Happy freakin' birthday...

Egad! Eddie Vedder turns 41 today. That's 4 decades plus 1. Wow.

Accentuate the Positive

There's a lot of bad stuff happening at the moment, but luckily for me, there's also a lot of good to negate the bad... for example:

Bad: The brilliant present I got for my Mom did not arrive at my brother's place in time for him to fill it in and bring it to Florida, so now I have no present for Mom, and my present for Dad hasn't made it to Florida yet. Argh.

Good: Checked on pandacam this morning JUST in time to see Tai Shan go OUTSIDE!!! I think it's the first time he's been out there. Currently, his mother is trying very hard to get him down off a big tree trunk, and he's resisting. He's even cute when he's being stubborn.

Bad: I have to go Christmas shopping tonight for a whole bunch of presents that I just didn't get to with my crazy schedule lately.

Good: My schedule's been so crazy lately. Lots of good times with friends. And, because I have so much left to buy, it means there are lots of people I care about.

Bad: Extreme nerves about semi-blind date last night.

Good: It went really well. Woo-hoo! Looking forward to a second date in '06. If my dear readers have any suggestions for active sort of dates, do let me know...

A Pandemic of Bad Puns in My Head

Went to see Tai Shan yesterday... He is the cutest thing that has ever existed ever and the experience of visiting was MUCH nicer and easier than I expected it to be, so kudos to the National Zoo!

Our scheduled viewing time was 11:40, so Jill, Christie and I made our way to the metro around 11, got to the zoo at about 11:25 or so, and headed straight for the Panda House. There was a bit of confusion as to the line being formed. Everyone seemed to be in one line regardless of their viewing time, which kind of defeats the purpose of a line, you know?

A couple minutes before 11:40, the guy at the front of the line called for all the people in our viewing time, and we made a new line underneath an awning outside the Panda House. He was kind of hard to hear, so if you're towards the back of the line waiting to be called, make sure you pay attention! While we were waiting in this second line, we were debriefed on the procedures of panda viewing. We were told that Tai is a typical 5-month-old, and that he was napping, but that we would see him, since he was sleeping in the exhibit area. We were also told that Animal Planet was there filming, so if we called in sick to work we might want to rethink going inside. Wokka wokka.

Then we started to see other people coming out of the Panda House, nearly all saying words like "cute" and "aw" and "best day ever," and not long after that we were allowed inside. When you first walk in, to your left is the area where the volunteers watch panda cams, so you can see all the different views that they have and what the other pandas are doing while you're insdie there. Then there are two main exhibit areas, and you can also sort of see the dens. The one with the big platform that Mei always sleeps on is mostly visible. Tai was in the exhibit next to that den, curled up in a little ball right near the glass, sleeping quite soundly. Cutest thing ever. He was much smaller than I expected, he looks so sturdy on Pandacam and in news clips, but he's really tiny, and so calm inducing. I don't know if it's the maternal thing or just the (I can't believe I'm about to type this) amazement at our world and the jaw-droppingly unique things that live in it, but I didn't want to leave.

The people who were there looking were being very un-Washingtonian and letting other people get a chance near the glass. It was shockingly polite for DC. You're inside the panda house for ten minutes (they also have exhibits about past pandas in Washington and about panda breeding and stuff), and then the guy who led us in initially came back and announced that it's time to go, so off we went. Luckily Mei Xiang and Tian Tian were both outside, so we got to see them for a little bit too before heading back to the office.

And then even better, went to Jill and Lauren's for a girls night in dinner soiree last night, perfect way to end such a nice day!

Shriek of the week, Vol. 6., um, um, an update on the weekend, ah, term papers... Things that are overdue?! Ding ding ding! Yesssssssss!!!!

Shriek of the Week? Keeping it simple this time. Plain, simple, lovely rock. Big ups to Cake. I've never heard a Cake song I didn't like, and hell, they made I Will Survive really, truly cool and not in a tacky, rainbow-afro-wooo-70s kind of way. They have an advice column on their Web site. Rock. And, I don't think I need to remind you, "sheep go to heaven, goats go to hell." Classic.

And my weekend, you say? Well now, that's a nice long story... Had plans for a Friday evening soiree to check out some salsa and donate to a good cause, but then I got home Friday, realized my apartment was a hole and I hadn't packed and had to leave at 5 a.m. the next day to snowboard, so I bailed. I hate doing that after I've officially RSVPed, but I had no choice. So, I got all my junk done, went to bed pretty early, and woke up really early to hit the road. By 10:30, I was at Mountain Creek and about to hit the slopes. Met up with Kerwick and Meg on the lift line, had lots of lovely pre-lunch runs, rocked a big cookie and then rocked the Hill of Death. It was the bomb. Then there was the holiday party at 801 Madison, good times were had by all, though if anyone can explain how Christmas turned into an occasion for slutty t-shirts, I'd really appreciate it. I kind of get halloween being a ho-fest, and can even see where slutty togas come from, but really, Christmas? Where's Bill O'Reilly on this trend, eh?

So, party ended, went back to the appropriately named Brothel for some shut eye, and was rudely awakened by someone else's friends who were also staying there making noises that I cannot repeat in polite company. I shudder at the thought. Then, woke up early, went out to Grandma's on Long Island. My Dad was up for the week, so it was even better than the usual trip to Grandma's. We enjoyed some Italian heroes and Grandma was even feeling well enough to walk me back to the car, aw...

Back to DC, through the traffic and madness, got back just in time to make it to the office Christmas party without being too hideously late. Though to be perfectly honest, I really wanted to go to bed, I'm glad I went, but I felt like a complete tool. A few reasons why:

1) Stopped at Whole Foods on the way there to pick up a bottle of wine, and the Whole Foods I chose did not sell wine. ARGH. No time to go back to the one closer to my house, and no open liquor stores in the 'hood.
2) Button popped off my jacket while reaching for the parking lot ticket during said futile visit to Whole Foods.
3) Showed up with no gift, wet hair and a serious lack of witty conversation due to ludicrously small amounts of sleep.
4) Only person at party who did not bring a date.

Today was better. Work was OK, my trip to Target was rather successful. And I topped it all off with Cafe Asia. Tasty. I'm sure this was awfully incoherent, but now you're up to date, and tomorrow's my date with Tai Shan. Hubba hubba.

The Imperial Death March

Tonight Washington was a blurry grey mess of rain, sleet, ice and a little leftover snow. Not a pretty place to be, unless you're behind on your Christmas shopping, like, say, me. In that case, it's the best thing that could possibly happen ten days before the damn holiday, since it means all those suburban wackos will be at home and you can shop near your home in the city in relative peace. So I did just that. Rocked the ever-handy Blue Bus to G-town's main strip, visited the hipster wannabe's best friend for a Napolean themed gift for my niece, and trolled the upscale haunts of Wisconsin Ave. in search of something, ANYthing that would work for my Grandmother, Aunt, Brother or Father. That part was largely an unsuccessful mission, so I decided to soothe the hurt with grease of the Five Guys variety.

Burger and fries in hand (they even had plastic bags to protect it from the 'wintry mix,' mad props five guys!), I set out for home. And then, it hit! I got to the side roads and the sidewalks were sheets of ice. The roads themselves were perfectly fine to walk on, but those lovely brick sidewalks which I consider so charming and historic most of the time are seriously uncool in winter. The only safe course was to walk through the puddles since they'd melted the ice below them, but then, you walk all the way home with wet sock and THAT is a fate worse than death. It took nearly a year and a half to get home, and I heard the Imperial Death March in my head the whole way. Apparently when I take small, quick steps, I move to the beat of John Williams. Wacky.

But, on a positive note, the burger and fries survived and were still quite tasty. Plus, I got home to find a Christmakkah Bar-mitzvakkah on the OC. Awesome. Although if Johnny and Marisa ever do get together and have babies, their kids would be the worst actors EVER.

Baby it's cold inside...

Well, it seems that my apartment is trying to kill me. I have no heat, and it's like 12 degrees outside. Which makes it just under 60 in here. Fun stuff. So, to stave off the cold, I'm having a gigantic mug o' sleepytime tea, wearing the hat Grandma made me, and I'm about to snuggle into PJs and got cozy under the comforter, where the temperature of the apartment doesn't matter until 7 a.m. In the meantime, I'll think of something hot. Namely, the top ten hot guys I'll never meet* (as of right now).

10. Last guy on the list and he really doesn't need a picture or an explanation of any kind... Johnny Depp.

9. Adam Brody. That Summer's one lucky gal.

8. David Wright. A little too young to make the very top of the list, but still, he's smokin. You can ask him about it Thursday.

7. Henrik Lundqvist. He appears to have a bit of helmet head here, but he's a rookie, what can I say.

6. Jude Law. I know, I know, he's a jerk, but this is a list of hot guys, not nice guys or even necessarily straight guys, just the ones that make me think warm thoughts.

5. Gael Garcia Bernal. There just aren't words.

4. George Clooney. I want to describe him as 'suave,' and yet it doesn't feel wrong or creepy. Also doesn't hurt that he's pictured here with a side of Brad Pitt. My word!

3. Joaquin Phoenix. I liked him WAY before it was cool. That picture of him in Jane last month... Good lord! It's not the one linked by the way, believe me, if I found it, it would've been here.

2. Tom Brady. Even when he's QB-ing a mediocre team.

1. Always and forever, Robbie Williams, sigh...

Unfortunately, I'm off to cuddle with some flannel sheets instead of any of these ten tonight. Check you cats later...

*I have actually met one person on this list, so in his case, never meet again. He might only remember me as "Ten" anyway.

Birthday greetings!

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Biiilllllll.... Happy birthday to you! And a very special thanks for making it to your 36th year, though the last twenty must have been nice too.

I think the Hives said it best, and I think they're Swedish.

Ahem...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=buccigross_john&id=2256716

The Ballad of the Guy Across the Alley

Ever since I started at my fab new job, I've been fascinated by the joys and pains of working in a big city. It's great to walk to work, it sucks to pay $12 for lunch every day I forget to make a PB&J. It's lovely having many bars to go to after work, it's a bummer waiting a decade and a half for the bus after staying at the bar a little too long. It's really cool working in a big, modern looking office building, but it is REALLY FUCKING WEIRD seeing other people working in the building six feet away. Except that somehow, I managed to get a guy across the way who's pretty darn cute. So, he's interesting to watch when I'm bored. It's also interesting that when I'm working late or weekends, he seems to be there a lot too. But at the same time, he's more like scenery, the crossing guard I used to watch to zone out at Edison or the rooftop deck where my brooklynite coworkers went to smoke, it doesn't feel real.

However, since I'm looking at him every day, I'm burning up with curiosity. Who does he talk to, what does he do, why did he choose to wear pleated pants? All of which seems kind of good in the spirit of curiosity about the world. But then, last week, after happy hour Friday night, we decided to go from bar A to bar B, and the quickest way there was through the lobby of his building. Of course we were drunk and tried to walk through and of course the security guard would not let that happen, so I asked, as non-chalant as one can be while four beers deep with only half a plate of fries to soak it all up, "What company's on the 6th floor of this building?" And she told me and now, I think guy across the alley has a name.

If I never do anything with this information, is it harmless googling? When does googling cross the line? Is it ever ok to google? Does the fact that anyone could type any random combination of letters in and come up with your name make it ok to do so intentionally? It's a quandary. And what if I ever happened to see him outside of our buildings. Aside from turning forty shades of red, could I ever actually say hi knowing that I've been a tool and looked him up online? I'm morally and etiquettely perplexed.

Shriek of the Week, Vol. 5

The not-so-randomness of my iPod yesterday inspired today's Shriek. While there were those freaky occurrences with the Wu and Gorillaz, it also managed to play two songs from Voice of the Beehive. It's a bit of a flashback, no new material to shriek about, but I heard Monsters and Angels and the lyrics just resonated so much, it was a natural choice. For my single gal readers who are sick of music about women and their feelings being borderline submissive a la Britney or militantly independent a la Ani, VOTB is welcome relief. They acknowledge that yes, we do want love and maybe can't do everything alone, but dammit we hate what we have to go through to get it. There is so much to choose from here... but here's Exhibit A, from I'm Shooting Cupid:

"Cupid you promised that you would give me a break
You said I could make my own choice.
Stupid of me to think I could avoid you again, escape all of your little voices
You've gone and made me want someone I can never have
And don't think I don't hear you laughing.
Cupid you've got yourself a brand new enemy."

Exhibit B would be all the lyrics of Scary Kisses, but here's part:

"And if we break or if we bruise, it won't be the worst of news
We will just get up again - start over on the count of ten
And if we scar or if we break, it'll be our own mistake
Put it down to what we know, then have another go"

And the song that got this post going, Monsters and Angels:

"I'm nobody's wife, and I'm nobody's baby
I like it that way, well then again, maybe..."

It's not just the love thing either, what are we up to now, exhibit D? From What You Have Is Enough:

"You're upset because your TV is on the blink
Now you have to watch in the living room, life is rough
In this world of plenty it is easy to forget
That darling what you have is enough."

And I have to mention I Say Nothing, since it's one of my favorites, so if you are selectively downloading, get that one too.

The best part is that all of this is set to ridiculously catchy pop music. It's great, feel good music because of honesty. They're not blinded by false hope nor closed off from the reality of their vulnerability, it's a fine line they straddle and the right balance is hard to find in pop culture these days.

Their Web site's discography lists a gajillion singles, but there are really just three albums, Let it Bee, Honey Lingers, and Sex and Misery. The site also says all three are out of print, but they are available on iTunes, and well worth the price of admission.

And since he got me all those albums back when I was in college, I bet this post just made George v. happy. Later kids...

"I ain't going to work today" "Yeah, why not?" "Cause I'd rather work on breaking my own bones with some style, ya know?"

Today is a very special day. I have just spent five hours or so hurtling down a mountain at possibly unsafe speeds. My quads are burning, my hair's a giant mess, I probably smell and I surely have a new bruise or two...it's awesome.

I spent the day in PA at Whitetail, not a bad little resort. They only had blues and greens open, but conditions were great, it wasn't too crowded, the people I sat with on the lift were nice, although I think I offended one by saying 'ass.' There was also the kid from Falls Church who was talking about how easy it is to get to Whitetail and how much easier it would be next year. When he can drive. I'm ancient. But anyway... the riding was fab. Perfect weather, very nice snow, especially considering that it's only December.

So here's the really weird part. I had my iPod going on the way up there, as I usually do on long trips, and this time, it was set to random. I love random! In a sense, randomness is my job (and as anyone who's ever had a conversation with me knows, I don't leave it at the office). Because of all this, I REALLY want to believe the Apple folks who say that there aren't any tricks to iPod's randomness. But today, I really had to question it. It played an ODB song from the Slam soundtrack, followed by a Wu song. Which is a fun coincidence. But THEN, with only one song in between the Wu and this new madness, it went further and played the Handsome Boy Modeling School song featuring the rapper from Gorillaz and then a Gorillaz song. WTF. They're freaky connections, so it seems possible that it was just random, but damn. It sure felt like it had a brain.

And now it's off to figure out something appropriate to wear for cocktails this evening. TTFN! Also, special thanks to U.S. Bombs for writing a song worthy of quoting as today's headline.

Shriek of the Week, Vol. 4

Today, I shriek, you shriek, we all shriek for Virginia Coalition. They're a very hard to describe, yet much loved northern Virginia band. I first heard them senior year at W&L, when they played Buffalo Creek and sold their $5 CDs out of the back of a van. And I can't seem to escape them, while I was living in NJ I found out they were one of the first acts signed to the label of a friend of a friend. Nutty. Now that I'm back in DC, I get to read about them making the WaPo's best of the best list, and even better, next month I get to see the show where they'll be making their very first live DVD and concert. As they say on "A Song" from Townburg, VACO "when we come to your town, it's not for the girls or the wine, you see, it's 'cause we came to get down." The live shows are the best. "They all got down at the VACO show" indeed!

They're part jam band with a touch of go-go and funk and country and generally a kaleidoscope of musical goodness. My favorite tracks have always been those featuring Andy (who's had many last names over the course of their band-hood, Poliakoff on Colors of the Sound, Thunder on Townburg, Wonder on Rock & Roll Party, and back to Poliakoff on OK to Go) and his throaty growl. They seem to have more of a folky feel on these tracks, definitely check him out on "This is Him (Hurricane Song)" from R&RP and "Green and Grey" from Townburg. His former co-singer, Steve, has since left the band, and they've recovered remarkably. They still have a loyal following and a whole slew of catchy songs in their arsenal. My most recent favorite is "Bumpin' Fresh" about being a dork in a new school in 7th grade, taking serious abuse for uncool clothes (a feeling I can mostly relate to, I may be super-cool now but I was a GIGANTIC nerd back in the day) featuring the best refrain ever, despite whatever shit the cool kids threw at them, "That's OK it was pizza day."

If I were stranded on a deserted island with only VACO CDs, I probably wouldn't have much reason to complain, I could dance on the beach to a song to fit whatever mood I happened to be in, and maybe turn coconuts into makeshift band members.

It's been too long since I posted, so it's time for a rant...

Friday the skies in Washington opened up and the first snowflakes I've seen all season started to fall. It was glorious and made me want to get on my snowboard as soon as humanly possible. And then, to add to the delight, I realized that it was release day for First Descent, a snowboarding documentary. Now, I'm not thrilled that Hannah Teeter is the only chick in the movie (where's Shannon Dunn, Tricia Byrnes, Kelly Clark or Victoria Jealouse?), but it's a major release about snowboarding that isn't bullshit, so I won't complain about that too much. What I WILL complain about is reviewers who just don't get it trying to review the movie. In particular, the Washington Post's Ann Hornaday. I have not seen the movie yet, but there are a few fundamental flaws in her review which really don't have anything to do with the movie, as far as I can tell...

1) Snowboarders don't "schuss," we shred, homey! It's surfing on the snow, that's how it should be properly explained. Accept no substitutes.

2) She writes that snowboarding "aficionados" (I hate that word) will appreciate the chance to see their sport on the big screen, which is true, but then she says "until now, snowboarding has mainly been the purview of DIY videos whose gonzo party stunts gained them a huge cult following and are credited with helping the sport catch on." Which belies the fact that snowboard videos have become a HUGE part of the sport. A pro not in a movie is virtually unheard of, and it's gotten to the point where their movie credits are as vital a part of their stats as their binding angles and board length. Their release each year comes with much fanfare and all kinds of coverage from the sports' magazines and prominent displays in its boardshops. They're big business and build the sports' stars, hardly what I'd call DIY. In fact, this year, there's an all girls snowboarding DVD, As if..., from the first ever all girls snowboard film company, Misschief Films. Go get it! Or even better, get it for me for Christmas. :)

3) And finally, she says:

"But by and large, the half-pipe swoops, wipeouts and 360 turns that characterize snowboarding begin to all look the same, as Curley and Harrison return again and again to the same events and competitions. Unlike the streets and swimming pools of Southern California or the turquoise breakers of Hawaii, snowscapes -- whether they're in Vermont, Colorado or Alaska -- tend to look the same up close: white. And it's often difficult to discern who's who underneath the parkas and sun goggles."

Ouch. The American public seems to have no trouble telling the difference between a triple lutz and a triple axel, so don't tell me they can't tell a McTwist from a 720 (and they are 720s, a 360 won't even get your mom to take a picture these days let alone get you in a movie theatre). There's also that crack about the snow. Now, yes, all snow IS white, but the point is not the snow, it's the angle of the mountain, it's not knowing what lies below the next cliff, it's the height above the half-pipe that matter. If she were watching the magic the riders weave ripping down a mountain, choosing a line, risking their lives, doing something no one's ever done before, instead of looking for pretty scenery and smiling faces, maybe she'd have enjoyed it a bit more.