l-*-x photography n-c

Hi friends!
I have some exciting news to share--my friend Nicole and I are going into photography business on the side. Our name is (L-*-x Photography N-C except without the dashes, but I don't want to be googled), and you can find our website here once it's all up and running. For now there's some images and links, and soon we'll add a schedule. Expect to see a fully functioning site by December 1st!

In the meantime, please feel free to visit our individual sites at http://carrie-r-richardson.com and http://www.nicolefabyphotography.com. If you live nearby, we are willing to travel! And for you out-of-towners, I'm available for photo shoots whenever I come to Tulsa (or your neck of the woods) as well.

As freelance photographers, Nicole can help you capture that gorgeous portrait of your little one and Carrie can take specific shots to go with that orange in your living room or make sure that vintage car or keepsake will still be with you in years to come. Together, we'll make sure those lasting photographs include both the moment AND the details.

To start off L-*-x Photography N-C is focusing on portraits--we'll be taking pictures of life from maternity and newborn to engagement and beyond. If you have a need for maternity, infant, family, senior pictures, headshots, engagement or any other type of photography, we would love to offer your our services.

Since we're just starting out our prices are more than reasonable~ A full session is two hours at the location of your choice and a cd of the finished images. We offer discounts for referrals and friends, and are more than willing to work with you on pricing, if need be. All of PGUMC and Kappa Delta members are eligible for the friend discount, in addition to others.

With the holidays right around the corner, and to get our feet wet as a duo, Nicole and I will be offering FREE MINI-SESSIONS on December 6th at Pullen Park. These half-hour shoots will be a great chance to get those cute family photos for sending out holiday greetings or for gifts for your family. Details about this will follow and spaces will be limited, but if you're already interested please email and let me know!

We are also looking for opportunities to photograph a wedding. There would be no cost to the bride and groom, and we would be fine with being an auxiliary photographer since we're new to this. If you or someone you know are interested, we would love the opportunity, and will give any successful referrer a full photo shoot for free as a thank you!

Nicole and I are looking forward to helping you preserve your memories through photographs. Please contact us at l-*-x-photography-n-c [at] gmail [dot] com (again, without the dashes) to book shoots or with comments and suggestions. If you know anyone with photography needs please pass along our information--we will reward those who refer us, too!

thanks for all of your support already, I really appreciate it!

why I am voting for obama

warning: this post is actually, really, totally political. if you think you might get pissed off at me then please don't bother reading it. and if you'd like to fact-check or present an opposing (or supporting) viewpoint, I'm all for it as long as you're NICE.

so, misha is full of good questions. seriously. see the one here? I don't talk a lot about politics, really--I talk a lot about the environment. I could totally write that sentence again replacing the word "talk" with the word "care." But, since she asked...

obvs, I'm voting for obama. if you did not know this then you must not know me in person and/or must not have read any of my recent posts. :)

and clearly, my #1 reason for voting for obama is because I agree with his environmental policies. mccain's are good. obama's are better. neither is going to achieve all they say, we all know that, but I feel like if you shoot for the moon and miss, at least you'll land amongst the stars, so to speak. in my mind, mccain would be more in the troposphere.

but that's not all of it. if mccain's environmental policies were superior to obama's (i.e., more stringent, more eco-friendly, etc) that doesn't mean I'd vote for him. It's more than that. For the most part, I agree with Obama. His beliefs, his mindset. Sign the Kyoto protocol, give more money to the no child left behind, end the war, allow stem cell research, give women the right to choose, cut middle class taxes, etc.

I'm kind of iffy on the feasibility of universal health care and I honestly don't know every single thing about both candidates. To be honest, I kind of don't care. Because I believe that if we don't do something about the environment then pretty soon? Pretty soon there won't BE an economy or a war or anything else. Because we won't be able to sustain life on this planet.

doom and gloom? maybe. but I think it's true.

If you boil it down the two candidates aren't leaps and bounds away from each other. We just have one on the left and one on the right, but for the most part nobody's way out in crazy territory. Well, until you throw in Palin, but that's another topic I'd rather not delve into....anyway...when it comes to the end of the day...when we look back at this time period (if we can look back at all...more doom and gloom, sorry) we can either be a "we tried" or a "we succeeded." either a "yes, we made the changes and now can live in our climates" or we'll have to say "well, the middle section of the earth is totally uninhabitable because we're idiots." As a member of the fattest, most polluting, most hateful and bullying and most holier-than-thou country in the world, I sure as shit hope it's the former and not the latter. More than anything, THAT is why I'm voting for Obama. The rest is details. just details. We have such a HUGE opportunity to make things so much better, environmentally and otherwise, and I think Obama is the man to help us step in that direction.

And, before anyone's panties get in a bunch, I don't think a vote for McCain is a vote for us being eco-idiots or even something dumb. I think it's your opinion. Mine is different. That's all. I just honestly fear that McCain's mind will be on different issues, ones that might be more pressing rightthissecond, but that in the long term won't be nearly as signficant, and that our country will lose sight of the forest for the trees...I feel like we'll be tackling the wrong issues, so to speak (not that dealing with them is wrong, that there are other issues that need our attention more).

the end.

also, go vote--for whomever you please. As long as you DO vote you get a thumbs up in my book. :)

UPDATE: yesterday I got FIVE pieces of political mail. FIVE. Two of the same anti-Obama ads, one piece about NC's governor race, a different anti-Obama ad (and neither of those told me A THING about McCain) and a piece of mail from Obama's campaign addressed to both Matt and me telling us that early voting has started in NC. Let's see...hate mail or do-your-civic-duty mail, hmmm....

where's the green!?

I know, I know, I haven't gotten to talk about green stuff recently. I've been BUSY. And it looks like I'll stay busy. I mean, I'm only just now getting to tell you that my birthday is less than a week away!! This time last year I had a countdown! :)

Last night I didn't even sit down to eat dinner. Matt and I realized that if we sat down we were done. So instead we stood. And walked. And moved. And crouched. And lifted.

But:

The shelf in the basement has things on it. I unpacked SEVEN boxes of books and decor yesterday. Perhaps more. I am very pleased to have this up. I even unpacked the bigbigbig box of books from my childhood. Somehow I don't have the #1 Nancy Drew. I may have to look for it on ebay. I have this thing about having the whole set. And we also got to do a little glancing through each other's senior yearbooks--which we both worked on. Man, they were A LOT more lenient in Augusta GA. The captions say things like "aren't you glad you used dial?" and show a girl whose arm is raised in the air. We NEVER could've done that. Ever.

Also, the entertainment center downstairs has some decor as well. It will probably get rearranged and I deffo need to print a picture of augusta to balance out the tulsa skyline, but all in all I feel like we're making progress! It was fun finding the pictures of my grandparents. Some day I want Matt and me to take a picture of us reading a yearbook like theirs. Or maybe with both of our yearbooks. Not sure. But I LOVE that picture of them. LOVE.

We are recycling all of this and/or removing it from our home. This is good too. And Matt had already taken out the recycling yesterday and THEN we had this. We recycle A LOT. Our container is bigger (an old laundry basket) and we still usually fill up the recycling twice before we fill up the trash. Especially now that we compost. With illustrations like this it STILL amazes me that people don't recycle. Seriously.

And I'm hesitant to share this with you, because, well, some people are all judgmental about the fact that we aren't unpacked yet, but anyway...this is my garage. I'm sure it looks like it's full full full to you, but I'm pretty excited because you know what's in the middle there? FLOOR. Like, actual, real, uncovered cement. I have NO IDEA how Matt and I would have fit in a smaller place, particularly one that did not have a garage! Our goal is to have this pretty much cleaned out by the party, even if it's at the expense of having a clean guest room. Wish us luck!

This weekend is yet another busy one--fun with friends tonight, belaying, photography and a bday party tomorrow and sunday is church and our class project from 1-6, and then the fair. And somewhere in there I need to work on my paper. :) Yikes.

lookie what I did...

if you don't see it, look for the heart.

an extremely unsatisfied customer

I used to like Dell. I did. They make good machines, right? but their customer service is MISERABLE. AWFUL. And really an excellent example of piss-poor training.

let's do a timeline, shall we?

August 2005 I buy a computer with a three year warranty on everything

August 2008 I have said computer spiffed up before the warranty expires, replacing the keyboard and lcd, some plastic, stuff like that.

September 2008 the hard drive crashes. I pay Dell $50 to tell me that it's my hard drive and it's dead and gone.
(also, in this month I ordered a hard drive that didn't connect correctly. my own fault but then again, Dell used almost-outdated technology in my computer. meaning like putting a 2008 engine in a 2009 car even though the 2009 engine is MUCH better)

October 2008 I contact Dell to say "what's the maximum capacity hard drive that is compatible with my computer?" During this conversation, after I told the woman the make and specifics of my laptop computer, I purchased the drive. I was told it would be shipped on thursday. on thursday I found out it was delayed. I called, had them look at my other options, etc. and ended up keeping the drive.

yesterday, October 14th--I get a phone call and email from Dell saying my order has a new delayed ship date of October 27th. This is RIDICULOUS. I call them back. I am on the phone or on hold for AT LEAST an hour and seven minutes. There goes my lunch hour. And then some. I talked to a minimum of eight people, asked at least twice for my order to be cancelled only to get the "other options" mumbo jumbo, and was denied the privilege of speaking to a manager TWICE because "they have the same tools I do." When I got off the phone after being transferred AGAIN to "speak to someone who can help you find an alternate part" I decided I'd call once I calmed down to cancel my order.

I was so red and angry someone asked if I had been tanning. At one point during the conversation I actually cried tears of frustration. ALL I WANT is to voice my complaints where they'll go somewhere, as I have gotten shitty customer service and their sales department made TWO mistakes.

no such luck.

so, fine, whatever. I'm pissed, never buying a dell product again, writing a letter and stuff like that.

and then.

AT LIKE 4AM I GET AN EMAIL SAYING THEY'VE SHIPPED THE DAMN THING.

So I have been on hold some more today. Basically they still won't get me to a supervisor and all I can do is accept the package and then return it. While on hold for a supervisor I've been disconnected twice. I've been told that they can only transfer me to their direct supervisor, that's it. And I have said my name and order number over and over. I've written down eight people's names. Some of them just repeated it when I asked them to spell it and were reluctant to actually spell it out. They've all said "oh boy, that sucks." One said "could you have told them you information incorrectly?" DUDE YOU SOLD ME THE DAMN THING, you know the deets. You looked up my file by my name address and phone number.

seriously livid. no longer wanting to clench my fists, but geeeeez. I'm actually on hold while I type this. It's been an hour long phone call and I've been on hold for ~47 minutes of it. They get 5 minutes and I'm calling back. Again.

what's in a name?

nicole and I are going into photography together...what should we choose as our name?

• vero photography nc
• ell you ex photography nc

Created on Oct 15, 2008

View Results

poll by twiigs.com

just fyi, vero is italian for geniune or truth and ell you ex is latin for light. and NC is both for our state AND our initials. :)

"i definitely can't say anything amphibia..."

~jeff m.

these pictures say it all. well, almost.

friday: beeeeer at manchesters with our new friends christy and jeff. we liked them, and apparently they like us too. LOTS of widmer hefeweizen. LOTS. and enviro talk and stupid jokes (matt made me tell them the little red ball joke--and by made I mean teased me about how dumb it was until I had to prove how dumb it was, though I LOVE it and it's one of my very favorites) you know it's an interesting evening when boobs and the sex talk come up in the first five minutes of your conversation.

it was also VERY nice to talk to someone about environmental issues who thinks of the environment from the business perspective. quite educational. and I really enjoy talking to people who actually know what they think and why they think it, and know more than one random fact which they based their entire argument upon. I get that a lot.

oh and, we kinda sorta closed the bar and the owner brought us a free pitcher of beer, too! good stuff.

saturday: division picnic at noon (note: do not wear cheap flip flops to umstead park) then napping and birthday party going. I did NOT feel good, it was a bad tummy day. but the picnic was fun and the birthday party even more fun! derek did not manage to enter into a debate with me about the pres. candidates, thank goodness, and it was fun to see all of nicole's wedding pictures too. we played flip cup, drank magic blue juice which was DANGEROUS and nicole and I made some business plans. :) I had a great time with my fellow october baby, too!

sunday: loooooong day. first church. before that cleaning out my car, making my printer function, getting my butt out of bed even though we stayed up too late AGAIN. after church lunch and the crop walk. it was four miles and totally worthwhile, both for the cause and the scenery and the company. It makes me want to take pictures in that part of town. there was one annoying part though--I upset a youth because I only mentioned the crop walk and didn't mention the buddy walk. mind you, I am the one who registered us and found out the info for the crop walk--of course I have my mind on it. others helped with the buddy walk, they could have mentioned it! whatever, I guess. It's just hard to volunteer so much time and have your every action and word scrutinized.

anyhoo. then last night after I got home (and saw that matt got me flowers and was installing the ceiling fan in our bedroom!) I hung our planters and started cleaning. we had a free dinner (spanish rice from matt's parents and leftover chicken from the picnic) and then I cleaned some more. and I started to feel crappy. and like my head was fuzzy. I just didn't feel right. I ended up taking a shower which made me feel a little better and then matt had me drink some water and tea and I went to bed. we couldn't figure out how it could be anything else, so we've decided I was a bit dehydrated--the night before, the 4 miles, more time outside after, etc. it was not fun! I'm feeling better today but still not 100%...

the end.

also, I want a fisheye lens, I think. I'm trying to decide between getting the crappy attachment one and seeing how I like and getting a real actual fisheye. they are not cheap. but if I love it? eh, I dunno. I'm sure I'll figure it out!

eco-friendly review #3: H2

not hydrogen. H2. It's made by shaklee and was recommended by jennifer and then again by lara. and shaklee's products had already been touted by taylor, as well. and I'd seen their booth at the durham farmer's market's earth day celebration, so I already had their scour off, which is AWESOME and will be rated soon.

this gets a 9. the company is awesome, it supports a bunch of eco-causes and has some great goals. and they do SO much that is eco-friendly and eco-minded and anyway, I'm impressed and I totally want to work for them. or al gore. maybe one of them needs a chemical engineer? maybe. but anyway, they also get a thumbs up because they tell you what you're accomplishing by going with them instead of someone else. like, if you buy the home starter kit (which I very well may at some point) they let you know that by buying it instead of getting the cleaners another way you eliminate 108 pounds of packaging waste from landfills and eliminate 248 pounds of greenhouse gas. I am certain they take into account travelling and use the worst possible packaging scenarios, but I still find that WAY impressive.

and this H2 is the bomb. Not only does it use the same cleaner at three different dilutions in order to clean around your house (SO smart, for production and packaging and streamlining and wow!) it actually cleans. Like, cleans well. This 16 oz of stuff will make 48 gallons of cleaner. That is AMAZING. And it will last for-ev-er.

so, by now you are probably thinking "why not a ten?" well, that answer is easy. it's kind of nitpicky, but still. it does not get a 10 because of the bottles. specifically because of the labelling of the bottles. they are cute. and very carrie. and I like them a lot. BUT when reaching for the bottle I think "do I want the sunflower? the butterfly? the leaf?" If I'm cleaning the windows the butterfly kind of makes sense, but after that I'm kinda screwed. And that lettering is tiny and something you need to be close to read. So I wish it would say DEGREASER and not degreaser. And that is it. Otherwise I love love love it and I think everyone should try it. $17ish for 48 gallons of cleaner? That makes it a bargain as well.

"it doesn't matter whose child."

~a girl in the cafe.

so, I forgot to ask y'all another question, please cast your vote before continuing to read.

should celebrities be allow to stump for political parties?

• no way, that's abuse of influence!
• absolutely, what a good use of their fame!
• only when I agree with them.
• only if they're running for office (y'know, arnold!).

Created on Oct 10, 2008

View Results

poll by twiigs.com

We watched that movie last night. It's an hour and a half long but sloooooooooooooow. Except for the last 15 minutes, which were spectacular and made the other hour and fifteen minutes of mediocrity worth it.

for the message, two thumbs WAY up. it clearly made its point and did so in a very real way because everyone has been in a situation where they've wanted to speak up before. some people just DO it.

but overall the movie was so-so. however, I am quite glad I watched it. because I saw this.





very interesting, yes? I read more and I just signed a petition asking whoever becomes leader to do their part in erasing poverty. It sounds like a lofty goal, but I'm pretty sure if we can get to the moon we can figure out how to feed the people. Just a guess.

after we watched the movie last night matt and I had a very interesting little political talk and I really enjoyed it. It's fun to have a boyfriend with opinions. I enjoy the debate and the learning and I SO appreciate hearing how someone else things. Particularly when he's someone I love. :) awwww.

I have also decided that I might have a leetle problem with the color pink. I think I need to tone it down. Pink backpack, pink glasses, pink water bottle, coffee mug and thermos, pink glasses gas...um, yikes. And excuse the mess of pens. When I was unpacking on wednesday I found my box o' office supplies and dug out some new pens to use. I get bored with them so I put them in the box to find another day when they're interesting again! :)

oh, and Matt and I have decided that we're having a watch party on election day, email me if you'd like to come join us. anyone is welcome, but I should warn you that there will be a lot of blue hanging out at the house that day.

also, thanks for all the comments on the last post. It's comforting to know that there are other weirdos out there. Particularly since you can't be a scientist and religious, and then can't be religious and liberal, and then the liberal scientist part goes hand in hand. Yikes.

yay for friday, almost time to go home!

clearly...

-all environmentalists are liberals. you can't be one if you're a republican.
-all real Christians are republicans, think abortion should be illegal and are not environmentalists..
-and God wants, and has always wanted, a republican president, both because they are always right, and because God prefers to meddle with the political affairs of our country.

riiiiiight.

so, last night I went to dinner with some ladies' for megan's birthday. (megan whose photos are here) and of course the subject of politics came up because, well, it's EVERYWHERE. and I must say, I think I'm very much the most liberal of the group, though there were quite a few who seem liberal on one side and conservative on others. And even I am more in the middle, I must say--left of middle, yes, but still in the middle.

one of the girls said something that struck me though, that it seems like people think that republicans aren't environmentalists. only democrats are, and how that's unfair and ridiculous. I, for one, completely agree. It's a HORRID stereotype. I mean, if you boil it down, are O's environmental goal better than M's? YES. But take a look at M's policies, it's not like they're miles behind. It's just taken down a notch. Now, if you pull M's VP into play, then things definitely get dicey, because she's kind of ignornant in her viewpoints, in my opinion. (and if you disagree, go read this and tell me you can refute it)

but anyway.

you can be a liberal christian. and a conservative environmentalist. and a democrat who isn't an environmentalist (I suppose, I don't actually know any). the party lines are fuzzy at best. it was an interesting discussion, to be sure. quite a bit of it I disagreed with, but I was pleased to listen to opinions that people had actually researched and developed instead of ones that they'd just taken hook, line and sinker.

moving on...

I got one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever gotten yesterday. Check it out! the platters, the cover throw, a picture frame, the dishes, a bag, a bowl, some eco saying buttons and many other little cute things! I LOVE it! Nicole gave it to me as a house-warming/birthday/thanks for taking my bridal portraits gift and I really like it. Oh AND she reused that basket and the only wrapping she did was add ribbon. two thumbs up!

also, while matt and I were cleaning and organizing last night I emptied three boxes, relocated four more to their appropriate area and also moved my compost from the container to the soil to hang out for a while. AND I found these. Matt did not know what they were called, do you? I have a prize for the first person who answers it correctly, you'll just have to tell me how to get it to you. :) I was just "what, you don't know what ________ are? you have to be KIDDING! Anna and I LOVED these when we were growing up. We had the bigger ones too!"

i never have pity parties in october...

but I think I might be having a little bit of one today.

I am tired.
Went to sleep at 1130 to be awoken a 3 by matt in the shower (he had a headache), 330 by my on-the-night-shift twin mistakenly dialing me, 515ish by Gobi meowing because he's no longer allowed to sleep in bed with me and 615-645 by matt's alarm.

I am frazzled.
My home is a box-filled disaster area and I need to do some seriously cleaning and unpacking. It's kind of stressing me out. Also, I am REALLY enjoying the success of my photography work and I'm really enjoying my class, but I am starting to feel terribly overbooked.

I am saddened.
Perhaps I should not have opted for my black sweater today, the color seems to be affecting my mood. Over the past, oh, two years I've had some friend things happen that just make me melancholy. And a little angry. Maybe it's that I search for something in my gmail and an old email comes up, maybe a word or phrase or name triggers a memory, and even just today, hearing of someone's actions confirmed the reality of their attitude.

In a life where I know that there are FAR bigger issues than mine it's hard to ignore the little pinpricks when I feel like someone's harsh words might ring true all the time, you know? Like how someone once told me I was too attentive of a friend, or someone else told me that I said hurtful things all the time and didn't even realize it. I'm not and I don't. And I'm not mad about it or at the people who said those things to me...it just upsets me that when I get in moods like this I second-guess everything I do or say.

and it's hard to give yourself a reality check or a pep talk when you're busy being melancholy.

at least it isn't february, hmm?

on a lighter note...eh, sorta....

last night I talked to my granny about politics. this is not new. but I told her why I think she should reallyreallyreally consider NOT voting republican. yes, this to my granny because of whom I initially registered as a republican 'cause if she'd asked me point blank how I was registered and I told her I wasn't republican I was genuinely afraid she'd either send me to a conservative christian boot camp or take away my car and insurance. yeah. so, last night I told her she should write in Al Gore before she voted republican this go-round. Somewhat because of the VP. Okay, a lot because of the VP. He wasn't so bad until he chose his VP. But also? I heard something more alarming than the vote she might cast...

my granny thinks (thought) that drilling for oil just wasn't a big deal, that it doesn't have a huge impact on the environment. she thought that the environmental impacts of oil drilling were completely insignificant and that the dems were like hiding between this huge lie or something. Kind of like people who think that because car emissions have been lowered they're okay now. (and for the record, misha hit on a point about emission that is really very valid in the comments here. there is a balance. there absolutely is. and regulation sometimes seems to not see the forest for the trees, methinks)

but, WHAT? drilling for oil isn't a big deal? you have GOT to be kidding. I told her about spills, about what happens to the fish in the ocean, about how it suffocates living things, about how after that we have the transportation emissions, the refining emissions, the post-refining transportation emissions, the fugitive emissions, the emissions when you fill up your gas tank AND the emissions generated by driving. Yes, refineries and auto manufacturers have done quite a bit to clean it up, but there's only so much more they can feasibly do, and no matter how you view it, big picture this is a PROBLEM.

period.

she asked, so I told her about solar power and wind power, the advantages and disadvantages. I told her about hydropower and that neato turbine that kills far fewer fish. we talked about why it's necessary and what makes it real. today I might have to tell her how maybe we should all paint our roofs white, how using reflective paint or shingles on the 1,000 sq. ft. roof of the average American home sends enough heat back into space to offset 10 metric tons of CO2 emissions. and that if all roofs and pavement in the world's 100 biggest urban areas were switched to reflective surfaces, we'd offset an extraordinary 44 billion metric tons of CO2―more than the entire world emits in a year.

but I digress.

do you know what is disgusting? my granny didn't come up with this whole "drilling is okay" thing by herself. she heard it or read it somewhere. and the fact that someone (likely with a political agenda) is spreading those falsehoods is one of the worst things I may have ever heard.

out of gas

I am quite tired, I must say. I stayed up until ~1215 studying for the test and woke up at 640 to get showered and arrive in time, so I'm kinda all tuckered out! But, at least it wasn't TOO terrible. I mean, there were some parts that I totally had to guess on, but none of it made me think "man, that's pretty unfair!"

I realized I haven't told y'all about a few things...

-my laptop is (almost) all better. the hard drive is dead, right? well, I bought a new hard drive and the connector it had was SATA and I need IDE. And it's open and (I assume) functional so I don't believe I can return it...and there is no converter from SATA to IDE that will fit inside a laptop, so...I found an IDE drive and was going to buy it, and the man said "well you have to make sure that upgraded size is compatible with your system..." so I called Dell. Again. And found out after two misquotes that I could get a 320GB hard drive for $85 and that they would send me the installation cds. This is FAR different than the $200 for a 40gb drive, and another $50 if I needed the cds. yeesh. These should all arrive tomorrow or thursday, I believe.

-last thursday night was a little crazy. there was this situation at red robin, y'see. one of my friend jessica's friends wanted a refill on his beer, and three or four (I think four) employees totally ignored him. It was not as though he was drunk or needed to be cut off or something--our service was already less than mediocre and I guess they had other things to do. well after the fourth time the guy got pissy and ended up setting his glass right under the tap and told the bartender to fill it up when he had the chance--VERY sarcastically. they ended up filling his beer and then asking him to leave.

so, after trying to get information about contacting corporate red robin, and after some really rude and unprofessional behavior by the staff (including telling him again that he needed to leave when he was CLEARLY on his way out) things got out of hand when someone put his hands on the guy and directed him towards the door. BAD NEWS.

the upset guy goes outside and calls corporate. tells them the story. turns out that they need the first and last names of the people involved, so he comes back inside and VERY politely says, without coming inside very far "they say I have to have your names." he gets yelled at "WE ASKED YOU TO LEAVE!" you would've though he brought in a bomb or something, it was awful. He finally gets someone to listen to him, and they won't give him the information--he's taken down the names on their nametags but when he asks for last names they just keep saying "we asked you to leave." yikes.

things are getting out of control again, and someone is about to physically remove him which will be BAD news, and so I go over, tell the dude to wait outside and that I'll get the names for him. Everyone should've been happy--or at least not upset--at that point, right? He's getting the names and he's outside, isn't that hunky dory? You would think...but instead the manager (who didn't know how to spell her employee's last names and who was a b*tch) treated me with all the kindness you'd give a mangy, foaming at the mouth dog. I actually said to her "look, I don't even KNOW that guy, I am just trying to help 'cause this is out of hand."

UGH. I already hated Red Robin--now I'm quite certain I won't be visiting that Brier Creek location ever again. Oh and, three minutes after all this was over they brought us our checks--no offer of dessert, no asking about a refill on drinks...we did NOTHING, and yet. yuck.

there's more I need to catch up on but I am tired and need to finish this upgrade. more later, perhaps. perhaps...

never drink someone's drink, can drink other people's liquor

and that's how I'm remembering the criteria pollutants. ah, mnemonic devices...

nitrogen dioxide
sulfur dioxide
carbon dioxide
ozone
PM
lead

Matt made it up for me. good stuff, good stuff indeed...wish me luck tomorrow!

"that is neither amusing nor attractive."

~me, about this guy tripp's dancing skills. don't worry, I said it to his face and everyone laughed and then went over to matt to brag about how funny I am. :)

the reunion was really, really fun. REALLY fun. it was unfortunate that we got in so late (~130am on saturday morning) but we still had a blast.

Saturday was the picnic at the school. There were lots of Westsiders and lots of little ones. We had our grilled food and Matt threw some pig skin while I asked a two year old named Anderson if he could point to the "B" the "pencil" and the "books." He was adorable, and his daddy was playing football so he and I hung out.

Also, I made a wee mistake. I thought picnic=park=shade trees. Um, not at a stadium it doesn't. I mean, granted I didn't know WHERE on the school grounds it was, but, well, I got a nice sunburn in the exact shape of my neckline with a little whiter spot where my necklace hangs. Thank goodness for blush to cover it up!

For the most part the picnic was pleasant--a little hot, but good. The only bad thing was at the picnic we were sitting with this group of people while we ate, and I said to the girls “so, what are y’all wearing tonight? I heard we were supposed to wear jeans, but Matt and I were thinking it would be dressier than that…” The girls said NOTHING. Not a word. This guy, Tripp (the one with the mop later) told us we’d see a range, and then nothing else was said by anyone...all the while I was thinking “seriously? A girl who is CLEARLY a stranger to this asks you about attire and you don’t say a PEEP? Come on!” anyhoo...we ended up wearing jeans that night and lots of other people did too, so it worked out.

so we went on a couple of errands (including to get some beer we can't get in NC since we missed the beer festival) and came back and zooonnnnkked out. I think we each napped for two hours! and then it was time for the evening fun. we had a mini fashion show before we finally decided what we each would wear and headed over to the event. everyone was outside, the weather was amazing, the sun was setting and there was plenty of beer. :)

matt saw A LOT of people. and a lot of people were very glad to see him. later in the night I actually heard one girl say "y'know, I was worried, but this reunion was totally worth it because I got to se ____ and matt f*y.

I spent a lot of the evening meeting people with him, but there were times where we'd be in a convo with others and he'd get pulled away, so I ended up talking to folks by myself too. I also enjoyed telling people “I’m a chemical engineer and I work in air pollution regulation.” THAT got a lot of interesting responses, ranging from “Wow, saving the world!” to “you must be really smart!” to “so it’s killing you to have to put these bottles in the trash then, huh?” A couple of people said "you must be really green, huh?" I say what I always say, that I try to me. And then Matt begins to brag about how I'm green and I tell other people about it and many people I know have become greener and anyway, it makes me smile. :)

We had a good time and I think Matt is REALLY pleased that we went. He told me afterwards that a couple of the guys were like “she’s a keeper!” :) And a couple of girls who had heard about me through the parent-circle tried to grill him on our future. But I suppose that was to be expected.

other highlights of the evening (a few are really lowlights)
-this very nice girl told matt she'd always had a crush on him. it was cute. :) she later told him how great she thought I was
-this random girl who was, oh, 21 or 22 but behaved like she was 17 told me that I had nice boobs. she also told me that hers were fake, that she had a boyfriend she lives with who was NOT the guy she was here with, and how this guy told her "not to wear a t*tty shirt." they were odd, don't get me started.
-having someone offer to take a picture of me WHILE I used the bathroom. yes, really. the door didn't lock and the 98 group were the only people there, so I just shut the stall door and set my camera and purse down where you could see them from the waiting area in the bathroom. some girl was like "can I take a picture while you potty?!?" AWKWARD.
-freaking people out by remembering their names--without the nametags. particularly impressive when they name-tag game started and everyone wore each others nametags. at one point I had matt's and he had mine. :) the picture turned out AWFUL because my batteries were running low or I'd share it with you.
-watching the people clean after the party. I tried to help but it didn't work out...so instead I was a photographer. I also asked the cop about the wrist band he was wearing.

-calling tripp out on his dancing. immediately after I said it I thought "these people don't know me, this might not be as funny to them..." so I said "sorry, I was just being funny, didn't mean to offe--" and before I could finish someone else said "damn, that was hilarious. you are FUNNY. you and matt should let us know next time you're in town, we'll hang out!"
-going to TWO different bars after the festivities were over...one called surrey tavern and another called somewhere in augusta. VERY different atmospheres. I almost fell asleep at one and couldn't hear at the other!

Sunday we slept in (no world communion sunday for me!), talked to both of his sisters via videoconferencing, ate french toast and watched the SNL skit his dad had dv-r'd. We had to explain the last part about saying maverick for all the joe six-packs, TOO funny. If you haven't seen it yet, you really should. We hit the road a little late, got into some traffic and got home a little after 8. busy weekend but I think we're both very glad we went! there are pictures online somewhere but I'll have to get the link from matt, and then I will share.

if you haven't already...

A quick reminder for all you NC folk that this Friday is your LAST day to register to vote in the upcoming presidential election. Oklahoma folks, Friday is your last day, too.

You can go here to find a bunch of links to help make sure you're registered. http://maps.google.com/maps/mpl?moduleurl=http://maps.google.com/mapfiles/mapplets/elections/2008/us-voter-info/us-voter-info.xml Once you put in your address you will be able to check your registration and even find out the location of your polling place.

And if you're already registered, good job! Now make sure your friends are, too!

The youngest voters (18-24) are the ones with the lowest turnout, and the next age group isn't far behind. This is about your life, your future. Let your voice be heard!

And here's a little video about voting that I thought was entertaining...

frantic friday

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh.

1. thought of something else I get judged for. not being green ENOUGH. seriously, people say things to me like "well, if you were really green you wouldn't've driven" or "you use that?!? and you call yourself green?" when we're talking about, like, my coffee mug I've had for 8 years or how I sometimes buy nine west heels and don't think twice about their non-environmentally-friendly-ness. I get a lot of "is that recycled" and "oh, you don't drive a hybrid?!?" yeah. anyhoo.

2. the econ group here is KILLING me. we're having to do these cost spreadsheets and kind of make the numbers match this other number. they don't always make 100% sense, but the logic I'm using is valid. so, today? the day they NEED them? there are TWO SPREADSHEETS that I have to do over completely because dipshit didn't bother to, I don't know, PROVIDE ME THE UPDATED sheets. Are you effing kidding me? I've spent my entire week trying to sort through and represent costs, and when I say "Um, there's no way I can get this to match that number and accurately represent the data..." THAT'S when you realize I'm working from an old sheet because the other is on your laptop hard drive?!? rock on. asshole.

3. I bought a new rug. (please excuse the mess in the photo) It was expensive, but it is beautiful, yes? We compared three last night, and there were two other options but one was just too wide and both were made of jute, which I think my cats would regard as a very large toy made specifically for them. And, as my granny would say, OF COURSE I liked the expensive one best...but in my defense, Matt did too.

4. If Sarah Palin had winked one more time during the debate last night I think I would have reached into my television screen, across the US to where she was standing and have ripped her eye right out of her socket. Sorry, but seriously? How can she possibly remember all that foreign policy and experience data she just buffed up on when she's keeping 1/4 of her brain occupied with finding good times to wink?!?

5. matt's high school reunion is this weekend, right? well, I finally found out what we're supposed to wear on saturday...jeans. yep, that's right. for a $50 a person dinner (alcohol included) the attire, which mind you he had to email the girl to find out about, is jeans. seriously.

okay, time to finish up this bullshizz, perhaps FINALLY eat and then I might just use some of that extra day of PTO they gave us, hit the mall and go home to clean and pack because I am just NOT appreciating this week at work and my patience has worn quite thin. I was really okay, just a little fuzzy in the brain, until #2 happened about 20 minutes ago, and now I feel like I miiiight not be uber professional if anyone upsets me...so perhaps leaving is the best option, hmm? I'm sure I'll make it until 3...

update: I seriously need to go home. I am finally eating my lunch and somehow managed to set my lunch bag down in just the right spot with just enough force to puncture the side of my dr pepper can with the corner of my desk leg (the horizontal support part) and just made a mess everywhere. GEEZ.

carrie's down in her basement, all toe-shoed and twinned

~counting crows

my freshman year of college, first semester, I spent a night hanging out with two guys from high school that I figured I'd NEVER see again. eddie f. and rick d. we hung out in my first twin towers room, one of the "coffin rooms" that I shared with tamara who was on probation for beating up a police officer and who wore the same pair of too-small silk pajamas every night, and who ripped said pajamas in an unfortunate place. did I mention she didn't wear underwear and stole my makeup? yeah. okay, back on track...the music makes me think of that because eddie was the one who introduced me to their new album. I'm pretty sure he gave it to me on the spot. He said "you have GOT to hear this song. I think they wrote it about you!" not true, but good sentiment, says the former ballerina with a twin.

anyway, sorry for THAT trip down memory lane...but that's where "this desert life" makes me go.

there or my memories of renee and jessica who would come visit me at TU. we'd hang out and eat mazzios and do crafty things. and listen to counting crows. I was OBSESSED with them. I love them still.

so last night, because renee heard them and thought of me, I listened to them while I did my homework, and did more listening while at work today. yay!

yesterday was our company-wide picnic to celebrate our 50th anniversary, and the man said something that I'm pretty sure will stick with me for the rest of my life. he said something about how the world would be a better place, for instance, I could figure out how to have me be me while letting you be you.

let that sink in, k? I heart it.

let Christians be Christians, but leave the Jews and Muslims, etc to practice their religions. Have Americans be Americans while still letting Africans be Africans and Indians be Indians, you know? I mean, it's like if we could just be happy being OURSELVES then maybe we could stop trying to force everyone else to be like us. There's not one right way. (and if you think there is, perhaps you need to step back and see the bigger picture, no offense)

while at the picnic I also collected my photos and my ribbon. see? yes, I am completely bragging. but the last time I won first place in a competition (not an election or scholarship, mind you) was probably when I won the science fair two years in a row in middle school. well...there was when I won keeper of the ashes @ tallchief, so I guess that would count too. but anyway, yeah. big deal. yay, me!

and this morning in my house it was deliciously chilly. I LOVED it. I am SO looking forward to getting our electric bill this month. We've been running fans occasionally, but I don't think we've had on our AC since...um...more than two weeks ago? AWESOME.

This weekend is Matt's 10 year high school reunion. I am excited and nervous. I mean, I'm fine with people, not that really...except that what if Matt is chatting with some dude (or chick) from high school and I try to talk to someone else and they're a TOTAL dud? I get anxious when I only know one person. Maybe I can bring a big enough purse and just slip a magazine inside of it? Matt told me he's excited that I'm coming with, and he's going to be amused at the responses when I tell people what I do. Some people are like "oh, cool." But some people hear the term "chemical engineer" or "air quality engineer" and suddenly go straight to "brainiac." aaaand there's the occasional person who asks me if I know how to make crystal meth or bombs. let's hope none of those people are there, hmm?

I also figure if push comes to shove I can ask "what was matt like in high school?" maybe? At least there will be alcohol at the event, I'll get to wear cute shoes AND matt's parents have a hot tub so we'll get to enjoy that even if the event is a bust.

oh and bad news bears--my new eco-friendly frames are supercute BUT they are simply too wide for my face. :( janice is going to see if she likes them, and if not, I'll be making friendly with the frames at my eye doctor's. I have ~$800 in flex spending left since the people overestimated my surgery cost by A LOT, so new glasses are totally in the budget.

things I like about october

1) it is the month o' my birth
2) it is when it's really fall-ish. the weather and smells and all. pumpkin pies, apple cider, mm mmmmm! and fall and spring are my favorite seasons (fall more though, I think)
3) I get all sorts of freebies 'cause it's my birth month! origins, aveda, victoria secret, american eagle, etc. I have more emails than I know what to do with!
4) halloween (yeah, yeah, evil holiday, whatev)
5) sweaters
6) scarves
7) the halfway point for semesters
8) fall back--I often get that extra hour of sleep on my birthday weekend--not this year, but instead it's the day after our house-warming party, yeehaw!
9) it's when my best friend sterling's comic comes out. y'know, TODAY. he wrote the newest supergirl, people. SUPERGIRL. My best friend wrote a comic about a very well known character all by hisself. Did I mention he's awesome? Moving on.
10) the colors. the trees are changing in my neighborhood. I am PUMPED. I love the fall colors, love love love. and in honor, here are some of my very fave fall pictures, just for y'all.

at peace

my friend shannon is now at peace, away from her suffering and strife.

I hope tom (shannon's husband) doesn't mind my copying part of what he wrote in the carepages update, but it just really made me feel so much less concern for him and his family. Yes, they will need SO much love and support and help, but I think they're gonna be okay if this is the mindset in which they choose to operate.

here's what Tom wrote:

"I have drawn hope and encouragement from King David's example. In 2 Samuel 12, we read of David praying and fasting as he cried out to God for the life of his sick child. He did this for seven days. And then his child died. Once David realized the child was dead, he stopped praying and fasting and ate a meal. His servants were surprised at his actions. While his child was sick, David fasted, prayed, and wept. Once his child died, David stopped praying and weeping, changed clothes, worshiped God, and ate some food. His sudden change of actions didn't make sense to the servants.

David explained himself: "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, 'Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that my child may live?' But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me" (2 Sam. 12:22-23).

David was diligent in his prayers for healing. He wept. He grieved. Once he heard his child was dead, instead of being overcome with grief, he worshiped. He got up and continued life. Though (I am sure) his sorrow was great, he took comfort in the fact that one day he would see his child again.'

this family has seen so much love and kindness poured out upon them from people all over the world, people they don't even know. and it is simply amazing. and inspirational. I think that was what kept shannon fighting for so long--this outpouring of love, and through it, hope.

and on a personal note, I wish I could trust in God as much as Tom does. what a testament to faith.