Mad Nerd

What I’ve been thinking about all week is how uncool I’ve become in my old age, perhaps from hanging out with Chris. We were cool once, (he was VERY cool). Last weekend we purchased the John Adams (HBO miniseries). This was exciting because much of it was filmed nearby. I submitted a headshot for background, but alas they never contacted me. Apparently they didn’t have many Cuban Americans in the colonies at the time. They don’t know what they were missing. We haven’t finished but two episodes, and we’re really into it. Chris and I keep going back and forth while pausing scenes making our own commentaries. Sometimes it’s to discuss a particular event, and sometimes we just need to remark about how lovely Laura Linney is. I have a hard time believing that John Adams came up with all of the great ideas on his own. I find Benjamin Franklin to be irritating as can be. I would have detested him if I had to spend any time with him. I am irritated at how soft-spoken Thomas Jefferson and George Washington are portrayed to be. Chris keeps telling me that they became better speakers over time, and he’s the Ken Burns devotee so I must take his word. I just find some of these things irksome, but entertaining nonetheless. (NERD!)

I am a huge Jefferson fan (sans the whole slavery thing). He was the brainchild of the sunken gardens outside my window at work. This serves as a gorgeous view on most days. Last Friday I had to attend a meeting across campus and as I strolled passed it, notebook in hand, shaded under the canopy, I thought what a great gesture. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be admiring this view being saved by the near hundred degree weather. Next week we’ll be visiting his home again. It’s the most beautiful landscape I’ve seen. Good work, slaves! Notably, in a 1776 census, Jefferson included his 117 slaves as the "Number of souls in my family..."

Perhaps this will raise me some cool points: I got hooked on Mad Men. I must finish the last four episodes before season two starts. I need my fix of smoking, drunk driving, drunk working, office affairs/pregnancies and Cary Grant look-alikes. Not sure when, though. I’ve got parties to attend. Wait! Maybe we really are cool!

For Patricia (come visit, come vist, come visit)

I just wrote a modest 800-word essay on how I'm so great at building and maintaining relationships for a school application. Next thing I know I'm receiving friend requests on Facebook from people I knew in high school that I forgot existed, and these requests come into my work email every 20 minutes or so. I have a problem: I have a job. I'm required to sit here for eight hours at a time and do work for which I get paid, even though I sneak off from time to time to clear my head and vent on the interweb. Now that my inbox is exploding with Facebook requests, I haven't had much time to update the blog. I'm being spread too thin here. Something's got to give. Here's something: Chris is off for the remainder of the summer. He did a great entry about how the Miami Druekes came to Richmond last Tuesday. If that's enough for today, I promise to update this weekend with real good stuff - Physical Therapy and MBA stuff. Cool?

Yearbook by Natalie Dee

Onward and Upward

I made it through an entire Wednesday night without scaring myself useless by watching Ghost Hunters. Luckily they were airing Ghost Hunters International which does not include Grant and Jason. The new team is lame. It wasn't worth watching, so I changed the channel. Thus I slept like a baby and was able to wander around the house alone without dragging Chris along to go potty.

I'm on my way later this morning to see an Orthopedic doctor to take care of my gimp knee and shoulder once and for all. This will be a welcome break from my morning routine. I've been hitting homeruns lately at work, so I can actually afford to take an extra hour off for a doctors appointment. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep on my left side again and perhaps even run? Wish me luck.

Look like someone's got a case of the Mondays

We had the Miami Druekes crash with us for the holiday weekend. We failed to take photos. :(

Here’s the short version:
*Made ice cream
*Baked 32 Carrot Cupcakes (which we ate every day for breakfast)
*Watched Friends – most of Season 9
*Shopped at the Outlets
*Toured Jamestown…again
*Ate at Ichiban, which surprisingly was a hit with the kids
*Played with the dogs (Jake was very social this time!)
*Ate at the Rivah Café
*Toured Yorktown
*Took the ferry over to Surry
*Took the ferry back to Jamestown
*Looked at Waterfront properties

*Ate tons of ice cream
*Ate Twinkies
*Did not have to play Cribbage

Exciting developments:
*Abigail is almost as tall as Elizabeth and both are taller than MommyMom
*Elizabeth cut over a foot off her hair (!!!!)
*Still not allowed to watch Juno despite several attempts to sway mom's vote
*Abigail is over pink (Like, OMG!)
*Elizabeth still has the highest GPA in her school
*Abigail is still the funniest in the family

Side note: I'm a little cranky today. I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m sick from eating junk and my knee still hurts. BOO. :(

Cannibal Cupcake by Natalie Dee.

What Have I Done?

It seems as though every Thursday I drag my feet into work because I'm exhausted from not sleeping the night before. Chris and I have inadvertently started a new ritual. Every Wednesday night the SciFi channel airs a Ghost Hunters marathon and we watch at least four hours of it despite the fact that I am terrified of ghosts. I used to dismiss the show as nonsense, but since I finished an entire episode I find the show to be very entertaining, informative and I've really grown fond of Jason and Grant (and most of the TAPS team). However, this show scares me so badly now that I can't do my pre-bed rituals alone (i.e. brush my teeth, wash my face, etc.). Even worse, I wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and I am too scared to go alone in the dark. I try to fall back asleep but I can't. So I muster up the courage to go, then all I can see are the thermal images of human forms and I remember the voices on the EVPs - I scare myself again, and then make a mad dash back to bed. Every week I tell myself "I shouldn't watch it. It’s too scary. I’ll regret it". But then I watch it anyway, thus perpetuating the cycle. I'm such a masochist.

94 doesn't suck.

I had a problem with Chris' Linear Algebra class because he is the most dedicated student I have ever seen and his professor was giving terrible exams that Chris was barely passing. He was about to drop the class when the professor told him that he'd be depressed if he did. He told Chris that he showed the most promise of anyone else in the class. I told Chris that if that guy gave him a C I'd rearrange his face. Chris took the third exam on Monday and told me afterward that the test was hard and he didn't know how he did. He also told me not to put so much pressure on him getting an A because it wasn't fair, so I stayed quiet.

I just got a text message from him that says he got a 94. I'm so proud I could puke.

What I'm thinking while I'm waiting for Aubin to pick me up for lunch...

Since I started working out, I realized that I can eat a big fat sandwich when I want to and my clothes fit well. I'm not a flabby mess anymore. Shame on me for thinking that South Beach Diet would make me happy. Diets are for losers.