Carolina Panthers, 2-2

Everytime I tell someone I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan (born and raised, yes sir), I get the look. The Look. The oh-you're-one-of-those-ridiculous-Cowboy-fans Look. And I get the single, "oh." Yes, people, I'm a Cowboys fan, like my dad and granddad before me! My parents' Christmas tree is decorated in blue and silver! My brother has Cowboys stuff all over his room, like he's had since the day he was born. But to be a Cowboys fan in Carolina is a sin, apparently. So, fine, I'm a sinner... but we have a 4-0 record while I just saw the Carolina Panthers barely miss being shut out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I may be a sinner, but I'm a proud one at that. The first Panthers game I went to was Dec. 24, 2005, Christmas Eve, when the 'Boys came to town. Heading to Bank of America stadium here in Charlotte (with Panthers fan, Jason), I got comments about how I'm cheering for the wrong team. One guy even asked Jason if he was actually dating me, a Cowboys fan. But I found my group... a group of Cowboys fans standing in front of the stadium. We talked about where we were from and how awful we're treated because of who we cheer for. I felt at home, standing next to people who were like my uncles in their blue jerseys. The Cowboys won that game, thanks to a Billy Cundiff mishap. I stood in the middle of the stands as the game came to an end, proud and with misty eyes, I turned to Jason and said, "HA!" Then I ran away because there were some angry Panthers fans around...

Lucky and Dotty

Since arriving in North Carolina, I've adopted two cats. I didn't actually go out and get them. I didn't choose them. They didn't choose me. We just found ourselves with each other, and eventually, in the same living arrangements. So, Lucky and Dotty live with me now. I like cats, I like sweet, fluffy, caring cats. These are not those kind of cats.

Dotty is the one at the bottom of the kitty pile in the photo. She's the mean one. Oh so mean! She doesn't like being touched if she doesn't like you, and she doesn't like being picked up if she doesn't love you. She meows loudly all the time, just to get attention. She also looks at people like they're morons and makes you feel dumb. She's truly here to rule the world. But she's so soft and is full of personality. Too bad the bad outweighs the good.

Lucky (the one on top of Dotty) is sweet, but dumb. Oh so dumb! She falls off couches because she doesn't see where it ends. She hits herself on walls and stares at the ceiling fan for long periods of time. But she's really nice and playful.

So, these are my cats. Sometimes the three of us can't be in the same room because someone's yelling, usually, it's me. But they do like "The Lion King." They can watch that movie for a while.

Grad school = No fun

So, I decided that I could try my hand at grad school. I decided on the University of North Carolina, the top journalism school in the state (like the University of Texas for, well... Texas). They're offering a Certificate (not a full graduate degree) in Technology and Communications. Classes are all online, and they're kicking my tush, but I am learning a lot and they are fun. I drove over to the UNC campus in Chapel Hill on week for orientation and I got a small tour of the school (through Jason's small experience at the school and an easy-to-find campus map off Franklin Street). I even got to eat lunch at the THE PLACE TO HAVE LUNCH IN CHAPEL HILL, The Rat. It's some cruddy restaurant in a basement on Franklin Street, but everyone loves it. Jason (whose dad is UNC alumni) visited the school a lot as a child and told me about the place. Anyway, so I'm a Tar Heel now. Don't ask me what that is. I'm still trying to figure out what an Aggie is. I don't consider myself a Tar Heel, I'm a Mean Green Eagle through and through.

Well, in the photo I'm standing next to the Old Well on the UNC campus. You can apparenly drink water from it, but no chance was I going to put my mouth anywhere near where hundreds of thousands have before me. Eeww.

The Prince of NASCAR

I happen to live in NASCAR county. That's right. NASCAR. I hated NASCAR before I moved here, hated the sight of traffic at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. But living here, I saw how important the sport (yes, sport) was to the area. And when the races came to the Lowe's Motor Speedway, it was a big deal, a huge deal... you'd like Elvis came back to life. So who's the sport's largest name? Well, that would be this guy, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Like his daddy before him, he's a star. Well, his father, Dale Earnhardt, grew up in the town next to mine, Kannapolis, where they used to make towels. The road that goes from Kannapolis to Concord (my town) is Highway 3 (named after Daddy Earnhardt's number 3 car).

Welcome to Carolinas!

OK, so it occured to me that I don't call people enough to tell them about how I'm doing in Charlotte, North Carolina. So, in an attempt to let you all know how I'm embracing the South, I'm setting up this blog to tell (and show) you. I'll make frequent updates, tell you about the interesting things I see and do and (attempt to) add photos.

Remember, I miss you guys!