The scoop

Well, gentle readers, here's what I've been up to:

- Finished shredding all old receipts and unnecessary documents and filing all the needful;

- DH Jeff & I re-org'd the "workroom" for aesthetics and better space usage. It looks SO much better now. Then,

- I tackled the closet...and continue to tackle it. I re'org'd all our clothes & shoes and am now trying to decide what to give away or throw out. And I keep finding more things. Gaack. This weekend, I will finish off that task.

- Perhaps this weekend I can also find time to finally give myself a pedicure, and

- Finish a book for a book club on the 29th, and

- Catch up on my book & movie reviews. And other blogging.

Who said I would have so much free time once I finished with school?

Also, I'm trying to lose ten pounds. That's it. Unfortunately, I love libations and victuals a bit too much. Well, I decided that I probably could shave off a few hundred calories by not drinking alcohol every day of the week. So, it's kind of one day on, one day off and on off days, I just drink water with dinner. No real progress yet, but I haven't gained any weight.

A few weekends ago, we went with a friend to her mountain home (Blue Ridge) to chill and went wine tasting. Lots of fun! I took lots of pictures, some of which I'll share with you soon.

Oh, and I joined Netflix. I figure, I can check out all the movies I want & then MAYBE buy ones with bona fide replay value. The plan I signed up for (after the free 2-wk trial) is $8.99 per month for one movie at a time, but unlimited rentals within the month. I just got The Kite Runner. I think this will be a good deal and I can save some money without foregoing entertainment.

And I need to replace the photo of me on this blog, because my hair is longer now.

Whew!

Scotch Watch 2008: The story continues

Last Friday evening DH Jeff & I met friends for happy hour and dinner at Vidalia (review to come), downtown. Instead of dessert, I opted for a single malt, preferably one I hadn't tried before. I chose Dalwinnie (12- or 15-year, I'm not sure) and was very pleased with my choice. It's very smooth and mellow - a pleasing finish to a good meal.

So, I'd say it gives Glenfiddich a run for its money; however, I'd like to taste them side by side to see which I like best.

For more information on the Scotch and the distillery, go here. Looks like the 15-year is comparable in price to most good 12-years at $50 and change per bottle.

Meaningful ceremony

Instead of focussing on those reports of the cruel knobs who leave their small children and pets in baking vehicles (there were a few reports in the paper today), I'm pleased to highlight something really positive.

Those recently taking the oath of citizenship were treated to a truly meaningful and beautiful ceremony. U.S. District Court Judge, T.S. Ellis III, decided to hold the naturalization ceremony at the Arlington National Cemetery, emphasizing the service and sacrifice that has made our country great. Judge Ellis, himself, is an immigrant from Colombia. Read the whole WaPo article here.

Nice to have this kind of news for a change.

Some good things

What's happening...

1. I finally received my Forensic Science certificate. It's official. But come on, folks, couldn't you have made it a little more impressive? It's really kind of boring. I mean, when I worked for a Navy contractor, I used to make & frame 5-year employee certificates - and they looked sharp. That was just using Word to print them. Hmmm.

2. Our "workroom" is looking better and better. Over the weekend, I shredded (literally) reams of old statements and receipts. It's liberating.

3. (This is for you, AJ) I used all those CVS plastic bags I've been stockpiling to dispose of the shredded material.

4. We've been really trying to avoid wasting food. And save money. And lose weight. So, we've been taking our lunches in with whatever's in the fridge (think hummus and lots of veggies).

5. I'm writing to you this morning which is 1) great because this is part of an effort to blog more often and 2) impressive because I'm actually doing something in morning besides dozing and putting off work (ok, I'm still putting off work...).

Have a beautiful if toasty day!

And the outrage spreads

Today in WaPo's Metro section was an article about two teenage girls in Virginia Beach who were killed by - wait for it, wait for it - an illegal alien drunk driver. And what's neater is that he had been convicted before of - drunken driving! Wahoo! Now Virginia Beach residents are getting riled up about illegal immigration. Hmmm.

I guess if folks like La Raza had their way, the whole US would be a lawless cesspool like Mexico. Fortunately not everyone is an open-borders idiot.

Here are five costs of uncontrolled illegal immigration:

1. Crime - including gang activity, rapes, murders, identity fraud and, yes, drunk driving.

2. Healthcare burden - of course they don't have insurance.

3. Education burden - don't speak English, no problem! The taxpayers will pay for more ESL and other "assimilation" programs!

4. Social services burden - welfare and food stamps anyone? No money for children, but what the hell? Everything's free in the US!

5. Increase in US poverty level. Although there's little way of actually knowing how much -to what extent- illegal immigration increases the poverty level but look - the (minimum of) 12 million illegals in this country are generally poorly educated, low-wage workers, many of them with children to support.

Anyway, food for thought. I'm sure to come up with another five costs of illegal immigration soon.

We're ok

You'll be glad to hear that even if the DC area was hit with severe thunderstorm and tornados, DH Jeff and I are safe and sound. All we suffered was a brief power outage and that happened before we got home...so the clocks had to be re-set. Minor.

I impress myself...

...and you're like, "yeah, so what's new?" Well, remember I said I was rising early in the mornings with DH Jeff because of his training? And how I've been organizing? Well, this morning I out-did myself in productivity! I did laundry (and folded it - can you stand it?), unloaded the dish washer, made my lunch, blogged, made the bed, shredded some more old statements, took out the trash and recyclables, labelized some file folders filled with school-ly goodness (yeh, I keep my notes) and made it to work before 5pm. It's only 1pm, but I think I should get some time off for good behavior.

Movie Review: Educating Rita

Educating Rita is the story of a Cockney hairdresser, Rita (played by Julie Walters), who wants more out of life than attempting to make middle-aged matrons look like Princess Di (this movie was done in the 80s). So she enrolls for tutoring at the local august university. Rita's assigned tutor is a washed up, alcoholic English professor, Frank (played by Michael Caine), who wants nothing to do with teaching any more. Rita demands that he teach her and thus the adventure begins.

This gem of a film wasn't available in DVD until recently. So when I discovered it was offered on Amazon, I grabbed it. It is a charming story of how this diffident yet bright and persistent gal struggles to read and write critically, to find a new life of the mind, and to feel "good enough," ie, equal to the other university students for whom a good education is birthright. Along the way, Rita encounters vexing obstacles, not the least of which is her boozy tutor. In less capable hands, this film could have been saccharine, content-light drivel (ie, the typical Hollywood dramedy) or at least sickeningly sentimental, but with a really good script and superb performances by Caine and Walters, it truly warms the cockles of the heart. And it's not strictly a chick flick, DH Jeff liked it too.

What's more, you can get it for a song, so why not treat yourself?