This is relatively boring as far as the high drama / ranting type post goes, but it was poignant enough that I decided to write about it.
So I'm friends with my ex on facebook now. No, not the asshole ex, the good one.
I know, hard to keep them straight, right? Come to think of it, that's not true - it's not hard to keep them straight at all. I've had a handful of serious-ish relationships in my life, and two or three that were significant. The two that are the most polar however, are the aforementioned d-bag, a-hole, and my new facebook friend, who happens to be one of the most amazing people I have ever known in my life.
Short story short, we dated for about 2.5 years, during college. He was my best friend and continued to be even after we broke up. He treated me better than anyone had before or since and is one of the most genuinely good and kind-hearted human beings I have ever had the pleasure to know. We broke up mostly because of me and the fact that I wasn't ready for the inevitable, were we to stay together. We consoled each other through our own break up and even hung out afterward, on a regular basis. Time passed. We stayed amicable and when we have run into each other, it has been a truly happy experience.
He is married now, to a great and very smart woman and they just had their first baby. These things make me genuinely happy for him. Seriously. As it turns out, I am not sad or jealous or wondering what-if, because I think things went how they were supposed to go. But still....it's kind of weird to be friends fifteen years down the line, with someone who saw me at my most vulnerable and with whom I shared so much and then parted ways for about thirteen of those years between then and now.
In trading messages, I was sort of struck by how far I had let my standards fall in the dating arena. I'm not glory-days-ing that relationship at all, by the way. He really was that good to me and I really did let my standards slip. Of course, I can't blame my spinsterhood entirely on lower standards. I have shunned relationships for a long, long, long time in favor of so many other things that require less mental and emotional energy, or at least require them in different capacities. I have no complaints and no regrets.
I guess the point here is, in the most truly platonic and genuine sense, it is possible to have love for someone you once loved and it is possible to hear about their happy life and be happy. I learned that yesterday and it was quite refreshing. I like refreshing....it's kind of nice, compared to the alternative.
Go grownups!
28 November, 2012
24 November, 2012
thank goodness
I believe in the good in people.
Yes, I truly do believe in it and it's a good way to be.
That is all.
Yes, I truly do believe in it and it's a good way to be.
That is all.
21 November, 2012
juice & cabs
This is not a clever title. I'm really going to write about juice and cabs, so brace yourselves. You may not think these two things go together and, of course, you're right. They don't.
I feel the need to open a discussion on DC cabs however, because I can't believe that no one has raised serious objection to this system before. I am not one of those people who comes down to DC and goes on and on about "well, in New York....", but here, I feel I must.
In New York, the cabs are all on the medallion system. The system is streamlined, the cabs look the same, have the same fares, and are more or less efficient. If you tell a cabbie that you need to get somewhere as fast as humanly possible, dude will put both your lives on the line to make that happen, as it should be. I personally think that Manhattan should be a cabs-only island, but that's a discussion for another time. The point is, the cabbie drives aggressively, you have your choice of payment method and they pull as far out of the way of general traffic when picking you up and dropping you off, as possible, so as not to disrupt everyone else's progress.
This is soooooooooo not the case in DC. I don't know where they get these reject cabbies and their system, but it's a bunch of malarky. My major gripes are three (followed by a series of more minor ones):
1. When a cab comes to pick you up or drop you off, they pick the most inconvenient location for both you - the passenger - and the rest of the traffic on the road. They obstruct as many other people as possible, causing a bottleneck and a bunch of dirty looks and honks, etc. Why? Why not just pull over to the curb and let people get on with their business, all while allowing the passenger to not have to hurdle or lunge to get into the cab?
2. The cabs in DC drive sooooooooooo s l o w. I mean molasses in winter, slow. Glacially slow. Me trying to sprint while running, slow. Am I painting a clear enough picture here? So I say "I need to get to 14th and U, as fast as possible please" and dude goes 20 miles an hour on an unobstructed road. Literally. No other cars to clog things up and dude is cruising at a leisurely 20 miles an hour. So I say "um, sir, I understand if you don't want to speed, but could you maybe at least go the speed limit, so I can get where I need to go?" He sped up to 22. I did not tip him.
3. You MUST have cash. This just blows. I realize that forever and ever in New York until only a few years ago, all cabs were on a cash only system. But then came the invention of the handy little in-cab swiper and now I feel like that ought to be implemented everywhere. There are 2309428 cab companies in DC and then some from MD and VA who occasionally try and grab some DC business, despite it being illegal. Not a one has a damn credit card swiper. This is just beyond unreasonable to me. This is a booming metropolis with a global contingent of fares. Get with the program, guys. I'm not even going to get into the bs rates, which are then run up by the Flintstones driving speed. Just make it easier for people. The number of fares you pick up in a day will increase dramatically and you won't have to gouge the shit out of those who do hop in.
My new, fun game is getting kicked out of cabs for yelling at the cab drivers for various things. The side benefit to getting kicked out, by the way, is that you get several blocks worth of free progress on your trip, which cuts down on the aforementioned aggravations. But hey....if you are holding your cell phone in one hand or have it pressed between your shoulder and your ear while you are trying to squire me about, I'm going to yell at you for it, because that is, or should be, illegal. If you kick me out, your loss. You shouldn't be driving 14 mph and chatting away, anyway. I will put up with your stinky cab, the bizarre decorations, your wacky music and the lot. But you cannot talk on the phone and / or drive like an octegenarian and get away with it.
I guess New York did leave some things with me. But seriously, being that this is a town of activists and people who like to squawk for change, I may just organize a contingent to noise things up and finally get some logical driving going on. Until then, I will walk or take the bus, thank you.
Oh and for the juice part, I'm on day 5-ish of adding the juice in during the day and then having a normal, healthy dinner and I feel like a million bucks. That juicer was worth it and I am still down a net of 15 pounds as of a couple of days ago, before this even kicked in, so yay to that.
And there it is. Juice and cabs.
I feel the need to open a discussion on DC cabs however, because I can't believe that no one has raised serious objection to this system before. I am not one of those people who comes down to DC and goes on and on about "well, in New York....", but here, I feel I must.
In New York, the cabs are all on the medallion system. The system is streamlined, the cabs look the same, have the same fares, and are more or less efficient. If you tell a cabbie that you need to get somewhere as fast as humanly possible, dude will put both your lives on the line to make that happen, as it should be. I personally think that Manhattan should be a cabs-only island, but that's a discussion for another time. The point is, the cabbie drives aggressively, you have your choice of payment method and they pull as far out of the way of general traffic when picking you up and dropping you off, as possible, so as not to disrupt everyone else's progress.
This is soooooooooo not the case in DC. I don't know where they get these reject cabbies and their system, but it's a bunch of malarky. My major gripes are three (followed by a series of more minor ones):
1. When a cab comes to pick you up or drop you off, they pick the most inconvenient location for both you - the passenger - and the rest of the traffic on the road. They obstruct as many other people as possible, causing a bottleneck and a bunch of dirty looks and honks, etc. Why? Why not just pull over to the curb and let people get on with their business, all while allowing the passenger to not have to hurdle or lunge to get into the cab?
2. The cabs in DC drive sooooooooooo s l o w. I mean molasses in winter, slow. Glacially slow. Me trying to sprint while running, slow. Am I painting a clear enough picture here? So I say "I need to get to 14th and U, as fast as possible please" and dude goes 20 miles an hour on an unobstructed road. Literally. No other cars to clog things up and dude is cruising at a leisurely 20 miles an hour. So I say "um, sir, I understand if you don't want to speed, but could you maybe at least go the speed limit, so I can get where I need to go?" He sped up to 22. I did not tip him.
3. You MUST have cash. This just blows. I realize that forever and ever in New York until only a few years ago, all cabs were on a cash only system. But then came the invention of the handy little in-cab swiper and now I feel like that ought to be implemented everywhere. There are 2309428 cab companies in DC and then some from MD and VA who occasionally try and grab some DC business, despite it being illegal. Not a one has a damn credit card swiper. This is just beyond unreasonable to me. This is a booming metropolis with a global contingent of fares. Get with the program, guys. I'm not even going to get into the bs rates, which are then run up by the Flintstones driving speed. Just make it easier for people. The number of fares you pick up in a day will increase dramatically and you won't have to gouge the shit out of those who do hop in.
My new, fun game is getting kicked out of cabs for yelling at the cab drivers for various things. The side benefit to getting kicked out, by the way, is that you get several blocks worth of free progress on your trip, which cuts down on the aforementioned aggravations. But hey....if you are holding your cell phone in one hand or have it pressed between your shoulder and your ear while you are trying to squire me about, I'm going to yell at you for it, because that is, or should be, illegal. If you kick me out, your loss. You shouldn't be driving 14 mph and chatting away, anyway. I will put up with your stinky cab, the bizarre decorations, your wacky music and the lot. But you cannot talk on the phone and / or drive like an octegenarian and get away with it.
I guess New York did leave some things with me. But seriously, being that this is a town of activists and people who like to squawk for change, I may just organize a contingent to noise things up and finally get some logical driving going on. Until then, I will walk or take the bus, thank you.
Oh and for the juice part, I'm on day 5-ish of adding the juice in during the day and then having a normal, healthy dinner and I feel like a million bucks. That juicer was worth it and I am still down a net of 15 pounds as of a couple of days ago, before this even kicked in, so yay to that.
And there it is. Juice and cabs.
16 November, 2012
nodes
I can feel the bitchiness creeping in. Good thing it's the weekend.
So turns out if you push your body really, super, extra hard, it will rebel against you and ultimately have the last laugh by just closing up shop and blowing the circuit board of your functioning systems right up. Periodically, I like to test the theory to see if this is still the case and today I can report that yep, still how things work.
After almost 6 full weeks of extreme sickness, which was uniquely concentrated solely on my throat and the surrounding lymph nodes it then, in the final two and a half weeks, migrated to my left sinuses, because they apparently wanted in on the action. My lymph nodes were so big that my neck had balls. Like you could actually see them sticking out to the sides. I still went in to work, of course.
Fear ye not dear reader, I obtained drugs. I wish they were the kind that would take my brain into another, non-right-now dimension and let me crack up and stuff my face, but alas, it was just amoxicillin.
I got better, but just in time for my birthday, a bunch of shenanigans and the amazing destination wedding of two of my dearest friends. So basically I got better and then proceeded to drink booze and eat decadent food, like it was my job. I am now utterly disgusted with myself, so drastic measures have been taken.
I periodically do a little juice cleanse gig in order to keep the system fresh, but this time, I have taken it to new heights. I bought the damn juicer myself. The only drawback of this process is that after you have skipped a few quarters of maintenance, been sick and then partied like a barely legal celebrity, shit hurts. I scream to the toxins to get out, but for the first few days, they just sit here thrashing me with headaches and reminding me of the good ol' days when they ran the roost. This is where the bitchiness comes in.
According to those around me, my perceived bitchiness is nothing of the sort, to the outside observer, but if everyone could hear my internal monologue during this time, they might be afraid. The juice is tasty, though. Anyway, the point is, I may chronicle this particular journey, because I intend to do this round for longer than usual and sort of scientifically (-ish) note what is happening. So stay tuned is what I'm saying, I guess.
And all this hubbub about Hostess going out of business just annoys me (maybe because I'm bitchy today). But seriously people, the twinkies and ding dongs and whatever other plastic food they make will outlive us all. The things can be left in their packages on a shelf for 25 years and have no discernible change in constitution. I've seen proof of this. Get over it. Your plasticized, disgusting snacks will still be there for you whenever you want them, I promise. Someone will have a case on ebay in about 3 years.
That is all. Queen bitch signing out.
So turns out if you push your body really, super, extra hard, it will rebel against you and ultimately have the last laugh by just closing up shop and blowing the circuit board of your functioning systems right up. Periodically, I like to test the theory to see if this is still the case and today I can report that yep, still how things work.
After almost 6 full weeks of extreme sickness, which was uniquely concentrated solely on my throat and the surrounding lymph nodes it then, in the final two and a half weeks, migrated to my left sinuses, because they apparently wanted in on the action. My lymph nodes were so big that my neck had balls. Like you could actually see them sticking out to the sides. I still went in to work, of course.
Fear ye not dear reader, I obtained drugs. I wish they were the kind that would take my brain into another, non-right-now dimension and let me crack up and stuff my face, but alas, it was just amoxicillin.
I got better, but just in time for my birthday, a bunch of shenanigans and the amazing destination wedding of two of my dearest friends. So basically I got better and then proceeded to drink booze and eat decadent food, like it was my job. I am now utterly disgusted with myself, so drastic measures have been taken.
I periodically do a little juice cleanse gig in order to keep the system fresh, but this time, I have taken it to new heights. I bought the damn juicer myself. The only drawback of this process is that after you have skipped a few quarters of maintenance, been sick and then partied like a barely legal celebrity, shit hurts. I scream to the toxins to get out, but for the first few days, they just sit here thrashing me with headaches and reminding me of the good ol' days when they ran the roost. This is where the bitchiness comes in.
According to those around me, my perceived bitchiness is nothing of the sort, to the outside observer, but if everyone could hear my internal monologue during this time, they might be afraid. The juice is tasty, though. Anyway, the point is, I may chronicle this particular journey, because I intend to do this round for longer than usual and sort of scientifically (-ish) note what is happening. So stay tuned is what I'm saying, I guess.
And all this hubbub about Hostess going out of business just annoys me (maybe because I'm bitchy today). But seriously people, the twinkies and ding dongs and whatever other plastic food they make will outlive us all. The things can be left in their packages on a shelf for 25 years and have no discernible change in constitution. I've seen proof of this. Get over it. Your plasticized, disgusting snacks will still be there for you whenever you want them, I promise. Someone will have a case on ebay in about 3 years.
That is all. Queen bitch signing out.
07 November, 2012
relief
A friend said - and I agree - that she would like to index the number of Republicans who are adamant that Obama be voted out of office because he didn't magically heal the economy and all of our country's woes within 3.5 years, with the divorce rates of those voters. It would clearly show which among them are only in something for the short term and have no sense of sticking to something and coming up with real, steady and viable solutions and then implementing those solutions and enduring the progress.
For my birthday (which was the best I've had in years), I got my best friends around me, a lot of laughs, a president I have faith in and a record number of women in policy-making positions. One in five senate members is now a woman. All in all, it's been a great last few days. Sorry angry white dudes, your stranglehold is running out and your misogynist, racist, classist days are numbered.
I will expound on this later, but guess what? We actually DO need higher taxes. Bush had a surplus, started two wars, squandered that surplus and then had no way to pay for anything. Coupled with the fact that our financial system resisted the absolutely necessary oversight that only Blakeslee Born had the cajones to insist upon, and plunged millions of people, the world's economy and our precious, over-consumer-driven ways of life down the shitter, we are thrust back to an FDR-esque state where it will take time, patience and cooperation to rebuild.
During your precious 1950's, the lower of the tax rates was upwards of sixty or seventy percent, with the highest rate being at ninety, and that was the most economically prosperous thirty year run our country has ever had. So zip it, because no one is proposing going back to those rates, just getting us on our feet again. Oh, remember Clinton and his "exhorbitant" tax rates? Surplus, balanced budget. Shut up.
For now however, I am SUPER excited to live within walking distance of the White House and the national mall, so that I can go and watch my president be inaugurated, in person. That is a really cool feeling and it was worth staying up until 2am to have it.
Also, Obama's speech was amazing. And that's all for Wednesday, folks.
For my birthday (which was the best I've had in years), I got my best friends around me, a lot of laughs, a president I have faith in and a record number of women in policy-making positions. One in five senate members is now a woman. All in all, it's been a great last few days. Sorry angry white dudes, your stranglehold is running out and your misogynist, racist, classist days are numbered.
I will expound on this later, but guess what? We actually DO need higher taxes. Bush had a surplus, started two wars, squandered that surplus and then had no way to pay for anything. Coupled with the fact that our financial system resisted the absolutely necessary oversight that only Blakeslee Born had the cajones to insist upon, and plunged millions of people, the world's economy and our precious, over-consumer-driven ways of life down the shitter, we are thrust back to an FDR-esque state where it will take time, patience and cooperation to rebuild.
During your precious 1950's, the lower of the tax rates was upwards of sixty or seventy percent, with the highest rate being at ninety, and that was the most economically prosperous thirty year run our country has ever had. So zip it, because no one is proposing going back to those rates, just getting us on our feet again. Oh, remember Clinton and his "exhorbitant" tax rates? Surplus, balanced budget. Shut up.
For now however, I am SUPER excited to live within walking distance of the White House and the national mall, so that I can go and watch my president be inaugurated, in person. That is a really cool feeling and it was worth staying up until 2am to have it.
Also, Obama's speech was amazing. And that's all for Wednesday, folks.
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