Archive | January, 2010

Thing to Do #103: Go Snow Sledding!

January 31, 2010 by Jessica 3 Comments

In honor of our little “snow storm” we’re experiencing here in NC (which, by the way, means 4 inches of snow and 1 inch of ice has plunged us into a State of Emergency and has effectively shut the whole state down), I’ll repost this little entry from about a year ago.  Enjoy!

Ok, ok, I know there are some of you that may think this is something easily accomplished when you are six years old, but considering I am from Eastern North Carolina where 1) the average temperature in winter is 50 degrees and 2) there is mostly flat coastal plain, I have never had the opportunity.

I remember when I was younger and we had one snow storm, my father MADE a sled out of wood.  We had one slight hill in my neighborhood, but it really didn’t work for sledding.  I could drag my younger brother around, which was fun for him, but I soon realized I was getting the raw end of the deal.  My father tried to remedy this situation and tied the sled to the back of his Ford Ranger.  He plopped my brother and I down on the sled, bundled in scratchy Army blankets, and we took off behind him down our road.  This worked until he stopped to check on us.  When he got back in the truck to continue our ride, he took off too quickly, taking the sled and leaving my brother and I and all of our blankets sitting on the icy road.

Needless to say, I don’t count this experience as having gone sledding.  I attended Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia; by attending a school in the mountains, I thought for sure I would get the chance to go sledding.  Even before I began my studies there, I had heard stories of girls sledding down Tinker Beach (a large hill behind Tinker Dorm where girls would sunbathe in warmer months) on cafeteria trays.  Alas, I managed to miss all of the snow storms during my tenure, either being away for the Christmas holidays or away on internships during the month-long January term.

So today when I was out and about helping cover both the winter weather and the Presidential Inauguration, I saw some kids sledding down the big hill near the Amphitheater at Neuse River in Downtown Smithfield.  I pulled over to get some video footage and mentioned to one of the parents that I had never experienced it.  She quickly offered up a sled and, with camera in hand, I took off down the hill.

It was almost fun enough to wish I lived in snowier areas of the country.  Almost.

myhouse41

Excitement, Nature, Sport and Activity
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Thing to Do #105: Krispy Kreme Challenge

January 28, 2010 by Jessica 7 Comments

I love lists.  They give me a sense of accomplishment.  I have two different “To Do” lists at work, all prioritized from High, Medium, and Low.  So I will admit that when it comes to THIS list, I sometimes get caught up in the activity of getting things checked off; I turn it into work.  However, the point of even having a 101 Things to Do Before You Die list is to be encouraged to embrace life and experience all there is to offer.  In that vein, there are often some random things that I encounter that while not necessarily on THE OFFICIAL LIST, I should probably still experience.

You know, like the the Krispy Kreme Challenge.

I wrote about this last year but here is the description again:  The race, scheduled for Feb. 6, is the brainchild of a handful of N.C. State University students who came up with the idea several years ago to run from campus to the Krispy Kreme store on Peace Street and back, eating a dozen donut in between. Fast forward a few years, and the KKC attracts thousands of runners, and raises money for the N.C. Children’s Hospital.

The true challenge is to run the two miles from the N.C. State University Bell Tower, eat the dozen donuts, and run back in an hour, while keeping the doughnuts down.  Stretches of Peace, St. Mary’s and Hillsborough streets end up getting littered with the partially-digested doughnuts by those runners who can’t quite hold on to the baked goods.

If all the runners eat their donuts, that will mean a total of 72,000 doughnuts inhaled in one morning. Probably not a fun day to be on the clean-up crew. 

I know quite a number of people that have either done it before or are doing it for the first time.  The limit of 6,000 runners was this past Monday, but I’m really thinking I need to add this to my 2011 goals (although probably as a “Casual Runner”).  Afterall, by that time I will have ran a Marathon, so this would be easy!  Would make for a good story, anyway.

Entertainment, Recklessness, Sport and Activity
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Thing to Do #11: Visit Every State-New Jersey

January 24, 2010 by Jessica 4 Comments

You know how I’m always going on and on about how I never drink or ever party up?  Well, for the most part, that’s true.  However, like most everyone, I’ve got a few stories, and one of those stories is about how I spent one July night in Atlantic City back in 2004.

My good friend from Hollins, Sumner, had visited Atlantic City several times with her girlfriends in DC and she invited me and another girlfriend from Hollins, Courtney, up for a girls night in the AC.  We headed up to DC Friday night to get up early and hit the road Saturday morning.  Five girls in a tiny little rental car hit bumper to bumper traffic heading into the Vegas of the East Coast for its busiest night of the week. 

I remember that we all stayed in one room in a hotel way off the strip (when you’re young, its nothing to think of piling 5 people into one room-now I shudder to think) and I honestly can’t remember what we ate for dinner/where we ate dinner.  I DO remember very plainly that my friend Courtney had mentioned that she had missed her period and was beginning to worry if she was pregnant.  Courtney had gotten married the previous October, so this wasn’t a bad thing, per se, but she had planned to enjoy herself during this weekend and if she was pregnant, she obviously wouldn’t be drinking.  So before we headed out for the evening, Courtney went to a local pharmacy and bought several pregnancy tests.  Four pregnancy tests later, 2 were positive and 2 were negative.  So on the safe side, Courtney wasn’t drinking for the evening (btw, the following March she had her first child, Kabell)

I had never gone gambling before and when we went into our first casino, I was rather overwhelmed (as I can imagine many are) and just followed wherever everyone else went.  We finally began playing some slot machines and all I had brought to play with was a roll of quarters.  I played these for about an hour until I ran out of money-they kinda got boring fast and its the only time I’ve played slot machines since.  We soon decided to move on from the slots (i.e. we ran out of money) and decided to go out dancing.  We headed over to the Casbah at Trump Taj Majal, which was probably the coolest club I had seen at that point in my short little life.  There were girls dancing in cages and every so often silvery confetti rained down on the dance floor.

Anyone who has ever drank will know what I mean in the following sentence:  I began drinking and they were going down way too easily.  My usual drink of choice is screwdrivers-I always say that the vitamins in Orange Juice counteract the bad stuff in alcohol, so its “healthier.”  I started out drinking screwdrivers but then I began playing the game of “I really have a great buzz and I want to keep it so I need to keep drinking.”  So I began to doing straight shots of vodka.  It quickly became apparent to the others in my group that I was bad off and the time for heading back to the hotel had come. 

All I remember was walking down a long hallway in the casino, and I kept thinking (and probably saying) that we were lost.  Eventually we made it to the front of the casino, where we had to wait (seemingly) forever for a cab.  Once in the cab, I quickly began to feel sick and rolled the window down to get some air.  When we came to a stop at the next intersection, I opened the door with the urgency to throw up.  However, I’m a big baby about throwing up-its scares me and I will do anything to not get sick.  The cab driver quickly surmised what I was up to and began shouting at me in a thick accent, ”Do NOT throw up in the car!  Get out of the car!” to which I yelled back, “I’m not going to throw up in your car, a$$hole.”  Yeah, I get belligerent and mean and (the worst) emotional when I get drunk.  I think you could believe me that I don’t normally swear at strangers, but I obviously wasn’t myself.

We made our way back to the hotel without incident and as soon as we entered the room, I made a beeline to one of the beds (we had gotten two double beds and a cot).  I found out later this was in much protest as I had chosen a) a bed instead of the cot and b) the bed furthest from the bathroom.  Regardless, I passed out immediately, fully clothed. 

The next morning, as you can imagine, I felt like Hell.  I’ve since had worse hangovers with less to drink, but that’s old age for you.  When I finally made it to the shower, I realized I had the silvery confetti everywhere, even down my underwear (how the HECK did THAT happen?)  Moving much more slowly than my compatriots, we gathered our belongings and hit the road back to DC.  We decided to stop at a Denny’s or IHOP or something, where we had to wait forever (at which point I thought I may get sick again) but amazingly after I had food on my stomach, I felt 100% better (ah….if it was only that simple nowadays).

The trip to DC wasn’t that bad, but then I immediately had to get in my own car to drive 4 hours back to NC.  I’m amazed I stayed awake; that was a lot of time in a car with a hangover.

So that is my experience with New Jersey, other than driving through several times on the way to and from New York and places beyond.  I guess I could give it another try as I’m sure there is more to New Jersey other than the Turnpike and AC, but I don’t know what.  Do you have a good reason for me to give NJ a second chance?  AND, I know there’s got to be some good stories of nights on the town-let’s hear ‘em!

Entertainment, Excitement, Life Management, Recklessness, Travel
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Thing to Do #104: Have Your Fortune Told

January 20, 2010 by Jessica 4 Comments

When I was in college, my roommate Heather had studied Tarot and would do our readings every now and then as something fun.  Another roommate that Heather had known before college didn’t consider Tarot to be “just for fun” and began relying on the cards before she made any decision.  I remember her getting ready to go out with a guy for the night and having Heather do her reading about how the date would go. 

It was always interesting how you could make the cards “fit” your life and sometimes trick yourself into believing the cards were referring to a certain person or a specific event.  Later in life I happened to mention this story to a colleague and when she left our company, she actually gave me a set of Tarot Cards.  I sat down with them to try to memorize each card’s meaning in an effort to try to do readings, but I soon gave it up and they’ve been sitting on a shelf ever since.

This past October, I bid on a “New Year’s Reading” in a silent auction and won.  I thought it would be fun because I had never had a palm reading done and this would be different because it would be a complete stranger trying to tell me my fortune.

My “New Year’s Reading” was done last Wednesday and she started out by reading my palm.  Apparently I have a rather long life line and should live until my 80s (there goes completing Thing to Do #100: Live to 100).  On my right hand (my dominant hand) the life line is continuous, but on my left it branches off, meaning that I will have a potential crises when I am 35 or 40.  The “Mound of Venus” or the fleshy part of my palm leading to my thumb has lots of little lines, meaning I have a very healthy and robust love life, although a line under my pointer finger suggested that I have a lost love somewhere in my life (who doesn’t?).  The “Mound of the Moon” or the side of my palm leading to my little finger has lots of little lines, meaning I have the potential for creativity but have not yet explored this part of my life.  My right hand suggests that I will have one child, but the left says two (although she did mention that this particular “tell” was not always accurate).  I will travel some in my life but it will not be a large part of my life/something that I must do regularly. 

Flipping my hand over, she bent my fingers, finding that I am flexible when it comes to minor concerns, but overall I stand firm and will not give on issues that I feel strongly about.  The base of my fingers suggested that I was very grounded.

So up until this point, all pretty vague stuff that I felt could be applied to anyone.  I mean, what do you consider traveling?  Going to the beach or to the mountains every now and then?  Who doesn’t do that?

She then took my wedding ring to feel its “vibrations.”  It told her that Alex and I were a good match and complimented each other well.  He is more “steady” than I am, keeping the course and rarely deviating, while I sometimes go off, and that he adores me. - Ok, probably pretty true, we’re both pretty steady but between the two of us, I’m more given to “flights of fancy.”  And of course he adores me ;)

After that we began the Tarot reading.  She did a simpler reading than Heather did back in college, only laying out five cards for a 5-6 month reading into the future.  The first reading was a general one; the first few months would be of growth and contemplation.  However, for May I got ‘The Devil’ card, which is one of the worst you can get!  It suggests being tied to the material world, having a wrong set of priorities, but then June went on to suggest a period of growth again.

The next reading was specifically for my marriage.  The first card was the “Ace of Pentacles” followed by two cups cards, and then the King and Queen of Pentacles – this was all good, meaning love and happiness and growth and abundance and wealth – you know, flowers and puppy dogs.  I had a reading done for my job and it suggested that things are going well on the surface but that there is an issue that will come to light in May (May again!), then it will be dealt with and in June, we will get back to work with things going well and no longer having to deal with the issue. 

The next reading I had was about my brother – after laying the cards out she asked “Your brother is married with a child?” to which I think I rather exclaimed “Yes!”  I was impressed that she got that right.  For January they are in a period of transition, followed by a period of growth and abundance until May (May!).  The Queen of Swords deals with an adult female and health, so perhaps my brother’s wife or someone in her family will have a health issue, but then June goes back to growth and abundance again.

I had individual readings about some projects I’m thinking about embarking on.  I have been considering trying to make some extra money by presenting workshops about non-profit management, as well as doing grants writing for organizations.  The cards said that both projects will take awhile to get off the ground, but that the grants writing will eventually prove to be very lucrative.  I also asked about writing a novel and the cards said that it will be very self-satisfying and will allow me to utilize that untapped creativity my “mound of the moon” is telling me about. 

I also pulled a single card for my niece Zoe and it was “The Lovers” card, which is one of the best to get – it speaks of being surrounded by love, happiness, and health, all good things.

That was it for the Tarot cards but she held my wedding ring once more to hear the vibrations.  During the process, I had mentioned our trip to New Zealand and as soon as she had the ring, she said she saw sheep.  I almost laughed aloud.  You mean, I told you we were going to New Zealand, where there are more sheep than people, and you see sheep in my future?  Wow.  She did say that we would both enjoy the trip; I would fall in love with the country and Alex would also have a great time, but would be anxious.  She asked if he would be anxious to get back to work and I said no, but that he is often anxious when traveling from place to place; she decided that was what the anxiety must be.

We ended with runes.  The rune that I chose dealt with signals and messages.  It advised me to be open to messages, signals, gifts and visitors, especially unexpected ones or from unexpected places.

So that was my New Year’s Reading.  For the most part, it was rather vague and while I could make it fit my life, its easy to do that no matter what is said.  There were definitely things she did say that didn’t make any sense, especially the one about being careful about an older man that will begin hanging around the Museum (?).  Apparently I need to be very careful in May though!

I know some people take this very seriously.  Anybody out there that has had their fortune told and it actually came true?  Any freaky stories about fortune telling?

Entertainment, Life Management, Relationships
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Thing to do #36: Visit…New Zealand (Post 2)

January 17, 2010 by Jessica 3 Comments

While I enjoy having goals and planning things out, some of the best things in life are unexpected and happen on the spur of the moment.  Therefore, I try to keep an open mind to be ready for adventures that may lie right around the corner. 

I began to consider the adventures that may await us in our upcoming travels to New Zealand and the opportunities are rather interesting…

#2 Swim with…(Dolphins, Whales, Sharks, etc.):  While I have completed this thing to do, I welcome the opportunity to do it again!

#26 Bungee Jump:  We’re staying in Queenstown for three days and, being known as the “adventurer’s town,” there are several opportunities to bungee jump off of cliffs and bridges.

#27 See an Erupting Volcano:  Ok, I’m probably NOT going to be able to do this, but there is a lot of volcanic activity (boiling mud, geyers, etc) so it kinda counts…

#40 Get a free upgrade on a plane:  Well, they’ve already changed our flight plans once.  If they do it again, we can start being “unsatisfied customers” and angle for the upgrade.  And believe me, I’m thinking first class on that 12 hour flight from LA to Auckland would be niiiiiiiice.

#50 Write Your Name Over a Star on the Walk of Fame:  We have a seven-hour layover in Los Angeles.  Do you think that’s enough time to run out to Hollywood to complete this thing to do?  I could even find Ava Gardner’s star and then the trip becomes a business expense!  Found this cool site about how to make it to the Walk of Fame while having a layover at LAX, but this only works if flights are on time.

#62: Join the Mile High Club:  We’re married and consenting adults.  We’re going to be traveling on several red-eyes.  I’m just sayin’… 

#67: Visit…:  We’ve got a 10 hour layover in San Francisco.  I think this is plenty of time to see the Golden Gate Bridge.  PLUS, ThingtoDoer Miranda lives in San Fran and we’ve already discussed getting together while there.  See?  The list is bringing people together around the world

#83:  Skinny Dip at Midnight:  I’ve already completed this one but this time it would be in a foreign country. 

Its not on the list and I don’t know if we’ll have time, but I VERY interested in ice climbing on the glacier.  How cool would that be!? 

What else should I try to do while in New Zealand?

Excitement, Nature, Recklessness, Relationships, Sport and Activity, Travel
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Thing to Do #36: Visit Every Country-Honduras

January 12, 2010 by Jessica 4 Comments

 Over the past few months I’ve recounted our experiences on a Caribbean cruise in October 2007 and with our trip to New Zealand now exactly seven weeks away, I thought I’d do a post on the fourth and last port of call, Roatan Island, Honduras. 

Of all the ports, this was certainly the most impoverished area we visited.  Residents listlessly rested on the stoop of cinder block structures and primitive huts.  Trash littered yards and along the roads.  However, because the country was not yet developed, it was also one of the most beautiful countries we visited.

We took a school bus (probably put of commission in the United States in the 1970s) up a steep, narrow dirt path up to the highest peak of the island.  Of all the things that I have done in life, this was by far the most harrowing and most life-threatening. 

 At the top we were to zip-line from tree to tree, back and forth down the slope of the mountain, finally arriving at a pristine, private beach.  Since then, we have zip lined at other places (in Mexico and in the North Carolina Mountains) and Alex and I agree that our first time was by far the best.  Starting at the top of the mountain and zipping along the canopy of the rainforest, the ground 200 feet below us, was an amazing experience.  The platforms that we were flying to and from were built with a wire floor and basically scrap wood, sufficient to hold maybe 5 people at a time.  But the staff were incredibly efficient, catching us as we flew in, moving our harness to the next line, and handing us off to the next staff member to fly down the next line.

The beach we arrived at was the most beautiful beach we encountered during our trip.  The beach was clean, the mountains that came up to the beach gave us terrific scenery, and the water was that perfect blue-green you only get in the Caribbean.

Roatan Island, while currently undeveloped, is known for its water sports (snorkeling, scuba diving, etc) and probably won’t stay undeveloped long.  I’m glad we were able to visit before it becomes just another tourist destination.  I guess Roatan Island doesn’t necessarily represent all of Honduras, but right now, I have a great opinion of the country as a whole!

Officially, my opinion immediately after the cruise was not the most positive, but over time I think I’ve realized why.  First, I think cruises are an excellent way to “try out” a country; because of this cruise, I know I don’t want to go back to the Cayman Islands but we returned to Mexico for a longer stay.  Our cruise was seven days, which is a little long to be on a boat, and it was just us two.  I think I would have a better time on a shorter cruise with friends-that’s why I’m headed to the Bahamas for a 3 night/4 day cruise with my girls in April.  A great benefit of this particular cruise is that it’s actually staying overnight in port, letting us experience the nightlife in the Nassau.  Usually cruise ships don’t do this because they have to close their casinos while in port, cutting into their revenue, but while in Nassau, the casinos can stay open.

So have you ever been on a cruise?  What did you think?

Excitement, Nature, Sport and Activity, Travel
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Thing to Do #97: Participate in…

January 8, 2010 by Jessica 5 Comments

I’ve decided to alter THE List slightly (again).  I updated it a few months ago, taking out items that I really didn’t care to complete with items that I would rather do.  The original #97 was “Live Out of a Van”-I updated it to “Attend Mardi Gras.”  Well, that was a little self-serving as I had already been to Mardi Gras.  Then I read Gina’s blog post about her attending the Macy’s Day Parade and it inspired me to flesh out #97 to “Participate in… (Major Annual World Events).”  To complete this ONE thing, I will have to attend several events.  So far I’ve got six that I’d like to attend (although the list seems awfully American-Centric).

  1. Mardi Gras
  2. Oktoberfest
  3. Kentucky Derby
  4. Running of the Bulls
  5. New Year’s Eve in Times Square
  6. Summer Solistice at Stonehenge

What other events should I make sure I attend before I die?

Achievement, Excitement, Recklessness, Sport and Activity, Travel
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Thing to Do #36: Visit Every Country-New Zealand

January 5, 2010 by Jessica 3 Comments

Fair warning: between traveling to New Zealand for three weeks in March and the Bahamas in April, this blog may turn into a travel blog for much of January-April, 2010.  Unfortunately, it will then become a blog about training for a Marathon from June-November.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

So this is the first of many posts about New Zealand.  Here are the plans thus far:

  • We fly out of Charlotte, NC to Los Angeles for a seven hour lay over to catch the plane to Auckland. 
  • We arrive in Auckland, immediately flying down to Queenstown in the South Island and renting a car
  • We stay in Queenstown for three nights/four days where we will enjoy nature with a boat tour of Milford Sound, visit Minus 5 Ice Bar (the place we enjoyed so much in Vegas), maybe some jet boating, and maybe bungy jumping!  Queenstown is a big adventure town
  • We travel up to Fox Glacier for two nights/three days to take the helicopter flight over the glacier with a quick landing on the glacier
  • We drive up to Greymouth to drop off the rental car and take the Tranz Alpine train to Christchurch.  We stay in Christchurch for only one night and fly up to Rotoura the next day.
  • We stay in Rotoura two nights/three days and are scheduled to go to a Hangi Concert of the Maori (the indigenous people of New Zealand) and check out the boiling mud, geysers and maybe even a geothermal spa session
  • We drive north to stay only one night in Coromandel on our way to Paihia, which is in the Bay of Islands, where we will take a cruise through the Hole in the Rock and mostly relax for three nights/four days. 
  • We return to Auckland where we only stay one night before boarding the plane back to the States.  We arrive in San Fransisco for a 10 hour lay over before flying back to Charlotte.

I plan to take my laptop along to record what we do each day, although I don’t think I’ll worry that much with trying to post while traveling.  Alex prefers to relax while on vacation while I enjoy more adventure so hopefully this will strike a good compromise.  I’ve tried to do my research but does anyone out there know of any places we should definitely visit while there?  This is probably my only trip to New Zealand, so I want to make it count!

Excitement, Nature, Sport and Activity, Travel
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Things to Do in 2010

January 1, 2010 by Jessica 7 Comments

In 2009, I was pretty successful; I either completed or partially did 9 things on my list of things to do before I die.  In 2010, my goals are:

#1  Write a Best-Seller:  I’ve been thinking more and more about this and I think I’m going to start writing a book.  I don’t plan on FINISHING and have no hopes for it to be a “best-seller,” but it would be quite an accomplishment to write a book.

#16 Get in the Guiness World Book of Records: Currently the most blood donated is 132 pints or 78 gallons.  You can donate blood every two months.  If I give blood every two months, it will take me 22 years to get to this amount and then I will only be 52 and able to still give for 10-30 more years.  So this will be an ongoing goal for at least 23 years or so.

#30 Stay in the Best Suite in a Five-Star Hotel:  For our first year anniversary, I’d like to stay in the Grand Suite at the Fearrington Inn in Pittsboro.

#36 Visit Every Country:  In March I’m headed to New Zealand and in April I’ll be visiting Nassau, Bahamas for a short three day cruise.

#37 Make a Fire Without Matches:  I failed at this last year and it was more out of laziness on my part.

#52 Read the Greatest Books Ever Written:  My goal for the past two years has been to read 8 and I’ve surpassed it each year.  Need to step it up with reading 12 (Unfortunately, I’ve read most of the short ones on the list and now only have the 700+ pages books left)

#86 Run a Marathon: I originally had not planned to ever do this but as I thought more of it, I realized it would truly be a tremendous accomplishment.  I plan to start training in February for the Outer Banks Marathon in November.

#93.5 Get Your Name in the Ring of Honor at Flying Saucer:  I think this may interfere with my marathon training but it IS carb loading.  I’ll try for at least another 50 beers.

#99 Confess –  Again, didn’t accomplish this one last year due to laziness.  The few Catholic churches in the area only hear confessions on Saturdays at 4pm and there was always some excuse as to why I couldn’t make it for 52 Saturdays.

Achievement, Entertainment, Excitement, Life Management, Miscellaneous, Nature, Recklessness, Relationships, Sport and Activity, Travel
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