Whale-Tongue Tales

Movin' on and movin' out

2008-12-09T05:39:00.000-08:00

So, I've moved my blog here. In fact, it's technically no longer a blog but my very own .com! Very exciting stuff. It'll be the same humdrum material, just hopefully more frequently updated. You'll have to be patient with me as I learn Wordpress. Please update the little links on your blogs and get ready for some super fun Cami blogging! Ha. It's really just to make my grandmother happy, which is a pretty darn good reason in my book.

Peace.

Simmons, out!

For All You Ginger People

2008-06-02T14:22:00.001-07:00

A delicious find if you love ginger, which I do very much: Ginger Chews from the ginger people. A strong burst of that yummy, spicey-sweet flavor in a fun-to-eat chew that sticks in your teeth like crazy. But when it tastes so good it's kind of nice to keep it around awhile...even if between two molars. You can definitely find them at Target, not sure where else. Plus, the little mascot is adorable.

Thursday Night Fun Times

2008-04-22T04:55:00.000-07:00

I'm a pretty lazy gal so instead of spending time writing a mediocre review of our Thursday trip to Athens for an amazing New Pornographers show, I will let my husband do it...except his is great, not mediocre like mine would be, just to clarify. BTW - he's started updating his blog again (and switched from blogger so update your links!) if you want to add it back as one of your "procrastination destinations". He also took this pic of the marquee outside the show....well done I think.

I will just add this about the show: it was the first time I have known every song start to finish and I realized there are two things that make me smile uncontrollably: amazing music and roller coasters. I end up sporting a seriously silly, enormous grin on my face that I absolutely can't get rid of....and why would I want to? Anyway, it was truly fantastic and 100% worth the drive and shock that ensued when the alarm went off Friday morning. We are like so rock star and stuff.

Got in a fight with a candle and LOST...

2008-04-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

She's Alive!

2008-04-09T17:29:00.000-07:00

Hiya. So, as my grandmother reminded me this week, it has been quite a while since I last posted. All I can say is trying to keep up with life has me exhausted every week night and spending weekends catching up on everything I didn't do during the week due to the aforementioned exhaustion. I know, excuses, excuses, right?

In my time away from my blog, I have been on countless work trips, one very fun personal trip to congratulate Dr.Hofer in Nashville and have baked lots and lots of bread. I'm still finding myself very affected by Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and have made some small, positive changes in my eating & purchasing habits. I am baking at least a loaf or two of bread every week, eating a ton of vegetables (and trying to be wise about only choosing what is in season), buying fair trade coffee, and I even planted raspberry & blackberry bushes, have seeds growing on my back deck (lettuce, collards, turnips, peppers, tomatoes, etc) and just tonight purchased a half dozen eggs from a lady in the neighborhood that raises chickens & ducks in her back yard.

There is still a ton I could be doing but I am taking baby steps for now. Oh, and I finally broke open the cheese! Zach, ever the jet-setter, was in town between stints in Costa Rica and Spain (yawn) and wanted to see it. I had almost forgot that I had it aging in my liquor cabinet so I showed it to him and figured we should try it out....totally forgetting about his epicurean background and highly sophisticated palate. All I know is, I thought it tasted pretty darn good, so did he (at least he was nice enough to tell me it was), so did Charles, so did Erin and so did Kerry & Mark even though they were VERY drunk when they tried it. All in all, I think it was a great success. Now that I know it is edible and you don't die from eating it, I think I will take another stab....assuming I can find another 5 hours to devote to cheesemaking.

The Simmons' April calendar is ridiculously busy but I am looking forward to an upcoming visit from one of my favorite cousins, a visit from a far-away friend (a couple far-away friends, actually!), multiple fun parties with new friends and ending up the month with our family's annual cousins weekend in Mississippi.

Charles and I are feeling out of control at the moment on many levels so I am hoping a calmness can come over us soon and we can feel a little more stable & organized.

I will try to update more but no promises Momma Dot!

Here are some pictures of my food endeavors.

a loaf of cuban bread and my lovely monterrey jack cheese!

braided white loaves

can you guess which are store bought? the big blue one is a duck egg

I like 17 Year Old Boys

2008-02-27T16:05:00.001-08:00

Ok, maybe not ALL 17 year old boys but I am falling in love with this one. So much so, I am willing to let you all know that, yes, I am a closet American Idol watcher. I don't even like it all that much...I find myself cringing a lot and am so thankful for my sweet little TiVo so I can fast forward through most of the show. Last night, however, this kid killed it. I had goosebumps listening to him sing. Also, he happens to be freakin' adorable. I mean pre-cious! I predict this little cute, cute, cutie will be there at the end. Enjoy!

Oh My Gouda.....

2008-02-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

Cami has made her own cheese!!! Monterey Jack actually, not gouda...although that's on tap as soon as I can figure out what household items laying around will add up to 20lbs of pressure...

So, I've been plowing my way through our book club's January book (yea, I know it's almost the end of February and I'm still on the Jan book....in fact, we had our Feb. meeting this morning so I think Peace Like a River will have to wait till August or something), Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. The book that got Wendy excited about joining a CSA, has inspired me to try my hand at home cheese-making.

Apparently there is a woman in New England affectionately dubbed the "Cheese Queen" who has been making her own cheese since the late 70's, holds cheese-making classes out of her home and has simplified and demystified the art of cheesemaking so that twenty-something Corporate city-dwellers can walk into the office on Monday and answer "Oh, just made some cheese from scratch" when inevitably asked the "so, what did you do this weekend" question. I must say, I was very skeptical when reading the section about Barbara and her family taking the Cheese Queen's class and the fact that they whipped up about 7 different types of cheeses in one afternoon. No way it could be that easy, right? But the more I read and the more I thought about it, I decided "why not", hopped online and ordered the $29.95 Basic Hard Cheese Kit.

The next four days of waiting for my precious kit to arrive were excruciating! I couldn't wait to get my hands on it and launch my successful cheesemaking career and start my own line of specialty cheeses, quit my job and be known from here on out as the Cheese Princess of the South. Maybe I would buy a goat and a cow to keep in the backyard so I could really nail the whole process down from start to finish and build a little dairy barn in the backyard.....oh, the possibilities were endless! My little excitement bubble deflated a bit when, finally, we arrived home to find my package waiting for me on the front porch...it was so small!!! I had imagined a huge box for some reason, but instead had a little 7" x 7" package containing the following items:

recipe booklet
cheese mold
pocket thermometer
coarse cheesecloth
vegetable rennet tablets
direct set mesophilic
direct set thermophilic
calcium chloride

I also had purchased cheese wax and a special wax brush as these items are apparently necessary when making hard cheeses (for aging).

The package arrived on Friday and as we had already made dinner plans with the in-laws, I had to wait until Saturday morning to tackle my first cheese. Luckily I had just enough time between coming home from work and leaving for dinner to run up to the Hop 'n Shop near our house and buy a gallon of whole milk. I was a little concerned they wouldn't have what I needed because apparently you need to buy pasturized, not ultra-pasturized milk to make cheese. I was in luck, however, and not only did they have the type of milk I needed but it was from a LOCAL dairy! Barbara would be so proud! So, 8:00am sharp on Saturday morning I set to making my cheese.

The kit I purchased actually makes 8 different types of cheeses: Farmhouse Cheddar, Gouda, Monterey Jack, Feta, Cottage Cheese, Colby, Parmesan and Whey Ricotta. I had read through all the recipes the night before and settled on Monterey Jack for a couple reasons...1) it only required one gallon of milk vs. two and with the price of milk these days, I didn't want to waste two whole gallons if my first try was a complete disaster and 2) i was dead-set on starting with an actual hard cheese vs. cottage, feta & ricotta even though it will be several weeks before I'll actually get to EAT it.

I won't go into the details on the whole cheesemaking process but I will tell you it is time consuming, it ties you to your kitchen and, at times, you feel like you are in an episode of Mr.Wizard....oh, and you feel totally cool and accomplished at the end of the day. I was in doubt with each step that what was supposed to happen would actually happen but over and over again, it did! The milk curdled, the whey was the right color and I now have a little one pound block of cheese air-drying on my dining room table. I nibbled on a couple pieces of curd yesterday and it definitely tastes and smells like cheese so that is a good sign.

The last step of the Monterey Jack process is waxing the cheese so as soon as it is dry, I will melt my block of wax, paint it on my cheese and then let it sit for several weeks until it has aged to my likeness and can finally be eaten. It sucks to have to wait but I am hoping it will totally be worth it. Maybe I'll make a little event out of the whole thing like finally popping the cork on a fantastic bottle of wine you've been keeping for a special occasion. Good or bad, I'll definitely write a post about and and let you know how it goes....in the meantime, I bought another gallon of milk last night and am thinking about entering the wonderful world of large curd feta tonight, wish me luck!

Here are some pics of the kit and the process (mind you, this is just a couple of the steps...I didn't start taking pictures until after I realized everything was actually working!)

the curds & whey

draining the curds

1 can shortening & 1 can refried beans = 4lbs pressure

cheese air-drying...you can see the color changing as it dries

the kit....

Dogs Like New Years, too.

2008-01-17T20:18:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you are tired of me posting pictures of my dog but he's just so darn cute (sans cone) I can't help myself! New Year's Eve he was in rare form so we snapped a few photos adding even more adorableness to the Tal family photo album. Ch-check it out.

We decided to take a little stroll NYE day at Sweetwater Creek. I had heard from a co-worker that it's beautiful and a great place for a leisurely hike. Here's Tal in action.
And here is the beautiful "creek". Still in a massive drought, maybe yes? Yeesh. I feel like we should have been in a protective radioactive suit or something.

At night we headed over to the Hannah's to hang with the god-child, among other coolish people we know. You can't tell so much from this photo but Tal is actually about a foot or two off the ground. He climbed onto about a 6 inch wide ledge and sat there staring at us all night. If he could talk he was saying "Um, guys....can you please let me inside? It's a little chilly out here. Besides, I'm totally the life of the party..."

He begged us to wear a Happy New Year party hat so, being the good, loving parents that we are, we obliged. He loved every second of it.

And, done. I promise. No more Tal. He's really not THAT cute anyway, right? I promise, no more. Really. Except this one....

Yeah!!!!

OK, now done. For real.

Hope Floats

2008-01-17T11:28:00.000-08:00

For those of us that need a little positivity in our lives and assurance that others out there have great hopes for each of us...head on over to Tammy O.'s newest blogging endeavor: fresh hope for 2008. Basically she is collecting wishes from all over the world for 2008 and posting one wish each day. So far, they've ranged from:

"I hope that our presidential election runs smoothly, follows the rule of law without significant controversy, and results in a president that a clear majority of the nation endorses."

to:

"I hope everyone I know has way more sex in 2008. Okay, I’m mostly talking about me. But I figure all boats rise with the tide."

All wishes are welcome. She has collected 63 wishes so far, only 302 to go! I just sent her two this morning so it's not too late to get yours in. I have linked her page over on the right so check it out. I promise looking at it each morning is a great way to start your day!

Save Scrabulous!

2008-01-17T07:42:00.000-08:00

Oh no! I just read this! I see their point I guess but dang!

High-Tech Granny: Momma Dot Does Facebook

2008-01-16T17:10:00.000-08:00

I hate to disappoint all you suckers that think your grandmothers are pretty cool and hip with the times. I'm pretty sure my grandmother takes the cake. She has always been fairly "with it" I guess, always watching the cool tv shows, playing Nintendo with us when we were little (and wii bowling over new year's....she totally kicked ass!), getting a Myspace page last year, checking my blog, etc (yea, I'm totally sucking up right now hoping she's adding my name to more stuff at her house - i kid!!). Her newest online adventure is Facebook where she and I stay in touch via Scrabulous. My sis and I showed her how to add it to her page and the three of us have been playing ever since. As we speak, Momma Dot and I are in a head-to-head match-up that, until recently, was very close. I whizzed past her a couple days ago with the most inappropriate 27 point word you should ever use when playing Scrabulous with your grandmother but, hey, I'm not ashamed to say I'm competitive and have no problem kicking some granny butt. Believe me, she has killed me countless times in our years and years of fierce Monte Carlo and Russian Bank tourneys. She beat me twice over Christmas!

So, the word? L-A-B-I-A. 27 points.

As of today, the score is: Momma Dot 132, Cami 165.

SNOW!

2008-01-16T16:43:00.000-08:00

Lo and behold, it does snow in Atlanta! Yipee is all I have to say. This is the first time it has snowed in Atlanta since we moved back from Denver almost three years ago...I can't believe it has been that long. You'd think I would have gotten all the snow out of my system dealing with the Colorado winters but I'm just as giddy right this second as I was on the rare occasion it snowed here when I was little. I'm a big fat ball of excitement waiting to see if the roads freeze over so maybe we won't be able to get to work tomorrow. THAT is what is fun about snow in Atlanta. Of the three years we were in Denver there was only one time work closed down due to snow and that was because it snowed about 4 feet and my snow angel looked like this...

Needless to say, Atlanta doesn't tend to have huge stores of mag-chloride on hand making a morning commute bearable...in fact, I don't think we have much of anything on hand to deal with icy roads. People make fun of the way we southerners react to snow and ice but the truth of the matter is we don't have the resources to deal with the roads and none of us have any business trying to navigate snow and ice, trust me. Just like I had no business driving my Hotlanta butt around Denver on snowy roads. They really should make southerners that transplant to snowy locales take some type of winter driving course before they are allowed on the roads. I still remember the countless terrifying drives to work where I would white-knuckle the steering wheel, close my eyes & say a prayer then see my life flash before my eyes when I had to make a lane change. I still say that is hands down the scariest part of driving in snow....having to cross over that treacherous no-mans-land between the nice, wet tire tracks in each lane. It gives me the willies just thinking about it.

Here are some pictures of Atlanta snow from my front porch. I hope we can all be kids again for a minute or two...how many flakes can you catch on your tongue? How many snowballs can you throw at your dogs face before he realizes he can try and dodge or eat them? SNOW!!!!

"This is for my pal Cleetus"

2008-01-06T11:08:00.000-08:00

clee-tus [clee-tuh s]
-noun
1. Another word for a redneck or hick. Derived from the popular TV series The Simpsons, a cleetus or cleet is a country bumpkin who is below average intelligence. Can be recognized wearing armless t-shirts and possibly sporting a mullet.
Put your top back on, you look like a right cleet.

2. Slang term for Britney Spears' ex-husband, Kevin Federline.
"I heard Britney was divorcing Cleetus!"

Source: urbandictionary.com

Last night I went to my first ever Rockabilly show. It was a bit of an accident, I suppose. We were meeting my bro-in-law for a few farewell drinks before he heads down to the sea breezes and salty air of Daytona Beach where, Lord willing, he can start a new, healthy life for himself. Unbeknown to the group, the chosen bar happened to be showcasing a delightfully fun rockabilly band called the Blacktop Rockets. Unfortunately we had just missed the Psycho Devilles and the Twistin' Tarantulas. Charles hated every second of it so, sadly, we didn't get to stay too long but I was there long enough to absorb the scene so next time I will show up prepared.

Checklist before heading out to the next rockabilly show sans husband:
* plenty of cash for plenty of pbr...i guess that should always be the case no matter where i'm headed but i figure i better go ahead and get it down so i don't forget
* brush up on my knowledge of roy orbison songs
* wear chaps
* if my chaps happen to be at the cleaners, wear plaid snap-button shirt
* if my chaps happen to be at the cleaners & my plaid shirts are all dirty (maybe from too much spooge cake at new year's?), a good pair of fishnets will work just fine
* trim bangs so they hang approximately a half an inch below my hairline
* show up with a guy either sporting a fierce, eye-gouging mohawk OR a snazzy fedora
* figure out which move in my extensive arsenal of kickass dance moves goes best with "Awop-bop-a-loo-mop"
* do one of the following to my hair: bleach it, dye it black, dye it red....the jennifer aniston dark blond/light brown shade i'm currently sporting won't quite pull off the look
* perfect my speed bopping technique
* liberally tattoo arms, neck, legs

I was genuinely enjoying myself and a little bummed we left so soon. Fantastic people-watching, good music you can't help but bounce along with....what's not to love? I'm still trying to decide if last night was better than the surreal night we spent at Trader Vic's tiki bar watching a tiki band play as a bikini-clad chick with a monkey mask danced around provocatively/primate-ively while shoving bananas down her throat. Hmmm.

2008-01-01T08:45:00.000-08:00

Please, call me Martha

2007-12-30T15:53:00.002-08:00

I have been oddly domestic over the last couple of weeks. Maybe due to the season, maybe because the book I just finished (Julie & Julia...it was an okay read) inspired me to not be afraid of my kitchen, maybe because I was desperate for some delicious gingerbread...who knows. All I know is, I've thoroughly enjoyed my escapades in the kitchen lately and, by George, I do believe I can actually cook if I put my mind to it. I even debuted my fried egg sandwich for Charles this morning....something I haven't made since my dad taught me many, many years ago. I feel like a whole new world of cooking & baking might be opening before my eyes as I grow more comfortable in the kitchen. As proof of this new-found ~~talent~~ ability, I share with you my foray into the wonderful world of gingerbread cookies and a sinfully delicious, super-easy to make blackberry & pear cobbler. I don't know if I've ever been more proud of myself than when, yesterday, my grandmother tried the cobbler and told me it was wonderful...if she says it's good than it must be the case, she's not one to be biased just because we're blood. She would tell me straight up if it sucked. Which, thankfully, it didn't. Yay for dessert!

A Bubbalicious Christmas

2007-12-30T14:09:00.000-08:00

Once a year, we purchase stuff for our beloved animal that we know he will immediately destroy. I enjoy buying him his Christmas gifts, though, and it is truly like he knows Christmas morning that he is going to get stuff. We give him his toys before we open our presents thus keeping him out of our hair while we enjoy our Christmas morning. Oh, it's also the only time of year that Charles allows "squeaky toys" in the house. Tal likes squeakers. As soon as he discovers a toy squeaks, he squeaks it over and over and over....and over. Here are the before and after photos of Tal's Christmas (click for bigger versions):

Before...nice shiny new toys. The little animal he's attacking in the second photo is his stuffed chipmunk, he freakin' loves that thing!

After...stuffing everywhere! After the squeak, squeak, squeaking he decides at some point that the squeaker needs to be destroyed and attacks the stuffed thing at full force pulling out its innards until squeaker is out, chewed to bits and the whole thing is ultimately unrecognizable.

24 Hours in NYC

2007-12-21T10:48:00.000-08:00

learned that my plastic life doesn't work everywhere. when in new york, have cash
visited the highest attended movie theatre in the country
with friends, had three drinks (total)....threw up a little when we paid the $50 tab
stayed in the tiniest non-japanese hotel room i've ever seen...150 sq. ft at the hudson hotel
waited for a cab with the highest volume of uber-hipster twenty-somethings i've ever encountered in one spot and felt extremely out of place with *gasp* my jeans not suction-cupped to my body and, heaven forbid, worn outside my boots
walked from lincoln center to empire theatre stopping almost every block to do a 360 degree turn & soak in all the sights
ate delicious malaysian at penang
ate not-so-delicious tasty delight. ok, so it's "tasty" i guess but just for a split second then it totally disappears in your mouth leaving no hint of taste at all. bizarre actually. what did taste very delicious were the crushed up andes mint she rolled my cone in. yummy!
saw tavern on the green lit up beautifully for christmas
hung out with a new yorker in her 800 sq. ft. apartment that was purchased 15 years ago for $160k and is now worth over $1MM. fascinating and it was everything i hoped a nyc apartment would be
did not pass a single h&m
did pass about 50 hotdog stands, 500 starbucks, 382 theatres, 47 "new york style" stores whatever they are, 89 europan deli's, 12,000 mommies pushing babies in plastic-shielded strollers
ate a bagel. it was the best damn bagel i have ever put in my mouth and i have no idea why
by accident, saw yankee stadium, giants stadium and shea statium
got totally screwed by a cabbie who charged us $20 more for the cab ride back to the airport than the one that took us from the airport to our hotel. doh! what can one do about that?
did not see shannon, keeva, tammy o., heidi, mike, joanna or any other friend/acquaintance in the area
did see a car with "happy hanukkah" flags and a massive menorah adhered to the roof
learned from a jewish friend (with the $1MM apartment) that one should never call said car a "jew mobile" as that is highly offensive
shopped in a cute little make-shift market on the edge of central park
squealed in times square
squealed again at what i called "the center of the universe"... i have no idea where i was but i'm pretty sure the earth revolves around that very spot
learned that gloves & comfy shoes are essential when hoofing it mid-december
altered my ability to call myself a "city girl"...we have a yard and a car and 1,200 massive sqare feet of living space, who am i kidding? we might as well be bumpin' in the burbs!
fell in love with an amazing city

obviously i didn't even scratch the surface...didn't have a new york hotdog, didn't take the subway, didn't stroll thru central park, didn't catch a show....but still, what an incredible city.

Catch up

2007-12-21T10:46:00.000-08:00

She's alive!!! Needless to say, it's been a crazy month. A couple new posts on the way, stay tuned.

Tryptophantastic!

2007-11-23T17:59:00.000-08:00

Well, folks....believe it or not, Mr.Simmons and I pulled off Thanksgiving dinner at our house for 12, count it, t-w-e-l-v-e of our nearest and dearest (including us, of course). Choosing to host Thanksgiving, I've learned, is a pretty big deal. I didn't realize the full weight of what I had done to myself until about 2:00 yesterday afternoon with a 3:00 meal time looming ahead of me.

I went through my usual pre-party panic cleaning frenzy only to discover with 1 hour before our first guests were expected to arrive (at 1:00) that our vacuum had decided to omit an intensely foul smell...close your eyes and imagine singed hair and burning tires. Yum, eh? Especially right before you are hosting your first ever Thanksgiving dinner for TWELVE people. So, I borrow a vacuum from a neighbor that works exceptionally well on the 1/3 of Tal that is laying on the living room and dining room rugs. Vacuum, check! Now I just have 2 pumpkin pies, roasted vegetables, stuffing, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, crescent rolls and cranberry sauce to get on the table by 3:00.

It was about 1:00 by this time and my brother arrived dutifully on time with mac 'n cheese and sweet tea in tow. Surprising quickly I was able to whip up the pumpkin pies and get them into the 425 degree oven. Now, food prep and timing are things I have absolutely no experience with at all. In fact, most meals that I am in charge of tend to be eaten in rounds as things always end up taking me off guard by cooking either much faster or much slower than I expect. I had given a little thought to the fact that I had four things that require the oven at three different temperatures and cooking times, but the reality of the organization and maneuvering didn't really hit me until that 2:00 mark. I have never moved so quickly and expertly in my kitchen. With a flushed face and dish towel thrown over my shoulder like a pro, I was shifting pies, setting timers, chopping veggies and rolling delicious crescent rolls out of a can like I had entertained for TWELVE people a thousand times before.

Miraculously, at precisely 3:00pm TWELVE Simmons' & Tarr's squeezed themselves into our cozy (read: freakin' tiny) dining room and feasted on:

fried turkey courtesy of Papa Tarr
ham courtesy of Mama Simmons
roasted garlic mashed potatoes - a Martha Stewart recipe via Charles
mac & cheese from my brother
apple salad thanks to my sis
roasted vegetables a la me...this was a truly gorgeous dish of acorn & yellow squash and radishes & carrots from Wendy's hippie farm coalition all simply seasoned with salt & pepper and lightly drizzled with olive oil
pan-fried brussel sprouts from charles and his mama
stuffing from a bag but gussied-up with fresh celery & onion
glory collard greens
cranberry sauce
turkey gravy
and crescent rolls.

Delicious! Somehow earlier in the day I had a panic that we weren't going to have enough food. Luckily, I was WAY wrong. Our fridge is now bursting with post-Thanksgiving grub and I have no idea how we are going to get rid of it. We already utilized some of it with a hearty ploughman's lunch this afternoon of leftover turkey & ham, crescent rolls, branston pickle and mac 'n cheese.

Oh right...forgot to mention the SEVEN dessert options available including: pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice cake, pumpkin ooey gooey cake, pumpkin bread, mince pie, pecan pie and vanilla ice cream!!! I like pumpkin a lot.

Aside from the success of the meal, it was so wonderful to have both of our families with us yesterday. I think both sets of parents were proud that their kids are finally grown up enough to host Thanksgiving and attempt to begin making up for the years and years and years they have taken on the responsibility with very little thanks from the kids. I also think they were a little excited not to have to cook themselves this year. Sitting at our make-shift twelve-seater dining room table and watching our families enjoying an enormous meal in our house and interacting like one big unified family was better than anything I could have asked for and for that, I am so thankful.

Right, so now I'm an expert and all, feel free to hire me next year for all your Thanksgiving needs. Ha!

'Tis the season.....

2007-11-10T06:45:00.000-08:00

for pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING and I love it! Last night after a delicious Rusan's date night with Charles, we happened upon a Coldstone...curious. Actually, I planned the whole night around Coldstone, Charles just doesn't know it. Anyhow, I had all intention of getting my standard cheesecake ice cream with graham crackers and oreos but when I looked in the case, a bright light shone down from the heavens and a holy host of angels sang out "pumpkin ice cream is glorious!". Upon further review, I noticed the pumpkin pie combination recommendation of pumpkin ice cream, graham crackers, caramel and whipped cream....appropriately named "Pumpkin Pie in the Sky". Needless to say, it was freakin' delicious.

I have a cute little pumpkin on my front porch and I'm contemplating whether or not I should attempt to prepare the meat to make a pumpkin pie from scratch. My spidey senses tell me it will be a disaster given my previous records in the kitchen. We'll see.

'Tis also the season for morning tea in bed. When I am being a sweet wife, I sneak out of bed before Charles wakes up and make us both our morning tea. It is so much more delicious when it's cold outside.

I've definitely been enjoying the amazing weather and cooler temperatures but we need rain so desperately. We were watching the best show on tv last night and it was raining in a couple of scenes...I realized I can't remember the last time I have heard rain, one of my favorite sounds. But how can you complain about day after day of gorgeous blue, cloudless skies? I feel like I am living in Denver again. Drought in the fall is weird.

Oh, so the girl who loathes entertaining (that would be me) has decided that she should host Thanksgiving for BOTH families this year. The decision was mostly selfish as Charles and I don't necessarily enjoy driving all over Atlanta Thanksgiving day. I thought buying the November issue of Martha Stewart Living would be the perfect answer to all my decorating/cooking/preparation needs but by the third page I realized she is way out of my league. I think I'll stick with Real Simple...or is there "Thanksgiving Dinner for Dummies"? Luckily my dad's bringing the fried turkey, the mom-in-law's bringing ham so if I can just whip up some sides and desserts and manage to set the table, I'll be a-okay. I actually think it'll be fun. If any of you Atlanta transplants find yourself with nowhere to go that day, feel free to join the Simmons/Tarr clan, the more the merrier...I think.

I don't know if you are experiencing the same, but work continues to get more and more unbelievably busy. Just when I think I can't take another project or task, 5 more are piled on. The only thing getting me through at the moment is the thought that this is that last minute pre-Thanksgiving push when everyone is attempting to get as much done as they possibly can because they know they won't be able to in that odd time at the office between Thanksgiving and the new year. So, good luck to everyone this last week and a half of insanity before the festivities begin.

Bye bye. Go dawgs.

Dumbass Strikes Again

2007-11-06T16:03:00.000-08:00

I love Charles' dog*. I really do. Most of the time his dog is so cute and so cuddly and all I want to do is give Charles' dog lots of hugs and kisses. Then there are other times....times I like to get sleep and times I realize maybe I'm not ready for children, when I would like to put a gun to Charles' dog's head and pull the trigger or drive to the middle of nowhere, drop-kick him out of the car and speed off without ever looking back. I kid, I kid, I joke....ahem.

I will be civilized and not post the disgusting pictures of what Charles' dog did to himself, but I will post these super-embarrassing, tal's-never-making-it-to-cuteroverload.com pictures for you to enjoy. When your husband's dog likes the taste of his own flesh and blood, you might want to have an appropriate sized "i can no longer chew my ass" collar on hand. And about $300. Dang!

*of course, he's "Charles' dog" when he does stupid stuff, he's 100% my dog, or maybe "our dog", when he's doing all the cute stuff.

taliesin patrick (aka "Dumbass") - rear view

taliesin patrick (aka "Dumbass") - front view

taliesin patrick (aka "Dumbass") - side view

Go: Into the Wild

2007-11-03T08:07:00.000-07:00

I'm not a movie critic so, instead, I will share my reaction to the film....

As the movie ended:
"That was really good."

As we were riding down the escalator to the parking deck:
"That was really well done."

As we were getting in the car:
"That was really heavy."

Then I silently cried all the way home.

Sean Penn did a beautiful job adapting John Krakauer's book to the big screen. It was lovely. It was heartbreaking. It moved me. Go see it if you have time.

Deliciousness

2007-11-02T15:19:00.001-07:00

That sounds even better live. What a way to spend a Tuesday night with your husband.

I Wish I Could Blog Like This Guy

2007-10-31T07:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Chris, this guys blog* was introduced into my life today. His post is genius on a thousand levels. I loved every second of it and would be a bad blogger if I didn't share with my throngs of readers. The 1962 Atlanta Daily World newspapers we found in our attic weren't nearly this hysterical.

Oh, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

*Momma Dot....WARNING - his post contains the "f" word on at least one occasion so be prepared. Also, I love you!

Waffles! Ya hoo!

2007-10-11T06:08:00.000-07:00

This morning, in appreciation of 52 years of partnership with my company, Waffle House came into our office and gave everyone a free waffle. What a way to start a day, right? I love Waffle House waffles....and hash browns and raisin toast, too. So, I grab my waffle and speed up to my office to enjoy my delicious morning treat. I spread a thin layer of butter on top then gently lifted one little corner of the syrup container so I could carefully drip the syrup evenly over my waffle. It was coming out a bit too slowly so I applied a little more pressure on the container and BOOM! Syrup explosion!!! All over my desk, all over my precious waffle and all over me! My customer is coming into the office today so I am all dressed up in a suit and even curled my hair and now I am covered in syrup. The inner thigh area of my pants is completely stuck to my leg. Dang! At least I smell delicious.

England in Photos

2007-10-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

No write-up yet....maybe it will happen, maybe it won't. For now, please enjoy some of the photos from our trip. I will try and provide the link to the remaining pictures soon.

grandma & me

the pirate club - camden canal

side street in bath

charles & a pint at our favorite pub in primrose hill

4 burns road, charles' childhood home

bath abbey relief

delicious food offerings at the camden lock market

ceiling of the bath abbey

light fixture outside the national gallery

Dreams really do come true.....

2007-10-03T16:04:00.000-07:00

....and check THIS out.

Care for a Cuppa & a Bickie?

2007-09-22T01:38:00.000-07:00

Sadly, this is our last day in England. I will post a full write-up of our trip when I get back but thought on a lazy Saturday morning before heading out to the Camden Lock Market, I would check-in.

We have truly been living as Londoners for a week which has been fantastic. We've been staying in a flat for free (much to tell about the flat later...) the entire week and taking trips into the city and surrounding areas during the day. I love it here. The underground is perfection and we have no problems getting anywhere we want to go. I love the seas of people speeding through the endless maze of tunnels heading to work. I love all the walking. We're staying in a beautiful area of Camden called Primrose Hill and walking back to the flat one night, passing one of several pubs & restaurants on the way, I thought "man, wouldn't it be great to have this stuff so close by?" We totally do! We have three bars, six restaurants, a salon, a cleaners and a coffee shop all within a half mile of our house in Atlanta but we always drive! Why do we do that? Walking a half mile here is nothing.

Quickly, a list of places/people/food/things:
Rochester (again) - home of the Grandma, an adorable city in Kent a 45 min. train ride southeast of London. Beautiful cathedral & the only Norman castle with 4 walls still standing. Trying to absorb the history in a Norman castle is impossible, beyond comprehension really.

Grandma - I love her like I love my own grandmothers. She has an adorable little flat that's perfectly grandma-sized and still makes the best cup of tea I've ever had. I wish we could see her more often.

Westminster Abbey - as with many, many, many other places throughout this country, I'm in awe of the history, the architecture, the grand scale. Here I saw and touched things that Kings & Queens have seen and touched for almost a thousand years. The Coronation Chair was particularly fascinating to me....I had no idea of its history.

Bath - picturesque and actually a fairly large city...who knew? Seeing Roman coins blew my mind for some reason. Best food we've had on the trip. If you're ever there, visit Yak Yeti Yak for some delicious Nepalese and the Rummer for truly fantastic pub food (we have yet to find delicious pub food in London).

National Portrait Gallery - in the 2007 Portrait Award room, I saw the most incredible portrait paintings I've ever seen....several looked so much like photographs even nose to nose with the canvas you could barely tell it was a painting; the tiniest of creases in the lips, the faint fuzz of hair on a woman's cheek.

On tap for today is the market, hopefully finally making it to the top of Primrose Hill where we hear has the best view of the city, and taking a stop at Kings Cross Station to see.......wait for it............PLATFORM 9 AND FREAKING 3/4!!!!! If you don't know the significance of the fact that there is a platform 9 and 3/4 and that I will get to visit it, then you just aren't as cool as I thought you were.

More to come including pics when I get back.

Cheers!

I Hate to Brag....

2007-09-13T13:02:00.001-07:00

...But my hubby is a poker-blogging genius! I am thoroughly enjoying trying to keep up with his London-happenings while covering the WSOP Europe and am continually amazed with his writing.....it's funny, sarcastic, smart. Needless to say, I'm a proud wife.

Check it out.

2007-09-11T10:02:00.001-07:00

On a day when various media outlets are debating whether or not we spend too much time in remembrance of 9/11 each year, I will share this story of my co-worker, an admin in my department, who remembers every single day. I knew she wore a flag every day but I had no idea...

2007-09-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

One Sweet World
Happy Birthday #
Two Step
Corn Bread
Don’t Drink the Water
You Might Die Trying
Grey Street
#27
What Would You Say
Sweet Melissa
Louisiana Bayou
The Dreaming Tree
Eh Hee
So Much To Say
Anyone Seen The Bridge
Too Much
#40 (tease)
Warehouse
Stay
Encore:
All Along The Watchtower
Ants Marching

i will say this...i fully understand that i am losing "cool points" and possibly even devoted readers with this post (assuming i had cool points and devoted readers in the first place), however, it. was. amazing. for a night i was 17 again and giddy as hell. he's still incredible, he's still beautiful and he's still loved by frat*-boys the world over. and i adore him. i said it.

next month, will attempt to re-gain coolness with the new pornographers.

next week, london!

*i once had a boyfriend who chastised me when i called his fraternity a "frat". he said "would you call your country a cunt?" no lie. sorry for using the c word.

Sunday: View from the Porch

2007-09-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful Sunday morning. After the dog and I strolled on down to the coffee shop,we spent the rest of the morning hanging out on my kick-ass front porch. The action from the best little front porch on Lannon was in full swing this morning. The most shocking site of all.....

THIS!

That's right....our awesomest of awesome neighbors are moving! It was a sad morning watching the truck pull up and remove 6 years of their life for the big move, TWO BLOCKS away. So, so sad. We will miss them dearly.

All the action made Tal restless so it was time to play.

"Mom...Mom! Let's play ball!"

"No, wait!!! Let's play with the bone instead!"

"Ok, now throw it over the porch and I'll run and get it and bring it right back! Kick ass!"

He pooped out quickly at which point I was able to enjoy my coffee and paper to the soothing sounds of Tal-panting. What would a summer morning, or afternoon, or evening be without panting?

Oh! And here's a lovely picture of my choleas with a little orange flower (I can't remember what it's called) peeking through. I used the underwater setting on my camera which darkened everything in the background and made the colors really pop...who knew choleas were so beautiful?

The little things...

2007-09-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

It feels, at the moment, as if we have finally "turned the corner" in terms of weather here in the ATL. August was brutal. Today we're looking at a cool 91 degrees. To celebrate the deliciously cooler temps, I drove home yesterday with the windows open in the car and received one of those pleasant little surprises that totally made my drive home bearable and put a smile on my face. My ride to and from work takes me right past Radial Cafe, one of many ridiculously delicious breakfast joints in town. So there I sit, driving along in my traffic coma when all of a sudden the most mouth-watering smell wafts through my car window instantly snapping me out of my daze. I don't know what they were baking but it smelled just like warm, strawberry pop-tarts! Yum-ee! The rest of the ride home I was thinking about when my sister and I were kids and would fight over the chocolate pop-tarts in the pop-tart multi-pack. What a great surprise on an otherwise mundane ride home. Props to Radial Cafe for the aromatic joy they are spreading in Candler Park...be sure to roll down your window and take a whiff when you're in the area.

The Liam Chronicles: Newborn Baby Poop is Gross

2007-09-05T16:47:00.000-07:00

Liam Hannah finally graced us with his presence on Labor Day around 10:00pm after a sleepless night (Mandy went into the hospital Sunday night while Charles and I were over having dinner with the mom & dad-to-be...) and long day of waiting at the hospital. The whole baby thing is uber-fascinating to me and I have never wanted to be a fly on the wall as bad as I did on Monday. I wanted to know everything: Was Mandy scared? Was Chris excited? Were they going to cry? Was Mandy going to scream? How many doctor's will be in there? How long will it take her to push? Will the baby cry? How bad will it actually hurt? Will Chris cut the cord? Will Mandy wish her mom was in with her? Will the baby look like an alien?!? I really wanted to be in the room the entire time and see everything that was going on.....alas, as Mandy didn't even want the mom's in the room, I had a feeling it was highly unlikely she'd allow me to hide in the corner freakishly observing every tiny detail of the event. And you know I wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut mid-push - I would either ask a ridiculously inappropriate question like "Aren't you worried you're going to accidentally pee on the doctor with all the pushing?" or I would start a cheer like I did in the waiting room "Gimme an "L", you got your L you got your L. Gimme an "i", you got your i you got your i...". Oh yeah, I did it. I also had myself, Charles and the entire Hannah clan put our hands in and yell "1-2-3 Go Baby!" at Taco Mac during Liam Watch 2007. I know, I'm retawded.

It was really exciting when we found out Mandy was finally starting to push and I couldn't help staring at Mandy's mom, Chris' mom and Mandy's dad. I kept thinking they must be freaking out inside but all three looked calm as a cucumber. I, on the other hand, couldn't keep still and couldn't stop asking Mandy's mom and grandmother a thousand questions. As soon as the nurse walked into the waiting room and announced Liam's arrival there was a flurry of action and every chair in our section of the waiting room was vacated in a flash....it was like the team bench clearing after a major victory, complete pandemonium!

After giving the family a little while with the baby, Charles and I headed in and got our first glimpse of Liam. I had prepped Charles before we went to the hospital that newborns typically look really weird and gross so he wouldn't be shocked when he first saw the baby but Liam is truly a beautiful baby. Lots of really light brown hair, adorable little eyes that were opening and closing and looking all around. Long, tiny fingers and fingernails and a good strong grip. What else could you ask for? The best thing was seeing Chris with Liam....so precious! He was holding him and introducing him to everyone in the room...100% smitten! It wasn't until the next day that I even saw Mandy holding the baby! I don't think Chris likes to give him up. He does, however, like to show you really disgusting pictures of what Liam's first poop looked like. Let's just say, I had never heard of meconium before and it will now haunt my dreams. Think oil spill. And grossness.

I'm so excited for Mandy and Chris and am looking forward to seeing how they handle this whole baby thing. I will be sure to take lots of notes for ~~when Charles and I start having kids~~ that baby someone else will be having soon :)

Here's a pic of Liam's tiny wrinkled feet - fyi, we are so high-tech in this day and age that apparently the ink for the footprints is clear and once placed on the paper causes a chemical reaction that then creates the image of the print. Crazy!

The second pic is of Liam's stats if you're interested.

Welcome to the world little man!

ps - You can check out Liam's progress and thoughts on life at liamhannah.blogspot.com. Enjoy!

Rainbow River Pics

2007-08-22T09:43:00.000-07:00

I don't lie! Beautiful, eh?

The River

More River

The River makes me jump for joy!

Really cold water on a really hot day is delicious!

When you put a clump of Spanish Moss on your sister's head, you might get beat down with a palm frond...be careful!

I hate you, Mozzie's!!!!

2007-08-20T16:24:00.001-07:00

I'm staring at 4, count 'em, F-O-U-R mosquito bites I have received in the span of about 15 minutes sitting at my computer. I hate mosquito bites but getting a mosquito bite in my freakin' house really gets to me...feels so violating! Agh! That's something I miss about Denver...no bugs, at least not the bite-you-in-your-office kind. Is it me or does that mozzie to the left have genitalia?

Another thing that irritates me...little intsy, wintsy car accidents. So, this guy in front of this other guy slammed on his breaks today to pull into a $5 parking lot, probably so he could visit the whale shark death-trap at the aquarium. I'm so happy that he was able to find a cheap lot, I just wish he could've seen the lot a little sooner so he wouldn't have slammed his breaks causing the guy in front of me to slam his breaks causing me and my precious car to accidentally tappity-tap-tap his precious car. Dang! No damage to my car, minor damage to his but I assure you this episode will be a pain in my ass for much longer than necessary. Dang again!

On a positive note (because my glass is half awesome), the little bumper car game gave me an excellent excuse to come straight home and have a delicious beer. I need to calm my nerves, right? And now that I'm all intoxicated and feeling giddy, I shall share more positive happenings in my life....

Last week I volunteered at the USO at the Atlanta airport. It was both heartwarming and heartbreaking and I haven't wanted to give so many strange men a big hug in my entire life (sorry, hubs, but they needed one real bad...). The ones coming home were ecstatic and it was beautiful to watch the reunions...like the beginning of Love Actually on steroids. The ones leaving looked sad & weary. After seeing them I promised myself I would no longer bitch on Sunday nights about not wanting to go to work on Monday. I did a great job until Sunday night hit. And Dang again! These boys were headed back to loneliness, heat, fear, exhaustion, boredom and I was so sad to be the one walking them to their plane while the entire airport stood up and cheered. You think that Budweiser commercial during the Super Bowl made you tear up? Try being in the midst of all those emotions and seeing soldiers with tears streaming down their faces. Holy crap. Oh wait, I'm supposed to be talking about positive happenings....In all seriousness, volunteering at the USO was an amazing experience and I would love to do it again.

This weekend, my dad, sister and I traveled to the sprawling metropolis of Dunellon, FL. What's in Dunellon, you ask? 1) Grandparents...dad's parents to be exact. The grandma (we call her "Nana") a whopping 5'1", the grandpa (you guessed it..."Papa") a staggering 5'5". They are tiny. And adorable. And they have a blind Dotson named Dixie who also happens to be darn cute. 2) The most amazingly beautiful river I have ever seen in my life. Seriously. Everyone should go. The water is spring-fed and crystal clear...it looks like you're swimming in the Caribbean in some areas where the grass isn't growing on the bottom. You can see straight to the bottom even though it's 8-10 feet deep. It's called the Rainbow River if you want to check it out. I will post pics from the trip soon.

This week it's off to Austin for work & a quick visit with an old friend.

Enjoy these last weeks of the summer!

Alas...

2007-07-26T07:29:00.000-07:00

The movie has been watched, the book has been read and I am having major Harry Potter withdrawals. Unfortunately, I cannot discuss my feelings on the book yet as my husband had to wait for me to finish before he could begin and I refuse to spoil anything for him. So, zipped lips and keyboard keys until he's finished. Lucky for us, he reads stupid-fast so we won't have to wait long. I won't discuss the film yet either except to say I thoroughly enjoyed it.

And now I will remove the annoying Harry Potter countdowns at the top of this blog. So sad.

I'm down, I've got the 411...

2007-07-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

"...and you are not going out and getting jiggy with some boy, I don't care how dope his ride is. My momma didn't raise no foo'!"

10 points if you guess the movie.

Before you begin, please place the fleshy, movable, muscular organ, attached in most vertebrates to the floor of the mouth, otherwise known as the tongue, into the buccal aspect of the gum, otherwise known as the cheek.

And, begin!

So, you know you live in the hood when you go to your monthly neighborhood association meeting and are handed a copy of "Da Slang Thang", a dictionary of sorts translating local slang words so us non-ghettofied (is that pc?) folks can understand conversations we might overhear on the street. So that you can all be enlightened, I have chosen some of my favorites...

1) Big Pimpin' - a male who claims to have access to a lot of money and/or prostitutes

2) Celly - a cellular phone

3) Rollin' on Dubs - a car with chrome rims, specifically 20" or larger.

4) Floss - to show off and/or tease with material possessions, especially cars or jewelry. I'm actually really glad to know this one because I couldn't figure out why Fergie keeps singing "flossy, flossy"....NOW I get it. Thanks "Da Slang Thang"!

5) Murk - to kill someone; (2) to run or in the act of running away

6) Sizzurp - an alcoholic drink composed of vodka, a fruit drink high in glucose and cough syrup, preferably containing codeine

7) Wangsta - a wanna-be thug, imitation hustler or psuedo-gangster; (2) somebody who has been doing illegal activities for a long time but does not have any material possessions to show for it (cami question....what if you've been doing LEGAL activities for a long time, like work, and still have no material possessions to show for it? Does that make me a "worksta"?). Originated by Jungle who is Nas' brother; made popular by 50 (pronounced "Fiddy") Cent and is now understood nationally.

8) Hooptie/Squata - a vehicle, more often than not an older model vehicle that does not run very well. "Hooptie" is generally known nationally while "squata" is primarily used in the Northeast. Also formerly known as a hoodoo in South Texas.

I think this post is a great lead-in for an experience I had several weeks ago but never got around to posting about. And now, enjoy what I like to call "A Night on Lannon Avenue..." a.k.a. "Reason #947 Not to Smoke Crack":

5/9/07:
5:00am
Awaken by the soothing sounds of a crack lady-of-the-evening (would "whore" be considered more offensive than prostitute? Is there some ho-hierarchy that I'm not aware of?) screaming into our neighbors house that they need to go in the garage and have sex with her because she needed some change. She was specifically yelling at "Gerald" (names have been changed to protect the identity of our cracked-out neighbor) who apparently did have sex with her recently for $5 and whom, according to screaming ho, smelled like piss when they did it. The one-way(ish) conversation went something like this:

Ho: Gerald. Gerald, give me some change.
Ho: Gerald. Hey Gerald. GERALD!!!! Gerald, come "f" me in the garage so I can get some change.
Ho: Gerald, I'm gonna steal your bike if you don't come out here.
Ho: G-E-R-A-L-D!!!!!!
Gerald: "B"! Go home!
Ho: Come on Gerald.
Gerald: I don't want you. Go home!
Ho: Gerald, you owe me $5.
Gerald: "B"! Go home!
Ho: Gerald, if you call the cops I'll kill you.

And so on and so on...There was much screaming, demanding of cigarettes, life threats, etc. for about an hour when somehow she made her way into the house where she proceeded to lay down on the kitchen floor and refuse to leave. I finally made it back to sleep as they were still yelling at each other and I'm pretty sure "Gerald" was either physically pulling her or kicking her out of the house. All went silent around 6:30.

We're not in Snellville anymore folks.

Ohhhhhhh SNAP

2007-07-03T14:06:00.000-07:00

Jeremy Enigk has a new album releasing August 21 called "The Missing Link". I've barely recovered from World Waits! Let's hope there is a tour. Let's hope that tour gets dirty and comes to Atlanta. Let's hope I'm freakin' in town this time. Eeek!

In the meantime, can we talk about the fact that I am about to explode with Harry Potter excitement? Movie! Book! And how could I have totally forgotten that Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix for the wii came out today...what?!?!? I'm going to swish-and-flick my butt all over our living room and blast Wizard Rock as loud as I can...oh, good times are about to be had.

Happy 4th to all...I will be joining 50,000 of my closest friends shuffling down Peachtree Street tomorrow. Then BBQ's, slip 'n slides, beers, pools, friends to follow.

Be safe.

R.I.P. Granddaddy

2007-07-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

My grandfather passed away at the end of March and a couple weekends ago, the family headed down to Panama City to spread his ashes in the Gulf of Mexico, minutes from the condo where he and my grandmother have lived the last twenty-something years. I have never experienced an "ash-spreading" before so I wasn't sure what to expect. One of my grandmother's friends was gracious enough to take the entire family out on his boat (I don't know at what point you stop saying "boat" and start saying "yacht" but this thing was brand new and massive...two bedrooms!) so we could share the moment together and make an outing out of it. I thought we were going to go a couple miles out in the ocean but as soon as we left the marina and the bay heading into the gulf, we rounded the jetty's at St. Andrews state park into the most beautiful clear, aqua-blue water I have seen in PC in quite awhile. At once everyone on the boat decided we were at the perfect spot...I was glad we stayed so close in, close to his home, close to the places he's gone fishing, close to where his kids and grandkids played in the ocean. It was perfect. Words were spoken, tears fell then my uncle poured the ashes in the water and we all threw flowers. The water was so clear, you could see them float for a bit then sink into the water, the flowers following the cloud as it moved with the current. It was truly beautiful. You can actually see the shadow of the ashes on the bottom of the ocean if you look closely at the picture above...that was how clear the water was. Beautiful! So beautiful, in fact, we couldn't help but jump in and go for a swim. I would like to think Granddaddy was right there with us playing in the water and enjoying one last swim with his family. Perfect ending....

I won't go into the fact that the minutes after we jumped in the water, the ladder dropped off the boat because we drifted in too shallow and had to do a massive family ocean rescue just as a huge thunderstorm was blowing into the gulf...pandemonium! Just know we are all safe and I bet my granddad was laughing his ass off!

Lazy Post No. 2

2007-06-12T18:19:00.001-07:00

I know it's totally lazy of me to post videos but, to be honest, not a lot is going on in my life right now...nothing particularly post-worthy at least. Lots going on, plenty busy but with those mundane day-to-day things and occasional good times sprinkled in. I'm sure I could talk those things up a bit and make my life sound like a party but why pretend? So, instead, a video of a truly remarkable little girl that brought tears to my eyes. Enjoy.

ps - try to ignore simon, the other judges, the audience and the cheesy music at the end. we're focusing on the singing only, ok?

Ah, a post!

2007-05-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

I think these chicks are pretty funny. Check them out.

To Zach and Ann Lillie

2007-04-30T17:52:00.000-07:00

Work work work work work work work work work. And then I work work work. Work.

But sometimes, I get to play with my dog (for you, Zach - he misses you and stick time)...

And tend to my modest-yet-bursting-with-potential garden (for Ann Lillie). Ladies and gentlemen...my ice plant -- ta da!

And, my pansies that have been looking beautiful since NOVEMBER. Booya!

My thumb is still flesh colored but in just the right light I think I can see some green!

After a 12-hour workday today and probably another four 12-hour workdays to finish out the week, a brief stint in Mexico (pronounced meh-hee-ko for my unilingual friends) next week, customer meetings the following week and then even more customer meetings the week after that, the posting might be few and far between for a bit.

However, soon Mr.Simmons will be leaving his lovely wife for 7 whole weeks so perhaps the pain and sorrow of his absence will inspire me to write through the tears and finally give some substance to this most superficial of non-celebrity gossip blogs. We'll see. Until then, enjoy this unbelievably pleasant weather that seems to have blanketed the east coast, play with your dog and plant some flowers. Life is good.

I said booya.

Liar, Liar

2007-04-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

I know I am a little late catching this story and you'll rarely see or hear me express my political views (to be completely honest, i don't know that i understand my political views...something i struggle with and seek to define...) but this article has utterly infuriated me today. http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/24/tillman.hearing/index.html

I am not too naive to think that we aren't lied to on a daily basis from both political parties, the media, hell, even our employers and churches and schools. But rarely do these lies stare you straight in the face, out in the open. Most often we put our guards up and pile on the cynicism, knowing the lies are all around us but unsure of exactly what they are or how to locate them. This time, it's crystal clear: we were told one thing, actually two things, both of which were bold-faced lies. Not just exaggerations of the truth...lies. Will anyone be held accountable? I'd like to stand up in front of the world and tell everyone I am best buds with J.K. Rowling and we hang out eating ice cream and chatting about whether or not Hermione & Ron will make-out in the 7th book, but that would be a lie. To the world.

We were lied to about WMD, we have been lied to about progress in the "war" and now we have been lied to about how two of the most well-known soldiers were killed/"rescued". It makes me want to put my fingers in my ears and yell "blah blah blah".

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people complain, complain, complain without ever taking action or offering up solutions so I apologize for the rant.

Shut your mouth!

2007-04-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

So there we were, in Panama City for my grandfather’s funeral, when I learned that my family not only reads my blog, but they also email excerpts of it to their friends and think I’m so stinking hilarious that my grandmother wants me to write her eulogy so everyone will laugh at her funeral. Sick? I’ll say. But do I eat up this kind of attention from my family, especially Momma Dot (aka - grandmother extraordinaire and my favorite person on earth)? Absolutely!

My biggest concern after making this discovery is that I may have unintentionally offended a beloved family member with my frequent use of the word “ass” (one of my favorites! I may dedicate an entire post to this most-awesome of words) and “damn” and my one-time mention of “balls”. Thank goodness I found out about their reading before, heaven forbid, I used “f” or “s”! I am in the camp that believes cussing in front of parents is extremely disrespectful, especially if they do not choose to cuss in front of you. I am still, at 27, fearful of my mom hanging me by my toenails for whatever reason so I figure I better not press my luck by running my mouth in front of her. To this day, I have only said “f” once in front of my mom and I can distinctly remember the conversation and the situation and was lucky it was over the phone so she couldn’t snatch me up right then and proceed with the hanging. As far as I can remember, I have never said “s” in front of them although I came very close while at the driving range one day with my dad.

So, I will continue to keep my blog PG (maybe PG-13 every once in a while if things get exciting) so my family will keep reading.

And, Momma Dot, if I were to write your eulogy, I would absolutely be sure to include the following:
- the time I stole your Nicorette gum and you about killed me for it
- Duke, Willie, Teenie & Weenie
- Warter
- Dot’s guide to poisoning your husband’s nurse
- High rollin’ Mexican Train gambling
- Aliens

I love you and thanks for reading!

Ein, zwei, drei...Frikadellen!

2007-04-08T16:10:00.000-07:00

Saturday night fishbowls 'o beer, taut (and turgid?) sausages, fried cheese & pickles and rhubarb pie slices are delicious...especially when enjoyed with good friends in the sprawling metropolis of Stone Mountain Village, GA. If you're ever in Atlanta and looking for some yummy German cuisine, be sure to check out The Village Corner Tavern. Highlights included the biggest beer I have ever seen (the Berliner something-or-other), the most delicious of all the delicious roasted potatoes I've ever had in my life and wind-up hopping lederhosen available for purchase*. Good times were had by all and I was falling out of my chair with a third of my big ass beer left to drink...happy 27th Mandy!

* Copy on the back of the wind-up lederhosen box:
Lederhosen, which literally means "leather pants," are a traditional folk costume worn mostly in the mountainous regions of Bavaria and Austria. They are a happy sort of short trouser that love music and dance. So next time you have cause for celebration or revelry, wind up these 3", hard plastic folkpants and watch them hop about! After all, what good is a party without Lederhosen? I mean really, what is?

my big, BIG, big beer

chris enjoying his sausage

chris in a meat-coma before he even had the first bite!

mandy and her birthday cake

Have you seen this?

2007-04-06T17:28:00.001-07:00

Thanks to my good friend, Perez, I found this little gem. I'm not even sure what to say about it accept that seeing Alanis shaking her ass right in the camera makes me laugh. I was really hoping she would act again after her stellar role as God in Dogma...this video goes to show that dreams really do come true. So today, let's not thank India or silence or disillusionment or clarity, let's say a big Thank U to Ms.Morissette and her lady lumps. Mmmm. *gag*

Dude....

2007-03-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

Running a marathon is hard. I feel like I'm "listing" a lot lately but I'm just not in the mood to write long paragraphs about the "marathon experience". This list has no theme, it just is...

The first mile of a marathon feels fantastic
Port-o-potty's at 6:00am pre-marathon are foul
For some reason, when running with my TNT buddies, things you would never hear me say in my everyday, non-running life like "you go girl!" or "you got it, girl" or "girl, you can do it!" come flying out of my mouth providing Charles plenty of lets-make-fun-of-cami fuel
Just when you think you successfully lubed up everything on your body that could possibly chafe, you realize there were about 12 other places you should have hit when you jump in the shower post-race...ouch!
You feel pretty silly when you are whining and begging your husband to stop running and then look over during mile 21 and see this guy jogging past you...
Comment heard by my father-in-law as one tired guy crossed the finish: "When did the Rockies move to Atlanta?" If you didn't know or, more likely, didn't notice, Atlanta is HILLY. Just as I would finally breakthrough a particularly mental or physical block in the race, yet another hill would be around the next turn just daring me to keep running.
Not to be rude, but people who yell "you're almost finished!" at mile nine should be shot.
Again, not to be rude, but people who yell "this is the last big hill!" when there are actually 14 more, should also be shot.
My husband is my hero and the only reason I finished the marathon. There were times during the course where he literally grabbed my hand and pulled me so I would keep running. He refused to let me give up and kept me going from about mile 14 on...I truly could not have done it without him. I didn't even know if he was in pain or being mentally challenged as well because he was too busy baby-sitting me to complain.
There is an instant camaraderie among all the runners...especially toward the end of the race. You're all in the same boat, all trying to finish and if you can encourage someone that is looking particularly fatigued or discouraged you do it and what happens is you start listening to what you are saying to that person and start believing it yourself.
I heard that you hit a wall at around mile 21 or 22...for some reason, my wall decided to plant itself right in the middle of mile 14 which just wasn't nice at all.
One of the most ingenious elements of the ING marathon was that all of our first names were printed on our numbers so all along the course, people weren't just saying "You're looking good! Way to go!" they were saying "Great job, Cami! Looking strong, Charles!". It actually freaked me out a little at first but as I got used to it I was so thankful the spectators were taking the time to read the names and personally acknowledge us...it was really encouraging.
Seeing your friends out on the course yelling for you makes you smile ear-to-ear, even if you are 18 miles in and wanting to die.
The Finish Line was one of the most beautiful sights I have seen in a long time. We caught our first glimpse of it from about 50 yards away and for the first time in the race I knew I was actually going to finish. All of a sudden my legs felt fresh, I got a burst of energy and even had enough wits about me to grab Charles' hand and pose for the camera!
I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, E-V-E-R run another marathon again. I did it once, I can say I ran one, I give all kinds of props to those people who choose to run multiple marathons (although they are obviously complete masochists and should consider therapy) but they just aren't for me. That said, I can definitely see myself running a half marathon every now and again.

Here are some pre, mid and post-race pics to prove we actually ran the thing. Thanks for all the support and patience during my many marathon-related posts!

Let the countdown begin...

2007-03-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's almost here. In less than one week Charles and I will begin our marathon and finally put an end to the months and months of training and waking up early and watching what we eat and drink on Friday nights. I am so anxious about the event I can't stand it! Am I going to finish? Am I going to get a cramp? Will i have to go to the bathroom? #1 or #2? Will I be able to walk the next day? Will Charles and I finish together? How many hills are there? Will there be a lot of Atlantans cheering us on along the way? Will i drink enough? Will i drink too much? Will I hit a wall at 14 miles or 24 miles?

If you happen to be in the ATL this weekend and see a bunch of people running around town, feel free to shout some words of encouragement to us! I'll be the one in the bright purple singlet with 150 or so of my closest friends. Not to mention, the other 14,850 people running along with us. I can guarantee you that somewhere along the course there will be beer-drinking, fried food and loud music to help pass the time...should be fun!

And, if you are looking for a little inspiration to start training for your first marathon, take a look below! The joy and pride and sense of accomplishment on our faces and in our body language will really motivate you begin your training regimen.

Wish us luck!

It's March Madness, Baby!

2007-03-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

Over the past couple of years, I have really gotten into the excitement of March Madness. I can distinctly remember the first time I became totally engaged and hooked on the tournament...I was in a ski town in Colorado (Breck maybe?) at a restaurant with my Dad and one of the games was on TV. There was a long wait at the restaurant so we passed the time watching the game. Charles had filled out his bracket and I knew which teams he picked so automatically those were the teams I then rooted for. This one particular game playing at the restaurant was a nail-biter. Regulation went right up to the last second (as so many of the tournament games do) and then it was overtime. I think there were two or three overtime's in the game, all of which were back-and-forth and totally intense, before the game finally ended, again, at the last second. I was exhausted by the end of the game and taken by surprise at how much fun it was to watch and have a team to cheer for. I don't watch pro basketball and don't watch a second of college hoops prior to the tournament, but filling out that bracket thus knowing ahead of time which teams you want to win for 61 games all within the span of a couple of weeks, most of which are pure excitement, how can you not get wrapped up in it? Not to mention, it's great procrastination during work hours and good bonding time with the boss...so far I have him beat by one game. I go here a lot and refresh every couple of minutes during game time.

So, currently I sit 13-3 thanks to losses by George Washington, Duke and Gonzaga (I ALWAYS choose Gonzaga, Villanova and Xavier to make it through at least the first round because I like their names...). Here is my final four:

Florida
Kansas
Texas
Memphis

I have Florida and Memphis going to the National Championship and Florida taking home the title. Wish me luck!!!

Explosions in the Sky

2007-03-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

Late, late, late, late, very very late Tuesday night, we were excited to see a fantastic show from that oh-so-lovely band from Texas, Explosions in the Sky. I will say, I was a bit skeptical as to how exciting and entertaining the show would actually be as Charles and I fall asleep to their music most nights. Seriously, everyone should try it out. If you don't already have it, put the Friday Night Lights soundtrack on your iPod and I dare you to try and make it through 5 songs as you're laying in bed at night. It is deliciously good sleep music. That said, you can imagine my concern about attending the show even after reading countless raving reviews about the quality of the live shows and hearing first-hand from a good friend that the show they attended a couple years ago was mind-blowing. In my head I was thinking, "Should I wear my jammies and bring a pillow and blanket?"

The first two bands I could've done without. It's always a nice surprise when you show up to see the headlining band and end up really enjoying the opening acts. P.O.S. comes to mind at the Minus the Bear show...also, The Ghost and Thursday totally schooled Rival Schools at a show at the Echo Lounge many many years ago. Alas, Tuesday night's opening acts were a bit disappointing for me. The first band was trying hard to sound like Explosions but failed miserably and instead had people scrunching their faces and covering their ears in agony. The guy used volume to build energy into each song to the point where your entire head was vibrating from this big loud noise. It was pretty bad. The second band was decent enough I guess but the lead singer annoyed the hell out of me for some reason. Not to mention, it was about 90 degrees with 107% humidity in the bar so listening to a really good band was almost unbearable. After about 2 songs from the second band, Wendy and I went outside to get some air.

The lateness (especially for a Tuesday night), the heat and the mediocre opening bands were worth the wait when EITS finally began their set. They have this fantastic ability to play really slow, swaying music just long enough that right when you are about to either fall asleep or become bored with the sound, they throw in the drums and guitar and bass and the audience goes crazy bopping up and down and shaking their heads. Then, just as you are about to lose your mind with the increasing intensity of the sound, they bring everything right back down again. It's really hard to decipher when one song ends and the next begins as they tend to play almost white-noise sounding music between the songs...it made me think of these in-between periods as palate cleansers because I think if they played back-to-back songs, everything would run together and might sound too much alike. The pauses kind of make you forget what you just heard so when they start a new song that has a lot of very similar sounds you don't get a sense of monotony. There was no encore and I think the audience was a little bummed about it but I was just fine as the heat was really stifling and uncomfortable. I left with a big smile on my face and I wasn't sleepy at all! Definitely check them out if they head to your city...also, check out the guitar player, he is beautiful. See below.

**Note: I just read my husband's blog and his account of the show. So interesting how we each describe what we saw. Clearly, he is the superior writer in the family and certainly gives a more in-depth description of the show experience. Read and enjoy.

Since my last post...in Numbers

2007-03-13T08:14:00.000-07:00

28: thin mints consumed
3 (or 4?): ben & jerry's pints consumed
-3 (or -4?): pounds lost (gained) due to aforementioned consumptions even though i'm running my ass off
250: women attended my Women's Leadership Conference workshop
3.5: hours spent at Mall of America
36: points purchased to ride on two MOA (that's what the cool kids call it) attractions...see pics below
337: dollars spent at H&M
20: miles run on a beautiful Saturday morning
1: wedding attended
2: wedding showers attended
500: Blockbuster employees attended my sampling event
4: feet of snow on my cousin-in-laws back porch
4.5: miles run in said snow & ice
32: times i almost cracked my head open on said ice
3: cities visited
2: delayed plane rides
27: age turned on 2/28
0: nights spent hanging out with friends
100: red tag points earned (it's a work reward system), getting me a few steps closer to the kate spade purse i've had my eye on
64-ish: total miles run

looking forward to a full week at home, a sleepy concert, low-mileage runs, st.patty's day with old friends and a lazy sunday book club day. i hope to come back to life this week. we'll see what happens.

less than two weeks!!!

The Skinny on Skinny Jeans

2007-02-24T15:04:00.000-08:00

So, i have loathed the fact that "skinny" jeans are all the rage from the moment I saw the Gap ad with Audrey Hepburn dancing around in her super-skinniness. Just what I need, I thought to myself, yet another fashion trend that celebrates those blessed few petite or long- legged thin girls. I have been watching from afar as more and more girls prance around in their skinny pants with their stylish knee-high boots over them or their flat shoes and long dress-like shirts looking like they just stepped out of the urban outfitters dressing room.

I have known from day 1 that I have absolutely no business wearing these jeans with my ghetto-booty and general big-ness throughout my entire body. Am i fat? Nope. Overweight? A little maybe but I think most would consider me normal. Can I ever find a pair of "designer" jeans that actually fit me? Not a chance. And we wonder why there are so many women out there with weight issues.

Today for some unknown reason, I decided it was time to try the skinny jeans on for size just to see if maybe i was being a little too hard on those trend-setting designer a-holes. Maybe they would actually flatter my curvy figure somehow. So, I hopped into the nearest clothier and set out to find my perfect pair of skinny jeans. Of course, as they are all the rage, I found them immediately and was pleased to actually see a size 10! For the first time in my life, I actually wish there was some creepy guy with a hidden camera in my dressing room because he would have been thoroughly entertained and ill from laughter watching me try to get these jeans on my body. Remember that Friends episode where Ross was wearing the leather pants and he couldn't get them back on after going to the bathroom? I kind of had the opposite problem trying to get them off. I knew immediately that they weren't going to work out when I noticed that my big-ass feet barely fit through the ankle holes. The next hint was when my calves barely fit through the thigh area. Had i paid a little closer attention to these clues, I may not have worked so hard to get them the rest of the way up; somehow making it about halfway up my butt when I finally gave in, defeated, and decided that I was 100% right all along and skinny jeans just aren't for girls like me.

At this point, the terror of all terrors ensued. I went to pull them off and made it down to just above my knee with only a minor struggle before everything came to a screeching halt. I pushed and pushed and pushed not making any progress trying to get them down below my knees so I figured my best bet would be to pull from the ankle the rest of the way. The problem was, with my big feet, I couldn't get a hold of enough fabric to pull with the right amount of force needed to pry the jeans off my seemingly-obese calves or elephantitis-ravaged feet. I tugged and tugged and nothing was budging. At this point I was starting to panic and kicked and jumped and shimmied every which way I could to try and dislodge the the damn things from my body. I started feeling like I was being squeezed to death by a boa constrictor or something...really, total panic in the dressing room. Somehow between the ankle pulling and being able to pinch just enough fabric around my knee area to make a little air-pocket, I was finally able to wriggle my way out of the denim death trap.

When I finally got them off me and back into my rather roomy, size 10 boot cut jeans, I started to become very curious about this mysterious size 10 woman that can fit into the size 10 skinny jeans. I am a perfect size 10...not just sometimes...almost always I fit into a size 10 and since the running, I can actually get into some size 8's. So, what does the size 10 woman look like that fits into the size 10 skinny jeans? Or, is it a well-known fact that you have to move up 4 sizes when you want to go skinny and I just didn't know? I need someone to enlighten me here because I am thoroughly confused.

Luckily, this little exercise today didn't make me feel bad about my body like it normally would, I just laughed at myself for even thinking it would work and day-dreamed about how delicious a big, fat, mint chocolate chip ice cream cone would taste right about then. Mmmm.

Reason #976 why I have no business in the kitchen...

2007-02-19T17:20:00.000-08:00

I don't know how to re-heat pizza. We're not even talking cook here, just re-heat. Who needs a house anyway, I'm sure we have that fancy fire insurance I've heard so much about.

ps - yes, that is absolutely a bite taken off the end. don't think for a second that just because i charred this poor little slice to oblivion, i wasn't going to eat it...

When cute attacks....

2007-02-19T11:08:00.001-08:00

Two weeks!?!?!

2007-02-18T10:55:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I suck. I know this.

Some random thoughts during a trip to Memphis this week...

1) I am incapable of staying awake on planes. Maybe it's the hum of the engines or the fact that there is absolutely nothing I can do but sit there and relax. Whatever it is, my window seat and I love some good 'ole plane sleep.

2) I am often disappointed with food at "fancy" restaurants. Perhaps my palate isn't sophisticated enough to fully appreciate what I am eating or, as I often experience with haircuts/colors, if I am going to pay a lot for a meal, I guess I expect to be delightfully surprised with the deliciousness of it all. Maybe my expectations are too high but most of the time I would have been just as happy with a $6 vegetable plate at Carvers.

3) I love coffee. I generally don't feel right in the morning if I haven't had a cup and lately have found myself craving it all day long...I think mostly because it's so freakin' chilly outside the last thing I want to do is throw something cold down my throat. The funny thing is, I can never seem to completely finish a full cup of coffee. Whether it be one cup or several because the waitress keeps coming by topping-off my half-drunk brew, I never ever make it to the bottom of a cup of coffee.

4) I really enjoy business travel. I love flying on airplanes and renting cars and sleeping in hotel beds and eating out at different restaurants and seeing cities I wouldn't normally visit...all on someone else's dime. I also enjoy the independence of it all. I like driving around in a strange place and having to find my way around. There are definitely some parts that drive me insane like the time between landing and the point in which you actually deplane...or the people that still don't know about the shoe/laptop removal & hold on to your boarding pass rules in the security line, but for the most part, I travel just enough to keep it fresh and exciting.

5) I am fascinated by people that have lived in the same city all their lives. It's not like I've lived all over the world (only Pensacola, Atlanta, Hilton Head [very briefly] and Denver) but I have at least gotten out of my comfort zone a bit and seen a little of what else is out there. I bring this up because, while in Memphis, several of the people I was with have lived in Memphis their entire lives. So I was thinking, okay, they most know this city like the back of their hands, right? But the funny thing was, the restaurant we went to was the first time any of them had been to it (and it was my 2nd time!). Even the area of town we went to, a couple of them hadn't been to in over 20 years! This completely fascinated me.

Charles and I ran 17 miles yesterday and for the first time in all this training mess, I understand just what I have gotten myself into and to be completely honest, I'm a little freaked out. The 14-mile run was hard, really hard but I had had the flu two days before the run so I wasn't completely hydrated and knew it was going to be difficult. 100% healthy this weekend, I was looking forward to the 16 miler. About 8 or so miles in I was feeling great as the course was much less hilly than what we have been running (although, one of the few hills we had to tackle was a MONSTER...absolutely the hardest hill we've run yet) and the only discomfort I was feeling was a pulling in the arch of my right foot. No cramps, no knee pain, well hydrated, etc. Even up to mile 13 or 14 I was feeling decent; a little tired especially in the leg area but mostly just ready to get it done and over with. By the last water stop with about a mile or two to go, I was to the point where when I stopped, my legs had a tremendously difficult time getting started up again and I feared if I stopped again I wouldn't be able to continue. Everything about my body wanted me to stop but I just had to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep going. This was the first time I truly understood how mental the rest of the mileage is going to be. I was thinking of everything I could to keep my legs moving...the fact that I was healthy this week, that I didn't have very much further to go, that it will be really cool to say I've run 16 miles (we actually ended up running 17 miles because we didn't pay enough attention to the map and turned around about a 1/2 mile later than we should have), that I am blessed to have a healthy body and am able to run this distance, that I had a yummy calzone waiting for me at home, etc. Anything I could think of to keep me going. When I finished I was too tired to feel good about the run or enjoy the fact that I had just completed the longest run of my life. Immediately my legs started tightening up and by the time we made it home, both Charles and I were so sore we had to hobble out of the car and up the stairs to the couch. Sounds like fun, eh?

Today I feel great...I woke up this morning and wasn't even sore. Now, I am very proud to say I completed the run and I'm very excited about the fact that next Saturday is a low-mileage run in anticipation of the 20-miler we'll complete weekend after next. I can't imagine having to run another 9 miles on top of what I did yesterday but I am just going to have to trust my mind and body that I can do it and trust the training that it has prepared me for the 26.2 miles. I am still excited, anxious, and pleased with my progress but I will definitely be happy when I am on the other side of this damn thing.

Between the running and the fact that work is extremely busy and mentally draining at the moment, I imagine the infrequent posting will continue for at least a little while longer. I apologize as it drives me crazy when the blogs I check regularly aren't updated frequently enough but sometimes you're just a little busy actually living your life to sit down and write about it.

Training Update

2007-02-04T09:29:00.001-08:00

Charles and I are finally into double-digit mileage. It may sound strange, but for a while now I have been looking forward to being able to say "Yeah, so I ran 12 miles today...no big deal". Well folks, that day has finally arrived! Last week Charles and I tackled a particularly grueling 10-mile course that completely kicked our asses. I started writing a post last weekend about how hard it was but I was too tired to finish it. We were thoroughly wiped out and for the first time in my training endeavors, I was truly discouraged. If 10 miles was that hard, what the hell would 26.2 feel like? We unenthusiastically carried on with our training during the week (a particularly hellish week as far as weather goes) and were really not looking forward to the 12-mile run we had to tackle yesterday.

One of the "tips" our coaches have been pressing us about is the importance of eating breakfast before we do our long runs. The trick is, we are supposed to eat two hours before we run and we start running at 7:45 which, if you're a math-wizard like me, means we would have to get up at 5:45 to eat, then go back to sleep another hour or so before getting up to run. No fun, right? Well, after we were so exhausted last week, Charles and I decided we should probably try the breakfast thing this week. So, like any good long-distance runner, I woke at 5:45 and sleep-ate my yummy(?), energy-packed Cliff bar then went back to sleep to squeeze out a few more winks before waking up to start the run.

Yesterday was particularly cold so we bundled up as best we could and headed out to meet up with the other hundred or so Team in Training participants. After last week's ass-kicking, we decided we might want to slow our pace a bit this week so we ran with Hillary (another first-time marathoner that I befriended early on in the training) and Debbie, our assistant coach that is my mom's age, has run 25 marathons and will beat any of us youngsters up a hill, leaving us choking on her dust. Before we knew it (aka - two hours later) we were back at the start having completed our 12 miles -- still smiling, still full of energy and ready to take on the rest of the day. I'm not sure if it was the breakfast or the slowing down (we actually ended up finishing at about the same pace as last week) but I was so, so happy to feel good after the run. Now, instead of dreading next Saturday's 14-mile run, I am looking forward to finishing it and being able to tell folks I have run a half marathon (plus a little extra). I am so proud of myself that I have made it this far and am proud of Charles for making the decision to do it with me. We are training really well together and I am so glad and thankful to have him with me, literally every step of the way.

I am also very proud of the fact that I have raised all my money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society...$1700!!! I have been amazed and humbled by how many people donated their money...old co-workers, new co-workers, family friends, family, friends and family of friends (keeping up?). I am still going to take donations and am planning a fundraising event with a TNT friend that is running the Country Music Half Marathon. Feel free to visit my fundraising website to read about my Honored Hero and read about my recent long runs.

I can't wait for my "I'm a Marathoner!!!" post!

And I'm Back

2007-02-02T07:32:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the lack of posting over the past week or so. Two words: "running" and "television". Also, a real lack of inspirational, post-worthy subject matter...until today at least.

This will be short and completely uninteresting to some (most), but believe it or not, the last book in the Harry Potter series began taking pre-sales Thursday after the announcement that it will be released July 21. As of Friday, it is the No.1 seller on both Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com, all this a good 6 months before it will hit store shelves! It is absolutely astounding to me that J.K. Rowling has created a world so intriguing, mysterious and fanciful, yet also so realistic that you feel like you could easily be a part of her world; that millions of people from around the globe are so anxious to get their hands on the final morsel of Harry's life, they are purchasing the book now. I am not at all ashamed to say that I'm a total Harry Potter nerd and while I am looking forward to the last installment of boy-wizard genius, I am also a little sad that this book will be our last opportunity to experience Hogwarts, Quidditch, Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade, the Department of Mysteries and the other whimsical elements of the wizarding world...all seemingly effortlessly created by Ms. Rowling. I am planning to read the last book the way that Charlie ate his first Wonka bar...bite by bite (page by page) to draw out the experience as long as I possibly can. A week before the book goes on sale, the Fifth Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, will also release...I might explode with magic-joy that week. Grab your butterbeer and Chocolate Frogs and let's celebrate! Wow, I think I've gone too far.

Also, in case you missed it, our own Mr.Potter is all growed up and desperately trying to shed his boy wizard image..or at least show us that he can do more than flick his wand and fly (masterfully!) on a broom. Here are some pics from a photoshoot to promote the play, Equus, in which Daniel Radcliffe will star and allegedly have a full frontal nude scene.

Five reasons I love IKEA

2007-01-21T16:52:00.000-08:00

Messy is the new black

2007-01-21T13:15:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to write this post for a while, but with my super-busy life and all, i just haven't had the time. Now, on a cold, rainy, lazy Sunday afternoon, I write to tell you that finally I can be appreciated for what some might call my little "messy problem".

From day one of my existence, I have been a little messy and unorganized...even arriving in this world two weeks late...two weeks! Most pictures from my childhood are of a dirt-covered dress or food-stained face or wrinkled outfit but also a big, shining smile. I've never had a problem with my messiness, in fact, it suits me just fine. Every now and again I get frustrated if I can't find something or when I find the sweater I want to wear balled up in a corner covered in dog hair but for the most part, it's who I am love it or leave it. I learned pretty early on that my way wasn't the "right" way when every time I wanted to do something fun I was either delayed or completely forbidden until I cleaned my room. More often than not, I never made it to my fun activity because cleaning my room went a little like this: refuse to touch a single thing in protest of the fact that i was condemned to my room until it was clean...(2 hours later)...resign to the fact that unless i do something, i'll rot & die in my room, further adding to the mess...pick up random item #1 to put away...stare at said random item for a few minutes trying to figure out the easiest way to get rid of it...sigh...decide to throw it away, easy-peasy...pick up random item #2....stare at said random item for a few minutes...sigh...realize i haven't played/read/reviewed said item in a while...(4 hours later)...decide to throw it away, easy-peasy...and so on. Cleaning my room became a day-long event and I hated every second of it. It was my room after all, why couldn't it look the way I wanted it to? This routine carried on for the first 18 years of my life then it was off to college.

**By the way, can I just pause for a moment to tell you about the most offensively smelling gas I've ever experienced coming out of my dog right now? I know this constitutes an "overshare" but it's truly amazing both in its quantity and dry-heave inducing quality. Sorry but it's so distracting I thought you should know in case you get to the end of the post and nothing makes sense...I'm being gassed here! Now, carry on...**

It's one thing for your family to know exactly how messy you are, it's quite another for the outside world to know. So, I tried really hard to neaten up my life the best I could and it worked for about the first two weeks. I will say I improved a step or two from "disgustingly filthy messy" to "why can't you ever completely close a damn dresser drawer? messy". It became glaringly clear just how messy I was when I moved in with my best friend, BJ, literally the most organized person I have ever met. Growing up the middle child in a military family, her neatness touched every part of her life...her school work, her thoughts, her schedule, her study habits, her wardrobe, her social life...it was, and remains to be, truly astounding. If you've ever done the personality colors, she is 100% gold...I'm about 108% orange. It was pretty hysterical to walk into our dorm room. It was like looking at a before and after picture of a tornado winding its way through a bedroom. On her side, everything had its place, all doors and drawers were closed, shoes were lined nicely in her closet, clothes were hanging in her closet all in one direction and organized by season and right-side out, desk immaculate, neatly decorated with pictures and knick-knacks, bed made. On my side, desk covered with papers, bed unmade, every dresser drawer open and spewing clothes (someone once compared my dresser to a waterfall...as you moved down the dresser from top to bottom, each drawer was opened a little wider with a few more clothes hanging out. I think it was a nice effect!), mountains of clothes everywhere, clothes half-hanging off hangers, clothes hung inside out in every direction possible, books and papers covering my bed...basically, a mess. I think I secretly hoped some of her neatness would rub off on me but somehow I think my messiness just increased.

My husband deals with my untidy lifestyle as best he can and over the years has resigned himself to doing most of the chores. I try to help out but am just so inconsistent...one week I'm on point straightening up, doing laundry, making the bed, etc. then the next two weeks I won't touch a thing so we're worse off than my "good week". Just when I get one room looking good, three others are a complete disaster. The thing is, no matter how hard I try, this really is the way I am and while I have improved a little over the years and learned some tricks to help at least disguise exactly how "bad" i am, what you see is what you get.

So given my mess-history, imagine my surprise and delight when I opened The New York Times on Thursday, December 21 and found "Saying Yes to Mess", an article in the House & Home section. The subtitle read "A movement is afoot to embrace disorder as the detritus of a creative mind. But the effort is a little disorganized." Intrigued and more than a little excited, I read through the article and for the first time in my life, felt okay with being messy versus feeling bad about something that is a large part of who I am. Here are some of my favorite parts of the article:
"An anti-anticlutter movement is afoot , one that says yes to mess and urges you to embrace your disorder. Studies are piling up that show that messy desks are the vivid signatures of people with creative, limber minds (who reap higher salaries than those with neat "office landscapes") and that messy closet owners are probably better parents and nicer and cooler than their tidier counterparts. It's a movement that confirms what you have known, deep down, all along: really neat people are not avatars of the good life; they are humorless and inflexible prigs, and have way too much time on their hands...Total organization is a futile attempt to deny and control the unpredictability of life."

Now, do I think this article is a little harsh on "neatfreaks"? Yes. Do I know super-neat and organized people that are tons of fun and lovers of life? Yes. Do I think this article was written by a dirty, dirty pig of a person that makes herself feel better about her faults by putting everyone else down? Absolutely. But, hey, a girl needs a little positive reinforcement every now and again, right? I am in full support of this new movement and finally feel like a trendsetter! If only this article had been written circa 1989 so I could have had a little more fun growing up. Oh well, I'm sure all that introspection I experienced sitting alone for hours in my room was character building and helped shape me into the strong, independent woman I am today *side-splitting laughter*.

Two things that are particularly funny about this post:
#1 - The reason I am allowing myself "computer time" is because it's my reward for doing laundry and cleaning my room.
#2 - I wanted to include more from the article but I lost the second page. Ha!

(click on the picture to read the captions)

What is the What

2007-01-18T15:56:00.000-08:00

I'm not very good at writing book or movie reviews and you're lucky if you even get a "yeah, I liked it" out of me, so bear with me as I clumsily share my praise of Dave Eggers latest novel, What is the What.

Last November I joined a local book club with my best bud, Erin. At the first meeting we attended, we discussed which books we would choose to read in 2007. Someone suggested What is the What and gave a brief synopsis of the book which I found fairly interesting: set in Atlanta, a man recalls his struggles escaping civil war and refugee camps in Sudan. I've always had a strange curiosity with Africa as a whole...once my sophomore year in college I found a tiny article on cnn.com about Sierra Leone and 4 hours later, after jumping from article to article, was numb with the horrors upon horrors recounted in the stories. I've read a little more here and there about the struggles throughout Africa and seen Hotel Rwanda and Blood Diamond which further seek to explain and tell the story of the complicated, helpless, hopeless, tragic issues throughout parts of Africa and it makes me want to drop everything and help. For now, I live vicariously through my friend Courtney who works for USAID in Zambia, educating the local community about AIDS prevention. I am learning more and more about Coke's water initiatives in small villages throughout Africa and our focus on the important role women play in the development of of the continent and would like to think that one day I may have an opportunity to help with some of these projects. So, based on this interest I already have and the fact that I really enjoyed reading A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (another Eggers work), I was very excited about reading the book.

At first, I was a little confused about the novel...it's actually a biography or memoir of Valentino Achak Deng told through the author, Dave Eggars. It is written as a novel because some of the characters are fictionalized as are some of the events and parts of the story are in a different order than what Achak experienced, so were rearranged to flow a little better for the reader and further impact the story. So, although it is a bit unclear where the truth ends and the embellishments begin, I wholeheartedly believe that even if all the sad, sick, scary, unimaginably horrific events didn't 100% happen to Achak, they were experienced by other boys and worthy of including in the novel so we are all given a clear understanding of the plight of the Lost Boys, the name given to the thousands of Sudanese boys orphaned during the civil war.

What I enjoyed most about the book, although "enjoy" isn't the right word here as most of Achak's story is so dishearteningly sad it makes you ill, was getting a much better understanding of the history of Sudan. Especially within the last couple of years as more and more celebrities and organizations are bringing attention to Darfur, we get kind of a high level overview of what is going on and a little bit of why it happened but hearing Achak's story, you get a deep understanding of the situation and the affects it has had on the Sudanese. I cannot fathom living in a place where you can trust no one and you are a part of nothing and there is nowhere to turn for help or safety. Your own people will kill you just as quickly and brutally as the "enemy". You follow Achak's life from around the age of 7 when the murahaleen (Muslims from Northern Sudan) attacked his village, through his late 20's when he has finally traveled to the safety of the US where he continues to experience struggles and loss and discouragement at every turn. You begin to understand that even when the Lost Boys were able to escape their helpless situation in Africa, they were then shipped off to a new country where everything (ice, glass windows, mattresses, tampons, etc) was completely foreign and they were expected to find work and go to school and send money to those they left behind in Africa. It's not everyday you are able to read an amazing story of struggle and survival while learning about the significant historical events that have led to a country's current state.

Read the book, or at least visit www.valentinoachakdeng.com to read more about Achak and his village in Sudan, Marial Bai, and to learn more about the struggles that continue in southern Sudan.

Zachary,

2007-01-17T06:32:00.000-08:00

A strange thing happened last night when I sat down to have a little tiny bite of your ice cream. As soon as the cold, creamy goodness hit my mouth, I totally blacked out. The next thing I remember was waking up to find that all the ice cream was gone and I had a spoon in my hand and ice cream residue around my mouth. I have no recollection of polishing off the cinnamon and chocolate heaven-in-a-bowl and have decided the only possible explanation is that Charles ate it all then totally framed me to look like I did it. He must have knocked me out cold somehow or slipped something into my drink so I wouldn't be able to recall his dirty work. However it happened, I just want to tell you that I am so sorry it is gone and I feel really horrible about it. It wouldn't be so bad if I could just go to the store and buy a new half gallon to replace it but yours was one of a kind!!! Please accept my apology (for Charles).

I have a problem.

Pigs go to heaven

2007-01-16T13:29:00.000-08:00

Made the mistake of cruising on over to cuteoverload.com and found these. I'm in love.

Goats go to hell

2007-01-16T05:56:00.000-08:00

Sunday was Zach's birthday and what better way to celebrate his 30th year than to eat all day long? We kicked off the festivities at Alon's with blueberry muffins, apple bran muffins and a delicious ginger scone and I'm pretty sure we somehow ripped the place off because we walked out with all the aforementioned food as well as three large cups of piping hot coffee for only $8. After what felt like 5 minutes it was off to lunch on Buford Highway where I had my first ever BBQ'd goat sandwich. It was pretty tasty but after trying Charles' spicylicious chorizo sandwich mine was a little less yummy and then when I chomped down on a bone I had had enough. Luckily, not finishing my entire sandwich left just enough space in my belly for a small cup of Coldstone cheesecake, oreo and graham cracker ice cream. After a much-needed food pause to watch the awe-inspiring cinematic genius of Point Break, we headed to The Globe for dinner. I hesitantly ordered Tandoori Duck with yogurt sauce and dried fruit salad and was blown away by the deliciousness of the meal...one of the best I have had in a very long time. Three desserts and a cup of coffee later, we rolled ourselves home and finished the day with yet another movie masterpiece: Teen Wolf. Sometime during the night the goat and the duck started either breakdancing or kickboxing in my stomach. I woke up wondering if a goat and a duck were to get in a fight, who would lose? Then about 5 seconds later after just a whiff of coffee...it didn't even pass my lips...i was headed to the bathroom where i learned that when a goat and a duck get in a fight in your stomach, you're the loser.

The reason this post is a day late is because...drumroll please...I was busy painting my kitchen!!! Woo hoo! It's almost done and looks beautiful! For all my "friends" that were in the kitchen painting pool, if you chose January 15th and Copper (or maybe Cinnamon?), you won! Even though the color is fairly dark, I think the room actually looks a bit bigger as the tile on the floor stands out more and makes it look wider. The color also compliments the angel picture in our dining room quite nicely. Overall, I'm very pleased. The wait was totally worth the countless samples, trips to the paint store and taunting I've received for my indecisiveness. Thank you Mandy for the pillow inspiration, walking me through the rainbow and accompanying me to the paint store. I love it!

One-way ticket out of Cubeville

2007-01-10T09:36:00.000-08:00

That's right, friends...I am moving up in the Corporate world! For the first time in my career, I will be moving into an office! I'll have a door and cabinets and multiple options for where I put my computer and the gem of all office gems: a dry-erase WALL. Oh yeah, I said it. Not just a little white board to put a few to-do's, I get an entire wall to satisfy all my dry erase marker-sniffing desires. I've already thought about standing in various poses in front of it and having people draw my outline (although I might freak-out when I see what an outline of my thigh/ass area looks like). Or maybe I could make a gigantic crossword puzzle and when people visit my office they can fill-in a word. Oh the possibilities! I'm also very excited about having a door. Now, instead of crawling under my desk feigning a tummy ache in order to nap, I will simply close my door leading everyone to believe I am in a super-confidential, super-important meeting when instead I will, in fact, be sleeping soundly in my spacious new digs.

The only downfall is still no window. But who needs sunlight and blue skies anyway? I hear that's totally overrated. I was going to write an entire section on how I wish I could work in the Department of Mysteries so I could conjure me up a window and choose what weather I wanted to see out of it each day, but I would hate for you to think I was into all that boy wizard crap. Who reads that anyway?

So yeah, you're now friends with an office occupant so you better watch out...I'm pretty sure that means I am better than all you cubicle-dwellers. Sorry but it's true.

New Years Pics

2007-01-04T06:38:00.000-08:00

I think it's always better to see the action versus just read about it, so here are a few photos from the New Year's weekend. Enjoy!

the shot-ski in action

erin has a nice booty, yeah?

family photo before heading home

sweet, quiet boys...so calm, so sleepy, so sweet

"yar! we're the loudest boys that ever walked the earth and will keep you awake for hours and make you sleep in cars! party on!"

my favorite spot in the house

once a cheerleader, always a cheerleader. go generals!

another year, another vodka tonic headache

2007-01-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

i must say, i am really, really sad to see 2006 go. i don't know why but as the end of the year came to a screaming halt sunday night i wanted to fight with all my might to keep it going and not start the new year. i have no desire for a clean slate or a fresh start or resolutions or new beginnings. blech. i like the way my 2006 was going, thank you very much. i don't know what my problem is but the idea of starting yet another year has made me really tired this time around. what i really want is for time to stop going by so quickly. i remember the first time i wanted to dig my heels in to slow things down (think fred flintstone bringing his car to a halt) was on my 21st birthday. is that sad? i remember thinking "okay, no reason to get any older...i have reached all the age milestones i want to reach". i don't feel the same way anymore. i don't mind the getting older part, it's more the responsibilities that come with getting older. i'm not sure how this post morphed into a complaint about aging so i'll stop now. just know that no, i will not be making any resolutions. are you kidding? i can't even stick to the week-long teeth whitening strip regimen. however, and note the following are not resolutions, i will continue to count my blessings, try to find joy in the little things (like ice cream and my spankin' new running cd and the excitement i feel when i discover a little gasoline dripped on my finger when i re-fueled), talk about painting my kitchen, read, read, read, love my husband as best i can, love my family as best i can and love my friends as best as i can. i will continue to consider any given day a success if 1) i accomplished something that day, and 2) i found enjoyment in something that day.

now, on to the good stuff. the annual new year's festivities continued this year in a brand new, undiscovered hot spot of the south called pigeon forge, tennessee. ever heard of it? okay, not so undiscovered as we were joined by about 37 million of our closest redneck buddies, but we sure did have a grand 'ole time at a beautiful cabin we rented nearby. chock full of beds, wood, blankets, wood, pool table, wood, hot tub, wood, air hockey, big screen tv, playstations and wood, it was a twenty-something's paradise. the shot-ski made an appearance on several occasions but unfortunately returned home severely injured and will need to be repaired before next year. after too many vodka tonics on night #1 of 4, i decided to first play knuckle air hockey and then later elbow air hockey, both leaving me bleeding, scabbed and bruised for the remainder of the trip. and, of course, it wouldn't be new year's if we didn't have a picture of someones balls. i am proud to say that for the last two years i have made it through the drink-fest without throwing up which is a big accomplishment for me after the pink-meat disaster of New Years '04 in atlanta and then puking in the grass out back and having the neighbors suggest someone take me to the hospital at New Years '05 in st.simon's. ah, the memories. i promise to post some pics from the trip soon but as i refused to take any pictures this year after being physically attacked for my picture-taking at a certain group event this year (i just can't work like that!), i have to rely on my friends to send the pics before i can post them. i ended up taking one pic from the car on the way to the cabin as we sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic in smoky mountain national park. enjoy and may you all have a prosperous new year.

And the Snow Falls Down in Denver

2006-12-21T11:56:00.000-08:00

Of course there wasn't even an intsy tinsy wintsy bintsy bit of snow this past weekend while we were in Denver and I complained about it a lot. Now, apparently the snow started falling and it hasn't stopped...the last we heard Golden (where we spent our time on Monday) was at 34.5" - that's 2.875 feet! Here are some pictures we took Monday of our friend Ann's house, the house we stayed at over the weekend, and then what it looks like now.

Ann's house on Monday...

Ann's house yesterday...

Not a typical site on the streets of Englewood (or Compton or Long Beach)

Angel Ann

Harry Potter and the...

2006-12-21T08:36:00.000-08:00

If you're not a Harry Potter fan, move on as this will not interest you in the slightest.

Fans...if you would like to find out the name of the 7th and final Harry Potter book due out this summer, follow these steps. I am assuming this is true as it can be found on J.K. Rowling's official website but you just never know so I won't believe it (entirely) until I have book in hand, but it's fun anyway. Enjoy!

Go to JKRowling.com

Select the entrance with the British flag.

Click on the eraser on her desk.

Click the knob on the open door in the mirror to see the Christmas tree.

Click on the top half of the main door to see a wreath.

Click on the top half of the mirror to reveal garland.

They will all go away if you click the spider web next to the mirror.

Going from left to right, click on the 4th chime in the window. It turns into the key for the door.

Drag the key to the door knob to unlock the door.

The door opens to reveal a package.

When you click the bow, the package will open.

Inside is a game of Hangman you can play to guess the title of Book 7!

Or, apparently you can just visit mugglenet.com and they come right out and tell you but what's the fun in that?

Happiness Factory

2006-12-21T07:42:00.001-08:00

If I could ensure this is what is actually happening inside my 16th floor High Powered Vending Machine, I might be able to forgive someone for the powerful nature of the bottle release.

The Office: Terror Around Every Corner

2006-12-20T11:53:00.000-08:00

Why not just put myself totally out there and let you all know how much of a freak I truly am…in case you didn’t already know. I have a couple of completely irrational and embarrassing fears around my office that I think it’s time to share in the hopes that sharing will lead to healing, or something like that. So, here goes…please, no making fun as this is 100% serious business.

Irrational Office Fear #1 – The Double-Sized Revolving Doors
Every single day I have to face this fear as I walk into my building to start my grueling day at the office. Am I greeted with sunshine, coffee and a smile? Nope. Instead, I’m greeted with the glass-and-steel, steam-rolling death trap daring me to walk into it’s oxygen sucking hell sections that will jostle me around until it’s ready to spit me out into the building where it will then sit and wait until I’m ready to head home so it can torment me once more before I leave. I hate it. Hate it! So maybe I’m exaggerating a bit but the thing truly frightens me on a daily basis. My fear comes into play when there is a line of people ready to go in or out of the doors. See, these special doors ‘o death are double (maybe even triple?!?) sized so that more than one person can fit into each section bringing more people into and out of the building at a time. Nice thought, eh? Oh, and did I mention it’s also automatic?!? Well, I think this particular door can smell my fear and somehow conspires with my fellow co-workers to make sure I am ALWAYS the second person to walk into the door. Being the second person in a revolving door section is terrifying! You’re totally at the mercy of the person in front of you that they will walk at the appropriate pace and, god willing, walk close enough to the front of the section so you have room to walk “comfortably” behind them. Chances are you’re most likely behind some inconsiderate, fearless a-hole that takes their sweet time causing you to shuffle your feet, snuggle up to their backside and look over your shoulder every half second to make sure you’re not about to be plowed by the glass door. What if the bottom of the door catches your pant leg and drags you down to the ground and you get flattened? Or, your pant leg gets trapped locking up the entire revolving mechanism and you get trapped waiting for help and suffocate to death while everyone watches because the whole thing is made out of glass? Agh! So, that takes care of the first portion of the “ride” where my life flashes before my eyes…now, on to what I like to call the “dismount”. After you’ve “safely” made it through the rotation and it’s time to finally get out of the glass torture chamber, guess what’s next? Oh yeah…clearing the door before it catches your ankle and traps you again. Or, maybe you don’t even get your body completely out and it slices you in half? Luckily I have devised a special skip-and-hop move I have perfected over the past year or so that successfully launches me out into the safety of the building without the door devouring one of my precious limbs, or the precious left side of my body. Thank god I was a gymnast. One time I made the mistake of walking through the door while talking on my cell phone, got totally disoriented and ended up smacking right into the glass because I tried to get out before the section opened to the outside. Then, panicked, I had to re-orient myself in time to get out safely, all the while my co-workers are looking on laughing. If they only knew my fear I think they would be a little more compassionate.

Gonna stop hanging out with me yet?

Irrational Office Fear #2 – The16th Floor High Powered Vending Machine
After the trauma of the revolving door, I am typically a little parched when I finally make it up to my office so I innocently head on over to the vending machine for an ice-cold Dasani. Easy, right? Nope. Again, something so simple and harmless-looking ends up bringing fear to my already tortured day. I’ve actually thought about this fear a lot and come to the conclusion that I am not afraid of all vending machines, just this one. Because I work where I do, we don’t have your regular, run-of-the-mill vending machine. We have several different kinds including a really cool one that you can see grab the drink you choose, run it down the little conveyor belt and then drop it in the hole. If only the 16th Floor had this kind of vending machine. *Sigh* Instead, we have the most violent machine created that sends your beverage careening down the chute at lightening speed with the hopes of chopping your hand off. I swear there is something comparable to a torpedo launcher that shoots your drink out. This wouldn’t be much of a problem if I wasn’t such an impatient person and liked to try and time my reach so that my hand is able to grasp my drink as soon as it falls. Hmm…lightning fast torpedo beverage + sweet beautiful soft delicate hand = major injuries & potential lifelong scarring. I have yet to find a special move to protect me from the machine other than distracting myself as much as possible so I’m late with my grab. Total panic ensues when for some reason the evil machine decides to spit two drinks out for no reason. So, even though I was nice and patient and waited until my drink was all the way at the bottom before grabbing, it shoots another one out at me just to keep me on my toes. What have I done to deserve this treatment??

I won’t go any further today but believe me, there are others. Electronic staplers (think jack-in-the-box), paper shredders, electronic hole punches, elevators, ESCALATORS (“Listen, not a year goes by, not a year, that I don't hear about some escalator accident involving some bastard kid which could have easily been avoided had some parent - I don't care which one - but some parent conditioned him to fear and respect that escalator.”)…the list goes on and on.

To make me feel a little better about myself, please feel free to share your work-related fears. As I said above, sharing leads to healing…or something like that.

5 miles at 5,280ft is h-a-r-d

2006-12-19T11:53:00.000-08:00

This will be quick. A few photos of our whirlwind weekend in Denver. And, random thoughts on our time there...

it's cold, really cold and when it's cold and there isn't even any snow to show for how flippin' cold it is, you might get a little pissy and whiny
it's brown, really brown and when it's brown and there isn't any snow to cover up the brownness you have a hard time remembering why the heck you thought it was such a beautiful place to live
then you look west and you suddenly remember why when you see a wall of smiling mountains begging you to come play with them
if i could have taken one thing with me to atlanta, aside from the mountain wall, it would have been washington park where charles and i used to run everyday (read: every once in a while). i remembered every corner, tree, "hill", house and pond around the park. it was like i had never left and have never ran anywhere besides there since i left. i especially liked seeing the tree charles used to stand at waiting for me to finish and cheering me on because he ALWAYS finished before i did.
running a mile above sea level sucks. it took every ounce of strength i had in my body to ignore my screaming lungs, pounding heart, streaming eyes and nose, and stinging cheeks, fingers, nose, chin and forehead and continue with my 5 miler on saturday. when i finished i could barely talk.
having good friends in another city is awesome...we had a lovely home to stay in, plans every night (thanks to a few serious planners), free ski tickets, yummy breakfasts, cozy fires and mulled cider. not to mention great conversation and lots and lots of catching up.
it's really strange to visit a place that used to be your home. i've never had that experience before. when we lived in denver and would fly back to visit atlanta, it never felt weird because i still considered it home and knew that i would be back eventually. it would be a little odd to drive on a familiar road and see a brand new subdivision or new gas station, but it still always felt like home versus feeling like a tourist in what once was my home. that's how denver felt. it was strange to drive around, not knowing exactly how to get somewhere and then all of a sudden your mind clicks into gear and leads you exactly where you need to go. everything just came flooding back - where the closest Target is, what's the short cut to get to the interstate, that there's a Noodles on every corner (as there should be everywhere). driving up to the mountains to snowboard felt just like driving up to snowboard any of the other thousand times i did it while i lived there. i remember my first time heading west on I-70 in high school with mouth agape and eyes wide open soaking up every detail of the drive. now, it's so familiar and a little ordinary.
i miss my old co-workers. within 5 minutes of being at my old office i was watching dick in a box on someones computer and chatting with my old boss and co-workers about smashing boobs against a glass shower door. needless to say, that behavior is a bit frowned upon at the big behemoth.
i think moving back to atlanta was the right thing to do. i remember leaving denver and thinking that perhaps we had made a huge mistake by deciding to leave. looking back on the decision and seeing where we are now and who we're surrounded by and what we have, i think we made the right choice and, even though we miss our friends/mountains/park/(non-existent) snow, atlanta is the place for us...right now at least.
thank god, i still know how to snowboard
drama abounds...when you think your group of friends is too wrapped up in stupid, insignificant drama, chances are so are everyone else's group of friends. it was fascinating to listen to all the crap that has gone on with our denver friends since we left and made me realize that the petty stuff that goes on here is completely normal and maybe even less frequent and less severe than what others are dealing with.
sometimes it's worth the fear of a potentially awkward situation if it means you can repair a relationship with good friends

and now, pics! enjoy!

Maybe this is what ice cream's baby looks like?

2006-12-11T13:56:00.000-08:00

I found a t-shirt quote once that made me laugh out loud and want to order the shirt immediately..."I'm not fat, I'm pregnant with Ice Cream's Baby". I know we've been taught that mead or ambrosia was the nectar of the gods but i think it was actually ice cream. Inspired by Zach's pic of the day, I headed to Cute Overload and found this little guy...apparently equally appreciative of the frozen dairy crack (two crack references in one day doesn't mean i have a problem, ok?).

I would like to think this is what i look like after diving into a pint of Cookies 'n Cream Cyclone.

Calling all Chefs - Gold Medals & Pez at Stake!!!

2006-12-11T13:16:00.000-08:00

You may be shocked to know this about me, but I happen to be the reigning champion of the annual 16th Floor Pot Luck Luncheon at the office. Believe it or not, my dish from last year beat out about 30 others, including desserts, and won "Best Tasting" -- the most prestigious of the three awards handed out by none other than my boss' boss' boss' boss, the other two being "most festive presentation" and "most creative/unique". What was the dish? Elin's award-winning (I added this part after my big win last year) Heart Attack Cheese Dip. It happens to be one of the easiest recipes I've ever had to follow and has all of like 5 ingredients but it tastes SO good you can't stop eating it. Those that have had it know what I'm talking about. Maybe it's that dash of crack you add at the end?

Anyhow, being that last year was my first time ever entering the contest and I won the whole thing, my co-workers will have high expectations for my dish this year. I am supposed to bring an appetizer again and am looking to all of my 3-5 readers to please let me know what recipes you have that could help me bring home the gold again. Nothing too fancy or difficult, just something that tastes damn good. Last year my big winnings were a plastic gold medal hanging on a red, white and blue ribbon (it still hangs in my office) and a Santa pez dispenser. We're talking big time prizes here...Coke folks don't mess around.

Thanks in advance for your help with this and I'll be sure to post the results of my dish Thursday evening.

Needing a good, swift kick in the arse!

2006-12-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

It's funny to read my post from just last week about how well i'm sticking to my training and i'm even ahead of the schedule a bit, blah, blah, blah. Here i sit, a full week and a day from my last run. That's about 10-13 miles or so of running that I have missed. As I am beginning to feel a little discouraged and unsure of how to fit it all in, any words of encouragement or wisdom you could send my way would be greatly appreciated. I think it will feel good to do another group run this Saturday as I have genuinely enjoyed the last two. Oh yeah, and maybe it's about time I sent out my fundraising website address and fundraising letters so I can start chipping away at that $1700 I have to raise...yikes!

On a more positive note, I think I may have FINALLY found the paint color I have been looking for for my dining room. I found it while visiting a friend of a friend in Dallas yesterday. This weekend, I will be on the hunt for Sherwin Williams color SW6388 Golden Fleece 11/02. And, somehow in all the madness of the past week I was able to find the time to purchase and decorate my Christmas Tree (apparently Christmas is of more importance than helping fund leukemia & lymphoma research...maybe i need to rethink my priorities a bit). It's beautiful! Somehow among the picked-through, wonky-style Christmas trees that were left in the Lowe's tree lot, I was able to find a perfectly symmetrical gem. If anyone would like to come by, sip a cup of wassil (or wassail? i found both spellings...maybe "yummy christmas drink goodness" would be a better name?), stare at my tree and maybe play a round of Boggle or two, I would be totally game!

I'll never wash my shoulder again sigh

2006-12-03T11:48:00.000-08:00

So, there was definitely moisture in my eyes Saturday night watching Jeremy Enigk but I don’t know if it was from tears or from the fact that I was having an extremely difficult time remembering to blink. The set – 17 songs long. About an hour and forty-five minutes of sheer genius.

This was the third time I have seen him play…once with Sunny Day Real Estate, once with the Fire Theft and then this time, solo plus band. I distinctly remember at the SDRE show six years ago not being able to take my eyes of Dan Hoerner, the guitarist. He literally played the entire set with the biggest, goofiest grin on his face and looked like he was genuinely having the time of his life on stage – that’s what I remember most about that show. To be honest, I don’t remember much about The Fire Theft show aside from several people in the crowd yelling out Nate Mendel’s name every now and again, I guess in appreciation of his taking time out of the Foo Fighters gig to join The Fire Theft on tour. What I can’t remember about either show, for some reason or another, is what Jeremy was like. What I thought I remembered was a fairly quiet, serious guy who didn’t address the crowd much, instead focusing on playing an amazing set.

What I saw Saturday night was an animated, goofy guy that gave thanks & expressed his gratitude to the audience between each and every song. Did I mention there were 17 of them? There were. He smiled, he laughed, he joked and even danced a little jig. He thrashed around the stage, banged hard on his piano, strummed even harder on his guitar and gave every ounce of his heart, soul and energy into making sure the experience was everything he and every person in the audience wanted it to be. He had to take several long pauses after the more energetic songs so he could catch his breath before launching into another mind-blowing piece. At one point I thought for sure both the keyboard and drum set were going to burst into flames and that the drummer's head was going to explode. Charles and I were both all smiles and the rest of the crowd was equally awed and very respectful and appreciative…not sure if Jeremy draws that out of people, if his fans are different from some other bands I’ve seen lately or if my recent experiences are more geographically related (meaning there weren’t any rednecks yelling “freebird!!! Woo hoo!!”).

The collective sound of the band was impeccable…all the instruments and vocals were at just the right mix to produce a beautifully loud (as opposed to ear-numbingly loud), complex, ear-smiling sound. Oh, and his voice? Perfect. Strong. Loud. Pure goodness. There have been one or two other times in my life where I have been to a concert and was able to completely lose myself in the music…the SDRE show was the first and it happened again Saturday night. You know what I mean? Where you close your eyes at some point and when you open them again time has elapsed but you’re not quite sure how much and you really don’t care. Your body continues to sway and your head continues to bob but your mind is somewhere else.

The venue, North Star Bar in Philadelphia, was the perfect size. As Keeva described it for us earlier in the day, it was a little larger than 10 High in Atlanta with a stage setup like Tasty World in Athens. We were standing right in front of the middle of the stage and just about eye-level with the band as we were in the very front of the second level, just a few steps up from the main floor.

Sorry to ramble – I could go on as I didn’t even touch on the fact that both Charles and I brushed up against Jeremy’s shoulder and shared drinks right next to him at the bar, but this is wordy enough.

Needless to say, this was the best show of my life, and I have seen a lot of really, really great shows. It was definitely worth making the trip up to Philly (I’ll post more about our time in the city later) and far surpassed all my expectations. Thank you, Charles, for everything!

ps...if you've been wondering whether or not Santa would be headed your way for Christmas, I saw him & mrs.claus at Hartsfield on Monday so he must have been scoping out atlanta's naughty & nice. He's a little shorter in person than i thought he would be but he definitely had the "bowl full of jelly" thing going on. Wish i could've snapped a pic!

Kickin' Ass & Takin' Names

2006-12-01T08:07:00.000-08:00

AHEAD OF THE GAME!!!! Yeah-hooo!!!!!!!

Marathon, shmarathon...I got this thing in the bag. I'll see your 3 miles on Wednesday and raise you 2, thank you very much. Oh, and do it with 2, count 'em T-W-O, ironman triathletes.

Cam on the Run

2006-11-29T07:17:00.000-08:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah...so i already suck as a blogger. I know this. What do you expect when my blogging mentor is this guy?

This will be very quick as my job is ruling my life right now. I am now in my third week of training for the ING marathon in March (still more to come on that, i promise). I am a team in training participant and am sticking to the training schedule i was given when i first joined the program. Between traveling for work and the holidays, i have missed a few days here and there but have pretty much stuck to it as much as i possibly can and have been pretty proud of myself...three weeks down, like 177 more to go or something. I've noticed in some of the emails i've received from my mentor and training coaches that they keep mentioning "walk" and when i went to my first GTS ("group training session" for you less-cool folk), i discovered that i had been matched up with a walk program mentor instead of run program mentor. I didn't think much of it at the time telling myself that at some point i need to notify the staff so i can be paired up with an appropriate mentor. When i received my weekly TNT email yesterday i wrote the girl back letting her know that i need to be switched and she said that it would be no problem and she'll put my new schedule in the mail right away. New schedule?!?!? What the hell? I didn't even think about the fact that possibly the schedule i had been given was the walk schedule. Sure enough when i went home and checked, the word "WALKING" is clearly displayed at the top of the schedule. So these three long weeks i've been plugging along, sticking to the wrong schedule. so sad. I have no idea what the run schedule is like. Maybe i'm ahead of the game...maybe i am behind. This is my first little hiccup of what i am assuming will be a lot of little hiccup's along the way so we'll have to see how well i bounce back. I'll let you know when my shining new RUN schedule comes in the mail. *the pic is of my most favorite running stretch*

Charles and i head to philly on saturday to see Mr.Jeremy Enigk sing his little heart out. There were tears when i heard his voice through a phone receiver, wonder what it'll be like live? Also on the agenda are philly cheesesteaks and a trip to H&M (i've been saving my pennies!).

Sadly, we returned from PCB with no airbrushed shirts or pics of my grandmother binge drinking but she did say "give me that bottle of wine and i'll show you drunk!". that was good enough for me.

Third times a charm?

2006-11-22T07:10:00.000-08:00

Blog attempt number three and the first time I will let my friends know a "cami" blog exists. Ha! And you thought you knew me...

What better time to re-launch my blogging endeavors than at work the day before Thanksgiving? So, here goes. In honor of this most gluttonous of holidays and the joy my mouth will experience with the first bite of fried turkey, here are the things I am most thankful for, in list form, of course (but not necessarily in ranking order...except for the first one).

* my husband, family and friends
* a working fireplace
* my health
* the chance to have another Thanksgiving with my grandfather
* people who truly love to organize and lead so I can join a book club and all I have to do is read!
* my dog
* saturday mornings at "Erin Go Breakfast" - don't think you can get away with only doing that once...
* the big dumpster next to our house
* my real simple weekly newsletter (even though I may never put into practice the helpful hints, it's nice to know someone is trying to help me)
* being able to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family
* good friends that are ready and willing to watch my dog when we're out of town
* pumpkin pie
* that the day after Thanksgiving is a corporate holiday
* having my best friend live half a mile away
* all the people who will donate money to the leukemia & lymphoma society enabling me to run in the ING marathon and help save lives all at the same time (more to come on that later but get ready, friends!!!)

Happy, happy, happy, happy Thanksgiving! Charles and I will be celebrating "Turkey Break 2006 Woo Hoo!!!" in Panama City Beach, Florida. If all works out to plan, there will be airbrushed t-shirts and a picture of my grandmother funneling a beer to commemorate this momentous event. Wish me luck!

**author's note - while proof-reading this post, I noticed I am extremely inconsistent with my use of capitalization. please note that this inconsistency will continue throughout all other posts from here on out.