Last night Josh and I joined a few of my co-workers for a night at the Goochland Drive-In. It's about thirty miles away, but worth it considering you get to see two movies for only seven bucks. We got there in time to grab dinner from their snack bar. Between the two of us we had two cheeseburgers, a Goochland dog, a regular dog, fries, popcorn, and two large drinks with refills. Yikes.
The first movie was Captain America. I thought it was fun. And I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality since it was through the radio. Our group sat outside in chairs we all brought, so we used portable radios. The second movie, which I was hoping we wouldn't bother staying for since it didn't start until about 11:30pm, was Transformers 3. I had never seen any of the Transformers movies, and to be honest, I still wish we'd left early.
Overall we had a really fun time though. It was nice to sit outside where you can also see stars and bats flying around. A perfect summertime excursion.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
day 2 of Philly conference
So that wasn't my UPS advisor getting in the elevator. I was just overzealous I guess. But professors from two schools combined with current work colleagues means this is still a clash of worlds for me, which is kind of fun.
Today I went to two morning sessions, then a graduate student lunch session, and then an afternoon session. I skipped the last session and instead walked a few blocks to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. I only had 40 minutes before they closed, but I went ahead and paid my admission and walked around anyway. It was worth it. They have several paintings by various members of the Peale family, and recently I've decided I really like Charles Willson Peale. Not just for his art though. He was an awesome guy I think. My favorite piece at the museum was his Self-Portrait with Spectacles. I used to think portraits made for really boring art, but as a history lover (especially of early America) I've come to really appreciate portraits because they let us see the people we read about. And some of them, including Peale and his contemporaries, made some really good portraits.
Today I went to two morning sessions, then a graduate student lunch session, and then an afternoon session. I skipped the last session and instead walked a few blocks to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. I only had 40 minutes before they closed, but I went ahead and paid my admission and walked around anyway. It was worth it. They have several paintings by various members of the Peale family, and recently I've decided I really like Charles Willson Peale. Not just for his art though. He was an awesome guy I think. My favorite piece at the museum was his Self-Portrait with Spectacles. I used to think portraits made for really boring art, but as a history lover (especially of early America) I've come to really appreciate portraits because they let us see the people we read about. And some of them, including Peale and his contemporaries, made some really good portraits.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Philly
So I'm in Philadelphia for a history conference. It doesn't start (for me) until tomorrow, but I actually got up here yesterday so I could spend today doing some research for work. So let me give you a rundown of my day.
This morning I wandered around the streets of Philadelphia looking for breakfast, and I finally found a nice little cafe where I got oatmeal, fruit, and coffee. It was a great start to the day. Next I went to the Library Company of Philadelphia and looked at some old stuff.
From there I walked over to the American Philosophical Society and looked at some more old stuff. I also took a lunch break and wandered the streets of Philly a little more until I found this place where Josh and I ate lunch a few years ago. I had a sandwich. After finishing up at the APS I decided I would forgo museums or historical sites and instead I trekked many blocks to drink some beer. On the way I passed this gem:
Seriously, how awesome is that?! The beer I was walking so far to imbibe was at the Yards Brewing Company. When I finally arrived at their tasting room I sat right down at the bar and ordered a flight of their "Ales of the Revolution." They have a George Washington porter, a Thomas Jefferson ale, and a Benjamin Franklin spruce ale (that tastes like a tree). I also ate a cupcake, to reward myself for all the walking and successful navigation. And just as I finished tasting all my beers they announced that they were doing an impromptu tour of the brewery, so I went on that.
By this point I decided I should head back downtown and toward my hotel. I walked along the Delaware River and had a pistachio sighting! It took three tries crouching on the sidewalk to get this shot with my phone.
After more walking I happened upon Christ Church, so I looked at that and walked around its gardens, and then a couple blocks later I came to the rest of the church's burial ground and saw where Franklin lays. This day was pretty full of that guy. From there I kept walking and finally arrived back at my hotel. I dropped off a few things, and then headed out again, because apparently my feet weren't tired enough yet. After more walking in search of a light dinner, I finally came upon a Whole Foods, where I secured dinner and tomorrow's breakfast for under $9. Score.
So back to the conference. It starts tomorrow. And my history worlds are colliding. I had dinner last night with my NCSU advisor. I will see my GMU advisor tomorrow. And I think I saw my UPS advisor just step into the elevator. I'm excited.
This morning I wandered around the streets of Philadelphia looking for breakfast, and I finally found a nice little cafe where I got oatmeal, fruit, and coffee. It was a great start to the day. Next I went to the Library Company of Philadelphia and looked at some old stuff.
From there I walked over to the American Philosophical Society and looked at some more old stuff. I also took a lunch break and wandered the streets of Philly a little more until I found this place where Josh and I ate lunch a few years ago. I had a sandwich. After finishing up at the APS I decided I would forgo museums or historical sites and instead I trekked many blocks to drink some beer. On the way I passed this gem:
Seriously, how awesome is that?! The beer I was walking so far to imbibe was at the Yards Brewing Company. When I finally arrived at their tasting room I sat right down at the bar and ordered a flight of their "Ales of the Revolution." They have a George Washington porter, a Thomas Jefferson ale, and a Benjamin Franklin spruce ale (that tastes like a tree). I also ate a cupcake, to reward myself for all the walking and successful navigation. And just as I finished tasting all my beers they announced that they were doing an impromptu tour of the brewery, so I went on that.
By this point I decided I should head back downtown and toward my hotel. I walked along the Delaware River and had a pistachio sighting! It took three tries crouching on the sidewalk to get this shot with my phone.
After more walking I happened upon Christ Church, so I looked at that and walked around its gardens, and then a couple blocks later I came to the rest of the church's burial ground and saw where Franklin lays. This day was pretty full of that guy. From there I kept walking and finally arrived back at my hotel. I dropped off a few things, and then headed out again, because apparently my feet weren't tired enough yet. After more walking in search of a light dinner, I finally came upon a Whole Foods, where I secured dinner and tomorrow's breakfast for under $9. Score.
So back to the conference. It starts tomorrow. And my history worlds are colliding. I had dinner last night with my NCSU advisor. I will see my GMU advisor tomorrow. And I think I saw my UPS advisor just step into the elevator. I'm excited.
Friday, July 08, 2011
holiday hike
For the 4th of July, Josh and I went for a hike at Humpback Rocks in the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's a short hike but steep, and then the views are amazing.
We also had a pistachio shell sighting!
After the hike we had lunch at the Blue Mountain Brewery. We sat outside with views of the hops farm and mountains, and it was pretty great.
Rain spoiled our fireworks-watching plans so we just watched the show from the Capitol on TV. Overall it was still a good holiday.
We also had a pistachio shell sighting!
After the hike we had lunch at the Blue Mountain Brewery. We sat outside with views of the hops farm and mountains, and it was pretty great.
Rain spoiled our fireworks-watching plans so we just watched the show from the Capitol on TV. Overall it was still a good holiday.
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
Weekend(s) Update
Let me tell you (briefly) what the haps have been. Last Saturday (er, the one almost a week and a half ago) my parents flew into Richmond. Sunday we celebrated Grandma's birthday and Sunday night Dad and I enjoyed brews and live tunes at Legends Brewery. Monday Dad went with me downtown and wandered around while I did some research for work. My parents stayed in Richmond all week while I came back to Charlottesville, but then I took off of work Friday to get ready for Grandpa's recital. He had a professional pianist come to the house Friday night and give a salon concert, so we got all dressed up and had the event catered and everything. It was very nice. The next day Dad, Josh, Jay, Sunni, and myself all went tubing on the James River, and Saturday night was a sort of "girls night out" with my mom and aunt.
So there you go, two fun weekends with family (including my parents!).
(This post is short because I'm writing from work [after hours] while I figure out how to get the internet to work at my apartment again, after a big thunderstorm Sunday. Just FYI.)
So there you go, two fun weekends with family (including my parents!).
(This post is short because I'm writing from work [after hours] while I figure out how to get the internet to work at my apartment again, after a big thunderstorm Sunday. Just FYI.)
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