ferocious franklin.

catnip or greenies? who knows, but SOMETHING is causing franklin major poopie bloopies in the litter box lately - twice in one week so far. one thing's for sure, a long haired cat plus loose stools does not equal a pretty picture (or smell, for that matter). yuck.

of course, stephen discovered frankie in his super soiled state while i was busy cat-napping in our way too comfortable bed. being as conscientious as ever, he decided not to wake me from my beauty sleep and tackle the mess himself. yes, you guessed it - hooray for the dreaded BATH TIME!

now, call us crazy, but we've given our little lions the dunk many times before - but with any 25-pound animal, it does take the concerted effort of two very devoted people. between the rushing of the faucet water, getting soaked to the bone and sudsed up with kitty shampoo in addition to the necessary rough handling, it's tough going. but this time, frankie hit his limit... you would too after 15 mins! of such torture. so what would any self-respecting pussycat do? all but bite the hand that feeds him, i'm sure... all except, that is, our ferocious feline, franklin.

that's right- he just chomped down with those razor sharp fangs of his straight into stephen's right hand, sinking deep into the fleshy meat of his thumb pad. an action quite surprising in fact, considering he's the loverboy of the two and well, his breed name does say it all - copperfield the casanova. so you can only imagine stephen's cry amplify as the beast tightened his grip by shaking his head like a shark (attack of jaws!) to ensure a solid grasp. clearly he was FED UP. ouchie ouch!

after such a rude awakening, i couldn't help but to calmly assess the situation at hand - riiiiight. with franklin hovered in the corner, dastardly dripping wet, and stephen yowling over the sink holding onto his bloody hand as if it had been bitten off entirely, i didn't know quite where to begin! as he recovered from his state of shock, i disinfected the puncture wounds with some hydrogen peroxide, bandaged it up good with my handy dandy first aid kit to stop the bleeding. nurse laura to the rescue. now somewhat collected, we dashed out the door to the ER while frankie air-dried and cooled-off out on the balcony - poor poor thing.

of course, fully expecting an all night wait at the hospital, i just HAD to make a quick detour, much to stephen's bemoaning, to the closest wendy's for my usual #1, plain with cheese, combo - trust me, you don't want to see my mood with severe hunger pains! after returning to my senses, we made a straight shot across the potomac to georgetown university hospital and rolled in the emergency room waiting room with plenty of reading material in hand. we were prepared.

with only 2 other couples before us, it was still an hour wait before we were able to come back into the ER. and then another hour to actual see a doctor, get cleaned up, bandaged and boosted with another round of tetanus vaccine. all in all, stephen was a trooper, and we definitely did the right thing in coming in... in fact we ran into a fellow gracedc'er back in the ER who was one of the attending physicians on call that night - dr. morrell. once he saw stephen's hand and heard the tale, it was all seriousness in explaining all the potential complications of infection if those horse-pills of antibiotics weren't taken regularly! eek.

however, once we returned home and freed franklin from his remorse through a little reconciling cuddle, life normalized and the balance of power was restored. or at least, let's hope. oh what a night.

top ten.

so a few days ago, i was “tagged” my high school friend and fellow blogger, laura. the idea to list 8 random facts about yourself and then tag 8 other bloggers to do the same. well, pardon me, but i feel like bending the rules a bit today… so instead of 8, you’re getting 2 bonus factoids to total 10 and instead of me tagging you, well, i’m just too lazy for that right now. but if you’re up for it, just let me know. here we go…

1. i grew up as a rather picky eater. over time that has definitely changed but one thing has not – i absolutely hate any food that is white and creamy. just the thought of mayonnaise makes me queasy and the smell of ranch dressing, nauseous. cottage cheese is a definite no, and i definitely don’t prefer cool whip on my pie. call me crazy, but i just can’t do it.

2. i have no idea where this came from, but i have a huuuuuuge grammar pet peeve. me, the math nerd? yeah – odd. most mistakes i can overlook, but there is one that just drives me nuts and hear it almost daily! so what do you say when some one asks you…”how are you doing?”…. “i’m doing good”?? NO, it’s “i’m doing WELL”!!! it’s an automatic response, but i just can’t help but correct the poor soul immediately after they respond. well not good, people, well not good.

3. i think one of the best things about my family is that my mom and i share the same birthday – december 11th. although 31 years apart, it was always really special to be able to celebrate one another together. and what are the odds, right? but being a breached baby, my mom had to have a caesarian section to deliver me...and yeah, those can be scheduled. it took me until last year to realize that maybe those odds weren't so far fetched. ha.

4. i love to bargain shop - it's an addiction really. when life has me feeling blue i head out to the outlets, loehmanns, or the local consignment shops and hunt away. even if i don't find anything, the process helps reground me. but when i do find that steal of a deal, i'm on cloud nine. what can i say? i like the designer look (ok, brand) for less.

5. i'm absolutely obsessed with any aquaphor/eucerin product. first was introduced to aquaphor by my dermatologist when i went on accutane prior my senior year in high school. it was the only thing out that there kept my lips for peeling off. it was miraculous! since then i've been hooked. if you are looking for the best lip balm or hand creme out there, these are it.

6. my all-time favorite stress reliever is squishing my little lion, franklin. he's quite the butterball, and i just the most laid back animal i have ever met. and this little loverboy just loves the attention...well, to an extent. if you bug him too much, he won't take it out his aggression on you, but he will pounce his brother winston to release the angst. either way, it makes for an entertaining show.

7. i used to be quite the clutterbug, neat and organized, but i had way too much stuff. now i prefer near minimalism - i just can't stand excess in my house! it seems like every month, i'm throwing stuff away, making a trip to goodwill or reassessing my needs to less. i mean, why get bogged down in all the distractions of things, things, things.

8. when most people are asked what is the favorite part of their body, feet are probably the last on the list. well they are the top of mine - i love my twinkle toes! seriously, i wrap my feet in baby oil and thick socks twice a week before i head to bed to wake up super soft feet. it's one of the ways i like to pamper myself, even if in the littlest way.

9. i've been going through severe withdrawal this summer...of the office. i am way too hooked on this show. i have all of the re-runs saved on my dvr and will just play them over and over again and laugh my head off. my hubby finds this annoying at first but soon gets caught up in the brilliant comedy every time. i'm counting down the days to the hour long season premiere on september 27!!! in the meantime, i've been faithfully following petra nemcova's a model life series. surprisingly i find it actually good, and lucia's definitely my fave. eh, something's gotta get me through.

10. in college i prided myself on being an oxymoron – a texan in yankee-land, a pretty girl majoring in engineering, a christian living it real in a sorority, getting my m.r.s. degree at an ivy, yada yada yada. even in my first round of interviews with accenture, the manager noted how remarkable it was i didn’t fit into any norm and i beamed with delight. it was one of the main reasons i actually joined the firm – i loved how they valued personal diversity. but in the last few years since graduating, i have strayed from this perspective, wishing my life had a bit more continuity, my path more predictable, or life direction just easier to grasp. honestly, i’m trying with all my might to shake this because really i think i was so much cooler when i wasn’t concerned with such things.

alright, so that's me in a nutshell. any takers??

pennsylvania.

stephen and i ventured out of town this past weekend up to PA for a college friend's wedding. meg and i became good friends the end of my junior year when we both happened to take a blow-off intro to biotechnology class in towne. being different engineering majors and in different sororities, we had never really crossed paths until that point, but we quickly bonded when we realized just how alike we were. meaning, we were more often than not the exception to the rule in our various campus cliques and loved every minute of it!

she and her now husband, ryan, similarly braved the "impossible" long distance relationship for over 3 years. by the time i graduated in december 2004 and was ramping up to my own wedding, she was donning a gorgeous diamond ring. for the past 2 years, the distance only grew as she remained at penn to get her law degree and while he wrapped up his own in illinois. he's since graduated in may and moved to their posh rittenhouse apartment which they now call their newlywed home - i can't wait to see it at homecoming!

all this to say, it was very special to be able to see such a dedicated couple survive the wait and be able to celebrate their patience through a gorgeous wedding! now, meg is the epitome of all things classy so it was no surprise it was quite a classy affair...from the stunning estate to their first dance (the foxtrot!) and all the lemon drop martinis in between. but really it was their opening program quote that made the most lasting impression on me; it summed up the pair perfectly, and i've adopted it as my new favorite love poem - it's deep, true and just beautiful:

all the breath and the bloom of the year
in the bag of one bee:
all the wonder and wealth of the mine
in the heart of one gem:
in the core of one pearl
all the shade and shine of the sea:
breath and bloom, shade and shine,
--wonder, wealth, and--how far above them--
truth, that’s brighter than gem,
trust, that’s purer than pearl,--
brightest truth, purest trust in the universe,--all were for me
in the kiss of one girl.

--robert browning

oh, but that's not all folks. instead of heading straight back down the 95 corridor on sunday, we took the scenic drive west to hit up some serene pennsylvania countryside. after passing through amish country (yeah lancaster!) and a slew of outlet malls, we made it to carlisle, pa - home of the army war college. stephen's family lived here for a year during his freshman year in college as his dad went through commander training. over the past 5 years, stephen's spent a total of 8 months at the base for various wargames through his old job at booz allen. so it was quite the treat to FINALLY see this place i've only heard about. to be honest, there wasn't much too it - it's a quaint historic town just outside of the state capital, harrisburg, but it was a stop well worth it....especially getting to experience the famed fay's country kitchen breakfast!

after getting our fill, we continued south on route 15 that runs from north of pennsylvania, through maryland, into virginia and southward. this historic highway has been around for well over 200 years - in fact, we got married right off it at the oatlands plantation just south of leesburg. stephen, being all too familiar with the drive, pointed out all the landmarks as i tried to sneak in mini power naps before we reached our next destination.... gettysburg.

that's right, i've never been. so why not? after stopping the NPS visitor center, we picked up a driving map of the 2 hour course and went off to tour the infamous battleground where 50,000 americans died over a 3 day period. whew. and they talk about iraq being high in casualties! anyway, it was definitely educational and enlightening... it's just too bad steve's dad couldn't have joined us. we called him up halfway through our tour, and he was so jealous we went without him! being a retired army colonel and military historian, he could probably take a full week to teach the battle of gettysburg, explaining every tactical maneuver and offensive strategy in succinct detail. ha!

but it wasn't until we returning home sunday evening when stephen popped in the 4 hour movie (ugggh) - gettysburg - that i finally started to see the sites we saw come to life. westpoint generals fighting old commanding buddies on that rich pennsylvania soil. one for freedom of slavery and one for a way of life, resulting in a country divided, with the battle of gettysburg as the turning point in changing our country's history forever. it's pretty fascinating even if you aren't a civil war junkie. so thanks honey for the history lesson... makes me love the keystone state all the more - hurrah, hurrah penn-syl-van-i-a!

feigning foodie.

this past week was one of my favorites of the year....along with the rest of dc. everybody loves restaurant week! a tradition i fell heart over stomach for back when i poor college student in philadelphia. your biannual chance to get an AMAZING meal for a steal of a deal - well, relatively. with a prix fix 3-course lunch/dinner menu for $20/$30 you at least know how much that gourmet cuisine is going to set you back. in fact most cities do some version of this restaurant promotion - after all, it's great way to attract new customers and bring in some hearty revenue. but for the dining consumers, well, there are a 3 simple rules that any dc foodie will tell you...

1) pick the most expensive restaurant out there and one that has a reputation to uphold (get your money's worth and skip the lackadaisical service)

2) make sure the restaurant doesn't have a "special" (ie. limited) menu for the week (trust me, you will want the signature dish)

3) book your reservation far, far in advance unless you want to eat an exquisite meal at 4:30pm on a tuesday...or after 10 (why bother?)

all this to say, i did pretty well this summer - i scored a great lunch and a fabulous dinner this past week. the first, i just got lucky. spending half of wednesday morning introducing my cubemate to the ingenious concept of open table (where has he been??), enough RW buzz was generated to spur a last minute lunch booking at one of hottest restaurants in dc...for a party of 8! we were able to snag that noon time slot at kinkead's. i don't know how it was done, but i was sure glad - i was STARVING. and with it just being 5 blocks away from the office how much better could it get - especially in the 100 degree weather we've been having! so i stuffed myself full with a salad of soft lettuces with gruyere and dijon vinaigrette (and i normally hate salad?), pistachio crusted salmon medallions with garlic mashed potatoes, crispy fennel, arugula with tomato butter (i cleaned the plate) and lastly, bittersweet molten chocolate cake with caramel ice cream. after such a feast, we were all but ready to head back to "work". eh, it's restaurant week - you gotta indulge.

but last night rounded out the epicurean adventure in totale. i booked 7pm dinner reservations for 2 at zola almost 6 weeks ago, and it was sooooo worth it. associated with the international spy museum, this restaurant combines the sleek style of espionage prowess with some serious eats. and unlike most, zola offers their entire menu, with no upcharges, plus their presentation and service is beyond commending. i got the grilled asparagus with crispy mushroom and brie stick, orange hollandaise and black walnuts (a-mazing), pan roasted sea scallops with tomato stuffed zucchini, crisp blossoms and maiitake mushrooms with chenin blanc glaze (omg, i should have take a picture of this plate - just beautiful) and ended with 3 sculpted scoops of raspberry sorbet. ohhhhhh yummmm. and of course our $50 open table dining rewards cheque definitely came in handy - hooray for 1000 point restaurants!

but the best part was the end of dinner.... stephen, being the sophisticated diner he is, decided it was definitely more fun to play with fine food than to eat it. i mean, who past the age of 9 sticks raspberries with cream on their nose and leaves it for a full minute? right, my husband :P maybe he'll learn some better table manners in time for january or maybe i'll need to find another dinner date. na...

ode to charlotte.

today turned out to be a sad day. my hubby's childhood pet of 18 years had to be put to sleep this afternoon. she was his little black cat, appropriately named charlotte, of e.b.white's celebrated spider. with her birthday only yesterday, she made it one more year but she just couldn't take it any longer. cancer claimed her tiny 7 lb body, spreading too fast to control. over the past few years, she's battled quite a few medical maladies, including bouts of epilepsy; it truly is amazing she has lasted this long.

even so, reality slowly sinks in. if you've ever lost a family pet you know how deep the loss can hit. this once frisky kitty will no longer pounce onto stephen's top bunk and snuggle up for the night as in the days of old. throughout thick and thin and all the phases of life, she has been there for him. a constant companion during the rough days of adolescence and welcoming comfort to embrace upon returns home. she was one of the family, and she will be missed.

to charlotte...one very special kitty.

hoyapolitik.

my husband is brilliant. no bones about it. so when i found out today that he had been formally asked to be a commentator on a georgetown blog, i was thrilled he finally found a suitable medium to share his thoughts with the world!

he had started a blog long well before i started mine, but after three excellent posts, he stopped. it just wasn't fulfilling. he's the kind of person that feeds off the insights and intellect of others - a "thought vulture" as he calls it. he needs the real-time feedback and discussion, and let's face it, most blogs can be a bit lonely in that department. so what better way to engage online than on the hoyapolitik - a dynamic forum filled with lively exchange between the top minds in his field.

truth be told, he has yet to make his posting debut, but if you are at all interested to read passionate dialog on all things related to international security, this is the blog for you. alright steverod!

the other a-rod.

so i'm still nursing a nice sun-burn from attending the legg mason tennis classic finals yesterday afternoon, but oh was it worth it. we first caught the doubles match at noon between the #1 american team, identical twins, bob & mike bryan and the #1 israeli team, jon erlich & andy ram. it was so fun to see them tag team across the court!

and then at 3pm, the match we had all been waiting for commenced. top american player and tennis hottie, andy roddick, faced up against the newest american tennis sensation, john isner! what a thrill it was to see this rookie persevere all the way to finals and have two americans battle for the title! and, of course, to see andy play up close and personal... sigh :)

i'll keep this post short and sweet, but in the end, both mens doubles and singles titles went to americans claiming their 3rd legg mason title yet! that's right, both first seeded bryan brothers and the other a-rod went home with their rank reinforced and confidence confirmed.

i'll leave all the match highlights to the pros (sorry could only find the footage in spanish!), but i did take a few snap shots of the event. enjoy!

taken with tennis.

yesterday steve and i went to our first ATP tennis tournament ever... i had been wanting to go to the legg mason tennis classic in dc for years now but the timing just never worked out. but this year, it did, and i surprised stephen with a pair of tickets friday's mid-day match.

after stopping at our favorite sandwich shop, jetties, to split our usual "surfside" (yummmm) for lunch, we headed to rock creek park to catch a mens singles quarterfinals round. we got lucky with a great pair-up, close scoring game and an underdog win. recent college grad turned pro and wild card entry, john isner, battled the court with german favorite and number 2 seed, tommy haas. between john's killer ace serves and tommy's consistent playing, this match was neck and neck through all 3 sets and 2 tie breaks. in the end, isner clinched the win and rookie advanced. yessssss.

after racing home to try to beat rush hour traffic, i hopped in the shower for 10 secs and then rushed out the door for some girlie time with my old boss jen. we had a faaaabulous evening catching up over pedicures and cheap chinese food - perfect combo ;) i even ran into my book club buddy, sarah, at the nail salon who was beyond shocked that i had trekked the 45 minutes out to sterling on a friday night! meanwhile stephen stayed on the gtown waterfront and hung out with his buddy john mccary and his old iraq friends. at least there was no hurry for either of us get home at an early hour...

we both came to the realization late last week that our original weekend plans would probably have to be put on hold, yet again, due to encroaching work deadlines. this will be the 2nd time we have had to reschedule our trip out to assateague island within the last month. :( since june, we have been scheming and dreaming of making it out to the eastern shore to set up camp on the beach with the legendary feral horses. sigh...one day. and our packs remained stuffed with our gear, sitting by the door, ready to go once we are. whenever that we'll be.

but i guess one good thing has come out of our predicament. now we'll actually be in town this sunday to catch the LMTC finals match up!!!! i would love love love to see andy roddick in action. i mean, who wouldn't?? i think i'm hooked.

ps. believe it or not, but stephen and i made it onto espn! our friend sally spotted us on the tube while working out on the treadmill. ha! i guess isner's big upset made it to the highlights. sweeeeet.

all smiles.

yesterday was a big day - normalcy to my life returned, finally.

after a few rounds of happy hour drinks with coworkers at tony and joe's on the waterfront, stephen took me to the cutest restaurant in georgetown to celebrate... since the spring, he has constantly raved about this dc gem so i was thrilled when he surprised me with 8pm dinner reservations to ristorante piccolo!

we got lucky with a romantic balcony table for two, overlooking the historic c&o canal. after we split linguini with mussels (which was soooo good i can still taste its velvety texture) and some white wine, we headed next door, literally, to check out stephen's new office! the sentia group has been in the process of moving locales this last month, and he's been in charge of all the transitionery details... on top of his actual work, oh, and grad school. sometimes i don't know how he does it.

but wow - all the hard work was definitely worth it - this new place is so sweet. a renovated historic townhouse combine the charm of the past with the modern style and conveinence of today. plus, leather couches, persian rugs and swanky office furniture complete the package. all this and only steps from m street. compared to my current corporate digs, i'm beyond jealous! great job honey!!!

truly, yesterday was a great day, full of restored confidence and new found hope... i'm baaaaaaack and i'm all smiles.