The Snog Monster Strikes Again!

In case you were hanging off your seats wondering what has happened to me in the last two nights, I will fill you in on the Snog Monster.

I have made some keen observations about the Snog Monster - rather amazing, actually. In it's natural environment (it just felt like a good opening...) the Snog Monster can actually start rumbling when it is not fully asleep. It's strange actually. The rumbles start and yet the Snog is still somewhat coherent. It amazes me but I'm afraid to look over to draw attention to my observing in case the Snog's eyes are wide open. (Wouldn't that be embarrassing?) But the way I found out was because we were watching TV and I heard some rumblings coming from the Snog....and then something funny happened on whatever program we were watching and the Snog became alert and laughed and actually said something. So I was so confused as to the state of the Snog - are you asleep? Are you awake?

My Mother-In-Law was made aware of the situation from the first night. I had forewarned her not to be alarmed if she heard someone coming to her house in the middle of the night - it would probably just be me trying to seek some refuge. But I didn't want to put her out so I made a trip to the pharmacy for some sleeping aides - in the form of pills and earplugs. (I seem to be a glutton for punishment and lack of sleep.) They worked! I'm usually skeptical of sleeping pills but desparate times call for desparate measures. I brought it back to the room, popped my pills, threw in the earplugs and hunkered down for the night. It probably also helped that I was already so groggy and tired. But I managed to get a semi-decent night's rest. I think I woke about two times during the night and although this is really childish, the Snog pooted during one of the times I woke up - hee hee.

A group of us went out tonight (night three, one to go) and I drank a bit in hopes that it would make me tired and groggy again. I also left the bar earlier than the Snog so I could hopefully pop the pills and be asleep by the time the Snog was ready to rear it's ugly head. Well - that didn't happen. I am blogging, the Snog is now in bed and she has been talking, talking, talking. Talking has ceased and I'm expecting the noises to start any minute now.

I should probably take my contacts out, get ready for bed and jump into bed in hopes that the Snog does not beat me to Dreamland - cause if the Snog gets there before me, it will be ANOTHER long day tomorrow!

Crap - too late!

You Can't Get That Here

As exciting a place as the Washington, D.C. metro area is, its merchants are surprisingly deficient in the selection of beverages they offer to the consumer. Walking through the pop aisle in a supermarket in the Detroit 'burbs is like being a kid in a candy store by comparison. I don't get it. Why are D.C. grocery stores so stingy? Here's a list of beverages I've hunted and been unable to locate (even with various agents who are scouting stores in the area I never encounter):

1. Diet A&W Cream Soda - This is the granddaddy. I have been looking for Diet A&W Cream Soda here for YEARS! Diet A&W Root Beer is easy enough to come by, but no sign whatsoever of its cream soda cousin. Not even in the substandard 2-Liter bottle. What gives? When my husband and I went to Maine this summer, we cleaned two Hannaford grocery stores out of the stuff. I am stocked up for at least a few months. In Maine, they even have Diet A&W Cream Soda in the plastic bottle in the impulse buy cooler at the checkout line. Safeway, Giant, Harris Teeter - please take note. I want my cream soda.

2. Light Hawaiian Punch - When I was young, Hawaiian Punch was my favorite "juice." Forget that Hi-C crap. Hawaiian Punch was IT. I still love the taste of it, but I can't handle all of that sugar. My mom introduced me to the Light Hawaiian Punch when I was in Michigan last year. It's delicious. Tastes just like the original but without that gritty feeling on your teeth afterwards. Think I've seen it since then? Not a chance.

3. Faygo - My husband really wanted to have Faygo Red Pop at a barbecue we hosted this summer. We were having all of the old school stuff - Waldorf salad, homemade ice cream, etc. A 40 of Faygo would have been the perfect beverage to wash it down. But nope. Couldn't find it anywhere.

4. Labatt's Blue Light - Finally, an alcoholic beverage makes the list. Being near Canada, you can find Labatt's Blue Light ANYWHERE in the Detroit metropolitan area. It's like a Miller Lite but so much tastier. In Detroit, they serve it in stadiums on tap. In Washington, they serve it nowhere. And I do mean nowhere. You can go to a bar with 500 imported varieties. You will see beers from South Africa, Japan, etc. But you will never see Labatt's Blue Light. Surely, I can't be the only Michigander in D.C. Come on. Help me out.

The Snog Monster - Part I

One of the key accessories to travelling? Earplugs. Unless you know for sure that you will be by yourself, at night, or with someone you are absolutely used to sleeping with.
I know the old adage, 'If you can't say anything nice...' blah blah blah - but I find it a little hard to be forgiving at the tender hour of 3:34 AM ET. So I'm going to tell you and myself a story about the Snog Monster.

I don't exactly know how the Snog Monster can be described other than an imageless creature that approaches you in the night and blocks your path to Dreamland. I have been trying to reach said Dreamland for the past two hours only to have the Snog Monster push, prod and needle it's way into my hearing in order to prevent me from ever reaching blissful sleep. I even went so far as to pull out the trusty old iPod and went to my 'Relaxing' playlist to try and lull me to sleep. This playlist contains soft, slow, melodies and power ballads. Because I didn't want to drain the batteries and find out that I wouldn't be able to listen to my iPod on the return flight, I decided to start myself on my Relaxing playlist, starting at the 'To's - that would be Toto. This would take me through about 15 songs all the way to the 'W's, which would be the end of my relaxing playlist.

Relaxing Playlist - Take One. No dice. I think I got about eight minutes of sleep over 15 songs....but the Snog Monster crept up on my after the playlist was over and shook my core to the point where I became wide awake and wondered whether I had even drifted into a sense of sleep at all or if it was all my imagination. I turned off the iPod and tried to drift off again. I found myself sleeping on my side, pulling the spare pillow over my top ear and my one hand cupping the other ear. The Snog Monster would not be avoided.

Relaxing Playlist - Take Two. I decided to take myself back up to the 'Su's, as in Survivor, and work my way back down to the 'W's. During this time, I had the bright idea of having my earphones in, pulling the spare pillow over my top ear and having the other pillow under my arm, cupping my bottom ear, creating a virtual coccoon for my head. So here I am, lying with my earphones, two pillows molded to my ears like earmuffs, with Tom Jones (I'm already on 'To') inviting me to help myself to his lips, to his arms (no thanks, Tom), etc....only to have the Snog Monster interject every so often with it's own soundtrack for me. I swear I have the music at a volume that I can only hear but would still allow me to fall asleep but somehow the Snog Monster always manages to beat it. I think I lost 10 pounds from sweating under my virtual coccoon.

Earplugs in, playlist over, thinking begins. I think about anything, everything, nothing. I think about possibly going over to my mother-in-law's house to sleep for the duration of my trip (GASP!) if only I can get a solid six (SIX is all I ask for Snog Monster) hours of sleep. I think about blogging (Boy, wouldn't this make a great story?!). I think about what I would write about the Snog Monster. I started out with a poem...
There once was a girl from DC
That was trying to get some sleep
But the Snog Monster began
And ruined her plans
Of ever reaching Dreamland again....

Nah - I think I had a better one lying in bed.

Next thought: How to defeat the Snog Monster. There's always the forthcoming 'shake and wake.' However, what good would that do the both of us? There's always me rolling around restlessly on the bed to try and quiet the Snog Monster. Perhaps it, too, just needs to be lulled a little bit to silence. I even thought about spooning Snog Monster (for about a NY minute) to perhaps make it think that significant other is in bed with it because surely the Snog Monster does not rear it's ugly head with the significant other?! Then there's always the very obvious kick to the ass and making it fall out of bed. Although it would be fun and supremely gratifying, I just don't have it in me.

Which brings me to where I am right now...sitting on an uncomfortable toilet seat in the bathroom, laptop in hand, wireless working (thank GOD!), away from the Snog Monster. My eyes are bloodshot, my hair is mussed, my muscles are achy (I think that might be from dance class) and if it was possible, I think I would have a six o'clock shadow growing.

I give up, Snog Monster. You win. I bow to you and your snogginess. Spare me the next four hours to get some peace and dreamless sleep....come to think of it, I have BARELY heard the Snog Monster for the past 22 minutes (the length of my bathroom stay)....perhaps the tub?! I don't think so. (Wouldn't that be just the ultimate insult?!) However, I do think a nap tomorrow, while the Snog Monster is wreaking havoc on the living, is in order.

Oh Snog Monster - how many more nights? Three and counting....

Where We Were

We all have stories to tell about where we were when those planes hit the twin towers on September 11, 2001. And when another plane hit the Pentagon. And yet another crash landed in Pennsylvania.

My story is this. Sometime during the summer of 2001, I decided that I had to leave my law firm in Austin, TX. I diligently searched for a new job, and Washington, D.C. was the best option. There were a number of reasons: I had some relevant experience for a job in federal regulatory work, I would not have to sit for another bar exam, I had a handful of law school friends in the area, I would be geographically closer to my family in Michigan, and I have been enamored with Washington, D.C. ever since my family visited in the third grade. I love history. I love what Washington, D.C. is all about.

I came here to interview in August 2001. It was a whirlwind tour. I was also interviewing in Atlanta, and I was trying to cram everything in one weekend. It was extremely tough to take time off my job in Austin. I had an interview scheduled for a Friday morning, but I was flying to D.C. from Atlanta Thursday night. So a few people from the Washington firm wanted to take me to dinner when I arrived Thursday.

The cab driver from Dulles drove me right down Constitution Avenue. I saw the Vietnam Memorial, the White House, the Washington Monument. I saw people playing soccer along the mall. I was immediately in love. I knew this was the place for me. It was kind of like a dream I never even knew I had. After my official interview on Friday, I walked around the mall, visited Ford's Theater, and dipped my feet into the fountain at the Sculpture Gardens by the National Gallery. It was sunny and beautiful. When I returned to Austin, I couldn't wait to hear whether I'd gotten the job. I did!!

My start date would be October 1. I gave my two weeks notice just before Labor Day and scheduled a visit to D.C. for the next weekend to look for an apartment. I would fly out to Dulles September 8 and return to Austin on September 11. I was staying at my law school friend Nancy’s in Alexandria. Because my return flight was not until the afternoon, I stayed at Nancy’s in the morning and was going to meet one of the partners at my new firm for lunch. That didn’t happen.

There I was, the morning of September 11, in someone else’s house. Nancy and her then-fiancé (now husband) had gone to work. I would lock up when I left. Because it was not my house, my routine was messed up. I did not turn on the t.v. I was sleeping in. Nancy called me sometime between 8 and 9 to tell me the news of the World Trade Center. My response was “Oh really?” It wasn’t that I didn’t care. But I honestly could not comprehend the gravity of the situation. I had not seen the footage.

I started to get ready for the day when I got another call from her. She told me, “Do not, under any circumstances, go downtown. The Pentagon’s been hit.” Even then, I still felt like I shouldn’t cancel on my lunch. I had promised to be there. I wanted to give a good impression to my new employer. Eventually, of course, I did cancel – understandably.

It took me three days to get out of D.C. The strangest feeling of all was that I was supposed to fly on September 11 – from an airport where one of the ill-fated planes had departed. It could have been me. But it wasn’t. I was very lucky that day. I was at a friend’s house. I had a rental car. I wasn’t in a hurry to get anywhere. But I’ll never forget wondering how I would ever get back to Austin.

When I finally flew out of Dulles on Friday, September 14, it was a ghost town. My flight back to Austin was only half full. It seemed so strange given all of the flights in the previous three days that had been canceled. But people were only flying home. If they didn’t have to fly somewhere, they didn’t. I was a little scared, but I’m glad I did it. I flew out on the day the airports reopened. And I wasn’t scared again.

A few week later, I got in my car with my unsuspecting cat and drove from Texas through the Deep South to stay with a friend in Atlanta and then on to Washington. It was a crazy time to move here. But I’ll never look back.

Washington, D.C. is still a dream to me.

Why Give Up?

So last night was the first night of the new semester of Hip-Hop II. I have been without dance class for three weeks and missed it terribly. I was so looking forward to class and seeing Miss Angelica (our teacher) after a little hiatus only to be somewhat disappointed afterwards.

As with any class like this, you had your veterans and you have your newbies. The veterans have pretty much been there since hip-hop class was introduced at the school (which was only last February). The newbies are people that have taken other jazz/dance classes at some other school thinking that they can bypass Hip Hop Basics and Hip Hop I and jump right into Hip Hop II at this school. I would say that some of them had a rude awakening.

Because we haven't been in class for three weeks and there were some people that weren't in class for the summer session, I understand that there's the need for a refresher course. But when 75% of your class is new and can't seem to keep up, then we've got problems. We spent a majority of the class going over the six-step, five-step, four-step, and three-step. For those unfamiliar with Hip-Hop lingo, these are all on the floor, on all fours, moves. After first learning these moves, for days afterwards, I rendered my arms dead and thought they would fall off my body. But I've licked my wounds, sucked it up and went back to class only to enjoy it immensely. Last night, we did these moves over and over and over again....and she threw in some kick outs and side swipes...more floor moves. I was fully prepared for my arms to feel the burn and soreness like the first time but I actually feel ok. However, I can guarantee you those new girls are dying today - and probably will be for the next few days. Some of them were even ready to call it quits after class. I think their expectations were a little skewed as far as what this Hip-Hop class was about - I think they thought they could audition to be one of Justin's backup dancers after they took this class.

Amanda and I tried to convince them that it wasn't like this for every class. I admitted that I went home and wanted to cry after learning these moves for the first time but I grudgingly went back the following week. And Amanda was quick to tell them, 'She (Miss Angelica) pushes you hard...' But this is what I don't get. Even if you've taken dance class before, this is a whole new genre of dance. Wouldn't you want to try a beginners class first just to make sure you can handle it before jumping into advance? I mean Amanda and I both have taken dance classes before...Amanda more recently, but we both started out in Hip Hop I and Miss Angelica, herself, moved us into Hip Hop II cause she thought we could handle it.

So of course I was disappointed in the class because we spent the whole time reviewing instead of learning new moves. I hope that won't be the case next week. But that's not to say it wasn't a great workout...I had sweat coming out of every pore of my body. And that always feels good.

Celebrity Breakups

If you haven't figured this out about me already, I'm telling you now. I'm a sucker for celebrity gossip. I am well aware that it's trash. And deep down, I know it's ridiculous to care about these people I don't even know. I know I'm only feeding the paparazzi machine. But for me, it’s a disease without a cure.

While I’ll generally listen to any kind of celebrity gossip, there is a particular type of celebrity gossip that I find especially appealing. You guessed it: celebrity breakups. I keep a mental tally of when actors/singers/assorted entertainers get together, and I start counting down until they call it quits.

Now how’s this for admission . . . at least half of the time, these break-ups make me just a little bit happy. I know I’m not alone in this. I think there have been studies about the public reveling in celebrities’ misfortunes. But still. I like to think of myself as a reasonable person, and that just seems incredibly immature.

Maybe there’s just a part of me that likes to know that celebrities have problems too. And of course, a reminder of the old adage: money can’t buy happiness.

The Story of a H.O.- fo sho

My sister and I came up with a nickname for being hungover - a HO (Hung Over). There have been many a Saturday or Sunday morning where I've picked up my phone to dial a home in New Jersey only to hear, "Are you a HO?" The answer? "Fo Sho." My voice would be strained, my mouth would be dry and my head would be pounding.

But those days don't seem to occur much anymore. I haven't been a HO in a few months - that is until this past weekend. I was a 'little HO' on Sunday. Did I make that call to NJ? Yes. But because it wasn't a complete, must stay-in-bed type of hangover, my sister didn't pick up on it. Probably because I was also on my way out the door for an appointment.

I hate that feeling - the feeling of cotton mouth...the straining to talk because your voice gave out from yelling over the music the night before....the light, heady feeling whenfood just doesn't feel like a good option and the worst - when your toes feel like they're not a part of your feet anymore because they're numb from the pain of busting a move the night before. But I think I had to let loose Saturday after a whole day of sitting in the sun, being up at the crack of dawn and just having a tough week at work the previous week.

So I got it out of the system....and from here on out, I'm going to try to be a HO - no mo'!