Lazy Day 2010

For months now, Carl and I have been wishing for a day that we could just lay around all day instead of doing all of the things that keeps apart throughout the day. This past Sunday, that day happened.

In the morning we went and had breakfast with the Sidekicks, who had stayed at his house the night before. After an 821 breakfast burrito and a quick stop at Blockbuster we nestled in for the day. We rearranged some furniture and turned my living room into a blowup-mattress filled, cozy fortress. After getting settled and popping a Cheerwine, we began our Star Wars marathon. Boy was it glorious. The past few weeks we haven't really been able to see each other, so a day dedicated to all the things we love was one of the best days ever. I am still relaxed from our lazy day.

I hope there will be a few more lazy days in our future, possibly involving Indiana Jones or Harry Pottter!

Best Day Ever 2010

Last weekend, being the last weekend before I'm chained to my store until January 2nd, Carl and I took a little trip to Natural Bridge! Natural Bridge, VA is about 3.5 hours away from RIchmond, down hilly highways lined with quaint towns and cud chewing creatures. At about 9am we hit the road, armed with hoodies and bagels, and a vague idea where we were headed. The weather was absolutely perfect, 65 degrees and a tiny bit overcast- perfect driving weather.

We rode into town around 12:30, and first stop was Foamhenge. For those of you who remember my DinosaurLand post, this was built by the same man. Seriously, he is brilliant. Here we discovered that the creator had two different theories about how Stonehenge was built: 1) many tired, muscular men dragged the stones up the hill and arranged them as such, or 2) Merlin waved his magical fingers and the stones flew in from all over the planet. We chose to believe theory 2, considering there was a full scale Merlin sculpture at one end of Foamhenge to help with the imagery. So fun, and so delightfully tacky.



A few miles down we found Natural Bridge. Meandering down close to 200 steps and down a short walkway the bridge almost smacked us in the face, and it was gorgeous. For a few moments we really couldn't find the words to explain what impact it had, just "Dude...whoa." Walking under it you can't even imagine how tall it is. The idea that water and the elements crafted this amazing piece of art blew our minds. Still can't find any words, just go visit one day.

Onward past the actual bridge, the park had a habitat set up depicting how a certain indian tribe lived way back in the day. Here, Carl learned of my fear of historic actors/townies/people with too much of a grip on the past. Spooky. No likey. Yes, I admire enthusiasts, but how do I know that they aren't just crazy people who don't know what year it is! Buh. Anyways, moving on. The rest of our time in the park we walked around enjoying nature, taking in some fresh air, and enjoying a little peaceful time together.

After a grilled cheese and Mr. Pibb lunch at an Elvis themed diner called the 'Pink Cadillac,' we drove to Lexington, VA. Lexington is a small town home to VMI and Washington and Lee University, and boy was the town adorable. Almost everything was closed except for an ice cream shop (which had amazing pumpkin ice cream!) and a used book store that looked like it broke close to every fire hazard. Chock full of historical books, poetry, and first editions, Carl (the english major) and I geeked out and spent about an hour unearthing some treasures from the boxes and stacks of books strewn around the store. Apparently there was some method to the madness, but we never quite caught on to the organizing the 21 year old store had in place. I managed to find a recipe book put together by the womens choir in the 1960s, filled with some amazingly homey recipes by the way, and a post card from Natural Bridge from 1940! And Carl of course left with a stack of about 6 books, but he could of definitely left with about 12 more if we had the time to stick around.

That night on the drive home, as the highway became dark and the little farms studding the country side faded away, I really started to feel the stress leave my body. All I needed was a little time away from everyday. After we got home, we met up with some friends to catch Scott Pilgrim at the Byrd. Which has quickly become one of my new favorite movies.

Seems that lots of fresh air and a nice drive filled with pretty scenery and sing-a-longs does a body good! :)

In Record Time

I'm a very lucky girl.

Last week Carl gave me a record player! I have always been so fascinated in record collecting, and i've grown fond of laying around while the pops and cracks of vinyl spin away in the background. Last night, we brought over the remaining component, and he surprised me with his copy of Lemuria's- The First Collection, as well as two 6" s: Sundials- First 3 Songs, and a Friendly Fire/ Tenement split!

I can't wait to get it all set up and start my vinyl collection.

Moving Along

Needless to say, i've been running at full speed for the past couple weeks, and it has started to catch up with me. I believe the proper term would be 'burnt out.' Feeling a little down and homesick, my Dad came to visit me yesterday before he embarks on a week long trip to visit his brother. Even though at some points throughout the day I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open, he told me that he hasn't seen me this happy in a long time, and I would have to agree with him. Making progress at work, sunshine and some special people in my life are making all the stress accompanied by rebuilding a store just something in the background.

I am so looking forward to this summer.

Crud Vol II

A few months ago I wrote about a sadly forgotten word, Crud (original found here: http://yesterdayssweethearts.blogspot.com/2009/01/vocab.html). After rediscovering this post while on the phone with Rob, we decided to bring some new acronyms to the table.

Here is our progress:

Catie Rejects Unanimous Decisions -R
Catie Reaches Under Dresses -R
Catie Runs Under Dinosaurs -C
Catie Rescues Unknown Disco-stars -C
Catie Resides Under Dickheads/Dipshits -R (It's true! I had to call the police!)
Catie Regurgitates Undercooked Duck -R
Catie Reaches Unknown Destinations -C
Catie Resembles Unused Diapers -R (Thanks Rob!)
Catie Regretfully Underestimates Dynamite- C
Catie Remembers Using Diapers -R (Still on this diapers thing, eh?)

..to be continued.

Observations

Today I had a few hours to indulge in people watching- a pastime that has been lost in the past few months of my life. Something i've always appreciated are peoples quirks. Whether you deny them or not, there are common threads that surface giving you 10 times more depth then the next person.

Today, my observation was of a cashier at Crossroads. Every customer who paid with a card, he openly guessed what name they went by. If the card read "Catherine" he would ask, "Do you go by Cathy? I have a friend named Cathy." or "Alexander, I bet you go by Alex, huh?" While his job must seem super mundane at times, it makes me happy that he has created a simple game that he obviously enjoys.

Simple pleasures people, it's where it's at.

Best Day Ever 2009

Best Day Ever 09 really lived up to it's name!
Nailed final presentation, love my tattoo, went driving, bought The Office season 4, dressed up and went to dinner to celebrate friendship, went to a show, and stayed up late.




Such a great day, I am all smiles.
Now, lets start planning for Best Day Ever 2010! :)

Count Down

The Best Day Ever Summer 2009 edition is right around the corner!

This day will consist of:

-Summer class ending, thus beginning my actual Summer break
-Getting my much anticipated tattoo
-Celebrating a year of a great friendship
-and going to a really good hardcore show

Now tell me that doesn't sound like a perfect day.
Is it Thursday yet?!

Update: Summer Fun in List Form

River as often as possible
Truckers tan
Promotions for the above average
Nerdy business jargon
Buying myself flowers
Shorts
Being one with my cell phone/ unlimited texting
Hardcore music
Not hardcore music
Dancing
One-piece bathing suits
Driving with all the windows down
Receiving revealing, drunk phone calls
Past
Present
Future
Love letters
Memories
Reading at night, before bed
Tea: every morning, noon, and night
Tattoos
Camera documentation
Pending road trips
Watermelon
Disconnected TV
SPF 50+
Bruises
New friends
Old friends
Loved ones.


So far, it's showing to be a pretty fantastic Summer.

Good Start

This morning I dragged myself and Bernadette to the river at 8am. Since my Summer class conflicts with any good river time, the morning seemed like a pretty good idea. And it was! It wasn't too hot, wasn't crowded, and it was terribly relaxing.



I really want to make a habit of this, like once or twice a week. Let me know if you want to join in!

Oh, how it clings to me

I have been unable to stop listening to Passion Pit for the last few weeks.
After getting their new album, Manners, it has been in rotation an embarrassing large number of times.

Tonight they played at the National, a place i'd never been to, but was kinda impressed with. Slanted floors= shorties bein' able to see! Once Passion Pit was preparing for their set, a few of us went to the center of it all to claim a good dancing spot.

Passion Pit was able to translate their energy fairly well through their live performance, I mean, I never stopped dancing, which is a rare sight. I'd like to thank my dance partners: Deepa, Bernie, Annam, and Jon! :)

Such a great experience, I am ecstatic.




P.S. Happy Birthday to Rob! :)

Pretend to be Fearless

Being severely apart from the Richmond music scene, I'm not up to date on any new emerging bands. Feeling super bummed on all of my over played music, I've taken matters into my own hands...

...I'm starting a band!... JK!

I came across Bitter End a few days ago and they blew me away. They are so pulled together and to the point, it's sick! Climate of Fear came out in 2007, so I'm a little behind on their hype. Right now their song I can't get enough of is Terrified Eyes.

Minutes:
-First minute, so simple, but so brutal, I will never understand how bands can but that together. Makes it so much more intense when it shows back up at 3:20-end.

There are some other fantastic songs on the album, sometimes they throw in a guitar solo that I don't agree with, but all in all, GOOD!

Sunshine

After my second morning began, I immediately started anticipating my adventure to the river.

Around 2pm, Deepa, Kelly Jean, and I met up, grabbed our slurpee supply, and off we went to Texas Beach.

Contents of my backpack:
-1 towel
-1 bottle of water
-1 tube of SPF 50 sunblock (so high!)
-1 bottle of "mega bubbles"
-1 camera
-1 book: Naked by Sedaris

We walked along the river bank and passed by a few rock spots and found our happy place that was secluded and flooded with sunshine. Little did we know, it was a valuable walkway between the two banks, which made for some funny scenery.



The ladies and I spent some wonderful hours jumping between rocks, blowing bubbles, and frankly, being damn cute.

Currently my skin is tingling and looking a little less see through.
I have a feeling the river and I will be getting along swimmingly.

Truths XV

"As long as you're happy, everything else is crap." -My Dad

United Blood Day Two

It's safe to say that today was one of the best day of my life, so far. I got to see Pulling Teeth, Bad Seed, Naysayer, and Cro Mags all in one day.

First of all, I hadn't listened to Bad Seed before last night, but I was blown away. So crucial, those kids have their shit together!

Pulling Teeth was awesome, not what I expected live, but the intensity may have been watered down (PUN!) after a 1.5hour delay because a pipe started spewing water, and flooding the dance floor.

Cro-Mags, Cro-Mags... They have been my life since Sophomore year of high school. Due to the fact that I usually only wear one hoodie ever (adorned with a Cro-Mags patch on it), I've been dubbed "Catie CroMag" by more then a few. They, and their music, have pulled me out of some dark times, and I will forever love them for it. When it came time to see them I couldn't contain myself. As soon as the first bass riff hit, everyone went off the wall. What an amazing night, and I'm so glad that I was able to experience it.

Family Matters

My Dad is in town for the weekend, and I'm so glad!
We have both had such a hard year, it is really nice to be able to let your guard down and just bond with your parent. It's very comforting, and I needed it.

Tonight we are going to a Flamenco concert!

OLAY!

accomplished.

Today I helped out at U-Fab. It was hectic because I have little knowledge of my products, but I was very happy to be surrounded by fabric all morning. Here is a sample of what I did today (other then help customers):

Before


After



I love organization.

New Job Job!

After months of a love-hate relationship with Nordstrom, I finally took the initiative and got a new job. Today I was offered a position with Aldo Shoes!

Tomorrow I will be putting in my two weeks notice and filling out paperwork with my new store. I am full of optimism and I am excited to prove myself in a new environment.

Yay good change!

EDIT: I received another job offer to work super part time with Travis at U-Fab (a fabric and upholstery shop near Carytown). I start tomorrow.

Spring Get Sprung

Tomorrow I will be embarking on my well awaited Spring Break Trip'09er.
I'm super excited to test out my travel skills. I've made an itinerary, list of places to hit, and have a plan for weathering the weather (AKA: rain). Should be a great time. I just hope I don't run out of monies!

I will also be continuing my travel journal, which makes me really happy.

In other news:
I am really happy.
(this is an understatement)

Remnants of a good snow day:

-dirty mugs
-fresh baked goods
-empty pizza boxes
-puddles
-laptops open
-random craft supplies
-The Office Season 3 disc 3 in the player
-cameras out
-blankets
-laughter.