Bouldering and Puppy Pouting

FALL CLEANING WITH FOOTBALL ON IN THE BACKGROUND: 6. Have I mentioned recently how much I love fall? I feel an especially large need to appreciate this year because in year’s past it’s gone before I even appreciate that it was ever here. And this year it’s just been incredible. So after returning from Charlotte today I felt the rare motivation to clean, so I decided to go with it. Threw on some football on the TV in the background, because the sound of it always reminds me of Sundays growing up. All through college on weekends I’d open my windows and put football on when doing work because it gave me a strangely comforting feeling. And apparently still does The fact that cleaning could earn anything higher than a 5 is fabulous, so thank you Fall!

MY FIRST BOULDERING COMPETITION: 6.5. Headed to Charlotte on Saturday morning with Andy as my co-pilot (see below). We arrived at Inner Peaks Climbing Center at about 3:00, checked in and hung around for a little bit observing all the other competitors. There were a lot of kids, all who seemed to be part of several teams. There were also a large group of super hard core guys, who had taken their shirts off within 5 minutes of competition starting. It wasn’t that hot in there, but who am I to complain. Needless to say I managed to keep my shirt on.

It was a little different than I expected, and basically they had about 50 bouldering routes set up around the gym, all ranked from 1-51. For each there were 3 point values… You earned the highest if you got it your first attempt, and then the points went down for the 2nd and 3rd. It’s mostly the honor system, and you fill out your card and have two witnesses sign it if you make one. Luckily I had three spectators with me (Kim, Rodney and Andy) so they got to follow me around, cheer, and sign my card. After I got over the initial nervousness and the fact that people are watching everytime you climb it was pretty awesome. Good feeling to hear applause when you complete a climb, and have strangers congratulate you or ask for help when you get down. The guys (Rodney and Andy) started getting really into the points and trying to find higher valued climbs which I found pretty entertaining.

They announced the top 5 overall women and men for an onsight finals, but the rest of the scores will be posted on their website so no clue yet how I did overall. Points off overall score because 1) the gym smelled REALLY funky (like Claud’s shoes x 3) 2) It was a little nerve-wracking and 3) there were long lines for every route and a lot of people were pretty pushy so I struggled actually getting on the wall as often as I would have liked.

Can’t wait for November when there’s three more Here are some pics…

CLIMBING WITH KIDS: 7.5. So it turns out I had nothing to be worried about competing with kids. Winners are divided by age category anyways, and kids are way less fearless than adults. Both of climbing (and falling) and of offering beta to other climbers. This kid here, Gardner, was my personal coach for several climbs. In fact, in this picture he’s modeling how to get this climb. I completed it right after his instruction. I then refused to sign his sheet as a witness until he agreed to help me on the next one. This could work out well at future comps…

DUDE DRIVING WITH HIS FOOT OUT THE WINDOW: 10 for hilariousness. 3 for safety (which was a pretty serious concern considering he was driving right next to us going 75). Seriously, he had his foot out the window, his seat reclined and couldn’t have looked more comfortable. Andy felt a little awkward as we sped up to get his picture which is why we don’t have a good one right next to him. However the guy nodded like a rockstar when he saw the camera so I’m pretty sure he didn’t mind…

TURBO VACS: 8.5. Today after returning from Charlotte I decided it was time to do some serious work on the cleanliness of my car. I hadn’t officially unpacked from the trip to Maine, and because it was always messy it made it easier to just throw stuff in the back. I can’t even remember the last time I used the seats in the back. Oh wait… Friday night I’m pretty sure I made BG squeeze in next to all of it, but the seat wouldn’t even sit up all the way. Once I finished cleaning it out I took it to a local carwash where they had a TurboVac. SUPER powerful meaning it got rid of most of Murphy’s hair everywhere. New car rule= Murphy is not allowed in the front seat. I’ve folded the seats down in the back of the Sportwagon and he can only sit on top of that, hopefully keeping his fur from getting everywhere again. We’ll see how this goes. So far he’s just pouting.

UNC CAMPUS: 9. Pretty beautiful my friends. Not sure if it was the gorgeous weather, the company or what, but I thoroughly enjoyed my walk around the campus tonight. First time I’ve really explored, and I love the feel of a big college campus. Sometimes makes me wish I’d gone to a big state school, but then I remember how awesome AU was and change my mind. So the only point off is for not being AU. Other than that it’s pretty fabulous. A Coldstone cone while walking might have helped push it towards a 10 as well…

ANDY’S CO-PILOT SKILLS: 5. Not horrible, and to his credit he stayed awake most of the ride home However, he did put up with my frequent stops, including one to buy lottery tickets after I saw the billboard with teh big $200 million on it. And no, we didn’t win. Shocking, I know.

GAS IN BURLINGTON: 7. First, they had gas (for those of you who don’t know, there’s apparently a large gas shortage going on down here so a lot of gas stations aren’t even open), and secondly it was only $3.57. While a couple years ago this would be rated a 2, right now it’s a 7 in my world. I filled up for one of the first times in months.

FOOD LION PEACHES: 9.5. Had to add this rating at the last minute because I just bit into the most delicious peach ever. Seriously, peaches around here are hit or miss. First, the batch might be bad and they don’t really have any good ones so you leave disappointed. Second, you try and feel them to figure out if they’re ripe, overripe, underripe or just plain bad. And sometimes even when I think I’ve picked some good ones, one bite in I’m disappointed. But tonight I did good. This is DELICIOUS.

The Universe Will Speak

MY SMARTASSNESS:  5.  Sometimes I really appreciate this personality characteristic/flaw because it makes life more interesting.  I get bored if people are serious all the time, and I love people who get my ‘sense of humor’ and throw it right back at me.  I’ve found recently that in writing, however, it doesn’t always come off as well as I planned.  You can’t just throw in that smile at the end to assure everyone that you are, in fact, just kidding.  For those avid readers, you probably noticed the post late last night poking fun at some comments.  Unfortunately it didn’t go over so well and I feel bad that me being a smartass wasn’t exactly what I had planned… I’m working on it.

LEAVING THE HOUSE IN THE PITCH BLACK: 2.  It just feels unnatural.  No one’s supposed to leave their house when it’s still the middle of the night.  However this morning I was forced to as I headed to Gaston, and needed to arrive there by 8.  DId I mention the only thing I don’t like about fall is the shorter days?  Good news is you get to see the sunset while you drive.  Except for today when it was cloudy, overcast, and storming.  Awesome

SHOWING UP AT MY OLD SCHOOL AND HAVING SEVERAL TEACHERS START RATING THINGS: 8.  To run into teachers and have them reference the rating system without having spoken to them in months was hilarious.  Makes me wonder who else is reading that I would never expect… when I see over a 100 hits a day I always assume it’s the same people (you know who you are) returning 30 times a day while they’re bored at work, but apparently there is a larger audience.  Would be a 10 if they joined the discussion (thanks Stallings for stepping up!)…

SEEING OLD KIDS: 10.  Seriously, I can’t explain the feeling other than to say this is what a smiling heart feels like.  To see Jamaine when I walked into a room made my day.  There’s no way I can explain this 10.  So I’m just including a picture

STARGIRL: 8.  I LOVE this book and was reminded of it when I got to sit in on Ms. Urbanczyk’s class and watch the kids making their own Stargirl collages.  In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve figured out my Halloween costume.  Anyone wanna be my Leo? 

Only thing taking off points is the sequel, ‘Love, Stargirl’.  In all fairness I need to finish it, but was so disillusioned by the first half that I put it down.  

“You know, there’s a place we all inhabit, but we don’t much think about it, we’re scarcely conscious of it, and it lasts for less than a minute a day…. It’s in the morning, for most of us. It’s that time, those few seconds when we’re coming out of sleep but we’re not really awake yet. For those few seconds we’re something more primitive than what we are about to become. We have just slept the sleep of our most distant ancestors, and something of them and their world still clings to us. For those few moments we are unformed, uncivilized. We are not the people we know as ourselves, but creatures more in tune with a tree than a keyboard. We are untitled, unnamed, natural, suspended between was and will be, the tadpole before the frog, the worm before the butterfly. We are, for a few brief moments, anything and everything we could be. And then… and then–ah–we open our eyes and the days is before us, and–we become ourselves.”

“The earth is speaking to us, but we can’t hear because of all the racket our senses are making. Sometimes we need to erase them, erase our senses. Then–maybe–the earth will touch us. The universe will speak. The stars will whisper.” (Stargirl speaking, pg 91)

“She was illusive. She was today. She was tomorrow. She was the faintest scent of a cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl. We did not know what to make of her. In our minds we tried to pin her to a corkboard like a butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew.”

AMOUNT OF THINGS TO BE BROUGHT BACK AT ANDY AND BG’s HOUSE: 7.5.  As I looked around there was stuff to bring back EVERYWHERE.  This is exciting, nostalgic and just plain fun, however I wonder if it never seems to have left their lives if it would really count as a bring back… but it was a great way to close out ‘Bringing it Back Week’!

      

ANDY’S DECISION TO PLAY WITH A COPPERHEAD WE FOUND IN THE PARKING LOT ON THE WAY BACK FROM THE DATE AUCTION: 3.5.  Entertaining at first, I will admit, it got a little scary as he whipped out his flip flop and really started to piss the guy off.  Was I surprised when he tried to bite him?  Not even a little bit.  Did I feel bad?  Not so much… 

 

Off to Charlotte for my first bouldering competition ever!  Did I mention that after registering for the Women’s Beginner division I got an e-mail reminding me to bring my signed waiver for my under-18 year old child?  This should be interesting…

Bringing Back the Lunch Box

LAUREN’S NEW LUNCH BOX: 10. As far as I’m concerned there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. Maybe it’s just the way Lauren presented it, but it has a seperate bottom that perfectly fits an included tupperware container with a freezer lid, a removable lining making it easy to clean, AND a clip on top so you can hook it on the back of your bookbag. Okay, that one might actually be minus a point. Only cause I’m picturing what it would look like to go to a law class with a lunch box hanging off your bag… But it is super environmentally friendly and I love that it’s being brought back.

MURPH’S NEW FAVORITE SPOT: 9. I’m liking that he discovered a new favorite bed. The top left corner of the couch is where I’ve found him the past couple times I realized he was being awfully quiet and went to look for him. A nice change from finding him in my closet digging through my clothes. Only downside is that it’s right next to the window where he can see and hear all the dogs that walk by, leading to the rare, but inevitable, beagle howl. We’re working on it.

COLORED LEGGINGS: 8. Walked into Macy’s tonight and fell in love. Almost immediately. Seriously, these tights made my legs smile, and are perfectly timed for ‘Bringing it Back Week’! If only I weren’t poor and if only they weren’t 8 dollars. Maybe if they were considered business casual and I could wear them to work they’d be a 10. But maybe that rating is less for the tights and more for whoever designed business casual in the first place.

GREY’S ANATOMY: 5. Sitting here watching the Season Premier of Grey’s Anatomy and I’ve gotta be honest, I”m not all that impressed. I’m pretty neutral. If I have other stuff to do I don’t mind having it on in the background, but honestly I’d rather be listening to Clare Means right now. Meredith is SO annoying with all her talk about Shepard, the situations are ridiculous (seriously, an icicle impalement?), and it’s kinda gory. I’m not digging all the blood. And I need to stop hearing about this relationship. LIke, now. Needless to say I think I’m gonna find something better to do with my time next Thursday.

Total Classics

TAYLOR MALI, ‘WHAT TEACHERS MAKE’: 10. Something someone said made me revisit this awesome example of performance poetry. Seriously, never heard it said better. AND, he taught a writing workshop at KIPP: Summit last year that changed my life. Then at the closing banquet he sat at our table. So pretty much you could say we’re BFF…

(Richard, this one’s for you)

DOLLAR TREE: 7. Not Family Dollar, not Dollar General, but DOLLAR TREE. The only ‘dollar store’ where everything is actually a dollar instead of teasing you with the name and then overcharging you like every other store. In particular I’m rating the one located in the NorthGate shopping center. The one off 15-501 is no good, but this one had a ton of good stuff. Highly recommended.

CLAIRE MEANS: 8.5. Went to City Bev tonight (this is become my new favorite place… right across the street from my place and super chill), and was pleasantly surprised to discover a bunch of live music. For those of you who don’t know, I am obsessed with good music. And I LOVE discovering new good music. Well a bunch of dudes played for awhile and then this girl gets up there and rocks my world. Seriously, freaking brilliant. Her voice is incredible and she was playing all her own stuff. Bought her CD, chatted with her for a little and am going to see her perform again on Friday at Cafe Driad. If you’re in town you should definitely check it out… only downside is that my favorite song she played, ‘Georgette’ (which you’ll see below) isn’t on the CD I bought. You’re KILLING me Clare.

BRINGING BACK THE CURLY STRAW: 7. How can you not love the curly straw??? Well tonight we decided to bring it back. Downsides= not long enough for every cup, and apparently when you stick it in a can (thank you Andy) it’s super hard to get out. But overall, you gotta love it.

HOT DOG MACARONI: 8. Total classic. Andy and Claud came over for dinner so decided I clearly needed to bring something back considering the theme of the week. After debating several options with the girls at the office, I ultimately decided on the childhood favorite, macaroni with hot dog. It was better than I remembered if I say so myself

TODAY’S BULLETIN BOARD: One of the projects of the day was to spice up the office bulletin board. With all my years of practice as an RA and teacher, I was pretty excited by the challenge. Here I’m asking for some outside ratings since I’m clearly bias. I would appreciate ratings based on aesthetic quality, seasonal touches, as well as content. You’ll see the different areas of the board include “Calendar and Events”, “County Spotlight”, “Staff Member Highlight”, “CM Shoutouts” and “Staff Shoutouts”.

Until tomorrow, attempting to recover from my macaroni and rosemary overdose.

Bringing Back the Rating Cards… and a couple other exciting things :)

So I know that doesn’t really count because it’s from like a week ago, but none the less it’s still exciting to see them back

In addition, today I brought back fluorescent (as you’ll see in the pictures), pig tails, AND a side pony. And so many other brilliant ideas were discussed at dinner so I can’t wait to see what else the week brings…

On to the ratings.

CLAUDIA’S ORIGINAL ‘BRINGING IT BACK’ IDEA: 2. “This shirt is from last week…”

HER SECOND ATTEMPT: 6. The whale spout certainly was classic. And it looks pretty cute on her. Plus, I might even add a bonus point because she kept it on all night. 7!

HEATHER’S RATING OF THE CLIMBER BEHIND HER: 7. Realized we need to do more creepy/stalker ratings of people who don’t actually know they’re being rated. Immediately after this we decided to rate the guy Heather had been ogling for the past 30 minutes. Love it. Not sure I agree with the rating however…

This is the only shot I got all night where you can see both the fluorescent orange climbing top as well as the pigtails. I rate the combo a 7.5. However, I must admit I sacrificed the pigtails for a side ponytail about 15 minutes later, so it didn’t last as long as Claud’s. And the photo is probably a 3.5 because you can barely even see the pigtails. The climb itself couldn’t have been higher than a 5 as I didn’t even make it past this point. But now I have a picture to study for next week… I’d actually take some beta if you think you’ve got some.

CLAUDIA’S PARK JOB: 2.5. Not only did she park in a handicapped spot RIGHT in front of Vertical Edge, she also tried to censor the shot, worrying it would later be rated. Well Claudia, perhaps you should park where you’re supposed to and it wouldn’t be a problem. Plus, she almost made me handicapped on her way to the spot. I’m pretty sure 45 is probably speeding in a parking lot… Great action shot here though. I rate that a 9.

PIZZERIA UNO: The fact that they had Diet Mt. Dew as an option=6. Took some points off because it led to me drinking 3 of them (and the woman started bringing me two at a time which is pretty dangerous when it’s already 11 at night). Service= 4. I can’t really complain about mine, but overall she did not handle the large group well. Food=5. I enjoyed my Fire-something sandwich, but again wouldn’t go out of my way for one. Company=10. Had an awesome time with you all. You keep me highly entertained. Music=8.5. The 80′s music they played went really well with the side pony. Loved it.

$2 HIKING SOCKS: 9. Probably one of my favorite things in the world is wearing comfy socks around the house. Over Christmas break last year I bought my first pair of really good hiking socks and would wear them days in a row (yeah, that probably equals a 2). However, thanks to the fabulous REI yard sale I now have FOUR more pairs! One was $.83, and the other three were only 2 bucks. Can’t beat that. Plus, when you come home to an apartment smelling like fall and a little chilly because all the windows are open it’s even more perfect. Have I mentioned I love fall? That earns a 10 FOR SURE.

Off to bed in my comfy socks and enjoying this 10 What a great way to end a night.

‘Bringing it Back’ Week

Welcome to official ‘Bringing it Back Week’! It’s never too late to bring back all those things that made life fabulous in the past. So this week is all about bringing it back. I clearly am tackling the fanny pack first and foremost, however I’ve also decided to go with fluorescent clothing and the side ponytail (is it obvious that the 80′s have a special place in my heart?). This morning I almost brought back the crazy teased 80′s hair after biking to work the morning after a good rain. Wasn’t sure my office was ready for that quite yet… So anyways, now it’s your turn to decide what it is you’re going to bring back and take the week to rock it out. Themed weeks=8 (clearly depending on the theme). Would love to hear what you pick…

DECAF HAZLENUT COFFEE: 6. The no caffeine thing is making my work days so much more enjoyable. Discovering hazlenut coffee without caffeine was a brilliant discovery. Gives me the same comfort of a warm cup (in a freezing office) without the shakes and headaches. LOVE IT.

NEW BLOG COMMENTS: 9. There’s nothing I love more than opening up Wordress to see the little orange 1 next to the comments box. For those of you non-bloggers it means you have a new comment, but by someone who’s never commented before. Once you approve someone the first time it just automatically adds so you don’t get that little incredible box. I’ve recently discovered that a ton of people are reading the blog who I haven’t heard from in forever, so I get really excited finding out who they all are. ONly thing keeping it from a 10 is that it doesn’t happen very often. Is that a valid reason for knocking off a point? Isn’t the idea of tens that they don’t happen all the time. Hmmm…

FALL: 8.5. I LOVE the fall. I love that it’s not painfully hot anymore. I love that I can finally turn the AC off and leave my windows open- ALL DAY. I love that biking doesn’t leave me soaked in sweat. I love it when the leaves change color. I love the smell. I love starting to listen to Christmas music. I love the smell of Wal-Mart’s ‘Mulled Cider’ candles burning. I love fall cleaning. I love the restart of my favorite shows. I love the sound of marching bands from the local high school. I love the sound of college football. The only thing I can think of that takes off any points is the loss of daylight. Kills me both in the morning and at night. If fall could be mixd with the length of summer days I’d be in heaven.

CARRIE’S PHOTOGRAPHY: 9. AWESOME. I look at beautiful photography and become insanely jealous that I can’t take pictures like that. That’s the only thing keeping it from a 10. But I absolutely love looking at it. You should definitely check it out.

EVENING TENNIS: 7. Found a tennis partner in my apartment complex who is highly entertaining and pretty decent on the court. I love moving around, and feeling like I’m getting better at something. Don’t strike out nearly as often as I did when I first started playing either…

‘CHILL AFTERNOON MIX’: 8. While ironically I normally only listen to this playlist on the way to work in favor of more upbeat music on the way home, I discovered today that it also works really well in the afternoon. Who woulda thought.

Reporting Live From the Front Lines

Here we are, our second REI yard sale of the year. We’re reporting live from outside the front of the Cary, NC store as we sit on our crash pad reading the paper.

By we I mean Claudia, Andy, Greg and I. Right now it’s 7:28am and there’s about 25 folks here. We arrived last night at 12:30am, and were the first ones to arrive!

We promptly attached a list to the door, with our names at the top. Clearly.

THE LIST: 7. So last week the first guy there put up a list. We learned from this experience, and thought it might mean we wouldn’t have to get up at 5 and could just sleep instead. Basically it keeps things fair and allows everyone to be friends instead of constantly worrying where you’re standing and whether or not you’ll lose your spot. Reason it’s not a 10 is because we realized later it would have been awesome if we’d created it ahead of time on the computer and inserted the REI logo to make it look super official and like they actually created it. Note to self for next time… Addendum to this rating. The guy who works at REI just unlocked the doors, saw the list and said “Awesome. Awesome”. That’s right. Our list is apparently awesome. Rating goes up to an 8.

BEING FIRST ON THE LIST: 10. Clearly. How could it get any better?

We then pitched the tents and set up camp for the evening.

S’MORES WITHOUT A CAMPING STOVE: 6. Thanks Claudia. We were supposed to have a camping stove for s’more making and while I must give her credit for remember the makings, her ability to remember the stove is rated a 0. Therefore we got creative and made some uncooked s’mores for dessert. While clearly not as good as the real deal, the sweetness was just what we needed so I still think it earns above a 5. Plus it was funny watching people try to eat them.

This morning we got up when the first people arrived, I checked in with a guy at the door who agreed to man the list so I promptly returned to bed.
We got up for good around 6:30, packed up all our tents, and joined the rest of the crowds at the front door to get our numbered tickets.

GREG’S ABILITY TO PACK MY TENT: 9. Andy and I folded it nicely and then wrapped it around the poles but somehow it ended up like 4 inches longer than the bag. And yet Greg managed to make it fit. Well done ☺

QUALITY OF SLEEP: 2. Must say while the camp out was pretty sweet and a great use of Friday night, the sleep quality wasn’t quite as fabulous. My sleeping pad was a little thin, it was a little cold, and the street sweeper and leaf blower came by about 5 times at 5:15 in the morning. After having gone to sleep after 3 (thanks to awesome roomie talk with Greg=9), this left me with about 2 hours of sleep. Could have been better, but really, totally worth it

Younger crowd here than at Durham last week, which has created a little more of a social situation. Some skateboarding, football and rugby playing are keeping people entertained until 8 when it’s predicted they’ll start handing out numbers. We’re all making our mental lists of what we’re going for and what we’re willing to pay, and plotting where we’re going to get breakfast once we get our numbers.

At about 7:50 the guy in charge came out and started handing out numbers, using our list Which means, we got tickets numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4! We then headed off to breakfast to eat and go to the bathroom (finally!)

VEGGIE OMELETTE: 5. Nothing to write home about, but definitely tasted great this morning with a hot coffee, great company and entertaining conversation.

ANDY’S ABILITY TO EAT: 8. So our waitress told us the omelettes on the menu came with 3 (or was it 2?) eggs. Andy laughed at her, and then asked if she could make it with 6. She agreed, and Andy continued to eat non-stop for the next 30 minutes including his extra large omelette, homefries, toast, and an extra order of homefries. Impressive to say the least.

We then headed back to REI, got in line and were the first ones to the yard sale!!! We scavenged, grabbed, pushed, dug and collected everything and anything we could get our hands on. We then brought it to the edge of the parking lot where we started to go through all of it. We tried on shoes, checked out headlamps, and blew up sleeping pads to check for leaks, holes, damages or anything else that would make them not worth it. Overall I must say we made out pretty well and had a good time doing it

BEST PURCHASES…

BRINGING THE FANNY PACK BACK: 10. To revisit an old rating from the first week of blog existence, this idea is still a 10. And even better, it’s also now a reality. Found an ass pack (which I think is a way better word than fanny pack) today for only $13, rather than the $60 they normally go for. Quickly replaced my purse with this, got a couple odd looks as I sported it around Durham and LOVED it. Keep your eye out. If you start seeing fanny packs everywhere, you know where it started.

ANDY’S TRIPOD/DECORATIVE HAT: 8. Believe it or not that awkward thing on his head is actually a tripod. And is also actually pretty brilliant. I got a smaller version for less than 10 bucks, and it has these wiggly/moldable legs that can stand up like a tripod, or wrap around tree branches if there’s nothing else to set it on. Brilliant, and I think is going to help a lot with the self-times on my new camera However Andy, when you put it on your head people can’t tell how cool it actually is. Or how cool you actually are…

OVERALL CAMP OUT: (See group scores below) Hopefully they’ll comment and let you know why it earned that score, but to speak to mine (and my weird distorted finger) it was a blast. I had so much fun with great people, met other friendly folks, and scored some great deals. You just can’t beat $.83 hiking socks is all I have to say.

Until the next time, loving this ten

Brixx… Again!

PINK VW BUG: 6.5.  While driving to REI last night there was a bright pink VW bug that was AWESOME>  I’m really not a pink girl, but it was bright and pretty.  And I loved it.  Lost some serious points because the top was up, and because I nearly killed myself trying to take a picture of  it while driving on 40 (sorry Mom).

OVERALL SECOND EXPERIENCE AT BRIXX: 7.5.  So we headed back tonight because we weren’t eating until 10ish and I convinced Claud that after 10 it was buy one get one free pizza (according to Paul from Tuesday).  Well, apparently that’s only Tuesdays and not every day.  So that knocks a cool point off to start with.  BUT, our server was adorable which earns a point, and he gave up on us at the end of the night which takes that point away.  We discovered you can get ½ one kind ½ another which was a great discovery, and the choices we made tonight were much better than those from the other night.  Plus, the dessert and company was fabulous ☺

OUR EATING FACES: 9.5.  While we appear slightly crazy, delicious pizza will do that to even the most normal of people.  And these faces are just classic.

Dog Walking Ethics

LACK OF KICKBALL IN MY LIFE: 2. Today I suddenly realized how long it’s been since I’ve seen BG. And I blame the end of the kickball season. Some good times were had out there this summer, and it makes me a little sad I dont have that to look forward to on Sundays. I was just getting good at pitching (its all relative my friends), our team was starting to get good (again, relatively), and we just had fun. However, now that I have a job I have to show up to on Mondays, it might be a good thing. That and I don’t have to worry about losing diamond earrings and getting yelled at when I completely miss an easy play… Still miss it.

THE DESK: 6. It’s getting better… I’ve replaced my long lists of e-mails and phone numbers with ones on fluorescent paper. That’s right. FLUORESCENT. Perhaps my favorite word leftover from the 90′s. However I used to say neon instead because I could never quite get fluorescent right. But now I can, and thankful that it’s making my desk a little more cheerful

 

PEOPLE WHO JUST WANT TO BE RIGHT: 1. So every time I go to the grocery store I bring in my large fabric Adidas bag and a backpack so I don’t use plastic bags. Yet I’ve found myself running out of plastic bags at home to use for Murphy when I walk him. I’ve begun to realize how ridiculous this is. SO, I’ve started working with him on pooping places where people don’t walk. Near bushes, in the woods, etc. I always bring a bag with me in case he poops in someones yard, but if he doesn’t I see no reason to waste plastic. Well, tonight when I was biking with him he pooped in a large grassy patch that was not at all someone’s yard, so I left it. Then from behind I head someone yell ‘You gonna pick that up?’ So clearly I stop and start to explain to him my thinking and he keeps insisting ‘I have a bag right here’, as if that was my point. I tried explaining, he clearly didn’t get it and I definitely got the impression that he had no interest in hearing me but just wanted to ‘catch’ people and call them out.

Am I being ridiculous, or does this make sense? I can’t tell if I’m making excuses or if it really is absurd to take canvas to the store and then waste 2-3 plastic bags a day scooping up poop that’ll be gone in a couple days.

THE SCENERY: So I was called out for putting up pictures that weren’t actually mine. So here’s what it really looked like on my way to work this morning… I give it a 6.5. It’ll work it’s way up when the leaves change

RUNNING INTO LISA ON THE RIDE HOME: 8. Super excited to notice someone sitting at the MLK Jr. intersection and realize it was Lisa, who also bikes to work! We then rode the rest of the way home together, and it reminded me why it was possible to bike to and from school every day that I lived in Tokyo. I always rode with my sister and I forgot how enjoyable bike rides are with company. Only reason it’s not a 10 is because it’ll be hard to every make the timing that perfect again, so it was kind of a tease. Still loved it!

THIS FAYETTEVILLE ST. INTERSECTION: 3. Seriously slows me down like whoah every day. Takes forever for the little green walking man to go, and there’s a ton of traffic so I can’t cheat. Plus, if I forgot to downshift before I get there, I look really stupid pedaling really slow as I get started again. While everyone is stopped at the light watching. Create yourself a mental movie right now cause it’ll probably make you laugh. Everyone in their cars does. Sometimes, however, the break lets me change albums on my iPod which is sometimes appreciated.

Saturday is REI’s GIANT yard sale at the Cary location. Which means lots of rich people buy gear, never use it, and return it in fabulous shape. Plus, word on the street is they’ve received a ton of stuff from the catalogue that’s never been used. So clearly we’re heading over at around 11 or 12 tomorrow night, pitching tents, cooking s’mores and spending the night. Send positive thoughts our way in hopes that that cops don’t come…

Fall smells like…

or this*:

And I love it.  

FIRST MORNING THAT SMELLS LIKE FALL: 10.

MY ABILITY TO LAYER PROPERLY FOR THE RIDE TO WORK: 4.  Started with sweatpants, a t-shirt and my fleece.  Within five minutes I’d rolled up my sweatpants.  Then I took off my fleece.  Then I was freezing so I put it back on.  Got hot again and took it off.  This appears as if it might be a constant struggle as the temperature changes.  With the ridiculous NC heat it’s easy.  Dress as light as possible.  Now it’s getting complicated.

 

*DISCLAIMER: I did not take these pictures.  They just look how fall smells to me.  Congrats to whoever did take them though… they’re pretty nice.