the most important meal of the day

Breakfast, as we've all been informed, is the most important meal of the day. This is convenient for me, as it is also my favorite meal of the day. I wake up for breakfast. When I wake up in the mornings to the sound of three separate alarms, I roll over and bury my head in my pillow and pretend that it's not time to get up... and then... a *thought*!

If I get up... I get to have breakfast :)

Every day when I get to work, I have a cup of coffee, a bowl of cinnamon & spice oatmeal, and then at 10am, I have a mid-morning snack of yogurt (either raspberry or boysenberry). Not only does this help me wake up, and function as a human being, but it also gets me in a happy mood, and familiarizes my stomach with the concept food, so that later in the day I won't be so incredibly hungry that I gorge myself on unnecessary calories.

Don't get me wrong- I love food, and I don't (by any means) consider myself a calorie counter. When I order a mango smoothie, I want the mango smoothie with the raspberry swirls and whipped cream on top- not some half-ass low-fat attempt at a delicious frozen blended treat.

Back to the point- I have a gripe. Let's say, you had lunch yesterday. A turkey sandwich on a sesame bagel with chips and the ever-loved glorious pickle, and a mango smoothie. That's a pretty hearty lunch, complete with a fruity dessert. Since lunch, you finished your day at work, and went directly to your next job, where you worked until about 11pm without having any more food. Finally, you decide, you should eat something, and one of your customers orders a bread pudding. Reminiscent of the soup du jour scene from Dumb & Dumber, you think, "mmm, that sounds good. I'll have that." You order your bread pudding, take 4 bites, and put the to-go container at the back of the counter in the kitchen, and plan to take it with you when your shift is over at 1:30am. After the bar closes, you check out, go home, and realize you forgot the bread pudding. *UGH* It's ok... it's only 5 hours til breakfast time.

The next morning, you arrive at work only to find that the coffee machine is out of order.

OUT OF ORDER?!?!?!! Shouldn't that honestly be a legal reason to let your employees go back home to bed??? Imagine 25 disgruntled employees, cranky and irritable, and quick tempered- ready to resort to hasty physical encounters with each other over inconsequential expense reports, paper clips, and tape dispensers, throwing pencils at each other's eyes, and tripping other employees in the hallway. It's a hostile work environment, and probably a violation with the Human Resources department, if you knowingly force your employees to work in a vulnerable, combative office suite.

Not only am I lacking my daily dose of caffeine, I am also still incredibly hungry from the night before. Solution: Breakfast Sandwich. When I think breakfast, I think of juice, coffee, yogurt, and main breakfast substance, in the form of a sandwich, bagel, cereal, or omelet, etc. Luckily for me, beneath my office exists a Cosi. :)

This is perfect for several reasons:

a) they have coffee AND juice

b) they not only have yogurt, but yogurt PARFAITS

c) they have omelet breakfast sandwiches, bagel sandwiches, muffins, fruit and cereal.

Cosi provides a variety of breakfast choices, and you can actually get a complete breakfast! So tell me, when located in the midst of office buildings with a clientele consisting of mostly business people and employees in the town center, don't you think that it would occur to Cosi management, that not opening until 9am is the most insane, blockheaded, obtuse, frustrating, and the absolute-opposite-of-optimizing-business decision EVER? How the hell am I supposed to function and remain partially pleasant to those around me, without food or coffee??!?!?!!

Plan B: Panera

One of the benefits of your office being in a town center setting, is that usually there are multiple choices for places of satiation. I sluggishly walked to Panera, pouting that I couldn't have my complete breakfast I had envisioned just moments before. Alas, Panera is open!!! Though Panera does not have the selection of fruit, yogurt, or juice, they do have coffee. I ordered a large coffee, and a breakfast sandwich, and realized my peppiness had slightly returned as I could rest assured, that my faith in breakfast establishments had been restored.

happy earth day!

LOVE YOUR PLANET!

7 Eco-Tips from Captain Planet

Start a Carpool! To counterattack the smog and acid rain caused by our cars' exhaust, the best thing to do is carpool or use mass transit. Fewer cars on the road means less exhaust. And it's more fun to ride with a friend!

Be an Environmentally Conscious Consumer! You can cast your vote to save the environment each time you open your wallet. Buy products that use recycled materials and less packaging. Buy products in bulk. And try never to buy single use/disposable items.

Check Your Bulbs! Don't waste energy by using a light bulb that has higher wattage than needed. You can also save energy and money by installing more efficient, compact fluorescent bulbs and turning them off when you're not in the room.

Recycle, Recycle, Recycle! From newspaper, to egg cartons, to organic materials such as leaves and yard clippings, lots of things can be recycled. Even coffee grounds can be used as fertilizer for some plants. So don't throw away what you can use again!

Save Water by Checking the Location of Your Sprinklers! Save water by not watering your driveways or sidewalks. Make sure sprinklers are properly located and are turned to a moderate level. And water your lawn in the evening to prevent evaporation.

Supermarket Tip! Here's a tip on how you can exercise your Power as an environmentally concerned consumer: avoid single-serving and multi-pack food items. Their excessive packaging is extremely wasteful. Buy food in bulk and store it in resealable containers. And of course, bring your own reusable bag to carry home your groceries, or ask for papers bags rather than plastic.

Non-toxic Alternative! Instead of using a commercial drain cleaner, which is highly toxic, you can use a solution of baking soda and vinegar to take care of a drain clog. Simply pour a handful of baking soda down the drain followed by a half a cup of vinegar. Cover the drain with a heavy pot or stopper, as this will force the pressure down and clear the clog instead of allowing the mixture to fizz up out of the drain.

an mpp in the windy city

Two weekends ago, I went to Chicago for an orientation-visit weekend type of thing, as an introduction to their MPP program. All in all, it was a good weekend. I was apprehensive about the program, and the school definitely did their best to put everyone at ease. They had faculty and alumni panels where we could ask questions about the courses, available research, the curriculum, what the alums found the most beneficial, how are they using their degree now, etc. The campus is beautiful... modeled after Oxford, it definitely screams "Ivy League". The weekend was laced with flashy free stuff, good food, and several events were open bar. Of course, people have asked me, "how was the orientation?" and all I can think of is the food, free stuff, and open bar. Interesting gimmick.

This entire process is scary. The idea of grad school and the program, let alone living in a new city- a cold city- away from everyone... it's starting to sink in. I've gotten over the shock of moving away and living in Chicago. But now that the air is clear, I can clearly look at this public policy program in front of me, and I don't know if this is what I want to do... I don't want to go into policy. I want to be involved in a non-profit, on a tangible level, and see results of my work promote positive social change, health awareness, education programs, and sustainable development projects. Will an MPP put me ahead of the crowd, and help me get into the field of international development? Or will it force me into a position of analyzing the legal language outlined in a policy that will take years to implement, that lobbyists and interest groups throw money and influence at in order to direct the policy in their favor? Another option is a dual M.A. in Public Policy and International Relations, which sounds fancy, but an M.P.P. is a more advanced degree than an M.A. and the entire second year is comprised of electives of my choosing, so I would still get to take most of the international relations and development courses anyway.... the question is, what will look best on my resume?

It all makes me very uncomfortable, but I am purposely forcing myself out of my comfort zone. My comfort zone has officially imploded and dissolved into thin air, which is slightly intimidating. Maybe I should just be an artist.

adventure stuff

Over the mountains and through the woods, to the fancy fun Pig Roast we go... It takes genuine adventure-loving friends to follow you over tiny, run-down, barely-fits-one-car bridges, through dirt roads, passing wild animals (both dead and alive), out to the country, to dodge cow pies and barbed wire fences to the permanent pig roasting pit in the backyard, where a giant roasted pig awaits (jaw excluded because one of the dogs already swiped it). All in all it was a very yummy day, with food, beer, ping pong, darts, minus the bonfire because we dipped out early, but not without playing with a sledge-hammer-ax first. Also good to see the little bro. *shout out*

Highlights

*************

Lorelei: I don't feel well.
Christine: Do you want some water?
Lorelei: No, I think I'm just dehydrated.
Christine: ... yea but... do you want some water???
************************
Lorelei: Are we lost?
Bill: Yea, I don't remember seeing those houses, or that farm...

Laura: Yea me neither... oh wait! I definitely saw that dead animal on our way here. We're good.
************************************

Lorelei: Can I see the pictures?

Christine: Well, the batteries died so they didn't take.

Lorelei: Oh, can you take another one?

Christine: Well... no... because the batteries died, so the camera won't turn on.

Lorelei: Oh, well can I see the ones we already took?

Christine: (looks at Bill and Laura...then back to Lorelei) See, the camera won't turn on, it's out of batteries. It's dead. So I can't show you the pictures.

Lorelei: And we can't take another one, huh? That sucks.

Christine: Yes. Yes it definitely sucks.

*******************************************

Laura: There's all kinds of wild animals out here, especially bears.

Lorelei: And woodchucks???

*********************************

Lorelei: Bill! You killed our love flower!!!

watermelon nights

running on empty...

Once upon a time, Christine was having an off-week. Things just didn't make sense, and she wasn't paying attention to the world around her. Be it from exhaustion, or lack of separate food groups in her diet, or stress... Christine found herself wondering what in the hell was wrong with her. She put silverware in the refrigerator, and attempted to put a box of crackers in the dishwasher. She fell up some stairs at work, spilled food and drink (more than once) all over her desk, bumped into walls... She'd been talking in her sleep, and forgetting things like keys and access cards, and having nightmares about being paralyzed from the knees down, and then wake up falling out of bed onto the hard floor (happened 3 times in 2 weeks). All in all, things were very uncomfortable.

After a long day and night of working in Virginia, and then working at the Harp & Fiddle, covering 2 sections including a sex toy party, Christine was exhausted. It became difficult to remember key things, like when was the last time Sampson (the goldfish) was fed? Or, did her gas light come on that morning or the night before? How many times has she driven to Virginia, and back to Bethesda, since her light came on? Well, apparently, it came on the night before, and she went to Virginia and back twice before arriving at Harp to work last night.

See, what happened was...

After leaving the bar last night, Christine was going to take Marco home (our non-English speaking dishwasher), and 14 feet after leaving the parking lot, the car sputtered, became quiet, and died. Luckily, other people were still inside, so while Marco stood by the comatose civic, Christine, Aimee, and Renee (bouncer) and Alan (bartender) took a field trip to the gas station a few blocks away. They didn't have a gas container, or tank, but they did manage to find a bucket.

After filling the bucket, and taking it back to Christine's car, the small crew of Flanagan's stood, puzzled, contemplating how to get the gas from the bucket into the gas tank. "We need a funnel!" Marco motioned that he knew where we had a funnel, and it comes as no surprise that such a contraption would exist in a kitchen. As the four other members of team-gasoline-for-Christine waited out front, Marco ran back to the kitchen, returning gleefully with none other than... a traffic cone.

GO-GO-GADGET GAS FUNNEL!

By this time, Sean had arrived, just after gracing Tastee Diner with his presence, to watch the charade that was about to ensue. As Aimee and Christine stood, curiously laughing, and wondering why Renee has a cigarette hanging from his mouth, the three men argued over how to make a funnel. Sean and Alan both wanted to use a plastic bottle and cut it into a funnel, although Sean seemed to have the right idea cutting it at an angle, as cutting it straight across (as Alan--drunk, and cutting the bottle braced on his leg with a pocket knife--demonstrated) yielded a fountain of gasoline pouring down the side of Christine's car... Renee however, was determined to use the traffic cone. When the traffic cone failed, Renee resorted to rolling newspaper into a funnel, but was beaten to the punch, as Sean and Marco used the now-angled plastic bottle to funnel in the rest of the gas.

Success!

The moral of the story: When the gas light comes on, refill your tank that trip. Always make sure to have amazing friends nearby that'll lend their hands even if it is 3am. Then you can turn a stupid mistake with an embarassing outcome into an adventure and a good story.

Girlz Night Out

Last night, Girlz Night Out hosted a sex toy party at the Harp & Fiddle. Definitely a different crowd than the usual poker players and sports fans, but all in all, a good turn out. Various toys and accessories were laid out on the tables, and the people running the event walked around and gave advice and explained how things worked. Since I don't have time to date, and will soon be moving to a new city (therefore not wanting to get into anything with anyone here...) I found the items on display of particular interest. I got free stuff too, since I worked the party, which included a vibrating tongue ring, 2 18 oz bottles of flavored lube (no idea why they thought I would use that much in the next 10 years...), a tank top that says "I'd fuck me," an aphrodisiac massage lotion, and a pair of thongs sporting a cheetah pattern. Of course, that wasn't enough and I ended up spending $66 of my tip money, but again, all-in-all, it was a good night.

chi-town

So, over the weekend, I learned a lot about Chicago. For instance, people should read "Devil in the White City" about all the events that took place at the 1893 Chicago's World's Fair. I also learned that Donald Trump wanted to build a condo building taller than the Sears Tower, and had to go through negotiations with the city to build his building 90 feet shorter than the Sears Tower... and come to find out, the city is building another skyscraper, to be taller than the Sears Tower (2000 ft). I went to the Art Institute of Chicago, and saw some original Picassos. I walked around Millenium Park and saw the outdoor pavilion, which technically is "art" so it doesn't go against the city ordinance that nothing should block the city from their parks. Public art is allowed anywhere... gotta love loop holes.

Here are some highlights of my Chi-Town experience...

Where to eat breakfast: Lou Mitchell's. Best coffee I've had in a LONG time, AND I ordered an omelet and it was huge and it came with hash browns in a big skillet and (I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but I was still impressed) they handed out free mini boxes of milk duds! We also got a free cup of home-made soft serve vanilla ice cream, even though it was 9:00am.

Neighborhoods & Where to Go Out: Lincoln Park is filled with beautiful people, but very fratty. Rush Street, fondly referred to as "Viagra Triangle," consists of old men and cougars alike, on the prowl. The verdict: Wicker Park is your adult, hipster, Chicago neighborhood. We went to Boundry (trendy and crowded), Rainbow Club (dirty and divy), and Small Bar (dive bar that's just right...). Small Bar wins.

What to watch out for: In the 20s, gangsters like Al Capone ran the streets during Prohibition. Al Capone said, "there are no gangsters in Chicago." That may be true now, and really the only people you need to look out for are those old men and cougars in the wrong neighborhoods trying to get in your pants. But speaking of cougars, I knew Chicago required street smarts, but I wasn't expecting this kind of danger...

You can watch CNN's coverage HERE.

whaling: culture or research? or... slaughter.

Japan planned to catch 850 minke whales during the hunting season (and 50 fin whales), only to fall short of their goal due to anti-whaling activists. They caught 551 minke whales. Visit the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to see how you can get involved.

"Japan, which considers whaling a cultural tradition, abandoned commercial whaling after agreeing to an international whaling moratorium in 1986. But arguing that the hunt is necessary to study whales, Japan began what it calls a scientific research whaling programme the following year. Japan's whaling fleet has killed about 7,000 Antarctic minkes over the past 20 years."

Read the full story HERE.

abra-cadabra!

As I was waiting tables the other night, a guy stopped me and said,
"You have been so friendly, and so polite, here... do you like magic tricks?"

me: *laughing* "sure"

guy: "See this $20 bill?" (I was definitely paying attention now...) "I'm going to make this $20 bill disappear from my hands, and appear in your hair. Ready?"

me: "YES!"

Dude does his little trick... sure enough, the bill disappears from his hands, and he pulls it out behind my ear. Pretty cool. And then, he PUT IT IN HIS POCKET! wtf.

It's rude to just wave it in front of your underpaid undertipped server and then take it back. I need more magic tricks. I need to figure out how to make $20 appear behind my ear again.