I love it when a plan comes together!
Mood:  energetic
Apparently my refusal to go get a new CAC card (Military ID) got the attention of some people in the District. I kept saying that I found it odd that I could log into several programs with my CAC card but couldn’t get into my computer. They kept telling me it was my card and I would just have to suck it up and get a new one. Even the Colonel got involved and told IM they needed to sort it out. But he met the same answer. So I broke down yesterday and called the National Guard to set up an appointment to get a new card. I wasn’t at all happy about it. My picture is halfway decent on this one. Unlike my driver’s license where I look like and angry Hispanic woman.

Yesterday I got a call from Security stating that they think they found the problem and someone from IM would be calling me shortly. They remoted into my computer and loaded a few things. I then stuck in my CAC card and …no error message. *cheer* So now I can cancel my appointment with the National Guard. Why couldn’t the first guy in IM figure that out?

This morning I came in all excited that I could log onto my computer without having to call IM and security to unlock it. My happiness was short lived. No it wasn’t my CAC Card this time that ruined my day. It was coming in to find that we don’t have water. The plumber came out yesterday to fix a valve and was unable to finish so he said he would be back at 7AM and we would have water by the time we opened at 8. Well it is now 9:09 and I have yet to see the plumber. So until it is fixed we have to drive down to Bojangles to use the rest room. One highlight of that is…I now have an excuse to go get a breakfast biscuit.

Yesterday we got off 59 minutes early. This is normally reserved for holidays but seeing as our beloved LTG Strock is retiring, he decided to let us off early to say thanks. So what did I do with my 59 minutes? I went to the bank then to Target to buy a new cell phone. Don’t worry my number hasn’t changed.

The battery in my old phone wasn’t holding a charge. I have had the thing for 6 years and it has been a great little phone. I called Virgin Mobile to see if I could get a replacement battery but they said they no longer carry those. Oh course not. So I went on the site and looked at the phones they currently have. I wanted a Razor but Virgin Mobile doesn’t sell them. They have one that is slim like the razor and what luck…it was on sale for $19.99. So I went to Target last night to pick one up. The guy kept trying to get me to buy on with a camera on it but I don’t need anything fancy. I don’t use my cell phone much. I make quick calls and text message a few people and that is it. So I get home last night and immediately log on to the Virgin Mobile site to swap phones. I am going along pretty good till it asks me to input my MSID number. I searched the book and the website and nothing mentioned were to find the number. So I broke down and called the 1-888 number. Virgin Mobile has recently one and award for their outstanding customer service. And after talking to the tech last night I can see why. These people really seem to love their jobs. The guy was so helpful and perky. In about a minute he had my new phone up and running. The only thing I don’t like about getting a new phone is there wasn’t anyway for them to transfer my contacts so I had to do it all by hand last night. That took awhile. I was also hoping to get a Harry Potter ring tone but all the ones on the Virgin Mobile site suck. I just want the theme song. Is that too much to ask?

Today should be quiet seeing as I am the only one here. Hopefully I was get motivate to do some actual work. :)

Hitting the Couples Scene
Mood:  hungry
Lennie and I both commented this weekend about the fact that we seem to be invited to more events now that we are a couple. His theory is that he is now viewed as “safe” because he is dating me and I have been a good influence on him. My theory is that when you are a couple you feel weird invited your single friend along because you fear they will feel like the 3rd wheel.

This past weekend was jammed packed and I don’t feel the least bit rested. I really need to stop working two jobs.

Friday night Lennie came over late and he headed to the Olive Garden for dinner. But first he wanted to make a pit stop by Home Depot to look at cement for my patio. This ended up taking two hours as we ran around the store looking at different ideas. If it works the way we hope it will I think it will look nice. I had hoped to lay tile but I am having a hard time finding tile I can afford. Who knew your basic ceramic tile would cost over $2.00 a sq ft.? I was hoping for something around $0.50 per tile. LOL yeah right. While looking at the cement I noticed boxes of pigment that you can add to the powder to create different colors of cement. So we thought we would pour cement and then make a template out of wood and press it into the cement to make it look like tile. Then I could go back and paint the grout lines. We are still trying to iron out all the details.

Saturday I had to process a new employee and then head down to the Carolina Kids Expo for a few hours. There were little kids running around EVERYWHERE! It was a good event and it was nice to see such a great turn out. Around 3PM I left and came home to start Lennie’s Birthday dinner. I was suppose to do it the weekend I moved but thing were just too hectic. I made finger-lickin’ good pork chops, French cut green beans with almonds, steamed red potatoes, fried apples, and my famous pie. I guess Lennie liked it because he licked the plate clean. LOL After dinner we just sat around drinking wine and chatting.

Sunday I got up and went to work brunch at the pub. We were packed. They actually had to stop taking reservation because we got so booked. It surprised me that people showed up with large parties without reservations. A majority of them were men who stated they didn’t realize they needed reservations. HELLO!!!! It’s Mother’s Day! Do you think you are the only one who came up with the idea to take Mom out to brunch?

That evening I met up with Lennie and his friends Maria and Todd (Maria’s husband) I enjoy hanging out with Maria. She is so sweet and easy to talk to. Several people have even mistaken us for sisters. LOL Maria’s parents are visiting for 3 weeks (poor Todd). They are from Ireland originally but I think they live in NY now. Maria’s Dad brought his accordion with him and played in the jam session at the Hibernian with several other Irish Musicians. The rest of us sat and had a few beers and just listened to the music. Maria and I perked up when we noticed the Hibernian’s Rugby team (Viper) walk in. I was on eye candy overload. Lennie said there is a guy on the team who looks like Hugh Grant but I never spotted him. I should make a point to go to a game or two.:) And for those of you worried that I was eying up other men…don’t worry Lennie had his own distraction in the form of a cute young waitress with beautiful long curly hair. It was funny watching Lennie and Todd trying to flirt with her.

About 7PM I became extremely hungry so we headed over to 518 West for dinner. The food there is okay. Not one of my favorite places. After dinner we headed to Tir Na Nog to attend a Hispanic Wedding Reception. One of the busboys at the pub got married on Saturday and we were invited down for a drink. We got there and were handed 5 drink tickets each. I only used one. I know I am a light weight. But I had 2 large pints of beer at the Hibernian and since I was driving I decided to take it easy. I had never been to a Mexican party but it was a lot of fun. The one thing I noticed is just how tight the Hispanic community is. Everyone takes care of everyone. It was nice to see.

I don’t think this coming weekend will be restful either. I am scheduled to work both Saturday and Sunday at the pub and there is some sort of Art festival which means we will be busy. (Sigh) I am hoping someone will call me and tell me I don’t have to work this weekend. I have so much to do at my house to get ready for my housewarming.

Cliff Swallows
Mood:  chillin'
Cliff Swallows are not a common site in the Eastern United Sates. They are more prevalent in the West were there are large rock over hangs for them to nest. With the loss of habitat and man made structures popping up all over the East, The little swallows have found a new home.

I was out on the tower one day doing a gate change when I noticed small birds swarming near the tower. Upon closer inspection I noticed they were Cliff Swallow and that they had chosen the south facing bridge wall to build their nests.

The swallows build their nest out of little balls of mud that they carry one by one. They form a cone shape with a small hole pointed downward. They build in large colonies as you see in the picture obove. Some colonies have been know to hold over 100 nests.

The female lays 3 to 5 eggs per nest and some times will lay eggs in other nests. She then sits on the eggs while the male goes in search of food. Their primary diet is insects which are caught in flight. The male returns to the nest with lightening speed and leaves just as quickly to catch more food. There primary feeding time at the dam seems to be around 11AM. It was such a flurry of activity it was hard to watch them through the camera lense. They were quite comical to watch. At one point I watched a male return to the nest. He didn't offer the female any food but instead pushed his way into the nest. The female quickly followed after him. A few seconds later she tosses him out of the nest and proceed to chirp fiercely. Almost like she was saying, "Get you lazy ass out their and get me some food!!! You good for nothing ball of feathers!!!! My mother told me I shouldn't have fallen for you bright rusty colored head."

Nature never ceases to amaze me. It always seems to adapt to any situation. There is a lesson to be learned there.

Complete Mental Breakdown
Mood:  irritated
Yesterday afternoon we were reminded that we would need to use our CAC Cards (military ID) to log onto our computers come Wednesday. They came last week and installed the card reader on my computer and issued me a new card because mine had expired.

I get in this morning and stick my card into the reader and try to log on but I ended up with an error message instead. I called the help desk and proceeded to spend two hours on the phone trying to get it to work. In the end the guy said he thinks it is the card and that i will have to get a new one. Now getting a new card isn't an easy process. I have to call and make an appointment with the National Guard. Then I have to fill out two forms and get my supervisor to sign them. Then I have to drive all the way into town and pray they will let me through security. Then I have to hope that once I get to the CAC office that the machine and computer are up and in working order. The last time I got a CAC card, I had to make 4 trips. Either I didn't have the right form or the printer was down. So when the guy told me I needed a new card....I snapped. I don't mean the little rants that I normally do. This was HUGE. I am pretty sure I made the poor Help Desk Guy cry. I yelled so loud and used such language that my boss came out and grabbed the phone from me and told the guy he would call him back. My boss then looked at me and I just burst into tears. I think he was a bit concerned because this was not at all like me. He then handed me my camera and the keys to our brand new Durango and told me to go and he didn't want to see me for at least an hour.

I went and drove to our tower to get some pictures of the cliff swallows that have set up home there. I got some great pictures that I hope to post soon. After the tower I went down to one of the areas we burned yesterday to check out an area that had crossed the line in the middle of the night. At one point I found a log, sat down and just cried.

I just don't know what is wrong with me. Could be PMS? But I normally don't get emotional. It could be that I am just tired. I don't mean in the haven't gotten enough sleep way either because I have been sleeping great. I think I am tired in the haven't taken a break kind of way. As I mentioned before, I haven't taken a vacation since my trip to Ireland. I do have the occasional weekend away and I have gone home to visit family. But the weekends are just not long enough and when I go home to WV my time is usually not my own seeing as Mom usually have me booked solid with visiting other people. I make it home so rarely now that I live in NC that when I do go home everyone wants to see me.

I just need to get away for at least a week. No schedules, no phones, no computers, no fax machines. Having a mortgage now that is stretching me thin financially, any vacation I take will have to be cheap. Since I work for DOD I can take advantage of the American Foreign Vets Travel site. I can go and stay pretty much where ever for $299 for a the whole week. I could get a few people to go along to make the trip cheaper. The only problem is that you can't normally pick the dates you want. Some places are only available for certain months. I did find a Chalet in Bryce, VA that is available in Sept. Can I last till then? What I would really like to do is to go up to the mountains, rent a cabin on a lake. Make sure it comes with a canoe. Get a fishing license and some gear. Doesn't that sound great? *daydreams a little*

Massages, Rod Stewart, and Cinco de Mayo
Mood:  hungry
Friday afternoon I met up with Lennie at my favorite spa in Raleigh, Iatria. Lennie had booked us a couple’s massage. After the big move the muscle in my back ached so much I could hardly breathe. So I was in desperate need of some pampering. Our masseurs for the day were Jeff and Jennifer and they were amazing. Jeff really focused on my back and was able to work out most of the knots. I could have laid there all day. It was such a nice treat.

Afterwards, we went to our respective homes to get cleaned up for dinner. Lennie stopped by and picked me up and we headed over to the Macaroni Grill. I haven’t been there in over a year. The food was great as always and we had a fantastic server named, Princess. I swear that was her name.

With our bellies full and a little drunk off the wine, we headed to the Rod Stewart Concert. I am not a huge fan but Lennie LOVES him (I won’t hold it against him.) We had nose bleed seats, which was okay because they had large TV screens so we could see all the action. It wasn’t a bad concert except for the drunk redneck yahoo’s who sat behind us. At one point they got up and were dancing in the aisle and got mad at me because I wasn’t clapping along to the music. It was hard for me to stay awake. I was so relaxed and tired after the massage that all I wanted to do was close my eyes and go to sleep. But I made it through the concert.

Saturday I got up and headed over to Bed, Bath, and Beyond were I proceeded to spend $300. It was all stuff I needed for the new house and I even had a gift card and a coupon. It still made the $300 a little hard to swallow. I got these great towels that were on sale. They are so soft. Can’t wait to use them.

That night I went in to work at the pub. I stopped working nights because I normally spend the evening with Lennie but Roxanne’s new Bo was in town and so I switched with her. About 6PM Roxanne shows up and asked me where all the people were. Apparently Pete (the owner) called her and asked her to come in because I was slammed. I looked around and we had a good number of people but we weren’t packed and there wasn’t a wait. Maybe Pete thought it had been awhile since I worked a night shift that I might be a little rusty. *shrug* I tried to send her home but Pete wanted her there till 8PM. I think she managed to sneak out at 7:30.

Sunday morning I went in to work brunch and we were so dead. I hate it when it is slow because the morning just creeps by. Brunch ends at 2 and normally then pub is slow enough for the staff to grab a bite to eat and break down the buffet. Well all the sudden all these people came in and we only had one waitress. I felt so bad for her that I ended up getting drink and food orders for her till re-enforcements arrived. It makes me a little mad that I help out and the staff never offers me a share of the tips. Oh well I will probably be quitting at the end of this month and gong to emergency status.

Sunday night we headed over to John and Dee Dee’s house (friends of Lennie’s) for a Cinco de Mayo celebration (yeah I know it is a day late). But first we had to make a pit stop at the Hibernian for a beer with some other friends (Lennie’s social calendar is so packed we have to fit people in where we can. LOL). We got to the party and I poured myself some Sangria and scarfed down some food. Man was I hungry. We then sat around for the rest of the night chatting and drinking. I have managed to get myself invited to some sort of candle party next weekend. Trying to find an excuse not to go.

So all in all it wasn’t a bad weekend. I hated to come back to work. I need to take some time off soon. I haven’t had a vacation in forever. Yeah I know I went home for a few days at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I have taken a few Fridays off to go to the beach. But it hasn’t been “me” time. When I am home I am usually running around getting together with friends or family and the weekend trips are just too short to really enjoy. I will have to find an inexpensive idea for a trip. Now that I have a mortgage, money will be a little tight. To the ladies out there reading this who live in Raleigh (pr close by) I am thinking about having a Girl’s Night Out. I still have a $100 gift certificate to use at Tir Na Nog. So let me know if you are up for it.

Breaking up with your Apartment Complex
Mood:  hungry
As most of you know by now I bought house. Well before moving into said house I lived in a 3rd floor apt in North Raleigh. I moved there 3 years ago and have been relatively happy with it. Well last December when it came time to renew my lease they decided to increase my rent about $80 more than what I paid last year. I was shocked when I opened the letter. I immediately went to the office to get them to explain why the increase was so high. We haven’t been getting any additional services. Actually we have had services taken away. So why the big increase? Their response was that the price was consistent with what was on the market. See after Katrina we had over 150 thousand people move to Raleigh. They scooped up all the low priced homes and apartments. So my greedy landlord thought they could get their share of the action. Not having a place to go at the time I renewed my lease but swore that I would buy a house and leave this place for good.

I started my house search in January. I wasn’t in a hurry to by something and really didn’t expect to find something till the spring market opened up. I ended up changing agents 3 times till I found one that understood what I needed. Well in February I was showed this little house and even though it wasn’t the “perfect” house it seemed to fit me very well. So I put in an offer. I don’t think I ever really thought it would be accepted but after several phone calls and deals they finally agreed to sell it to me. Then it hit me…Oh my God I have a lease to try to get out of.

I stopped by the office one afternoon to talk to the manager. She and I have had a fairly good relationship. I have been a good tenant. I have always paid my rent on time and no one has ever complained about me. So I didn’t foresee a big hassle. Boy was I wrong. I understand that they are in the business to make money but I honestly thought they would work with me on this.

She at first congratulated me on my recent purchase and how great it would be to own my own home. Then she stated that she guessed I was here to get out of my lease. I asked what my options were and here are the two…the only two…I was given.

1) Pay rent on the apartment until they are able to rent it out again.
2) Pay a buy out fee of $1420.00

I knew I couldn’t afford to pay rent and have a mortgage payment so I knew my only option would be to pay the buy out fee. No where the hell would I get $1400? I called my dad and asked him for the money and to my surprised he decided to give me the money. So that problem was solved and I could breathe easier.

As I was moving my things out of my apartment a couple who lived in the building next to me came over and asked if they could take a look at my place. They were currently living in a one bedroom and wanted something bigger and mine was in a prime location with the balcony in the back facing the trees. After they looked at it they ran up to the office to sign a lease for my old place. That night I took a look over my lease and I saw something in it that the manager never mentioned. It stated that if the apartment was rented out before I moved then I could break the lease without owning anything. GREAT! I would now have $1400 to spend on the house.

The day after I moved I went over to the office to return the keys. The manager wished me luck, told me they would send me a bill for any damages. She never mentioned the $1400 so I assumed what I read in the lease to be true. Well two days later the manager called me to tell me they overlooked the buy out payment and they would need it from me as soon as possible. I immediately called the office. I informed them that I knew they had re-rented my apartment and that according to my lease I didn’t owe them anything. I lied and even said I had my lawyer look over the lease as well to make sure I was correct. Landlords fear lawyers. There was some silence and then the manager put me on hold for a good 10 minutes. I am sure enraged that I found out that apartment had been re-rented. She came back and said that I was correct and asked how I found out about the apartment. I informed them that the tenants told me. She stated that I didn’t owe the buy out fee but then tried to use a scare tactic by stating that if the people decided not to take the apartment then I would have to pay monthly till it was re-rented. I knew for a fact they were taking the apartment because the guy informed me that he was trying to hook up his cable and that my cable was still on. So I told the manager that I was okay with that. She then informed me that I would owe rent for the last week in April and any damages. I worried that they would try to get their money back on damages.

Well yesterday I got the bill in the mail. $173 was the final cost. That was for the remaining rent, water bill, and carpet cleaning. SWEET! That is way better than $1400. The plan now is to use that extra money to tile the patio out back. It feels so good to be rid of that apartment.

Let this be a lesson for you. Stand up to those who try to screw you over. They will often back down.

Chivalry makes us paranoid
There is a commercial out right now for a cell phone company which talks about how their network has the fewest dropped calls. The commercial features a woman who calls her best friend to tell her that her sweetie has sent her flowers. The friend immediately “awww’s” the gesture. The woman then states that her coworkers think he sent the flowers because he has done something wrong. Her friend, I am sure, offers reassurance that the sweetie sent them to be nice but the woman does hear that…the call has been dropped. Not hearing her friend’s response she fears her coworkers are right and that he has indeed done something terrible and is sending the flowers to soften the blow.

It has seemed lately that everyone around me who is involved in a relationship has been having some issues. Is it Male PMS? The full moon perhaps? Is he just not that into you? *shrug*

For some reason I seem to be immune to this current male dilemma, because my current sweetie has been more than accommodating. Which makes me wonder what he is up too?

Friday night Lennie and I were supposed to spend time together. We had talked about dinner and catching a movie. I got up that morning and felt like crap. It got so bad that I even ended up leaving work early. I called him to say that I just couldn’t make it out. That I think the stress and the recent move have finally caught up with me. He fully understood and said he would grab a beer with a friend and then call later to check on me. Later that evening he called to say he was on his way over. When he showed up he had a bag in his hand from a swanky new restaurant that just opened up. In the bag was a chocolate molten cake and ice cream. He apparently remembered me mentioning that chocolate always makes things better.

Saturday morning we got up and he offered to cook me breakfast. It was a wonderful concoction he created. He took a small pie tin and lined it with crescent roll dough then lined it with bacon, topped it with egg and cheese and put it in the oven to bake. Turned out really well. After breakfast while I got ready to go to work, he install a new digital thermostat for me. I had an old mercury one that the numbers were all worn off of. In the process the fan stopped working and he spent the rest of the morning fixing it.

Sunday I asked if I could borrow his mower since I have yet to purchase one. He said he would drop it off in the afternoon so that I could mow right after work. I got home and there were 4 bags of lawn clippings sitting on my driveway. I was a bit upset at first because I thought my neighbors had thrown there trash on my property until I realized that my grass was cut. Well actually I don’t have grass I have WEEDS!!! Lots of them which he said were a pain to cut. I have a man coming out to look at the yard this week.

Then last night he called to say he wanted to book a couple’s massage Friday afternoon. We could do the massage then grab some dinner and head over to the Rod Stewart concert that he had bought tickets too. He said if I booked the massage he would pay for it.

It is not uncommon for Lennie to do nice things for me. But 4 day’s straight has me wondering. Like the girl in the commercial….has he done it to be nice or is he making up for something he did wrong. Lennie's response would be, "Damned if you do...Damned if you don't"

.

A Fairy Tale that we should have been told as kids
Mood:  hungry
I am busy playing catch-up from taking two days of and then being out of the office for most of the week. So I don't have time today to write a proper entry. So instead I decided to leave you with a fairy tale my mother passed on to me as well as an news article my sister posted on her blog about a new scam sweeping Japan. But first...the fairy tale.

Once upon a time in a land far away, a beautiful, independent, self-assured princess happened upon a frog as she sat contemplating ecological issues on the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow near her castle.

A frog hopped onto the princess' lap and said: "Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper, young prince that I am and then, my sweet, we can marry and set up housekeeping in your castle with my mother, where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children, and forever feel grateful and happy doing so.

That night, as the princess dined sumptuously on lightly sauteed frog legs seasoned in a white wine
and onion cream sauce, she chuckled and thought to herself: I don't freakin' think so.


SCAM Alert. I just want you all to be informed so that you won't fall victim to this scam.

Japanese fooled in poodle scam
April 26, 2007 - 8:59PM


Thousands of Japanese have been swindled in a scam in which they were sold Australian and British sheep and told they were poodles. Flocks of sheep were imported to Japan and then sold by a company called Poodles as Pets, marketed as fashionable accessories, available at $1,600 each. That is a snip compared to a real poodle which retails for twice that much in Japan.

The scam was uncovered when Japanese movie star Maiko Kawamaki went on a talk-show and wondered why her new pet would not bark or eat dog food. She was crestfallen when told it was a sheep. Then hundreds of other women got in touch with police to say they feared their new "poodle" was also a sheep.
One couple said they became suspicious when they took their "dog" to have its claws trimmed and were told it had hooves. Japanese police believe there could be 2,000 people affected by the scam, which operated in Sapporo and capitalized on the fact that sheep are rare in Japan, so many do not know what they look like.

"We launched an investigation after we were made aware that a company was selling sheep as poodles," Japanese police said. The Sun reported. "Sadly we think there is more than one company operating in this way.” The sheep are believed to have been imported from overseas - Britain, Australia."

Many of the sheep have now been donated to zoos and farms.


I hope you all had a good laugh. Happy Friday!

You too can can lose 7lbs on my new weight loss system
Mood:  hungry
I’m back!!! Did you miss me?

I had a Dr.’s appointment last Thursday and every time I go in she insists on weighing me. Well according to the scale I lost 7 lbs in just one month. I guess it is from all the stress and going up and down 3 flights of stairs 20 times a day with heavy boxes. My butt is looking amazing. LOL

I am finally living in my new house. What an ordeal. I never realized I had so much crap to move. I managed to have most of the boxes out of the apartment so all I had left was furniture.

I had taken Friday off to get the rest of the boxes out, move the animals, buy food for the moving party, and take apart my old bed to carry it to the dumpster. I planed to have all this done by 8PM and then I could just relax till Anne and Kate arrived. Well nothing went as planned. It took me awhile to get the animals loaded. I had to lock Fenwick and myself in the bathroom to try to get him in the carrier. We had quite the battle and I have the scars to prove it. Things didn’t go any better when we got to the new house. Merlin refused to go into his new cage and Fenwick wouldn’t come out of the carrier. This nonsense put me about an hour off schedule. I thought buying the food at Sam’s Club would help me on time but there were only 2 checkout lanes open and tons of people waiting in line. About 8PM I finally got around to taking apart the bed. Lennie was suppose to meet me at the apartment to help but called and said he was running behind. Not wanting to be doing this at 11PM I went ahead and started taking it apart. I had it all apart when Lennie finally arrived. He took one look at me and I think he knew I had had enough. I was hot, sore, and I had managed to injure my knee. He carried everything to the dumpster while I did some little things around the apt. We then headed back to the house where I rested and he ordered a pizza while we waited for Anne and Kate. He was going to take me out to eat but didn’t want to be seen in public with me because I looked like hell. LOL

The girls arrived about 1AM and were hyper and ready to go. Me?….well I was tired and could barely keep my eyes open. Lennie decided to go home because he wasn’t up for sleeping on the floor. I talked to the girls for a bit and then headed to bed. I had to be at the U-haul place at 9AM so I need to get some rest.

Kate and I got up and she was going to drive with me to the U-Haul place and Anne was going to sleep in a bit. Anne got up right before we left and decided to go with us so she wouldn’t have to find the apartment on her own. After picking up the U-haul they followed me back to my apt. I apparently made a left at a light that they missed. The truck was so big I couldn’t see behind it so I didn’t have a clue that they weren’t behind me until Anne called me on her cell phone. We got there about 10AM and started to load some things. Everybody else was due to arrive at 10:30. As we loaded the tuck my neighbor James and his two sons offered to help. Thank God because the rest of my movers didn’t show up till 11. By noon we had everything out and were on our way to the new house. The unloading went much quicker seeing as my house is one level and we were able to back the truck up to the porch and put the ramp down and just wheel everything in.

Once finished I cranked up the new grill and made hamburger and hot dogs for everyone while they relaxed with a beer. After lunch we sat around and chatted for a bit then Marie and Allen helped me return the U-haul while Anne and Kate laid out in the sun on my new patio. Once we got back we planned the activities for that night. Marie and Alan went and picked up our Korean friend Hyun-Woo and brought him over to see the new house. I hadn’t seen Hyun-Woo since Oct. I had forgotten just how adorable he is. They decided to go grab dinner…I think at Moe’s and we decided to head to Napper Tandy’s. Lennie had a Scottish/Irish thing to go to that we were not allowed to attend so after dinner Anne, Kate and I headed to Mosaic to meet up with Marie and friends. Mosaic is a cool new wine bar in Raleigh. It has a Moroccan theme and cool house music but I think Anne and Kate were disappointed there was no dancing or cheap beer. LOL We hung out for a bit then Lennie showed up with some of his friends from the meeting he attended earlier. I just couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer so I rounded everyone up to go home. Along the way we made a pit stop at a sex shop called Priscilla’s. I didn’t buy anything but Kate got a few toys for her and her new boyfriend to try out.

Sunday morning we got up and I drove the girls out to see the lake and my office before heading down to Tir Na Nog for brunch. After brunch we headed back to the house and the girls packed up to head back up to Maryland. It was sad to see them go. Hopefully they can come back again and stay a little longer. Next time we can see more of the town because we won’t be so tired. Lennie and I met up and headed to the apartment to clean up and then we headed for a quick hike at the park. We got down to the boat ramp and I put my feet in the water and just relaxed. Lennie and I both commented later that it felt like we had hit a brick wall. We went to bed early and I immediately went into a dead sleep.

I took off Monday so that I could unpack and try to get things settled. I managed to get the kitchen, dining room, and living room in order. Those were the hard rooms the rest of it should be easy. I just have to find the motivation to do it. I also got my Driect TV hooked up which Lennie was excited about because I now have BBC America. He just needs to figure out how to work the remote.

Thanks again to everyone who helped with the move. It is good to know I have such great friends. Now that I have extra room feel free to stop by and crash if you are ever in Raleigh.

What do you mean we put it together backwards?
Mood:  caffeinated
Okay so last night I decided to buy a gas grill. Since I have promised everyone that helps with the move hamburgers and beer, I needed something to cook the burgers on.

Lennie met me at the house around 6:30 or so and we headed up to the Walmart in Wake Forest. I had done research online so I already knew which one I wanted to get. We go in and search for the girl and the one I wanted wasn't anywhere on the floor. I was about to give up when I glanced up to the top shelf and saw it sitting there. An associate came over and got it down for me and put it in the cart. I also told them I would need a full propane tank. I didn't realize there was an empty tank already in the package. But the one I got is a Blue Rhino tank which I can exchange for a full one anywhere. I now also own a brand new empty propane tank that I have no clue what to do with. But anyway I digress....

I paid for my grill and tank and pulled the car around so that Lennie could load it in the back. We then headed over to O'Malley's (we seem to spend a lot of time in pubs) for a quick bite to eat before heading back to the house to put the grill together. Seeing as it was a LOST night I wanted to be back at the apt by 10PM.

When we got to the house we unloaded everything and started to try to put this thing together. Who ever wrote the instructions did a piss poor job in my opinion and the pieces should have been labeled better. Lennie was certain that during the construction of this grill, that we would have our first fight.

In the beginning we had used the wrong screws to assemble the legs. We had to take those out and put the correct ones in. After that things went together quickly until...we realized we had put the legs on backwards. *sigh* So we had to take it all apart again and start over. I thought for sure Lennie would be pissed and would get up and walk out but he just laughed and started to loosen the screws.

I only lost my temper at one point and it wasn't with Lennie. I was trying to attach the side tray and the screw wouldn't go into the hole. I got pissed and through the side tray across the room. I then took a deep breath and went over and picked up the tray and went back to trying to attach it. But Lennie and I never argued. Not even a little bit. I think he was a little disappointed. He thinks we need to have a fight just to make sure our relationship is solid.

We finally finished it and rolled it outside. Lennie turned on the gas and I pressed the starter switch and Ta Duh!!!! We have fire. At this point I was exhausted and looked at the clock...11:30. Damn it I missed LOST. But at least the grill is together so now the people will not have to eat frozen burgers. LOL Here is what it looks like.

I am off tomorrow and wont have much internet access till after the move. So I hope everyone has a great weekend and if you are looking for something to do Saturday morning...come on out and help with the move. Should be fun!!!!

Your not safe anymore
Mood:  blue
This whole tragic incident at VT has just blown me away. As I sit and watch the news it actually takes me back to 1996 when girl opened fired on Students at Penn State where I was going to school at the time.

Sniper kills student on HUB lawn
By KEIGHTLEY WITTICH
Collegian Staff Writer

A University student was killed and another was injured yesterday after a 19-year-old State College resident allegedly opened fire with a high-power military rifle on the HUB lawn. Jillian Robbins spread a tarp under trees in the northwest corner of the HUB lawn and fired five shots toward College Avenue about 9:30 a.m., said David Stormer, assistant vice president for safety and environmental services.

Robbins, of Turtle Creek Apartments, 358 Toftrees Ave., was arrested at the scene and will be arraigned today, according to the Office of Public Information. Melanie Spalla, a 21-year-old senior who lived at 286 Simmons, was shot from about 138 feet away, Stormer said. Spalla, a journalism major from Altoona, died at the scene. Another student, Nicholas Mensah, of 407 Stephens, was shot in the left side of his abdomen from about 300 feet away, Stormer said. Mensah's family told reporters he is 22 years old.

Mensah, a native of Ghana now living in Philadelphia, was operated on yesterday afternoon at Centre Community Hospital and was upgraded from critical to fair condition, said Donna Williams, a hospital spokeswoman. Spalla's autopsy is scheduled for this morning. When questioned by police after her arrest, Robbins said she knew none of the people at whom she allegedly fired. Police were unsure yesterday whether there is a motive behind the shootings. "They asked her why she did it. She kept saying, 'I don't know. I don't know,' " said John Lazo (senior-administration of justice), a witness to Robbins' arrest. "Her legs were all blood."

Stormer said Mensah was probably hit first in the shootings yesterday. He was walking along the path between the HUB lawn and Health and Human Development Building East near the gazebo, Stormer said. Another student reportedly found a bullet lodged in a textbook in his book bag.
Robbins loaded a second clip before Brendon Malovrh, a witness to the shootings, found her hunched over a 7mm Mauser rifle, a high-power military weapon, Stormer said. During a struggle, Malovrh, of 57 Atherton Hall, wrestled the gun away from Robbins. She then pulled out a knife and attempted to stab him. When he stepped out of the way, Robbins stabbed herself in the thigh. Robbins sat on the ground and Malovrh used his belt to try to stop her bleeding, Stormer said. Robbins was treated for the stab wound yesterday at Centre Community Hospital and was upgraded from critical to fair condition, Williams said, adding that no one was permitted to see her by police order.
Williams also said Robbins is under assessment, but she would not say if Robbins was under the care of a psychologist.

Mensah was in surgery for about an hour and a half, and Robbins was in surgery for about an hour, Williams said. Mensah was operated on first because "he was in much worse shape," she said.
The alleged shooter and the victim were placed in the same recovery room after their operations.
Mensah's brother, Michael Mensah, a high school student, was told about the shooting when he returned from school yesterday. His father and uncle are with the victim and the family is doing well, he said.

"Everything's OK here," he said, "but we're taking everything very serious." Police have interviewed about 15 witnesses and plan to reconstruct the event within the next couple of weeks, Stormer said. Kerry Butler (sophomore-division of undergraduate studies) was walking along the same path as Mensah when she heard the shot, followed by a pause. She had not realized the noises were gunshots, so she kept walking at a normal pace toward the area where Mensah fell. She then heard four more shots in quick succession.
"I heard a man yelling from the HUB that there was a shooting and to run away," she said. "I took off and went onto Old Main lawn. I can't make out my thoughts after that."

Kara Pehanich (sophomore-secondary education) also witnessed the incident. "I heard the first two shots and when I looked over I saw the person with a gun under a tree in the corner," she said. "Then I heard two more shots." A man asked for someone to call University Health Services and the police, Pehanich said. Shrubs around the lawn prevented her from seeing the victims fall. "As soon as I heard the shots," Pehanich said, "I got out of there."
After the gunshots, Delorse Homan, a staff assistant in the dean's office of the College of Health and Human Development, looked out of a second-floor window of Henderson Building and saw a person with an umbrella on the ground. "A woman ran to his side and said something to him and then ran for help," she said. "I knew it must be serious because he buckled over like that. I thought, 'He's not getting up.'" Some students inside surrounding buildings during the shootings did not realize immediately what had happened, and several assumed the loud noises were something other than gunshots, such as rifle practice or construction.
Tom Cioccio (junior-food science) said he and other students on the second level of the HUB heard the gunshots but continued studying because they did not know what the noise could have been. When a man informed them of the shooting, some began to scream, he said, and many went to the window and balcony to see. Faith Georgic (junior-nutrition) viewed the aftermath from a kitchen window on the second floor of Henderson Building. She saw a police officer holding the rifle and the knife.
"It was just like this one," she said, holding up a six-inch serrated steak knife. Georgic said she also saw the suspect, wearing a black, military-style beret and a camouflage shirt, being loaded into the ambulance. Jen Butler, a State College resident, was in the Centre Community Hospital emergency room for a leg injury unrelated to the shooting. There was not much activity around Robbins, who was surrounded by a white curtain, she said. "There was mud all over the floor," she said. "There were cops all over the place."

Robbins enlisted in the Army Reserves in March 1994, and went through basic training in June and July 1994, said Maj. Greg Yesko of Central Pennsylvania Army Reserves. She was discharged in June 1995 because she failed to complete high school, he said.

Collegian staff writers T.R. Deckman, Laura M. Boscarino and Jim Kinney contributed to this report.

If you look at the map below I was in building #2 at the time of the shooting.

Like many other students at the time the sound of gun fire didn't register. There was a lot of construction going on in the area at the time so I dismissed it as a very loud hammer.

Here is the scary part of that day. Normally in the mornings before my class in the Henderson buidling, I would walk up to the HUB and grab a cup of coffee and a newspaper. It was raining that morning and I was coming down with a cold so I decided to limit my outdoor exposure and just head to the class room. If I hadn't made that decision I would have been walking along the same path that Mensah had been walking.

I wish there was some way to make sense of these killings. They say often the person was dismissed by society. Can loneliness really make you want to take a gun and shot someone?

Such a tragic event!

I swear officer...it WAS a China Cabinet that beat me up.
Mood:  irritated
Last night I decided I wanted to put my new china cabinet together. My friend Andy offered to help me and told me he would meet me at the house around 6. I rushed over to the house after work and unloaded some stuff from my car. I looked at the clock...6:15...no Andy. I called his cell phone and there was no answer. I decided to go ahead and start, figuring he would be along any minute.

At one point in the assembly you have to place the hutch on the base. This requires 2 people because it weighs a ton. I looked at the clock...7:32 and still no sign of Andy. I called him again and still there was no answer. I don't know where the strength came from. Must have been the anger of being stood up coming through. I picked up the hutch and placed it on the base and managed to balance it with one hand till I was able to get everything lined up in the right holes.

Now it was time to attach the doors. Of course the cabinet is standing upright now and there is nothing to rest the doors on while you attach the hinges. So here I am with my knee up in the air, trying to balance the door while trying to hold on to the hinge with one hand and a screw and screw driver in the other. I almost had everything lined up when the doorbell rang. I yelled for the person to come in. It was Andy. He comes over and I know he sees me struggling with the door but does he offer to lend me a hand...no he just goes into this story about how he and his boyfriend got into a huge argument and that is why he didn't come earlier.

I finally managed to get one screw in after about 15 minutes of struggle and Andy just watching from behind. As I started to put the other screws in Andy asked me if I had eaten. I said no in a very angry tone. Thinking to myself, "I have been here putting this thing together all night by myself. When the hell did I have time to grab something to eat?" He says, "Well it looks like you have this under control. I better go grab something to eat and get home and see if I can mend things with Richard." As he started to walk away I just looked shocked and said, "Are you f***in' kidding me?" He turns to look at me with a vacant expression on his face. I proceeded..."You call me and tell me you want to help me put this thing together. I waited for you and you didn't show up. You finally show up 2 hours later and stand there watching me as I struggle to put on the doors and never once offer to help. You then ask me if I have eaten and I say no and then you decided to leave. What did you expect me to say? No I haven't eaten...let me drop this f***in' door and make you a sandwich. The least you could have done after standing me up was offer to run out and get me something to eat. You ALWAYS manage to disappear when there is manual work to be done. I seem to recall that Tanya and I had to put your entertainment center together because you got a call on your cell phone and walked out." I don't think he expected me to react like that because he just stood there starting at me. He then asks if I wanted him to run and get me something to eat. I said not right now I am too angry to eat anything. He decides to leave as I continue to try to attach the doors. Finally at 10:30 I put on the last door knob and the project was complete. It really looks nice and I am very happy with it. I am completely covered in scratches and bruises and my back is KILLING me but I managed to do it all by myself. I know that Lennie will be upset that I didn't call him to help but I honestly thought Andy would follow through. I should have known better.

This morning I got an email from Andy apologizing for last night but I am still too upset to accept it.

Tonight the plan is to pack up the kitchen and bathrooms. I am slowly running out of time. I still need to by a grill and put it together. *sigh* I will be so glad with this whole move is over.

I have about 8 boxes of stuff at my apartment waiting for the Vietnam Veterans of America to come and pick it up. I hope the guy doesn't have issues walking up the steps. I don't know what I will do with all that crap he they don't show. Keep your fingers crossed.

Pig Pickin', Renaissance,Faire and Charity Donations
Mood:  lazy
Friday night Lennie and I met up at Duffy's Tavern for a beer. I used to visit Duffy's a lot when I first moved here. They have great salads. Anyway...I kind of wanted to talk to Lennie about what I was feeling lately. When he was gone for his 2 week military training I had time to think about the relationship and where I thought it was headed. When it comes to men I tend to be stand-offish because I have a fear I will care too much and then end up getting my heart stomped on. Let's face it...I haven't had great men in my life. Just look at my Dad. Anyway...A guy once told me that I was the most unfeeling person he had ever met. Not wanting to push Lennie away I decided to relax a bit and let my guard down. Well I found that with letting one's guard down...the paranoia seems to increase. It isn't that "He hasn't called me in two days he must be sleeping with someone else." kind of paranoia. It is more the "he says he loves me but does he really? Is he just settling till something better comes along?" kind. As luck would have it...Lennie had some of the same concerns. After each of us reassured the other that we had no intentions of messing this relationship up, I was able to relax a bit more. The one thing I really love about Lennie is that he isn't afraid to talk about the relationship and to let me know what is bothering him.

Saturday morning I got up and went into to work at the pub. We were DEAD. I think he had a total of 25 people in for lunch. At 4PM I clocked out, picked up Lennie and drove up to Kerr Lake for a Pig Pickin' to celebrate my friend Josh buying his first home. He has always been supportive of me so I wanted to return the favor. We didn't get up there till about 7PM. I was praying that there would be pig left because I was starving. I had made my famous Red, White, and Blueberry pie and Lennie thought we should leave it in the car till we found out if they had saved us some food. I really thought Lennie wasn't going to hand the pie over when we got there. As luck would have it there was a ton of pig left and I scarfed down two helpings and then headed for a piece of my pie. It got rave reviews as always and I was surprised there were two pieces left when we got ready to leave. I think it helped that shortly after we got there everyone else left. LOL Maybe we smelled. Oh well more food for us. We headed back to Raleigh about 8:30 and on the way home I looked over and Lennie was licking the pie plate and server. LOL I guess that means he liked it. His birthday is coming up this Sunday. Maybe I will make him a pie.

Sunday I was suppose to go to the Renaissance Faire in Raleigh. It was the last weekend and I was so looking forward to donning my dress and eating some great food. When I got up the rain was just coming down. I turned on the TV and there were tornado warnings in effect till 3pm. *sigh* I called Marie and decided it was just too crappy to go. There were points in the day when the sun came out and I thought "man I should have gone!" But then the sky would turn dark and the rain would start and would just confirm my decision to stay home. I had called a Vietnam Vet group and they were willing to pick up my donations of crap but I had to have it together by Tuesday so I spent the day going through my closets. I have 8 boxes of stuff to go to charity and I think I made 10 trips to the dumpster. Oh and Anne....last call on the lamp. You better claim it now or it is going off to a new home.

Later that night Lennie came over and we headed down to Napper Tandy's (Irish Pub). I used to go here a lot before I started working at Tir Na Nog. I need to start going more often. It is a pleasant pub and they have fans going so you don't end up smelling like smoke. Something is wrong with the fans at Tir Na Nog. Even on days when there is no one smoking I come out smelling like smoke. We have even had a few customer complaints about it. They defiantly need to do something about it.

Well the big move is still planned for Saturday. I have so much to do. Tonight I hope to put my china cabinet together. We will see how that goes. LOL At least I don't have to measure anything.

I should not be allowed to go to Lowes unsupervised
Mood:  hungry
Okay so this is a follow up to yesterday's entry. Sorry if there was some confusion while reading the entry. When I ran spell check it somehow deleted a whole sentence. I fixed it so now it should make more sense. LOL

Anyway...I took the blinds back to Lowes last night so that I could exchange them for 35" ones. Now remember that I need 35" inch blinds.

I get to the customer service counter and the woman, looking less than enthused, proceeded to try to help me.

CS: Can I help you?
ME: Yes I purchased these blinds yesterday and they are too small. I just need to exchange them for a larger size.
CS: What do you mean they are too small?
ME: They don't fit the windows. These are 34" and I need to get 35" instead.
CS: Did you measure your windows first before you bought them?
ME: Yes....sort of.
CS: Sort of?
ME: I measured the existing blinds instead of the window casing. Lesson learned.
CS: (Looking at me with disgust) Let me see your receipt.
ME: (hand her my receipt) Here you go!
CS: What is this?
ME: My receipt!
CS: This is an internet order.
ME: Yes I ordered them online to pick up here in the store.
CS: *sigh* Well this isn't a store receipt. The only thing I can do is issue you a store credit.
ME: Fine...whatever...just as long as I can get the size blinds I need.

She issues me a store credit which was put onto a gift card so I could go and get my blinds and pay for them at another register.

I head over to the blind isle and noticed there was a woman standing there looking at blinds as well. Fearing that she may take all the blinds in the size I needed, I rushed over and spotted 36" X 64". I grabbed 8 and threw them in my cart. Luckily the woman was looking for 31".

I then proceeded to the checkout lane and handed the woman my gift card. They were the same price as the original blinds I got so I was able to check out quickly.

I arrived at my car and started to put the blinds in the back. As I was unloading them from the cart I looked again at the dimensions. DAMN IT!!!! I need 35" not 36". *UGH!!!* So I loaded them back up in my cart and ran back inside the store.

I arrived back at the customer service desk.

CS: (looking at me with mixture of confusion and disgust) What can I help you with now?
ME: I did it again.
DS: Did what again?
ME: Bought the wrong size.
CS: *sigh* Receipt?
ME: (hand her my receipt) I really shouldn't be allowed in hardware stores unsupervised.
CS: I would tend to agree. (Disgusted look)
ME: Would you like me to return those blinds to the isle for you?
CS: Yes and this time make sure you get the right size? Would you like for me to send someone with you?
ME: No I doubt I will make the mistake a 3rd time. If I do then it is the universe telling me I don't need new blinds.

I smiled and headed back to the isle of blinds. I put the 36" back and got the 35". I triple checked each box.

As I headed out of the store I waved to the CS lady. She has no idea she will be seeing a lot of me. *giggle*

I managed to put up 4 of the 8 blinds last night and they fit nicely. Yay me!

Who the hell gave Becky the tape measurer?!?
Mood:  mischievious
Okay so the other night I measured all the blinds in the new house. They all...for the most...part were about 34.5 inches. So I went to Lowes and search their selection of blinds. I found a set for $3.96 and they were in white. PERFECT!!! I looked at the sizes. They had a 34 inch and a 35 inch. Seeing as the blinds were 34.5, I thought I should go smaller not larger so I bought the 34's. I got to the house and went to put one up and it was about an inch too short. WTF? What the hell happened? Well what happen is I measured the blinds not the window casing. The window casings is 35 inches. *ugh* So now I have to trot back to Lowes to exchange all 8 sets for the 35's.

I have repeatedly told people I can not measure. It is a disorder I have. I can't explain it. I am almost alway off on my measurements. It is a good thing I am not a carpenter because nothing I build would be structurally sound. LOL

Lennie came over last night to install the new outlet in the laundry room. I tried to pay attention but I think I was just getting in the way and making him nervous. Since the rest of my bed arrived yesterday I decided to put that together instead. It was fairly easy to assemble as long as you didn't try to follow the instructions. I had directions like..."turn cross support beam up and insert rivet A into slot A and then rotate so that rivet B will fit into slot B. See picture for details" Nothing was labeled slot a or b and there were no pictures of anything rotating. So I just played around with it until I figured it out.

Tonight I will hopefully be putting up news blinds. Wish me luck!

Dude!!! Where's my bed!!!!!!
Mood:  lazy
Friday evening after work I loaded up the car with stuff and drove over to the new house. My new bed and Merlin!|s new cage were scheduled to be delivered that day so I was anxious to get them inside and put them together. When I got to the house the only thing sitting on the porch was the bird cage. I unloaded the car and started to put together the cage. The instructions were HORRIBLE!!!! I was lucky that I managed to figure it out. I have one little thing to fix but that isn!|t a big deal. When I started cleaning up, UPS arrived with half of the bed. Only the rails. I told the guy there should be another package. He checked his truck and said there wasn!|t anything else. So I have the rails but no headboard or footboard. I called Overstock and talked to Armond. After about an hour all he basically told me to do was to wait a few more days and see if they arrived. I told him the box was marked 1 of 1 not 1 of 2. He just said to call back in a couple of days. *sigh* I just love customer service.

Saturday morning I got up and went in to work at the pub. As I was setting up the tables and chairs in walked this guy who I thought looked just like Lennie. He started walking towards me with this HUGE smile on his face and I realized IT WAS LENNIE!!!! He wasn!|t suppose to be back till Sunday so what was he doing here? Not that I was complaining. He gave me a huge hug and kiss which seemed to anger bartender Chris because he seemed mad at me all day. But then again he always seems mad at me. *shrug* Lennie told me how they had driven back Friday night and when he got to Norfolk he couldn!|t stand it anymore and rented a car to drive all night back to Raleigh. After work I met him over at the new house to give him a tour. He then handed me my housewarming gift. A tool belt, a home improvement book, and a Lowe!|s gift card. Apparently I am supposed to wear the tool belt and nothing else. *giggle* I am so glad to have him home.

Sunday morning I got up and took Lennie home before heading down to the pub to work. We were busy but not as bad as everyone thought it would be. Lennie came into eat at one point but I was too busy to talk much to him. He left at some point without saying good bye. We had planned on getting together after I finished work so that we could install an outlet at the new house. When I got home I decided I wanted to take a break from the house so that I could spend time with Lennie. When I called him I told him that we could wait to do the electrical work till later this week. He informed me that he still had a lot to do at his house and that if he got done he would call me and we could do dinner. From the tone in his voice I just knew that I wouldn!|t see him at all. I was a little upset and disappointed but then I realized that he had been away for two weeks and needed to get settled in and get his stuff back in order. It is tough for me some times because I can be very selfish and self centered so it is easy for me to get hurt when someone tells me that they don!|t want to spend time with me. But I think the fact that I was upset and not relieved that he cancelled shows me just how much a care about him.

Tonight I am taking over yet another load of crap to the house. I have also ordered new blinds that I will need to pick up as well as a lock set from Lowes. It is amazing how every time I go into the house I see things I want to improve. I just need the money to do them. One thing I really need it s cordless drill/screwdriver. I have dropped a few hints to a couple of people so I am hoping I will get one for a housewarming present. ƒ?

Well I guess I should end it here. I am loaded up on NC BBQ and fried chicken so all I want to do right now is take a nap. Only 2.5 hours to go.

Burn it all down to the ground
Mood:  lazy
Some of you have asked me questions about what exactly is a prescribed burn and why do we do it. Well a prescribed burn is a forest fire started on purpose. We do these burns to cut back on fuel content on the ground as well as improve the forest stand for wildlife by clearing out the briars and getting rid of exotic plants. It can be fun but most often it is a lot of work. By the end of the day you smell like a camp fire and can barely keep your eyes open.

On the last fire we did at Jordan someone had a camera so I thought I would use the photos to walk you through a burn.

Early in the morning we check the fire lines that were prepared ahead of time and clear off any debris that might have fallen. Then the group is formed and we discuss the burn we are about to do and discuss safety which is very important.

Here we all are going over how to run the pumper in case the fire was to get out of control. That is me on the left with the light blue bandana.

Next the drip torches are filled.

Then we light a test fire. This is very important. There are certain burn criteria that we must meet before we can get clearance to burn. Two of those criteria are the direction the fire will run and where will the smoke go.

On the day of the burn the winds were suppose to blow southwest but it often changed when the wind sometimes came up off the lake. The goal was to send the smoke out across to lake to keep it off of roads and away from homes.

Once the test fire is lit it is now time to start the burn and a strip line is started.

The person running the line walks into the woods and tries to walk a straight line until he comes out the other side. After the first person enters the woods a second person waits about 15 minutes or so and then starts another line about 30 ft up from the last line until the area is done.

If the conditions are right the fire should take hold and run quickly. I didn't run line on this fire. My job was to make sure the fire stayed within the fire line.

The tool in my hand is called a flapper. It has a large rubber mat on the end which is use to suffocate the fire. It is used for grassy areas. In the wooded areas we used a tool called a rake. It isn't like the leaf rake you have at home it actually has 4 large sharp teeth on it. It is designed to you can rake dirt over the fire or chop up roots and small limbs to move them out of the way.

Close up of the Flapper

The Rake

It tends to get a bit smoky at times.

Sometimes it can total cover the road which can be bad for drivers. Luckily this isn't a heavily travel road.

Once the fire lines have been run then we patrol the fire lines and look for trees that can possibly fall on the line and spread the fire outside the contained area. If such trees are found then they are cut down. We also check to make sure no vegetation is burring close to the line. Wind can pick up and carry hot ash across the line and start a fire on the other side. This part of the fire process is called mop up work.

Once the mop up is complete you return to the staging area to wait for the burn boss to release you. You then put away your tools and go home.

You shouldn't have.....No I mean it....You shouldn't have
Mood:  lazy
The other day I came home to a Fedex notice on my door stating I had a package at the office. I was a bit confused because I wasn't expecting anything.

I drove up to the office and sure enough there was a large package waiting for me. I looked at the return address and noticed it was from my Aunt Dorothy (Dad's sister). What on earth was she sending me?

When I got back to the apt I grabbed a knife and cut into the box. On top was a card that stated that this was a house warming gift. That it was something my Mother's Mother had painted. I dug through the packing peanuts and this is what I pulled out.

WFT!!! Have you ever seen anything so hideous in your life? What the hell and I suppose to do with it? It matches NOTHING in my apt or my future home for that matter. Even if I were to do a nautical themed room I doubt I would even have the nerve to display it. I think my Aunt, like my dad, has completely lost her mind.

Now how do I get rid of it? My first thought is to put it up on Craig's List to see if anyone would actually give me money for it. Then I thought I would just give it to Goodwill. I remembered this lamp from somewhere. Then it dawned on me that my sister had the exact same lamp in her room when we were growing up. That's it!!! I will box it up and send it to Anne! :)

Some of you have asked me what you can get me for a house warming gift. Well let this lamp be a guide for what not to get me. LOL All kidding aside. You don't have to get me anything, but it you feel you must...giftcards to Lowe's, Home Depot, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Target and Walmsrt are excellent.

I made my first home repair yesterday and I am so proud of myself. The previous owners had put those tacky toilet seat covers on both toilets. Well at some point they had gotten wet and had bled and stained the toilet seats. So I had one hot pink and one teal toilet seat. I tried everything and could not get the stains out. So I ran to Lowe's buy new seats. I didn't realize there were so many different kinds. Rounds ones...oval ones...ones with metal hinges...ones with plastic hinges. Luckily I picked the right one. I was surprised how easy it was to put new seats on. I did it all on my own without help from anyone. *cheer* Now I just have to figure out how to light the pilot light on my hot water heater and I will be set.

I'm a homeowner!!!
Mood:  happy
At 1:00pm on Friday March 30th I closed on my very first house. I guess I am an adult now.
The closing only took about 30 minutes. I had already signed my mortgage papers about a month ago so there were just a few final papers to deal with. I thought I was going to have to pay about $800 at closing but it turned out that I didn't need any money. They actually gave me money back. Don't get too excited it was only $49. The Seller was suppose to show up with the keys but he never came. So I had to drive over to the house and try to get the lock box open to get the keys. After about 20 minutes and 2 phone calls to my agent I got the door unlocked. I then went inside with my steam cleaner in hand so that I could clean all the carpets. I turned on the sink...no water. *sigh* I called the water company and they said they can't get it turned on till Monday. Having to return the cleaner Saturday afternoon, I decided to buy jugs of water and boil it on the stove. I went back to my apt and grabbed a large pot and went back over to the house. I sat the pot on the stove and went to turn on the burner when I noticed the stove wasn't working. I pulled it out to make sure it was plugged in.yep! Then I went and checked the breakers. They all appeared okay. I called my agent again who then contacted the seller's agent. He was apparently on his way to my place to pick up his lock box and sign. He came in and looked at the stove and then called a friend of his who is an electron. Apparently there is a 2nd breaker box I didn't know about and sure enough the owners had turned off the AC and the stove. *sigh* Well now everything is working. I spent all afternoon cleaning the carpets. There are some stains I wasn't able to get up. I really should replace it but I just can't afford $1000 for new carpet. Put that on my to-do list.
Saturday morning I got back up and went over to the house to clean the kitchen, windows, bathrooms, and floors. I got most of it done except the floors and outside windows. I will try to get that done Sunday evening.
The buyer's remorse set in last night but after getting all that cleaner done and spending all that time in the house I am starting to feel like it was a good decision.
For those of you who live in Raleigh...On April 21st (that's a Sat.) if you are bored out of your mind...I could use some able bodies to help move some furniture. There isn't a lot. My hope is that I can get a good number of people together so that we will only have to carry one or two things. Then afterwards I am going to cook hamburgers and hotdog on my new grill. Oh yeah there will be beer too. :)

Check out a slidehow of the new house.

Do you think people will know who we are
Mood:  mischievious
Our new tent arrived today. You know the one I said I wasn't going to buy. Well they found a use for the old tent so I decided to go ahead and buy the new one. It arrived today and we put it up. I am worried that people wont know who we work for. What do you all think?