Hurriquake Week 2011

Oh hey! Remember that time a group of my friends and I decided we were all going to blog? Yeah, that worked out well. But alas, I have had some inspiration, and have returned! My friend Lori inspired me, and perhaps I will inspire someone else! Probably not.

Anyway. I just turned 27, and the week of my birthday was pretty ridiculous.

Let me start out by saying that I have lived in Maryland my entire life. I didn't leave for college, or any extended trips. Despite the fact that I spent 22 years of my life plotting ways to leave Maryland, I'm clearly here to stay. With that said, the thought that I would ever actually feel an earthquake never crossed my mind. Why would it? I knew blizzards, hurricanes, and tornadoes were always a threat, but an earthquake? Please. Well, last Tuesday afternoon I was proven wrong!

I was at work, training our new receptionist how to ship things. There was a slight rumble and I explained that since our building is so old, it shakes every time a truck goes by. Then the rumbling came back... This time it was getting stronger and it wasn't stopping. I thought it was really windy but when I looked out the window I noticed the trees weren't moving. "That's strange," I thought. "What the hell is going on? Oh.. my... God... the building is collapsing." Well no, of course the building wasn't collapsing, but honestly the thought that it was an earthquake never even crossed my mind, and I legit thought the building was about to crumble to the ground. I can honestly say that I have never experienced sheer terror in my life before that moment. I froze, and my mind went completely blank. Suddenly, my co-worker yelled for everyone to get in a doorway. I don't remember this but apparently I screamed "Where's a doorway??" duh. It was right in front of me. I ran do the doorway and as soon as the shaking stopped, ran outside to join the rest of Baltimore. Once we were out there it was confirmed that it was in fact an earthquake. My boss told us to go home, but we were so shaken up (no pun intended... Well, ok. Maybe a little pun was intended) that we stayed for a little. I seriously could not get myself back to normal for a good hour after the quake had ended. Looking back I almost wish I had known what was going on, so that I could have taken it all in a little more. Is it weird that I almost wish it would happen again? Nothing serious of course, just a little one so I can remember it this time! Ok maybe not. One thing it did do though, was make me feel TERRIBLE for people that experience devastating earthquakes. Ours was small, but it was terrifying. I can't imagine experiencing one that destroys cities and kills people.

Speaking of destroying cities and killing people... Enter Irene! Yes, as if an earthquake wasn't enough, let's throw in a hurricane! Irene was more hype than actual devastation in Maryland, but unfortunately that did not hold true for the rest of the east coast. Unfortunately, the state that got hit the hardest was my beloved Vermont. I can't even get in to all of the problems Vermont is facing, but I know they will be ok. The pictures and videos of the flooding brought me to tears. Seriously. I know it doesn't make sense to anyone, but Vermont to me is such a place of innocence. I don't want to seem mean, but I would almost use the word "Simple" to describle the people there. Not simple as in dumb, just simple. Seeing the state and it's residents in peril broke my heart. I KNOW that the sense of community in those Vermont towns are strong as can be, and they will all be ok. It's just hard to watch. I can't imagine what I would do if that happened here. It could have!

Long story short, I'm thinking if we didn't have any more natural disasters for a while, that would be great. Well... A blizzard would be ok I guess :-)

Spring?

Good afternoon blog readers! It would appear that I am very bad at keeping up with this thing. The good thing is I'm pretty sure that NOBODY reads this anymore because it would appear that EVERYONE is bad at keeping up with their blogs. I figure, if nobody is writing blogs, then nobody is reading them either.

Anyway, a couple of entries ago I wrote about the ridiculous back to back blizzards that hit our area. Today it is almost 60 degrees and sunny, and it's been like this all week. I am not sure if this means Spring is here, or if it's just a little preview of what's to come but even if it does end up getting cold again soon, I've tasted Spring and it has made me very happy. My favorite seasons are Fall and Winter because I love the cold, snow, holidays, etc... But even the most avid snow lover has to admit that it's always a good feeling to know that Spring is on its way.

Once the holidays are over and all the snow melts, it just becomes gloomy. It gets dark early, it's cold, and there's nothing too fun to do outside. It is almost impossible to be happy go lucky after months and months of cold weather. I find that in the winter I come home and plop down on the couch for the night. But in the spring, well that's a different story. Daylight savings is coming up and soon it will stay light out later. This means you can come home, eat dinner, and then go for a walk! Or, you can go to the gym and not feel like it's past your bedtime when you get home. OR for those of us who are so lucky to live in the Cock, we have the NCR trail right in our own backyards (not literally of course).

So anyway, my point was the weather lately has made me very happy and here is what I am most excited for in the upcoming months. Spring/Summer

in no particular order...

-Hiking the NCR trail
-Biking the NCR trail
-taking walks after dinner around the neighborhood
-Ice Cream and Italian Ice... You can't feel guilty if you walk to get it :)
-Beach Trips
-having the windows open in the apartment
-Watching Linus watch the world outside and actually get to see, hear, and smell everything going on out there
- NYC in May with Bryan
- My birthday!
- fun little day trips to places like Chestertown, MD and York, PA
- Eating outside... It took me 24 years to actually enjoy that
- Cookouts
- Hershey Park
- pretty nature that isn't snow lol
- Cute dresses, tank tops, sandals, etc...

And just being outside and enjoying the weather basically! I just hope it's not a rainy summer like last year.

There's just a feeling you get in the Spring. Of course, my Spring is usually spent sneezing, but we are not focusing on that right now.

Oh, am I supposed to be updating this thing??

Good morning blog readers! In case anyone was wondering, I am still alive and well. We had two major blizzards recently and I was off of work for over a week. Apparently, despite the fact that I said I was going to try not to blog at work, I do NOT blog unless I AM at work. SO here I am, back at work for my first full week in what seems like forever, blogging away.

Not too much to report. Valentines Day was last weekend and it was pretty awesome. We went out to dinner at Melting Pot, and then saw the movie Valentines Day. Bryan hated it lol. I loved it, AND Jackie and Evan were there! Jackie loved it too!

This was on Saturday, and Valentines Day was actually on a Sunday. For the actual day we went for a ride up York Road. We started in Cockeysville, and drove just past York, PA. It was a beautiful ride! Then Bryan made me dinner. Parmesan crusted tilapia, buttered noodles, and peas. So good!

I finally went back to work last Tuesday and had so much work to catch up on I didn't really have time to blog. I didn't really even think about it!

I'm back now though!

Bryans mom started Chemo on Friday, so we spent the weekend at her house and it was pretty awesome. It kind of reminded me of high school when you could have friends sleep over on the weekends. Linus even spent the weekend with us! He absolutely loved it.

We went to the Cafe Hon for dinner on Friday night and I got a really yummy crab cake. We got some cake to go and ate it for dessert when we got back to the house. Saturday we went to the Hagerstown outlets! It's such a pretty drive to Hagerstown! I think I'm destined to live in Washington County! Well, maybe Frederick. It's hard to say. Anywhere pretty with mountains! Anyway, I got two shirts from Ann Taylor outlet and I can not wait til it's summer so I can wear them!

After we got home from outlet shopping we ordered pizza and played games. We played a game called catch phrase, and it was one of the best games I've ever played. We also played Karaoke Revolution on the wii. I actually enjoyed that too once I finally sang. I was perfectly happy sitting out, but apparently nobody else was happy with that lol. After MUCH persuasion I finally sang some Taylor Swift and Katy Perry. It was fun. I admit it.

Yesterday was a day of relaxing. We ran a couple of errands and it was SO nice to be back to the apt. I layed around with Linus for most of the day.

Now, I'm here. Back at work. Sorry this entry was so boring, BUT this blog is about to take an interesting turn. Yes, I have a mission... You'll find out later.

Whoa There, Maryland. Calm The Eff Down!

Good afternoon blog readers! This past weekend the predicted blizzard arrived in full force. This was the second blizzard this winter, and we've also had various minor snow storms throughout the past couple of months. For some places (like Vermont) this is just a normal winter, but for Maryland this is unheard of! We have had our share of blizzards, but the last one was seven years ago, and the 6 winters since then have been mild. The blizzard this weekend brought about 26 inches of snow to Cockeysville, and 30+ inches in other parts of Maryland. Tomorrow/Wednesday we are supposed to get another foot of snow! It's crazy! I'm not necessarily complaining, but I have been in the house since Thursday night and it's starting to get old. However we did go outside to play in the snow on Saturday, and cleaned out cars off yesterday, so I haven't really been "stuck inside," just stuck in our neighborhood.

However, cabin fever is not the point of this post. The point is, where has this weather been hiding??? In my opinion, this is how winter should be every year! I love snow and I couldn't be happier about how this winter has turned out. Earlier this year I said I wanted to live in Vermont because you would never have to wonder if you were going to have a snowy winter. I think the weather gods heard me loud and clear and decided to show me that winter in Maryland could be just as snowy as winter in Vermont. Actually, I think it's snowed more in Maryland than in Vermont this year!

I am afraid that after the snowstorm tomorrow it might never snow in Maryland again haha. Oh well, I guess I should enjoy it while it lasts! Hooray snow!

Bring It On, Mother Nature. BRING IT ON!

Good afternoon blog readers! Well, another blizzard is upon us! There is 100% chance of heavy snow and blizzard conditions starting tomorrow morning and ending on Saturday evening. Frankly, I'm excited. We've already had a blizzard and a couple of small snow storms this year, and I'm not sick of it yet. I've been waiting and waiting for a winter like this, and now that it's here I'm certainly not going to complain! Some people (who shall remain nameless... hint - I live with him and he's not a cat), THOUGHT they wanted a snowy winter, but have started to complain. No. Not OK. I do understand the disappointment though, because our Superbowl party is this weekend and if it is as bad as they say it's going to be, we will probably have to cancel the party. Not the end of the world, but slightly disappointing. At least we already have the food, so if all else fails we can have our own little feast this weekend!

My point is, the snow is coming and I say BRING IT ON!

Retraction - I'm Angry

I just looked at all of the nominations, and somehow UP is nominated for best picture AND best animated picture. How is this fair? It's not. It can't have both! It just can't! Now poor Coraline doesn't stand a chance :(

And The Nominees Are...

Good morning blog readers! Today is an extra special day! Not only is it Groundhog Day, AND the premiere of the final season of Lost (yay!), BUT it's also the day that the Academy announced all of the Oscar nominations! I haven't looked at all of the nominees yet, because they were being announced as I was looking for them. However, I did manage to find all ten nominees for Best Picture. Yes, that's right, TEN nominees! They decided after last year that they needed to expand the Best Picture category from five nominees, to ten, in order to give more movies a chance. I will admit that there have been plenty of movies that I thought for sure would be nominated and then were completely snubbed. The category expansion made it possible for those movies to have a shot.

As exciting as it is having ten movies nominated this year, it's a little aggravating for those of us (like myself) who make an effort to see each of the movies nominated for best picture. BUT I can do it! I know I can! I've already seen five of the ten, and I think I'll be able to find the other five.

SO, without further ado, here are the 2010 Oscar Nominees for Best Picture.

(here is a list of ALL nominees http://oscar.go.com/nominations/nominees#category_animated-feature-film)

Avatar - I have NOT seen this yet. I said I would see it when it was nominated, so now I have to. It will be in theaters forever, so this movie should be the easiest one to scratch off the list.

The Blind Side - Saw it, loved it, cried my eyes out at the end. I do NOT think this would have made the cut if there were only 5 nominees this year, but I'm glad it did.

District 9 - Saw it, loved it, never even thought for a second that I would see it at the Oscars! This was the only movie on the list that I am truly excited about. It wont win, but I'm glad to see it getting the recognition it deserved. My only question, can aliens be nominated for best actor?

An Education - I have NOT seen this. I've never heard of it. This might be hard to find in theaters at this point. Grrr.

The Hurt Locker - I have NOT seen this, but I've heard nothing but great things. Hopefully it's still around! If not, we will find a way to see it!

Inglorious Basterds - I have NOT seen this, but Bryan owns it so I think we'll be ok haha

Precious - Saw it, loved it, knew the minute I left the theater that I'd see this one at the Oscars. Deserves any and all awards that it is nominated for, and would not be surprised if it takes the award for Best Picture.

A Serious Man - I have NOT seen this, and know nothing about it except that it was a huge nominee at the Golden Globes. Can't wait to see it!

Up - Saw it. Too emotional to watch again, but Bryan needs to see it so I'm sure I'll have to watch it with him. I'm glad it was nominated for best picture, so that Coraline can get the Best Animated Picture award that it deserves. I still don't agree with animated films being nominated outside of the animated films category, but again, it gives Coraline a shot so I'm good with it.

Up In The Air - Saw it, LOVED it, and disagree with every negative thing that I've heard about it. I thought it was a great movie, much better than I expected, and it deserves the nomination.

So there you have it!