Barb's Burblings

The cats are coming! The cats are coming!

Army of cats to launch attack on Atascaderos, Mexico.

Shoes and baseball

I needed new nice black shoes for work, so I went out and bought some. And they have heels. We're talking 2 inches, which for me is a lot, in that I think the highest heel I've ever bought before was maybe half an inch. I feel like I look horribly awkward walking in them, partly because I feel horribly awkward walking in them. It'll take some getting used to. At least I haven't killed myself walking in them...yet.

Anyway, the big news in these parts is the return of baseball to Washington, D.C. I admit I'm pretty excited about it. I've never had much exposure to a National League team before, so that'll be cool. Of course this doesn't mean I'm giving up the Orioles. Hardly. (Though my boy appears to be in a bit of a slump, sadly.) I'll try to make it to a few Washington games, but most of my energy will be spent on the O's.

I do feel bad for the Expos fans. I can't imagine what it must be like to have to say goodbye to a team.

Current song in my head:
"Accidentally in Love" by the Counting Crows

Too bad, so sad

Hahahahahahaha. Nothing brightens my morning like hearing that the Redskins lost. And I was impressed that the Washington Post Express didn't have a 'Skins picture on the cover. Though I imagine there would've been one if the Redskins had won.

In other good news, it looks more and more likely that the Montreal Expos will be moving to DC. That would be really cool. I've never been to a National League game before. I'll still support the Orioles, of course, but it'd be neat to see Washington get a baseball team.

The one way they'd get me to watch

Looks like some very smart television executive wants Reserve Oriole Boyfriend Larry Bigbie to be on The Bachelor.

Why I Hate Football: Reason #76

This morning on the radio the newscaster was giving the weather forecast. Looks good, and then he started discussing whether or not Hurricane Jeanne will hit our area. Right now it looks like it might, probably early next week. "Hopefully it'll weaken by then," said the radio announcer. "But right now it looks like it might interfere with Monday night's [Redskins-Cowboys] football game." Because with a hurricane coming, its effect on a football game should clearly be everyone's concern.

More like the "Jackass Zone"

On Friday, Jon Stewart appeared on The Bill O'Reilly Factor. I've long found Bill O'Reilly to be a complete, for lack of a better word, diktad, but this just cements it. The transcript can be found here. The man comes off as completely petty. Chunks of it appear that he's joking, but really, when one of the first things you say to a guest is, "I mean, you've got stoned slackers watching your dopey show every night, OK, and they can vote" that just comes off poorly. Stoned slackers? Man, I didn't realize I--and many of my friends--are stoned when we watch The Daily Show. And he harped on the fact that John Kerry chose to do TDS instead of his show. Dude. Get over it. Also, "Eighty-seven percent are intoxicated when they watch it. You didn't see that?" Ugh.

At least Jon and crew won an Emmy last night.

Not Emmy-worthy

So another Emmy Awards has come and gone. I don't even know why I watch. The whole thing is annoying and Carrie and I spent the whole evening bitching at the tv.

My main complaint about the Oscars is that series on HBO (and Showtime, though they're fewer and far between) directly compete with series on the networks. Completely unfair. Series that air on the networks have to come up with ~22 new episodes every year, whereas series that air on HBO have seasons that last closer to 13 episodes and appear when the creative teams behind them feel they're ready. I imagine it's a heck of a lot easier to put out a consistently good show when you have 2 years between seasons to work on them. I mean, the fourth season of The Sopranos ended on December 8, 2002. The fifth season began March 7, 2004. That's a year and a quarter. The whole thing just frustrates me.

And what was up with the announcer pointing out when Sarah Jessica Parker won that she was married to Matthew Broderick, an Emmy Award winner? It what way does that matter? When Bradley Whitford won, did they point out that he's married to Jane Kaczmarek, an Emmy nominee?

It was kind of neat that they brought in "real people" to present the reality show award (yay, Amazing Race!), though the whole thing seemed a bit condescending. Like, "Ooh, look at the Real People! Aren't they cute?" And the stars seemed a bit unnerved by them being there. Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston looked like they wanted to make sure the Real People stayed at least 50 feet from them at all times.

All that, combined with the terrible job done by Gary Shandling and the painful patter from the presenters (I was squirming during the Chris Noth/Sarah Jessica Parker one), I'm sad that for some reason I watched this instead of Jack & Bobby. At least the thing ended on time.

Current song in my head:
"Wonderful Night For Oscar" because of that clip in whatever montage

Record update

My boy Brian broke a 103-year-old record yesterday when he hit his 47th double of the season. He now holds the record for most doubles by a switch hitter in the American League, and has tied Cal Ripken, Jr., for the O's club record. Go Brian! It'd just be nice if they could give him a little assurance about next season.

What is my subconscious trying to tell me?

I don't know why, but for the past few nights I've had some really disturbing dreams. On Tuesday I dreamed that I was kidnapped (though I managed to escape pretty easily). On Wednesday I dreamed that I was in New York and there was another terrorist attack (they flew a plane into the New York Public Library). Last night I dreamed that aliens were invading. Of course, I also dreamed that I went to a party that was sort of a high school reunion. That was a bit more pleasant. But I was quite disturbed about the alien invasion thing.

And this morning I had the Tiny Toons theme in my head. Talk about disturbing.

Another chink in the armor

The four widows of 9/11 victims known as the "Jersey Girls," the ones who essentially got the 9/11 Commission created, have backed Kerry for the presidency (this is a Salon article, so to read it you'll have to watch an ad):

Gathering at the National Press Club in Washington on Tuesday, the widows announced their endorsement of the Massachusetts Democrat for president, a move made "in good conscience and from our hearts," as former Bush supporter Kristen Breitweiser told the news cameras. "In the three years since 9/11, I could never have imagined I would be here today, disappointed in the person I voted for, for president," she said. Added fellow Jersey Girl Patty Casazza: "It was President Bush who thwarted our attempts at every turn."

What do you do with a B.A. in English?

The creators of thirtysomething and Once and Again have come up with another show, 1/4life, "about the period of transition that comes after a person graduates from college and has to come to grips with life in the real world." Needless to say, I think I'll check this out.

Watch out for that chair!

In an unusual twist, a bench-clearing brawl during the Athletics-Rangers game last night involved the Rangers' bullpen and the A's...fans. Apparently the fans near the Ranger bullpen were talking so much smack that by the 9th inning, the players couldn't take it anymore. The game was delayed for 20 minutes and the A's even considered forfeiting. They wound up winning it in 10 innings.

Edited to add that the pitcher who threw the chair into the stands has been arrested and charged with aggravated battery, a felony.

Major discovery

The tune that the hamster dances to is from the old Disney Robin Hood.

Related trivia: When I was little, I thought the Maid Marian in this version was the prettiest woman ever (even though she's a fox) and wanted to be her when I grew up. I had a book with a picture of Robin rescuing her--he's swinging on a rope and the two of them are flying through the air. And I was all, "I want to be her!" I still kind of do. Robin's cute.

Confessions of an addict

I was flipping around the channels last night and found that Band of Brothers was on. And I couldn't help myself; I had to watch. Even though it was the super-depressing one where they find the concentration camp. I couldn't resist. I'm only glad I didn't discover this marathon earlier in the day or I would've had to watch the whole thing. Which would've taken me away from watching the O's game.

Enjoyed the game on Saturday with Damien. The outcome was right and it was a lovely evening, slightly marred by the drunk Gettysburg alum behind us. And better than the last Yankees-Orioles game I went to, I did actually applaud on occasion, for both teams. When I went to the game at Yankee Stadium, I basically sat there in silence. I felt like I couldn't cheer for the Yankees too much (they were way ahead in the division at the time, so I wanted the O's to do well), but neither could I cheer for the O's. Anyway, the game ended without Brian hitting the double to tie Cal's record and I decided that I didn't want him to hit it the next day, either--a day when they're still at home so I theoretically could watch. But that didn't mean I didn't want him to get a hit at all.

I bet that more than one of you reading this will be more than happy to see the end of the baseball season. Ah well. I'm just bitter than it's now football season. Ugh. Stupid Redskins.

Current song in my head:
"All I Want For Christmas" by Olivia Olson

Keep Rover away from the firearms

Dogs fight back against animal cruelty.

Looking up

You don't forget but you move on. And as the anniversary approaches, it's hard not to look back. And yesterday evening was full of looking back. I went to a preview of Nine Innings From Ground Zero last night, a documentary that will air next week on HBO. It's about how people focused on the Yankees in the days after 9/11 to help them forget, for a time, and I highly recommend that those of you who get HBO watch it when it airs. Anyway, I came home from that and then started watching "The Center of the World" on PBS, about the rise and fall of the World Trade Center.

Needless to say, I spent a good chunk of the evening with tears streaming down my face.

What struck me, though, was my need to see images of the towers still standing. Every time an image of the World Trade Center flashed on the screen, part of me wanted to stop the program and just look at it. And...I don't know. Pretend that they're still there. Hug them. Gaze at them in wonder and awe. Take them for granted.

The PBS program ended, naturally, with the collapse of the towers and the immediate aftermath. And I could tell the program was wrapping up and I sat there, hoping that they would show the towers again, lights on, lit up against the New York skyline. And they did show it. And so instead of going to sleep with the images of the towers collapsing, instead of hearing a radio announcer watching the second tower fall, I fell asleep to an image I saw countless times growing up: lower Manhattan, World Trade Center intact. It was comforting, even if it was an image of a world that no longer exists.

Current song in my head:
"Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley

An unexpected arrival

There was a message on my answering machine when I got home on Friday. Even though my Prius wasn't due in until the end of November, the Toyota gods had smiled upon me and my Prius had come in, a mere 3 months after I ordered it. So on Saturday morning I went and picked it up. It was all kind of scary and now I'm insanely in debt, but it's OK. Because my car is soooo pretty and I love it. Here's a picture:

OK, that's not exactly my car, but that's the right color. It has so many cool features and gadgets. I'm totally in love with it. Which is good, because I'm going to have it for many, many years.

Two other quick things: I saw Garden State and really enjoyed it. Much like Avenue Q, it seemed very geared toward people my age. And congrats to my boy Brian, who hit 2 doubles in today's game. He's a mere 3 doubles away from breaking the O's record for most in a season (Cal Ripken, Jr., holds the current record) and is currently 2nd for doubles in the majors.

Current song in my head:
"Superman" by Lazlo Bane

Time goes by...

It was 4 years ago today that I started my job. I don't know if I planned on staying at the same place for so long. It's not the same job, I guess; I did get a promotion. And if I hadn't gotten that promotion, I probably wouldn't still be there. But it's just odd to think that I've been working for the same company as long as I was in any one school (I was at both Gettysburg and Coles Elementary for 4 years). I guess I'm reaching the point where I should really stop thinking of myself as having graduated from college "recently."

When I graduated, I didn't know where my life was going. I still don't. Which is kind of scary, but not terribly surprising. I'm only 25. I have plenty of time left in front of me. But that doesn't mean there aren't times when I get frightened about what I'm doing, and not doing. About life. But I imagine that happens to everyone.

Current song in my head:
"One Thing" by Finger Eleven

8 game streak

The O's are noticing Brian, now that Jerry's on the DL. (And I imagine that AL Player of the Week thing didn't hurt, either.) Roberts a 'complete player'. It just upsets me when I read things like this:

"Mazzilli would not ensure that Roberts has locked the second base job for next season.

'He is [our second baseman] today,' Mazzilli said. 'But you never know what's going to happen in the offseason. That's a long way off. But he's been a pretty good leadoff guy, no question.'"

And with Brian's hit today, it's an 8 game hitting streak.

Montgomery pride

There's a poster in the Bethesda Metro station that tells people to visit Alexandria over the Labor Day weekend. Which, fine. But at the bottom, it says, "Come visit the fun side of the Potomac." Now, I like Alexandria. I think it's a great, lovely city and Old Town is fantastic. But at the same time, a poster telling me that I live on, apparently, the boring side of the Potomac is not going to make me want to visit. Insulting my chosen home area is not going to make me want to shell out what little hard-earned money I have.

The rivalry between the DC suburbs in Virginia and Maryland amuses me. There are some people who really truly believe that one is better than the other. I don't really have much of an opinion. I live where I live because this is where I got my job. I like the area a lot. I don't really believe it's either superior or inferior to Virginia. The two areas are a bit different, but I don't think about it much. But seeing that poster every day, twice a day, grates. I don't have much hometown pride, but what little I do have is a bit offended by that poster.

Seriously, who thought that would be a good marketing campaign?

Do I hear Beethoven's 9th?

It's done. For now. I finally finished copyediting that stupid book and it's so nice to get it off of my desk. I'm kind of freaking out because Chris didn't look at it at all; she said that she'll check it in pages. Good God. Half of the book is at the typesetter; the authors have the other half. None of it is on my desk. And I'm ecstatic.

I have a bunch of other work to do, of course, a lot of it involving finding people to do things (review a manuscript, copyedit, etc.). I hate trying to find freelancers, which is stupid. I'm offering them a job! But I feel like the manuscript is long, the schedule too tight, we don't pay enough, and so on. Again, mostly not valid points.

But it's still easier to deal with than that stupid chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to cope better when I have to proofread it.

Current song in my head:
"Beautiful Boy" by John Lennon

For the backup wedding album

Me and Larry at the Keys game last night. You can't see his arm around me, but it's totally there. Because he lurves me and we're going to run away together once the season ends.

Squeee!

I headed up to Frederick last night to see my first minor league baseball game in about 7 or 8 years, having not been to one since I lived in Montana. So I saw the Keys play last night. I even shelled out the extra $1 to sit in the box seats, so I sat 4 rows behind the visitors' dugout and wound up making lots of eye contact with the players from Lynchburg.

The game was a good one, with the Keys winning 6-4. It was odd watching it after growing so used to major league baseball. The Keys are single A, meaning there are 2 levels between them and the majors. And it's obvious. These kids (and they were virtually all younger than me) were not the best of players, but it was great to watch, even as they made tons of mistakes (dropping routine grounders, not making plays in the outfield, etc.).

The crowd seemed oddly subdued. There were a number of times when I was the only person clapping in a crowd of (officially) over 2,000. Literally the only person clapping. I had forgotten the joys of the little games between every inning and the announcers wandering the crowd. It was a good time.

Part of my motivation to go to the game was to see Reserve Oriole Boyfriend Larry Bigbie, who was on rehab assignment (he heads back to the O's today). He hit two home runs (good job, Larry!). He was the only player the crowd was even vaguely enthusiastic about (i.e., people applauded when he came up to bat). After the game he followed the other players as they made their way up to the locker room, which happens to be actually just off the concourse, meaning the players need to go through the crowd to get there. Anyway, I sloooowly made my way around the stadium (actually exiting the stadium and heading around, passing Larry's shiny silver Hummer--I know, he's killing the environment) so by the time I got over to the locker room area, the crowd around Larry, who had barely made it to the concourse, had thinned.

He was chatting with a guy and signing autographs, so I got another autograph from him and followed him as he made his way toward the locker room. As he got closer and finished his conversation, I asked if I could get a picture with him. He smiled (he smiled a lot, actually) and said sure and then he put his arm around me. SQUEE!!! (Hi, I'm a 12-year-old fangirl!) A guy was fiddling with the camera and people kept passing in front of us, so I apologized and Larry's all, "No problem" and he still has his arm around me. And he still all sweaty in a very sexy way and it was awesome. So the picture was taken and I thanked Larry. He said, "Sure," and headed into the locker room. Overall he was very very nice and very smiley and very cute. And tall.

As I headed out, I heard the guys behind me say, "Well, she can just crop us out of the picture." I turned to them and said, "You bet I will!" with a big smile. They just laughed. You can look forward to that picture as soon as I get this roll of film finished and developed.

Current song in my head:
"Meet Virginia" by Train