Thoughts on Florida so far

So I’ve been getting asked a lot lately “How do you like Florida so far?”  I’ve pretty much answered with a generic “I like it,” which is true, and most people don’t ask what I like about it, so I figured I’d share.

First off, it’s gorgeous here.  The foliage is completely different from what we have back home, so it’s cool to drive down the road still expecting to see oaks and pines, and actually seeing palms and pines.  I’m really enjoying the change.  Also, it’s usually sunny (except when it rains, which is every day), and the grass is nice and green.  It’s actually grass, too; back home, most people’s lawns consist of a mix of clover, fescue, and weeds.  Here, it’s actual grass, without weeds or clover in.  The gardens are pretty too; some of the flowers are kinds I haven’t seen before.  And the birds?  There are actually Ibis(es? Ibii?) that live in my apartment complex.  I always thought they were strictly an Egypt thing.

Also, I’m amazed at how much nicer people are here.  When I was moving in, I went to a home goods store, and when the lady in line in front of me found out I’d just moved here, she gave me her extra coupons.  Every time I go to the store, the cashiers and floor workers are so sweet and willing to help; how refreshing!  Back home, you’re lucky if you get anything other than a dead-eyed look from someone you ask directions from, but here, they’re knowledgeable and willing to help.  It’s amazing.

It’s hot here, too, which I love.  I’d rather be in hot weather than cold, since I’m usually cold anyway, so I like the fact that the weather stays relatively warm most of the year.  It means my knitting becomes somewhat redundant if I use wool, but that’s why there’s such a thing as linen, cotton, hemp… So I can feed my fiber habit

And my job?  It’s going great.  I work 9 to about 6 every day except Mondays, which is my day off.  The tech apprentices, of which I am one, are a great group of people who all get along really well.  We banter, we joke, we have serious conversations… I don’t think there is a single one of us who doesn’t get along with anyone else.  Work itself is turning out to be a new set of challenges. I’m so used to working in a fly house that I have to re-learn how to work with a grid that’s attached directly to the ceiling.  I’m enjoying working with the electrics team a lot, too.  My supervisor, Rob, is hysterical, and it’s obvious that he knows his stuff very well.  Today was only my third day, and I’ve already learned a vast amount from him and his assistant, Mary.  I’m so glad that they are willing to teach me and my fellow lighting apprentice what they know.

So, how do I like Florida?  So far, I really like it a lot.  I’m looking forward to more adventures in Orlando.

Re-appearing… Again…

So after I wrote my last reappearance post, I realized that I would be moving soon, and I wouldn’t be able to blog at.all until I got moved in.  Hence the disappearance, again.  But now I’m getting all settled in at my little apartment in Orlando, so I may have a little time to sit and write.  We’ll see.

Orlando is really nice, literally.  Everyone I’ve met has been so hospitable… When I went to the store to pick up things that I didn’t have room to pack (like bed sheets), a lady in the line in front of me handed me an extra 20% off coupon so I could save a few bucks. It’s so refreshing to not deal with the often selfish attitudes of the DC area…

I’ve experienced a lot of liquid sunshine so far, which is a little inconvenient, but it cools things off a bit once it lets up.  My dad and I did the drive from Southern MD to Orlando in three days, because we played tourists and stopped at places we’d not been to.There was the Civil War battlefield in North Carolina, Darlington International Raceway, South of the Border (where we found all kinds of food, except Mexican.  Go figure), Charleston, SC to see the aircraft carrier that’s been decommissioned and set up as a museum, and even Daytona International Raceway (did you know that the turns on the track are banked to 31 degrees?  They’ve got their very own mountains, right there).  We also ended up spending a whole day at Disney World, which I’ve never been to.  It was fun, but I wish there had been more roller coasters.  I’m a big one for roller coasters.    The Kennedy Space Center was fascinating, but by far my favorite theme park in Orlando was Sea World.  Roller coasters, cute sea critters, and fish?  Sounds perfect!

I start work on Tuesday at 9AM.  It’s only about a 10 minute drive from the apartment to the theatre, but we’ll see how the morning traffic rush changes that.  I’m looking forward to the challenges that Orlando brings; the heat, the long hours at work, all that.  I’m also looking forward to updating this blog a bit more often… Hopefully my adventures this year will allow me to.

Cheers for now!

And now, I shall make myself re-appear!

I realized something today, on my way home from the theatre.  I realized that I had completely forgotten about my blog, and whatever tiny amount of readers I had.  I realized that I probably should update it, since I had enjoyed doing so while I was in school.

So here’s what I’ve been up to since my last post:

I graduated college with a BA in theatre and moved back in with my parents until it’s time to move to Florida.

I got offered a gig as Master Electrician for a community production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, which started on Wednesday and is turning out to be quite a challenge… We’re currently working on re-gridding the entire electrics system (it’s a found space, so there isn’t a fly loft or anything like that).  It’s a lot of work, but I’m having a lot of fun.

I’m working at the Diner I worked at last summer, trying to make enough money to tide me over until my first paycheck comes in once I move to Florida.  Since I don’t have to worry about rent or utilities, this is a bit easier, but then I look at my student loans.  Whoa Nelly.

I haven’t started packing for Florida yet.

Hell.  I haven’t even unpacked from college yet.  I guess I’d better get on that.

It’s Tuesday… You know what that means!

That’s right, it’s time for your weekly Tuesday Tip.  Here it is!  To all my non-knitterly friends, sorry… You’ll get one you can understand next week.

Always make sure you fully understand the instructions for knitting a short-row heel before you begin said heel shaping.  I’ve just realized (two pairs of socks later) that I’ve been doing it wrong, and my heels end up lopsided somehow.  It’s not a problem in the long run, really, but they’re not the prettiest socks in the universe.  This is a good tutorial on how to properly execute a pretty short-row heel.

And now, back to knitting and waiting for The Voice to come on TV!

Things I wish I had more motivation to do

1. Knit.  I’ve been in a funk lately with my knitting… No matter how many pretty patterns or smooshy yarns I find on Ravelry, I just can’t bring myself to start knitting them.  I seem to have lost my knitting mojo for now… Here’s hoping I get it back soon so I have something to do on my long car trips.

2. Go shower.  I’m currently lying in my bed swathed in blankets, and I don’t feel like moving. In fact, the only reason I’m awake right now is because I had a final at 8AM, and once I’m awake and thinking, I usually can’t go back to sleep unless I really try.  And I’m afraid that if I try, I won’t sleep tonight.

3. Pack.  I haven’t even started yet, and I graduate in 8 days.  I have to be moved out in 9.  My room looks like Hurricane Ike just came through, and I can’t be bothered right now to do anything about it.  Although I’m probably going to go sell back some books later, after I go to the mailroom.  That’ll cut down on a little bit of the clutter, I hope.

But right now my motivation level is about as high as the saline content in a glass of tap water, so I’ll probably just sit here and bebop around the interwebs for another hour or so.  Carpe diem and all that.

Tuesday Tip, among other things

Today’s Tuesday Tip is brought to you by laundry detergent:

Don’t wait too long to do your laundry.  I’m currently sitting in front of the TV with about three weeks’ worth of laundry in front of me.  I’m not going to lie, it’s kind of intimidating.  Don’t get me wrong, I kind of enjoy the repetition of folding laundry, but yikes.  This is a lot of laundry.

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In other news, my friends and I are hitting the homestretch of our undergraduate careers.  It’s a little sad, and a lot scary, but we’re not going to concentrate on that right now.  I’m going to talk about how awesome it can be to come up with a bucket list.

So today my friend Derek and I went on a little adventure around the town.  We ended up going to SweetFrog (Original Tart yogurt with strawberries and Heath bar pieces for me… My favorite!), and then driving around for a while and talking.  Eventually we ended up at this little place called Fabulus-Fudge, which I’d never been to.  It was really nice to just spend time with one of my closest friends… I don’t usually get the chance to, since we’re all so busy, but now that classes are done, there’s more time.

But the downside to this “more time” thing is that it’s almost over.  I’m trying not to think about graduation, because I don’t want to cry, but the reality of it is, there really isn’t much time left.  I’m moving to Florida, and everyone else is scattering to the four winds, so the time we’ve got left is just that much more precious.  This may be the last time that all eight of us are together for a really long time.

So I guess this is another Tuesday Tip: Cherish the time you’ve got with the people you love, because eventually all good things must come to an end.

My bucket list for college is small, but here it is:

-Go to the Blue Ridge Parkway and take pictures.

-Visit a few places I haven’t been to around here, including a few sandwich shops and the Lynchburg Museum.

-Go out for drinks with my favorite professors

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So that’s my bucket list… What’s yours?

Tuesday Tip #4

Be a kid again!  Don’t be afraid to be silly, and have a good time at a playground.  Be goofy, and don’t worry about what other people think about you.

Whee!

Being a kid every now and then is refreshing.