This is the time of year where it becomes really apparent I’m not from Indiana or any northern type state that has a ‘true’ winter. Maybe not to those who don’t know me very well or only see me in passing, but anyone who is around me a lot (Eric) definitely notices. Shoot… it’s probably one of the reasons I DON’T see too many people or do too much this time of year. I am the epitome of winter blues. I get really down and don’t want to do anything but curl up in my bed and not wake up till spring… the REAL spring, when it’s warm enough to put sandals on again.
I try to be happy and can even put up a hell of a happy front. But catch me off guard and you won’t see that front. I think it’s just the Florida girl in me screaming for warmth and sunshine. A weekend doesn’t cut it – that’s just a tease, actually, and may make things worse. It was nice when I had to travel to FL for work all the time… I got my fill of warmth and sunshine and it helped keep the blues away. But this year there is no traveling, and it’s hitting me pretty hard. This is the time of year where you may get some warmth or sunshine, but you won’t get both. I hate that. It makes me get more upset, yearning for it all.
Eric’s been trying to keep me motivated and happy. But I’m afraid they may be fruitless efforts. The bottom line is that if I can go outside in my bare feet and feel the warm pavement or grass beneath my feet, I’m not happy. And I haven’t been able to do that since, what… September? Maybe October? And when will I be able to do it again? April, if I’m lucky?
The weird thing is, I like having four distinct seasons. But I think I’d rather have the colder seasons shorter. Or maybe even just the opportunity to ‘visit’ the colder seasons and then go back to the warmth. It doesn’t have to be FL… just somewhere warmer. With a beach. That’s probably becoming more apparent in my mind every day – I miss the beach. And I’m sorry, but the lake front beaches people like to go to up here don’t cut it. I want to smell the salt in the air. THAT’S a beach!
Oh well. Enough about my winter blues. If you see me any time soon, just don’t point out that it’s still winter and I’ll be alright.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Is It Just Me...
... or do there seem to be more shootings on the east side of Indy that usual? That, and bank robberies. The bank robberies can be attributed to the bad economy... but why does that lead to more shootings? 'Deals' gone bad? And most recently, a 16 year old. He didn't die by the bullet, but he was shot in a 'drive by' none the less. The cops think it was targeted gang violence, but regardless...
Anyway... just rambling. It seems like there's just a lot more bad news in the news lately. Maybe I've just been in hibernation mode too long and I'm catching too many news stories in general.
I digress.
Anyway... just rambling. It seems like there's just a lot more bad news in the news lately. Maybe I've just been in hibernation mode too long and I'm catching too many news stories in general.
I digress.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Frigid Digits
Eric has a fraternity brother, Carl, who has an annual party that has carried over since college called Frigid Digits. If you can't tell by the name, it's basically an outside party held in the middle of the winter. Well, yesterday I attended my first Frigid Digits party.
I've heard some crazy stories about things that have happened at Frigid Digits. I think most of the guys have gotten older now and tend to stay away from slamming bottles of Goldschlager like they used to. But the big fire is still there, lots of beer, including some of Carl's home brew, and this year there was even a keg throwing contest for charity. There was plenty of food to be had (though it got cold fast if it was even remotely warm) and believe it or not, it's even kid friendly. So I'm guessing it's nothing like it used to be.
Regardless, it was still a good time. I used my layering knowledge to dress for the event and I think I was one of the few that stayed pretty warm throughout. There were opportunities to go inside, but since that defeats the point of the party, you tried to stay outside as much as possible. And I did.
I've heard some crazy stories about things that have happened at Frigid Digits. I think most of the guys have gotten older now and tend to stay away from slamming bottles of Goldschlager like they used to. But the big fire is still there, lots of beer, including some of Carl's home brew, and this year there was even a keg throwing contest for charity. There was plenty of food to be had (though it got cold fast if it was even remotely warm) and believe it or not, it's even kid friendly. So I'm guessing it's nothing like it used to be.Regardless, it was still a good time. I used my layering knowledge to dress for the event and I think I was one of the few that stayed pretty warm throughout. There were opportunities to go inside, but since that defeats the point of the party, you tried to stay outside as much as possible. And I did.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
A Quick Trip South
So the typical, everyday person probably won't do this, but I'm used to traveling a lot (though not as much as I used to) and Eric still travels a lot, so I didn't think much of it when he proposed this idea to me on Thursday morning... fly down to Tampa on Friday afternoon, meet up with him to meet his Grandpa and have dinner with him, and then fly back home on Saturday morning. I didn't even hesitate when I said "Sure!"
So here it is, not even 2pm on Saturday, and I've already had a busy weekend!! Yesterday afternoon I got on a plane to Sarasota (SRQ) to meet Eric as he drove up from Naples. See, the whole idea came because Eric got stuck down there for a meeting on Friday morning and he had credits he had to use on AirTran, so he figured he'd give himself some company on the way back. Plus, I hadn't met his Grandpa yet, who live near Tampa. So it just made sense. I got down there and we drove up from SRQ to his Grandpa's, picked up some dinner at the Publix deli before getting there, and just had a nice few hours of chatting. Afterwards, we headed to a hotel near TPA for our flight out this morning. And now I'm home.
Does this seem crazy to you?
Like I said, I thought nothing of it until I really realized how short of time I was there. Usually only people with their own planes do stuff like that. But it didn't really cost anything extra for Eric nor I since he was already there for work and had credits to be used. Would've I have done that if we had to pay for tickets... probably not. But it's still kind of a fun story to tell.
So here it is, not even 2pm on Saturday, and I've already had a busy weekend!! Yesterday afternoon I got on a plane to Sarasota (SRQ) to meet Eric as he drove up from Naples. See, the whole idea came because Eric got stuck down there for a meeting on Friday morning and he had credits he had to use on AirTran, so he figured he'd give himself some company on the way back. Plus, I hadn't met his Grandpa yet, who live near Tampa. So it just made sense. I got down there and we drove up from SRQ to his Grandpa's, picked up some dinner at the Publix deli before getting there, and just had a nice few hours of chatting. Afterwards, we headed to a hotel near TPA for our flight out this morning. And now I'm home.
Does this seem crazy to you?
Like I said, I thought nothing of it until I really realized how short of time I was there. Usually only people with their own planes do stuff like that. But it didn't really cost anything extra for Eric nor I since he was already there for work and had credits to be used. Would've I have done that if we had to pay for tickets... probably not. But it's still kind of a fun story to tell.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Where's the Fire?
I’m a bit of an ‘ambulance chaser’. Not in the literal sense, but in the way that I am fascinated with tragedies.
I reminded myself of this fascination this past weekend when I was reading the article about the big I-69 crash that happened on February 3rd. They’re calling it a deadly crash, which yes, technically two people did lose their lives… but I think it could have been FAR worse considering the circumstances. White out conditions… 34 vehicles involved, including 9 semis. Yes… it could’ve been worse. But thanks to the quick reactions of some, the fact that there was a cable barrier between the north and south bound lanes, and the fact that it was after rush hour, spared a much worse fate. But as I read the stories about the ‘little decisions’ made that morning by some drivers and read through the facts and findings of the investigation, including a diagram of the vehicles final stopping points, I was just further amazed at how it wasn’t worse.
My fascination started young. I lived out in the BFE area of Palm Bay, FL, which is now a fully developed, thriving part of the City. But there were very few house and lots of wooded areas. So there were lots of brush fires that would spark up. I’d see smoke in the distance, get on my bike and ride till I found the source. There were a few times where I even beat the fire department… at least to the area I found – they may have been on the other side. I would just sit there and watch it burn with complete fascination. When it’s a brush fire like we had, there’s no raging fire to be afraid of. It was more than a smolder, but the scrub pines and palms just burned slowly. It was actually cool to watch. Once I got my fill, I ride back home like it was no big deal.
As I got older and got my driver’s license, my obsession continued and grew, moving on to car accidents. If I knew of an accident or saw one, I’d make a point to drive by it, sometimes more than once. Not because I wanted to see blood or gore, but because I liked to try to figure out what happened. I was more fascinated with the crushed metal than any injuries (if there were any). I even toyed with the idea of becoming a volunteer EMT… but I wouldn’t have been able to deal with what I was fascinated with – the accident itself.
Even today, I find myself looking for that accident to figure out. Most of what I see anymore, though, are cars being rear-ended. Nothing too exciting about them… except when there’s a really busted up hood or trunk. But it doesn’t lessen my fascination. Even the I-69 crash incurred enough interest to cause me to detour my route home so I would go over the 126th Street bridge so I could catch even a glimpse of the chaos just north of the bridge on the interstate below. Now my obsession has just grown to a bigger scale, like the US Air flight that landed in the Hudson. I couldn’t find enough media on that incident, though wasn’t much of a tragedy, since everyone survived. But the plane crash landing into the river was all I needed to get me going.
So I guess 'ambulance chaser' is the wrong word since it’s not the human component that fascinates me - it's the other stuff of the tragedy. But none the less, just tell me where the fire is.
I know... I'm a strange one.
I reminded myself of this fascination this past weekend when I was reading the article about the big I-69 crash that happened on February 3rd. They’re calling it a deadly crash, which yes, technically two people did lose their lives… but I think it could have been FAR worse considering the circumstances. White out conditions… 34 vehicles involved, including 9 semis. Yes… it could’ve been worse. But thanks to the quick reactions of some, the fact that there was a cable barrier between the north and south bound lanes, and the fact that it was after rush hour, spared a much worse fate. But as I read the stories about the ‘little decisions’ made that morning by some drivers and read through the facts and findings of the investigation, including a diagram of the vehicles final stopping points, I was just further amazed at how it wasn’t worse.
My fascination started young. I lived out in the BFE area of Palm Bay, FL, which is now a fully developed, thriving part of the City. But there were very few house and lots of wooded areas. So there were lots of brush fires that would spark up. I’d see smoke in the distance, get on my bike and ride till I found the source. There were a few times where I even beat the fire department… at least to the area I found – they may have been on the other side. I would just sit there and watch it burn with complete fascination. When it’s a brush fire like we had, there’s no raging fire to be afraid of. It was more than a smolder, but the scrub pines and palms just burned slowly. It was actually cool to watch. Once I got my fill, I ride back home like it was no big deal.
As I got older and got my driver’s license, my obsession continued and grew, moving on to car accidents. If I knew of an accident or saw one, I’d make a point to drive by it, sometimes more than once. Not because I wanted to see blood or gore, but because I liked to try to figure out what happened. I was more fascinated with the crushed metal than any injuries (if there were any). I even toyed with the idea of becoming a volunteer EMT… but I wouldn’t have been able to deal with what I was fascinated with – the accident itself.
Even today, I find myself looking for that accident to figure out. Most of what I see anymore, though, are cars being rear-ended. Nothing too exciting about them… except when there’s a really busted up hood or trunk. But it doesn’t lessen my fascination. Even the I-69 crash incurred enough interest to cause me to detour my route home so I would go over the 126th Street bridge so I could catch even a glimpse of the chaos just north of the bridge on the interstate below. Now my obsession has just grown to a bigger scale, like the US Air flight that landed in the Hudson. I couldn’t find enough media on that incident, though wasn’t much of a tragedy, since everyone survived. But the plane crash landing into the river was all I needed to get me going.
So I guess 'ambulance chaser' is the wrong word since it’s not the human component that fascinates me - it's the other stuff of the tragedy. But none the less, just tell me where the fire is.
I know... I'm a strange one.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
A Good Valentine's Day
To really enjoy Valentine's Day and look forward to it, you have to have a Valentine. This year, I really did. I can't remember ever being as excited about Valentine's Day as I was this year. I have a wonderful guy by my side that's not going anywhere and whom I love with all my heart.
I wanted to write earlier about what I got Eric... but I didn't want to risk ruining the surprise in case he got on here and read it, which he does on occasion. So I had to bite my blogging tongue. I got him a framed picture of us - one of the best we've taken. He hates pictures being taken, so rarely does he smile. He actually smiled in this one. But then I also got him a signed copy of Tony Dungy's new book, Uncommon. This came after hearing about how my friend, Jen, stood in line for his autograph at an earlier signing and how cool of a guy Tony was. And what a huge SuperBowl ring!! They're really cool looking up close! Anyway, he was very surprised and loved both presents.
He got me a dozen beautiful red roses and a really pretty necklace from Silver in the City. If you've never been there, you need to go. They have lots of very unique jewelry, a lot of it created by local artists, even. But it's not just jewelry they have, which makes the store really fun to go browse.
For Valentine's Day dinner, we cooked together. We had Chicken Saltimbocca, which was amazing, and some fresh steamed asparagus and red potatoes!! And it was much more enjoyable and relaxing than trying to go out to dinner... for us, anyway. The surprising part was how easy this particular dish was to make, yet how gourmet it tasted. So I think we set ourselves up with a new Valentine's Day tradition - cooking for ourselves!
All in all, it was a wonderful Valentine's Day. I couldn't be happier with things with this part of my life and I'm looking forward to lots more to come. :)
Sunday, February 8, 2009
The Snow is Gone
... And almost as fast as it fell, the snow is almost completely gone. All that remains are the piles from plowing or shoveling, but even they are diminishing quickly!
Starting Friday, we had temperatures quite a bit above freezing (in the 50's), so the big melt began. Yesterday, even warmer - pretty close to 60 degrees!! It was overcast and windy, though, so there was no sun to help matters in warmth or melting, but the temps still did their thing. Finally today... the sun is out and it's *supposed* to get around 50 degrees again.
Being a person that thrives on and needs sunlight and warmth, I am very happy with this turn of weather. I know it won't last since it's February, but I'm enjoying it while I can. Unfortunately, you can't do much outside since the melted snow has caused a slushy, muddy mess of everthing... but it's still nice. :)
Yup... I'm ready for Spring!! :)
Starting Friday, we had temperatures quite a bit above freezing (in the 50's), so the big melt began. Yesterday, even warmer - pretty close to 60 degrees!! It was overcast and windy, though, so there was no sun to help matters in warmth or melting, but the temps still did their thing. Finally today... the sun is out and it's *supposed* to get around 50 degrees again.
Being a person that thrives on and needs sunlight and warmth, I am very happy with this turn of weather. I know it won't last since it's February, but I'm enjoying it while I can. Unfortunately, you can't do much outside since the melted snow has caused a slushy, muddy mess of everthing... but it's still nice. :)
Yup... I'm ready for Spring!! :)
Thursday, February 5, 2009
M.I.A.
I've been totally MIA for the past week, and I apologize. I've just been busy... shoveling snow... among other things, I guess. Work's had me busy, too, and the weekend just disappears on me somehow.
With all the snow we've had, there's not much to write about since it keeps me from doing much (I HATE the cold!), and that's the main reason I haven't been on here blogging. That, and the Facebook distractions. I still can't get over how many high school friends I've found there!
Anyway, hopefully the upcoming week will bring excitment back to my life and my blog - it's supposed to be above freezing all week! very exciting - I might be more willing to leave my house!! I guess we'll see.
But fear not - I am surviving the cold! I even took a scenic route home the other day. I had my camera with me and snapped a few shots... I can appreciate snow from a distance and from within the confines of a warm vehicle or building. :)
With all the snow we've had, there's not much to write about since it keeps me from doing much (I HATE the cold!), and that's the main reason I haven't been on here blogging. That, and the Facebook distractions. I still can't get over how many high school friends I've found there!
Anyway, hopefully the upcoming week will bring excitment back to my life and my blog - it's supposed to be above freezing all week! very exciting - I might be more willing to leave my house!! I guess we'll see.
But fear not - I am surviving the cold! I even took a scenic route home the other day. I had my camera with me and snapped a few shots... I can appreciate snow from a distance and from within the confines of a warm vehicle or building. :)
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