4/25/06

People Envy Your Compassion

You have a kind heart and an unusual empathy for all living creatures. You tend to absorb others’ happiness and pain.
People envy your compassion, and more importantly, the connections it helps you build. And compassionate as you are, you feel for them.
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You Should Be a Film Writer
You don’t just create compelling stories, you see them as clearly as a movie in your mind.
You have a knack for details and dialogue. You can really make a character come to life.
Chances are, you enjoy creating all types of stories. The joy is in the storytelling.
And nothing would please you more than millions of people seeing your story on the big screen!
Yeah, I don’t know about that second one.
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I talked to my brother on the phone for a while last evening. He was driving to Annapolis, MD (he lives in Maryland, at least for the next few weeks) to spend the night, because he’d never been there and wanted to visit the town while he was still living close enough to drive to it. He had me absolutely drooling to visit it, because he kept saying what a pretty little town it is. And I thought “There are no pretty little towns in ALABAMA, damnit!” But, you know what, I bet there are. Surely there are pretty little towns I could visit and spend the day on Main Street poking through little shops, aren’t there? Then I remembered that Fred and I, back when we used to drive to Hartselle once a month to get our free-range chickens (the dead kind, meant for eating. Not the live kind meant for raising. In case you were wondering.) talked about spending the night at the cute little bed and breakfast we passed every time we drove into Hartselle, and then spending the next morning walking down Main Street (I don’t know that it was actually named Main Street, but it had a very Main Street feel to it) and checking out the antique shops. I’ll have to see if I can convince him to do that one weekend this summer, in and amongst the kayaking and the hiking and the day trip to Ocoee and the possible trip to Florida. So, Alabamans – what pretty little towns should I visit, and what’s good to do there? I think I’m going to try to actually get out and see some of this state, since I haven’t seen much of it so far in the 9 1/2 years I’ve lived here.
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I have a Gilmore Girls DVD I’ve had for a couple of weeks, and haven’t watched any of it yet, and I also have that cheesy looking Jennifer Lopez/ Robert Redford movie that I think I’ve had for over a week and haven’t watched yet, either. There are several Dr. Phil and Oprah episodes cluttering up the DVR, along with the pilot episode of What About Brian? and last week’s The Real Housewives of Orange County as well. I was going to sit down Sunday afternoon (Fred’s shoulder was hurting, so we didn’t go kayaking as we’d planned to) and get some serious tv-watching done, but I just had NO desire to sit in front of the TV all afternoon. Lately I haven’t wanted to sit in front of the TV or the computer all that much, so on Sunday I ended up just sitting in the recliner and reading. I think I need to find myself a hobby. Maybe something to get me out of the house. Good lord… maybe I need… a JOB? Nah. That’s just crazy talk!
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My E’gar is currently in the shop having his behind fixed. It took several days to get the parts ordered for him, and then we had to wait for the guy who hit my poor E’gar to mosey in to his insurance company and file a report (or somethin’), and then we waited for the check to come from the insurance company, and finally we got the check and the parts came in all at once, and so yesterday we dropped E’gar off and went to rent a car for me to drive for a few days, at the insurance company’s expense. By the way, here’s a shot of E’gar’s behind, if you missed it:
And the story of what happened to his poor behind. So anyway, as we pulled into the car rental place I saw a couple of Camrys and hoped I’d get one of those. But alas, it was not to be; I ended up with a Dodge Stratus. I do not care for the Dodge Stratus, only because (a) I feel like I have to practically get on my hands and knees to get into the car, it’s so much lower than my E’gar, and (b) I feel like the top of the car is resting directly on my head when I’m sitting in the driver’s seat. Also, (c) I feel like I can’t see as clearly out the front and sides, because the windows are smaller than E’gar’s. With E’gar, I barely have to bend down to get in the car, there’s tons of head room, and plenty of window room as well. Poor E’gar. I’ve barely had him more than a year, and this is the SECOND time he’s been in the body shop. I just love him to death, though. (Oh, and PS: We actually haven’t had any trouble with the insurance company at all. Things went pretty smoothly.)
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A belly rub is a religious experience for Our Tommy. Doesn’t he look like he’s seeing God? “Run, Jack Bauer! Run!” Mister Boogers hates President Logan, but he’s got a soft spot for Martha Logan. Aaron, too.
All of today’s uploaded pictures are hither.
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Previously 2005: Friday sucked ass for the following reasons 2004: No entry. 2003: I am apparently married to a 100 year-old man. 2002: “Your air gap floopy.” 2001: And thought about putting my motherfucking fist through my motherfucking monitor because my motherfucking internet access has been going down every 9.8 seconds. 2000: “There’s no Easter bunny, there’s no tooth fairy, and Bruce Willis is DEAD, he’s DEAD, DEAD!”]]>

14 thoughts on “4/25/06”

  1. Pretty little towns, pretty little towns…hmmmm…
    Fort Payne is nice (sock capital of the world, bitches!), and it has the beautiful Little River Canyon (site of a horrific murder, by the way). I’ve always liked Guntersville, and it has a good downtown area. Spring Hill is nice, but a little far away. Athens (my hometown) has a gorgeous historic district and a pretty downtown with a beautiful courthouse, but sadly a lot of the downtown shops have closed. Downtown Florence is especially fun during the Alabama Renaissance Faire (usually October). Mountain Brook (Birmingham suburb) was one of my favorite areas to hang out when I lived in B’ham, and the shops are lovely.
    My favorite pretty little town to visit is Franklin, TN, which of course isn’t Alabama but which is close enough. 😉 The downtown shops are unbelievable (I highly recommend Bathos), and you can also run into quite a few celebrities there (Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Jack White).

  2. I remember seeing a Discovery (or TLC) program regarding the Unclamied Airline Baggage Store that is somewhere in Alabama. It’s some HUGE store that changes inventory almost every day. Some real deals to be found from John Q. Public’s lost and unclamied baggage. Might be worth a day trip?

  3. I lived just outside of Ft. Payne for a while, but didn’t like it much. They used to have a museum about the music group Alabama, since thats where most of them grew up, but closed it a while back. Unless you want to buy a lot of outlet socks, I’d skip it. Desoto Falls, however, is VERY worth the trip, and its just outside Ft. Payne. Great scenery, hiking, and places to get into the water–Fred would probably like it.
    Fairhope is also gorgeous, and has one of the best bookstores in this part of the country. Its on the coast, and there’s also a humongus outlet mall nearby, if you are into that sort of thing.
    I’ve been to the Airline Baggage place a couple of times when I lived in that part of the state, and it can be cool–lots of coats. and cameras. it can be hit or miss.

  4. Aly – You’re speaking of the Unclaimed Baggage Store in Scottsboro. I live about 40 minutes from there, so my husband and I visit it every other month or so. They have EVERYTHING there: clothes, luggage (of course), cameras, CDs, books, jewelry, sporting goods…Some great deals, some not so great. But it’s definitely worth a couple of trips (they have superfast turnover there, with new inventory in at least once a day). If nothing else, go to see the museum (including Hoggle from Labyrinth!) and learn about the other interesting stuff they’ve found in people’s lost luggage.

  5. Robyn, I’ve been to Decatur a few times and I know you go there often but I always thought the downtown area was rather quaint. My ex-husband’s ex-boss lives there and I think my ex does too now! Also, ever been to Gulf Shores? If not, YOU GOTTA. It’s BEAUTIFUL. Moreso than Florida I think.:)

  6. Also, if you’re heading for the Gulf, Orange Beach and Perdido Key are must-visits. Perdido Key is hands-down the nicest town/city I’ve ever vacationed at in northern Florida (hell, probably in all of Florida). It’s still recovering from the hurricanes, but recovery has come a long way already, and many hotels are already renovated and open for business again.

  7. Aw,poor E’gar! It sure is a cute car from the rear. Are you still thinking of the next car being a Mini Cooper??
    Hee,the second photo(Rwarrrr!)on the E’gar accident entry made me guffaw and the two pet cockatiels sitting on me shot me dirty looks ‘cuz whenever I laugh,my body shakes like the San Andreas fault!
    Hang on kids!

  8. I am going to Huntsville next weekend. First time ever in Alabama, looking forward to it! Also going through Tennesee & Kentucky too that is a beautiful drive!

  9. Cullman has a quaint historical district, with lots of restored, unusual antebellum and German-styled cottages (the city was settled by Germans). Hanceville is even smaller, about 7 miles to the south of Cullman; it has an old-time drugstore where you can still get fountain drinks and sodas.

  10. Jacksonville, AL is a cute college town with a little square that has interesting stuff around it.

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