No More Starbucks!

I sit here writing in my nice cushy chair on a Monday morning 8 am after having a couple cups of coffee, and going for a walk, no longer a Starbucks employee! Yes, I quit.
So many factors went into the decision, but mainly it was exhausting to get up at 4:30 am 4 days a week (sometimes 5) and then 2 weeks later, I get a $300. check!
I want to do hair! It's my joy. And it pays the bills.
I will miss the people I worked with, as I miss the ones I worked with in CA. I will miss free coffee, and my discount. I will miss some of the customers. That's it. It was fun for 4 years, served it's purpose, but I'm done.
I look forward to a normal schedule. Walking in the morning again, and not having to go to bed at 10! Now I can be at the salon 5 days.

Chris has been very supportive, and knows how hard it's been. He's been awesome to talk through it all. We will have more time together now too!

The weather is finally cooling down a little, and we have been talking about getting outside. We have decided to get skates! I have rollerblades, and have enjoyed them for close to 10 years, but I took them out the other night, and they are falling apart. Chris is thinking old school is the way to go, so we're getting "quads"! (I'm thinkin' they're safer too!) We should be ordering them this week, and when we get them, we will most definitely post a pic! There are so many places for us to skate here, including the gi-normous parking lot in our apartment complex. We're both looking forward to it!

We also got a hummingbird feeder! Within 5 minutes we had a hummingbird come, and within about 15 minutes we had 2 birds fighting over it! It's just one of those little things that make us really happy!

We enjoyed the Olympics, and I look forward to London 2012. (that sounds really weird)
Now it's time for FOOTBALL! I really hope to go to a Gamecock game. Yes, that's right, Gamecocks. I live in a college town now, and USC football (South Carolina, NOT So. Cal) is HUGE. I have never been to a college football game, and I really want to experience one, so...keep you posted.

FALL is coming!!!! YAY!

Beijing 2008

Hands up if you're watching the Olympics!

I Love the Olympics. Always have. I would say more so back in the day when I was a kid, and it seemed grander somehow, (and Russia was our arch enemy) but I have always liked to watch. There just seems to be something magical about them. I know I get sucked in by all the stories of adversity, but that's what makes it great! Someone to root for!

I have always been athletic, and I am one of those women who really like sports. I like competition. The Olympics is the epitome of that.

It's cool that they only come around every four years, it's more of a spectacle that way. And the kids who work those four years or more getting ready for their event(s)? God Bless them.

I can't even imagine how cool it must be to represent your COUNTRY in sport. Not just YOU. Your Country.

The opening ceremonies in Beijing were by far the most brilliant, spectacular, amazing, and awe inspiring I have ever seen. Wasn't it awesome?! The drummers! 2,008 performers! The costumes! The unison. All of it. Even if the Fireworks added to all that smog.

I can't fathom what it would feel like to walk into that stadium with 91,000 people. What would that energy feel like? And there you are, because you're special. You're an athlete representing your country. Very Cool.

All politics go out the window for me, and I'm glad Bush was there. I think the Chinese are cool, and I love everybody. Especially the USA! hehehe

So, all weekend, Chris and I watched. We set our remote to toggle between only Olympic channels! I watched more than he, and I love seeing things like fencing, and archery. I really want to see handball. I don't think its that kind you play with a little black ball up against a wall. I also want to see Judo or Taekwondo.

This is the only time I like to watch gymnastics, women's soccer, water polo, and ping-pong!

I am sad that this is the last year for softball.

I'll be cheering on Michael Phelps. How 'bout that relay last night?!?! I look forward to Track and Field, and hope there isn't a bunch of doping going on. So sad. It makes it hard to not be a little suspicious instead of being inspired by someones true talent.

And I'm still not sure how I feel about professional athletes competing in the Olympics. And who decided there's no more perfect 10 in gymnastics?!?!

Anyway, I'm glad I don't have to decide. I just get to watch and enjoy.

Hope you are too! GO USA!!!

Summer trips

Well, Happy August everybody!

August to me means Summer is closer to it's end, and that makes me happy! The heat will soon be fading, and I can go outside again! (I really just don't do well in extreme heat)
Salon business will pick back up again for back to school do's, and Mom's will be more free to come in. Football season is gearing up, and sweater weather is, (I hope) just around the corner!

Chris and I are doing well, and still loving the Ice Palace. It's nice when you comment just about every day how much you love coming home! I've hung a couple of pictures, and even though I never seem to have enough time, I'm feeling the pressure to get this place decorated!

I've finally decorated my station at work too! I couldn't decide on a "theme" for a long time. Zen?, Shabby-Chic?, California/beachy?, everytime I came into my nice, clean, uncluttered station I put it off again. But I found a cool 'painting' I really liked, and so it was decided, Shabby-Chic. I will have to show you pictures later, describing seems really boring. I am erring on the side of "less is more" and keeping it as uncluttered as possible.

I haven't really talked about the Salon yet, but I love it, and though Summer is slow everywhere, I feel once Fall kicks in, I'll get busier. I already have some repeat clients, and I'm working a referral program that I hope will work better than relying on walk-ins. I have switched to the Paul Mitchell color line, and it's working out really well. Many reasons, but mostly for education, range of possibilites, and cost effectiveness. They are opening a "Paul Mitchell, The School" (cosmetology academy) here in Columbia, which will bring some much needed progressive trendiness to this area.

I'm still at Starbucks, but I feel that is coming to an end. (in case you were wondering, NO, we're not affected by the recent closures) The more I weigh it out, the less sense it makes to be working a job that really isn't paying off, in SO MANY ways. I still haven't received my insurance packet, (hopefully because of the move) and if I didn't qualify this last quarter for benefits, I'm done. I need to be in the Salon doing what makes me most happy, and most money. I have looked into buying insurance for myself, and if I'm busy in the salon, it's totally doable. (is that a word?)

Anyway, I wanted this post to be more about the couple of little trips I took this last month and a half.

One of the cool things about the East coast is that the States are WAY closer together than on the West coast. You can drive for 10 hours and never leave California. Here, you drive 10 hours and can go through about 5 States! Since I haven't been to many states on this coast, I like to just take an afternoon and go see something new!
Augusta, Georgia is only about 50 minutes away, so a few weeks back, I headed there after work. I didn't really have a destination in mind, just wanted to drive there. I jumped on I-20, and off I went! As I got closer to the border, there was major construction on the freeway that slowed us down to about 30 mph, so I could snap these pics of the Savannah river (right at the border), and the "Welcome to Georgia" sign!







I went to the Georgia tourist information center, and got a map of GA, and a copy of the Augusta Chronicle. I only ventured in a few miles, the construction kept me from many exits, so I didn't see much, but it was a busy place. I got some drive thru, and headed home. I'll be back in GA soon. Chris and I are planning a trip in Oct. to go see his Dad who lives in Tate, GA. NW of Atlanta. Savannah is about 2 1/2 hours South, and also on my list.



Just this last week, I drove to North Carolina.

Charlotte is about an hour from Columbia, and everyone told me about this "really cool Mall" called South Park! lol It even has a Nordstrom! woo hoo! I checked it out. Very nice mall, but more like a one story South Coast Plaza, minus Bloomingdales. It was nice to see more of Charlotte. I really liked it there, it's got a bit more to do there than here in Columbia. It has public trasportation too, (something that is conspicuously absent here) but also more people, and more traffic, so.... close enough to visit, but just far enough away. It was nice to see a Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters and a Pottery Barn again. :) And THEY have Jack-in the-Box!!! It's sad, but God, I miss that place!

I wouldn't mind moving a bit North, or even to North Carolina, as they have more familiar things, and are not as resistant to progress, but for now I am content in my little niche, and the progress will come. Of that, I am sure. We DO have some cool stuff here, don't get me wrong. I have most everything I need here, and when we get a Trader Joe's or a Jack in the Box, or that Costco opens, I'll be an even happier camper!

Addendum

I want to add one more thing to the bug story. I came across this picture in my file, and wanted to show you the biggest moth I have ever seen.

I walked out of the old apartment one day, and looked down to see what I thought was a leaf, but upon closer inspection, found it to be a moth! The most interesting part about it to ME? Um, do you see a head? I sure don't. and this guy is alive, cause when we touched it, it spread it's wings for us. Nature. Trippy, but cool.

BUGS

A few weeks ago, I walked outside, and heard this very strange noise. It sort of sounded like crickets, but louder. Maybe some strange bird noise coming from the trees. I just ignored it, and went about my business. But that night it was still there, and the next day, and the next day.

Chris and I were going out, and I asked "What's that noise? Is it birds?" He says, "I think its insects." I did a little investigating, and turns out they're cicadas! The funny thing is, they 'rev' up, it sounds like a motor, going from slow to fast, and then they slow down to stop! It's the weirdest noise I've heard. And it's a sort of constant noise here like crickets, getting louder in the evenings. After moving, I came home one day, and what do you think I saw sitting on the ground? You guessed it! They're kinda ugly, but I was fascinated! Here's the picture I took.

It's funny, after writing about the thunderstorms, a friend says, I can't wait until you see your first firefly! I got all excited, and ran to tell Chris, "Tracy says she can't wait til I see a firefly!" He says "WHAT?!?! You've never seen a firefly?" I said "nope!" He informs me that he just saw one out back the night before, and he was sure I'd see one. Just as we were talking about it, I saw one! lol I was like a little kid, all excited. We don't have them in CA, and was just tickled to see what so many kids here grow up catching, and possibly not even noticing as adults. The next couple of nights I saw more, and am still tickled. Chris says they're slow moving and easy to catch. He ran off after one the other night, and actually CAUGHT it! I saw one up close and personal, but it didn't light up for me. It's ok. I just like knowing they're out there! Maybe I'll get a jar at some point.

There are LOTS of bugs here. I had been warned too. "Palmetto bugs" they call the cockroaches. Spiders o'plenty, and lots of gnats and flies. Then there's dragonflies, carpenter bees, black wasps, red wasps, mud daubers, and beetles. I guess thats what you get with such lush surroundings. All that rain, and all those trees, keeps a nice home for all kinds of critters.
Including me! :)
Ooh! I forgot to mention the frogs! Tons of small frogs that make a whole lot of noise! 'bout the size of an egg and beige colored, Chris and I make up what we think they are saying. hehe

Stormy Weather

Another one of the different things I'm experiencing here in the South are the Thunderstorms.

We've had a few since I've been here, but none like the one this past Wednesday. I have to say it was my first MAJOR thunderstorm. Oh, I've seen lightning, and I've heard thunder, but Good Lord! This was scary! lol

Now, in California, it seems to me that in the summer the hottest part of the day is between 12 and 3 or 4, and then it cools down as the sun sets. Well, not here. Here the day gets hotter between 4 and 7, and that heat can (according to the link) produce a Thunderstorm in only 20 minutes. This last week a storm came in the likes of which I have never seen. The big pines out back were bending and swaying under the force of turbulent winds, as the lightning show started. Off in the near distance, I saw a bolt come down that shone red around the body! Followed by that loud CRRRAAAACCCKKKK!! With this Chris turns to me, and says: "NOW you see why I unplug the computers during a thunderstorm?". (One year lightning struck a tree just outside his apartment that hit the building, and fried his computer) That's when the torrential rain came down, and I heard the loudest thunder in my life. It sounded like someone smashing metal trashcans together as hard as they could INSIDE MY HEAD. It scared me to say the least, and I'm not usually scared by storms, but it was right on top of us. Chris informs me this is still mild compared to some he's seen. WOW. Well, it was a big one for me. Mother Nature is one powerful force. I felt very small and vulnerable. (Tho the lightning show was really pretty cool to watch.)

The good thing about these storms? My car gets washed weekly. :)

People had told me about the humidity, but I had no idea what that was. Now I do. It's just as bad as they say. It's oppressive, and gross. Apparently, I still have a good month and a half of summer to go. Well, at least we have the ICE PALACE as a refuge!

Happy 4th!

Greetings from the Ice Palace!
That's what we're calling our new apartment, because it's FREEZING in here compared to our old place.
We've been in now for 6 days, and it's awesome! Like night and day. It's clean and new, light and airy, cool and open, and and and! There is a lot more open space here as far as the whole complex goes. The last place was older and wood, and the trees were so close it was a bit claustrophobic. I felt like I was in a cabin in the mountains.
We've been out walking around the complex after dinner, and it's so nice to see everything neat and clean. There is a vine covered bridge over the lake that feels romantic, and some benches scattered around the lake inviting you to sit and rest. Anyway, it's very nice to come home, and we just keep being amazed at how COOL it is in here!

Today is the 4th of July, my least favorite holiday. Not for the significance of the day, but for the moronic behavior people seem to exhibit when playing with fire. I like the big, professional shows where you go ooooh and ahhhh, but I now live in a state where fireworks are legal, and there are Fireworks Stores here open year round. So, you can imagine I am particularly happy that it is raining at the moment. (8:30 pm local time)
The Thunder storms here are a pretty cool thing. Another blog perhaps....

I am really happy to have the day off from BOTH jobs today, and actually slept in, went for a walk, took a nap, and am still in my jammies. :) Life is good. Not to mention COLD.

Hope you all have a "safe and sane" 4th of July!