So Christine and I went to Asheville for several days, and a good time was had by all. Downtown Asheville is essentially one skyscraper surrounded by a bunch of hippie shops. I really needed to discover this place about 13 years ago, back when I was all into hippie stuff. Lots of altered clothing shops as well, ranging from the really innovative and neat to the overpriced and banal. I appreciated the wide range of restaurants, as well as the fact that were three sushi shops on the same street in downtown, all within about 8 minutes walking distance of each other. Mmm sushi. There was a crazy bead store there, whereupon I acquired some UV-receptive beads. Also, chocolate shops. I heart fudge.

We got badgered for money a few times. A few scammers were running around with some holey stories about being a veteran and needing money for staying at a hotel who price had suddenly increased (my fabulous suggestion that he go to a hotel further out, as the prices were cheaper, was quickly rejected for a nonsensical reason). There were also a few pseudo-homeless about. By pseudo-homeless, I mean some young, articulate fashion conscious faux-gutterpunk kids prowling for dollars. I did end up giving some dude my leftovers for his dog, but then again, “dragon pâté” wasn’t quite what it could have been.

We did the Biltmore. Expensive, though the house is interesting. Swimming pool in the basement is all sorts of bonus creepy. The food there is totally not worth it, they’re totally tarnishing the “we are a fancy place to visit” image by offering a turkey and swiss wrap for $8+, only to have the swiss be white american. It was one of the worst wraps I’d ever eaten. The pizza suffered from similar issues, the description told of lavish ingredients, but the reality looked like your standard flat ordinary pizza. Alas.

Then, we attempted to find nightlife. My research had proved to be a bit fruitful, but only so much. We started off at a bar called Getaways, whereupon we played some Wii and I attempted some Guitar Hero until the futility of playing a rhythm game without actually being able to hear the music kicked in. We then ventured forth to Club Hairspray, which was chock full of redneck lesbian karaoke. We sang a Joan Jett song, and enjoyed the ambiance. Also, apparently “getting dressed up for a night on the town” means wearing jeans with heels. My totally rocking party dress was completely unnecessary, dang.

No hiking, alas. It was wet pretty much the entire time we were there. And now, I am back. And really need to jump all the way into this whole “job hunting” thing. And learning me some Joomla. It’s a gradual process.

In other news, I stimulated the economy today. Everything I got was on sale, but that’s pretty standard these days. — the power is flickering, crap. I hope I finish this before it gets bored and dies — Anyhow, I got hookups from Christine for some sweet sparkly shoes with her 40% discount from Journeys. Also got a few shirts and 4 pairs of underwear from JC Penney. Technically two pairs were free, as they had a “spend $50 get $10 off” deal going on, and I added on the extra two pairs just so I could make $50 worth of stuff. Can’t have too many pairs of underwear, though! I also finally got to spend my Michaels gift card. I love craft stores, there’s so much junk to look at that is neat. I got a set of 8″ round cake pans, which I hope to put to good use soon, as well as some red dye, so I can finish off a few shirts I managed to dye a bad salmon rather then red not too long ago.

When I left the mall, the snow was falling all around me. It was magical and glorious and took forever to get home because I and everyone else around me were barely doing 40 in the 65mph zone. Did I mention that I’m super excited by the snow?

I may have found a solution to the “where to go in a week or so?” dilemma. I’ve never been to Asheville, NC, and was thinking about going there to get some serious hiking in, as I’ve heard it’s a really neat town. I found a really cheap hostel there, I think I can manage $15 a night! Might be taking Christine with me for company, depending on what her job situation’s looking like at that point. Mind you, if the weather in a week is still like it is now, my plans may change to someplace a little further south. Then again, maybe not, hiking in snow could be pretty awesome.