.cold.tired.oneshoeon.oneshoeoff.hintingsofsorethroat.toomuchtodo.auditiontomorrow.monologuescaresme.help.help.todayhasbeenok.butithasnotbeengreat.

psst

I'm in Memphis right now, visiting the Beauchamps for Daniel and Andrew's college graduation party! The womenfolk are in the kitchen cooking now, and I'm making pretty paper decorations to make things more festive.

Reminder: Ugly Sweater Day is coming up on Thursday... have you got your sweaters yet? Please remember to take a picture of yourself in your ugly sweater and send it to nfhearne@yahoo.com ! Can't wait to see the festive ugliness! I have plans on Thursday to go ice skating with some friends at the oh-so-festive galleria rink (they have the biggest, sparkliest tree in the world!) in our ugly sweaters. Any plans?

i thank you God for most this amazing day

This past week I've been in Graham at my grandparents for Thanksgiving! Our whole branch of the Pyles family was there (except my sister, wah. MISSUMS!) and it was loud and crazy.

The cousins have a weird tradition of playing charades (we call it "transmography" actually. think calvin and hobbes) Thanksgiving night - and I say it's weird because our charades cards are just... crazy.

Some of my favorite things that were (unsuccessfully) acted out over the weekend:

Man Sitting Down On Meatloaf

Minnesota Forests

Woman Drinking Tea While Running A Marathon

Oz Tries To Catch A Moose

and my favorite, which I tried very very hard to get them to guess...

Sarah Palin Assembles A Bookcase While Eating Cake

That one was super interesting.

Also, while we were out at the farm I attempted to learn how to drive stick, in my grandad's 1975 pickup, and let me tell you it is SCARY! Way scarier than it looks! I killed the engine so many times. By the end I was doing a little better, I think, but I think I'll stick with automatic for now.

Ooooh also, I was down at Fireman's park and a goose tried to bite my face! It was scary, and I felt tiny and completely unintimidating, so... maybe, just maybe I pulled over on my way back to the farm to scare a herd of cows. And maybe it was thoroughly satisfying to see a herd of big animals running en masse Because Of Me.

Sunday after church, on our way out of town, we met the Lunsfords for lunch, which was super fancy!

It really bugs me when I forget to take pictures when I'm out of town or with cool people, because afterwards I want to throw pies at my feet. So... I need to work on that, because I can't imagine pie between the toes would feel... oh yuck that's ... really gross.

Sorry this is so rambly. I don't like big conglomoratory posts like this, but hadn't posted in a while!

Franklin Trip - Friday

Friday morning we headed off towards Nashville.

The view from my window on the way to Nashville.

A building in Nashville that I liked.

After lunch (at a brewery! it was so fun, I know how beer is made now.) we went to the park in Nashville

Everything was so pretty with the autumn leaves!

There was a big stage, and I couldn't resist the urge to dance on it. And we all know about my dancing skills. ;)

Yeah, so maybe I just told you we were in Nashville. We were really in Rome.

(post-edit: it has been pointed out that the parthenon is in greece. i knew this, in the back of my mind... which doesn't make me feel any less stupid.)

Just kidding, this is the Nashville Parthenon. It was huge, and it was awesome.

There was a huge art exhibit inside, including statues from the real Parthenon.

Oh yeah, and the Elgin Marbles (two horses heads) who I met at Lord Elgin's castle... he told me their names, one was Humphrey and the other I don't remember. It was funny seeing something I'd met and touched before ... in a museum.

Yes, she was that big. HUGE. I kept imagining what would happen if she came to life.

Me and my bro Leo, the winged beast of scariness. Just chillin.

Nice ancient artifact storage system, guys. Seriously.

FAIL.

Getting his hand bitten, a la Roman Holiday.

You can't tell, but we were doing the Wizard of Oz dance.

That evening we went to Franklin and had dinner at this really cool restaurant in a house next to the church. Everyone sits at a table together, and you get to meet people! There was this one very proper southern lady with huge hair who told us about how she worked one day a week at Stein Mart, and "that was socially acceptable."

After, at the film conference, I got to meet Dr. George! who is even more awe inspiring in person. That night's movie was "Dead Poets' Society" ... which I thought I'd seen all of, but apparently I had missed the ending and a lot of important parts in the middle. The theme of the conference was "Epistemology, or how we know what we know", and that was really interesting, seeing the different viewpoints in the movies. Dead Poets' Society was really interesting, because it shows 2 near opposite philosophies - romanticism and rationalism/traditionalism - and cautions that both are extremes.

Franklin Trip - Thursday Night in Memphis

We stopped in Memphis Thursday night and stayed at the Beauchamps... and we 5 went out at midnight to buy ... canned chili. Silliness ensued.

Franklin Trip - Thursday

On Thursday we packed up our bags and went our merry way to Memphis!

The view out the window the whole way to Memphis.

I decided to be annoying trip photographer and scare the driver... and this is his delightful road trip face.

Dr. George (the owl) and I in the back seat... we played I spy. He won. He was so awfully excited to meet his doppelganger and to go to Franklin!

And it seems I was rather excited also...

We stopped in Mt. Vernon for lunch... at this awesome place with a huge rooster on the roof. On the menu they had not a vegetable of the day, but a "Fried Vegetable of the Day", which of course I ordered. Fried okra, yum. And by the way, dear father wasn't spitting his roll out, though it sort of looks that way.

um... what?

i drove about 9 hours today. yech.

while i was driving i took some time to pray, asking God if i'm on the right path, if i'm heading towards the right things, planning the right plans... i asked for some sign that i'm doing the right thing...

... and then i got a speeding ticket.

ok. hmm. that's... weird. i never speed. i've never gotten a ticket.

... and then i saw a star drop and fall into the field next to me.

huh?!

i'm getting mixed messages!

--

(i'll write about the weekend of wonder soon, i'm too tired right now)

(and about the ticket... i'm going to try and hold off on the rant i'd like to go on, and spare you. but yes, i am annoyed.)

Letters from back home, no.I

Our dear Beatrice,

How we miss you! Things are awfully confusing around here without you... for instance, remind us again how to turn on the record player? We've tried and tried as silly old Cecil wants to listen to Elgar (It's not silly, it's greater art than that hoo-hoo-hoo stuff you listen to!) I'm sorry, that was Cecil. He's mad at me because I said the only reason I don't like alpacas is that they aren't pretty.

How are things in Franklin? COME HOME SOON!!! Tell Dr. George (the owl) that we miss him!

Friendlily,
Percival Eugene "Percy" Worthington

(Post Scriptum: I do not approve of Percy's exuberent use of capital letters and exclaimation points, but did not want to neglect my communicative duties. Sincere regards, Cecil Alexander Beatley.)

someday will be me

Pitiful is the person who is afraid of taking risks. Perhaps this person will never be disappointed or disillusioned; perhaps she won't suffer the way people do when they have a dream to follow. But when the person looks back--she will hear her heart.
Paulo Coelho

--

i have a list.

a list of things i will do... someday. and they are brave things, wild things, things to happen when the wind blows. i know these things are in me... just not here yet.

i want to jump into the ocean with all my clothes and shoes on, and lie in the waves until i feel the rhythm of the tide is part of me. i want to ride a train to someplace with cobblestone streets and mist... i want to ride a bicycle with no hands, and do somersaults by a lake.

this is not the whole list. it goes on and on. and these things will happen.

-photo via sabino

meet your flight attendant, earnestine

well, i just got home. sunday night turned into monday afternoon, which turned into monday night... which turned into tuesday morning. wow.

so on my flight back from birmingham (free, thanks to my friend! yay dan!) the flight attendant was obviously loving her opportunity to have a microphone and a literally captive audience. she kept making spunky jokes. yech. also... and i'm very curious about this... she thanked us for all wearing clothing ...? oh and right after the part where the flight attendants do their funny security interpretive dance, it got really quiet and this guy behind me's phone went off and it was really loud and it sounded like a dying duck!

cecil and percy say they have felt something akin to locked-in syndrome with me gone so long. i told them they were being dramatic when they said this, but ok, fine. they want sympathy.

"it feels like we're really doing it, jim! it feels like we're finally having an adventure!"

so... i love last minute plans. lots. lots o love in my heart for those.

in exactly 2 hours my plane will be taking off! i go to see a bunch of my dearest friends in the world!! tonight i'll be at the blevins, then spend the weekend with the greens. yay!

and yes i do love flying almost as much as boats. airports are FUN! honestly i even think airport security is exciting, with the cool x-ray boxes and funny talkative security ladies. whoop!

...do you remember...

now i shall post some of my pictures from our family's trip to santa fe




















all the doors and windows are painted blue because of the superstition that it wards away evil spirits. plus its really pretty ;)