Ladybug Studio

Launch day…

(Artwork by Yours Truly!)

The final launch of Space shuttle Endeavour is scheduled for this afternoon. Earlier in the week, there was an 80% chance of favorable weather. Now there is a 70% chance. The lift-off time of 3:47 pm is most inconvenient as that's right around the time that the majority of space center workers leave for the day. My company allowed us to shift our work schedule by one hour, so we can get away early and hopefully avoid the epic traffic jams that are expected. I am planning to leave another hour early, just to be on the safe side.

As the second to last shuttle launch, this event alone would be quite a draw, but with the addition of Congresswoman Gifford and the Obama family in attendance, things are just getting even more hectic as the day goes on. Over 500,000 people are expected to visit Brevard County today to view the launch. This is wonderful for our economy, but terrible for people just trying to go to work and run their daily errands.

I plan to stay put, once I get home today. Tom and I may have to order our pizza from a more local shop as heading into Titusville to Valentino's might not be a very good idea.

In other news…

This turned into a much more exciting week than I would have expected. Major change in the Lombardo Garage — I traded in the SLK350 for a 2009 BMW 135i. This was not the original plan, at all. Not that there was a certified plan, per se. But the tentative plan didn't include a BMW.

The tentative plan included a Volvo C30. A cute, 2-door hatchback. I had decided that when the lease was up on my Mercedes, I wanted something different. Something with a smaller payment, a back seat, and enough room to stow my bicycle. It was actually iffy on whether or not my bicycle would fit in the Volvo, but a roof rack would have made a fair compromise.

Then we started looking at the Audi A3. Also a hatchback, but with four doors. The Audi is not as cute as the Volvo, but definitely had room for the bicycle. Though disturbingly close to being a wagon. Not sure I could go from driving a roadster to driving a wagon. The Audi, however, was pretty costly, once I had added on the features I would need for it to have.

Then my Mercedes salesman, Courtney, called us because they had a used A3 arrive at the dealership. (in addition to Mercedes, they also sell Porsche and Audi). Tom and I went to the dealership on Tuesday afternoon, since tennis was rained out, to check out the car. It was a pretty blue and well loaded. We took the car for quite a long test drive and found it to be very nice. I was especially happy with all of the interior features and goodies.

Once back at the dealership, Tom wanted me to take a look at a car he had noticed on the dealership's used inventory on their website. A beautiful, Alpine White 1 series BMW. Two doors, which I prefer, and a sunroof, which is a must. The huge trunk easily accommodates a bicycle once the back seats are folded down. Courtney gave us the key and sent us off on another test drive. We had only gone a mile or two down the road when we looked at each other and agreed that this was The Car.

Fast (300hp). Responsive. Great handling. Beautiful. Classy. Fun. Luxurious. Loaded. SOLD!

We went back to the dealership on Wednesday afternoon to complete the deal. I parked the SLK in a back lot so that I wouldn't see it when we drove away.

So I've been having fun driving the car, naturally, and trying to figure everything out. There are lots of really cool features and I'm determined to get the best out of them. We have managed to pair my phone so I can use the Bluetooth function, but have had no success programming the garage door opener.

The key is actually called a Remote Control and doesn't have to be used to unlock the doors or start the car. It just has to be in a pocket or purse. The "key" can also be programmed to my preferences. Whatever they may be, I have no idea right now. But I'd prefer that the AC didn't immediately come on, which is what is happening right now. Too much to learn!

Trivia Time! While everyone may know BMW cars as Beemers, they should actually be called Bimmers. BMW motorcycles are the Beemers. The US, Canada and many other countries have this reversed.

Easter weekend…

Monday mornings sure do come fast. Where on earth did the weekend go? Well, Friday wasn't much of a start, I can tell you. But to explain Friday, I must first mention Thursday.

On Thursday, not long after lunch, I started to feel a bit dizzy. Not so bad that I was falling down or feeling sick, just slightly dizzy. But it was annoying and believe me, it's hard to work at a computer when you are feeling dizzy. This sort of went off and on for the rest of the afternoon. Once home from the haircut and a few errands, I was no longer dizzy, but had a touch of a headache.

On Friday, not long after lunch, I started to feel dizzy again. About the same, but it went on for longer. By the end of the workday, all I wanted to do was go home and lie down. Which is exactly what I did. I napped fretfully until Tom checked on me around 6:30. I finally dragged myself off the couch in the spare bedroom and joined Tom in the living room. Once I was awake and feeling a little bit more alive, Tom and I went out to get our usual Friday night pizza.

We've been on a Valentino's kick for months now. Tom prefers their pizza over Stone Creek and I like that they will put toppings on a quarter (two pieces) of the pie. So I can have my mushrooms and pepperoni and Tom can have his boring old cheese.

Back at home again, I was enjoying my pizza, when the room suddenly tilted and I got quite a bit more dizzy than previously. I continued to feel off-kilter for the rest of the evening and ended up going to bed at 9:30 as laying down was much better than standing or even sitting.

Tom had a thought about the dizziness and asked if I had quit taking the decongestant once I started to feel better. Yes, I didn't think I needed it any longer. But he thought that even though my sinuses were better, there could be congestion higher up, into my head.

So on Saturday morning I took a decongestant and was fine the whole day. I played tennis in the morning, then worked in the yard. No problem. Went to Target with Tom and brought home dinner from Panda Express. Still good.

I took another decongestant on Sunday morning and that day was dizzy-free as well. Which was a really good thing as Tom's family was coming over in the afternoon and there was much to be done. Or so I thought. I considered a bike ride in the morning, or washing my car, but was worried that I might run out of time later in the day. Instead, I stayed home and did a little cleaning, baked and decorated cookies, wrapped a few presents and set the dining room table. Then—

Nothing. I had everything ready and plenty of time for nothing. I could've done the morning bike ride after all. Rats.

Just to explain, Tom's family didn't exactly come over for Easter dinner. Yes, it was Easter and we did have dinner, but the main reason for the get together was to catch up on some birthdays that have come and gone. That's why there were presents to wrap. Though, I did buy each person an Easter candy item and decorated the cookies for the holiday. But forget the ham or the leg of lamb. We had Tom Terrific Burgers with potato salad and baked beans. Much better, if you ask me.

Back to bob…

I had my hair colored and cut yesterday. The color was primarily to cover up the gray hair starting to creep in. As far as cutting, lately I've just been getting a little trim, if my hair needs it. But yesterday I had a couple of inches taken off. As I complained to Lori, my stylist, I thought I wanted to grow my hair long, but things hadn't been working out well these days. I can't get a high enough pony tail, so my hair spends the days rubbing against the back of my shirt, getting tangled and messy. And  I wear a ponytail quite often. Plus, the longer it got, the more unruly the underside was becoming. Lori agreed that the look I was sporting wasn't doing much for me. So she cut it back to a one length bob, right at the collar bone. Getting rid of the layers really polished the style. It looks shiny and healthy. Feels great too. Plus, and most important, I can still get it into a ponytail.

I had another CrossFit lesson on Wednesday. With Billy. I don't know how old he is, but he looks late teens, early twenties at the most. Despite his apparent youth, he was a great trainer, full of knowledge and eager to teach. He showed me the front squat technique and reviewed the daily warm-up exercises. Then I did another workout. This one was the 1/2 Cindy. Complete as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of: 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 squats. After one round I was ready to stop, but there was still plenty of time left. I modified my push-ups to my knees and managed to do four rounds before calling it quits. There was still some time on the clock but I was done.

I don't do well with these timed workouts. I feel as though I'm just flopping and flailing my way through them. Allie tells me they aren't all timed, but so far I haven't seen any WODs that aren't. (Workout of the Day) Which leads me to admit that I'm beginning to rethink this whole CrossFit thing. I'm not sure it's going to be the thing for me after all. I guess I'm going to have to create a pro and con list and think hard about it in the next several days.

Helen…

I had my first official CrossFit training session yesterday. I guess the other two days were "get acquainted" freebie days. We started with the rowing machine. Not difficult, just some basics on using it properly. Allie had me do 400 meters, but I misheard him and did 500 instead.

Next, we worked on the dead lift. That's what's going to take the most time, learning to do the lifts properly. A lift appears to be a seamless motion, but is actually built of a number of tiny, but important parts. After going over the various components and gradually adding weight, I ended up dead-lifting 103 pounds. I believe I could have done more.

We discussed running technique for a bit (Pose Running, anyone?), then started our actual workout. Many (most? all?) of the CrossFit workouts have names. The one Allie picked for me was a modified version of Helen, called 1/2 Helen. It consisted of 3 rounds for time: 100 m run, 12 kettle bell swings (20#) and 6 pull-ups (assisted). Tricky, as I wasn't sure how quickly to do any of these things and still make it through three rounds. But since I was the only one there, I did't feel compelled to compete with anyone and plodded along at my own pace. I finished in 8:06. Allie said that was good, but I suspect he was just being encouraging.

At least I feel like we're finally getting somewhere. Up until now, the get togethers have been few and far between. I have another training session planned for Wednesday afternoon. Allie can't be there so I will meet another of the trainers, Billy. I've never met him, but if he's working at 26.2, then I'm sure he knows his stuff.

Back to normal activity…

I am feeling much, much better! A little lingering congestion and I still can't get too far away from a tissue box, but otherwise back to normal.

On Friday afternoon I had another CrossFit lesson. I figured I could handle it okay as it wouldn't be a real workout. Allie, the trainer/owner, showed me the daily warm up, which honestly sounds like a workout in itself. First there is the Samson Stretch, which is very similar to a runner's lunge. Then there are overhead squats with a broomstick, sit-ups, back-extensions, pull-ups and dips. Yikes. There was a good bit of instruction regarding weight lifting techniques. I can understand now why I need to attend training classes before I can start joining in on the regular workouts.

As I mentioned, it wasn't a real workout, but something in those sit-ups stayed with me all weekend. A very sneaky exercise, to be sure. I didn't feel a thing while doing them and it wasn't until later on Saturday that I noticed an ache in my abs. Saturday night I had difficulty turning over in bed and by Sunday it hurt to cough. The pain went all the way through my entire abdomen, too. Including those really hard to work lower ab muscles. Not entirely a bad thing after all.

Well, back to the rest of the weekend. On Saturday I participated in the round robin for the first time in ages. It was okay, for the most part. Though I did notice that any time I had to run around during a point, my heart rate would sky rocket. One lady suggested that it could be the medication I'm taking and I'm sure that's what it was. Something in particular or the combination, I didn't determine. I played four sets and that was plenty.

After lunch I tackled some yard work. Between this, that and the other thing, I have really been neglecting our flower beds and the plants were looking embarrassingly shaggy. Because I know how easily I become distracted out in the yard, I ordered myself to only work on the section in front of the dining room window. Nothing else. I did catch myself pulling weeds in the backyard after going to retrieve the yard clipping trashcan and had to practically tear myself away and get back on task. But I did and ended up accomplishing quite a lot. The robellin palm got a nice trim and I used the electric clippers to shape the yellow mound and the arboricola underneath. It looks quite nice now. Next will be the topiary trees in front of the office windows. I'm not looking forward to that job.

For dinner Saturday night, Dallas joined Tom and I at Ernie's restaurant: Bianco's Big League Family Eatery. I ordered a burger, of course. There are lots of great sounding items on the menu but I just can't resist the delicious burgers.

On Sunday I got up at 8:30, just before Tom headed off to baseball practice. Yes, it's that time of year again. Which also means that it's time to resume my Sunday solo bike rides. I headed out intending to try to do the Windover out and back, which is about 28.5 miles. I didn't push myself too much, just kept a comfortable pace. About mile 12 my backside began to protest the new saddle, but as I was 12 miles from home, there wasn't much to be done about it. So I pushed on to my turn around point, at the Target shopping center. I took a short break, maybe five minutes, just to get off my butt for a little bit. The return trip wasn't as bad as I had feared, though it was pretty breezy around the airport. I made it back home comfortably, glad to be done, yet capable of riding more miles if necessary. Which is just about perfect for my first ride of the season.

On the mend, finally…

My ENT declared that I not only have a sinus infection, I have a bad one. I love being able to impress a doctor whenever possible. He gently chided me for letting it go as long as I did, then proceeded to write out four prescriptions. Antibiotics, steroids, decongestant and nasal spray. Fun times.

So I stayed home from work guilt free yesterday. Good thing, too, because an annoying, itchy little cough kept me awake until about 3:30 or so. I finally did get to sleep and then didn't awake until 10:00. I had coffee and puttered around a little until about noon, when I started to feel the slightest bit queasy. I napped for an hour, then still feeling icky, realized that I hadn't eaten anything at all, despite being advised to take my medications with food. So I got up and had lunch. That helped a little. I read for a little bit, then ended up taking a really long nap, which is probably why I had difficulty falling asleep last night. The coughing was under control with the cough suppressant I had bought, so that wasn't the problem. I just wasn't sleepy. Five o'clock came much too soon this morning.

Thought I was better…

Yesterday was much better than Monday. Other than annoying symptoms regarding large quantities of tissues, I was feeling okay and figured I had turned a corner. I even played tennis in the afternoon. It was so nice to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine. Though it was a little bit on the warm side. I got to the courts pretty early, so I grabbed my iPod and headed over to the boat launch, just to check it out. And to my delight, there were a half dozen or so manatee swimming around in the cove.

I was born in Florida and have lived here my entire life, yet this was the first time I have ever seen manatee with my own eyes. Crazy, isn't it? I've seen plenty of alligators, which the tourists seem to be fascinated with, but no manatee.

At home in the evening, my throat started bugging me. I had a slight tickle which produced a dry cough. Amazingly it settled down by bedtime and I slept fairly well until a violent sneeze awoke me about ten minutes before the alarm. Thus began a constant blowing of the nose and a dry, annoying cough.

So I have broken down. I have an appointment with my ENT. I'm looking forward to getting started on those antibiotics.

* * *

Here's some good news, at least. It was formally announced at an event yesterday that KSC will be getting to keep Atlantis! The Visitor Complex will be building an exhibit in which to showcase the beloved orbiter.

No better…

My illness did - and still does - continue. Did it ruin the weekend? Well, yes and no. I wasn't completely miserable the entire time, but I wasn't able to participate in any of my usual activities and that was a bummer. I was able to get out and about a little bit. Trip to Target, brief visit with Tom's mother. But mostly I took it easy. Lots of napping and TV watching. In fact, I managed to clear the Tivo in the spare bedroom.

Yet despite the many hours of rest I acquired over the weekend, I felt really terrible yesterday morning. Worse than before! So I ended up going home sick after a half day of work. I'm pretty sure it's a sinus infection. Tom has been urging me to see a doctor and some others have advised the same. I'm thinking about it. I don't want to take the time or spend the money. Plus, I hate taking antibiotics! But on the other hand, I'm getting sick of feeling sick.

Oh! I watched Despicable Me over the weekend. It was so cute! At first, I wasn't sure, but the more I watched, the story just kept getting better. Recommend!

Please excuse the interruption. I got excited.

The CrossFit lesson, which I did end up canceling, has been rescheduled for this Friday. Fingers crossed!

Apropos of absolutely nothing, I'm posting a photo of the delicious dessert Joy and I shared at The Olde Pink House in Savannah.

Nice knowing you…

After working at Kennedy Space Center for nearly 18 years, Tom is handing in his badge today. Yes, he is one of the 535 USA employees being laid off this week. He's known for about 2 months, so he's had plenty of time to process the situation. And overall, he's pretty upbeat. For quite a while now his job has been very stressful and not at all enjoyable. He's been stuck in neutral, his position going nowhere. So perhaps this will be a forced opportunity to find something new that he really wants to do.

His severance package will allow some downtime to relax, work on projects and ride his bicycle. I have quite a few things in mind to keep him busy. But at the same time, he needs to be working on the job hunt. Hm. Maybe if I keep giving him chores, going back into employment will look a bit sweeter.

* * *

So I've been sick this week. Which is really quite rare for me. Oh, I get headaches and stomach aches. Not to mention mysterious rashes and weird injuries. But I seldom get sick. Yet Tuesday afternoon, while playing tennis, I began to get a scratchy throat. It became sore and my head started to feel achey and funny during the drive home. By the time I went to bed that night my sinuses were stuffy and I ached all over. I stayed home from work on Wednesday, feeling horrible and achey most of the day. I did see some improvement by that evening, so I got up and went to work on Thursday. Today? Not feeling so good again. I sure hope this doesn't continue and ruin the weekend.

I'm supposed to have another CrossFit lesson this afternoon. A difficult endeavor during the best of health. I'm not sure whether or not I will go. I shouldn't, of course. But will I listen to my body? Maybe…

Weekend away details…

Joy came with me and we drove up in my little car on Thursday. In some of the worst weather I've ever seen. Holy cow! Hard rain and wind until just below Savannah. Then it cleared up a bit. Which was perfect, as Joy and I stopped in Savannah for a nice leisurely lunch at The Olde Pink House.

Driving in Savannah is quite a bit different from walking in Savannah. When Ann, Joy and I visited a year and a half ago, we parked our cars at the hotel and pretty much left them there, opting to walk or grab a taxi instead. Wise move, as I now know. So parking was a bit of an issue until we found a parking garage. We had to go nearly to the roof, but finally found a nice space.

Our lunch was very nice, though I wish I had ordered the shrimp and grits instead of the lobster roll. It was pretty tasty, but in retrospect, I just think I made the wrong decision. Joy ordered some fancy looking soft-shell crab dish. It was something new for her and I think she liked it, but probably wouldn't order it again. The dessert we shared however, made up for any shortcoming there might have been with the rest of our meal. It was called a berry basket and consisted of a basket made from crushed pralines, filled with a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with a mango puree, decorated with fresh strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Delicious, light and refreshing.

After lunch we headed over to the riverfront to buy some pralines. Can't visit Savannah and not leave with some pralines! Well, actually, I didn't buy any pralines myself because I don't care for pecans. I love the sugary, buttery candy part, but could do without the nuts. However, that didn't keep me from shopping in the candy store! I had fun putting together a grab bag of mixed sweets.

Next, we visited the Life is Good store. Lots of fun things there! We each bought a t-shirt - Joy chose a golf theme and I chose a bicycle theme. Then, reluctantly, we determined that it was time to get back on the road. Though there was no hurry to get to Ann's house as she would be involved in a dress rehearsal and not expected home until around 10:00. After several misses, we finally figured out which floor of the parking garage we had left my car on and yes, it was nearly on the roof. Winding back down to street level nearly did in the Garmin and amused us to no end.

Within a half hour of getting back on the highway it started to rain again. And it pretty much rained the rest of our trip up. Rats.

The three of us spent much of Friday running around town. First, we had breakfast out, which I love. Eggs, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns and toast. Yum. Ann had a cut and color scheduled, so Joy and I did an errand for her, then poked around in a Tuesday Morning store for a bit. We still got back to the salon before Ann was done, so we hung out there for another 30 minutes or so. I used that time to check my email and Twitter on my iPad. After leaving the salon, we stopped at Starbucks and relaxed for a few minutes with delicious coffee drinks, vanilla scones and lemon pound cake.

As we needed to leave for the theater by 6:30, we had an early dinner and Ann's good friend Coye joined us for the meal. We had salad, garlic bread and Ann's famous spaghetti. Having her spaghetti sauce is pretty much a requirement whenever any of us come up to visit. And if she comes down to visit us, she has to bring the sauce with her. Or we won't let her stay. Just kidding. Maybe.

Once we got to the theater we immediately went to check out the stage. I am constantly amazed at how well built - seriously! - the sets are. Nothing flimsy going on at this theater! The stairs are very solid and the doors fully functioning. Of course, the actors are running up and down, going in and out of the various doors so they have to be able to stand a fair amount of abuse. Joy got a brief tour of the theater, then we settled into our awesome seats - fourth row, middle! - to watch the play. (we have connections) Which, as I mentioned earlier, was absolutely entertaining and well done all around. After the play, we attended a cast party at a local tavern. There were about 30 people there, celebrating after many weeks of hard work and rehearsals. We got home pretty late and immediately went to bed.

As a result, we were a little late getting up the next day. Joy and Ann were already awake when I staggered out at 9:00. After coffee and a quick nibble, the three of us met Coye at The Farm House. This is a wonderful old home that Ann is hoping to acquire. Coye's partner is Brad, and Brad's family owns the house and property. They adore Ann, which hopefully will work out in her favor.

In the afternoon, Ann invited a few friends over for a cookout. Coye, who is a wonderful cook - dare I say chef? - provided most of the shish kabob fixings along with a wonderful rice dish. One thing I learned is that almost anything is better grilled. Even pound cake and peaches.

On Saturday night we all went back to the theater for another performance. But this time, Joy and I sat with Ann to experience what goes on backstage. We were able to move around quietly and check out the show from different angles. What makes Noises Off particularly interesting is the revolving stage. During the second act, the actors were still performing the play - to the curtain at the back of the stage!

Sunday morning came much too soon. It was quite a whirlwind weekend that went by way too quickly. But at least the weather was better for the long drive back to florida. It was bright and sunny and got warmer and warmer as we got closer to home.