Amanda-My's Travels

32 Miles

2011-06-14T06:47:00.000-07:00

My work is doing a 10,000 steps-a-day program, and my grand total for the first thirteen days of June? I've walked 32 miles. Allergies aside it has been great. If the cottonwoods around here ever stop "blooming" and the caterpillars on the Provo river trail would not be hanging on threads at about face height then it would be perfect. Now I'll just have to take some pictures to show the beauty I'm seeing. It sure is nice that it has finally warmed up and stopped raining.

Viet anyone?

2010-03-11T10:01:00.000-08:00

Okay so most of you know that I sometimes speak Vietnamese. Sometimes I speak well and sound fluent and sometimes my tongue decided that it really doesn't speak any languages at all and it sounds like mush. So, I need your help. What are some ways you study foreign languages? Have you seen any good/clean Vietnamese films with or without English subtitles? I have some cramming to do before General Conference (the Young Women's meeting on the 27th particularly). And since I know some of my friends are, in fact, native Viet speakers, what do you suggest.

Any translators/interpreters out there, how do you prepare? What do you do to keep from getting nervous and racing/swallowing words. I'd like to sound like I do understand the language when I read this time. What do you suggest.

And if anyone wonders what I'm up to this month??? I'll be home, studying Viet, stop by and say hi if your in the area.

Birthdays

2009-08-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

In the world of everyday people there are birthdays which are milestones, 18th you are an "adult", at 21 you are really an adult and can now make all choices, at 25 you are 1/4 of the way to 100 so of course all 25-year-olds should celebrate their age. Then we start celebrating and mourning on the 10s, 30, 40, 50 etc. This year I turn 31 and in Utah's single and LDS culture I have to say that 31 is harder than 30 or any previous birthday. I think this is because I now should be getting kicked out of the singles ward and get to start attending the normal (family) wards whether I want to or not. I enjoy attending wards with families and children and many different ages and viewpoints. I am just worried that since my dating opportunities are scarce in a group of all singles, it should really be fun in a mostly married world. So here I go into the world of couples and kids and me.

Fantastic Cabin Retreat

2009-02-18T15:32:00.000-08:00

Every year my friend Amy invites all her North Dakota buddies up to her husband's family's cabin for a weekend of fun in the snow. This year we let all the boys go play in the snow and the girls had a spa day. Thanks Amy!! I love all our white lips from our lip masks in this one. And, yes aren't my eyes nice and allergy swollen, sigh, one day I won't have to take drugs to spend time in the great outdoors.

Gratitude

2008-12-16T22:47:00.000-08:00

In the crazy economy and riffs at my job. I am happy to be gratefully employed this Christmas season. Actually, I even got a promotion last month. Due to the economy their was no raise with promotion, but there is greater job security. The downside is now I am on the first tier of those who choose who will be riffed. So far we haven't been required to make any in my department. I hope it remains that way.

With the promotion I also will be traveling less next year!!!! Yeah!!! I actually may get to spend more that half of the nights next year sleeping at home. Though, I will miss the perks of the airline miles and the free hotel nights.

So if anyone has ideas on how to integrate back into home life, let me know. I get to begin integrating at the start of the year. I have two weeks of travel left this year -- luckily they are in the direction of Missoula, MT and family. With the promotion I even get to work from my parent's (therefore sort of mine also) home.

Merry Christmas!

Going back

2008-03-21T08:20:00.000-07:00

So, I thought I'd try to post in a timely manner to what is happening in my life. I'm heading back to Nashville for another two weeks. The best part is that I get to rent the car this time. The next best part is that I am the only one staying the weekend. This means I will get to visit the Nashville temple and go to all three hours of church and wonderful things like that. Yeah!!

On another note. I went to Idaho this week to visit my grandparents. I love visiting "the ranch" but it is hard to see them getting older and older and not able to do as much. It was fun to take them souvenirs from Nashville. The have been country music listeners and watchers for as long as they have been alive. So it was very exciting to them that I had visited the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman and Ernest Tubb's record shop. It was fun to take them postcards and chocolates and small things that just showed I was thinking of them.

The Good Ole Boys

2008-03-14T10:46:00.001-07:00

When I heard I would be visiting Nashville I did what any self respecting woman of my age would do--I checked out the tourist info online. And I found a jackpot!! There is a "Dukes of Hazard" museum in Nashville. It's called Cooter's Place and it is owned by the man who played Cooter. Why was this such a jackpot to me? Because I have always loved the Dukes--since even before I can remember. My favorite childhood memory, that I don't remember, (too young and all that). Is that the Dukes of Hazard used to play at 10:30pm on Saturday nights--after the news. So, every Saturday when the credits were rolling for the news I would wander out-security blanket in hand-and crawl into my dad's lap to watch the show. Unfortunately I was too young (under 3) to remember these fabulous bonding moments, but I do remember always fighting with my brother to try to watch the show when it used to be on Saturday morning re-runs (not much more than 3 but I do remember). It has long been one of my favorite childhood shows. So, Saturday morning bright and early we went to Cooter's Place. The photos are below.

Visiting Greece

2008-03-14T10:23:00.001-07:00

So here are pictures from when I visited the Parthenon--I bet you didn't know I went. Okay, so there is a full scale replica in Nashville, but it's still nice to dream.

Actually we went from seeing this fabulous remake to a fabulous indoor paradise for dinner. The Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Resort is definitely worth spending a few hours at if you ever get the time. I loved the orchids, and the gardinas.

I want one of these arches for my house.

Nashville Nightlife

2008-03-14T10:01:00.000-07:00

The life of a designated driver is very exciting and uh--awkward at times. In Nashville my coworkers all wanted to sample the nightlife. To me this would mean finding places with live music, cool spots to each new things. To them it was the "tourist"tour of bars!!! Yes How fun. I love drinking more water between 7:00pm and 1:00am in one night than I have during the previous week. If I didn't have this darn corn allergy at least I could switch soda choices at each bar!

We went out on the 28th with a couple of the local Modus employees who could show us the best places to go. We started at a dive near downtown Nashville called the Alley Cat think of "El Sleezo's" from the Muppet Movie and then downgrade the dive a bit more and you'll get the picture. We were there mostly for the food and it was good Tex-Mex. But again with the afore mentioned corn allergy there were not many choices for me on the menu.

After dinner we headed over to Coyote Ugly. What a fabulous way to earn a buck if you want to be a sex object. It was a bit fun to watch the 84 year-old woman who was out for her birthday dance on the bar. You could tell she really wanted to be brave enough to do it but was still quite embarrassed by the fact that she was brave. It was also funny to see that the bras left above the bar were mostly large support type bras and not cute sexy things. My thought was "what a wast of $20-$30" but then again if you've already wasted that much getting trashed...what is a bit more for fun!!

Our next stop was Tootsie's Orchid Lounge--this is know for live music beginning early in the afternoon--even had two bands one upstairs and one down. Unfortunately this human sardine can was just a bit packed. The music was okay, but since they were paying covers it wasn't anything out of the ordinary or fantastic.

After a short stay here we settled in for the night in Printers Row--at Lonnie's Karaoke Bar--evidently it is the #1 karaoke bar in Nashville--their website says so. I figured that the Nude Karaoke bar with topless servers next door would have been number one. Some of my coworkers went to check it out but returned when told there was a $10 cover charge and that then needed a "male escort?" So, men if you want to make a buck in Nashville--go escort at printer row. :)

Mostly I just spent the night saying "no, I don't drink. Yes, never." and "Can I please get another water?" With all the smoke I had to keep my throat well washed.

Once we came home I found that I had been to all the most famous tourist bars in Nashville. And to think I did it all in one night--and I remember the night too!! Oh to be a Mormon DD.

Sting Ray Pictures

2008-02-28T09:24:00.000-08:00

I finally brought my SD card to work with me--maybe not a good idea since I am in Nashville to get help set up a new client, Lexar, who-yep-specializes in SD cards. Luckily mine is only a 512 and that is just to small for the current consumer. Also I have a couple of pockets in my purse the don't search. Sh...don't tell. Anyway here are the feeding the stingray pics.
This is one that I fed.
Here is the act of feeding a stingray.
I have food in my hand here and am just lowering it in.
This is an excited ray trying to get out and get the food.

Nashville

2008-02-26T08:42:00.000-08:00

Woo Hoo... I have finally made it to Nashville. Also (big plus) I have made it to a work destination where my luggage actually arrived at the airport when I did. I was originally supposed to come to Nashville last week but they canceled that one week trip in favor of a two week trip--now. This means I will get to be in Nashville over the weekend and I am not adverse to this because it makes sight seeing much easier. One of my coworkers and I still go out after work each day, but you can see more when it is light outside.

Anyway, dinner last night was a treat. We went to the Aquarium--yep--is is a themed restaurant all horses and other domestic animals. Not really, there were some fabulous sharks, especially the guitar fish (it's a shark) they had to have one in Nashville, and have named it Gibson. Its nose is quite flat, like a ray, and gives it a shape like a guitar.

Also there was a stingray petting zoo across from the restaurant. The receipt from the dinner let me get free food to feed the stingrays. You make a fist and stick a shrimp in between your fingers sticking (brass knuckles style) and then you put your fist in the water and wait for a bite. It tickles a little when they grab the food. I kept getting a bit jumpy and dropping the shrimp just before the rays took it. This was in opposite to my coworker who wouldn't let go of her shrimp so the ray also bit her knuckle. The place also had other exotic animals: piranhas, poison dart frogs, tarantulas etc. It was a fun way to spend 30 minutes.

If any of you have ideas to relax after a long day at work please comment. I am enjoying my work, and the travel, but I seem to be too stressed to sleep at night. I'm sure I'll get used to being someplace new every few weeks soon. But, for now insomnia is my reaction. Help.

Raleig was out to get me

2008-02-26T08:20:00.001-08:00

Well, I have made it to and from Raleigh and I have to say that I think I must have made enemies with the baggage carriers in Raleigh in a past life. Both times I have gone there this year I have lost my luggage.

The best part about it this time was when I asked US Airways if they would call when they found my luggage I was told "We can't contact you because we are not able to release your luggage to you." Excuse me? It is my luggage so why can't you contact me or release it to me? "If we are delivering luggage to a hotel we are not allowed to contact the owner, only the hotel." Whatever. It took just under 24 hours but I did get my luggage.

Marching orders

2008-02-05T08:28:00.000-08:00

I was excited to learn, last week, that all of my company's training this week is in Lindon. Even better I get to sit in on it an learn (hopefully) what I am doing for my new job. It is always good to learn a job before you have to perform that job.

So, once I learn I will go to...Raleigh next. Next week I get to go to Raleigh. If anyone has a favorite restaurant there let me know and maybe I'll get to check it out. The following week I will be in Nashville. I am sure that I will get to visit the Grand Ole Opry. One of my co-workers has told me that this is her must visit for this trip.

The only problem with these travels is that I have a wedding I need to attend in San Diego the weekend between the two trips. The wedding has been scheduled for only 2-3 years now. So, I don't exactly feel like I can tell my friend that I can no longer come.

Enter blessing number one. Funds in my life are a little tight right now and I was planning to take off the Friday before the wedding and drive with friends to save $. I can't leave Raleigh until Friday afternoon so that no longer works. And the blessing is...it saves my company $300+ for me to fly to San Diego Friday (instead of home to Salt Lake) and then fly from San Diego to Nashville. So, my travel plans now include to and from the wedding. I just have to get the rental car and hotel. Yeah!!

Starting Out

2008-01-31T10:05:00.000-08:00

Well, I've heard from all sides that since I am now a US traveler I need to record my life for posterity (or at least for all my friends who live their lives in one spot). And, since I have so much fun reading about all my friends' lives and adventures, I guess I'll take their advice.

So, who is Amanda (My~)? A twenty something (barely) lady who now gets paid to travel!! Yes, the destinations are not the most exciting cities in the US, but hey I'm not paying so who am I to complain.

Currently I am in Utah-home-and I was glad to learn that I will be here for a bit longer. This was good news since my company is not known for giving much training to their employees. The usual method is to assign someone a new job and check back in a few months to see if they are doing it.

During the first part of the year I traveled to Austin, Texas and trained (again outside the norm) someone to take over my job responsibilities. The training schedule was quick paced, but I guess I got the high points of the job communicated because the business is still running. While in Texas I got to go to the Alamo. I've heard that you haven't really been to Texas until you've seen the Alamo. So I had to go. It was a perfect January day--in the 70s and fabulous.