...my magic bean...

The life

2009-11-04T15:38:00.003-05:00

Hey, folks. Sorry I have been MIA here lately. Oddly enough, when I am not writing, writing is one of the things I think about most. With my strange professional situation at the moment, I know that right now is one of THE perfect opportunities to start writing more. But much like the beginning of my relationship with running, the idea of sitting down to write a page a day sounds daunting, difficult and downright unfun. But I will eventually make a promise to myself to sit down and write each day. I'm just not quite ready to make the leap yet.

In the meantime, I will blog when inspired and share a quick update on the life of the Bradys in Ohio. Things here are going well. We are enjoying the fall - the crisp weather, the harvest moon, the leaves, the pumpkins - it is all wonderfully autumnal.

Mike is working hard - midterms have now been handed back, and he is on the last half of his first semester teaching. I am constantly amazed at the dedication he has to his work and his students. It is impressive and noble how he really wants his students to learn, to have fun, to understand and to be part of something bigger than themselves. It is lovely to see someone doing something that they care so much about and have so much skill in doing. I am very proud of him.

As for me, I'm still in a serious professional limbo. Working at the Inn part time - haven't been bartending at all, but that is supposed to change in the next week or so. I consult on Tuesdays. Tuesdays are my day to trek into the big city of Columbus. The journey to and fro has introduced me to the world of books on CD. I just finished my first one and checked out my second today. I should probably switch to the Rosetta Stone Spanish DVDs - it would probably be more beneficial.

Other than our work, not too much to report. We are making new friends here in Granville, and we still adore our home. We're getting prepped for Thanksgiving - Mike's Mom is coming up from Florida - by doing some home repairs and various projects.

I wish I had something more substantial to share at the moment, but that's it for now. More soon, I promise!

You sure about that?

2009-10-21T09:00:00.002-05:00

I'm working a double shift today, so I only have a few quick seconds to post before I get ready for work. Just wanted to share a random observation.

I just love how many people often react to me telling them I am a vegetarian by saying, "Aren't you sick a lot?"

For the record, in the worst cold/flu season we have had in quite a while, I have already managed to stay healthy through my husband having a cold, avoided the flu bug despite working in a restaurant and handling people's dirty dishes and stayed in a house with three sick people for three days and am still healthy.

I also realize that by saying this, I should get sick in a matter of days. But that's Murphy's Law, not a downside of vegetarianism.

Another week down...

2009-10-12T14:49:00.002-05:00

Wow - we have been in Granville two months now. Sometimes it feels like two days, but sometimes it already feels like two years. We were in Columbus with our good friend Ed, who visited from Atlanta, and we ran into someone we know on the bustling N. High Street during the Art Crawl. We have been here long enough to run into friends in a city 25 miles away. I guess that's saying something.

I am fully "trained" on the workings of the bar at the Inn now. This week will mark my first evening working the bar - alone - albeit the lesser busy upstairs bar servicing the restaurant rather than the Tavern downstairs. I have finally learned the ropes as a server at a fine dining establishment. It has taken several screw ups, but I think I have it down now. Of course, I say that and later this week I will surely make the biggest error I have yet. One thing I have to say about this job is that it is hard work. In my ranks as server, I work with folks who have this as their only job - they work it full time, and it has to pay the bills. Making $3.15 an hour plus tips is a rough way to make a living. Even though people are still eating out, they are a bit less free with the tip. We are often lucky to pull 15% across the board when we settle out our numbers for the evening. I work with college students struggling to pay their living expenses and their tuition bills. I work with single moms who have two or more jobs, just trying to make ends meet. It's humbling to hear the stories of your co-workers. The mom with the autistic son. The single mom who found love with another of the servers. He's about to graduate and is full of promise. The Inn is a great place to be. I am enjoying it a lot. I don't get butterflies when I take a table anymore.

The consulting gig is also going well. I got feedback last week that they really like the work I have done so far. In fact, the company president said I "have a knack for the work." Fantastic. Hopefully a few more of these larger contracts come though and I could possibly have a full time gig as a consultant in a matter of months. My plan is to stay at the Inn at least through the holidays. It will slow there in January and February when the snow starts to pile up and people stay in for the evening. But I like the work - it keeps me busy and it sure does keep one's mind sharp. I've also stopped running completely. Who knows how many miles I clock on my feet during a 5 hour dinner shift. I'm too beat to walk upstairs when I get home, let alone strap on my running shoes and pound out 4 miles.

This weekend is a small break. Planned since late summer, we are having a Duke Poli Sci reunion of sorts at Put-in-Bay in Ohio. We've rented out an entire Inn and will reunite our group of friends that provided so much love, support and beer during our Duke days. I think we have a group of 8 or 10 coming together for two days of talking, drinking, napping - and probably Rock Band, too. After our visit to Toronto for APSA, it rejuvenated me to see our buddies. I am guessing that this weekend will do the same.

So stay put - I'll be back next week to recap our "Big Chill" adventure.

A full week under my belt.

2009-09-28T11:55:00.001-05:00

I seem to be doing okay at this whole waitressing thing. They chopped my training from two weeks down to one. I believe I passed my server test on Saturday morning, so I am officially working for tips now. No more shadowing folks. Starting this Wednesday evening, I will be training behind the bar. You know, I really don't mind the work. You stay busy for 4 hours and the time flies by. The people I work with are nice and the innkeepers are very friendly. This will definitely work for a while!

I also happened to get a call from a firm I interviewed with back before Mike and I ever made the move to Ohio. They ended up not hiring for the position they interviewed me for way back in July. But they have a new project they said I would be "perfect" for. So, I will be meeting with them later this week. Things are looking up, folks. Things are looking up.

Protect our Insurance Companies (ahem)

2009-09-22T15:52:00.001-05:00

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Life of the Unemployed

2009-09-18T14:59:00.004-05:00

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.
- Semisonic, Closing Time

It's been a rough week. I have applied for well over 100 jobs since February of this year. More than half of those have been in the past month. I wake up in the morning, I get a cup of coffee, and I head to the computer. I have a four page Word document filled with links to job sites. Ohiomeansjobs.com, jobs.osu.edu, careerbuilder.com, ohio5.org/jobs, oano.org, idealist.org - you get the picture. I have over 35 links I check on a daily basis. I make it a rule to apply for at least one job a day. Most days I succeed. Last Friday I applied for 10 jobs in one day, so I gave myself a bit of a break this week. I was up for an amazing position at Ohio State. I had to put together a one hour presentation to give to the whole staff. I met with 10-15 folks over a 4.5 hour period. Four people were interviewed for the job. I got an e-mail two weeks later saying I wasn't getting the offer. I wrote back and asked if I could have feedback so I was better prepared in the future. No response. Thanks, assholes.

We've been in Ohio for about six weeks now. I love our house, and I love that my husband is finally getting to do what he loves. He comes home tired but excited and full of stories about each class day. It's fantastic to see him doing something he loves so much.

Yet during the day, I am normally in the house. I job hunt 2-3 hours each morning then take a break to have some lunch and watch an episode of something on Netflix for half an hour. I do a three mile run every other day then come home and shower. I do some laundry, some dishes, some house straightening. Then I wait for Mike to get home. Sometimes that seems like the longest hour or two of the day. The kitties and I snuggle. I sit outside and watch the deer.

Luckily I have managed to avoid the trap that is the couch and TV combo. I rarely turn the TV on during the day. The only time is if I got a chick flick Netflix movie in the mail I know Mike won't want to watch. I had a breakdown yesterday evening. I miss my friends, and I miss having any sort of goal to accomplish. I'm lonely during the day, and I feel I have nowhere to focus my energy each day. Anyway, I decided enough is enough.

I've sent off about 50 applications in the past four weeks. It will take those places some time to sift through and pick some people for interviews. I'm hoping a couple come my way. But in the meantime, I need a break. The feeling of checking my job-hunting e-mail address to see I have no messages is getting to be too much. I need to get out of the house. I am taking a three prong approach to this solution.

First, I started a volunteer job. I am an assistant coach for a group of 19 girls aged 7-9 outside Columbus through a program called "Girls on the Run." The program teaches young girls to "run, skip or walk" a 5K by the end of the 12 week program; it also teaches them that they can accomplish a goal and that they are beautiful and talented. It's esteem building. Running has done a lot for me. I still don't enjoy it much, but I have realized that the discipline combined with the confidence it has instilled in me has been absolutely life changing. For an hour and a half each Tuesday evening I work with the girls and I run with them. That's a bit interesting since I am an only child who actually gets really nervous around kids. I figure they will learn something and so will I.

Second, I've joined a dart league. I am now a full member of the Newark's city dart league. I used to play in college, and we have a board set up at home. Our buddy Erich plays in the league and invited Mike and I to play. Mike decided to take on an alternate role, but this Monday night I earned my spot as a full team member after helping cinch up a couple victories in the first league play of the season. It's a fun way to get out of the house and be a part of some healthy competition.

Lastly, and probably the most important in all of this, is that I decided to take on a part time job. In reality, I have been applying for part time jobs the past several weeks as well, yet none of them call me back. I can't manage to get a job as a bank teller. That makes me feel real good, lemme tell ya. Since I wanted a part time gig I thought I would look close to home. It would be nice to work somewhere I could walk to and from, a place where I could meet locals, and a place that would be fun. So, I set my sights back to my first experience with Granville. The Buxton Inn.

The Buxton is the hotel Mike and I stayed in when we visited to house hunt in Granville. Operating since 1812, the Buxton is Ohio's oldest continually operated inn in its original building. You can get the full scoop here: http://www.buxtoninn.com/history2.html. I happened to check their website, and it said they were hiring waitstaff and bartenders. I used to joke to all the folks in Durham that if I couldn't get a job in Ohio that I would learn to bartend or something similar. I said half jokingly, half seriously. But with the state of the economy and my utter failure in the job searching process, I decided to throw caution to the wind. So, starting Sunday morning I will be a part time employee at the Buxton. I told Ms. Orr, the owner, that I wanted to learn to bartend, to work in the restaurant and/or to work the front desk. She said she would love to have me there. I have a job now. In my new community at a storied "haunted" inn. Who knows where this will lead.

I'll keep you posted. And I'll let you know if I see any ghosts.

TORONTO

2009-09-10T13:37:00.002-05:00

We had an awesome time in Toronto. It was great to reconnect with friends we haven't seen in a long time. And since we are still adjusting to Ohio life, it was nice to have the touchstone of so many special people around for a few days. We wandered, we drank, we ate, and we laughed - a lot. Here's the highlight real of the festivities!

Things your mom tries to get you to do....

2009-09-08T16:04:00.003-05:00

...this one only took about 25 years.

When I was about 6 or 7 I believe, Mom decided that she wanted me to drink a small glass of V8 each morning before I went to school. To a six or seven year old, you should just ask them to drink poison. I have no idea how many days Mom tried this or if I drank the few glasses she attempted to give me.

I would now like to report that at age 31, I am now having a glass of V8 each morning. My hubby is, too. Mom, it only took 25 years, but I am finally doing what you asked me to do.

WATCH TRAVEL CHANNEL TONIGHT!

2009-09-02T11:32:00.002-05:00

And oh yes - don't forget to catch Man vs Food on the Travel Channel tonight! Durham is featured - and so is the Doughman! Look for me on TV! Oh, and look for all the other folks who participated too - like my awesome team "I hEArT Durham!" yay!

Loving Ohio, but still jobless

2009-09-02T11:17:00.002-05:00

Hello, faithful readers. Sorry I haven't blogged much about our new lives in Ohio. One would think that since I am stuck at home I would have plenty of time to blog. I guess in reality I do, but I am trying not to do too many things that remind me I have too much time on my hands. Instead, I run, I do chores, I clean up the yard, I go driving without the use of our Tomtom. I can fill up a full day with all of these activities. Trust me - it's what I have been doing the past several weeks.

The house is now fully unpacked. It looks great and we love it. LOVE IT. This is the type of house that I would want to rent when I go on vacation somewhere. I still have this recurring thought that the mortgage guy is going to show up and say, "Yeah, there was a mistake. You didn't really buy this house. We need to take it back." The house is that wonderful. I feel very lucky to be in such a beautiful home in such a beautiful place.

As for the "place", we are enjoying Granville so far. I don't need to use my car much, so I just walk or run to wherever I need/want to go. The entire village isn't more than a couple of miles across, so I can walk over to the grocery store, the bars, campus, etc. No need to use the car for in town stuff. If I want to go to nearby Newark, Heath or Columbus then I use the car. Not too shabby. Saving lots of money in gas. I've only gotten gas twice since we have moved here.

Job hunt - grrr. I'm still on the hunt. I am waiting for my phone to ring any day now about an amazing position at Ohio State. I interviewed last week with the entire staff in a four and a half hour interview - complete with me giving a one hour presentation to the full staff. I think it went really well, and I enjoyed meeting and spending time with all of the people there. They are interviewing four people for the position, and I was the first one in the door. The last person interviewed Monday I believe. They said they would make a decision by the end of this week. Oh please let me get this call.

In the meantime, I apply for jobs every day. I haven't quite given up on a higher level position yet - I've only been jobless about a month and a half now. Surely I can find something challenging - a step up if you will. Give it another month, and I will be applying to work at Sears. Really. I've thought about it. I really want something meaningful though. I want to do good things for people. Why is that so hard to find?

I will get a bit of a break from the job hunt this weekend. The annual Political Science conference is in Toronto this year. Mike and I are heading up tomorrow and staying through Sunday. I have never been to Canada before, so this will be a new adventure! We are driving up, and the entire route will also be entirely new to me. I should have lots of photos to share next week.

That's about it for now folks. I will try to be better about writing. Hell, since I have so much time on my hands, I should try to write meaningful essays or something. Surely an advance on a book deal could get me paid, right??

Finally settled in

2009-08-24T09:06:00.002-05:00

I am happy to report that we have finally settled into our new home. The only room not 100% unpacked is our joint office. And that is mainly because we have a lot of random things that just don't really have a place to go quite yet. Oddly enough, even without the room being finished, we still spend a great deal of time in there. We chat, work on the computer and say, "We should really unpack these boxes." Maybe I can work on that today. Maybe.

We are really loving Granville. I drive my car maybe once a week. Since I am still unemployed, that's a good thing. Since Mike is really the only one driving, and he only goes up to campus - we're only paying a very minimal amount in fuel per week. I walk or run pretty much anywhere I need to go. Downtown is less than a half to 3/4 a mile away. Campus is only a quarter of a mile. The grocery store is one mile. The area is great for running. There are a lot of hills, but some beautiful scenery. Go out at the right time of day, and you are sure to see lots of deer. They are in our back yard, on campus, on the trails and pretty much everywhere else.

What we can't get in Granville we can get in nearby Heath or Newark. We found a great Amish store this weekend that sells spices and dry goods in bulk for pretty low prices. Heath even has a Sonic! Saturday morning I discovered "Jolly Pirate Donuts", a 24 hour local donut shop. One word - yummo. There are about 75 local pizza places (no joke), and we started trying those out this weekend. The local pizza here is almost always thin crust and cut into squares. I like it, but I am wondering if I will start missing pan pizza soon......

Mike starts new faculty orientation today, and the first day of classes is next Monday. He has his office all set up, and the syllabuses (yes, that's proper) are almost complete. I am so excited for him. He finally gets to do what he's always wanted to do!!!

I on the other hand am still on the job hunt. After two second round interviews for some pretty cool jobs, I have yet to get an offer. But tomorrow is a big day. I have a 4.5 hour interview at Ohio State's Business school. It is a very exciting position, and I would appreciate any good vibes you have to send my way. I'll keep you posted on that.

In the meantime, here's a few photos of the house. We love it. In fact, we wake up each morning and both of us declare, "We love you house!" Really. We say that every day to the house :-) The kitties love it too - I have never seen them happier!!

Eulogy to my passport

2009-08-13T15:52:00.003-05:00

While unpacking boxes, I came across the creative writing work I did at Oxford. Just thought I would revisit this one since the passport is getting dusted off in a couple of weeks.

Eulogy to my passport

Smooth blue cover
embossed in gold.
Your bindings hold stories
too heavy for your thin pages.

We have seen
so much of the earth
Together, you and me.
You gave me the world.

From savannah
to warm tropical isle.
On the top of double-decker buses
and below the bows of ships.

Hymns of Africa,
Steel drums of Bermuda.
Sing-alongs in English pubs.
These are the tunes we learned together.

Each time I held you
I said painful goodbyes,
then happy hellos.
Only to say goodbye again.

Tears stained my cheeks
and streaked each stamp.
My heart broke too much
with the freedom you gave.

Now rest in the dust
atop my shelf.
I cross the border into home
and say goodbye to you.

WE ARE IN OHIO!

2009-08-13T15:24:00.002-05:00

I promise....blogging will resume soon. We moved last week and have now been in our new home for exactly one week. We are residents of Granville, Ohio now! Pics and stories coming soon. Just trying to get settled!!!

Who's Buying a House? US!!!!

2009-07-15T09:37:00.002-05:00

We found a beautiful, awesome, amazing home. And we are buying it! YAY!!!!!! Our trip to Columbus was fantastic. We saw some AMAZING homes. Truly, it was an embarrassment of riches. To be able to choose from that many great properties was a blessing. But when we walked into this home, the last one we saw, we knew it was the place we wanted to be. We decided to go ahead and live in the village of Granville where Denison University is located. The whole place is out of a storybook. Treelined streets, a beautiful little downtown, farmers market, bike and running paths, parks, hills, just amazing.

More photos to come of the area, but first - here is our house!!!!!

So much to do...

2009-07-09T15:34:00.004-05:00

Here's the short of it - tomorrow we are going to Columbus. It's house hunting madness, neighborhood wandering, sightseeing, and on Monday morning - it's interviewing. It will be one crazy weekend. A full update will be provided once we get back.

In the meantime, something cool! A friend of ours, King, is an up and coming artist. We had always wanted to buy one of King's paintings, but not being in the "art market", we didn't really have that kind of budget. But thankfully for us, King was selling off a few pieces, and we were actually able to afford one.

This piece will hang in our home in Ohio!

"Baltimore Blues" by King Kenney

The blurry photo is from Francesca's in Durham. I didn't want to creep the ladies out by taking photos of them. But this is our painting. We already have it at home now, but we are waiting to put it on the wall of our new home!

Oh, the rollercoaster of life...

2009-07-02T11:00:00.003-05:00

Yin and yang. Everything has to balance out, right? We have had a lot of wonderful, cool and awesome things happen in the past couple of weeks. Mike succesfully completed and defended his dissertation. I had an amazing birthday. I found out I won dinner for two at Il Palio through a drawing at the Farmers Market. I also found out I got a third round final interview with the cool company in Columbus I mentioned a few posts back. We're headed to Columbus next weekend to do a marathon round of house hunting over the weekend, then I have my interview Monday morning. Everything was coming up roses.

Then we got the call. Mike's mom's breast cancer is back. We went from the top of the mountain down into the lowest reaches of the valley. We are still getting information on what the treatment will be. We will all work together and do everything we can. But, wow, that was a bit unexpected.

Damn - life sure is interesting, isn't it?

The big 3-1

2009-06-29T08:51:00.002-05:00

Saturday was my 31st birthday. And I can honestly say it is the best birthday I have ever had. It involved a 5 mile run, hanging out with a dog and some chickens, cupcakes, farmers market, pool time, our first art purchase, more chickens and dog, Kanki, bowling, karaoke, and it was all with my bestest friends. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! It was a wonderful, wonderful day. And here's the photographic proof!

CELEBRATE!

2009-06-25T13:26:00.002-05:00

A few pics from the night of celebration - introducing Dr. Brady! W00T!

Lauren, me and Dr. Brady

One of my new T-shirt creations!

My girls and me with Brewmaster Nate!

BFFs

Mer and Liv

The ladies love the Brady!

Dr. and Mrs. Brady

Two Duke Dr's!

Ending the night at Cookout!

It's Official!!!!!

2009-06-24T11:49:00.002-05:00

Mike defended the dissertation today! He is officially Dr. Brady!!!!! After over 23 years of schooling, he is finally done. I am SO proud of him. We are celebrating tonight - AND this afternoon! WOO HOO!!!! Fun pics to come later!

There is progress!

2009-06-17T15:11:00.003-05:00

Job Hunting by Aldo Luongo

Oh the job hunt. Job hunting is never "fun," but in today's economy fun never even enters the picture. The market is flooded with qualified (and over qualified) applicants for the most mundane of positions. So getting picked out for an interview, let alone actually getting the job, are really tough right now. Yet, due to our circumstances, I am forced into the job hunting masses yelling with each e-mailed application "pick me! pick me!!" Luckily, a few folks have heard the call.

I was interviewed for a very sweet position at Ohio State last week but found out today that I came in second for the position. It's a bummer that I didn't get it, but it was validating to know that I am shooting in the right direction for what jobs I feel I qualify for. This was an assistant director position - higher than I have held before, but it's a position I feel I am more than capable of performing well if given the opportunity. The person that accepted the position had directly performed the work required, so really I just couldn't fully compete. But hey - I was the #2 person in line for it.

I also had an interview today with a boutique marketing firm in Columbus that I ran across randomly on the interwebs. I liked the name of the company, I liked their client list and they just all around looked like the kind of place I would like to work. I went out on a limb and e-mailed the President of the company my resume and said that if they had any opportunities I would be interested. A couple of weeks later I was having a surprise first interview with one of their associates. Fast forward today, and my second interview is now complete. It appears they want to bring me up to meet face to face sometime in the next couple of weeks. Awesome. (I'll provide more details down the road - not really ready to share specifics at this point.) It's a small company that's been succesful since its inception 13 years ago. They are growing and need more hands. It looks like a great opportunity to come into an organization early and at the ground level - a great way to learn a lot and advance. I have high hopes for this one.

I also have to say THANK YOU to my awesome colleagues who have passed on my resume and made phone calls or sent e-mails on my behalf. I have some new friends in Ohio now thanks to amazing informational interviews, and I alreday have a string of lunch dates set up for when we arrive in Columbus. There is progress, folks - hope I can report some actuals sometime soon!!!!!

On the Mike front, I am thrilled to report that Mike is now allowed to put weight on his ankle and start moving it around. Today marks one week since he was given that clearance. We go back to the doctor on July 1 - at that point, they will probably ask him to start manipulating the ankle even more. Mike is also ONE WEEK AWAY from his dissertation defense. The draft version of the diss goes out to his committee on Thursday afternoon or Friday morning. After that, he waits. Next Wednesday, June 24 is his scheduled defense date. Stay tuned!

Food Inc

2009-06-12T09:20:00.001-05:00

This film opens up in select cities around the country today, so if you can go see it, GO SEE IT.

It's not about Democrats or Republicans, the right or the left - it's about industry's control on our food and what we can do to make ourselves and other beings on this planet healthier and happier. PLEASE check it out!

Komen on Saturday

2009-06-09T08:41:00.004-05:00

Well, I am still running. Not doing the long distances anymore, but I'm still running. I have been running a 5K three times a week in the morning. A friend from work is training for a sprint triathalon, and I met her once last week and will meet her once this week to do the Buehler trail. I also ran Buehler once on my own last week and once with Lauren. This morning I did my home 3 mile run, and tomorrow I will meet my work buddy. This is all in preparation for this Saturday's Susan Komen 5K race. I am again doing the competitive run. I would LOVE to get a sub-30 minute time on the race. Not sure if it's possible, but I am going to try. Last year's chip time was 35:48 (37:27 on the race clock posted at the finish). When I ran the race for the first time, in 2005, I ran it in 30:26 (30:57 on the clock posting). Let's see if I can do it!

I also have to take in effect that the night before, I will be attending Jeff and King's annual "Prince vs Michael Jackson" party on Ninth Street. I have unfortunately had to miss the past several Jeff and King productions, but I will be sure to be at this one. I will get a few hours of dancing in before dancing off to sleep. If you are looking for one of the best Durham dance parties of this year, this is it! (click on the photo to go to the Facebook Event page)

Ridiculous Addictions: The Tudors

2009-06-03T12:36:00.004-05:00

I can't help it. I'm addicted. Mike and I flew through Season One of Showtime's "The Tudors" in a couple of days. Last night we watched season 2, disk 1 in one sitting. I can't wait to start on disk 2. I've never been a history nut of the period, etc, so honestly I am learning a lot along the way. From friends who do know the era pretty well, they've commented that while there are of course a few liberties in the plot, overall the main story line is pretty accurate. I love the costumes, the political intrigue, and the ridiculous hotness of every character (I doubt everyone was actually so pretty in real life).

The main problem I have with the show is that it's really tough to know what kind of timeline it's moving on. Something that on screen looks to happen over a period of days may actually, in real life, may have taken place over several months or even years. But luckily the show has intrigued me enough to go read about all the people afterwards. I've been reading stuff on the interwebs to keep me up to speed and assist me in actually learning something reather than wasting my time watching TV.

The great thing is, too, that you don't have to wait to see what happens with the story line. We already know :-) It's just fun to see it all acted out by hot people in beautiful costumes!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Merlivia!

2009-06-01T08:25:00.003-05:00

Saturday was a great evening - Mer and Alivia held a joint birthday party at Alivia's (aptly renamed "Alivia's and Meredith's" for the night) to celebrate. We all had a blast. Here's pics to prove it :-)

And today June 1 actually IS Meredith's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR!

Random Observation: Pizza

2009-05-29T14:51:00.002-05:00

Item: Pizza Hut's PANormous pizza.

Advertising tagline: "PANormous is the biggest pan pizza we've ever created — over 40% bigger than our large pan pizza!"

Observation: IT'S TWO PIZZAS PUT TOGETHER.