abridged

Fall at Hanging Rock v. 2009

2009-10-18T20:04:00.000-04:00

Ko Olina Lagoon Umbrellas

2009-09-24T00:03:00.000-04:00

Sunday Cycling

2009-07-12T23:46:00.001-04:00

Around maybe a year ago, the reynolda house decided to forego the traditional fairway look of the great lawn, and allowed it to transition into a protected meadow. I didn't know there was such a thing, and I don't know if these black eyed susans were planned or a happy accident, but I am a big fan, and they were the highlight of todays bike ride.

Friday Thoughts:

2009-07-10T01:44:00.003-04:00

Runner's world Daily Kick in the Butt:

Keeping my eye on today is about all I'm capable of. And today, I think I'll go for a run.

John Bingham, "Back to the Future," Runner's World

comfort food

2009-07-09T23:33:00.004-04:00

I attempted dinner at the Carving Board earlier this week, only to be disappointed by the most confusing signs ever. It's hard to see them in this picture, but trust me.

Thankfully, when I stopped by this evening, the signs were gone, and the doors were open, and they happily served up some sesame chicken, macaroni, and parmesan green beans

YMMMMMMM

Woodward Trail: Montreat

2009-07-03T23:06:00.000-04:00

Sunset at GPI

2009-07-03T17:50:00.000-04:00

The great outdoors

2009-07-03T15:43:00.000-04:00

Today we traversed trails: Woodward, Bryan, and graybeard. Saved
rattlesnake for another day

On Notice: my iphone 3g

2009-07-02T23:01:00.003-04:00

it begins at lunch yesterday, when a helpful, well-meaning coworker who I am no longer speaking to suggested that I add my work email account to the email app on my iphone. I already synch my gmail account for mail, contacts and calendar, and thought surely that adding my work account while checking the "do not synch contacts" box was a no-brainer.

could. not. have. been. more. wrong.

first, in order to set this up, I had to take off the 'rigged' contacts/calendar synching from gmail, which I did temporarily to see if I could get this all to work, thinking I would just add it back later

in the process my work account apparently requires passcode-protecting the phone, which is annoying but no biggie, and I picked a super-easy to remember code (no it's not 9999) that I use for a couple other minor accounts.

lets be clear about this right from the start: I KNOW THE PASSCODE, HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN IT, DID NOT CONFUSE IT WITH ANOTHER PIN NUMBER OR CODE! okay, gotit?

everything seemed to work fine except for the small issue of WIPING OUT ALL MY EXISTING CONTACTS (thanks for not warning me this would happen, iphone. I didn't know "don't synch" actually meant "delete all")

but otherwise I thought I could survive for a day until I could get it straightened out.

then this morning I synched it to my laptop to get some new songs.
and plugged it into the car-charger on the way to work.

got to work, and MY PASSCODE, WHICH I DID NOT FORGET AND TYPED IN CORRECTLY did not work.

and locked me out of my phone

I know what you're thinking, I can see it on your face. just like it was on the face of the apple store employees who helpfully walked me through the "what to do when you forget your passcode" instructions.. I DIDN'T FORGET IT!

but clearly this process was my only option, so I got home, started the backup/restore process, which took about an hour total, started to download the new upgrade but since it also means upgrading itunes and probably my entire operating system while I'm at it, I decided to save that for later and get on the road

time to see if this thing worked and... low and behold, the VERY SAME PASSCODE that I tried before now unlocks the phone! just sayin.

so very relieved, I decided to hit the road and put off the 3hr upgrade saga til later; jumped in the car, plugged the phone into the car charger, tried to make a phone call, and OF COURSE! LOCKED OUT AGAIN!

really? really iphone?
are you really doing some sort of strange passcode reset when I try to car-charge you?
because I somehow doubt that even I could completely confuse a no-brainer password like that twice in one day, when it obviously worked previous to plugging it in.
JUST SAYIN..

anyways, this is the sad story of how the iphone has been all stress and no fun, and greatly contributed to my super bad mood tonight

Just Sayin

Around Town

2009-06-29T22:25:00.004-04:00

Saturday Triathlon Training included a bike ride down to the Central YM and back with a painful 2.5 mile run in-between.

Sadly I did not have the cash-money on me to enjoy the Oaklawn kids' homemade lemonade.
but it's good to know that some places are still immune to inflation -- 25c a glass!

Vaguely related note:
I'm sure it was due to heat and dehydration, but I *swear I saw a sunburned, mustached David Spade on a White Vespa rolling into Graylyn.

Swear.

or maybe it was the heat.

but it was one of those.

Art and Life: Page 1

2009-06-29T00:30:00.001-04:00

Barbara turned me on to the great wide world of Big Picture Scrapbooking.

It is rare that I find time for a class, but I couldn't pass up "the challenge of me", since it seemed more journaling exercise than paper-placement.
I hope to post more pages as I have time.. don't expect much in the way of revolutionary collage...
just an extension of real-life blogging.

Week 1 is all about 'Me'
(as opposed to Family, Work, etc)
among the daily challenges was:

2 pages on Health

Art and Life: Page 2

2009-06-29T00:28:00.001-04:00

Page two of Week 1 challenge: Health

Coach Cal is my Life Coach

2009-06-22T17:21:00.001-04:00

Coach Calipari has been running about a hundred miles a minute since the moment he stepped off of the Memphis bus and onto the Wildcat Jet.

One of the best additions to the Calipari Era is his embracing of The Twitter.
Similar to the Internets, all the kids are doing it and this thing might just catch on.

He's got more than 200,000 followers, who are treated to travel updates, basketball commentary, news and views about the university, solicits advice about the best eats in town, and possibly the best and most controversial category: inspirational quotes.

Personally, I love these -- it's like having my own personal life-coach wake me up in the morning.

"I will dream big dreams this week"
"Nothing is easy or attained without some pain. Go harder! Don't Back up!
"you will be amazed at how being a giver transforms who YOU are"

Alas, Coach Cal is away this week, though, and I'm feeling a little lost..
He chose a fantastic guest-twitter-er to be sure, but President Lee Todd's Fun Facts about the University aren't quite the same..

"UK's College of Pharmacy is ranked #5 in the US"
"During winter weather, UK Physical Plant workers maintain 15,000 surface parking spaces and scrape 57.5 miles of sidewalk around campus"

Coach's staff seems to agree: they've reminded us twice that "UK President Dr Lee Todd is our guest twitterer this week"

He's new to this, though, and I'm sure he has a wealth of insight from which to draw inspiring morning messages -- Any old classmates/fellow alumni out there who could request a quote of the day?

Game Time

2009-06-09T21:09:00.070-04:00

Game 3 of the NBA Finals: Lakers AT Orlando

Time to turn it around, guys!

QTR 1:
. Both teams came ready to play. No 2qtrs of warmup tonight.
. Not a fan of the Finals-Trophy Logo that's everywhere. strange perspective, odd shape -- just not feeling it.
. This one's fast and furious -- no letting up. we'll see if
. this is how we know we don't have enough celebrities in orlando -- they're interviewing stan's dad. (save it for halftime, pls!)
. Alston hits a 3 and it's a 3 point game
. announcers are driving me up the wall -- what is with the sound? it's like they turned down the crowd, and decided tonight was the night they weren't going to actually call the game, but talk about what Stan used to eat for brkfst when he was 10. grrrr
. timeout Lakers, 2:46 left
. Battie! to tie the game
. Alston with an answer to Kobe
. Agreed, announcers, Kobe is lethal tonight.
. Awkward ball handling, we're lucky we're getting calls.
. Kobe to the basket BLOCKED by Battie!
. Then Kobe drains a 3 while getting smacked.. we might beat the Lakers, but not that guy
. announcers are talking something ridiculous about giving an intentional foul to get the ball back -- do they know it's the 1st qtr?
. Turk turns it over with a travel.
. Weak way to close out the 1st.
. crossing my fingers they'll fix the sound during the break.

QTR2:
. can we save the love for phil jackson and actually CALL THE GAME??
. Pietrus kicks us off for the 2nd half
. Lakers' 2nd turnover
...and we can't do anything with it.
. We're giving them too many tries
. Battie might just make POTG tonight.
. Howard's at the FTh line. Throwing up bricks again
. Turk Alleyoup to Howard!! THAT's how to get it done
. Turk wide open and nails a 3
. Bynum throws up an airball
. you'd think we'd have a lead, but no.
. Guys are playing great, just need to catch some better luck
. Turk just had the most awkard layup ever, but we'll take it.
. Magic with a 5 point lead going into the break!

QTR3
. TURK gets the first points of the night!
. 7 point lead, THIS is what we need: "largest lead of the series"
. Game 3 of the finals, and the announcers are yacking about which coach wears the 'no tie look' better. grrrrr
. Dwight has shoulders the size of boulders. just sayin.
. unfortunately they don't help him shoot Free's..
. SLOPPY BALL. bad toss by Alston, defense is a mess. need to calm down and clean it up.
. "Lee to the basket, THROWS it down!"
. BAD pass, Lee. 8 turnovers for Orlando; Lakers make a 3, and it's a 1pt game
. Lewis answers back, Lee gets caught for another offensive foul - his 3rd.
. GREAT defense Orlando, must've blocked about 5 shots, but Lee's called for a 4th
. "we've talked about Odom and his love of Candy" ha!
. Alston! hits 7 of 9
. Odom misses - too many pre-game
. Is there a bearded guy in a bright blue turban right below the basket??
. we do something stupid for the 2nd possession in a row. this is going to make or break it for us
. What a night for Alston!
. Gasol misses, and we might have a chance with this thing
. Should I feel bad that I think it's a.w.e.s.o.m.e. that coach K is at This game, where Reddick has seen 0 minutes?
. LEWIS for 3, Magic lead by 8!
. I wish the announcers weren't so obviously excited when the Lakers score
. Dwight's getting better at free's
. DWIGHT tosses one in to take us back up 6
. That's the 3rd, folks!!

4th Qtr:
. interview with stan: "big change in offense what's the difference" Stan: "I have absolutely no idea" : it's the 6th, man, Stan! it's the Fans!!
. great shot BATTIE!
. Turk is throwing up all kinds of crazy shots - I love it!
. Lakers THROW IT AWAY, 10th turnover for them, this is a big part of the score tonight
. Howard and Battie are out for a rest we'll see if this works
. Odom all over us
. bad pass straight to them
. offensive foul on walton Magic Ball!!
. PIETRUS, Beautiful fallaway
. New strategy: forget the clean shots, throw up anything while we're moving away from the basket.
. 19 for Howard, he's finally shaking off the CA dust
. Bad Call, that was off LA.
. ok, why do the scrolling weather alerts totally screw up the sound?
. PIETRUS STEALS AND DRIVES TO THE BASKET, Magic back up by 8!!!!
. Turk's looking tired.
. "that was called an illegal screen - on dwight - because of ariza's reaction; of falling down" in other words, Ariza is a FLOPPER and it's a BAD CALL
. if there's anythign we've learned from these miked timeouts it's that coaches are not so much with the fancy words.
. Fisher drains a 3, lead down to 2
. fun fact of the day: Pietrus has more playoff experience than Kobe
. we need to do a better job getting the ball to Dwight.
. FTh's might just save us this time
. UGH give it away after a beautiful steel. GOTTA get back and take care of this
. Stolen again!
. WAKE UP, Orlanod!
. Pietrus misses 3 MAGIC BALL
. C'MON GUYS, MAKE IT COUNT!
. Alston misses, we're falling apart now
. Year One commercials are stupid
. Is Kobe the new LA Coach
. it's a tied game, folks, we're back to square one
. 2:30 to go, COME ON GUYS!
. Turk gets some help from Pietrus!
. Kobe misses a 3!
. Alston misses, but draws FTHS
. Alston makes one, 3 point game
. the yeti throws one in, 1 point game
. LEWIS NAILS A 2 with the shot clock winding down, 3 points up
. 1:06 left
. BAD CALL on Howard - He CANNOT catch a break!
. Kobe MISSES a 5th FTH!
. makes the 2nd, 2 point game, magic timeout
. magic can't get anything done, laker ball
. PIETRUS WITH A STEAL
. PIETRUS FOULED!
. PIETRUS DRAINS BOTH!!!
. 4 POINT LEAD, 28 LEFT!
. KOBE MISSES A 3, odom saves the 3, but just 16 left on the clock
. "still plenty of time for LA", yeah good luck with that, LETS GO MAGIC!
. LA.. throws up a bunch, finally put in for 2, quick foul
. "I say there should be a fine, whoever's in charge of the confetti" WHATEVER, WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THERE WAS .2 LEFT?
. we're shooting frees, with .2 left
. LEWIS MAKES BOTH!
. AND THAT'S THE GAME, FOLKS!!!!

104-108, MAGIC VICTORY!

Game 2 NBA Finals Recap

2009-06-07T20:35:00.073-04:00

1st Qtr:

Make a freethrow, Dwight!
What the heck is Reddick doing on the floor? IN THE NBA FINALS??
Oh, it was Lee, Lewis, and Pietrus with 2 fouls. BUT STILL..
Here's hoping there's method to madness.
15-15. It's a miracle.

2nd Qtr:
from the live blog: "looks like JJ freaks out when he gets the ball"
no kidding.
Thank goodness for LEWIS!
ANOTHER stupid turnover, Lakers up by 6.
LEWIS for 3!
Shaq's in Dwight's head
everybody's got foul trouble
nobody can hit anything.
mvp is Lewis. I'm declaring it now.
Turk can't hit anything, either - c'mon guys!
announcer: "they've gotta drive to score - Reddick could've gone in and gotten a layup"
no kiddin!
Reddick lets Kobe score.
Lewis comes through. AGAIN.
I'm taking back the live-blog link. It's a bunch of JJ-loving crazies. He needs to get yanked back to the bench.
Magic shot 32%
yuck. we are lucky to be in the game at all.

3rd Qtr
Tony awards are on CBS if this gets too painful
I think I need more chocolate chip cookies.
Pietrus! first field goal. of the game. in the 3rd qtr.
ugh, turnover.
Alston throws up a ..well i'm not really sure what that was.
I think this is proof that the finals go on too long. Neither of them are playing like an NBA finals team.
Turk!
maybe.. we can get this back....
"Blocked by Howard" AND a Dunk. Beautiful.
Ariza: didn't he used to be ours?
Alston's having a Reddick night. Not pretty.
HEDO! Hedo might be back, guys
Nelson, buddy, I knew you were ready.
New Puppet commercials: who is the chatterbox kid supposed to be?
Great assist from Turk, and a well-guarded Howard tosses it in
beautiful, Neslon
and then: Fisher's wide open.
End of 3rd: 65 to 63, our "highest scoring quarter of the finals" crazy.
what is the lowest scoring finals game ever?

4th Qtr
Turk looks like he can't bear to watch after Nelson's missed freethrows.
I'm with Turk
Gortot throws up an Alston.
Freethrow practice for everyone as soon as they get back to Fla.
Lakers are waking up; next timeout needs to be a coffee break.
Forget Kobe, Odom's killing us.
c'mon Magic, don't make me flip to the Tony's.
some kid is flailing around on cbs. he is tap dancing in red track pants and there are people coming after him in riot gear. I'm going to assume it's a Billy Elliot stage production and turn back to the game before it gets (even) weirder
and... JJ's back again. again.
"no true point guard on the floor" this is our plan?
Odom is T.R.O.U.B.L.E.
don't know why LA is so upset about that foul -- it's not like Howard can hit these.
Bryant steps out of bounds AND Lewis takes advantage of it. Whew!
close game won't do it for us. it's nice we've kept it close but if we aren't up by 5 with 2min to go, no shot.
"jj's a shooter that's gotta be respected"!?!?! since when? he hasn't hit anything tonight!
Odom's got 5, and our go-to guy of the night's at the line.
Who let Jack Nicholson out on the court?
The live blog is about 5 seconds ahead fo the tv game, which is sometimes more stressful and sometimes less.
Good passes, guys.. c'mon!
Even the announcers know that was a bad call on Pietrus.
Offensive foul? are you kidding me??
and Pietrus fouls out.
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
the Magic have about 1 min to decide this game is theirs.
UGH! Turnovers!
no points for "hanging in there" tonight, guys
"He just fell down" uh yeah. Kobe trips over his own feet and Turk gets called for it.
Holy Cow, Hallelujah, and Amen. JJ hits a three. It's a true-blue miracle.
LEWIS!!
Kobe ties it up
1 min to go
TURK! gives us a 2 point lead
please please please, no 3's.
2 pts for LA, that's okay, now we GOTTA MAKE THIS!
noooooo!
9 seconds left
timeout
LA Ball
T.O.A.S.T
that's the game, kids.
BLOCKED FROM BEHIND BY TURK!!! No foul's called, another true-blue miracle!
.6 on the clock and 2 timeouts
20s timeout
Alleyoup to Lee ---- UGHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Headed to OT, yal.

OT
Howard loses the ball.
Howard needs to get his head in the game.
Lewis Rebounds!
Lewis is my new favorite player.
can't catch a break. out of bounds off Turk.
4 fouls for Turk now. but it looks like he clotheslined the guy, so I'll take it.
Howard puts it in, AND MAKES THE FTH!
"21st Lead Change" I believe it.
Magic need to be up by 4 in a minute
Reddick misses AGAIN. WHY is he in the game???
Lakers +1
Lewis to Reddick who SCREWS UP A BOUNCE PASS.
Even the announcer is telling him to get his act together.
5 fouls on Turk, and LA pads the lead with more free throws.
Turk's goes in and out
down by five, LA shooting free's-- THAT'S THE GAME, folks
THREEEEE for Lewis on the inbound pass!
where was this team in the 1st half??
gotta force a clean turnover, not gonna happen.
UGH, if we were going foul them we should've done it early.
"Odom's not a strong FTH shooter" yeah, well he made both.
LA leads by 5.
Reddick MISSES.
AGAIN WHY is he on the floor? and WHY would we give him the ball?

these are the inexplicable questions of Game 2.

I believe.. in Stan!

2009-06-07T19:17:00.004-04:00

Someone took my Fans-of-Stan idea and ran with it, with a new Go Magic! Flat Stanley

Stan Around the World (Showcase at Epcot)

Make your own Flat Stanley!

NBA Playoffs Tonight! at 8.

The Sweetest Things..

2009-06-04T15:46:00.002-04:00

What could be better than free?

Free Donuts!

"Krispy Kreme is making life just a little sweeter for everyone on National Doughnut Day," says Ron Rupocinski, executive chef at Krispy Kreme. "So, on Friday, June 5, head to a participating store with your friends and family to share the sweet joy of a free Krispy Kreme doughnut."

Tomorrow I might need a reward for all my triathlon training by stopping by the (sure to be packed) Stratford Rd Krispy Kreme on the way to work.

Krispy Kreme Donut Day: June 5th

Join Friends of Krispy Kreme

the Best things in life..

2009-06-02T23:24:00.002-04:00

Sign up at Pacific Rim winery to receive a Free Tote Bag! with catchy phrase:

"Save Water, Drink Riesling"

While you're there, check out their bottles, and take a Riesling Refresher.

Quiet

2009-05-31T23:35:00.001-04:00

Steven's Center on 4th Street.

Sunday was a quiet day, the best laid plans put aside for some laps at the pool and a few loads of laundry. Spring Cleaning will have to wait; with rearranging the extra room, loading pictures, cleaning the last of the camping stuff.

It was a good lazy day, and I'm not ready for Monday. But I'm certain that I would not have been more ready if I had gotten more done.

Saturday Night, Scene and Heard on 4th Street:
Birthday wishes for Pete, owner of Recreation Billiards
NCSA graduation at the Stevens Center
Rednecks in Limo's (would be a good name for a band)
and a horse drawn carriage.

Just another night in the dash..

Birthday wishes

2009-05-30T20:27:00.001-04:00

Happs 85th to Pete, owner of Rec Billiards -- Lots of good food left
and Cake! Come out to help Pete celebrate!!

Sunday at the Y-Dub

2009-05-30T18:26:00.002-04:00

Playoff Magic

2009-05-26T23:37:00.001-04:00

It's not often that I get to cheer on a basketball team into the official start of summer:

Magic-Cav's Game 4; Magic with a 2-1 lead going in

1. Who knew Alston could carry a team through game 4 of the playoffs
2. (6 left) Lewis
3. (4 left) Labron tripped over his own feet!
4. (.5 left) 11:30, tied game means a sleepy day at the office
5. (2:28 OT) I'm glad Varejao fouled out but that should've been on Labron
6. (commercial) LOVING the sportsmanship commercial breaking up the bloodbath that is the playoffs
7. (39.3 OT) ugh! Turk misses, Howard fouls Labron, and in about 10 seconds I'll get another Tweet from Calipari about James' shooting. I love you Cal, but you picked the wrong team in this series! *reason number 253 why I miss Keith Bogans.. Cal would've been all about the Magic.
8. (21.0 OT) keep singing, Dwight.
9. (7.4 OT) missssssssssssssssssit damn.
10. (5.4 OT) Lewisssssssss
11. (3.2 OT) Lets Go Magic!!!

Next Game: Thursday, 8:30 at Cleveland

Why Big East Baseball is not like Other Baseball

2009-05-24T15:42:00.000-04:00

Camp @ the rock

2009-05-23T12:21:00.001-04:00

1st pres camping trip, now at pilot mountain; off to a great start

Friday night smores, Saturday breakfast, stroll around the knob, maybe
another hike this afternoon, and pasta dinner with banana smores
tonight!

Thursday nights are Busy nights

2009-05-20T22:59:00.001-04:00

My last photography class is Tomorrow, and I unfortunatly have not finished my last assignment: 4 portrait picutres.
This weekend will have ample opportunity, but I just didn't find the time to fit it in this week.

If I didn't have photog class, I certainly would be attending the
SkirtChaser Fun Run
6:30 at Fleet Feet (of course)
with guest: Ironman Triathlete Champ Nicole Deboomb

(this was supposed to be "Simple" for our last assignment.. it doesn't really read that way, but I still think it's interesting..)

Bluegrass and BBQ

2009-05-16T20:54:00.005-04:00

After an early morning bike ride and struggling through another 1.5 mile run around Schaffner Park, 2 things are clear: I am not ready to run a full tri (yet!), and an early morning + excercise = saturday afternoon on the couch, good luck getting anything done, ha.

This evening was nice and lazy:

the new Star Trek movie at the Grand, which I Loved, but my fellow moviegoers were less happy with (even comparing it to the whale one!). Don't listen to them, it was Much better than last year's Indiana Remix Fiasco. Take a sense of humor, and you'll have a great time.

Movies were followed by dinner of course, and we made a rare drive out to Kernersville for BBQ at Prissy Polly's. Chosen b/c of their unique market position, serving both Eastern and Lexington, we opted for Eastern this evening. It was Good Stuff, and made even better by live bluegrass! Every Thursday and Saturday night; be patient with parking, it'll be worth it.

Sam Bush and Brad Paisley on Prairie Home Companion earlier this month

Saturday is Link-Day!

2009-05-16T14:54:00.006-04:00

All the kids are talking about this new favorite blog:

Awkward Family Photos

..cannot tell you how relieved to find none of the Henson's greatest hits

Enjoy a lazy saturday afternoon, and if you flip through Bravo and catch the trainwreck that is The Fashion Show, enjoy a newfound respect for Heidi Klum. She made Proj R look so easy, they thought anyone could do it. It's two fatal flaws: No Tim Gunn. They made it about the designers, not the designs.

Best Laid Plans

2009-05-15T19:28:00.002-04:00

Tonight was scheduled as Swim Night on my Cramming For Triathloning Calendar but the weather had other plans. Indoor pools closed for lightning, so tonight becomes 'lots of laundry and ironing and house cleaning, and getting ready for an early saturday morning of Road Bike Routes out of Shallowford Park:

12.5 mile Lewisville Loop from Shallowford Park

First up:
the brand-new 36 North Triathlon
36 North WebSite
Same Course as Angel's Race, the Late Season Tanglewood Tri
and Fleet Feet's involved, so you know it's going to be good times :)

-

Class Assignments

2009-05-14T18:25:00.002-04:00

My Sawtooth Photography class continues tonight, with the following assignment:
given 7 adjectives, pick 4 to photograph.

A) Essential

Race Day

2009-05-04T11:34:00.000-04:00

Saturday, at Race for the Cure:

May Flowers

2009-04-29T00:52:00.000-04:00

Some of the beautiful flower pots decorated by my Girls on the Run girls:

The coaches are hoping that the recipients are so blown away by style and creativity and thoughtfulness that they will overlook their girls' paint-stained clothes. We remembered newspapers for the picnic tables, but not old t-shirts for the girls! live and learn.. this is what happens when you put 5 non-mom's in charge of craft day..

youtube symphony orchestra

2009-04-27T21:46:00.005-04:00

In old news:

YouTube Symphony Orchestra

Musicians submitted audition videos to youtube; then a select group were chosen (apparently based on web-site votes) to travel to New York for an appearance at Carnegie Hall.

also: the submission videos were combined into one big symphonic mashup.

Act I
07:15 Johannes Brahms - Allegro giocoso from Symphony No.4 in E minor, Op. 98
17:15 Lou Harrison - Music from Canticle No. 3
27:45 Antonín Dvořák - Music from Serenade in D minor, Op. 44
32:45 Giovanni Gabrieli - Canzon Septimi toni No. 2
38:15 Johann Sebastian Bach - Sarabande from Suite No. 1 in G major, for Cello Solo, VWV 1007 (performed by Joshua Roman)
43:30 Heitor Villa-Lobos - Bachianas brasileiras No. 9
54:00 Richard Wagner - Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walkuere

Act II
3:00 Sergei Rachmaninoff - Vase from Two Pieces for Pian, Six Hands (performed by Derek Wang, Charlie Liu, Anna Larsen)
07:45 Tan Dun - Internet Symphony Eroica
16:00 Sergei Prokofiev - Scherzo from Concerto No. 2 in G minor for Piano, Op. 16 (featuring Yuja Wang)
23:00 Claude Debussy - Nuages from Nocturnes
32:15 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Finale from Concerto No. 5 for violin in A major, K. 219 (featuring Gil Shaham)
48:00 John Cage - Aria with Renga (featuring Measha Brueggergosman)
57:15 Mason Bates - Preview of Warehouse Medicine from B-Sides
1:05:30 Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Finale from Symphony No. 4

Twittering

2009-04-24T22:16:00.004-04:00

I finally succumbed to peer pressure and signed up for twitter, against my own better judgment. I have no intention of posting anything - I feel far too wired already, between facebook and blogger and my iphone and email and........ but I specifically wanted to follow two v. important feeds:

UKJohnCalipari and KySportsRadio

while I was there, though, I signed up for OrlandMagic

and now I'm getting all kinds of ridiculous requests that I follow completely random people.
If I don't know you or know who you are, I certainly don't want to know what you're doing, yal!

Anyways, the first of these was none other than:
the Orlando Dragons: National Extreme Baseball League
I had no idea there was such a thing, let alone that Orlando may very well have the premier team in the league! (note: the league apparently consists of Orlando and Tampa. Possibly also Miami.)

For the uninitiated, here is a description of said sport (patent pending): Wikipedia.

.

This! could be yours III

2009-04-23T23:43:00.001-04:00

@ the 55th Annual
Junior League of Winston-Salem
Rummage Sale

I think it speaks for itself.
I'm declaring it the Most Awesome rummage sale find this year.

This! Could be yours II

2009-04-22T21:28:00.001-04:00

Antiques and Newtiques

the 55th Annual Junior League Rummage Sale

To answer the obvious quesiton: Yes! that is a cow pinata!

This year seems a little thiner than years past. There is plenty to sell, and the quality may actually be better, but my first RS, 4 years ago had at least 20 bikes, and literally a mountain of women's clothes to sort through. Maybe it's the economy; maybe people are giving to other causes... but I will be interested in our #'s -- attendance and sales.

But rest assured, there is still something for everyone -- Yesterday: scooter Today: cow pinata stay tuned for tomorrow!

This! could be yours

2009-04-21T23:20:00.001-04:00

At the Junior League of Winston-Salem's
55th Annual Rummage Sale!

My workweek schedule:
Monday: Rummage Sale! sorting 6-9
Tuesday: Girls on the Run, Rummage Sale! dropoff, and more Girls on the Run odds and ends
Wednesday: Rummage Sale! sorting 6-9
Thursday: Girls on the Run and Photog 101
Friday: Rummage Sale! 5-10
Saturday: Rummage Sale!

Dogwood: v1

2009-04-21T00:06:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday was my first class in Sawtooth Photography 101.
This one may be in the running for 1st assignment.

Assignment for next week:

4 old pictures I like

Ap: 1 with shallow Depth
Ap: 1 with great Depth
Shutter: 1 that shows movement
Shutter: 1 that stops movement

Ridiculous, Uninformed, Not-worth-your-time OpEd of the day

2009-04-19T20:03:00.002-04:00

Why We Should Get Rid of West Point: Washington Post

Skip it and read an excellent rebuttal here: BlackFive

Kevin Gordon and the Bo Stevens @ the garage

2009-04-17T23:57:00.001-04:00

strange happenings

2009-04-15T22:36:00.001-04:00

First: no chicken OR noodles in my chicken noodle soup

Then: fire truck brakes down, stuck on side of the road along bus 40

Then: hippie-chick with suitcase and flower behind her ear sitting on the side of the road hitchiking to asheville
(someone should tell her about PART -- there's a shuttle to Boone, where I'm fairly certain she could find at least one App kid who'd be willing to give her a lift)

also: I did not attend a tea party myself, but heard they were rockin.

Attn: Spring Garden Panera

2009-04-15T13:33:00.001-04:00

though I did enjoy the carrots in my chicken noodle soup,
would appreciate some chicken next time.
also, noodles would be nice.

much appreciated
-j

Riley

2009-04-12T21:24:00.002-04:00

A rare moment for the RileyCat, who is usually far too busy chasing snakes and lizards to pose for photo-ops.

First Tee Of The Year

2009-04-10T17:22:00.001-04:00

D, E, and I decided to spend out morning off at the Tanglewood Par 3. We had a great time catching up and trying to remember the finer pints of the game, like: how to sneak into the adjacent yards to retrieve errant hits, and how to figure out which green to aim for (at t3 this is harder than you'd think I promise!)

monterey aquarium: sea otters

2009-04-09T23:43:00.001-04:00

monterey aquarium: sea otters

2009-04-09T23:42:00.001-04:00

Saturday Reset

2009-04-04T18:02:00.006-04:00

Continuing my streak as a world-class-klutz, I managed to stub both little toes, slam my hand in a door and break (read: rip out part of) a nail this morning.

But that was before the great April 4th Epiphany: all these injuries have occurred indoors. One look out the window, and it was apparent where I'd gone wrong.

So it was off to the YWCA and Salem Creek Trail for my first Brick of the year.

Bike: 7ish miles of the Salem Creek Trail, from YWCA to Dam and back
Run: super-short 1.5 miles (I did say this was the first double-up of the year, yaknow) up the strollway, from YWCA to Academy

Things are looking better already.

perhaps now a nap whilst watching the Final Four and dreaming of the 36North Tri

.

terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad

2009-04-02T14:43:00.006-04:00

Today is drizzly and coldish;
perfect curl-up-on-the-couch with books and movies and hot chocolate weather

unfortunately, today is Thursday, which makes this plan impossible. Or at least, ill-advised.

and thus begins a day which will cover the following checklist:
backache: check
wake up tired because of backache: check
running late to work: check
spill coffee on way to work: check
drop iphone on concrete floor of garage: CHECK!*
spend half an hour waiting at att store while lone salesperson helps two older women with the finer points of ringtones, only to be given runaround that my only options are to wait 2 mths for a non-iphone "upgrade" or spend $600 on new iphone: check**

*if anyone had April 2nd in the 'how long will jen's iphone survive' pool pls contact me -- otherwise I'm assuming it outlasted all predictions at 4 months

*for the record, iphone still fully functional, but screen is cracked.

**attn those finding themselves confronted with similarly unhelpful salesppl: skip att store altogether (said salesperson was also talking other customers out of iphone into blackberry so I suspect alterior motives in the advice I received) and head straight to new Apple store at Friendly Center where very helpful staff will advise of still expensive but rather more realistic options (swap phone for SIGNIFICANTLY LESS than $600, purchase refurbished phone for SIGNIFICANTLY LESS than $600, or use plastic case and make due with cracked screen)

A spring day favorite

2009-03-22T22:43:00.003-04:00

Best place in winston for an afternoon run: the Hanes Park - Runnymeade - Stratford loop. Reason n.327 why I love Winston is that on any half decent day the park is teaming with people running, playing tennis or soccer or softball... You're almost sure to run into somebody, and if not, this is Winston, where everyone you meet will smile and wave regardless :)

Bracketology: Round 2

2009-03-22T22:42:00.003-04:00

Round 2 results are in, and the ONLY upset was: 5 Purdue over 4 Washington

and the Sweet Sixteen is:

Midwest

1 Louisville -- 12 Arizona

3 Kansas -- 2 Michigan St

West

1 UConn -- 5 Purdue

3 Missouri -- 2 Memphis

East

1 Pitt -- 4 Xavier

3 Villanova -- 2 Duke

South

1 Carolina -- 4 Zaga

3 Syracuse -- 2 Oklahoma

(my picks in bold: conveneinetly, all top seeds with the exception of 'cuse ;-)

*important note: the my bracket's South corner is still 12 for 12!

The mostly Carolina crowd at round 2 in GSO last night:

Bracketology 2009

2009-03-22T01:16:00.003-04:00

Round 1: By the Numbers

Upsets:
1-16: 0
2-15: 0
3-14: 0
4-13: 1
5-12: 3
6-11: 1
7-10: 3
8-09: 2

I'm 24/32 --
The ones I got wrong:
8-9
Sienna beat Ohio St
Oklahoma beat TN
5-12
Wisconsin beat FSU
4-13
Cleveland St beat Wake Forest!
Washington beat Miss St
6-11
Dayton beat WVirginia
7-10
Southern Cal beat BC
Texas beat Minnesota

Watched the Carolina and Duke games from the rafters in GSO tonight, and it was just awesome -- a Carolina crowd, and stuck around long enough to booo Duke for the second game, but didn't turn into the Texas fans I thought they would. Great games, great fun. just wish Texas had won :)

my heart is so sad today

2009-03-17T20:57:00.002-04:00

Kentucky misses an NCAA bid for the first time since 1976. Plays UNLV in *tear* the NIT this evening.

the joy of flying

2009-02-13T19:26:00.003-05:00

I'm jetting tonight from rdu to mco
If you haven't made this journey in awhile, a couple things to keep in mind:

Any store you would want to visit prior to boarding (ie the newstand, candycounter..) will close at 6. On a weekday. At an airport.

Rdu is miraculously the only place on earth with only one sbucks, and it will be on the opposite end of the terminal.

The flight will be completely full.

Under no circumstances should you attempt to order anything from the a&w root beer place. This includes French fries. Also, spoons. You might be tempted to try the prominently featured root beer float. I assure you, it will be beyond their abilities

On The Fridge

2009-02-11T23:47:00.001-05:00

From one of my Girls on the Run girls:

Happy Coincidences

2009-02-09T00:06:00.002-05:00

The fates conspired today to thwart bike riding with a friend on the Greenway,but plan B was made even better when we stumbled on some dear friends on a walk through Reynolda

It was a beautiful day, despite the dreary landscape;
and we left declaring winter Almost Over;
more than ready for Spring.

Armchair Adventuring

2009-02-02T23:36:00.003-05:00

New! and Improved! Google Earth brings us the Ocean Floor, 3d Mars, and other neat new features...

Announcement Here

(this in no way changes my continued annoyance at street-view for residences even though I do have to admit that it helped me navigate to a super bowl party last night. If it wasn't there, I would have found it the old fashioned way -- with street numbers, and despite its usefulness, still seems a twinge too creepy... like people who post old school pictures all over facebook, tagging people they haven't seen since 2nd grade. what is with that???)

anyways, check out a latest version of GEarth that would make Cousteau proud

.

Go Deacs!

2009-01-12T00:02:00.005-05:00

The end result of obnoxious pre-season talk from Carolina re. going 'undefeated in the acc':

Wake: 92 UNC: 89

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Jeff Teague scored a career-high 34 points and No. 4 Wake Forest held on to beat third-ranked North Carolina 92-89 on Sunday night.

Chas McFarland matched a season high with 20 points for the Demon Deacons (14-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who remained one of three unbeatens in Division I and matched the 1980-81 team that also won its first 14 games.

...more @ espn.

I Do Hereby Resolve:

2009-01-09T22:33:00.004-05:00

2009 is off to a great start, inspiring these (and a few other) goals for the next 12 months:

-eat at a Winston restaurant I haven't been to before

-run at least one longer-than-5k race

-run at least one triathlon

-set a pr in a 5k

-post to blog at least once a week

-read at least six new books

-go skiing at least once

-visit one place (state, city, township..) I've never been before

I'll keep you posted.

xFit Lite

2008-11-10T20:44:00.005-05:00

I tried a legitimate CrossFit WOD today and it totally kicked my butt..

the real thing:

Five rounds for time of:
25 Inverted Burpees
25 Pull-ups
25 Burpees

my version (for wimps):

One round of:
10 Inverted Burpees
10 Pull-ups (with help from the graviton)
10 Burpees

the inverted ones were actually a lot of fun, and I think I could have done more, but I was at the North Y, which has a fitness room with mirrors covering every inch of wall space, and the handstands seemed so conspicuous!

next time there's a crazy one, I might try the women's fitness-room at Central.. it's usually pretty quiet except for the treadmills..

Back In The Groove

2008-11-10T11:24:00.000-05:00

RunnersWorld advice after taking some time-off

Take Five

Take 10

Build on Blocks
.

Hanging Rock: October 2008

2008-11-10T00:21:00.001-05:00

Art Online

2008-03-13T22:53:00.004-04:00

Get a quick fix of Modern Art at MOMA's online exhibit

Color Chart

From the introduction:
Midway through the twentieth century, long-held convictions regarding the spiritual or emotional power of particular colors gave way to the embrace of color as an ordinary commodity...This exhibition features the work of forty-four artists who take a position in which art and life mingle rather than remain separate, and where beauty is found in the everyday rather than in the ideal.
--Ann Temkin

Best Caption:
Random Distribution of 40,000 Squares Using the Odd and Even Numbers of a Telephone Directory (Francois Morellet)

Best Use of Food:
News, Mews, Pews, Brews, Stews & Dues (Edward Ruscha)
ingredients: chocolate syrup, tomato paste, Bolognese sause, cherry pie filling, coffee, caviar, axle grease, daffodils, tulips, raw eggs, and other store-bought materials

Friday night @ the Garage

2008-03-06T23:39:00.002-05:00

March Calendar for the Garage

8pm Amy Levere
Official Site
Info, Interview, and Tracks at Ear Farm

10pm Kelly & The Cowboys out of Mt Airy
Myspace

both sets are old-time country from the Patsy Cline era, but the Cowboys seem to have more of a Rockabilly flare, while Amy's wispy voice and Jazz influences take her sound in a different direction.

Music Showcase

2008-02-19T23:30:00.000-05:00

I was researching upcoming events to entertain my visitors this weekend, and was very excited when I found Owen Temple, playing at the Garage. think: Texas Country, of the Pat Green genre.. it's only a matter of time til he hits the big-time, so to see him in a venue like the Garage would be a real treat. Unfortunately, I was a few hours too late in my discovery :P

American Music Showcase @the Garage

Tonight: Owen Temple

but at least now he's on the radar, and I'll be watching for the next time he swings through town!

Historical Context

2008-02-15T21:36:00.005-05:00

Maps of War

is a great spot to get a 90 second overview of all kinds of topics. I remember when we used to use transparency overlay maps to show the progression of empires..

this is wayyy better.

History of Religion:

Imperial History of the Middle East

Library of Maps From Around the Web

who are they kidding?

2008-02-13T22:03:00.002-05:00

Once again, I am left completely baffled by winter weather... I got home from work as the day and a half of rain seemed to be tapering off, barely took the time to turn around before leaving for our weekly viewing of Proj Runway, and open my door to find my street transformed as if Harry Potter himself had decided it was high time for snowball-fight-worthy flakes

A Surprise Snow!
usually if there's even the slightest hint of wintry weather, there are major advisories alerting the tri-state area to stay off the roads for 3 days and loot the nearest grocery store for the equivalent of cat-4 hurricane provisions..

but the weather-guys definitely missed this one.. and News14 is still clueless, even as it's falling, calling it "not-significant.. but perhaps a noticeable snow event", whatever that means..

"just noticeable".. sounds to me like someone's irked they missed their big chance to pre-empt programming all day and use the super-scientific weather-reporting powers to call off school through the weekend :)

my advice to friends traveling through Carolina next week: pack flip-flops or snowshoes.. you've got a 50/50 shot at either :)

day is done, gone the sun..

2008-02-11T23:07:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite people has a saying, after a rough start to the week: "there's only one Monday" in the week you've got to get through..

today was good, but full.. work, read for small-group at lunch, back to work, and then a church mtg, dinner at Mellow Mushroom with the small-group girls, and then bible study at L's *very cute downtown apartment with so much character it could almost get me to give up my garage and dishwasher..

so to wind down, I'm in my very favorite place of late, enjoying my cozy bed and wireless internet, soaking in more of the songs from the Over-The-Rhine tri-album impulse buy from ITunes, and catching up on neglected emails and blog posts... (incidentally, I did a double-take this morning, with some oddly familiar lyrics... pls take just a second to compare two relatively recent records:

OTR Lookin Forward:
Walking out in the freezing rain
I feel nothing 'cause I numbed the pain
I'm lookin' forward to lookin' back
On this day

Prayed last night
Dear God please no
But I was never good at letting go
I'm lookin' forward to lookin' back
On this day

Mandy Moore: Looking Forward to Looking Back

The fog in the morning clouded the world that we knew
It was almost enough being lonely and living for you
And the rain came to our window

And I know you loved me in your way
I'm looking forward to looking back on these days
And I'm fine, but I'm not okay
I'm looking forward to looking back on these days

They don't sound anything alike, and admittedly the lyrics are only just, but I'll offer up one super-sized tub of Cherry Garcia to anyone who does a little research for background on the inspiration of/possible links between the two..

Last weekend, as you can tell from the pictures, was beautiful.. 1st Pres Women's retreat was a huge success, as far as I'm concerned.. with time to catch up with old friends and meet new ones... worship, messages, quiet-time... free time to spend in Black Mtn or on a walk around the lake... I skipped the regular trek up Lookup, down the back way to the old toll road and over to Rattlesnake.. it was too cold and windy, and just seemed too sad to see my favorite view in the bleak midwinter...

assembly in

2008-02-10T16:36:00.000-05:00

(montreat, nc)

sunshine and lake susan

2008-02-10T16:31:00.000-05:00

(montreat, nc)

Pops Pick of the Week

2008-01-29T23:18:00.000-05:00

I'm perfectly happy to spend this weekend loafing around my parents backyard, seeing what wayward animals they may have lately tamed..

but perhaps pops and I will venture downtown, to check out his latest find, and a venue I hadn't heard of before:

Over The Rhine
February, 2 2008 at Backbooth
37 West Pine Street, Orlando, Florida 32801-2630
Cost : $12 adv, $14 day of show
Over The Rhine / Copeland (Acoustic) Over The Rhine / Copeland (Acoustic) with special guests. Doors 7:00 PM / Show 7:30 PM All support acts are subject to change. There is a 10 ticket limit per customer. This show is ALL AGES and general admission.

Backbooth

perfect

2008-01-19T23:34:00.000-05:00

it was a day of snow; sans ice

a day of warm socks and hot chocolate.

it was a day of sleeping in, and too many cookies

a day of dinner with friends

and new movies in the mail

and wasted paint

it was a day with a chilly, quiet run and the snow just beginning to fall as I took the final turn back into the neighborhood

it was a perfect day.

wintry weather

2008-01-17T08:50:00.000-05:00

proof.

2008-01-16T23:25:00.000-05:00

that it's time to find a hobby:

The Futon Critic maps out the Winter/Spring prime-time lineup.

..just another reason to 'heart' netflix, and their unlimited online viewing...

[stay tuned for upcoming installments of 'Pops Picks'!]

Whew.

2008-01-14T00:04:00.000-05:00

What a weekend!
I know Monday will be crazy, too, but I feel like the rest of the week will be a breeze compared to the past few days..
bizarre encounters at South by Southwest, Girls on the Run Training, birthday bowling, church, one trip to the movies, and then back to church for small-group stuff..

there were many highlights and lowlights, but I think the best would be the unexpected possibility of a new GOTR scholarship-site.. especially as my current site still has lot of spots to fill.

GOTR Salem needs girls! spread the word!!

From the New Music Files

2008-01-10T23:34:00.000-05:00

credit; pops

Pops came up with another great find the other day, with a non-country Texan named Ryan Parker..

Main Website
MySpace

Young and unpolished, but a catchy sound and enough potential that I'm convinced he's soon to be the 'next big thing' since.. oh.. maybe Colbie Caillat (another pops find I failed to blog, right before she hit the radio... I keep telling him he should start his own music blog.. maybe instead he should retire from hi-tech, and go into the music-manager-biz?)

A Belated New Year's Toast

2008-01-10T00:14:00.000-05:00

I guess it's about that time..

time to pack away ornaments, vacuum up the last of the pine needles, and lug large awkward boxes up incredibly small attic stairs, crossing my fingers that I remembered not to put in candles this year after learning the hard way that they probably won't survive an unairconditioned summer..

And thus begins a new year.

Hopefully, it will be a year of more inspired blogging, as I have no aspirations of job changes or big moves... It's already off to a busy start, with Girls on the Run soon to begin, and church activities already in full-swing.. concert tickets purchased, visits and plans are already in the works..

The past year was busy, too - there were trips and adventures, books read and movies watched, mountains climbed, and seas sailed... But for me, at least, a deployed year proved not easily bloggable... even when it's filled with family and friends and moments of great fun.. even when I wasn't the one deployed...

So here's to a year of being thirty.
Of new bands to discover and concerts to see
Of miles to run and steps to take
Of meetings and projects and lazy Sunday afternoons
A year of celebrations.
A year of homecoming.

A year of normal.

Got Paint

2008-01-03T20:57:00.000-05:00

I should be busily cleaning and picking up, preparing for visitors who will arrive tomorrow evening...

But instead, I'm happily procrastinating by working on the first project for the online class my friend Barbara signed me up for.

The picture below is the result of grabbing two colors at random, that turned out to be Orange and Blue, which could only turn into one kind of theme for anyone who's grown up in the Sunshine State.

Maybe I'll send it to my brother to cheer him up after the Michigan loss..

Or maybe the art journal will turn into a 'Things About Florida' book... hmmm...

Got Paint? Workshop
Big Picture Scrapbooking
Barbara's Blog

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

2008-01-02T23:01:00.000-05:00

36° F | 16° F
2° C | -9° C

Days like today only reinforce my longheld opinion that if it's cold enough
to snow, it should count as a snowday!

Gone Bowling

2008-01-01T14:43:00.000-05:00

While I recover from my midnight run to ring in the new year, the rest of the state-side fam is down south at the Capital One Bowl

Even from my tiny tv in Winston, what a game! I thought the Gators would roll right over Michigan, with the two-punch combo of home field advantage and the M coaching turnover, but clearly both of these teams have decided this is the game of the season.

so why do the announcers seem more interested in Aflac trivia questions and interviewing the new Michigan coach? C'mon guys, there's a game on!

Hope the fam is having fun, and will get a better halftime show than that old Citrus Bowl Standby "Synchronized Trampoliners".

-

faceoff

2007-12-29T23:49:00.000-05:00

... and the Magic win yet again on my watch. I think it's time to start flying in for all the home games.

Happy Christmas Eve

2007-12-24T23:24:00.000-05:00

yummmm

2007-12-17T23:03:00.000-05:00

filed under: things that make my heart happy;

Midtown (aka: the Dessertery) is open for dinner again!

Thank goodness -- how did they think I would make it through the winter without my occasional late-evening chocolate chip pankaces!?!

bids, sandbagging, and blind nil

2007-12-16T01:37:00.000-05:00

The night at the Inn was fabulous, in part due to some cut-throat rounds of The Best Card Game Ever. They were so much fun, in fact, that I'm hereby putting the family on notice: tops on the Christmas Wish List is a First Annual Christmas Spades Tournament.

consider yourself warned. I'll be packing my A game for the trip home

neighborhood watch

2007-12-14T17:42:00.000-05:00

attn: all normally respectful neighbors who usually end week-day festivities well before midnight.

I realize that finals are over, and you're very excited to be starting Christmas break,

but the beer pong competition you decided to hold last night that lasted until the wee hours of the morning and for some inexplicable reason required a decibel of music that would rattle pictures on the far side of the house, was not as appreciated as you'd think.

regards.

'tis the season

2007-12-13T23:14:00.001-05:00

Tonight I'm going to enjoy every minute spent in my warm, cozy bed with soft fluffy pillows, because this time tomorrow, I expect I'll already have staked out a cot in the conference room and started my shift at the front desk of the homeless shelter downtown.

The Samaritan Inn provides Food, Hope, and Healing for up to 69 men each night, and First Pres volunteers the month of December, sending members each evening to serve dinner, keep watch through the night, and serve breakfast in the morning.

Until I joined FP, my idea of helping the homeless involved an hour or two handing out bowls of soup, or an afternoon sorting donations at the food bank.. but the first time I signed up for this, it very quickly became very apparent that this experience was so much more... more time, more energy, more out of my comfort zone... but also so much more rewarding.

At a time of year when it becomes so easy to be distracted by what the Sunday Slickies declare Most Important, what more perfect reminder could there be of that other Inn, and the travelers who were also searching for shelter that night.

The Samaritan Inn
Donations for December:
Penny Campaign, Aprons and Dish Towels, Men's Gloves

Matthew 25:35

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most important news of the day

2007-11-21T14:48:00.000-05:00

my best-thanksgiving-travel-day-ever*continues, as I chk email while waiting for an early flight out of gso and find that pollstar has thoughtfully notified me of two important tour stops for the Boss:

4/19

Orlando, FL

Amway Arena

ONSALE: 12/1

4/28

Greensboro, NC

Greensboro Coliseum

ONSALE: 12/7

*while you're probably thinking I've just jinxed this trip, as I have yet to arrive at the air-travel-purgatory known as Charlotte-Douglas, but I think the two shooting stars I saw earlier this week (thanks, Leonid), mean that things are under control. In the meantime, the couple extra bucks to fly out of gso = soooo worth it (so far).

.

in summary

2007-11-11T19:31:00.000-05:00

it was a long week, and so to kick of the start of another one, I now present:

a few things that got me through (in no particular order)

the new small group girls
the old small group girls
wake hoops from the 3rd row
pat green, live, loud, in-person
hot chocolate
warm socks
pictures of a goofy, busy brother and his cohorts

Looks Alive!

2007-11-05T22:50:00.000-05:00

The next box I send to my brother will include this unbelievably brilliant item :

best part = the propaganda:

"Looks Real!"
"Feels Real!"
"Stretchable!"

Thursday Night at the Movies

2007-10-31T21:56:00.000-04:00

Cinema SECCA presents:

In the Shadow of the Moon

Thurs, 7pm
Sun, 2pm

I have a feeling it might inspire a second-reading of my favorite Gene Kranz book.

.

Last Minute Costume Idea of the DAy

2007-10-30T22:44:00.000-04:00

Still plagued with indecision? May I suggest:

Pink Mummy Fairy Halloween Costume with Ballet Slippers

You're welcome.

.

Across the Pond

2007-10-28T13:58:00.001-04:00

The Giants are playing the Dolphins today. Right now, actually..

even more interesting than the fact that it's only a 3 pt game (so far), is some of the English coverage...

If' you go searching for articles, you should know that to avoid confusion, some newspapers decided to call the sport 'Gridiron'..

HERE, the Guardian explains 'the Hail Mary', and 'the Spike'

HERE, the Times suggests that if you're catching your first-ever game, just to accept the organized chaos, and enjoy the overt violence... try to understand the rules later.

.

Brilliant Business Idea of the Day

2007-10-25T21:40:00.001-04:00

I would sooo pay somebody some good money to bring a warm grilled-cheese sandwich and bowl of tomato soup to my house right now. Good. Money.

somebody invent a comfort food delivery service that I can order through email, and you'll have my business more days of the week than I'll care to admit.

Wake School of Business, get on it!

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2007-10-24T22:46:00.000-04:00

93.1 the Wolf is collecting DVD's to send to soldiers -- you have until November 9th, and can drop them off at these places (not terribly convenient, but you've got googlemaps, right):

93.1 The Wolf HQ in Greensboro (7819 National Service Road Suite 401 Greensboro)
ANY Hometown Handshake (Thursdays 12-2) Location
Anytime you see The Wolf on the street
A box is available for people to drop off DVDs at CNC Family Medicine, PLLC; 128 Okeewemee-Star Rd, Star, NC 27356.

the Brighthouse Blimp

2007-10-21T19:15:00.000-04:00

QB has some great blocking

2007-10-21T19:14:00.000-04:00

(wait a sec, is that holding?)

Outside of the new Brighthouse Stadium

2007-10-21T19:12:00.000-04:00

A tough day for the cats...

2007-10-20T20:31:00.000-04:00

tonight, some consolation,

tomorrow, on to Miss State.

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The Birthday Kid

2007-10-20T20:10:00.000-04:00

It's good to be the King...

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Game-Time

2007-10-20T11:52:00.000-04:00

Best Gameday signs this morning:

Mom, I found the Library!

Kentucky Fried Gator: Finger Lickin Good

Corso picks the gators, thank goodness. That guy never gets it right.

(stay tuned for pics from the new UCF stadium)

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Creepy Movie of the Week

2007-10-16T23:47:00.000-04:00

October can be a hard month to navigate, what with the plethora of scary movies that are nearly impossible to avoid. Halloween is only one day out of the year, but somehow it takes over an entire month. And tricks and treats aside, I think I could skip straight to Thanksgiving...

but if scary cinema's your thing, there's still a few more nights to catch them at the Wine Bar.

This Wednesday's show: Magic.

Next week is, appropriately, Halloween, while the 31st will be the scandalous Rocky Horror Picture Show. I'm assuming cast-themed costumes will be encouraged, in which case the best show in town that night might actually be out on Trade street, catching the average Winstonite's reaction to the Transylvanians...

6th and Vine

(Important Note: this appears to be the last of the movie-nites for awhile, as the calendar is advertising 'Retro Music Wednesdays' in November)

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Headline of the Year

2007-10-13T21:57:00.000-04:00

CATS TAKE DOWN GOLIATH!!!!!!!

Triple-overtime.

Wildcats storming a Football field.

Kentucky shirts (for any sport) seen in downtown Winston on a Saturday night.

What a day.

(also, anyone planning on attending the Miss. State game: just a reminder that your favorite daughter's birthday is coming up ;)

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