Past weeks.

I've been stressed out the past couple weeks. I may need to lay low for a while.

A While.

owasso pawn
Originally uploaded by Joe Thorn.

It's things like this that make me miss home.

Prep Work.

Big holiday weekend coming up. I love Halloween.

Yesterday, I was supposed to go MTBing with my friend Travis, but I wimped out because it was too cold. I don't have any cold-weather gear (knee warmers, full-finger gloves, etc.) so we went and got Pho instead.

Afterwards, went over to the guys house and picked Joe up for an adventure. Ended up doing some Halloween shopping at Fair City Mall. Dropped Joe off at home, then went to Party City to grab more Halloween stuff, dropped Trav back at school and headed to Chez Koucheravy.

Momma Koucheravy made dinner (or did you make it, T?) and then Theresa and I went out for even more Halloween shopping. This weekend had better be worth it. Ha.

Fun times. Oh, and costume? Still kinda secret. Kinda.

Top Five.

Favorite songs:

History, The Verve*
Portions for Foxes, Rilo Kiley
Travelin' Thru, Dolly Parton
Hotel Yorba, The White Stripes
Burn That Broken Bed, Iron & Wine w/ Calexico


*always #1

Apples!

Saturday, I went apple picking with my best friends in Syria, Virginia:

New.

There's going to be a big change in the life of Kate in the next couple weeks.

I got the job.

Never Gonna Give Up.

Dan kept asking me, "When are we going to leave? When are we going to leave?" He was excited about his first-punk-show-at-a-real-club-and-not-in-some-kid's-basement. His favorite band, Time Again, was opening for The Briggs at Jaxx Nightclub in Springfield.


Brian (no longer with the band), Daniel, Ryan, and Elijah of Time Again.

Highlights:

• Jaxx is small and it wasn't crowded, so everyone (in the bands and not) were hanging out together.
• Danny on the floor singing every word.
• Daniel Dart holding the mic to Danny singing.
• Daniel Dart all hott and stuff (my brother says Time Again are the pretty boys of punk; I have to agree).
  
• Meeting Daniel, Ryan, and Elijah from Time Again.
• Danny almost peeing his pants because of it (but not really). Conversation went like this: "Your name's Dan? My name's Dan! Yeah, I have a big sister, too."
  
• Daniel Dart touched me (score!) and we actually conversed, heh.
  
• Talking with the bassist from The Briggs.
• The Briggs apologizing to Jaxx for playing punk at a heavy metal bar.
  
• We left the club and Ryan (drummer for Time Again) wished me a good night. It was quite sweet, I thought.
• Denny's run at 2am.
• And crash at my house.

Sunday, I drove back out to Warrenton, got lunch with Phil and Dan, took a nap with the kitten (or the kitten took a nap with me) while my laundry was getting done, and spent an hour and a half driving back to Falls Church. This weekend was a definite success.

Interview downtown this afternoon, wish me luck!

Joe and Kate Dance-off 2006.

I've never laughed so much in my entire life.

Hyperbole, I know.

I'm glad there aren't any pictures.

Recently.

It's officially turned Autumn and it's chilly out. Sweatshirt weather is awesome.

I've been listening to In the Reins, the EP Iron & Wine did with Calexico and I've really been digging it. I think slide guitars can make almost anything better.



Tonight is Midnight Madness at George Mason University.

Pooped.

Yesterday was my first "day off" in a long time. Yes, I went to work yesterday, but I didn't have anything out of the ordinary planned: no appointments, no interviews, no going out with friends, nadda. Although Bennett came over to do his laundry, but I hadn't seen him in a couple weeks. Good times catching up.

So what did I do on my night off? Oh, just watched the first half of the A&E epic Pride and Prejudice, ate dinner, played with my cat (who has finally stopped hating me for being busy so much recently), and talked with Ben. That's it.

And green tea with honey is really good. FYI.

Not Lost.

This makes me so happy!

Like yesterday.

Last night I met an old friend for dinner. I'm only 23, so meeting an old friend is kind of a big deal.

My friend Valerie and I ate lunch together every day from 9th grade until we graduated high school. She was here on a business trip so we met and went out for tapas at La Tasca in Chinatown.

Maybe I've been displaced for so long, but talking and catching up and feeling so close to home 1,300 miles away...I hadn't felt that in a while.

That, and I forgot about the accent. Or I didn't notice it then.

Yay!

Biked with T-bop on Sunday and again on Monday with her and Charles.

Bikes bikes bikes bikes!

Music.

Mood this week:

Rilo Kiley
Brendan Benson (genius)
Doves (of course)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Sufjan


Jenny Lewis is sold out at 9:30 Club. Boo. So to make up for it, I bought my brother and I tickets to see Imogen Heap in November (his xmas present) and (for me) tickets to see OK Go the same week. I haven't been to this many shows since my Three Concerts in Four Days (Los Lobos, Sleater-Kinney show that got cancelled halfway through, and Sleater-Kinney for reals).

Whenever I'm down...

...I listen to "Ooh La La" by the Faces.

And Life is perfect again.




And it reminds me of Rushmore. That may be one reason.

Adventures a Million.

I like that I can recover from the weekend at my job.

It went like this: bowl, drink, sing, sleep, hike, chili, movie, sleep, bike, hike, drive, sleep.

Perfect.

And BR and I know how to party on the trail:



Click to view larger.

Ball Game.

Of course my head looks huge and my smile's forced...

But I love baseball.

We beat the Phillies, 4-3.

History.

My favorite song is History by a British band called The Verve. I heard it on the internet, streaming through our 28kbps AOL dial-up connection, when I was 15 years old. At that time, I'd never had a boyfriend, I'd never been kissed, never held any one's hand, yet the song moved me so much that it actually changed me. Sitting in front of my parents old Gateway, headphones on, I sat still for a moment, taking it in, trying to understand each word and how it told its story. I think this song may have been my first experience with pain. Not the ouch kind, of course, but real, deep, unnerving pain.

At seventeen, I made my first pilgrimage to London. There, I bought the two History singles (among others). At this time, I had never bought anything over the internet, so what better way to buy imports than flying to the locale in which they're available? I thought it was quite logical. That and I could say, at 17, "Oh, that? I bought it in London."

The years went by and I got to know History; each chord, string, bar, gasp, plead, it was inside me. It still is.

I went to college and got kissed, held hands, had boyfriends. Sometimes it hurt, sometimes it didn't, but History was there for each of them. History was there for me. I became an English major and, through my classes, discovered the song is based on William Blake's London; somehow making it more important because now it was "literary" and couldn't ever be labelled a pop-hit. I think.

So, here I am, now. It's been over a year since I graduated college, I'm single again, and History is still here, a whole eight years later, and still my favorite song.

Band: The Verve, Song: History

I wander lonely streets
Behind where the old Thames does flow
And in every face I meet
Reminds me of what I have run from

In every man, in every hand
In every kiss, you understand
That living is for other men
I hope you two will understand

I've got to tell you my tale
Of how I loved and how I failed
I hope you understand
These feelings should not be in the man

In every child, in every eye
In every sky, above my head
I hope that I know
So come with me in bed
Because it's you and me, we're history
There ain't nothing left to say
When I will get you alone

Maybe we could find a room
Where we could see what we should do
Maybe you know it's true
Living with me is like keeping a fool

In every man, in every hand
In every kiss, you understand
That living is for other men
I hope you know that I am me so come on
I'm thinking about history
And I'm living for history
And I think you know I'm bound for you
Cause I am

And one and one is two
But three is company
When you're thinking about the things you do
And you're thinking about the things you do

I want to tell you my tale
How I fell in love and jumped out on my bail
I hope you understand
There's more in a smile than in a hand

In every sky, in every kiss
There's something that you might have missed
And why am I going to
A place that now belongs to you

But you were weak and so am I
Let's pick it up, let's even try
To live today, so why not smile
Don't dream away your life cause it is mine
It is mine
Is that a crime?
Is that a crime?
This life is mine

The bed ain't made but it's filled full of hope
I've got a skin full of dope
But the bed ain't made, it's filled full of hope
I've got a skin full of dope

Case in Point.

When I started writing on Kate Space in February 2005, I wasn't sure what its purpose was. Granted, there are the usual reasons for blogging: keeping in touch with family and friends, writing in a new medium, sharing my great adventures with the world...

But, at the same time, I censor myself. I don't write anything horribly offensive, try to stay apolitical, I don't share anything too personal-- I've yet to have a TMI moment on this thing...and why? For the simple fact, that I, Katy Ray (the one who hates passive voice), am a chicken.

And I don't want to be.

So, here, ladies and gentlemen, is my TMI moment of the day:
Band: Doves, Song: M62 Song

Moonshine
I'm waiting for a love that never comes
Moonshine
Wishing for a time that never was

I'm waiting for a time
For truth to call
I'm waiting for a sign
To show me all
I'm waiting for my love

Moonshine
Drinking to a love that's gone on by
Moonshine
Look into the stars as cars go by

I'm waiting for a time
For truth to call
I'm waiting for a sign
To show me all
I'm waiting for my love

I'm waiting for a time
For truth to call
I'm waiting for a sign
To show me all
I'm waiting for my love
Waiting for my love
Waiting for my love

Moonshine
I'm waiting for a love that never comes


Kate Space isn't about you anymore, it's about me.

Let's see.

My weekend technically began on Wednesday because I had nothing to do at work the rest of the week.

Thursday night I joined Abi and Theresa for the Shakespeare Theatre's presentation of Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People. It was fantastic and almost made me cry...but the theatre always almost makes me cry.

Friday, I went on another adventure with Theresa-bop. She had to do car work and ended up stuck with me for the evening...trip to the mall, dinner at Potbelly's, back to chez Koucheravy, then to Carl's house, and home.

Saturday I spent the day with Mallory. Had pho for lunch, then girl time, then back to the mall, although this time it was Tyson's, Fairfax for a while talking to Curtis and Carl about hard drives (I need one), and then crashed at home.

Sunday I visited my parents, did some laundry, and checked on the new kitten. She's gained a little weight and is getting used to the house. She loves her feather wand and plays with it for hours! Mom and Dad rigged up mom's old cross-stitching gazelle to hold the wand (like a c-clamp) whenever they get tired of playing with her, and she'll still go at it for hours!

Talked to my brother Danny. He wants me to take him to a "hardcore" show down in Springfield in mid-October. I'll be hanging out with him anyway b/c it's parents' weekend at VMI and I have to babysit the kitten (and Dan), but do I really want to go to this show? I told him we play by my rules.

Things I'd like to do, but never have.

There's a lot in the world that I haven't done or seen or have been a part of. Hopefully, in the next year, I can knock some of these out.

• Ride a horse.
• Visit New York City
  
• Learn to swim.
• Ski
• Go kayaking
• Spelunking
• Visit continental Europe
• Meet Mickey Mouse
• Visit a mountain with snow on top (may fall under skiing, but I've never seen the Rockies.)
  

That's all I can come up with for now.

We're so, like, cultured. OMG.

Theresa and Ibsen make me happy!

Theresa, Abi, and I are so there. Tonight. Will be awesome.

Early.

The sky was barely turning purple when I drove into work today. Knowing the sun is about to come up is comforting somehow; seeing deep magentas from the top of a deserted Seven Corners...and what? Do you hear that? That's nothing. That's driving inside the beltway at 6am. It's quiet; there's nothing but you, your vehicle, and the tick of the light when it turns green.

And your mug of coffee if you're lucky.

It's Official!

My family has decided to keep the kitten!

Well, actually, she's six months old! The vet told us this morning during her visit. She has all her adult teeth. Besides being malnourished, she may have come from a very young mother (small cats make smaller kittens?) She goes in to be spayed in about three weeks.



Danny named her Scribbles. And he won't let us change it.

Kitten.

I rescued a kitten from traffic today. No, really:



I was stopped at a red light in Gainesville when I saw something weaving in and out of the cars stopped in the opposite side of the road. The car next to me saw it too. I realized it was a kitten! When the light turned green we both pulled over into the center median. By that time a couple cars had run over the cat dead-center but the folks in the other car were able to stop the next car it was under (it had also climbed up into the car's underbelly). By the time I had run over, the kitten was back on the pavement and mewing so loudly, "Save me! Save me!" the car's driver picked her up and thanked us for stopping her. She was on the way to the airport and I said I'd gladly take the kitten. The cat started purring the second she was snug in my arms and knew she was going to be OK.

She rode in my lap purring and kneading my legs the whole way to my parents'. We fed her, bathed her, and made her at home. She's in good shape, she's a little underfed and only a couple whiskers and some fur singed from being under the car. Mom's taking her to the vet on Tuesday and if she gets along with our cat, Dizzy, they'll keep her. She's about 12 weeks old.

I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Graves and Swedes.

Yesterday, I volunteered for the first time at Rock Creek Park. BR picked me up and after meeting with the group at the ranger lodge, we headed down to Battleground National Cemetery to work our butts off.

Now, I'm not a big Civil War geek, but I had fun yesterday. We each cleaned one or two grave stones, lightly scrubbing and peeling back years upon years of dirt and moss, careful not to hurt the marble stone underneath. We could see the names again, of soldiers killed in the battle of Fort Stevens just up the road from us on Georgia Avenue-- Ellis, Richardson, Kennedy, Schlitzner-- faded, barely readable, but there. Boys 16, 18, 19 from New York, Maine, Pennsylvania, they were here.

We reset some of the headstones as well; dug up, hauled out, cleaned up, filled, reset to their two-foot height. Some stones had sunk so much that they were only eight inches above the ground. Some stones were double-struck, another name on the buried bottom of the stone, where the stone cutter/ingraver made a mistake, some were clean, the white marble shining up at us after the century of mud had been rinsed off.

Re-burying the stones became a huge task in itself. By the afternoon, our task-force had dwindled from forty to about ten people. A team of six reset the remaining headstones. We had a system and by 3p.m., we were done. Granted, we were dirty, sweaty, and our shoulders and legs hurt, but looking back at our work felt good. These fallen soldiers had their grave-site back after 140 years. We cleaned all 44 headstones and reset 19. We'll come back and do the rest on the next project.

BR took me home and I cleaned up, then we headed to Ashburn to pick up Cherie-- we were going to IKEA. BR took us the long way, we took White's Ferry across the Potomac. I didn't even know it existed! We got dinner at IKEA, but furniture-wise it was a bust since they didn't have what BR and Cherie wanted in stock. I, on the other hand, found a vase that works as a canister for my kitchen utensils! Yes! Finally!

We drove back through DC, listening to songs on XM's Soul Sounds channel that were full of innuendo. It was the end to a perfect day.

Old Friends.

Last night I met up with some old friends from Tulane for dinner in Georgetown. Wow, it was good to see them. Garrett and Luke I know from when I was in ROTC; Deborah and I had classes together with all the other freshman engineers. Conversation ranged from school, jobs, mutual friends, Nintendo, and Seinfeld. Excellent.

It was fun to pick up where we left off and chill out like old times.

By old times, I mean three years ago.

My Family.

We went to New Market, Virginia this weekend to see my brother James. My friend Theresa tagged along and snapped this one for us!

Farewell, Mr. Irwin.

This man loved what he did, and we appreciated that. Here.

Rainy.

Got sent home at 11am today; dropped the car off at Merchants for an alignment. My Rainy Day afternoon movie? Giant.


Perfect.

Vocabulary

Every now and then, usually when reading Chabon, I'll make a vocabulary list. These words aren't necessarily ones of which I don't know their meaning, but words that I've never used in my writing. This list comes from Michael Chabon's twenty-page short story, A Model World.

• ascetic
• elucidated
• ignoble
• taqueria
• evanescence
• semiotician
• pedantry
• rapt
• voluble
• probity
• aboriginal
  

A Bone to Pick.

Why, why, why, dear grocers, have you forsaken me? Both my local Safeway and Giant have stopped carrying RC Cola. I can buy the 2-Liter bottles, yes, but cans? Oh, no, Miss Ray, you can't have cans. They have Diet Rite (made by RC's parent company), but Royal Crown? No. I settled for Mr. Pibb on my Saturday grocery run.

In other news, my upstairs neighbor is currently moving out. Currently, because at this moment, she's loading her bed into a pickup truck parked in the front yard. So that's what it looks like. I won't miss that bed at all. Hours of pleasure for her, months of insomnia/insanity for me. I wish her and her bed the best in their future together.

RSS Stuff

Since doing the unthinkable and migrating my blog to the new Blogger Beta, my RSS feed has been reset.

If you subscribe to Kate Space with bloglines or anyother reader, you may have to re-subscribe. Sorry for the hassle.

Did You Know...

If left long enough (in my desk drawer) that Green Clover & Aloe lotion from Bath & Body Works separates. It's like those toys you see in giftshops that make contained waves of blues and reds, oil and vinegar-like, except this was in a bottle and was green and a little gross and probably wouldn't remind anyone of the ocean.

Books read this week:
Fahrenheit 451
Werewolves In Their Youth
Me Talk Pretty One Day (halfway through)

Girl's night with Theresa was fun. Saturday we went into Arlington to the Metro Diner to eat and gab.

Sunday I worked on my secret project and ran some errands. Bought the cat a new toy, we'll call him Mr. Chicken. I'll post the video to You Tube soon.

A Quandary.

Is it cheating if I took a break from reading The Lord of the Rings and read Fahrenheit 451?

Just wondering.

National Portrait Gallery

Aaron and I went to the newly re-opened National Portrait Gallery. It's so full of information it made my head hurt-- and I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff! This is a place to be done in stages, otherwise it becomes quite overwhelming. Whew.

Update, Illustrated.

BR, Cherie, Bennett and I saw Los Lobos on July 30th at Belmont:


Bennett, BR, and Cherie.


Thursday August 3, Aaron and I caught Sleater-Kinney's rescheduled show at the 9:30 Club. It was almost a three hour show, two encores. I'm going to miss these girls. The best part of the show was when Carrie and Corin sang Buy Her Candy while Janet was replacing her broken snare. Don't think they've done that song at a show before. Maybe.


August 5-13, I spent with my Dad and two of my brothers in Florida helping out at my Grandmother's house; we replaced the carport ceiling. Danny kicking down the old drywall:


The finished product:


Dad and James working out in the shop:


Mine and Danny's cars in the side garage:


Me, Danny, James, and Grandma before we left:


Don't ask why I took a pitcure of the mangroves; crossing Tampa Bay:


On our way home we stopped by to visit my other grandmother in Ocala; Danny, me, Mimi, and James:

Till Sunday.

What's Mine is Yours

Aaron held me close and kissed my head. He said everything was going to be OK and that I shouldn't get too upset; things like this happen. He kissed my head again and rubbed my back.

I was on the verge of tears as I held onto the iron railing at our usual balcony spot at the 9:30 Club last night. Aaron and I had seen them every year since we had been together, but last night was going to be different; they were saying good-bye to us.

I can say whole-heartedly that Sleater-Kinney is my favorite band. This summer they announced that after their tour ended in August they would part ways (an "indefinite hiatus" as they say in the biz). Aaron bought tickets to their August 1st show the second they went on sale. They sold out in 19 minutes.

The show was going to be awesome and I was excited; maybe the crowd would be different than last time, too. The first time we saw Sleater-Kinney, the audience was full of normal folks like us, just there in jeans and t-shirts and not 'done up,' if you will. We were singing and rocking along with fellow students, there was a large LBGT showing, and even some of our former professors were there. Summer 2005, the demographic shifted, the crowd was younger and laiden with Busted-Tees and strange mod-like gear; everything exuded eye-liner and hipsterness.

Last night, everything was back to normal; the 9:30 Club felt comfortable (even our old professor was there) and I was ready to see my girls one last time. That is, until it happened.

The Rogers Sisters just finished their (horrible) set, when a 9:30 Club staff member took the stage and made the announcement: Another staff member had noticed smoke billowing out of a grate near the front of the club, the fire department was called and they discovered that one of the club's main transformers was teetering on the edge of disaster. The Fire Marshall ordered the building shut down and the audience evacuated.

I stood there, stunned. No. What about saying goodbye? I want to see Carrie move with her guitar and yell in her Carrie Brownstein voice, hear Corin's ups and downs, shake my head with Janet while she's kicking the drums. This can't be happening. We stood there until a staff member told us we really needed to get out. They said something about rescheduling-- how could they when the tour (and the band) ends in a week?

Aaron reassured me, "That transformer's No Rock n' Roll Fun."

The show is rescheduled for tomorrow, the girls are playing New York tonight and coming back to play DC. I'll get to say goodbye after all.



Sit down, honey, let's kill some time.
Rest your head on this heart of mine.
Tell me, honey, cause you look so blue...
Just how did they, did they get to you?
I'm gonna spend it
Yours and mine.

Someone's in the kitchen
Cooking hearts over the stove
Don't lie to me, never say goodbye to me
I don't want to be here alone
Someone's at the front door
Selling Band-Aids for our sores
You can bleed it, as long as they don't see it
I'm not going to be ignored

Come on darling, let's hang around.
Let's wreck their precious, their perfect town.
If it's all a dirty shame,
I'm gonna do it night and day.

Did you ever get the feeling
That you don't belong
Said the teacher in the classroom
I think there's something wrong
But your desks are too heavy
And your walls are too white
Your rules are all wrong
And it's either run of fight
But I'm still running
I'm still running

Sit down, honey, let's kill some time.
Rest your head on this heart of mine.
Come on darling, let's hang around.
Let's wreck their precious, their perfect town.
If it's all a waste of time
I'm gonna spend it
Yours and mine.

I'm a Huge Dork.

Yes, I'm reading The Lord of the Rings. Yes, all three books.

What? It's literature, Tolkien's writing is lovely, and I'm totally not embarrassed.

And the thing weighs about 5 pounds.

So Close to Coming Home.

From CNN.com:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Army will keep about 3,500 soldiers from an Alaska-based infantry brigade in Iraq for up to four additional months as part of a plan to pacify strife-torn Baghdad, the Pentagon announced Thursday.

Troops from the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team had been scheduled to wrap up a year in Iraq in August. But the unit, which had been headquartered in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, will be moved into the Iraqi capital to crack down on a wave of sectarian killings that has been claiming more than 1,000 lives a month, the Defense Department said.

"The Department recognizes the continued contributions of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team and their family members," a Pentagon statement said. "This extension reflects the continued commitment of the United States to the security of the Iraqi people."

The 172nd Brigade is based at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, outside Fairbanks. Its Stryker armored personnel carriers and its training make it the kind of unit Gen. George Casey, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, wants to help secure Baghdad, Pentagon officials said. (Posted 4:37 p.m.)

I guess we'll just have to wait a little bit longer for these guys to come home. Hang in there! And we'll see you sooner than you think!

Rejection.

(May be filed under Reasons I Hate Being a Girl.)

Yesterday, I took the afternoon off of work to get my car serviced-- nothing too drastic, but I can't do a State Inspection or front alignment myself. I drive a 1996 Jeep Cherokee that I try to maintain and take care of as best I can. My dad taught me basic maintenance and upkeep and if I ever have a question on a part or fixing something I consult my Hayne's manual: Easy, simple, common sensical.

My Jeep is a hand-me-down from my father, who gave it to me upon graduating college. It made the transition from school to real-life easier since I didn't have to buy a vehicle and I'm extremely lucky and grateful for it. Before he gave it to me, he made sure it had a full tune-up and was serviced completely, making sure that he gave me a vehicle in top shape. My car's a '96, but it's in G-R-E-A-T shape (OK, so I need to vacuum the floor mats, but that's it!).

OK, enough about my awesome car. Now, about getting the shaft:

This is what I asked for at the Ox Road Exxon Mobil in Fairfax, VA:
1. Premium Oil Change (I don't know why I didn't get the Standard one.)
2. State Inspection
3. Front Alignment (stupid construction in Fairfax City)

Three hours later I got a call from the manager saying what they had done to the vehicle. He spoke so fast that this is all I heard:

"Oil change...state insepection...sticker...brakes and rotors...
that'll be $490...steering...changed...air filter...oil change...
belt...flush...flush...transmission...sticker anyway...OK" Click.

Panic. Will my basic maintenance cost me $500+?? I know my car doesn't need work done, The most I know it needs is a new air filter and serpenitine belt, if that. I had to call him back because I didn't catch everything he said. "Do not put new brakes and rotors on my car. What exactly did you do to it and when can I pick it up?"

"Putting it into the system now, done in two minutes. You know that sound your car's been making? That means you need new rotors and brakes. That's why we can't do the front alignment because it's your brakes that have been causing it...We only did the inspection and the oil change."

WHAAAT??? My car hasn't been making any noise. And I know, you, mister have not driven my vehicle because it was mechanic dude in the ponytail that drove it into the garage.

OK. Off we go to the Exxon. The manager said he gave me a rejection sticker, you know, the red one with the no smoking circle in it?? Rejected. Because I need new rotors and brakes. I call B.S.

I was pissed. I paid for the oil change and the failed inspection. The only reason I actually paid to have my oil changed is because I don't have any place to store the old oil at my apartment, otherwise I would have done it myself (excuses, excuses).

This weekend I'm taking it out to my parents house to use the garage. I'm jacking it up and taking the tires off to inspect my perfectly fine, non-scored rotors and brake pads ON ALL FOUR TIRES. I'm cleaning out the engine so that it looks beautiful, I'll change the air filter and serpentine belt, I'll even wash it and maybe even give it a wax. My Jeep is beautiful.

This is the list of things they wanted to do to my car:
1. New rotors and brake pads (Nope.)
2. Air filter (do it myself)
3. Serpentine belt (do it myself)
4. Cooling system flush (did it 8,000 miles ago)
5. Transmission flush (did it same time as cooling system, and replaced the fluid and filter)
6 Power Steering flush (ditto)


I wonder if things would have been different had a man took my car to the shop. And had I not worn a, well, we'll call it a booby-blouse.

P.S. Had to put another quart of oil in the Jeep since it takes six and they only put in five.

VMI

Spent the day yesterday in Lexington, Virginia visiting my brother who's spending the month at the Virginia Military Institute for their summer program. He starts his Rat Year in the fall.







And was driving on I-66 eastbound between Centreville and Arlington strange for anyone else last night? Too many cops, construction, an Amber Alert, people driving all crazy-like...it was weird.

Russian Dolls

The highly anticipated (by us, anyway) sequel to l'Auberge espanole is showing at the Avalon in Northwest. Les Poupées russes is a very worthy sequel and I think I may actually like it better than l'Auberge (I know, impossible, right?). I'll have to watch our copy again sometime this week.

L'Auberge espanole is available on Amazon for an amazing $6.99!

(Si j'habitais à Paris je suivrais des Romain Duris. Mais oui, et en le suivant, je veux dire fais des bébés.)

That's as good as my French is going to get, but you get my drift. J'aime mon dico.

Light

Last night, Bennett and I replaced my incandescent bulbs throughout the apartment with fluorescent ones. After discovering the hodge-podge of lightbulbs left by (years of) previous tenants, I thought it would be a good idea. And yes, I've been here a year.

Everything was 60 Watts, except the floodlight someone put in the kitchen (aren't those for outside?) and the 175 Watt halogen in the hallway-- which is insane because there's a bulb fixture that surrounds it trapping heat. Glad nothing exploded.

So after installing 75W bulbs throughout the house, the only 60s are in the small lamps in the bedroom, I can see!!!

(And my kitchen doesn't get hot as much--granted, there's still the fridge, the dishwasher, and the stove's pilot light creating heat, but it's not a sauna anymore!)

We'll see if this has any impact on my electricity bill, too.

Excited.

Aaron and I just got our tickets for Sleater-Kinney at the 9:30 Club. As they're going on an "indefinite hiatus" after their summer tour ends on August 11th, I'm so psyched to see them one last time.

This will be our third time seeing S-K at the 9:30. Get your tickets if you haven't already, should be a sell-out.

Update: Already sold out. Tickets hadn't even been on sale for an hour!

This is Insane.

Ivan Basso AND Jan Ullrich are out of the Tour de France on doping allegations. Sources say that the investigation, held in Spain, will take upwards of six months.

Also cited here.

Gleeful.

Theresa and Shakespeare make me happy.


Wheeeeeeeee!

Reading

New rules:

1. No more buying books and not reading the ones you already have.
2. No more starting books and not finishing them-- unless they're so boring they make my eyeballs pop-out!

I finally finished the Hodgman book, The Areas of My Expertise. John Hodgman is a very funny man, I just didn't know if I could take 250 pages of him.

This month, I also read my first Stephen King novel. I'd never read any of his works before, although, I've seen tons of his movies. I thought I'd start off with an epic, his book, Needful Things, and I loved every page of it (all 731, making it the longest book I've ever read). OK, so I was an English major-- I should be high-brow about my literature, right? Nah, don't think so.

Yesterday afternoon I tried to start Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead. Although it's story is somewhat outweighed by its (and Ms. Rand's) impact in the world of objectivism and philosophy, I thought I'd give it a go. Or not: I had just come off of a 700-pager, I didn't quite think I was up to read another. So, I thought of this little man:



Yes, indeed that's Mr. Bilbo Baggins! I remember watching the 1977 animated version of The Hobbit when I was a kid. So why not read the book? So, yes, I've started reading The Hobbit and I'm very much enjoying Mr. Tolkien's sing-songy style of writing. And yes, I'm ready for an adventure.

(My brothers should regain some faith in me-- I was disowned after admitting I'd never read Tolkien or ANY of the Harry Potter books.)

Oh, no, no, no.

Dang.

From Buzzgrinder.

You say "sink or swim", what a cruel cruel phrase
I'd rather fly, don't want to get caught in this endless race

Happy Birthday, Kate, Your Car's Flooded!

Rain, Rain.

Seems like that's the buzz going in the DC area. Friday night, rain. Saturday, rain. Sunday, clear for about 6 hours, rain. Monday, rain.

Notes:

-Kitty cat likes to hide in the bathtub when it's thundering:


-Flooded basement (three inches), don't store any of my stuff down there thank goodness.
-Not as flooded as Jim's basement(s) next door. He owns the two houses next to mine and they sit lowest in the neighborhood. Asked if he needed help, said no. He spent the rest of the night outside, soaked, digging trenches.
-Street flooded Sunday night (my bday). Woke up Monday morning to soaked floorboards. John nextdoor has standing water in his Honda.
-Neighbors saved Pete's motorcycle that flooded. Parked in the front yard off the street. We're going high-class with this one, although it's not sitting on cinderblocks.
-Worked from home all day Monday. Skyline complex in Falls Church/Alexandria flooded and w/o power.

Quick Pictorial Update!

June 3, I joined the Snitzers in Titusville, New Jersey for their friend Keith's wedding.


Keith and Hilary Dye


Aaron and his mommy.


Me and the groom. (Hair was up b/c it was rainy. Boo.)


I like weddings THIS much!

After driving back to Virginia on June 4, I went out to Ashburn to catch Dwight Yoakam with bestests BR and Cherie...




...and the rest of Loudoun County.


Hawt. Oh, Mr. Yoakam, how I adore thee.

Wednesday, June 7, I adopted a cat from the Fairfax County Animal Control Department. Miss Georgia Brown the Slinky Cat just turned three years old. Her owners (the bastards) gave her up because they were moving. She loves to be loved and is very social, she always uses her litter pan, and she was already spayed and declawed (not that I would declaw a cat, but it's nice). She goes in for her first Vet appointment this afternoon. I hope she doesn't hate me for too long for it.


She loves to play and have her muzzle rubbed. She sleeps with me in the bed, but not until 3 in the morning, before that she just hangs out in the living room on the chair.


I know I keep saying this, but she's not fat, she just looks it with all her fur.


This is her evil face.

June 10, my middle brother James graduated from high school.


James and his best friend, Brad. James is off to the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) this summer; Brad's off to the Citadel.

And that's the update. Will have more to come. Found a cool used bookstore...for the next episode!

Eagles and Baseball.

Sunday was James' Court of Honor for his Eagle award.



And Monday, thanks to Theresa, we caught the Nationals/Astros game.

Jobs.

Maybe this is a meme, I don't know. But these are the jobs I've worked:

• Babysitter Extrodinaire (Red Cross trained and certified, oh baby)
• Arby's Drive thru (until I realized it conflicted with Oklahoma football season)
• For the Children Foundation (Lafayette Elementary, New Orleans, LA)
• Hallmark Cards (until they wouldn't let me go to school)
• Admin Asst. @ Weichert Realtors (worked full time, schooled 17 hours/semester)
• Independent Contractor for multiple realtors (yay for mailings)
• Data Entry till I realized it was horrible.
• Circulation Assistant at the university library
• Tutor in the Writing Center
• Independent Contractor for editing resumes
• Resident Advisor
• Writing Fellow through the Writing Center
• Library Admin Asst. and Do-it-all
• Technical Writer and Editor for govt contractor

And this is why I got out of college in four years. Yay for work!

Congratulations!

To the new graduates!

6 a.m.

Reasons why I like getting to work at this time:

• My four-mile commute takes ten minutes instead of twenty
• The sun's just coming up
• Construction down the street hasn't started up yet
• Seven Corners isn't so scary with only five cars on it
  
• The office is sometimes still dark when I come in
• I get a prime parking spot in the garage
• It's really quiet and I can get my work done quickly
• No line for coffee
• I'm home by 2:30 p.m. giving me the rest of the day to goof off.
  

Reasons I don't:

• I like staying up past 9 p.m.
• I just can't do it
  

The Da Vinci Code.

So I finished this book on Monday.

Qualms:

1. Not imaginative
2. The clues are so freaking obvious that you don't need a cryptology degree to 'get' them.
3. Dan Brown needs to learn big words and use complex thoughts.
4. Don't explain things a million times through the book-- we usually pick up on things the first time.
5. All the French characters should have spoken entirely in French. With subtitles.
5. My response to the ending: "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?" as I threw the book on the living room floor.

Commentary:
1. This book is fiction. (OK, that was a fact, not a commentary.)
2. The upset over the book and it's portrayal of the Church can be a little offensive.
3. The books portrayal of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene (sp?) and the ideas surrounding them--in this book at least-- are fiction. Some think otherwise, I think insecurity in your own faith.
4. I don't think the book portrayed Opus Dei poorly, but portrayed a radical monk who practiced Opus Dei.
5. Catholics are cool.
6. Anglicans are cooler.

Notes:
a. I read this book because I wanted to see the movie. Apparently the movie sucks. Dammit.
b. The Last Temptation of Christ is one of my favorite films.
c. I was raised and celebrate in the Episcopal Church.

Weekend.

This weekend was spectacular.

Friday: The power went out in our building, so we got off work at 10:30am to telecommute the rest of the day. Grabbed lunch with Bennett and his friend Will (whom I realized I lived with in Dominion Junior year) at Red Hot and Blue in Fairfax. Talked and talked and talked and Bennett and I started laughing so hard we were crying trying to relate this man's stories from McSweeney's to Will. They're my favorites (A word of advice to toddlers in playgrounds: wait until the swing has come to a full and complete stop before falling asleep), if you ever have time to spare, you'll read all twenty dispatches.

After leaving Bennett and Will, I caught up with good pal Mallory for lunch part deux at Panera and then we were off to the mall to get some stuff for her from Sephora. I had never been there before, so it was a new experience and a little overwhelming-- or not. She dropped me off back at my car at the restaurant and I stopped inside the Petco next door to see if they had any animals I could play with. I found a cute baby (four months old) green conure. He was so sweet and all he wanted was his head scratched. I probably would have bought him if a.) Aaron wouldn't have killed me, and b.) he wasn't $350. Conures are sweet birds that are really really quiet (like lovebirds) and they're almost like dogs when it comes to their loyalty and attachment to their owner. I think I stayed with him for about half an hour before hitting the road.

Aaron wasn't due home from work for another hour so I drove out to Burke Lake Park to read my book (The Da Vinci Code-- I'll have another entry on this later). I was about to leave when this girl about my age came up to the parking lot playing with a boxer puppy she was pet-sitting. We talked about the dog and how boxers behave and stuff (I've secretly wanted one for a while now). The dog's name was Toby and he was five months old; still not full grown, but his feet were huge. The girl told me that male boxers are always larger than females and that if I like boxers, but scared they'll be too big, to get a female. He was a beautiful dog, and the girl was nice enough to talk to me. I think I may have embarrassed her because I was in my car when she walked up to hers and started playing with Toby, it was really funny to watch, but she was cool (and so was the pup).

Aaron was already home by the time we got there. We watched the Daily Shows he had recorded and got some dinner. We called it an early night since he still had to pack and get ready; he left for Chicago to see his family and relax a bit on Saturday (but he gets home tomorrow!).

Saturday: Saturday morning, Theresa came over and we went to the National Zoo! We had fun fun fun. The weather was overcast and humid, but it didn't rain, so it was good in that regard. The cheetahs were out and playing and I hopefully got some good shots with my telephoto (have to get the film developed). The gibbons were going crazy as usual and sounded like every firetruck in the metro area had converged on the park. The hippos were blob-like, the maned wolf was lounging, and the storks were as ugly as ever (like always). Seriously though, why do storks deliver babies if they're that ugly, why not a nice crane or something?







Highlights from the zoo include seeing the baby elephant, the naughty things we found in the petting zoo, and "Where the hell are the damn lemurs!" We also found that all the chimp sculptures in their little garden were anatomically correct (it was a little disturbing) and that I could fit my whole body inside the Trex skull-sculpture they had. There are a few more photos on the Flickr site, but still waiting on the film.

On our way home, we had lunch at a sidewalk cafe near the metro and stopped by American Apparel to look at the pretty colors. Theresa and I have decided to go on more adventures more often!

When I got back to Falls Church, I cleaned up and read more of my book (as mentioned above) and then headed over to the guys' (Carl, Joe, Joey, Curtis) house to hang out with the Hogan boys and play (or watch them play) some Halo. We had fun fun fun. I'm never drinking wine again (again, Kate, with the hyperboles).

Sunday: Sunday morning I picked up Mallory and we drove out to Warrenton. Malmo's moving off campus (yay for graduating!) and needed a bed. Mattresses are a lot like cars whereas they're cheaper if you buy them out in the country. She got an awesome queen-size pillowtop with free delivery (to Fairfax noless) and a frame for about a third the price she would have had to pay in town. That and I told the guy that all my family's mattresses and mine had come from this store-- workin' the deal, yo! I think we did awesome. She met my family and we were at the house for a bit before coming home. It was stormy and rainy, so I'm glad we left when we did.

That night I almost finished my book (finished the last thirty pages yesterday) and went to bed early to prepare for another week at work. I have a review coming up, so it's going to be busy with all this training I have to do.

So yes, that was my super-awesome weekend.

And the Wind Blew

It's got to be in the upper seventies today. And breezy, too.

I'm on my back porch, I thought I'd spend my downtime outside. I'm sitting here, in my little camp chair, labtop in hand (or lap, of course), my RC Cola's fizzing in its Baja Fresh Cinco de Mayo cup-- and all I can hear is the wind. Well, the wind and birds and back-hoes beeping and running in the site at the end of my street. But mostly the wind. Or do I only hear the trees and the grass and the azalea bushes, the vines and honeysuckle behind my house?

This was the sound I missed the most when I lived in Oklahoma. You could only hear it in a few places, my favorite, St. Crispin's Camp where I spent hours and hours outside. There were trees there, although not as many and not as tall as ones in Virginia, but they were there. Oklahoma is windy, but not the kind of windy you'd associate with here. There, the wind is relentless; it never stops, even for a moment to catch its breath. The sound it makes comes from its echo in your ears. Sometimes it's so loud you can't hear yourself think, other times you just tune it out.

My brothers used to fly kites when we lived there. Although not exactly a normal kind of kite with a tail-- but man, did they fly. We had a tarp in the back yard, the typical blue kind you'd buy at a hardware store; we'd pin it down with heavy stones we found in the school park behind our house. It was for the sand box, to keep the kitties out. My brothers took some rope and tied two pieces to opposite gromits in the corners (we blame the Boy Scouts for teaching them knots so well). The wind immediately filled the huge 10x10 piece of fabric, James held one rope, Phillip the other--the force dragging them down the access road past our backyard. They ruined a couple pairs of shoes this way, leaving their soles to the asphalt. Tarps, too.

They later got the brilliant idea to let Danny hold both ropes. Danny was no more than eight years old, and small for his age. I remember whenever Danny flew it always seemed he was in the air forever. Hearing my brothers laugh and giggle and yell all the while running after him down the road-- that was my favorite part.

After seeing Danny airborne for the first time, Mom grounded my brothers' hobby for good. No more tarp-adventures for these flyboys.

Bend.

You can tell a lot about a person by the way they bend. We've got a lot of benders at work, and by bender I mean literally 'to bend' rather than heavy drinking activity.

To enter my office building, one must swipe their badge and enter a code; pretty easy, but the number pad is lacking utility for people on both sides of the height scale. I might be considered tall, for a female; I'm five feet and eight inches barefoot. Our number pad comes up to the bottom of my sternum, where my chest stops and my abdomen begins. In order to type in my code, I have to contort my body-- not just bow my head-- and bend low enough to see the numbers that flip up on the pad.

There's no dicreet way about it, and so, I give you the many bends found at my workplace:

The Squat: After swiping badge, one literally squats before the number pad, legs apart just a bit and bent at the knees. Usually shorter, older men.

The Side-Step: Our subject approaches the number pad, but stands a little of to the side, and instead of bending forward, they bend to the side-- much like doing a side-stretch-- to access the number pad. Usually tall females.

The Hunchback: Only bends one's upper body-- the spine and shoulders-- to lose just enough height to see the number pad. I've seen subjects lose half their height in this move, it's quite amazing.

The Forward Fold: Just like in Yoga class, the subject keeps their body in a straight line, extending the spine to get that extra height. Bending at the hip-points, this subject doesn't stop until their body has made a nintey-degree angle. At this point they bend their head up to see the number pad and type in their code. Usually performed by young females.

The Sitter: Much like the squat, but Sitters keep their legs tightly together at the knees. This move is handy when wearing a short skirt.

The Catcher: After swiping badge, these subjects go into a low squat, legs wide apart to type in their code. Subjects often tall males in formal business attire.

The Strainer: The Strainer is a funny character. This one's not quite as willing to bend as much as others I've observed. These subjects approach the number pad exuding total confidence. Standing up straight and very close to the pad, they bow their heads as much as possible, chin(s) hitting chest, and without bending type in their number. These subjects usually mis-type their code and have to choose from one of the many bends to correct it. The Strainers are typically men in front of females or their bosses.

The Hold and Bend: The subjects that perform this kind of nonchalante move are quite funny. These are the type of people you want to be your friends. This move is very informal and requires less preparation than the others: Approach the numberpad, hold on to the numberpad-box by wrapping your hand and lower arm around it, bend over like you're hugging the thing and type in your number with your other hand.

The I Don't Care so I'm Going to Sneak in Behind this Person: This move usually doesn't work since there's a security guard waiting just past the entrance. Subject is relegated to type in their code using one of the previously mentioned positions.

The Hands Full: This one's a little tricky. The subject sets travel mug on top of numberpad box and shifts weight towards the door; subject then types in number with free hand and then grabs the door after the unlock 'click' with same free hand. At this point, subject throws leg inside door while simultaneously grabbing travel mug from numberpad. If the door coming down on subject's leg has not shattered her tibia, subject insert's knee into door and wedges her (I mean 'their') body inside. Kind gentleman holds elevator for subject, but subject is delayed by Security guard as the subject did not hold up their badge while coming in. Security guard approaches and does The Forward Fold to see subject's ID badge handing from its lanyard around her neck. Elevator starts beeping as kind gentleman still holds the door open. "Good morning, thank you for holding the door for me." This move is usually pulled by a certain employee named Kate on Wednesday mornings.

So, which move are you?

Thoughts on the Metro

Covertly, one can take pictures of almost anything on the Metro, and so she did: a guy with a traumatic scar on his leg, band-aids seemingly fused and lost in his former wound; a child swinging around a pole -- losing his balance as the train swayed back and forth. But there are things you don't take pictures of, and, at the time, I didn't have an answer for my friend when she asked, "But why can't I?"

It's just an understanding.

Our other friend pointed them out-- the sweet couple a few rows back on the train; she was sleeping, resting on her husband's shoulder so comfortably you knew they were soulmates. Although I would have liked to have seen it, a copy of the New York Times Book Review kept her face from me. Her curled, short, pewter-colored hair rested against his chin. Her husband, in a straw, fedora-like hat, held his chin at an angle almost perpendicular to the paper, reading through his bifocals. He had a wide mouth and dark eyebrows, spots of age didn't overwhelm his sharp face. He and his wife were on their way home, late on a Sunday night, just like us-- only she fell asleep, her head in that familiar place she'd known for years. He didn't move but to turn the page of his paper; his shoulder may have been asleep, but she was too.

This is bliss. You don't take a picture of it, but you take it with you if you can. Something so simple and familiar that it means the world -- whether you're inside and part of it or outside looking in. And that's the understanding.