Yes, I ordered this shirt

I work in the science field.  Chromatography to be exact.  I think I divulged a little more info about it in a previous blog.  It's really not that exciting so I had to find something to spice it up!  So I created this shirt:

And if you can't read what it says, I will tell you: I love the smell of chromatography in the morning.  If you've ever seen the movie Apocalypse Now, the original quote comes from that: I love the smell of naypalm in the morning.  Clever, right??  :) I thought so.  So now I can show off my cute shirt and work at the same time!

Design my kitchen around these

Have you ever seen that commercial...you know, the one where the couple brings in a regular looking sink faucet to this fancy-schmancy designer man and tells him to design their kitchen around it?  Well, I don't have a faucet, but yesterday I was out to tea with my godmother and mom and found these spectacular dish towels that are cute, yet extremely sophisticated and functional at the same time.  It's like they're saying, "Yes, you can wipe your hands on me and you can also learn about variations of tomatoes".  Fabulous.

I just couldn't resist showing what really caught my eye before I purchased my fabulous dishtowels...for reference, Handsome T is the Beefsteak.  :)

Pretty in Pink

Okay so maybe I'm not Molly Ringwald with ultra stylish 80's clothes and a hot date...well I do have a hot date...but sans 80's attire, I've decided that this girl can be pretty in pink too!

Pink is usually a color that I stay away from.  It's not that it's a drab color...there is just this negative correlation to me with blonde-haired, blue-eyed girls and pink.  Oh, and it makes me look like I am 12.  Blah.

I do own pink-like colors.  Coral.  I like coral.  It's a fabulous mixture between pink and red and orange.  And red.  That's about it...but I can now say that raspberry (or pink) is one of those colors!  Hoorah!!

Granted, I do not take this garment home, but it is part of my daily attire.  Thanks Fisher for making these girls pretty in pink!!!  

Summer!

Ta-da!!  The much-awaited and official unveiling of my workplace (and poo samples)!  It's very important and dirty work, you know.  And I'm very inclined to call Mike Rowe and tell him about said "dirty job".

My own workstation!   I am very, very happy I work under a hood.

  

Poop in the freeze drier!

Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry machines.  It gets really hot in the room.

We even celebrate the holidays!  Our department doesn't have any fun items just yet...but this too will change :)

 

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,

I know it's only July, but I thought I'd give you a heads up since I know you'll be busy in the upcoming months.  I've been very good this year, and lately it seems like I've put up with a lot of sh** ...so I wanted to give you some ideas come Christmastime :) :)  I promise to make some extra delicious cookies!!

A puggle, but I'd love to pick him out please :)

White iphone4  

 

Drool.

Well, a trip anywhere would be nice...I'm not picky :)

Don't you think I'd look really cute with this walking my puggle??

xx

Randi

I love Asheville

Asheville is a unique city.  If I had to relate it to another city, I would say it's a smaller, cuter version of San Fransisco and I love it.  One of the reasons that I love Asheville is for, what I call, the statue people.  They are real people and they come in various forms.  So far, I have seen about 6 different statue people over the years.  This year, I actually had my camera with me so now you can see a couple versions of the statue people.  :)

 

 

Do you believe in ghosts?

Do you believe in ghosts?  I haven't yet decided if I do or do not.  There is a thin thin thin line between theology and science I think after years of I-have-to-believe-it-to-see-it schooling, my brain is saying "the scientific formula of a ghost...??!!??!...yeah, it's not possible dummy".  However, the last place you will catch me, besides a deep pool with a great white shark, is in a scary, dark, secluded 'haunted' place.  No way, no how.  This is probably why I refuse to see scary movies.  Aargh.

There is, of course, a sense of intrigue when I think about ghosts and haunted places.  It could also be my fight-or-flight sense kicking in full force (and when it comes to things I could not possibly fight off, like sharks and ghosts, I'm more of a flighter).  When Handsome Tay and I went to historic New Bern, NC, we decided to take a ghost tour.  Don't worry, there were other people with us and we didn't actually go inside the buildings.  It was like Ghost Hunters for kids.  Safe.  So I took some pictures.  Who knows, maybe you'll see something!

 

 

There is nothing to fear but scary dreams

I dream a lot.  I think a lot more than the normal person.  Well, I remember them more than the normal person.  And I remember them because they're scary.  I guess you could call them nightmares, but I prefer scary dreams. If I had to pinpoint the most frequently dreamed scary dream, I would have to say it involves deep water.  Not just deep water, but deep water that I can't see the bottom of.

I've probably had a fear about this for as long as I can remember.  It might be a reason I prefer not to go on a cruise ship (USS Indianapolis anyone?)...or why I live in the mountains as opposed to the beach...or why I quit diving lessons when I was a little girl because the diving well was 20 feet deep.  Being on the swim team might have had something to do with it as well.

But the deep water isn't the whole problem.  It's what's in the water.  Sharks.  And not just any shark--the great white...always.  This shark basically rules my dream.  It probably arises from my crazy-person obsession with sharks (i.e. shark week).

So combine these two elements: the scary, deep, dark blue water and the scary, ferocious, Randi-eating great white shark and you get a very scary dream.  Oh yeah, and sharks are not made to retreat.  They can only swim forwards, really fast.

Picture this...you're on a diving team and you must get on the platform to do your dive.  But the platform is insanely high and the water is insanely deep and dark and ominous and there is this HUGE shark swimming around below ready to kill you.  I wouldn't want to get in it either!!  And for some odd reason, nobody (except me) knows there is a giant man-killer shark in the swimming pool!

Yeah, how scary is this.

Sometimes I'm out in the middle of the ocean walking on a small, unsteady boardwalk on the water (rescuing my family of course), and there is a shark swimming underneath me...and then suddenly IT COMES OUT OF THE WATER AND GRABS MY LEG!!!  ...and then I wake up.

oh my gosh

Yes, if you're wondering, I get night sweats.  Now I realize that I'm giving sharks a bad rap and if there's anything I should really be concerned about, it's right-wing politicians.  But I also realize that as long I have a deep wonder for sharks, I will probably continue to dream about them.

And if you can't tell, my blog is appropriately named Sharks in shallow.  Need to face your fear, right?

I fell in love with this house..

There is the cutest house in Asheville that I've completely fallen head over heels for.  I love it.  A fabulously cute1928 (remodeled) art-deco style with original wood flooring!!  Oh, and it's also located in the best spot in town. Sigh.  I want need it.  Here are some pictures of my house:

 

Can't you see me living here??  Sipping tea on my porch or sitting in my living room reading a book?? :)  So, if anyone wants to pitch in for My Perfect House, I'm starting a collection.