Category Archives: Confessional

Permalink to Scared My Pants Off! – The Original Hollywood Horror House

Scared My Pants Off! – The Original Hollywood Horror House

by WanderSouth|on October 16, 2011 |in Attractions, Confessional, Firsts, Holidays, North Carolina, Snow Camp |tagged , , , , , , , , |Leave a comment
Scared My Pants Off! - The Original Hollywood Horror House

I have a confession, I have never been to a haunted house…before yesterday.

I love all things creepy – scary movies, creepy decor, good ghost stories – but I’ve never ventured into a haunted house. I think it’s be due to two factors – A.) Cost – I have trouble forking over a hefty ticket price for a physical experience. B.) I don’t like to touched by strangers. I’m all huggy with people I know, but strangers touching me freaks me out.

Despite my fear of ticket prices and wandering hands, I vowed to check off this life to-do at the Original Hollywood Horror House in Snow Camp, NC. A horror house that boasts to be the largest in NC and the only one produced by actual Hollywood make-up artists, it was a good place to end my haunted house virginity.

Seriously out in the boonies of North Carolina is checks off all my scary movie do nots:

  • Dark country roads
  • Serious stretches without houses or civilization
  • Minimal cell coverage
  • Dense forest
  • General if you died it would take a while for people to find your body

We gathered up some friends and headed out. The show did not disappoint. It was so scary. Seriously, my stomach muscles were tired and tight after the twisty path through the house. I screamed, I laughed, I tried to make myself as small as possible as not to draw attention of the monsters. Well that didn’t work. I was targeted in every room because I’d scream, cower and shut my eyes to keep all the terrors out. It was SO MUCH fun.

One down side is that we stood in line for 3 hours! That was a really, really long time. We arrived at 9 and didn’t leave until 12:30 (that means we actually entered the house right at midnight = AWeSOME!)

I’m not going to tell you any more – you just have to experience it yourself. Happy wanderings!

Distance from Raleigh: 63 miles ’round about 1 hour and 15 minutes – See the map

Tickets: $20 each – available online or at the door (when you get them at the door you get a cool token used for admission)

Wander Well Tips:

  • Fill up your gas tank – it’s a haul along pitch black country roads
  • Take a good map – we got a little off track and we didn’t have cell reception for a while – FREAKY!
  • Be prepared for the line – wear comfortable shoes – it’s worth the wait!
Permalink to Hipster Zoo Animals

Hipster Zoo Animals

by WanderSouth|on September 3, 2011 |in Afternoon Culture, Attractions, Confessional, Life in the South, Writer's Whims |tagged , |Leave a comment

I have a confession: I am a zoo nerd. I go to zoos… a lot. I like to look at cute animals. I like to see how different zoos create enclosures for the critters. I like to see how zoos organize and educate the public about these furry, scaly and wet friends.

Zoos offer an incredible opportunity to get up-close and personal with amazing critters from around the world. For many of us, this is the only time we’ll ever be able to see and learn about many of the animals in the world.

Since I heart zoos so much, I often take way too many photos to capture my experience. These usually result in files of photos that just sit there for all of digital posterity. Since I’ve discovered Instagram on my iPhone, I’ve rediscovered my love of zoo photography. I’m now on the hunt for funny pictures of animals to run through their analog, hipster-esque photo filters.

I try to write witty captions for these hipster critters. It’s all a lot silly. I hope you enjoy my collection of Hipster Zoo Animals!

 

Permalink to The Lactose-Free Southern Belle

The Lactose-Free Southern Belle

by WanderSouth|on July 18, 2011 |in Confessional, Foodie, Lactose-Free Foodie |tagged , , , |Leave a comment

Being lactose-intolerant makes my foodie life interesting. I have gotten very brave at asking for dishes to be modified. I self-identify to nearly every waiter I come in contact with. I’ve had waiters go back and ask the chef on the ingredient list. I’ve sent back items that we not prepared correctly.

Lactose-intolerance is pretty common, about 20 million American adults have some lactose sensitivities by age 20. I’m very lactose-intolerant. I can’t do anything that is cow-milk based. No milk, no cheese, no cream cheese, sour cream or butter. No milk chocolate. No cookies, no ice cream, no cakes. Mostly vinaigrette goes on my salad. It’s hard to find crackers that fit the bill. Italian restaurants are the most impossible places for me to dine. I dodge belly landmines at potlucks and friend’s parties (and usually eat something before I go).

When I tell people they get a sad look on their face and usually utter “Oh I could never live without cheese. That sucks.” Yes, it does, but it’s not devastating. I understand people’s attachment to dairy, it releases serotonin and other brain-calming feel good chemicals. Eating that stuff feels good and they can’t imagine someone else not having that experience.

I have my ways of making up for it. I can enjoy goat cheese. I have acquired a taste for soy ice cream (but dream of soft-serve). I’ve found my comfort go-to is fried. I’ve always loved fruits, even as a child my grandmother thought I was weird for asking  Asian restaurants are a perfect fit, so are Mexican joints because so many dishes have cheese and sour cream on the side.

My biggest foodie win so far has been vegan meals and baked goods. Vegetarian  usually doesn’t cut it because most of those dishes have cheese to fancy it up a bit. It’s fun to go to vegan only restaurants or vegan-friendly towns like Asheville, NC where they proudly have the little “v” by dishes on a menu. I love to order without abandon when it comes to vegan menus.

Living in the South can be a challenge for the lactose-sensitive. Things like pimento cheese, giant cakes and cream pies are so dang tempting. These truly villainous dishes.

There are some items that usually fare well for us living lactose-free:

  • Biscuits – Surprisingly, most biscuits in the South are made with shortening rather than butter. Divine.
  • Coleslaw – This BBQ standby is usually just made with mayonnaise, but sometimes it’s mixed with ranch or other creams. I usually do okay, but I’ve had some painful results.
  • Fried Chicken – I’ve had some sensitivities if it’s soaked in buttermilk, but usually this goodness does a belly right.
  • Potato Salad - One of my fave side-dishes, these roots are mixed with mayo and studded with goodness.
  • Vegan Baked Goods – Like my homemade cupcakes above, vegan is the boss when it comes to baked goods.

Here are some items that just don’t work, despite their outward appearances:

  • Grits – Grits are prepared with milk or cream in the South, at least around Raleigh. I love grits, I eat them up at home, but they are never on my menu when I go out.
  • Sauces – I always ask about sauces, these can be serious landmines for milks and creams.
  • Cakes and Pies – Okay, I just want to be sad. Of course, cakes are lactose-heavy. But all those giant cakes are so tempting. UGGH, this is one thing I wish I could experience. Especially the ones in my neighborhood at Hayes Barton Cafe :(
  • Donuts – Yes, my dear friend the Krispy Kreme donuts is a lactose-full landmine. I give in when I’m drunk, I really shouldn’t, but I do!

Do you have a food allergy? What are your tricks and tips for living a food fun life? I’d love to hear about it!

Permalink to Roasted Oysters on My Mind

Roasted Oysters on My Mind

by WanderSouth|on May 26, 2011 |in Chapel Hill, Confessional, Foodie |tagged , , , , , , |Leave a comment

Roasted oysters is a southern-ism that I just had to try. I first learned about these smokey bivalves on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations’ Charleston episode. The idea of fresh oysters warmed up just a bit sounded just fabulous. My obsession was peaked by a beautiful article in Southern Living’s “Host Your Own Oyster Roast” article.

Upon moving to the South, I added roasted oysters to my must do for 2011 list. My dream was fulfilled at the April Triangle Foodie Tweet-Up at Fearrington.

I bellied up to the steamy bucket of roasted oysters, grabbed a oyster knife and shucked my first shell. I ate a lot of these delicious mollusks. Some of the shelly friends were from the west coast but most were from Hudson Bay. The chefs prepared a wide selection of dipping sauces.

So how did they taste? The oysters were fresh and clean. They were just subtly smokey. All washed down with a local micro-brew from Fullsteam. Such a perfect Southern meal!

Checked off the list and added to the “must do again” list.

What is on your Southern must eat list?

Permalink to Surviving a “Surprise” Weekend When You are a Controlling Bitch

Surviving a “Surprise” Weekend When You are a Controlling Bitch

by WanderSouth|on April 16, 2011 |in Confessional, North Carolina, Travel Tips |tagged , , |5 Comments
Surviving a

“Surprise! I’m taking you on a romantic weekend” should have been music to my ears. How many movies have the romantic lead sweeping his lady off to a smoochy locale at the drop of the hat? Well, for a girl who likes to plan (read: borderline control freak) this announcement sent me down a stress spiral.

“Where are we staying?” I squeaked out, my mind already beginning to race.

“Oh, I don’t know yet.” Brian says sheepishly.

“Where is the dog staying?” I sneak a peek at a mapping app on my phone. “You know it’s, like, 4 hours away, right?”

“When are we leaving?” My brain jumps to all my to dos. I need to cancel a double date dinner that I’d been planning all week. I envision the look on our friend’s face when he walks into our sty of a home to take Herman for a walk. The girl guilt rushes in with visions of the messy house, undone laundry and bachelor-esk empty fridge all taunt me saying “nah-nah-na-na you can’t finish us this weekend.”

So – I cry. I cry because I’m ashamed that I can’t get excited. I cry because I have a lovely husband that would do something so lovely for me and I can’t appreciate him. I cry because I really just wanted to veg on the couch coming off a busy business travel month and coming weeks of presentations to prepare for and business to take care of. I cry because I’m a controlling bitch.

Brian had been planning all March to take me to Asheville for the weekend, a gorgeous mountain town in western North Carolina. On Friday afternoon he found a sleepy little artist’s retreat that boasted guests including Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck. He had found it as an option to bring your little dog Herman, but he was able to arrange a couple of visits from a friend in the neighborhood. He had even discovered that it was the start of the Festival of Flowers at Biltmore and got us tickets for Sunday as that was the nicer of the two days there. It was all set. We’d get up in the morning, he’d drive the four hours to get there and we’d have fun.

Really, Brian had thought of everything. I needed to give him more credit and be less of a bitch. Honestly, how he stays married to me is beyond me some days. There are other people in the world that can plan a weekend. And maybe, just maybe, everything doesn’t have to be planned out the nth degree.

I was also partly stressed about the surprise because for me, planning is most of the fun of a vacation. Heck, even in my work life I’d much rather plan and make a strategy than actually implement a project. I love the process of planning. I love the research and the discovery of all the cool things we could do.

With the surprise, I was missing out on this process, it was taken away from me. I was worried that we’d miss cool things to do. We’d miss yummy places to eat. Then Brian reminded me, we’re just four hours away. This is not our last trip to Asheville. We will be back if we miss something.

Then I realize that there will never a good weekend for a surprise. I’m overbooking myself and my husband. We always have something to do. Stress is why he planned this weekend. Okay, I buckle step into the abyss of a decision-free weekend.

Since Brian wanted to surprise me, I wanted him to continue controlling the decisions. I needed to let him do this. It would be good for me.

The long and short of it is that we had a wonderful weekend. We spent time as a loving, laughing couple with too many laugh out loud moments to count. Sweet quiet times that make me so happy that my husband is also my best friend. I am so thankful that he accepts me, controlling bitch and all.

I know I’m not the only woman, or man for that matter, that feels this controlling. I can’t be…right? Here are my tips on how to get over your controlling bitchy self and enjoy a surprise weekend:

  1. Prioritize details before you leave – Make sure that you do take care of the things that are most important so you can have a relaxing weekend, but prioritize them. I really needed to pick up the house so I felt okay with a friend seeing our home and so we could come back to something less messy. It’s okay to obsess, just get it done and put it out of mind.
  2. Really hold to the decision-free part - Brian and I are very communicative so we always come up with 2-3 options and discuss a conclusion. We were so used to this process that Brian often offered up options and let me make the final pick. I had to catch myself and say “Nope, decision-free weekend.” I needed to let go of my control. This also keeps up the surprise factor for the whole weekend.
  3. Communicate about your stress - Brian asked me if I was stressed about going away for the weekend and I said no, but he knew I meant yes. Once he gently called me on it I broke down. I was afraid of hurting his feelings, but I was emotionally crushed by his decision. We talked about it, I cried, it was very helpful.
  4. Breaking the pattern will help you see your weaknesses - Enjoying the planning and being in control of everything is exhausting. It is a weakness and a strength to have these character traits. Sure you know your course of action, but it can sometimes make for serious tunnel vision. Breaking up your pattern and trying a new way to doing things can help make your alpha personality traits stronger by seeing your weaknesses.

I survived the weekend with flying colors. We say lots of fabulous things and were very mentally relaxed when we came home. The eight hours of driving in 48-hours was a little physically taxing, but worth the memorable weekend.

I’m so thankful for my husband who was strong enough to do this for me. Survived a surprise, gosh, I am one crazy woman!

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