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.

Red Talied Hawks....with bells on
Mood:  quizzical
Sorry still no Halloween pics. I honestly intended to edit them and post them last night but I was still so hung over and exhausted from the night before that I came home and slept until LOST came on. Then once the show was over I was back in bed. Speaking of LOST...who the hell were guy and the girl in the hatch with the others? You can't just bring people on without introducing them. And what was up with killing off Mr. Eko? Sooooooo not cool. He was one of my favorite characters. *sigh*

Anyway...on to the main subject. I am duty ranger this week which means I am the one who has to lock up the park in the evenings. Last night as I was locking one of the gates I heard bells jingling. I looked around expecting to see someone with a dog but saw nothing. All the sudden this huge bird swoops out of the woods, grazing me head, and lands on the roof of my patrol vehicle. I turned around slowly towards the bird. I was now eye to eye with a very pissed off looking Red Tailed Hawk. Then I hear a voice from behind me say, "I am sorry I didn't mean to startle you." I turned to see a man standing there with a large leather glove on one hand. He is a falconer (a real one Marie...not like the one at the festival) and this bird is one of three that he has. The other two being another hawk and a kestrel. He said he has seen me the last few days and thought I might enjoy the encounter. Not exactly sure if he was trying to pick me up or just figured rangers were into this sort of thing. In any case I did think it was very cool. I don't think I have ever been eye to eye with a hawk before. This bird was very well trained. The guy would blow his whistle a certain way and the bird would take off. Another whistle sound would make him do something else. I stood there and watched him for about 30 minutes before realizing I still had work do. Very cool experience. He must be back this morning because I have see the hawk fly past my window a couple of times.

I am always amazed by the types of people we get here at the dam. It definitely makes the job a lot more interesting.

The Gaelic Festival and the Halloween Bash
Mood:  lazy
I finally loaded some pictures from the Gaelic Festival. I had such a great time. There were some really awesome bands and dancers. One band in particular I just LOVED!. They were a pipe and drum band from Scotland called Albannach. They put on a great show. You couldn't but move to the music. I bought there CD and brought it into work to listen to it and now boss has made off with it. LOL Hopefully I will get it back soon. Anyway enjoy the Pictures

Last night a group of us went to Tir Na Nog for their Halloween bash. It was Marie, myself, Marie's BF Alan, and his friends Scott, Matt, and Hyun-Woo. Hyun-Woo is visiting the US from Korea for a year and has only been in this country for about 3 months. He was the main source of our entertainment for the evening. We spent the evening explaining American things and teaching him slang. I guess it was about 11:30 or so when they finally announced the winners of the costume contest. 1st place went to.....ME!!!! I couldn't believe it. It took me awhile to get to the stage because I didn't realize they were calling my name. I seldom win anything. LOL What did I win? a $100 gift certificate to Tir Na Nog. That is a WHOLE lot of beer. Annie (the very nice lady who runs Irisheventsnc) also gave me a copy of the cover to her son Andrew Britton's new book coming out in March. It is a sequel to his first book entitled, The American. If you haven't read it...I highly suggest you do. It is a great book. I don't have pictures to post yet. I got home too late to download them off my camera. But I promise to post them when I do.

You can read Marie's blog here . She has some pics from last night.

I hope everyone had a great safe Halloween.

I'm fitted for fangs and now I am ready to go!!!!
Mood:  hungry
Okay so I was all set to NOT celebrate Halloween. I was going to lock myself in my apartment and spend the night watching movies. Well my friends have other plans for me. Marie, determined not to succumb to the Halloween malaise, has scheduled us an evening of fun at Tir Na Nog Irish Pub. Okay great…now I have to come up with a costume.

So Friday I headed to the Halloween Spirit Store. Now for those of you not from the US these are special stores that pop up only at Halloween and are FULL of costumes and decorations. I decided to go as some sort of spider vixen. Of course the one costume I wanted was sold out but the girl, seeing my disappointment, took me over to the clearance section and showed me a costume that I could modify for my needs. Best part is…it was only $5. Okay now to the accessories. I would need to get some fangs. There was half an isle dedicated to fangs and blood. I had tried most of these out before and they never stayed in. Watching me eyeing the selection was a young man by the name of Dan. He came over and proceeded to ask me what I was looking for. After describing what I wanted to be, he insisted that I not settle for the cheap fangs. That I should get this specific brand of fangs. It is the kind he started out with. Okay pause here…started out with? Okay Rebecca…don’t judge. Okay back to the story. I agreed and splurged on the expensive ones…$19.95. Luckily I have all the makeup I need, red spray for my hair, spirit gum and spiders. So I set off for home.

Once home I tried on the costume. It was great except for the fact that the skirt part of it is see through. No problem…I would just hit the fabric store Sunday and make a better skirt. I then went to “fit my fangs”. The kit comes with this dental molding stuff. You put it on the tooth and hold it in place for awhile and it forms to your teeth. Then you can pop the teeth in and out at will. Doesn’t sound hard…but it was. I managed to get one fang fitted properly but the other one just wouldn’t stay put. By now I am out of dental stuff so I will have to stop by the costume shop to buy more.

Saturday I spent the day at the Gaelic Festival and I will write more about that when I get the pictures posted.

Sunday morning I got up and headed over to the fabric store and bought some tool and fabric which all happened to be on sale…total $8. I then met Andy for lunch and he informed me that we was going as a Vampire and needed fangs. Since I needed to get some replacement stuff for mine I agreed to drive him over to the costume store. As I walked in Dan came up to greet me. I explained my situation and Dan then told me that I really should have my fangs “professionally” fit. I laughed, saying I didn’t realize that there were such things as professional fang fitters. He looked at me with all seriousness and said that HE was such a person. Andy then chimed in with the fact that he was looking for silver fangs. Dan informed us that he would be willing to meet all our vampire needs if I agreed to cook him dinner. Before I could respond Andy yells out, “It’s a deal!!” Wait a minute… there is a guy who claims to be a professional fang fitter coming to MY apartment and I have to make him dinner. I gave Andy a look like, “what part are you playing in all this?” He just smiled back.

At 6PM there is a knock at my door. I opened the door to see Dan standing there with a tackle box in hand. I invited him in (because I read somewhere that they can’t come in unless you invite them). He set up in the bathroom and started fitting Andy’s very cool looking sliver fangs. In the mean time I started dinner. I could hear Dan in the bathroom telling Andy all about the “vampire” community. Each sentence would start with, “well in the vampire community they would do this…” I couldn’t help but chuckle a little. Okay now it was my turn. Dan didn’t like how the fangs I bought matched my teeth so he fitted me with a pair that matched much better and would be easier for me to wear. I know I made him mad at one point. See you put this dental putty on the fang, put it in place, and then you have to hold it there for 5 minutes while trying not to move. Well I must have moved because the fit didn’t take. So Dan had to scrape it all out and start over. But both now fit really well. I can talk, drink and sort of eat with them in. Very cool. Most of the vampire talk by this point had subsided until we got ready for dinner and Andy informed Dan that I made spaghetti and that it had garlic in it. Andy was worried for Dan’s safety…didn’t want him to go up in flames. This upset Dan and he proceeded to tell us about all the fake Hollywood myths. This lasted all through dinner.

So now I have everything I need for a night of fun. I hope that everything that I want to do with my makeup and costume turns out. I have decided to be Spiderella or Spinderslla (can’t decide on a name) I must find a Prince Charming by midnight or I turn back into a spider. LOL I will try to take some pictures. I hope you all have a great evening.

The Legend of the Snallygaster
Mood:  mischievious
About a month ago Marie pointed me to myspce blog or a gentleman living in Ireland. He goes by Tuathal and a few days ago he wrote a really great blog about the legend of the Banshee. Last night before LOST came on Tanya, her brother Andy and I got to talking about Halloween costume ideas and Tanya mentioned she would like to go as some sort of mythological creature and the banshee was brought up. I showed her Tuathal's blog post and she was amazed by what she read. Thanks to Hollywood the Banshee has gotten a bad rap. Anyway...Tanya then stated that America doesn't have cool figures such the Banshee or Leprechaun. It is true that the Emerald Isle may have some cool mythological creatures but there are some pretty cool legends close to home. I then brought up the tale of the Snallygaster.

When I lived in Thurmont, MD a lot of the older people used to tell the story of the Snallygaster I am guessing to scare children. I have always been amazed and slightly amused by the story. I comprised information taken from Wikipedia and Ghosts and Legends of Frederick County by Timothy L. Cannon and Nancy F. Whitmore to give you the following story of....The Snallygaster.

According to legends repeated in the Middletown Valley Register in the early 20th century, the community was terrorized by a monster called a Schnellegeister. The word means "fast spirit or ghost" in German, but neighbors nicknamed it the "Snallygaster." The Snallygaster was described as half-reptile with octopus limbs, and half-bird with a metallic beak lined with razor-sharp teeth. It can fly. It can pick up its victims and carry them off. The earliest stories claim that this monster sucked the blood of its victims. The beast was spotted in Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey before finally arriving in Frederick County, MD. It has been suggested the legend was resurrected in the 19th century to frighten freed slaves.
In February and March of 1909, newspaper accounts describe encounters between local residents and a beast with "enormous wings, a long pointed bill, claws like steel hooks, and an eye in the center of its forehead." It was described as making screeches "like a locomotive whistle."

Sightings of the Snallygaster were creating such a commotion that at one point it was reported that President Theodore Roosevelt might postpone a trip to Europe so that he could lead an expedition to capture it. Apparently the Smithsonian Institute was also interested in the beast. From the description provided by engineer 83, in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, they determined the strange beast was either a bovalopus or a Snallygaster, since it had the characteristics of both. Further, its hide was so rare that it was worth $100,000 a square foot, as it was the only substance known to man that could polish punkle shells.(Punkle shells, for those of you who don’t know, are used by the African tribes of Umbopeland for ornamentation.)

The last sighting in Frederick County in 1909 occurred near Emmitsburg in early March. Three men fought the terrible creature outside a railroad station for nearly an hour and a half before chasing it into the woods of Carroll County.


Twenty-three years passed before the Snallygaster appeared again in Frederick County. First reports were received from just below South Mountain in Washington County. Eyewitness accounts claimed that it flew toward them from the Middletown Valley.

The beast was often seen floating back and forth over the area and was described as being as large as a dirigible, with arms resembling the tentacles of an octopus. The creature appeared to be able to change its size, shape, and color at will.

Although the creature made no attempt to harm any of the residents of the Valley, most people sought the safety of their homes as it flew overhead.

The Snallygaster finally met his end in a way some might envy. The creature was flying near Frog Hollow in Washington County when it was attracted by the aroma of a 2500-gallon vat of moonshine. As the beast flew overhead, it was overcome by the fumes and dropped into the boiling mash. A short time later, revenue agents George Dansforth and Charles Cushwa arrived on the scene. They had received information about the still, but were rather startled at the sight of the dead monster in the vat.

The two agents exploded five hundred pounds of dynamite under the still, destroying the remains of the Snallygaster and John Barleycorn’s workshop.

A great deal has been written about the Snallygaster since 1909. It has appeared in countless articles in the Middletown Valley Register, Frederick News Post, and other area newspapers. Is has also appeared in the Baltimore Sun, National Geographic, and Time Magazine.

In 1976, the Washington Post sponsored an unsuccessful search for the Snallygaster, as well as other strange Maryland creatures.

Frederick County is known for a great many things, but most will agree that none is as imaginative as the Snallygaster.

Romantic menories keep popping up in my mind....
Mood:  caffeinated
As I sat at my computer this morning trying to remember what I was working on yesterday that I needed to finish, I stared at the image I have set as my wallpaper. It is an image of the Cliffs of Moher that I took during my visit to Ireland last year. I recalled the day we visited the Cliffs. I like to do this a lot because that way it keeps the trip fresh in my mind because I haven't a clue when I will have a chance to go back. Anyway...I remember that day as being the coldest day of the trip. It was raining that morning. Not a heavy rain, just a steady mist. The wind coming up off the cliffs was so strong that it nearly knocked you off your feet. The sky was gray and there was a light fog surrounding the cliffs. I remember someone from our group complaining about the fog and how the view is much more amazing when the sun is out. Which maybe true, but I remember thinking that it couldn't be more perfect. This is how I always pictured Ireland when I was a little girl. What would Ireland be without the "Irish Mist". Anyway...I stood there taking pictures hoping to take that one shot that would help me remember this day forever when I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked over and saw a young couple standing not far from me. The young man was holding his girlfriend, trying to keep her warm when all the sudden he broke away and turned her so she was facing him. He got down on one knee and started talking. I know I should of walked away or pretended not to notice. This was a private moment between the two, but I couldn't help myself. I just stood there and watched. He gave this long speech about how they hadn't known each other long and that he knew that she said she wasn't ready but that he couldn't imagine himself without her. He was so cold (and perhaps a little nervous) that he shivered so badly that he could barely get the words out. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring box and asked her if she would marry him. The girl hesitated for just a moment before she responded with a yes. It was so sweet and romantic that I couldn't help but tear up a little.

The weather has gotten much cooler lately and all I want to do is curl up on the couch under a warm blanket with a fire in the fireplace. The cold evenings make me miss Philip a little. He was so great to snuggle up to. I really miss that.

One good thing about the cold is that the leaves have finally started to turn. This is my favorite time of year. The cool crisp morning, the smell of the leaves mixed with the smoke for chimneys near by. The sky is blue and clear and its color reflects in the lake. I tried to take a picture of it but the colors just didn't convey well on camera. The water is still a tad warm and with the mornings being so cold, a mist rises up off the surface. It almost looks like smoke on the water. When the sun hits it in the morning with the colored trees in the background...it is just breathtaking. I really wish you all could see it. *sigh*

Well I better get some work done. Enough romanticizing for one day. Till next time...

For the Ladies
Mood:  happy
Colleen posted this on her blog and I thought I would share it with the rest of you.

Go here. HERE

Select a product. Ask to see the side effects.

Enjoy.

So Others May Live...
Mood:  a-ok
Last night I was suppose to meet Pottery Guy (protecting his identity) at the North Hills Mall Theater. He has been wanting to see "The Guardian" so we decided to make it a date. The deal was that we would meet outside the Theater at 7PM. He called me just as I was heading our the door to tell me that he was running a little late. No big deal. I needed to call my mother anyway. Which turned out to be a mistake because she really wanted to talk. Now I was the one running late. I got in my car and drove to the mall and parked in my usual spot by Target. I ran over to the elevators that take up to the Theater. The doors close and I pressed the button for the 1st floor. Nothing happened. I pressed the button again. Nothing happened. Time now is 7:18...movie starts at 7:20. I decided to exit and try the other elevator. I pressed the "open doors" button and nothing happened. OMG I am locked in the elevator!!! I kept pressing the button in a panic, praying to everything holy that the doors would open. Finally after about 5 minutes I was released from my steel prison. I decided at this point it would be safer to take the stairs. As I reached the top I nothing they had the elevator taped off and barricaded. WTF! They should have put signs on the ones in the parking garage so tha you know that they were broken. *sigh* I finally made it to the Theater and found Pottery Boy. We bought our tickets and headed in. Luckily they were still showing previews.

The movie was very good. I am not a huge Kevin Costner fan but he actually did very well in this film. Incase you haven't heard anything about the movie:

After losing his crew in a fatal crash, legendary Rescue Swimmer, Ben Randall, is sent to teach at "A" School, an elite training program for Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers. Wrestling with the loss of his crew members, he throws himself into teaching, turning the program upside down with his unorthodox training methods. While there, he encounters a young, cocky swim champ, Jake Fischer, who is driven to be the best. During training, Randall helps mold Jake's character, combining his raw talent with the heart and dedication required of a Rescue Swimmer. Upon graduation, Jake follows Randall to Kodiak, Alaska, where they face the inherent dangers of the Bering Sea. In his initial solo rescue, Jake learns firsthand from Randall, the true meaning of heroism and sacrifice, echoing the Swimmer's motto--"So Others May Live!"
The Guardian

The best part of the evening actually came during the previews when they showed the trailer for Eragon which is based on the book of the same name. A boy named Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest. At first, he thinks it's a lucky discovery, something that will bring food to his poor family for the winter. Instead, it brings a dragon hatchling, and Eragon is soon thrust into a world of magic and power through which he and the dragon must navigate. This is the first in the trilogy and it will be released in theaters December 15th. I am so excited. It looks awesome.

Well until next time...

I am just not in a haunting mood....
Mood:  blue
Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. So my less than enthusiastic attitude towards it this year has me completely baffled. By now I would have decorated my apartment, carved a few pumpkins, made a costume, and visited a few haunted houses and corn mazes. I haven't done any of it. I just don't know what is wrong with me. Maybe it is the fact that the weather has been warm or it could be the fact that Halloween isn't a big deal down here. Whatever the case I just don't feel Halloweeny.

When I lived in Maryland, Halloween was a big deal. Bars, restaurants, and hotels had big activities plan for the holiday. There were so many haunted houses with in a 50 mile radius of where I lived that even if you started going to them on the 1st of October you wouldn't even come close to seeing all of them before 31st. I would look froward to choosing a costume. I loved picking a pattern and making it with my own two hands. They just always looked better than the store bought ones. There were corn mazes and hay rides to attend, complete with a free pumpkin and some hot apple cider. My friend Justin and I would dress up Halloween night and attend some sort of party and/or go to Denny's just to watch people stare. It was FUN!!!!

Moving to the bible belt has changed all that. Bars and clubs here have events but they are not highly advertised or are really expensive to get into. There are only about 3 haunted houses to attend and two corn mazes. One of which is in the shape of a race car. Most people refuse to celebrate it because they think it is a day that people converse with Satan. These are the same people that picketed Harry Potter, but that is a whole other entry.

You would think I would relish in dressing up and shoving it into the face of the the bible bashers but I quite frankly don't have the energy. I think if I was surrounded by people who were more enthusiastic about Halloween I might feel a bit different but everyone here feels the same way I do. I feel like the Grinch but instead of Christmas...it is Halloween. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!!!!!

I hope I get out of this funk soon but I have a feeling I will let Halloween pass by me this year. :(

I've been published
Mood:  happy
If you have been following the journal you know that this past spring we had a den of foxes on the dam. In April I was asked to write an article about the foxes for a community paper. Somehow our Public Affairs office got a hold of it and decided to publish it in the October addition of our newsletter. So check out page 13. Just a warning though. There are two errors in it that apparently they didn't catch before they published it and I wrote it for parents with kids so it is on that level...not really expert journalism but the pictures are cute. District Newsletter

I know I haven't updated since Monday but it has been a crazy week. The power company was digging a trench and hit our water line. Not once but twice. They finally got it fixed Tuesday morning and we went to turn the water on and nothing happened. We then spent the rest of the day out in the rain at the pump house trying to get everything running again. Then this morning I came in and went to unlock the bathrooms and heard water running. The toilet in the men's room was continually flushing. I jiggled the handle but it wouldn't stop running. Exhausting all of my plumbing knowledge (basically jiggling the handle is all I know how to do) I decided to wait until my boss came it. They are down there down trying to get it fixed.

It also turns out that my mother is coming back this weekend. She just loves it here sooooo much. LOL no actually she is using Raleigh as a stop over. She and some friends are traveling to Hilton Head, SC and they think it is too long of a trip to do it all in one day, so they are stopping in Raleigh overnight. The plan is that her friends will stay at the hotel and Mom will stay with me. Which means tonight I will be busy cleaning and getting her room ready. All this must be done before 8PM so that I can watch Survivor.

Mom is also brining with her more apples and cider as well as a jar of apple butter. Aunt B REALLY wants to make sure that I don't suffer from Apple Deficiency Syndrome this year. LOL I am starting to get sick of the site of apples. LOL I really need to write her a thank you card. :)

This weekend is the last weekend for the NC State Fair. I am hoping to make an appearance on Saturday but I will have to wait and see what time Mom leaves. I like to go early to avoid most of the crowds. There is also a Monet exhibit at the art museum that I have been dying to see. So much to do...so little time.

That is pretty much it. Have a great day and a fantastic weekend.

Good Day Lords and Ladies
Mood:  hungry
This past weekend was the The Renaissance Festival that Marie and I have been preparing for. I had such a great time. I am not sure if I like it better than the one here in Raleigh. They are both so different

Marie offered to drive since I did most of the driving during our trip to Ocracoke. She picked me up at 7:30 in the morning and we set out on the road. Marie had forgotten the map so we didn't really know where we were going. We just knew it was somewhere off I-85.

We stopped at a rest area to look at a map. You should have seen the looks we got walking into the building. LOL Priceless!!! We glanced at the map, hoping I would recognize the name of the small town the festival was in. No such luck. We set back out on the road and decided to look for a gas station and a place to get some breakfast.

We stopped in Salisbury and decided to hit the Starbucks. It was funny to watch people's reactions as we walked in. They all tried not to stare. Acting like this is something they are used to seeing. We got some coffee cake and sat down at a table and started searching the paper for an ad for the festival hoping that it had the directions on it. A woman sitting close by was kind enough to offer to help us search. She found the ad and gave us the info number to call. Marie called and got the exit number. Turns out we only had about 1/2 hour left to go. *Yea!*

We finally arrived about 10:30 or so and headed into the fair. The weather was cool which was great because my dress weighs like 100 lbs. The area they have the festival in is pretty amazing. It seems to be dedicated solely to the event. All the buildings are "Renaissance" in appearance in an amusement park sort of way. There were some "medieval rides" for kids, lots of places selling some sort of food item on a stick, and several stages with performances. We decided to walk around a bit to get the lay of the land before deciding which shows to attend.

One new show this year was called Hey Nunnie Nunnie. It is a comedy/musical show with these two nuns, Sister Redempta and Sister Philomenia. It was Hysterical!!! I think it was bad to see this show first because it was so well done that the other shows paled in comparison. Walking around the faire we also saw fire and sword dancers, The Green Man (man on stilts dressed as a tree), The Ded Bob Sho (no I sm not missing letters...that was the name of the show), and a Celtic harpist.

My favorite part of the day was when we attended to joust. We sat in the section that was cheering for Sir William de Bracey who just happened to be the Queen's champion. Marie thought he looked like Sting. LOL I guess he did...a little. Anyway...There were three knights one of which was the evil dark knight, Sir Philip of France. At one point in the tournament, Sir Philip was losing and decided to cheat. He injured Sir Jeffery (the other good knight) and insulted the crown prince. Well our Sir William wouldn't stand for this so he challenged Sir Phillip to a Joust TO THE DEATH! *gasp* Which would be held at the hour of 4 and 15 (4:15 for all you non faire folk) We didn't make this last event but from the cheering we heard from the crowd I am assuming Sir William won and all is right with the world again.

Later in the afternoon we st tended a falconry demonstration. I was a little disappointed in this show because it wasn't really about falconry. It was more of a show and tell about birds. At one point they brought out a large albino python. WTF! This is not a bird and it really had no place in this show. Oh well.

The festival came to a close at 5:30 and we headed home. It was such a fun day and our dress were a big hit. People were amazed we made them ourselves. I even had a little girl ask to have her picture taken with me. She apparently thought I was Cinderella. LOL

I have attached a slide show to this entry but if you don't have the time to watch the show you can also look at the picture here.

Gaelic Fest 2006
Mood:  happy
Do you live in or around the triangle area? Are you frustrated with the lack of fall activities? Well then let me draw your attention to the Gaelic Fest 2006. Myth & Mayhem - A Gaelic Halloween at the Koko Booth amphitheater in Regency Park in Cary NC. Saturday, October 28th 11:00am till 10:00pm.

I went to this event last year when it was held in Raleigh and had a great time. There will be some fantastic Irish music, dancing, food, and vendors. This year has a Halloween theme complete with costume contest and a haunted trail.

The whole week leading up to the big event is packed with activities. There is going to be a KILT Night on the 26th at Tir Na Nog. Then on the 27th they will have two bands, The Ghosts of Erin and then later that night Seven Nations will preform. All day Saturday at KOKO Booth there will a bus going from Tir Na Nogto the event and back to the Pub at 10.15 for the After Party. So if you are interested in that either let me know and I will pass your name on to the even planner or you can go to Irisheventsnc and send a message to Annie Nice.

May I also recommend going back to Tir Na Nog on Sunday for their brunch. One of the best brunches in the triangle. All of the food is fantastic but you got to try the bread pudding...it is heaven on a plate.

Admission is $5 and you can purchase them through Ticketmaster


Hope to see you all there!!!!

Mystery Solved
Mood:  don't ask
Okay so I solved the Nancy Day and Robert Walter mystery from yesterday. I was correct about not know Nancy but wrong about Robert.

Robert, or Rob as I know him, dated about 4 or 5 years ago. We only went out a total 4 times. He just wasn't what I was looking for and I had had my eye on a Marine so I called it off. We remained "friends" and we have only talked about 3 times since we dated. I don't know much about his life except for the fact that he discovered that women like men in uniform and supposedly joined the air force. I have no proof of this just his word.

I haven't a clue why he would put me down as a reference. If I am going to use someone as a reference I would make sure it is someone I talk to with great regularity. Not some person I dated years ago. You can't tell me that this guy didn't have another friend he could use.

Why didn't I remember him? I think I was so hung up on the name Nancy Day because that is the first name the guy on the phone gave me. I was so focused on it that when he mentioned Robert I just drew a blank. I was sitting at home last night and it finally dawned on me who it was. So I dug out my old address book and looked him up. I didn't have a last name, just wrote Rob W. Assuming it is the person in question.

Oh well...Hopefully they can still get the loan without my reference. Even though I have remembered who he is, I don't have a clue what he has been doing for the last few years and would not feel good about giving a reference.

Is my memory getting that bad or are these people up to no good?
Mood:  quizzical
I just received a strange phone call from a company call Capital Auto Loans stating that someone by the name of Nancy Day and Robert Walter put my name down as a personal reference. Normally this would not be a big deal but I don't know these people. At least I don't think I do.

I told the guy that I hadn't a clue who these people were. He said they are more than likely an acquaintance that thinks we have more of a friendship than we actually do. I am pretty good at remembering people but the name doesn't ring a bell. He informed me that she works for USDA and that she had put down my home address and phone number. He said she lives in MD and the other references live in MD and DE. He believed that Robert Walter was her son...maybe I knew him? Nope!!! Still doesn't ring a bell. I am hoping this is a case of mistaken identity. There are several people in Raleigh with my name, maybe they have me confused with them?

After I hung up the phone I looked Nancy Day up on the USDA website and got her email address. I sent her a message to see if she can jog my memory. I will be anxious to see if she responds. I will keep you all informed.

Just a word of advice to all my readers. If you are going to use someone as a reference...call them first to see if it is okay and to see if they still remember you.

I'm going to the Cirque-us!!!!
Mom called me at work yesterday to inform me that she just bought us tickets to the Cirque du Soleil - Corteo on Nov 23rd in Washington DC. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I have always wanted to go to a Cirque du Soleil show. They have been to Raleigh a few times and will be here this December but the show is during the Christmas holidays and in the past I have had a hard time getting someone to go with me. Mom said she got an email with the advertisement and thought it would be fun. Bad thing is...it is the day before Thanksgiving so I know Mom and I will have a hard time getting up Thursday morning and cooking. Oh well...I GET TO SEE CIRQUE DU SOLEIL!!!!!!

One of these days I will see the Cirque Dreams show here in Raleigh. I hear it is spectacular.

The Great Mom Weekend
Mood:  happy
Well my Mom left yesterday morning to drive back to West Virginia. It was odd to have the apt back to myself. Not that she was much trouble, I am just not used to other people being in my living space.

She arrived around 2:30pm on Thursday and she came into work to pick up a key. She hadn't yet met a couple of people that I work with so I showed her around and introduced her to everyone. She then handed me some apple cider to share with the staff. They must of liked it because it was all gone this morning. LOL She then left to go to my apt to unpack and get settled in. After I finally got home we decided we were hungry for Italian food and there is only one place for GREAT Italian food in North Raleigh and that is Cinelli's. The food was amazing as always (best calamari). After dinner we came back home, watched Survivor and went to bed.

Friday we got up and I cooked breakfast then we got ready and headed to the spa for our massages. Both Mom and I had men masseurs. I had Michael and Mom had Jeff and they were both fantastic. I opted for a deep tissue since my back had so many knots. There were a couple of points during the massage when I had tears in my eyes from the pain but I knew I needed to have the knots worked out. After I was done, Michael suggested I ice down my back. I didn't...now I some bruises. LOL oh well. Mom and I both must have been full of toxins because we spent the rest of the day in a constant stage of nausea. I was looking forward to a nice dinner that night but both of us were so sick that we opted for some Mexican food which neither of us ate.

Saturday I was feeling better but Mom was still a little sick. I cooked breakfast and we decided to head to Durham to do some shopping. In the afternoon we came back to Raleigh and decided to rest until dinner. My Mom loves a restaurant here called "Firebirds". They have the best fillet mignon in town. So for dinner I decided to take her there. I called ahead to see if there was a wait and sure enough the wait was 45 minutes to an hour. I put our name on the list and we hung out at home until about 10 minutes before our reservations. When we got there the place was packed with teenagers out for their homecoming dance dinners. I went up to the hostess who informed me they were running behind and we would have to wait another 20 minutes. If I hadn't had my heart set on a blue cheese fillet I would have left. Mom and I stood near the door where Mary Kay Cosmetics had a table set up for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. There were raffling off a gift basket and a free makeover. Mom and I decided to put our names in even though we knew we wouldn't win. We were finally seated and had a most excellent meal. After dinner we headed home and watch the movie "The Lake House" which was okay...a little odd.

Oh forgot to mention...as we headed out of the restaurant we noticed that Mary Kay had left. Mom made a comment about not winning the gift basket. I told her (jokingly) that she probably won but that she had put her WV phone number down on the sheet and I am sure there would be a message waiting for her when she got home. When she got home Monday and checked her machine, she had a message from Mary Kay saying that she had one. Apparently I am going to get a call from the woman to pick up the basket and get Mom's free makeover. LOL

Sunday morning we got up and I took Mom out for brunch at Tir Na Nog in Raleigh. One of the best places for brunch. Cheap and a ton of food. After brunch we headed over to the science museum. Mom has never been and I wanted to show her the butterflies (my favorite exhibit). After that we came home and relaxed before going to see The Lion King, which was AWESOME! The costumes, music, and special effects were amazing. I didn't want the show to end. The opening scene at Pride Rock were all the animals come in to see baby Simba, brought tears to my eyes. I don't know why I got so emotional. LOL

Monday morning we got up and I cooked breakfast while mom packed her stuff up. After we ate and cleaned up she said goodbye and headed our. Looking back through this entry I noticed that most events revolved around food. LOL That's the way it should be.

Well I should get back to work. Take care!

How Many Government Employees Does it Take to Work a Laptop?
Mood:  hungry
It took 2 hours and 4 government employees to get our office laptop working. We have to watch this video today so we decided that we would order pizza and watch it over lunch. Our co-op went into the conference room to hook up the laptop. He quickly came out to get me saying he was having problems logging on. I went in and typed in my ID and password and got a message that I wasn’t a valid client on the network. I tried retyping it…got the same message. I tried enter my log on in all cap…then is all lowercase. Nothing! At that point the rest of the staff came in to see why I was yelling at inanimate objects again (I do this quite often). Everyone tried entering their information and we all got the same message. We finally decided to give someone in the IT helpdesk a call and let them figure it out. As we were leaving the room I notice another T1 (government internet access) outlet by the door. I ran over, grabbed the laptop and plugged it in to this port. I typed in my ID and password and it worked. I was able to finally log on. WTF! We then decided to test the CD to make sure the video would run. We put the CD in and the computer refused to recognize it. Have I mentioned yet how much I hate this laptop? Thank God I bought everyone thumbnail drives with year end money. We were able to load the video on that and then load it onto the laptop. What a pain.

On a lighter note…my mom arrives this afternoon. Although we talk almost every night I haven’t actually seen her since February. I have a pretty fun weekend planned for us. Tomorrow we are getting massages, then Saturday I am taking her to Durham to this really cool pottery place, then Sunday we see the Lion King and Monday she goes home. I think somewhere in there I will take her to the Sawmill Tap Room so she can experience Fried Pickles and beer. YUMMM!

Mom called me the other night on her cell phone to tell me she had just come from Aunt Buddie’s (my 96 year old great aunt). Apparently she called mom at work that morning and was worried that I was suffering from some sort of apple deficiency and she wanted mom to come over and take her to the farmers market to buy me some apples and cider. Mom wasn’t thrilled about it because she had tons of stuff to do before her trip here but when Aunt B calls you do whatever she wants. She is sort of like the Godfather of our family. After work mom drove the 30 minutes to Hagerstown, picked up Aunt B and drove over to the fruit stand. Aunt Buddie picks up two baskets of Empire Apples and asks Mom he she thinks she should get me two more. Now I LOVE Empire apples and you can not get them here in the south but what the hell would I do with 4 baskets of apples? Luckily mom convinced her that the 2 baskets would be enough. She then walked over to the cider and picked up 2 gallons of cider. Once again I LOVE cider but there is no way I can go through 2 gallons before it spoils. Mom convinced her that maybe 2 half gallon jugs would be plenty.* Laugh it up Anne….you are going to end up with 5 grates of Apple Butter* Bless her heart…you can’t be mad at her. One of these days I will have to tell you the cordless microwave/vcr saga. Old people and electronics don’t mix. LOL

Well the pizza will soon be here. I don’t know if I will have a chance to update while Mom is here so you all take care and I hope you have a great weekend.

I sort of met a celebrity
Mood:  happy
I am duty ranger this week, which means I am stuck in the visitor center talking to visitors. Normally I don't mind it but lately the people coming in here have only wanted to complain.

So when a gentleman came in here a few minutes ago I wasn't really looking forward to talking to him, but that soon changed. He was looking for some fishing spots and activities he can do with his son on Monday. He then informed me that his son is Cody Weiss (I think that is how he spells his name) who plays little Simba in the traveling version of "The Lion King". How cool is that? I will be seeing the the play this weekend!

I am so looking forward to seeing the show. It has been all over the news and I believe most of the shows are sold out. Thank God we got our ticket ahead of time.

SOOOOOOO Excited!!!!!!

Camping Adventure: Day Three - All good things must come to and end
Mood:  lazy
As I lay in my tent Sunday morning I hated to think about the fact that this was my last day and soon I would have to pack everything up and head home. I decided I couldn’t lay there anymore (there was also a boy scout from three sites down that was trying to whistle the theme from the Pink Panther…very annoying) so I stumbled out of my tent and headed straight for the coffee pot. After yesterday’s ordeal of try to get the water to boil, we decided to wrap tin foil around the burner and the pot. This worked like a charm and with in 15 minutes or so we had coffee. Gift from the Gods!!!!!

Once we finished our coffee and instant oatmeal, we clean up the dishes and packed up everything on the table. Then if was off for another cold shower. There was a girl in the stall next to me that kept screaming and complaining about the water to her boyfriend who was standing outside. Yes we all know it is cold. Suck it up and deal with it. If you want luxury…stay at a hotel.

Once we were showered, primped and our faces fully applied, we started to take down our tents. The wind by this time had picked up so our tents were blowing all over the place. I looked over once and saw Marie completely taken over by her tent. Apparently she had tried to shake all the dirt out from the inside and the wind pick up the fabric and blew it over top of her and she tried desperately to find an opening to get out. LOL I wish I had had my camera ready.

We finally got everything packed up and loaded in the car. I am amazed that my little Scion could fit all that camping gear. We decided before we hit the road to go over to look at the ocean one more time. There was such a nice breeze coming off the water. It really made it harder to leave. But we trudged back over the dunes one last time and climbed into the car.

We didn’t have to wait long at the ferry dock. Most people, I am assuming, were in church. All of them except for the line of heathens that now wait to board the boat that will carry us to the mainland. Once everyone was on board and the boat left the dock we immediately felt a jolt then the boat sort of tilted to the left. The captain then started to try to back the boat up. Apparently we had run aground on a sand bar. Whoops! We quickly got off and the captain steered us around the obstacle and we moving along. As we sat there I noticed a huge flock of sea gulls had accumulated off the front of the boat. Upon further inspection I observed a bunch out tourist feeding the birds. Now let me just give you all a lesson in boating. First all…don’t feed the gulls. They are like any other animal. If you feed them they will not leave you alone. Secondly…if you insist on feeding the gulls, feed them off the back of the boat…not the front. Not only does feeding them off the front obstruct the view of the captain but it also creates hazards to the people and cars on board. If a gull gets hit by the boat it will more than likely bounce and either hit a person or smash into someone’s car. Plus these animals poop as they fly and I for one do not want to be caught underneath.

We finally docked in Hatteras and after a quick restroom break we headed up to Nags Head. This drive, although it is very pretty, seems to always take forever. Especially when you get caught behind drivers who refuse to go the speed limit. Once we arrived in Nags Head I dropped Marie and her stuff off at Jockey’s Ridge and proceeded home. I made good time and only stopped once to get a BBQ sandwich. Once home, I unpacked my car and then crashed on the couch fully rejuvenated from my trip/

It was such a great weekend. I really need to do more camping. It is a cheap way to travel. Hotels this time of year on the Outerbanks can run anywhere from $60 to over $100 a night. Compare that to the $20 a night we paid to camp. Yeah you may not have hot showers and a continental breakfast but you do have smore’s, starry night skies, clean ocean air, and sand between your toes.

Check out Marie's last day post.

Camping Adventure: Day Two - Look at all the Dingbatters walkin' around!
Mood:  hungry
Saturday Morning Marie and I climbed out of our tents and I immediately started to try and make some coffee. I pulled out my percolator, filled it was water and coffee grounds, and set it on Marie’s little gas stove. Marie turned it on, lit it up and we sat there waiting for it to start doing its thing. There we sat, for what seemed like an hour, hoping that any minute we would see that like “bloop” of water in the clear plastic cap. It never happened. The water got hot but for some reason it refused to boil. I can’t function without coffee. In fact if I don’t have it, I get a horrible headache. At one point Marie offered to drive into town to get me a cup of coffee. Being one who does not like to be defeated I was determined we were going to figure this out. Marie then suggested that we pour the hot water out into a cup and pour it back over the filter. This worked great! At last I had coffee. Apparently the coffee pot is too tall for the little burner. Most of the heat escapes from the side so we would need to figure out a way to capture the heat.

After we finished breakfast and cleaned up the dishes, I headed over to the showers. Have I mentioned these are cold showers? There isn’t hot water anywhere in the entire campground. You enter into this wooden stall and above you is a shower head with a cord attached to it. Pull the cord and out comes freezing cold water. This is a sure fire way to wake you up and it also guarantees that you will not linger in the shower. Once Marie and I primped and dressed we headed into the small village of Ocracoke.

We parked the car at the NPS parking lot and as we walked into the town we notices a sign for the Artwalk Festival where local artist would have their studios open and be on hand to talk about their piece. Bonus!!! The village is such a quaint place to visit. If you ever decide to visit NC you really should make this place one of your stops. The shops are filled with local pottery and art. There is also a really cool bead shop where you can make your own jewelry. Marie made an anklet and I made a bracelet. After creating our own jewelry masterpieces I then took Marie down to Howard’s Pub. This is a hot spot of tourist. The really do have some great food. We ordered a dozen steamed clams that were some of the best clams I have ever had. They were tender and tasted like the ocean. Yummm! We then order some sandwiches which were also excellent. After lunch we headed to a few more shop and then finally back to the car. As we got back to the parking lot we noticed a little museum. Marie and I (both working for parks) love to critique museum exhibits. It was a little house that they have packed full with information. There wasn’t really any rhyme or reason to the displays and some of them were hard to follow but they did have one exhibit that I was very amused by. Did you all know that Ocracoke has its own language? It is referred to Ocracoke Brogue. Around town I have heard some of the dialect but didn’t really think too much about it until I saw the exhibit and video. Following are some words and their meaning that you might hear during your visit to the island. Also if you visit this little museum, check out the video. There is a really cute story about some Ocracoke men, two coolers of oysters, and a trip to Las Vegas. Hysterical!!!

hoi toide on the saind soid - high tide on the sound side

Buck- a friend

Mommuck-to harass or bother Young'uns hain't I been mommucked this day" classic island statement. You can Mommuck something up.

Call the mail over-distribute the mail.

Catawampus-in a diagonal position, crooked. Used in a sentence it would be, "The boxes in the general store are piled up catawampus."

Dingbatter-nonnative of Ocracoke.(tourist) "The dingbatter kept getting his fishing line tangled up with mine."

Meehonkey- Game of hide and seek

After the museum we headed back to the campground. We stopped by the local grocery/harware/liquor store to pick up some bug spray, charcoal, and chicken. I had a thought that maybe the charcoal would be hot enough in the grill to get our wood to burn.

Once we got back to our camp I put the chicken in a pot and covered it with marinade and Marie and I decided to head across the dunes to see the water. The sand was so soft and cool on my feet and as we walked little ghost crabs scurried all over the place. We reached the water and a wave came up and washed over my feet. I was amazed at how warm the water was. It felt so good after spending the entire day walking. The sun was starting to set so we headed back over to our campsite to cook dinner. Chicken on the grill in some sort of a lemon marinade and garlic mash potatoes. It actually turned out really well. After dinner I lowered the grill plate close to the coals and we stacked the firewood on top. Within minutes it was up in flames. Yea! We made some smores and drank yet another bottle of wine. Once the bottle was empty it was time to say goodnight and we headed into our tents

Coming Soon…The conclusion to the great camping adventure. But until then…I have posted a few pictures from our trip. Check them out. Camping Photos

Also check out Marie's Day Two Blog Post