Artsy Anna

Cady the Daltonian

As a celebration of her recent move to the Carpet Capital of the World, Cady invited a few folks over for a little gathering at her new townhome last night. Cute place she has there!

After I mixed some margaritas, we settled in to watch "Shaun of the Dead," which was pretty hilarious, despite its fantastic plot. After the movie and talk of good times at Georgia Southern (Cady's boyfriend is my former co-worker at the Statesboro Herald), Jim and I called it a night just as more people arrived. Bummer. But, we'd worked late the night before and super early that morning - plus, we're just old. So, we were very sleepy!

Party people, we are. But only when preceded by 7 or 8 hours of sleep the night before!

Ice, ice everywhere

Polluted ice
Originally uploaded by swysong77.

It's not snowing, but it sure is icy. As you can see, fearless Jim Tanner doesn't mind eating polluted icicles off his car. YUM! ICK!

From what I hear, Atlanta got much worse weather than we did here in Chattavegas. That's a switch. But, I'm not complaining!!

Brrrrr!

Brrrrrr
Originally uploaded by swysong77.

OK. It's cold.

Here in Chattanooga we rarely see snow, ice, sleet, etc. But tonight when I left work at 12:30 a.m., my car was covered in ice. Yes, ice!

I got home and decided to take a photo of the leasing office sign at my apartment complex. If you look closely, you can see real icicles (ever so small) hanging from the sign at the bottom. The watery stuff you see on the sign is actually ice. Nice, eh?

I'm sure my northern friends would think I'm crazed, but this shiver-inducing weather is exciting stuff down here!

Off to bed ...

She's so vain

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And here you have it ... This is how Anna spends much of her day. She hates having her picture taken, but I managed to snap this one a millisecond before she jumped up and tried to swat me. She thinks she's such the celebrity. I guess I play the role of the evil paparazzi.

Games people play

I've found a new site that allows me to aimlessly pass my time. Orisinal has a slew of games that are quite bizzare, but interesting. Go there and see for yourself. :)

P.S. I'm off tomorrow. Hooray!!!

Cookies are a good thing

cookies
Originally uploaded by swysong77.

I've been told I'm not posting enough on my blog, but I don't think my life is full of interesting things to post day after day.

Take for instance today: It's a Tuesday. I woke up, showered, made Hamburger Helper for lunch so I'd have something to take to work tonight for dinner, watched "Newlyweds" on MTV, cleaned my kitchen and made chocolate chip cookies, which turned out a bit too dark. (See photo)

So, there you have it. Not so thrilling, eh?

Oh, but I do have one thing to say ... If you haven't already, go buy "The Da Vinci Code" - Allison let me borrow it and I'm completely enthralled, much to my surprise.

So, that's it. I have to work tonight - putting together an 8-page North Georgia edition (ick), but I'm off Wednesday and Thursday. I have no plans, which I'm quite happy about, actually.

Have a nice day - I hope yours is more exciting than mine!!

Shoppin' sistas

What a happy Saturday I had! My friend Allison and I spent the better part of the day shopping in Dawsonville, Ga., at the gigantic outlet mall there.

But, before we went shopping, we went to her daughter Leanza's basketball game. I don't know how many of you have witnessed an 8-year-old girls' basketball game before, but there are only two words to describe it: Organized chaos! It was great! At the end of the nail-biter, the score was 12-11, and Leanza's team was victorious. This means they take the No. 1 spot in their division, from what I understand. So, Arnold Mill Elementary School should be proud of its 8-year-old girls! :)

Onward to the shopping extravaganza ... After debating the pros and cons of staying in Kennesaw to shop as opposed to trekking to Dawsonville, we opted for the 1-hour journey to the outlet mall. (Who can truly pass up Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn at discounted prices?!?) Man, was it C-O-L-D!

We went to all the obvious stores (Williams Sonoma, C&B, PB, Gap, Harry and David, etc...), and then I discovered a magnificient little shop called The Cosmetics Company. I thought I had gotten a good deal on Clinique mascara while on a cruise ship last year, but I was wrong. This store had the stuff for only $8.50 per tube. I'd paid $11.50 on the ship. Retail, it's something like $14.50, I believe. So, now I know where I'll be going to buy anything Clinique, Estee Lauder, Lancome, etc. They really had amazing prices on everything.

So, after spending about four and a half hours doing nothing but shopping our butts off, we decided it was time to head back and find someplace to eat dinner. After a delicious steak dinner, I headed back to Chattanooga very tired, but ready to plan our next shopping trip!

I need a scarf ... Here, kitty, kitty, kitty ...

Pet fur: I don't know about you, but it gives me a serious allergy attack. Sneezing, watery, itchy eyes, red nose, the whole kit and kaboodle - all symptoms of my allergy, which is why I am quite intrigued by something I read today in the paper.

Apparently, a couple of entrepreneurs have come up with the idea of fashioning blankets, scarves and other items from pet fur. One of the founders of this company actually says her new scarf, which is made from her beloved dog's fur, is a "gift" from the pet. Eek!

I'm not slamming this company - we all have to make a buck here and there to survive, but it just seems rather tedious to gather your pet's fur long enough to have the amount it would take to create a luxury blanket. I know my cat sheds like mad, but still ... Plus, dogs have a distinct smell oftentimes. Although the company says it rids the hairs of any odor, I have to ask - what happens when it gets wet? Ew.

I'm intrigued. But not enough to try this out. But, if any of you are and you don't have a cat or a dog - never fear! They also can use fur from sheep, alpaca, bison, rabbits, hamsters, cows and horses.

Chillin'

chillin'
Originally uploaded by swysong77.

Let me just say that I had a completely lazy day after I got off work this afternoon. It was sheer heaven, I say!

I worked until past midnight Friday night and had to be at work Saturday morning at 9. Needless to say, I was rather sleepy and a tad cranky, but I prevailed. I got off work and swung by Jim's house to see Alice (a particularly cute, white and somewhat bald puppy whom I adore).

Upon my arrival to my apartment around 2:30 p.m., my day of utter laziness began. I immediatly switched into comfy clothing, which progressed later into my PJs and slippers before the sun even set. Yes, I have no shame.

I fixed a particularly unhealthy lunch/dinner of leftover supreme pizza and broccoli with ranch - odd combo, but a good one, at that. While I ate, I researched condos in Key West - none of which I can afford. Bummer.

After dinner I watched television. Lots of television. I caught the last 45 minutes of the Tsunami aid benefit, which I wish I'd known about before randomly finding it on 3 or 4 different channels. Good stuff. Wish I had lots of money to donate to those poor people. The best I can do is join the rest of the world in praying for their recovery. Still, it doesn't seem like enough considering I'm sitting comfortably in my living room watching the devastation on my nice, big color television with plenty of food in the fridge and my family and friends a mere phone call away. It just goes to show that it can all be taken from us in the blink of an eye.

At any rate, after watching the benefit I shifted to a much, much lighter program. The new season of VH1's "A Surreal Life" is absolutely twisted. Jeez. It was frightenly entertaining. I scare myself sometimes.

Anyhow, now I think I'm going to crawl into bed and read for a bit. Have to work tomorrow.

Woo Hoo.

Simple minds

My co-worker, Chuck, has introduced me to the world of slugging penguins with a bat. Sounds cruel, but luckily it's just an online game. And a rather therapeutic one, at that. Need a break from work or studying? This is the perfect diversion because it's entertaining, but you can' t get so caught up in it that you blow a bunch of time that should be spent doing something truly productive.

Anna Banana

Anna in window
Originally uploaded by swysong77.

A picture I took recently of Anna. Isn't she pretty? I guess I'm a bit biased.

What a bummer

My monitor is on the fritz. As I type this, I'm praying I won't have a seizure due to all the flashing lines and the jumping screen. Wouldn't ya know this would happen after the holidays.

As a result of my untimely monitor flake-out, blog posts may be limited until I can get this resolved. I know everyone is crushed. ;)

Rum runnin'

I've been run over by a Mack truck ... or so it seems.

Last night was Waide's birthday, so after a lovely dinner at the best restaurant here in Chattanooga (St. John's), which included several glasses of wine, Jim, Waide and I headed over to the Pickle Barrel to further the celebration of Waide's 29th year on planet Earth.

I hadn't had a rum runner (my drink of choice next to margaritas) in months. So, despite knowing that most bar tenders somehow manage to screw them up, I decided to chance it. So, I ask my new favorite bar tender, Jeff, if he can make a good rum runner. He says sure. I'm not so sure, but what the heck - I wanted one and maybe I'd get lucky. Well, luck would have it that Jeff really did know what he was doing. Too bad I didn't. ...

Drink after drink after drink after drink I loved my rum runners. Combined with good conversation and the distinct aura of the Pickle Barrel, I was feelin' like life was pretty darn good. But, all good things must come to an end. It was time to go home.

Skip ahead 9 hours ... Rolling out of bed, everything hurts. From my head to my toes, I feel like I've been beaten by someone who was out to kill. I guess I'm somewhat of a lightweight now when it comes to drinking, but damn! I haven't felt this bad in years.

I think I'm going to go rest now. If I find the strength later, I may give an update on my condition.

Keane rocks

I've found a band that I love. Considering that popular music these days turns my stomach, it's not often I can say I've found a sound that makes me happy. Case in point: Lindsey Lohan and Hillary Duff. Can we make them go back to their teeniebopper movies and leave music well enough alone? And don't even get me started on Miss Ashlee Simpson. That girl is an absolute mess that is beyond straightening. However, I must say I have a respect for Jessica Simpson. I know ... I know. BUT, the girl's got a killer voice, and she's a genius. Yes, I think she's smart. There's NO WAY someone can be as ditzy as she comes off ... she's acting, and it works for her. So, I give her props. I do.

But, I digress ... As I was saying, I've found a new favorite band. Keane (www.keanemusic.com) creates the kind of music that gets in your head and stays there ... only it doesn't drive you insane. They're reminiscent of other British bands - such as Coldplay, but have a grander sound, in my opinon. And, any band who can pull off such a full-bodied, smooth sound with only drums and a piano is quite impressive. So, I implore you to run, not walk, to Best Buy and lay down the $11.99 for this album (a great deal). You'll thank me later. I swear.

10 Years?!?

I got a bit of a wake-up call the other day. While sitting at work editing a story, my cell phone rings. I have no clue who it is by looking at caller ID, but figure what the heck - it's a 706 area code, so it's gotta be someone near Rome. Conversation as follows:

me: "hello?"
caller: "Stacey? This is Jaime Fox, I went to high school with you?"
me: "Yes?"
me again: "Wait ... WHO?"
caller (a.k.a. Jaime): "Jaime Fox - we went to Model together."
me: "Ohhhh. Yes. Yes. OK?"
Jaime: "I'm planning our TEN YEAR CLASS REUNION!!!!!! and needed to get your address and email information."
me, thinking to myself: Did she just say it's been 10 freakin' years since we graduated?!? TEN YEARS??? AN ENTIRE DECADE??? Holy crap-ola.
me: gulp ... "Oh, OK. Here's my info ... etc..."

So, basically: I now must earn my master's degree, get married, have a child (or two) and buy my own home in the next six months before our class reunion. Wish me luck.

New Year's Eve in the ’Boro

New Year's Eve was exceptional this year ... or I guess I should say last year. I got the chance to see Kelley's little sister get married in an absolutely gorgeous ceremony, and partied it up with all my Statesboro guys and girls (who I don't get to see often enough!).

Here are a few shots of the good times:


This is me showing my enthusiasm for the bonfire David built. What can I say? It was chilly and the fire was warm ... plus, it's amazing how simple things can become amazing discoveries after a couple glasses of Hoos Juice.


Big John and Scott - up to no good, I'm sure!!!


Kelley, Tommy and some of the rest of the gang raising hell, Statesboro style!


The party was winding down ... I think we were all a little loopy!!!

The time has come

Well, here it is. I've finally succumbed to the blog-tastic realm of the Internet. We're all in trouble now!

I'm not sure what this will be good for - I guess we'll find out soon enough, but in the mean time, here's what's up with me ...

* First and foremostt: I NEED A VACATION ... N-O-W! I'm in dire need of a good boat drink, some white sand and blue ocean, a hammock, a good book and maybe even a steel drum band. Oh, and palm trees and 80 degree weather would be most excellent!

If anyone can help, you know where to reach me!