Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Sunday was Mother’s Day, and I’m not a mother. Does this mean the other 364 are for me? Sweet!
Until around two years ago I thought I was supposed to be a mother. It’s been haunting me my entire life. After all, I was baptized Catholic and we Catholic girls are supposed to breed more Catholics. That’s our job. And all these years I’d unconsciously thought that I wsan't complete unless I had children, that I’m not really a woman - I’m a loser. The Grass Is Greener Right Here A few years ago, I’d recently moved back to the DC area. I was actively dating (ew) and in pursuit of a baby daddy. My girlfriends were entirely supportive and thoroughly entertained by my match.com tribulations. I must have changed my preference for kids 100 times because I wasn’t sure which one made me sound less desperate. Some of the men I dated were very …
Monday, May 14, 2012
What do you think? Take our Patch Poll.
Last week, President Barack Obama announced in a news interview that he supported gay marriage. The announcement comes about six months before the general election. Will the issue have an impact on the outcome of the presidential race? Patch spoke to Lorton residents about it Sunday at the Lorton farmers market: Susan Jones believes the country wants gay marriage: "I think Obama is appealing to a mass crowd, especially the whole gay population. I think the country wants it, on the whole." Lynn Metts questioned the timing of Obama's move: "It'll help him amongst liberals and hurt him with conservatives, but I think everyone knew what he thought in the first place. I think his timing will hurt him with independents as well as some liberals…
Friday, May 11, 2012
How have I been preparing? By eating fast food, soda and candy non-stop.
Things are great! For the past week, impending prohibition has energized me with a fervor to scarf down fistfuls of candy, soda and as many processed foods as possible. Today, in fact, I had 10 chicken McNuggets, fries and a Coke, and it was absolutely delicious (and cheap!). Last night, I played poker with some buddies and drank beer and ate milk chocolate with a face of stone and watched my pile of chips fluctuate from plush to non-existent. Yes, I lost at poker, but the candy soothed my injured pride. I've savored every bite and sip, because this Sunday, everything will change. Sunday, May 13, marks the start date for the five-week Paleo Diet Challenge at CrossFit Liberation, and it means the end of all processed foods, sugar, soda and …
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Rachael's entry was selected from close to two dozen nominations.
It's hard raising one child, nevermind five. But that's what the 2012 "Best Mom in Fairfax County" is doing. Her daughter, Rachael, called her "amazing." Rachael's entry was randomly chosen from almost two dozen that Patch received. Rachael and her mother won a $50 gift card and, of course, bragging rights. See all the entries here. Congratulations and Happy Mother's Day!
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Whether your mom is a designer, a photographer, artist or moviemaker--the right tools are often the best gifts
As a mom myself, I generally don't recommend getting tech tools as Mother's Day gifts. Seriously, unless mom specifically requests a new vacuum cleaner, socket set or ironing board, she want gifts that are more personal and less task-oriented. Giving her a present that allows her to further her skills, or discovering new means of expression can be the most meaningful gift you can give. There are many non-technical tools that can help her develop her creative side, of course (flowers and a card), but as more and more artistic expression is digital, giving the right gift means looking to technology. Here are some great ideas for creatives of all sorts--mom or not. For the Photographer While a digital SLR would be an ideal gift for someone …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Worse than a room full of raccoons.
Pre-rant clarification: I am not a Resident Evil fan. I’ve actually never played one before this because I never owned an original Playstation and even when I had a PS2 I quickly traded it in for an Xbox at the persuasion of a friend. The first one to become available on the 360 was Resident Evil IV, and I didn’t see the point of playing the fourth installment (or rather something like the fifteenth if you count all the remakes and spinoffs and side stories and crap). So anyway, yeah, I’m not a fan or even a vet. It probably stands to reason, then, that I have no right to critique the latest installment in the series without knowing anything about the previous titles. But, I’m going to do it anyway. Plot and Characters Like I said, I …
Yoga gives me permission to be sexy - spiritual-sexy. And healthy. And less of a jackass.
The world can be a judgmental place that sucks for just about everyone. In high school – one of the most judgmental places ever - Madonna made the judgment palatable. She gave me permission to smoke, wear half-shirts and fishnets, and do alluring things with my tongue. Over a ten year period I developed a strut when I walked and threw men away like Kleenex. Madonna had a weird relationship with the whole Catholic thing and I completely and utterly identified with it. I followed her every trend well into my 20s. Shortly after she went public with her new yoga habit I was all over it. The Yogi’s Court: Meet the Jury When I think back to my first yoga class I wince with a slight smile. One of my girlfriends worked at a gym and gave me a free …
Saturday, May 5, 2012
For a chance to win a $50 gift certificate, upload a photo of your mom and a note about why she rocks.
This contest is now closed and we'll be notifying our winner shortly! Poets write about them. Strong men cry in their presence. We honor them each year with a special day punctuated by hearts and flowers, and perhaps even breakfast in bed. Don't just settle for all the customary ways to celebrate how awesome your mom is. Instead, upload a photograph of her to this article and write a caption telling us what's so great about the moms of Fairfax County. Next Friday, May 11 at noon, we'll randomly pick a winner and call her the "Best Mom of Fairfax County." Now that's a gift. But if that's not enough, we'll also award you a $50 gift certificate to spend any way you want on mom. (C'mon, dads, if your kids can't upload a photo of your …
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Week 7 and I'm still alive!
The Box nearly killed me on Monday and I actually had my first CrossFit nightmare as a result. In my dream, I couldn't pull up a bar sans weight and everyone was watching me while eating Sour Patch Kids. At one point, someone told me I could have some water, but only if I ate a handful of yellow and green ones. I woke up exhausted (with a busted-up right hand to boot) and my body felt like I'd just been thrown into a room full of angry Kung Fu experts. CrossFit Week 7 If you didn't see me at CrossFit Liberation this week it was because I was crawling to the finish line every day after work. As a machine, my body has been running pretty non-stop for a while, and it was Monday's WOD that temporarily destroyed me. The following workout took…
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This was sent to the community via email on Thursday
Editor's Note: The following is a letter from Wylie Raab, the First Regent of Gunston Hall. It was sent out via email on Thursday, May 3, and highlights the recent firing of Director David Reese and the future of programs at the estate of George Mason. Regents of Gunston Hall met for their semi-annual meeting over the weekend of April 13-16. With the departure of David Reese as Director, Mark Whatford, who has served as our librarian, archivist, and IT specialist, agreed to step in as Acting Director. New Jersey Regent-at-Large Sara Hill is heading the search committee which will choose a successor to Mr. Reese. Over the past year the Regents have been working hard at a 360° analysis of Gunston Hall. We have worked closely with the …
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Gunston Hall Plantation
10709 Gunston Rd, Lorton, VA
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Sally Spangler
10:26 am on Tuesday, May 15, 2012
There have always been throughout history "gay" people. Whatever makes some men and women "different" is a fact. It is like being fat or thin, or too tall or too short. They are different. If wanting to be closely associated with another person of like situation if what is wanted - why not? What does it have to do with other people? There are people who live in common law. They have children and … more ›