Song(s) of the Day

Half a Mile Away (Scotty K's Vocal Mix) - Debby Holiday

This is one of those songs that just puts a smile on my face.

Update: I just discovered that gay icon Deborah Cox has released a new single. And of course, since she's a gay icon, there is already a remix. So now I have two songs of the day.

House is Not a Home (Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Anthem Mix) - Deborah Cox

BTW

Twin Sister, when referred to in this blog, is not my real twin sister. My real twin sister lives in San Francisco and does not come booze it up at JR's with me on a thursday night. Though I'm sure she'd love it.

Sorry for the confusion Logan.

PS. My real twin sister happens to be in LA this weekend as well. If she can get her act together and call me back, we might have lunch tomorrow.

UPDATE: Sadly, she did not get her act together.

My favorite type of text message

From: United EasyUpdate
Upgrade Confirmed: United First
UA 307 BWI-LAX Oct 28, departs 7:00pm

They had me a little worried when I passed the 72 hour mark and was still waitlisted. It's better than waiting to clear at the gate I suppose...

Last Night

So Twin Sister and I decided that we should brave the permafrost and head over to the high heel race. For some reason, we thought it would be a good idea to pour a bottle of Pinot into a nalgene bottle and take one for the road. Not such a good idea. While I'm, of course, wickedly hungover this morning, I do remember most of the events from last night. Here are some key points:

Putting the mostly full nalgene behind the bar at JR's.

Wathing the straights run amok, with dixie cups of booze and foam hats

Horrible singers at DIK bar

Oh and speaking of DIK bar. They really need a doorman. It seemed the entire crowd was under 21 (which for DIK bar, is definitely rare).

BRRRRRRR

Dear Mother Nature,

What did I do to deserve this? I don't drive an SUV. I try and promote companies that aren't (too) harmful to you. Yet you punish me with this weather. It's not enough that you dump lakes of water on me, and by extension, in my shoes, but now you have to go and make it damn near 3 degrees outside. Perhaps you have noticed that Washington, DC is not above the arctic circle? Please remedy this situation immediately.

Thanks,
-Chris

If you're bored

I came across this article in Slate about learning to drive a stick shift. It's quite amusing, especially if you've ever had to do it yourself. Plus it includes this fun paragraph about the beltway:

"Not the Beltway, Mr. Farrell, please not the Beltway!" she said as she made weeping sounds. To most of the country the Beltway is the place inside of which rapacious lobbyists rob and pillage. To me it is a 64-mile asphalt loop of dread. As Vanessa took her first on-ramp onto the Beltway, I thought there was a strong possibility I would be squashed in this tin can with a 16-year old at the wheel. I also thought, "Hooray, I'm not driving!" and happily closed my eyes. She gained confidence as we sped along and, taking the exit nearest my house, and with only a few bouncy shudders of the car, deposited me at my front door.

9 principles that frequent flyers know, yet most infrequent flyers don’t

This is a pretty interesting thread on FlyerTalk. Some of the things listed are really pretty valuable information. I've re-posted the 9 things originally listed by FT'er ButIsItArt, check out the thread for more:

1. Ticket prices are volatile.
2. Frequent flier miles really aren't worthless, and status really does count for something.
3. Sometimes the best seats are not in First Class.
4. First Class seats are not necessarily more expensive than Economy seats.
5. Low Cost Carriers do not necessarily offer the lowest fare for any given route.
6. All US carriers’ products are not essentially the same.
7. Trying to show airline personnel “who’s boss” will usually not result in better service.
8. The amount of Denied Boarding compensation is in some part quite negotiable.
9. Frequent flyers don’t think they are better than infrequent flyers; we just know how to play the game better.

All of these things are key, and one more as well, (posted by VPescado):

In case of irregular ops (weather delays, etc...), as soon as possible, you should be:
-Thinking about all of the alternate routings, while:
-Waiting on hold on your cell phone to reservations, while:
-Sprinting to the RCC (lounge).

That last one isn't so helpful if you don't have a lounge card, but I can't tell you how many times I've been saved, being stuck in O'Hare or Denver due to weather, simply by calling reservations rather then standing in the miles long line. Most people don't realize that they can also re-book you over the phone, which saves a ton of time and hassle, and often means you get that last seat on that last flight out rather then being stuck in a hotel, or worse, on an airport cot.

UPDATE: BTW, I do have an RCC card, but thanks Kiat for offering :-)

This hurts me more than it hurts you

If you look at my link list, you'll notice that something is missing. That's right, I have de-linked Nick's blog as it's now been a month since his last update. I'm sorry Nick, but it had to be done.

I lied

Whoops, I lied. Not gonna post the results. Sorry.

Disturbing question, disturbing answer

So I'm in the middle of taking a quiz that I found here and I have to say I'm a bit disturbed by two of the questions.

29. Would you rather die yourself or have 10 random people in the world die?
    
    • me
    • 10 of them
    
    
30. What if it were 10,000 people?
    
    • me
    • all of them

I think what disturbed me the most is how long it took me to answer that question.

PS. Will post the quiz results in a few.

Is the sword about to fall?

I have a feeling that most of you probably have not been following Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald investigation into the leaking of Valerie Plame's name as closely as I have (for some background, check this out). If you have, than you are probably sitting as close to the edge of your seat as I am waiting for any possible indictments. News reports continue to speculate that both Karl Rove (the architect of Bush's electoral victories and liberals' arch-nemesis) and I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby (Cheney's Chief of Staff) could possible be indicted as early as this week. Both of these men were instrumental in convincing the public that the U.S. needed to go to war in Iraq because the country was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, claims that now appear to largely be false. Nothing would make me happier than to see these two men indicted, both of whom were instrumental in setting this country on a seriously wrong path.

This is probably the most unflattering picture of me ever. Thanks Kiat!

Conversation of the Weekend

Overheard while walking down 17th St:

Man#1 (to his friend): You know, I really think we should start doing more coke.
Friend: Seriously, I'm so over crystal. I can't keep being up for 4 days straight.
Man#1: I KNOW. Tina's one mean bitch.
Friend: And you know, booze and coke is a really good combo

Gold Star

Twin Sister told me yesterday that I get the Gold Star for the weekend. I'm not too sure that's something I should be proud of. Will explain more about the weekend later.

Fill-In-The-Blanks

After a brief hiatus, I reppeared at JR's last night for $9-all-you-can-drink. I guess I must've had it in my head that I needed to make up for lost time or something cause I definitely got wiggedy wasted. Towards the end of the night memory gets a little bit hazy so I'd like to play a little game of Fill-In-The-Blanks:

I remember Michelle and Adam at JR's
I vaguely remember running into Brian (although I needed to email him to make sure)
I vaguely remember eating a double quarter pounder like a dateless fat girl on prom night

I definitely needed to check my phone log this morning to see if I did any drunk dialing/texting (I didn't).

Who's next?

Uggghhh, I have just one thing to say about this report that I'm writing for work:

OVER IT

The morning after

So I think I hearted vodka a little to much last night. And not the good kind either, this stuff was definitely a step or two below Zelko. Who knew that Halo's two-for-one happy hour goes until midnights on Wednesdays. Not me. Well until now. The problem with two-for-one's is that when you buy one drink, you're actually commiting yourself to two. What was going to be one or two drinks turned into many more, with the end result being me running stumbling to the metro to catch the last train. Luckily, this time Shamu wasn't trying to squeeze herself into the seat next to me.

It's about time

This column in the Washington Post makes me happy.

Metro Announcement

Dear Metro Riders,

Due to the rising cost of fuel and electricity, metro will be instituting a Southwest style policy. Namely, if you are to big to fit in a 5sq foot area, or require two metro seats, you will need to purchase an additional fare card. Moreover, do no attempt to squeeze yourself into one seat as this will only serve to antagonize your fellow riders. We've devised a list of tips to help you decide if this new policy applies to you.

You will need to purchase an extra fare card if any of the following conditions apply:

1. You need to slide sideways through the fare gate
2. People can't get around you on the escalator
3. You take up two seats on the metro
4. You order the 20 mcnuggets large value meal, just for yourself

We apologize for any inconvenience this policy may cause however it is truly in the best interests of all our passengers.

Thanks,
-Management

For a quick laugh

If you've got a few moments, check out this slideshow from the Washington Post. Some of the outfits are pretty interesting but what's even better are the captions below them, one of which is shown right.

Friendster

A couple of months ago I had pretty much givin up on Friendster. It seemed like there were always problems, errors, etc. But in the past few weeks they have definitely gotten their act togther and, I have to say, I really like it. The newest feature I've notices is a little Java map thinggy that shows all of the ways you are connected to someone. You can move the people around and a little picture pops up when you put your mouse over them. I've been playing with it all morning.

Show me the miles!

United has announced two Mileage Plus promotions: Earn 25,000 miles or 25% of in Washington DC, and Earn 36,000 miles or 20% off on the West Coast. Basically, if you fly four roundtrips out of DC before February 15th you earn 25,000 bonus miles or a 25% off e-certificate. From past experiences I've found the e-certs totally useless, but 25,000 miles will definitely come in handy. The second one, if you fly 8 roundtrips to or from the west coast you earn 36,000 bonus miles (or an e-cert), four roundtrips gets you 10,000.

The general consensus on Flyertalk is that you can combine the two, this means that if I fly 4 roundtrips from DC to the west coast before Feb 15 I get 35,000 bonus miles!! HOT. Let's see, Thanksgiving, Christmas, LA at the beginning of November, and I'm sure I can fit another trip in there in January if not before. Finally some serious bonus action I can use!

PS. I'm sure most of you reading this coudn't give a shit, which is fine. But then I don't want to hear you bitch and moan next year when I jet off somewhere exotic.

MIA

Sorry I've been missing in action the past few days. Have been really busy with work. In the mean time here's my song of the day.

Bumb of House (Jody S Rusty Pipe Mix) - Mad Cows

OK I had never heard of Jody S Rusty or Mad Cows before. But the song is really HOT. Check it out.

For a good time

Was poking around the internet this morning rather than doing real work and I came across this: harrietmiers.blogspot.com I laughed WAY too hard for it being this early in the morning

P.S. For those of you that burn at 40 watts instead of the full 60, the blog referenced is satire. It's not real.

Song of the Day

I'm gonna have to second Twin Sister's choice for song of the day. I've been JAMMING to it all day.

Quick Fix (Twisted Dee Big Room Mix) - Ceevox

MW Coverboy

Twin Sister and I have both decided that this weeks MW coverboy is 1) ugly and 2) doesn't appear to be that bright. While slightly drunk on Friday night we decided that we could come up with much better answers to the questions they ask. Not to mention we are both way hotter than the current one.

What’s on your nightstand? A lamp, clock, last weeks Economist

What’s in the nightstand drawer? The usual suspects, plus my passport and a jar of foreign money. Hey you never know when you need to flee the country

What’s in your DVD player? I don't think I should admit this, but I don't own a DVD player

What’ are your television favorites? America's Next Top Model, Amazing Race, and Star Trek: The Next Generation

What is the last movie you saw in a theater? Star Wars. Well now I've totally cemented the image of me=dork

What was your favorite cartoon when you were kid? Shera: Princess of Power. Clearly my parents should have know from an early age that I was gay

Your favorite superhero? Superman

Who is your greatest influence? My Parents

What’s your greatest fear? Club lights

Who gets on your nerves? My bar nemesis

Pick three people living or dead, who you think would be the most fascinating dinner guests imaginable? Bill Clinton, Richard Branson, Earl Warren

What would you serve? Hmmm, no idea, but it would definitely have mashed potatoes and gravy

Boxers, briefs, or other? Briefs

Favorite retail store? There are so many to choose from...

Describe your dream guy? Cute, smart, someone who can hold an intelligent conversation over dinner and then go burn a hole in the dance floor

Define good in bed? Good chemistry

Most unusual place you've had sex? On top of a castle in Germany

Who is your favorite musical group? Not so much a group but Tom Stephan

What's your favorite website? Washington Post.com

Who was your first celebrity crush? Will Wheaton

If your home were burning, what's the first thing you would grab while leaving? My pictures. Everything else can be replaced

What's your biggest turn-on? Confidence

What's your biggest turn-off? Arrogance

What's something you've always wanted to do, but haven't tried yet? Go to Asia

What's something you've tried that you never want to do again? Girls

What position do you play in the big baseball game of life? Power catcher

What's your favorite season? Fall

What's your favorite food to splurge on? Not really a splurge, but I'll tear up a double quarter pounder

What kind of animal would you be? Giraffe

What are you most grateful for? My friends

State your life philosophy in 10 words or less? No regrets

Here are Chuck's answers

Song of the Day

Reflections feat. Melanie S (Victor Calderone & That Kid Chris Remix) - That Kid Chris

It's not as peppy as a lot of the music I've been listning to recently. But that's ok. Maybe it has something to do with the beginning of fall....

Found on BeatPort

Last night

Somehow I managed to get amazingly wasted last night. I think it had something to do with the Stacker that Twin Sister made me take. It's now 3 in the afternoon and I still don't feel completely right. Had a great time last night though. Started out at Halo which, btw, *rant on* I will not be going to again if they continue to have an out of control line outside while only being half filled downstairs. We seriously waited in line for a good 15-20 mins. If it hadn't been for the fact that we were meeting people inside who had already bought us drinks, we definitely would have given up and gone to JR's. Oh and not to mention the fact that 6 people would walk out but the line Nazi would only let 2 people in, if anyone at all. It's a nice place, especially with the new downstairs, but 15 mins is really trying my patience. *Rant off*

Closed Cobalt, I wish I could tell you whether or not I had a good time there, but I can't really remember.

Totally unrelated: While at work today (yes I know it's Sunday) and procrastinating I came across this blog and this post (via this blog) which both made me laugh.