Wednesday, December 24, 2008

The Christmas Lights Post

We finally got the Christmas lights up and running at Mum and Dad’s house and its pretty impressive. Light up trees, hanging icicles, wreaths, moving reindeer and a sleigh all dot the lawn and light the path in flickering colors at night. I meant to get some pictures but have yet to unpack my camera battery charger (who packs it separate form their camera…honestly! So disappointed with myself). But fear not I got a video of the guy across the street’s set up. It’s a bit ostentatious, to be honest, but considering that I don’t have any pictures to share it will have to do. Show off.




Update: Ok snapped a shot leaving the other night. Here's the house all festived-up.

The Back From Iraq Post

Stefan touched down in the US earlier this week and today he is back in Virginia after making the trip up from South Carolina. I’m sure he’s glad to be back. Tonight we have a Christmas Eve/Welcome Back dinner together as a family at the Russia House which we have all been looking forward to for a while. Knowing that Stefan will actually be able to make it is really making everyone’s Christmas. He’s off at his own apartment after getting back into town to drop off his stuff, re-acclimate for a little bit before we all meet up in Herndon for dinner. While the timing of his return is very ‘Christmas-Magic’y for all of us, I imagine he’s pretty stressed running around getting back into town one day before the holiday. That’s doesn’t mean he can get out of getting me a present. Far from it. I just feel bad that he has to. I am really looking forward to seeing him later tonight.

The local paper did an article on both Stefan and his friend Greg who where deployed and returned on the same day. You can check out the newspaper here: Vienna Connection December 2008

The New Apartment Post

A week and a half after getting the keys to our new apartment and I’m finally able to squat in front of my computer and get together some semblance of a posting. Over the past few days Sarah and I have been making attempts to get the apartment in some sort of functioning order. To our credit there is a lot going on with the holidays so progression has been slow and limited to short bursts of effort after work before collapsing and falling to sleep. The apartment is looking pretty good though and despite it’s very apparent ‘temporariness’ it is starting to feel like a home. If you ignore the abundant shipping boxes and rolls of bubble wrap, you’ll find that we have a bed setup, as well as our TV stand with all the electronic gubbins. Mum and Dad where really generous and gave us an early Christmas present in a dining room table and chairs that we have set up (well 2/4 chairs still require assembly), the Hunt’s gave us a two-seater sofa and coffee table on loan from their basement, which really pulls everything together nicely for now. Cable and internet are up and running too. I am typing this sitting in front of my monitor that lays in the spare bedroom corner, cross legged, surrounded by milk crates filled with Sarah’s LPs. The holidays are here and Sarah and I both agree that the apartment can wait. It will be great…but give us a few weeks before calling up for a visit though.

Friday, December 19, 2008

The Bad Blogger Post

So lot’s has happened in the past few weeks but I have not had a spare moment to sit down and get any posts off. A new job, new apartment, Stefan's entering US airspace any moment, friends are getting married, Christmas is going into full swing with holiday parties and light hanging, there was a fire… Living in a separate location to one’s computer makes blogging rather difficult I’m finding. This weekend we will attempt to get the internet running over at the new place so until then I’ll have to leave off with a dot dot dot and ‘to be continued’. Stay tuned.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The Mad Trucker Post

So yesterday evening the office was surrounded by blaring sirens and a ton of police activity. It started out relatively distant but got extremely loud. A few of my cubicle neighbors went to windows to see what was going on, and I overheard a lot of comments along the lines of “There goes another cop”, and “That was a state trooper”. I didn’t check as I has a lot on my plate at the time and didn’t want to rubberneck if there was an accident or something close by. On my way home I listened to the news and heard the reason for all the hubbub;

Apparently it was the tail end of a high-speed police chase. It started in Maryland when a murder suspect-truck driver was going through a routine truck station. Apparently his information red-flagged him (as most murder suspect's information usually does I assume) and he fled. Driving all the way down to Tyson’s, rolling over spike strips and being chased by a cavalcade of cop cars. Eventually they stopped him when he finally lost control and crashed into some trees right down the street from my office building. After the crash he refused to get out of the cab
and was tazered… I’m starting to wish I took a look now.
I couldn’t find any actual pictures that where any good so he’s one of another madman in a runaway truck. A Dark Knight came out on Blu-ray this week so it seems fitting. (Christmas shopping hint. wink wink, nudge nudge)

The Stefan's Return Post

“You stay classy Iraq. I’m out!” is the Facebook status on Stefan’s profile at the moment, which he posted just before leaving his post and starting the trek back home. We are all hoping his return trip doesn’t have too many layovers and that the Army do a good job of getting him back for Christmas. That’s the plan, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will pan out that way. Having him back would really make Christmas. I’m sure he’s far from the only guy over there hoping to make it back on time for the holiday, and I know many wont. I really feel for those guys, especially at times where family ties really mean everything. Being away from the country you love and the family you are protecting during the holidays must be awful. I can’t imagine what it really must feel like, and selfishly hope I never will. I know I’m not the only one looking forward to Stefan’s return, and I’m sure he will be somewhat of a local celebrity with all the visits he’ll be making and people who will want to spend time with him. I really can’t wait though. Having my little brother back home, and the family all together will be terrific.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

The Delightfully Piney Post

This morning the family, Sarah and I met up with Ali and Bob out at Ticonderoga for the annual Christmas tree selection. The last few years we have gotten some really nice trees from the tree farm out there, and used Bob’s trailer to lug them back to the house. After wandering about scoping the options (and freezing our buts off) we settled on a really nice shaped one that we where all pretty happy with. Except Sam who was torn between a few other trees- I think she came around in the end though.

Bob’s trailer proved to be invaluable again, as we ended up picking a 14 footer that wouldn’t fit on any of our vehicles by a long shot. Ali and Bob picked out a tree for their house too and tethered the greenery to the trailer securely before making the trip back. As usual getting the sucker inside and standing upright was a bit of a task, but with the extra hands proved to be pretty painless. No lights or decorations on yet, as we want to let iot settle and see where the branches fall before sticking any adornments on it. We’ll probably have to trim back in a few spots and possibly rotate it so the nicest side faces the room, but right now its looking pretty good. I am loving how potent the tree is. The whole house smells delightfully piney, which is putting me more and more in the Christmas spirit. Mum took some snappies and has them up on FaceBook.

The Vapiano's Post

Yesterday Sarah treated me to dinner at Vapiano’s in Dulles Town Center. We had often wandered past and thought it would be interesting enough to warrant a visit but never really found ourselves particularly hungry around the place. Well we decided to make a trip of it and headed up to the mall to try it out. We are really glad we did.

The restaurant is unconventionally charming and offers great food and an interesting dining experience. When you walk in you are given a RF I.D. card and a mini-menu to peruse. The majority of the menu is pasta oriented, but there are some antipasti and pizza options also. Once you have picked what you would like you walk up to one of the counters and specify the pasta you’d like. A chef will whip it up in a wok right in front of you while chatting with you. They where brutally efficient but still entertaining to watch as they steamed our pasta and fried up our chicken (or mushrooms in veg-head’s case). Once the grub is up and you’ve ordered your drinks, you hold your card up to the counter top device and away you go.


It’s a sit where you want sort of arrangement with wooden Ikea looking high-stools and raised countertop seating. Stylish and simple is how I'd peg the decor. A very nice balance of feeling chic but not overly so, while still really fresh and clean. Each table has fresh herb plants for you to break off and add to your food if desired. The food was excellent if not overly filling and is definitely something we’d recommend checking out. There is a trendy little bar at one end of the restaurant also that looks equally worthwhile as well. All in all it’s a great place for reasonably priced food, in a different setting that really delivers an interesting and fresh feeling meal. Check it out next time you are out that way (There is also one is Ballston).

Monday, December 1, 2008

The Black Friday Post

Turkey sandwiches and deal-crazed shoppers are the two things that the day after Thanksgiving is good for. While I do love a good turkey and stuffing hoagie I must say that if I had to pick one of the post holiday traditions, I’d side with the Black Friday madness. There is something about rampant merchandising that gets my blood boiling, and with the temperatures outside at 4am in Virginia, that’s a good thing. This year I didn’t have anything in particular I wanted to pick up, even after hours of flyer scouring with Sarah. Regardless of my own shopping agenda we rose at 3:30 and blitzed all the major retailers to catch the best of the holiday fervor. We managed to score some excellent deals on behalf of other (more sleep oriented) people but largely didn’t put any dents in our own shopping lists. I don’t know what it is about holiday merchandising that gets me going, but I can’t stand not to be a part of it, even if I don’t actually buy anything. The Christmas music in the car while we wait for the sucker to warm up makes it all worthwhile. Is that sad? That’s what my shrink said… till I got him a great deal on a Cannon 6 mega pixel camera!