I have a "sexy job"

... according to a recent article in the NY Times

1 year ago today...

Hurricane Ike after landfall (from www.statesman.com)

Compared to the damage in Galveston, the damage in our neighborhood was mild.
Our photos

Adventures of Nate and Char

Did you know that there is now free wi-fi at Barnes and Noble? I type from the Barnes and Noble Cafe...

Below is an email I sent to several friends describing our late afternoon.

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To everyone involved in a phone call from Nate and Char late Saturday afternoon:

Can you picture it now? Nate and Char cruising down the 610 loop with our car alarm going off, headlights flashing, me with my head buried between my legs, and Nate's brow sweating? I tried to find a video on you tube of a scene from Little Miss Sunshine where the malfunctioning horn in the van beeps erratically to paint a better picture, but I couldn't find one.

Actually, it wasn't that bad. We actually made it all the way home from Target without the alarm ever sounding (THANK GOD!). Don't ask how that happened, but the alarm had been going through cycles and would stop periodically but then would resume shortly thereafter.

So here's how it all went down: We were leaving Target and somehow set off the car alarm, but didn't have the master key with us to turn off the panic alarm. After a few minutes of unsuccessfully trying to figure out how to turn it off, Nate forced me to drive the car to the back of the lot so we wouldn't cause as much of a scene. As I'm pulling out of our spot, horn blaring, we got a few nasty looks... I wondered if I looked like a car thief. Maybe a gangsta? Maybe?

So there we are, pushing every possible button on the dashboard, locking and unlocking the doors, everything, but nothing worked. Nate had made up his mind: we should just drive back home in our honking car. I couldn't stand the idea of it, but Nate wasn't putting up with my whining at the moment. HOWEVER, we couldn't find the car key. WHAT? We lost the key? We just had it... For at least ten minutes--- TEN MINUTES-- we searched every corner of the car, in our pockets, under the car... the key was gone. How could this be happening? Our alarm was going off, and we didn't have a key to the car. How were we supposed to explain that to the police/security if they approached us? "yes, sir, this is our car. but we don't have a key to it. and we set the alarm off."

Meanwhile, I decide to call for help, despite Nate's initial protests against it. We would need a lift back to our house to get the master key. I called Tim and Kim but they were in Chicago. Next I called Megan and Jonathan, but there was no answer. I called James. And then I called Vicki, who was about to jump in her car to rescue us. Then Nate found the key. I wasn't sure if I should be relieved or not, because Vicki was on her way to get us and that seemed more appealing than driving home in a beeping vehicle. But, I slumped into the car and we were off. I called Vicki back to let her know we were driving back and that she didn't need to come get us. I believe her exact words were "You're driving home with your alarm going off? Is that even possible?"

Anyway, like I said, we made it home but the instant we pulled in, the alarm went off again. Thankfully, our master key was only a few steps away.

The End.

Rave Run in Maine!

Nate subscribed me to Runner's World Magazine for my birthday, and I love it! In every issue, there is a photo of what they call a "rave run." They always look pretty enticing- from the Hawaiian islands to the French Alps. But I was tickled pink to see that in the newest issue the featured rave run was in none other than Acadia National Park, Maine!

I just have to go back. Besides, we need a second attempt at pushing over this boulder.

My favorite kind of coke is Dr. Pepper

I often have cravings for Coke (and by Coke, I mean any beverage such as Coca-Cola, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Pepsi, Root Beer, etc. Please forgive me if you offer me a coke and I say "Yes please, a Dr. Pepper would be great!"). I will drink most any kind of Coke but I prefer Dr. Pepper. However I will not drink diet drinks or anything with artificial sweeteners unless I have no other alternative and I am willing to bear the artificial taste *and* a headache, or unless I'm at a baseball game and my husband gets me a diet drink which he thinks is the equivalent of a non-caffeinated drink.

But enough babbling. All that to say, if coke were a healthy drink, I would drink it daily(and by that, I mean Dr. Pepper). It just tastes that good. Sometimes, when I crave it, I first drink a tall glass of water. And voila! I no longer desire a sweet, fizzing beverage, because my thirst has already been quenched.