sunny weekend

I am loving the warm weather. A lot. It helped make this weekend great.

Saturday I went for a run, and when I got home I opened the windows in my apartment for the first time in several months. Then I headed to Mexican lunch with my grandparents. I had my car cleaned, which I'm pretty excited about, and I bought four books on tape for a total of two bucks at the book sale at the public library downtown (and yes, I meant books on tape because my car still rocks a tape player). I then returned home to take a glorious two hour nap on my couch, before gathering up some laundry and heading back to my grandparents' house. In the evening I accompanied Grandpa to a concert at VCU, which was fun and different.

Sunday I went to church, then over to the grandparents' for lunch. After grabbing gas and an iced latte I stopped by my apartment to change, then joined former co-workers for a walk downtown along the route Lincoln probably took when he visited Richmond on April 4, 1865. It was a fun event, and so great to be out in the sun! I also spotted a pistachio shell on Clay Street in the Court End District. While pistachio sightings are always exciting, this one was fun because friends who read this blog and know my obsession got to experience a sighting first hand.

bad news bears

Don't worry, I heard the news. Stay away from pistachios. However, I mostly eat the pistachios at my grandparents' house (or the ones they give me), and those are grown and processed in Georgia. They are also much more delicious than any pistachios I've had from normal stores ever since I started eating the kind Grandma orders from Georgia. So, uh, I'm gonna keep eating them. But if you don't know that yours came from Georgia and you think maybe they came from California, you probably should hold off. For now. I wonder if this will lead to more or less pistachio sightings???

(In case you haven't heard about the recent don't-eat-pistachios-because-they-may-have-salmonella story, here's the link a friend sent me, since I'm too lazy to look up my own link.)

daf fest

Today Josh and I joined his family in Gloucester, Virginia, for the 23rd Annual Daffodil Festival. We had a pretty solid day.

Unfortunately we missed the parade, but there was plenty more daffodil fun to be had. To start the day off right Josh bought me a pair of daffodil earrings, which I will most likely never wear again but were fun and festive.



We checked out the booths, ate fair-type food (including kettle corn), pet a llama, and saw lots of cute dogs. Of course there were also all the daffodils.



In the afternoon we hopped on a school bus and visited a daffodil farm.


We also stopped by the local middle school to see the daffodil competition. Who knew there were so many different kinds of daffodils, and so many ways to judge them? Not me.



We finished out the day with a good Thai dinner. And yes, there were fresh daffodils on every table in the restaurant.

pie lovin' history nerds

Today at work this email (and the photo) was sent around the office. Awesome.

In honor of President John Tyler’s birthday, [the boss] and I submit for your approval two versions of the “classic” John Tyler pie (aka Tyler pudding, aka Tyler pudding pie, etc.) There is voting of course. Pies should probably be refrigerated when not actively being consumed.

misc.

I have received two more pieces of chocolate.

I cleaned my apartment over the weekend, which was nice. Not the cleaning, but getting it done. I even mopped!

I also walked to Carytown twice over the weekend (once for a haircut, and once for reading at a coffee shop), and that was nice. Now that I'm working in C-ville I like to have time to hang out in Richmond and remember that I still live here. For now.

Speaking of working in C-ville, the commuting hasn't been too bad, except for the much more frequent trips to the gas station.

A few weeks ago Josh saw a DVD for sale called 1776. He wasn't sure, but he thought I might be interested. Haha. Then I told him about how I love that musical and we have the VHS back at home in Santa Fe and I have the soundtrack on CD and I took it to my history class in the 8th grade and made my class watch it and I took it to my AP history class in the 11th grade and made my class watch it and I wrote two papers about it in college and I saw it performed live a couple years ago with a professor of mine. So yeah, I was definitely interested in having my own DVD! We watched it last night, and this copy has more material than my old VHS copy, which means I saw things I'd never seen before! It was exciting.

Today I wore new running shoes for my after-work run. This is only my second pair of running shoes since I started running in 2006, and it was overdue. Now I won't get blisters every time I run!

chocolate sun

So far I have received three pieces of chocolate at work for doing a good job. On the one hand I think "woohoo, chocolate!" and on the other hand I think "why am I getting chocolate for doing what I'm supposed to?"

Also, I'm glad winter is over.

hi-ho, hi-ho

Today was my third day of work at my new job. So far so good. I haven't actually done anything yet, but tomorrow I will transition from "getting settled" into getting down to business. I'm looking forward to it.

Yesterday my boss gave me a t-shirt that our department made a few years ago. The quotes on it help to sum up (in a humorously self-deprecating way) the kind of history work we do:

"to common readers they will appear unnecessarily erudite, and pedantic."

and

"I repeat that I am too tired of the subject to go over it again. so I think I must publish it as it is."

Both were written in a letter from Thomas Jefferson to George Hay, 28 December 1811.

I'm excited.

days gone by

Nothing like driving around your hometown in the wee hours of the morning listening to the Goo Goo Dolls to spark feelings of nostalgia...

SF Rail Yard

Today Ryan and I joined my dad downtown for lunch, and then I hung out around the new rail yard area where new shops and galleries are popping up. I went in some stores, walked through the new rail park, and then headed to a new coffee shop to read. On my way there I ran into a former boss of mine from high school. He said "Hi Andi! We were just talking about you the other day because of that time you had to pick up poop." I haven't seen him since 2002. Awesome.

Last night Dad and I went to see The Wrestler. That movie inspired me to start weight lifting, so I stopped in the rail park to try and pick up a dumbbell.



Then on my way back to my dad's office to meet him and head home I had another pistachio sighting! See that flat brown building in the background? (Haha, most buildings in Santa Fe are flat and brown.) That's the state capitol.

Viva Las Vegas

My Vegas trip has come and gone, and I had a great time. First of all, it was fun to be on a family vacation. Not only were my parents and Ryan there, but so were my Aunt Penny and Uncle Tommy. I only see them about once a year, and I've never been on a trip with them except maybe camping trips when I was really young. So it was nice to spend time with them. They are also Vegas pros so they could show us around to their favorite spots.

And now for the rundown of my trip.

Thursday: Left work for the last time ever in a frenzy as I finished up my project, gathered all my things, said goodbye, and flew out the door to catch my flight. Flew to Atlanta and then to Las Vegas, where I arrived about 12:30am (3:30 Richmond time). Ryan and Aunt Penny greeted me, and we drove down the strip on our way to our hotels. The "adults" stayed at Sam's Town, which is a western-themed hotel and casino about five miles off the strip. Ryan and I stayed in a brand new hotel and casino next door called the Eastside Cannery. Our room was nicer, but their place was more fun so we spent most of our gambling and drinking time over there with the family. Plus, Sam's Town has Mystic Falls Park inside with water falls, a laser show, and fake animals that make noise. Always a plus. Anyway, we dropped Aunt Penny off at her hotel, went over to ours, and went straight to bed.

Friday: Met the family at Sam's Town for a buffet breakfast, then the six of us piled into my parents' five person car and drove way out to see the Nascar race track before making our way to the strip. We rode the roller coaster at the Sahara, then visited Treasure Island and the Venetian.


Uncle Tommy, me, and Ryan in front of Treasure Island.

Around 5:00 we went back to Sam's Town to meet up with Aunt Penny's brother and sister-in-law. After an hour in the casino playing the slots for the first time we ate a big steak dinner. Afterwards we drove downtown to Fremont street for $1.99 shrimp cocktails at the Golden Gate and to see the giant television screen that covers the whole street. We also saw sharks by the pool of the Golden Nugget. After all that I think we just went back to our hotels and to bed.

Saturday: Up relatively early to grab something to eat before heading to the race track. Uncle Tommy, Dad, Ryan and myself spent the day at the Nationwide Series race. (Just in case you're not a Nascar person and don't know about these things, there are two races each weekend- the Nationwide Series on the first day is sort of like the minor-league race, and the Sprint Cup Series on the second day is like the major league. I only went to the first day.)


Dad and me at the race.

I cheered for Denny Hamlin because he's from the Richmond area and I've cheered for him before. At one point he was in first place, but about three laps before the finish someone hit him from behind and there were lots of flames and he was out. That race had tons of yellow and red flags, so every time things started moving again there was another wreck. I also *may* have fallen asleep for a few minutes on Ryan's shoulder. After the race and the long time it took to get back to the hotel, we ate dinner and then hung out in the casino. At one point Ryan, my mom, and I watched my dad play a slot machine and mom said "the family that gambles together stays together." Let me add here that we've never been to Vegas as a family (I had never been there at all and my parents hadn't been in thirty years) and we're not really a gambling family (minus that $4 scratcher I won the other day on my lunch break). We didn't go crazy or anything, but it was fun to gamble pennies and quarters together. Plus, this was our first family vacation since Ryan turned twenty-one. So that made for even more fun times. After everyone else went to bed Ryan and I headed back to our hotel for one more drink and another three dollars at the slots, and passed a pistachio shell in the hall on the way to our room.



Sunday: Up early again so Ryan could join my dad, aunt, and uncle for Sunday's race. Mom and I ate breakfast at the hotel, then headed to the strip for a day of sight seeing. We visited the Bellagio and saw the amazing flowers and Chinese-themed display in the Conservatory, plus the world's largest chocolate fountain. We also visited (in no particular order) the MGM Grand and saw the lions, the Flamingo and saw flamingos, the Luxor, the Paris, Excalibur, Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, and New York-New York. We ate lunch at a restaurant in the Miracle Mile Shops (where every thirty minutes there was a thunder storm) and stopped in two hotels for a break at the slots (I won $10 at one and $15 at the other).


Conservatory and Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio

After all that we were pooped, so we went back to Sam's Town for a nap. Two hours later the rest of the crew was back from the race so we went to dinner at the hotel and spent the rest of the night in the casino. I finally grew brave enough to try a card game at a table, so I joined Ryan at three-card poker. It's super easy. It was also special because apparently I sat in the exact same seat Ryan sat in for his first game when he was there a few months ago (with Aunt Penny and Uncle Tommy for the National Finals Rodeo). I lost my forty bucks, but Ryan did really well. After we finally went back to our own hotel I tried the slots one last time and won twenty dollars, so I didn't feel as bad about the forty.

Monday: Up to meet everyone at nine and say goodbye to Tommy and Penny. Went with my parents and Ryan back to the strip so they could see the Bellagio. Dad was looking for some special shop so we tried the Forum Shops at Caesars, which didn't have his store but DID have a talking Caesar statue.


Thumbs up for Caesar!

Grabbed lunch at the Paris before hitting the road for home. Fell asleep in the car almost immediately, but Dad woke me up when we drove over Hoover Dam and made me get out so he could take a picture. Spent the rest of the ten hour drive sleeping or singing Broadway show tunes. Finally made it home to Santa Fe after midnight.

I will miss this place.

We just had my going away party at work. Check out my cake:



I also received a "gold-plated" staple remover hung on a sash that can be removed to double as a paper weight. Awesome.

packin'

Tomorrow is my last day of work, and I'm sad to leave the place. My job wasn't super exciting, but I liked the place, I liked the people, and I think it was a great experience to work there, both as an intern and as a real-live employee. The only nice thing about leaving (other than moving on to another job that I expect to be a little more exciting) is that everyone is being extra nice to me. Last Friday after work my whole department went out for drinks, Monday the crew I eat lunch with had a potluck for me, and tomorrow there will be a cake for my goodbye party. I'm usually not this popular.

In addition to finishing up my project and eating cake tomorrow, I will have to clean out my desk and take home my (meager) decorations. But I won't have time to sulk after work, because I'm going to head straight to the airport and hop on a jet to Las Vegas. No joke.

My parents and brother had plans to be in Vegas for a Nascar race, and the day I was offered my new position and learned I would have a week off between the two jobs I invited myself along for the family vacation. So we'll be there for a long weekend, and then I'll drive back to Santa Fe with them and hang out for the rest of the week. I expect many fun times.

Lovin' Lincoln

Nothing says romance like makin' presidential origami on Valentine's Day. Josh gave me a book on how to make Americana origimi, and tonight we made our 16th president. Because we're awesome like that.

Valentine package

My parents sent me a package for Valentine's Day, and it's pretty exciting. Notice the pink rubber ducky, the chili chocolate, and the heart-shaped pasta. And of course a package from my parents wouldn't be the same without my chocolate milk...

Thanks Mom and Dad!

exciting thing

Remember back in December when I won an iPod but was not super excited because the win was preceded by "depressingly unlucky news"? Well, that unlucky news was that my job would not last nearly as long as I (or my boss) had thought. In fact, it's ending at the end of this month. Yes, the economic crisis hit close to home. This also helps explain why I was so excited about the library, and why I was mad at the heater for resetting to 70. With unemployment looming in my future, I tensed up. A depressing cloud settled over me, and I couldn't seem to get happy about anything knowing my future was so uncertain and scary. I can't even imagine how much worse this feeling must be for all those other people losing their jobs but still having to pay mortgages and support families. These are hard times.

My own future, however, has just brightened. Yesterday I was offered a job, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude and relief. Not only is it a full-time permanent position, but it also happens to be exactly what I've been wanting to do since I graduated from grad school. I won't go into details here and now (unless I know you in real life- feel free to email me!), but let me say it involves history, uses my graduate degree, and is located in Charlottesville. I am very excited, and I'm also very aware of how lucky (or blessed, rather) this offer is at this time.

Sorry about that.

It's been almost two weeks since I last posted, so sorry about that. However, I don't really have much to say. I mean, I could tell you that I went to a violin concert last Friday with Grandpa and the violinist was pretty great, so even though I'm not usually a big fan of the violin I was really glad I went. Or I could tell you I saw a few snowboarders land on their faces Saturday afternoon a few blocks from my house on imported snow. I could tell you about how I went with my grandparents to lunch yesterday pretty far away on the Southside to eat seafood next to a big lake or reservoir or something, and even though the food was average and slow, it was still fun to see the water on a warm day. I could tell you I was sad the Cardinals lost because while some people told me yesterday they had no idea Arizona had a team, I knew because they happen to be my Dad's all-time favorite team and we even put a Cardinals ornament on our Christmas tree. I could tell you the power went out at my apartment twice last week, and it's annoying because when it comes back on the heater automatically turns to 70, which is way higher than I set it when I'm gone, and that costs extra money, which I'm trying not to spend any of. Well, that's about all I could tell you, and I'm sorry none of it was terribly exciting. I'm hoping to have exciting things to share in the near future. For now we'll all just have to wait.

a tossed salad of thoughts and happenings

On Saturday I visited my BFF and his family in Fredericksburg, which was exciting because I haven't seen them since June. I saw the Rappahannock River and it was mostly frozen. That was also exciting because I don't think I've seen a frozen river before.

The contestants on the show "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" make me sad for America.

My mom thought she had a pistachio sighting, but I had to ix-nay it because it was in my dad's car. That means he probably left it there himself, and even if it was an accident and happened a long time ago that doesn't cut it. Finding your own pistachio shells doesn't count. And I make the rules in this game.

Sunday Alex and I worked for about two hours on the New York Time's crossword puzzle. We only had to cheat on the internet a tiny bit, and then we finished it! Other family members helped out, too.

I make a mean pizza. It has a homemade crust that makes eleven-year-olds say "this pizza has a crust I will actually eat!"

I took a three hour nap yesterday, which was glorious.

The Anne of Green Gables series melts my heart. I asked for the three-movie collection for Christmas and finished the third one last night. I also watched all the bonus material. I want to marry Gilbert Blythe.

Today they set up a screen at work so we could watch the inauguration live, which was awesome. Unfortunately the CBS newscasters wouldn't shut up or turn off their mics.

dreamin'

When I was a kid I would sometimes daydream about the task of having to pick out new parents. It was like those daydreams when you think: What if everyone in the world had to line up and they would tie your legs together and make you jump over a tub of hot lava, and if you couldn't make it, you died. You know what I'm talking about, right?

Anyway, this particular daydream usually started with the fact that I could no longer keep my mom and dad. I don't think they died, I think they were just taken away from me and I had to choose new parents. So all of the eligible parents I knew would line up. Teachers from school, neighbors, babysitters, couples from church. They would all be standing there in a line looking at me and waiting for my decision. I would go down the line, dismissing some of them easily but thinking hard about others. "Hmm...if I pick that couple I know I'll get to watch PG-13 movies. Or if I pick them I might get to go to Disneyland more often." But in the end I could never choose. None of them could stand up to what I already had. And since what I already had wasn't really a choice in this daydreaming game, I would often get really sad and think about crying, but then realize the whole thing was ridiculous and snap back into real life. My parents never knew it, but those little exercises helped remind how lucky I already was.

snicker

Today I had a mini Snickers bar for my I-can't-believe-it's-only-been-forty-five-minutes-since-lunch-ended-when-will-this-day-end? afternoon snack. It reminded me about how delicious ice cream Snickers bars are, which I haven't had in several years. I could use one of those.

Mosaic No. 5

Hey look, I made another mosaic! I guess technically it's two mosaics, but they go together to make one piece. It's a ukulele, which I gave to Josh for Christmas.

Only four dollars more!

Waiter at the Mexican restaurant: What would you like to drink?

Me: Umm...hmm...well...

Waiter: How about a margarita! We have an excellent margarita with [fill in the blank with excellent stuff because I don't know and I wasn't paying attention]. It's only four dollars more but if you're going to buy a margarita, you might as well buy a good one!

Me: Wait, only four dollars more than the $5.99 house margarita? Are you kidding me? That's a meal.

Waiter: Ah, well, haha...uh...

Me: I'll take the house margarita. Frozen with salt.

Books and movies for free? Who knew?

I don't know about you folks, but I, for one, am being affected by this economic calamity we are experiencing. So I'm working on pinching my pennies. Even more than I used to, which was sort of a lot.

My old penny-pinching mentality? Print off a 30 per cent coupon for Borders, go over there and browse for a book or CD, get too stressed out about spending ten bucks on something I might not love, and very often leave empty handed.

My new plan? Go to the library! I went on Saturday. I checked out a David Sedaris book and, drum roll please, the second season of Deadwood. (I watched the first season with Ryan during my August visit to Santa Fe, and ever since then I've been itching to see the second, but he hasn't bought it yet and I didn't even want to pay to check it out from a video store!) One of the wonderful things about the library is that I don't have to fret over whether or not I will actually like the book (or movie), because if I don't I can always return it and not regret spending money! Because it's free!

Now don't shake your head at me and call me crazy. Yes, I've known about libraries all along, and I've been to them before. Yes, I've talked about becoming a librarian myself. Blah blah blah. The point is, I'm excited that I finally revisited a very obvious way to read books and watch movies. For free.

"on the floor in the nursery at work"

We're on a roll over here. Look what Janelle found at the hospital where she works! C'mon guys, you have to admit it's crazy how ubiquitous these pistachio shells are.

"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.)