Fraidy cat

It was a dark, stormy night ... Lightning brightened the sky and thunder rolled. Rain fell from buckets and the earth was drenched. Somewhere, a very weary Stacey lay in bed wondering if her cat would ever stop freaking the hell out so she could get some sleep.

The answer was a resounding NO.

Yes, my cat is a pansy. Thunderstorms and vacuum cleaners are her two mortal enemies. It just so happened that last night the storms were out to get her and I, apparently, was the only thing standing between her and sure death.

In her little cat mind I had been appointed her protector and, by God, that duty didn't involve sleeping. If I managed to steal a few moments of sleep, Anna would make her presence known by flopping down as hard as she could next to my head. This happened all night long.

So now, after a few minutes of sleep here and there, I declare victory for Anna and defeat for me. I am very tired. And cranky. And allergic.

What a nice day.

Aaachooo!

Spring has sprung, and my nose couldn't be more miserable. I think I've sneezed at least 50 times this afternoon, and there's no sign of stopping any time soon.

But, the weather is gorgeous - so I can't complain too much. I'm so happy that this weekend starts daylight savings time! More daytime hours just seem to put me in a better frame of mind.

Not much has been going on, so there's nothing more to blog about, unfortunatly. Ah, such an exciting life I lead!

OK, I lied

I know I said I wasn't going to take a "real" vacation this year, but I just don't think that's going to work.

So, it's time for me to begin planning - which can be one of the most exciting parts of the entire vacation process!! Jim thinks I'm nuts, but I can search the Internet for hours on end looking for the perfect trip.

I'm envisioning blue ocean, white sand and friendly locals. Kinda like this picture that I took back in 2002 while I was in Mexico, only with palm trees - and lots of em! But, this little area was such a great place to explore!!

Let's see what I can come up with on my limited budget! Wish me luck!

P.S. This Penguin poking game made me laugh. Don't be impatient, he'll eventually tire of all the poking.

When sparks fly

Yesterday - for a reason not known to me - I was really kind of down. Nothing in particular triggered it, but I just felt rather blah even though I had the whole day off, the weather was nothing less than perfect and I felt just fine.

So, instead of taking full advantage of a gorgeous day off, I stayed inside my apartment and cleaned like a mad lady. And now my place is spotless from top to bottom, I'm pleased to report.

Anyhow, Jim worked last night but got off at around 11:30 p.m., which is early for us. He called and said he was on his way over for our ritual Saturday Night Live viewing party. A little while later he showed up with a surprise - Sparks!! A mistake he later said would never be repeated.

If you've never heard of Sparks, it's a malt liquor energy drink, if you can imagine. It's got both alcohol (6.0) and energizing ingredients including ginseng. It's orange in color and tastes, to me, much like sweet tarts. Good stuff, indeed!

Two cans later, I was bouncing off the walls and feeling rather sparkalicous (not a word you can truly understand until you've tried the stuff yourself). Then, as Jim describes it, I became "moon-faced" - whatever that means.

At any rate, I had a wonderful time. Jim did, too - though he'll never admit to it!!

Oh, and Jim's gonna kill me for this - but have you ever seen anyone with a stronger aversion to having their picture snapped than him?!?

Easter greetings, ya'll

Wishing everyone a happy Easter holiday! And since it's Easter, here's a quote that made me happy:

"When you sing gospel, you have a feeling there is a cure for what's wrong. But when you sing the blues, you've got nothing to rest on." - Mahalia Jackson

If only in our hearts, let's sing some gospel today.

What's in there?!?

I got this from Tash, who got it from Blackbird. I thought it was kind of interesting in a weird way, so since I've been looking inside other people's bags all day I thought it was only fair that I bear the contents of my own purse - as scary as that seems.

Inside is:

* My checkbook
* Inhaler
* Burt's Bees cuticle cream (best stuff ever)
* A little card holder for various things (insurance card, laundry pass, etc.)
* Lipstick
* Chapstick
* Mini brush (blue sparkles!)
* Facial blotting tissues
* Cell phone
* ID badge for work
* Lip gloss compact
* Mini tire pressure gauge
* Pens

Shorts, capris, swimsuits - OH NO!

Winter is gone, and it left me a nice little present ... a bigger butt and flabby arms. I'm less than thrilled.

They say it's only natural to put on a few pounds during the winter - like we're supposed to stock up on fat for our hibernation, or something. I don't buy it.

I know what really happened: Winter fashion. If you think about it, you've got darker colors, blue jeans and sweaters. Sweaters are my biggest enemy, but I love them so! They're sooo comfortable that even though you're packing on the pounds, there's no skin showing and no clingy material to remind you to put that potato chip down for the love of God!

Now it's spring, and today's beautiful forecast is a brilliant reminder that the sweaters are no longer a viable option for hiding your "wobbly bits.' (Yes, I stole that term from Bridget Jones.) It's me against shorts, cute little tank tops and swimsuits for the next six months or so. The battle will be full-on, and I'm not at all prepared.

Today is grocery day. God knows I'll stand in the center of the produce department with such good intentions. I'll buy fresh broccoli, squash, lettuce, tomatoes, grapes, apples, and more. I'll have so much nutritious food at my house that the vending machine at work will turn into my biggest enemy. Let's pray that I have the will power to not buy that wonderful bag of chips or that Reese's peanut butter cup.

Out like a light

I swear, I took about five or six pictures of her in this same position and she didn't budge.

Anna's starting to mellow out, thank goodness. There was a time when you couldn't touch her - and you didn't even think about picking her up. She was a pound cat, so I can only imagine what kind of life she had before I brought her home at 6 months old. She was sickly, timid and had a major chip on her shoulder.

It's taken her nearly four years to take a breather from being a hellion, thank God. Of course, as I type this she's running around the house like someone lit her tail on fire. But most days, what you see here is what you get. Sheer laziness.

My car thinks I'm rich

My poor car is falling apart at the seams, literally. I've glued and reglued with a variety of different glues and specialty adhesives those little rubber strips that go on the side of my car. You know, the things that are supposed to prevent dents when some rambuctious idiot rams their shopping car into your cart in the Bi-Lo parking lot? Those things.

NOTHING is working, and I'm getting rather aggrivated because not only does it look ugly, but it's just one of many problems I'm having with my vehicle (which is not paid for yet, dammit).

Let's look at the continuously growing list of items I need to take care of when I win the lottery (I guess I should start playing the lottery ...):

* Side strip thingies
* Cruise control (yep, that went out about 2 years ago)
* Air conditioning (It gets H-O-T in Chattanooga, and I don't enjoy sweating all the way to work in the afternoons)
* Driver's side door lock (If you put the key in, the whole lock comes out. That means I've got to walk to the passenger side to unlock my door and then walk back around to the driver's side to get in. Looks really intelligent.)
* Car alarm (My alarm is possessed. I can't go through an automatic car wash because it'll be triggered. And sometimes the alarm just goes off for no reason whatsover. It's got a mind of its own, and it's evil)

I guess that's it, besides the new set of tires and timing belt I'm about to drop some major bucks on - but that's normal. The other stuff, well, I just think my car is out to break me.

So very sleepy

Last night was so spectacular that today I hurt all over! We had a blast for my "unbirthday" birthday bash!

Jim picked me up arond 7 p.m., and we headed straight to St. John's. I love this place - love, love, love it! Anything you order is superb, right down to my first-course salad, which was topped with pears and pistaccios. The next time I go, I must try to hit up the chef for his dressing recipe. It's a molasis vinaigrette that is simply de-li-cious!!!

Jim and I both had a steak topped with this veal saucy stuff that was oh, sooo wonderful! The steak sat on a bed of mashed potatoes and verts. It was all so yummy! Jim ordered a bottle of pinot noir to go with our dinner, and it was perfect. Absolutely perfect. We somehow managed to drink the whole bottle, even after our pre-dinner coctails, and we both were feeling rather groovy when we left!

But, before we hit the town we had to order dessert!! I was somewhat disappointed that creme brule wasn't on the menu last night, so instead I had a blood orange tart and Jim ordered a banana split! Isn't that funny? But their banana splits are wonderful - topped with a chocolate-covered cherry and sitting in a "bowl" of hard chocolate. My tart was incredible, too! MMmmmm...

About two hours later, we jumped into the car and went to Big River where we tried their newest beer, an Irish red. It wasn't something either of us really liked much, so I ordered my usual Southern Flyer and Jim got his Sweet Magnolia. It was actually very sedate at Big River last night, so we had an opportunity to just sit and talk to each other and our bar tender, who happens to be married to one of Jim's old aquaintances. And Jim had an absolute ball making fun of the preppy guy who was decked out in a pink Abercrombie shirt. It was a great time. The only thing I regret is wearing heels because my feet are still sore! Along with the rest of my body ... I don't think I'm up to drinking as much as I did in college anymore.!

Well, that's the story of my unbirthday bash! I must be getting back to work.

Back in business

Yahooo! I finally got my tire situation taken care of, and it only needed a patch, thank goodness! There's nothing like having to drive home sloooowly through the rough parts of town late at night when you're just getting off work because you can't take the freeway due to a tiny little tire. So, $8 later I'm back in business! Lucky me!

Tonight, Jim and I are celebrating my belated birthday at St. John's. I love that place! I will say that I won't be having foi gras, no matter how much Jim begs me to try it again. Eesh.

When you hear air

Flat tires always happen at the most inopportune times, don't they?

On my way to work yesterday afternoon, I ran by Jim's house to feed his cat. As I stepped out of my car, I heard the hisssssssssssss of air escaping an object. I looked down and saw my tire quickly going flat. Within a minute, it was totally deflated and I knew I needed to act fast to get to work on time.

So, I pulled out my jack and tire-changing tools and got to work. I hate the stereotype that a girl can't do something as simple as change a tire, and I wasn't about to prove it right. I jacked up my car and started in on the lugnuts ... The extra tight lugnuts... The impossible lugnuts.

Starting to get worried, I called work to let them know my situation. No problem, everything's cool.

Then I got back to work on those pesky lugnuts. I took the jack down and tried to loosen them while my car was on the ground (which I should have done to begin with). But, they didn't budge. Now I'm really concerned. Jim is out of town, as are all of the guys I know in Chattanooga (it is, of course March Madness and there's games going on in Nashville, so where else would they be, right?!?).

I eventually gave in to my worries on stereotypes and called Jim. "Guess what, Jim ... I'm stuck at your house with a flat tire, and I can't get it changed." Not a phone call he wanted to receive during weekend basketball festivities in Nashville, I'm sure!

To make a long story short, Jim called his mother and stepfather and they trekked to Chattanooga from Ringgold to help me out. What lifesavers!! Homer (Jim's stepdad) said the lugnuts were on super tight, so that make me feel less like a prissy girl who can't change her own tire. But, I felt terrible for interrupting their Saturday evening.

So, now I've got the stylish donut tire on my car until tomorrow - when I can get to a tire store to hopefully have them patch my dead tire.

My tough luck

The following is a phone conversation that took place between Stacey and Scott about 45 minutes ago:

Stacey: Hello?
Scott: What'cha doing tonight?
Stacey: I'm working ... Oh God, what's going on?
Scott: Aw man, that sucks. Mike Davis is in Atlanta tonight for the NASCAR race. We're going to meet up with him and have a few drinks and then go to the race tomorrow ... VIP room and everything. We just wanted to know if you could come!
Stacey: Mike's in town? Dammit!!! Who all is going??
Scott: Me, David, Lavene, Nick and Meredith. We'll get to go into the pit road tomorrow before the race and everything. You sure you can't make it down?
Stacey: Why, Why, WHY do I not have a nice 9-5, Monday through Friday job like most normal people?!? WHY????
Stacey: (after collecting myself) No ... I can't make it down.

And there you have it. I could be hanging out with my old college friends tonight in downtown Atlanta. Mike, who was one of my old roommates at the infamous Donaldson House, is now part of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s public relations team. We graduated from the same university with the same degree, and he gets to travel all over the country with Little E and meet all sorts of fun and interesting people. I, on the other hand, am working nights as a lowly copy editor. (Not that I don't love my job ... I do. BUT it pales in comparison to traveling with famous people and going to incredible parties and such.)

So, to Scott, David, Lavene, Nick and Meredith, I say -- I AM SOOOOO JEALOUS!
(Oh, and give Mike a hug for me!!)
.

Another game!

Jim emailed me this helicopter game today, and I'm already addicted after playing for just 10 minutes. So far, my distance is only 349, but I feel like I've accomplished a lot in getting that far! You'll see - give it a try and let me know how much better you are at this silly game than I am!

Speaking of games, I'm currently 13-6 in my NCAA bracket predictions. I think that's not too shabby for someone who doesn't know what the heck she's doing! Let's all cross our fingers that Wake Forest and Duke make it to the championship and Wake wins it. I could use some extra moolah!

Yes, I have the same last name

Ten years ago, I looked much like I do now. I was fairly shy until you got to know me, much like I am today. I had very little self-confidence (thank God that's improved over the years), and a propensity for the arts. I was not cool at my high school. But I had great friends. I was cool, however, where I worked. And that made me feel better about life in general.

I am now 28-years-old and am facing with great dread my 10-year class reunion. The get-together, which I would quietly opt out of if it weren't for a rather persistant best friend by the name of ALLISON, is in a few months.

Over the last couple months my email box has been bombarded with "Class of 1995 Reunion" plans, deadlines, reminders, etc. These emails include the email addresses of my fellow classmates, and if you're clever enough you can figure out which email address belongs to whom. Sometimes you don't even have to be clever because some folks (yes, I'm talking about me), have part of their name in their address.

I have never been married, unlike the vast majority of my 70 some-odd former classmates. That's not to say that I don't want to get married (because I do - a lot). It's to say that I'm somewhat of a rarity, a novelty, if you will.

So, I get an email a week or so ago. It goes something like this:

Hi Stacey! I noticed your name on the email lists and thought I'd drop you a line. It's been a while - what are you up to these days? Write back.

So, even though this guy and I were never friends in high school, I decided to write back to be friendly. I tell him that I'm very happily living in Tennessee and that I hope he's doing well. That's it. I didn't inquire about his personal life. Nothing. I click "send" thinking that's that. End of story.

Wrong. Here's a snippet of was waiting for me in my in-box yesterday:

So, I see you still carry your last name. You haven't gotten married? What's up with that? Are you serious with anyone there? I divorced a couple years after graduation, then tried it again with no such luck. Write back.

So, yes - I have the same last name. I've never been married. And no, I don't know "what's up with that."

What I do know is that I'm not about to discuss my unmarriedness with someone I hardly knew 10 years ago who is suddenly inquiring about it now.

Good grief.

Expanding My Horizons: Part Deux

Well, I took the advice of a fellow blogger, Ordinary Dad, and got in touch with Habitat for Humanity yesterday. I don't know why I hadn't thought of Habitat in my quest for a new outlet for my energy - considering I spent quite a few early Saturday mornings in college hammering beams, painting woodwork, installing closet doors, etc. I loved every minute of it and am so excited to get back into the swing of things. Tomorrow, I turn in my paperwork and hopefully they'll need me sometime soon.

Expanding my horizons

* Reading
* Shopping
* Blogging
* Going out

And there you have it: A list of my hobbies.
Do four items even constitute a true list?!? I kind of don't think so.

With that in mind, I've decided I need to get my sorry butt out of the house and actually do something constructive. I've tried staying in and being constructive, but for some reason my brain just doesn't comprehend knitting, which really makes me sad. I've grown tired of doing mosaics and I love reading, but not all day long.

I used to mountain bike and hike, but I guess I got lazy. I need to get back into that, definitely.

But, I think I need a new hobby, too. But WHAT?!?

I know, I know ... there are a zillion things in this world to entertain my brain. I've just got to look around a bit and decide what I love. Maybe I should join a club ... But I'm just awful at walking into a group-setting where I know no one. Hmmm ... I think I'll dedicate tomorrow (my day off!!) to finding my new hobby.

Any suggestions?

Nashville

Monteagle

I finally have a minute between Zzzzz's to catch up on what's been up. And I guess I should begin with my evening in Nashville, pre-birthday!

Jim was gracious enough to let me borrow his functional digital camera for my excursion, but I only snapped a couple pictures ... on my way to the city. Oops.

So, here you have Monteagle, TN. Probably not the safest thing to do, but I decided to snap a shot of the winding road through the mountain while I was driving. It's much prettier in the spring and summer when there's actually color in the picture.

Anyhow, I got to Nashville early to avoid rush hour. Mike gets off at 6 p.m. I got there at 5:15 p.m. Sooo, I waited.

The Elvis Costello show was scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m., and we'd heard his shows are always right on time. So, Mike ordered dinner from a delivery place, and we ate at his apartment to save time. Smart guy, that Mike. Oh, and the dinner was delicious - steak, baked potato and steamed veggies. Not bad for take-out!

We got to the Ryman, and soon after Tift Merritt took the stage. What a great artist! She only played about six or seven songs, and I wished there was time for more. Mike was dead-on in comparing her style of music to Sheryl Crow (only Tift sang as opposed to the yelling I was subjected to at a Sheryl Crow concert several years back.

Next up was Elvis Costello. I have to admit, I hadn't listened to much Elvis prior to knowing I had a ticket to this show. I'd heard him here and there and had always liked his sound, but didn't own any of his records personally. But, before the show I'd listened to several of his albums a lot just so I wouldn't be lost - you know the feeling ...
* The music starts ... The audience screams in recognition of an obvious hit song... Then everyone sings along, prompted by the artist ... you're left in the lurch because you've never heard the song in your life ... And thus feel like you're sticking out like a sore thumb *


At any rate, I recognized a good bit of his songs, and he was incredible - even with a raspy voice thanks to a sore throat. Decked out in an all black suite and a bright purple tie, he was stylin'. But that's nothing compared to his boots - I swear to you, they were chrome-silver, shiney-as-all-get-out boots. Sweet!

Halfway through his set, another microphone was brought out on stage. Mike turned to me and said he thought Emmy Lou Harris could be coming out because the two had collaberated on his last album. Good call - soon thereafter, Emmy Lou herself was singing alongside Elvis. They did several songs - none of which I'd heard before, but they were beautiful. Espcially the first one they sang - about missing someone. I really wish I knew what it was called.

The show ended with Elvis and Emmy Lou singing two last songs together. It was awesome, and I'd go to another Elvis show in a heartbeat.

Oh, and here's a picture of downtown Nashville I took, again while driving ... I wouldn't try this again.

Yuck

I am so very sick. My birthday plans have been put on hold, which I guess could be a good thing - to prolong the festivities, and all. But man do I feel like utter crap.

On another note, I've added Haloscan to my blog because my Blogger comments were all getting screwy suddenly. Sooo, all my prized comments (ha, ha!) have been lost. But now, hopefully, I will actually be able to view them.

Birthday blog

I'm now 28 years old! For some reason that seems two years away from 30, but that can't be ... can it?!?

I've got lots to do today, but I promise to write all about the Elvis Costello show last night in Nashville, which was incredible! One sneak peak: There was a guest appearance by a music legend.

Have a margarita! It's my birthday!!!

Have a picture

Anna
Originally uploaded by swysong77.

Here's another photo of Anna looking her typical "I'm the princess of this house" self. But, she's a sweetie.

It's a picture I snapped before my camera went kaput, which I'm still bitter about. You see, right now, there's a woodpecker right outside my second-story window pecking away. Peck. Peck. Peck. And he is perfectly silhouetted by the distant green grass behind the tree he is perched on.

It would have been a really nice picture. It really would have been.

Anyhow, I'm still saving up for that new digital camera. And I can't wait to get my hands on it!

Have a happy Tuesday!

I'm off tomorrow, and guess who I'm going to see?!? Elvis Costello, that's who!

Newspaper Bloggers 'R' Us

I had no idea that my former co-workers at The Statesboro Herald had joined the blogisphere, but apparently I'm way behind the times.

As I was reading Scott's blog today, I checked out the comments on one of his postings. That's when I stumbled upon Jake's blog. Jake covers my old beat at the Herald, and I'm sure he's starting to feel the strains of higher ed/nonprofits/community groups/anything else that needs to be covered at a moment's notice. I tip my hat to Jake - he's one of the more talented folks I know. Quirky personality, too, which makes him all the better.

Next up is Eddie. What a great guy - and one of the taller people I've ever met. I've never seen Eddie be anything but cool, calm and collect, which always impressed me.

And finally there's Holli's blog. Holli sat behind me while I was a reporter in Statesboro. She's got some of the best stories (and I'm not talking about news reports) that I've ever heard. Stop by her blog, and I'm sure you'll get a laugh or be taught a life lesson or two.

Oops! I almost forgot about Luke's blog! Luke worked with me at Georgia Southern's student newspaper, The George-Anne back in the day. Now he's a reporter for the Herald.

Rainy road rage

Man, what a dreary day outside. It kind of fits my mood, unfortunately.

I actually had a man shoot me the bird on the freeway this morning. Granted, I did fly up on him kind of fast, but I didn't realize how s-l-o-w he was driving (in the FAST LANE, I must add) until the last minute. So, I went around him and his passenger stuck his nose to the window and flicked me off! What is it with some people? Get out of the left lane if you're going below the speed limit, please.

COUNTDOWN TO COSTELLO: 2 DAYS!

Television appearance

Mocsgame
Originally uploaded by swysong77.

It appears that Jim, Waide, Lauren, Richard and I all had our 15 minutes of fame (er... probably 1.5 minutes of fame) last night on ESPN 2.

If you missed it (which I'm sure you did), UTC was playing UNCG in the SoCon men's basketball championship game. We had tickets right behind the basket on UTC's pep band side. A prime location, if you ask me.

But, some fuddy duddies who also are season ticket holders didn't like the fact that UTC students were psyched about their team making it to the championship game and ran them off from our section because the students wanted to *gasp* stand up and cheer for their team. So, the painted faces made their way up to the nosebleed sections.

Fast forward to the second half where you can sit where ever you please. ... The "true" fans came back in droves, and we "old folks" had the best time pretending to be students again. The stadium errupted in chants, cheers, whoops and hollars, and ESPN caught all our madness on live TV.

I'm actually sore this afternoon from all the jumping and cheering!! I know I didn't go to UTC, but over the course of the last three seasons, I've really become a fan of Mocs basketball. Those guys are great, and although my loyalty will always go to Georgia Southern, I'll cheer for UTC the rest of the time.

So with that I say, congratulations UTC in winning the Southern Conference Championship! GO MOCS!!


Where we sat

Gorgeous day

The sky is blue, the clouds are white and puffy, the breeze is soothing and the temperature is nearly perfect. Forget hoping for a bit of snow this winter, I'm ready for spring!!

To me, spring means day hikes, ponytails, open-window afternoons, fresh flowers, jimmy buffett in the stereo and a boat drink in hand.

I'm ready!!

One last thing: I'm really digging the Scissor Sisters. I'm probably the last person in the world to really take a listen, but I'm happy now that I've found them.

DAYS UNTIL COSTELLO: 4

New look, same great taste!

I'm experamenting with a new design.
Curious to know what you think!

The fever

Basketball fever has swept the men in Chattanooga. I love basketball, I really do. BUT after going to games all day and all night and then going to hang out with friends, you'd think there'd be something else to talk about. Apparently, that's not the case.

I worked late last night, but when I got off, I met up with Scott and Jim and a slew of folks who shall remain nameless. I sat there with a bunch of guys and one girl, a friend's girlfriend, who apparently felt about as into the conversation as I was based on more than a few eye rolls. Practically the entire conversation was basketball ... players, technique, coaching, recruits, red shirts, injuries, scores, etc. Oh, but at one point the conversation did shift to who should be drunk-dialed. Steve Spurrier topped the list, and I swear to God - we had his number. Luckily, those with the power to actually dial that number had enough sense to realize that Mr. Spurrier would probably be pretty upset picking up the phone at 2 a.m. and hearing a bunch of crazy folks at a bar on the other end of the line.

At any rate, after CBC, we headed over to the Pickle Barrel to finish off the night. There, I learned that I like Amber Bock, which was surprising.

Now, here it is nearly 9 a.m., and I'm wide awake after going to sleep sometime after 4 a.m. Sometimes I just don't get it. I see a nap in my not-so-distant future.

DAYS UNTIL COSTELLO: 5

Countdown to Costello

DAYS LEFT: 7

Well, it's officially just one week until I see Elvis Costello at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville! Not that I need to say it, but I'm soooo very excited!!

Thanks to Mike, (if he had a blog I'd link to it, but apparently he's too cool for blogging) I have a ticket to see Elvis and Tift Merritt on March 9th. And then I'll be ringing in my birthday after the show!

I've been brushing up on my Elvis Costello, so in my car it's been all Elvis all the time. I can't wait!!

Great Scott!

I'm off my game. Completely.

One of my bestest friends in the whole wide world came into town today, and I had totally forgotten about it until last night when Jim says to me, "Hey - isn't Scott coming to Chattanooga tomorrow?"

My reaction? "Ohhh ... my ... Gooooosh!!"

Thank goodness Jim reminded me - considering Scott called at 10:15 this morning to tell me he was about 30 minutes from my doorstep. He arrived exactly 30 minutes later greeted by a towel-headed Stacey scrambling around my apartment like a mad woman trying to pick up three days worth of clutter.

Anyhow, after I got a grip, we went to lunch at Panera and he headed off to the basketball tournament that he's covering for the Statesboro Herald. My alma mater, Georgia Southern University, plays at 2:30 this afternoon. Go Eagles!!!

Hopefully the Eagles will advance to the finals and make it to the championship game on Saturday. But if not, it's great to see Scott - even it's only for a couple hours here and there. I miss my Statesboro crew!!!

*UPDATE*
Georgia Southern beat Western Carolina 69-57. Woo Hoo!!!
The next game is tomorrow around 2 or 2:30 p.m. Cross your fingers!

Snow!

OK ... maybe not a lot, but it did snow here last night - if only briefly. It was weird snow, though. What little had accumulated on my car after work looked more like the salt around a margarita glass than snow.

Unfazed by the oh-so treacherous conditions outside, Jim and I decided to head over to the Pickle Barrel to have a few drinks. Lucky for us it was servers night (those who work at local restaurants and bars around town get $1 domestics). No, we're not servers, but we happened to know our Pickle Barrel server, who was gracious enough to extend the discount to a couple of late-night editors in need of a few beers. We were very appreciative!

By the time we headed out, the snow was gone, and there's no sign of it today. I do hope we get a little accumulation at some point before the winter's over. It's almost magical to those of us who are lucky to see it once or twice a year.