I told her that when I was young, I had his records and I loved them.

“Records?  Oh, you mean like those really big CDs?”

“Well, sort of…”

“We only have the small CDs.”

Man, I felt old.

1. The other day, a guy thought I was in high school.  I took this as a compliment and not a comment on my outfit at the time.
2. I often get confused for a college student.  I figure it’s good to look young, though it can get annoying to continually be confused for an undergraduate intern.
3. Secretly, I think I look much better than I did in college.  If nothing else, I’m much healthier.  I would have laughed at you if you told me that five years after graduation, I would be running 10 mile races.
4. I’m definitely a better person than I was in college.
5. I think I have a problem with accumulating books and dvds.  I discovered that I have over 150 books in my personal library that I have yet to read.  But my apartment is a great place to be on a rainy day.
6. I’m slightly obsessed with budgeting.  While others might point and laugh, this means that I have money to go on vacation (or buy books and dvds) and feel less stressed about the economy.  But only a little less stressed.
7. Were the economy better, I would probably quit my job in order to focus full time on job hunting.  My current job is slowly driving me crazy.  But I really like paychecks.  And health insurance.
8. I agree with Obama that D.C. has no idea how to deal with inclement weather.  But I do like that if it snows enough (read: 4 inches), my office will be closed.
9. I have four birthmarks, but I bet that my mom is the only other person who knows where all four are.  I only dislike one, and that’s because people continually think it is dirt or makeup and try to rub it off.  Some even tell me I’m wrong when I say “No, that’s a birthmark, it won’t rub off.”  Some people are not smart.
10. I bought a Wii Fit, and the people who say it’s not a workout are lying.  Okay, so you could make it very easy for yourself, but if you do the yoga and strength exercises, it’s not a bad workout.  It will never replace my 40 minute cardio sessions, but it’s a good addition.
11. I have two cats who I adore, but I really wish that the one would not insist on getting up before 8:00 every day.  Weekends are for sleeping in.  The other cat understands this perfectly.
12. I like living in D.C., but I miss Midwestern sensibilities.  I don’t miss getting stuck behind farm equipment on the road though.
13. I used to be a closet sci-fi geek.  I think it’s safe to say I’m out of the closet on that one.
14. I really miss my law school workload.  I know, it’s crazy, but I liked spending hours reading Con Law and Criminal Law and Juvenile Law.  Contracts, I don’t so much miss.
15. I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.  I still think Ninja would be a good job title.  It would look sweet on a business card, that’s for sure.  
16. I get irritated by happily ever after movies, but I get mad when a movie doesn’t have a happy ending either.  I think this is a battle I will never win.
17. I sometimes wonder where I would be in life if I had followed my dreams.  Probably not as successful as I am now, but I’m not sure if that’s consolation or not.  It’s nice to have a steady job though.
18. I would like to quit my job and be a writer.  First, I need to improve my writing skills.  Or just marry a millionaire.
19. I really love to dance, and am completely awful at it, and really regret never taking dance lessons as a kid, but none of this stops me from making a total fool of myself and loving every minute of it.
20. The Giving Tree still makes me cry.
21. In high school, I played the Fairy Godmother in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, and I absolutely loved the looks of awe and wonder on the little kids’ faces when they came to see the show.  I felt like I really was magical.
22. I love The Muppets and am highly disappointed in the new version of Sesame Street.  Did any kid really think that it was a good idea to be like Cookie Monster and only eat cookies?  Kids are smarter than that.  Besides, he had Captain Vegetable to counter him.
23. I took the same oath for my job that Joe Biden took.  I think his job is slightly more important though.
24. I really love to bake, but I never do it because I also love to eat what I bake, and I would prefer to never have to break out the fat clothes again.
25. Making a list of 25 random things about myself was a much harder task than I thought it would be.

Nothing makes me laugh more than the Halloween episode of HIMYM when there is a knock at the door and Barney reaches in, starts a boom box, and appears in the door dressed as Tom Cruise in Top Gun.  I laugh and laugh and laugh.

I read a comment recently that someone thought Doogie Howser was one of the first bloggers.   At the end of every episode, he typed up his journal entries, discussing his thoughts of what had gone on over the past few days.  Sure, he wasn’t posting it on the internet, but he was posting it for everyone to see, in a way, if you break the fourth wall.  Not only was he a child prodigy, he was years and years ahead of his time.  Tragically, his computer was a bit behind the times.

It makes me want to revamp my templates to resemble Doogie Howser’s computer.  Everyone wants to read green text on a black screen all day, right? 

I wonder what Dr. Howser is up to nowadays.  I liked NPH’s opinion that he was probably an angry drug addict limping around a hospital on a cane and torturing his fellow doctors.

And today, the first part of his latest venture is available.  Go check out Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog.  Neil Patrick Harris.  Hilarious.  Nathan Fillion.  Hilarious.   

By the way, how did you get to sing in the choir at the Capitol Fourth?  Can you share your background in music?  You’re also a runner!  When do you find the time?  What is your favorite type of music and who is your favorite artist?  These are things we’d love to know about you.

I actually got to sing in the choir at A Capitol Fourth almost by accident.  The choir that performs is officially the Choral Arts Society of Washington.  Of which I am not a member.  Because they don’t have enough members available every year to perform in A Capitol Fourth (it’s summer, people are busy, spending time with family, etc), they put out the call to other local choral groups, including the group that I am in, the Cathedral Choral Society.  A few weeks back, I got an e-mail through our listserv asking if anyone wanted to sing on the Capitol grounds for the Fourth of July.  I honestly didn’t know that this meant A Capitol Fourth – I really didn’t know what it involved.  But we were given a person to contact for more information.  So I did, and I secured myself a spot, and then I realized what I had volunteered for.  Dumb luck, I guess!  I’m definitely watching closely for the call for volunteers next year!

I actually ended up in CCS almost by accident as well.  I was telling a co-worker that I missed singing, and she told me she had a friend in CCS and sent me the address to the website.  Just so happened that auditions were coming up in a week, so I auditioned and I was in.  I actually only sang one concert with CCS this season – I auditioned in January and sang the March concert, then was out of town for the May concert.  But I’ve reauditioned and am planning to participate next season.  Singing in the National Cathedral is incredible!

My background in music… I think I sang my first solo in church when I was in kindergarden or first grade.  It was a Thanksgiving song and I still remember some of the words.  I sang all through school, performing in choirs at school, cantoring at church, performing in musicals both in school and with community groups.  In college, I pretty much ditched voice for band.  I could sing anywhere at anytime, but getting the chance to play my French Horn was much more rare.  I still took voice lessons and gave a senior recital, but never bothered to major or minor in music.  I didn’t want something I loved to become a chore.  I’ve sung a few weddings as well, though not since I moved to D.C.

Other than voice, as I mentioned, I play the French Horn, though not much lately.  Played from 4th grade through college though.  I started piano lessons in kindergarden and took lessons for years, but it’s definitely not one of my talents.

I don’t know what my favorite type of music is.  I like a lot of different kinds of music, and it kind of all depends on my mood.  But I really like a good melody, especially if it’s something I can sing along to.  But it can be a slow ballad, an upbeat pop song, or the chorus to a rap.  Doesn’t matter.  I also really like orchestral music with a lot of brass.  I loved getting to sit right behind the orchestra (and right behind the horns!) while they played John Williams’ Olympic Fanfare last week.  It was so good that it gave me chills.

Favorite artist?  It probably all goes back to James Taylor, to be honest.  I was sort of raised on his music and you really can’t go wrong with his stuff.

According to iTunes, lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Kate Voegele, Girlyman, Hem, Vienna Teng, Michael Buble, LeAnn Rimes and Timbaland.  Yes, that’s a weird “and,” I know.  But TH fans, I did just buy his album from the iTunes store and so far, I’m really liking what I hear!

When do I find the time to run?  Well, looking at my training log, the answer is “I don’t.”  But really, it’s not so hard to set aside 30 to 45 minutes after work to get in a workout at least three times a week, sometimes more depending on what’s going on that week.  I’d like to get back to working out before work, but 5:15 is just so early!  I try to put in a chunk of time on the weekends as well.

Thanks for the questions, Kris!  I really enjoyed answering them!

What amused me the most, I think, was the second movie and its perception of the future.  The “future” was supposed to be the year 2015, which, in the late 80’s, seemed so incredibly far in the future.  I was going to be so much older by 2015! 

Well, 2015 is not so far away, and I think that technology has a long way to go if we want to be where Back to the Future thought we would be.  Though in some cases, we’re beyond that point already (the presence of pay phones all over the place and the old-school printer styles, for example).   

Some things they got right.  Not every home has a thumbprint lock on the front door, but the technology is available. 

But we still don’t have flying cars.  Or hoverboards.  Or hover anythings.  My house doesn’t greet me when I come home.  I can’t demand fruit from the ceiling.  Food is not dehydrated and then rehydrated in seconds for dinner.    We’re nowhere hear Jaws 19 (thankfully). 

Some things are possible though.  Most people don’t use video phones.  But the technology exists, and is becoming more popular with the use of webcams.  So who knows, in the next seven years, maybe that will be the norm.

I don’t know that we’ll have flying cars in 7 years though.  Sad.

(I’ll try to put up more vacation pics this weekend.)

But one good thing about coming home from a week’s vacation was coming home to a DVR filled with all sorts of tv for me to watch at my leisure.  I’m one of those people who likes to have the tv on in the background when I’m doing other things.  I struggle to sit and just watch a tv show or a movie, but tv is great when I’m folding laundry or knitting or just playing around on the computer.

I’m really excited that So You Think You Can Dance is back.  I’ve always loved to watch dancers, possibly because dance is something I’ve never really done.  I wish I had taken dance lessons as a kid, but let’s be honest, I probably would have been terrible.  I’ve never liked American Idol, and I can’t get into Dancing with the Stars, but I tend to get a bit obsessive about So You Think You Can Dance.  For those of you unfamiliar with the show, it’s a simple concept.  Auditions are held all over the country to ultimately select a group of 20 – 10 men and 10 women.  They pair off and do a different style dance every week, anything from traditional ballroom like waltz and tango to things like hip hop and crump and everything in between.  It’s a lot of fun to watch.  Viewers call in votes and select the bottom three men and women.  Each dancer in the bottom does a solo for the judges, who then select the man and woman to leave that week. 

As the show goes on, partners begin to switch up, which is always fun. 

I think for me, the big thing about this show is that these people are truly talented.  Their worst dances still tend to be better than anything I’ve ever seen.  I love watching the expression that they put into their dances, and they work with such amazing choreographers that the dances are a lot of fun to watch.

So if you’re looking for something to watch this summer, something that requires little thinking, check it out.  It’s better than a lot of reality shows, I promise.

(Though I do find the idea of “I Survived a Japanese Game Show” kind of intriguing…)

Thanks to this plan, my iPod just started playing “Angel” by Shaggy.

She was there through my incarceration, I wanna show the nation my appreciation.

It doesn’t get better than that, people.

I am continually amazed at how poorly the children on this show are behaved and how the parents let them behave. Of course, as I have no kids, how am I to judge. But it amazes me when kids throw temper tantrums and the parents just give in and let the kids do whatever they want, even when it means things like letting the kids stay up all night and talk back.

I think it’s one of those things I watch because it’s a bit of a train wreck.  Tonight’s episode involved mostly older kids and then a 2-year-old who the parents practically ignored – the kid was never read to, was allowed to just wander the house, and was clearly attention starved.  But I guess there is a lesson to be learned from all of it.

Or I can just stare in amazement at how ridiculous people can be.  Which is why reality tv exists in the first place.