Nooner

Kind words for Clarence Thomas that I agree with?  Zut alors!!

Lots of snark about yesterday's Supreme Court ruling, complete with wailing, rending of garments, and gnashing of teeth.

PAC 7's this Saturday.

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Nooner

Who knew what I was missing by always taking cabs?

A lot of folks are talking about how Obama can win over White voters; some are serious and some aren't.

I don't give a rat's ass about Imus, but Jimi Izrael tells like it is on the latest idiocy surrounding radio's psycho geezer.

While on the topic of douchey old geezers, it's worth mentioning that even GOP dead-enders like Robert Novak are already making excuses for McCain's crushing defeat in November.

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Leaving Town

Swiss Family Rat is going to be departing for the Hinterlands of North Dakota for six months in less than a week. WifeRat recently got tenure and in that fine academic tradition now gets to take a sabbatical.

All of WR's colleagues told her that it was imperative that she get out of town for her sabbatical; otherwise, people would constantly be calling her and saying, "Hey, your on sabbatical right now, could you do XYZ?"

Originally we talked about going overseas somewhere, but a couple of things held us back. The biggest thing (for me) was that even though I've lived overseas before, it was under the imperial banner of the US Army. Given the current state of the world, I'm not altogether sure I want to be living outside of the US. I dunno, maybe I'm being paranoid and silly but I just don't feel like the time is right. Also, BabyRat is only 3; I want her to have a good strong memory of life in another country, if we went now she would remember but it would be more of a vague impression.

Anyway, WifeRat is from NoDak and the bulk of her family still lives there so I hit upon the idea that we should head out that way for a while. BR would get to spend some time with her other Grandparents, WR gets out of town for her sabbatical, and HR, well there wasn't that much in it for me other than doing right by my family.

More on this later.

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Botanical Illustration and Sculpture Exhibition at USDA National Agricultural Library, Beltsville

Floral Expressions in Stone and Print, a joint exhibition by the National Agricultural Library (NAL) and sculptor and gardener John Jayson Sonnier will be on display at the National Agricultural Library's Beltsville location through August 29. The exhibit features fourteen of Sonnier's botanical sculptures paired with companion prints from NAL's rare book collection.

Floral Expressions in Stone and Print can be viewed on the first floor of the National Agricultural Library (located at 10301 Baltimore Avenue, Beltsville, MD) weekdays, excepting federal holidays, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. More information about the exhibition is available at http://www.nal.usda.gov/floralexpressions/.

Sculptor and gardener John Jayson Sonnier has been a notable presence in the DC Metro area for almost twenty years. His work has been shown at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the United States Botanic Garden, and the National Sculpture Society's Annual Exhibits. The sculptures on display in Floral Expressions in Stone and Print include representations of calla lilies, magnolias, orchids, iris, lotus, and jack in the pulpit created in limestone, marble and alabaster.

Rounding out the exhibition is a selection of botanical prints drawn from the rich resources of NAL's rare book collection. These prints, selected from 17th, 18th and 19th century botanical and natural history volumes, were chosen to complement Sonnier's sculptures and showcase some of the rare and significant materials held in NAL's Special Collections.

PETER R. YOUNG, Director
USDA National Agricultural Library

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jimmmy valenntine's lonelly hearrts clubb

alrighty then:

this friday, 6/13, DJ D Thrett w/ DJ PM: so saucy... yet so unrefined

this saturday, 6/14, DJ LexusKing: so unrefined... yet so baltimore house

next friday, 6/20, DJ Tobi-Wan Kenobi** w/ DJ Viper & DJ D Thrett: so '80's ballet... yet so modern moose

next Saturday, 6/21 DJ Mellie Mel w/ DJ Dribble: so '80's moose... yet so unballet

hot pants

troy&dawn&mark: so oklahoma... yet so dc

** (yes that's Tobi from XM Radio, no she did NOT approve this DJ tag, all complaints can be directed to your domesticated pets (no really they care))

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Curious Phenomenon in DC

I get this in cabs all the time, but it also happens in shops and
stores in DC too; they don't have change for $20 bills. WTF?

You're a retail business on K St NW, smack in the middle of downtown, and you can't make $20 worth of change on Friday afternoon? I find this mind boggling.

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Grillin' & Chillin'

So I'm grilling yesterday while WifeRat, BabyRat, and SisRat are playing in the yard; the sky turns dark and rain begins to fall, suddenly and heavily. My three ladies quickly dash into the building and I'm left standing outside in the rain with food on the grill. I'm thinking I haven't started cooking the burgers or veggies yet, so I'll just finish up these shrimp real quick and do the burgers on the griddle upstairs and put the vegetables in broiler or something.

When I asked WifeRat to take the burgers upstairs, she gave me a puzzled look and said, "But we're grilling" as she ducked back inside. By the time I grabbed an umbrella out of the car and got back to work cooking I realized that the rain was letting up a bit and the situation was manageable.

As I continued to juggle an over sized golf umbrella, spatula, tongs, and a beer while trying not to overcook my shrimp and get some vegetables on the grill; I hear someone call out, "Hey, nice cooler!" I look over and see my neighbor Dan, who's cooler I was using.

We had gone swimming with Dan and his family at the Prince Georges Community Pool on Sunday and had inadvertently "absorbed" their cooler when packing up. Rather than drop it off right when we got home, WifeRat decided she would return it later in the week and that would give her an excuse to call Roberta, her current candidate for BFF.

One of the things I kind of didn't realize about starting a family, is that you enter into this totally different social network that revolves around children and family. I'm the social butterfly of the family, I've worked hard to keep my friendships up despite changing circumstances but now I'm obliged to enter into these strange whole family friendships. What's really wacky about initiating and maintaining these relationships to me is how much it ends up being like dating.

First you meet, either at a party of a mutual friend or at the park or some kind of "Third Place" like a coffee shop. Usually one parent from each family meets and then the spouses get introduced at some meeting in the future. After everyone has met and seems to like each other,
one party or the other has to take the bold step of asking for or proffering contact information. After the exchange of information is made both couples will then confer about taking the big step of actually calling or e-mailing and making plans with the other family; the big first date and things progress from there.

We've been dating Dan & Roberta and their kids for about six months now and things are going pretty well. Dan was outside playing with his two kids in the rain at the park that's right next to our backyard, so I invited him over for a quick beer. We could see the park from where the grill was and stood around BSing for about ten minutes while I cooked and we knocked down a couple of PBRs then Dan and his kids headed back home with their cooler and I finished making dinner.

It wasn't until I got upstairs with all the food that I found out the BabyRat was very upset that everyone had left her Daddy out in the rain.

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Love You WifeRat

I really, really do.

You know that you're my heart don't you? I mean, you made me the person that I always wanted to be.

These days I feel like I'm invincible; a combination of brains, body, and will that can't be stopped. The reason that I feel invincible is the love and support that I get from you . . . always.

You're not supposed to say "always" or "never" according Pop Psychology. But I feel comfortable saying that WifeRat is always there with me when I need her the most; she gives me the strength, stability, and confidence that I need to plow through anything that I need to get done.

You nursed me through finally finishing school, buying a home, having a child, and finally becoming the man that I always wanted to be. What I owe you can never be measured, you made me [pause] the me that I always wanted to be.

You give me love, you give me strength, you give me hope, and you (only you, not Fatty, not Mommy & Daddy) give me someone to live for.

I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU.

If ever in your life you doubted my love for, here it is for the whole world to see.

lch

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