Woo Pig Sooie!

Arkansas was a blast! I asked Stephen what his favorite part of the trip was, and he said, "Jo's Mom!" Janet is a riot! She single handedly entertained us the entire weekend by getting drunk off wine, speaking in a southern accent, introducing the Furbee, and thinking of every way possible to experience True Arkansas Flavor! We tried fried pickles, fried catfish, and fried hushpuppies. We ordered our lunch from a red phone next to the table at Penguin Ed's, we tried many different types of Coleslaw, we ate ribs, chicken, pork, beef, french fries, sweet tea, sausage rolls, and Miller Light. Yeah, we pretty much spent entire weekend eating!

Other than eating, we experienced several other Arkansas stereotypes.

Stereotype #1: The entire town of Fayetteville (the entire STATE for that matter) is obsessed with Razorback sports. The University of Arkansas is dedicated to their stadiums on and off campus. We saw the state-of-the-art JumboTron (I had to ask what that was) at the football stadium. It looked like a professional team's stadium - I think they said it fit 70,000 people! The rest of the campus was absolutely gorgeous and lush. I was very impressed with the expansive green lawns, beautiful old brick buildings, and movie-like frat houses. We spent a good amount of time in the University store, where Steve found some awesome shades with a camouflage reflection on the front. He bought them for $20 because he absolutely HAD to have them and wore them for the entire weekend! haha!

Stereotype #2: insane thunder storms. Oh, man did we experience a thunder storm. Out of nowhere, the rain started coming down in sheets. Looking outside, it was like someone was on the roof pouring out bucket after bucket of rain. You couldn't see anything beyond the waterfall gushing from the skies. The thunder shook the entire house and scared the bejesus out of me!

My favorite part of the trip was our night at the Piano Bar, "Willy D's" (I keep calling it Wild Ed's). There were two piano's, head to head, and they sang/played back and forth. The songs were all common, popular rock/pop/oldies so it was fun to dance and sing to. At the end of the night it was a man vs woman piano war. What a fun place! Not to mention, I couldn't count how many drinks Steve and I ordered, and the total bill was only 35 bucks.

All of that crazy fun and lack of sleep made me sick. I blew my way through 10 kleenex packs on the plane ride home. I felt so sorry for the man next to me!

Next adventure...Long Beach Friday!

Fatty

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups WITH Caramel are for fat hogs. I just ate one cup and I gained 10 pounds and another neck. I think I also gained a cavity. WOO PIG SOOIEE!

Sicky

Just a quick note: Back from Arkansas but I stayed home from work today because I came down with a head cold. I will give all the details about my latest adventure tomorrow when I'm feeling better! Stay tuned...

New and Improved?

I hope you all like the new look of my blog. I finally figured out how put my own picture at the top of the page. Even though it doesn't fit just right, I still think it looks a lot better than that dumb green tic tac header. My current header is a photo I took in Cambria - my new favorite place. I will probably change around the picture from time to time...I had to think of some way to keep you coming back!! :)

Tomorrow morning, S and I are leaving for Arkansas for Joanna's graduation weekend. She will be getting her Master's in Athletic Training from the University of Arkansas! Congrats Jo! I am so proud of you! We get there late Thursday night, but Joanna has a handful of fun events planned for us...I can hardly wait! I have never been to Arkansas, so I am very curious to see where she has been living for the past two years!

I am looking forward to checking off another state on my list. The best part about this whole thing is I have someone to share it with...finally! I have such a strong desire to travel all over the place - to see new and strange things, meet new (and sometimes strange!) people, get lost in different customs and cultures - but when it comes down to it, nothing beats travelling like sharing the experience with someone you love. Even if we're just going to Arkansas, and it's just for three days, I will cherish the time spent exploring a new place with the man of my dreams.

Goatmeal

We didn't arrive to the campground until after dark, but lucky for us, Rachel and Scott already had a fire going and the bevs ready. Rachel made incredibly tasty burgers, bigger than our faces with a side of blueberry vodka. Scott spoiled us with "goatmeal" chocolate chip cookes and the rest of the night was spent by the fire talking about camp hookers.

Apparently there were really camp hookers because on two separate occasions, in two different bathrooms, we found used condoms strewn across the floor and dirty panties. YUCK! Scott also witnessed a couple together in the shower. We came up with different ways to ruin this inappropriate romance: by plopping things into the toilet and grunting, or squirting water out of a water bottle into the toilet. Next time Scott!

The next day, we went on a grueling hike up to pfeiffer falls. Actually, it only took us about 10 minutes and led us to Bug City. But, there were some HUGE Red Woods and tree trunk caves and tunnels, and lots of great photo ops!


We drove down Hwy 1 about 10 miles to another water fall, where some rude people took all the parking spots, and stood in the middle of the road. They were all there for a wedding at the end of the trail...the same trail we were going on. It was very annoying, and probably the WORST place for a wedding. But the view was spectacular and we got to see lots of strange people.

After our hike, we made it back to the campsite for a cat nap. I got up to start dinner: BBQ chicken and grilled veggies. Rachel made margaritas, with a blender!!! Yes, we brought a blender camping :) We camp in style! The yummy dinner only made us want more goodies, so we brought out the s'mores and finished off two giant hershey bars! YUM!

The rest of the night was filled with laughter, and lesbian talk (our neighbor campers were butch lesbians!) and then I got real cranky and whined my way to bed.

The next day we took our time getting up and Scott made pancakes with bananas and blueberry syrup! We really ate well this weekend. We packed up and headed our separate ways. :( It was a very memorable weekend, and I am very grateful for my lovely friends!

See you again in Catalina!

Camping!

We're off to Big Sur this weekend for some camping fun with good friends! I'm sure I will have some good stories and pictures to share when I get back!

Is it 5:00 yet?! Chomp chomp!!

Bum Heaven

Sorry I haven't written since Cincinnati. It's not that I've been swamped, but really I have had nothing interesting to write about! I guess the most unusual thing that has happened in the last couple of weeks is my boyfriend almost getting jumped by a bum! We were walking downtown, minding our own business when a homeless man with two pitbulls walks past us. As soon as he passes us, he starts muttering in a really vulgar tone, "don't even think about saying what you're thinking, MAN!" And I was a little confused since Steve didn't look at the bum, or say a word to him (which is actually rare). So Steve turns around, bewildered as well, and yells "What did you say?" and the bum yells, "You heard me you son of a bitch!" And Steve yells back, "F*** YOU!"

While this is happening, both parties are still walking slowly backwards away from each other, so at this point we are probably 50 feet from the guy and as soon as Steve yells what he did, the bum rips off his backpack (all I remember is his huge beer belly jiggling), and he starts to come towards us, threatening, "OH YA?! COME ON OVER HERE AND I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!" So of course Steve is getting all riled up and says, "You should shut your mouth!" and now the bum is REALLY angry and again makes a move towards us. I start freaking out, pulling on Steve's arm saying SHUT UP and LET'S JUST GET OUT OF HERE! Because there's no way that worthless blob could catch us if we just book it. But, of course we realize there are two pitbulls eyeing our every move.

The bum tells Steve that he should either shut HIS mouth or come over there and fight it out. Finally, Steve gives up on this loser and says "You're right, I'll shut MY mouth. Now, get out of here!" So the bum stares us down while we walk away, and I keep looking over my shoulder to make sure he doesn't let those dogs loose on us. It was so scary!

My advice: stay away from bums, especially ones with pitbulls - you won't ever win a fight.

And one question: why aren't people in this town concerned over the vast homeless population covering the town? Everyone here cares too much about buildings being shorter than three stories, or that the quaint feel of the town will be disrupted if a Target moves in, or that there are no drive-thrus because we all know drive-thrus make cities look "ugly" right? Well, I think drive-thrus are awesome because you don't have to get out of your car if you just want a quick bev! I also think Target is the best store on the planet, and I would be more willing to pay $900 in rent to live here if we had one. And tall buildings are cool and give the small town a more metro, invigorating feel. BUT, more importantly, I feel that the homeless situation in this town is out of control. If they want such a perfect, pretty little town, build more shelters, hire police to patrol violent bums, don't allow 16 year old runaways to loiter in front of your business with their mangy dogs. This is not France - you can't mask the stench of homelessness with perfume and flowers.

Still here!

I'm still here in Cincinnati..actually I am in Forest Park, but I did get a chance to drive into downtown Cincinnati this afternoon. I couldn't come all this way without at least catching a glimpse of the big city. I was pleasantly surprised by how clean and pretty the city was. I drove along the river where there were brightly colored bridges, and old-fashioned homes with tall white columns all along the water front. I drove up and down the one-way streets, and took pictures of the architecture and criss crossinig bridges.

Class is over for the week, so I am heading back home tomorrow morning. I wish I had a flight out tonight because its only 5pm, and I ran out of things to do. I spent another few hours at THE MALL! yesterday and overdid it a little bit :) My new wardrobe and 4 textbooks will make my suitcase too heavy to carry, so I will have to check my bag. Pray to the luggage gods that it doesn't get lost!

Tonight I plan on grabbing some dinner at the local grocery store, and checking out some residential areas to see what it's like to live here. I am fascinated with the differences between cities in this country...every place I go is so different, and everybody has so many different perspectives on life. I learn so much about myself and the rest of the US when I travel like this. I LOVE it.

I learned that the traffic lights here are yellow and hanging on thin little wires. It looks really funny and I really wonder what happens when it gets windy. I also learned that people really love fast food here. Big Boys, Steak and Shake, Wendys, and Skyline Chili are the biggest hits in this town. The drive-thru lines are always long, and the parking lots full. My class partner, from Tennessee, told me how "crazy" it was that Walmart in town sold liquor! He has to drive 20 minutes to his local liquor store for it. I've heard of his situation in other states too, but of course in CA, liquor is available EVERYWHERE. When I told him that there is no smoking in bars/clubs in California, his eyes got wide and he said, "that alone makes me want to move to California!" :)

Well, I'm off in my fancy Mustang to see some more sites!

Cincinnati!

My shoulders are rubbed raw from carrying two heavy bags across two airports for hours. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to lift my huge bag over my head into the luggage compartment all by myself. Usually I ask for help, but this time I decided to try it on my own. What a huge dufus with my face all tweaked and red and sweaty trying to lift that dumb red bag way up there so high. And the old lady next to me says, "you're a lot stronger than you look, you little thing you" That's right! BOOYAH! UHH! I said.

So yeah, here I am in my hotel room outside of Cincinnati. I can't even see a city anywhere. No big buildings, no lights, no excitement. The best thing around here is a MALL! OH MALL HOW I LOVE THEE! I spent three hours after my class today at the mall! I probably looked crazy because I was wide-eyed and drooling all over myself. So many stores to choose from, so much time!! Here is what I get in SLO: Abercrombie and Fitch ($$$$$$), Express ($$$$), Banana Republic (for those days I feel like swimming in my clothes, and who would buy a Banana blouse just to wear to bed?), and hmm..oh, right, those are my ONLY OPTIONS so you understand my excitedment, right? I'm going back tomorrow...and the next day. :)

I went to dinner at the Cracker Barrell tonight. I saw it as I drove up to the hotel, and I was so excited because I used to go to the Cracker Barrell in Georgia when I visited my grandma. I just HAD to go! Oh my god, this place is hilarious. It was full of decrepit, fat people with no teeth (but really friendly and happy decrepit, fat people!) The host was this jolly black man who smiled so hard while telling us the special, I thought he was going to start cracking up at the sound of "porkchop". The entire menu consisted of fried this and fried that. I got the fried chicken (of course), with mashed pototoes, gravy, biscuits, and corn! I don't think the Midwest believes in spice, because everything was bland, but with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, it was DELICIOUS!!!!!!! And get this - my entire dinner cost $7.60!! My boss is going to see my expense report and give me a raise! I went on and on about how cheap this place was, and the people I were with were like, "Really?? Looks like these prices are higher than the CB in Tennessee!" Whatever cheapos, I haven't paid $7.60 for dinner since...who knows! I'm damn happy about this!

Anyway, Cincinnati is definitely different from home. I miss my Billy. I enjoy seeing new places, but its always better when you have someone to share it with.

OH, BTW, I got a brand new Mustang convertible for my rental car!! Cincinnati in style!! :)

Schedule of Events

I'm going to Cincinnati for work next week. The weather is supposed to be stormy and cold :( I am looking forward to seeing a new place, but unfortunately most of my time will be spent in a classroom learning about Industrial Ventilation (WHOO!!) I also have several work projects that I will be working on after class in my lonely hotel room. God, this is going to be a great trip! :)

Next on the agenda is camping with the Cub and Pup in Big Sur the first weekend in May. We reserved an $80 campsite, so it must have some mighty fine amenities! Maybe an extra large fire ring, or even a picnic table sans bird poop. Maybe the site is all grass and no dirt. Oh I know! It must be bug free! Anyway, it will be a fun time. I plan on drinking heavily and bbqing some mean burgers. What do you think, Rachipoo?

S and I will also be attending Joanna's graduation from the University of Arkansas in May. We are flying there Thursday night and coming back Sunday. I told Joanna two years ago that I would come visit her in Arkansas, and I decided to wait until the last possible second, which is very uncharacteristic, but whatever, it worked out in my favor since the plane tickets were only $250. So, I'm going to Arkansas and I'm very excited about it!

At the end of May I will be attending my brother Philip's high school graduation in Montana. With a class of about 50 students, the ceremony will be short and sweet. My mom promised to take me to "The Mint" a fabulous restaurant in Bozeman. Filet Mignon please. She knows my heart!

From Bozeman, my mom and I are flying to Minneapolis, Minnesota. I am going to a convention for Industrial Hygienists for work. But, the best part is we are going to the MALL OF AMERICA!!!!! I can hardly contain my joy!

After the convention, I am driving 4 hours to Madison, Wisconsin to visit our headquarters. I'll be spending one or two nights there and then driving to Milwaukee and flying back to SLO. WHOO I am so excited to explore three new places!

But, I'm not done yet! Looks like a quaint weekend getaway to Catalina is in order. The baby animal party has moved locations and we're all going to meet up for an Island Adventure. No official plans yet, but as they say, I'm super "stoked!"

My mom is coming out for the John Mayer concert in July. I think maybe more of my family is coming for that too because it's probably the best event that could ever happen to Paso Robles.

Sometime in between all that boring stuff I'll be making a visit to Long Beach to see my Helya! I haven't been in awhile and I always love going there. I promise I'm coming! At the end of the summer, S and I are trying to plan a trip to Seattle and Vancouver for a week. This is still tentative, but I really, really want to go. I'm also going to UCSB's graduation June 14th to see my baby Katie graduate! I can't believe it! My friend Jackie is having a babyshower in Walnut Creek at some point this summer as well, so I will hopefully be able to go to that. (Mom, you should come visit Lisa and Brian during that weekend and we can stay with them!)

Then of course, moving day is August 1. I HATE MOVING!

Phew, I'm exhausted just thinking about it.