Yee-Haw! A Texan's Observations on DC

Honking: Now I am not some backwoods Southern who has never ventured north of the Mason-Dixon line. I have traveled to numerous locations, including some extensive time up in NYC. And, yes, I have noticed that in every northern city there seems to be a lot of car honking as a primary means of communication while behind the wheel. However, it always amuses me. It’s always the biggest reminder than I am not in Texas anymore. When you are south of the Red River and you decide to lay on the horn, you damn well better be prepared to engage in a gunfight. You just simply don’t use your horn here – especially when stopped at a red light when there’s an 8 and 10 chance the driver being honked out will get out of the car and attempt an ass beating! Your smartest move is to honk on the highway when you have a fairly good chance of out-running them on the open road.

Unsolicited Opinions: Now I love this about DC and other places in Yankeeland. Every cabbie, every cop, every doorman, every waiter, every pedestrian waiting at the bus stop has a strong political opinion and eager to share it with who ever is half-way listening. I wish Texas were more like that, but that’s just not the “southern way.” It is considered private, and rude to discuss it unless you are with peers whom you are positive share the same views.

Anti-Smoking “Soap-Boxers”: We only encountered two assholes while in Washington and both where anti-smoking bastards. The first time this happened we were sitting off the National Mall (near the Smithsonian) and away from other folks. A middle-aged black man started pacing back-and-forth in front of us loudly chanting incorrect stats on secondhand smoke. Neither of us said anything in response…just longer drags. The second time it happened, we were in a non-smoking Italian bistro off DuPont Circle. My friend went to the bathroom and set her pack of smokes on the table. (NOTE: She was not smoking them. She needed something out of her backpack and set them on the table while digging in her bag.) Anyway, a haggish-looking twentysomething woman started directly and forcefully confronting me on why the cigarettes where sitting on the table. I unleashed on her ass. She and her friends quickly got up and left. It’s a bit of a catch-22 for me. I love how people openly express their opinions, but I get highly pissed when strangers feel like they can lecture me.

The Metro: Is it just me or does it seem like there aren’t enough stops on the Metro? Nevertheless, the DC subway system is hands-down the nicest and cleanest I have ever been on.

Protesters: I LOVED seeing protesters in Washington. It’s just a beautiful example of everything I love about my country. (However, the Da Vinci Code protesters were a bit annoying. Newflash: It’s a work of fiction! The more hype they generate protesting the movie, the more people will want to see it. Duh!)

Assumed Red: Naturally, most people we met in DC asked where we from. And naturally when we said Texas they immediately thought we were Bush-lovin’-Republicans. Umm, No! I am blue trapped in red. It’s always entertaining to hear ridiculous stereotypes.

So, let me set the record straight while I am on this topic:

Yes, I am a proud native Texan.
No, I do not own a horse. In fact, I haven’t been on a horse since I was 5-years old (and that was at a petting zoo).
No, I do not drive a big ass pick-up truck.
No, I do not listen to country music. In fact, I detest it.
Yes, I do know how to two-step.
No, I do not line dance. (Stupid, stupid, stupid!)
No, I do not wear a cowboy hat or boots.
No, I do not have much of an accent.
Yes, I do have all of my teeth.
No, I am not a racist.
No, I am not a homophobe.
No, I am not a political conservative.

Anyway, I am proud of our nation’s capitol, and I am so glad I finally went to visit. The entire city and it’s residents were friendly and beautiful.

Oh, and I wouldn’t be a true Texan if I failed to mention that our state capitol in Austin is larger than the federal capitol in DC. (Sorry, that’s a state law!)

Drinks on DuPont Circle

On the last night of our trip we dug-up enough energy to go out for drinks at the closest pub (Timberlake's). We were in essentially a gay bar (nothing wrong with that!) in a gay neighborhood, so we paid for our own drinks that night (shameless, I know). Anyway, here are a few and I honestly can't tell you what the hell is going on in one of them. The close-up on my mug photo was the very last photo taken on the trip...and it's of me as a sweaty, drunk, dazed, sunburned mess! Enjoy.

Back from DC

Well, I am finally back from DC, and we had a blast! It was balls-to-the-wall from the moment we stepped off the plane. Here’s the run-down:

DAY 1
White House
Lincoln Memorial
Washington Monument
World War II Memorial (daytime)
Vietnam War Memorial (daytime)
Korean War Memorial
Most of the Foggy Bottom & George Washington University area when we got lost walking.

DAY 2
Capitol
FBI Building
Ford’s Theatre
Chinatown
Watergate
Supreme Court
House & Senate Buildings
Arlington National Cemetery (daytime)
Ritz Carlton Hotel (Room 1012…the infamous Monica Lewinsky room)

DAY 3
Smithsonian (American History, Air & Space)
Night tour of the monuments (FDR, WWII, Vietnam, Jefferson, Arlington)

DAY 4
Pentagon
National Cathedral
National Archives (Bill of Rights, Constitution, Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence)
The house & “death” stairs where The Exorcist was filmed in Georgetown
John & Jackie Kennedy’s Georgetown house

I will post a more detailed accounting of our trip with more photos and some of my observed ridiculousness, but for now I need to head to bed. I have been slammed with work since I returned.

Yes, I Kept My Name...Get Over It!

Am I the only female that kept her name after getting married?! I have been married for almost three years now, and I am sick of having the same exact conversation with strangers. It goes a little something along these lines:

Them: “Are you guys married?” [Baffled]
Me: “Yes. And before you ask, I kept my name.”
Them: “Oh. Okay. [Long pause while they digest this.] Is he okay with that?”
Me: “Yeah.” [That’s the question that starts getting me annoyed…is HE okay with that? Sheesh!.]
Them: “Umm, why don’t you use your married name?”
Me: “[My Maiden Name] is my married name. I never changed it. That’s my name legally, socially, professionally and every other way.”
Them: “Why?”
Me: [Sigh] “Because it’s MY name. Just because I got married I didn’t feel like I needed to abandon my identity. Look, I really don’t want to get into. It’s my name and it was my choice to keep it.”
Them: “Well, what about your kids? What name will they have?”
Me: “My husband’s.” [Then I change the topic.]

I live in the most open-minded, liberal city in Texas and I never imagined I would be hassled over my decision to keep my name.

New Ride, Excuse Making & Updates

I know I haven’t posted anything in over a week or so, but things have been crazy busy in my world. We (ahem, I) bought a new car yesterday afternoon. I desperately needed a practical “work horse” for my real estate business. I ended up getting a new 2006 Nissan Altima – and very reasonably. (Seriously, if anyone is car shopping right now, look into the Altima. I ended up getting over $5,200 in rebates.) My first choice in color was black, but ended up falling for the “Smoke” color. Anyway, they are tinting the windows on Monday, and I am pleased to have a new member of the family.

Other than buying a new car, I have signed on several new clients this week and done a ton of shopping. (Note: We moved into our new house a little over a month ago, so I am still getting settled.)

Next week will be crazy too, but in the best possible way. My best friend and I are going to Washington D.C. for five days. There’s no particular reason why we picked D.C. – we could have gone anywhere I suppose – but it’s her graduation trip and my I’ve-had-a-shitty-six-months-and-need-a-break trip. Neither of us have been before (amazing!), and we are both self-admitted politics and history nerds.

So with all the upcoming travel, you can bet I will have a lot of observed ridiculousness to post soon! (Oh, and some good photos.)

Quote of Day: "Corporatism"

"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." -- Benito Mussolini

On a related topic...Only 981 days until the end of the Bush Presidency!

Adios Tommy Boy

Here is a wonderful example as to why I love Texas Monthly magazine so much! What a great headline.

Things I Need to Knock Out

A few nights ago I was browsing around the blog world, and came across this To-Do-List blog. One of the lists on there was “What I Want to Do with my Life,” and it reminded me that it has been entirely too long since I have re-evaluated those things in my own life. So, here is a small part of my lengthy list – some are long-term items, most are things I can and should do now:

* Travel through Europe -- especially Italy

* Set-up a baseball scholarship in dad's name

* See a game at Wrigley Field

* Conquer my fear of public speaking

* See the Texas-OU football game in person

* Stop smoking for good [This will be happening on May 31st]

* Get pregnant & raise a family

* Establish a more regular exercise routine that I won't burn out on

* Pay off hubby's student loan

* Make more time for volunteer work at Austin's Safe Place & Women's Shelter

* Polish-up on my Spanish & become fluent

* Learn to let things I can't control roll off my back more easily (i.e., not letting stupid people piss me off so badly)

* Cook more at home

* Have my business be 100% based on referrals & repeat clients. In the mean time, create a marketing campaign I actually like.

* Get more active in the local political scene

* See Dave Matthews Band in concert [This August!]

* Go diving at least once a year

* Read the newspaper every day instead of just Sundays

* Host more dinner parties & entertain more at home

* Take the long talked about trip to London with my mom

* Open my own brokerage

Nauseating Self-Promotion

After more than a year of saying I would, I am finally making a half-serious effort to hire someone to design my business web site. So, the task of writing the content has begun. To get ideas I looked at other Realtors’ sites, and at the end of the day this is what I essentially came up with:

Shannon is a dedicated, passionate, and market-savvy professional who puts her clients satisfaction before all else. Her attention to detail, superior people skills, broad knowledge of the real estate industry as a whole, and her pure determination to indulge her clients with first-class service sets her apart. With a background in journalism and public relations, Shannon understands the power of creative, well-organized and highly effective marketing and offers customized marketing plans that maximize property exposure to the most qualified buyers. A real estate transaction is really about managing people, their desires and their finances. It is an intricate and consequential negotiation. Shannon knows that it is not only important to secure the most able buyer, but also the one that is most likely to close the deal. When so much is at stake, Shannon is the only you want to represent you. Her fair yet aggressive negotiating style and protectiveness of her clients’ best interest and ultimately, their assets, has gained her respect with colleagues and clients alike. Shannon knows that every transaction represents the most important purchase or sale a person can make, and she takes every precaution to ensure that communication is impeccable with all parties involved from beginning to end. Whether it’s patiently guiding first time buyers through this exciting process or following through with clients’ needs long after the transaction is over, Shannon’s warm yet efficient business style will turn you, too, into a client for life.

I can’t believe I actually wrote that shameless crap. First of all, it’s terribly creepy to write about yourself in the third-person – I am just not as comfortable with that as say Bob Dole or well, take your pick of most of the current NFL players. Shannon feels like an asshole doing that. Secondly, it is over-flowing with buzzwords. You could almost make a drinking game out of it.

Anyway, I know I am just rambling about this, but, damn, now I really feel like I have sold out. There has got to be a better, more dignified way of drumming up new clients.