and she's all mine.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
Bk 2: Back To Work
I was back to work this week, which means not really a whole lot to talk about.
I'm really enjoying a couple of the things I brought back from the states and just thought I'd share them in a post.
How excited and happy am I with this mattress pad?
I called Amanda Thursday morning at 4 am (Wednesday night for her) and we were talking about my future R&Rs and what we might be doing / where we would be meeting. When we were discussing what we may or may not be able to do she said something along the lines of, "I love traveling but I love you more", to which, like the silver tonged devil that I am, I replied, "I love you more than... ... my mattress pad."
It really has changed the Kingdom for me.
I'm really enjoying a couple of the things I brought back from the states and just thought I'd share them in a post.
Best Things I Brought Back:
The Mattress Pad:
I called Amanda Thursday morning at 4 am (Wednesday night for her) and we were talking about my future R&Rs and what we might be doing / where we would be meeting. When we were discussing what we may or may not be able to do she said something along the lines of, "I love traveling but I love you more", to which, like the silver tonged devil that I am, I replied, "I love you more than... ... my mattress pad."
It really has changed the Kingdom for me.
The Shoes:
I've been working 10-12 hour days in my steel toed boots despite the fact that I really only get out in the field maybe one out of 3 days. This last week I was 1 for 6.
Typically I've been the type of planner that goes out in the field 4-5 times a day. Often for just 5-10 minutes to visually verify something or ask a superintendent a question. Well our construction site is a 12 minute walk from our office, or a 5 minute drive, plus I've been struggling with a backlog of work that has kept me chained to the computer.
Due to the fact that I don't really need to be in steel toed boots all the time I've introduced these to my desk life and am loving it.
The Entertainment:
I packed a playstation 3 despite my previous intents not to do so. I'll keep reading but while home I got my first taste of Batman Arkham Asylum and just couldnt stop. I've also been using the media center on the PS3 to stream downloaded videos to my TV screen, which given the horrible internet connection here it's nice to be able to download a file during the day and then stream it across the network without interuption. I'd been interested in The Following before I left but hadn't gotten into as it premiered 2 weeks before I left the country. Well I've been on a bit of a marathon this week and am now caught up.
Notable Mentions:
Didn't make the top of the list but a mention is deserved by my GPS watch which I've been using to get back into running, and my bathrobe, since a loaf who hangs out in his room whenever he isnt working just has to have a bathrobe.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Bk 2: R&R With Surprisingly Little Rest & Relaxation
The title isn't to say that the R&R wasn't wonderful, just not restful, it' be better to say my R&R was rejuvenating, which was much needed. We were on the go quite a bit though and by the end of it I think Amanda and I were both pretty worn out. I don't have pictures from early in the week so the pictures are going to be out of sequence with my text, but don't complain, or next time you won't get any pictures at all.
After getting back from New York my Dad picked me up at the Columbia airport. I got in late and mostly just hung out with my parents a bit before going to bed. The next day my dad and I hung out a bit, explored Best Buy, I took advantage of the decent internet connection to do a blog post and get some work done, and then had some ribs and chicken wings with Steven, Nichole, and my parents.
The next morning I had breakfast with my mom and then departed for Greenville. I got into Greenville opened some mail, stopped by the city offices to pay some taxes and get my car registration renewed and then was off to the office. I was in for a few hours and then back on the road to Seneca. Amanda had cooked me a special meal.
Thursday I drove to Atlanta to get interviewed for my Global Entry ID that lets me bypass customs when I come into the US, also got some shopping done and was back in Seneca that afternoon for my first run in several months. After my run Amanda and I had dinner with friends at the Blue Heron and then saw the Avett Brothers in Clemson.
Amanda took off Friday, so we slept in a little and then made our way to Greenville. We ordered our wedding bands, stopped by our wedding venue to see what a typical day might look like (it was 1 year to the day before our wedding), had some gelato, and then headed back to the condo for some dinner and a movie rental.
Saturday we went to the Community Tap Beer Festival in Greenville. We had planned to walk 1 mile, take the trolley 1 mile, and then walk 1.5 miles (and repeat on the way back)... well, the trolley didn't seem to pass us at any point, and Amanda hadn't worn her Jack Rodgers in a few months, and the end result was some nasty blisters... The good news... we discovered a craft beer style Amanda loves... sours.
We stopped in the West End to pick up a pizza at The Mellow Mushroom and took it into the park so we could stakeout the people who are getting married 52 weeks before us. The pizza was delicious and the wedding seemed beautiful.
Sunday we did Newspring via internet due to Amanda's blister situation, and then met her parents for brunch at our wedding venue. I had a crab cake BLT. I'm back in the Kingdom as I am writing this and it kind of makes me want to cry a little.
Monday I went into the office thinking I could solve all my work issues while on vacation and return to the kingdom a conquering hero. Instead I got a load of other people's problems dropped on me and barely touched the work I came in to do, hence aligning myself with Amanda's thoughts of ... "Instead of going into the office Tuesday I think you should stay home, relax, and play batman video games." Yes guys, I've got the perfect woman. I win. Ya'll lose.
Monday we also had dinner with the legendary Shannypooh Luckie, while watching How I Met Your Mother. It was the first time ever Amanda and I had watched a new episode of How I Met Your Mother together.
Tuesday I did as Amanda suggested. (and did laundry and packed and ran a few errands) That evening we drove to Columbia and had an excellent dinner at Saluda's. I highly suggest the Sweet Tea Pork Chop.
After getting back from New York my Dad picked me up at the Columbia airport. I got in late and mostly just hung out with my parents a bit before going to bed. The next day my dad and I hung out a bit, explored Best Buy, I took advantage of the decent internet connection to do a blog post and get some work done, and then had some ribs and chicken wings with Steven, Nichole, and my parents.
The next morning I had breakfast with my mom and then departed for Greenville. I got into Greenville opened some mail, stopped by the city offices to pay some taxes and get my car registration renewed and then was off to the office. I was in for a few hours and then back on the road to Seneca. Amanda had cooked me a special meal.
Thursday I drove to Atlanta to get interviewed for my Global Entry ID that lets me bypass customs when I come into the US, also got some shopping done and was back in Seneca that afternoon for my first run in several months. After my run Amanda and I had dinner with friends at the Blue Heron and then saw the Avett Brothers in Clemson.
Amanda took off Friday, so we slept in a little and then made our way to Greenville. We ordered our wedding bands, stopped by our wedding venue to see what a typical day might look like (it was 1 year to the day before our wedding), had some gelato, and then headed back to the condo for some dinner and a movie rental.
Saturday we went to the Community Tap Beer Festival in Greenville. We had planned to walk 1 mile, take the trolley 1 mile, and then walk 1.5 miles (and repeat on the way back)... well, the trolley didn't seem to pass us at any point, and Amanda hadn't worn her Jack Rodgers in a few months, and the end result was some nasty blisters... The good news... we discovered a craft beer style Amanda loves... sours.
We stopped in the West End to pick up a pizza at The Mellow Mushroom and took it into the park so we could stakeout the people who are getting married 52 weeks before us. The pizza was delicious and the wedding seemed beautiful.
Monday I went into the office thinking I could solve all my work issues while on vacation and return to the kingdom a conquering hero. Instead I got a load of other people's problems dropped on me and barely touched the work I came in to do, hence aligning myself with Amanda's thoughts of ... "Instead of going into the office Tuesday I think you should stay home, relax, and play batman video games." Yes guys, I've got the perfect woman. I win. Ya'll lose.
Monday we also had dinner with the legendary Shannypooh Luckie, while watching How I Met Your Mother. It was the first time ever Amanda and I had watched a new episode of How I Met Your Mother together.
Tuesday I did as Amanda suggested. (and did laundry and packed and ran a few errands) That evening we drove to Columbia and had an excellent dinner at Saluda's. I highly suggest the Sweet Tea Pork Chop.
And that is pretty much it. The next morning Amanda dropped me off at the airport and I started making my way back to the Kingdom. 10 Weeks from now we'll be touring England, Ireland, and Scotland together, which you will no doubt hear lots about on this blog.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Roomba's Amazing Adventures
Some couples have pets... Amanda and I have Roomba. He doesnt cuddle up with you after a long day and as you can see from the videos below, he isn't quite as smart as a dog...
Here Roomba is confused by the black spots on my rug and thinks they are holes that he is going to fall into.
We don't know how Roomba got into this mess.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Bk 2: Babes, Bacon, Blackjack, & Beer
My R&R has started and I just spent an amazing weekend in New York City with Amanda. This entrie's title is a collection of things that are illegal or I have no access to in Saudi Arabia, and got to experience this weekend.
I'll start out by emphasizing that the only babe is the sexy slice of pie eating a slice pie in the picture on the right.
I met Amanda at JFK airport and got picked up by my high school friend Nick. We got to see his wife, Wan, and baby Liam while hanging out in his neighborhood and enjoying dinner at a local Argentinian restaurant. Afterwards we headed towards Manhattan and checked in at our hotel, the Times Square Westin.
The next morning we met Annie and Eric for brunch in the village before meeting my Peace Corps buddies Nick and Drew and getting on the Lucky Streak Bus to Atlantic City!!!
We each ordered a half sub. That is Drew with his half sub, served on two plates each with about a pound of meat and cheese on it.
Sunday night we saw the 'Book of Mormon.' I was really excited about this and sadly it just didn't measure up to the hype. It was really funny at times, but also I felt there were a lot of jokes that just missed. Sometimes I hear a crude joke and think it is brilliant and funny and sometimes I just shrug and think that the joke teller made the joke crude as a replacement for making it clever, that was my take on many Book of Mormon jokes. More time making fun of Mormons and less time on crude African related humor would have made it better, in my opinion.
My flight got in early so I got to enjoy a delicious burger and beer at the Reagan National Airport. I'd never flown into Reagan and loved the approach, banking hard over the Potomac right in front of the Washington Monument.
Some Annoyances from the weekend...
Airports that don't have post security connections to different terminals and therefore requiring a second security screening to go through gates.
My cell phone battery.
Airlines still claim that my kindle could cause interference with instruments from all the electromagnetic interference caused by my changing the page every 2 minutes. This has never been proven or even supported by a scientific study. I realize why they have the restriction, because they don't trust people to turn the wifi off on their kindle all by themselves, which could but probably wouldn't interfere with signals; I just wish they'd stop claiming that non signal transmitting devices can mess with their instruments.
I met Amanda at JFK airport and got picked up by my high school friend Nick. We got to see his wife, Wan, and baby Liam while hanging out in his neighborhood and enjoying dinner at a local Argentinian restaurant. Afterwards we headed towards Manhattan and checked in at our hotel, the Times Square Westin.
The next morning we met Annie and Eric for brunch in the village before meeting my Peace Corps buddies Nick and Drew and getting on the Lucky Streak Bus to Atlantic City!!!
After a couple hours at the blackjack table and a couple hundred bucks of profit we headed to the famous White House sub shop.
The next morning we headed downtown and checked out the new 1 World Trade Center and the National September 11th Memorial. Both are beautifully done.
On our way back up town we stopped by the Empire State Building and went up to the top. It was a beautiful day with great visibility.
Sunday night we saw the 'Book of Mormon.' I was really excited about this and sadly it just didn't measure up to the hype. It was really funny at times, but also I felt there were a lot of jokes that just missed. Sometimes I hear a crude joke and think it is brilliant and funny and sometimes I just shrug and think that the joke teller made the joke crude as a replacement for making it clever, that was my take on many Book of Mormon jokes. More time making fun of Mormons and less time on crude African related humor would have made it better, in my opinion.
Just wandering around town enjoying New York.
Central Park
We stopped by Tiffany's and looked at wedding bands. Amanda won't even entertain the idea of us paying Tiffany's prices, but we did really enjoy looking around.
My flight got in early so I got to enjoy a delicious burger and beer at the Reagan National Airport. I'd never flown into Reagan and loved the approach, banking hard over the Potomac right in front of the Washington Monument. Some Annoyances from the weekend...
Airports that don't have post security connections to different terminals and therefore requiring a second security screening to go through gates.
My cell phone battery.
Airlines still claim that my kindle could cause interference with instruments from all the electromagnetic interference caused by my changing the page every 2 minutes. This has never been proven or even supported by a scientific study. I realize why they have the restriction, because they don't trust people to turn the wifi off on their kindle all by themselves, which could but probably wouldn't interfere with signals; I just wish they'd stop claiming that non signal transmitting devices can mess with their instruments.
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