Thursday, February 28, 2008

Great News From GATORtown



I arrived in Gainesville today safe and sound, but I was greeted with the news that my aunt and her boyfriend are getting married!! This Sunday--AHHHH!! I called immediately and changed my flight (I was supposed to leave at 2 pm on Sunday). I am so excited for Debbie and Jack, they have been together for 10 yrs, but have decided to seal the deal. Most of all, I am thrilled to be here and be part of it. Rumor has it, things will be pretty informal, but i think i have been inducted as honorary maid of honor. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.

Monday, February 25, 2008

And the Oscar goes to:



This year I tried to see a few of the Oscar movies before the awards ceremony last night, but failed parlessly. My inspiration for this is my friend Ro (see above) from Saint John. She and her friend Eileen make a commitment to see all the movies (by any means necessary) and then get together for an Oscar weekend. I strive to be in the likeness of these smut-queens. But even if I can't see then all, I enjoyed the awards more this year. Honestly, Jon Stewart is motivation enough.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

New Favorite Business Model






For you budding entrepreneurs out there...

I have some unsolicited customer feedback for consideration. I was fortunate enough to encounter a movie theater that serves beer and wine. Of course, the conditions were right for me to fully embrace this establishment--I was stranded in DC because of weather in Boston, and the Oscars were 2 days away. But I will fess up to dropping most of my per diem on movies and refreshments, located just a block or so from hotel--it is labelled as AFI Silver on the marquee but I call it Heaven. The company line mentions nothing about having Yuengling on tap, but there is some other interesting facts for those interested.
"Saved from the wrecker's ball by community effort and landmark designation, the historic Silver Theatre is a unique public-private partnership. An ambitious project of Montgomery County, Maryland, and the American Film Institute, the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center is the anchor of an unprecedented redevelopment effort. Taking maximum advantage of its location - in an extraordinarily diverse corner of the world, just a few blocks from the nation's capital - the AFI Silver will grace its stages with policy makers, elected officials, civic and military leaders, and, of course, a wide variety of artists from film and other artistic disciplines. Furthering AFI's mission of advancing and preserving the art of the moving image, all of the AFI Silver's screenings will be of the highest artistic quality. And the programming will concentrate on film and video generally unavailable elsewhere: independent features, foreign films, documentaries and classic cinema - including tributes, retrospectives, themed programming, anniversaries and newly restored works. The AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center effectively demonstrates how a combination of civic leadership, architectural vision and excellence in the arts can result in community economic development."


Friday, February 22, 2008

Snow Bound in Politic Town


Seeing that I have several hours of "found time" due to my meetings finishing early and my flight being cancelled (boo snow/ice), I thought I would create a forum to record my many (mis)adventures. For you loyal Sandy followers out there, I used MSN Spaces for a while, but liked the look of this much more. I was inspired by my new friends Ned and Mary Beth, then I saw that they had some other friends who joined up, so I thought I might be able to pull this off, too. I am little more than a sheep. Baaa, baaa.


My ongoing trip to DC (Silver Spring, MD to be exact) was to participate in a mind-numbing EPA review panel, but it has turned out to be a lot of fun. In addition to meeting a lot of new people on the panel review, I also contacted a long-time family friend, Sister Elizabeth Anne, who is the principal of a private high school just outside of Baltimore, Mount De Sales Academy. She and the sisters provided a lovely dinner, lively conversation, and a personal tour of this one-of-a-kind school. I will definitely plan to come back beforedark to try and catch some sunshine coming through the stained-glass as well as prepare a lecture or demonstration for the students.