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...

The Epitome of Superfluous Verbosity

At work last night I noticed that, by the sink, right next to the soap dispenser, there's a lotion dispenser. That's very nice since I have to wash my hands so much they now look like I'm an 80 year old woman who spent every day tanning leather and mixing acid without protective gloves. But the dispenser was covered with unnecessary descriptors. "Ecolab" "Endure 500" "Skin Synergy" "Dermatology Management System". When did the universally understood "Soap" and "Lotion" become so passe?

PS - I promise a cross-country drive and first few weeks in DC update is coming soon.

The Devil's in the Details

The worst part of moving is the last minute details. Going through my closet is easy compared to the boxes under my bed full of stuff I hardly ever use. How do you get rid of a glue gun? I'm a Mormon girl, I think I got it as a free gift when I bought my scriptures.

Plus today, I had to go to the social security office and apply for a replacement card. The 1 hour wait was made only slightly tolerable by the people watching. Most of it was your average disability claims and other people who'd lost their cards. But there was a group of 3 guys immigrating from Africa. And my favorite was a woman who wanted a new SS number for her daughter because her current number had 666 in it.

I'm excited to move but still have to make it through the rest of the packing, a visit to the mechanic, and a trip to the DMV.

Top 5: Movies About Music

Having recently seen High Fidelity, I was reminded of how much I liked the "top 5" thing he does throughout the movie. So here's my top 5 of movies about music (in no particular order).

1) High Fidelity - Duh, of course this had to make the list, it inspired the list. John Cusack back when I would have still wanted to date him. It takes place in a record store. It's a love story not only about his girlfriend but about music.

2) Almost Famous - I like the scene after Russell (Billy Crudup) went to the party and jumped off the roof and the whole band is back on the bus, mad at him. Tiny Dancer comes on and, one by one, they start singing and the anger fades away. I like when Elaine (Frances McDormand) has a breakdown in front of her class and says, "Rock stars have kidnapped my son!" I swear I don't really like Elton John all that much but this movie does include one of my favorite songs by him, "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters." Overall, I like music from the 70s, it's what I grew up on. And I think Patrick Fugit is adorable.

3) Pretty in Pink - More of a teen drama than specifically about music but this was probably the first soundtrack that I loved. And it's still great. I remember I wore a pink satin Esprit shirt to see it and of course, all day, I was obnoxious saying I was Pretty in Pink. Favorite lines:
Blaine: "That's it, Stef. She thinks you're $h!t. And deep down, you know she's right."
Duckie: "His name is Blaine? Oh! That's a major appliance, that's not a name!

4) Singles - About people and how their love of music ties them all together. I once told a guy I would marry anyone who could play me Waterfall by Jimi Hendrix on guitar. I love the scene in the grocery store when Steve (Campbell Scott) is buying a pregnancy test, the cashier is Doug Hughley (Jeremy Piven) who recognizes Steve from his college radio show and starts mixing Public Enemy and Elvis Costello, "What's so funny about peace, peace, peace, love and understanding, death row, what does a brother know." And the cameos - Eric Stoltz as a mime, Eddie Vedder as a terrible musician "A compliment for us is a compliment for you", and the one scene with Chris Cornell. I remember before I saw this movie on a date, my friend, Christine, told me to sneeze and see what my date said. And after the movie, I still think of it every time I pull up someone's car door button. Remote power locks have ruined this display of love. And I'm pretty sure every girl anywhere near my age would love a boy to stop by their house and say, "I was just nowhere near your neighborhood." Favorite attempt at a pick-up line: "There is so much life in you and so much emotional larceny in these others."

5) Josie and the Pussycats - OK, I'm just kidding....

5) This Is Spinal Tap - "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" and luckily this movie is on the right side of that line. From the many cameos including Paul Shaffer, Billy Crystal, Dana Carvey, and Fran Drescher to the eternally quotable lines. This movie is the original and ultimate mockumentary. If you love Best in Show and A Mighty Wind but haven't seen this, see it tonight, it's the grandfather of all the others. And these guys actually toured and even had a reunion tour. Favorite lines: When Nigel freaks out about the small bread and large cold cuts and how he can't fold the bread.
And of course the classic:

Like Sands Through the Hourglass...

34 years ago at this moment (5am SC time which is 3am UT time), I was born.

So far it's been pretty good, I spent Friday with my mom, we got lunch, saw Becoming Jane, went to IKEA, got all new bedding, and had dinner. The new bedding:
My dad sent me a woodcut by Kent Ambler that I had seen on my June trip to SC and loved. I already mentioned this when I guest blogged on {frolic!} but I love it enough to mention it at least a few more times. The woodcut:
Saturday I went to the Farmer's Market and Italian Festival with Lena, where I had some gelato. I'm pretty sure it didn't remind her too much of her recent trip to Italy but it was still fun. That night I went to Market Street Grill with friends from work and to see Stardust. So good!

Tonight, Liz is hosting a party. Should be fun.

I like to think that 34 is still "early" 30s but I know it's not. My dad, on the other hand, likes to bring up how I am now in my 35th year. Does he know this makes him older too?

Either way, Happy Birthday To Me. This should be a pretty exciting year. Stay tuned.

See, I Told You

At the end of my Life Is Good post, I said I knew even better things were on the horizon. And I was right!

I just got my first assignment with my travel nurse agency. It's been in the works for a while, 1 1/2 years, 3 months, or just a few weeks depending on how you look at it. I wanted to travel right out of school but you have to have at least a year of experience so I moved from Portland to Salt Lake for a change while getting that experience. 3 months ago I mentioned this to Kaylyn, a nurse at work. She wanted to travel too so we decided to try for September. A few weeks ago, I called an agency and started the process. A few days ago, I had an interview. And today, I got an offer!

We originally wanted to go to Boston or Austin but neither of those worked out for various reasons. So we expanded our search and I now have a place to live in September.

My first assignment is in Fairfax, Virginia, just outside Washington DC. I'm so excited. I really think this a perfect first assignment for me. My friend, Emily, lives there and we've been friends since we were 7. I have a cousin there too and a few friends from Portland have moved there. Plus Kaylyn got an offer to the same hospital. I wouldn't have known anyone in Boston. This will be a big change so it will nice to have a few friends immediately.

It's always reassuring when my risks turn out to have been worth taking. I gave notice on my apartment 11 days ago and at work too so I would have been homeless without a job.

Life Is Good But This Is Gross

I don't eat red meat or pork but back when I did eat bacon, I always liked when the syrup from the pancakes got on the bacon, but this is a bit too far. It's like the entree and dessert all in one meal.

Life Is Good

Why is it good? It's the simple things...

Most of my stuff is already sold which is a huge relief and a nice bit of extra $.

My landlord came and put a window AC in my kitchen. Who knew 3 cubic feet of plastic and electronics could make me so happy!

And I know even better stuff is on the horizon. I'll keep you posted.

Once

So I finally saw Once today. I really enjoyed it. I liked that it was basically a musical, the songs last much longer than in a non-musical. I liked the way their lives wove together through a chance meeting. I liked the lead "girl," Marketa, and how she encouraged their relationship just by being herself and by asking somewhat presumptuous questions like if this stranger could fix her vacuum. It was so real, nothing in it felt faked or just put in the movie because someone had a good idea for a specific moment that, in the completed movie, seems out of place. The movie feels like the perfect glimpse into these real and beautiful lives.

But why am I such an American? Why do I feel like a movie's not over till Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are together in the end?

I'm Moving! Buy My Stuff!

So I have a new temporary blog. I'm moving and I posted all the stuff I'm selling on the new blog with photos and descriptions.

Check it out. And buy something!