WashingTina

WH and I are off on vacation for a bit . . . so WashingTina will be quiet for a bit.  But don't fret.  I'll return from our sojourn with stories aplenty (and even though they won't be D.C.-focused, will still appear here).  Meantime, have a look back at some of my favorites from days past: Marshal Plan Moon Over Washington Looking Up SnowMG One of Those Days Going for the Gold Here Comes the Brides Happy (Hour) Trails My Favorite Kind of Politics All the World's a Staged Apartment Toying With Us Enjoy!

Last Friday I pulled a good one! I absolutely love surprises. Love them! On other people. I am no fan of being surprised (and thus, rarely am). In fact, I usually read the end of a book first just to make sure I'm going to like the ending (sacrilege to my literature professors) and because I don't want any unpleasant surprises ruining things. But for other people, I love them! I have been trying to surprise WH for years, but never seem to be able to do it. For his birthday and Christmas he asks, very specifically, for things that he wants which I dutifully purchase for him. So he's been sadly surprise-deprived lo these many years. Until last week . . . A colleague at work had forwarded along an email that Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert were going to be doing a talk at the Warner Theater, and knowing WH's love for Tony, in particular, I promptly purchased tickets. I waffled a bit when it came to choosing the ticket level, because for a mere $100 more, we could atte...

D.C. may not be New York or Los Angeles, but we certainly get our fair share of celebrities in the city from time to time. Angelina regularly testifies on Capitol Hill and Anna Nicole had her case tried before the Supreme Court, and during the inauguration everyone from M.C. Hammer to Bono to Beyonce was in town. I have christened myself one of the foremost celeb spotters in the Washington-Metropolitan area. I can be walking down the street and faster than I'd recognize my own mother, I'd recognize Felicty Huffman and William H. Macy (and, in fact, I have). In this city, what we consider a "star" is a little different than other places. A nerdy sighting like Cokie Roberts at lunch (yup, had one of those too), a street-crossing George Stephanopoulos (seen him), or John McCain in Chinatown (that one, too) gets us as excited as spotting Arnold Schwartzenegger and Maria Shriver (yeah, them too--and they're a bonus sighting because they qualify as both Hollywood and ...

Sometimes I wonder, am I the only normal person on the planet? There are days when I feel like the whole world is crazy and I'm the only one who makes sense. But if that's the case, does that make me, in fact, ab normal? You see, sometimes I have these conversations with my friends and family where they say things and I just wonder, "Where on earth did you come up with that?" We already know WH is prone to thoughtful musings, but there are others in my life who often surprise me. My friend the Gay Lawyer and I were talking the other day. I was telling him about a particularly eggregious smell that I encounter on a regular basis. He informed me that I should keep a little jar of Vick's handy so that I can quickly put a little under my nose to avoid the smell, because that's what they do "in the morgue." I'm not sure how he knows this, other than from watching Silence of the Lambs (yeah, I remember that scene, too). Then there's my sister . Sh...

The other night, Wonderful Husband informed me that he thinks he's having a midlife crisis in his thirties. It seems he's been surfing eBay in search of toys he had during his childhood. I can relate to that, as neither of us has access to our childhood homes anymore, both sets of parents having long since vacated. In my case, a select group of toys are now sitting in a giant bag in our storage unit in the basement. In his case, the toys were lost in a move. And so, he has found himself on eBay, trying to "reclaim what once belonged to me." WH has been fascinated by what he's found. In particular, he's been confused by the pristine toys that are in mint condition, still in the box. Here's how the conversation went down: WH: I don't understand. Who was that kid whose mother bought them a toy and they kept it in a box? What kind of weirdo was that kid? WT: I never really thought about it. WH: Well I have, and it raises two questions. First of all, if the...

I love TV. I watch it. A lot. I watch all kinds of shows, and I'm generally not that discriminating about what is on. I don't have a DVR, so I always watch the commercials too. And I love them. The good, the bad, and the ugly. As I've said before , I think I'm a frustrated ad executive underneath it all. For some time now I've been absolutely fascinated with the Dyson commercials. I'm sure you know the ones I'm talking about. The one where Mr. Dyson talks about his obsession with suction. I find his passion for dust removal both hilarious and commendable. Think about it. Here's a guy who has spent years of his life doing nothing but thinking about dust, suction, and flawed vacuum cleaners. I mean, the guy made 2,000 prototypes just to get the sucking right. Can you imagine what he's like at parties? I imagine conversation with him goes something like this: Party Goer: Hi, I'm Debbie. Dyson: Hello, Debbie. I'm James. PG: So, James, tell me a ...

I've been sick for the past week, which has resulted in a lot of home time, alone with the television. As anyone who watches a lot of TV (particularly during the daytime) will tell you, advertising can really make or break a product. For instance, every time Jennifer Love Hewitt talks about how Proactiv solution saved her skin, I want to get out my credit card and order immediately. I'm also completely mesmerized by Space Bags -- those plastic bags where you suck out the air with your vaccuum and miraculously a giant comforter is smushed down to pancake size. There are a couple of commercials that, every time I see them, I wonder how the advertising agencies that came up with them are still in business. For instance, the folks at Geico. They seem to have multiple personalities, if you ask me. First they had the cute little British gecko. Then they turned it up a notch with the angry cavemen (while still using the gecko). Then there was that strange money with eyes glued to it...