Who's Who is a Crock of _______

I never receive mail at the office because I don't list my business address in my contacts. The fact that I actually got something addressed to me makes the letter suspect to begin with. It has fancy script letters and indicates that it has been mailed from Manchester's Who's Who Registry...hmm, this should be interesting...let's read it:

Dear Ms. Chrissy [ I use my full first name on all official documents.."Chrissy" is reserved for friends, etc. Manchester Who's Who is not my friend]

"It is my pleasure to inform you that you are being considered for inclusion into the 2005/2006 Manchester Who's Who Among Executive and Professional Women "Honors Edition" of the registry."
["Executive & Professional?" These people clearly have no idea what I do for a living. I like how they put "Honors Edition" in quotations. Is that supposed to make me feel more special?]

"The 2005/2006 edition of the registry will include biographies of our country's most accomplished women. Recognition of this kind is an honor shared by thousands of executive and professional women throughout America each year. Inclusion is considered by many as the single highest mark of achievement."
[This is certainly boosting my ego, but let's be honest - I've been in the full time working world for a little over 6 months...I haven't accomplished anything worth printing unless you consider the record speed with which I can undo a paper jam a serious accomplishment. Also, call me crazy but if you consider this your "highest mark of achievement" than you are a fool, 'cause this is a scheme of Ms. Cleo proportions!]

OK - that's about it. There's an insert which asks for general information about my company and job, etc. I wouldn't exactly call that a biography. I'm sure the "pay to be a member" and "pay for a copy of the publication" comes later. Funny enough, there's a little tag at the bottom that states that "Manchester is not affiliated with any of the other Who's Who organizations." I guess i'll leave this to the "thousands of professional and executives" morons out there that buy into this crap!

Work VA - Live MD - Play DC

My first week as a tri - stater is going well. I completed my move to Silver Spring this past weekend in record time thanks to the "sto-and-go" minivan rental and the help of a couple good friends. Although my schedule is a bit hectic at the moment and i've only spent two nights in my new place, it's already starting to feel like home.

I've forgotten what it's like to have no clue how to get anywhere. After 5 years in the same DC neighborhood, I had a pretty good handle on the conveniences of everyday living. Now, I feel like i'm back to square one, although there's a certain excitement in discovering all the cool things that are right around the corner.

Last night I discovered downtown Silver Spring. I have mixed feelings - it's really clean and nice, but it kind of reminds me of the fake snow that people spray on their Christmas trees - it's all show. I'm stoked about the independent movie theatre...it's still to early to tell.

The other observation that I have is about driving in MD. I know when i've crossed over from DC because all the roads have names and routes. This causes confusion when i'm asking for directions because I pay attention to names...you know, like Piney Branch Rd...not MD RT 322 or whatever it is. It's only the first week though - we'll see how it goes.

That New Car Smell

The winter roads left a thick layer of salt of grime on my beloved Jeep, so this weekend I decided to take it to the "do-it-yourself" carwash. I'm obsessed with the carwash - there's something about putting those tokens in and getting 4 minutes with the foaming brush and power washer that really gets me going. I'd have to buy 10 gallons of soap to equal the glorious pink suds that are readily available at these establishments..**sigh** I was in heaven.

So after getting up a nice lather and power washing the filth off my car, I took it over to the huge industrial vacuums and gave it the 'ole once over. I haven't really given the inside much of a cleaning since I bought the car and found some interesting items in the seats and floor:

• Approx. $3.46 in change
• A hacky - sac left by the previous owner
• A spare key to the car - wedged under the floor mat (who knew?!)

When I was all done the car looked b-e-a-utiful, but there was one thing left - the smell. It's a Jeep and sometimes it can get a musty smell from the canvas top or wet floormats. There's also been plenty of smoking in the car, so it also smells a little like a bar after last call. Lucky for me, there was a vending machine selling those little scented trees and I figured that would help a little bit. I chose the Cherry scent, which I was satisfied with at the time - I mean, it really overpowered every other smell I had going on.

Later that night, my friend Maria and I went out for coffee and she noticed the smell right away. "Hey, your car smells good. Well, actually it kinda smells like a rest stop bathroom that's just been cleaned." ...AWESOME! The thing is that she's right - I didn't realize it at the time, but it is sort of reminiscent of a fresh urinal mint.

So much for that new car smell...anybody want a ride?

Forecasters Predict "Big - Time" Snowfall

I hesitate to say anything about the supposed snowstorm that's making its way here for the weekend (mostly because I made fun of the pre-histeria surrounding hurricane Katrina...yeah, i'm an ass)

But when WaPo quotes a National Weather Service meteorologist as saying: "the level of certainty for the snowstorm is pretty good, " what exactly does that mean?

In DC terms, it means that the hill jacks west of 95 and out it haterville, va are going to get slammed with snow - while DC will get a mere 2-3 inches max and the entire city will grind to a halt. Actually, I take that back...New England will get slammed with snow, and we'll be stuck with a freaking "wintry mix" and slushy crap which won't be enough to get anyone out of work on Monday, yet just enough to make for a piss poor commute.

End rant.

Dear City Paper...I Love You - But...

Dear City Paper,

I love you. Sometimes I think fellow bloggers have come up with something original and amazing - only to find that it came directly from you. I love that you are free. I love that you're available in every Chipotle i've ever visited in DC. I love Savage Love and all the other articles, columns, and stories. BUT -

I hate how every Thursday I check your site and it's not updated. Every Thursday I type in your URL, and every Thursday i'm dissapointed. I know that I can grab you on the street corner, but I can't read you in print while simultaneously concealing you from my boss.

I know that there are probably many forces preventing you from getting your print editions out as well as updating your site, but I just wanted to let you know it makes me sad.

Your loyal reader,

Chrissy

Valentine's in Dupont

I learned two new things this morning:

1) There is a DC Pillow Fight Club (i'm breaking the first rule of the club by talking about it...)
2) They are planning a pillow fight in Dupont Circle on Valentine's Day

I think this is awesome and I plan on at least checking it out if not participating. I heart offbeat events in DC - such as the Drag Races.

Who's coming with me?

Super Bowl....Super Sick

Super Bowl XL will go down in history...not because it was spectacular (hell, there weren't even any exposed breasts) but because all of my close friends have fallen seriously ill at the hands of the gameday events.

I blame you Super Bowl! Ok, so maybe when you get a big group of people together hooting and hollering and high-fiving, some germs are bound to get around, but this is a full blown epidemic.

I escaped the wrath of the Super Bowl flu...thanks to my trip to Richmond and Charles' "meatwad" burgers which provided me with enough protein for the next millenium.

To my fallen friends - i'm pulling for you.

Adieu DC

That's right...on February 15th, i'll be an official resident of Maryland. Although i'm only moving a mere mile away from the DC border - I feel like some sort of traitor. The unions would refer to me as a "scab" for crossing the picket lines.

Believe me, I have my motivations for moving. In fact, I never completely unpacked all my things from the last time I moved...two years ago! I just never thought that i'd stay in a group house with eight other housemates for so long. When the opportunity to share a house with only two others (friends of mine) in the suburbs came along - I decided it was time for a change.

So i'm trading in my crumbling DC digs for a modest house in Silver Spring; purging my accumulation of crap and starting anew; shedding the college me and steppin' it up...(insert cheesy metaphor here)

I'll do my best not to turn into a boring suburban drone - my biggest fear, and I promise to stay current on all things DC...and throw a lil Maryland in there too.