How to Irritate People

The urban family took a weekend trip to Charlottesville. We went shopping, tasted wine at a vineyard, enjoyed several good restaurants, and visited UVA. But, the highlight of our mini-vacation was a tour of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.

Almost as soon as we stepped inside the foyer and the tour began, John Cleese came back to haunt me. I frantically dug in my purse for the phone as I made my way back toward the front door. My hand was on the knob when out of nowhere a docent grabbed me, pulled me back into the house, and shuffled me off into a back hallway of the house.

After turning off my phone, and receiving a scolding, I was allowed to rejoin the group. The guide never missed a beat, but my friends could hardly catch their breath from laughing.

Thomas Jefferson said it best, "Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances." It seems as though we have quite a handicap.

He's the Cheesiest!

Apparently Kevin didn't learn his lesson. My lactose-intollerant friend hosted a cheese tasting party last week. He had 15 guests and, you guessed it, eight pounds of cheese!

...And It Was Good.

Back in January, DC celebrated Restaurant Week. Over 200 of this area's finest restaurants offer special 3-course meals for $30.07.

On the first day, I went to Agraria... and it was good.
On the second day, I went to LIMA... and it was very good.
On the third day, I went to Farrah Olivia... and it was fantastic.
On the fourth day, I went to McCormick & Schmick's... and it was tasty.
On the fifth day, I went to Ristorante Tosca... and it was to die for.
On the sixth day, I went to Smith & Wollensky... and it was great.
And on the seventh day, I rested.

Now, two months later, I am still trying to recover from that piggy-fest and think back to it every time I step on a scale. Great news for my "foodie" friends who are in the same boat though, we have almost two weeks to work off the extra poundage in order to make room for Taste of the Nation on April 9th. ;-)

And Now for Something Completely Different

I love John Cleese. He cracks me up. (I'm sure y'all can imagine my excitement when he was cast to play the new "Q" in the Bond films.) I like Cleese so much, that I downloaded several ring tones from his website. Now, he announces my calls by saying things such as "It's your drug dealer calling" or "Ooooo - You have a phone call, you lucky thing!"

Almost as soon as I got back to DC from the holiday, I had to turn around and go to our company's headquarters in Atlanta. I was in a conference room with about 15 people and had forgotten to put my cell on silent. (Can you see where this is going?) In the middle of our meeting, Cleese announced quite loudly, "Pick up your phone, you silly bastard!!!"

There was a moment of silence, and then the room erupted in laughter. (Whew!) Thankfully I wasn't the only one who finds John Cleese funny. I really am a "lucky thing!"