Tumbletree

Probably the oddest part of about the new house we've bought is the street name: Tumbletree Terrace. For some reason, Angela keeps wanting to say Tumbleweed- but I think we'll get used to it...

That aside- we took another look at the house this past week, and we had the opportunity to take some (say, 36) pictures. If you'd like to see our new abode, you can check out: Here. The site is very rudimentary (aka, just a list of the pictures), but maybe I'll have a chance to throw up the thumbnails tomorrow.

DcD

p.s.- we may actually see snow tomorrow!! woohoo!

Two more reasons...

As if I need to justify my extended absence....

This past weekend Angela and I took charge of three children of a nationally known politician and "chaperoned" them around New York City (names withheld to protect the innocent- or guilty, as it were). So we spent a rainy, dreary Friday walking hither and thither- often calling our driver when circumstances prevented walking (i.e., when our destination proved to be more than 6 blocks- about the maximum the young'ns could handle).

We enjoyed a fun time, especially spending $50 at a candy store! Saturday was more enjoyable, with the weather cooperating and a wonderful lunch at Serendipity (the best BLT I've ever had). Then, we had a nice flight home, in which the nationally known politician lost at Hearts to his two sons and me- though I came close to getting clobbered due to a critical misjudgment of my ability to go for broke (shoot the moon, hang 'em high, whatever!)

The second item that made our weekend one of the craziest of our lives was our Sunday afternoon/evening/night/early AM of Monday. Most of the details are not pertinent, but I was given 4 tickets to the Redskins/Eagles game on Sunday night. Only one problem: the tickets were in NYC (where I met the gentleman during our weekend), and we were back in DC, and no way to get them.

In steps our liaison- a sweet lady who lives in DC who was at the same party in New York and was coming home to DC Sunday at 6pm (game time- 8:30pm). So Angela and I, with friends Mike and Sarah, head to Reagan National Airport to meet a lady we don't even know- in whose hands lies the fate of our evening (I'm making it sound all dramatic, but Mike and I were nervous as can be). People kept streaming out without stopping, and we thought maybe she hadn't made it. And then- there she was. A quick, clandestine handoff, and we were on our way to FedEx Field.

Despite not going to most direct route, we made it safely to the game and enjoyed seats right on the goal line, 23 rows up on the lower level. The atmosphere was incredible, and I lost my voice twice (I regained it after drinking coffee- dirty water- and then proceeded to lose it again). Thankfully, we made it out quickly and made it home in an hour flat (not bad, eh?), which means bedtime was about 2am Monday morning.

So, two good reasons why this weekend didn't afford the opportunity to blog. Happy? =)

DcD

p.s. Did I mention we bought a house!!?? =D

Appeasing the masses

So apparently at least two people look at my blog- that's good news.

The better news is that the reason my vacation hitaus turned into a three week occasion is that Angela and I just.... BOUGHT A HOUSE!!

Yeah- it's been little crazy.

We had looked at one townhouse in Ashburn and were about to put an offer on it, but we were about a day late. It already had two contracts. The next day we met with our realtor and went to look at what we thought we be a nice townhouse in Ashburn Village- what a piece of JUNK! It was gross and its beautiful deck backed up to a 4-lane major road (i.e., NOISE).

We then decided to take a quick gander at some new townhouses in Broadlands- just to get an idea (we had heard they had reduced the prices and were selling them at a great deal). Driving down the street to the model homes, we saw one for sale by a realtor (not directly from the builder). After looking at the model homes, we stopped in the one for sale and loved it!

The seller was smoking somethin', b/c he was asking an arm and two legs for it- but, we gave him a good offer, a quick closing, and the contract was signed the next morning!!!! Talk about moving quickly... But that's the way the market works in NoVA- you never know when things will sell (one townhouse had 7 contracts on it within 2 days of being on the market).

So- we got a good deal- a 2200 sq.ft. 6-month old townhouse in a very desirable neighborhood with a pool and community center down the street and walking trails. Amenities close by, and we are at the end (almost) of a cul-de-sac- which means very little traffic!

We will be closing Jan. 10th, and moving in soon thereafter. I'll post pics when I can.

Angela and I are humbled by the costs of living in this area, but we are also grateful to all those who made it a possibility. And we get more excited each and every day we think about our new home!

DcD

Hiatus

So, for all 3 of you that actually look at my blog...

If you haven't heard, Dave Barry is taking a break from his weekly
column in the Miami Herald. I guess he deserves a break-- he's been
doing this for 30 years. It seems like he is in good company. After 2
weeks of hard-and-heavy blogging, I've decided to take a break from
the stress as well. So, for those Thanksgiving lonesomes- no news from
me. =)

30 years - 2 weeks...boy, we do deserve a break.

DcD

Ah, the stupidity

So driving in Ashburn today, a car in front of me had a bumper sticker that read: "F the FCC". Now I have no problem with this bumper sticker in terms of free speech- but I take issue with it in terms of stupidity. This person, it seems ignorantly, proves to us exactly why the FCC does what it does.

Had this person truly cared about getting the FCC to stop "censoring" speech or indiscretions from TV/Radio, why did they not print the entire "F" word? Why did they not express their opinions fully, instead of only using a euphemism?

Unknowingly, this person has conceded that the mores of our society look down upon blatant uses of crude language, and thus he/she refrained from using said vile language.

I want to thank you, Mr. Car-I-Didn't-Get-A-Good-Look-At-Because-I-Was-Reading-Your-Bumper-Sticker. You have shown all of your neighbors both the reason the FCC exists and also, more importantly, your own stupidity.

DcD

Took him long enough...

We knew it was too good to be true. John Kerry's warm and fuzzy concession speech proved to the nation that he was not an angry man; instead, he was ready to work together with the President to accomplish the best for our beloved America.

Not so fast, you young, naive politicos. Mr. Flip-Flop is back...

According to the Washington Post the junior Senator from Massachusetts has decided that he is no longer the nice man he tried to be on November 3rd (it only took 16 days to change his mind on this one).

I don't have the e-mail yet that Kerry sent to his supporters, but I have quotes from the Post. I'm going to compare these with statements from the concession speech- you make the call.

Nov. 3rd- "With that gift also comes obligation. We are required to work together for the good of our country. In the days ahead, we must find common cause."

Nov. 19th- Bush's Cabinet is being remade "to rubber stamp policies that will undermine Social Security, balloon the deficit, avoid real reforms in health care and education, weaken homeland security and walk away from critical allies around the world."

---

Nov. 3rd- "We must join in common effort without remorse or recrimination, without anger or rancor. America is in need of unity and longing for a larger measure of compassion."

Real quick: I had to look this up. Recrimination means: "a counter accusation; mutual accusations."

Nov. 19th- He accused the administration of preparing a "right-wing assault on values and ideals" and called on Democrats to fight back against what he labeled Bush's extreme agenda. "This is not a time for Democrats to retreat and accommodate extremists on critical principles. It is a time to stand firm."

I'm sorry, but I don't remember President Bush introducing anything recently that would be labeled extremist or assaulting values. In fact, the cabinet replacees (is that a word?) have all been in the administration already and are simply moving up.

Senator Kerry, who claimed it is not the time to keep fighting and accusing the other party, has now done just that. He couldn't stand himself the way he was on Nov. 3rd. He couldn't bear to live quietly and peacefully and try to work together. If the media keeps trying to tell us we are a divided nation, the finger needs to be pointed directly at Senator Kerry.

I can hear the quote now: "I actually did support the President before I turned against him."

DcD

Erratic Loquacity II

So, we (meaning Ang) got this great new contraption. It's a toilet-bowl smell-nicer thingy that drips a bit of cleaner in the water after each flush. So, every time we lift the lid...ahhhh, a breath of fresh, bleachy air.You know what's ironic: within two weeks of this thing leaving its pleasantries-spots of mildew began to arise. So not only does it smell good, but it provides its own connect-the-dots for extended visits to the porcelain throne.

New ad campaign: "Smells good, provides free entertainment for ages 2 to 99!"

DcD

p.s.-I'm typing this on my soon to be 7 year old Powerbook G3.Nostalgia brings back the best memories (hah- there's a tautology for you!)

Another absurd attempt...

Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) has apparently gotten himself into some "trouble" with the Penn Hills School District. His three oldest children attend Pennsylvania's Charter Cyber-School, which is an online school paid for by the Commonwealth. The problem, according to one School Board member (who also happens to be head of the local Democratic Party), is that the Santorums do not live in Penn Hills.

You see, the Santorums live in Leesburg, VA. While they are dutiful, tax-paying residents of PA, they also recognize the importance of being together as a family while the Senate is in session. Thus they own homes in both PA and VA, the latter which offers the Senator a quick commute into the District.

You can read about it in this article, and you can read Senator Santorum's Press Release (definitely shows his heart for his family). Without raising a fuss, the Santorums have agreed to withdraw their children from the Cyber-School.

As if that weren't enough, the School Board member is NOW asking the Santorums to repay the School District for the last 4 years their children were part of this Cyber-School. Let's think about this... The Santorum children don't utilize any school resources, take up any seats in a physical classroom, or necessitate the need for playgrounds in the Penn Hills School District. By homeschooling, they actually SAVE the School District money! Someone on the School Board seems to miss this point.

What is this? I mean, com'on. How desperate do you have to be? Sentaor Santorum is in his second term, he travels to every county in the Commonwealth every year, and he represents the people of PA better than anyone could. But the fact that his family wants to be close to their husband and dad prevents them from being considered full-fledged residents of PA?? Where is the understanding for the intense time constraints upon a Senator and his family? I'm just dumbfounded....

Knowing the family and having spent time with the children, it's really an unfortunate thing that they are being targeted like this. Everyone knows the life of a Senator, and I think it's admirable that he does everything possible to be with them every single night.

Apparently, it's okay to discriminate when it comes to a family-loving, home-schooling Senator who understands the importance of being a dad.

DcD

Sad but true

We saw this quote the other day in a gift shop (it was embroidered into one of those pillows people rarely buy but they're kinda fun to look at), and it read:

Dogs have masters. Cats have staff.

Now that we're the proud owners of a cat, we understand how true this is!! For example...our little Dido has learned how to open doors at her leisure. How we wish we could teach her to SHUT them! But, apparently, in her view, this is why she has us!

AeD

On Arafat...

The Wall Street Journal's online counterpart- opinionjournal.com - sends out a daily e-mail called "Best of the Web." In this wonderfully pleasing collection of snippets from around the Internet, the editors comment on world events and often the inconsistencies of the left-wing media outlets. So I don't bore you with too much, I'll refrain from posting everything worth reading from BOTW. But I will provide my (very few) readers with pieces that can't be ignored. Friday's included one such article, on the late Mr. Arafat:

"Now that George W. Bush has won an undisputed election, what if he were to cancel the elections in 2008 and thereafter and simply declare himself president for life? It sounds like a left-wing paranoid fantasy, but Jimmy Carter endorses the idea on the op-ed page of today's New York Times. Reminiscing about his favorite terrorist, Yasser Arafat, Carter writes:

In effect, peace efforts of a long line of previous administrations have been abandoned by President Bush and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. For the last three years of his life, Mr. Arafat was incapacitated and held as a prisoner, humiliated by his physical incarceration and excluded by the other two leaders from any recognition as the legitimate head of the Palestinian community. Recognizing Mr. Arafat's failure to control violence among his people or to initiate helpful peace proposals, I use the word "legitimate" based on his victory in January 1996 by a strong majority of votes in an election monitored by the Carter Center and approved by the occupying Israelis.

"It's true that Arafat in 1996, like Bush this year, won a strong majority of the votes in an election that featured no serious opposition. But as we noted in May 2002, new elections were due in 1999, and Arafat never held them. We hope and expect that Bush will leave office on schedule, on Jan. 20, 2009--but if he doesn't, it would be 'legitimate' by Carter's lights.

"Come to think of it, we'll bet Carter is kicking himself for not thinking of this 25 years earlier."

I don't remember reading about this in either the Post or the Times....

DcD

From Folliott

A meditation for today, courtesy of Folliott S. Pierpoint, whose beautifully penned words ring true in our minds and hearts on this glorious fall afternoon - don't take it for granted!

"For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth, over and around us lies,
Lord of all, to Thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise."

AeD

p.s. forgive me for asking but...who names their kid "Folliott"??

Erratic loquacity

So I woke up at 3:30am this morning- hungry and not able to sleep. I turned over about 37 times, cursed the cat whose bell was ringing, and thought about getting some food. Then it hit me...

If you don't voluntarily cause yourself to awaken, do you actually "wake" up, or have you been awakened? Is it truly possible to awake on your own, or does it cause a third party to "wake" you? How can I, in a semi-concious state of great rest, actually force myself to leave that state and return to a state of awareness of the world around me? If I actually can, why would I (the BIG question!)??

Unfortunately, my great philosophical ponderings of 3:45am 11/13/04 were quickly dismissed as bunk when I looked up "awake" in the dictionary. Regrettably (for my aspirations of breaking into the great dimension of sleep metaphysicality), it can be both transitive and intransitive.

Darn that Mr. Webster....

DcD

p.s. "Erratic loquacity" will be my series (undetermined in length) of random thoughts and senseless talk. The World Wide Web is much more open to my stupid rantings than is my wonderful, patient wife.

A big shout!

This one's for T-Moe. Big Torrey is taking the plunge, having found the woman of his dreams. I can't be happier for my former roommate. You can e-mail him at torrey.moe@students.phc.edu

Look in the background- I think that's Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.

DcD

I confess...

So, everyone in our circle is in this "blog" craze, which I am highly skeptical of and afraid to join in. But I have fallen, and here we are. I'm testing out my abilities to decipher HTML and mini-edit it myself- please forgive the bloated code, if you are an HTML freak. If you don't know what HTML is, just pretend I never said anything.

I must also confess...do you ever play with a toy that you just have to have?? I haven't asked for a Nerf gun since I was 10, but I know there will be one in my stocking this year. Not only is it uber-cool, it has a laser pointer for super-dooper accuracy!! WOOHOO! Check this out- Nerf

...sed nomini, tuo da gloriam.

"Not unto us, O Lord, but unto Your name give glory!"

Welcome to "our" blog, we'll be posting more later.

DcD