Long weekend: Old friends

We all know people who don’t try to be cool, yet they just are cool personified. For me, one of those people is Michelle, a girl who worked in summer camp the same year as me. She was introduced to me as the example of how to counsel at camp, how to be a leader yet how to have fun with those you are leading. Honestly, I have never seen so many teenagers look up to someone. The girls wanted to be like her, the boys wanted to marry someone like her.

She has the most infectious way of talking you ever heard. Anyone, within about fifteen minutes of meeting her will be talking like her without even realising it. Michelle is the reason why I put ‘super’ in front of adjectives and why I say ‘good work’ amongst a whole host of other Michelle-isms I’m sure I am unaware of. Am I getting the point across that she is just cool? Like most cool people, she has no clue how cool she actually is.

Anyway, we had talked a couple of weeks ago and kicked about the idea of me spending Labor Day weekend with her. We didn’t speak for a while after that so I wasn’t sure if the plan was still happening. Then she called me Thursday and asked whether I was still heading up. Jose’s party caused a bit of confusion but for all the reasons above and then some I was there.

Another dimension of Michelle’s coolness is where she lives what she does (and I think anyway). She works for a big law firm in the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. She kind of fell into it by accident, working there while she was getting her Masters from George Washington University in DC (as well working in the Smithsonian Museums as a researcher, damn girl is smart too).

She is quite seriously someone you cannot help have fun with. So when she asked was I still coming I didn’t even think twice, despite the 1000 mile roundtrip (for the second weekend in a row, just call me Long Distance Clara)

So on Saturday morning I was back on the road, heading north to DC. The journey from Greenville, South Carolina took me through North Carolina and Virginia and again this was not a short trip. When I stopped for lunch I realised I'd pretty much pass through Fredericksburg, Virginia which I knew from my history. So I stopped there for a while.


Fredericksburg was the town where the Washingtons lived. This is me at Kenmore House, the house where George Washington's sister, Betty and her husband, Fielding lived. In olden times the garden backed on the garden of Mary Washington's (Mummy Washington) house. I bet Fielding was delighted. 'Eh...honey there's a great house outside of Fredericksburg you'd love. I mean, sure you have to ride the horse into town to see your mother and you're right she couldn't just pop over anytime...'

After Fredericksburg it was quite a short drive to Washington. I have driven on a lot of road way in my time (especially in the last two weeks) but I seriously doubt I’ll drive anywhere cooler than past…


the Pentagon or...


the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial or...


Pennsylvania Avenue (White House street) The building on the right is the OEOB West Wing fans. Actually it's called the Eisenhower Executive Office Building now, but OEOB is fun to say.

More tomorrow about what Michelle and I got up in DC.

Tina: The Return

I sent out an email to hopefully most of you, but if you didn't get it here's the information!

Welcome Back Tina slash

Happy Birthday* Tina Bash

(changed from the email because it rhymes!)
at my house on
Friday 22nd September at 7.30pm.

*No presents are necessary, it was two months ago afterall. But I turned 26 and like platinum jewellery and fast cars if you're looking for something to bring me!

Please let know if you plan on coming for food and stuff. I'll show you photos of my year (no slideshow, promise!) and tell you the stories of what all I got up to (then I promise I'll never mention America again!) and you can fill me in on what I've missed since going. We might even play a few games and what not. And who doesn't love games?!

To make things easy for you, you can copy and paste either of these sentences into your reply:

**Yay Tina, You're coming back! I cannot wait to see you and I will be there on the 22nd.**

Sorry Tina, I am loser and will not be coming out then because _____________ (only genuine reasons accepted eg life saving surgery, jail, being out of the country). I suck and I will ever be in awe of your greatness. I fully understand if you never want to talk to me again.

I'd really love it if you can come! Let me know if you need directions out to my house and I will happily provide them. It honestly is not that far from Belfast, like 15 miles and if I can drive to Memphis in a day then you can surely drive to see me, your friend, someone you haven't seen in ma-onths!

Long weekend: New friends

I hate the way you do that thing after you’re off on a Monday and you get all the days of the week wrong for the rest of the week. But it is a small price to pay for a long weekend I guess.

So if Memorial Day starts the summer, Labor Day finishes it. My long weekend started off with a party in Greenville.


There were several reasons for the party, it was Matt and Will’s birthday in May and they were away for them and Jose and I were leaving.

Greenville parties are an event. This one was no different and was done as only they can, with a theme. We’ve had all sorts of themed parties over the year, 80s, sleepover, World Cup, Hawaiian luau. This weekend’s theme? White trash. I think it’ll be hard to top that one.

This year would have been a lesser experience if I hadn’t had the Greenville people to hang out with. Most of my fun memories and good laughs come from the people I met in South Carolina and to start to say goodbye to that with Jose leaving was sad.

But that said, hilarious theme for a party.


'This is my girlfriend...and my cousin'


I don't think I've ever seen them looking better! (That's Mellissa on the right, nothing like me when she's not playing poker!)

Roadtrippin'

I love road trips .There’s just something about a long journey. I really don’t know what it is about. I don’t think it’s to do with the excitement of the destination, it’s the journey itself I like. I think it comes from going to Dublin on the train with my dad when we were little. Two hours on the train felt like forever and you could set up camp at your seat and table.

Last week I decided that as I only had four weekends left in America I should use my time constructively and take a trip. So I started to plan where I would go. I got a road map from the mighty Wal Mart and looked to see where the road could take me. America is a seriously big country and there was no point setting out with no plan in mind. My goal was too see how far I could get while at the same time visiting some of the places I’d pass through. After a lot of research on tinternet and with my road map I came up with a itinerary.

Friday night – Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Saturday afternoon – Huntsville, Alabama
Saturday evening – Memphis, Tennessee
Sunday afternoon – drive back to the lake.

The whole trip was over 1000 miles so I’ll tell you the story through my photo journal, otherwise I might never get the story told.


I saw this in Tennesse and it made me laugh. In my experience antiques are never action filled, they are slow, old and boring. I have been scarred by Sunday teatimes with The Antique Roadshow where you can’t talk in case you talk over something interesting, or the best bit when you find out how much the old ugly lamp is worth.

Not far outside Chattanooga there’s a place called Lookout Mountain where you can see seven states from the top. It sounded good to me, so off I went. Now, if you’ve ever done any sort of travelling in America or maybe you’ll know from films that Interstates are full of big advertising hoardings telling you what’s coming up in the next fifty miles or so, you know restaurants (normally Cracker Barrel) or ‘tourist attractions’ which will usually be something like ‘The World’s Largest Cat Fur Ball five miles ahead off Exit 25’. I’d put Lookout Mountain in the class above that. Just. Let’s just say it would be a lot different if the National Trust owned it.


See what I mean, what have they done to the caves? Elves?!


But the actual look out point is pretty. And I saw seven states in one look.


But it was off to Alabama (through Georgia). This marked my first return to the Central Time Zone since 2000. Sadly there wasn't any sort of a welcome back Tina sign. Alabama was incredibily hot, around the mid-90s (35 centigrade). My first word, which I actually said out loud, when I got out of my comfortably air conditioned car was 'blazing'. I can't think of a single other time in my life when I have said that word, in any circumstance. That's what the heat does to you.


You’ve got to love American town names. Rainsville was actually distinctly sunny. My favourite town name on the trip however was Bucksnort in Tennessee. Great name. Full credit to whoever came up with that one.


The main industry in Huntsville, Alabama over the past fifty years has been space engineering and apparently is nicknamed ‘Rocket City’. Well you can see why.


One of my reasons for wanting to go here was to see the Space Camp sign. I loved that film when I was growing up and last year’s ‘Space Camp’ Y&C’s team hoodie at CHW made me want to come here. I was hoping I could get an actual Space Camp badge to sew on. Alas, there were none. (They said ‘Space Academy’ which isn’t as funny somehow.)


Let me just say Hollywood there is no way on this earth you could actually accidentally launch one of these rockets.


So as the name suggests there is actually a ‘Space Camp’ where kids can go and learn all about space, rockets and what not, there’s lots of simulation machines. This is a group of the geeks Space Cadets.


They had signs in the car park telling you about the solar sytem and all that. So, eh, not to be a smart arse NASA museum, but didn’t they decide Pluto wasn’t actually a planet last week? Don’t worry Pluto, you’ll always be a planet to me, I have the Game of Knowledge to prove it.


They have rides to simulate space travel including a big centrifuge to get the G forces. The tower in the background shoots you up in the air like lift off. I nearly peed myself on this. I could never be an Astronaut, such a waste of my qualifications.


After Alabama it was into Mississippi where I stopped for dinner in Corinth.


This is the sign outside Corinth’s newspaper. I think ‘Letter to the Corinthians’ would be better. I so want the editor to be called Paul.

Sunday morning I woke up early so I could get everything done in Memphis that I wanted to see. First stop, Graceland.


This is Elvis’ front room, complete with 15 foot long sofa.


Elvis and Prsicilla’s wedding outfits. Although the photo doesn’t show it, his suit was officially the worst I have ever had the misfortune to see. I know, odd, because he was such a classy dresser usually. Priscilla must be about four foot nothing and I was surprised that Elvis didn’t appear to be much bigger. Maybe all famous people are shorter that they appear, my mum says that Prince Philip is much shorter in real life


Rest in peace. I actually really enjoyed seeing Graceland and even though I don’t know many of his songs I’ve decided that it’s the fans I dislike.

As my group were being shepherded to the shuttle bus I took a photo of the front of the house. Then I realised I should get someone to take my photo in front of the house. Oh the trouble I had.


This is me and Elvis’ driveway. The guy seemed like he could line up a shot, but apparently not. In restrospect though it was much better than the next guy...


who took the photo without me in it!

I realised this only when I was on the shuttle bus and so asked to go back up again and get the photo, I decided that I paid my money and it was likely going to be a very long time before I should ever be back again. After some gentle persuasion I was allowed. They must get Elvis freaks all the time asking for things like this.


So here is me and Graceland. I would have preferred the people out of the way but given the first two attempt I decided to take what I could get.


For lunch it was off to Arkansas. According to the Tina rules of countries and states, you can only count it if you have had a meal in said country or state outside of a transportation system. And ideally you have to see some sort of attraction. Therefore planes, airports and trains don’t count. So add another state to my list, Arkansas.


After lunch I headed back to the great state of Tennessee. I stopped on the banks of the Mississippi River for this photo before going on to my next stop.


The Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot. It’s now the site of the National Civil Rights Museum.


The museum was actually super, but I like a good museum, me. But it really is very well done. It takes you right through the story of Civil Rights in America (which is something I studied at school and University so that might also explain it). Then you get to explore what happened on April 4th 1968 when, to quote Bono, a shot rang out in the Memphis sky. This is the window from where Martin Luther King was shot.

After a serious, educational and actually quite brilliant afternoon, it was back along I-40 all the way across Tennessee. This is not a short drive. It took about eight hours. I stopped in Nashville for a break and saw this.


Hee hee.

So that was that, my roadtrip into six states. I love roadtrips.

The exact opposite of yesterday

Even though it’s after 11.00pm and I am working at the office, even though it’s post-Conference I am in an amazingly good mood. I put this down to these reasons:

1. I got a lot accomplished today in work.
2. I’m still celebrating my victory over my arch nemesis, mail merge.
3. I got my hair cut and I don’t look like a southern belle. It’s definitely different though.
4. There is a great weekend in store. And a long weekend at that. Hurray for Labor Day and being off Monday.
5. I saw 'Invincible' last night. Very enjoyable and an even deeper appreciation for American Football. But one of the trailers was for this film which just made me smile and laugh. Click on the link and watch the trailer. Also go to videos and watch trailer one. Singing and dancing penguins, genius!

I know I still need to talk about last weekend, hopefully tomorrow. Today disappeared to the aforementioned work and hair cut. But tomorrow, tomorrow will be the road trip story.

Maybe.