Just a little plug...

So, my sister and brother in law are trying to adopt. They've always wanted an inordinate amount of children, but have had a little trouble getting there. They're hoping that word of mouth will help in the process, so feel free to read their blog, follow their progress, share their link, do whatever you think might help.

So much to do, so little time, so I'm procrastinating, as usual.

I'm supposed to be writing a final right now, but I just can't concentrate.

I've got all the notes done. I know what I need to be saying to answer the three essay questions that make up the final. I also know that I'm going into the final with a 99 in the class, which means as long as I score a 74 on the final, I'll have an A in the class. Not that I'm going to aim for the 74, but still...

Why am I so distracted, you ask? Well, the time has finally come, and I leave for Paris in just about 58 hours!! I am seriously so excited for this trip. But I also have a TON to do. Between the final, getting some work things ready for this trip (because yes, Paris is fun, but the only reason I'm going is because I have to go to Germany for work), doing the final, and going to actual work... guess what on that list I want to do the least.

So here I am, procrastinating on the final. Seriously, if I'm not going to do the final, I might as well get off my bum and get some of the other things I need to do done, right? One of those things is a trip up to Annapolis - gotta find a gift for the guy who's letting us stay in his apartment for free. Eek! Better get moving!!

(Oh, and for those of you who may have been wondering... (Ha. Sure you were.) Traveling on 9/11 was... interesting. There were a ton of police at the airport, but the airport was pretty quiet. A little extra security, but the lines moved and it wasn't crazy. Seems as though pretty much everyone just wanted to keep their heads down and get through the day. I'm also very proud of myself for not watching the news for about 3 days - I had my own way of memorializing the day, but the rehashing of the coverage of that day is not it.)

Is it just me?

As we come up on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, there's more and more recap, if you will, on the news, with specials, newly released photos, and, as I just saw on NBC Nightly News, new tapes of the air traffic controllers talking as they're realizing what's going on.

I don't know about the rest of you, but all of this still FREAKS ME OUT.

There was a "Children of 9/11" special on the other night. I watched about 10 or 15 minutes of it, and had nightmares that night about it happening again. I am fairly certain that the air traffic controller tapes may have the same effect on me tonight.

And NONE of this is helped by the fact that I have to fly on Sunday, the actual 10th anniversary. NOT excited about that.

Thing is, that day was one of the worst days of my, and probably many of your, life. It happened my senior year at the Naval Academy, and completely changed the world that I had signed up to defend.  I almost lost my father - he was supposed to be in a meeting in the section of the Pentagon that was hit. I went to a 9/11 funeral. And I've lost friends and acquaintances in the wars that have resulted from that day. Our world is an entirely different place than it was on the 9th of September 2001.

And there's a homeland security issue out now. NOT OK WITH THIS. Seriously.

Is anyone else as bothered by all this as I am? Please make me feel better...

UPDATE: Thankfully, looks like this homeland security issue is not related to flying. Phew.

And, as my good friend Krissie just said and I totally agree with, I DO NOT, by any means, let the terrorists dictate my life. They DO NOT WIN. But that doesn't mean I don't get the chills or get nervous over all this stuff!! :)

Second Chances

A few years back, I met an asshole. Sorry, there's no nicer word for it. He was a belligerent drunk who threatened my and a friend's well-being after we made a joke that he didn't like. He said he'd never hit a girl before but he didn't have a problem doing it. He had to be physically restrained, almost had the cops called on him, and still hears about it from both people who were there that night and people who were not - apparently the story got around. For the purpose of this post, let's just call him Guy.

Guy is a musician, and is in the same circle with many musicians that I know and enjoy, so I'm always bummed when one of them comes to town with him, because frankly, he made me nervous. So I never went to those shows, but never said anything.

This week, one of those musicians came to town with Guy, and I was super bummed because it had been a while. So I tweeted that it was too bad he was playing with Guy, because it had been to long since I'd seen him but bad things happened last time I was in the same room with Guy. He replied, asking what kind of bad things, and I told him. He said he'd be my security guard, and I kinda blew him off. But not long after, I got a tweet from Guy himself - turns out they were in the car together.  He offered to put my name on the list, said that things change, and we should move past it. I told him he makes me nervous, but I'd heard that he's a different person now, so I'd be willing to give him a shot.

So I showed up, and there I was on the list. I didn't get a chance to talk to Guy before he went on stage, but after his performance I went up, thanked him for the ticket, and we chatted. He was actually pretty cool, and I could tell that he was making the effort to make amends, even if he never did actually say he was sorry for what happened that night. I made a comment that he probably didn't remember it anyways because he had been so drunk, which is when he told me he still hears about it.

Even before this incident, I wasn't a huge fan of Guy's music, so its not like I'm going to become superfan or anything like that. But I've always believed that people deserve second chances (and third and fourth and fifth... some people tell me I'm too forgiving), and that's even more true when someone puts forward the effort to right a wrong. So what this means for me is I don't have to miss shows just to avoid this guy anymore, and that's a bit of a relief. Its the little things, you know? Insignificant, perhaps, but a minor stressor that I had control over. And that's always a pretty good feeling.

Well, that was somewhat underwhelming...

Hurricane Irene has come and gone. I only lost power for about 15 minutes, starting at about 11 last night, which I only noticed because everything shutting off woke me up, then everything coming back on woke me up again. There's a tree down in the back of my apartment building, but from the front, it just looks like we had a big rainstorm.  Unfortunately, it also feels that way in my sunroom and the corner of my living room closest to my sunroom.

A few pictures from the storm:

Pat in the Hat, getting us through the storm

The clouds came in going the wrong direction

Big rain storm...

We had some pretty good wind

Water seeped in through the windows that don't open

As predicted, this hurricane was more of a pain in the butt than anything else. See ya later Irene.

This might have been the strangest week ever.

Seriously. STRANGEST. WEEK. EVER.

First, I threw out my hip. I sound like a 70 year old. OK, technically I didn't "throw" it out - I pulled it out of alignment and it didn't put itself back. I've spent half the week in strange pain that I can't seem to get rid of.

Then, we had an earthquake on Tuesday. Centered 80 miles from DC. 5.9, even. My office shook, the lights swayed, I freaked out a little, my cats freaked out a lot. I thought everything I owned had survived, but realized earlier tonight, as I was pulling something out of the windowsill in anticipation of the HURRICANE that's coming, that a big glass picture frame had fallen off of the top shelf of my desk, broken on the desk itself, and now there's glass all over the top of the desk and the floor under it.  All during a time where I can't so much get down on the floor and clean it up, because my hip is all a mess. So that room is now closed off, much to the dismay of the cats, until I can get in there and clean up all the glass. Awesome.

And now, we're prepping for a hurricane. Well, technically we're under tropical storm warnings here in the DC area. But 20-40mph sustained winds and possibly 3-5 inches of rain, and likely lots of power outages.  Because the earthquake wasn't enough. Or the thunderstorms we've had in the past week or two. Nope, we need a hurricane.  Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful to not be getting the worst of it. I feel for my friends in the Hampton Roads area and New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and elsewhere on the coast that will be getting it worse. For me its mostly just going to be a pain in the ass. Power outages suck, especially when you live in a high rise and the elevators stop working.

All of that combined really made this week DRAG at work. So I'm thankful for the weekend, but can't relax so much because I have a midterm I need to finish before the power goes out. Good times... So anyone reading this in Irene's path, stay safe and enjoy the ride!

Sometimes I write.

I hope you don't mind indulging me for a second. I wrote this the other day, and while its nowhere near complete, I really like where its heading and wanted to at least share the words, since who knows if I'll ever finish...

She said I would be in another place now
If I'd done one thing differnet
I'd be living a life so far from this
If I'd made the other choice
I can't help but think about it
The now and what might have been
A constant game of what if in my mind
Weighs me down from time to time

I never thought my life would go this way
She says as she wipes her eyes
How could I have known I'd want this now
After a pause she cries aloud

What is really truth and lies
Who decides what's right and wrong
How would I change if I had the chance
If life gave me just one do over
Where am I supposed to go from here
Who will help me make it through
I don't know where this crazy life is taking me
And I'm not sure I'm enjoying the ride

She stops, silence weighs the room down
As it mixes with the tears
Pain hangs over us, as she settles down
And her eyes say everything

To be continued... maybe...

Is it September 20th yet??

Because on that evening, I'm getting on a plane to Paris! And I just needed to share.

I am seriously SO EXCITED. I last went to Paris in 2002, and when a work trip to Germany came up, I decided to take a couple of extra days of leave and go back to Paris for a few days too.  Even better, it looks like one of my good friends is going to be joining me. I seriously can not wait. I just made the hotel reservation, right around the corner from where I lived the first month I was there in 2002.  Now the only thing left to do is put aside the right amount of money and, MUCH closer to the trip, book the train ticket from Paris to Germany.

It really will make the days go by faster (I hope) knowing that in just 6 short weeks, I'll be enjoying Paris once again, even if it is for just 4 days. Better than nothing though!

Remembering a Hero

This weekend marks 2 years since the death of my friend, USNA classmate, and 12th/17th companymate Capt Matthew Freeman, USMC, while providing cover for fellow Marines on a rooftop in Afghanistan.  He'd just married his high school sweetheart a couple of weeks before leaving, and in fact only their families and closest friends knew that they'd gone ahead and gotten married prior to his departure.  He was only in Afghanistan for a little over a week when he was killed. (I've written a little about Matt here and here.)

The last conversation Matt had with his mother before he died was about the kids, and how they seemed to want school supplies, specifically pens and paper, more than anything, even food and water. He asked her to start up a collection and send him the supplies.  A career teacher, Mrs Freeman was all about it, and even though Matt was killed 2 days later, she decided to do it anyway. The Matthew Freeman Project: Pens and Paper for Peace, was, according to its website, "not created because Matthew is dead. Not because he died serving his country. It’s because of how he lived."

If you have a little cash or some time to spare, please help remember this true American hero and honor his final wish by making a donation to the Freeman Project - you can donate financially or help collect school supplies to send overseas. All the information is on the site.

RIP, Matt. You're sorely missed.

This whole Casey Anthony mess

OK, first and foremost, I didn't really follow the trial much, but at the very end I was down in Florida with boyfriend's family, and his mother followed it the whole way, so I saw the end. But I've been somewhat fascinated by the aftermath.

I'm no lawyer, but I did take a whole bunch of law classes in undergrad (I thought I wanted to go to law school at one point) and I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. OK, not really. But you get my drift. Here's how I see it.

Something happened. Casey was arrested, charged with First Degree Murder among other things, and (eventually - don't get me started on what constitutes "within a reasonable time") was entitled to a trial by a jury of her peers where the burden of proof, which is on the defense, is beyond a reasonable doubt. For you non-law types out there, that basically means that its not up to her to prove that she didn't do it, its on the prosecution to prove that she did - the old innocent until proven guilty idea - and they must prove it to the point that there is no reasonable doubt in the jury's minds that she did it.

The prosecution failed to prove Casey's guilt. The system worked the way it was supposed to. All of these people that want to scream and protest and call her a baby-killer sound ignorant. Our justice system was set up the way it is on purpose - the founding fathers determined that they'd rather have a few guiltys get off than some innocents be punished. America is fairly unique in that regard. And now the jurors are getting death threats?? Are you kidding me? They didn't ask for this. They did their civic duty. At least one of them has even come out and said that she didn't think Casey was innocent, she just didn't think the prosecution proved beyond a reasonable doubt that she did it!

I have less issue with the people's reaction to Casey getting out - karma's a bitch, and if she actually did do it, she'll have to live with it for the rest of her life. But Nancy Grace, give it a rest already. I mean, she obviously has issues she needs to work out, and I wish her the best. But leave the woman alone to deal with her demons (or whatever) on her own.

My personal opinion? The kid died accidentally. Maybe in the pool, maybe not, who knows. But Casey freaked out and didn't report it. I doubt this was premeditated murder. But even if it was, the system worked the way it was intended.

I hate to say it, but I feel like the people still making noise about "justice for Caylee" and all are ignorant. Justice was served, even if you didn't like the outcome.

OK, now I feel better :)

I have no words.

This is why I walk for Arthritis every year. I cried. Please remember, Kids Get Arthritis Too.

Meet Ruthie!

Well, the car boredom finally got the best of me.

I really wasn't going to do it right away. I'd been doing my research, looking at features and prices and safety ratings and fuel economy and all that stuff, and I really was just planning to get my research in a row, figure out where I wanted to be financially, save up for a bigger down payment, and wait a little while.  Based on all of my online research, I'd pretty much decided on the Nissan Rogue, pending a test drive.

So when a water main break at work resulting in loss of water pressure in the building meant we got out early, I figured it was as good a time as any to go test drive and make sure I like the car.  I got to the dealer, and went out on the drive, and REALLY liked the car. I went in to talk numbers with them, and told them straight up where I was coming from, and that the only way I would be buying now was if they gave me an amazing deal that I couldn't say no to. I told them to crunch their numbers and I would go home and crunch mine, and they could give me a call.

When I got in my car to leave, I had this definite sense of disappointment. Like oh, this. 

(A little background: when I bought Jethro, I wanted certain things in the car. But I settled, and bought the most basic model on the lot, instead of holding my ground and getting what I wanted. So Jethro has no button to unlock the doors, and the only key hole is in the driver's door. He doesn't have cruise control. And he's so low to the ground.  And I had REALLY wanted a sunroof, but I didn't get one. So I knew, from the start, that I was NOT going to step down from the features I wanted for the next car.)

I was barely home when the dealership called me back and asked if I could come back out. I agreed to return after rush hour.  In that time, I looked at my budget, considered what they said they were going to give me for my trade in, and came to a number that if they weren't going to hit it, I wasn't going to buy. (But I also cleaned out Jethro.) I came back, and at first they wanted to talk about monthly payments, which I won't do - I immediately stopped the guy and said before we do this, let's talk round number. They took me to that page, and while they were almost a thousand over where I had wanted to be in top number, they were willing to give me an extra $300 on the trade in and a $500 rebate.

So I did it. I bid Jethro farewell.  I solicited name suggestions from my friends, and allow me to introduce Ruthie!

Last night it was actually cool enough to drive home from my parents with the sunroof open, which was AWESOME. I'm so glad I got what I wanted. I don't foresee being bored with this car for a LONG time.

A couple more photos, just for fun:

No more FM transmitter for the iPod :)

Yes, she's purple. Love it :)

My favorite part!

A Politics (but not political, I swear) Post

You know, I don't usually get political on this blog. On purpose. And I'm not trying to get political now, even though I do think that Sarah Palin is a less than ideal candidate for... well, anything, to be honest.  And I rarely agree with Eugene Robinson; I generally think that he's a blind liberal in the way that many conservatives are blind conservatives.  But every once in a while, he gets something right. And this opinion piece on Sarah Palin's version of Paul Revere's ride is one of those times.

From the article:

It was comical and weird, like a lot of Palin’s antics, but so what? Anybody can have a momentary lapse and say something dumb in front of a television camera. You laugh it off and move on.

Unless you’re Sarah Palin. She appeared on “Fox News Sunday,” and Chris Wallace asked the obvious question: “You realized that you messed up about Paul Revere, don’t you?” He must have expected her to be charmingly self-deprecating. Instead, to Wallace’s evident surprise, she insisted that her ridiculous account was correct.

I swear I learned as a young child that people will respond better if you just fess up that you made a mistake than if you keep insisting. But no! There are even people fighting on Wikipedia, trying to update the Paul Revere site to reflect closer to what Sarah Palin said!!

This statement by Eugene is most poignant to me: 

The gaffe is understandable — well, almost understandable. But she doubled down with a claim of persecution and a bald-faced lie. That is what we ignore at our peril.

This is a small, unimportant matter. But Palin demands to be seen as a big, important person in the nation’s political life.

In my book, this is a red flag, no matter what letter comes after your name.

Medical sagas of late... sorry, I had to

I feel like I've spent the last couple of weeks in the Doctor's office.

I thought about it yesterday, and in the last 3 weeks I've been to my general practitioner, the dentist twice, the allergist 4 times (shots have started - more on that in a minute), the radiologist, and the chiropractor. And next week I get to go to the ENT. I am a hot mess, and I'm going to play old lady and whine about my ailments for a little bit.

The general practitioner was just a regularly scheduled write me some more prescriptions visit. Nothing exciting. The dentist, which is actually now 4 times in the last month and a half or so, was for a filling and then back to get the filling filed down. HATE. It was my first filling, and I did not enjoy that process, thank you very much. And the chiropractor was just my regular adjustment. So no big deal on those, but they add up. The allergist stuff though... that's another story.  I've had allergies for years. As long as I can remember, but nothing ever severe enough to get checked out. Probably 5 or 6 years ago I started on a cocktail of allergy meds, because they didn't want to test me while I was on active duty. But in the last couple of years, I've been having about once a quarter incidents of what I like to call "sinus explosion."  I felt like they were sinus infections, but after being told by one doctor that they weren't and it was just allergies and/or a cold, I didn't try to go to the doctor again. But after this last round in April, I decided that I couldn't take it anymore and called an allergist.  I went and did the whole stick you tons of times across your back allergy tests, and the doctor took one look at the results and said well, its no wonder you feel crappy all the time! HALLELUJAH, praise the Lord, I might be getting some answers FINALLY.  She wanted to do a blood test to make sure that I will do well on allergy tests, and she wanted me to get a CT scan of my sinuses just to make sure that there's not something chronic going on in the sinuses.  The CT scan came back with enough issue that she wanted me to see an ENT, so I get to do that next week. Thank goodness for sick leave!!  I started the shots 2 weeks ago, so I've had 3 now. They say it can take months to feel the differences, and I can't wait. I also hope that the ENT can help with some of this as well. I just want to feel normal!!

And now I'm done with the ailment rant. Hopefully in the next few months I'll have updates that I'm feeling better and getting things sorted out.  Now if only I could get that extra weight off. Even though I'm spending an inordinate amount of time in Dr's offices, I'm glad to be finally taking control of my own health. I just wish I'd been more willing to demand it when it was all free through the military - even though I have awesome insurance, it doesn't cover everything!!

And now, cake next door... not that I need it!

What a feeling!

I just paid off my car, and damn does it feel good. For the first time in 8 years, I don't have a car payment.

This brings me one step closer on my quest towards debt freedom. Which will take forever at this rate. But at least I can use that old car money to help rebuild some of the savings I depleted over the last few years. It is FAR easier to get into debt than it is to get out of it!!

I'm all about getting some ideas from fokls for helping me do it faster. All things considered, I don't REALLY have that much - a bit more credit card debt than I care for, and a mortgage. But that's it. I wish I had the discipline to do one of those financial fasts, where you spend no money at all for a set period of time except on what's absolutely necessary (groceries, rent, bills, etc) - no eating out, no shows, no shopping, nothing non-essential. Yeah right. I'd be bored to tears.

What are some of the ways you help keep yourself financially in control? I need all the pointers I can get!

Train Wreck Syndrome?

Does anyone have a TV show that they know is absolutely awful, but they still can't stop watching it? I do.

The Secret Life of the American Teenager might be the worst show on TV. And right now, I'm admitting that I'm watching it, and I've watched it from the start, and I can not stop. I mean, I really can not stop watching this train wreck of a show.  The acting is horrible, the storylines are totally unrealistic, and its an ongoing dialogue between 16 and 17 year olds about sex, marriage, and babies, of which there is one and another on the way in this group of teens.

The fact that Molly Ringwald is in the show gave me hope. But the fact that Brenda Hampton, the creator of Seventh Heaven, is the creator of this one as well, should have kept me away from the beginning.  The cameos by several of the cast members of Seventh Heaven (less successful than Jessica Biel ones) have even made reference to it.  (The actress who played Ruthie, the sweet little girl, plays a straight up whore, and the actress that played Lucy plays a guidance counselor, and the first time they passed in the hallway there was this long glance of recognition. I snorted.) 

This show is seriously ridiculous.  The first season was OK - a teenage girl hooks up with the hottie drummer at band camp and ends up pregnant, and it showcases the hardships and how she deals with being a pregnant teen where the dad is not so much in the picture.  If it had ended after one season, it would probably have been OK. But for a show based solely off of that, how do you continue? I'll tell you how. Lots of talking about sex, especially with their parents, of which include Josie Bissett, Bobby Bacala, and the aforementioned Molly Ringwald. Teenagers getting married, or getting fake IDs to try. Or doing it just to try to manipulate the exes. Or because they think that's what happens when you have sex.  And don't get me started on the actress that plays the original pregnant teen's little sister. AWFUL.

But even knowing all of this, and knowing how utterly bad this show is, why can't I stop? I tell people the reason I don't play video games is because I have an addictive personality. Maybe that explains why I keep watching this show. Or maybe I just keep hoping that its actually going to get better...

Kalani Soul

I know I've mentioned before that my boyfriend Matt is an amazing musician.  He's been playing guitar since he was 9 years old, writing for almost that long, and can play anything - its kind of amazing, actually, I wish I could play at all, much less anywhere close to that well.

Well, he has recently teamed up with Maurice Mangum, formerly of the DC band Evenout, to form a new project they're calling Kalani Soul.  With the magic of Travis Daniels at Trace Studios in Atlanta, they've just finished recording three songs, and let me be the first to tell you that they're amazing. They should be releasing at least one of the songs in the near future, and Facebook and ReverbNation will be the best way to find out when (and, of course, I'll probably post something as well - I want as many people as possible to know about this).

Do yourself a favor, please, and go find them on Facebook (just search Kalani Soul) and ReverbNation. This is gonna be big... and I'm not just saying that because I'm biased!

Boat Dumb

The cruise was amazing, but this explains why you're getting no recap yet. Enjoy!

Sixthman Public Service Announcement: Boat Dumb from Sixthman TV on Vimeo.

Thanks again to all the folks at Sixthman for all the wonderful work they do. If you're unsure about what to do for vacation, look no further than their webpage and pick one.

Vacation time!

This kind of cruise is WAY better than the Navy kind. That part of my life needed to end. But the Navy version of I'm On A Boat might be the funniest parody ever made, and never, ever gets old: (NSFW)

Best Cruise Ever (although I still think that title belongs to the Rock Boat), here I come! I'll post all about it when I get back :)

Every cloud has a silver lining, right?

So, I'm a little bit bummed.

When I booked the VH1 Best Cruise Ever, I booked my travel knowing that Matt was going to have a show in Atlanta the night before. I spent the extra money to basically buy 3 one-way plane tickets so I could see him play, and I told my friends in Atlanta to keep the night clear.  Unfortunately, the booking of that show was handled unprofessionally by the people that said they'd take care of it, and those "confirmed" dates for Atlanta shows turned out to be not.

Of course, I'm not at all mad at Matt or his partner in this project. If they had not been 100% sure, they would not have let me buy plane tickets and make the plans. And not only did I spend probably an extra $200 and take an extra day off of work to make this happen, but they were relying on the paycheck they were supposed to get for these shows. So all around, just poorly handled.

But while I'm absolutely not happy about the fact that I won't get to see Matt for the first time in 7 weeks, especially since its going to be at least another 4 before the next chance I get (screw moving schedules, they suck), and I'm bummed that I STILL won't get to see this new band play, I refuse to call this a total loss. One of my best friends in the world lives in Atlanta, along with a couple of girlfriends that I got to know better while I lived there, and it looks like I'm going to be able to hang out with them tomorrow night instead. So its not all the way bad. Not as good as I'd hoped for, but who can complain about a fun night with the ladies?? Not me!

And isn't that what its all about, making what could have been a very disappointing situation into a better one? Life is too short to dwell on things. It took a lot of restraint yesterday for me to not publicly call some people out, but I'm glad I didn't name names. Its just not worth it. And that's been a goal of mine lately, to try to be more positive about things, especially when they're not going my way. Its not an easy thing sometimes, but I am so much better off than I could be, and so much better off than I was. As long as I remember that...