It sucks

It sucks when they pick the body up before I get to blog it....

Happy 21 Holly!

Happy 21st birthday to my superstar friend Holly! Here's a little something for you. Unfortunately I am missing the festivities back in Ohio that started last night and will likely go all weekend. There is no doubt Holly can power through and has plenty of friends to party along. After all, she has like 2.5 million Facebook friends!

My First Tattoo, Day 2

This is all new to me. I should have confidently understood that it would look funny this morning. After a night of tossing and turning, I awoke to remove the absorbent, medicine filled bandage, to find fat blurry lines all over my back. Fortunately it was just the top layers of ink that oozed out and it quickly washed away to reveal Grant's crisp clear lines!

Timmy thinks it isn't big enough in the front. A little late for that now...it isn't getting any bigger in this round. Should I lose my brain an decide to add to it down the road, I might agree.

I've carefully clothed myself in a loose t-shirt and bulky dress shirt; now I am off to work where I'll meet my boss' new boss today. Fun. I just hope nobody is chummy and tries to pat me on the back.

Here it is!

I'm not sure what I was thinking, but the outline is finished. I didn't pass out and it only took 3:15 to place it, finish the design, and do the outline. Now I have three weeks to recover and decide on the shading technique. My adrenaline is pumping in overload right now and I am starving.

Preview

So here's a marker drawing of the shoulder. I'm a wimp so he's sent for a smoothie to add some sugar to my system before he starts killing me with pain. Perhaps dinner would have been a wise choice. I'll save the reveal of the back for another time...if I make it that far.

T Day Update!

After tearing at my heart, my baby girl called me after I went to bed. She let me know that she would, in fact, come stay with my family on Wednesday night and spend Thanksgiving with us as long as she could leave for a few hours to have lunch with her Grandma. Hardly an equal compromise when it is my holiday, but it is better than pure abandonment. I had already booked a flight home for Thursday afternoon thinking I wouldn't want to spend all weekend there without her. I hopped out of bed and changed my flights to accommodate her availability. I'm truly on a leash, but what can I do?

This video shows how I feel (of course my daughter is much younger.) Now I'm off to work!

T Day

T is for Turkey Day - It's my turn, but it sounds like the princess wants to go to her "other" Grandma's house. This makes me very sad, but I guess that's what happens when teenagers get an attitude of independence. Regardless if she'll join me or not, I'll be there to see my family. It is truly amazing how one day I have a sweet little child who can't get enough time with her Dad and the next day I have a teenager who sees no value in spending time with family. She has no clue how these actions drive daggers into my soul.

T is for Tattoo Day - Tomorrow at this time I'll be under the needles. I have to admit that I'm scared to death. Considering the dentist has to revive me from passing out after a shot to numb my mouth for dental work, this could be an adventure in madness and insanity. Let's just hope Grant Cobb at Tattoo Paradise does a good job. His portfolio is amazing and I can't wait to see the custom piece he's been working on for me. I'll just focus on Erica and trust that she'll be there in spirit to get me through the pain. This one is for you dear friend.

Still Alive!

#8 Palace of Wonders
#9 The Red & The Black
$10 Phase One
#11 Ugly Mug
#12 Bachelors Mill

so no...we didn't break our record. Next time no bottomless drinks at #1.

bad idea

I'm just sayin' Leaving RJ at te 'beauty' salon and moving on.

H St. Martini lounge #7

Hot & Dirty.....that's what I'm dinking not wht Rita's doing.

granville something #6

We thought we were lost, but we found a familiar place. Rita read the sign that said for the poor and underprivaleged. She tried to run, but I made her go in.

ZONE

We may be lost in NE, but we're in a drug free zone so we're safe. If only a taxi was close...

Rose's Dream #6

So...actually we''re lost in NE, but we found Rose's dream. Rita says it aint gonna be pretty but we're going in. Yes, he's wearing a cone. Safety First.

Ars

Rita went to help this man fix the aquarium (sp?) but I just wanted to capture his tramp stamp.

Argonaut #5

Blurry...yes. Drinking with Sean at the Argonaut (a friend of Doug from Sollys...smalll world) and having fun. Time for a viddle.

Old Glory

We made it to H street. Let's hope this isn't a sign. Nothing tattered, nothing gained.

Officer

It is apparently illegal for him to actually mount it (a first) but Rita Jean takes a lesson from Officer Tataro. She's protecting us. We're about to snatch a taxi and go to NE.

be bar

We aren't the only ones. Rita finds a friend to pry open the door, but they aren't open. Our bar math is skewed. Time for a taxi.

Corporate Ladder

...or something like that. i think he's chasing a brown boy.

Good Eatin'

Yummy

Nellies #4

Cute puppy

I found someone...

It's Rita not Cher

Asmara Lounge #3

Duffy's isn't open yet so we walked down 9th. I'm not sure where we are. The bartender doesn't speak english, but I think they are celebrating Ethiopian Christmas. We discreetly took a pic of ourselves in the mirror. We may have been shot if documenting this any other way. Now we know where the cabbies drink! There are no less than 12 parked outside and I always thought they were parked here waiting for a show to let out at 9:30 club.

Sollys #2

Our pace is off, but Dags found her boyfriend at Sollys.

Beijo

OMG

Whatever will I do? This machine tells Rita Jean she only has $3,279,427.39 left

Creme - Go

It is on. We begin the madness with bottomless mimosas and bloody marys at Creme.

Bondage

What does this mean?

4 Laura

Out Again

This is my second attempt at mobile blogging this pic. It was time to break the "make fun of Box" posts of earlier today. Having a cocktail at Pollys where they are still celebrating the Halloween while all the department stores have moved on to pushing Jesus' birthday.

Tomorrow is a bar crawl where Rita Jean and I will be counting bars and breaking records.

Mansion Update: Steve and Lisa moved in today and we anxiously await the photos!

Halloween Movie

Makeover

I was checking up on Jay over at "Kill the Goat" I found out she's apparently ending a relationship and her post today was a bit sad. I then followed one of her sponsored links and ended up doing this makeover. Make sure you replay it a few times for the full impact. I wonder if they could do this over at Iris' Hair Salon?

Hug In

I blogged last Friday about the gay couple thrown out of Rite Aid for embracing in public. According to an article at DCist, a blogging group called The New Gay organized a hug in on Tuesday night. If we had known about it in advance, several of us would have joined them! Read the details at the articles above.

Iris Exposed

I'm excited to be the first to expose our friend Iris. She can no longer front as a non-profit do good-er. We've discovered she actually has been going to beauty school and recently obtained a lease on a property in Petworth. She fashioned a sign with a likeness of herself on top of her new hair salon.

Congratulations Iris! I'll be coming in for my next weave. We're proud of you and won't stop loving you because you are no longer in non-profit.

Happy Halloween

I went to 17th Street for the annual High Heel Race on Tuesday night, but as you can see from this picture, it was a madhouse. The streets were packed beyond any level of comfort. I instead went to Hank's Oyster Bar and had a delicious dinner with five friends. I'm not certain why so many people come to a race that lasts three minutes, but the drag queen sightings are quite hilarious.

Last night was Halloween and although I didn't leave work until nearly 8 PM, I did go meet a few friends at the Red Derby. This is a new little dive bar at the border of Columbia Heights/Petworth on 14th Street. While we didn't have any costumes, other than my ridiculous shirt, it was hat night so we each got into the Halloween Spirit. The bar is inexpensive and neighborhood themed. We'll definitely be back with our U Street peeps.

Iris and I finished up at the Derby by playing DJ. As you can imagine, the songs ranged from Pat Benatar to The Killers to Sir Mix Alot - yes we went there. While the taxi strike wasn't taking all of them off the streets and there were taxis from MD/VA picking people up, I didn't take a chance. I had my own transportation. Fortunately for Iris, I also had my extra helmet so she could ride along. It was cold! We finished the night with a drink at DC9 and then, of course, a final swallow at Solly's.

Time for work - Have a great day!

Mansion Kitchen

Wow! When we left Ohio on Sunday, there weren't any cabinets. I got this MMS from Lisa last night showing a nearly complete kitchen. Forwarding it to the blog via mobile post for all to see. It is looking like MLK weekend will work for them. Watch for an evite soon.

Working hard to get out on time for the 17th St. High Heel Race tonight!

Vinoteca

Welcome to Vinoteca, Wine Bar & Bistro. 60+ wines by the glass, cheese, charcuterie, and more.

The grand opening is November 5th, but we saw the candles burning and caught day one of the soft opening! It is a posh addition to the ecclectic selection of establishments on U Street; conveniently a few doors from my house! According to Iris, "Posh, but not in an ostentatious way."

Tiffanie!

Tiffanie is in town for one night to scoop Little Ricky and head off to NYC. We had dinner with friends at Lebanese Taverna. Delicicious. Check out her complete world traveling adventures at Glitter Girl! Wish I could join her and you will too when you see her itinerary.

36 Hours!

We accomplished alot in 36 hours away from DC. The primary reason for the visit was to see my baby girl. After chores, we went to pick her up and stopped for some cheese and bologna at Guggisburg Cheese. Here's a picture of us at Jake's Restaurant in Wooster where we ate lunch with Keith, Lisa, and my Parents!

The second pic was taken in the living room of the mansion with Steve & Lisa. It is nearly complete - move in day is slated for this Friday! I particularly love the copper roof and stonework that has been completed since my last vist.

After an afternoon of fun on the farm riding four wheelers and getting dirty, we headed Whitney off and headed for the city. As you can see by the previous post, it was an eventful ride. Unfortunately we didn't take a picture of the gas station/bar where we stopped for fuel. Fuel for the car that is.

Oops

Guess we'll be awhile...

We were only going 18 mph over the limit (20 is potential loss of license on the spot in Ohio and a mandatory court appearance. This just added $113 and 20 minutes to the trip. Hopefully the insurance won't be affected since it has been nearly five years since my last ticket. Definitely a bummer way to start the trip home. Tish made fun of me for blogging before I found the insurance card. Priorities.

Mooo

We got up a little after 7 AM this morning to do some chores. Our boots came in handy!

Both Tish and Vera milked a cow, petted them, and helped feed the dairy cattle.

Farmer Vera then joined my Mom in carrying milk to the babies.

They took turns feeding Baby Rose, She was born on September 5th.

The even drove the skid loader! My Dad was determined to make farmers out of them both.

Oh yes - there is also video, but that will take some editing and will be up on Youtube soon enough.

Chimney Farm

We finished our meals at the Iron Pony and went downstairs to the bar area. Our waitress said it was a "whole lot of fun." We disagree. We were a bit sketched out when we had to pass two black-face costumed farmers, but continued down the stairs. While finishing our last dinner cocktail in the bar basement, someone started a chain saw on the dance floor. Seriously. I looked at Tish, she looked at Vera, we set our unfinished drinks on a table and bolted. We had seen enough.

Now ... the pic. We purchased these fantastic boots and union jack suits at TSC earlier today. You should have seen the look on Lisa & Keith's faces when they came down the lane and found us in these outfits on the front porch. Chimney Farm.

Having a good time. Watching Silence of the Lambs. Perhaps not the best choice when sleeping in a 100+ year old farmhouse.

We plan to get up early and go help Dad milk the cows.

Iron Pony

This is the fan. It is running, but missing 2 paddles. We all ordered the steak. A filet starts at $11.99 and comes with choice of potato and a salad. The people are special. The napkins are blue shop towels and the beer comes in a can. The waitress asked what kind of soda I wanted in my vodka / soda.

It is 'anything goes' costume night. Anything apparently means the waitress is allowed to wear a skirt so short we can see her thong. The girls aren't complaining.

Shoppin'

We got off the freeway and headed for Britenbach Winery where we each purchased a supply of Amish Country Wine for home. We visited some family in Trail, Ohio. Now the girls are tearing up the TSC (Tractor Supply Co.) Wait till you see the matching boots we bought to bring back to the city.

Something Lost

T & V are no longer Ohio virgins.

PA

It is the backwoods and they are clearly avoiding any semblance of pda. We have 190 miles to go.

Who's driving?

I kidnapped T and V for the ride to Ohio. Late start, unfortunately, due to a series of evening activities n thangs. British Jane is on holiday so Anna, the gps Russian, is talking the sensual talk, with V translating. The girls are looking forward to milking and riding the quad runners. Milkin' the cows that is. They judging as I type and drive through the mountains so more later. We're near Cumberland, MD.

Wrong Aid

The new "24 hour" CVS opened a month or so ago and closed at 10 PM. This past week they updated their hours and now they close at 8 PM. This is not convenient for those of us who often work long hours. The other option, the Wrong Aid, allegedly has discriminatory managers. Check out the Story on the DCist about a gay couple that was thrown out for embracing in the aisle. I've seen heterosexual couples up in there practically f***ing in the aisle and nobody throws them out?

Thanks to I R I S for throwing the story my way. Gotta love U Street!