Have you Heard? addendum.

1. I do not read the column regularly! My mother, however, is a fan. She read it to me over the phone a few nights ago, hence the blog entry.

2. I was not careful enough in my perusing of the column yesterday! Very small town-small world update: Carol I. (and her evidently famous zucchini relish) also has a mention! Oh, M-F.

You gotta love small towns.

Milton-Freewater has a weekly newspaper entitled The Valley Herald. For those of you unfamiliar with it, the lack of substantial newworthiness and grammatical errors make it worth reading. By far the best part of the paper is a column entitled Have you Heard? by local legend Dorothy Heard. This column epitomizes small town life. There is no actual reason for its existence, other than to allow this woman to share weekly M-F gossip with her readers. It is FANTASTIC. In addition to the subject matter, it should be noted that Dorothy cannot write well. I am not saying this to be mean, anyone who is familiar with the column will attest. The grammar/punctuation used to bother me, until I was informed that Dorothy is well into her 90's. With this revelation, I decided to give her a break. Anyway, the column is classic M-F; I am honestly careful with what I tell my father for fear that I will appear [misrepresented] in Dorothy's column. It's happened. Several times. This being said, Katy H got her first Dorothy Heard column appearance last week (silly her for talking to someone in M-F about her life)! Obviously, I have to share it with all of you. Just read it - you'll see what I mean. Remember, this is in my town newspaper.

More good news about a Mac-Hi graduate... Katy H graduated with the class of 1998. She went to Library School. Got her masters from Library School at Wichita, Kansas. She is now Director of a Llibrary in Texas. She has been named by the American Library Association as one of 100 emerging leaders.

The Library of which she is director has just been awarded the Outstanding New Library in Texas. The American Library Association has just voted her a $1000 scholarship to attend the annual American Library Association annual conference in Washington DC this summer. One last note: She is daing son of a Baptist Church minister. Her mother Beth H lives in Walla Walla.

Way to go Katy! It's also worth noting that the writing isn't actually as bad as it's been known to be (spelling errors are minimal, for example). I love M-F.

I know all of you want to see the paper for yourselves, so here's the link:

http://www.govalleyherald.com/news/620l_Dorthy_Heard.cfm

Tennis lessons need a warning label.

The crazy-competitive new lady at tennis last night beamed me with the ball on an overhead shot. It hurt (I do have a sweet bruise to show for it, though). If we'd have been playing baseball, I most definitely would have charged the mound.

Ahhh, Friday.

As I stated earlier, time seems to be flying by. I am undecided on how I feel about this - is it good, since I basically have nothing going on? Or bad... since I basically have nothing going on? Tough call. Anyway, thanks for all the fun comments on the last post. Who needs the phone/email when we can just chat via blogger comments??

I'd like to make a shout out to buzz and andrea #1 for getting "real" jobs recently (no offense rtrax - your perfect job just hasn't found you yet.... good job-finding karma is being sent your way as I type, though). Way to go, Hopkins MHS-ers.

It's less than 4 weeks til Aunt-hood! Perhaps ash does not feel that time is flying quite as quickly as I do? I still can't believe it, though - there's going to be a baby in my family soon! I cannot wait to meet him. We're going to be best friends (though that official title has already been claimed by ko's sis, I believe). I plan on giving fantastic presents (Sandra Boynton books, anyone?) and being the best diaper-changer EVER. In later years we will go see the giraffes at the zoo and ride MAX (you had better still live in PDX) - and don't you worry, we'll make train noises. It will be FANTASTIC. See, I have it all planned out. I heart Owen!

That was quite a tangent, no? You can thank my innate procrastination. HPV clinical trial findings... Fun enough to read, less fun to summarize. Especially when you've already summarized the disease and vaccine info. My job does not rock today.

So tomorrow is St. Patrick's day. I have been invited to 3 parties. How about we spread things out people? Before this, I was invited to a total of three parties in the last year or so (Yes, I am that cool). Now all on the same day? How to choose, how to choose?? Well, easy actually, as one is at my boss' and I am a huge sucker-upper. Well, and since it's partially to celebrate the twins, whom I love. The little one started walking. So, so cute.

Okay, must work. Happy Friday, happy St. Patrick's Day, happy March Madness, etc.

Back from the abyss.

It's been a rough week. Highlights include me crying in public (sorry about that) and skipping out on work for the good of my mental health. But I will persevere! Anyway, things are looking a bit brighter: tomorrow is already Thursday (time flies when you don't go to work), my boss has returned from his seemingly-endless travels (meaning work will be busier and thus more "fun"), I have another softball game Friday night (we kicked bum last week), I am so excited about the new gym I've been going to (I seriously can't wait to go tonight - perhaps something is wrong with me?), and payday is this week (meaning an automatically good weekend is in store).

In an attempt to catch up with my blogging community:

1. mrsbrooke will not blog? this is devastating news! wait... she will blog, just not as often. i can probably handle this.

2. the package fairy also visited me! moonstruck mexican hot chocolate! if only it weren't 85 degrees here... that's what A/C is for, correct? to create the feeling of winter in an attempt to enjoy cocoa? it's worth a shot. also, I AM NOT A CAT LADY.

3. ash-can most definitely needs to get out more. if she cannot even recognize a party once she's in the room... more surprise parties are in store (just so she can practice).

4. krista's on spring break? oh, the life of a student! how i miss week-long breaks for no reason!

5. it's about gosh-darn time that the unwillingexpat updated the blog. seriously. i was about to stop checking.

6. any of my regular readers have any feelings about truman capote (i believe ash does?)? i am tempted to read some of his work after reading buzz's blog. any suggestions?

7. rtrax! update the bloggers on the happenins in texas. please?

i think that's it.

KC, MO

Kansas City is ugly. There's really no getting around it. Now, I realize that March may not be the city's prettiest month, but I find it hard to believe it gets all that much better. U-G-L-Y, ugly. Anyway, the Hyatt was nice. And I had a nice view of the [ugly] city. I realized about 1/2 way through the week, though, that even when it's on someone else's dime, traveling alone isn't all that fun. At least when it's at a conference where everyone else knows someone. Tricky. All that being said, it was a good week. I met some of boss-man Dan's colleagues, spoke in front of 100+ people, and had plenty of quality me-time. Aside from a slight bump Tuesday night, the week was pretty good. Stupid b-man. But that's a whole different story.

It's fun to get to work after being gone for 5 days and realize that it's Friday. I thought it was Monday all morning, so what a pleasant surprise. I even have a softball game tonight. Cross your fingers I don't suck it up while catching. Seriously - who puts the new girl in as catcher? Is that really the smartest move?

A couple of [boring but pleasant] things to report:

1. Found a suit; looked super professional + cute during above-mentioned presentation.
2. Jetta got her muffler and locks fixed (and for less than the estimate!). It's as if she's brand new.
3. Cats are super happy to have me home. I love them. A super-ridiculous amount.

Who knew?

I've come to a realization. While I enjoy traveling (tremendously), I do not particularly like trips two weekends in a row. My excitement about next week's conference is being overshadowed by the fact I would much rather stay at home on Sunday (as opposed to driving back to Jacksonville to board another plane). In addition, I am not quite prepared to go out of town again. For example, it did not occur to me to arrange for a cat-sitter. Oops. Now I feel guilty for asking at the last minute. Also, I need "business-type" clothing... and I need to find it tomorrow. It should be noted that I HATE [clothes] shopping. To my core. This hatred can only be exacerbated by shopping for "difficult" clothing-related items, such as swimwear (and jeans). Suits, I feel, are destined to fall into this category. Alas, I have one afternoon to find one. Again, oops. So after work today I will go to my softball game with the camo-wearing, chew-spitting teammates, then home to do laundry. Tomorrow I must wake up, take my car to the Volkswagen service people (because the first auto place couldn't fix it), make my way to the car rental pick-up place, go to the bank, then find a suit before my evening [tennis] date. Finally, on Sunday I must begin the trek to the airport at 6am. Stupid far-away airport. I'm never living this far from a major airport again. It's officially made my list of place-to-live requirements. I think I'm grumpy today. Sorry.

So, I will not be blogging next week (maybe on Friday, if I come to work). I won't be home until Thursday night, so I'm crossing my fingers that boss-man Dan will tell me to stay home. Please send good luck vibes my way on Wednesday, so that I do not make a fool of myself in front of potential future employers. I could probably use some additional vibes tomorrow, while I search for a suite. Stupid clothes shopping.

Happy Friday.

Enough, already.

So here is a look at some of the random things going on in my life:

1. My car has been possessed by some sort of electrical problem-inducing force. Last night, while driving on a 6 lane, 45-mile an hour road (with traffic), my panic alarm went off. This would have been only slightly embarrassing, had I been able to turn it off. But alas, I was cruising down the road with lights and horn blaring, every attempt to thwart the noise useless. At the next stoplight I turned the car off, thinking that would obviously solve the problem, but no. Then I couldn't start the car again. So there I am, envisioning me (and Vanessa, who was forced into this situation by mistakenly getting in to the car with me) waiting for a tow truck in the center lane at a stoplight in one of the busiest intersections in Gainesville with my panic alarm blaring. Thankfully, turning the lights off, of all things, stopped the alarm. Who knew? Needless to say, jetta is at the [car] doctor this morning.

2. I went to Portland. And back. It's a long way across the U.S.

3. On an incredibly related note, I co-hosted a baby shower for Ashley this weekend - she's silly ("hello?... oh, Stephanie's here and she brought balloons"). If you ever envision yourself throwing her a surprise party, don't worry - you'll get away with it.

4. I've decided I am officially done with the b-man. He may not like it, but we will not be friends - at least not for a long, long time. Sorry.

5. My first softball game is on Friday (well, they actually played last Friday while I was gone, but this is MY first game. It should be noted that they lost last week. I think we all know why) - go Gator Aluminum!

6. I bought a nap blanket from Brookstone this weekend. I love it.

7. I leave for Kansas City on Sunday. And need to find a suite-type outfit before then. Tricky.

8. And finally, long live my hatred for #12.

Whoops.

Scratch #4.

Big news.

1. My paper was accepted by the journal I submitted to (most of you know this; I apologize for the redundancy).

2. I have a [real] matching couch and chair. I'm so adult.

3. 6-7 weeks until aunthood!

4. There is a distinct possibility that I have a crush. First one in roughly ten years (excluding Ecuador, of course).

And then it hits me:

I DO live in [rural] Florida! Gainesville is an oasis. If the South were a desert, Gainesville is a lush mirage. Most of the time, I forget this. I forget that I'm in the South. I forget I am in Florida, even. But yesterday, there was no escape. I found myself in Newberry, Florida - the Athena, Oregon of the South, I soon discovered. Oddly enough, I was there for softball practice. That's a whole different story. Anyway, after waiting for my captain in the town market parking lot (FANTASTIC people watching), I made my way to the city park and met 4 members of my team. Low and behold, I live in the South. These guys epitomize the South. Not even kidding. So much accent. So much camo. Even a can of snuff. I'm still reeling. What have I gotten myself into? This is certainly not what I had in mind when I signed up. Now don't get me wrong, all were very nice. Just so, so southern. Rural South, southern. To be fair, I'm sure these guys were thinking "who the hell is this girl", or something along those lines. It was a gentle clash of cultures. So I'll be spending the next 10 Friday nights with this group. It'll be good for me, right? Perhaps I'm secretly rural South at heart.

Crazy Florida.

I'd like to inform everyone that it is currently colder in Central Florida than in Portland (even being 3 hours later in the day). That's weird.

Teaser: I have a GREAT story for later; there's camo and chew involved.

Oh crap.

I dropped a stitch. It's 5 rows back. I'm going 70 stitches across. This does not make for a good time. I had been doing so good! Darn it!

For my loyal readers.

Answers to Stephanie's City Challenge (a disappointing show of participation, by the way):

1. Portland, Oregon
2. Sydney, Australia
3. Cuenca, Ecuador
4. Seattle, Washington
5. Guayaquil, Ecuador
6. Minneapolis, Minnesota
7. San Fransisco, California
8. New York, New York
9. Quito, Ecuador
10. Lima, Peru

I think I'm an addict.

Seriously. I've realized that I have a slightly addictive personality. That is, when I find something I like, I partake (at times in excess) until I tire of it. Quizno's, for example. Or black bean burritos with avocado. When I find a food that I like, I can eat it everyday (not even an exaggeration). This can go on for months (though I don't usually eat the same things every day because I am aware that variety is good for me. Every other day, though, is another story.) - it's been like this for as long as I remember. I also have reason to believe it may be hereditary, as I can picture T-dogg eating the same thing every afternoon of my childhood. It's not limited to food, however: knitting has recently reached addiction status, and seasons 1 and 2 of Alias have been there for almost a year. While I realize that worse addictions may exist, I wonder if my behavior is healthy and/or normal.

On a related note, I have started a new knitting project! I worked on it for hours yesterday (literally), but it's coming along beautifully. The most blog-worthy part about it is that the pattern was COMPLETELY wrong. I read it through, realized I could do it and started, but as I went along I thought to myself, "I don't think this will actually create the pattern it says it will. Hhhmmm." But as I'm new to knitting, I just figured I didn't know what I was talking about. O yee of little faith [in myself]! After a few rows I confirmed that whoever wrote out the pattern is an idiot and altered it to actually create the basket weave pattern. I'm a knitting prodigy. I can't get more detailed than that for now though, as it's a gift. I'll post a picture later on (so, so cute!).

I am thinking about joining a co-ed softball league this week. I haven't played softball in approximately 9 years; it could be an embarrassingly good time.

Random update: the National Immunization Conference is in 3 weeks! I present on March 7 - scary! I booked all of my travel arrangements today - I love to travel! Especially when I don't have to pay for it! Nice hotel + rental car + $50/day for food = awesome.

Goodbye OR, hello FL.

Sad news, all. I am being forced to surrender my Oregon residency. I had been attempting to hang on to it for as long as possible, but the time has come for me to part ways with the Oregon driver's license (and probably the license plate, too - though I'm bitter, as I just renewed my tags!). As of 10:00AM tomorrow I will be a Florida resident. So sad. So official. So... permanent sounding. But it's a sacrifice I am willing to make to join a local credit union. They better appreciate me. The best part about all of this is the ridiculous amount of license plates I have to choose from. Oregon has 4 or so. Florida has about 100. Seriously. I've lived here for 7 (8?) months and still see new ones. And that's just Gainesville. It's crazy. So the most exciting part of my day tomorrow may be obtaining a super fun license plate - that's right, the best part of my day. I also find this strange, that I will get only one plate. I currently have plates on both the front and rear of my car. Florida thinks this is too much, however, and only wants them in the rear. I feel this can make identification tricky. What's the rationale behind the single plate? Silly Florida. So I know everyone will be quivering in anticipation, but don't you worry - as soon as possible I'll post a pic of the new plate (I'm leaning toward the wildflower - Jetta will be so cute!).

Stephanie = safe.

By the way, all's well in Gainesville (for those who were worried). The tornadoes hit Lady Lake, in Lake county (the next county over), which is about an hour from here. I didn't even know what had happen until my dad called to check on me! Oops. The night before I had seen tornado watches on "the telly" and we had tons of thunder/lightening and flooding, but nothing hit here. I do appreciate everyone's concern, though :)

I heart interactive blogs.

It's Monday and I'm already pretty bored with my current work projects, so I have decided to create a blogging activity. I am so, so cool. Anyway, you know how much I love image surveys. You also know how much I love games. I am a game FANATIC. Seriously. Ask anyone. So anyway, I have decided to post pictures of my favorite cities (worldwide), in order, and would like my dedicated readers to attempt to identify them (via comment or email). Perhaps it doesn't sound too hard, but I plan on picking images that may stump you!. Again, I am so cool.

Here are the clues:
1. Any city listed is a city I have been to (lived/visited).
2. A past image-post may be helpful.

** Addendum - I have been informed that I may not have thought this through. For all you CHEATERS out there... you can only look at the pictures in the size they are (as shown below)!

Stephanie's favorite cities

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10.

Tomorrow, tomorrow...

I'm taking the day off tomorrow. It's been a rough week - coming in at 9, taking (somewhat ridiculously) long lunches, leaving when I'm out of stuff to do. It wears on a person.

I have to go to PT (shout out to PT-man, who does not read the blog), watch Judging Amy (high priority, obviously), go to the bank, go to the gym, and baby-sit. Even though the day is already planned (not the best kind of day off), I'm very excited by the prospect of a three-day weekend.

Academia has spoiled me in terms of holidays and vacation time. The numerous days off between November and January have ended abruptly - what do you mean no holidays until Memorial day?? That's just crazy. And so, my vacation days will soon be put to use - a trip to Dallas sometime soon, home to see the baby in April or May, for example, and to Baltimore for commencement (I think).

Sadly, my day off means no blogging until Monday - cross your fingers for an exciting weekend (to contrast with last night, when I cleaned my shower and closet). It's starting off right with knitting and Grey's Anatomy tonight; I sound like such a girl - how did this happen? Speaking of, the hairdresser told me I wasn't dressing like a girl when I got my hair cut - was that rude? I didn't strike me as so until later on. I digress. I will return on Monday with tales of wild evenings and fun, productive days.

As promised...

The best thing I heard all day:

"It's so nice to talk to someone I know who isn't creepy."

That's a compliment, right?