Just Wait Till Alaska Melts

My roommate, Lizzy, is about to take a vacation in Texas. This time last year, I lived in Austin as a travel nurse. Giving her suggestions about places to visit has made me miss it. Nothing like sunny and 75 in the winter. Here's a postcard I found in Smithville, TX and a few songs that make me think of the great state.



That's Right (You're Not from Texas) - Lyle Lovett
Under the Texas Sky - Ferraby Lionheart
Texas - PlayRadioPlay!
Songbird - Willie Nelson and Ryan Adams

I've Got a Lot of Extra Baggage

Wondering what you can do to help jumpstart the economy? Did you already do your taxes and have a refund to spend? Remember those gorgeous Jane Marvel bags I wrote about last year? Well, right now, thanks to Daily Candy, they are 30% off if you enter the code DAILYCANDY at checkout. So very tempting!

My new favorite:

Brrrr!

Yesterday I called in frozen to work and watched cars slide around from my comfy couch. One car across the street got hit twice by stray sliders.

Today, after trudging up my icy hill, unable to get my car out, and taking the over 2-hour bus ride to work, I wonder, why don't I live in South Carolina anymore?

Top 5 Books to Read on Planes

Once you've completed the in-flight mag sudoku and played the trivia game on the screen in the headrest in front of you, deciding maybe you should sit out a few rounds and give the other passengers a chance to win, you need something to read.

I think a plane book is pretty close to a beach read, just a few differences. Plane books aren't just fluffy, they are funny. Sitting on the beach with or without a book is enjoyable, sitting in a plane for a cross-country flight is not. So the book has to be a bit more fun to make the flight tolerable. Also, the book should be somewhat respected, people might see you. This doesn't mean it has to be Middlemarch or As I Lay Dying, but maybe it also shouldn't be a Harlequin romance (careful if you're at work, and did you know there was a Harlequin NASCAR category!).

1) Bridget Jones's Diary - The first time I it read was on a plane. I wished I had it on my most recent plane trip. It's funny, I relate to it, perhaps a bit too much, and it's more respected than most of the other rom-coms.

2) I'm a Stranger Here Myself - Bill Bryson is the consummate travel writer. Maybe not as a guide book, but as a companion to travel or a friend to help you reminisce after you get home. I have loved every book of his I have read. This one was so funny I was embarrassed on the plane. And then I read several parts out loud to my dad on the ride home from the airport.

3) Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris is always funny and I can't wait till this Friday for his lecture. And this book is my favorite. Maybe it's because I grew up in SC, he in NC, and we have both lived in France, feeling so lost in a foreign language and culture, and yet loving it at the same time.

4) The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing - One of my all-time favorite books. I think I have read it twice, both during travel. There is one weird, out-of-the-blue chapter in the middle but keep with it and it will make sense in the end.

5) To Kill A Mockingbird - While it may not be funny or especially light, it is the book I have re-read more than any other and my favorite book of all time. I like to read it on a train, or on a plane, in a box, or with a fox. I like to read it here or there. I like to read it anywhere!

The holiday season is almost here and that means lots of travel... Any suggestions?

Pack It Up, Pack It In

Do you know Daily Candy?  A great resource for fashion, style, food, beauty, and more.  I could tell you to sign up for the daily email but then what would I have left to post about?

A few days ago, I learned about Jane Marvel bags.  They are just the kind of bag I'm holding in my traveling dreams.  You know the dream, you get an around-the-world trip with a dashing companion, you look glamorous at all times and yet somehow, all your belongings fit in a small satchel.

A few extras, they are vegan, most are under $100, and each one comes with a free gift like a small mirror or eye mask. I really want the Mile High and the Hanging Cosmetics Bag, both in Sunshine.

Maybe You Can Go Home Again

I know I'm not FROM Portland but it does feel like home. I arrived on Tuesday and driving here was a long collection of memories. Each sign I passed - the Welcome to Oregon sign,the first sign telling me Portland was 367 miles away, the Multnomah county line sign, the Portland city line sign, and the Made in Oregon deer sign, all made me smile, all made me feel like I was heading in the right direction, and the Multnomah county sign actually made me tear up a bit. But the biggest sign I could be a true Oregonian, the first time I had to turn on my windshield wipers, I laughed. I'm really happy to be here. Here's a post I wrote while living out of state for {frolic!} as a guest blogger.

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{guest blogger ansley: the great nw} -written 7/31/2007

Picking cities to travel to made me think of cities I have lived in and loved. I spent 7 years in Portland, OR which is a beautiful city centered around 2 rivers, equidistant from the Pacific coast and Mt Hood. So what did I love about it...the people, my friends and the other very weird people. There is a whole group dedicated to keeping Portland weird. I love Seaside in the summer and Cannon Beach in the winter. I love all the little neighborhoods, each with their own identity but still united in being uniquely Portland. I love all of Portland's independent shops, Powell's, clothing boutiques, music venues, and art galleries. I love that once you are downtown, you can walk almost anywhere. I love all the bridges and the bike racks that look like my favorite bridge, the Fremont. I love the public Rose Gardens and the private gardens in almost every yard. I love the idea that even I could have a green thumb there. I love having favorite restaurants where I always order the same thing but also knowing almost any other currently unknown restaurant will have something delicious. I loved living within walking distance to a post office, library, Trader Joe's, 2 indie movie theaters, and lots of restaurants and shops. I love the crepe stand. I love Portland's living room, Pioneer Courthouse Square anytime but especially at lunch time or during the KINK free concert. I love the radio stations who mix perfect amounts of old and new and not too much talk. I loved flying back into Portland and seeing the rivers and mountains and when the person next to me told me I was so lucky to get to live here. I knew then that she was right, but now that I'm no longer there, I know it even more.

A Texas-Sized Post

There was so much I missed writing about in TX so here it is:

I went to San Antonio. The river walk was beautiful, like Disney World for adults.

Also went to Fredericksburg, a cute German town with a shopping area that is great for humans...
But not safe for animals...


Well, I guess these animals are safe.

SXSW - I woke up with a pulled neck muscle and couldn't turn my head at all to the left. Luckily Kaylyn was willing to drive and still let me pick the bands. I was the only person not dancing, and when I tried I looked like Joan Cusack's character in Sixteen Candles with the neck brace. We saw Blitzen Trapper, J. Mascis, Thurston Moore, Okkervil River, Kimya Dawson, and She and Him. Did you know that not only is Zooey Deschanel in She and Him but that's Maggie Gyllenhall on bass and Philip Seymour Hoffman on guitar - not really but it sure does look like them, huh?
Then I got in my car, drove through TX, got lunch in Truth or Consequences, NM - The truth, Sonic makes a great cherry limeade, the consequences, I had to pee about 30 minutes later ruining my miles/hour.
I also stopped at the Four Corners. I've always wanted to go here and although there's not much to it, I'm glad I made the detour.
Tomorrow I arrive in Portland!

Disconnected

I'm in Utah for about 10 days between assignments. My mom doesn't have the internet, (or cable right when the shows are back after the writers' strike) so I have been feeling a bit disconnected. But the good side is that i just checked google reader and EVERYONE has new posts I haven't read. Fun!

I'm on the Oregon Trail

I might as well post this since google reader let people in on the news already. I had never used google reader. Wow, I'm a fan! None of this news is finalized and I had hoped it would be by now so I was waiting to post it but here it is...



Here's the big news. I'm only doing one more travel assignment and it's in Oregon. Salem to be exact. It's not quite Portland but it's as close as I could get a travel assignment. So why a travel assignment since I want to stay. Well, I'll make more and they find the housing, pay for it, and furnish the apartment. Remember, I sold all my furniture when I started this travel thing. I only own one chair and it's at my mom's in Utah. So taking this assignment will give me time to start getting some furniture for when I move up to Portland. Plus I'll be able to save a bit more towards the furniture and hopefully a down payment eventually. So I think I'm going to spend more time looking at real estate. And lots of time looking at design magazines and websites. I haven't gotten to pick out furniture in a while, right now, EVERYTHING is beige! I need to remember how to put it all together.

If I could buy a place right now, without any thought to practicality or getting my money's worth, this condo would be it. I could probably swing it but I would have to love being in my house because I wouldn't be able to afford ever going out. So pretty, in a great neighborhood. Look at all that light, the windows, the molding and tile, the private courtyard...I'm pretty sure I'm breaking the 10th commandment, that one about not coveting thy neighbor's house. (btw, the 1st picture's a bit misleading, it's just a part of this huge, beautiful house)











My new theme song: Oregon Girl

Everything's Bigger In Texas - Part II

I have so much to catch-up on. Sorry to those who hate sentences ending in prepositions. I couldn't quite fix that one, even if I said - I have so much on which I need to catch-up, that's still a preposition.

The soap dispenser at the movies. How often do you think they have to refill it?
And this toilet paper dispenser at the Salt Lick. That's 7 rolls, y'all, and plenty of room for a few more.
Why are all the photos in bathrooms. I really have seen other things here.

The Salt Lick is about 40 minutes away but the best BBQ I have ever had! I had the chicken, I don't eat beef or pork but friends said it was good too. And I had leftovers for 2 days. If you ever get to Austin, you have to go there.

And there was one other thing that's bigger in TX - SXSW - More on that later...

Everything's Bigger In Texas

And not just bigger but also...

80's kitsch-ier (at an antique shop in Smithville, TX, the town where Hope Floats was filmed)

Prettier and glass-ier (more antique shops in Smithville and Austin)


Glassier and Strangely Religious-ier (yep, that's the Last Supper on a butter dish)

Bargain-ier (I think this was a fireworks stand but I'm buying pretty much whatever they're selling if it's 9 for the price of 1)

Get-it-all-in-one-stop-ier (How many RVs do you think are outfitted with high-end antiques and art?)

NPR-ier (Story Corps was in San Antonio this weekend and so was I)

Lucky Timing-ier (The annual Alamo reenactment we stumbled upon)

Creepier (At least 3 antiques shops in Smithville and Austin had random body parts in piles, buckets, and jars Why?)

So I'm In Austin

Did you know all these people/things call (or have called) Austin home?

Wes Anderson
Lance Armstrong
Sandra Bullock
Shawn Colvin
Walter Cronkite
Nanci Griffith
Ethan Hawke
Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson
Dazed and Confused
Janis Joplin
Mike Judge
Willie Nelson
O Henry
Parker Posey
Whole Foods
Dennis Quaid
Dan Rather
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Andy Roddick
Renee Zellweger
Owen and Luke Wilson
Office Space

Stop Worrying, I'm Alive!

OK I'm in Austin but before I write about it, I thought I should clear out the 6-7 post drafts that have been sitting around since Christmas.

I finished up in Virginia in mid-December, packed my car, and drove to my dad's in SC. A few days later, I flew to SLC to see my mom. Mostly we just did stuff in SLC but one day we went snowshoeing in Park City. It's always nice to drive up the canyon, get out of the inversion smog and see the clear blue skies and white snow. Along the trail, we found a tire swing. It's much harder to get on one with snowshoes on, or maybe it's just part of getting older.
We had Christmas dinner at my dad's house. My Aunt Pat gave my Aunt Mary Ann lingerie and they both laughed a lot. I love the fun of Christmas gatherings and wish I got to see my East Coast family more often.
A few days later, my dad and I went to Charleston to see my grandmother. She is amazingly spry considering she is 90. She walks up stairs, hops in and out of the car, and swings her legs over the arm of a chair with the greatest of ease. She's a super hero. Dad and I also walked around Charleston. I haven't lived there since I was 18, I don't want to do the math to figure out how long that's been. I like to go visit so I can remember more of my hometown. It's a very historic place with winding cobblestone streets and horse-drawn carriage tours. As much fun as it was to wander and be a tourist, my favorite part is always watching true tourists either loving it and/or getting completely lost. Overheard on this trip: "Maybe we should just take a damn carriage ride to try to find our car."

A few days later I repacked my car and drove to Austin. More on that later. Or sooner I promise!

A Love Reaffirmed

I love NPR. And here in DC, although it's a big city with lots of colleges, the radio stinks. Which means I listen to NPR almost constantly in my car. And today, while driving to Trader Joe's (about half my credit card bill is there every month), I was reminded of why I love NPR. Here's something I never thought I would see together in a sentence - NPR reviewed the new album by Britney Spears, and actually gave it a positive review. Hearing this reminds me of what I love about myself and also so many of my friends. The intelligent, serious, responsible side that also holds a funny side that loves pop culture. Nothing like hearing the Fresh Aire credits being read over a little Britney.

The Line That Divides Man and Bum

Am I turning into George Costanza?

I live in a large apartment building with a big wall of mailboxes and a big trash can for unwanted mail for those who don't recycle. Yesterday, I checked the mail, and sitting on top of the trash can was an issue of The New Yorker and an issue of Elle Decor. They were on top of the can, not in it, not sitting near the top but technically below the brim, but ON TOP. Anyway, they aren't there anymore, they are now on my bedside table. Is that gross or just environmentally conscious since I'm reusing and I'll recycle them when I'm done?

My So-Called Almost-Lost Weekend

I just got this in the mail today. I have fun plans for the weekend so I won't get to watch too much of it, which is good. I am very tempted to watch it all in one long marathon.

Mmmmm, Jordan Catalano, even with his reading problems and calling Brian, Brain.

Honk! Ooops, Sorry I'm Not From Around Here

So I have Utah plates on my car which is nice when I do something stupid on these crazy Northern VA roads.

This week I worked W, Th, and Fri nights, meaning that I left work around 7:30am the next day.

Thursday night, going to work, my car was acting a bit funny and I realized I hadn't changed the oil since driving here. So Friday morning, I wanted to stop on the way home and pick up a few quarts of oil to get me through the week till I could get it changed. In a combination of sleepiness and being new to the area, I took the exit before mine, thinking I would pass a store on the way home. Then I remembered I had done that before and there is nothing on that road. So then I turned around and, long story short, spent almost 90 minutes driving around, figuring out where I was, using my trusty map, buying oil, and getting home.

The next day, Saturday morning, on my way home, I thought it would be nice to swing by the farmers' market in Old Town Alexandria. The best way to get there is take the exit just past mine. Well, somehow I missed it, and it's the last exit before you go over the Potomac river into Maryland. No problem, I'll just take a Maryland exit, turn around, and take I-495 back over the Potomac into Virginia. EXCEPT...the traffic in that direction was backed up for at least 5 miles, completely stopped. That pretty river I like on almost every other day means you can't just take side streets back, you need a bridge. So again I turned to my trusty map, took a side road up into DC, onto the 395, over the Potomac in a different spot, and came down Route 1 into Old Town and to the farmers' market. It was small but nice, bought some eggplant, peppers, and apples.

But I have now resolved no pit stops on the way home from work unless I know exactly where I am going.

Glad I Wasn't a Pioneer - It Was Long Enough Just Driving It!

Day 1 (9/4/07) - Utah to Hays, Kansas
Not much to report about this day except a cruel twist of fate. I haven't had a date since October but in the middle of Colorado, my phone rings; it's a guy from my ward asking me out. Of course, the day I move out of the state, I get asked out.

Day 2 (9/5/07) - Hays, Kansas to Memphis, Tennessee
You know you are in Middle America when most of the stations you can find are country music, Christian music, or sermons. Later, flipping through the stations I caught the farm report 4 times. I also heard a nice mix of Poison, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Guns n Roses, and several other songs by hair bands. You would never buy the album but you know every word. Towns have signs off the highway declaring that they are the birthplace of Bob Dole or some other politician. I wonder if any Democrats were born in Kansas and the towns just don't claim them? Plus I got to Memphis...

Day 3 (9/6/07) - Memphis, Tennessee
We spent the whole day in Memphis. We stayed in the Artisan Hotel. It's filled with fountains, ornate furniture, and replicas of paintings on every surface, even the ceiling.

First stop was Graceland. I want to post every photo but will limit myself (but it's still a lot). I bought a few souvenirs, a postcard with a recipe for peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and the new, limited edition, Peanut Butter and Banana Creme Reese's. The house wasn't as big as I would have thought but each room is different and one-of-a-kind. The entryway and stairs are paneled in mirrors.
Then around the corner is the jungle room with green shag carpet (on the floors and ceiling), plants and a waterfall.
Downstairs, there's the TV room with blue, yellow, and white decor, and a few ceramic monkeys.
The billards room where every surface is draped in fabric (and not a boring solid fabric either)
And then we got to the part that's more of a showcase of awards, lots and lots of awards, gold records, grammys, and more gold records.
We bought the deluxe tour so we could TCB (take care of business) and see more...
The cars
The planes (those seat belts are 18K gold plated)
And, most importantly, the jumpsuits.

We went to the Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel. This is where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot in 1968. It was amazing, lots of information about African Americans from the 17th century to present day. So many powerful, moving displays about slave rebellions, the Underground Railroad, Rosa Parks, the bus boycotts, sit-ins at lunch counters, and the March on Washington. And also an exhibit about human rights and Gandhi. No photos were allowed inside so this is it...

Then on to Sun Studios.
While I was excited to go to Graceland and the Civil Rights Museum, this was the highlight for me, and not just because of our cute tour guide.
When I was 19, I dated a guy who served his mission in Memphis and he had a Sun Records T-shirt. I really, really wanted that shirt. I do realize, I could have just bought one online but it's not authentic unless you go there to get it. The tour was great, we got to hear recordings of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and some other people that I had never heard of. Our tour guide was adorable and played guitar for us. He also let us take our pictures with a microphone that Elvis used.

We went to Beale St for dinner and Kaylyn got ribs. I just got chicken since I don't eat mammals. It was a fun street to walk down especially at night with all the neon lights.

We then drove a few hours to Nashville and happily crawled into our beds for a good sleep.

Day 4 (9/7/07) - The Nashville Nightmare. While we could have gone to see the Grand Ole Opry or some other tribute to country music (which is low on the list of my music choices), I got to spend several hours in a public health clinic waiting to get an MMR booster shot so I could start work on Monday. As you can imagine I was more than a little annoyed by this. My agency didn't tell me I needed this till I was already driving and I had to have it before I started. The nice lady at the clinic made up an address for me since they only treat people from the Nashville area. And I convinced my agency that they need to reimburse me the $50 it cost. But what about the 3.5 hours we lost. I guess I needed to learn some patience and also some gratitude for having insurance and not usually having to rely on clinics for my healthcare. So after that, we just drove to Staunton, Virginia and spent the night, very excited to have crossed the Virginia state line. One highlight of the day, I found an NPR station playing a tribute to Johnny Cash and the station stayed static-less until the end of the program.

Day 5 (9/8/07) - The Last Day, Staunton, Virginia to Alexandria, Virginia
Not too much happened on the drive except I do have to say, the mountains of Virginia are beautiful. I can't wait to get a cabin for the weekend and see all the leaves change color. We got to Alexandria with only about 2 U-turns. The apartment is huge which is another cruel twist of fate, I finally have a giant apartment with lots of closet space and I don't have any stuff. But I did fill some of my pantry with my first errand...