Just needed to share

This is the sky out my window right now. Absolutely beautiful sunset, the picture doesn't quite do the colors justice.

Where's the Grease?

Yesterday was 8 years since I graduated from USNA. It was also Herndon day for the class of 2013. They did it 2 minutes, 5 seconds. Yup. You heard me. Blink, and you missed it.

CDR Salamander, a Navy blogger I've been reading for several years now, had this picture on his page this morning:

Glad to see they were at least a little bit upset about it.

As for the removal of the grease... LAME. Seriously, there are more injuries in FAR more events than Herndon every year. There's something to be said for the tradition of it all, stupid, not all-inclusive, a litany of other arguments against it notwithstanding. I would NOT want to be a part of the first class that doesn't climb Herndon, and I would NOT be happy to be a member of the class of 2013 that had to climb it ungreased. Just sayin.

More Colorado Pictures

I'm still just amazed at the nature I saw while I was in Colorado. Seriously, you don't see things like that in the DC area!! I also got a chance to visit the US Air Force Academy, the first time I've ever visited an Academy other than the one I attended. It was really different looking, but so much the same. The biggest difference: I can't get over how much space they have!! Their cadet area is pretty small, but the base itself is HUGE!! All the things we don't have space for in Annapolis, they have right there. It totally does look like something out of the Jetsons though!!

The Garden of the Gods is this amazing park full of red rock formations. My favorite one, the Kissing Camels:

If you look really closely you can see the camels just to the left of center.

Here are some more shots of the Garden of the Gods:

Absolutely beautiful.

And here are some of the Air Force Academy. SO different than Annapolis!!

Chapel:

Cadet area:

Dorm building:

I think the only thing I'm really kinda jealous of at USAFA is their view. Who wouldn't want to see this on a daily basis:

Colorado is Beautiful

I've been to Colorado twice before. The first time doesn't really count - I had a long layover in Denver when I flew out to Salt Lake City when my niece was born. The second time was a 36 hour visit for a 1 day meeting. This time, I'm here for 3 full days, and I'm staying a little closer to the mountains. I am absolutely floored by how beautiful it is here. I've never spent a lot of time in the mountains - that trip to SLC was the first time I'd seen the Rockies other than from an airplane on the way to California.

I've taken a couple of pictures out my hotel room window, but I think this afternoon I'm going to brave the cold with my coworker who's lived here several times over her Air Force career and go do a little sightseeing. For now, though, here's a view of Pike's Peak from the window:

You Can Call Me Grammar Nazi.

I've gotten two emails today from much older than me Government Employees that said "Your welcome." This irritates the living crap out of me. Did we all not have to take and pass basic English classes for the better part of 16 years, if not longer? I thought so.

Its not that difficult, folks. Figure it out!! That goes for the guys who like to use there, their, and they're interchangeably too.

Disclaimer: A Bit of a Political Rant

I find it extremely amusing that I seem to be the most liberal person in my office. Especially since, as those of you who know me already are aware, I am not liberal. I tend to be just to the right of center - I tend to be fiscally conservative, but socially not so much. I don't like mandatory health care, but having been without while I was unemployed and unable to afford COBRA and therefore unable to get my medication for a while, I agree that there needs to be reform. I agree with the concept of the Arizona anti-immigration law, but until the amendments were signed I had a problem with the way it was written.  I don't necessarily believe in abortion, but I don't believe its the government's place to make that decision for anyone. I absolutely could care less whether or not two gay people get legally married, but I don't see a problem with churches not allowing them to do so in their facilities if they're against it - I see a clear and distinct difference between Church marriage and legal marriage (you still have to get the legal paperwork to get married in a church) and I wish the religious right would leave the legal union out of the religious one.

However, there are folks in my office (who I love, by the way) that are straight up tea party types. I'm not a huge tea party fan. I agree with some of their ideas, but not their platform, as shown by the Founder of the Tea Party, Judson Phillips, in a Washington Post Live Chat yesterday. A commenter made the following statement:

Liberals are just as American as you are and you and your movement has no right to question people's patriotism or Americanness just because they disagree with you.

I think his response speaks for itself:

Yes we do. You folks in the left do far worse. Patriotism is not something that cannot be measured. It can be. And you folks on the left, as a general rule are not patriotic. You do not love this country. You are embarrassed by us.

I hate to tell you this, but those of us in fly over country are the real americans.

Does anyone else see the problem with this? The Tea Party movement tries to make people believe that the media is just being mean to them, then their founder posts a statement like this. I'm a proud Military Veteran that comes from a long line of proud Military Veterans, all the way back to and before the Revolutionary War. And you're going to tell me that because I disagree with you I'm not a "Real American"? I call BS. That's almost as good as an earlier response he made saying that moderates have no values. Awesome.

I'm sick to death of the polarization of politics in this country, and I would love nothing more than to see real live political debate make a comeback over the silly, substance-free back and forths. I think many Americans agree with me. With the two party system in our country consisting of two parties moving more and more to the extreme of either side, I'd love to see a viable 3rd party candidate. But until the time comes where that third party candidate can seriously run without just being a splinter from another party and splitting their votes, I just don't see that happening.
In happier news, I'm wearing a pair of pants today that I haven't been able to wear in months. Yay for master plans going my way!

My cats are nuts

I love my cats.

Really. I do.

I mean, honestly. How do you not love these faces???

(Yes, this is a bit of an old picture, but since my hard drive crashed its one of the only ones of both of them I have until I pay someone to get the rest off)

Here's a recent one of Mattie in her favorite place:

And a not so recent one of Charlie but one that I love anyways....

They're adorable, right? But they DRIVE ME CRAZY!!! Charlie has decided that he likes to play with the carpet. At 3 am. It wakes me up. He also likes to chase Mattie, especially when she doesn't want to be chased. Which would be OK, except she throws a hissie fit about it - growling, hissing, snarling.... they never actually hurt each other, and they DO love each other - they groom each other, they lay together on the bed with me... but holy crap they can make some noise.

I like to think that Charlie will grow out of it - Mattie has always been more mellow, plus she's 13 months older (she just turned 4 in February, he was 3 in March), and she's a girl. But so far he has not. Granted, he relaxes a little bit more than he used to (right now he's laid out on the floor in the middle of the guest room). 

But on the other side, he is the sweetest, most snuggly, loving, lovable little animal on the planet. Don't get me wrong, I love them both - if anything, Mattie is more my favorite (although I hate to say that) if only because I had her first, and Charlie is definitely Matt's favorite because while Mattie is running away from him, Charlie gets excited to see him every time he walks in a room. But Mattie runs away from everyone. Including me. Unless she really wants to cuddle. Which is usually as I'm trying to go to sleep or at 6 am, like it was this morning.

When I first got Charlie, I had a hard time with him. I'd had Mattie for 8 months at that point, and she was so quiet and reserved. I struggled with keeping him, but it was the sweet, loving, cuddly side of him that made me totally melt. I think he's just a typical little boy - he can be a real sh*t sometimes, but he's not destructive - he just wants to play. Now, while I still wonder sometimes if Mattie would have been better off as a single cat, I know that she would probably be as lost without her brother as I would be.

Random Thoughts on a Monday Morning

So, first things first, I've seen the previously mentioned name show up more than once on my chat list since the email exchange the other day, and have heard exactly nothing back. So deletion from the contact list has happened. And probably should have a LONG time ago.

Alpha Rev released their new album "New Morning" in digital version today, hard copy tomorrow. Amazon has it as their Daily Deal for $3.99 until midnight tonight. I highly recommend it to everyone - its really good, and these guys are going places. Look for them opening for Carolina Liar on their May tour dates. Thanks to JrzyGyrl for turning me on to yet another great band!

I really want to start writing again. Atlanta was supposed to be an opportunity for me to get a little bit more involved with music and take advantage of a scene really open to local singer/songwriters. However, being broke meant that I wasn't out and about as much as I had wanted to be, and being in a job I wasn't particularly fond of was extremely draining. I managed to write exactly one song while I lived there - and I wrote it with Matt. So... if anyone's got any ideas on how to get rid of the ridiculous writer's block I've had for a good while now, please share.

Off to Gettysburg tonight for 2 days of meetings at a DOD facility in the mountains. Should be interesting, to say the least...

To Chat, Or Not To Chat?

Last night a name popped up on my gchat list that I hadn't seen in a LONG time. I think this is partially because I told my gmail account not to show him on my chat list and that doesn't necessarily apply on my phone, but either way, its someone I haven't thought about in quite a while, and haven't talked to in probably 2+ years. That part is partially because he has a tendency to fall off the face of the earth for large periods of time, and primarily because I got sick of being the one to initiate all the conversations. What kind of a friend is that? Not one, I decided, and stopped trying. It wasn't really a big loss either. I mean honestly - we met in the military, deployed together, and once we came back I think we saw each other exactly one time, for about 5 minutes in a parking lot. And we came back 5 1/2 years ago.

But, back to the whole popping up on my gchat list. Sometimes, gchat on my phone gets confused and forgets to refresh itself, so he was popping up there as being online. I looked at his name several times, thought about it, wished I hadn't seen it, thought a little more, and eventually decided wht the hell, and shot him a chat - well hello there. That's all it said. Of course, there was no response by the time I went to bed, because, in fact, he was not online. But my phone didn't realize that until this morning when, after seeing an email from him responding to a chat while sent offline, and with him still showing as online, I signed off then back on again. But back to that email - Wow out of the blue! What, where, and how are things?

I replied, somewhat briefly - I'm trying to share too much at this point - and we'll see how it goes. But all I can think as I'm writing this was why did I bother? Its not like it will go anywhere (and I'm talking one hundred percent in the realm of friendship/acquaintance chatter here people... Matt and I are happy and just fine and still together, etc).  And I've worked so hard to cut people like that completely out of my life. So I'll play it by ear, but next step will surely be deleting his information completely out of my system so there's no chance of seeing that name pop up again and tempting me to do something less than intelligent like chatting again.

Rain, Rain, Go Away....

I can't see the window from my desk. Its 3 cubes down, and we have high cube walls. However, I can usually tell by looking in the general direction of the window what the weather is like. When its nice out, that direction is a little brighter. Today, its NOT nice out. And looking in that direction is gloomy. Its amazing what that does not only to my mood, but to my general energy level. I don't really want to DO anything, you know?

But on top of that, the rain is just overall annoying. I can't wear certain shoes because I don't want the material to get messed up, or my feet to get wet and take forever to dry. My hair pretty much goes crazy at the first sign of wetness. My purse gets wet, and if its not a somewhat waterproof material and/or zipped up everything inside gets wet too. I've almost gotten down the science of getting into my car when its parked on top of the parking deck without getting myself wet, but still manage to get the inside part of my door (and whatever happens to be in the pocket on the side) soaked.

And let's talk about the drivers. People, water falling from the sky is not a new thing. It has happened occasionally since the dawn of man. It is not an excuse for you to suddenly forget all the things you've learned over the past however many years you have been driving. It is also not scary. Yes, you need to slow down a little and be careful on wet roads. But you do not need to rush to cut me off because ZOMG ITS TEH RAIN! I promise, if you wait til I pass you'll get to turn because if you look, you'll see that there is NOBODY BEHIND ME.  You do not need to go 39mph on the Beltway. I promise if you hit the raindrops at 55 or even 65 they won't break your windshield. Sigh....

On that note, its almost time to go out and brave said drivers on this rainy afternoon....

The View (No, not the TV show)

The other day I mentioned how much I love the view from my apartment, and over the past few days I've taken a few pictures to share with y'all:

An overcast afternoon, rain on the way:

A beautiful Spring day:

The sun's coming up:

There's just something about being able to look out my window from the comfort of my Lazy Boy and seeing all this that makes me smile.

Help A (Well, My) Sister Out!

 When my sister Emily was almost 3 years old, she was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.  One of nearly 300,000 children under 18 affected by the disease, Emily has been one of the lucky ones. A combination of outstanding doctors and excellent response to her medications, Emily has, for the most part, been able to live the life of a normal child.  Now 18 and about to graduate from high school, Emily is a member of her high school's track team (she pole vaults!), and will be attending York College in Pennsylvania this fall.

On May 15th, I will once again be joining my family in the Arthritis Walk, which is among the largest fundraisers for the Arthritis Foundation. In past years we've held a small walk in Fairfax County, but this year we're combining with some of the other smaller walks to have a bigger and hopefully more visible walk on the National Mall. My goal is to raise $500 for the walk, and I could use any help anyone can give me. I know times are rough, but if you can spare a little, it's going to a GREAT cause. Please click on the website, read a little about the walk, and donate if you can. If you're in the DC Area and would like to participate, please join the team my sisters co-captain, the Flying Pigs.

Thanks for your help! Here's hoping that some day all kids can have the opportunity to have the sorts of results that Emily has had!

I kill myself

I really should have gone to bed at 9 like I wanted to last night. But I just couldn't bear the thought of having to wait until today to watch Glee, and missing all the good stuff / getting the good stuff spoiled by the inevitable tweets / status updates (which usually aren't TOO spoilerish, I just like to be fully surprised). And really, I just love the show and wanted to see it on time. And I still managed to not stay awake all the way through Sue Sylvester as Vogue. Luckily it is on the DVR.

But today... I'm EXHAUSTED. I've been feeling tired all week, well, more tired than normal, anyways. I blame part of it on just plain not sleeping enough this weekend - I couldn't get back to sleep after waking up at 630 Saturday morning, stayed up a little later than I should have on Saturday, and didn't go to bed early enough on Sunday night. Part of it is also due to some emotional exhaustion due to some conversations with Matt. And, of course, a lot of it is due to my sleep disorder. Believe me, its SO much better now that I'm back on the medication.  But it still makes it really hard to be productive at work. So why do I still torture myself by staying up at night? Perhaps some day I'll learn...

I kinda really love DC.

First of all, I have a fantastic view from my new apartment. I look out and I can see, from left to right, the National Cathedral, the Washington Monument, Reagan National Airport, the Capital Dome, and several other DC buildings. Its amazing how the different weather can change how that view looks - when the skies are clear and blue, everything just stands out. When its raining, the whole thing turns gray. This morning, when the skies were cloudy and it was about to rain, it was absolutely breathtaking. At night, everything is lit up, and just absolutely beautiful.

When Matt was visiting a couple of weeks ago, we spent some time walking around Downtown DC and seeing some of the sights, sort of, that I hadn't seen in a LONG time. I guess that with my parents having lived here for so long I've really kind of taken for granted all the amazing things this city has to offer.

Like the Chinatown Arch:

And the White House:

 And cool statues in front of museums: 

And protest rallies :)

I think this summer I'm going to try to do some more touristing - although I promise I will NOT stand on the left side of the escalator, or stop in the middle of the sidewalk, or block all the exits at the Metro :)

There are no words; and, A bit of an admission

Sometimes, I just want to scream.

Its the only way I can think of to release. I want to write a song, to sing someone else's song, to have a good conversation with a friend, to vent to my boyfriend. But no words come. All I can muster up is a loud, generally unintelligible sound that only makes me feel better for about as long as it takes for it to leave my mouth.

Maybe that's where this blog can be really handy. I don't have to worry about whether my words are the right words, or whether or not the person I'm speaking to understands what I'm saying or can follow the story the way that I tell it. People will either read this or not, get it or not, and choose to leave a comment or not. Either way, I can say what I need to say, in some form or fashion, and move along. It's kind of a refreshing thought, and just typing it out is making me feel a little bit better with the pent up frustration and doubt that all sort of came to a head tonight with a heaping dose of family drama.

I think it all comes down to one thing: I am, in fact a tiny bit of a control freak. I'll deny it to most people, especially the ones that accuse me of it. But its true. I hate the unknown. I hate not being in control of my situation. I hate feeling like I'm hopeless, that there's no way I'm going to be able to affect a situation. I like to park in the same spot every day. I like my morning routine to go in a certain order. I like to know that things are going to happen at a certain time in a certain order. This is why I left Atlanta - this is why I made the decision to come back to DC, to come back to the same job and the same apartment building. I like knowing that every other Friday the paycheck will appear, and that it will cover all of my bills without a problem. I like order, and I like stability. And right now, I have that in all but one part of my life, and its driving me absolutely crazy.

Do we ever really grow up?

No matter where I've been in my adult life, be it USNA, Navy ships, bar crowds, message boards... there's always something that happens that makes me think wow, that is SO middle school. It got me wondering today, does anyone really ever "grow up?" Do we ever stop calling people names, going behind our friends' backs... basically, are we all stuck in 13 year old mode?

The things that I see my peers, nearing or over 30 years old, doing and saying just amaze me. The quickness to turn, to put people in the middle of situations, to fail to take criticism in any way other than as a personal insult, or to just be downright fake... its amazing. I don't know if its because of the generation gap (Gen X vs Millennial) that I happen to fall right in the middle of. (friends and I have talked at length about how it seems the generation of entitlement starts right around our year group - two recent articles in the Washington Post talk about Millennials versus their GenX and Baby Boomer predecessors, and the end of GenX vs the start of Millennial is somewhere around the 1980 birth year.) I don't know if its the people I've surrounded myself with - but I can't imagine its that, because its been so many different and diverse groups of people. I don't know if it just human nature, although it seems to me this HAS to be the case.

What I do know is that when I was in middle school and dealing with the stupidity of people at that age, I couldn't wait until I was a grown up and got to get rid of it. I had the same thoughts in high school, and in college. Unfortunately, I've been disappointed at every avenue because it seems as though that time, the time of growing out of middle school behavior, has never come. There always seems to be that one person in life that I have to walk on eggshells around, for whom I have to deliberately calculate and rehearse every word I say for fear of setting them off or losing the "friendship." Luckily, in the past few years I've started weeding those people out of my life, but its never easy - sometimes its people that I've known for years, or that I've had some amazing experiences with. But coming to the realization that those people aren't really my friends has been freeing in many ways. Its like a breakup, you know? I miss the fun times, I miss the sharing. It hurts, especially at first, realizing that someone that was a part of my life is no longer. But, deep down, I know that my life is better off without those people, and it becomes more and more evident as time goes by.

Don't get me wrong - there are parts of being in middle school that I'd love to return to - no bills to pay, no job to get up for every day, no worries about working out or getting old... you know, the good stuff :) But when it comes to my relationships with other people, I'm all about being a grown up, thank you very much. I just wish everyone else was too...

Times, they are a-changing...

Wow, its been a good while since I wrote something on here. Not that I have many readers, especially not these days...

The past year or so has been nothing short of interesting. I got out of the Navy, moved to Atlanta, met the man I'm planning on spending the rest of my life with, got a job, and lost a job. I know, a lot, right? So I'll back up...

In June of 2008, I put on the uniform for the last time and said farewell to the Navy. After about 6 weeks of leave that I had built up, on August 1st I officially became an Individual Ready Reservist. At least, that's what I thought I became. But more on that later. It wasn't as easy to find a job in Atlanta as I thought it would be - unfortunately I got down here just as the job market was beginning its downward spiral. I was working with a couple of military recruiting firms, and Lucas Group offered me a job. I took it, thinking the challenge of sales would be something I could thrive in, especially since I would be selling a product that I was intimately familiar with and helping folks like me. Unfortunately, the rest of the US job market tanked right around that time as well. My boss and coworkers were convinced I could do the job, though, and as I watched other people come and go around me, I somehow managed to still have my job. Until the one year mark approached. There are mandatory numbers for the one year mark, and I just didn't make the cut. The job market being what it is, the recruiting industry is hurting badly. I even had coworkers try to donate billings to boost my numbers, but that would have only kept me safe for another month, and ultimately I made the decision that it was best for me to move along. The stress of this job has been eating at me for a while. Had the timing been better, perhaps things would have been different.

And, the boy part :) I met Matt in May of 2008 when I came to Atlanta job hunting. We have a lot of mutual friends in Atlanta, and it can get a bit confusing, but here goes - my friend Amy Gerhartz, who I have known for several years and is a fabulous singer-songwriter, lived with Anna in New York City, and Ryan produced her first CD. She introduced them several years back, and Anna moved to Atlanta soon after. Ryan and Matt have known each other since middle school. So when I came job hunting, Amy was playing a show, and the whole group was there. We conversed well, but I had just broken up with someone and was preoccupied with job hunting and moving and getting out of the Navy. He started asking them about me, and when I moved down 3 months later, Anna and Ryan facilitated the meetup. We clicked immediately, and have been together ever since. He's a wonderful man who has been extremely supportive of me through everything. We have a lot in common - he's an amazing musician, and comes from a very strong family background. We've broadened each others horizons. His family is wonderful, and treat me like one of them, and while he's only met my family once, they all got along really well.

Oh, and I almost forgot! A few months ago I was looking at going back into a drilling status with the reserves, and found out that instead of making me a reservist, the Navy had completely separated me. So I actually have been a real live civilian since 2008! Of course, I don't have a discharge certificate to prove it, but thats OK... its in the system, and they can't hold me accountable for their screw up. So I'll take it!

So there we are, the updates on my world. We'll see what comes next...

The Omnivore's Hundred

I thought this was kinda neat, so I'm trying it out. How many have you tried? I've got 56...

(from http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/uncategorised/the-omnivores-hundred/)

Here’s what I want you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos Rancheros
4. Steak Tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J Sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

It sure has been a while...

I haven't done this much lately. Mostly because I'm not sure anyone actually reads this thing :) But here I am again.

There are 4 songs, plus a video of my friend Amy performing a song we wrote together, up on my myspace page these days. I've been writing here and there, but not really doing a whole lot lately for a number of reasons. I will get there, eventually. I've been a big stagnant lately.

The countdown to getting out and moving to Atlanta is getting closer to the point where I can start thinking numbers. Right now its an August separation with a last day of work some time near the end of June, probably around the 25th. Other than that, really just waiting on the separation orders. I've been working with a recruiter as well as doing some online job hunting and passing of the resume as much as possible. If you know anyone in Atlanta that's hiring, send them my way!

Boss just told me to head on out of here. I'm not one to disobey a direct order...

I did it!!

I finally got a song recorded! And I'm headed back in the studio on the 30th to do another one!! Take a listen on myspace, add the page, let me know what you think here and/or there!