The Past Entries page has grown a little too big. I think I need to condense these entries. Click on a year to jump to its entries. Unlike on the main Welcome page, these will be in chronological order. On the Welcome page the most recent entry is at the top with the second most recent entry directly below it, and so on. On this page everything goes in order from first entry to most recent. I can't believe this site is almost four years old. Wow.
2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005
Congratulations to Hans and Michelle on the birth of their first child, Heidi Lynn. She was born at 1:48 a.m. on October 5, and weighed 7lbs., 1 oz. Scary thought that my brother is now a father, but I know he'll do a great job.
I received some sad news recently regarding an acquaintance. I met Jason Dingus at my friend Kathy's wedding. He was a groomsman, and I was a bridesmaid. He was a very funny guy, always making us laugh. Unfortunately his life was cut short on the afternoon of October 13 in a motorcycle accident.
At long last Shanelle Lord is 21. Happy Birthday ShaLo! Let the celebrations begin!
Well fall break was a lot of fun, although way too short. Thanks Caroline for having me up. Fredonia is one kickin' town. (Did you know Notre Dame gets an entire week off for fall break?)
Check out my flash advertisement for Extreme Rox!
First off, Happy Birthday Dad! Yet another semester is about to end, and everyone is busy studying for finals. I have added another paper I wrote to the Misc. page. The topic is whether it is better to read the book before seeing the movie. Also, I've completely redone the pictures page to include more than just four pictures, and I've tried to include pictures of everyone, so if you know me, there is probably a picture of you in there somewhere.
Check out the promotional video I made for the Party Block in Ocean City. Be sure your speakers are on and please be patient as it may take a few moments to load (514k).
Congratulations Kathy and Billy on their son, Cameron Mahan Spence, who weighed a hefty 10 lbs. 1/2 oz. What a Christmas present! Merry Christmas to all, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year!
March 17, 2002
My, my, my, it's been a while since I have updated this site. First off, Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone. Being a Euro-mut, I'm sure I have at least some Irish in me, and that's reason enough to celebrate. Oh yeah, and we are currently in the middle of March, whose sole purpose for existence is its madness. Go Duke!
So what have I finally updated? I came back from Spring break last week, and I have developed all my pictures, and I added a page (where I will include the best pictures from the trip). And I'll admit, this was more of a "spring vacation" than a "spring break (woohoo!)" (Friends reference), so I'm not ashamed of any of the pictures, and I do remember what I did every night. I will upload the pictures as soon as I get a chance. Until then, use your imagination.
The urgency to get a job is starting to sink in. So, I'm in the process of cleaning up my website. You'll be noticing a few changes in the coming weeks, namely on this page and on my résumé page, which will include portfolio pieces for prospective employers to study.
On a random note, congratulations to Mikki for running her first marathon this past weekend in DC. She finished the 26.2 miles in 5 hours and 5 minutes, much better than I could ever do. Bravo!
My portfolio is up and ready to go. You'd think I'm trying to get a job or something. Check it out if you're interested.
On a sad note, Duke's archrival, Maryland won the NCAA Championship. I guess I'm just grateful I don't live in College Park with the morons that feel the need to riot whether the Terps win or lose.
I promise to do a major update within the week, including all the pictures from graduation, but in the meantime, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to two of my favorite people, Daniel and Kathy. Daniel's birthday was yesterday, and Kathy's is tomorrow.
June 16, 2002
As promised, I have updated the site, and the graduation pictures from my, Liz's and Mikki's graduations are up, so be sure to check those out. Also, Happy Father's Day Dad!
First off, Happy Anniversary Hans and Michelle! In other news, I've moved into an awesome apartment in Herndon with Daniel, I'm working at AOL (temping for now), and having a great summer. Highlights include (but are not limited to) trips to Sanford, NC, Lake Anna, Ocean City, VA Beach, Charlottesville for Aaron and Cindy's wedding, Philadelphia (to see Britney Spears FROM THE SECOND ROW), and more important than any trip, Courtney's 21st birthday! (It's about damn time!) Pictures from her birthday will be added to the 21st Birthday page soon.
I've uploaded the pictures from Aaron and Cindy's wedding for everyone (namely the camp friends) to enjoy. Funny to see a guy I used to date (if you can call it that) way back when get married. But that was years and years ago, when I was a CIT (counselor in training) at Camp Friendship and he was a JC (junior counselor). The cool thing about working at Camp Friendship was the wonderful friendships I made and maintained over the years. See the photos in the pictures section, so check them out. Next update will include pictures from Courtney's birthday.
I've modified the Contact Me page, which can be reached from the bottom of any of the main pages. The link used to go directly to my email address, but I finally got around to changing it to pop up a window with my email information. (If you have software that blocks pop-ups, then you can contact me at kamala@com-ala.com.)
In other news, I'm on the edge of my seat regarding this whole American Idol thing. For the first time, I'm torn: I don't like Justin, but he did much better tonight than usual. Kelly, though she was awesome, is starting to strike me as an overly humble ditz. And Nikki, well, everyone knows she should have been gone a long time ago. But my point for mentioning American Idol is what I found at the official website: The American Idol Eating Game. I was not fooled into thinking this was the creator's original intention, but I'm sure the Fox execs said no drinking games could be included in a website that caters to the youngest common demographic. I've modified the game so that instead of bites, you take drinks. So, please enjoy the American Idol Drinking Game —college style—during the last few shows.
Oh what a day I had yesterday! Mikki called me at work and informed me that Trading Spaces was filming on location in Ashburn, only ten minutes from the AOL campus. So of course I cancelled all my lunch plans and Mikki and I headed out there to be Trading Spaces groupies. We hung out in the cul de sac for about an hour and saw Hilda, Kia, and Denise (the executive producer). So after I got off of work, Mikki, Jeremy, Kathy, Cameron and I all headed back to Ashburn to see if we could meet Ty and Paige. And we did just that! More pictures to come later. TS will be in the DC area for another week or so filming two more shows (in Arlington and Washington) so maybe I can meet more designers, etc.
I came to the realization today that Halloween is only five short weeks away. That isn't much time to start planning. If anyone has any ideas for what I should be, I'm all ears. Also, I got some new toys recently. Namely a snazzy digital camera (a Nikon CoolPix 885), and a Sony Clié. Lots of fun! The set of Trading Spaces pictures was one of the reasons I finally bought a digital camera. I hate finding out after the fact that a picture taken didn't turn out right, and there is nothing I can do about it. (The picture of me, Mikki and Paige didn't turn out right.) Now I won't miss anymore wonderful Kodak moments.
With Halloween in around 24 hours, I need to hurry up and finish the costumes I'm making. I am part of a group costume this year: Mystery Inc. I am going to be Daphne, Daniel will be Fred, Shank will be Velma, and although Stefan is holding out now, I'm praying he'll agree to be Shaggy because he'd be perfect at it. We even have a stuffed Scooby Doo to complete the gang. In addition to making my dress (yes, I'm learning how to sew) and Shank's, I made my friend John's costume. He is going to be Domo-Kun. Domo-Kun is the mascot for a Japanese satellite news station, though he is best known in the US and on the internet for this "God Kills a Kitten" picture. Of course I'll include all of the pictures in the Halloween section once the festivities are over.
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Also, I want to send out a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the Shanelles. ShaLo's was on the 20th, and ShaD's is today. Hope it is/was wonderful! Wish I could be there to celebrate.
This past weekend I went down to Harrisonburg for my first JMU Homecoming as an alumni. I had a great time. Thanks Larkin for giving me (and Lecia) a place to stay (even if you were out of toilet paper). Thanks to the guys of 1507 for having a great party, and special thanks to Jeremy and Aughey for keeping the drinks coming.
January 6, 2003
Well, the holidays have come and gone. For the first time in my life it was a White Christmas, which was awesome! Christmas Eve was at my parents' house, and all 24 of us had a great time (yes, the family really is that big). I spent New Years in New York at a club that was somewhat ghetto, but it was in the Times Square area, which is all that mattered. And I just celebrated Christmas with my new family (my mother got remarried this past summer). She took us all to see Les Miserables at the National Theater, and wouldn't you know it, during the "Lovely Ladies" scene, the fire alarm went off and the building was evacuated, including the cast and crew. So we got to meet the cast, in full makeup and costumes, which was pretty cool. Today is Mom's birthday, so I have to give her a shout out (not that she'd read this anyway), but Happy Birthday Mom!
I've made a minor update. My résumé/portfolio page has been updated to include my latest project: the Virginia Job's Daughters website. (BTW, "Job's" rhymes with robes, Job is the name of a man in the Bible.) Several of the pages on the site are still blank, but will be filled in as soon as I receive the content.
I'm preparing to make the biggest purchase of my life. My car, a 1993 Chrysler Concorde is slowly dying, and I'm shopping around for a new car. Since the Concorde (or the TUGboat as my friends call it) is the only car I've ever had, I'm ready for something new, i.e. smaller. I'm considering the smaller sedans (Civic, Protegé, SE-R, Jetta, Corolla), since I think they suit me better than a cop car-wannabe. I'm really tempted to get the Jetta, since I really like its looks and the fact that almost EVERYTHING comes standard (short of leather heated seats, which I might have to get if this weather continues). I'll let you know what I end up getting.
So I bought a car last night. I ended up getting the Nissan Sentra SE-R (2003 model), which is a fun sporty car, and is likely to get me into a lot of trouble and make my insurance rates go sky-high when I get caught for speeding (notice I said "when" and not "if"). It is silver, and was about $5,000 less than the Jetta, and more fun to drive anyway. Daniel wanted me to hold off on buying a new car until he returned in three weeks, but I couldn't drive the Chrysler more than ten miles without it starting to overheat. Dan, you're welcome to fix the car when you get back, but in the meantime, I don't have to get overly nervous when driving around town.
On a random note, I have a bunch of pictures from over the holiday season that I should probably put together and upload. Maybe when I have some free time, I'll do that. But for now, Vroom Vroom!
So I don't have a lot to report right now. The real world can be pretty dull at times. This weekend a friend of mine is getting married. Congratulations to Juan and Cristina! Thanks to their wedding, I have an excuse to get dolled up. Sometimes I miss high school and all the formal opportunities. It feels like it has been ages since the last time I wore an evening gown or cocktail dress. Special thanks go out to Cindy, the best shopping partner ever, and Maria, who has probably spent countless hours altering my beaded dress by hand. Maria, you rule! Daniel even bought a suit for the occasion. Considering he is 28, it's about time he had a suit anyway. No longer can he get away with a shirt and tie. After all, he isn't twelve and attending a friend's bar mitzvah. I predict that when I put together the photo album page for Juan's wedding, I'll also get around to the New Years pictures, and I'll probably create a new page with miscellaneous pictures that don't merit an entire album, considering creating each photo album is a long and tedious process. But don't expect any of those pages to be up until at least next week.
As promised, I have uploaded the wedding album page for Juan and Cristina. To see them, go to the pictures page. They had a beautiful wedding, with beautiful weather to match. On top of getting married this past Saturday, Happy Birthday to Juan! Whether or not I do any other albums this week (such as New Years) depends solely on the amount of work I have to do. But for now, enjoy the wedding pictures.
Ah, the Vernal Equinox, March Madness, and Operation Iraqi Freedom/War with Iraq/Target: Iraq, depending on which channel you watch. Quite a lot is going on right now. It's too bad that as much as I love March Madness, it doesn't seem important this year. My thoughts and prayers are with the troops. No one may care what I think about all of this, but since this is my site, and my little corner of the internet, I might as well share my thoughts. (If you're 100% against everything going on right now, you may as well stop reading, because I won't say anything you'll want to hear.) First off, no one likes war. I think most people would agree with that. But there comes a time when all diplomatic options are exhausted, and war is the only option left. Second, people who think the US is going after Iraq for its oil are ignorant morons. The US is the wealthiest country in the world. We don't need Iraq's oil; we've got our own. Besides, we can always get some from Kuwait, they like us. Third, Saddam Hussein is an evil, lying, murderous dictator with serious issues. I think he's got Hitler-like aspirations to take over the Middle East (don't forget he already tried to take over Iran and Kuwait). Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, the U.S. Government knows a lot more than they are telling us. Telling the public everything would compromise the United States. If our intelligence knows for a fact that Iraq has WMD (weapons of mass destruction), they probably won't tell the public because that might lead to panic and chaos, and more importantly, any details might expose our intelligence sources, and we certainly can't afford to lose them.
That's enough of my political views. Good luck and God speed to our military (and our allies) in the Middle East. Thank you for protecting freedom, not just at home but all over the world. Some neo-hippies might not appreciate anything you're doing, but believe me, I DO.
Hey, and after we finish liberating the Iraqi people from Hussein, maybe we'll take out France next.
Since last entry, the war in Iraq has lead to more American and ally casualties, which made me question this war and if we really need to be there. Of course, I don't like war, but I'll admit I pictured this war to go similarly to the first Gulf War (minus the friendly fire), which included only 100 hours of ground combat. I hoped this war would be just as swift and one-sided. But now that we have passed the 100-hour mark, and met more opposition than expected, I'm sure everyone hopes there is "peaceful and swift resolve."
I was sent an essay from an F-15 pilot who is stationed in Turkey right now, ready and willing to fight for this cause. I thought it would be appropriate to include his essay which explains why we should be there. Click here to read the essay in its entirety.
Not a whole lot to report right now, but I've gotta give the birthday and anniversary shout-outs to several people: Mom, who qualifies for the the senior citizen discount at the movies (she should be happy about that perk), her birthday was yesterday; Johnny, who's turning 28 tomorrow; Chet and Molly who are celebrating 7 wonderful years together on Sunday, Hans, who'll be 27 on the 28th; and Cindy, who will be 36 if we're using my brother Ralph's magical calendar that shaves years off anyone's age. Hope you all have AWESOME BIRTHDAYS!!!
Oh yeah, and I've added a few new portfolio pieces, if you're interested.
Congratulations to Shanelle and Patrick on their engagement! Patrick proposed last week, and because he proposed in the Byrd in Richmond (an old movie theatre), something that had never been done before, the Richmond Times-Dispatch wrote a story on them.
I've made a few updates to the Résumé page, namely I put the printer friendly PDF of my résumé back up. Also, I've completely updated my links page. I still haven't made the vacation photo album yet, but hopefully I'll get around to that tomorrow or this weekend.
Happy Birthday to Daniel and Opa (my grandfather)! They celebrate their 29th and 70-something birthdays today. Hope your day is awesome!
I wanted to let everyone know that my niece's website has been created. Now, I'll admit I did 99.9% of the work, and I just want to show it off, BUT she wrote all of the content and will be updating it herself. So everyone should go visit her new and improved site. (New and improved does qualify here, because she has a brand new URL, and the old website was a horrible Geocities template page.) In other website news, I'm working on the pictures page from our non-cruise vacation (see June 4 entry), so expect those soon.
P.S. The Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix countdown has begun: less than 10 days to go!
The vacation pictures are finally up. Enjoy! Also, a big Happy Birthday to Chuckie, who will be 13 tomorrow. A teenager—uh oh. Oh, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be available in less than 36 hours. Oh boy oh boy oh boy!
Boy, I've been busy lately. I'm sure everyone has been anxiously waiting with anticipation (yeah right) for me to post what I've been doing the past month. Thanks everyone for a wonderful birthday. It's a great feeling knowing I have wonderful friends and family, who will always be there for me.
Dan and I have both finished the fifth Harry Potter, so no one can spoil any surprises for us (believe it or not, a few people took pride in knowing who died and threatened to tell me—asses).
There's plenty I need to upload, such as pictures from Annie and Jon's wedding, but I've been spending all my web-time working on the Virginia Job's Daughters website. I went down to Grand Session (the annual retreat) with Calli (who will join Bethel 52 when she turns 11 next month), to help promote the new site and take pictures to enhance it. Everyone loves the site so I'm doubly excited and proud of it and all the work that has gone into it.
I'm also job hunting. My contract at AOL ends a month from now, and I'm not holding my breath that I'll get hired. Not because I'm a bad worker—not by a long shot, but because AOL doesn't have the headcount to hire me. So if you know of any job openings, please let me know. It doesn't have to be in web design. Considering how tough the job market, and especially the tech market is, it might be time for a career change. And I know that no matter what the task, I can do it. Just ask my boss, he can vouch for that.
Perhaps the biggest news of all is that I'm closing on my new home two weeks from today. I can't wait! It is a 3 bedroom/2.5 bathroom piggyback townhouse in Chantilly. Thanks Charlie for the loan and AMAZING rate, Mom and Dad for going appliance shopping with me, and a very special thanks to Grandma Hirsch, without whom none of this would have been possible. Also I'd like to thank everyone for offering to help me move. The real test of friendship will be on moving day, when my “real” friends show up :-Þ .
Hurricane Isabel came and went and now that our electricity and internet is back (though our tap water isn't safe to drink), I thought it was time for an update. I'm all settled into my new house and living with Mikki (one of my best friends since we were eleven). I also have a new job. I'm very excited about it. I started right after Labor Day, and so far it's going really well. I'm not sure what my title is or what I'll end up doing, but for now I'm editing course materials for various government agencies. I, as a spelling nazi, enjoy it, since I get to nit-pick at stuff like incorrect uses of the colon, and spelling it resume instead of résumé. Eventually I'll be doing more of the snazzy graphics work in Flash and PowerPoint, just not sure when that will happen.
Happy Birthday Chet! The big 4-0, wow. Boy, my siblings are old. Just kidding, Chet.
I'm sure everyone is anxiously waiting to find out what I'm going to be for Halloween this year. From the moment I walked out of the movie theater, I knew it would be perfect: Pirates of the Caribbean. I'm going to be Elizabeth Swann and Daniel is going to be Capt. Jack Sparrow. I've made both costumes (this sewing thing gets easier and easier every year). If you want to see us, we'll be in Georgetown Friday night, since that is the only place to be on Halloween. Let me know if you want to come.
Halloween was awesome. Dan was a hit everywhere we went, and I made a good accessory (no one knew who I was unless I was with him). So check out the pictures. Oh, and I've made the pictures much larger this year, since almost everyone I know has a broadband connection. If you're still using a modem, you might want to just look at the thumbnails, since the full-size versions will take forever to open.
Happy Birthday to Chan, Kevin, and Zeeni!
This past weekend Mikki, Liz, Kathy, Courtney, Emily, Jen and I (along with Mikki's parents) went to Atlantic City to celebrate Mikki and Liz's birthdays (Mikki's was the 15th, Liz's is today). To sum up the weekend: I had a controversially good time. See the pictures for more details.
I realized today that Thanksgiving is a week away. Wow, time flies when you're busy. I need to get started Christmas shopping. Since I'll be at my sister's riverhouse for Turkey Day, I don't think I am going to do the Black Friday thing this year. People are too crazy, and the lines are way too long. Dan and I went last year (at 6:30 a.m.) and what we went for was already sold out, and we bought stuff just because we got up so early, we didn't want it to be a waste. We ended up waiting in line for over an hour anyway. Madness, the stores are madness when they open before 10 a.m. I'm guessing it is because everyone is hyped up on too much coffee. I'm a big fan of shopping (especially sales), no one can deny that, but I'd rather sleep in and then hit the malls at 11.
The Atlantic City page is completely done now. Again, congratulations to John (our favorite Hooters uniform-wearing bachelor) who is getting married tomorrow. Good luck!
I've added Jeff Chin's website to my Links page, since he's the only guy I know (other than myself) that keeps his website current. Granted, his website is relatively new, and we'll see how long he can keep up the regular updates, since website maintenence can get time-consuming and tedious. I've updated my About Me page, it was due for some new commentary.
I've added a search engine to the website. This can be found at the bottom of any of the main pages. It isn't pretty, but it works pretty well.
I've also added a new section to my Miscellaneous section: "Letters of Passion." Before you jump to any conclusions, Letters of Passion refers to letters I (and Dan) have written in response to some sort of wrong-doing. I get pretty passionate when I believe strongly in something and someone tries to knock me down. Don't mess with a smart girl who can write well.
Oh, and in gadget news, I noticed that my purse contained not one or two gadgets, but five. On Monday I'm switching my cell phone service to Verizon because Sprint sucks. I think it is funny that I've recieved hardly any emails from Sprint in the two and a half years I've been a customer. Now that the cell phone portability is going into effect Nov. 24, Sprint is worried about losing customers. I have received no less than 5 emails telling me what a great customer I've been and how much they appreciate my business in the past two weeks. Glad I could make you happy Sprint, but your service sucks. Anyway, as I was saying, I have all sorts of gadgets in my purse, including my digital camera (I never took it out after Atlantic City), my half-decent Sprint cell phone (with a banner that reads "Broken Phone"), my Sony Clié, my Apple iPod—
Warning, I'm going off on a tangent: I detest all Apple products and Mac lovers. It's like saying that Russian is the superior language and insisting on speaking Russian even though no one else around you speaks Russian. I spent four years at JMU putting up with Mac lovers and terrible iMacs because my major thought Macs were better. Of course they were wrong, but they'd never admit that. As someone who works in graphics in the real world, lots of companies don't like colleges (specifically art programs) that teach only Macs, because the real world uses PCs. Anyway, although I think everything Apple makes is dumbed down and too simple for me, but I have to admit, I love my iPod. Strictly from an economical perspective, you could go buy a 128 MB MP3 player for $150 which would give you about 90 minutes worth of music. If you want different songs, you'll have to hook it up to your computer and replace your current songs with new songs. Or you could spend $300 and get a 15 GB iPod (the size I have), get 120 times the storage, and it would take up maybe twice the physical space, which isn't much considering my iPod still fits easily in my back pocket. For once, bravo Apple.
Back from my Apple-hating tangent: So in addition to my phone, Clié, camera, and iPod, I am carrying my new phone/PDA/camera, the Samsung SPH i700. This thing is beautiful. My friend Andy bought this for himself, but realized that he didn't need it, so I bought him a new Audiovox 8600 and he gave me his i700. I can't wait to activate it on Monday. It takes decent phone pictures (640x480) good for taking the random picture (but could never replace a camera that takes pictures in the multiple megapixels), plays music (512 MB worth), keeps track of all of my appointments, address book and checkbook, and works as a phone. The best part is that it can do all of this and it takes up no more room than my current Clié (which has been acting kind of iffy lately). One of the reasons I noticed I needed to condense my purse-load is that info in my phone and PDA wasn't matching up. Let's say someone emailed me his new number. I'd probably update it in my phone, but forget to update my PDA. This would then cause problems when someone would ask me for it, and I'd refer to my PDA for the information, notice it was different than what was in my phone, and then I wouldn't know which was the correct information. Now all I have to do is enter it once. If you're a gadget geek like me, I recommend asking Santa for this badass toy. Okay, I've worked on this website enough for one day. Everyone, have a great weekend!
January 30, 2004
I know Jeff (who might be the only visitor left) keeps checking back for updates, and I've come up with (or been inspired by) ideas to enhance the website: interactive posts, as featured on Jeff's website, which are a lot of fun; I think I'm going to start showcasing all the work I'm doing on my house, one project at a time; there are also the pictures from Dan's and my trip to Seattle for New Years. Our trip included an official "Ferris Bueller" day where we did EVERYTHING you could possibly do in Seattle: a ride on the ferry, the aquarium, Pike's Fish Market, Northwest Wall Beds Store (Dan is going to build me a murphy bed, which will be featured in my home improvement section—one of these days), Pacific Science Museum, Experience Music Project, and a Supersonics/Lakers game (which the Sonics won 111-109 in a nailbiter). Don't worry, we went to the Space Needle for dinner the night before.
So start checking back for updates and interactive posts. I'm hoping to get a lot of this done in the next couple weeks, and get people to start coming back to my website.
I want to test out the interactive posts, so does anyone have any ideas for a good conversation starter? Jeff's posts include "What would you take with you on a desserted island?" or "What would you do if you had a million dollars?" so here's your chance to contribute.
OK, OK, OK, so I haven't updated in a while. You'll be happy to learn that I've added three new photo albums, and added pictures to another one. I've created the Seattle New Years album finally, which I promised to do way back in January. And since I just paid ICDSoft $40 to renew my server subscription for another year, I better use it. So what are the other photo albums? Well, I've made one for all the pictures from the Alaskan cruise Dan and I went on about a month ago. It was an amazing trip and wonderful experience. The third album is the Summer 2004 adventures page. Since I seem to be off to a new place every weekend, I thought I could put all of the photos from the different trips there. And the album I've added a bunch of pictures to is the Trading Spaces page. My brother Hans, who is a Capitol Hill police officer, called me two days ago to let me know that Trading Spaces was in town and that he had just met Amy Wynn. So after work Kate (my new roommate-to-be) and I went into D.C. to one of the homes that was being worked on. Since driving in D.C. is much more confusing that I foolishly thought, I got pretty lost and it took an extra hour to locate the correct street. When we finally got there, I was expecting tons of moms with strollers to be hanging out, but this is Washington, D.C., not a cul-de-sac in Ashburn (the first Trading Spaces taping I saw), and moms were no where to be seen (but apparently John Ashcroft lives a few houses down from one of the homes). Instead, everyone except for the homeowners, crew, and Paige Davis had left. So as Kate and I peeked around, Ron, the show's producer asked us what we were up to, if we were neighbors, etc. No, not neighbors, just heard that TS was in town and we wanted to check it out. So Ron and I made a deal that if we could peek inside and see the room, we'd give him and Phil a ride back to their hotel. Doug redid the living room, which looked very nice. The walls were a deep blue, and there was a new mantel, and all of the furniture was new and white. The "gimmick" of this particular episode was that no power tools were used. Seeing the new mantel, I was impressed knowing the whole thing was done by hand. So Ron and Phil hopped into the back of my car, and we followed the Trading Spaces truck (with famous trailer) and another TS truck (plain black GMC truck, no trailer) to what we thought was the hotel. Turns out the trailer had to make a stop at the other house (a few blocks away). So as the trucks stop in front of the other house, the second truck decides to back up, while I'm still behind him. Since I have no place to go (there is a car behind me), and the guy can't hear my honking over his Barenaked Ladies CD, the truck hits my left front bumper, and according to the estimate, caused over $1600 worth of damage. Of course the guy (Mark), felt terrible, and gave me all the information for Banyan Production's insurance company. So after that, Ron, Phil, and Mark insisted that Kate and I go out with them and have a good time, their treat. So, since there was no reason to let a car accident wreck my day, we took them up on the offer. So the pictures on the Trading Spaces page are of our night out with the Trading Spaces crew. At least this accident will make for a great story.
Well, the photo albums aren't quite finished like I had hoped they would be when I wrote that last entry. The Seattle New Years pictures are done, and I'm waiting to hear back from Ron (the producer) so I can identify everyone in all of the Trading Spaces pictures correctly. My memory is a little fuzzy from that night. The Alaska pictures are going to take forever to do since there are so many great ones that I want to include in the album. I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope I get them uploaded before the week is over.
Happy Summer everyone and Happy 14th Birthday Chuckie!
OK, I did it! The pictures from Alaska are up. Not only are there pictures, there are videos too. If you are one of the 12 people left in the world using dial-up, the videos are probably out of your bandwidth reach (each is 1.1 MB). Of course, the pictures are pretty big too, so "click to enlarge" selectively (each one is 600x450). Enjoy!
I'm on a roll. All of the pictures from my Trading Spaces adventures are now up. And if any of the crew is reading this, be sure to leave a comment on that page. I need help writing the commentary. Thanks guys!
No updates to report but the Summer 2004 photo album is going to be much bigger than expected. I thought my summer was pretty much over when I came home from the Hamptons (at the end of June). It turns out the end of summer is going to be just as action-packed as the beginning. This coming weekend I'm going to Boston to visit Mikki and my cousins. The weekend will include a Red Sox/White Sox game, lots of window shopping (these trips aren't free you know), and partying in Beantown. Then the following weekend I'm going to Las Vegas with Dan (watch out Sin City!), and finally the weekend after that I'm going to Ocean City for Shanelle's bachelorette party. Thank you to Ralph in advance for providing us with an awesome place to do that!
There is still a month left of summer and I'm already thinking of the end of October. Anyone have any ideas on what I should be for Halloween this year? I have a few that I like, and one that I love, but I want everyone else's imput. What do you guys think? And keep in mind I'm a typical girl that wants to wear something flattering on Halloween. I also noticed that JMU's Homecoming this year is on Halloween weekend. Uh oh, this could be trouble. Though I suppose it is fitting to return to the place from where my Halloween obsession (and fame) began. I'm thinking I will have three action-packed Halloween nights this year (yay!): Friday night at JMU, Saturday at a local party, and Sunday night in Georgetown—the place to be on Halloween. |
I've updated the Summer 2004 page so that all the pictures from adventures through this past weekend are online. I'm going to Las Vegas this coming weekend, so hopefully I'll get those pictures up sometime next week. Oh yeah, and GO USA! I'll admit it is exciting that all of the places NBC is teaching us about in Athens, and Greece in general, I have seen first-hand. I like saying, "I've been there," which explains my desire to get out and travel as much as my job and bank account will allow. 2004: The United States; 2005: The World!
Wow, I've been telling myself for months that I was going to get all of the Summer pictures up. I finally finished that page today. So that means the pictures from Dan's and my trip to Las Vegas and Shanelle's Bachelorette Party are available. I also put up the pictures from Shanelle and Patrick's wedding, so I'm all caught up until Halloween [segue to new topic...]
Speaking of Halloween, I've made my plans and part of my costume for Halloween. Once I finish mine, then I have to make two, maybe three more. I'm excited about the other costumes, but because mine is so complicated, I really have to buckle down and finish mine this week so I have enough time to do the others. I'm keeping mum about the costumes for now, but when Halloween is closer, I'll reveal to the world what my plans are. (That way, no one else will have time to copy me.) |
Well, I don't want to completely spoil the suprise of Halloween, but here are some of the costumes I have been working on, and that you will see this weekend (or back here sometime next week).
I've been really busy this week, and I'm sure everyone wants to see the Halloween pictures. I haven't had a chance to put them on the Halloween page yet, but I have created a temporary page for all of the pictures from this year. I'll add them to the original Halloween page later when I get a chance.
January 10, 2005
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great Holiday season. I was very busy traveling during the holidays. I spent Christmas with Dan and his grandparents, in Elk City, Idaho. We had a very nice, quiet time—which is quite different from how I usually spend my Christmas Eve and Christmas. After returning from Idaho, Dan, Micah (Dan's roommate in Seattle), Kate (my roommate), and I went to New York City for New Year's Eve. This year we were in Times Square with possibly THE BEST view of the ball dropping. Thanks to Liz and her wonderful connections, we got to watch the ball drop from the 18th floor balcony of the Paramount Building. To get an idea of just how close we were, check out this picture.
It was quite an experience, and I'm in the process of putting the pictures and videos together in an album for all to enjoy. I finally uploaded all of the Halloween pictures on the original Halloween page, and added a new (ghetto) Comparison page so that you can see what the original looks like and compare it to the costume.
On a completely seperate note, for the longest time I have felt that Jim Davis needs to retire Garfield because a comic strip about a lazy cat that lays around isn't funny after 25+ years. My coworker Anthony pointed out last week's set of Garfield strips and said, "I see what you mean." Here are two strips from last week, with near identical jokes. What's worse: it appears that Jim Davis is exceptionally lazy, and either only draws Garfield in one position, or he copies and pastes him. Let me show you what I mean.
The bottom strip is a combination of the first two strips. The first panel is nearly identical in both strips. And if you want to get technical, Jim Davis doesn't even do the drawing anymore. He has a team of illustrators do the work for him. As Bill Watterson has said, "Jim Davis is consistent." Believe me, coming from the genius who created Calvin and Hobbes, that is no compliment. Jim Davis, you've made billions of dollars. You have forced your fat, lazy cat on us in every possible form (including a movie). Please put this cat, and the public at large, out of their misery.
While doing research for this little rant, I came across a few interesting sites:
January 27, 2005
It's official: I'm going to Europe in May for two weeks! Mikki, Zeeni, Becca and I are going all over Europe for two weeks on an escorted tour. No Boys Allowed! We fly into London a few days before the tour starts, where we will spend some time with my cousin, Dahlia. Then we are off to Amsterdam...just check out the map.
So our tour officially ends in Paris, from where we will fly back to Dulles. This trip is going to be awesome! If you want to find out more about it, the name of the tour is European Discovery, and the tour agency is Contiki, which specializes in guided tours for people 18-35. May is so far away...
July 28, 2005
Wow, six months since my last update. I just want everyone to know that I haven't abandoned this site. Actually, I've been working very hard on my travelogue of my trip to Europe, which was incredible! It isn't finished yet, but all of the pictures and videos are available for you to see in the meantime. One of the best videos can be found on the Munich page of a German toilet. It is officially the coolest toilet I have ever seen...and definitely the cleanest! To see the travelogue (with its own snazzy navigation) before it is finished, go to www.com-ala.com/discovery. I'll let you know when the whole thing is done.
Just checking in. I haven't made much progress on my travelogue past Austria. I have lots of other stuff going on, so the travelogue has moved to the back burner. But as long as I finish mine around the same time Zak Binder finishes his, I'll be happy.
So what, do you ask, have I been up to? I'm in the process of refinancing my house so that I can redo my kitchen. I definitely want to show the progress on here of that, but since we haven't done anything yet, there is nothing to show. I'll go into details later of what exactly I plan to do (new cabinets, countertops, floors, and layout).
AND, last night I was installed as Bethel Guardian of Bethel 52, Herndon, Job's Daughters International. If there is anyone out there that doesn't know, I am very active with Job's Daughters and have been since I was initiated in 1992. Now that I'm an adult, I get to help out and give back even more. I was elected Bethel Guardian, and everything became official last night at our meeting. It was awesome to have so many people there supporting me as I assume this awesome responsibility. Several people from my years as a jobie in Bethel 38, Vienna were there: Mom Penn, Courtney Delcid, Sara Stevens, Mom and Dad Mahan; as well as some additional Masons from Concord Lodge, my sister, Dan, and all of the wonderful girls and adults of Bethel 52. So what that means is I have been working A LOT lately preparing for it, getting organized, and making sure that my schedule is clear for the next year. For starters, I quit my job at the Teen Center. I also bought a printer so that I don't have to rely on the ones at the office all the time. And Pam Marsters (the retiring Bethel Guardian) presented me with some steel-toed boots, because as fashionable as I strive to be, "sometimes the job gets dirty." Thanks so much to everyone that has supported me through the years, and know that I'll probably be calling you for help in the near future.
October 5, 2005
OK, I'm stressing out about everything I need to get done in the next three weeks. I've ordered my kitchen cabinets and countertops. Before they arrive (in a week and a half), I need to have all of the kitchen stuff packed up and the existing cabinets and countertop demolished and removed. Some of the pipes and electrical outlets need to be moved also. I'm not sure how I'm going to get all of this done.
Normally it wouldn't be much of a problem, but it is October, so I'm also trying to get two costumes created for Halloween, and I want them to look awesome (not telling you what they are just yet). I'm leaving tomorrow for San Diego which I'm excited about, since I've never been. I guess I just wish I could get by on 40 minutes of sleep *Halloween costume hint.* Anyway, time to get some more of this work done. I'll check in when I've actually made some progress on something.
P.S. Calvin and Hobbes just got the royal treatment. I doubt Jim Davis's Garfield will ever get something like this; he's such a lazy merchandising whore—and Garfield sucks too (as mentioned below). That reminds me. Jim Davis was a guest during a washingtonpost.com chat a while back, and believe it or not, he answered my (rather tame) question:
Chantilly, VA: Hi Mr. Davis,
I can't help but compare you to Bill Watterson when it comes to merchandising comic strip characters. He has never licensed any character because he doesn't want the strip to lose any integrity. Yet Garfield is on just about everything he can get his paws on. Are you not concerned about the strip's integrity?
Jim Davis: The comic strip and the licensing programs are two independent entities. To be honest, I've learned a lot about Garfield from working on plush and in animation. I get to see more sides of his personality working with him in other mediums. So for me, it's helped the feature.
Source: washingtonpost.com, Comics: Meet the Artist. January 28, 2005.
Greetings everyone! Just a quick update on my October adventures...
I went to San Diego and had a great time. We went surfing (cool), down to Tijuana (ew), partied in the Gaslamp Quarter (fun), and I got a new haircut (fabulous). I'll post some pictures probably around the same time that I post the Halloween pictures and the Kitchen Remodeling 2005 pictures. So don't expect anything prior to next week.
As of last night, I have officially finished my costume as well as Dan's. I still have three more costumes (same costume for three people) to make, but they involve no sewing so they should be pretty easy *keeping fingers crossed*.
Hans and Dan demolished the kitchen, and we threw out all of the old cabinets, countertop, and half the floor. The new cabinets arrived on Monday, but they are currently sitting anywhere they will fit in the meantime until I can get all of the vent, electrical and plumbing work done.
So there is still plenty more to do, just wanted to let anyone know how my progress was.
Progress is happening on the kitchen, and I have lots of pictures to view here. (I'm not sure how the comments thing works, I was trying out something new in Photoshop.)
But the BIG NEWS is that Courtney and Robert had their son Robbie yesterday morning. He's 7 lbs. 12 oz. and looks like a spitting image of Robert. Robbie does have Courtney's mouth, chin, and toes though. Happy Birthday Robbie!