Random Musings about Barbados and such

Though I love to travel, I don't particularly like airplanes. Not that I have a fear of flying at all--more so I am incredibly claustrophobic, am sensitive to gross body odors, tend to get restless and bored easily, and despise mundane conversations with complete strangers...especially those who think stories of their close encounter with a 6-inch fish in the ocean holds any excitement for me. Listen, unless I've known you for more than 5 minutes, or you're a good-looking single male, please refrain from talking to me on planes. Can I sound anymore stuck-up? Insert smiley/winkey face.
Okay, so this isn't just a rant about dull people on planes...I actually have a point. I recently returned home from Barbados. I didn't even know where it was when the idea to go was first presented. I said to one of my friends, "I wish I could speak Spanish for this trip." Right, they speak English there, as my friend so kindly told me, promptly after he laughed at me. That was inspiring enough to look it up. A tiny island in the Caribbean, it's actually the only one that's not volcanic. Hmm...I should've used that as a retort to boring-close-encounter-with-6-inch-fish lady... In all honesty, the teeny island country has a pretty interesting history....which I won't go into now. Instead, here's a wee visual synopsis of my trip:

Soup Bowl. This was the view from where we were staying in Bathsheba.


This little guy is Spice. That's right, the monkey's name is Spice...and he lived up to his name...crazy little devil. Too bad you can't see the earring in his left ear in this photo.

And here we have my brother, in all his moooostached glory, and our friend Snake.

The water...amazing. I have an issue I like to call arctic-aqua phobia. Barbados put that phobia to rest, and then some. Paradisiacally glorious.

This is where we surfed. I know, it doesn't look like much, but it was fun.

Us, in the little lego of a car we rented.

Future Me=Curator of Art/Historic Objects

Never thought I'd live to see the day, but I have a career path. I'm working toward becoming a curator at a museum. A lot of you have asked me recently what exactly a curator does. An article in the Princeton Review on a Day in the Life of a Curator explains it well.

Oh ya, my blog!

Travel is not in the cards for me right now. Nor has it been for months. Due to the wretched economy destroying any hopes of getting my dream job, I'm stuck in this bloody country for a while. So, instead, I make excitement of the U.S....more specifically, I make excitement of towns no more than 20 miles from home...So. Cal style.
Living at home until my job situation gets better, I've been surrounded by kids nonstop. My life currently consists of a lot of slug bug and Spongebob. Apart from that, though, I've managed to squeeze in some classic southern California activity.
Disneyland, surfing, Laguna Beach, wedding receptions, birthdays, graduations, the OC fair, entertaining family in town, L.A. days, Angels games, more surfing, and just simple hanging out with friends. Here's a montage:




These next two photos deserve their own explanation. Here you see me with two legendary surfers. I'm currently working one day a week for the Surfing Heritage Foundation in San Clemente. It's basically a surf history museum, and is pretty awesome. I get to help with a lot of events, and have met some pretty famous people in the surf industry. These two pics were taken at the Sacred Craft convention in San Diego (a huge surf expo).

This guy is Paul Strauch. He surfed in Hawaii with Duke Kahanamoku, back when surfing was just starting to take off. Nicest (and smiley-est) guy I've ever met. http://files.legendarysurfers.com/surf/legends/lsc301_duketeam.html

(I hate that my eyes are closed in this pic) This is Robert Weaver, known to most as Wingnut. He starred in the movie 'Endless Summer 2', and is almost 60 now...and still a handsome devil!
http://www.surfermag.com/magazine/archivedissues/intervwwingnut/

As of late...

I've:
Moved back to CA
Got a new phone
Reunited with my dear friend the ocean
Lived in a tent
Applied for a gazillion museum jobs
Had three interviews
Considered moving to San Diego
Considered moving to Los Angeles
Considered moving to Washington, Utah, Spain
Obsessed over the World Cup
Finally bought a globe
Filled my life with nieces/nephews, and a lot of Spongebob
Lost a good friend
Gained 4 new friends
Said goodbye to my brother as he left for deployment
Wondered and prayed about where I should really be
Wondered how, with all this gypsy blood running through my veins, I'm considering settling down somewhere.

A life less ordinary, no doubt.
Something exciting to come...

M R Ducks

This post is dedicated to Holly, who has roots in Georgia, and does the best fake southern accent I've ever heard.

You can't help but grow fond of southern charm. I'm leaving North Carolina in a week, and, though I won't miss the abnormally large crickets that I could likely saddle up and ride, I'm going to miss this place. Without further ado, here's my tribute to North Carolina.

Ole is what you put in your car when it's gone drah.
Any worry can be fixed up raht with a piece of Mama's pah.
Talkin' 'bout a pacific thing has nuthin' to do with the sea,
but when you say "specific" they're not shore what you mean.
They'll call you honey and darlin', and purty young thang,
but it don't mean nuthin', cuz they're all wearin' a ring.
Their "pocketbook" is called a purse in the west,
and in the springtime that pollen won't give you no rest.
A church-goin people, most are set in their ways
and believe in the legends told since colonial days.
My friend says, "Mah mama and mah daddeh, they've raised me up raht."
Fed her baar-b-cue, mashed taters, and nanner puddin' each naht.
But wanna quick bite? Go fer a Bojangles plate.
Want sumthin' healthy...
Hellthy? Honey, you in the wrong state.
Still, give me humidity and green, stately pines.
James Taylor knew raht with Carolina on his mind.

THEEEE EEEENNNDDD

Ya, not much to do at work with only a week left....hence a lovely NC poem.

WELL HOWDY-DO! North Carolina, I luuuhhvv you!!

...and the grass grows by itself

Spring, as they say, has sprung! Flowers, twitterpation, chirpy birds, and sunshine...enter Spring Fever. There're two things I know for sure: 1) Spring Fever is waaay better than Bieber Fever, and 2) the South knows how to do Spring.
Granted, most of it is taken care of by Miss Mother Nature, but I've gotta give top marks to the people and their gardens as well. This was taken around the corner from my house. It's okay, you can be jealous.
If you visit NC, I highly recommend a springtime visit.
Most of these were taken at Duke Gardens in Durham.
This view was breathtaking in person. It's so very Anne of Green Gables to me. People were picnicking all over the park. It was incredibly charming and, I daresay, romantic. Perfect backdrop for a picnic.

I spied this dapper fellow out of the corner of my eye, and couldn't stop smiling. He won my heart for a second.
So then, to recap, North Carolina in the Spring=
Flowers and trees like this,
clouds and skies like this,

and recreation (aka awesome fun) like this.
It's gonna be rough to leave in a month.

Land of Milk and Honey

I have an addiction. I'm a honey-holic (if that's even a word). Actually, I've come to the conclusion that I'm part bear. I love the water, raw fish, big hugs, climbing trees, eating people's left-overs, nature, berries of any kind, taking reeaally long naps (I swear I was about to go into hibernation when I lived in Utah for 3 months), and, well, honey. I've been called a honey bear before...and no, this is not because of an uncanny resemblance to Winnie the Pooh---not quite a tubby little cubby.
I'm ashamed to admit that, though this is not a recent development, my honey obsession has gotten worse. I went through a 22 oz Mason jar of honey in a week and a 1/2 recently. Eaten on top of everything from bread to strawberries, and by the spoonful too. But I'll make this for your benefit.


The best honey, and the best places to buy it...and trust me, I'd know. I'm no 'honey is honey' girl. I'm a connoisseur. So, first and foremost, good honey DOES NOT come from a grocery store. Ever. Those honey bears have crap for contents.
Most good honey is found at local farmer's markets, because the best honey isn't shipped from across the country, but is found in your own backyard, wherever that may be. Local grown honey is going to taste the best, and actually has benefits on your immune system, skin, and hair...AND helps with allergies and colds.
Then there are the different types. Depending on the plants the bees feed on, honey has different color, taste, and texture. My favorite is dark avocado honey....obviously from avocado tree pollen.
Thus far, the best honey I've had came from the Andes Mountains in Peru. That went fast.
Okay, I'm done being your National Geographic informant for now.
The End.