Wednesday, January 31, 2007

1 Year of Blogging

Today is my one year blogging aniversary! I hope I have kept my readers entertained. I not only post photos and thoughts here on "Brina Bat," but I keep a small written journal. The internet is the the way to connect with friends, family and even people I'll never meet; but there's nothing like spilling india ink thoughts onto fine-lined paper to connect with yourself. I write to organize the details of my life, to remember and preserve them on paper, to share them with others, to brainstorm ideas and projects, and to discover myself.

What's in My Journal

Odd things, like a button drawer. Mean
Things, fishhooks, barbs in your hand.
But marbles too. A genius for being agreeable.
Junkyard crucifixes, voluptuous
discards. Space for knickknacks, and for
Alaska. Evidence to hang me, or to beatify.
Clues that lead nowhere, that never connected
anyway. Deliberate obfuscation, the kind
that takes genius. Chasms in character.
Loud omissions. Mornings that yawn above
a new grave. Pages you know exist
but you can't find them. Someone's terribly
inevitable life story, maybe mine.


by William Stafford, from Crossing Unmarked Snow. © University of Michigan Press.

Labels:

Monday, January 29, 2007

Moving Day

Saturday was the last big push to move from my Apartment. I've been moving for the past month pretty much, hauling anything that would fit in mine and Paul's cars everyday and multiple loads on the weekends. This past Saturday Paul rented a trailer and met Tommy at the UHaul place so he could tow it with his truck. Its a good thing Jennifer and Steve volunteered to help (and hauled some large things for me) earlier in the week because when Paul and Tommy go to the UHaul place they wouldn't let them rent the larger trailer, so we had to make a couple of trips. Michelle met me at the apartment and we started packing those odd leftovers.

So now my apartment is all empty and clean and scrubbed now. The picture-hanger holes have even been spackled too - which I highly doubt any other apartment renters do when they move out. Bye Bye Apartment!



Labels:

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Blast From the Past #31


Broken, but Loved Anyway

Tucked carefully in and amongst dishes on the third shelf, live my beautiful broken Salt and Pepper shakers. I dropped the salt shaker maybe 3 years ago when it got snagged on another dish I was pulling out. After cursing myself a few times I decided I just couldn't throw them away. I think they are the most fantastic S&P shakers there are, and I love the way the hills and trees go up and down on all three sides (they're triangular) but even better is the fact that the hills match up when you stand them back to back so they form a square. Laura, "my bestest roomie" made them for me 7 years ago in Saint Augustine, FL at the pottery painting place that no longer exists anymore.

Labels: , ,

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Blast from the Past #30




On Dad's and Dogs:
I never really made it specific as to whose past I needed to cover, now did I? I have a bit of a yesterday & today, from my Dad's past. The first photo is with his dog Nebakanezer, Neb for short, before my parents were married, so that would put it a bit before 1974. I've heard that Neb slept with my father every night. There was a family rumor that he wasn't going to marry my Mom till Neb died. Well, the dog died and he finally married my Mom. There's another rumor that my Mom hired a doggy hit squad. But I'm pretty sure that is just a rumor. The second photo was taken just this past Christmas. That's my Dad and Honey, his mother's dog. Honey has claimed my father as her human and lives with my parents now. Haven't heard any other rumors.

Labels:

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Crazy Cool Two for You!

I have two sweet links
to two sweet videos
for all those who
need an excursion
from their Wednesday.

One Week of Art
Speeders

And I'd like to know where I can sign up to learn moves like that so I can pull some Spidergirl moves like that the next time I'm caving!

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

The Christmas Stick, etc.

So I have a few nice, rather random photos to share of recent memories.

First is the Christmas Stick:


Paul and I decided it would be rather horrible to buy a Christmas tree and only enjoy it for a few days, so we decorated my stick. It's a nice tree-like stick that I'll decorate in whatever holiday decor is deemed appropriate. It did rather well for an impromptu Christmas tree, and looked nice in its coat of white lights.

Second is Paul in Oneanta:


Paul and my Mom and Dad and I went to Oneanta while they were visiting us the week before Christmas, and I caught Paul leaning up against the corner of a little alley way.

The third is fairly recent, last Tuesday's sunset, at 5:25 pm:


This view was taken whilst sitting in my car in the hikers parking lot in between Monte Sano and Green Mountain.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Party Girl

Over the course of the December Holidays I was a party girl and attended total of 8 parties...

I started off at the HCRU party at Kevin and Shela's,

Went on to a surprise B-Day party for Steve the same weekend,

Then there was a party at David and Machelle's (this is their cool log role from Fresh Market),


And then Ethan's going away party at Tai Pan Palace - where were were quite randomly serenaded by the barber shop group at the next table that happens to end each meeting in song.

There was a lunch party for my work - yep - this is BW!

After that the Huntsville Grotto had a party at the NSS office - I melded 3 pics for a nice panorama of all of us stuffing our faces with goodies before we opened the dirty Santa presents,

And here's my Mom and I at a little dinner party my Mom, Dad, Paul & I gave at the newly remodeled house (will post more remodeling photos soon!),

And finally - here's all the girls at Joy's party in Florida.

I had such a wonderful Christmas this year. It really was quite fun, just wish it would have been longer, and maybe with a few more parties. There are a few people I missed seeing very much - you know who you are - but I hope your Christmas was just as bright and with any luck I'll see you sooner than you know it.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Blast from the Past Thursday #29


I am clearing out my apartment, tossing the majority of the junk (not all the junk mind you - everyone's gotta keep some particularly good junk for art projects, don't they?), organizing, straightening, combining and packing items for a Goodwill drop. In the midst of all this freakish cleaning I came across my first pair of caving boots. I had stopped wearing them about 7 months ago after I discovered all the padding had finally worn out of the heels on a short hike that ended in some nice blisters. I've heard a 3+ year run for caving boots is pretty darn amazing, not to mention I'd used them for hiking during that time too. I decided I'd at least document them for posterity and then toss them in the trash. So I shot some photos, but as I lifted the lid of the trash bin I just couldn't do it. Was I really that sentimental about a stupid pair of boots? These boots have seen dozens of caves for the first time, been on hikes with a friend now lost, seen water, rocks, domes, and pits. A long, slow, moldy decay in a landfill somewhere for my trusty caving boots just didn't seem right. So I asked Paul if I could tuck them on a shelf in the garage so I could give them a more appropriate sending off at TAG. My boots are patiently waiting for next October, when the phoenix rises again from Lookout Mountain.

Labels:

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Tea Drinkers Rejoice!

The lowly tea bag steps aside outmatched by the new magnificent paladin - Blooming Tea!


And I thought the new triangular mesh tea bags were really something. Have you ever seen such ingenuity in the world of tea? It's tea - it's entertainment - it's... it's.... pretty darn cool for tea.

I saw these blooming teas in Florida while Paul and I were visiting for Christmas. They were in a new fancy cooking store (pretty sure is was called the Rolling Pin) that greatly rivals William Sonoma. I'm so impressed and in awe of them I just might have to get some and throw a Spring tea party of sorts, even though that's a really girly-girl thing to do. (Might ruin my "tough caver" image though; HA! - if I ever even had one to begin with.)

Check out more blooming tea information here:
Tea Posy (nice website once you get past the happy new year bit)
Numi Tea (has a cool video of the tea "blooming")

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Blast From the Past Thursay #28


I went home to Florida for part of my two weeks off. I have lots of photos and stories to tell - but they will have to wait till another day. Today is Thursday and seeing as how I have been slacking on my blasts - I've managed to dig up a particularly good one while I was rooting through some of my old things at the homestead. I have to say these are definitely some of the funniest photos of my friends from high school and college. Some of these were dated, some weren't - but the ones that were place them between 1995 and 1996. I remember the one of all the hands and arms we did because not all of us could fit in there at one time - I think we were upwards of about 12 people that day. We sure did have a great time scrambling in and out of the photo booth. Makes me wonder who ended up with the other three of each set and what kind of faces we were making in those photos.

Labels:

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Resolution #1 Stay Away from Woody Vegetable Matter

Some number of weeks ago I was enjoying a cup of Campbell's Select Italian Wedding Soup at the office for lunch. I was working a bit and then I'd have a few bites and then I would work some more and then I'd have a few more bites. It was a delicious, that is until I got about half way down. I pulled up the next spoonful and (thankfully) looked down at what I was going to be swallowing in the next second or two. And I see this:


To me it looks like a piece of bamboo. Well I'm pretty grossed out by this and decide that I need to ship the whole mess off to Campbell's - in case they need to do a recall or something. So I drain the soup - dry out the stick - and put the whole container in a box and send it off to Campbell's complaint dept.



Right before I left for Florida I got this letter in the mail - along with about 10$ in coupons which was pretty nice of the Campbell's Soup Co. But there was one thing even better than the coupons for sure; I pretty much doubled over laughing when I read that they'd determined it to be "woody vegetable matter" Well DUH!? Gosh I thought it was "woody tree matter, or woody bush matter, or woody wood matter." I think it would have been a bit more comforting if they'd told me what KIND of vegetable matter. For example: We discovered in irate competitor, Jack Intheb Eanstalk, chopping up his beanstalk and tossing it into our soups because his Cream of Bean Soup just wasn't making it. That might have been a bit more believable than the food technologists' examination:
"What do you think Larry?"
"Well jeepers Joe, it looks like a stick to me."
"We've gost to make it sound official Larry."
"Hmm, why don't we call it woody vegetable matter."
"Yeah Larry that sounds good."
"Is it breaktime yet?"
At any rate, my first New Year's Resolution is still to stay away from "Woody Vegetable Matter."