Wahine Report

FRIDAY WARM FUZZY

2011-06-03T09:43:00.000-05:00

I am such a sucker for coming home videos and proposals. UGH!! And this has both! (stole this from Aly's facebook page!)

"In August 2010, I met my girlfriend (of about 2 months at the time) at the Paris Airport and knew the moment she got off the plane, I wanted to marry her. Over the next 9 months, I filmed us, a bit at a time, and made it into a little movie. In May 2011, I played it for her on the terrace of the Bowery Hotel in New York City, with the Empire State Building as our backdrop...and asked her to marry me..."

Music: Florence and The Machine - Dog Days Are Over

Lions, and Puppies, And Movie Stars..oh my..

2011-05-31T14:15:00.001-05:00

There are those friends who make you laugh, those friends who help you cry, those who hold your hair back, and those who can stand you snoring. Luckily I have Linds.

She can take on those challenges and she can tolerate traveling with me...because it is always an adventure! (That's the euphemism for disaster.) Plus it helps that we are equally obsessed with completing the 1,000 things to do before you die list!

This weekend adventure took us to Toronto for Memorial Day, but not before a quick little stop to Niagara Falls. Friday we snuck out of town and caught a flight to Buffalo, while the rest of the world headed south for some sun.

Like a machine we picked up our luggage and our rental, plugged in our hotel coordinates and we were off. Well, sort of…we reserved an economy, but since our flightmates all had the same idea, all they had left were land whales. So Chez copa and our Land Whale took off for the Canadian border – in search of free health care…I mean culture. After a few very personal questions from a hot Montee…we were cleared to cross. For the record…Linds is a lawyer and our trip is not for work.

I should have known right off the bat what kind of trip this was going to be…as we were parking our land whale in the Best Western (we keep it classy) guest parking lot for the night, sitting at the foot of our spot was a lion winking at linds from his cage. No joke. We got a picture of the trailer he was coming out of, but we both sat there laughing too long to get the actual cat on film. Your guess is as good as ours as to what he was doing there.

Like true Americans, we embraced all the cheesiness that Niagara had to offer… the country’s largest glow in the dark mini golf, Rainforest café, and of course….the Maiden of the Mist. Too bad we didn’t film that because it was a train wreck of awesome…linds spent the horseshoe falls tour inhaling her plastic poncho, and I couldn’t keep my hood on to save my life.

As a memento of our survival we stole our ponchos…and then bought an overpriced snowglobe. Damn. We showed them.

Then it was a pitstop at Starbucks and on the road for some Toronto action. On the way up we passed at least 15 vineyards. (seriously.) Fighting the urge to right angle it for a tasting, we pulled into the Le Meridien King Edward, Toronto. One word BOOOOGIE! This was one classy joint, and the two of us looked like drowned puppies checking in.

After the color returned to my face, and we showered off, it was time to hit the pavement. We had two more spots to hit on our list – the Art Gallery of Ontario and the flagship Four Seasons. It was also Open Doors Toronto where they open 150 architectural, historic, cultural and/or social significance buildings to the public. So we had plenty of exploring to do. But on the way, we kept bumping into a filming crew.

I didn’t think much of it so we grabbed a few shots and some video and kept bouncing on our way. One gallery a drink and four miles later, we rested our feet at the four seasons for a glass of local Niagara Chardonnay (finally), making friends with our bartender, and annoying the hell out of our barmates. Then we headed up the hill, through the most adorable neighborhood (Rosedale.) to dinner at CAVA.

Tucked inside an office building courtyard, this tapas restaurant is no joke. We were told to order 3-4 dishes each, but after splitting oysters, wine (Niagara Pinot Nior this time), asparagus, edamame bruschetta,
eggplant with queso fresco, cauliflower with Spanish saffron, and a fresh tamal, there was no hope for us. We collapsed on the subway and waddled back to the hotel, too tired to crash the wedding that was happening in the ballroom down the hall. (But don’t think for a second, we didn’t consider it.)

Waking up on our second day, we headed down to the main dining room for some egg white omelets and coffee, and personal sized jar of honey slipped into my purse.

Then we started our walking tour again only this time headed south to the CN tower. But right outside our hotel, the camera crew had set up again. This time we needed answers. It turns out they were filming a movie set in New York called Cosmopolis. Sitting across from us that morning was Robert Pattinson and Paul Giamatti.

On the way we joined a march for awareness for something or other on one block, danced in a parade celebrating Israel’s independence on the next, cheered on bicycle racers around the corner, and coached some puppies being trained on another. I’ll say this…not a dull day in this city. We decided to take refuge in a little community park, but even that turned out to be a coordinated effort…the pigeons had choreographed quite a bathing routine for us.

I think all in all, Toronto is one of my new favorite cities. This was my first trip to Canada, but I couldn’t help thinking that if Chicago and London had a baby …it would be Toronto. The city had American high-rises literally wedged in with gothic cathedrals. The people were friendly in that Midwestern sort of way, but still with an urban sensibility. The streets were clean and there was so much going on, who wouldn’t get hooked. Linds and I sure did.

A Few Of My New Favorites

2011-05-10T21:18:00.003-05:00

Last month, the spring clean bug bit, and for a solid week poor Linds had to put up with me pulling everything, and I mean EVERYTHING out of the closets so resort, reorganize, and PURGE. Our apartment looked like the centerfold for Real Simple magazine. But after I tossed, ebay-ed or donated all the crap, I realized I made space for new treasures! Here are some of my new favorites that have filled the void. Luckily for both of us - they wont be going away anytime soon.

The first thing to go was the old make-up. As bad as Mom wanted it to, blue eyeshadow is not making a comeback. But I did make room for some Dior Eye Shadow Palette in Rosy Nude. It's a splurge I know, but really it's like getting 3 separate pallettes in one. With five different shades I can do natural to smokey to daywear with one set. Not to mention this guy looks small but even using it everyday - it will last me all summer.

It was also time for me to toss my powder. I've been trying to go without foundation just to keep the pours clear, but I've tried the bare minerals and it never sits well. I end up looking really greasy rather than glowing. So I tried the Diorskin Forever Invisible Retouch Powder over my Clinique tinted moisturizer. What a difference! I usually have to reapply my powder during the day - I don't because I'm busy (or lazy) but I should. This lasted all day. And it goes on so smoothly I didn't end up looking cake faced.

My last little reward was a new cookbook. I pitched four, so I figured I deserved one. But I'm prejudiced - the recipes have to be easy, the ingredients have to be few and inexpensive, and the result has to look AND taste impressive. Enter 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know. The only beef I had with it was that the title limits it to women - these turned out so good - I wish men would sneak a peek too. I was so impressed with the date night favorites like Engagement chicken as well as the easy I-don't-feel-like-cooking-for-this-dinner-party recipes like Impress His Family Chardonnay Cake. Done and Done.

Elmore Leonard, Still Delighting Readers – and Interviewers

2011-04-19T23:25:00.000-05:00

My good friend and 630 WMAL's morning anchor, Bill Thompson, has been interviewing authors in his spare time for over twenty six years. Teaching himself how to code websites, along the way he created EYEONBOOKS, a resource dedicated to housing this vast pool of these one-on-ones.

Well for the first time ever, he let me take the reins and posted an interview I did with Elmore Leonard. So making me EYEONBOOKS debut:

Elmore Leonard, Still Delighting Readers – and Interviewers

By The Numbers

2011-04-19T09:19:00.000-05:00

Crystal City Summer Screen on The Green films are out! Mark your calendars - and your wine bottles! Action happens at the courtyard of 1800 South Bell Street, Arlington, VA 22202 (near Crystal City Metro)
June 6, 2011 Air Force One
June 13, 2011 Four Weddings and a Funeral
June 20, 2011 The Sixth Sense
June 27, 2011 District 9
July 11, 2011 10 Things I Hate About You
July 18, 2011 Oceans 11
July 25, 2011 Apollo 13
August 1, 2011 16 Candles
August 8, 2011 The 40-Year-Old Virgin
August 15, 2011 50 First Dates
August 22, 2011 (500) Days of Summer
August 29, 2011 2001: A Space Odyssey

For All Us Crystal City Peeps - Spread The Word

2011-04-05T10:48:00.000-05:00

Looking to ditch that old tv or last decades' lap top? I know we've got a tv that will be headed towards the great bulb in the sky.

Crystal City (Arlington, VA) – Old electronics can be diverted from landfills and sensitive paperwork kept out of the hands of identity thieves when brought to the Crystal City Business Improvement District’s (BID) Power Purge & Shred on Wednesday, April 27th from 7 AM to 7 PM. The annual event has safely recycled almost 90 tons of electronics over the course of the past three years including monitors, printers, CPUs, servers, cables, batteries, and more. Added for the first time last year, the Shred securely recycled more than four tons of paper.

The event is conveniently located in the surface parking lot located at the intersection of 20th Street and S. Bell Street, directly adjacent to 220 Twentieth Street. Owned by Vornado/Charles E. Smith, use of the parking lot is donated to the Crystal City BID to help promote this key green initiative. For more information on Crystal Green and other Crystal City events, visit www.crystalcity.org.

The April Fool Elves Have Hit Us At Work

2011-04-01T06:41:00.001-05:00

Programming Directors Office!

One of the perks of working in news is getting to work before most are even out of bed. But these elves beat us all to the office to play a little April Fools mischief. Luckily they did the dirty work because I don't have the guts to do any of this....

Need a few more ideas? Here are a few to make you giggle from the WASHINGTON POST:

Geektastic April Fools’ Day pranks By Hayley Tsukayama
April Fools’ Day is all about harmless fun, so if you have access to a victim ... er ... friend’s computer, here are some light-hearted prank ideas with a techy twist that we’ve found floating around the Internet:
1. Push some buttons: It’s pretty easy to switch the primary and secondary buttons on a friend’s mouse. Head into Windows’ System Preferences mouse control pad and — bam! — one-click prank accomplished. Just be sure to tell your victim how to switch it back before he or she goes insane.

2. Feeling blue: The Blue Screen of Death is one of the most-feared sites in all of techdom. Strike some good-natured fear into the hearts of those you love with the BSoD screensaver. Microsoft is willing to help you out on this one; you can download the screensaver from the Microsoft site.

3. Screenshot wallpaper: Set someone’s wallpaper to a screenshot of their normal desktop and then use the “Arrange Icons By” menu to hide all the desktop icons. After that, just sit back and enjoy the frantic clicking.

The old bathroom sign switcheroo!

4. Tricky linguistics: Google offers several interface languages to make search easy for everyone — including Klingons, Elmer Fudd and the Swedish Chef Muppet. Head up to the search settings menu on any Google search. Other options include 1337 and Esperanto.

5. Too many mice: If your victim uses a wireless mouse, switch out his receiver and watch him like a hawk. When he’s moving his mouse, send the one on-screen in an entirely different direction. Those particularly good at stifling their giggles can probably keep the prank going for quite a while.
These are all pretty low-tech pranks that require almost no technological prowess.

For The Late Ones In The Peanut Gallery

2011-03-30T12:21:00.000-05:00

You all may have seen this yesterday, but for those of us behind the viral curve I'm throwing it out there again. Make sure you have the cc selected when you watch this, it's hilarious.

Wednesday Brain Tease

2011-03-30T09:24:00.000-05:00

Look at these signs very carefully. Now if it is 7pm on Sunday evening....which side of the post can you park on?

****SPOILER ALERT****

Look at Sign #2. Linds and I nearly left the car to the right of this post, but luckily a good Samaritan tapped on the window and pointed it out to us. He nearly did the same thing, and sure enough, the cars behind us all had tickets. We payed it forward just in time to warn a fellow parker before he made the same mistake.

Classy Is As Classy Does

2011-03-23T22:58:00.000-05:00

Mixing the New York and DC crew can be a challenge, especially if you're lazy like me and strong arm the New York crew into regular visits in exchange for 2-buck-chuck (there may have been a coupon involved as well.), but after some intense negotiation the NYC ...ok just Adam...managed to talk us into meeting him halfway. Literally. Atlantic City.

It's the perfect overpriced getaway to enjoy all the fruits of life...the beach (with a hazmat suit), gambling (only when lubricated with plenty of free booze), and shopping (of the pretend discounted aka "outlet"). So of course I mobilized the team for a little weekend getaway!

Being the stellar cruise director, I immediately delegated the heavy lifting to Adam - booking the hotel room. Which, like a good bureaucrat, sat on for three weeks, before sending it right back. Then proceeded to keep his travel plans nice and loose, as I assured him that if we left DC at 11, we would promptly arrive at 1pm - just in time for lunch. Only on a good day, yes even with an easy pass, takes the average lead foot 3 hours.

Now throw in a little gas stop, breakfast, and said cruise directors inability to pack until after the departure time so she was appropriately briefed on the latest Real Housewives of OC episode, and you have a recipe for a wee bit tardy for the party - I mean fashionably punctual.

Fear not, Adam booked the later bus. Relieved we stopped for breakfast. Now there is no road trip to long or short for a little Cracker Jack (Barrel) stop. In an attempt to exit though somehow we missed the turn. Luckily for us Stephanie saved the day with a little introduction to the Waffle House! HOLY HASHBROWN - where has this dive chain been all my life! Roach coach doesn't begin to describe the level of awesome happening under this roof. On Steph's endorsement, we had, yes, waffles, and customized hash browns - chopped, covered, and smothered. Then it was back on the road.

We had four objectives in AC, and 24 hours to complete the mission: gambling, shopping, eating, and dancing. Within 20 minutes of checking in at the Marriott - (no need to Sh** where you eat), we zoned in on some blackjack at Trump. Within 10 minutes I had downed both my gin and tonic, and my $45 daily gambling limit. So while Katie and Adam raked in $250 together, we took a tour of the stellar shopping scene. That killed 30 minutes, 20 of which were spent trying on some elegant stripper shoes, which double as casual heels to wear with your weekend jeans the sales woman assured me.

Then we glammed up for dinner at Buddakan in Ceasers. After all the overwhelming decadence of the day, I was surprised by how genuinely fabulous this restaurant was. From the Saki and cleverly named cocktails to the over-the-moon edemame ravioli, wasabi mashed potatoes and perfectly cooked scallops. They offer a tasting menu at $60 per head, but we opted to go family style and order a la carte. Well worth it.

Then we finished the night learning craps and paying too much for their night club, dusk, which seemed appropriate for bachelorette parties and underage drinkers. I learned a valuable lesson - I am too old to put up with overpriced cover, lycra uniforms, and underwhelming cocktails. I am kicking myself for not suggesting Ri Ra at the Tropicana.

After sleeping off my poor life choices (and a bottle of pinot) we detoxed at 6ix in Bally's. Not the greatest turkey burger, but the back waiter made up for it with a repertoire of jokes you'd find inside bubble gum, spiced with expletives for good measure. While we had a few hours to burn we thought we do a little outlet shopping, not to be confused with discount shopping.

Steph got some baller high tops, circa 1987, and I fell in love with a pair of tennis shoes shaped like penny loafers. CLASSY. We thought we'd finish the tour with a little trip through Coach., which should have been like a spa for spending therapy, but it was more like a blue special at k-mart on Christmas Eve. Every second person with mammary glands in the greater Trashville area turned up to slip a monogrammed wristlet home to their hive. We barely made it out alive (and I got a clutch thank you very much!).

To complete the glam trifecta, on our drive home, I awoke to a motorcyclist outside my window waving. Then his pleasant waving turned to a pat on his seat inviting a little ride along. When our car full of chicks giggled like kindergartners, he popped a wheelie...at 80 miles per hour. Then the Suburban behind us, pulled ahead to sweeten the offering with donut holes. Ah armatures. Too obvious.

Janet ...Miss Jackson If You're Nasty

2011-03-23T10:58:00.000-05:00

Miss Jackson hit DC last night on her Number Ones Tour and rocked DAR Hall last night. Thanks to a last minute ticket swoop by Stephanie, as of 3pm I had it locked into my calender.

Having the concert in a smaller venue like DAR Constitution Hall put us close enough to see her dripping sweat off her silver plastic suit. (She was quite zipped in) But her Louboutin boots had nothing on Steph's neon high tops she picked up in Atlantic city, or my super stylish Havaianas and yoga pants.

The 45-year-old Jackson rocked it like she was 19 again and the house followed suit. I thought I was a fan, having the lyrics memorized from the womb, but the guys one row ahead of us, had every song choreographed, compete with turns and fist pumps, damn near knocking their neighbors off the terrace. Both the show, and the subsequent fan-induced sideshows were a perfect end to a long day.

The Ideal Husband @ Shakespeare Theater

2011-03-16T13:16:00.000-05:00

No, not my ideal husband - they're still manufacturing him on the island of perfect men, should be delivered at a quarter to never, this is the latest Shakespeare Theater Company production. Linds and I went to see the show last Sunday night at the new Sidney Harmon Hall.

The story is as snarky as the costumes are breathtaking. Written by Oscar Wilde 100 years ago, the satire's cynicism still bites today, and what a better spot for a political satire than DC . The story circles around a prominent London politician, known for his upstanding morals, matched only by his wife. But his success is overshadowed by his dark secret that created to his wealth. (Sound familiar?) He must choose between letting his wife down, or lose public face and power.

As tense as that story line is, there is plenty of comedic relief. A friend of the politician, with his razor sharp tongue tries to help the situation, but his price is nearly stealing the show with his bumper-sticker zingers and witty repartee.

Yes, it was that good. Go see it now through April 16th.

Wouldn't Mind Having These Guys

2011-03-16T08:36:00.000-05:00

Is is just me, or is Gold making a comeback? I'm not a huge jewelry-for-jewelry's sake kind of gal, I love my staples ie: watch, stud earrings, and ring, but this year I was more interested in the glam pieces than dresses when watching the Oscar's. Shocking I know.

Then I came across these little beauties while doing some internet er...research (shopping) Wouldn't mind having these in the new jewelry armoire. (Rose Gold Diamond Earrings by Simon G)

Friday Warm and Fuzzy

2011-01-07T11:44:00.000-05:00

One of my awesome newsroom buddies went to school with this guy. She sent me the link for his Granade cover - which I think is far better than the original (Bruno Mars). But after spending a few minutes on the site - I found the rest of this guy's stuff- and he's flipping awesome. So today I'm posting a few extras! Enjoy!

Home Sweet Homestead

2011-01-06T14:03:00.001-05:00

After a year like this one, the last thing on my to-do list was live it up in town for the big-27. In fact, I have been on quite the cool it down kick. And after logging over 66,000 jet miles, the thought of hopping on another flight was about as attractive as poking myself in the eye with a ruler.

So when Linds and I kicked around ideas for the birthday weekend, we broke out the big book. (1,000 Places To See Before You Die) and sure enough it didn't disappoint.

Just 4 hours west from Arlington sits The Homestead; one time playground for presidents, now family friendly retreat.

Talk about spontaneous – with a week, we were packing up and heading for the Allegheny Mountains. Just minutes after dropping our bags (and putting our wine outside to chill - al fresco style in the 20 degree weather), we were off to tour the campus. It took us an hour just to hit the highlights; there is just so much history (and lounging equipment).

After a little Christmas ornament shopping and huddling around the fire (next to the ice skating ring) we headed over to the spa. As part of our Divine Duo package we each had an hour long Swedish massages and as much Spa time as we could stand.

I have to say, it was one of the best massages ever - I was sore the next day..but in a good way. There was nothing frilly about it, no special potions or smelly shiny things- just lotion and a solid, strong, deep rub down, followed by some reading, tea-ing, and jibber-jab time in the Serenity Room. (Apparently we were the only ones who thought serenity equals chit-chat because within 10 minutes, we were the only ones left.) Also good to know - they serve Harney and Sons so of course we helped ourselves to a few extra tea bags for later (but fyi if you’re trying to be discreet - only 4 fit in each pocket of the robes). BONUS!

Once thoroughly numbed we switched back into our adventure gear (yoga pants and all stars). We had booked ourselves for a little hayride with all the kiddie pops to see the Christmas lights. Our tractor carriage was certainly more entertaining for us then the sippy cup crowd as 90% of the ooing and awing came from Team Chez Copa. The kids were more focused on the cheerio distribution system on board.

But shivering five minutes later, we wondered what grade of crack we were smoking when we signed up for this cry-wagon - and then the tractor hauling my heavy-ass screeched to a stop. Seriously?

Too far (and too cold) to walk back , I started considering our options as snow bunny hitchhikers, when the driver (operator, captain, whatever) starts opening the latch to let everyone out. Not one to assume lemming status (or follow rules for that matter), we stay seated and make our best confused puppy dog faces – while everyone else pops out, with zero hesitation. Hello –we’re in the middle of nowhere – and we’re all popping out why? To check the tires – come on people…..Then el Cap-i-tan practically hand signs it to the smug Washingtonians….SMORES (you idiot).

Clearly we didn't get the memo! We weren't broken...we were all getting gooey marshmallows! You would have thought we just won Oprah's favorite things! It was the best birthday surprise EVER – even for Linds!
Also part of our package was a fancy shmancy dinner and waiting back in the room (well technically outside the room) we had our bottle of wine we smuggled in. Not one to waste - we cracked that sucker open while we dressed up.

I am a terrible day-of packer - despite what I tell myself the night before - and forgot a few of the biggies - as did linds. So dressing up was more of a wish than reality.
Two glasses deep we checked in for dinner. The very American pre-fix dinner was delicious salmon, crab soup, and apple pie, but tack on another Pinot Gris and I couldn't fight the red-faced giggles followed by the sneaky-sleepies. By 11 I had arrived to ZZZ-ville Population-1.
Sunday morning we slept in (-ish) - and although dinner may not have been fully digested - we hit the breakfast buffet anyway. All the classics were also in attendance - eggs, bacon, waffle station, grits, and so much more.

The last thing on our agenda was the Jefferson Pools before heading home. The resort offers a free bus ride to the historic baths, but we figured it was five miles up the road so we might as well check out and make the trip ourselves.

Once we hit the five mile mark with no mineral springs in sight, we figured we missed something. Pulling over and ducking into the Pit Stop, a delightful and helpful shop-owner gave me what I assumed to be directions, which I can imagine it was supremely difficult to manage with so few teeth. After a few minutes of gumming, I mustered my best doe-eyed beauty pageant smile, and started to back out slowly. Luckily his daughter popped out and translated for me.

We still managed to mess up the simple directions and it took another 20 minutes to go a mile. In our defense, it had started to snow, and we were expecting a few signs.
What we saw was a rapidly deteriorating shack. But under the shack are the hot-spring pools and for $17 bucks you can strip down to your skivvies in 20 degree weather and jump into the 100 degree sulfur reeking natural springs for an hour.

The getting in is fine - the water is actually very nice (although the healing properties are debatable) it's the getting out that becomes the issue. It's like polar bear swimming in reverse. But if it's good enough for 200 year old presidents (Jefferson) who are we to be denied the opportunity? You'd think after 27 years of surviving ...I'd learn a few things...

Once we finally restored our core temperatures to habitable - it was back on the road...and reality.

Top This: National Tree Lighting

2011-01-06T13:00:00.000-05:00

It's nearly impossible to turn down a good freebie - in this case it was a free star-studded concert to ring in the holiday cheer. Oh and lets not forget, the First Family dropped in to light the National Christmas tree too.

This event is such a blast, when I was in college, we’d get a group of like-minded yahoos together and camp out every November for tickets. But that was when the Starbucks was in my building, and the White House was just a few blocks further down.

The last few Novembers the deadline came and it just sort of fell off the traditions list.

This year though, the Park Service asked if we wanted to cover it for the station, and a colleague of mine was a newbie to the whole extravaganza. It’s one of those things every Washingtonian should do at least once, so the two of us decided to go for it.

But sitting outside on a frigid press riser (still the best seats in the house), I remembered quickly why I hadn’t been in so long…who wants to sit outside in the cold when CBS has the whole thing on prime time Teevee – HD if you’re fancy. This year I had been lured by Maroon 5, Sarah Barellis, little baby Jackie Evancho, Ingrid Michaelson, and of the great BB King. And if the King can do it without handwarmers, damn-it so can we.

Hosted by Common, the hip-hop star narrated...er...freestyled through the program, while my colleague Amanda and I sat in the 20 degree wind. While WTOP's Man About Town, Bob Madigan reported from his ipad, Miss America (aka Miss Va.) Caressa Cameron tried her best to warm up the crowd, and the two of us shivered and snapped photos for the website, attempting to look like we were working.

I also noticed a big difference from the Bush years - The Obama family actually sat with the crowd, as opposed to sitting behind the bullet proof glass. Not sure what to make of that that - is he any more safe than his predecessor - or if it was just a gutsy PR move.

But for all my bitching – it was totally worth it…and I did tuck away a few reminders for next year… (clearly I didn’t think to do this after Inauguration 2009 coverage) must remember - handwarmers, blankets, thermals, flask).

When we stood up after the show to start interviewing the crowd - I couldn't feel my legs - I knew they hurt - but I couldn't feel them. Is that what frostbite feels like? The King must have had a flask.

I Should Have Posted This Ages Ago

2010-11-11T20:01:00.001-05:00

TROUBLE

Last June, Momma McG invited Team Awesome up to Chez McG to celebrate the nuptials between her and her wholeheartedly endorsed beau Charley.

The combined bus trip/ train commute took a solid 8 hours (twice as long as expected) but when your girls pick you up at the station by abandoning the car open in the middle of traffic to pelt you with hugs and kisses (think 8th grade N'sync concert style) and then you fist pump California Girlz all the way home you know you're in for a good weekend.

The ceremony was as beautiful as much as it was a blast, and short of a little incident requiring professional removal of a ring (ours not hers) and a the border line panic attack proceeding the removal, everything ran smoothly. (Megs: I knew you were worried Yen because you went silent.)

And yes those are candy necklaces we wore at the ceremony. Don't judge - not everyone can handle the awesome.

Momma McG's Wedding from Jen Richer on Vimeo.

300 Sigma Kappas Makes Thanksgiving Look Like A Piece Of Pie

2010-11-09T18:23:00.000-05:00

BZ, Zeta, Baltimore, NOVA and DC Sigma Kappas

Some ladies need to find a good excuse to hang out with their sorority after graduation. I don't have that problem, but if ever there was an opportunity, Founders Day is it. Every year they drilled into us how critical this celebration was every November, and here I am four years out of school and schvitzing if we haven't locked in the program by July.

Alumnae In Attendance

This year was worth every bead of sweat. The collegians at GWU and University of Maryland put together a beautiful program for over 300 Sigma Kappas. We had Kate Michael (Epsilon Epsilon) and Ann O'Connell speak about life after college and motivating the troops to stay involved.

But the real gold is just like any family reunion, you grown about going, but are so glad you did. There are so many stories to catch up on every year, and new tales to tell - like how I am the only person IN THE WORLD who can mess up a bread maker; or Deanna filling us in on the benefits of a Cuisinart to THE NINJA.

Brain Bleed Panel on The Future of Journalism (among others)

2010-11-09T14:23:00.000-05:00

Not going to lie - I see big nerd names that make my brain bleed and I jump at the chance to see them in action. Last month the Creative Coalition hosted a panel discussion on the future of the creative industry, which currently makes up 8.5% of the workforce. That includes any profession from acting to journalism, to the guy that drives the set golf cart - so my ears perked up.

It was a pretty impressive panel with big names like, Paris Barclay, First Vice President, Directors Guild of America and Emmy-Award winning Movie and Television Director and Producer, Thomas L. Friedman, Foreign Affairs Columnist, The New York Times, Bill Ivey, Director of the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise, and Public Policy at Vanderbilt University; former chairman of the NEA, and author of Arts, Inc.
Stephen E. Siwek, Principal, Economists Incorporated and author of Video Games in the 21st Century: Economic Contributions of the U.S. Entertainment Software, and moderated by: Judy Woodruff, Anchor, The NewsHour on PBS

The question they were looking to answer is where is the industry heading, what jobs are at risk, and what can be done.

SUBJECT TO MOOD SWINGS

2010-10-13T08:37:00.000-05:00

In my attempt to break my Pandora.com addiction, my enablers are sending me alternatives.

For you other junkies - try this on.

It's called stereo mood and just like the name sounds - rather than channels arranged around your favorite artist or song, they've created channels for over 80 moods. Check it out.

Hurricane Earl

2010-09-03T09:19:00.000-05:00

This is why I come to work, so I can make this happen!

WARNING: SOOO NOT APPROPRIATE FOR WORK

2010-08-25T10:46:00.000-05:00

WARNING: SOOO NOT APPROPRIATE FOR WORK
But worth watching nonetheless...you're welcome!

San Diegans In The House...Switchfoot

2010-08-05T12:40:00.001-05:00


The Padres Fans: Drew, Jen, Jon

I can remember when Switchfoot was a local San Diegan band (and Christian for that matter) Then they hit it big with Dare You To Move and off into the land chart toppers.

Yesterday they came in for a little station appearance and I gotta say - these guys are as down to earth as can be! They walked into the room of staffers and introduced themselves to the 10 or so of us there - as if we didn't know who they were. That was refreshing.

In a little Q & A session we had a little baseball sound off between the Yankee and Boston fans, and without skipping a beat Jon and Drew asked if there were any Padres fans in the room! Finally I was in the majority!

Among some of the other little trivia bits that came out in the session - Drew was telling us about his little obsession with guitars. For every stop on their tour map he checks the craigslist for new ones. Can you imagine responding to an ad and finding out who's on the other end of that? Chuh!

I know it's like this everywhere, but So Cal kids are a club of our own - not that we're exclusive, but we're defiantly the odd kids on the East Coast. Granted I've been here for 8 years, so I've embraced the awkward but it was nice to see that these guys still have their 619 area code sheen. Despite their success - they still reek of home, and, in my head at least, it seemed like they were just the guys I grew up with. Oh, not like I'm an expert or authority on anything (other than my self-indulgent bubble of 'momma-like') but did I mention how talented they were! Here's a couple clips of the performance.

***Two corrections from a fellow fan (and good friend, thanks for keeping me honest!)

1) They’re still Christians, they just don’t beat people up with it.

2) Drew is the Craigslist guitar hunter.

Intern Spotted: Lady Gaga Parody

2010-07-30T10:05:00.000-05:00

Yikes!

2010-07-28T08:27:00.000-05:00

Another future Mr. Jen Richer....care of co-worker Mark.

Thanks Mark - I'll get right on it!

Save The Ta Tas

2010-07-22T16:11:00.001-05:00

Johnnie, Angie, Jen

Walking the Mall during the summer can make me feel like one of those tourists that have slowly become as much a nuisance as those afternoon flash floods.

But thanks to Team Neighborworks - we've made it a tradition every June to lace up our tennis and strut for the Ta Tas at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

Susan G. Coleman Race For The Cure

Top that Saturday morning sleeper-inners. (And yes Johnnie I did cheat a little bit - but I don't see the point in sitting in traffic - even if it's for a good cause.)

It doesn't hurt that we follow up our morning of exercise with a Bloody Mary and eggs Chesapeake at Clyde's. (also part of the tradition)

Totally Booked: Threes and Fours

2010-07-19T14:36:00.005-05:00

I've been racking up some frequent flier miles and burning through my reading list this month. Wahoo! Here are a few more:

Wahine Take on:
The Rule of Four, by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

Straight from the fan club of Dan Brown, we've got another cult meets academia suspense book. I know it was a Da Vinci Code knock off but I couldn't resist a thriller where historical research plays as much a role in the plot as the characters. "The delicious futility of impossible tasks is the catnip of overachievers," the author quips. How much fun is that!

Rule of Four follows four Princeton undergrads wrapping up their college career as they try to crack a 500 year old puzzle: The Hypnerotomachia, a book published during the Renaissance (in real life), that holds an ancient secret. All this Sherlock Holmes-ian drama sparked by an on-campus murder.

I wouldn't mark it as the next classic but it's deliciously rich with riddles and twists making it a fun summer read, especially for the nerd crew.

Wahine Take on:
Three Cups Of Tea
And of course it couldn't be helped...a nonfiction had to be thrown into the mix. This book came highly recommended to me by at least three different people, ahem, Adam, so I borrowed (stole) it from my sister.

You don't have to be an international affairs guru to appreciate this story (but it certainly tickles those of us who do). Greg Mortenson may have failed at climbing K2 (the second tallest mountain in the world) but it wouldn't shock me if he took home a Nobel Peace Prize in the next decade. An admirer of his organization likened his efforts to the firefighters of 9/11. He says, "This guy Greg quietly, doggedly heading back into a war zone to do battle with the real causes of terror is every bit as heroic as those firemen running up the stairs of the burning towers while everyone else was frantically trying to get out."

After nearly killing himself on his mission to climb to the summit, he was stumbled into a rural village in Pakistan ten years ago. The locals adopted the infidel, nursing him back to health. To repay them, he promised to build them the school they so desperately needed. Eighty schools, two countries, a war, and a decade later, Mortenson is still on his mission to bring education to the farthest, most war torn parts of the globe. But it all comes down to building relationships long before breaking ground, relationships based on trust, established over many cups of tea.

The lessons he shares, I believe, hold the key to solving the War on Terror. We have the most sophisticated tools, the strongest and brightest (I know, my brother is one of them) fighting tirelessly. But he says, "I've learned that terror doesn't happen because some group of people somewhere like Pakistan or Afghanistan simply decide to hate us. It happens because children aren't being offered a bright enough future that they have a reason to live." We are going to have to help make that future - and it's going to have to be in the form of education.

His story is inspiring, a few times I caught myself figuring out how I swing a trip out to help him - only to remind myself I'd be more of a liability than an asset. (SHOCKER). If don't have this book in your collection...buy it! 7% of the proceeds go to his effort. And if you're in the DC area - he will be visiting promoting the sequel in September!

Totally Booked: Sarah's Key and The Help

2010-07-13T22:29:00.000-05:00

Last night we rallied for our "book" club, meeting at Palena in Cleveland Park. I put book in quotes because we really meet for dinner but carve out about 5 minutes to talk about the month's selection - and then it's back to girl talk.

What's neat about Palena is that they've divided the menu up into their pre-fix dinner menu or their a la carte cafe menu for whatever your spending bracket is. Very cool. And although I was craving my Italian go-to gnocchi - I wasn't hungry enough for three courses, so I went with the hand cut Pece with bolognese - a little salty but delicious. Just as good as the food what the atmosphere. Sitting across from the bar in cozy little booths we chatted about Sarah's Key, but ultimately the conversation came back to The Help.

Wahine Take On:
Sarah's Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay
Although a powerful plot, the writing itself left something to be desired. The book is a compilation of two totally different stories, set sixty years apart that chapter by chapter become related. The first is a story of a little Parisian girl and her family who suffer horrible atrocities during the round up by the French police during the occupation named the Vel d'Hif after the stadium the innocents were locked in before being shipped to Auschwitz . During the police sweep, Sarah, a ten-year-old Jewish girl, hides her baby brother inside a locked cupboard to protect him from the sweeps, not realizing the family would never return.

Fast forward 60 years, we follow an American journalist living in Paris with her husband and daughter, who is assigned to cover the Vel d'Hif anniversary. But her investigations lead her to discover Sarah's story, and just how close to home her story hits. Her discovery changes her completely, and ultimatly becomes a wedge between her and her husband.

I loved Sarah's story, and I thought it was strong enough to stand on it's own as a short story. My major issue was with the second half about Julia. In taking the voice of Julia, the author seems to have completely lost her ability to write. There is nothing more condescending then having a writer try to tell you how you're supposed to feel about conflict. Just tell me what happened and if you've done your job - I will organically feel the same way about it as you do. She waists paragraphs on useless angst and unfortunately that was a deal breaker for me.

Wahine Take on:
The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

Now here is some superior writing. I would let you borrow, but I think you need a copy for yourself. This book is going in the Wahine library.

Like Sarah's Key, it is several narratives woven together, only in this case they are contemporary. Set in Mississippi against the backdrop of the civil rights movement, two maids and one young privileged debutant share a common mission - to secretly gather and publish the testimonials of the help. But the larger story here is how life on both sides of the racial divide in Jackson is intertwine.

"Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not much that separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought, " author Kathryn Stockett asks in her acknowledgments.

Unlike Sarah's Key, the words don't get in the way of this powerful story and if you read only one bestseller this year - this should be it. It lives up to the hype.

Preaching To The Choir

2010-07-13T04:35:00.000-05:00

Our new super news girl Amanda at WMAL forwarded me this snapshot of life on the Vampire shift in a newsroom. TVnewsgrapevin e hit the nail on the head. We certainly are a special breed!

Morning shows: The Vampire Diaries

Recently a client was being considered for a morning show. This person had never worked the morning show and asked what it was like.

So, for those of you who have never worked the vampire shift and might run into this situation, I thought I'd give you a taste of what life is like as a nocturnal creature.

Being a night person, I always dreaded filling in on the morning show. At one point in my career we were shorthanded, and I had to do it for two months. After that I vowed I would never, ever consider a job as a morning anchor or reporter. (By the way, those of you who are offered morning reporter jobs should know that you'll NEVER get to do a good package. You'll just chase the scanner all night and do follow-ups. It may be the worst reporting gig in all of television.)

Anyway, here's a typical week:

-Monday thru Friday: The alarm goes off around two or three in the morning. If you have a significant other, this person gets a rude awakening, mutters something unintelligible, and goes back to sleep.

You stagger off to the bathroom and hope a shower wakes you up. (If you're a guy, you discover that trying to shave with one eye open leaves you looking as though you've gone ten rounds with an angry cat, so you start shaving before you go to bed.)

After getting dressed, you drink coffee and try to decide if you should eat breakfast. You really don't want breakfast, but you think you'd better eat something or you'll run out of gas by the time the newscast starts. (Thus the "morning show weight gain syndrome" begins.)

You chase the raccoons away from your car and head to the station. Oh, if you live in a cold climate, you'll have to either shovel the driveway (you don't dare crank up the snow blower and wake the neighbors), scrape your windshield, or both. What fun!

You notice birds are flying around in the middle of the night. Oh, wait. Those are bats. You wave at them. Professional courtesy.

After arriving at the station you discover your muse doesn't work nights and you try to write intelligent copy as you drink more coffee. Your co-anchor checks your copy and informs you that Reagan is no longer the President and is dead, to boot. If you're a weather person, you try to remember what state you're living in and note that all your weather cam shots are pitch dark. You start to get hungry again... didn't you already have breakfast? Or is there another name for meals eaten at three in the morning?

You notice you have put on two different colored socks, your shoes don't match, or both.

After the newscast you have to deal with those pesky cut-ins for a few hours. Staffers start to drift in, looking refreshed after a good night's sleep.

After cut-ins you're hungry again, so you eat breakfast for the second time. And if you work for one of those stations still crazy enough to run a noon show, you have to prepare another newscast so you drink more coffee.

So maybe you're home by one in the afternoon. You're dog tired, but do you take a nap now? You curse the fact that you don't have dark curtains. And if you take a nap, you might not be able to go to bed by seven and end up staring at the ceiling till eleven and getting three hours sleep. Your option is to fight to stay awake all day. Oh, yeah, it's time to eat again.

Around six your other half arrives home and is ready to eat dinner. This is now your fourth or fifth meal of the day.

Now you have to go to bed at seven. Nice social life, huh? You turn in, but you've still got too much caffeine in your system even though you're exhausted. You toss and turn till nine.

Saturday: You relish the thought of "sleeping in" but your body clock is so screwed up you wake up at five. Your other half mutters something unintelligible and goes back to sleep. Hmmmm. Time for breakfast.

Your other half sleeps in and gets up at 9, wanting to go out to breakfast. What the heck, you eat breakfast again.

If you're a guy you decide to play golf with some friends, as you need sunshine. By the third hole you need a nap and are so out of it you use your putter to tee off.

Then it's Saturday night, so it's time to go out with your other half and friends. You start yawning at seven o'clock and fall asleep in the movie theater during the coming attractions.

Sunday: Ah, now you've got this "sleeping in" stuff down cold. You wake up at a quarter to six! Your other half mutters something unintelligible and goes back to sleep. You eat breakfast for the 14th time this week.

Sunday afternoon you start to feel normal. You enjoy Sunday dinner... or is it lunch?

Late Sunday afternoon fear hits you in the face like a cold bucket of water. You have to fall asleep soon! But your body clock is messed up again! You go to bed at seven. You finally fall asleep by nine and get about five hours of sleep. Except when your other half crawls into bed at ten and wakes you up. You mutter something unintelligible and stare at the ceiling for thirty minutes trying to fall asleep again.

One Month Later: You're now eating 22 breakfasts each week and have a box of Count Chocula stashed under the anchor desk for times you need a sugar rush. As you put on a pair of pants, the button gives way, ricochets off the mirror and hits you in the face. You'll shoot your eye out, kid!

There are those who love morning shows, and more power to them. They always argue that "you can get things done during the day!" (That's right, they think grocery stores are not open after six.) So people on a normal shift might actually have to shop until seven. The horror!

But if you aren't a morning person, think long and hard before even considering a shift like this. Your life will be dominated by the thought of going to sleep. You'll have absolutely no social life. Your friends will stop calling because they don't want to wake you up. You'll age two years in six months.

But you will discover the incredible number of choices in the cereal aisle.

Update on Momma Kim

2010-07-07T05:46:00.000-05:00

Just landed this morning back in DC and I wanted to get everyone updated before I head to Florida for a convention this afternoon.

Dad is doing better. As expected we were all hurting pretty badly last week and although we are spread out all over the world, we are no strangers to airports. I flew in Friday and our stepbrother Jeff drove in from Tennessee Friday night. Carly flew in from Taiwan on Saturday and Ben flew in from Nevada on Monday. Having the kids around him was as much a relief as it was a distraction and with a little airplane-spoon feeding and downright bullying we were able to get some food into the old man. He still refuses to sleep in their bed.

Family is good medicine - (write that down.) Something about the five of us kids together breeds mischief and gigglefits regardless of how deep the wounds are. I love a good from-the-other-side story but the reporter in me is trying to keep it objective. Whichever side of the fence you fall on Kim was with us the whole weekend too (ask dad about the spooky light bulb and the cell phone).

I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of support - from the phone calls (even the 2 minute ones), to the emails, facebook messages, and flowers. They helped Dad immensely and me get through the day. When someone is taken away, its such a lovely reminder of who is still here.

As far as mischief....in between creating avatars on Wii and chronic redboxing in our pajamas, we were able to sneak in a little local Nawlins fare, backyard fireworks (Carly and I were severely outnumbered on the bro-mance bonding idea), and a quick (ghost) tour of the French Quarter as navigated by our own personal guide (who clearly had enough time on his hands over the last year to catch up on his ghost history).

We were also able to wrestle some details from the powers that be. I know there have been some rumors circulating but the final diagnosis on Momma Kim was congestive heart failure. The pathologist called it a textbook case - she had edema of the lungs and an enlarged heart. Grandpa Beck said it best, "we're not surprised that the doctor found her heart was just too big."

Thanks also to everyone for getting the ball rolling - Dad and Jeff are going up today to pick her up from Hadesburg, Mississippi and Jeff is flying out with her to San Diego tonight. Tomorrow Dad, Ben, Carly, Kyle, Kiana, and baby Madison are flying to San Diego. Tentatively the ceremony is set for Friday July 16 with a wake to follow. The Becks/Estes/Richers will be making those arrangements this Friday so stay tuned. I will be flying in Wednesday (14th) at night.

Also, the idea has been floated to ask for donations instead of flowers for San Diego Hospice (not Dad's Harley fund), as it was a cause Kim really championed while going through Grandma's illness. I will also keep you posted on that. I know the family is working on a muchloved.com page as well as an online memorial.

Speechless

2010-07-02T07:02:00.001-05:00

Not even 14 hours ago, Momma Kim, the best thing that ever happened to Daddy, passed away suddenly. It was unexpected, and no one is to blame. But her fan club is still in shock. We will have more details later today when I arrive in New Orleans today.

Honeygrams is one of those rare, strong, angels I instantly loved. I often quipped with Dad - "Don't you mess this up...because we are taking her in the divorce." Hardly appropriate now but that would send the two of them into fits of giggles. The way they love each other - you'd think they were childhood sweethearts. And maybe they were in another life. She is far to wise for one lifetime.

Although we Richers only got a brief time with her - she changed all of us. Momma Kim - There are no words to describe how much you are loved and how much you will be missed. You left your mark on all of us.

As the girl usually scrambling to find the nearest foot to shove in my mouth (hence the blog), ironically, I am coming up short finding the right words. They will come, but in the mean time I'm going to borrow from you all.

Aunti Jo's email late last night: (Thank you Jo)

Jen just called. On a trip home from moving her son, she and Matt and Kyle were almost back to New Orleans and she died suddenly about 4 p.m. this afternoon East coast time. The causes are not yet known. Jen will be in New Orleans tomorrow. Stay tuned for more information. Presence and support of family is going to be very important. He and Kim were very happy together; Kyle said she was his right hand, always there when he needed her. Now Matt needs us and Kyle needs another right hand.

Daddy: Thank you to all that have been such wonderful fiends to Kim over the years. At this point I just want to express to one and all: Love all for there may not be a tomorrow. Take each day as the gift that it is and share it with the ones you love as Kim has showed us. You will never know the depths of the void one leaves until they are no longer with us. Oh how I miss you already Kim I love you.

Kim was one of my best friends in highschool and I just before she moved reconnected with her as we shared memories of our past I realized how much I had missed her and now she is gone. I will always hold her close in my heart, my prayers are with her family and friends. RIP Kim....love Melony

I miss you so much Kim! I've just read your page and girl, you are loved. You have so many wonderful friends that have said so many wonderul things about you. You truly will be missed, Kim! I'm so glad that Matt found you, "the girl of his dreams", and I'm glad that we got to be as close as we are. Remember... we get y...ou in the divorce. lol Say Hi to mom for us! Keep an eye on Matt, he's gonna need it. Love you always! - Sue Babes

Eternal rest grant her, oh Lord. Let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul rest in peace through the mercy of God. Amen. - Aunti Steph

I'm stunned to hear this news. My prayers and thoughts are with Kim's family. She was clearly a woman who put her family and friends first. A huge loss. - Julie M.

Kim, we have been friends since grade school, and were just getting back in touch after so many years. I am so saddened... you will forever be in my thoughts and in my heart. - Laurie S.

I am sorry to announce that my BEST FRIEND IN THE WHOLE WORLD passed away 3 hours ago. I love you Kim! I will miss you so much! -Yvette

Hawaiians traditionally return their leis to the sea as the flowers die as a form of renewal... Take care...John

Chez Copa Crop Talk

2010-06-29T15:53:00.001-05:00

Is it just me or has DC siphoned in a little green fever from the left coast? Not that its a bad thing. But I'm not that touchy feel-ey about the whole Captain Planet movement.

Look -I'm from California - so I've had a few things drilled into me at an early age. I compulsively turn off lights when I leave the room (occasionally someone else is still using them - hence the compulsiveness) because I've been threatened with blackouts. I recycle because I've seen how gross the landfills are. And I turn off the faucet when I'm brushing my teeth because it's the right thing to do (and stealing water from Arizona is not.) Even though I don't live in my big fat green state of CA anymore, Linds and I still do our best to accommodate my So Cal -OCD. But I bet if you did an Al-Gore audit - there would be more than a few things I could do to clean up my footprint. Phooey.

Last Weeks Delivery

One of the new things Chez Copa is trying is local organic farming. It cuts down on transportation, supports local growers, and the food theoretically is better for us. Linds saw Food Inc (it's still in my netflix queue) and the idea of going local seemed pretty neat. But it can be such a hassle trying to get to farmers markets on specific days. Or chaining myself to the tomatoes at Shoppers until they bring local produce in seems ridiculous.

So we joined a local farm co-op. Sure I can rattle off all the environmental and social benefits it has, but the biggest perk is having FRESH produce: apricots, basil, kale, strawberries, blah blah blah delivered every week (different each time). And I know those suckers came off the tree the day before.

Plus it's pretty bad ass to say...We own a farm (or a part of one rather). And although they don't offer bargain basement prices - it's comparable to the grocery store. We pay about $20 a week during the summer and get a crate worth of whatever was picked that week. And we can head out to the farm (about an hour away) and grab some more. In addition to our crate, every week they send out an email with recipes - should you need some inspiration. And the produce bags are bio-degradable - should that be at the top of your check list. If you're in Arlington ...here's the link. If not ..do a quick Google search for a local co-op. Very cool.

Peanuts, Cracker Jacks, and Flash Floods?

2010-06-29T14:06:00.000-05:00

The DC Alumnae chapter of Sigma Kappa met up at the Nat's game only to be surprised by a flash flood.

FLOOD HITS MY FLAVIA MACHINE

2010-06-29T05:35:00.000-05:00

Oh the horror!

Yesterday's Typhoon took out our kitchen...blocking the flavia and Tassimo machine! Chilli got it with her flip cam!

But That's My Stapler

2010-06-27T17:24:00.000-05:00

Not something I would usually find blog worthy but it's been driving me nuts. Maybe you can relate.


Will Hunt You!

Sometime between 5p and 4a, little elves creep from under the desk into the newsroom, and shop in my desk. One day it's the stapler, or post-it notes, and forget pens - I might as well just get them inscribed...'take me please.'

All of these are replaceable so I just write it off as 'playing nice with the other kids on the playground.' But the one item that seems to garner respect among my office-mates is my pair of scissors.


Do Not Steal!

It's the one tool that gets used every day...clipping articles, cutting newspaper bundles, wagging at people etc. But they always make it back to my little holder on my desk.

Well this week, my scissors walked. Not pointing fingers (can't point the scissors when they're missing),but when the scissors go missing - we all suffer. (Mixing a little Catholic guilt in now.) I have since bought another pair but these have been outfitted with warning rhetoric. Wakapow! Play nice now!

Date With The Secretary

2010-06-26T20:28:00.000-05:00

Tuesday Jon tipped me off to a speaking event with Sec. of State Hillary Clinton. I flip-cammed the event but the quality from the Department of State's website is so much better.

Clinton addressed a standing-room only crowd of several hundred during her address at an event co-hosted by the State Department's Office of Civil Rights and GLIFAA, the organization for Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies.

I overheard one person asking what the take away message of this event was...the headline if you will.

Well, when you have the Secretary of State, who represents the US abroad telling Americans that she is not only rolling out an initiative to stop LGBT discrimination in her office, she's pledging to defend gays abroad, you're telling the WORLD, on the record, the United States will not tolerate LGBT discrimination. Back that up with the President's speech that afternoon, reinforcing that message and you have quite a statement on your hands (and CSPAN). What a breakthrough. No other President or SOS has touched that topic in such an official capacity. This is a big deal and in my opinion a step in the right direction. Not perfect, but I'll take it.

As a niece of a lesbian, and best friend to a gay man (not that it matters) I stand behind the Secretary completely. But it is one thing to speak against discrimination and another to continue to legislate for it...ehem...California. Regardless, I couldn't have been prouder Tuesday.

Here is the Foreign Policy Recap:

"Human rights are gay rights and gay rights are human rights," Secretary Clinton declared today at a State Department event celebrating LGBT pride month. In her remarks she mentioned that 10 years ago, she was the first First Lady to march in a pride parade, and she went on to say:

This is a human rights issue. Just as I was very proud to say the obvious more than 15 years ago in Beijing that human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights, well, let me say today that human rights are gay rights and gay rights are human rights, once and for all.

Clinton also highlighted LGBT-friendly policies that have been enacted during her tenure:

Last year, I received a petition with more than 2,200 signatures supporting equal benefits to same-sex partners [of State Department employees]. And I was delighted that soon after, the President signed an executive order to that effect. This month, the Bureau of Consular Affairs issued new regulations making it easier for transgender Americans to amend their passports, ensuring dignified and fair processing. And today, I'm pleased to announce that for the first time, gender identity will be included along with sexual orientation in the State Department Equal Employee Opportunity Statement.

In her remarks, Clinton said that the State Department's annual Human Rights Report includes a section on how LGBT individuals are treated in every country and mentioned that the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor recently announced a new grant to provide aid to human rights advocates in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia who are in danger because of their LBGT status or because they work on LGBT issues. The State Department is also working to provide more protection for LGBT refugees who face persecution in their home countries.

Old Man Richer

2010-06-24T22:33:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Old Fart!

Dad just celebrated the Big 5-0 in San Diego.

Ben tells me it was a riot! Carly and I were there in spirit - we're just allergic to Geritol.

Just Another Day At The Office

2010-06-23T10:43:00.002-05:00

Rather than sit in the lobby...in chairs...this guy was insistent on sitting as close inside the office as possible....which meant the floor. So yes, I flip cammed him.

Real Housewife Dishes on "Real Housewives"

2010-06-23T10:32:00.001-05:00

DC is finally getting the respect it deserves with it's relatively new cool factor. But with cool comes celebrity, wannabees and a petri dish for both.... reality shows.

Last year it was Real World and Blonde Charity Mafia. This year it's Top Chef and the show all us Bravo addicts have been waiting for Real Housewives.

This season has already stole headlines with our own special, highly developed, local breed of gatecrashers...the Salahis.

A bona fide Real Housewife herself, (you'll notice the only cameras following her around are legitimate media) Carol Joynt, former owner of Nathan's in Georgetown and host of Q & A cafe, sat down with the couple to get their side of White House crash. Yesterday, rather than waking up to our morning show here at 630 WMAL, she stopped by to recap for us.

Round of Applause

2010-06-23T09:58:00.000-05:00

Tis the Season for big congrats! Sam, a good friend and colleague just graduated from film school (ok it's really not film school, but that's what she majored in - so that's what I call it!) She's been working her tail off and it finally payed off! Brace yourself world - expect big things from this chica!

Also a huge kudos to Katie Santo. Lady bug just ran a half marathon! She went from barely running across an airport to jogging 13.1 miles. And get this - Linds and I were there to cheer her across the finish line and the first thing she told us was how EASY it was. I was having a hard enough time staying awake after Tommy's birthday party the night before and let alone fathoming a breezy trek around Annapolis.

Speaking of Tommy's Birthday, that brings in the final congrats. One of my dearest friends Tommy turned 24. You can read what the DC blog chatter had to say about all his accomplishments, but the biggest is that he turned some serious lemons into lemmencello and now is doing fabulously - for any age. Congrats Tommy and Happy Birthday. We celebrated at The District in Adams Morgan with Mix 107.3's Stephanie Flax, Pamela Sorensen of Pamela's Punch, On Tap's Ashley Estill, WTOP's Bob Madigan, Chris Brown, and HOT 99.5's Toby Knapp ......good time was had by all - from what we can peace together of the evening.

Taiwan Dispatch

2010-06-21T04:22:00.000-05:00

For all you Richer Watchers:

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck..it's probably a Richer. In this case we're talking itineraries only billionaire trophy-wife jet-setters could keep up with. After Carly graduated last month from University of Hawaii, she took off to San Diego for our cousins wedding and then off to Nicaragua for a week - just cause.

Then it was back to Hawaii for a day and straight through to Taiwan to put her shiny new Marine Biology degree to work. She was scouted by her NOAA affiliated professor to join on of their grad students in Tawian to work on coral research. Not to shabby! Here's her latest dispatch. (Thanks Kim for forwarding!)

Im in Taiwan now, and everything is awesome! Our lab is at one of the largest aquariums in the world and they have whale sharks which is super cool! We're spending upwards of 18 to 20 hours in the lab every day doing coral larvae biology, which is awesome but a lot of work. Hope your day is fun and Ill talk to you later!

In other Richer news - Carly joined skype finally!

Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto

2010-05-12T08:22:00.000-05:00

Apparently there is a genetic marker for jet-setters. As the Richer clan gears up for their cross country pilgrimage for Carly's graduation in Hawaii today, (I am bringing up the rear and making an entrance tomorrow), my cousin Dave Smith will also be racking up the frequent flier miles. He and his girlfriend will be studying abroad in Japan for the summer.

As you're downplaying your jealously (ok fine replace your with Jen in the previous statement), feel free follow along as the crazy kids get their blog on as they adventure. (also a genetic marker for blogging! It's the reporting/hamming it up gene!)

There's Only Room For...

2010-05-10T05:45:00.000-05:00

Sean Hannity and Mark Levin sign their new books at Tyson's Corner.

From The Road Friday

2010-05-07T08:18:00.000-05:00

Parking in DC is quite the spectator sport.

Bullies are in Bumper bras, out.

Ladies and Gents Step Right up...We Have a Sucker!

2010-05-06T11:02:00.000-05:00

Ugh I hate to admit this but after months of defiantly ignoring the buzz of the DC Real World circus, I finally have been sucked in. Don't get me wrong, I love me some junk reality tv (did anyone say Real Housewives?) but I'm not going to lie, I think I'm hooked (don't worry John - not LOST hooked, just enough to not gag every time it's mentioned in a conversation.)

There was a story this morning in the Reliable Source about a Bethesda woman signing the waiver while intoxicated, and now she's suing. Apparently, while she was trying to lure a cast member away from his girlfriend, she came off as a bit snarky to say the least. So here I am, 6 am in the newsroom, reading the original filing trying to track down the appearance on mtv.com.

Thank goodness they post the episodes in full online - but because I have no frame of reference. I had to sift through the episodes and babaBLAM - that's when I was sucked into the black hole of another junk tv show. Sucker! It's not even that good - it's like watching sophomore year all over again only this time as the outsider.

Looks like I will be loading this crap onto my ipod for my flight next week. I have 20 hours to kill after all. (DC to Hawaii for Carlys Grad+ Hawaii to San Diego for Rachael's Wedding+ San Diego to DC for reality= 20.)

This one kills me - for all you fellow wonks - just watch the kid in the WH briefing room - Gates is going right over his head. Flashbacks of my Freshman year culture shock. (Then you realize everyone has a one-sheet at their finger tips. That comes senior year.) And he had the opportunity to do a poli-toon for the now defunct Washington Times. Dun Dun Dunnnnn. For the Digi kids in the house - I know you're thinking it too -way to reach out to the dead-tree versions kid - where is your millennial ingenuity!

Real World XXIII: Washington DC - MTV Shows

Bulb Blitz Crystal City

2010-05-05T05:34:00.000-05:00

For all of you playing hookie on Friday:

The Floral Frenzy: Bulb Blitz is this Friday, May 7th, from 9-11AM. Come to the 2100 and 2200 block of Crystal Drive ready to dig up tulip bulbs and take them home for planting in your garden! The event is free and open to all. The Crystal City BID will provide trowels for digging and small bags to help you take the bulbs home. Garden Guides provides some helpful tips on digging up and preserving your bulbs for the best time to plant them in your own garden.

Put Your Thanks Where Your Mouth Is!

2010-05-04T14:14:00.001-05:00

The idea is simple - to honor, remember, recognize and above all - appreciate our service members. There is nothing political about that. I don't care what your stand on the war is. These are our people. My step-brother Jeff just got home over the weekend from his 15th trip to the middle east, it was his 12th time in Iraq.

For 11 years a small but determined group of volunteers in San Diego sought more than just three-day weekends, that often celebrate no more than vacation time. They demanded a month of recognition for our troops…… and in 1999 The United States Senate designated May as National Military Appreciation Month. This is the second year we at the station have participated in that effort.

Sam and I created this video to continue that mission, to remember those who have served and to honor those who continue to protect us. Please pass it on.

New Orleans Rent-al

2010-05-03T11:50:00.007-05:00

At fifteen, I couldn't wait to shake the parental units. Fast-forward ten years and I can't wait to hang with them. Who knew they were so cool? (k - well I did - but I would never have said while they were within earshot.) So when Dad and Kim bit the bullet and moved down south, cutting my flight time for a visit in half (it was for me after all - not Dad's work assignment- chuh) - I kicked my kayak.com self into high gear and managed to finagle a weekend of hang time in. What's not to love -down time with the big kids, not to mention - being the only child for the weekend. Plus, I was able to line it up with Jazz Fest - what has been defined by the locals as the authentic New Orleans holiday (as opposed to the imported Mayhem of Mardi Gras).

I hadn't been to the whoodat nation since aforementioned shit show. So the plan was: fly in, burn through my magazine stock on the flight (2 months behind), hang with the parents, get fat, do some jazz fest, and roll out. The real success of the weekend was I made my flights - both of them - shocker.

I rolled in alright - completely exhausted from the week. All I wanted to do Friday night was pjs and sleep. But Dad and Kim were so flipping adorable. I was expecting to the obligatory rolling curbside pick up. But as I come down the gang plank - there are these two little faces peeking out from the Useless TSA Forbidden items/threat level placard. Damn near scared the crap out of me. Loved it.

I was so hungry that Dad vetoed Mother's (a highly recommended diner) and opted for a local dive in Bucktown called Deanie's. EVERYTHING on the menu was deep fried. So I thought I'd combat that with a salad and share some shrimp off Kim's plate. Only their small servings could feed three. Shamelessly I waddled out. Mission accomplished.

The next morning - Kim and I got up early to get our walk on to hopefully clear some room for the rest of our gastro-weekend. I think we may have spent more calories gabbing than striding. They're neighborhood has three lakes - and I kid you not - Kim knows every web footed resident. Bonus Mom gets bonus points for trying to pawn me off on the single neighbors, quaking and otherwise.

The plan was to hit the jazz fest - but I had been whining about my quickly depreciating caffeine levels - I was demanding a Starbuckios sippie cup. So to shut me up - Dad pulled over. Only my green headed maiden was not the Seattle goddess - she was a Frenchie caked in powdered sugar called Cafe du Monde. I'd been to the sticky dive in the French Quarter last year - but who knew the powdered sugar, cash-only palace was a franchise! I split the beignet and splurged on my big cup o' joe.

Not only did they look at me like I was crazy - the clerk openly judges, "You gonna drink all that?" Before I could fire a witty zinger back - Dad jumps in with a, "hell yeah - she's from DC." To which the line (clearly eavesdropping) understandingly nods in unison. Once again the caffeinated cheese stands alone.

Wholly unprepared for the our next stop, we make our way to the Jazz Fest. Couple of notes for next time - not media, flip flop, definitely not conservative Palin-loving-parent-friendly and if you didn't pack your umbrella/camp chair/ or rain boots - not Jen friendly. It's a great deal - $60 for a full day of awesome performances but when Dad offered to drop me off rather than buy into activity, I started making plans to go next year with my sissie and our matching Koozies instead.

Instead we headed back to the French Quarter. Dad insisted on taking me to see Marie Laveau's tomb. I'm thinking dead people over covers of the Grateful dead? Really? But I have to say - the man did his research. He's zipping between tombs (totally creepy btw - there are over 600,000 people burried in this graveyard the size of a city block) firing off facts like an ipad loaded to a Wikipedia page. Thirty minutes later we finally get to Marie Laveau's - the voodoo queen's, tomb. I could go through all the info but here's the important part - everyone comes here to make a wish on her tomb. And there are quite a few "thank yous" on there too. Say what you will about throwing salt over you shoulder - but this diva's got something going on when people are coming back to say thanks. So here Kim and I are marking x's and spinning around like fools. If you told us to hop on one foot and say the alphabet backwards I bet we would have done that too. Not the highest point in my wishmaking career.

Then we hit Canal Street for a little shopping and more food! Don't judge - I said FAT! So we split a muffaletta at Central grocery and a pellegrino. Then swung by the tourist trap - Jimmy Buffet's for a Mojito. I've had better - but Daphne the bartender was HILARIOUS. If your in town say hi for me!

On the way back - it occurred to me where I get my frugality - Dad insisted we play in Harrah's casino for 30 minutes so we could get free parking. BRILLIANT! They even won $30 between the two of them. I lost $10 but earned it back in cocktails. Should have brought my own sippy cup - shake shake. Just sayin.

We had these big plans to cap the night with a movie and ice cream but Kim and I fell asleep as soon as our purses hit the couch - let alone our bums. I'd like to blame it on couch commando and his NHRA but we were whooped.

Day two they tried so hard to keep me entertained. I have to be honest we could have driven in circles and I would have been completely happy.

They drove me through the Garden District and like a good real estate agent - told me how perfect I would fit into these multimillion dollar estates. "Look Jen - there's even a Land Rover. You could move down here and work for the news media (guess who else listens to talk radio) and cover the corruption. That's a hot story." Thanks Dad I've still got my work cut out inside the beltway. The sad part is - I think he was serious.

As the tornado watch burned we had breakfast at the original O' Henry's and toured the neighborhood.

Then it was time to catch the ugly flight - N.O. to Chi-town and red eye into BWI. Stupid Jen...Stupid Stupid Stupid. What part of red-eye did I miss? I had just enough time to drop my suitcase - change into work clothes and head into the District for work.

Apparently Pres. Obama had the same idea I did, because on the way to the airport, Air Force One was taking off right over our heads. He was in town for the oil spills. And while Dad and Kim were dumbfounded - I'm thinking - wait- come back - I need a direct flight back to DC too.

New AWLENS

2010-04-14T04:23:00.000-05:00

Dad and Kim finally made the hard move to the Big Easy from San Diego. If you haven't heard me gushing yet...I am a HUGE fan of move!

They are now just a few hours instead of a days worth of flight time away....and my super Bonus Mom is really good about keeping me abreast of the differences between So Cal and No-leans.

For example....the neighbors....do you think Hermes gives a discount if you bring your own material?

The Queen of Pin Attire

2010-04-05T17:22:00.000-05:00

You know I would trade my left arm for a Madeleine Albright sighting. While my best friends in middle school worshiped N'sync (and their counterparts that they today deny like...Backstreet Boys) I was a FANATIC about Maddie. Hey to a 10 year old - the first female Secretary of State (and most powerful woman in the US) was pretty Bad Ass.

Well she has come out with yet another book - and thus adding another book signing to my to-do list - only this time it's a picture book. As part of her press junket duties - the author was invited to speak at the Newseum last month. I had a chance to interview her late last year, but you bet I was there - with a video camera this time. Despite SnowOMG!2010, 150 of her closest friends - and a few obnoxious media mates managed to pack into the studio. Did I mention I'm a little obsessed? Somethings you just don't outgrow.

Known for her elaborate broaches during her service, she put together a coffee table book called Read My Pins to capture her collection. Her pin attire often served more as subversive political commentary on the international playing field.

Donning a chocolate cashmere sweater during the interview, she appropriately had emblazoned on her lapel, a giant broach. In her 30 minute conversation she covered everything from her snake pin inspiration to how "irritating" she finds the press comments on decision maker's style.

The Results Still Rolling In

2010-04-02T08:35:00.000-05:00

Checking my voice mail this morning - this was too funny not to share. This is my sister Carly calling to fact check from Hawaii where she is finishing up her last semester of college . Apparently the date April 1st meant nothing to her either.

LISTEN:

Publish Post

Dear April - You can't fool me

2010-04-01T07:13:00.000-05:00

Beware: Funny Man Weaver At Large

Another winner from the legendary News Man Mark Weaver. I get this email from Mark titled Jen's secret life. My first thought is "there are two Jen Richers in DC?! We must meet!" So of course I get my google on - only to find this woman's no Jen...she's a Julie....and more importantly I am no Julie (look at those credentials!) Something is very wrong here. How did Mark get this screen shot? - He's of a generation still working on the concept of cut-and-paste - he couldn't possibly have edited it himself.

So before I call and notify this organization (which happens to be in our building) that they may have some code on their website going haywire, I ask The Weave how he got this screen shot.

Grinning with self satisfaction, "I did it cuz that women is a dead ringer for you. Don’t you see it?" he says.

Well color me fooled.... you win Weave.

The Real Version

Insert Face Palm Here

2010-04-01T04:15:00.000-05:00

Act Like a Lady, Think Like .......seriously?

2010-03-30T10:20:00.000-05:00

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment by Steve Harvey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I love Steve Harvey but this book was written along the same lines as the He's just not that into book. It's 190 pages of "look lady - he's just not that into you - he's into him." If he cheats - it's on you. Either you're doing something wrong - like not putting your foot down - or it's nothing personal.

Harrumph.

Steve - that's not a man - that's a boy. Let me sum this church bulletin into one line - ladies: don't settle for boys. Look for men. They're in high demand but if you stop dating the boys - maybe they'll try to be men. Fingers crossed - Mr. Harvey "da man" is on wife # 3 - I hope he learned something in the process. As for his "advice" I guess some women need to hear it - but I think the title should have read. Men: Act like a boy, pretend to be a man. Women - bring me my pie.

View all my reviews

Book Report: From Elephants to Legends

2010-03-03T10:32:00.000-05:00

This is your double helping of book love. I have no idea where I dug up enough time to finish two books, but you won't here me complaining. (Sleep is overrated.)

The first read was our book club selection for February, Water For Elephants. I have to be honest nothing about this book's description interested me. Not a huge fiction fan for starts, but carnies creep me out, and as someone who would take the company of a dog over 90% of humanity, the last thing I want to read about is animal cruelty. (Insert inner Mommy Voice) But Jen, the whole reason for starting the book club was to read outside your narrow wonk-non-fiction-journo-genre.

I was pleasantly surprised. Kudos Sara Gruen! I couldn't put the sucker down. It's the story, set during the Depression, of a young Cornell Vet senior who loses his parents in a sudden accident. Penniless, he literally runs away to join the circus. Telling his story from the end of his life looking back, it speaks volumes about the aging process, which is a nice little emotional bonus. But aside from the thrilling and compelling plot line, the author spent years researching circus life from that period. If you omitted the main characters, this could easily be a case-study of a particular troop. She even starts each chapter with an actual photo from the 30s from various circus groups. Very cool. Attention Nerds: it's safe...we are welcome.

The second read, was also a book club selection from last fall, but I pulled 8 shades of cheating on this one. I went to our discussion for Julie and Julia with nothing more than Amy Adams/ Maryl Streep's interpretation of the quack blogger and the tv foodie, and a whopping 30 pages under my belt. Here it is, March, and I am finally clearing that bad boy off the night stand.

Now, I love me a good blog-turned-book (the stream of conscience writers of today - take that J.D. Salinger) and you know I love me some food, but I found this little paperback to be highly overrated. You'll never hear me say this (so I'll write it - what a hypocrite!) but I liked the movie better than the book. Shut up - nuh uh. Gasp - go ahead it's safe - I won't judge.

I mean it was cute - don't get me wrong. An overworked, urban wife is fed up with her job so she decides to channel Julia Child and cook everything in her French bible in a year, while blogging about the adventure. I get it - it's cute. And as a chronic bitcher, I, garnered some serious support for her storytelling. But the best part of the read for me was the few pages she talks about her quirky friend Isabelle (who is a literary doppelganger of my friend Megs.) Now she is a character. Not that it was bad - or boring - but I felt like she could have wrapped the whole delicious lamenting up in about 200 pages.

Stay tuned next month - I'm hoping to knock off three more on our little cruise!

Pretty Bad Ass

2010-03-03T06:49:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder what Dad was doing in the garage when he was supposed to be fixing Mom's car? Yeah will this is like 1 bajillion times cooler than that stupid fence post digger he invented. Sorry Dad.

All Clear in Hawaii

2010-03-01T08:42:00.003-05:00

The predicted 12 foot Tsunami waves for Hawaii turned out to be a false alarm. Yes, Carly and puppy Jake, evacuated from her Hawaii Kai beach hut on Oahu, and yes, she returned home yesterday safely, with nothing more than a great story. Just got off the phone with her and all is well. Now, back to our regularly scheduled program.

Awkward Elevator Deja Vu

2010-03-01T08:38:00.001-05:00

As host for a training workshop for our alumnae sorority chapter, I offered the conference room in our very delicious apartment building, last Saturday. Hey it was free and a super easy commute for me.

Jamming out of Chez Copa, carrying entirely too much for one trip - I grabbed my frothy java brimmed coffee mug too. Sloshing into the elevator, nice neighbor to the rescue, offers to help me carry the boxes. What a nice guy, I would have offered to carry the coffee. After a polite but much appreciative decline, he insists and next thing you know we're on our way to the conference room - coffee saved! (Listen you momma bears with love connection on the brain - you just cool your jets.)

On the trip down twelve floors, he stops me to ask where we know each other from, apparently I look familiar. Sure - often a common pick-up line in DC but his face was genuinely contorted as he scanned his Rolodex of Facebook pics in his head. Not surprised - I get it a lot - it's the round face and blue eyes - I look like everyone's cousin's best friend. Offering a couple possibilities, we still can't figure out where he knows me from. Note: I don't know this kid from Adam - not an ounce of recognition and I made no attempt to pretend otherwise.

Arriving at our destination I showered him with appreciation (more for saving the coffee than the heavy lifting. - SHOCKER) but he can't shake the deja-vu. Being that we're neighbors, I introduce myself as Jen.

Literally - my tongue rests on the 'n' and he finishes 'Richer?' As my eyes swell to the size of grapefruits, I hesitate, "how do you know me and I don't have a clue who you are?"

"We went out on a date about a year ago, and I never heard from you again."

F-M-L

My caffeine induced response, "Well I guess I can't hide from you now, neighbor."

Of course I will keep you kids posted but suffice it to say....way to go Richer.

When You Don't Have Tim The Toolman Taylor To Blame

2010-02-25T13:08:00.000-05:00

Linds and I have been talking about putting shelves up in the living room FOREVER now. So while on an errand from my brother (he's in San Diego mind you) I ventured into the IKEA neighborhood and figured I would just pick up the shelves and get the ball rolling.

Well the shelves sat in the living room for three weeks - staring us down. I blinked first and decided to trap linds into helping me hang them. Studying for law school demands distractions, right?

Well after an hour of research on how to find a stud (not that kind ...this time) we went for it - screw drivers a-flailing and sure enough - we found a sturdy stud. Now the nature of these shelves requires you mount the first bracket - slide the shelf into the bracket, slide the other end bracket on, and then mount that bracket to the wall. (Ha this really sounds like a heaving-bossom-throbbing-member paperback intro). Regardless, Linds and I figured out the first step - bracket mounted - and after an hour of agonizing - finally go to slip the shelf in - and wouldn't you know it - the shelf was two wide.

While linds is howling - I try to make my case - "but IKEA put the shelves and the brackets next to each other in the display aisle." "Did you think to measure? You didn't even look at the boxes did you?," she presses through belly laughs. I try once more to pass the blame with no avail. "We effed this in a serious way," she tells me.

No matter - we now have a very prominent member hanging from our wall. I came home to this sticky note the other day: "At least it's good for something." Tom Villa's got NOTHING on us!

Starts With 'P' -- Ends with 'UPPY'

2010-02-20T06:45:00.001-05:00

You hear it all the time...those women with a silly little clock ticking away demanding procreation. Well if the world of science can xerox sheep - there must be a cure - a tick-enectomy or sorts. Not seeing baby Jens in the forecast. But another ticking has taken hold of apartment 1202S. Puppy-mania.

Like any infection, it sneaks up slowly and is wickedly contagious. This is a perfect opportunity to blame the parents. What started out as a childhood with Labradors quickly became the Richer Home For Wayward Strays, and over the years abused and displaced mutts slowly infiltrated our purebred palace. And we loved them. From one-eared Spencer, Schizophrenic Sparky to Anti-social Runty (we never really got around to naming her). Leaving town? Landlord bans pups? Know a neighbor who shouldn't be allowed within miles of a dog, let alone own one? Call Beth (mom) ...if she waivers...mention it to the kids. Bam - puppy chow for 4 please.

In the early DC years a puppy fix was just a plane ride away, and summers were spent home with the pack. But after graduation, money was tight and visits were fewer. Now like proud little mommies sporting baby bumps- everyone seemed to be adopting. Tommy has Chip, Carly has Jake, Megs has Darcy. Ugh and I can't stop thinking about the little fur balls

Linds ever the rational one reminds me that 1. our hotel-esque building won't allow the 4-legged friends 2. neither of us has time for all the responsibility and 3. dog hair in your dinner parties, walks regardless of windchill, and total destruction of furniture. All valid points. But the clock - or whatever it is - ticks. And the word puppy comes into EVERY conversation. Try it - how was your day linds...oh thats great...you know I was thinking it's time for us to get a puppy......we need to pick up more milk...and a puppy. Have you seen my keys? Oh the PUPPY must have hid them...right we don't have a puppy.

This of course facilitated by the latest read Marley and Me. (for me - not the rest of the world - my reading list is as current as Japan is to Blockbusters)

Ugh and yes - I knew the ending before I started. Even strangers in waiting rooms felt compelled to warn me. But just like adopting a dog- the unspoken but impending universal doom lurks. But the time you have leading up to that ending is priceless. So yes if that's all remember about that book is the end - sucks for you. The 200 pages leading up to the doggie funeral had me rolling on the floor - literally - in fits of laughter. Not because the writing was particularly funny - but because it was so spot on. He captured the world's worst dog -second only to every dog we ever fostered. It was like reading an account of my childhood.

But Marley had nothing on Hershey our chocolate lab. She chewed through power wires, and barbie dolls for breakfast. (So much that our Ken, Barbie's Marine Biologist husband had a "shark bite" accident in Barbie land) Jumping a 6' fence was hardly an obstacle and within weeks - she was a recognizable fugitive in the the neighborhood. Ironically, she took orders from a 4" Pomeranian and an even smaller dachshund mutt. Duncan, our yellow lab feels intensely that coffee should always be outside of your mug - and while nuzzling will give a quick nod to the bottom to facilitate the process. Damn - fooled again.

Macy - our black lab can turn knobs, open doors, rip tin foil and open cabinets - nothing is too difficult for a taste...or a full dish of people food. With the same ease she can take over a queen size bed with a mere stretch of the legs - finding myself on the floor in the morning.

Those dogs were part of the family and now I can't help but want to start my own here on the east coast. Shedding and all. Did I mention...I want a DOG!

Ain't That The Truth

2010-02-19T06:43:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday Home Fries! Stay Tuned...Tomorrow is Chez Copa's first skiing lesson. I'm still not counting the "lesson" in Big Bear at age 8 as I spent most of it sitting on my skis or splayed out on the fake snow.

The Devil Is in the Diet Coke (queue dramatic DUN DUHN DUN)

2010-02-18T08:40:00.000-05:00

I'm Catholic - oh simmer..cat's out of the bag. I try to be a good one but when most of your aunts and uncles were at one time (or are still currently) and nun or priest - it's hard to measure accurately. And as a footnote - not to flip too many readers out but the Church and disagree on a few things. (Bonus points -see if you can guess which parts.)

But I am a big fan of the Lent Challenge as my grandma calls it. It's like spring cleaning, only for the mouth in my case. Yesterday, was Ash Wednesday - marking both my forehead in designer ashes but also the first day of the Lenten season. As such, it's the day you start fasting (ok - I'm not that good) or giving up something for 40 days.

This year I'm breaking up with my love, my enabling caffeine quickie in the afternoon - Diet Coke. I know lover - it is you - and me - but mostly you. You are terrible for me. And if you know me personally, I have DC (diet coke) radar - I can sniff it out of line up. The giving up part is not what I'm worried about, the challenge is NOT replacing it with an evil caffeine twin: like Diet Dr. Pepper as one friend suggested.

The goal here is to DRINK MORE WATER or as Susan Gibbs, my friend at the Archdiocese of DC, suggested...TEA. How FORTUITOUS: her neighbors own a specialty tea shop close to work in Bethesda called Zen Tara. (calling it divine intervention for the record) You didn't hear it from me...but if you drop Susan's name you may or may not get a little discount....Let the LENT CHALLENGE BEGIN. Just ignore that 24 pack in the fridge Jen... Diet coke is for sissies....(just keep saying it, and feel free to slap my hand if you see me slipping)

Freebie....For All You Foodies

2010-02-02T09:29:00.000-05:00

Every year the gastro-snobs (and my personal heroes) over at Washingtonian Magazine publish their 100 best restaurants list in the DC area, and every year I whore myself out for a free photocopy from a subscriber. (Usually linds, but she canceled her subscription last year.)

So I have been looking everywhere online for a free downloadable copy - I finally just broke down, braced the 18 degree weather, and bought the issue from up the street.

Heads up Washingtonian - from the web desk - I would have paid for this content on-line and no I'm not talking your ginormous database hoakie pokie monster you've got going on on your website- I just wanted a list to print and post to my fridge - like every other year. So Linds and I can fuel our Type-A list obsession on open-table.com. You failed so I'm giving this away.

Freaky Friday

2010-01-15T07:03:00.002-05:00

Not quite sure what to make of this yet - but throwin it out there anyway. Happy Friday Ya'll!

Operation Frequent Flier: A Public Service Announcement

2010-01-13T15:17:00.001-05:00

Look - I love a good freebie. Who doesn't? But with years of flying between coasts as often as 8 times a year, not including my other beltway exodus', I have honed my skills on how to score free airline tickets. Now I have to preface this by saying, this is how I do it, I know there are other ways the masters, like John Matthews, practice their craft. I just thought I would share the wealth.

Operation Frequent Flier: The Jen Richer Plan
(These are the basics. I'll do an advanced appendix later)

There are 3 major airline alliances.Look at this for a quick and dirty graph. The deal is you pick an airline in each alliance that you fly the most and sign up for their frequent flier (ff) program. Anytime you fly an airline in that alliance you give them your ff # for the partner that you are signed up for. Then when you go to book your reward travel you have all your points in one spot. If the airline that you are a member of doesn't fly where you want to go, they will do a codeshare and book a ticket with a partner airline for you.

For example: I am a member of United for Star alliance but often I fly USAIR instead (cheaper). But because my account is with united and they are in the same alliance I give them my United # and book my reward flights through United. For One World I am with American, and for Sky Team I do Continental. The two that aren't alliances that I have in addition to these three are Jet Blue and Southwest. It's super easy to find the application on all of these sites. Hit the home page and look for the frequent flier program tab, and sign up is usually the first option in the drop down.

When looking for tickets sure I use cheap tickets, hotwire.com, and priceline for ticket research but I NEVER buy tickets from them. They are deeply discounted and won't let you count them for miles. Instead I look to see how much the tickets are and go back to the airline sites, use Kayak, or studentuniverse.com or statravel.com. I usually can find the same price, or cheaper, if I fiddle with the options, flex dates, etc. It's also important to remember what you save in the short term on tickets from the previous sites you lose big in reward travel. I just booked my $1,500 ticket to Brazil and Argentina for FREE with American Air. Just sayin'.

Other ways to rack up miles.

Do you shop online? Are you willing to click a link from an email a couple times a day? Join mypoints. All you have to do is sign up for their emails - I get maybe 2 or 3 a day and click the 'see this offer.' I never sign up for anything but those points can be cashed in for miles. Shop at gap.com? office depot? Ebay? Go to the mypoints.com homepage first and see if they have a partnership( 'earn points tab'). (The ones I mentioned do) and all you have to do is click through to those vendors and shop like you would normally. I get about 5,000 miles every 6 months doing stuff I would already be doing.

Many of the ff programs also have the option to link your grocery store member cards too to get a few extra points while shopping. Also use your ff# when staying in a hotel or renting a car and get both points with them and airline miles.

Take Your Blessing Where You Can Get Them

2010-01-13T13:00:00.000-05:00

Talk about a close call. As most of you know, my girlfriends and I just returned last week from quite the little adventure down in the Dominican Republic. Those tales and pictures are to come, but this morning we woke to some terrible news: a 7.0 earthquake that shook the hell out of Hispaniola, the island shared by the DR and Haiti.

Being a San Diego girl, (California breaking off in to the ocean blah, blah, blah) I know hairy earthquakes, but we expect them and have built accordingly. Our Caribbean friends have other natural concerns - like hurricanes to deal with. (Which still scare the daylights out of me.) Not-to-mention a 7.0 is still HUGE! They didn't see it coming.

Now the details are starting to surface. I had one mother call the newsroom this morning. Her son was able to escape and send this email back stateside. Thank goodness for this near miss.

Dear Family and Friends,

Thanks for all the kind words. I climbed out of my 4th story apt as it was collapsing and was happy my four other colleagues from State got out alright too. One guy from UN had some leg injuries but we carried him when we got out. Some Haitians and I were fortunate to pull out a woman and her daughter just as a slight
tremor hit a second time, but I am so glad they got out safely. All of us in our apt complex lost everything and got out with the clothes on our backs (a couple of us not even with that!)

We spent the night in the surprising cool Haitian night air and felt unnerving tremors and collapsing structures all night. The State Dpt military attache's house was pretty much intact so he gave us supplies and his front yard to sleep in (away from walls and other buildings.) The neighboring four story apt was flattened like a ham sandwich.

It has been so hard to see a people already suffering difficult conditions to now be hit by this kind of devastation. As we faded in and out of sleep and conversation under the dark and starry night sky we could hear people in the lower lamds wailing with each tremor, often singing prayerful songs, clapping or chanting. It was eerie, terrifying and beautiful at the same time. The roads we took to get us back to the Embassy were amazingly calm and many structures we standing but we heard that in other neighborhoods houses simply caved in.

I'm back at the Embassy now raiding the caf for something to eat and seeing all the wreckage (it got hit too
but the building is new and entirely intact.) My clothes and hair are full of dust and I look like, well, I've been in an earthquake.

But it has been amazing to see the spirit of the Haitian people in light of this disaster. I will need to pitch in for the time being and there is talk of evacuation which I can't see how they could not (there is little safe housing and virtually no hotels.) I have been thinking so much about my family, loved ones and dear friends who mean and have meant so much to me. Thank you again for your thoughts.

Peace and know that I am thinking of you!

From The Desk Of Mark Weaver

2010-01-11T06:30:00.000-05:00

Even the guys in the newsroom are trying to set me up. Swell.
Thanks Mark!

Well Played!

2010-01-08T15:44:00.000-05:00

Last night, Linds, me and about 100 other stage-junkies made the arduous trek, in the snow, out to Arena Stage Theater to see Stick Fly. By "trek" I mean we took our building elevator to the basement and walked through the covered, heated tunnel to the theater. But kudos to everyone else who braved the snow - it was a full house.

Let me just get this out of the way: I loved, loved, loved Stick Fly. Set in Martha's Vineyard - two brothers bring their girlfriend and fiance to meet the fam on an annual vacation. Obviously the family is well to-do but unlike the rest of the WASP island community - they are black.

Now race issue is definitely a part of the plot - but the there is a more universal connection to this witty comedy - it's family. We all know these characters - maybe you are one yourself - but even the opening scene when the housekeeper comes bopping down the stairs rocking to your ipod - you're hooked.

Cruising through two hours of side-splitting wise cracks, no really, I haven't laughed that hard since seeing Robin Williams, the family reunion raises serious questions about race relations and family dysfunctions. Now how is that funny? Because you feel like you're watching The Cosby Show, only the Huxtables have a few skeletons.

With zingers on the ease of prepping regular verses decaf coffee from the well-educated housekeeper to her solving the trivial persuit stumper question then quickly shooting back "what? I can't know that?"

Or the"Italian" (euphemism for white) girlfriend with a masters thesis on inner-city race relations trying to high five the brilliant but frosty fiance, on their common taste in literature, only to be left hanging by Taylor, still embittered by her alienation at Harvard by the "Becky's," (other WASPs.)

No let's talk stage presence. Aside from the hottie and equally awesome yale trained Billy Eugene Jones, playing Flip (the brother dating the "Italian"), the cast was dead on. There are several charged monologues that pivot the plot on a dime (don't want to spoil anything for you) but the two leading ladies, Amber Iman and Nikkole Salter, nailed them. Not just blasting through the lines, BTW we're talking 10 minute ass-ripping monologues - but they hit all the subtle nuances, and not so subtle tensions dug up by the racial and economical disparities, and good-old-fashioned family drama between the characters. It completely rocked the audience. Literally - one minute you're aching in compassion for the ladies - the next your doubled over in giggles - and then with a snap - right back.

By curtain call - we were on our feet in full applause - yes -before the cast made it to the stage.

If you're interested here are the details: Stick Fly runs January 1 – February 7, 2010 at Arena
Stage in Crystal City.

All That...And They Cook!

2010-01-07T05:15:00.000-05:00

So for new years one of my strategies is to get back into cooking. I get so busy that I've sidelined one of my favorite hobbies for about a year - opting for the same Subway sandwich (Turkey on Honey Oat) or whatever I can slap together from the pantry and run, or worse - depend on the pub. Not that I have anything against the pub - their food is actually really good - but it's killing my waistline.

So Linds and I are reinstating the menu board, the chalkboard in our kitchen, where we list the week's menu and take turns cooking. Who knows, maybe we'll even get back into our Sunday night traditional "hearth dinners!"

Last night for dinner I busted out one of my favorite recipes: Salmon with Dijon Dill Sauce over a bed of garlic sauteed spinach and a side of broccoli rice and for dessert Linds made Peach Jello Parfait. The recipe for the Salmon I got from Real Simple (below). The spinach is super easy, just saute raw spinach in a pan with a little garlic powder and extra virgin olive oil until its soft. And I cheated with the rice - it's from Target's knock off version of Rice-a-roni. But it was really good and I was short on time. Linds said she got the parfait recipe right off the jello box. The perk with that is it works out to be a whopping 40 calories and served in a little wine glass, it was perfect.

Salmon with Dijon Dill Sauce
Ingredients:

4 6-ounce salmon fillets, skin removed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnishing
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Set broiler on high. Place the salmon on a foil-lined broiler pan and season with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Broil until the salmon is the same color throughout and flakes easily, 7 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat, heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter until it melts. Add the shallot and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and whisk in the mustard, dill, pepper, and the remaining salt. Remove from heat.
Cut the remaining butter into pieces, add to the sauce, and whisk until incorporated. Place the salmon on individual plates, spoon the sauce over the top, and sprinkle with additional dill.

Book Report: Just Keep Reading

2010-01-06T11:37:00.000-05:00

It’s funny - when I started Eat, Pray, Love, I was under a lot of stress and I was looking for a quick light read, something to escape to. It seemed like everyone and their sister had read it and I picked it up over the summer and added it to the NEED TO READ ASAP basket next to my bed. (Just role with it… It’s one of my gagillion systems.) Instead I found this book to be quite the challenge.

Elizabeth Gilbert starts by painting her us her hell – she hit rock bottom. Her career, marriage, and self respect were in shambles and she spends 100 pages navigating us through her self loathing. I’ll admit – I found her tale of despair irritating, 90% of her woes were related to her attitude of the situation - I wanted to punch her for whining about it. Now, I idolize strong willed, outspoken, brazen women. Not whiners. But I kept reading. Not sure why but I did.

She divides the book into three parts from there on. She takes 3 trips over the next year to help patch her self esteem though self discovery, gastronomic escapism, and travel. It didn’t help hush the Maureen Dowd in me, when I found out that in the cesspool of her plight she was getting an advance for a book about her journey. Of course she’s going to find serenity - she’s going to get paid for it. But I found myself still reading the darn thing.

Off she goes to Italy for four months. Now this part I loved. She took one of my dream vacations - learning to study Italian in Rome for 4 months - what’s not to love? As she describes the food, the men, the culture, my guard starts to melt. A part that sticks out was a conversation she had with her delicious Italian tutor. He makes the case that- if you could deduce Rome to one word, it would be Sex, New York: Success. As she scrambles to find her word - I can’t help but try to think of mine Flexible? Family? Mouthy? Brash? I couldn’t find my word. That was 3 months ago. I put the book down and had to focus on other things - work, more work, and coordinating the holidays.

Then while I was packing for our vacation to the Dominican I threw 4 months worth of magazine subscriptions (the news related ones are the only ones I have time to keep current with: Economist, The Week, Atlantic, etc) and in case that wasn’t enough I tossed in Eat Pray Love.

Literally walking off the plane from a week whirlwind in San Diego for the holidays, changing suitcases after work, and walking back onto the plane I realized the last time I had some quality alone - hands free time was on our cruise. That was in August. While sitting on the planes I’ve been working out my 2010 strategy (I don’t do resolutions - I strategize,) I realized I have put a lot of things on hold - my grad school application, my fitness program , my blog, - hell just cooking has been shelved and my waistline serves as a reminder. Maybe that’s why I picked EPL back up.

I left the magazines in my carry on and I rejoined Lizzy’s journey. I was still a little bitter about her weaknesses compassion is a strong suite for me -- sympathy is not. That is to say - I feel your pain - I can see your point, but I don’t feel bad for you. But I kept reading.

I rejoined her, I on a soft canvas pillow on a beach lounger in the Dominican Republic - she on a dusty mat in an Indian Ashram. I hate the touchy feely spiritual pursuit. I’m catholic - not of the book totin’ persuasion - but a relatively good one. And like Lizzy, I do yoga too- but the second we move out of the Hatha Yoga instructions and into the “unite your body and spirit” talk - I’m gone. Checked out - doing my grocery list in my head and racking my brain to confirm I Tivo-ed 60 minutes. When we’re “meditating,” I’m taking a cat nap - gotta get those in when you can - so this next chapter was really hard for me. But I kept reading.

She introduces a friend she makes - a Texas man who has the bluntness of Helen Thomas and the charm of Clint Eastwood. I like him. Lizzy wails over losing her soul mate and he calls her out on it – one point for Texas. But in holding up mirror to her face, metaphorically speaking, he makes a really write-that-down point: he says very few people meet their soul mate - and even fewer stay with them. Their purpose is not to complete you - but to open your soul to the ability to love deeply. If that’s the case - time to change the e-harmony profile. I’m only half kidding.

Then we hit Bali - here she is reuniting with the muse that sent her on this journey - an old medicine man who predicated from her palm - she would be back in two years to live with him. Instead she meets her love. Game, Set, Match. And from the way she describes him - I would fall in love with this guy too. He’s a Brazilian expat living in Bali and his kids are in Australia. He’s adventurous, international, blunt, focused, and cultured, and if he’s anything like the Brazilians I know - he’s beautiful. Time to start shopping in Bali.

I’m glad I kept reading and I have to be honest - I say this begrudgingly - I liked the book. I love her writing style - writing as if we’re girlfriends. Heck I called her Lizzy all through this post. Maybe it’s her writing, maybe, and I hated to admit it, I identified with her. But more importantly I was moved by the journey.

You Read This Sh**?!?!

2009-12-24T09:24:00.000-05:00

Before I launch into the whirlwind chaos that is family time, I have to throw a shout out. Apparently someone reads this Wahine nonsense, someone other than me on the occasional spell check read through (operative word here being occasional) I know this because I am now getting dysfunctional love/hate mail..and not just from Megs anymore. So I'm back on the Wahine. Merry Christmas. Not that it would help but I do have a very good excuse.

I used to at the station during normal human hours...8 ish to 6 ish. Than an opportunity opened for my old shift schedule having me at work by 4:30 am, yes that's am, and I jumped on it. I am one in 100,000 people who love being up before the God herself. Still intend on doing the family tree...but I know this much there's some farmer blood somewhere...just look at these shoulders..linebackers weep at their awesomeness.

So with the new schedule and a few new responsibilities on the plate at work, plus the holidays (and I know you all know what a headache that can be), and all the orchestration that takes, my usual 4 hours sleep schedule evaporated. In the words of 2009 - cuts had to be made and the Wahine has been dieting. Time to plump her back up. She is a bodacious babe after all.

In the three days I've been home I've had 4 people come up and ask if I was ok. Dear Doc - no need to check the vitals - can you just run a diagnostic on the blog and save us both an hour? I'm great ya'll and had I known you were voluntarily reading these shenanigans - I would have set the alarm an hour earlier for you. Megs- you win. And the rest of yous...thank you. This one's for you. I will figure it back into the routine. Love Jen. Now on to the adventure that is my pilgrimage west.

Reporting From Snowpocolypse

2009-12-21T09:24:00.002-05:00

Just to give you an idea of what we're messing with today....

Friday From The Road - #4: Wind-Em-Up

2009-11-20T11:59:00.001-05:00

License Plate Reads: Liberal

Friday From The Road #3 - Too Cute

2009-11-13T09:00:00.001-05:00

Tea Parties and House Calls

2009-11-06T12:40:00.000-05:00

From yesterday's Tax Tea Party yesterday:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Chanting "Kill the bill," thousands of conservatives incensed over the Democrats' health care overhaul protested at the Capitol on Thursday, arguing that the legislation amounts to a government takeover of the nation's medical system. The crowd, invited on national television by Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., was staunchly anti-government - "Politicians lie, people die," read one sign - but loudly cheered the House Republicans who hosted the event. The protest attracted many of the so-called Tea Party demonstrators angry with increased spending and an expanded government role under the Obama administration.

"This bill is the greatest threat to freedom that I have seen," House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio told the crowd. "We're not going to leave this Hill until we kill this bill," declared Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa.
That's highly unlikely. House Democrats hope to pass the sweeping legislation on Saturday, buoyed by endorsements on Thursday from the American Medical Association and the AARP, the powerful seniors lobby. President Barack Obama makes a final appeal to Democrats during a rare visit to the Capitol Friday.
Republican leaders controlled their event, focusing on what they said were the flaws in the Democratic bill, as they distanced themselves from Bachmann's invitation. On Oct. 30, she invited viewers of Fox News to Washington to roam House office buildings and confront lawmakers.

"I'd love to have every one of your viewers join me so that we can go up and down through the halls," Bachmann said. "Find members of Congress, look at the whites of their eyes and say, 'Don't take away my health care."' Republicans have offered a slimmed-down health care bill that focuses on reducing costs rather than increasing coverage for millions of uninsured Americans. At the rally on the West Front of the Capitol, they mocked the 1,990-page Democratic bill, bound in a gold cord, on the corner of the lectern. It was so heavy, at one point it thunked to the ground.

The crowd, including many older Americans, carried placards that ranged from pithy - "Free health care isn't free" - to harsh. "Ken-ya Trust Obama?" said one, referencing the president's African roots and claims by some that he wasn't born in the United States. One protester carried a sign reading, "Bury Obamacare with Kennedy," a reference to Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who died of brain cancer this past summer.
The demonstrators came to Washington by plane, bus and other means to send a message to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., as they press ahead with health care legislation.

"It's upsetting because of where we've come from to where we are today, to see our freedom eroding," said Ben Fourman, 72, of Farmingdale, N.J. The retiree wore a T-shirt that said, "Liberty equals limited government." Actors Jon Voight and John Radcliffe, who played Cliff on the comedy series "Cheers," attended but the real star was Bachmann. "We want Michele! We want Michele," the crowd chanted as she took the microphone.

Bachmann, a favorite of conservatives for her colorful rhetoric, issued a reality check about the bill's outsized chances of passing. But she added a dash of optimism gleaned from Republican victories on Election Day.
"Kill the bill! Kill the bill!" the crowd chanted. "Yes, that's exactly what you're going to tell them," said Bachmann. Capitol Police arrested a dozen anti-abortion protesters in the hall outside Pelosi's office in the Cannon House Office Building.

Elsewhere, Siler City, N.C., resident Paul Kaufman and nine family members stopped by the offices of Reps. Mel Watt, D-N.C., and Walter Jones, R-N.C. "I feel like I'm defending my freedom. I'm defending my rights," Kaufman said, adding that he identified with a sign he saw at the rally that said "I love my country, but I'm afraid of my government."

Friday From The Road #1- Cali Girl

2009-10-30T09:28:00.002-05:00

Just driving along, minding my own business...no really, I do most of my non-work related business from the car (because I'm never home) and I found these treasures! I love attitude, or at least a little flair. This Friday From the Road....

It says "Chill out" and the license plate says "Lov Cal"

Bubbles Off The Port Bow!

2009-10-23T22:23:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love bubbles? But it's not something you see floating by your 12th story apartment window everyday. Looking like the opening to a Disney Movie, Lindsey and I went out to investigate, and apparently so did everyone else on ourside of building. Low and behold, our neighbs below us, full grown adults mind you, were "testing out" the new bubble machine they bought for their nieces. Right...30 minutes later, they ran out of bubble mix. I suggested Linds and I head over to Toys R' Us and "test out" a bubble gun for ourselves.

Ready For Combat

2009-10-23T20:46:00.001-05:00

For National Military Appreciation Month, 630 WMAL and Skin-can-do owner Sara Damelio teamed up for a combat-ready drive. She whips up this all-natural skin-balm for her spas in her kitchen and one day found out it really helps on sand-flea bites. You know who suffers the worst from those little crustaceans? Our guys and gals over in the big sandbox (I have a brother and a few friends over there and I've heard first hand.) So she started sending her balm with troops as the left the States. Throw in the do-good listeners from the station and we've got a real mission on our hands.

We were hoping to raise enough to send 500 jars over. By the end of the month long push- we hit around 800. THAT'S EFFING AWESOME. I know it doesn't sound like much, but heck if we can offer anything to help, skin cream or otherwise, why not?! So when Sara laced up to hand out the miracle in a jar at BWI - I tagged along with her.

At first, the Air-Force team seemed a little confused about what we were throwing in their care-packages. For many, it was their first tour and they had no idea what to expect. So not only were we the harbingers of skin relief, we also served as bearers of bad news. Luckily, right behind us were the USO volunteers handing out Girls Scout cookies, a perfect distraction.

HOLY Captain FACEBOOK

2009-10-23T12:11:00.001-05:00

Sure, there's 5000 miles between us, but my sister Carly and I usually check each-other's vitals at least once a week. That's why we are on the same cell phone plan. To get the scoop first hand. Then BAM I see this in my news feed. Gimpie brakes her arm and I find out about it A-MONTH-LATER on Facebook? Yeah stick that in your box and shake it.

Friday From The Road # 2: The Mix on the Bus Goes ...

2009-10-23T10:15:00.002-05:00

This Friday From the Road....

Agh I'm a loyalist..can't help it. So when I saw one of our stations planted on the back of the metro bus, I got a little psyched.

No, Really, Thank YOOOUUU, Customer DISservice

2009-10-23T08:34:00.001-05:00

My momma raised me well...(she would have used 'good' there, I said she raised me well, not taught me grammar). And a major point in her curriculum included thank you notes and such. I can remember her sitting her spawn down the morning after Christmas or our birthdays with a list, blank greeting cards (she bought in bulk...know anyone like that?), and a pen. And those buns didn't budge from the table until we pumped out a a thank-you to each gift giver.

Last summer, the we Benson clanners trekked out for a little camping action in the Grand Canyon. Being that I am a frequent flier program maven, I booked my reward flight round trip out of Vegas using USAIR. Well oops - I broke my foot - yeah shut up - and my mobility plans were slightly altered, and by altered I mean a complete detour to San Diego with the fam for some ER attention.

Ironic that I can get two helicopters down the face of a canyon to lift me out of a nearly impossible ravine (pilot will back me up on that) but I couldn't get the airline company to reroute my reward flight to leave out of San Diego instead of Vegas. No worries the delightful customer service rep tells me: my flight is good for a year out of Sin City, so I can just book a flight in and use my reward flight out. So I try it.

Silly Jen...it's never that simple..You guessed it. I've got a big fat No sitting at the end of that plan. Not even an "I doubt it." Just a straight up no. So you know where I told them they could stick their reward miles? Yeah that's right...right back in my account.

So I escalate that sucker to the second customer service rep, and get an ok - just need $100. Well wouldn't you know it...I, of course, conduct all of my business on a cell phone while driving - and my purse was in the trunk. (Unlike my friend Liana - I don't have the number memorized. Noted for the next time.)

I call back the next day...credit card in hand. And I'm told repeatedly this time, from half way across the world (Judging from the accents I'm going with Bangalore), how sorry USAir is, but that just isn't allowed. Reeeeealllly? Then why did two other reps clear it and were ready to give me back my miles? Supervisor Please! Oh well my supervisor is going to tell you the same thing...Well FABULOUS...let me hear it from their mouth then.

45 minutes on the phone and three states later in my "office" (MD, DC, VA), I FINALLY reached Phyllis in North Carolina. Boy did we hit it off- she was my Paula Deen in shimmering butter. In her sweet-tea cooing drawl she told me she would talk to her supervisor while I was on hold. Clearly timing is everything and my cell drops the call.

While I'm frantically retracing my steps through the maze of customer DISservicers, brace yourself...Phyllis called me back. She looked up my number on my account and CALLED ME BACK. This is what it's come to - a gesture that used to be expected, I am now eternally grateful for - way to lower the bar millennials! Then she not only put my unused miles back in my account - she refunded my entire trip. Here was a woman who I'm sure listens to RAGErs like me all day, and was still able to use her brain and help a sista out.

You bet I wrote that woman a thank you note.

Saving Second Base

2009-10-22T12:48:00.000-05:00

My darling friend Angela has finally figured it out - If you want me to show up..put it on my g-calander. It can be something as insignificant as a grocery shopping trip - or as important as saving the Ta-tas. That's what we did - she signed us up to walk and save the ta-tas. You're welcome.

And yes it was rumoured the new First Lady was down on the mall, getting her pink ribbon on...but we must have missed her. We did however, meet Gordon the Gekko and Angela's mystery man. This is also the day I met Angie's coworker Johnney. More stories to come, but he is quite a character. oooh we call that forshadowing kids...

Always In Moderation

2009-10-22T12:41:00.000-05:00

From the woman who brought you words of wisdom like, "you can pick your friends, and you an pick your nose, but you can't pick your friends nose," and...well...me... comes this thank you note.

My brother, sister, and I usually get a gift together for my mom's birthday - but being so close to mother's day and 2,500 -5,000 miles apart from each other makes coordination a little difficult. So this year I ordered her a chocolate cake to be delivered. Here is the thank you note I received in return.

"My dearest daughter Jennifer (always good that she remembers my name and that I am the ham of the family.)
Thank you so much for the fabulous chocolate cake-by-mail! It was delicious! Goodness, I was so surprised as I thought it would be a cake-free birthday, since Goose (grandma) was out of town (on a cross-country RV trip). It was extremely rich....wait for it...so I found that if I kept it refrigerated and/or frozen, I could eat a much larger portion at one sitting! Call me! Love Mommie"

Take A Bow

2009-10-21T19:11:00.003-05:00

Helen Mirren on stage in DC. I'm a total theater-moron and I even know that's a big deal. When I first heard the rumors back in the spring... I mentioned it to Linds. Well she about had a heart attack on the spot. Then the details started to trickle in. She would be playing Phedre at the brand new Shakespeare Theater downtown.

It would be the only American appearance for the National Theatre of Great Britain on their International Tour, and they selected DC. Chew on that New York. And guess who will be playing her ill-fated step-son....yep, Dominic Cooper. Ring a bell Mamma Mia fans? He was the fiance in the movie. It gets better.. Wait for it... we managed to get tickets.

It was a perfect night. Linds and I grabbed pizza at Edna's in Gallery Place before walking over to pick up our nearly-impossible-to-get tickets. While we were killing time we splurged and bought copies of the academy award winning actresses' memoir, then made sure to have them signed.

I'm not even going to attempt to give my opinion on the show, other than it was nothing short of perfection. We were watching Helen do for stage, what Maryl Streep does for film. Not just hit the right lines and memorize what must have been impossible dialogue from Jean Racine's 17th century classic, but she completely owned it.

Ben Brantley in The New York Times wrote, "Ms. Mirren remains not only incomparably majestic but also compellingly credible. Her Phedre is a more extreme blend of artifice and conviction, but boy , does she make it work in Nicholas Hytner's modern dress interpretation."

Waiting for us just outside the doors after the third curtain call was champagne for the audience. Linds and I toasted to her brilliance, and our success on a perfect evening.

Let's Do The Time Warp Again

2009-10-21T18:32:00.006-05:00

Leave it to our book club to pick THE-MOST-POPULAR book, and thus the hardest to find novel for our discussion. Throw in the fact that the movie based on the book, headlining Rachel McAdams would be opening the same weekend as our meeting?

Regardless we pushed through the high demand and managed to squirrel away a few copies of Audrey Niffenegger’s A Time Traveler’s Wife last month. Keeping with the theme of time traveling, we warped back in time to the Founding Farmers for discussion over brunch.

Brunch was a blast – we had a few new faces and a few old friends. I really love how the book club is become quite the melting pot of generations, Sigmas, and non-Sigmas. Seated at a family style table for 12, the 6 of us naturally attacked the waiter to see if he had any comments about the book. None..ok the movie…also nothing….ok Chick lit in general…still nothing …ok sir do you read? Well that segwayed him into a twenty minute monologue about Russian romance novels…next time Jen: don’t grill the waiter –unless it’s about the menu.

The idea of the restaurant is farm fresh – so everything on the menu is made from locally grown, for the most part organic ingredients. I honestly couldn’t tell the difference – but my Eggs Benedict was still scrumptious. Lizzie’s cornbread and waffles were amazing too.

As far as the book goes – I stood apart from the group. I loved the story. Now there are two types of great novels – those that are written beautifully in the prose, and those that are beautiful stories. This was the latter, not the former.

Although each chapter opened with a poem, Audrey steered clear of flexing any poetic muscles. Written like diary entries the two main characters took turns narrating their love story- which was as sweet as it was confusing. The chronology of the story bounces around like an epileptic with ADD who just discovered crack, but the author tries to ground you with a time frame under each entry. Word of advice – take notes as you’re reading.

The other point I had an issue with was when the husband and wife meet for the first time she is 6 and he is in his late 30s. When the get busy, she’s 18 and he’s still in his late 30s. Sure, when they are in the “now” there is only an 8 year difference, but when his zipping around…it’s a huge time difference. Last point was the whole dream sequence thing the author does – way trippy, I ended up skimming those.

But overall – I’d say it’s a 3 star read. The book tells a universal story – in this case it’s about a partner who has to leave without notice and the effect it has on his spouse, just remove the time-travel aspect – and there’s nothing bizarre about that story.

Fit For A Queen

2009-10-21T18:27:00.003-05:00

For our book club read last June, we chose Amanda Foreman’s Duchess, the biography of Georgiana Spencer, Duchess of Devonshire. Having seen the movie before reading, I was expecting the same seedy love affair between the unhappily wed but wildly popular Georgiana Spencer, great aunt to the late Princess Diana and Whig Party up-and-comer Charles Gray. As in her real life, the affair was hardly a chapter’s worth of material

What started as a dissertation for her graduate studies for the author, quickly developed into an 18 –month, 450 page study on not only the life of Lady G, but an historical briefing on women, power, politics, economics, and society in late 18th century Europe. To be honest – this should be required reading for anyone studying the time period. What I loved was the overarching thesis of the biography – women may not have had the vote, but given the status and opportunity, many had power – real power and in some cases political influence. For Georgiana – she affected public opinion and the vote.

Reading like an historical novel, this was a refreshing account more about the women who changed the Whig party than the aforementioned English tabloid scandal. An account of an inspiring, head-strong woman, forced into an unloving marriage, and given everything, but in reality, had nothing.

For the discussion we had lunch at Dino in Cleveland Park. I was at an Italian restaurant – of course I ordered pasta. Even the spaghetti was delicious. And for us orphans transplants in DC – it was the next best thing to spending Father’s day with our Dads.

Under the Big Top ...Or 8

2009-10-21T17:42:00.001-05:00

Cavalia
“Breathtaking” - O’ Magazine

Well it will certainly take your breath as you are hit with the smell of stables walking in – and it will certainly hit your wallet too. Let’s start with your $48 - $200 ticket. Then throw in a $15 program. As you’re rethinking your brilliant idea to bring the kiddi pops – their going to want one of those $20 stuffed horses and a $6 pretzel at the concessions under the eight-tent Big-Top. But this show it’s absolutely worth it.

I pulled in an hour before curtain call (had the wrong time in my all powerful G-calendar) so rather than tempt myself with all the equestrian chochkies, I headed across the street to Costco for the new Dan Brown book and an alternative to the $20 dinner at the overpriced concessions.

I have to say, upon returning I found myself nearly front row – and that was the beginning of an evening that exceeded my expectations. I have seen several Circe shows and have always been obsessed with our other four-legged best friends so the opportunity to see Cavalia, as it made it’s second tour through DC, was extremely attractive. But let’s be honest, how much can be done with a horse - I really wasn’t expecting to be blown away. It’s not like horses themselves are going to be flying on the trapezes. Watching someone else ride a horse really isn’t that entertaining. This was BEYOND expectations. I’ll say it again, IT WAS AWESOME.

Before the show starts, I hear over my shoulder nervous first date conversations mixed in with a husband recapping the new window replacement options he was quoted today. What was missing were the kiddy giggles and cheers of the usual circus crowd. Although the show was family friendly – it seemed as though everyone dialed the babysitters club tonight. One thing is for sure – it doesn’t matter who you are – if you love horses – you HAVE to see this show!

Aside from the slightly disturbing opening video of a mare giving birth – the show is beautiful. On a simple stage, the horses seem as though they are on strings as they “performed” intricate choreography. I used quotes because trainer Sylvia Zerbini explained to me after the show – for them – this is a game. The show is contently being revamped to hold the horse’s attention, rather than training the horses, the trainers are playing an intricate game. And more remarkable – they are fearless when it comes to the 2000 on-lookers under the big top.

The horses weren’t the only stars of the show. Time flies as the performers both 4 legged and otherwise breeze effortlessly through summersaults, trapeze choreography, flips, vaulting, impossible jumps and dressage routines, and more flowing material than Tim Gunn’s Mood store.

As the performance came to a close – I took a little pick behind the curtain to check out the stables. That’s when I got a chance to really talk to the trainers and the handlers. And for the last little surprise – a stop by the Rendezvous tent – were I grabbed a glass of wine (of course) and had the opportunity to talk to a few of the performers.

A few weeks after the performance, a couple of the trick riders, James Buchanan and Renny Spencer, came into the pub with Jimmy’s family. Recognizing them immediately, we started talking about their amazing riding capabilities. Turns out Buchanan is from Alexandria. Small world folks.

Movers and Shakers

2009-10-21T15:00:00.000-05:00

There's Auntie Jo....Going and giving them IMF Folks a what-for! Such a schoolin- they posted her on their IMF Blog

The gathering on October 1 in Istanbul, ahead of the IMF’s Annual Meetings, was the culmination of a five-month consultation with civil society organizations. The Fourth Pillar representatives, chaired by Jo Marie Griesgraber of the Washington-based New Rules for Global Finance coalition, presented their final report to the Managing Director–which they had earlier discussed with the IMF Executive Board.

Toasted On One Side

2009-10-21T09:54:00.002-05:00

From the Megs Chronicles:

When the four of us lived together senior year of college - somehow our Team Awesome adopted the slogan "To Much Bling ...No Such Thing." I'm sure there was a story there but after a year of heavy drinking...er..water...it seems that that memory has been erased. Nonetheless, when I moved in Megs had constructed a 5 foot installation on our wall of a diamond made of cardboard and aluminum foil. And Yes, after seeing that I continued to move the rest of my stuff in.

Fast forward 3 years...So Megs now works for an art insurance company and gets to touch really pretty fancy things. This is the email I got yesterday....I think I'm in the wrong business...

"this is me wearing a $5m necklace- the Mont Blanc Lumiere. It is comprised of over 3,000 diamonds. The big rock in the center is over 11 carats and is DIF- which means- it's a flawless diamond. BLANG BLANG"

and from roomie # 2, who shares Frank Sinatra and my birthday..Kate:

i would have to say that's pretty bad ass. and yes...... too much bling is an impossible thing to achieve! more bling more bling!!! i think if that 11 carat had a twin they would look great on your ear lobes :-)

Thought for today: anyone can be born crazy....to be team awesome crazy they have to be shaped, molded, and incubated.

Never Quotidian

2009-10-19T15:04:00.000-05:00

Might as well have ripped this one straight out of Julie and Julia. Yesterday, the book club met at Cafe du Park to salivate over our French breakfast buffet and recap our latest read J & J. It was one of those rare occasions where more of us seemed to be there for the food and company than the book.

At the beginning of each meeting we do a small confessional to get an idea of who actually finished the required reading, how many watched the movie, and how many planned on finishing the book. The results respectively out of the five of us: 1,4, and 1.

Sure we talked about food, cooking, and Julia Child, but the only instance of the conversation veering close to Julie Powell was the question I had...if you were to start a project and blog about it....what would it be? Some of the proposals included Carol's new biking obsession, our foodie obsession, our adventures as single Washingtonians. Lucky for me I guess, the Wahine is my very own calamity of errors.

As we were starting to loosen our belts a bit (thank god for croque-monsieur, french onion soup, a cheese plate to die for and eclairs a plenty.) Carol had a brilliant idea - 10 minutes later we were walking the 10 blocks from the Willard over to the Smithsonian museum of American History to see Julia Child's kitchen. That my friends, is why I live in DC. How many book clubs do you know can do that?

How Can We Forget?

2009-10-19T14:49:00.001-05:00

It's not often in the battle against mother nature is that Sigma Kappas do not emerge victorious, but such was the case for our memory walk Saturday morning. I had been planning and organizing the Sigma Kappa Memory Walk team for over a year. We joined forces with Mix 107.3, rallied over 150 walkers, and designed some awesome shirts to combat Alzheimer's. We had it all down - from the tent, to the shirts, sponsors, and well - the team.

Come the morning of, the weather just wouldn't let up - Linds and I pulled in promptly at 8 am only to be greeted by huge gusts of wind, and no tent...long story. So here we were, over 100 girls, trying to get our pictures done professionally, without catching pneumonia.

At about 9:15 this morning Kim (zeta team captain) and I decided to give the team the option to walk or retreat from the storm. By our call time at 9:30 you can imagine, our team had cleared out. I was so disappointed. In the DC Sigmas history we have never cancelled an event, regardless of the weather.

Although the day turned crummy, as the largest sigma kappa team in the country - we did raise over $8800 for the cause. So it ended well, and in my and Lindsey's case - with Greek omelets, coffee, and dry clothes.

When One Door Closes...Bliss...

2009-10-19T14:37:00.000-05:00

Just like restaurant week, twice a year Washington DC rolls out the super-deals for Spa Week. And we were committed this time to take advantage of it! On the list were two big names I have been dying to try...Elizabeth Arden's Red Door Spa and Bliss in the W Hotel. For $50 a treatment, why not do both?

So first stop, Red Door, which is conveniently located literally across the street from work. It was a perfect day for a massage - rainy, gross, and demanding. Linds and I were signed up for the stress melting ritual.

Having only been to a spa once before, aboard Grandeur of the Seas en route to Bermuda, I had no idea what to expect back on land. Nor had I ever had a male specialist. Lets just say I was a wee bit nervioso. But within two minutes Rob had me wrapped up in relaxing oils and was rubbing my temples. From there on in I was free-falling into heaven. After an hour of wrapping, exfoliating, and head/neck/shoulder and feet rubbin Rob was my new best friend.

Of course, I rarely see my own roomie, so we decided to make of night of it and head into the city for dinner. The target: one fish two fish, from our old GW stomping grounds. Well as we were heading in, the rest of Washington scrambled to get out. My only saving grace was I was still flying from my treatment! Thank you Red Door. Over dinner I was telling Linds, I felt like someone hit my reset button.

The next morning I got a call from Earla - the spa consultant for Bliss bringing me more awesome news - they had an opening for the spa week special - an oxygen blast facial. I was in. Luckily, I had gone into work a few hours early, so slipping off for a facial mid-afternoon didn't feel completely indulgent.

What a change in pace from Red Door to Bliss. If Red Door was Brahms, Bliss would be Joss Stone. What a completely different approach to healing but neither better or worse.

Now, I have never had a honest to goodness facial - but this was great - my face has never looked so radiant. I could have sailed ships home safely, my skin was glowing so brightly. Working with Rhea was like hitting the gym with a girlfriend - good for the body and the soul, and so much fun. She whipped up a tailored mask, ran through a litany of treatments, complete with an oxygen blast, and even slipped in an arm/neck/and shoulder massage.

The special was $50 but the same treatment goes for about $70 regularly - perfect for a once-a-quarter regiment.

Babies Babies Babies

2009-10-12T09:42:00.000-05:00

Congrats to auntie and now godmother Katie, her sister just had her baby shower in New York.

Congrats to my colleague Ty, who is due to have her baby girl in January.

Congrats to my step-brother Jeff and his wife Kiana on their new baby girl - Madison. Here's the update from Momma Kim: This is our newest grand baby, Madison Renay Estes. She was born on July 22, 2009. Her daddy is my son Jeff (Army SSgt) and her mommy is Kaiana. Poor mom had a 28 hour labor. We got the call early in the morning. Hopped on a plane late in the afternoon to Olympia, Washington and we still made it there before Madison's debut. She is so sweet, good matured, and hardly cries. She is just like her daddy. His grandpa used to call him "Smiling Jack". Daddy has been gone since she was 3 weeks old. He will be back mid-November. She came down to Southern California so both families could see the baby. She is now 11 weeks old, and talks to daddy on the phone. She is all ready for trick or treating with her cousins and Uncle Kyle. Hope all is well with you all! Honey Grams Kim & Poppa Matt (who is working now in New Orleans)

And congrats to my former professor Steve Roberts, who just published his baby, another book,"From Every End of the Earth," of which he generously dedicated to his students! "Friends: With no money out there for promotion I'm trying to publicize my new book, From Every End of This Earth, through social networking. Here's a link to a podcast and book excerpt, if you like what you read and hear, please send on the link, and some kind words about the book, to your own social networks. This book is dedicated to my former students at GW, which include many of you, and I'm deeply grateful for any help you can give. Best wishes. --Steve Roberts"

The Best Of The Best...

2009-10-12T09:13:00.000-05:00

That's my cousin Kevin, this weekend playing for Navy's Lacrosse Team. Totally proud right now! I used to babysit this kid...and by babysit I mean receive a full brief on the Naval jet fleet by a 9-year-old, followed by babysitter whomp plots by him and his brother, who looked about twice their age. My how things have changed....

In Love With The Boys From Jersey

2009-10-05T13:46:00.000-05:00

Playbills may have been handed out, ushers may have walked us to out seats, but I remember going to a concert last night, not a musical. Last night, Linds and I were invited to Jersey Boys at the National Theater. Written as the history of The Four Seasons, as told from perspective of the group's stars both in their own words, often conflicting versions and the music that sent them to the top of the charts. Never have I been so fully invested in a performance.

Ten minutes in, we were all clapping and dancing along as if we were the 16 year old fanatics they wrote the originals for. Sure, we all knew the words to the songs, but I bet two-thirds of my fellow theater-mates had no idea all those hits were from the same group. The acting was fabulous but what blew me away was last night's lead, Joseph Leo Bwarie, playing Franki Valli. I tell ya' if you put the two of them on a tape - I couldn't tell him from the real thing he was that authentic. So good in fact, the audience was on their feet for the ovation, and we hadn't even finished the second scene. And what Bwarie did for Valli's voice, Matt Bailey did for Tommy Devito's dance moves and New Jersey attitude. And then there's Joe Pesci - who knew he was so involved in the group's inception!?

The directing was as brilliant as the performers. Half the time, the quartet sang to us, the other half, they had our backs to them as we saw the fruits of their fame from their angle, bright lights, cameras, and screaming fans.

Aside from Rent, this is the only other performance, I can't wait to see again!

Temporary Insanity

2009-09-24T16:41:00.000-05:00

Twice a year, the folks at the Nordstrom’s open their door two hours early for overly enthusiastic make-up junkies to preview their season’s cosmetic collection a la runway style. Knowing my addiction very well – my enabling and equally addicted friend Angela picked up the tickets for the Saturday am show.

So there we were – 6:45 am, Starbucks in hand – waiting like stressed husbands on Christmas Eve for Nordies to open the doors to us as we watched richly colorful faces wiz by to set up. Then bam – 7 am on the dot and we charge – no exaggeration –charge – vying for great samples and front row seats. Mission accomplished.

For the next two hours we were dazzled and delighted by our host Julianne De’Chaump, Regional Manager for Nordstrom’s cosmetic department and her bag of goodies. In between coaching us on skin care, and luring us into overpriced merchandise indulgences, she would draw names for glorious prizes from La Mer, on down to Clinique. It was delicious.

So here I am scribbling madly – all the products I HAVE TO HAVE. Now in a regained sense of cogency, I reread these and giggle. For example – Laura Mercier foundation primer for mineral foundation – um I don’t wear mineral foundation and a $200 clerisonic face scrubber – yep need me one of them. Oh and don’t forget – Shu Uemura face cleansing oil – yes you read that correctly cleansing – oil. Madonna uses it – so throw that in my bag! At least the samples were free.

Red White and Bull

2009-09-23T09:35:00.000-05:00

Red bull is one of those necessary evils for me. I will bash it until I am blue in the face – with it’s horrible health track record and it’s nasty side effects including el jitterinos. But let me tell you – when I’m looking at a wasteland of energy voids – I am the first one to reach for that sugar-free vice.

But this love hate relationship is reserved just for the contents inside the can – the can itself is pretty bad ass. Look what these artists have done with it. There will be an entire show of this stuff in the main lobby of Union Station and the free event runs October 8 – 19.

Just for the Halibut: Humble Pie with a Side of Tears

2009-09-22T14:06:00.001-05:00

It happens, we’re both busy and although we share an apartment – we’ve resorted to appointments to see each other. So Thursday night Linds and I had one of our monthly dates. DC staple 1789 restaurant seemingly opted out of restaurant week last August, but fear not bargin hunters, they offer a $40 pre-fix menu (over $100 value) for the entire summer. But Thursday was their last day so we started our evening there. Neither of us has been, but every hot shot and big wig inside the beltway claims this Georgetown spot as one of their favs, so you can see why it was imperative these two no-name ladies make a reservation there right?

Converted from an old G-town townhouse – you walk into the restaurant on the street level. Below is a whole separate restaurant/bar Tombs (owned by the same Clyde’s group.) Stepping over the threshold you are immediately transported to the look and feel of colonial America, complete with formal china and shaker chairs. We were the first ones there at opening and seated right away. The pre-fix menu is essentially the regular menu – but less expensive. So from the list of entrees including rabbit, strip steak, and six varieties of fish I chose with a first course of scallops and main course of halibut. Both were hearty, and delicious – made from fresh ingredients, I could tell. But it was the desert that bumped this restaurant to the top of my list. I had the (White) Peach and blueberry buckle with peach ice cream. (I put the White in parentheses because Lindsey’s menu omitted the ‘white’ so she though I was embellishing my description to be posh.) P.S service was impeccable!

After dinner we rushed, yes, rushed, over to the Arena stage, where we had tickets to see Jane Anderson's Quality of Life. Knowing very little about theater – the hook for me was that Anderson is also the writer of It Could Happen to You and Mad Men. Lindsey seemed to recognize the four main characters, all having experience on Law and Order, but that’s like saying a pop star was on Mickey Mouse Club. Beans to me. But let me tell you this – if the word ‘life’ is in the title – brace yourself for a downer. I buffered myself with Chardonnay during dinner. But this was a really doozie.

It’s a story of two couples – an archetypal Midwestern one and the stereotypical hippie duo living in San Francisco. The wives are cousins, but they are connected on more profound level – both couples literally are in rubble.

While the Pollyanna-esque Dinah from Ohio is dealing with the loss of their daughter at the hands of a psychopath murder, Jeannette, the Janis Joplin of the show, is losing her husband to cancer and already lost her home and cat in a California wildfire. Over the course of a weekend they rekindle their bond while navigating their shared recovery. Yes – there is a whole lot of crying and not just from the actors. But Jeanette makes us burst at the seams with her biting sarcasm and wit. Like I said – I’m not a theater snob -so my gage on acting is the point I realize the actors have made the characters real for me – and I believe they are one and the same. If that is the measure the acting was superb. I felt like a voyeur in this snapshot of misery. The play was beautiful, but dark and deep, not really my style of entertainment. Still, let me offer another review arguing the other side of the coin: DCIST REVIEW

Quality of Life runs through October 18 at Arena Stage in Crystal City. Tickets are available online.

Book Review: Tipping Point

2009-09-21T14:29:00.002-05:00

As our August book club read we decided to shake up the reading list with a little non-fiction and chose to do Tipping Point. And wouldn’t you know it…There’s a match on the cover so we ran with the match theme and had brunch at Matchbox in Eastern Market.

Nothing like sipping fruit infused cocktails and wolfing down Fire and Smoke pizza while discussing trends. And no, not just those in Fashion.

Clearly written as a business treatise on how to tap into the culture market for your product or service, this book actually applies to more than just the marketing world. The take away message is to follow Malcolm’s rules of trend setting: create a message that is “sticky”, framed in and during the appropriate context and delivered to one or all of these personalities: the connector, maven or salesperson. Do this and you will set up a wildfire of buzz and adoption. Well if this helps you sleep at night Cooperate America – Fabulous! The rest of us will keep our night light on with a notepad on the nightstand.

For a journalist writing this book, he did a bang up job for slapping together some interviews and a few case studies to illustrate his point. You see, according to Malcolm - Sesame Street, Hush Puppies, NYC crime in the 90s, and STDs in Baltimore coming and going all fit seamlessly into the steps mentioned above.

Well I call bunk. What I found frustrating about this book, was not the theory itself, these sticky messages and particular personalities and time frames all seem to be contributing factors, but the author deems them the MAIN factors for setting off A MAJORITY of trend storms. I wish he would have been a little clearer about the factors being relevant really only to these 5 cases.

But it was an interesting new way to think about communication in general. Which is why I think it’s so applicable to most professions. How just changing a word in your advertisement or communication can grab someone’s attention, and pass information; or an impression like cleaning up graffiti can create a movement and lower crime. But the most personal analysis was in the Law Of The Few or personality conduits – people who are responsible for spreading information quickly, particularly connectors: Connectors are people with a special gift of bringing the world together through their people – through their connections. I have found my niche in the world – I am a connector.

And as much as I criticized the book – I can’t help but tell everyone I know about it – almost daily!

On the Mark

2009-09-17T14:52:00.000-05:00

Mark, my co-worker sent this to me....THANKS!

Four Things That Make Women Unapproachable: Dying for the guy at the end of the bar to talk to you? Men shared the surprising reasons they stay away.
By Diana Vilibert

Sometimes it seems like no amount of silent prayer or aggressive cleavage will get that cute stranger to take a hint and chat you up. Could you be scaring away men before they even approach you? We asked the male members of Marie Claire Ask & Answer—Marie Claire's online Q&A community for dating, sex, and relationship advice—what female behavior makes them scared to go in for the kill.

You Look Pissed
Hey, perma-scowl: swap the pouty lips for a genuine, friendly smile and your eye candy for the night will be more likely to approach you. The majority of Answerology men agreed that an unfriendly facial expression will keep them from approaching you, so flash those pearly whites at the guy you've been eyeing!

You’re Not Locking Eyes
What's harder than approaching a stranger? Approaching a stranger who hasn't acknowledged your existence with even a brief look. "I need to see, by her looking and smilling at me, that she wants me to approach her. If I don't see it, I don't approach," says Anonymous. So next time you think he catches you looking at him, don't look away—hold your stare for a few seconds so he knows you're looking—and that you like what you see.

You’re Too Flirtatious
A chip on your shoulder is a turnoff to any guy waiting to make his approach—but so is the other extreme. istillhatescreennames is put off when women cross the line from friendly to flirty...with everyone they see. "If she's flirting with lots of guys. Nothing like a woman who is basically telling everyone in the place that she's open for business with anyone," he says. "Flirting with everyone" would put him off, agrees Anonymous, adding another pet peeve: "Grinding out on the dance floor (yeah its fun to look at but I like to look at strippers too...but I wouldn't take any home to meet my mom)." Sure, he’ll notice you if you’re the loudest, most aggressive girl in the room—but not in a good way.

You’re Surrounded by Friends
Admit it—your awesome group of friends can be a little intimidating, especially when a strange guy approaches to hit on just one of you. seanc writes, "Being surrounded by more than one friend makes her less approachable because of the embarrassment of being rejected in front of more people." Make sure you're giving him the opportunity to approach you alone—check out the jukebox and linger for a bit, or offer to grab the next round of drinks for your friends.