You should Come. :)

I am begging for your help!!

OK-so this is the thing...Beef O' Brady's wants karaoke, and so we started it last week. Only NO ONE came. OK-2 tables came. But that was all. It was heartbreaking.

But, I really want this thing to be a go. I mean, I love karaoke, and I love paying bills with the money it makes. And, if no one comes, Beefs will cancel it, for sure.

I need you to come Saturday. Not only that, but I need you to come Saturday and bring some friends. I need you to tell people about it.

Last Saturday was terrible. There were 5 of us singing, and we just took turns all night. That really isn't that much fun. What's fun is when lots of people come. Even if you don't sing...no worries. Bodies are much more important than voices. I'll sing you a song. It will be a good one.

Please, please, please, come. I really truly need your help. Please. (Please.)

Best. Show. Ever.

People, I am so in love with Dr. Dog. They are the perfect blend of late era Beatles, Ween, and Flaming Lips. Which means they are AWESOME.

Horrible News

I have just learned that Hayden Griffith, who was a wonderfully talented student of mine, died in a car wreck. She was beautiful, kind, and full of talent. I'm astounded.

Please keep her family in your prayers.

A Meme from Dooce

I borrowed this Meme from Dooce.com.

What are your middle names? Mine is Nichole and Jon's is Alton.

How long have you been together? We've been together a hair over 2 years. We've been married a hair over a year and a half.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
A couple of days, maybe.

Who asked whom out?
I don't really remember. Both of us were highly interested, and I'm not sure either of us ever actually asked the other out.

How old are each of you?
I'm 27 and Jon is 35, making me 10 when he graduated high school.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
That's a tossup. My sister lives in Greensboro, and Jon's brother lives in Asheville. I see my sister when I go home, but Thad has a tendency to show up our our door from time to time. I guess I'd say we see his more.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Driving. Jon gets really stressed when he drives, and it makes for an unpleasant ride, where I'm irritated and scared. So I always drive. But then he always has these "tips" about how I should be driving. This does not go over well with me. Also, if we disagree in the car, we can go hours without talking, which is miserable. When we get mad, we need a couple of minutes apart before we can deal with things like actual people.

Did you go to the same school?
No. Jon went to a photography school in Asheboro and I went to Appalachian State.

Are you from the same home town?
No. Jon's from Hickory, where we live now. I'm from Sanford NC, then Concord, then Kannapolis, then China Grove, Salisbury, Boone, then Hickory.

Who is smarter?
That's hard. Jon is better at being logical and thinking things through. I'm book smarter. And because of my trivia game and years of good grades in school I know a lot of facts. He's the more adult, though.

Who is the most sensitive?
Me. A day I don't cry is to be celebrated.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
McGuires, where we met, and Beef O'Brady's, because I run the trivia and such there. But we like to eat at Umi's the most. It is a tiny little Japanese restaurant that is impeccable.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Saba, Netherland Antilles.

Who has the craziest exes?
I'm gonna go with me.

Who has the worst temper?
Me, in that I can get really mad really quick. But when Jon gets mad, it is much more serious.

Who does the cooking?
I do almost all the cooking. I love to cook, and it makes me feel like a good wife. Jon did make roast this week though.

Who is the neat-freak?
JON! I'm so messy, and I've been trying so hard to be clean enough for him. I'm not sure I'll ever get there, but I'm improving.

Who is more stubborn?
We both are. And when we're stubborn together, we can do anything.

Who hogs the bed?
Bertha. And me a little. But mostly Bertha.

Who wakes up earlier?
Depends on the day. If I'm teaching school, me. But sometimes he gets up with me. On mornings where we can sleep in, he's always up before me.

Where was your first date?
McGuires, where we met.

Who is more jealous?
There was this one time that one of Jon's exes facebooked him, and I turned green. Stupid, because he's for sure mine. So I'll go with me.

How long did it take to get serious?
"Hi. My name is Carmen." Bam. Serious.

Who eats more?
Jon can eat 8 donuts at a go, but we both have healthy appetites.

Who does the laundry?
Jon's better at it, but sometimes I have to help.

Who's better with the computer?
Jon's great with a mac, but I have a better grasp of the internet.

Who drives when you are together?
Me. Please see above to understand why that sucks.

Why I say my old neigbors were terrible:

There was this one time that I gave the kid $2 for his birthday. His mom took it to buy cigarettes.

The 18 year old boy missed school frequently to work, while the mom and dad stayed at home.

The mom never worked a day.

The dad worked one out of 7 days.

The oldest kid worked 6 out of 7 days.

Mother repeatedly sent oldest kid to see if they could borrow money from us.

I gave the kids a peach one time, and they didn't know what it was. (!!!!!)

The night it snowed, the kids woke up the whole building running around screaming at 2 am.

They had a dog that lived on their tiny back patio, barked incessantly, and got yelled at frequently.

The boys often missed school for no reason other than their mom didn't wake them up and get them ready in time.

They never had a car.

To get groceries, they sent the oldest kid on a bike.

They had no problem with the boys spray painting the stairs on the building, and never once asked the boys where they were going or what they were doing.

Allison shared a wall, and the parents spent huge amounts of time screaming at the top of their lungs.

They smoke their cigarettes inside, and come outside to throw the butts on the ground.

There were 3 months there where the kids ate DONUTS for at least 2 meals a day. Because they were free, and the parents couldn't be bothered to actually work to be able to afford actual food.

I loved the kids, but they had no volume EXCEPT THIS ONE WHICH THEY USED ALL THE TIME!!

The kids could hang out on my back porch for hours before anyone wondered where they were.

I feel like I'm beating a dead horse, so...

Finally, let me explain their leaving procedures:

Thursday afternoon, around 3: Decide to move, 10 minutes later, tell the kids.
Thursday afternoon, around 4: Get drunk. This lasts a good long bit.
Thursday evening, around 7: Start screaming at each other. This also lasts a good long bit.
Friday morning, around 8: Decide to keep the kids home instead of letting them tell their friends goodbye.
Friday morning, around 10: Get drunk.
Friday morning, around 11: Invite friends over to drink and "move".
Friday morning, around 11:30: Cuss out wife at the top of your lungs, in the front yard, and in front of all the friends, for not bringing your socks outside.
Friday afternoon, around 1: Rush to the front yard, from inside the house, to vomit all in the yard.
Friday afternoon, around 1:30: Leave the state. Leave all furniture, toys, and electronics. Leave the vomit and the cigarettes in the yard. Take only pictures and some clothes. Be sure to not tell the landlord, as they are 3 months behind on the rent. Be sure also to forget to notify the schools or the oldest boy's workplace.

Real winners, these guys.

I'm not sure what they did with their dog.

The whole condo seems better now...less trashy, but I'm so concerned about the boys. None of that was their fault. Without any good influences, they haven't got a shot at all. I miss them.

Oh-and interesting tidbit: The dad says he is the dad of all 3 children. I did the math, and that made him 14 at the time he impregnated the 22 year old, then he married her and started their charmed life. What kind of 22 year old girl goes around getting knocked up by a 14 year old? Gross.

Random

1: I love Dr. Dog. I had never heard of the band till last week. <3

_I'm not exactly sure what happened here, but there was a screwup and 2 and 3 have disappeared, and I don't remember them. Sorry._

4: My mom had a great tragedy this weekend, and we should all keep her in our thoughts and prayers.

5: Karaoke starts Saturday.

6: High Schoolers will say just about anything and they keep me pretty entertained.

7: I actually miss my neighbors. I know they drove me nuts, but they also entertained me. Plus, I'm pretty sure I was the only positive influence in their lives, and now I'm kind of worried about them.

Good things that happened yesterday

1: I got a job hosting karaoke Saturday nights at Beef O Brady's. That ups my Beef's pay enough to cover the house payment.

2: School was oh so fun.

3: I got compliments from board members at the Art Museum.

4: Had plenty of good time with my honey.

5: Bought a pair of size 6 jeans.

6: Went to see a movie I liked.

It seems like I'm leaving one good thing out. I'll keep you posted if I remember it.

Bad thing? None. That's right. None. :)

***Allison just pointed out the thing I was forgetting. We have these neighbors, and I don't want to talk bad about people on the internet, but man oh man. Anyway, yesterday they informed me that they'd be moving back to Cincinnati TODAY. This is great news, but better for Allison than me, as they scream at each other constantly, and she shares a wall with them. Thanks for reminding me, Allison.

Loving it

I am really having a good time teaching high school. I've thought about it, and it's because these are all people. Every last one of them are people. I know that sounds weird...but I'm used to kids. And kids are very different than people. Kids will pee on your floor, or burst into tears for no reason. Kids aren't self sufficient, and they exhaust me. High schoolers are great, though.

But, please don't think this means I want to teach high school. If I were to teach high school, I'd have to stay after school frequently to have rehearsal. That, I'm not down with.

But the things I can teach...the whole theatre world is open to me. I can teach them anything I know about theatre. We can do actual projects. And the beautiful thing about the projects...I can delegate most of the responsibilities, which makes it much more of a group project than a Carmen project that features some kids.

I may miss this when I'm done. In a perfect world, I'd teach here, part time, with Molly. Molly is the theatre teacher, and she is wonderful, really wonderful. We get on very well, and we could do so much together.

So clearly, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

Dag blessit.

Woah, I suck at this.

So, it's been about 3 years since I've posted.

In the beginning, it was because I was depressed. In the later stages of my nonposting, the reason was a simple lack of time. I've been very busy, and very happy. Happier than I can recall being, actually. This is a welcome change from the depressed state I was in.

Things are really good in my life right now. Trivia is going well. I may start another trivia night at The Tavern, although that's in the planning stages. I signed on to work with Magical DJs, which should be great. I love hosting parties and karaoke, but I hate going out and getting those jobs. Plus, my equipment isn't really that good. Magical DJ equipment is incredible, so I think that's good all around.

I'm subbing in a high school theatre class for 2 weeks. I'm halfway into the first week now, and I love it. It is amazing how much more people-like high schoolers are as opposed to the little ones. And the ones that take theatre...they tend to be my kind of people, so this has been really fun.

Let's talk about my husband. I love that guy so much. I feel like I'm consistently falling more in love with him. He is a loving, creative, soulful man and I am so lucky to know him.

I feel very fortunate. I set out with this plan, to quit teaching, and boost up everything else, and I think people didn't think it would work. But it is working people! We still have some progress to make, but I can actually see my life unfolding the way I want it to. We are going to make all of our money doing things we actually enjoy. Brilliant.

So, I mentioned the party at HMA. It ended up being the best party of that sort that I've ever seen. I'm not big on drinking, but part of my job was to make jello shots for the party. Then, I walked around and gave them out. I had 80 year old jello shot virgins that fell in love with the suckers. It was great. Allison, Jon and Matt all were there. Allison and our friend Grant screen printed shirts the entire time, with no break at all. Jon ran an awesome photo booth. He set up all sorts of lights and backdrops, and we got some props. You can see those pictures at http://www.joneckard.com/ or http://pictures.hickorymuseumofart.com/ .

Check out the straight hair, yo.

I'm going to make a sincere attempt to post regularly again. Do I have any readers left?