Events in our lives happen in a sequence in time, but in their significance to ourselves they find their own order the continuous thread of revelation.

~Eudora Welty

Road........ trip

Tomorrow morning I'll be racing up the highway in a van packed full headed to The City of Brotherly Love, i.e. Philadelphia, which happens to be the fifth most populated city in the U.S.

.... and it couldn't have come too soon.

I've been on edge the past few weeks and finally snapped yesterday; however, I'm putting that behind me and looking ahead. The end of October is going to be rather busy and work has been going less than pleasantly lately, so a small break and new place will offer a much needed shift in perspective.

At the current moment I am just trying not to think about being stuck in a packed vehicle with a/c on for 10 hours straight.... I'll let you know how I fare in that venture.

Well, it's official, when I die I will be struck down by a meteor!



Click the pix above to determine how your end will come.

The United States has grown to a poulation of 300 million. Here is a run down of price comparisons over the past century.

Changing seasons

Winter has come and with brings darkness
the sun is out fewer hours each day
it is as though it shines brighter
to make up for the hours that are stolen

Influential speaker

On Thursday evening, after failing to accomplish work, I headed over to Chapel Hill to see Michael Pollan speak. Having only visited Chapel Hill once prior, I had forgotten how much I liked it as I rolled onto town. The college just appears from curving residential roads, it seems. The area reminds me of Gainesville, but with higher elevation changes. Seeing the plethora of bicycles chained to every building made me miss the times I enjoyed riding in Gainesville.... going to the Hipp to catch the movie of the week. Ah, but those days have past........

I was able to quickly find a parking garage and although I made it there 30 minutes early, a line had formed around the corner and into the arboretum. The half hour passed quickly, and soon we were filing inside, srambling to find a seat. The room filled quickly and had I arrived on time, instead of early, I would not have had a seat. Quietly waiting, I glanced around the room and took in the perfect people watching opportunity. It was an interesting crowd and made me ponder what growing up in an academic family would be like. Many of the young parents brought their children with them and I wondered how exposure to such events shaped the children's lives.

After lingering on that thought for awhile, a gentleman approached the microphone and the room became quiet. There were a few introductory speeches and then Michael Pollan came strolling up to the podium. A very casual person, he was one of the best speakers I have seen yet. His comfortable approach and delivery makes one feel like he carrying on a personal conversation with them.

The topic of the night was the topic of his recent book, The Omnivore's Dilemma, the dilemma being "what should we eat for dinner?" Throughout his speech, Pollan read excerpts from his book, offered background information, and discussed problems he encountered along the way. It was an entertaining and educational experience. At the conclusion of his speech, I felt fulfilled and was happy to have made the 2 hour journey.

I hope to have the opportunity to hear his speak again and look forward to reading The Omnivore's Dilemma.

For some reason, this add does not say contacts to me.....

Free tea

So, I received an email today with a coupon code for a $10 Gift Certificate with no minimum purchase. Why am I posting this here? Well, although the coupon code can only be used once per person, it can be used by an endless number of people.


Therefore, if you are tea drinker click here to check out the teas they carry and if you find something you like, enter the following code:

Promotion Code: WCF1096

NO minimum purchase required. Valid only on purchase of tea. Limited to one use per customer, expires October 31st 2006.

Enjoy!

New muzak.... yipee!

After waiting through what seemed like and endlessly long weekend, I was able to listen to the cds I ordered what seemed like years ago. With the aid of commercialism in society today, I seem to become more and more impatient. It actually wasn't that bad and was worth it. Getting two good albums for a mere $3.... I think I'm going to get spoiled.

The MOFRO album is great, encompassing many sounds including blues, soul, and country front porch story telling. It is soon to become my new favorite Florida cd. Listening to the sultry music pulls on my heart strings feeding that longing of Florida, family, and all that makes sense.

The debut album by Etienne de Rocher is good. I must admit,I had high expectations for this artist and they were definitely met. Although the artist has been playing music for awhile now, one can still hear the developing artist nurturing his talents. Perhaps this is because this is new label with which he constructed this album. However, the artists experience is evident within his lyrics, yet he keeps the songs simple and potent with the lingering essence of his message.

Whoo hoo

So, I have to rave about The Herb Goddess. It is a great site for herbs, oils, tea, and tea accessories. In addition to free shipping their orders are processed and mailed quickly. I have received and used a tea strainer I ordered from them and have yet to even get an Amazon order I placed days before this one. Within the package they sent, I received a pen, with their business name logo on it, the tea strainer, double the number of cloth reusable teabags I ordered, and a scratch off coupon for 10% off my next purchase.

Now, somebody knows how to do business... I'm definitely going to be a repeat customer. At least not every business has lost the ability to conduct good business.

The weekend is here, but almost gone.....

This weekend seems different for some reason. Perhaps it's because there are things to do and things to be done. So far, it's been wonderfully productive and very service oriented. Last night the Pitt County Humane Society had their 4th annual Martini Party fundraiser, which I happily helped out at. It was an interesting night and being that I did not know anyone, there were lots of people to talk with. I am not much of a social butterfly and seem to be unable to mingle, but overall I had a nice time and got to try a few martinis, including the Felime, Red Hot Chihuahua, and Pomeranian. It made me think that our next party should be a martini party with science themes.

After getting home later than anticipated, I quickly fell into slumberous sleep to be awoken very early this morning by a loud alarm clock. The weather outside look chilly and I was reluctant to get out of bed, but I was able to make it to the Town Commons area in time to help with the Big Sweep this morning. It is held once a year, where people pick up garbage along the Tar River. There was so much trash to be picked up... it was horrible. Many odd pieces were found: a few tires, a bed mattress, some unknown items, and lots of plastic bags and bottles.

So far the weekend has been nice. The weather seem to have gotten colder as we on the river and it's only October. I'm not looking forward to the winter this year.... but then, I never do. I just keep thinking that before long, this will all be in the past, clumped into a time period when I did my Master's, and hopefully I will be living somewhere warm and coastal.

That is my happy thought for the day.

Sitings

Apparently, a southern Baptist preacher from Georgia has found a large population of 'sinners' amongst the ECU students. Walking back from an unsuccessful free lunch (unsuccessful because it was lacking in vegetarian options) I bore witness to that which is apparently a new thing for students around here. As we walked past, unacknowledged the bible bearing babbler, I noticed that the few people who had paused to take in the spectacle were not reacting nor engaging the emphatic speaker. It seemed to me that he was speaking to hear himself speak. It just seemed to me that such an energetic soul could do so much, but instead he chooses to focuses his energies elsewhere.

It makes me realize how much nrg I waste. If each person was more conscious, it would make a huge impact on society today.

Old new music

So, apparently I am a little slow with the posting possibilities. Apparently posting a video is as simple as posting a pix nowadays. The video below was taken last winter when MOFRO played with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, which I believe they are due to do again soon.

It was at the show that I saw and heard MOFRO for the first time. Almost a year later, I get around to ordering one of their albums.

....better late than never, right

Due to a $25 amazon coupon, I was able to order the latest MOFRO cd, Lachloosa, and another artist on the same label, Etienne de Rocher.

MOFRO concert

MOFRO with the Jaksonville Symphony Orhestra 11.26.05.

Propinquity

A friends blog states the word propinquity. Curiously, I looked it up and found the following definitions:

the tendency for people to work better or bond with those geographically near them

one of the main factors leading to interpersonal attraction. It refers to the physical or psychological proximity between people. For example, two people living in on the same floor of a building have a higher propinquity than those living on different floors.

It surprises me b/c I have noticed it before, but seem to be immuned.

Birthday dinner

Tonight I was fortunate to be treated to a belated birthday dinner at the Curiosity Shoppe, in Washington, located 30 minutes east of Greenville. The meal started out with some delightful bread perfect for dipping into an oil mixture. Then, we ordered martinis, a first for mwah and after tasting the other two ordered, mine by far was the best one. Next was the appetizer. Since there were three of us we ordered an appetizer, dinner size salad, and dinner entree and split all three. For appetizer we delved into the crab cake with flat bread. It was de-lish with fresh blue crab, yup that's right, no k-rab there. Then, there was the organic mixed greens salad with marinated cherries and toasted nuts with a gorgonzola cream dressing. Scrumdiliumptious! However, it was topped by the garlic mashed potatoes and seared yellowfin tuna we had for dessert. Perhaps I'm showing my roots, but those mashed taters make my mouth water just thinking about them. Smooth and creamy with a bit of the potatoe skin in them, I couldn't get enough. For dessert, we had key lime pie, the thin homemade style that is slightly creamy, topped with fresh strawberries and few blueberries.

It was a wonderful evening. I was pleased to get dressed up and go out, something not done often enough. Dinner was followed by a stroll on the boardwalk, but alas we had end the evening and venture back to reality.

Last night, I went and saw the new Zach Braff movie, The Last Kiss. He did not write nor direct this film and the soundtrack was no comparison, but the story was somewhat similar in tone to his previous film Garden State. It was a bit older, hitting on the late 20's approaching 30 years old. Being that my birthday just recently passed, I can say that I can somewhat relate. However, in the film the main character are 'settling' into the family time in their life, a period I cannot relate to presently.

Perhaps this is because I am not in a relationship, but the period of marriage and/or children does not seem near in my future. Truthfully, I am not sure if I want to have children and I am not hard pressed to be married either. Not to say I do not want to make a long term, i.e. infinite, commitment to someone, I just do not think marriage is necessary. I am going to step away from that soap box before I start.

Ah, another year has passed and I have once again survived to see it. Each day time moves more quickly and there seem to be additional tasks to accomplish. Weekends, once reserved for fun and new experiences, are now a time to catch up and perform additional work to get ahead. Keeping busy is a positive thing, but the lack of personal time can be draining.

The passing of another year, leads to thoughts of family, memories of the past, and yearnings to see those one cares about. Sometimes I think keeping busy is merely a distraction, distracting me from the sadness that lingers inside. Then, smiling faces look back and it all doesn't seem that bad.... but is it just a time of making due?

Regardless, things are going well. My day of birth has come and gone, during which I enjoyed laughs and good conversation. Considering the past few birthdays were on the verge of unbearable, this year is a step in the right direction.