Chez Copa Crop Talk

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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"

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

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

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!