Weekend update 3 and the coolest light that ever lived

This weekend there was nothing as exciting as a hotel closing on you when you are still a guest or a trip to another state to report on. But it was still worthy of a blog update so here we go.

On Saturday I took myself on a trip to Asheville. Just two weeks ago I thought I was brave driving myself to Walmart but this weekend I went on an interstate and everything! Much like Columbus himself, I like to explore! I chose to explore the Mall. I don’t think there’s that much undiscovered land to truly discover anymore, so I’ll have to take what I can get. Plus this way I get to shop!

I researched my trip thoroughly, Google Map provided with me a set of directions (from my neighbour’s house but I thought I could brave that part of the journey on my own). But with that and my map I was able to put together my own route there involving less interstates and therefore less possibility of me ending up in Kentucky! I only messed up once, coming off at exit 53B instead of 53A. I mean, really, if there are two exits shouldn’t they get their own numbers, none of this A and B crap? I realised after I had set off that perhaps it wasn’t the best weekend to go on such an adventure seeing as everyone I knew was away, if I had an accident (heaven forbid) or got lost (at least it’s not an accident) who would I call? No one I knew was around! But it was too late for this thought driving along the interstate.


I consider it an insult when a lorry passes you on a motorway, let alone three. However driving on your first interstate, at the speed limit, with the steering wheel on the wrong side I really wasn’t that put out. (And despite what this photo might look like I had pulled over to take it. Honest.)


Here’s the proof – Sears was the closest I could get to a sign of the Mall.

The Mall is a decent size, with all the important shops there, Abercrombie, Pacific Sunwear, Aeropostale and American Eagle. And the really great news is that Old Navy opens in the Spring! I didn’t buy anything in any of these shops though. I decided to keep my purchases to absolute necessities. Such as…


A new pair of trainers. My others are ages old, and the soles have been stuck done countless times, and these were a good deal, and oh so pretty, and I really really needed them! Plus I swear they make me run faster!


A new light. I’m so much more interested in lights than candles (aka burn-down-your-house-sticks). I think this is the coolest light I ever saw! Unfortunately, due to my amateur photographer skills, it looked better in the photo turned off, but trust me when I tell you this light is class! It will break my heart to leave behind (weight to ship it will probably cost about 5 times the actual light and voltage differences mean it probably won’t work anyway!) but I decided that it will enhance my stay here. And it goes very well with my duvet. So I bought it.

I also bought a memory card for my US phone. Thanks to Alan with the advice. It is too small to take a photo of. I think per square millimetre (it’s less than 1cm sq) this is the most amount of money I have ever spent. On anything. Ever. It wasn’t that expensive, but is that small.

On Sunday morning I went to church. I went to the 9.40am service and as it turns out when you get up earlier you have more hours in the day! Who knew?! I was home at 11.00am and didn’t know what to do with myself. But church was good, and close. I missed Maggie at it though so sat on my own, aww! But the minister did say that any first time visitors should go to the back at the end of the service to get a welcome pack. I like welcome packs so obviously I was first in line (that or I was the only 1st timer). It reminds me a lot of the packs you get during freshers’ week, except there were no condoms or pasta ‘n’ sauce in this one.


Including: A mug, a pen, a cross for your pocket and a poem on a card about the cross in your pocket.

The church service was good, and I could actually tell you exactly what the sermon was about! This might have something to do with the fact that there was a handout with missing words on it included in the order of service. I’d like to mock but this works for me, I pay attention and write extra notes in the margin. ‘Sir, do I get extra marks for that?’ The minister even had a couple of funny little video clips to illustrate his points, very nice! People even felt the need to clap them. These people surely don’t know the rule and clapping in church. Unless it’s for children reading, acting singing, dancing… pretty much anything involving children, then you don’t.

In the afternoon I watched a bit of ‘The Great Escape’, a great Sunday afternoon film. There are many, many ‘classic’ films I’ve never seen (eg ET, The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind) but I’ve seen The Great Escape. It always makes me a bit sad when Ives gives up and tries to escape in broad daylight when they find Tom, and of course at the end. I remember reading something about repeats and Christmas scheduling, Jeremy Clarkson (he of Top Gear fame) said something along the lines of he had to buy the DVD of it because they don’t show it on Christmas Day like everyone thinks and that’s exactly what he wants to watch on Christmas afternoon. I myself am happy enough to watch it whenever the powers that be decide to show it, and that was yesterday (and probably today, tomorrow and the day after that – crazy American repeats). I like war films like that, you know, stiff upper lip, best of British, let’s get the buggers kind of attitude. Maybe totally unrealistic but that’s for another time. Plus it has the most addictive theme tune ever.

In the afternoon I also made time for a journey around the lake. And as said above the trainers improved my running abilities! I put music on my phone to listen to as I went around and ran to alternate songs. It just so happened that the running songs were shorter than the walking ones and also they seemed to come a lot on the downhill stretches. But that was merely a coincidence, I’m not smart enough to have worked that out.

Incidently, on the way round the lake I saw two separate people wearing what can only be described as jamie bottoms. Was there some of sort of pyjama wearers convention on? Don’t they know I am the Queen of Jamies? I should surely have been invited to this. Somebody at the PBWC (Pyjama Bottom Wearers’ Convention) is going to lose their job over this.

Anyway, back to the point, yes there was one. When I was 11 (some freakish Athletics knowledge coming up…I’m available for pub quizzes) Liz McColgan won the 10,000 metres at the World Championships in Tokyo. I dreamt of one day becoming an athlete and winning a medal at the Olympics (at a young age I knew they were the real deal). I think I can let go of that dream now. I will never be Liz McColgan, as if there was any doubt. Running sucks. And hurts. It makes you tired the whole night long. Nope, I will never be never be Liz McColgan. But I am stubborn. I like setting myself little challenges to see if I can do them. Like at the gym at home, I try to row 100m in 1 minute, I know I have to row like Sir Redgrave himself but I can do it and it annoys me when I don’t. I have set myself the goal of running around the lake, so I will continue on that quest. Plus, the sooner I achieve that goal, the less I need to endure the pain of running.