Sunrise vs. Sunrise

This morning I received this picture from my dad! The caption read: Sunrise out the back porch...

That was at 8:20.

At 9:30 I snapped a picture of the sunrise from MY back porch:

It's about two feet deep... I think. I'm not sure if my feet actually go all the way down or if there's too much compacted snow beneath the rest. I'm a little jealous, my dad... not so much apparently.

I'm going into Portland, ME with Meri on Monday for interviews and to look for housing, we're super excited about getting down there. Also, it will give me more things to do than just wasting my time on FaceBook and craigslist.


I'm seriously considering putting this on my to do list for the year, and this is definitely going on my wish list.

Winter clothing... what's that?

I went into town the other day and got all this. Believe it or not, I doubled my winter wardrobe with this one purchase. That's right, a  jacket, a cardigan, and two pairs of boots. Everything else I own is tank tops and mini skirts!

Another funny thing, I've found that my FAVORITE piece of clothing up here is the one pair of wool long underwear that my Aunt Sara gave me. I realize I shouldn't be surprised, but.... Next on my list is wool socks, I hear they're pretty amazing too.

Goooooood Day!

According to TWC this morning with the temperature at a whopping -22F, I woke up in the coldest town in the nation (they did not say whether Alaska was included). Like any reasonable person, I stayed inside. This allowed me to be fairly productive and secure and interview at the #1 Beer Bar in America, make 4 loaves of banana bread, find many housing options, and make butter cake and whipped cream to go with those lovely strawberries (pictured above, duh). I didn't get to go out and take any pictures :( but perhaps tomorrow when it's warmer out...

Also, my dad sent me this link which has me a tiny bit confused. If it's that cold, you don't need a koozie to keep the beer cold... so is this just a glove to keep drunkies from loosing their beverage?

More things I didn't mean to leave at home:
- the prism that used to hang in my room
- my hair mousse
- 60 degree winters

Drive? On SNOW?!?!

First off, don't worry, I came to a stop to take this picture. It's not like anyone else is on the road at 2am at the Canadian border. Second, I don't have to point out to most of you that ATLANTANS DON'T DRIVE ON SNOW! Even our salt trucks crash, when they aren't iced in. It's not really a leap to figure I wasn't thrilled about trying it out for the first time. SPOILER ALERT: I LIVED! I was amazed to find it quite easy, actually. Over the last two days I've discovered there's actually a color continuum from white to black (with icky brown in the middle) for how fast you can safely drive based on how the roads have been treated with salt and sand. Crazy, right!?

Things that don't work when it's -14F

- power windows - opening your door is a sucky alternative
- the hydraulics on the rear hatch of my Nissan - my head is sore from unloading boxes by myself :(
- house trained dogs - they quickly forget and decide anything is better
- gloves - might as well not be wearing them
- chap stick - I think it actually freezes

I have the awful feeling that I'll actually have to add to this list over the next couple months.

It feels so good to be "home" :)

Things I Forgot:
- my phone charger
- my wall-mount candle holder/art
- a USB mouse (can't use the touch pad wearing gloves)
- the title to my car

This trip brought to you by:
- Space Bags
- Laura's 5 mix CDs
- Burt's Bees chapstick
- Facebook mobile app/Samsung Epig4G
- free roaming
- Dad's very well done redneck engineering
- HeyTell
- a very sleepy ferret
- caffeine!

Tastes so good, make a grown man cry

This is the last thing I ate before leaving tonight. Pure awesome. Then I drove Nico (my Nissan :D) packed to the brim (and then some) with Little Boy (my ferret) listening to my first of 5 mix CDs from Laura. Note to Laura: Glad you didn't edit anything else out... I'm starting to think 5 won't be near enough :-/

ALSO! 200 miles down, 1300 to go

Horadric's Nissan (alternatively Marry Poppins' SUV)

I'm packed!!!

My Closet

I'm beginning to think I might be a girly girl after all... this doesn't include my shoes, OR my SUMMER clothes >.<  Maybe I'll ship some up to Maine?

Hayley!!!

My poor baby looks a little rough right now, but I can't wait to see her when I come home so I can take her on a drive up the coast!!!

For Sale

Things I'd rather have than this car right now:
- $1000 cash
- a nice pistol or two
- a full winter wardrobe
- a flat screen tv
- an iPad2
- 2 iphone4s
- a fairly comprehensive set of tools for my Japanese cars
- various Xterra parts
- health insurance
- 20 full tanks of gas
- all my laundry done for me for the next 5 years
- a job in Portland, ME
- a college degree
- an SCCA license (hah!)
- Nikon/Nikkor gear
- and last but not least, I'd totally settle for world peace :)

A Royal Mess

My dad said I have to keep a path open so the dogs can get to the window. Mostly Laddie (the doberman) steps on everything anyways. Its always best when his paw gets stuck in a little box, or he slips across the carpet on a hardcover book... Once I clean THIS mess up I can go through the OTHER half of my boxes >.<

The Beginning of the End!

Yesterday was my last day working at The Mac! Now I can really start working on getting to Maine. I got more boxes out of storage and sorted, canceled my gym membership, and started this blog... all while dancing through the day in a NyQuil haze (no small feat). Much thanks to Laura for putting up with my comatose, cranky self long enough to help get through three whole boxes.