Posted by barb on Aug 12, 2004 in
Wedding A couple more wedding notes:
- I heard from the dress maker yesterday, and the dress should be in the mail within the next week, so I should have it by the end of next week. Keep your fingers crossed that it will fit!!
- I also made an appointment for a “hair consultation”. My goddess. I never thought I would be that kind of person…a hair consultation…a consultation about my hair. I’m a little ashamed.
Posted by barb on Aug 10, 2004 in
Thesis/Grad Life Frequently, the pressures of grad school would manifest themselves as totally insane conversations between me and other grads. Perhpas the pinnacle of this behavior was a discussion I had with Jocko about the “window cow”.
My university has one of those cows with a hole in it’s stomach that can be accessed through a “window” on it’s side. The cow is usually grazing in a pasture that is right on the path between the parking lot and the astronomy building. (Yup, there’s even a barn right across from the astronomy building, but while it’s cute to see the tiny goats in the spring, it does not produce a “country fresh” odor that you’d want in your house.) This “window” is mounted on the side of the cow with a support that protrudes out from the cow’s side by an inch or so.
One day, as Jocko and I were walking out to the parking lot, a thought struck me, and, of course, I articulated this thought. “So, how would they breed the window cow? I mean, couldn’t a bull just rip that window right out?”
Read more…
Posted by barb on Aug 10, 2004 in
Memes, Etc.
Posted by barb on Aug 9, 2004 in
Wedding Here’s the latest on the wedding plans:
- Andrew and I got our marriage license today! Now, no matter what else happens, as long as the officiant, Andrew and I all show up, the day will be a success. The reception can suck, the planetarium can be closed, my dress can rip, Andrew can show up in shorts and a t-shirt (don’t take that as a suggestion, honey…you have to wear the tux), but all of that won’t matter because we’ll still be married at the end of the day.
- RSVPs are trickling in. If you’re reading this and haven’t sent me your RSVP, get on with it!. Oops, sorry…I mean, I would certainly appreciate your RSVP.
- We started planning out the ceremony tonight. The only open issue is now the reading(s). We were even able to pick out vows that we both liked without much trouble.
Posted by barb on Aug 8, 2004 in
Around DC,
Pictures We are not insane. I just want to see allof the pandas, that’s all.
We went out on our sixth panda hunting trip today. This trip was not as prolific as previous trips because we’re starting to go for the pandas that are out in the fringes. We spend way more time on the Metro than actually seeing pandas.
I’ve posted pictures on Flickr.
While we didn’t see as many pandas today, we saw a lot more that were intersting than on our previous trip. Here a just a couple of my favorites:
| Bearnaked Ladies |
 |
 |
| Crouching Tiger Hidden Panda |
 |
 |
Oh and one other thing we saw was almost too weird to be beilevable. When we approached the Panda of the Opera, there was a little girl there with a Crayola marker, drawing on his vest. Where were her parents? Her mother was standing there watching. What is wrong with people? Fortunately Andrew walked up the the girl and gently pulled the marker away from the panda and said something like, “These are not to draw on.” The mother and daughter then returned into a nearby restaurant. If I had taken care of the situation, I would likely be in jail right now for assault and battery. What f*&#ing nerve.
Posted by barb on Aug 8, 2004 in
Cute Pets I know this is drivel, but I made it up for my kids, and I want to keep it somewhere for posterity.
Oh! Ares is my little shower buddy.
He sits outside the shower and he purrs;
And when I step outside of the shower,
My damp foot gets covered by his fur.
Artemis is my gray little lady.
She likes to curl up tightly in my lap,
And just about the time I need to get up,
That’s when she settles in for her nap.
Ducan is my fierce tiger kitty.
He likes to prowl outside in the dirt.
When he come inside he finds his Daddy,
And nurses on the fabric of his shirt.
Posted by barb on Aug 6, 2004 in
Concerts We’ve talked about going to see Bugs Bunny on Broadway for a couple years running, now, but finally went tonight. The concert featured several Bugs Bunny cartoons that use classical music as inspiration, with the National Symphony Orchestra playing along with the cartoons.
The cartoons included The Rabbit of Seville (which I’m not sure I’d previously seen in its entirety), High Note, and What’s Opera, Doc?. They also played several cartoons without the NSO accompanying, presumably to stretch out the show. However, some of these cartoons were quite old, and completely unfunny.
Overall a fun evening; however, I think if we go again, we’ll get tickets in the house. The lawn was full of families with children who could not sit still, even for Bugs Bunny, for the whole concert.
Posted by barb on Aug 5, 2004 in
Random Thoughts They’re back up. The electronic signs over the beltway that are usually used to report unhappy traffic conditions ahead are again giving the message:
Report suspicious activity
800 492 TIPS
They’ve put up that message every time the terror alert level is raised. Here are the problems I have with this:
- They have emphasized several times that the terror alert level is primarily supposed to be for law enforcement agencies, so why advertise like this every time the level is raised?
- We should always be on alert, since in this day it’s just good policy. So, why not keep that notice up all the time?
- Who is going to remember a phone number that they’ve buzzed past going 70 mph? This just doesn’t seem to be the right place for this notice.
- The latest elevation in the threat level is based on 3-year old information…come on. The danger today, then, is really not any higher than last Friday.
I’m curious if other metropolitan areas do this as well, or is it just Washington DC?
Posted by barb on Aug 3, 2004 in
Books by Dan Brown
Robert Langdon, world-renouned symbologist, awakens one morning to a summons to CERN to analyze a symbol branded on a murdered scientist’s chest. This leads Langdon on a wild chase through the Vatican and Rome in search of the Illuminati, an ancient, secret sect of scientists with a grudge against the pope.
I don’t normally read thrillers, but the physics elements of this drew me in. I look forward to reading Langdon’s further adventures.
Posted by barb on Aug 3, 2004 in
Random Thoughts USA Today reports on a study that ranks Minneapolis as the most literate city in the US (of the 79 cities with populations over 200,000). I grew up in the Twin Cities metro area (Bloomington, to be specific), so it’s no wonder I love to read as much as I do. Oh, and Washington is #6 on the list, so I haven’t moved too far from “bookish” America.
More on the report can be found here.