Happy NYE, sort of.

Well, the weekend went pretty well. On Friday night, I attended a black tie gala at The Peabody Hotel in Downtown Memphis. It was a celebration for the Liberty Bowl football game that was played Saturday. The Andy Childs band did a great job with the main entertainment, playing lots of Memphis songs. Then, Taylor Hicks provided the after dinner entertainment. I stayed for a little of his performance, but not all. The dinner was great, and the atmosphere couldn't be beat.

Here's a photo from the event:















Saturday night, I attended a birthday party at Molly's Lounge. Last night, we wandered from restaurant to restaurant searching for dinner. The first place was no longer serving what we wanted to. After we sat down, the second place told us that it would be 30 minutes until the server was going to acknowledge us. The third place was just too crowded. Finally, we ended up at Sauces. I haven't been there in a while and it was pretty good-- especially considering the first 3 places.

That brings us to today: New Years Eve, 2007. Tomorrow will begin 2008 and I suppose new resolutions for most people. Since I made my resolutions at my birthday, I'm not sure that I'm going to want a lot more. But, if I did have to make one, I suppose it might be to weed people out of my life who aren't who they represent themselves to be-- and those with the wrong intentions.

On a lighter note, I'm happy to be off work tomorrow. Today will also probably be an abbreviated work day. I hope to use the two days to get a few things caught up in my life. Finally, my house is cleaned up. Next, I've got a to-do list that's about 2 months behind...

Randomness - Catch Up Post

I haven't written anything in around two weeks now. Every time I start to, there's either too much going on, or too little.

Christmas was good. I went to Oklahoma City and saw lots of friends and family. Every night I was home, I went out with a group of friends from high school. That's the first time I've ever done that when I've been back, and it was great! I definitely want to do it again. Another highlight of the trip was spending a day at my new friend Holly's farm. Holly and I went horseback riding for a few hours which was super fun.

I flew back from Oklahoma to Memphis on Christmas Day. The airport was surprisingly calm, and I was glad to be back. The only annoying part of the trip was the stupid person sitting next to me on the plane. She was one of those people who will hardly give you the courtesy of getting out of her seat to let you into yours. While I was sleeping, she started asking if I was a high school or college student in Memphis. Turns out she was taking a trip with her high school daughter, which put the entire situation in perspective. Rather than get into everything, I just said, "No, I work in Memphis." People should really work on making less assumptions. Ask something more general such as, "What do you do in Memphis?" or "What takes you to Memphis?" Although, I guess it can't be all bad when someone estimates your age to be 10 years or more less than it actually is. :~)

Let's see, since I've been back, I've worked some and rested more. Nobody's at work this week, so it's been quiet. The coolest part has been the goodie baskets that keep arriving. I spent a big part of my day yesterday just sorting through Godiva and Lindt chocolates, truffles, and snacks-- picking out my favorites.

The past few days I've also come home a little early and have taken a nap before spending time with friends. Wednesday night, I went to Spindini for dinner and last night, I went to a friend's place.

Tonight will be the fun one though. I've got a fabulous date lined up to the President's Gala for the Liberty Bowl. It's a black tie event that will be held at the Peabody with Taylor Hicks as the entertainment. Here's a little background. My only real concern is what to wear, and that's such a fun one! I can't wait.

Alright, I've sufficiently caught you up on the randomness in my life. See you again soon!

Catching Up: Email Bankruptcy

Email bankruptcy is defined as a term used to identify or explain a decision to close an e-mail account due to an overhwelming receipt of garbage messages, compared to legitimate messages.

It can also describe what just almost happened to me today. I have been doing housekeeping, and included in it was catching up on e-mails. I was returning e-mails as far back as OCTOBER!

At least it wasn't August or September, but still... I just almost had to declare e-mail bankruptcy myself!

Whew.

Ode to Oklahoma - Ice Paralyzes State

Alright, so a quick note is in order. As you probably know, I'm from Oklahoma and the weather has been terrible there the past few days. Everything has iced over and fallen tree limbs are causing traffic and power problems. In the worst outage in Oklahoma history, approximately 500,000 people are without power and it will remain that way for some time. Fortunately, both of my parents' power was turned back on by this morning. Unfortunately, my grandmother is still without power. In addition to the power headaches, a giant tree that was covered in ice fell on my dad yesterday. It pinned him to the ground and took a team of neighbors and an ambulance to get him out. After searching for an open doctor, he found that he has no long term injuries-- just pain, a sprained ankle, and cuts.


Just as I'm finishing this post, President Bush declared a state of emergency in Oklahoma.















Here's an article detailing the current weather situation in my hometown:


Oklahomans Sit In Dark As Ice Turns To Rain Statewide
OG&E Calls This Worst Power Outage In State History

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Many businesses and schools are closed across Oklahoma, and massive statewide power outages are as much to blame on Tuesday as ice-covered streets were on Monday. Authorities said more than 500,000 homes and businesses have lost power, and shelters are being opened across the state.

The bad news: Electric company officials said it could be a week before power is fully restored. The good news: Freezing rain that has plagued Oklahoma for two days turned to rain overnight Tuesday, as temperatures climbed above freezing.

Officials with Oklahoma Gas & Electric said they will have a better idea on Tuesday just how long the power will be out. First, crews said, they will assess how much damage has been done across the state. OG&E spokesman Brian Alford said they will target the most populated areas first.

"If we have an opportunity to restore 10,000, we'll take that first," he said.

OG&E has requested that those who lose power report the outage; however, they have asked that customers who have reported an outage not call again. They also request that people do not call them to ask when power will be restored.

At this point, officials said, they don't know.

Furthermore, a state of emergency was declared for all 77 Oklahoma counties, and a request for federal aid was approved by President George W. Bush on Tuesday morning. The emergency declaration authorizes federal resources to assist state and local governments.

Authorities have confirmed at least 15 people have died in this ice storm.

Ice disrupted flight operations and led to wrecks that killed 13 people. Freezing conditions also led to the hypothermia death of a 46-year-old Oklahoma City transient, the state medical examiner's office said. Tulsa officials also say a person died from smoke inhalation in a fire caused by the storm.

Most of the outages were in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa areas. Schools across the state were closed, including at the University of Oklahoma, where finals were set to start on Monday. Ice-laden trees crashed into homes and power lines.

Most morning flights at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City were canceled. Only one of the airport's three runways was operational. The other two were iced over. Tulsa International Airport was without power after an ice storm and a spokeswoman said it may be two days before electricity is restored.

Freezing conditions hampered crews who were battling a fire at Jones High School. Nobody was injured in the early-morning blaze, but firefighters said most of the school was destroyed.
Jones, a 2,500-person town 20 miles east of Oklahoma City, was without power and had very low water pressure because there was no electricity to power water well pumps.

A number of towns reported water problems as well, including in Norman, where city officials have asked residents to conserve water. Authorities said the city's water treatment plant lost power but that they are getting water from an emergency connection with Oklahoma City.

Four people were killed in a crash near Okemah just after 7 p.m. Sunday along Interstate 40 in Okfuskee County, police said. OHP spokeswoman Betsy Randolph said 11 vehicles were involved in the fiery crash between Okemah and Seminole. All 11 cars burned, authorities said.

One person was killed in southeast Oklahoma City when a Ford Explorer crashed head-on into a tree. Another person was badly hurt and transported to an area hospital. In all, authorities said two people were killed in Canadian and Oklahoma county crashes.

Aruna Patel, 58, of Altus, died from injuries suffered when the truck she was riding in slid into a bridge railing and then got broadsided by a sport utility vehicle Sunday on U.S. Highway 62 in Tillman County, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

The highway patrol also said an Elk City woman was killed when she was partially ejected from a truck that ran off the side of Interstate 40 and rolled 1½ times. The woman was identified as 44-year-old Michele C. McDaniel.

Troopers confirmed that another woman was killed in a weather-related crash in Beckham County on Saturday.

Another crash in the Oklahoma City metro area took a fire truck out of service. Police said a car smashed into the back of the truck near northeast 23rd Street and Lincoln Boulevard.
Additionally, troopers worked 19 injury crashes and another 80 non-injury collisions. OHP continues to discourage travel due to hazardous road conditions.

The highest accumulations of ice were reported at a half-inch in Miami and Bartlesville in northeastern Oklahoma and one-third of an inch in the eastern Oklahoma City suburb of Midwest City, and more pockets of freezing rain were still moving through the area, according to the National Weather Service. By the time the precipitation ends, forecasters said an inch of ice could be on roads, trees and power lines across Oklahoma City.

And that was only a preview of what was expected in the storm's second round. Another batch of ice was expected to move northward into the state overnight and continue dropping freezing rain into Monday. Up to three-quarters of an inch of ice was expected in some areas.

"(Monday) may be even more of a dilemma than today because we're going to get even a little bit more colder," John Pike, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service's Norman office, said Sunday.

The storm brought the cancellation of many church services, and Oklahoma State University also called off its football practice in Stillwater.

Pike said the most severe weather for Monday was expected along a line from Stillwater to Altus that would run directly through the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Slightly warmer temperatures were expected to melt some of the ice Tuesday, although rain remains in the forecast Tuesday and Wednesday.

Meteorologist Ray Sondat in the service's Tulsa office said temperatures in northeastern Oklahoma could reach into the upper 30s and even beyond 40 degrees in some areas Tuesday.

Havard Makes Going to Undergrade School a Little Cheaper

Yesterday, Harvard announced that they have officially sweetened their financial aid package for middle and upper-class students. As I mentioned this time last year, they've been considering the program in response to the criticism that elite colleges have become unaffordable for typical American students.

Undergraduates whose families make under $180,000 would be asked to pay 10% or less of their total annual incomes for a Harvard education. For example, a family making $100,000 per year would only be expected to pay around $10,000 per year-- down from their current $19,000 policy-- and WAY down from their standard tuition rate of $34,000 per year.

Harvard is setting a wonderful standard and should be commended. Family income level should not be such a determining factor for attending college in the US. At my own undergraduate school, it cost approximately $20,000 per year in tuition when I enrolled years ago. Their tuition rate for this year has made it up to $34,900 per year.

I am so happy that Harvard has decided to set the example on this one. I hope that it won't be long that the other top universities, including the Ivies, will follow suit.

For more information, check out Google News.

Weekend Recap

The weekend is just coming to a close, and boy was it a memorable one. I saw many friends, had great food, and attended wonderful parties. One high school friend came and stayed the entire weekend.

Then randomly, another high school friend called this afternoon and stopped in for dinner on his way to Virginia. He recently moved back to Oklahoma from D.C. and was sure to tell me about his latest corn dog story from Sonic.

As I mentioned yesterday, there was a party for the new feathery addition. There was also another international party that I stopped by for a few minutes on Friday night. We wrapped up Friday with disco dancing at Raiford's.

Last night included a lovely meal at Felicia Suzanne's with my neighbors. We also stopped by Swig, and EP's. Last, I ended up at the Green Beetle where I played darts for the first time ever (and won!). So fun.

So fun that I didn't get home until around the same time that I'll be getting up for work tomorrow. Crazy.

Although the weekend was wonderful, I'm back in that space again where you feel like you may need a vacation from the vacation. I've had a lot on my mind lately. I've been doing my best to stay busy, but at some point, I've started to feel like the wheels are spinning but I'm not going anywhere. It's probably time to have a little peace and quiet again.

With that, I'm going to bed.

Welcome Lars Vegas

My friend Freddie just got a new bird and last night was his big unveiling. Lars Vegas was officially baptized with Memphis water over a champagne toast last night.

Lars is a parrot whose intelligence is eventually expected to reach that of a 2 year old. Freddie has already begun to teach him new words and sounds. Apparently, he loves showering, napping, and watching Scooby Doo. That's a lot for a parrot!

Anyway, check out all the photos from Lars Vegas' baptism here.

Welcome Lars Vegas!

I LOVE the Internet! Facebook Privacy Petition

A few days ago, I joined a petition in Facebook called, "Facebook, stop invading my privacy!" So did around 60,000 other Facebook users.

Apparently, they were listening!

Today, the following article appeared in the Wall Street Journal:

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and chief executive of Facebook Inc., apologized Wednesday for gaffes the company made in rolling out a controversial new advertising system, and said users would be able to disable the system entirely.

Facebook last week tweaked the ad program, known as Beacon, after more than 50,000 users raised privacy concerns about features that tell Facebook users what their friends are doing and buying on other Web sites.

Facebook made the changes last week without much public comment from its executives, but Mr. Zuckerberg weighed in Wednesday of Facebook's corporate blog.

"We've made a lot of mistakes building this feature, but we've made even more with how we've handled them," Mr. Zuckerberg wrote. "We simply did a bad job with this release, and I apologize for it."

Mr. Zuckerberg said Facebook took too long to react to user complaints. He said Facebook is releasing a privacy control to allow users to turn off Beacon completely, and he hopes "this new privacy control addresses any remaining issues we've heard about from you."


The flurry of criticism for Beacon and Zuckerberg's mea culpa underscore the heightened scrutiny Facebook is under as its user base soars and as investment money pours in. The three-part advertising plan Facebook announced last month is an attempt to wring a financial bonanza from its devoted users, but it's increasingly clear Facebook's road to marketing riches will be bumpy.

Mr. Zuckerberg said he hopes the change to Beacon "addresses any remaining issues we've heard about from you." But Facebook's move wasn't enough for some critics.


"This is an attempt to hope the privacy mob will simply disappear into the digital ozone," said Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, which is advocating tighter regulatory oversight for marketing on social networks and other online properties.

Mr. Chester said Facebook shouldn't include its users in Beacon unless they expressly indicate they want to participate.


More broadly, Mr. Chester said he's worried about the amount of information people share on social networks - including names and addresses, political affiliation and other sensitive data - and the Web sites' increasing efforts to tie marketing to that information.

Both Facebook and MySpace have announced recently new marketing schemes that target ads based on the interests people indicate on their profiles. MySpace parent company News Corp. is slated to acquire Dow Jones & Co., publisher of the Wall Street Journal.

Left and Right Brained

Suprise-- I'm 1/2 left brained and 1/2 right brained...!

You Are 45% Left Brained, 55% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

And Then There Was Raiford's...

Last night was another good night. The crew met up at Swig and then headed to Molly's Lounge. Lastly, we stopped at Raiford's. It was a great night with great friends!

Check out the photos here.

Elf Yourself

Haha- I'm an elf!! Office Max has created a fantastic Internet marketing site! Check out my little dance here.

Friday Update

Well, it's been practically a week since I wrote an update.... so here goes nothing... I drove back to Memphis on Sunday night and the week has been a blurr since then.

It's been a week filled with happy hours and news from friends. I've hardly had any time at home and actually only because I woke up 1/2 an hour early this morning have I been able to write this blog or finally start doing laundry. Last night, I didn't get home until around 11 PM and I walked straight to my bed and went to sleep until this morning. That's been the pattern I've repeated every day.

I don't think I've even watched any TV. I did however hook up Guitar Hero, which I recommend highly! As I mentioned, I finally learned to play over the weekend and now I've been able to set up my own game.

On friend news-- One of my close friends accepted a job this week in Atlanta, so he'll be moving there. He's going to be starting an entirely new life, and I get the sense that he's really going to like it. I'm hoping that I may be able to visit! Other friends told me stories of being stranded in a foreign country with no passport...of new events...and life changing moments. All in all, it's been a good week!

Tonight, I'm going to have another go at happy hour-- and will be meeting up with friends again after work. This may turn into a Raiford's night, seeing as the Atlanta friend will be soon moving.
Tomorrow, I'm going to do my best to be up and presentable by 8 AM. The St. Jude Half Marathon is in the morning and 3 of my friends are running in it. I'm hoping to find another person who wants to watch for a few minutes and then go have breakfast. Hopefully, the bulk of the day tomorrow will be productive, but really... it seems as if when it's the most important to be productive is when the least gets done. Tomorrow night, I'll be attending a friend's birthday dinner and party.

I'm very excited about Sunday! After my last post regarding horseback riding, I found a coach! I start on Sunday afternoon.

Well, that's the summary of the week. Paul reposted a link to a great article in the Commercial Appeal about The Warehouse. This is such a cool place and right down the street from me, so I thought I'd share.

Thanksgiving Recap: Horses, Food, and Family

I just woke up, but before I jump back on the road to head to Memphis, it's time for a re-cap of the weekend. As mentioned previously, I've been in Oklahoma City this Thanksgiving holiday.

The first part of the weekend, I spent with one half of my family in OKC. We had Thanksgiving dinner, went shopping, and I went to the spa (see previous post).

Yesterday, I went to Shawnee, OK and spent the day with my family there. We started with lunch and then went to a farm to go horseback riding. I haven't been in quite a few years, so I had a fun time. After riding, we went to a cool new pub called Knuckles where I lost in pool against my little brother. My brothers were once so tiny that they'd lay across the pool table to take a shot, but no more. They're fully capable of beating me in almost everything now and it SUCKS! ha. After pool, we went to visit one of my brothers' friends who LOVES to play Guitar Hero. Together, they taught me to play, so now I'm ready to set up the Guitar Hero game that I got for my birthday. Looking forward to it!

Here are a few photos.

A Little About Where I Grew Up: Moore, Oklahoma

I've gotten quite a few questions this week about my hometown of Moore, Oklahoma. I was planning to mention it today since it's so cold that it may snow tomorrow. But, with all the questions, lets just give a few facts.

Moore is located just south of Oklahoma City and north of Norman, Oklahoma. It was founded during the Oklahoma land-run of 1889. The land run was when the unassigned lands of Indian territory were opened up for citizens who could race out and stake which land they wanted to own. Those who snuck onto the land early were called "Sooners", which nowdays you see on TV as the mascot for the University of Oklahoma.

Now, Moore has approximately 50,000 people. When I lived there, it had 2 high schools, but I guess this year they're building a 3rd. They also have 5 junior highs and 21 elementary schools. According to Wikiepdia, it's within a 20 minute drive to downtown Oklahoma City, the OK capital, the OKC airport, the Air Force base here, and OU.

One of the most important things to note is that the city gets a freaking ton of tornados-- some of the worst. If you've ever seen Twister, you know what I'm getting at. In 1999, the most violent tornado ever measured on Earth happened here. I was in NY at the time and watched the whole thing unfold on CNN. It's an important thing to note because it leveled practically half of the city and caused around $1.1 Billion in damage. This is one of reasons why I'm lost half the time I'm here!

A few notable people who grew up here include Kellie Coffey and Toby Keith.

One of the questions I've gotten a few times lately is 'what do you like to eat when you go home?' It's a tough one, but here are a few suggestions:

> Fried peaches with extra cream cheese dipping sauce at Harry Bear'x
> Chicken fried steak sandwich supreme at Del Rancho
> Cherry limeade slush and cheddar peppers with ranch dressing at Sonic
> The sopapilas at any Mexican place
> Chicken nuggets at Grandy's
> Hot fudge carmel sundae with butter pecan icecream from Braum's
> Sugar cookies with THICK icing from Darlene's Cakes
> A peaches and cream snow cone during the summer at any vendor

So, that should be enough to get you started. Avoid the wind and happy eating!

Black Friday

Amazingly, I actually went out shopping today. This is pretty much a first for me, as I generally stay as far from the malls as possible on the day after Thanksgiving.

But, I went ahead and braved the crowds today to opt for planning ahead. I purchased gifts for my 3 nieces, 1 nephew, and my twin brothers. On top of that, I found a wristlet for me.

You might be suprised, but I did all of this shopping in under 2 hours. Shopping malls are just not my favorite place!

I made an interesting discovery when I stopped by a western store on the way home. I went in looking for a country belt and came out with something completely different: Lucky t-shirts. The country store was PACKED full of Lucky jeans, Lucky t-shirts, and Lucky dress shirts.

They were all priced at around 25% of their normal retail price. I was just amazed. In California, Lucky is like a stylish version of the Gap. It's where you go for $100 jeans, instead of $200 jeans. They're also relatively alternative looking for many people...

On that topic, they sell quite a few mens shirts that look like old style cowboy shirts. In LA, the stylish guys wear these shirts with their expensive jeans and designer shoes. Apparently, in Oklahoma cowboys actually wear the shirts with cowboy boots.

Wow, so anyway... that was an interesting find. I picked up two Lucky deals!

Angie's Favorite Spa Recommendations

Today, I did what I do just about every time I visit Oklahoma-- I wondered where I could find a good spa. I luckily thought to call my little brother, who in turn asked one of his friends. Considering that my brother is in high school, he was not too happy about my request this morning (especially since he was still in bed at noon when I called).

Thank goodness though because her recommendation was amazing! I had a wonderful day at the spa. It was especially impressive considering I called very last minute and it's a holiday for many people. I had two treatments, including a great massage. Afterward, they offered wine! Now, that's my kind of place. :~)

With all this said, here are a few of my favorite spa recommendations:

Cottonwood Spa, Edmond, OK - This is the great spa that I went to today. The spa is clean and modern. The staff is professional and does a great job. They also have a gift shop and hair salon. It's an all around good experience that I recommend if you're in Oklahoma City.

Gould's Spa at the Peabody, Memphis, TN - This is the spa where I'm a regular. I go here for everything from a manicure and pedicure to a facial to a massage. It's a nice and convenient facility if you live in or are visiting Downtown Memphis. It's located in the bottom of the Peabody Hotel, which is one of my favorite locations in Memphis. I enjoy visiting the spa on my day off and then after, walking up to sit in the lobby and people watch. In the Peabody, everyone's always happy. ;-)

Le Petit Retreat, Los Angeles, CA - Probably the best massage I've ever had was received at Let Petit Retreat in Los Angeles. It's a small facility with service that is unparalleled by any typical spa. When you arrive for a massage, they seat you on a comfortable couch in a room with soft drinks and snacks and put a warm pad on your shoulders. Before you even make it to the massage, you're relaxed. Then, the masseuse takes you into a wonderful tent / cabana that sits outdoors for the treatment. It's very unique and completely worth trying. I recommend the hot stone massage here.

Burke Williams, Santa Monica, CA - Burke Williams is a wonderful spa that offers consistent and available service. With a huge facility, many different treatment options, and plenty of staff, you could spend days at Burke Williams. Their locker rooms and relaxation areas are unparalleled. They almost always have openings. This is a great option if you're booking something for a group, last minute, or if you want to have a large selection of treatment options. When you call for an appointment, be sure to notice how streamlined their process is. They have one number for all of their locations and the person taking your order is completely on top of things.

Hotel Botanico and The Oriental Spa Garden, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain - Hands down, if you ever want to make a vacation out of a spa, go here! The entire hotel is built around the spa experience with around 5 different types of saunas, multiple pools, treatment areas, and more. They have all sorts of equipment and machines that I've never seen in the US. It's just an overall wonderful, relaxing experience. My only caution is that you may not speak the same language as anyone there... not that this is normally an issue, but it did create a few interesting stories from my trip.

Recommendation Needed: Memphis Horseback Riding Trainer

I need your help: I'm currently in the process of finding a new barn to ride horses at. Unfortunately, because Memphis is much less country than Nashville, there aren't many places to do this. There are places like Shelby Farms that give trail rides, but that's not quite what I'm looking for.

What I am looking for is this: A barn and a coach that offer English riding lessons, including jumping (i.e. hunt seat). I'd like a place that has healthy horses that can be used for the lessons.

They also need to be sure to have an indoor arena for cold or windy days. I'm hoping to find something tucked away in Germantown or Collierville. Surely there's something, right?

So far, I've looked on the American Quarter Horse Association site, and other sites geared toward either tack or English style riding. Great sites, unfortunately no mention of a coach in Memphis.

As you may have noticed, this isn't my first rodeo. :~) I rode horses growing up in Oklahoma and then continued through college. It's been around 5 years now since I stopped and the time has come to get back into it!

So, I need your help! It must be out there. There are most certainly Memphians jumping their horses! If you hear of something, please contact me at horseback@angiedawn.net.

Thank you!!
Angie

Thanks and Giving

To my surprise, I'm in Oklahoma City yesterday evening. At the last minute, I decided to come here for Thanksgiving with my family. I'm very much looking forward to it. I remembered to bring a bottle of wine, which hopefully I won't forget in my suitcase! (hint)

Anyway, the drive here was much more pleasant than normal-- significantly so. One of my friends from high recently moved to Arkansas, around midway between Memphis and OKC. I stopped at his place on the way and he drove the rest of the way. It was perfect!

More to come later...

New Year, New Goals

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had a birthday recently. Thanks to everyone who made it out or sent their well wishes. It was one of the best birthdays ever!



In all, around 30 people joined me in my celebration which snaked along the Downtown Memphis trolley from Harry's Detour to Circa to EP's Delta Kitchen to Earnestine & Hazel's. It was wonderful!


Because I'm getting older this year, I've been thinking about the goals I'd like to acheive this year. My biggest goal is to try new things and to devote a significant amount of time to being happy. That's fairly general, I know. But, I've spent the better part of the last 10 years trying to "achieve." I'm finally to a place where I'd like to "enjoy!"


Along those lines, I'd also like to take more time to get back into things I haven't done in a while like horseback riding. I'd like to take more time to travel. I'm considering even trading in my practical car for something sporty.


And, after having fun and enjoying, I'd also like to document! In other words, I'll try to blog more and take and share more photos.


Along those lines, I'm going to go ahead and post photos of my early years to Facebook, and maybe here. For starters, here's me enjoying my first birthday and doing what I do best, eating!

Birthday Wishes

Thanks Paul for mentioning me on your blog twice this week. Yes, it is in fact my birthday coming up-- and in preparation, here's a fun article from CNN.com:

Approaching 30 can cause angst for some twentysomethings. But for Jen MacNeil, it was a reason to celebrate her life and try some pretty cool things. MacNeil decided to give her 20s a big sendoff by doing one new thing every day from her 29th birthday until the day she turns 30.The things she says she has tried range from giving someone a haircut and learning to fold fancy napkins to castrating a calf (which she says isn't as gory as it sounds) and serenading an overworked customer service representative. Some of her favorite experiences include adopting an endangered species (a blue-footed booby), culturing organic honey by using a chainsaw and attending an Al-Anon meeting. Of course, being featured on CNN makes the list, too.MacNeil documents all of her adventures and misadventures on her blog: In the New. She gets hundreds of readers from all over the world, inspiring people to step outside their comfort zones. As she says on her blog, "Life is short, let's make it interesting."