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Epic weekend #3
I’m Boston for Monkey’s cousin’s wedding (who is also my friend). I’ve been extra excited for this weekend, Leigh (bride) introduced Monkey and I to each other almost three years ago. She’s got an extra special place in my heart.
This is epic weekend #3 of 4. The “epic” weekends started with the Nashville half. Then last weekend was my bachelorette party in Miami, now Boston. Next weekend is Atlanta for a Birthday crab fest (not those kind of crabs) celebrate my sister in law and then shopping for my mother’s ‘mother of the bride dress”.
These back-to-back weekend in real cities make me miss city life SOOOO much. I’ve been able to walk to restaurants, coffee shops, parks, etc. I’ve said “good morning to 20x more people than I normally do because I interact with so many people. Birmingham obviously has it’s pros (the weather, access to hiking and outdooors) but I am dead set that when I finally settle down in one place, which is hopefully the next move after I finish my PhD, that we must be located in walkable communities. I’m just a happier person in cities where I can walk to get to basic necessities. I’m not saying I won’t ever use a car, but I dont want b to HAVE to have a car every day of the week.
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I’m not sure why it took me this long
To realize that you can microwave eggs … my office breakfast has been switched to Egg substitutes w/ salt and pepper. I microwave em for 1 minute, mix em up and then microwave for another minute. It’s been AMAZING.
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Dirty D And I, last night in Miami. I love this place. Bachelorrete Party an amazing success
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My Nephew came into town, landed at 7PM from SFO, stayed up till 11:15 before attempted to sleep in his bed, then trying to sleep with Monkey and I, and then finally settling on sleeping with his Daddy. This morning he woke up at 630AM. this morning he was obsessed with the ipad. Now were on our way to drop me off at the airport to grass to Miami where I meet his Mom, my sister in law and Dirty D in Miami for my Bachelorette Party! Here’s to celebrating Cinco de Mayo in South Beach!
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Tridad is the sketchy guy in the corner in the bar
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I’ve got 1:15 till I hit the road and get on up to Nashville. Tridad is already there and sending me emails. My productivity in the office has dwindled. Now I’m watching motivational videos and I found this one and had to share. I’m sure most have already seen it.
I’m sharing this motivatonal video becuase I want to share an experience that has motivated me. I’ve been in Birmingham for about 8 months now and am enjoying the new experiences the south has brought me. I’ve joked a lot about things like food, traditions, etc but recently something more serious came about. I’ve been exposed to some amazing people in Birmingham. I met a man a few weeks ago at a focus group. We were talking about how I had just moved to Birmingham and he shared with me that he had moved back to Bham after living in LA for 45 years. He was born in Bham and moved out west and is now back. I asked why he had moved to LA in the first place. He looked at me, turned his head for a moment and then say: “I left because it was a time when a person like me could never have a converation like this with a young pretty white woman like you. Things were different back then and if I had stayed here I would have been killed before my 21st birthday”
He went on to tell me that things are very different in Birmingham. We both agreed that it’s not perfect and there are still problems and issues. He said it’s a lot better now and he is glad to be back.
Ever since that conversation I’ve been paying attention to a lot of the areas in the city, observing how people interact here, looking at buildings differently, trying to imagine what the protestors would have looked like, etc. I’ve had the courage to ask a few people in the office what it was like when they were in high school in the 70’s. Most people in the university are more liberal and are willing to talk to me about it and tell me their story. Well, tomorrow I am motivated by the civil rights movement. I know our country still has some ways to go but tomorrow I am using the civil rights movement and examples of courage that men and women showed during that period in our history as motivation for my half marathon tomorrow.
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When I am rich …
Monkey and I are going to become a billionaire just so we can buy an elevator company and install a loudspeaker that says “take the stairs, lazy ass” every time someone tries to take the elevator up 1 floor. It’s important to have goals.
btw, this was 100% Monkey’s idea, this is why I am marrying this man.
oh and another btw, Paul and I actually are not people who want to make lots of money, we just want to have fulfilling jobs where we make a positive impact on the world.
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Life has a funny way of working out
I will explain more and how but I have just learned that I received a graduate assistant ship for my PhD. This means I get a stipend to cover my living expenses and my course work is covered, plus I get to work for a professor doing research (think building my resume) as an assistant for 20 hours a week. How awesome is this. This means I will be done with the coursework in two years and it gives Paul more freedom to apply for the fellowship that he wants to instead of feeling like we have to be in Birmingham for the next 4 years.
Oh and my current boss is happy cause my research assistant-ship will be under him so I will keep working on the grant I’m currently funded under.
Ahhhhhh this feels so good.
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Tina Fey on Chicago →
The best line in the whole thing … . “Chicago is a real city. Manhattan is like Epcot Center, Chicago is a no joke city”
Ahhhh how I miss Chicago.
