Disconnecting

The movers should be here in about an hour, and I'm in the process of disconnecting all my electronic equipment. Just wanted to make one last entry before I shut down my laptop - I don't know that I'll be able to access a wireless connection from my apartment so this may be it for a few days.

Had a really nice time at Gary's birthday party last night, hopefully everyone isn't too hungover today that they won't feel like stopping by Cafe Ole tonight for a few minutes. I feel surprisingly good, despite the two shots of Ouzo.

Catch ya on the other side of the Atlantic...

Things I Will Miss When I'm Gone

My nephew, Ben. He's going to grow so quickly, and have all sorts of "firsts" while I'm away. Fortunately there's Facebook.

All my friends and family, of course. Again, thankful for Facebook, and for Skype. It'll be interesting to see how well Skype works from over there. I've had pretty successful test runs here. I'm also looking forward to some visitors!

Easy access to a wide variety of wines. And to the plethora of wine events in my area. Although I'm certainly looking forward to getting to know all the Greek wines, my understanding is that there isn't a ton of availability when it comes to international wines on Crete. As the author of a West Crete website said, if you must have your precious Bordeaux, you'd better bring it with you.

My apartment. Sure, it's tiny, and very expensive, and is overrun by ants in the summer, and I don't have a tub (only a shower) but for the past two years it has served me well. Just two miles from my office, not having a hellish commute has been beyond sublime. The neighborhood isn't one of the more interesting in the city, but it has a few restaurants and other basic amenities, and is in easy reach of several other, more interesting neighborhoods. Great swimming pool, free parking, and an east-facing view that lets in wonderful morning sunlight.

My city. I moved to DC from the Virginia suburbs about five years ago, and when I come back to the area I can't fathom not living within the city limits. The 10% income tax is a pain, but the excellent public transportation, wide variety of bars and restaurants, tree-lined streets and cultural/entertainment options available make it worth it, in my mind. There are parts of the city that feel like a city, but there are also numerous parks and hiking trails, even within the city limits. It's also kind of cool being so close to the seat of "power", even though I rather disdain government. I may feign annoyance when traffic gets held up to allow for the president's motorcade, or when the news crews are parked outside my apartment building for Shasha and Malia's first day of school (Sidwell Friends is right across the street from me) but in reality, it's a bit of a rush.

Things I Won't Miss While I'm Gone

The locker-room at my gym. You'd think that a ladies locker-room would be relatively civilized, but mine is just gross. The first and last time I used the jacuzzi, there was a gray scum sticking to the sides of the tub, right at the water line. I promptly exited upon noticing this and never returned. The cleaning crew seems to think that sloshing bleach water around on the floor is adequate for cleaning, but it only mingles with the scent of...I don't know what, and consequently it smells like bleach soaked swamp ass all the time. Women who no one wants to see naked strut around wantonly, baring all (and there is often a lot to bare!). They dry their hair naked, they talk to their friends naked. Today there was someone in the toilet stall next to mine breathing very heavily and making loud grunting noises. Blech.

The annual summertime ant infestation in my apartment. Today I sprayed Raid along the floor boards where they come in (I woke this morning to one crawling across my chest and said enough is enough) and then had anxiety all morning because my stupid cat Cleo went and laid on the carpet where I had sprayed. I tried to rinse her fur with a damp paper towel, and she then of course proceeded to lick where I had wiped, which is not what I had intended. Anyway, threw some blankets down along the wall after that, and Cleo isn't vomiting or having seizures so I think it'll be OK.

The humidity of Washington, DC in the summertime.

The sound of sirens wailing up and down Wisconsin Ave. in front of my building at all hours.

Whatever that intermittent buzzing sound is that I'm hearing right now in my apartment of which I can not locate the source.

Big Dogs

I admit it. I'm afraid of big dogs. Well, not only big dogs. Medium-sized dogs can sometimes instill fear in me, too, depending on the circumstances. In fact, anything larger than miniature has the potential to set my pulse racing. I'm not sure when I developed this fear, but it was most likely back in 1995 when a rottweiler rushed me from behind a trash can in the Pere la Chaise cemetery in Paris, and bit my leg. It was actually more of a nip than a bite, but the whole experience left me pretty shaken. And they know it. We all know dogs can sense fear, so no matter how much of a front I try to put up; how sweetly I try to talk to them and how confidently I extend my hand for them to sniff, I tend to illicit a bit of aggression from most dogs. Once I even had a labrador retriever jump upon me, growling. The owner was clearly mortified as she pulled him off of me, expressing sincere regret and assuring me she's never seen her dog behave like this before. It's a pretty crappy feeling, really...dogs not liking me. Makes me feel like a bit of a freak. I should add that things usually go much better if I am properly introduced to a dog, and if I know the dog's owner well. Once I get to "know" most canines, a normal human-dog relationship typically follows. Although whether it's my size or the underlying unease, they still tend to behave a little dominantly around me.

So...not sure what I was thinking today when I decided to go catch some rays in the local dog park. I had come across it for the first time on a walk through a local neighborhood the other evening, and was taken in by the green grass, bountiful trees and soft, rolling hills. I also notice several people lounging about on the grass who were not accompanied by dogs; they were simply reading or enjoying picnic meals. So I decided that I would have to take advantage of this pretty location, and decided to do so today while the sun was shining and the temperature was a comfortable 72.

I found a nice, open spot on a hill and had just plunked down on my towel when a mid-sized, ballistic terrier of some kind rushed over from out of nowhere and proceeded to jump all over me, nipping at my hands and neck. His owner appeared then, and simply watched with amusement as I tried to hide my horror and spoke to the dog with what I hoped was friendly authority. "Good boy, that's a nice dog...be nice, now!" He was not being nice. He briefly quit jumping all over me long enough to grab my purse and shake it violently, spreading the contents of it all over the grass. Just as I reached for my purse, I felt a presence behind me, and the terrier was joined by a black lab, who merrily pounced on my 4' 10" frame, stepping all over me. His owner also just looked on with a smile. My immediate thought was, "What the hell, why aren't you people keeping your dogs in line?!". But it was quickly followed by the realization that this was a dog park, and I was just a pip-squeak, cat-loving sunbather, and that if I can't hang with the big dogs, I'd better just go. So I muttered, "Well, THIS was a bad idea" as I gathered up my belongings, and the owners smiled on, and the two dogs turned their attentions towards each other.

The picture above is where I ended up going afterwards...a grassy field next to the neighborhood synagogue. No dogs there, just several groups of elementary school students practicing Lacrosse. And thankfully, none of them jumped on me.

Pure Happiness

I just opened my last bottle of 2005 Vin de Savoie Mondeuse by Jean Vullien, and the joy of notes of cherry, wildflowers and dried, fallen tree branches is tempered only by the realization that I can't have my wine and drink it, too. I discovered this wine at a Giramondo tasting where one of the Vulliens was actually present, and since then I've purchased a case or more from Potomac wines in Georgetown. The simple and rustic yet bewitching nose is followed by an incredibly food friendly palate... perfectly balanced acidity and tannins. I've enjoyed this wine with a range of foods; tonight it will accompany rosemary and parsley roasted chicken and a simple salad of tomatoes, cucumbers and feta cheese.

It's not easy to come by; I nabbed the last few bottles that the distributor had available from Potomac several months ago, and have been holding out on drinking the last bottle. I figure tonight was as good as any, since I've only got a few weeks left before I move and I'm not taking any wine with me.

At around $18 a bottle, I think I can safely say that this is my favorite wine in the whole world...one that would definitely accompany my proverbial "last meal".

Santé!

Bad Kitties

So calm, so serene, so comfy.

Like I feel at 4:15am, right before the little bastards start meowing for their breakfast (or not so little in Rikki's case). I'm not sure when this trend started, but at some point in the last year Rikki and Cleo have decided that it's great fun to begin making noise and accosting my sleeping body at some time between 4am and 6am. Their noise-making is creative...sometimes it's just incessant meowing, sometimes they fight viciously, and occasionally they'll make "just about to barf" sounds while on my bed, ensuring I have to jump up to knock them onto the floor. The physical abuse to my body includes but is not limited to prancing right across my face, feet stepping on eyes and occasionally into mouth, and jumping onto my prone stomach from the window sill about three feet away. Of course it's only Rikki, who weighs 17 pounds, who ever attempts this latter feat. Too bad I don't typically have the hiccups at 4am, because I'm guessing this would be a great freakin' way to get rid of them.

My attempts to "show 'em who's boss" by ignoring them has yielded no results, and by the time I've bothered to get out of bed, throw them in the bathroom, shut the door and insert earplugs, I'm already wide awake. So...they win. I wake up, feed them, and attempt to go back to sleep for a few hours.

If only it were that easy. I've recently had to take additional measures when feeding them to ensure that Cleo gets all of her food (or at least that Rikki doesn't get any of her food). Rikki is a fat, gluttonous bastard and will not hesitate to push her out of the way of her own food bowl after he's finished scarfing down his portion, which he does in about an eighth of the time it takes Cleo to finish hers, if she does at all. And although this always bothered me, it didn't become a crucial issue until I realized that Rikki is just one pound under the weight maximum to travel in the airplane cabin with me, and if you throw in the weight of the carrier (which the airlines do include) then he is at maximum. There is no "wiggle room" here, and I've got to ensure that he doesn't gain any more weight.

So now when they wake me at whatever god-awful hour they see fit, I feed Rikki in the kitchen and Cleo in the bathroom, where I hope she will be able to finish her meal in peace. Except that over the last week or so, she's begun caterwauling about half way through her portion, and when I open the door to let her out, she just looks at me for a moment and then goes back to eating. And then I shut the door, and a few minutes later she begins with the noise again. At some point it becomes clear that she isn't going to eat any more, at which point I take her bowl back to the kitchen, where Rikki proceeds to lick the surface clean of any residue that she may have left.

And THEN I can go back to sleep for good for the morning.

Surely there is some sort of behavior modification that can be employed here that I am missing. Please feel free to comment if you have any suggestions.

Timex Ironman Triathalon

I love this watch. My ex-boyfriend got it for me back in 2002 when I was preparing to go to Madagascar as a volunteer on an Earthwatch team. They had recommended a waterproof to 100 meters watch with certain timing functions, and this one fit the bill. I don't have occasion to wear it often (I don't wear watches at all, really) but I take it on trips with me and sometimes use it when I'm out walking or running and need to keep track of time.

I just fished it out of the washing machine after it had gone through full cycle because I left it in my hoodie pocket yesterday, and it's still running perfectly.

So anyway, this has my endorsement, although I imagine the model I have has long since passed out of production.

The End of an Era

I just completed my last day with the company formerly known as A.G. Edwards. May 20 would have been my 11 year anniversary. It's been a great last week, everyone has been so enthusiastic about my upcoming "adventure", and I've been reminded how very fortunate I have been to have known these people. I hope that I'll be able to keep in touch with many of them.

I could easily get all sentimental and talk about the things that I loved (and sometimes didn't) about each of my co-workers, but I'll save that for my memoirs (you know..the memoirs that I'll write when I meet that dashing, rich Greek man who is going to support me in a life of leisure that everyone keeps mentioning whenever my trip comes up).

For now I'll just say that I will certainly miss all the wonderful, unique people with whom I've shared the last decade.

The attached picture is of me and Bill, who along with Wally (who left to embark on his own adventure last fall) were the most incredible "bosses" I could ever hope to work with.

Tha ta pume.

PS: There are more pictures of me with other coworkers on Facebook, if you are not already a "friend" want to look at them, you can find me under Kyrstyn Kralovec.