the (500 mile) long and winding road

it's taken a week to get caught back up with myself sufficiently to free up some time to post about my recent road trip to baltimore, but i finally have a moment or two to share a few thoughts from last weekend's mini-vacation:

thought #1: some things never change......like my inability to leave home with enough time to actually stop at south of the border to take some photos. 

thought #2: taking cloud shots became so much easier when i got my miata.

thought #3: another thing that doesn't change? traffic in northern virginia. even at 10 pm, it's a frustrating mess.

(this tie up cost me about 20 minutes. the one i encountered in northern virginia on the way back home sucked away another 45 minutes of my life. i need to figure out another route between columbia, sc and columbia, md.)

thought #4: though i can't really see myself moving back, seeing the "maryland welcomes you" signs at the border always makes me feel like i'm home again. 

thought #5: maturity is overrated.

thought #6: as flags go, you have to admit that ours is really good looking.

(since it was a clear day, the 15 star flag, measuring 30 by 42 feet, lfew over ft. mchenry. i don't know that we even had this kind of luck during our field trips in elementary and middle school.)

thought #7: when i die, if there's a short film shown as a tribute to me (i've already started thinking about the soundtrack.), the entire section involving the ten years spent growing up in baltimore should be shot in smell-o-vision and scented with old bay seasoning.

thought #8: i am not known for dealing well with change. when i first returned to baltimore after many years away, i was shocked to see that the power plant, which had been an indoor amusement park for several years during my childhood, had been turned into a shopping and entertainment center. i was so upset (and stubborn- it runs in my family) about it that this is the only hard rock cafe i've ever come across that i have refused to set foot inside.

my stance has softened slightly over the years- i'm sure the power plant would be a sad, sad sight had it been left vacant- but i still wish they'd bring back the amusement park. 

(i was similarly distressed when memorial stadium was torn down and the orioles moved to oriole park at camden yards. that said, i think i'm ready to finally attend a game there. it just won't be the same, though.....)

thought #9: experiencing another culture can be a little pricey ($4 for an ear of corn, in addition to the entry fee into the latino festival!), but worth it. 

thought #10: picking out landmarks along the way makes any road trip more fun. (this muffler man, along i-95 in north carolina, stands about halfway between my doorstep and my sibling's.)

thought #11: if you aren't a fan of road trips, perhaps you're just not driving the right car*. i highly recommend a convertible.

thought #12: it's important to know when to put the top back up on your car.

i left the top down after shooting the top shot and though it sprinkled a little as i skirted this storm, due to the high-speed aerodynamics, i stayed dry. after shooting the second photo, i briefly contemplated pulling over to put up my top, but since the clouds were off in the distance and moving east (away from my path, as i was heading south), i decided i'd rather continue as i was. 

*or, perhaps you've gotten stuck in northern virginia one too many times. 

cue up track six on "eliminator"

when i try to write a post after a long absence, i always seem to half-write a couple of things, only to wind up ditching them as soon as they start to feel kind of clunky. then, if i'm lucky (and my short attention span hasn't pulled me toward yahoo headlines or the pile of paperwork that i really ought to be doing), i wind up pounding out something brilliantly funny and/or perceptive* to tide you over for another fortnight (or two, or three) until the mood strikes me again. 

i make no promises of brilliance this evening. 

however, i can promise that i'm no longer going to ponder why my posts went from daily to bilmonthlyish (blame facebook), or discuss calls received at my full time job this evening.**

instead, this evening, i'm going to share something that has kind of thrown me for a loop. 

the main reason for my infrequent posting is that my time is basically divided between juggling my three jobs, napping in between said jobs, and trying to squeeze in some exercise in an effort to keep my somewhat sedentary jobs from taking their toll on my derriere. 

as a result, the bills are paid, i'm not completely sleep deprived***, and apparently i have a secret admirer. 

yes, you read that right. 

i. have. a. secret. admirer. 

while that sinks in, watch this:

(i chose this version, as opposed to the original, because i think guillermo's sweet dance moves really need to catch on.)

okay. so, now that you've seen hot girls, let's get back to talking about me.

the past three days, i've been filling in at the radio station, while the coworker i'm filling in for fills in for someone else, who happens to be on vacation this week. since my favorite place to work out (the columbia canal) is on the way home from the radio station, i've been wearing workout clothes to work so i can leave work, go to the canal and run or rollerblade, and then head home for my pre full-time shift nap at the answering service. since it's been hot out, i wore shorts two days and a running skirt i picked up at target (like this, but in hot pink) the third. 

apparently, the skirt made an impression. 

this secret admirer (still "secret", as my source refused to cough up any details, aside from the fact that i don't know this person, which narrows the possibilities by about ten people, as i honestly couldn't pick most of the folks in that building out of a lineup, as i'm usually only there on weekends) apparently has a thing for my legs.

admittedly, i'm flattered. floored- given that i consider my thighs a slight area of concern (damned cellulite)- but flattered. 

however, there's a little part of me that, despite the ego boost of being told that the sight of me in a bikini probably wouldn't scare too many people, is whining, "wait a minute! what about my mind? my sparkling personality? my impeccable taste in music?"

it's a little part, though- one that's easily drowned out by the new song i'm practicing for karaoke night: 

*or at least it seems that way to me at three in the morning, when the green tea i sip while at work is starting to wear off. 

**oh, i'm a little tempted, especially given the number of pregnant teenagers i've heard from lately, but that's probably best saved for an epic post later. 

***though a nap sounds really, really good right now