Pumpkin story

I thought you might enjoy this.
It's traditional (for me at least) to oust the pumpkins that have been decorating my house after Halloween is over. I've never had a problem with this formula until this year, where it has apparently been very popular with the squirrels.

Let me illustrate:

Indeed, this was not a human made jack-o-lantern. It started as just a few nibbles on the virgin orange flesh of my carefully picked pumpkin and it progressed, my friends, into this abomination.
I have it on good authority that the plump, one-eyed squirrel that lives in the trees around the apartment complex did it.

DAMN YOU SQUIRREL!!!

Ode to Osaka

Every once in a while I get a hankerin' for sushi that must not be ignored. My favorite place, hands down, to satisfy my sushi needs is Osaka in Greenbelt, MD.

Please note, I have played the field, so to speak. I've tried sushi joints far and wide and I have to say (with the exception of the ULTRA swank Kai in New York) Osaka is my favorite.

The reasons:
1) it is close.
2) the sushi always tastes delicious.
3) it's reasonably priced.
4) you get salad AND miso for dinner.
5) the service is excellent.
6) the beverage selection is very good.
7) the ambiance is everything you could want in a japanese restaurant.

They also have a Happy Hour! And, importantly, they are hip enough to have a website.

You Rock, Barack.

The votes have been tallied and we have our 44th President - Barack Obama.

I admit, I am one of those people that registered for the first time to vote for Obama. I even aligned myself as a Democrat so I could chip in for the primary. That's sort of a big deal for me, because I staunchly abhor any sort of affiliate for affiliation's sake. But in this instance, I made a very large exception.

Voting was a breeze today, though I hear it was not as nice for some other people. I live in a city that is politically active and full of old-guard free spirits/hippy types. So the whole process was surprisingly efficient. From the time I parked my car to the time I trotted away from the polling place only an hour had elapsed. Some of my co-workers we not so lucky - they were nearly 3 hours late to work.

I knew my County would carry Barack based on its demographic, but I was compelled to vote anyway. Not to be disappointed, when I got out of my car after driving home from watching most of the News, I was greeted with hooping and hollering and - yes - fireworks. PG County never fails to show its pride.

This election has given me a lot of faith: foremost in the somewhat alien "American People" with whom I don't feel very closely aligned. I have to say, I was pretty pessimistic about whether folks would be able to use their brain instead of falling back on primal fears. I've also got restored faith in The Process - my guy WON which means this whole election thing must not be as broken as I was lead to believe 4 or 8 years ago.

But mostly I'm looking forward to tomorrow and the days after. Things won't be easy and they won't be pretty but it will be brave and new and I think that kind of lean and hungry attitude is what we really need.

ENGAGE

The Story:

So It was the Eve of Halloween and I was having kind of a tough day. My fella was going to come see me so I asked if he could bring some hot chocolate.
So he shows up and tells me to stay in my room while he gets the hot chocolate ready. I thought it was a little odd, but I can sometimes be a not very bright girl..

Regardless, in a few minutes he comes out - not with hot chocolate - but with a BRAND NEW MacBook. When he opens it, the desktop background is a picture of him with a sign that says "Will You Marry Me?" and a ring on the keyboard.

I said yes, of course. :)