Various

I'm tired of winter. We totally got cheated out of any good snow (glad we bought Leila those $70 Geoxx boots) and I can't take much more walking to the metro in blustery 23 degree mornings. I'm sick again/still as are my husband and daughter. About 2 weeks ago I commented that I'd been sick for 4 weeks and now I really have been.

On Lost. I've got nothing. But I am really enjoying the ride this season. I figured time travel would come back into play with Desmond, but the Faraday connection is interesting. And Penny's dad bidding on the log to the Black Rock at auction...hmm...

Trader Joes's tip of the day. Chicken Curry Tenders. Yum. They're in the fresh meat section packaged like the Pollo Asado. Same quantity/cut (all white tenders) as the Asado, but the curry flavor is super - a bite at first, then just a little bit sweet.

On the house. We locked into a 10 yr ARM Wednesday night because I needed to be able to sleep through the night. Of course Thursday morning rates on 30 yr were back down slightly. Typical. But I still think what we locked into is slightly favorable in terms of monthly payments.

Still a Bad Blogger

I'll use our home purchase as an excuse here as long as I can! Though there's really not all that much to report these days aside from that somewhat major event. Going to meet with our mortgage guy (who graduated from my highschool 5 years after I did!) tonight. Wish us luck! Maybe he can get through my thick skull what the heck points are. Will try to get some new pics of the kid up etc...this weekend.

And speaking of the house, I don't know that I've written up this funny little coincidence yet. The seller of the house we're buying's sister Joanna rented the house we're currently in previous to our 6 years occupying it. I knew her through Emily, and she's how we found our rental. Emily ran into her brother a couple weeks ago who told her he was selling his house. She looked it up online and called me to make sure I'd seen it, and low and behold it was the property we'd looked at least 3 times since December. So yeah, we're just following this pair of siblings around throughout their Alexandria residences. It's a small world after all.

Now back at the White House, I had this regular crazy correspondent and I'm kicking myself now because I'm blanking on his name and I thought it was one I'd never forget...It was Frank Porter Something Jr....He used to call all the time and say "Oh hi, can I speak to Lisa, Lisa Williams..." then write letters full of all sorts of conspiracies addressed to Lisa, Lisa Williams. I'm reminiscing about him now b/c I have a letter on my desk to respond to that reminds me of his tone. It reads "Dear Noble President: This is a letter of request that you use the compass of good faith above the square of reason and allow both to rest upon some facts which I am about to mention. The above address of a Post Office Box, I have had for the past 20 years is now up and to be renewed this January, which I would like to continue but I am having an update problem with our lady Postmaster who wishes to have all my Identification entered upon the Internet to the Postmaster General's Secretary. With all the Idenity Theft, the internet places me at risk being a former Security person. although nothing has changed except an address, therefore I hereby request that I be exempt from such, through your assistance."

That's all folks.

Bad Blogger

I fully recognize that I am not keeping up with my Bloggerly duties here. The new job keeps me consistently busy through the working hours, which is a great thing, we're trying to buy a house (STRESS!) and we're beyond lucky if our child is in bed/asleep at 9:00. So just a quick update here.

The Postal Service is great. Everyone is extremely helpful and collaborative (imagine that - such a low bar I'd set for workplaces after my last experience...) I'm constantly learning. Get to respond to such crazy cases as a woman who provided information to the inspection service leading to the arrest of a man who robbed a mail truck - was advanced $1,000 in reward money - then turned around and robbed a Post Office of $2,300 worth of stamps. Brilliant I tell you. Now she writes her Congressman for help securing the remaining $24,000 in reward money.

On the homefront, Valentine's day was Papajohn's pizza, breadsticks and cheap champagne... the usual. At least Lost was on. And as to Lost I'm simply befuddled as to the big picture here - WTF? But that's why I love it so. I couldn't help but thinking someone's been watching the Bourne movies during Sayid's flashforward. Loved his blown out hair - hee... and Ben. Ben, Ben, Ben...What are you up too? I guess I'm convinced now that the Oceanic Six are indeed Jack, Kate, Hurly, Sayid, Sun and Jin, but I think others made it off too like Desmond (yum!) who weren't on Oceanic to begin with.

And on that house purchase - stress! It's hard when you can already picture yourself in the property and people around you are (wisely) counseling you not to jump on a counter-offer.

Well aren't we just the cutest little...

.... civic minded family? The three of us went to the polls together early this morning. LOTS of people voting at our fire station with the lines only growing as we left. Hope that's a good thing. I let Leila cast my ballot - with close supervision of course - made sure that wheel was locked on my candidate before I let her fingers loose. When we were in line she asked if we were going to go back outside next and I said yes, after our turn, and she then whined "but I want to do the voting for Obama!" As I've said before, well trained!

Miscellany

So I'm probably not the first to discover this, but watching Lost with several glasses of wine in the system is kind of an ummm... lost cause. I came into it 10-15 minutes late, which is never a good idea, as catching up is near impossible, and with 4 new characters, with 4 new flashbacks (4!!! different individual's flashbacks in one episode...Ouch! My brain just exploded....) Oy! Bottom line is that I need to rewatch this weekend as reading the recaps reveal that I missed a whole heck of a lot.

Anyway... that wine consumption was on the occasion of meeting up with several old Morocco and White House friends. I try to corrall us quarterly or seasonally, but we're lucky if we all get together once or twice a year. We met at Proof at Gallery Place across from the Portrait Gallery and it was hopping - at least the bar was - the restaurant was relatively sparse. It's a cool space by Grizform Designs (my friend Mary's husband's firm) and though I can't speak for the food, it nicely emphasizes the beauty of the wine bottle. My friend Paul brought a surprise guest - his ex David. I adore them both and had not seen David in at least 4 years, and can I just say that I am envious of the path his life has taken? He currently lives in Hilo Hawaii and teaches at a yoga center. Periodically he takes off to India for months at a time to train and reach higher yogic levels. I told him I was reminded of him as I read Eat, Pray, Love and he said he was currently reading that himself. Seriously, if my one day of yoga a week would result in 1/10th of the air of peacefulness he carried about him and general look of fitness and well-being, I'd be in pretty good shape.

L'Enfant Plaza...

....is a curious place. My favorite curiosity being a store in "La Promenade" (their "La", not mine) by name of "Washington Shoes" that is indeed a sunglass shop. My other window shopping options include, "Shooz", which is a shoe store, "Washingtonian Male" and Dress Barn. My dining options include, McDonalds, Frank N' Stein, Potomac Food Court and Au Bon Pain. So yeah, it's been Au Bon Pain on Fridays when I've had enough of peanut butter sandwiches or yogurt from home.

Could it be...Murphy's Law?

Flooded a toilet last night. Loved the feeling of turning to the sink to wash my hands and having toilet water erupt onto my feet. Yep, it's time to move.

Also, I don't know why I even give any thought to what I'll wear to work, because by 9:30, I'm inevitably swathed in a blanket of Pashmina with hardly my fingers exposed to type. It's an odd 70 degrees outside and about 45 in here.

At least it's not mice...

... the heater conked out at 3:33 this morning. Further sign that it's time to leave our good old Amityville house o' horrors. I suppose if that's going to happen in February, it's good for it to happen on the 60+ degree days in February.

OK - I'm about ready to go home and put on my lucky Obama shirt and sweats and plop in front of MSNBC for the night.

It's February...

... a short month and our lease is up the last day of it. Ack! Stress time. Got forms to renew it over the weekend, which we are NOT doing (though may have to beg to stay and extra month) and they propose to raise the monthly payments by an additional $113. You have got to be kidding me after the year we had living with and massacring vermin. And where did they get the figure $113 anyway? It's kind of sad that we are just so over the property, because it really is (or could be with some upgrades) a great little townhouse for a singleton or couple and the location is simply unbeatable, but it's definitive, we are over it! We drove around Kingstown Saturday, and though the newer townhomes look lovely, it just feels like you may as well be in Reston to me. I know I may have to start looking outside the 1.5 mile radius in which I've been looking, but I'm not quite ready to concede. We're meeting with a realtor Wednesday night...

In other news. The Superbowl was last night, was it? Can't say I watched. Not even a commercial. I bought beer at the grocery store justifying the purchase and consumption of it with "it's Superbowl sunday," but I only laid my eyes on the TV for Tom Petty because my daughter and husband were doing a hilarious dance and air guitar along with him. I did FINALLY start watching The Tudors this weekend. It's not quite a substitute for Rome, but I will certainly take the eye candy. Haven't sucked Cesar into it completely yet, but I did get in trouble any time there was any form of sex or naked woman if I didn't call him.

Lost continued

Of course the more observant recappers picked up more than I did. Was that really Christian Shephard in Jacob's rocking chair? Why would Hurley see him or his ghost as the case may be? I also forgot to mention last night that I think Naomi's last words - "tell my sister I love her" - could be very significant. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if her sister turns out to be someone we've seen before - who exactly beats me. And that Mr. Abbadon guy who offered to upgrade Hurley's institutional digs was pretty creepy too. And the consensus seems to be that the Oceanic 6 are: Jack, Kate, Hurley, Jin, Sun and Sayid. Interesting. I'd assumed Kate referred to Sawyer when she said she had to get back to "him" at the end of last season, but others are speculating that could be her child, or Claire's child Aaron, but Desmond's vision of Charlie's death included Claire getting off the Island, so would they be part of the 6. Ack! My head spins, but in a very good way!