Putting Part A into Slot B

Last night I helped a friend put together a desk from Ikea. I also lent my brute strength towards assembling a chair. Good times!

Actually, I love putting things together. I like having the little manual, laying out all the parts, and figuring out how everything goes. Plus, in the end you have something tangible to point to and say, "I did that!" Most of our everyday accomplishments in life aren't so obvious, so it's nice to revel in the ones that are.

Here's the piece of furniture I would evidently be if I came from a Swedish furniture store. It does indeed look like something I would buy. Yea for Courtneys of the world! Or should I say "Koyrtniis?" Try it yourself here. If you do, let me know what your name and piece of furniture are in the comments :)

Happy Fourth!

Yesterday I spent a restful Fourth of July with one of my favorite people: my mom. The difference between a regular 2-day weekend and a special 3-day weekend is amazing! It is quite liberating!

I went over to my mom's house and hung out with her for a while, played with the cats, etc. Then we decided to go to lunch. On our way out of the neighborhood, we found a little turtle trying to cross the road. Worried that it would get hit by a car, we turned around and I went on turtle patrol. Turtle patrol consists of picking up said turtle and carrying him/her across the street to a shaded, grassy area. I did have a small moment of panic when I wondered if the turtle would snap at me. He didn't, so we are now best friends.

After saving the wildlife, Mom and I went to lunch at K&S Cafeteria. Little factoid about me: I enjoy cafeterias. Go figure. After chatting and chowing, we rode over to Apex and did a little shopping. I love going to Apex - it's so quaint! Here's a shot of the downtown area.

While in Apex, we stumbled upon a gorgeous yard of daylilies. They were breathtaking (and best of all, no lawn to mow!)

Then we went to Barnes and Noble and bought out the store. Just kidding. They were having a huge sale, so I got 6 books for $15! Here's what I purchased:

• Assassinating Shakespeare: Confessions of a Bard in the Bush
• Art Game Book
• A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature
• In the Cage
• The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
• The Most Common Errors in English Usage and How to Avoid Them
• The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate

Well, I really have joint-ownership of that last book. My mom bought it, but we're each going to read it and then go to the author's reading later this month. Very exciting! I've only read about 50 pages or so, but I appreciate the author's commitment to primary sources, so I'm looking forward to learning more about his research process.

Finally, the night was capped off with a substantial thunderstorm. Very big, very loud, and it lasted for a while. I had toyed with the idea dragging mom to a park to listen to the symphony and watch fireworks, so I'm counting it as a blessing that we didn't end up going and getting wet :)

A Post about the Post-it®

I love Post-its. They are fabulous! Here's what a quick perusal of my desk produced:
My top 5 favorite uses for Post-its:

1. To-do lists. There's nothing like the satisfaction of crossing something off. I've even been known to add things to my list after doing them just so I can cross them off ;)
   
2. Bookmarks. Just stick one to a page and presto – instant bookmark that won't fall out.
3. Titles for file folders. I hate writing on the tab of a file folder because when I'm done with the project, I feel like the folder is wasted. Solution: Cut the sticky part off the top of the Post-it, write the desired title on it, and stick it on the folder's tab. When you're done with the project, peel off the Post-it and reuse the folder. Also, you can use the remainder of the Post-it for other folders by cutting it into strips and taping them to additional folders.
   
4. Taking notes. I like to stick Post-its to pages of books, notebooks, etc. to callout ideas. Writing in the margins is fine, but this is a great method if you can't write in the book or are running out of room.
   
5. Late-night inspiration. Why is that you think of things you want to do right before falling asleep? Since I'm not apt to remember it the next morning, I like to keep a pad nearby to write down the idea, epiphany, or randomness.
   

Now that I've expressed my enjoyment of the Post-it, imagine my glee at my friend Marc's new stop motion animation. I love it! And not just because of the Post-its ;)

From Crackle: Notes

MeTube

My friend Emily is making it in Hollywood! After graduating from Peace College, she headed west to California and has been quite the success. She has worked as an assistant to a celebrity (who I will not name in order to pique curiosities), written an entertainment blog, interviewed celebrities on the red carpet, and started her own comedy troupe, Gas Money.

Emily has also been hard at work with the Groundlings, a prestigious improv comedy group. It takes years to pass their certification levels and is quite difficult. Alumni of the Groundlings include Will Ferrell, Lisa Kudrow, Phil Hartman, Ana Gasteyer, and more. I am very proud of her! Here's one of her latest sketches:



And while I'm at it, I thought I would share some of my other favorite video clips. These are ones that I never get tired of watching :)

1. SNL: More Cowbell. I've got a fever...



2. OK Go: Here It Goes Again. Love the video, love the song, love any group that can think up something like this.



3. Judson Laipply: The Evolution of Dance. Is it long? Yes. But definitely watch the whole thing - it's well worth it.

Being in the Winner's Circle

Last Saturday, I got to bask in the presence of winners. In the morning, I participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. It was amazing. Everyone there was so nice and enthusiastic. Here are my 2 favorite parts from the race:

1. People wear pink papers on their backs saying who they are running/walking for. If they are walking for a breast cancer survivor, it says, "In celebration of [name here]. During the one-mile fun run (okay - it was more of a one-mile fun stroll), I was behind a family. The older woman's paper said, "In celebration of my daughter, Christine." Next to her was a younger woman whose paper read, "In celebration of my sister, Christine." She was holding the hand of little girl beside her. The little girl's paper said, "In celebration of Mom." The "o" in Mom was drawn as a little heart. Winners.
2. When a survivor is about to cross the finish line, race volunteers figure out what his/her name is (I think it's based on their race number) and pass the word onto the announcer. That way, when the breast cancer survivor actually crosses the line, it's announced, "Great job, Anna!" or "Here comes Susan - way to go!" It was great. Winners.

That night, I got to be around a different kind of winner. I went to Frankie's Fun Park in Raleigh with some friends. Right off the bat, my friend Tim hit the jackpot on one of the arcade games. Not once, but twice. It was amazing. The tickets just came pouring out of the machine (it's like Chuck E. Cheese where you get tickets from games and then trade them in for prizes). I screamed. A lot. I was very excited about my vicarious win.


So what do these two things have in common? It's about finding joy in what you do. Everyone was so optimistic and happy at the race. Despite the obvious difficulties the families were going through, they came out and supported their loved ones. And sure, it was just a pile of tickets at Frankie's, but sometimes it's important to be excited about the little things in life so you can handle the curve balls that come your way.

A Literary Handbook for the Beach

iro·ny \ˈī-rə-nē also ˈī(-ə)r-nē\ (1): incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result (2): an event or result marked by such incongruity.

Over Memorial Day weekend, I went to Duck Beach with some friends, as chronicled here and here. After a day of enjoying the beach, we were driving back to our house when we spotted a car stuck in the shoulder of the road. Note: Duck is located on the Outer Banks. As barrier islands, they are made of sand. Hence it's important to drive carefully when venturing off the road, lest you get stuck. Much like any "beachy" area. Since these people were from New Jersey, they evidently were unaware of this little factoid.

We decided to stop and try to help them out. It was a couple and a little kid. When we walked up, the guy actually handed us the keys and said, "I don't even know how to drive." Yes, that was a little weird. We dug out the front tires and then another guy stopped to help. He was able to tow them out using his truck. Afterwards, the New Jersey guy shook everyone's hand and thanked us, saying, "You hear about southern hospitality, but I've never seen it. Thank you." He was extremely appreciative. Here's the hole the car left.

Later that night we went to a party. When we walked up to the house it was at, what did we see? That same truck now stuck in the sand. We stopped offered to help, but the guy said he had it under control. So instead, I helpfully took a picture.

met·a·phor \ˈme-tə-ˌfor also -fər\ 1: a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them.

One day while we were all at the beach, the water was quite cold. We were toeing our way in when a random guy came up and told us, "It's better to just get in all at once." He then plunged himself into the water as we watched. PS - We later saw him go and appear to have this same conversation with another group of people on the beach. Maybe it's his hobby. Anyway, this began a discussion of how we like to get in the water. I decided that at pools, I like to jump in all at once. For the ocean, however, I prefer to ease in a little at a time to see what's it like, and then quickly get out past the breakers so they don't continually crash on me.

As our little group compared notes about our relative water-adjustment techniques, I began to wonder how this transferred to other areas of my life. Do I plunge into my metaphorical pools only because I know it's safe? In the giant oceans of life, it can certainly be difficult to swim out into the unknown. Are some methods better than others? Sometimes. Maybe it's about finding the right balance between caution and abandon.

de·noue·ment \ˌdā-ˌnü-ˈmäⁿ, dā-ˈnü-ˌ\ 2 : the outcome of a complex sequence of events.

It was also my birthday :)

Above photo courtesy Lacey Martin.

Maybe they don't know about the wave...

I love the Olympics. During the last games, I gave my co-workers a little "highlights" reel every morning during the games. This recap mostly involved me singing NBC's official Olympic song (da...da...dadadada...da...da...dadadada....dadada...da...dadadadada), and then telling them what I saw on TV. I'm sure they loved it.

I am excited about the coming games, even though I have to admit that the winter games are my favorite. I think it will be quite interesting to see how things go in Beijing this summer.

I came across this article today on BBC.com regarding China's plan for an official cheer.

This definitely made me 1) laugh and 2) reflect on China's society.

My favorite part is that they are launching an entire campaign to teach people how to do this. As the article explains, "The authoritative, four-part Olympic cheer, accompanied by detailed instructions, will be promoted on TV, in schools and with a poster campaign...The Beijing Olympic Organising Committee has hired 30 cheering squads who will show spectators how it is done at Games stadia" (BBC.com, June 5, 2008). Oh China - what will you think of next?