Almost Honestly Abe

Good times are always had during an evening out with Drea. Last night she accompanied me to an NPF tasting at the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, where we met a very lanky lad whose name I do not recall at the moment (too much whiskey?!). On the way home, in between discussing the pros of being Republican and the cons of dating Marines, Drea and I had the following conversation:

Drea: He kind of reminded me of a certain figure in American history.

Whitney: (pause and think) Abraham Lincoln?

Drea: You got it! (and Drea would know; she's just ordered a Civil War documentary through Netflix!).

Alas, I do not have a photograph of this poor (and very tall) soul, but if I did, I'm sure it would look something like this >>>

See individual post

That's Good

"Good is one of the best words I know. It's an accurate barometer, when it's meant. 'How do you really feel?' 'I feel good.' It's one syllable, easy to understand, mellow and confident. It is the opposite of Bad. Good is the ember. It sits there and smolders for you. It does it's job quietly. If you're lucky, you know what Good feels like. Sometimes Good in life is rare, but when it's there, you know it, and it feels good." -Barry Privett, lead singer of Carbon Leaf and the love of my life (performing at Shamrockfest on 15 March; buy your ticket now!).
See individual post

Monday Afternoon Chat

See individual post

A Happy Thought

"Make a little birdhouse in your soul." -They Might Be Giants
See individual post

Slightly Stalkerish?

"That's the kind of thing everyone does but no one admits." -Drea, after meeting Alain, who told her: "Nice to meet you, but I don't recognize you from going through Whitney's Facebook friends." It was probably the glasses.
See individual post

Smelly Spandex

"Tim S. proudly proclaimed that he wore his running clothes for two days before washing them because, and I quote, 'they don’t stink.' Tim selflessly kept the new running ladies company and they all breezed through the five miles. I just hope Tim was behind these ladies and the breeze was a downwind one." -yet another post on the Reston Runners homepage. I am one of the "new running ladies" refered to here. And I'm pretty sure I would have been running twice as fast had I known Tim was sporting dirty spandex. Gross.

P.S. Those of you who need some running inspiration, please watch Spirit of the Marathon. I am definitely now more motivated to run Boston on April 21!

See individual post

Under the (British) Influence

"PS We miss you here - but we have finally worked out why you had to go back to a country where one can buy weapons at sixteen but can't have a cheeky ale until twenty-one. Initially we thought it was because you'd gone mental and had gone back to keep your kids away from Kevin Federlein, but in reality it was just 'cos your green card expired, wasn't it?

"PPS Please continue to say footpath, litter bin and always add a u to all -our word endings. Schedule has a shed in it and remember to say alyouminium. The colonies always love it - trust me." -the end of a great email from the very brilliant housemaster of West Bank. Miss you too, Steve!

See individual post

A Hill-Billy

Scary! What do you think? Comments welcome....
See individual post

Marine Magnet

Drea describes an encounter with a Marine (yes, another one) on a recent trip to Puerto Rico.Me: (wading the water at the beach, minding my own business)

Random guy with surfboard: (approaches me and makes small talk)

Me: (listening politely, not really interested)

Random guy with surfboard: so where are you from?

Me: Virginia

Random guy: oh i LOVE Virginia!

Me: oh really? (eyes rolling ever so slightly)

Random guy: yeah i used to live up there!

Me: (really rolling my eyes wishing he would go surf or something)

Random guy: yeah, I was stationed at Quantico. I just got out of the Marine Corps. I loved it!

Me: (wondering where the magnet may be located in my body so that I can somehow break free of the Marine Corps)

Random guy: Marines blah blah blah marines blah blah blah, you should come out swimming with me...I'll show you how to surf.

Me: no thank you but it sounds like fun ... (and then I fled the scene). So you see, either God is trying to give me a sign here or I'm just a very special - but not so lucky - girl. What is it about me that trained killers love?

See individual post

Kiss and Tell

"I mean honestly, did you really feel the 'Gerry' kiss or was it a 'Daniel' kind of kiss? Of course it could have also been a 'William' kinda of kiss . . . I think we've just come up with a new way to rate kisses, Spives!! OH MOTHER!!! I haven't laughed so hard EVER I think!!" -Steph, her romantic side inspired after watching P.S. I Love You (which is a film definitely worth seeing, by the way).
See individual post

Dr. MLK Jr. Day

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1963). Those of you in the States: enjoy the holiday.
See individual post

Hoos in the Bathroom?

"...one of the strangest subjects I've ever had for an email. Enjoy." -Megan, passing along her "Watson in the bathroom" photo. Gotta love college mini-reunions. Wahoowa.
See individual post

Marathon Myths

"Whitney Spivey was our only 1st timer today and she showed a few of the boys her speed as she pushed the pace on the trail and began ramping up her Boston Marathon training." -from the Reston Runners homepage (!!). This statement is completely inaccurate because a) I wasn't moving all that fast and b) I'm not even signed up for Boston (yet).
See individual post

Charlie Bit Me

Little kids are so much cuter with British accents.

See individual post

Jackson's Twin

"I'm better looking than that clown." -Jack explaining why he can't be related to Drew, his American Idol look-alike (never mind the fact that no one in our family can sing).

See individual post

The Way I See It

"In a world where celebrity equals talent, and where make-believe is called reality, it is most important to have real love, truth and stability in your life." - Bernie Brillstein's words of wisdom on my Starbucks cup this morning.
See individual post

Only In Great Falls

See individual post

Supermodels Have Cellulite Too.

“The door has been cracked open and I’m gonna put on that designer gown and I’m gonna put on that bra and panties and cover up the cellulite on my bootie and push my way through that door.” -Tyra Banks on why she has been so successful (part of her acceptance speech at Saturday's BET Honors Awards). Read my Washingtonian article on the event here.
See individual post

Sexy Is A Bad Word

Conversation with my eight year-old cousin, Clara, after she spotted this sign in my room:
Clara: Uh-oh! Sexy is a bad word!
Whitney: Oh, really?
Clara: Yes! Does your mother know you have that sign?
Whitney: Umm...
Clara: You should take that sign down right now! Or at least replace the word 'sexy' with the word 'beautiful.'
See individual post

A Facebook Funny

Jackson keeps Tom up to date while Tom is in Costa Rica.
See individual post

Apparently, I Have A Soul

"Ma'am! You look like the only person on this street with a soul!" -Some shady man on the street who wanted money. He screamed this at me quite loudly, causing everyone nearby to turn and see just what a person with a soul looks like.
See individual post

Benny's Goodbye

"You're going to come back here and find me dead of a broken heart." -Benny (the security guard in my building), upon finding out tomorrow is my last day at Washingtonian. Later he told me he will lock me in the office so I can never leave ... I told him only if he brings me Starbucks everyday. He agreed. Perhaps we've reached a compromise?
See individual post

QOD: The Return

Before Facebook, AOL Instant Messenger was the hip and easy way to stay in touch with friends (or stalk people, if you're into that sort of thing). Instant Messenger users maintain(ed) profiles, some more detailed than others. My profile was always very simple: it contained my contact information and a Quote of the Day. What was a Quote of the Day, you might wonder? Quote of the Day was a phrase, sentence, or sometimes even a conversation that made me smile, laugh, or think. Friends, family (especially my three brothers), random strangers, signs, books, newspapers, and more fueled my daily updates, which I put in context so that they were amusing to almost any viewer.

Working abroad at a boarding school that banned Instant Messenger caused the disappearance of Quote of the Day for nearly two years, although living with 45 high school girls would have certainly given me plenty of material. I can't seem to get back into the whole IM scene now that I've returned to the US, but after a few months of working at washingtonian.com I've become fairly internet savvy and have decided to revive Quote of the Day by taking it into the blogosphere.

The purpose of the Quote of the Day blog is the same as the IM profile QOD ... except now I can add photographs! So make sure to check back here soon and often - I promise to keep you entertained!
See individual post