This may totally shock you but I do have a life outside of loving NASCAR…shut up I actually do!   I LOVE to write. And I LOVE photography. And I LOVE crafting of all types.  I write daily (not necessarily here or in a public arena really even) so you will just have to trust me when I tell you that.   Every single day- I have done some sort of writing.  I am taking photography classes to get better there- so I don’t do it daily but usually weekly because I have an assignment or five to turn in.  So naturally crafting has kind of taken a back seat lately only because I do have a real job too and and Roxy and two adorable nephews that I love to play with and you know…sleep which is also good. Oh and did I mention I have this thing for baking too? I do. I love to bake because it’s an exact science of measuring and following directions  (unless you are my dad- who is the only person I know who can throw stuff in a mixing bowl haphazardly and end up with delicious cookies no matter what he throws in the bowl or how much).  Ok so technically sometimes the love of writing and the photography thing intermix with NASCAR but they are actually also totally independent of each other.  Really!

Anyway- today I got a little crazy and signed up for an online CROCHET-ALONG where  we will get weekly clues as to what to crochet and by the time it’s over we will have made a blanket. No problem right? I mean I know how to crochet.  I haven’t actually crocheted anything in over a year or maybe even more now that I think about it. But I have been wanting to pick up a hook again.  I mean why NOT?  So maybe I haven’t EVER made anything as big as an afghan before- there is always a first time for everything right?

Well that is what my crazy right-brain side of me is saying anyway.  The smart (albeit slightly anal) left-side brain is screaming things like DUDE ARE YOU SERIOUS? Another project? Really? It’s not like you don’t have FIVE different things you are currently writing (including this blog), and don’t you have THREE different photography assignments you are working on? And when do you plan to sleep?  Because this is actually the BUSY TIME of the year at work and they just included you on that new assignment that will probably be a lot of work.  CRAZY! YOU ARE CRAZY! Oh and did you not forget that you are going to races in October and November AND champions week in Vegas? When will you have the time? When??????

So yeah- I am slightly crazy and added another thing to my plate but this will be FUN! And an ADVENTURE!  Because not only have I not made anything as big as an afghan before BUT I also haven’t ever crocheted anything without a solid pattern (with pictures) before I started. So it will be odd.  Not knowing what it’s suppose to look like while I am actually making it…so it could all go really wrong.  I will keep you all updated on my progress.

These are the things that I planned to do this weekend:

1. Write at least three posts for Badgroove.
2. Write my next post for Racing In America.
3. Do my photography class assignment (what? You didn’t know I was taking a photography class…you would have if I had completed number one).
4. Upload said assignment into my online classroom.
5. Change my sheets.
6. Wash the dog’s blanket.
7. Save a bunch of writing and photos onto my external hard drive.
8. Work on some fiction I am writing.

What I actually completed from that list:

1. Do my photography class assignment

What I did this weekend:

Took nearly 12 Gigs of photos in my adventures over the course of two days that took me to a parade:

To the staging for the parade:

A local state park that I had never been to before:

To a cemetery overrun with deer:

Saw the USS Mobile Bay anchored away in the bay:

And while I was at the wharf I saw:

Had a great time but I ended up with a nasty sunburn. It was a great way to waste the weekend. I am such a procrastinator.

If you are privy to my Facebook or follow me at all on my Twitter you might already have figured this out but I figure there are a couple of you out that that do not do either or you might be a first time visitor here (WELCOME!) and might be interested to know.  Ok, honestly, I am just kind of excited about this opportunity and wanted to let you all know about it:

A couple of weeks ago I was asked if I would be interested in participating in the Racing In America blog.  Racing in America is actually an exhibit in the works for display at the Henry Ford Museum where visitors can expect to be ” immersed in the history, and in particular the tradition of innovation in American auto racing.” Part of the website about this exhibit is a blog that does pretty much the same thing- it includes  several different bloggers from all over the  motorsports spectrum in the United States and features their writings.  The idea is to gather unique voices from the different genres of motorsports from more of a fan or regular person perspective.  I thought it was an honor to be considered and then to be chosen to be one of these bloggers.

All of this blather is to tell you that my first post is up over at the RIA blog: It’s called Heart Like A Wheel and explains briefly my love of NASCAR and motorsports in general. I would love it if you would go check it out and let me and them know what you think.

I will be writing something there every other week and will definitely let you know each time something new from me is up over there. But I also encourage you to explore the other writers and entries- I have been enjoying them myself!

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RIA did not ask me to promote my post there but honestly I think it’s a cool project and I am kind of proud so I thought I would toot my own horn so to speak. BEEPBEEPBEEEEEP!

You may have noticed that lately Kyle Busch has been driving the Pretzel M&M car (it’s the blue one).  I will tell you this? I LOVE the Pretzel M&M’s- and if it hadn’t been for Kyle and that car I probably would have never discovered them because I am not a big M&M eater in general- so that is your marketing money at work right there M&M/Mars! The Pretzel M&M’s are my new favorite candy and if you come to me bearing a baggie of Pretzel M&M’s* I will love you forever and probably do nearly anything you wanted.  Every time I see the Pretzel M&M car I want a baggie.  It’s like the crack of candy with its tons of chocolatey, crunchy, salty goodness.

And how on earth did I get stuck on that tangent of too much information? By wanting to tell you about the M&M’s Most Colorful Fans contest.  This contest is actually the perfect pairing because as many of you know,  NASCAR fans are a varied, colorful, loving, devoted breed of people (as demonstrated in my favorite NASCAR book THE WEEKEND STARTS ON WEDNESDAY- pick up a copy- you know you want it!) and M&M’s being the colorful candy they are want to recognize the most colorful NASCAR fan.

This is the third year M&M has run this particular contest…and entering is easy.  Enter your favorite NASCAR themed photo (fan – ha that is a funny typo so I am leaving it…enter your fan- not your photo…good luck with figuring out how to upload a fan!) that showcases your love of the sport/your favorite driver and/or team  by uploading it to NASCAR.com/mostcolorfulfans between now and September 6th! Just by uploading a picture you get a fifteen percent off a one-time purchase at the NASCAR.COM Superstore, including free shipping so you are already a winner!  Other fans vote on their favorite photo and you could win one of the weekly $500 gift cards if you are chosen!  There is also an instant win game were you could win a $50.00 gift card.  Three finalist will be chosen to vie for the title of M&M Most Colorful fan.

The NASCAR fan deemed most colorful will win a trip to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, $10,000 and a yearlong featured display within the Hall of Fame!  Awesome prize right? Just watch this video about last year’s winner:

I bet you could sneak in a trip to your favorite race team’s shop while in Charlotte at the Hall of Fame if you won. If I won you know I would be like “yah yah that’s fine…now where is Stewart-Haas Racing again?”

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*No M&M’s were consumed during the writing of this post-pretzel or otherwise…and that is a shame!

Some of the best advice I ever got from a co-worker (at my real job) was  “Never apologize for doing your job…if you screw up sure apologize but do not apologize for something you were suppose to do.”  I pretty much have taken that to heart…which is easier said than done when you work in customer service/technical support like I do.  However I am going to apologize to you because I feel that I haven’t been doing a very good job here.  I feel my blogging has been incredibly uninspired…and dare I say forced.  And frankly I blame that on me- as I have been uninspired.  I do not know why or what is up with it…I just basically pretty much am forcing myself to blog because otherwise? I wouldn’t update but once a week…and that is NOT me…nor is it badgroove.com.  Maybe I am being too hard on myself as I have a huge tendency towards self-depreciation…but yeah…stick with me ok? It’ll come back.  The mojo, inspiration, muse, whatever you call it. Trust me it just isn’t here that is suffering from this lack-o-inspiration so it’s got to come home and soon.

In a desperate attempt to get some of the inspiration back I took a little road trip on Sunday since the race was on Saturday…I ended up at the zoo without meaning to.  I mean..by the time I got there I meant to be there but when I left the house in the morning I didn’t intend to be at the zoo. My dad and I love to go on “photo” outings…cameras in tow and my mom will often come for the ride.  Usually my dad drives and thus he picks where we go.  This time my parents and I had taken off with cameras in tote (five cameras between three people NOT including cell phone cameras) and since I was driving this time- I decided to head north on Highway 1 since we usually head south.  One thing lead to another and we ended up at the SF Zoo (ok basically my dad begged me to take him to the zoo).  Now I LOVE zoos. LOVE THEM!!!  Unfortunately the SF Zoo isn’t the best of Zoos but still I got some ok shots:

Baby Giraffe. Photo By Me

Gorilla. Photo by Me!

Lion resting in the shade. Photo by me

Swimming Penguin Photo By Me

I also took some flower pictures at the zoo:

Ruby Pinchshion Photo By Me

Some sort of purple flower. Photo by me.

On the way home we stopped to snap a few shots of the Point Pigeon lighthouse:

Point Pigeon Lighthouse Photo by me.

Point Pigeon Lighthouse Photo by me

And also on the way how we stopped and took some pictures of people kite boarding:

Kite Boarder getting some air on the pacific. Photo by me.

You can see the best of my pictures from Saturday’s adventures in my SF Zoo and NorCal Coast Flickr set.

Ok- the title of this entry might just be a little weird but I couldn’t think of anything else to call it.  So last month my beloved nephew MXM turned two years old.  At the time he had a brand new month old brother and my brother wanted him to have a good party outside in a county park with a bounce house and bbq and all that…and the weather was still pretty crappy…plus time snuck up on them and they didn’t have a chance to reserve the picnic ground so this Saturday I will be out at the park celebrating his birthday.

I asked my sister-in-law if there was anything he needed- and she said clothes. So I obliged:

Lots of Clothes for MXM. My favorite is a shirt that says "My Favorite Color is DIRT"

However- I didn’t want to be the aunt who gives the boring presents either. Yeah I know he is only two and probably won’t remember what I gave him on his second birthday or anything…but I had to get him SOME sort of toy. He loves two things: Cars and Sharks. Well Aunty found this the perfect opportunity to share her love of Tony with MXM:

Aunty found some Tony cars for MXM's Birthday!!!

So not only was there a lovely time change last weekend – it was one of those rare “OFF” NASCAR weekends where they don’t race.  I hope the drivers and crews got a chance to do a little something for themselves whether it be spend time with family, hang out with friends, sleep in, do something they enjoy.

I myself found myself with extra time on my hands this weekend as I wasn’t glued to a TV for several hours watching the race.  So I used my time to get out and get creative.  If you know me you know I love to take pictures.  Right before I left for Vegas I actually bought myself a new camera.  A Canon Rebel t1i.  Did I get rid of my 20D? No!!!  I just wanted something new. All of my dSLR cameras have been hand-me-downs from my dad as he as moved up  (his newest is a Mark 5d or something like that- I know I always want to call it a MARK 5 as in the Lincoln so…it’s something like that). We do our version of a photowalk which is really just my dad, me and sometimes my mom where we go somewhere and just walk around and take pictures.

During the off weekend we went to Pebble Beach, CA.  An exclusive community where if you aren’t a resident or there to play golf you have to pay nearly 10 bucks for the honor to go down there. We paid.  It was a great day though and I got some great ocean shots:

(Photos After The Jump)

(more…)

I am so excited for the Daytona 500 it’s hard to put it into coherent words.  I LOVE RACING.  I don’t know how to say it any other way.  Let me try to give you a couple examples. In 2008 Tony Stewart did a Home Depot appearance in Pleasanton California in advance of the race at Infineon up in Sonoma.  It was on a Thursday and it so happens that around the corner from the Home Depot is a pretty decent mall.  I begged my mom to go with me- (she had the day off but I had to use a vacation day) basically promising to take her to The Cheesecake Factory if she would go with me to see Tony.  Pleasanton is about a 90 minute drive from where we live…and it’s a lot hotter there than it is here.  Anyway- we get there- she get’s her Cheesecake Factory lunch and we go off to the Home Depot to get our wrist bands.  While we were standing in line (for hours and hours) there was a whelen modified series car on display in the parking lot and someone got in it and fired it up.  My mom looked over at me at about the same time and said “Why are you smiling like that?” and I just shrugged and said “I can’t help it.  I love the sound of a race car.” She rolled her eyes and said “You are your father’s daughter.”  That same year my dad got complimentary tickets to go see the Daytona Prototype cars run at Laguna Seca- so the three of us went and were walking around the paddock area and my dad was off doing the photographer thing and I was standing back with my mom and she looked over at me and said “What is that smell?” I chuckled and said “That is the smell of speed.  Techically its rubber, gas and oil…and probably some sweat.” She doesn’t get it. It’s a smell I LOVE. If I could bottle it? I would. 

Daytona marks the beginning of the new season.  We are warmed up with the Bud Shootout and the Gatorade Duels  were on Thursday while I was toiling away at work…I dvr’d them and promised myself I would wait…but I lied to myself and peeked so by the time I got home to watch them I already knew who won (Jimmie won in Duel 1 and Kasey Kahne won Duel 2) but that didn’t stop me from rooting for Tony. 

Mostly I am excited about Daytona because it means that in two weeks I will be at a track. Walking around with my friend and my camera…taking in the sites and sounds of a race.  The last race I was at was Phoenix- and it was in November- but it was TOO LONG ago.  The track at Las Vegas calls to me. This will be my third year in a row going to the Vegas race…and I can’t wait.

For now though, I will be contented to cheer on Tony and hope that he gets his first elusive 500 win on Sunday. Gentlemen…start your engines.

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If you are looking to enter my Dale Jr Prize pack contest go here.