Ladybug Studio

Wrong!

Well, I was completely wrong in my last post. Sometimes it's good to be wrong. For instance, I did not end up working overtime. The Powers That Be did not bring it up, so I certainly didn't either.

Next, while there was a rainstorm or two in the area, the weather did not greatly impact my outdoor fun. The courts were dry on Saturday morning so I showed up for tennis as usual. We had a nice sized crowd, as I suspect everyone was anxious to spend some time outside. There was a bit of a breeze, which made for some challenging situations, and a little cloud cover which kept the sun off of us for a bit. But our play ended early. Around 11:30, thunder and lightning came into the area and Mary Ann kicked us off the courts. Probably a good thing she was there to police us. I have never been one to use any common sense when it comes to lightning. I get that from my mom. She and I just loved to stand outside watching a thunderstorm. We would get as close as possible to the weather without quite ending up soaked, never giving a thought to the danger of the moment.

On Sunday morning I was able to go for a 30 mile bike ride with Alex, Jeanene and Dallas. Jeanene's parents had the baby, so the two came to our house to ride the Windover Loop. Unfortunately, Tom wasn't able to join us because of a very bad headache. And I know it must have been very bad, because he is always ready for a bike ride.

So my predictions for the weekend were happily incorrect.

The End, Somewhat

The storm has finished with us, for the most part. Tom and I didn't have any trouble at all. Actually, we lost power yesterday for about 30 minutes, which was traumatic, but otherwise we're fine. I have to admit that it was pretty nice having three days off to hang around at home. We watched TV, watched a movie, took naps, ate, worked on the computer… pretty lazy stuff mostly. Now, I did spend time doing freelance and that isn't lazy, but otherwise, the most industrious thing I did was clean out and organize underneath the kitchen sink. Go me!

I may have to make up for it this weekend though. We have a ton of graphics jobs in house which were already warranting overtime. These three days off have really set us back so I might have to come in during the weekend. Hate. The money is nice, of course, but I'd rather be home, all the same.

The storm effects will still be lingering, so I probably won't be playing tennis or riding my bike anyway. Which is really too bad now that we've really started back to bicycling on a regular basis. Hopefully next week will be drier.

Waiting for Fay

We're having a tropical storm day, which I guess is the northern equivalent to a snow day. We found out this morning at 5:00. Tom saw it on the news, but we called our special information number just to verify. Yes, all KSC workers were instructed to stay home today. I'm really grateful too, because I had gone to bad with a bad headache and also woke up with it.

So far, we haven't had any storm effects in our area. It is raining lightly and the wind is picking up a little, but nothing very major. Though I understand it's already much windier in the southern part of the county.

In fact, the storm is headed straight for Brevard County. This was not the expected path yesterday. Just goes to show you that you have to stay alert when it comes to tropical storms. We're predicted to be having big thunderstorms in the next several hours and sustained winds of 50 mph this evening.

This is always the oddest part of a storm; waiting for it to arrive. I just came back from a trip to Target. Traffic was light and crowds were non-existent. I think I was the only one there actually buying anything storm related. Tom and I were unsuccessful in locating our battery powered lantern. It's here, somewhere, but it's doing a good job of hiding. I figured if I bought a new one, the old one would show up.

Despite the missing lantern, my main reason, I admit, for visiting Target today was to purchase the Dexter Season 2 DVDs. They came packaged with a free book, Darkly Dreaming Dexter. That will give me something interesting to watch over the next day or so, assuming we don't lose power.

When Hurricane Francis hit in 2004, we lost power before it even got windy. But we kept power for the next storm. So I am hopeful, but I won't make any assumptions. I'll update tomorrow, if I'm able.

Weekend Stuff (because I can't think of a catchy title)

So the tropical disturbance I mentioned on Friday has become a named storm: Fay. I'm not sure if it's a tropical storm or a hurricane at this point, but it's definitely looking at Florida. We'll be getting some effects for sure, we just don't know at what severity right now. I don't think it will be very bad on the east coast, but that's just my amateur opinion based on… nothing, really. So instead of listening to me you should be out there battening down the hatches and purchasing all the bottled water you can get your hands on.

I was at Publix yesterday afternoon and it was a normal Sunday shopping day there. No crowds swarming the peanut butter aisle. Just average people doing their average shopping. I didn't buy any hurricane supplies whatsoever.

Though I did do one thing yesterday in preparation for the expected rains; I cleaned out the gutters. Go me! Well, it was a much harder task than one would really think. I climbed up onto the roof to go at it from that angle. Better, I assumed, than moving the ladder a thousand times. But my process involved a lot of crouching and squatting and my legs weren't too keen for it. Tom and I had ridden 28 miles in the morning and my legs hadn't yet forgiven me. So they protested mightily. It was a fairly excruciating experience.

In other weekend news, we did ride on Friday afternoon. Starting from Jeanene's work was both good and bad. It was convenient, particularly for her, and had clean restrooms. But we were right next to the river and the gnats were most annoying. Maybe it was just the humidity or some such. We'll give it another try before giving up. Alex and Jeanene had plans with visiting family afterward, so we didn't do our usual aprés-ride dinner outing. Which was fine, honestly. All I really wanted to do was camp at home and eat pizza.

And boy did I eat pizza! Dallas came over to dine with us and watch the Olympics. I took advantage of having someone to share a thin crust pizza with. We split a large with pepperoni, onions and mushrooms.  And I do mean split. There were no leftovers. I actually ate half of a large pizza in one sitting! Ack! It was so delicious though and I don't get that wonderful combination very often. However, I'm still ashamed of myself.

Because I have been so exhausted I considered skipping tennis on Saturday morning, but after the pizza fiasco… well let's just say the opportunity to burn calories could not be dismissed. So I played and it was fun. Hot, but overcast, so I didn't feel as though I were roasting on a spit.

I slept in on Sunday, after declaring to our bicycling friends that I simply wasn't up for an early ride. I know I needed that sleep badly because I went to bed at 10:00 on Saturday night and did not stir until 9:00 am. Then I got up, used the bathroom and got back into bed and slept for another hour. I'm pretty sure I'd still be sleeping if I hadn't forced myself to get up at that point. It was lovely. And I turned around and plunged myself straight back into the sleep deficit pool by staying up until 1:00 am watching the Olympics and doing freelance.

Well, at least there's only one more week left of the Olympic Games. But next comes the U.S. Open…

So Tired

I'm so glad it's Friday. This week has been exhausting. I think the Olympics have a lot to do with it. Naturally I'm staying up late watching the coverage, while doing freelance work. Last night I stopped work at 10:30 and moved into the spare bedroom to watch some swimming and the women's gymnastics individual competition. After falling asleep on and off, I gave up and went to bed at midnight. As a result, I'm dragging a bit.

I hope to resurrect some energy at some point as we're planning to ride this afternoon. Jeanene works in a historic building on River Road that used to be a church. So the gang will assemble at 5:00 and ride from there. Assuming the weather is okay for it. I'm sure we'll only do one side, which will take an hour or less.

Speaking of weather, there was an announcement of a Hurricane Condition IV warning only moments ago, which basically means that there is potential for hurricane conditions in 72 hours or more. I wasn't even aware there was anything going on in the tropics. I immediately called Tom for an update because he always watches the weather channel and knows what's going on weather-wise. He was very nonchalant about it, so no need to worry. The system is very far away at this time.

To reader Tom:
Yes, we have ridden the West Orange trail twice, but it's been a long time. We started at the West End Station in Clermont and rode to the end and back. My husband keeps talking about finding some areas to ride in the Clermont area because he wants to bike some hills. He's crazy that way. Thanks for the reminder though. It's nice to ride somewhere else for a change.

To Jenn:
There will be no pics of the padded shorts.

To Denise:
Lately it's been taking us about 2 hours to ride the 31 miles of River Road. But that time should start coming down a bit as we (read: I) become more fit.

Action Packed

It was a fairly active weekend and I'm exhausted this morning. Which is typical for a Monday, but I'm especially tired today. Between lots of exercise and not nearly enough sleep time, I'm feeling pretty low energy.

Friday wasn't active, but it was fun. Greg and Stacey came over to watch the Olympics Opening Ceremony with us. They have joined us for nearly every one since we moved into our house. In fact, the very first night we officially slept in our house was the beginning of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. At any rate, it has become a tradition which we all enjoy.

Saturday morning I played tennis. I managed four sets in the 3.5 hours I was at the courts. Usually I get in five sets, but I had to wait until people and courts opened up. That's okay though, that was enough.

Sunday has become bike riding day. The Gang met at River Road, our standard ride, but we started from the library on the north side this time. Figuring that Kiva might be a little less distracted if he didn't see the park at all. Instead of the chariot, Alex and Jeanene had bought a child bike seat which was installed on Jeanene's touring bicycle. He wasn't exactly thrilled with it either, but put up with it for the first half.

Alex and Jeanene took Kiva to the park while the rest of of rode the south end of River Road. We did a total of 31 miles and I'm feeling it today. In fact, I started feeling it last night and truthfully, I was feeling it while riding too. I'm going to keep plodding along and eventually my fitness will improve and it won't feel so much like agony. I am so looking forward to that.

By the way, never mind the Ride for the Red. While Tom's legs are good to go, he isn't sure his butt can handle so much time in the saddle. So I guess we're bagging it. That's probably for the best, considering my current state of fitness. We'll just focus on getting in shape for our mountain bike trip this October.

Jenn: The padded shorts are absolutely essential! Couldn't imagine riding without them. They're a little funky feeling at first, but really cut down on the pain factor.

Odometer Obsession

Lately I've been fascinated with the odometer in my car. I have been watching for interesting patterns in the numbers. It all started when I hit 11K miles. Yesterday I saw 11551 and 11555. I have no idea why I am so transfixed with this new hobby. Speaking of driving yesterday, according to the outside thermometer in the car, it was 97 degrees. That explains why my shoes were smoking as I walked across the parking lot. Mercy.

Tom and I rode our bikes from the house in the late afternoon, after it had cooled (ha!) a bit. Actually, the main reason we waited was to let traffic dwindle down a little. Part of our airport loop from the house is under construction. The barrels and cones are bad enough, but there are also areas in which the narrow bike lane disappears and we find ourselves shoulder to shoulder with automobiles. Certainly dangerous and nerve wracking. At least at 6:00 or so there aren't quite so many people speeding maniacally in their quests to get home.

The thing I really hate about the airport loop is the wind. It doesn't matter how absolutely still the air is at home, there is always a wind on the open plains surrounding the airport. I played all sorts of mental games with myself yesterday to distract myself from the intermittent misery. My legs would ache, my heart would pound, my airways would constrict. Makes me wonder why I enjoy the sport so much.

There's a ride coming up in two weeks that we might try to do. It's the Red Cross Ride for the Red Cycling Tour of Brevard County charity event. There are several distances to choose from (33, 62 or 100 miles) and the ride is fully supported with rest/sag stops. I wish I had a few more weeks to prepare, but I think I can manage the 62 mile or Metric Century. Considering there will be plenty of breaks and our pace doesn't have to be warp speed. I'm not going to register for it ahead of time though. We can do that the day of the event, so we can see how the weather's going to be before making a commitment.

Jennifer asked in the comments if the seat (saddle) on my new bicycle hurts my butt. No, surprisingly it does not. I know people see those tiny saddles and immediately think Ouch!, but the fact is, they're more comfortable than those gigantic gel seats. There's less of me touching the saddle. Plus, I wear padded shorts.

The Hood

Yesterday, for the first time in a month, I had a tennis lesson. Finally a Monday with no rain. Though rain might have been kinder, actually. It was crazy hot on the court, absolutely sizzling. I felt like a slice of bacon in a frying pan. I had, thankfully, bought along a 24 oz. cup full of ice and every time we had a break I added water from the fountain. I probably drank 64 oz. by the time we were finished. Occasionally a small piece of ice would break off and sneak into my mouth like a tiny bit of heaven. By the end of the hour I was completely drenched with sweat.

When I got home, I was unloading my car when one of my neighbors came wheeling by. Ernie is one of the sweetest old guys I've ever met. About a year ago he suffered a serious illness and is still recovering from it. He uses a wheeled walker with a seat so he can sit and have a rest when he needs to. I joined him for a slow circle around the block. It was interesting to observe the neighborhood up close. Generally I'm driving my car or riding my bike and don't have the opportunity to really see the houses and the yards. There were lots of other people out and about. Several couples walking and scores of children zooming around on their bicycles. Others mowing their lawns or tending to household business. We live in a very nice, friendly neighborhood, as it turns out.

Time for an Upgrade

Tom and I did something exciting Friday afternoon. We drove to Orlando in rush-hour traffic and a bit of rain in order to visit Orange Cycle. No, that isn't very exciting. Or fun. Or unusual, frankly. The exciting part is that I purchased a new bicycle. A Specialized Roubaix Expert Compact Rival. (that's a mouthful!)

I won't bore you with the technical particulars, but I will say that it's a sweet bike, has an all carbon frame and is very pretty. See for yourself:

I rode it around the neighborhood on Saturday afternoon. Tom made sure the saddle height and fore/aft were set up right for me and adjusted the handlebars just a bit. Good to go! I got to really test it yesterday when we went for a group ride with our usual gang of suspects: Alex, Jeanene, Dallas, Vicky and Matt. We met at Riverfront Park in Cocoa Village at 9:00 and quickly got ourselves assembled and ready to ride. Akiva, Alex and Jeanene's 19 month old son, was to ride in a "chariot" behind Alex's bike. But once he caught sight of the park and the playground, there was no getting him in there. So Jeanene stayed behind while the rest of us biked the south end of River Road. Then Alex and Jeanene switched places and she joined us for the north end while Alex watched the baby. The art of compromise, right?

I can't honestly say how awesome and wonderful my new bike was because I so totally suck right now. My fitness level has dropped dramatically in the last few months. There was quite a lot of struggling going on and I can't fairly assess the new ride. But it seemed smooth, shifted really well and I had no problems with my new pedals. I just know that I need to spend more time in the saddle if I want to get fit so that I can enjoy myself and keep up with the rest of the gang.

Eating fried olives with horseradish dipping sauce at Murdock's isn't helping with that situation, I'm sure.

Conferencing

I've been out of touch lately. I was at a conference earlier in the week, then I was settling back in after being out, then I was just plain lazy.

The conference was… good, I guess. I was more of an honored guest than an attendee. Dig the title: Florida Labor-Management Conference. So not my thing, right? What the heck was I doing there then? Well, I have been doing the artwork for the conference (program, signs, table tents, etc.) for about five years. The man I work with on the project arranged for me (and Tom) to go this year. We went to St. Pete Beach and stayed at the TradeWinds Grand Resort, right on the beach. In fact, our room had a view of the Gulf of Mexico. Not much in the wave department, in case you wondered. It's pretty calm on the west coast.

Instead of a detailed account of our days in St. Pete Beach, I'll just pick out some highlights.

Our room was very nice. An upgrade, I was told. In addition to the usual two double beds and a bathroom, our room also had a small kitchenette and a sitting area with a couch, chair, TV and small dining area overlooking the beach. There was a sliding glass door but no actual balcony (rats!), just about a foot before the safety rail. But I still pressed myself against the rail and soaked in the sun, the surf, the ocean ambience. If I looked straight down from there I could watch tourists in their paddle boats, cruising the man-made river meandering around the hotel.

There are lots of amenities at the TradeWinds. Several pools, tennis courts, paddle boats, ping-pong tables, and of course the beach. Unfortunately we didn't get to enjoy any of it. Not because the conference kept us too busy, but because it rained every day. It started in the morning around 8:00 or so and continued until after lunch. Then the afternoon storms would come rolling in.

The food was very good. The first night there was a barbecue buffet and a tempting dessert table. Each morning there was a continental breakfast, which I'm not usually a big fan of, but there were warm ham and cheese croissants. They made me very happy. One night we had Surf & Turf. The Surf portion was stuffed shrimp. All very tasty.

I had the most fun at Casino Night. We were each given a voucher for $2,500 in chips. A large room was set up with all sorts of casino tables and equipment. There was poker, Texas Hold'em, Blackjack, roulette, slot machines, craps and possibly some other stuff I didn't see. At any rate, I spent the whole night at the craps table. I can't say I learned how to play craps, as it's a very complicated game, but I sure did have a good time. And I won lots of "money" - $19,000! Too bad it wasn't real. However, we cashed in our chips for raffle tickets - one for each $1K - and there was a drawing for lots of good prizes. And I won, not one, but two prizes! I got a small Flip Video Camcorder and a pink 7" portable DVD player. Nice, huh?

Poor Tom though. He missed out on the yummy dinner and Casino Night, spending the evening in the room instead (tummy trouble). 

I did attend some of the actual conference activities; the greeting, introduction and plenary session on Monday morning followed by a workshop. But, I chose poorly and ended up in a pretty boring one. While I sat in the room faking interest while writing a letter to Ann, I could hear lots of cheering, laughing and general hoopla coming from the workshop next door. Double rats.

Not wanting to get stuck in another mind numbing situation, I skipped out on the second workshop session and raced back to the room. It had finally stopped raining so Tom and I grabbed our bicycles and headed south on Gulf Boulevard. It was a pretty good ride and I wish we had time for more exploring. We need to start taking our bikes somewhere, anywhere, and just ride. See what we can find. I think it would be a lot of fun and a nice change from what could possibly become a rut.

In addition to being introduced around to everyone and feeling a bit like a princess with the upgraded room and all, I was also given a special presentation from the participants from Disney. They know I love Tigger and have given me some nice items in the past (a plush, an antennae ball, a sweat shirt, a t-shirt, a clock). This year they gave me a framed image of Tigger holding in his little paw a copy of the 2008 program (which I designed). Above his head it says "Thank You Amy" and there's a shuttle launch in the background. There is also a plaque on the frame thanking me for my hard work and creativity (or something like that). I was absolutely astonished. How amazing that they did that for me. That just might have been my favorite part of the conference.

No, I take that back. It was definitely Casino Night.