I miss driving!!!
Why do songs sound so much better playing at top decibel while driving aggressively?? And why does playing such music - while driving aggressively - make you feel so alive?! Or is it just me who feels this way?
The Hit Websites of 2008 (Warning: Journalist Reporting On Sites Other than Facebook/MySpace/Google!)
from The Guardian
They cited Twitter but forgot Tumblr. I think Twitter will die eventually and Tumblr will live to see great things, but what do I know? ;)
Before Mark was a Congressman, he was the Chief of Staff for Representative John Porter (who was a very powerful member of the Appropriations Committee for years and years). When Porter announced that he was retiring in late 1998, Mark came to my dad and said “time to run.” My dad has long been politically active, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity (he also seriously considered the Senate run against Obama). My mother put the kibosh on that with four words: “You run, we divorce.”
And that was that! My dad served as Mark’s finance chairperson, I worked on the campaign and in the DC office, and my parents remained married. I think it was a win-win.
Out to breakfast at the Pancake House with our old family friends, Mark & Kimberly Kirk. Mark is our Congressman (for the 10th district of Illinois) and my former boss - we’ve known him since before I was born. Kimberly was like my sister for years, and I was the maid of honor in their wedding. She’s incredible - attended the Naval Academy when there were only about 8 women in her class, then, after she finished her mandatory service in the Pentagon, she went to law school, graduating from Northwestern two years ago. She’s now a lawyer for a top government agency in DC, working on international issues.
We used to spend so much time together - I miss them. It’s nice to see old friends (and hang out with people who are doing something OTHER than banking!!)
![Dan [on the phone]: I’m looking at your blog now. What are you wearing?
Julia: A Christmas nightgown!
Dan: It looks like a sock.](http://media.tumblr.com/NB8YioMLi3f1sk14G6MaqXdN_400.jpg)
Dan [on the phone]: I’m looking at your blog now. What are you wearing?
Julia: A Christmas nightgown!
Dan: It looks like a sock.
- Me: I wonder if we put bananas in the brownies ... Would that taste good?
- Dad: No.
- Mom: No.
- Mom: Want to lick the spoon?
- Me: Um, obviously.
- Mom: Should I make two kinds - one with the different kind of chocolate?
- Me: Do I even need to answer that question?
- Mom: Yeah, it's Christmas! Calories don't count until midnight!! And then ...
- Me: ...we turn into fat pumpkins?
- Mom: Yes.
Inventory of Loot
1. Karaoke machine from Britt (it’s a microphone you plug into your tv!!! It’s electronic prozac.)
2. Houston’s gift certificate from Britt (I *love, love LOVE* their veggie burgers, so Britt figured out how much a veggie burger is - with tax - then gave me a certificate for the amount of money it takes to buy four of them. Nice.)
3. Pink J. Crew earmuffs from Allie (I’ve wanted these SO badly! Now my walks with Lilly won’t result in frostbite. And they’re PINK!)
4. A book of quotes by Yogi Berra from my dad
5. A soy cookbook from my mom (see below conversation)
6. Lilac Chiffonier from PotteryBarn Teen from my parents (an amazing present!)
7. A subscription to the Economist from a reader
8. A pair of gorgeous elbow-length gloves from a reader
9. Something really special from someone really special (yep, that’s all I’ll say)
- Mom: Julia, you'd better get really rich.
- Me: Why?
- Mom: Because you need to hire a chef. You can't cook!
- Me: It's not that I *can't* cook! It's that up until one month ago, I had a kitchen the size of a washing machine. There wasn't a huge incentive to spend time there.
- Mom: Well, I guess we'll need to get you some cookbooks then.
- Me: Actually, a chef's not such a bad idea.
Which one is the Christmas tree??
(I got my dad that puffy vest for Xmas - the ribbon he threw on for his “flair”)
