Echo in the Void

I'm in love!!!!

http://www.petfinder.com/pet.cgi?action=2&pet=1771256&adTarget=468doggeneral&SessionID=3f4cd76f4834539f-app2&display=&preview=1&row=25&tmpl=

Well I meant to write about my weekend much sooner, but I've been pretty busy (and lazy).

I had a harrowing experience when I almost got arrested in the parking lot of the Pentagon on Saturday. My purpose was to get to the AT&T Wireless store so that I could I could transfer my line to a phone my sister gave me. A simple mission, yet one fraught with peril. I had directions to the store from my house but Danielle wanted to stop at the mattress store, and since it was closing earlier we headed over there first. Well, from there I wasn't precisely sure of where I was headed but I had a general idea that I wanted to head East until I found the road I was looking for. So that I did, and saw several exits but none were the road I needed. So I continued to ignore the exits until I was unceremoniously dumped into the parking lot of the Pentagon. At which point I saw a soldier in camo and thought "Oh shit." I pulled up and asked him how to get to Jefferson Davis highway, he told me to turn left and go under a bridge and then go on to make a few other turns. So Danielle and I proceed to go straight until we see a left turn with a bridge and I dutifully make my left turn. As I'm about to pass under the bridge, I see a sign "Authorized Vehicles Only" and "Oh shit" pops into my head again. But the road had a divider and I was not able to pull a U-turn until I got to the end of it at which point I look in my rearview mirror and see a cop car ("Oh shit Oh shit Oh shit"). I'm about to try to turn around and get out of there when she flashes the lights and I have to pull over. She sits in her car for about 5 minutes running my tags, meanwhile another cop car pulls up (for moral support). She finally approaches my car and her first comment is "Please tell me you're lost" and I obliged by saying "Completely!" I showed her the little scrap of paper I had with my directions to AT&T and told her where I was going and about the friendly army man and his BAD directions (I shoud've known, he physically pointed right while saying left). She's about to give me more directions when she's like, never mind just follow me (after she confirmed my identity and registration of course). So we proceed to leave the Pentagon parking lot where she pulls over again and I pull up behind her. We have a 10 minute discussion on the two closest malls and which is most likely to have an AT&T store, and after I pick one and she has given me directions she says "Well I'm headed that way anyway, so just follow me." So here I am following a police officer, looking like an ass to all passersby, and trying to be the perfect driver so as not to get re-pulled over. She finally points to the mall and I turn in, and am in the process of returning a call to AP, when who should be driving towards me, but my friendly neighborhood cop. I immediately drop the phone in my lap and wave as she goes by. Luckily, Danielle spotted the AT&T store shortly after and, with the help of my police escort, I was able to complete my mission.

Yesterday I stayed home, took a sick day. *cough cough* Got a lot accomplished while I was bedridden and homebound. Had lunch with my Mom in the city then went on a massive cooking escapade which resulted in eggplant parmesan (my first attempt), stuffed shells, and chicken with pasta and a garlic herb sauce. Since I was cooking I told AP to invite friends over to partake of the bountiful feast. Two of her friends showed up and we enjoyed pleasant conversation over wine and dinner (the eggplant parm turned out quite well!). Through various circumstances, I wound up alone with one of the guys watching a movie. One thing led to another and pretty soon we were up in my room getting it on. He asked if I had a condom to which I told him no and he responded that it was too bad because then I wouldn't get to experience the "full effect." He hinted several times about how much better it could've been if only he had been prepared and he promised me that later on I would get the chance to experience the "full effect."

Boy was I disappointed not to experience that full effect, but it's nice to know that my eggplant parmesan is good enough to (almost) get me laid!

So the Alabama Farewell Tour is in DC on Sunday and I want to go but currently have no one to go with. My sister suggested I try looking for someone on Friendster to ask randomly. And so I found this guy who lives in DC, likes Alabama, and sounds kinda cool. I looked at his pictures, not drop dead gorgeous, but not bad looking. Then as i was reading over his profile, I noticed that it said "looking for serious relationship (men)" and my first thought was, he doesn't look gay. LOL, I'm such an idiot!

Another busy weekend, I need to stop running around so damn much. Went home on Saturday (yes, I go home every weekend these days) to get my new running boards put on the truck. They look great, all shiny and new! I also found out this morning that my clearance is under 6'3" so I do actually fit in the parking garages around work (though it's a tight squeeze).

Saw Open Range on Saturday with my parents. I think it's the best quality movie I've seen in a long time (and when I say that I don't mean it's the best movie I've ever seen though it is good, just everything else this summer has been pretty bad). Beautiful scenery, great cinematography, good acting, and likeable characters. It's convinced me I want to move to the Rockies. Though by the time I get to it, I'll have to move to Canada to actually be able to find some open ground.

I've decided that action movies have gone downhill since I was a kid. Action is my favorite genre, and I know that as such they are generally cheesy and overdone. I enjoy that, but every movie I've seen this summer just doesn't know when to stop. They think 45-minute car chases are what people want (let's even throw in a crane like T3 which realistically could never catch up to a pickup truck). I think bigger isn't necessarily better. Ingenuity is much better, which is probably why people like Jackie Chan who can pick up anything and use it in a fight, rather than run someone down with a tractor trailer (overkill much?).

Yesterday I went to the country music extravaganza, Sunday in the Country. Performers included Dusty Drake, John Michael Montgomery, Montgomery Gentry, Terri Clark, and a few others. It was a pretty good show. Very hot during the afternoon, Navy Boy and I had lawn tickets. But we found decent seats squished between some families. I think Dusty Drake is one of my new favorites. He just put out his first album this year, and it includes a song called "One Last Time" which is about a couple saying goodbye before one of them dies in a plane crash. Total tearjerker. He also sang a great song, pretty much a motorcycle anthem, basically kiss off if you don't like my attitude. My kind of guy!

Montgomery Gentry put on an amazing show. Eddie Montgomery is one of the craziest guys, I swear he must have taken speed before he came out to perform. And very sexy in a black cowboy hat and duster. The crowd was up and dancing around, and they had a few more songs I knew than I thought I would. But the headliner, John Michael Montgomery, put on the worst performance last nite. From listening to the radio this morning, popular consensus is that he was drunk. He couldn't hit half the notes and apparently he almost fell over a few times (it was hard to tell from where I was). Most people left before the show was over, and I didn't stay for the curtain call. At least it made it easier to get out of the parking lot... I'm looking forward to Travis Tritt with Danielle this Thursday, and I'm hoping to find some people to go to the Alabama Farewell Tour next Sunday. I forgot how much I liked going to concerts!

Danielle comes tomorrow or Wednesday, I wish the bitch would just get here already, I want to see her! (o; I've got definite plans to spend New Years Eve in Lake Tahoe at her parent's condo! This is going to be the best New Years ever!! A whole week skiing and drinking, doesn't get much better than that!

Open Range comes out tonite. I think I am going to have to go by myself. None of my friends within 100 miles wants to go. But I am going to do my patriotic duty by watching it on opening weekend so that Hollywood will continue to make movies in the Western genre for years to come.

So about a month ago, my company hired a few new analysts. Working for my team is a recent college graduate named Beth. Both of us are blondes of approximately the same age. Well, last week I got my hair cut so it's about shoulder length. Coincidentally the same length as Beth's. I went to a party at her house last Friday nite and as we were walking down the street, a woman in a passing car asked us if we were twins. Today, we both wore our hair up in clips. Even our names are similar (though hers is actually Beth, not short for Elizabeth). She's dating an Indian guy, I have dated an Indian guy in the past. I could probably go on, but I think you get the idea. Very odd.

In other news, my boss announced at lunch today that she is leaving the company to go work for Fannie Mae. I will now be working for one of the two Brians. Which all told is probably a good thing, but I'm starting to wonder why there's been such a mass exodus of Berkshire employees lately and why I can't be one of them...

I saw Donnie Darko last nite, and it kinda creeped me out being as I was at home in my big house all by myself. But when it got to the end I just didn't get it. Was Frank the deranged rabbit a real person? Did any of what I saw actually happen or was it all a weird time warp? All I can determine is that Patrick Swayze was guilty of making child pornography. What am I missing?

Do you know how difficult it is to find a masculine, non-birthday card ANYWHERE? I have spent the last 48 hours in search of a decent card to send to my boys in Iraq. All blank cards appear to have flowers on them. I found one or two patriotic cards with flags and "thanks for your sacrifice" but I'm not trying to be serious, I want to cheer them up! I originally tried Rite Aid and CVS, but thought it was due to their limited selection that I was unable to find something appropriate. But even Hallmark failed me when I went at lunch today. The best I was able to come up with was a "thinking of you" card with a sun and a heart and a tree on it. How many guys do you know want to open a card with a pastel tree on it? How about something manly like a motorcycle, or a power tool, or a soccer ball? I feel like I've seen these things out and about, but where are they when you need them? Certainly not anywhere around here.

I'd miss the sex. My first love is sex, not acting. I'm not Meryl Streep.
--Porn queen Jenna Jameson, on whether she'd ever go "legit." Paper, August 2003.

Went to the DMV this morning to get my VA driver's license and truck registration. Was finally successful, after the fiasco the first time around. Glad I thought to look up the motorcycle driving manual yesterday as I took the test this morning and am now the proud new owner of a motorcycle learner's permit! I just need to find me a bike...

I just took VA's sample motorcycle license knowledge test online and got 9 out of 10 correct. You only need an 80% on 25 questions to get your permit. Now if only I can get into a class to actually learn how to ride!

So, after seeing Charlie Korsmo (think Hook and Can't Hardly Wait) on "Where Are They Now? Childhood Stars" a few weeks ago, I decided a little cyberstalking was in order. Because according to the TV program, after graduation from MIT, Charlie moved to DC and is working somewhere on Capitol Hill. At first I thought, "Boy, that's strange, he's following me!" until I realized that he graduated two years before I did and so therefore it's technically the other way around.

I started with the Alumni Directory where I found he had not updated his info since February 22, 2001. But I thought it was of note to mention that his current mailing address is listed as:
P. O. Box 1221
Fargo ND 58107-1221

The next step obviously had to be much more in-depth, so logically I turned to Google. On the first bio I read, here's what they had to say about young Charlie:
"A remarkably bright youngster, Charlie Korsmo was reading by age four and studying college-level math by age eight. When the 10-year-old asked his mom if he could give acting a try, she immediately acquiesced." Although the page was not up-to-date on his current whereabouts, it did have pictures of him with one "Sara Marsh" at two movie premeries in fall of 2000.

The next site I tried was in German, and found little helpful data there. Then Spanish, in fact it got more and more difficult to find English sites dedicated to this young actor.

The first three pages of my Google search yielded nothing else useful except for a paid service site www.contactanycelebrity.com.
"Need to contact a celebrity? Located in the heart of Hollywood, Contact Any Celebrity is the only source that offers accurate celebrity contact information online in a fully-searchable database. Included are movie, television, music, and sports stars, as well as most other public figures." At only $6.95 for a 3-day trial, this service is a steal!

And frustrated by my failure to find any current information, I break to continue my quest another day...

Las Vegas is off. And they wonder why I lack motivation.

And they have a wedding chapel inside!!!

"The Monte Carlo is more than a collaboration between MGM MIRAGE Resorts and Mandalay Bay Resort Group; it's a solid fusion of European refinement, American dazzle and true Vegas hospitality.

From the moment one catches sight of the entrance -- remarkable in itself, with its Renaissance statues and cascading fountains -- the Monte Carlo evokes an elegance unique not only to Vegas, but to the world. "

I'm going to VEGAS!!!! Work is sending me there for 3.5 days next week, Monday thru Thursday. And the coworker I'm going with is very cool, so I know we'll have lots of fun. And I'll actually be 21 this time! Yay!

What a crazy busy weekend. I am so exhausted. Want to stay in bed for a week. Got everything moved into the new place. Not that it's actually where it should be, but it is within the confines of our townhouse. Still trying to figure out why I picked the top floor, I may have been quite insane. I started the weekend with a bed and a folding table. I now own two bookshelves and a nightstand as well. All a very attractive country-style wood design from IKEA. I don't know why I'm writing in choppy sentences. Probably has to do with the combination of not enough sleep and the wine I had for dinner last nite.

So much left to do yet. Will I ever be done? All this going on and I'm supposed to try and concentrate on work.

Rain, rain go away. Come again another day! I want to move the last of my stuff after work but it is threatening thunderstorms.