Protector of the Pool

So I got into it on my first day of water workouts at our pool.

I hauled my but there at 6:45 a.m. and was feeling pretty good about my new found exercise format.

So I change and get out to the pool...

This guy on the side of the pool is missing a leg and sitting on the edge and working his other leg. He is chatty and talking with alot of people. Obv. a regular. But then he starts chatting with the lifeguard. Immediately my instinct is "you aren't supposed to talk to life guards." Images of the cartoon drawings signs of how you are not supposed to lifeguards pop into my headfrom my childhood days at Roosevelt Pool.

It goes on and he is seriously just talking to him about nothing for serveral minutes.

The pool is busy. It is Olympic size and there is one lifeguard on the stand. I notice a boy about 12 years old in the water next to me.

I tell my self, "Self, if he does it again, say something"

He did it again.

Chatting...chat..chat.. with the life guard.

So I said something to him along the lines of it "you should not be bothering the life guard"

Apparently that was not the best approach because he flipped his sh*t on me, but I seriously didn't care. I answered "the lifeguard's job is to watch the pool and not talk to you" He continues to yell at me and I am not even sure what he said. I just swam away. The pool manager then talked to him (because the dude complained to him that I was something--not sure what) and the manager must have validated me because he stopped talking to the lifeguard.

Sometimes when you get into these situations, which I often do because I have a tendenancy to say exactly how I feel to people I know and don't know alike, I regret it/have a weird riled feeling inside after a confrontation. But this time, I didn't feel that. I really felt that he was wrong and that no one was saying anything.

The people of DC may sleep better tonight knowing that no one will be talking to the lifeguard.

Sibling Iceskating Ice Dancing Couple Shows Promise at DC Debut

I took water areobics this weekend. I think it might change my life. It is fun; it's a great workout; it's $25 for 5 months (aka basically free). I am so sick of the gym that I could spit. I look forward to trying it on my own at open swim when I can't make it to the pool.

Had a good time with Dan this weekend. He was Victor Potranko and I was Oksana Byull (I basically spelled both of those names phonicically) when a group of us went ice skating at the Sculpture garden's on the National Mall. Dan is a really good skater; I am a little rusty. Before we got on the ice for public skate, Dan told me that there will be at least one show-off in the group. "There is always one." I think that was the understatement of the year. "The Guy" ("TG") had speed skating skates, a mullet and semi-stonewashed jeans. "TG" zipped in and out of skaters, whirled around and reportedly (I did not witness it myself) did a flip on the ice. He was skating about 5 times faster than anyone else out there. All I am saying is watch out for "TG" the next time you go to public skate.

Sunday we had Bran and Cynthia over for brunch. Cynthia starts a very cool new job on Monday. *Props*

Right now I am reading for my digital communications class. I like it actually--the history of blogs and their implications on the future of information sharing and gather. So you can call what I am doing right now "research".

Our Photo Copier is Satan

So i realized I haven't posted in a month and now it's twice in one day, but seriously I want to kill the photocopier.

Might I start by saying that it is on rare occasion that I have to make any quantity of copies, or any copies at all really. I guess I appreciate that maybe I have moved out of administrative level work, but I guess if you don't use it often, the copier begins to hate you.

Today, I had a client meeting to present a marketing plan that I wrote. I was very excited to present my ideas, but it all went terribly awry. First I printed the wrong version. I reprinted it, and then the copier confirmed it hated me. It would run 2 pages and then say ALL drawers had a jam. WTF? how one can a paper be stuck in multiple places? This went on for like 10 minutes. Of course I was late.

I finally reprinted all 80 pages (20 x 4 copies).

Where did the month go?

Holy Crap. The month is almost over!

So let's see. Hhhmm. What's new:

• I forgot my gloves on the bus this a.m. Damn. It's like the coldest day of the year so far. And I just found those gloves after having been missing them for several months.
• I started school last week. So far so good. I am excited about my social marketing class, which is what I really want to get into. I am also taking a digitial communications class, so watch for future evidence of me being a techie. I will be forming a website and creating a del.icio.us site. Also, does anyone use Linked In?
• Danny is coming down this weekend
• I had a great time in MN over MLK day. Great to see Mindy, Natz, Anna, Gretchen and oh and their SOs: Dave, Justin, Shad, and Matt, respectively. Seriously a great time in the City of Lakes. It was nice to hang out with Mom and Dad too. Mom and I did a couple of water work outs. We also went to the World Market on Lake. That place is cool. They have free latin dance lessons from 12:00 noon-1:00 on Sundays (for MSP people). It's not like partner dancing, more like an areobic dance class. Mom and I jumped in and tried to keep up. It was great though--men and women of all ages and races out there learning the steps. Super fun!
• Work is sucking. Too much to do, not enough recognition and same ol' crapola. Oh well.
• We had an awesome dinner club at Rob's on the 20th. Rob (Brenda's beau) has totally been holding out on us. While most of us have graduated to single-occupancy dwelling, the trade off has been space. Our apartments are great, but small and lacking in seating are their most common denominator. Rob meanwhile has a great open apartment with wicked high ceilings. The bedroom is a loft with a sprial staircase.Um awesome. AND get this he has count them: 2 counches and 2 chair and a dining room table with four chairs. Oh and he has real art on his walls. As in frames, and it is from all over the world. He can't open his dishwasher fully because of a fridge they put in that was too large, but that is what he gets for having such gd nice apartment. And I have officially talked too long about this. Next...
• Wedding plans are trucking along. Look for Save the Dates soon!

February is looking to be a great month:

• Bits and Cynthia will turn 22 (jk)
• Doris and Ray, two Lion's clubbers are celebrating 60 years of marriage
• We may go to NJ to see some of Ed's college friends. I may go there, or to NY, or stay home.
• Anna Claus iiiissss cccccooooming to town over Pres Day weekend!
• Cynthia's shower is at the end of the month in Ohio

In other news, Ed and I went back to our community pool that is count it--4 blocks--away. Yes. And it is free. And we haven't used it in over a year. It was great to get a workout (let's call it that--i basically jumped around in the water for a half hour) that is not at the gym. I might join a water areobics class to further confirm suspiccions of me being a 45-year old suburban house wife.

Oh and we have new coffee shop that opened across the street from out house. It's name? Coffee Shop. It isn't open past 5 or on Sundays so we are fearing its survival, but...get this...they serve CREPES. For real. Huge awesome warm nutella (and other various other flavors) fille crepes for $2.95

Also, Coffee Shop also turns into "Lounge" (that's its full name). The upstairs is a bar and they put a red carpet and rope line outside. For real. Ed has been. I need to check it out.

Past Presidents Weekend

For New Year's Eve we went to Ed's coworker who lives in a farm house that dates back to the mid-1700s. It is supposedly the oldest house in DC: check it out. That was great fun and then we rang in the new year at Stetson's.

Past President Encounter #1: In June of 1800, the house was the site of a large dinner party for President John Adams.
(admittedly weak)

Past President Encounter #2: We went and saw Ford lay in state at the Capitol Rotunda.
(a little better)

Past President Encounter #3: We went to Macy's on New Year's Day to possibly register for some plates. Turns out they don't have the registry there, but as we were leaving...who walks in?...

a little more suspense....

Jimmy Carter!

and his wife Rossalyn.

They had just a couple of people (possibly security detail, but not sure) around him. We just walked up and shook his hand and said hi. It was awesome!