Monday, June 30, 2008

Yes We Can!

Last week, we were contacted by an Obama Fellow, a nice young gent named Dillon. (I just think the term "fellow" is funny--I was sure to ask him about the "Obama Ladies") Dillon is 20, I think, from Steamboat Springs and is spending his summer here in Denver working for the campaign.

We were asked to host a house party on June 28th, which also happens to be my birthday. Dave had asked me about throwing a party anyways, so this made an even better excuse.

I was a little nervous people would think it was a secret fund raiser. But, one of the great things about the Obama campaign is they just want people to get involved (I mean, not just, but at this party, anyways). People so often want to get involved or think about getting involved, and yet Barack Obama's campaign gives you very specific ways you can help (registering new voters on July 4th, for example).

And Dave made the best point when he asked, "Do you think you do enough for your country?" I mean, really, we all pretty much think our country is great (even despite its faults) and yet, what do we do, actively, to show our appreciation and to contribute?

So whether you are going to vote for Obama or not, I hope you can appreciate the excitement his campaign has inspired. "We are the change we've been waiting for."

Also, you all remember Will.I.Am's video of Barack Obama's speech? This is the acapella version by a college singing group which I think is even BETTER!

Saturday, June 28, 2008

*operatic* Haaaaaaaaaaaaaappy Birthdaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy...


toooooooooooo yooooooooooooooou!

Happy Birthday, Jenn!  062874

Don’t sit there like some silly girl
If you wait too long you’ll be too late
I’m not telling you something new
There ain’t no time to lose (No time to lose)
It’s time for you to celebrate

(So get down, beep beep, gotta get up outta your seat)
Get up, little girl
(Get down, beep beep, gotta get up outta your seat)
It’s time, your world
(Get down, beep beep, gotta get up outta your seat)
Your life, your choice
(Get down, beep beep, gotta get up outta your seat)
It’s time, live it up

On and on, on the beat goes
On and on, on the beat goes
On and on, on the beat goes
On and on, on the beat goes
On and on, on the beat goes
On and on, on the beat goes
On and on, on the beat goes
On and on, on the beat goes

You don’t have the luxury of time
You have got to say what’s on your mind
Your head lost in the stars
You’ll never go far (No time to lose)
It’s time for you to read the signs

(So get down, beep beep, gotta get up outta your seat)
Here comes, my hand
(Get down, beep beep, gotta get up outta your seat)
Take it, you can
(Get down, beep beep, gotta get up outta your seat)
The time, is now
(Get down, beep beep, gotta get up outta your seat)
I’ll show, you how

On and on, on the beat goes
On and on, on the beat goes
On and on, on the beat goes
On and on, on the beat goes
On and on, on the beat goes
On and on, on the beat goes
On and on, on the beat goes
On and on, on the beat goes

Say what you like, do what you feel
You know exactly who you are
The time is right now
You got to decide (woo!)
Stand in the back or be the star

(Get down, beep beep, gotta get up outta your seat)
Here comes, my hand
(Get down, beep beep, gotta get up outta your seat)
Take it, you can
(Get down, beep beep, gotta get up outta your seat)
The time, is now

(Get down, beep beep, gotta get up outta your seat)

I'll show, you how

I can’t keep waiting for you
Anticipating that you’ve
No time to lose
I can’t keep waiting for you

(Kanye West: )
Ah, it’s the M part 2 I want you, I’m gonna do to you what I want to do to you
Your girlfriend she wants too, beautiful, just flew F from perry, voulez-vous
In a city that don’t snooze, smooze a monster hoos hoos
And I use my celeb to get this one home
Why everything that feel good gotta be so wrong?

Give me room now, I’m like a vampire under a full moon now
And i don’t know about you now but I think I wanna try some'in new now
See what it do now
And when you sat down, uh, cause you was using your breath now, uh
Cause you be doin’ it to death now, she’d be doin’ either F now, what’s left now?

Mister West now, can you get any more fresh now? I think I just did just now
Talkin’ my shit that's how, I’m a profes' now
I admit that, flashin’ lights so I live that
Fame is a drum, wanna hit that?
Cause I know exactly where to get that, did you get that?

(Get down, beep beep, gotta get up outta your seat…)

On and on, the beat goes…


Gay Pride and Gay Pee

So this is Pride weekend in Chicago.  Our friend Mark is in town for the festivities.  We met Mark last Pride.  He's since moved to TX, which we constantly complain to him about, but he works for Southwest so he can fly here for free whenever he wants.

When Mark lived in Chicago, he was roommates with David (stay with me here.  This is a different David, and not me).  Last weekend, we went to the beach for a BBQ.  This was our second BBQ with David's mini grill that he got at the grocery store for $9.  It works pretty well, and apparently it's entirely legal to grill at the beach on the grass because cops passed us two different times and didn't say anything.

The only problem with grilling at the beach is that your grill gets really hot.  You have to dump the coals in order to successfully get the grill off the beach and back to your apartment.  So, we dump the coals around a tree, and then douse them with water to cool.  Well, this time we were not as close to the lake water or a drinking fountain as we were the last time, and all we had to transport water was one Styrofoam cup.  

David got tired of waiting for P, who admittedly DOES take a very long time to walk to the lake and back with a cup of water.  He decided he would pee in a second cup that we found and use that on the coals.  Before I knew what was happening, I saw this:

This is right before David realized that Styrofoam cups are weak.  As such, this cup cracked, and an all out stream of urine started running from his shorts leg.  In the end, he had an impressive cup of urine, and it did work to cool six or eight coals so that we didn't start another Great Chicago Fire.  But David's shorts were soaked.  Next time, we will be sure to bring a larger container to transport water.  Thankfully, no cops came by while this was happening.  Otherwise I might be blogging to you from jail.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

DIY Home Improvement

Dave and I embarked upon improving our backyard some time ago. It is amazing how quickly it can come together with a little persistence. Our inspiration: delivery of 15 tons of sand and gravel on Friday.

This is what 15 tons looks like, if you don't already know:
















Dave did all the digging and heavy lifting. I took pictures. Oh, and squared up the pavers.




























Done! Patio I:

















I think Dave was looking for his keys...




Patio II was finished last night (before & after):
































What's left: digging out, bordering and lining and finishing a breeze walkway. Also on the agenda: addition of ground cover around patio II, garden and hopefully a gazebo-like structure over patio II. More pictures to come!

Monday, June 23, 2008

New Species Discovered: A Sign of Global Warming?

I was watering in our front yard at dusk when I spotted a hummingbird drinking nectar from our flowers. I ran to get my camera and took several shots, then zoomed in to see this:










ECH! It's some sort of alien-mutant BUG! Which is cool and all, but doesn't give you the warm fuzzies like seeing a hummingbird would. Has anyone seen anything like this?

Also, I need glasses.

UPDATE: it's a nessus sphinx

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Real or Fake?

Here is a fun game to play on About.com:

You look at a picture and guess whether it's real or fake. I was definitely surprised by some of them!

Sample: Dog meets porcupine, real or fake?

All

Or, to those of us without a Southern U.S. accent, OIL.

I hardly pay attention to the news about oil. All it ever seems to be is "Oil Prices at Record High". But I would really like to UNDERSTAND what is going on and how we can best approach a solution.

In my very brief research on the subject, I learned:

Most of our (U.S.) oil comes from the U.S. (41%), North America and the Western Hemisphere (in that order)
Most of the world's oil comes from Saudi Arabia.

The Middle East has, by far, the largest oil reserves.

Hence why we are so interested in the Middle East (besides the spread of democracy and Christianity). Because even though we don't YET consume very much of their oil, we might need to. Soon.

However, you have to factor in developing nations like India and China. Their oil consumption is increasing exponentially.

I wanted to exhalt the E.U. on its investment in renewable energy resources, but apparently they have fallen short of their goals.

Of course, as a tree-hugger, I don't want to drill for more U.S. oil. I would much rather everyone concentrate on alternatives to oil and I think one of the best ways to urge consumers and industry to do that is to keep the price of oil high. People seem to pay attention to issues when they hit their pocketbook. But then again, I don't want the oil industries to realize absurd profits. And I don't want the U.S. to become even more dependent on foreign oil. And, honestly, I don't want to personally take the hit in resulting increases in food and other prices.

So, looking into WHY oil prices are so high, it seems it's not just the law of supply and demand--it has to do with investors trading commodity futures (as well as the falling value of the Dollar). Their investments in oil have inflated the price. So how is drilling for more oil (which, btw, is apparently only going to keep the U.S. running another couple of years) going to help solve that? Sounds to me like there needs to be regulations regarding that type of investment. Because, much like the housing bubble, it's going to burst and I can't wait to see what bailout the U.S. government will offer up then!

All this being said, I am still extremely ignorant of all the factors at play here, so anyone who knows more is more than welcome to comment/criticize!

Stuff


So, my grandma died. She was a super sweet lady and I think knew a lot more about life than I ever asked her about. She had the best approach--to laugh, because what else could you do? And she just took things as they came (she WAS 90...)

So, as a result, we ended up with some of her stuff. One of the nicest things my grandma did for her family was to downsize--she continually went through her stuff and weeded out the unnecessary items. She was down to a clean 2 bedroom apartment.

So Dave and I took some stuff home, stuff we thought we could use. As we tried to fit some of it in one room, Dave pointed out that just because we COULD use an item doesn't mean we SHOULD. I tend more toward the "I don't want to have to re-buy this or buy something like it down the line" mode, but then I end up with wall-to-wall STUFF. And let me tell ya, Dave and I are both feeling a little bit overwhelmed by our STUFF lately.

We have 3 bedrooms, 2 living areas, a large kitchen. PLUS, a shed. Which is huge. And FULL.

And we are 2 people.

The shed REALLY is beginning to bother me (and has Dave for some time now). I don't even know what's IN there! And if I haven't USED it, why should I KEEP it?

But then the nagging thought: bc you don't want to WASTE it (meaning, get rid of it and have to buy it again later). But, if I could find someone who could USE it, then my conscious would be appeased.

I have a real hard time just GIVING stuff away. I know someone will find it eventually, but I would like to know the right person is getting it.

I know, it's a sickness.

Anyway, we are a shed-cleaning away from a yard sale, then I think I will be able to give up and give it all away.

Also, I read this post on Anchored Nomad and it would seem she's feeling the same way (but writes a more universal statement about Americans and our need to CONSUME).

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Annoying people annoy me

That's right, I used "annoy" twice in the title -- and trust me, twice wasn't enough.  There is this gaggle of jerk wads that get on my train every single morning.  They are all middle-aged and white *eye roll* and insist on talking at about a billion decibels re: things no one else cares about.  For example (and this example uses an annoying female specimen from the group, but the males are just as -- if not more -- annoying), today the topic of conversation was how Annoying Woman 1 saw "Sex and the City".  During the previews, she saw an advert for a new Richard "Jeer" (her pronunciation, not mine) movie.  She wanted everyone to know that he's still "as hot as ever".  First of all, ew.  Second of all, stfu, please.  It's 7:30am, and I'm not sure how it's possible you're even talking, much less talking about Richard "Jeer".  Kindly shut your pie hole, tell your Red Hat Society friends to do the same, get out of the way of the door, and leave everyone else in peace!  

No matter which car I get on, they find me.  And switching ends of the car doesn't matter.  You can hear them no matter where you are.  I can even hear them over my ipod (which I always manage to forget).  I know it's wrong to hate, but...

Will attempt to get a picture of them with my cell asap.

Friday, June 13, 2008

It's finally happening, part II


So, not that I have blogged very much about it, but I was not feeling very satisfied in my job. I wasn't busy, I didn't feel important, and I HATED billing hours every month.

Well, my subconscious prayer was answered last week when they laid me off!

Which, really, is good news. Now I am free to explore my options--think about what I REALLY want to do--and be picky about my next job choice.

So. Now. I am at the end of Week Two and wondering where all my time has gone! I have filled my time weighing job announcements ( Would I REALLY like working in Boulder?), assuming each one would hire me, working and re-working my resume and cover letters, and occasionally cleaning the kitchen. I had this idea I would have so much free time, I needed to make a list so I wouldn't get bored.

On the list: clean out shed, clean out office, go through and organize all the stuff I brought home from my office, work out every day, start garden, apply for at least one job per day, network, get part-time job and work on some of the home histories Dave has.

Thusfar accomplished: I have applied for 2 jobs.

Ugh.

I assume things will really start happening NEXT week!


*Just to be clear--the firm is downsizing. When I started there 5 years ago, I was one of 6 attorneys and we had 2 secretaries. They were down to just me. The other partner is retiring, so my boss would have had to pay my salary alone. And, considering I wasn't exactly working my tail off, I don't blame him for his choice.

Monday, June 9, 2008

It's finally happening!

It's official!  PD&J has a fan!  I'm going to make you more interested in the blog by forcing you to sort through the comments to find out more.  The thing is, all it's done is make P and I fight over whose posts are funnier.  

But this has gotten me wondering.  How are people finding the blog?  Is it googlable? I've just tried it and we are!  I had to put in "PD&J blog", and we were the first entry!  Much to my chagrin, it's P's post on douchetooth headsets.  Way to rub it in, google.  

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Today's Tentative Itinerary


The 'rents made it to Chicago!  They also had their first experience on the L (nothing to report).  Here's a look at today's schedule (pronounced SHED-ule):
  1. Breakfast at Orange.
  2. Visit Chicago's famous Magnificent Mile.
  3. Light lunch (TBD)
  4. Afternoon drink in the John Hancock Center's 95th floor Signature Lounge.
  5. 90-min Lake Michigan/Chicago River Boat Tour.
  6. Dinner (TBD)

Thursday, June 5, 2008

70's chic

I meant to post this yesterday and forgot.  I was waiting for the train, and this guy's pants struck me as odd.  You might not be able to tell from the slightly blurry camera phone shot above, but his cuffs are HUGE.  They are like bell bottom dress pants.  I commend him on the length of his pants (the length was absolutely perfect), but wtf were you thinking?  It looks like he took a giant's pants, cut the legs off, and sewed them up.  

On your knees, biotch

Throughout Middle School, High School, and College, my summers were spent at Crossroads Ice Cream Stand in Dresden, NY.  One of the many things I learned while working there (other than the value of air conditioning -- we did not have it) was that there is no substitute for a good, old fashioned, on-your-knees floor scrubbing.  I complained about it at the time, and no one could stand to be around me because of the strong bleach smell, but it's one of the things that has stuck with me ever since.

One of the worst purchases that I ever made was the Swiffer Sweeper.  All it does is spread the mess around, spray sticky chemicals all over the place, and waste resources since you have to buy replacement pads constantly.  P is the only person who uses the thing, and every single time he does, I have to clean up after it.  

Tonight, I did what I've been threatening to do since we bought it.

I don't have time to clean up after my cleaning supplies.  I buy cleaning supplies to clean, not to make a larger mess.  And honestly, sweeper, I've given you PLENTY of chances.  Our relationship had to come to an end.  I think we both knew it wasn't working.  Please tell your friends automatic shower cleaner, daily shower spray and the rest to stay away if they know what's good for them.  We have a LOT of dumpsters in our alley (as you can probably tell from the picture).  

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Train Freak of the Day

The above photo was covertly taken by me on my way home from work this evening.  I was on the Red Line.  Here's what the rest of this person looked like: 
  • Jet black pigtails with tightly shaved and bleached blonde hair on the back of her head
  • Shaved eyebrows (and none drawn in)
  • A spikey piercing through her lower lip in the center of her mouth
  • Super-short shirt dress with ruffles at the waist
  • Military jacket 
  • Stick legs
In short, she was a hot mess -- with a surprising jolt of femininity (based entirely on the delicate ruffles at her waist).

I also took a picture of a man who looked remarkably like Colonel Sanders, but it didn't come out.

Grandpa's story time


Tonight is an historic night. Barack Obama is the presumptive Democratic nominee...the first African American presidential nominee. (We here at PD & J know deep down that it was this blog's endorsement that put him over the top. NBC news projected that we are worth 0.0001 super delegates.) However, one man tried to get in on this historic night, crash the party if you will: John McCain.
We were just watching his speech in Louisiana. Despite what the talking heads on cable news say, it was an awful speech. Both Hillary and Barack are head and shoulders above him in terms of their ability to inspire. To me, it sounded like an old man reading a story to a child. That's partly because he WAS reading it. And it was almost as if there were cues to him for different forms of nonverbal communication, gestures. *Smile here* *Chuckle here* *Nod head knowingly here* *Shake head for affect here*
Luckily, MSNBC cut him off early to announce that Obama had essentially won the nomination by garnering enough of the vote in South Dakota.
Also, it reminded me of the Andy Dick bit where he played Bush's speech writer. Watch it!

Monday, June 2, 2008

So broke!

Has anyone else noticed lately that they don't have ANY extra spending cash? I really don't feel like my spending habits have changed but for the past several months, I get to the end of a pay period, just before payday and I am BROKE. I have dipped in to my line of credit (a life saver as without it, I would have overdrafted at least a dozen times over the last 2 years) more recently than ever. Basically, my money does not go very far anymore. And I blame out of control inflation and increased cost of living.

And do you know who I blame for that? Bush and his cronies. (Then again, I pretty much blame everything on Bush..."Oh, you got fired from your job? I blame Bush." Or, "Oh, your daughter flunked out of high school? I blame Bush." Or, "Oh, you got syphilis over the weekend from too much orgy sex? I blame Bush.") But all joking aside, it's all a ripple effect...Iraq war leads to higher oil prices which leads to higher gas prices which leads to higher food prices...and higher prices for everything else. Has anyone tried to book a flight or hotel recently? THEY ARE RIDICULOUS. And you know what? I BLAME BUSH.

Does anyone else feel like they are just waiting for the other shoe to drop? Something's gotta give, right? I mean luckily for me, in a few weeks I'll start making really good money. But in this country, most people are really getting screwed. The poor are getting poorer and the middle class is shrinking. But Bush's cronies aren't hurting...

BTW, that picture...all I did was do a google image search for "no money" and found that. I have never heard of Henry Lee Summer but I totally dig his hot hair and I just know that if I heard his music, I'd love it.