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Wednesday, 31 January 2007

Good Day to Ye

  • Have you been outside today? It's crazy cold out.  I hate winter.  Whoever is passing around the global warming, DC needs some.
  • I recently decided that my next goal in life is to send out my laundry.  I hate doing laundry and I suck at it.  My clothes look 5 years old after maybe three or four cycles in the wash.  Since I have a washer/dryer in the apartment, I can't really justify the expense.  But if I live in the city, I will probably get an apartment with no washer/dryer and can start sending out my laundry. Huzzah! Now, just to make ridiculous amounts of money so I can get an apartment with parking...
  • My grad school applications have long been sent (barring any lies my references may have told about actually sending their recommendations) and the due date is tomorrow so now I wait.  I already decided that I'm not getting in, and to make myself feel better, I'm going to take a 2 week vacation, possibly to explore Morocco and Eastern Europe before the year is out.
  • Have I mentioned it's absolutely freezing outside? Why do we do this to ourselves?  When is technology going to hurry up and create an artificial weather system? 
  • One of my resolutions should have been to bring lunch to work every day that I don't plan on eating socially.  Because the amount I pay for lunch is ridiculous, as is the amount of food I get in return. 
  • I'm sick.  It started Monday, progressed through yesterday and I thought I was better today but I am slowly getting worse.  I hiked over to CVS where I bought city-priced cold relief medicine (it actually cost more than my lunch). Now I'm just kinda staring into space in that half I'm-suffering-from-symptoms and half in an overmedicated daze.  Hooray for modern technology!
  • I also decided I want an waffle iron.  And a crock pot.  And a green ipod shuffle.  And...microsoft stock.  That is all.
  • I would do this totally out of curiosity but since The Boy thought it was poor form when I wanted to sign up for Washington Post's Date Lab for a free meal, I won't fill this out.  But I know you're out there, burrito soulmate! (Ed. Note: Do not, under any circumstances, visit the nutrition info page if you are on any kind of diet or care about how much fat and calories you consume).
by: DJGroovySlug at January 31, 2007 14:22 | link | comments (2)

Monday, 29 January 2007

Am I the only one in the area who is concerned by how frighteningly awful DC Metblogs is? I mean, just terrible terrible local news coverage.

To be fair, there has to be some sort of convention that the Metblogging Gods hand down to their link monkeys because I did a little bit of research and found the NYC and Austin Metblogs to be truly dull (although the San Francisco one peaked my interest.) Of course, I have little basis for comparison except the venerable DCist.

I can’t say I always trust the DCists, who seem painfully self-aware, having seen them at a few events and thusly, seen first hand how totally not cool they come off in person. The Boy once attended a party with them and agreed. But to be fair, for online journalists they do a fantastic job. They write well: cohesive, quirky, fresh and topical. I like to think that those socially inept veneers are just a cover for…um, something. A nice chocolate truffle interior, if you will.

The DC Metbloggers are to the DCists like the European Football League is to the NFL: practically irrelevant. Real football fans only pay attention when certain American players go or come from the European League, and otherwise it remains out of their minds completely.

First of all, the DC Metblogs never –NEVER- scoop anybody. It’s like internet leftovers, equivalent to if we were to experience dining at DC Coast by seeing someone else throw it up on the metro.

Also, a lot of them post up “emergency” posts like if they walk by a line of fire trucks in the street, they put up a photo accompanied with “Anyone know what’s going on?” or “Avoid the K Street corridor on your way out of the office!” Just recently they posted a picture of these people picketing an office building which is all well and good except those people have been picketing for well over a year now. No one even cares anymore. Way to get on top of the recent happenings, DC Metblog.

When they do produce "original"posts, they don't have anything interesting to say.  And the person who best exemplifies the total lack of creative ideas is Wayan. 

I hate to really pick on certain people, but Wayan from the DC Metblogs is like what would happen if I gave my 12 year old cousin a laptop and camera and told him to report on happenings in the DC area. In the course of the year that I’ve had a DC Metblog feed, Wayan has discussed topics including: a random filled pothole (photo included), the “take a penny, leave a penny” box at a local convenience shop, shopping at IKEA, his surprise at the fact movies sell out (MY GOD ALERT THE WHITE HOUSE), a woman riding a bicycle while wearing a skirt (again, photo included, Wayan we’re all really proud of your cellphone camera now stop taking stupid pictures), and noted various waiting lines for food establishments in the Adams Morgan area without actually commenting or even EATING at said establishments.

Sure all of this is happening in the DC area. But please, Wayan. Make us care. Really. You don’t actually have anything to say. Reading your posts is like walking around with someone who points at things and goes “Hey, look at that fire hydrant!” or “There’s a limo! Cool!”

And yet I continue reading.  Perhaps it's because, as my friend Bobby would say, it’s important to see what everyone is saying in the news, which is why he watches Fox (don’t lie Bobby, you watch Fox because you are a flaming right wing dingbat). But really, reading DC Metblogs has become such a painful experience, that now I read out of my own shaudenfraude.  I also like to have good forehead to desk contact every morning. 

Hooray for More Complaining!
by: DJGroovySlug at January 29, 2007 12:11 | link | comments (3)

Friday, 26 January 2007

I like to have a lot of ice in my drinks because it keeps them colder longer, thus allowing for shorter periods when I feel the need to get a cold drink and less moving from my space heater (Lesson #12523 about the work force: yes, it really is that cold in every office in America).

Well at the beginning of the week, I went to get my morning cup of ice water and found no ice in the ice maker. I ignored it at the time, thinking maybe somebody cleaned it out and it just need a few hours to refill.

Unfortunately my after-lunch cup also went iceless. It was at this time that I noticed that the button on the ice machine was conspicuously in the “OFF” position.

At this point, there has been no ice in the ice maker at all this week.

This is the perfect psychological test in both groupthink and conscious behaviors. While I could easily turn it to the “ON” position, as could anyone else in the office who wanted ice, no one has done a thing to this day. The mind immediately thinks “Oh, this must be off for a reason. Perhaps it is broken.” But then, since there is no sign warning you to leave the ice maker off, you start to get imaginative. “What if there’s nothing wrong at all? What if someone simply forgot to turn it on? Will the person who normally turns it on get mad at me if I do? Will a firmwide e-mail go out, asking who in the heck turned on the ice maker when it was so very clearly in the ‘OFF’ position? What kind of person just goes and turns on machines that aren’t on for a reason?

Now when I go and get my cup of water, it’s become an anxiety-inducing experience. I stand there with my Styrofoam cup of tepid water and have staredown the ice maker which remains sleek and stoic while I fume. It mocks me, “OFF” button lit up, empty and probably having a good laugh about it. If nothing happens by the end of the week, I am pressing that “ON” button, so help me if the building collapses as a result. At least my water will be cold.
by: DJGroovySlug at January 26, 2007 12:39 | link | comments (2)

Thursday, 25 January 2007

I shudder for the future

 “"No you will not teach or show that propagandist Al Gore video to my child, blaming our nation -- the greatest nation ever to exist on this planet -- for global warming.”

-- Frosty E. Hardiman, computer programmer and “evangelical Christian who says he believes that a warming planet is "one of the signs" of Jesus Christ's imminent return for Judgment Day” in a letter to a Seattle school board regarding the showing of "An Inconvenient Truth" in one of his child's classrooms.  From “Gore Film Sparks Parents’ Anger” in today’s Washington Post.

Am I the only one that totally sees Randy wearing an America letterman jacket, beer bong on head, fist pumping high as he chants "USA! USA!" at the next United Nations meeting.  GREATEST NATION EVER TO EXIST ON THIS PLANET!
by: DJGroovySlug at January 25, 2007 13:27 | link | comments (2)

Tuesday, 23 January 2007

Things Currently on Television That I Feel The Need to Comment On

  •  The Wire currently has my top attention, as I’m plowing through season 3 on DVD. I’ll have a whole post dedicated to analysis and commentary when I’m all caught up.
  • Gay, Taken or Straight (or is it Taken, Gay, or Straight? Straight, Gay, or Taken?) is easily the most offensive show on television right now, and I’m talking after you factor in Survivor: Race Edition, The Howard Stern Show, and O’Reilly Factor. Why? Several reasons:
    1. It implies that relationships and dating are all games that we play and supposedly “win.” I know the earth would swallow us whole if being single and satisfied was a viable option for anyone in this society.
    2. Women are predators on the prowl for a man. Sure, I guess you could argue that men are the same with women. But this show would never be reversed. Why? Because part of the territory of this “game” is the fact that men have long understood that meeting new people requires taking chances, including the chance that the person of you may not have the same sexual orientation and/or availability you are seeking. Why must women figure this out before going any further? God forbid our fragile egos suddenly get met with the “My girlfriend tells me that all the time” line that we are often so willing to toss at our suitors.
    3. Who knew all men were conniving pigs who hide their true identities? It us up to us, THE WOMEN! to “figured them out.”
    4. Since when does being gay, being single and straight or being taken all come with a certain set of stereotypes that are discernable from outer sources.
    5. Lifetime, the women’s network. Empowering through stereotype.
  • The Hills is more contrived and better than ever. Set your TiVos.
  •  Last night while waiting for The Hills to come on I sat through another crappy episode of My Super Sweet 16 (aka “I have no friends in real life but my parents have money so I’m going to act like a spoiled brat”) and this new show I had never seen before called Engaged and Underaged.”Let me just say, you know how a long time ago some guy was like, I think it would be really cool to project moving images digitally through a giant glowing box? That guy did it for one reason and that one reason is Engaged and Underaged. It follows young people (and we’re talking like 18-21 year olds) who get married. The episode I watched featured a pair of 21 year olds. Let’s take a look at the facts presented to us:
    1. They were Christians saving themselves for marriage. They met for the first time at age 14 at Christian summer camp.
    2. Now, now. Before you get all up in arms about this, think about this: while obviously edited, the most oft brought up subject was their impending sex life. It’s good to know that those kids adults have a handle on what marriage is all about. 
    3. No mention of school or jobs. 
    4. Groom and bride living at home in separate bedrooms with the groom’s mother who is overbearing and cried during the bridal shower. Furthermore, said mother insisted on seeing a picture of the honeymoon suite because he’s her son and she wants to know where he’s going to spend his wedding. FUTHERMORE I have never seen a more touchy-feely mother-son relationship ever. Bordering on the stuff you see in Lifetime movies. FURTHERMORE the kids would be moving into a cottage in the backyard of the parents. Norman Bates, eat your heart out. 
    5. Bride’s brother shows up, clearly disapproving of the whole relationship. Drama ensues when he’s late. Groom stares on angrily. 
    6. Groom exhibits homosexual tendencies. How many men willingly agree to wear tights a thong and a bra at their bachelor party? I’d like to see a show of hands. (Okay okay, I’m basing off stereotype. But, um still. Think just slightly less than painfully obvious.)
The episode itself was like what happens when you watch Jerry Springer, without all the formalities of Jerry, the audience and the stage crew.  THAT is what TV was made for.


So what are you watching?
by: DJGroovySlug at January 23, 2007 16:06 | link | comments (5)

Monday, 22 January 2007

In Which I Complain About Something Else AGAIN

The quarterly struggle of What Should Arlene Do About Her Hair has begun.  I’m surprised I haven’t talked about this before, because it’s become an agonizing ordeal. 

I don’t have a regular stylist.  I am a serial dater when it comes to getting my hair done.  If I go somewhere, that’s it.  Not only do I avoid the stylist forever, I avoid the salon just so that the stylist doesn’t see me going to someone else.  I feel like a cheater, constantly skulking around, hoping no one notices. 

Someone asked if maybe I just have never had a haircut I liked.  That’s incorrect!! I’ve loved most of my haircuts, minus the mistakes, mainly on my part, on what I considered to be “interesting changes.” Note to self: You are not qualified to make decisions on the part of your hair. 

My haircut now is really, really simple.  And it angers me greatly that I have to spend upwards of a hundred dollars for the luxury of chopping off two inches.  It’s utterly ridiculous.  At the relative price point for something, like clothes, if I’m going to spend that much for what I’m getting,  it better have L.A.M.B. emblazoned all over it. 

Speaking of names, what is up with some of these stupid names?  Right now I am contemplating going to a salon called “Bang” and I hate that I even have to tell people that’s where I’m getting my haircut.  Am I that much hipper for going to “Bang” over somewhere like the Hair Cuttery? Why don’t they just call hair places “Hipster” and “Quirky”?

Okay, okay, I could go to the Hair Cuttery.  But I’m chicken.  A total wuss.  Having been to places that only charge about $18 a haircut, I was always shocked on the general disagreement over how much two inches really is and what constitutes “bangs.”   Furthermore, I kinda appreciate good service.  And having appointment times.  And women who don’t eat Cheetos while they blow dry my hair.

I started going to one of the Aveda Institutes because the haircut was $15 and provided by students of the Aveda Institute and since I’m usually willing to pay for things based entirely on established brand name, I went.  It was a great deal.  But it’s a giant pain in the ass.  First of all, it’s a school, so they don’t keep regular salon hours.  Not open Sundays.  Not open late in the evenings.  Not only do I appreciate my money, I appreciate being able to call and get an appointment whenever I want.  No once could I fathom anticipating a haircut I might need in about a month and then calling for it. 

The great thing about the Institute: no set stylists and no requesting stylists.  HOORAY. Which leads me to my biggest complaint about the salon: I hate the super awkward interaction of the stylist-client relationship.  I like to think it all goes back to a super uncomfortable relationship I had with a stylist in high school, when I was too young to know any better to JUST STOP GOING.  I actually recall getting a haircut the day before my prom and telling her how she wouldn’t be in to do my hair the next day, she actually said “Oh well we can do it now and set it with a lot of hairspray so that it will still look good tomorrow.”  Was she off her rocker?  I wasn’t the most outgoing teenager and found the whole thing to be painful to tell her that that was not going to work, that I would be seeing another stylist the day of my prom.  She actually had the gall to look hurt.

So now I’ve been ruined.  I cannot enjoy the hair cutting experience like other women can and now I’m way past due for a haircut, entering a length comparable to hippies.    And I’ve spent all morning researching this and coming up with nothing.  %@(#$

This Arlene Complains About Yet Another Thing was brought to you by the Letter 3 and the Number Blue.
by: DJGroovySlug at January 22, 2007 12:44 | link | comments (7)

Friday, 19 January 2007

I have no idea why I do resolutions at all.  Aren't resolutions meant to be broken? I guess it's my "To-Do List" mentality and my sick desire to write out lists and then check things off them. 

Here’s my entirely way too ambitious list:

1.       Run 3 races this year –   I’m already signed up for one, so I think it’ll happen.

2.       Visit Los Angeles – While I’ve never been to the city, despite having lived in California for two years, this is most specifically to visit my golden haired friend, Liz, who works at a talent agency and regales me with tales of her celebrity interactions.  And to shop at Kitson because I am a fashion sheep.

3.       Get the car detailed – This is more important than ever.  My car is entering its fifth year, aka just about middle-aged in car years.  Maintenance needs to be done and I think since I plan on getting a face lift around age 55, my car should too.

4.       Watch first and second installments of "The Godfather" – There is no reason this shouldn’t happen this year.

5.       Golden Girls on DVD – The final season of the Golden Girls will be released in February and however I accrue them, I want all seven seasons on DVD in my possession by the end of the year.

6.       Go to Dupont Galleries’ First Friday – This is when all the local galleries stay open late for their new exhibitions.  Working in Dupont means I have no excuse for not going, although I tend to forget and have plans by the time I remember.

7.       Complete the DC Sports Superfecta by attending at least one game of each local sport– Last year I was one sport short with soccer, but since Beckham is playing for LA now, there is no reason not to go to a game.  The problem will be getting tickets, since I no longer work for small intimate quirky law firm and that’s how I obtained the tickets to the Caps and Redskins.  But if I have to fork over money, I’ll do it.  Although maybe going to multiple Wizards games will help count for the Caps, since they are in the same arena and all. 

8.       Walk the Tidal Basin while the cherry blossoms are blooming – Attempt #2!! Let’s hope they actually all bloom at once, although I guess if they don’t, it’ll make it easier for me to actually do this.

9.       Frame and hang all the posters and original art I have at home that are sitting behind my dresser collecting dust – PUT UP THE DAMN POSTERS ALREADY.

10.    Go skiing or snowboarding – I’ve always wanted to do this, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t, especially with so many friends who go all the time.  THIS YEAR DAMNIT.

11.   Pay off my Credit Cards – it has to happen.  This is ridiculous.  No more.

12.   Take a class that is unrelated to school or work – I’m thinking something on photography. 

13.   Go to brunch at least once a month – I don’t know how hardly fair this is, I get lox and bagels almost every weekend.  But a bunch of us went to brunch last Sunday and I’m talking real brunch, like eggs and pancakes (mmmmm carbs covered in liquid carbs).  Why don’t I do this more often, I asked myself?  Well now I’m going to. 

14.   Dinner at Komi –.  I want Komi and I’m going this year if that’s all I get for my Valentine’s day, my birthday, Christmas, New Year’s and Thanksgiving combined.

15.   Visit Ben’s Chili Bowl – Okay, obviously a lot of my goals involve eating.  Although this is less about eating and more about visiting a so-called D.C. institution.  Over-rated? Amazing? It’s high time I see for myself.

16.   Clean my room – This obviously doesn’t imply that my room’s a mess, although I guess that depends on who you ask.  I want to get rid of old clothes I don’t wear anymore, tchotchkes collecting dust, books I’ve read and won’t read again, old papers I don’t need to save.  It just needs to be done.

17.   Find a volunteer gig – The reading pen pal thing isn’t cutting it, I’d really like to do something that requires human interaction.  I have a few ideas up my sleeve.

18.   Become a better photographer– This might be knocked out with the future class I plan to take.  Hopefully by the end of the year I can post some decent pictures. 

19.   See a play – I’ve never really seen a play in person that wasn’t required for school.  Perfect time to remedy this.

20.   Get through my Netflix queue in its current state – Obviously since I plan to continually add to it, I will never actually get through the queue.  But right now there are 55 movies with the latest being the documentary “Jesus Camp” which, should all be watched by Dec. 31, 2007.

21.   Make roast chicken – This terrifies me.  Cooking with chicken terrifies me.  I basically overcook everything, which is why I eat out all the time.  I will roast my chicken and throw a dinner party and hopefully not kill off half of my social group in the process.

22.   Go to the Newport Chowder Festival – You know what? I figured it wouldn’t happen but for that reason alone, I’m going to make it happen.  F*%K  I’m getting lots of chowder if it kills me!

23.   Whiten my teeth – I bought those stupid Crest Whitestrips so long ago and never used them.  You will see my teeth from outer space by the time this year is over.  My teeth will rival Audrina’s from “The Hills.”  People will write stories about my teeth and my teeth will end world hunger.

24.   Visit New York City – Yes, I want to get two big cities out of the way.  I haven’t spent nearly enough time in New York, in fact I’ve only been twice, and only just recently saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time two years ago.  It’s three hours away! Most specifically I want to see the stinkin Bodies exhibit that is going away at the end of February.  But I’ll settle for just any old trip. 

25.   Go an entire year without Starbucks – I’m not really sure why I want to do this.  I can’t deny that Starbucks is evil, that it has oversaturated our market, that the coffee is subpar and that I hate them for making up the word “Venti.”  But it’s convenient and I like coffee and sometimes I just want a stinking latte and there isn’t anywhere nearby to get it.  This will probably be the hardest thing to do, given the fact that everyone (I know) loves Starbucks and unlike McDonald’s (which I’ve long given up) there aren’t many alternatives.   Thwart the evil empire!! Hold strong!!


Well there we have it.  2007, here I come!
by: DJGroovySlug at January 19, 2007 11:13 | link | comments (4) 23 + 1 accomplishments

Thursday, 18 January 2007

Last year I made 23 Resolutions for my 23rd year, wrote out a nice little blog post and then promptly forgot all of them.  It didn’t help that I changed my blog format and told The Boy to forget about putting them in the sidebar, which means I forgot about them, which means I’m basically a loser.

Now that 2006 is well and done, let’s take a look on what I managed to accomplish:

1. Shoot a gun – Huzzah! Task #1 fulfilled!  Thanks to my ex-roomie and her good friend Jeremy, I managed to have a session of pretend-killing a man with well over 50 rounds of bullets right in the baby maker of a paper silhouette.

2. Convince someone to go with me to the 25th Annual Chowder Cook-off in Newport, RI – Now, for all purposes of technicality, I DID, in fact, convince my friends to go to this.  They were actually all about it.  Did we actually go? No.  But that’s not the point.  It says “convince,” not “go.”  +1 for me.

3. Get a stamp on my passport from a country I have never been to – Hooray for Turks and Caicos! Okay, it wasn’t Europe, but it’s still another country that I haven’t been to and I still got a stamp for it.

4. Visit one city in the U.S. I have never been to before – Remember how we took that road trip to Cedar Point?  And how I almost died, like, twice.  Yeah, so Sandusky, OH doesn’t necessarily qualify as a city so much as….a township.  But it’s somewhere new, damnit. 

5. Complete one 5k run/walk – Err.  Well.  Okay.  This needed to be remedied immediately.  And I did that by signing up for the Scope it Out 5k which helps with like butt cancer or something.  The point is, I’m actually going to run a race.  Suck on that.

6. Walk the Tidal Basin while the cherry blossoms are blooming – Eh.  Every year people in DC say they are going to do this and every year we remember how bad the crowds are and opt for nice indoor activity, like coffee at Starbucks followed by a trip to the Container Store. 

7. Watch first and second installments of "The Godfather" – This is mostly embarrassing given the number of movies I’ve managed to see both in theaters and on Netflix.  Back on the list.

8. Write in my journal at least once a week – Sigh.

9. Pay off my credit card – MAN.  Weak.  THIS year WILL be the year.  I promise.

10. Find the perfect recipe for homemade macaroni and cheese – I tried a recipe and while I wouldn’t say it was the perfect recipe EVER, it was the perfect one for the moment which required fast, cheap and good.  I swear it was homemade! I even made roux.  ROUX PEOPLE.

11. Go to an amusement park – HOORAY CEDAR POINT!

12. Frame and hang all the posters and original art I have at home that are sitting behind my dresser collecting dust – God I suck.  Still they lie behind the dresser.  Undoubtedly chewed up by previously escaped hamster.

13.  Make a cheesecake – Cheesecake is for losers.

14. Play a full round of golf – So is golf.

15. Go to a live concert – I did!! Virgin Fest was about 20 concerts in one.

16. Go see The Awakening statue on Haines Point – I went, I saw, I conquered.  The Boy took pictures, which he never bothered to share with me.  But we went!

17. Donate blood – Every time I remembered I wanted to do this, I had a cold.  Okay, and I kept chickening out.  Maybe this year.  If I work up the nerve.

18. See at least 10 films in theater starting at this point  – Hmmm.  Lemme think what I’ve seen: Rocky Balboa, Borat (2x), Clerks II, The Departed, Snakes on a Plane, Little Miss Sunshine, Over the Hedge, Casino Royale, Talladega Nights, The Da Vinci Code and since I’m counting the two times I saw Borat in theaters, that is ten total trips to the movies this year. 19. Hobnob (sp?) with White House staff at Old Ebbitt Grill during happy hour – This was a bad idea to begin with, so naturally it makes sense that I didn't go.   

20. Get my car detailed – Gah.  I will.  This will be the year.

21. Go to the gym at least once a week – Hope is the thing with feathers and my ass is the thing with fat.

22. Buy an iPod –  Hooray beautiful 30 gig beauty who is my best friend, lover and child.

23. **Censored for purposes that will be revealed once it is accomplished** –  Are you ready to hear it? Because I did it.  And I’m amazed that I did it.  Although it’s no secret now.  This goal was to get a new job by the end of the year.  And I did it!! I thought it would be impossible and I made it happen! Wow, I'm feeling all sorts of awesome right now. 

Final tally: 11 resolutions accomplished.  That’s a success rate of about 48.7%. 

Given the fact that I managed to finish 11 resolutions at all is pretty damn impressive.  Not to mention, doing these things is what made 2006 really exciting and a ton of fun.  On that note, tomorrow we’ll see what Arlene has up her sleeve for 2007. 
by: DJGroovySlug at January 18, 2007 10:57 | link | comments 23 accomplishments

Wednesday, 17 January 2007

There's something to be said for getting running shoes that fit perfectly and that something is: blisters.  Three of them to be exact.  Very large and very painful.  I'm hobbling around, all gimp-like.

At least I can still pound out a few miles in 20 degree weather.  There's something to be said for that and that something is: insanity. 
by: DJGroovySlug at January 17, 2007 22:28 | link | comments (1)

Tuesday, 16 January 2007

Two Topics and Lots of Parentheses

I went to yoga during lunch, since I've been feeling sluggish and my belly has gained a nice but useless winter layer.  Time to shed it for the impending spring come February 1st!

 (I am easily the only person in the DC metropolitan area that isn't concerned by the more than unusually high temperatures.  People actually bring it up, concerned and I'm all, what's the big deal? Average highs of 60 all January?  Okay then!  Where can I buy cute spring shoes?) 

Yoga, let me tell you.  I thought yoga would be all granola people and ohming and that sort of thing.  Nope. Effing hard.  Okay, I have zero body strength, particularly in those hard to find muscles that you never use EXCEPT when doing downward dog pose.  But I was expecting to at least be able to keep up.

To be fair, this wasn't like "Hatha yoga" or "Kundalini yoga", but that well known sect of buddhist bodily meditation "Power Yoga."  Don't laugh, I'm sure over there where yoga was invented there is Power Yoga and it is not even remotely affected by capitalism and jazzy words like X-treme and Surge.  Power yoga.  Too strong for you wussy foreign word yogas.

I watched the first four hours of "24" and by watched I mean "watched" as in it was on and my two companions shouted comments at the screen while I snickered every time Chloe The One with Jowls came on the screen to "save" Jack. 

This is my first foray in a world where more things happen in a hypothetical day than a given century, but you nevermind that.  Words pop into my head when I think of "24" and not happy words like "patriotism" and "contrived" but angry words like "Heptatitis" and "other diseases passed on through blood." 

I have to admit I'm fascinated, less by the show (since, despite having been present for all four hours, I couldn't tell you a thing that happened beyond Jack's impending blood tests and the mushroom cloud) and more by general reaction.  Most importantly, my two friends who insist that Jack Bauer is some sort of deity and spent a good 15 minutes analyzing why this happened but not this (um, hello.  REALLY BAD SCRIPT WRITING!).  But now I can kind of understand all the reporting the next day, including some of Dave Barry's fantastic running dialogue: "They shot KUMAR!!! Didn't they see his movie, for godsakes?"

Speaking of which, I'm insulted.  Kumar? KUMAR?  AS AN ARAB? And I thought it was a stretch when we were supposed to believe Tara Reid was an anthropologist (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!).
by: DJGroovySlug at January 16, 2007 15:19 | link | comments