England and Italy Photos
Here they are, the long-awaited and much-anticipated photos of my recent trip to London and Italy. Well, mostly of Italy as I somehow managed to lose a bunch of England pics off of my digital camera. Oh well, they're gorgeous.
Gorgeous, I tell you!
They go well with my brand spankin' new Harry Potter-ish background I've got going on here. There are a few things that still don't look quite right, but I'm working on it as we speak.
Drum roll.....
It was HUMID in London at the end of the trip. I was dripping sweat and seriously contemplated jumping in this fountain at Trafalgar Square with all the little childrens.
You always hear how blue blue blue the water is in... well, anywhere other than here. It is so freaking true! This is the Italian coast at the villages of the Cinque Terra.
102 Things Meme
I know that 102 is an odd number, but it was originally 150 and I tried to pare it down to 100. I almost made it. I know I promised pictures of the Italy/UK trip, but I'm visiting the hometown and am away from my copious amounts of photos. However, I can't sleep... so I have to do something to occupy my time :) I stole this from
Coffee Crochet, who borrowed it from someone else (bloggers are so generous!!) And while some people have merely been highlighting what they've done, I need to fill in the long nighttime hours that are ahead, so you're gonna get explanations, Baby!
Have You Ever:
1. . Bought everyone in the bar a drink - I'll give you a call when I win the lottery.
2. . Climbed a mountain - A tiny North Carolinian one.
3. . Taken a Ferrari for a test drive - I have never test-driven anything cooler than a... well, I've never driven anything cool.
4. . Held a tarantula - Oddly, Yes.
5. . Said ‘I love you’ and meant it - Yes. Daily!
6. . Hugged a tree - Yes... I was a weird teenager.
7. . Bungee jumped - No, but I'd ike to think that I would.
8. . Visited Paris - Yep.
9. . Watched a lightning storm at sea - Yes. Awesome sight.
10. . Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise - Yes. In my younger days ;)
11. . Seen the Northern Lights - No, but I think I should. Anyone want to come with? Let's go.
12. . Gone to a huge sports game - Not really, just college level.
13. . Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa - No, but I watched my friends do it!
14. . Grown and eaten your own vegetables - I kill things, I don't cause them to grow.
15. . Slept under the stars - Yes.
16. . Changed a baby’s diaper - Yes. Is that unusual?!
17. . Taken a trip in a hot air balloon - No, but I'd love to. We get them around here every once in a while, and I turn into a little kid, waving and grinning.
18. . Watched a meteor shower - Yes. Would have watched longer if it hadn't been for the mosquitoes. Stupid southern summers.
19. . Looked up at the night sky through a telescope - Yes. It's called Astronomy Class. But since I got a "D", I don't think I knew what I was looking at. 20. . Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment - Inevitably! Funerals are my forte.
21. . Had a food fight - No. I feel as though I had a deprived childhood.
22. . Asked out a stranger - No. I'm waaaay too shy for that!
23. . Had a snowball fight - Yes. It was all fun and games until someone put their eye out. Kidding! Kind of.
24. . Screamed as loudly as you possibly can - No, but I do have nightmares where I'm being chased and I CAN'T scream. Maybe I should sometime to hear what I can do.
25. . Seen a total eclipse - Yes.
26. . Ridden a roller coaster - Rode my first upside-down loopty-loop one when I was 24. I now love them.
27. . Hit a home run - Ha! Please! I was lucky when I managed not to hurt myself in gym. Home run... *snort*
28. . Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking - Every time I dance.
29. . Adopted an accent for an entire day - Not intentionally...
30. . Visited all 50 states - Only about 25 of 'em.
31. . Taken care of someone who was drunk - Unfortunately, yes. If you call watching them lay down on the sidewalk and be sick "taking care".
32. . Had amazing friends - Yes!
33. . Danced with a stranger in a foreign country - Yes. I salsa danced with a nice man in Paris who seemed very interested in my backside. Amazingly, I only danced one dance with him.
34. . Watched wild whales - No. I've been told you can see them off the N.C. coast, but I haven't seen any.
35. . Stolen a sign - Hmmm... does an orange construction cone count?
36. . Backpacked in Europe - Yes!
37. . Taken a road-trip - Ditto.
38. . Gone rock climbing - I've done some difficult scrambling.
39. . Midnight walk on the beach - No.
40. . Gone sky diving - Oh, no no no!
41. . In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them - Yes. I can be right friendly-like!
42. . Milked a cow - No. Be willing to give it a shot...
43. . Alphabetized your cds - What? And ruin the joy of flipping through all 300 cd's to find that one elusive track?
44. . Pretended to be a superhero - I used to be Wonder Woman when I was little.
45. . Sung karaoke - No. But I do sing solos in church on occasion.
46. . Lounged around in bed all day - Yep.
47. . Gone scuba diving - No. Not sure I'd like that.
48. . Kissed in the rain - No! I've been deprived! DEPRIVED, I tell you!
49. . Played in the mud - Oh fine... this, I've done.
50. . Gone to a drive-in theater - Saw re-released Grease.
51. . Toured ancient sites - I'm normally opposed to organized sightseeing, but getting a tour of the Colosseum and Forum in Rome is well worth it.
52. . Taken a martial arts class - No.
53. . Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight - Even I'm not that nerdy. Bless.
54. . Gotten married - Nope.
55. . Been in a movie - Not that I know of!
56. . Crashed a party - Yes. I frequently invite myself places.
57. . Made cookies from scratch - Yes!
58. . Ridden a gondola in Venice - Yes, but I couldn't get anyone to make out with me, which I thought was a requisite on one of those things.
59. . Gotten a tattoo - Yes.
60. . Been on television news programs as an “expert” - Ooh! What could I be an expert of? Crocheting? Scrapbooking? Reading? Staring off into space?
61. . Got flowers for no reason - No... how sad...
62. . Performed on stage - Yes. Made myself join Drama class in High School to try and combat some of my overwhelming shyness.
63. . Gone to Thailand - No, but it's on my list!
64. . Bought a house - No. I'm more of a Condo person.
65. . Been on a cruise ship - Oh, my stars! NO!
66. . Spoken more than one language fluently - Ha! I can't even speak English fluently half the time.
67. . Performed in Rocky Horror. - I was very nearly Magenta once.
68. . Followed your favorite band/singer on tour - No.
69. . Picked up and moved to another city to just start over - No... but I would.
70. . Walked the Golden Gate Bridge - No.
71. . Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking - Daily.
72. . Had plastic surgery - No.
73. . Wrote articles for a large publication - Nope.
74. . Piloted an airplane - I will before I die.
75. . Petted a stingray - Yes.
76. . Broken someone’s heart - Not as far as I know! If I did, I'm so sorry!
77. . Broken a bone - No. Sprained quite a few things, though.
78. . Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced - No, but I'm not particularly opposed.
79. . Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol - Yes.
80. . Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild - No. I like my fungus fresh from the grocery, and full of insecticides.
81. . Ridden a horse - No. Deprived!
82. . Had major surgery - No.
83. . Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon - No, but I looked at it. It looked lovely.
84. . Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours - I wouldn't doubt it.
85. . Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days - No, but I would love to!
86. . Eaten sushi - Ew.
87. . Had your picture in the newspaper - Not since I was about 5.
88. . Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about - If I did, they didn't let me know.
89. . Gone back to school - Yes!
90. . Parasailed - I will someday.
91. . Eaten fried green tomatoes - No. I'm a bad Southerner, aren't I?
92. . Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey - Yes. Thank you English degree.
93. . Skipped all your school reunions - Actually, I think I've been to all the get-togethers.
94. . Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language - I am the master of foreign-language charades.
95. . Been elected to public office - Was Drama Club Prez. in high school... does that count?
96. . Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream - Who does this?!?
97. . Built your own PC from parts - I'm counting the rebuild (new mobo, cpu, fan, etc) I'm working on now as a "yes".
98. . Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you - Yes.
99. . Dyed your hair - Ha! Frequently.
100. . Been a DJ - No.
101. . Shaved your head - No, but I think I'd consider it... ;)
102. . Caused a car accident - Caused? No. Been in? Too many.And there you have it, Ladies and Gentleman. Enjoy.
Months of work ruined!
Although my recent trip overseas was wonderful, I have found that there is one negative residual effect. You see, I worked for months developing an efficient "teacher's bladder"; that strange physical phenomenon that allows teachers to go for hours and hours without needing to visit the facilities. Because, as you surely know, it is not a good thing to have to leave a classroom full of kids... of any age.
Well, anyone who has ever been to Europe will tell you that going to the restroom anytime you can find one is a good idea. Public toilet? Let's go. One euro? I'll gladly fork it over. Free? Sweet! It doesn't matter whether or not you actually have to go. You will definitely have to sometime in the future, and there won't be a toilet anywhere nearby at that point. BUT if you go now... maybe you won't find yourself doing the pee-pee dance in the streets of Verona, hoping that the surly newsagent will have mercy on your non-italian-speaking soul.
So after three weeks of spur of the moment pottying, I have lost the ability to exert any control over my own body. My "teacher bladder" is now Pavlovian. Anytime I near a toilet, I have to go. If I even enter the kitchen, knowing that the bathroom is in the next room makes a trip neccessary.
I have roughly 2 months to get this thing under control! I can't start school like this. Rather than having that nightmare where you're naked in public, I keep having one where I'm forced to leave a class of mischevious teenagers to make an emergency bathroom run. When I return, half the class is gone, and the remaining kids are taking turns battering the class nerd whom they've managed to hog-tie and string up from the lighting. I wake up in a cold sweat every time ;)
