Probably won't be hearing from me for a while...

I AM GOING HOME!!! WOOHOO!!!

Maybe, if I have time, I will tell ya about the wonderful time I'm having and make you all insanely jealous. Otherwise, you won't be hearing from me until the week after next.

Happy 4th of July, all! =)

I'm Convinced...

that the government thinks it's employees are 52 cards short of a full deck (leaving only the jokers). I offer evidence of this assumption... Our resident office of safety and health sends out emails before every holiday, encouraging everyone to celebrate safely. The latest email had some great recommendations concerning fireworks. Here are my favorites (the comments in blue are mine):

· Have an adult present.

because the government always hires kids - who do they think they are sending this email to?

· Use outdoors only.

but what if it's raining? *insert whiney voice*

· Never experiment or make your own fireworks

because someone smart enough to actually do this, would have no idea how to safely set it off - actually that may be the case... some of the academically smartest people I have known, have had the least amount of common sense!

· Never give fireworks to small children.

unless, of course, they are obnoxious children and need to be blown up

· Never throw or point fireworks at other people.

they might get mad at you and retaliate, but if you use something big enough and make sure not to miss, that will not be an issue

· Never carry fireworks in your pocket.

just in case you spontaneously combust

To top it all off, the email ended with, "REMEMBER: DANGER NEVER TAKES A VACATION." It was in all caps just like that too! It made me laugh. I hope you find it amusing as well. And if you learned anything about safety from reading this post, maybe you should apply for a government job. =P

Pink Clouds and a Patch of Blue

While yesterday may not have technically been the longest day of the year, it certainly seemed like it (in the DC area anyway). Between the endless rain, the washed-out roads, the quiet office (due to the washed-out roads), the traffic, the downed trees and electric lines, the flooded buildings (both residential and federal), and the general mess this crazy weather has caused, yesterday most definitely seemed to be a VERY long day!

After all that rain, all I wanted this morning was to see the sun! Of course, I knew that was not going to happen. The weathermen had already warned us that we are still under flash flood warnings until tonight. So I prepared for the worst... wore black, pulled my hair back in a headband (this humidity creates quite a 'fro for me), and grabbed an umbrella as I headed out the door to work. As I drove over the bridge on my way to work, I noticed some color in the eastern sky - could it be?! There is was, bright as day... pink clouds where the sun was rising. I obviously could not see the sun through all the clouds and did not expect to, but just knowing the sun was still there behind all those clouds gave me reason to hope that the sun would in fact shine again. The rest of the ride was a pleasant one as I contemplated happy thoughts of summer. I walked up to the HQ building, still caught up in my own ponderings, and glanced up as I am in the habit of doing (since I have no windows anywhere near my office, it is the last glimps of the outside world I get to see until I leave in the afternoon). To my great delight, I saw a small patch of blue sky directly above me. It may not have been much, but even if it is pouring out there right now, I don't know it - I am still carrying a picture of a small patch of blue around with me... and it makes me happy.

Speaking of the longest day of the year... have you ever wondered why it is called Summer Solstice? Well, wonder no more. I decided to look it up - the word "solstice" comes from the Latin "sol" = sun, and "sistere" = to stand still. The sun moves north until the beginning of summer and south until the beginning of winter. The moment it takes to switch direction, the sun stands still, hence the name.

So now I feel little bad...

I signed up to get DC alerts emailed to me, so Friday afternoon a message pops up in my mailbox that says:

The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for the entire metropolitan D.C. area... Rainfall totals through Saturday are expected to average 2-4 inches across the area; however, local amounts could be higher.

My response to this (in an email to R.) was:

Yeah, 4" of rain totally sounds like a flood to me... better get started on the Ark!

Well... last night I began to be concerned about the amount of rainwater that was accumulating in my area and told my sister that I hoped my new apartment would not flood (since I am on ground level with no basement beneath me). Then, I recieve a call this morning around 5:00... R.'s house is flooded! It's a good thing she is not superstitious, otherwise she might think I jinxed her. All things considered, I suppose my email was not the most brilliant thing to have written at such a time. Here's to better forethought next time.