Olympic Spirit

I know when it comes to the Olympics, and sports in general, politics are not supposed to matter. I find that it actually matters more to me. I mean, if the U.S. beats Russia or China, I'm more happy than if they beat Spain or Italy. And the opposite is true too, where if we lose to Russia or China, I am more bummed than if we lose to certain other countries.  And the main reason I feel that way is because of foreign policy concerns. I also feel like China cheats the system by having people too young to compete in the games on their squads, and I dislike the way that Russian and Chinese athletes are forced to train by their governments. So its just that much sweeter when the U.S. wins against them, as well as a few others, but mostly them. And that ideal time whens sports transcends politics will have to wait for the time that the playing field is more fair and more governments treat their people the right way.

College Reunions

I have a friend from college who messaged me in June that she would be coming to DC, and that it would be great to meet up. We spent a lot of time together in college, but I haven't seen her since we graduated, back in June 2007. And I'm pretty sure I last spoke to her about 3 years ago. So I was slightly concerned that we might have changed too much to still have a lot to talk about. Luckily, that wasn't the case. Granted, some things have changed, but I think we are still basically the same people, and our friendship was solid enough in college that the intervening years haven't challenged that core relationship. In fact, she even stayed with me this past week as she decided to stay in DC an extra week and needed a room. And while I'm sure I don't ever want a roommate again, I am happy we got to hang out and spend time together.

I have a couple of friends from college that I keep in good touch with, and many that I wish I spoke with more often. One of the reasons I don't talk to many of them as much as I wish is because of the time difference. But I also think Facebook is to blame. Its a great tool to "follow" people, but I would argue that my actual interactions with my college friends has gone down because I have that artificial contact. So my goal is to stay in better touch with people. Especially those who I was good at keeping in touch with immediately after college. Hopefully I can do so.

New Gym Routine

I have started a new routine that involves going to the gym. So far I have only been following the routine for a week, but its working out well. I now bring my gym bag to work on Tues, Wed, and Thurs, and by carting it around all day, I kind of make myself go to the gym. I mean, if I carry the crap around, then I'm damn well going to use it, haha. I also work out on Sat and Sun, which is almost more painful than the weekdays because I like being lazy. Anyway, the main reason I'm doing this is because I have 2 races coming up, a 5k on Sept 9 and a 10k Oct 28. The 5k is the Color Run, a race where they throw colored powder on you every kilometer, and then there is a huge color party at the end. My 10k is the Marine Corps Marathon 10k, which starts on the Mall and follows the last 6.2 miles of the Marine Corps Marathon. I'm following a training plan for both races, and I hope that once I have finished both, I can keep up the plan of running on Tues, Thurs, and Sat, and cross training Wed and Sun. I want to get to the point where I can easily run 3 miles a few times a week to stay in shape. Fingers crossed I don't hurt myself and can continue to follow the plan!

Another Sucky Experience on Metro

I think this was my worst commute home ever. And I do mean ever. I have dealt with traffic on the bus,  Presidential motorcades, annoying people talking on the phone, no AC on metro cars, and delays on metro, and while I haven't liked any of those experiences, I think today takes the cake. I have to travel 12 stops in all to get home from work, 6 on one line, and then switch trains and ride 6 on the other line. All DC metro commuters know every now and then you will get on a car that doesn't have AC and so its hot and muggy. Well today I had the joy of being on 2 hot and muggy trains. The first train was bad. I walked in the car and thought to myself, this is gonna be a bad one. Then the train went slower than usual because of the heat (heat index above 95 again, oh joy). So it was just a gross ride. Usually, if I have had bad enough luck to be on one of those trains, I tend to get lucky when I switch trains. Today, not so much. Instead, I walked on to an even warmer car with that was probably the stickiest, most humid, muggy, disgustingly gross feeling car ever. Not only did it feel nasty, but it went sooooo sloooow. And then we sat at least 3 times because there was a train on a platform in front of us. That has got to be one of the most frustrating things in the world-sitting in an idling hot metro car. Ugh. So by the time I got off the train at my stop, I was more than ready to go home and relax in my nice, cool, air conditioned apartment. What a nightmare 40 minutes in the metro system today.

ESPN Makes Me Laugh

I am an Angels fan and have been for years. Since I moved from CA to DC, I have noticed a distinct lack of coverage of many teams on the west coast, especially the Angels, and not including the Dodgers. Part of it is that home games on the west coast begin at 10:00pm east coast time, and end at 1:00am. I think the other part of it is that ESPN doesn't care about certain teams, including the Angels. All that changed with the signing of Pujols (which I'm still on the fence about). Then when Pujols started the season sucking, the coverage once again was limited, and only really focused on Pujols and when he would finally hit a home run. The Angels turned it around, mainly because of our rookie Trout, but since he and Harper came up the same day, all the focus was on Harper, and no one on the East Coast, including ESPN, cared that the Angels were rocking it. Then came the All-Star break. All of the sudden people started paying attention to Trumbo, who hit some awesome bombs in the home run derby. But he had been hitting those bombs for the whole first half (20+ HR before the break), it was just that no one seemed to care beyond Angels fans. Then people got to see Trout play, and they realized he was awesome. He has the best average in the majors, is a great defenseman, and he hit a knuckleballer the first time he saw one in the All Star game. Now I'm watching ESPN Monday Night Baseball, which is Angels vs. Tigers, and the announcers are going on and on about how great the team is, and Trout and Trumbo in particular. It just makes me laugh because this isn't new. It's just new to ESPN because they didn't give a damn about the Angels before. Oh ESPN. Thanks for waking up and finally paying attention to my team.

What A Waste

Whether or not you agree with the Affordable Healthcare Act or the President's Jobs Act, this image is just shocking:

I'm sorry, but this is a complete waste of money. Nothing will happen with a Democrat-controlled Senate, so this is a waste of time and all about politics. I would much rather Congress work on dealing with Sequestration set for Jan 2013. Also, I just learned what the budget is of my bureau for a fiscal year, and comparing that to how much it costs to keep Congress working for a day makes me sick. We could use the money that they are wasting on this nonsense, and it really pisses me off. I feel guilty when I am at work with not enough to do because I feel like I am wasting tax-payer dollars. I wish the Republicans in Congress felt the same way. 

Most Uncomfortable Place in DC?

(Not including Capitol Hill that is)

I vote for a metro car that does not have AC in the middle of summer. What a nasty and uncomfortable ride home. Sweat dripping down your back, the humid air, smelly people, need I continue? Ugh. The question is do you risk it and try for another car in the hopes that it has AC, or do you stay in your seat and tough it out because its only 15 min out of your life anyway? I usually suffer through it, but I certainly don't look down on those who move. I think WMATA should just retire those cars or save them for winter, that would solve the problem. Then again, we would probably end up with way fewer cars and therefore longer waits... So a hot and sweaty commute or a longer one? Because apparently those are my only choices.

Is It Locked?

I love living by myself. I don't have to worry about anyone judging me, I can do whatever I want whenever I want, I can go to bed late and sleep in, I can watch crappy TV shows, I don't have to worry about anyone's needs but my own, etc. The down side to living alone? Making sure the door is locked. I live in a very secure building, and I have 2 locks on my door, making it virtually impossible to get in unless I let you in. The problem? I'm so paranoid about forgetting to lock the doors that I often stand at my door for up to 10 minutes every night double, triple, and quadruple times 5 checking. It's ridiculous. I almost wish I was OCD about it, because then I could check the locks only a certain number of times and feel ok. But no. I'm just paranoid. And if my mind wanders while I'm checking the locks, I have to check again...and again. And you know what? I have never woken up in the morning to find that the door was unlocked. So I have no idea where this fear comes from, besides the normal single-chick-in-the-city fear. Sadly, I don't think its going away anytime soon, especially as I don't plan on getting a roommate. Maybe I should get a nice pad to put in front of the door to make it easy on my feet while I obsess...nah, that would probably just make me check even longer. Sigh.

Heat Wave

DC has been in the middle of a massive heat wave. We actually broke the record for the number of days in a row over 95 degrees - 9 days and counting at this point. The worst part of this is that it isn't just hot, its humid. So humid that the heat index is making it feel like its in the hundreds. Ugh. I'm all for heat- hello, Southern Californian here!- but this is just ridiculous. I walked to dinner on Thursday and by the time I got there I felt like a limp, burnt noodle. It's just so gross. Fingers crossed it lets up by next week, because all I want to do right now is hibernate with my AC on!

Why My Eye?

I have had an eye problem for going on 10 months now. In the process of trying to fix it, I have seen 5 doctors (3 ophthalmologists) and been to 7 doctor's appointments, with another one scheduled for next Friday. I have been on a plan of putting in eyedrops 7 times a day (2 different types), as well as taking a pill 2 times a day to lower the inflammation in my lids and cleansing my lids once a day. Its not working. Well, to be fair, my eyes get better for a certain period of time, not all the way white, but a livable white, and then they revolt and have what I not so fondly call an episode. An episode involves a swollen eye that is bright red, with the lining of the eye super red, and some nice discharge that comes out every now and then. Its quite beautiful. And while all those doctors can tell me what is wrong with my eye, none of them have been able to tell me what is causing the problem or find a way to stop it from happening again. And I'm so beyond sick of it (pun intended). I've emailed my latest ophthalmologist to see if he wants me to come in earlier than my next scheduled appointment, but that doesn't help me today. And today is the freaking 4th of July, the birthday of free America, and I'm just pissed. I have friends coming over, and I know I am going to be super self-conscious all day. So thanks eye, for ruining my day and America's birthday. You really know how to kill a good time. Sigh.

Can You Ever Have Too Many Books?

I think I have a problem. No, that's not true; I know I have a problem. I just bought 5 books, even though I already own about 60 that I still need to read. I am also officially out of room on my bookshelves. I just can't help myself. This time I did only buy books that are on my Goodreads to-be-read shelf, and I waited until I had a coupon, but still.  I am trying to limit my buying, and while this post doesn't make it seem like I am succeeding, I actually haven't been buying as many books as I could. And to be fair, there are worse habits/vices to have. And I am reading a mixture of fiction and non-fiction, so its not like I'm trashing my mind. Instead, I'm broadening my horizons. Or so I tell myself. I also have plans in the works to get more bookcases, so that problem is soon to be solved as well. Seeing as just having books and the option to pick one up whenever I want makes me happy, I don't think I can have too many books. And if I want a library one day I have to start somewhere, right?  So maybe I don't have a problem. At least, not one that won't be solved with a few more bookcases. :-)

Sad or Mad?

I climbed the stairs out of the metro today and watched as the guy right in front of me immediately pulled out a cigarette and started smoking. I was thinking to myself, how sad is it that this person can't wait more than 30 seconds to light up? And then I got mad because he smoked and it all flew into my face. So I wasn't sure if I should be sad for this person because he obviously is super addicted to nicotine, or pissed because he had no regard for the people walking around him who couldn't avoid the smoke he was blowing.  Sigh. I generally have no problem when someone wants to do something that only hurts themselves, but secondhand smoke is nasty and disgusting and definitely has an effect on everyone around the smoker. I just wish the smokers I come across in DC would be a bit more respectful of those of us who can't stand the stuff they willingly put in their bodies.

Contempt? How About Contemptible.

So the House found Attorney General Holder in contempt last week. My biggest problem with this is that it was so political. I agree that there were problems with the Fast and Furious program, but I think that the Republicans wanted to make an election year point and that this resolution was actually unnecessary. My reasoning? All but 17 democrats walked out of the proceeding, and I think all but maybe a handful of Republicans voted for it. In addition, the NRA pressed really hard for the contempt resolution, and even leaned on members of Congress who want to stay in the NRA's good graces. I'm sorry, but since when was a lobbying group allowed to push for a member of the President's cabinet to be held in contempt? That is just such bs. I already have issues with lobbying groups, but this is just insane. And its sad that this issue has taken so much time from other work that Congress could be doing before going on their ridiculous summer break. Sigh.