#5 Performances : Grandfather Mountain Highland Games (GMHG)

The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games is one of the largest Scottish highland game festivals on the east coast and the largest in North Carolina. Nestled in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina, the historical home for so many Scottish immigrants in early US history (anyone read Outlander...??? Great way to learn history haha.  Gabaldan puts a ton of research into her books to make them historically accurate).

My games band, and my shuttle band - I felt like a legit festival goer!

Even while the Piedmont to the Outer Banks of North Carolina is experiencing sweltering July ("JOO-lye") weather, up in Linville it was cool breezes and shady trees - never got above mid-eighties (Fahrenheit). It was absolutely dreamy! Walking through the crowded booths hosting each Scottish clan (they are still around folks!), the air was thick with a delicious combination of fire wood smoke and meat-and-veggie style foods - pasties, meat pies, turkey legs, and Carolina BBQ platters to name a few.

Walking to the games after disembarking from the shuttle; making our way through the campground.

About midway through the day, we needed a rest, so we climbed a grassy hill, laid out our picnic blankets under a tree, and dozed to the sound of bagpipes and snare drums playing on the fields below. The "cherry on top" for these heavenly experiences is the plethora of men in kilts - burly, skinny, button-downs, bare-chested, long hair, short hair, no hair - all absolutely swoon-worthy.

The last time I had been to this event was ten years ago, and it was exciting to see how much it had grown (although the line for the shuttle back down the mountain to our car was not appreciated). Now, the forest surrounding the field is packed with RVs and tents, as participants and fans choose to forgo the hassle of parking and reparking during the event. Instead, they are able to meet like-minded folks, and have story telling, singing, and jam-sessions around the campfires at night (so jealous!).

K Jets

My ancestors were part of the MacLeod clan??! Who wants to live forever?? -_^ (Highlander,  anyone?) 

June Review (Month 6 of Quests)

June 2016 Questing Report

*I have decided to stop writing about quests that have no real updates to give. Those bits are kinda boring, and they are frustrating to write... so I'm going to try changing things up a little, and hopefully this will get a little more concise for the rest of the year. Halfway there!!!!

Quests Completed

Quest # 15: House Work

Boss Battle #2 has been completed! Work complete on the replacement of the deck boards. They will need to be stained or painted by the end of August, but the hardest work is finished. I have now finished this quest!

Quests-in-Progress

Quest # 1: Biographies

The Girl With Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee, a biography by a North Korean defector. I chose this one in honor of World Refugee Day in June. Her story was a page-turner that I am recommending to all of my friends (who are remotely interested in world issues, or adventure/personal growth stories). Her life has had many terrifying moments in it. She is an inspirational, resourceful individual with a well-written story of her life so far.

Quest # 2: Finances

Cranked out a bunch of reports this month, and have made good money again. Big purchase: plane tickets for a trip in October! 

Quest # 3: Tithing
In honor of World Refugee Day, I chose to put my tithing money into micro-loans through Kiva. I contributed to two loans: one is a man living and working in Lebanon to support his wife and children in Syria; and the other is a young mother of three and her husband who live in Palestine along the Gaza Strip who are attempting to rebuild their home, which was destroyed during the war.


Quest #6: Exhibits
We went to the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, in Greensboro, North Carolina! I needed a destination for my maiden voyage (er... road trip) with my new car, and I had always wanted to see where the Woolworth sit-in happened in the 1950's. It's one of those major American historical events I had read in the history books, and marveled at the fact that it was so close to where I lived (History?! In my backyard?!).

Finally having a car that can take me there was exciting. The museum was both depressing and inspiring. It was horrific to hear and see what humans have done (and do) to each other, out of fear and hatred. It was also awe-inspiring to hear about the people who were brave enough to stand up to the violence, and the prejudice. Not only stand up to it, but remain peaceful. Holy moley, think about that. Dwell on it. They were scared, oppressed, abused, discriminated against, and they chose NOT to react with violence?? Ho.ly.mo.ly. I don't think I would be brave enough. But, it does make me take a closer look at what is going on in America today, and realizing that there is an opportunity now to be an ally, again.

There is always going to be oppression in the world; always one group of people asserting dominance, often violently, over one or more other groups. Being born into the privileged life of a white, English-speaking American, it's helpful to go to museums like this; to bear witness and be educated by information like this; to know that I'm in a position to help make a change, and that I have a responsibility to do so. Yes, responsibility, ye White Person reading this. If you are part of a society, you have a part in, and a responsibility to, that society. Even inaction has effects, you just have less control over what you effect. "No man is an island," and all that jazz... which is trite but true.

Quest #12: Utilize Pinterest
I'm using Pinterest to plan my trip to England and Korea in October. So far, I've created  a London board, which is mostly filled with Harry Potter sights and activities.

Quest # 13: Garden

I bought a lavender plant to make up for my dead sage plant.... but not sure that it's going to make it either..... I shall persevere....

Quest # 16: Job Work

This month had a rough week, where I got very little sleep every night and ended up pulling an all-nighter to meet a deadline. I slept a lot that following weekend. I keep chanting "I need this money, I need this money, I need this money." Sometimes people need to go through crucibles before they get to the point in life they want to be. It appears this year (and perhaps next) will be my work-life crucible.

Quest # 18: Exercise

I ended up signing up for Camp Gladiator, which is kind of like Crossfit, but outdoors. The trainers are good, positive people and the activities are fun. I still have my gym membership too though....I'm trying to decide which one I want to do more....I don't really want to keep paying for both.

Quest #27: Family

Road trip with my younger brother, to Greensboro and Elon, North Carolina.

A beautiful, beautiful mermaid.

Welcome to Greensboro!

Went on a trip to the beach with mom and the siblings! I realized it had been about five years since I had been to a Carolina beach. I love how peaceful the beaches down here are (and generally clean). I do love the beaches in the Pacific Northwest as well... but you can actually get in the water here and swim around if you wanted - without fear of riptides, rocks, and freezing waters. Yes, there may be sharks... but it's fairly rare to run into one.

North Topsail Beach - starting to sink away into the ocean, and needs walls of sandbags to preserve the homes.

In sad news, my furbaby was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. She's getting so old, I worry that she won't be my companion for much longer....I hate forcing her to take her medicine, but it seems to be working. She has a follow up scheduled in July to make sure the medicine is helping. Good thing she loves seeing the vet!

Coming up next:

Quest # 1: Biographies

Couldn't find my top pick for the biography this month (a specific Eleanor Roosevelt biography), so I am going with another top First Lady biography: Michelle Obama: A Life by Peter Slevin.

Quest # 5: Performance
The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games is the largest Scottish games festival in North Carolina. These highland games are one of the things I really missed when I was living in Korea, and now that I have the money for the ticket and the car to make it out there, I am making the journey up the mountain to watch men in kilts toss cabers and play the bagpipes!

Quest # 26: Friends
A friend I met in Korea will be in town for a wedding, so I get to grab a drink with him and catch up on how life has went for him the past few years!



and... continue with ongoing Quests!

KJets

#27: Family

This was a pretty family-filled month!

1) Greensboro Road Trip
After acquiring a car that can actually handle highways and long distance driving, I was itching to go adventuring! My younger brother was game for some travel-fun, and he went with me to check out the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in Greensboro, and then his old stomping grounds of Elon University in Elon, North Carolina.

If he kisses her, will she becoming a human?

Vics Vapor Rub was created here in Greensboro.

Gotta catch all of the cool statues and sculptures!

The Woolworth four who started the sit-in.

Yay! We don't know what's up with the sculpture, but it's cool!

Yay! Lost people! One of North Carolina's mystery-history stories.

Obligatory pose with the sign.

Where freshman orientation apparently happened.

2) Beach Trip 

Mom and my siblings and I went to stay on North Topsail Island. I realized along the way that it had been a full five years since the last time I had been to a Carolina beach. It was good to get back to those sunny, warm, lazy beaches! This island though.... the only thing preventing the houses from sinking into the ocean were the walls of sandbags around this northern side. It was fascinating to see. It was nice and quiet where we were, hardly any other people along the beach. So we were always able to find a nice place to set ourselves down. 

North Topsail Beach - note the walls of sandbags. Absolutely necessary to keep the houses from washing away into the ocean.

Chillin' in the sun tent.

3) My Furbaby

My little girl was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism - aka she had the symptoms of constantly running a marathon. She was starving all of the time, her hair was shedding like rats on a sinking ship, her little heart was beating in overdrive, and she was tired all of the time. She's on meds now, but she is getting pretty old for a kitty. I think this may be a sign of a winding down over the next few years. I don't think I'm ready for this...

Looking classy in her little pink bandages after the vet took blood samples! :-3 Those are the curled fists of happy kneading. What you can't tell from the picture is all of her loud purring.

K Jets

#3 Tithing : Kiva, Micro-Loans

This month had World Refugee Day, so I decided to focus on tithing my money in ways that would be helpful for those who are displaced, and those who are left behind.

I decided to use my money to give micro-loans through Kiva. It is a lot like crowd funding, but the money is paid back eventually.

The first person I contributed to was Mr. Eddine in Lebanon. He lives and works now in Lebanon to support his wife and kids back in Syria.

The second person I contributed to was Mrs. Sumod, who is actually around my age. She is currently married with three children, living along the Gaza Strip in Palestine. Her home was destroyed during the war, and she is currently renting while her home is rebuilt. This loan is to help cover her rent.

Although I want to do something for those who have had to leave and are now on foreign soil, I chose to first put my money towards those who are trying their best to stay in their home. This is not a reflection on whether or not I think they should come to Europe/my home country. To be clear, I understand that they are doing what they need to in order to survive, and that is a tough as hell decision to have to make, which I believe deserves mad respect. But I believe that the average human in the world would prefer to remain where their home is, where they've grown up, and where their whole family lives. So, I felt contributing to help make staying home more feasible would be the best first step. I would like to volunteer or make financial contributions to displaced individuals as well, but I see that as the second step.

Also! Not that it's my personal donation (mom's technically owned the car) ...  but my old car has been successfully donated to the Purple Heart foundation! My lovely companion of a car will be used - most likely he will be dismantled and used for parts and materials -  to continue to improve the lives of others. Rest in peace,  my rock solid,  rock-star of a car.  You will be missed.


K Jets

#15 : House work (we finished the deck!)

Completed!

We have finished installing new treads for the entire deck! It was nice and quick work today, which is good because it was a scorcher (98 degrees F [37 Celsius ]).

Looking West

Looking East

There is some talk of replacing the railing and stairs next, if Tim comes over to help us paint. He is also set on *not* staining, but instead painting. Apparently there is a thermal-reactive deck paint that helps keep the surface cool even when it's been getting direct sun all day. 

Even if the rails and stairs don't get replaced this year, it's fantastic to have smooth, fresh boards to walk on with bare feet!!

K Jets

May Review (Month 5 of Quests)

May 2016 Questing Report

Quests Completed

Quest # 19: Live Active - Boss Battle

I successfully completed a 5k race! The Comics for a Cure 5k benefited St. Jude's Children's Hospital, and was held at a popular local comic book shop on national Free Comic Book Day. I was one of only two people dressing up as a Dr. Who character (yes! Dr. Who has a comic book series, I'm not making this up. Published by Titan Comics, look it up ;-p ).

Quest #28: Acquire Transportation

Finally had to make the tough call on Walter, my '91 Camry. He was a tough, super solid old dude of a car, but when I found out it would take nearly $2,000 to fix him up to pass the safety inspection, I had to tap out. His repairs and maintenance were getting to be just too much. I took that money and put it down on a newer car. The great thing about this is, now I can travel regionally with ease and freedom! Like unlocking access to more rooms on a map, or new cities; I finally have my Epona to take me throughout Hyrule!

Quests-in-Progress

Quest # 1: Biographies

May was a two-parter: Stan Lee's Amazing Fantastic Incredible: a Marvelous Memoir, and Felicia Day's You're Never Weird on the Internet [Almost]. These were in honor of the national Free Comic Book Day on May 7th this year. I cannot recommend Felicia Day's book highly enough. As a former homeschool kid myself, and a grown-up geek, I related to a lot of her story (although, these qualities are NOT required in order to get a lot from her autobiography). Her story of how she has persevered through anxiety, depression, and ::gasp:: sexism in Hollywood (and the gaming world :,-( ), and on to personal success was truly, honestly inspiring.

And... of course, Stan Lee's comic-book-styled autobiography was a blast. It's Stan Lee. Is counting comic books towards your yearly goals on Goodreads fair? Or is that kind of like cheating?

Quest # 2: Finances

Commission work has been good to my bank account. Buying the (much needed?) new used car was not. Seems to me that, whenever one has collected a lot of money, there is always new gear one needs to spend it all on, in order to continue to the next level. So, the finances quest was bittersweet this month: so thankful and happy to have enough to pay some money down and get that car I needed; a bit remorseful for having car payments now.

Quest # 3: Tithing

Catharsis has a name, and that name is Donations.

Or something like that... My whirlwind of donations this month helped allay my anxieties caused by watching/reading too much news, especially on the topic of politics (which ... is necessary to stay informed. I wish there was less sensationally-written news floating around)

Quest #6: Exhibits

Shakespeare's first folio (one of the extremely rare copies circulating North America) was on exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of History. I tagged along with my older brother and his wife - both Shakespeare / English studies nerds - to check it out! There were a few really cool things that I learned in that exhibit... but the one that really stuck out was a realization that one of the main characters in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Titus Andromedon, appears to be a nod toward Shakespeare:

"Titus Andronicus" was one of the plays included in Shakespeare's First Folio. Coincidence?

I also went to "Artsplosure," a yearly collection of local artists and musicians downtown, set up street-fair style. I even ate some friend foods! I decided I need to start my own company, maybe a cafe...? Someplace with walls, for sure, so that I can purchase a bunch of art and write it off as a business expense. There was just so much beautiful talent! I want to buy all of it and be a patron for at least a few good artists... but could only really afford a few postcards. This time around. I will be back with a business card and a decorating budget someday....

"Artsplosure" festivities included chalking an intersection downtown.

Quest #12: Utilize Pinterest

Used Pinterest to get ideas for my TARDIS costume for the race!

::ooooOOOEEEoooo EEE OOO OOOOO:: (attempting the opening song/theremin noises)

Quest # 13: Garden

I have little peas growing on the plant ^_^  ::so much joy::. I've got poor drainage in that pot though...so it looks like maybe the plants are rotting from the roots up. I don't know if I'll be able to expect much more out of them this year...

My hanging herb garden. Lookin' healthy in this photo.

Baby peas!

Quest # 16: Job Work

I'm getting faster, but still not super happy with my quality. There were slightly fewer reports the latter half of May, so I was able to catch my breath a bit. I love when I have time to get out of the office for a bit for lunch, or to stay but leave a little early to go to the gym (or Gladiator Camp. So. Much. Fun.). It's a little harder to focus now though, without all the adrenaline of "Oh sh*t, this report is due tomorrow" coursing through my veins. This feels like deja vu...maybe student behavior is a little indicative of your work behavior.

Quest # 18: Exercise

I've been taking advantage of a two-week friend-pass to join my sister-in-law at her Gladiator Camp workouts. Holy cow it's a fun challenge! Reminds me of my high school days, learning hapkido: laughing through the pain and struggle, and loving (just about) every minute. Not sure if I want to switch spending money on a gym membership to spending money on this... the gym comes with a shower (which is good when I spend the night at the office), but Gladiator Camp is wayyy more fun. (Dear Reader, if there is a Gladiator Camp group meeting near you, I recommend trying it out if you can).

Quest # 20: Meal Plan

:: musical interlude:: "Say something, I'm giving up on youuuu...."

Quest # 24: Floss

The one constant on this list. If there is but one healthy thing I shall succeed in...

Quest #27: Family

The Superhero Run at the beginning of the month with my older brother and his wife was good bonding, especially with my sister-in-law. She was such a huge support while I struggled through my walk-running of the 5k. I know she said she was glad for the walking bits, that she was kinda tired too... but I kind of suspect she was being generous about that. She's pretty darn fit.

Coming up next:

Quest # 1: Biographies

The Girl With Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee, a memoir by a North Korean defector. I chose this one in honor of World Refugee Day in June.

Quest # 13: Garden

Revive and possibly replenish the garden! The mint died... totally peaced-out. But I may be able to cure the rot for some of the other plants and resurrect the sage plant...

Quest # 15: House Work - deck remodel.

I think Tim and I will really be able to finish the deck this month... As long as the weather and our schedules allow for it (which it didn't last month).

and... continue with the above Quests-in-Progress!

KJets

#6 Exhibits

"Artsplosure" in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina. It is a yearly festival of local artists and some performers; set up in a farmer market/fair style

First sight I see: Magical Poodles!

Chalk art and rows of artist's stalls.

Jeghetto: a wooden puppet creator/performer

Deep fried Reese's!!!!

Frida Banksy. That's me. But don't give away my identity to too many people, shhhh...

Impressive sand castles in the "Kid Zone."

KJets