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				I'm back from merry olde England, and I've missed you all!  I hope you've missed me, or at least my weekly update.  The U.K. delivered in every way I'd hoped, in addition to some ways I hadn't expected.  For instance, did I expect that in the sleepy one-block town of Alfriston, I'd be flashed by a young English woman, self-proclaimed to be "mad as a box of frogs"?  No, I did not.  Nor did I expect that our motley traveling crue of three Americans, two Bulgarians and a Turk would be serenaded by a Welshman in the tiny Cotswolds town of Miserden.  But it was a very pleasant surprise, especially given his completely coincidental choice of my wedding song, "Never Tear Us Apart" by INXS.  Another sweet surprise was the fact that a fave band of mine, Athlete, was doing an in-store performance of their just-released new album on the one night we were in London between countryside adventures.  (See Summer Mix 2005, Rotation 7, and Rotation 10.)  It was such a small venue, we got to chat up all five members of the band afterward.  But the expected highlights of a trip to England were all there, too:  crumpets, polo matches, clotted cream,  white cliffs, West End plays, moor-wandering, real Fanta, sheep encounters, fish pies, and old dearies.  There's no other way to say it--everything about British life is truly civilized.  Now I'm off to order seeds for my new project:  English garden 2010!! [09.02.09] I have been accused over the years, by one person in particular, of not having any angst, and thereby not really understanding what angst it.  I never thought much about the observation, because I thought it was so off-base that it didn't even deserve a rebuttal.  But a few weeks ago, my sister J. Dawg (who, by the way, wants to set the record straight that SHE is, in fact, A&A.com's biggest fan) agreed with the crazy sentiment that I have never felt angst.  Okay, so I may not be as Gen X as my accusers--though some have said the cut off is December 31, 1980, which would mean I just barely made it.  But, hey, I love John Hughes movies (rest his genius soul)!  And I think you HAVE to have experienced angst in order to truly enjoy The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, etc.  Merriam-Webster defines angst as "a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, or insecurity."  Based on that, I'm pretty sure everyone with a pulse who's reached nursery school age is covered.  But I guess my definition of angst is this:  to have a dream and to be nervous about never achieving it.  So to you, my accusers, I say this:  what, you think I don't have a dream?  You think I'm not nervous about whether I'll achieve it?  I'm a regular nervous nelly!  I got angst!  As far as I'm concerned, when defined in those terms, it's angst--not love--that makes the world go 'round. [08.19.09] August 10, 1919.  That's the day Nanna was born.  For those of you who aren't mathletes, that was 90 years ago.  For those of you who don't get out much, I'll tell you what that means:  ONE BIG PARTY.  A party filled with people representing nine decades of an extraordinary life.  I knew I would know some of the guests, and I wouldn't know others--though they might know me.  Some of my favorite guests ended up being those to whom I'm related but have never met.  I'm talking third cousins, twice-removed.  They had to explain how we were related at least three times.  But once I got it, we chatted about Nanna the pioneer and early feminist.  I also was pleased to meet the family of Nanna's BFF from William & Mary, who, like her, was also named Virginia.  Her Annie D.!  Though she's passed away, seven members of her family came to honor Nanna.  And then of course was the gem of the Forwood family--my first cousin, once-removed-in-law, Tracey.  She is the biggest A&A.com fan there is.  Though I've only met her a handful of times, she knew all about Guitar Boy, T. Diddy, the move to Chicago, and the trip to Napa.  And she knew about how cool Nanna is, but of course she didn't need A&A.com to tell her that.  Though, as most of you know, it's come up several times. :)  [08.11.09] It's August in D.C.   August means less hassle, less motivation, and less traffic.  It's a month we spend the rest of the year waiting for, just to watch it pass us by much too quickly.  It's essentially a long swan song for summer, even though we have a couple months of decent weather left.  (Although, now that D.C. has adopted a tropical [read: rainy] climate, the definition for what passes as "decent" has changed.)  Amazingly, it has been a year since Juniper Lane opened for Coldplay at the Verizon Center.  I really can't believe it.  On Friday the A&A crew made some new memories at JL's Iota show.  The VIPs gathered at Whitlow's, migrated to the back porch at Iota, then eventually settled in where we feel most at home:  in the front row.  The Old Guarde--Rooker, Potter, and myself--belted the words to every song, while the Young Guarde--Kendra, Zack, Libby, and Kristie, Jill and Andy--danced, jumped, and generally flailed to evey block-rocking Juniper Lane beat.  Jeff, Andrew, Christina, Erin, and HBT kept it respectable back by the bar.  And two New Wave participants--Betsy and Marni--were declared the newest VIPs by the end of the night.  It was a banner evening.  Heck, even baby Sasha stopped by the pre-party in a sparkly ensemble!  If you missed the show, you'll have another chance to aim high and attain the VIP status you've always sought on October 24, Juniper Lane's next Iota show! [08.03.09]
I met a Canadian yesterday.  Well, I met several, but one stood out as the most boisterous and friendly, which prompted Cara to tell him that she'd always thought of Canadians as a shy people.  We took him to lunch and fulfilled our diplomatic duty of thanking him for the famous Canadians America has appropriated (Michael J. Fox, Bryan Adams, Dan Akroyd) and those we wish we had not (Celine Dion...  okay, mainly just Celine Dion).  This led into a discussion about some of the super sweet Canadian bands I love, such as Stars, Metric, and Arcade Fire.  Then the Canadian piped up about Barenaked Ladies--which, okay, FINE, but live in the now, dude.  Then we talked about health care reform, and he pointed out that the 47 million uninsured Americans represent one-and-a-half Canadas.  One-and-a-half!  There are only 30 million people up in that vast expanse of tundra!  He also tried to put Canada's cities into a framework we can understand by comparing them to U.S. cities.  One was like Houston, one was like Detroit, one was like Seattle... of course, true to the nature of self-involved Americans, I can't remember what the Canadian cities were.  Because for so long I haven't needed to know--it's never come up.  I will have you know that I brought up the whole "Kick a Ginger" Day thing, and told him that Anne and I are still ticked off.  Disrespecting gingers is about as unacceptable as Celine Dion. [10.01.09] This past weekend the ladies hit up Williamsburg for all it has to offer:  food, beverage, scenery, shopping, memories, and a general excess of patting ourselves on the back.  Not that members of the A&A crew don't boast healthy egos no matter where we are, but something about going back to the 'burg makes us exceedingly self-congratulatory.  As we criss cross the campus, strolling between our favorite hot spots (DOG Street, the delis, and Nanna's townhouse), we talk nonstop about how great Williamsburg is, how great William and Mary is, and how great we are for knowing this and, further, for having known this at the age of 17-18 when we all chose to spend our next four years there.  Really, if anyone overheard us, they'd probably knock our heads together.  But that's why we didn't invite our significant others on the trip. :)    There was only one moment when my ego was put in check.  We were at the Leafe, discussing this website and how sweet it is and how it's not a blog, and Maggie looked at me and said, "It's time to call a spade a spade."  Of all the debates I've had about what exactly this site is, her comment was the most jarring.  It was so simple.  So calmly stated.  So straightforward.  I have to give her credit.  She went balls out and it paid off--I could barely swallow the Legend Lager in my mouth.  She was so WRONG, yet so so hilarious. [09.24.09] I think the worst thing about living through a recession is the media talking ad nauseum about how we're living through a recession.  If you're not feeling its effects, you probably would prefer not to think about it, and if you are feeling its effects, you don't need the doom and gloom reminder.  As with all things British, the Brits have a much more polite--and dare I say, catchy!--phrase for "recession."  They call it a "credit crunch."  Now doesn't that sound more pleasant?  It could almost be some type of candy bar or turtle brownie!  Plus the phrase is easier to use in advertising:  "Credit crunch lunch - only four quid!"  Regardless of the terminology, I think it's good for America to tighten our collective belt and get back to basics.  Luckily, being frugal doesn't have to mean looking cheap.  Why, I can look expensive every day of the week thanks to Forever 21.  And watching my wallet might actually help me get closer to the goal of living in a feng shui, clutter-free house.  I vow to buy no more shampoo, conditioner, or lotion until I use the drawers full of little hotel bottles I have stashed in the guest bathroom.  But there's one luxury I simply cannot, will not go without:  parking tickets.  I've driven to class four times now and come away with two parking tickets and a minor moving violation.  If only they could see me now, W&M's Parking Services would be so proud!! [09.16.09]   Happy Back-to-School Week!  Though in recent years summer has crept further and further into my heart, it hasn't quite replaced fall as my favorite time of year.  Despite the fact that there was NO traffic on the way to work the morning after Labor Day--which historically is THE worst traffic day of the year--several other indicators screamed "new school year" throughout the land.  My tiny plot of south Arlington land especially.  First and foremost, President Obama chose the high school across the street from my house as the location for his national education address.  Holla!  Second of all, September hit and--BAM!--it was time for the fall wardrobe.  It's downright chilly outside!  Since we didn't have any fall last year, and no spring even more recently, I guess I forgot what temperate weather felt like.  Really, if we're not experiencing 50-degree swings in temperature, I find myself getting confused.  The final and biggest sign that it's back-to-school time is that, well, I've gone back to school.  I finally gave into that urge to buy school supplies.  Now that I have professors and assignments and stuff, I'll have to read something other than Vanity Fair, Harry Potter, and the internet.  We'll see how that goes.  One of my assigned books is about the West Wing, so I just might be able to swing it. [09.09.09]