I'm in love with the City of New Orleans....

Mike and I traveled to New Orleans last week to celebrate the wedding of our friends Matt and Kimberly. The weather was nice and balmy, and the city welcomed us with open arms. Mike and I took the first flight out of RDU at 6am to arrive in NOLA by about 9:30 in the morning on Thursday. First observation - the airport in New Orleans was empty. The place was like a ghost town. Even though it was early, our taxi driver informed us that we were only his second run of the day. Before Katrina, we would have been his 15th or 20th. We made our way to the Hotel Chateau Dupre, our hotel for the stay. We booked a combo hotel/air package on expedia, and it made the hotel only about $80/night. It was not extravagant by any means, but it was fine for us. We didn't plan on spending too much time in the room anyway.

As soon as we dropped our bags, we headed directly for Cafe du Monde, right down the street from the hotel. We grabbed a table and shared a plate of beignets and each had a cafe au lait. If you haven't had a beignet before, just think funnel cake :-)

BEIGNETS!

After that, Mike and I spent the afternoon wandering all through the quarter. We went to art galleries, thrift stores and upscale clothing stores. Everyone was amazingly friendly and chatty - we had a great time on our explorations. We also had to hit a few requisite places along the way. About noon, we went to Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop and each had a Pimms. I hadn't had Pimms since I was at Oxford, so that was a welcome treat. We sat in the window at the best table in the place. We watched the people go by and enjoyed the treat of a cool breeze.

Mike enjoying the French Quarter

Reflecting at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop

That evening, after the rest of our crew arrived at the hotel, we all got dressed up and grabbed a drink prior to the rehearsal dinner. We stopped by a local brewery and had a decent $8 beer.

The Duke Boys: Mike, Dave, Stefan and Brendan

Mike and I

After that, off to the rehearsal dinner - I didn't take any pics AT the dinner, but it was fantastic. We made some great new friends and enjoyed all the toasts and cheers to the couple. I know some people get bored with the various toasts, but I always find it moving and entertaining hearing from other people's perspectives about the couple. As none of us were ready to call it a night after the dinner, we went back to the hotel and changed to go out. It was recommended we check out a place on Frenchman Street called "d.b.a.", so we took the advice. AMAZING. The live music was beyond great.

Live music at d.b.a.

We headed out of there after 2am I think, and we crashed out for the evening. Well, I take that back - one brave group headed to Bourbon Street in search of food. Mike and I went to sleep! Next day, we were up and ready to wander some more. Brendan found a place called Petunia's that is supposed to have a great brunch/breakfast. We found the place and actually waited in line outside to get in, but it was well worth it. Saucy waiters (I ordered has browns with my omelette and the waiter told me no - I said please - he said no - I got no hashbrowns, and thankfully. The portion was so huge, I wouldn't have been able to touch the hashbrowns.)

Waiting for a table at Petunia's

After breakfast, more wandering. We went here and there, but the best stop was the hat store. I found THE hat. Oh, I love this hat. I had people stop me on the street and compliment me on this hat. I love you, awesome hat :-)

THE Hat

We of course had to make a stop at Pat O'Brien's for Hurricanes. Yumm.

Mike's Hurricane

After that, we took a breather for a bit as the big wedding was coming up that evening. Everyone rested for a while, then we got dressed up for the wedding.

Enjoying the wedding

The wedding was lovely, the reception was lovely, and we had a great time.

The full group of Duke boys (L to R):
Brendan, Dan, Dave, Matt, Mike and Stefan

The lovely couple, Matt and Kimberly

Leaving the reception at the New Orleans Country Club!

After we all made it back to the hotels, it was time to start the after party. Someone recommended taking over a table at the W Hotel's courtyard, so that's what we did. We brought drinks and snacks, and we hung out for a decent amount of time.

At the W (thanks for the photo, Winter!)

Several folks were ready to crash out after that, but many of us were not. So, we rallied the troops and headed off to Bourbon Street. I was having so much fun walking around and talking with friends that I didn't capture too much on film. But I did get a few things.

My other new hat and my new friend Megan

I think we finally made it back to the hotel about 3am. It was a loooooong evening. Mike and I promptly collapsed in bed, only to wake up the next morning to find Mike with the hangover from hell. Poor guy - it was the damn "Hand Grenade" at the end of the night that did him in. Dan, Brendan, Dave, Stefan and I headed off to breakfast and sadly left Mike behind to sleep a bit more and gain his strength. We put together a community doggy bag breakfast for him, but he wanted nothing to do with it when we presented it to him. Understandably so. We ended up spending a few hours just doing this:

High School Musical, Glengarry Glenross and Hilton songs - lovely

Eventually we roused ourselves to enjoy our last day in NOLA. We all jumped on the ferry to go over to Algiers, LA. It's a free boat trip, and the wind is welcome when dealing with hot New Orleans air. "Mardi Gras World" is in Algiers, and we sought it out. We found it, but they charge $17.95 admission. No thank you. We got popsicles instead and walked back to the boat.

Entrance to Mardi Gras World

By that time, Mike, Dave and I had to head to the airport. We said our goodbyes and left the city. It was a FANTASTIC trip. We met new people, we got to spend quality time with friends we hadn't seen in too long, and like so many weddings, we received a good dose of reaffirmation in love. It was a great 2.5 days - it seemed like a week. I am seriously in love with this city, and I look forward to going back as soon as possible!

Yoga in the Park - every Saturday

I received this over e-mail today, and I thought some of you may be interested. I think I may try to make this every once in a while!

...Yoga in the Park starts its 5th year on
May 24!!
in Durham Central Park,

at the Farmer’s Market

Come enjoy free yoga for the people, by the people.

Join us in a beautiful outdoor setting
Learn more about the ancient tradition of yoga
Explore flexibility, balance, and strength
Create a practice of inner peace
Help create a sustainable healthy community

when:
Saturday morning, 9:00 – 10:30ish am
through Saturday, Sept 6

where:
above the hill from the Durham Farmer's Market pavilion, across Roney Street and under the trees(same spot as the past four years)

who:
this class is taught by local teachers, volunteering their time. This means you'll have a different yoga experience each week!

please bring:
a towel or blanket and some water to drink

sponsored by:
The Scrap Exchange, stone circles, Cozy, the Resource Center for Women and Ministry in the South, and Durham Central Park

http://www.cs.duke.edu/~wheeler/YogaInThePark/

BIKE COMMUTER!

Today, I rode a bike to work. I still have in my possession Alivia's bike, so I decided I would participate in the commuter challenge we are having at work right now. The challenge is to commute in a different way to work - walk, bike, carpool, etc - rather than driving by yourself. There is a drawing for each person that completes the challenge, and that person could win a whole stack of "brownie points" good for redemption at local restaurants. Mike and I are off to New Orleans tomorrow morning, so today was my last day to participate in the challenge.

I warned my boss I was going to come in a bit early to avoid traffic, and I was probably going to take off a bit early for the same reason. He was totally supportive and even helped me plan a route to work. This morning, I got up about 7:15, showered and got ready for work. When you bike to work, getting ready is totally different. I wore workout pants and a t-shirt, packed up work clothes in my backpack, jammed my lunch in my backpack, and grabbed my wallet, cellphone and prox card to get in my building.

Then, I set out. Honestly, getting out of my neighborhood is one of the hardest parts. I managed to make my way to Chapel Hill Road, cross over to Anderson (HILLS), then onto Duke University Road. I then made my way into downtown. I only had to walk the bike twice. Once out of my neighborhood and once going up the big hill on Duke U road near the cemetery. My legs just couldn't take it. I made it to work in about 30 minutes. Yeah, that was a slow ride, but I did it.

A few observations:

1) Most people are friendly to bikes on the road.
2) ...but it is the 2 or 3 jerks that probably kill people.
3) You feel great when you start your workday.
4) Bring a brush or you will have bad hair all day, like me.
5) You feel very proud of yourself if this is something you don't normally do.
6) No more gym (unless you want to lift weights). Riding 10 miles a day is enough workout for me.

I will soon return Liv's bike to it's home, so I probably won't do this regularly. But I now know I CAN do it, and I just may consider getting my own bike!

Happy Race Day!

Just in case you aren't watching, the 92nd running of the Indy 500 is on right now. GO WATCH IT!!

We did it.

We made it through the Doughman. We really did it! I am SO proud of our whole team. I will write more later, as we are about to go celebrate for a bit, but I just had to share that we made it through. Fourteenth place, baby. Out of fourteen teams. And I am pumped :-)

Bizz-ee

Hello, loyal readers. Sorry I have been fairly MIA this week. There is a lot going on, so I have had little time to write. So, I decided to do a quick debriefing of what's going on here rather than right out details on one big event.

1) Trivia - I co-hosted trivia at the Joyce the past two weeks. Mike and I did the quiz last week (to fairly good reviews) and Lauren and I ran trivia this week with a women's themed quiz. Mostly everyone liked it (and had a great time) except one customer, a regular trivia player, came up afterwards and said, "The reason I like playing trivia at the Joyce is because it is really challenging. Some of your questions were just too easy." If that's the case, why didn't your team win? Anyway... It was fun to do, but I am ready to hand it back off to Kyle for a bit :-)

2) Durham Doughman - The cold bug has hit our team. Both Mike and Meredith are feeling crappy right now due to some sort of cold bug going around. Mike picked it up on the way back from a beach trip this weekend, and Meredith got it from somewhere in the world. They are both desperately trying to nurse themselves back to health before the race on Saturday. We have decided that worst case scenario, Lauren and I may both have to do two legs, or Lauren alone may have to do two legs. Let's hope not, but we will see.

3) Komen Race - I am still working on training. To be honest, I abandoned the Couch to 5K program, but I am still running at least 2 miles 3 days a week - the other 3 days I workout, I bike 10 miles on the stationary bike in prep for the Doughman. Tomorrow, I will actually attempt to do 2.25 miles. I need to add on a quarter of a mile per week from now til race day in hopes of making the full 5K without stopping.

4) Wedding planning - Mike and I have appointments to meet with two additional cake bakers in the next two weeks. One this Monday and one next Sunday. We also need to set up a tasting at Alivia's. Once Mike gets to feeling better, we will do that as Jason is ready to go.

5) Traveling to NOLA - Mike and I head to New Orleans next week from Thursday through Saturday to attend Matt and Kimberly's wedding. With next Monday being Memorial Day, I will only be at work Tuesday and Wednesday - and I have several million in loans that may close next week at work. Yikes!

6) SATC!!!!! - As I will miss opening day of the Sex and the City movie, I will be catching the very first showing on June 1. I am so excited!!!!

There's other stuff going on in the next two weeks, but that's all I can think of right now. I'll keep you posted!

TRIVIA TONIGHT

Hey, folks - I was in training all day today and will be all day tomorrow, but I wanted to drop in quickly and say that tonight at the Joyce, Lauren and I are hosting trivia. Hopefully the bad weather blows over because we have a great quiz ready to go!

5 Days to the Doughman

Saturday, May 24 is the Doughman. Luckily, wonderful and sweet Alivia (of Alivia's namesake fame) allowed me to borrow her bike for the event. I picked it up from her on Saturday, so Sunday I decided to practice the route. Let me also say, that Sunday was the first time EVER I have ridden on a street, or several streets, with traffic. Even as a kid, I stayed on side roads with no real traffic. This was the first time I ever rode a bike more than a quarter of a mile from my home. I went by myself, equipped with J.F.'s old bike helmet, a small backpack with my cell phone, some cash and a few band aids "just in case." I managed to finish the route, but it took me quite a while. Once I reached Nosh, I relaxed a bit, made a few phone calls, and then I decided to actually ride the bike back home rather than catch a ride. In total, I rode about 11 miles or so. And it was definitely not flat. Oh, the hills. ugh.

The highlights were seeing a deer, a snake and having bird shadows pace with up the street. It's a fun way to see nature. Just watch out for the cars. Wish me luck, folks.

TROIKA

At trivia on Tuesday, Kyle asked we pass out flyers for this event, and I thought I would do the same service here and spread the word. If you need something to do Friday, this is a great cause to support. I know I will be there. See details below:


Pin Projekt: Buy Art, Support Local Music
Recycled bowling pin art up for bid to benefit Durham's Troika Music Festival

DURHAM, N.C. – The fourth annual Pin Projekt fundraiser will be held on May 16, 2008 at the Broad Street Cafe at 7 p.m. to auction off artist-recycled bowling pins in support of the local Troika Music Festival. Pins are painted, decorated, carved, or even turned into household objects, like lamps. Each year, the Triangle community can look forward to unique works of art produced by distinguished artists and musicians. Kimya Dawson from the Juno soundtrack, local artist Jodi Hoover, and local musicians Maria Albani and Catherine Edgerton are just a few of the artists contributing pins for this year's auction. Of course, Pin Projekt would not be complete
without music by notable local musicians, including Nathan Oliver, Sweater Weather, Dylan Gilbert, and the Pox Family Singers. Pins may be purchased in-person during the auction on May 16th. There will be a five-dollar cover charge to attend Pin Projekt. With the support of sponsors, volunteers, and the Triangle community, the Troika Music Festival is able to continue sustaining cultural and economic development of the downtown Durham area. The Troika Music Festival is scheduled for November 6-8, 2008. Performance schedule and acts to be announced.

About The Troika Music Festival

The Troika Music Festival is a not-for-profit, grassroots live music
event designed to celebrate, support, and promote the thriving and
nationally recognized Triangle area music scene while showcasing and
stimulating the burgeoning artistic, commercial, and pedestrian
activity in Durham.

Bored this evening?

Then come on out to the James Joyce Irish Pub in Durham, for tonight Mike and I are hosting trivia! Our regular trivia maven Kyle is in New York for the day, so he asked Mike and me if we would like to do the quiz. We have worked hard on a good quiz for tonight, so come on out. You are sure to have a good time. And as the Joyce's shirts say, it's where you don't need to have a good time to have a drink. But really, with Mike at the mic, everyone is guaranteed a good evening!

DETAILS: Sign up for teams starts about 9:45pm - you can have up to 6 people on your team. No cheating - that means no phone calls, texts, wireless devices, etc - you have to hide the answers IN your head. The actual quiz will start about 10pm. The winner takes home a $75 bar tab to the Joyce. The losing team (with the lowest score) also takes home an awesome parting gift!

Graduation Photos

I graduated. I now have two degrees - both in the liberal arts. Professionally, it won't do much for me, but personally, it has changed my life. Not too much to say about graduation itself - it was a nice ceremony, and it was great to watch so many of my classmates receive their degrees. But, I think photos speak louder than words for occasions like this, so here we go:


Receiving my hood


All gradumated!


My girls and me! (We missed ya, Cookie!)


Me and my sweetie!


Happy graduation revelers


Darth Newman


Michelle and Tim, 2008 MALS grads


Neil and I at the Joyce


My girls and me, yet again!


The Churchkey Records crew (Kyle and Steve) and me

GRADUATION DAY!

By about 3:30pm today, I should be a "Master." Yay! Will post pics soon!

LOVED IT

Avenue Q was fantastic - utterly wonderful. Lauren and I enjoyed the show very much. And it was made even better by the lovely kir royals we sipped through each act! If you get the chance, go see this show. You will love it!

The Bad Idea Bears - by far, my favorites!

Princeton: I don't know what to do!
Good Idea Bear: Buy a whole case (of beer)!
Princeton: A case of beer? No... I can't get a whole case.
Good Idea Bear: But you're on a budget! You're wasting money in the long run if you don't buy in bulk!

A Night at the Theatre.......

...tonight is FINALLY...

YAY! I am so excited. Miss Laurenita will be joining me, and I am sure it will be lovely! I'll report on it for you tomorrow!

The Tower Climb at Duke Chapel

...all 248 steps....




I made it up there, and I made it down. But that climb is not for the weak. I have never considered myself claustrophobic until about halfway up that stone stairway only shoulder width across. Yikes. But the view was worth it!

Graduation Event #1: The Tower Climb at Duke Chapel

A graduation tradition for Dukies is to climb to the top of Duke Chapel. As I will be graduating this weekend, that means it's my turn. Tomorrow evening I, along with my fellow graduating professional and graduate school students, will make the climb to the top of the chapel and view the university and the city of Durham from above. I have my fingers crossed for good weather so I can capture a few photos. My buddy Tim, also graduating from MALS, and I will hopefully get to climb the tower together. It should be awesome, and hopefully later this week I will have some great photos.

PSA to Sex and the City Fans

Ready for the Sex and the City movie to open on May 30? Do you want to re-watch every episode before you go see the film? Oh, do I have a deal for you! If you want to purchase the full box set, I highly recommend you high-tail it to Best Buy or BestBuy.com and buy the set today. Normally priced just shy of $200, the full six seasons can be purchased for $109 this week at Best Buy! It is an AMAZING deal. I got mine yesterday! If they don't have it in the store, just order online - same price!!!! I watched all of Disc One yesterday - tonight, I will start Disc 2. WOO HOO!

It's official - I just got this e-mail...

From: Graduate Enrollment Services no-reply <grad-admissions@duke.edu>
Date: Fri, May 2, 2008 at 3:09 PM
Subject: Graduation Confirmation
To: ME@duke.edu

Dear Michelle,

Congratulations! You have completed all of the requirements for the AM degree in Liberal Studies at Duke University. The degree will be officially awarded on May 11, 2008. By now you should have received information from the Graduate School about the graduation ceremonies. Please be reminded to bring a picture ID with you if you plan to pick up your diploma in person after the commencement ceremonies.

For information about the Calendar of Events for Commencement Weekend May 9-11, 2008, please consult the University Marshal's web site at: http://www.duke.edu/web/graduation/graduate.html.

The staff of the Graduate School wishes you the very best in your future endeavors.

Ready to Race!

Today, I finally registered for the Triangle's Race for the Cure to be held on June 14, 2008 at Meredith College in Raleigh. I will be running in the Competitive Open 5K that will start at (gulp) 7:00am. It appears that I will have some company in the race - I believe Lauren will be participating, and Meredith may as well. I think this will be a great event for us to do together! I finished Week 5, Day 2 of training yesterday, so by June 14, running 3.2 miles should be no problem at all. I just want the race to be an enjoyable one and not miserable due to my inability to go the distance. Although we are entered in the Competitive division, the only competition I will be participating in is with myself. I want to finish and not feel like I want to fall over and die. But, by doing the competitive event, you get a timing chip to put on your shoe, so you eventually get a real race time to know how you did. Also, fewer people sign up for that race, so the road is a bit less crowded.

If you are interested in giving, please click HERE (or click on the picture above). When you get to the page, just click on "Support Michelle!" above the donations gauge. I set my initial fundraising goal at $200, and I would sincerely appreciate it if you help me get there. This is for a great cause. And if you can't contribute for whatever reason, on Saturday, June 14, just send some good vibes to all the runners and me!

Not much to report

Hi, all - nothing very exciting to report. I guess something exciting to me is that I have no plans this evening beyond the gym, so that means I get to watch TV and work on wedding stuff with Mike. Today is week 5, day 2 of 5K training. So far, so good.

I had a leftover faux chilidog for lunch. That was exciting, too. Maybe I shouldn't blog unless I have something exciting to report, eh?

I love Craigslist

For those of you who do not use Craigslist, you are missing out. Although in the past I have had one or two bad transactions (always as the seller, not the buyer), my recent Craigslist transactions have been wonderful.

For instance, today I drove out to Cary with Lauren at lunch. We went on this trek to pick up a cake stand that Mike and I will be using for our wedding cake. This cake stand, at Wilton.com retails for $69.99. On Amazon.com, it is listed at $118 (why so high, I have no idea) with three used stands for $60. I searched on the Raleigh/Durham craigslist yesterday only to find the exact same Wilson stand for..................................$15. Yes FIFTEEN DOLLARS. How amazing is that? I love you, Craigslist!!!!

And our awesome wedding cake, contracted for an amazing price that is far less than our cake budget (which was already very very low), will look amazing. $5000 wedding here we come - hell, we may even be UNDER budget. WOO HOO!

Our Doughman Route!!!

This is completely ripped from: http://doughman.giving.officelive.com/what.aspx


What the Racers Do


The Race Day will Start at Foster's where check in and the first eating stage will occur.
THIS IS MICHELLE'S LEG OF THE RACE - PAY NO MIND MICHELLE HASN'T RIDDEN A BIKE IN SEVERAL YEARS AND HAS NEVER RIDDEN IN A BIKE RACE!


After eating breakfast, racers will claim their bikes and proceed to the start of the ride.


Which goes down Francis Street.


After a few miles, racers will "tag" their teammate in the lower Nosh parking lot - where bikes can be collected.


The second racer proceeds up to Nosh where they will be eating a sandwich and side.
THIS IS LAUREN'S LEG OF THE RACE BECAUSE SHE IS AN AWESOME RUNNER!


Imaginary food is delicious.


After which racers will tackle the stairs up to Erwin Rd and run straight to...



We aren't sure what the beyond is yet, but the bbq sauces are good.



Waiting there will be the third racer
MIKE IS THE LUCKY CHILI DOG EATER AND POOL PADDLER!



Who will eat a non-imaginary chilidog and hush puppies



Then the racer will start running down Markham - coffee optional - towards Duke's Central Campus pool...



...Which we were assured would be open for race day. The third racer will paddle across the pool - floaties available (safety first!) - and tag the fourth racer...
MEREDITH IS RACER NUMBER FOUR AND THE CONSUMER OF CHEESE FRIES!



...who will run to Dain's Place and eat an order of bacon cheese fries and run to...



Locopops, where they will meet the rest of their team. Each team member will have to eat a special Seeds locopop before a team dash to the finish line at the...



Please take the opportunity after the finish to visit the Seeds DIG booth while you are down at the Market.
Remember, it's for the kids.

Beerfest - Yet another success

Beerfest was fantastic. Had a great time with Lauren, Tim, and Christie, as well as all of our other friends we met at the event. A beautiful day with some great beer and great company. Lovely.

HAPPY BEERFEST EVE!

BEERFEST IS TOMORROW! WOO HOO! Everyone have a lovely weekend - I know I will!

Training Update

Moping will now be put aside. Back to regular business.

The Couch to 5K training is going well. My endurance is increasing, I am keeping a good speed, and I can already tell my body is reaping the benefits even after only 4 weeks. Here is where I am in the process (click on photo for a larger view):

The Komen Race isn't til June, but I think I have found something to keep me occupied about a month before then.....and I won't be alone. Today, I registered a team to compete in the first annual Durham Doughboy Challenge. Read all about it here: http://doughman.giving.officelive.com/default.aspx

On May 24, Lauren, Meredith, Mike and I will compete in this combination triathlon/competitive eating event!!! We will each take a leg of the race - a bike ride, a long run, a water event, and a shortened run - and we will all have our own restaurant as part of the eating challenge. This is going to be a wild ride!!!!

Gloomy

It's the weather, and it's my mood. It started with the Masters defense last week, it subsided a bit over the weekend, and it reared it's ugly head a few days ago - only to have taken up residence in my psyche. Gloomy. Sad. Dejected. Melancholy.

I do not like being in this type of mood. I have too much to be excited about in life at the moment. Saturday is Beer Fest for goodness sake! Wedding planning seems to be going well (there is some stuff I would like to see happen soon, but for the most part, things are on track). Mike and I have a trip planned to New Orleans next month to see Matt and Kim get married. I have completed one-third of my couch to 5K training, and I am still going strong!

But damn, what a slap to the ego can do to your mood. My confidence has been bruised. It will heal I have no doubt, but last Friday's events really did a number to me. I just hope it passes soon - there is too much fun stuff coming up to be in this kind of funk.

Happy Thoughts.

School - done. Now it is time to celebrate. And this week provides a couple of opportunities to do so! Wednesday is Duke's annual LDOC (Last Day of Classes). The line up this year is pretty decent - including performances by the Roots and Third Eye Blind. I've never seen the Roots live, so I am pretty pumped about that. And all of it is FREE on the campus quad. I will be heading over right after work with a box of wine in hand. It should be a lovely evening (as long as the weather holds out).

Then, Saturday is ------ RALEIGH BEERFEST! I am SO ready for this. After what happened last Friday, I plan in doing my final edits to the paper this week, submitting it to the graduate school, then celebrating like mad at Beerfest. SO. VERY. EXCITED.

Also, thanks to everyone who has been so supportive listening to me whine about what happened last Friday. I really really appreciate it. Talking about it helps me move past it - so thanks for listening.

Cleared for graduation

So, I had my MALS exit interview. At 2:30pm, while I was in the Whole Foods parking lot, having just bought a bottle of champagne to celebrate, my phone rings. "Michelle, we surely hope you are on your way. It's 2:30 now and your interview started at 2pm," said my program director. "You have got to be kidding me," I said. "I have had the exit interview on my calendar as 3pm since the day I scheduled it." Great. I checked back through e-mails yesterday and realized that yes, it was scheduled for 2pm, but for some unknown reason, I put it into my calendar as 3pm.

So, I screech into the parking lot and run in. They looked thrilled. I sat down, gave my apologies, and then the beating began. Honestly, I don't want to go into detail about the whole thing here. I still haven't processed what happened, and to be honest, I am still a bit angry and saddened by what happened in the one hour exit interview.

The end of the story is that I passed, and I was cleared for graduation. If you want to know the dirty details, feel free to ask me, but be prepared for a long winded rant on my part. And I'll probably cry.

My degree won't have an asterisk at the bottom saying "defense went badly," so it will all be fine. Thanks everyone for your support. I will do my final edits this week, drop all the books off to the library, and this paper will be put away for a long long time. Bye bye school, hello life.

MALS and me: A retrospective

Today I will complete the Masters of Arts in Liberal Studies program at Duke University. This has been a long road. I started in the fall of 2004 – and a lot has changed since then. I have traveled to Africa 7 or 8 times, got a divorce, became a vegetarian, went to Oxford, changed jobs, got engaged…..geez. My MALS experience has been one of tremendous change. I don’t think the two are necessarily linked, but I do know that the more I learned, the more questions I had about the world around me. And I didn’t just ask the questions, I also sought out answers. This has been a tumultuous journey to say the least.

When I started the program in the fall of 2004, I was a little over a year into my marriage, struggling to find a path to adulthood. My then husband and I were in a beautiful home in North Durham (which I just googled only to find the house is on Countrywide's foreclosure list - that hurts a bit inside), he was working as an engineer for the State, and I was working as an assistant to a former US Ambassador. My travel to South Africa had awakened a curiosity I had about the world, and MALS provided a forum to explore new avenues and have new experiences. It was a tough adjustment. I had class one night a week for about 3 hours, and I had a lot of reading and writing to do. It took a few semesters before I was able to find a good habit of actually doing the work I needed to do and having the life I wanted to have.

And I don’t think I found a comfortable balance – for any of it at all. When I think back to those days, all of my insides sink a bit. In my search for meaning, I behaved selfishly and lost quite a bit of control. My head was in a constant whirl. My then husband, and subsequently my marriage, was an unfortunate casualty of my need to find meaning in my life and direction in my world (the ex husband is still alive and well – he’s found his counterpart in the world and has a little one now – he escaped my craziness rather unscathed). Notice the use of the word “my, me and I” here. It was the time of “me” and I still have a lot of unresolved feelings about the pain I caused to others, specifically the ex-husband and also my Mom, during that time. Not too long after our two year wedding anniversary, my husband and I split. It was like the whole world was spinning so fast I couldn’t keep up. In less than a week’s time, I went from sleeping with my husband, two cats and my dog in a beautiful 3 bedroom house to sleeping on the couch of my best friend’s townhome. A week after that, I slept in a small one bedroom duplex, sans the dog (I still miss my Maggie dog oh so very much) and husband, crying a lot and drinking too much – trying to figure out what the hell was going on in my world.

All that time, MALS was still there. I continued classes – I never missed a semester, and I stayed on track to complete the degree as fast as I could. In class, I could ask questions and debate with my classmates to find answers. In a world where I could find no answers at all, it was comforting to be surrounded by people asking questions, too.

MALS gave me the continued connection to Duke as a student, which would become very important for me. The MALS community is a great one, and I have made some of the best friends I have ever had because of this program. I met my bestest buddy, Lauren on the first day of MALS. I met several other people who were very close to me for different periods – some have gone their own ways for various reasons, and there are others I met part of the way through who have become important to both Mike and I in our lives today. MALS helped me make North Carolina home.

As I became a more active student, I took the position of representative to Duke’s Graduate and Professional Student Council. As long as those meetings were, GPSC will always hold an important place in my heart. For if it was not for GPSC, my friend Jeremy would have not met Stefan who then in turn would not have introduced me to Mike. It’s an important part of my life puzzle. If you want to know that whole story, you can ask me in person.

MALS gave me the opportunity to study abroad, which was something I wanted to do in college, but I just didn’t have the funds. Therefore in the summer of 2006, I was lucky enough to have enough vacation time saved up and enough cash in the bank to hop on a plane to Oxford and study creative writing for a month. I learned I am NOT a creative writer – it was actually embarrassing to have to read my work in the same room with some of the amazing writers from all over the world with whom I shared class time.

In the midst of all this, in September of 2005, I met Mike for the first time. We developed a strong friendship, and in January of 2006, he made the first move. Oh, he was bold!! Since that time, we have been together and very, very happy.

Anyway, it will be strange for me to not have MALS in my life anymore. It has been a constant amidst all the questions and turmoil in my life over the past 3.5 years. But, I have new constants – I have the best girlfriends in the world – I am truly lucky. I am engaged to marry a wonderful man – silly, incredibly smart, sociable, and amazing. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love them some Mike Brady! I am ready to walk out of MALS and walk into the new life that is currently in production. A lot will change for Mike and me over the next year. In August, we will be married. In the fall, he will go onto the academic job market. Soon after that, if all goes to plan, Mike will have a job lined up somewhere and we will probably be plotting a move to a university that has so graciously opened its doors to Mike’s fantastic teaching abilities. And hopefully soon after that, if not while all this is happening, we will begin a family of our own.

MALS has been a roller coaster – but it’s time to get off this ride and for Mike and me to start building our own. Thank you, everyone, who has supported me through all the crazy events over the past few years. It has been one hell of a trip – but I’m already packed up and ready for the next one. Let’s go….

New Toy

Oh yes. She is beautiful. Shiny, sleek and oh so cool. Thanks to a fantastic tech allowance at work, this new piece of technology is my quick access to the internet and e-mail when I am away from my desk. The unfortunate part of the story is that since the device is not technically supported by my workplace, they won't upgrade my desktop to XP - hence I can't sync my device with my Outlook. But, I can at least check my schedule and work e-mail from the web client. I must also give massive thanks to Mike for staying up a long time last night and making the wifi work. It was a tough job, but he got it done, and it is awesome!

Couch to 5K update

For those interested, I am now on Week 3, Day 2. I have stuck to it so far!

NC Early Voting Starts Tomorrow

EARLY VOTING starts THIS THURSDAY, April 17th! You can find the one-stop early voting site for your county with the following link:

http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/content.aspx?id=17

IMPORTANT VOTING INFORMATION:

- You can vote as long as you will be 18 by the Nov. election
- You can vote in the Democratic primary if you are registered as a Democrat *OR* Unaffiliated
- You are not allowed to vote in more than one state's primary, so if you have already voted, do not attempt to repeat.

- NOT REGISTERED?
- NEVER VOTED BEFORE?
- NOT REGISTERED AT YOUR CURRENT ADDRESS?

---> YOU CAN STILL VOTE EARLY! Just update your registration information at the one-stop early voting location.

EARLY VOTING IS FROM APRIL 17 - MAY 3

Some photos and a countdown

FRIDAY. Friday is the end of the road. At 3pm eastern standard time, I will sit down at a small cafe table in the GLS House and have my MALS exit interview. From what I have heard, this process goes about 30 minutes or so. So, by 4pm at the latest, I should have clearance for graduation. If not, oh geez. But let's just assume this will all go well. Let the countdown begin......

Now, in early celebration, Mike and I had an excellent time in Hickory, NC this weekend for the Hickory Hops Beer Festival. The selection of beers was absolutely fantastic - it was just as great as the BeerFest in Durham and Raleigh. Less of an international feel, but it was great to have so many local beers. One major comment for the planners though - HAVE FOOD AVAILABLE. A 6 hour beer festival lacking even ONE food vendor is a major event faux pas. There were a couple local restaurants within walking distance, but they were pretty much "sit down" in nature and not conducive to festival fare. Next year, have some food booths, folks!

To end on a high note for my review of Hickory Hops, I thought I would give my award for the #1 beer at the festival. Out of all the beers I tasted on Saturday, one was beyond awesome (and Meredith agrees with me here). The Pisgah Solstice was just wonderful. It is high gravity and Belgian style, but words just don't do this beer justice. Fantastic find. It's only available in Asheville, Black Mountain and Spindale, NC - so if you are ever in one of these three cities, have a glass of Pisgah!


Okay folks, I know you love photos. So here are some from this weekend - enjoy!!!

Davidson Boys - Andy, Taylor, Alex, Matthew and Mike in front!

Meredith and I after we got "lei'd"

Gangsta Matt and Gangsta Mike

Happy Beerfesters!

All ready for April 26 in Raleigh, baby!