Life in the Sprung: 2006-04-23

28 April 2006

JUST in case you didn't know -- today is NATIONAL HAIRBALL DAY. Love the lead about it in the Philly Inquirer: "There's nothing quite like the sound of a hacking cat." The story is here. Let's just say with the changing of the seasons (and the ensuing shedding of fur), Ellie has made us KEENLY aware of National Hairball Day.

27 April 2006

Two fun items today:

1) A California woman suing her employer for $1.2 million dollars after being SPANKED in a "team-building" exercise. The story is here. We've been having a lot of fun with that one today.

2) The guys brought this story to my attention just today, but apparently last Saturday night an OBESE BEAVER actually held up traffic on a city street in Baltimore. The thing was 30 pounds and apparently sat in the middle of the street and refused to be caught by authorities. Well, it eventually WAS caught and was put to sleep Sunday by Baltimore Animal Control. The story is here.

27 April 2006

Fun news day. Two car chases, two wild cats on the loose near Andrews Air Force Base (area schools are in lockdown), and a wild bear is on the prowl in Thousand Oaks, California. Crazy!

26 April 2006

Well, my friend Tony Snow is the new White House press secretary. Totally surreal seeing him in the briefing room this morning with President Bush. I had a few conversations with him while he was mulling all this over. He's really been in the "eye of the storm" as it were--and I wanted to see how he was doing. (The constant questions, phone calls, "have you made up your mind, Tony??" ten billion times a day.) I've known him since his "Fox News Sunday" days and his battle with cancer and the launching of his radio show. Last week, it seemed he really didn't know what he wanted to do. He was in the fact-gathering, opinion-getting phase. But yesterday, he was ready to go. He was just waiting on the final go-ahead from his doctors. All I said was, if he was going to take the job, that he get "inside the room." I worked with Clinton's first press secretary, Dee Dee Myers, back in the day at CNBC. She had NO access to Clinton, NO input on decisions, and was given NO information beyond the "talking points." I gather it was the same situation for McClellan (have you SEEN one of his briefings?). Tony doesn't need me to tell him this. He told me he had already negotiated "walk in" rights with Bush (he can go into the Oval Office whenever he wants) and will play a role in both message and policy. He gets the press can be USEFUL to your political aims--not just an obstacle. He gets that he has dual loyalties--the president AND the press--something that the folks now don't seem to get. Sounds like there will be some short-term turf battles with the current White House Communications Director, Dan Bartlett, which will be interesting. Can't wait for his first press briefing. Tony is blessed with a good sense of humor--he'll need it.

26 April 2006

Ran across this little "sugar plum" this morning: Alyssa Milano of "Who's the Boss" fame--speaking out on "internet freedom" on her blog. The message on the front page: "I feel really fortunate to have a public voice strong enough to affect change." Fabulous.

24 April 2006

Had a pretty ideal day off. The only thing that would have made it better would be if my girl was around, but I managed to muddle through! Had a leisurely morning and then in the afternoon had a golf lesson at East Potomac Park. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and it was a near religious experience to be out on the fairway within sight of the Potomac River and the Washington Monument. After my lesson and some swings at the driving range, I took Rock Creek Parkway back up to the Sprung. It feels like you're in the middle of a forest with its narrow, winding roads surrounded by tall trees and the rushing creek flowing past -- it feels a million miles away from the bustling madness of Washington. I had the top down on the car, had some good tunes going--fabulous. When I got home, I tackled the lawns. The grass was about 4 inches high from all the bright sun last week and soaking rains this weekend. I've included some pics from our backyard...our newly restained deck..our beautiful lilac tree and a fun little caterpillar I noticed on the railing:

View of the backyard from the deck: