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October 26, 2005
Echelon
Excerpts from an email exchange on Tuesday morning...
"My mother gave me a scolding this morning about how inconsiderate I was to keep you awake until midnight when you had to be at work at such an early hour."
"What was your response? You should have said that you would have left earlier but you could not find your bra..."
"Um, I think that after having to call my dad at 2 a.m. last night to escort me home, I would prefer not to paint them a picture any more graphic than is necessary."
UPDATE: I suppose it doesn't come across that way, but he was JOKING. My bra was accounted for the entire night.
Posted by madchen at 03:42 PM | Comments (2)October 25, 2005
I'm Rich!
My blog is worth $3,387.24.
How much is your blog worth?
Other fun sites:
Kevin's site is worth $18,065.28.
Poor Ms. Wish to See's website is worth $0.00.
October 24, 2005
Mr. Bad Apologies -- WEbring #12
This week's topic was supposed to be posted by Mr. Bad Apologies, but no one has heard from him in several days. Speculate on what is keeping him so busy that he can't fulfill basic tasks. Incorporate things that he has written about, and link to his past blog entries whenever possible.
Initially I thought that Mr. Bad Apologies was reinstating his previously cancelled world tour and was at stopover #4.. Or perhaps he was busy catching up on foreign, independent, gay, fim noir. Or maybe he was being illegally detained by Grace Hill Media after his review of the PR at the Serenity Bloggers Bonanza.
But no, in fact he was just laying low, waiting for an opportune time to spring the OH SO FUN gay-bar experience on me. While in Philadelphia this weekend for the Amnesty International USA Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference (so many activists!), I met Mr. Bad Apologies at Woody's--the "best gay neighborhood bar" in the city. The dancing was so fun, and there was no line in the bathroom! I had flashbacks to my Roppongi days, when dancing on the bar counters was not unheard of. Only this time, there were even MORE attractive men who weren't interested in me.
Holy crap it was dee-lite-ful. I'm only sorry that I won't be there to experience Karaoke Night and Country Western Line Dancing.
Posted by madchen at 03:12 PM | Comments (0)October 19, 2005
King of the World
Holy crap, I've been SO productive today!
It's a mere 3 p.m. (when I'm usually just getting around to facing the day) and already I have accomplished the following:
-- calculated AND paid my 2005 federal and state estimated taxes
-- renewed my car registration for another two years
-- paid my *new* health insurance bill (catastrophes, bring it on!)
-- set up a date for next Monday (a second date, and he's making me dinner--ooh la la!)
-- set up an interview for a job in Vienna, Virginia (because after I paid taxes, I am oh-so-poor) for Tuesday
-- reconciled my bank accounts (that's checking, savings, and credit cards baby!) for the last 2 months, confirming that I am, indeed, oh-so-poor
And, in a crazy sort of karma way, I had a lovely chat with one of the recipients of last night's email debacle. I had sent her a follow-up note, explaining that the email was a mistake (in fact, she shouldn't have even have been on that list) and apologizing for any inconvenience. She wrote back and--long story short--we're going to have coffee when she's in town in a couple weeks to see if there's any possibility for collaboration. Yay!
Posted by madchen at 03:05 PM | Comments (1)Major Blunders
Oh dear me.
For the last, oh, month or so, I haven't really pursued the Big Idea. Aside from joining the gym, entertaining the niece, dating, and doing full-time consulting work, I just haven't had the time to sit down and think out the next steps. I'm at the point where I need some focused time to plan a strategy, create a "pitch" letter, and figure out how I want to approach potential clients.
Up until now, I just figured that when my current contract ran out (in early November), I would take a week or so and do some serious planning.
That is, until tonight.
I don't know what possessed me to start working on the Big Idea at 1 a.m. Suffice it to say that I was suddenly overwhelmed with a burst of Big Idea energy. I sat down, wrote a brilliant pitch letter, and tried to mail merge it with my excel spreadsheet, which contained a bunch of names I had culled for potential clients. This would allow me to customize each letter with information designed to make my offer particularly enticing.
So far, so good.
Well, Microsoft Word (both my angel and my nemesis) has this new nifty feature: the E-mail Merge. It's sort of like a regular mail merge, except that it will create individualized emails. Wonderful! Since I was hoping to make my initial contact via email, this is ideal. I'll have to do less editing, which means less room for stupid blunders. Theoretically, everyone should walk away happy.
It never works out that way, though, does it?
Well, apparently, when you hit "merge" on an email merge, it actually SENDS THE EMAILS RIGHT THEN AND THERE. Which, of course, I only found out AFTER I MERGED THEM TWICE. That's right. When I did it the first time, it looked like nothing happened. So I tried it again. And then I got this sinking feeling at the pit of my stomach.
I opened up my Microsoft Outlook and SURE ENOUGH. Two copies of each email (some of which were NOT edited to go out) went out, and were sent from my regular hotmail address instead of my official Big Idea email address. Thus, it looks like a totally phony scam (because my Big Idea email has a signature block with the company name, website, etc., I didn't include it in the form letter).
AUGH!!
After having a near breakdown, I have taken several deep breaths and assessed the situation. First off, for a letter written in 15 minutes, it has impeccable spelling and grammar. I'm just going to overlook the several emails that start:
Dear ,
And I'll also overlook the fact that everyone got that email twice. Hey, maybe they need to see it multiple times before taking it seriously.
It's not like i can do anything about it now.
And I did include my Big Idea phone number and email address at the bottom of the form letter, so any person with half a brain COULD figure out the company website address. Or they could just contact me for more information--which is what I suggest at the close of the letter.
Sigh.
Let me try and learn from this disaster.
Lesson #1: Don't try new features on Microsoft Office products at 1 a.m.
Lesson #2: Don't try new features on Microsoft Office on REAL client lists.
Lesson #3: Always include full contact information in the body of a letter.
Lesson #4: Don't try new features on Microsoft Office products at 1 a.m. (worth repeating twice)
Lesson #5: Don't try new features on Microsoft Office on REAL client lists. (also worth repeating twice)
October 17, 2005
Paying the Price
This weekend has been a microcosm of life. There are good times, there are bad times. When the good times are good, you think that nothing bad can happen. And then you wake up the next morning with copious amounts of snot and no Kleenex in site.
It all started off great on Saturday. I met up with Ms. Wish to See (and S.O.) and Mr. Fliven (and S.O.) at the Maryand Renaissance Festival. Jousting was observed, the ethics of elephant riding debated, amusing shows seen, faces painted, and general merriment had by all. At one point I found myself strapped in to a full-on wench outfit (testament to my "best sport EVER" crown), but thankfully I escaped before I was forced to make a purchase. On the other hand, I am now the owner of a delightful feather mask, which I will be wearing for Halloween, and any other mask-necessitating events.
From the festival, I then proceeded to the Wintergate Maize Maze, which is definitely the highlight of the season. With Mr. Bad Apologies and his friends, I joined in a competition to see which team could successfully navigate the 35 acres of corn fields, armed only with a flashlight (and a helpful map of the maze), and emerge victorious with all checkpoints located. I feel I needn't mention the obvious fact that OUR TEAM WON.
All fine and dandy, and I arrived home with muddy shoes (note to self: sweep floors before mother kills herself) and good spirits. Unbeknownst to me, I fell asleep with no concept of the misery to come.
This morning I woke up with what can only be described as the cold from hell. I thought that my kleenex-to-date count might be interesting, but I lost track around 63. I am confident that I have, in fact, used a full box of tissues--plus a half roll of toilet paper (when the replacement kleenex box could not be located in a timely manner). By midafternoon, my nose was a sneezing, bleeding, raw mess. I was truly a joy to behold.
At one point Janie told me to stuff tissues up my nose because it would help me talk normally.
"I don' tink zo," was my cogent reply.
Following some well-qualified advice, I have chosen to combat this virus (Could it be bird flu? One must consider all the possibilities!) by attempting to drown it in water. Which has really only compounded the toilet-paper overuse problem, since now I have to pee every 10 seconds. Literally, I ran to the bathroom during every single commercial break during Desperate Housewives tonight (plus once in the middle of the show--never did I think that I would want MORE commercials).
So far, I cannot report favorably on the kill-virus-with-water campaign. But I can speak V-E-R-Y highly of the relax-with-Nyquil method. Of course, during the process of swallowing the pills (somewhere in the second paragraph of this entry), I managed to spill water directly from my mouth all down my shirt. Well, to be completely honest, I'm wearing one of those shelf-bra tank tops--so really I spilled water directly onto my chest, where it splashed unceremoniously southwards and soaked my entire torso area.
Long story short, now that the Nyquil has kicked in and I'm feeling pretty good (perhaps tipsy would be a better descriptor), I'm not minding the chilly, wet shirt so much.
And...I'm SO tempted to spill all the juicy secrets told at girls night. However, I was strictly forbidden to impart such hilarious news, and so I will instead change my shirt and crawl into bed--where I plan on sleeping with my mouth open and snoring to wake the dead.
But lest you be sad about the lack of girls-night news (and you KNOW you are), here are some coming attractions on Write Again Soon:
-- Date #2 of October 2005. The first one, which I scruptulously avoided mentioning, but am now quite pleased to describe, was a DISASTER. I'll spare you the details, but it basically culminated in an awkward and obvious hand-grabbing attempt (by him) and a shrieking of "OH NO THAT'S WEIRD" (by me). To which he replied (after loosening my hand), "thank you for being honest with me". Ouch. Anyway, I have a NEW first date on Tuesday, for which I'm very excited. My goal today, however, is slightly different that yesterday. While on Saturday I had aspired to woo him with my grace and charm, tonight my sole goal is to not blow my nose at the table.
-- Tales of horror and intrigue at the Amnesty International Regional Conference (next weekend), which I'm attending with a friend from work. Rabid liberals (and very, VERY few attractive men, I'm told), rallies against the Patriot Act, and a weekend in Philadelphia--oh my!
-- An ongoing, blow-by-blow (ha-ha) description of the Great Cold of October 2005. I had briefly considered calling it the Great Cold of 2005, but that's just tempting November and December to show me what a virus can REALLY do.
Posted by madchen at 12:10 AM | Comments (3)October 14, 2005
Halloween
First off, let me just say that I HATE BLOG SPAMMERS. Here I am, innocently checking email only to discover 23 comments from urls with viagra prominently displayed somewhere. Sigh.
So I've accepted an invitation to a Halloween party, which is fantastic because I love these guys and I know they throw a great party. Now the problem is that I need a costume. Have you seen the crappy "adult" costumes you can buy at the store?
I was at Target today with Ms. Janie, wunderkind of my sister's loins. As part of my efforts to drag out the shopping experience as long as humanely possible (I was condemned to playing school--my most hated of pretend games--when we got home), we looked at all the costumes. On the way home (in between singing at the top of our lungs), I was discussing the fact that there were no good costumes at the store, when Janie beamed with excitement and said she knew what I could be.
She suggested I dress up as her aunt.
After carefully pondering this suggestion, I delicately hinted that for this party I actually needed a costume. I was immediately told that there was no problem. I could get dressed as her aunt in secret, and then have it be a surprise when I showed up at the party.
I looked down at what I was wearing, and decided that perhaps people would think I was a couch potato.
And now, may I present one of Janie's original masterpieces of lyrical beauty:
(In a warbling tone of innocence)
Oh the streets are flooded
And I can't fly away because I have to stay in the house
And the saints walk past us
And my mother says to me why are you sad
And so I told her
The water is up to my knees
And I can't know the colors of the children
So I'll fly away.
These children, they are sponges. We had just been talking about Hurricane Katrina, and singing "I'll Fly Away" and "When The Saints Go Marching In".
My goal this afternoon (part two of the whole-day babysitting adventure) is to get her to sing some of these gems for the video camera. Then, she will be beholden to me forever.
Posted by madchen at 01:26 PM | Comments (0)October 12, 2005
Five Things -- WEbring #11
This week's assignment comes from Ms. Wish to See. She commands:
In whatever writing style you feel moved to use (poetry,prose, list...) I want you to detail 5 thing you are (traits, titles or descriptions), 5 things you aren't, and 5 things you want to be.
Since it's late and I'm tired, I'll eschew the route taken by Mr. Fliven and just go with a handy list.
(note that all potential answers sound trite in my head)
5 Things I Am
-- living at home
-- employed at a full-time rate
-- the proud parent of two cats
-- the favorite aunt of a sickly 4-year old
-- tired of paying $$ to keep my car in working condition
5 Things I Am NOT
-- involved in a romantic relationship
-- in debt
-- responsible about cleaning up after myself
-- overjoyed with my new haircut
-- finished with my thesis (oh the headaches)
5 Things I Want To Be
-- financially successful
-- thin
-- a homeowner (again)
-- energy independent
-- on a regular sleep schedule
And there you have it.
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For other commentary on this topic, see:
I'd Rather Be Traveling
Post No Bills
A Prize in Every Box
Bad Apologies
Wish to See
A Little Maryment
October 06, 2005
Random Literature--WEbring #10
This weeks assignment from Ms. NYC Rouge:
Open up the nearest book or publication. Go to the middle of the book and select the sentence that comes at the top of the page. From this sentence, draft a very short bit of fiction, the zanier the better. I'm thinking no more than 100 words, but closer to 50.
Her arms felt heavy as she lifted them, and her legs ached. Resting, it seemed had made her unbearably tired.* She stretched her neck, straining to see her rear end. How many hours had she been sitting today, moving only from the bed to the couch to the desk--and then back to the couch? She ran her hands over her ample hips, noting how they conformed to her desk chair, creating a seamless line. Could being an independent consultant lead to bed sores? She would have to ask her public health friend. In fact, she would send an email as soon as this latest re-run of Law and Order was finished.
* Brick Lane, by Monica Ali, p. 272.
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For other commentary on this topic, see:
I'd Rather Be Traveling
Post No Bills
A Prize in Every Box
Bad Apologies
Wish to See
A Little Maryment
October 05, 2005
Amos Lee at the Birchmere
Tonight I went with a friend to the Amos Lee concert at the Birchmere. Ahh, sweet bliss.
First of all, the venue is great. I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't get out to live music that often--I don't really like the whole "stand around and listen to a band that usually sounds better on CD" phenomenon, so I don't take kindly to the usual DC venues, like 930 Club. However, the Birchmere is one of those rare treats where you actually get to sit down, have a drink (and even dinner, if you like), and relax. I see now why people rave about it.
Having said that, I would stand in the pouring rain, on a windy night in Kansas to see Amos Lee. Yes it's true, I want to have his babies. And judging from the masses of near-fainting women in the audience, I'm not the only one with those ideas.
His performance was great (after a strange, amusing, and lyrically-challenged opening by Mutlu--I give you the lyrics "can I undress you, it's the last thing I should do, can I undress you, ooo-oooh")--covering a bunch of songs from his self-titled album (released March 2005) and some new stuff, which rocked. I came home and immediately checked to see if there were any other songs I could download, but alas, the one album will have to see me through for the coming winter. And then, in a fit of desperation, checked on his other tour dates--but none coincide with my scheduled destination of Philadelphia later this month. Sigh.
Some notes on the performance:
-- Their bassist (who, to go by their website, is named Jaron Olevsky) looks like a slightly geekier version of a grown-up Peter Brady. Of course, this resemblence is helped along by the fact that I watched the A&E Biography of The Brady Bunch this afternoon.
-- To the woman who sat directly behind me: ma'am, could you please announce your ponderings on Amos Lee's ethnic background a LITTLE louder? Not to be insensitive to your vocabulary range, but I don't know that "mulatto" is a word that people use anymore--at least not in a nice sense. And seriously, thank you for letting the audience know that you were "dropping a twenty" for the bill--while I had thought that listening to the final song was delightful, I realize now that getting a glimpse into your personal finances was much more rewarding.
-- The bathrooms were much, MUCH nicer than other music venues I've been to (well, except maybe the Kennedy Center). The 930 Club could take a few pointers from the Birchmere on this point.
Long story short? I *heart* Amos Lee.
Posted by madchen at 11:33 PM | Comments (1)October 04, 2005
Books I Read in September
First, I would like to confess that September reading was full of guilty pleasures. Although I started some "quality" literature with the best of intentions, the fine tomes inevitable were cast aside for the instant fix.
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The Worthing Saga
by Orson Scott Card
Amazon.com: It was a miracle of science that permitted human beings to live, if not forever, then for a long, long time. Some people, anyway. The rich, the powerful--they lived their lives at the rate of one year every ten. Somec created two societies: that of people who lived out their normal span and died, and those who slept away the decades, skipping over the intervening years and events. It allowed great plans to be put in motion. It allowed interstellar Empires to be built.
It came near to destroying humanity.
After a long, long time of decadence and stagnation, a few seed ships were sent out to save our species. They carried human embryos and supplies, and teaching robots, and one man. The Worthing Saga is the story of one of these men, Jason WOrthing, and the world he found for the seed he carried.
Orson Scott Card is "a master of the art of storytelling" (Booklist), and The Worthing Saga is a story that only he could have written.
My Review: This was an audiobook that just kept going and going and going. I enjoy the occasional sci-fi and fantasy book, and this one was rife with interesting plots, ethical dilemmas, and the like. But my goodness, it didn't seem like it was EVER going to end. I think I'll stick to Card's Ender series, which I found much more managable.
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Lord of the Silent
by Elizabeth Peters
Publishers Weekly: In Egypt, 1915, the redoubtable English archaeologist Amelia Peabody Emerson and her eccentric and closely knit group of family and friends are up to their old tricks. The Emersons may believe that they are merely engaging in another season of excavation, but legions of devoted readers know that Amelia's archaeological fervor has never stopped her from charging into another thrilling episode of crime-solving, dragging her husband and children enthusiastically along. Amelia's son, Ramses, and his new wife, Nefret, are trying to settle into their married life and find ways to build a more equal relationship with their overwhelming and irrepressibly adventurous parent. Amelia is worried, however, that an officious British army officer might try to recruit Ramses again as a spy (as in the previous book, 2000's He Shall Thunder in the Sky). To keep him out of the spymaster's clutches, she sends Ramses and Nefret off to Luxor to investigate a series of thefts from archaeological sites. As always in this series of uproarious Egyptological mysteries, plenty of strange doings are afoot in the desert, and readers will find all the delicious trappings of a vintage Peters extravaganza lost tombs, kidnappings, deadly attacks, mummies and sinister villains.
My Review: I *heart* the Amelia Peabody series, as I have noted repeatedly in the last few months. This one was no exception. I had listened to audiobooks for most of the other installments, but found that these next three (#13, #14, #15) weren't available. Thus, by the time I had tracked down the books from Amazon, I was nearly ready to devour them whole. Even though it lacks something without the spectacular narration of Barbara Rosenblatt, this one was quite excellent.
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The Golden One
by Elizabeth Peters
Publishers Weekly: The legions of Amelia Peabody Emerson fans will be overjoyed with this 14th in the series (after 2001's Lord of the Silent), for they're getting two books in one. First, MWA Grandmaster Peters offers another amusing if wordy Egyptian archeology mystery, set in 1917 and replete with grave robbers, a murder, the discovery of a richly furnished tomb and a cast of thousands. Halfway through the book, this plot is annoyingly left dangling when the British recall the Emerson's brilliant son, Ramses, for an espionage assignment in Gaza, where he must determine if a newly powerful figure, Ismail Pasha, is really the Emerson family black sheep, Sethos, master criminal and secret agent. The redoubtable Amelia; her eccentric husband, Radcliffe; Ramses's adventurous wife, Nefret; and their faithful foreman, Selim, follow him in disguise. Captured by Sahin Pasha, head of the Turkish secret service, Ramses later escapes, fulfilling his mission with his family's help. Then it's back to Egypt, where the Emersons and their friends the Vandergelts solve the murder and subdue the villains. Radcliffe even ejects intrusive tourists from fragile archeological sites. Peters's books divide the mystery-reading public. With a Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago, she provides an authentic historical backdrop. However, her long-winded explanations and preposterous plots frustrate many. Those who enjoy romance and find the hubbub of the Emersons and their devoted entourage entertaining will forgive the faults.
My Review: I am deeply offended by Publisher Weekly's fault-finding with the Amelia Peabody series. Or perhaps I just meet the criteria of "those who enjoy romance and find the hubbub of the Emersons and their devoted entourage entertaining." Yes, that is almost certainly the case.
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Children of the Storm
by Elizabeth Peters
Publishers Weekly: A fast-moving, intrigue-filled plot propels MWA Grand Master Peters's 15th novel (after 2002's The Golden One) to feature beloved archeologist and amateur sleuth Amelia Peabody Emerson. The end of WWI offers Amelia, now a grandmother, and her family little respite when mysterious events start to plague friends, allies and coworkers. One person dies after suddenly turning to religion, while others fall victim to sabotage. Valuable artifacts go missing, and Amelia's son Ramses is lured into a bizarre encounter with a woman who appears to be the living embodiment of the goddess Hathor. Given the growing unrest against British rule in Egypt, Amelia has to wonder if politics are behind the strange occurrences. In addition, the clan has made many enemies over the course of their adventures. While the preface does a good job of outlining the characters and their complicated connections, the previous 14 novels covered a lot of ground that new readers will find challenging to master. Nonetheless, this is an enjoyable read in its own right, powered by evocative depictions of 1919 Egypt and the engaging voice of Amelia herself-a bright, independent woman, who relishes her role as family matriarch. Her affectionate, give-and-take relationship with her Egyptologist husband, Emerson, continues to enchant.
My Review: It's true--I'm enchanted by the whole lot of them. Not much else to say, except I hope Peters can keep the series going for years to come, which is getting problematic since the main character is getting on in years. Maybe she can transition over to the younger generation...
Posted by madchen at 11:00 PM | Comments (0)October 03, 2005
FYI on FBI Files
Did you know? From FBI File:
If you are an adult citizen of the United States, or if, after 1996, you have ever applied for credit, you have an FBI File. At that time the FBI spent millions with ChoicePoint Inc. to buy information on virtually all adults living in the United States with any credit or public record history. ChoicePoint, formerly a part of credit-reporting company Equifax, is a database compiler selling personal information for a profit. Using your Social Security number as the key identifier, ChoicePoint compiles dossiers on citizens from credit reports, and from public records such as court files, property tax documents, business incorporation filings, and professional license applications. ChoicePoint aggregates this up-to-date information and sells it to the FBI. Following below is a list of the other most common areas of collection:* All those ever arrested and booked into custody - a police record
* Suspected organized crime members
* Government employees
* Immigrants who have become U. S. citizens
* All those with Green Cards
* Foreign nationals in the United States
* Every person involved in counter-intelligence
* Members of recognized 'hate groups'
* Politicians
* Professionals fingerprinted for their profession, example: stock brokers; realtors
* Close associates of the above listed categories of people.FBI files contain a wide variety of information. A standard FBI file includes former and current employers, personal references, social acquaintances, and neighbors, as well as reviews of school, credit, arrest, medical and military records. They include memos between FBI agents and offices, which are often only short, casual notes of one or two pages, and longer reports and summaries of the status of an investigation, often prepared at the request of the head of a particular FBI office. In addition to or as a part of these documents, other kinds of information may appear. These include such documents as letters from private citizens to the FBI, newspaper clippings, financial statements, job related inquiries, and correspondence between the FBI and other government agencies such as the State Department.
How Long Does It Take for My FBI File to be Turned Over to Me?You are dealing with the Government. You are asking for something that the FBI has been forced to give up by the congress..... Get the picture? Once an appropriate request is received, the FBI will assign your request a case number within six weeks. At the present rate for return of requested FBI files, you will receive a reply in about four years and eight months if there is an FBI file on you. You will be notified in less than eighteen months if there are no records on file at the FBI office to which you have made your request. You must patient. Start now, or you may never get the records. Having said that, the time to get your FBI file will be getting much shorter due to recent improvements in the system, public and congressional pressure and automation of the process.
Use this form to request your FBI file!
I propose that we all request our files and see who gets them first. A special prize to the person with the biggest (in page tally) file.
Posted by madchen at 02:33 PM | Comments (1)News Round-Up
Let's see...
1. The fall allergy season is upon us--or at least upon me. I suggest that you take any spare change and buy stock in Kleenex. Today, it's parent company, Kimberly-Clark, is trading at $63 a share. Now you know.
2. This weekend, I had an awkward first date (he was just SO enthusiastic about how wonderful I am, which of course is true, but made me nervous nonetheless) that culminated in a terrible "attempt to hold hands that was roughly rejected" incident. On the other hand, Taste of Bethesda was great!
3. Saturday night I enjoyed t the company of Ms. NYC Rouge, who had graced us with her presence for the weekend. It was a regular soiree, with a lovely dinner hosted by I'd Rather Be Traveling. I'm proud to say that we also were party to the strange booming noises that defied explanation (that is, until the Washington Post explained it), but did not deign to call the police. The frivolities continued well into the night, where after a poorly planned extra bottle of wine was consumed (mainly by me), we embarked on a little trip to Aroma. What we normally found to be a "swank martini bar" had turned into a different sort of place. It was strange, but fun...at least what I remember of it. Sunday was spent recovering.
That about covers it. FYI--this was a 5-Kleenex entry. Damn that pollen!
Posted by madchen at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)
