Sunday drive deluge

I rented a car today to drive up to Lancaster to visit Lisa and her family (which was lovely and I will try to write more about that later) and got to drive through some really "fun" rainstorms. It was raining pretty hard this morning, but the traffic was light and it was daylight so it didn't really hold me up. But, tonight, it was crazy. It was dark, traffic was heavier and the it was raining cats, dogs, ostriches, small horses...really crazy stuff. Anyways, so it took me almost 4 hours to get in the vicinity of National Airport where I had rented the car. Then, once I got near, I couldn't even return the car because the GW Parkway was closed due to flooding. Fortunately, the rental company (Thank you, Budget!) gave me an extra day to return the car...so once I paddled through the puddles and lakes of VA and DC, I didn't even have to walk home. And, really, that's very nice. I would have been so incredibly wet that it really wouldn't have been even mildly amusing.
For the record, driving in a torrential downpour for 4 hours is really stressful. But, now I am home...with less stress and drier than originally anticipated. And, I even found a good parking space. God is good.

New Professionalism and Old Friends

I ended up attending a board meeting for our organization tonight and also ended up presenting what amounted to a marketing report. I, typically, come off sounding a little flighty and appearing that way because I make wild hand gestures and use speech fillers such as "like" too much. But, I held my composure. I kept my hands under the table, spoke in a lower tone of voice and used only complete sentences. I know that seems elementary, but for me, that was a big breakthrough. I truly felt that I held my own around that table of very successful people.
Then, tonight, after a lovely dinner with a friend that I don't see nearly often enough, I got a phone call from someone I haven't talked to in over six years. I went to high school with her and so I called her parents last weekend in an attempt to get her contact information for our ten-year reunion. So, she called me up tonight. We ended up talking for an hour and a half. Our lives are pretty much polar opposites of each other, but we still had a blast chatting. She is one of those super-cool people that always dared to do life her way and I am so thrilled to be reconnected with her. If only she lived closer!! I am having so much fun finding long lost high school people. I can only hope the reunion is half this fun!

nothing

I've got nothing. How is it possible that I haven't blogged since Wednesday and I've got nothing to say? Let's see... what have I done since Wed? I got a new phone. Today was father's day. I met three new people. I went to Target (that was exciting). I went to Eastern Market and was heckled for wearing my Steelers shirt. That's about it. It was a good low-key weekend. I haven't left the hill since Friday night.
Now, if that isn't a blog about nothing, I don't know what is!!

My losing streak

I have a secret. I'm bad luck. Every time I go to a professional sporting event, the team I root for loses. Whether or not I'm an invested fan, they still go down. I do my part. I cheer and yell and dance and wave things and yet, they lose. Tonight, it's the Nationals to whom I owe an apology. I tried. I stayed to the very last out when the stands were nearly empty...to no avail. So, I'm sorry. Best of luck tomorrow. Don't worry. I'll stay home.

HP sucks

I bought an HP camera in December. After several months of thinking I was just a really bad photographer, I realized that my camera is defective. I called HP tonight and they basically said, "That's too bad. There's nothing we can do." That's not a satisfactory answer for me. I spent money on their product. Their product does not work. Now I have neither my money nor a working camera. I am not happy at all. I will not be buying another HP camera. And, I will think hard before buying anything at all from HP. Their customer service is sub-par in my opinion. So, there it is. My little not-so-public, public opinion of HP products.

Today's musical experience

Tonight I heard Mahler's 8th Symphony (Symphony of a Thousand) featuring five local choruses and the NSO at the Kennedy Center. It was, well, Mahler... loud. The performance wasn't bad. The orchestra sounded better than I've heard them sound on some other things, though still not fabulous. The sheer number of performing forces and the power of sound required to perform the thing is so unusual that it impresses merely by being performed. Right, wrong or otherwise, that's just the way it is. So, I'll leave it at that. I've heard it live. I suppose I can check it off my list. But, there was a children's choir. And, a pretty good one at that. There is something so touching about seeing the product of an in-depth arts learning experience for children that just gets me at my very core.
Now, as usual, a few non-musical observations:
- Condi was there, back in the president's box. Poor woman. The girl just wanted to hear Mahler 8 for heaven's sake and she had to take 38 of her "best friends" with her. There were about 15 secret service officers waiting outside the president's box for her afterward. I hope she was able to forget about all of those guys and enjoy the concert. What a life. But, props to her...she keeps coming out to concerts and hearing what it is that she loves. That's more than admirable.
- I was seated in the box closest to the stage, which means I had a good view of the musicians' facial expressions. That's always interesting to watch...to see how the oboist and flutist will lean and breathe together or whatnot. However, the moment of the night was when something (I have no idea what) made a cellist crack up laughing. He was laughing so hard his cello was shaking. It was absolutely hysterical! I could see him repeatedly try to regain his composure, but it took him a good 30 seconds to recover. Priceless!

a brief blogging hiatus

Please excuse the brief pause in blogging this week. It is a crazy, crazy week for work and life. I will most likely return to my normal posting patterns next week. Have a fabulous rest of the week everyone. And, for everyone living in DC, isn't this weather amazing??

an open letter

Dear God,
Why did you make fireflies? Do they serve a purpose? Or, is their purpose solely to amuse us homosapiens? (I know, can you believe someone was pompous enough to call your people-creations something so fancy?) Are they to entertain small children and give them an opportunity to learn the ill effects of trapping an organism in something that is not its natural habitat? And, why their butts? Why not their wings? Light-up butts are funny. Thank you for not giving me a light-up butt. And, is it voluntary or involuntary? Can they decide when and how frequently to light up their little behinds? It doesn't seem that they have control over the length of the illumination, though. So, why not? If it's involuntary, it seems a little cruel. It's hard to sneak around, in stealth bug mode when your ass keeps lighting up. But, maybe it's for their own safety. Your prompt reply is appreciated,
Hyla

Stop the presses!

The Pittsburgh Pirates have won their last four games in a row! Watch out! We're makin' a comeback. St. Louis, watch your back.

(I had to get that in there... God only knows it might be the only time this season I get to say that)

personal detox

I feel in deep need of personal detox. I've recently felt like I was keeping my head just barely above water and then suddenly, tonight, I felt like I was pushed under. If it was just one area of my life, it would be ok, but it's practically every area of my life. And, it all comes down to one thing. I feel inadequate in pretty much every facet of my being right now. I know that I've just been too busy, too stressed, too sick... whatever... and I just need a day or so to decompress. But, I'm afraid it runs deeper than that so I'm going to try to take a week to insulate myself a bit and get myself centered a little better. I'm not sure exactly what that's going to look like, but it will probably involve very little socializing and a lot of me-time and God-time. Here's the sad part... I can't do it until at least the week after next. Oh, stupid schedules.

Hopefully, that remedies the issue.

Shakespeare in the park

I went and took in some Shakespeare in the Park yesterday. How fun is that? It was worth the bus ride up there. They performed Pericles, which is an interesting piece. It pretty much breaks down like this:
3 shipwrecks + 2 false deaths + pirates + brothel = something that actually works

Gotta love Shakespeare. I love it especially because he has no qualms about saying "Hold on. I'm almost done. I promise. It's almost over." love it.

It's playing through June 5 at Carter Barren up in NW. Check it out if you can!