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A near perfect day

Posted in Charleston on May 28, 2013| 1 Comment »

Memorial Day was awesome. A huge thank you to all of the service men and women who keep us safe every day and those who made the ultimate sacrifice, we are all infinitely blessed to be American.

I woke up early and went to a hot yoga class. The only downside was that I didn’t realized it was a 90 minute class. I was convinced it was an hour class, and when the instructor pointed out that it was 90 minutes, all I could think was Aw HAIL. But I survived, I even helped the guy next to me stop hyperventilating at the end of class. It is nice to feel helpful.

When I got out of class, I had a text message that the Adelante was ready for an afternoon sail. The weather was fantastic, and the Charleston Harbor was excited to see us.

We did run into a slight rudder problem, but we happily puttered back to the dock with cold beer, sunshine, and good company. The bartender at the yacht club was happy to fry us up some sea creatures to accompany our cold beer.

After sailing, I rushed home, quickly cleaned up, and headed out to see Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers. I’m in love with Steve, and all of the Steep Canyon Rangers. I’m thinking of moving to Asheville. If you have a chance to see these fools, please take advantage of it!

I want to tell you a lot more about my weekend, but I’m running off to yoga. The foot is hanging in there, I’ve become a big believer of KT tape.

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‘Merica!

Posted in Charleston, The Paines on May 25, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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Happy Memorial Day!

Posted in Charleston, Favorite People, The Paines on May 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I was suppose to work all day, but then Jennifer called and said she was on the boat and for me to come lay out with her. There is this unwritten rule, when your bestie who recently had her second child, wants you to come hang out and drink beer during the work day on the water, you have to go. Holiday weekends strengthen the enforcement of this rule. Sort of like all the other laws. Giant perk of working for the federal government at the beach.*

Last night Catie and I were walking down Broad Street and East Bay, and we ducked into a bar, and these guys behind us called out to us and said – “where are you going? I’ve been following you for blocks checking you out!” (This is the pg version of his comment, it was actually a much more body part specific) Guys, this is the greatest way to make SURE to scare a girl off. Don’t tell women you don’t know that you’ve been following her for blocks, and specifically comment on the part of her body you noticed. Just FYI.

In other ground breaking news from the coast, coppertone kids 70 SPF sunscreen will destroy your nail polish.

Get excited for a holiday Spoleto weekend full of art, dance, music, family, friends, great food, and the prettiest weather in everyone’s favorite city. As soon as someone dries my hair for me, I will be ready for tonight. Kate and Trav are on their way, and we are going to act cultured all weekend.

Cheers!

*BTW, the reason I can leave early on Friday is because I worked 10 hour days ever other day this week, not because federal employees don’t do work. Y’all don’t get crazy. I was with a bunch of Republicans. I have no political affiliations beyond YOLO.

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Things that make me happy

Posted in Augusta, Charleston, Television on April 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »

In my bedroom at my parent’s house in Augusta – I can hear the train whistle blow at night. In my bedroom in my apartment in Charleston, I can hear the cargo ship horns blow. Trains and ships make me happy.

Chocolate coconut milk freezes pretty quickly, and also thaws quick. And half frozen chocolate coconut milk is a spectacularly enjoyable treat. If you freeze it even more it becomes a tasty frozen treat you can eat with a spoon. Like if Italian ice and a frosty had a love child. Try it out. I drink zico – the plastic bottles are easier to drink half frozen, but the cardboard cartons are easier to it open for frozen deliciousness.

New Girl and the Mindy Project. So much happiness. And 1600 Penn.

Eating Krispy Kreme mini crullers with Nutella on them. And eating Nutella with a spoon. Basically anything involving Krispy Kreme or Nutella.

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I see true summer in your eyes

Posted in Basketball, Charleston, Music, quotes, Religion, Thoughts, Working Out, yoga on March 30, 2013| 3 Comments »

JT, I love you. Forever and EVER. Nothing makes my inability to go out for a run more upsetting than finding a gem like this. I could run to this sound on repeat for a long time. The version on my phone is eight minutes long, so I could listen to it on repeat like three times and feel like I got in a good workout. Right now I don’t think I could run for three minutes, which is sad. I thought I was doing better, I was really convinced of it. I went to one yoga class, and I really was okay, and my arms and shoulders and back were just as sore as my foot, and I was encouraged. Then a week later I went to a second yoga class, and during that class I felt AWESOME. I felt like I could do this yoga class every day and feel great. But that was Tuesday, and since then my foot has been a lot more painful than it was before. But I also haven’t been quite as careful with it, and I haven’t been taking the anti-inflammatory medication like I was before. I think I’m going to wear the boot for a couple of days and see if that helps at all, and take the medicine again.

Briscoe just got out of bed, I got up at 8, but she felt the need to sleep until after 10. I think she has already fallen asleep again on the floor.

I went to the Good Friday service last night, because Easter really snuck up on me and I felt like it would help me get into the Easter spirit. The service was REALLY long, but other than that, it was great. There was one passage that I really liked:

Hebrews 10:22-25

“Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you the Day approaching.”

Obviously this is a pretty sincere affirmation of God’s promise for his people, but I think that even if you don’t believe in God or Jesus, the idea that we should “provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet…but encouraging one another” is an inspirational aspiration. My own personal history with Church could be compared to an interstate slowly changing into a gravel road, but I’ve been a peace with that for a long time. We all take our own paths, but I believe that as long as you are searching for enlightenment and approaching the world with love and gratitude, the day to day theological problems will sort themselves out. And maybe I don’t go to church all the time, and maybe you never do, but the comfort of the ritual is there.

In other news, I just finished the book Gone Girl, and I thought the ending was really stupid. I had been warned that the book was questionable, and I went into it knowing it was questionable, but whatever. I am proud of myself for checking the book out from the library. I live directly behind the library, and I always say I’m going to check out books, and then I never ever do. And this time I did. And I was justified, because now that I’m done with the book I want to throw it across the room, but tossing it into the return box will have to suffice. My horoscope swore to me that this most recent full moon was going to be the most difficult full moon of 2013 for me, and that I was going to get some bad news that would leave me tense and possibly very angry between March 27th and March 30th. Since I had Miami wining the NCAA tournament and they lost to some stupid school that starts with an M by more than ten points, thereby ruining my previously beautifully unbroken bracket, I’ve decided that this was my bad news. But I’m also going to attempt a spray tan today, so if this goes extremely poorly, that could also be my bad news. It is amazing how much I care about my bracket, considering that I have yet to watch an entire (or even a large majority) basketball game this season.

I have so many things I need to do today, starting with taking my dog outside. I’ve already brushed my teeth and consumed a great deal of coffee. Oh! And I got dressed. Now I just need to put on some sunscreen (no one should ever leave the house without sunscreen, on any day, regardless of where or what you are doing. Pouring down rain is a maybe excuse, but it might clear up, you never know) and I will be ready to brave the world! After I take a zyrtec. I really want a shark mop. I think today is the day to investigate. Life is full of excitement and possibilities.

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The perfect lunch

Posted in Charleston, Food and Drink, outside, Weather, Work on February 6, 2013| 1 Comment »

I’m sitting on a patch of grass, on the edge of the parking lot of my office building. My building is one of many neighboring office buildings, and my friends work nearby. Paul works directly across the street, Dan works around the bend in the road, and Friend organizes food trucks to come visit.

It might not be a glamorous area of town, and my building might be the plainest vanilla box you’ll ever see, but it takes me 15 at most to get here every morning, and there is plenty of free parking.

I took off my long sleeve shirt and am sitting in the sun in a tank top. Of note, this would have probably (or definitely) gotten me fired from last job. It is 70 degrees, bright blue sky, and I’m eating roasted red pepper hummus and carrots. A few of my coworkers are walking laps around the complex for exercise. The interstate is buzzing along behind me, and although that could be an annoyance, I’ve gotten rather fond of the noise.

At my last job, I was only allowed 30 minutes for lunch, on a good day. It is hard to drive to Wendy’s and back in 30 minutes. The job before that, my bosses liked to discuss cases at lunch, and lunchtime was not my own time, and the places we ate would have put me to sleep for the rest of the day if I’d actually eaten it. Work lunches were simply part of the job, and I think that is reasonable in certain professions like small law firms. I did lose ten pounds in the 18 months I worked there, as a side note.

Having control over my own lunch is an amazing privilege that I try to never take for granted. I go to lunch whenever I want between 11-2, and I live in a place where the weather often lends itself to sitting in the sunshine. My coworkers like to pick on me because I eat a turkey melt on an English muffin every day. But it is a privilege, and I am going to enjoy it, because it makes me happy.

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Oysters and Overload

Posted in Charleston, Difficulties, Working Out on February 3, 2013| 1 Comment »

Charleston can be something of a revolving door of visitors. You’d expect this in the summertime, but it is amazing how many different people have been here in January. I love visitors, but in January, the activities available in Charleston basically involve wandering around downtown eating and drinking all day and night. And, I’ve hurt myself. I was deathly afraid I had a stress fracture, because the pain started back in October, and then got better, and then got worse at the end of November, but I ignored it, and ran in a 5k, and then finished my last two tennis matches of the season, because it wasn’t so bad I couldn’t do those things, and I wanted to do them. I figured that if I didn’t run or play tennis over Christmas that by mid January my foot would be better. I probably should have been smarter about walking around in heels and going to yoga, but I wasn’t, and it didn’t get better. I finally went to the ortho last Friday, and I have posterior tibia tendinitis, but thankfully, nothing was broken. They put me in a walking air cast boot that goes all the way up to my knee, and I’m suppose to wear it for 4-6 weeks. Even though this sucks, the fact I don’t have to have a real cast or use crutches, is so awesome, that I really don’t care. I just want my foot to get better so I can go back to doing the things I want to do. I HATE being hurt. Although, I guess it is a good time of year to have a boot. If you have to have one. Maybe I will start swimming again, even if swimming makes me feel like I’m going to drown. Hopefully I will be able to go back to yoga soon.

I saw a real bluebird on Thursday. He was a soft sky blue and had a rust colored chest. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a for real blue bird before. It was exciting. I’ve also eaten a ton of oysters in the past week. Oyster roasts are tons of fun. I recommend this activity as a cure for any winter blues.

Briscoe is super bored by my inability to walk any significant distance. She is super dirty, and desperately needs a hair cut. She looks like a car wash towel, after you washed the car.

Happy Super Bowl! I can’t decide who I want to cheer for, but the Super Bowl is always fun.

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I want to take the path that leads to awesome.

Posted in Charleston, quotes, Thoughts on January 29, 2013| Leave a Comment »

What will be your Space Jam?

In other news, I think I have broken my foot. If I haven’t broken my foot, I’ve done something else awful to it. Or I’ve lost my mind. Life is full of possibilities.

It was super foggy this morning. The first two photos are from this morning, and the last one is what the harbor is suppose to look like, without the fog, and with the bridge. It is creepy to look out and have it look like the bridge was never there. Especially when it is sunny.

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What January Looks Like

Posted in Charleston, outside, Religion, yoga on January 6, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday, I went to yoga for the first time since before Christmas. In the past year, I’ve been fairly dedicated to my yoga practice, mostly because if I only go once a week, it is difficult to walk and breathe the next day I’m so sore. I’ve also made some fantastic friends through yoga, and I hate missing them. When I’m consistent in my practice, I sleep better, I work better, I feel better, I eat better, and I am significantly more in control of my anxiety. Plus, I feel stronger and more aware of my body. There is very little excuse for me to not be dedicated, especially since there are no real negatives.

In the summer, I was running and doing yoga, but in the fall when my tennis season started back, running became more difficult. The high impact of running and the high impact of tennis do not live harmoniously in my joints. Too much working out causes me to have debilitating muscle cramps. I’ve tried everything, believe me, and the only sure fire way to stop the cramps is to not work out every day of the week and cut back on my high impact activities. I’m better off with one or the other. I’m sure I will start running again in February, if only so I can enjoy the bridge run. I’m happy to go out and run a 5k when I haven’t been running on a regular basis, but running a 10k without prior consideration sucks. I can do anything for an hour, and I’ve done it before when not prepared, but I was miserable the whole time. My masochistic qualities are spotty at times.

The yoga class I went to yesterday was at the studio in Mount Pleasant, which is the largest yoga studio I’ve ever practiced in, and there were more people there than I’ve ever seen. It was SLAMMED with people. This is what Saturday morning yoga looks like in January.

I went to the movies last night – Django – because, as you know, movies make me happy. We went to the local Carmike, because the movie was not playing at the smaller arts theater that is infinitely preferable (but also significantly more expensive). We got there about 15 minutes early, and the theater was already starting to fill up. By the time the movie started, it was 3/4 full, and after 20 minutes of previews, it was slammed. This is what the movie theater looks like on a Saturday night in January.

This morning, I went to church. I love my church, it is the greatest little Episcopal church. I can walk there, all of the preachers are great, and the congregation is a perfect mix of diversity. I should go more often. I love that my Episcopal church here retains so many qualities of the church where I went to school growing up, and the Episcopal church in Athens. I feel confident I could find an Episcopal church in most places in the world, and some aspect would remind me of home.

You know how if you’ve been traveling abroad for long enough, and you find yourself at the McDonald’s eating a McFlurry, simply because it feels like home. I never go to McDonald’s, and even when I do, I rarely get McFlurries. But every McFlurry I’ve ever eaten in a foreign country sticks out in my mind as the greatest McFlurry ever made. I don’t mean to imply that McDonald’s and the Episcopal church have a lot in common, I’m just saying there is comfort in familiarity. As a side note, the McDonald’s in Greece serves something called the McGreek – which is a hamburger patty in a pita with tzatsiki sauce on it. I have it on good authority that the McDonald’s in India serves something called a McVeggie. Way to assimilate Micky-D.

Apologies for that ridiculous tangent. Back to church this morning. It was Epiphany – which is one of the happiest services of the year beyond Easter and Christmas. I like using Epiphany as a noun. I felt lighter when I left. I like to sit in the balcony, and in the summertime, the balcony might have five people in it. This morning, the balcony was at capacity. This is what church looks like the first Sunday in January.

In other January news, I’ve been toying with the idea of Drynuary – I normally have little interest in absolutes, and believe that life should be lived in moderation – but the holidays left me feeling a little pickled, and I thought it couldn’t hurt to try out. I also made this decision on New Year’s day, at Home Team after the polar bear plunge. I don’t feel convicted enough to last the whole month, but my goal is 10 days, maybe two weeks, of no alcohol, and then a commitment to moderation. This seems reasonable, healthy, and doable. I’ve given up drinking for lent a couple of times, but that was at a time when I was much more interested in absolutes and convictions. And my masochistic tendencies were less spotty.

It is raining today, and there is a woodpecker outside of my window – going to town on the carolina cherry. At first I thought it was a redheaded woodpecker, but further investigation reveals it to be a Red-bellied woodpecker. Apparently redheaded woodpeckers have red all over their head and their neck, and this dude most definitely only had red like a cap on his head, and a white stomach, with a speckled back. Learn something new every day.

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Twenty-Thirteen

Posted in Books, Briscoe, Charleston, Christmas, Colorado, Current Affairs, Favorite People, Film, Thoughts on January 2, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I literally cannot believe that is already 2013. Life moves shockingly fast these days. I feel like all I’ve done in the past few weeks is eat and drink. Let’s think about 2012 for a minute. I read a lot of books in 2012. Most recently, I read Liars and Saints, which I highly recommend. Rarely, I come across an author that has a syntax or voice that I can only describe as hitting the right cord, where I don’t actually care what they are writing about, because simply reading the words is enjoyable. I haven’t figured out exactly what I mean by that, but Maile Meloy writes in a way that I find immensely satisfying. For example, I don’t particularly like depressing stories, but I love Jack London because of his writing. There is something chewy and piercing about it. Obviously, the really great writers make people feel this way, but I think there is something very personal about who hits me like this. There are lots of fantastically talented writers who I can acknowledge that their work is quality, but who don’t resonate with me. Steinbeck and Faulkner don’t do it for me. Robert Louis Stevenson and F. Scott Fitzgerald do.

I read The Tiger’s Wife in early 2012, and that story really stuck with me. The structure of the book was different, and there was a detached and dry quality to it that made the fantastical side of the book seem more believable.

My favorite book of 2012 was The Night Circus. This book was highly fantastical, and maybe not for everyone. But I found the emotion conveyed through the story to be moving and enthralling.

I also read the Silver Lining Playbook (awesome! read it), The Forgotten Garden (didn’t love it), Ready Player One (a fun read for any child of the 80s), The House of Mirth (Edith, you are so beautiful, and your stories could not be more depressing), Wicked (so much love for this book), Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (you will cry laughing and feel more normal), The Mists of Avalon (enjoyable, if you are into long drawn out medival sagas, and really, who isn’t?), The Casual Vacancy (J.K. Rowling’s first adult novel. A good read, but certain things seemed forced for the purpose of proving it was NOT A CHILDREN’S BOOK), and I started Freedom, but then I got bored with it and never finished it.

I feel like I saw a lot of movies this year too. It’s amazing how hard it is to remember. Let’s see, maybe I can go backwards. Les Miserables (awesome, obviously), Life of Pi (heartbreaking and visually captivating), Anna Karinina (I read this book in high school, and I was impressed at how they were able to pack the whole story into an appropriate length movie, but it’s a depressing story), Skyfall (I love Bond movies, and Daniel Craig is fun), Beast of the Southern Wild (man, everyone should see this movie. Unbelievable. Hush Puppy is fantastic), Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson is a proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy), The Hunger Games (people who don’t like Jennifer Lawrence are just jealous), Magic Mike (people who don’t like Channing Tatum are just jealous), Being Flynn (everyone likes Robert De Nero), and finally, The Iron Lady (I felt more educated after this movie). I feel like I had to have seen more movies at the beginning of the year, but now I can’t remember. That’s a strong showing, but I still feel like I’ve missed some huge movies. Argo, The Hobbit, The Silver Lining Playbook, Django Unchained. I’ve also tried to catch up on some of last year’s movies in the comfort of my own home. Hugo, Trouble with the Curve, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, How to Train Your Dragon (my new favorite animated film), The Muppets, 21 Jump Street, and Coraline.

Basically, if you were curious about what I’ve been doing in the past year, I’ve been watching movies and reading books. Sometimes I go outside and interact with something called other people. It definitely explains why I haven’t been blogging, because I’ve been reading and watching. I am going to try to stop being such a consumer and start producing.

I did go to a few concerts – Blitzen Trapper, Patterson Hood, The Avett Brothers, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Brandi Carlisle, Miranda Lambert, Chris Young, and Jerrod Niemann.

2012 was an excellent year. It was a year full of new friendships, important re-connections, thousands of downward dogs and chaturangas, a 10k, a 5k, one of the best tennis teams a girl could ask for, abundant sunshine, oysters, shrimps, boats, coffee, beaches, bowling, late night dancing, handstands, thunderstorms (I had a dream last night I was struck by lightening, but it didn’t hurt, it just left a weird scar on my leg), Vail, Steamboat Springs (TWICE!), Williamsburg, Sea Island, Valdosta, D.C., a job I love more than I ever thought possible, and some damn good football. And I cut all my hair off. Everyone should try it.

I have high hopes for 2013. I think it is going to be the best one yet.

Photo evidence of awesomeness.