Exurbia

Oh my eyes ya

2006-05-14T02:31:55Z

We made it in safely. I would have been lost without fenixinthedark and mountaincat and kchoseng. Thank heaven for them, and that the worst is over. I did something to my hip, though, and I am glad tomorrow should be relatively relaxing (packing all the leftover crap up) here at 12213. But I'm signing off now and heading back...

...Home.

Cody's glad her people came back for a visit, though. She seems downright docile.

flower power

2006-05-03T18:36:58Z

The way I keep going to the national cathedral, I really should just move to Woodley Park.

Flower Mart: Flowers Around the World
Friday, May 05 - Saturday, May 06
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Location: Washington National Cathedral
This wonderful annual outdoor spring festival features plant sales, floral and horticultural displays, boutique booths, tasty foods, music, and entertainment, plus fun activities for children, including rides on the antique carousel.

More info here.

Nifty local birding blog

2006-04-11T03:33:05Z

For Dean and anyone else interested:

http://dendroica.blogspot.com/

we're home../

2006-04-03T01:35:25Z

We're back, with fresh tuna and oysters. Cat very happy to see us. A messload of pictures, some of which are up at deviathan, but once we get the whole thing into a picture album we'll give you the lot of them.

I am very tired after driving us the 8 and a half hours home. Was a smooth trip until we got to Fredericksburg; that'll learn me.

Had a craving for Mexican food on the way home so we went to Anita's after unloading the car and stopping by the catsitter's. Now I'm realizing why Mexican was such a good idea: Going on vacation immediately after having the stomach flu really gets your system out of whack. At the risk of TMIing, everything working just fine now, although maybe there really is something to that whole "back in the home bathroom" thing.

We're going to try to get down there again this year with the kids.

Freaky.

2006-03-24T14:47:26Z

Dood. We could afford a single-wide in Kill Devil Hills, or move across the sound and arrive in this pretty puppy in Columbia, NC, across Albemarle sound from Manteo and Elizabeth City.

Not that we're moving to the OBX or the eastern carolina mainland, but...
$145,000.

T minus 7 hours and 16 minutes to VACATION!

Neat things about my job

2006-03-21T19:01:05Z

I just interviewed the Craigslist Craig.

This made me laugh out loud.

2006-03-16T16:54:21Z

I got a St. Patrick's Day card from one of my sources that just had to be shared.

GREENDOGGIE.

http://www.ih-online.com/St%20Pats%202006.html

The nice thing..

2006-03-10T20:27:37Z

...about getting my printed credit report is that it tells me when stuff is coming off the report. And six items are coming off this year, from my old student loan fiascos.

:D

The ouchie

2006-03-10T15:46:31Z

D and I walked the 3.5-mile round trip to Wegmans and back last night. I'm stiff as all get out today, and once an hour getting up to stretch. See, this is the first major physical activity I've done since the fiasco on the rocks last summer, where I collapsed 3/4 way through a hike and, well, once bitten, I have really been almost scared to try.

But (a) this morning I'm five pounds lighter than I was yesterday morning and (b) I want to do it again.

See, there's this weird thing happening to me right now as I doggedly attempt to train myself to be more organized. You still can't see it at home, but there's a night and day difference at work. M. gasped just now when she saw that my inbox was empty, and finally got round to complimenting me on the major reorg I've been doing in the past week--makes sense, i've cleaned my desk before, but never _organized it_--that is, kept it clean for more than a day.

But what is happening is a miracle of matter over mind. The more I push through to accomplish tasks I have to do, the healthier and more active I want to be.

Chi. Chi. Chi. *deep breath* Didn't make it any easier to get out of bed this morning, but overall, it's invigorating.

Shellshockery

2006-03-09T21:28:00Z

I get interesting press releases. This one kinda tops all of them, because at first I thought this had nothing to do with our publication, but then I realized that there's an angle for our audience, all right-- financial planners, what are your clients doing with regard to saving for their wedding?

The best part? They want to send me free copies of their mags. M suggested I leave them lying around the house; I told her I didn't want to scare him even more.

BRIDAL SPENDING HAS INCREASED 100% OVER LAST 15 YEARS:
"AMERICAN WEDDING STUDY 2006" REVEALS AVERAGE WEDDING
NOW TOPS $27,000
Destination Weddings Increase by 400%
Most Brides and Grooms Pay for the Wedding Themselves

New York, NY, February 21, 2006—A new survey entitled “American Wedding Study 2006,” conducted by The Condé Nast Bridal Group, reveals that the average amount spent on weddings has increased to $27,852, up nearly 100% since 1990 when the average cost was $15, 208. Over the last 15 years there has been a 400% increase in the number of destination weddings; the number of weddings per year has increased by 200,000 since 2000.

The Condé Nast Bridal Group, publishers of Brides, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride, conducted the survey through the Global Strategy Group with 1,619 brides. The study, which was released today, found that in 2006, 2.3 million Americans will get married. There will be: 44,230 weddings every weekend, 23 million bridesmaids and groomsmen, and almost 380 million wedding guests.

In 2006, only 30% of all brides’ parents will pay for the entire wedding as was once customary, a remarkable 8% drop since 1999. Instead, 32% of brides and grooms will pay for their wedding themselves, and 15% of couples will foot the bill with the help of both sets of parents. In sync with increasing costs, up to 36% of couples end up spending more than they had planned on their big day.

“This authoritative survey shows that the wedding industry is not only vital but is in fact thriving,” says Daniel Lagani, vice president and publisher of The Condé Nast Bridal Group. “Couples are entering this ‘Wedding Lifecycle’ from the engagement to the reception right up to the honeymoon in ever growing numbers flush with happiness and optimism,” Lagani says.

The growing popularity of the destination wedding has changed the face of the American wedding. About 16% of all couples have a destination wedding—a 400% increase in the last 10 years. Couples who have destination weddings spend an average of $25,806 with 63 guests attending and have an average household income of $93,000.

The average altar-bound woman is now 27 years old, her fiancé is 29, they have an estimated household income of $74,000, will be engaged for a period of 14 months, and their wedding will have 165 guests. The winter holidays still dominate as the time of year to get engaged, particularly December. In fact, December has as many engagements (15%) as November and January combined (each 6%). Since 2002 nearly every wedding expense has increased by over 20%. This includes the bride’s and groom’s attire (up 30%), engagement rings (up 25%) and a 60% increase in the cost of the wedding bands.

Despite cost increases and a significant delay in taking the plunge, expect “The Echo Boom,” children of the Baby Boomers who make up 71 million men and women to emerge. “They are the next big generation to move into the ‘engagement zone,’ as the oldest in the group will reach the marriage age of 27 in 2006,” Lagani says. This generation believes in upholding long-held wedding traditions with 99% of brides saying they were proposed to (only 1% did the proposing,) 81% planning to take their husband’s name after marriage, and only 3% expect to sign a prenuptial agreement.

Here are the top growth categories in wedding details that have accelerated the most since 1999:
TOP GROWTH CATEGORIES INCLUDE: 1999 2006 % CHANGE
Photography/Video $1,263 $3,509 178 %
Attendants’ Gifts $299 $616 106 %
Wedding Rings $1,060 $2,079 96 %
Bouquets/Other Flowers $775 $1,177 52 %
Wedding Attire (Brides & Grooms)$1,049 $1,580 50 %
Engagement Rings $2,982 $4,435 49 %

Condé Nast Publications’ operations include Condé Nast Magazines, Fairchild Publications, Golf Digest Publications, Condé Nast Business Media Group, Condé Nast Media Group, CondéNet, and The Shared Services Centers.

Goooood stuff

2006-03-09T20:05:31Z

Aunt J called a couple of days ago to inquire whether we'd like to join her in Hatteras at the end of the month. Duh. So D and I are taking the whole week off--don't think we'll go down for the whole week but damn skippy we're happy to have a relatively cheap vacay on the Outer Banks. Waiting to hear back from G whether K can go; it's not the best time of year to take a kid, but he and N would have a grand ol' time together. But I'm not taking him if he hasn't gotten his act together at school.

Also, we're 85 percent sure that Medford North is about to become the homestead. Next on the roster, finding out whether we can genuinely have all three bedrooms. Two of them are acting as storage space right now.

I am right now overwhelmed with gratitude for the generosity of family. Now if I could just get my act together at work. (Actually, I'm really close to being together. More than I have been. My desk is actually NEAT.)

Home, home on the maines

2006-03-06T18:49:36Z

One of the brainstorms that is floating around, and has been for a while, is that we take over the not-exactly palatial Mosher homestead in Annandale. Things are percolating around this, although we're still debating a number of options given that the house is presently occupied.

That said, it occurs to me that Lowell and Cody (the two maine coons in Mosher households) are a sitcom waiting to happen.

Whoa, my cat's part of a Mosher household.

Could any of you ever picture me as a Heather, I wonder? Never mind that I'm clearly a Veronica.

So that's fscked up

2006-03-04T02:03:55Z

Apartment rentals in Front Royal are....

2 BR for $600.

So I pay an extra $300 a month in gas, put $300 in savings each month, and still have $200 in fun money that we won't be able to use because we're going to be driving all the time.

But still. $600.

I LIVE IN THE WRONG PLACE PLEASE SAVE ME KTHXBI

Been caught speaking

2006-03-02T16:11:32Z

I've been thinking about developing my public speaking skills, because many authors I know don't so much make a living off their writing as they do their speaking. I think I'm outgoing enough to give it a shot, even though I tend to be very shaky when I've had to give presentations in class and what not. But now that I'm finally done with classes, I want to develop that and there aren't really many opportunities to do so short of lay reading in church, which isn't the same.

But two of my goals are to be able to speak from an outline and extemporaneously, and to be able to stand in front of a group without a podium or lecturn behind me. Oh, and a third: to breathe normally.

There are a few toastmasters groups around, but I don't know that much about them other than the fact that when you say "I want to get better at public speaking" that's the first thing people say.

Tomorrow is rabbit day...

2006-02-28T17:42:00Z

...and I just ate a pound of carrots.

It also bears noting that for the next 24 hours, Dean and I are celebrating having reached a year and a half without throwing each other out and in fact generally being overwhelmingly happy together.

Ye gods, I need more userpictures.

oh, and another thing...

2006-02-28T03:00:07Z

Forgot to mention this, but the broccoli was frozen, and when I looked at the package, it had "baby broccoli florets" and "baby vegetables" on the wrapper.

and this led me to utter "baaaaabyvegetables"--

and now I want to start the community, so that I can post the pictures of the sprouted spaghetti squash, the bird seed that ambitiously shot up, and the various adorable jade plant offspring that litters the dressertop. And, of course, the baaaaabybroccoliflorets...

It should not have been a mystery...

2006-02-28T02:36:09Z

...but I'm already convinced that Lilith solved it for me. For dinner, I had orange roughy, broccoli, and mashed potatoes, and already I feel scads better. I had a bit of chili for lunch that had beef in it, and it's the first beef I've had in a while, but it took the more balanced home cooking for me to really feel not stretched all out all over.

I don't know if I will show up as anemic tomorrow, but I'm sure that's what it was. Doing some reading on it tonight--the fatigue, the bleah, the OMG-I'm-freezing...

But it was so bad I had trouble getting up to cook dinner. I was standing there handling the fillets and Dean was urging me to batter them, or at least bread them, and i was like, I don't feel like it. Everything felt heavy and I felt so listless--Dean offered to cook if I would do laundry, and both seemed like a tremendous weight I couldn't handle.

But I am so accustomed to fighting this kind of malaise because it's usually emotional in genesis that it was really disturbing to find it taking root when everything is getting better, for the most part.

Map meme

2006-02-27T19:02:35Z

I haven't done one of these in a while, and it's grown a bit since last time.

create your own personalized map of the USA

You know you've spent too much on your car when....

2006-02-27T14:22:00Z

...Driving in to work today, an attractive young man flagged me down to say "You have a belt hanging from your car!"

I pictured this as something major dragging from under my engine compartment, but rather than pull over on 66 proper, I got off on 123. It was a full ten minutes before I got to a place I could pull over. Pulse pounding, I did a walkaround of the car, looked underneath it (which is a PITA because my front bumper is so low), and didn't find a thing.

Annoyed that this guy had hollered to me for no reason, I got back in the car and headed to work.

When I got to work, I realized that one end of my sweater's belt had a nasty black spot on it.

Adventures in real estate

2006-02-23T17:09:01Z

well, this might be a dealbreaker, might not. Dunno.

The 18th St. house (now with its own usericon) is built on a timber foundation, and it needs to be jacked up and put on a concrete slab. will probably cost in the 20-30K range, but chances are we can have that folded into the mortgage if we go through a local lender. Most big lenders won't take a chance on a house that can't pass appraisal.

that said, Di's told us to make an offer of $155K, he'll probably negotiate it to $160K. The original selling price was $190K, so it kinda works.

Top billion reasons I love zen punky

2006-02-23T05:06:54Z

Me and the trolls

2006-02-23T01:41:09Z

Well, DBW is up on his soapbox over at GTNG again. It reminds me of the Helen and Rob show of Phillygoth days gone by, except that I'm no longer one of the primary players.

However, I did just come out and say that my answer to this is that I file DBW directly in the trash bin. He's the only person on that list that I feel the need to do that to, but it is, alas, a need.

I almost wrote an allegory about how you don't want to stand next to the person who never showers no matter how nice or smart they are, because even though they do clean up nice when they do clean up, the memory of the stink is enough to turn the stomachs of the average person, and so they find excuses to stay away.

But I didn't, partly because it sort of hits close to home. DBW reminds me of my father.

I expect to get a little trolled over what I said, but it's really getting out of control over there, and I'm again tempted to leave. I wish I could actually find a list that really touched on the spiritual needs of people like me, but then, where I've really found it is in EFM and among the revgals.

What's your fandom?

2006-02-22T21:01:51Z

Di the real estate agent just sent us a note that basically says the folks on 10th st. will pretty much take whatever we want to offer, and the folks at 18th street have a structural inspection report that has good and bad news on it, but nothing that can't be dealt with. She wants to talk to us later tonight.

The signature on her email? "Live Long and Prosper."

The good, the bad, the ugly, February edition

2006-02-22T20:32:15Z

Well, the good is that my flex spending went through and I will only have to put $375 on the Chase card because they're going to hand me a check for the remaining $500 on Friday. The hospital will then be paid off, and that will be two more collections down. I'm then going to call the collection agency and ask them to verify the debt, which they won't be able to do, and then demand that my credit report be fixed.

The bad and the ugly is that I have a flipping cold sore on my bottom lip. I haven't had one of these in at least a year.

Ping!

2006-02-22T17:45:29Z

My essay for Geez magazine was accepted for its spring issue. yay!