Hello there

I went to see a Singaporean movie with some friends tonight called "Gone Shopping". I laughed quite a bit, but it was also pretty sad. The show was about a woman who bought clothes when she was lonely, shoes when she was lost and bags when she was sad. But then there was also a video gamer that caried broad sword around the mall so that helped to lighten things up.

Then, as I was walking back to the Metro I came upon this little fellow.




Now I'm not really sure what it's supposed to be, kind of looks like a little lizard ghost that got smashed in the crosswalk, but it was a pleasant surprise in the middle of Independence Ave.

I have creative friends

I have three friends that are all rather amazing and I love them dearly. Throughout the day we often send long strings of emails back and forth and they keep me thoroughly entertained. Miss Kelly is particularly creative and when there are slow news days (i.e. the convention is over) she comes up with gems like this:

In honor of Amanda who will see Les Mis and in memoriam of Coney Island for Robin. I give you the lyrics to I Dreamed a Dream, then Robin's - I Dreamed of Coney Island.

Fantine - I Dreamed a Dream Lyrics
[Fantine is left alone, unemployed and destitute]

[FANTINE]There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted
But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame

He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came
And still I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather
I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.

========================================

Robin - I Dreamed of Coney Island lyrics
[Robin is with friends, recently promoted, but still sad]

There was a time when developers were kind
When Coney Island thrived
And the rides were exciting
There was a time, I'll forever remind
My friends 'bout the Mermaid Parade
And the Astroland lighting
There was a time
Now it will be gone

I dreamed a dream in times gone by
When the Cyclone was high
And the ocean breezes blowing
I dreamed this place would never die
I dreamed of hot dogs and Freaks worth Shooting
But my dreams were coldly cast aside
And Nathan's dogs will likely not get eaten
Who can I call to make this right?
Can Mayor Bloomberg be intreated?

But my friends will not desert
They press cold washcloths to my forehead
As I suffer through withdrawal
They feed me bites of cotton candy
They sit all evening by my side
And give me shoes and clothes to try on
From my agony they will not hide
And they distract me from the pain
And still I dream of Coney Island
That I will ride the rides forever
But oh my dreams, they cannot be
I must write a strongly worded letter

I had a dream but now it seems
Thor has turned my dreams to nightmares
So I take them back and now I scream,
I hate you Thor, but I'll always have my dreams

Optimistic

I just bought a lawn ticket to see an outside show..... with a hurricane approaching.

OBX

So, did anyone notice that it's September all of a sudden? I'm not entirely sure how that happened, but here it is. And as a last hurrah, I spent the final weekend of official summer at the outer banks of North Carolina and it was wonderful.

I was at an amazing beach house with 15 of my closest friends, or one very close friend and a bunch of very nice people that I didn't know before or at least didn't know very well. But it was great fun to meet lots of new people and spend a fabulous weekend relaxing, and swimming, and playing volleyball, and getting dipped cones at Dairy Queen, and taking naps.

The highlight had to have been swimming in the ocean at night because it sparkled. There was something in the water that lit up when it got aggitated (like in the waves or when we splashed or stepped on the wet sand). It was amazing to see the stars shining and the water sparkeling, it was all very surreal.

Oh, and there was a late night/early morning photo session with a frog named Celine.

Rollercoasters!

Saturday at King's Dominion- which is farther south of DC than one might think.

Jen on the swings- upside down is, in general, more fun than right side up.

This would be the synchronized slurping contest.

That would be me- on the swings.

Robin, and we haven't even started going fast yet.

Marci- going very fast, and once again upside down.

Break for funnel cake. The goal for the summer was five- almost the end of August and I'm only on number three. Better start attending more county fairs.

George Mason University

Just in case you didn't know, I work at a pretty cool school.

We were just rated as the #1 up and coming school by U.S. News and World Report.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/national-uc-rank

Happy To Be Alive

Went to New York this weekend, it was a good time. There was a small group from my office that went up for a cooking show with Tre Wilcox from Top Chef. There were two themes for the weekend, "I'm just so happy to be alive" and "I love America." Matt and Dan were pretty strong on loving America, and Jen and I were kind of indifferent at the beginning, but the love grew towards the end. And "happy to be alive" is the the new life philosophy.

The trip started off with a bang and a shredded tire on the New Jersey Turnpike. This was a good test of the new life philosophy, and I must say we all had a good time on the side of the road. It was a great time just sitting there with nothing to do because we didn't have a lug wrench. Most people on the turnpike were surprisingly nice- nobody actually stopped, but we did get a lot of honks and waves- and we backed up traffic on both sides!

We spent a lot of time hanging out in New Jersey which was fun, I'd never really spent time in New Jersey. Well, a little bit in Morris County (Country Club area) Camden (murder area) and an afternoon in Atlantic City. But this time we went to Hoboken, and to a classic Jersey diner where we heard someone actually say "fugedaboutit."

The cooking class was really fun too. We got to eat yummy food and I learned about browned butter and some cooking tips for risotto. Tre signed my book and we got some pictures, and then I finally got into my own bed last night at 3:30am. Actually, I should go to bed now.