It's been way too long since last posted. I've kind of zoned out the past few months. Mostly due to school, some due to person shit, the rest I just have no excuse for.

So we are a quarter into 2008 already. Quick recap from the last post to date:
-E's parents came out for Thanksgiving/his birthday
-I became an aunt again - my brother had baby boy (ok, not him, but his wife). They named him Porter Gideon. We refer to him as "Beer Baby." (Porter, beer - get it?)
-Went to Key West (without family) for Christmas. Had the best time relaxing, getting tan, eating, drinking, etc. I will have to give a recap later.
-Finals in February
-Parents came out for a week in March
-April - ?????

Today I felt really bummed out- for one, I realized it's almost the middle of April and I haven't really accomplished one damn thing this year. Nothing, nadda, zip. School is out in a month and I still haven't done anything about summer employment; I have a shit-load of stuff to do for a couple of boards I sit on; finals are less than a month away. I think I started feeling really overwhelmed. So I had a little pity party for myself. AND THEN THE UPS GUY SHOWED UP AT MY DOOR....






















































...just to bring me my new coat from LL Bean! Well, that snapped me out of it! It's gorgeous! I put it on and it fit perfectly so I started dancing around the house in it, I was so excited! This apparently freaked out Ellie and she's been avoiding me ever since.

The sun finally came out so I am going to put on my new jacket and take El out for a walk. If I can find out where she’s hiding...

Mizzou 36, Kansas 28.

How could I forget the big game?!? The Big 12 North division title was on the line! The game ended on a safety! Hence, Todd Reesing's new nickname, Divot Head.

Check out these pics from last Saturday's ESPN College Game Day, live from Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, MO).

Wow - it's been over a month since my last post!

Finals: they came and went. I barely survived this quarter too. I just felt like I was going through the motions the whole quarter. I liked my classes but my mind was elsewhere most days. Finals sucked. Two out of the three were open book but that actually turned out to be worse b/c I ended up studying less, relying on the fact I'd have my notes right in front of me during the test. Yeah right. Three hours in final time equals about 45 minutes. I barely had enough time as it was and spending precious minutes digging through my outline didn't help my case. I shrudder to think what my grades will be. Fortunately, it takes two fucking months before we actually get them so at least I can enjoy my Christmas.

Turkey Day: My in-laws and their two dogs spent the week with us. They already had one dog, Zoee (a Boston Terrier) who is already hyper. Now they have Mini (Fox Terrier or Jack Russell) who is even worse (too long of a story to say how they ended up with her) And she is still a puppy. She is not really potty trained yet, although she only had one accident in the house while they were there. But she takes forever to pee - I think my MIL spent over 45 minutes outside with Mini, trying to get her to go to the bathroom. While they were here, my FIL installed a new motion-dector light outside, raked the back and front yards, scoped out the gutters, cleaned the bathtub and did a bunch of other little things that needed fixing around the house. He needs to keep busy otherwise he goes insane. For that reason, we save little jobs like that for him. He's happy and we're happy. It's a win-win situation for all.

Countdown to Christmas: 26 days! And I haven't even started my shopping!

How'd it get to be October already? I guess this means a few updates are in order:

OBX Trip
We went to the Outer Banks in mid-September. It was the perfect time to go since all of the kiddies were back in school so the place was practically deserted. Although it seemed like everyone from VA was in OBX that weekend too - I swear there were more cars with VA tags there than in Virginia!

We stayed in Kill Devil Hills, near Kitty Hawk. Our hotel was right across from the beach, but Ellie didn't seem too thrilled with the water, considering she grew up swimming in the Pacific Ocean. The waves were pretty huge so maybe it was for the best. We even bought her a new float toy for her birthday (she turned 8 on Sept. 15) but the strong tide kept washing it back onto the beach so it was hard for her to fetch it.

What’s so great about OBX is that it’s gone all commercial. McDonalds, Applebees, Outback Steakhouse – it’s all there now. Hell, there’s a huge Harris Teeter there! (HT is a grocery store; in the old days, the nearest grocery story was on the “inner banks” or else pay out of the nose at some gas station for milk. Even better is having a Super Wings store on every block. What is Super Wings you ask? Let me tell you. Super Wings is the white trash super store. And I say that in the nicest way. Talk about a tourist trap. Super Wings has everything you don't need AND it's half price: t-shirts, beach towels, magnets, shot glasses, a bunch of cheap shit made in China, hermit crabs, slutty clothes - you get the picture. Super Wings reminded me of shitty souvenir stores down in Panama City and Destin, Florida (aka, the Redneck Riviera). One of the beach towels they were selling had the islands of Hawaii on it (with labels of each island name) and then the words, "Outer Banks, NC" on it. OBX is nice, but it ain't Hawaii!

Even at the beach, Ellie just can't stay out of trouble. She decided to sniff/eat a prickly pear cactus. Not a good idea, genus! Somehow, she ended up kicking it up onto my face. After the shock of having something really big suddenly embedded in face wore off, I tried to pull it off but one of the spines was stuck, right above my lip. Pulling that out of my lip stung like a bitch!

Now we have our very own “OBX” sticker just like everyone else around here. Carry on!

...

Bob Dylan
Gave E an early b-day present - front row tickets (ok, third row) to the Bob Dylan concert on September 28 at Merriweather Post Pavilion (in Columbia, Maryland). I got the tickets off ebay for under face value and surprised E with the news the day before. He acted cool about it but I knew inside he was psyched. We ate at the Cheesecake Factory and then walked over to the pavilion a half a mile a way. When we got to the gate, our bags were searched and we were told we couldn't take our camera inside. Bummer. Instead of walking back to our car and miss the first act (a decent sounding Amos Lee), we decided to hide it in the woods, marking the spot with an Old Milwaukee beer can. The camera is old and broken so we figured if it was stolen it wasn't much of a loss (we did take out the memory card though).

The concert was awesome! I wimped out and bought ear plug for $3 but I didn't need them. Amos Lee was decent considering I've never heard of him. Kind of like a blues/rock sound. Not bad. Elvis Costello was next. Unbelievable! He was solo (i.e., sans band) but rocked out. He sang crowd favorites (Veronica, Allison, Angel Want to Wear My Red Shoes; Everyday I Write the Book) as well as his political songs (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding, and song he made up just for the DC concert!). By the time Dylan took the stage, the place was rockin'. I'm not a huge Dylan fan but since E is, I know most of his music (thanks, E!) even though I don't understand half of what he's saying. When he comes out on stage, Dylan is pimped out in a grey suit and hat. He plays guitar on the first few songs and then switched to keyboard (rumor has it, it's b/c of his arthritis). Surprisingly, I actually understood most of what he sang, maybe b/c I was so close and could practically read his lips.

Set list (from http://my.execpc.com/~billp61/092807s.html
1. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 (Bob on electric guitar, Donnie on lap steel)
2. Señor (Tales Of Yankee Power)
(Bob on electric guitar, Donnie on lap steel, Stu on acoustic guitar)
3. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues (Bob on electric guitar, Donnie on lap steel)
4. Simple Twist Of Fate
(Bob on electric keyboard and harp, Donnie on pedal steel, Stu on acoustic guitar)
5. Rollin' And Tumblin' (Bob on electric keyboard, Donnie on electric mandolin,
Denny on slide guitar, Stu on acoustic guitar)
6. Workingman's Blues #2
(Bob on electric keyboard, Donnie on pedal steel, Stu on acoustic guitar)
7. Desolation Row (Bob on electric keyboard, Donnie on electric mandolin,
Stu on acoutic guitar, Tony on standup bass)
8. Beyond The Horizon (Bob on electric keyboard and harp, Donnie on pedal steel,
Stu on acoustic guitar, Tony on standup bass)
9. Honest With Me (Bob on electric keyboard, Donnie on lap steel)
10. When The Deal Goes Down (Bob on electric keyboard and harp,
Donnie on pedal steel, Stu on acoustic guitar, Tony on standup bass)
11. Highway 61 Revisited (Bob on electric keyboard, Donnie on lap steel)
12. Ain't Talkin' (Bob on electric keyboard, Donnie on viola, Stu on acoustic guitar)
13. Summer Days (Bob on electric keyboard, Donnie on pedal steel, Tony on standup bass)
14. Masters Of War
(Bob on electric keyboard, Donnie on lap steel, Stu on acoustic guitar, Tony on standup bass)
(encore)
15. Thunder On The Mountain
(Bob on electric keyboard, Donnie on lap steel, Stu on acoustic guitar)
16. Blowin' In The Wind (Bob on electric keyboard and harp, Donnie on violin)

Even though the "Blowin' in the Wind" encore was amazing, I really wanted Elvis to come out and do at least one song with him. Nope. Oh well. The best part was seeing the look on E's face as we walked down to the stage. He was like a kid in a candy store. Seeing his reaction when he realized how close was priceless.

Afterwards, we chilled out at Cheesecake Factory again to wait out the traffic and then drove home.

...

Stephen Colbert
As a follow up to Dylan (as if), I scored tickets for us to see Stephen Colbert at GW's Lister Auditorium on Oct. 19. After dinner at Rosa Mexicano (the homemade guacamole they make at the table is good, the pomegranate margaritas are overrated) we head over to GW only to get caught up in some huge delay on the Metro. Fortunately, we only have to go a few stops.

I'm sure you know Colbert is host of "The Colbert Report" (pronounced "re-pour") on Comedy Central. If you've never seen the show, first slap yourself in the face for being lame and then run to your TV and watch it. Jon Stewart is funny but Colbert (pronounced "Col-bear") is 10x funnier (IMO).

Colbert was in town to promote his new book, "I Am America and So Can You" as well as his recent presidential bid (only in South Carolina and he's running as both a Republican and Democrat). Tim Russert (!) unexpectedly comes out as the evening's moderator, followed by Colbert (with Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me" in the background). Earlier, E and I talked about whether Stephen Colbert or "Stephen Colbert, the host of the Colbert Report" would show up. For the most part, it was Stephen Colbert, to the enjoyment of the crowd.

Highlights of the evening:
At one point Russert mentions the Correspondent's Dinner. Everyone applauds and laughs when it is mentioned.
Colbert: Obviously, this is a slightly different audience. He relates he had no idea it would cause the impact it did. He didn't know just how biting it would be until the train ride down to D.C. His wife is sitting ahead of him reading the script. She keeps turning around, incredulous that Colbert is going to say these lines just feet from the President. Russert asked what President Bush said to him afterwards and Colbert says, "well done" which Colbert observed could have mean he was cooked. Colbert wouldn't talk about what Laura Bush said, saying he preferred to keep that quiet since she wasn't a public figure.

Another tidbit:
Russert: Did you have conversation with Senator Craig?
Colbert: Define "conversation".

Russert: Are you stalling?


Russert asked him some about his presidential bid and Colbert said Gov. Huckabee said Colbert could be his running mate. But most of the evening was Colbert just being himself, talking about his childhood, comedic influences (Bill Cosby and George Carlin), his start at Second City in Chicago, his stints on SNL and The Daily Show. He probably talked for an hour, including Q&A.

Afterwards, he signed copies of his book. Before we left home, E took off the dust cover so it wouldn't get messed up, so when it was our turn to get our book signed, Colbert mentioned how much he liked the picture of himself on the hardcover of the book. E tells him it makes him look like Jesus and Colbert's face lights up. Too bad we couldn't take photos.

On our way home, we stop at TGI Friday's b/c I am dying of thirst. We drown a couple of drinks and make fun of the two very drunk college girls next to us. Their speech is slurred so badly, at first, I thought they had a speech impediment. They both take turns talking to someone on a cell phone ("please please PLEASE come pick us up at the Shady Grove metro station, love you, kiss, kiss, blah, blah, blah") and I wait for the tears to come (the next natural step when you are that drunk). I see one start to tear up but then a guy approaches them and they stop and start hanging all over him. They take turns rubbing his arm and adjusting their shirts to show off their boobs. We don't even conceal we are laughing and making fun of them. They were so drunk they don't even notice.

We get off the Metro, less than five minutes from our house and get caught in a downpour. E runs ahead of me but since I'm wearing heels, I can't walk very fast. When we get home, we are both soaked. I wonder if Colbert will mention this night on his show. Wouldn't that be something?

This past Monday started out just as any other day. Little did I know...

***WARNING!*** GROSS DOG STUFF AHEAD!***WARNING!***

I got up per my usual 7 a.m. to take El for a walk. She seemed anxious to go out since usually I have to call her name several times before she slowly makes her way to the back door. Well this morning she practically drags me outside and immediately starts to squat like she is going to go #2. No biggie, I think. However, instead of the usual #2, a yellowish/greenish liquid comes out. And there is a lot of it. Okay, no time to panic. El had an anal gland problem a few months back so I assume this is what's going on back there. Plus it smells kind of funky too. Throughout our walk, she continues to squat and release this "stuff" several more times.

When we get home, I feed her and then I go back upstairs to watch TV. E comes up to get ready for work and then we both proceed down the stairs. Suddenly, I see a HUGE brown/black spot on the rug under the piano. First, I think something under the piano is leaking but as I get closer, we realize it most likely came from the dog. E leaves for work (good timing El) and I start cleaning up the mess. It smells and it's really soft and liquid-y but I manage to get most of it cleaned up.

Before I leave, I call the dog walker and personally talk to her, saying I think El is having some anal gland issues and for the dog walker to call me if she notices anything wrong with El on their walks today. She says she will pass the info along. Just in case, I leave a note on El's crate saying the same thing. I let El out to pee around 10 a.m. and leave.

Fast forward to 8 p.m. I open the back door and a strong, pungent, nasty odor hits me. I go to El's crate and she is standing there, covered in liquid dog poop. The whole bottom of the crate is covered. The top of her nose is bleeding (from her trying to get out of the crate) and she is drooling. I stand there in disbelief for a few seconds then immediately get her into the bathtub. I spend the next 20 minutes hosing her down and trying not to gag from the smell. After she is clean, I realize the dog walker never came today which means God only knows how long El has been standing in her own filth. Now I start to worry. This is obviously not an anal gland problem anymore.

E comes home while I'm on the phone with the vet. The vet tech tells me to bring her in to the clinic to get her checked out. Right before I leave, E almost steps in another huge poop spot on the rug near the computer.

I spend the next two hours at the vet while E stays home to clean up the mess in the crate, in the bathtub, on the carpet and even on the walls.

El's explosive diarrhea is diagnosed as Clostridial Enteritis/Colitis caused by a bacterial infection. The vet gives us antibiotics and sends us on our way. Outside the vet's office, El has another blowout. I force a pill down her throat and pray they start their magic.

When I get home, the house looks back to normal, thanks to E's handiwork. By now, it's past midnight. I hardly sleep, and get up about every 2 hours to let El outside. At 5 a.m., I get up to take her out again and notice she had another accident on the kitchen rug. On our walk, the diarrhea continues so I stay home from classes so I can watch her and make sure she gets outside in time. Fortunately, by mid-morning, the diarrhea starts to taper off and by Tuesday evening, her poop is slightly solid, although still very soft and squishy.

So it seems El is back to her normal self. Everything is coming out normal again, thank goodness. I just hope this isn't a sign to come in her old age.

Here's my team this year:

Starters:
QB Jon Kitna (Det - QB)
WR Andre Johnson (Hou - WR)
WR Laveranues Coles (NYJ - WR)
RB Shaun Alexander (Sea - RB)
RB Reggie Bush (NO - RB)
W/T Antonio Gates (SD - TE)
K Jason Elam (Den - K)
DEF Seattle

Bench:
Fred Taylor (Jac - RB)
Kellen Winslow (Cle - TE)
Joe Horn (Atl - WR)
Alex Smith (SF - QB)
Vernand Morency (GB - RB)
Jay Feely (Mia - K)
St. Louis (StL - DEF)

Reggie Bush played last night and got me a whopping 2.25 points. Thanks for nothing. Doesn't look like I will repeat as league champ this year.

Classes started Tuesday and already I feel behind. It didn't help my books didn't arrive prior to Tuesday. Some of this was my fault because I only ordered them two weeks before classes started. However, according to the shipping confirmation, they were supposed to arrive on Saturday, Sept. 1, giving me plenty of time to read my assignments for the first day. Damn you, USPS!

I had those first day of school jitters just like when I was younger - what are my professors going to be like, will my friend be in any of my classes - that sort of thing. Actually, it was more of a "ithinkiamgoingtobesick" type of feeling. The thought of going to class really did make me want to throw up. I only have three classes, three days a week (M-T-R) so I can't complain much.

With my three day a week schedule, I'm commuting back and forth to Philly on the days I have class. I found out since I have a monthly train pass (basically unlimited travel between DC and Philly), I can upgrade to an Acela train for only $20. The downside is I have to buy the upgrade at the ticket window (not at the automated kiosk) no more than 30 minutes before the Acela train departs. But it's so worth it - upgrading to Acela from the regular trains is like going from coach to First Class on a plane. The seats are comfy and there is much more leg room. And the trip is about a half an hour shorter than the regular train.

All aboard! (Yes, they really do yell this as you get on the train. It's fucking annoying!)

I'm back at home after spending two weeks in IA with my parents. As usual, my flight back home did not go as planned. However, I assume now that any trip I take involving air travel will result in delays so I'm more surprised when I actually arrive/depart on time.

Let me back up a sec...from the minute I arrived in Iowa until the time I left, it rained every single day. Ok, so maybe I am exaggerating just a bit...I think there was one day it didn’t rain. I’m not kidding. Iowa was in a drought until I showed up.

I did finish my scrapebook of our trip to Hawaii...sort of. I read my book and took walks with my dad in the evenings.

I also spent my time in Des Moines reconnecting with an old friend. We reminisced about the past, chatted about the present and tried to predict the future. It was purely chance that we even crossed paths in the first place. What's amazing is, even after all this time, how easily the conversation flowed. We talked about getting together later this fall (we live near each other) since neither of us plans to attend our 15-year high school class reunion next summer. Life is full of surprises.

You know what they say, "it's good to be back!"