Friday, September 29, 2006

Tejana

One of my colleagues, who used to live in Austin, told me that I had a very Texas look, but she didn't want to say anything (this was after I told her that I'm from San Antonio). That really made my day!

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Making peace

Some of you may know that I've been very frustrated at work recently. About 3 months ago I was transferred to the main library to work on an exciting new project. Well, due to, among other things, gross incompetence (not mine, thankfully), this new department was officially closed last week. We were told of this on Wednesday. I had a stomach ache from Friday to Wednesday because of the stress.

Things had been in limbo for me and my co-workers for the entire three months. Nobody really knew what to do with us, and there was no plan or policy for us to follow. It was with a mixture of frustration, anger, and a little bit of relief that I learned of our demise. The good news is that I get to stay employed, but I've been transferred over to another department, where I have to learn the ropes all over again.

I left work early on Wednesday, ostensibly because of the stomach ache, but also because I had to gather my thoughts. Yes, I would prefer it if I could be doing something that I really wanted to do (whether that be with my current employer or elsewhere), but I have to take what life has handed to me, right? Last night I made peace with the whole situation. Miraculously, my stomach ache has mostly disappeared.

Friday, September 15, 2006

just because...

"that's the way things are done around here", doesn't make it right.

sigh.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Video: Meeting Kevin Costner

Not to beat a dead horse, but here's the video that the woman standing next to me took when we met Kevin Costner. She was standing to the left of me and KC was shaking the hand of the person to the right of me. Thanks, Katie!

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Even if you're not a Justin Timberlake fan

which I'm not. I just think he's a good dresser. Anyway, his new album FutureSex/LoveSounds got a hilarious review in today's Washington Post. Some excerpts:

Timberlake, the most cornfed and harmless of pop stars, is about as likely to project an air of dangerous sexuality as he is to knock over a convenience store with Screech from "Saved by the Bell."

Alrighty! But I think my favorite line is this:

[W]hen it comes to, um, randiness, Timberlake is still no Prince, and lines such as "Back up some more / And let me take it off" have the same sexual charge as a proposition from a Care Bear.

Monday, September 11, 2006

back on the wagon, not on the gravy train

Now that summer is officially over, I'm back on the weight loss wagon. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, I've lost 10 pounds, not bad for a summer, but not great since I'm still about 30 pounds away from my weight loss goal. I have to say, it was pretty good eating this summer: Mexican food in Tejas, gourmet Mexican in Chicago, Italian in Baltimore. And Komi for our anniversary (oh, Komi! I look forward to the day that I can see you again).

Yes, as you can see I have issues with food. I love food, I'm not afraid to admit that. And of course I associate food with comfort and love. The fact is, I don't see anything wrong with any of that. Of course, the problem was that I was eating too much too often and wasn't exercising. So now, in addition to my 3x a week at Curves, I'm also doing a yoga class once a week. I'm hoping to lose at least 15 pounds by Thanksgiving. I'll keep y'all updated.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

last of the summer whine

Today is the last day that our pool is open. Even though it was barely 80 degrees today, we went for about an hour and a half, and yes, the water was pretty cold. The sun is out, so I got my brown on (but not Matt, he got his heavy duty sunscreen on). We watched all the kids that have spent their summer in the pool say goodbye to the lifeguard, Paul, and we also watched Paul do some backflips off the lifeguard stand. When I asked Matt if he was ready to leave, he sighed and said, "I always knew summer had to come to an end. I never thought you would be the one to end it."

Even though I've lived in DC for a while, I still feel like every year I'm being robbed of summer. Its only early September! Lately, I've watched the sun set earlier and earlier with a sense of dread. I also feel that we'll be paying for that mild winter we had last year (only one major snow storm), and have a really rough time of it this year. I keep hoping that this will be last winter in DC, but Matt keeps telling me, "No."

So, this is the last of my summer whining. From now on, you'll be getting autumn whining.

Friday, September 08, 2006

KC addendum

I just found out that the young lady that I thought was Kevin Costner's daughter is actually his wife! LOL

Last night it occurred to me that the reason why KC crossed the street to shake our hands was because he is very appreciative of the fans he still has. I mean really, when was the last time you saw him a major motion picture? Not to be too cynical or anything....(maybe I should make that my mantra).

Thursday, September 07, 2006

meeting Kevin Costner

Tonight as I was getting out of the Metro, getting ready to go home, I saw a large crowd gathered at the theatre across the street. In turns out they were doing the world premiere of The Guardian, the new Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher film. I figured there was a pretty good chance to see some celebrities, so I decided to stick around.

In case you've never heard of the movie, its about the U.S. Coast Guard. Kevin Costner plays the tired, but wise, older guy, and Ashton Kutcher is the young hot shot. After about 30 minutes, Sela Ward came down the red carpet (yes, there actually was a red carpet). I was standing across the street, so I could see her pretty clearly. Several of us called her name, but she didn't really acknowledge us.
At 6:45, Kevin Costner and a lovely young lady, maybe his daughter, arrived. Unfortunately, they started going the wrong way! They walked across the street, away from where I was standing, and he started shaking hands. Finally, he started walking back, and then he crossed the street to where I was standing. He came within 3 feet of me! I was about to shake his hand, but then this homeless guy came up to KC and clasped his shoulder and stuck out his hand for him to shake. The guy said, "I'm just a homeless guy, but I'm a big fan of your movies." KC was wearing sunglasses, but he still managed to look a little stunned. Finally, he said, "Thanks. I've been there." And then he walked off.

The premiere was supposed to start at 7 p.m, but at 6:58, there was still no sign of Ashton Kutcher. Finally, another limo pulled up, and out came Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. I started jumping up and down like the 14 year old girl standing next to me. We started yelling, "Cross the street!" But alas, he gave us a couple of enthusiastic waves, and then he and Demi started off down the red carpet. Demi looked fabulous, with all that long hair.

Incidentally, there were a lot of military bigwigs there, and another political bigwig too, Tom Ridge, the head of Homeland Security.

The women I was standing next to had a camera, and I gave them my email address to send me photos, if they can figure out how to do that. I only got one picture of Kevin Costner with my camera phone and I can't figure out how to post the picture. So if anybody knows, please tell me!