save your $

saturday evening was hot, hot, hot. and not in a good way. mike and i went to the blue lamp, expecting the same sort of gig we attended earlier this year for ben lee. here's what we got instead:

a line formed an hour and a half before the door even opened. we, however, were sipping cool drinks across the street at (EVIL) starbucks, which i would under normal circumstances never set foot in.

although the tickets read: doors 9 p.m., they didn't start letting people in until close to 9:30. we were still sitting across the street.

we wandered over when the line got a bit shorter, and the doorman seemed to spend a looooot of time checking ids. as we got to the front of the line, we discovered why when, all of a sudden, an employee crashed through the door and yelled at him to stop the line because they couldn't keep up with the drink orders at the teeny, tiny bar. weird, but not too weird.

one step inside and we knew why folks were flocking to the bar. it was hotter inside than out, and i'm guessing it was still in the mid to high 90s outside.

we found a spot a few feet from the stage near a small fan blowing hot air. while waiting for what we thought would be just a few minutes, i tore down one of the many concert posters and rolled it up, ensconcing it in my purse for the evening.

FORTY-FIVE minutes later, still no start in sight. i finally went to the door and asked when the music was going to start, and someone very rudely pointed to a sign indicating 10:30, which was rapidly nearing. i also had the foresight to ask if there was an opener, which thank the good lord above, there wasn't.

i made my way through the sticky, sweaty, drunken crowd back to mike, who, as he always is, was one of the tallest in the room and easy to spot.

after the drunk, obnoxious frat bro behind us and his fat-ass girlfriend decided to wedge themselves between us and the people next to us, basically squeezing into what i would refer to as "my space", we moved closer to the back, where it may have been a bit warmer (really, 90 or 95 degrees, what's the diff at this point?) but there was personal space galore.

ten minutes later, still no music. after some discussion, in which i gestured emphatically as the music was so loud, i indicated that i wanted to either (if possible) sell my ticket tom someone waiting outside (the concert had sold out, through who knows why), or eat the $20 per ticket and go home/outside for fresh air and/or airconditioned car/home. either way, mike wasn't buying. (he's such a stubborn leo sometimes!)

five minutes later, pete yorn started. after 10 songs, including an excellent cover of the smith's there is a light that never goes out, mike looked at me and said we could leave whenever i wanted to, and rather than answer, i beelined for the door--and air.

by the time we left, my crotch was soaked to the point it would have looked like i wet my pants, had anyone cared enough to look.

in all, i could have saved myself the $20 and sat in the sauna at my gym listening to py on my mp3--for free.

heat and humidity

or is it heat and stupidity? either way, i'm suffering from it big time.

i can't focus on work. i feel like i'm walking around under water all day. moving slowly and everything is just a little fuzzy. i think my brain may be melting from how damn hot it is! our a/c was still running last night at almost 10 p.m. that's not only expensive, but also crazy.

i can't imagine what s must be feeling, carting around her little zygote that's really not so little anymore (no offense, s, 'cause you look adorable!).

we spent about three hours last night trying to unlock the clues of lost's first season. and we got next to nada.

although i did find out that the flight attendant's name was cindy, and jack's tattoo has a number five in it. and there was something about the bronx and rose (a train whistle and braking?). oh, and we both think the marshall was in love with kate. so i guess we did discover some secrets. and there was that shout out to office space, one of the funniest movies i've ever seen.

tomorrow night mike and i are going to see pete yorn do an acoustic show at the blue lamp. we saw ben lee there a while ago, and the place isn't that great for a concert, but it sure beats driving to sf for a show. and, i just found out that pete yorn will be opening for the dixie chicks in sept for my solo concert, so i get to see him twice! nice!

yet another reason for carpal tunnel syndrome

i came across this link this morning and have since gotten nothing done. i am, however, having a great time chair dancing in my office.

today is the day!

we have our home inspection today and find out if the adoption agency thinks we'll be fit greyhound parents.

i found this picture yesterday and so hope that one day i will walk in our bedroom and see something along those lines, with maybe an orange cat thrown in there too.

i've also been thinking of names, because apparently these poor dogs are never really called by their racing name so you can change their name without much worry. if we like the name, we'll keep it, but if not, i like darwin. and dodger. dodger would be good because mike likes the dodgers baseball team. and darwin, well, that name just rocks! i think both names are on the unisex side, too, but i'm actually leaning toward a male now that i've been reading up on them more. we'll see...

look, up in the sky...it's a ????

last week, i looked up as i was nearing our house and saw this in the sky. parked, grabbed the camera and went out to take a pic...i'm sure my neighbors thought i was nuts because it seemed like no one could see it but me. maybe it was up there just for my enjoyment? either way, it made me smile.

another in a day of "firsts"

i just bought a ticket to go see the dixie chicks when they come here in september. one ticket. going solo. didn't want to waste the money on a ticket for mike when he's not into them, and that way he can be my chauffeur. but it will be my first solo concert. i've done movies and dinner by myself, why not a concert too?

laps

i swam a mile today.

that's it, that's all i got...my arms are noodles.

the good old days

watching the hills on mtv (come on, you know you watch it too!) is like going back in time and watching myself with my first "real job." i too had the lazy, rude, bad-influence roommate. and i too used to be torn between school and work.

my first real job was at THE BANK (not to be confused with "the bank" on alias). worked there for four years. used to go to work hung over in the summer and call in sick (occasionally) when barbie could talk me into it. it was both the best and worst job i've ever had. it was also the last job i had where i could actually leave work at work at the end of the day. no worries, no responsibility (other than all that money!) and no promises of promotions. i was a teller, and that was that. i'd been through two robberies, more supervisors than were necessary (loved some, hated others), work crushes, customer crushes, dated customers, etc. toward the end i even worked two blocks away from where i lived in midtown. talk about convenient! although i don't talk to anyone from those days anymore (except geoff gorman, my idol), i often wonder what happened to johnston, kelley, bill and angela. that's also where i learned that i would go far in life if only my supervisors were respect-worthy.

the jobs got more boring from there: law firm (HATED IT); money store (marketing-yawn, and then copywriting YAY!); laid off and took a job in marketing at a huge state assoc. which was one of the two worst places i've ever worked; moved to another state assoc. that was a step up but paid less; then another non-profit that was my last stop before freelancing.

i've had every type of supervisor imaginable, and only seemed to click with the men (i guess being raised by my dad has something to do with that?). favorite bosses: cynthia (who i still talk to and visit in s.d. whenever i can--love her and her family and her best friend/my sister in spirit sally; tim, julie and sam at tms; geoff at the bank; belinda at the law firm; and the guy whose name i can't remember who i answered to at alpine meadows when we ran the lift on the bunny hill.

now i'm my own boss, which i am much more suited to than i ever was answering to middle (mis)management. the freedom to come and go as i please, say no when i need/want to and write what i want when i want. you know what? I'M my best boss!!!

d.c. in a day

i need help. i have to plan our d.c. itinerary and we'll basically only be there for a day and a half. we'll roll in mid-afternoon, stay the night, have all the next day, stay the night again, and get up early to head to philly. and here's everything i'm trying to cram into that timeframe: see (no tours!) capitol building, white house, reflection pool, lincoln mem., wash. mon., arlington cem., vietnam mem., post office pavilion, ford's theater, fbi building, kennedy ctr., and tour the holocaust museum, botanic garden, national arboretum, dupont circle and georgetown. too much? and that's only what i want to see, as i'm sure mike will want to see the museum of natural history (yawn) and stuff like that. what's a girl to do?

is it fall yet?

has it really been almost a week since my last post? where does the time go...

today is my last day with macy, she will be leaving this afternoon and i have loved every minute of this visit. from trips to the dog park (although this morning's was scary--more on that later), to macy riding shotgun around town in my car, to tons of walks, to driving every dog in our neighborhood crazy with our backyard antics, to waking up in the morning to find two cats, a dog and husband all within arm's reach. it's been grand.

as for the dog park this morning, let's just say stay tuned for my upcoming column in the near future about dog park etiquette (or last thereof).

i'm almost through with marley & me, and although i hate to finish it because it's been so good, i'm excited to start retired racing greyhounds for dummies. and, our home inspection/visit is next week, so hopefully we'll pass that step and be well on our way to getting a new member of the family this year (who i will not be taking to the dog park, ever).

until then, i need to focus on work so i can get ahead, and plan our trip city by city so we'll be ready and not waste time being overwhelmed by all there is to do and see (and EAT!).

although it's nowhere near fall, it sure does feel like it this morning.

the shitstorm of the century

over at the little zygote that could, things are really heating up. grammar and swearing and lower-caps "i". what is the world coming to? honestly, if that's what people are getting their panties in a wad over, they really need to get a life. and get off reading blogs, because the whole point of a blog is a stream-of-consciousness that shouldn't be patrolled by the grammar/cussing police. i mean--hell, shit, crap!!! seriously? seriously? oh i'm sorry-do i offend? take the sticks out of thy asses, ladies!

new addition

not the band--the latest addition that will hopefully be coming to our home later this year. i submitted the application this morning, and while i hoped to get a call today, nothing yet. as if they were sitting around waiting for me to say, "o.k.--we're ready now!" ha! but i'm so excited about this, and mike is too. while i would love one that looks like this, i'll settle for any of them. they're all so damn cute! meanwhile, i'll be hanging out with macy next week, so i can get my dog fix on.

she's baaaaack

next week macy will be here, again! b&t are going to a wedding in idaho, so i said by all means bring her here. so we get her from wed-mon. yay! more walks, dog park adventures and playing in the backyard.

yesterday i got the best facial. so relaxing. and today i'm getting a massage, which is much needed. i put it off for a bit because of my knee, but i just can't wait anymore because my back is in knots. (and no, still no mri results!)

last night mike and i watched the most disappointing movie--freedomland. started off great, then just fizzled out and by the end i hated the main character so much i wanted to reach through the tv screen and throttle her. hopefully duma will be better tonight.

i have to crank out two more articles today and then i'm all caught up and back to being ahead of the game. well, i still have to edit six stories, but that's easier than the writing part. luckily, everything is due mon and wed, so when macy's here i will be able to devote tons of time to entertaining her (and vice versa).

apparently the weather is going to make it so that she will have to sleep in the house rather than the garage, so hopefully the cats will adjust quickly (or maybe they will still remember from the few days ago she was just here?).

i can't believe it's already june!!! i need to get cracking on the trip itinerary...