Why I Live in a Cycle...

I know no one reads my blog, but I have to share this graph (via Ezra Klein via NYT):


I can't get off.

Just Fallin Out

::blush:: don't you just love him?



By the way, I received my letter of thanks for volunteering at the Easter Egg Roll yesterday, signed by Michelle Obama. I'm telling myself that she saw mine and signed it herself. I know how these things work...but I'm telling myself that anyway (you never know...I mean I know some people in her office, so I could ask...but...).

White House Easter Egg Roll 2009

So yesterday (this morning), I railed on tourists. And my opinion hasn't changed. In fact, I've added a new gripe:

Don't wear high heels to walk around the city or to the White House or to the Capitol. Don't tell me you're comfortable because you're not. And you're not fooling anyone. We still know you're a tourist.

Anyway, today was the ultimate tourist trap: The White House Easter Egg Roll.

30,000 people received tickets (and that probably doesn't include staffers' kids). And I was there as a volunteer. I braced myself for stinky eggs, whiny kids, and a bunch of tourists thinking they were going to walk right into the West Wing just because they got a ticket to the backyard (so the South Lawn totally feels like a backyard--a giant one nonetheless--but an awesome backyard).

But it was so much fun. The kids were so, so cute. We only had a few criers and even fewer temper tantrums over at the West Egg Roll (my station) and only one or two pushy parents. I think they were more excited than the kids. One cutie pie called it Obamaland. I love that child. It's so true. It was totally Obamaland. A few celebs came by too (Tom Joyner, Chuck Todd, and the farmer from the movie Babe). Unfortunately, I missed the POTUS and FLOTUS. They came in the morning, but I had the afternoon shift. Still, it was so worth it. And now I'm feeling extra maternal and can't wait to dress up my little babies in gingham and argyle and seersucker on the Monday after Easter!

(P.S. Papa Smurf is still the greatest grandpa ever [no offense, Granddaddy]).

Hiatus Over

Sorry about the delay. I've been busy. I finally got a job (yay health care). It's with the government, so you know that means most websites that are the least bit interesting are blocked by Big Brother (booo). So no blogging at work. But I figured a way around it. So when I can get a minute away from the piles of work I have trying to aid democracy, I'll update.

Moving on...

I hear my entries are too long. I'll work on it (but you know this is me we're talking about. brevity has never been my strong suit).

Anyway, the president was right (to my hidden chagrin). Oh UNC. Well congrats, I guess. Luckily, I love my president. Is this how the Repubs felt about Bush? Whoa. Scary. Maybe this is how they felt aboutReagon. Still...whoa. Scary. (note: "Ronald Reagan" is a bad word in my house. Pretty much up there with the F-word. You don't say it.)

March Madness

This is totally the best time of year. Well. It's not. But it's the best part of the springtime, that's for sure! And by far the best sporting event out there. Even if you don't watch basketball any other time of year, you should pay attention now. About eight years ago, I stopped watching pro ball with any regularity or even excitement. The NBA had become a show of overpaid, overgrown selfish children. It was hard to separate off-court antics from on-court professionalism (and even some on-court antics, thanks Latrell Sprewell and Ron Artest).

But the NCAA! Man! Overgrown children playing for pride, glory, and the love of the game. Cinderella stories. Shattered backboards. The Fab Five. Cheers. Tears. And of course, the best theme song in sports. "One Shining Moment" is a song that transcends sports! And it's sung by both Teddy Pendergrass and Luther Vandross. I mean, COME ON! It just doesn't get much better.

I remember realizing my childhood was really over in the 8th grade when our teacher let the class watch the first round all afternoon one day (it was Catholic school. We just skipped religion probably). It was so much fun. Someone said, "I can't wait to do this next year." And we all realized we wouldn't be together next year, not in the same classroom, or even same school. But we had that last March Madness. I'll never forget that moment.

Then there was the year my Terps won the whole thing. And the stars of the team came back to campus without chips on their shoulders. And we cheered for Lonnie and Cox and Drew and Byron (who happened to be my fave). And we cried for Juan Dixon, the MVP of the game and our hearts. And for Gary. And for Steve Blake. And for Cole Field House. And each other. We knew that would be the best time of their basketball careers. One of them might go on to win a professional championship. But it wouldn't be like 2002. Nope. Not at all.

And there was grad school, rooting for the Ivy League champs, the Quakers. We knew they'd lose, but it was still kinda cool, sitting in a Philly sports bar, rooting for the underdog in a town of underdogs. It just doesn't get better. It really doesn't.

So I did my brackets. I have two for the guys and one for the girls (yes, there's a bracket for the ladies too. Get with it).

President Obama picked UNC to win the whole thing for the guys (he didn't do a girls' bracket, at least not on ESPN...sigh...can't win 'em all), so I picked UNC, too. I'm a patriot, and I don't want the president to fail (unlike the GOP in Congress and on the radio, but I digress). But darnit, this is really the first time I've EVER wished anything positive for the Tar Heels. It feels pretty gross actually.

I grew up a Blue Devils fan. I loved them. The Team, the Players, the School. Grant Hill. Christian Laettner. Trajen Langdon. Shane Battier. I still remember opening my acceptance letter with my dad. I hated the crosstown, Tobacco Road rival. Chapel Hill might as well have been a trash heap to me. But I decided to go to Maryland for school. I would have been run out of College Park if I ever wore my Duke sweatshirt. It didn't matter. My school pride transformed my love for the Durham team into a bitter relationship, much like a divorced woman who longed for the innocent days of love shared between two young lovers, but who never again wanted to see her ex happy. I rooted for their failure, but still had a soft spot if they won (and only if the Terps' standing wasn't harmed). But through it all, staying in ACC country, my hatred for UNC only grew. Carolina Blue? Puh-leez. It's totally overrated and overused and pretty much just electric baby blue. ICK!

Yet, as a good follower, I've chosen (geez, it even hurts to say) UNC to win. But really, I think Pitt will take the whole thing, beating UNC in the final four and then Memphis in the end. Then again, I don't like sports towns that monopolize championships. So part of me hopes that Pitt doesn't win (and you can thank the Steelers for that). Maybe North Carolina deserves a little thank you for turning blue back in November (then again, how many of the players on the team voted for Obama in NC? Or at all?). That's the only way I can justify this in my head.

Back to March Madness. Every year there's a new story, a new team that will surprise the country, a new star shining and beating a buzzer. There's always a moment. Ladders, nets, and scissors. Enjoy every minute of it!

I wanted to post my brackets, but I couldn't find one that I could link to the blog until tonight on the NYT website. They won't let me fill it out now that the games have started. UGH! Anyway, my Final Four is Louisville/Memphis and Pitt/UNC with UNC winning (thanks to the pres) OR Louisville/UConn (thanks to the Maryland upset I'm predicting against Memphis) and Pitt/UNC with Pitt taking it all.
For the ladies, I have Connecticut/Stanford and Maryland/Rutger. Yes, the Lady Terps will bring it home to the Comcast Center one more time! (Go Kristi!)

M-A-R-Y-L-A-N-D! Maryland Will Win! GO TERPS!

Google Reader

So, it turns out the Barnes&Noble photo was real! I searched and searched (but then pretty much stopped) to see if I could find an answer or explanation last week, but then today stumbled on this thanks to Jack and Jill Politics.

I saw the article thanks to Google Reader! GR has changed my life -- and my reading habits. I'm totally going to mess up the technical explanation of this, but here's my attempt to explain why I love it and how it works. Basically, if you have gmail (and who really doesn't), click in the top left corner on "Reader". From there you can subscribe to anything on the web with an RSS feed (like I really know what that is), like blogs and news sites (I've heard you can even follow airline sites to see how prices go up and down). Then, whenever something new is posted to the site with the RSS feed, it will show up in your handy Google Reader page! It makes way more sense when you see it. But I LOVE it! I read everything from Mrs. O to CNN to wedding planning blogs.

You can also organize each blog that you read into folders, which makes reading a lot easier. Plus, I read the "serious" ones first and then work my way to the exciting ones. My categories are Local (local news and events), News (national), Politics, Sexy Style (really its gossip, but I don't want to call it that -- oh wait there's also some fashion in there), and Weddings. Then I have two blogs -- Smitten Kitchen and Bakerella -- that don't fit into a category. They're both cooking blogs, and I feel that if they get a folder, then that means I'll actually have to start cooking. And I'm not ready for that kind of commitment to the kitchen! Soon, though, because I love what I see and I really can't afford to eat out all of the time.

But check out Google Reader. You'll feed better about yourself. You get to be smart and fun all at the same time!

Presidential Address to Congress

Did you watch it? If not, find it on the White House website. What do you think? What about the Republican response?

Sidebar: I want to go shopping in Nancy Pelosi's closet in about 35 years.

Welcome

I planned to start this blog the day I met President-Elect Obama. It was an amazing moment. He walked in the room, preceded by the tallest Secret Service agent I have ever seen, shook some hands, reached out to me, shook mine, said a few words, and moved on. I don't know what he said. Something about basketball and getting back to work. It really doesn't matter. It was still amazing. But life took over (after I stopped shaking from excitement and g-chatting about the moment to all of my friends) and I never got around to starting this blog.

So now I'm here. The night of President Obama's first address to the Congress, laying out his vision for the next four years. I must say, I hope it's eight years. That was just amazing. For so many reasons. What he said, who he is, all that he is not. I'm not grandizing him, but I believe in him and in his passion. It's not the first time I've been proud to be an American, but daggonit, it makes me proud of this country in ways that I've never felt before. Pride can grow, right? Well it feels pretty amazing right about now. And I can't WAIT until the 4th of July. Even if I do the same thing I've done for the past few years on July 4 this year, I promise it will FEEL different. And that's pretty cool.

Anyway, I don't know if you actually care what I think or what I don't think. But I like to talk. And this is my forum to put it out there for all to see. And it'll be a wide variety. Everything from music to fashion to politics to education to tennis to television shows to weddings to whatever. So enjoy!