Special Sauce

Little JCM being weird probably; December 1994

Like everyone else, I have my share of "blonde moments". Not too many, but when I have them, I do them up right.

On Saturday, I took a field trip to the Target. I officially had NO black ink, and the professors don't like the 'navy' ink on papers. I also very much needed to refill my supply of Reese's Hearts. And what is with that "Bullseye Bodega" section? Definitely got a liter of Pantene conditioner. A liter! On my way home, I decided to call Mom to see if she liked the sheets we got her for her birthday. She did. While we were talking, I got all of my things out of my car and started walking towards what I thought was my apartment building. 

I saw some people leaving an apartment and didn't recognize them, but thought they were visiting a neighbor or something. Walked up the stairs and noticed that these planters that have been on the apartment breezeway forever, weren't there. I even made a comment about that to Mom. And where did those bushes around the stairs come from? Then, I tried to open my apartment door, but the key just was not working.

Then, a voice from the parking lot said, "Are you looking for someone?" I responded, "No, my key just isn't working!" After he said, "Are you in the right building?" I looked up at the door number. 322. I live in 222. OH MY GOODNESS. The apartment belonged to the voice from the parking lot, but he was cool about it. I was soooo embarrassed. Mom was basically crying from laughing so hard, having heard the entire conversation on the phone. 

So. embarrassed. I think I got disoriented when I parked in a different spot than usual. And when I was totally not paying attention.

Stalkers

Canon Blue @ Stubbs; 27 January 2012

I don't usually do things on a whim, but last Thursday I saw on the Facebook that some of my friends I met in high school were going to the Mutemath concert on Friday in Austin. Who loves Mutemath? THIS GIRL. Also, Josh, but he lives in New Mexico. I was going to be pupsitting the Grysen Brothers in Austin anyway, so I gingerly invited myself to the concert and got a ticket. I went with my favorite April and we always have adventures. 

So glad I impulse bought that ticket.

The concert was great. Canon Blue opened for Mutemath. They were okay, but what was really cool was this: Jeremy Larson was filling in for their keyboardist. *squeal* Jeremy is Elsie Larson's husband. She is the creator/writer of A Beautiful Mess, THE indie craft blog. She kind of recently started her own dress line, Red Velvet, from which April happened to be wearing a dress. So basically, a blogging role model. And, for that matter, a bang role model. How are hers always so thick?!

April and I were total creepers at this concert. We giggled the whole time about being 6 degrees from Elsie Larson. After Canon Blue was done playing they said they would be back at the merch table for a little while. We made a beeline back there, in hopes of getting a picture with Jeremy. Much to our dismay, he never did make it to the merch table. BUT we did see him walking through the crowd during one of the first Mutemath songs and squealed simultaneously. Jeremy Larson, if you're out there, April and I were the creepy girls in the back of the crowd! We spent the rest of the evening scanning the crowd for him.

Mutemath at Stubb's; January 2012

But only kind of. The Mutemath concert was bonkers as usual. The first time I saw them was at ACL the first year Josh and I went. We weren't even dating then! Awwww. They always have super energetic shows. At this show, they played the entirety of their new album "Odd Soul", which I really enjoy, and several of their older songs. I was sad that they didn't play "Noticed", but Josh says they don't usually play that at concerts. Booo.

I got really confused when between songs, this large box type thing floated onto the crowd. Then, the song started and it lit up. It was an air mattress with lights somehow attached to it! Paul, the lead singer, performed that whole song on the air mattress, while being passed around the audience. Towards the end of the song, he fell off, kept singing, and was passed back to the stage by audience members. That was fun.

Paul on the air mattress!

5 seconds before he fell off and kept singing.

Also, this happened after the concert. So close!

Taco Bell

Sister Giggles; September 2011; Photo by Sarah Wildman

First, big news that I have been holding in for months:

My favorite sister and brother-in-law are having a tiny baby boy!!!

I'm very excited and can't wait to be an auntie again. Not sure how to phrase that, since I'll always be Roxy and Valery's aunt, but there's a new addition? And I get promoted to aunt for Josh's nephews?

Anyway, I have always had sympathy pains for people. How kind hearted I am, I know. My best friend in high school had a lot of knee problems, and without fail, my knees would ache when she forgot to take her medicine, wear her brace, or whatever.

Em has had her share of preggers symptoms, and I have sympathy pain shared some of them with her. Those mainly being the food cravings. God truly has a sense of humor with the things he lets humans share.

Last semester after class one day, I suddenly had this strong craving for Taco Bell. The only reason I would ever eat Taco Bell was if it was the only thing available on a deserted island. But this day I needed it, so I gave in and got a chicken quesadilla. Funny thing, next thing Em calls me for our daily sisterly chatty chat and she says, "Kitty, you will never believe what the Fetus wanted today for lunch. Taco Bell. I got a Mexican Pizza!" And I was all "hold the phone, what?!"

Several days later, not having talked all day, we both got mozzarella sticks from Sonic. Out of control! I hope my body can keep up with all of Em's cravings. This is just silly.

Confession #48

Good sammich; March 2009

My brain likes to work out its fears on my dreams. I don't know if "weird" is a good enough word for them. Mine are weird, but Mom and Emily really take the cake for bizarre dreams. Ask Emily about giving birth to puppies and putting contacts the size of dinner plates in! With all of this wedding/growing up nonsense going on, my brain has been on high for crazy dreams.

The first one I had appeared to be on the actual day of the wedding. Everyone was all dressed up and ready to go, but we couldn't find Dad. Someone decided that we needed to stay on schedule and that Dad would magically show up to walk me down. He showed up about 20 minutes after he was supposed to, but he had a suede fringe vest, jeans and a white t-shirt on. Not cool Dad! We decided to start the ceremony over. And with the fringe vest.

This one was even better. Everyone knows that some ladies have moustaches. If I don't watch it, mine can make an appearance and it makes me very self-conscious. In my dream, I was walking through a hallway in Mom and Dad's house and there was a new picture on the wall. It was an engagement-y type of picture of Josh and me. Sounds cute, right? WRONG. Josh looked fine, but I had a fine coat of facial hair all over my face. All over. Like a werewolf. Don't worry, I'll be on top of things when we actually take pictures.

And also, I guess one of my earplugs fell out one morning and the birds outside were particularly chirpy, but I woke up thinking they were in my apartment. They were really loud.

It Varies

Amber's Wedding; March 2010

I do a lot of reading and day dreaming and goal setting. The latter is often never achieved, but since it's a brand new year and such, why not make tiny baby steps? The reading habit often leads me down rabbit holes and I often come out of said holes with crazy ideas tucked into my pocket.

Like this one time for some reason there was a birthing picture on the front page of Pinterest. It freaked me out at first, because let's just say it was an at-home birth. And why was this on the front page anyway? But then after the initial shock I was all "man, the human body is disgusting/really cool." And then I got to reading about being a midwife. See how I started on Pinterest? I just wanted to know how to make one of those yarn wreaths. Turns out that being a midwife is kind of cool and now I want to look into being such a person.

And also I have always been interested in the whole yoga thing. Last semester in aerobics, we did yoga a few days and I loved it. It's a great workout, makes me feel peaceful and everyone has to be quiet during the workout. Yes! This semester I am taking racquetball and we will definitely not be doing yoga, but I discovered that the Tx State Rec. center offers yoga classes 6 out of 7 days of the week. Score! I went on Saturday all by myself (big deal) and had a really good workout. My friend Sara and I went swimming that weekend and that was fun, too! I'm excited to see how much I can improve over the semester.

So, with my art degree I plan on being a midwife and a yogi. Sweet.

"We should do what, in the long run, gives us joy, even if it is only picking grapes or sorting the laundry." -E.B. White

Good Song

Camping

This commercial reminds me so much of my camping adventures with a one Josh I know. Unlike the girl in the ad, I really do like camping, but what I want to know is where is my iPad with streaming television? If I had that set up, it wouldn't be real camping, but I might want to go all the time.

See? Commercial in real life.

Me, dead catfish; May 2011

Let's Go to School, Man!

Sara, Kerri, Me, Mouth; January 2012; photo by Sara

This semester should be fun! Busy, but really fun.

On Monday and Wednesday, I have Thesis I and Alternative Processes. Thesis I (there is a Thesis II) is a Senior-level course, in which you can do whatever you want. Not whatever, but since I'm a photog. major, I will work on a photo project of my choosing. By the end of the semester I have to produce a coherent body of work in 20 images. I have tons of ideas! We planned this, but I'm really glad to have several good friends in that class. Also, I enjoy the professor- had him for Advanced Digital Photog. He's hilarious and always something interesting to talk about with the class. We even get to go on a field trip!

After Thesis I, I have Alternative Processes. I have no clue what to expect from this class. We are going to make cyanotypes, photograms, van dyke brown prints, and gum bichromate prints. I've never had the professor who teaches this, but a few friends have and they liked him. On the first day, he said something like, "You could make a cyanotype on a bandana or anything really." I would like to make a cyanotype on a bandana!!

On Tuesday and Thursday, I start my day with Racquetball. That is my last Personal Fitness & Wellness class, so I had to make it count. I hope to learn a lot so I can beat Josh. After racquetball, I have a sweet 5-hour break before my next classes, during which I see myself napping and eating breakfast tacos.

In the afternoon, I have Hellenistic Art History, which I am totally stoked about. The professor is another of my favorites. You know, I actually have really enjoyed all of my professors in their own way, so "another one of my favorites" is a cheap phrase here. This professor always gives historical context to pieces, which I highly value. He also has all of the crazy stories from when he spent time in the Middle East. And also, Hellenistic Art is cool. Winged Victory of Samothrace? So cool that she is the symbol of the Louvre. Bam.

After some history, I have Sculpture I. I don't know what to do with this class, either. I've never had this professor, and from some pre-semester emails, I thought he was going to be really intense. That made me a bit nervous. He was totally chill on the first day of class. He just wants us to work hard and do our best. I hope my best is at least a B! Our first assignment is to make a wooden spoon. Remember my love affair with the wood shop? ON IT.

Also taking an art history class online with Austin Community College, who sent me on a wild goose chase for a meningitis shot, but that class should be pretty easy. 

You better believe I tracked down that shot.

Hey Dad!

You'll enjoy this:

Greyhound brain freeze!

Gets me every time.

Massive Swoon

Spindle beds in all shapes, sizes and colors! Oh man. Over the summer, when I went to see Josh in Arizona (or maybe I just wanted to see his parents?) his Mom took me across the street from their house to see this house that she looks out for. I forget why no one lives there, but that doesn't really matter. It's the cutest house, and had some really cute furnishings. One of the bedrooms had a spindle wood bed frame, and thanks to that, I have been on the biggest spindle bed frame kick. They're so pretty!

I got some cross-stitched quilt blocks from my Imogene when she passed away, and people, there are two sets of them. One is a red flower set and one is a purple lily set. You know what I could do with those? 

A. Finish them.

B. Quilt them up something fierce.

C. PUT THEM ON A PAIR OF TWIN SPINDLE BED FRAME BEDS.

I.die.

Already?

Mom's table by Mom; December 2008

2,298 miles traveled
2 chocolate and 1 yellow labs played with
2 great future in-laws visited
1 impromptu dance performance with Josh
1- 1000 piece puzzle put together
6 games of 7 Wonders played
2 guns shot
2 future sister-in-laws and bro-in-laws visited
1 cat snuggled
5 of Josh's relatives met
1 new year rung in
4 different beds slept in
2 states visited
2 flights flown
1 venue, photographer, caterer and florist booked
20 lbs. of cookies eaten
1 first sledding experience

What a great winter break!

1 more spring semester of school to go! 

Let's do it!

At Home

How do I even talk about this book?

I love it and I'm not even done with it?

Em was reading this book and, knowing that I love Mary Roach's books/style of writing, let me borrow it. She wasn't even done with it! As the title says, it's is a Short History of Private Life. I enjoy reading nonfiction about why things are the way they are and where they came from. I also love all things "home." This guy, Bill Bryson, is a fantastic writer. The book is like listening to him talk, and I really enjoy that kind of writing. It's also awesome, because he's funny.

My favorite thing I've learned so far is the history behind the term "Room and Board" used by many B&Bs. The room part is the room you are renting, of course, but what is the board part referring to? Well, in the medieval times, furniture was not a big deal in what is now England, so tables were scarce. So, when meal times would come around, they would pop a squat and eat off of a board. (I knew the medieval times were really dirty, but he includes a lot of information about that period that was really gross/interesting.) The term "Room and Board" means "Room and Meals." Isn't that cool/useless knowledge?!

Read it. If you want.

Thanks, Chris Carter

I have a pretty good memory of faces. When I see an actor or actress that I know I've seen before, I have to track them down to figure out where I know their face from. Most of the actors I recognize are from The X-Files or Frasier. Poor actors that I recognize from The X-Files. They have no hope in my memory. They will permanently be psychopaths.

Harriet Sansom Harris- She played Dr. Sally Kendrick/Eve 6-8 on this episode where someone cloned her and then government continued cloning people, even though the Eves were crazy. She was also in Frasier as his agent and in Desperate Housewives. I don't know what she was in that show.

 Doug Hutchinson- This guy creeped me out. His character, Toomes, could contort his body in an odd fashion. And his eyes were creepily green. He was recently in the news for, as a 51-year-old, marrying a 16-year-old. 

Nick Chinlund- I could pin point this guy's creepy stare in a heartbeat! He played Donnie Pfaster, a serial with a death fetish. One of the bus drivers at school looks exactly like him, but with grey hair. I sit all the way in the back when he's driving. You know, so I can keep an eye on him.

Michael McKean- This guy is everywhere! And I always hate his characters! During his guest appearance on the X-Files, he and Mulder somehow change bodies. He turns Mulder into such a jerk. I recently saw him on an episode of "Happy Endings" and was suspicious of his character the whole time.

Some Snow Interaction

Valles Caldera; January 2012

Things Learned in the Southwest

This is not an accurate representation of how much snow there is; January 2012

1. Buggies are called shopping carts.
2. There is NO HUMIDITY in the Southwest.
3. A swamp cooler is kind of like an air conditioner and they wear yellow jackets in the winter. And they live on top of your house.
4. "Pop" is soda.
5. There's this thing called snow?
6. If you have lived in the deep south your whole life (me) and you visit places with elevations over 2,000 feet, you'll need some adjustment time (lots).
7. There is a different flour/sugar ratio in sweets for higher elevations.
8. Not everyone wears Native American print clothing.

The Green Goo Mystery

Mysterious green stuff on the floor

 Once upon a time, Mom talked me into going to Wal-Mart with her, because that is where she does her school grocery shopping. (I have to be talked into going to Wal-Mart, because I think it's the devil and don't like it.) It was later in the evening, so all of East Texas was not grocery shopping.

We were about 3/4 of the way through her list, so the buggy (or cart as Josh says) was pretty full. Mom stopped to talk to some almond bark, and as we began to walk away with 5 lbs. of almond bark, I slipped on this slimy green substance on the floor. I told Mom to watch her step, so she promptly stepped in it, and we went along on our way.

A few aisles later, the grain aisle I believe, there was that green stuff again! Someone was making quite the mess. Then, there we were on the cereal aisle and I connected all of the dots. The green stuff was in a small puddle under the buggy.
"Mom!" I exclaimed, "it's the dishwashing liquid!"
Mom did her panic thing, while I dug through the pounds of almond bark and turned the dishwashing liquid right side up.

Good times.

Culprit.

An Introvert's Guide to New Places

Places I've Been; 2009

As a pretty introverted person, new places are a bit scary to me. There are a lot of unknown things in new places- that is what usually makes me nervous. What will the weather be like? What address will I be at? How close is it to Target? What is the bathroom situation? What will the noise be like at night? What can be an "escape excuse"? When will I get to go home? How will I know what direction north is?

After moving around and traveling so often, I think I have a technique down that helps me feel more comfortable in new places fairly quickly.

1. Get someone who knows the area to drive you around. Emily drove me around Austin the first weekend we lived there, which helped me get my bearings straight. Josh drove me around the town we'll be living in in New Mexico, and now I have a good image of where I'll be living. It always helps to visualize things.

2. Read about where you are going (or even where you are). I like to read about weather patterns, local businesses, history and real estate. It helps me get a feeling for the area. You might also run across random, yet useful information that is always welcome in my book.

3. Google Earth that sucker. I Google Earth every new place I know I'm going to. We are so blessed to have this awesomely creepy technology. If you haven't noticed, I'm very visual and GE is great for putting visual anxiety to rest. You can see what turns look like, what business fronts look like and whether or not sidewalks are available. Also, you can tell if something is in the ghetto or not.

4. Make a list of pros and cons of your trip. Excessive, I know, but sometimes I get to packing and I get overwhelmed. That is when I make a list of the people or things I'm eager/excited to see and what I'm not looking forward to. Usually the cons are completely silly and I instantly feel better about the trip.

5. Ask questions. I usually ask questions about people. This helps me know what to talk to them about and more importantly what not to talk about. When I was meeting Josh's family for the first time, he probably gave me every bit of information he knew about them. I was really nervous about them not liking me, but when I began to see how similar our families were, I was more excited than anxious to meet them.

You'll be okay and be sure to have fun- don't let anxiety hold you back!

Ladies Who Lunch

Granny and Grandad; November 2011

SCENE: Julie in her Mom's kitchen during winter break talking to Granny, who has had bad fall, on the phone. 


Julie: Hi Granny!
Granny: Well, they say I'll live.
Julie: *giggles* Of course you will!
Granny: They also said I can't climb on things anymore.
Julie: You have been known to paint your own house...
Granny: *giggles*
Julie: How are your pineapple plants doing?
Granny: I think they're okay; Grandad watered them the other day.
Julie: Do I need to water them later this week?
Granny: That would be nice. How long are you here for?
Julie: Until the Monday after Christmas, then I'm going to Arizona.
Granny: *in a silly voice* Oh, why are you going there?!
Julie: Granny! That's where Josh is!
Granny: *giggles*
Julie: I'll come water your pineapples on Friday. And roll your hair.
Granny: Ok, bye!

END SCENE.

Granny hits the main points and then hangs up. I like it.

Co-Hosting

Best buds

Top 5 Reasons Why I Should Be Mike Rowe's Co-Host for "Dirty Jobs"

1. I also don't mind getting dirty.
2. I enjoy meeting most people.
3. I like variety in my work life.
4. Sometimes I can come up with witty things to say.
5. I have a strong stomach.

See?! Wouldn't I be great?!