Everything will fall into place

Hello blog readers! I have to admit, as I am writing this, I am feeling a little guilty about keeping you in the dark about everything that had been going on. I had to for a number of reasons, but I am sorry nonetheless. So, let's rewind a little bit.

In memory of Maia Nielzichbacherott

On Sept. 16, 2011, I lost one of my best friends. Maia was a part of my life for such a short time, but she helped me get through a lot with moving to Savannah. She was my only friend here for a while, and I love and thank her for helping me though it.

Maia's digestive sicknesses took a nasty turn and the vet eventually boiled down her diagnosis to some type of cancer in the intestines. Keeping her alive with chemo was just not an option, so I had to make the hard decision of letting her out of her misery. I didn't do it alone, and I thank all my friends for helping me through the ordeal.

I decided to cremate her remains and bring her back to Columbia, so Allie, Jayme, Amanda and I could all send her off together. It was more for my benefit than for theirs, I think, but I got real closure spreading her ashes at the Big Tree in Columbia.

Here's the Tree in April 2008. We didn't take any pics the day we commemorated Maia.

SND Conference, Sept. 20-Oct. 1

I was lucky enough to attend this year's SND conference in St. Louis. The city was really the perfect place for it to be. Not only did I get free room and board, but I was also able to use my mom's car for the weekend. On the whole, I was a cheapskate, but I still learned a lot!

The panel that will stick with me the most was actually the first one I attended. It was about doing more with less in newsrooms that are dwindling down to a few designers. I learned about what the res of the country is doing and got a couple of ideas to bring back to Savannah, even though they probably won't work out because the staff is almost too tiny to function as it is.

I saw other seminars and learned a lot from people who have been in the business for a lot longer than I have. I actually talked for a while with the people at Gannett, who are consolidating their design into five design studios across the country. I was skeptical about the idea at first because it is so easy to cut off communication that way. Having worked in two traditional newsrooms, I had a lot to ask about. In this digital age, though, it makes communication that much easier. And they are trying to keep as many natives as possible in the studios so that the designers are at least somewhat knowledgable about the area they are designing a paper for. I do have to admit that I did have some ulterior motives for speaking with them, too.  We'll get to that later.

My apartment saga

I moved into my new apartment in July. I had the highest hopes for it. I knew it was a lot older than my other apartment (more than 100 years older), but it was cheaper and in the Historic District. Then the first sewage flood happened.

I'm not going to get into the gory details of the flood or post pictures (ok, maybe just the one...).

The nasty remnants of flood No. 1.

The flood spanned three rooms and a hallway. That first time, the contractors had said that it had happened previously, too, and they would ask the property manager if they could run a camera to fix the problem. Manager said no, and it flooded less than a month later. And then less than a week after that.

After the third flood, my property manager got a quote from a water extraction company assessing the damage. It was at least $3,300 and included ripping up the baseboards and tile flooring to avoid mold and mildew form growing. Manager said no and hired people to clean the surfaces of the floors, leaving the water underneath to rot. Finally, though, they decided to run a camera to actually fix the problem rather than just clean up the mess. They left a hole in my floor for almost two weeks with a piece of plywood on top. After about a week and a half, they cut the plywood to fit the hole, but I still have no tile over it.

A blessing in disguise

So, given the things you have read already and what you may or may not know about my current work situation, can you guess what comes next?

During my 6 days off for Mizzou's homecoming, I was rented a car to drive up to Des Moines, where one of Gannett's design studios is located. I don't think they know how lucky they were to snag me, but the design director talked to me on the phone, and we set it all up. By the end of the day-and-a-half interview, they offered me a job. It was one of those interviews where you know they are going to hire you even before you talk with anyone.

The job involved me living and working in Springfield, Mo., for two months before I move up to Des Moines when the newspaper goes live at the studio. They'd pay my housing in Springfield for two months and storage for my stuff in the city of my choosing.

I didn't respond right away, namely because the signing/moving package wasn't anywhere near what I'd need to move across the country again. (You all know how that one turned out.) They gave me the weekend to decide if it's what I wanted. When the director called me back on Oct. 17, and I negotiated for twice as much for moving and even a pay raise. Then, I took the job.

That's right, folks, I'm coming back to the Midwest, and I couldn't be more excited. Everything seems to be falling into place. With all the crap that's been going on with my apartment, there's really no doubt that they'll let me out of the lease. And while I wish she were with me, even moving without a cat would be easier.

I keep going back to this quote on a magnet my mom gave me when I moved to Savannah a year and a half ago.

"Everything Will Fall into Place"

Life is life a giant puzzle. Though our futures may not be clear or turn out exactly as we expected, each of us has the strength inside to put the puzzle together — we just have to look for the right pieces. It may seem impossible, but keep striving. Life's pieces have a way of falling into place when you least expect it.

— Renee M. Brtalik

Getting lost in Ireland

So I am going to take a break from taking a break to tell y'all about my recent trip to Ireland. Even though I've been back for a few weeks, the experience is still fresh in my mind, and I want to share some of it!

Wednesday, June 15
This was the first day of my vacation, and the first day I tried to fly to Dublin. I say "try" because flying standby in the summer is like pulling teeth. You never know if you will make the flight, and that is super crappy.

I left on an early flight out of Jacksonville to Chicago so I could spend some time with my mom, who was flying up from St. Louis. Weather wasn't on our side, so we both had delayed flights. It all worked out, though, and we had a nice Italian lunch before I tried to make it on my international flight.

The airline gods were nice to me, and not only did I get one of the last seats on the plane, but I also was seated next to someone who didn't make their previous connection because of the bad Chicago weather. Two seats for me!

Thursday, June 16
The flight got in at 8 a.m. local time, and Allie had given me directions to Trinity College, where she was staying. We didn't quite communicate everything, though. She thought I was going to get in at noon, and I thought she was out of class by 10. I knew where to meet her, but the times got all screwed up.

It was so weird to be stranded in a place with no way to contact anyone. My phone wasn't international, and I couldn't find Wi-Fi anywhere. It wouldn't have been as bad, but I had a bag to lug around with me, and I wasn't sure when she was supposed to show up. It made me wonder how we all survives without cell phones.

We found each other eventually and began planning our weekend roadtrip across the country. Allie's friend Grant decided to come with us, too. This is what we planned, plus a few little detours that we made over the weekend.

Click to view a larger version. I marked the major places we stopped.

Friday, June 17
On the morning of the 17th, we took a taxi to Buget rental car to pick up our transportation for the weekend. While renting a car was more expensive than taking buses would have been, it was totally worth it in the end. You can't get lost in a bus, and the more people you have pitching in for the cost, the better. We got a Hyundai Getz and named him Peanut because he was tiny and oddly peanut-colored.

Peanut and Grant at a random petrol station we drove 9 km to get to.

After attempting to make it out of Dublin for more than an hour (signage, traffic and overall driving in Dublin is NOT good), we finally were able to hit the open road. Allie had the unfortunate opportunity to drive in the city of Dublin and got really turned off by it for a while. After some cool country driving later in the trip, everyone felt comfortable behind the wheel.

We all had to have our brains on the whole time we were driving, though. Not only were we driving on the left side of the road, but the steering wheel was on the right side of the car. We had more than a few near-death experiences, but now that I am back in the States, I find myself thinking I'm on the wrong side of the road or getting really confused.

Anyway, our first stop was in Limerick. We took a pretty major highway to get here, and I was driving for most of it, so I got really used to road. We didn't stay very long in Limerick, but we got to see some of the city, have a beer and talk to some old men at a bar about the Irish government being liars. It was pretty entertaining.

Next on our list was Cork, where we had booked a hostel for the night. Cork was my favorite big city we visited. The city center is situated in between two rivers, and we got to walk around and see a lot of the culture and architecture.

Cork at sunset.

Our hostel wasn't that bad. I mean, it was a hallway that they managed to fit three bunk beds in and the water in the shower was cold, but the people there suggested a couple cool things that we wouldn't have otherwise done.

We got some fish and chips from The Fish Wife (complete with mushy peas ... ew) and called it a night after a long day of driving. It took us less than six hours to get to Cork, but it was a fun-filled day nonetheless.

Saturday, June 18
This was definitely the best day of the trip. We crammed a ton of cities and things to do into this day, and we found a lot of cool stuff. But first, we visited the English Market in the morning to have some breakfast. It was greasy and delicious.

Before leaving the Cork area, we were told we must stop at the Blarney Castle and kiss the Blarney Stone. We figured since we might not be back ever, we should totally do it. So, to Blarney we went, and we weren't disappointed. The castle and the grounds were gorgeous, and there was even a poison garden.

Blarney Castle.

I kissed the Blarney Stone! We waited in a pretty long line, but it was a touristy thing we had to do.

Among the items in the Poison Garden was a sign
that said the police had confiscated the garden's marijuana.

Our next stop was Killarney National Park, but it took a while for us to get there. We got lost and ended up knocking on a random door in the country to ask for directions. The woman who answered was a little scared at first, then asked us why we didn't have SatNav. Because it's more fun!

At Killarney, we took a jaunting carriage ride to be able to see a lot in not a lot of time. Our tour guide, Parkick, and our horse, Tommy, were very accommodating.

Tommy the horse taking us on a tour of the park.

Torc Waterfall in Killarney National Park, the first national park established in Ireland.

After Killarney, we made our way over to Dingle, the most anticipated spot on our trip just because it was kind of off the grid. Our drive to Dingle (which is in the Ring of Kerry, a gorgeous part of the country) was absolutely breathtaking. Thankfully, Allie drove this part because I was so distracted by the landscape. Our hostel was even more off the grid than we thought. Advertised as the "Dingle Gate" hostel, it was 12 km away from Dingle in Anascaul. But they did have their own chickens in the backyard, so that was cool. It's a good thing we had a car!

Once we got to the hostel, we were recommended a seafood place to eat in Inch -- and a one-lane country road to get there. It was amazing. The beach, the restaurant, the food, everything. I'll let the photos explain the rest.

A view of Inch Beach. It was cold, but it was one of the most beautiful beaches I had seen.

Sammy's Restaurant. It was the only thing on the beach, and it had a gorgeous view of the sunset.

My favorite.

That night, we heard some traditional Irish music at a pub in Dingle and had a good time drinking the Irish brews.

Sunday, June 19
This was also a fun day on the road. Grant agreed to drive the treacherous cliff roads of the western Irish coast, and the Cliffs of Moher were on our minds. There was a ton of stuff to see along the way, though. We took a ferry, got lost in towns such as Kilkee (the Irish don't believe in street signs, so when you drive into a town, it's hard to find your way out), and accidentally saw some beautiful views. This was our only day that wasn't overcast, too.

Peanut (bottom left) is on a ferry!

The Cliffs of Moher were definitely the highlight of the day, and we jumped a fence to see the good parts.

It was kind of the thing to do, but there were still less people on that side than the legal side.

Artsy shot with the cliffs in the background.

It was a 400-foot drop with no railings after you jumped the fence.
All the more reason to get close to the edge, right? 

That night, we stayed in Galway, which is a big city with a big university. It was drastically different than the few days before in Small Town, Ireland. I could have stayed in Small Town, Ireland, for days.

Monday, June 20
We made the generally boring trek (major highways -- no fun after the twisty roads on cliffs!) back to Dublin. I had planned on doing Dublin things on this day, but we were too tired from the night before and places closed down by 5 p.m. So, it was a relaxing last day before I went home.

Tuesday, June 21
I didn't think I was going to make it on my flight back to the states on Tuesday, but I needed to try because I had to be back at work by Thursday. However, not only did I make it on, I got business class for the 8-hour flight back to Chicago! We even got in a little early, so I could hop on an earlier connection back to Jacksonville before the storm hit. I got really lucky there.

Overall, it was an amazing whirlwind trip to the Emerald Isle. And while I didn't see any leprechauns, I had a great time with some great people. I highly suggest a roadtrip if you ever find yourself in Ireland.

Riding "shotbun" in the Wienermobile

A friend of mine, Brian, called me a few weeks ago saying he would be in town. I hadn’t talked to him in a while, so I asked him what was going to bring him to Savannah. He explained to me that he is one of the 12 recent college graduates (Hotdoggers) who are touring the country and promoting Oscar Meyer — in a Wienermobile. He offered to give me a ride, and, honestly, who wouldn’t want to ride in a commercial-sized hot dog? On Wednesday, I took him up on his offer.

I drove out to the airport hotel where Brian and his partner, Kylie, were staying. It was hard to miss because there was a giant shiny hot dog in the parking lot.

I went in and talked to Brian and Kylie for a while — about logistics, how they got the job, the perks. I’m a journalist OK? Give me a break.

Their job is basically to promote Oscar Mayer and its Good Mood Mission. To do this, they must maintain a good mood themselves, and I really can’t think of anyone better for that job than Brian. (He was one of our college mascots at Mizzou.) The Hotdoggers attended a two-week training camp where they learned how to drive the Wienermobile with 40 hours of training from the Department of Transportation, learned about the company and its products and met the other Hotdoggers in the class. The training took place in Madison, Wis., and after that, the Hotdoggers were assigned specific regions, partners and a schedule for the next six months of their lives. Brian and Kylie were assigned the southeast region of the U.S and will be reassigned to different regions after the six months.

Oscar Mayer’s Good Mood Mission is all about spreading smiles, according to its website. The company has paired up with Feeding America and will donate one pound of food for every good mood shared on its website, five pounds for every good mood passed on to others and 10 pounds for becoming a fan of the mission on Facebook. Oscar Mayer’s goal is 3 million pounds of food.

Anyway, after the interviews, Brian and I went for a drive. I got to ride “shotbun” in the Wienermobile, which is a coveted position, I came to find out. In coordination with the mission, the company is also offering four people a day to ride “shotbun” in the Wienermobile and $5,000 to spread their good mood. The winners will be those who enter the most “bunderful” responses to “If I could ride shotbun in the Wienermobile, I’d … .” More information can be found at goodmoodmission.com.



We pulled out of the parking lot at the hotel, and the recognition started immediately. People from everywhere were honking their horns, waving and giving thumbs up to the Wienermobile. The highway was insane. At least 20 people — in the 10-mile drive from the airport to the newsroom — slowed down around us on the highway to take a picture of the humongous moving hot dog. I would have too, had I not been inside staring at the blue-sky painted ceiling, mustard laden floor or red-and-yellow Wienermobile-embroidered leather seats of the hot dog. The Wienermobile is like a people magnet, even in the newsroom parking lot.

I took my pictures, and we were off again.



All in all, I would have to say that my experience riding in the Wienermobile was surreal. I felt more recognized and famous than I had ever felt, and it was all because of the vehicle. The Wienermobile really does put people in a good mood.

As for Brian and Kylie, they say they are having a blast traveling the in the southeast.

“We get to meet so many people from all walks of life, tour the country and represent a brand that has been around for 127 years,” Brian said. They are loving what they’re doing, and that is all that’s important — and my free weenie whistle, of course.