More Snow

We woke up this morning to more snow- a lot more snow. What we like to refer to as Izzie-deep snow. The pups love the snow and wanted to play. We found a cul-de-sac next to our condos and were able to let them run around off leash with one of the neighbor dogs. Here's some pics of the pups in the snow. They had so much fun!

Vagina Monologues

Tonight, Toby (one of my best friends) and I went to see The Vagina Monologues. I had heard about the show for years and years but it had never been playing near me. So when I happened across it last week, we decided to go check it out. The evening was, um, an experience..........

We decided to check out a new place near the theater for dinner. We went to a place called Simply Home, which serves Thai cuisine with a bit of a twist. The restaurant is small and cozy but modern at the same time (check out the link). We loved the feel of the place and the food was great too. Toby had the great idea (insert heavy sarcasm here) to order a bottle of wine. A bottle. I said "can we really drink a bottle of wine?" (We only had about and hour and a half until the show and well, we all know about my tolerance levels). But we got the bottle. The wine was delicious but we didn't even come close to finishing it. I swear, it was the neverending bottle of wine. We finally gave up and left it. It was a good thing we had the wine though because we were going to need it for what came next.

We walked to the Lincoln Theater, arriving about 10 minutes before the show was supposed to start. We had our tickets, which I had bought online and printed. At the top of the printout it clearly states: "This is your ticket." However, in the fine print below, it says that it's not actually a ticket but needs to be traded in at will call for your real ticket. Well, everyone attending the show thought it was their ticket so there was a line around the block of people trying to get their "real" tickets. Reminder: 10 minutes until showtime. The theater manager was walking around and we asked him what was wrong with just using our printed tickets(they had a place to be scanned and everything) but apparently that was just pure craziness speaking. By about 8:30 (30 minutes after showtime), people were getting downright angry and wanting their money back because there was no estimate of when we would get in (the line was crawling). So at about 8:35 they get the brilliant idea to just let people use their printouts! Craziness! This was one of the most poorly managed events I've ever seen. The theater/web ticket buying service obviously messed up in their handling of the printouts but the manager wasn't smart enough to adjust to the situation until 35 minutes after the show was supposed to start!

So we finally got inside, relieved that at least we were out of the cold and ready to see the show. They were handing out gift bags so we got them to see what was inside. There were a few different little give-aways but the main item was a book- an erotica novel. Um, what am I supposed to do with this??? Don't answer that. Moving on.........

When I bought the tickets, I was impressed with their online ticket-buying system because you actually get to see a picture of the seats in the theater and which seats are available. So it's a lot nicer to pick your tickets than say, Ticketmaster, where you just have to hope that what they give you is the best available. Well, the site was apparently a little misleading (big shocker after how well they handled the printing and will call process). We got balcony seats, about three quarters of the way back according to the picture on the site. Well, once we were actually in the theater we found our seats were really the last row before the back wall of the theater. Seriously, this was the view from our seats and the junky trash behind us. Classy.











Disappointing to say the least. We couldn't even see the stage! At all! To top things off, the air wasn't working and it was HOT in there. Things could only get better from this point, cause they certainly couldn't get any worse.

Thankfully, it did get better. For some reason, no one was in the front row of the balcony, so once the show started, we were able to move there. We had an amazing view of the stage and the show was really funny. REALLY FUNNY. Every woman should see this show. It's a collection of monologues written by different women about their experiences in regard to their vaginas. I know that sounds odd, but it's really insightful about the way women and their sexuality are viewed in the world.

The women in the show are volunteers and the money raised from the event goes toward helping in the efforts of V-Day. Since I can't say it better myself, here's the paragraph taken from the V-Day site about the purpose of V-Day. Please check out the site: V-Day It's a great cause.
"V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual slavery."

So all in all, despite our many mishaps of the evening, we had a really good time and the show was definitely worth seeing. V-Day happens every year around Valentine's Day and I urge all of you women to go and see this show in your city if you haven't already.

Deep tissue massage........ no, DEEP tissue!

I woke up this morning with my back hurting pretty bad. I was in a car accident about 3 years ago that messed up my back and I've been dealing with it since. I've gone through everything in the medical community- back specialist, physical therapy, etc and nothing has worked. I started going to a chiropractor shortly after the accident and it was the only thing that provided any relief. Well, it's now been almost 3 years and I'm irritated that I still wake up some days feeling like this. So I'm trying a new route. I found a place that does a more holistic approach to medicine and I'm going to try some massage and if that doesn't work, maybe some accupuncture. If that doesn't work, the alternative is shots into the muscles and I'd really like to avoid that. So today I went for a deep tissue massage. If you've had a deep tissue massage at a spa, it was probably nothing like this. There was nothing fun about this. It hurts! They really try to work through the damaged muscles and I thought I might cry at a couple points. Afterwards, she asked if I had plans for the weekend because I probably wasn't going to feel up for doing much of anything. Great. Hopefully it will help though. I can take the pain if it makes a difference. We'll see.

mmmmm.......... sushi

Tonight I made sushi, probably my favorite food. I experimented with this for the first time about 6 months ago and have done it a few times since. The first time was definitely an experiment, trying to find little tricks to make the sushi rolls hold together but now it's not that hard. (I'm still working on presentation.) We found sushi grade tuna, which is our favorite sushi anyway and it makes for a really fun dinner. Now if anyone knows where I can get eel in the DC area, hook me up! I used to know a place near Leesburg but last time I went they didn't have any.

Puppies in Sweaters

Ok, yes, we are evil. But it's sooooo cute! I never thought I would be one of those people to dress my dogs, but I never realized how adorable they would be. While in San Francisco in the fall, we found a tie dye puppy sweater and could not resist the temptation to get it for Georgie. It's really hard to find sweaters that will fit him because he is sooooooo long but the way this one is made is perfect. At first I was against it because I thought poor Georgie would be embarrassed but Michael convinced me to get it (he is more evil than I am). And Izzie fits into Georgie's old sweatshirt since she's not as long. So here they are, in all their cuteness. Izzie really needs something pink though- she's definitely more of a girly-girl. We're working on it.........

Dixie Chicks, Take 2

I want to respond to a comment on my Dixie Chicks posting but my response is a little long for that location, so I'm posting again......... and by the way, thanks for responding- it's good to hear other people's thoughts (even if I don't agree with them)...............

Music has always been a venue for speaking political beliefs. I can’t even begin to list the number of artists that spoke out through their music during Vietnam and that included messages during their concerts. Today, artists are still making songs about the state of the world and their disagreement over what is happening. This is nothing new. What has changed is that we now not only tolerate but celebrate ignorant songs about America putting a boot in your ass instead of messages of peace or messages disagreeing with the President. People have changed to be more accepting of ignorance and violence.

As far as being “smarter” about where they make their comments- that’s kind of the whole point. Being willing to state their beliefs, regardless of the consequences, is why I’m in support of the Dixie Chicks. People need to stop being afraid and stop buying into this nonsense that speaking up equates to being un-American. Keeping quiet and just letting someone take advantage of their position of power is not an acceptable stance, but it’s the one being drilled into us by the current administration. Don’t ask questions, just believe. It’s turning into some sick kind of religion.

Lastly, with regards to the CMA’s: The Dixie Chicks were given 10 awards and 16 nominations at the CMA’s between 1999 and 2003. And then it all stopped. To think they weren’t even up for a nomination this year is “interesting”. In the mean time, the CMA’s have started to honor songs like Toby Keith’s song about America putting a boot in the ass of other countries. So if we want to talk about agendas and conspiracy theories, one could argue that there’s at least an equal argument that the CMA’s are guided by the far right who are trying to squash those artists that have opinions that are different than the current administration. I try to avoid these arguments because it is and will always be speculation and can always be argued by either side to prove the point they want to make.

Ice Cream Party

Georgie and Izzie had an ice cream party today. If you have dogs, you have to get them Frosty Paws: it's ice cream for dogs. We got Peanutbutter flavor and they just love it. Here's some pics of the pups enjoying themselves thoroughly: Georgie enjoying his treat and then wondering where it went and Izzie with ice cream on her nose.

Bath Time

Last night was bath night for the pups. Georgie is now to the point where he jumps into the tub for his bath. Izzie's not quite there yet. I think she'd prefer to just be stinky over having a bath. But she's getting used to it. She turns into a huge fluffball afterwards and it is hilarious.

Here's Izzie in her post-bath floor rub. Pure bliss.

Dixie Chicks

You go girls! The Dixie Chicks took home 5 grammy awards this week. I can't say I'm a huge fan but I have always enjoyed their music and do own their cd's. And I became a bigger supporter after everything they went through in 2003 after making their comment about Bush. It's a sad day when disagreeing with the President means half of your fans turn their back on you. And not for what you said or for the reasons behind your statement, but simply because you stated something negative about the President. You can argue that it was more about being disrespectful than disagreeing, but I believe you have to earn respect, regardless of position.

It makes me sad to think we've reached a place where people will follow those in power blindly, regardless of their actions. What happened to thinking for ourselves and speaking out when those in power take advantage of their position? It used to be called holding people accountable for their actions. Now it's called being un-American and a traitor to your country. We've reached a point where the President can do nearly anything without being questioned. That's a scary place to be.

People need to realize that having an opinion other than the President's does not make you un-American. You do not have to agree with whatever the President does in order to believe in your country and support the troops. I hope the outcome of the grammy's this year will show that you don't have to back down just because some big politician says so. Doing what is right will ultimately triumph over those that try to shut up "the little people". Thank goodness.

I'm so impressed by the Dixie Chicks because they didn't back down and they didn't let the incident stop them. They kept going and look at them now! It's people like the Dixie Chicks that give me hope- we need more people like that to stand up for what they believe. Thanks for not being ready to make nice.

Snowstorm

Well, I haven't posted at all this week and that's because I've been a little sick. I thought I was going to make it through the entire fall/winter season without getting sick this year. Silly me. I started feeling crummy on Monday morning and it just went downhill from there. A lot of sleep and NyQuil later, and I'm feeling like myself again.

Brrrr! It's cold!
During my little sick episode, we had a snowstorm. These are the moments when I miss Arizona. It is soooo cold! The snow turned into ice: about 3 inches of ice. I still have a 2 inch layer of ice frozen to the hood of my car and creeping up my windshield. I also had major trouble getting out of my parking spot this morning- in an SUV! The ice has hardened to the point where you don't break through, but just walk on top of it. Haven't seen anything like this in a long time. One of the fun parts of the ice though was walking the puppies. Izzie couldn't figure out where the grass went and Georgie had to find the one inch square of uncovered grass before he could go to the bathroom. You should see the balancing act he does to avoid the snow. Crazy pups we have!

Puppies!!!

I've had some requests for puppy pictures so here's some pics of both pups. First, the two kids together: aren't they adorable? Izzie just loves her big brother. I figure it won't be too much longer before he'll actually be her little brother. She's getting big fast! She's now about 4 1/2 months old and a big 21 pounds! I got her at 7 weeks and 7 pounds. It's funny to watch a pup grow and discover new things. She used to walk under things like the ottoman, Georgie, etc but is quickly learning she can no longer fit. She still tries to run under things only to find herself now running into it- provides for great entertainment.

Here's some pics of the pups curled up together on the couch for a nap. They have become best buddies!

And now for the individual glamour shots............

Georgie and his "Do You Wanna..............?" pose. Any time you ask Georgie "Do you wanna......(insert anything you can think of here)........?" he perks up and does the head tilt. It's so cute.

And here's my boy sleeping on my pillow. He'll always be my baby- we went through so much together with getting him to be a good dog that there's a bond with him that I don't know if I'll ever have with another dog. Plus, for a while it was just me, Georgie, and the kitty. And we bonded.

Izzie, aka Izzie-baby, aka Isa-belly........... here are some pics of Izzie when she was a bit smaller. Seems like she grows so fast I can't keep up with the pics. Hard to believe she was once this small. She's a very sweet girl and starting to grow into her Basset features, meaning she's starting to get a big tummy. It's not fat, she's just very round in the middle. ("I'm not fat, I'm fluffy!") It's so funny- when she rolls over for a tummy rub it's shocking just how big that tummy is becoming.

Izzie is very soft- she's got great spaniel fur. And she's very smart, which has its good and bad points. She's almost completely potty trained and she's learned to sit, shake hands, and lay down. But she's also learning how to manipulate her brother. Georgie will be chewing on something and Izzie will decide she wants it so she'll go get a different toy, which Georgie then wants. When he goes to investigate, she takes his toy. Smart girl.

Halo

My new company has a Halo Room; that is, a room devoted to playing the video game Halo. It allows our developers to take a break from programming and such to relax. I have never played until today. I didn't think I would like it. The point of the game is to run around killing the other players and I'm not usually into that sort of thing. But it is actually really fun! I was a mess trying to figure out how to move my character and spent a good portion of the time laughing at my clutsiness. (Besides Mario Kart, I don't play a lot of video games and it's been awhile since Mario Kart.) But guess what? I won! The developer who was showing us how to play was definitely taking it easy on us, but I definitely beat the other newbies. The game was a really nice break in the middle of the day and left me refreshed to go back to my tasks. This company rocks!

I can't feel my toes

So today I went to a client site for a meeting and got to meet more employees of my new company. I continue to be impressed by everyone; it's nice to work with intelligent people who view quality in a positive way. I've said to many of you that I haven't found as good a team of people to work with since college and our amazing study group of 4 (Sarah, Mel, and Dan). But I think this place might have the potential to rival our study group. Exciting.

So, about my toes........... In order to get to the client meeting today, I had to go into the city and I took the metro. It is COLD outside. Between walking from the car to the metro I thought my nose and fingers were going to fall off, then once on the metro I got to feel the icy breeze at every stop when the doors opened. Then I had to walk to the client site. Multiply that by 2 for the return trip. It took hours after I got home for my toes to regain feeling.

How do you daily metro users do it? I could NOT do this everyday. Maybe it's because I grew up driving in Phoenix where there is NO public transportation so you have to drive but I like the comfort of my heater in my car. I like the concept of the metro and it's great for going out and not having to find parking in the city. But everyday? Not for me. I'm still trying to regain full feeling in my toes. :)

Alcoholism: the easy way out

Seriously. Is everything dismissed by alcoholism these days? Seems that way. More and more people keep popping into the news for infidelity, molestation of minors, beauty queens gone awry, etc and they all just kind of brush it off due to their "alcohol problems". Puh-lease. Where is the accountability? Why can't people take responsibility for their actions?

The latest in the string of "addicts" is Mayor Newsom in San Francisco. My opinion about Mayor Newsom and his affair is that I don't care! What he chooses in his personal life is really no one's business. (Ok, I do think there are limits- child molesting should be punished, but we're talking about a guy that was getting a divorce who slept with another man's wife.) I may not agree with his decisions or condone them, but it wouldn't keep me from voting for him. What we should be concerned about is his ability to do his job. I just don't believe that infidelity should automatically be equated to someone's lack of ability to do their job. However, I am frustrated by people covering up their problems with a claim of alcoholism. THAT would keep me from voting for someone.

I would respect these "addicts" a lot more if they just took responsibility for their actions. Even tell people it's none of their business and handle it privately. The mayor first came out saying that he did sleep with his campaign manager's wife and that he would take responsibility for that. But within what? a few days? he's already back saying he has an alcohol problem! He did say that it didn't excuse his behavior, but who are you kidding? It's the newest trend- get caught doing something you shouldn't, claim alcoholism. So disappointing.

First Day

Today was the first day of my new job. Up until today, it really didn't seem real. When I've switched jobs in the past I was always very ready to leave one job for another but this time was different. I've been beating myself up over my choice for weeks, trying to decide whether this was really the right decision, whether I was leaving Plexus too soon, whether the new company would really be the best move for me, whether the commute to Reston was going to kill me, etc, etc. So many unknowns. I've been pretty stressed about it and kind of waiting to see how today would go.

And to report......... I definitely feel like I made the right decision. I know, it's only been a day. But I was really impressed today by the people at Platinum Solutions. And for those of you who know me, I'm not easily impressed. All of the things I fought for a year at my last job to implement (along with a slew of other people) and was consistently turned down on, are already in place at Platinum. Ahh, a company with goals and an understanding of the need for things like knowledge management and accountability. I think I've found my happy place. :)

My first day consisted of orientation, paperwork, etc in the morning and meeting with Stephanie, the Director of Quality/my new boss/old coworker from Accenture/friend, in the afternoon to get an idea of where their quality program is currently at. I'm excited because they have a nice start but I will definitely have my work cut out for me and be able to contribute a lot.

And the best part- the commute was not bad at all! It took me 45 minutes to get to work and about 30 to get home- during rush hour! It took me almost that long to get home from my last job at the same hour! It probably won't be like that everyday but I was worried it was going to take hours. That was one of my biggest concerns with the new job.

So all in all, a great first day! I'm completely at peace with my decision now. The new job is going to be good.

You Can't Buy Chips on Superbowl Sunday

So I knew it was superbowl sunday but being one of those people that doesn't really follow football (unless it's Purdue), it didn't occur to me when I woke up today. To give some perspective, last year I held a No Football Superbowl Party where we watched some of the commercials during the game but otherwise did not watch the game. I know, some of you are cringing, but I've just never really cared about pro football. Anyway, today I slept in (a rare occurrence since getting the puppy), then got up and went to the gym, then decided a grocery store run was needed to get stuff for the week. The grocery store was oddly busy but it still didn't hit me until I got to the chip aisle. The aisle was almost completely empty, with the few rejected bags of chips left on the shelves, and then the light bulb went off: it's Superbowl Sunday! So no chips in our house today...........

To redeem myself with those of you that are still appalled by my forgetting the superbowl, here's a little fact about me you probably didn't know: I was in the pre-game show for Superbowl XXX. It was in Phoenix that year and I was one of the dancers.