I apologize for leaving you all hanging. I will now explain the random, cryptic pictures from a couple entries ago.

(Pictures re-posted below, because if you're anything like me, you're too lazy to click on that link and go read the entry again).

Random, Cryptic Picture #1 (RCP#1) is me pretending to climb a tree at Magnolia Plantation in Charleston, SC. I visited the beautiful city of Charleston with two good friends of mine over Labor Day weekend (that long ago? Yes. They don't call me a xanga slacker for nothing, you see). All three of us are Western Pennsylvanians transplanted in the South, and we thought that it would be hilarious to pretend to be Southern Belles for the day... i.e., speak in ridiculous Southern accents (this is not to say that Southern accents are ridiculous, but rather that OUR fake Southern accents were ridiculous) and act all prim and proper and generally helpless. I am positive that Charlotte (my Southern Belle alter ego) would never climb, pretend to climb, or even so much as THINK about climbing a tree, but Allison (that would be myself) totally would. And did. Obviously. The inner self slipped out, I guess. So much for getting into character. I should probably never be an actress.

RCP#2 is an action shot taken at the zoo in Greenville, SC. I offered that gigantic tortoise one of those crackers you can buy to feed the animals with, and he accepted it... quite enthusiastically. Note my A. quick arm-retraction and B. expression of alarm. I seriously thought he was gonna bite my hand off. 

RCP#3 is an amazing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cake that my friend PK made for our mutual friend Nathan's surprise birthday party. He was turning 30. As opposed to seven.

RCP#4 is a stapler. In Jello. If you have no idea why anybody would ever put a stapler in Jello (and honestly, I was wondering this myself, many MANY hours and TEN boxes of Jello later), go here. Yep. I had a party in celebration of the season premiere of my favorite TV show, "The Office." I had various Office-themed food - the stapler in Jello, soft pretzels ("364 days til the next pretzel day!"), Mexican lemonade, an Awesome Blossom ("extra awesome") - and told everyone to come dressed up as their favorite character. Many people have, totally apropos of nothing, told me that I remind them a lot of Pam, but I decided to dress up as Angela instead. More specifically, Angela from the episode where a bat is trapped in the office and she's afraid it's going to poop on her head so she wears a raincap all day. It just made sense: she's head of the party planning committee, and I planned our party. Plus, I got to wear a sweet raincap fashioned from saran wrap and scowl a lot. Win-win.

RCP#5 is me and my buddy Jeff Gordon. In Talladega, AL. At a NASCAR race. Yes, really. A friend of mine had an extra ticket (and an extra NASCAR visor - that thing is not mine!) and, as one who can enjoy herself pretty much wherever she goes, I was all for it. It was extremely loud, we were covered in black tire dust by the end of the day (our seats were super close - close enough to feel the wind from the cars going by), and the people we encountered there were... errr.. INTERESTING, but it was a really neat experience. I had a lot of fun. And dang, those cars go FAST!