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Will be back soon... comments might be slightly defective temporarily.

Weekend recap

Friday night - date night. Went to Coastal Flats and had their fish and chips. Yeah, I know... I don't like fish. But their fish and chips are excellent. The tartar sauce was really good too. (Side note -- What else is tartar sauce good with? I like it, but I only ever have it on fish, which means I don't really ever have it.)

After that, headed back to my place and watched Closer. Such a depressing movie. Good, but sad and most of the characters were jerks. Maybe not the whole time, but they made bad decisions and treated each other poorly. Kind of a manual for what not to do when dating. Started The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, but ended up getting tired before it ended.

Saturday - Family fun day. Celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival holiday thing with my family. Made mousse for dessert with Ian and everyone else hanging out in the kitchen (came out really well). Stuck around a bit to chat with relatives and then went over to Ian's place to finish up Life Aquatic and then go to an engagement party thing.

Spent the evening at Oyamel in Crystal City. The food was very good, and since we had a large group, we were able to order practically everything on the menu and just pass the plates around and everyone could have a taste. Very cool restaurant pick. Went to Coldstone after that and then Bailey's. Called it an early night and headed home a little after 10.

Sunday - Tour de Cure today. I should probably actually get moving now. I've been sitting around reading blogs and writing this update... Gotta go make my mark on society. -j.

Hershey's ® Chocolate Mousse
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
* 1 tablespoon cold water
* 2 tablespoons boiling water
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1/4 cup HERSHEY®'S Cocoa Powder
* 1 cup heavy cream, chilled
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
1. In small cup, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; let stand 1 minute to soften. Add boiling water; stir until gelatin is completely dissolved and mixture is clear. Cool slightly.
2. Stir together sugar and cocoa in medium bowl; add whipping cream and vanilla. Beat on medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bottom of bowl occasionally, until mixture is stiff. Pour in gelatin mixture; beat until well blended. Spoon into serving dishes.
3. Refrigerate about 30 minutes before serving. Garnish as desired. Cover; refrigerate leftover desserts.

Note: Make sure you measure out the right amount of gelatin. Came out a little pudding-y because we used a pre-measured packet and it was just under what we needed. Also, if mixer has more than three speeds, beat more on the high side than medium. Top with strawberries or raspberries.

Diabetes, Book Club, Traffic

I went to a meeting Monday night for the American Diabetes Association Tour De Cure volunteers. They were so nice to us... I mean, I know most places are nice to their volunteers. But the past few things I have gone to have been disorganized and (perhaps unintentionally) neglectful of volunteers. This time, they acknowledged that making us come out for a meeting was inconvenient, gave us food, had handouts with information about where we were supposed to be and when (granted, this could have been done via email), and gave us a brief overview of how the day would go, where we were to check in, what we could expect when we get there, and even had "gifts of caring" (little girly teddy bears). They wrapped up relatively quickly and let us go so we could get out of there before that awesome storm rolled in.

Tuesday was book club night. We read The Bonesetter's Daughter. It went pretty well. Spent more time socializing than discussing the book, but we did get around to it and spent a lot of time discussing other books we've read recently and making suggestions for the next meeting. So, a pretty good night.

Wednesday, date night. Watched Gilmore Girls. Hehe... surprising, huh? Five episodes into Season 3, so this might possibly last us the summer. Possibly.

This morning was surprisingly pleasant. I risked taking 66 for a couple miles this morning and people left room for people to merge. At least 3 people let me change lanes and when I waved to thank them, they waved back. Yeah, I know. I'm so easily pleased. But it's little things that make commutes not suck as much and I think more people should be like the people I encountered this morning.

LOTD: New device gives women teeth where it matters

QOTD from one of the older military types at work: "Bush could make anyone a Democrat."

I didn't think people were supposed to say things like that at work. And especially where I work, I never expected to hear anything like that.

What is wrong with my neighborhoood?

Got home... parked my car, walked up to my house... Was enthusiastically greeted by a child walking up to the tree in front of my house, who was being supervised by two adults in lawn chairs next door. They all waved and said hi as the child proceeded to pee on our tree. Really? This is acceptable behavior? Couldn't you at least go fertilize your own tree? Yeah, I know... I have such high standards of people.

Laugh off the extra pounds

Laugh off the extra pounds:

"Dieters looking for another edge might want to consider exercising their sense of humor -- scientists have found that a good laugh is a calorie burner not to be ignored."
"Five different comedy clips, starting with an outtake from 'The Cosby show' -- minus the canned laughter -- were then shown for 10 minutes each, interspersed with five minute intervals of sheep wandering around fields in England."

Oh yeah... and remember how a couple weeks ago there was this huge buzz about how people who are a little overweight live longer than "normal" or underweight people? Dream on:

Overweight people live longer than people who are malnourished or dying of cancer:

"Many scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health, the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society now reject those conclusions. They said the study's main flaw is that it included people with health problems ranging from cancer to heart disease, who tend to weigh less because of those problems and therefore make pudgy people look healthy by comparison."

Too bad I can't read road signs...

Napped for most of the afternoon and then got up to shower and go party it up tonight. I ended up wandering Arlington for most of the evening before getting bored and just calling my sister to have her entertain me while I finished getting lost. Tried to go to a housewarming thing and never made it. I found the two streets before the last street I was trying to find. Missed one of the intermediate/connecting streets and somehow couldn't find that last one. And yes, I had map/directions/phone number/address/etc. I just physically could not find that street even after driving the entire length of the second to last street. Maybe it was one of those streets that disconnects somewhere and I just couldn't find where it reconnected. Oh well.

Ended up going over to hang out with Roy & Co instead. I figured since I had gone all that way, I should at least be a little bit social. Got there just in time to see JL2 and his girl as they were leaving. I gave him his Christmas present, finally. Which is fortunate because his birthday is this month and last year I got him a birthday present and I didn't get that to him until Christmas. I think I'm just going to stop trying.

Meh... No one's up. I think I'll read. This entry was boring. I apologize. -j.

P.S. All you people coming by here searching for "Darth Vader Cake" (or cake pan or recipes)... You're nerds. And that's cool with me. :) Sorry to disappoint.

Weird spam

Weirdest spam to get by my spam filter today: a recipe for zucchini loaves. Nice trick, spam guys. But I did not fall for it. Into the junk pile you go.

Save the boobies

Did the Race for the Cure thing this morning. There were some minor inconveniences and I felt it went more smoothly last year, but overall, it was a good race. Met up with Ian, his cousin, his mom, and a bunch of her co-workers for the walk.

On the down side, Ian and I went last night to pick up my race packet. I figured if I picked it up early, I wouldn't have to get there extra early in the morning and have to wait in line. Unfortunately, there were no packets left when I got there. I got my bib, but they were out of shirts. And bracelets. And safety pins. But I got my bib. They said that I could go pick up a shirt in the morning. Yeah... in the crowds and stand in line again... Woo.

There was a nice person on the metro who overheard Ian telling my tale of woe and gave me her t-shirt because she didn't want hers anyway. She said it was too big for her. So nice of her. :)

Get there in the morning and from pretty much the metro exit to the end of the race, it was jam packed with people. So many people.

So, I didn't get a chance to see Ricardo Chavira of Desperate Housewives. But, I did see Jaclyn Smith of KMart (Just kidding... I know she's done real stuff.):



She happened to be walking right behind our group for a little while. I was lucky to get her in that shot because I just held my camera up and took a picture of the people behind me. Ok, so not at all subtle, but I didn't want to stare and gawk or bother her... so I just took a random picture.

Anyway, nearing the end... They stopped collecting bib numbers after the first 45 minutes, so a good 75% of the people don't get to find out how they placed. Sure, it doesn't matter for anything, but it's still fun to find out. And then you know how many people walk. Now we'll never know.

After the race, I went to the prize tent to get my prize for raising money and they ran out. Don't they know ahead of time how much people donated? Oh well. Like I said, seemed less organized this year, but it all worked out overall. So many people.

After that, wandered around to some of the sponsors and then headed out. So sleepy. Had to wake up in the morning on a Saturday. I don't know what I was thinking. At least they'll be just that little bit closer to finding a cure.

Thank you to everyone who donated! :) -j.

QOTD: "I wish I could say I got [my gf] pregnant, and then everything would be okay, but it's not like that."

Ten Most Harmful Books of the 19th and 20th Centuries

Oh. My. Goodness.

I just came across this list and I'm just sputtering. I don't know what to say. Are these people serious?

Ten Most Harmful Books of the 19th and 20th Centuries:

HUMAN EVENTS asked a panel of 15 conservative scholars and public policy leaders to help us compile a list of the Ten Most Harmful Books of the 19th and 20th Centuries.
1. The Communist Manifesto
2. Mein Kampf
3. Quotations from Chairman Mao
4. The Kinsey Report
5. Democracy and Education

I guess if I were a conservative scholar, I would be apprehensive about people reading about different ideas too.

And don't miss the honorable mentions, including:
Beyond Freedom and Dignity by B.F. Skinner
Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin
Introduction to Psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud

Wow. Anyway, go hug a librarian. Yay for Banned Books Week! (Sept 24-Oct1)

What kind of person doesn't have a jack in their car?

I am sad to say that today, I had to play the part of damsel in distress.

I got to work this morning and when I went around my car to get my bag out of the passenger seat, I noticed that my front tire was a little low. Eh... I'll just fill it at the gas station after work and get it fixed tomorrow on my day off.

*Fast-forward through [adjective] workday.*

Head out to my car and check on the tire before I get in. It's a little low, but doesn't look significantly lower than when I left it this morning. I get about halfway up the ramp when I realize what a big mistake I made.

I definitely have a flat tire.

Ok, so I was overly optimistic. I'll fix the tire and then be on my way. Too bad I have so much stuff piled up in my trunk. I'll just move it to the back seat. No big deal.

Call the roadside assistance people. They're very nice and very concerned about my safety. First three questions:
"Are you safe?" Yes.
"Is your car safe?" Yes.
"Are you off the road?" Yes.

Talk to them while I get stuff moved and get the spare tire out. It'll be 60-90 minutes. Look around for the jack... I can fix it myself by then. Maybe... Still looking for the jack. Why can't I find the jack? Where would they keep the jack? There are only so many places to hide stuff in my car. I know my car came with one... didn't it? I can't find the jack. Where could it be? Call my dad. Call my boyfriend. Call my sister. Nada.

Fine, whatever. I can do this. I go up to the parking attendant guy and ask him if he has a car nearby (duh, of course) with a jack I could borrow please. "Do you have a flat tire?" Yes. He directs me to go around the corner and look for the building engineer. He'll change my tire for me. Oh! People are so nice!

Go around the corner and don't see anyone. Look around, wander some... No one. Go back to the attendant. "Did you find him?" No. "Ok, I'll get you my jack." On the way to his car, the building engineer happens past. The attendant asks him if he has time to change my flat for me. Of course.

Take him to my car and tell him that my jack is missing, so I might have to borrow his. I take one last glance in my trunk to make sure I'm not just blind and, well, turns out I am. There's a little compartment off to the side with a cover on it to make it blend in with the rest of the bottom of the trunk. And inside that compartment? Yeah.

So he takes that from me and proceeds to change my tire for me. I tell him it's ok. I just needed the jack. (I'm really not as helpless as I seem most of the time. Really.) But he assures me that it's no trouble. (His name is Kurt, btw.) So, 20 minutes later, I've called to cancel the roadside assistance guy and I'm on my way.

I, of course, drive safely and stay on the smaller roads so I can drive annoyingly slow without angering too many people. I got passed by a metro bus. How sad is that? Anyway, an hour and some later, I arrive home. Success!! Well, that is, until I get to my front door.

But... I have my keys. And my wallet. And my phone. And everything else I take with me to work everyday. Except I took my housekey off my keyring yesterday when I went running so I would only have to carry that one key with me. The one key that I need. The one key that lets me get inside where the food is. The one key to rule them all!

Sigh...

Call my sister. She'll be home in an hour or so. I have a key to her house, so I go hang out, eat her food, and watch her TV.

10pm and I just got home. You want to know who I blame this all on? TLD.

From an email he sent:

* [Friend1]'s car was broken into some months ago
* [Friend2] is almost totalled in an accident that, thankfully, leaves [Friend3] pretty much unscathed.
* [Friend1]'s car starts having trouble starting, due to a loose battery connection. Specifically, just before and during times when I was riding in the car.
* [Friend4]'s car door breaks, forcing him to gain entry "Dukes of Hazzard" style.
* [Friend4]'s car is stolen, and the entire drivetrain stripped, down to the CV joints.

Oh, but his car? His car is perfectly fine.

TLD: He spreads bad carma.

QOTD: "I saw something that made me think of you yesterday... embryos for sale."

LOTD: Wachovia ties to slavery! *gasp*

Childhood flashbacks

I have no idea why I started thinking about this the other day, but I was trying to remember books that I read growing up. It started with Bunnicula (Like I said, I have no clue why) and I tried to remember the author and then went off on a tangent trying to remember other books I remembered reading or being popular when I was growing up. So far I have come up with this list:

Berenstain Bears
Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel
Amelia Bedelia
Miss Nelson is Missing
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Where the Wild Things Are
Encyclopedia Brown
Baby-sitters Club
Bunnicula
Chocolate Touch
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Ramona
Anne of Green Gables
How to Eat Fried Worms
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
A Wrinkle in Time
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Chronicles of Narnia
Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys

I know I read a lot more than that, but those are the ones that stand out right now. And yeah, my "young adult" reading list is lacking. I think I kind of skipped the angsty section of the library. (Why didn't I do that in my life too..?) I did read a bunch of the Fear Street books and (I'm ashamed to admit) Sweet Valley High, but that was mostly limited to the summer before 8th grade.

Anyway, just reminiscing. Let me know if there are others you remember that belong on this list. :) -j.

QOTD: "It's ok to hit someone as long as they're wrong."
LOTD: Throw Paper