While Anthony Is Away...

...I thought I'd break the silence and guest blog for him.  ;)  Yup, that's right -- this is Ray-Ray reporting straight from my 'hood out in Old Town Alexandria.  Gangsta, clearly.

Anyhoo...Antwaan gets back on Wednesday night -- just in time for the Yankee Swap that he's organized.  It should be tons of fun.  I never thought that shopping for a Yankee Swap gift would be so difficult, though.  Today after work, I stopped by Pentagon City to look for something.  I thought, heck...it shouldn't take me more than an hour, right?  WRONG-O.  I was there for like 2.5 hours, rummaging through every store.  I guess part of the reason why it's so tough for me is that I know everyone at the swap will bring something really clever and/or hilarious.  Everyone is so witty and dry and sarcastically funny, and I know that will translate into absurdly awesome gifts.  And I don't want to be the one to disappoint.

There were so many ideas that I decided against.  Harry Potter action figures?  Meh, too obvious.  High School Musical 2 Calendar?  Not ridiculous enough.  The new Jordin Sparks CD, since she needs all the help she can get after having the dubious distinction of being the lowest first-week selling Idol winner of all time?  Ugh, booooring.  

After some more thought (and almost buying the Soulja Boy album for the swap, since pretty much all of us tried to do the dance at Michelle's birfday bash last weekend), I finally settled on something.  I like it.  :)  I mean, I would keep it for myself...srsly.  Will the others want it?  Probably not, but I'm pretty sure they'll get a good chortle out of it.  (I like the word chortle. It's so funny!)

Ok, it is waaay past this gramp's bedtime, so I'mma hit the sack.  Oh, I almost forgot a song!  Let's see...

Mmm, got it.  Anthony, this one is for you, mister.  ;)

Esthero - “Believer” Feat. Brandy

(Courtesy of A Hot Mess Blog)

Sorry for the interruption...

I can only blame the developers of the new 'applications' on facebook for distracting me for so long. Tetris, Scrabulous, and movie quizzes. I still can't believe I only scored a 94% on the Sound of Music quiz- how embarrassing.

Today's Song: No One by Alicia Keys (I can't stop listening to this song.)

Hail we now our Alma Mater...

My Alma Mater is hosting the Democratic Debates tomorrow night. Congrats Drexel!

www.drexel.edu/debate/

Another year of this?

Each day I wake up and immediately check drudgereport.com. I don't know why. It was a habit formed back in college when my sister told me that if there is breaking news on drudge, it is usually true. Drudge provides me with enough "news" to last a good fifteen minutes. Each day, the headlines focus on Clinton or Obama. As a registered Democrat, its funny to read all these articles lambasting Clinton or Obama, but never have the chance to read anything in support of Romney or Guiliani. It's always negative, even on a page that leans severely to the right. At least drudge is bi-partisan in his negativity.

This is where my title comes in. We have another year of this until the election? I'm not sure I can care this much for another year, especially when I'm starting to feel like I don't care at all. From my point of view and in my limited knowledge, here is what I have deduced about the following candidates:

*Obama is a pre-schooler who is dangerously strattling the line when it comes to politics and religion. The fact that Oprah supports him is enough reason for me to vote against him.

*Romney is a republican's dream over the past two years, but has a *gasp* liberal history that won't allow him to win. In addition, he looks like one of Madam Tousard's wax sculptures. I don't know what importance my second point has but I had to get it in there.

*Guiliani is a good guy. I don't have much bad to say about him except that I don't think he's that qualified. Out of all the candidates, though, he's the one I'd most like to have a drink with. His wife, on the other hand, is the reason I would NEVER vote for him. Have you heard about this woman?

*Clinton isn't bad and will be the candidate that I vote for. I say this because I like her, I think she is smart, and I don't think that she pretends to be 'one of the people.' She gets that she is a politician, has nothing in common with the general population, and will play this election-game to win. You have to respect that.

*All the other candidates- Good luck but you haven't caught my interest. I have taken a number of quizzes as to who would be my candidate and Kucinich always wins, followed by Clinton. If you are still out there Kucinich, good luck and god speed!

Today's song: America by Neil Diamond

Vincient Buddhist

My brother and his boyfriend are both actors in NYC and, in my opinion, are two of the funniest people I know. I am really looking forward to their visit in November but until then, David's videos will have to suffice for my day-to-day.



Today's song: Missed Me by The Dresden Dolls

And so it is..

To everyone who made my birthday yesterday an absolute blast, THANK YOU!

It was an unbelievable night! Love you all.

Alright, back to bed.

Today's song: Family Affair, Mary J. Blige

I was finally able to upload my pictures from my travels and have posted a few of my favorites down below. Enjoy!

Reykjavik is full of art and public sculpture. The above, Voltar, was my favorite. It sat looking over the Reykjavik Harbor.

Reykjavik from afar (not that far, just at the top of a hill).

My sister and I took a long walk at Sundown when I got into Frankfurt. This is a shot of the River Main and some of the Frankfurt Skyline.

We travelled to Entville about an hour outside of Germany to an old Monastery, now a winery. This is perhaps my favorite shot of the whole trip.

And this is perhaps my favorite meal of the whole trip which I had at the Winery in Entville.

One of the canals in Hamburg leading out to the Harbor.

The larger of the two lakes in Hamburg. It was the most beautiful day.

Josh and me in the St. Georg part of Hamburg after a few drinks.

Rose Garden in Vienna.

Wine with the sister in Vienna. It was this tiny little square she discovered just off the beaten path.

The last day in Frankfurt with my sister's friends. We were tired having just played a lot of ping pong in the park.

U ! S ! A !

Back in the states and I can't sleep. Each day I wake up rediculously early and I can't get back to bed. The good thing is that I now have more than enough time to catch up on the television that my roomate thankfully DVR'd for me while I was away.

So far, Grey's is slightly disappointing, although the new S&M relationship makes me smile. The roomie didn't DVR Private Practice and at first I was a little annoyed, but now I've already lost interest in the show which was probably inevitable. I'm still trying to get into Heroes but I've only seen the last episode of Season 1 so I am a little bit lost. Speaking of Lost, when does that start again?! I was really looking forward Pushing Daisies, starring my favorite, Kristen Chenoweth, but I actually stopped watching halfway through. I'm going to give it another try later today. In addition to those shows, I have Ken Burns' 14-hour documentary, The War, to finish.

One show that completely delivered (as usual) was Brothers and Sisters. I'm in love with that show.

Today's song: Where Does the Good Go, Tegan and Sara

Frankfurt to Hamburg to Frankfurt to Vienna

I just got back to Frankfurt after spening the night with a friend in Hamburg, a beautiful city. I am too lazy right now to figure out exactly how to post the pictures, but I promise you, they will be worth the wait. I was afraid that Hamburg was going to be very rainy, like Reykjavik, but it ended up being exactly the opposite; about 65 degrees and not a cloud in the sky all day, perfect weather for picture-taking and touristing around.

Josh was the perfect host, welcoming me with open arms and open bottles of wine. We chatted for a couple hours before calling it a night. I spent the day today walking all around Hamburg, from the lakes, to the harbors, and all the way up in a really large balloon that lifted you above the city for about 20 minutes. The view, from about 100 meters up, was fantastic and will post some of the shots once I figure out this camera ;) Towards the end of the day, I met up with Josh again and we shared some beers, dinner, and a lot of laughs and I caught a flight back to Frankfurt.

Tomorrow we head out to Vienna and I am looking forward to a lot of Lederhosen!

Today's song is Adelweiss, sung Family Von Trapp-style.

Pictures

I figured out how to get my pictures on to my sister's computer but I am having some trouble posting them here. I will continue to try to post but also need to start packing for Hamburg. Argh!

Hopefully they will be up by tomorrow. Happy Monday!

Travels

After four years (almost four) of my sister living in Germany, I have finally made it over here. I'm only on day 4 of my journey, already spending some time in Reykjavik, Frankfurt and Etville. Tonight I'm on my way to Hamburg to visit a friend who has been studying there for the past couple months. I'm a little peeved that I haven't brought my USB cable because some of the pictures that I have taken are fantastic if I do say so myself.

Some highlights:
*Reykjavik as a whole- the people are fantastic, very courteous and helpful. Reykjavik was a beautiful, eclectic city architecturally. It would have been nice to have spent one more day there but in the 23 hours on that little island, I learned a lot more than I thought I would have. I highly recommend Iceland for what I saw and for what I did not see: picturesque waterfalls, glaciers, puffins are all within a few hours of the capital city. I would love to come back and spend some time outside of the city. One thing that was a bit of a bummer was how expensive everything was-- extremely expensive, 10-dollar beer expensive. Oh well, it was a great time.

*My sister met me at the airport in Frankfurt early afternoon on Saturday, and we immediately hopped on a train to get to her area of town (which is completely fantastic, loaded with little shops, and restaurants and every Saturday there is a street fair for blocks) I helped her pick out a new coffee table. I think the table rocks but the sis is still undecided... we may have to try to return the table to the street fair next Saturday.

*Met up with my sister's friend for dinner after taking a long, long walk along the river. The weather so far has been beautiful- an average of 60 degrees, no rain. We had a wonderful dinner, full of good converstation and a lot of Czech beer (Yum). I had my first weinerschnitzel which I have to admit was quite tastey!

*Yesterday, we travelled to a small town, Etville, about an hour and a half outside of Frankfurt, to visit an old Monastery/Vineyard. Great little place, kind of touristy but is was all very relaxed as we went along our self-guided tour through buildings dating back to the 12th Century. We didn't take the typical vineyard tour but we made sure to taste a few different kinds, none of which were to-die-for but they we all quite yummy. We lingered at the Vineyard, had dinner, drank some more and meandered (read: power-walked) back to town in a losing effort to catch our 8:30 train. We were able to get home at a reasonable hour still and enjoyed a nice talk with our family so we could wish our neice and nephews a very happy 4th birthday!

I will try to post again before I return home.. until then, Ich Habe mich verirrt! (j/k)

Today's song from the shower: I've Seen it All by Bjork and Tom Yorke.

Bermuda

Always say yes when this girl asks you to go to Bermuda with her.

It's a good thing. Thank you, Laura.

The beautiful couple.

On the rocks, please.


Trying to be tough, hard after too many RBVs.

Leis should always be worn as sashes.

Perfect afternoon, swizzle-style.

Hamilton City Hall

Again, trying to be tough.

Our beach :)

First Rant

Like the majority of us, I have spent years perfecting my Starbucks order. We all know that even when you perfect your order, it is immediately translated into Starbucks language we consumers will never figure out (I'm sure it's a rather simple formula and not some special talent that only the baristas behind the counter are allowed to possess...) Anyway, I only have two orders and I believe they are relatively simple. If I go in the morning, my order is a Iced Venti Two-Pump Soy Chai. I need it big, not too sweet (hence only two pumps of chai), and lactose free. It has taken me years to perfect this order and I like it just the way it is. And I don't mind that I shell out $4.79 for what is basically flavored milk. It is completely worth it. My second order is an Unsweetened Venti Black Iced-Tea. This is normally reserved for hot afternoons in the summer. My third drink is only ordered in the winter months and it is a Grande Mint Hot Chocolate, extra hot.

The above orders might seem a little picky, and yes, a little gay, but they are what I like and the customer is always right, right?! Today I walked over to the starbucks across the street from my office on 24th and M. For those of you that have been to this starbucks, you know that the baristas take pleasure in yelling for your order when you are the 15th person in line and you haven't had enough time to prepare your order. When you aren't ready, they let out an exasperated gasp and stare you down until you feel so exposed, you spit out something that vaguely resembles the order that you have been practicing in your head for the past couple weeks. The feeling of utter failure associated with the jumbled mess that came out your mouth is comparable the failure/embarrassment of mispelling 'salmon' in the second round of the Sixth Grade Spelling Bee (true story). If you don't know what you are going to order, God forbid you take a minute to look at the menu, especially when someone with extremely good handwriting has taken the time to write out "Try our latest seasonal concoction- A Venti Pumpkin Pomegranate, Ginseng-Infused Winter Wonderland Frappachino!" I mean, I'm going to need at least 15 seconds to let the idea of ever drinking something like that sink in.

Anyway, I am at the counter with my co-worker, Betsy, and seeing as it is before Noon, I order my usual Iced Venti Two-Pump Soy Chai, pay and wait for Betsy to decide. Before you yell at me, I did ask Betsy what she wanted, but she was too interested in sampling the chocolate pound cake that had been laid out next to the register. After getting my change back, I make the ten step walk over to the pick up counter (another wonderful think about my iced chai is that it only take about 5 seconds to make). I look over at the exact moment the barista should be finished adding the ice to my drink. She picks up the lid to place it on top when our eyes meet. My eyes are filled with what can only be described as caffeine-deprived fury seeing that there is a two inch gap between where the iced chai stops and where she is placing the lid on the top of the cup. Seeing my anger rising, she removes the lid and my anger starts to ebb. But she doesn't add more soy milk. Oh No. She decides to instead make a Guiness-worthy attempt to see how much ice she can fit into a venti-sized iced chai. My anger reaches a new level, so high I can't even argue as she adds yet another scoop of ice to my drink. I let out a terse thanks and she has the audacity to wish me a happy weekend. I shoot daggers at her and she says "I hope you have a great Friday, at least." I didn't even respond. I was in too much shock. For $4.79, I expect a more than a cup of ice with a splash of chai. Right?!?!

Now I am sitting at my desk taking the tiniest of tiny sips in order to preserve what I have left of my chai as the amount of ice still almost reaches the top of my cup. Unbelievable.

Because I need some cheering up, today's song is Waterloo by ABBA.

NYC/RENT

A group of us went up to NYC this weekend to see RENT. Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp were reprising their roles as Roger and Mark. They were spectacular. Hearing Adam Pascal's voice in person was unbelievable and I cried a lot more than I thought I would. I kind of felt like that little girl with the pigtails and braces that lost it everytime Sanjaya sang on AI. Ew. I can't believe I mentioned that talentless hack on my blog. Ew.

We arrived at the Chelsea Hotel and found ourselves in the middle of a photo shoot. My friend Laura quickly snapped this shot of the model trapsing down the middle of 23rd St.

The group of us outside of the Nedelander. My ladies (or my Harem as my brother's boyfriend so affectionately referred to them at dinner earlier in the evening).

Miss Ouri

I'm in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, this week and it is about as exciting as it sounds. Name a chain restaurant, any chain restaurant, and it is within walking distance to my hotel. And I get to come back in two weeks. Insult to injury, right?! WRONG! Turns out the week I am back, the annual fair is in town (http://www.semofair.com/).
Two words- Demolition Derby! A friend of mine went to a derby a couple weeks ago and said it was unbelievable. And if you check out the link above, you'll notice that the main event on Friday night is REO Speedwagon. It is a shame that I leave Friday afternoon but three cheers for Cape Girardeau. I would totally pay 40 bucks to see the Speedwagon.

Today's song: Take It On the Run- REO Speedwagon

Second song....

As you have probably noticed, my problem with following through has reared its ugly head again. So before I get in the car for six hours, I am making sure to post one more entry to satisfy your song craving.

A group of my friends got together last night to plan a camping trip this fall. I decided to seize this opportunity and make the an official agenda for the meeting. Agenda posted below:

OFFICIAL AGENDA

CAMPING, OCTOBER 19TH-21ST

ATTENDEES:
KELLY S. aka SCOUT LEADER
KELLY V. aka TROUP MOM
MICHELLE G. aka HEAD BROWNIE
ANTHONY P. aka CINDY BRADY


5PM- MEETING COMMENCES
5:15PM- ORDER SECOND ROUND
5:22PM- WEEK RECAP (what did I miss?)
5:27PM- ORDER NEXT ROUND
5:33PM- MAKE FUN OF THE COMPLAINERS
5:45PM- OMG ORDER NEXT ROUND
6:03PM- MAKE FUN OF SCOUT LEADER
6:15PM- ORDER FOUR DRINKS FOR THE HEAD BROWNIE SO SHE MIGHT CATCH UP
6:17PM- START THINKING ABOUT TALKING ABOUT THE CAMPING TRIP
6:23PM- WOW, I HAVE TO PEE. PEE BREAK!
6:42PM- WE STILL HAVE TIME TO ORDER TWO MORE DRINKS! WAITRESS!!!
6:58PM- LAST HAPPY HOUR DRINK. HURRY! OH, AND SOME FRIES.
7:04PM- ALRIGHT, LET’S START CAMPING! WHERE, WHEN, WHAT DO WE NEED, ETC.
7:08PM- BORED OF CAMPING. JAEGERBOMB!
7:11PM- WHERE THE HELL ARE THE FRIES?
7:30PM- MORE DRINKS AND CONTINUE BUILDING MINIATURE TENTS OUT OF NAPKINS AND FRIES.
7:31PM- END OF CAMPING DISCUSSION. WE’RE GOIN’ TO VENTORS!

I am happy to say that we adhered to the agenda very well. We even talked about camping for at least four minutes. I am very curious to see who is going to end up being this guy?

Today's Song from the Shower: This Moment is Golden - Toni Collette and the Finish

First song...

Naming a blog is hard. Really hard. I didn't know where to start so I just started typing some random phrases. One of those phrases was Singing in the Rain because it is one of my favorite movies. More importantly, it is my favorite thing to do. Except, I don't sing in the rain; I sing in the shower. A lot. It is therapy for me. After tinkering for a couple minutes, I landed on Songs from the Shower and I'm quite happy with it.

I've settled on a name. What about a theme? Honestly, I don't know. My interests, though few, run the gamut. If I follow through (and I admit, following through is not an interest of mine), I'm sure this blog will end up being a collection of things I find funny, amusing, or what I feel is general interest. Be warned, only two in ten find my jokes as funny as I do. If two out of ten find my blog enjoyable, I'll consider my job done.

Today's song from the shower: "You Can't Stop the Beat"- Hairspray