Insert catchy Monday Morning title here...
Mood:  hungry
Did anyone happen to catch the sunrise this morning. Probably not seeing as I seemed to be the only one on the road at 6:30 this morning. Well anyway the sky was a beautiful shade of dark pink. Almost the color of a ruby. I know...I know..."red in the morning sailors warning." but it was still beautiful.

What a hectic start to the week. My phone has been ringing off the hook. I am hoping that I am not getting a reprieve...nope wait...phone! BRB

Okay I'm back. Now where was I? Oh right manic Monday. Not only is my phone going crazy but I am having computer issues as well. Maybe I should just pack up and go home. *sigh*

The weekend went well. I worked at the pub Friday and Saturday night. Saturday was crazy busy. We had some Irish Dancer preform so their families all showed up to watch and took up several tables for hours. By the end of the evening I had just about had enough. There is a waitress there named Dierdre and normally I can tolerate her passive/aggressive personality but at one point I really wanted to haul off and punch her in the face. Thank God for Lenny the doorman's smile and jokes and the nice guy who brought me a cup of coffee. It really helped to calm me down. See here at the park when I get upset I go take a walk on one of the trails. At the pub there really isn't a good place to get away and breathe.

I managed to finish all my Christmas shopping on Sunday. I even bought a few things for myself. I know I am not suppose to but we all know how selfish I am. I can't just shop for other people without buying a little something for me. :) Now all I have left is to write my cards. *sigh* I love to receive cards but hate to send them. Well it isn't that I hate it. It is just I never know what to write in them. I did type of a little letter to go inside but I always feel I have to put some sort of personal touch in my cards instead of just signing my name.

Okay I am off to get some lunch. Oh by the way...

If you live in or close to Raleigh and you are looking for something to do this weekend. Check out...

Celtic Christmas!!!!

Tir Na Nog Irish Pub
218 South Blount Street Raleigh 27601

Invites you to join us on Sunday December 17th
from 3 until 8pm for the first annual
A Celtic Christmas
Music from Gerry Mc Crudden:
The Pipes & Drums of Wake County:
The Danny Tighe Irish Dancers:
plus open mike for A Celtic music session
Musicians please bring your instruments & join in. Celtic shops will be set up giving you a chance to shop for some lovely Celtic gifts for Christmas.
Plus Brilliant raffle prizes.

Tel Tir Na Nog on 919 833-7795
www.Irisheventsnc.com/www.tirnanogirishpub.com

59 Minutes???
Mood:  happy
We just got word from our Colonel that he is letting everyone off today 59 minutes early. Whoo Hoo. This comes as a complete shock. He normally does this on xmas eve. To do it on the 8th has everyone baffled. Oh well don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Whatever will I do with my extra hour?

I think Hell finally froze over
Mood:  cool
OMG!!! It is cold outside. When I got up this morning weatherbug read 22 degrees. I am early ranger this morning so I had to be out here before the sun came up. I don't like this weather at all. Where are the warm days we had last week?

I am feeling a bit run down. Not sick...just tired. If it wasn't just Justin and I in the office today I would have stayed home. I was snuggled in the covers this morning with Fenwick curled up by my side. He must have been playing in the Christmas tree all night because he smelt like pine. LOL He was worn out and sleeping as close to me as he could. I could have laid there all morning.

Oh yeah by the way...I put up my tree last night. My friend Bryan called me at work yesterday and asked if we could go ahead and get my tree instead of waiting till Sunday. Hoping to spend most of the day on Sunday shopping, I agreed. Bless his heart he is so patient with me. Anyone who goes with me to pick out a tree has to have the patience of a Saint. I am very picky when it comes to my tree. I made him drive to LOWES (you can get an 8ft tree for $40) in Wake Forest which meant we had to sit in rush hour traffic on Capital Blvd. We then missed the turn into the shopping center and had to turn around and back track. LOL Sorry Bryan! We finally got there and headed to the trees. They didn't have much of a selection. We must have looked at 15 trees before I settled on one of the first ones we looked at. It isn't the "perfect" tree but it will do. We brought it home and Bryan carried it up 3 flights of stairs and put it in the stand for me. I wasn't expecting all that. I would have been just as happy if he have left it by the front door. I thought about waiting till Saturday morning to decorate it but who are we kidding...I can't have a naked tree just standing there in my living room mocking me. I was up till 11:30 decorated the tree and my apt. It is done now and I can focus on presents and writing my cards.

Well I better get some work done. All I really want to do is crawl under my desk and take a nap. Maybe I will run to Starbucks and get a peppermint mocha. YUMMM! I some how need to find the energy to work at the pub tonight. I just don't know where I can muster some up. Anybody have any they can spare?

What a week!
Mood:  caffeinated
I know I haven't updated in awhile but this has been a crazy week.

I found out Friday afternoon that I was going to be audited this week. You would think I would be used to this by now seeing as I seem to get audited twice a year. I know my files are in order and I follow the rules so I really shouldn't have anything to worry about. But I still get panicked. So all weekend I worried. I kept running things through my head. Did I attach a justification to that file? Are my ledgers all intact and readable? Did I explain that weird purchase and credit? Do the receiving report dates match the ones on the invoice?

Well the credit card Nazi (as I like to call her) showed up Tuesday morning. I gave her all my files and she went into out conference room and stayed until mid afternoon. She came out and said, "I would like to speak to you and Tom about a few things I found." Uh oh...prepare for ass whooping. We sat down and she smiled. "Is that a good sign?", I thought to myself. She immediately commended me for the condition of my files and that unlike the rest of the people she audited so far, I had all the documentation to support my purchases. There were a few things she found that concerned her but Tom and I were able to explain them to the point that she was satisfied and gave me a passing grade. She then said she would like me to get together with a few field people who haven't seem to do as well at record keeping as I have. One of which is the woman who trained me. This shocked me a little. So all in all it wasn't a bad experience.

Then yesterday was our Christmas Party. We had WAY too much food. I ate until I made myself sick. I took a spiral cut honey ham, Macaroni and cheese, watergate salad, and a chocolate peppermint pie which went over really well. I don't think it is as good as my red, white and blueberry pie but it is a close second. We had beans, rice, sweet potato casserole, salad, biscuits, fried apples, cookies, pies, cakes. I have never seen so much food. one of the rangers brought her 1 yr old daughter...such a cutie and our forester brought her dog Buster. He and I played Frisbee until his gums bleed. That dog is obsessed with Frisbees.

Last night was suppose to try this Italian place downtown. I had eaten so much at lunch that the whole idea of eating again made me nauseous. I was hoping I could rescheduled but no such luck. I sat there with a smile on my face but all I really wanted to do was eat a few rolaids and crash on the couch. It was fun though and the food was good. I just wish I had been hungrier so I could have enjoyed it more.

So now I am back to work today. I have a bunch of stuff to catch up on but don't feel like doing any of it. I took an hour off this morning and managed to get most of my Xmas shopping done. I can't believe I was able to buy 80% of my gifts online this year. Yeah Amazon and Overstock. I will have to venture out to the mall to get something for my great aunt. What on earth to you get a woman who has everything? *sigh*

Well I guess I should get some work done. Take care and if I don't update tomorrow...have a great weekend.

What's wrong with keeping things the way they are?
Mood:  irritated
I thought I would take a minute or two to write about something that happened over the Thanksgiving holiday that rather upset me.

Growing up in WV I used to feel such pride as we would cross back into the state from our visits to Delaware. The sign as you crossed the bridge over the Potomac read, "Welcome to Wild, Wonderful, West Virginia" It was such a great sign and describe the state perfectly.

One year we elected a man name Gaston Caperton as Governor. He thought the sign made us sound like a bunch of hicks so he changed it to say, "Welcome to West Virgina....Gaston Caperton, Governor." Everyone hated the signs but we dealt with it.

Advance to the present...

As I drove into WV for the Thanksgiving Holiday I looked up at the welcome sign as I crossed the border from VA. I was shocked by what I read

WELCOME TO WEST VIRGINIA
OPEN FOR BUSINESS!!!

WTF!!!!! Open for Business???? Admit it...when you read that you didn't think of commerce...you thought of strip clubs and cheap women. I know that is what came to MY mind when I read it. Open for Business? It sounds like we support prostitution. Come on in folks...our ladies legs are wide open 24/7!!! Open for business? I wish I could have been there to hear that sales pitch. This has to be the worst idea EVER in the entire history of West Virginia.

I immediately picked up my cell phone and called mom who sighed and said that most of the state is up in arms about the sign. They should be. It is awful. I know most of you are thinking I am making a big deal out of nothing. But West Virginians are a proud bunch of people. You can make up all the incest and uneducated jokes you want to but we are great people.

Christmas MEME
Mood:  lazy
Christmas Meme

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate!!!! Whoever thought that raw eggs would make a good drink should be shot. Yuk! It makes me gag just thinking about it.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? What nonsense is this? Of course he wraps the presents. It amazes me though how his wrapping paper is always the same as the stuff my mom uses. hmmmm...interesting.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White lights! They look classy. I think they show off your ornaments better.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? YEP!!! But it hasn't worked. :( But then again I have been using the fake plastic stuff. This year our Forester went and cut me a bunch of live mistletoe. Maybe I will have better luck.

5. When do you put your decorations up? They normally go up the 2nd weekend in December and come down New Year's Day. Speaking of which I have to locate someone with a truck because I doubt an 8ft tree will fit on top of my Scion. LOL

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? I love corn pudding. We only have it on special holidays. I don't know why...it isn't hard to make. I guess it just gives me something to look forward to.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: When my sister and I were little our parents took us to Montgomery Mall near DC. As with every year we stood in line to talk to Santa. But this year was different. The parents stood in on line and the kids stood in another. Finally it was mine and Anne's turn to see Santa. As we walked up the steps, Santa looked down at us and said, "Well if it isn't Anne and Becky. Our mouths dropped. Santa knew who we were!!! He knew where our rooms were and what we had written in our "Dear Santa" letters. I went back and told all my friends that I met the REAL Santa. It was years later that my mom told me the truth. There was an elf behind the scenes who asked my parents questions and she fed the information to Santa through an ear piece.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? What? What truth about Santa? What are you all talking about?

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? I sometimes open my Birthday Presents on Xmas Eve. IT drives my sister crazy. As for Xmas presents...they get open Christmas morning.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? First I put on the angel and then the lights. Next or the gold and burgundy balls. Then I put on my White House and my Island of Misfit Toys ornaments. Then I fill in with the rest

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? I like snow if I don't have to drive in it.

12. Can you ice skate? LOL no. It God had meant for me to skate I would have been born with blades on my feet.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? It was a pink party dress that twirled up when I spun around.

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Spending it with the ones I love and seeing the smiles on there faces when they open their presents.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Christmas Sugar Cookies and Birthday Cake ;)

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Well we don’t really do it anymore. When I was growing up my parents would take us to DC to see the National Christmas Tree.

17. What tops your tree? An Angel I bought at CVS the year I graduated from College.

18. Which do you prefer: giving or receiving? Am I supposed to be honest? Oh okay....receiving. I know I am supposed to say giving but let’s be real here. Everyone knows I love to receive gifts. LOL

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? On Barbara Streisand's Christmas Album she sings a song called "The Best Gift" It is about receiving a child and how blessed she was. Since I was born on Christmas I feel like the song is written about me. Yeah I know...it is always about me. Deal with it!

20. Candy Canes? Yes I love candy canes as long as they are the regular peppermint ones. Don't like the fruity flavored ones.

US Army Corps of Engineer will be featured on Dirty Jobs
I just received and email from my friend Marci Montrose from NAE informing me that they are going to be on the show "Dirty Jobs" on the 12th of Dec. at 9pm (EST) on Discovery Channel. They came and filmed them during the dewatering of the hurricane barrier This isn't the project that I work at but just thought you might like to tune into something Corps related, but fun too!!!


Episode Guide:

Mike Rowe rolls up his sleeve and gets dirty making giant bells at the McShane Bell Foundry. Mike also gets down and dirty with the US Army Corps of Engineers as they conduct yearly maintenance on a hurricane barrier that was raised from the oceans floor.

Airs:

Dec 12 2006
@ 09:00 PM
Dec 13 2006
@01:00 AM
Dec 15 2006
@0700 PM
Dec 16 2006
@ 11:00 AM

I'm back...well sort of
Mood:  don't ask
Well I am back from my trip to WV. The holiday was great. Spent lots of time with friends and family. Mom and I even got a chance to see Crique du Soleil in DC. It was AWESOME!!!

The ride home yesterday was rough. Traffic wasn't bad until I got near Richmond. At that point I-95 turned into a parking lot. Not exactly sure why. There weren't any accidents or cars on the side of the road. I finally made it to I-85 then got stopped again. This time there was a major accident. I was lucky that I could get off and take a side road. I feel bad for the people that had to sit there. The trip normally takes me 5.5 hours...this trip took me closer to 7. I was so happy to finally see my apartment.

I unpacked, did laundry, then re-packed for my trip to Wilmington today. Not at all happy about having to travel again. I brought Merlin into the office today so that Dana can take him home with her tonight. It is actually nice having an office pet. Everyone has been spending lots of time up at my desk.

Of course my day back from vacation hasn't gone smoothly. In the morning I usually log onto the website of one of the local news channels and what do I see....Dead Body Discovered at Falls Lake...Fowl play suspected. (News Story - in case you want all the details)*sigh* Just what I needed first things Monday morning. Within seconds of reading the story I get a flurry of calls and emails from the District office wanting to know more information and wanting to know why we haven't filled out any reports. HELLOOOOOO!!! We JUST found out about it. Even though we own the lake, we lease it out to the the state to manage. More often than not when something happens...we are the last to know. Normally we have 24 hours to process all the forms. They want them ASAP and keep after us to get more information. We don't know any more than what was reported on the news. *sigh* So not how I wanted to start the week.

Well I better get back to filling out the forms. Take care and I probably wont be writing anything till I get back Thursday.

Park Rangers...we are an observant bunch of people
Mood:  mischievious
I am not an observant person. I mean I notice the big stuff...like if I came into work one day and the dam was gone...I am pretty sure I would notice that. The little things however,are more of a challenge for me. Minor haircuts, new uniform, new boots, etc. So do I have a right to be offended?

Friday night I sat in my apartment with Tanya and her cousin Robin who was visiting from TN. We had polished off two bottles of wine when I box of hair dye emerged from Tanya's purse. On Halloween I put red streaks in my hair and for some reason people loved it. Tanya and Robin were determined to dye my hair and I was to drunk to refuse. My hair is now RED!!! Sort of like Gene Gray's hair in the X-men movie but maybe just a tad darker. Don't worry you all it is only temporary. It is one of those brands that washes out in a month. With my commitment phobia I couldn't do a permanent color for fear I would be stuck with it. But anyway...I digress.

I went into the pub Saturday night and everyone noticed I had colored my hair. How could you not...it is RED. Most of these people have only met me once so I was surprised that they noticed. And the majority of the ones who noticed were men. Also a big shocker to me.

I get into work this morning and no one says a word to me about my hair. My boss comes in however and they all comment on the fact that he has gotten 1/16th on an inch cut off his hair and how nice it looks. Still No one notices that I dyed my hair red. Come on people...it is bright freakin' red!!! Pretty hard to miss. My boss keeps looking at me like he knows I have done something different but I think is too embarrassed to ask what because he knows he should be more observant. LOL I guess that is what I get for working in an office with mostly men.

I have worked with these guys for almost 3 years now and they didn't notice the red hair. I work at the pub for two nights and they all notice. So what does that say? Have the people that I work with become complacent? Does the pub crowd care about me more? It is a quandary.

I am off to WV tomorrow and I don't know if I will have a chance to post while I am there. So if not...

Have a great Thanksgiving and if you are traveling...stay safe.

My mood improves with the appearence of the sun
Mood:  hungry
I am in a much better mood today. Things have been worked out with my surprise trip to Wilmington. A co-worker has offered to look in on the pets. I apologized to everyone that I snapped at yesterday so everyone in the office was in a much better mood today. My boss once told me that I am the cheerleader of the office that I often set the mood. I never realized how true that was until yesterday.

I think part of the reason I was so grumpy yesterday was the fact that I had had a flu shot on Wednesday and I was feeling its effects on Thursday. Not only was my arm sore but I had flu like symptoms It was sort of like have a very week flu. I just had the achy muscles and I was so sleepy. It also didn't help that the weather was crappy. But I feel 100% better today.

Some of you have asked how my first night at Tir Na Nog went. Once I finally got there, I had a great time. I have been downtown so many times that it is like second nature to me but somehow I missed a turn somewhere and ended up going out of town instead of into town. It was hard to find a spot to park close to the pub so I opted to park in the garage. I came out a door onto a street and had no clue where I was. LOL It is amazing how easy it is for me to get turned around. LOL I finally made it there...2 minutes late but I made it. LOL Annie explained what I would be doing, gave me a tour of the pub, and introduced me to everyone. I felt a bit worthless because I didn't really have much to do. I am the type of person who likes to be kept busy. About 8:30PM, Lenny showed up to collect the cover charge for the band and kept me company at the front door. He is from Scotland and has such a great accent. I could have listened to him talk all night. There are a few people, including Annie, that are from Ireland. I enjoyed their accents as well but I have to be careful. Sometimes they speak very fast and I don't alway catch what they are saying. I have picked up a bad habit working as a ranger. When someone comes in with a view point I don't agree with, my first instinct is just to smile and nod. I know it is bad but it works. It calms the person down and they usually leave less angry. Well I have started to apply this tactic to people who's accents I can't understand. It is the exact same thing that the Hispanics do to me when I tell them they need to move their vehicles. LOL I will try to work on this behavior. About 9:30 Annie took me over to the bar, bought me a beer, and introduced me to Alex (a woman who is a regular at the pub). I sat there and talked to Alex for a bit and listened to the band, I realized it was getting late so I got my stuff and headed home. I will be working again Saturday evening, so if you are out and about, stop in and say hi.

Well I guess I will close here. but before I do I wanted to share this picture with you. We get these safety messages every Friday and this one really made me laugh. What a mess this will be to clean up. Take a look http://www.safetycenter.navy.mil/photo/archive/archive_201-250/photo218.htm

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!!

I am so mad I could spit!!!!!!
Mood:  irritated
We got word about a month ago that my boss and I would have to have budget training. It was understood that the class would be offered twice. One session would be in the district office and the other would be here at my lake. Great!!! I wouldn't have to travel anywhere. They then announced it would be held the week after Thanksgiving. Not all that happy about that part but hey it would be in my office so not really a big deal.

Well my boss comes out this morning from his weekly conference call and says that they have decided to hold only one session and it will be in Wilmington and it will be 3 days long starting the Monday after Thanksgiving. WTF!?!

Okay, normally I don't mind going to Wilmington but here is the thing. I am going home to WV for Thanksgiving and I have hired a pet sitter to watch the cat while I am gone. I know you are saying, "it is a cat...they can take care of themselves." Not this cat...he would destroy the apartment. The bird incidentally will be going home with me. The pet sitting expense will be just over $102. I planned for this and budgeted for it. Now because some idiot in the District has the planning abilities of a gnat, I have to some how come up with $74.

I flat out told my boss that I couldn't go. I can't afford it. He just gave me a look. Which for some reason sent me into a rage and I went off about how they, especially him, make WAY more money than I do. How they all have significant others to share the financial burdened. The money I make has to be budgeted carefully or I can't pay my rent or afford to buy food. I am in essence a single mother. I know to most of you my pets don't compare to children but in my eyes they do. I took on the responsibility for caring for them. They depend on me for food, shelter, and love. Don't children require the same? My boss looked at me and said, "don't worry...we will figure this out." Which did nothing to calm me down. I don't know what I expected him to say or even why I blew up at him. I guess because he was an easy target. I guess I hoped that he would have fought harder to change the training class. To explain to the District that it would be cheaper to have the session at Falls because you wouldn't have so many people on TDY. But he said nothing. He just excepted it. I love my boss to death but this is one aspect in which we are very different. He excepts things the way they are...I fight to change things to suit my needs.

I emailed the person putting on the training and he said so far I am the only one to complain. I am actually not the only one to complain, just no one else has voiced there complaints to him. Within 10 minutes of finding out that we had to go to Wilmington, I got 10 emails from fellow rangers complaining.

*sigh* it is days like this that I wish I was back working for the park service. We never had any money so they never sent us anywhere. All training was done online.

I need a beer!!!!

Great Aunts will say the darnest things...
Mood:  mischievious
Most of you have heard me mention my Great Aunt Buddie. No her real name isn't Buddie...its Beulah but when you are kid "Beulah" is hard to pronounce so somehow her name became Buddie. She is 96 years old, lives in a retirement village and still drives a car. She has been like a Grandmother to Anne and I since our own grandparents were killed in a car accident while vacationing in Mexico.

Aunt Buddie has alway been a source of amusement for us. She is a habitual shopper on QVC buying items she doesn't really look at but thinks, "oh that would be nice to have." So she buys it, gets it home, then she realizes it has too many buttons on it so she gives it to mom or myself. She tries to be modern and buy high tech gadgets like DVD players and cordless phones but it almost always turns into some sort of ordeal. Mom and I will usually get a phone call asking us to fix it. The bad thing about that is...I live 6 hours away. She expects to tell me the problem over the phone and I fix it for her. I have tried to explain the problem over the phone but it never goes well.

An another amusing thing about her is that she will say WHATEVER is on her mind. Whether it is appropriate or not. Such an incident occurred a few weekends ago and I am going to attempt to tell you what happened. I hope it will translate to blog well...

My mom got a call from my cousin Ethel Lou (yeah I know I giggle when I hear the name too). Ethel Lou and her husband were in Hancock, MD and decided they wanted to stop by and see Aunt B. They tried calling her but she didn't answer. Mom told them that she was probably in church but that she would meet them in Hagerstown and take them over to her place.

When they arrived at Aunt B.'s, mom sat them down in the house and went out to the parking lot to meet Aunt B. Mom didn't want her to walk in to find a bunch of people sitting in her house. Aunt Buddie pulls up and is surprised to see mom.

Aunt Buddie: "What are you doing here?"
Mom: "I have a surprise for you."
Aunt Buddie: "A surprise?"
Mom: "You have some visitors."
Aunt Buddie: "Is it Becky?"
Mom: "No!"
Aunt Buddie: "Is it Anne?"
Mom: "No! Why don't you just come in and see for yourself."

They walk into the house and Aunt Buddie sees these two old people sitting on the couch.

Aunt Buddie: "Is it Hazel and Bob?" (some friends of my mother)
Mom: No! It is Ethel Lou!
Aunt Buddie (In full Volume): "That can't be Ethel Lou...They cremated her!"
Mom: "No! The cremated Kitty" (Ethel Lou's sister).
Aunt Buddie: "No I am pretty sure they cremated Ethel Lou."

Ethel Low, in shock, tried to reassure Aunt Buddie who is still insisting that Ethel Lou had been cremated. After about 10 minutes or so Aunt Buddie finally decided to let it go and except that this was indeed Ethel Lou and not some impostor. She took them all out to lunch and when Ethel Lou decided it was time for her and her husband to head home, Aunt Buddie said she was sorry that she thought they had cremated her.

The bad thing about all this is, except for the fact that they should have called a few days before to let her know they were coming, is the fact that Aunt Buddie just talk to Ethel Lou three weeks prior to the visit. You just never know what Aunt B.'s mind is thinking and what words might come out of her mouth. It definitely makes the evening much more entertaining.

Tonight I start my training at Tir Na Nog. I will let you all know how it goes.

I live in a tree house
Mood:  happy
I really love the location of my apartment. It sits in the back of the complex on the third floor with a group of tree around the back. When I sit on my balcony it feels like I am in a tree house. I am use to the occasional visit from wildlife. Mostly small song birds and squirrels but I have recently had a couple of strange encounters.

Friday afternoon I was relaxing on the couch reading a book when I heard a group of crows going ballistic. They were so noisy I couldn't concentrate on the book. All the sudden I heard the reason for their distress. A red-tailed hawk was perched somewhere close and the crows were trying desperately to get it to leave. I walked out onto the balcony and searched for the predator. The calls were loud so I knew it had to be very close. I searched the trees to no avail, as I turned to walk back inside I finally spotted it, sitting on the roof of the building next to me. I ran in to get my camera but by the time I got back it had flown off. Just my luck.

But this morning takes the cake. As I was waiting for my coffee to finish brewing I heard Fenwick (my cat) making a horrible sound. It scared me a little since I have never heard him make this kind of noise. I was worried he might be sick or injured. I ran over to see him poking his head through the blinds, looking out the sliding glass door. I flipped on the light on the balcony and this is what I saw...





I know it isn't a great picture, but I had to take it through the glass and it was still very dark outside. I can't believe I had a raccoon on my balcony. I keep some nuts out there for the birds and squirrels so I am assuming that is what it was after. He climbed up through the lattice and at one point I thought he was stuck. I dreaded having to call the maintenance guys because I knew they would want to kill it. Men usually seem to want to poke at it with a stick or kill it. It has done nothing wrong and didn't deserve to die. I put half of my banana out on the deck hoping to lure it down from the roof and went back to getting ready. It finally managed to get down, took the banana, and disappeared.

The whole event made my morning. I know you all are wondering why I got so excited. I am a park ranger after all and should be used to this sort of thing. You are right and had I seen it in the park I wouldn't have thought twice about it but I live in the city and never expected to see a raccoon on my balcony.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things that make me smile. 1. Waking up every morning and realizing I didn't die in my sleep. 2. Coming home from work and having Fenwick greet me at the door with sleepy eyes and loud purrs. 3. Snuggles and kisses from Merlin. 4. Getting lost on a road trip with Justin. 5. Finding money in my pocket. 5. Spotting a bald eagle flying over the lake. 6. Fox pups playing with a dead black snake. 7. The Terminex trucks. For some reason seeing a truck with a huge bug on top wearing a top hat and gloves makes me giggle. 8. Planning on how I am going to use my $100 gift certificate to Tir Na Nog. 9. Getting a "1" on my evaluation. That is a good thing. Is is based on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 means you are superb and 5 means if you didn't work for the government you would be fired by now. 10. The Dead Squirrel cards I got from the group of 4 year old's that I did a program for. I brought in a bunch of animal pelts and skulls for them to see. After I left they cut squirrel shapes out of a paper bag and some kids drew tire marks and blood them. Some thought it was morbid. I thought it was funny as hell. One card read, "Thankao you for showing sgolgs and sgms." Don't know what that means either but it made me laugh. 11. Funny cards showing up in the mail from friends. 12. Phone calls from forgotten friends. 13. Pj's, a warm fire, a cozy couch, and a good book Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Anne 2. Diana 3. Your next...Leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!

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Everybody sing with me now...*all by myself...don't wanna be... all by myself*
Mood:  lyrical
I am all alone in the office today. :( I was so excited about it yesterday. I would be able to get so much done...no interruptions. But I sit here this morning and it is just too quiet. I know I complain sometimes about being swamped with work and the staff interrupting me with cray questions but I really think I miss it. One of our normal walkers out here felt so bad that I was sitting in here alone that he went and bought me a sausage biscuit at Bojangles. AWWW that was so sweet. Now I just have to figure out how I am going to work lunch since I went off and left mine at home. LOL Tomorrow is a holiday and I have the entire day off. YAY!!!

Last night's episode of LOST was awesome. Although I really didn't think the couple of scenes with Lock and the others burring MR. Eko really fit in. The whole episode could have just been about Sawyer, Jack and Kate. I would have been okay with that. I think Mr. Eko saying that the others were next before he died was a good stopping point for the fall. I still don't care about the two characters. It is getting exciting though. Is Jack really going to let Ben die? I know an oath. If he does save Ben do you think Ben will keep his promise to get Jack of the island? I couldn't help but get a little giddy when Sawyer finally told Kate that he loves her. *giggle* He is such a cutie.

Well I should get back to the quiet. *sigh* LATER!!!!

OMG I think this girl is me!!!!
Mood:  silly
My mom sent me an email this morning with this joke attached.

A guy took his girlfriend to her first football game. They had great seats right behind their team's bench. After the game, he asked her how she liked the experience. "Oh, I really liked it," she replied, "especially the tight pants and all the big muscles, but I just couldn't understand why they were killing each other over like 25 cents." Dumbfounded, her date asked, "What do you mean?" "Well, they flipped a coin, one team got it and then for the rest of the game, all they kept screaming was: 'Get the quarter back! Get
the quarter back!' I'm like...Helloooooo? It's only 25 cents!!!!

LMAO...The sad thing is...I have probably said something like that. I am not a football fan. Never have been and never will be. I just don't have the patience for it. I can't understand if a quarter is 15 minutes and there are four of them, then how can it take 4 hours to play a game? I also can't handle the constant stops and starts. Just play dammit. I usually watch the superbowl every year because when you think about it...it is really the only game that matters.

To buy or not to buy? That is a serious question
Mood:  not sure
Okay so last night I came to the decision that it was time to buy a house. Don't get too excited just yet. It may or may not happen. As most of you know I have a huge fear of commitment as well as having severe buyers remorse. Reading through the Fannie Mae website for 1st time home buyers got me completely scared. I tried buying a home last year but when I would go to look at the homes, this sense of panic came over me. I think the fear comes from the fact that this is all foreign to me. I have never bought a home. What happens if I don't make a good deal? What if I get in way over my head? How much below the asking price should I offer? I know a good real estate agent is suppose to help you with these things but they work on commission right? So can they actually be trusted 100%? It would be in their best interest to get you to pay more for the home...they in the end would end up with more money. *sigh* The whole thing is VERY scary. There needs to be a 1st time home buyers hot line where I could call and say, "okay here's the deal...the agent thinks I should pay $125. Is this a good deal or can I go lower? Can I get the seller to pay closing costs and throw in the fridge?" Maybe the hot line could even help me with my commitment phobia. They could give me a pep talk every time I feel like backing out.

What has caused the recent home buying decision? MY RENT!!! When I first move to Raleigh I paid $599. Now they want me to pay $710 (it was $729 before I talked them down). At the rate they keep increasing the rent..this time next year I will be paying close to $800. That is way too much money to throw away on an apartment.

I would love to own a home in Wake Forest but I fear I wont be able to find a place I can afford. I have sent emails to a couple of mortgage agents to see just how much house I can afford. I also have to take into account that I have almost $0 in savings. When my car died 2 years ago I used what I had in savings to pay for the repairs and to purchase my new car and I never got back around to saving. There are things I know I am going to have to pay for upfront. Deposit, inspection fess, closing costs. Just don't know if I can come up with that kind of cash. We will see. I will wait to see what the mortgage brokers say.

Talking about this is starting to make me nervous again so I will stop. If anyone out there has advice on things you learned when you bought a house, please pass it on. I will need all the help and support I can get.

These people actually expect me to do work....the nerve!!!
Mood:  don't ask
I came into work today and found a pile of bills that need to be ASAP. Combine that with the fact that I also must reconcile my credit card today and you get the hint that I wont be writing much of an entry today. I did however want to tell you all that I finally uploaded the pictures from Halloween. I know there aren't many of them but i was too busy having a good time to have a camera glued to my face. Hyun-woo took a lot of pictures so maybe I will get a few from him. But in the mean time....

Halloween Pictures

A view of Catoctin
Mood:  happy
Some of you have asked to see pictures of Catoctin (pronounced Ca-Tok-Tin). So this past weekend I went through my pictures and selected a few. For those of you who are new to the blog or are just getting to know me, I worked as a park ranger for the National Park Service for almost 5 years at Catoctin Mountain Park. I really loved the job but decided it was time to move on. So I accepted a ranger position here in NC. Although I love living in Raleigh, there is part of me that really misses Thurmont. I have included a slide show below but if you wish to take a closer look at any of the picture you can go here

I hope you all enjoy!!!

I feel like I am working in a box of crayons
Mood:  happy
The ride into work this past week has been so enjoyable. I haven't minded the usual morning traffic, the drivers who haven't a clue how to drive, the constant stops at the traffic lights that the city of Raleigh can't seem to synchronize. When I have a moment when I feel like I am about o get upset and yell at the idiot who just cut me off, I glance over to the side of the road and see all the beautiful leaves of gold, red, and orange and it makes me smile. Yesterday I missed my turn into the office because I was too busy looking at the leaves. I also allowed myself a little extra time in the morning so I can ride across the dam and see the leaves reflecting in the water. The leaves on the trees have really started to change. I think this weekend will be peak color. I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!!!!!!!

This morning was very cold. My thermometer when I got op this morning read 33 degrees. *sigh* I am so not ready for it to be cold. All I want to do is curl up on the couch with a fire in the fireplace and a good book. Maybe I will have a chance to do that this weekend.

Speaking of which...I don't have any plans for the weekend and I am really looking forward to it. For the past two months I have had something to do every single weekend. This weekend I am locking the door, turning off my phone, and taking care of me. I might not even make it our of my PJ's. HEAVEN!!!!My apartment is in desperate need of a deep cleaning so that is on the list but that's it. The rest of the weekend is mine.

I know some of you in the chat room the other night, brought up the fact that I have never posted any pictures from Catoctin. For those of you who are new to the blog, Catoctin is the name of the park where I worked before moving to NC. The reason why I haven't provided any pictures is because they were all taken pre-digital camera. It really is a beautiful park and I want you guys to see it so I will go through and dig out the pictures and attempt to scan them in. It might take me awhile so please be patient.

Well that is it for me. Take care you all and have a great weekend. Oh I also promise that by Monday I will post Halloween pictures.