Cactus Update - Growth Spurt

On May 12th I posted a photo of my cactus down in Florida and said it was 22 inches high from dirt to top.  We came back down to Florida again today and I measured it again and it grew an additional 8 inches.  It had a new growth on the top and a side spurt at the base.

Where In the World is Shane?

Shane is traveling again for work and he sent me these photos from his hotel window.  Does anyone know where he went?  What is this exotic locale? Where is the World is Shane?

Need to Lose Some Weight

Video Tour of Our New Apartment

Shane took this video tour of our new apartment.  It is much smaller than our last place, but we are loving it -- especially the balcony.

A Long Overdue Update

It has been quite a while since I made a post. I apologize if you check in on me here and are constantly disappointed with the same old thing. Here's what you missed.

We sold our house on Capital Hill and bought a 1-bedroom apartment in the Southwest Waterfront area of DC. Moving is no fun, but we did it with the help of a moving company that carried the stuff. We had to pack and unpack. We're almost completely settled. We just have some pictures to hang.

We are loving the new place. We are eight stories in the air with a balcony that we are loving. We bought a table and chairs and have been using it a lot. The place also has a gym and an indoor pool. It is like living at a resort. We have had a few issues (AC not working great at first, toilet problems, window treatments, etc), but we are sorting through them.

Also, since my last posting, my triplet nieces all graduated from college! The all got degrees on the same day (in two different ceremonies) at my Alma mater, Towson University, near Baltimore, MD. Both Shane and I went to the ceremonies and then they had a party the next day. Two are going to be teachers and one, like her Uncle Mark, got a Mass Communications degree. Congrats girls!

Kelly, Megan, and Nicki at their grad party.

Me, Megan, Shane, and Kelly after their grad ceremony.

Shane and I with Nicki after her ceremony.

Our "empty" house just before leaving.

We never counted the boxes, but there was many.

The view from our balcony.

A Day at the Beach - Manasota Key, FL

Shane and I went to the beach today at Manasota Key, in Florida, and I took these pictures.

Cactus Measurement - Keeping Track

I bought a cutting of my big cactus to Florida last Christmas. I have had the original plant for about 30 years. The original plant has grown so tall and wide (see below) that we are not taking it with us when we move in June. The people buying our house were very happy to have it.  I am taking a taller, thinner cutting with me to our new DC 1 bedroom apartment, and I gave my mom another smaller cutting.

We noticed the Florida cactus already seems taller. I measured its height today so I can keep track of how fast it is growing. It measured 22 inches.

The original cactus I've had for 30 years +

Our Florida House from the Rear

I went kayaking today and took a picture of the back of our house. Actually, this shot was taken last month, but I did kayak today and could have taken it. The light was better last month.

President Obama Supports Marriage Equality

I'm sorry it took me a while to post this, but here is video of the President of the United States saying he supports gay marriage. I watched it live yesterday at work on CNN with my boss and another co-worker. I got goosebumps. I'm very proud our president finally took this risk. Very cool.

Look for Cosmo's Moon Tonight

Get ready for a super moon tonight - Cosmo's Moon! Love this scene.

Poor Rider Etiquette Rampant on DC's Metro

The riders of DC's Metro system aren't always known for good rider etiquette. Though you can't see in the photo, this metro car is fairly full (there are no empty seats and some people are standing). To discourage people from sitting next to them, people often sit their bags on the seat next to them or sit on the aisle side of the seat. This forces people who want to sit to ask them to move their bag or move over, which most people usually will do. I've never seen someone say no. I just think it is rude to force people to have to ask to sit. Interestingly, many times these people will be reading the Bible as they hog two seats.

Celebrating 14 Wonderful Years Together

Today, Shane and I are celebrating our 14th anniversary. This photo was taken last year during our trip to South Dakota. We will be dining out tonight at one of our favorite restaurants on Capitol Hill, Acqua Al 2. We are in the middle of selling our house and buying a new condo (cause we need a little more stress), so this is going to be a busy month for us. It will be nice to take a little break and enjoy a nice dinner. Love you Honey! Can't wait until we have a place in NYC!

We Have a Contract On a Co-op Apartment

This is the view from our balcony of our new apartment. It is on the seventh floor of Harbour Square, a co-op in Washington DC's Southwest waterfront. It is hard to see in the photo, but you can see the DC waterfront beyond the trees in the distance. The view looks much better than this photo shows.

We are downsizing to a one bedroom apartment so we can eventually buy in New York, but the building we're moving into is awesome. There is a large, indoor pool on the first floor and a nice gym. We're close to the Metro and many nice restaurants on the waterfront. Also, they are in the process of revitalizing the area big time.

We're hoping, if all goes well, to be moving in around June 1. Keep your fingers crossed.

Our DC House Is Under Contract!

It has been just over a week since we listed our house for sale. In that time we had two open houses and numerous people tramping through the house every day. Today we received two offers. One was a very good offer--full price and cash. We accepted and the house is under contract with the only contingency being the home inspection. We feel VERY lucky to get such a great deal.

We loved this house, but selling it will help us to make our dream of having a place in New York City a reality. We plan on buying a small one bedroom condo in Southwest DC (near the waterfront), pay off our house in Florida, and get a small place in NYC. I can't believe it is really going to happen. Amazing!

The Space Shuttle Discovery Flies by My Office

I was telling some of my co-workers that the Space Shuttle Discovery was supposed to fly around DC today around 10 a.m. We went over to the kitchenette, because it has a view of the Pentagon and the Potomac River. We had heard that it would be flying up the Potomac. We were just standing there for a minute with them thinking this was a big waste of time. I decided to take out my phone and get my camera ready in case we saw something. As I reached for the phone, one of my co-workers exclaimed, "Oh my God! There it is!"

It was flying over the Pentagon, which is very close to our building. It was amazing, but went past in just a few seconds. We all ran to the other side of the building so we could see it flying away. It was amazing. It made several laps around DC, but it never got as close as the first time we saw it, and I never got a good photo. These photos are from the Washington Post. 

Titanic Sinks 100 Years Ago Today

Since our house is for sale and we were having an open house this afternoon, we needed to be out of the house today. For part of that time, we went down to the DC waterfront and visited the Titanic monument. As you can see below, there were several wreaths and flowers left in memory of that fateful day 100 years ago. There was also an interesting article in the Washington Post about a group of men that visit the memorial each year to drink a toast to the men that sacrificed their lives for the women and children on that ship. Here's a link. By the way, the realtor told us there were a gazillion people at the open house today, but we haven't had any offers yet. Keep your fingers crossed.

Making Ourselves Scarce Along the Waterfront

Since our house is now for sale, we're spending the day at Haine's Point, a park on DC's waterfront, across from Reagan National Airport. The weather is perfect and this little duck swam over to say howdy.

Our House in DC is For Sale

We've decided to take the plunge and sell our house in DC. Here's the MLS listing if you are interested. There are 30 photos posted. We plan on buying a small, 1-bedroom condo in DC, and eventually also have a small condo in New York City! Cross your fingers!

Ain't Nobody Got Time for Bronchitis

Pat Robertson REALLY Does Not Like Demons

I saw this video on Joe My God's blog.  I knew Pat Robertson was a little loopy, but this compilation of clips where he thinks everything is demonic is Hell larious... Praise Jeebus!

Sophia Vergara from Modern Family on SNL

This is a funny sketch for Saturday Night Live with Sophia Vegara from Modern Family. Her costar for the commercial was "Penelope Cruz," played by new cast member Kate McKinnon. We had it on the DVR and just got around to watching it last night.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #330

Was your hand on that end table's leg?   

This is my idea for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #330. It has been a while since I've done one of these. Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption too.

Happy Easter!

Running the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler race on Sunday. Though I had run a marathon in the fall, I was in no shape to run a 10-mile race. I had problems with my sciatica (self-diagnosed) and have not been running much.  Anyway, I signed up for it months ago and since I already paid (yes, I'm a cheapskate), I ran it.

I did OK, but was about 7 minutes slower than when I ran the same race 2 years ago. My net finish time was 86 minutes and 31 seconds. I was very happy to have finished in under 90 minutes.

I was on the race Web site today and found a slew of stats about the race that I thought I'd share here.

I came in 5,211th of the 16,840 finishers of the race. Not bad for 50. That means I finished ahead of 69 percent of all the racers and ahead of 81 percent of all the women who raced. Of all the racers, 57 percent were women and 43 percent were men.

Among men, I came in 3,401st place with 3,770 finishers behind me. About 47 percent of male finishers were ahead of me. In my division (Men aged 50-54), I came in 195th with 268 finishers behind. About 44 percent of finishers ahead. The winner of my division was Mark Neff, also 50, who ran the race in 57 minutes and 27 seconds.

 

During the second half of the race I passed 157 runners, but 410 runners passed me (bastards!).

 

I averaged about 6.9 miles per hour or 8 minute, 39 second miles during both the first and second half of the race.

 

The winner of the race, a man from Kenya,  fininsed in 45 minutes, 15 seconds, which was a course record. When he was finishing, I wasn't even halfway done yet, because I didn 't cross the start line until more than 4 minutes after the start--there was lots of traffic.

 

The oldest finisher was George Yannakakis, 80, who finished in 90 minutes and 34 seconds--only a few minutes slower than me.  In fact, even if I had been in the men's division for 70 to 74 year olds, and finished with my time, I would have come in fourth. The winner of that division finished in 81 minutes and 11 seconds.

 

I barely beat out to Heide Moebius, 73, the winner of the women's division for 70 to 74 who ran 10 miles in 88 minutes and 54 seconds, and Imme Dyson, 75, the winner of the women's division for 75 to 79, who finished in 93 minutes and 11 seconds.

This Film Was Not Produced by Fox News

Old Man Shelling On the Beach

I took this of an old man walking past me as I sat on the beach today. The temperature was in the 80s. He was dressed for snow. He was searching for sea shells. Why do people search so much for sea shells? I get exhausted watching the throngs of people constantly searching. You can buy a big bag of shells at the store for a few bucks. There must be a thrill in the hunt. At least he is out in the fresh air.

The Waves Were Crazy Wild for Florida

Shane and I are down in Florida this weekend and we went to the beach today.  We had thunder storms earlier this morning and it was overcast when we left, but we decided to risk that it would be nice at the beach. We were wrong.

The sky was clear, but it was very windy and the waves were wilder than I've ever seen them in Florida. The Gulf of Mexico is usually flat as a pancake, but the surfers were out today.  The surfers didn't look like they were very good. We didn't see any of them ride a wave for more than a few seconds.

We only stayed about a half an hour. The wind and sea spray did not make it pleasant for beach sitting.

Seeing "War Horse" on Broadway

I took the day off on Wednesday and we went to New York City for the day.  Shane had business and I tagged along. I saw War Horse on Broadway. I went to the discount ticket booth at Times Square and was surprised that tickets for this show were even available. Perhaps since the film was release, the show isn't as hot as it had been.

Anyway, I got an amazing ticket six rows back from the stage.  The show is at a theater at Lincoln Center with stadium seating, so any seat would have been fine in the orchestra section, but my seat was ideal. Because the show was only discounted 30 percent, it was still a bit pricey, but it was well worth it.

I loved this play.  It was amazingly well staged.  The life-size horse puppets are extraordinary. The horses had so much personality that you totally accepted them as real characters in the show. If you have the chance to see it, I highly recommend it if you can take this emotional story of World War I. Tears were running down my cheeks by the end.  Yes... puppets made me cry. It is easy to understand how it won the Tony for best play last year.

Of course, my friend Elaine, an avid horse lover, would love parts of this show, but she could not take the tragedy. Years ago, we went together to see the film, The Horse Whisperer, and there is a scene where a horse is struck by a huge truck and Elaine went hysterical. You could tell it was about to happen and she slid down on the floor in panic. When it did happen, she loudly sobbed for a prolonged period. I had to remind her that it wasn't real. She would have to be committed if she sat through War Horse. Not to give too much away, but there are some equine deaths in the show (and some human deaths). The program explained that more than 8 million horses died in WWI.  Elaine... Do Not See This Show!

Though seeing this show was largely a positive experience, there were a few negatives.  If you have ever seen a Wednesday matinee of a broadway show, you know there are primarily two categories of people in the audience--high school students and senior citizens. The kids, overall, were fairly well behaved. They sometimes laughed at inappropriate moments and were a little noisy, but because this was such a great show, I think they were too involved to misbehave.

The seniors on the other hand were not so great.  I think some older people forget they are in a live theater show and not in their living room where they can freely comment on what's happening around them without bothering others. I sat between a woman with a bad cold who was constantly blowing snot for the entire performance, and an old lady who's husband and her had seen the Steven Spielberg movie of War Horse and were constantly making comments like, "I don't remember this part in the movie." I had to give them some looks. They got the message.

Cherry Blossoms Blooming Very Early

The Cherry Blossom Festival doesn't begin for a week! The blooms are pretty much at peak! Shane and I took a walk down around the Tidal Basin this afternoon.

My Chinese Fortune Cookie Fortune

SNL Sketch: Liza Turns Off a Lamp

I thought this was funny.

Family Portrait

Mom, Gary, Kathleen, and me on Easter 1969. 

Help Finance a New Gay Rights Documentary

Film maker Ryan James Yezak is raising money to finance his documentary, Second Class Citizens, about the gay rights movement. This is a preview of his work so far. If you would like, you can contribute to making the film financially, but it looks like they already have exceeded their goal of $50,000. Click here to find out how to get such perks as a DVD of the film, a film poster, or having the director come to your home to host a screening of the film and doing a Q&A with your guests.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #319

Get your ears checked.  I said you were a nice asp!

This is my idea for the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #319. Too obvious? Let me know if you have any ideas for a caption too. 

A Walk Around the DC Waterfront

Me and the birds on Hains Point.

Shane walking near the gulls.

We are considering selling our house and buying a small condo near DC's Southwest Waterfront, so we went to a couple open houses this afternoon. Afterwards, we went for a walk around the harbor even though it was quite chilly today. It actually was very nice walking the one way, but the wind was in our face on the way back and we had frozen face when by the time we got back to thc car.