Changes come around real soon make us women and men

So, we visited Karyn's sister for the weekend to help her celebrate her birthday. The girls and I arrived at her sister's house first and were hanging around on the back deck waiting for Karyn to arrive. Karyn shows up and comes out back. I ask her if she likes the new TV that her sister got (the 50+ inch plasma monstrosity right next to the back door that Karyn had just walked through). She said, "I didn't notice a new TV." I'm like, "How could you have missed that?!?!" So then she says, "I was too busy looking at the new rug." To which I replied, "They have a new rug?" Men and women really are from different planets...

John Cougar (or John Cougar Mellencamp, or John Mellencamp) / Jack & Diane

Get your bags together, go bring your good friends too

Here's an update of life since my last post:

Friday night was a relaxing evening at the pool with Karyn and the girls - it was our first time back this summer. The girls quickly got back to where they had been at the end of last year and Mattie even made it off the low dive for the first time (Grace went off the high dive and Haley did the slide)!

Saturday I took the girls along to the Homeplace to bid farewell to Kris and Rob. It was a good time with great friends and food. Even though I'm sorry to see them move away, I wish Kris and Rob the best as they follow their bliss. Glad we have blogs, email, im, and our cruise director to keep us close! I also took the girls to poker night at Joel's (MENUUUUUDO, TELEMUUUUUUNDO) - they didn't play, they were just excited to be able to watch Disney (we don't have it). Although, maybe I should have let them play while I watched TV - they probably wouldn't have lost as much change as I did. I was ready to leave before they were. We also got to watch a video of Jilian's Mom - I think I'll leave the subject matter to everyone's imagination...

Sunday the girls made me breakfast (not in bed, since I was up before them) for Father's day. My mother-in-law came for a visit and we all went out to one of my favorite restaurants (Norberto's) for dinner. My mother-in-law got a real kick out of it when the waiter carded me...

Tonight I decided to go to a political fundraiser. I'm not much into partisan politics, but I do love political speeches - I know, I'm sick. Howard Dean was in town and so I decided to go hear him speak. He and the other speakers did a good job. I really like being part of a crowd like that and hearing someone that gets the audience going like Dean does. Such speaches make you feel like going out and changing the world. They give you hope and optimism that you can make a difference. For the record and to show that I'm fair and balanced in my reporting, I saw Reagan speak one time and felt the same way (yes, I'm that old). Clinton was the best that I've heard in person.

That's it for the update - hope you are having a good week.

10,000 Maniacs (Cat Stevens) / Peace Train

Sing, Sing a Song

Most of you reading this know how much music is a part of my life, well here are some lyrics from songs that are currently striking a chord with me - please let me know what songs are resonating with you these days...

• it's better to be hated for who you are, than loved for someone you're not - Van Zant/Help Somebody
• I'm sitting in traffic for the 5th year in a row, wasting my time just to get where I don't even wanna go. I started jotting things down on a Krispy Kreme sack; everything I'd do if I could leave this place, never look back - Terri Clark/I Wanna Do It All
• Hey now now, the smallest things are crushing me now - The Cloud Room/Hey Now Now
• Is it getting better, or do you feel the same - U2/One
• If u don't like the world you're living in, take a look around u, at least u got friends - Prince/Let's Go Crazy

I could list many others, but I'll stop here. And yes, my musical tastes are pretty eclectic. I've even started to add a bit of country to the mix...

The Carpenters/Sing

Just direct your feet to the sunny side of the street

Highlights of my week:

• Sunday Picnics - Church and Softball
• Playing games with Haley
• Ice cream - Monday with Grace's and Mattie's softball team, in Old Town and tonight
• Getting an email from a valued friend that I hadn't heard from in quite a while
• Unexpectedly having a friend to hang out with in NoVa for the week (see Sam, I did mention you in my blog)
• Walking around Old Town and DC
• Learning a new drinking song at Murphy's
• Trying a new drink that combines two of my favorites (Guiness and espresso) called a dufrain at a really cool place, Tryst, in Adams Morgan
• Great Thai and sushi
• Getting carded, twice
• Seeing Ally Sheedy (Breakfast Club Rocks!) and Eminem on the MTV Music Awards
• 8 Mile showing on VH1
• Running with Sam
• Great posts on friends' blogs

Willie Nelson (and many others) / Sunny Side of the Street

Let my spirit carry me

Amazing what can happen, how life can lead you in very unexpected directions, when you let it. I left work today and decided to try to leave the post by a different gate. Well I made a wrong turn and wound up not where I wanted to be at all. I got pretty frustrated 'cuz I just wanted to get back to the hotel and chill. After driving around awhile I ended up near a Metro station and decided, what the heck, I'll go into DC and walk around the Mall a little. It'll help me clear my mind some, ease my frustration. I get on Metro and overhear a group of people talking and realize that they are headed to RFK for a Nationals game. I decide to go too and check out a professional baseball game (watching Grace's and Mattie's softball games must have done something to me - in fact, as I type this, I'm halfway watching the women's college world series on ESPN2!!!).

Highlights from the game:

• a great seat around 20 rows back from the Nationals dugout
• the speed of the pitches
• the sound of the ball being hit and caught
• very exciting game against the Braves
• the Nationals (who I was routing for) ended up winning
• enjoying a couple of beers, some peanuts, and a hot dog (even if they did set me back $20)
• the announcer and the singer from the Bud Light "Real American Heroes / Real Men of Genius" ad campaign were there and did an ad based on the Nationals
• Treasury Secretary Snow threw out the first pitch and was seated in front of me (his Secret Service entourage stuck out like sore thumbs in their suits and ear peices) - just reminded me of what a great town DC is for a political junkie
• the rain held out until after the game

I made it back to the hotel without incident, only it was about 5 hours later than I had expected...

Steve Miller/Fly like an Eagle