Tuesday, December 23, 2008



'Twas two days before Christmas and throughout the hall
Sniffles and sneezes were coming from all
Our office is steamy, we sweat all the day
Then go out and freeze as we're walking away.

No wonder we're sick, it's a sad Christmas state
We barely want doughnuts left out on a plate.
Our throats are all scratchy, our sinuses tight
I hope we'll feel better before Christmas night.

Our upcoming break is our one saving grace
Two whole weeks away from this place.
So now from the basement in Patterson Hall
I wish the most Merry Christmas to all!


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Tuesday, December 16, 2008

feeling festive

Check it out...my friend Roxie saw my bowl of vintage Christmas balls and had an idea. She told me to bring her two little ones that matched. Look what she brought me this morning!



These are officially my favorite earrings EVER!

So you've already seen my super cool Wolfpacky Christmas tree...here's Ginny's contribution to our office decor. It's amazing how, even when you're having a rotten day, singing barnyard animals are still funny. I mean, you can even hear us laughing at it in the background (and at this point, we've heard it about 50 times):

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Monday, December 15, 2008

making a scene



Awwww....here's our little group from the Mordecai event Saturday night. Lydia, Kimberly, and Lauren did a WONDERFUL job! Notice how I look OK here? Well, in about an hour, I'm going to get a horrible migraine. I felt like I was going to puke, so I hung out in the bathroom until this whole crew ganged up on me and made me go home. I had ridden up with Lydia, so poor Jimmy had to take me home. He was very nice and carried all my crap into the house. I didn't really start feeling better until last night.

Ahhh...Mordecai. It's always interesting...


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Friday, December 12, 2008

christmas filler



Well...it's been nearly a week since I've posted...so I guess it's about time. I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off all week. I think I just have to make one run to Walmart tonight and I'll be ready for Mordecai tomorrow. I'm also hoping to get Christmas cards out in the next couple of days...but don't hold your breath. I've been too busy to take pictures of anything, so I figured I'd just post a shot of the super cool Wolfpacky Christmas tree on my desk. It's pretty much awesome. I'll give you one guess as to which ornament is my favorite...

Sorry this post has been less than exciting. Tune in on Sunday...I'm sure that by then, I'll have something worth posting...


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Sunday, December 07, 2008

nostalgic decor

When I first moved in to Grandmother and Granddaddy's house a few years ago, I raided all of the Christmas decorations in the attic. They hadn't seen daylight in years...most of them were decorations that I'd never even seen before. Here are a few of my favorites:



The Nativity Scene. It's not super fancy, and doesn't have sheperds, or animals, or angels. Someone made it for Grandmother ages ago. It's simple and elegant...and the best part is that it came packed in a box from Belk's circa 1960.



The glass balls. These are vintage glass ball ornaments in every color. A lot of them are small...about the size of a grape...so they'd be tedious to hang on the tree (not to mention the fact that they're probably 50 years old and I don't want them shattered by a certain calico kitty). I pile them up in the candy dish. I think it adds a festive touch!



Here's a neat one...although it didn't come from Grandmother's house. This tree topper belonged to my great grandparents. My mom found it in the house when they moved in...and I don't know that they ever used it. I talked her out of it a few years ago. I love how unusual it is!



This last decoration - well - it's not Grandmother's. She had a bell like this one. She would always hang it on the doorway between the kitchen and the den. When you pull the clapper down, it played Silent Night. My cousins and I always enjoyed scooting a chair over from the table and reaching up to pull the cord. Even when Grandmother's health prevented her from decorating for Christmas, she would always hang the bell.

When we cleaned out her house, I found the bell. I had it in my hands. I distinctly remember saying "Be sure not to throw this out. I want it." Well...the bell disappeared. To this day I don't know what happened to it. I was moping about losing the bell the other night, when I thought, "I should check eBay."


Lo and behold...there was a bell.

Just like Grandmother's.


When it came, I slowly took it out of the box and pulled the cord. It was all I could do to keep from shedding a tear right then. That's the best $10 I've ever spent.

Y'all come on over and check out my new favorite Christmas decoration. I'll even let you stand on a chair and pull the cord.


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Monday, December 01, 2008

walk to work

I have a bit of a walk from the parking deck to my office every day. It takes about 10 minutes. Here's a glimpse into the first few minutes of my work day. After parking in the Reynolds deck, I pass Reynolds Coliseum. Former (and, were it up to me, current) home of the Wolfpack basketball program.



I cross the street and head down into the tunnel. No...it's not the Free Expression Tunnel that's been under fire for the last few weeks. I stay out of that one lest I have a run-in with the NAACP. This is just a regular old tunnel...



Then it's up the stairs and past the old fieldhouse. Did you know that my Granddaddy lived here when he was at State? He was recruited as a quarterback and played until Uncle Sam called him away from school.



I make my way up into central campus. The bricks are beautiful, but slippery when wet! One of these buildings houses the nuclear reactor. If I start glowing green, someone let me know please...



Here's the best part of the journey: walking through the garden. The landscaping and horticulture departments manage it. Every plant has a little plaque beside it telling what it is.



You know what's to the right of the garden? B parking spots. I learned quickly that a B parking sticker is a status symbol at NC State. I'm on the waiting list for one. I'm number 356. So if I play my cards right, then by the time I'm ready to retire, I'll be able to park right outside the building.



At long last, I arrive at my destination: Patterson Hall. It's one of the older buildings on campus...in fact, the basement used to house animals! (that's right, my office is a former stall)



So that's how I spend my time between 7:50 and 8:00 each morning. At least it's not uphill both ways!


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