I don't have a voice right now, so there's not a lot I can do at work--can't answer the phone, can't conduct interviews... so between checking/sending email and doing busywork, I haven't had a lot to do today. I really love Jade Dominique Weber's artwork (you can see it on etsy--she has 2 shops. You should really check it out, she's got some adorable things!), and today I tried mimicking it a little with a doodle of my own! The words are from the song "Dream" by Priscilla Ahn (also someone you should check out! She'll make you happy, I promise).

Well, I'm back! I'm sure you're all dying to know how my trip went! It was FANTASTIC!! I had such an amazing time! It was so wonderful to be lazy!

Logan was VERY excited about getting to ride on the airplane! He was also pretty upset that "the snowing is broken!" and there was no snow on the ground.

Logan and "Shown-tel!"

Driving to San Fransisco

Ty took me to Pier 39. We saw a magic show, looked around the shops (where I got hit on by a girl), and ate at Bubba Gumps. You could see Alcatraz from our table! (You can't see it, but he's sticking his tongue out at me lol)

"The Rock"

A lighthouse at the pier

A beach near Half Moon Bay

My first beach! :)

I love this man...

Playing with Logan at his grandmas

John and Rachel, Ty's sister and brother-in-law. They were so much fun! I really liked them :)

We were trying to get a good picture of Logan and Ty, but Logan wouldn't sit still long enough to do much lol It amazes me how much Logan looks like his dad (who is gorgeous, not that I'm biased!). I love them both more than anything!

It was such a great vacation, although Ty and I both got sick. I got really sick on Thursday, but was feeling a little better when Ty took me to San Fransisco on Friday. But then I lost my voice and was coughing up my livers Saturday, and have been sick since. I'm finally feeling a little better this afternoon--due, I'm sure, to Logan's attentive care. He brought me cheese the first day--"Eat cheese. You feel better." Then blueberries, chocolate milk, soda... on the way home from Salt Lake, I was feeling really sick, and he told me when I got home he'd get me a blanket, and I would need to close my eyes. We even practiced lol

It was a fantastic trip, so stress-free. I had such a great time with Tyson, and was really glad to get to know Logan better. We're pretty good buddies now :) I'm glad I got to go!

Ty got to bring his son home this weekend; he gets to keep him up here until just before Christmas. Let me tell you, the little guy is just a DOLL! He looks just like Tyson and acts just like him, too LOL I'll have to post some new pictures of the two of them.

I'm getting ready to head out to California with them for a week-long vacation. We'll be going (hopefully) to Oakland, San Francisco, and Half Moon Bay (Google it--it's gorgeous! I can't wait!), visiting Ty's family. I can't remember the last time I was on vacation. It'll be so good to get away for awhile, not think about work... Stick my toes in the ocean and sleep in an unfamiliar bed, walk on the pier with Ty, and just enjoy my time away with him.

I'll take pictures and post them when I get back :)

I need a little West Wing today...

Bartlet: We should organize a staff field trip to Shenandoah! I could even act as a guide! What do you think?
Josh: Good a place as any to dump your body.
Bartlet: What was that?
Josh: Did I say that out loud?

---

Leo McGarry: [on the phone with the New York Times] 17 across. Yes, 17 across is wrong... You're spelling his name wrong... What's my name? My name doesn't matter. I am just an ordinary citizen who relies on the Times crossword for stimulation. And I'm telling you that I met the man twice. And I recommended a pre-emptive missile strike against his air force, so I think I know how...
C.J. Cregg: Leo.
Leo McGarry: They hang up on me every time.

---

Toby Ziegler: [holding his twin babies] I didn't realize babies come with hats. You guys crack me up. You don't have jobs. You can't walk or speak the language. You don't have a dollar in your pockets but you got yourselves a hat so everything's fine. I don't want to alarm you or anything, but I'm Dad. And for you, son - for you - this will be the last time I pass the buck, but I think it should be clear from the get-go that it was Mom who named you Huckleberry.

---

C.J. Cregg: I want you to get with one of your friends in the press room from a conservative paper.
Ainsley Hayes: You really think we have a secret handshake, don't you?
C.J. Cregg: Do you?
Ainsley Hayes: Yes

---

President Josiah Bartlet: I was watching a television program before, with a kind of roving moderator who spoke to a seated panel of young women who were having some sort of problem with their boyfriends - apparently, because the boyfriends had all slept with the girlfriends' mothers. And they brought the boyfriends out, and they fought, right there on television. Toby, tell me: these people don't vote, do they?

---

Bartlet: Charlie, I wanna hire a woman whose voice I think would fit in nicely around here. She's a conservative Republican, you think I should do it?
Charlie: Absolutely Mr. President, cause I'm told that theirs is the party of inclusion.

---

Sam: When I was downstairs, I made a decision. I'm gonna register with the Republican Party - and I'll tell you why, if you're curious. It's because they're a freedom-loving people.
Ainsley: We also like beef.

---

Bartlet: [on Babish] He looks down his nose at me 'cause I'm not a lawyer.
Leo: Yes.
Bartlet: I didn't go to law school. I got a PhD in economics instead.
Leo: Your parents were very proud.
Bartlet: Yeah, and all that happened was I won a Nobel Prize and got elected President so I guess that decision didn't really pay off.
Leo: Yeah.
Bartlet: Should I run back and get my Nobel Prize?
Leo: I think he knows you've got one.

---

C.J.: This is our 5th press briefing since midnight. Obviously, there's one story that going dominating news around the world for the next few days, and it would be easy to think that President Bartlet, Joshua Lyman, and Stephanie Abbott were the only victims of a gun crime last night. They weren't. Mark Davis and Sheila Evans of Philadelphia were killed by a gun last night. He was a Biology Teacher and she was a Nursing student. Tina Bishop and Linda Larkin were killed with a gun last night. They were 12. There were 36 homicides last night. 480 sexual assaults, 3,411 robberies, 3,685 aggravated assaults, all at gunpoint. And if anyone thinks those crimes could have been prevented if the victims themselves had been carrying guns, I'd only remind you that the President of the United States himself was shot last night while surrounded by the best trained armed guards in the history of the world. Back to the briefing.

---

Sam: [giving his friend a tour] Well, that's my office over there and the President works in that round room over there and nobody else really matters.

---

Josh: An hour with you in a rare book store. Couldn't you just drop me off the top of the Washington monument instead?
Bartlet: It's Christmas, Josh! No reason we can't do both.

---

Sam: We never have our chats anymore, Toby.
Toby: What chats?
Sam: Our late night chats.
Toby: Did we ever do that?
Sam: No.

---

Josh: (asking about the President) How's he doing?
Toby: He's got that look on his face like he's thinking of ways of killing himself.

---

Sam: Over three and a half centuries ago, linked by faith and bound by a common desire for liberty, a small band of pilgrims sought out a place in the New World where they could worship according to their own beliefs... and solve crimes.
Toby: Sam...
Sam: It'd be good. By day, they churn butter and worship according to their own beliefs, and by night they solve crimes.
Toby: Read the thing.
Sam: Pilgrim detectives.
Toby: Do you see me laughing?
Sam: I think you're laughing on the inside.
Toby: Okay.
Sam: With the big hats.
Toby: Give me the speech.

---

C.J.: Every time we come up on a holiday, you guys check out like seniors who are done with finals.

Toby: We are writing a very important Thanksgiving proclamation.

Sam: And possibly a new action-adventure series.

Did I miss 60-B?...

Did I miss 60-B?.............

DID I MISS 60-B?!?!?!!!

I know Halloween is over, but I found this today when I was cleaning out my email, and had to post it.


THE 22 VERY SERIOUS RULES OF HALLOWEEN


With Halloween upon us, it is worthwhile to remember a few simple rules to help keep this season healthy, happy and SAFE! Please use these helpful hints this and every year!!!


1. When it appears that you have killed the monster, NEVER check to see if it's really dead.

2. Never read a book of "Demon Summoning" aloud, even as a joke.

3. Do not search the basement, especially if the power has gone out.

4. If your children speak to you in Latin or any other language which they should not know, shoot them immediately. It will save you a lot of grief in the long run. However, it will probably take several rounds to kill them, so be prepared. (This also applies to kids who speak with somebody else's voice.)

5. When you have the benefit of numbers, NEVER pair off OR go off alone.

6. As a general rule, don't solve puzzles that open portals to Hell.

7. Never stand in, on, or above a grave, tomb, or crypt. This would apply to any other house of the dead as well.

8. If you're searching for something which caused a loud noise and find out that it's just the cat, GET THE HECK OUT!

9. If appliances start operating by themselves, do not check for short circuits; GET THE HECK OUT!

10. Do not take ANYTHING from the dead.

11. If you find a town which looks deserted, there's probably a good reason for it. DON'T stop and look around.

12. Don't fool with recombinant DNA technology unless you're sure you know what you're doing.

13. If you're running from the monster, expect to trip or fall down at least twice, more if you are female. Also note that, despite the fact that you are running and the monster is merely shambling along, it's still moving fast enough to catch up with you.

14. If your companions suddenly begin to exhibit uncharacteristic behavior such as hissing, fascination for blood, glowing eyes, increasing hairiness, and so on, kill them immediately.

15. Stay away from certain geographical locations, some of which are listed here: Amityville, Elm Street, Transylvania, Nilbog (you're in trouble if you recognize this one), anywhere in Texas where chainsaws are sold, the Bermuda Triangle, or any small town in Maine.

16. If your car runs out of gas at night on a lonely road, do not go to the nearby deserted-looking house to phone for help. If you think that it is strange you ran out of gas because you thought you had most of a tank, shoot yourself instead. You are going to die anyway, and most likely will be eaten.

17. Beware of strangers bearing tools. For example: chainsaws, staple guns, hedge trimmers, electric carving knives, combines, lawnmowers, butane torches, soldering irons, band saws, or any devices made from deceased companions.

18. If you find that your house is built upon a cemetery, now is the time to move in with the in-laws. This also applies to houses that had previous inhabitants who went mad or committed suicide or died in some horrible fashion, or had inhabitants who performed satanic practices.

19. Dress appropriately. When investigating a noise downstairs in an old house, women should not wear a flimsy negligee.

20. When investigating any strange noises, carry a flashlight, NOT a candle.

21. Do not mention the names of demons around open flames, as these can cause sudden flare ups. Be especially careful of fireplaces in this regard.

22. Do not go looking for witches in the Massachusetts countryside.

Stay safe!

"Desmondo Jose Luis? Whoa! Where you at, Desmondo?"

Last night Ty and I watched "The Fugitive"--I forgot how much I love that movie! We looked on CNN for just a little bit to see election results, but I ended up about falling asleep before the movie ended, so by 9:30 I was at home in bed and didn't see anything until this morning.

I've had a few calls from upset people, and people coming into the office, and discussions with co-workers about how the country is "doomed" now.

Now, before I get into my response, let me tell you how my morning has gone. I woke up late (but I slept!), found out I am allergic to a new eyeliner (the burning pain has gone away now... mostly...), found the defroster on my car wasn't working, had a tree relieve it's burden of snow on my head, found that the new sweater I was wearing had a hole in it... and was late for work.

This could normally spell a bad start to a morning for me. But today was the first snow, and nothing bad can happen on a day when it's the first snow of winter. I came into work feeling optimistic (and a little damp from the snow still caught in my collar), and I intend to stay that way. So for everyone who says that the country is going to hell in a handbasket, let me offer you my optimism.

Einstein said, "The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it." If you're unhappy about the results of the presidential, House, and Senate elections, stop whining. Start writing.

Write Congress:
2751 Prosperity Ave
Suite 600
Fairfax VA 22031

703.289.4670
800.659.8708

Write to the Senate:
Office of Senator (Name)
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

(202) 224-3121

Write to the White House:
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

(202) 456-1111

Not sure who your congressmen/senators are? Check here for Congress, here for the Senate.

But don't allow yourself to be caught up in the wave of cynicism that is flooding the country. Hope for the best, and the best will come. Maybe not right away, but maybe in your own little corner of the world things will be ok. As long as we try our hardest and do our best, things will be ok.

I was reading in the Washington Post this morning, and was really impressed by this part. And then my discourse on the outcome of the election will end.

"Because of the ideological polarization of cable television news, talk radio and the Internet, Americans can now get their information from entirely partisan sources. They can live, if they choose to, in an ideological world of their own creation, viewing anyone outside that world as an idiot or criminal, and finding many who will cheer their intemperance. Liberals have perfected this machinery of disdain over the past few years. Given the provocation, the same approach is likely to be turned against the new president by the right as well. " Michael Gerson, The Washington Post

Don't blame me--I voted for Bartlet. ;)










(just kidding. If you don't get the joke, it's ok. I love you anyway. Sort of. lol)

I know you've missed your horoscopes--you just didn't know what to expect out of your week, right?--so it is with great pleasure I once again become your informational ferry across the astrologically turbulent river of life.

Aries March 21 - April 19

You've never much cared for appearances. Still, you're beginning to wonder why everyone else is wearing a HAZMAT suit.

Gemini May 21 - June 21

Strange impulses you can neither describe nor explain impel you to take your life savings, drive to Vegas, and put it all on red.

Pisces February 19 - March 20

Don't let your ego get in the way of important friendships this week. You're better than that. Much, much better than that.