Eye Twitch

When I was in college I had a nemesis professor. I had him three times in as many years at Georgia Southern University. The third class I took with him was an upper-level course called Media Criticism. I earned a big fat C in that class. And his other class. And a low B in the first one. Sigh. I wasn't the best student at Southern but I did make the Dean's List a few times. Anyway, I remember  my left eyelid started twitching constantly during the Media Criticism semester. It stopped when the semester was over. Well, it's started again. My eye twitches all the time. I cannot express how stressed I am these days. It seems I have constant headaches and dizziness and my dentist informed me that I'm grinding my teeth. There is at least one moment each day where I am on the verge of tears. I go to work every Saturday and Sunday for at least 4 hours to work on school stuff. Staying at home is pointless because I just want to watch TV and play with the dogs. Or play the mystery games I love so much on my iPad. I'm getting a lot done but this semester does not end until May 9th (my eye started twitching as I typed that date just now). I can get through this but I hope my husband, friends, and family don't feel neglected. My co-workers are probably fed up with my on-edge behavior but they're being very tolerant. I keep telling myself it will all be over soon and then I look at my to-do list and feel so defeated. I have one more class after this semester and then I will be done. I have to pass my GACE exam but once I earn this certification I am never going back to school again. Never. Ever.

Dear Downton Abbey Writers

HOW COULD YOU?!?!?!?

Happy/Sad

This is the story of two sisters attending a book signing. It's no secret I'm a huge fan of the blog Young House Love. My sister Michanne is also a fan. John and Sherry Petersik are the DIY couple behind the blog and they published a DIY book last year. I pre-ordered my copy (duh) and impatiently awaited it's arrival. When it did finally arrive I was excited but I'll admit the content was not exactly what I expected but I loved flipping through every page. I'm unbelievably proud and impressed by their book writing and publishing journey. Their journey also included a book signing tour! Sadly, Atlanta (nor anywhere near Atlanta) was included in their tour. It seems they changed their minds because Michanne texted me about new tour dates late last year and Atlanta was going to be the last one. Huzzah! Micahnne registerd us immediately and we made plans for the February visit. Fast forward to Thursday, February 7th, 6pm and Michanne and I are waiting in line to meet the Petersiks! We stood in line for over 2 hours. in the cold. windy. rainy. weather. outside. Catching a glimpse of the couple just before 6:30pm and seeing them through the storefront window around 8pm lifted our spirits. Not to mention the freebie snacks the book signing hosts passed around outside the storefront. I had a mini cheesecake brownie and it was delicious. Michanne and I were not dressed properly for a two-hour session outdoors. Their previous book signings appeared to take place in large stores and sometimes they even gave speeches before the signing started. Not in Atlanta--apparently the only place in America that does not have a suitable book signing facility. The inside of the store, Flor, was teeny-tiny. Only about 50 or 60 people could fit in there and still form a line. Except the line for John and Sherry inside was about 10 people deep. Michanne forgot her book (oops!) so bought a new one in the store. A second line formed after their signing table and I'll explain that later. Here's a picture of my ecstatic self once we got inside. John and Sherry are right behind me!!!

All pictures were taken with my iPhone so don't expect anything spectacular. After this spastic moment we signed their guestbook and then waited for the stupid girls in front of us to ooh and aah over John and Sherry and proffer their idiotic packets about their home. Yadda, yadda, yadda. That song, "Move bit$h, get out the way!" by Luda kept running through my head.

Seconds later our magical moment arrived. I remember saying something stupid about a letter I wrote to them last year about my wedding, blah, blah, blah. They didn't remember even though Sherry sent a very nice reply back to me. They've met thousands of fans on this book tour so that's hardly surprising (but it still hurt). Michanne was so cool, as usual, especially compared to my overly enthusiastic self. I told them we were sisters, they looked at us, paused for a second, and then I said, "well, step sisters," and then Michanne says, "no, we're twins." They laughed and signed our books and we took a group picture.

Then came my you-will-remember-me-moment. I produced this gem for them to sign!

Anyone who reads their blog knows how much Sherry adores white, ceramic animals--well, white, ceramic anything. They also have a white rhino which they love and is part of their blog banner. Sherry looked so happy and they asked where I got it (Z Gallerie) and we talked about how it looked different from their rhino. Michanne took pictures while they signed my rhino's belly. I turned to look at all the people in line and they were smiling but I could tell they coveted my rhino something fierce! Michanne said everyone was staring hard and looked so jealous. That's how you make an impact people--make em' jealous with ceramics. That was it, that was my not-quite-five-minutes with John and Sherry Petersik. The second line I mentioned earlier led to none other than Katie Bower. She is another blogger and is BFFs with Sherry. She and her family also happen to live in Atlanta. I wanted to meet her but the line was long and I needed a proper meal so I snapped her picture with my phone. She didn't look very pleased and Michanne laughed her butt off.

This whole encounter was such a blur. Michanne said when we were taking the group picture all she remembered was staring at the back of John's head and thinking he had a nice thick head-of-hair. We gathered our things and headed to the parking garage elevator to get back in Michanne's car (and turn on the heater!). I held my rhino and book in a large recycle bag over my shoulder. As I exited the elevator I heard rather than felt a distinct CLINK noise. Michanne and I both gasped and she said be careful (after the fact I might add). We opened the bag and sure enough the large horn was broken, but it was mostly a clean break. I won't lie, I wanted to cry right then and there in the parking garage. In a matter of seconds I went from super excited to feeling so sorry for myself. Michanne said not to worry and that it could be repaired easily since it was such a clean break. I tried to forget about it for the rest of the trip but it was the first thing I showed Jeff when I got home.

Jeff has since fixed my little rhino and was very sweet about the whole thing. If you look very closely you can see the crack but you wouldn't notice just passing by. The thing is, the second I took it off my dresser to get ready for the trip I just knew something was going to happen to it. This trip included the worst experiences I've ever had dealing with elevators. All that aside, it was a great trip and it was nice visiting with Michanne and meeting a couple I admire.

New Experiences

Last Thursday my sister and I took a trip to Atlanta. The main purpose was to attend the Young House Love book signing event at Flor. I'll post about the specifics on that later. We both arrived in Atlanta just before 4pm. Our first stop was Ikea. I know I've been to Ikea many, many times, and blogged about it, but I've never eaten there. Michanne and I decided to split a plate of their famous meatballs with mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam.

It was surprisingly good. I think we walked around Ikea for about an hour and then headed over to the book signing location. The book signing started at 6:30pm and we planned on getting in line at 6pm and would grab dinner afterwords. The line was very long and it just got longer and longer as time passed. It was very cold and windy and it sprinkled off and on. 

This line wrapped around to the front of the store and employees opened up an unused space in the building to snake the line further in the back. We caught a glimpse of John and Sherry just before 6:30pm. I wasn't fast enough with my iPhone to take a proper picture so I'll share what I did get. 

Can you see them? They had already made it around the corner by the time I took this award winning photo. My next post will highlight our magical five minutes with John and Sherry. This was my very first book signing. The next morning Michanne and I got in the elevator to go to breakfast in the hotel. When the elevator got to the first floor it would not open. It jumped back up to the second floor, then back down to the first and still wouldn't open. So, we were stuck in an elevator. With a pregnant woman. She was freaking out slightly which freaked me out. I tried to use the elevator phone but no one answered on the other end. The elevator jumped back to the second floor and finally opened. We quickly exited and took the stairs.

The one on the far right is the 'elevator of death'. We alerted the hotel staff about the incident. I think the whole thing lasted about 5 minutes. That was my first time being stuck in an elevator. After breakfast we went to Trader Joe's.  It's an interesting place and I swear I could smell pot in the produce section. It made my eyes sting. I bought some soups and dog treats. This is an interesting name for ale.

Can you see the name? Arrogant Bastard Ale. Michanne was on a mission to find a small dresser/chest for her house. The first stop on this mission was The Dump. 

I've never been but Barbara has mentioned it a few times. It's a showroom of surplus furniture but it was all still pretty expensive. Apparently the new style is to have the top drawers empty for baskets or books. 

I don't like it at all and we must have seen at least 5 different dressers in this style. Our last stop of the day was Atlanta Expo South. This place was crazy. They had a little bit of everything: furniture, rugs, antiques, keepsakes, clothing, artwork, pottery, and even a food court. It was just gigantic. We didn't find anything to purchase but I did snap a photo of this beauty.

Wouldn't you love to have giant mummy in your living room? I was on the lookout for a card catalog but no luck. I didn't have any cash to purchase anything but I still searched. All in all, I tried some Ikea meatballs, went to a book signing, got stuck in an elevator, visited Trader Joe's, The Dump, and Atlanta Expo South. All new things. None of which are on my bucket list because I don't have a bucket list but I did have fun.

Microcar Museum

Jeff and I had a fun visit to the Microcar Museum in Madison. It houses the world's largest collection of microcars.

We've always passed the museum but never stopped because of other plans. I finally decided to check the museum hours and we made the decision to visit this past Saturday. The place was packed. The website talks about an auction in February but for some reason I didn't realize that the museum would be closing. This coming Friday and Saturday are their last days open to the public. Here are some uber cutie cars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It took us about an hour to walk through the whole place. It might have taken a little longer if there hadn't been so many people, it seemed like half our time was spent just trying to get out of the way of other people. There were so many different collectibles there. He also had a nice variety of vending machines. These were some of my favorites. My grandpa would have loved this MoonPie one.

There's nothing like hot soup out of a vending machine to beat the chills!



I really wanted the Twinkies in this hostess vending machine. I didn't see anyone actually try to use any of the vending machines and some were unplugged (like the popcorn machine) for obvious reasons.

It's an extremely large and interesting place. There were so many cars from all over the world and you can tell that the owner took great care of them.

The crowd was pretty eclectic. There were a ton of bikers, families speaking different languages, persons with gigantic cameras, the young and old. I don't think taking kids to the museum is the best idea because the temptation to jump into cars that appear to be just their size was just too great. All in all it was a fun place to visit close to the house.

Holiday Highlights

And some low-lights. So, I'm back at work now after being off for nearly a month. You might be asking yourself what I did with close to four weeks of unadulterated freedom. Most years during this joyous time I visit friends and family, mom and I usually do something cultural in Atlanta (visit a museum, etc.), I go to the movies, clean my house, read, and watch TV. I did some of that usual stuff but here are the highlights and low-lights:

Highlights

• The world didn't end
• Holiday movies on Hallmark and Lifetime (my favorites include The Road to Christmas, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Trading Christmas, and The Christmas Card)
• Reading multiple books guilt free
• Esther Price chocolates
• Finally watching The Big Bang Theory (super funny!)
• Working out a minimum of 4 days a week
• Cheese grits on Christmas morning
• Visiting Kelly, Frances, Lindsey, Whitney, Jennifer, Barbara and my family
• No school work

Low-lights

• Attempting a 3-day cleanse (I lasted a day and a half)
• Weight lost: negative 2 pounds (think about it)
• Completing bodypump for the first time in a year (I couldn't walk for 2 days after)
• Seeing Les Miserables (did you know the entire movie is all singing, no talking?)
• Two weeks of restless nights due to lack of a schedule requiring that I get up at a certain time each day (when working I usually wake up between 5 and 6am)
• Gloomy weather

New Year's Resolutions

• Don't make any New Year's resolutions--I didn't succeed in any last year so I'm going to skip that bit of disappointment all together.

I did enjoy the break but I did not "make the most" of it. I think school sucked all the energy and joy out of the season for me. I will hopefully complete school this July so Christmas 2013 will be totally different (this is not a New Year's resolution).

Cute As a Button

Things are starting to calm down at work and with school stuff. I've made A's in both of my classes (whoop, whoop!) and the Christmas break is getting closer and closer. My school work was officially over last week so I jumped at the chance to do something fun on my first free weekend in a long time. I decided to visit Barbara, run some errands, and get my toes done (and yes, it was painful). We went to World Market to get stocking stuffers and I got something great for everyone on my list. We also saw this chair.

I have a chair! Too bad it was so expensive and with such a light color fabric (not good for homes with outside/inside dogs). They also had some wrapping paper that I loved and I've been unbelievably picky this year with searching for wrapping paper. I did not buy it because the cost was ridiculous. I relaxed on Sunday but this weekend will be dedicated to cleaning the house. It's a disaster area and all those school papers can finally be put away. I already finished one of the books on my reading list, Warm Bodies. This was one fun read! I can't wait for the movie.

It was definitely gross but very funny and a sweet love story. Right now I'm reading Beautiful Creatures. It's okay so far and I'd like to see that movie too.

Almost There!

My last project for the semester (another group project) is due tomorrow and may even get turned in today. I'm very tense at the moment and I'm annoying my co-workers. Jeff has been working late these past few days and I think it's for the best.

After tomorrow I will have about 6 weeks of Freedom! My classes won't start again until January 14th. I have a huge list of fun things (fun to me) that I would like to do. I would like to workout each day and go for a nice relaxing walk each afternoon while listening to audio books. My reading list is getting longer and longer. Right now it includes Warm Bodies, Beautiful Creatures, Clockwork Angel, City of Bones, Zombies vs. Unicorns, Royal Romances, Annotated Persuasion, and Pride and Prejudice, and countless graphic novels. I want to visit my friends and do some serious cooking and baking, clean my house, get organized, improve my archery skills (non-existent at this stage), and work on some crafts. In reality what will happen is I will gain 5 pounds and have an unnatural familiarity with HGTV's daily schedule and jewelry on Etsy. Here's to good intentions (and making A's in both of my classes!). 

I'm No Twihard...

But I'm the only one in my small group of friends who saw Breaking Dawn 2 this weekend.

This seemed really weird to me and a little frustrating because I had no one (who had also read the books) to discuss the movie with. Mom was nice enough to tag-along with me to the movie but she's never read the books. I did explain some of the things she didn't understand in the movie but she didn't need much clarification. I went to a Saturday afternoon showing and there really weren't that many people there. The theater had plenty of empty seats. I don't want to give away any details or information because I don't want to alter anyone's experience of the film but someone better see it soon! And, yes, I will be buying the soundtrack.

Buy All The Twinkies!!

Remember that movie Zombieland where Woody Harrelson's character just wanted some Twinkies?  Well, it turns out that even Twinkies won't survive the Zombie-pocalypse. Hostess Brands is going bankrupt. That means no more Twinkies or Hostess Cupcakes (or numerous other cavity-inducing-artery-clogging items).

I remember enjoying Hostess treats with my grandparents and if you've never had frozen Twinkies you're missing out. Maybe it's for the best (I know Michelle Obama is happy) but thousands of people will be losing their jobs because an agreement couldn't be reached. The article (link above) gives the impression that the Hostess items on the shelves right now is all there will be. Go buy some and freeze them to enjoy later (and in moderation, all things in moderation). Pinterest is probably filled with at-home recipe versions for all the Hostess items or they will be in the next several months.