The Rock, my favorite movie (otherwise known as "Sit Down, Megan, And Accomplish Nothing For Four Hours"), Star Siting, and running at Ijams

Hi everybody!

When I was on vacation, a really cool thing went down on campus and I really hate that I missed it.

First - a bit of history: I grew up in Knoxville and went to school at the University of Tennessee, majoring in Fun. Hahaha, kidding, but I did have a lot of fun. Anywho, I left with Mr. Smith after graduation and we kicked it around the southeast before moving back home to Knoxville. I went back to UT, got a job and got my MS and now I work there again - it should go without saying that I am Miss UTK. (Oddly enough, I studied for both my degrees and worked both times primarily based out of the same building. I should seriously just give up my house and just live there I'm so at home.)

So for those of you who don't know (and seriously, who am I kidding, just my friends WHO ALL WENT TO UT read this, but humor/flatter me for a second) there's one location where graffiti is not only permitted, it is in fact, encouraged. It is The Rock and anyone can paint it at any time. I think they just put one location out there as ok to be "bad" so you don't go messing up more places. Well, they were going to build a building in the footprint of The Rock, so instead of getting rid of it, they dug it up and MOVED IT. I wish I could have been there to see them do it! It took all day and I would have sat there and watched the whole thing. Here's a story about it from the Knoxville News Sentinel (written, BTW, by my friend and grad school pal, Chloe White! Whoot, whoot!)

do you think the moving company laughed and thought it was a joke or something when the ut peeps called and asked for a bid?

here's me as a undergrad co-ed having painted the rock.

and here's me as a grad student having painted the rock. that's me and my research partner, jill. jill has said to my face that the smartest thing i did in research class was ask her to be my partner. she's right. shout out, jilly bean!

here's the rock in its new location - i took this from my car as i drove from the gym to work the other morning. it looks weird - it's almost a different shape or something.

On Thursday night I discovered my favorite movie, Gone with the Wind was on TV and I was immediately sucked in. Can someone tell me what it is about this movie, please? It is like my Kryptonite - I can, quite literally, quote the first 15 minutes. Don't believe me?

Waaareh, waaareh, waaareh! This waaareh talk has ruined every parteh this spring! I get so boooh'ed I could scream! Besides, there isn't going to be any waaareh.

(inane boy mumblings re: war)

If eeeeither of you boooaahhs so much as says the word 'waaareh' just one more tiiiiimmee I'll go in the house and slam the doooorahh!

(someone says 'war', exit Scarlett stage right)

Anyway, this is going to only entertain me. I almost ruined a friendship because I couldn't keep my mouth shut during viewings of GWTW (sorry, Bootie! Lovers you!!) Here, let me show you:

is it me or has ashley become wussier over the years? ha ha, you can see the reflection of my lamp in the photo...

that man makes a string tie look good.

allow me to dig out your bullet with a knitting needle, please...

Next up: Mr. Smith up and got the flu earlier this week, which meant he spent a lot of time in bed and I spent a lot of time avoiding him and spraying him with Lysol when he would walk in the room. It was also our 12th anniversary (yea! To those of you who said it wouldn't last: IN YO FACE.) so instead of going out to a fancy supper, we played Melting Pot at home and had a fancy supper in. I forgot to take pictures. Ahem.

Since he was at home sick, I was out sans Mr. Smith Friday night. Now, there are some of you who say Knoxville is a hick town. Well, you just couldn't be more wrong. Check out who I scoped in Market Square:

from behind, in the green. recognize him? look harder! harder... harder... HARDER.... it's coach from the last season of survivor! never mind that he sat in my line of site for an entire supper - i was too shy to ask to take his photo, so the second he walked off i fumbled through my purse for my camera and this is the best shot i could come up with. but it was totes HIM. the warrior!! what does that say about someone who self-describes as a warrior?

On Sunday I went for a big long run at Ijams which is where I usually log miles. I seriously just did a very rough calculation (keep in mind I've trained for three marathons there) and have run a little over 1500 miles there. Whoa. I know it like the back of my hand (oh, maybe I should be Miss Ijams too!) and during all of that time over the span of three years, I have seen two turtles, three snakes, one deer and a pack of hound dogs being trained twice. On Sunday I ran out and back once and saw a record of THREE TURTLES in that one run! I foolishly believed it was Turtle Day or something at Ijams, so I got my camera from the car and was going to take pictures of turtles, but apparently turtles are camera-shy. But don't worry! I still have stuff to show:

pretty, no?

ooooh, pretty the sequel....

OOH, a perfect trifecta of PRETTY! here i am at the forks of the river at the end of the trail. (i am now six miles in and probably smell though)

You know how some people are just born good with a talent? I got one!! And until I find a marketable application for it, I won't list it on my resume - I can find four-leaf clovers. Like, if it's there, I'll see it. It's weird - my mother cannot do it, but her mother, Opal Steinhoff, could. I truly understand that there must be some scientific rationale for this, but I prefer to think I have some superhuman, X-man-esque ability. Like I say, never going to market this skill, but come on! Pretty cool. Well, talking about it is one thing, so allow me to show you proof positive from Sunday:

one

two

three

four - i had already started running again and this one jumped out at me - i'm telling you; it's weird!

five

six

seven - i found this one when i got home. i was going out to get basil and it was beside the garden. seven four-leaf clovers in one day - harry potter would think that was cool in a magically powerful way, i bet. suck it, voldemort!

i took this picture at work today - these are ones i found around ut. look! some have five and six leaves! NEATO!!!

And despite my mother's lack of four-leaf-clover-finding ability, she did find this cool thing on Sunday when she and my father came to help clear brush (sank you veddy much, Mama and Dipsey!):

pretty! mama and the berries!!!

doesn't that look like something you'd buy at hobby lobby around easter time?

Well, I'm out of things to talk about. But, you should know I have plans to do something fun scheduled for every weekend this month, including (but not limited to) a college roommate reunion in Asheville, NC with two friends Rachel Williams Samulski and Meredith Lutz! I. Can't. Wait. OH, and also on the horizon - my mother-in-law just today confirmed the availability of their New Orleans condo for a certain someone to hostess Girls' Weekend III in October! Shout out, Smith Seniors! Thanks!