I have many vices... caffeine is not one of them. But that doesn't mean I don't like the taste of a hot steaming cup of coffee-like liquid on a chilly afternoon. Just because I'm not addicted to the world's legal drug of choice doesn't mean I don't have rights! Tell that to Starbucks who announced this week that they will stop serving decaf coffee after noon. Not fair, the decaffers say! What about us??
But upon further review, maybe it's a good thing. Rather than brewing a wasteful pot of decaf every 30 minutes, Starbucks will brew it on request. That means you can still order decaf, you just have to wait four minutes for a new pot to brew a piping hot fresh cup of unleaded coffee.
So while I was up in arms and about to form a mutiny, I'm cooling my jets. Let Starbucks save their $400 million by putting decaf on the back burner, that's cool. It's not like I go there anyway.
Besides, in response to Starbucks' decaf discrimination, Caribou Coffee is offering a FREE cup of decaf today from noon till close. Good news for my fellow I-like-decaf-coffee-in-the-middle-of-the-day-and-don't-like-to-go-to-Starbucks-anyway peeps.
January 30, 2009
January 20, 2009
Obama in the House
I could blog about January 20, 2009, a day that will go down in history as the 44th President of the United States of America, the first of African-American heritage, takes his oath and begins his journey of change, hope, and promise. I could blog about the benediction given by Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery during which he humorously called for the day “when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead man and when white would embrace what is right.” I could blog about the not-so-tearful goodbye as the Obamas and the Bidens and the thousands gathered in D.C. waved farewell to Mr. and Mrs. Bush aboard Air Force One for the last time. I could blog about George Bush Sr.'s Gorbachev-inspired fur hat. But that's already been done. And, besides, most of us were either glued to CNN for the afternoon or we'll catch the highlights and videos posted on you tube this evening.
What I'm wondering, now that it's all over, now that Rick Warren has prayed for the country, now that Obama has promised to uphold the constitution, now that the parade confetti has settled, what is it like to move into the White House? Or actually, what is it like to be moved into the White House by 93 White House staff members, each with explicit instructions and a detailed plan to be carried out. In less than five hours today, the Bushes will be evicted and the Obamas' moving van will be emptied - to the point that the Obamas will walk in from the parade to see their family pictures on the walls, the girls' stuffed animals on the beds, their favorite books on the shelves.
What is that like? To move into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with 55,000 square feet and its six stories, 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 28 fireplaces, eight staircases, three elevators, five full-time chefs, a tennis court, a (single-lane) bowling alley, a movie theater, a jogging track, a swimming pool, and a putting green.
Do the Obamas sleep in the same bedroom that the Bushes did? The same bed? If I were Barack I'd picture Lincoln reading by candlelight in that room rather than Bush playing with his G.I. Joes. Or perhaps he'll think of John Adams, the first president to inhabit the White House in 1800 when he blessed the home with this prayer: "I pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this House, and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof." Yes, I believe Barack is truly home.
After a little White House research, I was disappointed to learn that the building as it stands now contains virtually nothing of the original structure(s). The original White House, along with much of Washington, was devastatingly burned in the War of 1812 by the British. The exterior walls survived the fire but were too weakened to keep. Except for portions of the south wall, the White House was completely reconstructed in 1817. James Madison took residence and added the north and south portico, or, if you're not Italian, you would call it a fancy porch with pillars. It wasn't until 1901 when Roosevelt took residence that the West Wing and the Oval Office were built. In the 1930s, a second story was added and the Oval Office was moved to its present location.
Decades of poor maintenance and additions of more stories weakened the structure to the point that it was deemed in danger of collapse in 1948, forcing Harry Truman to move across the street to the Blair house for a few years while the entire edifice was gutted and reinforced with steel beams. Central air conditioning, two basements and a bomb shelter (that must have been comforting to the American people!) were also added before Truman moved back in 1952. While Truman's reconstuction saved the foundation of the building, the interior rooms were refurbished with little historic value. The original plasterwork and elegant paneling was too damaged to use.
Jackie O' to the rescue! In 1961, a woman of undeniable fashion and exquisite taste took residence in the White House and commissioned an interior decorator from Paris to redecorate many of the rooms. Historic themes were created: the Federal style for the Green Room, French Empire for the Blue Room, American Empire for the Red Room, Louis XVI for the Yellow Oval Room, and Victorian for the president's study, renamed the Treaty Room. Antique furniture and historic artifacts were both commissioned and donated for the redecoration effort, making the Kennedy facelift the one that brought history and authenticity back to the White House. Would we have expected anything less from America's royalty?
The White House today is virtually the same architecturally as it was since the Truman reconstruction, but every president and first lady since has put their own special touch on their private living quarters. Rosalyn Carter set up office in the West Wing, the first official "Office of the First Lady." Pat Nixon's efforts brought over 600 artifacts to the White House (making it worthy of the 5,000 tourists that would roam the halls every day) while President Nixon saw to it that a bowling alley was constructed. The Clintons refurbished the Oval Office and the Bushes redecorated the Lincoln Bedroom and the theater. I can't wait to see what the Obamas will do.
Over two million people attended today's inauguration - the most in history - but inaugurations of the past were certainly well attended. It used to be customary for the new president to hold an open house following the swearing in ceremony. Those open houses sometimes became rowdy - in 1829, President Andrew Jackson had to leave for a hotel when roughly 20,000 citizens celebrated his inauguration inside the White House. His aides ultimately had to lure the mob outside with washtubs filled with orange juice and whiskey. I think this qualifies as the White House's first kegger.
The White House was open to the public for touring for many years until September 11, 2001. So while ordinary citizens like me may never ascend the Grand Staircase, see Lincoln's amaranth purple rimmed china in the China Room or stand beneath a steel magnolia planted by Andrew Jackson on the north lawn, I can imagine the Obamas in their new home and I wish them well.
What I'm wondering, now that it's all over, now that Rick Warren has prayed for the country, now that Obama has promised to uphold the constitution, now that the parade confetti has settled, what is it like to move into the White House? Or actually, what is it like to be moved into the White House by 93 White House staff members, each with explicit instructions and a detailed plan to be carried out. In less than five hours today, the Bushes will be evicted and the Obamas' moving van will be emptied - to the point that the Obamas will walk in from the parade to see their family pictures on the walls, the girls' stuffed animals on the beds, their favorite books on the shelves.
What is that like? To move into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue with 55,000 square feet and its six stories, 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 28 fireplaces, eight staircases, three elevators, five full-time chefs, a tennis court, a (single-lane) bowling alley, a movie theater, a jogging track, a swimming pool, and a putting green.
Do the Obamas sleep in the same bedroom that the Bushes did? The same bed? If I were Barack I'd picture Lincoln reading by candlelight in that room rather than Bush playing with his G.I. Joes. Or perhaps he'll think of John Adams, the first president to inhabit the White House in 1800 when he blessed the home with this prayer: "I pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this House, and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof." Yes, I believe Barack is truly home.
After a little White House research, I was disappointed to learn that the building as it stands now contains virtually nothing of the original structure(s). The original White House, along with much of Washington, was devastatingly burned in the War of 1812 by the British. The exterior walls survived the fire but were too weakened to keep. Except for portions of the south wall, the White House was completely reconstructed in 1817. James Madison took residence and added the north and south portico, or, if you're not Italian, you would call it a fancy porch with pillars. It wasn't until 1901 when Roosevelt took residence that the West Wing and the Oval Office were built. In the 1930s, a second story was added and the Oval Office was moved to its present location.
Decades of poor maintenance and additions of more stories weakened the structure to the point that it was deemed in danger of collapse in 1948, forcing Harry Truman to move across the street to the Blair house for a few years while the entire edifice was gutted and reinforced with steel beams. Central air conditioning, two basements and a bomb shelter (that must have been comforting to the American people!) were also added before Truman moved back in 1952. While Truman's reconstuction saved the foundation of the building, the interior rooms were refurbished with little historic value. The original plasterwork and elegant paneling was too damaged to use.
Jackie O' to the rescue! In 1961, a woman of undeniable fashion and exquisite taste took residence in the White House and commissioned an interior decorator from Paris to redecorate many of the rooms. Historic themes were created: the Federal style for the Green Room, French Empire for the Blue Room, American Empire for the Red Room, Louis XVI for the Yellow Oval Room, and Victorian for the president's study, renamed the Treaty Room. Antique furniture and historic artifacts were both commissioned and donated for the redecoration effort, making the Kennedy facelift the one that brought history and authenticity back to the White House. Would we have expected anything less from America's royalty?
The White House today is virtually the same architecturally as it was since the Truman reconstruction, but every president and first lady since has put their own special touch on their private living quarters. Rosalyn Carter set up office in the West Wing, the first official "Office of the First Lady." Pat Nixon's efforts brought over 600 artifacts to the White House (making it worthy of the 5,000 tourists that would roam the halls every day) while President Nixon saw to it that a bowling alley was constructed. The Clintons refurbished the Oval Office and the Bushes redecorated the Lincoln Bedroom and the theater. I can't wait to see what the Obamas will do.
Over two million people attended today's inauguration - the most in history - but inaugurations of the past were certainly well attended. It used to be customary for the new president to hold an open house following the swearing in ceremony. Those open houses sometimes became rowdy - in 1829, President Andrew Jackson had to leave for a hotel when roughly 20,000 citizens celebrated his inauguration inside the White House. His aides ultimately had to lure the mob outside with washtubs filled with orange juice and whiskey. I think this qualifies as the White House's first kegger.
The White House was open to the public for touring for many years until September 11, 2001. So while ordinary citizens like me may never ascend the Grand Staircase, see Lincoln's amaranth purple rimmed china in the China Room or stand beneath a steel magnolia planted by Andrew Jackson on the north lawn, I can imagine the Obamas in their new home and I wish them well.
January 14, 2009
If my head weren't attached...
...yep, it would be gone.
I accidentally left my car unlocked Sunday night only to get into it Monday morning and see that everything had been rifled through. My glove box was emptied and my center console was a disaster, receipts, CDs, and a bunch of miscellaneous stuff strewn about. (Sidenote - maybe I should write a blog about what people keep in their glove boxes or center consoles. Mine would be a lengthy list including a toothbrush and a replica of the Academy Awards' Oscar statue)
Taking a quick inventory, the only thing I noticed missing was a roll of quarters for laundry that I had yet to take into the apartment. My brand new phone charger and hands-free headset weren't touched. Neither were my Oakley sunglasses - although nearly seven years old and badly scratched, I would have left them too. But, get this, they didn't even take my spare car key that I had left in there from warming my car up a few days prior. (For you warm-stated folks, when the temperature is subzero, we Northerners have to warm our cars up for a good ten minutes before they function properly...and so we don't have to pry our frozen fingers from the steering wheel) That's right folks, an invitation to take my car for a joyride and they didn't accept. Perhaps the SMELLI license plate would have cramped their style. But it wasn't until the next day when I was searching for my volleyball bag that contains my shoes, kneepads and ball pump that I realized that I had left that in my car Sunday night as well. Of all things to take! My volleyball shoes?? Kneepads?? At the least the perp will be easy to spot. Just look for someone with a jingle in their pocket and a bulge around the knees wearing bright white Asics.
Feeling utterly violated and enraged at myself for being so careless, I drive to the grocery store to stock up on cold and flu season essentials - honey, OJ, V8, chicken noodle soup, saltines, and airborne. I get everything on my list, checkout at the U-Scan (which, by the way, I think is the best invention EVER) and go about my merry way. At home Nicole helps me take care of the groceries and just as I'm about to reach for the bag of chicken noodle soup I just bought so that I can make us lunch, it's not there. No, it's not in the car, I'm sure of it. Really? This is happening? As I am about to have a nervous breakdown, Nicole quickly offers to go back to Kroger for the missing bag o' soup while I attempt to calm my frayed fragile nerves. I describe what my head looks like to Nicole, in case she should find it along the way...
I accidentally left my car unlocked Sunday night only to get into it Monday morning and see that everything had been rifled through. My glove box was emptied and my center console was a disaster, receipts, CDs, and a bunch of miscellaneous stuff strewn about. (Sidenote - maybe I should write a blog about what people keep in their glove boxes or center consoles. Mine would be a lengthy list including a toothbrush and a replica of the Academy Awards' Oscar statue)
Taking a quick inventory, the only thing I noticed missing was a roll of quarters for laundry that I had yet to take into the apartment. My brand new phone charger and hands-free headset weren't touched. Neither were my Oakley sunglasses - although nearly seven years old and badly scratched, I would have left them too. But, get this, they didn't even take my spare car key that I had left in there from warming my car up a few days prior. (For you warm-stated folks, when the temperature is subzero, we Northerners have to warm our cars up for a good ten minutes before they function properly...and so we don't have to pry our frozen fingers from the steering wheel) That's right folks, an invitation to take my car for a joyride and they didn't accept. Perhaps the SMELLI license plate would have cramped their style. But it wasn't until the next day when I was searching for my volleyball bag that contains my shoes, kneepads and ball pump that I realized that I had left that in my car Sunday night as well. Of all things to take! My volleyball shoes?? Kneepads?? At the least the perp will be easy to spot. Just look for someone with a jingle in their pocket and a bulge around the knees wearing bright white Asics.
Feeling utterly violated and enraged at myself for being so careless, I drive to the grocery store to stock up on cold and flu season essentials - honey, OJ, V8, chicken noodle soup, saltines, and airborne. I get everything on my list, checkout at the U-Scan (which, by the way, I think is the best invention EVER) and go about my merry way. At home Nicole helps me take care of the groceries and just as I'm about to reach for the bag of chicken noodle soup I just bought so that I can make us lunch, it's not there. No, it's not in the car, I'm sure of it. Really? This is happening? As I am about to have a nervous breakdown, Nicole quickly offers to go back to Kroger for the missing bag o' soup while I attempt to calm my frayed fragile nerves. I describe what my head looks like to Nicole, in case she should find it along the way...
January 13, 2009
Don't know much about history...
I've never been good with dates. Don't ask me what happened the year I graduated college. I can't even remember last week. My desk drawers and bookshelves are overflowing with planners and calendars of years gone by so that I have a reference to, well, reference. Last time I went to the dentist? Um..I think it was May. No, wait, October. No, May. (Turns out it was in January) Is my car a 2006 or a 2007? My trip to Hawaii was in January of 2007. Or 2006. Well, one of those anyway.
If I remember your birthday, you should be throwing ME the party.
And so it is that while I'm keenly interested in all things history - what aspiring writer isn't? - my grasp of history and when things occurred is about as tight as a lady of the night in Amsterdam. This is why, many years ago, I bought a book entitled Don't Know Much About History. I hear it's fabulous. I'll get around to reading it one of these days.
Until then, I thought you might be as interested as I was to see what has occurred in history (or herstory) on this very date, January 13. An eclectic list, indeed.
1794 President George Washington approved a measure adding two stars and two stripes to the American flag, following the admission of Vermont and Kentucky to the union. (Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia are still waiting...)
1854 Anthony Faas of Philadelphia, PA, patented the accordion. (Who invented the "oompah" to go with it is unknown...)
1930 The comic strip "Mickey Mouse" debuts in American newspapers. (Thanks to two very powerful men, William Randolph Hearst and Walt Disney, and one very small but powerful mouse...)
1942 Henry Ford patented the plastic automobile, which allowed for a 30% decrease in car weight. (Ken and Barbie were thrilled...)
1962 Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) score 73 points against the Chicago Bulls. (A point for every woman he'd slept with so far that year...)
1964 The Beatles released "I Want To Hold Your Hand" in the U.S. (Apparently every hand had already been held in Great Britain...)
1966 Robert C. Weaver became the first black Cabinet member as he was appointed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by President Lyndon B. Johnson. (Urban Development? Really?)
1968 Country musician Johnny Cash recorded a live concert at Folsom Prison in California. (Next up, Kidd Rock performs from Jackson!)
1979 Peaches & Herb performed "Reunited" on "American Bandstand." (And it felt so good...)
1992 Japan apologized for forcing tens of thousands of Korean women to serve as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II. (Oh, how nice! An apology. Very sweet.)
1999 Basketball player Michael Jordan announced his retirement. (Too bad it didn't stick...)
2002 U.S. President George W. Bush fainted after choking on a pretzel. (He never regained consciousness...)
If I remember your birthday, you should be throwing ME the party.
And so it is that while I'm keenly interested in all things history - what aspiring writer isn't? - my grasp of history and when things occurred is about as tight as a lady of the night in Amsterdam. This is why, many years ago, I bought a book entitled Don't Know Much About History. I hear it's fabulous. I'll get around to reading it one of these days.
Until then, I thought you might be as interested as I was to see what has occurred in history (or herstory) on this very date, January 13. An eclectic list, indeed.
1794 President George Washington approved a measure adding two stars and two stripes to the American flag, following the admission of Vermont and Kentucky to the union. (Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia are still waiting...)
1854 Anthony Faas of Philadelphia, PA, patented the accordion. (Who invented the "oompah" to go with it is unknown...)
1930 The comic strip "Mickey Mouse" debuts in American newspapers. (Thanks to two very powerful men, William Randolph Hearst and Walt Disney, and one very small but powerful mouse...)
1942 Henry Ford patented the plastic automobile, which allowed for a 30% decrease in car weight. (Ken and Barbie were thrilled...)
1962 Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia Warriors) score 73 points against the Chicago Bulls. (A point for every woman he'd slept with so far that year...)
1964 The Beatles released "I Want To Hold Your Hand" in the U.S. (Apparently every hand had already been held in Great Britain...)
1966 Robert C. Weaver became the first black Cabinet member as he was appointed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development by President Lyndon B. Johnson. (Urban Development? Really?)
1968 Country musician Johnny Cash recorded a live concert at Folsom Prison in California. (Next up, Kidd Rock performs from Jackson!)
1979 Peaches & Herb performed "Reunited" on "American Bandstand." (And it felt so good...)
1992 Japan apologized for forcing tens of thousands of Korean women to serve as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II. (Oh, how nice! An apology. Very sweet.)
1999 Basketball player Michael Jordan announced his retirement. (Too bad it didn't stick...)
2002 U.S. President George W. Bush fainted after choking on a pretzel. (He never regained consciousness...)
January 6, 2009
New Year, New List
Wow, 2009. Shouldn't we be driving flying cars...vacationing on the moon...exchanging recipes with beings from other galaxies? Funny how we saw the future so differently just a few decades ago. No, 2009 is not a year of intergalactic gallivanting, but it is a year of change and hope - which brings me to do one of my favorite things in this world - make a list. :-)
This list is random things I want to accomplish in 2009. Some are original, some are modified, and some are carry-overs from my previous list (if at first you don't succeed...you know the drill). In no particular order...
1. Complete my first triathlon
2. Write my grandma Betty a letter twice a month
3. Blog early and often
4. Perfect my hummus recipe
5. Take guitar lessons
6. Learn to stop on hockey skates
7. Raise money for cancer research
8. Take my cats in for a checkup
9. Read the biographies of Eleanor Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln
10. Visit Baltimore and DC
11. Write my dad
12. Embrace every day as an opportunity to make a difference, no matter how small
13. Clean out my mom's basement
14. Revisit watercolor painting
15. Learn to swim
16. Keep putting effort into the relationships that are most important and let the others go
17. Take an improv class
18. Snag a spot on some kind of game show
19. Run a 5K
20. Improve my posture
21. Plant a vegetable garden
22. See the world
This list is random things I want to accomplish in 2009. Some are original, some are modified, and some are carry-overs from my previous list (if at first you don't succeed...you know the drill). In no particular order...
1. Complete my first triathlon
2. Write my grandma Betty a letter twice a month
3. Blog early and often
4. Perfect my hummus recipe
5. Take guitar lessons
6. Learn to stop on hockey skates
7. Raise money for cancer research
8. Take my cats in for a checkup
9. Read the biographies of Eleanor Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln
10. Visit Baltimore and DC
11. Write my dad
12. Embrace every day as an opportunity to make a difference, no matter how small
13. Clean out my mom's basement
14. Revisit watercolor painting
15. Learn to swim
16. Keep putting effort into the relationships that are most important and let the others go
17. Take an improv class
18. Snag a spot on some kind of game show
19. Run a 5K
20. Improve my posture
21. Plant a vegetable garden
22. See the world
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
