99 Things

I saw this on a blog and I thought I'd play along... (Can you tell I am trying to kill time while waiting for builds?)

Here are the rules: Bold the things you’ve done and post on your blog!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (Does orchestra count?)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (only California Adventure)
8. Climbed a mountain (Blue Ridge and Hanging Rock count, right?)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (ummm does playing a solo on the violin count?)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (This Spring Break!!)
18. Grown your own vegetables (I am counting the ingredients to make salsa)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked (In Honduras)
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (except that IBM doesn't have sick days, just personal days)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (Does the Krispy Kreme thing count? It felt like a long ways to me.... :) )
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (I have been to Scotland and England, but I don't remember visiting where my ancestors came from exactly)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (I don't remember stuff like this... so maybe....)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (snorkeling in Honduras)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching (In California, it was awesome!)
63. Got flowers for no reason (Well... I bought them for my table once)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (Completely unintentional, and I learned my lesson)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square (Had an interview in NYC and my hotel was off Times Square so that is where the cab let me out)
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle (I think mostly 4 Trax, but my grandparents do have motorcycles)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Redwoods
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Who wants to play?

The Devil Tag

My friend Liz tagged me on her blog. Someone's husband in the long train of tags calls it the devil tag, making it one of the more catchy tag names.

Here are the details:

1. Go to my documents/pictures.
2. Go to my 6th file folder.
3. Go to my 6th picture.
4. Blog about it.
5. Tag 6 people to do the same.



I took this picture when I was on a business trip to California. Specifically, I was in Anaheim at the big Technical Conference for IBM. It was a really huge room full of IBMers, like three thousand all in one place. Which is a lot. The conference had it's memorable moments, but like all business trips, the best part is when you extend it to the weekend so you can do some sightseeing. On this particular trip I drove out to the Pacific Ocean, and walked along the beach at Newport, CA which is where the O.C. is filmed. This is the first time I had seen the Pacific ocean. The amazing thing was the lack of dunes. The Atlantic ocean has dunes, so while you have houses "on the beach", they usually are behind the dunes. At the Pacific Ocean, the houses are literally on the beach, with nothing between the "backyard" of the house and the whole public beach. Also, the houses aren't built up a level. Most beach houses I have seen on the east coast are up on stilts with the cars parked underneath. At this particular stretch of beach, the houses were flat on the ground. I walked by a school whose playground was on the beach. Yea... I am sure alot of studying gets done there. When I got to the pier I realized I had walked alot farther than I had anticipated, and it took alot longer. So I paid a person at a bike store to ride a two person bike with me back to my car, so they could bring the bike back to the store. A one way trip for me, if that makes any sense. This was the first time I had ridden a two person bike, and now I can't remember what that is called. Anyway it is a very interesting balancing sensation. But I recommend it if you are into triathalons :) It wouldn't be a complete trip without me saying that I did get ice cream at the beach. All in all, I think I prefer the Atlantic ocean beaches and water, but maybe that is just because that is what I am most used to.

I tag Emily M., Emily J., Jamie M., Teresa M., and Carolina Chocolate

I guess a new experience could be worth trying

Jamie started school at UNC Chapel Hill last fall.  I go to Chapel Hill every week for Orchestra, so we have been meeting for dinner.  During the fall, we hit most of the restaurants right on Franklin Street.  This spring I thought we could branch out before repeating a restaurant.  Last week we tried a really unmemorable new Italian restaurant.  At least we recovered by having some ice cream :)  I asked Jamie if she would be interested in trying Asian food, and she said she was up for it.  The reason I asked is because our parents are not big Asian food people, so I wasn't sure if she was interested.  But Jamie said she had tried Indian food, and enjoyed it, so this week we went to a Thai restaurant.  Thai food was introduced to me when I was a Junior in college.  I had flown out to Seattle to interview at Microsoft for an internship position.  I was taken to two Thai restaurants during the course of my interviews, so I think it is a pretty popular choice in Seattle.  Needless to say, I loved what I ate, and when I got home, I proceeded to try to find Thai restaurants.  My favorite one is in Cary now, but there are other ones that are good.  It was also a surprise to me when I realized that one of my other sisters liked Thai food.  So then whenever we would visit each other, we started having a Thai dinner night.  Needless to say, I was hoping Jamie would like Thai food so that perhaps we could eat it on occasion together.  At the restaurant in Chapel Hill we ordered Massaman Curry and Sweet and Sour stir fry so that Jamie could try a couple of different things.  I thought they were fantastic, but I was a little sad that Emily wasn't ordering the Massaman since that is one of her favorites.  Jamie said she enjoyed the food, so maybe when she is down in Cary, I will take her to my favorite place.

 

Krispy Kreme Challenge

My roommate ran the Krispy Kreme Challenge last year and said it was alot of fun.  

The motto: 

2400 calories

12 donuts

4 miles

1 hour

The basic premise is you run 2 miles to the Krispy Kreme store, eat 12 glazed donuts, and run 2 miles back to where you started.  This is the first race I have ever participated in.  I am not a runner, but I thought..... donuts..... and signed up.  Also, it does benefit charity.  Yea, you are probably thinking, "The Biggest Loser doesn't need more contestants", or that this would be a great challenge to win immunity.  Anyway what I learned alot from this event. 

1. There is a reason people train for races
2. Donuts do not smell as good when you have run/walked 2 miles to get them.  They smell better when you are in a car.
3. People run in very interesting costumes.... Dressed as donuts, Dressed like Olympic divers, Dressed like Superman.... 
4. Going downhill is easier than going uphill
5. There are some pretty bungalows in Raleigh, and lots of new condos

Will I do this again?  Well...... I was thinking of actually being the person who stands at the corner and says, "Good job! Keep running!" because I saw the police cruiser bring those people donuts.  And I bet they tasted really good when you are just standing on a quiet residential street in a gorgeous 60 degree day in February in Raleigh.

Ode to my Dad

I remember when we lived in Scotland, we had a dial on the fridge. The dial said when one of us kids got to out alone with dad on whatever errand he was running. I remember one time I went out with my dad, and we got pigs in a blanket. It was a real treat!

When I was a freshman in high school, my dad took me to a football game. I sat by my friends near the marching band, and dad sat somewhere else where parents sat. It was a great game and went into overtime! My dad came over to find me and we decided to stay to see how the game would turn out. 3 overtimes later we won! It was the best game, and so much fun to go with my dad. It turns out that this was a week before my mom gave birth to my little sister, and it was also back in the days before cell phones. Needless to say my mom was not particularly happy with the fact that my dad and I stayed out past 11 to watch football. But I just remember my dad let me hang out with my friends, and he was so cool for staying through all the overtimes. (No, that isn't a picture of me... it is a generic band picture)

When I was in high school, my dad let me use the car to get to school and work. This usually meant I dropped him off at his work really really really early in the morning, and he walked home. Of course, he may remember this differently..... Walking to work uphill both ways with snow and no shoes.... What? You had feet? But I digress.

One time I had driven the car to work, and decided to go to the bank during lunch to drop off paychecks. The bank was up the road and on the left. It was a rainy day, and I was in the left hand lane of a four lane road. As I approached an intersection, there was a car going the opposite way who was attempting to turn left across my lane and the other lane into a vet hospital on my side of the road. They started to inch forward, and I thought they were going to turn in front of me, so I slammed on the brakes. Since the road was wet, I slid around, and hit some cars, and ended up in front of the vet hospital. All of the people were fine, but the car was totaled. I was so worried to call my dad because I thought he would be mad at me. He wasn't mad at all. He came and got me and made sure the accident was taken care of by the police. He took me home and called work to tell them I wouldn't be back in that day. He just asked me if I was ok, and he has never mentioned that I wrecked his car, not even to tease me about it years later.

Last week my dad was watching the news about the economic stimulus package and the state of the economy. When I saw him, he asked me if I had money in the bank. I said yes... why do you ask? He said it was going to be a rough six months, but as long as I had money in the bank, I would be ok. I was so touched by this, because it is my dad's way of letting me know he loves me.

Dad, I love you too.

Death rides a white horse named Binky

I went to a funeral this weekend.  It was for the father of a good friend from college.  We hung out as a group and just had a blast, and I was roommates with his wife back when they first started dating.  I don't have alot of experience with funerals.  And I can honestly say that all this did for me was confirm my fear of death.  I am not ready for anyone I know to die.  All of my grandparents are alive, and I realize that is rare for someone who is 29, and probably at some point they will die, but I am not ready.

The funeral I remember going to was my great grandfather's.  It was spring break, and I had to miss my friend Nicole's birthday party so we could drive across the country to attend the funeral.  I remember the casket being in a room in the church, but I don't remember really looking at it.  I remember the cultural hall being full of people, and being told they were all related to me, which was a mind-blowing concept.  But other than that, I really don't remember to much about the funeral.  

I am pretty sure I attended the funeral of my best friend's brother, but I honestly don't remember anything about that funeral.  I do remember being in my bedroom sometime afterwards and my best friend saying something about it.  I can't recall what she said, I can just remember being in the room with her.  

About two years ago I went to the funeral of a coworkers' wife.  A couple of us at work went together because we thought it was the right thing to do.  I am glad I went to shake his hand and offer some support.  It was a wonderful service.  At other churches they actually have the sacrament as part of the funeral service.  Also, the minister, because they are professional ministers, gave a really really good eulogy.  

Yesterday I went to the viewing.  I saw the casket from the line a ways back and realized that I can't really look at dead people.  So I talked to the family, and then skipped out of the line to avoid direct contact with the casket.  I am glad I went to the viewing though, because I got to say hi to my friends and chat with them for a bit and offer support.  At the funeral today there was no time for that.  The best part of the funeral was getting to see other friends.  Two of my friends came in and we rode together and got lunch.  It is always nice to visit with people.  And I got to see another friend and he is just the best guy ever (yes, my sisters will know exactly who I am talking about).  So that was totally great.  I mean, you don't really want to see people at this type of thing, but honestly, we all know that is the benefit of weddings and funerals... seeing people you don't often run into.  

But I was surprised that people don't wear black.  Have I just been watching death in movies for too long?  Is black no longer funeral attire?  I wore all black.... black shoes, nylons, skirt, and sweater with my black overcoat.  I think I was one of maybe 5 people who were wearing all black.  People wore pink and bright red and white and crazy patterned tights with stiletto heels that looked like they were meant for clubbing...... It was kind of surprising.

I was also surprised by the talks.  In our church we don't have professional clergy, so the eulogy and talks were just given by people who knew the deceased.  But one of them went into alot of detail about the illness and hospital visits, and that just made me uncomfortable.  It was too personal.  Maybe that is what a funeral is about, but I was imagining more of an overview, the highlights of his life...... maybe some funny stories, some touching stories, but the best way you would want to remember him.  Not the end, which was painful and hard for him and his family. 

I was also noticing the similarities between weddings and funerals.  Both have lines you walk through.  Also, there are registry books to sign, flower arrangements, and musical numbers. 

However, weddings are a big party, and funerals are very melancholy.

So I suppose that is the bottom line.  The weekend was melancholy, and I am not really interested in attending a funeral for someone who is closer to me, so nobody can die.  Got it?

Title Source: Terry Pratchett

And this chair is just right

My tribe is a "spot" tribe.

This chair is too small, this chair is too big, and this chair is just right.

When I was growing up, my dad had his spot on the couch. If any of us were in his spot when he came in, he would come and sit down on top of us like we weren't there, and in a loud, joking voice say, "Gosh, this couch is really lumpy", and we would yell, "Dad, Dad!!!" and finally he would turn around and be like, "Oh! How did you get there" and get up so you could scramble out of the way. My mom has her spot on the couch, and if you are in Mom's spot, Dad tells you you are in Mom's spot and you get up and move. We also had spots at the dining room table.

I hadn't realized how engrained this spot thing was until recently. I have two matching recliners, and one of them happens to be closer to the monitor screen. But I always assumed that was just because that is how it worked out with the furniture arrangement. My roommate and I were both home on the snow day, and when my roommate came downstairs, she sat in the chair that was closest to the monitor. It was at that moment that I realized it was my chair. Before that point, I hadn't realized that I always sat in exactly the same chair to watch tv, work from home, write in my blog, cross stitch, do everything. I do. I sit in exactly the same chair. No matter that I have one that matches it. It isn't My Chair. So I was flabbergasted that my roommate would be in my chair. Of course, my chair doesn't have a sign on it, so how would she know. And then I remembered..... this happened at work. At work we have repeating meetings, the same meeting in the same room every week. I sit in the same spot in these meetings. One day someone was sitting in my spot, and I walked into the room and said, you are in my chair. They looked startled, and got up and moved. People in the office now joke about how it is my chair....

I hadn't realized that not everyone is like this. Not everyone comes from a "spot" tribe. My roommate doesn't come from a spot tribe. Her family didn't have assigned couch spots. So she didn't realize that I had a spot. So I was talking to her about it later, and was explaining how upsetting it was to not have my spot, and she laughed at me, and I laughed, because it is a bit funny. But I do hope that from now on, she will not sit in my spot.

Figaro

David A. Bednar's Conference Talk April 2005

This conference talk is one that has stuck in my memory ever since hearing it. I am often reminded of the tender mercies of the Lord in my own life, and am grateful for Elder Bednar's words that come back to mind. This week I had such an experience. I have a fairly straight forward morning routine to get ready for work. My cell phone is my alarm clock, so it sits on my nightstand for the duration of the morning, and when I walk by I pick it up to take to work. It is always set on vibrate, but the actual alarm does still ring. Friday morning I got up and got in the shower. When I got out of the shower, I put my cell phone in the pocket of my jeans, which I never do. But then a couple of minutes later, I felt it vibrating. It was my bosses' boss calling about some charts she had to present that morning. If I hadn't put my cell phone in my pocket, I would have missed her call, and might not have had the opportunity to help out an upper level manager. This week there were layoffs at work, more than usual, and it affected people in my immediate department. I am blessed to still have a job, and fortunate to have these little reminders that it is not all because of my own effort.

I went to see the Barber of Seville, because in Orchestra I played one of the songs from that Opera and loved it. Below is a clip of Woody the Woodpecker performing the song. This is how most of us come to know classical music, through cartoons. But I would recommend the real thing to you if you ever have the chance.

When I was in eighth grade, I had a math teacher who loved the Redskins. If the Redskins won their game, we would not have math homework that Monday or Tuesday night. I was an avid football fan that year, in that I watched probably 5 minutes of the game, and asked my Dad who won. The Redskins were having a fantastic season, which meant very little math homework for me. They were finally one of the teams to be in the Superbowl. So I arranged to have a friend come over to watch the Superbowl after church and spend the night. We were hoping for a week off homework! My mom made chips and dips of many kinds, and we sat around and watched the commercials and played board games. I don't actually remember watching the football part of the game. This used to be an annual event, one Sunday a year to just eat a dinner of chips and dips :) But things change.... dad's become bishops.... and examples have to be set. And let's face it. Here in the South we are basketball fans, and not die-hard football fans. So if Carolina goes to the Big Dance, maybe my younger sister will get out of some math homework :)