Some Potpourri. (With neither fleeting expletives nor momentary nudity.)

It's been another stressful week with not a lot of energy to expend outside of work. So here is a mixed bag of the week's thoughts, going-ons, mishaps, etc.

• I've found the secret to not using one's credit card: Accidentally cut up a non-expired one when you meant to cut up an expired one.

• If being 28 and painting polka dots on my fingernails is wrong, I don't want to be right.

• Wearing yoga shorts under my skirts while commuting has completely changed my life. I no longer have to fight to keep my skirt from flying up every time I walk on an escalator, pass a moving metro train, walk on a windy day, pass a bus, etc.

• It's nice when a stranger or a friend tells you that you look good. But it's really, really nice when your doctor, who's treating you for anxiety and other things, tells you that you look good. (One day I'll write about my anxiety issues and how I'm dealing with them, I'm just not quite there yet.)

• I still really, really don't like baseball. At all. But I do love good seats, good friends, good food, and good giant-headed mascots. Which is why I attended my second game of the season this year, Nats. vs. Rays.

• In a Supreme Court decision today, they ruled that the FCC can't fine ABC and Fox for "fleeting expletives and momentary nudity." This is now my new favorite phrase. In the history of the world.
• I really do love Jon Stewart and "The Daily Show." I've been watching for 10 years but I got out of the habit for a few months. But now I'm back watching again and I just love it. That's all.

Things I Learned This Weekend

Baseball games can't be played in torrential downpour with threats of tornadoes and hail.
I had tickets to the Nats v. Braves game through my work on Friday night. Sadly, it rained like crazy Friday afternoon, evening, and night, with tornadoes and hail around the area. Of course, they didn't actually cancel the game until my friends and I were already at the stadium because that's just how it goes.

Storm damage in B's neighborhood

I make it rain.
Of the 5 Nats games I've been to through work, 4 times there has been some sort of rain delay or cancellation. I go again in a few weeks, so we'll see what happens then.

Dinner and drinks with girlfriends is the perfect way to forget cancelled plans and a long, stressful Friday.
As much as I hate baseball, I was really looking forward to a night at the ballpark with my girlfriends. Luckily, they weren't only interested in baseball, and we all had dinner and drinks at a fusion restaurant on Barracks Row. 

Mixing groups: Carolina girls and book club girls.

When deciding between walking home in the rain or having another drink, you should probably just walk home in the rain.
Because that last drink will make you entirely too happy. After dinner, B and I went to the 18th Amendment bar on Pennsylvania Ave. Despite us living just a few blocks from there for 2 years, and B still living near there, we'd never been. But how can you not want to visit a bar named after the Prohibition amendment? (Especially considering the 25-page paper I wrote on it in college. The amendment, not the bar.)

Happy

Doing work on the weekend is much better when you can make it a "work date" with a friend.
I met my friend/coworker for lunch on Saturday at Panera and then we each did work. Normally, when I do work on the weekends, I spend hours putting it off. But setting a time to do it and with my friend beside me, it was almost fun. 

Tiffany's really is just a happy place.
And they'll clean your Tiffany-purchased jewelry for free while "you browse for as long as you'd like." (And browsing is all I did, thank you.)

Playhouses are a bit different nowadays.
While in Friendship Heights on Saturday, I came across a scene of playhouses being auctioned for charity. While they aren't quite as cool as the one my dad built my brother and I -- which was on top of our swing set and had a 2-story slide -- these did come pretty close.

The worst way to end the weekend is with an all-day headache.
I had a bad headache on Sunday and didn't do much as a result. Until it finally went away around 8, of course, and I tried to cram in all the cleaning and doing I didn't do earlier in the day.

There's only one episode of Mad Men left.
And I just don't know what to do.

Who wants 9 innings when you can have 13?

On Friday night, I accompanied Brandie to the Nats v. Reds baseball game, tickets courtesy of her work. My work also has tickets, but on the lower level of the 3rd baseline. Her tickets were also on 3rd baseline, but one level up and on the first row. This meant we got cushy seats with a separate concession (and bar) area for that level. (Because obviously we can't be mingling with just anyone.) I hate baseball but love eating ballpark food, drinking, and hanging out with a good friend.

It was a beautiful night with clear skies and a nice breeze.

My absolute favorite part of the game is the Presidents' Race. However, I feel a bit robbed since they had them racing on Segways for this game. So not fair and so not the same.

My main dislike of baseball is that the games are too long. I've spent years convincing my brother -- the most diehard baseball fan I know -- that all you really need is 5 innings. And he doesn't completely disagree with me. So when this game was tied 1-1 and went into extra innings, I wasn't exactly thrilled. But I was committed to sticking it out to the finish. Or to the 12th inning when we realized it could take awhile and then we left. Then apparently, probably about the time I entered the metro, the Nats scored in the 13th and it was done.

But it was a fun night nonetheless. Though I do hope basketball season gets here soon.

Day 243: Quack quack

Busy, busy day full of walking and eating and melting and DC sights! The day started out with the official new thing of the day, my surprise for Joey, a Duck tour of DC. I've seen these around the city and thought they would be tourist-rific. I have been waiting for a willing victim to visit so I could subject them to cheesy tour guides and gawking DCists on the sidewalk.
It took us around downtown, and then directly into the Potomac for a little river cruise. And it ended with complimentary quackers, which we wasted no time putting to use.
But the fun didn't stop there. We saw the Japanese WWII Memorial, had lunch, saw the Navy Memorial, and then set off for the National Archives, Joey's first visit. I was very excited this time to see the Treaty of Paris, which officially goes on view in October.
We made a quick stop by the White House to call on George and Laura, and then headed for the Nats v. Braves game, my first Nats game at night.
I should be happy they won, but you can't undo 15 years of vicariously cheering for them through the brother. It was still a good game though, even though we narrowly missed death by a scary fast line drive.