Just when I started liking people...

...I read this pair of horrid stories in WaPo this morning:

VA Toddler Dies After Father Leaves Him in SUV. Here’s the low-down: a guy leaves his infant son in his SUV all day long while he’s at work. 90 degrees inside the car. Claims he was supposed to take the tot to daycare, but forgot. All day. Until one of his co-workers asks him – is there something in your car? Indeed. But this story gets richer: this guy had just adopted the boy from Russia a few months prior. Fabulous! So he rescues the kid from a grim life in Russia only to torture the pup to death by neglect before he reaches two years old.

I’m still trying to understand how one can actually forget a whole human being. Guess I’m naïve that way. Plus, if you went to all that trouble to complete an international adoption, would you really want to dump the kid on a stranger daily rather than taking some parental leave or getting a relative (spouse, partner, parent) to ease the child into the family? Not to mention being generally more attentive and remembering you have a child? Hell no, this is America! Buy or birth the toy and put it on a shelf.

In Baby’s Death, a History of Unrest at Home. WaPo kind of soft-peddles this one – “a young couple struggled to rear four [emphasis mine] small children.” The low-down: this unmarried Hispanic woman lives with her children (3-, 2-, 1 year-olds and the 6-month-old) and the sperm donor. She leaves the 6-month-old in his playpen to take a nap (inside) while taking the other three outside to play. The baby dies mysteriously. There’s a history of “turmoil” (possible abuse by the XY). There was a social worker assigned to this “troubled” family…one who never paid a visit to check things out. The breeder seemed overwhelmed to friends and family. Hmmm. I wonder what happened? The ME hasn’t reported yet on the CoD.

I just find it amazing that this woman was essentially continuously pregnant for four years. At some point, don’t you think that she would say, “enough, I’m going on the pill?” Or, maybe "we should get married so these bastards have a name?" So much for Latino family values. She’s a stay-at-home-mom and the sperm donor pays the bills…maybe not willingly. Just around for the trim, really. Or maybe he forbade her to use contraception. I truly cannot fathom the macho mind. Or maybe they’re both too stupid to be proactive. Don’t know. The remaining tykes don’t have a prayer, though, that’s for sure.

Restaurant Review: Vidalia

A few Fridays ago, our social group decided to meet at Vidalia for happy hour and possibly dinner. A draw was the gratis mini-wine tasting in their lounge. Plus, neither DH Jeff or I had been there, so we were enthused about trying it.

The first impression was positive: helpful hostess staff, a relaxing and hip lounge area near the bar, beautiful, calm restaurant interior. We decided to have dinner there and that was when the sticker shock set in – especially with the rest of the group. DH Jeff & I knew that it would be rather expensive and had planned for that…but the prices even surprised us. Yet, we weren’t going to eat there all the time – this was a treat, a novelty. However, even with the complimentary amuse bouche (a little culinary architecture along with a shot glass of soup), the place was over-priced. The quality of food was good but not commensurate with the cost, and the portions were tiny. The food presentation, in fact, impressed me as a parody of snooty, high end French restaurants. Clearly not the intention of the restaurant, but there it is.

I appreciated the serene, well-designed interiors with all the clever Crate & Barrel-style dishes. The service was polite and competent. We didn’t kvetch about the expense like the some of the group, because we expected it. But I doubt we’ll be going back because, let’s face it, there are better, more reasonably priced establishments in the area. Like legions.

Booze Notes: Chardonnay

I'll admit it - I used to be a complete chardonnay snob. I hated what I found to be the prevalent flavors: oakiness and fruitiness. Yechh. But then I had an awakening: not all chardonnays taste the same! You know why? While some are aged in oak casks (thus the oakiness), others are aged in steel tanks (no oak!). What the latter lacks in charm, it makes up for in drinkability (to my palate). Here are my latest joyful discoveries:

Fat Bastard Chardonnay($8.99/bottle, Whole Foods) - France. Mellow and smooth, very relaxing. And you can't beat the colorful name.

Riven Rock Chardonnay ($5.99/bottle, Whole Foods) - California. Crisp, bracing and a little tart. Can't beat the price either.

Oh, and you can check out Whole Foods online wine info/tutorials here.

Netflix rocks!

Ok, I know I'm way behind the whole web-rent dvd thing, so no snickering. I just signed up for Netflix and I just LOVE it! OMG, they make it so easy and efficient! And, they email you when they've received the dvd & also when they're going to mail your next selection. Such good communication skills!

BTW, our next few selections are Season 1 of Lost. No, I've never seen it, but have heard devotees seriously discussing it, so we're going to see what the buzz is all about.

Also, I've put Season 1 of Six Feet Under on my queue. DH Jeff asks, "oh, so what's that about?" (reasonable question) To which I reply, "Not a clue. I just saw the name and thought I should see what it was about." (unassailable logic) He tries to reason that one out...unsuccessfully.

Here's the deal

In July, I'll be working part-time, in a job (and organization) that has lasted a year longer than anyone thought or planned for. So, that is to say, the half-time hours change is good, because even though that means less money this month, I TRULY will have more time to blog.

Really, it hasn't been due to lack of material that I haven't posted regularly, just lack of time. That said, I have tons of movie-book-restaurant reviews, booze notes, other notes, rants and other fun stuff to share with you. So stay tuned!

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?

Home progress

DH Jeff smiles benevolently while I race around the apartment, excitedly querying him, "isn't the apartment clean, doesn't it look better, see we have more room?! Shred, shred, shred!" The impetus for this result has been bubbling away for a while, but it wasn't until Jeff had to start these early morning training classes this week, that I've been on overdrive.

Overdrive to what, exactly, you ask? Well, our apartment has gotten pretty cluttered thanks to the fact that both of us are pack-rats and I'm totally OCD about keeping every important document that I might conceivably need some day, going back to, oh, 1985. Well, because he has had to get up really early, I join him for coffee and noshes before he heads out. Then I bound into action, straightening up, vacuuming and in an unexpected burst of energy yesterday morning, dusting the whole apartment (yes, you heard me right). I'm also weeding out my files and shredding the unnecessary, because I just don't need all the time sheets from when I was temping in 1986. I just don't.

The result is that when I come home from work, I feel much better about the place and am provoked into doing more. Eventually, I'll have a neat inbox and a continuously emptied shred box, instead of various piles all around. Life will be beautiful. Then I can work on reorganizing the "workroom" for aesthetics and function. I dare to dream.

Justice?

There was a follow-up article in today's WaPo regarding the illegal immigrant drunk driver who killed a Marine and his girlfriend in 2006. I opined about the original story here.

The scumbag had a blood alcohol level or FOUR TIMES THE LEGAL LIMIT (I believe it was around .32) and decided to get behind the wheel. He had been previously been charged with drunken driving but the case was dismissed because of a police screw-up. The Marine had just served eight months in Iraq. Both Marine and girlfriend were in their early twenties.

Today's article tells us that the wetback got only ten years in prison. The original sentence was for twenty years (a more fitting sentence, to my thinking), but the stupid judge suspended ten years of the sentence. The article doesn't say why. So, for killing two Americans, one who managed to not die in a war zone, this criminal only got ten years. My only thought is that the judge wanted to make the sentence shorter, so that the felon could be deported faster and off the U.S.'s dime. OK, but we all know how competent this country is at permanently deporting anyone. [end sarcasm]

A very old disease

This morning's WaPo Health section carried a very interesting article about leprosy AKA Hansen's Disease. This article resonated with me because back in the early 80s, when on post with my family in Mexico City, our Mexican maid, Suzie, was diagnosed with it. It came as a shock that this biblical disease was still around. Indeed it is, and the U.S. has the world's best center for research and treatment in the world, the National Hansen's Disease Clinical Center in Baton Rouge, LA. Some fun facts about this disease:

- 95% of the world's population is thought to be immune to it
- it is actually a neurological disease that comes from a bacteria
- humans and armadillos are the only known animals to contract this disease
- it is not that contagious, but
- it is not known definitively how it is spread

Read the whole article here and more about the disease here.

What happened to Suzie, you ask? Well, we took her for treatment and arranged with a friend to have that treatment continued after we left post. Now, the friend was trustworthy and sympathetic, but unfortunately, Suzie was surrounded by friends and relatives who were superstitious and believed in the "treatments" of the local witch doctors, called curanderos. I don't know what evenually happened to her, but hope that she finished the legitimate medical treatment and did not resort to those purveyors spurious "medicines."

The problem with liberals

I'll confine myself to just five today, boys and girls.

1. Entitlement without responsibility. Defined in terms of "rights." Otherwise known as "freedom to do anything I want and never having to deal with the consequences." And someone else will pay (taxpayers). This can be seen by non-glue-sniffers as "reinforcing undesirable behavior."

2. Racism and other dialog stoppers. Accuse someone of being racist, anti-immigrant, guilty of human rights violations, etc., in order to thwart any conversation about the actual issues.

3. Open borders lobby and "world citizens." Support unfettered, unrestricted migration into and out of the U.S., especially for the little beaners who do low-level work, and then demand and defend the invaders' "right" to all sorts of benefits, public assistance. Then offer them citizenship. Because after all, U.S. citizenship doesn't mean that much anyway. These are the sophisticates who consider themselves "world citizens" and not-so-much American citizens, because patriotism and allegiance is so passé. Until they need their country to do something for them.

4. "Reproductive Rights." This is both the "right" to have your unborn child vacuumed and/or yanked out of you for any reason, at any time, and to have as many children as you want without the means to actually pay for them. This also means excoriating someone (in an outraged manner) of suggesting that "poor people shouldn't have children." These attitudes relate to #1 above.

5. America is always wrong. Whether it be war, foreign policy, border control, you name it. All that freedom, rights, upward mobility, education, relative safety...if you can find a better place, go there.

Progress of demolition

The downtown corner demolition proceeded very efficiently and amazingly neatly. I just had to mark their progress. Evidently, they imploded the building from the outside-in, in stages, so at one point there was this bizarre tower with all sorts of metal and wire hanging out. It looked like some sort of prop from a dystopic future. Anyhoo, here are some pictures...

Eating away at the corner.


Spooky tower.


Extreme close-up spooky tower.


After Armageddon.


And...it's a pile of rubble.


I'm sure you feel edified seeing the very neat demise of a building. Thank you for your cooperation.

State of the union...um, I mean, job

I have extreme ennui. Call it "wage-earner" blues. Yesterday I played hookie from work and hung out with DH Jeff. It was good. But now I'm at work and I'm very whiny. Help.

Rwandan progress

Yesterday in WaPo, I read a story whose outlook was unexpected - good news from Africa. Because of the genocide, many Rwandan women were left without husbands, fathers & brothers, and had to fend for themselves and their children. Coffee plantations which had been owned by their male relatives passed to them. The article tells of how a new female entrepreneurship has grown out of the need to survive: women started running these plantations and improving the quality of the coffee they grew. Now, some of these businesses are so successful, that they export their coffee around the world. The article also goes into how microcredit factors into this commercial evolution (which reinforces my belief that microcredit is the doorway out of poverty). Interestingly, these female business owners are more likely to cycle their profits back into the business for development, but also improve their family's wellbeing (housing, sustenance, education, etc.). What's more, their new economic power is strengthening their political power as well. Read the whole story here.

Movie Review: Eastern Promises

Eastern Promises is a story about a midwife, Anna (played by Naomi Watts), whose teenage patient dies in childbirth, leaving no identification except for a diary. In an effort to track down relatives who could take custody of her orphaned baby girl, Anna must find someone to translate the diary, which is entirely in Russian. These efforts lead her into the cut-throat world of the Russian Mafia. One of the characters she encounters along the way is a mobster's chauffeur (played by Viggo Mortenson), a quiet man with a lot he's not saying.

This is not a movie for the faint of heart. It's very violent but at the same time, none of it is gratuitous. The whole cast is great, kudos especially to Mortenson whose character, at one point, has to fight two would-be assassins in a sauna while buck naked. Watts is a very sympathetic Anna, trying against odds to achieve a happy ending for the baby. I would highly recommend this intense film - it'll keep your attention to the very end.

Economic innovation

You know that I love the concept of microcredit as a direct way to combat poverty in a very tangible way (versus just throwing money at programs), empowering individuals. Well, in the WaPo today an article about a young South African company, Wizzit, that another way to address poverty: banking services to the poor, accessible by cell phone. The idea is that since cell phones are actually much more numerous in South Africa than bank accounts, there's opportunity in providing bank accounts that customers can access through their cell phones without actually having to go to a branch. One can set up an account over the phone, have pay deposited directly into the account instead of in cash, then can pay bills, send money, buy groceries - all through a cell phone. Read the whole, very interesting article here.

If only the Feds had been doing their jobs...

...in the first place, we wouldn't need detention camps for immigrants awaiting deportation. WaPo is doing a series about the EVIL U.S. Government and how it's mistreating the detainees. Today's piece was about how some of those detainees are committing suicide because of inadequate or neglectful mental health care at the centers. Disclaimer: I understand that (as DH Jeff has reminded me) if we're going to have detention centers, adequate conditions should be provided. Adequate. Not lux. My heartless self, though, really doesn't care if a few commit suicide, drop dead, etc. I didn't ask them to come here and at this point, am unconcerned with their wellbeing. Since time is short and I must scurry to work so I can pay for their care, I will opine no further. Besides, my blood pressure rises every time I think about this and life is just too short.

Grousing about grout...

...otherwise known as "the many uses of school glue." Case in point: some of the grout between our bathroom floor tiles has, in recent weeks, started to crumble. I reported this twice as a service request. Each time, the request was "completed" within 24 hours. That's the good part. The bad part is that not only were areas completely missed the first time, but the treated areas immediately started to crumble…both issues necessitating a second request. In the second go-round, all areas were patched but just yesterday I noticed that those areas were crumbling.

My two responses: 1) this burns my butt because we pay a premium to live here and should have handy men/women who actually know what they’re doing…and actually do it, and 2) I retrieved my CVS school glue and patched the crumbling areas. Not an optimal choice of grout material, but hey, I wasn’t going to submit yet another service request. The glue dried clear and secured the crumbling grout. Jeez.

Thoughts on…

…recycling. DH Jeff & my apartment building provides bins for newspaper, cardboard and mixed recyclables (plastic, glass, aluminum) and we are conscientious about depositing our recyclables therein. Recently, though, I’ve been thinking that there are so many things we “use” once and throw into the bins. It does in fact take energy to transport and recycle all these things. It seems a waste not to use some of them more than once, when practical. Case in point: we frequently buy those yummy mini croissants for breakfast and toss the plastic containers in which they are sold. But if one washes them, they’re great for saving leftovers, half-used vegetables, etc and for packing lunch.

So, small effort to reuse these containers, but in the aggregate, I’ll bet it really pays off. For instance, using these instead of ziplock bags. We’re terrible at cleaning and reusing those…so not only do we save money on frequent ziplock bag purchases (not doing away with them totally, though), but we’re also saving the energy that would be used in recycling the containers. Also, I’m not even sure that Arlington recycles the particular type of plastic of which they’re made, so if not, we’re keeping plastic from ending up in the waste stream. Yeah! I wonder why I didn’t think of this sooner!

I’m so sick of…

…this presidential campaign. Obama and Reverend Wright. McCain and Reverend Hagy (sp?). Blah, blah, blah. Can we just vote already and end this?

Book Review: Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, is a tragic tale of a man, Gregor, who wakes up one morning transformed into human-sized cockroach. Before this, he is the capable breadwinner of his aging parents and younger sister, setting them (and him) up in a nice roomy apartment. After the transformation, there is a brief period of sympathy from his family which rapidly turns to disgust, which prompts them to isolate him in his room. Because the family no longer has their sponsor, they are compelled to take in some unpleasant boarders. The situation declines accordingly in light of the fact that Gregor is unable to reverse the unfortunate species shift.

This is my first reading of Kafka. It was a mercifully short read at 55 pages. How long can one read about the disintegration of a once-productive life? The benefactor becomes a prisoner both in body and soul, losing his liberty on multiple levels, and an outcaste, losing his place in the hearts of his family members. He has no clue as to why this has happened to him and even worse, is incapable of doing anything to change the situation. Gregor was both a sympathetic and doomed figure, and even though his family couldn’t actually do anything to change him back, they became very unlikeable by the end of the story.

Movie Review: Duel in the Sun

In the interests of expanding my cinematic horizons, DH Jeff had me watch Duel in the Sun, a 1946 western/melodrama starring Gregory Peck, Lionel Barrymore, Joseph Cotten and Jennifer Jones. Jennifer Jones plays seventeen-year-old Pearl who has been orphaned and is taken in by a wealthy Texas family. She is immediately both repulsed and wildly attracted to the brash son Lewt (Peck) and dismisses the decent other son Jesse (Cotten). The story follows the tempestuous relationship of Lewt and Pearl. No good comes of it for them or anyone around them.

The good: beautiful cinematography. Yeh, in my mind that was about it. I guess you could say it was interesting to see Peck play a complete scumbag instead of “man of honor.”

The bad: Lewt can only be described as thoroughly loathsome, and in the parlance of our time, an emotionally abusive asshole. Did I also mention “rapist”? Jennifer Jones looks thirty not seventeen and she over-acts her little heart out. Her Pearl is a trampy big trouble. There are a few sympathetic characters, but neither Lewt nor Pearl fit that category. There are, however, more unsympathetic characters.
Well, there it is.

I'm free! Sort of...

Well, my dears, I've completed my coursework for the certificate in forensic science. I've submitted my paperwork. I wait for the piece of paper. The point is: "yippee!" I'm so glad to have it done! Now I'll have some more time to blog & write! And exercise. Oh, the exercise.

I've also submitted my first my entry in a writing contest, the Washington Post Valentine's fiction contest. This is a yearly contest that requires a short story about love in some respect, inspired by the photo they publish that year in the Post Magazine. DH Jeff has made an entry too. Wish us luck!

Book Review: Predator

Predator, by Patricia Cornwell, will not disappoint Scarpetta fans: it is chock-full of her regular characters with all their attendant idiosyncrasies (neuroses) and conflicts. And, of course, there are the deranged scumbags that keep the good guys on their toes until the last word.

In this story, there’s a convicted serial killer who’s participating in a neurological study, run by Benton Wesley, who reveals some details of an unsolved case. Is he telling the truth or fabricating details of a crime to toy with the forensic psychologist? Then there’s the mysterious woman whom Lucy encounters in a bar. What’s her story? The unexplained disappearance of two women and their young charges rounds out this compelling forensic mystery.

I’m a long-time Cornwell fan and although I always enjoy her stories, this was an especially good one. The tensions between Dr. Scarpetta and her cohorts are wonderfully aggravating as they all try – with plenty of distraction - to get to the bottom of the mystery. On a personal note, the segments that discuss firearms examination and ballistics were especially interesting because I had just had instruction on these areas in class. Regardless, I think anyone who enjoys the Scarpetta storylines will thoroughly enjoy Predator.

The wonders of demolition

There's something so compelling about a wreck site. What is it? It may be the awe at the folks who can actually blow up one building at busy intersection downtown without touching the buildings right smack beside it. Or maybe it's the image of controlled chaos of the floors with all their wires and such slouching down onto each other.

Well, here are some photos that I took with my Treo 680 (gotta love technology) at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue & K Street NW, downtown. Same building from two different views. Kind of incredible. On the street level was a pile of metal scraps that are going to be salvaged, I guess. Maybe I'll go take a picture of that too.

Cry. Me. A. River...Buh-bye! [long post]

In today's WaPo, front page, is a typical bleeding heart article about the hispanic exodus from Prince William County because of the county's new anti-illegals laws, the housing lending issue and other reasons. Waaahhhhhh!!! The wetbacks are leaving! No more cheap labor! No more Spanish-only enclaves! The CCCCHHHHIILLLDDDRRREEN!!! Waaahhhhhh!!!

Read this tearful narrative of (feel the sarcasm) the cruelty of it all:

The man, whose name is Mauricio and who is Salvadoran, zipped his jacket against the wind whipping across the dark, vacant parking lot as he walked out of the store toward a borrowed car.

That morning, his electricity had been cut off. The next day, he and 11-year-old Erica would be moving into the basement of a neighbor's house. On this night, they would make do with candles.

It was the latest blow in a year of calamities: In April, the interest rate on Mauricio's ill-advised mortgage suddenly spiked, more than doubling his monthly payments. In May, he lost his job as a house painter. In June, he had to sell his van. In July, his third child was born, and with no insurance, he started skipping mortgage payments to cover the hospital bills. In October, the bank began foreclosure proceedings. In November, he sent his wife and two U.S.-born children to El Salvador.

December brought the worst setback yet: Mauricio bounced a $460 check he had sent the Department of Homeland Security to renew his temporary legal status, transforming him from legal to illegal immigrant.

In January, he received notice to vacate his house. Two weeks ago, the water was cut off. A week ago, his Virginia driver's license expired, and without legal status, he can no longer renew it.

Mauricio and Erica turned onto a side street pocked with darkened, empty houses and pulled up to a brick house with mustard shutters. A plastic barrel stood under the gutter spout. Mauricio had been using it to collect rainwater to heat so Erica could take baths.(WaPo, March 27, 2008)

Maybe Mauricio should have taken his residency legality a little more seriously. Maybe instead of impregnating his wife (a macho imperative!) with another child he couldn't support, he should have been saving his money to pay for his legal residency in this country. Maybe instead of buying a house he couldn't afford, he & his family should have sucked it up and lived in an apartment that he could. Yet, nowhere in the article does it place the responsibility for Mauricio's "calamities" squarely where they belong: on his and his wife's head. The article only refers to an "ill-advised" mortgage - you know, like he just got some bum advice - not his fault!

I read this article with a sense of disgust (the bleeding heart stories) and glee (the laws are working). What we call this is "attrition" and "self-deportation." Yeah! And as other localities are flooded with the resulting "refugees" and find (various facets of) their areas overwhelmed, maybe they'll rethink the prudence of their sanctuary policies. One can only hope.

Because I must...

...but it makes me feel better anyway. I'm currently going through my files and shredding old account statements in an effort to decrease clutter (one of my new years resolutions). And because I actually DON'T need ALL documentation on accounts going back twenty years. I just don't. I've accepted that fact. I've now shredded several reams of paper. Hah!

More on microcredit

DH Jeff found this article in WaPo this morning about the nascent Grameen America. Curious how I was just mentioning Grameen and now this pops up. Historically microcredit initiatives have been carried out in the third world but why should they be exclusively third world endeavors? Grameen clearly thinks there's potential in the first world. Cool.

Scotch Watch 2008: the story continues

So, we just tried Glenfiddich 12-year ($51/bottle). We really like it. It's smooth and warm with a touch of sweetness. Mmmmmgood.

Oh, here's a site I found that gives tasting notes on various whiskies and details about the distilleries: The Whisky Guide. I checked out the tasting notes on Laphroaig, which if you've been following along, I found to be undrinkable. Here's why: smoke & peat. Evidently, neither of these jazzes my palate.

Oh, DH Jeff & I are thinking of hosting a scotch tasting for our interested/scotch-curious friends. Hoot.

Update: I think I like Glenfiddich more than Macallan. Just saying.

Some [known] bad news, some good news

I'm not going to talk at length about this article in today's WaPo, because I've already talked about how fighting mad it makes me that the DHS can't seem to pull its head out of its butt...and how happy it is to charge that incompetence spectacularly to you and me. Read and weep.

Onto more positive news: Goldman Sachs is bankrolling business education programs for female entreneurs in Africa and the Middle East with an eye to improving local economies in these regions. I think this rocks - focus on the women. We've seen the positive effects on the ground with microcredit/microfinance programs & banks (which tends to lend primarily to women) in the the third world (Grameen Bank, for instance), now Goldman Sachs is taking this thinking to the next logical level: giving female entrepreneurs the educational tools to make their businesses a success. Read the whole article here. And yes, libtards, Goldman Sachs is what you're always howling about - BIG BUSINESS - big raspberry to you!

Everything's money

For as long as I can remember, I've been overly concerned about money. Worried. That one day I'd be without it and on the streets. For a vast variety of reasons, that's HIGHLY unlikely, but this anxiety isn't rational. What is, though, is the solution to the anxiety: savings. I have started a small "crash fund" (emergency fund), but I think I'm going to go a step further: to amass a year's worth of expenses, stick the cash in CDs, and let it percolate interest. Now, this isn't all going to happen this year, but it will happen - I'm on a mission!

5 foods I could eat all day

Hummus - is it the garlic, the consistency, the dip-ability?

Kettle Chips Salt & Pepper potato chips - it's the crunch and the mixture of salt & pepper. These chips are like crack. Really. And really not so bad for you (no hydrogenated oils) unless you eat a whole bag at one sitting...which is a definite possibility.

Microwave popcorn - it's the crunch, the salt, the heavenly aroma, the fake butter!

Edamame - it's the gently salty nuttiness.

Wasabe peas - it's the nasal spiciness & crunch.

So, what foods drive you to distraction?

Interesting pairing

Fat Bastard shiraz with Five Guys cheeseburger (with jalapenos, tomatoes, mustard and hot sauce) & fries. Trust me, it works.

Scotch Watch 2008

In the case of my ever-evolving palate, I’ve decided to find out about the best single malt scotches (to me, that is, of course), experientially. To that effect, I’ve been trying a few and here are my latest (but by no means last) observations:

Laphroaig: I recently tasted this at a local pub-sterant ($10 a drink). Let me just say that the smell of it turned me off right away. Chemical, nasty. Taste was the same. No go on this one.

Macallan 12-year ($45/bottle): Good. Edges, but not harsh. Drinkable.

Glenmorangie Santa Rosa ($80/bottle): Beautifully light and smooth, with just a hint of sweetness. Aromatic. Very drinkable. DH Jeff & my only negative observation: …but is it worth $80/bottle?

Tamdhu 10-year ($20/bottle): I was persuaded to try this by a Sikh liquor store employee who doesn’t even drink. Note to self: don’t trust the advice of someone who doesn’t actually drink the stuff. The edges on this puppy were so hard they could cut. I found this scotch to be undrinkable. Using it for cooking.

More on this story as it develops. There is a dizzying array of scotch choices, even from the same distiller. My question: would we actually be able to tell the difference between a 12- and an 18-year scotch? We will see…

Book Review: The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, is just a wonderful book. Jeff’s Aunt Joan had recommended it to me awhile ago and since then, numerous others have recommended it to me as well. I finally had a chance to read it and was blown away. I said it before when I reviewed A Thousand Splendid Suns, Hosseini’s second novel: he’s a very effective and engaging story-teller. What’s more, Hosseini is really good at characterization: his characters are layered, faceted, flawed, compelling, nasty, selfish, brutal, redeeming, sympathetic and sometimes lovable. Furthermore, he gives us glimpses into elements of Afghani culture that we wouldn’t have known about otherwise.

To wit, The Kite Runner revolves around a certain defining kite flying competition and the events that occur therein. It deals with the relationships between both master and servant, and two best friends at the same time. It’s a story about the lack of courage and loyalty, and yet the possibility of redemption for nearly unforgivable wrongs. Hosseini draws you in and the 400 pages just fly by. If you haven’t already done so, go read it!

Buh-bye!

A hopeful story in the WaPo this morning: Virginia is submitting names of immigrant sex offenders to the Feds so that they (the Feds) can deport them. About time.

But of course you have those who will object...after all, we NEED to import sex offenders, we just DON'T have enough AmCit sexual predators of our own. Diversity and all. Harrumph! [end sarcasm]

Read all about it here.

How can I get a job like this?

No oversight for twenty years. In a government job. Wherein you could just steal $50 million. And conspicuously, brazenly spend it to boot. Much of it gone for good. And only now you get caught. Nope, you can't blame this on Bush. It's the DC Tax Office scam. Investigators are finding it's a lot worse than they thought & went on for a lot longer than they thought. Read the whole thing here.

What I did on my summer vacation...

...i mean, long weekend.

- DH Jeff & I had a zombie movie marathon on Saturday

- my dear husband alsso graciously shared his cold with me

- but we had no plans to go out

- and had carpet picnics

- as a result of the cold & equal measures of laziness, I didn't work out all weekend

- but I made a whole chicken plus veggies in a crock pot

- I put too much liquid in the pot

- but the chicken turned out great

- & we had ready-made chicken soup for lunch the next day

- and what's better for a cold than chicken soup?

- I didn't get to start my Arabic lessons (Rosetta Stone)

- but we moved around our apartment

- and we both went "SNONK!" every five minutes

- the "den" is now a cozy bedroom

- and the bedroom is now the workroom...in progress

- the other night my lamb chops turned out a little bit overdone

- but tasty and moist nonetheless...

- and much better than my last attempt!

My apologies...

...for being such a sad, sad blogger. I've just been letting silly little things (work, school, sleep) get in the way of quality commentary.

Tsk, tsk. I'll try to do better...soon!

Fight the real enemy...sangria?

Yes, folks, Virginia has hit a new low: still on the books from around prohibition times is a law that prohibits the serving/sale of sangria in restaurants because it's wine mixed with spirits (brandy). Too intoxicating! But not only is it still on the books, but restaurants such as Jaleo in Crystal City have been fined for it. They've now altered their recipe so it doesn't include brandy (Jaleo in the District has not changed its recipe because DC doesn't have such stupid law).

This from the state who refuses to pass a smoking ban in restaurants and bars. Unbelievable asshattedness. Read the whole story here.

Just give me a scotch.

Don't you hate...

...when you wake up at 4am and feel like you've drunk a few shots of espresso in your sleep and now your mind won't shut up?

Revolting.

I read a truly appalling article in WaPo yesterday morning about how even though the rate of abortion is generally decreasing in this country, use of RU-486 is on the rise. What’s really disturbing is that women seem to be keenly well-read about this pill, but utterly clueless or callous (probably a bit of both) about pills that prevent the pregnancy – or anything else that prevents pregnancy for that matter. Why bother, after all – you’re progressive! Just kill the offending thing – it’s easier than ever and private! What’s also offensive are some of the comments of practitioners concerning the “normalizing of abortion” and how RU-486 feels more "natural" to the user. What?!

All I can say is for shame! This isn’t modernity or power or whatever euphemisms abortionistas embrace – it’s backward and sad. Read the whole article here.

Happy New Year!

Ok, so it's been awhile since I've posted, after I said I'd be out of commission for a week or so...so I'm back with a few of my New Year's resolutions - some of which I've gotten a start on:

1. Get my credit report. Done - well at least one of three. You can get one free report a year from each of the three credit agencies - Equifax, Experion & Trans Union - and you don't have to get them all at once. It's easy & here's the link on how you do it. Thanks to DH Jeff for sending me the link. The agencies also inform you about what to do if you think you've had your identity stolen. Fortunately for me there were no surprises.

2. Cook more. Well on my way: I tried a shrimp & pasta recipe for Jeff that my mother made for me while I was visiting over the holidays. I also discovered that snow peas are one of the easiest veggies to cook right (still crunchy). On a different night I baked salmon steaks and sauteed a veggie medley. All turned out well.

3. Straighten out and organize the mess of wires associated with my desktop computer and printer. I know - pedestrian - but it's been bothering me for a while and I'm just getting to it. I'll need more of those nifty velcro ties to finish the job however.

4. Lose about ten pounds (ie, get rid of the goo around my middle). I've been a complete couch potato thru the holidays, but now I must get serious & start working out regularly again. Uggh.

5. Get more sleep. I'm really bad about getting to bed before midnight. After I finish this post, however, it's to bed with me!

Hell Week is nigh...

...so posting will be sparce until a week from Tuesday. I have a presentation to prepare for Psych class for this coming week, the second crime scene write-up (unfortunately, I have to coordinate with others for this - uggh) for next Tuesday & both finals that day. Oh yeah, and then there's work. So, I'm going to put my nose to the grindstone until then, with no time for Rants-on-parade. Wish me luck!

And a big Bravo Zulu* goes out to...

...my DH Jeff! That's right, folks: he finished his 50,000-word novel for the NaNoWriMo contest late last night & ahead of the deadline (November 30)!!! While I don't think you can access the novel from the site, I bet Jeff would share it with you if you asked nicely. :) This is quite an accomplishment - a whole novel in a month!


*Ok, once I worked for a Navy guy.

The Other Picard

Remember the "what if" Next Gen episode in which Captain Picard sees how his life would have turned out had he not taken all the risks - even the rash ones (like the bar brawl with the Nossican*)? And how he ends up toiling in obscurity, unappreciated, instead of the captain of the Federation flagship? Well, I often feel like that other Picard.

It frustrates me, it infuriates me, it mystifies me. I feel like I've wasted a lot of time & energy spinning my wheels. Having jobs, but never a coherent career. Yet always clinging desperately to each job like my very life depended on it. My constant refrain being "I need the money." That attitude is getting really old. Especially when my boredom and frustration (not mutually exclusive, let me tell you) do self-defeating things (more on that later). And all along I'm thinking, what the hell did I do wrong in the place? What could I be doing differently? What if I do something else and get the same results in the end?

I'm now almost finished with a program that cost me a lot in terms of time, money, effort and aggravation, yet I don't know if any of it was worth it. And I absolutely do not want to start all over, at the bottom, making crappy money just so I can "work in my field." What to do, what to do? Yet, I know I'm capable of doing a lot more than I'm doing now. Sigh.

*I don't care if that's not how you spell it, it was a TV show for gosh-sakes.

Not a big surprise - HIV in DC

I think we can very safely call DC "Kinshasa on the Potomac." Now I've opined this before, how DC is a backward city but...well, more depressing news: 80% of all HIV cases identified from 2001-2006 were African-Americans; DC has the HIV highest rate of any US city (almost twice that of NYC). And, until federal funding requirements mandated HIV tracking in 2000, the city just didn't bother.

Hmmm...maybe it's a matter of too few men snapping on the latex and too few females demanding it. The saddest part is that babies, who have no choice in the matter are being born with it. What a legacy.

The part about not tracking HIV incidence until 2000 is just par for the course for DC "government."

Book Review: Princess

Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia, by Jean Sasson is the life story of a Saudi princess as told to an American journalist. It details the dysfunction, hypocrisy and imposed inertia of the royal family in general, and depravity of some members in particular. Most of all, it describes the gilded but treacherous cage in which royal women are forced to live, and the vulnerability of all Saudi & foreign worker women in the Kingdom.

On a personal note, if I thought the Saudis were a bunch of troglodyte degenerates before, this book only reinforced that impression. There are some passages in the book that I’ll never forget although I’d just as soon purge those scenes from my brain. Princess “Sultana” (through Sasson) tells a compelling story and there’s plenty of sympathy to be had there. Some criticize Sultana’s narrative, though, saying that Saudi Arabia isn’t like that anymore and her story doesn’t apply to all Saudi women, blah, blah, blah. I say she was just telling her own story as a royal woman living under those specific rules. She also states that if change is going to happen, it would be provoked by middle class women, thus declaring that there are differences in society dynamics. Definitely worth a read – to get an idea of this particular Saudi’s life – and to better appreciate one’s own.

Post Thanksgiving Slump

Well, we held Thanksgiving at our place for around nine people (including ourselves) and I think we pulled it off pretty well. Yeah, I’ll have to work on the stuffing (turned out kinda soupy if tasty), but on the whole, everything turned out great and folks seemed to have a good time.

Sooo…Friday and Saturday we proceeded to do a slow, measured clean-up. We’re pretty much back to normal except for the roasting pan which I’ve been purposely avoiding. Remember when we just bought the aluminum version which we could just fold up and throw away? Yeah, now we’re all sophisticated and have an actual “non-stick” roasting pan. I suspect it’ll become more non-stick after soaking it in hot, soapy water – for a while.

For the last two days, we – DH Jeff and I – have been clicking-clacking away at our laptops, him at the NaNoWriMo contest (write a 50,000 word novel in the month of November) and me at my 10-page paper on Postpartum Depression/Psychosis (yeah, the same one I’ve been plodding through for the past month or two). Neither of us had bathed or left the apartment since Thursday. Yesterday, I finished the first draft of my paper, decided I needed to be somewhere besides the apartment and eat something other than leftovers. I convinced DH Jeff to go get sushi with me…which prompted showers. Halleluiah!

Book Review: Edith's Diary

Edith’s Diary by Patricia Highsmith was a kind of hand-me-down of sorts (the best way to acquire books), from a now-deceased uncle who said that “I would like her style.” It was actually later that I discovered (like “duh”) that she was the author of Strangers on a Train upon which the Hitchcock movie was based, as well as the Talented Mr. Ripley series of books. The former ended up as a book club selection & we also watched the movie for comparison. I’m still working through the latter. Highsmith has (“had,” I guess, because she’s dead now) the very interesting talent of making a sociopath, well, sympathetic. Thomas Ripley only murders people because he “had to,” but with everyone else, he’s the perfect gentleman. But I digress.

Edith’s Diary is a stand-alone novel about a couple and their young son who transplant from New York to a small town in Pennsylvania. The situation has a veneer of normalcy but the reader starts to question that veneer pretty quickly. Then the reader finds him/herself in the midst of a slow corrosion. The book moves slowly at parts, but doesn’t allow you to become bored. Well, let’s just say that I realize that Highsmith also crafts characters that very effectively get under your skin.

How can you be irritable...

...when the nice lady from Whole Foods is offering you a truffle? You know the candy in question - the one with dense, wonderful, um, chocolate, with a dusting of decadent cocoa. Don't pretend you don't. The answer is: even I can't be too curmudgeonish when presented with that.

Actually, it's a totally brilliant scheme by Whole Foods to 1) short-circuit the impulse toward mass murder while waiting for one's turkey and 2) a good way to advertise the truffles (as if they really needed it). And in actuality, the crowds today were not that bad today and no more irritating than any other weekday afternoon.

I was also able to pick up a pot roast because DH Jeff insisted that we have one in addition to the 20-lb. turkey we're serving. You know, so that the small army we're feeding is fortified to fight that...battle or something after leaving our apartment...in the next state, under harsh conditions. ;) Just giving him a little guff - it will all be amazing!

You know you've arrived when...

...you start getting flamed. In this case, it wasn't on this blog, but rather, on Goodreads.com about my review of the book Nickel and Dimed. Read the same review here.

Basically this chick thought I was heinous because I opined that unless people (working poor in this case) fully considered all the costs associated with having and raising children and could actually provide for them, they shouldn't have any. Besides the obvious issues of survival, to have children thoughtlessly (or should I say "to get pregnant thoughtlessly"?) effectively limits children's chances at success and conveys the idea that poverty and dependency is the norm and inevitable. She thought I was a bad person for saying so.

Her reaction is so typical of the left, that everyone should have absolute freedom to do as they wish, with no thought to the consequences. Liberals talk in terms of ''rights'' but not responsibilities. Like ''reproductive rights'' - in this case, to have kids when you can barely support yourself, then rely on public (read: tax payer supported) social programs - Medicaid, food stamps, etc., to ensure the basics. Stick someone else with the bill ('cause let's face it, your taking from the pot is likely to be a lot more than what you, the working poor, put into it...just sayin'). Doesn't that sound childish and irresponsible (of both the breeders and the ones advocating the behavior)?

That's one of the differences between liberal and conservative worldviews: we conservatives believe that you and no one else is responsible for what you choose to do - and thus you should bear the consequences, good or bad.

One last shot: reproduction isn't a right, it's a biological urge. We as human beings have the unique capacity to consciously plan our reproduction until our personal conditions are more optimal and we all should understand the obligation to do that. Flamer girl just doesn't get that.

Corruption on the Potomac

There is a disheartening local story about some folks at D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue who embezzled $20 million over four years. The Feds moved fast once they were alerted about it. Kudos to the SunTrust Bank employee who questioned a suspicious (and large dollar amount) transaction, and whose notification opened the investigation...but tell me this: How does one move around large sums of money on a regular basis via bogus tax refunds and no one asks
any questions for four years? What, no controls in place? No regular auditing of records? Heck no, this is D.C., The District of Corruption with zero accountability. This place has fully earned its reputation for being chock-full of incompetents.

The really sad thing is that when it's a white-collar crime, many people don't take it seriously, like there are no victims. Please keep in mind that this is taxpayer funds, and to a huge degree.

Update 11/15/07: In yesterday's WaPo is an article about the above scam and how it looks more like $30 million was stolen over a seven-year period. Yeah, the scumbugs got caught, but they were doing fine for SEVEN YEARS. It makes one wonder why one bothers to do things honestly and diligently. What's the motivation to do right (and all the suckiness that that entails) when you're going to have to pay in some way for all the wrong-doing others do? Because virtue is its own reward? Huh? But it gets even better: an article in today's WaPo states that the DC auditor flagged the Tax Office because of a notable spike in tax refunds...in 2004!!! She recommended closer monitoring of the office back then. Read and weep.

For the record...

...I voted in the local elections yesterday. Not that it mattered. WaPo is chortling about how Virginians chose/endorsed Democrats ("moderates"?). And how immigration really wasn't much of an issue. No, that's not totally correct. How does one choose otherwise when most of the contests had only a Democratic "contender"? That's it, no real choice!

Unfortunately, it's business as usual here in Arlington "never-an-illegal-we-didn't-love" County. Oh, and evidently this county is getting the fall-out from those illegals who are leaving the better enforced counties. Wonderful!

October showers bring...

...cockroaches? Well, one cockroach to be exact. But that was quite enough to freak me out this morning. There it was, just sitting there near the shower. Now this was unusual for two reasons: 1) our place is CLEAN and crumb free (especially the bathroom!) and 2) I don't think I've EVER seen a cockroach in this apartment building, period - and we've been living here since 2001.

I won't take it personally. I think the reason for this is the weather. The insects thought, wow, we have it made, because of the lack of rain lately. Then yesterday, it poured. Mad little scramble indoors.

The offending insect is now dead, thank you.

Restaurant Reviews: 2 neighborhood places

I have a hobby. It involves food. This weekend, while my dear Jeff was camping in Death Valley, I was at home trying to make myself study for an exam, do research for a paper on postpartum psychosis, finish a piece for our writing group, clean the apartment, work out and organize our finances. The apartment is cleaner, I’m worked out, the laundry is clean and folded, my credit card is paid, the short story is posted, and by end of weekend, I have a good start on the whole exam thing with Monday to cement it.

But back to my hobby. I figured I needed some fun. Fun in my terms involves trying new restaurants, trying new foods, getting a feel for the character of the place. I’m fortunate that my neighborhood is chock-full of restaurants, some of which are brand new. And, figured I could do some recon for when Jeff gets back, maybe find our new favorite place. I tried two places; here are the results.
Saturday night, I tried Restaurant Three, which is located where Mama Kwan’s Tiki Bar (lasted a summer, never went there) existed before. 3 is an upscale, medium-priced (for this area) restaurant with soothing, eye-easy lighting and sophisticated seating inside and out. The group of three in front of me were told there was a half-hour wait to be seated, which seemed odd since I could see empty tables. I thought uh-oh, pretension, but I asked anyway and was pleasantly surprised when the gal said I could eat at the “VIP” bar (the smaller one) instead of waiting for a table. And the whole place is non-smoking. Jackpot! – that worked perfectly – and I was seated immediately.*

I ordered the field greens salad and then the grouper filet over risotto, with prawn, scallops and artichokes. The salad was pretty and tasty with a decent vinaigrette and diced veggie accents, but… not wow. You must understand, I’m the queen of salads. And my vinaigrettes tend to be spicy, which seems to be an odd concept in the mainstream [perspective, folks]. The grouper dish was very tasty, fresh and substantial, but why do all these upscale places have to over-salt their food? I had the same experience at Liberty Tavern, with an otherwise delicious gnocchi dish. Also, except for the sautéed grape tomatoes, the dish looked kind of beige – could have used some delicate asparagus spears for color. The bartender/waiter was attentive yet not overbearing and the manager came out to introduce himself and applaud my tolerance of a Polish businessman who had been bending my ear. It was altogether a pleasant evening and I’d certainly be willing to go there again with Jeff and try some new stuff.

The other night, I tried Me Jana, a new Lebanese place in the spot where the very bland Sala Thai used to be (I didn’t expect that S/T would last as it had direct competition from a number of non-bland Thai places within a block). Anyhoo, was very interested in trying the place & I think I found our new favorite place, just a block away! Me Jana has a wonderful menu of reasonably-priced hot and cold mezzes as well as some higher-priced main courses. For the money though, I think anyone would be very happy ordering a few of the small plates. I had the fettoush and zucchini fritters for dinner. The fettoush was what I would consider a perfect salad with a tangy vinaigrette, tomatoes, Italian parsley, radishes and cucumbers – and not over-salted. The “fritters,” more like little patties, had mint and were served with a delightful, garlicky sauce. Again, not over-salted. I then tried one of the desserts, I think called Halewat, which was some sort of soft cheese with a sort of syrup and pistachios – very nice and different. The dish looked small and delicate, but I definitely could have shared it – very dense and maybe due to my slight lactose intolerance, made me very full. All the flavors were very distinct and bright, as were the presentations. The service was very attentive and I didn’t have to wait for “my” waiter to accommodate, the wait-staff seemed to be tag-teaming. And I gathered that the place was non-smoking! I REALLY want to go back with Jeff and try a bunch of new things. This place was a stand-out and would be a great place for a book club meeting (hint, hint) or for any casual and relaxing evening among friends.

*Very few restaurants are worth a half-hour wait. Anything more than that is ridiculous – there are so many good restaurants that would value your patronage. As a matter of fact, if I hadn’t been seated so quickly, I would have marched down to our favorite sushi place – and I know they would be happy to see me!

A nasty frame of mind

I'm sitting here in the coffee/gourmet shop on the ground floor of my apartment building, trying to finish a piece for my writing group. Two different groups around me are having VERY LOUD and EMOTIVE conversations in spanish.

What comes to mind besides "shut up" and/or "speak English" is "ya'll are invading my country and my government is doing less than nothing about it. In fact, they're aiding and abetting it. Unbelievable!" I'm thinking some other things, but they're not really printable.

Nice to think that my country will become the same cesspool as so many latin american countries if this is allowed to continue. I really need to start finding the time to write letters to those who "represent" me - before it's too late.

Book Review: A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini, tells the story of two Afghan women whose lives intersect forcibly through their marriage to the same abusive man. It reveals, through their lives and experiences, the turbulent, harsh and often chaotic history of Afghanistan.

What is immediately apparent is that Hosseini is a wonderful story-telller. You start reading, then suddenly realize you're half-way through the book. He pulls you in right away and makes you care about his characters; they provoke some sort of response right off the bat. What I appreciated, though, was that Hosseini's characters were rather nuanced, not easy stereotypes. Even the “villains” have their soft spots, which you can at least acknowledge, yet still revile them.

A Thousand Splendid Suns was a thoroughly enjoyable read. I didn’t compare the book to Hosseini’s first story, The Kite Runner, because I haven’t read it yet. Folks who have read both, however, say this is even better than Kite Runner. Hmmm…I’ll have to find that out for myself. In closing I’ll say that unlike some stories I've read which are set in Afghanistan, this leaves the reader with a sense of optimism.

Random Bamboo

This last Saturday, we went hiking at Great Falls with a friend of ours. It was the perfect day for a hike - not too hot, not too cool - and we saw many cool things on the trail - the falls, deer, interesting fungi, other hikers and their dogs, runners and cyclists (all observing “trail etiquette,” I must say). One of the coolest things, though, was this random wall of bamboo at a random place along the trail. It was so neat and unexpected. I wondered why we don’t see more bamboo since it basically grows anywhere, provides very effective shade and cover, and probably is good for preventing soil erosion. All that, and you can make stuff with it.

Book Review: Memoirs of a Geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden, tells the enchanting and bittersweet tale of a girl sold into a slavery that ultimately gives her a sense of purpose, her own beauty and strength. It’s also about a culture that is all but extinct in its native country; through this poignant fiction the reader gets a sense of that history through the author‘s obviously extensive research. Mostly, though, Memoirs is just such a beautifully written story and Golden does an uncanny job of portraying the sensibilities of the young apprentice as she navigates the treacherous and demanding, yet exquisite life of a geisha.

Book Review: Invasion

In Invasion: How America Still Welcomes Terrorists, Criminals, and Other Foreign Menaces to Our Shores, Michelle Malkin gives us a sobering and quite frankly, anxiety-provoking look at how our government has abdicated one of its most basic and critical charges, that of national security. She backs up her assertions with lots of solid research and concrete examples of failures from whatever source - incompetence, inattention, bureaucratic inertia, political posturing, you name it - and shows that there are many who have and are presently taking advantage of those substantial chinks in the armor. It got my blood boiling, especially in light of the fact that I’m financially supporting - as are all taxpayers in this country - a system that reinforces its own mistakes and poor judgment, and puts all of us in increasing peril. The take-away is this: we as Americans, cannot afford to be lulled by vague promises; rather, we must hold our government accountable for the job we hired it to do.

Treo "premium" hard case

A month and a half ago, I ordered a metallic red hard case cover for my Treo 680 to protect it from the "ravages" of my purse/satchel. Initially, the cover looked sharp, seemed secure and was very reasonably priced ($4.95 plus shipping); however, after using it under normal conditions (not extreme, didn't drop it or throw it around) for a month and a half, the case is crumbling at the connect points, making it useless. Not only that, but the red coating has been chipping off around the edges and at the stylus insertion site for a while. I contacted the vendor, Accessory Export, and they said they have a 30-day return/exchange policy and but that they have no control over normal wear and tear. After this unacceptable response and a shoddy product that lasted 1.5 months, I will not buy anything more from this vendor & will certainly not replace this case with another of the same product. Caveat emptor!

It's for the chiiiildddren!

This SCHIP business burns me up. As a matter of fact, the only part I like is that the proposed expansion would be funded with cigarette taxes. Trust me, there are enough die-hard (heh) smokers still around to fund a program.

But back to the story. Advocates of this program reference all the uninsured CHILDREN who desperately need coverage. Now, this involves all those NOT covered by Medicaid. So, we're talking about children from MIDDLE CLASS families.

First, it's politically expedient (especially on the left) to verbally isolate CHILDREN as if they just popped up on their own, defenseless, and need to be taken care of. This rhetoric disregards and relieves of the responsibility, the duties and obligations of the PARENTS. Now, I believe that anyone who cannot provide ALL the basic requirements for children - healthcare definitely included - should not have the children in the first place. But what still endures from the hippie days is that freedom (e.g., sexual freedom and "reproductive freedom" and in this case) means doing anything you want regardless of the consequences and sloughing off the responsibility of those consequences to someone else.

Second, this program is to cover those children whose parents make too much to be eligible for Medicaid. So, we're increasing the level of the nanny state for those who are middle class. There's a lot of talk about those parents who work hard and yet have no healthcare coverage. Why not? If you had kids, wouldn't you target jobs that offered healthcare coverage as part of the compensation package? I mean, when I was working at GWU Medical Center, everyone who was a full-time, permanent employee - regardless of pay-grade - had access to a selection of HMOs & PPOs, partially subsidized by GWU.

Third, proponents claim that illegals are excluded from this program. And because the federal government has done such a terrific job of keeping them out of the country, I really believe they can keep them from taking advantage of this program too. Sarcasm. You got that?

So, what this expansion of an EXISTING program means bigger nanny state, less personal responsibility expected of the parents and people in general, and you can take advantage of this even if you're middle class and probably even if you're illegal. BAD.

Here's a recent article about President Bush's veto of the current version of this bill, fyi.

Treo 680 learning curve...

...getting shallower! I recently loaded "Documents to Go," cut-down, PDA friendly versions of Word, Excel & Acrobat that came with the Treo, onto my desk-top.

As you know, I have a sucky class schedule, especially on Tuesdays, that involves my shuttling and metro-ing back and forth between apt and school, essentially wasting a lot of time. Well, in my unending quest to make this time somewhat productive, I started using the Word application on my Treo and guess what? I did most of a critical review on my tiny superphone! Wahoo! Then when I got home, all I had to do to transfer the file to my desk-top was synchronize the Treo (which is a good idea to do regularly anyway, to back up your calendar and contact updates).

Oh, did I mention that you can attach photos to your contact list entries? That's a cool feature. But not as cool as using some otherwise deadtime to actually produce do homework...or craft blog entries...or...

Enough already, I must sleep!

Famous sister-in-law

Brother Chris's wife Steph was featured in an article in the Baltimore Sun about a very interesting dig she was on (both she and Chris are archaeologists). Steph's the one holding the tile and if you click on "The Search for Artifacts," you can see her in action. Cool, huh? Congrats, Steph!

Restaurant Review: Ella's Pizza

On Saturday, DH Jeff & I went out with brother Chris and wife Steph to celebrate their birthdays. Chris suggested we try Ella's Pizza which had gotten good reviews for their pizza, sangria, and also had a nice list of small plates that looked interesting. Well, I would highly recommend this bright, cheery and easy-going restaurant. We tried a variety of things including some small plates, salad, some pizzas (a little larger than strictly "personal" size), cocktails, sangria, desserts.

Here are some highlights:

- The small plates: basically tapas - really good, fresh and gourmet (think fresh herbs, shaved parmesan). We had one with asparagus & one with shitake mushrooms. One could just have a meal of several of those and be happy.

- The pizzas were noteworthy as well. We chose, three of the "standard" (off the menu) pizzas that looked interesting: one with mushrooms & goat cheese, one with pepperoni and one with onions and gorgonzola. All tasty and habit-forming (they went very quickly), but my favorite was the mushroom and goat cheese - plenty of wonderful shitake with slightly tart, soft goat cheese. If you wish to guide your own toppings, you can do that, too.

- For dessert, we tried the trio of fresh ice creams (choco-choco chip, caramel and vanilla), the tiramisu and the chocolate pudding. Although I'm not such a dessert person, everything was really good and not cloyingly sweet. Since they have changing fresh ice cream selections, I would be inclined to try others they may offer.

- Ella's has a full bar and offers some specialty drinks. I tried the Ellatini, which reminds me of my version of a Cosmo: pink, sweet-tart. I'd definitely have it again. The sangria is also good, though I'm not sure if I prefer it to, let's say, Jaleo's version.

Ella's has something for everyone, including plenty of vegetarian selections (salads, small plates, pizza), and is very reasonably priced. The place is casual, friendly, and they didn't mind seating DH Jeff & I before Chris and Steph arrived. Definitely a keeper!

Book Review: Devil in the White City

Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson, tells the incredible story of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago: the fight to hold it in Chicago; the drive to out-do the previous French-held World’s Fair; the desire to garner world admiration and respect not only for the U.S., but specifically for Chicago; the personalities involved in the planning, design and execution of this monumental feat. It also told of Herman Webster Mudgett, an especially prolific serial killer who preyed on the scores of women (and others) who came to Chicago during this time for work, excitement and independence. I take it this is the “devil” in the title, but that “devil” could also refer to the Fair itself and its genesis, i.e., the devil is in the details.

I really enjoyed this book because it enlightened me about an event and an era about which I knew very little. The story of the Fair, this amazing idea-made-reality, was, especially when time was short and things didn’t look too promising for a successful opening, an act of sheer will and of sterling minds over matter to make it happen. The book was also about this horrendous sociopath who took advantage of the environment of the times and of the Fair, to satisfy his diabolical urges. I found this aspect of the story compelling as well…but thought they were two distinct stories which would have been better told as separate, i.e., in different books. Minor matter – it’s very much worth the read. And I now know the origin of the Ferris Wheel.

One of my least favorite things

One of my abiding attitudes is my aversion to depending on others. I really would prefer to just to do everything myself - that way, if things fall through, the only person to blame is myself and I don't have to deal with the "vagaries" of someone else's mentality, schedule, "foibles." Plus, I'm really reliable.

Yesterday, I was pondering this thought as I waited six minutes for the metro; then getting on the escalator at Ballston on the left side, waiting for the two self-absorbed morons in front of me to move along (stand to the right, walk to the left - how difficult a concept is that?) so I could catch my Marymount shuttle, only to get to the pick-up point and see the shuttle drive off, therein leaving me the specter of having to wait for another shuttle, twenty minutes off & making me late for my class. I took a cab instead. I was disgruntled. Not only did I waste precious time, but had the aggravation of seeing my school fees wasted on a system I couldn't count on. Uggh. And $10 for the cab.

Moral of the story: Be self-reliant and avoid depending on others. Sometimes folks come thru, but don't count on it. I'm going to find other ways of getting to/from school that don't involve a lot of waiting around. And invest in a laptop. More on this story as it develops...

Thought for the day

If I'm really bored, is this a result of the situation or my lack of creativity in entertaining my mind?

Treo 680: friend or foe, revisited

Ok, there's one really irritating thing about the Treo 680, but as I understand, it's not only the Treo but all PDA-type superphones: their batteries run down super-quick, so one must essentially re-charge every day. And it takes a while to re-charge. Blah - that's a hassle!

Who knew?

This article in Sunday's WaPo alerted me to the unlikely fact that 1) there are actually Republicans in Arlington County Government and 2) they actually give a damn about illegal immigration in Arlington. Who knew?

I think I'll make some time to shoot them some emails...

Restaurant Review: The Liberty Tavern

Saturday evening I convinced DH Jeff that we needed to check out this new place in Clarendon called The Liberty Tavern. I had walked by there and had seen an area with lounge-y couches and thought, hmmm...looks like my kind of place. Then lo and behold, WaPo featured it in the Weekend Section's Fare Minded, giving it good scores for food, noting the area and even restaurant produced fare (think cheeses, butter, bread).

Ah, so it's not just a barstaurant or another one of the area's ubiquitous Irish bars! Hurrah! Here's the set-up: the ground floor is occupied by the bar, tall bar-type tables and chairs, and the lounge-y area with coffee-type tables at which you can eat and drink in a relaxed fashion. Upstairs, where we ate, is a soothing, wooden-floored dining room with cool red-shaded lighting.

We shared a very nice, light fritto misto (calamari, shrimp, zucchini spears) and a very fresh chopped salad. I had the "intermezzo" portion (a smaller portion of their entrees) of their gnocci dish and Jeff had the fish and chips. I tried the blackberry cocktail & a glass of shiraz. Food run-down: fritto misto was very good and not greasy; the chopped salad had enough field greens and blue cheese to keep me happy; the gnocci was a tad too salty but consisted of perfect little tasty pillows mixed with beans instead of the standard big, doughy lumps & the smaller portion size suited me after the well-sized appetizers; the fish and chips are HUGE and very crispy (note that before ordering heavy appetizers); and the bread basket offered a nice variety, freshly baked with wonderful whipped local butter. The drinks: Jeff didn't have anything that night, but I tried two: the blackberry cocktail was good, not cloyingly sweet, a little tart - nice, but not wowing. The shiraz was not one I was familiar with but was very enjoyable - I'd order it again. Service: our waiter was attentive, informative (food origins-wise) friendly and seemed sad to see us go without dessert. We never had to ask for water-glass refills - water-bearers were alert and proactive. The atmosphere was very comfortable and relaxing; however, the upstairs dining room does get noisy, especially when a large family came in.

I definitely want to go back and sit downstairs. The menu also has pizzas - I'd imagine the smaller, personal pizzas, which could be nice with a little salad. Oh, and did I mention - the entire place is NON-SMOKING! How enlightened.

Fred is official

Fred Thompson finally declared his candidacy for president. Let's see if he actually has any ideas or positions that distinguish himself from his eight (unimpressive) competitors.

Treo 680: friend or foe?

Well, except for the price tag and the "New AT&T," mostly friend. For instance, in the calendar function you can color code your appointments and have different views of your calendar (daily, weekly, monthly), which means I can code my workouts and see at a glance how I'm doing that week. Yeh, it's OCD, but it's meaningful to me.

Also, it has cool built-in ring tones that you can assign variously to your contact list (or even unknown callers). DH Jeff has his own special one, and there's an inoffensive flute-like one I use for general callers. And it always asks you if you want to include the "unknown" phone number in your contact list.

And, of course, being able to read my email wherever is cool. Although answering via the tiny keyboard takes a bit of practice.

Ok, that's the update.

More on immigration

Robert Samuelson opines that uncontrolled immigration effects "importing poverty" in this piece in yesterday's WaPo. This to me is common sense, but as he states, often overlooked in discussing poverty rates in this country. If you have a large, low paid, low-skilled, undereducated (remember, education in countries like Mexico is much more tenuous than our system) populace and has a very high fertility rate (ie, no "family planning"), then it follows that if this population is included in your census, the national poverty rate is going to be exaggerated. (Side note: evidently the Census Bureau has in the past asked agencies to halt anti-illegal proceedings/procedures so they could get an accurate count - so you know illegals are included in the census. If I had more time, I'd actually look up a link for you, but I don't, so I won't).

More localities enact their own solutions in this WaPo article and others encounter road blocks to enforcement.

Roadblocks are typically pro-illegal activist groups ("Mexicans without Borders," anyone?) that say these attempts at the re-establishing rule of law are "anti-immigrant" and "racist," and who file all sorts of law suits to stop or impede these initiatives. Sounds like the rhetoric used by another demographic to stop meaningful discussion of an issue. Then they embolden illegals to march around and protest these legal and reasonable measures (doubly reasonable and understandable considering the Feds' near-total abdication of their sworn duties).

Have any of you actually lived in Mexico (or places like it)? I have, and let me tell you, rule of law is notional. Things folks here take for granted - such as the fact that you call 911 and someone actually comes to help you - such as the fact that mostly, you can trust cops to carry out the law instead of aiding and abetting it for profit or extorting bribes out of you. These are two small examples and no, I'm not kidding. And I didn't see the worst of it. Read Daughters of Juarez for an idea of goverance (or the complete lack thereof) extant in Mexico. Do you really want to import that? It's no wonder most of these illegals don't think they've done anything wrong. But neither they nor their home country "governments" should be lecturing us on how to run OUR country.

I applaud locales (as you well know if you've read my blog for awhile) that take the initiative to deal with their very local and impactful illegal f/n (foreign national) issues. It's a pity they have so much blow-back from fellow Americans that have no clue what they're really supporting.

Update 9/6/07: Coincidentally, there's an editorial in the WaPo about the 2010 census and how ICE claims they won't halt raids for illegals during the census. Yeh, 'cause now they're getting serious about enforcement! The writer, typical of WaPo's (pro-illegal) stance, actually wants a period of non-enforcement so that the Census Bureau can get an accurate count of who's here. Uh-huh. So they can get appropriate representation or some such. Well, a halt is unlikely to reveal how many illegals are here because they're unlikely to admit as much. I say it's high time we started enforcing laws already on the books, regardless of what it could mean for the damned Census.

Alcohol-induced insomnia...

...has the most surprising results. Last night, we went out for a good-bye dinner for a friend and we imbibed. As is the case sometimes when I imbibe a bit much, I woke up very early and couldn't get back to sleep. Well, this occurred at 4:30am this morning, and I decided - no benefit to just lying here, so I pulled on some clothes and went running. It wasn't even light yet. Yet, I was perfectly clear-headed and energetic. For those of you who know Arlington, you'll know the distance I mean when I say I ran to the Ballston Gold's Gym and back. It was something I was wondering about - how long it would take me to run to that gym, as my classes are in the Ballston area.

I report: 1) the run didn't take that long, 2) it was absolutely PERFECT temperature and humidity level, 3) besides a handful of stragglers from Friday night, I saw another female runner doing her morning constitutional, as well as a cop car speeding up and down Wilson/Clarendon Blvds. Funny thing: DH Jeff didn't even realize I had left I told him when he finally woke up.

Parting shot: why is it that it usually takes a crowbar to get me out of bed at 7am, but sometimes alcohol provokes a cheery and energetic pre-dawn awakening?