Wait for it. Wait for it.

And go.

I finally posted some of my 632 pictures from my Vermont trip. Click here to see them. If you have a free six hours to kill. I'd recommend you look at the collections. Hopefully I'll finish posting pictures in the next couple days.

Hey, baby, we've all been there.

I had a surprise visit from my brother yesterday. It was a great way to end a craptacular week. We had dinner at Zely and Ritz. They are a local restaurant that partners with Coon Rock Farms in Hillsborough. It was great. We sat at the bar and talked to the staff. We had a ton of food and a couple good cocktails. The service was great. I'm going to have to go back very soon. We stopped by three other places before heading home by rickshaw. I'll leave out the part about dropping my hotdog mustard side down on my arm and skirt on the ride home.

I did my good deed for the night. I had to use the loo as soon as we got into the Times bar. In the stall next to me was a girl, on the floor, crossed legs, facing the wrong way, if you know what I mean. I knocked on the door and asked her if she was okay. She could barely answer yes. I asked her if she wanted me to get anyone for her. She said no. Seriously, where are her friends in a time like this? I left the bathroom and the waitress was talking to my brother. I asked her for a bitters and soda. She started to ask my brother what he wanted and I said we'd order in a minute and can I just get that now. Both of them were looking at me like I lost my mind. She walked away and I told my brother about the puking girl. When she came back with the drink, the girl was coming out of the bathroom. I gave it to her, told her what it was and that it would make her feel better. She started to drink it and stumbled off. Later the waitress asked me if I got it for someone else. When I said I did, she told me the girl drank it all and that she did feel better. I do have to say, if you have to be sick in a bar, make it the Times. Their bathrooms are freakishly clean for a place so packed.

He left this morning to head to California. He's on his was to Chicago right now, via Memphis, I think. He's taking the scenic way across the country. It also helps that he's got places to stay in Chicago and Jackson Hole, too. If you see him on the road, be sure to say hi!

The crepe myrtles around the church are beginning to bloom. What flowers there are at the moment may not last the thunderstorm that just rolled in.

Brokedown Bus

The 105 broke down in front of the Vet School. Approximately four minutes after the NCSU Wolfline that goes by went out of service right at the same spot. Luckily another 105 came by about 10 minutes later and picked us up. It was standing room only to downtown until we hit the library at NCSU. That is where the Indian co-op kids get off the bus. All eighteen of them. I've never seen that bus so packed. I guess this means gas is still $4 a gallon. Also on the happy news front, it was only 91 degrees after work today so sitting on a dead bus wasn't that unbearable. It always amazes me how fast the TTA can recover from something like that. It has almost no impact on the passengers.

The Other Amy was sitting across the aisle from me. She is reading Lonesome Dove. Her taste in books is a bit odd, if I do say so myself.

I think I forgot to mention the Asian lady at the Park and Ride in the mornings. Every morning, like clockwork, for the past few weeks, she asks the driver where he's going. The bus either says "105 RTP Slater Road" or "105 Raleigh Moore Square" on the rolling marquis. Mine says RTP. Every morning she asks the driver if he's going downtown. Of course, he says no. And she gets this really confused look on her face. It's funny. And it's been going on since before I went to Vermont.

She's like Christmas.

I've become friendly with a woman who rides the 105 in the morning. Her name is Pat. She works for the cable company. Turns out she's not pure evil, which I always assumed was a prerequisite for working for Time Warner. She's nice enough that when she told me where she worked, I had to apologize to her just in case I ever yelled at her. We got on the subject recently of working for utility companies. For the record, I did my time. It was miserable for too many reasons to recount at the moment. Pat mentioned she wasn't real thrilled with her job/boss/etc. Being the consummate HR lady, I started talking about my company. (I'm beginning to think I need to be a recruiter, I want everyone to love their job!) She's great to talk to, smart, funny. She's older than me, but not quite as old as my parents. She and I lament about the woman who used to drive. She was always late and always asking Pat for directions. That woman has been replaced. Pat wasn't on the bus last week. I saw her this morning and told her she can ride the bus again, we have a new driver, etc. Pat was in the first seat, Amy Number One was behind her, and I was in the second seat on the other side. In the middle of our conversation, Amy chimes in. She says to Pat, "hey, what's your name?" Like most people, Pat looks nervous and answers her. Amy then says, "What's your last name?" Pat answers her again. Amy then says, "So you were sick Monday?" "Yes, and last week," says Pat. Later I was drinking from my new water bottle that has blue skull and crossbones all over it and she wanted to know what I was drinking. I'll have you know I resisted the temptation to reply, "hooch." Too many questions.

More Bob this morning. Staring at me. Shudder.

The Cherry Cough Syrup Lady sat down directly behind me this morning. Within minutes I could feel my neck and shoulder tense up. Any thoughts on how to tell a total stranger their funky-ass cheap perfume is a wee overpowering?

Two more weeks until the latest installment of Meg On A Plane. I am off to California soon. I can't wait. And with any luck, that hottie pilot that flew me to Burlington will be along for the ride.

Bigtime, I'm on my way on making it.

I just found out I have my very first bloglines subscriber. I have no idea what that means exactly, but I'll take it.

Hi Rae!

Hot enough to fry an egg, hot enough to...

Today should be the last hundred degree day for the next week or so. Thankfully. There was a guy walking down Hillsborough Street near Locopops with a pink wash cloth on his head. He was this big, tough looking dude. And it was a little, pink wash cloth.

MSG was back this afternoon. Did I mention he cut his hair? No more bowl cut. Today in the polo shirt and khakis, he just looked vanilla. It made me sad. I hate to say it, but I liked the bowl cut better.

Bob waived at me this morning while I was walking to my bus. He was wearing sunglasses over his glasses this morning. The usual three overstuffed tote bags, headphones AND ear plugs. Seriously, if I ever turn up missing, it was him. I'm tellin' ya. Bob did it. At the bus stop. With the tote bag. Call the po po.

There was just an ad on tv for a State Farm agent named Chuck Tickle. That's awesome.

Amy Number One had a major case of the sniffles this morning. Last week, I was sitting behind her. Her butt must have been itchy, because she scratched it. I'm talking a full on, hand down the back of her pants, in her big pink grannie panties kind of scratch. I was both amused and grossed out at the same time.

I got my camera cable today in the mail. (Thanks, ma!) Pictures coming soon!

Happy weekend!

1. This morning I saw a guy at the Transfer Center that looked like the actor who played Clarence in It's a Wonderful Life. (I was going to add a link to IMDb, but my ISP is telling me they can't find the website! The world's gone mad!)

2. I don't understand why relationships have to be so complicated. This weekend should be...weird to say the least.

3. It was only 97 degrees out today. It was so hot it hurt.

4. Today was Tamale Friday at work. Our cleaning lady, N, is from Mexico. She and her sister make tamales on Friday morning and sell them in the office for $1 a piece. They make the traditional red and green chicken tamales, which are good. Last time they had refried bean tamales, which were sublime. Today they made me special black bean tamales. Oh my oh my, were they good. She didn't mention to me that there were big pieces of jalapenos in them. The first one didn't have a jalapeno in it, and it was yummy. The second one had a half of a jalapeno in it. Now, I like spicy food, so I'm okay with this. I just like to be warned before I eat spicy food. They were still really good. Later N told me the ones with the jalapenos were meant for the Indian girl in payroll who puts jalapenos on all of her food. N also surprised me with a cheese tamale, free of charge. It ws good but the bean ones were better.

5. Amy Number One got her hair did. She has quite a bit of grey. I'd guess she's in her early 40s. She gets it colored dark, black maybe and cut into a short bob. It's really cute, actually. And strangely enough, the same cut I'm going for with my hair.

6. Cast Away is on TNT right now. I love that movie. I love Tom Hanks.

7. I want to learn Russian so I can read Dostoyevsky in his native language.

8. Funquita, my afternoon 105 driver, was painting her nails while she was driving earlier this week. I let her supervisor know. She let me know by almost driving off without me yesterday. I was next to the bus, by the doors, and she drove off. Then she drove past my stop when we got to Raleigh. Nice, huh? She defines ghetto.

9. Save a couple quick errands tomorrow, I doubt I will be leaving the house all weekend. Except for a cook out on Sunday night. Otherwise, I'll be hanging out in the refrigerator all weekend.

We be jammin'.

Oh, I almost forgot...

I bought blueberries and peaches from the Farmer's Market. I ended up buying enough to make just a batch of blueberry jam. I ran out of jars to make another batch of jam. I am turning the peaches and a couple apricots into sorbet. I added honey, a little corn syrup and sugar to the cut up fruit, cooked it, and whizzed it up with the stick blender. It's cooling in the fridge and will be frozen tonight. The fruit wasn't very sweet, so I added some honey for flavor and sugar to sweeten it. I like to add corn syrup to sorbets to keep them a bit soft. I find they freeze solid otherwise because of all of the water. I didn't add too much of any of the sweeteners, so it's still not super sweet. The honey was a good idea. This weekend I will go back for more peaches and blueberries for jam.

I think I was a lizard in my last life.

Three words I never want to hear again. Record. High. Heat. I just can't function in this weather. I get home from work and I just fall asleep. On the bright side, in all of this heat and humidity, my new apartment is nice and cool. I get direct sunlight in my living room so it gets a little warmer, but not much. My bedroom is still really confortable. I may not have to buy that second air conditioner after all.

Yesterday on the way home, there were so many Indian co-op kids that the only language that could be heard was Hindi. It was pretty cool. It made me feel like I was some place significantly more exciting than Raleigh.

My morning have been free of Special Ed, which makes me eternally happy. The afternoons, however, not so much. A few weeks ago, he was reading a book to learn Spanish. Two days ago, he got on the bus carrying a copy of La Conexion and a copy of Que Pasa?. Apparently he's a quick study.

There's an Asian woman on the 105 in the afternoons. From her name tag, I learned that her name is Ma, she is from Burma (Myanmar) and she works at the Radisson. I see her most days, but recently she has gotten very excited and animated when she sees me. I don't think she speaks much, if any, English, but she's super friendly. She gets this big smile and waves when she sees me. Tuesday on the way home, we were passed on I-40 by two 18 wheelers carrying squashed cars. She was fascinated by that. It was kind of funny. I want to learn how to say "hello" in Burmese so I can properly greet her.

Over the past three mornings, Babushko has confirmed that I am indeed the nicest lady of them all. (As if there was any doubt!) Unfortunately, that's still the most he's ever said to me.

On Tuesdays, there's a yoga class I like at the Y. I made a deal with my bosses that I get to leave 15 minutes early on Tuesdays so I can catch this class, which is at 6:15. If you aren't there before 6:15, the instructor won't let you in. I have never been able to make it to that class. Tuesdays conspire against me. This past Tuesday, my first bus was late, which made me miss the second bus I need. I want to go to this yoga class because I'm a little stressed out, right? What's more stressful than constantly missing the damn class? Grrrrr. Clearly I need this class.

I still have no way to post pictures as my brother still has my camera cable. (ahem.) As soon as I get it, I'll post on Flickr at least most of the 632 pictures I took in Vermont. I leave for California in 20 days. I can't wait. Twelve days of doing nothing but bumming around Mountain View, Haight-Ashbury, and playing Wii.

Today's Forecast: Hot with a 90% chance of sweaty.

Sad to say, Summer has arrived in NC. It's going to be around 90 this weekend, humid, and generally unpleasant. Later this week, it's going to be around 95. I went to the Farmer's Market yesterday. I bought blueberries and peaches from this really cool kid. What can I say...he drove a hard bargain. I'm making peach and blueberry jam today. Should be tasty. I love smoothies with peaches and blueberries together, so it should work together as a jam. The strawberries were very tasty, but I still have 11,000 jars of strawberry jam left over from last summer.

I took the bus to the Farmer's Market yesterday. It was a major pain in the ass. I need to figure out how to get there on my bike. My only concern is that there are a lot of big hills between me and the Farmer's Market.