Hair Style Exam

Man.. that is an ugly picture...


Upon leaving SF, I gave up my favoritest hairstylist Nikki. She somehow managed to give me a great style and color that I could maintain on my terribly low maintenance lifestyle. Right before I left, she gave me a brown all over so I wouldn't have to maintain my highlights out here. But it was semi-permanent. Which means, that those lovely hightlights are starting to reappear, albeit a few centimeters from my scalp. Not so good. I've made a bit of a reputation being a relatively well dressed scientist.. So I have a question. Get your #2 pencils out.

Should I:

1. Book myself into the fancy Aveda Institute downtown I've been dying to try and..
a. Go back to the blonde highlights.
b. Embrace Fall and do something darker.
c. With either color, should I continue to grow it out, although I am not sure it is the most flattering for my face, but cheaper and worth a shot since I've already come this far. OR go back to my old standby short style?

2. Or, continue to have Trent trim my hair on the front porch and just let the whole fancy dancy hair coloring work its way out. It isn't really bad, just kinda drab.

Hmmm.

And, wow, are those "Hairstyle" websites horribly unhelpful. Who wants to look like about 95% of those girls. Any good sites out there? Mom and I saw a cute makeover on "What Not to Wear," but I can't find the episode on TLC. Hmmm... dilemna!

Complain

It is a quarter to 8pm. I am waiting for some samples to dry before I can put my radiolabelled mRNA probe on them and let them incubate at 65 degrees overnight. Because, apparently, I didn't wait long enough on my first try and half my brains floated away. And I couldn't even get started till 2 because the radiation didn't arrive until then. Which is okay, because I needed a break after taking the HARDEST test I've taken in a good long time. Oh, and it is Trent's birthday, as you know. Which he spent at home sick. So it is awesome, that I am stuck here. Just really awesome.

But I heard we got our care package from SLO! How do you guys know when I am having one of the worst ones? Lots of yummy Trader Joe's and other goodies. Thanks Mom and Dad! Hope you are feeling better Mom, watch out for that precious noggin!

Real Story:
Lab: Ya, it's late. That part is true. But I am glad I can finish it tonight because then I can do "Day 2" of the experiment tomorrow, and not on Thursday when I teach. Which is a good thing. These samples look really good and my probe should be great, after I repeated that one time, but what is science if not trial and error? I still think my boss likes me..

The test: was really hard. But everyone thought so, even the girl who has a fruitfly tattoo (gotta love her). It was 9 pages of complex questions written by 6 different professors, one whose English is not so hot. So I am hoping for a good old curve. Or, they said I could have my job back in SF... Just kiddin'.

Neglecting Trent: Ya, this one is pretty rough too. He is such a great sport though, and wants me to do a good job. Which I am so grateful for. We've decided to go to the beach this weekend, I am thrilled to see the Outer Banks finally! And I picked up some tickets today to see James Taylor (a, I will not deny, huge factor in me coming to UNC- he is a Chapel Hill native!) and the UNC Symphony perform together this Sunday afternoon. Which we are both really excited about. He is feeling a lot better after his day home, but it was probably a good idea to not go to work, a lot of his co-workers are way sick.

So things aren't too bad.. just a little bit. But nothing a care package, some stunningly beautiful in situ hybridization results, and a massive curve on my genetics test can't fix!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUBS!

Tomorrow is my sweetie's birthday. I know I tend to go on and on about him, but I cannot emphasize how much his love and support means to me. He is my best friend, adventure partner, and challenges me everyday to do my best. Enjoy a few pics!
(And who can't fall for a guy who is so good at costumes!)

Yummers!

Hello strangers-
This week has been crazy, but in a good way. I feel like things are settling down into this crazy schedule. I even had some free time this last Friday, I hardly knew what to do with myself.

My students actually accomplished their lab (after I did a bunch of their prep work, but oh well), one of my favorite professors is the guest lecture in my class, and my frog project is about to actually start (tomorrow!!).

Friday night we hosted the first real dinner party at our tiny cottage. Trent made fancy rustic pizzas and we hosted BioAmiga's Dierdre and Kelly, and Kelly's visiting parents. The house was perfect, cozy and filled with good cheer. Since last year's apartment was so small, we were quite out of practice, but everything went smoothly. We even got to use our fancy dessert forks from Gump's!

Last night we went to a bbq hosted by some of the older graduate students. I couldn't ask for a nicer group of people. They are all friendly and open, and actually graduating, which is exciting, but unbelievable to even think about yet.

We've been resting up a lot because of lingering colds, but did try to go on a bike ride this morning (Trent went on a super long one on Saturday, but I was too sicky). Today's was not helped by me getting 3 flat tires, and finally Trent just went home and got the car and picked me up. But it was out in the country and lovely where he left me, so I got my "Friends' Meeting" in anyways, just in private instead.

This week is going to be very busy. I have my first exam in Genetics on Tuesday, my frog experiment starts tomorrow and will take several full days, and I still have to set up for this week's lab I am teaching. Oh well! I am mindful today of how lucky I am, even on days when I feel swamped, to be able to be going to school and work with amazing people, and to have such a partner as Trent who is always there to boost my spirits. Today I was studying all day for this upcoming test and we went out grocery shopping and came back with 2 pounds of FRESH mussels, which we steamed with some onion, garlic, and wine and devoured. Lucky me!

Today was a rough day. Ever since things got really going, I've been feeling like there is not nearly enough time everyday. Today was no exception. I run hectically from one thing to another, am late to half of them, and feel like in one way or another I letting everyone down. I feel like a bad TA (they didn't finish their lab today), a bad researcher (I missed a meeting, cuz I was TA-ing), a bad student (I was too busy to print out the lecture notes), a bad friend (I can't go to a wedding in Sacramento), and bad girlfriend (because I bitch about all this to a certain someone).

So there was NO day like today to receive the BEST care package EVER from the BEST SISTER EVER. Emily is the pinnacle of style, charm, and grace. She always exceeds every standard for kindness and social graces. There is a lot of our Grandmother in her. I opened my first of the adorably wrapped packages (it is going to be SO hard to ration them, but I am sure I will have many more rough days to come) and was was given the perfect quote to reassure me after today (and yummy sample of Philosophy's Amazing Grace:

"how you climb up the mountain is just as important as how you get down the mountain. and, so it is with life, which for many of us becomes one gigantic test followed by one gigantic lesson. in the end, it all comes down to one word. grace. it's how you accept winning and losing, good luck and bad luck, the darkness and the light."

And with a long hot shower I realized that the challenging parts in life are even more important than the easy ones, and how I deal with this year will depend on my grace. So I went on eBay and bought a big bottle. And whenever I use it I will think of my best inspiration for grace.

(I also got the Purity face wash, I love eBay!)

Reality Check: I am not failing out of gradschool, no worries. I am just learning that I need to learn how to manage my time and how to say no. I have some wonderful new friends, my students are great and learning a lot, and my prof said my brain sections were some of the best she'd ever seen. And tonight Bubs got me and two girlfriends free tickets to the new Jason Statham movie Crank.. excited!!

Yay for eBay!

Thanks to my awesomely technically savvy beau, I just successfully completely my first eBay purchase! I know that this sweater is from last season, but it is so cute (little scotties!), my color/size, and from JCrew which I am in love with/completely unable to afford. So yay for me! Fall is starting to arrive, this will be perfect with my dark jeans or jean skirt.. and perhaps some fabulous JCrew boots??

I've really started working in my new lab. Which is awesomely exciting and I love learning all the new stuff and getting to use my skills from previous labs. One skill I wasn't planning on needed so much was my experience on the cryostat. It paid off today. I spent about 3 hours sectioning one tiny frog brain into about 600 little pieces on or so slides. It is going to be great once I have them all done, but kind of a pain in the neck (literally) to do, even though this one is a fancy new one with a foot pedal that automatically advances the section (nerdy, but seriously awesome). About an hour in to it, I realized this was one time that having my amazingly awesome SLVR cellphone (which I am usually kinda embarrassed about cuz it is so gear head fantastic). I just uploaded the new G-Love and the Special Sauce album "Lemonade" which was the perfect blend of upbeat tunes to keep me chopping away happily.

Until 6 when my new UNC amiga and I tore it up at our weekly hiphop dance class. We are the oldest people in there by far (a girl today was wearing a shirt that said "Seniors (highschool) Class of 2006!!) but we have the most spirit, and the least amount of natural talent. But we love it, so that is all that matters.

A Fancy Shade of Jean

All this new fancy furniture has changed my perspective on things. I like the fancy stuff!! I've been making an effort to dress nicely (which isn't hard to do when among most bio grad students), our house is classy as all out. And now I feel I need these boots to complete my awesome new persona. So... I am a size 7.. And broke :)

But just for when I probably buy boots from somewhere much much cheaper.. which is better, black or brown?? I've never bought them before, and want to wear them ALL the time. Thanks!

Weekend Furniture Bonanza!

We got internet in the cottage. Seriously, I no longer feel like I am in the Stone Age. Along with the internet, we nearly completely finished furnishing the cottage this weekend. We had several strokes of luck at our favorite used furniture place, Furniture Follies, including a beautiful dining room table and four chairs that I couldn't have fathomed we were fancy enough to own, but the price was right and I was in love. Trent bought a great chair with Flor di Lis print (go New Orleans!) that looks all classic, but reclines and is insanely comfortable. Then we lucked out with a Craigslist find of a $150 3 year old Broyhill sofa from some ridiculously rich folks in Clayton. Worth the drive, no question. Thank goodness for the truck. Now just gotta decorate it.. we have several fantastic ideas including a tree coat rack, an upholstered head board and framed botanicals in the dining room! I am scouring Real Simple and Blueprint for ideas. Please let me know what clever/cheap tactics worked for you!

I'm a survivor!

Today was a whole bunch of excitment. And sheer and utter exhaustion. But ya know, the goods come with the bads.

Hurricane Ernesto. Was actually a very welcome relief. The past couple days have been insanely hot and I was thrilled when Tuesday night it started raining. Yesterday it was kind of gray but nothing bad. Then around 4 when it was time for me to hike all the way across campus, it started POURING!! I am not prepared for this kind of thing. You can tell who has lived here for a while, they all automatically carry umbrellas.. smarties. I arrived at the Ethics Seminar absolutely drenched! And unfortunately, people love the AC over here so the auditorium was frigid. Oh well, everyone else in my group was soaked too..

Walked to a seminar around 6 and it was lightly sprinkling, no biggie. But at the end of the seminar.. around 8pm.. it was POURING again. And tons of LIGHTNING and THUNDER. Does the CAPS make it seem more intense?? Luckily I phoned up my number one hero and he and the trust suby arrived in no time flat and whisked me and another UCDavis friend away and home safely. The lightning was pretty intense but most places have lightening rods and there were tons of people just out jogging or walking their dogs like it is no big deal, so I can't say it was too scary. The storm continued all night and today it has been sprinkling on and off (but i did bring my PreCip!!). Hopefully I can run home before it starts up again, if it does.

So first hurricane down.. no biggie. Love the cooler weather it brought and the lightening was pretty amazing. It rained about 5 inches or something crazy, but it is good because we were having a drought this summer.

Today was also my FIRST real lab to TA. I've spent the entire week frantically autoclaving, begging equipment, and prepping for it, and I think it went off pretty well. It is a challenge dealing with 10 students who all have completely different levels of experience, but the ones that have a lot were really nice about helping out those who didn't. Bless my dear prof, but he just went on and on about historically famous plasmids and then left me.. alone. For the rest of the time. Except to come back and tell me he thinks there is residual DNA in dialysis tubing, and talk about his daughters' swim team. Awesome. I was frantically busy, but I think everyone learned a lot and got their projects done. I just can't believe I have to start all over again for next week, but hopefully it will just keep getting easier. Now it is 6pm, I missed the Ethics seminar, I just innoculated some cultures of plasmids I hopefully tranformed into e.coli with frog behavior genes in them, and everyone has gone home. I am starving and exhausted and have a ton of papers to read and homework to do before tomorrow. But I think I am just gonna go home and see what yummy thing Trent has fixed me tonight.. Love having him here, it is the BEST!!!

Ciao!

Swimming, not sinking!!

Hehehe, I am in my new lab!! Probably shouldn't be blogging already but... meh?

Back at the bench and I LOVE IT!! Never thought I was an obsessively clean person until you ask me to transform a plasmid into some e.coli... I nearly sprayed the whole place down with ethanol and relabelled half of their equipment already.

Anyways, sorry for the lack of updates, no internet at the home yet. But Trent arrived yesterday, so that will probably change very soon. I have lots of great pictures of the adorable cottage looking more home-like everyday. Look forward to a post hopefully by this weekend. I cannot believe how busy I am.. at school from 8am to 8pm today! But things are going great, finally settling in. OH, and Sara.. TA-ing is a trip!! Love the students, but tons of work. Last friday I poured about 200 LB agar plates. My arm was dying!

Gotta run, don't wanna make a bad impression. Hope you are all doing great!

my new favorite thing

I am runner by nature. I'd rather run anywhere I am going for efficiency, it makes me feel a whole lot better after a stressful day, and it is a great time to practice speeches or conjugating spanish verbs. I think I am even a pretty good runner. Although I run like a Kalajari bushman, I am highly efficient and can go for ages. It is also the way I get to know a town, every place I've stayed a while I stake out by running. It affords you ample people watching time and chances to venture down random streets, with the comfort that no one thinks you are crazy because you are running. Not jogging, running. It's important, that distinction.

However.. I've been running about everyday out here and.. well, I just don't know. It is still a great way for me to know the town (I run up and down Franklin St, checking out the scene) and the campus (the med center/school is HUGE, looks like an airport, but not as huge as the football stadium, holy moley!). But man.. the humidity. It doesn't bother me so much just walking around, and it is kind of nice because it makes you feel like you are working out really hard cuz you are sweating so much. But not always so pleasant.

SO... new favorite thing: The outdoor pool. A blissful 84 degree oasis of lovely clean water, friendly people, and easy access. Right in the heart of campus, moments from my department.. it is going to be my constant companion!

Update: a bit of a childish rant

Oh my goodness. See.. I've moved, and I've started a new job, and I've started school... but I have NEVER had the pleasure of doing all three at the exact same time. Wow. It is intense!! And it is further made fun by the fact that I sent my passport (why would I need that any time soon?) and SS card by MEDIA MAIL!!! I had to use my UCDavis diploma to get a new driver's licence! And I am pretty sure the post office isn't sending my mail here so I cannot prove residency yet. Awesome. Oh and the health department thinks I never got my infant diptheria and tetnus shots. Umm, pretty sure I did...

I miss freshman year of Davis. I am hard pressed to think of a happier year in my life. I met the love of my life, both Trent and plant biology (hehe), I got to live in a tiny little room with the bestest girl friend you could ever ask for, and everything magically seemed to fall into place. They helped me register, find my textbooks, find my classes, provided a place for me to live and eat, and even gave me furniture. I didn't have to do a thing! And, I admit ashamedly, I was kind of expecting a bit of the same treatment here. Not with the housing, I love our tiny home and am very glad we aren't doing on campus, but maybe with some of the other stuff. I still want my campus tour! I want to go to a football rally with my homies from the dorms. I hate all this grownup nonsense. Yesterday was our orientation. I was thrilled (I even finally bought a denim pencil skirt just for the occasion, the option from Gap, Sara, and I love it!). It was a pleasant event, ran into some friends from the interview process and then bam.. your done. No tours, rallys, nada. They did give us a commuter mug. Argh.

Today I have TA training, although I STILL haven't heard from the prof I am working with. Maybe I will go hunt him down. I did manage to start a new checking account and filled out all my grad school forms (except the ones that required a passport/ssn card, but I have a darling HR advisor who is completely understanding and patient with my bumblings), and am going swimming in the lovely outdoor pool afterwards. Tonight there is a new graduate student social, for all grad students, not just our department. My fellow MCDB'ers kind of looked down on it, but I think I might just go.. I need a little more planned social activities! Monday we have our officical MCDB orientation which will be great to hear, and I get to pick my class(es) for the semester. Oh and I bought a coffee table from a lovely woman at a REAL store, not craigslist. I am starting to feel just a bit grown up I guess?

Ok, online assistance: I love the coffee table, about 2.5' wide and 4' long. Dark wood with stain but you can still see the grain. No real embellishments. I will try to post a pic soon. So it is DYING for a fabulous rug. Any recommendations? I would like it to be a bit bigger than the table, nice colors or pattern, and under $100. Go crazy on it! Thanks

Freshman are moving into the dorms with their nervous parents patiently carrying bags of Target goodies and loading money onto their reg cards to ensure they eat (jealous!). I want to grab one of them and tell them "Do you have any idea how lucky you are to be starting out?" And I should probably tell myself the same thing.. especially cuz mine is being paid for :)

Just a quick update on NC life thus far. I am currently at the Davies Library on campus and desperately need to be working on putting together a convincing arguement that I, out of the six potential applicants, would be the best fit for a highly successful research professor's lab this fall. But I just have to share my stories with my friends first...

Things have been going well, I've started to really live in the little home and find my way around Chapel Hill. I still need Trent on the phone when I venture out of my little town, but he is quite handy on the internet. It is definitely a growing up experience. Until yesterday, I'd never bought: a vacumn, a microwave, a blanket. I've never thought of buying a sofa, though I will be doing that soon. I even didn't realize that you had to call the gas company to have them turn on the gas.. after I bought all the fixings for a fancy spaghetti dinner and realized the stove didn't work. (But somehow I have hot water... no idea how this is working.) I am realizing I have a lot of growing up to do and I am feeling very proud of myself thus far. I took myself out to dinner last night, on Saturday night I went to a play in the little Forest Theater just meters from my house, at Penney's kind suggestion, and I finally decided on the color scheme for the chairs and tables (glossy white and bright green). I went grocery shopping and have nearly finished restoring the tables and chairs. I was feeling very proud of myself. Until this morning.

I was exhausted last night after a day of battling the big box stores so after working on the tables a bit in the late evening (the best time, cool and no bugs!) I climbed into bed with my new blanket and slept great. Up early this morning and had time for a run before I needed to get to campus to study it up. So off I go. But then with a sinking dread.. I realized I had just locked myself out. How interesting those first few moments are. The sinking dread, the immobilizing realization that you are completely alone to figure this out. I quickly investigated all the windows. The weather has gotten cooler and I was sick of the paint smell so I've been leaving the windows open, with the screens on of course. I even tried the one that required me to delicately balance over a bush of poisin ivy. No luck. Finally, I realized that the one window that wasn't open had the loosest screen and wasn't locked. But it was SO hard to open!! I managed to get it propped up about 7 inches and found I could fit my head through it. And yes, this is probably my biggest concern for fitting through something (go ahead, laugh away). So I began to shimmy through. Unfortunately about at my hips the window slid shut a bit and I was completely stuck. I was too far from the floor to get any resistance to push against and my feet stuck out from the window too far from the ground. Hmm... right. Fortunately, I suppose, the window I chose to sneak through was right on the gravel path that leads by all the cottages. I heard a car arrive in the lot and footsteps on the gravel. I was wiggling around furiously, but couldn't get the window to go up any further. Finally I heard, "Umm, need some help?" I had the stranger hold on to my feet so I could push against him and tumbled on to the floor. I looked up and there was the local UPS guy, dropping off one of Trent's boxes. So I will be seeing lots more of him, but hopefully not in the same circumstances. After my meeting I am off to the hardware store to make 10 copies of keys and hide them in various locations. Time to grow up Jean, though I am happy with my McGuiver sensibilities!

I have more pictures to post but really need to get studying. Wish me luck at this meeting!

More pics!

My living room fireplace and built in bookshelves. Already decorated with an original R.C. Peters. Oh la la!


My current bed situation. Fabulous new bed, great new sheets.. and my REI sleeping bag. Which is much too hot. Oh well, one thing at a time! At least now I have a lamp and a bedside...chair! And clean walls. So important!


The chairs. What should be their color fate? Carolina Blue??

Wearing the Yellow Jersey!

Dad's Birthday Dinner! There is a candle in his sorbet.

These lamps.. need to be replaced, right? Maybe just the shades? I need some online assistance with this one, girls!

Laundry room! Seriously, this is one of my favorite parts of the new house.

Our cute, but tiny, kitchen. Before cleaning. You can't tell the grossness that abounded in this picture, but trust me.. it was nasty. Just painted this room today. Except for the blue cabinets, I kind of like those!

Mean Jean makes her parents work when they are kind enough to drive across the country with her.. You guys are the BEST!!


Wow!! I am back! I am now sitting in the Caribou Cafe in downtown Chapel Hill. What a crazy couple of days it has been since the last post. No internet yet at the house.. which is so disconcerting, so I apologize for the lack of info. Here ya go-

So we arrived Monday and met up with Bob the landlord. We walked around the house and got situated. Immediately unloaded the car into the livingroom and finally got a chance to poke around in all the cabinets and closets that we couldn't before during our frantic dash around the cottage. Still adorable, has central air/heat, and a dishwasher as well as washer and dryer. However... not so clean. Weirdly not clean, really. Good thing the parents were hanging out for a few days!

We went to our homebase for the first few days, my Mom's college roommate's house. She came over to see the place, and then she took us to Whole Foods for lunch which was an oasis of beautiful salads after our I-40 food for the last week. We were all amazed and all got way more than we could eat. Luckily it is right by my house.. it is going to be very tempting! Then we followed her over to her house not too far away. We gathered our wits and chatted for a bit and then headed out for some serious shopping. First to the bed shop where.. I dunno, they all kind of seem the same to me, but I found a reasonably priced one that seemed to be very comfy and got it! Hope the Bubs approves! Then we went to "Tuesday Morning" next door which is like Ross. I got some sheets (the highest count I've ever had!) a couple pillows and some hangers. Penney headed home after directing us to Target. And man, did we go crazy at Target. TONS of cleaning stuff, shower curtains, bathmats, garbage cans, toothpaste.. everything! Glad I've been saving up my money these last few months, it is expensive starting over. We kept having to go back through after forgetting a few things, and finally rewarded ourselves with Starbucks before heading home to unload it all. Mom and I tackled the dirtiest room, the kitchen, while Dad was a trooper about my lack of furniture and set up a little camp with the newly bought pillows and a sleeping bag. The kitchen wasn't hopeless, it just never had someone come through and clean it. Weird. I am dying to know if the previous tenants got their deposit back. It was cathartic to scrub and lay new shelf paper.. and great having Mom to help. Finally exhausted we headed back to Penney's house for a wonderful shrimp dinner and lots of great fruit. I crashed on their basement futon after a long evening of telling stories.

Tuesday we were ready to work. After breakfast at their house, we went to explore Chapel Hill, getting maps at the visitor's center and a recommendation to eat at Momma Dip's for lunch. Apparently she has a cooking show and makes wonderful southern style food. We finally got our fried chicken, and it was wonderful. I am gonna have to bring all my western visitors here for a proper introduction! We dropped off Dad at the house, I thought to rest, but he was an absolute champion and spackled and sanded the bedroom and dining room. We had decided that although it would be a lot of work, a new coat of paint was necessary and would make the place look great. Mom and I headed out for a Craigslist adventure. First off to Cary, about 20 minutes away, to buy a fabulous old Shwinn Hollywood Cruiser (The exact same model bike I rode all through UC Davis, this time green though) from a very pregnant woman. Can't wait to get it all spiffied up, but it was a steal at $20. Then we went to a HUGE Lowe's and got completely lost. Finally just recruited someone to walk around and find everything on our list, birdseed for my feeder, a fire extinguisher, a step ladder, lots of "apartment off white" paint, and lots of other last minute things. We were ready to head home when Bubs called with a Craigslist deal we had to go collect on. Fortunately still in Cary, we followed his directions over the phone and showed up to buy two brass lamps from a man for $15. Can't argue with that.

Back home and we were super motivated and got the entire bedroom painted. I feel so mean putting my parents to work, but it was great having the extra hands and so much easier to do before the bed arrived on Thursday. Many hands do make light work and soon we were done and back to Penney's house for dinner and good sleep.

Wednesday we decided to take a day off. Penney drove us up to Durham and gave us a tour of Duke University where she teaches voice lessons. Mom had a meeting with a prospective collaborator, and Penney and I wandered around campus, coming across a Jewish conference, the beautiful Engineering building and the old Bio building. Beautiful campus, but oddly laid out with two distinct campuses nearly 5 miles appart. Apparently students have classes on both campuses though. Though it was pretty, I have to remember that they are now my mortal enemies. I bleed Carolina Blue now.. or so I should...

We came back home and rested before I thought it wise to check up on the house. Luckily I did for a ton of boxes had arrived and were (unlike SF) left on my porch! Great to have more than the same 6 outfits I had on the drive. I was also pleasantly surprised by how great one coat of paint looked and the house seemed to be really coming together with my cute bike sitting on the porch along with my first hanging plant and bird feeder (that no one has visted yet, even though I've seen cardinals flying about. A squirrel got into the seed bag which I left out.. lesson learned. It is fun watching the squirrels run about, really feel like I am out at camp or something!). I quickly drove to meet up with my parents and our friends at Aurora, a fancy Italian restaurant for my Dad's birthday dinner. Lots of great conversation, I can't wait for Bubs to meet Penney and Eric. Back home for my last night in their beautiful house.

Woken by singing (they are both great singers) Happy Birthday to my Dad. He is amazing and has had more wonderful stories in his past 77 years than anyone. And still is up for any adventure. We packed up and said our goodbyes, and then Penney came over to see the improvements on the house. She also took us on a walking and driving tour of the UNC campus which I desperately needed. I feel much better about finding my way around now and we even went to my future departments to snoop around. Such a beautiful old campus, with lots of history. And it is growing like crazy. But I can't believe how close our little cottage is to the school, I am only about 5 minutes away, walking! SO lucky. We did some last loads of laundry for my parents so they wouldn't have to do it immediately when they got home and then went back to our favorite Whole Foods for another spectacular salad. We dashed home and grabbed the laundry before heading out to the airport. Despite all the worries that yesterday brought they made it home on time, which is unusual even when security isn't elevated. I am going to miss their constant companionship, we were a neat triad these past weeks. I headed out to get another Craigslist gem, four chairs and a table for $20. The chairs need a little work and painting.. any color recommendations? They are very simple but cute, and I want something fun. Advise away!

So now it is just me.. and this new town. Lots to still do, register the car, new drivers license, get my UNC id card so I can get into the gym and such, painting the livingroom (I painted the dining room and parts of the kitchen today! Go me!), fixing up the table and chairs, buying a dresser, finishing lining the shelves, and a bizillion other things. Luckily I have nothing really until the 17th, except for a meeting on Monday with a prospective lab to work with. Hopefully I will coordinate something with my other newbie Grad students who I am sure are in the same boat as I am. It feels unreal that this is actually happening, but so far I really like Chapel Hill, I love the warm weather (even the humidity, crazily enough), the people are all super friendly, I love our little house and getting it all fixed up, and I am getting to be a pro at Target. I just need my Bubs out here!!

Stage Eight Recap

Pictures:
Crossing into North Carolina through the Smokey Mountains
Mom and I at the Appalacian Trailhead, with the beautiful background.
The old highschool my grandfather went to which they get to enjoy forever.

Well, well, well...
Tonight we are finally in North Carolina. I've decided to blame Tennessee for all my misgivings about the South and my aprehension in general. Sorry Tennessee. I am sure you aren't that bad, but I just was never that taken with you. North Carolina on the other hand.. just fabulous!

We woke up fairly late this morning but Mom and I managed a quick, but nice, swim before breakfast and hitting the road. I started driving and we quickly listened to the last few minutes of Shopgirl before I put on my cd of all my favorite songs. The ones that make you feel better about yourself.. I know you all have them. If not, "Wildflowers" by Tom Petty. Honestly. We drove down through lots of back roads that took us directly through Pigeon Fordge (Home of Dollywood) and Gaitlenburg (which is a huge version of Pier 39, every Ripley's, hotel, and shop). It was overwhelming and nothing like the little vacation town my Dad remembers. We were pretty unimpressed with the clientelle and the whole situation.

But then we entered Smokey National Park. And it was simply stunning. So immensly green and wooded, with lots of creeks and waterfalls. We stopped to take pictures and celebrate crossing into NC. We found the Appalacian Trailhead (interested, trent?) and there were lots of people out hiking and swimming in the lake. All of whom we assumed were North Carolinians.. sorry Tennessee. We drove out of the park on a very curvy road and through the town of Maggie's Valley, which was simply charming in its innocence and lack of Ripley's. Rejuvinated, we pressed on to Ashville. Which was SO Trent and Jean. Tons of Subaru's with mountain bikes and kayaks. Happy families walking around, even some same sex couples (yay!) and lots of little art galleries, book stores, and fancy shops. They even had a hemp store! We found a cute sidewalk cafe and had a nice and leisurely lunch. We explored the town a bit, stopping in at one of the bookstores, but the day was slipping away so we didn't stay long. Definitely excited about getting to know that town better though.

Dad took over driving and I catnapped in the back to avoid the sickness that the curvy roads induce. We started listening to another book by Alexander Smith McCall, but of a different series. This one is of German linguists who get into crazy situations. It's called "The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs" I believe. SO funny. With some navigating we managed to find King's Mountain. My Grandfather grew up here and went to the high school and my father spent time visiting his grandmother and other family. The town has grown a lot but there were some parts he remembered. It has been great listening to all his stories. My grandparents are both buried there in a beautiful place that overlooks the old football stadium of the highschool he went to. We managed to find it after being given some mungled directions (you'd think the fireman would know exactly where it was!!) and spent some nice time there remembering. I never knew them, but I know what a big part of my lives they still are.

We made our way back to one of the two hotels in King's Mountain, a Holiday Inn. Immediately off to the pool to swim. I was eager, as this pool was large, deep, clean, and square. It, however, was also occupied by the sassiest 2 and 3 year old girls I've ever met. They immediately came over to inspect my cap and goggles and then told me I couldn't dare wear the cap in the pool and it was necessary they try on the goggles. The combination of their heavy Southern drawls and their sassy attitudes was hillarious. Mom and I could barely contain our laughter! I managed some good swimming, but it was punctuated by "Haaaayyy, watch this" and "Haaayyyy, something something something, ok??" Yes, sure, okay.. whatever you said, little crazy one. The two girls were absolutely fearless, of strangers and of the pool, and their parents didn't seem to mind one bit. I went immediately back to teaching swimming lessons at Hamilton and tried to get them to blow bubbles or kick their legs, but they just looked at me like I was crazy.

We headed of later to the Mexican restaurnt recommended by the front desk. It wasn't as bad as it could have been for being the middle of nowhere North Carolina, but everything had meat in it, which we weren't expecting. Lots of beans and tortillas, but I am totally stuffed! We cruised around town, getting completely lost but then suddenly ending up in the perfectly right area magically. The town seems to be doing well, there were lots of gorgeous old Southern homes, and plenty of businesses.

Tomorrow is the ninth and final stage. We are about 3 hours outside of Chapel Hill. We are thinking of going straight to my house and meeting up with my landlord and getting into our cute cottage and doing lots of laundry before heading over to my Mom's college roommate's house where they will be staying. And I might be staying while I buy a bed and maybe a chair or something to make the house liveable! It will be crazy to be back in Chapel Hill, especially knowing that it is for good. I hope I remember how to get around and where our place was! I am excited to be able to get stuff done, I hate just fretting about it with no chance of resolving anything. Any deals online about furniture or decorations.. let me know. We need, um.. everything!

Skirt Search

Can't sleep, so I apologize to those reading this blog purely for trip details, but..

I've been on an epic denim skirt search ever since I regretfully gave away my favorite one last year. It has been ongoing and even caused me to pry nosily into our friends lives (sorry Colleen, thanks for the skirt info though!). Here are some options I've found so far-

JCrew. Don't necessarily love it, but hard to tell. I like that it is JCrew and will last forever, just not sure about the material. But how awesome is their fall marketing. Did you see the golden retreiver wearing the smart driving cap?? Love it.

Gap. Awkward model makes the skirt not so appealling, but it could be alright, no?

Chip and Pepper. I like this one better, but it isn't on such a nice sale.

7 for all Mankind. Love the jeans from this company and the skirt is nice except not sure I want to spend that moola on something already fraying. I sound like my mother...

Did you know they made 7 for all Mankind and Juicy skirts... for little girls. How ridiculous!! I would have fallen in some mud puddle chasing a frog and ruined it immediately! If I ever wore skirts optionally when I was a child.

Anyways, leave your vote in the comments, or your recommendation for ones I missed. I want to wear it all the time.. especially with these boots, in esspresso! Or these, and cute argyle socks with the weather turns foul.

Stage Seven Recap

Pictures:
The family with former President Andrew Jackson. Himself!
Mr. Jackson and I having a private chat.

Hi there!
Tonight we are in Farragut, Tennessee. This state is longer than we anticipated, and we have become a bit lazier in the mornings and more interested in sites along the way. No worries though, we are still fine on time and enjoy the trip.

This morning, Mom and I eagerly scampered down to the pool to resume our daily swimming regime. The desk clerk, however, informed us that the pool would not be opened until 9. Sheepishly, we went outside to stare whistfully at the cool waters. Until Mom said.. "Oh what the heck" and we quietly swam about for a half hour or so. A rope was strung across the pool, perhaps indicating it was not for use, but we just swam under or over it on our links. So, we may be fugitives of Jackson, TN! We drippingly (we had expected to get towels from the front desk) made our way back to the rooms, sneaking past the front desk. Showered and packed up, and headed down to a nice breakfast. Back into the faithful Subaru after consulting some maps, and headed off, with Mom at the helm. We started listening to "ShopGirl" by Steve Martin on tape. A fun story, and I loved the movie, but apparently the book was a bit more risque, which is hard for a daughter to hear while her parents are in the car. Very hard. But we are all grown ups, right?

I scouted fun locations to stop for lunch and just outside Nashville we came across The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's home before and after his presidency. Much more our style than the touristy aspects of Nashville. It was a running farm, with lots of cotton, racehorses, and slavery unfortunately. We watched the introductory movie and then explored the grounds. It was a beautiful house, he apparently really liked wallpaper and brightly painted walls, some of the rooms looked right out of the stylish home decor magazine, Domino! They had very important feeling docents dressed up in their late 1800's clothes who proudly showed us around the house. Dad found an exact copy of a desk passed down through our family in Jackson's office, but the docent didn't have many details on it. How interesting though!

We wandered through the kitchen and some of the slave's quarters, as well as the garden where Jackson and his wife are buried. I know very little about this President, and had never been to a presidential home before, so it was an interesting trip. On our way back to the cafe for lunch, we ran into the docent who plays Jackson himself. Strikingly similar in many ways, he referred to himself as Mr. Jackson and answered questions in the first person. In a manner I am finding more and more common down here, he had lots to say and took his time saying it. It is quite a change from the quick pace of CA. Unfortunately, we were beginning to melt in the humid heat and were starving so we slipped away from his political soapboxing. The cafe had the nicest Southern style food I've had yet. Great shrimp gumbo, beans, beets, and cornbread. Really yummy. We sat and talked about Dad's memories spending summers down in South Carolina as well as Kings Mountain, NC.

Back in the car with me at the wheel and we began heading East with no real goal. We just were finishing ShopGirl when the storm hit, quite innoculous at first, but then really opening up and dumping water. Once the lightning started coming quite close, we decided to call it an evening. Plus we lost another hour to the time changes so it was getting on in the day. Mom found Farragut, a suburb of Knoxville, and we decided on the Country Inn, based on my assesment of their pool (clean, but small) and the promise of a good breakfast. The rooms all seem alike by now, but this hotel has a cute, cottage like, feel. We immediately headed down to the pool to swim away our stiff backs and legs. I had fortunately received an email back from the UNC prof offering a rotation in his lab, but this brought on a new wave of anxiety as I realized I was about to get back to work in a very big way. Lots of studying to do when I get to our new house. I will be a faithful patron of some lucky coffee shop, since we will have no table or lights yet..

After the swim, Mom and I headed out to explore the town in hopes of finding a place to eat dinner. We ended up taking a bit longer than planned, finding a beautiful big lake with a private yacht club with sail boats, as well as a public one with mostly motor boats. Huge houses lined the shores; this town is doing quite well unlike others we've been to lately. We managed to find the older downtown and saw lots of cute churches and old homes. Back to the main strip and we were overwhelmed by all the options for dinner. It was getting late so we opted on picking up some chinese to bring back to the hotel. I asked for some steamed broccoli with some black bean sauce on the side and they gave us about a pound! Yummy though. Stopped by a Kroger's to get some Red Hook beer that will hopefully calm my nerves and we had a lovely dinner, chatting on the beds. Talked to Trent who calmed by fears (although I am nervous about his upcoming eye surgery on Monday and his crazy amount of work to do at his job and with packing up the apartment). I think I'll have another beer and call it an evening.

Stage Eight (over a full week of travelling?!?) passes through the Smokey Mountains into North Carolina and Asheville. Because we spent the night here, we will have a full day to explore this area before heading down to Kings Mountain and staying the night out there. Then into Chapel Hill on Monday. So much to do there, but I am very eager to get there and get going on all those things, instead of just fretting about them now! Yet, bittersweet in knowing that our fun adventure is nearly to a close...

I just walked down to get ice. On the way, a nice gentleman commented that he hoped he left some ice in the machine, how nice the weather was, and that I was looking lovely this evening. For the record I was wearing an old triathlon shirt, my bright yellow cordory shorts and no shoes. Not so lovely. After getting ice, I headed back. Two young girls were running down the hallway giggling. Scooting out of their way, I was pleasantly surprised when they slowed down and said "excuse me" and "pardon me." I officially love the South.