Treasures of Highway 21

I am pretty excited right now, especially since it is exactly midnight as I start this. My current living arrangement is pretty sah-weet.

Upon further review of my closet situation, I decided to bring a new chest of drawers into my life. A dangerous move, perhaps it's too soon, but I was willing to take the plunge.

On my commute home on Highway 21 (a backroad in South Carolina ... who would'a thought?), I pass by a little shop called Bits and Pieces Used Furniture. It's always seemed a little sketch, but I thought I might be able to find a deal. Little did I know!

I went in and a big guy helped me around the old rockers, desks, shelves, and scattered lamps. Even though they were all a little bit tired, they all had their own stories - most originating pre-1980. Nerdy, but cool. Very Brave Little Toaster-esque.

I saw this chest and fell head over heels. I don't know what kind of wood it is - maybe cherry? - but it is gorgeous. Definitely hand-made, the guy said it was at least 50 years old. Just think of its story! And yes, it was rather dirty, but a little lovin' with some Old English and it was back. I got some Cedar planks this afternoon to keep out the critters and some drawer liner to keep my clothes sqeeky clean, and I'll move it to the closet in the morning after it has a chance to breathe for a night.

When I was cleaning it, I found some turquoise glitter in the bottom drawer. The memory of a girl's dance costume, of course. Her dad made it for his little girl's 8th birthday. I wonder where they are today.

Hopefully it likes its new home - I'll give it another story.

ch-changes

Ok ok, it's been a while. Not that anyone reads this, but it's nice to take the thoughts out of my brain and put them into cyberspace for the entire human population to access and judge me accordingly. Comforting, truly.

My trip to Seattle was "interesting," to say the least. All of my expectations were completely wrong! (I take that back. The family drama was hardly unpredictable, har har har.) The people and places I thought I had a deep, lifelong connection with proved to be distant and changed; relationships with the most random were temporarily made to pass the time. Life is so dramatically different, yet tragically identical.

We're all at that age where stuff actually starts to matter. Bills have to be paid, jobs become a priority, and the network of people to keep us afloat is vital. The hard part is figuring out where all those things stack up against each other.

I think it'd be easier to stuff my head in a book for the next ten years and have an awesome career. I haven't decided if I want to get married, let alone have kids. Sure, it's like ten years away, but it's still kind of a big deal. I should probably DATE. But I don't wanna, no ma'am.

Blah blah blah, back to the topic. I'm changing. Sorta. "Times change, people don't," said Susan Tullar. Right-o. I had a slapintheface the other day when I was with a handfull of people. I was so not happy, but I kept going back to that 7th grade feeling: they are normal, I need to be like them. Force it. Make it work. Suck in your stomach and smile, pretend to be having a ball even though you have NO CLUE why you are still here.

I'm done pretending. Finished! I'm not normal. I don't watch a lot of TV. I don't work out and don't wear size 2. I don't go to church, but I'm pretty grounded in my beliefs. I have huge dreams that I'm almost ashamed of. I'm in the band, but I don't think I'm a "band geek." I like economics. I love to wear high heels, but won't dress up to go to the movies. I have a hiccup and hideous feet. I'm not happy with how I look, but you might not believe me because I was trained to sit up straight. If you can't say it out loud or look me in the eye, it's not worth saying or listening to. I never want to be dependent on anyone else for as long as I live, but that doesn't mean I want to be alone. I really really really like smart people who can question the world and have their own ideas, who aren't afraid to speak up. My family truly does mean the world to me, and every one of them is probably a hundred times cooler than all my friends.

I want to "fit in," but I have yet to find people that I really want to fit in with.

Facebook will probably be gone next week. Bookmark this page or something, I'll keep you updated. Because srsly, I need to get a life.

Love ya bye!

surprise!

Surprise! We missed you!

What? You still remember who I am? I can't believe it. It's been great to be back, but I am still a little shocked that you actually wanted to see me. Somehow, I always thought I was the totally forgettable type. The girl who sat in a corner and didn't want to ____. But, whatever, that's a long time ago. It's awesome that we can still hang out and laugh about the same things.

Goodbyes always feel easier when there's hope in the future. Then you get to where you're going and erase erase erase all memories of that place you once belonged. But that's not healthy, and it definitely doesn't work.

Seattle, the city, is AMAZING. Mill Creek? Not so much.

We all have our problems, and I know I probably talk about mine a little too much. But right now, it is almost 2 in the morning Pacific time, and I am totally happy. And super tired.

If I had one of those kinda nerdy cartoon Ts with the "Life is Good" logo, I'd be wearing it right now.

compare&contrast

So, I'm in the lovely little town of Mill Creek right now, and North Carolina is not bad at all. However, there are some things that Washington has that are just "better." Here's the list of things I see over the next week or so.

Reasons Why Washington Rules
You don't need sunglasses all the time
Taco Time is the best fast food ever
Got trees?
Fred Meyer. The best thing since sliced bread.
"Going Green" is a way of life
Puget Sound, the most beautiful place on earth
No one would ever ask "what church do you go to" without prompting
There are no cicadas. Or cicada killer bees.
The mountains are real. They blow up.
Hurricanes and tornadoes? What are those?
The music scene is truly unstoppable.

Reasons Why North Carolina Rules
Bank of America ... the ATMs don't need envelopes.
Harris Teeter, where they unload your cart for you and are super clean and super nice and have 30 different types of cheese
The chicken is real at Chick-fil-A
The Evening Muse. GO THERE.
Minimal clothing required, it's always 80 degrees+
Volcanoes and earthquakes? What are those?
The world is shrinking, so it doesn't really matter where you are.


more to come ... but probably not.

less than three

It's been less than three years since I made the move. I cannot believe how much Charlotte feels like "home" now, whatever that means. Somehow I think feeling totally comfortable in Mill Creek is not going to come easy.

I can't decide if I want to open those doors again. Nope, I haven't told everyone I am coming back, and I think that's ok. Sometimes absolutes are a good thing. Once you say goodbye to each other and hug and tear up and whatever, that's it. Forgetting someone is very unlikely, but I'd rather not try and revive something that woulda-coulda-shoulda been. Having an awkward lunch and having to repeat the goodbyes is not my idea of fun.

But there are the surprises. The people I thought I would never see or talk to again who somehow manage to appear again. We're all different people now, but we still have the good times in common and maybe that's enough to find some peace and closure.

In other news, I've been watching way too much Sex and the City lately. Haven't seen the movie, but the show is delightful. I also am starting to come down with a cold maybe, right before I get on a plane, go to my hometown, see a few old friends, and want to look and feel by best. Fan-freaking-tastic.

Don't worry, I'll get better at this whole blog thing as time goes on. Who reads this junk anyway?

Glad we got the chance to talk.

contacts, the soft kind.

I got contacts this week.

The doctor was quite friendly and explained what my eyes were doing; both have astigmatism, and one is slightly caddywhompus. I'm getting used to pulling my eye apart and putting a piece of plastic over the colored part, it's not as uncomfortable as I thought.

Doctors' offices are always interesting and awkward. I arrived early for my appointment, and people-watched for a little bit. The office is in the corporate center uptown, and I love that atmosphere. I like busy people that have somewhere to be, ladies that are classy and well-dressed, gentlemen that stand up straight and look you in the eye.

I want to be part of that world. I want to grow up and be a businesswoman, unstoppable. I want that on-the-go lifestyle, working with bright people in a beautiful city.

Can I get there from here? A music major at Winthrop?

We'll see.

1

Finally.

It's 2:30 AM. I have to be up in three hours.

But I have started something new.

Whoopieee!