Saturday, June 23, 2007

kind of scarey...

Rising Seas Threaten to ...

A new study of the potential sand losses to North Carolina beaches reports that a 1-foot rise in sea level in the next 25 to 75 years (which is at the lower end of the range predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) would cause the coast to move inland by 2,000 to 10,000 feet and could cost an estimated $223 million in lost recreational value by 2080 to beach-goers in that state alone.

Predicting exactly how much beaches will shrink is impossible because beach erosion rates are highly variable, even between points that are only a few miles apart. The make-up of each beach's sand, the absence or presence of jetties and other man-made structures meant to retain sand, and offshore topography (which influences wave formation), all affect erosion rates. But even with all the uncertainty, scientists say the future of our beloved sandy havens doesn’t look good. “We have no way of predicting what sea level rise will do to erosion rates, except to say that they will increase,” said Duke University geologist Orrin Pilkey, who was not involved in the new study.

Forces of Erosion Hurricanes pose a particular threat to beaches because the floods of ocean water they can push onshore, called storm surge, can wash away large amounts of sand. Typically the sand returns to the beaches (so there’s plenty available to build that sandcastle or bury your dad). But if global warming intensifies hurricanes as some have predicted (either by increasing their frequency or the strength of individual storms), it may also impair beaches’ ability to recover. For North Carolina’s beaches, the report says, even if hurricanes strike with their current frequency and intensity, sea level rise will make the effects of the storms worse. Sea level rise is another ominous potential eroding force, at least for beaches that are highly developed. When seas rise, undeveloped beaches can simply shift further inland, but because roads, buildings and other man-made structures act as a barrier, the sand at developed beaches cannot migrate backward. Effectively, relentless waves will wear away the sand and these beaches will shrink until there’s simply no sand left for sunbathing or seaside strolls. “We create the [beach erosion] problem,” Pilkey said.

Frightening Forecast for Earth

In April, scientists laid out a troubling timeline of the planet's future.
In fact, Pilkey says, the building of jetties and sea walls may be doing the most damage for now, because while they preserve a small portion of the shoreline near the structure, they actually result in more coastal erosion further from the structure than would have occurred naturally. “I suspect that may be more important than sea level rise,” he told LiveScience, but that trend will eventually change later, with global warming’s forces surpassing the impact of sea walls and jetties. For West Coast U.S. beaches, erosion from sea level rise and storms is less of a threat than on the East Coast, because the "left" coastline tends to be higher and steeper, but that doesn’t mean beach-goers there are in the clear. One of the main sources of sand for these beaches is river transport, but dams built along western rivers block this sand, which causes the beaches to erode. More Crowded Beaches

With beaches slowly vanishing from the coasts, vacationers might have to find some other way to entertain themselves and soak up the sun in the summer in the coming decades. “I’m predicting that they [will take] fewer beach trips,” said lead author of the North Carolina study John Whitehead of Appalachian State University in North Carolina. The report was funded by the National Commission on Energy Policy, a bipartisan, non-profit group of energy experts. By surveying beach-goers, Whitehead found that people prefer wider beaches, which provide more room for throwing Frisbees and eating sandy sandwiches. By determining how far people will drive to these roomier beaches and calculating the cost of those drives, Whitehead estimated the millions of dollars that would be lost to vacationers. And for those for whom the allure of a vacation at the beach is simply irresistible, few options will be left, as the only beaches to survive would likely be the ones that are undeveloped now. “People would have more limited beach options,” sociologist Maureen Harrington of Griffith University in Australia said in an email interview. “[They] would have to go to beaches that are able to migrate, that are not urbanized ... so these beaches would be more crowded.”

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Thursday, June 21, 2007

Wedding Checklist Update

I have been franticlly working on the wedding checklist that I posted a few days ago.

Here is the update...

1. Wine tags - I bought the paper and ribbon to make them. Now I just have to schedule the wine tag making party.

2. M&Ms - Ordered! M took care of this one for me. We still need to order the bowls from the rental company.

3. Guest book - I have the paper for this, I just need to cut it down to size and find pens that will write well on the handmade paper.

5. B and L's clothes - Haven't even thought about when to do this. Hopefully next week.

6. Flowers - I talked to a wholesale florist on Wednesday. I can get real flowers for the exact same price of the silks from them. The only problem is they aren't open on the weekend and I don't have anyplace to store them for 2 days. I am waiting for a phone call to let me know if I can pick them up on Saturday morning, while the owner is in the office working on the books. If I don't hear back tomorrow then I will call them.

7. Wine Lables - Still to need to touch up the wine lable and talk to the neighbor.

Now for things I forgot I still need to do...

8. Champagne - The winery doesn't make a champagne, but said we can bring in enough for a toast, 1 bottle per table. As a tribute to my mom's fiance who passed away last July (it will be exactly a year the day before the wedding) we are ordering his favorite champagne. We aren't going to say anything about it, we are just going to do it and people who knew him will know. I am hoping this doesn't upset my mom.

9. Wine bottles - I have 20 wine bottles that I have to soak and remove lables so I can put the centerpiece lables on.

10. Final count - I have to begin to call my guests to find out if they are coming to the wedding. I thought the online RSVP would be great! And in a way it has been. I can export the guest list and find out who is coming and who isn't. The problem seems to be that people are too freakin' lazy to get on their computers and do it. Then there are the people who are too dumb to figure out how and just email me (which is actually better than those who just tell us at really random times that they are either coming or not coming, we just tell them to go to the website and do the RSVP).

11. C-listers - We are now in the process of beginning to invite our C-listers. We have to pay for 100 people anyway, so we might as well invite those who really want to come. As long as we get closer to the 100 than we are right now I'll be happy.

As we get closer to the wedding I keep thinking of things I need to get done. And I leave to go camping for a week on Monday. I won't be able to get anything done during that week. So this weekend has to be super productive for me.

Wish me luck, because I know this list of 11 things isn't everything.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

running

I don't run. Anybody will tell you that my moto is that if you see me running you might want to run the same way because danger is coming.

I belong to a weightloss site and several of the girls have been talking about the Couch to 5K plan. I looked it up just so I would know what in the world they were talking about. It actually sounded like something I could do. Because as much as I say I don't run, I like the idea of running. I like the idea of being one of those people down by the beach running. (I feel the same way about cycling).

So, with this new plan, and liking the idea of running, I went to the gym, got my butt on a treadmill and did the run/walk method for week one of the Couch to 5K plan. It wasn't bad. I did it, I didn't have to stop running during any of the 60 sec segments. I think I might actually be able to stick with this one.

Now, the negative side...my ankles hurt. Not like they have been injured, but like they are asking what the hell they did to me to be punished like that.

I don't plan on giving up. Who knows, I might actually run a 5K sometime.

Monday, June 18, 2007

so much, so little

I have a "To Do" list a mile long and less than a month to get it done. Yes, I'm talking about wedding planning. Everything is coming together, slowly but surely, and with a little bite to the pocketbook.

I keep hearing about people having to take out seconds on their homes to pay for weddings. I can not imagine doing that. I am freaking out at going over my $8000 budget because he ended up having to pay for a photographer (who I get to meet on Thursday). What are some of these people thinking.

It is pretty much the small details that need to be taken care of. I need to touch base with vendors and decide on some small reception type things. Remember my wedding is pretty much a reception with a wedding tossed in the middle.

Here is just a little bit of a run down on what still needs to be done:

1. Wine tags - the wedding is at a winery so almost everyone will have a wine glass. Instead of buying the wine tags I saw online, which were shapped like wedding bells, my mom and I are going to make 200 dragonfly wine tags. For those of you who don't know, I LOVE dragonflies. I really only need about 120, but might as well make some extra. We are going to die cut them with my Sisix machine and then emboss some silver on them, punch a hole and add some black ribbon. We will have silver sharpies there for people to write their names on them.

2. M&Ms - we have to order the custome M&Ms. We decided not to do favors. No sense in giving people something that will just end up in a landfill. We are going to rent bowls and have bowls of M&Ms on each table, that way people can have a little something sweet. Oh, that reminds me, we have to rent the bowls.

3. Guest book - we are doing a photo album guest book. I have two students coming to the wedding who will be in charge of making sure they take everyone's picture. To go with the pictures we will have 4x6 handmade paper for the guests to write us a message. The message will be inserted in the album under the picture. Much more interesting than a book with everyone's signatures.

4. M's clothes - we have got to buy a suit for that man. He didn't want to do it while we were in escrow (I don't blame him, I didn't want to do anything while we were in escrow), now he wants to lose some weight. The wedding is less than a month away...he needs to get off the stick.

5. B and L's clothes - we need to find dresses for the girls. L has a backup dress, which I would like her to wear, I think it is totally cute, but she wants to shop, so that is fine with me. B will be a little harder, she can't make a decision to save her life. Her mother does everything for her. Should be interesting.

6. Flowers - at first we were going to go with silk flowers, now I am thinking I might want real ones. I do know that we are doing Gerbera Daisies (my favorite). The flowers will be for the centerpieces and on the wine bars. We are doing vases out of wine bottles.

7. Wine Lables - I have designed a wine lable for the centerpieces. I am not totally happy with it, but I know some graphic designers who I am going to ask to help me spiff it up. Then my new neighbor who works for a graphic designer said she would print them for us. I feel strange going to her house and asking her about it again, but she offered, right?

I actually think that might be all of the big stuff! WOW!!!!! I think I have it down to only 7 big things that need to be done. There are lots of small things, but not a lot of big things. This is great!

So, now I am off to get some small things done.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

no more students!

I'm done! No more students for 2 months!!!!! I have finished grades now I just have to finish cleaning my classroom and sign out tomorrow morning.

Then I will be focused on nothing but the wedding for the next 31 days. Yep, you read that right. The wedding is in 31 days. I cna't believe it has come up so fast.

So much to do!!! Not enough time!!!!

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

I'm marrying a wise man

On Saturday M found out that his cousin will not be able to photograph our wedding. This left a huge whole that I would have had to fill. HAD I ACTUALLY KNOWN I DIDN'T HAVE PHOTOGRAPHER.

I found out last night that the cousin could not be there. M went out and found and booked a photographer all by himself. He knew that this might have been the one thing that would send me over the edge in terms of stress.

Everybody I have told this to is so impressed by that action. I am impressed by that action, since I have been the one to do everything so far.

M really is a great catch. I am so lucky to have him in my life (even if he does come with bagage for days).

Everything else for the wedding is coming together. I will get to hit it full force next week. Tomorrow is my last day with students and Friday is the last day for the summer. YAY!!!!! I think I'll make it.

Saturday, June 02, 2007

it's been a long time...

It has been so long since I have checked in, so much has happened.

I have trying to finish unpacking. Those of you who have ever moved know what I'm talking about.

The musical closed. It went really well. I am very proud of the kids and pleased with the outcome. We have the MACY Awards tomorrow, so we will see what the judges thought of the performance. I do not think I will be working on the musical again next year. But those of you who read know that story.

I finally got the wedding invitations out. They only went out 3 weeks late. Lucky for me, we are doing online RSVP, so I don't have to wait for the little cards to come back in.

I still don't have a wireless card in my desktop so I am unable to check in with all of you. I miss my bloggy friends. I am hoping to get M to take care of that this weekend.

I hope you are all doing well. Up sometime soon...a full and complete wedding update (I know you are all dieing to know all the details).