Odds & ends

I interrupt my own trip report again to catch up on a few things. Why? I don't know. I just need to take a break from the solid "I was in South Carolina and it rocked" thang. Also, I really miss Spanish moss right now. Wait a second, I know Emily brought some home. Emily, go get me some Spanish moss!!!!!

[She's trotting off to get me some even as I type. What a good girl!]

OK, back to the odds & ends. I washed my car. Why can I not find a window cleaner that works perfectly? The best glass cleaner in the world is vinegar and water, I know that. But it smells like vinegar, and I'm reluctant to make my beloved new Prius smell like vinegar.

[Taking a moment to fondle the Spanish moss glob that Emily brought... mmmmm, it feels like the Low Country....]

If you would like to see the scrapbook room that I would like to own -- and I mean *really*, I'm not just saying this because I'm in awe of someone's gobs of money or all the stuff they have, I *really* like *this* room -- check out Sophia's new scraproom album on her blog. I would only do two things differently. I would add an Ott Lite and paint one wall periwinkle blue. Other than that, this room is *perfect*. I want it badly. I am really, really jealous of Sophia, and I don't even know her well enough to smack her as she deserves.

The photo above is my single favorite photo of me taken in the last, oh, 20 years or so. It's so me, with all my flaws in evidence, wrapped up in a white dress, a nice scarf, and absolutely fabulous beaded shoes. It comes from Retreat. I shouldn't be surprised that someone caught me with all my bad habits on display! (Wine, cigarettes, and laughing too loud at something someone said.) When I kick the bucket, this is the picture they should put with my obituary!!! I also love the graininess of the pic, which is a result of the film being scanned by the heavy-duty x-ray machines in the airport. I love grainy pics. I don't know why. But as Erikia Ghumm would tell you, flawed photos are more perfect for transfer techniques than perfect photos.

I need to remember to tell y'all that someone on the ACE Basin boat tour talked about jellyfish at the end of our ride. I have never encountered a jellyfish at Edisto, but I am terrified of them. I mean, I am really, unreasonably scared of jellyfish. The tour guide said the jellyfish were "in season," and she said that the exceptionally warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean were causing more of them to come closer to the beach this year. Someone asked what to do about a jellyfish sting, and she said, "Ammonia." That made me remember the "Friends" episode when Monica was stung and Joey peed on her leg. ROFL!!!!!! Absolutely terrible mental image, isn't it? Then the tour guide went on the explain that meat tenderizer or tobacco would suffice if you were stung by a jellyfish. I filed that info away in my computer-like brain.

Wait a second -- I don't have a computer-like brain; that's my sister Amy who has the computer-like brain. I promptly forgot what the tour guide said, but I knew it was the same advice that was printed in the little handbook at the rental house.

Yes, I actually read the little handbook. It's what led me to try the Ruby Seahorse and Po' Pigs. I love handbooks.

I miss The Wave 104.5 from Hilton Head. No radio station at home is as good as that one was. And I still haven't heard Sarah Bettens on the radio here. Stupid radio stations!!!! I want my Wave! They had funny self-promo spots, like the one that said, "Every year they come, they see, they party. This is to the summer interns of Hilton Head!" Or the one that said, "We'd like to welcome all our out-of-town guests. 85% of Hilton Head's permanent residents started out just like you!" I don't want to go to Hilton Head. I just want to listen to their radio station!!!!!

I'm terribly worried about New Orleans. I really can't write too much about it. My mother met my father in New Orleans during WWII. I haven't been there since 1990, myself. I close my eyes and see all those double-shotgun-camelback houses on the edge of the Garden District, and I just want to cry. Please let New Orleans come through Katrina intact. Or please just let the historic places come through all right.

And if I had any more odds *or* ends to post, I can't think of them right now. I hope you're all having a fabulous Monday!!!!