Guess Who's Coming to Charlotte?

Vice President Dick Cheney picked my new city for his one and only post-State-of-the-Union speech to reinforce the President's message on the the economy and the war on terror. This apparently makes sense to VP Dick Cheney because Charlotte is the second-largest banking center in the country (after New York) and because North Carolina has a pretty big military community. He'll be flying in to speak to an exclusive group of business people and local officials at the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce tomorrow.

I'll be there. So will the "Impeach Bush/Cheney" protestors out front, though I doubt I'll see Salt Lake's most famous protester among them. (Miss ya, Rocky!)

This will make two encounters with Cheney in one year (BYU graduation was the other). I sure know how to pick a happenin' city, eh?

And later that night I'll be at a rally featuring the Reverend Al Sharpton.

I'd make some quip here about the circus coming to town, but you'd have to take me literally, since the circus actually arrived yesterday, as you can see from this cool pic in today's Charlotte Observer.

Sunshine in Charlotte

I wore shoes without socks today and I think it hit 60 degrees. . . I'm sorry for all of you shoveling snow back in Utah.

This place is different enough from my life back in Utah - personally, professionally and culturally - that I seem to have a surreal moment at least daily. But today's was more surreal than most. I had a meeting with a public safety official in the median of a major roadway to discuss a project I'm working on. Afterward, he put on his green vest to direct traffic so I could pull back onto the freeway. But then he saw my Utah plates and stopped, came back around to the car, knocked on the window and when I rolled it down said in his very strong southern accent.

"Y'all from Yoo-tah?"

"Yes."

"Y'all Mormon?."

"In fact I am."

"I been hearin' bout y'all's prophet dying. Is he like a real prophet?"

A little taken aback at this point, I cleared my throat and tried to decide if I should launch into the 3rd discussion right there or just give the quick answer. He was so sincere, I didn't know how to take it. Given the rushing traffic on both sides of us, I chose brief.

"Yes, we believe he was a prophet, just like Abraham or Moses in the Bible."

"Well, how're they gonna replace him?"

"The other 12 apostles - there are 12, just like Jesus had in the New Testament. They will meet and through revelation decide who should be the next president of the church."

"So he's kinda like yer pope?"

"I suppose so, yes."

"Well I'm glad yer here. I'm glad the Mormons are here cause we got too many Baptists here. I was raised in a strict Baptist home and I think we need other religions around. So good fer you."

"Um, thanks?"

And then, like a green-vested Moses on the banks of the Red Sea, he waved his arms and a lane cleared so I could rejoin the freeway traffic.

Farewell, President Hinckley

I found out through two text messages that arrived at my phone almost simultaneously from my mom and sister. President Hinckley's passing didn't make it into the local Charlotte media. But I was pleased - and frankly surprised - to hear NPR cover it all day long in newscasts and at least one very well-balanced obituary feature. I imagine they've had that obit ready for a few years now - and definitely since President Hinckley started predicting his own death a few General Conferences ago.

Of course, I had to wonder if the news would have gotten as much national play if it weren't for Mitt Romney's candidacy and the attention that has created for the Church.

No matter. President Hinckley was a great ambassador for the Church. Maybe even the best, in my mind.

And I'm going to miss his jaunty little cane waves from the stand at Conference.

In the 'hood

I'm going to steal this sign and hang it in my kitchen. It's so vintage-cool, it makes the neighborhood sound a little less like a retirement complex.


Sedgefield. Some very smart people bought acres upon acres of land back in the 50s and built little cottages all over it. They started renting them out and today the land is worth who-knows-how much. It's just a few miles from the heart of Charlotte's Uptown and sandwiched between a couple of upscale neighborhoods (Dilworth and South End). Word is the smart owner-people have plans to develop it with condos and retail pretty soon. Now that Charlotte's the new hot place to live and property values are high. But for now, they rent the cute little duplexes on the cheap to folks like me .


Look, I have a porch!

And a big huge shade tree in my front yard. And I have a really long driveway that leads to my kitchen door in back. And from there you can see the enormous stretch of grass the houses on my street share with the houses on the next street over. I imagine there's all kinds of barbecuing and frisbee fun going on out here in the warmer months. And I imagine I'll spend my share of time kicking back on my porch on hot summer nights reading.

I love the stately trees along my street. Can't wait to see them all dressed up with leaves and blossoms in the spring. Not sure if these trees are the blossoming type, but with a name like Sedgefield, there ought to be blossoms, don't you think?

Took the Train Today

Light rail is called Lynx here, instead of Trax, and that's kind of clever since the acronym for the Charlotte Area Transit System is CATS. Get it? CATS . . . . Lynx.

The stop is only 4 blocks from my house and it ends just a few blocks from the city library in Uptown (which is what Charlotte calls its downtown . . . also gonna take some getting used to saying.) At 10 minutes, the train probably wasn't much faster than driving, but it was much easier. And cheaper if you're a freeloader and don't buy a ticket. Which I'm not. I bought.


And then I became a card carrying member of the Charlotte Mecklenburg public library system.


Combine that with my 704 cell phone number and I'm pretty sure that makes me a bona fide local. And it got me three fascinating new books to read and two movies that will keep me busy tonight because I'm sure there will be nothing worth watching on my three TV stations.

Hooray for public libraries and public transit!

Bargain of the day: Oyster sauce and fresh ginger root at the Asian market 2 blocks from home.

TGIF

I survived my first full week on the job. The new girl jitters seem to be fading and I think the week was pretty productive.I also survived my first full week of commuting and so far it doesn't seem too bad.

This is my commute. It's 13.6 miles each way and it takes between 21-26 minutes. Turns out it's a reverse commute, since all the traffic seems to be going the other direction. And though it's a longer drive than I'd like (really, I'd prefer to live next door to my office and never get in my car!) it's not so bad. The drive in is a chance to rev up for the day with my hot herbal tea and some music, news or conference talks, depending on my mood. The drive home always seems twice as long for some reason. Maybe because I'm just ready to be home and finished with the day. Ironically, the longest part of the drive is spent sitting at stop lights on either end of the freeway - though you can see that I live and work close to the freeway exits. The streetlights seem very poorly timed. So even if I did move closer to work when my lease is up in six months, I'd probably still spend 15 minutes just getting through the lights.

Bargain of the day: Light pink fishnet stockings on the bargain table at TJ Maxx!

The Heavens Parted Today . . .

. . . and I swear I heard angels singing.

It has been SO long since I shopped at Trader Joe's. It was my lifeline for French cheese, tasty crackers, exotic treats and ethnic staples on a budget in SF. I had such a huge grin wandering around the store tonight, three separate employees asked if it was my first time in Trader Joe's. I nearly teared up explaining myself.

"Actually, it's more of a reunion because, see, I used to shop at TJ every week and then I moved to Utah where they don't have them and it's been so long, and I just can't tell you how happy I am, and do you still have that granola with the ginger chunks in it?"

Yeah, they do. And you know what else they have?

Dried dragon fruit, Chianti soaked salami, garlic and herb goat cheese, whole wheat couscous, orange spice rooibos tea. . . seriously, I just heard the harps kick in.

Trader JOOOOOE'S! TRAAAAAderrrrrr JOES! TRAAAADER JOOOOE'SSS!

Getting Ready for Summer

I work out at this gym, which I chose on account of its being close to work and about 1/3 the price of the "Y" where all the cool (and apparently rich) people sweat. But I think I've discovered another bonus of exercising here, and I'm hoping it pays off in a few months.

At first I thought maybe the thermostat was just broken. I'm just guessing here, but I'd say the gym temp is set to at least 80. Add all the exhaling and perspiring of the crowd and it's downright muggy. I break a sweat just changing into my workout clothes. I have to mop my face and forearms every few minutes to keep from slipping off the stairmaster.

Thinking maybe the repair guy was coming soon, I casually mentioned it to the kid working the front desk today:

Me: "Sure is hot in here today." (questioning look)
Him: "Yeah! It feels good. It's cold outside."

It's 40 degrees outside right now, last I checked. Certainly not the kind of temperature that justifies making people work out in a sauna. Then again, I'm from the desert. People keep telling me the humid heat of North Carolina summers is dreadful. I can only hope my daily workouts will help me acclimate so I don't wilt and die come July.

Otherwise, it's an awful waste of sweat.

Life on Poindexter Drive

The color of my couch is "paprika" according to the furniture company. My mother was infinitely patient in shopping with me for it. Little did she know I picked the color to complement the most important element of my home decor: Lyle. As you can see, the are a perfect pair, as Lyle and I would be if only I could manage to meet him. I've tried at several concerts, but no luck. So I settle for my Lyle portrait, painted by the incomparable Paul Ferney.

My little two-bedroom apartment was built in the 50's. I love the original wood floors in the living room and the pull-down ladder leading to the attic storage.

Here's the view of the other side of the main living area. Note the small bookshelf holding the TV. I tried to pay $50 for it at Target but they were out of stock. An hour later I found it brand new at Goodwill for $20. And I even got to assemble it myself. Hooray for Goodwill! And yes, those are rabbit ears. I get three channels. I don't watch much TV these days.


On to the kitchen. Not much to see here. The oven works - I made banana bread last night. I'm learning how to wash dishes by hand again. No room for a dishwasher with the washer/dryer on the other wall.


My bedroom is the smaller of the two and the sun comes blazing through those windows on days when I'm still in bed at sunrise. It's glorious - mainly because it means I'm sleeping in! The quilt on the wall is another of my favorites. A close childhood friend made them for each of the girls in our gang when they got married. She finally gave up and made mine for me when we graduated from college. Thanks Louisa!

I've taken over one corner of the guest room for my computer. I seem to spend a lot of time here lately updating this blog and watching TV shows online. My internet connection is much better than my TV antenna. Leia Bell prints on the wall make me smile. So does my accordion in the black case at bottom right. No TV = lots of time to practice. And of course, the guest bed is just waiting for visitor!

As soon as it warms up I'll snap some outdoor shots. I've got a porch, a big front yard and a HUGE shared green space in the back.

I live on Poindexter Drive and so far it's the only street in Charlotte I manage to find consistently without using a map. Home sweet home.

The Omnipotent Weathermen of NC

I'm told it rarely snows here in Charlotte. Maybe I'm good luck, because it's snowed twice in the week since I arrived. The really big storm promised a whole TWO INCHES of snow and TV stations went to nonstop coverage of "Storm 2008" (cue intense music here). As you can see from the photo, about an inch of snow actually fell. None of it stuck to the roads, but that didn't stop the county from canceling all schools for the day. The newspaper ran two days of front page snapshots from readers featuring kids in snowsuits scraping their yards to build mini-snowmen.

Where were these school officials when I was growing up in Provo? We had exactly one snow day during my entire school career. And that was because below-zero temperatures burst the school's pipes. I chalked Charlotte's bizarre school-cancellation-for-an-inch-of-snow behavior up to it being the first storm of the year.

Then two days later the weathermen predicted another storm and every one in town canceled church - the Mormons included. In Utah we make fun of weathermen for getting it wrong half the time. Out here, the weathermen seem to get more credit than God. But He set us all straight Sunday morning. It was clear and sunny, though a chilly 20 degrees.

Helpful Tips for Cross-country Moves

This is my very first blog. I realize I'm a bit behind the times, but until now, I've never had a compelling reason to start one. Then I uprooted my life in Utah and moved 2,000 miles across the country, leaving all of my family and friends behind. Distance compels me to enter the blogosphere. I will attempt to post frequent updates here on my new life in North Carolina for all of those friends and family I left behind. *sigh* So for my blogging debut, I give you these tips for following in my footsteps:

1. U-Pack is for pros! Packing all of my earthly belongings into a metal cube 6 x 7 x 8 feet was sobering. After 33 years, shouldn't I have accumulated a bit more?! A wise friend quipped "True joy increases as the size of the box decreases."

2. Books-on-tape are an excellent way to pass the time on marathon drives. Provided, of course, you listen to the chapters in the order they were written. I do not recommend listening to them in random order - say if your ipod is accidentally set to "shuffle." That will create all kinds of confusion. Just ask my mom, who can speak from a full day's listening experience. Oops!

3. Look for oddities along the way. Who knew the largest cross in the Western Hemisphere is in Groom, TX? And made of steel, to boot!

4. If you undertake the drive with a companion, choose someone with a bladder-size comparable to yours. I'm not sure how you would measure this in advance. But I lucked out with my mom along for the ride. Plus, it's a nice break from driving to stop every 1 1/2 hours. And incidentally, if your companion has a cold, you will catch it from her, no matter how strong your immune system or infrequently you get sick. The nettipot is my new best friend.

5. It is a small, small Mormon world. A quick search on a Mormon networking site put me in touch with my new friend Angela who found me the best little apartment in Charlotte. It's cheap and close to lots of neat neighborhoods. And I was able to rent it without having to fly out and drive the streets searching "For Rent" signs. I wouldn't necessarily recommend renting a place sight-unseen. But thanks to Angela and the World Wide Mormon Web, things worked out swell for me! (Photos and apartment details will come in a later post.)