Life Just Got a Little Sweeter...

My friend from New Orleans showed me this last night and I don't remember the last time I laughed this hard...


Now watch them in order. Don't spoil the fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzNhaLUT520

Then watch...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrWu13Uh2Yw

Idiots at the Beach

Now I'm not from any sort of beach town...in fact I'm far from one. BUT, I do know that swimming out in strong currents is most likely a bad idea. Never have I seen such active life guards as they were constantly running out to save person after person. Actually that isn't even the bad part...the bad part would be that most being saved were children. Where were their parents you might ask? Good question. Apparently not everyone should procreate.

A Day at the Boardwalk and Strangeness at Barnes and Noble

Today we ventured down to the Boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland. It's a 3 mile long boardwalk with food, shopping, beach, kites, an amusement park and probably a whole lot more I never saw. The water was cold and I'm not fond of sharks, so you can bet my happy ass stayed planted in the sand....

proof here

 ⬇

I don't have the cutest feet but that's where they were most of the time ☺

So then we ventured down the board walk where I apparently need to learn how to take more pictures....but the coolest thing we found was this area for kites! Lots of them and they were really cool!

Using an actual camera would probably be better so you could see them...but you get the point.

Then OMG love at first sight....

....

...

....

...

....

.....

....

....

.....

Who needs a man when you have love in bag form

To end my day I feel like a certifiable city chick by heading to the nearest Barnes and Noble for internet access and Starbuck goodness...45 minutes away! I needs my Earl Grey Latte and WiFi though. So what do I come across? Two very strange things...

1. I end up sitting next to a man who freakishly looks like an ex-boyfriend of mine from high school. Like height, shape, face, the whole gettup. Even weirder - he has the same computer as me lol. 

2. A woman who feels the need to discuss her sex life with her husband in the middle of about 10 people. Take it outside people...sheesh!

Back in the Land of Crab

Well...made it back finally! I was very sad to leave New York because it was awesome. It's got everything and then some. Let's just say the trip back was MUCH easier as I didn't take the scenic route through downtown Manhattan. So what did I learn from my trip to NYC?

1. The GPS is not always to be trusted.
2. Delaware seems to be the northeast' version of Illinois.
3. You can't pump your own gas in New Jersey...weird but nice at the same time.
4. The saying "when in Rome do as the Romans do" also applies when thrown into downtown NYC. Just make sure you have a working horn and middle finger.
5. Complimentary breakfasts are the shit.
6. If your going to pet a cops horse, be prepared for the horse to attempt to eat you.
7. Many toll booth workers apparently hate their lives.
8. There are two naked cowboys? Both quite naked, both quite awkward lol.
9. Anything can be considered a talent in the city...even dancing eggs.
10. Finding a bathroom isn't easy...in fact you may need a token to go lol. So...go whenever you find a place you deem safe and somewhat sanitary.
11. New York is awesome and I want to go back!

2nd Trip to the City

Yesterday we went to New York City for well the 2nd time...but this time on purpose lol. Talk about amazing! Of course you want to stop and look and just soak it up, but then you'll most likely get ran over. These women in heels I'm telling you...I don't know how they do it. You can kind of tell who works there and whose a tourist. I was obviously a tourist with tennis shoes and a backpack, but oh well :P

Well we saw a lot of things in the time we were there. We saw the Empire State Building, glimpses of the Chrysler Building, Central Park, Times Square, Rockefellar Center, St. Patrick's Church and probably other things I did not even realize. What was my favorite party? Probably Times Square. I loved all the different people there, and of course the Naked Cowboys were a nice touch lol. The lights are amazing too..I wish I could see it at night.

I think I was all ready tired just from my 24 hours of driving the last few days, so it was difficult to keep up with the pace of New York. All I can say is wear walking shoes and bring lots of water...dignity and shame be damned. You'll look like a tourist - just get over it. The blood on my sock, though not much, from a blister I earned taught me that lesson (and I was wearing tennis shoes go figure). Anyway, here are some pictures from the adventure:

My First Full Day in New York

So naturally a blog seems like a great thing to do....of course when something interesting happens. On Saturday morning, I ventured out from my cozy apartment located somewhere in the Midwest to brace the East Coast. Mostly the trip was predictable - flat corn filled lands, cows, horses, the usual traffic. After 13.5 hours of driving, we landed in Cumberland, Maryland. A neat little town really...old and nestled right below the interstate. I didn't see much of the town, but what I did see was awesome. It's located in the Appalachian Mountains which is a true site to see. Of course, when you are used to the pancake lands of Illinois...even the slightest bit of hills thrills you.


The next day we headed to Ocean City, Maryland. It was a beautiful drive until crossing the Bay Bridge...which was hectic, crazy and quite comical all at the same time. Taking 10 lanes of heavy traffic through a toll then reducing to 2 lanes is pure insanity...but little did I know it would prepare me for the true reason of beginning this blog.


Yesterday I left for Garden City, NY. I really don't know how close it is to NYC, but it's close. Regardless, I was most nervous about what turned out to be the easiest thing: paying tolls. What a joke now...let me give you a play by play of what happened from passing from New Jersey to New York.


First off...I'm on the Jersey Turnpike. I'm cruising along, come over a hill and see in disbelief the wonderful New York City Skyline. I see the Statue of Liberty and begin to tear up. Never in my life did I think I'd be here to see such a site. It's something we grow up seeing pictures of, but to see it even from afar is breathtaking. Right here is where the fun ends. My GPS (affectionally nicknamed Marge) wigs out recalculating 15 times. Oh Marge...we had a good thing going there. So I get off on what I think is my exit...and all of a sudden come to a tunnel. WTF? I'm not supposed to go through a tunnel? I'm supposed to go across a bridge. It's cool though...I can deal with it. I'm a counselor right? All about adaptability, flexibility, and maintaining my cool...well it was fine until I excited the tunnel.


Worthy of a laugh now but surely not during the time it happened was a chick from Carbondale Illinois being stuck in downtown Manhattan traffic. Just for shock factor here is a picture for us non New Yorkers to see what I drove through...

Look for the Holland Tunnel. That's what I drove through...oh yeah. Chinatown, World Trade Center, Tribeca...all of that crap I'm in or just a few blocks from. These New Yorkers and people from New Jersey had to be like "how the hell did this chick from Illinois end up in this?" People yelling at each other, people walking in front of cars, total disregard of traffic lanes, cars SUPER FREAKING CLOSE TO ONE ANOTHER, cabbies everywhere, thick New York accents...oh yeah..ALL OF IT. And here's me and my thought process...


"OMG..omg...OMG...omg...okay so this was not part of the plan. But it's cool...you can do this. Sure you're from Carbondale but right now you have to at least pretend like you are from a BIg City. Can I pull over? OMG no I can't - holy crap these people are nuts! Shit I sure hope the highway is near. OMG Marge I'm going to kill you" (edited because let me tell you....you can't go through this without saying about 500 cuss words)


Somehow - be it a blessing from God or whomever/whatever - I made it. So while I get nauseous even thinking about it happening again...I MADE IT. Do I recommend it? Hellllllllllll no haha. But I'm here...and so I thought the adventure would begin today but oh I was for damn sure wrong about that one.