Nashville!

Okay, okay! Here are the pictures from Nashville! Finally! Sheesh!

I'll write a few other stories related to the trip later, but for now, here's a photo essay of the July 4th trip. Enjoy!

Nashville!

Thing I'm thankful for: living! I almost got in a wreck on the way home from this trip! I was pretty shaken up for a while after that. The only thing that stopped my car from rolling down a big hill was one of those metal guard posts . . . Who knew they were so strong?

Strange Things in Nashville

I guess I should use my Twitter account to give everyone the latest updates of my adventures in Nashville, but then I feel like I'm leaving my blog out in the cold! So here's an interesting story for my first day in Tennessee (pictures to come . . .):

My girlfriends Carrie, Nikki, and Andrea and I went to find some live music late tonight. Andrea wanted some country pop/rock, which I'm not really into, but most of the time, live music is good music. Still, I was feeling pretty unfulfilled and hungry, so after we left that place at 10:30 or so, we looked for a restaurant that was open. We found a good barbeque place, and to my delight, there was a band! That played bluesy music and old jam-band country! Yay!

We were having a good time, when three (obviously drunk) guys (who were probably in their late 30s) sat at the table next to us. They looked in our direction almost as soon as they sat down . . . One guy had something awkward sticking out of the tip of his right middle finger, which kind of grossed Nikki and me out. So we decided not to think about it.

Turns out, we did have to think about it. Awkward finger guy came over to our table, pulled up a chair, and began to make small talk. Then again, maybe the small talk wasn't so small. Here's the gist of the conversation:

Awkward finger guy: Hi! Do any of you girls have tattoos?
Carrie, Nikki, Andrea, and me: Nope.
AFG: Really? Not even the kind on your lower back?
Carrie, Nikki, Andrea, and me: Nope.*
AFG: Hm. That's weird. No tramp stamps? It seems like you'd all have tattoos, especially you (looking in Nikki's direction).**

(At this point, AFG proceeds to describe one of his tattoos, which Andrea later explains is a euphemism for something entirely inappropriate.)

Carrie, Nikki, Andrea, and me: silent.
AFG: How old are you?
Sara: 27.
Nikki: Almost 25.
Carrie: 30.
Andrea: 29.
AFG: Wow -- I feel young! I thought you'd all be younger!

(There were small exchanges about how we were visiting from Atlanta and about how Carrie wouldn't tell the guy which hotel we were staying at. There was also a lot of awkward silence.)

AFG: You all looked like you were in a serious conversation. You all need to smile more. Especially you (looking in Nikki's direction). Why are you so sad? Did your cat die?
Nikki: Yes. Yes, it did.**

During this whole event, our blessed waiter gave us our checks, and at this point, he had brought our cards and receipts back. His swiftness was astonishing. I think he realized we were being patronized. So we got out of there very quickly; I think I mumbled "Have a good night."

We laughed on the way back to our hotel, and I thought about how it would make for a good story, at least. Still, one wonders why those guys would've wanted to hit on us, anyway. We were clean, modestly-dressed girls who kept to ourselves. Did we really look like we wanted to interact with guys who were clearly drunk and clearly looking for "a good time?" Weird.


*It was at this point that I realized there were pins sticking out of his finger, just above his fingernail. There was some kind of blood blister or something going on there . . . Maybe he broke his finger? At any rate, it was disgusting. And he slightly touched Nikki's arm with the affected finger at one point. Gross.
**Nikki does not look like she would have a tattoo.
***No, it did not. She doesn't even have a cat.


Thing I'm thankful for: This is probably wrong of me, but I'm thankful that Awkward Finger Guy singled Nikki out and not me. I'm sorry I didn't rescue her from the conversation more often, but I was glad I wasn't sitting nearest to him. Also, I'm thankful to have guys around at times like these . . . They offer a certain amount of intimidation and thus, protection. It's nice.

Braves Win! Braves Win!

Something I learned tonight is that baseball games are a lot of fun, when the team you're rooting for wins! :)

I haven't been to many Braves games -- probably only a dozen. I've only seen them win twice, though . . . One of those times was tonight! They played the Phillies and won for the third game this week! There were some excellent plays -- the kind that get you out of your seat and screaming! It was such a fun game!

Afterward, there were fireworks. Normally, Publix sponsors Braves fireworks on Fridays, but since Independence Day is this weekend and the Braves don't play this Friday, they displayed the fireworks tonight! Songs that have to do with America were playing in the background, so that was kinda fun . . . Mostly, though, the Braves fireworks are just really incredible. They're actually better than any of the Atlanta fireworks I've ever seen. Go Braves!

All in all, it was a wonderful night -- one that my friends and I wrapped up with a late-night trip to Waffle House. I'm sorry I didn't get any pictures to document the events!

Ahhh, nights like this are hard to beat!

But this weekend, I'm going to Nashville, Tennessee . . . We'll see what adventures I am involved in there!

Happy 4th of July, everybody!


Thing I'm thankful for: storage space on a computer. I'm running out of mine!

Addiction, Part 2

As a follow-up to Addiction, I am reporting on Yogli Mogli.
Before I give you my final opinion, here are some points:

1. There are at least 10 different frozen yogurt flavors: strawberry, raspberry, chocolate, Mounds, white chocolate macademia, two kinds of vanilla, and who knows what else!
2. It's not super-easy to sample all of the flavors, and there are no sample spoons.
   
3. The trash can isn't readily available when you're ready to throw away your sample cup.
   
4. It's not immediately clear that you're charged for the yogurt by weight.
5. The nutrition information is not readily available.
   
6. The yogurt isn't 100% fat free.
7. The tile work in the store is delightful.
8. The outside seating is pleasant.
   
9. It's self-serve yogurt.

Number 9 could be considered in a favorable light, but I submit that part of going to a store is so that people do the work for you, especially when it's not clear what you're supposed to do. I had heard by word of mouth that Yogli Mogli charges by weight, but if I hadn't, I would've been confused for a minute or two.

So what's a minute or two, right? Wrong! It just makes for a bad user experience, as does the missing nutrition information and seemingly non-existent trash cans when you want to throw your sample cup away. These are not big deals in and of themselves, but together, they negatively affect the user experience.

The bottom line is that I just didn't like the yogurt. It was more creamy than I wanted it to be; it tasted very much like ice cream. I prefer the non-fat, icy texture of Yoforia's yogurt. Plus, they only give you four flavors to choose from -- all delicious, but not overwhelming.

Apart from the tiled wall and pleasant outside seating, I was not impressed. To be fair, I might've been impressed had I not tried Yoforia first. But as far as frozen yogurt goes, I think Yoforia blows Yogli Mogli out of the water! Sorry, Yogli Mogli. :(


Thing I'm thankful for: getting off work early!

Sweat Stains

Yes, sweat stains. Everyone has them . . . I happen to get them a lot because I sweat a lot. Unfortunately, I go through a lot of white t-shirts because of it.

Thankfully, my good friend Lisa told me how to remedy the problem: apply a powder detergent paste to the stains. So basically, you add just a bit of water to some dry laundry detergent to make a soupy paste. Then apply the paste to the stain! Lisa says you don't have to let it sit, but I haven't tried that yet. I let the paste dry on my shirt and then put it into the wash. And voila! It's like new again!

And guess what? It even works on old stains! Yay!


Thing I'm thankful for: new friends

Not Just a Hunch Anymore

For the last year or so, I've been developing my own reasons and theories as to why I know so many wonderful single women. "Why are my incredible girlfriends still single?" I ask myself. (For now, I'm going to skip the discussion about why I think marriage is a better status.)

One of my ideas involves humans and decision-making. That is, the more options people have, the less decisive they are. (It's true; let psychologist Barry Schwartz tell you all about that.) So if we couple this idea with the fact that there are so many women to choose from, it seems to me that men have a hard time making a marriage decision. Should the plentitude of good women deter them? No! Is it an excuse to play the proverbial field? No!

Interestingly, a recent study has proven otherwise -- at least for the first question. That is, men do defer finding a long-term mate when outnumbered by women. Daniel Kruger, a University of Michigan researcher found that When Young Men are Scarce, They're More Likely to Play the Field than to Propose (Science Daily).

Sure, it's a study from an evolutionary theorist's standpoint, so there's much ado about "spreading one's seed." Still, the numbers are very telling . . . and disheartening. Take, for example, this excerpt from the article:

The ratio of men to women has other aspects, as well. For instance, studies have shown that when women outnumber men, hemlines actually rise, overall, as women do more to physically attract men. Also, the rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock births are higher, and interests in women's rights increases. Surpluses of men tend to be associated with more conservative social norms and restricted roles for women.

Another interesting result from Kruger's research is that when men get older, they do tend to want to settle down. You might be thinking, "Oh, good -- yay for women!" But in general, it's "yay for younger women" only. Even when men do marry, they marry much younger women . . . Oy. At least women's rights are alive and well . . . :)


Thing I'm thankful for: guys who defy this apparent norm. I do realize that they're out there. :)

Addiction

Frozen yogurt is my new habit-forming substance. I can't get enough of Yoforia's frozen yogurt. I prefer original flavor, though pomegranate is wonderful, too.

And hear this: The yogurt has only 25 calories per ounce!

It makes me feel good to know that I finally like a treat that is so healthy for me . . . It's fat-free and has lots of good nutrients, such as protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, and vitamin D!

Ezra said there's an even newer frozen yogurt place in town, and it's called Yogli-Mogli. He said it's really good, but I'm doubtful. It's got some pretty big shoes to fill . . .


Thing I'm thankful for: spontaneous dinners with old friends. Nice chattin' with ya today, Le Femme!

Busy Nothings: Best of 2007–2008

Okay -- so I'm a little late with this post, but I'm a firm believer in the "better late than never" philosophy. I'm also a firm believer in usability, which is why I post these "Best of" lists. If you've never been to this blog before, you can just get a sample of what I write from these lists. If you like what you see, keep reading. If you don't like what you see, that's okay, too.

Without further ado, then, here are my favorite or most commented on posts from the latter half of 2007 and the whole of 2008. Enjoy.

Pretty Woman
21st Century Education and Parental Expectations
That's the Way (Uh-huh, Uh-huh) I like It! or My Chocolate Ice Cream Epiphany
Nicknames
Thanks to Friends
New Things
Why I Love Nieces: Reason No. 5,632
Milk and Adoption
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
I Don't Want Sunbursts or Marble Halls. I Just Want You.
Why Celebrity Praise Sometimes Bothers Me
I am My Mother's Daughter
Breakfast of Champions
Just Say No to Drugs. Get High on Life.
It's 7:05 on a Saturday morning -- Why Am I Up?
Change Breaks the Silence
I Bought a New Purse
Rules of Engagement
Peeling Oranges
Sometime in the Beginning of February


Thing I'm thankful for: you, my readers! Thanks for your visits and comments! Some comments are nice, some are funny, some are helpful, and some are just plain rude. I still like the feedback, though, so thanks!

I Don't Buy Shoes, I Buy Ringtones

It's true: I don't usually spend money on ridiculous pairs of shoes like most girls because I have big feet. It's hard to have a shoe fetish, when you have Sasquatch feet.

So I have to spend my money on other frivolous things.

Sometimes those things are cell phone ringtones. I almost always hate the built-in ringtones that cell phones come with. I get embarrassed for people when their phones ring and a cheesy synthesized musical phrase bounces off the surrounding air particles. Yes, I know that at $2.99, ringtones really are a waste of money. Yes, I know cell phone companies make the built-in ringtones sound dumb on purpose. Yes, I know that most people probably just don't care.

I happen to. I'm the kind of person who would like to change my ringtone for every holiday, but I hold back because I realize that would be taking it too far. I do like to have something kinda catchy to rock out to when someone calls, though. However, I don't want anything completely obnoxious or annoying. So late last night, when my brain was fighting sleep, I bought two new ringtones:

• Edward Meets the World: Introduction (from the "Edward Scissorhands" soundtrack composed by Danny Elfman)
• Let's Stay Together by Al Green

The sad thing is that it's already lunchtime today, and nobody has called me yet . . . So if I want to hear my music, I'll have to check my phone's sound setting, and listen to it manually. :)

What say you, readers? What do you think of ringtones? Do you buy them? Why or why not?


Thing I'm thankful for: living the good life. I have everything I need, to the point of wasting money on ringtones. I'm very aware of that blessing . . .