One thing I remember from Uzbekistan

A very cool bollywood club song that I heard ALL the time in my favorite restaurant in Jizzakh (my site). This song always came on the tv (all the good restaurants had one) and I always wanted to buy it, but could never find the CD. Baby H-- yet to have a CD here in America, but was the coolest music you could find in Uzbekistan (though not on CD).

Here's the video:


http://www.markacadey.net/mcn/audio/india/films/html/hindi-video-mere-naseeb-mein-baby.htm


And it's available on iTunes if you like it... just look up the title: mere naseeb mein

Tonight-- drive to NY. Tomorrow night-- fly to the Philippines. Word. So weird that it's finally time for this vacation. Couldn't come at a better time. :)

Next Stop: the Philippines

So next week, my family is going on our second family vacation in 6 months-- the Philippines. Back to the homeland. It'll be my first trip to the PI (Philippine Islands-- there's over 1800 of them) and my second trip to a developing nation.

This trip is causing a stir among the family because the PI isn't just any regular trip. My dad wants to see his classmates (as always), my mom gets to see her family that's still there, and the three daughters? 2 of them are stressing out and I'm okay with it. Jen and Joy have been freaking out the past week because of what will we do in the PI? where will we stay? what should we bring? I figure everything will work itself out-- and I knew Jen and Joy would want to plan things anyway. That's how London worked, too.

What am I looking forward to? I've never been to the Philippines, but from pictures it looks cool. I'm not one for hot weather, but it shouldn't be unbearable. A balmy 82 degrees last week and should remain steady at 82 for this week, too. I really want to go to the bazaar there because I miss that from my Uzbekistan experience. You can always find cool local stuff at the bazaars. The exchange rate is good-- that's what I love about developing nations, everything's cheap! $1 = 48.87 pesos. There will be some cool stuff to see in the Philippines, too-- Magellan's Cross (for full backstory click here), Sinulog (a festival for St Nino-- he's huge in the PI. See pictures of Sinulog 2005), Bantayan Church, but here's my favorite:

Merman Discovered in Cebu, Philippines

(you gotta see these pictures! scroll down when you get to the page)

I'll post again after the trip. We've got a layover in Hong Kong that we're all pretty excited about as well...

Myspace: Wanted Dead or Alive?

Probably dead actually. I have to say that for awhile there, I fell onto the Myspace bandwagon. But now? I think I'm over it.

I missed out on the whole Myspace thing to begin with... when I came back to the states, I had no idea what this internet social networking thing was. And it seemed a little creepy to me due to pedophiles, child predators, and just dirty people. Then I was little intrigued when you had to be a member to see people's myspace pictures, so I created an account just so I could see people's pictures (a little stalker-ish, but I wasn't hurting anyone). After that, I kind of felt obligated to create a myspace page, decorate it all fancy, and actually use it. I went a little crazy with the decorating for like 3 weeks-- wanting to change the background, the layout, and the music. And then, I stopped. I just lost interest. It wasn't fun anymore. Well, I can't really say that it was fun outside of the design part for me.

Myspace, I've now realized, is it's own world. You definitely have to be into it if you're in it... otherwise, you're really just wasting time. In the beginning of my myspace foray, I had people from my high school wanting to be my "friend," but really, I had a hard time figuring out who some of those people were! This whole farce of myspace friends is just weird to me. Which makes me think... if we weren't friends in high school, we probably wouldn't be friends now. I don't want to be mean, but as a self-proclaimed anti-social, I'm not really one to want to start random friendships with people. Sure there's people on there that I am actually friends with, but really, just because we went to the same school doesn't mean I knew you. My high school was kind of big (not in ideas, mind you, but in population), and I'm pretty sure I didn't like school in general, so there are definitely people I didn't know. It's the same with those people who are living in DC and who randomly ask me to add them. WHY? Because we live in DC? It's not like we live together. Last time I checked DC is a pretty big city.

So I've lost the interest in Myspace because I don't think it's a social network that's actually helping people come together. Though only speaking for myself, I found that Myspace just brings along a bunch of creepies looking for very unsavory things. However, my sister has found people from her high school class that she actually knew and wanted to get back in touch with... so maybe Myspace works for some. To me, though, myspace is dead. I'd rather contact my real friends through email. :)

To see some creepy stories about Myspace read these:

Myspace Murder Plot

Weirdos at Home

Is there LIFE after KIDS??

Something I've been wondering for awhile... as I love working with kids, but really don't want any of my own. Do parents get to do fun stuff after they have kids? I know all parents in the entire world think "oh, having a baby is one of the best things that I ever did... it changed my life." Well, of course, it changed your life-- you had to be responsible for another human being and you had to feed it and educate it and worry about it.

But my question is... can you still be selfish after you have kids?


I was at a concert this weekend-- annual Joy of Christmas choral concert at the National Cathedral (click here for a virtual tour)-- and saw something that made me wonder. There was a group of families-- maybe about 2 families, each with small toddler-ish kids. One of the moms showed up 30 minutes late (which at that point, do you really want to go to the concert at all??) with kid in tow. She sat down, the kid got antsy and she left. SERIOUSLY... they left. After sitting for about 20 minutes. Another kid in the group, after the choir (who weren't bad, definitely not Raffi... but at least it could have put a kid to sleep) finished a hymn, the kid yells, HE SUCKS. Yeah... that's pretty good raising of a kid if they are saying things suck at the age of 2. So after trying to quiet the tyke down to no avail... they left too. Pretty soon... the entire group was gone. Tickets wasted, parents without the concert they were hoping for.

So when you have kids and you have to watch them and entertain them... does that mean you don't get to do the fun stuff you always wanted to do? Does your life essentially stop once their's begins? Interesting, and just a little sad.

Is this why tons of families in DC and other metro areas have nannies (also, note, a lot of them here are filipina nannies)? Does having a nanny give you the time to be selfish again?

Awhile ago, there was a story of a woman who climbed Mount Everest. Her name was Alison Hargreaves and she was a mother of 2. She summitted Everest without oxygen (no small feat, in case you didn't know, considering Everest is 29,000+ ft. tall). Her husband, a climbing photographer, stayed home to watch the kids. The same climber summited K2 in Pakistan. Shortly after summitting, she died, along with 3 other climbers in a sudden storm. She was criticized (yes, after her death) for taking on such a dangerous sport while being a mother. Is that fair? She was a climber before the kids and a climber after the kids were born... did that make her a bad mother? Was she supposed to stop when she had the kids? Something to think about... FYI: her son has an interest in climbing now, too.

I like kids... but I also like being able to do what I want. Does that make me selfish? Yeah, I guess so. I like being able to sit through a concert, even a choral one-- which I've decided I don't like, if I want. I like the choice. If I had kids, I'd probably still sit through the concert... but my kids probably wouldn't be shouting that someone sucks in a very quiet cathedral.

Back in the saddle...

Hi ya'll. So I know... where the hell have I been lately? I leave you (all 3 of you) with rants about TomKat for like 3 weeks or something??? Sorry about that.

I have to say it's because I've been busy. Busy gym-ing, watching tv, working, etc. A 10-second catch-up:

Thanksgiving was awe-some (she says in a sing-song-y voice). Had a lot of fun... and we convinced Joy to come down to surprise the parents. Good eatin' and fun NC times-- Tanglewood (the lights that Mom wants everyone to see every year) and Biltmore Estate. See pictures at the left.

Joined a gym and have a trainer for a few sessions. She's from NC, too. Been working out 3 times a week... and I still don't like gym-ing, but it needs to be done.

Took a day off from work and Gordon took a sick day (which we proclaimed as Senior Skip Day-- Gordon didn't have one in high school!) and we played around in Virginia. Visited the George Washington Masonic National Memorial and the new-ish Air and Space Museum out by Dulles airport. See pictures at left.

Movies I saw and liked: Casino Royale (not as cute 007, but more classic James Bond action), The Holiday (a cute romantic comedy where Jack Black shows that he can act normal-- sort of). Movies I didn't like and wasted my time with: Hoot (seriously, Jimmy Buffett can write better songs than those on the soundtrack-- right???)-- a conservation-y for kids flick that definitely has some homosexual undertones which was just out of place for the genre.

What's next? Keeping up with the blog better-- I promise! Seeing more movies-- looking forward to We Are Marshall (what day is it? game day!). More gym-ing. Holidays in NC again-- yay!

It needed to be said...

I'm so over TomKat. Honestly... I think Tom Cruise sold his soul to the devil to have everything he wants. And there goes Katie Holmes' "great" acting career. And their kid looks like they had it like a year and a half ago... Nicole Kidman got out while she could.

Headlines from "THE celebrity nuptials of the season":
Tom, Katie Cruise to Matrimony

Mr. and Mrs. TomKat off on honeymoon


Whatever... it's sad to say I'm more interested in Britney Spear's didn't-see-that-one-coming divorce from that dumb guy.

Maybe Amazing Race for me...

Well, folks-- I'm working on convincing Gordon to try out for the Amazing Race 12. Turns out that applicant entries for the next Amazing Race (11) was June 6, 2006. 2006! So we don't have a chance at getting on that one (besides, Jen says its an All-Stars one). So now they have applications up for Amazing Race 12 due Jan. 2007... that would shoot during the summer of next year. I could totally see Gordon and I doing it this summer! We would be the coolest team, too. We'd be competitive, smart, and ready to do anything. Except maybe not swim-- as we're both not good swimmers, but we can totally work on that! And Gordon can do all the eating the gross food challenges. And I can do all the climb-y ones. So come on... let's go already!

Not sure if anyone out there (like anyone reads this!) watches the Amazing Race this year... but the cute Asian team -- the Cho brothers-- got kicked off tonight. They were really nice... okay, a little too nice (I don't think I would've waited on the other team as much as they did), but they still ran a good race. But to get kicked off like that?? Having to stop to talk to Ukrainian police? Not fair! Also, really, having to put up with the Alabama team's constant complaining and coat-tail riding? The Alabama team should've gotten kicked off for me ungrateful and lazy for not running their own race. They'll be the next to get kicked off because who will do the race for them now that both the Chos and the Kentucky people are off.

On a completely different topic... going home this week for T-giving. Word. Can't wait! :)

Dear Metro Rider...

I'm one of those people. You know the ones. The ones that sigh in exasperation when you use your paper farecard and you hold up my morning and evening commute. The ones that curse under their breath when you stand on the left of the escalator I'm running up. The ones that give you the mean look when you and your tourist family are standing at the doors when the stop for the Smithsonian metro is five (5!) stops away. I'm the one who isn't talking on her cellphone on an otherwise quiet train... but is forced to listen to you talking about how you hooked up with that cute guy from work and nobody knows yet-- we do now. Yes, I'm talking to you. I know who you are. You're the one who takes up both seats on the metro-- one for yourself and the other for your jam-packed CVS bag, file folder laden backpack, and smelly gym bag.

However, I'm also the one that actually waits on the escalator and stands on the right (I'm allowed-- it's the rules) as you're rushing by with your clickety clack heels a-racing. On the weekends, I'm in no hurry... because it's the weekend. At Dupont Circle, I don't care if your running late meeting your friends (who are already drunk) at Cloud or Lucky Bar or whatever's the "cool" place to hang out.

I love Metro. I love the SmarTrip cards, the signs that tell you when the train is coming (when they are working), the non-smoking (when people follow the rules) in every station, and the coming-soon-to-a-station-near-you express lanes for only SmarTrip holders. Joy may like her NY subway with it's who-knows-when-the-train-is-coming platforms, station stops every 1.2 seconds, and flimsy, lose them in your bag Metrocards (at least they're not tokens anymore). I'll take my walking for 2 blocks to work even after taking the train 3 stops.

What I don't like about Metro (besides the above mentioned Metro don'ts)? 3 years ago, Metro was strict about their rules about no food or drink on the train or in the station. Remember in 2000-- they arrested that little kid for eating french fries in the station? I don't think we should go back to that. There are other crimes-- drugs, drive-bys, and school shootings-- to deal with instead of Metro riders that can't get on the metro when they're done eating. I think it's sad that there even has to be a rule about eating or drinking. Honestly... do YOU want gross gigantic rats running around in the stations and across your feet? Do YOU want someone's left over apple core or Starbucks latte sitting in the only open seat on a packed train with 6 more stops until you get off? No thanks.

It's a love/hate relationship I have with Metro... but not with the Metro workers or Metro in general. It's with the people who don't even care that other people would rather not have a disgusting train to get on. And I think we could all get along. To you, Metro Rider, I say... I won't get annoyed if you stop acting annoying. And everybody wins!

See you on the Red Line--

Julie

Vote or Not Vote?

While the polls have closed... ever wonder if you are informed? Wonder if you should have voted? Would you have voted for Bart Simpson had he been on the ballot? Check out two tests below:

http://www.dontvote.org/

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2006/special/issues/caucus/quiz.html


Other good websites to check out:

Project Vote Smart (shout out to my old non-profit!)

Open Secrets

Michelle Malkin (beware: she's conservative)

Daily Kos (liberal)

FYI: I love watching the guys on NBC get all punchy during election coverage. Tim Russert-- bring out the white board. :)

3 concerts... 5 days

No, I'm not a Deadhead. I only like some of their music.

So last week, Jen made me go to a concert-- she lured me with the promise of everything paid-- to go see The Duhks (new grass/country band from Canada). I didn't think I'd like it-- not because I don't like bluegrass, but just because I don't like their name (in case you're wondering, you say it like the animal-- ducks). Anyway, so Jen and I went to the Birchmere in Alexandria. I think the Birchmere is my favorite concert venue for many reasons.

1- it's non-smoking so I didn't have to worry about smelling like someone's nasty ash tray.
2- it's a sit-down place where they serve you food... so I didn't have to stand so long and try to see.
3- they serve food-- and it's not that bad.

The concert was cool. The Duhks, despite their not so cool name, are actually very entertaining and their songs are actually cool. It's a little Allison Krauss, a little Nickel Creek, and a little Riverdance all in one band. And the bands opening for them weren't too shabby either. A man-and-his-guitar singer/songwriter, Rex Moroux opened the show. A an all-women band named Fruit opened for the Duhks. Both were very good bands. I ended up buying the Fruit CD-- because their music is fun. It's very Ani DiFranco and Indigo Girls, but happy.

Second concert-- National Symphony Orchestra playing Halloween-y tunes on Sunday afternoon at the Kennedy Center. Played stuff from Harry Potter (my main reason for wanting to go), Psycho, and other scary-like music. It was a great concert. It was a kids concert where they could go and where their Halloween costumes and the orchestra also dressed up. It was really cute! My problem was with the parents. This family in front of us were UNBELIEVEABLE. The kids were fine-- well-behaved, even. The parents were antsy and talking and just annoying. I finally had to just stand up so I could see without their head in my view or their whispering in my face. Crazy.

Finally, the last concert was on Monday after work at Iota in Arlington. We went and saw this band called The Veltz Family (formerly Cecilia). I have a history with this band. When I first saw them a few years back when they opened for a band I was seeing, I really liked their sound. I even went to their website and ordered not 1 but 3 of their CDs. So I waited and waited... and no CDs ever came. So I emailed the band and actually got a response back where they apologized and sent the CDs again. Again, no CDs in my mailbox. I gave up on them eventually, but when I heard they were coming back to DC on Monday (I'd missed the last few times they were around here), I thought I'd give them another try. It was a great show-- not crowded at all, only problem was the tall people in front of me-- but I went for the music and not for the sights, I suppose. Jenny bought their newest CD and it's really good. Lesson: Buy indie music at the concert and not from their cheapo website.

I think I'm done with concerts for now... I hadn't been to a live concert in awhile (I think Nickel Creek was the last one... they're breaking up by the way at the end of 2007). It was nice to go out and hear live music again and hear something new for a change. Oh, something interesting: Turns out that on Monday, Beck had a surprise midnight show at another club in the DC area. Didn't make it to that one. Maybe next time Beck...

GO CARDS!

A muddy slip-n-slide weekend

So this weekend, I spent a lot of time out in the country... an office party at a farm in WV and then a day visiting farms in MD. The office party was pretty cool. Got in a hayride and brought home some fresh apple cider. It was weird to see people from work... not at work. Also, it was a little weird as it was very much an "All-American" scene-- guys throwing around a football, little kids rolling around in the grass, dogs and puppies everywhere. Almost like a Kennedy affair-- not that I've been, but what I'd imagine a Kennedy affair would be like.

The farms in Maryland were very cool. Our main reason for driving all the way out to Maryland (almost PA)-- a corn maze. Actually, 4 mazes in 1 GIANT maze. See picture below in my last post. It had a Civil War theme (naturally-- we are in the south). They warned us before that it would be muddy... little did I know, they were NOT kidding. Unlucky for me, I wore my current favorite sneakers instead of my old beat up gore-tex shoes. Here's my shoes when all the mazing was done... how will I get them clean???

The maze was really cool. Lots of twists and turns... and more corn than I would know what to do with. I'm not really sure when we got into mazes... but this year alone, I think I've been through like like 3 or 4. Weird, I know. It reminds me a little of Labrinyth... the creepy David Bowie and young Jennifer Connelly movie... with the puppets.

Anyway, we had a great time at the maze farm. We got to shoot pumpkins from a pumpkin cannon. Seriously... a pumpkin cannon... kind of like a salad shooter, except it shoots out pumpkins! And they had targets to aim at-- an old boat, some broken tractors, tires, barrels, etc. What did I hit? Not a single thing... but I like to see the pumpkins go splat on the ground. Jenny didn't hit anything either. Gordon, however, hit the boat (the highest target) and broke a tractor even more.

Saw 15,000 turkeys that will be market sized (meaning... ready to sell and eat) in a few weeks-- just in time for Thanksgiving. Turkeys... are surprisingly white... and they smell... like poop. But interesting to see that many turkeys. And only now have I thought about how they were treated! It was in a pretty long and open barn... but maybe they trap them in cages after everyone goes home. OH NO! Jeez... maybe I can't eat turkey anymore.

All in all... some fun times in the Maryland countryside. I never realized how much I missed fall! Uzbekistan doesn't have seasons so much as just cold and hot. Yay, it's fall! FINALLY!

Check out the pictures from this weekend on the side under Newest Pics...

Who's got a new TV?

That's right, folks. Jenny and I have said goodbye to our sad, blurry TV. Hello, Sharpie-- our new flat screen Sharp tv! Gone are the days of the screen blurring whenever red or yellow is on the screen. Yay for HDTV. Amazing thing, that HD. I never thought it would be that great of a deal... but ESPN in HD makes it look like you're actually at the game (so it's kind of like I could have been at Game 7-- GO CARDS!), The Lion King looks like Africa-- for real, and Little Mermaid? Well... not the greatest "remastered" Disney DVD, but still a great movie. And... on the Today Show Meredith Vieira, not the prettiest in HD, but Anne Curry, still pretty.

Who knew TV could look this good? Oh, I guess all of you people that have had HD for like 2 years or something already. Then again, I also didn't know what a DVR was when I came back to the states.

Tonight, Jenny, Gordon and I saw Flags of Our Fathers. You should see it. It's very good... and if you can look past the fact that Jesse Bradford (yes, the guy in Bring It On) is a jerk, you'll enjoy it. Ryan Phillippe did a pretty good job. And you'll recognize a lot of the war buddies too (my favorite-- Jamie Bell, Mr. Billy Elliot himself!). Anyway, I think it's good... and very interesting since I had to take gaggles of children to the Marine Corps Memorial here in the DC area (actually in Arlington). A little disillusioning, but good.

Things I'm looking forward to in the coming weekend? A corn maze in Maryland, an office party (the cider squeeze) at the big boss' farm in WV, watching the new TV, and possible sunshine so I can finally wear the new sunglasses after a gross and rainy week. Word.

awww-- bunnies!

I never had a bunny when I was growing up... but lately I love them! I wish I had a bunny! Check out this cute disapproving bunny:

http://www.birdchick.com/adventures/rabbit/index3.html

Can't Get You Out of My Head...

Do you ever walk to work and out of NOWHERE... all of a sudden you're singing some song in your head and you have no idea where it came from?? It happens to me all the time! This morning on my rainy walk to work, I had that song... you know that song... by Suzanne Vega??

Tom's Diner. It's so catchy that it gets stuck in your head... even though I didn't even like that song growing up or now. Apparently, the song has some really interesting background:

Did you know the exterior shots of the diner on Seinfeld are actually the same diner from the music video?

Maybe it was the rain that made me think of the song... as I vaguely remember it talking about raining in the music video, who knows.

Anyway, interestingly enough, there's a list of songs that get stuck in your head. And if it's posted on WebMD, it must be right... right? And another one for all you hoarders of all things pop culture.

yay for new glasses!

So apparently, my eyes have gotten better... which means I'm now 5 steps from blindness instead of 3. And finally with insurance and a great vision plan, I decided to get a pair of perscription sunglasses too! Word. So now I can see and wear sunglasses without having to wear contacts and touch my eye. :)

Other things happening this weekend... went to a Russian church bazaar here in the city. It was really cool! Got to have some food that I haven't had since UZ and bought some cool Russian gifts. I guess it makes up for never going to Russia while I was in Uzbekistan.

Lasting effects of movies...

I love movies... you kind of have to if you want to hang out with my sisters. We quote movies and know where the quotes come from. Gordon and I do that, too... but our quoteable movies are very different as in he doesn't think that Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a classic for our generation! But there are two movies that have had negative lasting effects on me... I say they traumatized me...

As a doctor's kid... we saw some pretty gross stuff. All the infectious diseases journals with disfigured body parts and nasty symptoms (think the grossest episdoe of House and multiply it times 10). Also, my mom made us watch "The Miracle of Life"-- the old documentary that follows the life of a fetus-- from conception to birth. Yeah, that was pretty bad. It'll put anyone off making babies for sure. Even now, it makes me shudder. Seeing that as a young kid scared the hell out of me. EW. What I remember most from that documentary? The birth at the end. The #1 reason for why I don't want to have kids. You can still get that documentary-- done by PBS and Nova back in 1983-- at Amazon if you'd like to scare someone into NOT making babies. They did an updated version that everyone STILL loves-- adults watch it and think it is beautiful (silly). Another memory of that movie was me thinking about hiding the video when we moved to our new (current) house so that Mom could never make me watch it again.

Another movie that I have to say I remember TO THIS DAY... "The Day After." There was some discussion about this movie between Jenny and me. With the new show Jericho being about a post-nuclear attack on middle America, we both thought back to when we saw this movie that showed the aftereffectsnof a nuclear attack on middle America. We couldn't remember what it was called but we remembered sepia tone coloring and a general fear of nuclear attacks (and general dislike of mushrooms-- because they can grow in basements even during nuclear attacks is what Mom told us). And then this weekend what is the Sci-Fi channel showing but THE DAY AFTER! So we taped it... and watched it in two parts because . Have to say, still one of the creepiest movies ever! It was very scary and just disturbing. Also disturbing is that in the end they say that the movie's events are less severe than what would happen in an ACTUAL nuclear attack. Great. So it'll be worse than Steve Guttenberg's hair falling out, the military guy's skin and teeth falling out, and the squatters killing the farmer and eating him.

So while I enjoy Little Miss Sunshine and The Departed (if you haven't seen it yet, you should-- I heart Matt Damon even when he's evil)... it's the movies that freak me out that I'll remember the most. Kind of scary because now I don't want to have kids and I'm afraid of a nuclear attack.

Rats, Little Mermaid, and Beck

Ew. Today after work, the gang of 3 went to Borders to use our handy Borders Rewards coupons to buy some new stuff. While looking at books and whatnot, all of a sudden there was a ruckus in the Borders Cafe. What the hell is going on...?? There was a RAT in the cafe... scurrying around and going BEHIND the food counter!!!! EEEEEEEWWWWWW. So everyone was all yellin' and screamin'. The best part?? This big dude was standing on his chair when he saw the rat yelling just like a girl!

Meanwhile, I bought the new Beck CD-- buy it in stores, yo. You get to make your own CD cover! So Gordon and I decorated my new Beck CD cover. Gordon used to look like Beck-- back when Gordon's hair was long, and Beck's hair was shorter. Also, bought The Little Mermaid-- straight from the Disney vaults. The Little Mermaid is the best Disney flick.

So be careful out there when you're browsing the local Borders.

It's like a new blog... every day!

So for those few of you that read my blog... maybe you noticed a couple of changes (every time you look at my blog). I've found that I've become almost obsessive with re-doing my blog. Last month, I was on myspace all the time, redecorating my page and this month? It is my blog.

I've been trying to learn some basic coding stuff which puts me on the road to computer geek-dom. Great. However, it is just because I covet other people's design savvy and want their blog. So I had to make do with what I had-- the blogger templates-- and came up with this one with my own photo. So the photo up above is actually not from any cool or exotic place. It's not Uzbekistan, London, or anywhere in Italy. It's Salisbury!

Growing up, I passed by this statue ALL the time. It's right in the center of town (so like a mile from each end... I exaggerate-- a little). Even now, I have to ask Jenny what the statue is for. Turns out that it's for confederate soldiers. With Salisbury, NC being in the south, it makes sense. I never really thought about the statue, except for when the town made a huge deal about it being taken down for awhile to get clean-- it was copper and like the Statue of Liberty and the nasty penny in your pocket, it turned green. But on a recent trip home and my new cool digital camera at the ready, I got this nice shot of something so ordinary.

Lesson of the day: Sometimes the cool stuff is where you least expect it-- like back home instead of in some exotic locale.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy the blog... we'll see how long it takes before I take it down and substitute another picture.

word.

A reply to Katie's post...

In Katie's last post she talked about things she wanted to do before she was 30... My list is a little different. I don't want to be SMART goalsetter (shout out to JrNYLC!) and give myself a deadline because I'll end up changing the deadline anyway... so why fight it?

So here's a list of things I want to do... eventually:

Travel to Nepal (finally!) and at least see Everest.

Buy a house and restore it-- a la Save Our History (the Salisbury, NC episode)

Shave my head to see what it looks like.

Do Peace Corps again (because the language training is the best there is) probably in Africa or the Pacific.

Learn Arabic and/or Chinese.

Visit every National Park in the US.

Travel around the world like this girl Megan (I came across her blog and LOVE it).

Start a non-profit to help women get involved in the democratic process-- possibly in the EAME or Asia.

Get back into climbing and kayaking.

Volunteer or work with pandas!

What's on your list?