22 and 1/2 More True Stories

Last Tuesday was my half birthday. It's been a monumental six months with my dad's stroke in March (more on that in a later post), the weddings (and bridal showers) of two dear and cherished older sisters to their equally wonderful husbands, my college graduation, Brother John's high school graduation, many lovely people's birthday celebrations, the start of my first real job search, the news of a number of engagements, and my first experience being pulled over by a cop. To commemorate 22 and 1/2 (and insert some levity on such a somber day), here is some randomness from my brain.

True Story #1: I first saw and heard Lily Allen on Saturday Night Live back in February, but I've been on a real Lily Allen kick recently. I think it has something to do with her usually cute, albeit pregnant-y, style and the fact that her songs, especially "LDN" and "Knock 'Em Out," remind me of my study abroad experience in London. 

True Story #2: It's typical of me to love one or two songs for a number of months and then move on. For example, I was obsessed with Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" last summer and Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" this summer. I also do this with food. My current food obsessions: the frozen yogurt at Shilla Bakery, IHOP seasoned fries, and toasted bagels with cream cheese. Surprisingly, I have no meat cravings at the moment.

True Story #3: I posted pictures from the last four years of my life on Facebook, so I've been feeling really nostalgic for London. I miss clotted cream, my friends, the walking expeditions I used to take, and the accents. This ITV1 television special reminded me of all the great things I used to hear people say: "I can't be bothered" (which sounds more like "I cahnt be bahv-uhd" to me), "have a bit of a lie in," "...., innit?," and the list goes on. Make sure you watch all five parts. Not only is the subject matter fascinating and slightly disturbing but it's also fun to listen to!

True Story #4: Naly recently reminded me of the television show Dinosaurs, which I watched avidly when I was younger. It seems that many of the shows I watched as a child were entirely age inappropriate, such as Empty Nest, The Golden Girls, Married... with Children, and Wings. I guess I just watched a lot of TV in general because I also was a huge fan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Captain Planet, Darkwing Duck, Tom and Jerry, The Animaniacs, and so many others. Seriously, why did my brain not rot?

True Story #5: There was an article in The New York Times about the popularity of a remake of Married... with Children in Russia. Do you suppose in 12 years or so Russians will like 30 Rock and The Office because those are two shows that I enjoy now?

True Story #6: It would be really interesting to live in a soap opera world. You get to skip all the awkward young years and go straight into a crazy and fabulous life at 18 and then stay in your late twenties for about 30 years until finally the writers have to write in a plot line about your crazy and fabulous grandchild. You also get to be played by different actors as the need arises with no questions asked.

True Story #7: Yesterday was Brother Andrew's 21st birthday. Huzzah to him! This summer he really showed himself to be an upstanding young man. I admire him greatly, except when he farts in my face because being farted on is no fun.

True Story #8: Moving Brother John into his UVA dorm was quite sad because for the first time I'm the one being left behind at home. Interestingly, I miss my brothers a lot more than I usually do at this time of year, probably because I rarely saw John this summer, I hung out with Andrew a lot, and I actually have time to feel emotions now because I'm not going off to do fun and random things with my friends.

Here we all are in John's room:



That was a smelly day.

True Story #9: Bridal showers = fun. Seeing the gifts of lingerie that your friends will wear for their husbands = scandalous. Eating good food = absolutely divine. Sharing in your friends' joyful moments = precious beyond words.

For Julia's bridal shower, we painted a dessert set for her and Q. Here is my contribution:



No lingerie at this shower, so I added my own scandalous-ness.

Liz's shower was '80s prom queen themed. That was totally awesome! I wore my mom's old church dress.



True Story #10: I feel as though I've entered into the wedding season of my life a wee bit early. I can think of 3 or 4 weddings I will probably be attending in the next year or so and a handful of other weddings of which I am aware. I wasn't expecting my friends to start getting engaged for at least another 3 or 4 years. I'm too young for this!

True Story #11:  On my half birthday I was pulled over by a police officer for going 60 mph on Braddock Road, where the speed limit is 45. Thankfully, he let me off with a written warning. But, now I can't say that I've never been pulled over. Wow, I'm such a degenerate.

True Story #12: My Meat Tour of the World has officially begun! The official purpose statement of MMTotW is: "If a place is famous for some sort of meat or seafood dish, I will go there, eat, and be merry." Because I have to stick close to home, I started with hot dogs as there are a lot of hot dogs in D.C. Here I am at the Vienna Inn eating their beer-cooked chili dog:



Some unofficial stops on MMTotW: Istanbul and Antalya for fish; London for shawarma, meat pies, Sunday roast dinner, bangers and mash, fish and chips, and fry up/English breakfast;

. I'm having a bit of a brain fart and can't think of the others right now.

True Story #13: Today Milo is 14 months old! We are almost friends, I think. Be my friend, Milo! Please!

I'm a mess!

I almost cried reading the following story from today's Washington Post Metro section. Perhaps the emotion was the delayed reaction of gratification from eating my first bagel in months. Those who know of my carbs situation at home can understand how deliciously satisfying that was for me. But, alas! I nearly was one of those girls who can't finish a bagel by herself. Still, I pressed on because I am a real man. Kudos to me!

A Teacher's Gift Begets Another, and Another

I teach the sixth grade in Fairfax County at a school where buying school supplies is a struggle for many parents. I look for the discounts that stores offer on various school supplies around this time of the year. Glue sticks are on the supply list. On Tuesday, the Office Depot at the Beacon Hill mall in Alexandria had a "bonus pack" of four glue sticks for 25 cents. I took 16 packs up to the counter.

The clerk told me that unfortunately the limit was five packs. I explained that I was a schoolteacher and asked if she would please make an exception. The first act of kindness was that she did. In the meantime, a man who had overheard the conversation opened his wallet and said he would like to buy four more for me. I said no thanks, but he insisted. I now have 20 packs of glue sticks for my students to use this school year. True random acts of kindness.

-- Paul Adams, Alexandria

If I were a romance novelist...

• He Shuffle-d into Her Heart. The action centers around two lonely pop and lockers brought together by a certain iPod® product. True love prevails over dead batteries, skipping tracks, and a severe case of tendonitis.
• The Nostril Flare of Desire. One man's inadvertent facial tic alternately attracts women to him and leaves them feeling utterly disgusted by his mere presence. Will he be able to woo the girl in spite of the near-magical power his nose possesses?