Vegas BABY! - Pre-flight post 2

No, I haven't left Charlottesville yet. My flight leaves Richmond in less than 24 hours, at 15:45 tomorrow. I'm just so excited about it that I can't think about much else! I've been even more ADD and energetic than usual, to the point that Brian and my coworkers probably can't wait for me to leave.

I'm slightly worried about my mother because there is a highly-contagious norovirus (think 24-48 hours of vomiting and diarrhea) going around Henrico County Schools. If she gets it, she'll be sick on the plane, how miserable, and then Ranny and I will probably get sick when we're in Las Vegas. I talked to her at 7 this morning and tried to convince her to stay home and not teach her sick kids, but she didn't listen. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she (and by extension, I) don't get the fucking stomach bug from hell.

Things have been pretty busy lately, and I've been slacking bigtime on the trip planning, but yesterday I made up for my procrastination by picking up the Michelin Las Vegas MUST SEES from Barnes and Noble. It has lots of information AND pictures. There are so many things that I want to do, and so many places to go! Did you know that there are roller coasters in Las Vegas (they seem expensive, though)? And there are some great state parks in the area it seems.

I'm really excited about the fact that I'm going with my mother and my grandmother (Ranny). Ranny has visited Las Vegas several times before and will be able to show us the coolest places. And she'll know where we can go to get good alcohol while we gamble (she's a scotch drinker).

Just learned that Bob Seger is playing on Saturday at the MGM Grand, that would be fun. Three generations of Virginia girls at one show... hells yeah.

Come to Daddy, on an inside straight

Vegas BABY! - Pre-flight

I'm leaving for Las Vegas on Thursday. I can't wait.

But I haven't done any! preparation with the exception of improving my alcohol tolerance this past weekend. I still have to pack and plan. Which brings me to the following question:

What do you want from Vegas? Leave me a comment and I'll see if I can oblige. Keep in mind that I'm cheap, so if you ask for a stripper, you might just get a dirty shot glass.

I promise I'll put up some pictures post-Las Vegas. And I may even take pictures of something other than pretty rocks.

Living on reds, vitamin C, and cocaine

Turkish Beef

This recipe was invented by Holly in an attempt to imitate a dish made by a Turkish-exchange-student friend of hers. It's cheap and tasty, and only uses one pot!

1/2 lb. ground beef
1 cup uncooked rice
1 can diced tomatoes w/basil and oregano
fresh spinach
salt
pepper

Brown beef in a medium-sized pot. Drain excess fat and add salt and pepper. Add tomatoes (undrained), rice, and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. After 5 minutes, add as much fresh spinach as you can fit into the pot and replace the lid. Cook until the rice is done, then enjoy!

I prefer mine served with thinly sliced pepper-jack cheese. Also, the proportions of ingredients in this dish are completely flexible- I never use the same amounts of rice and beef. And if you double the recipe, you'll have tons of delicious leftovers.

Grass ain't greener, the wine ain't sweeter, either side of the hill.

Spring!

Ok, it's not spring yet. But it feels like spring.

I've spent the past two days cooped up in the office staring out the window at the beautiful warm weather. After work yesterday, I really wanted to do something wild, but figured the water was too cold for skinny dipping, so I got my hair cut instead. Nothing crazy, though. 6.5 inches.

When I got to my house I put on a tank top and sat outside on my patio with an Old Milwaukee, and listened to the 1977 new year's eve show at the Winterland blasting on the boombox. I think the church behind my house was having some sort of Wednesday gathering, but I'm sure the cooler church-goers appreciate the Grateful Dead. As soon as the sun set, it got too cold to sit outside in a shirt with no sleeves... but it was great to enjoy those first few moments of springtime.

Other Random things:

+ Leave comments, folks. Really. Right now I think that the only people that read this site are HMH and Bubba. And Brian, but he's probably just checking that all of my posts about him are accurate.

+ There is a concentration of cars in Charlottesville with "KAT" as the first letters on their license plates. I swear I'm not making this up.

You can shave my head clean as my hand
(especially if you're Britney Spears, apparently)

Junk Mail

Ok, it has been a WEEK since my last post. I'd like to say that I've been ridiculously busy doing important and fascinating things like saving the planet, but that's not entirely true.

Week's recount:

Sick on Wednesday with what felt like brillo pads stuffed into my throat. But on the plus side, I lazed around all day watching EMPIRE STRIKES BACK with Brian, who had the day off due to ice, and drank literally half a dozen pots of green tea with at LEAST 2 tbsp of honey in each cup. (2 tbsp honey/cup x 3 cups/pot x 6 pots = 36 tbsp honey. Yikes, I didn't realize it was quite so much.) Also, at this time I'd like to point out that Brian is a dead ringer for Indiana Jones. For starters, he has the exact jacket AND hat PLUS he's a real-life archaeologist. And by association, just like Han Solo (are you following my train of thought here?)
"Who's scruffy lookin'?" If by scruffy-looking, you mean HOT, then yes.

Thursday and Friday were spent freezing my ass off in the field, trying to sample water that would freeze after about 2 minutes. Walking from the truck to the wells and back took several minutes of baby steps and holding onto the sides of the truck bed for dear life. Ice is slippery, apparently.

The weekend was fantastic. Went wine- and CHOCOLATE- tasting with the majority of Brian's family, with no major meet-the-family embarrassments. I am apparently a "cutie", but I'm not quite sure how I feel about that verdict. Slept in like a champ on Sunday. Seriously, until about 4 pm, with only one break for breakfast.

To cap off the week, I'm learning to play the bass. Sweet!

But Back to the Point of the Entry:

I actually like getting Junk Mail. But only at work.
There is a bit of ceremony that goes along with the mail. The boss walks around, flipping through the pile, and occasionally flicks pieces of post on various desks. The majority of what we get is random shit from our suppliers, and what I personally recieve may or may not even be addressed specifically to me.

Today's examples:
"Do you have Pump Eaters at YOUR landfill or cleanup site? Viscous fluids or suspended solids? Corrosives such as chlorides or low pH? Flammable or explosive hydrocarbons, aggressive solvents, high-temperature liquids...?"
"Boiler Operation Maintenance and Safety. Day 1: Fundamentals of Steam"

I'm gonna sing you a hundred verses of ragtime

Win some, lose some.

Ok... so there is no snowstorm. It's just starting to sleet. Oh goodie. Hopefully it won't be too tough to get to the show tonight! I can't wait!

UPDATE: SHOW IS CANCELLED due to fear of ice. Bummer...stay tuned for reschedule date.

Anyway. Moving on.

This past weekend, I made an epic trek into enemy territory: Blacksburg. Home of the Hokie.
At Christmas I had promised to visit two close childhood friends of mine during their last semester at Virginia Tech. I hadn't kept in touch with the girls very well during the past several years, but back in the day we were together all of the time. We used to get into some serious shit, building treeforts in the woods and staying up all night at sleepovers drinking wild cherry ginger ale. So we'd planned a weekend to visit and drink and catch up. Which we did, and I personally had a blast.

I'd never been to Virginia Tech or Blacksburg (with the exception of a random evening at the Rescue Squad following a search). Post-visit, I still have ambivalent feelings about Blacksburg.

Pro: 25 oz. of Bud Light for $2.50 during Happy Hour. I was absolutely floored.
Con: Too many college kids! Ahhh! (since I'm now a graduate, aka snob)
Pro: Pretty scenery! Lovely mountains and matching stone buildings (oooh, pretty limestone..)
Con: UVa getting its ass kicked in basketball. I'm glad the score is not visible in the following photograph.
(I hadn't planned to go to the basketball game, and had brought no Cavalier gear on my trip. But we were able to scrounge up some student tickets thanks to Katie and Melissa's networking skills, and found seats right behind the VA Tech Band. And the entire band turned around with death glares at my first "Wa-hoo-wa, motherfuckers!" Later in the game, however, I became very quiet, and was actually glad for my lack of school spirit-wear. Let's just say, 84 to 57. Ouch.)

Pro: Good company! Good Nachos! Seinfield! Wet Hot American Summer!
Con: Over-zealous tow-truck Nazis. Greedy fuckers. There was no sign.

All in all, it was a fun and eventful weekend. Next it's their turn to visit Charlottesville! Wa-hoo-wa!

Q: How many Virginia Tech students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Three. One to change the light bulb and two to brag that they did it just as well as the UVa student.

And in the interest of fairness...sportswomanship...

Q: How many UVa students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Just one. He holds the bulb up and waits for the world to revolve around him.

Also these because they are funny:

Q: How many JMU students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. Harrisonburg doesn't have electricity, silly!

Q: How many University of Richmond students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Two. One to call the electrician and one to mix the martinis.

Q: How many VCU students does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. Downtown Richmond looks way better in the dark.

Nine mile skid on a ten mile ride

Update: I can hear the pitter-patter of the sleet bouncing off of my windows. Reminds me of the fall, when I would go to sleep at night to the sound of acorns hitting my car.

News Update

Naturally, the forecast has changed. Plan for ice. Two days of ice. But keep your fingers crossed for a little SNOW! Look to Look Out Stagger Lee for the most accurate "current weather condition" reports over the next few days. Because I don't get days off of work for winter weather.

IMPORTANT- The archaeologist is playing at Starr Hill Tuesday (tomorrow) night at 2130 (9:30 pm). You should check it out. It's gonna be H-O-T HOT.

What's that you say... you don't like going out in freezing rain? Pshaw... what's a little ice? Don't be a fucking sissy.

Well, I married me a wife, caused me trouble all my life
Put me out in the cold rain and snow.

Reason #39 I'm glad I'm a cute blonde

I got pulled over today. I can't tell you for sure whether I ran that stop sign, but I can tell you why I got off with "just don't do it again, miss." It's cuz I smiled real pretty. I also put on makeup and did my hair before going to study at the library. (You know, since it's a Saturday night, and I have no life.) Oh, and I had showered recently so I smelled good. And I'm wearing pink. How could a cop be so mean as to ticket a cute girl in a cuddly pink sweater? It'd be like kicking a fluffy bunny for no reason. And that my friends, is why I didn't get a ticket.

Speaking of adorable little animals, my mice are doing fine for the moment. Ada started coughing up blood last week (a touch of pneumonia), but has since stopped. Both Ada and Heidi are taking their antibiotic regularly. (I taught them to lick it right off my finger.) They're good little girls.

Remember: Mucous is an adjective. Mucus is a noun. For example, "There is mucus emanating from my mucous glands."

Busy Tuesday

I am a weather geek. I check the forecast and current conditions at least three times a day at work. So when I noticed a chance of SNOW in the forecast, I had to learn more!


Basically, this graphic for Tuesday evening shows Charlottesville getting hit. Hard. Text forecasts predict freezing rain/sleet/wintry mix crap during the day on Tuesday, then Snow! Tuesday night, with SNW category 6, which is 6-8 inches of snow.

Awesome! I'll be watching this system closely over the next few days, because as everyone knows, Virginia weather forecasts are notorious for their no-show blizzard-of-the-century-s.

Now, I am not complaining about snow. I love snow. But the timing is not ideal- the archaeologist has a gig that night. So, drive safe on your way to Starr Hill on Tuesday at 9 pm.

And get ready for some serious sledding.

Tell me all that you know, I'll show you snow and rain.

Update: already used that Grateful Dead quote. Sorry!

Snowed so hard that the roof caved in.

Look out Stagger Lee

I have had several comments about the blog title- basically, what does it mean and where does it come from?

It comes from...the Grateful Dead! Stagger Lee is a folk villain featured in murder ballads and other tales (thanks Brian!). Here are the lyrics to the Dead's version of the story:

1948, Xmas eve, with a full moon over town
Stagger Lee shot Billy DeLions
And he blew that poor boy down.
Do you know what he shot him for?
What do you make of that?
Cause Billy DeLions threw the lucky dice
Won Stagger Lee's Stetson hat.

Bayo, Bayo, tell me how can this be?
You arrest the girls for turning tricks
But you're scared of Stagger Lee.
Stagger Lee is a madman and he shot my Billy D.
Bayo go get him or give the job to me.

Delia DeLions, dear sweet Delia-D
How the hell can I arrest him? He's twice as big as me.
Well don't ask me to go downtown, I won't come back alive [no more].
Not only is that mother big but he packs a .45 [four].

Bayo, Delia said, just give me a gun
he shot my Billy dead now I'm gonna see him hung.
She went into the DeLion's club through Billy DeLions blood
Stepped up to Stagger Lee at the bar,
Said, "Buy me a gin fizz, love."

As Stagger Lee lit a cigarette she shot him in the balls
Blew the smoke off her revolver, had him dragged to city hall
Bayo, Bayo, see you hang him high
He shot my Billy dead and now he's got to die.

Delia went a walking down on Singapore Street
A three-piece band on the corner played "Near My God to Thee"
But Delia whistled a different tune, what tune could it be?

The song that woman sung was "Look Out Stagger Lee".
The song that Delia sung was "Look Out Stagger Lee".

Yeah Delia! Now, don't read too much into this. The theme I wanted as the take-away message for this blog is just a general sense of girls kicking ass. Hell yeah.

P.S. It's gonna snow!!!

Now what do you make of that?

Farewell old friend.

I threw out my favorite hat tonight. I feel like I've lost a good friend and traveling buddy.
(I also bought a new digital camera. Go me!)

As you see above, my hat died long ago. And while you can easily identify the monstrous sweat-stain, frayed brim, and other rips, there are things the picture doesn't show:
1. The rusted safety pin that has held the back of the hat together for over 3.5 years.
2. That the inside sweatband was torn out over a year ago.
3. The smell. Combination salt and funk.

My parents bought this hat for me when I was either 15 or 16 at Stingray's restaurant on Rt. 13 on the Eastern Shore (which, btw, is an absolutely fantastic place to eat). I wore it almost unceasingly until this past summer, when I decided that it was too decrepit to wear to my new job. But over these past 5 years, this hat has been with me for every trip, every event. This hat has been with me for all of the great adventures of my life. At this moment, there are 5 pictures of me in my room that I can see from my computer desk- I'm wearing the hat in 3 of these. It has been with me on every single river trip, every search, every hike. I wore it to class, in high school and college. I wore it in my car and outside in the sun, working at summer camp, driving a bus, working on the river. This hat has been to Dry Tortugas National Park twice. It's been to the beach and in the ocean more times than I'd care to count or remember. I beat the shit out of this hat and wore it out.

And now, it's in the trash, the victim of a vicious room-cleaning kick. I will not allow myself to accumulate clothes that are no longer wearable. I will not hang it on my wall like I would have done in high school. And as much as it kills me to actually put it in the garbage can, I know that I will never forget it. And I have a lot of pictures to remember it by.

Goodbye, favorite faithful hat.

Fare you well, fare you well, I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul.

The wonders of lactose-free cooking...

I'm a busy med student who requires 3 things of her recipes in order to minimize prep time (and GI distress) and maximize nutrition:
1. All mixing, cooking, and serving will at most dirty 2 dishes.
2. The recipe will include at least 3 of the 5 food groups.
3. Only lactose-free dairy will be included.

With that said, here's my fantastic chicken pot pie recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Cook 16 oz frozen veggie mix with 14 oz chicken broth until veggies are thawed.
3. Add 6 oz of egg noodles and another 14 oz chicken broth and cook until noodles are tender.
4. Add 1 cup lactose-free milk and 1-2 cups chopped, pre-cooked chicken and stir.
5. Pour mixture into pie pan already prepared with pie shell.
6. Don't forget to pierce top pie crust!
7. Bake for 30 minutes.

Eat with some fruit and you've got all 5 food groups, baby!
Plus, this tastes great leftover and will keep for about a week.

I've learned that a single meal including meat can cause a person's glomerular filtration rate to increase 30-50%. I haven't learned yet whether that's good or bad.

Hair day and snakes

The archaeologist and I often communicate through gmail chat. However, one of the primary drawbacks of internet communication is the lack of voice cues.

Yesterday, after he was telling me he'd just gotten a hair cut.

Brian: yeah

I hope you like it

me: um...

did you do something other than getting it trimmed?

Brian: what?

I got a mohawk

me: hahahaha

:-p

Brian: I'll make sure it's spiked when I come over tonight although I didn't dye it b/c I don't know what color you like

me: i can't tell if you're serious or not

... really

Brian: yeah

bet you can't wait to see it

Indeed. This conversation is funny because if you know the archaeologist, you could probably picture him with a mohawk (he can totally pull off the sexy punk-rocker black-boots-leather-jacket wallet-on-a-chain-look). Actually, it might just be funny to me... in that case, sorry. But the point is, internet chat makes it sometimes difficult to detect if people are serious or just fucking with you. Luckily, he was just messing with me. I have nothing against mohawks, but I just don't think it would look as good on the archaeologist as his current haircut.

Anyway. Enough about hair.

Went to see SNAKES ON A MUTHAFUCKING PLANE yesterday for the 10 pm show and had a fantastic time! I would recommend this movie for anyone with a sense of humor. However, I think that there were multiple factors contributing to the experience last night.

1. The movie is hilarious in a bad-B-movie sense, but also in its own right as a kick-ass ridiculous action movie. I was envisioning something along the lines of Airplane! but it was more like... I don't even know.
2. We had pre-gamed for about an hour and packed beverages.
3. The atmosphere was rowdy- the theatre was packed with college kids who had all apparently seen the movie before and knew all of the good Samuel Jackson quotes, and everybody was just having a great time yelling at the screen.

She can fly like a lie, she can't be outdone