Kitchen Beautification Project- Part I

This weekend we undertook an extremely ambitious project-- replacing the ugly light fixture in our kitchen. This is part of the larger "Kitchen Beautification Project" we are involved in.

On a related note- we also got an estimate for new counters and floors, and picked out new appliances. But this is not the focus of today's blog entry. Because this weekend, dear readers, my husband used many tools- wire cutters, a drill, screwdrivers, a hammer, paint, spackle- and electricity (!) and installed our new kitchen lights.

Yes, we turned off the circuit. Yes, we had a few bumps in the road. Yes, there is still some work to be done. But let me tell you- this was big.

First a picture from "before"

Taking down the old light fixture

Removing the long bulbs.

Taking the rest of the fixture off the ceiling

The lovely holes we were left with. Oh, and the huge square that our painter couldn't reach.

Let the repairs begin! (this was where the smooth sailing ended, and when I stopped taking pictures)

Ta da!

We were so happy to have light and a whole ceiling again, we invited Liz and Tommy over for dinner. After two straight days of Kitchen Beautification Project-- Part I, David still cooked an amazing lamb stew, his crowd-pleasing three potato gratin and yummy shredded brussell sprouts.

So to recap-- David is awesome, I took pictures of his awesomeness and we are on our way to a fabulous kitchen.

1943 Guide to Hiring Women

While avoiding actual work today, I came across this article.

A 1943Guide to Hiring Woman, it originally ran in a 1943 issue of Transportation Magazine, and was re-printed in the September/October 2007 edition of Savvy & Sage.





Written for male supervisors of women in the work force during World War II, it really shows us how far we’ve come. Numbers 3 and 10 are my favorites.



I’ve seen many of these types of articles before, highlighting antiquated social etiquette rules which, and after a little digging, were proved to be fakes. So before getting my hopes up, I checked out it’s authenticity on Snopes and (woo!) its actually true.



If you can't read the article above (it’s kind of grainy, I know) here's the text:

1943 Guide to Hiring Women

The following is an excerpt from the July 1943 issue of Transportation Magazine. This was written for male supervisors of women in the work force during World War II. "Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees: There's no longer any question whether transit companies should hire women for jobs formerly held by men.

The draft and manpower shortage has settled that point. The important things now are to select the most efficient women available and how to use them to the best advantage. Here are eleven helpful tips on the subject from Western Properties:

1. Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they're less likely to be flirtatious, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it, they still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently.

2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Older women who have never contacted the public have a hard time adapting themselves and are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy.

3. General experience indicates that "husky" girls - those who are just a little on the heavy side - are more even tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.

4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit, but reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job.

5. Stress at the outset the importance of time the fact that a minute or two lost here and there makes serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is gotten across, service is likely to be slowed up.

6. Give the female employee a definite day-long schedule of duties so that they'll keep busy without bothering the management for instructions every few minutes. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them, but that they lack initiative in finding work themselves.

7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change.

8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day.

9. Be tactful when issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can't shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman - it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency.

10. Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl's husband or father may swear vociferously, she'll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this.

11. Get enough size variety in operator's uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed too much in keeping women happy."

John Adams- good stuff

If you haven’t been watching HBO’s miniseries on the life of John Adams, the good news is that you can still catch up. Last night was the 3rd episode of this 7-part series based on David McCullough's book about President Adams and the first 50 years of the United States.

Tom Hanks is the co-executive producer of this $100 million HBO miniseries- so you know it’s good. His Playtone Productions also made HBO's Emmy-winning miniseries ‘Band of Brothers’ and ‘From the Earth to the Moon’ as well.

Although the miniseries primarily focuses on the life of John and Abigail Adams, the film has an exceptional ensemble cast which includes familiar faces like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton.

Paul Giamatti is amazing as John Adams and Laura Linney shows why Abigail was so important to her husband and, indirectly, to the birth of the nation.

General George Washington

Doctor Benjamin Franklin

Although you already know what will happen in the big picture, the storytelling is so well done that the drama of America breaking away from England is new again. The miniseries recounts Adams' experience in the Continental Congress, his service as an ambassador in Paris and London and his return to government and politics as the nation's first vice president and second president.

Happy Easter!

Similar to my love for Christmas, I’m actually really into Easter as well. Like I need an excuse to eat jelly beans, peeps and those awesome Reece’s peanut butter cup eggs?



Since I went on and on about Purim, and I apparently have more than a few Easter-celebrating readers out there, I thought it only fair to give this holiday some extra attention. So here is a summary for all my non-Christian friends out there. Yes, this is going to be a rough sketch and mostly cut-and-pasted from the web, but what do you expect from me? Here goes…

Easter is the most important religious feast in the Christian liturgical year. Christians celebrate Easter in observance of their belief that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion.

Traditions associated with the festival survive in the Easter rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored Easter eggs, originally painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring, and used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts.



The Christian celebration of Easter embodies a number of converging traditions with emphasis on the relation of Easter to the Jewish festival of Passover, which is derived Pasch, another name used by Europeans for Easter. Passover is an important feast in the Jewish calendar which is celebrated for 8 days and commemorates the flight and freedom of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt- but this is another post in a few weeks.

Easter is observed on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or following the spring equinox. So Easter became a "movable" feast which can occur as early as March 22 or as late as April 25.

Easter is at the end of the Lenten season, which covers a forty-six-day period that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter. The Lenten season itself comprises forty days, as the six Sundays in Lent are not actually a part of Lent. Sundays are considered a commemoration of Easter Sunday and have always been excluded from the Lenten fast. The Lenten season is a period of penitence in preparation for the highest festival of the church year, Easter.



Holy Week, the last week of Lent, begins with the observance of Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday takes its name from Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem where the crowds laid palms at his feet. Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, which was held the evening before the Crucifixion. Friday in Holy Week is the anniversary of the Crufixion, the day that Christ was crucified and died on the cross. Holy week and the Lenten season end with Easter Sunday, the day of resurrection of Jesus.





This morning is the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. This takes place on the South Lawn of the White House each year. For more info, here is a link to the history of the White House Easter Egg Roll.

This holiday tradition has a long history dating back to 1878 when President Rutherford B. Hayes officially opened the White House grounds to local children for egg rolling on Easter Monday. Successive Presidents have continued the tradition of inviting children to the White House Lawn for egg rolling and other activities and entertainment.

Today, it’s an opportunity to see the White House close up, and to hear stories, enjoy egg coloring, art activities, face painting, music, magicians, and tons of other fun stuff. One of the coolest parts is at the reading corners, where visitors are treated to storytelling by authors of popular children's books, athletes, Cabinet members, and other senior administration officials.



Another one of my absolute favorite things about Easter is checking out the State Easter Eggs. Each year, local artists create eggs to represent their state (and the District of Columbia). This began in the early 90’s and the eggs are displayed in the White House. Some of these are really impressive- and others look like they were done by a 5-year old. Here is a link to the full list, and below are selections from the states I know readers are from…


the New Jersey egg (for Fran & Dov)
By far my favorite one this year- do we think this is Cape May?


the New York egg (for Amanda, Hayley, Jodi and my family)
serious bedazzler crazyness!


the Maryland egg (woo!)



the Florida egg (for the grandparents)


the DC egg (for the locals)


the Virginia egg (for the rest of my locals)


the Mississippi egg (for Michelle)
ok, you really have to tell me who this is


the Nevada egg (for Mikey)


the Illinois egg (for Becky)


the Georgia egg (for Brian and Kevin & Andrea)


the Texas egg (for Elizabeth)

Birthday at Buca

Now that I've officially embraced my entry into the late twenties, it was time to celebrate with friends. Last night we went to Buca di Beppo in the Kentlands (yes, we went to the Kentlands...can you believe it?!) for dinner.



The decor is fun, the food is rich and garlic-y, the service was....ehhhh. But it was a lot of fun- and Kathy & Chad, Mike, Brooke & Brian and Becky & Aaron helped me celebrate with enormous portions of italian food, cheap chianti, and a lot of laughs.




Mike leaves for Vegas this week and I'm glad we were able to have one more night of hanging out with him.


can you believe the size of these desserts?!

I'm really lucky to have such great friends- thanks for making it such a fun night.

And good luck to Brooke who defends her dissertation tomorrow. Soon she will be Dr. Stipelman!

Let the Madness Begin…

It’s that time of year again. Office pools and brackets on cubicle walls… streaming games and Cinderella stories…bragging rights and ‘fun units’ to wager with. Yes, it’s NCAA Tourney time.



For a few minutes this afternoon, I started drafting a post about the deterioration of the fundamentals in professional basketball, with its dunks and SportsCenter highlight-seeking passes over basketball basics. But it was half plagiarism, half lack of motivation that kept me from it. So instead, I will just let you know that I’m looking forward to watching hard working players get back to basic skills and elements of the game over the next week. Three-point shooting, communication, strong defense, grabbing rebounds- and above all team spirit.



Frankly- I love this stuff, and I have no problem with letting you know that I track the tournament like most two-week-out-of-the-year-fans. It’s good to see the White House candidates are also making time for the important things:



March Madness: McCain Ponders, Clinton Passes, Obama Picks UNC

March 20 (Bloomberg) -- Barack Obama is picking the University of North Carolina to win the national college basketball championship, John McCain was working on his tournament bracket last night in London and Hillary Clinton told reporters she needs to check with her sage, Bill Clinton.

The former president, perhaps cognizant of the voters' passions for home-state teams -- including politically important ones in North Carolina, Indiana and Pennsylvania -- is taking a pass.

The intensity of the presidential race hasn't left the campaigns immune to ``March Madness.'' They are joining millions of Americans in following the annual National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, a yearly ritual that that costs employers an estimated $1.7 billion in lost productivity.

``Even with the rigors of a presidential campaign, there is time for March Madness,'' said Jen Psaki, an Obama spokeswoman.

Republican candidate John McCain is running his own bracket pool, letting supporters guess winners in the 64-team tournament as they compete for campaign memorabilia. In accordance with McCain's opposition to gambling on college athletics, first place gets a McCain 2008 fleece.

McCain's bracket was to be unveiled on his Web site today before the tournament tips off at noon.

Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, when asked about her picks for the Final Four teams, deferred to the most famous graduate of Georgetown University, whose highly ranked Hoyas are playing tomorrow.

`Basketball Adviser'

``Oh gosh, I don't know,'' she said at a campaign stop in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on March 18. ``I have to consult with my basketball adviser, my husband.''

Matt McKenna, a spokesman for the former president, said, ``We're going to pass.'' Obama's choice of North Carolina, the tournament favorite, won't hurt him in that state's May 6 primary.

The candidates don't have the chance to root for their own schools. Clinton, 60, got her undergraduate degree at all-women Wellesley College. Obama's alma mater, Columbia University, hasn't sent a team to an NCAA tournament since 1968. The U.S. Naval Academy, where McCain graduated in 1958, hasn't participated in 10 years.

Home States

Neither do the three senators have much opportunity to cheer for home-state teams. The tournament has none from Illinois for Obama; Clinton's New York is represented by Cornell University and Siena College, both rated long shots; and the University of Arizona finished fifth in the Pac-10 conference and was one of the last teams to make the tournament.

Instead, the candidates can take a more political approach

As Obama's chief strategist, David Axelrod, put it when asked who his boss is pulling for: ``The correct answer is Pitt,'' as in the University of Pittsburgh Panthers, one of four teams in the tournament from Pennsylvania, where voters go to the polls in a crucial primary April 22.

An enterprising candidate could almost build an all- Pennsylvania Final Four by including St. Joseph's and Villanova universities while being forced to chose between Pitt and Temple University, which are slated to meet in the second round.

Or with an eye on the general election, it may be wise to fill a Final Four with other swing-state contenders like Florida's University of Miami, Virginia's George Mason University, and Ohio's Kent State and Xavier universities.

Reggie Love

Obama, 46, made his picks on a flight yesterday from Fayetteville, North Carolina, to Charlotte after Reggie Love, a campaign staffer who played on Duke University's 2001 national championship team, passed out brackets on the plane.

A proficient basketball player himself, Obama has made a campaign habit of pre-election games after playing with friends on the day of the Iowa caucuses, which he won, and passing up a game on the day of the New Hampshire primary, which he lost.

``It really relaxes him,'' said Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, a regular participant and Obama backer. ``We don't talk politics. We just play ball and get a good sweat in.''

Along with the backing of Giannoulias, 32, who played on Boston University's 1997 national tournament team, Obama has been endorsed by former Ohio State University center Greg Oden, who led his team to last year's championship game and was the No. 1 pick in the National Basketball Association draft.

Love's Duke teammate, the 2001 tournament's Most Outstanding Player and current Houston Rockets forward Shane Battier, 29, is also an Obama backer. He's given $2,300 to the campaign, campaign finance records show.

Magic's for Hillary

Magic Johnson, 48, who played on Michigan State's 1979 championship team, has also given $2,300 to Obama, though he has endorsed Clinton and given her the federal maximum of $4,600.

For North Carolina's primary, a key endorsement could be that of Dean Smith, the University of North Carolina basketball coach who won two NCAA championships during a 36-year career.

Smith gave $4,400 to the campaign of former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, a Tarheels season-ticket holder who once last year jokingly threatened to throw a reporter off his campaign bus in Iowa when he learned the journalist was a Georgetown fan; Georgetown beat North Carolina in overtime in last year's regional finals.

The demands of campaigning take a toll on being able to watch the tournament. Love, 25, who predicts another championship for his school, will miss tonight's Duke game. He'll be flying with Obama to Oregon.