Got my Nissan, screw Honda.

Well, I FINALLY got my Nissan back! After 2.5 weeks and $121, I got it back. They replaced the throttle body sensor, fuel pump and computer as well as cleaned and lubed the sunroof tracks and changed the oil. What they didn't do..was my state inspection. They had it for 16 days and didn't get that little thing done?? When I picked it up, they told me I could leave it there another day for them to do it. Um..no thanks..I'll take it to someone who won't jerk me around.

They did wash my car though..which wasn't on their list of things I asked for...but didn't clean the inside which is where all the greasy, oily hand and fingerprints were. They even got grease on my seat and refused to detail it for free. When I bought the car..they said they'd detail it and never did..so..let me send out a big F YOU to Sanford Honda. I understand that Nissan's the one who did all the work..but I left the car in Honda's care..so they should be responsible since they're the ones who sublet the work to Nissan. Am I wrong to think that? I am thankful, however, that this was a warranty fix, because if it hadn't been, I'd have paid $1400 instead of $121. Yikes.

The other thing I'm confused about is that I dropped it off with a full tank of gas and the odometer read 94511. The receipt has the end mileage listed at 94521, but when I looked at it..it actually read 94555 and I only had a half tank of gas. Um..ok. I understand they have to test drive it, but half a tank of gas for 44 miles?? I don't think so. Honda denied any knowledge of it saying that Carolina Nissan must have been the ones to do it...but it was Honda's receipt that listed the incoming and outgoing mileage.

I feel a bit scammed..but at least my car's running and I don't have to drive the big ol' truck anymore. I was getting some flirty looks from some old grubby rednecks. Apparently there's something about a woman driving a pick up that appeals to certain men. All I was lacking was a tattoo on the back of my neck, a ponytail pulled through a Nascar hat, a wife-beater, daisy dukes, a can of Skoal and a Git-R-Done sticker. That just screams sexy, duttinit?

Nissan Update

I was asked by a couple people here at work when I was getting my Nissan back and thought I'd update everyone. It turned out not to be the accelerator sensor, but the throttle body sensor. The Honda dealer I bought it from had to take it to the Nissan place to have it worked on..so now they've had it for over a week.They told me that if the sensor didn't fix the problem that they'd have to replace the entire throttle body...which isn't covered by my warranty and would cost me $705. They also replaced the fuel pump b/c it was rattling on a cold start.

So..Wednesday, they replaced the sensor and low and behold...(drum roll please).....it didn't fix the problem. They think it's the computer but don't know if it'll have to be replaced or if it can be fixed..and that's the last I heard. Come Monday, it'll have been 2 weeks since I dropped it off. Even once the Honda place gets it back, they have to do an oil change and state inspection. If the throttle body has to be replaced..I'll just buy the part online and let Jeff do it. If the computer has to be replaced..well, at least that's also covered by warranty.

Some have asked me why I took it to a Honda dealer instead of straight to Nissan. Well, the stipulations in my warranty say I have to take it to the issuing dealer in order to make a claim...but it shouldn't be taking this long. I know they drag their feet on warranty fixes b/c they're not getting paid..but this sucks. On the up side, at least they can get it all fixed at one time and I only have to pay the $100 deductible one time instead of several and only have to drop it off this one time.

If I get REALLY lucky...I can go pick it up tomorrow..but that'll never happen. Karma sucks..I must've really pissed someone off up there! C'est la vie.

If it's not ready by next Wednesday at the latest..I'm tempted to just tell them to pay me for the freakin' car and I'll go somewhere else and buy a new one. Well..new to me.

Idiosyncrasies

I've had some strange dreams this week that I can't seem to interpret. Normally, I can pull the meaning out of them and cut through the crap....but these..made no sense. The first was a dream about Jeff and I going to visit Don Knots in a nursing home and he wouldn't let us touch his sheets. He was also trying to sell us dog collars. He was lucid and talkative, but would get angry when we'd get close to the bed. He was very protective of his bedsheets. ??? No idea.

The 2nd one was today where I was a bridesmaid in my ex's wedding. I thought it strange and was trying to avoid him, but his mother insisted I go to the front of the church. She also made it known that she did not like me at all whatsoever because I kept pornographic pictures on my bedroom walls..which infuriated me since it's not true. She finally believed me and apologized for holding a grudge against me for the past 9 years.

I hid under a piano that was part of the pew and she dragged me out to force me to have a picture taken with another ex who was also a bridesmaid. What's strange..is that she wasn't one of James' ex's...but one of Kevin's..who's another ex of mine. I walked up for the picture and was crying and was afraid James would think I was upset b/c he was getting married..but it was b/c I was embarrassed about just being there since I hadn't seen him in 8 years. When I wiped my tears away, Kevin's ex and I put our arms around each other for the picture. Then..the photographer wanted a pic of us with Jame's wife.

Jeff was sitting near the front of the church and I walked up to him...and all of a sudden I looked like I was about 8 months pregnant. James and I never said a word to each other and I never even looked him in the face..I never saw his wife or anything. I asked his mom why I was even a bridesmaid and she said it was because he didn't know what else to do with me.

WTF? I hadn't thought about James in a LONG time and now this weird ass dream out of nowhere? There were several other strange dreams this week, but I don't remember them. These were the only 2 that stuck out. Maybe I'm just stressed out and my brain's being overactive while I sleep. The past couple of weeks have been stressful financially since my Nissan's still in the shop and won't be ready until next week. They'll have had it for over 2 weeks by the time I can go pick it up.

I did have a wonderful trip to the beach with Kelly this past weekend and that was relaxing. We talked all day and laughed while swimming in the ocean and pool...ate cheap but good mexican food and did some shopping. But...other than that day at the beach...things have been stressful.

Jeff had to replace the alternator in the truck and spent the weekend changing the timing belt, water pump, etc. in his Miata and kept having to go back to the parts store to get stuff..then had a radiator leak and spent Tuesday refixing some stuff...so it was expensive in the end. And..since I won't have my Nissan back by this weekend, we have to take the Chevy Caprice to Roanoke and it sucks some serious gas. If you're wondering...we have 5 cars. Yes..they all run and we use 4 of them on a frequent basis. The 5th..is the Audi 90 which Jeff would like to sell..so if you're interested..let me know. It has no right side headlight due to deer damage and therefore can't pass inspection, but if you want it for parts..please come haul the bitch off....it'll be one less thing to be stressed over.

For now, I'm looking forward to a weekend in Roanoke where I can go celebrate the marital union of some friends and drink to their happiness. And there's free food..so that's always a plus! Until next time...stay safe and keep happy.

The Car Slayer

This day has SUCKED. As you all know..the accelerator sensor went out on my Nissan Friday on my way into work. This morning on my way home, the truck died on me and I had to pull off into someone's driveway because country roads don't have shoulders. The short version is that he towed the truck back to the house, I paid him and he left. Jeff spent the day putting a new alternator in it..because he's just awesome. I got no sleep..it's that time of the month, my sinuses are killing me...so I called in to work. I needed a mental health day. Tomorrow, I have to figure out how to get my Nissan to the mechanic since the gas pedal is unresponsive most of the time. I can't afford another tow truck.

I've just had the worst luck lately! Just in the past few months, it's been the septic line, the hot water heater, the refrigerator, the AC, and 2 cars....wtf? I must have made someone pretty angry.OH..and a random thought..My grandpa had a mini-stroke last week and Mom didn't tell me. He'll be ok, but I talked to her Saturday and she didn't mention it. Grrrr.

But..on the up side...my sister's coming down this weekend and we're going to the beach for a day..so that'll be a much needed break and a LOT of fun!! Then..in September..we're planning a family vacation in Maggie Valley, NC which is part of the Smokies..so I'm really looking forward to that too. White water rafting, here I come!! Though..with my luck lately..maybe it'd be too much of a risk. Sigh. Ok..I'm off to take a much needed bubble bath and try to con Jeff into giving me a foot massage. I hope everyone's summer is going better than mine has been so far!

If you're counting, this makes # 4

If you're one of the few who has kept up with my blog, you know my AC went out last summer....again. That was the 3rd July in a row. The fan burned up every time, so the last time, we just got a bigger fan to move more air. Today, it went out again. The fourth, yes..fourth summer in 5 years that it's gone out. Only this time, it wasn't the fan. The fan was still moving and pushing air, it just wasn't cold. Now..any of you familiar with a southern summer, know it's MISERABLE. I have to sleep during the day when it's the hottest..which just wasn't happening today. It was 92 in my house when I left for work. So, I'm here for 12 hours on 1 hour of sleep.

Oh, and it doesn't stop there. As if my day wasn't already sucking, my car crapped out on my way to work. It lurched a little and the check engine light came on..and the gas pedal quit responding. As my speed kept dropping, I pulled over and tried to switch to neutral to see if i could rev the engine. I accidentally pushed it into reverse just before it rolled to a stop..and nothing happened. At all. So, I thought my engine had died..but it was still running. I turned it off and then back on and it seemed ok. I got about another mile up the road and the same thing happened, so I turned around and went home. Jeff was in Greensboro getting the part to fix our AC, so I couldn't get a ride from him or use his car..so my happy ass drove the truck in today.

If 1 more thing had gone wrong, I was staying home because it would have done me no good to come in here. Jeff's at home now messing with my car and from what he said, it's pretty serious. UGH. This was my first..and will be the LAST Nissan I ever own. I've had soooo many problems with it and it's only a 2002. I'd sell it, but I owe what it's worth and have no money to put towards a new one. So..I'll just drive the hell out of it and laugh at it's funeral. Or..get it paid off, hang on to in a couple more years while saving money..and then get a new one. Ok..I'm going to go get food..so in short, I love my AC...and Nissan's suck monkey butt. The End.

So long Don Herbert....

I remember getting off the school bus, running into the house, throwing my book bag and shoes on the floor so I could hurry up and get to the TV. I'd plop down on the couch with some orange juice and a big quilt and flip the TV to Nickelodeon just to watch his show. Don Herbert was fascinating to me. I learned a lot from him..like how a bird flies and why you're taller first thing in the morning. In fact, I probably learned more from him than I did my science teachers. I found out just a few minutes ago that on June 12, 2007 Don Herbert, better known as Mr. Wizard, died from bone cancer about a month before his 90th birthday.

It's so sad that the next generation will never be able to learn from him. While his shows are apparently on DVD now, it's not the same. They won't have the anticipation as they ride the bus home. He was the only reason I'd get up early on a Saturday morning. Well, to be fair...him and Tom & Jerry. I'd always sit on the couch, usually with my sister..snuggled under a quilt my great grandmother made and we'd watch him along with the cartoons. Ah..great days and great memories.

I just wanted to take this past few minutes to honor Mr. Wizard for all the great stuff I learned from him and for all the time he put into making learning fun. You can read a small article on him here. Also, if you're interested in other celebrities that have passed on, you can go to www.deadpeople.info and look them up. That's how I found out about Mr. Wizard. Sigh..It upsets me that Anna Nicole Smith has gotten soooo much press, but there wasn't any mention of Mr. Wizard on the news. How messed up is that? Anyhow..so long Mr. Wizard...you will be truly missed.

Ding Dong....

The Psycho's gone!!! Buttface quit yesterday! Oh glorious day! I won't get into details, but after a meeting w/ the man, he turned in his notice and walked out. Of course, he lied about a few things on his way out, but they've changed the code on the door and took his ID..so hopefully, this will be the end of it. Considering how much drama he brought in here, it seemed rather anti-climatic to be honest.

Somehow, I just feel like this isn't over and I'm a little scared. He has the type of personality that he'd want to go out with some style...just to be remembered and get attention. We looked up the traits for a narcissistic person and he fit 34 out of 36 characteristics. I can't find the original one I looked at..but here's one that does a good job of explaining it.

http://www.halcyon.com/jmashmun/npd/traits.html
..>
..amoral/conscienceless authoritarian care only about appearances contemptuous critical of others cruel disappointing gift-givers don't recognize own feelings envious and competitive feel entitled flirtatious or seductive grandiose hard to have a good time with hate to live alone
..hyper-sensitive to criticism impulsive lack sense of humor naive passive pessimistic religious secretive self-contradictory stingy strange work habits unusual eating habits weird sense of time..>

If you go to the link, you can read the explanations of them all and it makes more sense. I also looked up the traits for a psychopath and well...it's almost dead on. Scary. If you're interested..read this article which explains the different levels of psychopathy and the 20 characteristics. It's an article about a seminar Robert Hare gave. Hare is one of the top criminal psychologists in the world. There's even a quiz you can take to see if anyone you know is a psychopath! Buttface scored a 14 out of 16...but that's just from my point of view. Someone else may know him better..or not as well and get a different answer. Here's the 20 traits:

Glib and superficial charm; Grandiose sense of self-worth; Need for stimulation; Pathological lying; Conning and manipulativeness; Lack of remorse or guilt; Shallow affect; Callousness and lack of empathy; Parasitic lifestyle; Poor behavioral controls; Promiscuous sexual behavior; Early behavior problems; Lack of realistic, long-term goals; Impulsivity; Irresponsibility; Failure to accept responsibility for own actions; Many short-term marital relationships; Juvenile delinquency; Revocation of conditional release; Criminal versatility

Hmmm...makes me think we need a more discriminate hiring process. Anyhow..I hope that since the drama is gone, things will calm down...and I won't dread coming in here anymore. Maybe now, my supervisor will relax a little and enjoy her job again. It took just over a year, but we all knew he'd shoot himself in the foot eventually..and it's finally over. Shew...I'm so relieved! Granted..we have a few others leaving and after the end of July, we'll be down to 6 people and have to find 4 new ones to train...but the price of all the extra work is definitely worth not having to deal with Buttface ever again!

Rising Sea Level Redefines N.C.Coast

The following was printed in today's News and Observer, written by Wade Rawlins. The link is:
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/589840.html

By the way..this is very very long!!

Rising sea level redefines N.C. coast

If climate predictions hold, the transformation of islands and rivers will speed up
In North Carolina, global warming isn't a future worry. It's already lapping ashore.

Nags Head Mayor Renee Cahoon sees all the proof of climate change she needs at the end of Old Oregon Inlet Road. The street once led to rows of oceanfront houses. Now it ends suddenly in bulldozed piles of sand.

Some beach erosion occurs naturally, and development near the ocean tends to make it worse. But some scientists think erosion has grown more pronounced in recent years as the sea level has risen and storms increased. On some days, stretches of Nags Head have no dry beach, and visitors have to sit under the front-row houses at high tide. The resort that once thrived by the sea is being swallowed by it.

"We are losing the town," Cahoon said. "As sea level rises, our tax base goes away."
Other, more subtle changes are under way along the coast, not just on the fragile barrier islands. As salt water pushes farther upriver, some rivers are widening into estuaries, tidal bodies of water where fresh and salt water mix. Freshwater swamps are changing to salt marsh.

"The shore is the line of conflict where this crisis is taking place," said geologist Stan Riggs, designated a distinguished research professor at East Carolina University. "We can't think we're going to hold the line."

Scientists predict that the buildup of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere will lead to higher global temperatures. That warming will cause seas to rise faster and increase erosion driven by storms.

Changes are already occurring. The world's oceans rose about 6 inches to 8 inches during the 20th century. In North Carolina, the ocean has grown higher by about 8 inches in the past century, because much of the coast is also slowly sinking as the land settles.

A panel of international scientists projects the seas will rise 7 to 30 inches in the next century unless there is a substantial reduction in the emission of man-made greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. Those gases spew from our cars, power plants and appliances, accumulating in the atmosphere and trapping heat.

Hundreds of scientists from 40 countries this year proclaimed that climate change is "unequivocal." Global air and water temperatures are inching up, causing seas to warm and expand, and polar ice to melt -- triggering higher sea levels.

There's still debate over how much of the observed change in temperature is due to man-made carbon dioxide and how much comes from the natural cycles of weather. But there's little argument that North Carolina's water, air, food and land are being altered. And more rapid change is predicted.

Swamps turn salty
Gray trunks of dead cypress trees line the shore of the Northeast Cape Fear River a few miles upstream from downtown Wilmington. The trees have been essentially drowned by salt water. Tupelo gum, red maples and other tree species have already disappeared, unable to tolerate the chemical reactions of salt water in soil.

Rising sea levels are pushing high ocean tides of salt water farther up the river.

The soil, exposed to salt, gradually disintegrates, leaving tangles of gnarled cypress roots clinging to air where a riverbank once stood. The disintegrating soil releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, adding to global warming. As the trees die, a freshwater swamp changes into a salt marsh.

As the bank crumbles, the river is broadening and transforming into an estuary such as the Pamlico Sound or Chesapeake Bay. The Cape Fear River basin has 200,000 acres of timber that will eventually turn into marsh, said Courtney Hackney, a marine biologist at UNC-Wilmington.

The enlarging estuaries will create more habitat for saltwater fish, crabs and shrimp. But the freshwater swamps will disappear, along with the trees that provide homes for songbirds that thrive there. Ultimately, some landowners will lose their land.

"This swamp was alive when I first arrived and started working on the river in the 1980s," Hackney said as he accompanied a group of students upriver to monitor water levels in swamps. "This has all happened in 30 years, basically. This will all be marsh in five to 10 years."

The Northeast Cape Fear River, which flows into the Cape Fear at Wilmington, is showing effects of rising seawater. The fresh water flowing downriver isn't enough to keep the salt water from intruding upriver.

During the drought of 2001, the researchers detected low levels of salt water more than 16 miles up the Northeast Cape Fear. That's 45 to 50 miles from the ocean.
"We're going through a transition that is far beyond the history of humans on the continent," Hackney said. "There hasn't been salinity where we're seeing it on the Coastal Plain in 50,000 or 100,000 years."

Clues from the past
About 200 miles north of Wilmington, the Great Dismal Swamp is giving researchers from East Carolina University a look into the past, which may offer clues to the future. It's a layer cake of Earth's history.

Vast areas of Eastern North Carolina were ancient ocean beds at a time when sea levels were 20 feet higher. Pete Parham, a graduate student in geology, and Dave Mallinson, an assistant professor, have been drilling east of a low ridge thought to mark an ancient barrier island shoreline that existed between 125,000 and 80,000 years ago.
The line of sand is called the Suffolk scarp. It runs north-south near the present towns of Edenton, Plymouth and Bath.

Mallinson said that about 130,000 years ago, the shoreline was about where it is today. Then, polar regions grew significantly warmer for an extended period. Sea level rose 15 to 20 feet. All or parts of a dozen counties of present-day Eastern North Carolina were submerged, making areas of Gates and Washington counties beachfront.

"Some evidence suggests it rose fairly rapidly up to the Suffolk shoreline," said Mallinson, a geologist at East Carolina University. "That is what we think may be beginning to happen today."

Two factors in rise
Two things are contributing to rising seas. Rising temperatures cause ocean waters to warm and expand, like water heated in a teakettle. Rising temperatures near the poles cause massive ice sheets to melt, adding to the volume of water. Scientists are particularly worried about ice melts in Greenland and the Canadian Arctic, where giant shelves of ice, some the size of Manhattan, have begun crumbling.

"As the Greenland ice sheet melts, that is where the shoreline is going to go," Mallinson said, referring to the ancient shoreline. "Sometime in the next few hundred to 1,000 years, maybe less."

Scientists can observe ancient climate change by studying the layers of sediment. What they don't understand is what triggered the big changes: Did carbon dioxide levels rise in previous eons as a result of warmer temperatures, or did carbon dioxide levels drive temperature increases?

The ECU scientists try to tease answers from the mud, sand, shell and sediment they pull from the depths of the swamp. The drill, mounted in a pickup truck bed, sounds like a jackhammer as it drives the hollow, 2-inch-thick steel tubes into gray mud to collect the samples of sediment. Each 4-foot cylinder contains a snapshot of the time when the sediment was deposited.

"It's important to understand the past sea level cycles so we can better understand the one we're in now," Parham said. "Sea level is rising. We'd like to get an idea what is going to happen. We can do that by looking in the past when sea level was higher than it is today."

Vulnerable Outer Banks
Nowhere are rising sea levels more pressing than the Outer Banks, which are among the nation's most vulnerable land forms. The low-lying barrier islands stretch from Currituck County to Carteret County, and for centuries have defined North Carolina's coastal culture. The most dire scenarios predict collapse of the Outer Banks within a century.

It's a process that has historic precedent. Scientists think the Outer Banks have collapsed and re-formed more than once -- they held far more inlets at the time Columbus landed in the Americas.

The natural tendency of undeveloped barrier islands is to move toward the mainland in response to rising seas. Sand on the oceanfront side gets pushed by waves and blown by wind onto the backside in a gradual, yet massive rolling motion. That pattern has been disrupted on parts of the Outer Banks by artificial dunes, which stop waves from washing across the island and depositing sand on the backside. So the islands grow thinner and thinner.

With global warming, they may grow thinner still. A new study by Laura Moore, a geologist at Oberlin College in Ohio, said sea level rise is the most important factor determining movement of the barrier islands over the next century.

Moore and her colleagues at the U.S. Geological Survey used a computer model to simulate the movement of the Outer Banks over the past 8,500 years. They used the model to predict the Outer Banks' response to various amounts of sea level rise over the next century, as presented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the leading source of scientific consensus on climate change.

Moore's study suggests that by the next century, the barrier islands might move toward the mainland up to 2.5 times faster than current long-term erosion rates. That's based on projected sea level rise of 19 to 34 inches. Houses would be washed into the sea more quickly, and highways overtaken by sand, but Moore said the Outer Banks would likely remain intact.

But other scientists, including ECU's Riggs, have said that the international panel's projections are too conservative and that warming might cause the Greenland ice sheet and West Antarctic ice sheet to melt more quickly, possibly causing much higher sea levels by 2100.

Riggs said the rate of sea level rise in northeastern North Carolina around Nags Head and Kitty Hawk is already approaching the climate change panel's midrange predictions for 100 years from now.

A state panel is studying the potential impact of global warming but has yet to make substantial recommendations. Meanwhile, the Coastal Resources Commission, which sets rules for shoreline development, is re-evaluating how close to the shore developers may build houses. And the state spends hundreds of thousands of dollars maintaining the highway that cuts through the Outer Banks.

Higher sea levels turbocharge erosion -- especially during storms -- putting more houses in peril and increasing the costs of maintaining the beaches. Riggs said about 22 miles of the Outer Banks are starting to collapse right now, including narrow, low-lying stretches of Hatteras Island, Ocracoke, Pea Island and Rodanthe. He said only constant bulldozing has prevented the ocean from washing over and cutting through the islands.

Anthony Roper, a state transportation division engineer who oversees the area, doesn't use the term collapse. But transportation officials battle the ocean nearly every year to keep N.C. 12 open. Roper said a half-dozen hot spots on the thinning islands require frequent repairs and rebuilding of dunes to keep them passable.

At Rodanthe, the edge of the highway is about 50 feet from the ocean at high tide. The surf washed over the highway during an extended nor'easter at Thanksgiving, costing more than $1 million to repair.

A little farther north, highway planners propose to replace a stretch of N.C. 12 through Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge by building an elevated highway as the island erodes. In the meantime, the planners project spending $23.7 million to $36.3 million on more sand through 2015 to protect the threatened road.

"The right storm event, if we don't do anything different, we'll have challenges maintaining the road," Roper said.

Riggs holds up a map depicting the disintegration of the Outer Banks, leaving only higher sections of the islands.

"If we had a Katrina-like storm," he said, "it could look like that this summer. This is what nobody in North Carolina is prepared for."

This just saddens me. I LOVE the outer banks..and to think that Okracoke could just be gone one day bothers me.

Busy Weekend

Yawwnnn...I'm still recovering from this past weekend. There was so much going on it seems like a blur.

I got up Saturday to leave for Roanoke and left later than I wanted to...then got stuck in traffic on I40 in Greensboro. You'd think after 10 years of construction to widen the road, they'd leave it alone for awhile..but no...they suddenly have to repave a road that has nothing wrong w/ it. Anyway..

So I got to my parents house where there was quite a spread..burgers hot dogs, potato salad, mac & cheese, slaw, baked beans,etc..and I stuffed my face. My parents, grandparents, Kelly, Tim and a couple of his friends were there. That awesome meal was followed by one of Cold Stone's ice cream cakes and then the opening of Tim's gifts.

After that, Kelly and I had to take Grandma back to her assisted living place while Mom took Grandpa back to his house. I was dreading doing it because I was afraid she wouldn't understand and try to get us to stay or take her with us. She told us she'd do anything if we could stay with her that night and that she'd sleep in the floor if she had to. She was talking about how she needs to get back to her mommy in Clintwood before she worries about where she is. It was horrible. I felt so helpless. She's declined sharply in the past few months and it's just left me feeling kinda..empty. And angry that it happened to begin with. Anyhow, we had to leave to drive to Blacksburg to get some clothes for Kelly, so we were in a hurry to leave, but after many, many hugs and questions about how far Blacksburg was..we left.

The trip to Blacksburg was nice even though I wasn't feeling well. I felt kinda queasy and car sick, but I'm not sure why. We got stopped by the train since it was parked on the tracks....no idea why. We turned around and back tracked to get to Kelly's house, got clothes and returned to Mom & Dad's where we both went straight to bed. It'd been a long day.

Sunday around 5:30, we got up to get ready for my cousin Lauren's graduation up at UVA. It was a perfect day for a drive and to sit outside. We sat on the Lawn in front of the Rotunda under the shade of a beautiful tree and listened to John Grisham speak. There were about 5900 graduates "walking the lawn" and his speech was shorter than it took for them all to file in.

Since UVA is so rich in history and kinda snobby about their prestige and social standing, I expected a very formal, rigid ceremony..but it wasn't that way at all. The guests weren't even provided chairs. Everyone brought lawn chairs and blankets or towels and sat on the lawn eating snacks while watching the procession of the graduates. Even they weren't in a formal line..it was just a mass of people with balloons whooping and hollering.

For those of you unfamiliar w/ UVA, it was founded by Thomas Jefferson and he designed the Rotunda, which sits at one end of the "lawn". It was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. On either side of it, forming a rectangle w/ the Rotunda being a short side of it, and the lawn in the middle, is 10 pavilions connected by smaller rooms. In a student's senior year,a few are chosen to live in these rooms based on their GPA and service to the school. It's considered the highest honor to be allowed to live on the lawn but they have to maintain their own heat. The school provides the wood, but they're responsible for keeping the fireplaces going all winter. There's also no bathrooms in the rooms...they have to go outside and down the steps to shower or do whatever.

One of my cousin's friends lived in one of these rooms and it was pretty neat, but having to keep a fire going and tread through cold weather to pee at 3am..eh..I don't know that it's worth it. The Pavilions I mentioned, are used to house some of the professors and their families because Thomas Jefferson thought it best if they lived among each other to create a better learning atmosphere.

After the big ceremony, the school's split up to their assigned areas to receive diplomas. We grabbed hot dogs before it started and sat under a huge oak tree while we indulged and where we shared our buns with a very brazen little squirrel. We did get lucky though. The Nursing School had their program on the north steps of the Rotunda which is where the Jefferson statue is and is apparently a coveted spot for graduation...therefore, they rotate which school graduates there. It's the prettier side of the Rotunda and this year just happened to be the Nursing School. Congrats Lauren!!!

After the ceremony, we chatted with the family and then left to make our way back to Roanoke. We stopped at Mrs. Rowe's Restaurant in Staunton where they have the yummiest hot turkey sandwiches ever. The pie's are to die for too! They're cheap and yummy...so you can't beat it. It's also kinda part of the family too. Mrs. Rowe was my grandma's sister Carol's husband's aunt and the restaurant is now owned by one of his cousin's. Hope you followed that..lol. Anyway, since I never make it that far up into Virginia usually, Rowe's is a treat that I will never deny myself.

Monday, I laid around the house and did pretty much nothing. I talked to Mom & Dad for awhile..then took a quick nap and left for NC. I got home around 5pm, unpacked, greeted Jeff, ate dinner, watched Heroes, filled Jeff in on my weekend and showed him pictures..then I came in to work at midnight. Around 6, when it was time to go home, I'd been up for 21 hours and passed out when I got in the house. I still haven't recovered.

Tomorrow, I have to repack, drop the dogs off, leave for Roanoke to meet Jeff who's already up there visiting with Lou and his mom who are in from Switzerland. I think this is her first trip to the U.S...I'm not sure. Anyhow..then Friday, we're leaving for Williamsburg with Lou, his mom, Ronnie and Misty to go to Busch Gardens. I think Saturday we're going to Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg..then back to Roanoke Sunday..then back to NC on Monday. I think I may stay a few extra days, I haven't decided yet. If I come home, I'll have a glorious 4 days to do absolutely nothing but catch up on sleep. Ah..that sounds so appealing.

Anywho..it was a great weekend over all, even if I am tired. Talking about my mom's potato salad and Rowe's has made me hungry though...I need to go eat! Hope everyone enjoys their Memorial Day weekend!!! The weather is supposed to be phenomenal!! Stay safe!

Strange Week

Outside of the house falling apart...it's still been a strange week. We had a call about someone finding bones under a campus building...human or otherwise, we don't know yet. Today, we had a call about a woman who thinks she's possessed by the devil. They had her committed...but you know...maybe she IS possessed by the devil...why should we assume that she isn't??

Then there's been work drama surrounding a particular person who is disliked by everyone here. For the duration of this blog, I'll refer to this person as Buttface. We've wanted Buttface gone for a LONG time!!! He's a know it all who lies with every breath he takes..even when he gets caught in the lie..he denies it and blames it on someone else even though there's no logic to it. He thinks he's the greatest thing in the world and that none of the rest of us know what the hell we're doing. He's made everyone's life a living hell. He spreads lies between us trying to get us mad at each other.....like going to one person and saying that I'm saying such and such about them....when i didn't. Then telling me someone said something about me..when they didn't...it's ongoing.

We've also had several new people that Buttface has been training. They've been here about 2 months and one of them suddenly quit last week. Her and Buttface had been awfully chatty and friendly since he was training her, but no one really thought much of it. Well, yesterday, we happened across Buttface's Myspace page and the profile picture is of Buttface and her all cuddled up together. He's divorced w/ 2 kids..remarried a woman 8 months ago w/ 2 kids..and is having an affair with a married woman w/ an 11 month old....who was a coworker. So..she quit Wednesday the 6th and the picture was taken the 8th.

If there's any person who lacks a moral compass...it's Buttface. A person like that doesn't need to be at a police department. Oh, and his 1st marriage broke up because he was screwing around with someone at work. Will he ever learn?? We knew he'd hang himself eventually...and maybe this will be it. We'll see. Lots of drama.

Seriously though..how stupid do you have to be to plaster that picture up on Myspace when his wife..or her husband...or all his coworkers could find it. Did he think that since she quit last week that he was out of the woods since she was no longer a "coworker"?? And he thinks we're the stupid ones?!?! It's almost like he wanted to get caught. If he doesn't get fired in here..he's definitely lost the officer position he applied for..if he gets it..it means this entire dept is corrupt. I think he should lose both jobs.

He's an absolutely miserable human being who never has anything positive to say and sucks all the happiness out of a room. He ruins the lives of anyone who gets personally involved with him. I have no idea what happened in his life to make him the way he is, but it's sad. He blames all his problems on other people and doesn't see that he's the one causing all the problems. All the problems we have in this office...are caused by him. He has no friends..at work or at home. I feel bad for his children. I hope he doesn't spawn another generation of well, whatever he is.