Media Frenzy.
So we've seen some movies lately.
First there was Sicko - which I highly recommend to everyone. Have all of you heard of it? I know we get a lot of movies here because we're a big city - and sometimes they don't filter out to places other that DC, San Fran, NYC, etc. for a few months. The gist of the movie is that health insurance is a big fat joke and that insurance companies are just giant corporations trying to make money, operating under the guise of our rescuers. It's definitely funny, but it's also pretty eye opening. Adam liked it, but thought it was really one-sided. I think it's time this one side is told. Michael Moore, whether you like him or not, does a great job exploring lots of parts of the story that I wouldn't have thought of...for example, he goes to France, England, Cuba, and Canada and tries to get medical care. It's amazing - people just walk into any hospital - even in CUBA - and are seen immediately and treated for free. In England, they have a program where people can call at any time of day or night with a problem and a doctor will immediately come tend to them. In France, the government provides someone to come to your home a few times a week after you have a baby to cook, clean, and care for the baby so you can get some sleep or personal time - AND you get like 6 months maternity leave. But, then again, I wonder if most Americans are probably willing to live without quality health care in exchange for a Wal-Mart consumption-type lifestyle. Go see this movie - the Canadians are hilarious.
We saw Harry Potter! Adam wasn't really into it, but I couldn't wait to check it out. It wasn't my favorite of the 5 movies they've released so far - but I still liked it. There wasn't enough fun character building stuff in it for me. I needed more Hermione and Ron and Hagrid. The Goblet of Fire was all about their intrapersonal relationships and left some good cliff hangers. Were Hermione and ron gonna hook up? Did Malfoy know that his dad is a really bad bad guy? I was hoping that this movie would bring some things to fruition, but it didn't. Whatever - more good info for the next movie! If you're a Harry Potter book reader - don't tell me what happens!
Tonight we're probably going to see either
Evening or
Introducing the Dwights at this little theater in Shirlington that shows movies you can't find anywhere else (except for at some tiny theaters in the city). I'll let you know how it goes.
I am a world famous artist.
Check out
Jason's blog for the details.
I don't care if you think I'm a nerd.
A little trip down memory lane before dinner...
I'd also like to point out that there is balance in the world: On the upside, today is our wedding anniversary, Carrie & Dan's anniversary, and Paka's birthday. But it's W's birthday, too. :)
Happy Anniversary, Ad!
picture courtesy of sarah.
Do It. You Know You Wanna.
Alright, we know you're out there - and we love it. You read JT&U on Monday, but you wussed out. It's never too late! Now let us know who you are before the anticipation kills us.
Click here.
July 4th ExtravaDanza.
This July 4th has been a good one. First crazy thing that happened today: Becca Piser happened to be in town, so we met her in Dupont for lunch - and brought Ted so she could ride him. Here's the pic we took for Deb.
We tried a new fireworks watching spot this year, too. We went down to Iwo Jima and it turns out that the vantage point is PERFECT. The skyline looks incredible - and a ton of people had the same idea, but it wasn't nearly as packed as the National Mall celebration, emceed by everyone's favorite manny, Tony Danza and headlined by Elliott Yamin (the dude from American Idol who is actually really good). Teddy was fantastic during the whole thing. He actually sat in my lap and watched the fireworks for a little bit! (As always, click to enlarge the pics.)
The second unexpected thing today - bats flying overhead during the fireworks display - a lot of them! And the third - I kept thinking the colorful lights from across the Potomac were lighting up the faces of all of the spectators. Then I realized that what I was seeing were the glowing lights of cell phones...hundreds of camera phones taking pictures of the celebration. Welcome to the 21st century.
I really like big community events in DC. It didn't hit me quite as hard as it did at the Kite Festival, but I always look around and notice all of the different kinds of people that come together for things like Capitol 4th, the Memorial Day Celebration, the Cherry Blossom Festival, etc. Everyone gets into it - partially because everyone can. Seems like every event here is free, and therefore is accessible to everyone. People start parking their cars in the shoulders of huge roads like 1-395, the GW Parkway, etc. really early in the day in order to get a quality view - and the police are cool with it. They even assist by shutting down enormous bridges and rerouting traffic patterns so we can all walk in the street. Even the airline pilots flying into National Airport were caught up in the excitement. We watched a few planes tip their wings so their passengers could ooh and aah at the pretty lights. Very cool. If anyone wants to visit next year, we'll show you.
T, J, & M - hope your BBQ was fantastic. Wish we could have been there!
What Adam's Dog Did.
He's been an angel for so many months now...we should have anticipated it. Sometime between when Adam left the house this morning and I woke up, Teddy must have had a breakdown - and a very quiet one, at that. When I opened the bedroom door, he was pretending to be asleep in the hallway. He does this when he doesn't want to move, but knows you're going to ask him to do just that. This alarmed me, so I got down and stroked his furry face and let him know that everything was ok. I love waking up to him.
As I made my way downstairs, I heard the very hurried click-click-click of his little nails carrying him into the guest bedroom - and another alarm sounded in my head. When I got to the bottom step, this is what I saw:
No, meanies, this is not the usual state of our living room. Teddy got into the trash can and
lovingly dragged its contents all over the main floor of the house - an early morning olfactory treat for me. Looks like he left no surface untouched, either. My assumption was that we, in our infinite laziness, must have left a bag of garbage tied up next to the can - which is not the case, as indicated by Exhibit C, to the right.
At the site of all of this, I yelled "TEDDDDDDDY!" and heard an immediate thump upstairs...Teddy trying to hide by squeezing himself under the guest bed. Once I dragged him downstairs to his room, obviously ashamed, Ted took up residence under the desk, where he licked my toes in repentance. Damn dog.
Confronted with all of the above, Jack Bauer was no more interested than he was surprised.
Fellow dog people, please tell us we're not alone. Is this the worst "trash-strewn-about incident" you've seen?
Mr. Postman.
My mailman needs to know: Is it possible to diagnose a kid with lime disease without a blood test?
UPDATE: Got the answer! It is YES, for those of you who care! And, yes, a bizarre set of circumstances
did lead to this posting. Welcome to my world.
Who Are You, Anyway?
Sign the guest book! We're always so curious to know who has been checking in on us and it's not always obvious from checking our site stats. For example, who out there is either in or on a network that runs through Alpharetta, Georgia?! Put yourself on our map - it'll be fun!
Once I figure out how to get it to look alright in Explorer, I'll put this in the sidebar. But, for now, since IE sucks, it'll have to live here!
First there was Sicko - which I highly recommend to everyone. Have all of you heard of it? I know we get a lot of movies here because we're a big city - and sometimes they don't filter out to places other that DC, San Fran, NYC, etc. for a few months. The gist of the movie is that health insurance is a big fat joke and that insurance companies are just giant corporations trying to make money, operating under the guise of our rescuers. It's definitely funny, but it's also pretty eye opening. Adam liked it, but thought it was really one-sided. I think it's time this one side is told. Michael Moore, whether you like him or not, does a great job exploring lots of parts of the story that I wouldn't have thought of...for example, he goes to France, England, Cuba, and Canada and tries to get medical care. It's amazing - people just walk into any hospital - even in CUBA - and are seen immediately and treated for free. In England, they have a program where people can call at any time of day or night with a problem and a doctor will immediately come tend to them. In France, the government provides someone to come to your home a few times a week after you have a baby to cook, clean, and care for the baby so you can get some sleep or personal time - AND you get like 6 months maternity leave. But, then again, I wonder if most Americans are probably willing to live without quality health care in exchange for a Wal-Mart consumption-type lifestyle. Go see this movie - the Canadians are hilarious.
We saw Harry Potter! Adam wasn't really into it, but I couldn't wait to check it out. It wasn't my favorite of the 5 movies they've released so far - but I still liked it. There wasn't enough fun character building stuff in it for me. I needed more Hermione and Ron and Hagrid. The Goblet of Fire was all about their intrapersonal relationships and left some good cliff hangers. Were Hermione and ron gonna hook up? Did Malfoy know that his dad is a really bad bad guy? I was hoping that this movie would bring some things to fruition, but it didn't. Whatever - more good info for the next movie! If you're a Harry Potter book reader - don't tell me what happens!
