I got up at 0400 yesterday morning to catch an 0615 flight. For future reference, bad idea. (Although, the travelers at that hour are familiar with the self-check kiosks.) The couple in front of me at security had a cat with them. They had to take the cat out of the carrier and carry him through the metal detector with them. My cats would not have been nearly as easily controlled. Not that I ever plan on flying with them. (Like the other passengers want Orion in the cabin, yowling the entire time.)

I took MARTA to our office here. This office is better than my office for the following reasons:

• within walking distance to restaurants and public transportation
  
• no cockroaches falling from ceiling
  

When I was ready to leave, I called my hotel. They run a shuttle. I don’t have to have a car. There is an entire shopping center across the street from the hotel, so more restaurants within walking distance. Most excellent.

Oh, and when I was packing I couldn't decide between 2 shirts, so I threw them both in. This worked out well when I stained one of them while ironing. (Stupid hotel irons!)

Another interview, this time with the lovely Janet.

1. You're off to meet a person you've know through blogging for quite some time. You've thoroughly enjoyed reading their posts and felt some sort of connection...but IRL this person just rubs you the wrong way. Do you stop reading their blog? Well, I hope that doesn’t happen. I’m not sure if I’d stop reading their blog. Probably not. There are several blogs I read even though I am quite sure I would not be friends with the blogger IRL.

2. You're stuck somewhere for an hour longer than you thought you'd be. What's the one thing in your purse you're most happy you put in there that day? Hopefully I knew I was going to be waiting and I put in a book. But otherwise, my cell phone.

3. Do you remember the first thing you bought with money from your first paycheck? If not, how about your first major purchase ever? No, I have no idea what I bought with my first paycheck. My first major purchase ever was my bed. Which is why I need a new bed.

4. Are you quite honest with your friends, or do you tell little white lies like, no, really, that dress looks FINE on you? I do tell little white lies. With the dress example, if we were shopping together, I’d suggest you look for something else. But, if you showed up somewhere (like a party) wearing it, I’d tell you it was fine. Why make you self-conscious at that point? Plus, I have one friend who does say whatever comes into her head, and she can be very hurtful, although she’d tell you she’s only being honest.

5. Do you like dainty teacups or coffee mugs best and why? Mugs. Do I really seem like a dainty teacup person? I’m not a fan of the dainty. Probably because I’m built like a linebacker.
   

So if you want to play along and now be interviewed by me, please leave me a comment or send an email saying: "Interview me."

* I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
* You will update your weblog with the answers to the questions.
* You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
* Then others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions and so on.

Early last week, a friend of mine e-mailed me to see if I wanted to go to a speed dating event with her. I hemmed and hawed and then decided to talk it over with Stewie, the voice of reason. Stew: "What else are you going to be doing?" Me: "Nothing, really." Stew: "So go. What's the worst that could happen?" (That's her favorite question, actually. Sometimes it's not even rhetorical.)

So, I went, if only for the $2 domestics (except for Yuengling, which, when did PA secede?), $3 imports, and $3 well drinks. I ended up having a good time. Most of the guys were nice guys, but not people I'd date. One of them replied to everything I said with, "Right on. Right on." He also answered my question of, "Did you grow up around here?" (Sidenote: Most of the people around here did not in fact grow up around here.) with, "What do you mean by around here?" Um...

Then there was the guy who told me he played football in college. I asked him what position, and he said, "Cornerback." He then challenged me about what a cornerback is, and was impressed when I knew. (What? Girls can understand football?) I asked him if his favorite NFL team was the Falcons, and he said, "How'd you guess?" "You told me you were from Atlanta. It was a reasonable starting point."

The last guy I "dated" was drunk enough to be slurring his words. He started out by telling me that the last people he met through speed dating were liars. Then, as an added bonus he told me how he didn't like my friend (the one that I came with). He did know we were friends. It turned out that he is a recruiter, so he spent the next 3 minutes incredulous that I am a PE. "That's one of the hardest tests to pass! Do you know how hard it is to find a PE?" He repeated the last question several times, until I told him that I worked with several and that many of my friends are also PEs, so no, I don't know how hard it is to find one.

I talked to one of the guys that I had circled "yes" to afterward, and he started telling me a story about how his friend's girlfriend had moved to Chicago. They ended up breaking up, and then he proceeded to tell me all about the crush he had on her, even though he didn't know it. He said, "But I'm over it now." Me: "Are ya sure?" Him: "Why did I talk about that?"

It turns out that only one of the guys that I checked yes to also checked yes for me, which is fine. The ones I did pick wasn't because I was really interested in a relationship (because, hello, 5 minutes?)with them, but I thought I might enjoy seeing again.

It was an interesting experience, but I'm not convinced I do it again. I can meet strange freaky guys and guys who aren't interested in me for free on any given day.

Watergirl: I need to replace the igniter on my grill. It doesn’t work anymore.
Cdub: You can use a propane torch.
Watergirl: I have a butane lighter. I used that. It’s a “when I get around to it” fix. Plus, as an added bonus, I can use the lighter like a sword to keep Ri in the house.
Cdub: Don’t do that! He’s a pyromaniac.
Watergirl: I don’t light it. I just keep him back with it. The safety features are such that I have to use two hands to light it anyway.
Cdub: You have to use two hands to light it? How do you make crème brulee?
Watergirl: When do I make crème brulee?

Yesterday I had 8 hits on my blog from people searching for "Matlock's favorite lunch". I, sadly, do not know, and have never blogged about it.

Until now.

My officemate assures me that the answer is hot dogs.

On June 9, I'll be walking in the Triangle Race for the Cure. If you feel so inclined as to sponsor me, you can go here. Muchas gracias!

(For those of you who are not local, 25% of the local chapter's proceeds go to the National Foundation. Oh, and we've got 2 large teaching hospitals and many pharmaceutical companies locally, so even what stays local can have a larger impact.)

So, the Raleigh City Council is going to vote on mandatory water restrictions. Note that these are not so much "restrictions" as "conservation guidelines". However, from the comments on this article, it seems that people are completely against conservation. (Seriously, read the comments. People scare me.)

Things you can learn in the comments:

1. If Falls Lake is full and we don't use as much water as we can, the excess water is just dumped into the ocean.
   
2. We are not running out of water.
   
3. But if we are running out of water, we should build more reservoirs.
   
4. The city should stop growth so that those of us already here can have water.
   
5. If you don't like it, move.
   
6. We can just build a 8' diameter tunnel 100' down into the bedrock and pump water from the ocean to here, and we can build a desalination plant to treat it.
   
7. Saudi Arabia has desalination plants.
   

Responses:

1. There's this thing called the water cycle. The water is supposed to go into the ocean. We aren't dumping it like waste.
   
2. Not total amount, but available, potable, yes.
   
3. Reservoirs don't make water, just store it.
   
4. The city does need to control growth better. Impact fees!
   
5. Neener-neener
   
6. Seriously? I don't think an 8' pipe will be large enough (massive head loss over 130 miles). Also, a tunnel 100' deep? Really? Should be easy, especially near the coast, what with the water table being way above that.
   
7. Saudi Arabia also has money.
   

The town I live in has a very successful water conservation program. As far as grass goes, it's best not to water it every day. In fact, a good soaking once a week is better than watering every day. As an added bonus, the grass will be somewhat drought-resistant.

Would you tell that kid we're all waiting?

I don't know if y'all have seen the new comment on the last entry, but my sister is in labor.

And leaving comments on my blog.

I became an Aunt to a 7lb, 19.5 inch long little boy at 2:13 this afternoon.

Now, I must choose a nickname for him...

Last weekend I volunteered at the Downtown Raleigh Home Tour. Afterwards, I went and toured some of the homes with a friend of mine. Said friend is Irish. We got to talking about Boston, and she said, "I've been to Boston. I have relations there." I pondered for a minute, wondering if I should say anything. "Just so you know," I said to her, "In the US, we say 'relatives'. 'Having relations' is a euphemism for sex." Response: "Really? I'm sure I've said that before! Why has no one said anything?"

Things I learned on the home tour:

1. People who buy $950,000 condos are apparently so enamored of large walk-in closets that they don't care that the bedrooms are noticeably smaller than they could be due to said closets.
   
2. Spending $350,000 on a condo does not mean that you get hardwood floors. Laminate*, baby!
   
3. You can also spend $244,000 on a condo where the bedroom has no windows. Oh, and the hallway and kitchen have laminate floors.
   
4. However, it is possible to take a condo built in the 80s and update it so that it is my absolute favorite house on the tour.
   

Also, last night I went before the Jaycee board to present my resume. I was approved as the 2007 Turkey Shoot Chair. Which, yay, 2007 Turkey Shoot Chair! And also, holy crap, 2007 Turkey Shoot Chair!

*I have no problem with laminate floors. It's just that in that price range**, I'd want hardwood.

**I am totally pretending I could ever afford something in that price range.

In case any of you are wondering, I am at this very moment driving down to get Aquamama and the kids, as her car is broken down. Or, at least that's what I told the guy I was on a date with.

This would be the second date. Well, not really a date. Get-together? We haven't been on what I would consider a date.

He's a smart, funny, nice guy. Also painfully shy. Which means I have to do a lot of the nudging. Am tired of it. Maybe it's a confidence issue? I don't know. I do know that when he finally called today, after I told him "You asked me out again, nary a word about it since. You are interesting and I'd like to get to know you better," I told him I was going to the mall (Macy's had a duvet on sale. Really good deal.) He agreed to meet me there. We walked around the mall for a while and then were heading up to Frankie's (they have arcade games, putt-putt, etc.) On the way, I called Aquamama and told her I was bored out of my freaking mind. Because I was.

She called with the fake emergency. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood to hang out today, I don't know. She's all for giving him another chance, because the first time we met, I had a good time (oh, and 2 beers. Coincidence?). I think I will, but I'm not going to push for it.

Feel free to hate me now.

Last Friday, I went out to Cat’s Cradle to see Martin Sexton. I’d never heard of him, but it sounded like fun. He is very talented and did an amazing acoustical “Folsom Prison Blues”. The end of the concert turned into a bit of a revival, but I’ll forgive him that.

Saturday was the Tiki Party. I dragged Stewie along, and at this party, where she knew no one but me, she met people who live 2 blocks away from her. We also had the pleasure of telling people we met through our blogs.

Sunday I did yardwork and cleaned. It was most exciting.

Yesterday Stewie, Aquamama, the British co-worker, Stewie’s ex-roommate, his girlfriend, and I went to play Pub Quiz at the Saucer. We totally kicked ass, and won a $50 gift certificate. To be used at the Saucer next Tuesday, and next Tuesday only. It’s a racket!

But hey, free beer, ya know?