Throwback Thursday - The Christmas Edition

Going a bit off course this week. Here's your throwback photo, but this isn't me. It's my Mom.

Because hubs and I live in Ohio while my family resides in Texas (and his in Florida), it isn't always possible to get home for the holidays. Between me in a new job (and not having any vacation time), and the extraordinary cost for travel (plane tickets, hotel room, rental car, etc), hubs and I opted to stay home for Christmas this year. We haven't had a Christmas day in our home yet, so this will be lovely yet tinged with that feeling of homesickness that rears its head (especially around the holidays). It's hard for all of our parents, and it's hard for us too. Unfortunately, it's one of those rough adult things we just have to deal with.

In its stead, please dear Parents, know we love you and miss you. I'm sorry we can't be there, but in a way we are.

Sending our love from Ohio,

M&M

So this is what Christmas feels like

I grew up in the South. Twenty plus years in Texas, then almost a decade in North Carolina. It's often tough to get in the "Christmas spirit" when it's 80 degrees outside. I have no idea how my buddies in the Southern Hemisphere do it!

This weekend has been a perfect "Christmas-time" weekend here in Ohio. Friday night was the Christmas extravaganza drag show at Axis in Columbus. A former co-worker of mine is a fabulous drag queen, and we went to see the holiday show. Fan-tab-ulous.

Saturday our new furniture arrived. "LOVE" does not even begin to explain what I feel about this furniture. It's hubs and my first ever REAL furniture that has not been either purchased at a thrift store or reclaimed from a dumpster. Really. And I love this stuff. It was like Santa showed up a few weeks early.

Hubs hanging out in the chaise reading the owner's manual for the new sweet-ass furniture

This morning, I got up to go to run club only to receive an email that due to inclement weather, we would be shifting the run to inside the gym (i.e. treadmills). Ummm, no thank you. I put all my stuff down and ran from my house. What inclement weather? You mean the rain and 29 degree temps? Eh, it will be fine. And it was - but by the time I got home and stripped down, my entire body looked like I had a major sunburn. The skin was ummmm, a tad chilly. But I got in 5.8 miles before the snow started. Although I kind of think it would have been pretty sweet to have the rain shift to snow in mid run. Maybe later in the winter :-)

When I got home, hubs and I started a fire in the fireplace, turned on the Christmas tunes, and we got to baking and decorating. Here's the fruit of our labors.

Merry, Merry all. Whether it's Christmas, Hanukkah, The End of the Year, Snow, Heat, whatever. Just Merry, Merry :-)

Made it through

We made it through the holidays unscathed. Visit from the mother in law went off pretty well, and our dog along with the two visiting dogs got along wonderfully. By the last day or so the doggie nerves were fried, but overall they did lovely.

We even managed to get some MAJOR shopping in. Not only did I get the hubs some super cool new professor clothes at Black Friday sales, we also put in furniture orders for both our living room and our media room. The media room furniture will be delivered this week - the living room stuff will be here *hopefully* by the end of the year. I've never bought "real" furniture before, so this is pretty awesome. I can't wait to see it all set up. I will provide before and after photos once we have everything to set up.

I figured I would provide a super quick race report for Thursday, too. Well, as much reporting as one can provide for a 5K anyway.

I was worried at first that we may have a cold and rainy run. It rained like cats and dogs all the night before and even a bit that morning. Luckily, the rain dried up by the 9:30am start time. Turns out over 1000 people showed up for the Granville Turkey Trot this year. Even with the cold temps and gray skies!! I met my new running buddy J at the start. We were both going for the sub 30 minute finish.

Once the start gun went off, we wandered up with the masses to get up to the start mat. Once we crossed the mat, we were off. Like any 5K, there is a lot of dodging back and forth for that first mile. Around the walkers, the dogs, the strollers. I don't mind - it makes me feel fast :-)

We were going at a nice clip, but I felt great. J was sticking with me, and we were pushing through. We hit the halfway point and I started to lose J. We decided at the start line that today was "goal day", so if anyone felt held back by the other, you push on ahead. All that mattered today was the time. Every (wo)man for himself.

Reluctantly, I put on the gas. I was feeling great with less than half the way to go, so I tried to take it up a notch. I'm not used to being in the front half of the pack for any race, and that alone helped propel me along. With about .2 miles left of the race, you start on a very gradual uphill back into town. I was starting to feel it a bit, but I knew how I close I was. I didn't have a clock on me, but I knew by how I felt that I was on the right track to hit my goal. With less than a tenth of a mile to go and the finish line in sight, I spotted my hubs. I said "I have to do it! I'm going to get it!" To which he replied "Let's go! You are at 28 minutes!" And he started to run in with me. He ran with me :-) I found some extra push I didn't know I had. We split right up to the line, and I crossed the finish. I forgot to even look at the clock. I knew it was 28 something, but I really didn't care beyond that.

Hubs greeted me with a huge hug. I know he was proud - he knew how much I wanted this. It was so special to have him run with me those last hundred feet or so. It was a different feeling to have him right there with me. I wish his ol' broken ankle injury would fully disappear so he could run with me more often.

Once I got home, I stalked the race website relentlessly to get my final time. 28:07. Amazing. It was a great Turk'y Day.

Happy Turk'y Day!

Turk'y? Yep. You read it right. We veggie folks have to go alternative for this festive culinary holiday, and my fake meat of choice is the Quorn Turk'y Roll. Call it full of additives, chemicals and stuff you can't pronounce - but chances are, your chemically laden turkey has some scary stuff in it too. So no comments from the peanut gallery :-)

With that being said, I feel like I have the obligation and the desire to do a quick "things I am thankful for" piece today. Some are serious. Some are silly. But I'm thankful to have both silly and serious to be thankful for :-)

1) I am thankful to have a job that challenges me and colleagues who make me laugh and think. This time last year I was waiting tables. WAITING TABLES.

2) This may be debatable to some, but I am thankful for the changemakers holding public office. I am so proud of President Obama and the agenda he is striving to accomplish. I'm not one of the antsy Dems saying "come on - why isn't everything fixed???" One person cannot change the basics of a country's economy in two years. But I feel we are moving down the right path. I'm thankful that more people will be getting health care, especially. So, yeah, I'm thankful for President Obama :-)

3) I am thankful for my health and the health of my family. As far as I know, my fam and I are doing pretty well this year. I know of several people in my life who have ailing family members and friends. For now, I am grateful we are all holding steady.

4) I am thankful for my husband who supports me in my training endeavors and my penchant for buying things at random off bonktown.com and registering for races on a whim at active.com. Thank you for supporting me, hubs.

5) I am thankful for four wonderful pets who make me smile every day. I love you Buddy, Scout, Allie and Betsy!

6) I am thankful for beautiful home that not only shelters us, but makes us smile every time we come up the driveway.

7) I am thankful for our healthy financial status. I am so lucky that we can pay all of our bills every month, save, and even go out to eat. Also, see #4 above. To not have "money stress" is truly a wonderful gift.

8) I am thankful for two cars that run wonderfully and allow us to travel where we need to go.

9) I am thankful for the friends that continue to inspire me to do better every day when it comes to running, swimming and biking. Without your support, I probably would have fallen off the fitness/tri wagon some time ago. Hell, I may have never even boarded it at all! This is an amazing journey - and it is in large part due to the influence of others. I'm grateful the influence is such a good one.

10) I'm thankful for a good frame of mind. I'm in a pretty good place in my life, and I am so very thankful for that. There have been times when the sky has not been so bright, so I am grateful every day for the smile I have on my face.

Happy Thanksgiving, ya'll.

PS - OH! I am also thankful for awesome blog giveaways, like the one "The Mighty Kovas" has going on over at Midwest Multisport Life at the moment. Go check it out :-)

Our Valentine's Day (and Running Log!)

We actually made somewhat of a plan for Valentine's Day. That plan was for me to run in the morning, come home and veg out, go to Alivia's for PoP's fundraiser then either hit Sitar for Indian food or pick up some pizza, pull out the foldaway bed on the couch and watch a movie in sleepover style. The day started well (here's the running log part) - I met Meredith and Lauren at 9am to do our 5 mile run. We got going and the run went really well. I didn't time it, but we finished in under an hour. I am totally happy with that! No significant stop or walk breaks - just for one small calf lock up and the stoplight at Fayetteville - but those stops altogether were no more than a couple of minutes. We did it! We ran 5 miles! WOO HOO!!!!

Anyway, after a quick stop at Bull City Running to get fuel belts, I went back home. Mike was beyond sweet and surprised me with Dunkin Donuts, a box of chocolates, a freshly brewed pot of coffee and a beautiful Valentine's Day card. Still on a high from completing the five miles, it was an awesome morning! We then spent the rest of the day lounging. Love it. Mike eventually went to the gym himself, then it was time to get the evening started. We clean up and head to Alivia's. We have a couple glasses of wine there, hung out with some doggies, then finally decided it was time to go get some grub. We headed out towards Sitar.

As we were going down University in the Forest Hills area, Mike says, "Oh my gosh - that dog is going to get hit!" There was a large black and white dog running up University against traffic in the dark on a busy Saturday night. Mike pulls over and we both jump out and haul butt down the brush alongside University. A small break in traffic allowed us to jump in the road and corral the dog to the side. Thanks to some friendly drivers, we were able to safely catch the dog. I picked him up - and oh goodness. This was a big dog - but he only weighed 40-50 pounds. He should have been 90. He went limp in my arms when I held him. We got him back to the car and knew our Valentine's plans had changed.


We got him home and brought him up to the guest bedroom. We put down a comforter and Mike took off for Harris Teeter to get some dog food. I made the doggie comfy and searched him for any sign of identification. Nothing. No collar. He was wearing a handkerchief, but that was it. When Mike got back, doggie got a big bowl of food. He inhaled it. The poor guy was so thin. He was so sweet and docile we thought he was someone's pet, but his thin frame made us think he had been out and about for some time.

Doggie hanging out in the guest room

With our plans now derailed, Mike made a run to Little Cesars and picked us up come cheapie pizza and breadsticks. Once he was home, we left doggie to rest and proceeded with our sleepover/movie plan. We popped in Hellboy 2 and collapsed onto the bed. After pizza time, we decided that doggie may like some TV time. While the kitties were none too happy to have a huge dog in the room with them, we kept the peace and the doggie curled up at the end of the bed and slept.

Sunday was a good day. I posted a photo and ad on craigslist hoping we could find the dog's owner. We knew we would have to take the dog to the pound Monday morning (we couldn't keep a huge dog like that with no yard and three kitties in the house), and neither Mike or myself was looking forward to that possibility. After a lunch date with the girls, I swung by Five Guys to get a burger and fries for Mike. I got a dry hamburger for doggie, too. But after being home for only a short time, Mike got a call. Mike had alerted Brendan, a friend who lives in Forest Hills, to send out a memo on their neighborhood listserv. Mike got a call from a woman in the neighborhood who had just talked to someone that morning who said they had lost a dog.

We made our way over and were thrilled to reunite the dog with its owner. The thin dog was actually over 10 years old and was battling cancer. The previous year, it had a parasitic infection that took the doctors a long time to get under control. Between those two things, the weight of the dog dramatically decreased. While he was still happy, he was old and thin. When we found him, he was on his way to the park. Evidently this wasn't the first time the dog had made his escape. The lady tried to give us a reward, but we told her no thanks - it was a big enough reward to have the dog at home where he belonged.

Mike and I were both happy that this doggie ended up having a lovely Valentine's Day at our house. It wasn't in our plan for the day, but hey, we had pizza, a sleepover and a special guest who was spoiled rotten for an evening in Casa de Brady.

New Year's Eve 2008

I actually took a half day off work on Tuesday and all day on Wednesday because I got a cold. I rested, rested, rested, and thanks to Mucinex and some other random cold medicine, I was able to follow through with the last minute NYE party hosting Mike and I had agreed to Monday night. I am so glad I was able to muster up the energy to party with our friends. It was an absolutely fantastic evening! Here are a few photos to prove it!

Neil, me and Cookie with Lauren giving the bunny ears!

Hottie Mer!

Dance party with my girls...Cookie, Lauren, Mer and Lesa

My gorgeous husband and me ringing in the new year!

2009 is going to rock.

And if you are interested, here's a more complete collection of party photos. Enjoy!

Our holidays

We had a great holiday weekend. Christmas Day was relaxing and laid back - fantastic. The holiday weekend was also a blast, as Amy, Ed, Ellis and Owen came to visit us from Atlanta. We ate out at a few favorite places and even made a trip to the North Carolina Museum of Life and Science in North Durham. That museum is amazingly fun - for kiddos and grown ups alike! With that being said, I will let the photos tell the rest of the story. Happy holidays!

Happy Christmas Eve!

I am one of five people in my office at work today. I despise having no vacation time to spare. But until I get out of here, I need to keep myself busy. I have actually managed to near completion on a project that has been on my desk for a while, but I want to take a break and say HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all my readers.

Our plans this year are rather simple. I am going home this afternoon, I am going to clean, and Mike and I are beginning our own holiday traditions. We have decided on taco night for dinner - because to me, Taco Night is almost as exciting as Christmas anyway. We plan on watching a holiday movie or two (not sure what those will be - but I am going to suggest watching a Christmas episode of Arrested Development somewhere in there). Mike stayed up super late working on a paper due for a January conference, and he will hopefully be able to get that wrapped up before the taco night festivities begin.

Our Christmas day will also be rather low key. It will just be Mike and I for Christmas Day - although we may wander out Christmas evening if the fancy strikes us. This is Mike's first Christmas away from his Mom, which I know will be hard for both him and her. With my lack of vacation time, Mike's schedule with his paper and the insane amount of cost associated with travel, we had to stay put this year. It's also difficult when our families live so far from each other. I haven't been home in far too long, and Mike hasn't even been to Texas yet. It was hard to justify, even if I had the time off, to go to Florida over Texas. Mike's Mom is on her own, but my family hasn't had me home for Christmas in a couple of years. Tough decisions as a married couple, I tell ya. But it was decided that we would stay put in North Carolina and spend our first married Christmas together just the two of us. We are both sad that we won't be with our families, but we will be with each other - and that is wonderful all in itself.

We have a fun dinner planned for Christmas Day planned. Some yummy foods for the both us - nothing too crazy, just some warm comfort food. Mike wants some ham, I want some Quorn turkey roll again. Some cabbage casserole, mashed potatoes, rolls, some sort of veggie. I may make an apple crisp. That will be about it for us.

I think the most exciting thing about Christmas will be on December 26. Ed, Amy, Owen and Ellis are coming in from Atlanta to spend the weekend with us in D-town. We always love having a chance to spend time with them, so it is sure to be a great weekend. Next week though, it's back to the grind. With no vacation time, I'm working every day next week except New Year's Day.

Okay, I am going to finish up this project so I can get out of here a bit early today. HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE!!!!!

Twilight update: I finished New Moon last night and am starting Eclipse today. I ordered Breaking Dawn on Amazon and it will be delivered next week. Since I loved the books so much, I went ahead and bought Books 1 and 4 on Amazon yesterday in hard copy, and Mike got me book 3 in hard copy yesterday. I just need to Pick up Book 2 and I will have the full set. I have also started reading Midnight Sun, which is Twilight but from Edward's perspective. It is available online at www.stepheniemeyers.com. I'm hooked :-)

Finally, a holiday party!

As you read in my previous post about the incident surrounding the light decorated ficus in my office, you probably guessed that we don't have a holiday party. You are completely right in that. We have a kick off to the year party in January, but that's a ways off. In the meantime, it's just work as usual. Although I have found out that several teams around the office are having year end holiday dinners, etc. Why doesn't my team??? Anyway. Beyond Tim and Christy's holiday party a couple weeks ago, I have been to no other holiday parties. Which is a bummer. Cause I am a fan of both the holidays AND parties. Put them together, and BAM, guaranteed good time. Luckily this evening presents an opportunity for a holiday party! And YOU are invited, too!


The James Joyce is having a holiday party tonight. It's private from 8-10pm (just regulars and staff - yes, I am a regular :p ), but it opens up to the public at 10pm. If you are in Durham and looking for a good time, come on out!!!!

Holidaze 2008

The holidays are now in full swing. This Saturday, I walked in the Durham Holiday Parade with Mer, Lauren and other folks for the Coalition to Unchain Dogs. I felt like somewhat of a poser, as I have never personally helped build a fence or really do much of anything for the coalition except go to the benefits, buy t-shirts and blog about the cause. Wait, maybe that is *something* ;-)

We had a great time at the parade, then we headed over to Bull McCabe's for a drinkie. Lauren and I had plans to head to Cary for a holiday party, so we jumped in the car, grabbed some dinner at Schlotzsky's, then wandered off to the holiday party. We had a nice time at that - got some basic instructions in rally racing and welding. How many holidays parties that you attend have those kind of activities?? After the party, we headed back to Durham to hang with some folks a bit more. I was beat by 11pm, so it was time to call it a night and head back home.

Sunday though, Mike and I were up and moving about early. We headed over to a TROSA tree lot to pick up a Christmas tree. We found "the one" and brought it home to set up. After digging out all the ornaments, we decided to let the tree rest for a bit while we went on about our day. Mike had work to do on campus, and I had a few errands to run myself. But that evening, Mike and I mustered the energy to decorate the first Brady Christmas tree! Here are some pics to prove that all of the aforementioned events actually occurred. Enjoy! And HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Thanksgiving Recap

We had a lovely Thanksgiving. Lowkey and relaxing. Thursday was spent cooking from 7:30am through 3pm. The completion of the cooking meant it was time to eat. Thirty minutes later, both Mike and I were sound asleep. Afterwards, we hit Kyle's house for the ultra cool Thanksgiving after party. We met some cool new folks and chatted with old friends. I tell ya, it's like Rock N Roll holiday at Kyle's house any holiday. Thanksgiving was spent with members of the Dry Heathens, Red Collar and Rat Jackson. So trendy is that Mr. Kyle. Friday Mike and I both wandered out for a bit of shopping and hit a few good deals. Afterwards was the Beerfest at TBC. That was a good time. Back home to have more leftovers and rest. The rest of the weekend was spent around the house, running a few errands, and for me - a really nice run on Saturday afternoon and a long workout on Sunday. I have to work off all the turk'y I ate!!!! I'll let the pics do the rest of the talking. Enjoy!!!!

Giving Thanks

I like the way they look alive :-)

Cliche? No. Necessary, yes. Giving thanks, ya'll! My family used to go around the table before we ate and everyone had to say what they were thankful for. I always loved it. I was fine putting off the yummy food to hear what each person chose to discuss at the table. So, in that time honored tradition, and since I will not be with my parents or other extended family this year, I would like to give thanks here in an attempt to have that familial sharing.

I am thankful for my husband and our life together.
I am thankful that all my parents, Mom, Dad, Dad and Mama B, are all healthy.
I am thankful to have so many wonderful friends in Durham and throughout the world.
I am thankful for the love and forgiveness that has been shown to me by people this year when I did stupid things or for stupid/hurtful things done in the past.
I am thankful for having a job that allows me to serve my community while receiving a pretty darn nice pay check.
I am thankful that Mike got a job for next year so early in the season, thereby allowing him to enjoy the holidays a whole lot more.
I am thankful for my three wonderful kitties.
I am thankful that both my husband and I are healthy and happy.
I am thankful to be happy and content.
I am thankful for today and the promise of many wonderful tomorrows.

Oh yeah, and I am thankful for the Quorn Turk'y roll I get to have at Thanksgiving which will hopefully be super tasty and give me my "turkey fix"!!!!!

What are you thankful for this year?

Black Friday - but a lot better

So, I did promise Cookie I would hit a few of the "Black Friday" sales the day after Thanksgiving. I don't have much cash to spend, but I will accompany my friend if she wants to go. But, we do have to be back home in time for me to get a bit of rest and have some leftovers. Because this Friday is Beer Fest. I mean Black Friday. But actually, I MEAN BEER FEST!!!!

Click on the photo to see the ad larger!

PRESENTING, TRIANGLE BREWING COMPANY'S 2nd ANNUAL BLACK FRIDAY BEER FEST!!!!! The proceeds of this event will benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. $25 pre-sale gets you amazing NC cask beers and a buffet of food. According to TBC's blog, the beer line up so far is this:

Triangle Brewing Company: Bourbon Aged Abbey Dubbel & Habanero XPA
Duck-Rabbit Brewing Co.: Coffee Porter
Liberty Steakhouse & Brewing: IPA & Brown Ale
Carolina Brewery: Flagship IPA & Oatmeal Porter
Rock Bottom: Pumpkin Pie Ale
Ham's Restaurant and Brewery: Peg Leg Pale Ale
Foothills Brewing Co: Hopium IPA
Natty Green's: Old Town Brown
French Broad: Running Rebels ESB
Top of the Hill: TBA

There will also be draft beers from Carolina Brewing Company (IPA) in Holly Springs, Triangle Brewing Company, Rock Bottom in Charlotte, and Liberty in High Point, as well as various bottles from around the US and world. Happy Thanksgiving, indeed :-)

Arrrrrrr, matey - I be bloggin!

HAPPY "TALK LIKE A PIRATE" DAY!!!!

Durham MLK Events

This weekend, we celebrate the life and legacy of Rev Martin Luther King, Jr. Many of us have the day off on Monday, and I encourage each and every one of you out there - whether you are working or not, to take some time and reflect on the legacy of Dr. King and the work of others in the civil rights movement. If you are in Durham, there are several fantastic events going on around campus. Some are posted here:

January 20, 2008
Marian Wright Edelman to Speak at Duke's 2008 MLK Commemoration Time: 3:00 pm - Location: Duke Chapel - Duke University Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children's Defense Fund and civil rights lawyer, will be the keynote speaker at Duke University's 2008 Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. The event, which begins at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, in Duke Chapel, is free and open to the public. Parking is available in the Bryan Center parking garage; directions are available in the campus map.
January 21, 2008
Triangle Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Time: Times vary by project - Location: Locations vary by project The Triangle United Way has organized the Triangle Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. As one of the sponsors, Duke University invites all Duke Raleigh employees to participate. Volunteers are needed for a variety of community projects in Orange, Durham and Wake Counties on January 21. Visit www.trianglemlkdayofservice.org for a list of projects in your area. Pat Kramer, DRAH United Way Chair, and the DRAH Diversity Team would like to gather a group of DRAH volunteers to help out on a Wake County project.
African Children's Choir Time: 3:00 pm - Location: Page Auditorium The African Children's Choir performs throughout the world bringing hope and joy to everyone they meet while shining the spotlight on the plight of children in Africa. It is comprised of children ages seven to eleven. Each child in the Choir, has lost one or both parents to poverty or disease. The Choir members are ambassadors for all children in Africa who have become orphans because of the AIDS pandemic. They are their voice to the rest of the world.
Durham: A Self Portrait Time: 7:00 pm - Location: Griffith Film Theater "Durham: a Self-Portrait" is a documentary film on the history of one of the South?s most remarkable communities. The Durham story mirrors America's own amazing journey over the past century, in all its glory and vexation. It includes more than 70 original interviews, and rarely seen film and photo images, about the "real Durham." A city that has lived the American story of race and class, and just may once again have something to say about where we are going as a nation.
January 22, 2008
Martin Luther King Jr. Observance and Prayer Service Time: 11:30 a.m. - Location: Duke Raleigh Hospital Chapel Rev. Adrian Dixon will lead an observance and prayer service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
January 23, 2008
Million Meals Time: 6-8 pm, 8-10 pm - Location: North Carolina Central University This coming year on January 23rd Duke University, Durham Rotary Club, North Carolina Central University, and the international hunger relief agency Stop Hunger Now will be participating in the Million Meals project. We plan to have students from the universities work towards the goal of packaging 80,000 nourishing, dehydrated, rice-soy meals. The meals the volunteers package for Stop Hunger Now will then be sent to crisis-burdened areas and school lunch programs to feed children in developing countries such as Ghana, Bolivia, and Haiti.
January 24, 2008
Breaking the Cycle of Prejudice: Taking a Closer Look at Discrimination, Prejudice & Stereotypes Time: 12:00 Noon - Location: Room 144 - Trent Drive Hall Conference Room On April 5, 1968, the day after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. third grade school teacher Jane Elliot decided to change her lesson plan, and changed the lives of her all white third graders forever. In response to Dr. King's assassination, this teacher in a small, all-white Iowa town devised the controversial and startling "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes" experiment by dividing her third-grade class based on eye color and giving them a daring lesson in discrimination. Come view an excerpt of the powerful film "A Class Divided" that documents the experience of these third graders and the enduring impact that this simulation had on the student's lives. Judy Seidenstein, Duke's new Director of Diversity & Equity will facilitate a conversation on this "classic" diversity film and explore the impact of The Cycle of Prejudice by identifying the roots and relationships between discrimination, prejudice and stereotypes. Join the dialog and learn what you can do to help break the cycle of prejudice. Brown Bag Lunches Welcome. Space is limited. RSVP to Jean Toomer Friday, January 18, 2008 - 681-6435 or email jean.toomer@duke.edu
"4 Little Girls" Film Screening Time: 6 p.m. - Location: Schiciano Auditorium On a Birmingham Sunday morning, September 15, 1963, while attending Sunday school, four little girls were brutally murdered when a bomb ripped through the basement of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Dead were Addie Mae Collins (14), Carole Denise McNair (11), Cynthia Wesley (14) and Carole Rosamond Robertson (14). A terrorist attack, orchestrated by Robert "Dynamite Bob" Chambliss, the bombing was one in a series of racial attacks against Black people across the country, but one that had a tremendous impact on America. Told through the eyes of people who were there--survivors, witnesses, defenders and prosecutors, this account records a senseless act whose supporters once thought they would be able to put an end to integration in Birmingham. Instead, it fueled the movement further when it robbed 4 innocent children of their lives and their place in the world. Sponsored by the Black Graduate and Professional Students Association.

A Quick Update

Hello, everyone! Sorry it has been a while since I have posted any text, but the holidays provided a lot of time away from the computer, and since returning, there has been lots of work to do. Here's the quick rundown on the past few weeks:

I got sick around December 19 and ended up spending half days out of work the Thursday and Friday before Mike and I left for Tampa. I got a serious cold/flu bug that really knocked me out for the count. Mike and I still headed down to Tampa on Saturday, and unfortunately for Mike, he ended up doing all the driving on the way down since I was still feeling puny. We made the trip in about 12 hours - traffic was terrible between the SC and GA border, so we ended up in a parking lot for a while.

We had an enjoyable stay in Florida. The weather was nice and warm, and I am assuming it helped me in my healing. Christmas day was very nice - Santa was very gracious to Mike, Mama Brady and myself. I got some perfume (Ralph Lauren Pure Turquoise), some cool clothes (a fuzzy sweater and a velour track suit), as well as lots and lots of books (school and fun), gift cards and holiday decorations. Let's just say the car was probably more full on the way back to Durham than it was going to Florida. I missed being with my Mom and Dads, but it was also very nice to spend Christmas with Mike. It was difficult being away from him last year, and the year before I made the stupid decision to spend Christmas by myself in North Carolina (never again - I felt like it was some sort of price I needed to pay for separating from the ex - let me tell ya, Christmas by yourself in that circumstance was the loneliest feeling I have ever had....anyway).

We left Florida the morning of Friday, Dec 28 and headed to Atlanta to spend some time with Ed, Amy and Owen. I am so glad we decided to make this side trip. Mike and I had a wonderful time playing with Owen, and I think he enjoyed his time with "Uncle Mike and Aunt Michelle." It was also just as wonderful to spend quality time with Ed and Amy - chatting about the past and the exciting future (the arrival of the next Baby Grega!). We left with heavy hearts on Saturday morning, but we were soon cheered by a visit to Ikea. Mike and I managed to fill up the rest of the remaining space in the car with our Ikea finds, and we made the trip back to Durham.

Upon our arrival in Durham, we found that the kitties were VERY mad at us, and Scout had begun to use our bed as his personal litterbox. LOVELY. Luckily, everything was washed and repaired, but we learned one heck of a lesson on that one. It was back to work for the both of us on Monday, but luckily we had Kyle's awesome NYE party to look forward to (see the last post for pictures from that event). We had a great (and late) time at the party, getting home well into 2008 - about 4 hours into the New Year! January 1 was spent in recovery, and Mike and I both finished the work week.

Wrapping up this week was planning benchmarks for my Masters project. I have to have my final unbound draft turned in no later than April 8, 2008, and my exit interview is scheduled for April 18, 2008. That means I have about 13 weeks to crank out my Masters project. YIKES. That is scary. Hence, this weekend will be spent rearranging my office to be in the best shape possible for writing. From here on out, Sundays are dedicated to school. School and laundry. Trust me, that's not the ONLY day I will be working on the paper, but that will be the big chunk weekly that I will sit down to really crank some stuff out. Wish me luck.

That's it for now, folks. More photos from the trip coming soon - promise!

A Night at the Nasher

Last night was Duke's Arts & Sciences Holiday Party at the Nasher Museum. Lauren graciously invited me as her date. Here's the photo proof of our lovely evening. Enjoy! DISCLAIMER: NO ART WAS HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THESE PHOTOS

Some holiday pictures

Here are a few pics from 2007 holiday parties - Lauren and I are off to yet another one this evening at the Nasher Museum, so I am sure there will be more pics to come!!!

Thanksgiving Photos

Sorry these are a bit late, but here's a few photos from Thanksgiving this year. Enjoy!



Mike getting ready for parking lot football



Our Thanksgiving Table


Selena and Vicki in a Thanksgiving hug

Surprisngly enough, that's all the photos I have that are worth sharing!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING (eve)!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVE, EVERYONE!!

During this crazy time of travel and eating overload, I just wanted to take a minute and thank you all for reading my ramblings so often and adding to the discussion of a lot of topics. It's a real treat for me to write this stuff and know other people are reading it day after day.

This year, Mike and I will be staying in North Carolina for Thanksgiving and going over to our friends Ben and Alissa's house for dinner. It should be a grand gathering of a lot of our friends, and we will all be cooking a few dishes to share around the table. It is sad to not be with my traditional family for the holiday, but it is also quite fun to be spending this fun day with my non-traditional family. I will take plenty of pics and share them next week.

I doubt many people on Thursday will sign on to doing one of my favorite traditions of Thanksgiving - going around the table and having everyone say what they are thankful for. So, just in case that doesn't happen, I will provide my list here:

This year, 2007, I am thankful for the following:
- I am thankful that Mike is in my life and continues to make me smile and laugh every day - he makes each and every day in my life complete; I don't know what I would do without him.
- I am thankful that my family is happy and healthy - even though they are far away in Texas and Florida
- I am thankful for all the wonderful friends and family that I am surrounded by each and every day - I am honored to have the coolest, smartest, funniest and most caring friends in the whole world
- I am thankful for all the friends I don't get to see very often - in Texas, Georgia, Maryland, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Kansas, DC, North Carolina, South Africa, India, England, Greece, Ecuador (and all the other places slipping my mind at the moment) - I miss you all very much but am thankful for the technology which allows us to stay better connected
- I am thankful for new career opportunities, avenues in which to grow, and opportunities to better serve my community and the communities of others
- I am thankful for all the healthy babies born to my friends this year - I can think of at least 6 that arrived in this world this year - and if the genes worked out right, that means the addition of 6 more ultra cool people in this world - congratulations, parents, and welcome, little kiddos!
- I am thankful that my three kitties are taking very tiny baby steps every day to better live with each other
- I am thankful that this year has been rather free of any negativity - besides minor life annoyances, I have had a relatively stress free and productive year

That's it for now - it's not an exhaustive list, but it gets the point across. Feel free to post in comments what YOU are thankful for!!!

Have a great holiday, everyone!

Now, an ode to canned cranberries...


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