Gather Ye Rosebuds

Today was the first day I drove to and from work. Monday, I had phishtails drive with me, and then take the car home. Yesterday I drove to work, and had dorkbot drive home with me. Granted, the way to work is a back road and does not have very much traffic, and the way back, a slightly different route, is not too busy at night when I am off. It still sorta scares me, and I have not driven much else so far. And that's ok. It is still somewhat of a jerky ride, or at least was tonight. I almost think it is jerkier than before...maybe my nerves are acting up. Practice will probably help, but if I don't know what I am doing wrong, I am not sure how it will. Only time will tell, I guess, but dorkbot was added to the insurance today, so I am not sure when I will pass the car on to him or how much more time I will have for a while, until I pay him back for his portion.

I am having some body issues, that are probably just age things, but the thought of some of my family's genetic make up scares me into wondering if I am turning into them, now that I am progressing in the over 30 lane. It is hard to accept my current weight, since it is the most I have EVER weighed, even if I am still small and petite. I feel like I am getting pudgy in places I wasn't pudgy before. The main thing bothering me now is my chin, and the skin under it heading toward my neck. My jawline is different and I am not sure if that is a little pudge due to aging, genetics, or maybe something else, because if kinda hurts there, like a muscular strain, right there by my chin, neck, and throat. My back also seems pudgier. I have always had my own issues with my thighs and belly, and still do, but the chin and back are new things, and I don't know if there is anything I can do about them. The back I can excerise, but my chin? And that is a very visible non-hideable area, considering how small the rest of my face it. There is part of me wondering if it *is* some kind of muscle strain and that area is just swollen or something. Eh, I hate feeling like this. I hate feeling society telling me I need to be small and petite, always and forever.

Oh, and if I did not already have enough going on in my mind, I have to take my NCTI Final next Friday, and I am nervous about that. I have all the answers from the individual lessons, and I know the final draws from them, but I am not sure how much I learned and how much was short term memory for the tests. My guess is the latter. So I just need to review and try to memorize the answers as best as possible. I own the book, so I can always study and learn more when I am not in a timed study and learn on your own period. But it will be good to get it over with, and have the payroll deductions stop, and get the $250 back I put into the class.

There are more things on my mind, things that I have been putting a lot of thought into. I guess I just need to chill and relax and hope everything all works out in the best way possible and be happy with it all. And I need to stop thinking so much.

Last night's test on Flickr seemed positive, so I am going to be posting a bit more photos now.



These are the tarts I made for Chas' 42nd birthday party. The two varieties are: Carmelized Red Onion with Goat Cheese (on top) and Tomato, Thyme, and Parmesan (on the bottom). I also made phyllo cough cups with the carmelized red onion mixture and goat cheese.

Today is a headache day...I know my body has been doing weird things. I think it is because I have been stressed and a little sick. The other night, my nose would not stop running, but at the same time I was all stuffy, and my nostrils were dry and sore. We are supposed to be heading out soon, to go to DeLeon Springs, to The Old Spanish Sugar Mill, which is a restaurant in DeLeon Springs State Park, in an old Spanish sugar mill (go figure!), where you get to make your own pancakes and stuff. We have been many times. We love it. The owner is a friend of ours, and one of Chas' clients. It is gonna rain something fierce though. I can hear the rumbling of the thunder outside...

Oh, and I just realized that on Wednesday, it will be my 1 year anniversary at work. Yay me! I made it through the first year. :)

Gotta get dressed now. Bye for now.

I recently got a new picture taken for my work ID badge. I had one originally, but my badge would not work at the new building and I had to have a replacement given to me. I was told at that time (early January) that I would be getting my picture taken again in a few days for the new badge. Fast forward to about 3 weeks ago, just before our last paycheck came out. I got an email saying there was going to be a payroll audit, and in order to get your check, you had to have ID and go to HR. Well, I get mine direct deposit and I have other ID, but I figured now was a good time to sort out the ID badge picture thing. The day before payday, I am told I can go to the security office and have my picture taken. I get the badge picture and look at it, and it is fairly bad, bad in that the color was off or bled or something, because around my head it is all blu-ish. It is true I had a blue shirt on, so I guess the color bled. As I look at it though, it made me think it was an aura, and while I don't pay that much attention to that kind of stuff, I do have a curiosity for it.

( Here's what a blue aura means... )

For those who know me in any capacity, what do you think? So you think it was coincidence that the blue smeared and looks like an aura?

I don't have to go to jury duty tomorrow...woo hoo! I am sleeping in...none of this Heather is up at 7am stuff. Nope! Seriously though, I had to check my number a few times against the ones that have to report tomorrow morning to be sure I was out of the specified range. Because that NEVER happens. I pretty much get called on a regular basis, and my number is always in range to show up. Though the last time I was called, I never got called into a case. Actually, I have never served on a case, but I have wasted several hours in that courthouse waiting room. Anyhow, so doing the dance of joy at not being called to serve tomorrow.

Other good news...I got mailbox prezzies again. One came from England, and the other from Finland, and the Finnish one came with some Finnish candy. It was yummy!

There's other good news, but I can't say just yet. Don't want to jinx it.

My brother is moving tomorrow. It is both good and bad news...the bad that he is moving to PA, but the good news is that he is following his girlfriend there while she does a 1 year residency at a VA hospital. She has captured my brother's heart, and for that I amvery happy, and therefore it is good news as well.

Um, well, that is it for now I think.

Asheville, NC View of some of downtown, from the road where our car was parked...quite high above from where the main road was. Quite a hill to hike to get to the parking garage.

(click on the box if the image is not showing up)

We got up really early Friday morning, to head out to Asheville, despite having nearly no sleep the night before, as we had the opportunity to see Hedwig and The Angry Inch performed at the Fringe Festival. So, very tired and weary after 2 hours of sleep for me, and none for Chas, we headed out. Got to Asheville about 5:00pm, so about a 12 hour drive. Hooray for cruise control. And good music. Thanks to dorkbot for pointing out the aux jack for our ipod. :) It was quite a trek up to our friend's house; they live a few miles up the side of a mountain and it took about 10 minutes to get there from the main road. By the time we left, Chas was a pro driving up and down around the twists and turns. We took video footage of the trips up and down...hopefully it will be edited soon for me to post, but I am not expecting any miracles with speed on this, as our Canada footage is still on the camera too. :P Anyhow, we all got together and went out to a fantastic Indian place for dinner. Oh my god it was so good...we need to revisit our Indian places here. Watched some Doctor Who, as our friends don't have cable or watch tv really. They enjoyed it.

Saturday we got up and had breakfast at a nearby diner, and on the way back we passed their street and went up the rest of thr mountain, and then down down down. Whee!!! After that, we headed to downtown Asheville, where the picture above (you can kinda see how hilly and mountainous it was there...I took it from the road where our car was parked in the garage, and there are two more streets at different heights below me). It was great! There were lots of little neat shops and stalls, and we picked up a few prezzies for people. I also had my first frozen custard. Oh my god, I am spoiled now! We had the anniversary flavor which was honey vanilla, using locally grown honey, by one of the street vendors. I picked up Pink Moon, from Nick Drake, to add to my collection. We left downtown, headed to a healthfood store so I could try to find an allergy supplement, and then back home for a bit. We went out a bit later to Enoteca, a Italian tapas style restaurant. [Insert more yum here.]

Sunday we headed over to The Biltmore Estate, though not before having a Huddle House brekkie. Hooray for Huddle House. We spent the bulk of the day at the estate. It took a few hours for us to be able to get in the house, so we spent it outside in the Walled Garden, and eating pastries in the old stable area. The tour inside the house was quite tiring, as this is the largest house in the United States. We were only allowed through certain parts of the house, but the four floors we traveled through were enough. Our legs were so sore after all the walking and stair-climbing. We picked up some sushi at the Fresh Market, and heated up the rest of our Indian food from Friday. Nothing fancy, but nice and relaxing. Watched a few more Doctor Who episodes, and then packed, as we had to leave after breakfast the next morning.

Monday, I could hardly walk. Luckily, I did not need to do that much, as we had another 12 hour drive ahead of us. I stayed in my jammies for the whole trip...though my jammies consisted of fleece pants my 2005 Florida Film Festival t-shirt. Got home around 9ish, and was ready to collapse.

So, a short, but very enjoyable weekend with friends.

Looks like the rental car is all set for our drive up to Asheville, NC. I stopped at Budget this morning when I ran a few errands with dorkbot. It is kinda exciting...I haven't been to North Carolina in many years; I think I was there the summer between 6th and 7th grades for a summer camp. Now we are visiting friends of ours that moved there about 4-5 years ago. Chas hes been up a few times, but I've never been able to go up with him. They haven't seen me in years, barring one party last October, for one afternoon, when they came down as a surprise. It should be fun.

I have a date with Chas tomorrow night. We're going to see "Art School Confidential" at The Enzian. I am treating. :)

Something interesting for you tea drinkers out there like myself...

( Dear Citizen Heather! )

I can't believe Emma is bulemic! Ok, well, maybe I can understand the bulemia as an extension of her sort of obsessiveness to perfection, but I thought she'd be smarter than that. God, I wish I had a body like hers, and for her to think that she is gross just disturbs me. Granted, I have had some body image concerns as many women do, but never ever to the point where I would want to make myself throw up...throwing up is probably the most repulsive and disgusting thing the body can do. I mean, if you are sick and need to do it to get better, well, you aren't in control of that function...the body just does it. Inducing vomitting for the sake of weght loss indicates a serious problem, a sickness, and one that alot of women go through. I mean, I guess I can say that I am glad that they are tackling this topic in the show, because I hear that eating disorders are on the rise again...but did it have to be my Emma? Can I wait til Friday to see the second part of the storyline?