So we bought a condo

Sarah and Nicholas: Adventures in Real Estate on Vimeo

As many of you know, we bought a condo in Cleveland Park last month. We haven't posted since the offical closing because I was waiting for the above video from our real estate agent. It's all ready for viewing now so enjoy. It was an exciting moment for us followed my a lot of painting, more moving, and even more unpacking.

After several weeks, things are finally coming together. I still have a lot of decorating/nesting to do and not suprisingly I exhausted my decorating budget pretty quickly but there you go. As excited as Nicholas was the new drapes and side tables, I think our new TV is where his passion lies. He just keeps saying "This TV is so nice." Like it belongs to somebody else or something. I honestly don't know what was harder for him laying down the case for the condo or for the TV.

But here we are, all of you can now go to your mailbox and wait excitedly for our adorable change of address cards coming out soon!

Just a thought

Here's a tip: If you have a broiler below your oven, DO NOT store pyrex containers and their plastic covers inside of it. I've heard it's a very very bad idea.

Also, there will be lots of updates as soon as Verizon gets our stupid DSL working. Grrrr...

It's my birthday people!

It's my birthday people!
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Happy birthday to me :)

Upon request...

Sweet nothings?
Originally uploaded by stomptokyo.

One of our regular readers has requested a caption contest. We'll take submissions over the next couple days and post the winner. OH and keep it clean people my father reads this site ;)

P.S. I've turned off the membership requirement so anyone can post.


*********************************************

AND THE WINNER IS:

Sarah: "I'm a Republican."

Submitted by Jessica.

A complete set.

First Wives Club
Originally uploaded by stomptokyo.

From left to right:
Me (obviously)
Ginger (Benjamin's wife)
Jennifer (Geoffrey's wife)
Christina (Christopher's wife)

We should have stood in birth order. Btw, Jennifer AND Christina are both pregnant. Crazy.

My husband is the most handsome man ever

Nicholas
Originally uploaded by stomptokyo.

I'm just sayin'

The bride wore ivory BUT Sarah wore a hat!

Girl in a Green Hat
Originally uploaded by robholland.

We spent the weekend in Mount Pleasant, SC celebrating the marriage of Nicholas's youngest brother Benjamin to his college sweetheart Ginger.

We arrived on Saturday morning and ate some yummy low country seafood. The rehearsal dinner was that night and was really a lovely evening, followed by a late night filled with conversation at Holland Headquarters.

The wedding was Sunday evening at Alhambra Hall on the water. The plan was to have the ceremony outside and the reception in the hall. However, it rained in the afternoon basically creating a 100 degree sauna so all the festivities were moved inside. The ceremony was beautiful and Ginger looked amazing. Fun was had by all - especially me because I got to play the true Southern girl and wear a hat to the wedding. It was a hit and I had a blast wearing it. You can see the hat and why I love my father-in-law (who took it) in the picture above.

Raskin for State Senate

For those of you who really want to know who I'm working for and what this campaign is about, there is an amazing documentary (it's only about 15 minutes) done by a local TV show linked below.

Raskin Documentary

Going on down to South Park...

Sarah South Park
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Seriously though, I make a really cute South Park character. Although, I'm relatively sure I would be best friends with Wendy and Bebe and they would be super-jealous because all the boys would love me best. ;)

You can make your own at http://www.sp-studio.de/.

"You want another answer, ask another girl"

I might have watched Working Girl four times in the last three days. I caught it on the WE channel Sunday night when Nicholas was working late. I was really excited because I haven't seen it from the beginning in a long time (or ever for that matter). I've always liked it but for some reason now I can't stop watching it. It's just so inspiring with the Carly Simon song (she won an Oscar for that song you know), so fabulously tacky with all the 80's wear, and I really love the two decade old PCs. Also, I think I'm developing a girl crush on Melanie Griffith (in this movie, not now, now she is scary).

Nicholas thinks I'm crazy and I'm sneaking it in when he's away. It's really sad. He's threatening to delete it off the Tivo "by accident." I would be devastated.

Third time's the charm

Condo
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Let's try this again! We are on our way (again) to owning our very own home/condo. They've accepted our offer and we close on Sunday, the 21st. Most importantly, we have received the condo documents and read with our very own eyes (after asking the listing agent 5 times) that they allow dogs. YEAH!

This place is very different from the last one but we really love it. It's in Cleveland Park but only about a half a block from the metro. It's about 50 square feet smaller but needs absolutely no work. Best of all, it has a fireplace, which I am super-excited about. Pictures on flickr of course.

Overall, we are both really happy but holding off on the champagne until we have the keys in hand.

Sarah Surfs

SarahSurfs on Vimeo

Aloha!

Haleakala National Park
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Well, we've been back from Maui for a week now and we both still look at each other every once in awhile and whine "Let's go back!" In fact, we've decided to make our next vacation less spectacular as to make reacclimation to real life less difficult.

Needless to say, we had a fantastic time. Lots of beach. LOTS of fish - both seen and eaten. I learned to surf (video to come soon) and we survived the road to Hana. We went to a wonderful Luau and tried poi. We bought Tikis and Huli Huli sauce and escaped with only minor sunburns.

We owe a big mahalo (thank you) to my parents who provided the shelter and several meals. They were great travel companions and allowed me to play the role of tour group leader. The trip was like a really wonderful dream and we came back less pale and less stressed.

Misadventures in Real Estate

So yeah...remember that great condo that we found that was big, cheap, and near the metro? Remember how we thought it was too good to be true? Turns out - it was! Late on Monday night, Nicholas was reviewing the condo docs when he came to their pet policy, which pretty clearly prohibits dogs. As many of you know, we in fact have a dog and while sometimes she barks at nothing in the middle of the night and eats entire bags of semisweet chocolate chips we plan on keeping her around for awhile.

Need less to say, we are no longer buying that condo. I have to say it was pretty devastating. I had already decorated the entire thing in my head and even bought some furniture. Nicholas was looking forward to his 5 minute walk to work. Having it all jerked out from underneath us as we were approaching the finish line was quite a blow. However, it could have been much much worse. Our contract had a provision that allows us to pull out for any reason during the three days we review the condo docs so we won't lose any money. More importantly, we have the most amazing landlord in the entire world who assures us we can stay as long as we want, renting week to week, despite the fact he had other tenants lined up. So we won't end up on the street which is good.

We are now back to square one and looking at apartments again. It didn't take us very long to find this one - so I keep telling myself another perfect one (maybe even better!) is out there. So send us good real estate thoughts!

Resistance is Futile!

Resistance is Futile!
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Ok so there are SOME things I will miss about this place...

Ok so there are SOME things I will miss about this place...
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

So we're buying a condo

New Condo
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Sarah and I finally got up the courage to invest in the crazy DC real esate market and we think we did pretty well. We close on a one bedroom/one bath condo on June 27th. The condo is an end unit and is 724 sq. ft., which is actually a nice size based on what we've seen at the price. Maggie will actually get to see the sun during the day and I get a bigger (though slightly dated) kitchen. There are a couple of pictures on flickr for those interested

Unfortunately, we no longer have an extra bedroom, which means that the next sibling that is displaced by a natural disaster may not be able to live with us, but we plan on having some way to accomodate people who come into town for a few days (we're looking at futons, etc.). IKEA, West Elm, and Target are fast becoming our most-visited websites. We plan on moving in at the beginning of July, about 5 days after we come home from Hawaii (we're really great planners that way). Get excited!!!

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!!!

Dancing the Night Away
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

I am now officially a 3L. My friends and I did a pretty solid job of celebrating our new status a couple Saturdays ago as evidenced in the new flicker uploads. Since then I have settled into my new summer scheduled, which is pretty much wide open.

I have recently been crowned Deputy Communications Director by the campaign although I can also be found helping with events, volunteers, and administration. So far its been famine or feast with me either working hours on end or with nothing to do for hours on end.

I'm also working on journal as I am the only member of the editorial staff without a 9 to 5. I continue volunteering for Friends of Hillary and am doing some babysitting for a famous DC blogger who shall remain nameless (and by nameless I mean call me and I'll tell you).

In addition, Nicholas and I are currently looking to buy a condo in Dupont which is at least a part-time job. In some ways I feel hopeful because we've found several we were willing to put offers on and one we actually did. In other ways I feel discouraged because after a month nothing has worked out. But I love our real estate agent and am tired of renting so onward and upward.

My open schedule will also work well for the multiple vacations I have planned including a trip to Hawaii for my mother's 50th birthday, Charleston for another Holland wedding, and Fripp Island, South Carolina for vaca with the girlfriends.

All in all I think it will be a fun, if not a bit crazy, summer...

Polka-dots

Because the people LOVE polka-dots!

No...listen all-NATURAL!

Ok so I don't know if ya'll have seen the new 7UP commercials but they are great. I caught one today when I was watching TV live - which is a rare occasion let me tell you. They tout 7UP's new NATURAL ingredients and for a half second I felt terribly conflicted. You see I feel pretty strongly that 7UP/Sprite is a cure for anything that could possible be wrong with you at any possible moment. Headache? Try some 7UP. Stomach hurt? Sprite! Seriously, how the Dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding felt about Windex is how I feel about that drink. BUT recently I decided to stop drinking soda - all soda - for pretty much the same reason I don't eat fast food or shop at Walmart. The temporary benefits (satisfied cravings, cheap prices) are FAR outweighed by the personal costs (fat ass, clogged arteries, going to jail for stabbing the lady in the express lane with 45 items) and societal harms (too many to list).

Wait what was I talking about? Oh yeah the commercial - so I was conflicted and for a split moment I thought "Well if it's all natural then maybe I could continue drinking 7UP?" Yes, I am a fool but not that big of a fool because I went to the website to really see what the natural ingredients were and can I just say...wow.

I kid you not:
Filtered carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup, natural citric acid, natural flavors, natural potassium citrate

First of all, high fructose corn syrup is as far from natural as you can get. Second, as far as I can tell they just put the word natural in front of all the rest of the ingredients. Hilarious! While I admire the tenacity, I am now further confirmed in not drinking soda - "natural" or otherwise.



P.S.
Who ever left Jewel on my answering machine is in big trouble!

A beautiful NY event

Miti and I with Kitty and Lewis Steel
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Last night I went to New York with Jamie and Miti Figueredo, another Raskin volunteer, for a fundraiser at the beautiful home of Kitty and Lewis Steel. There apartment is a "pre-war", (Miti says that's a big NY realty term) several thousand square feet, art on every wall masterpiece overlooking Central Park. The only thing better than the apartment was Kitty herself. A former Broadway star and current psychoanalyst Kitty is just completely fabulous. The walls of their home are covered with pictures of her with everyone from Jimmy Durante to Bill Clinton (their son Patrick was his schedule) to Elvis Presley.

Kitty and Lewis were both great hosts for our fundraiser which featured Katrina vanden Heuvel and Hendrik Hertzberg saying really kind and wonderful things about Jamie. The evening was filled great conversation and of course generous contributions.

Much like my trip to Harvard, I was overwhelmed by my environment and the brilliance and passion of those around me. Between the amazing apartment and more amazing people, I had to remind myself to close my mouth on more than one occasion. Luckily, these sophisticated Manhattanites seemed to pretty forgiving of this Kentucky girl's astonishment - of course the accent never hurts! ;)

We have a problem

I have listened to Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take the Wheel" no fewer than 15 times today. I even have Nicholas singing along. Wait, I guess I should have started with I bought "Jesus Take the Wheel."

Anyway, help me. Someone. Anyone. - I guess I should just let Jesus take the wheel...omg, I can't believe I just said that.

The Class of 2001

The Class of 2001
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

This weekend we returned to Transyland for Nicholas's 5th year reunion. We flew into Louisville Saturday morning and rode to Lexington with my college roommate Erin and her boyfriend Seth.

I have to admit it was crazy being back on campus. The second we walked into to Back Lobby the smell about knocked me over and my heart started to race. It wasn't a bad smell - it was just the Transy smell. You forgot details like that and it was so overwhelming to encounter them again.

We took a short tour around campus and took a stroll down memory lane. It's amazing how far we've come in just a couple of years but I have to admit I do miss it (at least parts of it).

Saturday night was T-Day Ball and his reunion reception. We both felt a little underwhelmed by the evening's festivities. Plus, since we haven't gone to either of our high school reunions, it was the first time I've been to a reunion and the energy was pretty intense. Lots of judging and one-upmanship.

On Sunday, we met my big sister Hollie and her new man for breakfast at Ramsey's. I even got in an Ale-8-One!After returning to Louisville, we met Mike and Smith for my favorite Fazoli's! (You'd be surprised how much you miss it.) We left late Sunday night after a quick stop at Grater's - wow this sounds like we went back to be reunited with food not people but I swear that wasn't the case. ;)

Ummm...WHOA!!!

What the F happened to Jewel?!? I thought the uber-glamorization in that Intuition video was some cultural statement not a permanent change. I don't want some sex kitten parading as folk singer - I want my used-to-be homeless, crooked teethed, grungy Jewel!!!

Seriously - I might have to return my slightly dogearred copy of A Night Without Armor.

Dear ABC,

Stop splicing together old episodes of Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy into a "Catchup Special" and calling it a new episode. It's not. However, my poor trusting Tivo doesn't know that and records it as if it were a new episode. Then I get all excited when I see it on my list - followed promptly by me getting all pissed off when I realize it is not a new episode at all.

I realize you are saving the new episodes for May Sweeps. But just the same, it's a jerk move and you should stop.

Love,
Sarah

P.S. That What About Brian show is dumb.

Justice Kennedy

At the Supreme Court
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Last week, I had the honor of meeting Justice Anthony Kennedy. As I have previously mentioned, Jamie is ridiculously connected so I wasn't too surprised when out of nowhere he asked if I wanted to go with him to the Supreme Court and meet Justice Kennedy. My answer was a resounding yes.

The Justice came in a spoke with us for about a half an hour and was interesting and witty. He talked about the importance of the Court and the changes its gone under recenty. There was a short Q&A and I was allowed to ask him a question. I asked him what he thought was the number one mistake oral advocates make. He responded that lawyers often try to cover up the difficult, weaker points of there case when that is exactly what the Justices want to talk about.

It was really fascinating to see him upclose and personal. You expect Justices to be staid and impersonal but he was very warm and seemed sincerely interested in talking to us. All in all, it was really amazing to get a better understanding of not only a Justice but probably the most powerful Justice on the Court at this point in time.

A Couple of Things

1. Everyone stop wearing cropped pants. Seriously. Stop it! They are not flattering on anyone. They make tall girls look short and short girls look shorter. I know they are everywhere but try to resist. Try hard.

2. hehehehehehe

3. Oprah today was the most feminist-oriented thing I've seen on national television in a long time! "Women are being exploited." "There is a machine that profits over making women feel small." This is why I love Oprah and why you should too! ;)

4. Everyone can dada!

5. This is for all the lawyers in the crowd - a quote from "Thank You For Smoking"
Son: "Dad, what makes the American government the best government in the world?"
Dad: "Our endless appeals process."

Law School Prom...and the Party Bus that took us there.

Laughing my butt off
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

This Saturday night was Barrister's Ball - better known as Law School Prom. My friends and I have a pretty strong philosophy that there are only so many times in your life you get to go to Prom, particularly Proms where you can legally drink, so you might has well make the most of it.

Every year we rent a party bus to take us from one of our houses (aka the preparty) around DC and then park outside Prom, functioning as our own personal VIP room. This year's bus had stripper poles and well what can you say - when the pole calls one must answer. ;) No, we all have to take the Bar someday so we behaved for the most part. I think I can safely say we all had a blast with no major mishaps...oh except the FIGHT on the bus.

That's right my dear friend Leslie who is the originator and organizer of the party bus (she has a spreadsheet people!) got in a fight defending the integrity of our executive coach. A 1L who shall remain nameless (until we figure out her name) got on our bus and when Leslie pointed out that we didn't know her, she didn't pay, and she should leave, proceeded to punch Leslie in the side of the face! Leslie, who is a peaceful girl, pushed her back by the throat. At this point, our friend Chickein interceeded and forced her off the bus. It was wild but to be expected really - jealousy is a sickness. ;)

Jamie Raskin for State Senate

Jamie
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Recently, Jamie Raskin, a constitutional law professor at my school, announced his candidacy for Maryland State Senate. I have joined his campaign as his personal aide and the campaign's all around go-to-girl. I squeeze in as much work as I can right now and will work full-time this summer.

Jamie is running against Ida Ruben - a 32 year incumbent who is what we call a DINO (Democrat in Name Only). District 20 is particularly liberal so the entire race will be the primary, because the Republicans never run a candidate. Jamie is the candidate you always dream of working for - an incredibly intelligent man full of honor and integrity.

He garnered a large amount of attention recently when he testified before the Maryland State Senate on a gay marriage amendment. When a conservative Senator pointed out that the Bible defined marriage as between a man and a woman, Jamie replied, "Yes but Senator when you took your oath of office you placed your hand on the Bible and swore to uphold the Constitution, you didn't place your hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible."

Check out his campaign website.

National Democratic Law Students Council

At the conference
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

The second weekend of Spring Break I went to Boston (for the first time ever) for the Inaugeral Conference of the newly formed National Democratic Law Students Council at Harvard. It really was an amazing weekend with lots of networking and great sessions on "Running for Office" and Democratic Strategy. It really restored my faith in the party, especially our keynote address by Howard Dean. I made an unsuccessful bid for VP of Campaigns and Elections but in a runoff election. Overall, as silly as this sounds, I left feeling like I'd really broken into the inner circle. When our speakers looked into the audience and said there were future Senators and Governors in the crowd, it wasn't like how they said it in elementary school - they meant it. People encouraged me to run and thought I had some really great ideas. It's funny how being from a Red State lends you instant credibilty. ;)

Nicholas came with me and we fit in as much sight seeing as possible. We even got to see South Boston's (Southie to locals) St. Patrick Day's Parade. Besides their ridiculous public transit system, we really enjoyed ourselves and of course the accents were good for hours of entertainment.

London Calling

London Calling
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

As promised, I will related some of the details of my very quick, very tiring trip to London.

I arrived Friday night very late and spent several hours convincing myself I was tired. On Saturday, Brad and I went to Portobello Market and had (according to Jamie Oliver) the best fish and chips in all of London at George's. It was in fact pretty fantastic. From street market to super upscale, we stopped off at Fortnum and Mason's where I bought various English foods. When Nicholas asked why I was so excited because the British aren't exactly known for their food, I reminded him that they are masters at anything in a jar (jam, clotted cream, mustards, etc.). He thought this was bloody hilarious, as they say.

On Sunday, we the Tate to Tate ferry to the Tate Modern and had high tea at Brad's private club. Then I went up in the London Eye while Brad went to church. (He described it as charismatic Church of England, which didn't exactly interest me.) We ate dinner at this delightful (and highly recommended - Thanks Laura!) restaurant called Chelsea Kitchen. Monday and Tuesday I was pretty much on my own as Brad was finishing up his semester. On Monday, I went to the National Gallery and just generally explored the city before meeting Brad for some evening Wagamama and Shakespeare . On Tuesday, I took a bus tour to Stonehenge and Bath. Bath, in particular the actual Roman Baths, was incredibly fascinating and strikingly beautiful.
Wednesday, it was back home to American, which consisted of approx. 11 hours of travel.

THANKS DADDY!

Video iPods ROCK!
Originally uploaded by SarahorNicholas.

Last December, my 15-year-old brothers both got video iPods for their birthday. I protested because clearly I NEED an video iPod more than them. A couple of weeks later my dad got one and then I just started feeling left out.

So, I pointed out to my father that I was the only Stewart lacking a new video iPod and that my current iPod was acting a little wonky (I might have washed it in the washing machine). He then says those magic words every daughter from 2 to 24 likes to hear "Honey, if you want one I'll get you one." At which point, I jumped around the room because YEAH I'M GETTING A VIDEO iPOD!!!

We decided to send it to Nicholas's office in case no one was at our apartment to sign for it. Nicholas points out that since it's coming under his name to his work it is clearly his iPod. My dad hears him and says those words every son-in-law loves to hear "Tell Nicholas if he really wants one I'll get him one." Anyone who knows Nicholas can guess that his immediate reaction was to scoff and say he did not need a video iPod and he didn't want to burden my father WHICH is why I secretly emailed my dad and said yes he'd love one.

This would be the best story if I was able to keep the secret and it just showed up at his office but alas I have a freaking big mouth. It doesn't matter anyway. All that matters now is that Nicholas and I are constantly rocking it out with our new video iPods and that my dad is like the most generous most wonderful dad ever! (If this doesn't impress you, just ask him about going to a Korn concert with my little brothers!)

SNOW! SNOW! SNOW!

First steps outside.
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

Ok so overnight the sky opened up and dumped about six inches of snow all over the DC Metro area. And can I just say? It's A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!! I love snow - I even set the alarm so I could get up and play in it before everyone else messed it up. We walked down to the mall and made snow angels and went sleddin'. The best part is we got to go up in the Washington Monument and see the whole city covered in snow. See Flickr for all the pics.

Saturday

What I did while waiting for the snow.
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

The were predictions for a massive snowstorm over the weeknd. However, Saturday proved to be a bit disappointing. Nicholas went to the (very hectic) grocery store in morning and the rest of day we did what the Sweet Potato Queen's call "jack shit"! We watched no fewer five movies and I completed a puzzle, pictured above.

Red Carpet Extravaganza!

Pretty Girls
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

My friends Laura (left) and Leslie (middle) threw a red carpet extravaganza to celebrate Laura's birthday. We were instructed to come as our favorite celebrity or a more fabulous version of ourselves. They were Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen complete with boho garb and large cups of coffee. Nicholas and I were more glamorous versions of ourselves. However, also in attendence at the party was TomKat and Courtney Love. We had a blast as you can see from the huge amount of pictures we took posted on flickr.

WHY!?!

My hard drive crashed - it sucks so hard I can't even tell you. Last night, it started acting slow and freezing. It got progressively worse until Nicholas decided to reinstall my operating system. Then, I called the Apple Helpline and they told me to do all this stuff that made it worse. THEN, I went to the Apple Store and the so-called "geniuses" did all this stuff that made it worse. Finally, they decided to send it off for a new hard drive and it should be back in 3-10 days.

In all honesty, it could be so much worse. We just backed up all my stuff to an external drive. Actually, it's kind of funny because we bought the external drive because my music was taking up so much room. Well, it turns out I didn't really need it because I just accidently been uploading music files in this really large format. So, I converted them back and deleted the big files and I was fine. Luckily, we decided to keep the drive and back up all my documents or else this crash would have been disasterous.

However, it still really sucks because its going to be a couple days without a computer and a couple of hours getting it back to where it used to be once I get one. I guess I'm just paying back bad kharma for bragging about how great Macs are to all my PC using friends. I mean I watch My Name is Earl so you'd think I'd know better. But I'm sure I'll get mine when I have to go beg to all them for last week's class notes.

A New Year

Maggie's New Haircut
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

A new year comes with the requisite resolutions which include but are not limited to posting more on the blog. And I was doing so well last year till December of course when finals happened! Lots has happened since then which I will list because I am a lazy lazy girl.

1. I took two exams and turned in my paper of the semester (bringing the grand total of pages written to 110).
2. I went home to Paducah WAY too early and was bored out of my stinkin' skull.
3. Nicholas had a little accident in which he sprained his hand and seriously messed up his face.
4. I failed my freaking comment which composed over half of the previously mentioned 110 pages. I have a chance to resubmit and am guarenteed I will pass as long as I put in a "good faith" effort. I just hope my definition of good faith is the same as theirs'.
5. Christmas came and went far too quickly. Santa brought me lots of goodies including a new digitial camera, beautiful gold earrings from the hubby, and a bunch of other lovely things. And the Skidmore family created a new pajama party tradition that is here to stay. (See Flickr for pictures)
6. Nicholas and I spent a lovely New Year's evening at home. He made a romantic dinner and we watched the ball drop with Carson Daly (b/c Dick Clark was just too depressing--sorry!).
7. I discovered Sudoku thanks to a well-intentioned stocking stuffer from my mother. I now have significantly less free time.
8. I saw The Chornicles of Narnia (that lion was freaking amazing), The Family Stone (aka tear-jerker masquerading as a comedy), King Kong (poor thing! he just likes the blonde), Rumor Has It (more Shirley McLain!), and after waiting FOREVER the gay cow...I mean Brokeback Mountain which was by far the best movie I've seen in a season full of good movies. Give Heath Ledger his Oscar.
9. Watched approximately 14 of the 16 hours of the Oprah DVD collection while wishing a million times over that I was Gayle King and realizing I don't remember a time in my life when I was NOT watching Oprah.
10. Oh, and Maggie got a haircut (see above).

Maggie's Sweet Face

Maggie's Sweet Face
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

Over Thanksgiving, Rob took some "art shots" of our adorable pup. We've been meaning to get her picture taken professionally forever. Luckily Nicholas' dad is a photography genius and FREE!

Thanksgiving

Family Portrait
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving in Atlanta with Nicholas' family. We drove down with Pamela on Tuesday night and came back yesterday. The meal itself was wonderful and spending time with family, especially the new addition Stephen really was nice. If only I didn't have to come back to finals!

I'm in love

Meet Butterstick

WARNING: Do not click this link if you have impending deadlines, errands to run, or basically anything to do for the next couple of hours.

Dear Pizza Hut, You suck. Love, Sarah

Tonight at approximately 6:30 I ordered a large cheese pizza and an order of breadsticks from Pizza Hut. Now, I had a credit for the breadsticks because last time they were out - that took about five minutes to explain. So, I got off the phone and waited and waited and waited. Around 7:45 I called and they said it would be 15 minutes. The pizza showed up at 8:30. Let me rephrase. The chicken pizza showed up! As most of you know, we do not eat meat. So, we chased the pizza guy down and he said to keep it and he would bring us a cheese pizza. We called the store and they said they would give us a store credit and another pizza was on its way. That was about 8:45. At 10:00, I called again and after sitting on hold for 10 minutes the manager explained they thought we only wanted the store credit. He's sending a pizza right over.

It's 10:30. There is no pizza yet. We are hungry.

Trick or Treat!

Maggie as Pumpkin!
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I WON!
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

Fall Retreat

In front of the falls we didn't get in the picture
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

My hubby took me out of town this weekend for what he repeatedly referred to as "leaf peeping." We went to Staunton, VA and stayed at the Stonewall Jackson Hotel. Had a lovely dinner at Mrs. Rowe's and went to see North Country (not a whole lot of nightlife in Staunton). Then today we drove Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park and stopped for a nice hike. A lovely weekend all around.

Stephen

Stephen 101605-01
Originally uploaded by Gerver.

This is mine and Nicholas's new nephew Stephen Garrett Holland. Pretty cute huh? When I told Nicholas the weirdest part was thinking this little baby would be our kids' cousin, he quickly replied "Yes, their MUCH older cousin." :)

Things That Suck

1. Law School - seriously one year was plenty!
2. Commander in Chief - it really pains me to say it, but its true
3. Verizon Video/New Jersey - for stealing my husband
4. Lack o' free time - see number 1
5. The end of summer
6. Grating my finger with the micro-plane grater - OUCH!
7. Missing my family
8. The obnoxious guy in my CrimPro AND BA class.
9. My friend Haley living so far away :(
10. Not having a car.

Things That Are Awesome

1. Hot Yoga - 600 calories in an HOUR AND 1/2!
2. Maggie - soooo cuddly
3. Finally getting tickets to Paul McCartney - Oct 8!
4. Floating Mountains, Singing Clouds
5. Fall Movies - North Country, Elizabethtown, The Family Stone
6. Desperate Housewives - I've miss you ladies
7. Pamela - having an extra person to help with the dog AND do the dishes (and she's pretty funny)
8. Amalah
9. Oprah - the old standby
10. Not having to pay for gas

North Carolina and TV

Sarah P. Duke Gardens
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

We just had two lovely weekends in North Carolina. The first we spent with our friends Jennifer and David and there beautiful new baby Isabel. We got to see people we hadn't seen since we left and went to an awesome Coldplay concert. (Although Alltel Pavillion is a clusterf*** if I have EVER seen one!)

Last weekend, we went to our friends Pete and Pam's wedding at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. It was an absolutely lovely wedding with chocolate cupcakes and lots of dancing which is always a good combination. They had a live band which was fun and different in the age of DJ's.

Since we've been back, I've been watching ALOT of TV since the beginning of the new season. I've stopped watching Lost (I got tired of being jerked around) and The West Wing (it just hasn't been the same since Sorkin left) so I have some room. So far My Name is Earl is the only one for sure being added to the line-up b/c damn Jason Lee is funny. I'm going to give How I Met Your Mom one more chance although Rome and Kitchen Confidential are probably not going to make the cut. Otherwise, I'll still be watching Desperate Housewives, Wife Swap, and OFCOURSE the absolute best show on television My Super Sweet Sixteen.

Assateague National Seashore

Ponies in the campsite
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

Sarah and I went with our friends Annie and Kyle to Assateague National Seashore. This island has a bunch of once domesticated horses that are now "wild." They are a small breed, so they are affectionately known as wild ponies. The ponies, as evidenced by this photo, are pretty used to people. They were also quite unafraid of Maggie.

We had a wonderful time camping out and we hit the beach on Monday for a last gasp before the end of summer. The water was cold and pretty choppy, so there wasn't a whole lot of swimming, but the weather was beautiful. Maggie enjoyed the beach, but was confused by the sand and waves. Unfortunately, we failed to take a single picture of her. Ah well.

Hurricane Katrina Update

Now it seems Pamela will be attending American University for the fall semester and becoming the newest roommate at 9th and C. It's going to be a little crowded but she's a tiny little thing so that should help. Mainly, we are just glad we could be there for her. She arrives on Monday.

Hurricane Katrina

I don't know where to begin. Everytime I turn on the TV or check CNN the news seems to be getting worse and worse. The effects of Mother Nature and the actions of humans (good and bad) seem to boggle the mind. I've been horrified by images dead bodies and brough to tears by the tragic stories of survivors.

Luckily, it would seem we are turning the corner and now finding concrete ways to help the people of LA and MS. First of all, I am so proud to be a student at the Washington College of Law. They have offered up 20 free spaces to 3rd year law students at Loyola and Tulane law schools. The bookstore has offered free textbooks and the school is organizing free lodging. We have volunteered our extra bedroom. It felt indescribely good to do something concrete and positive although we don't know yet someone will be using it. Apparently, we aren't the only ones looking to help the refugees.

On a personal note, all of those we know and love in New Orleans escaped unharm. Nicholas's little sister Pamela was set to begin her senior year at Tulane. It now looks like she will have to at least spend her fall semester at another school - probably at home in Atlanta. Our friend Jeff is staying with a friend and also made it out ok.

VMA

Dear MTV,

We need to talk. It's time for some honesty in our relationship. We've been together a long time - 24 years, both born in 1981 and we've gone through alot. Overall, I've been incredibly happy with you. You've really given me so much. The Real World, Sex in the 90's, reruns of My So-Called-Life, Rich Girls. Recently, I thought you were really hitting a stride. I mean Real World/Road Rules Challenge is really something special. Your documentaries, especially True Life have brought me to tears. And My Super Sweet Sixteen! Jesus, words cannot express my love for that show.

However, twice a year my high opinion of you suffers a serious blow. Once in early summer during the MTV Movie Awards and again in late summer during the Video Music Awards. I mean seriously I don't even know what to say except I remember a time when these awards show did not suck so completely. And it seems yesterday night with the 2005 VMAs you reached a new low. It was really really painful. Awkward P. Di--- I mean Diddy dance numbers, weird comedic interludes, mediocre performances. In fact, and this is hard for me to say...I don't think I'm going to watch them anymore. They are just too awful. Really I want to cling a few more years because I'm getting older and I do want to stay relevant. But I fear you too are getting older and your irrelevance is creeping across the stage at these events.

I mean maybe if you got some help. Maybe you should hire whoever makes all those amazing commericials. But until then MTV awards shows I have to say...We are officially on a break.

Love,
Sarah

Georgetown

Ok so let's recap:
I was supposed to hear from Georgetown in early May.
1. They deferred their decision till my second semester grades came in.
2. They put me on the wait list.
3. They told me I would hear by August 3.
4. They told me I would hear something by August 19.
5. They told me I would hear something this Monday or Tuesday.
6. They told me I should get an email this morning from 9am-12pm.
7. At 1pm I call and they tell me I will get an email around 3pm.
8. At 4:45 pm, I CALL THEM and they tell me that they haven't had any "movement" and they don't anticipate having any. I ask "So basically the wait list is closed." They say, "Pretty much."

Needless to say, I am leaving the experience with a bad taste in my mouth. HOWEVER, I am an optimist and I really do think it is for the best. I am on Moot Court at AU and have recently graded onto the Gender Journal. Plus all my friends are there. If only it was closer to my house!

Back to reality

Los Padres National Park
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

I start school tomorrow which is bad enough, but made worse by the end of our wonderful vacation only a few days ago.

Nicholas and I went to visit my father in California for a week. Since he'd never been before, we decided to pile in as much as possible. We met my dad in Los Angeles and did all the tourist stops: Graumann's Chinese Theater, Rodeo Drive, where O.J. killed Nicole. Then we drove north up the Pacific Coast Highway.

First, we stopped in Santa Barbara. We shopped downtown and ate at Oprah's favorite restaurant in Montecito - Trattoria Mollie. While we didn't see Oprah, we did sit across from Carole Burnett. Of course I had to talk to her and tell her I still had the signed picture she sent me when I wrote her in 3rd grade. She was very very sweet.

Second, we stopped in Monterey. On our way there, we stopped at Edna Valley vineyard and tasted an amazing Pinot Noir (I know so Sideways!). We tried to see Hearst Castle but it was sold out for the day.

Last, we spent a day and a half in San Francisco. We ate clam chowder from a sour dough breadbowl on the wharf, drank tea in the Japanese Tea Garden, sampled fortune cookies in Chinatown, and had breakfast at the Pork Store in Haight Ashbury (shouldn't that be in Castro!).

All in all it was an absolutely wonderful trip made even more wonderful by the generosity of my dad who paid for the whole trip and drove us where ever our hearts' desired.

Thanks Daddy!

I DID IT!

In 1998, the American Film Institute released the top 100 movies of all time. I don't remember when I decided to try to watch them all but it was soon after they were released. When I first looked through the list, I think I had seen about 20 or 30 of them. They spanned from 1915 to 1996 and I'd seen most of the recent ones: Fargo, Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump. I've spent the past seven years watching the rest. I wasn't completely hard core and my rate of watching would dip and wane. First, I would search the TV Guide and record them on the VCR. Then Tivo came along and really sped the process along. Finally, we joined Netflix and I got to see all the rare ones or really dirty ones uncensored. But I watched Mutiny on the Bounty this evening and finished the list. Here's a rundown on some of my casual impressions:

Better then I expected: Casablanca, Jaws, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Apartment, A Clockwork Orange, Gold Rush
As bad as I expected: Lawrence of Arabia, Patton, 2001: A Space Odyssey
Worse than I expected: The French Connection, The Birth of a Nation, From Here to Eternity, The Jazz Singer

Weirdest plot twist: Chinatown - You're sister is your WHAT?
Most annoying child: Shane - MAAAAAAA!!! PAAAAAA!!!!
Best chemistry: Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Most unnecessary ending: Easy Rider
Hottest man ever: Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Hottest woman ever: Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun
Most homoerotic film: Ben-Hur - Best friends from childhood my ass
Most anxiety producing film: High Noon
Craziest Eyes: Sunset Boulevard - I'm ready for the close up of my crazy eyes Mr. DeMille
Most confusing trend: Boxing films and use of the word bum
Worst villain: Captain Bligh from Mutiny on the Bounty - SERIOUS asshole, I'd go mutiny on his ass too.
Best costumes: Gone With The Wind
Saddest character: Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire
Worst book adaptation: Wuthering Heights


So those are my preliminary impressions. Now I guess I'll catch up on the post-1996 classics. Anybody own a copy of Rush Hour 2?

Weekend with the girls!

IMG_2164.JPG
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

Well I just got back from Louisville. I went in for my friend Alexis's wedding in Lexington, which was beautiful. (pics on flickr) However, the best part was getting to be with my girls!

Me, Elizabeth, Erin, and Aimee have stood by each other through breakups, family drama, weddings, babies, and relocation and that just since we've graduated! When we get together you can bet there will be lots of gossip, sex stories, and Arbor Mist and very very little sleep. This weekend was no different although our friendship got a very exciting addition. Our group of four became a group of five! Catherine has been with us from the beginning but this weekend we made it a "official" which basically means we said "Now you have to go on vacation with us and write in our correspondence journal!"

So, all in all a really great weekend especially since my really great parents decided to drive up from Paducah and take us all out to eat and visit for a couple of days. Between amazing friends, family, and a damn near perfect husband I really am the luckiest girl in the world.

A NEW Post

IMG_9748
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

I've been done with my internship since July 1 so in theory I should have been posting like a lot. But seriously I'm busy ya'll. I redecorated our apartment, finished my wedding scrapbook after TWO years (bringing the grand total of albums up to six!), went to Paducah, went to the beach, threw a kick ass Harry Potter party and a kick ass birthday party...and of course met some more famous people!

My friend Samantha won tickets to a Ben Folds concert and an opportunity to hear him play up closes and personal at the radio studio. We were already going to the concert but she invited me to the radio show yesterday since I am a huge Ben Folds fan. It was amazing. (Thanks again Sam!) We had seen him at the 9:30 Club a couple of months ago and he was really great. This place was a lot smaller and we got to sit on couches on the front row which was really really cool. He played about five songs and he took requests. Of course I yelled out "Angry Dwarf" and he took my request. This was really special because I told Nicholas before the last show that the only songs I really wanted him to play was Angry Dwarf or Song for the Dumped, neither of which he played of course. But this more than made up for it!

OH! I almost forgot! I've also been progressing through the AFI's Top 100 List slowly but surely. (For those of you who don't know I've been trying to watch all 100 since like high school.) Well Netflix and all this free time revolutionized my viewing and I was down to the very last one! So I put in Mutiny on the Bounty and am all excited because I'm going to finish the list! YEAH! And I shit you not the freaking DVD was broken. They are sending me another one. I mean seriously people!

Me & Barack

Me & Barack

Okay, so one day I'll start posting about something besides the famous people I meet but not today people, not today. I met Barack Obama!!! There is a lecture series for interns every summer and he was the speaker on Tuesday. His speech was amazing. He conveys such integrity and honesty. I might agree with him on everything...like really truly everything. Anyway, after his lecture I ran, jumped, maybe stepped on a couple of children to get to the side exit and caught him on his way out. He shook my hand. You are all wecome to drive to D.C. and shake the hand, try to soak up the magic.

P.S. When I worked for NOW I did Election 2004 research. There was a state senator in Illinois that had announced he was going to run for Peter Fitzgerald's seat. He had some funny name, Barack Obama. I told my boss he didn't have a chance in hell. :)

Vintage Virginia

We had a good time last weekend at the wine festival, although it was hotter than when we went the first time and we had a dog to pick up from the groomer's, so we spent a lot less time there.

We liked several of the whites that we tried, but we ended up buying only the Barboursville Viognier (the influx of good and cheap Australian, Spanish, and South African whites colored our perception of value this time around). We passed on Barboursville's very good Octagon VI (probably the best red in VA). The rest of the reds were highly questionable, especially the Cabernet Francs. Apparently, many Virginia wineries grow Cab Franc for their Meritage blends. Unfortunately, many also choose to put out a 100% Cab Franc, and they are universally terrible. Perhaps you've heard of "fruit forward" wines, and perhaps you've also heard a wine described as having "hints of tobacco." Now, just for a moment, imagine a tobacco-forward wine. That was the only way to describe one of the Cab Franc's we tried. Sarah threatened to hurt me if I made her try another one.

Yes, we are quite spoiled and bourgeois, especially by the very good wine store that I ("have to") walk by on the way from the Metro to Home.

Me, Amy, & Emily

Me, Amy, & Emily

So, Wednesday night we went to see the Indigo Girls for Nicholas birthday. It was a really great concert and Amy even played "Romeo and Juliet" which she rarely does live so awesome all around. BUT...the really cool part was the next day they came to the Hill to lobby for low power FM radio and I went to the little briefing. I got there early and sat in the second row. Then Emily comes in and sits IN FRONT OF ME. They played Closer to Fine, Yield, and Galileo six feet in front of me! It was amazing. They were totally unplugged, no mics or anything. It was totally great to see them up close and personal. Afterwards, I got to thank both of them and chat with Emily about advice for one of my closet friends who wants to become a musician. It was just so absolutely freaking cool.

Summer of Fun

Sarah, Maggie, and I went to Harper's Ferry last weekend and hiked up a huge hill to get to what is supposed to be one of the finest views within two hours of DC. It was a lot of fun, even though we got rained on. Maggie was intrepid as we hiked the 5 mile trail. She nearly pulled me down the hill she was so excited to be out in nature.

Tomorrow we are dropping Maggie off to get groomed and are going to Vintage Virginia, the wine festival featuring Virginia wineries. We went a couple of years ago. Some of the wine is decent, some not so much, but at 20 bucks a head, you can't beat it for something to do on a Saturday.

We have Harper's Ferry pictures, and should have some from the wine festival, which we'll post soon.

Dream Come True

Dream Come True

Today was my first day as a Capitol Hill intern and I have to say it was pretty great. All the people in my office are wonderful and the Congressman is incredibly warm and friendly. I already have exciting legislative assignments and tomorrow I will be going to my first committee meeting. In other words, I'm in hog heaven!

Remember Me?

Remember Me?

So I did it. I actually completed my first year of law school and now I can blog, read, watch TV, just plain old exist without thinking "I should be reading" "I should be studying" "I should be OUTLINING!" It's pretty amazing. It feels like it's been a million years and five minutes all at the same time. I'm proud of myself for sticking it out because it is the most academically challenging thing I've ever done.

Here is what I've learned:
1. You SHOULD NOT go to law school unless you really want to. If you're thinking "Maybe I'll go to law school" or "I'll just go to law school." You are making huge mistake. Only go if you can't do what you really want to do without it.

2. In stressful situations, people regress and act like middle-schoolers. Of course, when you take the bus to school, eat in the cafeteria, and have lockers you really don't have any other choice.

3. I'm actually pretty smart and not just getting by on red hair and cleavage ;)

4. My husband is the most supportive wonderful patient man in the world.

5. Lots of awesome legalese like: fee simple subject to condition subsequent, joinder, impleading, Palsgraf, and Learned Hand...oh and lots and lots of Latin.

6. I will never never think like a normal person again. (Case in point: I was listening to a great song by the legendary Loretta Lynn called "Women's Prison" about this woman sitting on death row b/c she killed her husband when she caught him cheating on her. And I thought "No way she'd go to death row b/c that's definitely adequate provocation and she'd only be charged with voluntary manslaughter." SAD!)

So anyway, I'm hoping to blog a lot over the next few months as well as do a lot of reading for pleasure! I start work for the Honorable Representative Ben Chandler for the 6th District of Kentucky on May 23rd. But I'm only working there till July 1 and then I'll be tracking around the country to catch up with all the people I haven't' spoken to in the past several months!

Mmmmm...minty.

Mint Julep
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

Though there was no hope of a Derby Party yesterday - what with Sarah studying and us far away from the Bluegrass, but I was undeterred, crafting a mighty fine mint julep.

The recipe:

1 julep cup or "old fashioned" type glass (we own a julep cup, but it's off limits since it was a wedding gift from our college President)
1 tablespoon hot water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 oz. good Kentucky Bourbon
5 fresh mint sprigs
bunch of crushed ice

Place four of the mint sprigs in the bottom of a separate cup and pour the tablespoon of hot water over them. Add sugar to the mixture and allow to steep until the water cools, making sure the sugar dissolves. Then muddle the leaves in the water with a muddler (or the back of a wooden spoon, like I did). Strain the mint leaves out of the water and then squeeze them over the glass so as to get all the delicious mintiness out of them. Discard mint leaves. Add bourbon and stir. Fill julep cup to overflowing with crushed or shaved ice, preferably making a rounded top like a snowcone. Pour bourbon/syrup mixture over ice. Add straw and place last mint sprig so you get a big whiff of mint when you sip from straw. Enjoy responsibly.

There are all sorts of recipes out there to make massive amounts of mint julep mix, but I've found this one to make a pretty good one serving version. Also, I did not think Giacomo would win yesterday, though I did go on record saying I didn't think any of the favorites would win. Unfortunately, I placed no bets.

Well, that was dumb

Using a taser on a librarian to steal library books from Transy is a really stupid idea, trying to sell them to Christie's is an even stupider idea.

Baseball

I went into work at 6 am this morning to bill some hours so that I could take part in my first "businessman's special" - 1 o'clock baseball at RFK stadium. The Braves were in town and my friend Paul at the firm has season tickets, so we took off around noon to go to the game.

Long story short, Braves won with two unearned runs in the ninth - I was happy.

We also got a flickr pro account from Christopher, so you can expect a lot more photos soon.

Awesomeness

Went to The Fiery Furnaces concert tonight. They frickin' ROCKED OUT....

Sarah went to dinner with a friend of ours to whom she lost a bet (Presidential election bet-d'oh). I'll let you know if the restaurant is worth going to.

All Apologies

We realize that after several months of very occasional posting most of our "readers" have given up on us. Trust that we really want to do better, but both of us sit in front of screens and type all day, so it's not exactly our dream hobby to do that when we get home. Still, we swear we'll do better.

Currently Sarah is trying to transfer to Georgetown and is finishing up her first year of law school. Nicholas is working hard and loving his job, except the occasional long day.

Benjamin was in town this evening and he and I went to dinner, while Sarah held a long-planned clothes-swap. She's quite the entertainer. (Example: We traveled to a less than safe neighborhood last night to get individual champagne bottles. Sarah walked up to the glass encased employee and said "I called earlier about the champagne," to which the employee answered " I knew that when you walked in.")

As for the aforementioned trip to NYC, it was fantastic, and if you're ever in the Village and get to go to Po or the Magnolia Bakery, GO, you won't regret it.

This weekend is our first Cherry Blossom Festival, and they are all blooming perfectly, so we might have some good shots. Please, we know we've been less than reliable in the past, but we'll really try.

All Apologies

We realize that after several months of very occasional posting most of our "readers" have given up on us. Trust that we really want to do better, but both of us sit in front of screens and type all day, so it's not exactly our dream hobby to do that when we get home. Still, we swear we'll do better.

Currently Sarah is trying to transfer to Georgetown and is finishing up her first year of law school. Nicholas is working hard and loving his job, except the occasional long day.

Benjamin was in town this evening and he and I went to dinner, while Sarah held a long-planned clothes-swap. She's quite the entertainer. (Example: We traveled to a less than safe neighborhood last night to get individual champagne bottles. Sarah walked up to the glass encased employee and said "I called earlier about the champagne," to which the employee answered " I knew that when you walked in.")

As for the aforementioned trip to NYC, it was fantastic, and if you're ever in the Village and get to go to Po or the Magnolia Bakery, GO, you won't regret it.

This weekend is our first Cherry Blossom Festival, and they are all blooming perfectly, so we might have some good shots. Please, we know we've been less than reliable in the past, but we'll really try.

Congratulations to Sarah!!!!

Sarah made it onto Moot Court yesterday, which is a very big honor for any law student. This means she gets to go to national competitions and argue - can you imagine a better activity for Sarah?

Not Much to Report

Sorry we went more than a month without posting. February has just been a little blah...work/school, etc. March should be better, we're going to NYC for a weekend, and I get to go to Orlando for work while Sarah heads to Paducah during her spring break. Better times ahead.

Brrrrrrr...

Snow Angels on the Mall
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

We skipped the inaugural celebration because it was too cold, but we weren't going to miss out on our first snow in DC. We have a few pictures at flickr.

It's Snowing...

We're supposed to get 9 inches from now through tonight. Pictures may follow, watch flickr.

Maggie Got a Haircut

Who's that pretty dog?
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

Isn't she cute?

No, seriously....

I'm supposed to be impressed by this?

I don't think so. Especially knowing this and this.

Peach Bowl

Having worked for and and seen a few great Peach Bowls (esp. '98 UGA v. UVA), I have to say that this year's Florida vs. Miami match-up has to be the best side-effect of the expanded ACC. Though I hate the two teams, I'm gonna' watch.

Home, Home Again

Maggie and I returned home today from Atlanta. I am exhausted from getting up early and traveling, and she is a very tired dog after a weekend of playing with Cousin Larry Max and stressful plane rides--this morning we were one of three dogs on board(!). We went for a quick walk when we got home and since then we have both been napping off and on (more on than off). This afternoon between naps I watched a few South Park Christmas episodes (the best being the one where the children recreate the original South Park cartoon (Jesus v. Santa)). I then watched the Redskins/Cowboys game which was impressive. I have to say it was nice to watch TV with the sound on after having to watch it while Sarah studied, trying to follow the action while reading the closed captioning. I have to say that it has heightened my awareness of the necessity for more closed captioning--What do you mean there's no captioning on The Thirsty Traveler?

Sarah went on to Paducah, where she opened her presents from her parents and then called me so she could open mine over the phone. I must say I got some pretty good stuff.

I return to work tomorrow, and then I probably will go on to Louisville on Friday for New Year's Eve, as long as I can find someone to take care of Maggie.

Thank you to Geoffrey and Jennifer (and Max and the cats) who were very gracious this whole weekend, even as Maggie and I woke the whole place up when she needed to go out.

Yeah, We're Fine...

...just a little busy. Sarah just finished exams, work is picking up for me, and we're getting ready to head to Atlanta for Christmas. We also have to finish our shopping.

Exams

Sarah's got her first law school exams starting Tuesday. She's studying hard, and I, of course, can't stop being nosey about how it's going, etc., since, after all, "I've done this before." Hard to be just the supportive husband without quizzing her about the ins and outs of Civil Procedure. Just realized that it will be six years straight where law school exams will impact my life in some way, shape, or form--great.

Thanksgiving visit to the eastern mid-West was great fun. We flew Independence Air, and our outgoing flight wasn't delayed on a day when almost everything else was. We plan on flying them again, especially since they will let us take Maggie in the cabin with us, which ought to be an adventure. Speaking of Maggie, she has fully recovered from her bite, though her hair is slow to grow back. She has been relegated back to her crate for now, because she kept taking ornaments off the Christmas tree. Pictures from both Thanksgiving and the Christmas tree are coming once I can get a free moment to upload them on Sarah's computer. She's using it for some tests she has.

I also bought a new suit today. It's navy. Can someone please explain to me why these things cost so effin' much?

Off to TN, IN, KY

Sidenote before I get to the Thanksgiving post: I got a new Wusthof Grand Prix 8-inch Chef's Knife today , which replaces my Chicago Cutlery knife (which, while inexpensive, actually was a good first "real" chef's knife). The new knife is going to take some getting used to, but it's exciting to me anyway.

Tomorrow late we leave for Nashville from which we will travel to Evansville, IN and then to Hopkinsville, KY, and finally to Paducah. We are looking forward to seeing all of Sarah's extended family, but we will be thinking all of our family and friends this Thanksgiving.

Of course, Sarah and I are thankful for so much these days, but here's a partial list: that we live in DC and are doing exactly what we wanted to do when we mapped it out two years ago, that Sarah has acclimated to law school, that I passed the bar exam, again that I passed the bar exam, that Maggie is such a good, well-adjusted (if slightly bitten) dog, that we both have our health and each other and loving families.

Christmas Gift For Nicholas?

I really want some Fun Slides Carpet Skates. They are among the 10 most dangerous toys this year, but in a totally carpeted apartment, they look like awesomeness.

Also, please, if you think anything is funny, check out this week's Strong Bad e-mail.

Spaghetti Alla Cousteau

Spaghetti Alla Cousteau
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

I was inspired by Christina's post to make the green spaghetti that my parents used to make. I now have a fifth of Blue Curacao and nowhere to go. "Fruit of the Millennium" here I come!!!

Sarah was not fond of this dish (it tasted "sour"), though our friend Dylan and I enjoyed it.

Good Times

Daddy is in town on Corps business and we had a really good time going out to dinner with him last night. We went to Neisha Thai in Tenleytown, which was delicious.

This is the first post here since the election, which is only somewhat purposeful. Needless to say, we were pretty disappointed with the Democratic showing. Despite the fact that I've done a lot of it in the last week, I don't think it's terribly helpful to disparage those who voted for Bush, and I think Sarah would agree. It's better to figure out how they won and try to emulate it. The next few years should be interesting. VIVA Democratic obstructionism!

Oh, by the way...

I was sworn into the Virginia Bar today. It was very ceremonious...

So I'm Probably Way Behind Here....

...but I just found out that Martin Freeman (of The Office and Love Actually fame) is playing Arthur Dent in the forthcoming Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie, and can I just say, "What a perfect choice."

I'm probably just saying that because I've watched the final two special episodes of The Office about ten times in the last week, but I think he's great. Apparently, Lucy Davis (who plays Dawn on The Office) is in Shaun of the Dead, but I haven't seen it.

Changed my mind! Law school rocks b/c I got a big old A on my first memo! YEAH!

I hate law school. I can only imagine it's like having kids. You convince yourself that you'll handle it better and that you will be more orgainzed or else you would never do it. Then you do it and realize - nope it just sucks and is really really hard no matter how "prepared' you think you are. By then of course it is too late.

If You Think That's Bad, You Should See the Other Dog

Maggie's Injury
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

This is a shot of Maggie from this afternoon. As you can see, she is wearing an Elizabethan Collar and has had most of her face shaved so they could treat her wound.

She is not a happy puppy right now.

Thursday Night/Friday Morning

We're sitting in the all-night emergency vet right now waiting to see the doctor. Another dog bit Maggie today at the park. Apparently, the other dog is "not friendly" (this is what the a-hole owner told Sarah after the incident).

Looks like we'll be here until early Friday morning...

Don't worry, my unprofessional opinion is that she's just got a flesh wound, but you can never be too careful...

Not the Way I Would Want to Find Out...

A story about a guy who found out he passed the VA bar in (what I consider) a terrifying way.

Beautiful Downtown Lancaster

Sarah and I headed to Lancaster, PA yesterday on a bus from Kerry's DC headquarters. We spent the day canvassing the residential parts of downtown Lancaster. I think we hit the one Democratic corner of Lancaster County, a place known for it's large evangelical population.

Most people weren't home, and most of the ones who were already had John Kerry window signs, so our goal ended up being to remind people of the importance of making it to the polls or making sure they get their absentee ballot applications in on time.

We returned last night, exhausted, but hopeful that we had done something to help get John Kerry elected President.

Fantastic

If you have 20 minutes, you should watch Jon Stewart's appearance on on Crossfire. Seriously, y'all, he calls Tucker Carlson a dick...

It's available at iFilm.

Sarah and I are off to Pennsylvania tomorrow to canvass for Kerry.

I FREAKING PASSED!!!

That's right boys and girls. I passed the Virginia Bar Exam!!!

Celebration to come.

Big D Makes News, Again

An interesting, though factually incorrect, piece from Creative Loafing about "Bicycle Shorts Man," AKA "Big D." Those of you who knew me in my high school days know that all was revealed about this mysterious character in one of the last issues of the kindling. That is all.

Until I moved to DC I had (fortunately) never seen anyone get hit by a car. Since I've moved here, I've seen it twice. One pedestrian (not so bad, she was more grazed than hit) and today, a motorcyclist (looked pretty bad). I'm not sure why I'm telling you all this, but I thought it was pertinent.

Pamela is in town again this weekend. We had lunch and watched Dr. Strangelove at our place and then went to buy produce at Eastern Market.

Sarah and I have also started occasionally using Zipcar, which is a shared car service in DC. For $8.50 an hour you can rent a car anytime (gas and insurance included), and they are all over the city. We have driven a Ford Focus and a Scion xA so far. Next up, a Mini Cooper. It's pretty useful for things like taking people to the airport, big grocery shopping trips and getting out to the closest Target.

Anyway, I don't have much else to say. Happy Columbus Day?

Maggie's "Gotcha" Day

Mmmmm....
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

We have had Maggie for one year today. As a treat she got something from the doggy bakery near Eastern Market. Yes, we are goofy pet owners, but she's such a goooood doooooog....yes she is! ...yes she is!!!

There Goes the Neighborhood

We have had Maggie for almost one year. For some reason, she has never jumped on the couch or on our bed. Until yesterday. Now she does it all the time. At first we were excited, we had always been a little worried about her inability to jump two feet up. Now we aren't so sure...

Things to do in DC

The Polyphonic Spree
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

We saw a free Polyphonic Spree concert tonight at the Kennedy Center. It was a really good show, if a little absurd. For anyone who doesn't know about this group, maybe this article will fill you in.

Things I Like

- Having wireless DSL, did I really use dial-up for two years??

- The New National Museum of the American Indian-- a little overwhelming, but well done

-The Cheese Guy at Eastern Market-There's a special place in my arteries for all the cheese this guy convinces me to buy (most recent, "Sage Cheddar")

- New Mini-Break-and-Bake Cookies from Pillsbury

- Vegetarian Times Magazine

- The Washington Post's Free Daily "Express"--all the news you can read in a 10 minute Metro ride.

- Our dog--Goes without saying, but she's done a really good job adjusting to us being gone most of the day, and is still as sweet as ever.

Happy Birthday Toey!!!


I know I promised a picture, but BloggerBot is acting up and doesn't want to upload the picture.

Here's a link for those with a flickr account. Word.

It's been a long time...

I started work today, mostly orientation stuff. I also got to see my cute little ultralight laptop (Dell Latitude x300). It's definitely light, which is all I know about it because they haven't given me a passowrd to access it yet--that comes tomorrow.

Sarah is enjoying law school as much as any first year, which is to say not that much, but she seems to be working her way into a routine.

Maggie is doing fine, she isn't thrilled about us being gone during the day, but she gets exercise in the morning rather than at midday like she was getting. It's a new routine for her, too, I guess.

I'll be in Atlanta this weekend dropping off the Corolla. In related news, I just got my DC drivers' license, which took only 30 minutes. I was prepared for an all day affair a la the Georgia DMV, but was pleasantly surprised by the first efficient DMV office I've ever been in.