DDR

This past weekend, I went to the NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo for this article.  Tons of people and exhibitors, and in our travels, we walked by the Dance Dance Revolution booth.  "Look at that," said Tony the photographer.  "Oh, DDR?" I said.

He didn't recognize the acronym.  I thought that was just common knowledge.  Joe and our friend Alex C. didn't know what DDR was either when I was recounting this story.  I continued calling it that, despite their protestations, because I am just too cool for school.

I suggested that Tony take my picture while I tried my hand at DDR, but just as a joke.  Well, he took me seriously.  I tried to demur, by saying that I am really terrible at this game.  No, really.  Really.

I ended up trying it, in front of a long line of DDR-crazed tweens.  The results were not pretty.

I have a very "Durrrr" expression on my face.  And my feet are barely moving.

OK, one foot got off the floor in this photo.

So the whole 40 seconds I played, I don't think I even hit the foot pad successfully once.  I am a horrible dancer, and seem to be incapable of getting my brain to direct my feet to move in a timely manner.  The screen kept saying "boo, boo" and I'm sure the tweens watching were about to start yelling that as well.

I slunk away and Tony said, "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you were terrible, huh?"

Nope.

"Maybe if you practice all year, really work at it, you can come back next year and show them."

Quoted, Vol. 16

"Yet even in this time of sky-high unemployment that now seemed baked into the system, Americans took to the streets and social media in impressive numbers, refusing to let go of the ideals of a country founded in revolt against the elites.  'We are the 99 percent,' they said, convinced that it was the people, not the banks or corporations, that were truly too big to fail." - Marc Fisher, "25 Moments That Shaped Washington," The Washington Post Magazine

Quoted, Vol. 15

"A piece of advice that I do give women recklessly, though I think there’s an underpinning of truth to it, is go home and sort your clothes into your “work clothes” and your “special party clothes” and then get rid of all the work clothes. It’s the equivalent of putting plastic on your couch and your lampshades. You should wear clothes everyday that make you feel fabulous." - Simon Doonan, Washingtonian interview

I love this quote, and I want to try to take it to heart this year, even though that's heresy in Washington, D.C. I hate "work clothes" with the fire of a thousand suns.

Tunes Tuesday: "Big," Sneaky Sound System

Today's selection is the single "Big" from Sneaky Sound System, an Australian electro duo.  I usually enjoy a dance track with a dose of romantic, bombastic lyrics and powerhouse belting, and this fits the bill.  "Big," indeed.

C'mon, the bridge is adorable: "And every time I fall you'd take my hand / And you would volunteer to understand... me." 

Headboard Was Not To Be

I returned the headboard.  Thank you for voting in the poll, the results were very close.  And though my heart said "keep it," my head said "return it," and that's what won out.  I was worried about getting it up the stairs and having to drag it to my next place, which my practical friends reminded me of.  If only this headboard wasn't so massive.  If only.

Anyhoo, my next fanciful idea is to make this Polish chandelier featured in Oh Happy Day.  Lots of cutting of tissue paper, and probably lots of patience required.  Patience is not my strong suit with crafts (example here).  We'll see how it goes.  Hopefully my Pajaki chandelier will somewhat resemble these!

Christmas Day 2011

So how were the holidays? Old news, I know.

Rain the dog says hello. This is my attempt at being William Wegman. Weimaraners always look horribly depressed in photos.

Cheer up, Rain, it's Christmas. Look at all those gifts!

Even though our Christmas gift exchange involves much trading of Internet links beforehand which lessens the surprise, it's still so much fun. Here's some of the highlights, so you can feel like you are an honorary member of the Chapin family.

Danny gets both an old-school Bullets sweatshirt and t-shirt, making him a "double hoopster." Rare indeed.

Have you ever seen a man happier to be getting socks as a gift? Unlikely. My dad is the sweetest.

He got my mom a new dustbuster, as requested, but he picked out the wrong one, despite much coaching and many Post It notes. My mom was incredulous. "I knew it was the wrong one when I bought it, but I wanted you to have something to open," Dad said.

"I just wanted to see your look of disappointment as you passively aggressively crumple the wrapping paper," Danny said.

I got her a William Wegman calendar, per usual, so maybe that eased the pain.

Here's my new Christmas sweater and Fuji Instax MINI camera that prints out photos instantly. More about the camera later. It is so much fun.

My brother unwraps some coffee that my parents "liberated" from the Ritz Carlton on their Hawaii vacation earlier in the month.

My mom loves to get us practical, survivalist presents for Christmas. I received a pocket knife and a flashlight that stays plugged into the wall at all times for surprise natural disasters. It's quite a clever idea, actually.

Danny opened his flashlight first, and for awhile, I thought mom only cared about his survival.

We are prepared for all Mother Nature can throw at us now.

Guess what else my parents got me. A re-up for my People Magazine subscription. AWWWW! They know me so well.

That about wraps up Christmas 2011. But Rain, look! You got something too!

Huh? (said in a Scooby Doo voice)