My Thursday was not one of my better days. I had to go into DC for a 2-day course. Living in the 'burbs this meant taking Metro (the DC subway). So I left at 7:40 so that I could get to DC by 9. However, Thursday morning traffic in Maryland was awful. I'm not sure why, but it was worse than normal. I-270 was jammed so the side roads were jammed too. And it hadn't even begun to rain.
When I finally did arrive at Shady Grove (Metro station), I looped around trying to figure out which lot had room. Of course I guessed wrong at first trying the garage, and then I had to exit onto 370, and go onto Shady Grove Road in order to get back around to the other station parking lots. I was yelling at myself at the situation as I was driving, frustrated that I might not be able to find a place to park--and then what would I do?
So next I tried the overflow parking that has been set up temporarily as they are building another new parking garage in a portion of what had been a parking area. Entering this lot it looked like it was full. I began to yell again in frustration--at myself--as I'm begining to panic. Why didn't I leave earlier and why didn't I check this lot first? Fortunately I decided to go down the last row, even though some cars had bailed and were leaving the lot as if it were full. It turns out that folks were parking alongside the trees in unmarked spots. There was room left for maybe 6 cars at best. And I pulled into one of these spots.
Now that I was parked, I hoofed it very briskly all the way to the station. Ironically all I can remember of my time walking was this one fellow who was whistling Irish tunes very loudly in a merry tone. The rest is a blur as I was most intent in getting to my destination. Once inside, I hurriedly put $10 on a Metro card and paid the fare with the card. As I took the escalator up to the platform it suddenly lurched to a stop midway. Great.... So everyone just began to climb the non-moving escalator stairs as what else can you do? LOL. Once I got up to the platform I just mulled about waiting for the next train. Normally trains come every 5 minutes during rush hour. Of course in this situaton the trains were delayed and I waited more like 15 minutes. In this time the number of people waiting grew exponentially such that when the silver Metro train arrived, it loaded up almost to capacity and this is the very first station!
I was keen enough to get to the train doors in the front of the pack of waiting passengers and snatch a seat for myself. I knew it was going to be standing room only. Finally the train pulled out at 8:20. My heart sunk as I figured there was no way I was going to get there much before 9. And I realized that I hadn't remembered to bring a book to read along the way. Doh!
Amazingly enough we pulled into Faragut just before 9. As I was riding the escalator up, I heard the jolly white-haired man still whistling the Irish tunes. I remarked to him as he walked next to me that I had heard him whistling back at Shady Grove. He replied in just a happy tone as his whistling 'Yeah' and laughed. At the top of the escalator I dashed past a few homeless loitering on the corner. Headed down K Street, I felt the splatters of drizzle as the rain had now begun in DC. Knowing the forecast I had brought my umbrella and popped it open. It almost wasn't worth using it, yet I saw others open so I figured 'what the heck?' After a block and a half I reached my destination and with 3 minutes to spare, LOL.
The course I had come to DC to attend was actually informative and worthwhile. But I had started feeling crappy that morning, with a sore throat (again!) and achy and tired. Once the day was done I left the hotel in the pouring rain, going in the wrong direction, following 16th rather than K. I quickly realized my error and turned down L in the right direction, only a half block out of my way or so. Past the homeless again, I took the escalator down to the station, soggy and wet from my knees down. An umbrella in those conditions can only do so much. After an 8 minute wait, I was on a train bound for Shady Grove along with a packed car full of quiet, wet and weary passengers who also dealt with that morning's travel headache as well as that evening's rain. I stood the whole way back since by the time there was a seat available we were only one or two stops from Shady Grove.
Trekking back to my parking place in the rain, what of my clothing that had dried on the way home, became wet again. Just before the lot, there was a black pickup truck that had skidded on the wet pavement and slammed over the curb and atop the chain link fence, coming to a stop on a portion of the path that I had to walk on. Luckily, it appeared that no one had been walking there at the time of the accident. But it was eerie to squeeze past the truck's front bumper to get where I was going.
Finally I made it to my car and eased into the front seat. Yet, I still had to drive home, up I-270, in the pouring rain at 6:30 pm. No fun, but I made it there without incident, thankfully. But I had to look forward to a second day commuting into DC with the prospect of protesters, some who threatened to stop traffic and/or block Metro. Uggh....
Had an interesting two days commuting into DC with all the protest stuff going on and all the rain. (No, I wasn't one of the protesters...hehehe) It's a loooong story and Mom's here for the weekend so I'll have to post it later. LOL.
I think the change in weather has me feeling tired. Either that or I need to start going to bed earlier. The next two days I'll be in DC for a course. And just my luck, every fringe protest group will be in town. The last time I was in DC at the same time as ongoing protests were, it was 2000 or 1999...a much more peaceful time where I could people watch (ie view all the freaks with wild hair, clothes, etc.) and not worry that the protests might go into the realm of non-peaceful. We'll see what happens....hopefully nothing.
Additionally, the rains from Isadore will be arriving to make my walk from the Metro station a bit wet. Why can't I get nice weather when I'm out of work and down in DC for two days??? LOL.
Can I make a new Super Bowl prediction? How about Philadelphia Eagles vs. Raiders....a repeat of 1981, except this time the Eagles win. LOL. All the folks at work will be bemoaning their sad looking Redskins team. Awww....poor babies. ;)
Unfortunately, I lost in Fantasy football this week to my brother. *grumble* *grumble*. It was fairly close. But a couple of my key players came up short. And I didn't put Marty Booker in.
Are we getting complacent? Do you recycle? This article suggests we are getting complacent and throwing those soda cans in the trash instead of in the recycling bin. At this rate we may be seeing more stories about trash on barges like we did in the 1980's.
This story reminded me of the first recycling McDonald's I encountered in Rochester NY. That was back in the early '90s when McDonalds primarily used styrofoam containers. This particular McDonald's had bins for the used styrofoam to be recycled. But as McDonald's moved toward using paper and cardboard, it phased out the recycling. Unfortunately.
Watching Anne of Green Gables...something I haven't seen in years. I meant to catch it from the start at 7 pm but I forgot until almost 8:30. But it appears they are airing the whole thing tonight. :) The whole series of Anne books were favorites of mine from childhood.
As for what I'm currently reading, Sam the Cat, it's a book of short stories and is much more contemporary and from the male perspective. Quite different from Anne of Green Gables, but amusing in its own right. I purchased it at the writer's workshop at Barnes & Noble last year and had it autographed by the author. I found him amusing in person, with good advice on developing characters.
Listening to Pink Floyd on my new CD/MP3 Player this morning. Actually I bought it a few weeks ago. I just finally took it out of the package and charged up some rechargeable AA's. *g*
Tabitha is tickling me with her fluffy tail, as she hangs out on the chair next to me. All in all it's a quiet morning. The kitties are fed, I'm showered, now just gotta decide what's the plan for the day. LOL.
You gotta love lazy Saturday mornings.
Still coughing, unfortunately. But my brain is back up to speed. LOL.
Having followed the story in Florida in which 3 young doctors of foreign descent were stopped after a woman in Georgia reported what she perceived as a conversation alluding to an upcoming terrorist attack, I'm reminded yet again of how misinformation gets spread as fact much quicker than the truth can ever surface. At first it would appear that the men ran a toll booth, had residue of explosives in their car and resisted arrest, supporting suspicions that they were in fact hiding terroristic intentions.. The woman was being heralded as a hero. Yadda, yadda, yadda. But as the story came more fully to light, each of the reasons for picking the young men up became sketchier. And it turns out they were heading to Florida for a conference, had stopped to eat, and were discussing bringing down a car to Florida rather than bringing down some unknown building as the woman presumed.
Yeah, terrorists regularly discuss their plans for destruction over lunch at Shoney's. *rolls eyes*
Rather than praising this woman's heroic *cough* behavior prematurely, folks need to step back and question for a moment each story the media feeds us. I include myself in this statement. When I heard that the men ran a toll booth and had resisted arrest, I assumed this meant that they were at the very least hiding something. I trusted that the info the news wires were broadcasting was factual and correct. If I thought about it critically, I would have realized how silly it is to think that any terrorists would be stupid enough to blab about such plans in a restaurant for any passerby to hear.
It reminds us that people are innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around. A similar story out of Buffalo has me critical of the proof that is out there against the Yemeni men arrested there. At most it would seem, authorities have connected these men to a religious group that the shoebomber and the John Walker Lindh had been drawn into before being recruited by al Qeada. Okay, so there would be a chance of al Qeada trying to recruit these men while they were in Pakistan learning the teachings of this group. However, there does not appear to be any definative proof that they were recruited. I could see putting surveilance on them for this reason. But arresting them as terrorists based on such thin circumstancial events? I have a problem with this sort of round up of Arabic men when there is not any reasonable evidence of a real connection to al Qeada or any previous criminal activity. We do not need a repeat of the internment camps during WWII where Japanese Americans were placed out of fear that they were spies and/or supported Japan's war effort. One would hope we would have learned from that dark series of events. Yes, one would hope.
Of a similar vein, Andrew McCaskey discusses rumors vs. truth in his column today. I'm glad to know I was not the only one thinking of such matters today.
Having been sick all week, I've not written anything deep or thoughtful. My brain has been clogged up. Congested. But a group of ladies I have the fortune of knowing from the internet through the La Femme Nikita fandom started a series of emails to say what the friendships meant to them, how 9-11 affected them, how their lives have changed the past year, etc. One woman that I've only met briefly at one of the conventions and chatted with occasionally when the group chatted regularly in years past, wrote an email that I somehow feel needs to see the light of day, rather than simply being filed in a folder or deleted to make space in my Yahoo account.
I feel funny posting a private email, [something I, in general, never do.] so I've left out any identifier as to who she is. But I found her message to be so very poignant and touching. A unique perspective. And God knows there are only a handful of folks that read this blog regularly. I write here primarily as an outlet for my thoughts and feelings.
In this instance I am in awe of the personal strength it took for this woman to take the path she has taken this year to change her life in the way she did. And the heart it took to write down her experience such that it focuses on the hopes of New Yorkers and Americans as they work toward getting beyond 9/11. For it is time for us as Americans to look to the future while making certain to take with us all the lessons of humanity we learned from 9/11.
Here is what she wrote:
"On September 11th, 2001, I was here, in New York City, where I live. I was at home, and not downtown near the World Trade Center or City Hall. I had just returned from three months upstate, working as I had for my entire life, performing. One of my closest friends was opening a show that night at New York City Opera, and I was going to the gala with him. Instead of going to the opera, we wound up watching a real life horror show unfolding on NY1, and calling everyone we knew on the phone.
In the days that followed, several things happened: I learned to recognize the sound of an F-16 fighter as it broke the sound barrier; I had the hugest fight ever with my very dear friend (a feud that mind you, lasted almost an entire year); I decided that I could no longer stand to be in the Entertainment Industry; and I volunteered on a campaign that changed the entire course of my life. I'm sure you've heard that 9/11 changed people here, and I have to say, I would not attempt to refute that statement, and you would be hard pressed to find someone who had not experienced change in at least one aspect of his or her life.
Some of you know me better than others, and at this moment you're thinking: I can't believe she's writing this diatribe for mass consumption, and who knew? My point proven, I think.....
It has taken me a year to understand that I am always going to be angry, and that there is nothing any of us could have done to have prevented it. I now understand that while I have continually kept my emotions in check - I have kept them in check - I must now deal with them. It has taken a year for me to understand how deeply effected I have been.
On September 11th, 2002, I was here, in New York Ctiy, where I live. I was at the World Trade Center, coordinating flower distribution to the families as they desended down the ramp, and into the pit. There were great moments of difficulty, but as is my nature, I had a job to do, and I muddled through it in what I hope was a dignified manner.
It was an odd day; we all agreed on that point. The weather here was sunny and pleasant - but the wind was gusting up to 60 miles an hour - not something that usually happens in New York City, much less in early September. It was as if we needed to blow out everything that had happened; to start anew, with a clean slate. Eerie was the only word that seemed to fit.
Families came and went for many hours; my crew handed out flowers and water, and whatever else people needed. On more than one occasion, someone collapsed, overwhelmed. Some people wept until they had to sit down on the stone, others walked quietly down the ramp and serenly placed a flower at the footprint. Still others talked with their families and with many of us. One man lost
the ribbon which identified him as family and allowed him to go into the pit; he threw his arms around me when I gave him mine.
Finally, after all the families had visited, and the site was shut down, it was our turn. Most of us did not lose anyone at the World Trade Center, some of us aren't even native New Yorkers; but all of us work for the city that saw a destruction on a level that no human being should ever see. We descended as a group and quietly placed flowers with all the others. The wind was blowing so hard, the dust, dirt and remains of the site and all who died there were swirling around us. We were covered in it.
One by one, we walked back up the ramp, and headed back to City Hall in silence. There was an eerie sense of completion, of things being swept away, and a knowing that it was time. For weeks, most of us were so tired of the words, "September 11th" we had been dreading the day at a pitch most people could never understand.
And indeed, it is time to move on. It is time for the city to move on, it is time for all of us to move on; that is what the wind told me when I was standing in the middle of the footprint of two of the most magnificent buildings I had ever seen. In many ways, I think most of us have moved on - it seems even many family members have started to do just that; for others, the task seems too daunting to
even attempt.
One year later, things have changed. I work for the Mayor of the City of New York. I volunteered on his campaign - not because I thought he was the greatest thing since sliced ham, but because I knew the guy he was running against would be a disaster on wheels if elected. I never thought we could win. I volunteered because I knew that I could not live with myself if his opponent won, and I had sat on my puffy ass doing nothing. It was the puffy ass of all Americans that allowed us to be lulled into thinking we were untouchable - a lesson paid for by 2800 people and their families.
One year later, my dear friend and I are once again, dear friends. I have an entirely new career that sometimes makes my head spin from joy, and at other times bow in sorrow. At still other times I wonder what the hell I was thinking..... I work for a man who I now know to be everything he presented himself to be, and more. He's a straight shooter and the exact thing New York needed. Obviously I wasn't the only one who thought so.
I made the right choice a year ago. It was time to move on then, and it is time to move on now. New York is ready to put itself back into motion. I am ready to put myself back into motion. 9/11 was a moment in history that changed me, you, New York, America and the world. For me, it helped me remember that I have always had a desire to help people, to serve - and that is exactly what I am doing now. It reminded me that the deep sentiments of loyalty and pride I have for my country are not things of which to be carefully hidden - but instead, displayed. And it reminded me of what is important.
Here is a snippet taken from Mike's speech at the UN today, I think it puts it well:
"Even in the aftermath of the terrible events of one year ago, we continue to welcome the world's strivers and dreamers. Every single day.
It's not only what makes this city great-- it defines who we are. And no one can ever destroy that."
You gotta love a guy who says that at the UN....."
TGIF!
I woke up at 2 am and couldn't sleep. So I turned on a light and read a couple chapters of my JD Robb book. In this particular book, Eve and Roarke go to Dallas for both police business and to deal with personal demons. [Trying not to give away any plot points or anything] Her descriptions of Texas rang true with me, even though I've never been to Dallas. But I've been told Dallas is not unlike Houston, where I lived for a year, from Aug '94-Oct '95. It was clear that she'd been there before and made her futuristic Dallas not far off from the current version. It however was some deep and kinda disturbing reading for 2 am. My hope of falling back to sleep easily didn't materialize. All sorts of work-related stuff kept running through my mind. When I did fall asleep it was not long before my alarm clock went off. *sigh*
Still hacking and coughing, but surviving over here. Just wish I felt well enough to have written more thoughtful/reflective posts this week. But I'm just not there at the moment.
I did manage to finally send out Trish's Birthday gift. Her birthday was 9/11 and she's been bummed about having the tragic events of 2001 having happened on her birthday. It does put a downer on what should otherwise be a happy day. I gave her a call last night to wish her a happy birthday and let her know that the gift would be in the mail soon.
I was sick yesterday, and would have stayed home, but all the coverage on 9/11 on every network including ESPN, was too depressing. I decided it was better to go to work to keep my mind off all this. Just watching 10 minutes of the names being read was enough to send me off to work, albeit late.
An interesting observation from my boss: Notice that the code orange alert was announced by Ashcroft (Defense Dept) rather than Ridge (Homeland Security) who has announced changes in the past. It would appear there is yet another power struggle at work in the Bush Administration. Go figure.
*Hack* *Cough* Ok, so I'm still sick. This sucks.
Yep...I'm sick. Mostly just tired, spaceshot, and a little congested. Uggghh....
I expected not to be able to watch TV tomorrow without seeing gazillion references to 9/11. But tonight it was virtually impossible to flip channels without hitting program after program of 9/11 related material. I've spent the last year trying to heal my psyche from the graphic images of that day. I'd rather not rip open the scabbed wounds in the name of remembrance. My TV will certainly be off tomorrow. I'll remember, but I don't have any desire to relive that tragic day.
Worked out tonight, but I found I got winded easily and my brain was mush. This morning my throat was a little scratchy and now I'm getting a bit congested. I'm afraid I might be getting another cold or at the very least I'm getting worse allergies. This sucks...
Otherwise my Monday was not terribly eventful. I did have a lousy lunch at Red Hot and Blue. It was Scot's B-day and he picked the restaurant. I had a lousy salad and a cup of stew that was quite spicy. The salad had way too much cabbage and carrots and not enough lettuce. And their raspberry vinagrette was not great either. Since this was the third unimpressive meal I've had there, I think I'll pass the next time someone suggests it. But the funny thing about this lunch was that my brother was there eating with some of his co-workers. I didn't notice him at first, until I recognized one of his coworkers and then I made the connection. Quite ironic, LOL. When his group left, some of the guys said, 'Bye Brian's sister.' Hehehehe....
Looking at my previous entry, I see several errors and poor grammar in a place or two. I should fix ithem, but I'm being apathetic today, lol.
All I wanna do is watch football and veg. Yesterday I went hiking at Sugarloaf on the White Trail which is 2.5 miles. My brother and I completed it in 1.5 hours...we were going at a pretty good pace. Still no sneakers, but I didn't quite make it to the store. Maybe today, before or after the 1 o'clock game.
Since at this moment I was wondering where the term o'clock came from I looked it up....
Main Entry: o'·clock
Pronunciation: &-'kläk, O-
Function: adverb
Etymology: contraction of of the clock
Date: circa 1601
1 : according to the clock
2 -- used for indicating position or direction as if on a clock dial that is oriented vertically or horizontally
Had no idea the o'clock was a contraction of of the clock....never thought much about it before. LOL.
Back to football....I'm gonna make a Superbowl prediction....Eagles vs. Steelers. Now I'm likely to be completely wrong, but it would be fun to have the battle of the PA teams, lol.
Now back to vegging....
The weather has turned more pleasant this last week. It's amazing how as September arrives the scent of fall just appears as if on cue, even despite 90 degree temps through the end of August.
Went out to Happy Hour last night, but nothing exciting happened. It just was crowded, noisy, and pretty boring. I don't think I was in the right mindset to have fun either. *sigh*
Today I'm going to take another stab at finding a pair of crosstrainers (sneakers). They seem to be scarce this year for some reason. But I need to find something to replace my current sneakers that give me nowhere near enough support for my feet.
Oh yeah, my legs are still sore from Wednesday. That was one tough workout, but its good for me, LOL. Granted I still weigh the same as when I started working out. But now I have much more muscle mass, and they say muscle weighs more than fat. And overall I fit in my clothes better, so that's a definite plus. Now if only I could figure out what to do about my skin, I'd feel good about the improvements.
I have what they call combination skin. It's both dry and oily. So it's flaky and I still get zits and blackheads. Yuk! I'm turning 30, yet I feel my skin was so much better as a teeager. It's simply not fair, lol. I want good skin in my next life. Hehehehehe......
I learned this week that a good friend has gotten a job down in Houston and now can move there to be with her husband. While I will miss her company [going shopping, taking walks around the lake, and eating out or simply hanging out playing with my kitties], I'm happy for her to finally be able to join her husband of 5 months. It's always difficult to be away from someone you love. It took a long time to find that special guy and now that she found him, she deserves to have happiness with him. Hopefully Houston will be a better home to her than it was for me. LOL.
Oh crud...time to go to work....TGIF!
Having checked my referrer logs, I'm convinced I should redesign my blog to look like a bottle of Docs Hard Lemonade, LOL. Ever since I mentioned it in an entry, I get several hits a week from folks looking for info on Docs. Too funny.
I'm a bit disappointed. Witchblade has been cancelled. Granted this past season was not that good. But I expected it to be back next year, attempting to fix what they did in Season 2. We didn't even get a proper finale as far as I'm concerned. And shit, Conchobar was alive this time around. I was hoping to see them do something with his character in season 3. Bummer. No such luck, unless the network changes its mind.
ooohhooooohhhhh....I read another blog to find out there's a new JD Robb book out! I've been reading the last one [Reunion in Death], savoring it slowly with the belief it could be the last one for awhile. Now I have one more to read. Purity in Death.
*rubs hands together gleefully*
Shopping. Shopping on Labor Day weekend. I must be insane. Everyone was at the mall on this rainy Sunday. But I came home with some clothes, though I don't think I got any real bargains. I did get a few nice outfits though. However, I'm still lacking the sneakers I had gone in search of yesterday. Maybe I'll try looking again today.
It seems like everyone at work, on the internet, just everywhere, are impatient, grumpy, and out of sorts. Including myself. It's a combination of things. A very hot summer coming to the end. A shaky economy. Bush's stupid blatherings about attacking Iraq. And the approach of the anniversary of September 11. It's a recipe for unhappiness and anxiety. And it's making us all miserable to be around. Can we just skip September? Only problem with that is I'd have to start Christmas shopping a month sooner. That's even more depressing. ;)