It's time.

It's time for Christmas music.

I paid money for that?

Last night I went to go see the second book in the Twilight saga - New Moon. The group ended up being much larger than expected, but helped us - ages 23 and up - all feel a little more secure in going to see the movie in theaters only three days after it opened. This was also lucky for Brian, as he was completely off the hook for having to suffer through countless shirtless scenes with the adorable Taylor Lautner (unlike a married man I know and pity, cough-Brent-cough).

Anyway, the movie was just terrible. I've read all of the books and sincerely hoped that with such a huge opening weekend, this one would be better than the last. All I can do is direct you to Whitney's post about it, since she has covered all of the bases, and I don't really think I can do it better. So check it out!

MY WASHING MACHINE IS BROKEN.

Last night, at about 7:30 pm, I went to do some laundry that I needed for my trip to South Carolina today for my dad's wedding. Nothing really needed to be washed that badly, but I figured better safe than sorry.

At about 8:30, I went downstairs to transfer my clothing to the dryer. It was at this moment that my life ended. I quickly realized that the spin cycle on our washing machine was broken, and therefore the clothes weren't spinning around quickly enough to be anything but dripping wet. I couldn't put them in the dryer (I would either break the dryer or start a fire) and I couldn't undo putting them in the washing machine (because I'm not magical). So basically, I was stuck with about 75 pounds of dripping wet clothing that needed to be packed for SC in less than 2 hours.

After trying to go to friends' houses and use their appliances, I finally had to squeeze out all of my garments and choose which ones were lucky enough to get to go into the dryer (for 2 hours) and which ones I would have to hang up in the shower.

I curled up on my bed and bawled my eyes out about it for around 25 minutes last night (although I think it was the stress of about a million aspects of my life all coming together with a broken washing machine that caused the crying), then pulled it together, told my roommates not to do laundry, and fell asleep. Thank god there is a happy ending and all of my clothes are now dry and packed.

...and now here I go to the airport to get to Hilton Head. Where I have a spa treatment already booked. And it is 75 degrees.

Why, John?

"I don't remember you looking any better, then again, I don't remember you." Ugh. Douchebag.

What happened to the "I'll never let your head hit the bed without my hand behind it" lyrics from years goneby?

John Mayer's new album, Battle Studies, leaked this morning and can be heard here. Take a listen and let me know what you think. The sound is classic, but the lyrics are new and a bit more cynical. He's not the same artist that an un-named friend wanted playing when she lost her virginity, and he's definitely not the same musician who played Room for Squares on Brown's Island in 2002.

Of course I still love him, and will be purchasing presale tickets with Danko, Amy and Whitney the day they go onsale.

Pumpkin Cookies

Last night I made my third batch of pumpkin cookies this season. Just like pumpkin lattes and caramel apple cider, it isn't Fall without pumpkin cookies! I'm unable to post the recipe here for all to enjoy, but if you'd like a batch of your own, I'm happy to make some more.

Unfortunately, Brian doesn't like sweets, and therefore hates just about everything I bake. This weekend I am auditioning my baking skills in front of his parents at their WVU tailgate in Morgantown - we'll see if they are any more receptive to my talents. I'm looking at this as a win-win situation, though, because even if they hate the cookies, I still luck-out by getting the entire batch to myself.

Good Ole Rocky Top

This weekend, Brian and I made a trip to visit Brent and Kasey in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was great to see both of them, as well as their two dogs, Braddock and Shelby. In addition to checking out their awesome downtown loft and playing with the dogs, we also explored World's Fair park (the last World's Fair to make money, raking in a revenue of one whole dollar), went to see UT kick South Carolina's behind, and went out downtown. The best part was that this was all within walking distance from their place!

The weekend started out eating pizza and helping Kasey construct Brent's "tornado" Halloween costume. She showed off her homemaking skills by sewing toy cars and small plastic farm animals to a black t-shirt. We also met coworkers of Brent who were busy dying their hair blue and red to be Trolls. After going out with everyone for a friend's birthday, I had begun to pick up a southern accent, which Brian quickly pointed out. The birthday party had an awesome cover band, the likes of which I hadn't seen since I was in Nashville last November!

On Saturday we explored World's Fair park and even got to go up in the Sunsphere. Apparently the Sunsphere was supposed to be the central visual point of the city, but they unthinkingly built it in one of the lowest areas. I got to eat one of my favorite sandwiches on the planet (the Oh Boy from The Tomato Head - which we will learn to recreate: fresh spinach, free farmed chicken, benton's bacon, sundried tomato, monterey jack, poppyseed dressing, mayo, heated), and then we marched onward to the stadium.

As we approached the campus, the sea of orange grew and you could hear Rocky Top every time you turned around. Unfortunately, it rained through most of the game, but after purchasing a poncho for our laps and wrapping up tightly in our rain coats, we managed to stay drier than most. We saw a great game as USC (remember when it was all the rage for boys to have hats for the South Carolina Gamecocks?) fumbled time and time again, and UT raced to an early lead that they held through then entire game.

By the time Sunday rolled around, we were all exhausted. Although we didn't have time to stop at Krystal on the way out of town, it was an amazing trip. ...almost amazing enough to have me consider moving to Knoxville...

Neyland Stadium

Goodbye Twin Lakes

Today I learned that my grandmother's country club, Twin Lakes, declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy this weekend. With an average member-age of about 70-years-old, we all knew this was coming, but it's still sad. (I'm pretty sure the Kemp-family gathering that occurred this past August for my cousin's wedding was the most business that pool snack bar had seen in seven years.)

My mom sent the following e-mail: What a shame! Lots of fun memories...Lauren's boom-boom rainbows, Amy learning to swim, Bob...forever tanning, Mom's surprise birthday party...tied up in balloons, my one-and-only fashion show modeling experience...very sad --- it's such a beautiful spot!

I think my favorite memory - or at least most memorable, along with Amy and Robbie, is the time when we decided to go out on the lake in paddle boats and kayaks. Of course Amy and Robbie went off without a hitch and started to paddle away. I, on the other hand, was left to finagle my way into the kayak with only the help of my 80-year-old grandmother. I slowly stepped down into the kayak and suddenly saw my life flash before my eyes as I wobbled to the the left, then the right, and finally capsized and trapped myself underwater and under the boat. I could've died, but Amy and Robbie still laugh out loud over this - if you see them, ask them about it.

With that said, I've already marked it down to head back to Kent in September, 2023 to open the time capsule! Oh, and for those not in the know, boom-boom rainbows are fireworks, thank you very much.