Being a huge Rick Springfield fan, I really enjoyed Jetifoblog's tribute and analysis. Plus links to some songs from Rick's time in the group Sahara Snow that I had never heard. Now I'm going to have to go out and buy that album! I love it that someone else has such appreciation for Rick's songwriting ability and live performances, instead of just dismissing Rick as bubblegum pop!
So if you're as big a fan as I am, why don't you challenge yourself to answer these 275 questions on Trivial Pursuit Rick Springfield edition?
Thanks to Jeffro for the Jefitoblog tip.
I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that I visited a friend of mine this weekend who works at Halstead Towers, a brand new luxury high-rise apartment building near Skyline. It's absolutely beautiful, with marble floors and counters, hardwood floors, and huge windows. There's a really cool club level that's like having your own bar on site, complete with pool tables, big screen plasma tvs, golf simulator, rentable wine cellars, and a killer view of Washington DC. Of course there's the requisite fitness center, pool, and hot tub. If you make much better money than me, and are looking for a cool new place to live, I suggest you check it out. I imagine that's where I'll be spending July 4 this year.
I was traveling for work most of last week, so I haven’t been able to blog. So here are some highlights to catch you up:
1. Sunny FL. I was in Orlando from Weds-Friday for a work-related class. I didn’t feel like staying at a boring old chain hotel, so I found this cute little place for the same price, Eo Inn and Urban Spa. The best part was that I took advantage of the spa aspect and got a much-needed back massage. My back was “a disaster” according to Mike the masseur. The inn was right on the border of Lake Eola, and I walked to my class every morning along the lake. Orlando actually has a cool, happening downtown area and I ate dinner one night at Hue, which reminded me of the Carlyle in Shirlington.
2. Belated V-day on Saturday. Jeffro and I never really had a chance to celebrate Valentine’s Day because I arrived back in town that day from seeing my sister in FL. So we decided to celebrate on Saturday by purchasing pretty decent tickets to see Keith Urban in August, and then we went to lunch at Farrah Olivia by Morou in Old Town. 
3. Best meal ever. The meal at Farrah Olivia was by far the best I’ve had in a long time. I chose from their fixed price $28 lunch menu and had their black eyed pea fritters to start, pork loin as the main course, and lemon cheesecake for dessert. Jeffro started with goat cheese pot stickers, followed by scallops with truffled grits, and mocha mousse for dessert. His lunch might actually have been better than mine. Eating here was like being a judge on Iron Chef America. The food was exquisitely prepared, with great attention to detail in the presentation. The desserts were absolutely divine, and we ate every bit of them, even after having consumed all the rest of the food. The waiter highly recommended the Sunday brunch, so I’m curious to check that out soon.
4. Salsa. We also went that night to the Black Cat to see Jeffro’s friend play in the band Orquesta Ashe, a salsa band. They were pretty good, and if you like to salsa, check them out the first Friday of every month at Duke’s City Restaurant on U Street in DC.
5. Last but not least. My sister in FL is still in the hospital. She’s out of ICU, the chest tubes are now out, but she’s still filling with fluid and her breathing is starting to suffer again. They’re now planning on administering her 2nd dose of chemo today, and she may be able to travel in a week’s time. I doubt the doctor’s will approve her to fly, so I am likely going down there with my other sister to drive her back here.
Just announced! Keith Urban is coming to Washington DC on August 17 at the Verizon Center. Tickets go on sale next Saturday, unless you're a member of Monkeyville, which unfortunately I'm not cause it costs another $25.PS -- did you catch him today on Today?
Today as I was leaving work, I stopped in the bathroom on the way out, and as I tried to open the door to exit, the handle broke off in my hand! Luckily, since I was on my way out for the day, I had my cell phone with me, so I called my office and tried to see if there were any girls still left. No such luck. So I told the guy who answered that I was locked in the women's bathroom and he had to come open the door. Then I kept the door propped open and put a note so that people wouldn't go in the bathroom and get locked in. I'm sure it will be the talk of the office tomorrow, as the few remaining people tonight got a good laugh over it. One guy, who didn't realize I was on my way out and had my cell phone, asked, "how long were you stuck in there?" It was pretty hilarious. But only cause I had my cell phone and didn't get stuck in there for long.
Where do I even start? I flew down this weekend to see my sister in FL, packing in about 5 mins to catch the next flight. We were worried that she wouldn't make it through the weekend because she was swollen with fluid, couldn't breathe, and they hadn't started chemo. They finally started chemo on Sat night, which helped the swelling some. Unfortunately, she kept filling up with fluid and now she has chest tubes on both sides to drain the fluid around her lungs cause she still couldn't breathe. She has a great nurse who is forcing her to eat to stay strong and she's started some physical therapy cause she can't get out of bed. She's doing much better, but has a long road ahead of her before she's well enough to transport back to VA, which is the ultimate goal. I spent the other half of the time I was there packing up her entire life. It's very sad.I managed to get home yesterday amid the complete pandemonium of the ice and snow storms. My flight kept getting delayed, but somehow I had good traveling karma and managed to get on standby on another flight. I just couldn't believe my good fortune.
I almost don't want to post this. It's almost as if posting it would make it truer somehow, and I don't want it to be true. It's also very personal. My youngest sister has just found out that she has an aggressive form of large B cell lymphoma, and her chances are only 50-50. Needless to say, I haven't felt like posting much. She lives in FL, but will be moving back here this month to start chemo. I'll likely be going down there next weekend to help her move. It's all very depressing.
Wouldn't it be great to be able to take your dog to the beach without getting fined or yelled at by non-dog lovers? Now you can. In Cyprus they decided to commission a beach just for dogs. I think with all the dog-obsessed people here in the States, we should work on making more beaches doggie friendly too.
