only half of something else

ISN'T THIS A GREAT SAYING?? Yep. I've been loving it a lot lately. As in, like, since yesterday, when I saw it on SayingImages. I just love that site... even though it makes me feel like I am 13. But, sometimes that's not a bad thing. It's amazing how well some of those stupid quotes relate to my life sometimes...

So!

I guess I'm having a good week. I had a great Tuesday. From start to finish.

I was working from 10-2, but I had to drop my mom off at the doctor's for 8am. So, this left me with little time to get ready in the morning, as my goal is always to sleep in as late as possible. I basically just got dressed, packed a giant bag of things to do to kill time until work, and then we left. And we drove into York, which didn't take us long at all. Normally I dislike driving on 91, but I didn't really mind it that day. (reading this blog maybe makes you think that i dislike driving on lots of roads... but that's really not the case. in the giant, grand scheme of things, it's really only 236 and 91 that i dislike. and you have to drive on 236 to get to 91. so, double dislike.)

I dropped my mom off and then pondered a place to get a coffee and drive over to the beach. There were no Dunkin Donuts in a convenient area, which I thought was a bummer, but actually turned out to be GREAT, because it forced me to discover an awesome local coffee place in York!!

I had passed this place a bunch of times, St. Joe's Coffee, and had known of it because it says, 'Home of the Bennie' on its sign. And this kind of made Kara and I laugh. Because we didn't know what that meant.

So, I decided to give it a try. And I pulled into the parking lot, and there were two people exiting the shop with coffees in their hands, so I thought, "hey, maybe this is a good place." And I walk in, and it's the cutest, tiniest coffee shop! And they have all these great sounding sandwiches and a whole bunch of delicious sounding coffee drinks. Also, they have a pretty-full bakery case, which I make sure to study intently, seeing as my sister is a baker in Wells, which is kind of just down the street.

I get to the counter and order my standard coffee drink, an iced raspberry mocha and then I get a coconut creme donut. I'm pretty excited about the donut.

So then I'm waiting for my coffee to be made and then the guy gives it to me and says,

COFFEE GUY: So what are you up to today? Work?
JULIE: Yeah, I start work at 10, so I've got some time to kill.. I think I'm heading to the beach.
COFFEE GUY: You work around here?
JULIE: Yeah, I work in Kittery.
COFFEE GUY: Oh yeah? Where?
JULIE: At the Eddie Bauer outlet..
COFFEE GUY: Ooohhhh... cool place.
JULIE: Great discounts!
COFFEE GUY: (laughs) Well, have a great day.
JULIE: Thanks so much, take care!
COFFEE GUY: Bye!

And then I was in a great mood. Pleasant encounters will do that to you.

So then I headed down 1A to York Beach! Got a parking spot at Short Sands facing the ocean, it wasn't very crowded at all. Then I gathered my donut and coffee and sat outside on a bench and enjoyed! The donut was DELISH. Like, so creamy and coconuty. It was not a filled donut, there was a hole in the center, and it was covered with a coconuty glaze. YUMM TO THE MAXX.

The coffee was great, although I admit, I think I make a better raspberry mocha. But it had a good flavor and was made by a lovely gentleman, so therefore it was great.

It was so fun just sitting at the beach by myself! It was nice and quiet. Lots of people were on walks or jogs. As the time got later, more and more families started coming.

So, after I finished my lovely breakfast, I got out my bag of arts and crafts to do. I had been wanting to create a PAPER BAG NOTEBOOK, which Aliya invented and is totes brillz. Clicking on that link will take you to Aliya's fabulous blog with her step-by-step instructions on how to create a paper bag notebook.

Basically, you take a large paper bag that you've got lying around the house and do some easy ripping and tearing and folding actions to create a beautiful and handy notebook!! I haven't taken any photos of mine YET, but I will, and I will share them with you.

I got a lot of funny looks sitting on the beach, ripping and folding a giant paper bag in every which way.... but, I got it done and that was the goal. Also, check out Aliya's amazing blog! She's beautiful, crafty and very inspiring!!

Then, I did some texting and photo taking at the beach.

Then, I decided it was probably time to get ready for work. So I got back in my car, put on some music, and did my hair and makeup in the car!!! And then, I painted my nails!! It's a good thing I don't have a car adapter for my hair straightener, or else things would have gotten pretty crazy.

And the best part - I didn't even have to pay for parking!!! It's metered parking at the beach from 8am to like, 6pm or something, and I was definitely there after 8am, and I risked it by not putting any money in the meter. I figured that I wouldn't be leaving my car, and I wasn't staying there during prime beach hours or anything. There was even a police officer walking around the whole time, but he wasn't checking meters.

Lucky, because I don't need to not pay another parking ticket.

So, I was in a great mood at work. As much as I hate getting up early, it was really nice to not wake up, get ready for work, and then go straight to work. It's nice being able to do something before, so it doesn't feel like the whole day, or something. If that makes sense.

Work was really slow, but it went by quickly. And I bought some bermuda shorts! Nice!

Then, I went home, hung out for a long time with Kara and my mom... we all took a field trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond so Kara could get an apple corer to use to make filled cupcakes. Then, we stopped at the Mediterranean food place and got food. FALAFEL. I could eat that nonstop. Loves it.

Then we hung around the house for a little bit longer and then I went over to Greg's house to hang out with him for a while. It was really nice because I hadn't seen him in a long time. And his puppy had gotten really big.

GREAT DAY!

Wednesday was my busy day!! I worked from 10am to 2pm in Kittery, then drove straight up to Springvale to work 3pm to 10pm. Pretty quiet night in the coffee shop, but I like being there, so it was fun. Doug and I closed, so that's good.

Thursday was my day off!! I slept in - which was great. I thought Ruby was going to have me up early, but she woke me up around 9, and then went back to sleep shortly and both of us woke up around 12:30pm. NICE. Hung around a lot... didn't really do anything except relax.

OH, and I spilled coffee on my Macbook. Bummmmer. Ruby was walking around on the counter and I thought she was going to knock it over, so I grabbed the mug real quick, and spilled it myself. The keyboard light is a little shady... it's not working in all parts, and last night about half of the keys weren't working, although today they're all working fine. I think it'll be okay... but if I have any extra money, I might bring it up to the store in Portland.

Today was a busy day. At least it felt like it. I worked until 2, then headed down to the party store to look for cowboy hats for me and Kara to wear to TAYLOR SWIFT ON SUNDAY.

Yesss, that's right, the big Taylor Swift concert is on Sunday. We're getting excited. The t-shirt making party is happening tomorrow, and I was able to find some great cowboy hats. So, success!!

Saturday night we're going down to Salisbury, MA to hear my mom's cousin's son's band play!! That's less degrees of separation than it sounds like. I'm excited. They're like a rock cover band, so it should be good.

Alright friends, have a great start to your weekend!!!! I hope everyone had a great week! Any big plans for tonight?? Well, I hope whatever you do is a great time with good people!!

Take care! Be well!!

just a quick update to recap my life goals

Seeing as my goals in life change like, every five minutes, I thought I'd take a quick moment to sort them out. And since this blog is my "sorting out" place, I figured it was the perfect place.

Tonight, this rainy 22 June 2011, I have three life goals:

TO BECOME:
1. a water taxi captain

TO OWN:
1. my own line of specialty condiments in a store called, 'The Sauceror.'

TO BE THE FOUNDER OF:
1. Dance Party Gym: the 24/7 fun way to work out.


That's a pretty good list, right?? I think so. Also, NONE of these life goals have anything to do with what I studied for four years at an expensive private college. AWESOME.

I think I would be a really awesome water taxi captain.

OH OH OH!!!!! ALSO!!!!!!!!!

I want to WRITE A BOOK!!!!!! And that DOES have EVERYTHING to do with what I studied in college!!!!!! Thanks, Hampshire!!!

Life goal #4:

TO BE THE AUTHOR OF:
1. Ghost Stations: Exploring the Abandoned Underground

Wow, I just came up with that title as I was writing it!

I've become really fascinated lately with "ghost stations." This has nothing to do with my other obsession with Ghost Adventures, which is a totally addicting show on the Travel Channel starring the always manly, Zak Bagans. No,

GHOST STATIONS: are abandoned subway stations! They have been closed for one reason or another, YET THEY STILL REMAIN! And so they're these totally creepy, totally beautiful under (or above) ground subway platforms that no one is allowed into. And I'm like, obsessed with this idea.

And today on my way into work, I was thinking about ghost stations and thinking about the country and thinking about what the country would look like if the top layer was gone.... Like, if you were sitting (or standing, or floating) in outer space, looking at the US from above, and the top layer was gone and you could see into all the subway tracks in all the different cities... what would it look like??

Ummm I think I just came up with the cover of the book. If there are any artists reading, someone please do an artists imagining of what that would look like... It'd be amazing, right???

It'd probably look like this giant, tangled web of metal. Now you're thinking about it... it's cool, right??? Yes. See, if there was a book about Ghost Stations and you saw that on the cover and then started to think about it, you might pick it up, right??? RIGHT!

Maybe it'd be like a coffee table book.

And so here's my idea: Since I'd be researching all this awesome stuff, I'd get to go down into these ghost stations and photograph all the different adventures. Imagine how lonely it must be down there... And quiet, maybe. Although maybe you can hear the screeching of other trains in the distance and in that case, it might be eerie.

Exploring the Eerie Underground of America's Lost Subway Stations

Brillz!!!


1. WATER TAXI CAPTAIN
2. THE SAUCEROR
3. DANCE PARTY GYM
4. GHOST STATIONS: EXPLORING THE EERIE UNDERGROUND OF AMERICA'S LOST SUBWAY STATIONS


I come up with the best ideas. Also, I have the best life ahead of me. (But, I knew that already.)

I'll write more about ghost stations later. Maybe like, tomorrow. Or sometime soon. Because I think I talked about the old NYC City Hall subway stop before, but I'm gonna talk about it again, so get ready. Also, information on the New York Transit Museum, which I want to visit ASAP.

I'm in a good mood today. It's been a good week. Had a lovely time at the beach yesterday morning by myself. I will also tell you more about that. AND, more about the new coffee shop I discovered and the lovely people I have met.

Alright. I hope you all are having a equally exciting week and will have equally exciting stories to tell me!

Also, I'm game for some book title revisions, so anyone who wants to brainstorm, please feel free. Also, artists, I'll be waiting for those 'America with the top removed' maps. :)


Have a great day, friends!!!!!

'all my precious secrets, yeah, you know them all...'

YEP - that's a Miley Cyrus lyric to start the post off!! From the timeless hit, 'Fly on the Wall.' Which I actually love. WARNING:: That video contains lots of "sexy" hair touching. It gets a little awkward, actually. All in all, it's "PRETTY COOL." (yep.)

Moving on!

(and no, i'm not listening to Miley while writing all of this.....)

Really moving on!

I received two great comments recently from two great new readers!!! Both of them discovered the blog while searching for information on Murdock Lake!!!!! And one of them actually came in through the BLOG EMAIL ADDRESS (which is located to the left of your screen.... unless you're reading through Facebook...) which doesn't get enough use!!!! Keep those emails coming! Guys, you have NO IDEA how happy and excited this makes me. Because I love this lake, I love blogging, and I love getting blog comments. So, when these three things collide, it makes for one excited Julie.

I really hope that everyone new and old continues reading... I seriously can't believe I've been blogging for 6 years now. RIGHT?!?!?! It's crazy! That's so long!! It's just kind of crazy to me that people are still reading. It makes me feel kind of famous, actually. But don't worry, I won't get too "celeb" on you all. At least not right away.

So, everyone, THANKS FOR STOPPING BY. You readers are the best readers. That's true, actually. Keep leaving me comments! Or send me an email! I love it!


(i'm still listening to Miley... but I'm changing it now. I promise.)


I've been listening to Adele as like my new go-to music. That's what I just put on. I know I talked about this the other day, but MAN, that song, 'Someone Like You,' it KILLS me. Like, it breaks my heart every time I hear it. And even more heartbreaking is that I hear it and wish that I had heard this song when my heart was hurting.

Although, during that time I remember listening to sad music and thinking, "listening to sad, break-up music doesn't really help as much as you think it would." I actually remember thinking that. Even though it wasn't really a break up. Or, anything really. It was a little bit sad, and that was all. WHATEVER!

Geeze, moving on!

I wanted to talk about some semi-awesome/semi-awkward moments at work I had this weekend!!! Great!


1. I was working in the men's section at the clothing store, which I never do, so I'm not very comfortable over there. I just have no idea about men's sizes. Like, none. I'm like, 32 34 whaaaaatttt are these numbers?!?!?!!? So, I'm over there for like, 5 minutes and I'm folding shirts, and this man approaches me holding a shirt.

MAN: That get repetitive at all? Folding and re-folding?
JULIE: Um, no, it's not too bad. I don't mind it, actually. It's good practice.
MAN: You know, I'd love to know how to fold one of these properly, if you don't mind....
JULIE: ....................
MAN: I'm being totally serious, I'd love to see how it's done.
JULIE: (ohhhhh geeze is he trying to pick me up???) Oh! Um, ok, sure!

And then I demonstrate the proper folding technique. (It's all in the wrists.)

MAN: Yeah, that was really helpful. Now I know how to pack better for traveling so my clothes don't get all wrinkled.
JULIE: Actually, sometimes when I'm packing a suitcase, I roll my shirts instead of folding.
MAN: Yeah, I've tried that way too, they still come out wrinkled!
JULIE: Well, good luck, then!
MAN: Thanks for putting up with me! You're a good sport, and very helpful!
JULIE: Oh, it's my pleasure!


ummmmmm yeah. That happened. It was actually awesome and TOTALLY made my day. I was bummed that I had to go from one job to the next job, and was feeling crappy and tired, and that guy just totally lifted my spirits. And like, RANDOM, right?? But, he wasn't trying to pick me up. Good thing.


2. Now, it's almost closing time in the store, so we're all just kind of straightening up, waiting for any last customers to come in. This guy walks in with a return:

JULIE: Hello!
GUY: Hi there!
JULIE: How are you?
GUY: I'm pretty darn good. How are you?
JULIE: I'm doing great.
GUY: Good! Well, I hope you can help me..
JULIE: Alright...
GUY: (pulls pair of pants out of the return bag) My wife bought these and they're too small, so she's hoping I can exchange them for a bigger size.
JULIE: No problem!
GUY: You see, she bought a size 2 and she needs a size 4.
JULIE: Ok! Let me show you where those pants are; hopefully we have a 4, and if not, I can check out back for you.
GUY: Great.

(found the size 4)

JULIE: There you go!
GUY: And what if these don't fit....
JULIE: Bring 'em back again!
GUY: Or, diet!!
JULIE: ....No!
GUY: Nah, I'm just kidding.
JULIE: That's a terrible thing to say!
GUY: Yeah, that was terrible. Thank you, have a great night!
JULIE: Ok.. you too!


ummmm that happened too. It could have gone weird at the end when he mentioned the diet... and I didn't want to let him get away with saying that. But, he was joking, so it all ended up being kind of jokey. But, I'm happy I called him out on it anyways. Another weird experience.


3. Today at the coffee shop, I was working with Liam, who is a great kid. He's super fun to work with. And, he was in the back doing dishes and I was keeping watch on the front, in case anyone came in. And, he came out for a bit and did some other stuff and then went back to the dishes. Then about 5 seconds later, he comes back out front and says,

LIAM: I just left the water on that whole time by accident...
JULIE: Uh oh..
LIAM: And there was dish detergent in the sink and now it's all bubbly.
JULIE: Oh boy.
LIAM: It's like, really sudsy.
JULIE: Yeah?
LIAM: You could probably float a baby on all those suds.

And then I just started LAUGHING. Totes hilars. Liam has been so funny this weekend. It's great. Yesterday he was making a smoothie, and just could not get it right. Luckily, he was making it for his friend. But, he kept adding more ice, and then more yogurt, and then too much banana and it took like, 5 minutes, and then he handed the smoothie to his friend and said,

LIAM: I'm sorry you had to see that.

I just loved it. He really powered through that smoothie. Turned out not so bad, actually. Although a little too icy.

Today I totally KILLED at making a double cappuccino. In case you didn't know, I was BORN to make fancy coffee drinks. I'm actually pretty awesome at it, and I also LOVE it. But I was proud of my cappuccino today. It had some totally sexy foam on it.

And last week one of the guy's who works in the hardware store next to us came over to buy a scone and he walked in a said to me:

GUY: Is that your Prius I always see out there?
JULIE: Yes it is!!
GUY: Oh. I was wondering who that belonged to. You like it?
JULIE: I love it!

Love my car. Make fun of it allllllllllll you want, but in the end, I'm the one getting 56 miles per gallon!

Well. I think that might be all.

I listened to Crash Kings at the gym the other day. 'You Got Me' has been really speaking to me lately. Is that a good thing or a bad thing??? I may not know until the end. Where all the boys will probably turn into monsters.

Speaking of monsters!

When I was hanging out with Keith last week, he forced me to watch the Kanye West video for 'Monster,' (Keith and I invented these "forced listening sessions" back in the fall, where we force each other to listen to the other person's music. watch out man, taylor swift is coming next. i hope you're reading..) and MAN - it was really good. Totally freaking creepy - but really good.

YOU SHOULD WATCH IT. I actually really like the song. Sometimes I just get it stuck in my head and then I'm like, 'holy crap there are a lot of swears happening in my head right now.' But, before you watch the video, make sure you're not about to drive away through the woods in the middle of the night and then get lost because you WILL get freaked out. Speaking from experience. (Side note:: Kanye in bed with the two dead girls is my favorite part.)

ANYWAYS.

I think I'm headed to bed now. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to my wonderful father whom I love very much. And also MISS VERY MUCH. Hopefully we can see each other soon!!!!


Love you, blog readers! Have a great morning, afternoon, and night! We'll talk again soon!



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