Heaving Melons Virtual Happy Hour

I'd like to raise a toast to our first Heaving Melons happy hour! To the Balto-blogs! To the loners! To drinking! To, to.... I dunno... to the Baltimore non-elite! :)

TGI-Thursdays Happy Hour

Quick post tonight, as I have to pack up for the long haul back to Ohio tomorrow night. I'll be blogging from Ohio from Friday night through Wednesday morning, so my entries could be either insanely boring or extremely fascinating. Honestly, it's a toss up.

Today was once again a long day at work, and once again I had a least favorite person. This person wasn't at happy hour, though... so I was able to experience some relief before coming home to an evening of packing. We all had a jolly old time talking about who was more gross, boys or girls. I'm still not sure who won...

Jill and Charissa














Richie and Dave

Attack of the Killer ______!!

I was microwaving my lunch at work yesterday, when I saw this bug on the outside of the window in our kitchen area. First of all, the bug was huge; but when I looked at the bug with I-95 in the background, it reminded me of those old Godzilla-type movies.... except this movie would be "Attack of the Killer ____!"

Is it a bird? A plane? I know it's not a grasshopper, because I looked. Does anyone know?

Great News Times Two

Today was a great day for great news.

First of all, this morning I received a call from the eye center. For those of you that aren't aware, I am nearing the end of a long journey on my quest for 20/20 vision. (Read more about what I have had done so far, here and here.) My third and (hopefully) final surgery will be July 12th, and today I found out that I DON'T have to have the insanely scary surgery that I thought I was going to have. Instead of EPI-LASIK, I will have Intralase or "bladeless" LASIK. What was going to be an entire day of pain will not exist, and what was supposed to be six solid days of healing will now be approximately 24 hours. I AM ECSTATIC.

Without getting into too much detail, the Intralase will use a laser to cut a thin flap on my cornea, rather than the blade used in traditional LASIK. The laser allows my surgeon to cut a thinner flap, which is necessary because I've now had previous corneal surgeries. With the Intralase, I should be able to drive the very next day. I am so happy and excited that I can hardly contain myself. :)

The second great news of that day is that the BAGS IN TREES blog is back up and running! If you recall, I discovered the site a while back, then complained when it wasn't being updated.

Well, Brian from Bags In Trees shot me a very friendly email explaining that they have been on vacation, and I swallowed my pride and offered a sincere apology for my snobbery. I think he and I have come to some sort of understanding (and likely friendship), so Bags In Trees will remain on my site for the long haul. Besides, he earned about 20 points by posting the photo I sent to him on his blog. Very, very clever, he is.

Mom at the Quad

If my mom had a blog, she'd post these pictures. But since she doesn't have one, I wanted to do it for her.


This is a picture of Katherine, Beverly, Carol, Nancy, and my mom (Pam) at the Quad, which this year was called Mix in '06. In short, it's a gathering/conference of the women from two Christian denominations which happens every four years (hence... "quad").

ANYWAY... I'm not going to get into any detail regarding what they learned or how great it was (and I am sure that it was), because, frankly, I wasn't there. But my mom took some pretty pictures of Indianapolis, so I thought I'd share. Love ya, mom!

Oh Beloved Printer

A certain person at work, who shall herein be known as JJ, would like to take my printer.

Now, I'd like to start off by saying that I realize how lucky I am to have a local printer in the first place. I share all of the network printers in our department as well as have my own personal printer. On top of that, I'm smart, so I can map to any printer that I want anyway. But that's not the point, is it? I received my printer back when I worked on the executive side of the building, and rather than print to their printer, which is dangerous if I'm printing anything questionable, I asked for my own and my wish was granted.

Since that time I have been promoted, and I moved from my cubicle on the executive side of the building to an actual office on the other side. I am very happy to have my real office with a real door and real walls, even if my carpet dates to 1955 and most likely hasn't been washed since then.

So anyway, back to the printer situation.

My current side of the building boasts a shared printer, and I use it! It is a beautiful black and white copier/printer that does amazing things like sort, staple and print front to back. I use it often, and I use it well. But I am in Marketing folks, and we use COLOR. We have one shared printer in my area that prints color, and it prints on paper more expensive than many of my meals (it belongs to our art department). Using this printer when I need everyday color copies does not seem economical to me, so at those times I resort to my local printer, which also does color.

So here lies the problem. I am refusing to give up my printer unless a color printer/copier is brought in. End of story. This JJ guy likes to threaten me (not in a scary stalker kind of way or anything... at least not yet), but I need to find a workaround.

So here it is.

My printer incognito.

My printer in hiding.

My printer disguised.

My printer under cover.


Bring it on, JJ. A few well placed folders and you'd never even know. God, I'm clever.

Tuesdays About Town

So I'm back after a few Tuesdays off (sorry, Missy), and 'Tuesdays About Town' are my time to share Baltimore's unique qualities with my out of town readers (and visa-versa).

Baltimore, Baltimore, Baltimore. I love this town. We are all packed like sardines within the radius of a few miles, and somehow we thrive. Each rowhouse land plot is about 1/50 of an acre (correct me if I'm wrong on this, anyone), so you pretty much have your house, your front stoop, and a small concrete patio in the back to call your own.

Some folks setup their patios with a grill and table and chairs, or plant small gardens or hang clean laundry, but in increasingly large numbers, city dwellers build decks above their patios, and the building doesn't stop there. This city is covered with roof top decks, and not in the New-York-City-apartment-building-roof kind of way, but actual wooden decks... built over the very small plots of land (and houses) that we call home.

Now for those of us that live here, this doesn't seem like that big of a deal; But I assure you that my friends in Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin, California and Arizona didn't know that people did this.

A few years back I lived in a rowhouse that had a roof top deck. On New Years Eve and on the Fourth of July, we'd stand out there in the cold or heat and watch the fireworks over the harbor. There is a whole community of roof top dwellers up there: large parties cheering the holidays with drinks and food, families holding their children up over the railing so that they can see (but not in the Michael Jackson sort of way), and couples, young or old, that use that space as an urban sanctuary.

Decks can be small or large, with staircases that are indoors or outdoors. Some have the same grills and tables and chairs as their concrete counterparts, but they have something even more special. A view. And air. And sun. And many, many things that make you forget, if even for a moment, that you don't have grass or trees or any significant amount of property.

I miss having that deck, and I hope to have one again someday. These decks are the urban interpretation of the backyard BBQ, the yards we all ran around in, fell down in, and stained our clothes in green. City kids don't have backyards. They have patios. And some of them have decks. And although I miss the green grass in the backyard of my youth, my inner child in Baltimore desperately wants her own roof top deck.

Fifteen Things I Like About Living Alone

Okay, so I realize there are about a bazillion things to like about living with someone (i.e. a husband who will take out the trash, fix my car, etc.), but over the past week I've been creating a list in my head of things that I like about living by myself. I think they're reasonable...

Eating out of any food container with a spoon (or my hands)
Eating only three corn cobs for dinner
Rarely having to make the bed
Antonio sleeps beside me
Elliott is allowed to sleep on my head
Adjusting the heat/AC every five minutes as I like
I use half the bed for laundry & I have plenty of room to sleep
Staying in PJs as long as I want
My shoe pile grows throughout the week
I choose whether the window is open or closed
I decorate however I want & leave the paint supplies out for weeks
Leaving all of the lights on at night if a movie freaks me out
No one drinks my beer or wine
I am as loud or as noisy as I want to be
Total control of the remote

So other single-people-of-the-world, what else did I miss?

One Reason I Don't Get Much Sleep

I know you can't see it, but my pillow is under there. Nice to know that Elliott and Antonio are comfortable, though.... right?

The Gin Mill

Last night we went to the Gin Mill. It was me, Jill, Jaclyn and Andy. Good times, good times.

Jaclyn and Jill

Andy and I

Jill and I

My Strip-ed Wall

I'm done, and I'm so happy. About three weeks ago I decided to paint a specific wall in my living room as an accent wall. I've lived here almost a year and a half, and could never find anything I liked to hang on this stupid wall. I asked my landlord (who loves me) for permission, and of course he had no problem with it at all. He even lent me a ladder, roller handles, tape, a paint tray, tray liners and a drop cloth.

It is relatively difficult to take pictures of the wall because this room is so small. There's no great place to stand to get a photo of the whole thing, so I had to get creative. Now after painting and a week's worth of touch ups with small brushes, I present.... My Strip-ed Wall.

From my bedroom door looking into the living room towards the kitchen in the back








Elliott admiring his mom's handiwork, now that he's allowed to get near it (I'm lucky not to have a blue and brown cat)

A view from the floor looking up towards the skylight


From floor level, looking at the kids who are happy to have their loving mom back

Isn't it beautiful??

New Artist Alert!

So I was perusing my regular blogs, and at Epiphany in Baltimore found this video for a gal named Kristin Plater. You can also watch a quick video on her site to check her out.

I love finding new artists to obsess about, and this girl has a mega-powerful voice. I have downloaded her CD on iTunes... and I've listened to it a few times now and really like it. Songs to listen to are "Wonder Woman" and "Good for You."

Way cool.

Dead To Me

As a side note, the Bags In Trees blog is soon to be dead to me. Ever since I sung the praise of its coolness, they haven't updated the site. Not once! I even sent them the location of a bag in a tree, and soon after an accompanying photo. Did I mention that their site says "now with updates weekly?"


I give them until 6/30 before I remove their link from my blog. They should maintain their blog, pack it up, or pass on the blog to someone that is willing to make updates.

I am so disappointed.

Bayou Cafe

So there I was, sitting on my couch in PJs, when I get a call from Rob and Jason, begging me to come out to Bayou. Mostly convinced, I talk to Jill and that pushes me right over the edge. So at 8:10, I change back into some human clothes, and head back to White Marsh to meet some friends at the Bayou.

It was 80s night, and although the music was sung well by the cover band, they (too often) played 90s music, and they had no female vocalist. No Bangles, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper... nothing. Shame, shame.

Jill and Rob (I think she was inspired by some heavy metal from the band... either that or beers.)

Jacyln, Jason and Jill







Rob and Charissa

Flashback Friday

All the Antonio talk this week got me thinking about my little man as a puppy. He's 5 1/2 years old right now, and yes, he looks like a little old man with his gray hairs. But I love him uncontrollably!

He was such a CUTE puppy that you just wanted to eat him up. I remember that Lindsey was very unhappy about the prospect of having a dog in our house, but even she fell in love with him quickly. He was so adorable.

New Highlights!

Okay, so it's not worth explaining why I had my hair cut one day and my highlights done another, but today I had my highlights done. The fun part was that I got an entirely different hair style! (Is this what it's like to have a personal stylist?) This time, Christopher went more "mod" with my hair do. No more Madonna.

Hairdo...... and highlights!!

Longest Day of My Life

Today was the LOOOOOOOONGEEEESSSSTTTT day of my life. I slept horribly last night, woke up early this morning, and spent the whole day wondering why it wasn't Friday.

I just got home, and as I type 'tonio is content chomping away at a treat. I was just about to get ready to go walking (which I haven't done in nearly a week), and I remembered..... I GOT A NEW HAIRCUT.

So while it's nothing special, just shorter than my current cut, it had been a long time since my last trim, and my hair was looking a bit raggedy. This picture is of the Madonna-do. I asked for Farrah Fawcett, and Christopher (my stylist) gave me Madonna. I was fine with that. It'll never look this way again anyway. :)



And on a side note, Big Brother 7 starts tonight. I'm likely to blog about it because it's my favorite summertime show. It's on CBS at 8:00 EST if you want to understand anything I write about...

Good News, Bad News

Okay... so there's good news, and there's bad news.

The good news is that we have finally scheduled my last eye surgery. YAY!

The bad news is that we have finally scheduled my last eye surgery.

That's right folks. My excitement is quickly waning. I had another follow up appointment today, and they did all of the testing and measuring necessary to prep for the pending surgery in July. Am I excited to have this over? YES. Am I a bit terrified over what I've discovered will happen? Oh HELL yeah.

What I have determined is that I will have a procedure called EPI-LASIK. Essentially this involves removing the epithelial (top most) layer of my corneas and applying the laser procedure to the raw, exposed, fresh corneal cells beneath. Interesting, huh? I kind of thought I might just get the traditional LASIK procedure at this point, but I'm afraid that I am not that lucky.

According to the coordinator at the eye center, I'll be out of commission for at least four days. The first will be the procedure; the second will be a follow up; the third will be hell on Earth; and the fourth will be bearable. Post-surgery, the doctor will apply temporary contacts to my eyes to protect them, and those babies won't be removed until the sixth day. My God.

Soooo.... my surgery is schedule for July 12th. I'll be off work from 7/12-7/17 at the least, and my parents will be coming to Bawlmer to take care of my sad, pathetic self. I actually asked the coordinator how much it hurts, and since she had the procedure done just two weeks before, I believed her when she said "like someone is pouring acid on your eyes."

Ahem.

I have been instructed to take ONE extra strength Tylenol and THREE Advil every four hours the day of and the days after my surgery. If that is an indication of the level of pain I am destined for, then I am mighty afraid. I can't wait to see what my blood pressure is going to rise to (as of this post, it is 120/90, which is normal for me).

You all know me. I'm not a "beg" kind of a girl... but please, please send me love. I have a relatively low pain tolerance, and although I am glad I know what is coming, I must admit that I am not at all pleased.

Oy vey.

Hot Dog In the City

I took Antonio for a walk today, and the song "Hot Child in the City" popped into my head. I couldn't help but start singing it, but I changed a few of the words...


Danger in the shape of somethin' wild
Stranger furry and red, he's a hungry child
No one knows who he is or what his name is
Don't know where he came from or what his game is

Hot dog in the city...
Hot dog in the city...
Runnin' wild and lookin' itty bitty...
Hot dog in the city...


So young to be loose and on his own
Puppy dog girls, they all want to take him home
He walks downtown, the girls all stop and stare
When he goes downtown, he walks like he just don't care


Sniff your way to my place, baby
My mom feeds me canned yummy dishes
Come on down to my place, puppy
I'll give you kisses...


Hot dog in the city...
Hot dog in the city...
He's kinda dangerous...
He's a hot dog in the city...




(Sorry mom, there was no place for 'ketchup' or 'mustard'. I really tried...)

Happy Father's Day #2

My mom totally came through for me! This is a picture of my dad and I when I was about two. I'm sure you are all surprised to see that I was bossy even then... but just like a good dad, he laughed at me and obviously didn't take me seriously. I'm not sure that would work so well these days... :)

Happy Father's Day!

Today is my dad's 32nd Annual Father's Day (although I've only been around for 28 of them). I am very lucky that I have two of the most giving parents ever. They raised their daughters with self-esteem and strength of character, as well as empathy for others, and we have both turned out to be smart, strong women with good souls. Without question, my parents have always been there for me when I needed them... or even when I thought that I didn't.

The photo above is of my dad and I on the top of Seattle's Space Needle almost a year ago. This was one of the coolest trips of my life, and I have my mom and dad to thank for it.

Here we are standing at Snoqualmie Falls, WA, which was insanely gorgeous. I've always liked this picture of the two of us.


This is the photo most likely to get me into trouble. It's a picture of my dad after a few too many glasses of wine during a weekend trip the family took to PA. I know he looks fierce, but we all had the giggles (especially mom) and this documents the few seconds of "seriousness" we had that night. I think it's hilarious, but he may kill me for posting it. What other opportunity will I have to share it? :)

Happy Father's Day as well to my grandpas, my brother-in-law, and my extended family and friends. Thank you for everything that you do for your families.


I love you, Dad! Happy Father's Day.

My Sister's Kids

Normally I don't call them that, but "niece and nephews" wasn't a catchy enough title for me today.

Yesterday my parents, my sister, and her kids went to Stan Hywet, an old mansion in Akron, Ohio. Stan Hywet was the home of F.A. Seiberling, the founder of The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. The hall and gardens include flower gardens, lagoons and all kinds of outdoor fun. Here are some shots of the kids being kids. Calista is 7, Zavier is soon to be 5, and Jude is 2. I can't wait to see them in a few weeks!

Apartment Garden

I planted some flowers a few weeks back in an IKEA planter on my balcony. I took a picture then, but they looked a bit awkward at the time, so I thought I'd wait a few weeks to let them settle in a bit. Aren't they pretty? It's my own little apartment garden!

Then & Now

Flashback Fridays

I was browsing my digital photos and came across this pic from August or September 2003. I was in NYC for Ryan and Lisa's wedding and was able to meet up with Jodi and Craig (her husband) at Seredipity. For those of you that don't know, this is a famous restaurant and dessert place that is probably best known for it's role in the movie of the same name starring John Cusack.

It's kind of funny that I ran across this photo, because a friend and I were recently disagreeing on whether or not this movie is good or not. Is it cheesey? Oh yeah. But is the whole book-chasing thing kind of cool? You bet. I'm not claiming it's realistic, just that it's more realistic than, let's say, a frog turning into a prince. It's a romantic comedy. It's supposed to be a bit on the fairytale side.

So anyway, when I saw this photo, I knew it had to be my flashback.

Jodi lives in NYC when she's not traveling the world performing. I'm not entirely sure if she still works at Seredipity when she's in town for any length of time, but this day we were able to walk past the long line of customers waiting for a table because Jodi worked there. We ate dinner, but I don't remember what I got. I also had dessert, and although I can't be 100% sure, I think I had the hot fudge sundae with strawberries.

This restaurant also has another story because Ryan and Lisa, whose wedding I was attending that weekend in NYC, were engaged in that same restaurant. Their wedding favors were glass mugs with their names and wedding date and a package of Serendipity's Frozen Hot Chocolate.

It's all very charming.

Definition from the website:
ser-en-dip-i-ty (n) the art of making happy discoveries, or finding the unexpectedly pleasant, by chance or sagacity

'A Long Way Down'

This is just a quick post because I finished 'A Long Way Down' by Nick Hornby. Very good. I recommend it highly. Despite the fact that it's about four people who meet only because they are attempting to commit suicide (or 'top' themselves, as they say because they are British), it is actually rather funny and uplifting. Go get it. Or borrow it from me. NOW.

I Made It Home

So, I made it home. I'm exhausted. I still have some chapters left in "A Long Way Down," so I am going to go for a quick walk, but I wanted to post a few photos first.

The first (above) is the chocolate that was delivered to my room by the catering staff. My boss and I both got it, so I have to assume it was a 'thank you' for all of the money we'd spent. About 30 minutes after this was delivered, a maid came by my room for 'turn-down' service. I politely declined (what was I going to do, watch her?), and she handed me MORE chocolate. For about ten seconds, I felt like I was being courted or something. :)


On a side note... I didn't actually eat any of it. Is that horrible? Why couldn't they have delivered a bag of chips with sour cream and onion dip? Now that would have been something!!


Second, this is the best photo that I could get of last night's view from my room (see yesterday's blog entry for more info). Each and every photo I took turned out blurry... I just couldn't stay completely still in all that wind. I swear I tried. Anyway, don't look at the photo for detail, just look at all the lights. There were just as many lights to the left and right of this photo, and those blurry buildings in the center are Downtown Dallas. Isn't it beautiful?

Dallas, Texas

Sometimes I really hate business trips. Admittedly, I was not in the mood to come here. Asking me to give up my dog, my cat, and my bed is a big request. Sure, it's going to be 90 degrees in Dallas, but when you have to spend almost all of it indoors, what's the point? I've honestly been dreading this trip for weeks.

After watching the girl beside me on the plane eat for three straight hours (no joke, it was nauseating), and running around a bit after I got here, I actually got to spend a nice hour outside by the pool. This didn't automatically make the trip 'worth it' yet, but I'll take any hour I can get. Of course, being in the sun made me less interested in dinner, so I had to put on my 'I'm excited' face, which was hard to do after baking in 90 degree heat.

So, it's midnight central time, which it 1 AM eastern time - and I'm still awake. Odd, don't you think? Since I am so anxious to leave here?

But here's the thing... I've been eyeing the city lights from my room for hours. I am absolutely fixated. The land is so flat that the city lights seem to go on forever. I have a tiny little balcony and because I am on the 24th floor, it's really windy when I go out there. A few times tonight I've just stood out there and stared at the view, my hair going crazy in the wind. I know it's just a view of a city from a hotel room... but somehow it makes me feel a little at peace. Isn't that weird? Why is that?

The moon slowly came out from behind the skyline in the distance. First it was a dark red, but I just turned around and now it's bright white. It seems a whole lot bigger from here than it does from Baltimore.

Oh boy.... :)
I guess I need a vacation. I'm feeling overwhelmed right now in my life, but when things don't feel right, I think it helps to take a big step back and be reminded of how small we are. Not that we are unimportant or insignificant, but that the opportunities for us are endless. Looking at the view allowed me to feel that again. It's just an awesome sight. I need to find a way to remind myself of these things more often. It's so easy to get complacent, isn't it?

Tue-Z-day

The title of today's blog is "Tue-Z-day" for Z. This lady rocks!! This is a photo of Richie (left) and Z (dead center). Today was so much fun. Me, Jill, Z, Richie, John, Scott, Todd and Donny flocked to Bayou for happy hour today. It was absolutely gorgeous out!! I had a delicious chicken sandwich and a few delicious beers in 70 or 80 something degree heat.

During our entertaining conversation, Shaunna Bolton, one of my favorite local singer/songwriters, started playing in the bar, so we all packed up and headed to the bar for a few songs. I requested Em's song, "I don't need you," and made a bit of a fool of myself lip singing and dancing to it all by myself.

The evening soon drew to a close though, and I headed home to pack for a quick work trip to Dallas. Work trips are SO overrated. I'll be reporting live tomorrow from Dallas, Texas. Wish me luck.

On a side note...

Please keep Nicole, Missy and their families in your thoughts. They are in the Tampa and Orlando, Florida areas, and Alberto is making landfall Tuesday. Thanks...

June 12th, 2006

I had one of those run-down days today. After the 3 miler yesterday, I crashed for a few hours during the day which made it difficult to get to sleep last night. So I woke up tired, and it was raining to boot. My least favorite person got to me first thing at work, and I'm not sure I ever recovered from those first few hours.

I've had a lot of random thoughts running through my head recently, which has been mentally exhausting. Mostly questions, and some personal analysis. At work today, I was able to get a lot done, but I don't really feel on top of my game right now. I have a sneaking suspicion that the wearing glasses thing is getting to me again, and it tends to drain my self-confidence. So all-in-all, not one of my best days. I crave a shopping spree to make myself feel better, but I'll have to settle for having my hair done next Tuesday. :)

I came home and walked about 3.5 miles - taking a completely different route than usual. I paid homage to my Midwestern upbringing and said hi to every little old lady that I saw sitting on her front stoop. My mom has always been right about making this small effort... it's obvious to see how much a smile or 'hello' means to older people. Their reactions are priceless.

There is a small group of three or four older ladies that sit in front of their houses every evening on my route. Sometimes they are just talking or knitting, and when it's sprinkling they move their folding chairs under one of the large trees on their block. For the first few weeks, I couldn't get eye contact with any of them. I didn't think too much of it, after all, they are busy with each other and I'm walking with my iPod, so I can't hear them anyway. But within the last few weeks, one of the ladies started nodding to me, and a few days ago she smiled as I walked by. I really can't tell you what this meant to me. It felt like such an accomplishment, like that scene from 'Under the Tuscan Sun' where the older gentleman finally tips his hat at Frances. It was that kind of triumph.

So "tomorrow is another day with no mistakes in it." (Movie, anyone? Marie?) At least no mistakes in it yet. Here's to a better tomorrow. :)

Survivor Harbor 7

This morning Dave, Heather and I participated in the Survivor Harbor 7. The photo above is from before the race. There is a 7 mile portion of the race, as well as a 3 mile portion, and we did the 3 miler. Many participants in the race were athletes living with chronic disease or recovering from a catastrophic illness or injury. There were a number of athletes in the racing wheelchairs - it was really incredible.

The race circles the Baltimore Harbor, with the 7 mile portion starting at Tide Point (the old Tide detergent factory) and the 3 mile portion starting at the Science Center (in the Inner Harbor). Both ended at the Can Company in Canton.

All-in-all, I'm happy, but due to my own stupidity, I didn't hydrate enough and got shin splints in the first mile. I tried to stretch them out a few times, but there was really no hope. It was pretty painful. But despite the shin splints, I made the same time that I made for the "Making Tracks for Celiacs 5k" a month or so ago. It is now apparent to me that I have to work on my cardio, because my legs are getting a lot stronger, but I still can't sprint distances without getting out of breath. As eeyore would say, "oh bother."

Here are some more photos from today. Thanks to Dave for running with the camera so that we can have some of these photos. :)

Charissa crossing the finish line at about 42 minutes
Heather and Dave post-race waiting for the bus
Charissa and Heather post race

The Baltimore Honfest 2006

Today Jess, Jill, Em and I went to the annual Baltimore Honfest. I look like a bit of a dork in this photo, but oh well.

For those of you that don't know, "hon" is the mascot, if you will, of Baltimore. She isn't a specific person, but more like a character. She's a 1950-ish woman with a beehive hairdo, TONS of makeup, and head to toe gaudiness. If you've ever see HAIRSPRAY, I guarantee you've seen her. Many Baltimore natives call everyone "hon," such as, "do ya want fries with that, hon?" Really. It's just like that.

So every summer there's the Honfest in Hampden, which is a neighborhood north of downtown. It's pretty much a street festival with merchants and food vendors, like crab cakes (of course), pit beef, corn, etc. People come to the Honfest dressed like a Hon, and there are booths at the festival that will dress you if you want.

Here are some photos from the day...

This Hon let me take her picture. Notice the beehive, sparky jewelry and sunglasses? Except for the fact that she's not wearing any pink, she's perfect!







These Hons came dressed alike. Same shirt, skirt and boa! But look a little closer. Notice anything interesting?



And our four-legged friends got in on the fun, too! Can you believe this? Her owner said that it's completely safe. Uh, okay.

This year's Honfest was my third year in a row. I bought a gorgeous pottery plate (half price, too!), and had some delicious pit beef... not to mention great company. I can't wait until next year!

Flashback Fridays

Here we go again. I'm giving blood at 1:00 PM. My flashback is below. It's a picture of the back of my American Red Cross Greater Chesapeake & Potomac Region Donor Card. Two years running...



Please, Dear God, don't make me get all hot flashy and dizzy and nauseous like I always do. Please reward me for being a good person and for remembering to eat foods high in iron and drink lots of water. Amen.

UPDATE
I survived. God loves me. I only had one bad hot flash, which caused four people to run over to me, raise my legs, put cold compresses on my neck and forehead and give me a soda with a straw... but WAY better than last year. I feel a little tired, and my arm hurts, but overall, I survived. Just think.... I saved three lives today. :)

My Biggest Pet Peeve

That title is misleading. This blog entry is really about my second biggest pet peeve. My first biggest pet peeve is incompetence. There's not much to say about that. Incompetent people make me want to scratch my eyes out; But let's save that for a different day, shall we?

My second pet peeve is more inter- esting. Can you guess?

I can honestly say that at least two or three times a week I walk by the microwave in our kitchen at work and see this. It is the calling card of someone who has halted a microwave before it has completed its predictable countdown.

Now, let me clarify. I often over-enter my microwave time. I may know that I need, let's say, 30 seconds, but since there isn't a 30 second button, I'll hit "1," "2," or hell, maybe "6" and let my 30 seconds tick away until my food or drink is done. I do it all the time. Maybe you do as well. So what's my deal?

I simply CAN'T STAND IT when the someone just WALKS AWAY FROM THE MICROWAVE WITHOUT HITTING "CANCEL." I mean, that's why the button was invented, right? It's a cute little button. It deserves to be used (just like my VCRs do). I simply don't understand who could be so anti-button that they'd refuse to push it.

Maybe it bothers me because it feels like the microwave is just left hanging. Like it's frozen in time. Like no one cares enough to let it off the hook and just hit the cancel button. Or maybe I'm a little OCD. Whatever the reason... I implore you to be pro-button. Embrace the button. Use the buttons on your microwave as they were intended to be used. Don't ignore the cancel button, and don't put baby in the corner. Friends don't let friends be anti-button.

National VCR Day

Today is National VCR Day. It's true. At first I thought, "How funny," but then I actually felt kind of sad. My VCRs don't get the same love that they got ten years ago. Sure, I still own all of my VHS tapes... mostly because I'm cheap; But I'll get rid of them slowly and gradually as I replace them with DVDs. It's really just a matter of time for them. My poor VCRs are becoming (or already are) extinct. They just don't know it yet.

On a lighter note...
I'm surprised that Elizabeth missed what I would expect would be her favorite day of the year: Apple Computer Day was June 4th.

And lest you forget the rest of your important June holidays (not including Father's Day, of course)...
Recess at Work Day is the 15th.
Vinegar Day is the 17th.
Garfield the Cat Day is the 19th (This is for Jessica).
Pee on Earth Day is the 21st.
Take Your Dog to Work Day is the 23rd.
Please Take My Child To Work Day is the 26th.
Hand Shake Day is the 28th.

June is also both 'Effective Communications Month' and 'Professional Wellness Month,' which I find, well, comical. And ironic.

Happy June.

New Shoes

I bought new shoes today. New RUNNING shoes. Oh yeah. I know they cost me my first born child, but heck, I don't know who that is yet, so I figure I'll worry about that later. See how pretty?

Windfall
What do you all think of this show? Conceptually, it's at least interesting. It's about twelve friends that win the lottery and how it changes them. I fear that it's a little 90210/OC, but I suppose that's to be expected. The only reason I really bring it up is because I saw a trailer that I liked. In one clip a man asks a woman, "If your wildest dream came true, would I be in it?" Good question.

Last Comic Standing
I love this show. Partially because it makes me laugh, but also because it's the first new show of the summer, and I'm on serious cool show withdraw. For the record, I can't decide between Roz and Josh Blue. I am usually pretty good at selecting winners (American Idol Seasons 1-5, and no, I'm not embarrassed), but this is tough. They are both hilarious. Is anyone else having this dilemma? C'mon, Jill... I know you watched it!

Legally Blonde
This has nothing to do with the movie. This is my tribute to Kathy. You go girl! We've got your back!

Tuesdays About Town

Today marks the first day in the "Tuesdays About Town" series, where I'm going to share what I like, dislike, or find interesting about Baltimore. Fellow bloggers, I invite you to follow along... and share stories about your town, city or state with the rest of us. Baltimore friends, feel free to agree or disagree with me... after all, I've only been here three years. :)

Painted Window Screens
Baltimore has this neat little tradition of painted window screens. As the story goes, in 1913, William Octavec, a Czechoslovakian immigrant, painted the screens in the windows of his grocery store to stop the sun from spoiling his produce. Soon after, neighbors began to ask him to paint the screens on their homes, because not only did the paint on the outside of a window screen cut down on sunlight, but it also made it more difficult for curious eyes to see in... providing additional privacy to homeowners. (It's important to remember that the row houses in Baltimore city are located right on the sidewalk, and painted screens keep people from peering into their neighbors' houses.)

One painting that you will see often shows a white cottage with a red roof, a lake, and a swan. There are hundreds of painted screens with these three items, and although they all look different, the scene itself is referred to as the "red roof bungalow." (I'd show a picture here, but the 'upload photos' function isn't working all of the sudden.)

Today many painted screens show local landmarks, like this one of the Patterson Park Pagoda (right). A photo of the real pagoda is at the top of my blog.

The tradition continued through the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, but after WWII, screen painting began to decline. I read that East Baltimore row houses once sported almost 100,000 painted door and window screens. It is estimated there are less than 3,000 painted screens in Baltimore today.

All of the painted screens seen here are from houses along my walking route.

I Bailed On Dave and Other Stuff

I bailed on Dave this morning. We were going to run a 5K, and I completely bailed. You see, I forgot to pre-register, which means I would've had to get up at 6 am to go to this thing just to make sure I could participate. Despite my new dedication to exercise, I am STILL not a morning person, and I just couldn't make it happen. But good news! Dave ran it anyway and texted me that his time was 25:50. GO DAVE!

I'm going to rebound next week and run the Survivor Harbor three miler. The route goes around the harbor, which should be really fun. There's a seven miler portion, too, and despite the fact that I walked 4.35 miles yesterday because I felt guilty about bailing on Dave, I'm not sure that I am ready to commit to a full seven miles. I guess we'll see.

New Book
I finally finished "Holy Blood, Holy Grail." It was definitely fascinating, but like Nicole said, it was dry at times too. It covered a lot of ground, including Jesus had a wife and child(ren), that the bloodline has survived through today, he may not have died on the cross, Jesus' divinity (or lack thereof), the Priory of Sion's role then and now, and about one hundred other historical puzzle pieces that intertwine with the authors' theories. It will likely spur a lot of new reading on my part, but it was so heavy that I needed a break. I already started "A Long Way Down," by Nick Hornby. I bought the book last year after Jason recommended it, but I must have been distracted or something because I stopped reading it for some reason. This go-around I am listening to it on my iPod as I walk rather than reading it. I probably only covered the first few chapters yesterday, but it's very good so far. I knew it would be.

New Blog Theme Day
I have a new idea for my fellow bloggers. Just like "Flashback Fridays," I propose "Tuesdays About Town." This is everyone's opportunity to tell us what you like (or don't like) about where you live, whether it's the little things (like a park you love in your neighborhood), or the big things (like a famous monument or event in your city or state). I love Baltimore for being so cool and quirky, and I thought this would be a fun way to share what I love about B-more while you share what you love about your towns. Unfortunately, I only have about five bloggers that even READ my blog, so to the five of you: please feel free to forward on. I will start up this Tuesday... and I invite you all to participate, too.

Girls' Night

Last night I went down to Alexandria to visit my girlfriend, Lisa, who's moving to New England with her husband and son next week. We went to this cool little restaurant in Shirlington, called Extra Virgin. No, it's not a strip club, it's a posh Italian place and we had such a good time. I don't know why we haven't done this 100 times before, because we chatted for hours and hours (and got free appetizers from the waiter who liked us a whole lot).

I'm going to miss having you nearby, Lis.

Flashback Fridays

My first flashback Friday. I don't have pictures of my childhood readily available, they are about 400 miles away in my parents' basement. But I did dig up the pictures below, which seem appropriate for my first Friday.

This photo is from Winter 2003, just before I moved to Baltimore. My girlfriends, Cassie and Marie, took me to my FAVORITE restaurant in Ohio, or at least all of the Akron area. It's called Hibachi Japan, and their ginger salad dressing is 100 times better than Kobe (and some of you know how much I love Kobe).

DON'T WE LOOK SO YOUNG?
(Charissa, Marie, Cassie - left to right)

I believe here we are doing "HAAAA, HEEEE, HOOOOO. Wait. Are you calling me a Ho?"

I miss you, girls!!

It was Thursday

Okay, I just couldn't think of a creative title today.

Update on my doctor's appointment
This morning my opthamologist said that my eyes are still healing, in fact, the prescription was better today than at my last appointment. This is all good. I am very happy. Unfortunately, because my eyes are still changing, he has put off my surgery until July. Ugh. Another month and a half of glasses at least. I mean, I'm happy that my eyes have come so far already, and that the glasses I am wearing now are like, -1.5 or something ridiculous (compared to -12ish); but I am soooo sick of these things. I know, I should stop my whining. I can see the numbers on my alarm clock when I wake up in the middle of the night, and I should be nothing but grateful.

I took a walk today
I went for my normal walk today when I got home, but it was cut short at 2 miles because we had a pretty extreme thunderstorm. Before it started raining, I took a picture of a random block on Foster Ave. Since I know that most of you probably haven't been here before, I thought I'd let you see what the "city" blocks really look like. Our neighborhoods look just like this and go on and on. I know it's nothing special really, just quintessential Baltimore. It makes me happy.