Wander Woman

Police in London

2012-01-19T08:49:00.003-05:00

So far it’s been difficult setting up in London. Things to do were 1. Get my bicycle set up to off-set transportation costs and 2. Get a phone that works in the UK.

Bicycle was free to check on international flights, so that seemed a no-brainer. It had to be disassembled per airline regulation and boxed. Jay was great about doing that for me, and did a great packing job. He found a 42” flat screen tv box at Walmart and it was the perfect size for my bike.

Imagine me dragging this huge tv box through the streets of New York to find my shuttle from the train station to the airport!

Once I was here at my hostel in London, I opened the box to find that over the 30-hour travel trip between a 14 hour train ride and 2 flights, things had shifted things a good bit in the box. The chain was kinda messed up, and I was worried about attempting to reassemble the bike myself. I’m sure if Jay were here already, we’d have figured it out together, but I dragged the 42” flat screen tv box down 2 blocks of central London to the closest bicycle shop. £50 later, I had a fully functioning bike again, but you can’t just up and ride the streets of London on a simple bike frame. For groceries and any bags I have, I’d need a rack, a heavy bike lock (bikes are very often stolen) and lights for the front and back are required in London. That totaled another £87.

While riding the bike through an area I’d walked to before, I discovered that travel through the streets of London take a bit of learning, and not just the left-hand side of the road issue. There are more one-way streets here than in Charleston even. I got lost going too far and around to the targeted location. I became a bit nervous as the sun was setting at about 4:30, and stopped at a stop light. There was no traffic coming, so like in the US when no traffic is coming, I’d take a right, here I took a left. Then the blue lights and siren flashed to pull me over for running a red lights. Seriously? Seriously. I was sweet as pie, explained my situation, made the officers laugh, and they still ticketed me with a £30 fine. They really should look into American-style warning tickets.

That totals about $256 US dollars.

Thank you, London, for a crappy first day in here. Day 2- let’s hope I can get an operating phone at a more affordable rate!

The Long Ride to London

2012-01-15T22:14:00.006-05:00

I was on the phone with Daddy when the night train to NYC came rolling into the station. Of course I was crying my eyes out. I had called him jubilant, just to say goodbye and check on my dog one last time, but saying goodbye to my father is never easy.

The train is pretty full. Not much like I remember when I've been up and down the West coast; this time the ride out of North Charleston is very bumpy.

I'm taking a very big step to do something I've talked about hundreds of times with friends. I remember us all sitting around with drinks on many occasions boasting of our future travels together. We always listed all the places we'd wanted to go. My list was always full of Europe and Australia.

Saluda River Rafting

2011-08-06T11:15:00.001-04:00

I've been trying out this new GoPro Camera. It's pretty cool.

This is a video of various rafting experiences through the Saluda River. South Carolina's waterways are almost completely undeveloped. The rapids are awesome and range up to class 5 when the dam lets out water past the Riverbank Zoo and the Botanical Gardens. An experience that starts at about 55 to about 70 degree water from the dam to the Gervais Street Bridge. Very refreshing in Famously HOT Columbia, SC.

Your World is Imaginary

2011-07-26T22:53:00.022-04:00

There was a movie (I don't recall what movie) where the heroine was asked to stop her journey, just for a little while, and help. She was asked to take a pair of tweezers and move a pile of sand from one place to another. With tweezers! She did. While she was focusing on moving this pile of sand with an inadequate tool, she became so focused on moving that pile of sand, one granule at a time, she'd completely forgotten her journey and goal.

'Life is what you make it.' Popular saying. I would venture even further than that. Take just the concept of time, for example, I think time is a figment of our imagination. My time is different than most people's time. I work on a project until it is finished or until I'm tired. When I'm done with one project, I'd like another. I might even just take the afternoon off.

'Normal' people have time set for everything. I tried the nightmare of being a paralegal years ago. The people I worked with got their kids ready in the morning and rushed them to the elementary school, then rushed to work. They'd spend their day working until close to 5pm when they'd pack up and wait for the minute hand... then the second hand... to reach 5pm.
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Claustrophobia and the Little Box

2011-07-26T21:32:00.019-04:00

My friend Peter once said, "It's not the sheer number of people you know that surprises me; it's the varying types of people you're friends with that is astonishing.' Or as Brent once said, "When I hang out with Donna I have to be prepared to float the river in the day and possibly go to a ball in the evening."

If you've read my blog, you've noticed a theme. I write, sing, draw, paint, swim, ski, travel, work at several and varying types of jobs and will generally do just about anything. I even love to play sports, so long as there is no commitment tied to the sports. I won't promise I'll be any where any week at the same time. Every kind of music speaks to me, and I haven't found a food yet that I won't eat. I like to be unpredictable and I want to learn about everything there is to learn about!

I cannot stand to be confined by time schedules, what I should or am supposed to be doing, age constraints, social constraints, location constraints, or (the worse thing I can think of) personal confinement issues. As my friend Kerstan has said, "My biggest pet peeve is people's pet peeves."
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House Hunters Episode 4801 Air Date

2011-03-30T10:41:00.002-04:00

Our House Hunters episode shot here in Columbia, SC has a new air date! For now it is May 1 at 10pm.

As you know from our earlier experience, this date is subject to change! Keep an eye on THIS site for date/time changes.

Truth: Draft is Better than Bottled Beer

2011-02-12T20:52:00.031-05:00

Many people are picky with their beer. They insist on never drinking canned beer, and certainly wouldn't be caught dead drinking a draft beer. Look, I'm picky with my beer, but I know what I'm talking about (as it comes to beer). Fact is, draft beer is better than bottled beer. The only reason you got a headache from that draft you drank at a keg party is because you drank 40 of those red plastic solo cups full. Slow down, tiger! There are 3 undeniable reasons why draft rules!

1. Light - When light strikes through a glass bottle to the liquid inside, it changes the flavor. The beer bitters. For some beers, this has become their draw or nitch. Most common examples of this nitch marketing are Corona or Heineken. Both are fairly bitter out of the bottle, but have you seen either of those on tap? If you do, its rare. Ask the bartender to pour you a glass. Both taste more like a Bud Light. They are much more bland out of the tap because there is not enough time for light to bitter the flavor. This is why most bottlers use brown bottles -to block light. Corona and Heineken are bottled to let light taint their flavoring.
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Chicken Wonton Soup

2011-01-11T14:45:00.008-05:00

I'm a big fan of making something out of seemingly nothing. While staying with a friend of mine recently, there wasn't much in the fridge to cook, and I didn't feel up to going out. As I always do, I searched the kitchen for something appetizing to whip up. Turns out, there wasn't much, but I was able to make the best of it! This was the outcome
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Torrid Summer Love Affair

2011-01-08T14:42:00.036-05:00

Listen to THIS while reading this post.

You all know I love cooking food. Even more, I love going to a fabulous restaurant and figuring out their secrets in my kitchen when I get home. What's better than that? Finding a restaurant who's food I cannot recreate. I love to find some place special where the food is so exquisite that I cannot even fathom embarrassing myself with their delectable creations.

Over the summer, I was spending a good deal of time in Charleston
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HGTV Show News

2011-01-07T19:06:00.006-05:00

Everyone keeps asking when our House Hunters episode will air. I just received news today from the producer:

'...your show was just delivered to the network, so we'll let you know once an air date is set. Our network exec really liked it - no notes!'
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Crazy Scale

2011-01-07T16:19:00.005-05:00

It works on a scale. If I'm [thiiis] cute, then I can be [thiiiiiis] crazy!

I try to watch my boundary, but don't think I don't use it!

Hey, men have the same scale, only it is he can be [thiiis] weird if he is [thiiiiiis] funny! Men can get away with pretty much anything if they can make a girl laugh.

South Carolina House Of Representatives Recognition

2011-01-07T14:14:00.003-05:00

Should have posted this last year, but this is the best birthday present I've ever been given. Thank you, Representative Chip Huggins! In 2009 he had the House recognize me on the occasion of my birthday. I love it!

My Art

2011-01-03T01:23:00.011-05:00

I've recently begun attempting to paint. Mostly I have been experimenting with oil paints, I'm also trying other styles. As you'll see below, one of the picture's has my 'Miss Cocky' in water color pencil that I'm in the process of creating. Here are all of my paintings thus far in order of first to last:
Bouquet:

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Be Careful What You Wish For

2010-12-31T00:57:00.011-05:00

If you've read any of my other posts, you already knew I was a dork. As a kid I always wanted glasses. Who wishes for glasses?! Apparently this girl did!

When they said, "Don't stare at the sun; it will damage your eyes."
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Best Gag Gift

2010-12-21T13:45:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine bought this book for my Christmas party gag gift exchange:

Faking It: How to Seem Like a Better Person Without Actually Improving Yourself

Hilarious!!! And I love the 40 ounce malt beverage being poured into the brandy sniffer!

Toys For Tots - Donations happily accepted!

2010-12-14T22:39:00.009-05:00

What a year 2010 has been! I've been so busy traveling and working, I've barely had time for friends at home. Let me tell you, this is the month that makes catch up easy! December is chalk full of Holiday parties at my every turn. Luckily (or maybe not!) I have the chance to be hands on with one very important party!
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Wino Appreciation Day is Every Day!

2010-11-29T17:40:00.003-05:00

I don't care what you think of California's cost of living, I could get used to this!

My Sin

2010-11-13T12:25:00.004-05:00

More of my grade school poetry:

My Sin

I'm lost, I'm angry, I'm completely confused
About things I'd yet to learn.
I want to cry and scream for so many things
I know now I'll only yearn.
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National TV Show Series Opportunity

2010-11-07T22:20:00.011-05:00

Recently I was presented with a very big opportunity. After filming the House Hunters show for HGTV, I left my cheesy audition video online on YouTube. A casting director for a different film company contacted me. They were looking to fill two possible host positions for series on HGTV shows.

"I saw your demo tape for House Hunters
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This Isn't It

2010-11-06T15:13:00.001-04:00

Standing on a hill, on a mountain ledge, atop a tall building and seeing the awe of Creation below. In that moment of awe, the wind blows my hair, my heart races. I feel that little butterfly fear of falling overturn in my stomach. My palms sweat.

That's how love felt.

I could feel his presence before I saw him. I could feel his lips when I see his picture. Even his voicemail calmed my nervous heart. My heartache still feels fresh. I can still cry for the mere thought of him.

That's how love felt.

Cooking tip #3

2010-11-01T15:25:00.009-04:00

Ever been burned by the pop-up grease from cooking bacon in a frying pan? You stand far from the pan, stretching your hand in- trying your best not to be burned again. Then, clumsily pull each strip out onto a pile of 5 sheets of paper towels on a plate to soak up all of the grease that didn't splatter all over your stove top.

Solution:
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Cosmic Colon Cleanse Bean Pie

2010-10-12T10:36:00.005-04:00

Main Street, Columbia, South Carolina

Appalling!

2010-10-10T20:06:00.014-04:00

My sister Heather was always into something. She always had a plan! Sometimes it had her in a bit of hot water with our mother.

One day after school, Heather and I walked in our home. Mom was waiting in the kitchen for us. I couldn't tell you anymore what for, but Mom was very upset with Heather.
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Beautiful Existence

2010-10-10T19:47:00.004-04:00

I wrote this poem in about the 7th grade:

Throughout the world
its beautiful face
its brightening color
stand out with grace
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Tuesday aka My Favorite Day!

2010-09-30T00:45:00.011-04:00

Tuesday. I love it!

In college I studied Economics. My dream was to be an Economic Analyst for the CIA. There I would study the economies of the world! People think the CIA only manages covert missions. They are fooling themselves! What all goes into those missions?
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