No matter how dense the smoke, no matter how dark the day, the only constant in our lives is that things never remain the same. The rain will come, the smoke will clear, and although there are still fires on the horizon, the skies are looking blue again.
Last week, Buster and I finally set a date for our wedding. It went a little something like this:
"So, we said the beginning of May right? What's the first Saturday in May?"
"May 5th," I say.
"Then May 5th it is!"
"Well, I should make sure there is not an agility trial that weekend...."
Minor argument ensues.
"Well, May 5th is the beginning of May, by the next weekend, it's the 12th, and that's the MIDDLE of May."
"Do you care that it's Cindo De Mayo?"
"Nope, do you?"
"Hey, I love tacos. May 5th it is!"
So there you have it. We had our first planning session last weekend with my lovely family, and made a good headway in defining our vision. It's gonna be great.
Yesterday was a good day overall as well. This week has been crazy at work, and I had some unsettling news about something else, but I spent the day looking forward to seeing Circque Du Soleil here in Jacksonville with the tickets I won from the local radio station. Most people have to pay roughly $80 or more per ticket, so I was pretty thrilled that we could finally see the show after many years of hearing amazing reviews. We were not disappointed. Other than being disturbed by the idiots sitting in front of us, who apparently cannot go for an hour without looking at their phones, it was a mesmerizing experience. Of course I yelled at both people wwho were within my reach, so that mostly took care of the problem. Honestly, if you want to sit here and play on your phone, why did you pay to come see this show?!
Anyway, the quality of the performance was beyond words. The music, the costumes, the stage, the death-defying feats of athleticism and flexibility, all astonishing. My friend Jen, who brought her husband for his birthday, wanted to know where the contortionists kept their organs. I wanted to know what their spines were made of. There were fire jugglers, trapeze artists, balancing acts, something involving a large metal ring that I can't even describe, and trampolines in the floor with tumblers! I want trampolines in my floor!! There was a live band playing, and a lady singing incredible french music, and even clowns that I liked. I normally hate clowns, but these were hilarious! I have never sat with my mouth wide open and my breath held for as long as I did last night. It was absolutely astounding. If there is any way you can see this show, do it!!
On top of that, I got two peices of promising news. I was accepted into a mentoring program sponsored by the local chapter of the American Society of Training and Development. The group is made up of professionals in the field of corporate training and instructional design. I am very much looking forward to pairing up with a mentor and learning how to make my way into this field. Also yesterday, I received a scholarship for a Health Information Technology certification program which will run for six months and provide me with a professional ceritifcation as a Trainer for computerized health information, such as the EPIC system we are converting to here at Shands. It has taken patience, and a great deal of encouragement from a good friend here on the inside, but I think I am finally heading in the right direction. I can put up with the place I am in, as long as brighter skies are on the horizon. The horizon is looking pretty good right now.
On top of all that, Buster's brother is coming to stay with us for a month. He arrives today, and we are both excited to see him! Buster says that while he is here, I don't have to do ANY dishes. How could I not be excited!?!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Shrouded in Smoke
When I am away from this computer, I have so many great things I would like to write about. The awesome experience I had this weekend at Gabrielle's seminar, the super cool friendship bracelet from the Columbian couple who flew in to audit, my amazing students and the fantastic classes we had last night, and of course my amazing fiance with all he is conquering AND who took the time to clean the apartment while I was gone. Sadly, when I sit here at my desk, in a city choked with smoke that burns my eyes and nose, and try not to think about how much I hate where I am and who I have to spend all my days with, it all leaves me. I find myself checking out mentally to make it through the day until I can return to my few hours of freedom in the evening. Something has to change. Soon.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Fun in the Summer Sun
I had a fabulous weekend.
I actually managed to call the radio station on Thursday and win a pair of tickets they were giving away to Cirque De Soleil when it comes to Jacksonville on June 29th. That was super exciting considering that I’ve wanted to see the show for many years, but the cost was always prohibitive. Scoring about $200 worth of tickets was a great way to get rolling into the weekend.
On Friday night, Buster and I used the gift certificate that my terrifically generous uncle Gary had given him for graduation to eat at Tento Churrascaria. This was an interesting experience, as neither of us had ever eaten at a place like this. The “gauchos” travel around the restaurant with an assortment of meats ranging from filet wrapped in bacon, to grilled flank steak, sausage, turkey, chicken, and more varieties of steak. There is a buffet of sides including salads, vegetables, and potatoes, but I wouldn’t recommend filling your plate with them. With the gauchos constantly bringing savory meats to add to your plate, it’s impossible to eat fast enough to keep up! We left feeling extremely full, and the biggest surprise of the night was the grilled pineapple with a hunt of cinnamon that was absolutely delectable!
Saturday morning came early as the alarm went off at 5am so that I could get out to the field and set up to teach class. I was able to play with Xan for a bit before my students arrived, and enjoyed two really great classes, in spite of the heat. We were thrilled not to be choked with the clouds of smoke that had been prevalent the day before. All of Florida is wishing for some much needed rain! However, I was glad it didn’t rain out the fun on Saturday. After finishing with classes, the dogs and I headed home for lunch and a nap. I no time at all, Xander, Buster, and I were packed up and heading out for the 16th annual Florida State Frisbee Championships.
Given my limited finances, I essentially cannot afford to compete in agility AND Frisbee, except when the Frisbee is in my back yard. So although we will probably only compete once a year until I win the lottery, I truly love the “Frisbee folks.” Everyone is SO friendly, welcoming, and supportive, it is impossible not to enjoy yourself. I would really like to be able to travel more, but at least we have this event once a year. Our friends Chris and Carol even made the trip into town to cheer us on, and for Carol to practice with her new camera. This annual event is particularly enjoyable because of the venue, which is on soft, green grass at Mandarin Highschool. In spite of the heat earlier in the afternoon, by 7pm we were quite comfortable and enjoying the show. I entered the intermediate division this year, as it is a new category for less experienced competitors. It was only our second time competing in freestlye, our first having been one year prior at the same event. After our week long, last minute cramming, I was pretty happy with our routine. I was thrilled to be the third team in the ring, so I didn’t have to stress out for long! We were certainly not world class, and my difficulty level was low, but we still made the finals in 5th place. (Out of seven competitors. ;) It was great to enjoy watching the other, much more skilled handlers before they announced the running order for finals, and I was surprised to hear that we would get to play again! Xander was pretty tired by that point, and barking his grumpy “ready for bed” bark, so I was concerned about getting him to even play. I decided to just go out and have fun, and we did! Our second routine felt much better than the first, and he did a great job maintaining enthusiasm in spite of the heat and a very long day. We moved up a spot, and ended in 4th place.
It was a terrific event, well photographed, featuring many fun vendors and spectators. I will look forward to next year! I also had one very laid back border collie the next day. He got a well deserved day off!
Sunday was a delightfully lazy change of pace. Buster and I spent the day just hanging out and doing a little of this, and a little of that, but nothing much. It was awesome. We grilled in the evening with our friends, and went to bed full and happy.
Next weekend I will be heading to Gabrielle Blackburn’s house to hopefully learn the secrets of her fabulous 2o2o and running contacts!
I actually managed to call the radio station on Thursday and win a pair of tickets they were giving away to Cirque De Soleil when it comes to Jacksonville on June 29th. That was super exciting considering that I’ve wanted to see the show for many years, but the cost was always prohibitive. Scoring about $200 worth of tickets was a great way to get rolling into the weekend.
On Friday night, Buster and I used the gift certificate that my terrifically generous uncle Gary had given him for graduation to eat at Tento Churrascaria. This was an interesting experience, as neither of us had ever eaten at a place like this. The “gauchos” travel around the restaurant with an assortment of meats ranging from filet wrapped in bacon, to grilled flank steak, sausage, turkey, chicken, and more varieties of steak. There is a buffet of sides including salads, vegetables, and potatoes, but I wouldn’t recommend filling your plate with them. With the gauchos constantly bringing savory meats to add to your plate, it’s impossible to eat fast enough to keep up! We left feeling extremely full, and the biggest surprise of the night was the grilled pineapple with a hunt of cinnamon that was absolutely delectable!
Saturday morning came early as the alarm went off at 5am so that I could get out to the field and set up to teach class. I was able to play with Xan for a bit before my students arrived, and enjoyed two really great classes, in spite of the heat. We were thrilled not to be choked with the clouds of smoke that had been prevalent the day before. All of Florida is wishing for some much needed rain! However, I was glad it didn’t rain out the fun on Saturday. After finishing with classes, the dogs and I headed home for lunch and a nap. I no time at all, Xander, Buster, and I were packed up and heading out for the 16th annual Florida State Frisbee Championships.
Given my limited finances, I essentially cannot afford to compete in agility AND Frisbee, except when the Frisbee is in my back yard. So although we will probably only compete once a year until I win the lottery, I truly love the “Frisbee folks.” Everyone is SO friendly, welcoming, and supportive, it is impossible not to enjoy yourself. I would really like to be able to travel more, but at least we have this event once a year. Our friends Chris and Carol even made the trip into town to cheer us on, and for Carol to practice with her new camera. This annual event is particularly enjoyable because of the venue, which is on soft, green grass at Mandarin Highschool. In spite of the heat earlier in the afternoon, by 7pm we were quite comfortable and enjoying the show. I entered the intermediate division this year, as it is a new category for less experienced competitors. It was only our second time competing in freestlye, our first having been one year prior at the same event. After our week long, last minute cramming, I was pretty happy with our routine. I was thrilled to be the third team in the ring, so I didn’t have to stress out for long! We were certainly not world class, and my difficulty level was low, but we still made the finals in 5th place. (Out of seven competitors. ;) It was great to enjoy watching the other, much more skilled handlers before they announced the running order for finals, and I was surprised to hear that we would get to play again! Xander was pretty tired by that point, and barking his grumpy “ready for bed” bark, so I was concerned about getting him to even play. I decided to just go out and have fun, and we did! Our second routine felt much better than the first, and he did a great job maintaining enthusiasm in spite of the heat and a very long day. We moved up a spot, and ended in 4th place.
It was a terrific event, well photographed, featuring many fun vendors and spectators. I will look forward to next year! I also had one very laid back border collie the next day. He got a well deserved day off!
Sunday was a delightfully lazy change of pace. Buster and I spent the day just hanging out and doing a little of this, and a little of that, but nothing much. It was awesome. We grilled in the evening with our friends, and went to bed full and happy.
Next weekend I will be heading to Gabrielle Blackburn’s house to hopefully learn the secrets of her fabulous 2o2o and running contacts!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Disc Doggin
We interrupt our regularly scheduled obsession for something a little different this week.
I have loved watching Frisbee dogs since I saw “Flight of the Navigator” at the age of 8 or 9. A childhood favorite, the movie began with footage of the hero attending a Frisbee dog competition and trying to teach his dog to catch the disc as well. Watching those high flying Aussies leaping, soaring, and flipping to catch the disc completely mesmerized me. I vowed to one day have a dog that would be as eager and adept at catching a Frisbee as these dogs were.
Kaylee was about three months old the first time I attended the Florida State Frisbee Dog Championships here in Jacksonville, FL back in 2002. With her little body and adorably huge ears, she was a huge hit among the fellow spectators as we sat ringside and admired the athleticism and enthusiasm of the competing dogs and handlers. With the exception of being rained out once or twice, I have attended every June to watch the showcase of dogs having a blast playing this game and demonstrating incredible skills.
When I adopted Xander, my first “big dog,” I immediately set about to create love for the disc. Kaylee is actually remarkably skilled at catching a soft Frisbee, but isn’t physically capable of really playing the game the way other dogs can. Kirby delights in chasing the frisbee, but only when it is thrown for Xander. He has no actual interest in the disc itself. Xander progressed from playing with a soft, small, puppy disc, to chasing rollers on the ground, to catching a regular sized rubber disc, to eventually catching a real Frisbee. I clearly remember my thrill the first time he caught a Frisbee in the air and eagerly returned it to me for another toss. He has only grown in skill, confidence, and enthusiasm.
While agility is my first love, it is nice to have another activity to keep us well rounded. Additionally, being able to stand in one place and throw the Frisbee for long enough to wear him out without requiring me to actually run around is very nice on evenings when I am too tired from work to play hard myself!
Over the last couple of years, we’ve gone to a few actual competitions and mostly just played at toss and fetch, which tests the ability of dogs to catch Frisbees at a distance and return them quickly. Last year, at the 16th annual FL State Frisbee Competition, we made our first foray into the world of freestyle. Freestyle consists of a ninety second to two minute routine made up of a variety of skills and elements and scored on drive, athleticism, skill, originality, and catch ratio. I picked a song, made a little routine, and performed in front of the big crowd. I had no real expectations, and in spite of my less than stellar throwing abilities, we had fun, stayed focused, and ended up about the middle of the pack. It was hotter than all get out, but we had a blast. I have thrown the Frisbee hundreds more times since then, so I am hoping my throwing skills have improved at least a little.
This year’s competition sort of snuck up on me since we have been so busy competing in agility. I realized Sunday that the competition was approaching this coming Saturday, and we have not practiced a routine in about a year. Crunch time. This year’s competition has an intermediate division, so I am tasked with choreographing a 90 second routine and finding a suitable song. We worked on Monday night, and I messed us up by trying to cram too many elements into our practice all at once. We ended up tripping all over one another. Last night was far more successful, although I had a challenge in finding someplace to play. Open fields with no one to chase you off are hard to come by! We ended up at a large church off Kernan at McCormick, which turned out to be a nice spot in the shade. I simplified our routine, broke it into smaller elements, and we had a great practice. Afterward, I went home and picked out a song and burned it onto a CD. Tonight’s plan, start to bring the elements together and get a feel for the song!
While I again have no expectations for placing in the competition, especially considering we’ve just begun practicing our routine one week beforehand and don’t do any of the vaulting that many competitors do, I know we have enough skills to put on a good little show, and Xander LOVES to play! So we will have fun no matter what. And watching the other teams is always the best part! Sadly, my agility club has always scheduled their annual meeting and fun run for the same weekend, so I am sad to miss out on that, especially since I am running for Vice President. However, this is my one Frisbee event of the year, and there will be LOTS more time for agility after that. Wish us luck!
I have loved watching Frisbee dogs since I saw “Flight of the Navigator” at the age of 8 or 9. A childhood favorite, the movie began with footage of the hero attending a Frisbee dog competition and trying to teach his dog to catch the disc as well. Watching those high flying Aussies leaping, soaring, and flipping to catch the disc completely mesmerized me. I vowed to one day have a dog that would be as eager and adept at catching a Frisbee as these dogs were.
Kaylee was about three months old the first time I attended the Florida State Frisbee Dog Championships here in Jacksonville, FL back in 2002. With her little body and adorably huge ears, she was a huge hit among the fellow spectators as we sat ringside and admired the athleticism and enthusiasm of the competing dogs and handlers. With the exception of being rained out once or twice, I have attended every June to watch the showcase of dogs having a blast playing this game and demonstrating incredible skills.
When I adopted Xander, my first “big dog,” I immediately set about to create love for the disc. Kaylee is actually remarkably skilled at catching a soft Frisbee, but isn’t physically capable of really playing the game the way other dogs can. Kirby delights in chasing the frisbee, but only when it is thrown for Xander. He has no actual interest in the disc itself. Xander progressed from playing with a soft, small, puppy disc, to chasing rollers on the ground, to catching a regular sized rubber disc, to eventually catching a real Frisbee. I clearly remember my thrill the first time he caught a Frisbee in the air and eagerly returned it to me for another toss. He has only grown in skill, confidence, and enthusiasm.
While agility is my first love, it is nice to have another activity to keep us well rounded. Additionally, being able to stand in one place and throw the Frisbee for long enough to wear him out without requiring me to actually run around is very nice on evenings when I am too tired from work to play hard myself!
Over the last couple of years, we’ve gone to a few actual competitions and mostly just played at toss and fetch, which tests the ability of dogs to catch Frisbees at a distance and return them quickly. Last year, at the 16th annual FL State Frisbee Competition, we made our first foray into the world of freestyle. Freestyle consists of a ninety second to two minute routine made up of a variety of skills and elements and scored on drive, athleticism, skill, originality, and catch ratio. I picked a song, made a little routine, and performed in front of the big crowd. I had no real expectations, and in spite of my less than stellar throwing abilities, we had fun, stayed focused, and ended up about the middle of the pack. It was hotter than all get out, but we had a blast. I have thrown the Frisbee hundreds more times since then, so I am hoping my throwing skills have improved at least a little.
This year’s competition sort of snuck up on me since we have been so busy competing in agility. I realized Sunday that the competition was approaching this coming Saturday, and we have not practiced a routine in about a year. Crunch time. This year’s competition has an intermediate division, so I am tasked with choreographing a 90 second routine and finding a suitable song. We worked on Monday night, and I messed us up by trying to cram too many elements into our practice all at once. We ended up tripping all over one another. Last night was far more successful, although I had a challenge in finding someplace to play. Open fields with no one to chase you off are hard to come by! We ended up at a large church off Kernan at McCormick, which turned out to be a nice spot in the shade. I simplified our routine, broke it into smaller elements, and we had a great practice. Afterward, I went home and picked out a song and burned it onto a CD. Tonight’s plan, start to bring the elements together and get a feel for the song!
While I again have no expectations for placing in the competition, especially considering we’ve just begun practicing our routine one week beforehand and don’t do any of the vaulting that many competitors do, I know we have enough skills to put on a good little show, and Xander LOVES to play! So we will have fun no matter what. And watching the other teams is always the best part! Sadly, my agility club has always scheduled their annual meeting and fun run for the same weekend, so I am sad to miss out on that, especially since I am running for Vice President. However, this is my one Frisbee event of the year, and there will be LOTS more time for agility after that. Wish us luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)