Lately

• I am set to end the week having answered the most tech support calls in the department. Go me!
• Comet was up at 3:30 hurling...but not just his usual one time. There was nothing for him to bring up. Poor baby. I think he might be working on a hairball. I hadn't been sleeping well anyway so I just got up and went online. Yay for buying memory cards on New Egg at 4 in the morning!
• I am not bringing my laptop to Australia so I want to make sure I don't run out of space on my camera. I should be set for 5,000 photos with 2 8GB cards. The one I bought this morning was actually a micro SD and included an adapter AND a USB reader for about 20 bucks. This is in stark contrast to the memory stick duo I was forced to purchase in Florence, Italy in 2004...128 MB for over $100. We have come so far.
• I have been listening to the audio book In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson on my drive to and from work lately. It is so enlightening and funny! I am beside myself with anticipation and excitement for my upcoming trip. It is going to be too fabulous for words. That I get to spend a few days in L.A. before and after is serious icing on the cake. I cannot wait for the Dario's buffet brunch...here I come, cheese enchiladas! And that I will have 3 solid weeks with my BFF Nicole is like a giant scoop of ice cream on top of that piece of iced cake!
• On Wednesday, I went to a "mixer" for the newly formed UCSD alumni chapter of the Triangle. We all unanimously agreed that there is NO good Mexican food to be found here.
• It is going to be in the 90's here this weekend. Yikes. I'm hoping to see the new Disney movie Earth. It should be quite the spectacle.
• At work, my manager is making having us read Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People. I find the book to be, for the most part, repugnant. It is an easy read and has many illustrative anecdotes, but it is basically a user manual for manipulating people. The author is always reinforcing that you must be genuine about this or that. If you genuinely cared about other people, you would not need a book to tell you how to get friends. And you certainly would not actively be seeking to influence them. My rancor towards this book has brought out a negative tone in me that I don't like. I've tried to just stay mum but now I am in charge of leading the (online) discussion. Hmph.
• Oh, I never did write about Easter, did I? I was originally going to be in Washington, DC but that fell through, so I ended up picking up Cassidy and having her Thursday and Friday night. Friday we went to Pullen Park here in Raleigh and she had so much fun riding the train, the boats, and the carousel.

Friday evening we decorated Easter eggs.


Sunday was the Easter egg hunt...of the plastic, candy-filled variety, not the chicken embryo variety. I still get a rush when I see an egg peeking out from its hiding spot, even though I helped fill and hide them. That girl ended up with enough candy for 20 kids. We helped her eat it though. :)

Cutest child EVAH!

Cassidy's Third Birthday

Pardon my laziness. It's been two weeks, and I'm just now getting around to posting these pix. More at Flickr.

Could she BE any cuter?

Cassidy went on her first merry-go-round ride last weekend...I love this shot:


She's a pro at posing for the camera.

Cassidy's second birthday

She turned two on May 10, and we went to the zoo in Asheboro last Saturday. Huge with exhibits very far apart from each other. Didn't get to see it all because it started raining pouring. But we did see "the monkees," which was all the kids could talk about.




And of course there was cake after dinner.

Cliche Central: Easter and Tulips

I wish I had more to blog about. Nothing has seemed blog-worthy lately. Work is slooooow, and I haven't traveled anywhere. On the homefront, I'm still unpacking and getting things just so, in preparation for my housewarming party this coming Saturday.

Spring has been springing with a vengeance around here lately. I'm not particularly prone to allergies, but even my nose was itchy and sneezy and runny due to the insane amounts of pollen floating around. It makes for some mighty fine blooms, though:



Easter was fun. Matthew and his family came down for the weekend. I went over to my parents' house Saturday night and we filled and hid those little plastic eggs. Then Sunday morning the kids collected them. I'd say they hunted for them, but they were placed in such obvious locations, they were hard to miss. It was cute to see their reactions when they found one.


Cassidy is getting so big! She calls me Aunt Lissa now and is quite the show-off. Everything she does is motivated by your reaction. She loves being the center of attention--which, of course, she is when she is at grandma and grandpa's house! She is also NOT camera shy. When she sees one, she makes this funny, scrunchy face that garners lots of chuckles from the adults. I just hope she learns to smile normally for the camera, for the sake of her annual yearbook photos!


Layne's Easter basket had a cheerleader theme, so she and Cassidy were playing with the props on the screened porch:



I hope you all had a great Easter!

Christmas goings-on

It's not like I don't have anything to say--it has been quite an eventful week--but for some reason I have not been able to form a coherent blog post in my mind. Let's see, last Thursday was my office's potluck and gift exchange, which I organized. I woke up violently ill, but I'll spare you the gory details. I had no choice but to call in sick, which, because I have such fantastic coworkers, caused much concern and sympathy. I really felt miserable, but I dragged myself in for an hour just for the gift exchange. Everyone was so surprised and happy to see me. The president even gave me a hug, despite my germy-ness. The exchange went very well. Almost all the gifts were quality. The most coveted: $50 in scratcher lottery tickets. Other popular items were liquor-related, including a bottle of wine, noise cancelling headphones with a fifth of tequila taped to the package, and some sort of pumping device. I ended up with a fancy alarm clock, the kind with nature sounds and gradually brightening lights and aromatherapy. The lottery ticket recipient ended up winning 50 bucks. So I'd say the event was a big success. Everyone brought food, none of which looked or smelled appetizing to me. Giant platters of shrimp, huge mounds of ribs, salads, a cheeseball, cookies and candy, you name it.


I went home and immediately went back to bed, and did not rise until the next morning. Of course, spending nearly 24 hours lying down (most of it on my right side to help the tummy feel better) led to quite a backache, which was my main complaint on Friday, although my stomach was still not 100%. I barely ate--I tried some chicken soup but after a few bites it was just yucky. Around dinner time, the only thing that sounded good was a Jersey Mike's turkey sub, so I schlepped down the street in the rain to pick one up. Yummy! I felt much better the next morning (Saturday) but stayed home all day and took it easy. My biggest accomplishment was wrapping all the presents I'd accumulated over a few weeks' worth of shopping.

Christmas Eve I went to my parents' house where my brother and his family had already arrived. The commotion was the usual, with three little kids in various states of obedience and cheer, and a growing shepherd-mix puppy that wants nothing more than to play with my parents' three chihuahuas, who want nothing more than to be left alone. That evening we watched Little Miss Sunshine, which I still think is a funny movie, but which both my dad and my brother thought was lame. Bah humbug. Speaking of which, we also watched Scrooged, a modern classic.


Christmas morning I think I was the first to awaken, to the sound of a whimpering puppy who I thought would surely pee on the floor if she was not let outside. But of course, once she was downstairs, the other dogs woke up, and there was clashing, which woke others up, and then before you know it we're having breakfast and getting ready to open presents. Even though we tried to be a little more judicious this year in the volume department, there were still enough presents to open that we had to take three breaks.



Of course, everyone made out. I got a new external hard drive for my computer, as well as some super plush bath towels, a proof set, a car vac, memory cards for my camera, a Paris calendar, some Bath & Body Works stuff, and a couple things for Comet. The kids got toys and clothes galore, most of which they were not allowed to open because of all the tiny pieces that could get lost before they even get home. A couple things they did enjoy were the Aquadoodle mat, and the Speed Stackers cups.




For lunch we had a yummy casserole that had eggs, hash browns, cheese, and sausage. My version was made with southwestern Egg Beaters and textured vegetable protein, and some said it tasted even better than the "real" stuff. For dinner the carnivores feasted on giant slabs of prime rib,


while I had some mighty tasty turkey breast. Even hours later, we were too full to partake of the pie!

On my way out to the car, in the pitch black darkness, I stepped off the edge of my parents' driveway and twisted my ankle. Yowzers! I couldn't elevate it or ice it becuase I was driving home, and by the time I got home, I just wanted to go to bed. The next day I ended up wearing slippers to work because all I could do was hobble. I went to the doctor and she sent me for an xray, which thankfully came back negative. She recommended ice and elevation, of course, and a pull-on Ace bandage. I followed all three orders, and the best one of all was the Ace bandage. Man, with that thing on, I felt no pain! It was so cool. Today I was almost walking normal, which is such a huge relief, because my cruise is coming up very soon and the last thing you want when you're on vacation is to be hindered in some way.

There's more to tell, but I must be off to bed for my beauty rest. More soon, I promise.

I'm practically a celebrity...

I was walking out of Qdoba this afternoon, Queso Chicken Burrito in hand, when I heard someone call my name. I gave a only a half-hearted glance around, since I knew it most likely was not intended for me. I continued walking to my car, and someone called my name again. I looked in the direction of the sound, and saw this couple standing in the patio seating area of Qdoba. My mind raced, wondering who these people could possibly be. Someone I met through work? No. Through my knitting group? No. Someone from those game nights I used to go to? Nothing was ringing a bell. But I started walking over to them anyway, and the guy said, "You don't know us, but we follow your blog."

Holy cannoli, people!

Meet Kim and Chris from Massachusetts.


She initially found my blog by searching for a Trader Joe's in North Carolina, and then began reading all about our cross-country journey and my transition into Triangle life. She said that I became the face of NC for them, and I made it easier for them to move here! I don't think I could have gotten a higher compliment. I was so flattered--and flabbergasted! I mean, what are the chances that a) we would be in the same place at the same time, and b) that they would recognize me from photos on my blog?! I wish I could come up with something more eloquent, but all I can think of to say is, "How cool!!!"

We talked for about 20 minutes outside of Qdoba, about growth here, the weather (currently gorgeous), the job market, the housing market, etc. They live in Apex right now (Kim even said she thought of me when there was that big chemical explosion), and they're buying a house down in Holly Springs. During our conversation, they kept apologizing, I guess because they felt it would be kind of weird for me to talk to strangers who know so much about my life. But oddly, it wasn't weird at all. It was very fulfilling to meet poeple who actually found my blog helpful!

By the way, Trader Joe's opens tomorrow, and I'm going to be among the first in line. I've even told my boss I'll be in late. I drove by today and looked in the window...it looks all ready to go!

~ ~ ~

Thanksgiving was lovely. I went to my parents' house where we had the traditional meal and fixings.


Even the dogs got in on the holiday feasting.


We gathered 'round the television at 9 and watched a wrenching Grey's Anatomy. What a big mess! And when you think about it, it all comes down to Izzie. She had no way of knowing that cutting an L-vad wire would have this kind of domino effect, but if it weren't for her attempt to save Denny last season, Burke would not have gotten shot, he and Cristina would not have become an undercover "team," George would not have been forced to call in an outside doctor to perform his dad's surgery, and everyone's relationships would be less strained. In an indirect way, Izzie is even responsible for putting the Chief in a position where he cannot save his marriage. If Burke had never been forced to cover a hand tremor, he would be chief of surgery, but now the current Chief has no one to leave his post to, so he'll have to stay on.

~ ~ ~

While Thanksgiving dinner was cooking, we browsed the Black Friday ads and formed our plan of attack. We decided that Circuit City was the best place to go, so the next morning we got up at 4:15 am (!) to grab our bargains. (This was my first time attempting to brave the early-morning crowds.) We didn't get to the store until after it opened, but we managed to snag some of the things on our list. (I can't say what, exactly, because they're Christmas gifts!) It was a madhouse, though. I couldn't help but laugh, it was so crowded and people were running around all confused about where to find the advertised deals. I wonder what it was like when the doors opened. Watch out!

I have to tell you about how we managed to get two of our bargains. One was a really popular item that sold out in the first couple minutes the store was open, but I happened to spy one locked up in a glass case. Score! The other item was also gone within minutes, but while my dad waited in the incredibly l-o-n-g line, my mom and I walked around looking at other stuff in the store. I came across a guy who had like 12 of this desirable item in his hand. I looked at him, looked at his stash, and was about to say, "You know, there's a limit of 6 per person," but before I could open my mouth, he asked, "How many do you want?" Score again! A few minutes later I found another one sitting on a random shelf, and I was tempted to take it for myself, but I had already gotten enough, so I walked up and down one of the long lines and held it up asking if anybody wanted it. It was snatched in a heartbeat!

When we finally got through the line at Circuit City, it was only a little after 6, so we went to breakfast at Perkins. I love going out to breakfast! It's such a rare treat. Then we went to Tuesday Morning, which was a total bust (unlike last year where both my parents and I found tons of cool toys for the kids). We went to Kohl's next, and although all of their superbargains were gone, we did find a couple of cute outfits for the kids. Once again my poor dad got stuck waiting in the long line. What a trooper! When we got to the front, a kind person gave us a 15% off coupon so we got an even better discount! We made stops at A.C. Moore and Bed, Bath, and Beyond, but didn't make any purchases there. Lastly we went to JCPenney, where we knocked out a whole bunch of other things on our list, just in time for the noon deadline for Doorbuster specials.

I think I'm going to save my money and next year try for one of the LCD or plasma TV's. By then I'll have Time Warner cable, so I can get HD channels, which will be sweet! The bargains this year were incredible. Thousand-dollar sets for 500 bucks!

~ ~ ~

While I'm here let me just post a few random shots that have been lying around for a while.

This'll be a great shot to show Cassidy when she gets her license 15 years from now:


This was outside my bedroom window a few weeks ago. He's going to town on that pinecone!


What, you can't see him? How about now?

~ ~ ~

Man, I can't wait for someone in town to stock the Canon G7.


I think it's going to be my next camera. It has 6x optical zoom (twice as much as my current camera), fully manual everything, and image stabilization (so you can take pictures in low light without a flash). It's about twice as thick and twice as heavy as my current camera, but the photos will be about ten times better. It's a good compromise between what I have and a ginormous SLR, which would take awesome pictures, but would be too big to lug around. You can only get it online right now, which stinks, because I want to see and handle it before I shell out all that cash. Wolf Camera (aka Ritz) said they would order one for me, and if I don't like it I can return it on the spot, but they'll charge my credit card in the meantime. I doubt the problem will be that I don't want it...it'll be that I don't want to pay their full retail price when I can save over $120 and avoid sales tax by purchasing it online!

Catching up

So here's how it goes. Either there's nothing going on in my life, which means there's nothing to blog about. Or there are tons of things going on but I don't have time to blog about them. Either way, the blog gets neglected. Stinko. The current case is that I have tons to write about, but very little time or energy to spare. I've been burning the candle at both ends, as they say, and my life is suffering the consequences. Email goes unchecked. Blogs go unread. Cars go uninspected. Gifts go unfinished. Groceries go unbought. Where on earth does the time fly? Well, lately it has literally been spent flying. I've been on six flights in the last four days. Cah-razeey!

First I flew to Philly on Thursday morning--6:30 am flight = arrive at airport at 5:30 = leave home at 5:00 = get up at 4:00. Could there be a more ungodly hour? The upside: short wait at security, practically empty flight, no line at the car rental counter. Avis gave me a PT Cruiser which was very exciting for me because I love to try out different cars.


This one had an auxiliary jack where I could hook up my iPod. Of course I didn't have a cord with me, but $4.50 at Target and I was set. Oh, the sound is so much better than through the pitiful FM transmitter thingie.

I had about five hours to kill before my training, so I drove around. I crossed the Delaware/Pennsylvania border like eight times trying to snap a good photo of the "welcome to" signs, just because I could.



And hey, did you know there's no sales tax in Delaware? Sah-weet! After my training (which went fine) I met up with an old friend for dinner in Wilmington. We went to a chi-chi Italian restaurant. You can tell when I'm in a spontaneous mood because I'll order from the specials listed by the waiter rather than from the menu (oh yeah, I live on the edge). The appetizer was some mozzarella thing, and the waiter said if you like cheese you can't miss it. Well I lurrrrve cheese so I ordered it, but it was very disappointing. Yuck-o. For the entree the special was chicken ravioli, which was quite tasty, so that made up it a little. It was delightful to catch up with my friend, because we're both so busy we can never seem to find time to call each other up.
After dinner I drove up to my hotel where I was greeted at the front desk with, "Are you Melissa?" Seems I was the last one to check in for the night! I got settled in my room, which was adequate, and went to bed sooner rather than later. I did watch Grey's Anatomy though. Gotta get my McDreamy fix!

My training the next morning was at 8, and was located about half an hour away, so I had to get up pretty early. The training was not the greatest, because the district wanted their principals to use the system only for sending out emails, but they do not have any email addresses for parents yet. Plus they apparently had made all these policy decisions about when things would get updated and how, but without a strong knowledge of how the system works, which resulted in their decisions being inappropriate. But instead of accepting my offer to give some guidance, they just dismissed me in what felt like a bit of a dissatisfied huff. Well then.

Off I was to visit Crystal Cave. It was about 45 minutes away from the training, and the weather was drizzly and grey, with some fog in areas, but that made for some beautiful views.


Once again the Garmin got me to where I needed to go, but on a somewhat backroads path. Which is fine by me, because you get to see so much more that way. I even came across this giant pumpkin patch!


Driving to Crystal Cave, I was convinced it was going to be some little nothing roadside attraction, but when I pulled up there were several school busses there. The cave was discovered in 1871 and in my opinion a more accurate name would be Stalagmite Cave, but that doesn't have much of a ring to it. I went on the tour with an elementary school group, which wasn't all that bad. The kids were kinda cute in their enthusiasm, and they actually behaved really well. Before the tour, there's a "panning for gems" area where they were all so excited to find "gold" and "rubies" and the like in their bags of dirt.


The tour guide was obviously jaded, and he recited his lines like a reluctant third-grader quoting the Gettysburg Address. But the info was fascinating. It really takes so long for these mineral deposits to form. The drip, drip, drip from the cave ceiling creates stalactites up above, and when the water hits the ground it eventually builds up to create a stalagmite below.


When the two meet it's called a column, but it's very rare. There was one formation that was about four inches from meeting and the guide said it would take like 1200 years for them to join. Wowzers! One of the cool parts of the tour was when the guide turned out all the lights and there was just total darkness. Amazing to think that's what it looked like when the guys who discovered it first went inside. How did they ever realize what they'd found?

After one more training session Friday at 3, I headed for the airport. Now, while I was on the cave tour, some water dripped on my head, and the tour guide said that I would have a year of good luck. Well, that's a bunch of hooey because that night my flight was delayed, my wireless card stopped working so I couldn't even surf the internet at the airport while I waited, and then when I resorted to playing solitaire, I went through like five games straight before I could finally win. I finally got home around 11:30.

Saturday I got a massage and then went to my parents' house where my brother and his family were visiting. They brought their new puppy, Bubbles. She is very cute.


It was so sad to see her limping--I guess she fell off the bed and broke her leg so she had to have a rod inserted surgically. But she hobbled along on three legs without any problems. Being a puppy, she wanted to play, and kept optimistically nosing up to my parents' three chihuahuas, but they were having nothing of it. Lots of growling and yipping, but thank goodness no fighting. Little Cassidy got stung by a bee (what is it with her always getting sick or injured when she visits grandma and grandpa?) but rebounded rather well. She is such a ham. If you say, "Say cheese" to her, she makes the most adorable face where she wrinkles her nose and opens her lips to show all her teeth like a monkey does when it smiles. It's hilarious.


Sunday morning I got up early to go back to the airport, this time for a 9:30 flight to Cleveland. Alas, Southwest does not have a direct flight from Raleigh, so I had to layover in Baltimore, which meant an even longer travel time. But I brought along DVD's since I knew my wireless wasn't working right. I watched Click, with Adam Sandler. Perfect airplane/airport movie. It was very entertaining. Loved it. By the time I got settled into my hotel, it was 4 pm. I'd found several brochures of things I wanted to do, but they were all an hour away, and because it was late in the day, and a Sunday at that, nothing would have worked out. So I looked in the Garmin to see what was nearby. The Boulevard of 500 Flags sounded intriguing, and it was only 2 miles away. Off we go. This is what I found:


Okay, how about the Fairport Lighthouse? Good photo op, plus I get to touch Lake Erie. Kewl.




The foliage in Ohio was the most colorful I've seen. Beautiful and vibrant and abundant.


Although this pic was taken in PA, and it's pretty nice too.


On the way home from the lighthouse I saw a Gabriel Brothers, which my friend Amy recommended to me if I ever came across one in my travels. I checked it out and found it was like a Ross or TJ Maxx, but with even cheaper prices. I'm talking practically thrift store prices. Shirts for $2.99, jeans for $9.99. I got a couple turtleneck sweaters and the world's softest long-sleeved shirt. For dinner I decided on Smokey Bones (a BBQ place). Good call. The take out order was filled super fast and it was super delicious. Plus, apparently there's no tax on restaurant food in Ohio. Score.

Monday morning I awoke to snow on the ground.


Crap. Oh, crappity crap crap. I've never driven in snow! Holy cow. My plan if it ever snowed here in Raleigh was to call in sick. No can do in this situation. So I got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast (kick-butt buffet at the Comfort Inn in Wickliffe, Ohio, by the way). I called my boss and said, "Tell me everything you know about driving in the snow." Pump the brakes, don't follow closely, etc. Okay. Here goes. Turned out to be fine. No big deal at all. Of course, these people actually know what they're doing, because they live where it snows a lot. I bet if it snowed here there'd be a ton of accidents. Anyway, I made it to the training, and that one went well. On the way out I looked out the window and holy snowstorm, Batman, instead of melting, there was more! It was coming down like mad and there were at least two more inches on the ground. My car was even more covered than before! It was really quite a sight.


I was giddy with excitement because I'd never really seen snow falling that much. I'd seen the results of snow falling (i.e., day trip up to Frazier Park or a weekend in Big Bear) and I even lived in New Hampshire one fall and the last two weeks I was there it was snowy. But this was different somehow, maybe because it was a surprise. It was just so pretty.

Unfortunately I didn't have time to bask in the beauty because I had to hustle to my next appointment--this was the three-district training day. I drove not more than 20 miles south and suddenly there was no snow at all. Amazing. It took quite a while for the snow on my car to melt/fly off. The two trainings south of Cleveland went pretty well. The last one took place at an absolutely gorgeous high school. The view from the picture windows in the library was spectacular. Again, most colorful foliage ever. Although I will say we're doing pretty well ourselves here in NC:


After I finished up, it was back to the airport and onto a plane to Baltimore, then finally home to Raleigh. Made it home around 10:30. Can you say "exhausted"?