Journalist Jokes

"Macaca is Latin for Goodbye George!" -Gordon Peterson's response to former Virginia Governor George Allen not understanding the definition of the word, despite consulting a plethora of dictionaries.
Peterson won the Sol Taishoff Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism at last night's NPF dinner. Among his more serious remarks: "There are no free lunches and no free rides." Very true (I think).
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Aim Low

Flies are etched into the urinals in Amsterdam's Schipol airport. They improve aim; if a man sees a fly, he aims at it. Fly-in-urinal research found that etchings reduce spillage by 80%. Who says you can't potty train a man?
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Dennis the Menace

"Who is Dennis????? Is that an old pheasant back in England???" -Nadine's inquiry about Steph's new man. Funny because the "Old Pheasant" is the name of a Rutland pub and also because good old Dennis has managed to create quite a stir amongst past and present members of the Uppingham community. Who knew Steph's love life was so carefully scrutinized?!

p.s. Earthquake in England = crazy!
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Mind The Gap

For all you music-obsessed Tube riders ...

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Luck of the Irish?

"Irish for O'Bama." -I heard this for the first time on Saturday's outing with the Reston Runners. I don't think too many of the club members are actually of Irish descent, but if you dressed them up in green spandex they might look like Leprechauns...
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Batman

"He's like a bat; I keep expecting to walk into his room and find him hanging upside down from the ceiling." -Dr. Cooper's explanation of Ryan's standard 5 am to 1 pm sleeping hours.
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My Funny Uncle

My grandparents will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary in March. I emailed my extended family requesting photographs and music for a short film I am putting together to show at their party. The first response I received was from my Uncle Billy:

"Sure thing. I have a song too: 'I Don't Look Good Naked Anymore.' I will email it to you along with some photos."

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Living in a Political World

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A Woman's Brain

Every one of those little blue balls is a thought about something that needs to be done, a decision or a problem that needs to be solved.
A man, of course, has only two balls and they take up all his thoughts.

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Legs of Steel

"I was just testing out the firmness of your calves." -one of our college journalism fellows, who poked me in the leg as we rode up the metro escalator. What an odd thing to do.
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Composing the Past

"Journalists provide the first draft of history." - former Washington Post editor Phil Graham. The statement appears throughout the Newseum, Washington's newest overpriced museum (mark your calendar for opening day, April 11, and avoid the $20 enterance fee ... or work for the NPF and go for free :-) ).
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Happy Presidents' Day

"I had rather be on my farm than be emperor of the world." -George Washington
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Environmentally Aware

"So called 'global warming' is just a secret ploy by wacko tree-huggers to make America energy independent, clean our air and water, improve the fuel efficiency of our vehicles, kick-start 21st-century industries, and make our cities safer and more livable. Don't let them get away with it!" -Chip Giller (as quoted on my Starbucks cup).
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Sweet Tooth

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Forever A Schoolgirl?

So yesterday morning I was sitting in traffic on 395 when I suddenly thought "why do I feel like I've worn this outfit before?" And then I realized that I had: when I dressed in Uppingham school uniform as a joke last summer. Oops (although at least my shirt was tucked in this time).


p.s. Happy Birthday Tricia! x
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Happy Valentine's Day

Calling all lovebirds: this is for you (please turn sound on).

p.s. My boss sent me this video!
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Tired Tartan

Jackson recently received a hand-me-down Woolrich wool hunting suit. Should you want one of these Paul Bunyan-esque get-ups for yourself, the classic Pennsylvania field coat is still available for purchase and is advertised as follows:
"This coat is synonymous with the outdoors for generations of Americans. Throughout our state, they proudly refer to this as the Pennsylvania Tuxedo. We wear it everywhere - to camp, to the grocery store, or to walk the dog. The beefy wool shell wards off the fiercest winter weather."

The pants, on the other hand, are no longer for sale, as they went out of style about 100 years ago. The old-fashioned breeches did not, however, deter Jackson from embracing his inner-redneck and modeling the whole outfit in our kitchen. My mother thought he looked like a "mountain gnome."

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Looking Religious?

"Are you a woman of faith?" -the Navy chaplain who escorted me from the Capitol to the Cannon Building yesterday. Almost as good as the guy in Mexico who told me: "You look like you sing in a church" (which was funny because I am not religious, and I certainly don't sing).

*I do, however, have a favorite church: Onsala Kyrka in Sweden. Beautiful, isn't it?

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Renaissance Men

*Courtesy of an actual Seal (via Drea)
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I <3 You

Mark Thomas: author of love notes for the romantically challenged (this Valentine's Day, be sure to tell loved ones how you really feel).
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That Time of the Month

Well, Quote of the Day has been active for one month now. I would appreciate any feedback on the blog ... what do you want to see more of? Less of? Comments welcome! Thanks. x
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Post-itively Ridiculous

"We hope to get under the sheets, look at each other more closely, exchange information more freely and figure out what areas we can be more effective in working closely together and what areas should remain separate." -New Washington Post publisher Katharine Weymouth discussing the relationship between the printed editions of the paper and washingtonpost.com. Do you think a man would be fired for sexaul harassment if he made such a remark??
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Hot Stuff

"On fire ... I've been there." -Jack's* nonchalant response when a Super Bowl commentator remarked one football player was "on fire" after an exceptional tackle.

*Jackson is a burn victim (with a surprisingly good attitude).

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Animal House UVA Style

Continuing with the theme of scantily clad men: The 2008 Sigma Chi pledges are caught with their pants down (probably not for the first time). One student explains that this "is a pretty traditional bid day picture, doesn’t take too much coercing. I’m very much looking forward to having 16 ‘helpers’ around the house this semester, should be fun."
After laughing about that, I decided to find my brother in the house group shot. Not surprisingly, he's one of the too-cool-for-school fourth-years on the roof:Wahoowa!
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Beach Bums

"The marketing images in question show less skin than you see any summer day at the beach. And certainly less than the plumber working on your kitchen sink." - Statement by Abercrombie & Fitch regarding recent controversy over some scandalous posters.
Personally, I don't find the above image very offensive. I am, however, a bit concerned that the boy on the right does not appear to be wearing underwear beneath his oh-so-stylish jeans. Weird.
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Say Cheese

I was handed this sticker (by a complete stranger) during a recent stroll along the National Mall. How random.

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A Dirty Thought

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it." -Oprah Winfrey. And some runs, just like some days, are messier than others (like my 15-miler on the C&O yesterday...).

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Groundhog Day

"As I look around me, a bright sky I see, and a shadow beside me. Six more weeks of winter it will be!" - Punxsutawney Phil. But with today's predicted high of 57°F (14°C), perhaps this furry creature is mistaken??
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Hips Don't Lie

"Some girls have girl hips and some girls have boy hips. She has boy hips ... not good, nothing to anchor on to." -Steph, relaying a conversation with a fellow runner (who shall remain anonymous).
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Ouch

Last night's stinger marks the end of my alcohol consumption during marathon training (maybe). The Mayflower's brandy and white creme de menthe cocktail was also a buzz -worthy way to baffle a few friends. I received the following email this morning: "hope you are well after you 'stinger' - not sure what you do with a missile but..."

P.S. Happy Birthday Beth! x
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