Screen on the Green

It was opening night of Screen on the Green on the National Mall where you can lay out under the stars and catch free classic movies. Tonight's showing was 'Annie Hall' and it was pretty good, but hard to believe it beat out Star Wars for movie awards. Flauta organized a group of her co-workers and friends, and they reserved their spot 3 HOURS before the movie even started. I showed up with about 10 minutes to spare and took advantage of their key location (with just enough time to down some of Laura's homemade tabouli).

I drove a group of her buds back to Arlington and as one gal was giving me directions to her house...

Gal: I live on16th Street.
Jill: Aw, I used to live on 16th Street.
Gal: Yeah, it's off Barton.
Jill: What's the address?
Gal: 2607
Jill: NO WAY!!
Gal: WAY!

Ahh, it was a little trip down memory lane. G.J. Ghrahm (worst landlord ever), the scary basement with furniture and boxes from the last 10 renters, and late night chats sitting on the stairs with some my favorite roommates (Lis, Rach, and Murph). I'll always have a special place in my heart for Sweet Sixteenth Street.

I think the biggest bru-ha-ha we caused was the infamous St. Patrick's Day party that Murphy threw in conjunction with one of Arlington's first Shamrockfests. Murphy was all over the Irish theme and served Irish coffee and Guinness and had the place decorated with everything green. Using her creative teacher skills, she painted little green leprechaun footprints on our sidewalk leading up the tree in our front yard. It was adorable and needless to say we celebrated St. Patrick's day like any Hungarian-Polish-Czech would. Long after our hangovers were gone, the little green footprints stayed put. I guess Murph didn't use washable paint and those footprints persisted well into the summer. We were delivered a letter of complaint by the head of the homeowner's association..who happened to live next door..doh! She printed her scathing letter in the summer edition of the Lyon Village newsletter about how we 'defaced nature' and something about beer cans in the front lawn..blah blah.

We made friends another night with the neighbors on the other side of us as we rolled in at 2am on a Wednesday night after being at Rock Bottom's Dollar Beer night and then hitting the drive-thru at Dunkin Donuts (best invention ever). Our next door neighbors had recently become parents, and I guess we disturbed the baby on our way into the house. Let me point out that we weren't hanging outside, but just making the trip inside to devour doughnuts. The husband came over just fuming, pushed his way into our house and started yelling (new parents can be sort of high strung). I told him in a very calm manner 'Dude, you'll be alright'. He got a few things off his chest and reluctantly went home, but that quote has gone down in the record books. Even now when I'm stressing out, somebody will throw me that line.

So, now that Murph is in the position of new mother, I wonder if she will be as cool and understanding to her Fredvegas neighbors if a rowdy bunch of Mary Washington College students ever move in next door? Oh funny how things come full circle.