A non-celebrity endorsement

I know this sounds like spam, but I in all honesty, I just found the greatest web site. It's www.kayak.com It's a travel web site that is only a search database, so it while it does not sell you tickets directly, it searches all of the search-and-sell sites, AND the individual airlines Web site's prices as well. So--- if it finds you a flight on United, it links you right to the United.com site, where you then buy the ticket. I guess it makes money on your clicks rather than on service charges.

I heart it.


And its got cool features like slider time preference bars so you can limit your flights to certain times AFTER you've seen the whole pot of flights. It even has fun graphs of historical prices of your itinerary over the past several weeks, so you can see if you're buying at a relatively high or low price time.

Anywho- I'm going to be traveling quite a bit for work over the coming months, so I'm excited about this new discovery. However- I am not being paid to rave about this great resources, Sooo... I will end it at that.

Me in pictures

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Where have I been all my life?

Oye! I've been assigned jobs and didn't even know it, as I've been sucked into the vortex of looking for a house while simultaneously planning a wedding: a state of mind where no other reality exists!

Here's my tasking from Lisaopolis, which originated in Zimmerhouse... and I'm finally gettin' around to it.

I’d love to tag others, but since the only bloggers I really KNOW, have tagged this to moi, I really can’t. Shucks.

10) Favorites
COLOR: Can’t pick one. green, blue, orange.
FOOD: club sandwiches on toasted white bread rule.
MONTH: July, but not necessarily July in DC.
SONG: If I HAD to, Had, to had to pick one, the only one that consistently makes me happy- as in every SINGLE time I hear it, I want to stop what I’m doing to listen is Dave Mathews Band’s “Crush”
MOVIE: Oh fer Jeeez, I can’ pick just one.
SPORT: Any equestrian sports. Or Cougar Football.
SEASON: Spring- but maybe that’s just because I’m looking forward to it now.
DAY OF THE WEEK: Friday
ICE CREAM FLAVOR: thin mint girl scout cookie from Dryers/Edy’s
TIME OF DAY: 5PM

9) Currents:
MOOD: anxious
CLOTHES: Navy sailor-front pants and a purple sweater
TASTE: like taste in my mouth? Lean Cuisine. Taste as in personal taste? Classic. (duh)
TOENAIL COLOR: hot pink and needing attention.
TIME: almost 3PM
SURROUNDINGS: I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.
THOUGHTS: I don’t want to give up blogging, but I realize Ginapalooza is needing some major life support.
WONDERINGS: Is she going to accept our offer??(that we put on a house on Saturday)

8) First:
BEST FRIEND: Elisha T, my neighbor in then-Redmond. We made lots of forts and did lots of plays/puppet shows etc.

KISS: Brian H. I was 16, and way too old for my first kiss, but it was pretty rad.

SCREEN NAME: Ginawsu
PET: Peaches the white rabbit.
PIERCING: Ears. One each.
CRUSH: There was a boy in my 3^rd grade class named Brady that I “went with” for about three hours. I must have had a crush on him, though I remember having absolutely NO control over the creation and subsequent dissolution of the relationship, so I think it was more orchestrated by my (by then) friend Marilyn, who had a major crush on HIS best friend.
HOME LOCATION: Bellevue, WA

7 Lasts:
CIGARETTE: Kappa Delta Senior dance, 1998. My junior year. Had just broken up with long term BF, (see#8, item 2) and discovering this whole new fabulous thing called “Being single and available” which involved learning that yes, in fact, I did have it goin’ ON (see #10, item 4). Got set up with a no-love-connection date and drank copious amounts of Captain Morgan. The last thing I remember was standing in the “smoker” of ATO’s (my date was an AGR- I don’t know what happened to him) and taking drags off of Marlboro Reds like I’d been doing it since childhood.
DRINK: Saturday evening, drowning my sorrows after the WSU/Vandy game.
KISS: this morning, as I was half-sleep walking into the shower, and gallant husband was leaving for work. Hadn’t really opened my eyes yet, so I can’t be 100% certain that it was him.
MOVIE SEEN AT THE MOVIE THEATER: Premonition. I highly recommend NOT seeing it. Very disappointed in Sandy Bollocks.
PHONE CALL: husband.
CD PLAYED: “This I Believe” essays from NPR that Anne got me for Christmas. Been listening in the car.
GIFT RECEIVED: Mom and Dad bought us dinner last night when they were in town.

6:
HAVE YOU EVER DATED ONE OF YOUR BEST FRIENDS? I did have an awkward make-out with Mitch in high school, and we were really good friends-only until then. (it was during the first of many temporary break-ups with #8 item 2) But other than that, no. I’d love to say that I’m currently married to my best friend, but we were way “more than friends” for quite some time before we actually became friends.
BEEN ARRESTED: never
BROKEN THE LAW: probably
SKINNY DIPPED: I think I have, but only with family. Wait… that sounds weird. I’m generally not a fan.
BEEN ON TV: I think I was on a short interview clip on the news when there was a bomb threat in Bellevue across the street from my office. The net result to me was a delay in being able to get to my car to go home. I said as much, and they put it on the damned news…
KISSED SOMEONE YOU DIDN'T KNOW: Yes.

5:
THINGS YOU'VE EATEN TODAY: coffee, string cheese, Lean Cuisine (acorn squash ravioli- my fave), coffee yogurt, two mini Hershey chocolate things from co-workers candy basket on her desk that I have to walk by over and over…
YOU'VE DONE TODAY: got up, drove to work while eating string cheese and drinking coffee, worked, felt bad about not blogging…

YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT: Besides many people, Daphne and the thought of moving into a bigger place soon.
YOU CAN HEAR RIGHT NOW: not much.
YOU DO WHEN YOU GET BORED: Look for houses online.
4:
PLACES YOU'VE BEEN TODAY: my apartment, my car, my office.

3:
PEOPLE YOU CAN TELL ANYTHING TO: Beth, Allison, Husband, but primarily Daphne…

2 Choices:
a. BLACK OR WHITE : black.
b. HOT OR COLD: eh?

1. THING YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
Produce little people in my likeness, watch them grow up and do the same. Own a horse. Own a damned house.

Answers

The Book: Everthing Is Illuminated

Yeah, I'm in a book club. It does wonders for the volume of literature and wine I consume on a monthly basis.

Was in Atlanta for a 30 minute layover coming from Miami home to DC. But the DC area was all closed down becuase of "ice" (which never actually materialized). Kind of wished they would have told us that all of the DC airports were closed before we left Miami, as it might have been nice to spend an extra day there with the new fam, but instead we became well aquainted with the Atlanta Airport Hyatt Place hotel. Which we had to pay for ourselves. Hey Delta Airlines, stay classy!

The Clinton Street Baking Company is at 4 Clinton Street (between East Houston & Stanton), New York, NY 10002. D'lish.

Ginapalooza Lightening Round!

• 4 out of 4 Registered Dietitians (in my office) agree with the following statement:

“I’ve tried to like Kashi. Really, I have. But it’s gross.”

If you have to get stuck for over 28 hours in the deep south, make it Atlanta Georgia. Seriously home to the nicest people in the world. Including the lost luggage attendants at the airport.

It’s a weird feeling when you show up to Book Club having just finished what you now consider one of the best books you’ve ever read, with a writing style that make you want to wrap up each word in pretty paper and put it under your pillow, only to find out that everyone else totally hated it, and thought the writing style sucked.

Simmering equal parts of maple syrup and heavy cream, then pouring that over blueberry pancakes from the Clinton Street Bakery in SOHO is among the handful of earthy experiences that I classify under the “brought me closer to God” category.

And cripes, that’s all I’ve got time for. Really I should wait to post this until its chalked full of exciting things, but at this rate, that might another several months. Hoping to add more soon…

Back to normal-like life

I could say that I’ve been too busy to write, but that wouldn’t be entirely true. Why just the other day, I spent a good 45 minutes reflecting on the inherent humor of growing up in the 90’s, and web researching the whereabouts of the actress that played Kimmy Giber on TV’s Full House. Which lead me to the discovery that Jody Sweetin (ie Stephanie Tanner) was almost a child star-turned normal, happy, functioning member of society before a little tousle with methamphetamines. Sounds like she’s getting back on track which is well- just impressive. Good for her. As I recall from my days in the public health “trenches,” that stuff is capital B-A-D and can really mess a person up. Come to think of it, these are the kind of problems that probably could have been easily avoided if there was a conscious effort to make sure there was just as much “Dad and Steph” time as there was “Dad and Deej’” time, as I do recall that about every show ended with Bob Saget kneeling down with a various child actress on his knee, wiping a tear from her eye and saying:

“Ever since mom died, blah blah blah…. You know what I think we should do? Let’s be extra sure to plan more special Dad n’ (insert child name here) time. You know- just the two of us. How does that sound?”

(Thank you Bob Saget, for not only modeling “effective parenting skills” but also for giving any would-be child molesters a perfectly scripted pick-up line.)

And it seems that I’ve gotten a bit off track here…

All is good here with me. I’ve taken several big breaths and have sufficiently exhaled now that J is HOME. Ummm…. home. A nicer word than I’ve ever known.

Been listing to a lot of Nanci Grifith lately. In the car of course, so I can sing along loudly and really solidify my white girl identity. It’s kind of my happy-place music, so I guess that’s where I am.

Great. Story of my life...

Your IQ Is 135

Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius Your General Knowledge is Exceptional

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

Happy Manhattan Season everyone!

You don't have to know me very well to know that my Manhattan Season officially kicks off at Thanksgiving (or well, any time in November. Sometimes it's just too hard to wait until that special Thursday). You also don't need to know me very well to know how absolutely, spectacularly charming I am after two of these wintertime favorites. And funny. I'm like wittier than... a really witty person.

And so when I found this on Lisa's blog, it came to no surprise to me that...

You Are A Martini

You are the kind of drinker who appreciates a nice hard drink. And for you, only quality alcohol. You don't waste your time on the cheap stuff. Obviously, you're usually found with a martini in your hand. But sometimes you mix it up with a gin and tonic. And you'd never, ever consider one of those flavored martinis. They're hardly a drink!

What Alcoholic Drink Are You?

Must be a family thing.

Clearly they didn't have the option of "You're a Manhattan!"

K-9 Citizens (and the people who love them)

Hi all, and sorry for my blog slacking of late. I will invent the word… “slogging” to represent this phenomena. So, sorry for my recent slogging.

Here is a statement of truth: Gina is not a community activist.

Having been raised in the nest of grass roots volunteerism, and knowing first-hand what kind of effects its resulting phenomena like… long-hours-spent-waiting-in-the-car-whilst-copies-are-being-made-at-Kinkos-regarding-topics-and-activities-of-no-interest-to-me could have on any of MY potential off spring, it was relatively easy for me to develop an appreciation for downhill battles, arguments I know I can win, and agreeing to disagree. I admit that in many ways, my personal definition of “compromise” involves more “whatever, you win. I’ll deal with it and pretend to be happy” than “win win.”

(Side note: But I’ll also admit that the older I get, the more I notice myself overcompensating for this. I sometimes surprise myself with a “my way or the highway” reaction here and there. I’m less passive aggressive and more… plain old aggressive. The Phantom headline could read: “Baby Gina takes the reins…and becomes radical despot.”)

But God damnit, there should be dog parks in Washington DC. On this, I am not willing to compromise. And I mean fully-legal, sanctioned and ENCLOSED dog parks. But there are people here- a lot of them- who are anti-dog park. My west coast brain is still trying to make sense of it. I’m trying to see their side of the story, but everyway I spin it, in my head, they are just wrong. Dog parks are GOOD. But after attending a local Parks and Rec. meeting last night, I have realized that dog parks are a lot like prescription drugs. They must be proven safe and effective before they will be approved. And in this case, the burden of proof is on “us” (the dog people and their dogs) to prove that we are good neighbors and an asset to our community.

A statement by me of “Trust me folks, the “crack park” in Seattle’s Belltown totally cleaned up super nice after it became a dog park. It was a relatively cheap and easy way to make an entire neighborhood safe by bringing in positive activity and pushing out crime! Yay for dogs!!” just isn’t going to do it. There are people in this city with some serious misgivings about dogs and people who own them. And I can’t totally blame them. There are tons of dangerously irresponsible (and just plain lame) dog owners in the world. But here’s the thing: Those people don’t generally use dog parks. And if they do, they are so quickly outcast and shunned by we uppity-dog-park-types that they either 1) change their ways or 2) stop showing up. A pox unto the person who does not pick up their dog's poop at a dog park…. My point is: in a sanctioned dog park, there will always be more responsible dog owners than irresponsible dog owners. And responsible dog-owners are good neighbors. Arguably even better neighbors than drug dealers, hookers, and people with guns (or best yet, individuals who encompass all three!)

I think Daphne would make an excellent ambassador of good faith to the otherwise un-dog-inclined residents of my neighborhood. She already attracts children like the Pied Piper, and apparently has made more friends in the district than I have, so I think she is well suited for the job.

I’m going to walk her more often off of my beaten paths, and I’m going to pick up trash in the process. The last thing I want to be confused for is a target community activist, but I’m afraid that could happen given that this idea is both progressive, helpful and… hurts no one. (insert sarcastic eye roll here) In light of this, I’m going to wait to start this until The Man gets home from Iraq (only a few more DAYS!!) so he can escort me, because I don’t feel safe doing this alone. (I’m totally killing two birds here, by not only accomplishing my doggie good-will plans, but also filling up his man-tank with Hunter/Protector fuel!). Kind of a sad statement that I don’t feel safe picking up trash alone, but I’ll try not to dwell on that.

All right, fine. My secret fantasy is out of the bag: I just want to let Daphne charm her way into the hearts and minds of the good people of planet Earth while the sweet sounds of “Love Can Build a Bridge” by The Judds play quietly in the background…. Is that too much to ask for?? Yes, I fear it is. But I’m going to try to be an extra good neighbor anyway.

Explanation

I should have mentioned- that video is of my grandparents on their wedding day. And they're both still going strong, this summer will be anniversary number SIXTY SEVEN and my grandpa still calls her "my girlfriend."

My mom converted an old reel to reel tape to VHS for their 50th anniversary (in 1990!). Now that VCR's are going the way of the buffalo, I had it converted to DVD last week. And because I was feeling especially techno-savvy, I converted THAT to a .wav file so I could post on the web for those of us who are hooked up to the inter-web :)

Sooooo young!

My first YouTube experience...

Okay Anne, here's the whole story about my near miss at the spelling bee.

Well, truth be told, I didn’t come in 2^nd place in the spelling bee. Far from it. I DID however, make it to the 2nd grade class finals, and won for my class. I beat a little boy named Keith (I think that was his name…) because I seemed to be the only kid who knew that the word Grandmother did indeed, contain a “d”.

So- as the winner for my class, I got to go to the all school spelling bee, where I had to compete against 6^th graders! I knew I would have a limited lifespan from the get-go, but I did it anyway (said as if 2^nd graders really have a choice about matters of being in the school spelling bee if they make it…). My first word was “be” and I remember being paralyzed with fear, knowing that this was one of those words that could have more than one spelling. And I actually clearly remember thinking "well self, I can ask them to use it in a sentence, but that won't buy me anything but time, because I don't know which way to spell it for any particuar meaning..." After what seemed like thirty minutes of stalling, I said “…..B…….E…. Be.” Here is where I should add that I had NO idea if I got it right or not until they flashed me the little green card. I sat down and waited- petrified- for my turn to come again.

On round two, I got “House”, and I don't know if it was all the German school finally rubbing off on me, or early signs of a what would be a life of poor spelling, but I busted out a “H-A-U-S, House”. Red card. You’re out Gina. So, long story short, I didn't come in 2nd place, I simply got out on the 2nd round.

And I never spelt right again!! The End.

No More Drama in my life.

Sometimes I really love my life. Like right now. Cause while I'm sitting on my couch with a glass of wine and a good CD, about to start a new book, the sounds coming from my neighbor's place are decidedly less loving than normal. Girlfriend number one is finally starting to ask the tough questions. And I've learned that my neighbor is a very smooth liar.

Choice lines of the night: "Of course I like her, yeah I spend a lot of time with her, but we work a lot together- I spend a lot of time with everyone I work with." followed up with "Well, all you can go on is what I'm telling you, so I can't control weather you believe me or not."

I'm sure my marriage will have plenty of fights and tears in the years to come, but all I can think right now is: Being boring married girl is WAY better than being THAT girl. I'm also thinking right now how thankful I am that my husband is just as bad at lying as he is at singing. But I love his singing anyway.

Open Letters...

Snagged from Tracey’s Blog… The challenge: Write 5 open letters. People, places, objects, animals. It doesn't matter. Write 5 succinct letters and express what you can't express in person. Strangers? People you'll never see again? People you're afraid to be completely honest with? Corporations? Celebrities? Your sister's cats? Write to 'em.

Dear Monique Lhuillier,

Congratulations on becoming the next big thing in the wedding gown design world. I realized who you were when I saw a picture of a friend of a friend's wedding the other day and said "THAT's the dress I want. Can you ask here where its from?" Sadly, I then realized that all of your dresses are in the 6-10K price range, which is just so ridiculous that I could spit. No WONDER I like them so much. Even more sad is that I keep looking for other dresses that are similar, and when I finally find one, bang- your name is on the tag again. So cripes, what's a girl to do? If you think of it, could you maybe send one some of your free leftover dresses? Preferably something in Ivory (because as my friend Michelle would say "the jig is up"). And if it could be the one with the cool straps and lace overlay from the Fall 2005 collection, that would really rock. Thanks in advance, and again, congratulations, you're a star! -Yours Truly, Gina

Dear Husband,

I can't wait for you to come home! But the closer that date gets, the more I worry that I'll really have no place to put you. Really. We might have to rent out the soon-to-be vacant upstairs apartment so you'll have somewhere to put your toothbrush and razor. I hope you don't mind. And I also hope you don't mind that I might get cranky about having to pick up my things all the time... I've become re-accustomed to living alone you see and... well- I'll just do my best.

Love- Me

Dear Daphne,

What the heck is up with the snoring lately?? Seriously?? Do we need to get you some doggy Breath Right strips or something? I'm sorry that I have to drag you out to the living room by your collar in the middle of the night, but good lord dog- the snoring is shaking the house! Also- what gives with getting up in the middle of the night EVERY SINGLE NIGHT?? You manage to stay inside for 8 hours everyday without potty breaks, so why the need to poop every 4 hours once it gets dark? While I'm at it- why are you STILL scared of the nail clippers?? I've had you for what- 6 years now? Not once have I nicked you, and I've got to ask- have we ever had a nail-clipping event where copious dog treats weren't present at the end?? I don't understand why you don't salivate every time I get the clippers. So why do you still cower in the corner? I still love you very much and you're my favorite living thing in the world- in addition to the husband (but honestly, I kind of only say that so he doesn't feel bad- I'd be hard-pressed to make a decision on who to pull out of a burning building...). Love- Me

Dear Neighbor,

I know it's none of my business, but I can't help but observe that you're into serial monogamy. With two women. Meaning- two separate relationships that seem to be -outside of each other- fairly "steady."

Don't you ever just want some alone time? Do you also think that it's insane that they drive almost the exact same car? Maybe I'm just lazy, but I can't, for the life of me, imagine having the mental wherewithal to be in a relationship with TWO men at the same time. I mean, sometimes I can barely remember my OWN name and birthday. And that's MEN. And most men are EASY. WHY are you trying to make two WOMEN happy at the same time? Blech- sounds like a nightmare. If neither of them is "enough" why not just ditch them both and look for someone who is? Oooo... and if you already know in your head that girl #1 isn't floating your boat, and that's why you've taken up with girl #2, you should think about ending things with girl #1. Call me old fashioned, but it's kind of the polite thing to do. I know that means getting rid of something (or someone or maybe someones in this case) that you like. Sure, that can be scary. But as it stands now, you have NO time to date or meet anyone who might potential be your "enough" woman.

So neighbor, I give back to you something to listen to- my advice and life observation: With the right person, monogamy is fun. Go find her.

-Your Neighbor, who's trying to mind her own business, but finds it increasingly difficult with the thin walls etc

Dear Friends,

I'm just letting you all know that I'm probably not doing Christmas and/or holiday cards this year. With all of the addressing and envelope-licking of the wedding announcements, and frequent visits to the post office to mail things to Iraq, I'm just kind of over it. Please know that I do indeed with you a Happy Holidays and a safe/fun/fabulous 2007.

Love, Me

Nothing says "holidays" like... Regis Philbin?

Huh. I just discovered that Regis Philbin has a Christmas album. I've been listening to pandora.com all day today (note to self, get some headphones that don't leave ears burning in pain after a few hours. Ouch!)and got a good Christmas music station going when typing in "Christmas Island". Lots of good old timey Christmas songs (Johnny Mathis, Breda Lee etc), and then out of the blue, 'White Christmas' by Regis Philbin.

And for some weird reason, I didn't give it a thumbs down to make it go away. Is it that I'm mentally conditioned to enjoy only the cheesiest of cheesy Christmas music?

It was followed by the Carpenters (frighteningly endearing)Winter Wonderland/Silver Bells/White Christmas medley, which totally redeemed pandora.com... in my opinion at least.

So. Happy Holidays everyone. What's on your Christmas list?

"A pony" is making its 28th repeat appearance on the top of my list.

Palomino.

One of the funniest SNL sketches I've seen in a while. I like this "new" gal- I think she's been in the cast for a year or so, but I haven't been keeping track.

Go Cougs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's officially time to start smack talk with any and all fans of the University of Washington, as this Saturday is not just Cougar Football Saturday, but THE APPLE CUP!!

Let the jokes begin!! I'll start with this one, which I found on a delightful little spot on the world wide web called... HuskiesSuck.com.

It's the night before the Husky season opener and the Husky coach gets a call from UW's sole math professor. He tells the coach that his quarterback is academically inelgible because, shockingly enough, he missed his math final from summer session.

In true Husky fashion, the coach asks for a bending of the rules and like a usual UW professor, he agrees and they decide on a one question, all or nothing math final at the 50 yard line in Husky Stadium on Opening Day.

So there's the quarterback at midfield, the entire stadium becomes dead silent, and over the PA system, the math professor shouts "Okay, what is 2 + 3?"

The quarterback furrows his brow, sweat drips down his rather large forehead and he racks his brain with all his might before letting out a hoarse "5?".

The entire stadium erupts in a huge roar with every husky fan jumping up and down screaming "Give Him another Chance!! Give Him another Chance!!"







Good stuff.

Nobody pinch me.

Maybe I'm just dreaming, but I can't decide if the primary cause of my big dumb smile is either:

1) the latest Tony Bennett Duets CD that I finally bought today, and his version of Lullaby of Broadway with the Dixie Chicks, in which the girls sound a lot like the Andrew's Sisters. (Very smile-worthy)

or


2) Rumsfelt just resigned.

George W. Bush, KFed awaken to joint stark realities.

Okay, all I've got this morning is that million dollar headline.

My #2 choice was "KFed, Republicans shown the door"



But I should mention that living in DC in a time like this is, to say the least, pretty neat.


(oh yes, and Daphne has not conceded any races yet. She's holding out for recounts.)


My challenge to you all: Send me your catchy headlines that shed light on both politics and KFed.

Daphne, have you been campaigning or what?

11/6/06 6:15 PM, Washington DC, Corner of 10th and N Street NW. I'm walking Daphne.

Guy I've never Seen Before Walking Past Me on the Sidewalk(GINSBWPMS): "Wait- is that...Daphne?"

Me (out loud): Uh...yeah?

Me (In my head): what the Hell?

GINSBWPMS: Yeah! I thought so. You take her to Wagtime?

Me (out loud): Um... yeah?

Me (in my head): seriously... what's going on here.... How does this guy know the dog day care I take her to?

GINSBWPMS: (sensing that I'm starting to think he's a stalker) Oh- I worked there for a few months, she's a cool dog.

Me: Ah! Okay- yeah, well- thanks!


And so, on this election eve, I have once again been faced with the reality that Daphne, as an institution, is just about as recognizable as the Golden Arches and the Elvis. So I officially announce that she will be using this to her advantage, and is throwing her hat in the ring for Mayor of DC. So go ahead DC, write in Daphne for Mayor 2006.

I honestly think she's has just as much of a chance as anyone at beating Adrian Fenty, so why not?