Hours

It occurred to me the other day that I really enjoy working my own hours. So much so, in fact, that it's been an indirect perk of almost every job I've ever had.

My first job was really easy. In fact, I scrapbooked a year's worth of photos, read 8-10 books, and did a few arts & crafts projects on the clock (my job was pretty dependent on the phone actually ringing, and sometimes nobody would call). It was an office job, so it was 8:30-5, but I could pick my days of the week for the most part (there was one other woman who served in the same position, so between us we made our schedules).

Then I worked as an RA for three years. Aside from the hellish training week and hours during finals weeks, the only set hours I had to work were the weekly meetings. I chose the nights I wanted to be on duty, and the weekends I had to stay in the building. Again, pretty sweet.

There was the summer I spent as a Girl Friday, doing office work and a little babysitting... but I kinda just worked when I wanted. I didn't have a lot of choice, since I didn't get called every day for a job, but if I wanted to have other plans, I could.

I spent two summers working at a camp, and those were real hours. Real as in, 7am-11pm, every day (we generally got Friday nights, Saturdays, and Sunday mornings off... but I was doing a major commute so I wasn't really "off" until 9pm Friday and headed back 8am Sunday). The second summer we got 2 hours off each day. But the first summer was pretty much constant work from wake-up to sleep, and even sometimes middle-of-the-night stuff. Don't get me wrong, I loved that job to death, and would do it again in a heartbeat.

I spent another three semesters as a TA. I was able to choose which section I wanted to handle, and otherwise was only guided by a weekly meeting. Another semester I worked in Research, and only had a weekly meeting to govern me.

There was the year I spent working another easy-peasy job. We only had to go to a meeting once a MONTH, so hours were pretty much whatever.

And then there's my current job. Except for training it's been COMPLETELY whatever-hours-you-want.

I can't say I've ever met anyone else who has had such an easy work schedule. Probably because most people have had either a minimum-wage, part-time job in retail or food service or some other typical-teenage job.... or they've worked for an industry that needs to make use of daylight hours. I hope to have a regular-hours job at some point, since I love routines... but at the same time, it's very nice to take days off whenever I want. It makes traveling ever-so-pleasant. :) and let's not lie, I do enjoy a lot of travel in my life.

anybody else out there never have set working hours?

Airports

Airports fascinate me. My first flight was Miami-Heathrow, so I experienced very large airports (and very large aircrafts) first. The first time I flew out of Tallahassee, I was shocked that sometimes you have to actually walk out onto the tarmac and climb stairs to board the plane... as if it was still the 1970s. This past summer I flew in and out of the tiniest airport... Cedar City, Utah. It was pretty much a lodge, with a whopping 40 seats in one room, with a fireplace. There were about five employees in the whole place, and you had to wait until someone was "manning security" before you could pass through an all-glass room to get to the "terminal room." But, there was free internet, so that worked for me.

When I'm planning a trip (which I do quite a bit of), part of my planning process is choosing airports for layovers. There are a few airports I've hit several times, and a bunch that I loathe (along with a few that I LOVE). I'm sure you feel the same (assuming that you enjoy flying, since there are people who don't, and tend to book non-stop flights if at all possible). What makes a good layover airport for me:
- good choice of eateries of all types. if they only have good lunch places, they're not going to be ideal for an early-morning flight. this also means that they need to have more than one coffee shop, in the event I want something caffein-y, as I do not enjoy a 20-minute wait.
- no more than three terminals. I inevitably end up needing to travel from one to the other, and if the layover is short, I freak out about rushing to the far-end of the airport.
- some neat shops. not the typical bookstore and Brookstone, but something regional. I VERY rarely buy anything, but I love to browse.
- free internet. when I travel, I tend to get behind in correspondence and other reading, so I try to get online when possible (especially if I'm staying at a hotel that charges big bucks to get online).
- accessible wall outlets. I know that many airports now have charging stations. But those areas are generally crowded, and I appreciate being able to find a more secluded spot, yet still be able to charge my cell phone or plug in my laptop (because I think it's selfish to use more than one outlet, and people at the charging stations generally feel there's no shame in taking up four spaces each).
- interesting architecture. this one isn't as big a deal as some of the others, but particularly if I'm traveling alone, I love to wander the entire airport, marvelling at the design of the place.
- terminals that don't regionalize their gates. Meaning, I don't like sitting in a terminal (example Salt Lake City) and every gate around me is going to a really close place (in SLC, I sat near people going to various California, Utah, and Nevada cities). I much prefer sitting in a terminal where people are going to NYC, Chicago, ATL, Vegas, etc. This makes for much more interesting people-watching. ;)

Using these standards, my absolute favorite layover airport is Cincinatti. My least favorite is LAX.
Cincinatti: Wetzel's Pretzels (2), Auntie Anne's, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks (3), Peet's (2), Quizno's, Subway, Carvel/Cinnabon, Mrs. Fields/TCBY, Sbarro, QDOBA, a chili place. Then there's a "Kentucky" shop and a toy store. Internet's free in Terminal B. And there is a ton of seating with NOBODY there... outlets are a little sparse, but worse has happened.
LAX: omg useless. the place was designed a million years ago, and the trams and planes share travel space. Don't change terminals (and there's like 8 of them) or you have to go through security AGAIN. There may be a Boudin (2) but not much else of interest aside from See's Candy. The place is crowded. And delays are everywhere. People drag their kids behind them. There are no outlets. The only thing I like about LAX are the commuter flights to San Diego... easy.

Other thoughts I have on airports:
Airports I favor: Orlando.
Airports I have no opinion about: Atlanta. Miami. Denver. Raleigh. CDG.
Airports I avoid: Tampa. Salt Lake City. SeaTac.

This weekend, I'll add Phoenix to the list of airports I've had a layover in, and I imagine I'll talk about it a bit over on my other blog. Which airports are your favorite? What qualities do you look for?

"I Love Chocolate"

When we were last in San Francisco, there were tons of people handing out flyers and pamphlets, especially in Chinatown since it was the week of the Chinese New Year Celebration. One of the most interesting ones was a trifold entitled, "I Love Chocolate" (with a cartoon girl drinking a double mocha espresso). The cartoons are kinda dumpy, but amusing.

The inside goes on to read:
"Surveys show that more people prefer chocolate to any other comfort food. (kids eating chocolate) Chocolate can give you energy when you're feeling burned out... (boss encouraging worker) Chocolate can keep you company when you're feeling lonely... (girl eating cake and crying and saying she doesn't need friends) Chocolate can make just about anything seem better than it really is... (guy sells girl a chocolate-colored car) But the 'comfort' we get from chocolate doesn't last. Thing seem better for a little while, but then we inevitably crash! (boss fires the worker from before; kid with bag over head holding Clearasil is called on the phone about a party he missed; brown car breaks down with girl driving) Pretty discouraging, huh? Well, cheer up - there's a comfort far better than chocolate... ...and it's found in Jesus - the one and only, no caffeine, zero calorie source of comfort! He has promised us, 'come to me all you who are weary... (guy holds classifieds, girl holds steering wheel) ...and burdened, and I will give you rest' (Mathew 11:28). Jesus won't let you down like some chocolate sugar high. He fed the hungry, he healed the sick, he died for your sins and he'll 'Be with you always, until the end of time' (Matthew 28:20). That's more than Mr. Goodbar every did for you! Try the ultimate comfort food (the Bible) and see for yourself: with Jesus 'You will rejoice and no one will take away your joy' (John 16:22).

it's a Jews for Jesus pamphlet, with a "please don't litter" message at the bottom of the back fold.

Really? Comparing Jesus to chocolate. that's new. and weird. and I really don't think it's a good metaphor.

Oh, and if you don't know what Jews for Jesus is... there are branches of them throughout the world, and San Francisco is the homebase. They are more about being Jews by birth, not by faith. They're really into being evangelical and converting other Jews to Christianity. They're rejected by all sects of Judaism, from what I know.

What've YOU read?

The top 106 books most often marked as "unread" by LibraryThing.com’s users.
'Unread' meaning that they sit on the shelf to make you look smart or well-rounded.
Clearly, this list makes me look like an illiterate fool, but oh well.

Bold the ones you've read
Make red the ones you read for school
Italicize the ones you started but didn't finish (or only read the Cliff's notes for)
* = on wishlist
** = in possession to read, just haven't yet

1984
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Angela’s Ashes : a memoir*
Anna Karenina
Beloved
Brave New World
Crime and Punishment
Dracula
Emma
Frankenstein
Great Expectations
Gulliver’s Travels
In Cold Blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences
Jane Eyre
Lolita
Love in the Time of Cholera*
Mansfield Park
Memoirs of a Geisha*
Middlemarch
Moby Dick
Mrs. Dalloway
Northanger Abbey
Oliver Twist*
On the Road
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Persuasion
Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
The Blind Assassin
The Canterbury Tales
The Catcher in the Rye
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
The God of Small Things
The Hobbit
The Picture of Dorian Gray*
The Poisonwood Bible
The Prince - Machiavelli
The Silmarillion
The Tale of Two Cities
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
To the Lighthouse
Treasure Island
War and Peace
Watership Down
Wuthering Heights
Catch-22
Guns, Germs, and Steel
Life of Pi : a novel
The Brothers Karamazov
The Iliad
Ulysses
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance : an inquiry into values
A Clockwork Orange
A Confederacy of Dunces
A People’s History of the United States : 1492-present
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
A Short History of Nearly Everything
American Gods
Anansi Boys
Angels & Demons
Atlas Shrugged
Cloud Atlas
Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed
Cryptonomicon
David Copperfield
Don Quixote
Dubliners
Dune
Eats, Shoots & Leaves**
Foucault’s Pendulum
Freakonomics : a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything
Gravity’s Rainbow
Inferno
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Les Misérables
Madame Bovary
Middlesex
Neverwhere
Oryx and Crake
Quicksilver
Reading Lolita in Tehran : a memoir in books
Slaughterhouse-five
The Aeneid
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Confusion
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Fountainhead
The Grapes of Wrath
The Historian : a novel
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The Kite Runner
The Mists of Avalon
The Name of the Rose
The Odyssey
The Once and Future King
The Satanic Verses
The Scarlet Letter
The Sound and the Fury
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Vanity Fair
White Teeth
Wicked : the life and times of the wicked witch of the West*

A Little Something Fun

You can check out this website and find out the #1 song for specific days, back to the 1890s! Here are a few dates that are interesting to me, and what was popular then. And I went ahead and linked them to Youtube, so you can take a listen if you're not familiar.

My birthday: "Owner of a Lonely Heart" (Yes)
My husband's birthday : "Say, Say, Say" (Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson)
sidenote, the same song was the #1 on my best friend's birthday
My mom's birthday: "Mr. Sandman" (The Chordettes)
My wedding day: "Makes Me Wonder" (Maroon 5)
My grandparents' wedding day: "Nature Boy" (Nat King Cole)
My graduation from high school: "Foolish" (Ashanti)
My graduation from college: "Bad Day" (Daniel Powter)
My brother's birthday: "Take My Breath Away" (Berlin)
My sister's birthday: "Close to You" (Maxi Priest)
Around when I was conceived: "Beat It" (Michael Jackson)

Additionally, I wanted to let you know that I do have another regular blog now. This one (http://jonathanandamy.blogspot.com) is much more of a personal blog, chronicling what's going on in my life. So if you read this blog because you know me, please go check it out, since there's a possibility you didn't even know I moved to California two weeks ago. If you read this blog because you find it humorous or interesting, feel free to hop over and learn about what I do in real life.

I Believe the Children Are Our Future

... teach them well and let them lead the way!

On Friday night I went with a friend to see the Sebastian River High School's Prism performance. As is defined in the program, 'prism' is what happens to a single ray of light when it hits glass and reflects in several beautiful bands. As a performance, it's basically a chance to see various student groups perform. Musicians, singers, dancers, the flag team, and others put together a fabulous show.

While the list of songs is very long (it was a two-hour show, after all), I will comment on a few favorites.

- The Wind Symphony opened with Anderson's Sleigh Ride, which is always a masterpiece when performed well.
- A Marimba Quartet (I know, right?!?) did a short Deck the Halls, which was easily one of my favorite pieces.
- Two flag girls performed a choreographed dance to Goo Goo Dolls' Iris, but unfortunately the stereo playing the song took away from the performance.
- A Clarinet Quartet did The Grinch, which was particularly a crowd-please because of the costumed Grinch who made his way through the auditorium during the song.
- A big surprise was the Theme from New York, New York... it started out as a Jazz Ensemble piece, but during the second verse a chorus of dancers came out, really making the piece outstanding.
- What the program deemed as Traditional Tune for the tuba section was really what string bass players know as The Elephant, and it was performed with the proper amount of gusto needed for the short ditty to appeal to the public.
- Then there was the Caribbean Ensemble (a surprise in itself - steel drums are not a typical instrument in high school) which did a medley of Buffet's Best.
- The trumpets fanned out in the audience to perform Final Countdown, but it would have been better if they were facing various directions, for a fuller sound.
- Immediately following that piece was arguably the most stunning Auxiliary performance. Fog, lighting, flags, guns, and dancers illuminated the stage and the main level of the auditorium, choreographed to Spiderman's Decisions. Thank God for Danny Elfman once again.
- An original piece, Cleanin' Up was fabulous. The percussion ensemble acted as a janitorial staff and used brooms, trash cans, and other tools to create a wonderful tune.
- The trombone section did a lively Carry on My Wayward Son, and a cute little swing choir ensemble did I've Got Rhythm.
- To finish off the night, the drumline did a few cadences, and then the space filled with members of the Marching Sharks Band, performing their 2008 Halftime Show.
The talent of these students fills me to the brim with happiness and joy. The devotion it takes on the behalf of these young musicians is astounding. I can only hope and pray that the dedication and perseverance they've learned through their music will carry on into other parts of their lives and help to better the world someday.

Perhaps I should clue some readers in on why I support arts education so much...
For seven years, I was a violinist. I played for at least an hour each day, in the later years at least two. As part of the Lincoln Park Academy orchestra program, we achieved Superior ratings six out of those seven years, and performed at the national and international levels. In Paris 2000-2001, we received an award for Best Direction, which was a big deal.
Anyway, because music was such a big part of my everyday life for so long, I have a genuine passion for keeping arts in education, and giving students the opportunity to excel in a melodic manner. I truly believe that it aids in concentration, attitude, and general demeanor.

Congratulations Sebastian River High School on a job well done!

Let the Holiday Season Begin!

With Thanksgiving now behind us, it's time to look forward to the most wonderful time of the year: Christmas. And, like always, the action officially began this morning, circa 4am. Black Friday kicked off with sales at many stores across the country, and many internet sites are taking part as well (although technically when Cyber Monday takes place in a few days, there will be many more sales, I'm sure!).

I've been taking part in this economic-boosting tradition for over ten years now, and have always been able to find a good deal or two. I've been in several cities (Jensen Beach, Tallahassee, Fort Myers, and Melbourne being the major ones) for this event, but I must say that the traffic in Melbourne was pretty minimal, provided that you take back roads to get from one store to the next.

Last year was the first time that I utilized anything other than the flyers that come in the newspapers and mail the week before. With the internet being so readily available these days, and the fact that people leak out information in advance, the opportunity to plan becomes ever-so-much easier. With a simple spreadsheet, one is able to check out all the stores offering the same item, in order to not only compare prices, but to compare store opening times as well. Thanks to the insane amount of work that was put into that, after shuffling through the flyers to get some general ideas, you can easily check to see if you missed something you've been on the lookout for (you can sort by categories!).

I would love to hear about how your own shopping experiences went (where you found deals, what stores were crowded, how long the checkout lines were, what kind of coffee you picked up to stay awake, etc.). I'll recap my own morning below.

So there were three of us in the car this year, and it was the first Black Friday for one of my friends. We got a late start (having spent the night out-of-town last night), so we arrived at our first stop, Staples, at around 7am. We quickly grabbed both items we wanted, and waltzed through to a cashier in no time. Next stop, Kmart (which I always forget still exists until I see a sale flyer from them, LoL). Because they had already been open for quite a while, we missed out on the big-ticket item we were shooting for (gift for my brother), but picked up a couple other things. There were only a couple of people in front of us in line, so it was pretty fast too. Then it was over to Ace Hardware, which had been open for all of forty minutes when we walked through the door. Unfortunately for them, it seemed like there were only a few people who had been in there. The three open registers had no customers, and on our way to pick up the tools on the list, we passed four workers waiting to help somebody.

At this point we had a slight divergence, where I went to the mall, and the others headed to Circuit City. They went 3 for 4 at Circuit City (where there were long lines), and I made out with a beast of a deal at JCPenney. I cruised the rest of the mall while they checked out, but there was nothing too great on sale. We converged for a quick breakfast at the Chick-Fil-A in the food court, then headed on to Sears. We went 2 for 3 at Sears (and at this point I should mention that the missing item is the same thing we were after at Kmart and Circuit City), which was amazing, considering we got the last of one of those items (my sister's gift). It was almost 10am as we drove back to the house, and the guys chose to nap and watch a movie while I headed out for the final stop: Walgreens.

Walgreens is the store on my list that I always get to last. Every single year I try to make it there, but since the items are not as "big-ticket," I often don't make it there until after the sales end (around noon). This time, however, I was one of the few people in the store, and was able to take my time as I perused the Christmas card selections, carefully chose rolls of wrapping paper, and picked up gift tags, tape, and bows. As I headed back to the house, I felt an extreme sense of accomplishment, knowing that even though there are still presents to buy, we are 100% ready for the formalities of wrapping and sending gifts.

Oh, and to round out the tradition, we had Young's Chinese Buffet for lunch, then made a last minute purchase on Amazon, picking up gifts for my mom and brother (whose gift was almost 50% off there, so that was good enough).

Luckily, we steered clear of Wal*Mart (as per my husband's request), since an employee died after being trampled by customers in New York!

... For the Next Ten Minutes

On Tuesday night, I went to Vero Beach's Riverside Theatre to see Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years. A fairly recent show, it had its off-Broadway premiere in 2002, it is a unique musical in many ways. First, it defies the long-held stereotype of musical theatre being big and splashy. Instead, this show features very little dancing, and with a cast of only two can hardly be considered "big and splashy." The show is not the typical chronological plot, nor is it a series of flashbacks. Rather, the story covers a relationship across five years, with Jamie's songs progressing from the first date, while Cathy's work backward from their separation. Jamie, a Jewish novelist, and Cathy, a smalltown girl trying to make it as an actress, appear on-stage together throughout the show, but only recognize one another's presence during their engagement and wedding ("The Next Ten Minutes").

The music in the show is amazing, and both Jason Robert Brown (book, music, and lyrics) and Kim Douglas Steiner (musical director/pianist) are to credit. I am normally a big fan, and Steiner's talent just made the music all the more enjoyable. From the opening "Still Hurting"to Jamie's biographic "Moving too Fast" to Cathy's epiphanizing "I Can Do Better Than That," the piano part is never simple. And while the symphonic sound of the multi-instrument orchestra (the score can be done with two cellos, a violin, a guitar, a bass, and a piano) can never be topped, the performance on piano heard that night was elegantly beautiful.

Norbert Leo Butz (Roger from Rent) was the Off-Broadway Jamie, whose talent far surpassed that of Vero's actor, Kevin Reed. I tried hard to like Reed (as I love Jamie's character), but it just wasn't going to happen. First, it's clear in the musical that Jamie is in his twenties, but Reed looked to be approaching 40. When there's a minimal stage, and your eyes are kind of drawn to the only character on-stage, it helps when an audience member can look at the actor's face and not be creeped out. Reed not only has a vein that tends to bulge in his forehead, his irises are small for his eyes, leaving you staring at the whites... very unattractive. Now, the worst part was his lack of vocal range. He could not hit the high notes of Jamie's songs, so sometimes he was harmonic with the piano, and other times he was down an octave. Regardless, for those familiar with the soundtrack and/or score (which was few in Tuesday's audience), he was deplorable.

Julie Tolivar, who played Cathy in this production, was adorable. With her various costume changes throughout the show, she epitomized how I envision Cathy every time I play the soundtrack on my Zune. She had a lovely voice, but was over-amplified. There was no need for her to be miced in a auditorium that only had nine rows of seating.

But perhaps what was the most impressive aspect of the production was the lighting/scenery. I combine them in praise because of the inextricable way they are linked in this particular version. Using screens, each scene is set via projection. Various background are created upon both solid and pieced screens, allowing for disjointed environments when called for. The result, while very minimalist, gives the audience a complete feel of change, ambition, and hope. And that's what one needs to not only enjoy this production, but to enjoy life.

It's a Disney Halloween

Short post today, I have a lot to do. And that's because we're hosting a major bash on Saturday. The reason: Halloween. The event: a Disney-themed party. That's right, costumes, decorations, jack o'lanterns, the whole thing has a bit of a Disney twist. Some guests have mentioned that they've made costumes from scratch, some have bought costumes in stores or online, and others have used old costumes and just added a few props to make them Disney-esque. As I have a rather ridiculous Disney vocabulary, I've been helping on and off.

Tonight a few of us will be doing some pumpkin carving. I thought I'd share a few of the links of patterns we'll be using, in case you'd like to carve one of your own in the spirit.

This one has some great designs, but the difficulty is a little much.

Easy and a little lame, but Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather make a cute pumpkin.

Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto have some cute designs here.

Simple, but classic patterns.

Some good, some bad, and all classic Disney.

This one is difficult to navigate, and the patterns are not free. But the examples are amazing, and if it was a SuperHero themed party, I'd definitely be doing the Spiderman pumpkin!

This site was wonderful, but the Disney links are not there this morning. Not sure if they'll return, but I sure hope so!

Fox and the Hound. No lie. If I'm feeling bold, I may try this one.

Captain Jack Sparrow. But reallllly detailed.

An ADORABLE Lady & the Tramp. Another one I'd love to be able to pull off... (and if you click 'next,' you'll see a Mickey!)

I really with PumpkinGlow was working right now, their selection of villains was wonderful, especially Hades and Maleficent, from what I remember... :-\

"Parents Weekend"

The topic of this post is not my own, but I thought it was very amusing, and deserved my mulling.

Yesterday was a home football game in Tallahassee, so my husband and I made a daytrip of it, to watch the Seminoles take on the Virginia Tech Hokies. The game was good, although there were some strange calls ("illegal snap" comes to mind, for one), and no huge plays. Both Ponder and Richardson had some playtime, and I'm proud to say that our defense forced VTech to use their third-string quarterback, as they injured the other two.

This was my seventh Parents Weekend in Tallahassee, although two slipped by without causing me much notice. At Florida State, Parents Weekend is marked by a circus show, a big football game, a BBQ lunch on the Green, and some sort of philanthropy event. Of course, fraternities and sororities have all sorts of activities going on, especially for their legacies, but that's besides the point. To someone coming into town for the game who did NOT know that it was Parents Weekend, the most noticeable difference: girls' attire.

Granted, it was a sunny 71 degrees out at 2:30 in the afternoon yesterday, but the throngs of young ladies walking across campus and meandering around the stadium were dressed very differently than they had in weekend home games past. There were no short skirts and midriff-revealing tops on every fifth girl you passed. No deep-cut v-necks and re-designed t-shirts with rips, tears, and knots. No mesh tank tops with scanty lingerie underneath. In fact, many of the girls wore polo shirts, dresses, and khaki pants this week. My husband noticed the odd aura of outfits first, and we were both puzzled as to what was going on. Haha, turns out all the little girls and boys were just being on their best behavior in front of and Mommy and Daddy. It makes me laugh, and I love it.

But at the same time, doesn't it make you laugh to consider that a typical outfit to see at a home game is (lefts), and on Parents Weekend it turns into (rights)? Seriously.

Halloween Horror Nights

Another 'pro' to living in Florida: Halloween Horror Nights. One of the largest Halloween events in the United States, HHN has been going on annually for 18 years now. For the past few years, it has only been in Universal, although the last time I went it was a dual-park event, spanning Islands of Adventure as well.

My first trip was in 2000 (HHN X), when the theme was "Not Afraid of the Dark? You Don't Know Jack." Jack was a clown, so there were a lot of scary clowns roaming the park. The only haunted house I vividly remember was 'Dark Torment,' where you rode Earthquake, then wound up walking in (what seemed like) circles through tunnels of demons. There was also a Festival of the Dead parade. But honestly, what stood out the most to me about that trip was what my friends and I did on the way up... we styled each other's hair in crazy 'dos. I had about fifteen tiny ponytails all over my head (which looked even more exciting since my hair was about 5 inches long). I did another girl's hair in spiraled coils. I thought they looked amazing, she was all but completely embarassed, LoL.

Two years later, for HHN XII, I went with a different group of friends. "Islands of Fear" was the theme, and it was a very interesting night. Originally, a little demented girl was the icon, and her playthings were going to control the houses. But, after a string of child abductions in Central Florida, the icon changed to a Caretaker. The villains ruled Superhero Island. There was a house of humanoid dinosaurs. 'Maximum Carnage' was also a memorable house, with superheroes dead at every turn. We also went to Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure, which was the highlight of the night for me. I think I'll always remember The Green Lantern ride in, and then use a remote to "lock and arm" his flying thing.

This past weekend, a mixture of the first two groups (plus some) went to HHN XVIII, "Reflections of Fear." As we entered the park, we walked through 'The Path of the Wicked' ScareZone. First we went to 'Creatures,' which was some sort of backwoods hillbilly house. It was a good first house. Then, 'The Rocky Horror Tribute Show.' We were herded into the amphiteather and told where to sit (which I did not appreciate), then squished in uncomfortably. There was supposed to be on-stage guest involvement, but there was not. :( The typical audience shoutbacks were in place, and there was a large section of the audience down front who knew all of the lines. Unfortunately, where I sat, nobody seemed to know the show, so I was alone yelling "slut," "asshole," "you have no neck" and the like. As could be expected, they cut "Sweet Transvestite" and the Brad-Frank sex scene. I was actually surprised with how many people left mid-show, considering how NOT over-the-top this rendition was. From there, we hit up Interstellar Terror, which was the least exciting haunted house. Then we walked through 'American Gothic' to get to Mel's Diner. After a quick dinner stop, we cut across the park, through the ScareZones 'The Skoolhouse' and 'Fractured Tales,' both of which were pretty good. I wish we would have had time to go to all of the ScareZones (and Bill & Ted's for that matter), but alas, not this time. We waited for an hour to see 'ScaryTales: Once Upon a Nightmare,' but it was easily the best house of the night. Amazing attention to detail, and some pretty graphic scenes. Plus, the Wizard of Oz room was amazingly fun, except I got a stream of water to the eye that knocked me down. It was nearing midnight as we got in line for 'The Hallow,' but it was a good time.

The main thing that's changed (to me) are the lengths of the events. I remember going from like 7pm -2am the first time. But this year, it was just 6:30-midnight. But maybe that can be attributed to the different nights that we went. Also, now there are texting games you can play while waiting in the lines, giving you a heads-up on the house and its backstory. Lastly, I sort of wish the ScareZones would stay open a little later... we walked through 'Asylum in Wonderland' on our way out of the park, but since it was after midnight, there were no more 'scare actors,' so the park looked a little plain. Can't wait for another year!

ICEBAR Orlando

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of heading out to Orlando's newest club, ICEBAR. It's near Pointe Orlando, almost across the street from WonderWorks. It's a pretty chill place, not as exciting as other clubs, but with the right crows, it's a great time. It's free to get in and hang out in the Chill Lounge, where they have some tasty drinks. The prices are a bit high, but they do have specials on martinis, if you're a fan of the flavor of the day. If you want to experience the 27-degree Fahrenheit room, it'll cost you $35 ($5 off promo codes available on MetroMix) for 45 minutes. You'll receive a light-up lanyard (pictures left) noting your Ice Time, which you'll trade in to get your thermal cape and Magic Stretch gloves.

Once inside the room (maximum capacity 50 people), you can see ice carvings of different shapes and sizes, with the theme changing every six months. Currently, "The Snow Queen" is the motif, and the room features a throne, a polar bear (seen left), a fireplace (LED logs, of course), and several encased stars, moons, and globes. There are multiple photo opportunities with the in-house photographer, or feel free to snap your own (somehow in an hour I managed to take about 150 photos!). After taking in the ambiance, you can sit on ice benches (topped with fur to keep you dry) and enjoy some drinks. Grey Goose is the official liquor, and you can enjoy several flavors (lemon was my favorite, although most of my group preferred the pear or cranberry-orange) in glasses made in ice molds. But be careful! If you hold the class for too long without rotating it or putting it down, it will melt to your glove!

The song selection during the time we were in the ICEBAR was a little weak. "Yeah" and "The Cupid Shuffle" were among the bigger hits played, and although it was nearly all "newer" music, the choices were just strange. Hardly any music worth dancing to was played in the first half hour we were there (could just be that the 10:15-10:45 part of the playlist was lame), but it was still a great time that livened up when things got hopping. Overall, some of our group (12 of us) thought it was just too chilly to be a great time (although a few of us weren't cold at all), but everyone agreed that it was well worth the price, and definitely worth doing again!

Political Recruitment

Both of the major political parties have tried exactly once each to win me over for voting purposes in this year's Presidential Election. But they've tried in quite different ways, and that amuses me.

Yesterday, around 5pm, the doorbell rang. I assumed it would be FedEx, as they had already visited once that morning, and we're almost always expecting something. But instead it was a gentleman in his fifties, greeting me with "good afternoon madam, I am here campaigning on behalf of Barack Obama." He had my name printed on his sheet, and asked if my household would be voting Democrat or Republican in the election. I kindly informed him, "we have decided not to disclose our voting preferences to anyone." He seemed shocked, and after a moment replied, "so you're undecided then." I said "sure, put that down." He handed me a short and useless handout, and thanked me for my time.

Two weeks ago, the Republicans tried to win me over, via the internet, and through Sara Palin. I'm a big fan of Twitter (check it out at twitter.com), and I was surprised to find that "SaraPalinPalooza" was following me one afternoon. I took a glance at the profile and tweets, and promptly decided that I would not prefer to have this group reading my status updates each time I post them. It appeared that they looked at what people were posting about, and matched Pain/McCain's stances with yours to make it seem that you were on the same wavelength. So I blocked them completely.

With the election now four weeks away, I wonder if any other attempts will be made. More importantly, I'm interested in the method in which they'll appear...

Entertaining Events

While I don't live in NYC, I am far from living in a small town. And THANK GOD, because the wretched city I call my hometown boasted nothing to do throughout my teen years (it has since gotten much better, but now there's nothing to do for twentysomethings).

This anecdote revolves around what I've had to eat in the past few days. Why? Because several meals have led to entertainment, or vice versa.

Yesterday, because there was a *major* football game on, we spent a couple hours at Uno's Chicago Grill, feasting on quesadillas and pizza. My husband and I happen to be on the "exclusive insiders" list, so we were able to sample their new Chicken Parmiagiana pizza which will premiere next week. The food was great; we were stuffed when we left. But I sure am glad that we chose to watch the first half at the restaurant, because I don't think we would have been able to tear our eyes away from the screen during the second half long enough to take a bite! What a crazy game it was, but it was by far the most entertaining of the season, thus far.

Last night, in honor of Iron Man coming to DVD recently, a couple friends came over to watch it on the projector in high-def. Of course, this meant an emergency trip to our local Burger King, in order to have "American Hamburgers" to eat along with Robert Downey, Jr. at a specific point in the movie. Oh, and I should add that we went all-out on variety: 3 hamburgers, 3 cheeseburgers, 3 Whooper Juniors, and a Spicy Chicken sandwich came home with us, only to be arranged in a burger mountain on the coffee table.

For lunch this afternoon, my husband and I had a hankering for sandwiches. And, often as the case is on Sundays, a friend planned to meet up with us at a local Jewish Deli. We drove out there only to find that it had closed down, so after alerting our friend to this fact, we headed over to the Meat Market. Apparently they're not open on Sundays, so that plan fell through. We then headed downtown to a small, Mom-and-Pop-type place simply named, "Downtown Hoagies." While it was certainly entertaining to drive halfway across the city (frequently consulting to make sure all parties were headed to the same location) in search of a delectable lunch, we stumbled upon a little afternoon entertainment on accident.

The "big" art festival is early in the year, but we found out today that there's another Art Fest that takes place in October. So, for a little less than an hour, we were able to wander around the various booths throuhgout the streets of Downtown. Jewelry made from antique buttons, geodes and other rocks turned into oil lamps, driftwood carved into a variety of shapes, paintings, sketches, artistic photography, and metal work were among the beauties that we examined. We also discovered a local popcorn shop, specializing in seasonal flavors (today they had pumpkin popcorn!).

Tonight's dinner will consist of leftovers (both pizza and sandwiches), but I am certain that it will become entertaining in some way. Why? Because my life is hardly ever boring when it comes to meals!

Political Parties

So I'm not big on politics, mostly because of the heated debates over who believes what and why so-and-so is an idiot. But at the same time, I do love to volunteer, and have spent some time working on five local campaigns over the past three years. I also love parties in general, especially themed ones.

Tonight, for the Vice Presidential Debate, we had an impromptu party. And by that I mean my most-political friend texted me at 1:30, alerting me that he was coming over at 5 to start Moose Stew. Shortly thereafter I found out I was charged with finding red and blue shot glasses. Well, by the time things were rolling, we had a pack of 36 Americana temporary tattoos, a 6-pack of red, white, and blue glow sticks, moose stew, Palin Punch, and 14 different BINGO cards (tracking phrases and keywords from both Palin and Biden). Oh, and noise squawkers to sound each time you cross something off your BINGO card or when you particularly agree with a point made during the debate. And since the others are all techy, we had Twitter Election scrolling on the wall via LCD projector, catching a few witty comments here and there.

Because of the short notice, the party was only five people, but intriguing nonetheless. Lots of laughs, horn-blowing, and faces made over the taste of the stew. Nobody got BINGO, Twitter Election had to quit due to an overwhelming number of related tweets, and "maverick" was used a few too many times.

I'm sure looking forward to our Election '08 party though, that's bound to be a night to remember...

Flea Markets

I have a long history with flea markets. I've been going to them since I was nine, maybe younger. Many a holiday gift was purchased from the vendors at these often muddy, crowded markets. The selection was generally good, to my recollection. When I was in college, a few friends and I checked out the local flea market, only to find row after row of disappointment. Overpriced toys, a poor selection of movies, and a lack of acceptable board games were a problem. Additionally, the few things we did purchase were of poor quality (I bought a 24-pack of Sharpie (c) markers, only half of which were not dried out and useless).

This past weekend, my husband and I decided to check out the local flea market, as we had not yet been since we've lived here. We found an odd menagerie of items, but found a nice, wooden mortar & pestle, a shoe horn, and a set of wooden spoons. I imagine we'll go back, as many booths were not open yet (snowbirds aren't quite in town yet).

We have a friend whose mother frequents flea markets and festivals as a vendor. She sells beach bags, water bottle holders, and other similar items that her husband sews. I have a green and blue bag they made, and it's lovely. They use canvas umbrella material, so it's waterproof as well. I'd never thought about the fees to sell at a flea market, but they are rather absurd. I checked out the website for our local flea market, and not only is the cost dependent upon where in the market your space is and its size, but there are so many odd charges. First, there's a difference in rental cost depending on whether you are selling new or second-hand items. There's a charge for an electrical outlet, security (a whopping fifty cents), having an ad and being listed on the map, leaving items overnight (covered, locked, or in a trailer/shed) on weekends, and even an application fee to be considered! Glad I'm not an entrepreneur, LoL.

The Simple Pleasures

Sometimes, a snack puts me into such a fantastic mood. On Sunday nights, Ben & Jerry's does a $2 ice cream cone and $3 shakes (provided that you come in your pajamas). I've been several times, most recently this past Saturday, for such a treat. I try different flavors all the time, and found that my recent pick, Chocolate Therapy, to be rather scrumptious. It may join the rotation of favorites. :)

Today, as I dined upon my Chick-Fil-A #1 (pretty much the only thing I've ordered there in the past ten years), I savored their tangy lemonade. It's another personal favorite that can basically make my day. Frozen custard, soft pretzels, macaroni and cheese pizza, chocolate chip cookies, and vanilla wafers are also on this list. I believe that simple foods are soothing, and that many people take joy in pleasing their palates.

Which leads me to ask, what foods just make YOU happy?

The Price of Entertainment

I love competition. I was practically bred to play board games, have loved video games since I first saw Mario when I was five years old, and follow multiple sports. I love strategy and logic. Game shows amuse me, and I can’t wait for Opportunity Knocks to premiere next week. When it’s time for the Olympics, I meticulously schedule what events I’ll be watching, and which I’ll just read up on later. While I am not a fan of soccer or basketball, live baseball, hockey, and football are among the most popular sports I love.

I have only missed watching two televised FSU Seminole football games since the 2001 season. I have been to about 30 games at Doak Campbell Stadium, and this past weekend I traveled up there to watch my Seminoles take on Chattanooga. Although we are still playing with several players out on academic dishonesty charges, we came out winning 46-7. But what was more amazing than the game itself was the Tallahassee mindset.

I lived in Tallahassee for six years, and have encountered more than my share of morons. However, this past weekend, more stupidity than usual was present. Somehow, the city decided that Hurricane Ike hitting Texas was going to mean no gasoline for a long time. So, the citizens of my beloved city went out and filled up. And filled up, and filled up, and filled up. By the time I rolled into town for the game around 2:30pm, there was no gas anywhere. Every single station we passed was closed.

After asking around a bit, we were told that this was completely locals-induced. There was no real concern or catastrophe coming; the mass that is Tallahassee just took it upon themselves to bankrupt the city of its gasoline. Only one truck of gasoline had come in the day before, and 18 were scheduled to arrive sometime Saturday. Calling AAA yielded no help, the second representative I spoke with actually told me that they had been informed to refer people to the Highway Patrol in this case. Because my husband is very tech-savvy, it was as simple as a flick of the wrist to bring up the nearby gas stations on his smartphone, and we both called gas stations on our cells until we found someone with gas. And this was no small feat – the only gas we located was in Quincy, and that was mostly due to the fact they have two truck stops. More intriguing, price-gouging was in full swing. We paid $4.59/gallon, and the gas stations refused to quote a price over the phone. No worries, we kept the receipt and will be reporting them. We spoke with another family who traveled in for the game as well, and they saw it as high as $5.89/gallon on their way in.

It’s strange to think about how bad the gas situation can get. I lived in Florida in 2004, and there were gas shortages throughout the disastrous hurricane season that struck that fall. However, I had never before feared that I would be unable to leave the city because there was no gas. It really makes you think. Season tickets to seven home games… 330 miles one way… 37 miles/gallon… I use a great deal of gas for entertainment in the Fall. Yet, I love Seminole football enough that it’s just water under the bridge.