Live action!

So I just rediscovered some videos that had been too long to post at the time, what with all our computer issues while traveling. But for the time being (at least until they take it away on my last day of work), I have this sweetass laptop that can finally get my videos to youtube. And now, I post them here for you.

We've got Tracy's aunt singing about why she wants to be a glowworm in Wanaka:


While in Wanaka, you might remember our dorky afternoon in Puzzle World. Tracy experiments in one of the optical illusion rooms:


Then we see yet again why I have a track record for destroying cameras around the world:


And you can see why our overnight in Milford Sound was totally worth it, despite my needle-lined throat- note how tiny the cruise ship is at the base of one of the waterfalls:


Then, finally, our helicopter ride to the top of Franz Josef Glacier- unfortunately I did not get the part of the trip where the pilot made it look like we would fly straight into the mountainside. Tracy: "you see that, right?":

Is this the line for Air and Space?

So, if you're one of the two people still reading this site, I guess you'll be the first to know...so, have you heard? There's a recession going on. I know, I know, it may come as quite a shock...I'll give you a minute to let it sink in.

In case you're still not sure, I was just given a little more proof today. Turns out MeadWestvaco has decided to eliminate 2000 positions, and while I had illusions I would survive the cuts, I was sorely mistaken. The end of February will find me unemployed for the second time in a year. But this time, it's not self-imposed. Self-imposed was so much more fun.

Didn't think I'd find myself asking this question on this here blog for the second time in 10 months...anyone in Richmond want to employ me? Or for that matter, Tracy? Or 10 of my closest friends? Again, did I mention that we're in a recession? Where are the soup lines? On a happier note, though, I spent my blissful, pre-unemployment Tuesday in Washington DC for the Inauguration! Yay glimmer of hope. Obama, please get the job done. If you didn't hear, a few people showed up for this thing: Also, if you didn't hear, it was kind of a historic day. We greeted the newest rock star...um, I mean, President, and there was something kind of monumental about it. I forget what it was.

If you can't tell, people are a little happy about this...who knew?

So weird. I thought it was just us.
So yes, Jen, Wes and I made our way to the Inauguration, thanks to my wonderful parents, who dropped us off at the metro at 5AM, then picked us up after we froze our asses off with 2 million people, but then picked us up after we celebrated...our only goal after the inauguration was to find a warm place to get nice and inebriated (what, us?). We found a great place, then met with a group of Canadians who had decided 2 days prior to spontaneously drive down for the Inauguration without a place to stay. My kind of people. By the way, in this photo, I was trying to look pensive about our new President, but instead it just looks like I'm about to pick my nose...

But the highlight really was our new friends:





The end of the night, of course, involved Wes trying to take a photo of the trash left on the street and almost missing our metro stop, but we managed to make it back to my parent's place without incident.

Thanks Jen and Wes, for actually making it out...and providing plenty of laughs, apparently it was to be the laugh before the storm (that's how the saying goes, right?).

Road trip to Toronto, anyone? Probably should go before I lose my car, my free gas, my computer, my job...my source of income. Wow, who knew? "Your position has been eliminated" is a pretty sucky thing to hear. Whatever doesn't kill you makes you funnier though, right? Don't worry, I'm sure I'll get funny about it soon.

Let's hope, at least.

Everything in nature goes south in Winter...so why do we go North?

So since it appears that my job has become intent on me never seeing my apartment ever again (selling envelopes is HARD), I have some time to kill to thank all of our friends who made this New Years one of the most kickass in history. Although my liver may never again recover. And I know we joked a lot about losing brain cells throughout the week...but it's mostly because we lost so many that we couldn't think of anything else coherent to say.

We continued the Virginia-New York coalition (otherwise known as the Southern Aggression, or Uncivil war) by driving me, Geoffrey, Kelly and Jenn up to Hunter Mountain in upstate New York. Throughout the week, we were joined of course by Tracy, and about a dozen blue-tongued, cougar-miming, sometimes British and sometimes Mexican New Yorkers.

We started out the week with some quality outdoor activity, like tubing:


Of course, when we signed the release of liability forms, quoting possible "catastrophic injury," we all laughed, but that was before I asked the guy at the top of the hill to "spin me" and instead he launched me directly off the track, screaming down the uphill portion at 30MPH. After plowing through 2 signposts and stopping only by colliding with some unsuspecting tuber, I found I had taken a hook to the eye.

Ouch.


Luckily we had- was it Jack or Julia? Chilling in our yard to help ease the pain:

Lisa, Laura and I were quickly given the opportunity to prove just what squealing little girls we are when the "chalet" we were staying in proved to have a rodent resident:

Pretty sure if we had petticoats we would have lifted them.

I also made some of my specialty, jello jiggler shots, though they went especially quickly when we made the first and second place winners (Lisa and Tracy) finish the two plates on the table:



For some reason, though, Lisa and I felt the need to stay up progressively later and later each night, so when most of the group went skiing in the beautiful fresh snow New Years Eve:


instead, Lisa, Ann, Tom and I woke up at approximately 3PM and scrambled to find something outdoorsy to do before the sun set. After finding 500 phone numbers that all led to the same "not-working-today" dude in Hunter, we finally found an open and operating location where we could take out snowmobiles...kind of slowly, though I still managed to almost tip off the track more than once. But man, we looked like badasses:

But of course we had a sober New Years, and had no fun at all.








Somehow, New Years day, we actually got up early enough (maybe had something to do with the fact that we- by that I mean I- didn't watch the sun rise the night before) so a group of us finally got out skiing for reals.
Look- it's Lisa not falling down!


We had a blissed out full week of no cell phone reception and no rules other than Geoffrey (aka "Dad") attempting, to no avail, to suggest that we get to bed by 3 some night. The final night, Geoffrey, Jenn, Jo and Laura created the story "Nemesis," which, if you want the recap, set aside 2 hours of your day and be prepared with tissues when Katie the evil vampire queen is killed. It's a tearjerker.

I, however, joined Kelly, Lisa and Ann in a night of poker and a game I created called "drink" (when someone says the work "drink," everyone drinks...if you want a copy of the rules email me). For some reason, this inspired arm wrestling.

I'll lie and say I won.
Round two might not have been the best idea though.


Every good week needs a few proper injuries.

New Years resolution: sell more envelopes!