Travel Log, Entry #2: Black Mountain, NC

As originally promised, I am going to move to my next entry in my blog travel log. The photo to the right was taken during my Spring Break 2005 trip to Black Mountain, North Carolina, with my friend Rachel and another one of her friends, Amanda. We drove down on a Sunday, stayed with some of Rachel's family in Black Mountain, and we returned to West Virginia on Wednesday of that week. Looking back, I think this was a great trip to take. It was a great prelude to my coming year of change and relocation, and, best of all, I got to visit a place where I had never been, see new things, and bond with some folks I would have never had the chance to bond with otherwise.

On the drive down to NC, I got to see parts of West Virginia I had not, see parts of Virginia never seen before, and indulge in some of the best parts of roadtrips--very unhealthy snacks and fun conversation. I remember one of my hugest concerns at the time was signing a lease for the apartment I was to move into in Pittsburgh...needless to say, I never got there. In any case, I'm not usually one to confidently dive into situations where I'll be surrounded by very new people--especially if I will not have the chance to take breathers. This was one of those times, though, so I was a little hesitant, but as I saw new scenery and roadsigns, marking towns formerly unknown to me, I knew I was doing the right thing by going along.While in Black Mountain, a very laid back and quaint town that also serves as home to the long-time Evangelical preacher, Billy Graham, we did lots of fun yet self-reflective sort of activities, since all three of us were there to try to find some clarity. Amanda and I chose to hang at a great little coffee shop, the Dripolator, the first day...I read The Handmaid's Tale and Amanda studied for some upcoming finals in her graduate-level Physical Therapy program. Then, Rachel's family took us to dinner in Asheville after a day of hiking trails and observing waterfalls. Asheville quickly became my favorite tourist destination in the U.S. I love the layout of the city...sort of hippie-style yet a real city, with city-like buildings and businesses. And it's tucked amidst this amazing lay of land. We also hiked the area surrounding the family's home, and in the evenings, we enjoyed some fun like board games and cards.

As we drove out of Black Mountain, it was a beautiful sunny morning, and all three of us hated to leave yet knew at the very same time that it had served its purpose and must be preserved as one of those sacred places that we will escape to for relief from the complexities of life. As we drove away, U2's "Beautiful Day" blared over the car stereo, and I actually could feel tears in my eyes, amazed how the mere beauty of nature and new surroundings can renew your perspective on life. I will never forget the lessons of Black Mountain...

Black Mountain on Dwellable

I Revisited...

The place where my Philly adventure began--Cape May, NJ. Sort of funny that my Philly adventure began in New Jersey, but I love it that that is the case. The highlights from a glorious Sunday spent on the beaches of Cape May:

• How often is it that a native West Virginian gets to drive a couple of hours, park on an oceanfront street, climb a few stairs, and walk on the beach? I'll answer that...not very often because the drive has always been more like about 8 hours to reach the shore of the Atlantic.
• It was monsoon week in Philadelphia last week. So, the unbelievably clear Sunday was a great blessing for a beach trip. We held our breath almost up to the last moment, but Mother Nature pulled through in the end.
• Two semi-inexperienced East Coast drivers made it through on MapQuest directions. The last time I tried this with Pamela, it was a disaster beginning like 4 miles away on Lancaster Avenue. This time, Sara and I took a different way, using the Ben Franklin rather than Walt Whitman Bridge, and we still made it--even through the rather trashy streets of Camden, NJ. On the way home, however, we expanded our sense of adventure by going blindly via the Walt Whitman rather than Ben Franklin...deep down, it was just that I favor the purely literary rather than historical literary.
• The ocean never ceases to please me. If you think about it, it's a pretty reliable crutch. The smell of salt that permeates the shore, the sound of crashing waves, and the ocean breeze will all remain my favorite beach elements.
• Crabcakes are delicious. Crabcakes on a screened in porch, overlooking Cape May shores are like gold.
• Driving home to the same home I departed from just hours before rather than crashing in a not-so-homey motel makes the trip even better.
• What I will remember for the next trip: sunscreen...probably SPF 80.
  

As I laid just as I did 8 months ago, contemplating life and the sounds of the shore, I realized that I have almost made it through the first year. My reaction to that? Just a big wow. I look back to last August 17th, and I wonder how much more a person can change in a year and still be the same person. Life has been good to me...Philadelphia has definitely been good to me...and I'm glad that I can look forward to many times of allowing Cape May to be good to me.

Change in Attitude, Change in Taste

Is it possible to affect change in one's taste if there is a change of attitude? This question came to my mind the other day as I was pondering my incredible change in taste since even a few years back. So, thinking of this made me formulate this question. Many adults describe themselves as picky childhood eaters...many kids are picky. But, I just wonder what stimulates the drastic changes in taste. Here's the "for example"... As a teenager, I would go to dinner with my family fairly often at a local restaurant called Christopher's Cafeteria. This also happened to be the first place of employment for all three Chase children...Erin, Ryan, and I all worked for the catering side of the restaurant. But, Christopher's was oftentimes a place for us to gather for dinner. They had choices that all of us could enjoy, and the atmosphere was that of family. But, just to prove my point, my Christopher's cuisine never changed or altered in all hundreds of the visits we made, here's what I got: noodles (thick homemade ones) and mashed potatoes with beef gravy over them, and a dinner roll with butter. That's it...I was not a fan of protein, I obviously was not at all interested in taste. This high carb, highly bland dinner was pretty much my mainstay. I would have to say that my attitude and worldly aspirations pretty much mirrored that meal. Not a lot of adventure, not a lot of willingness to diverge from the norm. Now, however, I've of course blossomed into a fairly adventurous person with lots of worldly curiosities and willingness to try new and exotic stuff. What are my tastes now, just years later? Well, my two favorite cuisines would be Mexican and Thai...the more spice the better. My other runners up would include Chinese and Italian. My last choice? Those American, homemade recipes that lack spice and flavor. I do eat them still, of course, I just prefer the others. So, this total flip-flop just made me wonder about the human mind and what it does to steer cravings and tastes. Fairly interesting topic, I think.

My Own Season of Big Brother

Funny story. I've mentioned on here before, I believe in the posting on luck, how I ended up living and working with Madonna. I just have to say, though, now that I will be staying in the same housing for the next year, I think I have unknowingly created my own season of Big Brother. You know that terrible show where everyone ends up totally annoyed with one another because that's all they are around? That's the show I'm talking about.

Living with your boss is pretty unique and probably fairly uncommon, I'd say. We're doing perfectly fine with it thus far, and I don't foresee any problems. But, as I was running errands on campus yesterday, I thought of how much our real lives mirror the lives of those who participate on Big Brother. We wake up...see eachother as we make our breakfast and coffee. We say farewell before leaving the house, just like we won't see eachother all day. We go to work, say good morning all over again, this time in the professional persona. Our offices are side-by-side, and we see eachother fairly often throughout the day. At the end of the day, we say goodnight, just like everyone else is doing. Except...wait...we come home and there we are...totally a faux goodnight.

There are interesting boundaries, erected by sheer silence...like at work, we usually do not discuss home. At home, the questions pour out...it's actually a very interesting process to observe both of us independently finding ways to make this situation as normal as possible.

A List

So, I had it suggested to me to do a 100 things about me posting...this will be a work in progress, so despite my publishing new blogs, not dealing with the list, you can return to this original post, which I will add to each night. I propose to do 10 things a night because I think the "things about me" kind of morph with each day. Who knows? Maybe I'll even know me better after this!

1~ I sleep best when I have the sound of white noise.
2~ I have a major fear of flying, but I am not afraid of heights.
3~ I eat Goldfish snack crackers more than any child I know.
4~ While I am not religious, I find theology a truly fascinating subject.
5~ I take rejection very hard.
6~ I feel love in a visceral way.
7~ I define intimacy as knowing someone's every quirk and appreciating them all.
8~ Emotional intelligence is far more important to me than intellect.
9~ I can sit in the presence of someone without saying a word for an incredible period of time.
10~ The warmth of sunshine is my favorite type of warmth.
11~ Observing nature makes me think.
12~ I am a workoholic.
13~ Holding a baby almost makes me feel as content as academic work.
14~ I prefer thunder to lightening.
15~ I prefer red wine to white.
16~ I prefer early morning to late night.
17~ My favorite color is green.
18~ When I make people laugh, I feel like a million bucks.
19~ I don't like close talkers; they make me feel very uncomfortable.
20~ My first drink of coffee in the morning is the official start to my day...everything before that is basically autopilot, lacking consciousness.
21~ I enjoy waking up to the sound of rain hitting my windows.
22~ I prefer softserve to regular ice cream.
23~ I like to save voicemail messages from those who I love so that when I'm having a down day, it's kind of like having them here with me.
24~ I sleep on my stomach.
25~ I think I own too much stuff...I would like to downsize.
26~ I am very intuitive when it comes to people. Without words, I usually can sense exactly what they're feeling.
27~ Lunch is my least favorite meal.
28~ Breakfast and dinner tie for my favorite meal.
29~ My sense of smell is my most keen sense.
30~ Chocolate owns my soul.
31~ I love waterfalls.
32~ What I most want to do in the next year is start learning a new language.
33~ The thing I haven't taken the time to learn that I'd like to is paint.
34~ I wish I had less fears.
35~ The oddest thing I've ever eaten and loved was carrot soup in Dublin.
36~ The moment that I participated in the most PDA was on a random dance floor in Dublin, with a strange guy with whom I made out to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" song. Yes. I did it.
37~ The object I hate most is the plastic saucer that kids use to sledride.
38~ One thing that I've never done that I'd love to try is parasailing.
39~ My favorite instrument is the cello.
40~ I love looking up at the stars.
41~ Everytime I hear a lawn mower, I think of my dad.
42~ I am open-minded and accepting.
43~ I want to have kids in this lifetime.
44~ My favorite childhood memories are of the softball fields and the different teams I was on.
45~ My favorite outdoor activity has always been riding a bike.
46~ My favorite place I've ever traveled was Asheville, NC.
47~ Of all of my senses, I would never want to lose my hearing.
48~ I used to want to follow in the footsteps of Reba McEntire.
49~ My favorite form of transportation is probably the train--I like staying on the ground.
50~ If I could, I would like to travel more.
51~ My most prized possession would be my collection of photographs.
52~ My next most prized possessions would be the iBook and the iPod.
53~ I love the sight of a sleeping child.
54~ I often pray when I'm afraid.
55~ I like to watch movies when I'm sad.
56~ I wish I had been born in the 50s, so I could have grown up in the 60s.
57~ The places I've most often visited on vacations include Ocean City, MD, Canaan Valley, WV, and, now, Wheeling, WV.
58~ I would much prefer love over lust.
59~ My favorite cartoons as a kid included Doug, Scooby-Doo, and Inspector Gadget.
60~ A place I've never been where I'd like to visit would be the West Coast.
61~ Sense of humor is of utmost importance to me...probably even with food in importance because it sustains me.
62~ My favorite coffee is hazlenut coffee...
63~ The place I'd most like to travel to outside of the United States is the Greek Islands.
64~ My favorite childhood memory would have to be me standing on the tile in the entryway to my parents' home, singing my heart out to Billy Joel, Carly Simon, and Carol King.
65~ The craziest thing I've done is stand in the pouring rain on a random New York City street, missing half of a Broadway production in order to be sure to get my playbill signed by Rose O'Donnell.
66~ I love trying to figure people out...especially the more guarded ones.
67~ If I weren't pursuing my M.A. in English and working at Rosemont, I would probably still be in Wheeling, trying to figure out what to do with my life.
68~ I can see myself one day writing a book.
69~ It always makes my day when I receive a postcard from friends on their travels.
70~ I want to see more concerts in the coming year.

Retail Therapy

I was talking with a friend at work today, and she threw this phrase out that I found to be hilarious. What she described, I have surely done more than a few times...yet I had never put such a perfect label on it. We were talking about stress, and she spun around in her chair, pointed to a lone bag on her floor and said, "I know...the stress is horrible today...Ridge (soon-to-be husband) is buying a kayak, so I think I deserve some new workout shoes. Sure, they were $80 workout shoes, but still. I mean, sometimes, I just need to go for the retail therapy." I do this very thing all of the time. I admit that I usually do the combination Target/Genuardi's trip so that I'm, by default, also purchasing needs and won't regret the move too terribly much. But, this also got me thinking. I've written times before about Borders horror stories. So, I'm wondering if maybe the retail horror stories stem from everyone else in the world going through with retail therapy...they're just having a bad day, and trying to fix that fact when things just go awry. As a friend said to me last week: "I think this was a good plan gone bad." Regardless of these reflections, I will now have a label for my crazy retail behavior. I love buyage...it's just one of the many extensions of my love affair with...well...money.

Anger Management

Did you see this movie? Sure, it left a lot to be desired. But, I do adore both Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler, so I must act like I at least sort of liked it. But, I'm not about to blog on a totally undesirable flick from long ago...this is just a segway into the real drama...
This past Saturday, I did a one day gig at Borders because there was an author signing, and I had agreed to do so quit awhile ago. At one point much later in the day, more towards the end of my shift, I took a page that called for register help. Of course, the line had gotten fairly backed up, so I ended up checking out quite a few customers. As I was doing so, however, I noticed another cashier, Greg, raising his voice to a customer. While Greg seems a soft-spoken, easy-going type, I have to say that both times I've witnessed him raising his voice, customers have walked away very unhappy...kind of ironic.

So, it turned out that he was arguing with a customer who was purchasing books from the 3 for 2 table. And the customer wanted the most expensive book to be free while Greg was trying to explain that it's built into the register to take the least expensive off. The customer did not want to accept this. So, then one of the supervisors, Jen, steps in and explains the situation to the customer. He still didn't want to accept it. It ended with him walking away, Jen yelling that he forgot his credit card, and him telling her to keep it. She insisted that that was not possible. Use your imagination to fill in the blanks, but the next thing I hear over the headset is Jen calling for the general manager to come help because there's an emergency situation--a customer is threatening her.

Next thing I know, there are 4 cops coming into the store, intending to take care of the customer. All of this over the 3 for 2 table!!! So, they take statements from everyone and leave. Then, Jen tells me that as soon as the cops saw the man that they said, "Oh, we know this guy...he's a regular troublemaker down at the tire shop." The what? The tire shop? As I said to Jen, 1) Why the tire shop? and 2) How many times do you frequent the tire shop in a year's or, in his case, month's time?

I think I'm very relieved to have my quiet corner in Main Building at Rosemont. It's just me and the ivy...thank God.

Travel Log, Entry #1: Oh Canada

I think it would be a fun thing to do a travel spotlight every once in a while on here. So, I'm going to start now.

Now, I must admit that Canada was not top on my list to visit at any point. I've heard a lot about the beautiful wilderness and such, but I was surrounded by plenty of that in WV. But, before even becoming an English major, my friend Lori and I decided that we would go on the trip with the English department to The Stratford Festival, which features several Shakespeare plays each theater season in Ontario, Canada. We knew no one else going (it was a somewhat exclusive group of majors who usually took the trip), but we both thought it'd be a fun trip. We were so right.

After a fairly simple drive, we arrived in this town that reminded me of a quaint little tourist town plopped amidst farm country. The city of Stratford sits conveniently along a river, thus its similarity with Stratford-Upon-Avon in England. Are you feeling the Shakespeare motif yet? Anyhow, it's a wonderful town, and we sat in the very theater, pictured above, for our very first Stratford experience of Pericles. It was spectacularly done, and I will always remember my first true theatrical experience...it was like I had fallen temporarily outside of reality and into this intense world of the imaginary. In this same theater, we would see Taming of the Shrew, MacBeth, and A Much Ado About Nothing. At another theater down the road, we would see The Birds, King John, and Timon of Athens. These all spanned two trips to the festival, but each year, we'd leave on a Thursday, go to two Friday shows and two Saturday shows. That's a lot of Shakespeare in very little time. But, it was so much fun.

I will definitely take this trip again in the future. Because in addition to outstanding theater, there's always the Boar's Head Pub where Lori and I were graced with the presence of a rodeo rider and clown with whom we threw a few rounds of darts. And the town also affords a great chance to shop at some very unique shops...especially great for jewelry aficianados like myself--most of which is fashioned and designed by local artisans, making it even better.

Mission-Oriented

Everything doesn't have to be this way. Goals are good. Future plans are even good. But, I think being mission-oriented around the clock can be bad.

Life, however, does tend to encourage such a way of life, I suppose. If you think about it, from the time you enter the school system, your only there so that you can graduate from high school with a diploma--establishing your ability to enter the American workforce. If you choose to go to college, then you, again, work towards graduation. These tendencies, however, pour over into many other areas of life. Before you even start dating, you are looking for your type--your ultimate mate. Thus, there's an end in mind before there's a now. Then, you are dating someone and it's working out, so you start looking forward to a wedding. In your career, you're feeling the natural flux of being forced towards the top. Do you know anyone who enters a job nowadays and says "I want to go no further...this is my end"?

All this is an attempt to do is point out how easily one can lose the present due to a focus on an ultimate mission that is not the now. I think it's fine to look forward to things, and I'm one of the worst about always wanting to persevere and push forward in every situation. But, I think that sometimes such thinking can warp life. For instance, when applying goal-oriented behavior to personal situations that don't really warrant it--i.e., career tactics applied to dating scene--it makes the situation uncomfortable and unnatural. So, I guess it's a fine line...between planning ahead and forgetting the now.

Luck

Over the past several weeks, I've been pondering the concept of luck. I have definitely realized that luck, now, is very different for me than luck was when I was younger. As a young dame, I only considered it in relation to things such as getting Mom to buy me an extra sweet treat at the store, finding money on the ground, or getting a really good grade on a test or quiz I totally hadn't studied for (we're talking high school).

Luck for me today is so much different. Most of my luck, today, comes from issues of timing. I would say it probably played a huge part in just about every major life change I've made over the past few years. Like as I was working in the hospital as a nursing student and decided that I just couldn't go on in that field, I was taking my Lit-250 requirement and consequently had literature at the forefront in making my change of major decision. Then, just as I got settled into the idea of moving to Pittsburgh and attending Duquesne for grad school, I received an email from Heather Hicks at Villanova, informing me that I had been accepted there. Despite great nerves, I emailed a couple of random people on the off-campus housing lists, and I decided to meet Madonna and see what kind of place she had to offer. I chose to live with her without any other meetings, and I moved in August. I got a job at Borders at the same time as Sara Dudley, someone who initially provided a granola bar to me in a time of nutritional need but who has proven my rock here in Philly from that point on--and what an incredibly fun rock she is. Madonna has gotten me a great job, and I've continued to have such great timing here...largely a product of ongoing luck.

What made me think of this issue even more was viewing Match Point this week. You can check out The Midwestern Position for details on the movie experience, but with luck as the major theme behind the events in the movie, one cannot help but think of what a role it does play. And I'm finally convinced that to think that things happen as they should, like all of these events are pre-planned, is absolutely ridiculous. Life is like a name your own adventure story...you create it as you go, decision by decision.

Everybody, Meet MAC

I have a confession. After FedEx comes through with my 2 day expedited delivery, I will have my first real child. My laptop, a loyal Dell laptop, has indeed been my precious since I first bought it, and then there have been the iPods. But, I think the upcoming delivery will be the big one. I'm getting my very first Apple computer--an iBook--in the next couple of days, and I'm anticipating its arrival like a mother anticipating her first born.

Why would something like this mean so much to me? I'm not quite sure why, but I'm really looking forward to the arrival. I've thought about the fact that it's going to look very good juxtaposed with my sage green wall. I've thought about accessories I may have to get--case, printer, etc. I've thought of visits...will I be the type not wanting to take this new very vulnerable virtual life out? Or will I be a pround, confident type...ready to help this social butterfly begin to spread its wings?

Think the best Christmas in May ever, and that's what this is.

How Cool

Your Birthdate: January 11

Spiritual and thoughtful, you tend to take a step back from the world. You're very sensitive to what's going on around you, yet you remain calm.Although you are brilliant, it may take you a while to find your niche.Your creativity is supreme, but it sometimes makes it hard for you to get things done. Your strength: Your inner peace Your weakness: You get stuck in the clouds Your power color: Emerald Your power symbol: Leaf Your power month: November

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

The Shore

Being from West Virginia, I normally made references to going "downstate" for vacation. There were also many people around me who would refer to the same. Upon my arrival in Philadelphia, I learned new vacation jargon: the shore. Everyone refers to the shore, and everyone goes to the shore. And my first inclination upon hearing this reference was to ask, "Which part of the shore? In fact, what shore? Are we on the shore?" Well, the obvious answer to the last one is no. But, we are within a very reasonable distance from the Jersey shore. In fact, the first day that I woke up in my new Philadelphia home, my friend, Pamela, and I hit the road for the Jersey shore.

Did I know what a huge Philly step I was taking? Heck no! I had suggested we put off going downtown to save my nerves any further permanent damage. So, after thinking on it during the drive out, I suggested we go to the beach for a day instead. I was never even a huge fan of the beach as a kid because I'd get all sunburned, my feet would get burnt from walking on the hot sand--to sum it up, I was a miserable beach companion. But, after endless nights of no sleep in preparation for my move, I thought that a day of lounging on the beach, listening to the seagulls and the crashing waves would be good. And it was.

The other part of that story is that I have become obsessed with the shore now. I have yearned to go back since my one day in Cape May. But, what I've realized is that the Jersey shore is a concept of epic proportions here in Philadelphia. And what makes me happy is that, seemingly overnight, I have turned from a cold-hearted beach-hater to one who adores it. In addition to holding great sentimental value, I will always look at the Jersey shore as something that helped make me feel like I fit out here.