Have You Ever...

...sat through class, work, a movie, the bus, etc. etc. etc. and the person sitting next to you is constantly sneezing, sniffling, or coughing, and it drives you absolutely nuts? You wonder why they don't excuse them self to a more discrete place, like the restroom to deal with their germ spreading, stuffy nose running, congested mucus self? This week, I was that annoying person.

...constantly checked your phone 500+ times, hoping to find a missed call, new text message, or voicemail, yet much to your dismay no one has tried communicating with your 10 digits all day? No, you're more popular than that? Well, I only checked it like 20 times...500's a bit much!

...gained 10 lbs in one week because your employer thought they had to feed you gourmet meals (breakfast and lunch) all week long? Free food means free calories, right? WRONG!

...sat down in one sitting and eaten an entire container of Ben & Jerry's ice cream after a long and tiring day/week? I swear I only took one bite and before I knew it, the container was empty...oops!

...come home from work with all intentions of working out, but before you knew it, you were already in your pajamas ready to go to bed? I forgot how exhausting listening to people lecture for eight hours a day is.

...fallen asleep, head bobbing and all, during a colleague's presentation? I think I'm incapable of sitting still without my eyes slowly closing, and my head quickly bobbing.

...sat down to do work, looked at the clock, and realized you just spent the last hour gchatting, and doing nothing else? Yeah, me either!

This entire week has been nothing but unusual.

Shhh

Look, I get it, you have a busy life? Me too. I get it. It’s convenient for you to talk on the phone while being chauffeured around. Makes sense. I get it. You don’t care what’s going on around you, you’re going to do your own thing. Slightly selfish, but I get it. I get all the reasons why you would talk on your phone, on the bus ride home, after a long day of working. Killing two birds with one stone, right? But isn’t it slightly awkward to be sitting in a silent bus, full of 30+ people, knowing that every single one of us can hear your every word? We don’t even have to pretend we’re not eavesdropping on your conversation with [sister], your words are crisp, clear, and perfectly loud enough to know why Mike and you are solely friends, although you may know his every detail, down to the tiniest of them all, about his life. Why you’re so mad at Mr. So and So for making you wear a long dress that nearly reaches the floor, because quite frankly you’re strapless knee length dress from prom is just so much better. Why you wished you didn’t have to go out tonight, because you just don’t feel like socializing. Why you’re so excited for the weekend because you can finally sleep in. Why this week has been so long even though you didn’t have to work on Tuesday. And why you’re so frustrated because can’t we just have world peace? I just love how public, public transportation really is, don’t you?

Just Another Day in DC

I could list thousands of reasons (literally) why Washington, DC is an amazing place to live, but I wont, I’ll just list one. Presidential Motorcades, or in this particular situation, the presidential-elect motorcade driving by on my lunch break. Lately I haven’t been taking lunch breaks, but today, my inner self told me to do otherwise. I decided to take a walk through the streets of DC, since I’d spent most of my morning sitting on my behind. A little fresh air and loosening of the limbs generally make the second half of the work day more tolerable. And by tolerable, I simply mean more productive, which generally means time flies by, usually resulting in a fabulous day of work. Hence the reason this adjective seemed so suitable. Moving on. On the way back to my small desk on 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., 5^th floor of the Ronald Regan Building, I noticed the entire 14^th St. blocked off by cop cars. Anyone who knows me knows I have an obsession with cops/secret service men/FBI agents/snipers/ and any other man in a uniform that carries a gun and his main objective is to protect our country. They’re SO attractive. (I’m going to have a heyday the day I become a secret service agent!) I decided to finish eating my carrots, while sitting on the cement landing watching the cops do what they do best, boss people around (another reason why I’ll fit right in with the secret service). I had read earlier on CNN{dot}com that Obama was going to make his first visit to the Oval Office today—and I had to think, that’s odd, I’ve visited the Oval Office before our next President has? But seemingly, I forgot that the reasoning behind all the commotion on 14^th St. was due to Obama coming to town. Once I realized what was going on, I quickly decided that today’s lunch break would make up for a missed lunch break from last week. I wasn’t about to walk back into work, sit at my desk, and carry on with my afternoon as though my next President wasn’t right outside my window…that’s unimaginable and rightly not possible. So, there I stood, on the corner of 14^th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. with a crowd of business men, tourists, and true Obama supporters, clapping for the next President of the United States of America! Welcome to DC Obama, I hope you’ll find your stay as enjoyable as mine, but possibly more welcoming.

Yes we Can!

If you haven't already seen this video, watch it, it's great! (Thanks Cath)

Yes we can, and yes we did! Barack Obama, in two months I will gladly welcome you to the place I call home. I will gladly stand behind you as my next President of the United States of America. And I will pray from the bottom of my heart that the change the demacrats are so sure they can produce, will be better for our country than what we've been facing for the last few years.

Until then, George, I still stand behind you as my President for a few more months...we're friends! :)

"Excuse me"

What's gotten into people in DC? Within the last week I've had two people yell, shove, and give me dirty looks for the way I'm walking. The first was an old lady...that pretty much explains it all. She's old. I'm sure she felt like I stepped all over her seniority, and if that's the case, I'm sorry. There was no one around us, and she was walking slow. I'm not a slow walker, never have been, and never will be. Anyone who knows me knows I have a tendency to walk pretty fast. So being the speedy walker I am, I assumed I could sneak onto the vacant escalator before she got on. I was definitely right in my thinking, and with at least a few feet between us, I snuck onto the escalator in front of her. She on the other had was not pleased with my cleaver maneuvering. With all of her might she shoved her hand into my back and yelled, "Excuse me! You just cut right in front of me! You didn't even watch were you were going!" Actually lady I was, and I figured out with your slow pace and my quick steps, I had plenty of room to step in front of you, without disrupting your walking. Of course I didn't say that, only thought it to myself as I quickly apologized and snickered to myself. Apparently when NO ONE else is around, it's a big deal if someone cuts in front of you. I suppose I should have been patient and just waited for her to get on the escalator. But I was anxious to get back to work work, she was probably just anxious to get to her hair appointment that wasn't for another 20 minutes.

The second was just today. I got off the Metro, and stood on the right side of the escalator that is designated as, the standing only side. I was searching for my metro card that for some reason I had unintentionally put back into my bag. I quickly made it to the top of the escalator, still searching for my card. Before I knew it, I heard a man yell, "Excuse me!" I turned around, innocently assuming he was actually trying to ask me a question, and said, "Yes?" He looked at me and yelled, "MOVE, you're walking too slow!" Well gosh Sir. I'm sorry that there is an entire courtyard for you to walk past me, and you just happen to be standing RIGHT behind me, and am annoyed that I'm not walking at YOUR preferred pace. How dare I be so inconsiderate of your needs. So, with my attitude, and a very intentional, impolite tone, I told him "I'm sorry, you're more than welcome to walk around me if I'm not walking fast enough for you." I had to laugh to myself that the one time in my life that I'm actually walking slow, I get yelled at for it. For a brief second I was in an annoyed mood, and I wanted to be mean to that man for being mean to me. But then I tried to remember Elder Wirthlins words, "Come what may and love it."

Both of these "excuse me" situations occurred in the exact same spot. I guess I'll take the other escalator tomorrow!