Black Cherry Invasion

Wait, what?

2009-08-21T23:17:00.002-04:00

Ha! I almost forgot I had this thing!

Good lord, it's really been over a year since I updated. I blame it on Facebook. Things here started to massively drop off after I joined that particular social networking site.

Aaaaaanyway, I'm still alive. Shock! Awe!

Still working on my undergrad at UT. I will be kicking my own ass again next week when class starts after a nice little summer break. Still single, though I had hope there for a little while that it would be otherwise. Three years is a long time without a date *insert frowny face*

Still reenacting! Next event is in Jackson MI the 28 - 30. 25th anniversary for that event, so it should be a lot of fun.

What else, what else...

My body seems to have stopped trying to kill me for a little while. It worries me a bit though, cause I thought it had stopped just before that last thing I had. I think the safe time just means it's plotting more and more against me. Damned body. I hate you and your machinations!

Oh! My younger brother got engaged! They're adorable together and I can't wait to have a sister in-law. Three brothers does not a happy Manda make. Yeah, I shortened my name. Only I can do that. Or, you know... special other people who have permissions.

Why do I always feel like I'm talking to dead air when I do this?

I require a bagel.

Yeah, yeah....

2008-07-10T22:32:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I know I haven't been around much. There's actually several fantastically good reasons for that....

Allow me to explain.

So CP was awesome, this we all know. The after affects, not so much. The weekend of the encampment I managed to hurt my knee again (bursa sak) and, because of the somewhat unsanitary conditions reenactors deal with as part of the hobby, I got a bladder, UT, and kidney infection... which, because I have a rather high pain tolerance, went unnoticed by me until I work up in intense pain and had to be carted off to the ER. Let me tell you.... that is the WORST pain I have even been in, and I almost lost six fingers once, so that's saying something.

Ok, so after that I'm slowly recovering from both the kidney thing and the knee thing while starting my new job. Long days, lots of standing, it's a hard life :P

On the upside, I can now make kick ass smoothies.

Couple of weeks ago I'm talking with my friend Maggie and she tells my that our friend John who went off to boot camp in May and is one of my ex boyfriends, is getting married. Married! Before he left, John and I went to see a movie and we talked a lot. He kind of left me with the feeling that we'd be hanging out a lot and maybe more when he got back, which was awesome cause he broke up with me and there were still feelings on my part and yeah... that thing. Anyway, so we were writing back and forth when I got sick and injured and I stopped writing because of how shitty I felt and didn't want to send him depressing news in addition to the fact that I was drugged... a lot.

Of course, once I stopped writing, he stopped. I find out later that he's calling and talking to people, just not me. Ouch. So he goes and get married to his girlfriend (who, oddly enough... looks like a less charismatic version of me ;) )) and then comes back into town for the 4th and tells his friends... except me.

Smooth....

Moving on.

Went to Gettysburg, had an aaaaawesome time. Sadly, I got poison ivy that weekend. Also, sadly, I didn't realize it was on my legs and shaved a few times before I thought 'Hey, that odd bumpy thing is spreading!' Stopped shaving, got an anti-itch treatment, forgot to check ingredients on the gel, had an allergic reaction to the Benzyl IN the gel.... swear to god man, I almost clawed the skin off my legs.

While dealing with the itching, I'm notified of a meeting for myself and two of my co-workers at the park where I work. These co workers and I all hold the same position/title and we're the only ones left who have it because they're not hiring anyone else into that position. Because the parks if funded (mainly) by the money from county property taxes, our income is based on what things are worth... because the housing market and economy are in the tank.... you get where I'm going with this?

Anyway, we had the meeting today and yeah, our jobs are being 'eliminated' at the end of July.

Instead of having us as year round employees, they want to hire seasonals who will work from April to mid December. Of course since we're all trained, they want us to apply for the seasonal positions. However, IF I get the seasonal job, the only thing I'll keep is my pay rate. Five years of seniority, paid holidays, paid time off... all gone.

So yes, I've been a little stressed out lately. Juuuust a tad.

On the upside, my knee is actually doing better and I have it out of the brace. Yay?

And now, after I'm sure I've given you all WAY too much info for your liking, I'm off to bed. Tomorrow is the first day off in a couple of weeks and I'm going to get as much sleep as I can :D

One down...

2008-05-18T23:47:00.002-04:00

Ho

ly

Crap.

Seriously... holy crap.

It may be the sunburn on the top of my head talking, but I just had one of the best weekends I've had in a long time. I was a little nervous on Friday when I drove the 4 hours from where I live to Fishers IN... but after a few hours of waiting for my tent to show up, I got a call from Swayer. Dinner time, yay!

Swayer rocks in person. Rocks more so then she does in her online down time. Ren, this is where you get all jealous and start thinking about that one time where you thought she and I ______ with the _______ and then sent you the ______ without the _______ just for giggles.

Anyway, I told Swayer of my tent woes over our delicious dinner and my huge margarita since the tent thing is what was making me all nervous. You see, period tents aren't cheep, not my a long shot. So because I'm just starting out I was planning on using the Company's loner tent so I had someplace to sleep should it rain or I needed some quiet time. The tent is left with the Quartermaster who brings to to events for the poor newbies who need it. I got to Conner Prairie at 3:30... the tent was not arriving till 9 or 10. There went my plan to set it up in the daylight...

So I go out, have a tasty dinner, and then the lovely Swayer drops me back off at camp where I wait until the rest of the company comes rolling in at 10pm. Tent setting up time! I wish... turns out the guy who was bringing the tent forgot the ridge pole, which is the big pole that holds the bloody tent up. Needless to say there were many jokes made about poles and I decided to sleep in my car because there was a fairly good chance of rain for the weekend.

On the upside, Ion's have wonderful backseats/trunks for sleeping in!

Moving on... nothing much happened Friday night, I turned in early at about 11:30 and got up around 9. Conner Prairie is a great living history site that I just had to check it out. They have different time periods, lots of animals, the staff normally wears clothes that go with the period they're in at the village... it's really quite nice. I didn't get to look around as much as I would have liked, but it was still cool.

There were two 'battles', one on sat and one on sun, both at 2pm. As battles go, I have to say I really wasn't impressed. It felt like they were doing a drill against each other instead of actually fighting. Hopefully it'll be a bit more refined next year if I go back.

I got to talk with a lot of people about reenacting over the weekend. People have some of the oddest questions.. but once you say you're new to the hobby that conversation almost always turns too how do you get started in something like the encampments. I think a few of the IN company's may have some new members soon, thanks to yours truly.

As much as I love the people who come to the events, I still think the best part is after the sites close and the reenactors can relax a bit. Period instruments and songbooks come out, fires are lit, talk and some drinking ensues... it's just nice. people who have been in the hobby for years have great ideas on camp life and what to do too make yourself at home wherever you go, and a lot of them are just huge fonts of knowledge about anything Civil War related.

Saturday was really the best day for me. I hung out with Ma Chin and learned some tricks of the trade. She plans on moving to NC, so the company will need a cook and all around awesome person to fill her sizable shoes. I think I'm up to the task, but I need a loooot of work yet.

After dinner was music, a ball (which I couldn't dance in because of my knee), and the drinking. The music for the ball was great, but by the time we got there that half bottle of tequila Mac told me I should drink was catching up with me. I ended up sitting with some of the guys under the trees and taking sips of peoples beers... and then I somehow ended up with the Captain's kepi... which looked WAY better on me then it did on him, and I even have the ego to fill it out! Mac's hat was bigger though, so I need to work on filling that one out too....

Also, my new nickname is Cinnamon.

Back to camp, played some eucker with Euclid and totally kicked the 4th Virginia's butts at it even though my team was halfway and a bit to passing out. Finally decided to call it a night when it started raining. Now my car is a good 5 minute walk from where the camp was, so I had a ways to go.. carrying my quilt, haversack, key (just the one), walking in the dark, the rain, and the tipsyness. Needless to say, I dropped my keys. To this hour I have no idea how I found them so quickly. It's really a miracle that I wasn't wandering around the grassy infield for ages looking for one key.

Really long story short, my drunk friend and I made it to my car without getting totally soaked, but at last count I have bruises just about everywhere, including my spine, God only knows how I got that one....

Assume nothing! No cake was had, but I did sleep daaaaamn well and was nice and toasty all night.

Sun was a bit slower, more relaxed. I kept looking for some chick in a pirate hat but I must have missed her. Gives me a good reason to go back next year though.

The only part of the weekend I regret is not being able to answer my cell when John called. John has been a friend of mine for quite a while and right now he's in GA at boot camp. I miss him and I wish we could talk more often, and Sat was the first time he'd gotten a chance to call me since me left back in March.

All in all, it was a kick ass weekend. At this point I'm reconsidering the trip too Gettysburg just because 7 hours of driving with my knee as is will be a bad idea if the 4 hours one way this weekend was any indicter.

Oh, I have pics too! Tons of pics! I'll pop them up later but right now I have too head to bed. The lack of sleep is catching up with me and I have my new job tomorrow at 8am.

I'm alive! In a manner of speaking...

2008-05-07T13:00:00.002-04:00

Yup, I live!

The knee is doing much better. No surgery, just a little PT and TLC... plus two weeks off of school. Ouch. I think I managed to pull it back together in time for finals though. Now I'm just waiting in the grades to show up.

So now is catch up time. All the things I put off while dealing with my knee and finals gets done this week... hopefully. I'm also out looking for a second job and getting ready for the start of the reenacting season. Swayer, I'll be in Fishers starting on the 16th if you're still up for shopping. I'll shoot you and email with more details in a bit.

More fun comes after Fishers though... I'm going to Gettysburg in June!

Yeah, it's a short update, but I do what I can. I have a job interview tomorrow to prepare for a tons of cleaning. Wish me luck!

So not out like a lamb

2008-03-25T23:06:00.003-04:00

I am officially the worlds most accident prone woman... seriously...

I'm not sure how it happened, but sometime on Friday I popped the bursa sack in my right knee. The bursa sack is full of fluid and cushions the kneecap when you move. When it popped it released that fluid into the area around my knee, causing a lot of swelling and a good amount of paaaaaaaaain.

Now I, being the devoted idiot that I am, decided not only to go see the gent on Sunday night when I should have had my leg up, but used crutches to get to class on Mon morning.... which was almost a half mile walk to and from the parking lot.

At the moment I'm 'supposed' to have my leg up and be resting. Like that'll happen....

I am trying to be good about it though. The last thing I want it for it to keep getting worse and have to get it drained... which involves a very very large needle

So yeah, knees... the bees knees... *shifty eyes*

Blame the meds.

By the way... this is the 2ooth post!!!! This calls for confetti of some sort ;)

In like a lion?

2008-03-10T01:35:00.004-04:00

So it's March.

I've decided I hate March....

It's still wintry outside, which means cold and snow. 'Spring ' break is also over today, which was a total jip in the long run since we got a late season snow storm... bah I say!

March is also the time I got the first hint last year that it was over.

Yup, here I sit at a little before 2am doing things I know will only make me sleep badly. Why? Because letting me on Facebook when I'm bored is a bad idea... Too many applications to add and friends to look for.

I have a friend leaving for boot camp this week and I tried looking for him on Facebook so we had another way to keep in touch. Nothing on him, so I looked up a few more friends in case I got any hits. Because my minds like me to suffer, I went and looked up an old flame. Didn't find any entries and went to look for someone I know he knew.

Now, this could just be my mind running away with me, but what I found still caused a painful heart twinge.

I got a matching result on the last name I put in, but the pic wasn't of who I thought it would be. It was a baby, looked only a month or two old. Knowing what I know about the owner of that profile and coupled with some other info I had before this random and stupid idea, it means my old flame was having sex with said owner of the profile around 2 - 3 months after he broke things off with me.

This man, the one I think of as the love of my life, who told me he was mine and would never let me go even if it meant we were only friends. This man who I would have gladly married if he had asked. This man who I'm still in love with even though I've tried to convince myself that I'm not, and who swore up and down that he loved me... obviously didn't.

If someone can turn around and do that after they say such pretty things, if they can cut off all communication and act as if you mean nothing to them, if they can discard you as easily as one would a plastic cup, then what did they really mean anyway? Nothing... nothing at all.

Like I said... this could all just be in my head, but given what I know it's highly unlikely.

Want to know why I don't trust people? Want to know why I don't let myself fall in love with anyone else? I'd say that right there is a shining example of why I'm wise not to do such a thing.

Bah. Just bah.

Edit: Why yes, this DOES seem vaguely creepy and stalkerish in retrospect. In order to prevent you all from thinking I'm insane and/or obsessed, let me assure you that that was the first, and last time I ever go looking for someone who knows someone I know of Facebook. I don't need that kinda of trauma in my life.

2008-02-21T00:29:00.002-05:00

Me.

With straight hair.

In crappy lighting.

At my grandma's.

I'm adorable.

;)

Three years of bloggity goodness

2008-02-08T11:39:00.000-05:00

That's right people, three years.

So to celebrate, enjoy some Jesus

;)

We're number 9!

2008-02-05T00:27:00.000-05:00

Wow... where to start.

I had a great weekend, really. One of the best I've had in a long time.

Why was the weekend so awesome, you ask? Because it was the Annual General Meeting and Social for the 9th Kentucky, Company C. I am, of course, with the civilian section of the reenacting group, but I have now officially joined and paid dues so I can say that it’s my camp.

The day started off at 10:30 with the meeting... election of officers, attendance, introduction of new members, reports from current officers, etc, etc. Broke for lunch and came back to vote on what events the club should attend this year. We ended a pretty nice schedule which will take us all over... Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. After that was new business and then the meeting was over. Time for the Social!

*Before I go on I do want to say that I was quite impressed by the members of the 9th KY. The meeting was held in an orderly fashion and everyone who had an opinion got to express it. Open lines of communication are wonderful. Also, every member is quite focused on historical accuracy and doing the best interpretations they can. I’m really proud to be a new member and hope I can live up to the standard the other members have set.*

On to the social. One word for you.....

Grog.

Yup, you heard me, grog. Period recipe grog.

Most people brought food to share, and drinks as well. The guys also brought instruments so for several hours there was period music playing in the room as different conversations happened and there was general mingling. I’m actually really excited about going to the Conner Prairie Muster in Indiana. Conner Prairie is an amazing living history site and from what I hear it’s going to be a large event.

The guys sang all 70 verses of ‘What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor”. That’s a great song, by the way.

As the evening progresses much conversation was had. At one point Mac was trying to convince me and a few others I’d be good infantry. I’ll have to think on it, but it is documented that some women did dress as men and fight in the war. We’ll see... could be fun though if they let me have a musket. Can you picture me with a musket? I’d kick ass if I don’t break the damn thing first.

There’s a lot of other stuff that happened that I won’t go into here, mostly because I don’t want to bore you all with what I thought was fun, and because things got really fuzzy after a certain point. I do however vaguely remember someone saying the one thing that would make me better was a pair of balls, to which someone else replied that I had some things far nicer then a pair, and then I grabbed my boobs.

That would be why I don’t drink much ;)

A few glasses of grog later found me back in my room.... where I proceeded to have quite a bit of cake. Oh yes... quiiiiite a bit.

*coughs*

Whaaaat?

That’s what happens when I have no cake for a long time and you give me alcohol!

Anyway, a good time was had. A very good time indeed.

I’m looking forward to this summer and the reenacting that comes with it. Since I don’t have the boat this year it’ll be the only living history I get to do, and I have a crap load of personal time to use up, so I won’t mind missing a weekend of work each month.

So, in conclusion....

The 9th rocks and are good at what they do, grog is awesome, walls are bad, I would make a good dude, and I LOVE cake.

What did we learn over the weekend?

2008-01-23T02:39:00.000-05:00

Benzolamonniachloride is also bad for me.

Damned cleaning supplies.

Living on Vitaman Water

2008-01-12T19:22:00.000-05:00

Aaaaaaand update!

Sorry Swayer, no cake for you ;)

So I had my other two classes... tues and thurs may be a little taxing. The classes are interesting so far, but both require a lot of note taking. Not that the other classes don't, these two just take more. It really doesn't help that in my Developmental Psych course, the instructor uses powerpoint a lot and gives us next to no time too copy what's on the slides. My right hand started cramping up on thurs... not good people. Not good.

All in all I think it will be a good semester. I've been able to sort out my work hours, and reenacting won't be picking up till about the time I get done in April, so I'll have my weekends for studying. Also, the UT campus has a kick ass rec center, so you can bet I'll be in there a lot in the coming months.

Now, on the subject of cake... I had some last night. A nice strawberry wedding cake.

We had a wedding and reception at the Manor House last night. Ceremony, catering, dancing... the works. It was fairly involved. One of the rooms we had to change the set up in twice over the course of the event to allow for different activities, and my co-worker and I spent a good part of the night trying to keep the little kids who were there entertained and off of the stairs. It went quite well, really. The bride, groom, and assorted family left happy.

So, given the fact that we do so much for these people... provide good customer service, provide different set ups, watch the children, help the caters, etc.... I was amazed today to find out that someone, I have no idea who, at the parks said that the jobs of the staff in the History Department could be done by trained monkeys....

My ass it could.

Come ooooon education! I think I need a new job ;)

When I was your age, Pluto was a planet!

2008-01-07T16:32:00.000-05:00

No, really, I swear it was!

I can imagine saying that to my nieces and nephews someday... it'll be a hoot.

Anyway, I'm back! Again! And using many exclamation point just because I enjoy the shift key!!!!

Started school today as a UT student. I'm happy to say that I did not get lost on my first day of class, but it was a close call. Made it to everything on time, and so far I like both of my professors. One of them is from Australia... it's sweet. Monday/Wednesday is Social Inequality and Cognitive Psychology. Tuesday/Thursday is Developmental Psychology and Cultural Anthropology. The only problem I can see so far is the fact that Tues/Thurs my class is at 9... so factor in travel time and showering, I need to be up at, if not before, 7 am. I am not a morning person. I can hardly even form words before 10 am, no matter how much sleep I get.

The campus is gorgeous. UT was founded in 1872, so a lot of the buildings have an older style of architecture. I consider it a very good sign that the College of Arts and Sciences (which is my part) is located in the oldest building on campus. I've loved the bell and clock tower on University Hall since I first saw it, and now I can hear the bells going off when I'm sitting in class. A little distracting, yes... but cool anyway.

Anyway, I have a migraine the size of... well, a very large migraine... so I'm going to step off the comp for a bit. I promise there will be one more update this week. If not, Swayer can have all my cake ;)

Snooooow!

2007-12-17T00:28:00.000-05:00

Yup, that's right, I said snow. Today we had the first big snowfall of winter... a whole 8 to 10 inches with ice and freezing rain. It was fun in the sense that work shut down due to the Level 2 snow emergency ;)

Anyway, update time!

Holidays at the Manor House was fun, we had around 12-13000 people through in a week. The best part was probably on Tuesday when I got stuck in the elevator though... we had about 4 people show up to get me out because they had no idea how far between floors I was or if they'd be able to get my out easily. Me? I sat down and had a nice little break. It only took them about 15 min to get me out, so it wasn't all that bad. I swear though, I'm getting a hell of a reputation at the parks... I keep breaking things....

Lets see.... on this coming Tuesday I have orientation at the University of Toledo. I'm freaking out a little because I've never been to school on such a large scale before. If I thought going from homeschooling to the satellite center of a community collage was a shock, I think I'm going to lose it at UT. At the same time I'm ridiculoiusly excited. I've been wanting to go back to school for a year or so now and I'm finally getting around to doing it. Here's hoping for the best!

On the relationship front, men still suck. I'm also hoping I'll manage to meet a nice guy at collage who will change that opinion ;)

Got a letter from the International Society of Poets last week, they're going to publish another one of my poems. This'll be the third one they're doing, and hopefully there will be more in the future. The title of the book they're putting it in is still in the works, but it'll be out late '08. I'll keep you posted when I get new info on it.

Right, so, that's it for now. I'd say I'll update again soon, but the pattern shows that it's highly unlikely ;)

Neeeeeews!

2007-11-25T23:04:00.000-05:00

So, thanks to my mothers brilliance at genealogy, today I found out I was related to Edward IV of England. 18th cousins or something... but still!

Looking even further back and following Edwards maternial line, I'm also related to Katherine Swynford, who was married to John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.

Best

News

EVER!

November 11th

2007-11-12T00:03:00.000-05:00

I got a rose before work today. Picked it right out at the store... white, with pink tips. It was perfect, not fully open, but still beautiful.

Took it to the park with me and down the stairs to the river. I sat on the viewing platform close to the water. Broke the thorns off the steam, then the leaves, then the steam itself. Broke it into tiny pieces and tossed them into the water.

The petals were next. Velvety smooth and soft, almost like skin. I felt a little like Ophelia in Hamlet, the part when she goes crazy and is giving everyone flowers. Took the petals off one by one and let them follow the thorns and leafs. Each petal was given away with a wish, a memory.

I watched them as they floated on the current, drifting lightly over the stones and whirlpools in their way. I sat and watched even though it was cold and damp. Overcast and wet, but not rainy, just like last year on the same day. I suppose November is somewhat consistent like that.

When the last petal was out of sight I stood, staring at the water for a moment more before I may my way up to the house. No petal for remembrance, I don't need one. I don't ever plan to forget, and just knowing it's the 11th adds an odd flavor to whatever day that date falls on.

Never, ever, say that you can't wait to grow up.

I was supposed to be at work today....

2007-11-03T15:16:00.000-04:00

But I'm not. Why? Because apparently I'm allergic to Benzalkonium Chloride. I've been using it three times a day, as I was instructed to, to clean my new piercings with. Said new piercings are a second set of holes in my ears. Anyway, they don't bother to put on the label of the bottle of disinfectent they give you that the active ingredent, Benzalkonium Chloride is a sensitive skin irritant. Thanks! Now my face is all red and puffy, and it feels like ants are eating my skin. Good thing I know I can use rubbing alcohol to clean my ears with....

In other news, the boat is done. Ghosts went well this year, and many of the scripts were very well done by the staff. Most of them. So now I'll just be at the Manor House all winter. Providing that the levy passes on Tuesday I can then keep my job next year. If the levy doesn't pass.... then all park employees are kinda screwed in the 'we get laid off' kinda way.

I'd write more right now, but I'm feeling a bit off because of the allergies right now.... more later!

My Mind

2007-10-23T23:33:00.000-04:00

There are wings
and things
of a viney sort
that twine,
and infiltrate my mind

They cling
and twist
like a violent fist
that finds,
inside my mind

A treasure trove
of light
and wit
a tiny spot
of hope
and grit
that thrives,
inside my mind

Soooooooo, new poem! Enjoy it, first new one I've had in a long time.

Along with the poem, you get a quicky update. The ankle is better, brace is off and I can use it as an ankle is meant to be used. In my case, that means I'll probably sprain it again in a week or so.

My cat Isis has been very sick lately, she had an inflamed liver. FInding out wjat was wrong involved taking her 45 minutes away to Ann Arbor and getting her an ultrasound and a liver biopsy. Said ultrasound involved shaving a good 1/3 of her body. I still think she hates me because of it. Also, I have to wrap her into a quilt every morning and make her into a kitty burrito so I can shoot6 2cc's of bubblegum smelling meds down her throat. She getting better though!

On the work front, I put in my two weeks from the canal boat. I finished the season like I said I would, but because of all thee shit that happened out there this year, I won't be going back in April. Not unless they make me, which they very well could. I'm still working at the Manor House and getting ready for Holidays... it starts next month. Ghosts is this weekend at the canal, so I'll be working a few very long days and hoping to GOD I have my script memorized.

On the personal front, still no dates. Bah to dates. However, in the past four months I've lost about 20 pounds. Wanna know what I'm doing right now? Eating mint Milalo cookies. Why? Because I could eat a whole effin pack and still lose weight. How can I do that? Because I'm on meds that are balancing the natural imbalance in my system. Fuck you PCOS, I have pills!

Only problem with losing weight is my clothes don't fit... and I hate shopping. Ah well, small price to pay ;)

There ya go. You've been updated and I certainly hope this takes care of your Amanda Addiction.

Later all ;)

Anyone there?

2007-10-01T13:11:00.000-04:00

Yes, oh yes... I'm still alive. You people aren't getting rid of me that easily.

I have been a bit absent of late. For those of you who don't know, I had a minor accident at the boat..... again..... it did not involve fingers though! I just took a mis step off of the boat and sprained my ankle It was only a little sprain, mild bruising but not bad enough for me to not put weight on it.

Last weekend I went up to Bay City MI for a vintage Baseball game with the Westside Emeralds. They lost, but it was still a good game.. and the Grog on Friday night was really good. Sadly, it was the last reenacting event I'll be able to go too this year, work is gonna start picking up soon anyway.

More updates later, I promise ;)

Oh snap!

2007-09-11T00:52:00.000-04:00

Every now and then,you just hear a really good burn. These rare events need to be recorded for all to enjoy. The following burn happened eariler today and was between my 18 ear old brother, Thomas, and my 27 year old brother, Matt.

Matt: So hey, Thomas, where's your truck.

Thomas: It's still at the shop.

Matt: Ha, told ya.

Thomas: Wait, where's your car? Oh, that's right, you don't have one!

Sometimes living at home does have it's good points....

Damn Floridians

2007-09-06T18:26:00.000-04:00

(For the full story)

When Hometown Political Action Committee Chairwoman Carol Wightman introduced the Key West mayoral candidates Monday night before almost 200 people at the Tropic Cinema, she wasn't concerned with making the position sound glamorous.

“It's a full-time job for $10,000 a year,” she said. “Now I ask you: Why would you want this job?”

The six candidates laughed and then readied themselves for the onslaught of questions from business owner Jon Allen, Community Housing Committee Chairman Richard Grusin and Solares Hill Editor Nancy Klingener.

Grusin asked Carie Noda what her vision is for Key West over the next 20 years. She explained she's traveled all over and feels Key West is the most beautiful city in the world, though she did not say specifically what direction she'd like the city to take.

Noda, a newcomer to the race, was born in Cuba and has lived in Key West since she was 6 months old. She emphasizes an effective disaster relief plan, something she says the current administration has ignored. She says she's worked as an American Red Cross executive director in New York and was designated a Red Cross international delegate. She was also a substance-abuse counselor and worked at social-service entities.

Incumbent Morgan McPherson said he'd like to “take that bumper sticker of ‘One Human Family' and make it a heartfelt truth.”

“Key West is a carnival,” candidate Sloan Bashinsky said. “I think we could do unbelievable things with the pirate theme,” touching on his proposal that Key West should exploit its connection to the infamous sailors of the Caribbean by dressing up its city workers or the homeless as pirates.

“Arrrrrgg,” said candidate and former Mayor Jimmy Weekley when asked to answer the same question. And then on a more serious note, “There has been rhetoric, but no performance,” adding that when he was mayor, the Duval Street T-shirt shops were “under control.”

My Road

2007-09-03T23:25:00.000-04:00

There are no phone poles where I drive. No wires stretched across the roads, crisscrossing the blue dome above and making it seem so much less majestic then it should be.

There are no buildings on my way, no towers to obscure my view of the sky. The only stone I see is natural, boulders and gravel. The only monoliths are the long standing sentinels we call trees.

The land is flat and I can see for miles in all directions, granted I can find a path through the trees. There is corn growing to the right and a purple colored grass growing in the ditches amongst the cattails.

There are no other cars in the middle of the day. All is quiet save for the sound of my music and the soft hum of my tires on the pavement. No bumps, no potholes, no speed limit.

At night I can see all the stars out the windows, or overhead if I pull over and sit on the trunk of my car. The breeze is sweet and the wind is soft, tossing an occasional leaf my way.

There is no other traffic, no other form of life like mine.

There is just me, my car, and my road.

Monolith

2007-08-30T21:25:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I lied. I was gone for a good bit again. But I've just been so busy!

For starters, there was a lot of rain around these parts last week, and you may have heard about some places flooding. Well, Providence (where the Canal Boat is) flooded. Wednesday last week I went into work and the boat crew was all like "Hey, the water keeps getting higher!". Eh, not a big deal... until I get home and find out that the Maumee River isn't supposed to crest till late Thursday/early Friday. Anyway, I end up going into work at the boat on Thurs... only to find out that I'm an hour early because our staff meeting got canceled, and that doesn't even matter because the boat's been closed due to high water. Great, 45 min drive to work for nothing.

I made the best of the situation though. I drove across the river to Grand Rapids and got myself a disposable camera to take some photos of the flooding with. Spent 2 hours at the park that morning taking pics, and got some good ones too. There's this one of a 5 foot log just floating down the Orange Trail.... made me laugh when I saw it ;)

In other news, I was up in Jackson MI last weekend at a civil war encampment. This one I actually stayed overnight at, so that was a first for me. I've been going to Jackson for the past 3 years, but becoming part of the encampment gives you a different side of things.

I got there on Sat. with all my stuff and found the 9th KY, which is the group I'm joining. Since I drove up there in my everyday clothes I had to get changed into my dress and all in the car. Let me tell you, putting on a corset in the front seat of a car is NOT an easy task. After I got dressed most of the day was spent hanging out and talking to visitors to the encampment.

Sat. night was really something to look forward to, there was a Ball! Now, as someone who never went to a dance at all, the Ball was something else new and fun. I danced a few rounds with another newbie to reenacting, Aysah (no idea if I spelled that right) and ended the evening by waltzing with C.C. Good times, good times. (C.C. was also kind enough to lent me a wool blanket that evening... it got colder then I expected)

The only downside of the weekend in Jackson was that I didn't put on sunblock. Yeah, I know... I'm an idiot. I ended up with an unpleasant sunburn on the left side of my face that is now peeling, while the right side just looks a bit tanner then normal. It kinda makes me fee l like TwoFace. Better then looking like a boiled lobster though ;)

So between the flooding, other work, and the encampment, I've been keeping fairly busy. Got a few new books I'd like to read soon, but I'll get to that when I have time.

I'd promise to write again soon, but we all know how that'll turn out. Instead I shall leave you with a quote from the boat.

"Yeah, sarcasm on it's own can be bad enough, but sarcasm with Jazz Hands? That just totally owns."

Breakfast

2007-08-16T00:11:00.000-04:00

Posted because I love my brother. Andrew is the ninja ;)

The past weeks in review

2007-08-13T12:53:00.000-04:00

Firstly, the Transformers movie is bloody awesome. I will admit I was a little worried when they introduced Bumblebee as a Camaro (he's supposed to be a VW Bug), but that worry soon faded under the almost total awesomness of everything else in the movie. Much thanks to the makers of the Transformers movie for not taking a cherished childhood memory and killing it.

Second, vintage baseball as Greenfield Village is also awesome. Granted, I had to sleep in my car on Saturday night because of a lack of proper sleeping space, but my car is really quite nice to take a several hour long nap in. The Westside Emeralds won their first game on Sat, so congrats to them. Sun was a little less fortunate, only because it rained almost all damn day. Still, a good weekend.

That guy who pissed me off at work left the job. We have two new people who started last week, and I think the rest of the time at that job will be faaaaaaaaaaaaaar nicer then the past several months.

Mad Mordigan is back!!!!!!!!! One of the best local Toledo bands has gotten back together after disbanding a few years ago. I found out that they had a show last week, which I missed, but I now fully intend on stalking the band till their next show. I'm so EXCITED!!!!!!!! Goodness know how I love my music.

In a couple weeks I may be up in Jackson MI attending my first event as an official member of a Civil War reenacting company. I have a ton of research yet to do on women's roles during the war, the war itself, and things the type of woman I choose to portray needs in camp... however I'm pretty sure that soon I'll have all I need. Again, way excited.

Last but not least, I sent in my application to UT. I know, took me long enough! Right now I'm just waiting to hear back so I can sign up for some spring classes and get the ball rolling towards my next degree. I have a lot of schooling left ahead of me, so it's about time I got my lil 'ole butt movin.

That about sums it up. I promise next time I won't be gone for so long ;)

Weekly Musing #5

2007-07-31T00:51:00.000-04:00

This website is amazing. It's nothing fancy, but it's eye opening.

I saw one of my secrets there today, one about a greatest fear. I didn't send it in, but I know it's one of mine. Sometimes it's just good to know someone else feel the same way.

Sometimes it's good to know you're not alone.