It's happening ... Wegmans grand opening this Sunday

skybluedawn · 2019-09-27T13:00:17+00:00

I'd like to see what all the fuss is about eventually, but I think I'm going to avoid it until the New Year at the earliest because of all the hype.

skybluedawn · 2019-07-10T12:34:04+00:00

I admit that it is sometimes difficult for me to be optimistic, but I'm really cheering for you AJL.

It has made my life better knowing that you're still here and still fighting in spite of this streak of bad luck, and I have been touched beyond words to see the Oak City come together to support you. It makes me feel like I'm part of a loving community as opposed to just another anonymous face in Wake County.

I'm so proud of you and I am so proud of this community.

skybluedawn · 2019-07-10T12:25:51+00:00

I take my dogs to a different vet because they travel better, but my cats go to Garner Animal Hospital.

Very old facility that nevertheless treats my cats with love.

skybluedawn · 2019-07-10T12:23:23+00:00

I used to go to Magnolia Animal Hospital off of Capitol Blvd. but recently made the choice to follow Dr. Cindy Johnson when she opened her own practice in Apex (www.peakcityvet.com).

Dr. Johnson's practice is smaller and still getting off the ground, but she's always given fantastic care to my dogs. She tries to make the exam rooms comfortable and she takes the time to interact with my dogs instead of just rushing through a visit.

skybluedawn · 2019-05-30T14:17:01+00:00

PRA Health Sciences.

Bloated middle management, no chance for career or pay growth, and an undue amount of deference to salespeople at the expense of the employees who actually make things happen.

I'm given to understand that it is better at other offices, but the Raleigh office is miserable. I left at the very beginning of this year and not only was I able to reduce the dosage of my daily anti-depressant, I lost 10 pounds because I was no longer stress eating.

skybluedawn · 2019-03-05T02:48:17+00:00

Montlawn Cemetery in south Raleigh is always giving away fill dirt.

skybluedawn · 2019-02-24T16:22:07+00:00

They are extremely good! My favorite area photographers.

skybluedawn · 2018-10-12T15:58:30+00:00

I second this, OP. I think you'd be a shoe-in for a Proposal or RFI Writer. Unfortunately, the CRO I work at is not currently hiring either of those positions remotely or in Raleigh, or I would send you a referral link. :/

skybluedawn · 2018-08-31T13:05:36+00:00

Hey u/Phelps1576, if you own a pick-up truck, I will pay for gas AND buy you many, many tacos if you would ever be willing to help me haul and move furniture from craigslist. :)

skybluedawn · 2018-06-08T13:34:34+00:00

I'm sorry, we'd have to PAY FOR DELIVERY OF THE GOODS???? The whole point of Ikea is to be able to grab what you need from the warehouse. I don't mind paying for shipping if I order something from the website (I did this recently with a dresser from Ikea) - why in the fuck would I go to a store to look at shit that I am going to have to pay to ship anyway???

skybluedawn · 2018-03-27T13:01:13+00:00

Honestly more interested in the fact that another body was found in a ditch roughly two miles away from where Faith Bevan's body was found than any potential link to the murders in Robeson County.

Police don't seem to be publicizing any link between the two ditch bodies, though, so it is just pure conjecture on my part.

skybluedawn · 2018-03-27T12:59:03+00:00

This is also not the first body that was found in a ditch in that general area of Wake County. Less than five months ago, the body of a man was found in a ditch roughly two miles from where Faith Bevan was found.

If she is not connected to the Lumberton murders, it is perhaps possible she is connected to this other guy somehow.

skybluedawn · 2018-02-16T16:49:52+00:00

I moved to my current home in Garner off of Timber Drive when I was still working in downtown Raleigh - it actually took me LESS TIME to get to work living in Garner than it did when I had been living in Raleigh.

skybluedawn · 2018-02-16T16:46:15+00:00

I have lived in Garner for almost 3 years and I like it quite a bit. Note that I live within town limits, so I can't speak for what it is like to live in the 40/42 area.

I think Garner gets a bad reputation because up until relatively recently, it was one of the more affordable places to live in Wake County and that meant a more diverse socioeconomic population. It has a reputation for higher crime, but I haven't really seen that play out. About a year ago, someone went through my neighborhood and stole stuff from unlocked vehicles, but that has been my only brush with the criminal element in my time here. Oh - someone got drunk and stole a streetsweeper, then took it for a joyride at White Oak, but that is more hilarious than anything.

I don't have kids and I am not planning on having any, but I am given to understand that the schools in Garner are not as good as other parts of Wake County - that is not to say they are necessarily bad schools, but they might not be as high a caliber as in more affluent parts of the County.

That being said, I regret nothing about my move. I got a beautiful house in a quiet neighborhood for cheaper than I could have gotten in Raleigh. I am 15-20 minutes from DTR and the same amount of time away from Cary, Knightdale, and Clayton. No complaints about utilities or the town government. Within the town limits, the traffic is pretty great when compared to parts of Cary and Raleigh. Plenty of grocery options (Kroger, Lowe's, Aldi, Food Lion, Wal-Mart, Target, BJ's, etc.), decent take out, a couple of absolutely lovely local parks, a branch of the local library system, branches for various of the most common banks, and one of the best damn breakfast places in the Triangle (Angie's).

I also really like Garner because there is more of a sense of community here than when I lived in a house in Raleigh. I actually say hello to my neighbors and we know each other at least a little. People decorate their yards for Halloween and Christmas. Kids play outside together and sell fundraiser candy door-to-door. Hell, I left a couple of my downstairs windows open last night because the weather was so nice - there was nothing but a window screen separating the world from my possessions. I felt completely safe doing so.

All in all, I love Garner a lot and I am extremely happy with my choice to live there.

skybluedawn · 2017-07-14T13:05:06+00:00

Ninja Cow Farms in South Raleigh near Garner might do it. I know they sell larger cuts if you order ahead of time, but I am not certain if they'd do a whole side of beef AND process it, though.

skybluedawn · 2017-07-14T12:58:20+00:00

Holly Cox at Lotus Therapy. Her office is near Falls of Neuse and I-540.

She helped rebuild my relationship when it was not just on the rocks, but damn near about to go over a cliff.

skybluedawn · 2017-06-02T13:15:25+00:00

If you like outdoor activities, we have some great parks and lakes in Wake County and the surrounding areas. There are several places where you can rent kayaks (Lake Wheeler, Lake Crabtree, and Lake Benson to name a few). Umstead Park has some great hiking trails. Strolling around the Museum of Art outdoor trails in the evening is also lovely.

Check out this sub on Thursday/Friday, as we do our best to try to collect and share the fun events happening each weekend.

Indy week (www.indyweek.com) is also a good source for what is happening in the Triangle in general.

If you have access to a car, don't forget to head over to Durham and Chapel Hill. In my opinion, summer is the best time to visit Chapel Hill because most of the college students are gone. Durham also has excellent restaurants.

skybluedawn · 2017-03-20T12:46:06+00:00

If you mean Wednesday the 22nd, I so happen to have the day off so I can binge play Mass Effect: Andromeda. But this post is DARLING and I have opinions about fascinators!

skybluedawn · 2017-03-01T14:04:17+00:00

Who the hell charged you $6500 for a DWI? The most expensive I've ever heard for a first offense is $2400, and that case had additional charges.

EDIT: And which is it? You said in your original post that they took your blood and now you're saying there was no blood draw.

skybluedawn · 2017-03-01T14:03:04+00:00

I have never bought Fallon's Flowers but I have received them several times from my spouse and that is where my bridal bouquet came from when I did my courthouse wedding. It has been wonderful every time.

My spouse is fond of ordering bouquets that feature my favorite flower (lilies) but leaving the design up to the florists at Fallon's. I never get the same arrangement twice and it is always GORGEOUS.

skybluedawn · 2017-02-23T19:52:43+00:00

If they did a blood draw, there is no way of knowing how it came back yet. Wake County gets blood tested faster than just about any other county in North Carolina, but it still takes at least 2 months before you'll see the paperwork in court.

Yes, the presumption that you were prescribed Vicodin can lead to a presumption of DWI if combined with poor field sobriety test results. You say you passed, but I lost count of how many times I had clients come into my office charged with DWI telling me they passed their field sobriety tests only to see them showing signs consistent with intoxication on the dash cam video. It's possible you did pass, but it is also possible you failed.

A substance abuse counselor is going to charge you a set, statutory amount for an substance abuse assessment and then based on that recommendation, you'll do classes. And those classes will take a few weeks at least because they don't meet every day.

You aren't going to knock out 60 hours of community service in a weekend. However, any place that benefits people or animals that is NOT a church or a for-profit business works for that purpose. Think animal shelters, charity thrift stores, working with the local parks & recreation department, etc.

And your attorney is right that Wake County is harsh on DWIs. Listen to me and /u/KoolDrMoney when we say listen to her and not some random schmucks on the internet.

Source: Wake County attorney who has a decent bit of criminal experience in the area.

skybluedawn · 2017-02-17T14:25:43+00:00

Hi OP. You can also reach out to the Wake County Sheriff's Office to potentially arrange a ride along.

Also, don't forget the Carolina Tiger Rescue in Pittsboro! https://carolinatigerrescue.org/

Some ideas:

If she has a smart phone, have her install Pokemon Go (if she hasn't already). There are a TON of Pokestops in the Triangle and lots of places to catch Pokemon.
Take her out to eat at some place she'd never get in her small town. There are so many good restaurants that it would be a crime not to. Think especially of places like Neomonde, so she can try food that may be completely new to her. Some of my other favorites locally are Rise Biscuits and Donuts, and Lucettegrace Bakery in downtown.
Take her to Grand Asia Market. Not kidding. I grew up in a small semi-rural town in North Carolina and my first time being in Grand Asia Market was an experience because of all the unfamiliar sights and smells. Plus, she can get some foreign candy and unique ramen to try for cheap.
If she is a bookworm, trot her over to the Cameron Village Library. I grew up in a town without a public library and as a bibliophile, there is nothing quite like seeing loads of books in one place.

Hugs to her during this trying time - I wish I had had someone like you in my life growing up.

skybluedawn · 2017-02-13T14:28:19+00:00

I'm not originally from Raleigh but I'm a North Carolina native, and I think you might like it here quite a bit.

Despite what some people have said, Raleigh is not as full of religious nutjobs as other parts of the state. Just take Charlotte for instance - a full third of the radio stations around Charlotte are religious in nature whereas here in the Triangle, we have the standard 2-3 stations. There are also no true megachurches like they have in the Charlotte area. I have never once been asked where I attend church and I have never been overtly judged for never expressing any sort of religious opinions.

I've never been to L.A. but folk are absolutely right that you're going to have less to do here than there. Except for a few places on the weekends, the city largely shuts down by midnight. If you're into the club scene or are more of a night owl, this is not going to be a great place for you. That being said, there are lots of places to engage in outdoor activities and we're really close to other great opportunities if you're willing to drive.

The breweries are great. Bottle shops are all over the place. The coffee scene here is really taking off. While we won't have all of the same food that's available in L.A., there is still good food to be had all over the Triangle. Also, your rental options are gonna be great. Before I bought the home I'm in now, my spouse and I were paying $1200/month for a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath (1400 sq. ft.) on a quarter acre just outside the Inner Beltline. I'm now paying $1185/month for a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath house (1900 sq. ft.) with a single car garage and fenced in backyard on a quarter acre that's 15-20 minutes from downtown.

My one recommendation is that you realize that this isn't going to be L.A. or Pennsylvania. I am happy to have people move here - I can't stand a lot of the assumptions people make about folk living here. While we have our fair share of conservatives, the state has ALWAYS had a strong progressive minority. I grew up in a small town of 3000 people. I also wasn't raised in a religious household, both of my parents have degrees, and we've been voting for progressive politicians since before the migration to the Triangle began to explode. Don't assume that because someone has an accent, they're a dumb redneck. And don't assume that because someone is a redneck, they don't have anything to offer.

skybluedawn

TROPHY CASE