Storm Track '08

Thanks to everyone who made a guess as to what story I was writing about in my last place. The correct answer was that it was a story about a guy who pretends to be Santa and calls kids at home. (Not nearly as creepy as it sounds...really.)

On a completely separate note...here's a video I just uploaded tonight. When Hurricane Fay came through town earlier this year, Sam, Stefanie and myself went out to document all the destruction. (We just got around to editing it all. And by editing it all I mean Sam left the camera we used, with all our footage on it, in another state for awhile.) Things got pretty hectic. Check it out...

Storm Track (or Storm Chase or Storm Watch) '08:

The best contest of your life

I got this idea from my brother Sam, so I credit him for his greatness. (There, I declared you great in a public forum, for all the world to see. Don't say I never did anything for you bro.)

I'm going to write out the notes I took while interviewing someone for the newspaper yesterday. I'll write out exactly what I wrote, in the order I wrote it. It's your job to guess what the story is about.

The winner will get something. Probably.

INTERVIEW NOTES:

- 4 or 5 years
- It's fun, I get a kick out of it.
- I get a lot of I love yous and how they'll make cookies and what type they'll make me.
- They're so shocked sometimes all they say is yes sir.
- Look forward to it.
- Sometimes at least 75 households.
- Hundreds
- Curtis L. Lewis II
- Rec specialist

Alright, there you go...let the guessing begin.

Peter Schiff tried to tell everyone what was coming...

It's amazing to watch the following clips of Peter Schiff who says time and time again our economy is going to weaken and everyone acting like he's crazy. In 2006 and 2007 everyone seemed to believe the economy would only continue to strengthen...except for this dude.

Seems to me he knows what he's talking about. Here's hoping that he can give me some financial and investing advice for the next few years.

Laura and Greg's Wedding

Laura and Greg held a small wedding ceremony in September at a small house in Riverside here in Jacksonville. Here are some of my favorites from the day...

I Can't Believe it Actually Happened

When I was 12 years old I heard the greatest band of all time. They were called The Presidents of the United States of America. They introduced me to rock music. 15 years later, no one really listens to them anymore..except nerds, and still they continue to rock. I always wanted to see them live, and never did for one reason or another and began to think I never would because they had no reason to tour.

Until now. The Presidents recently released a new album (which of course rocks your socks off) and are on tour. Last night I went to see them. I had been waiting 15 years for that to happen. Not only did I go to the show, I was given a photo pass, and was the only audience member who was allowed to have a camera. At all.

It was almost too much. My favorite band, and I'm the only one allowed to take photos. It was insane, and so was I. According to my friend Ashley and brother Sam who went with me, I was like a 12 year old girl at an N'Sync concert. And I'm fine with that.

So here you go....photos from the first three songs of the show (the standard professional rock concert limit). Photos of my favorite band ever. Photos of a dream I lived. (Interestingly enough, this also marks my 100th post in this blog.)

Before the show...






The show...

my first haunted corn maze...

...and my first regular corn maze for that matter.

earlier this month, stefanie, sam, some work friends and i went out towards gainesville for a haunted corn maze. it was stef's idea and it was a good one. turns out haunted corn mazes are a real good time.



before we even mazed it up, we enjoyed a good ol' fashion corn box.


what's a corn box? a box full of corn.








then it was time for the maze. here's the entrance. spooky spooky!


and into the darkness we went, but i wasn't scared...no matter what anyone else might say.


at first it was relaxing and everyone enjoyed a beverage.


...and that's exactly when a little kid in a skeleton masked popped out.


then came this chainsaw guy. and despite what the group may tell you, i only ran away screaming from him in order to build the atmosphere and sense of fun for everyone else.


then it was back to finding our way through the maze.


for the next thirty minutes, life consisted of walking calmly through the dark, stopping often to decide which path to follow.


towards the end, we encountered another chainsaw guy. sam was most definitely scared and crying for his mama. but me...i wasn't scared. at all. really.


finally we made it out, unchainsawed and and spirits unhaunted and intact.










then it was time for the haunted hay ride. which also i wasn't scared of.


it was basically the seven of us and a bunch of high school kids trying to cop a feel and make out when no one was looking.


then some scary stuff happened.




and then this guy jumped on board. i started screaming that he was using a real sword, and it sounded like i was scared...but again, i was just trying to build the atmosphere for everyone else. (and i have no idea what sam is doing back there.)


after that it was time to jump into the hay pile.


definitely a great night.