“Sex in the City,” part deux

I saw “Sex in the City” again this weekend. My friend hadn’t seen the movie and I couldn’t let a “Sex in the City” fan go without seeing the movie, so I offered to join her for the flick, part deux. And I’ve got to say… the movie is still good the second time around! I still laughed. I still cried. I just can’t help it… the movie offers it all.

Now, if I could just dress like Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte or Samantha… anyone want to treat me to some Manolos?

 

Musing about geese

Okay, I just wanted to muse about all the Canadian geese around Montgomery County. Geese fly, but they never, ever take flight when it comes to crossing the road. Seriously, why is that? They line up in a perfect straight long and walk across the road. And they do it so slowly!

It is hilarious to see motorists come to a halt, just to let the geese pass by. Literally, traffic comes to a standstill for these geese, which most people consider a nuisance. But no one would ever consider hitting them with a car. Some motorists try blasting their horns to no avail. Geese just seem to be in their own world, living for the grass in the median strips of county roadways.

 

“Sex in the City” hits the big screen

I went to see the “Sex in the City” movie this weekend with my friend Amy. In the theater, we were surrounded by women of every race, culture and age because “Sex in the City” is ultimately about two truths - love and friendship. They are what every woman wants. And I am no exception. I have the friendships down pat and feel blessed to have such wonderful women in my life, from a dear sister to sorority/college friends, work friends, high school friends and now grad school friends.

But I am still searching for love and the movie fed into that fantasy. Yes, I know it is just a movie. Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha are just characters as are their men. But there is still something to be said about romance, passion and friendship all found in that special someone who pledges to love you and be your partner in life. I want my own Mr. Big (plot spoiler warning: without leaving me at the aisle), Steve (plot spoiler warning: without the cheating) or Harry! But like the early Carrie Bradshaw, I’m still a single girl in the city, building my career and spending time with my friends. I hold out hope that my search for love will end much like Carrie’s in the movie… happily ever after.

 

Tripping the vineyards

While most people camped out next to their BBQ over Memorial Day weekend, I joined my sister and a friend for a tour of Central Virginia wine country. On the way to Charlottesville, we hit Keswick, Horton and Barboursville Vineyards and had completely different experiences at each one.

Keswick offered one-on-one pours from one of the winery’s employees. We didn’t have to battle for attention or space at the tasting room. The employee knew his wines and the vineyards, giving us background on the owners and the site’s history. The vineyard also managed to keep its wines unique in flavor, focusing on quality rather than quantity. I purchased the Verdejo for its crisp, citrus flavor; the Trevillian for the smooth, berry finish; and the Norton wine, featuring a native Virginian grape in a deep red color and fresh taste.

And then there was Horton. My advice… stay away! We walked in, not to the sweet smell of wine, but to the owner’s cigarette smoke wafting from his ashtray next to the tasting room. While there was no charge for the wines, we quickly learned why… they all tasted the same. With 25 or so wines, nothing separated the first white from the second, third or even tenth wine. And the winery had absolutely no consistency in the labels. Every single one looked completely different, giving you no indication that the labels came from the same place. We kept tasting, hoping to find a gem in the mix, but the search yielded nothing that made us smile or want to buy. We walked out and didn’t look back.

We got to Barboursville Vineyards as soon as possible, hoping to remedy the bad experience at Horton. We found another gem, but while the wines tasted delicious, the crowds were a bit frustrating. The first employee, who poured the whites, kept asking us to step away from the bar so that others could walk up. This did not allow for any type of conversation or interaction with her. When we did try to engage her, she did not seem to be especially knowledgeable. In fact, she admitted that she really does not drink wine. Despite this, I must say that the Riesling was delicious, the right mix of citrus flavors and natural sweetness. The Phileo dessert wine was also a treat!

When we visited the second employee, who manned the red wines, she welcomed conversation and questions about the wines. She did not mind if we stayed by the bar, sipping and talking. Given that the winery’s winemaker and owner are Italian, I enjoyed the Barbera that she served and appreciated the Nebbiolo. Again, I walked out as the proud owner of three new wines for my collection. Barboursville helped end our day on a high note!

On Sunday, we visited Jefferson Vineyards, a nice winery nestled in the farmland near Jefferson’s home of Monticello. We had to wait for a spot at the bar, which took some time. Overall, the wines tasted nice, but nothing as distinct as our favorites at Keswick and Barboursville. We did not purchase any, but I would return and would happily purchase bottles at a wine store. A good end to the weekend…

To sum up:

1. My favorite - Keswick, for the overall experience and wine quality

2. Barboursville - great wines, but crowds and one inexperienced employee put this vineyard in second place

3. Jefferson - solid, overall pleasing wines

A very distant 4. Horton - if you like good wine, I advise you to skip this winery and spend more time at the other vineyards.

In the end, the weekend lived up to its promise… beautiful scenery, good friends and family, tasty food, and delicious wine! Cheers!

 

Minty returns

I have been decidedly absent from my blog. My vows of keeping my blog going were thrown out the window once I finished up the semester. Yes, I still like blogging, but life took over.

It’s almost as if my grad school classes kept my life at bay. I went out with friends and family during the semester, but I kept many of my week nights free for classwork. When the classes ended, the flood gates opened and I filled every night with something. It really didn’t matter what–dinner with friends, dinner with family, meetings or errands. I just had to get out and away from my laptop.

It has felt so good to have all this time on my hands and absolutely no homework. I feel as if I have finally caught up with friends. I even feel more productive at my day job because I am not stressing about homework assignments. These last few weeks have been–dare I say it–refreshing and fun!

But all good things come to an end. In my head, I have a countdown clock that is ticking its way toward Tuesday, May 20 - the start of summer classes. I’ve even gone so far as to tell my friends and family to get their quality time with me now. After May 20, I will go back to my couch, my laptop and my darkened house to do homework.

And when those days come, I will start two new countdown clocks… one that counts down to my vacation and another that counts down the end to my master’s degree program. Vacation = August 2008, Master’s degree = August 2009. I keep getting closer as each day passes.

 

We the Media… the missing post

Like blogger RosietheThird and others from my class, we didn’t know that we had to write a blog entry about  “We the Media“… so better late than never

Blogs, laptops, cell phone cameras and Blackberrys have all revolutionized journalism. I remember my first days as a tv reporter, dragging along a 3/4″ tape deck, a gear bag, a large 3/4″ video camera and tripod. It was slow and arduous. And then, we’d have to edit our video tape-to-tape. If you messed up, you had to just start all over! It was not user-friendly and it took a lot of money to buy the necessary equipment.

Today, I could go out with a consumer-quality video camera, edit on my Mac and post it on YouTube as fast as I could move my mouse. Cell phones shoot photos and video now that have been picked up by wire services and shared around the world… just think of the images of the train stations after the London bombing or the video during the Virginia Tech shootings. It puts people right in the middle of breaking news without waiting for the reporter to show up.

These advances in journalism have been invaluable. But I still think there will always be room for a reporter, who can get the source to talk, who receives training, who has the support of a newsroom and more. I do not want to see reporters and their publications or shows die away. I know viewership has decreased for tv news and readership has declined for newspapers, but we would be lost without our news. Citizen journalists cannot take their place and I hope they never will.

I think the traditional media and the new media can coexist. They should feed off of one another and support one another. I know I will continue to subscribe to the Sunday Washington Post. I will continue to receive the daily Post and New York Times online. But I will now be more apt to supplement my reading with blogs, alternative media and other sites.

Long live journalism in all its forms… I hope it is here to stay for a very long time!

 

Politics: One-way or Two-way conversations?

I am a voter. I have voted in every election since I turned the voting age of 18. In college, I proudly filled out my absentee voter ballot. While working crazy hours as a reporter, I still found time to squeeze in a visit to the polls. I consider it my essential duty, plus I just want to make sure that I my family doesn’t go entirely Republican. Someone just has to vote Democratic and I am proud to do so, relishing my role as the black sheep of the family.

But politics has always been a one-way conversation for me. The politicians shared their views. I listened, made my choice and voted. There was never a dialogue. The conversations came from within my family, in the form of arguments with my sister who keeps trying to prove her point until I cry “uncle” and agree to disagree. I have never written a candidate. I have never participated on a political campaign. I have been content to listen, make my choice and vote.

When reading “The First Campaign,” I kept thinking that Garrett (the author)  was right on target with his assessments about the changing face of politics and challenges facing our country and our future leaders. Yes, this nation needs to consider its domestic issues in the face of the globalization. Yes, people want to be more engaged in our government and its politics. And yes, politics is increasingly becoming a two-way conversation. Blogger Fusose Talks explains that it’s almost like politics is catching up with the at-the-time radical ideas of the “Cluetrain Manifesto”. Instead of “markets are conversations,” you can say in this current election that “politics are conversations.”

But what I want to know… why am I not participating? I’m still receiving the one-way conversations and I appear to be content with it. For a few classes, I’ve been asked to explore the online websites of candidates and dip my foot into the politics pool, but other than that, I am not a participant. Why? It’s a question I ask myself when I see my friends donate money to candidates, when my sister participates in a campaign, or a classmate volunteers to hand out stickers. Why do I still just sit back?

As I read “The First Campaign,” I wanted to say I have changed. I am part of the online two-way conversation. I am looking up candidates’ platforms online. I am blogging about my favorite. But I am not. I voted. I have argued my beliefs with friends, but that is where my politics have ended.

Maybe my “first [online] campaign” isn’t here yet. Maybe I’m still trying to find someone who inspired me to volunteer or maybe I’m not yet ready for the two-way conversation. I don’t know, but I am looking for the answers.

 

Holy Mojo!

Blogger AZBrannocks recently dug up a little known secret in the world of home sales… stick a tiny statue of St. Joseph in your yard and your home will sell. Granted, I don’t know if anything will help in today’s market, but I do know the power of the Saint.

My former next door neighbor had her home on the market for ages and no one was biting. She learned about the St. Joseph secret and set about burying him in her yard. I had never heard of such a thing, maybe because I’m not Catholic. Or maybe because I had never had to sell a house before. Who knows?

All I do know is that she had to bury the little figurine a certain distance from the house and in a certain position for it to work. At first, I thought she was a little nuts. Come on, how could a little figurine make a difference?

All I know is that her home finally sold! I don’t know if it was the figurine, the homeowner’s own prayers, or the fact that she lowered her asking price. Regardless, the home that had been on the market for months finally sold.

So AZBrannocks… get thee to a shovel and put your Saint back in the ground. You’re not selling now, but if you ever choose to upgrade, you’ll want the luck of the Joe working for you! When I finally put my place up for sale, I’ll be rushing out to the nearest Catholic store for my own special Saint statue

 

Loving “The Daily Show”!

I am absolutely loving “The Daily Show” tonight!! It had a fabulous “news” segment with its two correspondents complaining about how the white women in Pennsylvania are voting for Barack Obama and the black men are voting for Hillary Clinton.

But the evening hit a high note with a special appearance by Maryland’s hometown director, John Waters. He is fresh from opening his musical “Cry Baby” on Broadway. Not only did he admit to wanting to celebrate his 70th birthday in the Maryland Reformatory for Boys (because he just really just wants to be a juvenile deliquent), he actually called “Cry Baby” a sexy musical for the whole family. If you don’t remember the movie, it starred pre-Pirates of the Caribbean Johnny Depp as Cry Baby and Ricki Lake as his sister with all the raunchiness that Waters is known for in the movies.

Jon Stewart was laughing it up and looking like he was truly enjoying himself. Seriously, how could you not? It’s John Waters!

Shouldn’t I be watching the Pennsylvania primaries? Not when you’ve got “The Daily Show” with John Waters.

 

Online politics… can it make a difference or is it just hot air?

When Howard Dean made waves in his quest for the White House, I must admit I tuned out all the stories about his online presence. It sounded pretty crazy to me, a women who never went beyond searches for information, sending e-mails or having IM chats. I didn’t have a Facebook profile, didn’t understand MySpace and didn’t even read blogs. Back then, I even thought Wikipedia was a static website. Yes, I was horribly naive about the Internet. And I couldn’t understand why a candidate would wage an online campaign.

I thought that Dean was “new age,” part of a fly-by-night operation. How could he be legit, I asked myself? I assumed that if he was online, then he was less of a candidate. How wrong I was…

Fast forward to 2008 and it is evident that Dean was ahead of his time. He truly shepherded in a new era in presidential politics and it is here to stay. In today’s campaign cycle, if you want to know what the different candidates think about issues, just go to their website. Want to find like-minded suppoters? Visit Meetup or start commenting on blogs. Truly everything you need to know is at your fingertips and everyone you would want to know from the campaign is just a click away.

But I think Jenny from the Farm hit the nail on the head with her question: Does online politics get out the vote? It was the exact same question that our classmates asked in relation to the Iraq War - does opposition to the war translate into action? People appear to be so very opposed to the war, yet President George W. Bush handily won a second term in office. Where is the action? Or, is online action a false sense of reality?

Could it be that people get so comfortable speaking out online that they never have the need to head to the polls? Could they believe that their action online (donating money and blogging) will be enough to secure the nomination for their candidate? More importantly, where are those online supporters when the going gets rough? Howard Dean still didn’t get the party’s nomination. Ron Paul hasn’t been able to galvanize his troops at the polls. And John Kerry still lost to George W. Bush.

Maybe online politics just haven’t hit the age of majority and it will take more time for campaigns to learn how to convert online support to voting support. Or it may mean that voters need more time to become online savvy.

I just want something to happen soon to spur our voters to action. Every four years we have the opportunity to elect a president of the United States. It takes just 30 minutes to stand in line and cast your vote. Just 30 minutes to make your voice heard.

What will you do on Election Day? Will you be at home on your computer? Or will you be at the polls, casting your ballot?