Risky business

I dream big! My goals in life are substantial, yet very simple. I want to get the best education I can, give back to my global community through hard work, and I want to be the best person I can be. Because I dream big, my risks are big too. However my rewards are SUBSTANTIAL. Granted right now is an example of risk taking. We are in limbo with no lease and no idea of what the rest of 2006 will look like. BUT, if this Australia thing goes through, good for us, because the next couple of years will have a big payoff...HUGE. Like I said, big rewards usually require big risk. So why do it, is what I was asked today. Good question! My question is why are so many people content to play it safe and lead boring lives. Granted I don't expect behavior like ours from everyone, but why are so many people resigned to just exsisting?

Those people who live their lives staying away from major risks also do not experience major gains. Playing it safe by buying a $600,000 home, with 2 kids, 2 dogs, and a steady job does not appeal to me. What are your rewards? A job you schelp away at everyday to pay your huge mortage and SUV. Trips to the beach once a year and a slowly expanding waistline. Fine if that is what you want. However, I would kill myself. I need big reward and I am willing to put my pride, time, and money on the line to have something bigger than all of that. I NEED to wake up in the morning with a purpose and paying a $700,000 mortage is not purpose enough for me...or even that interesting. I need to travel to exotic places, work interesting jobs, help people in need, and share countless bottles of wine with friends yet to be met. My life is an exciting journey and I will use that time wisely. I want to see all the wonders of the world, hike every mountain top I can, and have endless passionate love on every beach I come upon. I do not want to lie on my deathbed and wish for things I never did.

So I sum it up this way with a saying that was passed on to me:

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, Champagne in one hand-strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screamming WOO HOO-What a fucking ride!" Thanks G!

March for Life...again

Ah, it's that time of year again. The anniversary of Roe v. Wade (Jan 22) and all the crazies are out to mark the occasion today. Things like this to many Washingtonians are taken with a grain of salt. I guess it comes with the fact that everyday somebody is protesting something. Actually, one becomes really adept at just ingorning the situation...or making fun of it.

Lunch today: "Hey Joe" (well aware that there are 2 marchers behind me) "I'll have an order of FETUS fries today, oh sorry Joe Freudian slip, I mean fries. And I will have the count of ANTI-CHRIST sandwich. Oh sorry again Joe, I mean the count of Monte-Cristo sandwich. And I large liberal lemonade. Can you leave WOMB for lots of ice, oh sorry again, I mean room for ice. Thanks Joe." "Hey Sara, after we are done do you want to have oral sex in my office?" "My husband doesn't mind."

Later on I was asked by a motorist if I could spare change for a dollar to feed the meter. "Sure, I say. I ALWAYS have change" Uh oh I think to myself, is that a fetus bumper sticker? Oh GOD, it is. "Sorry I reply, I can't." She replies "but I just saw it in your hand." K: "Oh my God just spoke and he told me not to do it." Lady: looking peeved "Your God?" K: "Yeah bitch, my god! If your god allows you to spread hate and intolerance, why can't mine? My God TOLD ME that you people are freaks and under NO circumstances should I provide you with meter money. Sounds kind of stupid huh? Imagine how YOU and YOUR god sound to me! Lady: She runs away just as Ms. Meter Maid was approaching. What pisses me off the most is that these suburban mom's come into the city to make a statement and instead all they accomplish is taking up valuable parking space with their fucking mini vans and SUV's. That alone should be a crime.

SO this is what I say to all you right to lifers:
"Kiss my liberal ass and may the fetus you save be gay!"-Love, A bleeding heart liberal

Panda pic

Ok, I am going to see Tai on my birthday! Hurray! That is the best birthday present ever!

Here is a picture of him in his new favorite sleeping spot. Let's say it...Ahhhhhhh!
The cuteness factor is way off the scale on this one. Maybe someone will give me a panda for my birthday...hmmmm?

In the waiting line

Wait in line
'Till your time
Ticking clock
Everyone stop

Everyone's saying different things to me
Different things to me
Everyone's saying different things to me
Different things to me

Woooohh
Do you believe
In what you see
There doesn't seem to be anybody else who agrees with me

Do you believe
In what you see
Motionless wheel
Nothing is real
Wasting my time
In the waiting line
Do you believe in
What you see

Nine to five
Living lies
Everyday
Stealing time
Everyone's taking everything they can
Everything they can
Everyone's taking everything they can
Everything they can

Woooohh
Do you believe
In what you feel
It doesn't seem to be anybody else who agrees with me

Do you believe
In what you see
Motionless wheel
Nothing is real
Wasting my time
In the waiting line
Do you believe
In what you see

Ah and I'll shout and I'll scream
But I'd rather not have seen
And i'll hide away for another day

Do you believe
In what you see
Motionless wheel
Nothing is real
Wasting my time
In the waiting line
Do you believe
In what you see

Everyone's saying different things to me
Different things to me
Different things to me
Different things to me
Different things to me
Everyone's taking everything they can
Everything they can

---Zero 7, Garden State sound track

CONGRATULATIONS!

The past few weeks have been short on good news...ok lacking completely of good news. However, I just got an ultrasound pic today that uplifted my spirits. Congrats to the Dunn's for their beautiful boy...he already looks like Tad. Fuzzy and round:) Tad just kidding!

I never had any close friends have children, so this is very exciting for me! It's as if...dare I say it...I actually look foward to a small child in my circle of friends. What is weird is that it didn't seem real to me until I saw the picture. I guess it is true...Cody (the dog) will have a brother. I look forward to spoiling him rotten and teaching him everything he won't learn in church:) However, I still won't babysit until he is 10. Period!

Niches

I was reading an article about how people don't pay attention to the little things in life, particulary those people we interact with everyday but don't play a significant role in our lives. I took that observation to heart and I spent yesterday being aware of all my interactions from waking up to sleep. To my surprise, I realized that I really do have a niche in DC. Actually I was shocked at my observations. How is it that one person can be so known is a sizeable city without every really interacting with these strangers? How profound?

Take the metro at Rosslyn to work. I always see the same Hispanic couple on the platform at the same time I am waiting. I think they are getting married. We always smile and now we give head nods. When I do drive, the guys at the garage always park my car up front with the luxury vehicles, even though mine is not. They also let me come and go, which is not avaiable on daily tickets.

I walk from the station to work, passing by my coffee shop. I always walk in at 9:15. No need to stand in line, they know what I drink. Doppio espresso with 2 cups and a lid. Half a packet of sugar. No need to pay, I run an "unoffical" tab that I pay on Fridays.

Head over to the office where I pass the PC garage. T.K comes out of the garage and we do the secret handshake. Into the lobby where the security guards check me in. We say our pleasentries in French (they are W. African) and talk football. Ms. Peggy says "Hey baby doll", I blow her a kiss and take the elevator on the right.

Work, work, work...

Head to the gym at 12:50. No need to check in, they all know me (and oddly enough expect me and give me shit when I show late). Go for a run or lift.

Head over to my favorite bench press at 1pm. Left corner. All my gym peeps know this and don't hesistate to kick newbies off for me. Talk shit with Cedric while I bench. Do my work out and leave at 2:15.

Lunch. Where ever I go, I always get the same thing. They are so cool, they see me walk in and they make me my usual. No need to wait in line, I just pay and hang out. I always do High Noon on Fridays but the wait is CRAZY. I told the register clerk how I hate waiting in lines and now they make my salad and have it waiting for me every Friday at 2:30. Asian chicken salad, no crunchy noodles, dressing on the side...shit they even pick out the arugla (blah)for me. Pay and leave.

Work, work, work...panda viewing from 4-4:30 every day. On Friday I have a drink at the bar next door. No need to order, they know my drink. Chardonnay with one ice cube.

Head home, down the metro and say "whazz up" to the station manager. Talk some shit about the Skins and head home.

Out the escalator, say hey to Debra my favorite homeless woman and give her grief about the sores on her legs.

Walk home with the SAME crowd of people each day. Don't know there names, but I know bits and pieces about their lives.

Walk the dog and I always run into my dog peeps.

Eat and then watch 3 hours of Law and Order

Bedtime 9pm

So I feel very lucky to have such nice, do I call them strangers anymore, that I interact with. These people know my likes, dislikes, and quirks which is probably more than my own family knows. In the end, these people treat me like a celebrity. The difference between me and a celebrity is that they expect VIP treatment while I appreciate it. So why do I get this treatment? Good question. I am not an obnoxious tipper but I do treat people with respect and I am always kind. Ok, doing some small favors does help but not that much. You know, service with a smile! I have come to the conclusion that I like my niche and it is really not so bad.

J'ai besoin de repos

I am tired, like bone tired. It takes everything I have to get out of bed now days. I could spend one week in a state of constant slumber. I figure if this Australia thing goes through, I will spend 10 days in Hawaii sleeping on the beach and being pampered by Bob and Curt. That would be it, nothing else. If we don't go, well than I am SOL. I will have to figure out where to go on my vacation this year. Tulume, Mexico is really appealing to me at the moment. A hut by the ocean with no phone or electricity, only candles to light the room at night. Ahhhhhhh that sounds so nice. I have made a promise to myself for 2006 not to spend my vacation on family visits and errand time, sorry family but I am selfish and beach/diving trips come first for 2006. Yeah, I am selfish and shallow...so what? I figure I earned the time, I can spend it how I want. Pops says I will regret it. NEGATORY P-O-P, I don't feel regret. I am incapable of feeling that emotion. Let them come to me is my theory. Family time=sick time, beach time=vacation time. My 2 weeks are going to be used for recovery purposes only and I am sticking to that. I need to become "un-tired" or I will end up like that kitty.

January days

Whoever says global warming is not true needs to come visit DC right now. Holy smokes. We are in the middle of Jan and the temps are in the mid-high 50's. For folks out there not familar with Jan temps, we should be in the low-mid 40's for our average. I wore shorts the other day on my walk...how wrong is that?

Tai Shan is 6 months old this week! What a cutie!

I just returned from a long weekend of R and R in Williamsburg, VA. I went with my mom for some toe nail, purse cleaning, room service, action. We never do anything strenous and W-burg is like my home away from home. Since I have no home at the moment this is the next best thing. I also indulged in some shopping too!

Yankee Candle Outlet-Pumpkin Pie candles (my all time favorite)
Mikasa outlet-Replacemnt wine goblets to the ones me and Dave broke
W-burg pottery factory-Useless knick nacks like frames and pots...but I need them
Wythe candy store-Fudge for my thighs
Trelis restaurant-Wine and Death by Chocolate cook book
Cheese Store-Exotic cheeses and wines

mmmm that sums it up I think. It was a good time and now is sucks to be back. On another note...the plantation me and Todd were married at is now CLOSED. We were one of the last people to get married there and I just learned that this weekend. It made me very sad that I will not be able to go back and visit. Bummer. We think the family who owned it are now occupying it and tours are no longer. Great...

Of wine and workouts?

I was listening to someone at my gym ask a trainer about nutrition advice to help her lose those last 10 stubborn pounds. Good question! However, her reply was not what I had expected. She said that cutting out alcohol can really help lose weight. The girl lapped up the advice. How desperate you must be to cut out the good things in life to look good! Personally, I could never do that. Food and wine are central to my happiness and lifestyle. While I am not a millionaire, I eat and drink like one:)

Even though I am not a huge everyday consumer of libations, I do have a glass of wine with dinner every night. It enhances the flavor of food and I find the relaxation aspect of it very nice. Then I got to thinking about all the great memories I have of drinking wine. Some of my best memories involve friends and wine. In the pictures we usually have purple lips and glazed eyes. Coincidence? I think not and Bacchus would agree with me. I believe that wine is an important part of culture and that is why I try to sample wine at all the new places I visit. A Petit Syrah in Australia, Muscadet in France, Chianti in Italy, Boone's in Alabama, etc.

In conclusion, do I think cutting out wine is worth losing those extra 10lb? Hell no. Why would anyone abandon a hobby? I will cut out lunch before I cut out wine! My memories make me laugh and smile...being 10lb lighter will fade into the distant past and will never make me any friends.

Lost Phone

I lost my phone in the move. What sucks is not that I lost my phone but I lost the numbers. My phone was crap anyway and I was looking for an excuse to get a new one. However, I don't like to get new phones just because they are old. Losing one is a great excuse to get a new one. I got the Motorola V557 and I really like it. It is a quad band GSM phone (and unlocked for all of my international travel).



On another note I heard from Meredith (friend I met in Thailand during my course) and she is still over their fucking around. Ok, maybe not fucking around...more like making a real difference. More than say someone like me who pushes paper for 8 hours a day. She has been staying in a village near the Thai-Myanmar border. Than to add to her cultural knowledge she spent a few nights in a refugee camp staying with a midwife. I love this picture of her...so cool. No one can say my friends are boring.

Summing up DC 2005

I was reading in an article about what makes a Washingtonian and I realized that I do have some of the mentioned characteristics. What I like about DC is that it has an identity. Granted our reputation is not as grand as NYC but definitely more unique than say San Diego or Jacksonville. So I have come up with my own short list of identifying factors of Washington.

1. The daily specials are named after lobbyists or politicians eg. Pat's pot roast, DeLay's double decker turkey club
2. Suits come in two colors: black and gray
3. Tom Siestemia's word is golden
4. Everybody has an opinion.
5. Habib makes the best burritos
6. We all know the best place to score good cocaine is a Senator's neighborhood
7. Everybody is a Federal employee or a consultant
8. We all know and love Tai Shan
9. Bush is a four letter word
10. A mother under 30 raises eyebrows
11. It is an un-spoken rule that on the escalators it is walk left, stand right
12. Most of the bus boys, cabbies, and panhandlers have Master's degrees
13. It's National not Reagan
14. Your familiar with the term DINK
15. We all talk politics yet very few of us actually care

Movin'

I hate moving! Actually I hate packing. I had to take a break from the tedium of stuffing boxes. It is so hard for me to decide what gets packed and what goes. Like what do I do with my bowl full of pennies? I don't want to throw away money but I don't want to lug the thing around with me. Banks charge a fee for taking change and nobody is impressed when you buy your coffee with pennies. God what a dilemma! What about my junk drawer? What box does that go into? God knows that I have raided that drawer in panic moments looking for tampons, safety pins, buttons, quarters, twisty ties, rolling papers, extra keys, advil, gum, cork screw, matches, batteries, etc. I can't just throw those things away! I would not be here today without the saving grace of my drawer.

What really ticks me off is that all of our stuff is going into storage. Not accessible storage but PODS storage. Which means, once its gone...Its gone until you are ready to have it shipped back to you. God I can see myself now...Trying to break in to the storage to retrieve my favorite panties that I packed.

On a good note, my dog got groomed and she looks so good. The best $100 I have spent in a long time.

My cutsie wootsie panda

My panda likes to play in a bucket filled with hay. It is THE MOST adorable thing to watch. He gets inside of it and squirms around and falls out on his head. One of the docs disagreed in the cuteness of my panda and showed me a picture of his newborn grandchild! YIKES! Shit those newborns are ugly...how is that cute? I have never really looked a a picture up close. Shit! Did we all look like that? We compared pictures side by side and in the end he agreed...baby pandas are cuter than blotchy newborns. Duh...anybody can see that! At about 1 they start looking human, before that...not so much. As Todd informed me the thing to say when you see a newborn is "Why that is a fine baby!". That way you don't have to lie and say it's cute. Todd, your so smart! That is why I love you!

I could just stare at my panda all day, he makes me smile as I perform boring statistical tests. Having the ability to watch the panda while I do work is a perk. I have to make sure my next job has streaming video:)

Paaaarttttyyyy

What a Party! Holy SMOKES! You know that it was good when the last person leaves at 5am Sunday morning. The hangover I had actually speaks a lot. When is the last time you had that pulsating pain right behind your eyes? Yep, I had that and then some. Here is a count that I did at various points in the night.

9pm:
28 people
8 bottles of red
6 bottles of white
24 beers
1 L Rum
1 L Jack
1/2 L of Wild Turkey


12am
29 people
1 bottle red
1 bottle white
some liquor
lots of making out (including in both the host's beds!) You know who you are!
about 20 really FUCKED up people

5am
10 people
NO ALCOHOL
Really FUCKED up people including my old boss with really purple lips
the wierd ethnic bottle of whiskey that has been sitting around was even gone

noon next day
ONE BIG FAT HEADACHE

All in all, I think everybody had a great time. Thanks to everyone for coming when I know there were a bizzillion parties going on this past weekend. We feel really loved! I had a great time and I realized that if we decide to stay in DC it will be for one reason, and that is because of our peeps. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have such interesting and talented friends. I must have done something right in my past life:)

Shaving legs

My dental hygienist tried to make a comparison about flossing and brushing. She said that not flossing after brushing was equivalent to only shaving one leg. I must have looked blankly at her for some time because she replied back "you don't shave only one leg do you?" Well duh, of course I only shave one at a time who has the attention span and tenacity to do both?

American Public Health Association

Ok, I am tired! I have spent the past 2 days (2 more to go) walking around the Philly convention center trying to increase my knowledge of health care. The more I learn, the more I realize this world is fucked. I mean it...I am enlightened but also discouraged, there is so much to fix. We have some real problems and even the brightest minds are scratching their heads. I feel really small here. I am surrounded by the health gods and I am mere peon compared to them. The only people who want my time are starving grad students who want to intern at the PC. When I see the crowd, I duck into the ladies room. Its like I have "I WORK AT THE PC" tattooed across my head. They want my attention (actually they want an internship) and I want the big people's attention. Yet they flick me off just like I do to the grad students. God, what a cycle. Uhhhh the frustration! When will I be the big guru in PH? It seems that being wrinkly and having 2 grown children is a prerequisite.

I have made A LOT of contacts already which is always a good thing. The ability to network alone was worth the cost of admission. You can not leave here without a job. Who cares about the talks! Actually, the talks are very informative and I have met new people and re-connected with old friends. The field is quite small when I think about it, almost incestuous. Regardless, it is always nice to be recognized.

God, I am so tired I could fall over. So I am out...

Star Panda

bbc.co.uk
My panda is a STAR! Follow the link to his first public performance. What a ham! It is like he was playing to the cameras the entire time. Cute meter is way off the scale!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2005/12/08/VI2005120801129.html


Secondly, Sat at 8pm EST animal planet is going to show "Birth of a Panda" and guess who it is? It is a special that will go about an hour. The show looks very interesting. I will be in Philly for a conference but you better believe I will find someone to tape it for me. That way I can watch it over, and over, and over, and over...

Since I can't have a real panda for x-mas I am considering buying myself a fake one. Geez they are about as expensive as the real thing.

Good laughs

This is awesome! It made my day!

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/end.php


http://www.storewars.org/flash/index.html

Smiles and frustration

Today I need lots of smiles and these pictures makes me smile. Me, Greta and Lori in New Orelans before Katrina...when life was good. Todd and Court...they always make me smile.


I could not find my PC badge this morning. Which in itself is not too problematic except that it had my smart trip card and the key to my office on it. Uhhhh what a bad way to start my Monday. Now I am procrastinating because I have a project I must finish by 4pm and I lack the energy to do it. Thank GOD today is my last day of class...I am spent. Fourteen weeks of advanced statistical methods is enough to bore even the most passionate researchers.

Christmas List

My Christmas list for 2005

1. Less war more love
2. Population control(not through disease)
3. Cessation of rape as a tool of war
4. More trees, more space
5. Fewer republicans, more independent thinkers
6. Fewer religions and more faith
7. Full bellies and clean water which=healthy babies
8. Decrease in poverty with an increase in fair trade
9. Less corporate greed, more charity
10.More pandas


...and no more suffering. If your surprised by this picture, than you need to read more. This should not happen and shame on us for letting people starve. Maybe the US should ask Santa for some ethics this year and Peace on Earth.