The Summer of 2012, A Review

It's that time again... here's the 2012 Summer Review.

Best thing that happened: Stuart and I are together in the same city in the same house!

Worst: Beach trip

Best single day: Spending the day with Stuart going to the animal shelter, walking through downtown Waynesville, and eating at Bocelli's

Worst: Pick a day from the beach trip

New friend: Brandy, one of my staff writers, and Pauline!

Song of the summer: "Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)" by Patrick Stump, the entire Trespassing album by Adam Lambert

Artist of the summer: Adam Lambert

Best day trip: Taking Kate and Seth to the WNC Nature Center; seeing the 4th of July fireworks at Lake Junaluska

Wish I had: gone tubing

Movie of the summer, DVD: Safe House, Machine Gun Preacher, Reel Steel, John Carter

Movie of the summer, theaters: Snow White and the Huntsman

Most proud of: Handling The Western Carolinian newspaper, mastering the Frisbee golf game in Wii Sports Resort

Could have lived without: upsets at the newspaper

Couldn't have lived without: Stuart's understanding

Loved: Walking through downtown Sylva and Waynesville with Stuart on several occasions, Nutmeg hysterically chomping on a cherry, playing tag with Sparta, getting away from that crazy landlord and moving to downtown Sylva 

Wished: Slowed down and enjoyed the little things, I could have gotten my security deposit from that crazy landlord in Cullowhee

Dreamed: about the zombie apocalypse

Surprised by: How well my relationship is with my grandmother now, needing to wear long pants in the middle of June and August

Appreciated: My family's support (those that did actually support me), Pauline's generosity and care

Hated: Family drama, not having cruise control in my Honda, the oppressive heat, not enough moments enjoying summer

Stressed over: Family drama, making the newspaper perfect, the newspaper's annual budget

Smiled at: Stuart bringing me Bojangles and flowers, Cherry Berry Chillers, Pauline's amazing ability to make me feel like the most loved person in the world, my aunt and grandmother's constant support, two silly beagles

Biggest change: Alcohol free, threw out my pineapple loveseat

To be continued: Finish my degree at Western Carolina University, continue to make The Western Carolinian an award-winning newspaper, cherish the little things in life, call my grandmother every Thursday

Humming

Recently, I installed a hummingbird feeder outside my new home!! I excited waited and waited impatiently for a hummingbird to arrive. After a few weeks, one finally did!! Then another! Then tonight, another! Three little green hummingbirds are watering themselves at my feeder. I couldn't be more thrilled.
After some Googling, I discovered that my new friends are ruby-throated hummingbirds. However, they have no ruby throats! Apparently, females and juvenile males do not have the infamous red color under their beaks. I will have to wait a few weeks to find out if they are girls or young boys.
Sadly, they will leave in September or October for their annual migration!! I'm happy to have them here for the summer.
Other reasons why hummingbirds are awesome:

• THEY EAT MOSQUITOES!! THANK YOU, LORD!! I'm so excited to be able to walk outside again without being drained of all my blood. 
• They can live up to 12 years.
• They make a nonstop flight of 500 miles to the Gulf of Mexico every winter. 
• They are only 7.50-9 centimeters long!
• It has the largest heart in proportion to its body.

Kodak Moment: Around Western Carolina

Here are some photos I've been taking for the daily weather forecast I post on The Western Carolinian's Facebook page!! I love posting the photos. One photo got shared by the WCU Alumni - Greater Knoxville Chapter and commented on by the Hampton Inn & Suites in Cashiers/Sapphire Valley. I thought that was pretty nifty!

Alumni clock tower

A very interestingly decorated elevator

Outside of McKee

Outside the UC

Cata-fount

Coulter info board

Photo of the Day: June 19

It's a beautiful day outside today!! Stuart has the day off, and while I have a meeting to attend, we're going to make the most of it!!
Here's a picture of Lower Falls from the Graveyard Fields hike. Stuart and I actually went swimming in that pool at the bottom. It was FREEZING!

Movie Minute: Georgia Aquarium Underwater Tunnel

Obviously, I am not actually underwater. The Georgia Aquarium has the very, very cool underwater tunnel where you can ride a escalator through the tunnel as the fish swim beside and over you!! If you haven't been, I highly suggest driving over to Atlanta and checking it out!

A Typical Family Conversation

This conversation was recorded yesterday while at my grandparents' place. We were walking around the yard taking the dogs for a walk when we came upon my grandfather's beehives.

Anne, 6-years-old: Where do they sting you?
Christine, aunt: Where do they sting? I did get stung by one of these bees.
Ma: I got me stung one summer by the cicada killers.
Christine: Ew!
Ma: And, the thing got me here and here. That was excruciating up to the shoulder for a good 15 minutes. And, usually bee stings don't bother me. It was excruciating. I mean, it felt like it had driven a nail clean through my hand. It was awful.
Christine: Hm!
Ma: That thing was that big. I've seen 'em dragging cicadas across the grass, like I was looking over the edge of the pool and I happen to see one dragging a cicada.
Christine, spots the camera: What's in there?
Ma: Look, I bought the Amazon butt cooler.
Pawpaw, grandfather: The what...?
Kate, 17-years-old: THE AMAZON BUTT COOLER!
Ma: That water's cold!
Anne: Mommy!
Pawpaw (talking about the bees): They gonna be alright. Go over there and tap on the hive. See if any of them come out.
Ma: Ok!
Anne: OH NO! DON'T GO NEAR IT!
Seth, Kate's boyfriend: You can kick it and run, but that's about it.
Christine: He threw a rock at it...
Seth: I would run!
Pawpaw: Let's go, Boog.
Ma: Threw a rock at it?
Pawpaw: Get your camera ready for the black snakes.
Me: Ok! I've seen one down there before. Kate, come take this dog!
Kate: No!
Me: This dog... it won't walk!
Kate: You have a bug on your arm.
Me: What?
Kate: You have a bug on your arm.
Me: Where?
Kate: Your other arm.
Seth: You got a bee on ya.
Anne: (screams)
Me: EEW!! It's sucking me! Get it off! (Ma slaps it) OOOOWWWWWWWW!!!!!
Ma: I got it! Look at that.
Christine: EEWWWW!
Anne: I wanna see!
Christine: That is nasty!
Ma: Sorry!
Kate: This dude in my fourth period confessed... never mind.
Christine: Good idea.
Kate: That he drank his own blood once. Yeah.
Anne: Wait, where's the other thing that you had?
Christine: It's right there.
Anne: Ok, good!
Christine: I got it, honey. I got it!
Me: Tara, there are snakes over there. Watch out for the snakes.
Anne: Wait, Christine! Come back. Why are there snakes over there? 'Lexa, why are there snakes over there?
Me: Uh, cause there's wood over there.
Kate: Oh, look a rock!
Anne: Would you pick me up?
Christine: WHY?
Kate: Anne, no!
Anne: Would you pick me up?
Ma: Come on, baby.
Christine: It'll be ok. Because it's easier to run if we're not carrying you.
Pawpaw: Come on, Boog.
Ma: Honey, they're not gonna hurt you.
Christine: We will run like the wind if they come out.
Anne: Are they mean snakes?
Christine: I know but we can move faster if I'm not carrying you.
Tara: There they are.
EVERYONE GASPS!
Me: Oh my gah, that thing is HUGE!

Photo of the Day March 19

Yesterday, I spent my St. Patrick's Day with a great group of journalists. In an effort to get to know our staff better, Ryan and I planned a trip to go hiking. However, there was some confusion, as there always is when one goes on a road trip. First, we were supposed to be hiking in Sylva, Cullowhee's sister city, which would have been a quick, easy drive. Then, Stuart found out that the Annual Black Rock Race was happening the exact day we wanted to hike!! So we picked an amazing trail off the Blue Ridge Parkway that would pass two waterfalls and some amazing scenery!
Unfortunately, road trips are never that simple. The Blue Ridge Parkway's online resource of hiking trail distances and locations is poor and quite frankly unacceptable. Our selected trail was at milepost 418.8. We unknowingly got on the Parkway at 444... with only a quarter of tank of gas!! After much confusion, we pulled over at the first hiking trail we saw - this one!! And it turned out to be a short but very fun hike!!! Next time, I promise we'll work up a sweat!

Ryan, myself, and some awesome staff members

Kodak Moment: Kayaking

This morning, Morgan and I kayaked around Lake Johnson, a large park that consists of hiking trails, classes offered to the masses, a gigantic lake, and several water fowl who constantly want bread. This is our second time kayaking, and we enjoyed the quieter, wilder side of the lake accessed by paddling under the two bridges - one for pedestrians and one for vehicles.
The fish were vicious! I screamed multiple times as fish either knocked the underside of my orange kayak, nearly flipped into my boat, and startled me with loud slaps against the water before shooting under me. To me, it was terrifying! ...Morgan was laughing hysterically.
There are two weedy streams on this side of the lake. In one, we found a large snapping turtle - bigger than a dinner plate!! It was Morgan's find, and boy, was he proud!

Exploring a little stream

Snapping turtle!

Our kayaks

Kodak Moment: Photo of the Day March 4

Morgan and I were attacked by sea gulls while down at the beach!!! It was insanity!! We were the only people there, and those birds desperately wanted our sandwiches!!!! Here is one flying overhead quite close.

Kodak Moment: Photo of the Day Feb 28

  On this last day of February, I give you photos taken today while hiking with Morgan and his mom. This is Nigel, a ring-necked snake that we found on the trail!! He was the sweetest, cutest reptile I've ever met!! If Sparta wouldn't have eaten him, I was seriously contemplating taking him home as a new pet! But I could never take a healthy, happy animal from their natural environment. So Nigel the snake was sent on his way and I have a really awesome memory and photographs of a really awesome snake!





Let me Ask you Something: Protection Against Nature

Today would have been an amazing finish to a great weekend. Unfortunately, I got slapped upside the face with my depression and didn't enjoy the day as I should have. So when Kayla asked me if I wanted to see Cullowhee Falls with her and her friends, I immediately agreed, eager to get out of the apartment and do something energy-draining. And it would have been an amazing hike and afternoon, except for...
 In my home, I was raised to respect, love, and never physically harm another living creature whether it be a human, a dog, a gerbil, a fish, or a snake. It didn't matter if the creature was dangerous or not. We respected nature, let it go its own way. Now, I've never been in a life or death situation with something like a bear or a mountain lion. Obviously, I am going to defend myself in the best way I can, but I'm going to try my best get away with both me and the animal unscathed. I have come in contact with a couple of copperheads, as they are popular around my house in Charlotte, and I've never hurt one of them. I step around them and go on my way. To me, that's how it's supposed to be.

 So when I saw a guy separated from his group swinging a big stick up and down in sharp motions at something on the ground, I began to head over that way praying he wasn't doing what I thought he was doing.

Oh, he was doing exactly what I thought he was doing!

He was swinging that big ole stick up and down on the limp body of a medium-sized snake.

"Oh yeah, there are snakes over here!" he called out to me taking my white face of horror as a fear of snakes not that I was trying not to scream for him to stop the beating that had already done its job. "Yeah, there's another one under that rock. I stabbed it but it got away."

Let me get this straight: I'm going to take a wild stab that this snake, still unidentifiable, probably did not attack you. In fact, I'd go so far to say that it probably startled one of the girls and you thought you'd do the world a service and beat the poor thing into a bloody heap. And then, oh then, you decided to stab its mate so that it can either bleed to death or die slowly of starvation because its stab wound hurts to much to go out and hunt rodents. Thank you, sir, for your bravado of beating to death an animal that would have never attacked if you hadn't picked up the big stick. Thank you even more to your fellow friend who after the snake was well beyond dead decided to be a MAN and threw rocks at it! Even better... he missed! (The snake got his revenge, by the way! We later passed these same people sitting on the road beside their car drinking beer and waiting on a buddy because they were locked out of their vehicles! Does the genius gene run in the family, sirs?)

I just want to say I have never seen such heartlessness in my entire life. That snake and his mate were probably just perched on a warm rock sunning themselves before slithering off to capture some disease-carrying mice, and oh dear, you stepped over them. It's called sharing nature and respecting it because guess who was there FIRST?
Obviously, I have a very strong opinion on this matter not agreed with by others. My friends... yeah, they laughed at me, rolling their eyes because I'm too emotional. Kayla, well she was polite, but she was kind of thrilled the snake was dead because she's deathly afraid of them. So what's your opinion?

Say it wasn't a snake. Maybe a skink Or a porcupine. What if the boy had beaten to death a porcupine? Dangerous, but it's not going to attack you unless provoked. Ok, and I understand if the snake came out and attacked them. I understand if he was backed into a corner. But seriously... he had time to pick up a stick and then beat up the thing after stabbing the other one! That makes me assume the two were trying to escape. And even if they were going after the students, dude I'm banking if you can beat to death a snake, you can outrun one, too! But running away from a snake probably won't impress that girl with the double D's in your psychology class, right?
So in my opinion, I don't believe either snake deserved what fate served up in the form of a stupid boy and his dumb friends. But leave a comment and tell me: would you beat up an animal because it scared you? What rules do you abide by when it comes to Mother Nature?