The Week in Review...

Some of the headlines I missed while playing on a boat:

• Cops killed in California - how sad.
• Crazy flooding in Minnesota (or somewhere up there)
• Jackson County (Oregon) unemployment rate nearing 13% (Translation: 14,000 without work)
• Jade Goody dies (a Perez note)
• Lance Armstrong falls off a bike (isn't he supposed to be a professional?)
• Matt Lauer does too (okay, this one I'll let slide)
• More teams leave the NCAA tourney
• Oregon State stays in the CBI

My turn: Some of the headlines you missed...

• Trac & Hay enjoyed pina coladas and Tequila sunrises (ick)
• Dad & I enjoyed rum 'n cokes (50/50 in equation)
• Everyone sustained a good sunburn, but me :)
• Met one lady who had just gotten engaged that day, proceeded to drink her celebration, and insta-friend everyone in the bathroom
• After eating 4-course dinners, we've all gained some weight (boo)
• I killed 2 books while underway (The Zombie Survival Handbook by Max Brooks, You Can Run, But You Can't Hide by Duane "Dog" Chapman)
• We ate at an undisclosed burger chain where they cut their own fries on site and their patties are never frozen. Twice.
• Dad hired a carpet cleaning company to do the house while we were gone, woops...we forgot to tell mom.
• I surprisingly didn't miss Jim...or Pam.
• I did miss wook.
• It took me 35 pages to get caught up on Perez.
• Dad & I killed a bottle of Sailor Jerry's in less than a week (hey people, it's not like we're wook & Andy - some credit, please)
• While there weren't any injuries, Trac did have a run-in with a Shuffleboard disc.
• Running on a treadmill...on a boat...isn't as easy as I thought.
• Our family put a serious dent into the Shirley Temple supplies.
• Let's not get started on Cabo (future post on that).
• Going up more than 5 flights of stairs about killed the group.
• I'm watching The Office right now, Michael Scott kills me.
• The only sunburn I got was on my left hand from holding my book (photographic evidence to come).
• The family only dropped Dramamine once - the last day.
• Do you know Michael Scott's suits are from Sears? (Sorry, sidetrack)
• My mom refrained from The Helmet the whole week away.
• It cost $.50 a text at sea. Sorry, I don't like you guys that much.
• I rewore a couple of my outfits to dinner - like I'll see any of these people again.

I'm sure there are things I've missed - but that's why this is a blog. Keep you knickers on, people.

Vacation Travels: Home Safely

Good afternoon troops.

I'm baaaaaaaaack.

Somehow a week without my lifeline wasn't that bad.

And I've already caught up on my blog reading.

But there's still Perez to tackle. I know, that's a lot.

But there is only thing wrong with being back.

There aren't any Cheerios in the house.

Code Red, people, Code Red.

Hiatus: Spring Break

Don't hate me because I'll be spending a week on a boat, hopefully not getting sea sick, avoiding sunburns at all cost, and hanging out with my family.


Hate me because...I'm still avoiding the real world. Yay.


We have 3 port calls. Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, y Mazatlan. I know...blah, blah, blah...don't travel in Mexico now. Whatever. What are you going to do when you've booked a cruise months in advance? I'm going to enjoy myself, that's what. Besides, when's the last time a cruise port call'd in Tijuana? Exactly. That's just eww.


I could possibly find an Internet cafe, but I doubt I will. No offense. But blogging while I'm on vacay isn't on the top of my list. Just realize that there will be plenty of posting when we returned (which should be Sunday, the 29th...or so). So until then, let's hope Mexico's weather is better than the weather we encountered in Hawaii, which was pure rain. Unadulterated Corvallis rain. So I guess, there's only room for improvement.


Caio!

Predictable Ashley...

So there seems to be some people out there who think they know me.

Well guess what...

You do.

It's technically 10am,...and I still haven't fully packed...showered...or finished my laundry.

Ya...some things don't change.

I don't know why I wait until the last minute. I guess I like the challenge. I feel so underpressure...it's fun. The only things I need is my passport, my swimsuit, and a book. I know you guys are thinking...omg, pasty...you need sunscreen too!! That's in the dad's suitcase. We're good to go.

So what am I doing now? Watching tv. Going to switch my laundry to the dryer. I'm making sure I have my mp3 charger. Crosswords. A book. I'll get my butt in the shower. Finish cleaning the downstairs. Etc.

When are we leaving? Not sure. It's up to my mom. Last I heard she's working a halfday, and then who knows if she's packed.

There has been a change in plans. We're not pit-stopping in Corvallis before we head out. Maybe on the way back. But that's not definite yet. Don't fear. There's a roadtrip planned sometime in April for you guys. Yay. There may be a fee though. Is it kitten season yet? :)

St. Patty's - Revisited...

What's better than green beer, bowling, and people watching?

Not hitting 100 at bowling, that's for sure. :(

The day started around 4pm, ish. I don't really remember. It was my dad, Stac, and I living up the Irish dream of drinking. We went from French to...Alaskan (by way of Andy Mew, just stick with me people).

1 - Courvesier taste test...not as awesome as I expected.
2 - Courvesier taste test again...just to make sure
3 - Grand Marnier taste test for Stacey (and a round to go around)

Hiatus: Run to the liquor store for more supplies.

4 - Duck Fart #1 (equal parts Kahlua, Bailey's, Canadian Whiskey)
5 - Duck Fart #2 on the rocks (even better...mmm)
6 - Killian's for me, Nurse Sapphire (Gin 'n Tonic) for my dad, Vodka Tonic for Stac
7 - Duck Fart for the road

Location Change: Lava Lanes bowling alley

8 - Green Great White (pint)...along with an awful game at bowling, but I did get a strike!

Location Change: Four Daughters Irish Pub (Taxi Service: Dial-Your-Dad Drunk Bus)

9 - Bushmills
10 - Bushmills

End of evening: Taco Bell run before heading home, in bed by Midnight.

The night was entertaining by the people watching at the last place. The dancing by this one gay guy who had more moves than Richard Simmon's and Justin Timberlake's love child was awesome. We couldn't take our eyes off him.

Happy Irish Heritage Day!

The Luck of the Irish...

There comes a time in life when you love your heritage.

Mine's today. Where else can I fit in with my red hair, natural talent for beer drinking, and enjoyment in singing Irish Pub songs? Happy St. Patty's day everyone.'

But first, a moment of silence for wook who starts class tomorrow. May he live vicariously through our personal entertainment. Amen.

With that said, my festivities were sightly dampened with the forgotten job that my dad has at 2pm. Everybody with me, "boo." But because I know that the bar scene will be littered with the run-off of Medford scum, I'm okay with staying in for the evening. Nothing a burger and some Guinness can't fix.

Unfortunately there won't be an Irish folk singer in the background. It'll be my mother complaining about how our celebration will be intruding on her packing for next week. Too bad I've already made my list and packed this past weekend. Looks like it's not my problem.

Oh, what's that...you're dehydrated?

Let me get your a drink. Guinness or Killian's?

Weekend Wrap Up...

So it's raining right now. I wish it weren't. But this means I have to start working on the bomb that's gone off downstairs. Between coming home from the East Coast after spending 29 days there, and the impending cruise which requires not winter clothes, all my clothes have spilled out from the suitcase, dresser, and storage unit unto the floor. You can barely see the carpet. It's disgusting. My dad's threatening to take away my Barbies if I don't clean it up soon.

I wish I could *poof* (like Mary Poppins) and have my stuff cleaned up for me.

Screw the trust fund now. I want magical powers.

The Time Will Come...

Dearest Beloved Laptop,

Our friendship has stood the test of time, the lengthy educational papers, the whimsical essays of intellect and antedote, the memorable purveying of Emode.com (which isn't even around anymore), Facebook, and MSN.com. But how does one move on?

It seems that we've grown apart in the past year. I've wanted to speed things up while you're more inclined toward the slow moving between pages and tasks. There are times when not even restarting our conversation will correct things. I just feel as if we're growing apart.

And it's not that I don't love you. Our love runs deep. But I think it's time for a change.

It's not you, it's me. I want more. I need more. I need someone who can keep up with my constant blogging, Twittering (which I'm totally jumping onto the bandwagon - I encourage others so I can continue my stalking obsessions), and future job search (because I'm going bored without something to do 40 hours a week).

While I've enjoyed our time together, I'll truly enjoy these last months we'll hold dear to each other. We've had a fun time. Although the deep bumps felt lately have been enough of a universal shake in my boots to help me come to realize our need for searching the sea for other fish.

I'll continue to work without you until we both can find great replacements.

I wish you nothing but the best in your future endeavors.

Thank you for all the memories.

Sincerely,

Ashley

Back to Oregon...

Yesterday was a long day. No doubt about it.

Wook and I stayed up the night before since we had to be out the door at 4am. And what's 4am after waking up at 10am (with 12 hours of sleep since wook was still recovering) and I fell asleep on the couch for an hour that afternoon? Child's play.

Flight to Chicago was quick. At least I think it was. I don't really remember. It's one of those puddle jumps that I zonked for maybe an hour. Missed the in-flight beverage, but that's okay.

Oh, Chicago. You kill me. As much as I love to avoid that void of all things timely, unfortunately Norfolk is a United hub also and Chicago just seems to be in the cards (unless I can book US Airlines from Frisco to Charlotte, etc.). But thank you for that 40 minute delay because we didn't have a plane. Knowing I had a 30 minute connect in Portland made me nervous. On the outside I was cool. But let's just say I wasn't hungry for that second PB&J I made.

At 12:30 I started wonder how far out we were from PDX. I was nervous. I was in Row 8, which is nice for a quick getaway...but how many elbows am I going to have to throw to get thru? Although I knew I had no responsibility for missing the flight, it would still suck to wait until 4:25pm to get the next flight to Medford. Where's the nearest bar in the terminal? I'm serious.

So we land at 12:45. Let's move people, let's move. There's still a little hope. "We've now reached PDX, the local time is "Hurry the hell up" (okay, that's what I was thinking), we'll be taxi-ing...blah blah blah." The time is still ticking away. 12:50. Good thing I have sneakers on so I can Jackie Joyner Kersey over these people. So as we finally get to our gate, the lady attendant makes an announcement.

"Due to some tight connections some passengers are facing. If you could please let them out first before you make your way out. The flight to Medford, they're holding for you."

NOOOO Wayyy!!! Really? That's me. Move it, people. No joke. There were people every 40 feet or so waving us on. I felt like I was running a marathon. The stripe to the finish line, oh so close. So walking as quickly as we could, all 10 or so of us made it aboard the sardine can of a plane to head home. Ya, we were like half the flight. I guess it pays to be from a small town where waiting an extra 5 minutes for the other half of the flight isn't so bad.

And as much as I want to relive the descent into Medford, let's not. It involves feeling the same way I did after I was talked onto California Screamin'. Let's just say I was a little green. "Don't puke...don't puke...don't puke."

Dr. WebMD will see you now...

What's better than having my first flight delayed so I get to stay an extra 2 days?

Not the minor case of food poisoning wook acquired during our venturing out to breakfast this morning after I got my flight rebooked for Tuesday.

The culprit: The Retro Dinner.  I'm putting blame on the eggs (he had a 3-egg omelet).  I had PANCAKES.  No symptoms here.

Wook's currently bunked up in his loft, in a half-stage of consciousness.  He's attempted to have a Coke.  Didn't work.  He took a nap on the sofa.  Went upstairs to sleep some more.  Came back down to vomit louder than an F-18 flyover.  Back upstairs.  Realized he did stink like I had said.  I brought up his deoderant.  We popped in some X-Files.  He fell asleep.  I'm making dinner.

So much for a fun night of homemade Qdoba/Chipotle/Senor Sams.  Oh well.  I'm making enough for lunch leftovers.  Hopefully he gets to enjoy some then.

Operation Return2Oregon: Stalled...

I'm starting to feel I'm becoming quite the salty traveler.

Today marks no exception.

Thanks to my handy-dandy updates from Orbitz to my cell phone, I find out my first flight is delayed.  No biggie.  I'm connecting in Chicago.  Land of one big ass airport, a butt ton of planes, and a cool dinosaur to stare at.  Easy peasy.  Wrong.

One flight to Chi-town has enough to screw the pooch for a lot of travels.  There were a couple guys trying to get to Frisco for business.  Some newlyweds.  Oh, and then there's me.  I'll call myself the Worldly Wanderer.  I don't really have a home.  I have a storage unit.  And I bounce from Place of Awesomeness to Place of Awesomeness.  Awesome, really (ya, I felt I needed to throw another awesome in there).

But let's not forget the retard behind me in line.  "Why is everyone waiting to check in?  Do they not know how to use a kiosk?  Hey (talking to his friend in line), be sure to take out your KY jelly from your carry-on.  It's more than 3 oz.  I'm just going to cut everyone to check in.  (He does then comes back).  Seriously, who waits till the morning of to buy plane tickets?"  Wow.

This guy never realized that a 45 minute delay kills that 45 minute connection you had for that next airport in your nation-hopping travel plans.  Apparently they never taught that in "How Not to be That Douche in Line at the Airport 101."

After a hefty wait in line to talk to a human, there was pleasant news at the counter.

"The next flight to leave Chicago [I'm assuming to leave somewhere near the vicinity of the West Coast] is 5:30pm."

Tonight?  Yes.  Tonight.  Spend all day wandering around a random airport?  Denver I can do.  New Belgium Brewery right off the Annex where United/Skywest flies.  Yes, please.

"Umm, I don't really want to spend all day there.  What about leaving here [Norfolk] tomorrow?"

"There are no flights out of Chicago until Tuesday."

"Okay, that works."

Weird look at me, like are you crazy lady...most people are irate at this point.

So I got the same flights I would have hit today had there been no delay, but instead I get an extra 2 days to play.  And the chance to sleep in a bed vs. an airplane to gain that hour of sleep lost.  I'll take it.

And luckily the guy at the counter was pretty funny.  Most people around me where worried about making their meetings, which I understand, but knew that it's out of their hands.  Ce la vie.  We'll try this again Tuesday.  I'm getting good at this delay stuff.  Medford at Christmas.  Denver at the same Christmas.  Snow storm at Sarah's (which was totally acceptable and awesome by the way - ya, another awesome).  Now this.  Whatever.  I'm cool.  And there's enough milk and Cheerios to hold me out for another week and a half should we run into problems.  But let's not.  I have a cruise to make.  And sunburns to avoid. 

Breaking Out...

What started as a text from my dad, "hey, can u call me?"...

Morphed into gall bladder removal surgery Wednesday morning...

Which will hopefully end in being Discharged this afternoon.  Yay.

Okay...how to make this as short as possible...

So my mom was admitted to the hospital (or horse-pistol as we call it) last Thursday, doctor's orders.  After some intense stomach pains and a round of tests, the doctor thought it best for her to check in so they could assess things further.  Back story: Back in 1981, or so, my mom's large intestine blew.  She got really sick.  Spent months in the horse-pistol.  One bitch of a visit.  

Anyways, the docs combined what was left of her large with her small intestine since that was the best that they could do.  Well apparently this suture site (connection thingy) shrunk down to 7mm in diameter (or something incredibly small that's not worth functioning - which they stretched back out).  This is the monkey that threw the wrench into this visit.

Well while in there, they found some gallstones.  No biggie.  However they didn't like the way the GB was looking.  Or acting.  Or MRI-ing.  Whatever you want to call it.  So they debated...to take, or not to take?  That is the question.

So with contemplative efforts with my mom, dad, and the doctors (including one who ran into the door the morning he was introducing himself to my mom - "Good morning, I'm DR. Blah-De-Blah, and I just ran into your door"), the verdict was to take it.  The consensus was a worried one for they felt if they left it in, and we're in the middle of our cruise when something was to happen, a Mexican hospital is the last place you'd want to be.

I called her yesterday, but she was so doped up it was funny.

My dad has a quick fire to do in Cave Junction, but he's hoping to get back in time to pick her 'drugged, 4-bullet-holed-stomach, probably lost 10 lbs' self from the hospital.

But not all is lost with her being in the hospital and me currently residing 2,400 miles away.  She said she's had a couple of cute male nurses, which always makes a hospital stay more worth while.  No one wants Gollum giving you your IV.  Sucky part for her was the tube up her nose then down her throat.  And the liquid diet she was on.  I asked if they were jello shots.  Unfortunately not.

My plan once I'm back in Medford (I leave Sunday) and she feels better: a pedi for her, mani for me (I just got mine down.  Thanks Best Friend Mark haha!).  "Perfect Nail, may I help you?"

The Big 1-9...

Last year as a teenager...woohoo!

The baby of the family is 2 years in sight of that infamous liver-loving birthday.

Can't wait.

Oh.  Well maybe I can.  I'll be like 27.  Yikes.

Good thing I'm already lying about my age.

Ashley: Book Nazi

Because I like to entertain people...

Unfortunately I didn't really mark alot off because I tend to not really like fiction.  I'm a historical fiction kinda girl, thus DaVinci Code (and The Historian).  Or biographies.  But mainly works of non-fiction because I tend to want to know more (like about Chernobyl...).  And only lately have I been able to get back into the zone of being able to read (i.e. in wook's room while he plays videogames).

So ya, I'm okay with not reading everything.  That and I haven't heard of some of 'em.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen x
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte x
4 Harry Potter - JK Rowling / (I just couldn't get into the magic...)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee x
6 The Bible x
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte x
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell x
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens (not yet...I have his Complete Works though)
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott x
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy x
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller (on the list)
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare x (snore...)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger / (I couldn't finish it...snore...)
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens x
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck x
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden x
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell x
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown x
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery / (again...slight snore...)
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen x
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tart
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold x
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville (Don't call me Ishmael...call me bored)
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath x (did you know her cousin is an Eng prof at OSU?)
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens x
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White x
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad x
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupéry
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole / (I tried...)
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare x
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl x
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

So once Easter has come and gone, I'll be reading Alison Weir's piece on Henry VIII and his 6 wives.  Why?  Cuz he was a badass.  "Oh, you're plotting to kill me...NEXT!"

The latest addition...

Back in the day, my brother got married.  Well back in that day, somehow (which baffles me because Registries are pretty easy to use), he and Mrs. Fields 2.0 received 2 CrockPots as gifts.

Well they didn't know what to do with 2, so they gave one to my dad to use.

Unfortunately for our family, we tend to still use items in the house that were original wedding gifts for my parents.  The microwave.  The crockpot.  The waffle maker.  The fondue pots (which are in my possession because I'm the cool one in the family who fondues).

So the other week I had my dad throw it in the mail to be sent back East because I was set on getting wook a CrockPot of his own.  And what was on wook's doorstep after he came to get me in Richmond?  Woohoo.  Isn't it beautiful?  And it was free (minus the small shipping charge)!

It would have come out sooner but I wasn't up for having it be in a household of 5 dudes in Florida.  I know how multiple dudes can trash possessions.  Therefore my holding out.  So now wook has a spanking new toy to play with.  And it's even electronic.  And metallic.  And no one to ruin it.

Blame it on the weather...

It was supposed to a short weekend invading the Beach of the McDaniel Kingdom.  Up to Richmond on Friday to swap out Aunt Bop into the McDaniel vehicle, down on Sunday evening.  Oh okay, twist my arm.  We'll arrange the swap on Monday so there's 2 full days of terrorizing the munchkins.  Works for me.

Well things didn't go that way.  Instead we got a SNOW DAY!!

This around 8:00am.  I heard Mark call someone about not coming in.  Plus I was hungry, so I was up.  So I ventured upstairs to scrounge for food.  After opening the drapes, I knew I wasn't going back to Norfolk then.

The first time I've ever seen someone use a snow shovel in person.  I'm from Medford.  We don't really do snow.  Look at how much snow there is, like up to the calf.  Crazy.


Just another shot down the other side of their street.  Thank you Uncle Sneaky for your lesbian gear I so graciously borrowed.

Sarah running to Walmart to get the kids some boots to go with their "snoots" (snowsuits) so we can tear up the mountain.  Okay, it was a hill.  Still, 3 stories worth.  Pretty awesome.  I had a blast and got way to into it while Braxton smiled the whole way down like it was a darn parade.  Kids.

Good thing I'm not actually Catholic...

I can't think of a darn thing that I would give up if I were to partake in the Lent festitivities.

Because of financial decisions made after college, and now with the psuedo-recent lacking of a job, I've cut back considerably on my vices/comforts/desires.  I no longer buy shoes on a whim unless there's an underlying need for them.  The last batch of shoes I bought were taken back because I realized I didn't actually need them.  Sad?  Yes.  For someone who once had like 75+ pairs of shoes in college, I believe I now hover around the 20 mark.  And I believe that includes the lesbian pairs, such as my beloved Chacos, hiking boots, etc.

I've kicked my "tall chai, extra hot, no foam" habit in the butt.  I'll have one every blue moon, but not to the variety I had in college.  I gave up drive-thru coffee after moving back to Medford because it was an easy way to save money.  And saving money was a good way to start my IRA and stash away cash to visit wook.

As of Christmas, I quit my fabulous nail appointments.  While I adored getting my nails done every 3 weeks, I wasn't willing to shell out the money with the lacking of a job on the horizon.  And yes, the nails did look awful while there were in the awkward grow-out phase.  Thankfully now, though, they've come along way and are doing quite well.

What other vices are there?

Well there's alcohol...and that's staying.  I mean, the beer quality isn't as spectacular as it is back home, so I usually settle for a vodka tonic with lemon.  And sometimes you just need a little liquid relaxation.

I've thought about going veg-head, but thankfully I met up with a naturalistic nutritionist at my hippie library who told me that because of my Northern European ancestry I'm really not made to go veg-head.  "Thank you."  Because I love steak.  Mmmm, steak.  And make it a New York.  Less fat. :)

I don't smoke, so that's out.

I do get my brows waxed, but that's a necessity.  Not a vice. :)

I don't gamble.

What if I don't collect anymore books for Lent?  Books are my absolute weakness.  I'll bring home 10 books from the Exchange even though I have plenty of books that haven't even been christened themselves yet.  Yes.  That'll be it.  I have to stick with what I've got.

Cheap?  Yes.  Both in creation and financially.  But you know what, I don't care.  Muahha.  

Just trying to do good...

During my unearthing of wook's not-fully-unpacked apartment, I've put together a small box (okay, it's a good medium box, probably 2'x2'x2') of possessions that are no longer used by wook/myself.  And now I'm getting tired of that box being stashed along side the wall just waiting to be taken away.

But good luck finding places where people can donate possessions to better assist those in need.

For the first time in my life, Medford actually wins in this competition.

Nearest St. Vincent - Woodbridge, just a bit outta my way.

Both Salvation Army/Goodwill are in Virginia Beach.  Really Norfolk?  You can't even compete...a little?

Medford has all three.  A large town of like 70,000+ people.  In the lower belly of Oregon.  Step it up, Norfolk.  Learn the way of donations.  Learn the way of helping people by getting rid of stuff you haven't used in years.  I know it took me awhile to finally get rid of my rollerblades (last used in 8th grade, donated...junior year...of college), but it's not like you've seen me spandex'd up out in Venice Beach.

So ya, wook and I are getting out today to...get outta the house.

Here's to bettering our chi, as well as playing around on Base looking for Ecos. :)

Home a la Wookie...

One of the tasks I've been meaning to tackle sooner, but I'll be honest, this city is kinda fun and I got distracted, is to document the living arrangement of a Downtown Wookie.  He's a block and a half from some serious sushi.  3 blocks to MacArthur Center (think a combo between the hoity-toity of Pioneer Square and the median environment of WA Square, but apparently it becomes Lloyd Center on Friday nights).  And a half a block to the market which carries organic items but fails to supply my Ecos laundry detergent.  Oh well, I can go elsewhere.

But without further adieu, and because wook was on Base working on paperwork, I was able to snapshot around the place and hopefully give you guys a good sense as to his digs.  If you fail to recall the layout which wook drew for me, click here.

This is his official entryway.  It's the way in which you come in from the parking garage.  Upon entering, the stairs up the loft are on your right, as well as the bathroom within the door on your right.  Notice the dogbutt coat hooks from IKEA?

A shot inside the bathroom...and it's lolely shower stall.  But don't worry, I still sit down in the shower (where I got that from, I haven't a clue).  Out of the picture is the sink area.  Sink, shmink.  Water vessel and a mirror with cupboards underneath.  Just close your eyes and imagine.

Looking down the stairwell from the loft.  Ya, I've missed that angled step a couple times.  But I've maintained a full set of teeth.  I did almost cough up a lung today as the water decided to divert down the wrong pipe.  Good thing wook was right next to me to help...too bad he was laughing at me.

Crazy mask acting as the guardian of the place.  There's a little table underneath him where I store my purse when I want it out of the way.  And we keep our stack of running shoes there.  Trying to be all athletic.  Riiiight.

Literally what you see at the top of the landing.  My mom doesn't believe that wook doesn't have walls for an actual bedroom.  It's nice because I can poke my head over at wook and ask what he wants for breakfast as opposed to yelling downstairs like a pair of Walmart-shopping, wife-beater-wearing, gold-toothed crazies.

Dresser.  Laundry closet.  Try learning how to use a front-loading washer for the first time.  It was like reading Chinese.  I was so confused.  But obviously it's the future of washers, so I need to get on the gravy train sometime.  But gosh.  I've never felt more like an idiot than have a guy explain laundry to me.

The kitchen which is directly below the bedroom.  Yes, that wook's wine collection on his fridge (mainly West Coast finds whether acquired in Napa or the Rogue Vally) and his bar on the left of the counter.  What's your poison?  No, really, we can make anything.

The view into the living room.  Yes, that large gap of wall is where the projector hits.  We're not crazy and looking as some sort of modern art.  "I call it...'Sterility'."  Look!  There's my little chair in the corner.  Next to all the good books. :)

A really dark shot of wook gaming it up.  I think it was Rome then.  But I get soo tired of hearing, "I've got the rockets!"  (Collin knows what I'm talking about).  Thankfully he switched to Rainbow (some Tom Clancy first-person shooter), so I get to hear people die.  No, I'm not twisted.

Yay, my chair!  So cute.  With a stolen newspaper on my armrest, and my Beaver scarf on the back.  It's so homey there.  The only bad thing is that it's very easy to slip into a nap while your feet are up.  I've done it.  Wook's been caught too.  

I was lazy in my chair with my feet up and thought you'd like to see what I see from my relaxed position.  This is usually where I'm at when wook makes dinner (we have an agreement, I make lunch, he makes dinner).  Thank you Joe Cady for the couch on loan.

And my shot of wook gaming it up.  He leans to the left so I can watch.  I'm a psuedo-nerd.  I don't have the hand-eye coordination required for these things.  Therefore I tell him to play games for me.  Especially FEAR 2.  The most I play are the games on MSN.  And Solitaire.

For the times I'm feeling extra lurker-ish.  A view out my window.  Yes, the dense Cambodian brush creates the perfect barrier between walkers and my warm self.  I swear, I've never felt such intensely cold wind.  Okay, maybe that one time up on the Gorge in January of 2008 (Kerb, when we went into Fred Meyer!).  It's like your bones are chattering.  I need to drink myself a sweater and a scarf before I venture out!

And the "Best Dad" Award goes to...

Long before I threw my sleep-deprived, cold self onto a plane that dark Tuesday morning in Medford, there was one man who's been the Keeper of the Cargo.  The Securer of the Sustenance.  The Provider of the Power.

And because of previous conversation revolving around myself, wook, and my intense need for Cheerios some 4.2 minutes after first cracking my eyes, that one man decided to prepare for Armageddon incase someone wasn't phased with the threats of a nuclear hunger strike.

So in the bottom of my checked luggage, in my Container Store shoe box (which houses my fabulous pair of Clarks), was a little ziploc baggy of The Good Stuff.  Little wheat halos.  Joy to my eyes.  Yes, picture quality is bad.  I was tired.  Slightly cranky from the delays.  A little happy from that beer that I just had.  The Post-It says, "who's the best dad?"

Wait?  How the hell did that get into my suitcase?

I swear my dad could be working for a drug cartel with that successful maneuver.  Damn, he's good.  I didn't even notice.  When did he get into my bag?  Where was I?  I swear I was buzzing around that luggage until sometime near 2am.  Is he a ninja?  A jedi?  Mr. Invisible?

Who knows, but I guess the next time I need Sudafed in the State of Oregon, I know who I'm hiring.

Weekend Overload...

What does a girl do who's invaded in on her boyfriend's dwelling after he's only been in the place for 2 weeks?

Completely move the boy in.

Wook's been 97% moved in since before and after SERE, but there were a few lingering boxes, bags, and duffels that were filled with stuff.

"Hey, what's in this?"

"I don't know, baby, I'll unpack them later."

Well I was on the motivation to not do anything job hunting.  I figure during the week, that'll be my project.  But weekends are a different story.  So I tackled the job of rifling through the heavy boxes in the closets, pinched one fingernail, discovered a whole array of clothing that wook hadn't seen in 3 years, found a sweatshirt of mine I thought got stolen at a party years ago, put together 3 loads of recycling, and have set aside books for a Book Exchange I found nearby.

I'd say pretty successful.

I've even orchestrated a box to go to some charity that hopefully I'll come across soon.  Some old clothes that haven't fit wook in years (from the high school era, people).  A couple shirts of mine that I don't want anymore.  Things like that.

I'd like to think that the closets are looking much better.  Obviously wook has to store his Box of Death (microwave) since his place comes with one, camping equipment, uniforms, etc.  But now I'd like to think that everything has a much better arrangement.  I'm still not done with the bookshelves, but that's a continuing project.  I have to feel the way the books look.  Call me crazy, I know.  But I did graduate with a BA in English.  You guys should have known.

Oh ya, let's get started with wook's "filing cabinet."  It's the bottom drawer of his desk that's completely littered with crap.  From nav charts, to CDs, to bank statements, to birthday cards, to power bills, to batteries, to I swear I found the grave of Jimmy Hoffa.  Thankfully I have the cajones to sort through all that crap and make wook's life somewhat easier.  I think half of the recycling load is old nav stuff that wook won't need any longer since he's conquered the transition to E-2.

And why did I want to stay in all day on Sunday subjecting myself to this stuff?

Because it was cold outside.  When it's cold, Ashley stays in.  Plain and simple.

Wook and I did mosey out to VB to meet up with McMorries and do some sushi.  Oh wait, nope...that restaurant was closed.  Ugh.  Okay, fine...I get outruled by Mc and Wook with PF Chang's.  Why don't I like PF Chang's?  Lo mein with pork is 1300 calories.  For one meal.  One flippin' meal.  That's why.

Any restaurant with the ugliness like that, i.e. Olive Garden breadsticks are 210 calories each!, I usually steer clear of.  One exception: one petite Bonsai burger, no tomato, ranch with my fries, please.  And that's the only exception.

So after that belly-busting experience, where do we go?  Costco.  

Why?  "Because we're Americans." - wook

Today's Agenda...

Costco.  Virginia Beach.  Harassing McMorries if she's game.

French Toast...Friday?

Indeed, I broke family tradition and decided to make french toast today because...well...it feels like the weekend already.  It could very well be a Sunday to me.

Unfortunately it's not.  Although wook did go out last night with some of his classmates for some "male bonding."  In other words, they went out barhopping until 1:30am.  I stayed at home because I didn't want to the girl that "that guy" brought to testo-fest.  I was more than content staying home watching Empire Records (wook hates it)  and having a couple rum 'n Cokes.  I got to chat with Kerb a little.  Then I threw in Underworld: Evolution.  Talked to my dad a little.  Overall, a pretty productive night.

I will say I never thought I'd ever be bored enough to want a job.  This whole time I ask my dad where my trust fund is.  I thought I'd lead a life of superb travel and existential living.  That was fun for the first 2 weeks.  Now that I've been exposed to the entertaining nature of 40 hours a week in a place where The Office quotes are norm, I want to work again.  I realize that no 2 offices are the same.  But then again, I can find happiness in just about anything.  Even if I'm just stuck in an office, by myself, with Pandora playing, just working what I'm given.

By all means, this doesn't mean I'm ready to flip burgers at The Meat Queen.  I'm definitely looking for something in my field.  Even willing to looking into the legal admin department, in case I like it enough to pursue law school.  Just a thought.  Then again, I may get hit by a truck like wook almost did while we were out sightseeing.  Thankfully I saw the guy making the left hand turn behind us.  We totally had the green Ampelmanchen with 10 seconds on our countdown.  I would have thrown my chai at him, but it was practically full...and to be honest, quite tasty.  So there...

Wookious Updatius...

Sometime last week, I don't remember when exactly...it may have been when we were out shopping for martini glasses...and then hit up Red Robin...

...but wook found out he won't be starting class February 18th, like planned.

Instead, the instructors are apparently stretched thin so they needed to push wook's class back.

A month.

Like other phases of wook's schooling, his class has been tested as the guinea pig for new syllabi.  And that's what's going on here.  They're trying to shorten this phase from 16 months to 14 months.  Don't really know when they wing, but they do sometime.  Thankfully it's a hull-a-ba-loo.  So the Fields clan, Miss Bonnie, Mr. Riouff and Grandmoose, and everyone else willing to come out of the woodwork can be there to see him get more shiny stuff on his uniform.

So now I have a tourguide for the rest of my trip.  Yay.

Current Weather...

Currently 40, but feels like 35.  Light rain.

Feels like Corvallis.

Ahhh, anyone want to meet me in the MU for a Chai, extra hot, no foam?

Sight-Seeing Downtown Norfolk...

What do two people do who don't feel like spending money and can walk anywhere Downtown?

Tour the sights.  We'd been out once before but I didn't bring my camera along...woops.

Me: "I want to see a sunrise over the Atlantic."

Wook: "This is the same thing."
Me: "No it's not.  This is a bay, not the ocean."

Wook: "It's all salt water."

Me: "So...the Puget Sound is not the Pacific."  (snap)

So I think the bay is only a couple blocks off of where wook lives.  It's cute.  There's a Members Only Dock Club, which probably pours a good drink or two.  The only thing I've noticed about this area is a severe wind which can get through my small collection of scarves I've brought.  Now I know, next time bring more wool scarves for February.

This is one of the few cobblestone streets that are in the cute little refurbed Downtown residential area.  I would not want to repair a pipe under this section of town.  And it's along the Cannonball Trail.  What the heck does that mean?  (That's what you get for being from Oregon, where our history is just Lewis and Clark.)

Woohoo, big boat!  "It's a ship."  Whatever.  I'm a civilian, and will always be.  Sorry, no uniform in my future.  Unless it's Halloween.  Then it's 'game on.'  This is part of the USS Wisconsin, which is tourable.  Yay.  That's good news for my family when we come for wook's graduation.  We love dorky Navy tours.  The carrier in Diego was pretty fun.

So this little metal guy is a tribute to all those who've served, are serving, and will serve in the Nar-vy.  It's made out of old ship scraps.  Made by the official Navy sculptor.  Pretty nifty.

One of the bitchin' trips around Downtown was happening to stumble into the MacArthur Memorial.  Gotta love free museums.  While we were there, we were passed by 3 or 4 other peoples/groups while wook and I read every board.  We're nerds like that.  

Here are the Mac and his Mrs.  Kinda creepy knowing that there are bodies in there.  Don't know if you can read the dates, but Mac was 18 years older than his (second) wife.  Nice work.

List of accomplishments.  Pretty impressive.  I think my dad will dig walking around this place whenever wook's class gets the green light to graduate.

Look at those bloomy pants.  Thank goodness pleats are no longer in.

Some badass painter put together this huge oil murals around the place.  Impressive.

Wook oogling one of the boards.  This is the only marking all of his late-in-life accomplishments.  Earning some uber award at West Point.  The flag is the one that was presented to his wife after his funeral.  Apparently the week before he died, he was still rubbing elbows with the President.

Look at that chest candy.  Man, that's some big cheese.

And lastly wook gave me a tour around base.  As you can see it was around late afternoon.  What a pretty piece of metal.  I'll have to agree with wook.  This base doesn't seem very superficially aesthetic.  It's not like Pensacola or Bangor, where there's fresh paint on places and things are spruced up.  Instead, it's like a real Navy base.  Rusty.  Gotta love it.  Now I can't wait for Andy to get back from his little deployment.

Goodbye additions...

Those 6 feeder fish have all been consumed by this afternoon.  What a bunch of fatties.

The first one to go was the weakest link.  He didn't fair the trip home from PetsMart.  Oh well.

One remained this morning when we woke up.  And he apparently was lunch as wook and I were out perusing the Downtown scene somemore.  Photo documentation after our pre-dinner workout.

Stay tuned.

And the maybe I can get wook to help me fix my blog.

DISCLAIMER...

The recent trip taken outside the parameters of Downtown Norfolk was created outside the confines of wook's apartment, in a third party mind, paid for by a third party wallet, equally ruled by a third party conscience.

Though you may have been near our intended destination, do not fear.

Your house will be hit soon.

Muaahhahahh.

Yes, Sarah.  I'll call you in a couple days.  Weird.  We'll be in the same timezone.

Mrs. Christensen.  What are you doing later this week?  Thursday or Friday?  Afternoon, evening?

The Unexpected Roadtrip...

After sitting in a plane getting from A (Medford) to B (Frisco) to C (Charlotte) and finally to D (Norfolk), I was tired of sitting.  Tired of traveling.  Ready to enjoy my 27 days of hanging out in a town, trying to get to know the place that I'll hopefully be visiting a lot, seeing long lost peoples, etc.  

Last thing on my list: a roadtrip.

While it's cool to think that DC is a mere 3 hours away.  It's equally cool thinking I could watch HIMYM and The Office reruns until my ears bleed.  But when someone sponsors a trip up north (ahem Joe Cady and his need for a WingCouple), you just can't say 'no.'

So here we are taking the Metro.  The drive up was anything exciting.  I equate it like driving Eugene to Portland.  *snore*  I should have slept the drive up.  Now I'll know.

Being a long-standing Anthony Bourdain fan, I took brief mental notes while I watched the episode of him being in DC (not that I thought I'd be there, but more of the fact that foods seem to spread from their areas of origin).  First stop: a halfsmoke.  My dad was dissapointed he didn't get to take part in the action.  But at least he was able to supplement his desires by a Costco dog.

Despite being a hotdog (which I usually don't eat unless it's game day, I've started drinking, I've had a couple of jello shots, I'm in Beaver Gear, and I'm not thinking about the "lips and assholes" that are in hotdogs), it was pretty good.  I did take it authentically (thankfully the onions weren't that bad).  The chili didn't really affect me.  Or wook.  Thankfully.

Because we had a little bit of time before we needed to "suit up" for the evening, we stopped off at the National Aquarium.  Small, but entertaining.  And of course, I wanted to take this guy home with me.

Wook with his Dunkel at Black Squirrel's.  The barscene was entertaining.  Very.  Whether it was students, young corporates, interns, or tourists, there was a lot of alcohol being consumed.  The night started out great at a couple small bars, but then the levee was broke and those small bars were overpowered by the 20-something crowd.

Thankfully my feet hurt (my heel actually, a blister from a couple days before), so the boys dropped me off at the hotel.  They obviously could hold way more booze than me.  I thought 4 beers was good.  So I took a tub, crawled into bed, watched some Comedy Central, and called it a night.  Wook and Joe hit a couple more places up, tried to work the ladies, and came back to the hotel unsuccessful.  And wook only snored a couple times.  Yay.

Little shout out to White House on our second day there.

At the National History Museum, because I know how much those Holding-McDaniel DNA holders like their buttshots.  Enjoy a 12-ton elephant.

The Washington Monument.  But I do agree it's more of a tribute to Clinton.

I hear ya.  It was a long 2 days.  An entertaining 2 days.  I think I only slept for like 20 minutes on the drive home.  I was getting cranky at the end.  Can you blame me?  I just came across the US like 4 days before.  I'm on vacation.  A relaxing vacation.  Not a touristy vacation.  Gosh.

The Latest Additions...

In case you never knew, wook's been the proud papa to 3 turtles for over a year (one yellow bellied slider, one Mississippi map, and one false map).  We acquired them on a mall trip one afternoon in October of 2007, just after wook relocated to Florida.  They were tiny then.  And luckily I brought my thumb drive with me to Virginia so I can fill you guys in.

Here are they are a couple of hours after we brought them home.  Kai was slightly confused, but very protective of the little guys.  Wook decided to get the third after realizing how cute they are.  Let's hope the same doesn't happen when he gets a dog.  Unless I get to yell, "mush!"

Well here's the recently upgraded tank.  Up to a 40-gallon, from a 20-gallon.  The turtles are probably 5-inches long now.  A serious growth spurt since their arrival in Florida.  And yes the photo is dark, just deal with it.  I wasn't going to flash the crap out of them, thus killing them, because wook doesn't eat turtle soup.

Now I know what you're thinking...but your title says "additions."  As you can see those glimmery things in the new tank, there are 6 new feeder fish to bring entertainment to our barbaric selves.  Muahhahah.  Okay, but for those humanitarians out there...it's been a couple hours since their introduction, and they're still alive.  There's one who's got a little hitch in his swimming (far beyond little Nemo), so we thought he's be the appetizer.  But guess not.  He's making the most of his $0.12 pricetag.

Happy "Hallmark-Inspired Consumption" Day

I'm just posting some electronic love to everyone on a day where the norm is stuffed teddy bears, overpriced dinners at restaurants, and cliche red roses.

Wook's making me dinner (our tradition) which consists of steak, potatoes, and green beans.  He's shnazzing it up by making 'em twice-baked potatoes and picking up some Teramisu at the corner market here.

And apparently he just burnt his pinkie.

We'll finish the night off with a hefty marathon of The Office.  Why?  Because we can.  And what doesn't scream Valentine's Day like FBI Agent Michael Scarn?

Happy Valentine's Day Jim & Pam, Beaver Nation, the State of Oregon, and stalkeratzis!

Viva Virginia...

Here. Arrived. Seemingly fully recovered on sleep. Or so my body is making my brain believe.

Yes, let's talk about my flights though. Because apparently I'm racking up the delays which are quickly moving me up the line for sainthood. Medford to Frisco. Puddle jump. Short flight. No issues. Minus that rough landing where the pilot practically threw the plane down. Whatever. We arrived. No big deal.

Killer part. So I was sitting down on the half wall-half window part of the terminal where you could watch planes come in and out...and there he was, this guy, totally flirting with me. Talking to me. Giving me looks. Asking if I wanted to color with him. Ya, he was 4. And adorable.

But back to my flights. In Frisco, we backed out of our gate on time. Oh, but let's be slated to take off from the furthest runway known to man. So after it took us 45 minutes of skipping over runways that had inbounds, we got moving. Thankfully that pilot made up for lost time in the air and I got in with 45 minutes of my hour layover left. All good.

And finally. The grand pooba of delays. Okay, maybe not as bad as it was in Denver over the holidays. While trying to combat the severe heatwave in Charlotte (71 degrees), I was roasting in the plane which was having difficulty getting air. I don't get it either. Wook said something about air in the auxilliary something-or-other. I don't know. That's plane-speak. Not my cup of tea....or coffee. But ya, let's sit there for another 20 minutes while our plane gets fixed. Oh please, let's. So after a 45 minute delay we were up.

So I did get into Norfolk later than expected. About 15-20 minutes past arrival. Not my fault. Just like to clarify my perfection. :)

We had a huge beer at this place called the Tap House. Like german style. Glass the size of your arm. It was okay. Not bad. A tame dark. Something along the name of Verniticus. And some pesto pizza (wook's choice...he's going all hippy on me). It was okay. Minus the tomatoes. And the chicken wasn't bad either. Very fresh.

Okay, well I'd like to get moving around here so more. Wook's still in bed. Seriously, who just jumped 3 time zones? That's right, me. I'm up. Been up since 7:45am or so. Had to get the bag of Cheerio feed and fill my trough. Not bad milk either. So far, so good.

Last call Oregon?

I've come to a psuedo-scientific discovery. I don't believe I can fully function in "you're hopping a plane tomorrow" until the night before. Apparently I love burning the midnight oil as I straighten up my room to as-close-to-perfection-as-this-non-perfect redhead can get.

I guess my motivation is plenty of YouTube-ing Taylor Swift. I don't know why, but I'm on a T-Swift binge. Cute blonde, what's not to love? So ya, I've got my room nearly picked up. There's still one load of laundry to do before I call it a night. I still need to shower ('cuz we know that ain't happening at 4am). Hopefully my hair will be a semi-"on" day tomorrow. I have to put all my clean clothes away. Close the doors. Clear off the bathroom counter. Make it look like it needs to. Wish me luck.

And it's only 10:35pm.

So just a note for the stalkers. If there fails to be a post until evening, I've made it. But seeing as I've learned my lesson about being excited for traveling, I will call the ball in Norfolk whenever wook and I make it to his place. I do get in at 7pm-ish, so there could be a tapeworm in my stomach demanding food. We'll see how much food I can fit in my purse. And it's decent in size. One sleeve of Girl Scout cookies (from like 3 years ago, but there's still good. Like Twinkies. Almost, lol.). Bagel and shmear. Empty water bottle so I can fill it with goodness on the other side of the portal. And a protein bar or two. And maybe a pb&j sandwich for good measure.

So I guess now that it's 10:40pm, I need to get back to movin' and shakin'. So I will bid adieu to my readers until after my time zone jump. Let's hope you don't hear from me till Wookiee Maximus Generalisimo Headquarters.

"Our song is a slamming screen door, sneaking out late..."

Stolen fun...

I found this on Dee Rosata's Facebook. Looked fun. Plus I need more stuff to do instead of conquering my list of things to do before I ship out. Yay, procrasination.

This one requires one word answers. So I should spend adequate time doing this instead of cleaning and laundry. Muahahah.

1. Where is your cell phone? bed

2. Your significant other? wook

3. Your hair? ging!

4. Your mother(s)? gray/red

5. Your father? brown

6. Your favorite city? Diego

7. Your dream last night? unrememberable

8. Your favorite drink? liquid

9. Your dream/goal? enjoy

10. What room you are in? bedroom

11. Your hobby? yoga

12. Your fear? change

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? States

14. Where were you last night? sleeping

15. Something that you are not? short

16. Muffins? Costco

17. Wish list item? inheritance, haha

18. Where you grew up? Medford

19. Last thing you did? breathed

20. What are you wearing? pjs

21. Your TV? storage

22. Your pets? fluffy

23. Friends? dispursed

24. Your life? interesting

25. Your mood? procrastinating :)

26. Missing some one? derrr

27. Car? Smurfette

28. Something you're not wearing? hat

29. Your favorite store? Target

30. Your favorite color? green

31. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday

32. Last time you cried? hmmmm

33. Who will re-send this? Sarah...?

34. One place that I go to over and over? bathroom

35. One person who texts me regularly? wook

36. My favorite place to eat? home

37. My favorite food? casserole

25 Random Factoids for Your Entertainment...

1.) I was the biggest baby in my family being 8lbs., 6.5 oz.

2.) I tune out my mother’s blabberings about garage sales and it being money in the wallet. I prefer to donate to charity (St. Vincent, Salvation Army) in hopes of bettering my chi.

3.) I can recall where it was purchased and how much an item cost in my wardrobe, unless it was a gift of course.

4.) I graduated with 228 credits from OSU (you need 180. That’s what you get for drastically changing majors.)

5.) Both weddings I’ve been in didn’t last. Flower girl at 5. Divorce proceedings current. Maid of Honor at 19. Divorce finalized 8 months later.

6.) I think breastfeeding in public without some sort of shield is gross. I don’t want to see your big, floppy, stretch-marked boob. “But it’s natural.” Yes, and so is my gag reflex.

7.) I will test out a piece of clothing a couple times by wearing it out and just tucking the price tag in on itself. I want to be sure I like it.

8.) I believe in epidurals for childbirth. I’m not a martyr. If that kid wants out, I want to be as comfortable as possible. As wook’s mom said, “It [natural childbirth] was the dumbest mistake of my life.”

9.) I started ballet at 3. I thought my mother wanted me to be a pretty ballerina. Nope. She knew I was going to be tall, so she was hoping this would combat any awkward clumsiness. Thanks.

10.) The worst 2:36 minutes of my life was California Screamin’ (the rollercoaster). I was hyperventilating, getting dizzy, cursing wook for calling me a chicken, cutting off blood supply to my arms for holding on so tight, and hoping I would vomit so I could collect the $200 my dad bet me.

11.) I’ve always thought pumping your own gas is blue collar. Yet now we use Pac Pride.

12.) I don’t “un do” dishes (like put them away from the dishwasher).

13.) Upon graduating from college, I made a deal with myself that I’m not allowed to go to the grocery store in pjs/sweats. I’ve relapsed twice. Both times in Medford. Both on runs to the store for alcohol.

14.) Trac and I are allergic to earrings with nickel in them. We get this black sludge buildup in the holes of our earlobes.

15.) I think a man’s bachelor party should include limos, cigars, steaks, T&A, and bourbon. It’s a bachelor party, not the Red Hat Society!

16.) I have a slight crush on Leland from Dog the Bounty Hunter. I know, I know. But look at those arms.

17.) I try to not think about how things would be different if wook had gotten Surface or P-3.

18.) I think Shari’s is Communist. I have no evidence. But I will always choose against it.

19.) The highest elevation I’ve ever hiked at was 9,500 ft. In Idaho. On a fire where 2 guys had died. Talk about scary.

20.) I used to live across from a drug house on 18th & Taylor. Although the police never found anything, loads of people were always coming and going.

21.) I like winter because everyone pales out, so I better blend in.

22.) I sometimes want to strangle Kate Gosselin and her Type A personality.

23.) I’ve kicked my 12 oz. chai, extra hot, no foam habit.

24.) I’m not against leashing your kids.

25.) I actually thought of 35 random facts, but narrowed it down to the better ones so you didn’t think I was retarded like for wanting to teach my future pet in Spanish.

The clock is winding down...

One day and one night of sleep stand between me and the new Medford International Airport for my departure for 3 time zones further. Holy crap. Where'd time go?

So I've started to throw the items I think I'm going to pack in the direction of my suitcase. I think because of the duration of my visit, and the varying weather that has occured, that I'll need a slightly larger suitcase than what's in my collection. Yay dad. I get to borrow his big duffel. You could hide Sarah's trolls in there. And maybe even Joe Cady. Huge. Should be able to fit everything, since I don't feel like fighting with a carry-on this trek. Just the purse, thank you.

My progress was slowed slightly as I was sidelined with dizziness thanks to the meds I've been given. It even says it on the bottle. Thanks doc. So down for a nap I went as I dozed in and out of consciousness listening to the Pro Bowl. I still have to take my second dose for today, which I'm planning to do right before bed. Just trying to outsmart the reaction since I still have 3 days to get through. Good thing I was able to get into the doctor quicker than I expected.

I swear, everytime I'm slated to go out of town...my body rebels. What gives? Okay, I know I hate having to switch over time zones. I'm really lazy at that one. Hopefully I make the shift over rather easy since I've been trying to get up earlier than normal for my day's beginning.

So I'll have to get everything finished up over here. Cleaning my room. Flipping my mattress. Laundry. Packing. Double checking what I left in his possession so I don't pack more than I need. Combatting more dizziness if it decides to rear its ugly equilibrium unbalancing. Eating. Cleaning out my car. And going to bed early since I have to be at the airport around 5am.

Alright troops.

Destination: Norfolk, Virginia.

Obstacles: Layovers in Frisco, Charlotte.

Goals: Make wook accepting of recyclable bags. Prove the superiority of Honey Nut Cheerios as a breakfast. Read one book. Use up the rest of the journal wook got me for Christmas. Document wook and I in one, successful picture where both of us are smiling, not he grimacing because a camera is pointed at him.

Supplies: One checked luggage weighing in at 49.7 lbs. And a cute purse from Old Navy on rotation from Trac (that's what you do with 2 sisters, rotate purses because after awhile you just need to mix it up).

I didn't see this one coming...

Driving home from Corvallis, from a disappointing game hosting ASU at home (men's basketball..."get on the bandwagon if you're not already"), my dad and I were on the subject of the impending family cruise for Spring Break. He said something about locking Trac and Hay's I-Phones in the room safe so they don't get stolen. Riiiiight, good idea, I-Phones are expensive...I didn't think about that. I was thinking I was right in the comfort zone with my $20 phone not caring if it fell overboard.

Then my dad informed.

"There won't be any reception on the ship."

What???!?!? No reception??!?!? No texting for a week??!??! How will I survive?!?!?!

I started to hyperventilate for about 10 miles somewhere between Cottage Grove and Sutherlin, I think. One week. Seven days. I don't know the hours (you do the math, I'm way too lazy as I let my Mint Julep Mask dry). Ughhhh. Really? No reception? I think I might pass out a day and a half in. I can't do it. I need my umbilical cord. I can't send smoke signals from that far out. And the carrier pigeons will probably die off mid-flight somewhere over Texas.

As you can tell, I'm still distraught over these. It's my lifeforce. When Obi-Wan says, "use the force"...that is my force. My only force. And now I can't use it. How will I get my TIE-Fighter out of the bog? I wonder if I can find a way to hack into CIA satellites to continue my connection with everyone. (Collin, are you for hire?)

So ya, I'm starting to get jittery from that Irish Cream Latte I had at Sutherlin. It was a long drive. I hate up and backs (was driving at 6:08am this morning northbound). So I think I'm going to clean my clay mask off and try to call it a night. We'll see. After getting up at 5:00 this morning, I should be able to sleep. Dutch Bros. may have a different agenda.

He has survived...

Yay, I finally have had a real conversation with that boy who disappeared into the Diego wilderness about a week ago. He's good. Warm now. Shaved. And ready for tomorrow.

The official mark was 17 lbs lost. They were out for 6 days. Had rabbit stew (he said he had half the heart, after it had been stewed, and it wasn't too bad). His partner had the eyeball. *Gag* He said it tasted like blood. I'll take his word on that. But that was all their calorie intake. The hunt took a pause on Sunday, oh around the time the Super Bowl was on. Nice.

Their total calorie count was about 20 calories a day. After returning from the wilderness yesterday, wook ate a 6-inch Subway sandwich...and was full. Welcome to my club.

The typical blah blah blah about not being able to release anymore information. Did you forget? I don't care to know how to signal through concrete walls, up 3 floors, while wearing a Madonna wig? Not really my cup of tea. I care more that he's warm now, on his way out to mexican food and margaritas with his classmates. Happy that I got a half hour phone conversation without either of our phones dying.

So tomorrow for he and others is a day off. So they're heading to the Zoo. And Old Town again for more mexican. Just trying to make the most of their time in Diego, where military discounts offer free crap to entertain your time. Jealous.

And he mentioned something about most people hallucinating after 3 days of zero sleep.

Glad he's back in civilization. He flies back Sunday, getting in late into Norfolk. So he has less then 48 hours until I arrive. Woohoo! My countdown is less than 4 days. Get...ting...excited!!!

Another note: I figure I'll still update the world while I attempt to correct my blog. I'm getting together with my brother just as soon as I can. Sorry for the depression it's inflincting.

Technical Difficulties...

Update:

So my computer isn't cooperating, but that's okay.

I'll hopefully get it fixed by this weekend. Not really making it a top priority.

Have a few things to get to before I jetset off for the East Coast.

Yay.

Work in Progress...

I'm still working on finding a template that I like for more than 20 hours.

Bear with me, or bare with me ;)

Your call.

Points for my fajah...

Want to know how to jazz up your ordinary meatloaf?

Take 1 lb. ground hamburger, 1 lb. mild Italian sausage (ground), and 2 patties of turkey meat. Mix with the usual fixings of meatloaf. And...ouila...delicious. I'm normally a fan of meatloaf in all of its Depression Era beauty. But this one was excellent. Thought I'd share with the fanclub. That and I'll be making it when I'm back East at wook's. I love putting in little effort in the morning and having the Crockpot do the cooking all day.

Where'd January go?

I'm still scratching my head over where that last month went.

And this morning I spent a couple hours trying to find a new template for this darn blog of mine. I'm getting bored with the colors already. I scoured online, but didn't find one to my liking. Ugh.

Just a note of inferiority. The Steelers' QB, ol' Benny boy, is 26. A year older than me. Already 2 trips to the Super Bowl. Feeling accomplished.

I've tried to think about how wook is doing down in Diego, but honestly I haven't a clue what he's going through. I mean, I can try and make up ideas. But I doubt they're anything close to the reality of it all. Almost halfway done. He'll either be out Thursday afternoon or Friday sometime. Not sure how long they'll keep them as detainees.

Countdown: Less than 8 days. I fly out a week from tomorrow, at 6am (to Frisco, Frisco to Charlotte, Charlotte to Norfolk). I think I have window seats all the way across so I can shove my head into the nook and catch some zzz's. Unless there's someone badass I'm sitting next to. Like one of my flights back to the West Coast where I sat next to the designer of the flight simulators used by the military. Sweet action Jackson. I'm going to attempt to rotate my internal clock to East Coast time before I head back because I usually have a rough time shifting my body to wake up at 3am PST. So we'll see if I can do it. And since I've found my passport, there shouldn't be any lost sleep in the next 7 nights.

So it's almost 11:30 here, and hopefully it's warmed up a little. I don't like going down to my storage unit while it's still cold because my fingers need to be nimble to go through boxes. Cold fingers = not time well spent. And working in gloves just irritates me. So now that I've had my coffee this morning, stalked my blogs, and posted myself, I can get a move on finishing up my laundry.