They're not just Tater Tots, Mate... They're Freedom!

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:16:17 GMT

Pretty laid back weekend. Spent Friday night with my mom since my dad and sister were out of town, and babysat on Saturday night. Babysitting job was easy as the kid was already asleep when I got there, so mostly I talked on the phone, watched tv, drank diet coke, and checked on the baby-- just like high-school jobs! Made some nice (MUCH NEEDED) extra cash in the process, so it wasn't a loss either. This Sunday went on a hike with Allison (Ashley and Tanya both had to pull out at the last moment, not feeling too well), but the four of us met at the tea room afterwards for tea and lunch, which was really lovely. Not really looking forward to another week at work, which is just getting kind of frustrating and stressful.

Hike blog updated from today here --> pocketranger.blogspot.com/
(if you have a yahoo or google account and want to follow me there, that'd be awesome!)

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:42:03 GMT

Today was so unbelievably hectic. It was Curriculum Night at school, but only three (including me) teachers could stay out of the six total that work in our room. Kids getting picked up late, having a whole room to set up.... it was really flustering. We had four activities set out for the kids to do: Sensory tables (one with just dirt with shovels and pails, and one full of dirt and worms [real]), blocks of all different shapes, colors, sizes, and textures, hand puppets, and books (both board and soft washable ones). These all could be tied back to the book Butterfly, Butterfly by Petr Horacek, which our kids absolutely swear by. We started out the night by saying hello, givin a brief introduction, and then reading Butterfly, Butterfly outloud (my little primary student Elena, almost one, was so excited to get to the end where we all kiss the butterfly, that it didn't seem to matter that none of our older kids who know the words were there to help me read, which I wanted the adults to hear).

For each activity, we had to write up how they fit into the Missouri Pre-K standards (Math, Science, Literacy, Physical, etc), but also how they fit into the school;s own philosophy of attuning to the three spheres of development (such as early literacy and psychodynamic), such as "this activity teaches empathy and compassion/phonological awareness/autonomy/independence/etc by such and such and such. It was a LOT of work, but I think it really came out great. We had such a tiny group this year that it was a lot less stress once the night actually started than I thought... I gave the introduction and read the opening book to only three families! The rest that were there had been in a sibling's room to start instead and came in and out as the night went on. Doing stuff like this stresses me out and sometimes feels like BS, but then when it's all done I look at it and feel proud and like I actually know what I'm talking about.

I'm exhausted. Going to have a pot of tea and curl up on the couch.

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:23:59 GMT

Oy long day, but a good day. Hiking Lone Elk Park with roomie, allison, and Tanya, followed by the London Tea Room, getting my TB results from Walgreens (less fun, but negative-- I hate that we have to get one every year), and dinner with the folks to watch Amazing Race.

Post on the hike today at pocketranger.blogspot.com/ which I'm still testing out to see if I can get any followers or not (my only two so far being Allison and my mother XD). So feel free to do so if you're interested!

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:07:21 GMT

Going back in your lj archives and reading random lj entries from 5 years ago is actually slightly terrifying.

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:33:03 GMT

Last night went to the London Tea Room for a tea cupping (which is like a tasting), and had a lovely time. We got to try six teas, some of which I'd had before, and learn about their histories, where/how they're grown, etc. AFterwards Allison and I hung around for a bit and talked to one of the owners and workers, where we both practically got offered jobs to work there. I would totally consider a part time job there, and she said she'd rather hire people she knew loved tea and the tea room. I seriously *need* a second job, just the idea of giving up my weekend is saddening, so I'm not sure if I'll do it.

I also found a tea that tastes the CLOSEST to the blood orange tea I fell in love with at the Salzach Hotel in Salzburg. I have tried many blood-orange teas in America (all bagged if I remember correctly), but nothing has even come close. The tea I tried last night was a tangerine ginger tea and is more of a pink than a deep orange, but taste-wise it brought me back to a cold Salzburg winter, studying for my art history test at the top of the cafe overlooking the river. I bought some, to say the least, and I'm really happy about it.

KC trip 2009

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:19:34 GMT

First off, trying something a little new. Thought I'd try out having a separate hiking blog using blogger, to see how that went. If I think it's too out of the way from most people I know at alllll likely to read it (since most of you are on lj), I'll move it back here. But if anyone's inerested: pocketranger.blogspot.com/

Second, back from Kansas City road trip to see the Pogues and Bruce Springsteen. The Pogues were amazing, if not hillarious considering the lead singer was so stone drunk no one could understand him whether hew as talking OR singing, and he tripped and fell on stage and wore sunglasses the whole time and drank gin from a cup and has no teeth and in general was completely, utterly smashed. The Bruce Springsteen concert was cancelled due to a death in his family, so that's really, really sad. I was sorry and disappointed to come away from Kansas City without seeing Bruce, but understandable, of course.

On the way back, AShley and I decided to get a taste of small-town Missouri by visiting the memorials of two amazing dogs, Old Drum and Jim the Wonder Dog. Old Drum has a statue of himself in front of the courthouse, and Jim the Wonder Dog (who was apparently pyschic) has a memorial garden!!! It was amazing. pictures under the cuts of Ash and I being annoying tourists to ridiculous sites. The first pictures are the ones of the park, but if you're really interested in the story of Jim the Wonder Dog and how he was psychic and amazing, I posted pictures of all the plaques in the memorial garden detailing Jim's story. XD

Castlewood State Park - Scenic River Trail (?)

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:54:03 GMT

Still working on getting a separate hiking blog. This may seem silly to ask this ON livejournal, but do any other people use other online blogging tools? I'm trying to decide if livejournal is the right place to make a hiking blog, or some other place.

After my weekend roadtrip got pushed back, I decided not to let this fantastic fall day go to waste. The trail I was on was crowded with lots of people and families, which I'm not always crazy about, but granted this was a Saturday afternoon, and the first sunny day we've had after what feels like almost two weeks of straight rain. It was sunny, cool but not cold, and the fall colors were breathtaking... can't hold it against people to want to take advantage of that! I had no trouble parking or anything, and there were still moments of my hike where I was alone.

This hike was very simliar to the Lewis & Clark trail hike I did a few weeks ago in the sense that it had a variety of scenes, both rocky bluffs looking out over hills of trees and a river (the Meramec River this time), as well as long walks through the woods. However the second half of the Lewis & Clark trail was really more deep wood walking, while this trail had a more relaxed trail, very flat, that just followed the river (and was very muddy, but again the rain is to blame there). There was really almost no hard parts, except maybe one incline right at the very beginning, with all the steeper descents helped along by wooden steps leading down to the river banks. There is a mix of outlooks that are both free rocks and then platforms as well. The trail itself is mostly rocks on the bluff part, which with all the leaves on the ground made it a little hazardous for a clumsy person like me, and the river trail is mostly packed dirt (or lots and lots of mud in this case). The scenic outlooks over the Meramec River and the fall foliage was absolutely beeeautiful, and I would definitely recommend this time of year for this hike.

My main problem was the lack of trail markings. The trailhead for the Scenic River Trail was actually to the side of the parking lot and then right when you start, I couldn't figure out if there was a trail leading to the right as well as left before noticing the red marker nailed to a tree on my left showing where to start. There weren't too many problems with keeping to the trail on the bluffs section, except for a few times were it looked like the trail split off-- usually both split offs ended up joinin back together within a minute, and a few signs mentioned which trail was the bike trail as opposed to the hiking trail. However once you get to the trail that follows the river, you cross into a large open field and a crossroads that I found incredibly confusing. Going to the left, I find a sign pointing to a different trail, and the red marker pointing back the way I came. Another sign points out the parking lot. Then to the right, the trail through the field continues back to the river through the woods, with no sign saying which trail it was, though a little way in there was another red marker that COULD have been orange. The map that I got at the park office and the map in the 60 Hikes within 60 Miles book were of no help because it was really hard to tell where you were on the trail. None of the trailmaps I found along the way had markers to say where you were or a name of the trail, so I could only assume I was still on the Scenic River Trail, or at least one of the spurs that were described in my book. Then at the end of the trail (I kept following ht river), I was confused because I hit the actual road again, and went under a bridge and walked along the road until I found the parking lot I'd started in. So super confusing, and even a couple that I stopped had no idea what trail they were on or where they needed to go.

Overall, despite the confusion, it was beautiful and a great hike. The views were fantastic, the walk was relaxing and I had a great afternoon. I didn't want to miss the last chance I might have to enjoy not only the fall weather,but he changing of the leaves.

why am I a Guru in this picture? Using the 10 second self-timer is hard.

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:07:49 GMT

I am ill. :(   Yesterday while on my hike, I was having a lot more trouble with my asthma than I thought I would, getting out of breath and coughing. It seems that it wasn't asthma, but I was getting sick and an 8 mile hike was probably NOT the best way to deal with that!!! This morning I woke up with a low grade fever and still hacking up a storm, so I'm stuck at home (and probably tomorrow too). The nurse says that it doesn't sound like the flu (thank god), but she's going to talk to the doctor about whether I need anything extra to take to get better, and my allergist is going to get me some new medicine for my nebulizer in case it starts affecting my breathing. Stupid sickness.

possible names for hiking journal:

pocket_hiker
the_littlest_ranger   ???

Lewis & Clark Trail(s)- Weldon Springs Conservation Area

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:49:48 GMT

Today I bit off a little more than I could chew with the Lewis & Clark trails in the Weldon Springs Conservation area. The Lewis & Clark trail runs as one trail for about 2 miles or so, and then split off into two separate trails; The Clark trail runs a total of 5.3 miles (including what you've already completed) and the Lewis Trail runs a total of 8.2 miles (also including what you've already done). I was positive I could pull off the 8.2 mile trail even though I can't remember if I've hiked that long of a hike. It certainly took most of hte day, and there were times I got tired and actually found a tree or bench to sit/lie down on and close my eyes for a bit! Also, the trails do not break apart as soon as the map or my book had me believe, so I spent a lot of time worrying if I was doing the right thing and had somehow missed a trail. Also, picking up a map at the Weldon Springs Conservation Area lodge is not worth it... the one in my 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of St. Louis book was just as good.

The book descripes the difficulty of this hike as moderate, which is certainly true. While the first mile or so is very flat and easy going (I wasn't so happy that you could hear the traffic from MO 94 for awhile there, but it's not that bad), the long hike has lots of terrain types to worry about. On the way up to the best scenic outlooks was a steep hill climb over rocks and loose stones that took my breath out of me for awhile, and there were a lot of steep descents throughout the trail. You kind of went up and down the bluffs, climbing up steepish hills to get to the views and then twisting back down into the hollows and valleys to bottom out on level ground, and then back up again. Near the end of the hike you end up mostly on flat ground down in the valley with only a few climbs, none of them worth much trouble, so there's quite a bit of this hike that is just a pleasant walk in the woods. A walking stick did me some good though on some of the more steep inclines. Also, near the trail splitting point, I had a lot of trouble keeping the trail in sight when it went into a dry riverbed. Luckily a hiker passed by at that very moment and showed me where it picked up again on the other side.

The best part of this hike is the views it offers from the bluffs overlooking the Missouri River. I kind of wish I was brave enough to hike the trail clockwise like the author of the book does, because those views would be brilliant to save until the end of your hike. However going by the trail markings, you get most of them first and then the rest of the hike is forested. The views are breathtaking. You look for the little spurs that lead you out onto rock outcrops, and the Katy Trail is below you (you can sometimes hear families that are walking down there) with the Missouri River stretching out on either side and a wide expanse of forest across from you. This is where I sat and had some lunch and sunned and generally enjoyed the absolute gorgeous beauty of the landscape and the silence of the surroundings. I was tempted to actually just spend the day right there on that bluff and then hike back the wa I came when it was time to go home. If I had had a book, I might have!

For someone not used to this length of hike, I admit the trail seemed to go on FOREVER. I was sore and asthmatic by the end, but felt very accomplished. I cannot say how happy I was by the end of the trail to hear the familiar sounds of traffic from MO 94 letting me know that I was near the end. I think knowing now how long 5 hours actually is to walk, I'd be able to better concentrate on the trail itself, because this time I was so tired and tryin to figure out where on the trail I was that some of the last couple miles seemed all the same. I took this hike on a weekday afternoon and ran into eight people (three of them with dogs) during my whole trip, so for most of hte stretches I was completely alone without any background noise from other hikers, which was nice. One thing I did not like was that while the trail was marked really well for the first 3 or 4 miles (with "trail" signs and mile markers, which was nice), once you got onto the Lewis Trail, the mile markers seemed to stop and the trail markers were fewer.

I would like to retake this hike (perhaps the shorter one this time) once the leaves start changing, because I can't even imagine how gorgeous those scenic outcrops will look! Also in the winter, you could probably get some great views o the river from places on the trail you normally couldn't because the trees would be without leaves. Definitely a great hike, but I know I'll be feeling it in the morning!

Giant City Nature Trail / Alto Pass Overlook (Carbondale, Illinois)

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:17:24 GMT

Am thinking about starting a separate hiking journal if I can actually keep this up. Just need a good name...

Was lucky enough this weekend to go to a park I would not usually get to see because it is more than out of my usual driving range. Giant City National Park is near Carbondale, Illinois. We were lucky that we were even able to go because of the immense damage the park suffered in May due to hurricane-like conditions, but luckily we had a friend who was able to guide us to a usable entrance (that I never would have found).

Hike itself was absolutely lovely. It was the weekend, so it was a bit crowded at times for my tastes with families, but it was shady and beautiful and not quite like a landscape I've hiked before due to the sandstone rocks and cliffs all over the place. While there was one main trail, there were so many little alternate paths you could take by climbing up rock paths, going through little alleyways between giant rocks, and having the option to climb here and there over rocks and up paths. The trail itself therefore is a mixture of absurdly easy and slightly more treacherous. It wasn't a long trail, but between climbing and resting to take in the scenery, it definitely encourages hikers to take their time. NOt a huge fan of the gravel type trails, but overall I had an amazing time on this little trail.

Also we visited the Alto Pass overlook, which isn't so much a hike, but there is a wonderful rocky outcrop overlooking the hills of southern Illinois, which would be even more amazing with the changing leaves in a few weeks, I bet. You can also see the country's biggest cross some miles in the distance. There is a little stoney staircase that leads down to a path, but I was unable to take the little trail and see where it went, but definitely worth the look because the stairs, while a little scary looking, are really cool, and there are some fun rocks to climb.

Had a great time, and there are more pictures of the trip to Carbondale on facebook, but these are really the bulk of them. Under a cut because I didn't change the size or anything. Also includes more pictures of people than usual because I wasn't alone on this one!

Next is Alto Pass overlook....

www.facebook.com/album.php -- more overlook pictures, and a really neat secret garden thingy in Makanda, Il. and winery pics, etc.

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 04:02:33 GMT

also, some pictures from the Botanical Gardens on facebook, that I am too lazy to put up one by one here.

www.facebook.com/album.php

pictures from Englemann Woods hike

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 03:26:52 GMT

Sunday Morning Hike: Englemann Woods Natural Area

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:01:40 GMT

Decided to actually USE the book I spent good money on, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of St. Louis. Figure I'll review them mostly for my own benefit in keeping track of what trials I've already visited and which ones would be good to go to again. IF I can just find my damn camera cord, I'll probably also upload the few pictures I have.

While it was tough making myself get up so early on a sunday morning when I could have slept in, it was definitely worth it. I always feel so GOOD after a morning hike. I love the quiet time, the isolation, the nature, being alone (Though I do love hiking with a friend/my dad equally well). I even love the drive there and back. I need to actually make this happen more often, and not slack off in the winter-- winter hiking, if dressed properly, could probably be wonderful! We'll see though. Also I can pretend to be Lewis & Clark or Aragorn as I explore the wilderness. Except they didn't have trails and probably didn't care if they walked into a hundred spider webs, which make me all icky.

Got up about 5:45 and left the house a little after six, reached the trail a little after seven (this is taking in getting a bit lost and stopping for a bottle of water at McDonalds and a bathroom at a gas station-- it is probably an hour away, possibly slightly less). I started out easy since I had afternoon plans and didn't want to be gone too long, so the trail I picked was about 2 miles long. I went to the Englemann Woods Natural Area trail, about an hour away (less if googlemaps hadn't given me shitty directions and if my GPS actually had known what trail I was talking about). Hutchison Rd. is actually only marked as Route 109, and I think it might just be easier to take Manchester/100 the whole way instead of getting off at Clarkson Rd. and Clayton and Hutchison and so on and so forth. The parking lot is TIIINY and I drove past it three times because it's not so much a parking lot as an empty space right in front of the trail, could probably hold 3 or 4 cars. The entire time I was on the trail, I was the only visitor there, which is a HUUUUGE plus.

The trail itself was lovely. The first bit was a little noisy for my taste, meaning that you could occassionally still hear cars on the roads in the distance, but my ipod fixed that up. I didn't need it long, as I decended deeper into the valley, it got absolutely and brilliantly silent. I found the trail a little hard to understand at first because I started going in one direction thinking Iwould take the trail counter-clockwise as reccomended in the book, but there was a lack of signs and a lot of fallen trees, and I Started getting nervous taht I actaully wasn't on the right trail at all. So I backtracked and followed the signs this time (a good idea always), and it was absolutely lovely! The trail is marked as "easy" in my book, but there were definitely some steep descents at some points, along with some rocks that were a bit slippery after the rain two days ago. The path is mostly dirt and rocks, and some of it is kind of getitng overgrown with plantlife on the side, but nothing too drastic. The most confusing part is at the very bottom of the valley you get to the riverbed (which seems like it is always dry) and it looks like the trail ends, but you just have to cross it and pick up the trail pretty easily again. It was very shady and cool, not a lot of spots to look out over the landscape though (the book said to "Climb the hill on the right and see a nice vista if you have the energy" but I was not sure what hill he was talking about and I'm not about to go too far off the trail and climb a muddy hill on a whim). It was super peaceful and quiet and very beautiful, also protects the old-growth forests that used to cover this part of Missouri. So extra cool. Overall really nice, not too long (took me about an hour, hour and a half to complete, with frequent stops to enjoy the silence). Would go there again, maybe simply because it was so out of the way that nobody was there. The area is also really pretty to drive through, and I wouldn't mind exploring the little rich golfing community of Saint Alban, which looked like it had a cute general store in town as well as a lovely lake to walk around and lots of hawks, not to mention a few Lewis & Clark plaques.

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 20:03:11 GMT

TRying to figure out how in the world I could afford all of these:

Blue Planet Live: September 19th-20^th 2009

La Boheme: October 21^st, 2009

Music of John Williams: November 7^th - 8^th 2009

In the Heights: November 10^th-22^nd 2009

Dvorak's New World Symphony: November 27th-28^th 2009

H.M.S. Pinafore: February 20th- 21^st 2010

Mozart's Requiem: February 26^th -27^th 2010

Avenue Q: April 30th-May 2^nd 2010

Rachmaninoff 2^nd Concerto: May 7th-9^th 2010

Peace in the Middle East... Middle Earth

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 01:30:20 GMT

http://www.bestweekever.tv/?p=38663

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:36:59 GMT

Just to keep people updated:

Ash and I WILL be moving sometime the first week of August, to an apartment up near 170 on Delmar. The apartment we are in now is lovely, but noise carries absolutely ridiculously there and the neighbors downstairs are just too loud, and this will be a newer building that is slightly bigger that we will be moving into. No breaking of the lease since we'll be staying with the same company. Anyway, that's really just the short of it.

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:34:41 GMT

Reason I've been out of the loop lately is I still don't have internet. Im waiting because there's a possibility we might be moving again by the end of the month to a bigger, slightly more quiet apartment. I dont' want to get internet and a new cable hookup set up in the room if I'm going to have to pay again later. I'll keep everyone informed!

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:20:20 GMT

Still don't have internet at the apartment, so I'm going to be out of the loop for awhile until I can get them to come and set up something for us. The internet we have apparently only works for ONE computer, so we may have them set up a networking system so I can just use wireless in the apartment. It's frustrating, but hopefully will be fixed soooon. Ashley and I have been watching Band of Brothers together, which is amazing and sad, and I love my bed and my room and everything. There's still a LOT to be done. We have no dining room table, we need to do a lot more shopping, I still need to bring over another shelf and my books and knick-nacks over, but it;s very nice. There's an older Chinese couple who is outside EVERY time I am leaving/coming home, the woman holding a baby and the man walking a child by the hand while he fans him with a fan. WE say good morning when I leave the house and it's kind of cute. Also been getting reading done, finished Tuesdays With Morrie, and started Schindler's List.

NOT FUN: Last night our downstairs neighbors had a huge fight from 2:45-3:30am. SERIOUSLY, like with screaming and something breaking and it went on FOREVER. What the hell?

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:13:02 GMT

Did a lot of moving today. Got the bed in and bought a new bed set to go with it, and that is all set up. My clothes are moved in and hung up, and an empty shelf, but there's still a lot to do. I need to decide where I want to keep my computer, and if I decide to put it in my room, I need to rearrange the furniture to make room for a desk. If I decide to keep it in the living room, I need to buy a small table or a portable eating tray thingy to keep the computer on. So there's still a lot to do, and it may not get done this weekend. Istill have to shop for food and buy something to keep my dvds in. Arrg.

Things I need:
DVD holder
stepstool
over-the-door shoe holder
desk chair (?)

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:07:52 GMT

Oh, St. Louis. A high of 96 degrees with humidity already at 79% at 8am? Do you WANT me to die? We were having SUCH a lovely mild June!!!! I mean, the storms weren't fantastic with all the damage, but still....

TOmorrow is my last day at the house-sitting house. That means tomorrow night I will be doing laundry and trying to gather all my crap together so taht I can drag it with me to work in the morning. I work a split shift, which sucks, but at least it will be Friday. Haven't had much to update here, I'm afraid. I've watched more movies in the past two weeks than I can even imagine. They have a ginormous movie collection, so it was easy to keep myself entertained! I even watched Sharpe's Rifles on youtube. XD

Move into the apartment in almost exactly one week.

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 02:33:56 GMT

UPDATE: Ashley and I got the Amherst apartment (our second choice, the one with the photos on facebook). Even though I only just turned in the applications as of Wednesday morning, I had a message on my phone by lunch today saying we'd been approved, and all they needed was our deposit and a move-in date. Figuring Ash's lease ends June 30th, I decided on June 26th as our official move-in date to give us some time to get everything that needs doing done. I am beyond excited and can't wait for this to actually happen!

Settled in the Kirkwood house for the night, though am still doing laundry in their washer. XD After taking the dogs for a nice long walk (it is GORGEOUS out tonight, somewhere in the low 70s), I took my ass down to downtown Kirkwood where I planned to eat at Kaldi's. Apparently Thursday nights in the summer, they do free music in the square where Kaldi's, Bar Louie's, Salsa's, and San Sai's is. Anyone up for this next week? Also Kaldi's messed up and never brought my food out, so even though I got it a lot later than planned I also got a $10 gift card to use next time. Thanks, Kaldi's! On a similar note, there is a farmer's market here on Saturdays downtown Kirkwood, might be fun!

interesting things I found out that are going on thnaks to "Healthy planet Magazine:"

May 20th-June 16th: Shakespeare in the Park : Wives of Windsor. Preferably on a weekend, cos even though more crowded, I could actually get there EARLY. And we'd need to. Maybe a picnic waaay early, wine, snacks?

June 6th-7th: Wentzville Renaissance Faire: -- last weekend for this, don't know if it could be fit in?

June 5th-6th: St. Louis Brewer's Heritage Festival -- tickets miiiight not be available anymore or expensive this late, but it might be worth a look?

*June 10th- Parties in the park Ticket to the Beatles (A Tribute) -- free concert 5-8pm after hours half price drinks in Shaw Park in Clayton

*June 20th:Soulard Earth Festival -- Join word in motion at Soulard Park from 10am-6pm. Drummers, Dancers, musicians, poets come together for a celebration of he summer soltice. Informational presentations regarding the environment, vendors selling original art and jewelry, bicycle tours through the Soulard Neighborhood and more. Apparently hippies, more hippies, Etc, Etc.,

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:39:55 GMT

So Ashley and I didn't get the apartment we had originally wanted. But at least the lady said that there were no issues with our credit or references or anything, so it means that getting another apartment shouldn't be too much of an issue. Apparently it just took too long to get some of the information and since it's a family who owns the place and not a company, they didn't have to do first come first served. So we're pulling for our second choice, the one I posted pictures of on facebook: www.facebook.com/album.php Of course the office I went to to drop off the application had no power thanks to the storm, so let's hope that doesn't delay things too much-- we need to be able to move in by the end of the month!

A giant tree fell over our front yard and porch after the giant storm yesterday. The tree was actually ripped from the sidewalk (taking two concrete slabs with it) and fell completely whole over our steps, yard, and driveway... where my mom's car was parked. The car has a dented roof and cracked windshield, and we have minor roof damage, but otherwise got off pretty easy! We couldn't get into our house from the front door because it was so blocked off (this is like a giant tulip tree we're talking about) and we had to go in and out through the backyard. I have pictures, and will post as soon as I can actually find my sister's transfering drive thingy. All is cleared away now, so that's good.

Start housesitting in Kirkwood tomorrow night, for two weeks.

My new favorite thing right now-- my Aladdin 12oz travel tea infuser. I got it as payment in addition to some money in thanks for housesitting for my coworker. It can be microwaved and have boiling water poured in it without getting hot on the outside and has a little basket inside for tea bags or loose leaf tea that flips down with the handle and back up when it's done steeping. See how shiny?

Wed, 27 May 2009 04:03:36 GMT

Tomorrow I put in an application for me and world_falls to rent a lovely little 2 bedroom apartment on Dartmouth, all of 5 seconds away from where I live now. XD We had three favorites in mind after a whirlwind of searching, but this one is really very nice. Wish me luck in getting it! If not, we'll quickly try to procure our second favorite. I'm really really excited! Really, really excited. If we do get the apartment, we'd be moving in at the end of June.

Been watching a TON of Jericho lately, and definitely loving it. And Psych. Of course.

Picking up my very own teapot tomorrow that I'm buying from someone off craigslist, as well as making sure my car income tax stuff is all in order.

Billy Joel/Elton John concert!!!!

Fri, 15 May 2009 05:12:45 GMT

Billy Joel- AMAZING and wearing his classy suit
Elton John- AMAZING in his glitz and glam sparkly suit full of glitter

First they played together, then they each played a set, then they played together again! It went from 7:30-11:15, and not a second of it was boring at ALL. Elton John only played two songs I didn't know, Billy Joel played a few more that I didn't know either, but for the most part it was just... unbelieeevable. Now sleepy, so bed.

Tue, 12 May 2009 03:20:22 GMT

stolen from chershey :
Ask me to take a picture of any aspect of my life that you're interested in - it can be anything from the house I live in to my favorite shoes. Leave your choice here as a comment, and I will reciprocate by taking the pictures and posting them as an LJ entry.