Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in debbie_davidson's LiveJournal:

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Friday, March 9th, 2007
4:20 pm	A True Classic "The Five-Foot Shelf, with its introductions, notes, guides to reading, and exhaustive indexes, may claim to constitute a reading course unparalleled in comprehensiveness and authority." We are in the home stretch of negotiating an offer on a home so, of course, our next thought is: MOVING! We moved here at employer expense but we realize now that we are on our own for this move and panic has set in. My father-in-law was a consummate collector of books, favoring first editions, and we have hundreds of books. They are everywhere. In an effort to reduce household contents, I am offering the 1936 edition of the Harvard Classics Five-Foot Shelf of Books. This 50-volume set, including the Study Guide and Lectures, is leather-bound in blue with silver gilt print on the bindings and in flawless condition with the exception of Volume 36, which includes The Prince (Machiavelli), Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, and Luther’s 95 Theses. For some reason, the lettering on the binding has worn on this volume (perhaps it was the owner's personal favorite? ;-) but the others are free of torn/stained pages and turned-down corners. This was a one-owner set that I bought at auction in Cincinnati and one of the books still contains the shipping slip. I also have one of the original wood crates that it was shipped in, making this a true collector's item… I’ve seen them on eBay and Amazon.com at all different prices (the same set is selling for $400 on Amazon today). The lowest that I’ve seen them at is $5/volume. Let’s say $250 or best offer for the set. I’m willing to bring them into the office/District area, drop them off within a reasonable radius of the DC metropolitan area or ship them at buyer’s expense via media mail, a low-cost alternative to standard postage rates (if you’d like to give this to someone with the discerning tastes necessary to appreciate this truly unique collectible). Debbie Davidson deeldee@verizon.net 703-978-1910 (Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007
10:48 pm	Dante's seventh circle of hell must feel something like this... I'm currently in a dispute with the IRS and Verizon. I lost my Internet connection for ten days during the holidays, the time when you want to connect with family and friends. After numerous support calls and a live technician's visit, the problem was solved ("Your IP address wasn't bound to your router" - whatever THAT means) and I was offered a whopping $10 credit. Oh, BTW, I work from home every Weds. and missed two sessions of work at approximately $100/session. Do I get credit for that? Of course not... The IRS has denied the foreign earned income exclusion for the time that Chris spent in Iraq. The stated reason: "It was earned in a country with travel restrictions." DUH, there's a war there. I tried calling every day for a week. You get the usual "Hi, I'm your friendly IRS person and you can tell me all your problems and I will fix them." OK, do you know that you have to be in-country for 330 out of every 365 days to qualify for the foreign earned income exclusion? No? Then I don't want to talk to you. My tax accountant, Clare, has been incredibly tenacious in dealing with them (especially given the fact that the travel restriction was lifted in 2004 and it's the 2005 tax year that's in dispute ;-) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Thursday, September 28th, 2006
6:21 am	Let me see, where did I leave off? Blogging has taken a back seat to everything else of late. School, work, life, and fulfilling my dream to become a domestic goddess in Burke, VA... I've been serving on the board of an Indian dance company, Dakshina (offering in Sanskrit ;-) and the activity level has picked up considerably over the past few months. First I started doing the books; I'm still struggling to get a handle on QuickBooks and basically the entire accounting process. Then we decided to do some fundraising and I've volunteered to do an e-appeal so I'm putting the finishing touches on that one. The Fall Festival is quickly approaching and we need to put some information in the hands of the 2,000+ subscribers to the e-mail blast. Finally, we're taking 12,000+ names that were sold to us by one of the arts organizations and using an append service to try to get e-mails to those folks. If you'd like to check them out on the web: www.dakshina.org The start of school was a blessed relief. It puts structure around our lives and makes everyone adhere to a schedule again. Summer is relaxing but I do a lot to keep kids occupied, somewhere besides gaming and surfing. It's tough being a mom in the new century! We've been slammed at work as always. No end in sight. Projects and programs are ramping up, which increases registrations for conferences and interest in the publications on the topics being presented. Sort of a controlled frenzy on a daily basis. But, we're trying to handle it with good humor and grace. (Comment on this)
Thursday, August 17th, 2006
10:07 pm	It's our anniversay... of our move to VA ;-) I came back from the pool after swimming some laps and saw my neighbor, Bill, out on his porch. Bill is retired Secret Service, Cheney's detail, married to a Greek woman, Helen. Very nice people. Suddenly I realize: we moved here one year ago today. What's the score? Schools: Cincinnati by a long shot. There is nothing here, nor will there be anywhere else, anything like the Academy. Ever. My friend, Ellen, asked me recently: Any chance that you'd come back? If there were any possible way to maintain two households, I'd do it in a heartbeat. There's not. Which brings us to... Cost of Living: Cincinnati. Hands down. No contest. Cost of living is at least 50% higher here, on average. Some things are double the cost, including housing. It is what it is. Jobs: NoVA by far. We both love our jobs; Chris for the mental stimulation, me for the camaraderie. Environs: again, NoVA for its climate and excellent cultural/recreational opportunities. Housing: do you even have to ask? Cincinnati has real neighborhoods, NoVA is a suburban nightmare... People: I've got to say that, while the midwest has it's moments, you meet the most interesting people in Washington, DC and NoVA. One of my colleages, Natalie, just announced that she is returning to Sweden. She's actually a native of Central or South America and speaks SIX languages... So, it's a split decision. 3-3. No clear winner. I could stay a couple of more years, I could move on. For now, it's about the best situation we could've ended up with, given that our initial choices were Korea, Texas or HATTIESBURG, Mississippi. Oh, puhleez. And, if Chris had taken the job that was initally offered him when he returned from Iraq, he would've been travelling up to 250 days per year. In which case, we would've stayed in Cincinnati... (Comment on this)
Thursday, July 27th, 2006
8:13 am	I've seen it and it's not pretty... Commuting hell exists here in NoVA. The last two days, my transportation karma has been particularly bad... On Tuesday, I decided to work out on the way to the VRE station. After I got out of the rec center, I hit every light between there and the station. Maddening. Got there just as the train was leaving. It's the last train, so I had no choice but to take the Metro (I thought). When I got to Alexandria to change to the Yellow Line, I hear the train whistle; the Metro/VRE stations are adjacent at King Street. Duh, I could've taken the Fredericksburg line from the Metro station. I decide to take it on the way back to VA in the afternoon. But, I just miss the train and VREs only run every 40-45 minutes. So, it's back to the Metro (the stations are contiguous at L'Enfant). Yesterday, I made the morning train just fine, with room to spare. When I left in the afternoon, I decided to use the restroom before I left, only to discover that the one in the basement was out of commission due to the work being done to remodel the kitchen (basically, they pulled down the entire ceiling in my office to run a drain line to the icemaker ;-). So, I go upstairs to use the restroom off the lobby. Bad call. I get to the Metro station and the door closes in my face. If I miss the 3:30 Metro out of DuPont, that means I miss the 3:50 train to Manassas. It's not particularly hot by Washington standards, but I decide to take the Fredericksburg train to Alexandria, where you can wait in the air-conditioned lobby of the station for the Manassas train (it's also an AmTrak station). Then the announcements start: the Manassas train is delayed. So, I wait an additional 20 minutes there. Another two-hour commute... Tomorrow, I may try the express bus to the Pentagon, where you pick up the Metro. There's a stop at the top of the street for it and I believe that it's one of the last stops before you get onto the HOV lanes of 395 and one of the first stops when you return. That's what's great about my neighborhood - endless transportation options. If I could only find a GOOD one... (Comment on this)
Thursday, July 20th, 2006
9:33 pm	Bad transportation karma worsens... I agreed to meet Laura, Maria's friend, at Union Station again and our plan was to get the last respective trains to our destination (Laura = Baltimore/MARCC, me = Burke/VRE). A VRE employee on the platform tells me to take the Fredericksburg line and switch to Manassas line in Alexandria. Fine. So we all make the switch. Then we get sidelined for, like, half an hour. The conductor comes around and passes out the free ride coupons. When I get off at Backlick, a few miles from home, there is a major accident near 495 on Braddock. So we all crawl around that one; someone's Prius got creamed. Two hours door-to-door, a new record. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, July 18th, 2006
9:08 am	Zak's creative writing Leopard jungle A leopard was hunting a Wangalabigalapop, He saw it and his legs stopped. He watched it eating a wungalabungalwhack, Waiting for the moment to attack. His legs went into first gear, But he stopped because he saw a bingalabeer. The bingalabeer came down with force, And it snatched it up with its feet forks. In the air the leopard cried, and though he thought he was finished, Out of the brush came the much feared mangy-dingy minished. The leopard fell down to the ground, howling all the way, And it fell into the mouth of the bunga lunga Bombay. In its stomach the leopard's eyes filled with tears, Since it knew it would be digested over the next 1,000 years. (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 15th, 2006
10:49 am	Bad line karma morphs into bad transportation karma... Monday, I'm on the VRE. The conductor doesn't come around to check tickets until after Alexandria. The family near me has taken the wrong train, Manassas instead of Fredericksburg. They had to change at Alexandria to transfer. Now they have to get off at Backlick, ride back on the last train northbound, then switch to the Fredericksburg in Alexandria. Probably cost them 45 minutes or an hour to make the switch. So, I look at them and say, I can run you into the Springfield Metro, the next stop on the Fredericksburg line after Alexandria. Took me about ten minutes to drive them down there. Been there, done that: wrong train, wrong platform, wrong direction... Good thing I was off Weds. The trains ran 40 minutes late that day. (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 8th, 2006
7:24 am	Heard about it, read about it, never seen it happen... There's always articles in the Post or the Express or the Examiner about what to do if your child gets separated from you on the Metro. I was going up to Union Station to meet a friend of a friend for a drink, stepped off the Metro, was reading her instructions on which way to exit the station to get to Capital City Brewery. A woman and her two sons walk up; the announcer had already said, Doors closing, a few seconds before. I thought about saying, Wait, but it happened so fast. The woman and one of her sons steps on, the doors close, here's the other son standing on the platform in front of me. He starts to cry, of course; if I were 7, I'd cry, too. The recommendation, by the way, is to stay put and wait for them to return to you. Makes sense; if you tried to catch up with them, you're always going to be one train behind... I sit down with him. She has to go up to New York Ave., change trains, and come back. So we wait, two trains go by. I tell him that, if she's not on the third train, we'll go find the station manager. For once, strangely, not a WMATA person in sight. Usually, they're all over the platforms in the major stations. But, she's on the third train; family reunited, everything's cool. Zak, of course, would've considered it a big adventure. Like the time he decided to take the train home from the Mall without us. We went into the District shortly after we got here; Amanda and I wanted to see the American Indian Museum. Zak's not interested. I suggest he go to the Air and Space Museum, meet us at the Hirschhorn. JUST IN CASE, here's your Metro ticket and some money but DON'T leave without us, OK? Well, to Zak, this is a big challenge. Can he get home on the train without us? It doesn't help that, on the way into the District, we'd ridden with another kid about Zak's age, travelling alone. We get to the Hirschhorn, no Zak. I knew immediately what had happened... He got to the terminus of the line, in Springfield, without any problems. Then he got on the right bus. But he had to change buses and the driver's instructions confused him. He ended up at a church, a couple miles from the house, and called Chris. The church called the police and they showed up simultaneously. They both get the big lecture: That's not how we do things here in NoVA. I think Zak learned his lesson... Maybe... (Comment on this)
Monday, June 26th, 2006
10:00 pm	So what do people do with no kids? Nothing... Putter around the house and the yard, watch a movie uninterrupted, make dinner and leave the dishes in the sink. In short, whatever they want to. Chris and I decided to go kayaking; we'd been in the water 30 minutes when I hear thunder (and I don't mess around when it comes to storms; a friend of my mother's was killed by lightning on the golf course a few years ago). It has rained buckets in the last three days. We could kayak in the back yard. I had to drive into the office today and on the way in, the woman I was supposed to meet this evening called; her office is closed. The Federal Triangle is underwater; the Metro is severely affected. Took me an hour to get in and 75 minutes to get home... (Comment on this)
9:27 pm	Kid vacation started uneventfully... NOT! Every summer, my parents take the grandchildren on vacation. Until this year, it's been a week at the lake but this year they decided to go to Chicago. The Tut exhibition is back; bigger and better than ever, according to my mom. They agreed to fly the kids to Cincinnati. I just can't keep making that thousand-mile journey. I got them a Sat. morning flight. No big deal to put your kids on an 8:30 non-stop, right? I couldn't have been more wrong... We got out the door smoothly enough, other than Amanda forgetting her bagel. Good thing Zak ordered three so there was a spare for her. We get to the airport with 80 minutes to flight time. This is when the fun started. We get to the terminal and there are, like, 50 people waiting to check in curb-side. So, into the terminal we go. There were, literally, hundreds of people waiting to check in. US Air's computers went down and there are now three or four PLANELOADS of people waiting to check in. Well, I decided at this point that my kids are not missing their flight. I got them a non-stop since they are flying without adults and my parents were driving an hour, to Dayton, to pick them up. If they get re-booked, it ain't gonna be a non-stop and they're going to be flying through Atlanta or Chicago or Philly and my parents are going to freak. So, I put them in line and start scoping out the situation. I am told that they are prioritizing flights and they want to get the people with 8:30 flights on their planes. But a number of these people are on international flights so they get priority treatment; if they miss one leg, they miss them all. So, I start looking around and notice that there are a number of check-in kiosks available. Why they aren't directing people to them is a total mystery to me. I'm determined to get to one and use it. I know that Amanda has to check one bag and the rest is carry-on so I go and get the bag from Amanda. They have been in line for half an hour at this point and moved, oh, about ten feet. So, I leave it in an inconspicuous location; don't want to draw attention to myself. I sidle up to one of the machines and dip my credit card. It spits out boarding passes. Next, I gotta get a checked baggage tag for the suitcase I've left behind (by doing so, it doesn't look like I'm cutting the line ;-). I wait patiently for my name to be called, then run back and get the bag, throw it on the scale, and get a luggage tag. So far, so good. I get the kids out of line and we run for the security clearance point. It's now half an hour to flight time. Luckily, I discover that their gate is just beyond the check-point. Here's where my "bad line karma" kicks in... Do you have bad line karma? I do. I always get in the line at the grocery where someone has bounced a check or items have to be price-checked or the clerk's getting ready to close. Once, at Christmas in Elder-Beerman, the bad line karma nearly turned into a brawl. I pick a line. Wrong line. It turns out that this is the line where one screener is giving access to the security check points to two lines, first class and coach. Literally, I could've been through the other line three times in the amount of time it took us to get to the head of the line. Now they just gotta clear the security point. People keep cutting in front of them. We're down to fifteen minutes. I'm literally sweating blood at this point. They make it through the checkpoint but it's taking them forever to screen luggage. Zak finally gets his carry-on. We'd just watched Forrest Gump the night before and I'm yelling, "Run, Zak, run!" But, I guess they were holding flights because of the check-in delays because they made it, barely. I'm so mentally exhausted at this point that I have to go home and take a nap... (Comment on this)
Saturday, June 10th, 2006
5:59 pm	I have come to an interesting conclusion... I think I was depressed for much of the time that I lived in Cincinnati. Why? The weather. I'm not kidding here; I am serious as a heart attack. My girlfriend, Mary, mentioned it first. She said, "I suffer from Seasonally Affective Disorder (SAD) during the winter due to the lack of sunshine." I never thought about it much until I got to VA. It's perpetually sunny here. Nearly constant. Blue skies almost every day. And my mood is much better. I don't let things get to me. Most of the daily aggravations of VA life, I just brush off. Oh, well, it is what it is. I'm more upbeat at work and the stress doesn't get to me like it would if I were doing the same job in Cincinnati. Go figure... (Comment on this)
5:53 pm	I switched to the VRE for the summer... VRE = Virginia Rail Express. OK, so it costs a little more. I gotta tell you, it's worth it. It is so fast and so quiet and so pleasant. What drove me off the Metro is the new announcement. If you've ever been to DC, they've had the same one for the last twenty years: a two-tone chime and "Doors opening/closing." They had a contest to pick a new announcer right after I got here. The new announcement is a little different: Step back, doors opening/closing. A little more strident. No problem with that. But they paired it with this multi-tone chime that MAKES ME INSANE. Remember that my commute is something like 15 stops on the Metro, on three different trains. The chimes sound every time the doors open and close, and multiple times at busy stops when the doors don't close properly. I probably have to listen to the announcement close to a hundred times a day and I can't stand them. I plan to switch back to the Metro in the fall but I'm wondering if I can do it. (Comment on this)
Monday, June 5th, 2006
7:56 pm	Egad; two teenagers! The last time I looked, I was young and carefree; with Zak's birthday yesterday, I am now officially older than dirt ;-) Yes, Zak was thirteen yesterday, and he went hang-gliding, just like his dad went soaring outside of Ithaca when he was 13 (the national soaring museum is there). I read an article about Highland Aerosports in MD and thought, Just the ticket for Zak's birthday. They do an aerotow to a half-maile, then an instructor guides and allows the newbie to cruise while still being responsible for the landing - good thing... I'm sure that the next thing Chris will bring home is a hang-glider to share the garage with his new motorcycle LOL (Comment on this)
Friday, June 2nd, 2006
4:08 pm	Eastern v. Western Accupuncture I think I blogged about my experience with an accupuncturist in Cincinnati, Mimi Tagher. A meditative experience, really, with the laying-on of hands. It always made me feel wonderful, regardless of my complaint. I quit smoking, my back hurt less, she banished a pain in my hip that presciption painkillers hadn't even impacted. I see that my health plan will pay for an accupuncturist so I find one in NoVA. Dr. Luo. Chinese woman, probably my age, does a very thorough exam, then invites me to lie face down on a very uncomfortable exam table, '50s-style, so that my back is painfully arched. She places a number of needles in my back and then she attaches ELECTRODES to them and starts this bizarre sensation in my lower back. I'm, like, What are you doing? Well, apparently some accupuncturists use a method where they constantly stimulate the needles. Mimi never did that, she just placed them and left them there. So, I ask her how long I'm supposed to undergo this painful treatment. 20 minutes? Are you nuts? How about 5? I couldn't get out of there fast enough. My back has been worse ever since. I know there has to be a network of eastern accupuncturists in an area with this many Asians. How do I find one? (Comment on this)
Thursday, May 11th, 2006
4:22 pm	Life seems to be hitting on all four cylinders these days... Of course, I can say that having traded down to the 4-cylinder SAAB a year ago. Owning a performance vehicle in NoVA is an exercise in futility most of the time. When I get an uncluttered piece of road, I tend to open it up and one of these days I'm gonna get busted, no question about it LOL What I refer to, though, is that there's a certain groove that we've settle into and everyone seems comfortable with it. Amanda even allowed, in a phone conversation with Maria, that she thinks school is OK, which amounts to an unqualified endorsement in my mind. My colleage, Cindy, and I call our kids every day after school so our first question is, "How was school today?" The other day, I turned to her at the end of her conversation and asked, "Do your kids ever say: Great! Wonderful! Perfect! I loved it!" No, they always say it was OK. So, it was comforting to know that everyone's kids have the same reaction... Zak has some friends, Chris and I have jobs we enjoy, Amanda has her art, even the cats seem to like it here. I joined the board of my colleague's dance company the other day, which will give me another outlet for my time and talents, shouldn't be super-demanding and I guarantee it will be fun; eastern Indian dance company that also showcases modern dance, dance from other cultures, sitar concerts, etc. The kids have been admitted into summer arts program so I don't have to be the guilty working mom. All in all, life in NoVA has a lot of positives; the cost of living being the only negative in my mind. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006
6:13 pm	Slugs are everywhere in DC... No, not your garden variety but a specific breed of them. DC has the most amazing transportation options and one of them is the slug line. You go to one of several pre-determined spots and pick up two or more riders. Three or more in a car allows you to use the HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lanes on 395 going into VA. Today I had a doctor's appt. so I had to drive into the office (and from near Dulles Airport, too; not pretty even at 10 a.m. ;-) That means I'm faced with an evening commute and it's ugly around here starting at 4. So I go on-line, find the slug line website, and it gives me all the information I need to get some slugs. Three people hop in; no money changes hands. Just an opoortunity to avoid the headache of driving down 395. One of them directs me to the best route to the HOV lane, which avoids 14th Street past the Washington Monument and the mall. Thirty minutes from my office to the parking lot where slugs originate from, a few miles from my house. This commute normally takes me 75-90 minutes on the Metro or in my car; instead, I get home with enough time to get a tank of gas ($3.15/gallon or $40 to fill up) AND drop off my prescriptions. If I only had that option on a daily basis. But, I go into the office a little late, 9 or so, to take advantage of it. Plus, I'd have to Metro to and from the location at 19th and F. I may try it once or twice to see if I like it. It's amazing to live in such a transportation-rich environment. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, April 25th, 2006
10:01 pm	Oh, not, not again! The up side to DC is that I landed a great job. The down side is: my boss quit on me again. Every time I score a great boss, s/he leaves... The first time was in graduate school. The guy who hired me, Ken Page, announced that he was leaving to be the Sr. VP for Business Development at an HMO. Then, when I went to work for the phone company, I landed another great boss, Sue Maggard. We did a strategic planning process for business development and they promoted her. Now, Robin is leaving to train and consult. Bummer. (Comment on this)
Monday, April 17th, 2006
6:32 pm	I nearly wept... upon realizing that I wouldn't have to take a second job to afford groceries in NoVA after all... Of all the things that are expensive here, food is obscenely expensive. My grocery bills are double what I used to pay in the Midwest, and the quality is not that great. The cheapest ground beef, the lowest quality (20-25% fat content) is $4/lb. I never paid more than $1.99 in Cincinnati. My neighbor, Helen, lovely Greek lady married to a former naval officer/retired Secret Service agent (Cheney's detail) kept saying, You have to go to the commissary. Problem was, I couldn't find my driver's license and you can't get onto the base without it. You also have to have a dependent (CAC) card to get in and it's helpful to have tags on your car so you can get on base (and so that Chris could drive the SAAB on post if his truck was in the shop, e.g.) A couple of weeks ago, when I went to pay the rent, I grabbed the wrong checkbook and there was my license. So I set aside a day to go to the various offices on post, with all the required papers (insurance, registration of vehicle). It wasn't too bad, took a couple of hours total. So, I decided to go over, take a look around, pick up a few things (didn't need much as we were going on vacation) and get lunch for me and Chris... I was nearly overcome at the experience. I'm talking the hugest, highest quality produce section I've seen since I've gotten here. The asparagus, not miniature trees like everyone else tries to sell you around here, was $2.50/# instead of $5. Milk was $1.59/gallon. Dannon Yogurt's were .40 and the meat was unbelievable; beautiful, high-quality stuff at prices that approximated Cincinnati. I never thought I could have a love affair with meat but I went through their meat department thinking, With that lamb, I could make moussaka or marinade it or grill it. 97% lean ground beef is $2.09/# (guess they're trying to keep our fighting forces lean and mean ;-) Seriously, if I hadn't found the commissary, I was thinking about taking a job on my day off and weekends to pay for groceries. Now, I guess I won't have to do that after all LOL (Comment on this)
Saturday, April 15th, 2006
8:59 pm	Boys went south, girls north... It was the spring break of everyone's dreams (given that it was the first real vacation we've taken since Chris got back a year ago and took this crazy job ;-) We couldn't agree on a vacation spot. Zak and Chris wanted to do a guy thing, like kayaking and hang gliding in NC; my thinking on this was: if you can't lay on the beach and swin in the ocean, what's the point? So, Amanda and I left for NY on Tues. and stayed until yesterday, then drove to my cousin's south of Philly and spent the night with them. We ate dinner at places like Sushi Planet and Mare (seafood), saw a show on Broadway, attended a Seder, shopped. Had the best bagels on the planet on Amsterdam, about a block from the hotel. Spent an afternoon in Central Park, strolling amongst the native New Yorkers. Saw Thank You for Smoking, a wickedly funny movie... Chris and Zak had a great time, came home sunburned but happy. Took hang-gliding lessons this morning. Ate BBQ three different places, didn't like any of them particularly well. Said mine was better LOL In the summer, we'll all go to Ithaca together. For now, everyone came home content and felt like they had gotten their money's worth for the amount of time they had together... Picked up a book on the Upper West Side, Thieves of Baghdad. Here's the link to NPR's coverage of the author, who investigated the events surrounding the looting of the Baghdad Museum's priceless artifacts in 2003: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5024219 Get it. Read it. You won't be able to put it down. (Comment on this)