Randomness

This post has no official subject, as it will most certainly encompass many topics. My guilt has started to wear on me for my lack of blogging, especially after Mary sent me a very nice card and spoke of how she enjoys keeping in touch through our blogging. Considering I have much downtime at work these days, since the poster and data are both done (well, data is mostly done), I could theoretically give blogging more time. Alas, I have not. Shame on me.

Leah and I went to see Tropic Thunder last evening after we spent some time at the pool (with Kathy). I hadn't heard much about this movie, save a few tv trailers, until Tuesday, when at Aura's birthday lunch, her husband, Jeff, comments how there have been great protestation about this movie due to the satirical portrayal of mentally challenged individuals. Apparently, people were...*gasp*...offended! First off, this movie has been touted as a comedy, and don't most comedic features poke fun at some sector of the general population? Secondly, if you're offended, don't see it! Mind you, this movie not only makes fun of "retards", it makes fun of just about anything of which you could think is able to be satirized. With that, however, it is only offensive if you let it be offensive! Even more disturbing is the thought that this movie could quite possibly be more graphic and crude than even Borat. I thought Borat was interesting, not quite the greatest comedy ever (as I had been told), but not awful either. Tropic Thunder was so awfully hilarious, I would have probably paid full price to see it. But, beware, there was a shark in the trailer and there's lots of (fake) bodily mutilation.

The Olympics have been awesome. A self-proclaimed Olympic fanatic, I have been glued every night, except for Tuesday...more on that later. I am sad, though, that last night marked the end of swimming. Of the summer sports, I most enjoy swimming. Gymnastics and track are cool, so is diving and equestrian and beach volleyball, but swimming is far and beyond my favorite. Let us not forget, that Michael Phelps made this Olympic games something to remember. I watched every race (save Tuesday) and bit my nails and screamed along with the world at the 4x100 relay and the 100 fly, just when you thought he might not get all 8 golds. It is something to think that someday, we can tell our children that we witnessed history in such grand fashion.

So, what did I do Tuesday night that inhibited my ability to watch the Olympics? Colleen and I ventured to RFK to watch the New England Revolution take on our DC United in the semifinal of the US Open Cup. For you who are not into soccer at all, the US Open Cup is unique in that it incorporates 5 different leagues from across the country...the MLS (Major League Soccer), USL (United Soccer League) first and second division, USL Premier Development, and US Adult Soccer League. It was quite by chance that two MLS teams played in the semifinal and pretty awesome that we got to host the game. As with the AFC Championship in the NFL, this competition is established in honor of Lamar Hunt (he gets around!) and is relatively prestigious as far as soccer goes in the US. Colleen got our tickets through Barra Brava, DC United's legendary 12th man. Since none of you have never been to a United game, you can't quite comprehend how much of a presence Barra Brava is at the game. If you think about it, a stadium is structured with cement ramps, floors, etc...Barra Brava makes RFK shake. Literally. It is absolutely amazing. They have open membership that brings ticket discounts, pre-game tailgating (free cerveza and food like you couldn't even imagine) and the most fanatic game experience ever. This was my first game with the Barra Brava. Try as we might to avoid beer drenching after a goal, I still had disgustingly sticky hair at the end of the night. I managed to fake along to most of the chants, for fear of more beer drenching. Side note - the blatant disregard for the price of beer and the amount that is wasted in the air and not into the body is INSANE. The Barra Brava is self policing, thank goodness, because I am sure the referees did not appreciate gestures and comments that rhyme with duck. Some of the things that were sung were far from appropriate sportsman-like conduct, at least to me, but the agreement with DC United and Barra Brava prohibits any ejections or removal of fans from the stadium. All in all, quite cool. I'm going to attempt an image here...of Colleen and I toward the end of the game.



Let's see, what else? My newest hobby has been kitchen domesticity. Mom got me started with a Saturday spent making pasta sauce with hand-made meatballs. This is my grandmother's recipe and also, the only thing I have found that Tide-to-Go cannot remove from clothing. The following weekend, I made corn and potato chowder, which is one of my favorite cold weather comfort foods. Of course, it was really like 85 degrees out when I made it, but cravings far outweigh any sensibility. After that, on a craving whim, once again, I made Singapore Noodles that I shared with a friend. I was too cheap to splurge on ride noodles, but capellini worked just fine. It took a week to get through the whole pound, but it was worth it. And, Aura's birthday was this past Tuesday and I had promised her a homemade carrot cake with homemade cream cheese icing. After grating just three carrots for this cake, I decided I could grate carrots every night and get enough of a workout to have the most toned and sculpted arms ever seen. It was purely by accident that the icing worked out like it did...I let the cake cool the recommended 15 minutes and began to frost. The cake was still too warm and broke down the sugars in the frosting to an almost glaze-like consistency. However, in breaking down the sugars, it brought more of the cream cheese flavor out and made for an absolutely scrumptious cake. Aura absolutely loved it and I got rave reviews all around. I'll try and add a picture of the cake too.



Jami and I visited Pier 1 a few weeks back and I took the opportunity to browse the sales and ended up with a dining room redecoration project. I love my dining room, although it is teeny tiny, and it was nice to add to the ambiance with new placemats and napkins and such. The new placemat color also ties into the living room, which is openly connected and gives a nice flow of color throughout the apartment. Also note my nice wine rack on the floor behind the table. I am having doubts that it will ever make it onto the wall, especially since I finally bought a new frame (the old one never had glass in it) for the picture. I am also getting quite a collection of pint glasses from various bar excursions with the Happy Hour crew...Bentz Street's Flying Dog promotion and Brewer's Alley 12th anniversary party.



Well, friends, I believe I have come to a loss for thoughts at this time. Hopefully, the pictures worked and you have something fun and entertaining to catch up on in the life of Carter. Time to hit the grocery store. All the church-going crazies should be gone. ;)