"found amongst a herd of dust bunnies"

Look there folks, another pistachio sighting! Josh found this one in the spray paint section at Lowe's.

Because lists are easier.

On my holiday vacation I...

Ate plenty of Mexican food, both at restaurants and at home.

Finished all of my Christmas shopping.

Made fudge and helped my mom make biscochitos (cookies) and rolls.

Watched a ton of "That 70s Show" with Ryan.

Pet Jackson the dog.

Walked up and down Canyon Road on Christmas Eve with my dad to see the farolitos, luminarias, and carolers. It was freezing, but we stayed bundled up. And we didn't fall on the ice or slushy snow.

Ate scones on Christmas morning. I love scones.

Visited with all of my dad's side of the family on Christmas day. We enjoyed a delicious meal, hung out, and played games.

Watched all seven episodes of the HBO miniseries "John Adams." Also watched all of the bonus material.

Walked around downtown in 22 degree weather.

Saw Maureen McGovern in concert.

Co-substitute taught with Ryan for the youth Sunday school class at church.

Got a cold.

Received wonderful new slippers for Christmas from my parents, which I am currently wearing.

hittin' the slopes

I flew home to Santa Fe on Saturday for the holidays, and today my brother Ryan took me skiing! (I skied, he snow-boarded.) I haven't been skiing in many many years. In the fifth and sixth grades they offered a program at school for students to go skiing and have lessons four times a year, and I did that. I really enjoyed it, but I didn't enjoy the green hand-me-down snow pants I had to wear. They totally clashed with my purple jacket and black and hot pink gloves. Of course those black and hot pink gloves didn't really go with my lime green jacket this time either, but I've gotten a little better at not worrying about such things.

I was nervous about skiing again, but luckily on our first ride up the chairlift I sat next to a ski patrol man, and I asked him to give me a crash course to refresh my memory. He kindly obliged. He said as much as he could and hollered "good luck!" as I headed down the mountain. It was pretty scary. It was especially scary because Ryan tried to make me go down medium slopes first thing, but I refused and yelled at him and headed down the easy slope on my own. By the end of our day, however, I went down a few mediums. And I only fell three times.


Me after I'd finally steadied myself while Ryan got his boots ready.


Takin' a break.


Bonding on the chairlift.

mascota muerta

Today I received a letter in the mail from my little ten-year-old friend in Honduras named Javier. The letter is in Spanish but includes a typed translation at the bottom. The translation isn't stellar, but I'm going to share it with you anyway, because it's too good not to.

After the "dear [Me!]" and date, it reads:

"A blessing pours you lots of blessings. We are happy that you and your family are well. I have a [the translator missed a word -mascota-] that called Scooby and our cat died he got electrocuted on cable on the roof of the house, and we went to throw it because it smelled bad, but thanks God we bought another one and we named it Peluche. It is very playful in my younger sister was very happy with the cat when she played with it. My mom took the cat away from her because it made her sneeze and developed an allergy. She was taken to the doctor and she got an ointment so she could heal. She used it, then the itching and the blisters removed. After this she wasn't given the cat again because she could get her allergy again. How are you and your family? What kind of animals do you have there? Do you have a car?"

The end. He drew a nice picture on the back of a house and a Christmas tree with an elf and sled in the front yard and the word "Felicida" at the top, complete with gold glitter.

The problem with street parking...

...is that in a torrential rain, LIKE THE ONE HAPPENING OUTSIDE, you have to wade through a river to get from your car onto the sidewalk. And if it's dark, LIKE IT ALSO IS OUTSIDE, you won't see the huge puddles on the sidewalk either.

consolation prize

Today I won a brand new iPod nano. (Which, by the way, must not be super brand new because it's the short fat kind and I didn't even realize those are out of date.) There was a drawing at work for the seventeen of us who completed a professional development program about web 2.0, and my name was drawn. You might think this means I have excellent luck, but the iPod doesn't really compare to the depressingly unlucky news I received yesterday.

this and that

I'm sorry I'm slacking on my blogging lately. I just don't seem to have much to say, or I'm too lazy to say it. Instead I'll leave a short list of random things.

1. I'm making another mosaic. It's fun. I hope it comes out okay. I'll post a picture in January (after I give it away as a Christmas present). I have also cut myself twice so far and drawn blood on my finger due to tiny glass shards.

2. The other day I came home and there was a package sitting in the hall. I looked at the label to see if it was for me but alas, it was not. However, it did say "Pistachio"-something-or-other on the return label!

3. I'm interested in the concepts of Advent Conspiracy. I'd read about it online and then I learned the church I sort-of-usually attend is using it as its advent series. I was disappointed in today's sermon though because of a lack of practical how-to ideas.

4. Speaking of advent, I'm still not quite in the holiday spirit. Maybe that's because I don't have any decorations in my apartment and I have barely started my Christmas shopping. (Notice how #4 is sort of the opposite of what I want out of #3. Ugh.)

5. This weekend Josh visited and we walked to the Commercial Taphouse and had dinner at Akida. I hadn't been to those places in a long time and I was super excited to go because having them close by (walkable even!) was one of the perks I looked forward to by moving to his neighborhood. They did not disappoint.

"Found at the mall"

(In a picture text from my cousin Jay.)

p.s. Let me just add that taking these pistachio pictures makes for some awkward moments. For example, the morning I found a shell at work a co-worker came in and was greeted with me crouching down, essentially pointing my phone at trash on the floor. "What's going on here?" he asked, but I just looked up and said "uhhh...." with an awkward smile, so he moved on. I can only imagine what it might have looked like with Jay taking a picture in the middle of a mall on Thanksgiving weekend. But don't let any of this discourage you if you have a sighting!

Miss Wishy Washy

When I was in the first grade I played the title role in the class play, Miss Wishy Washy. I don't remember what it was about, I just remember I wore an apron and a bandanna over my head. Okay, to be honest I don't even remember that very well, I just know there is a picture at my parents' house of me dressed like that with my friend Becca standing in front of a microphone as the Narrator. I also don't even remember why I decided to tell this story, because that's all I remember and the story is over.

What I really wanted to tell you is that I have the best Grandpa ever because he just came over and helped me clean my apartment. He mopped, to be exact. Yes, I could have done it myself, but he didn't approve of my little mop so he came over with his own mop and did it for me, which was super nice of him.

Okay, this post isn't really about Grandpa mopping my floor, either. It's about how mad I am that my apartment was dirty in the first place. (Let's ignore the fact that I moved in two months ago and I'm behind on this cleaning. I worked for hours scrubbing the bathroom and most of the kitchen when I first moved in, but I didn't get around to mopping the floors. Again, not the point.) The point is that I'm angry I had to clean up years of dust and cat hair that does not belong to me. I did not let the corner behind the refrigerator look like it grew a hairy carpet all over the floor and walls. I did not leave dried cat food under the stove. I did not let dust and cat hair pile up in the old radiators. I hate cats. And I don't like cleaning, but I do it. And I wish the girl who lived here before me would stop by so I could hand her my garbage bag full of her grossness.

What did Della wear?

A few weeks ago at work I found an old voucher for "velocipede fixtures," and I thought to myself, what the heck is a velocipede? I did a little internet research, and among other things I discovered there is a Velocipede Museum in Delaware.

So Josh and I went for a visit.



They had lots of velocipedes and boneshakers and bicycles. (They also had a room with lots of Tigger stuff...not sure about the connection.) And like any good museum, they let you get "hands on," so I sat on a giant velocipede.



The Velocipede Museum happens to be in historic New Castle. I am ashamed to admit that I did not know a single thing about New Castle. It is a great little historic area, like a mini Williamsburg but without the fifty dollar fee or the dressed up interpreters. We visited the Old Court House, which was also the colonial capitol and first state capitol. (Apparently the arc at the top of Delaware was determined by a twelve-mile radius from the cupola of the building.) A nice man gave us our own private tour of the place and taught us all about New Castle and Delaware. That went a little longer than I expected though, so we didn't get to visit other sites, like the Old Dutch House. We did, however, take a stroll through Battery Park and looked across the Delaware River at New Jersey. It was right around there that William Penn first landed in America.



We didn't get to spend very much time there, so I would like to visit again. And I recommend the Velocipede Museum to you all if you happen to find yourself in Delaware. It is small and won't take long to visit, and it's free!

almost like I was there

Today is my Granddad's 86th birthday. That's a lot of birthdays. But he's doing great! And so is my Grandmother. I just spoke with them on the phone a few minutes ago (obviously on the phone, because they're in New Mexico and I'm not) and they were sitting outside at the Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern New Mexico watching thousands and thousands of birds fly around in the sunset. In case you haven't seen one, New Mexico has some of the best sunsets ever. As we talked about work or family or the exact route they drove to get there they would occasionally stop and gasp and tell me about the V formations of birds in front of the full moon or the "one two three four five six seven eight- Eight Cranes!" that just flew right in front of them. At one point Grandmother even held the phone away so I could hear all the squawking geese. It was an exciting moment for them, and I'm glad I got to listen in.

ubiquitous I tell you

This morning I walked into the office and what did I see? A pistachio nut shell! Right there on the floor about five feet from my desk. A single half shell. I took a picture with my camera phone, so excuse the fuzzy-ness.



I also received an email from Jennifer the other day (Hi Jennifer!) saying she had her own pistachio sighting in Scotland. I don't want to hog all the excitement people, so if you have a sighting feel free to report back and share.

jumbler

Only one lady at work wore a costume on Friday, so after her my flame tights and fake tattoo were the most exciting things going on.

I finally purchased some reusable bags for my grocery shopping. Yes, I am way behind on this one.

Today I ran five and a half miles. That is the longest I've run in a very long time. I'm excited to run more, but I'm sad it's dark most of the time I'm not at work. Also, I discovered I kind of like running west on Monument Avenue more than east.

I was just thinking about how the internet is going to make looking up incriminating baby pictures of friends (and enemies) so much easier for the rising generation of children. Good luck with that kids.

I'm liking the book I bought last week- Nick Hornby's Slam. I read this morning sitting in my chair next to the window with a cup of coffee, and it was very nice.

I still love public radio. Today while I ran I listened to a past episode of Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me on my iPod, and when Peter Sagal announced that Garrison Keillor was going to be the guest for "Not My Job" I bit the back of my finger in excitement. No joke.

shoo flu

I got a flu shot! I always do, mostly thanks to my dad's nagging. I also made use of my new health insurance for the first time! Ah, grown-up excitement.

a little crooked house

This morning I moved my bed a good eight or ten inches back towards my bedside table. I think my floor is crooked and the bed slid over time. That or I like to move furniture in my sleep.

weekend with the g'parents

Friday: Got off work early to go to a piano master class with Grandpa at VCU. If you haven't been to one, basically you go listen to a "master" give piano lessons to students. Ate dinner with Grandpa at Kuba Kuba.

Saturday: Up for a run, then went to lunch with Grandpa at a Vietnamese place on the southside. Spent a couple hours at the mall, then let Grandpa help me finish hanging up pictures around the apartment. Back to the grandparents' for a bite to eat before going with Grandpa to a piano recital with the same guy who gave the master class- Awadagin Pratt. He was pretty great. Went back to the grandparents' and spent the night there- just like old times.

Sunday: Slept in, then ate lunch outside with grandparents plus Aunt Caryn, Janelle, and baby Bobby. Went to Barnes and Noble to inspire myself to read again and to look at mosaic books. Bought a latte. Stopped back by the apartment, then walked to church with my latte. It was a beautiful day. After church walked back, ate dinner, and played Scrabble with Josh. Now going to get in bed and start my new book.

orange lights

Have Halloween decorations (i.e. fake spider webs all over the yard and strings of orange lights) always been this big around here or is this just the first time I've noticed them?

roller coaster fever

Yesterday Josh and I visited Kings Dominion for some amusement park action and Halloween fun. Actually, I just went for the amusement park action because I don't like the haunted part, but I tried to be a good sport and visited two haunted houses.

While there we had two pistachio sightings. We saw a single half-shell while in line for the Volcano:



and we saw another shell just before getting on the Shockwave:



Finally, here I am in an oldie but goodie, a bumper car.



We spent nearly twelve hours at the park and were exhausted when we left, but it was fun and I'd say we got our money's worth.

clarification

Don't forget, it's still October! And that means it's still Archives Month!

Now, maybe you're secretly wondering to yourself what the difference is between a library and an archives. Lucky you, I am here to share the difference.

As a fellow archivist once told me, "The books in a library are like whores. You can find the same ones in libraries everywhere. But archives are filled with one-of-a-kind documents that aren't found anywhere else!"

And there you have it.

Weekend with Ryan

Thursday: picked Ryan up from the airport after work, ate dinner at our grandparents' house, and worked on fixing up his resume.

Friday: Went to breakfast at Jay and Janelle's house, then went directly to lunch with Grandpa. Took Ryan to a few hotels downtown to drop off his resume (he's thinking of moving here!!!) Hung out during the evening at Aunt Caryn's house.

Saturday: Woke up and went for a walk to Carytown, then went to Aunt Caryn's house for lunch with the whole family. Hung out for a while, then went back over to grandparents' house for wine and a game of Rook. Met the cousins at my apartment and walked to dinner in Carytown, then went downtown to Capital Ale House; got home late.

Sunday: Slept in until we went to meet the family for lunch. Four of us cousins took a nap on the couch together. Ryan, Sunni and I went to the Folk Festival for a tiny bit, then to coffee at Captain Buzzy's before going back to grandparents' to eat again. Headed over to Aunt Caryn's house and hung out with cousins more.

Monday: Up and over to grandparents' for breakfast, then took Ryan to his quasi-interview at a well-known hotel. Afterwards we had an hour to kill before he needed to be at the airport so we went to the Capitol Building and wandered around. Finally took him to the airport, then I returned to the grandparents' to finish my laundry, take a nap, and laze about nursing my oncoming cold. Now headed back to my own apartment, where I hope to sleep very soon.

Guess who's super excited?

Me!!!

Why?

Because my brother Ryan is visiting! SO EXCITED.

starchives!

October is Archives Month, folks. Get excited.

If you're in the Richmond area, check out the month's events.

pistachio "sighting"

From The New Yorker*:

"They [a colony of pavement ants] ran wild over a Popsicle stick, a plastic spoon, pistachio nuts, Marlboro butts, and degraded credit-card receipts."

*From an article by Nick Paumgarten in the "Talk of the Town" section of the September 22, 2008 issue.

changing places

As you all know, or hopefully know if you actually read this blog or know me in real life, I recently moved. I've been in my new apartment for two and a half weeks. It's mostly settled, and I'm feeling at home here. But like all big changes, I also feel a little sad about the move.

For one thing, I really liked grad school. I loved classes, I liked my friends, I liked my apartment there and running around the lake or in the neighborhood with tall trees. Looking back, the whole thing flew by. After my classmates and I graduated most of us left North Carolina. I have no desire to live there now, without being in school and with everyone gone. But I still miss it.

I also miss my grandparents' house. Sure it's not far away and I can easily visit. Yes I can still go over for a meal or to hang out or to do laundry. But it's not the same. One of the reasons I felt close to that set of grandparents while growing up in a different state from them was because when I did see them, it was for longer periods of time. Sure I might have lunch with my Santa Fe grandparents every once in a while, but when I saw my (then) Texas grandparents I visited for a week. Even when I was in North Carolina, if I saw my grandparents I was visiting for a long weekend. Now that's over.

I'm very happy and thankful to be where I am now. I like my job, I like my apartment, I like my neighborhood. I don't regret all these changes; I'm just feeling nostalgic I guess.

Goodbye to my blue-eyed Paul.

In the tenth grade I enrolled in a basic drama course at school. I'm pretty terrible at acting, so I don't know why I wanted to spend a semester in the class, but I did. One of our assignments was to memorize a monologue and recite it for the rest of the class. I don't remember how I found mine. Actually, I think the teacher loaned me a book of monologues and I picked it out from there. Anyway, I of course don't remember it now but the gist of it was a girl (me) gets in an elevator and discovers Paul Newman standing next to her and she sort of freaks out on the inside over how awesome it is to be in an elevator with the dreamy Paul Newman.

About this time (the tenth grade, or at least I think it was the tenth grade) I also joined the Speech Team. I'm not sure why I did that either. I think it was because I had friends doing it, too. I bet I was also trying to join random things so I could get into college. Anyway, I joined the Speech Team and the only thing I really remember doing for it was going around reciting this Paul Newman monologue. And of course I never won anything, because I'm not good at acting. And at one particular event I was so nervous I even messed up and had to start over three times. That's incredibly embarrassing. I don't know why I'm sharing this with the internet.

The whole point of this ridiculous post is to share the time I discovered who Paul Newman was, because even though I'd heard his name before my monologuing days I didn't know what he looked like or in what movies he had starred. So my dad pointed him out on a jar of spaghetti sauce, and then I saw Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. That was when I discovered who he was. I also felt like I had this special relationship with him, as if I really had been in an elevator with the hunky blue-eyed man. And that means I have a special place in my heart for him, and I'm therefore a little sad to learn of his passing. Farewell Mr. Newman.

Don't worry.

I'm alive. And well. But internet access is still a problem, at least for things like blogging. So please be patient. And curse Verizon.

work may be hazardous to my health

There seems to be a very real chance that I will develop Black Lung at work. Every day I have to wear latex gloves to do my work, and by the end of the day they are coated in coal dust. Sometimes I sneeze a lot. Occasionally my snot looks like the snot of someone who has spent all day in subway stations. If I develop a cough I may have to wear a mask, and then I will feel like a freak at the office. I don't want that.

quick update

I moved. Last night was the first night I actually slept in my new place. It's coming along. I can't wait for all the empty boxes to go away and clear up space. I also can't wait for my own internet. And a rug. I'll post pictures later when it's all put together.

mooooving

Well the movers finally got my stuff into the apartment and nothing was broken or wet, so that's great. Now, however, my apartment is a royal mess. Thankfully I get to keep staying at my grandparents' house until the new place is livable. This afternoon the furniture arrived and then I spent hours and hours cleaning. I scrubbed the kitchen and the bathroom and it took so long and was so tiring I'm about to collapse. Judy and Sunni came and helped get the kitchen ready. There's still tons to do though, and the most annoying part is that the landlord hasn't finished painting yet. He still has to do the baseboards and door and window frames. So I can't even arrange furniture because everything is in the middle of the rooms. I'll be happy when it's all done and everything is arranged and pictures are hung on the walls and I have rugs and all the furniture I need.

If it's not one thing it's the other.

This is moving weekend, but if you live in the area or if you've heard anything about the tropical storm that is "approaching hurricane status" on this side of the country you know this is not ideal moving weather. But I shouldn't be surprised, because none of my moving plans have held up so far.

All of my stuff from my apartment (minus clothes and the few things I have now at my grandparents' house in Richmond) is in two portable storage boxes in Raleigh. If I had moved to Chapel Hill as planned everything would have worked out great, because they would have delivered my boxes to the new place at no extra cost. But moving them three hours away to Richmond? That costs your firstborn child. So I moved onto plan two (after much fretting and even some crying) which switched from going down to Raleigh myself and renting a truck and bringing all my stuff up north to instead hiring someone to go down and bring all my stuff up for me in their own truck. Plan two was supposed to take place over Labor Day weekend.

When the landlord called and said the old tenant had a change of plans and wouldn't be moving out until Labor Day weekend, I fretted again. But my moving guy gladly switched the date to the next week -Saturday- and plan three seemed just fine. Until Hanna showed up.

The storage place in Raleigh has already decided to close shop tomorrow because of the weather. If it weren't for me having the nicest moving guy ever, I probably wouldn't be moving until next weekend. Instead, nicest moving guy ever is currently implementing plan four by braving the storm in North Carolina to move my stuff tonight, and he'll keep it dry in his truck until the weather clears and he can move it into my apartment.

Let's hope plan four doesn't fail me.

She works hard for the money.

Yesterday I started my "real" job at the same place I've been working all summer as an intern. They made the intern table and computer into my table and computer, plus another desk. However, in an effort to make things cozier for myself and feel more like I have a "real" job and less like I'm still an intern, I might decide to move some of the tables around. We'll see. You know what's exciting about a "real" job? A full hour for lunch, that's what.

In other news, I move into my new apartment this weekend. That should be exciting.

godbaby

Guess who is a proud Godmother?! That would be me.



On August 15 my cousin Jay and his wife Janelle had a baby, Jay Robert IV, aka Bobby. Since I was in Santa Fe for two weeks I didn't get to meet him until Saturday. He. is. so. cute.

As a godmother I've decided I have the right to buy the awesome gifts, like puzzle maps of the United States and fun flash cards about presidents. I will make this kid a history lover. Or at least an appreciator. Or maybe he will be a science kid and want a microscope or chemistry set. And if all of that fails the kid better at least enjoy miniature golf, because we will do that, too.

Kit

To finish off my time in New Mexico, yesterday I went to Taos with my dad and granddad. We visited Kit Carson's house, walked around the plaza and ate lunch, visited Kit Carson's grave, and didn't have time to visit the Martinez Hacienda but walked around it. Then we headed home.

I heart Garrison Keillor

Last night Garrison Keillor came to town with the Rhubarb Tour of A Prairie Home Companion. Of course we went. The show was lots of fun. No skits with cowboys or Guy Noir or anything, but lots of songs and poems, a performance by the voice guy, and News from Lake Wobegon.

The extra exciting part was going backstage after the show, thanks both to my brother (who met everyone at his hotel and somehow managed to get a free ticket for himself while driving a woman to the show who called up Mr. Keillor and said "my driver wants to come, can he have a ticket, too?" and somehow that included putting his name on the backstage list) and to this couple from church who we happened to see there and the wife also just happens to be a third cousin of Mr. Keillor and that gave her backstage privileges, too.

Unfortunately, we couldn't wait around long enough for Garrison to actually come out and talk to us (well, he was busy talking with the distant cousin in a back room), but I saw him walk by. And in the meantime Ryan and I chatted it up with Fred Newman (the voice guy) and Suzy Bogguss, the touring country singer.

We also happened to see several of the band members the night before at the restaurant/bar at Ryan's resort, and of course he talked to lots of them and gave Garrison rides in the golf cart while he was working. Le sigh, I am so jealous.

Ubiquitous Pistachios

If you keep an eye out for them, you will find them. That's what I've discovered about pistachios. Well, pistachio shells, to be exact (because who would waste the delicious nuts?). I don't actually look for them, they just appear on my radar I guess.

For example, after hiking up to the M in Missoula, Montana, I found two half-shells. And after walking up a hill the other day to view Nambe Falls in New Mexico I found two more shells on the ground.

When I find them, they are always laying there alone. No other trash, no sunflower seed shells or peanut shells. Just the shell from a single pistachio nut.

Now get excited, because from now on when I find pistachio shells I'm going to report back here, and if I happen to have a camera that will be even better. And for my first "ubiquitous pistachios" installment I will report that I found another shell yesterday outside of Bed Bath & Beyond in Santa Fe.

Indian Market

This weekend was Santa Fe's biggest event of the year, the Southwest Association for Indian Arts' Santa Fe Indian Market. Something like 100,000 people from all over the world come to Santa Fe every year to check out the art downtown. Artists from tribes all over the country come and set up over 600 booths, where they sell traditional and contemporary jewelry, pottery, sculpture, bead work, paintings, etc. Apparently some hard core people get to the plaza super early in the morning or even camp out over night so they can buy particular pieces from their favorite artists.


booths on Lincoln Avenue


pottery for sale

Yesterday my parents and I went to the market, but not until late afternoon. We checked out some art, my parents bought me turquoise earrings, and we shared some fry bread.


booths on Palace Avenue in front of the Museum of Fine Arts (where I performed in numerous Youth Symphony concerts back in the day)

This afternoon my dad and I went back to the market, and he bought me a turquoise necklace to match the earrings. I think this is my first turquoise jewelry (and it's not huge and fancy like lots of other people have around here, just simple teardrop earrings and a beaded necklace). I used to shun the stuff, but this is simply another example of me starting to embrace the Southwest more than I ever wanted to when I lived here.


kids performing traditional dances

independent day

Some people don't like to go out and do things alone. I, on the other hand, don't usually mind. I prefer to shop alone. I go to museums alone. I explore new places alone. Sometimes I'll even eat in a restaurant alone. Now I'm not saying I always like to be alone. It's nice to have a friend or family member or significant other along. But if someone else isn't available, that won't stop me from going out and doing what I want to do. I have been to museums alone in Chicago, London, New York, Portland, Raleigh, Richmond, Santa Fe, Seattle, Tacoma, and Washington DC.

There are times when it's better to be alone. Maybe I don't mind spending four hours looking for a dress. Maybe I don't want to annoy someone else by making them sit and watch random video installations for 45 minutes at an art museum. Maybe I'd rather see the movie about crosswords puzzles alone than listen to people make fun of me for wanting to see a movie about crossword puzzles.

Today I exercised my independent nature downtown in Santa Fe. I visited the Ansel Adams exhibit at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. I ate a delicious lunch on an outdoor patio. And I visited the Biennial exhibit at Site Santa Fe, where I watched a video installation for a very long time but did not want to jump down onto a stunt mattress for fear my dress would fly up.

But lest you think I shun company, I began my day by hanging out with Ryan, and in the evening I enjoyed dinner with my parents and we played a game of Scrabble.

It was a good day.

Coyote Summer

As a girl who grew up in the Southwest, I was pretty familiar with coyotes. You see kitschy coyotes in stores, and restaurants with coyote in their names. People complain of coyotes in their yards, and others go out hunting them. I had a coyote nightlight in my room, and stylized triangle coyotes popped up frequently in the doodled margins of my school notebooks. The surprising thing, however, is that I don't recall ever seeing a real live coyote in all my years in New Mexico. My brother says he sees them all the time, but me? Not so much.

Until this summer. Ironically the first coyote I've (I think) ever seen was in Tacoma, Washington. That was in July. My second coyote was last Thursday on that long drive through the mountains. And my third coyote sighting took place this evening, during a walk by the railroad tracks with my dad and our dog Jackson. I know I don't really live here anymore, but these sightings help me feel a little more legitimately New Mexican.* Not that I was never legit, of course.




*On a field trip last year to Williamsburg, Virginia, I was introduced to an undergraduate who was also from New Mexico. I had just been telling a friend of mine about tortilla burgers with green chili on them, so I was excited to have a fellow New Mexican to back me up on their delicious existence. Only when I mentioned tortilla burgers to the guy he said he'd never heard of them, and then he admitted he only lived in New Mexico as a little kid before moving somewhere else. He was definitely not a legitimate New Mexican. And I bet he's never seen a coyote.

The family that plays together...

For boat ride Number Four of the summer, I went rafting on the Rio Grande with my dad, brother, and his girlfriend Adriana. It was pretty fun. Ryan jumped off a giant rock, all of us jumped out to swim, I got soaking wet while we "surfed," we all sat on one end of the boat and spun around until we were dizzy, and Ryan floated down some ripples on his back.

We didn't have a camera with us, so you'll have to deal with these "after" shots.

some of those updates

Last Thursday I went with Ryan and his girlfriend to Nambe Falls and to Taos. Only instead of actually spending time in Taos, Ryan hijacked our trip and took us through a national forest on an incredibly long and bumpy road over a very large mountain. By the time we reached Taos we only had time to grab an ice cream cone and drive back to Santa Fe. Then we ate a big fancy dinner at his resort's restaurant. Remember how he worked for a fancy hotel downtown? Well he switched to a brand new and super fancy resort outside of town. The food was delicious.

Saturday my family (all four of us!) went to see Swing Vote. That's the movie with Kevin Costner that takes place in New Mexico, and my dad watched part of it being filmed earlier this year. We couldn't find him in the crowd scenes though, sadly.

Sunday night my mom and I went to the Santa Fe Opera for their Apprenticeship Showcase. The nice thing about the Apprenticeship Showcase is that it doesn't cost a billion dollars like the regular operas, and you get to see whole scenes from 8 different operas, instead of one long opera that may have potential for being boring.

I've watched lots of the Olympics and several movies. I also started reading Blood and Thunder, and I'm hoping to get through most of it and then go back to Taos to visit Kit Carson's house (he's a major figure in the book).

Saved for times such as these.

Yesterday I flew to New Mexico to spend two weeks with my family in Santa Fe. I'm pretty excited to be here, and I'm sure you'll get lots of updates while I'm here. My first update, however, is unfortunate.

My luggage did not arrive in Albuquerque with me. Nor did it arrive last night at my house around 9pm when they said it would. When I called the 1-800 number after 11 my bag had not yet been located. I was not happy.

In the interim, I needed some essentials. Like clothes. I decided to see what I've left in my dresser all these years, and it was a little embarrassing. I found multiple sets of pajamas. About three pairs of jeans. Lots more tank tops. Several t-shirts. Skirts. Shorts.

Why have I kept all of this??? I don't even live here! Even if some of it still fits me, I obviously don't want to wear the stuff if I have kept it in Santa Fe. The only answer I can think of is that I was saving it all for a time just like this. A time when my luggage would not arrive and I would need clothes to wear. So with that in mind, I'm pretty genius.

(Disclaimer: Even though I had to wear my old pajamas and open a new toothbrush, I just recieved a call that my bag should be here any minute. So I won't actually have to wear any of those clothes out in public. And if I'm real motivated maybe I'll even take the stuff to Goodwill. Of course I'll probably save some it, just in case this happens again some day.)

Purging. Sort of.

In an effort to prepare myself for one tiny closet in my new apartment, I have just gone through all my clothes (except for the sweaters in storage in Raleigh) and picked out several items to donate or throw away. This is an incredibly necessary exercise because I happen to own way too many clothes. And the truth is I hardly wear a lot of them.

So here is what I've parted with:

16 shirts
10 tank tops
5 skirts
1 dress
2 pairs of dress pants
4 pairs of jeans
1 pair of shorts
2 sweatshirts
2 swimsuits
4 pairs of shoes
3 pairs of flip flops

The sad part is that I still have tons of clothes and shoes, but I'll just have to get extra creative with my storage in the new place. For now though, I'm pleased with my progress.

weekend review: lots o' Richmond

Friday: Lazed about, ate lunch with the grandparents, and spent two hours at the insurance place getting things straight for officially moving to Virginia. Took Sunni to see Kung Fu Panda at the IMAX at the Science Museum. I've still never gone through the museum, but now I've at least been to the IMAX. Watched the Olympics all evening.

Saturday: Helped my cousin and his wife get their nursery ready for a new baby due next week, then came home to take a nap. Played Rook with the family and then went to see Iron Man at the Byrd Theater. Can you believe I've been in Richmond this long and I had still never been to the Byrd? So that's another Richmond check.

Sunday: Up to make my mom's rolls, then went to Mass with the grandparents. Home to a big fancy Sunday meal, then went with cousins Leslie and Sunni to the Watermelon Festival where we walked a little, ate watermelon, and got the heck out of the sun and crowd. Home to nap, then watched more Olympics.

I always pack a lunch.

This is the last week of my summer internship, and the people in the office are being so nice. Yesterday we went out to lunch to celebrate the end, and on Thursday (my last day) they're bringing in donuts for me. (I'm also having lunch today with family who are coming by, and even though it has nothing to do with my last week of work it is exciting because that makes two days this week that I don't have to pack a lunch!) This all seems especially nice for two reasons. One, they already gave me a big ice cream party last summer at the end of my first internship. And two, I'll be back in three weeks! That's right, the internship may be over but they've offered me a "real" job starting September 2. So I'm not going back to North Carolina or library school. Instead I'm moving to the city on my own, where I will live in walking distance to work. But don't worry, I'll keep packing all my lunches.

three things

Number One: I told you the big turtle shows up on the sidewalk when it wants food, and here is picture proof!




























And since the turtle requested food, Grandma complied by giving it shrimp.




























Number Two: My grandparents grow tons of stuff in the yard, including tomatoes. We have one that is possibly the largest tomato I have ever seen in my life. I put it next to a bunch of bananas to show its scale.




























Number Three: One of the other things growing in the yard is a plant with tiny hot peppers. So hot that we can't eat them. Grandpa, the lover of all hot peppers and hot sauces, ate one and thought he was going to die. So today while we ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant on the Southside Grandpa offered to give our hot peppers to the owner. The man seemed very pleased with the idea. Grandpa went on to describe how hot these peppers are and said he has to use rubber gloves to pick them. "It only took one time to learn not to pee right after picking peppers," Grandpa explained. And that Chinese man doubled over and almost cried from laughing so hard.

calling for awesome turtle names

In case you don't know or forgot, my Grandma loves turtles. The house has tons of turtle figurines around, and much more exciting are the real live turtles in the back yard. (For an example of how cute my Grandma and her turtles are, check out this email she sent almost two years ago.) We have one that is fun because when it wants Grandma's food it heads to the sidewalk in the back yard and hangs out until it's spotted. And it struts around the yard with its head held high. One morning I had to ask it (politely) to hurry and move off the path so I could open the gate without hitting it on my way to work. It complied nicely and waddled out of my way.

Last fall Grandma found a baby turtle in the yard, and she brought him inside and put him in a box in the kitchen. But he didn't like the box or the indoors, so she let him go back outside and hoped he would hibernate safely through the winter. I'm calling it a "he" but it could be a she for all we know. Anyway, this morning Grandpa spotted the baby turtle outside again! So he survived! Grandma immediately went out to give him cantaloupe, green beans, and tomatoes, but he didn't seem too interested while we stood there watching. He ate grass instead.

Now as you can tell we do not have names for our turtles. But we need some. And since I am lame at picking out names, I am asking for the internet's help. And maybe no one reads this or will submit any suggestions, but you should. It will be awesome.

For inspiration, here are shots taken this morning of the wee one. (I don't have pictures of the bigger one because it's never hungry and standing on the sidewalk at opportune times for me to grab a camera.)

no boats in the desert

I like to ride in boats. Paddle boats, row boats, canoes, kayaks, sail boats, ferries. They're all exciting to me. Growing up in New Mexico I didn't get to ride on many boats. Some of my favorite boating memories, however, are from youth group trips in junior high and early high school to a lake. The couple who led our youth group at church had a lake house and a boat, so they would take us out there for the weekend. I distinctly remember how much I loved sitting at the front of the speed boat with the wind fluttering my eye lashes. We jumped off cliffs and swam, occasionally went water skiing, and flopped around on inner tubes shaped like rockets.

Ever since those trips I have missed riding on a speed boat. (I bet boats have better names and classifications that "speed boats" but I don't know what they are and I trust you get the picture.)

I went to college right next to the Puget Sound in Washington. For orientation all the freshmen had to go camping for two nights, and my special activity was sailing. Turns out that just meant some boy scouts sailed us around while all the girls stripped off their clothing as a last ditch effort to catch a tan before the ubiquitous Washington clouds settled in for the school year. I also went out in a row boat during orientation to catch crabs.

Judging by all the outdoor and boating activities experienced during orientation one would think I had an exciting four years ahead of me on the water. But alas.

Aside from the occasional ferry trip, I don't recall ever being on another boat while I was in the Pacific Northwest. (Wait, I think there were one or two canoe rides during church retreats.) I frequently took walks down by the water and I envied everyone I saw on a boat, whether it was a speed boat, sail boat, kayak, or whatever. I even loved hearing fog horns in the morning. I used to tell myself that I really needed to make friends with people who own boats. But it didn't happen.

Well this summer I think I have done pretty well when it comes to boats. I kayaked in the Chesapeake Bay, canoed down the Shenandoah River, and just yesterday sped down the Piankatank River to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. It was great. They all were.

I need to keep this up.

show and tell

Today there was a history lecture where I work, so Grandpa came to listen to it with me. Then I took him upstairs to see where the magic happens, or at least to see my big table and my many boxes of papers. He also got to meet my boss and the second-in-command lady. And after all that excitement he sat outside with me while we ate the brown bag lunches I had made. I'm pretty sure he just came and did all of that for me, and not because he was excited about the lecture or missing a real cooked meal at home followed by a nap by 12:30. But I'm sure glad he came.

weekend review: another short summer vacation

Thursday night: Drove to Delaware after work to visit Josh.

Friday: Drove to the beach, where we swam, relaxed, walked, ate, built a sand lobster, and got pummeled by scary waves. Only I was the only one pummeled. Drove to Bethany Beach for dinner with Josh's grandparents, then walked around and flew awesome dinosaur kites. Drove back to his house.

Saturday: Drove to Philadelphia for some exciting history attractions. Heard fifes and drums, visited the Ben Franklin museum and printing office, ate a delicious lunch, visited the Seaport Museum, saw the Liberty Bell, and visited Independence Hall. I understand much of it isn't authentic and it hasn't looked the same way inside since 1776 and it's all very touristy, but seeing Independence Hall sort of seemed like the cathedral of American history to me. However, I fear much of my love for it stems from 1776 the Musical rather than the actual events of declaring independence and signing the Constitution. Drove back to Josh's place and went out to eat for sushi, followed by ice cream.

Sunday: Slept until after 1pm, ate lunch, and finally drove back to Richmond (with a stop at Ikea, just for fun).

weekend review

Friday: Worked until 3, came home to take a nap, and went to a party at my cousin's apartment where I played poker with chips and everything for the first time. Home late.

Saturday: Slept in, then went to the Forest Hill farmers market with the grandparents before Mexican lunch. Came home to get some things done and then drove to Fredericksburg to hang out with the video store gang from Raleigh. Hung out, ate, and played games until super late.

Sunday: Lazed about and slept all day, then finally got up and went to a choir concert, followed by a milkshake. Now heading to bed soon.

Don't worry, it all worked out in the end.

Aunt Judy: Andi, for dinner would you please cook the fish in the fridge so Grandma has a good meal when she gets back into town.

Me: Ok, sure. Uh, how do I cook fish?

Aunt Judy: How do you usually cook fish?

Me: I don't. I cooked it once and I had to call Grandma to ask her how.

Amy got hitched.

And in her own word, "Wahoo!"

I'll start where I left off. Thursday Amy had to work half the day so I had breakfast with Katie and Andrew, and then we went for a walk around the university. After meeting back up with Amy all four of us headed to the Big Sky Brewery for free beer tastings, then I went with Amy to get her nails done.



After that her family started to arrive, so we went to the hotel where everyone would be staying and hung out with them at the hotel bar. Then we were hungry so we headed out to dinner, and after all the chatting and drink ordering and appetizer eating and dinner eating we finally left three hours later. Everyone was pretty tired so we just hung out at the hotel a little and went to bed.

Friday I went with Amy and another bridesmaid to meet the groom Andy at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula for a Fourth of July pancake breakfast. We ate the last of the pancakes and bacon and visited the booth of the Montana Surveying Reenactment Corps where the men were dressed like the olden days and displayed old surveying tools. They had some old odometers for wagons, and guess who already knew about those? That's right, I did. From there we headed to Amy and Andy's new house so they could show it off to her family. She also showed off the mosaic I made her, which matches her blue house perfectly.



After hanging out at the hotel again it was time to head to the wedding rehearsal at the church. We bridesmaids made a stop for ice cream on the way. The rehearsal went fine, except that her mom couldn't figure out how the lighting of the unity candle was supposed to work, which became the running joke for the rest of the weekend. From the rehearsal everyone went to dinner, which was extra exciting for me because my friend (and sophomore roommate) Melissa met us there. We haven't seen her since Katie's wedding two years ago. The dinner was good and fun, and the fun only continued when everyone (guys, girls, family, etc.) all headed out to the bar. Finally poor Amy got tired and ready for bed, so we headed back to the hotel to sleep.


Here we have Katie, Me, Amy, and Melissa. I already miss those girls.

Saturday was the big day. I woke up a little earlier than planned and headed out for a walk to a couple of the Saturday markets downtown. Then we were supposed to start getting our hair and makeup done at 9:30. That went on for a few hours in our hotel suite, until we were finally all beautiful and ready to head to the church. There we got Amy into her dress and shoes and proceeded to wait longer than expected for the photographer to show up. Finally she did so we took lots of pictures (well, I didn't take any, but I was in several) before whisking Amy away so arriving guests wouldn't see her.

The ceremony was perfect. Everyone immediately became teary-eyed when Amy's dad led her down the aisle. I didn't forget Andy's ring. The unity candle part went smoothly. It was all very nice. Afterwards a Mustang convertible met them outside as we all blew bubbles and cheered loudly.

The reception was SO MUCH FUN. It was at a park next to the river, and there was good food, lots of local beer, and an amazingly fun band. Everyone danced the night away and had a great time.

As you can see I don't actually have any pictures of my own from the wedding or reception, so if I get those any time soon maybe I'll share them. But I will leave you with this photo of Andrew, because when it comes to Amy and Andy's wedding in Missoula, we all felt like this:

Look at me, actually posting.

Sorry I've become terrible at posting on this here blog. During the work weeks I can never think of anything to say but then I have exciting weekends and no time to post about them because I have to go to bed early to get ready for the work week. Vicious cycle.

For now let me tell you that I am back in Montana, for Amy's wedding. First I flew to Tacoma and stayed with my friends Katie and Andrew for a night. I got to visit the farm where Andrew works and Katie made homemade pizza and we took a walk in the nice neighborhood I used to walk in where you can see the water. It was great.

Yesterday the three of us made the drive here to Missoula, and boy is that a beautiful drive. Mountains and rivers and lakes and flat farmland and greens and yellows and browns and more greens. Very nice. Last night we had dinner with Amy and her soon-to-be husband Andy and we got to sit outside on the patio and drink delicious beer. Then we played shuffle board, which we used to play in Tacoma. Ah, the memories.

I guess I should clarify: Katie and Amy were my two best friends in college. The last time we were all together was two years ago for Katie's wedding. I told them last night that if someone else doesn't get married soon we'll have to make sure to plan somewhat regular trips so we can all hang out. Because I love those girls.

So there you have it. I'm on vacation, hanging out with great friends, in a great place. If I don't post more while I'm here I'll definitely have pictures and stories to post once I get back.

Weekend Review

Friday: Worked all day at my internship, then dropped by to briefly visit Allison. Came home to hang out and ended up watching the Disney Channel's Camp Rock with Sunni, which was pretty much a new version of High School Musical. I'm glad I was available to let Sunni know how ridiculous the whole thing was.

Saturday: Helped Grandpa and Aunt Judy go pick up my new mattress and bring it home so I don't have a lumpy bed anymore. Went out for a Chinese food lunch, then spent a billion stressful hours shopping at art supply stores for my latest mosaic project. Came home to have Grandpa inspect what I'd bought, and promptly went with him to Home Depot to get wood that would last much longer than the stupid stuff I had picked up. I then tried to help Grandpa as he cut, sanded, and sealed the wood. Then I decided more of the stuff I'd bought earlier wouldn't work either, so returned it to the store. Spent the evening working on my resume.

Sunday: Up to start my mosaic, took a break for lunch, mosaiced (?) more, went to church, and came home for more mosaicing. Made lots of progress and finally getting to bed.

I never liked P.E.

My brother Ryan is four years younger than I am, so we went to the same school at the same time for only two years, during elementary school. One day I went to P.E. and apparently did something wrong that got me in trouble. I can't remember what exactly I did, which is too bad. What I do remember is the P.E. teacher telling me my little brother had been in P.E. earlier that day and had also gotten in trouble. Ryan getting in trouble was, of course, no surprise. What shocked me, however, was that the P.E. teacher said "hmm, must run in the family."

Now unfortunately this is a terrible retelling of the story because I don't remember what I did or what Ryan did, I just remember how insanely mad I was at that teacher. And I wasn't mad for comparing me to Ryan. It was the opposite. I think I believed that what I had done wasn't all that bad and assumed what Ryan had done must not have been all that bad either, and instead a deep family pride bubbled up in me. And I regretted that I was such a good kid and didn't have the guts to kick that lady in the shins.

I survived, but with a sunburn.

Last Thursday when I arrived at the rented house on the bay I immediately started looking around for snakes. I didn't see any, and no one else looked stressed, so I just tried to relax. But then I decided I needed to use the restroom after sitting in the car for four hours, and as soon as I'd entered the bathroom and closed the door I saw a snake. I screamed and did a half-running half-jumping dash down the hall warning everyone in the house that "seriously, there's a snake in the bathroom."

Only it turns out the snake was a rubber cobra. My cousin Jay didn't think I'd fall for a cobra with the flared neck, but if you think I stopped long enough to examine the darned thing you can think again. So they got me. And then I made sure to hide the snake so I wouldn't have to deal with replays all weekend.

I did, however, see a few real snakes out in the water the first evening I was there. I was cool with it until I thought Jay was going to pick one up. That was when I made a running beeline for the house. He didn't pick it up.

Other than the snake scares, the weekend was great. Friday we all played in the water and floated around. I floated for several hours after forgetting to put sunscreen on my "porcelain" white legs and now my knees are still pink. My nose has lots of freckles, too. Friday night we played games.

Saturday I rode Josh's bike and towed him around while he rode roller blades. Then we went kayaking.




























Josh and I had a kayak and my cousin Leslie had a kayak with her boyfriend Alex. I had a good time, except for the part where we were practically in a swamp and we came upon a floating dead raccoon. Leslie and Alex did not have as good of a time because they flipped their boat and when that happened Alex lost his glasses and remained blind for the rest of the weekend. Big bummer. Saturday night we had a seafood dinner on the patio of a restaurant by the water.

Sunday we had to leave the rental house and everyone else headed back to Richmond (needed to get back in time to get a new pair of glasses made), but Josh and I hung out in St. Michaels. We had a breakfast sandwich and coffee, walked around the shops, then ate dessert at noon. Next we visited the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum which was also hosting the 21st Annual Classic and Antique Boat Festival. The boats were fun to look at and the museum is fun. It has stuff to climb on and play with. Look, I caught an oyster!

























After the museum we stuffed ourselves on an all-you-can-eat blue crab dinner, and then we headed home.

Oh dear.

This weekend I'm headed to the Eastern Shore in Maryland to hang out at a house on the bay my aunt has rented. I was thinking it would be pretty fun. Hang out by the water, eat, nap, play around outside, play games inside, maybe ride a bike, maybe catch a crab. You know, an all-around good time.

However. My grandparents are currently at the house and I just heard the report that last night there was a SNAKE wrapped around the bed post next to my Grandma's head. A snake. On the bed. Inside the house. I am freaked out.

Remember a few weeks ago when I went to the mountains in North Carolina with my friend Elizabeth and we climbed around Chimney Rock Park? I spent about 45% of my walking time there looking for snakes. I tripped and almost fell down stairs because I was looking for snakes instead of looking where I was going on the side of a cliff. If I hear snakes are around me I can think of little else besides snakes.

That means this will be a long and red-eyed weekend as I sleep little but fear a lot. I'll be sure to update you when I return. That is, if I return...

The Weekend Review, comin' back atcha.

Friday: Worked at my internship. Normally I wouldn't work on Fridays but I'm already making up for the days I'll miss when I go back to Montana for Amy's wedding. After work I came home for Sunni's 11th birthday party. My favorite part was dancing the "Macarena" with all the kids- they were much better than I. After the party I hung out with the "big kids" (i.e. older cousins and their spouses/significant others) for a while, then watched Charlie Wilson's War with Aunt Judy.

Saturday: Slept in a little and went for a run. Ran a birthday present errand before going out for my cousin Jay's birthday lunch at the Richbrau Brewing Co. Came home and took a three hour nap, waking up just in time to watch the Belmont race with the grandparents. Went by the mall and picked up some pants I can wear to work, then came home to waste time on the internet and practice the ukulele.

Sunday: Set my alarm for 10 but woke up at 7:30. Read a little, and eventually went for a run. In the 90+ weather I need to run earlier. Enjoyed a delicious dinner with the grandparents and Uncle Richard. Went to church, helped go on a Rook cards hunt in Carytown, got milkshakes at Bev's, and came home to play Hearts (the game store was closed so we couldn't find Rook) with the grandparents and Uncle Richard. Now I'll be going to bed very soon.

Broadcasting from RVA...

I'm back in Richmond. And I've already been to work at my internship for three days. It's a little creepy how things haven't changed much over there. Same people in the same places, some of them working on the same projects (like me, working on a different section of the same project). I'm back to packing lunches and taking walks every day during my break. So far I have noticed only two differences. The first is that they moved me to the other side of the huge table, and another intern has my old spot. The second is that the construction work done at the Powhite toll plaza means I pretty much have to take my life in my hands every evening when I want to cross lots of lanes of traffic very quickly to get to the Chippenham exit. I guess that has nothing to do with where I'm working, but I'm using my return to the same commute as the connection. In case you missed it.

Empty. Well, almost.

I'm sitting on the floor because all of the furniture is out of my apartment. I still have to tackle my closet and bathroom, but other than that most things are outa here. And tomorrow I will say goodbye to my first solo apartment and to Raleigh as I head back to Richmond for the summer.

Big Sky Country

Growing up in the West I didn't appreciate it nearly enough. And now that I've been to Montana I heart the West even more.

First things first. My dear friend Amy from college is getting married in July. As the maid of honor I figured it would be a good idea to visit her and actually meet the lucky man before the big day. So that explains why I went to Missoula. It was great to see her and hang out, and as relationships like this usually go, it was just like old times and you wouldn't really guess we hadn't seen each other in almost two years.

I won't give you the play by play of my six days, just the highlights and some pictures.

I drank lots of delicious local beer. The Big Sky Brewing Company is in Missoula, so not only did we drink their beer in local restaurants, but we visited the brewery where they have free tasting. I also bought a Moose Drool pint glass.

We walked through three markets on Saturday morning, full of vegetables and crafts and flowers.

I looked around a lot just to enjoy the big sky and the surrounding mountains. One section of mountains reminded me of home.














Look at those mountains! Amazing.

Saturday night there was a surprise bridal shower, so I spent the day listening to Amy talk about what she wanted to do later that night- rent a movie? drink more beer? listen to music? She had no idea the "barbecue" we were scheduled to attend was really a party in her honor with chocolate fondue and a make-a-wedding-gown-out-of-toilet-paper activity.














There is a giant "M" on the side of the mountain next to the University of Montana, so we climbed up to that Sunday. We rewarded ourselves with ice cream when we got back down. (See the M?)


At the top!











Monday was my favorite. First we bought some buffalo jerky on the side of the road. Then we visited the National Bison Range and Wildlife Refuge, just like I had planned.













We drove slowly up a mountain and along a ridge and through a valley, constantly peering our eyes for exciting wildlife. We saw birds, and deer, and antelope, and squirrels, and even turtles. The best part, of course, was the bison. The herd was hanging out toward the end of the long loop, and they were super close and big and exciting.

















After the drive we stopped by a pond with loud birds and ate sandwiches at a picnic table. It had rained or drizzled the entire weekend I was there, but Monday we didn't get a drop of rain and it was relatively warm and I was so happy to be out in the sun in the mountains. Looking at real live buffalo.

Teaser

Keep your eyes on the tail.

I head off for Missoula tomorrow, so I'm using the ol' internet to quickly learn about the place and see what there is to do there. Other than hang out with Amy, of course. And you know what they have less than one hour away from Missoula? Can you guess?

The National Bison Range Wildlife Refuge! A whole range for bison! I'm already planning to talk Amy into taking me there. It sounds sweet.

Have you figured out by now that I like buffalo? (Bison is the correct term but nowadays they're pretty much interchangeable; and let's be honest, "buffalo" sounds awesomer. Yes, awesomer.) I have pictures of them hanging in my apartment and a buffalo-head magnet on my fridge. There's a little bison farm or something in Virginia off of highway 15 and when I told some friends I saw buffalo there they thought I was crazy and didn't know a buffalo from a fat horse. But I do. Also, there is this great little joint in Tacoma, Washington, that serves buffalo food- burgers, burritos, steaks, you name it. I miss that place.

Bison trivia: How do you know if a bison isn't feeling so amused and is about to charge? If its tale is sticking straight up. I'll look out for that.

Joke: What did the daddy buffalo say to his kid when he left for work? "Bison." Hahahaha.

The Change Train is coming through again...

I'm currently moping around my apartment attempting to organize things in preparation to move out. It's not very fun. I like my apartment. I don't want to take it apart. Right now I'm filling a large box with papers to take to the recycling center. I don't want to lug all these articles and things around that I read for classes, but I also worry I will wish I had them someday when I'm maybe back in school or remembering something pertinent to a project. You should have seen how nervous I was taking all my billions of colored tabs out of the thirty library books I returned after I finished my thesis. What if I work on this again? What if I've just lost a lot of information by tearing out the tabs? Honestly I probably won't look at any of this stuff again. But I like to be prepared.

So I'm going to get back to fretting over whether or not I should throw out the spiral notebook with notes I took from the classes I TA'd. Then maybe I'll move on to finally getting rid of a bunch of clothes I've moved around since college but never wear.

P.S. This cartoon accurately depicts every discussion I ever led in Harrelson Hall.

Do I see a fire? No, wrong again.

To celebrate the end of the semester Elizabeth and I headed west to Lake Lure for four nights. Our first night there we ate at a restaurant right by the lake and I pointed out some smoke to Elizabeth, thinking there was a fire. She looked where I pointed but then laughed. "That's not a fire, Andi. There's a reason these are called the Smokey Mountains." I felt sheepish.

Wednesday we visited the Biltmore in Asheville.

After touring the ginormous house we went to the farm and pet lambs and a calf and watched a blind chicken eat some egg yolk, which freaked me out. Then we visited the winery for a wine tasting. After leaving we headed toward Asheville and walked around a little before eating dinner and heading back to our condo at the lake.

Thursday it was cloudy and rainy all day, so we stayed in reading and napping. We were going to eat out but we realized we'd miss The Office, so we bought some groceries at the store and made dinner instead.

Friday we went to Chimney Rock Park and climbed a billion stairs and hiked all over the side of a mountain and saw some amazing views.

This was where Last of the Mohicans was filmed. Speaking of film sites, parts of Dirty Dancing were filmed at our resort. After leaving the park we headed back to the condo, where I took a nap. Then we went down to the lake and I wandered around while Elizabeth read. We ate dinner at another restaurant by the water but a cold front came through so I shivered through most of the meal since we were outside on the patio.

Today we checked out of the resort and went horseback riding. It was fun but not super exciting.

Once I went horseback riding in Red River, New Mexico, with my dad and brother, and our guide let us gallop and jump over rivers and do pretty much whatever we wanted, which was awesome. Now when I go on tours where the horses just follow each other and you don't have to do anything (they even park themselves back at the barn) I always feel disappointed. Anyway, after that we hopped in the car and drove back to Raleigh.

Now I have a few days to kill before I head off for another adventure in Missoula, Montana.