Shawn and I decided to take a weekend and explore another part of the east coast. I had been wanting to visit Charleston for awhile. It seemed like a town with a lot of history and character, and we weren't disappointed. We headed down a few Fridays ago. I had read that October was a great time to go because the weather was still nice, but it isn't crowded or muggy. We left mid-morning, and arrived mid-afternoon.
We spent Friday just walking around downtown Charleston and enjoying the architecture. Below are a few of our favorite pictures, but every building was uniquely adorned with moldings and carvings and provided a lot for us to enjoy.
We then continued to walk along the Battery and through Battery Park. This is really a landmark promenade in Charleston because of the antebellum homes along the water and because, before it was a public park, it was a place for artillery during the Civil War. According to the tour guides on a trip to a Civil War fort (more on that later), the Battery was really the last line of defense for the city of Charleston.
It provided some lovely views of the water and even had a nice pier where you could sit on a swinging bench and enjoy the view.
We finished off day 1 with a walk through the outdoor marketplace and a trip to Bubba Gump's Seafood for dinner. Although the food wasn't amazing, Shawn enjoyed all the Forrest Gump memorabilia.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Have no fear--the superheroes are here!
Yesterday a friend was having a Halloween-themed birthday party at a downtown bar. Although Shawn and I aren't much for the bar scene, we decided to head out and help her celebrate. Since the bar was also having a Halloween themed event, we of course were expected to wear costumes. One of my classmates keeps up with his superheroes through comics, and my office-mate decided to be a superhero herself, so it all fell into place that we should be superheroes as well.
After thinking through my options and doing some research, I settled on being Wonder Woman. Not only did I have the right hair, but as I read more about Wonder Woman she seemed pretty awesome. As Queen of the Amazons she worked to protect people and bring peace--she also got to have cool bracelets and a Lasso of Truth that helped her fight crime! Shawn decided to take on the persona of Superman, but in his Clark Kent version.
Also with us were Kick Ass, Indiana Jones, and Bat Woman.
Needless to say, the streets of Durham were safe Saturday night.
After thinking through my options and doing some research, I settled on being Wonder Woman. Not only did I have the right hair, but as I read more about Wonder Woman she seemed pretty awesome. As Queen of the Amazons she worked to protect people and bring peace--she also got to have cool bracelets and a Lasso of Truth that helped her fight crime! Shawn decided to take on the persona of Superman, but in his Clark Kent version.
Also with us were Kick Ass, Indiana Jones, and Bat Woman.
Needless to say, the streets of Durham were safe Saturday night.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Getting organized--finally
This summer I didn't really take much of a break--I spent time traveling across North Carolina conducting focus groups with high school students, and when that finished, I spent time traveling around North Carolina conducting focus groups with adults to talk about their knowledge of clinical trials. When I wasn't traveling and discussing topics, I was often reading or writing to finish reports. It was a good summer, but not as relaxed as I might have liked.
At the beginning of the summer, I decided I should get organized. My desk had become a mess throughout spring semester, but I just never had the motivation to tackle the task. I kept saying I would get around to it, and the mess kept piling up. By mid-way through the summer, this is what my desk looked like:
The pile of books to the right came from one attempt to clean the desk that never got completed. Well, this Friday, I decided it was time to finish the project. I spent a few hours going through stacks of papers, creating folders and organizing books.
Shawn wants to know why I need so many books directly on my desk--in part it's because I use them, because a number of them are library books I don't want to tuck away somewhere and lose, and in part because I don't really know where else I would put them. I did manage to take a small stack and put them in a cabinet, but when you have roughly 30 books you want to be able to access kind of easily, storage can be an issue.
Here's the finished product:
It may look more organized, but I am sure it will just be a matter of time before some random papers start to stack up again...You use so much paper in grad school!
At the beginning of the summer, I decided I should get organized. My desk had become a mess throughout spring semester, but I just never had the motivation to tackle the task. I kept saying I would get around to it, and the mess kept piling up. By mid-way through the summer, this is what my desk looked like:
The pile of books to the right came from one attempt to clean the desk that never got completed. Well, this Friday, I decided it was time to finish the project. I spent a few hours going through stacks of papers, creating folders and organizing books.
Shawn wants to know why I need so many books directly on my desk--in part it's because I use them, because a number of them are library books I don't want to tuck away somewhere and lose, and in part because I don't really know where else I would put them. I did manage to take a small stack and put them in a cabinet, but when you have roughly 30 books you want to be able to access kind of easily, storage can be an issue.
Here's the finished product:
It may look more organized, but I am sure it will just be a matter of time before some random papers start to stack up again...You use so much paper in grad school!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Getting ready for Halloween
Halloween seems to be just around the corner--figuratively and literally! Shawn and I can hardly believe it's October already. We remember putting out Halloween decorations last year and enjoying the adorable trick-or-treaters who stopped by Oct. 31. Hopefully some will stop by again.
Our house isn't ready yet for Halloween--we just have a few pumpkins out on the stoop that haven't been carved yet. When I take Bella for her evening walks, though, I noticed some houses in the neighborhood that are really decorated. Maybe Shawn and I will use some of the houses for inspiration. Below are some of the houses in our neighborhood that have really gone all out for Halloween.
Our house isn't ready yet for Halloween--we just have a few pumpkins out on the stoop that haven't been carved yet. When I take Bella for her evening walks, though, I noticed some houses in the neighborhood that are really decorated. Maybe Shawn and I will use some of the houses for inspiration. Below are some of the houses in our neighborhood that have really gone all out for Halloween.
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