We braved the cold in the end, and went to Southside's for dinner, or more exactly, a plate of nachos and lots of PG and Miller Lite!!
We had a lot of running around to do today, and that has been what we've done! We headed to Pentagon Mall first for Estee Lauder shopping and much needed Starbucks. Then we were going to go to Pentagon Row for chocolate at World Market, but got in the wrong lane and ended up on the I-395 (someone forgot to pick up the satnav....), so detoured to Target to buy more blankets and bedding so our visitors don't freeze to death when they get here in a week or two. Then onto Barnes and Noble for some books for me. We then got the car washed and vacuumed. Then we headed round to Kingstowne Mall to go to the World Market there...which is when things slowed down! First of all, Stephen came off at the wrong exit, so we had to take the scenic route, and then the traffic ground to a halt. We crawled along for the best part of an hour (and we were only going a few miles!), eventually got to blue flashy lights...three police cars and a fire truck...as a bus had rear-ended an X5 (just the Auxiliary Braking System being put into use). By the time we got to the mall we were starving, so stopped into Johnny Rockets for a burger, before heading to World Market. We bought a fairly obscene amount of chocolate! I was really quite excited to find After Eights!! We staggered back to the car under the weight of digestive biscuits, ambrosia creamed rice (another of my "sick foods"!), stock cubes and chocolate...and discovered that they hadn't vacuumed the boot!!! It was still covered in pine needles from the Christmas tree....
Sunday 27 January 2008
Baby, its cold outside....
It has been frikkin' freezing here for days now! It has barely scraped about freezing for around a week...and it was -6C during the day (-12C at night!!) last Sunday. C.O.L.D.!!! Because of this (and because I've been poorly) I wasn't up for venturing out last night...even if it was only 4 blocks to get a pizza. So Stephen kindly went to bring the pizza to me! We had a carpet picnic in front of the fire - fun!
He went along to the Weekend office with Paul. It was billed on the website as the Alan Walker (see I remembered!) band playing, but he sent me a text to say..."its the bass player and his band" at which point I was incredibly relieved I didn't go! Last time we saw then we left early as I got so terribly bored listening to the two (count them!) TWO extended bass guitar solos in each song. It was really self-indulgent and pretty crap! Maybe someone had a word with them (when the clientele walked out early) as last night they played their concert set...which was more Latin American Santana style stuff. Stephen said they were awesome, and he and Paul stayed to the end.
Awwww...poorly Kerry! My first time upright for days!!We ventured into DC this afternoon, and went to the National Portrait Museum. Its beside Chinatown and the Verizon Centre, and is really very interesting. They have portraits of all the American Presidents on display along with some pertinent facts about their presidency, all of which was fascinating. Its a big place, with some great permanent displays. The Civil War portraits were fascinating - living in Old Town (where he was born), on Lee St it was interesting to see what the great Robert E. Lee actually looked like! I was also fascinated to see photographs of Ulysses Grant and Abraham Lincoln outside tents at Civil War battles. I guess I hadn't worked out the timeline enough, and was surprised that photography existed back then! (Just checked Wiki - it was still new - only 40 years since the first photo to the start of the war.)
It wasn't just the painting that were interesting! The building itself was lovely. It had a really gorgeous courtyard with panels of running water in the floor, and the most incredible ceiling. The gift shop was also fabulous! I got a rather colourful stripy glass plate - very vibrant!!
We're now debating whether to scamper up to Southside's for dinner, or whether to hunker down in front of the fire and eat something from the freezer. Conversation has been like the song...
I really can't stay - Baby it's cold outside
I've got to go away - Baby it's cold outside
My tummy is starting to rumble - Listen to the fireplace roar
So really we'd better scurry - Darling, what's your hurry
well Maybe just a half a drink more - Put some music on while I pour
Our route to work (and into DC) along the GW Parkway.The Monument shines in the distance.
The Washington and the Jefferson - in the car en-route to DC
Chinatown, NW DC
YeeHaw! Outside the Gallery
Baby, its COLD outside!
The Courtyard of the Museum
A Close up of the courtyard roof
The One. The Only. The Man. The Legend....George WashingtonThursday 24 January 2008
Yummy, yummy, yummy, I want bread in my tummy
I dragged my sorry butt out of bed this morning, and into work. It was kind of tough being awake during daylight hours, but I survived! I was getting bored at home. When I wasn't sleeping I was reading, and I had finished all the books I had still to read...and some of these were more challenging that my enfeebled brain was truly up for!! I must buy some "In case of emergency, break glass" trash...sometimes only Jilly will do!!
I was catching up with e-mails and phone calls today...Helen had sent me the most hilarious video clip I had seen in ages! The office now think I'm totally (as opposed to just slightly) nuts as I was sitting with shoulders shaking and tears streaming...and congested piggy snorts of laughter (which I was trying so hard to suppress) erupting from me!! I also spoke to my lovely former boss (Hi Andy!) and we had a bit of a catch up and good old gossip.
I'm now sitting in front of roaring fire, having feasted on baked potato and cheese prepared in gourmet fashion by the Gordon Ramsay* of Lee St. (*Gordon Ramsay in that he's Scottish and swears a lot....). I have been really craving nursery food for the past few days...the only problem being that you can't get it here easily...or at all!! My "sick food" of choice is Heinz cream of chicken soup....nope! You can get Tomato, which is a good second, but not chicken. I wanted Digestive biscuits too (I'm a secret dunker when I'm ill), bu I haven't seen those in the shops here for ages! I won't even get onto how much I wanted mum's patented "curly fish".... Finally my tummy demanded something I could actually get!! I wanted bread and proper butter. I begged (demanded) Stephen to stop at Balducci's in order to get Lurpak. This was definitely one of those moments when ONLY Lurpak would do!!
Gordon - sorry - Stephen is out with the Paul's again this evening. So I'm going to settle down in front of the fire with a book. D'Oh! That's right! I've read them all! There's a trip to Barnes & Noble coming on....
I was catching up with e-mails and phone calls today...Helen had sent me the most hilarious video clip I had seen in ages! The office now think I'm totally (as opposed to just slightly) nuts as I was sitting with shoulders shaking and tears streaming...and congested piggy snorts of laughter (which I was trying so hard to suppress) erupting from me!! I also spoke to my lovely former boss (Hi Andy!) and we had a bit of a catch up and good old gossip.
I'm now sitting in front of roaring fire, having feasted on baked potato and cheese prepared in gourmet fashion by the Gordon Ramsay* of Lee St. (*Gordon Ramsay in that he's Scottish and swears a lot....). I have been really craving nursery food for the past few days...the only problem being that you can't get it here easily...or at all!! My "sick food" of choice is Heinz cream of chicken soup....nope! You can get Tomato, which is a good second, but not chicken. I wanted Digestive biscuits too (I'm a secret dunker when I'm ill), bu I haven't seen those in the shops here for ages! I won't even get onto how much I wanted mum's patented "curly fish".... Finally my tummy demanded something I could actually get!! I wanted bread and proper butter. I begged (demanded) Stephen to stop at Balducci's in order to get Lurpak. This was definitely one of those moments when ONLY Lurpak would do!!
Gordon - sorry - Stephen is out with the Paul's again this evening. So I'm going to settle down in front of the fire with a book. D'Oh! That's right! I've read them all! There's a trip to Barnes & Noble coming on....
Wednesday 23 January 2008
Atisshoo, atisshoo....
You must be thinking "Wow, Stephen and Kerry must have had a really busy weekend, as they've not posted for a week now". Sadly not! And it was a holiday weekend too...
We were out with Paul, Paul, Dawn and a lovely girl from Chicago we are trying to recruit on Thursday. Nice meal in the Warehouse, drinks in O'Connells and then Stephen drove home through the slush (it snowed on Thursday, but was thawing by evening).
Work was stupendously busy on Friday. I was booking travel for about half the office, including one difficult cross-country trip by one of the BD guys which was getting increasingly complicated, and started with a flight to Dallas. I got him flight details to Dallas/Fort Worth, but then he tells me he wants to fly into Dallas Love...which is a different airport! The travel people came back with really convoluted flights, and I thought I should just check where exactly it was in relation to Dallas/FW....turns out its only 30 minutes drive away!! Problem solved, get a rental car. So, finally, we get all the flights sorted out and then he sends me an e-mail telling me the Dallas meeting was cancelled...he did buy me a Starbucks to make up for being a pain (his words!). As well as his complicated tour, there were people flying off all over the place last weekend - and one person who was doing a simple trip in over a weeks time. He is incredibly uptight about his travel and you have a 5 minute window to get his trip booked before he starts to get agitated. Not always possible given than our primary travel consultant is resident in California!!
We finally staggered out about 5:30, and I came home for a quick sleep before we headed out. This should have been a warning sign!! We went along to Mai Thai for dinner (and had some of the most disgusting steamed dumplings I have ever tasted!), but by the end of the meal (which was better than the dumplings!) I was feeling rather cold and shivery so we came home rather than heading to the weekend office for hot jazz and cool drinks.
I don't think either of us stepped over the door on Saturday. Stephen spent it playing his guitar and I spent it on the sofa in front of the fire either asleep or watching movies. Feeling decidedly ropey.
Sunday was a cold day. I think the temp bottomed out about -6C during the day and -12C by about 11pm. I was supposed to be going to Tanner's with Alyssa for a girls night with catering courtesy of the Marine Corp (Stephan). I realised about 11am that I was not going to make it, so had to call off much to my disappointment. After an hour or so sitting on the sofa in front of a roaring fire wearing 3 jumpers and wrapped in a couple of throws I was still cold, achy and shivery, so I went to bed and piled on the quilts...and didn't get up until today. I think I managed to worry Stephen a little with the "so cold" moments, despite (apparently) being the temperature of a blast furnace!!
So, as you see, once again I succumbed to the flu/cold thing that is doing the rounds. We seem to be cross-contaminating each other in the office! Just when you think you've got rid of it you get it back again!! I made a joke last week and said that the office was like the rail yard scene in Gone with the Wind - sick people stretched out as far as the eye can see. I didn't expect to be one of the casualties!! "Dr Merryweather? Oh, fiddle-dee-dee, where is Dr Merryweather?"
Stephen had a much livelier time. He was out with the two Paul's for a boys curry and beer night on Sunday. He had chicken tandoori, which appeared to be chicken in tomato soup! (But as tomato soup is hard to come by, perhaps he shouldn't complain!). They were just settled in to a bar to watch the final few minutes of the playoffs for the Superbowl, when he got a call from the other Paul saying he's locked himself out of the office (again) and could he be rescued as he needed his laptop...Stephen had already done the Lone Ranger thing earlier and ridden to his rescue in the afternoon!!
We were out with Paul, Paul, Dawn and a lovely girl from Chicago we are trying to recruit on Thursday. Nice meal in the Warehouse, drinks in O'Connells and then Stephen drove home through the slush (it snowed on Thursday, but was thawing by evening).
Work was stupendously busy on Friday. I was booking travel for about half the office, including one difficult cross-country trip by one of the BD guys which was getting increasingly complicated, and started with a flight to Dallas. I got him flight details to Dallas/Fort Worth, but then he tells me he wants to fly into Dallas Love...which is a different airport! The travel people came back with really convoluted flights, and I thought I should just check where exactly it was in relation to Dallas/FW....turns out its only 30 minutes drive away!! Problem solved, get a rental car. So, finally, we get all the flights sorted out and then he sends me an e-mail telling me the Dallas meeting was cancelled...he did buy me a Starbucks to make up for being a pain (his words!). As well as his complicated tour, there were people flying off all over the place last weekend - and one person who was doing a simple trip in over a weeks time. He is incredibly uptight about his travel and you have a 5 minute window to get his trip booked before he starts to get agitated. Not always possible given than our primary travel consultant is resident in California!!
We finally staggered out about 5:30, and I came home for a quick sleep before we headed out. This should have been a warning sign!! We went along to Mai Thai for dinner (and had some of the most disgusting steamed dumplings I have ever tasted!), but by the end of the meal (which was better than the dumplings!) I was feeling rather cold and shivery so we came home rather than heading to the weekend office for hot jazz and cool drinks.
I don't think either of us stepped over the door on Saturday. Stephen spent it playing his guitar and I spent it on the sofa in front of the fire either asleep or watching movies. Feeling decidedly ropey.
Sunday was a cold day. I think the temp bottomed out about -6C during the day and -12C by about 11pm. I was supposed to be going to Tanner's with Alyssa for a girls night with catering courtesy of the Marine Corp (Stephan). I realised about 11am that I was not going to make it, so had to call off much to my disappointment. After an hour or so sitting on the sofa in front of a roaring fire wearing 3 jumpers and wrapped in a couple of throws I was still cold, achy and shivery, so I went to bed and piled on the quilts...and didn't get up until today. I think I managed to worry Stephen a little with the "so cold" moments, despite (apparently) being the temperature of a blast furnace!!
So, as you see, once again I succumbed to the flu/cold thing that is doing the rounds. We seem to be cross-contaminating each other in the office! Just when you think you've got rid of it you get it back again!! I made a joke last week and said that the office was like the rail yard scene in Gone with the Wind - sick people stretched out as far as the eye can see. I didn't expect to be one of the casualties!! "Dr Merryweather? Oh, fiddle-dee-dee, where is Dr Merryweather?"
Stephen had a much livelier time. He was out with the two Paul's for a boys curry and beer night on Sunday. He had chicken tandoori, which appeared to be chicken in tomato soup! (But as tomato soup is hard to come by, perhaps he shouldn't complain!). They were just settled in to a bar to watch the final few minutes of the playoffs for the Superbowl, when he got a call from the other Paul saying he's locked himself out of the office (again) and could he be rescued as he needed his laptop...Stephen had already done the Lone Ranger thing earlier and ridden to his rescue in the afternoon!!
Wednesday 16 January 2008
Last night I went to a fight, and a hockey match broke out...
I was a grumpy girl yesterday...I tried really hard to shake it off, but it wasn't happening. There was stubborn grumpiness there that was not for lifting! It was one of those days when I needed maximum patience, and lives were imperiled because the reserves were not there!
It was the day of our hockey outing, and I spent a large portion of the day trying to deal with people wanting extra tickets, people deciding that they weren't going to go but not telling me, trying to match the extra tickets with those that wanted them, people asking for tickets for some UK staff and then finally (when I had gone through pain and sorted out a few spares) telling me that he wasn't sure if the UK people could actually make it - after a day of whining about it to me!! Not good!! Stress levels were high - and this was supposed to be a fun outing!!!
We came home to get changed and picked up Paul for the drive back to the Verizon centre. We had some fun times trying to get parked! The Verizon centre has a 10,000 space car park...and it was closed!!!! It was permit holders only last night. We drove round and round...all the meters were 2 hours (not long enough) and all the parking garages were full. Eventually we passed a garage that was open, and had spaces. I said we passed it...literally we had driven past it and had to reverse back up the street to go in!!!
After a quick sprint down the street in the sub-zero temperatures we got into the area and made our way to the seats...in the roof! These were real nose-bleed seats! I'm sure I saw the ghosts of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tensing leading people to their seats!! And steep! Oh, how very steep....I had a real attack of the vertigo vapours when I got to the row and had to get past people to get to the seats. I was actually hugging virtual strangers as I was handed along the row, knees knocking....There are UK employees I know a lot better now than I did on Monday!!!!
The game was good! I didn't understand what was going on, but it didn't seem to matter too much! Stephen (who seems to understand most US sports) tried to explain the offside rule to me but I could actually feel my brain beginning to dribble from my ears so I had to ask him to stop. I understand offside in soccer. I even kind of understand the 1st and 10/4th and down thing in football (the American kind). But the offside rule in hockey was enough to make me need alcohol!! The Capitals (Caps) won by 4 goals to 2. It was a close match, until the end when we scored twice in a few minutes. It was amazing that 60 minutes of sporting action can actually take so long to play! There weren't even many stoppages for fights (and I had been promised blood on the ice!) and yet it still took 2 1/2 hours to play the match. There are 3 x 20 minute periods and between periods there is a 15 minute interval (so you can get more food/beer). So, doing the math, that leaves 1 hour of "on field" stoppages during the game!! I was a bit surprised how quiet the crowds were. As a veteran of a few Rangers v Celtic matches (which are deafening) I was expecting a little more crowd noise. Most of the atmosphere was generated by the organ playing, the announcer and the blast of a pop song when there was a Power Play (which I think is when the opposing team has a man sent to the sin bin - that was the only bit I understood!).
Stephen went down to buy a Capitals shirt and came back looking pretty shocked a few minutes later. "You will never believe how much they cost"..."$35", "I would definitely have bought it if it was only $35", "$50...$100", "Even $100 was cheap", "$150...$175...surely it can't have been $200!!". It was actually $190 for a shirt!!!! Can you believe that?? I'm taking him to Target this weekend - I'm sure they'll only cost $7.95 there!!!!
It was the day of our hockey outing, and I spent a large portion of the day trying to deal with people wanting extra tickets, people deciding that they weren't going to go but not telling me, trying to match the extra tickets with those that wanted them, people asking for tickets for some UK staff and then finally (when I had gone through pain and sorted out a few spares) telling me that he wasn't sure if the UK people could actually make it - after a day of whining about it to me!! Not good!! Stress levels were high - and this was supposed to be a fun outing!!!
We came home to get changed and picked up Paul for the drive back to the Verizon centre. We had some fun times trying to get parked! The Verizon centre has a 10,000 space car park...and it was closed!!!! It was permit holders only last night. We drove round and round...all the meters were 2 hours (not long enough) and all the parking garages were full. Eventually we passed a garage that was open, and had spaces. I said we passed it...literally we had driven past it and had to reverse back up the street to go in!!!
After a quick sprint down the street in the sub-zero temperatures we got into the area and made our way to the seats...in the roof! These were real nose-bleed seats! I'm sure I saw the ghosts of Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tensing leading people to their seats!! And steep! Oh, how very steep....I had a real attack of the vertigo vapours when I got to the row and had to get past people to get to the seats. I was actually hugging virtual strangers as I was handed along the row, knees knocking....There are UK employees I know a lot better now than I did on Monday!!!!
The game was good! I didn't understand what was going on, but it didn't seem to matter too much! Stephen (who seems to understand most US sports) tried to explain the offside rule to me but I could actually feel my brain beginning to dribble from my ears so I had to ask him to stop. I understand offside in soccer. I even kind of understand the 1st and 10/4th and down thing in football (the American kind). But the offside rule in hockey was enough to make me need alcohol!! The Capitals (Caps) won by 4 goals to 2. It was a close match, until the end when we scored twice in a few minutes. It was amazing that 60 minutes of sporting action can actually take so long to play! There weren't even many stoppages for fights (and I had been promised blood on the ice!) and yet it still took 2 1/2 hours to play the match. There are 3 x 20 minute periods and between periods there is a 15 minute interval (so you can get more food/beer). So, doing the math, that leaves 1 hour of "on field" stoppages during the game!! I was a bit surprised how quiet the crowds were. As a veteran of a few Rangers v Celtic matches (which are deafening) I was expecting a little more crowd noise. Most of the atmosphere was generated by the organ playing, the announcer and the blast of a pop song when there was a Power Play (which I think is when the opposing team has a man sent to the sin bin - that was the only bit I understood!).
Stephen went down to buy a Capitals shirt and came back looking pretty shocked a few minutes later. "You will never believe how much they cost"..."$35", "I would definitely have bought it if it was only $35", "$50...$100", "Even $100 was cheap", "$150...$175...surely it can't have been $200!!". It was actually $190 for a shirt!!!! Can you believe that?? I'm taking him to Target this weekend - I'm sure they'll only cost $7.95 there!!!!
Tuesday 15 January 2008
Stop moaning!
We went out for dinner tonight with Andrew and Jonathan from Malvern. Drinks in O'Connells (of course!) and dinner in Overwoods. It was a really enjoyable evening. Stephen (thinking it was still as mild as the weekend), had gone out without a scarf and was moaning that he was cold. Being a VERY good wife (and because I couldn't stand the whining for a second longer!) I felt compelled to relinquish my lovely cosy scarf to keep him warm. I am truly some kind of saint, am I not?
Monday 14 January 2008
Oops!
I had just sat down in the staff meeting this morning when Rudy, very generously, decided to share his coffee....with the table, my notebook and my trousers!!! It was a full cup, and kinda hot!! Thankfully no lasting damage (apart from my notebook!), and thankfully Stephen was out getting the car serviced near the house, so I was able to divert him home to get me a fresh pair of trousers as I was stinking of coffee and damp from the thighs down. On the plus side it put quite a good shine on my shoes!!
Sunday 13 January 2008
Jean jeanie
I have bought my first pair of jeans in something like 30 years! In fact, as they were in the sale, I have bought my first two pairs of jeans!! (I think the levi's were a whole $8!). One pair are, er, slightly more form fitting that the other...they look good, and as long as I don't have to sit down or bend over then they are great!! The other pair have spandex in them and are a lot more forgiving of the bumps, lumps and muffin top!! There are sales galore on at the moment, so I bought some jumpers yesterday too. There was extra discount at the till and I paid only $17 each for them... I'm slightly worried that I might be starting to dress like a Yank. One of the jumpers was a diamond pattern "golf" jumper, and I'm sure I wouldn't have been seen dead in that 6 months ago...yet now I think its rather nice. If anyone ever sees me in a pair of check shorts and a white cardigan with Barbara Bush hair then you have my permission to shoot me.....
We headed out last night for beers and pizza, and thought we would start in O'Connells (always a good place to start!). We ordered drinks from the waiter and waited...and waited some more. Stephen said that he could have gone to the bar, got the drinks, drunk the drinks and be having dinner by now. I thought that we could have got on a plane to St Louis, brewed the beer, got back on a plane, drunk the beer and be having dinner. Anyway, whilst we were waiting Stephen spied Morag and Simon across the bar, so he went over to say hello whilst I guarded the precious table and waited for the drinks. Finally the drinks showed up, and the waiter was really apologetic. A couple on one of his tables had left without paying their bill and he had had to give chase down King St....
Morag and Simon had also bumped into Trevor and Sherree whom none of us had seen since Simon's 40th at the beginning of July. It was lovely (and unexpected!) to see everyone, so we all hooked up and went for tapas (delicious!). As Morag and I were saying, if we had tried to plan this we would never have got everyone together on the same night if we had tried for a year!!
The other bit of excitement today (aside from buying my first jeans in 30 years) was that we went to Harris Teeter and bought British food...baked beans, Heinz tomato soup, Hob Nobs...all the stuff you can't get in the regular Safeway, but sometimes really crave!! I just need to find oxo cubes and back bacon and we'll be sorted!
We headed out last night for beers and pizza, and thought we would start in O'Connells (always a good place to start!). We ordered drinks from the waiter and waited...and waited some more. Stephen said that he could have gone to the bar, got the drinks, drunk the drinks and be having dinner by now. I thought that we could have got on a plane to St Louis, brewed the beer, got back on a plane, drunk the beer and be having dinner. Anyway, whilst we were waiting Stephen spied Morag and Simon across the bar, so he went over to say hello whilst I guarded the precious table and waited for the drinks. Finally the drinks showed up, and the waiter was really apologetic. A couple on one of his tables had left without paying their bill and he had had to give chase down King St....
Morag and Simon had also bumped into Trevor and Sherree whom none of us had seen since Simon's 40th at the beginning of July. It was lovely (and unexpected!) to see everyone, so we all hooked up and went for tapas (delicious!). As Morag and I were saying, if we had tried to plan this we would never have got everyone together on the same night if we had tried for a year!!
The other bit of excitement today (aside from buying my first jeans in 30 years) was that we went to Harris Teeter and bought British food...baked beans, Heinz tomato soup, Hob Nobs...all the stuff you can't get in the regular Safeway, but sometimes really crave!! I just need to find oxo cubes and back bacon and we'll be sorted!
Saturday 12 January 2008
Driving Miss Kerry...
I got my Ollie back from San Diego last night - thankfully without further incident! As I've spent the past few days eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner (I am SO bad at making proper food when it's just me here!), and having missed lunch we went out for a most delicious steak dinner at the Warehouse. It was utterly scrummy!!!! Then we wandered over to the Weekend Office to hear the band. It was a 5 piece Blues band that were playing, and they were really rather excellent. Possibly the best band that we've seen in there actually. We were walking home and trying to work out a way of remembering what they were called in order to look up when they were playing again...so we saw the Alan (braidwood - john) Walker Band.
We were not up early this morning. We were up way past my bedtime last night!!! Stephen was on West Coast time so he was fine, but I was practically asleep in my pinot grigio towards the end of the evening! We are up at the butt-crack of dawn every day, so I figure that an occasional lie in til 9:00 is okay. (The upside of being up so early, is that there have been some beautiful sunrises as I've been driving into work this week.) It was a gorgeous day today. Blue sky, fairly mild temperatures...a day for going out and seeing things! I decided that going to Eastern Market was just the thing for a Saturday morning. They have an arts market on a Saturday, as well as a food market. It was quite good, but not as big as I had imagined it to be. There were some stalls selling rather stunning photos of DC. I have decided that Stephen and I need to go through our photos as we have some rather stunning photos of our own, but we take them, download them and never really look at them again!!!
Eastern Market is in the Capitol Hill area of DC, so we debated whether we should drive in or take the metro...we decided to drive. Parking was challenging! We quartered the streets and eventually found a space...but it was on the other side of the street. Its one of the laws here that you have to park facing the direction of traffic, so as it was a little side street Stephen decided to do a 3 point turn so we'd be facing the correct way. Do you remember the scene in Austin Powers where Austin is trying to turn a buggy round in a corridor and is inching forward 2 inches and back 2 inches....well I was beginning to think that we were doing a pretty good re-enactment of that movie moment!!! After executing a perfect 25-point turn we got parked - yay!
I have told Stephen to go an buy a GPS system! I'm pretty good at map-reading, but I do find it stressful, especially as they are partial to signing the exits about 2 yards before you actually turn off, so I'm often having to work out how we get back to where we should be as we sail past our exit...or we're left trying to cross 4 lanes of traffic in 100 yards to get to the exit!
I was nagging Stephen this morning. Obviously drivers in San Diego are a little more laid back than here, because he came home and was leaving YARDS between us and the car in front as we were driving along! If you do that here people are on the horn in seconds! To be a courteous DC driver you need to drive about 10 feet from the car in front, maybe 15 feet if you are travelling over 40mph....which does have its disadvantages sometimes!! I was driving home last night, and there was a police car with it's lights flashing pulled over about a block ahead. I didn't think much about it until I practically ran into the back of the car in front! We were doing about 25mph in regulation 10 feet apart formation, and as soon as he saw the police car he (rather unexpectedly!) slammed on the anchors and then did a highly illegal u-turn with tyres screeching. As I drive a tank there was a strong possibility that I would just have run over the top of him, but I managed to stop, as did the car behind me...but only just!! I wonder what heinous crime he had committed to want to avoid driving past a police car, and risk totalling his car in a multi-car pile up!!!!
We were not up early this morning. We were up way past my bedtime last night!!! Stephen was on West Coast time so he was fine, but I was practically asleep in my pinot grigio towards the end of the evening! We are up at the butt-crack of dawn every day, so I figure that an occasional lie in til 9:00 is okay. (The upside of being up so early, is that there have been some beautiful sunrises as I've been driving into work this week.) It was a gorgeous day today. Blue sky, fairly mild temperatures...a day for going out and seeing things! I decided that going to Eastern Market was just the thing for a Saturday morning. They have an arts market on a Saturday, as well as a food market. It was quite good, but not as big as I had imagined it to be. There were some stalls selling rather stunning photos of DC. I have decided that Stephen and I need to go through our photos as we have some rather stunning photos of our own, but we take them, download them and never really look at them again!!!
Eastern Market is in the Capitol Hill area of DC, so we debated whether we should drive in or take the metro...we decided to drive. Parking was challenging! We quartered the streets and eventually found a space...but it was on the other side of the street. Its one of the laws here that you have to park facing the direction of traffic, so as it was a little side street Stephen decided to do a 3 point turn so we'd be facing the correct way. Do you remember the scene in Austin Powers where Austin is trying to turn a buggy round in a corridor and is inching forward 2 inches and back 2 inches....well I was beginning to think that we were doing a pretty good re-enactment of that movie moment!!! After executing a perfect 25-point turn we got parked - yay!
I have told Stephen to go an buy a GPS system! I'm pretty good at map-reading, but I do find it stressful, especially as they are partial to signing the exits about 2 yards before you actually turn off, so I'm often having to work out how we get back to where we should be as we sail past our exit...or we're left trying to cross 4 lanes of traffic in 100 yards to get to the exit!
I was nagging Stephen this morning. Obviously drivers in San Diego are a little more laid back than here, because he came home and was leaving YARDS between us and the car in front as we were driving along! If you do that here people are on the horn in seconds! To be a courteous DC driver you need to drive about 10 feet from the car in front, maybe 15 feet if you are travelling over 40mph....which does have its disadvantages sometimes!! I was driving home last night, and there was a police car with it's lights flashing pulled over about a block ahead. I didn't think much about it until I practically ran into the back of the car in front! We were doing about 25mph in regulation 10 feet apart formation, and as soon as he saw the police car he (rather unexpectedly!) slammed on the anchors and then did a highly illegal u-turn with tyres screeching. As I drive a tank there was a strong possibility that I would just have run over the top of him, but I managed to stop, as did the car behind me...but only just!! I wonder what heinous crime he had committed to want to avoid driving past a police car, and risk totalling his car in a multi-car pile up!!!!
Wednesday 9 January 2008
Stan and Ollie hit the road again
Lots to report! Hils has headed home to the UK (damned work getting in the way again!), and Alyssa has left the Inc, which means that I'm now the only remaining member of the Gang of 4 Ladies what Lunch... all my buddies are leaving me...maybe I should invest in different perfume/stronger deodorant!!!
We've been having unseasonably warm weather for the past few days. It was 70 degrees F when I was driving home tonight - and that was at 6:30. We've had beautiful blue sky weather - absolutely fantastic. It really lifts my spirits (I'm a little SAD sometimes). I think its to get cold again at the weekend, and the forecasters are talking of snow next week.
The office has been decimated by illness for the past few week. Poor Colin was in the office for a few hours on Monday, and he really shouldn't have been. He had to have emergency surgery just before New Year and has a bit scar and lots of staples. One of the VP's was coughing up a lung today, and was back to the Doc's to try and get something for it. Everyone else is at various stages of the cold thing that is doing the rounds of the office. Paul came back from the UK this afternoon and asked "Where the &$%# is everyone?". As I pointed out...we're all sick (on many different levels!!).
My lovely Xmas tree came down at the weekend, so it's all looking a little bare and empty. Even my "visible from space lights" came down (although everyone else in Old Town still seems to have them up), so outside is bare too. I think Valentine's is the next holiday to be celebrated, but I'm not sure that I'm going to be swathing the house in hearts and red lights!!
Stan and Ollie are in California again. I'm not sure that we should ever let Stephen and Simon travel together again - they don't even have to be together for chaos to ensue!! Stephen was booked on a 12 noon flight to San Diego yesterday, but the airline kept delaying the flight, and delaying the flight, and delaying the flight. Finally, about 6:30 he called me to say he was on a plane. Then about 7pm he called me to say the plane was broken and they were having to transfer to another plan. I think they finally took off at 8pm - a delay of a mere 8 hours. Then when he finally got to San Diego it turned out that Dollar cancel reservations if you don't pick up the car within 2 hours of the booking time. Which meant that they didn't have a car for him...so they gave him a van!! At least no-one will be tempted to steal this one from valet parking!!
We've been having unseasonably warm weather for the past few days. It was 70 degrees F when I was driving home tonight - and that was at 6:30. We've had beautiful blue sky weather - absolutely fantastic. It really lifts my spirits (I'm a little SAD sometimes). I think its to get cold again at the weekend, and the forecasters are talking of snow next week.
The office has been decimated by illness for the past few week. Poor Colin was in the office for a few hours on Monday, and he really shouldn't have been. He had to have emergency surgery just before New Year and has a bit scar and lots of staples. One of the VP's was coughing up a lung today, and was back to the Doc's to try and get something for it. Everyone else is at various stages of the cold thing that is doing the rounds of the office. Paul came back from the UK this afternoon and asked "Where the &$%# is everyone?". As I pointed out...we're all sick (on many different levels!!).
My lovely Xmas tree came down at the weekend, so it's all looking a little bare and empty. Even my "visible from space lights" came down (although everyone else in Old Town still seems to have them up), so outside is bare too. I think Valentine's is the next holiday to be celebrated, but I'm not sure that I'm going to be swathing the house in hearts and red lights!!
Stan and Ollie are in California again. I'm not sure that we should ever let Stephen and Simon travel together again - they don't even have to be together for chaos to ensue!! Stephen was booked on a 12 noon flight to San Diego yesterday, but the airline kept delaying the flight, and delaying the flight, and delaying the flight. Finally, about 6:30 he called me to say he was on a plane. Then about 7pm he called me to say the plane was broken and they were having to transfer to another plan. I think they finally took off at 8pm - a delay of a mere 8 hours. Then when he finally got to San Diego it turned out that Dollar cancel reservations if you don't pick up the car within 2 hours of the booking time. Which meant that they didn't have a car for him...so they gave him a van!! At least no-one will be tempted to steal this one from valet parking!!
Thursday 3 January 2008
New Years - celebrating the American way
Apologies for not posting - I came down with a bad cold on the 1st and have spent the past couple of days in bed asleep, with a nose that could run in the Olympics for Scotland and a temperature which would allow the frying of eggs on my forehead! However, I have now woken up after another mammoth sleep and feel a lot better...
I must have sensed I was going to be ill when I came back, as on the Sunday we got home I dragged Stephen round Safeway to do a massive food shopping and then came back and cooked massive quantities of food to stock the freezer. So, at least there has been something decent to eat...maybe not the homemade soup I've been craving, but something nice and not some weird-ass American flavour combination! I also began the task of doing the holiday laundry, which has to be the worst bit about going away. It was pouring with rain when we left St Lucia and I suspect that our cases may have been outside for a bit, as everything in them felt kind of damp...which meant, as Stephen had not been a discriminating packer, that I had to wash about 400 t-shirts which hadn't actually been worn. Grrrrrr.
On New Years Eve, after a quick celebration of UK New Year at 7pm we met the McGleads at the Blackfords for drinkies, before heading along to 100 King St for a gala dinner. The food was nice - but, I do have reservations about the Pistachio Creme Brulee I had for dessert, which turned out to be a plate of green!! The company more than made up for the plate of green though! We were sparkling and vivacious...at least until the band started and then (as we were sitting under the PA) we were eventually just drowned out and deaf! There was the usual countdown at midnight, and a champagne toast (although more of a mouthful than a glass - always disappointing as I love fizz!), but no joining hands and singing Auld Lang Syne...the band were quickly back into their set and everyone was up dancing!
As I mentioned, there was a band on upstairs where we were sitting, and they were really good! The singer looked and sounded a lot like Van Morrison, and they played a lot of his classic tunes...excellent stuff! Some of their entourage were a little...well, let me describe! There was one lady in particular who caught my attention...she had a bleach blonde mullet (very long, but short on top - obviously had had the same style since she was "hot" in the 80's) and had been sown into a revealing glittery tiger print dress. I'm guessing that she hadn't eaten for about a month in order to get into it, as when they brought out some food for the band she was gnawing on the lamb cutlets with savage ferocity! A case of mutton eating lamb....
Happy New Year!
Stephen, Jude and Paul
I must have sensed I was going to be ill when I came back, as on the Sunday we got home I dragged Stephen round Safeway to do a massive food shopping and then came back and cooked massive quantities of food to stock the freezer. So, at least there has been something decent to eat...maybe not the homemade soup I've been craving, but something nice and not some weird-ass American flavour combination! I also began the task of doing the holiday laundry, which has to be the worst bit about going away. It was pouring with rain when we left St Lucia and I suspect that our cases may have been outside for a bit, as everything in them felt kind of damp...which meant, as Stephen had not been a discriminating packer, that I had to wash about 400 t-shirts which hadn't actually been worn. Grrrrrr.
On New Years Eve, after a quick celebration of UK New Year at 7pm we met the McGleads at the Blackfords for drinkies, before heading along to 100 King St for a gala dinner. The food was nice - but, I do have reservations about the Pistachio Creme Brulee I had for dessert, which turned out to be a plate of green!! The company more than made up for the plate of green though! We were sparkling and vivacious...at least until the band started and then (as we were sitting under the PA) we were eventually just drowned out and deaf! There was the usual countdown at midnight, and a champagne toast (although more of a mouthful than a glass - always disappointing as I love fizz!), but no joining hands and singing Auld Lang Syne...the band were quickly back into their set and everyone was up dancing!
As I mentioned, there was a band on upstairs where we were sitting, and they were really good! The singer looked and sounded a lot like Van Morrison, and they played a lot of his classic tunes...excellent stuff! Some of their entourage were a little...well, let me describe! There was one lady in particular who caught my attention...she had a bleach blonde mullet (very long, but short on top - obviously had had the same style since she was "hot" in the 80's) and had been sown into a revealing glittery tiger print dress. I'm guessing that she hadn't eaten for about a month in order to get into it, as when they brought out some food for the band she was gnawing on the lamb cutlets with savage ferocity! A case of mutton eating lamb....
Happy New Year!Here's to a great 2008!
Stephen, Jude and Paul
With Pat and Hils
Tuesday 1 January 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)