My Adventures

OTH Auction

2011-12-11T20:22:00.000-06:00

Here's my car and my stash of stuff outside the sound station at Screen Gems.

My car is parked in the reserved parking space for Mark Schwahn, the creator of One Tree Hill. I had to do it! On the right is the largest sound stage where most of the sets were arranged for filming. On the left are the production offices.

My stash. This is how I put it when I unloaded it from the car. Doesn't look like much, does it? (The jack stands are in the garage.)

Ah, don't be fooled...here's the real look at my stash. Awesome, right?!

One Tree Hill Wardrobe Sale!

2011-12-03T13:17:00.000-06:00

Wow, what an experience. I thought Black Friday (back in the day when stores only opened at 5am) was crazy. This totally beat Black Friday in all variations, minus any mace or crazy shootings.

Let me back up - I went to the One Tree Hill (OTH) Wardrobe Sale yesterday. Because OTH has finished production (forever), the Studio/Warner Bros. is selling all of the wardrobe, furniture, and props from the show. The auction company scheduled the wardrobe sale for this weekend; it included mens, womens, and kids clothes, shoes, and accessories. (The props and furniture auction is next weekend.)

I drove to Wilmington yesterday morning and got to the studios around 9:30am. Around 10:30, we made it through the line and into the sound studio where they had rows and rows of clothes. (Due to fire codes, they could only allow a limited number of individuals on the sound stage at one time.) I shopped. And shopped. And shopped. I focused mostly on accessories - purses, jewelry, gloves, baby items, etc. I went through in the morning, left to eat lunch, and then went back in the afternoon. Here is what I bought:

2 new Atlanta Falcons caps, tactical goggles, and 3 pouches for the tactical goggles

3 hats - all worn by characters on the show; 3 bibs and one set of baby shoes, all used in Season 9

jewelry and a purse - the bracelet in the upper left hand corner was worn on the show

Armani shirt worn by Paul Johansson when he played "Dan" - "Dan" written on the tag

Brand new Calvin Klein shirt with tags attached

Hugo Boss shirt worn by Paul Johansson when he played "Dan" - "Dan" written on the tag

Jacket worn by Chad Michael Murray when he played "Lucas"

Jacket worn by Tyler Hilton when he played "Chris Keller" - season 9 (costume scene card attached) - check out the granola bar wrapper I found in the pocket. :)

Jacket worn by Tyler Hilton when he played "Chris Keller" - season 9 (costume scene card attached)

Abercrombie skirt worn by Bethany Joy Galeotti when she played "Haley" - "Haley" written on the tag

Shirt worn by Lisa Goldstein when she played "Millicent" - "Millicent" written on the tag

Bones costume...

Dr. Hampton is official!

2011-08-14T20:14:00.000-05:00

Today was my graduation from the University of Memphis. Sorry, there are no pictures because I didn't go. I thought driving 20-24 hours for a 3 minute (max) walk across the stage wasn't the best use of my time. Instead I spent the day with a good friend, and I had a day I'll always remember.

This has been an amazing journey. This past year has been the best year of my life, and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to top it. But I'm never going to stop trying! :)

Ah, Charlie

2011-07-10T20:28:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went to the Easyriders' Bike Event in Wilson, North Carolina. Charlie Hunnam, the actor that plays Jax Teller in Sons of Anarchy, was scheduled to sign autographs and take pictures (hence the new picture banner on my blog!). The Bike Event wasn't really that exciting. However, I had a GREAT time meeting and talking with Charlie. :)

Check out Charlie in Sons of Anarchy on FX. The fourth season begins in September!

Here are a couple of other pictures:

Charlie coming out. The crowd went insane!

Charlie. Wow. I wish I could've been that girl sitting beside him all night!

Me and Charlie...he was super sweet.

He was scheduled to stop signing autographs at 10 but was still going strong at 11:30. I've never seen someone stay past their scheduled time just to talk to all of their fans. He was very accommodating. He greeted everyone with the same smile and had a conversation with each person. It was cool to see and actually made me like him much more.

I met Santa too. And no, I didn't do anything to get those beads...those were freebies. :)

A Day of Thought

2011-06-19T20:47:00.000-05:00

It is no secret that I have been evaluating what is important to me and what I want in my life. I realize that I enjoy the simple things much more than the elaborate. Some of my favorite, simple things from my morning thoughts:
1. watermelon. yum. one of my favorite things about summer.
2. driving around with my windows rolled down and the music turned up
3. a phone call, text, email, or note from a friend just to say hello
4. a smile from someone across the room
5. sunshine and a slight breeze
6. kids' laughter
7. what I consider comforts - air conditioning, heat, a working car, electricity and cable
8. the ability and desire to learn and teach others
...and the list keeps going.

This afternoon, while I was contemplating what I would write for today's blog, I came across a "Question of the Day" website (http://www.questionofthedaybook.com/?utm_source=Jane+Friedman+Newsletter&utm_campaign=d2b0ca86d8-Newsletter_1_6_Exploring_the_Muse_6_18_2011&utm_medium=email).

It flashes questions every few seconds...this one seemed important to me today during my reflection (not a direct quote):
What is missing from your life that you got from another person that is no longer with you?

I had a long talk with my Dad today. Amongst many things we discussed, we talked about the differences in the chopper world over the past 10 years. My Dad was contemplating coming up to go to a bike show next weekend until we realized that all of the guys we used to see won't be there. Indian Larry is dead. Billy Lane is in jail. Paul Cox and Keino have opened their own shops and are doing different things. Who knows what Jesse James is doing these days? The chopper world as we knew and enjoyed it is gone. To answer the question...there are a couple of things that are now missing. One is the lifestyle...going to shows with my Dad, seeing these guys in their element, and being around the bikes and the culture. The second is obviously just not having them around, not seeing their new creations, and not having them to influence the greater chopper arena (which is SORELY lacking now). What I gained is inspiration...these guys were doing exactly what they wanted to do in life, especially Larry.

Thinking about where I draw my inspiration brought me back to my thoughts this morning. The most simple thing I can do in my life is to do exactly what I want to do. Now if I could just figure that out....

Where Do You Find Your Inspiration?

2011-06-14T19:45:00.000-05:00

"It's never too late to be what you might have been." - Eliot

This quote sums up the last big decisions of my life...and now the decisions that will shape my most immediate future. My entire life will change dramatically at the end of August. I won't have a place to live, I won't have a job, and, for the first time in my life, I won't know what the next step is for my future. There is something that should be incredibly terrifying about actually typing and reading that statement, but I only feel contentment. Sure, there are some things that are not perfect about this situation. However, there are plenty of things that are perfect about it!

Some of my most recent pieces of inspiration:

standing on the dock at the lake and basking in the calm and the sunshine

realizing that my journey to becoming a Doctor is almost over...

hearing people call me "Doctor" has been really enjoyable the past couple of days

the beach...my personal heaven...

Some song lyrics that have kept me going:

"Life is short, baby that's a fact. Better live it right. You ain't comin' back.

Gotta raise some hell, 'fore they take you down. Gotta live this life..."

"Against the grain should be a way of life. What's worth the price is always worth the fight..."

And one of my favorite shirts ever:

"If you wanna win, you're gonna need these."

Dissertation Defense!

2011-06-12T14:00:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, June 9, I set out from Durham, North Carolina in a shiny, dark blue 2011 Nissan Altima (awesome rental car, by the way) to Memphis, Tennessee to defend my dissertation on the morning of Friday, June 10. I knew the drive would be at least 11 hours...the longest driving trip I had taken by myself. Luckily, the drive was all I-40, and there was a city every couple of hours or so...Greensboro, Asheville, Knoxville, Nashville, and then Memphis.

On the way to Memphis...I just can't get away from inmates...

This is the way Memphis Police roll now... this was the only thing I noticed that had changed.

Almost to the University for the last time!

Only in Memphis.

Before the defense...a little nervous...

On the way back...the Smoky Mountains were beautiful.

Tunnel through the Smoky Mountains

Overall, the trip was a total of 43.5 hours, and I drove 1,444 miles in 23.5 hours. I have slept an inordinate amount of time yesterday and today. I didn't realize how exhausted I would be after finishing this process!

The bottom line - I have a few corrections to make and some paperwork to complete. So two years after this project started, it is now complete. About time.

The Duathlon Weekend

2011-05-15T18:48:00.000-05:00

I was in Wilmington this weekend for a little getaway on Saturday and a duathlon Sunday morning. While walking down Front Street Saturday afternoon, I remembered that my life plans once revolved around the possibility of moving here.

When I began my second year at Pelham High School, I knew it would be my last. As the year progressed, it was very clear to me leaving would be the right decision. At the beginning of the year, I decided on two paths - one would take me back to school for my PhD and the other would take me to Wilmington. I applied to five graduate schools and numerous jobs in Wilmington and left the decision to fate. Now I realize that was a cowardly way to approach things. Up until that point, I questioned my decision making. I realize now it wasn't my decision making that was flawed; it was my attitude and approach to my work. Regardless the reason, my life was about to do a 180, if fate had anything to say about it.

I was offered three interviews and accepted two - one at University of Georgia and one at The University of Memphis. Obviously, I went to Memphis. And thus scrapped my plans to move to Wilmington. I don't think another outcome would have made my life any better or worse, just different. This has been a long journey, and there were plenty of times when I thought I could not do it or when I wanted to give up. I am truly glad I kept going, as painful as it was sometimes. I got my first choice for internship in beautiful North Carolina, so my goal to live in North Carolina eventually worked out. And it looks like I might even stay a while! (After all, Wilmington is just a couple of hours away.)

I have met people, had experiences, and made memories that I wouldn't have been able to do elsewhere.

This journey began as a way for me to find happiness. I'm nearing the end of the journey, and I can honestly say I found exactly what I was searching for.

A few pictures from the weekend:

I never get tired of this view.

If only I could be so lucky!

Awesome! This is in the window of one of my favorite local boutiques in downtown Wilmington. It stole my heart. Check out Edge of Urge on the web at: http://www.edgeofurge.com/

My personal heaven. Beautiful.

The view from my dinner table at Dockside Restaurant. Yummy food, boats, water, and the full moon. A great way to end a fun day!

Updates... What is important?

2011-04-20T20:49:00.002-05:00

A couple of weekends ago, I spent two days in Asheville, NC for my brother's art gallery opening. The trip was good - I was able to meet some of my brother's friends, catch up with him, see some interesting art, and enjoy a new place for a couple of days. This trip allowed me to step outside of the confines of my usual daily life and really examine what is important to me.

I have spent several months attempting to ignore the fact that I really enjoy North Carolina because it is unlikely that I will be able to find a position with the BOP at Butner. Things have not changed; it is still unlikely there will be a position open in Psychology at Butner when I graduate. However, I have realized that the place I am living contributes greatly to my overall happiness. After all, I want to spend more hours enjoying my surroundings than working. With that said, I have made the decision to stay in North Carolina. At least for now. I suppose the job market will somewhat temper that desire, but making this decision allows me to focus my job search efforts.

To answer the question about what is important to me: family, friends, fun activities, great place to live, love, and happiness.

For those of you that have been asking, offering support, and sending me good luck wishes, thank you. I will keep you updated with any/all North Carolina news!

Kristen Lamb's Dare to Be Excellent

2011-03-07T17:05:00.000-06:00

This is today's blog post from Kristen Lamb. Even though this is about writing, I think the foundational lessons are motivating, inspirational, and important to read and internalize! For your reading pleasure, I suggest you check out her link: http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2011/03/07/dare-to-be-excellent-this-might-hurt-a-little/

Dare to Be Excellent (This Might Hurt a Little)

Years ago, when I first started writing, fiction was my passion. The problem, however, is that passion devoid of training is a formula to end up with 174,000 word tome that is the stuff of agent nightmares. I wish I was one of those talented people who “got it” from the start. I didn’t. I have had to take the road of hard knocks. But, in truth? I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Over the years, I have hit a lot of roadblocks when it comes to writing fiction. For instance, I didn’t truly understand the antagonist the way I needed to. We have a running joke in Warrior Writer Boot Camp that an antagonist is a serial killer (which can be substituted by ninjas if necessary).

For years, I could edit narrative structure, but I failed miserably when I tried to create a plot of my own. I understood conflict as a reader, but when it came time for me to ante up? Again, I stumbled away unsure how I ended up on the wrong road. I could spot plot holes in a microsecond when editing…but somehow developed tunnel-vision when it came to my own fiction.

Over time, I began to see I wasn’t alone. Others shared the same problem.

We have the ability to spot problems in the work of our peers, but when it comes to the construction side, we founder around like a goldfish out of a tank.

Why?

First of all, we aren’t emotionally vested in stories that aren’t ours. Sort of like, we can see the flaws in other people’s children, but ours are perfect little angels. We often lack objectivity.

Also, there are no great monuments erected to critics. Anyone can pull others apart. Criticism is easy. It takes more to create, to dare to dream, to admit when we are wrong and try again.

I started Warrior Writer Boot Camp for a very specific reason. I was president of a standard critique group. We did the typical read 5 pages and then everyone could chime in and give feedback. But, over time, I became frustrated and disillusioned.

Week after week I had the same complaints—no clear antagonist, fuzzy/nonexistent objectives, one-dimensional flat characters. Week after week I made the same red marks, but the writing never improved. I began to lose faith. I had become president of the group with the hope that I could change the format so we could make meaningful critique.

I believed there was no way to really fix a novel by looking at it through a microscope. A handful of other writers agreed with me. They too had begun to lose hope. No matter how we tried to pry our home group away from their addiction to line-edit…nothing changed.

So we never changed. We couldn’t grow.

Then I asked NY Times Best-Selling Author Bob Mayer if he would come to DFW. If he would come to Texas, I would fill a workshop. That core group of disenchanted members and I made just enough to make it worth Bob’s time.

Unlike the others, we were desperate enough to admit we were struggling. We knew we needed professional help. Bob was the answer to our prayers. In two days, we learned more about the craft than we could ever hope to retain. We felt delivered, but at the same time we were fearful.

Here we had this new insight and we were afraid we would lose it if we didn’t do something different. Bob had given us a lot of great tools, but we were light years away from being experts. We watched in awe as Bob pulled apart plots in minutes. He could hear three sentences and know if there was a story.

We wanted to be like Bob.

So we started what we called Warrior Writer Boot Camp. It was a gesture of thanks to Bob who had enlightened us with his Warrior Writer ways. We knew that without consistent practice, we would lose all Bob gave us, that his seeds of wisdom would die if not nurtured, and that the weeds (bad habits) would return.

Even though it was highly emotional and we lost a lot of people we believed were our friends, we pulled away. We started with Bob’s books, which I highly, highly recommend. Then, we totally changed the format to resemble what Bob did with our novels that fateful Saturday. We bought whiteboards and had to find a new meeting location.

We had no real idea what we were doing, but we had faith we would figure it out. We knew practice would make us stronger.

Once finished with Bob’s books, we added in more and more material, ideas and methods. As de facto leader of this gaggle of misfits, I read every book on the craft I could find and added in other tactics and techniques.

But, the point of this blog is to share with you the lessons I learned and hope you might be blessed.

Find a mentor.

Bob was my first of many mentors. Bob’s teachings resonated, and so I bought every book he ever wrote. I even read the “bad” ones from when he was new. I wanted to look at how HE had grown. What made Z different from Area 51? Could I see where Bob struggled? How he changed? I sign up for all his workshops and I still read all his blogs. And I STILL learn something new every time.

I even started this blog to talk about all the things I was learning after Bob’s workshops, before I even knew I had it in me to become a social media expert. It was Bob’s teachings on fear that revealed a destiny I didn’t even know I had.

*Snorts and rolls eyes* I wasn’t an expert. I just spent too much time on Twitter.

Bob’s Warrior Writer Workshop helped me be brave and realize that maybe I did have something to say that others wanted to hear. My best-selling book We Are Not Alone–The Writer’s Guide to Social Media might not have happened without Bob’s workshop. I still apply his techniques and have grown tremendously as a person and a professional.

If I blog about Bob, his methods, his teaching, it is only because I can never express how grateful I am. I doubt I would have grown as much as I did and as quickly without his influence.

In time, I made mentors out of other writers. I read their books and studied their methods. I read their blogs and listen for the craft books they recommend. Twitter is an excellent way to make mentors out of successful people. Follow agents, editors, authors and pay attention to their habits, sign up for their classes, read what they recommend.

It’s okay to admit you don’t know everything.

It is hard to find mentors if we won’t admit we need to grow. When I left a career in sales to start writing, everyone thought I was crazy. I couldn’t admit I didn’t know what I was doing, because then I was sure my family would have me committed. It took a long time to let down my guard and set down my pride and humbly say, “Teach me.”

Every day I bow my head to others and humbly say, “Teach me.” Every day is an opportunity to grow, but we have to be empty vessels. If we are already full of our own “knowledge,” there is not room to be filled and refreshed by others. We become a stagnant, stinking pond of our own rotting hubris.

Dare to do things differently.

It was terrifying breaking off from a group I’d known and even led for 4 years. I had to open myself to new friendships, but that could only happen if I let go of the old. If something isn’t working, then do something different.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result.

Break away from toxic people.

One of my favorite movies is The Devil Wears Prada. I love studying that movie. In the beginning, Andy Sachs lands a job as the assistant to one of the city’s biggest magazine editors, the ruthless and cynical Miranda Priestly.

In Act One, Andy is comfortable with her average friends and her average boyfriend. They regularly get together to gripe about their bosses and the unfairness of life. Their attitude is naïve in regards to success. They fail to see the work and sacrifice successful people make.

Act Two we see the tension build. Andy’s boyfriend and friends have issue with her new job. She is working long hours and can’t hang out like the old days. We see how they resent and undermine her. We know they will eventually force Andy to choose between her career and them.

Act Three, Andy has to make a choice. She can go after her dreams or make her old friends happy.

When you decide to become a writer, you will very likely lose friends. They won’t understand why you can’t hang out, go shopping, or even remain in the same old critique group. They won’t “get” your blog and will resent that you are changing.

Daring to dream will show you who your real friends are. The quicker you let go of toxic friendships, the faster you will make room for friends who love and support you no matter what.

Surround yourself with excellence.

When I broke away to create a content-critique workshop, a core group of friends supported me every step of the way. Had I remained tethered to my fear, I would have remained tethered to people who cared more about maintaining the status quo than they cared about me.

Why did I sign up for this? What was I thinking?

WWBC is full of the most talented, hardworking, amazing writers. I am inspired to try harder every time I am near them. Some of them not only blog multiple times a week, but they write thousands of words a day on their WIPs…and have families and school and other obligations. They raise the bar and make me work harder. I am honored to be part of such an outstanding team of committed professionals. It scares me every time I think how close I came to giving in, how close WWBC came to dying before it even began.

Remember…we can only shoot for the stars if we are willing to let go of the ground.

What are some sacrifices you have had to make for your dream? Has it cost you friends? Did you make new friends? How do you find excellence? What inspires you to keep going?

Born Free Tour

2011-03-06T20:53:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, I went to see Jamey Johnson and Kid Rock in Greensboro. I expected a good concert but nothing spectacular, as I have seen some kick ass concerts over the years - Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Bros, Eric Clapton, Black Crowes, Taj Mahal and Tom Petty, Aerosmith, ZZ Top, Debbie Gibson, The Bangles, Hank Jr, Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac...and the list goes on. I was way wrong; I would say this concert ranks solidly in my top five concerts.

I took a ton of pictures. Here's a few of my faves:

The sunset on the drive over was beautiful.

The Born Free Tour...what you can't see quite as well is the large bird above the sign. It reminded me of the freebird that used to sit on Billy Powell's piano when Skynyrd played (and did not sing) Free Bird in concert.

The Junior Miller tshirt tipped me off that this guy was going to be interesting. I was right.

The video clips were awesome. At multiple points during the show, there were pictures and videos shown on this screen. At other times, the screen showed up close views of Bobby and the band. Oh, and the strippers too. This was the beginning of the introduction for Bobby... And we didn't sit down for over two hours!

The beginning... check out the cow skull with the horns. It only got better.

And by better, I mean there was fire. And lots of it. I felt the heat where I was, and I was 50-60 yards away from the stage.

Here's the infamous coat and hat that were lit like the American flag.

Good tunes, Jim, and a lawn chair. Awesome.

During the "Fucking Forty" birthday song that he performed at his 40th birthday party earlier this year in Detroit. Good song - it'll be my anthem in a few years.

To answer the question that some of you are thinking - No, I did not try to get backstage or find the tour bus. I REALLY wanted to...but I didn't want to get arrested. I had to work the next day. :)

The Magic City

2011-02-08T20:07:00.000-06:00

"There's no place like home."

I am sure everyone says this about their hometown, but in my case, it is especially true. :) There really is no place like Birmingham. The longer I am away, the more I miss it. Most importantly, the more I appreciate it when I return for a visit. I know the great local restaurants and stores. I know the ins and outs of the streets and highways. It is more than simple familiarity. It is 27 years of memories - both good and bad - that have influenced the person I am.

The past three and a half years have found me several hours away from the only world I had known. I have grown in ways that even I didn't think was possible, and for quite a while, I took the journey kicking and screaming. At some point, I opened my eyes and realized how much I was sacrificing, how lucky I was to have the opportunities, and how grateful I should be for everything in my life. Navigating new cities has given me a new appreciation for knowing areas, not just street names. I have always been independent, but I had a safety net of family and friends close by. In Memphis and now in Durham, my family and friends are far away. I have become self-reliant in a new and better way, and I truly appreciate what being alone offers me (which is quite a lot actually). Being an introvert by nature has presented me with tons of challenges in meeting new people, making friends, and creating lasting relationships. Despite that, I have met people that I believe will be life-long friends. I've learned more than I can explain from books but much more from the people I have met and the experiences I have had along the way. There were stumbling blocks, and I made plenty of mistakes. I gave myself latitude to enjoy, experience, learn, love, and appreciate all these years have had to offer. I believe I now understand the true meaning of gratitude.

I am looking forward to my next visit home. Back to the place where it all began.

Creativity, Imagination, and Inspiration

2011-01-16T18:54:00.000-06:00

I've never been particularly creative. Most of my hobbies to date have been either working with my hands (working on whatever was around) or enjoying someone else's creativity (reading, listening to music, watching movies). Over the past three years, I have been forced to write many, many papers. Some I even enjoyed researching and writing. I recently sat down and began writing fiction. While I would love to channel my inner-Stephanie-Meyer, I highly doubt that I will be famous or even paid for this first work. I realized while I was writing that I actually enjoyed creating a world full of interesting characters and writing about their behaviors; I suppose that is not much of a stretch, as I spend at least eight hours a day observing and attempting to change behaviors in real individuals.

I have been reading a lot about writing, writing books, how to get published, finding an agent....all the stuff that I feel like I need to know to continue "living" in this pretend world for bursts of time. Unlike the papers I've written throughout the past several years, my pen flies over the paper when I am writing this book. I am sure the first draft will not be perfect, as I am not the greatest writer. However, I enjoy the process and am already looking forward to the day when I have a finished product.

I liked the post below; it gave me the inspiration, encouragement, and confidence to put pen to paper and actually start writing the first day. It's on Bethany Joy Galeotti's blog, dated 12/30/2010 - www.bjgofficial.com

Inspiration is an elusive mistress. She strikes at her own whim, she pours out in abundance or withholds for unbearable lengths of time. She is never where you want her to be and seduces you until you are shackled and enslaved to her without even knowing how it happened. You simply wake up one day and you crave her... you need her... you're a failure without her.

The problem with being a creative person is that most of us are driven by Inspiration. We have these massive bursts of energy wherein we create, craft, mould and model and then bask in the glow of our work. And then, we have a drought. We get depressed because we don't feel inspired. So we wait and wait and wait for her to come light a spark. Aside from this, artists love to use the excuse of Inspiration to get away with treating themselves and others poorly.

I do not feel inspired today. In fact, I'm sitting in the car while Michael runs into Home Depot for something and I'm forcing myself to write this right now because I know you all wait for updates and it's not fair for you to be subject to Inspiration's whim. Subject to personal time or illness or holidays or any normal preventative circumstances... yes. But not to Inspiration. I hate waiting for her too, and besides... she's a bitch ;)

So for all of you right-brained kids out there who live and die by the strike of her match, I challenge you to kick Inspiration to the curb-- make her follow YOUR rules for a while. If you're writing a book and you've stopped because you're waiting... just START again. It doesn't have to be good or even fit into your story, but you can take control and choose to be a disciplined person. If you're a songwriter or an artist or a photographer or any sort of creative vagabond-of-the-soul... pick yourself up by the boot straps and get moving! There is a reward in discipline!

Winter Weather

2011-01-11T17:29:00.000-06:00

I have been waiting for a massive snowstorm to hit where I live for the past few days. The forecast went from 10-12 inches to 5-6 inches to 2-5 inches as the days progressed from late last week to now. Turned out to only be about 1/2 an inch of snow at my apartment, but we had enough freezing rain to coat all of the roads with ice. As a result, I stayed home from work today and will be late going in tomorrow morning because everything will ice over again tonight. I put in a couple of hours of work on my dissertation and some projects for work, but I mostly hung out and enjoyed a stress-free day, after being worried for many days that the world was going to end. OK, maybe it wasn't that bad, but for someone who has never really seen winter weather like this, it's not pleasant to hear that it's possible to have a foot of snow.

I have decided that I might be able to deal with this weather, if I lived somewhere that could actually manage the roads. I am bored way too easily to have to sit at home when the weather gets bad outside. So there are some job sites in the north that I am still looking at, but I did spend some time today looking for positions in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. This weather is bollocks.

I'm not a fan of these cheesy self-portraits. I had to get all dressed up (multiple layers, scarf, earmuffs, gloves, and hat) just to go get my mail. I really just took the picture because I love my hat.

Here is what my apartment complex looked like this afternoon when I skated to the front to pick up my mail. Surprisingly, the pool was not frozen over. I was kinda hoping it would be...I've never seen anything like that before.

As with most other things over the past several years, this has been a brand new experience. And no, this is not one I need to experience again!

The End of 2010

2010-12-31T16:18:00.000-06:00

2010 has been an incredible year for me. I will forever remember this year for its wintry weather and as the one when I saw my first snow plow, the most snow ever in my life, and my first white Christmas. The highlights of this year for me:
-- I interviewed for internships, matched at FCC Butner, and completed 1/3 of my internship.
-- I moved from Memphis to Birmingham for the summer and then to Durham in late July.
-- I bought half of a 1955 Chevy Bel Air and share it with my Dad. Unfortunately, it's in Alabama while I'm in North Carolina so I don't get to work on it as much as I would like.
-- I lost 20 pounds and have kept it off. I have more work to do in 2011...

Other memorable events in 2010 - both good and bad:
-- A Chilean mine collapsed, yet all of the miners were rescued! It was an amazing moment in history.
-- A BP oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, killing some of the oil rig workers and polluting the Gulf and most of the beaches and land in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle.
-- Jim Morrison was pardoned by Florida Governor Charlie Crist for a 1969 indecent exposure charge.
-- We lost many talented individuals this year, including Corey Haim, Leslie Nielsen, J.D. Salinger, Tony Curtis, Dennis Hopper, Dixie Carter, and Andrew Koenig.

2011 promises an amazing year to come, including my last graduation ever, my first job search for a position as a Psychologist, and potentially a move to a new place. Happy New Year to all of you! Best wishes for an awesome 2011 full of happiness, love, and great memories!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T19:21:00.000-06:00

This year, I saw my first white Christmas! I am spending a few days in Alabama, so this is my parents' backyard as viewed from my bedroom.

My family celebrating Christmas at my grandmother's house

Now for the great news - I have my Celica back. I pulled into my parents' driveway late Thursday night, saw it sitting there, and realized I missed it. So the Rav-4 is now for sale...anyone interested?

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

What a difference a year makes...

2010-12-18T10:55:00.000-06:00

As the weather has become colder in North Carolina and I had to drive to work in wintry-weather conditions, I was forced to reminisce to last year's travels for internship interviews. Not only am I grateful to not have to repeat that experience this year, I am also glad I had someone taking care of the driving so I could completely concentrate on my interviews and absorbing everything about the process. BIG thanks to my Dad for navigating snow, sleet, freezing rain, black ice, frozen windshield wipers, hazards in parking lots that were covered with mounds of snow, and the extremely long ride from Springfield, Missouri to Memphis, Tennessee after being stuck in Springfield in a blizzard. I saw more snow last year than I'd seen in my entire life.

I have a tough job most days (but not all). However, that job reminds me daily how lucky I am to have great friends, a great family, a good job and education, and the basics of everyday living. Beyond that, I'm healthy, happy, and free. There is plenty to be grateful for on a daily basis; these are just some of the things that ring true to me all the time.

I wish all of you a happy holiday season full of love, fun, and safe adventures!

Sad Day

2010-12-05T12:16:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I met my parents in Greenville, South Carolina to pick up my new car (a Rav-4) and give my Dad the Celica to sell. After almost six years, it was time to move on to a bigger car. It's still a bit sad...that car had been through a lot with me - crappy times at Pelham, the long morning drives from Shelby County to UAB, and many, many trips from Memphis to Birmingham and back. We also drove it to about half of my internship interviews and moved a great deal of my stuff to North Carolina in it this past summer.

Here are pictures from my last trip in the Celica:

The last cool place the Celica took me - Fulton Competition in Spartanburg, SC.

Pictures of us with the Celica:

While I was gone yesterday, it snowed in Durham. There wasn't a lot of accumulation - mostly just on the grassy areas. This is near the clubhouse area at my apartment:

Sometimes moving on is a little harder than expected... The positive side - it's time to start building memories in the Rav-4. :)

As Thanksgiving approaches...

2010-11-22T20:36:00.000-06:00

...I am reminded that this is the time of year to stop and take stock of the many things I am very grateful for in my life. The list is certainly not exhaustive or in a specific order after #1:

1. My amazing family and friends that have sacrificed as much or more than I have in their never-ending goal of supporting me and my dream to become a Doctor

2. School/work stuff: having an internship...learning a lot...almost finished with my dissertation...graduation is 9 months away (yay for single digits!)

3. Music - playing and listening. I have an amazing guitar teacher that is patient, supportive, kind, and a helluva a guitar player. I'm also thankful for new music that doesn't suck. That is hard to come by these days.

4. I live in a fun place with many things to experience, and I have the ability to travel and learn about new places.

5. Sleeping in the middle of the bed and hogging the covers. Awesome.

6. The good stuff - having a job, being able to pay the bills and have the necessities, and the ability to buy a new car

7. I've almost lost 20 pounds. I feel amazing, and I am looking forward to continued progress. After eating on Thursday, of course.

8. I am only 2.5 hours away from Wilmington and the beach. I am taking advantage of being so close because I'm not sure when I'll be able to visit again after I (hopefully) get a real job!

9. I only have to take care of me. For the moment, that is hard enough.

10. Small things, like a kind word, wink, or smile, from a friend.

11. Meeting new people and exploring new relationships.

12. Having the time to enjoy and cultivate new hobbies.

13. Ability to truly be happy and content with what I have right now.

Thanks to each of you for the support, encouragement, love, patience, time, etc that you have bestowed upon me during the last several years (or all of my life, depending on who is reading this)!
Much Love to all of you. xoxo

Fun in Wilmington & the Bay Six 5K

2010-11-07T17:38:00.000-06:00

I turned my 5K into a mini-vacation this weekend and spent Saturday enjoying the riverfront area in Wilmington and Sunday morning "running."

Yeah, this person is a lucky dog. Also thought it was cool that it was registered to Cary, which is not very far from where I live in Durham.

Outside the Dixie Grill - thought the chalk work was cool.

Front Street Brewery: where I ate lunch, a yummy Carolina pulled pork plate. Front Street brews its own beer inside this building and gives free tours.

Clever art work on a public pay phone on Front Street.

The view of the USS North Carolina Battleship from my hotel room.

My cool shirt for participating in the 5K!

The sunset at the Riverfront and the USS North Carolina. All of the years I have visited Wilmington, I have never watched the sunset at the Riverfront until yesterday. It was beautiful. And then extremely cold after the sunset!

The sun setting over the Cape Fear River

Can't get much better than this at Blue Post Billiards. That and I had just seen Alabama lose to LSU!

This morning before the race, I saw the biggest ship I've ever seen in my life. I couldn't even capture it all in one camera shot. Plus there were two barges with it!

The back end of the tanker and the second barge. I liked the large "No Smoking" sign.

In this picture, I am on the river taxi going over to the Battleship, looking at the tanker approaching the drawbridge. Too cool for 6:45am!

Looking back at my hotel from the river taxi.

The sunrise over the Cape Fear River and Downtown Wilmington.

The river taxi that I rode over the Cape Fear River. I love boats.

About half a mile in, running up the large and long bridge...

...just before seeing the best motivational sign of the whole run.

Views from the bridge while I was going up...okay, so I didn't take the "race" part as seriously as I probably should have. :)

This is part of the bridge that we crossed during the race. I took this picture from my hotel room.

Overall, I enjoyed seeing a part of Wilmington that I hadn't previously explored. I don't really like running, although I enjoyed the culture and camaraderie among the runners and spectators. Other things I noted:
1. Pizza and beer were offered after the race. Why do I want to waste all of the calories that I just burned?
2. It is extremely cold standing on the riverfront before 7:00am.
3. I need actual running gear. I stood out like a sore thumb in my yoga exercise pants, scarf, and pullover. I couldn't believe there were people running in tank tops and shorts!
4. I hadn't gotten too far past the 1/2 mile mark before the guy leading the race was returning down the road. I have some serious work to do...

Running

2010-10-25T18:10:00.000-05:00

I am running a 5K in Wilmington in a couple of weeks. While the whole running thing is very new to me (I'm more of a cyclist), I think it'll be fun. I know it'll be beautiful as we'll be running near the Battleship on the riverfront.

There are many, many people running this race to raise money for Global Green, an organization assisting the cleaning efforts from the Gulf oil spill. Because I'm from Alabama and routinely vacationed at Gulf area beaches, this cause is really important to me.

If you are interested in contributing - even if it's just a couple of bucks - I would love your support! Anything and everything matters and all donations help! For those contributing $20 or more, I will send you a homemade mix CD because I'm cheesy like that. :)

Check out this link for the project, begun by One Tree Hill's Sophia Bush and Austin Nichols, on my Crowdrise site:

http://www.crowdrise.com/sophiasrunforthegulf/fundraiser/ashleyb67

Thank you all for reading and for your support! I'll post pictures and details from the race afterwards.

Today's Adventures...

2010-10-23T14:45:00.000-05:00

...included a quick tour of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Beautiful places! I got lost driving around and ended up seeing most of UNC's campus. It reminded me a bit of UAB's older brick buildings but with less roads and traffic. I went down there to find a local restaurant for lunch and try out a new bead store. Here are some of my pictures:

I chose Carolina Brewery for lunch. Most of the local restaurants on Franklin Street (the main thoroughfare through Chapel Hill) are only open for dinner...as I discovered walking around today.

I chose the fish and chips, which is actually catfish fried in a batter made with one of their beers. It was yummy!

I went to a new bead store to find beads for more earrings. I am contemplating renting a booth at a local arts and crafts show to display some of my work. Here's what I came home with this time:

Check out my etsy shop in a day or so for new earrings! http://www.etsy.com/shop/Ashleyb67

North Carolina State Fair

2010-10-17T07:21:00.000-05:00

I went to the State Fair yesterday with a few interns and their families. We were told that the Fair was quite a sight to behold and that we wouldn't be sorry if we went. They were right! It was huge with multiple blocks of food trailers, lots of rides, and my favorite: pig, duck, and goat races.

My lemonade cup. And yes, we had "Fun at the Fair"!

This is a deep fried oreo. It was heaven actually, even though it doesn't sound like it would be yummy. It was like a funnel cake wrapped around an oreo cookie. I did eat a bite of one to taste it, along with a piece of pizza and fried pickles. Thankfully, we walked around for about four hours.

For those of you that are curious (like me), this is a Krispy Kreme burger. Yes, those are doughnuts for the bun with a burger patty, lettuce, and tomato. You could also add cheese and bacon. None of us were tempted to try this.

We were walking around the rides talking about which ones we could ride. This was my choice. :) Seems like a short kiddie ride, right? The best part - if it breaks, I might not break anything when I fall. (The rides did not look very stable.)

Here is the best part....the races! The pictures aren't great from the pig, duck, and goat races. In fact, the goats were so quick, I didn't get a picture of them. We had to climb on a wall behind a fence and right next to a very stinky dumpster. We could only see turn 1 and 2...I would've stayed and waited two hours to see the next one, but no one else was that interested. It was extremely amusing!

This was our view...and there are the little pigs! They all had numbers and names of Nascar drivers...the Dale Jr pigs won the two races. This one and the one below:

And here are the ducks:

All in all, it was definitely worth the time and money. The weather was beautiful, and it will be a great memory of North Carolina for years to come.

Wall of Death Video!

2010-10-16T23:16:00.000-05:00

This is the first video of the Wall of Death. I tried to keep up with him circling the wall but stopped when I realized that was making me dizzy. :) Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Vintage Motorcycles

2010-10-16T23:13:00.001-05:00

Vintage Motorcycles!

The "budget sign" comment cracked me up.

"Good God, it's a Wizzer!" => one of my favorite lines from childhood...we were in Chattanooga on and my Dad yelled this as we passed a motorcycle shop. My brother and I had not seen a Wizzer, so we had no idea what he was talking about. Now I can't help but remember that every time I see one. Priceless.

I finally got to experience the awesome-ness that is the Wall of Death. Talking about it, reading about it, just seeing the outside...none of those compare to actually being inside. If you ever have the chance to see this, take it! You will not be sorry, and I'd be willing to bet it'll be one of the coolest things you've ever seen.

Here's the inside (top, wall, and floor):

So the premise is that these motorcycles and go carts start riding around the Wall of Death on the floor and eventually ride along the wall. Yes, to the very top of the wall where we were all standing. The odd part is that the whole enclosure sways when they ride by. It almost feels as if the entire structure is going to collapse under you between the loud noise, the vibrations, and the sheer speed at which they're traveling around the wall.

One of the things they do is collect money for a riders' fund in case someone is injured. They ride around the top of the wall grabbing money out of people's hands. It was incredibly cool to watch; he managed to grab almost all of bills. He even took one out of a girl's mouth as she leaned over the wall. The go cart is blurry since he was moving so fast, but it gives you an idea of what I'm talking about:

Indian Larry rode the Wall of Death years ago before he died. There were many tributes painted on the floor - this was his:

Great day - one that I will always remember!