Reality Schmeality

Olympic Photos

2008-08-24T20:53:00.002-05:00

Click here to see some unusual photos from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

From the Washington Post

2008-08-24T20:41:00.004-05:00

Notice that the bottom three groups equal 60% of the population. No matter what your party affiliation is, this says a lot about which candidate is looking to be a leader of the people.

Click here to read the article.

Happy Belated Fourth!

2008-07-17T21:04:00.002-05:00

Though we could not make it to Virginia, we managed to find some fun the piedmont of North Carolina. Enjoy more pics here.

Two Weddings and a Tent

2008-07-02T11:13:00.005-05:00

more pics here

more pics here

more pics here

In the past week I attended two weddings and went on a bachelorette backpacking trip. It was a week full of love and hopes and dreams. And pina coladas and dancing with a rubber chicken and shouting "ORGASM" into the forest.

17 Year Hatch

2008-05-17T20:05:00.002-05:00

Dog Days at the Banks

2008-05-17T19:42:00.004-05:00

We had a great week at Nags Head and here are the pictures to prove it: click here

2008-04-28T13:38:00.001-05:00

MySpace Countdowns

DOOOONE!!!!!!

2008-04-28T13:35:00.000-05:00

done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done! done!

Preview of Coming Attractions

2008-03-13T19:41:00.002-05:00

Squeaky Ball

2008-02-18T23:39:00.000-05:00

home update

2008-02-16T12:27:00.006-05:00

The far right wall in this picture was knocked down.

The window in this picture is the same window in the picture above. Notice the bunny wallpaper boarder.

Old bathroom....

New bathroom....

You can see some more photos of the house here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/annecarrington/sets/72157594583118140/

Snowball Fight!!!!!

2007-12-21T20:21:00.000-05:00

Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

f**ing kangaroos

2007-11-27T23:51:00.000-05:00

now this is a great story....

2007-11-08T14:10:00.000-05:00

a couple of weekends ago, brian and i headed to florida for his sister's wedding. we arrived thursday evening and were greeted by overcast and slightly drizzly skies. friday morning was worse. it was a freakin' downpour and the family was hoping for an outside ceremony. it rained hard all day long. at 5pm we got in the car to head to the country club for the rehearsal. it was raining so hard and traffic was so bad it took us almost an hour to make a 20 minute drive. once we arrived we found out that the wedding coordinator had had to move the wedding that was currently taking place indoors due to the weather and therefore had no place for us to perform the rehearsal. this was the first of a series of unfortunate events that were about to take place over the course of the weekend.

well, we all bucked up and figured everyone present had probably been in a wedding or at least seen enough of them to know what to do so we all just headed to the restaurant where the rehearsal dinner was being held. alot of family had gotten in that afternoon for the wedding and so it was a fun time catching up with everyone.

saturday morning we woke up to blue skies and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. now we only had to hope that the sun would dry up the ground enough to be able to keep the ceremony outside. i went with joan, brian's mother, to the hotel where renee, brian's sister, was getting ready for the ceremony with her bridesmaids. brian went with his dad to the best man's house to meet luis, the groom. the boys donned their tuxes and headed to the country club. luis, being a part-time party dj, was focused on getting the hired dj set up and ready to go. i have no idea what the rest of the guys did other than stand around and say hello to everyone, but the ground was dry and everything was set up outside.

the girls took a little long to get ready and we left the hotel in the limo at 5:05. the ceremony was supposed to start at 5:00. since we are running a bit behind, it was decided that once we got to the club i would let luis know that we are all here and take my seat and everything would get started. dutifully i did just that. the music started and the mother's were sat. the three bridesmaids came down the aisle one at a time followed by the flower girl and ring bearer. once they were all down the aisle and placed, the music changed and everyone stood. the doors to the club opened and renee and her dad began the long walk through the trees to the end of the aisle.

now, there is rain on horizon. we can see it, it is coming. however, we have been told that it is not supposed to hit us for a few minutes yet and so we should be able to finish the ceremony before disaster strikes.

just as renee and tony, her dad, reached the top of the aisle and begin walking down through the rows of friends and family, a double rainbow appears over head. for those of you who know don't her, renee is a HUGE fan of everything disney and precious moments, so the fact that a rainbow is present at her ceremony is just beyond perfect. in fact everything is perfect. she is radiant, the groom is handsome, the guests are beautiful and everyone is excited. we watch her make her way to the end of the aisle and she and tony stop. i wait for him to lift her veil and hand her off, but nothing is happening. and then i hear it. under her veil renee is asking her dad, "Where the fuck's the minister?"

he's not there! it's just an empty microphone under the arbor! the ENTIRE procession happened without anyone noticing that the minister was not there. Holy Effin' Crap! i can't help but to laugh a little while i think to myself, "can i just jump up there and do this thing? it won't be legal. is there someone in the crowd that can do it? do i know any good jokes?" the best man goes running off to find the wedding coordinator and luis steps behind the arbor (as if you can't see someone standing behind an arbor) and pulls out his cell phone and calls the minister. turns out he is in his car in the parking lot. he thought the ceremony started at 6pm!

anyhoo....at this point the rain has made it's way to the club and so everyone rushes inside. the wedding coordinator informs us that a room had already been set up for the ceremony in case of rain and so we will go ahead and use it. the guests are ushered in and the girls are sent to the bridal waiting room - which is really nothing more than a large closet with some very old couches in it. once all the girls are in the room and we have a moment to catch our breath, renee begins to tear up a bit. it is at this point that a friend of her's says, "well, looks like you got your rehearsal!"

we are informed by the less than apologetic wedding coordinator that everyone is seated, so I go and take my seat and we do the whole thing again. the mothers' are seated, the bridesmaids, the flower girl and ring bearer. music changes, we stand, renee and tony come in and the ceremony begins. the minister is reading from his notebook like a fifth grader giving a report on insects. he is reading word by word and not looking up or displaying any emotion. he is so engrossed in his reading that he does not realize that he has begun to read the lesson which renee's aunt carol flew down from pennsylvania to do. god bless her, carol just quietly walked up and stood next to the minister and stared him down until he realized what he was doing and passed it off to her to finish. we said the lord's prayer, a unity candle was lit and he started reading off the ring exchange without any sort of, "now renee and luis, face each other and repeat after me." it took renee and luis a second to realize that that was what was going on so they quickly turned to each other and began repeating the exchange. the minister pronounced them married and everyone gave a whopping round of applause as the wedding party made their way down the aisle.

after the guests filed out of the room and made their way to the cocktail hour setting, the wedding party moved back into the ceremony room for pictures. some of the staff brought in a plate of hors d'ourves and cocktails for everyone while we all got switched around in and out of pictures. at one point the photographer wanted to get some pics of just renee with the bridesmaids at which point luis walks up to me and says, "i never said 'i do'." i stare at him. huh? i think about it. he's right! the minister SKIPPED the VOWS!

come on now. say it with me.

"oh!"
"mah!"
"gah!"

all dogs go to heaven.....

2007-11-02T14:55:00.000-05:00

prayers please

2007-10-30T17:28:00.000-05:00

last thursday brian's first cousin, jenn, gave birth to her first child 3 months prematurely. it is a daughter and they named her abigail rose jacoby. in addition to being a preemie baby, her major heart arteries are crossed, but they can not operate until she 5 weeks old. currently they are all doing fine and mom and dad are dealing with it the best way they know how. you can follow their progress here: Abigail Rose

also, when we got back from florida on sunday we learned that our friend, stan baker, who helped us buy our first house, died suddenly of a heart attack friday night. he had recently turned 40 and his wife had given birth to their first child just 4 weeks prior. he was an avid outdoors man and tennis player and one of the nicest and happiest people we knew. we went to his funeral today and it was standing room only. many people got up to tell stories and share their grief and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Stan Baker

key west is the best

2007-10-11T19:00:00.001-05:00

i love going to key west every year. even though we had rain this trip, we still had a fantabulous time. such a good time, in fact, that i woke up in the worst mood tuesday morning before getting on the plane because i DID NOT want to leave. seriously, why can't life consist of blue waters and rum drinks and fruit kabobs by the pool?

mountain men

2007-10-02T20:27:00.000-05:00

my sister and her family came to visit us about a month ago and it was a ton of fun. we spent the saturday they were here at sliding rock until a massive thunderstorm rolled. before they came, however, i found a tent that is made to fit over a twin bed. i just threw it over the air mattress for the boys and they luuuved it.

2007-09-28T11:22:00.000-05:00

may the saints preserve us

"Anne! Dear God in Heaven and may the Saints preserve us! You have got to make up contingency plans for in case Mother is booked into the Days Inn by Billy. Now I suggest that you go a day or two ahead of time and gather up the "girls' and explan to them who is descending up on them MOTHER,may God have mercy upon them! Make certain that they will be correctly dressed. Dress not too long and not too short and most of all they are to be wearing a strand of pearls,because as you know no decent girl would be caught dead without her pearls! and of course her white gloves!!"

an email from my Uncle Gwynne in response to an email warning to not book rooms at the local transvestite prostitute hotel

2007-09-03T19:02:00.000-05:00

wassup beyotches!

It has been a long, hot summer. Scratch that. It was a super, fast, go! kind of summer.

I feel like i just took spring finals and moved into this house a few weeks ago. We have gotten a few things done but we have both been gone so much that it feels like we haven't gotten nearly as much as we thought we would have by this point. Frank, Brian's Office Manager, figured out that Brian was gone 64 days this summer. I wasn't gone nearly as much, but once summer school was over I was determined to take advantage of having free weekends. It was the first time I haven't had homework to do for more than 3 weeks since since I first started 2 years ago! Anyway, I'm back, so update your bookmarks 'cause the beyotch is back.

2007-06-13T20:33:00.001-05:00

so awesome

One of the activities available at Bonnaroo is the Silent Disco. It is a tent that gives you a pair of headphones when you walk in through which a live DJ is spinning his music. So basically, it is a completely silent tent that is full of people boogeying down! I want to throw a party like this.

2007-06-13T20:15:00.000-05:00

let's trade places

Bonnaroo begins tomorrow and Brian has been there since two Mondays ago. Somewhere in that sea of people is my husband. I am at home trying to write a paper about how Nussbaum's ideas about non-virtue ethics and Aristotle's old think academy have helped to cultivate humanity. I am also successfully ignoring the work I need to finish in my bedroom so that I can begin painting it this weekend.

2007-06-03T18:54:00.000-05:00

what side will you choose?

the movie "Spiderman 3" has nothing on my brother-in-law, John. apparently he made this at nights while his boys were asleep and my sister was at work.

ladies and gentlemen, may i present... "MegaSlayer vs. Dark Shadow".

2007-05-21T22:33:00.001-05:00

The winners of the Smithsonian's 4th Annual Photography Contest have been posted on their website. I don't really agree with their choice of grand finalist, but whatever. It's their prerogative I guess. Last year's grand finalist was much more breathtaking. I think the above photo is my favorite, but it is a really tough task to choose just one! Who would you have picked?

2007-05-17T10:42:00.000-05:00

Goodbye Girls

i feel like two of my best friends have moved to a town far, far away. this past tuesday was the series finale of the gilmore girls. i began watching this show when it was in its fourth season and i was hooked immediately. i had heard of it before but wrote it off as a sub-standard WB show. i didn't realize what i was missing! the witty banter grabbed my heart and held on tight. it was so funny and so clever. even brian enjoyed watching it - which is saying alot since he is more into shows like 24 and WWE wrestling and ESPN Sports Center. the girls, the mother and daughter, were so chummy and flirty and pretty and wore really cute clothes and had great hair and funny little quirks....they would totally be people that i would want to be friends with in real life. they even make me want to like drinking coffee just because they are so cute and funny about it. the cast of characters that made up the town they lived in were hilariously diverse. they could easily do a spin off show based off any one of them. edward hermann was so believable as lorelia's father and family patriarch. what a gem to have on the show. and the men in the girls' lives were soooooo hunky. i've lost count how many times i've dreamed about luke danes and his backwards baseball cap and flannel shirt. yummy. and now they're gone. thank god for syndication.

2007-05-09T18:38:00.000-05:00

reality break

so i understand that it has been a month since my last post and i plan to let everyone know exactly how the last month of school has completely and toooooooootally overtaken my existence, but i am so swamped that the hiatus was indeed necessary. however, i saw something on the web today that has seriously disturbed my understanding of the universe. when i start to get cross-eyed from studying i will usually hop on the web for 15 minutes to check out some of my favorite blogs and other sites.

one of these sites is the ever popular "go fug yourself". now, there are certain tenets of girl-dom that i believe require a guru. for instance i adore bobbi brown for how to wear make-up and not look like you just left your highschool prom. jonathan antin, super-ego and all, knows how to do the perfect layered cut (when i win the lottery i plan to use the money to fly to l.a. and get him to cut my hair. donna karan knows how to dress a woman in comfort and make her look like a girl without looking like she's wearing sweats. i respect these people for their mad skilz and appreciate their contribution to me lookin' guud.

another "guru" that i have always admired for her contribution to the world of femininity is kate spade........until now:

2007-04-09T21:15:00.000-05:00

would you have stopped?

the Washington Post teamed up with one of the world's finest violinists to see if people would stop during their busy commute to listen if they were faced with genius.

"When you play for ticket-holders," Bell explains, "you are already validated. I have no sense that I need to be accepted. I'm already accepted. Here, there was this thought: What if they don't like me? What if they resent my presence . . ."
He was, in short, art without a frame. Which, it turns out, may have a lot to do with what happened -- or, more precisely, what didn't happen -- on January 12.

2007-04-07T09:40:00.000-05:00

something's amiss

when someone said, "April Showers Bring May Flowers", i don't think they meant snow.....

2007-04-02T21:21:00.002-05:00

you've come a long way baby!

Happy birthday, Mom. We had a great time with you this past weekend. Love the pigtails.

2007-03-29T17:48:00.000-05:00

happy birthday henry!
my nephew is one of the funniest people i know. liz told me another great story for the books today. since he got a new bike liz has been teaching him how to use the brakes. today he was riding around outside and began barrelling down the sidewalk towards their 3-legged cat and came to a screeching halt just before hitting the lame creature.
liz: henry! did you do that on purpose? you say your sorry to the cat.
henry: but.....(looking sad and confused)
liz: apologize right now, henry.
henry: but.....(now looking very sad and upset)
liz: no buts! you do what i say and apologize!
henry: but i don't know how to speak cat!

2007-03-25T10:41:00.000-05:00

hello. my name is anne and i'm a plan-aholic.

i had this same problem when i got engaged. i immediately went out and bought every bridal magazine that i could find. in fact it got to the point where i couldn't find any more because i had literally bought every single mag out there and had to wait a few weeks for the next month's issues to come out. i currently have 7 design, garden, remodeling magazines on my coffee table and have started a bookmark folder for ideas that i find online. for instance, our kitchen in the new house looks like this:
I found this idea online that we will strive to copy once we get in the house:
so i have begun to look for accessories like these:i'm not sure if there is a 12-step program for me.

2007-03-23T22:55:00.000-05:00

name change.

i've changed the name of this blog because there are way too many things that i want to share. like this gem that i found while packing.

(circa June 1998)
sorry to let ya down little bro'. luv ya.

2007-03-22T19:09:00.000-05:00

no more dish-pan hands

we had our home inspection today and the house passed with flying colors. there were 4 or 5 things that need minor changes but nothing that must be done before we move in. there is a washer and a dryer that are much nicer than the ones we already own, so we are going to try to bargain with the owner to leave them in place of make the fixes recommended by the inspector. there is also a GORGEOUS wood trunk in the basement that we are hoping gets left behind as well. the big winners of the day were finding out that the water heater is a 2006 model and that not only was the new roof (it is less than a year old) installed well, but the flashing around the chimneys were completely redone as well. the inspector was so impressed with the workmanship that he asked our realtor if he could find out who did the work. still, i am mostly excited to know that i will finally have a dishwasher!

2007-03-18T20:33:00.000-05:00

a fresh start.

last week this tree was lush and beautiful. the leaves were bright green and shiny. i don't know if it is just tired of being indoors all winter and is crying out for fresh air and sunshine (which i have tried to give it) or if it is the sudden cold front that arrived this weekend, but my tree is no longer a happy tree. in fact, this is pretty much what all of my plants look like right now. maybe it is the realty-god's way of telling me to ditch my old plants for new ones for the new house.

2007-03-16T20:29:00.000-05:00

intermission.

click here for a cool strobe

(i find the best effect is when you look at upholstered furniture)

2007-03-15T14:02:00.000-05:00

(hiccup.)

ugh. we had an unexpected call yesterday from the credit union where we were pre-approved for our loan that in fact they were not going to be able to approve us. panicked ensued and our hero/Realtor, Stan, gave us the number of the lender he and his wife used to get their loan and lo and behold we got a call this morning from the lender, Michael, that we do indeed have a mortgage. (that was a really long sentence) through the process we discovered that we have pretty good credit scores (much better than I had after graduating from Montana) so that was a pleasant surprise. i am currently breathing deeply and exhaling slowly.

2007-03-13T22:12:00.000-05:00

anyone got a pen?

So we signed and initialed and signed some more papers today with our Realtor. Then we discussed what constitutes closing costs and he recommended some house inspectors that he has worked with in the past. Then we went to the bank to submit our paperwork for the mortgage loan and that was our day. Ho hum.

2007-03-11T19:19:00.000-05:00

we have a contract!

Here it is - our new house. Of course, I am still waiting to truly celebrate until we have final approval on the mortgage, but the house is officially off the market. It's so cute! It is a 3 bedroom, 1 bath that was built in 1964 and has the shag carpet to prove it. Luckily, under all that shag are hardwood floors that look like new.It is approximately 1000 sq. ft. upstairs and has 400 sq. ft finished in the basement and 600 sq. ft. unfinished. The backyard is a combination of a paved, expanded driveway and woods - which we luuuuuv. You can see more pics of the house here.

2007-03-09T22:23:00.000-05:00

going once, going twice.....sold?

so we have put a contract on a house and we are waiting to hear if it is accepted. it is exactly what we are looking for and is in an awesome neighborhood. in an effort to not jinx it, i will wait to write any more about it. stay tuned!

2007-03-08T19:41:00.000-05:00

what we're up against

Can you guess how much this shack sold for? It is right around the corner from the house we are renting now. Have you made a guess? It is about 800 sq. ft. Any thoughts? It sold last month for $169,000. That's right. $169,000. For that dump of a house.

This house is across the street from us. Take a gamble on how much this went for. It is a 2 bedroom, one story craftsmen style home that is approximately 1000 sq. ft. It sold last fall for $275,000. That's almost $300k! For a little one story house! Oi.

2007-03-07T22:33:00.000-05:00

what you get for the money

So we have seen a few houses so far and it is a little depressing seeing what is in our price range. Of course we are looking for something pretty specific. We want a 2 to 3 bedroom house with a finished or at least partially finished basement that we can move the business into. It's really the basement that is setting us back in the search. Stan, our Realtor and friend, has said that if we didn't need the basement space then we would be looking at alot more houses than we have been and they would be closer to town. We looked at one that was almost half an hour from downtown! Here are some pics of the house. As you can see from the first couple of photos, it's a nice little house on the main floor. Good hardwood floors, beautiful tile floor and counters in the kitchen, nice wood burning fireplace in the living room,.....and then you step up to the window and look out and see the highway billboards out the front room. Not the view you want when living in the mountains. Going down to the basement you first walk into a room that is not quite finished but has another fireplace and nice french doors leading out to a small patio. However, the majority of the basement is completely unfinished which means it would take much more work than we can afford to get it business-ready. Walking out on the porch on the top floor there is a very lovely view of the mountains with several fruit trees in the yard. This is a very tempting aspect of the property. That is until you turn around and see the neighbors abandoned trailer that is literally just across the driveway from the house. And so the search continues.....

2007-03-06T01:17:00.000-05:00

and so we begin.

According to a recent news release from the National Association of Realtors, "Existing-home sales in most states were down from year-ago levels in the fourth quarter, marking the likely bottom for the current housing cycle, while prices in many areas corrected as a result of sellers’ willingness to negotiate." This is good news right? If sellers are willing to negotiate then we should be able to find a home that fits our needs, needs no renovation, and is within our price range, right? As I read further I find a quote from someone who's opinion is apparently important that reads, "Home sales are leveling at historically high levels, and examination of data within the quarter shows home prices stabilizing toward the end." Aaaaa! So, now I am sufficiently frightened and scared and stressed out. I found a website titled Trulia that provides an easily readable report of the housing market in your area. So the average sales price of 2 bedroom homes are what you might expect just about anywhere, 3 bedroom homes are a little more than they probably should be, but check out 1 bedroom homes. The average sales price for the last quarter was $324,667! It was an increase of 89.7%! WTF?!

*Reality Schmeality*