Happy Birthday Farmer Koch!

Happy Birthday Stephanie!

Wish I had been there this weekend for the party (particularly the fountain!)

I look forward to celebrating your 25th at lunch on the 9th/10th...

I think for your birthday, I will learn how to make homemade butter and cheese (for the farm), but I will also learn a skill, perhaps airbrushing...so I can make us Myrtle Beach style t-shirts for the farm. Imagine that picture...with neon pink airbrushed underneath Farmers Unite! 2007!...then our names in neon green...Farmer Eric, Farmer Stephanie, Farmer Katherine!

Wait, is this starting to become cult-like?

in spring's final cool...

see, here is the thing about talkin' shit....it usually comes back to you. so, no, i didn't win the baseball game at the fun plaza. well, neither did tim...so it didn't really "bite me in the ass" as they say, but i was pretty bummed out that i didn't get to emasculate tim by asking him which stuffed animal he would like off the wall.

what else...

if feels absolutely wonderful outside here. reminds me of when i use to live in boone. it sort of feels like summer in boone here today. follow me? its warm, but breezy... feels like the perfect day to sit on the porch with a margarita and listen to tom waits...hold up, now i know i use to do that in boone.

i can also tell its starting to warm up outside, because people are wanting to come visit here again. we were packed full every weekend until the first freeze...then it was nothing...but now that we are reaching into 60 degree days...they are back.

and i welcome with open arms our first visitor of the new year...tim long! yay!

i think tim is seeing the band slayer tonight.
i think i'm going to watch the finale episode of the oc.

tomorrow i'm going to rest and not grade papers AT ALL!

by the way, heard some new port huron statement songs yesterday...prepare yourself for the new album. it'll be kick ass. i "borrowed" one of chip's lyrics for the title of this blog...so its not my clever phrase, but him. (yes, teachers have to give credit)

Apparently, I can't hold my liquor at lunchtime anymore. I had lunch with a colleague from work last Friday. I've been seeking out a new Mexican restaurant on the Grand Strand...(as I miss ol' Zapatas). We tried out this place called Abuelos, which by the way was excellent. I decided to also try out their margaritas, because what is a mexican lunch without a margarita?

So, two margaritas down...and I came home. And within a couple of minutes, I passed out on the couch. I woke up disoriented and confused. Why is it dark? What day is it? Why are there three cats surrounding me?

So, yeah...I'm 30.

Saturday wound up being a date night for Tim and I. We decided to have some dinner and catch a movie. We saw Last King of Scotland. It was pretty good. Reminded me of how narrow my world view is at times. It left me with many questions. And some awful visions. So, we rounded out the evening with a couple of beers at ol' Rockies.

Oh yeah, we watched more than we should of LOST. What'd you expect? We have addictive personalities, apparently.

Classes went well today. Except when I got to the dreaded "Who in this class is a feminist?" That one never goes as well as planned. I envision a day when I look around and all my students have their hands raised. Even once I explain that it simply means equality for men and women...students are still hesitant. What the F?

One female student responded that she feels that men and women have their places in a marriage. He should be the breadwinner and she should be responsible for the home. And that although she'd like to be involved in decisions and such, she thinks that overall he should have the final word.

I keep telling Tim that I would rather kill myself than watch the movie Norbit, but I think that I'd rather watch Norbit 100 times instead of hearing another comment like this from an 18 year old female student.

Wait, did I tell you (in the plural anonymous sense) that Tim and I are going to a Food and Wine festival in Charleston. Guess who will be there? Tom Colicchio and Sam from Top Chef.

Then, I heard that Flaming Lips are playing at House of Blues in April. I stood up and said "hell yeah".

Damn, I had more to say than I remember...we got a wonderful package today in the mail from Morty. Some delicious caramels. They are awesome. I'm savoring each and every one.

Hope everyone has an excellent Valentines Day. For the last two years, Tim and I have made a trip here. So, we debated what to do this year...and we are going to keep our tradition. We've got a wonderful weekend planned visiting some of our favorite spots on the strand. That means I'm prepared to kick Tim's ass in baseball at the Fun Plaza. More on that later.

Wait, Snowbirds?

I'm right in the middle of a LOST obsession. I can't help. I can't think about anything else. Even as I watched Prison Break last night, I kept thinking...does Scofield know Jack? Who would win in a fight Sarah or Kate?

Last weekend was fun...and unfortunately it is over and its the beginning of a new week.

I'm going to omit any mention of LOST...which also means I'm not discussing Friday night. (ha)

Saturday, Tim and I did some antique shopping. Then we had dinner at this lovely restaurant in MB proper on Ocean. Its called Sea Captains. It was very lovely. I had some grilled chicken with crab meat and asparagus. Yes, I ate asparagus. Its unbelievable, I know. The funny part to me was that as Tim and I were seated in the dining room, I looked around and we were the youngest folks there by about 30 to 40 years.

There was a lovely couple sitting directly next to us. It was an older man and woman. From the bits and pieces I could pick up from eavesdropping (as I'm apt to do...it fuels my imagination), it appeared that they were "friends". Old friends. They both played basketball in high school and college. They were telling personal stories about Bobby Knight. Regardless, there was something very sweet, very melancholic about their interaction. When they got up to leave, she reached for her coat...and he helped her put it on.

Of course, this fueled an entire conversation about stereotypes of the elderly. But hey, I'm a sociologist. I can't help it.

After that lovely dinner, Tim and I decided to stop by our local watering hole...Rockefellers. That's right. its official....we have our local bar. I knew this for sure....when we walked in and the bartender/owner yelled hello to us and brought us some drinks. Its a really cool little place. There are captain chairs surrounding the bar. They have a decent jukebox. And the bartenders aren't "carrying" pistols and drugs (sorry...i had to make a joke at the expense of the bad dumb luck that has befallen Charlotte bars).

So, what was up for Sunday? You heard me, Superbowl Sunday. We watched the big game at Dan and Mandy's house. Always a joy. Particularly their little girl Mia, who I had the pleasure of playing a little baseball with. Okay, I threw her some bad pitches and she almost hit them.

Watching football is awkward for me. I have no idea what is going on. I never learned ANYTHING about the game. So, I sat there staring at the screen...completely and utterly confused. And the commercials weren't that great! Most importantly, I got to spend a sunday evening with some good friends, eating good food, and drinking good beer.

Today: School

More to report later.