10 days of FUN!

I appreciate the large amount of comments on the last post. How fulfilling to know that there are people reading these comments/observations/rants. Yet, at the same time, how incredibly scary to be reminded that there are people analyzing the innerworkings of these writings. I will try not to dwell on this too much; I fear for the quality of the blog.

Anyway, after careful planning, I have decided to do a dual report on Millard Fillmore for the obvious reason that he is incredibly obscure and Jimmy Carter because my dad had the funniest story for nominating him. You can look forward to this educational piece shortly. But before I get to that task, I must tell about our ten day February vacation (not to be confused with Spring Break which is in April. It's not our fault we have two breaks. Move to Massachusetts.) Here's a recap of our time in Washington DC.

The first few days were spent with members from our program of Americorp, Notre Dame Mission Volunteers, serving all over the country. It was highly valuable and full of helpful tips. It was also full of hours of Catch Phrase. For real, hours. Bill and I once again won the award for preparedness (boy scout meets organization queen) for filling the odd times before planned activities. Who would know that such an innocent game could become so addictive? Now we know. The second portion of our trip was spent with Dan. Dan's life is officially as glamorous as it sounds -- glamorous studio in a glamorous neighborhood, glamorous friends, and a pretty glamorous job. We all know he talks fast, but Dan does everything fast -- walks, works, and escapes from squirrels. He was a wonderful host and we are very appreciative for him filling up precious space in his studio with two ugly suitcases and one partially deflated air mattress. By the way, if you are headed to DC anytime soon, check out the Postal Museum. It is definitely my new favorite Smithsonian and I'm not kidding. Any place that gives you your own "Identification Card" is okay in my book.

In honor of President's Day...

After the horrible discovery of the Groundhog's Day hoax, my dear friend Kim and I started thinking about the other February holidays. We all have our opinions about Valentine's Day -- whether we think it is romantic or a commercial trick to prove affection -- that's not even an interesting debate anymore. But, what does go undiscussed is President's Day. This day to celebrate all Presidents falls conveniently near the birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Kim and I wondered -- as wonderful as these men were, what about presidents number two through fifteen? They must have done some honorable things. Speaking of which, what about all of those guys in the middle that no one can even name? Each of them must have done at least one exciting thing, even if it is getting stuck in the bathtub (rough claim to fame if you ask me). So, to be an equal-opportunity lender to all of the presidents, I have decided to go along with Kim's half-joking suggestion to do research on one of the lesser-known presidents. Now, I am not talking about an intense, thesis-driven essay here, but I will cover the topic. You will come away knowing at least one interesting thing about a little-known president. So who will it be? Chester A. Arthur? William H. Harrison? Someone whose middle initial is not the same as their last initial? Just let me know.

Groundhogs Day = Complete Sham!

I know a few of you have already had the opportunity to hear this rant, but I think it's important that everyone knows the truth about Groundhogs Day. I hold anyone who was previously privy to this information personally responsible for keeping me ignorant until an embarrassing 23 years of age.

There is no such thing as a groundhog. "Groundhog" is actually another name for a woodchuck! That's right, we celebrate a woodchuck popping out of its hole. Equally disturbing is that the famous "groundhog" we trust to predict the coming of spring, Punxsutawney Phil, actually lives in the Punxsutawney library. There, he eats ice cream and dog food until February 2nd when he is relocated to a heated burrow under a simulated tree stump. How an animal that lives in a controlled environment could continue to predict the coming of spring is awfully confusing. Perhaps that is why his accuracy rating is only 39% Some research revealed to me that Phil has met with many celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and Ronald Reagan. Now that's just ridiculous. It's a woodchuck. However, a funny sidenote, Canada has their own albino groundhog named Wiarton Willie. Those crazy Canadians always know how to one-up us.

Perks of Poverty

As much as I complain about my newly chosen state of poverty, there are definitely perks. Nuns, for some reason, are a popular recipient of free tickets. Tonight we will attend our second Celtics game -- free of charge. Granted, we are at the top of the balcony and I am now hip to the apparently common knowledge that the Garden is rat infested (Thanks Dad). I'm not sure why donors would think, "Hmm... I have these free basketball tickets. Who do I know that would be interested? Of course! The seventy-year old nuns at NDEC!" I am definitely not complaining though. If these tickets find their way to me, I will gladly take them off the hands of those not interested.

Along with professional basketball, I also get to attend benefit dinners. Well less dinners than "Hors D'oeuvres and Drinks" read: chips and salsa and wine, but once again, I am not complaining. One of the major sacrifices Bill and I have had to make is wine. Not only can we not afford it, we don't even have access to my parent's supply! It's tough. I'm pretty sure the Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot mix that I took advantage of last week would not have been in Mom and Dad's wine rack, but it was free.

So as you read about my difficult job and my huge sacrifices, don't feel too bad for me. I'm a wine-guzzling, basketball-watching volunteer.