Black Friday

I had a desire to shop. I always have a desire to shop, but this time, it was different. My curiosity got the best of me, and I woke at 4:30am to see what all the fuss was about. When I arrived at Wal-mart, the line began front and center of the store, curved around the side, ran all along the building, and proceeded to curve into the parking lot. Crazy! I had deja-vu of the hour long wait to vote.
So I finally enter the store, head straight to the electronics section, find the item I am looking for (I will only refer to it as "the item" because it was a gift!) and am promptly informed by the employee that I needed a ticket to receive the item. What?! Is this some information everybody else seems to know, and I somehow was oblivious to? No, in fact, even the seasoned shoppers were surprised at the "ticket system". So, to not drag this story any longer than it already is... I talked to several people in the "ticket line", several more employees who all seemed to have no other agenda than to get you off their back, and finally found the manager. He was escorted by two police officers and was the keeper of all of the (magical) tickets.
The system worked (barely) and I got the item! Although I had a few ideas on how to make things work a little better, like maybe trying to use some of the technology that you so eagerly sell.
By the time 9:00am rolled around, I had shopped at three different stores and spent way too much money. All in the name of holiday spirit and gift giving!

Wish list

Things we (I) want to do before the summertime (when we leave D.C.). In no particular order.

1. See the Holocaust Museum
2. Go to Mount Vernon
3. Eat at Jackson's Mighty Fine Restaurant & Lucky Lounge (the newest place in the Great American Restaurants chain)
4. Go to Williamsburg
5. Change the light plates in our apartment here (they have been painted over like 5 times and are nasty... and we like our landlord and want to help them sell the place).
6. Drive up to Boston to see family and spend a day or two downtown
7. Go to a George Mason basketball game
8. See the national Christmas tree and all of the state trees
9. Go to the National Cathedral (on Christmas Eve, maybe?)
10. See one last free concert downtown (military band or NSO)

My plan is to do a blog entry whenever we complete one... we'll see :)

And then there were two...

Spooky's brother (Boo) joined us on Wednesday evening. We've all been having great fun, and a few extra opportunities to practice patience. They love to wrestle each other, it's hilarious. And it doesn't matter what one of them starts playing with, the other will get jealous. Seriously, we gave them a cardboard box and one got interested, and before you know it they were pulling it apart! Though they are definitely more of a challenge than just one dog, they really are a good lesson for us. They make us work more as a team, not just taking turns, but coordinating and doing things at the same time and together. For example, when you're trying to get a puppy to go potty out side, it's much easier when one person only has to keep track of one dog, and they aren't distracted with being too close to each other. And messes... one cleans, and the other removes the culprits. We are a true team. And though it causes some stress, I love it.

Happy Halloween!

Ok, so it's way after Halloween, but our little friend was a Halloween "present" so I thought it would be fitting. He was dropped off to one of the rescue workers from HART on Halloween evening, so he and his two siblings were given festive names. His was Spooky, but we think he deserves a much more fitting name. He was born on 9/2/08 so is about 9 weeks old now. He is surprisingly aware of potty rules and goes as soon as we put him down on the grass. We are thoroughly enjoying the joy of puppy love. If you need a puppy fix, come visit! He loves to play and then conk out in your lap :)

Recovering :)

I'm happily recovering... hardly any physical side effects at this point (3 days out). I'm loving my new eyes, I haven't seen this well since I can remember. I started wearing glasses in 3rd grade (1992) and contacts in 6th grade. My last prescription in 20/20 terms was somewhere in the ballpark of 20/800. They say when your eyes are that bad, they kind of stop keeping track in those terms. The doctor explained that if you can only read the large "E" at the top of the reading chart, you are 20/200; if you are twenty feet away, it looks like it is 200 feet away. But now, I see just about perfectly! I see clearly, some halos around lights, but generally pretty darn clear. It's amazing, I highly recommend it to anyone trapped by their glasses or contacts.

Lasik!

Not that I am a dedicated daily blogger... but I felt the need to explain my upcoming absence. I am having Lasik eye surgery at noon today (Thursday)! I will be unable to read emails or focus on the computer screen for a few days, so won't be posting. When I return, my eyes will be just like new!

shopping

I went shopping today :) Wal-Mart, Ross and Safeway. Yes, you are correct in your assessment of my "high -end" shopping patterns. My idea of a good shopping trip is not only finding what you are looking for, but getting a good deal at the same time. I am one of those people who can't pass up a steal, and will think of a "need" to fit it so I can justify buying it :) Sometimes it works out, but usually I end up buying things that are "extras" around the house. In use, but not necessary. By the way, Wal-Mart is not at the top of my list, just Ross.
Sometimes I wonder what Stacy and Clinton would say about my clothing choices... I wish there were some way you could hire them to do a consultation or something. That would be awesome! I've also thought about staging a style disaster... wearing my worst clothing for a week or so and having someone nominate me. Wouldn't that be fun? and maybe a little misleading, I guess...


And for todays randomness... the inspiration for my dedicated love of dogs