Rodney (1995-2008)

An all too familiar message....

We will miss you.

Moral Dilemma

Question for you....

If someone in your class is cheating, would you mention it to the professor or administrator?

I have an idea on what I'm planning to do, but I'm curious on your thoughts?

Pope Day

It's crazy here in DC with the Pope's visit. Roads are closed and people are standing in the streets as if Milli Vanilli was on their reunion tour.

I am blown away by the people who really view this as a life event that shouldn't be missed. 40,000+ people will be cramming Nationals stadium (ironically shown below) for mass. Dudes, I don't even go on Christmas because of the crowds. I can't imagine how long communion will last for that event.

The last time I've been this close to a papal event was 1979 when Pope John Paul II came to Chicago. My family went downtown and stood on the streets to catch a glimpse of him as he drove past...way before the days of the Popemobile.

He was young in spirit, considered cutting edge, and Polish which was HUGE in Chicago. I remember thinking that the whole experience would be magical; me being able to see the Pope and taking this incredible photo on my new Kodak 110 camera.

He was late and zipped down the street at 25 miles/hour. Turns out I didn't even snap a shot of the correct vehicle. I looked over at my dad and said "That's all we came down for? This sucks."

I had to go to confession the next Friday.

Baseball Fever

After three years of baseball tickets at RFK Stadium, we were able to join the Nationals in their continued losing streak at the new stadium.

Once crammed inside a giant concrete bowl built in the 1960's, at the new field we experienced multiple cuisine choices on every level of the stadium. The new ball park was built in the SE part of DC which just 10 years ago was completely crime ridden. I couldn't believe the transformation. Sadly, the team hasn't transformed to the same level, giving up 4 runs in the first inning alone.

While we enjoyed a 1 hour rain delay, we walked around the arena, admiring views of the river, the microbrew stations and the Playstation Playground. Sadly, if there weren't 100 kids already in line, I would have been playing Guitar Hero the entire time.

Once the game got under way, we had about 5 innings before 'homeboy' was bored. They go from sweet and innocent at 4 years old to "I'm cool, Dude" by 5.

SIGH. I'm not ready for what 8 years old has on tap.

Chili Con Carne

I had the pleasure of having lunch today with Mrs. Chili.

How did I do that given she lives in New England where it snowed this morning? She had a 3-hour layover in Washington National Airport on her way down south to visit two other bloggers.

We totally sat and chatted for hours at TGI Fridays, which if you think about it was completely apropos. (It helped that my boss was off today.)

I will say this every time I meet a blogger, but damned if they aren't as wonderful in person as they are online. We talked about work, spouses, kids, our inability to figure out personalized blog URLs, and much more. Chili and I originally connected through Rich and laughed about how we were meeting, but neither of us had met him yet.

Before I knew it, she had a flight to catch and I had to get back in order to turn off my computer and go home.

Chili, it was a pleasure. I look forward to your visit.

So....when are the rest of you coming to DC?

Ring, Ring

The nominations came pouring in and there was a wealth of great choices. Incredible suggestions from everyone but one response stood out with multiple ideas that were a perfect fit with what I wanted for my new ringtone.

Ultimately, I took this person's suggestion and tweaked it just a bit. I stuck with the group, but changed the song. My new ringtone: The Ghost in You by the Psychedelic Furs.



The winner is Mike who will receive something from Vietnam that most likely costs about 43 cents. With suggestions like OMD, Depeche Mode and New Order, it was tough to decide, but the Furs have always been one of my favorites.

A special thanks goes to Ava whose suggestion of phonezoo.com was incredible. It is so easy to use and worked like a charm. A little Vietnamese lovin' coming your way too.

The Playdate

Sunday was a special day for us. We invited The Bradstein Household over for brunch playdate.

Not for Corey and 3B....for Rodney and Barky. Since Reggie's departure, Rodney's been a litte down in the dumps. We thought that another beagle friend would cheer him up.

Papa, Mama, 3B and Barky joined us for a morning of great fun, friendship and tail-wagging. Rodney slept for 6 hours after they left. Corey kept talking about 3B and how "they played pirate ship" together. And the adults just relishedin the excitement.

The video is compliments of Papa...the friendship compliments of Blogger.