Readings.

I just finished reading Hamlet for the 80-zillionth time on the train this morning. It's one of my favorite pieces of literature.

I'm trying to finish Reading Lolita in Tehran, but the author is starting to annoy me.

I've also been reading Running with Scissors, but I don't quite find it as hysterical, or even funny for that matter, as the critics claim.

Since I finished Hamlet, I'm down to two books, which means I need a third. I know, reading three at a time is slightly insane, but it's what I do. Suggestions welcome.


Note: My backpack is a veritable bookmobile.

My life has turned into a series of bulleted lists.

My trip to Columbus, GA:

Friday, January 12, 2007
• Caught a cab from work at 1pm
• Raining
• Checked in and ready for my 4:30 flight to Detroit by 1:35, brilliant
• Option to volunteer my seat for $300, but falls through
• Celebrity sightings: Question Mark Man that does the infomercials—he was wearing a bright red suit covered in yellow question marks, I wonder if this man has any normal clothing; Senator Debbie Stabenow (yes, I had to look her up) from Michigan
• Landed with ten minutes to get to my next flight; all well and good, except when you land at gate 5 and you take off from gate 49; grabbed an eight-dollar turkey sandwich on the way
• Flight to the ATL
• I need a drink; Bloody Mary mix: 83% of your daily sodium allowance
• Celebrity sightings: Bizarre from Eminem’s D12 on the flight to Atlanta with his posse…and their Louis Vuitton luggage…they sat ten rows behind me in Coach
• Couldn’t find the shuttle station at the airport; after a couple futile calls, got in touch with Nancy and she walked me through the directions
• Loading the shuttle van, one guy forgot to duck before boarding the van; I’m sure he may have gotten a concussion…and I really did try to hide my laughter
• 2 hour drive to Columbus with strangers
• Sigur Ros’ Taak album and somehow making it the soundtrack to my life
• Getting a big hug from Nancy when we pulled into the shuttle lot at Midnight; I’d have arrived an hour earlier had I driven down instead of flown.

Saturday, January 13, 2007
• Woke up and went to what seemed to be the World’s Longest Strip Mall
• Atlanta Bread Company for coffee and pastries (I had an apple danish….mmmm a Danish…like Hamlet)
• Stopped by AC Moore for some yarn and knitting needles; Nancy is my Guru
• Drove to Ft. Benning and got the tour; stopped at the PX and gawked at the cheapness
• Went to Boo’s Package store and bought some Abita beer (Abita Amber is one of my FAVORITES) and some Negra Modelo...along with some Blue Moon, Blue Springs (Atlanta local beer), Abita Purple Haze, and a few others I’ve forgotten
• Publix fried chicken and eating it on Nan’s back deck
• Spent the afternoon learning to knit and relaxing with one of my best friends
• Met up with some of Nan’s friends at Houlihan’s restaurant in downtown Columbus; long wait and a messed up order means free dinner and three free rounds of drinks; plus I’ve never laughed so much with strangers in my entire life…unless you count that one time at Mardi Gras—ha
• Playing Scene-It with the gang back at the house and drinking the previously purchased beer

Sunday, January 14, 2007
• Cup of tea in the morning
• Went to Ft. Benning again; drove through the Airborne school’s towers, etc.
• Had Sonic for lunch; first time at Sonic in four years: CHERRY LIMEADE and Cheddar Peppers, AND tots
• Took a nap after all that Sonic; Cherry limeades are another reason I should move back to the South
• Starbucks run and The Boondock Saints, which I had never seen—yeah, I know
• Trivial Pursuit and Mythbusters

Monday, January 15, 2007
• Leftover fried chicken and an Abita beer before I head to the airport
• Packed shuttle bus and Nancy waving goodbye
• Atlanta security/TSA lines are insane
• Trading flirtatious glances with fellow travelers
• Flight to Detroit delayed over an hour; have to rebook my flight to National (they still make me fly through Detroit)
• Watching CNN and wondering if the ice storm that’s sweeping the Midwest will mess up anything else that afternoon
• I need a drink; Cape Codder it is (Vodka and Cranberry)
• Get to Detroit in enough time to call my parents and realize that my plane was boarding
• Last flight to DC from Detroit
• Turbulent flight; you get that same feeling in your gut that you get doing jumps when you mountain bike…although landing’s different…and then you wonder if your parents and friends know what you want done when you die
• I need a drink; Bailey’s and Coffee—Flight Attendant: “That smells SO good…”
• Was on the Virginia-side of the plane when we landed
• Annoying woman panicking that she and her husband were at the wrong baggage claim (there are only two in our terminal) even though we’re all standing at the Northwest carousel and we’re all from the same flight
• $35 cab ride home
• And crash; up early for work the next day



When you spend the weekend with an old friend, you have nothing to prove, you don’t always have to be doing something, and you can just relax because you enjoy their company more than anything else.

Dirty, dirty South.

This weekend, I'm boarding an airplane, connecting in Detroit, and landing in Atlanta, Georgia. Then I'm hoping a shuttle and riding to the Georgia/Alabama border to rescue my friend Nancy who lives near Ft. Benning in Columbus, GA.

Nancy and I have been friends since our second day at Tulane when we both started college there in 2001. We met in line for the River Boat cruise and haven't been able to get rid of each other since. I'm not taking too much credit, but I also introduced her to her now-husband. HA.



Looking forward to good times.

Our West Virginia Adventure.

I'd never been to West Virginia before and I was told Harper's Ferry didn't count. We stayed at the Golden Anchor Cabins in Dryfork. Because there was a problem with the hot tub the day we were supposed to check-in, the owner gave us one of our nights for free. The hot tub ended up working the entire time! The cabin was huge and clean and the view was amazing, I'll try to see if I can snag some photos of the place from Carl and Melissa. We originally planned to go skiing, but since the weather's been so warm, there isn't any snow on the ground. We spent Saturday hiking and exploring the Cannaan Valley and Smoke Hole area.


Started out at Blackwater Falls.


Joe, Cintia, Kate, Carl, Melissa, and Luke


goofball.


Then we went to Smoke Hole Caverns.


Whoa.


All of us again.


Stopped at a park with a great view of Seneca Rocks. Melissa and I took a walk and saw some fat beagles and met some nice horses.


Then we drove to the foot of Seneca Rocks...


And raced boats in the creek.


The sun started to go down...


So we crossed the footbridge...


And walked back to the car.


And then returned to the cabin to recupe.

Top 25.

My top 25 songs of 2006, according to my iTunes.

1. The Test, The Chemical Brothers w/ Richard Ashcroft
2. Burn That Broken Bed, Iron & Wine w/ Calexico
3. Wonderwall, Oasis
4. Break Me Gently, Doves
5. Nursery Rhyme Breather, U.N.K.L.E with Badly Drawn Boy
6. Portions for Foxes, Rilo Kiley
7. I Just Don't Think I'll Ever Get Over You, Colin Hay
8. St. Petersburg, Supergrass
9. The Blower's Daughter, Damien Rice
10. Never Wanna See You Cry, The Verve
11. Caring is Creepy, The Shins
12. 16, Maybe Less, Iron & Wine w/ Calexico
13. Drunken Lullabies, Flogging Molly
14. Middle of Nowhere, Hot Hot Heat
15. Angel of Harlem, U2
16. You're Beautiful, James Blunt
17. Cold Hands Warm Heart, Brendan Benson
18. Liquefy, The Servant
19. Back On My Feet Again, The Verve
20. Cold Blooded Old Times, (Smog)
21. Lonely Soul, U.N.K.L.E. w/ Richard Ashcroft
22. Mercy Me, Alkaline Trio
23. Sympathetic Noose, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
24. 500 Miles, The Proclaimers
25. Casimir Pulaski Day, Sufjan Stevens

Year in Review.

There are places I'll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more
In my life I love you more



I welcome 2007 with an open heart and an open mind. Let's go on this next great adventure together, shall we?