes from long lost classmates via FB. 

4. I was given some cash from my and A.'s folks. I didn't have anything in mind for it. The Universe took care of it for me by hurling a fist-sized rock into my winshield. Problem solved!

5. I am looking forward to this upcoming year being as balanced as my birthday.

Breakfast

My friend, Kim , came to town last night and we got together for a couple of drinks and catching up. A. joined us, though he did not get more than a word or two in the conversation. He did, however, agree wholeheartedly with me later that night when I said Kim is one of the most vibrant and genuine people I know.

It was so fun to be out of the house, away from work, and chatting with a good friend! Thanks for kicking my week off with a great start, Kim!

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I have not managed to eat breakfast yesterday or today, and it is totally kicking my ass.  Also, I am anxious to eat breakfast because I want to try out Swistle's Baked Oatmeal. It sounds so yummy, and perfect for a chilly winter morning!

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I think A. has actually talked me into going on a weekend-long ice-fishing trip. I KNOW.

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It was so, so, so good to see so many friends in DC and NYC. I am missing them terribly right now, but am also so content knowing they are still a part of my life.

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Happy Tuesday to you!