Why can't humans be like this
Mood:  happy
In an age where we are at war with other nations and everyone can't wait to sue everyone else there is a bright spot out there. This morning as I scanned the AP newswire I saw the following article and it just melted my heart. If everyone got along like these four, the world would be a much better place.

Tiger, orangutan babies playmates at zoo
By NINIEK KARMINI, Associated Press Writer

CISARUA, Indonesia - Call them the odd couples. A pair of month-old Sumatran tiger twins have become inseparable playmates with a set of young orangutans, an unthinkable match in their natural jungle habitat in Indonesia's tropical rainforests.

The friendship between 5-month-old female baby primates Nia and Irma, and cubs Dema and Manis, has blossomed at the Taman Safari zoo where they share a room in the nursery.

After being abandoned by their mothers shortly after birth, the four play fight, nipping and teasing each other, and cuddling up for a shared nap when they are worn out.

"This is unusual and would never happen in the wild," said zoo keeper Sri Suwarni, bottle-feeding a baby chimp on Wednesday. "Like human babies, they only want to play."

The four have lived side-by-side for a month without a single act of hostility, she said.

Indonesian tigers and orangutans are both endangered species, threatened by rapidly shrinking habitats.

Conservationists estimate there are fewer than 700 Sumatran tigers still alive, while fewer than 60,000 orangutans remain in the wild. Around 90 percent of the jungle has been destroyed by illegal logging, poaching and cut-and-burn farming practices on Borneo and Sumatra islands.

The exceptional friendship will likely be short-lived, said veterinarian Retno Sudarwati, because as the animals grow up their natural survival instincts will kick in.

"When the time comes, they will have to be separated. It's sad, but we cant' change their natural behavior," she said. "Tigers start eating meat when they are three months old."

OMG What have I done?!?
Mood:  energetic
On Saturday I signed the contract for my new house. It almost didn't happen and I actually pulled my offer at one point. I gave them my counter offer That they pay $3000 in closing and I will pay $1000. The wife thought it was a great offer but had to check with her husband. I just knew he would be difficult and he didn't disappoint. He came back with the offer of $2500 in closing because he state they just put in a new stove. Ture he did but that was included in the purchase price. So when my agent called me back I told her no and to pull the offer. She called his agent back who then panicked and begged me to rethink. HE said he would talk to his clients to see what he could work out. They were going to leave their washer and dryer. I already own a set and mine is newer than their's so I was going to sell their set to get some extra money to do some things to the house. Well now they have agreed to take their washer and dryer and pay the $3000 in closing. I was a little upset but when I thought about it I think it is worth it because this way I don't have to worry about where to store them until I sold them. So in the end I agreed...they agreed and everyone seems to be happy. Now I have to get the home inspected and appraised by Mar. 30th which is the say I close. Here is the picture of the house for all of you who were interested. Sorry I didn't show this earlier but I didn't want to jinx it.

I was going to have a big "I'm a grown-up now" party the day after I close but so many people will be out of town so I think I might wait till the 1st weekend in April. So mark your calendars. Also for those of you who live in Raleigh if you are looking for something to do on Saturday, April 21st....I will need help moving furniture. I know it is not a fun job seeing as I live on the 3rd floor but if we get a BUNCH of people it wont take long and you may only have to help carry one or two things. I plan on buying everyone pizza and beer when we finish. I am hoing I can move most of the boxes in my car the weeks leading up to the big move.

Well that is about it for me. I need to get off here and start making some phone calls. I hope everyone had a great weekend...CATCH YA LATER!!!!

MIA
Mood:  hungry
Sorry I have been "Missing in Action" but with Valentine's Day and my mother's visit this weekend I just didn't have much time to write. To catch you up on what has been going on.

Wednesday 2/14:

As most of you know I don't really care for Valentine's Day. I despise the fact that society tells me that I must be with someone and I must get them a sappy card, some chocolate, and plan a romantic evening. Thank God Lennie feels the same way. At first we had just planned to have a quiet evening at home. I was going to cook and then slip into a little red number that Lennie has been eyeing in my closet and just see where the night took us. My boss at the pub however had different ideas. She gave us a gift certificate for dinner at the pub. So we went over there to eat and then came home. I slipped into my little red number and we took it from there. :) It turned out to be a pretty good night.

Thursday:

I had a Dr's appointment in the morning then took the rest of the day off to look at houses. I saw one that wasn't bad. The other three were horrible. One house came complete with two homemade Bidets. No, these weren?t nice porcelain bowls. These were those sink spray hoses like you have in the kitchen. They came out of the side of the bathroom sink and hooked on the counter were the toilet paper dispenser should have been attached. In the same house I went into a room that was supposedly the ?Man?s? room. It had a big screen TV against the wall and in front of it was a HUGE thing of Vaseline. At that point I was ready to leave. I am sick of looking at houses.

Friday:

I spent the day helping my boss understand a new computer program. I was ready to strangle him. Then I left to go work the Boat Show. About 6PM my mother called me to tell me that she got into town okay and that Lennie was going to take her to dinner. I was a little nervous about this seeing as the two have never met and because my boss at the pub as been after Lennie to propose. But both Mom and Lennie said they had a great time and no marriage plans were discussed. *breathe a sigh of relief* I don?t worry about my Mom being able to make conversation. She could talk to a wall and get it to talk back. But Lennie is a little on the quiet side.

Saturday:

We got up and ate breakfast then headed to the spa for facials. My skin was so dry it kept absorbing everything she tried to put on but it is amazing how better it is now. Soft and smooth and hydrated. That night we met up with Lennie at one of my favorite spots to eat, Firebirds. I called ahead at 6PM and had our names put on the list and the girl told me it would be an hour wait. No big deal we were planning to eat at 7PM anyway. We got there and the girl told us it would be another 20 minutes, so we just headed into the bar. 45 minutes later we were still sitting at the bar. I went over to check and see where we were on the list and the girl said we were next. We sat there another 15 minutes. This time Lennie went up and asked and they said we were the very next ones. I then saw a bunch of people (groups of 2 and 4) being sat. I then went up to speak to a manager. The manager was actually very rude to me. I will be writing to Firebirds. Finally at 8:30PM we had a table. The food was great as usual but the whole thing was ruin by the customer service. They didn?t comp our drinks or even offer us free desserts. Very poor!!! ;(

Sunday:

We got up and met Lennie at the Pub fro brunch. Tir Na Nog has the best brunch in town. Aster we ate Mom and I went shopping then headed back to the pub for the St. Patrick?s Day fundraiser. We grabbed a couple beers and listened to the music and watched the dancers. Then Lennie met up with us again and we headed to the new Hudson Oyster Bar for dinner. I must saw the food here was excellent.

Monday:

We met up with my Real Estate Agent to look at a few houses. One I liked a lot. It isn?t the ?perfect? house but it is in great shape and comes with all the appliances. I decided to take a day or two to think about putting in an offer. After we finished house shopping I decided to take my mom to Stein Mart. I didn?t think I was going to get her out of there. They were having a huge sale. Most things in the store were 50 to 70% off and the lady at the counter gave us a coupon for an additional 20% off each item. Mom bought a suitcase and some canisters and I think her bill came to $50. She saved something like $160. That night Lennie met us for dinner at Olive Garden and then he took mom over to Home Depot to get her the stuff she would need to fix her toilet at home. It was funny hearing Lennie try to tell my mom how to fix the toilet. I know all she is going to do is buy the stuff and have one of her guy friends install it.

Tuesday:

We got up and I got ready to go to work and mom headed back to WV. We had a great visit and I hated to see her go. I am glad she got along so well with Lennie. I spent all day thinking about the one house I looked at that I liked and decided to put in an offer. The agent said we would have a better shot of getting them to pay closing costs if I offered them the asking price, which was pretty reasonable. I called Mom, Lennie, and Alex and all of them said it was a good deal. I had trouble sleeping that night as my mind was racing with, ?Can I afford this??

Wednesday:

I made an offer on the house. I offered full price if they paid closing. The husband was out of town so the wife wanted to wait till he got home. The selling agent also informed us that there is another offer on the table. Was there really? Or was he telling me this to see if he could get some kind of bidding war going on? I told my agent that I am sticking to my guns on this. $129900.00 is the highest I am going to go. I am going to be financially strapped as it is. So then all night I wondered if they would accept my offer.

Today:

I heard from my agent this morning. They came back with a counter offer. They want me to pay $2000 in closing and they will pay the rest. I immediately said no. I don?t have $2000 and I think what I offered them is a GREAT deal. She stated that the $1000 I gave in earnest money could go towards that. I told her to see if they would pay $3000 and I would just use my $1000 EM for my share of closing. They also asked that I move up the closing date. I had asked for 60 days but was willing to close on 30 MAR. So now I wait to see if they accept my offer to their counter offer. I am going to give myself an ulcer. If they don?t accept this?they are idiots.

So I think that brings you all up to date on what is going on. I will keep you all informed on the house hunt. Keep your fingers crossed.

You want me to spend how much on what?!?
Mood:  don't ask
I have single handedly pissed off about 20 people today with just one word...."NO!"

One of my co-workers this morning came to me and handed me a request to spend $1900.00 on one of those festival tents. Looking over the request I remembered that we had actually purchased a tent similar to this one about 2 years ago. The employee agreed but said that the one we have doesn't have the District LOGO on it. My response was that we should look into getting the logo put on our existed tent instead of spending money to buy a brand new tent. I was then informed that the company making these tents was giving us a discount on the basis that all 5 projects were buying tents. If we don't buy a tent the other projects will have to pay full price. My response...."Oh well...sucks for them!" I also told the employee that we are still without a budget and we are only to be making necessary purchases to maintain normal duties. A festival tent doesn't meet those needs. The employee then looked at me and said they weren't going to be the one to break the bad news. So I then had to send out an email explaining that we were not going to participate in the tent purchase as of yet. That we would look into getting our tent modified and if the company couldn't do it then we would order one of the new tents. I also would need a memo from the District office stating that it was okay to purchase these items under the continuing budget resolution. Within a matter of seconds after hitting the send button I was inundated with nasty emails that basically said I wasn't being a team player. I am sorry but I would rather use my money on something worth while that we would actually get some use out of. The tent we currently have has never even been taken out of the bag. Am I wrong here? Maybe I am just too practical for my own good.

On a different subject. Last night, as I waited for HEROES to come on, I caught a run through of Grammy fashions. Most of the attire was great. It seemed like people got it right this year except for one...Imogen Heap. I love Imogen's music but someone needs to talk to her about her fashion sense. Incase you missed the red carpet this is what Ms. Heap decided to wear. What was she thinking?

On the Valentine's Day front. My boss at the pub gave Lennie and me a gift certificate for dinner at the pub tomorrow night. I normally avoid VDay like the plague but this year I am actually looking forward to it.

Birds should come with snooze buttons
Mood:  hungry
This morning at about 5AM a Red Shouldered Hawk decided to perch himself right outside my bedroom window and proceeded to call...LOUDLY! I opened up the window in an attempt to scare him off but he just flew back a minute or two later and continued to call. For those of you who have never heard the call of a Red Shouldered Hawk here is what one sounds like. Red Shouldered Hawk Just imagine that non stop for 30 minutes. I finally couldn't take it anymore and got up.

I am starving this morning and there is nothing in the office to munch on. Anyone want to run to Bojangles for me? LOL My appetite from being sick is slowly starting to come back. I was actually able to eat all of my lunch yesterday. I still didn't eat dinner but the fact that I am hungry today is a good sign.

Last night when I got home from the pub I logged on to my normal chat room and the subject for the hour was things that we never followed through with. Gosh I have so many of these. I always have good intentions but for some reason the task gets hard or I just can't seem to make time for it, so I give up. I know...I know...people make time for the things they want to do. Here is a short list of things I have started but failed to finish.

1. Learn to play the guitar. My dad got me a guitar for my birthday one year. I learned to play two cords before giving up because the strings hurt my fingers and I was always getting craps in my hands.

2. Learn to knit. For some reason I decided that knitting didn't look too difficult. I mean I went to college so I should be able to figure this out. I tried it on my own and wasn't getting anywhere. Just couldn't figure out what "pearl" meant. I decided to go to the local senior center to get some help. I got hooked up with a really sweet woman named Irma Jean Eyler who after about an hour of trying to teach me how to knit, placed her hands on mine and said, "Honey some people in this world are knitters and unfortunately you are not one of those people."

3. Learn Calligraphy. My intent here was to learn this great style of writing so that I could make some really pretty Christmas cards instead of buying the store bought ones. I bought a calligraphy kit and a book and got to the letter "a". I must have written that damn letter a hundred times and still couldn't get it perfect. So I put everything back in the box and hide it in my closet.

4. Learn to make pottery. I went with a friend to a pottery class and sat down at the wheel with a wad of clay in my hand. No one told me that you need to place the clay on the wheel and hold on to it before you start spinning it. I cranked that bad boy up and got it spinning really fast then dropped my clay onto it. The clay shot off the wheel and hit some poor woman in the back before it fell to the floor. The instructor came over and helped me get started. I had a nice vase shape going until I hit the side of it with my hand and the whole thing fell over. I decided that pottery just wasn't for me.

5. Learn the art of one stroke painting. My mother is quite the Donna Dewberry follower and when I came back from Ireland she convinced me to go to a class with her. There is a special way of loading two colors on a brush at the same time. I couldn't master it and everyone in the room, including myself, was getting completely frustrated with me. I decided to stop, rinse out my brushes, and wait for my mother in the car.

Now I don't want you to think I give up on everything. There are projects that I have started and finished such as:

1. Learn to Sew - I make my Halloween costumes every year and even made my dress for the Renaissance festival.

2. Learn to Cook - I love to cook. It is great when I find a new recipe that I can try out on my friends.

3. Learn Photography - This is something I have learned to really enjoy. It is very peaceful behind my camera and has become one of my ways to de-stress. I have even won a few awards.

My moral to this entry is that we may not be good at everything but you should at least try it.

Who lived here?
Mood:  irritated
Well the house hunting over the weekend was a bust. I must have looked at 9 houses and only 1 was decent. If it hadn't been so far out of town it would have been perfect. I didn't realize how exhausting the whole house hunting process was going to be. 94% of the houses we looked at were in horrible shape. Granted most of it was cosmetic but let's face fact. I don't have a bunch of money available to do a lot of repairs. All of these houses, save two, needed new carpet and a fresh coat of paint. A majority of them needed new appliances, new doors, new floors, light fixtures, etc. We figured that most of these homes were foreclosures just from the state the houses here in. In one house someone must have told them that they needed to paint and paint they did. All over the light fixtures, receptacles, cabinets, floors. One house had a dead bolt on the door to the master bedroom. Strange thing is...the lock was on the outside. Like maybe there were using the room to lock someone or something up. Very odd. One house had a gas leak somewhere because you could smell the propane.

The one house I had high hopes for turned out to be a major dud. The ad said the carpets needed to be cleaned. Well they were past cleaning. It all needed to be replaced. The kitchen was a nice size but they had purchased a refrigerator that was so big it blocked the oven door from coming all the way down. The back yard immediately dropped off about 5 feet from the deck so you had this sheer cliff that looked like it was eroding away and the house would eventually slip down the hill. The rest of the yard was level but was infested with bamboo. If I had bought it, I would have to bush hog the back and then burn it in hopes of destroying the bamboo remaining in the ground. I don't who insists on planting this stuff. They have no idea how it just takes over. *sigh* So I will just have to keep looking. Good news is...I am not in a hurry.

I went into work at the pub Sunday afternoon and found a note on the door stating they were going to close the kitchen for maintenance. I was a little pissed that I wasn't called and told there was no need for me to work. I went in and the bartender told me that we were going to have a company party. I sat there and drank a beer until everyone arrived and we left there to go bowling. We had a great time and it was nice to get to talk to some of the staff that I normally don't get a chance to talk to. I played about 3 games and decided it was time to go. I think everyone else headed back to the pub for more food and beer. But seeing as I have a job I have to get up for in the morning, I decided it was best to just head home.

This cold is finally getting better. Although I managed to developed a sinus infection. I also lost 4 lbs because I haven't had an appetite. I just want to thank the people who took care of me. I know it was not an easy job. Thanks Tanya and Andy for trying to find something that would appeal to me to eat. Thanks to Lennie for not running away at the site of me. Pimply, pussly, wad of crap that I was. I think I need a day at the spa to fully recuperate. I need a massage and about an hour in the sauna.

Well that is it for now. Oh for those of you who asked me the other night in the chat about how to leave a comment on here. If you look at the bottom of the entry there is a date and time stamp. Right beside that is the link to leave a comment. Hope that helps. Enjoy the rest of your day.

House Hunting
Mood:  not sure
I decided to switch Realtors after the first one kept trying to sell me a run down piece of crap. I am not very "handy" so I need a house that is in pretty good shape. I can handle things like painting and installing light fixtures but that is the extent of my knowledge. I am lucky to have a guy in my life who is rather good at repairs but the independent girl in me doesn't want to have to rely on him to get my house in shape.

The first Realtor sent me an email one day and said that I was running out of options in my price range. I have told him over and over again that I am in no hurry to buy a house. My lease doesn't expire till December, so if there isn't something on the market now, I could wait. But I guess with the decline in the housing market he was anxious to make a sale. The one things about me is, if I am not comfortable with someone, whether it is in a personal or business relationship, I will run away as fast as my legs will carry me. So I decided to contact a women who walks her dog here at the park. I see her everyday and have come to know her and her dog, Sophie very well. I trust her and know that she will take good care of me. I don't know why I didn't go with her in the first place. Amazingly she came up with about 20 houses that the first agent never bothered to show me. Funny how that works isn't it? She said there were tons of houses in my price range but that some she knew were in bad neighborhoods and wouldn't feel safe with me living there. How sweet is that?

Out of the 20 or so homes she sent me, I have selected 7 to view this Saturday. We are going to start in Youngsville and work our way down to Raleigh. There is one home in particular that I am anxious to see. There aren't any pictures online of the inside which worries me a little. I always figure that if they don't post pictures then they have something to hide. But if this house is as cute on the inside as it is on the outside...then I plan on putting in an offer. *keeps fingers crossed*

My new Realtor also put me in touch with a great mortgage broker. He is SOOOO nice and we talked for about an hour, going over my finances and discussing how much I would feel comfortable spending. This was a big change from the bank who kept trying to get me to go with a higher mortgage. This agent said he would make sure that I wouldn't get into trouble financially. That the last thing he wants is for me to have to foreclose on my house. I don't want that either. He is also willing, at no cost, to look up tax records and deeds for me on any property I am interested in. The bank didn't offer that service to me. :)

Everything seems to be falling into place. I keep waiting for something to go wrong.

Wish me luck!

The Assassin
Mood:  mischievious

With Election Day looming on the horizon, President David Brenneman is rapidly losing ground in the polls. The mounting death toll in Iraq has tried the patience of the American people for too long, and the escalating situation in Iran seems to promise more bloodshed. Just when it seems the situation can't get worse, a bombing in Baghdad leaves 19 American civilians dead. Although the Iraqi prime minister – the apparent target – narrowly escapes with his life, the effects of the bombing reverberate around the world as the country continues its slide into full-fledged civil war.

At first glance, the attack seems too sophisticated to be the work of the Iraqi insurgency. As the hunt for the true culprit begins, the president turns to the CIA and Ryan Kealey, a troubled young operative who, nearly a year after preventing a terrorist strike in Washington, D.C., is still working through his own tragic loss. Shortly thereafter, an unexpected break in the case takes place. In London, British-born analyst Naomi Kharmai stumbles onto an audio recording that brings shocking evidence to light: a ghost from their shared past has resurfaced in Baghdad, and he's intent on finishing the work he started in Washington one year earlier.

Spurred on by the revelations contained in the tape, Kealey and Kharmai continue to dig deeper. As strange new connections emerge, the identities and motives of those behind the bombing begin to blur. When the pair learns that members of the Shiite-dominated United Iraqi Alliance have been invited to speak before the Security Council in New York, they instantly fear that the worst is yet to come. But even the halls of the CIA are no longer safe from espionage and treason. There is someone inside who wants the next attack to go forward, and as the opening session of the General Assembly draws ever closer, Kealey and Kharmai must discover who is with them and who is against them – before it's too late.

This is the second book by Author Andrew Britton set to be released in March. I hear, from a very reliable source, that it is even more thrilling than the first book in the series, The American. Haven't heard of Andrew Britton? What?!? Have you been living in a hole? Run out right now and buy The American so that you will be caught up in time for the release of The Assassin. It is finally available in paperback so you have no more excuses.

For my readers in the UK who have said they can't find the book. According to Andrew's site the book will be on shelves Feb 22 and will have the title, Heart of Betrayal.

Also check out Andrew's webpage for tour dates

Happy Reading!!!!

Okay....YOU WIN!!!!
Mood:  blue
Diana Peterfreund wrote a great letter to her health today and I ditto everything she said. I don't know if my health has actually packed up and left home or if it just got to the point where it had enough and is now forcing me to listen.

I have been fighting off a cold since Saturday and I think the cold has finally won. I went to the dermatologist yesterday to figure out why my face has erupted (more on that later) and noticed that everyone in the waiting room was coughing or sneezing. I didn't stand a chance. Last night when I finally got home I could feel my skin start to ache...bad sign. I immediately went to bed and slept until 7:30. I got up, watched HEROES, then went right back to bed. This morning I got up and felt like I was in a fog. My head feels like it is going to explode and my body feels like someone has beaten the crap out of me. As I pulled into the control tower this morning to get the morning report I realized that I had no clue how I got to work. I know that I did because I was sitting there in my car but I don't remember anything about the drive. I then tried to get out of my car with my seat belt still on. Thank God no one was around to witness. Although it is probably on the security camera footage. That is why medications come with warnings about operating heavy equipment.

Whatever the hell is going on with my body has also taken a toll on my face. You might remember the cold sore entry from last week. That has finally started to heal but now my chin has erupted with acne. Occasionally I will get a few pimples now and again but it has never been this bad. So I made an appointment with the dermatologist yesterday to figure out what the hell is going on. Turns out it is all my fault. I was so self conscience about the cold sore that I washed my face too much causing the skin to dry out. The dryness coupled with the hormones from the impending period, inflamed my oil glands which has resulted in this acne explosion. I was hoping for some magic pill I could take to make it all go away but alas all I got was "take some Advil, use a cold compress, and buy a really good moisturizer." She said it should all clear up by the weekend. Let's hope so.

So last night as I lay there on the couch I started to think about what my body is trying to tell me. One of my problems is that I get so fixated on something that I will go full steam ahead until I finally hit a wall. I have been so focused on buying a house that I have been working 7 days straight at both the park and the pub. I haven't had any time to relax or to get myself centered. Another problem is I don't think I am allowed to be 100% happy. Whenever I am happy I will find some reason to screw it up. I have been so happy lately. Tired but happy. I have been earning good money at the pub which will help me out with buying a house. I have finally gotten a great real estate agent and mortgage broker who have been fantastic with my house hunting fears. I have met a guy who I really enjoy being around and spending time with. My friends and family all seem to be doing well. I should be on top of the world....right? There is this little voice though in the back of my mind saying that everything can't be great...something is going to go horribly wrong.

Maybe I just need some Nyquil and a good night's sleep.

Jade and the Eskimos
Mood:  mischievious
My boss at the pub just got back from visiting her family in Ireland and told me that the whole of the country is addicted to the British version of the show "Big Brother". There is a girl on the show named Jade, who has apparently caused some problems because she blurted out a racial slur directed at the Indian girl in the house. That would be bad enough but what gets me is the scene where they put her in a room and ask her, "If you could ask any question in the world, what would it be?" The following video is her response.




LMAO!!! Isn't that great? And here I thought Americans were the only ones capable of coming up with such profound questions. Where on Earth do they find these people? What does this say about our culture? These are the people who become celebrities. I think it shows young kids that you don't need to go to school. Just get yourself on TV and act like an idiot and you will make lots of money. It is very sad.

Onto a different subject? I went back out to the site of the flooded eagle nest. The water has receded a bit but there were still some deep spots. At one point I was walking along and my knee froze up. I tilted my leg a bit so I could pick it up not realizing that the water was really close to the top of my boot. By tilting my leg I submersed the top of my boot below the water line, allowing about and inch of water to seep in. All I felt was the shock of coldness. Now my boot was filled with water and my socks and feet were now cold and wet. YUK! We finally found the nest but there were no eagles in site. *sigh* All that for nothing. We are in desperate need of chest waders to make it much easier.

Stupid is as stupid does....
Mood:  hungry
I meant to post this yesterday but the entry about meeting "The Fray" was already way too long and didn't want to torture you all with more reading. LOL

One of the Rangers came into the office yesterday laughing and said that I just missed it. Apparently a guy decided to drive his car down the hiking trail. The Ranger luckily stopped him before he got too far. When asked what he thought he was doing, he responded that he just wanted to see if his car would fit on the trail. He also pointed out that there wasn't a sign that said no vehicles allowed. The Ranger tried to explain that the trail was marked for hiking only and if it excluded bikes then it would probably be safe to assume that cars wouldn't be allowed either.

If we put up signs for everything you wouldn't have a place to recreate. Every open space would be occupied with a sign. Come on people...just because there isn't a sign posted doesn't mean you can ignore common sense.

We just can't predict what stupid people will do. It just ends up making my job twice as hard.

I have to go back out to the flooded eagle nest tomorrow. I am hoping the water has receded enough that I won't have to wear chest waders. I am going to see how close we can get to the birds and maybe next time I will take my camera.

I could have more weekends like that
Mood:  happy
Except for the crappy, cold weather this weekend wasn't half bad.

Friday night I had to work at the pub. We were pretty busy but it wasn't anything unmanageable. We had a slight wait (only about 30 minutes) and I was able to get everyone seated except for one group. They came in and said they had 5 people and they would like to sit on the stage side. I told them it would be a bit of a wait and I wasn't even sure if anything on that side would open up. Most people who sit on that side end up staying there all night to hear the music. They said they would wait. 15 minutes later they came to check where they were on the list and said they needed to add two more people to their group. I told them that it was unlikely I would be able to seat 7 people on the stage side. Both large tables were already taken. They said they would wait. About an hour has passed and they came back over to me and said they needed to add 4 more people. At this point it was 9PM (we stop serving food at 10:30) I pleaded with the woman to let me put her on the mural side because I wouldn't be able to seat them near the stage. She said they would wait. And wait they did till 10:30 when the kitchen finally closed. Oh well. Moral to that story is...1) If you know you want a certain area of the restaurant, make a reservation. 2) If you are on a wait list don't call all your friends and tell them to come down to join you. Adding people to your party will only increase your wait and really ends up pissing me off. IDIOTS!

I worked the day shift on Saturday and it was pretty boring except for the arrival of the new foosball tablel that arrived. We played a couple of games in between customers. I SUCKED at foosball but had a good laugh anyway. That night I took Lennie to Firebirds which is one of my favorite places to eat. I called ahead and put our name on the list and when we got there she said it would be 15 to 30 minutes. She gave us a pager and we headed over to the bar. We grabbed a couple of drinks and chatted a bit then I looked down at my watch and 45 minutes had passed. I walked back over to the hostess stand to see where we were on the list. The girl said, "We called you all a while back." I explained that we were sitting at the bar and no one had come into call us plus our pager never went off. I showed her the pager and she said, "Either we forgot to activate it or it is defective." So they gave us a table another couple was waiting on and the guy got a little pissy. Oh well! The food was great as always but I didn't have any plans to be eating at 8PM. *sigh* We got back to my place and watched The Devil Wears Prada which was cute bought I was kind of upset that Andrea sold out. By the time the movie was over it was 1:30 AM. WAY past my bedtime.

Sunday I got up and just piddled around the apt. I didn't get anything accomplished. LOL My laundry is really starting to pile up. Must do that tonight. I went into work at the pub about 3PM and I was surprised with the crappy weather that we were actually busy. Around 7:00 I got a call from a guy saying that he had 15 people and they were on their way in to eat at the pub. He said he was with the band called, The Fray. This group has a hit song out now that has been associated the show Grey's Anatomy, called How to Save a Life. He said they would be performing at the Auditorium that night and were starved. At first I thought it was a joke but decided to play along. A good thing I did. About an hour later in walked THE FRAY!!!! Well actually only 2 Fray and a bunch of family and friends. They were so nice, quiet and polite. Not what I pictured rock stars to be. They were supposed to be at the auditorium at 8PM but didn't leave the pub at 8:20. Whoops!

I am feeling a little exhausted so I am looking forward to getting home and crashing on the couch. The cold sore seems to be slowly going away. It is painful, embarrassing, and just all around no fun. I can't wait for it to all clear up. *sigh*

Friday Morning
Mood:  lazy
I am far to lazy this morning to try to come up with some sort of catchy title. So you will just have to deal with a generic one.

I am back to work today although in all honesty I would rather be home. Yesterday was so nice. I stayed in my PJ's, curled up on the couch with Fenwick and just vegged. I think I was in need of that. I didn't have anywhere to be and no one to entertain. The toll of working two jobs has started to stress me out a bit. The stress wouldn't be so bad if it didn't decided to place a nasty cold sore on my lower lip. It has caused my lip to swell, making it look like someone punched me in the face. Attractive huh? I have tried everything to make it go away or cover it up but nothing is working very well. I guess I just have to wait for it to go away on its own. I just keep trying to remind myself that all this stress is so I can buy a house.

Tanya and Andy came over last night and brought me dinner. They didn't seem too bothered by the fact that I refused to get out of my PJ's. :) I love friends who allow me to be myself. Anyway...After dinner we decided to play Trivia Pursuit. We had to cheat a little. See none of us know a damn thing about sports so when we landed on a sports question we had the option of either trying to answer the sports question or having the person pick another question off the card. Trust me if we didn't do this we would still be playing. In the end I won. It doesn't hurt that I have played the game so many times that I have heard a lot of the questions before. I suggested that we play Disney Trivia but they both know I would kick there ass. At least with the regular trivia game they had a shot.

I am working at the pub this weekend. I am too lazy to look and see which bands are playing this weekend but I am sure they are good, So if you get bored...come on out. I am working Friday night, Saturday morning, and Sunday night.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!!!!

If you didn't hate me before...you will hate me now
Mood:  happy
My boss just called me to tell me that he was calling off work today. He had discussed it with the other project managers and they were afraid the temperatures would drop later this evening and the roads would freeze and with all the accident out there he didn't want us to get into that mess. It is great to have a boss that cares about our safety.

WOO-HOO!!!! Time to light a fire in the fireplace, make a huge pot of hot chocolate and curl up on the couch and read a good book.

I LOVE SNOW DAYS!!!!!!!!

I feel like such a little kid
Mood:  celebratory
We knew that we would have some type of winter weather today. The initial report was that we would have some freezing rain and/or sleet then it would turn to rain at noon. Well this morning I got up and looked out the window to see if the sleet had started and what do I see....SNOW!!!! I immediately turned on the TV to see what the hell happened and saw that there were school closings scrolling across the screen. All the sudden I felt like I was back in grade school waiting to see the words "Wake County Schools Closed". See if Wake County Schools close then according to our snow plan at work, I don't have to go in till noon. But as of 6:30 am WC schools were still open. So I started to get ready to head into work. All the sudden the phone rang and it was my boss. He had just got the call that schools were closed. *CHEER* So now I can curl up on the couch and enjoy another cup of coffee *sigh*

We only have about 1/4 inch of snow but I think a lot of people are spooked now when they see snow because of what happened two years ago tomorrow. For those of you who don't remember...The Triangle area was suppose to get some flurries one afternoon. I was at work when I saw the first flake fall. I didn't think much about it because we weren't suppose to get anything. About 11:30 am I looked out again and saw that it was coming down harder and starting to stick to the roads. Our boss decided to let us leave at 1:00pm to avoid any problems. Well apparently everyone else had the same idea because everyone in Raleigh left work at the same time. You would think that all those cars out on the road would melt the snow but the air temps were so low that the melted snow turned to ice. Traffic got so jammed up that most people ended up spending the night sleeping in their cars. I live 7 miles from work and it took me 2 hours to get home. What a mess. Hopefully we won't have an event like that again.

On a to a different subject...I checked my horoscope this morning and this is what it said.
Get out your darkest pair of designer shades, because you are about to enter a bright, sunshiny period in your life. Positive energy is all over you, like bees on honey. Life is about to be very sweet. Get ready for unexpected flirtation and generous acts meant to turn your head and get your attention. If you are in the mood for romance, the stars are orchestrating an 'accidental' meeting for you and a very unique person.

Wow now wouldn't it be great if that were true? What would make it even better would be if it said "You will also win the lottery." :)

Hope everyone has a great day and if you have to drive in this mess, please be careful.

Are you sure there wasn't a full moon this weekend?
Mood:  not sure
What a weekend! The crazy people came out of the woodwork to make my life more exciting. LOL

On Saturday I drove downtown to work at the pub. I normally park in the parking garage because it saves time having to find a spot on the street. As I approached a saw a cop car sitting with the nose of his vehicle just barely in the access lane. So I just whipped around him and pulled into the garage. He came running in after me. He informed me I would have to leave the area immediately. I looked over to see a man standing on the ledge of the parking deck just 60 feet or so from where I had parked my car. He apparently was threatening to jump. The cop agreed that I could leave my car there but that I had to leave for fear I might spoke the guy. I tried to make my way to the pub through the sea of people who had assembled to see if this guy would actually jump. He didn't. The cops finally talked him down about 2 hours later.

Later that afternoon a man came into the pub drunk and spelling very badly. He sat at the bar and the bartender sold him a beer. The man soon got very loud and very belligerent. The bartender gave him his money back, took his beer and threw him out of the bar. The man continue to yell and scream and then crossed the street to the park. Lennie, who had come into the pub for a quick beer, watched the man out the door and then turned to me with this look on his face and said, "Have Colin grab the bat...they guy has a knife." I had them grab the bat then I immediately called 911. The man was standing across the street yelling and waving this knife around. It wasn't until later that we learned that it wasn't a knife...it was a paint scrapper. Still it was sharp and shiny and the man was obviously making threats. I went back in to call the cops again. When I went back outside Lennie, the bar tender and an off duty cop had the man down on the ground. The police finally arrived and the man was taken into custody. Apparently the guy came over and bumped into Lennie and that is when Lennie tackled him to the ground. GO LENNIE! If he hadn't been there and the guy had made his way back into the bar...it could have turned out badly. Luckily no one was injured. Well except of Lennie who ended up pulling something in his back and scraping his hand.

Sunday at the pub wasn't too bad. We had one drunk guy who fell off his chair and was asked to leave but he didn't cause any problems. The rest of the night was slow and uneventful. I enjoy working shifts with Ryan and Kat. They make it fun. Kat likes to dance around and for some reason keeps calling me "momma". LOL Maybe it is a San Diego thing? I even chatted a bit with Chris the bartender who I normally avoid because he always looks pissed off and I don't think he likes me all the much. But he made conversation with me anyway.

I was looking forward to a nice quiet day off on Monday. I knew I would have to do a gate change at 1PM but that wasn't a big deal. I got up in the morning and went for a hike then scooted over to the dam to do the change. I then went to the store and came home to relax. No such luck. I had a message on my answering machine from some debt collector saying I owed my doctor $286. I immediately called him back and told him that I thought he had the wrong person. Here is our conversation.

ME: Yes I received a message stating I owed money to Dr. Naccouzi. I think you may have the wrong person.
Collector: Is this Rebecca?
ME: Yes?
Collector: Is your number 919-555-1212 (not my real number)?
ME: Yes?
Collector: Do you live at...(address left out for security reasons)
ME: Yes?
Collector: According to our records you owe a bill in the amount of $286.00 from back in Oct.
ME: I couldn't be me. I went to the Dr. back in June but my insurance company paid all but $18 and I already paid that.
Collector: Well that is something you will have to discuss with them. Now we should talk about your payment options. Would you like to pay a lump sum or maybe we can split it up into a few payments.
ME: I am not paying this!
Collector: Ma'am you should take this seriously. Debts like this gave have a negative effect on your credit. It can keep you from getting a job or buying a house...
At that point I hung up and called the Dr.'s office. Of course the woman I needed to speak with was out till this morning. So this morning I called work and told them I would be late and drove over to the the Dr.'s to get this straightened out. Apparently there is another person with my exact same name who sees the exact same Dr. What are the odds? The lady said they have a new girl working and she must have pulled the first Rebecca that she came to which happened to be me and didn't bother to verify. I scolded her about being more responsible with this sort of thing that I had spent a year getting my credit straightened out and she almost ruined all that work. She called the debt collector while I stood there so hopefully things are all worked out.

I have to work at the pub tonight. I am so exhausted. I just want to go home and crawl into bed. *sigh* Hopefully I wont have to work too late.

Why can't eagles build their nests close to the road?
Mood:  lazy
Okay so we went out on Wednesday to try to find this eagle nest. It is located near the power line which normally would be a nicely mowed grassy strip. Easy access!!! Just walk straight up the line and look up. Well with the recent rainfall and a beaver dam that we discovered, the power line is now flooded. Our hip waders in the shop all have holes in them so we opted to just wear our muck boots which come up to our knees. We start walking in from the road and at first it wasn't too bad. The water was just past our ankles. We walked slowly...testing our footing as we went along. When in this type of environment you should always have someone with you. One person takes the lead and tests the ground below and you just step where they step. If this is done correctly...neither of you will get wet. As we got closer to the nest Jennifer (who was in the lead) steps and the water comes to the top of her boot. Our next step would have put the water mid-thigh. None of us were looking forward to spending the rest of the day in wet clothes. We looked around and decided to try another approach. Once again we ended up in knee deep water. We stood there and contemplated our next moved. Should we try walking through the woods? The woods are marshy and would have thicker mud to deal with. Which would mean a possibility of getting stuck and having to have someone pull you out with the wench. It happens...trust me. What if we take the boat in? The water is too shallow in that area. We could damage the boat and tear up the motor. What if we walk down the opposite end of the power line? That is a two mile walk. If we try to drive in...we would have to get permissions from the electric company and the private landowners. In the end the best solution we could come up with was just to buy new waders. At that point I looked down and saw a line of bubbles moving towards us. TIME TO GO!!!! It is amazing how quickly you walk when there is a line of bubbles following you. LOL I don't know what it was but I didn't want to stick around to find out.

The remainder of the week has been calm. I am exhausted for some reason and my muscles are sore. The reason for the sore muscles is not something I can post here. ;) LOL All I want to do is is crawl into a hot bath then snuggle in bed with Fenwick. Instead I have to find the energy to work at the pub tonight. It is kilt night and Annie (my boss) let me borrow this cute little skirt but I think I have opted for pants and some comfortable shoes. I know I am a party pooper. The evening doesn't kick off till 10:30 which is when my shift ends so depending on how tired I am...I might not stay long. I will probably have a beer and head home. Oh if you all are looking for something to do Sat. night...my friend David's band Jonny Dollar will be performing at the Hudson Oyster Bar on Glenwood. They are a soul/funk band. Check them out if you get a chance. They don't play many shows in Raleigh.

Well that is it for me. Have a great weekend!!!!

Just barely making it over the hump
Mood:  hungry
For some reason I am STARVING this morning. It is probably because I haven't had anything to eat since yesterday at lunch. I know....bas me. I had to work at the pub last night so I didn't have time to grab dinner before I went in and when I got off work all I wanted to do was crawl into bed. So now I am paying for it with a very grumbling tummy. Anyone want to bring me a Bojangles biscuit?

We are currently without heat in half of our building. Luckily this time it isn't MY half. My cubicle is nice and toasty. *sigh with pleasure* I feel sorry for those in the back. They have to keep coming up front to get warm. I have called the electrician but it doesn't look like he will make it out today. We did manage to get the emergency heat working so hopefully it will warm up soon.

I am suppose to go out this afternoon with Dana and Jennifer to look for one of the new eagle nests. According to the State Park ranger, the tree is right at the water's edge at normal lake level. Well we are in flood stage now which means that the tree is IN the water and my hip waders have holes in them. GREAT! This should be fun and very cold.

For those of you who live in or close to Raleigh we are having a Kilt Night at Tir Na Nog on Friday, January 12, 2007 starting at 10:30 PM. The band "Enter The Haggis" will be performing. If you wear your kilt you will get in free!!! If not you pay a $5 cover. Hope to see you all there!!!!

PICTURES!!!
Mood:  energetic
Okay I finally got the pictures loaded from Sunday. Sorry I didn't get pictures of any eagles but I think the sunrise was quite beautiful. Enjoy!

Are you kidding me? Do I honestly look like a terrorist!!!!
Mood:  caffeinated
So yesterday morning was our annual mid-winter bald eagle count. I had to get up at the crack of dawn to drive to my station, which ended up being a little bridge over Beaver Dam (not "a" beaver dam...it is just what that area of the lake is called.) I got to my site a little early so I pulled my car off the road close to the bridge, grabbed my coffee and a donut and walked onto the bridge. It was so quiet and peaceful. It was at that point in the morning, just before dawn, when the moon is still shining bright and the sun is starting to rise somewhere low in the east. There was just enough light to be able to see where I was going without a flashlight. I have to say I like this location much better than the one they sent me to last year. I didn't have to step over any trash or broken glass.

I stood there on the bridge and just listened. I heard a Great Horned Owl calling in the distance. I love the sound they make. It, for some reason, always makes me smile. I then heard a sound I had only heard on TV. A coyote called somewhere close to the water's edge. I searched the shoreline but it was too dark to see anything. I finished my donut and headed back over to the car to start filling out my paperwork.

As the sun started to come up, I scanned the sky in search of my beloved eagles but only saw some Canada geese, seagulls (okay Mark...they were Laughing Gulls...see I am doing better), a Great Blue Heron, and some ducks) I am pretty sure I heard a Cooper's Hawk but was unable to find it perched anywhere to verify it.

As I sat there traffic started to pick up on this little road. I saw surprised at the amount of cars that passed by me. I was also a little annoyed because the sound of the cars took away my ability to concentrate on the bird calls. *sigh* At one point a red corvette passed by me. He would drive a little ways and stop, turn around, drive a little ways and stop, He did this about 5 times apparently checking me out and trying to see what I was up too. Ten minutes later a State Trooper pulls up behind me. Now before I replay what he said to me, keep in mind that I am wearing my Park Ranger Parka with my Corps of Engineers patch on the sleeve.

Trooper: Ma'am is everything alright?
ME: Yes!
Trooper: Can I ask what you are doing out here this morning?
ME: Looking for Eagles.
Trooper: Is this a normal occurrence for you?
ME: Nope, I just do this once a year. (The trooper then looks at me perplexed) We are conducting our Mid-winter Eagle count today. (I show him my paper)
Trooper: I see. (hands me back my paper and then just stands there looking at me)
ME: Is there a problem with me being here?
Trooper: I suppose not. We just got a few calls about a strange person just sitting in their car on the bridge with a pair of binoculars.
ME: (laughing) I know I look bad first thing in the morning but I wouldn't say that I am strange.
Trooper: (smiles) I think they just thought you were up to no good.
ME: Yeah I guess I can see how they would got that. Here I am sitting in my little silver Scion with my ranger jacket on, drinking coffee and watching the sky with some binoculars. I SOOO look like a terrorist.
Trooper: These days you have to suspect everyone. (He then just stands there staring at me in uncomfortable silence before he finally speaks again) So how did you get roped into doing this bird count thing?
ME: It is part of my job.
Trooper: Job?
ME: I am a park ranger (God this guy is observant...I am in a ranger jacket with the word RANGER displayed on my name tag)
Trooper: Are those donuts? (glancing at the passenger seat)
ME: Yes, would you like one?
Trooper: Thanks! (he grabs 3...WTF I said he could have ONE) You have a nice morning ma'am. Hope you get to see an eagle. I will make sure I tell people that you will be gone soon. (He then walks back to his vehicle and leaves.)

Note to self: Next time do hair and put on makeup so I don't look so threatening to people and hide valuable donuts from the police.

I didn't see a single eagle but I did take a few pictures of the lake just as the sun came up. When I get some time I will post them. I hope everyone had a great weekend. Till next time...