Whoa Dolly

I met Dolly Parton a little over a week ago.
Cool, I know. There we are. Me, Dolly and a few coworkers.
Best. Job. Ever.

Make a Joyful Noise

In the Shadow of the City

Last summer I spent many of my nights at "The Shop", a dilapidated warehouse hidden in plain sight in the midst of the bustle of downtown. My friend Adam built guitars there, and we drank, played guitars and darts, and climbed through a converted window onto the roof of the abandoned warehouse next door. On it we'd sit with our drinks in hand and watch the world go buy, listening to the concerts at the Orange Peel as they seeped through the open windows, the cheers from a baseball game across the street, watching the fireworks that lit up the sky in celebration of our 232nd year of independence.
I knew it'd never last. It was one of those times in life that whisper their transiency between the moments of breathlessness and thrill.

Last week I once again stood on the roof next door with drinks and friends, waiting for the Beastie Boys to take the stage at the Peel. The sky was marbled and full of the relief that comes just after a thunderstorm. I looked back at the shop and the city behind it and I was full.

The downtown commission has approved the demolition of the Shop and surrounding warehouses. We lose another hidden gem.

(these two photos are courtesy of Clark Mackey, a phenomenal photographer who is very often involved with the adventures at the Shop. I do not own these; I showcase Clark. Go to his Flickr to see them on black; they are even more impressive.)

Where'd You Park?

I go to Staples for work.
A lot.
It seems like every time I come out of Staples, there is a new, more odd vehicle in the parking lot waiting to greet me.

Today it was this:

And last week it was this:

Thank you, Staples. Not only do you supply all my office needs (according to your riches and glory, as per the company Visa) but you bring entertainment as well. Bravo.

He's a Race Fan

As seen at the NASCAR race. This is their actual license plate. They love Mel that much.

That's the Best Kind

Every bowling ball should come in size XX-Lager.

Send in the Robots

I can't really post the whole story behind this photo, but really it is a story you should hear and I'll email it to you if you ask but...this is what a robot mask looks like.
And a bit of what my holiday home with the fam entailed...

My god.

Photo Proof, part II

Horseshoe Falls as seen from the Maid of the Mist, a touristy trip that lived up to its hype. We did it based on suggestions from both Leslie and Liz and it truly did not disappoint. Absolutely soaked and laughing the whole time. Below that are two photos of the Westy/Vanagon campers that surrounded us in Peterborough. It was an eclectic group of people and vans.

Photo Proof, part I

At last, some photos from the trip...I'll post a few at a time. Mind you it was just the two of us for most of the adventure, so most of my photos are of our surroundings and not posed shots.
Our first morning in the New River Gorge of West Virginia and I basked in the sunlight while Jonathan made coffee. I wanted to show off the interior of the Westy as well.

The sunset as seen through the side mirror. We were driving on I-90 in PA with Lake Erie just on our left, vineyards on our right and the sunset behind us.

Lake Ontario close to where we camped on Thursday night. The Great Lakes are worth a trip.

And what I saw when I turned left for, oh, 28 hours...Jonathan driving. This was sitting in traffic waiting to get through customs.

Thank God for the Mid-90s

So a friend from my church youth group growing up tagged a bunch of old photos on myspace and I was cracking up laughing at these. Thought I'd share me and friends, circa 1994 or so.

That would be me and good ol' Mattie V, a friend since (gulp) Kindergarten. Wow. He's now the Area Director in Winchester, VA. And is married with two kids.

A youth group sleepover in Maryland, when the boys were supposed to use a giant tent that Kelly brought but she forgot to pack the poles so they used it as a tarp over a picnic table. It was quite funny. Holly, Kelly, Erica, Brandon, Matt, Rachel, and me in the very back. I had braces and wouldn't smile because I hated them. I didn't smile for 4 years. I think is also the trip where Matt and I played guitar and with Rachel sang "Kid Fears" by the Indigo Girls cuz Matt could sing Michael Stipe's part. Awesome.

Good Times

I don't have much else to say about this photo other than this: I love my friends, I love JotW and I can't imagine loving life any more than I am right now.

Conflict Tub, etc

So my friend Nate has a clawfoot bathtub. We tease him about this being a good pick-up line, to the extent that Margarita filled out the back of a Jack of the Wood coaster with the fictional email address ihaveaclawfoottub@ashevillesingles.com that he should create and use.
Several weeks later this once again came up in conversation and I repeated the fake email address. Nate misheard me and said, "I have a conflict tub? What is a conflict tub?" and we just thought the idea of a bathtub in which people sat and had discussions was hilarious.
Last Friday a bunch of us were over at Nate's and thought, "Ooh! Conflict tub!" and four of us raced up the stairs and climbed in. And proceeded to watch on Nate's laptop the Jimmy Kimmel/Sarah Silverman duel about Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. You know what I'm talking about I hope. Anyway, photos:

Valentines, Schmalentines

Last week I finally got to go to the Biltmore Estate, as I've lived within two miles of its entrance for six months and haven't bothered to go yet. Doug had a free ticket and so the two of us went in celebration of "Valentines, Schmalentines" as we were calling it. I met him at his house at 9am, and with a quick stop at Ingles (S-Ingles to be specific) to get wine, cheese, bagel chips, hummus and grapes we were off to see the house that Vanderbilt...built. Or something.
We are very silly together and this was no exception. We spent a good 15 minutes trying to figure out the best way to model ourselves exactly like a statue. This is what we do for fun apparently. The house was amazing (surprise) and after our tour we drove to the lagoon and had our picnic. Except...we didn't have a wine bottle opener. Or glasses. But we did have my leatherman. So it was pullin' straight from the $15 bottle of Italian red. Awesome.From there we toured the stables and then on to the winery (for those of you who haven't been to the Biltmore, it's a 3 mile drive just to get to the first gate. Then it's three miles past that to get to the house. Then the vineyard is another 4.5 miles past the house. It's an obscene amount of property) to do a tour and then got an actual good bottle of Biltmore's limited reserve merlot, which we sat and drank while we listened to a cooking class. And on and on it went.
The day continued to be awesome and didn't really end til close to 10pm. Well done, Doug. Best non-valentines non-date I've ever had.

Good Times

This one is for you Leslie. Best care package EVER. (I stole the photo from Robin, my partner in crime...as usual)

True Love at Last

This one's for you, Liz. Mini-Colin said to say hello. But ever since he discovered his presence on my computer desktop, he's been smitten with me (even if it was you who put him there) so you'll just have to lay off my man. I think we're cute together.

Aged, Old, Classic, Bold

My father got a cool little gadget that scans old slides and can make them into .jpegs, which is one of the better little gadgets I've seen in quite a while. Being on holiday here, I hooked the gizmo up to my lappy 9000 and scanned in a few...from 1981 to 1983. Thought I'd share 'em. The problem is for Christmas I took a bunch of old slides and had them printed and framed for both my parents, then I get home and discover my father can basically do it himself. Oh well.
The first photo is my mom with my older sister, and she's about 7 months pregnant with me at the time. I love it. She was so hippie-tastic.
This is my Boppa and my namesake on our annual Canadian camping trip in 1983. I've always thought he very much looked the part of a grandfather, pipe and all.

My sister and I brushing our teeth during a rainy day in Canada. My sister's hair is so short she looks like a boy. And if you look closely, you'll see my yellow raincoat's hood is duct-taped smaller to fit my head. Thanks parents. I love this shot.Same rainy day, Bubby and I sitting next to the kitchen tent, cold metal mugs in hand. Also a funny shot. I guess my dad was having fun with the camera that day. I only vaguely remember parts of the trip. Like what my bathing suit looked like (navy blue with a giant red crab on it), and that little blue hoodie I'm wearing, and that I was sick and on antibiotics and it was very cold.
Napping in the tent. That rabbit that's sitting on top of me? That's Hop-Hop. My oldest sister gave him to me on my 1st birthday. As I write this that very same rabbit is sitting on my bed in my house in Asheville, as I still sleep with him somewhere near me. And I think I still sleep like this. Guess my sleep pattern peaked at age 3.

My two older sisters and me and my Boppa relax on a bench my dad had built and my Uncle Pete had covered in sheep skins from Chile. When we go to Canada we go for weeks at a time, so the family sorta moves into the place. Build shelves, furniture, etc. All out of dead wood of course.

Seriously, I was a cute kid. Who liked rocks and fire. Some things never change. And there in the background is my Boppa, whom I miss terribly. He died five years ago.

Ain't No Party Like A Harmon St. Party

Ok, so here are some photos from the night. Everyone was nothing but classy. That I recall at least. First: Margarita and I dance up the kitchen. In a classy way. Nate, the winner of the most swanky award. I mean, that's swanky. And Becca looks so focused at the table of magic/bad decisions.
Nate, Leslie Doug and I are probably discussing the situation in Darfur. Or Obama and Oprah.
Dan is always swave with the smart Quizzo ladies like Jane and Margarita.
Dear Robin: Thank you for capturing in one photo the awkwardness of my night. I can't imagine this being more clear. Just...wow. You are gifted friend, totally gifted.

Notes

This is what happens when a dachshund dives into a pumpkin pie. Awesome.

My two most prized possessions are handmade for me by people I love dearly. Every day I look at them and I am thankful. One is a two-sided, stuffed corduroy quilt my grandmother made for me for Christmas in 1993, the other is a 250-year-old two paned window my dad refurbished and made into a mirror and gave to me for my birthday in 1995. I would run into a burning building to save these two things. They remind me I'm loved.

The other night I made myself a dirty, dry martini and drank it while taking a bubble bath. It was even better than it sounds. Best idea EVER.

Getting married doesn't make you a “grown up”. Having kids doesn't make you a grown up; neither does owning your own home. Cooking your own Thanksgiving dinner for guests: grown up. Way to reach adulthood, Leslie.

Things I've grown to appreciate as I've gotten older: olives, tempaeh, The New Yorker, dominoes, well-tailored clothing, binoculars, good bourbon, NPR, punctuality, slippers (or shoes like them), Lowes.

If food coma is an American art form, I am DaVinci.

Since I was robbed I've cleaned out my car a few times. Thanksgiving Day I was putting something in my back seat and, looking down, found my camera. It was behind my passenger seat the whole time. Next to the stolen piggy bank. But it was never spotted by the jerks. Thank you Lord.

I talked to my dad for 18 minutes the other day. Normally an 18 minute conversation with someone isn't something to note, but if you consider that with my dad, conversations typically average about 58 seconds then with a complicated mathematical equation that I don't know or care about you will see that an 18 minute conversation with my dad is equal to talking to someone else for about 4.57 years. Straight.

Surefire cure when you are feeling down and out: The Best of Sam Cooke.

Pumpkin Pie: easiest thing to make. Ever. 2008: the year of the pies.

I desperately need to go home for Christmas and see my family. It's been too long and I feel like I've hurt them being away for so much time. And I just really want to sit out in the mud room with my dad, drink coffee and discuss something.

Song of the fall: “This is Not Your Year” by the Weepies.

Dear Middle School,
Is there any way you could give the right side of my face back? It really doesn't go with the whole adult theme the rest of my face is into. Pimples aren't yet retro, Middle School. If you could clear out by that big Christmas party, I'd appreciate it.

Favorite Things

So that last post was about as fun as a pencil in the eye. I know that and I'm sorry. I decided to do something a little more fun: post some of my favorite photos that I have and why they are favorites. It made me laugh just putting it together. Enjoy.

Notes on this photo: #1 Liz is wearing an Asian style beanie and plastic yellow fisherman's waders. #2 Beth is actually crying and trying to hide that fact. Love this photo so much. Summer staff, 2004.

My niece and my bosses' daughter...can you guess which one has more relaxed parents? Olivia's sunglasses are on upside down too. Best part: Those are actual Mardi Gras beads. I...um... “won” them at an “Anything For Beads” party my freshman year of college. What, is that weird to then put them on kids? At “CRABFEST!” 2k5.

So this kid I went to college with, Martin, made stickers and sold them. One day he was in the Student Activities Office and gave me a couple, including this one. It spawned a very awkward conversation about my breasts. Very awkward. Seth took this photo in the mud room of my parents house while we were drinking 40s and calling Romano, summer 2003.

The only picture I took the entire time I worked in the Brooks Brothers outside of Rochester. Steve bore an uncanny resemblance to the photo on the wall and he liked to stand next to it just to freak out customers. Oh what we do for fun. Spring 2005.

So in early 2005 I drove out to Jersey to spend time with Seth, Caroline and Brandt. Seth and Caroline get into a “cleavage” contest and right before I took the photo I managed to say something that offended Caroline and this is what I got. Look at the concentration on Seth's face. Amazing.

Pirates on the Coast

So here are some photos from our trip to Charleston a few weeks ago. There was this pirate statue, and Lord knows I love me some pirates, and then there were these 5 old ladies who ended up with the tablecloth bandannas on their heads like pirates, and it just got us thinkin'. And a few gin and tonics may have been involved too.


Ok that last one is more thug than pirate, but I had been trying to teach the old ladies how to spell BLOOD with their hands. Like the gang. Don't mess with me, I got thug in my veins.