FORGOTTEN BLOGWORTHY INFORMATION

Well, how could I forget what I did ALL YESTERDAY AFTERNOON? I finally set Mom, Dad, and Paul up with GMAIL accounts, and I asked Grandpa if anyone had helped him out. He said NO. So, over the phone, I attempted to give Grandpa a new gmail account. Two phone calls to Eric and 3 hours later, Grandfather has JOINED THE GMAIL WORLD. Reach him at pbcase@gmail.com. Dad is gerryg@gmail.com, Mom is mscase@gmail.com, and Paul is pgiess@gmail.com. And, of course, yours truly is megiess@gmail.com. Oh, the excitement. Natalie, where are you? I want to hear about all the mullets at the Indy 500. Did you meet the dream man we discussed on the phone (i.e., no teeth, southern drawl, wears only plaid, etc.) I DEMAND INFORMATION.

MEMORIALIZE THIS

Well, Jack, you asked for it, and here it is. Friday was another average work day, then I watched "The Shape of Things" with some friends Friday night. We bought a frozen pizza and some Milanos and just chilled out, it was nice. Saturday was a very busy day, what with all the bra shopping and whatnot, and then Mom and I hit the mall to get some shoes. We are in major preparation mode for the wedding this weekend. Mom got shoes and a purse, and I got shoes, and then bought a baby pool for the ducks to swim in. After that, we headed home and cleaned out our closet upstairs - OH MAN! Jackpot! We found a bunch of Mom's old hippie clothes - I am SO PUMPED, I can't wait to start wearing them. Yesterday, I went to church and then just did some work around the house in the afternoon...then went to the MacFadyen's for dinner before coming home and watching a movie with Chris and Paul. We watched "But I'm a Cheerleader." Very strange. Still amusing, though. So, today I got up and cleaned out the duck cage. Paul and Kennon are on a bike ride, and Mom and Dad are mattress shopping. I'm about to clean up my room because of the relatives coming in this week for the wedding. NOW - FYI - This week is nuts for me starting Thursday. Please excuse the lack of blogging, and look forward to a very long, in depth catch-up session early next week. Ciao for now. Woo, I'm a poet and I didn't know it.

i want ginger fruit

Natalie, get your ass to West Chester and make ME ginger fruit. I'm at work...again. My life, as always, is being consumed by this job. Last night I got home after my workout and ate a quick dinner before Dad and Paul abandoned me to go to scouts. Mom was out at a meeting all night. I fixed up the shed to put the ducks outside and made them a nice nest, then made sure there were no holes for any animals to get in and eat my ducks. I sat around for awhile, reading - it was nice to relax - then showered before my friends came over. Right when Dad came home, we decided to make my bookshelf (which took all of a half hour, but it's AWESOME) and my friends hung out while we did it. It is ragin' cool. Played some Dalmudi then went to bed early. It's another day at work for me today, then I'm going out for sushi with the gang to say good-bye to Annie - she goes back to Colorado tomorrow. I'm pretty bummed about it, especially since Jill is leaving over the weekend, too - I needed to go bra shopping and all my girlfriends are leaving town. Who will go bra shopping with me now? Still, though, I'll be out in Colorado in a few weeks - so that's pretty exciting to think about. Jack, I'm a little bummed to come back this morning and see no comments from you. At least Natalie is still by my side, despite my failings as a blogger. Eric, I know you're reading this - I think it's time you got off your Blogger butt and started posting on my blog. Where's the love?

!

I can only begin to express my dismay at my horrible lack of presence in the blogging scene over the past few days. I apologize profoundly - however, life has been busy, and you will soon see why.
I arrived home on Friday, the day of my last blog, to Grandpa and Uncle Phil - yay! It was great to see them, and we had fun hanging out and talking. Mom was out at a meeting, and Dad was figuring out how to pirate cable from our neighbor (since we don't have cable and the BIIIIG Flyers' game was on ESPN the next day, during the party) so I chilled with Gramps and Uncle Phil, ate some hummus, and made the icing for the cakes I had made the night before (mocha, chocolate, and cream cheese...mmmMmmmMm). We had a nice dinner once Mom got home, and then I headed out with some friends to see Troy - which was, surprisingly, ok. I mean, granted, the plot lines were NOT accurate, but a lot of the themes were right on and I was really pleased to see that. I went out to the diner with Eric, Annie, Peter, and Luke (our typical hang out) and we chilled for awhile, then picked up my drunk older brother in town. He fell asleep in the car on the way home, so Annie and I had a peaceful ride...for the most part, anyway. Hit the sack - the next day was going to be a BIG day.
On Saturday, I woke up, picked up some sausage (mm...yum...or not) and Paul and Kennon (his girlfriend) from band. We went home and cleaned for awhile, set up the backyard with tables and stuff, and helped put out food. I ran up to take a shower just as the first guests arrived. The party was a blast - lots of people playing with my ducks, chilling out, good food, good company. Ben raked in a lot of dough (which he needs...as he just crashed another car...yikes) and a good time was had by all. Around 7:30, all of Ben's buddies camped out around the TV to watch the Flyers' game, and as Annie and I were uninterested in this pursuit, we moved in on the wine. She and I had a good time drinking and chatting with people as the night went on. Ben's buddies peaced out to hit the bars around 10:30 and I hung out with my friends, talking, playing some Great Dalmudi, and pretty soon Paul and Kennon showed up too. We had a nice time.
The next morning, I got up early to say good bye to Grandpa and Uncle Phil. It was a nice visit but far too short! After they left, I went BACK TO BED!!! I was tired. Then I got up and threw myself into CLEANING MY ROOM, which was a pit. It's looking much better now, but there was a load of books on the floor and no where to put them, so I went shopping for a bookshelf. No luck. I chilled out mostly on Sunday night, and talked to Dad about building a bookshelf...read a little, then went to bed early.
Monday, of course, meant work again. We've got a huge event coming up so I was going a little crazy sending out information to all the people involved. THIS is the reason I could not shirk my duties and blog - my job actually demanded my attention. Imagine that. Last night, I went to Home Despot to get some wood for my BOOKSHELF!!! then went to Rita's with Eric and Peter. We stopped by Jill's house to say hey, since she'd been away. Home to bed after too long.
Today was work again. Loooong day, and I'm about to peace out and go to the YMCA before heading home to build my BOOKSHELF with my dad. See? I've been busy!
In other news: I have finally named the final duck. I finally decided on P.K. - if you can figure out why I named it that, I'll give you a shout out in the blog (any blogger's greatest dream...)

ashamed

well, I am shamefully returning to the blogging world after an unexcusable two day absence. However, I have returned and I am back in action. Let's see - I've basically been working, but I went to Paul's concert the other night too. It was good - LOOONG, and so long, in fact, that they cut out 3 songs. Unfortunately, Paul had a solo in 2 of those three songs, so it was kinda a bummer. After the concert, I hung out with some friends that I hadn't seen in awhile, so that was great. Last night I made FOUR CAKES! for Ben's graduation party with Annie and Jackie, then we watched a video we had made in high school. It was a play we had written - and let me tell you, it was freaking amazing. The whole play was written in couplet form, and we made the puppets...wow. All I can say is that the four of us are GENIUSES!!!! If anyone is interested in reading this marvelous piece of literature, go ahead and drop me a comment and I'll email it to you. Tonight I'm going to see Troy and then tomorrow is Ben's big graduation party...I'm sure it'll be loads of fun!

another post

So, even though I already posted today, I thought other people would appreciate the article Jack submitted in one of his comments. I think it gives us all something to think about.

http://www.thestarpress.com/articles/7/019637-3067-009.html


Let me know what you think.

be the blog

ok so I am back in action. I am currently at work, shirking my duties. I decided that after entering campers into Microsoft Access for 3 and a half hours, I deserved a break. So here I am! Let's see. Yesterday I worked, but left early (gasp!) to go get a CT scan. Very uncomfortable. Then, I went to the Y and worked out, then went home and played with the ducks - they went for their first swim yesterday! Aww. Paul and I messed around with them for awhile (separating one from the other three and making them try to find each other, making them follow us through REALLY tall grass, etc.) and laughed about it. Paul's head is better - he had to get stitches and so has a bald spot (poor kid) but he's pretty cheerful about it. Mom and I struggled to find a tablecloth big enough for our dining room table (the one that was up at the farm...it's HUGE) and so I had to run out to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. The store lady told me they didn't have any big enough, and then I went and looked for myself and clearly there were LOTS that were big enough. Incompetant help. Annnnyway, Eric and Annie came over again last night, and we played some solitaire and then went out to Wawa to buy food for Peter's arrival (directly from school - didn't even go HOME before he came over...his family hates me). We all chilled out for awhile before everyone went home. I hit the sack. Got up, and here I am at work.
As you can see, my life is fullllll of thrills and chills. I know you are all jealous of the excitement that I am living every day. Your comments are all that keeps me going...

well, well, well

The public has CERTAINLY gotten demanding after my brief break from blogging...hey guys, I'm not on vacation anymore! I had to WORK today! Seriously, what's up with that? Well, I got home last night and hung out with the fam for awhile (we had champagne and the Case birthday cake in honor of Ben's graduation...aw, Benny). I was a little tired because Molly had slept with me the night before, and dude, that dog SNORES. Eventually I kicked her out and she resorted to sleeping with Eric, but she kept trying to come back...anyway. I survived. But speaking of snoring, the dude next to me on the plane snored the entire. ride. home. Eventually, I asked the flight attendant for ear plugs, and since she didn't have any, she gave me a headset - for FREE! Score for me for saving $5. It was a good night with the fam, and my friends came over around 11 and we talked about the Nick Berg incident. Knowing him has really brought this whole war incredibly, scarily close to home. It was sad to talk to his really close friends but nice to hear all the good stories about him people have. Today, it was up and at 'em and back to the old grindstone. Regular day at work, nothing too exciting - but AFTER work, I got my DUCKS!!!!!!! THEY ARE SO CUTE!!!! I have already named three - Aflack, Kermit, and Bessie - and I'm contemplating on the fourth (Ezekiel maybe? Hmm...) so only time will tell. A few friends came over to meet the ducks, and I got online to email something to one of them, happened to check my blog - and kicked my friends out of the house so I could catch my fans up on the daily happenings in the life of Mary Ellen. I know you have all been waiting with bated breath. Well here it is, folks. Comment away.

Let's see. Yesterday was a really nice, relaxing day - I couldn't've asked for more. I got some breakfast with Annie and then kinda lazed around - literally - all afternoon. I went into her hot tub for awhile, took a nap, read...I have no idea where the time went, but it was 4:45 before I got in the Lexus to go down the hill. I hit up a road side stand to buy some artichokes, which was neat, then drove down Highway 1 to Pebble Beach. This is not the famous Pebble Beach, but an actual pebble beach. The whole beach was tiny little rocks, and it was so fun to dig around and see what I could find. I hung out there for about an hour, kinda taking it all in, and then hopped back in the car (Molly was impatient - she had gone with me) and drove back to Half Moon Bay. I stopped for a little while in town to walk around a little, most of the shops were closed but I liked the feel of the place, very slow paced and easy going. Grandpa called and we chatted for a bit, then I hopped back in the car to drive up the hill. Annie arrived at her house shortly after I did, and we started dinner (hm...we had soup, salad, corn, and some Israeli cous cous) and I played with Molly for awhile. Eric came in time for dinner, and Sarah and Joel turned up just as we finished. Sarah felt my pulse and checked my tongue at my request (I asked her about some herbs for my sinuses) and she told me I am yin deficient...which means I need to change my diet a bit, cutting out sugar and carbs and eating lots of protein and good fats (like avocados and nuts). Yikes - I'll give it a go, we'll see what happens. It was fun talking about Chinese medicine with her, since that's what she's studying. I couldn't believe she could tell this about me just from my tongue and pulse - how cool! Eric and I went back to his place and unpacked the stuff he had just bought for his place - two AWESOME lamps and a papason chair. They all look totally cool.
We woke up around 9 this morning and took it easy, talking and having some poached eggs for breakfast. We decided what errands to run and then around 1:30 we left. We stopped at this HUUUUGE redwood tree named Mathusalah - AMAZING. I have never seen a tree that big. Then we went to Radio Shack, then to Pier 1 to grab some pillows for Eric's window seat. After that, we went to Target for some lightbulbs and picture frames, then checked out a nursery before going into Half Moon Bay. We got a sandwich and some chips and guacamole for supper, then drove down to the beach so I could say good-bye. Now we're back hanging out at his apartment, with plans to go pick up Molly so she can come here for the night (Annie is having a Taoist priest's assistant stay the night - very important and exciting!) and to watch "The Princess Bride" - Eric's never seen it. I'm feeling a little yucky today - I think I may have gotten a touch of Eric's sickness - bummer. Anyway, it was a nice, relaxing, fun day with Eric - I was glad to spend some time with him and get a chance to talk.

a new day

Well, yesterday was a nice day. We went and played with the dogs on the beach (beautiful beach! such nice clear water) and then followed Sarah to Santa Cruz. She had class, so we parted ways, and Natalie and I stopped at a little bakery called Emily's Bakery and got a sandwich. After that, we drove up and around UC Santa Cruz's campus, which was interesting, and then headed back down Highway 1 to Monterey. It was a beautiful drive, we passed all kinds of organic farms and strawberry stands. We drove down Cannery Row, where Steinbeck wrote, and then headed down a scenic beach road to 17 Mile Drive. What a beautiful area! We got out and climbed on some rocks for awhile - it was fun but I scraped my leg. The houses in 17 Mile Drive were amazing - Natalie picked out her future home (don't worry, there is PLENTY of space for all of us) and then we arrived in Carmel. We drove through Carmel and then picked up Highway 1 back north to Annie's. I wanted to try to stop and get some artichokes, but the place I planned on stopping was closed. Bummer. We got back to Annie's and made some dinner - parsnips, stir fry, and salad. Eric was still feeling gross so he didn't eat much and slept on the couch most of the night. We toasted marshmallows in the fire and then played a game of triple solitaire, but they weren't very successful games. Headed back to Eric's and slept. Eric left early this morning to take Natalie to the airport, and I showered and headed down to Annie's. I think I'm about to go scrounge around for some food...I miss Natalie already!

up and at 'em

Howdy folks. Sorry for the delay in bloggage. Last night was a rather uneventfuul shopping trip - we went to this store called Cost Plus, which was really neat - all kinds of unique stuff. Eric decided on a chair and some awesome lamps, which are tall and covered in red fabric. He's looking into some pillows for his window seat, as well. We had our eyes out for some stools, a bed side table, and a low table for eating, but no luck - we even tried Ikea and Organized Living, but they weren't Eric's style really. Eric will head back sometime soon to Cost Plus to make the purchases. After that, we went to play with Molly again (of course - it's impossible to resist that dog) and then came back to hang out for a bit before bed. Eric's stomach is a little upset - bummer. Maybe it's all that awesome Google food - which WAS awesome, by the way!!! I woke up this morning to Grandpa's early morning call (I think he planned that! I know your sly ways, Grandpa) but it was good to chat a bit. Natalie woke up after we hung up and the first thing out of her mouth was, "Do you think Annie wants to make us coffee again?" So we strolled down to Annie's (we saw 3 banana slugs along the way, including one on Eric's doormat) and had some coffee, eggs, potatoes, and strawberries - Annie just whips up food before you know it! You blink and suddenly there is a feast. Now we are preparing to go meet Sarah at Half Moon Bay for a walk on the beach with her dogs. Maybe Molly will get to come too. After the walk, we are planning on driving down Highway 1 to Monteray and Carmel or wherever the wind takes us, then cruising back up for dinner at Annie's (mmm parsnips...) Hopefully Eric will feel better so he can go to his Blogger party. He is still passed out and it is 10:45 - unheard of!! Natalie left her Tums by his bed. Better go - Natalie has gotten herself together and is ready to leave. Highway 1, here we come!

blog blog blog

Well it's back to another hard day of blogging. We had a great time yesterday at dinner - the food was SO. GOOD. and of course, the company was amazing too. We drove back up the mountain after dinner up these wiiindy wiiiiindy mountain roads. I think it would've been cooler in the daylight, where we could see through the trees out over the mountain, but it was neat at night too. We hung out with Annie for awhile, and played with Molly (that dog is out of control) and then headed up to Eric's for bed. Not a busy night but we had fun. Today we're chillin out maxin relaxin all cool - headed to Google for lunch, and anything outside of that is up in the air. We might go shopping for Eric's apartment later on tonight. Other than that, only time will tell.

Reflections on my visit to Starr King: I started out unimpressed. There was a service going on when I arrived, and it was cool but I felt a little out of place - it was very interactive and I didn't know anyone, so it was kinda weird. Then I went to a class, which was ok but not awesome (Music in the services - they were just presenting projects, since it was the end of the semester I had missed the bulk of what the class had to offer). Anyway, I was headed to meet with the admissions lady when I saw the president of the school, and I said hello and introduced myself, and she offered to talk to me for a few minutes. It was very helpful and made me look at the school and my future in a whole different light. I was really glad to get a chance to talk to her, because it kinda turned my thinking of the school around. So I met with the admissions lady and then headed out to the Graduate Theological Union Bookstore - which was 3 doors down from Starr King - how cool. Overall, it was an intriguing experience. I have some thinking to do for sure.

According to the words of my ever-so-eloquent cousin, I need to "shit or get off the pot." So here I am. Just got back from visiting Starr King and I'm hanging out with Natalie in this stellar coffee shop - here's one for you, Dad, "Brewed Awakenings." Ha. More on Starr King later, but I had to post SOMETHING so the fans would get off my back. Off to Telegraph Avenue to hang out with some hippies, then out to dinner with cousin Eric (Indian. Yum. Is it just me, or are there infinate amounts of Indian restaurants in Berkeley? Just a comment.) Yay, traffic, here we come. Blog on, kids.

Well, well, well. Look like the masses have gotten demanding after only ONE DAY of blogdom. So sorry for the delay, but we are busy and important people! Never you fear, though - the blog was on our minds all day, and I am now revving to place a post.
Well, Natalie and I went down into the city yesterday. I was the navigator, and she was the driver, which worked out really well because I like maps and I'm afraid of driving in the city. Maps. So fun. So anyway, we decided on trying out the Japanese tea garden. Had a bit of trouble getting into Golden Gate park and actually FINDING the place, but once we got there it was fun. There was this gigantic bridge that you had to climb up onto (because it was a very narrow half circle - you had to climb it like a ladder) and just nice pretty flowers and koi ponds and all of these things. Then, disaster struck. We decided that we were IN the Japanese tea garden, and so therefore, should drink tea. We gazed at the Menu.
"Oooh, oolong," said I.
"Ew. Oolong? I like Jasmine," said Natalie.
"But we've never tried oolong before," I said pompously.
"But...Jasmine...whatever, fine."
And thus, we drank the worst tea known to man. POLICY on Oolong tea. It really tasted like NOTHING but left a really gross feeling in your mouth after you drank. And since we had spent $6 on the tea, we felt obligated to drink the whole godforsaken kettle - which was not a fun task. Sadly, we walked back to our car, and set off to the marina for our Alcatraz tour. We drove to the marina by way of Lombard Street - the crookest street in the country (or something like that). As we were approaching it, the hill just kept going UP and UPP and it was like a roller coaster or something. Natalie drove like a pro - I was very impressed. It was a cool then. So we got to Pier 39, got robbed on the cost of parking, and got some burritos before getting on the boat. We saw the sea lions while we stood in line. It was kinda dull, actually, they were just lying there all up on each other, but it was still neat. The boat ride was cool, and by cool, I mean cold. Natalie was bundled up so much you could barely see her face (get pumped for pictures of THAT!). Our tour went around the island, then pulled up the dock - it's amazing how small it is (the island, not the dock). We got a cool tour on the way up from some British dude with weird hair, then went in and had a guided tour with an audio tape. It was a very cool place, as Annie said when we got home, "A nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there." Crazy to think about the kind of things that people had to do to get there. Apparently you were sent to Alcatraz after you had already served time and caused trouble at another prison - so it was like THE prison. Kinda like AZKABAN. Wooo. So the tour was cool - saw Al Capone's cell, the solitary confinement cells, the cells from which people broke out...very cool. After this tour, we looked around a bit and then joined another tour guide, Jim, for a tour on the breakout in the 60s before it closed. Jim had very unfortunately sized teeth, but still gave a good tour. Apparently these guys made fake heads, widened the vents in their room, and crawled out through pipes. Their footprints were found all the way to the water's edge, and then....they have never been heard from again. Natalie and I think they're alive. Our tour guide said he likes to think they come back once a year for a tour...ha! I bet he's right. Sooo, we got back on the boat (I tortured Natalie by making her sit outside again) and then we made some phone calls and left some voicemails, basically bragging that we were in San Francisco. We wandered around Fishermen's Wharf, went to Ghiardelli Square (and got a S'more Sundae to share...mmmmm) and then walked back to the car. I wanted to go to Sunset Blvd, which was way out of our way, but Natalie said it was all right. When we GOT there, I realized how stupid it was, and it was in THIS moment that Natalie decided to inform me that the REAL Sunset Blvd is in LA. That information would have been handy BEFORE we took the massive detour to get to the road...but whatever. Kyle gave me a call and hated on my blog for awhile (BLOGS ARE COOL, OK?!?) but it was nice to talk to him. We cruised back to Skyline Blvd, only got lost once, and visited with Annie in her cute little house. Molly (her dog) was HYPER. I kept throwing this little deer for her and she only stopped once she ripped the ear of the deer. She was into it. Annie made us rice cakes with almond butter on it, and made HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE right before our very eyes - with lemon and ginger in it - AMAZING. Anyway, then we realized Eric wasn't coming over and was actually going to bed, so we made the very scary hike up to Eric's apartment and hit the sack (literally, I was sleeping in a sleeping back! HA!)
Well, we're off the Berkeley today, where I'll visit Starr King, and get to hang out with some hippies. Good times. More later (we promise to be more prompt next time, Jack...you're so demanding.)

regrets

My apologies to Jack for neglecting to mention his amazing postcard. Thanks, Jack. I love postcards with hot blonde chicks in bikinis.

too much fun

Well, I'm having so much fun with the blog that I'm posting AGAIN. Here's the new news - Natalie and I are going on a night tour of Alcatraz tonight. After I ordered the tickets, I realized that it's not actually going to be DARK when we go - details, details. Oh well, maybe it's cool for other reasons too??????? We've been making a lot of phone calls - to Uncle Phil, to Annie, to Starr King School of Ministry - and to Eric to let him know that we have joined the ranks of the bloggers. We ate up all of his vegan cookies as we made the blogs - this is hard work. I want to know how he's got cookies with chocolate in it and it's still vegan. A bit sketchy to me. Well, I've got to run and post on NATALIE'S BLOG - nataliecase.blogspot.com for all of you fans out there.

IN SAN FRANCISCO

Well, folks, here I am in San Francisco. I'm hanging out in Eric's apartment right now, staring out at the BEAUTIFUL redwood trees. It's been a fun trip so far - Annie picked me up at the airport, and we drove ALL over - through the city, over the Golden Gate Bridge, and we stopped and looked at the Bay from the other side of San Francisco. Then we went to Tiburon, this cute little town, and got lunch. We drove around some more, down into Sausilito (which was pretty boring) and then back through the city and down the coast to Half Moon Bay, where I met my cousin Sarah and her husband, Joel. Beautiful beautiful beaaaaautiful. Then Annie and I went back to her house, where I played with her American Girl dolls for hours while she made dinner (parsnips, mashed potatoes, and cream of green chili soup - YUUUM) and hung out with her awesome dog, Molly. Eric and Natalie showed up around 10:30 and then we went to Eric's place- poor guy, he's got the nicest apartment I've ever seen. Went to sleep on his window seat - very nice and toasty in his sleeping bag. Eric made us poached eggs on toast for breakfast, and then Natalie and I embarked on our blog-creating expedition.

POLICIES OF THE DAY:
The Golden Gate Bridge should NOT cost $5 to cross! That is INSANE
Natalie needs to cut down on her farting habits
Eric's apartment is WAY. TOO. CLEAN. (and also way too cool - smells like cedar inside -mmm)

I got to talk to Cameron and Amir online today - AWESOME - I miss you guys so much! I'm having a great time with my cousins, though. The city is beautiful. Watch out, Mom, I might not come back. =) We're not really sure what we're doing today - but first on the list of things to do is shower, so I'm going to go do that so we can embark on our adventure for today.