OTH Auction

Here's my car and my stash of stuff outside the sound station at Screen Gems.

My car is parked in the reserved parking space for Mark Schwahn, the creator of One Tree Hill. I had to do it! On the right is the largest sound stage where most of the sets were arranged for filming. On the left are the production offices.

My stash. This is how I put it when I unloaded it from the car. Doesn't look like much, does it? (The jack stands are in the garage.)

Ah, don't be fooled...here's the real look at my stash. Awesome, right?!

One Tree Hill Wardrobe Sale!

Wow, what an experience. I thought Black Friday (back in the day when stores only opened at 5am) was crazy. This totally beat Black Friday in all variations, minus any mace or crazy shootings.

Let me back up - I went to the One Tree Hill (OTH) Wardrobe Sale yesterday. Because OTH has finished production (forever), the Studio/Warner Bros. is selling all of the wardrobe, furniture, and props from the show. The auction company scheduled the wardrobe sale for this weekend; it included mens, womens, and kids clothes, shoes, and accessories. (The props and furniture auction is next weekend.)

I drove to Wilmington yesterday morning and got to the studios around 9:30am. Around 10:30, we made it through the line and into the sound studio where they had rows and rows of clothes. (Due to fire codes, they could only allow a limited number of individuals on the sound stage at one time.) I shopped. And shopped. And shopped. I focused mostly on accessories - purses, jewelry, gloves, baby items, etc. I went through in the morning, left to eat lunch, and then went back in the afternoon. Here is what I bought:

2 new Atlanta Falcons caps, tactical goggles, and 3 pouches for the tactical goggles

3 hats - all worn by characters on the show; 3 bibs and one set of baby shoes, all used in Season 9

jewelry and a purse - the bracelet in the upper left hand corner was worn on the show

Armani shirt worn by Paul Johansson when he played "Dan" - "Dan" written on the tag

Brand new Calvin Klein shirt with tags attached

Hugo Boss shirt worn by Paul Johansson when he played "Dan" - "Dan" written on the tag

Jacket worn by Chad Michael Murray when he played "Lucas"

Jacket worn by Tyler Hilton when he played "Chris Keller" - season 9 (costume scene card attached) - check out the granola bar wrapper I found in the pocket. :)

Jacket worn by Tyler Hilton when he played "Chris Keller" - season 9 (costume scene card attached)

Abercrombie skirt worn by Bethany Joy Galeotti when she played "Haley" - "Haley" written on the tag

Shirt worn by Lisa Goldstein when she played "Millicent" - "Millicent" written on the tag

Bones costume...

Dr. Hampton is official!

Today was my graduation from the University of Memphis. Sorry, there are no pictures because I didn't go. I thought driving 20-24 hours for a 3 minute (max) walk across the stage wasn't the best use of my time. Instead I spent the day with a good friend, and I had a day I'll always remember.

This has been an amazing journey. This past year has been the best year of my life, and I'm not sure I'll ever be able to top it. But I'm never going to stop trying! :)

Ah, Charlie

Yesterday I went to the Easyriders' Bike Event in Wilson, North Carolina. Charlie Hunnam, the actor that plays Jax Teller in Sons of Anarchy, was scheduled to sign autographs and take pictures (hence the new picture banner on my blog!). The Bike Event wasn't really that exciting. However, I had a GREAT time meeting and talking with Charlie. :)

Check out Charlie in Sons of Anarchy on FX. The fourth season begins in September!

Here are a couple of other pictures:

Charlie coming out. The crowd went insane!

Charlie. Wow. I wish I could've been that girl sitting beside him all night!

Me and Charlie...he was super sweet. 

He was scheduled to stop signing autographs at 10 but was still going strong at 11:30. I've never seen someone stay past their scheduled time just to talk to all of their fans. He was very accommodating. He greeted everyone with the same smile and had a conversation with each person. It was cool to see and actually made me like him much more.

I met Santa too. And no, I didn't do anything to get those beads...those were freebies. :)

A Day of Thought

It is no secret that I have been evaluating what is important to me and what I want in my life. I realize that I enjoy the simple things much more than the elaborate. Some of my favorite, simple things from my morning thoughts:
1. watermelon. yum. one of my favorite things about summer.
2. driving around with my windows rolled down and the music turned up
3. a phone call, text, email, or note from a friend just to say hello
4. a smile from someone across the room
5. sunshine and a slight breeze
6. kids' laughter
7. what I consider comforts - air conditioning, heat, a working car, electricity and cable
8. the ability and desire to learn and teach others
...and the list keeps going.

This afternoon, while I was contemplating what I would write for today's blog, I came across a "Question of the Day" website (http://www.questionofthedaybook.com/?utm_source=Jane+Friedman+Newsletter&utm_campaign=d2b0ca86d8-Newsletter_1_6_Exploring_the_Muse_6_18_2011&utm_medium=email).

It flashes questions every few seconds...this one seemed important to me today during my reflection (not a direct quote):
What is missing from your life that you got from another person that is no longer with you?

I had a long talk with my Dad today. Amongst many things we discussed, we talked about the differences in the chopper world over the past 10 years. My Dad was contemplating coming up to go to a bike show next weekend until we realized that all of the guys we used to see won't be there. Indian Larry is dead. Billy Lane is in jail. Paul Cox and Keino have opened their own shops and are doing different things. Who knows what Jesse James is doing these days? The chopper world as we knew and enjoyed it is gone. To answer the question...there are a couple of things that are now missing. One is the lifestyle...going to shows with my Dad, seeing these guys in their element, and being around the bikes and the culture. The second is obviously just not having them around, not seeing their new creations, and not having them to influence the greater chopper arena (which is SORELY lacking now). What I gained is inspiration...these guys were doing exactly what they wanted to do in life, especially Larry.

Thinking about where I draw my inspiration brought me back to my thoughts this morning. The most simple thing I can do in my life is to do exactly what I want to do. Now if I could just figure that out....

Where Do You Find Your Inspiration?

"It's never too late to be what you might have been." - Eliot

This quote sums up the last big decisions of my life...and now the decisions that will shape my most immediate future. My entire life will change dramatically at the end of August. I won't have a place to live, I won't have a job, and, for the first time in my life, I won't know what the next step is for my future. There is something that should be incredibly terrifying about actually typing and reading that statement, but I only feel contentment. Sure, there are some things that are not perfect about this situation. However, there are plenty of things that are perfect about it!

Some of my most recent pieces of inspiration:

standing on the dock at the lake and basking in the calm and the sunshine

realizing that my journey to becoming a Doctor is almost over...

hearing people call me "Doctor" has been really enjoyable the past couple of days

the beach...my personal heaven...

Some song lyrics that have kept me going:

"Life is short, baby that's a fact. Better live it right. You ain't comin' back. 

Gotta raise some hell, 'fore they take you down. Gotta live this life..."

"Against the grain should be a way of life. What's worth the price is always worth the fight..."

And one of my favorite shirts ever:

"If you wanna win, you're gonna need these."

Dissertation Defense!

On Thursday, June 9, I set out from Durham, North Carolina in a shiny, dark blue 2011 Nissan Altima (awesome rental car, by the way) to Memphis, Tennessee to defend my dissertation on the morning of Friday, June 10. I knew the drive would be at least 11 hours...the longest driving trip I had taken by myself. Luckily, the drive was all I-40, and there was a city every couple of hours or so...Greensboro, Asheville, Knoxville, Nashville, and then Memphis.

On the way to Memphis...I just can't get away from inmates...

This is the way Memphis Police roll now... this was the only thing I noticed that had changed.

Almost to the University for the last time!

Only in Memphis.

Before the defense...a little nervous...

On the way back...the Smoky Mountains were beautiful.

Tunnel through the Smoky Mountains

Overall, the trip was a total of 43.5 hours, and I drove 1,444 miles in 23.5 hours. I have slept an inordinate amount of time yesterday and today. I didn't realize how exhausted I would be after finishing this process!

The bottom line - I have a few corrections to make and some paperwork to complete. So two years after this project started, it is now complete. About time.