may 1st

it's may!

well, it's technically may, but since it's only 12ish am on sunday night (technically, monday morning), i still think it's april. but anyway... it's MAY!

holy crap, when did it suddenly become may?

this past weekend was wondrous. sunny, breezy, not a cloud in the gorgeous blue sky. upper 60s, sunlight, green leaves swirling amidst the 6 million pollen grains floating through the dc air. mmmm... no really, it was quite perfect. i ran, i ran some more, i read my book while lying on the grass, i went errand-running with the car windows open , and i didn't even encounter any bad traffic. i slept in late, met up with some good friends, watched a movie or two. didn't feel hectic, didn't get lost, didn't spend exorbitant amounts of money. what could be better?! :)

ahh, but it's may. christ-oh-lord, it's may. and this upcoming week is going to be absolutely insane-o. good insane-o, but insane-o nonetheless.

i'm still breathing. i've been here for almost 11 months now --- wowieeeeee.

and the clock continues to tick. tock.

story of my life

... good ole kurt vonnegut:

"he said the trouble with the world was ..."

she had to stop and think.

"the trouble with the world was," she continued hesitatingly, "that people were still superstitious instead of scientific. he said if everybody would study science more, there wouldn't be all the trouble there was."

"he said science was going to discover the basic secret of life someday," the bartender put in. he scratched his head and frowned. "didn't i read in the paper the other day where they'd finally found out what it was?"

"i missed that," i mumured.

"i saw that," said sandra. "about two days ago."

"that's right," said the bartender.

"what is the secret of life?" i asked.

"i forget," said sandra.

"protein," the bartender declared. "they found out something about protein."

"yeah," said sandra, "that's it."

oh Metro

red rocks, nv

forecasting

for the record, i'd like to say that i rarely ever wish for rain. wait no, i NEVER wish for rain. i like sunny, breezy, spring-ish/fall-ish days where i can frolic outside and listen to the birds chirp, the bees buzz, and the pigeons squawk. cheesy enough for you? but really, i do like sunny days, not rainy ones.

however, for my own sanity, i need rain. i desperately need a full day (or gasp, preferably even a weekend) of thunderstorms, lightning, and torrential showers. that'll allow me NO excuses to go out running, gaze longingly at the tennis courts or unopened pool, or spend precious gas on stupid errands to target, the grocery store, and the like. no driving to dance, rock climbing, or bookstores either. in fact, the rain should be so heavy that i simply see a sheet of gray from my window. rain, please. that way, i'll be forced to stay inside and work on my ... well, my inside stuff. which includes everything from folding laundry and cleaning my room to taking necessary naps and sewing and catching up on months of reading and.. oh yeah, LOOKING FOR A JOB.

yesterday, the online meteorologists said that friday, saturday, and sunday were all predicted to have high percentages of rain and thunder. PERFECT! no outings on friday night either! but then, this morning, i checked my ever-so-trustworthy source, better known as weather.com, and it -- of course -- had changed its mind. now, it says: 70% of rain and thunder on friday, 70% of thunderstorms on saturday (what's the difference between "rain and thunder" and "thunderstorms" exactly?), and.... ahhh stupidheads, 10% of rain on sunday, partly cloudy with a high of 73. damnit, i'm screwed. c'mon meteorologists, cooperate with me!

forecasting sure is difficult. forecast from last thursday: amazing vacations ahead. forecast for this thursday: i need dreary rain.

hola.

when a vacation turns out to be just too much fun, i'm not sure what to do next. life shouldn't be so ordinary, it seems. but i guess it's gotta be ordinary in order for me to realize the extraordinary parts.

tales of a non-profit

there's a kid in the room nearby. he's stuck in the office -- in a darkened room in the back, lit only by drawn window shades -- because he's on spring break, and his poor mother brought him to work.

wait, scratch that. his poor mother is just mean. poor him. and poor me?

he's chilling on the floor, playing with... i dunno. something. i can't see him, but i CAN hear him. and the boy is making bb-gun noises and "pshew, pshew" sounds, accentuated by a BOOM every once in a while. and then sometimes, he gets fed up and runs his fingers all over the keyboard.

meanwhile, as i attempt to continue this never-ending, rather masochistic task of analyzing biodefense funding for fiscal year 2007, i read about prevention and preparedness... and then hear BOOM!.. and wonder if i should just give up.

his mom just walked in to check up on her self-entertained kid and asked, "how are the bunnies doing?" okay... i might be wrong, but i don't think bunnies make bb-gun sounds. unless they're just really evil and violent wabbits. is that likely? hmmm, maybe my imagination's starting to fail....

clomp, click, stomp

i just looked at my closet and realized that i'm accumulating a significant number of shoes. oh god, i'm becoming a girl. saaaaaave meeeeeee

run, steph, run

that's me. #17659 in the cherry blossom 10-miler this past sunday.

yeah. i ran ten freaking miles. voluntarily, early on a sunday morning, and without any monetary reward. i may be losing my mind.

but it was actually kinda cool. except that my left foot sorta hurts now.. but i'm not sore at all! and my time was awesome! stupendously awesome!

i woke up, i ran, i ate food, i slept. that was pretty much my sunday :)