Category: Diversions

Work Day Memorial Jog

Diversions, Running
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It had been a little over four hours since Colleen and I had said our farewells at the bus stop this morning, but it felt like an eternity. But her class had a field trip to the FDR Memorial and she asked if I would come meet them. What Dad could refuse? So I jogged/walked (let’s call them intervals) the couple of miles from my office building, around the tidal basin, past the Jefferson Memorial, and to the FDR Memorial. I didn’t see her right away, and walked the whole memorial without finding her, but then I spotted my girl walking with friends on their way to eat their lunches. Our fortuitous reunion at the FDR Memorial got me through the day.

I took some pictures on the way (a good excuse to stop and catch some badly needed breath). On the return trip, I was able to make a quick, but long awaited visit to the World War II Memorial.

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A Winter Sting

Diversions

The Washington Post recently had a column about stocking your winter bar, and I have a lot of respect for someone who can make their living telling others what to drink and so naturally, I will listen. In re-telling how he first learned the distinction between summer and winter drinks, the author Jason Wilson described how when he was ‘young and clueless’ a successful friend introduce him to the concept of a ‘winter drink’, after disparagingly pointing out that the vodka tonic he ordered on that cold autumn afternoon was a ‘summer drink’.

The implication was clear: What sort of adult doesn’t know when to switch from a summer drink to a winter drink? Or worse: What sort of soft generation was this that needed to be told how to drink at all?

Our typical winter standby has always been Bailey’s Irish Creme, which mixes equally well with coffee and hot chocolate, and is great on the rocks as well. But the Post provided an opportunity to expand those horizons. The main ‘winter drink’ described in the article is The Stinger, and so this weekend I set out to take another step towards adult drinking, and try one for myself.

I liked it. It’s definitely a sipping drink, which isn’t my typical (gulping) drinking style. But demonstrating a little patience, letting the ice melt a bit, and nursing a stinger was a fine way to enjoy a weekend cocktail (or a late mid-week work night as well). Try one.

UPDATE: I had no idea of the appropriateness of my blogging about liquor today, but it turns out that today is the anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. That and the snow that is falling, is more than reason enough for another stinger!

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Instrumental Two

Diversions, Music

magic_8_ball.jpgThis one came from my daughter Katie, it’s a fun little game that requires you to brave your iTunes library as you use it essentially as a Magic 8-Ball and allow it to answer a series of questions. Most answers will come out as nonsense, some are surprising and will test your ability to live up to Rule #3. After one false start, I took another try at it and came out with the below results. Song title links lead to SongMeanings.net or other lyrics sites for those that want to pursue further psycho-analysis.

RULES:

  1. Put your iTunes, windows media player etc on Shuffle
  2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
  3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS
  4. Put any comments in brackets or parentheses after the song name

If someone says “is this okay?” you say:
Room With No Number – Elvis Costello

(‘While the sign outside says there’s no vacancy’ – probably means I’ll respond ‘huh’ and they’ll need to ask me again)

How would you describe yourself?
Beyond the Sea – Bobby Darin
(‘I know beyond a doubt my heart will lead me there soon’ – confident and positive about the future)

What do you like in a guy/girl?
Cheat – The Clash
(‘Want excitement, don’t get none, I go wild’ – I dunno, hard to say I like lying and cheating in anyone, but maybe I just wouldn’t know?)

How do you feel today?
Birthday – The Beatles
(‘We’re gonna have a good time’ – Nice, every day is my birthday 🙂

What is your life’s purpose?
St. Thomas (Don’t You Know How I Feel) – Peter Frampton
(‘I’m gonna win ya’ – I’ve got nothing for this one)

What is your motto?
Tango Atlantico – Joe Jackson
(again, nothing)

What do your friends think of you?
Barefootin’ on the Wicket Picket – Black Randy and the Metrosquad
(Many of my friends would indeed associate me with Black Randy)

What do you think of your parents?
From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come) – Bruce Springsteen
(‘Well from small things, mama Big things one day come’ – maybe more like what my parents hope for me, than what I think of them)

What do you think about very often?
‘A’ Bomb in Wardour Street (Live) – The Jam
(‘A Phillistine nation, of degredation, And hate and war.’ – Sad, but true)

What is 2 + 2?
Just Like Paradise – David Lee Roth
(‘Make it out to cash, We’ll spend it later’ – some math even I can do in my head)

What do you think of your best friend?
Museum of Love – Daniel Johnston
(an unfamiliar tune from my own library)

What do you think of the person you like?
Aubrey – Bread
(‘And I’d go a thousand times around the world just to be closer to her than to me’ – yeah, so I have some ‘Bread’ in my iTunes, what of it?)

What is your life story?
My Daughter’s First Date – David Cross
(ah, some comedy, we’ll see if it’s funny when I’m actually faced with my daughter’s first date)

What do you want to be when you grow up?
People Are Strange – The Doors
(‘No one remembers your name when you’re strange’ – sounds like me)

What do you think of when you see the person you like?
Kosmos – Paul Weller
(‘But its to the kosmos – men dare – to look for something’ – um, my friends are spacey?)

What’s your wedding going to be like?
If She Knew What She Wants – The Bangles
(‘If she knew what she wants (He’d be giving it to her)’ – I’ve been doing my best 🙂

What will they play at your funeral?
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word – Elton John
(‘What do I do when lightning strikes me, And I wake to find that you’re not there’ – I always knew it would be a lightning strike to get me)

What is your hobby/interest?
A Bullet For Everyone (Live) – Paul Weller
(‘When it comes to the gun there’s a bullet for everyone’ – sorry, no gun hobby/interest here)

What is your biggest fear?
A Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy – The Kinks
(‘He just spends his life, living in a rock ’n’ roll fantasy’ – strike two, seems more like a dream than a fear)

What is your biggest secret?
I’m Only Thinking of Him – Man of La Mancha Soundtrack
(‘I’m only thinking of him’ – strike three, I’m not being ‘outed’ by my broadway show tunes!

What do you think of your friends?
The Hungry Wolf – X
(‘i roam ready to tear up the world’ – yeah, sounds like us)

What will you post this as?
Instrumental Two – Paul Weller
(A suitable ending, nothing but music 🙂

Thanks Katie for the laugh, that was fun. Who will be tagged to carry on the iTunes 8-ball fun?

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Catching Up…

Diversions, Rants

I guess you can call it a summer lull, or I’ve just been very busy with travels of late, and as a result things have been pretty darn quiet here in the Casey blog. Sosumi.

Let me try and offer some quick catching up, and some random thoughts on my mind…

Company Retreat – For the third summer in a row, I’ve spent a weekend at a company retreat in Vermont, and as before, it was a blast. Bonfires, backhoes, and corporate bonding… good times. We suffered a six-hour delay on our return flight, but hey, shit happens.

Fat B-Roll –

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There was a news story recently about obesity being contagious (which is of course old news and was reported in The Onion years ago, right here). What struck me about this story and others like it is the b-roll video that is always used, showing fat people from the neck down, minding their own business walking down the street, eating a couple hot dogs, or sitting on a bench. Who are the cameramen who gather this stuff? I’m on the lookout. Beware any camera that won’t look you in the face. And I better start doing some sit-ups, or I’ll be starring in an fat-story sometime soon.

Tech Turmoil – It seems like when my technology fails me, it all happens at once. My iPod has been freezing up periodically freezing up, and now it seems to be completely dead. This is the second iPod photo of mine that has died after little more than a year, and the Apple Care coverage I bought the second time around will do me no good, as it expired in February. And the month-old Phillips Plasma TV I bought for the basement manspace suddenly has nothing more to offer than a little blue light, no picture, sound, or anything else. It’s under warranty, but finding a Philips rep who will make the promised house call is proving challenging.

Chicago – I recently visited Chicago to attend the 2nd Yearly Kos Convention. It was a good time and notably larger than last years first one in Vegas. Once again I came back with an armload of signed books, and a head full of energy for heading into 2008 Election battles. It was very impressive to see almost every Presidential campaign (except Biden) show up to participate. I went to Bill Richardson’s breakout session and he did much to re-inforce my feelings that he ought to be among the top tier candidates. When his staffer tried to cut off his Q&A with the audience, he replied, “I’m at 13%, I can answer a few more questions!”.

I read Mike Royko’s biography of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, Boss, while on the trip. It’s an eye-opening education in machine politics of the 50s & 60s. And it wouldn’t be a trip to Chicago without a visit with my Great Aunt Margaret, a Cubs game at Wrigley Field, and some Casey Family grave hunting.

OK, so while that still leaves me far from caught up, it’s a least a little slice of summer offered here in the Casey blog. More to come…

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Friday the 13th Birthday

Diversions

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July 13th – Happy Birthday to Me! One unavoidable consequence of having a birthday on the 13th of any month is, from time to time your birthday falls on Friday the 13th. For me, this is my sixth such birthday (1973 – age 8, 1979 – 14, 1984 – 19, 1990 – 25, 2001 – 36, 2007 – 42), but I don’t buy into such superstitious nonsense. Every birthday, every day, they’re all as lucky as you make them. My next Friday the 13th birthday will come in five more years, the year 2012, when I’ll turn 47.

UPDATE: News from a fellow July 13th Birthday, facing Friday the 13th Down Under, and still more about Friday the 13th birthdays.

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Manspace Treasures

Diversions, Home
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There was major progress in the decorating of the basement Manspace this weekend. Friend and neighbor TJ began the effort to add a nice wall-sized version of the Casey coat of arms to one of the walls, and I hung the Trompe-l’oeil door mural on the closet door. This photo was taken to show how it turned out, but ended up becoming something of a treasure hunt of all the crap, I mean cool stuff, I have on display down there.

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Chris is Climbing!

Diversions

For the last two years I’ve blogged about how well my own name, Christopher, is performing on the Social Security Administrations annual list of most popular names. In 2005 the news was grim, Chris was dropping and had sunk to #10 on the top ten list. Last year I was glad to report that the trend was reversing, and Christopher had climbed back into the #9 spot.

And now I’m glad to tell you that the climb continues. In the year 2006, Christopher was the #7 most popular name for baby boys. Lookout Jacob, we’re climbing the charts with a bullet baby, and not stopping until we hit #1!

Thanks to Eric for the reminder

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Don’t Move The Awakening

Diversions, Rants

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Washington, DC is a city of memorials and sculptures, most of which commemorate individuals and events in our American history. Combined with DC’s many wonderful museums and other attractions, they provide many a fine place to pause, reflect and appreciate. But far from the National Mall and well off of the beaten track, is one (or several) sculptures that serve an entirely different purpose. It is called The Awakening, and it is actually a few different pieces that together give the appearance of a buried giant that is angrily (or painfully) emerging from under the ground. I’ve always tried to make The Awakening a stop on our standard DC tour when we have guests from out of town. It’s best when they have young children, and you can set it up on the drive out to Hains Point with a tall tale about the buried giant.

Well, apparently The Awakening is about to get up and move completely. The sculpture’s owner has plans on moving it to the shopping complex he’s developing. That would be a shame. Leave the giant be.

The Hains Point Hand: Stealing Away A Public Treasure
Mark Fisher, The Washington Post, 4/25/07

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