Warrior Dash 2010, still living this day like tomorrow will never come

Ran the Warrior Dash and damn it feels good. If you know anything about my past, then you know my on going battle with doctors telling me "No, you can't do that" and how much it pissed me off. For so many years I had been held back and kept from the things I love. Running stopped when I was 12, skateboarding stopped when I was 16, paintball stopped when I was 24, rock climbing stopped when I was 25, piece by piece my life was stripped away from me. Each thing that was taken from me made me more pissed and more determined to be 'normal' (yes, I use that term loosely). After finally caving in and having a surgery that almost killed me, this weekend was my proof that I am back. One short run was all I needed to finally feel like I was where I should be. I do not take for granted that most people do not have the same outcome, and they suffer constant pain from the instruments used to fuse their spines. Thank you to everybody who encouraged me and made me want it that much more. Now I just need that zipper pull tattooed on my scar and I am set!

Things you hear while having coffee and general weirdness

Census workers discussing tactics for getting information. Uber creepy methods for finding out who you are and how you live. These people have a list of homes they are to visit, if you are on the list and not at home, they will talk to your neighbors to get phone numbers and any other information they deem necessary. If you just won't talk to them, they can call the police to ensure they are able to complete their job. While I am all for getting an accurate count of the people living in my community I do not like my privacy being invaded by the government. I can only hope they come to my house. Seriously, ask me what my race is and the answer is Belmont Stakes or Preakness. Of course I am sure they would mark me as white without even asking. While I am very white, I am also native American from both a materal and paternal great grandmother. Take that census workers! Don't even get me started on sex. The answer should only be 'yes' :)

The other interesting thing overheard at starbucks invloved two college age guys talking about 30 for 4 or 5 bars. All I could think was that is really cheap for xanax and these kids are sloppy. The conversation was going on less than 4 feet away from me. Stupid kids. Chances are they will be arrested before they reach 25.

Today's starbucks adventure involved a 25 year old getting his little mind twisted by an older and wiser Flea. Use a cheesy pick up line on me once and I will laugh it off, try a second one and I am going to scar your brain. Sorry little boys, I don't have time for it. Although it is good to know I still do not look 35 yet.

General weirdness, babies at the masquerade. It's true. People brought thier babies and children to see the Aqubats. Very odd to see kids at a place that holds some very naughty memories for me.
In non-weird news, still getting ready for the Warrior Dash and I had the worst root canal ever. That is all.

Quit yer bitchin'

As Spring tries to overtake Winter for good I am finally noticing things that make me happy. Every weekend brings a new adventure and I look forward to them all like a kid waiting for Christmas. From Friday nights at MacCracken's to birthday parties, bachelor parties (urgh), and lots of shows there is much to be happy about. So, here is another list. Things that make me happy:
Baby leaf green. Especially after a rain and the sun is just barely peeking out. reminds me so much of spring nights as a teenager. Hanging out with Sterling and all the crazy things I did when I was young.

Freckles, I has them. Lots of them

My friends, all of them, from the PhDs to the high school drop outs, the young to the old. I love them each for everything they teach me. To quote Tria "I live for the times I may never remember with friends I will never forget"

Modeling. It makes me feel pretty and gives me a chance to be whatever I want.

My MINI Cooper and Honda Prelude. Still a lot of work left to get the Prelude back to it's former glory, but I see myself with a speeding ticket in it before the summer is over.

Long hikes and *gasp* running. The morphine withdrawals were worth it.

Touching my toes again. Years of PT has trained me well and is paying off by getting me back to normal.

Road trips. Going to Austin finally! Might go to New Orleans, definitely going to North Carolina a few times.

Furry little bastards. I love my animals even when they annoy me.

Wednesdays. I really like having a day off in the middle of the week.

Having ME time without guilt.

Reading books I haven't read in years. Funny how my perspective has changed and stayed the same after all these years.

Taking pictures, an insane number of pictures. It was time for me to give in and get a digital SLR.

Wasting days or nights at starbucks. It is such a motley crew there, but it works.

Dirty little secrets. They are mine, only mine.

There are many other things making me happy, old memories and the everyday things that make me smile to myself. My life is a good life.

So much to say...

I have lost another friend from the American Legion. Rum and moonshine landed me in the doghouse. I am missing KPC days. My friends are amazing and I love them. Work makes me a little more insane. Everyday I have new inside jokes with myself. It's almost time again for the scanner of doom. Quotes of the month "Quit being nice, it doesn't suit you", "nature is stupid", "the city was intentionally built out of focus" Here is this blog in picture form.

wow, just wow

Went to Durham to visit with Betsy and it was wonderful, at least I think it was. Meet some great people and enjoyed perfect weather. Took lots of pictures, some of which may never see the light of day. Add Durham to the list of places I can easily live. Let's see if Austin is as much fun.

I keep living this day like the next will never come

Such a beautiful weekend after so many weeks of cold, snow, rain, and general nasty weather. The only thing more dangerous than nightime is the arrival of spring.
Trish had a customer appreciation day at Johnnie MacCracken's and I must say it is odd seeing the regulars in the daylight. It was very nice to get to spend some time with good people on such a wonderful day. Rozi and I did some lurking. Jenny and I fell down (thanks to whoever got pics of that insanity). Nothing like free beer and food.

On the job front, I am losing my mind but did get confirmation I no longer have to train new hires. From here on out I will only have to train on new products, and techs who are being promoted. Even better news is that I have some wonderful people sending me information on jobs in North Carolina. Torn between North Carolina and Texas, and my friends here are completely opposed to either one. Yesh.

Friends, love, lust, and sunshine

There aren't words to properly describe the happiness of the last few days. From the sudden and unexpected visit from Betsy to spending a Sunday with Chris as he prepares to welcome his son into the world. It has been a great weekend, full of friends and love and lust and sunshine.

Friday I discovered that Betsy had made her way to Conyers to help clean out her dads house. My heart jumped at the thought of getting to see Betsy after two years away from her. There are just some friends that will always make my heart happy and Betsy is one of them. I knew if I could make it through a Saturday of shopping of bridesmaid dresses with Jessica I would be on my way to Conyers to see Betsy and all would be right with the world.

The dress shopping of course took much longer than expected and I missed getting my new camera on Saturday. The bright spot was a message from Betsy saying she had decided to go to MacCrackens. I got back to my Starbucks, got my MINI, canceled my camera purchase, and got my ass to MacCrackens to see Betsy as fast as possible. The joy of getting to see Betsy, hug her, and just have somebody close who understands where I am was so comforting. We had a great night of discussions on physics, business, boys, and general Brenda and Betsy-isms. Kristen and Jeff came to visit and that was good. Eric came to visit and that was just perfect :) The night ended with Krystals and waking up on the sofa at 5 Am.

Then came Sunday. Got up and went to Jasper to meet Reagan and Damien and buy a camera. It was such a beautiful morning for a drive and I was more than excited to get a new camera. I got to meet Reagan's furkids, they are super cute and Yoshi in typical shar pei fashion did not like me. After a short visit with I was off with my new camera. With a quick stop by target for a gift I was off to a baby shower for Chris and Carrie. Spending time with the Eaton family is always a treat. They have accepted me as one of thier own, and I am excited to have a god-son to go along with the best god-daughter in the world.

My final adventure was a trip to starbucks with Nuno. So weird because he never goes to starbucks with me. He even bought me coffee. :)

It was a great weekend and I am glad to have had it. I hope to have many more like it.

Brenda and Betsy



Brenda, Betsy, and Kristen




Brenda, Betsy, and Eric ;)



Michelle and Mark Eaton



Chris and Carrie Eaton



Nuno and Chris

Old thoughts and a random dream

The following was recently located and was dated Oct. 2000. My memory of that time is a little fuzzy but I remember some of it.


Old thoughts

The world hurries by as another day comes to a close the door and lock yourself away from everything outside in the moonlit garden of roses and ivy climbing the walls of a mind trapped by insanity that never seems to end each day with wandering words across a blank page waiting for thoughts to fill the glass with sweet wine from far away lands that never end but instead go on forever like the infinite space above the earth stained pants of a man as he sits and watches the world hurry past.



and a random dream

Opening scene is an old factory on a hill over looking the ocean. As I wander around I realize that it looks like a movie, very Dark City I think to myself. I watch the cogs turn and men in grey work suits pulling levers. One of the men walks over to me and takes my hand. He tells me "It's your turn now" The look on his face is blank and sinister at the same time. I glance around trying to make sense of what is happening. In that moment he pushes me down a chute that seems to have no end. I slide down, screaming and terrified. The workmen are throwing huge bolts and screws at me as I descend. I eventually black out and wake up on a grassy hill. As I look around I notice a sparkle in the air around me. I stand up and walk over to a lady and ask where I am. She doesn't answer. She doesn't even look at me. Just then another person comes over and tells me I am dead and that it is useless to try and speak to the living. Explaining to me that the living forget the dead as soon as they are gone.
I see a playground and I walk down a hill to sit on the empty swings. Soon a group of people come up and start swinging. They are talking and laughing with each other, the sun shining brightly on their beautiful day. I begin to sing and dance around them, none of them ever notice me. I touch a blonde woman's face and she doesn't feel my hand on her cheek at all.
Farther down the hill I see a pond where two men about my age in suits are sitting in a boat talking to each other. Both smiling and obviously enjoying the sunny day. I go down almost to the edge of the water. I don't know why but I scream out to them. One of the men looks at me, or towards me. I walk out into the water to the little boat they are in. I lean over and whisper in the mans ear "I love you" he starts to cry and so do I.

Oh G-d another rant...

For all the women who insist in driving the largest SUV they can find, STOP. Seriously. You have proven time and time again that you can not drive or park them properly. I would normally chalk this up to having ovaries makes you incompetent at driving, but I have proven that theory wrong by driving and parking a box truck with no problem. Sorry ladies, get another excuse. Oh, but it is my husbands car. Really? Then let him drive drive it. Chances are he'll do a better job at it than you will. Learn to drive your damn vehicle before somebody shoots it. (with a .40 caliber hollow point through the engine block) Honestly, I drive one of the smallest cars you can get and I park in the middle of a parking space and without fail some damn expedition, excurstion, escalade, or surburban parks beside me inside my space and dings my car. While I have great insurance coverage, I do not enjoy the thought of filing a claim for the mulitple little dings and dents you have put in my car. Instead I would rather key the fuck out of your car (or shoot it) or at the very lest ding you back. I know this leads to more paint needed on my car, but at least I get the satisfaction of causing you grief. So, in closing, if you ding a Mini and have a paragraph about proper parking engraved in your door, don't be surprised. Fuckers!

summertime lists, some from years gone by

Cafe Intermezzo...black light..."where am I"....."didn't Dr. Stearns give you that as a gag gift?"....extended hugs....severe ankle sprains....dancing....Waffle House hacky sack...collect calls from Amsterdam...$2 SHOTS!...."so I guess this means you aren't gay"....73 in a 45 MPH zone...Bells Ferry park...Starbucks hacky sack...frisbees...nipple rings, mine and his...purple monster...Thrill Kill Kult...housesitting...swings...dogsitting...Westview fountains...Chi Omega fountain...Dinky..."I'm drunk, right now I'm so in love with you"...spelunking cockroaches...unicorns...more extended hugs *URGH*...Cheshire Bridge Crawl...nice boots...KPC late night...plinko...crack smokers...stargazing...Sidepockets...drunken kung fu...I hate flying...Ellijay...damn park rangers...R. Thomas...and it just goes on...



see, only makes sense to me. :)

Herrin Hospitality at Lazy Danes Farm

Finally made it up to Mocksville, NC to visit the Lazy Danes Farm. Yes, the danes are lazy and they really don't like hats. The weather gave me some trouble on the drive up and I found myself trapped in Spartanburg, SC. I was very happy that I had gotten beer before I headed out. At least the room had a huge whirlpool bath.

Of course no simple tub could keep me from my intended destination. Arriving at the farm I found a Denise standing at the end of her drive to make sure there were no crashes while driving in (of course she could have been waiting for a good laugh if there was a crash). The food was amazing. Getting beat by little girls playing Wii was embarrassing. The Pone Stoneies or Stone Ponys were yummy. Not sure if I will ever be able to look at a strawberry the same way again. All in all a great short visit with an amazing family doing some great things with their land. Of course it ends with a snowball fight. Thank you Herrin family for being so wonderful!

Get high with a little help from my friends

Tria gets me 'high' :)
Every autumn I find myself feeling nostalgic and thinking back on the many adventures I have had over the years. Some of those memories are so fresh in my mind that I feel they will never leave me. Of course others are just a blur of a time that will never return. And others are well, just a blur for various other reasons.

This short term memory impairment is what started the summertime list. The first list was written in 1998 and it still makes me laugh. I am sure that if anybody else looked at one of these summertime lists, they would not have a clue to meaning of the list of random words and quotes. For me it is a reminder of where I have been and where I want to go. One day I may post some, but I may keep them all to myself.

Needless to say, this years summertime list has been written and put away in a safe place for future enjoyment. I must confess this years list was one of the happiest yet. I am a lucky girl with amazing friends and I think I am really starting to know who those people are.

how you want those hasbrowns?

Look out randomness below.....


I have missed hockey and I am so glad the season has started again. I am even happier I was there for the opening game.

Hockey love boys and girls.



I got to hang out with The Loose Skrews two nights in a row.

Skrews at Lenny's for Horrorfest '09



I can not wait to get back to work


My dogs all need puppy boot camp


I should have had the Moe's burrito instead of the pizza at Phillips


My beetle and moth problem has been solved by a large spider taking up residence on my front porch.

Gravity sucks, without it we'd all fall off


I am dying to go for a hike, but am afraid it will end up being a swim.


If I cut off my head would I say "me and my head" or "me and my body" (The Tenant-Roman Polanski)


At some point I think I just cracked

Whew!

Tushula called me today and updated me on what changes are being made and yes I will be on another team, but only until my promotion to TSS II. Once I return to work my metrics (I hate using metrics to measure performance, but that is another story) will be reset and I will only need three CSAT scores of 100 to be promoted. Translation; do my job right, get promoted in a month or so. Funny, every time I go out for 6 weeks I come back and get promoted within the month. I will be so relieved once I am back on Tushula's team.

Losing "the greatest generation"

I have always considered myself lucky to know many people from the WWII generation. Some were servicemen, others were the women who kept this country running while our men (and boys) were away in Europe and the Pacific. The stories they have shared with me and the wisdom they have gave will stay with me always.
This past Thursday I lost one of those friends. Andy had volunteered to fill in as my "adopted" grandfather since I had lost the only one I ever knew. He would sing to me and always had a smile. He told me I was beautiful anytime he saw me, then we'd compare tattoos. Andy outlived his wife, several of his children, and most other people from WWII. His health had started to decline, but he bounced back every time. Well, almost every time. I will miss Andy everyday, and I am sure I will expect to see his smiling face when I go to the American Legion. Rest in peace my dear friend, you deserve it after a long life bringing joy to so many.

A good day for some rehab

Pigeon Hill did not beat me! I made it up the hill, over to little Kennesaw, and back to Burnt Hickory Rd. Along the way I found some little lizard and toad friends, enjoyed the view, and thought about how amazing Dr. Morrison is for getting me back to my life. Yay, Dr. Morrison

And his trusty PA Todd!

They are an awesome team. Thanks to their dedication, knowledge, and hours of chopping away on my spine I am able to enjoy the view again.

Climb around on some rocks

Meet some new friends

And get the blood flowing to have that glow of a person beyond happy to be pain free.

Look out, I am back and I am heavily modified for improved performance.

Back on the trails

Tomorrow I will start hiking again. I find myself torn between taking the easier Cheatham Hill loop (and finding the hidden cemetery where I have spent many hours hiding in the past) or going all out and going up Pigeon Hill. The thought of being back out by myself makes me happy and sad at the same time. So much of my time has been spent on the mountain trails. Being out there is sure to bring back memories of my youth. Watching trains, sneaking around in the dark, playing frisbee, hacky sack (always with the damn hacky sacks), car tagging, and just being with good people who always made me smile.
There has been a lot lately that has made me feel nostalgic for days gone by. Rocky Horror is playing at the Strand theatre, listening to a lot of G. Love and Special Sauce, starbucks sunsets, talking with old friends, something in the air. Where did that life go? Many of the people that made those years special are still close to me, but some may be gone forever. My circles of friends continue to grow and I can only hope that more memories will be made everyday. Still, I hold on to those times that made me smile. Getting back on the trails is just one of the ways to keep them close.

Just a little maybe

My amazing holiday weekend

There were margaritas, fireworks, old friends, wonderful kids, and insane husbands. It has been a long time since I have felt so good after a weekend. Getting to see Erin and Denise was a much needed reminder of how important it is to not lose touch with people you care about. Especially the people that knew you when you were an awkward pre-teen and liked you anyway. I am sure I will be smiling about the memories made this weekend for a long time, much like I still about the memories made so many years ago. I am truly blessed.

Do I have to go to work this week?

For the last month I have been tracking testing and documenting a problem with sending electronic statements. At some point during the process a security file is being corrupted and causing fatal exception errors. Running a recovery utility on the file corrects the problem until statements are generated again. What is frustrating to me is the fact that only 5 offices are experiencing this. I have tested the data in XP SP1-3, Vista, Server 2003, using pervasive versions 7.9, 8.6, 9.5, and 10.10. So far the error can not be recreated in house. QA now has me running PC audits on every computer at each of the 5 offices. Personally I think it makes more sense to only run on the server and any computer that is used to send statements. One thing I have done is set up a test database at one office to force the statement run over and over until the error occurs. (did I mention the errors do not happen with every statement run) All I can do now is present everything I have gathered to QA and let them deal with it. Once it is off my plate I will be so relieved.
If I can make it to Friday I will be having a girls lunch with some old friends that I have not seen in years. I can't wait to catch up.

Sleep? Random and unorganized thoughts

I should be sleeping.

Instant karma isn't gonna get me, but instant migraines are. Four of the last five days have involved migraines.

At walgreens tonight getting some lip balm, at the check out line there were three kids in front of me. They had several items of candy each and asked the cashier to not bag them because the plastic bags are bad for the environment. I get to the check out and offer to take the bag they didn't want because it is great for cat box cleaning. When I walk out into the parking lot, these environmentally friendly kids are hopping into a non hybrid Chevy Tahoe.

My dreams lately have been stranger than normal. I wish I knew why people from my past keep showing up and why the interactions with them are so bizarre.

I am hoping tomorrow the QA team will finally accept that I have gathered every piece of information possible about an error in sending e-statements.

Nuno wrote his name on the back lawn with round up grass and weed killer. He is now on lawn restriction. He also wrote all the dogs names on the lawn too.

I am on a boat.

Now I think I will go to sleep and see who is gonna be there tonight.