Outside of a chinese restaurant I had never encountered an Easter egg roll before. We managed to become the recipients of four tickets to this year's White House Easter Egg Roll. We were not there to witness the President's participation as we were in the last of three groups and he presented himself to the first. After a long (little over an hour and a half) shuffle through a roped cattle chute maze that ended at a series of metal detectors, we entered the grounds of the south lawn of the White House. There were many activities besides the egg roll. Costumed characters from PBS and a few other assorted animated characters such as Bugs Bunny and a Smurf roamed about. They were very kind to the small children. Volunteers whisked us about pointing out the various activities and we got some good photos with the White House as a backdrop. The highlight for me (aside from my children's delight) was seeing and listening to a concert by Ziggy Marley.

I'm glad I did this event once because it will be a once in a lifetime thing as I never want to do it again. It was way too exhausting to be worth a second time. Leaving my house at 12:30, on the train at 1:00, train ride plus walking to White House to arrive by 2:00, metal detector cattle chute and mob at entrance to gain access by 3:30, and it was over at 5:00. Each ticket was for a two hour stay and was done in three large groups. Our tickets allowed entry from 3:00 to 5:00. The weather cooperated for the most part as it finally let loose a cold rain right after we left. Cool but not cold for the most part. The kids had a great time and Brenda and I were able to see things vicariously through their eyes. And then there was Ziggy... Awesome.


Two Replies to What The Hell Is An Egg Roll Anyway?

Scott Hardie | April 15, 2009
As tiring as that must have been, it still sounds like a pretty fun day and something you can remind the kids of when they get older. I was little then, but I still remember our three-room tour of the Reagan White House when my father and a number of other government employees were invited for a holiday tour with their families. I've heard that civilians are no longer allowed inside the building at all for security reasons, which is sad if it's true.

Jackie Mason | April 16, 2009
[hidden by author request]


Web Junkie

Steve West scours the Web searching for interest or absurdity and then shakes his head ruefully when he finds it. Read more »

Take Me Out...

It was baseball night in Bowie. As part of Lauren's tenth birthday celebration, we went to see the Bowie Baysox. Highlights of the evening included: Nearly getting nailed by a foul ball while distracted by getting pizza sauce off my pants. Go »

Just In Time For Voting

Although I'm partial to the Aaron v. Steve Dunn tête-à-têtes, it seems ironic that UOAS took the opportunity to push for a vote. Despicable. Go »

Dumb Criminals And Other Court Type Stuff Part 3

Another small collection of weird legal matters. Yeah research, that's the ticket; Too manly for the ladies' room; Chi-tonw blues; Cat's got yer what?; and finally, I have no idea what it's like to be busted for DUI, taken for mugshots wearing a shirt displaying my love for midget sex, and then being forever haunted by that image surfacing on the internet, but I know who to ask. Go »

Stay-cation Week IV

Brenda had a minor medical procedure today so we dropped the girls at Grandma's house for the majority of the day. Got through the procedure and had a nice lunch (just the two of us) at a local restaurant. I had a steak sandwich that was very tasty except it was served on ciabatta bread. Go »

Rock, Paper, Saddam!

Definitely not a new site but new to me. Obviously pre-execution, I'm glad I finally got around to viewing this 'cause it's pretty funny. Tiger claw beats friggin' everything. Go »

When You Care Enough to Hit Send

E-cards of an unusual and hilarious nature. I haven't tried one so I don't know if they work - it appears that they do. But they're extremely funny nonetheless. Go »