New Car For Me!

Yesterday I finally got my shit together and went to get my new car.  It is good to be done with all the searching and the paperwork and other annoying stuff.  I went with the 2004 VW Jetta 1.8T GLS!  Yay for letters and numbers!  I may have actually stated before that this car was a 2006.  That was a lie...oops.  But anyway, the car has like 27,000ish miles on it and has a moonroof, heated leather seats (because it gets so cold in Charleston), a huge trunk, lots of airbags and some other nerdy stuff that you may ask me about if you feel so inclined.  I'm really happy with the car so far and hope to continue to feel that way about it for a long time.  She has not been named yet so...suggestions are welcome.  :)  And now, for the pictures.  Ignore all my stuff that's already in the car.  And also maybe more pictures later.

Another Excellent Weekend in New York

Anybody who knows me is well aware that I absolutely love New York City.  Also any part of New York state that I've been to, I have thoroughly enjoyed.  Last year started my awful habit of making several little trips to New York each year.  I even took the opportunity to study at NYU for 2 months last summer and to live in the East Village and enjoy its weirdness.

So this weekend I packed a little bag and borrowed my father's car and took off for New York to visit my friend Adam in Yonkers and to make a little trip into the city.  When I visit Adam we don't really make extravagant plans or write down a schedule or do super touristy things, but we always have fun and it's just enjoyable.  I love having the time to hang out with him and it's nice to do it in a place that I love.

When I arrived in Yonkers Friday afternoon, Adam was still at work and I was dying for some sleep due to a huge lack of sleep from the night before.  After much listening to the cat squeaking away under the bed, I finally dozed off and before I knew it Adam was there.  We sort of had a relaxing evening watching Food Network and just generally being lazy, and then eventually went to a diner for late food.  Note: I love diners.  In Charleston, we have maybe 2 diners that I never go to because they are nowhere near me and always are ridiculously busy.  So diner fun with Adam is always a treat.  :)  Anyway, after dinner we called it an early night and that was that.

Saturday was our day to head into the city and just sort of amble around and explore.  Apparently Adam doesn't often venture into Manhattan, so it was a treat for him too.  We did nerdy things like checking out the MTA museum/store in Grand Central and going to the FDNY museum/store somewhere (I really just follow...am not good with directions!).  Adam had a moment of glee over each and I enjoyed it as well.  After that we trekked down to Herald Square so I could buy shampoo.  I always get my shampoo from Lush and typically I spend way too much money there, but I managed to keep myself in check this time.  But man, I really love that store.  We then sort of walked aimlessly around (I say that because I had no idea where we were going :)) until we ended up in Times Square.  At this point I decided that it was imperative that I enter Toys 'R' Us because I saw Hello Kitty things and I am probably really only 5 years old.  Fun was had by all...or at least by me.  We ate dinner at this little Italian restaurant that specializes in pasta.  Was very, very good.  After that we took a nice little walk through Central Park and then headed back toward Grand Central.  I really enjoy taking the subway and the Metro North.  It is one of those little pleasures that I just am overjoyed about.  So train ride back was fun fun except for the "wobbles" of the train that made me want to vomit.  Also the drunk couple in the seats next to us who were making out and considering getting down on the train may have contributed to the need to expel my dinner.  All in all, the trip was super fun.  The only thing that was not accomplished was the finding of a real, live rat for me to view because I have never seen one in that wasn't someone's pet.  Weird story...nevermind.  We walked to the train station from Adam's apartment, so naturally we walked back and I died on the way due to a tremendous hill and the fact that I am lazy.  My legs are still giving me a big "fuck you" over that.  Thanks, Adam.  :)

Also, while we were in the city we became very aware that it is Hello Kitty's 35th Anniversary!  Hooray for HK!  There were some neat statues and fountains of the feline and her bunny friends in this courtyard that we passed by.  There was one bunny fountain and a Helly Kitty fountain that operated by having two little streams of tears shoot from their eyes into pools around them.  Poor sad bunny and kitty!  Anyway, if you like Hello Kitty, go check it out.

Sunday we had planned on doing some rugged nature things.  We were going to wear plaid and grow mustaches especially for the occasion.  However, it poured all morning and most of the afternoon, so we slept in, had bagels in the afternoon, watched MIB2 and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and had dinner at Spice Village, possibly one of the best Indian places EVAR.  After all that we sort of chilled at the apartment and just talked and laughed and had a grande olde time.

Monday I headed back to Pennsylvania.  I always hate returning to PA after I've been in New York.  Not only do I miss my friend, but I just miss the happy feeling I have while I'm there and I become irritated as soon as I leave.  That's actually not true.  I'm fine until I hit New Jersey, where I start to prep myself for the mild irritation, and then in PA I just become a grumpy asshole who hates everyone.  I am really sick of Pennsylvania in general and if I could get away with it, I'd probably make it a point to not come back here for a very long time.  However, most of my family live here and it's really not an option at this point in time.

So those are all the boring details of my weekend.  Not boring to me at all.  I had an amazing weekend and the best host in the world and I hope that I can do it all over again in the near future.  I hope even more that I can get my ass in gear and graduate college very soonly so that I can then begin searching for jobs and hopefully move to New York semi-permanently.  Hooray!

Tomorrow I'm getting the new vehicle.  Be excited please, because I am.  :)

(Apologies because I never really take photos in New York.  Sorryyyy!)

Fleet Foxes! Holy shit!

Thursday night (July 30 for people who are "date challenged") I had the pleasure of driving to Philadelphia and actually making it to a concert on time.  I also had the experience of being directed by a parking attendant to back my father's car into a fence, but let's not talk about that.

Anyway, a friend and I headed to the Electric Factory to see Fleet Foxes.  I was looking forward to this for a very long time.  Being the nerd I am, I actually woke up early the morning the tickets went on sale to make sure I remember to get them RIGHT AWAY.  And when they arrived, I gave them a little special place on my refrigerator.  So when the day finally arrived I was sooooo happy.  I was twitching with happiness.  And possibly maybe dancing a little.

When we got there I was kind of confused and lost because I'd never been to this particular venue before and driving in Philadelphia tends to have this effect on me anyway.  So we took a little time to sit and talk and just relaxxx before things started.  We sat upstairs along the railing because I am short and we didn't get there early enough for me to stand right in front of the stage.  So being upstairs was kind of the best option available for me as far as being able to see.

The opening band was Espers.  They are from Philadelphia, so I hear.  And I kind of really didn't like them.  I probably would've liked them if it was sunny and we were in a field.  Or if I was smoking pot like all the kids downstairs.  Yes, you fuckers.  Thank you for ruining everything for everyone who isn't retarded by smoking ALL NIGHT and giving us all headaches and making us want to rain vomit down on you from above.  Seriously.  I know that people do this but there is a point at which the entire situation just becomes ridiculously.  That point was reached about 20 minutes into the evening.

ANYWAY.  Espers were not impressive.  Little bit weird for my taste.  That's saying something somehow.  So here's a picture of them:

Blurriest picture ever.  

And whoever was responsible for making sure everything sounded right for this band seriously sucked.  A lot.  But after maybe 30 minutes of that awful stuff, there was a quick reset for Fleet Foxes, during which they did their own sound check and went into the booth themselves to make sure things didn't suck.  And then they were on.  I had watched videos of their live performances before so I had kind of an idea that they were good but I was really extremely impressed.  It just is amazing that they are as tight as they are and that they immediately are in tune and in perfect harmony with each other - no searching for notes whatsoever, really I didn't hear a single mistake. 

All in all this concert probably falls into the #3 slot of my favorites of all time, right behind the Violent Femmes show at the Plex and Nicole Atkins at Snug Harbor.  Was very enjoyable and I'm sure I will be making an effort to see them again in the future.

Here, have some blurry pictures.  My camera seriously sucks so hard.  Maybe someday I'll do something about that.

I actually have nothing of great interest to say, just thought I'd make it known that I haven't disappeared completely.

I am visiting my family in Pennsylvania, have been here a little over a week now, and am ready to be back in Charleston.  I came home earlier than I had planned due to a death in the family and spent some extra time with my grandmother and other family members.  It has been good to have some time with them, but you know how it is returning home when you normally live on your own.  I go crazy with people checking up on me all the time.  :)

While here, I've also been taking some time to find a new car.  I'd like to have one in my possession by Wednesday evening, but...there are other factors that may prevent that.  Right now I am basically split between taking my dad's 2006 Honda Civic LX, which I really like, and a 2006 VW Jetta.  My dad's car was the clear winner until I drove the Jetta.  And I love it.  And it has a moon roof just like my Civic did.  My dad is still trying to win my favor by saying he will let me have a moon roof put into his Honda for Christmas.  Mileage is also a factor.  The Civic has 78,000 miles on it while the Jetta only has 27,000.  So we'll see what I choose.  I've really been putting a lot of thought into it.  It's not such a big deal, but I spend a lot of time in my car and would like to have something that I will be satisfied with for more than 5 years.

This Thursday, I'm off to Philadelphia to see Fleet Foxes.  I am SO excited.  I really have wanted to see them for awhile now and I'm sure I'll have lots of stuff to say about it when I get back.  However I won't say it until next week, as I'll be going to New York for the weekend.  Busy traveling week for me.

Next week I'm here for a few days and then it's back to Charleston and business as usual.  A mere four weeks until it's back to college.  I'll be happy to see everyone, but not happy to have Microeconomics.  But we must make the best of the situation I suppose.

That's all for now...more next week!

R.I.P. Vero?

Last night I was on Ashley Phosphate in North Charleston - the road I feared driving on most when I first moved here because of the ridiculous traffic.  And I had my first major car accident.  Some guy in a Porsche (see: douchebag) wanted to turn across traffic.  He edged through two lanes that stopped and left space for him but didn't feel it was important to stop and have a look at the third lane before completing his turn.  Well, I was in that lane and happened to crash into his passenger side at approximately 35 mph.  His car sustained no damage that is beyond repair.  Also he was going to a second car, so I guess it's not really a problem for his rich dumb ass and that would explain why he was laughing and dancing around like a moron while I was standing there crying and trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do.  Luckily nobody was actually hurt in the accident and after much leaking of fluids, my car was towed away.

Anyway, his insurance company acknowledges that he is at fault, and will be taking care of the situation.  I have been given a rental car - a 2009 Chevy Cobalt - until further notice, at the expense of Geico.  The adjustor has not viewed my car yet - that will occur tomorrow after I get the rest of my belongings, which I forgot to pick up with the others today.  However, I'm hearing from all sides - cop who wrote report, towing company, insurance company - that my car is 95% certain to be totaled.  As much as she gave me trouble, I learned to love her.  My dearest Civvie will be missed if indeed she must be destroyed.

Bad Influences

Many people who know me also know the story of the young male in my apartment complex who would accost me in the hallway insisting that I should cheat on "my boyfriend" to be with him.  When that failed to work, he would come knocking at my door asking if he could hang out in my apartment.  When met by "no" every time, he insinuated that this meant that I hated black people.  Not just him.  But every single black person on the planet.

When I returned from Pennsylvania last time (at the end of May), he ceased to be present and so I assumed that he was gone for good.  He is not actually a tenant of these apartments, but rather the visiting cousin of a tenant who is actually not insane.  Needless to say I was rather annoyed when he returned about two weeks ago.  He left me alone for a few days, as he was enamored by an Eastern European woman who is here with him and with whom he was frequently seen making out with under the stairs.

However, in the past few days, whether she is there or not, he feels the need to say hello to me and call me out by name whenever he sees me, and actually stand in my path when I'm trying to go up the stairs to my apartment.  Childish and extremely unfunny.  Now for the point of my story...

There are children in the household in which he's staying.  And while it's really none of my business, he has obviously influenced these children with his lack of social skills.  There is a little girl, maybe 6 years old, who is mostly outside all day playing with the other kids in the building (who aren't nearly as annoying as she is).  She saw me a few times walking Chrissy, my puppy, outside and would ask to pet her.  Because this girl screams everything at the top of her lungs and in the whiniest tone possible, my dog was immediately terrified of her.  It got to a point where she would accost me in the hallway as well everytime I would go outside and ask to hold/pet Chrissy.  I would tell her, "Ok you can pet her, but I can't stay out here because I've got stuff to do."  Apparently "busy" is not a word in this child's vocabulary because she would still whine and insist I stay there for 25 or more minutes.  

Said child may or may not look like this.

Normally I'd have no problem telling a child to STFU and get out of the way.  Even though I love children, the kids these days (yeah I'm 90) are annoying and have no manners.  Their parents are mostly just as wretched as they are.  However, I know this child's mother.  And she's so so nice and really cool and everything.  So I can hardly be mean to her kid.

This child eventually got into a habit of waiting outside of my apartment at times she knew I'd be coming outside with Chrissy.  Fucking weird, ok.  So I told her mom that if she would be at home, I'd let them puppysit some day while I go do stuff but that she must supervise this child because she's heinous (or something less mean).  So they are puppysitting Thursday and now I can tell the child to wait three effing days and leave me alone.

Moral of the story: raising children in the environment of prowlers is raising prowlers.

In other news....Zappa Plays Zappa...North Charleston.  I'm not going but I am intrigued.  That is all.  Oh and if anybody can figure out who's opening for The Avett Brothers at the Performing Arts Center, feel free to let me know.

Weekend Things: Part Three

This is the last part, I swear.  And then I'll go back to not having a life.  :)

Right.  So after all the drama with Oliver on Sunday night, I thought I'd have a peaceful Monday morning.  But that didn't happen, because I had a morning precalculus test.  Hooray!  After all that was done, I met up with the family at my apartment and we planned out our day.  We started off having a walk around the Cistern and Physician's Promenade at my college, and then visited the gardens behind the student center.  The gardens were alive with much noise, which we later discovered was coming from lots and lots of froggies (or toads) sexing it up!  We also saw little itty bitty baby ones hopping around that were less than a centimeter long!

Froggy secks!

My father decided that he really wanted to go see the old Sheldon Church Ruins near Pocotaligo.  We'd both been before on the way back from Beaufort (lamest city ever), and I was actually planning on driving out again sometime, so why not now?  

Anyway, we set off on this drive that should've taken 45 minutes tops, but due to a ridiculous amount of construction (destruction) it took us double the time.  While inching along in traffic we noticed a sad and interesting thing - around the wetlands there were tons of baby alligators smooshed on the road.  *pout*  It's strange because I've driven this road several times to get to Savannah, and never noticed it before.  But they were popping up about once every half mile.  Poor little fellows.

When we arrived at the ruins, it was a little different than I remembered it.  The grass seemed to be shorter (I remembered it as being unmaintained) and there was a gate and historical marker that I just must not have paid attention to last time.  There were also two other families there checking it out.  One was a large family that was just sort of quietly poking around.  The other group was two women (maybe in their 20s) with 4 little kids.  On the ruins, there is actually a large sign that explains that this is a churchyard with gravestones and history that was tragically burnt and you should have a little respect and be reverent.  It doesn't say "no touchy" or anything like that...but basically just shut up and don't be rude.  That being said, these 4 little kids were running around sword fighting with sticks, parents being loud and rude as well.  And as I watched them climbing on the tombs, I noticed that the two women were carrying cameras, and not taking pictures of the ruins, but rather doing a photo shoot with the children.  I understand kind of almost(ish) posing your kids in front of the old church.  It's pretty.  But they were standing the little girl up against gravestones and sitting her on the tombs and taking photos of her.  First off, that's strange.  Second off, really kind of disrespectful I think.  Maybe that's just my feeling.

So anyway.  The ruins themselves obviously haven't changed a whole lot.  Little plants were growing out of the cracks in between the bricks.  The sun was shining and it was just serene (minus the yelling).  I hadn't really looked at the tombs the last time I was there.  Stephen Bull and his wife were buried there in the 1700s.  I think Stephen's said 1770 something.  They're very old.  Two of the tombs are cracked at the top, making little openings for the water and insects to run in.  Overall it was a trip worth making.  You can click here to read a little bit about the church's history.  And here are some photos:

The Ruins from the entrance gate.

Inside where the altar used to be.

The Bull family graves/tombs

From the front of the church

We left Sheldon Church hoping to make it back to Charleston in time to see the Parade of Sail and watch all of the tall ships leave the harbor.  However, the construction slowed us down and I had to stop to medicate Ollie, so we just missed it.  By the time we arrived on the Battery, we could just barely see the last of the ships on the horizon, and we could see the Spirit of South Carolina turning around and heading back to port.  They must have had a teaching session in progress, because they lingered in the harbor for a long time.  There were also a few barges coming and going.  While we were watching the Spirit sail around the harbor, we noticed a bunch of tiny little seagulls flying around.  Their mother was standing by and watching them, and we concluded that she was teaching them how to fish.  There must've been 50 or so little babies flying about and squeaking.  I managed to catch a little video - ignore my father and I chatting in the background.

The Spirit of South Carolina sailing around the harbor

After we finished all of our productive things we headed out for dinner.  My guests were interested in seafood, so we hit Hyman's on Meeting Street and sat at the table where Mikhail Baryshnikov and Anthony Hopkins dined (though most likely not at the same time :)).  And that was the end of our night, and sadly the end of my family's visit.  All in all, it was a very enjoyable weekend and I'll miss the busy schedule and the excitement.

Now I'm back to normal things.  Today was my final exam for my summer course and now I'm free to do whatever I wish again.  I'm not really sure what that is, but I'll find something and hopefully will have some interesting things to share in the upcoming weeks.

Weekend Things: Part Two

Sunday was the busiest day of the weekend for me.  The family and I headed out early in the morning to go check out the ships together.  I was very excited about this experience and may or may not have sung a little song and done a little dance in the car on the way there.  

Let me start by saying that by 9 a.m. in Charleston, the temperature has usually reached 90 degrees.  Sunday was no exception and I was gross and sweaty and apparently whichever volunteer was supposed to be putting out water for people to drink failed at life and allowed us all to become dried out husks of our former selves.  But!  On to the boats...

We started out at the dock at the Maritime Center, where the smaller of the ships were.  Some of these ships were not available for deck tours, but they were fun to look at.  The Etoile (French) was open for tours but had a really high bridge that took you to the upper level and I was wearing a dress.  So I sat out on that one.  Our first stop was the Spirit of Bermuda - a 112' three-masted schooner with a 10' draft and 23' beam.  The craftsmanship of this ship was immaculate.  The joints in the wood on the deck were very unique and just beautiful.  The crew were also very nice and entertained questions gladly.  It was an 8 day journey for them from Bermuda to Charleston and I think they were just enjoying the time off.

Spirit of Bermuda

Next, we boarded the Schooner Virginia.  She is a 126' two-masted schooner with a wooden hull, a 12' draft and a 24' beam.  Can't say I was too impressed.  It's not that the ship was hideous or anything like that.  I just think I wanted to see the bigger ships and this was the last stop before we headed over to the Union Pier Passenger Terminal.  While we were on board, the Spirit of South Carolina also sailed by.  The Spirit is a teaching vessel that sails from Charleston.

The Schooner Virginia

The Spirit of South Carolina

On the way to the Passenger Terminal we happened to catch some of the air show.  Was kind of really fun to watch.  The pilots were really daring, coming within very short distances of each other, and at times dipping down to no higher than 30' above the water.  There was also a parachute team that came in as we were leaving.

The first large ship we boarded was the Eagle.  She hails from New London, CT and is a United States Coast Guard ship.  The Eagle is 295' long, has a 39' beam, a 16' draft and a steel hull.  At the top of the bridge we were met by two women in uniform.  They didn't say anything to welcome people aboard and looked kind of irritated to be there, and actually I assumed they didn't speak English.  This was before I realized we were on an American ship and that they were just being rude.  I was happier anyway to be on a ship that didn't allow me to sense the bobbing around in the water.  Bleh.  Anyway...nice ship.  

The Eagle

The Uruguayan ship was next.  The crew members on the deck were scarce as most of them were probably still recovering from last night's festivities (and they did emerge at about 1:30 p.m. and start the drumming and dancing again).  Those that we did see were all on their laptops.  This ship was cool because we could go into the room with all the controls and navigational stuff in it (insert technical term here).  See pictures from yesterday.

The last ship we boarded was by far the most impressive.  The Kruzenshtern, hailing from Kalingrad, Russia, is a four-masted barque with a length of 376', draft of 16' and beam of 46'.  This is clearly a steel hulled ship.  Before we saw this ship, we knew it was large.  But..."large" is really a huge understatement.  She's an impressive vessel that has been through a lot, supposedly.  The poor fellows on board didn't really speak much English at all, and they were left to fend for themselves with the people asking questions.  But they did have lots of boards with photos and captions to help them out.  Throughout the day we were glancing at this ship, because they were doing a repair to the mast and there were men wayyy high up there just sitting like they were on a chair on the ground.  Crazy.

The Kruzenshtern

Ohai crazy people!

At the end of the dock, there was the Romanian Mircea.  Also a very large ship, but we did not board.  The sun was getting to us and there was a huge line to weight before boarding.  Beyond the Mircea was a freighter that was loading cars and RVs.  

The Mircea

After our long day on the docks, we grabbed some food downtown and then headed to Folly Beach to have a nice relaxing walk and to look at the lighthouse.  The tide was just going out when we got there and the breeze was blowing steadily.  It was a lovely outing.

Unfortunately, the rest of Sunday was not as nice.  Upon returning to my apartment, I fed the animals and we just relaxed for a bit.  Until we noticed that Oliver, the poor little fellow, was rubbing his eye and meowing a lot.  I looked at him and at first thought that he'd actually ripped part of his eye, as all I could see was white.  But it was really his third eyelid that was swollen.  We took him to the emergency veterinarian clinic, and after he assaulted most of the veterinarian staff for trying to touch him, they had to sedate him.  Turns out he somehow got some scratches on the cornea.  We're not sure how, but we do know it wasn't from the dog, as they were separated all day.  So anyway, we left with some antibiotics and a cone on his head.  After a follow-up appointment today, it seems he is doing well and will have a full recovery soon.  But he's not happy about the damn cone.

That's all I've got for today.  Monday's events come tomorrow!

Also, pardon the less-than-fantastic photos.  The only excuse I can make is that I wasn't wearing my glasses...but that's probably not it.

Weekend Things: Part One

So this past weekend (Friday - Tuesday), some of my family members were in town to enjoy Harbor Fest with me.  Despite the ridiculously hot weather, it was mostly pleasant and we did a lot of fun stuff.  So much, in fact, that I can't share it all at once.

On Friday, my family arrived in town just before I had to go do my shift at Harbor Fest.  So I stopped to say hi and then took off.  I was stationed at the merchandise center on the dock across from the Capitan Miranda.  The Capitan is a Uruguayan ship.  She is 205' long with a 12' draft, 27' beam, and a steel hull.  That probably means nothing to most people, so here's a picture:

The Capitan Miranda is the closest ship in this picture (i.e., the one flying the Uruguayan flag).

Kind of a closer picture.  Kind of hard to shove a ship that big into a picture.

So here's a photo courtesy of the interwebs.

Anyway, it was an entertaining night.  The Uruguayans had been partying pretty much nonstop since 2pm on Thursday.  So throw an event with free alcohol into the mix and the results are...interesting.  They had a drum circle type thing going on deck, which was kind of really fun to watch.  I wish I had a video or something, but we were a little busy.

Saturday morning was another shift for me, working at the Maritime Center with a bunch of little kids doing crafty things.  Not much to say except it was hot, we were all sweaty, and very busy.  Little kids love to build stuff apparently.  While I was working, my family were out checking out some of the smaller ships at the Maritime Center, but they were done by the time I finished work.  We met up afterwards and had dinner at this cute little Italian place near my apartment and then spent the rest of the night checking out downtown a little and just catching up in my apartment.

And unfortauntely, that's where I have to stop for right now.  Things have been a little bit crazy, but I'll pick up on that tomorrow...

I live.

I never claimed to not suck at the blogging thing.  Because I forget or I get caught up in something else or I have really boring days or really busy days.  Other stuff just happens.  Basically all of these reasons apply to why I haven't posted anything since June.

I've had precalculus class for three hours every day, Monday through Friday.  Usually by the time I get out of class my brain is completely fried from staring at graphs and numbers and I just can't be bothered to do much of anything.  Other than the 3 hours of homework I get EVERY night.  That and the studying.  We have something every two days, in the pattern of quiz, quiz, test, quiz quiz, test, etc.  Just a little much for the intellectual activity these days.

The past week I was also without a computer.  Apparently I am awesome and essentially killed my computer in a period of less than 3 years.  It now has a new hard drive, new logic board, and this week will be blessed with a new optical drive.  I also apparently use too much highlighter and other yellow things, because under the harsh fluorescent lights of the Apple store, my keyboard was kind of neon yellowish.  This is gross.  But I assure you, I do wash my hands often and I am not radioactive...as far as I know.

So without the computer the last week I was making excessive trips to the library to print things for class and do other essential things.  And that was about it.

This week is looking a little more promising.  I have the usual class stuff.  But this coming weekend is Harborfest so I'll be doing lots of volunteer work and taking lots of pictures of big ships with big sails!  Hooray!  Also, some family members are coming into town to enjoy Harborfest, so I'll be spending time with them and showing them fun things around Charleston.   After Harborfest is over and the family leaves, I only have like one day of class and a final exam until I'm free to do whatever I wish.  I'm thinking beach days and exploring some rural fun things.  Also, I've been trying to find a night to go out - not drinking out, but just out - and it'll be a little easier to fit into the schedule then.

So even though I suck and abandon this thing, I always come back in the end, usually with photos or a fun story as a peace offering.  Promise....soooooon!