Ha! Awesome prank... err, I mean mission

Check this out:
60 people dressed in royal blue polo shirts and khaki pants flood a Best Buy store and helpfully answer questions from customers (but do not claim to be Best Buy employees). It's almost like the Thomas Crown Affair!

Improv everywhere mission: Best Buy

Crazy spring weather!

This afternoon brought another round of bad weather for the area. At the house we only had a few sprinkles, some wind and heard a lot of thunder... but apparently, just a few miles from us had A LOT more damage: (Paul is currently on his way home via I-540 and Falls of Neuse... great!)


High Winds Cause Damage, Traffic Delays In North Raleigh

POSTED: 7:35 pm EDT May 25, 2006
UPDATED: 7:48 pm EDT May 25, 2006

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Afternoon storms have marked their path through North Raleigh, with numerous reports of wind damage in the area and multiple road closures.

Powerlines have shut down both directions of U.S. 1 in Wake Forest and both directions of Interstate 540 betweens Falls of Neuse Road and Capital Boulevard. Motorists in the area should be prepared to stop and avoid the area, if possible. Crews are at the scene to clear the debris and restore power in the affected areas.

A homeowner on Salem Woods Drive off Falls of the Neuse Road told WRAL that he saw a tornado form and touch down nearby. Numerous trees were knocked down, with one tree falling on the front porch of the homeowner.

Wind damage was also reported on Sandpiper Court, where trees were blown out of their yards, and Coventry Ridge Road, where shingles flew off houses and fences were felled by winds. Trees were reportedly snapped in two on Beaverwood Drive.

More storm reports from Weather Underground

I-540 and Capital Blvd, power lines STILL down at 10pm!


WRAL slideshow of pictures (powerlines down and damage)

Sunset and storm clouds looking west of Raleigh

[Smile]

Oh yeah. Happy dance time!

Blue Angels

Blue Angels
Originally uploaded by jules_nc.

Testing an option from Flickr to send a blog entry...

Pretty jets!

No time to update....

But...

Paul is back and we are going to an airshow in DC this weekend
"Joint Service Open House" where the Blue Angels will be performing.


AND

Justin updated his blog with a few pics and stories about mom & dad in Japan



Justin's blog

Enjoy!

Paul is on his way home!

He's about to land in LA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If all goes well with his next 2 flights he'll be arriving in RDU around 11:30 tonight.

Happy dance time! :)


For reference, here is where he was and to where he is going:

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Today is my parent's 30th wedding anniversary. They are currently staying in Ajimu, Japan, visiting my brother. They just don't seem old enough to have been married for 30 years!

Congratulations mom & dad, thanks for being such a wonderful example to your children. We love you!

Interesting info on the 30th anniversary...

The tradional gift is pearls (very appropriate since they are in the part of the world KNOWN for their pearls!)

Evening sky

Currently listening to old Vertical Horizon, "Trying to find purpose" "Wash Away" etc. (takes me back to freshman year of college).

The unsettled clouds this evening...



The rays of sun through the clouds was amazing... didn't come through as well, but still nice




Looking east


(if they look odd it's b/c I am testing, please excuse)

Weekend updates

My weekend was great until the insane weather hit last night. I had a WONDERFUL time visiting Jenn's family in Asheboro on Saturday night and Sunday. It was such a great thing to get out of the house and be around people! I was showed great hospitality and for that I am eternally grateful. I was treated to a home cooked breakfast on Sunday morning and a great after-church-dinner (I would call it lunch, but if I am not mistaken, “dinner” is the noon meal, esp. on Sunday, right Lu?) before we headed back to Raleigh.

On our way back we started hearing warnings for bad weather along our route. We raced the storm and made it to the house just minutes before the menacing cell came roaring through (I was getting way too nervous in the car… but you wouldn’t blame me if you had seen the clouds in the sky we were headed towards). We were under a tornado warning as soon as we walked in the door and we knew this wasn't a drill when 1"+ hail started falling from the sky. Good ol' Greg Fishel (WRAL Chief Meteorologist) was on the TV showing the path of the *CONFIRMED* funnel cloud and it was coming straight for us!



Jenn was brave, as she should be with her background in atmospheric science, and she watched out the window as I cowered in the corner furthest from the windows. We saw IT, we witnessed the ominous funnel cloud barreling through the sky just outside our window. Thankfully the worst passed in about 15 minutes. The only damage was leaves on my young herb plants.


Jenn left soon after and within about 20 minutes I realized I did not have my cell phone, it was in her CAR! On its way to Wilmington :( I called my next door neighbors and asked if I could hang with them for a while (as it was still booming, flashing and pouring outside). About 20 minutes after I got there Jenn came back! She had encountered another part of the storm (more hail!), and knowing she had my cell (as I had franticly called it while looking for it!), she came back. We hung out with the neighbors for a little while and then decided that it was time for some food and needed to find out where her husband was (as he was also on the road, on I-40 somewhere around Greensboro) so that she could meet him and they could caravan the rest of the way to Wilmington. We rolled up to Moe’s at 8:56pm (they were closing at 9pm) and got some dinner. I was so thankful they served us as they turned everyone else away. She called me later in the evening, about 10:30pm, to let me know they were still running into bad weather! She was shaken as well, it was just too much! What a crazy evening! Video and more pictures from the storm on WRAL (pictures above are from their site, I was such a wreck that I didn't even think about the camera, I was too concerned about keeping my heart in my chest). Also, you can check out their blog, "Cumulonimbus Corner"

On another note... all of my family are still doing well on the other side of the world... mom & dad were able to get their luggage (as they had arrived without it last Friday) without a long delay. Justin showed them a great time in Kyoto and sent me this picture from his cell phone:

They had encountered some rain and they left Kyoto on a bullet train to get back to Justin's apartment. I can't wait to catch up with them tonight (if I can catch them on skype)!

Paul has been delayed, yet again, so his return is unknown! I am trying to accept that I may not see him for another week. It is not easy. But what can I do, it's his job. The grass ain't getting’ cut again. This is day 14 of his trip. It feels like forever. At least he is bring home wine.

Accomplishments thus far

Since Paul has been delayed in Australia for ANOTHER week I had to suck it up and do some things on my own. The biggest challenge for me was to cut the grass. I knew that I couldn't leave it for another week (and then find out that he may not be around) and get in trouble with the HOA... so I took it upon myself to do it.

Here was my challenge:
Mower (never started one before in my life!)
-not self propelled
-apparently Paul claimed it was the EASIEST mower he's ever used
Yard
-0.22 acres of yard
-grass was going to seed... about ankle height
-several hills and uneven patches
-manuver around walkways, planting beds, trees, drainiage pipes and fences

At 4pm I decided it was time. The ground/grass was fairly dry and I had gotten up the nerve. After 3 little pumps to prime the engine, 2 pulls of the cord, I was ready to go. I hesitated for a moment as I looked at the front yard, "where do I start??!" Fearing that I didn't have a lot of time to ponder as I burned precious fuel and wavering nerves, I started heading down the side of the driveway. "This seems easy," I thought as I walked DOWN the hill. I did find my first challenge in turning the mower and heading back up the hill. The slope never fazed me before, but it became quite the challenge in the front. I nearly had to get a running start to make it back up. Then came the backyard which I had to go through to reach the far side of the driveway. It has a lot of hilly, uneven places. I pushed whilly-nilly through the backyard and finally after 35 minutes I was done. I then pulled out the weed-whacker, edger thingie and started to clean up the spots I missed in the front... my mowing lines were those of a complete novice, but at least it was trimmed. After I put the edger and the blower back to rest my poor arm muscles just couldn't stop moving. Even as I type my right arm is still shaken, almost 24 hours later!

I rewarded myself with a chicken pesto pizza and greek salad from PTA Pizza. It was delicious! The rest of my evening was spent lounging on the couch and being lazy. I headed off to bed at 10pm and was sound asleep by 11.

Fast forward to this morning... I set my alarm for 8am thinking that was plenty of time to sleep. My alarm did go off and I snoozed until a little after 10. I did wake up with a start when I realized that our 'long distance neighbors' had asked about staying at our house while they were in town for something today. I FREAKED! My fridge is near empty, my house was a bit of a mess and I had to do something, FAST! I called their house in a panic and left a message as I was sweeping the kitchen. In record time I had vacuumed, swept, dusted, straightened up and washed dishes. Just as I was putting the finishing touches on the living room, Jenn calls me to let me know that there had been a change in plans and only she was coming to town and then headed to her parents house for Mother's Day. Whew! I could stop and catch my breath. I now have a clean house! And I am meeting her for dinner and possibly taking a little trip down to Asheboro. YAY!

So tonight I will most likely be in A-boro, Paul in Melbourne [Australia] and my parents and brother are in Kyoto [Japan]. I am just happy to be getting out of the house.

Pictures from Paul

Paul's most recent pictures of Melbourne... we haven't been able to talk much, so he amuses me with pictures.

Crazy waves along the coast



The "Australian Surfer Steer" (as named by Paul)

I can imagine him saying, "duuuuuuuude, those waves are awesome!"

That's all for now...

Oh wait! New pictures just in... he went to visit a Koala place and here's what he sent me (my consolation as he won't be coming back this week... terribly bummed that I'll be spending another week/weekend home alone).

[note, captions are from Paul]

"No spanking, no yelling at or shaking the koalas"


"No humping the fence"


"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, its a sleeping, hungover koala"

Old Hotel Demolished To Make Way For Raleigh's Tallest Building

Old Hotel Demolished To Make Way For Raleigh's Tallest Building (story and VIDEO! from WRAL news)

For as long as I could remember Crabtree Valley consisted of a mall, some office buildings and a hotel in the Crabtree Creek floodplain. I passed it everyday from 1991-1998 on my way to middle & high school. About 2 years ago the hotel closed and was set for renovation to become a Westin. Time dragged on and finally the developers decided that it would be much more fun to demolish the old Four Points Sheraton and build the tallest, most contemporary building in Raleigh.

So this morning, in the rain, the building came down. In its place will be a 43 story building called the "Soleil Center." If Paul had been home we might have gone over to watch b/c how many chances do you get to see a building imploded? (well, I guess if you lived in a large city or Vegas it wouldn't be all that new and exciting). Alas, I was in bed long after the dust cleared but at least there is video! Check it out

Before the blasts (and after other large sections of the building were demolished)


After the big BOOM!


It will look something like this in about 2 years:

Slow weekend...

It's been a slow weekend thus far - not bad, not good, just slow.

Paul is here:

(see current video image here, or it may update, not sure) Port of Melbourne, Australia.

And I am here:

(see current video image here) Most likely the view of Western Blvd., no where near the house, but eh, it's in the same time zone.

I'm headed off to bed to read "Memoirs of a Geisha." I highly recommend it, as well as the recent movie.

It's Wednesday morning, right?

Wow! What a week is has already been. I can say that I love being the first into the office every morning. I get more work done between 7-9am than I can do with others here from 10am on. I love having the office to myself in the mornings. I can work at my desk with a venti Starbucks coffee and no interruptions (well, except the few random phone calls before 9am). It's wonderful to have some time to organize things around the office without disturbing or explaining to everyone what I am doing. I really want to hang a few things on the walls, but with my prior record, it's best that I get some help for that. It can wait.

Paul is on a flight somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on his way to Melbourne, Australia. Last time I checked he was just over 1/2 way between LA and MEL. It's just over 15 hours in the air. I can't begin to imagine. However, he is being treated quite well in business class once again. He'll be gone until next Thursday at least. We knew that there was a chance he'd be going soon, but I don't think that either of us expected that he would leave yesterday. I have not figured out what I'm going to do with my time while he is away. Last night was incredibly long... and I even had a FRESH Gilmore Girls to entertain me. I also have a new book of "movie music" from the 20th century to challenge my piano skills. I did master "Moon River" and most of the theme to Forrest Gump ("Feather Song"). I am slightly concerned about our grass... it is growing like a weed (well, that may be b/c there are quite a few weeds mixed in with the fescue). I do not do grass. I do not have the slightest clue how to start the mower, let alone how to drag it across the yard and make it look decent. Hopefully the HOA won't notice. Eh, I don't care!

Totally random and off topic... I've been following the primary race for a NC House seat in Buncombe County. I met the candidate, Doug Jones, my freshman year of college. I had just lost in the freshmen senator election and wanted to somehow be involved with Student Government. I was directed to Doug as he was forming a committee of non-SGA members to look at ... um... something I cannot recall at the moment, but it was important, I'm fairly certain. Anyway, he got me involved with SGA and the next semester a seat in the senate opened and I was in... long story short, I served in SGA in various capacities from then on. It was an important part of my college career, although I was NEVER the SGA type. It was great fun. Anyway, back to my point, Doug Jones was in the running for the Dem. primary, he won. I can't say that I am in agreement with his party and platform, but I know he has a passion and I am excited to see him win the primary. Here are the results:


NC HOUSE DISTRICT 116
Dem. Primary
23 of 23 (100%) Precincts Reporting
Doug Jones 1,605 52%
Jim Hughes 938 30%
James Latimore 388 12%
Gregory Cathcart 177 6%

Our patio - ready for good times

Ok, so this past weekend we made it without going to Lowe's, Home Depot or Super Wal-Mart, however, we did not escape the draw of Super Target. We did WALK to Target on Sunday evening after dinner. It was a perfect night for a walk and we can now cut through the construction area that connects our neighborhood to the wonderful Retail Drive :) It is GREAT! One day there will be sidewalks, but for now we are content to walk along the concrete curbs high above the waist-deep mud.

We have been eyeing the oh-so-fanciful outdoor lights that Target has been selling since February. We both knew that ONE DAY they would go on sale and we would feel like great shoppers if we held out for the sale we knew would happen any day now. We kinda held out... all their fun and exciting outdoor light sets were FINALLY on sale for a whooping 20% off. It was clear that some of the more exciting sets were long gone, so we jumped at the chance and bought 2 sets of lights for our recently built patio gazebo. While at Target I also couldn't resist buying some very fun and colorful placemats, some tongs, ink for the printer, a rice steamer basket thingie (only a $1! Alton uses them for all kinds of things) and something else... you cannot leave Target without at least 10 items! At least we were bound by our lack of transportation and we couldn't buy all the lamps that were 50% off... oh so tempting! You can always use another lamp [sigh].

We had to put them up last night to check them out... and of course I had to take a picture to show everyone. We are *so ready* for a spring/summer cookout in our backyard! Anyone wanna come?! Party at our house!

Looking back at the house from the far back of the yard (you can almost see the outline of the house) You can also see the 3 other solar lights that line the pathway leading up to the patio


Lights up close


Paul