Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Attack of the Condos!

As some of you know, in the past few days it looked like I might be getting a condo. Not just any condo, the most perfect condo in Alexandria. Perfect location (within walking distance of the blue and yellow lines), about 5 miles from my parents’ homes, with 9 foot ceilings, crown molding, a big bedroom, and a gorgeous kitchen. Well, basically, I decided to wait. I’m being responsible! PRAISE ME!

Anyhoo, the condo cost $288,000 which, believe it or not, is a really great price for a one bedroom place in Alexandria. Virginia offers a ton of incentives for first time homebuyers such as no down payment, low monthly payments, etc. so it’s possible I could have afforded this place on my pathetic government salary.

But here’s the thing. I have been telling myself I am about two years away from moving out and that is the frame of mind I have been in. When it seemed like all of a sudden I might be getting a condo in a month or two, I kind of froze. I just haven’t felt “ready.” This is the kind of big step that for someone like me (a compulsive planner), requires time to sink in. I mean, I would own property. I don’t own anything! My mom technically owns my car, and she and my brother pitched in on my laptop. So pretty much the only thing that I own of any value right now is my Sony 5 disc DVD player. Whoo?

I also talked to a friend of Mom’s who owns a bunch of real estate in Northern Virginia and he suggested waiting a year or two. Apparently, interest rates are very high right now and in the next couple of months the market will be cooling down. Which means if I wait, prices might come down. And I am sure people will be trying to sell their condos in the community I want (The Exchange at Van Dorn btw).

So that’s where I stand right now. I’m not going anywhere for at least a year, assuming I don’t win the lottery or get married or something. And, you know what? That’s ok. I like being at home. There’s no shame in living in the basement. Especially not when it looks like mine, I’ve got a 5 disc DVD player down there.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

It's Never Too Early to Pick a President

I have become a big fan of podcasts, I listen to them at work while I am trolling through medical records and other assorted activities that don’t necessarily require loads of brainpower (insert obligatory how hard is your job joke here). Right now I listen to my Harry Potter podcasts, The Onion’s daily podcast, and my new obsession, Real Time with Bill Maher. Basically, HBO has taken Bill Maher’s weekly show (which follows a similar format as Politically Incorrect), and posted the audio. While listening to this show, spontaneous laughter and cheering break out from my cubicle and I am sure my office-mate Fatima thinks I am insane.

On the last episode I listened to, Bill had as one of his panel guests, Senator Joe Biden from Delaware (democrat, of course, else why would I care?). Interesting fact: Joe is the only person from either party to publicly state that he will run for President in 2008. And from what I have heard and read about him, I would vote for him in a second. If it comes to Joe Biden or Mark Warner (former VA governor) in the primaries I have no idea what I would do, because I love them so. Here is a quote from Joe, ahem, Senator Biden, from the show:

"The problem with this country is we haven't had any leader with the nerve to challenge the American people to do the things they are ready to do. These people here are ready…what the hell has anybody in this country asked anybody to do in terms of building this country? What would have happened if the President had gone and said, right after 9/11, I have an energy policy, it's gonna be painful, this is what it's gonna take and I expect you to do it? They would have all responded, at that moment, they would have. It was a squandered opportunity. We don't have leadership."

You go Joe! Any politician willing to use profanity to make his point has my vote! Except not, see re: Dick Cheney. It just seemed like everything this guy said resonated with me and made total sense, and how often do you find that in politics? Here is another gem, discussing why democrats always get clobbered by the religious voters who run to the Republicans come election day:

"We have too many elites in our [democrat] party who look down their noses at people of faith. The people of faith don't want us to share their view, they just want to know we respect them"

Again, I agree. You’re always going to have those crazy Christians (CCs) who think blowing up abortion clinics is a good idea, or think Harry Potter is the evil, or STILL wear those WWJD bracelets (seriously, those things went out of style like 3 years ago, get with the program CCs), but for the most part they respect other people’s beliefs.

So remember Senator Joe Biden come election day. Here is his website if you want to check him out.

Quote of the day (from Bill Maher): "Americans want the contribution of the poor and the immigrants, without having to actually see them, or be among them. Which is why I suggest instead of building a wall on the border, we build a Wal-Mart. It would be 1,950 miles long, or the size of a normal Wal-Mart, and there would still be just the one register open. But it would solve this problem because if we build this Wal-Mart exactly on the border, the Americans could come through the front door and shop and the Mexicans could come through the back door and work."

Friday, June 02, 2006

It's the end of the world as we know it

Here is a gmail chat conversation between me and Caroline, based upon viewing the following pictures of KEVIN FEDERLINE. Yes, the handsome (guh!) man shown below is none other than K-FED! Go here if you don't believe me.


me: I just...I don't...
HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE??

Caroline: ..._dude_.

me: HE IS TOTALLY CUTE

Caroline: he looks like aston kutcher. dude.

me: I need a sweater, cleraly hell has FROZEN THE FUCK OVER
he looks like the dude from American Pie!

Caroline: i ... can't ...
qowei7ban425.

me: I mean
WTF, Caroline, WTF

Caroline: it's a sign of the armageddon

me: hide your babies and your beadwork!

Caroline: we must buy canned goods with a quickness

me: don't forget the can opener
that is key

Caroline: indeed.
and wineglasses
so we can toast to the end of time

me: and we need extra pairs of glasses so we don't end up like that guy who played the Joker in the old batman series who was in that twilight zone episode
you know, the one who was in the bank vault when the nuke hit and all he wanted to do was read and then he broke his glasses
oh, the irony!

Caroline: HAHAHA

me: so....
what are the chances this will be a permanent change?
I would say slim to none

Caroline: oh, i betcha the goatee's already back.
i mean, those clothes were totally loaners for the photo shoot

me: and the socks with flip-flops look

Caroline: b/c that's hella sexy
the camel-actual-toe

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Metro!

Picture this: here I am standing on the Metro minding my own business, reading my book. I am tucked into a corner and am not blocking any doors or any walkways. I am, however, holding onto to one of the poles because the driver of the yellow line seems to be doing his best to ensure we never reach the end of line intact.

The doors open at the Pentagon City stop and three teenagers (two guys and a girl) get on the train. This, in itself, is not bad. I was a teenager once. Emotionally, I probably still am. So whatever. Despite the fact that the girl is clutching some new fangled video game called “Hitman” like someone will try to rip it of her arms, I do my best to ignore them. Until one of the teenagers (the shorter guy) commits my biggest Metro pet peeve: leaning against the pole I am holding onto and squashing my hand against him.

I think this is really gross. I don’t like some stranger pressing their sweaty selves against my hand when I am simply trying to hold the pole. Not only is it gross, it’s rude because it ensures nobody else can use that pole because apparently you need the ENTIRE THING to hold up the weight of your body.

So the guy is leaning against the pole and my hand is trapped against his upper arm. I try to wiggle my fingers around (under the guise of getting a better grip) so he will get a clue that he has taken my hand hostage. No luck. So I do it again, with a little more vigorous wiggling. Nothing. Finally, I jerk my hand loose which causes him to dislodge from the pole a bit. This is when he looks around and notices my hand had been squashed. I shoot him a dirty look and get nothing in return. No sheepish glance, no apology, nothing. Just a blank stare. Sigh.

But it could have been worse. Once when I was holding onto the pole, some skeevy guy came along, leaned up against the pole, and trapped my hand against the sweaty, nasty back of his neck! I think that was the low point in my metro adventures. That and the chicken-juvie hall girl (see my post of May 6, 2006 for details).