The Riethmaier family finally had a chance to visit us in DC a few weeks ago. There's a write up at Darlene's blog and the photos can be seen here.

Having moved to DC neither Darlene or me could easily see our families for Easter this year. We instead took in the great spring weather and went park hopping around Rosslyn. 

In total we visited nine parks in the span of one afternoon. Take a look.

I just now got around to uploading the photos from Chuck and Kathy's wedding to my Flickr page. Sorry it's taken this long! 

It was a beautiful wedding, April 4 at Villa Christina in North Atlanta, and it was an opportunity to have a great time with some of my best friends. Here's just a sample. The full set can be viewed on my Flickr page.

Our first Cherry Blossom Festival . . . we wanted to take full advantage of our proximity to D.C. and the National Mall, so Darlene and I invited several friends over for drinks, food and a walking tour of activities around the Mall and Tidal Basin.

Our guests, including Thomas, Kim, Megan, Greg, Gina and Lauren, arrived shortly after noon at our apartment. As we geared up for the fist day of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, we fueled our bodies with cupcakes, Sweetwater and lemonade.

 

A quick walk and Metro ride over and we found ourselves at the Washington Monument, site of the Smithsonian Kite Festival. Although most were children, some adult enthusiasts were also sailing a variety of colorful kites into the sky. Due to poor planning on my part I wasn't able to participate.

And on to the Cherry Blossoms! We walked from the Washington Monument over to the Tidal Basin and the Jefferson Memorial, which was quite a hike but well worth it. Even though it was the first day of the festival many of the trees had begun to bloom and the tidal basin was lined in pink and white Cherry Blossoms.

Sadly, we don't have more pictures, but a few of us made it out afterward for drinks, sushi and more drinks at Cafe Asia in Rosslyn, and Galaxy Hut in Clarendon. Shout out to Thomas and Kim for lasting the entire day and making the long haul from Charlottesville, Va. We'll return the trip soon, I promise!

The end of my regrettably short trip to Atlanta this past week, I flew back to DC on a Delta Air Lines jet quite tired and trying to occupy my mind with anything other than work. For a while I jotted notes in my composition pad. After reaching a comfortable altitude a flight attendant announced that passengers would be served their option of sodas, water, coffee and select hard beverages.

I needed coffee desperately. When I landed in DC the plan was to go straight back to the office, and I was afraid a quick nap would leave me groggy. Seeing the cart had already begun its service, I rushed through my copy of SKY for the drink index toward the back. It was a week ago aboard a US Airways flight that I was asked to cough-up $2 for a bottle of water. Out of principle this is something I refuse to accept.

*Changes tense to more clearly present thought process as recorded in my composition pad.

Okay, it's free - great. I pass on the pretzels and cookies and ask for a cup of coffee. "Cream or sugar?" No thanks, I take my coffee as God intended. The flight attendant pours my drink from a plastic, brown carafe and into a small foam cup. For the moment I feel relieved.

I inspect the cup and its contents carefully. This isn't a coffee cup - a coffee cup would allow you to fill it with a minimum of 8 ounces of liquid. No, this small cup was the kind you'd expect to receive samples of beverages that come in larger quantities, like a smoothie.

I can see tiny bubbles form at the surface, collecting into star-shaped bunches and spinning. I smell the coffee. Nothing. I draw a deep breath through my nose and try again. There's a mild aroma, slightly sweet but otherwise unremarkable.

With one lip pressed against the bottom of the foam cup I sip the mildly warm liquid. I notice immediately that all traces of freshness are gone. It's unclear when this coffee was brewed, or if indeed it was ever brewed or has just always been. I sip again and detect a slight bitterness as it hits my tongue. Its gift to me is that it finishes quickly and quietly with little to no aftertaste.

Within the next half minute the coffee is gone. I go back to listening to my iPod and wait for the landing.

Death is something rarely talked about and even more rarely ever seen. We view it through the eye of television programs like crime dramas or the news - safely kept at a distance that doesn't necessitate our having to deal with the real emotional issues at hand.

I pretended to die for a little while so I could snap this photo. Really, it probably doesn't look much different than if I'd have passed out drunk or taken a nap. The idea came to me after reading an article in Slate about the greenest way to go. I know I may not have absolute control over what happens to me when I die, but does my dead body have to be a burden on the environment?

If you don't have time to read it, basically your body leaves a carbon footprint, obviously, that can be reduced or enhanced depending upon your method of disposal. Embalming leaves a greater environmental risk than natural burial, and standard 6-foot graves can cut off needed oxygen and cause your decomposition to release methane gas.

Of course cremation is a possibility, but what I'm more interested in is a process called promession. Essentially, you frozen by liquid nitrogen and shattered to pieces - yes, Terminator-style. Your coarse ashes can then be placed in a small container and buried beneath a sapling or bush to become living soil. Cool, huh?

And while all the details aren't yet sorted out, I've already made one decision about my death. Like my grandmother who selected Morning Has Broken to played at her funeral, I've known for some time now what song I'd prefer be played. The YouTube link below is Beirut's After the Curtain. (*ignore the random amateur video - this is obviously not an official Beirut YouTube video)

Darlene and I finally arrived in DC around 1:00 a.m. this morning - what a drive. It's been a busy weekend that carried over into President's Day, so I'm just now uploading some of the photos. Below, I've added a few highlights from TAP in Atlanta. It was a hell of a time, I just hate the camera batteries died half-way through.

The gang: Darlene, Nathan, Natalie, Chuck, Kathy, Amanda, James and myself. I can't wait until I make it down again.

What an great weekend. I'm down here in Atlanta with Darlene, saw my best Atlanta friends (photos to come) and even had some time with my parents, who made a special trip down from Indiana. Me and The Dar completely emptied two grocery stores of their Sweetwater supply, which you can't find anywhere near DC. And Darlene and I have been setting up the wedding Web site - DC Wedding.

We're also sitting pretty in first place in the photo contest (see below). Fingers are still crossed, though. If you haven't already, go vote! Tell your friends, tell your family and use every computer you can get your hands on. The winner will be announced next Saturday.

Hello from Atlanta! It's Valentine's Day and I just received an excellent surprise - Darlene and I are finalists for an engagement photo giveaway! True Expression Photography, run by photographer Kelly LeBruyere, announced the contest in late January and asked couples to submit a fun photo that expressed our personalities.

Darlene entered the contest for us, and now we're among seven finalist. We're encouraging everyone to log on and cast their vote (and tell your friends!) before Saturday, February 21. Vote early and often (use different IP addresses!) - we need these photos!

Vote here

Yesterday, Michael Cherenson, chair and CEO of the Public Relations Society of America, posted on the PRSA blog, PRSAY, an entry titled "Public Relations' Diversity Problem." I give Cherenson credit for addressing an important and sensitive issue, but I think he does the profession a disservice by not pointing out that Public Relations has been for years a progressive hallmark for gender diversity.

According to the Department of Labor Women's Bureau, a 2007 survey concluded that women comprise 49 percent of the US labor force. In PR, a 2005 survey commissioned by the PR Coalition determined that women make up 66 percent of the labor force. Even though this information is hosted on the PRSA.org Web site, Cherenson missed a great opportunity to praise the what the industry has done for women in the workplace. 

I understand Cherenson's concern that PR needs to think critically about its approach to cultural and racial diversity, but let's give credit where credit is due.