Orlando, FL

I got up at 5:00 when the alarm went off. That damned alarm startled me!

Got to the gym at 5:35. Today was shoulders, chest, and tri's. Worked up a real good sweat. I think the AC in Bally's is not working right... it felt humid.

Back at home I fried two eggs for breakfast along with a smoked pork chop. Then I showered and dressed for work.

At the office I think I spent almost all day catching up. Orders to be logged, variances to fill out, service calls to process and record... yadda yadda...

I asked Fay and Debbie about the cost of keeping their dogs. Both of them told me that the food cost was the main cost, and the cost of the food is minimal - around $10 a month. Next you have to worry about their shots - $60 to $80, but only once a year. Once a month you have to worm them. Fay buys a worming medicine disguised as a doggy treat. Debbie warned me that anytime you take a cat or a dog into a new area, they will "mark" it. Great, we can look forward to the dog pissing on the carpet atleast once.

Fay said that while I am making sure that the dog is housebroken, I can bring it to the office. She said there was no need to keep him in his crate either. I think that would be the least stressful way to ease the dog into his new surroundings -- keep him with me at work for a week or so, then start leaving him alone in the apartment for short periods, then longer periods, but with me coming home at lunch to check on him and take him out, eventually he would be okay all day at home.

At lunch today I heated up one of the Lean Cuisine meals in the freezer chest and read the newspaper. After that I took my daily walk around the office park. Shot a couple of pictures of the crepe myrtles in bloom.

While Fay was out at lunch Craig came back in. He mentioned that our paycheck tonight will be about 10% bigger than last month !! Hey hey !! I told him that he asked me if I had been able to save anything and that I save at the beginning of the month, but I end up drawing it down by the end of the month, so, could this bonus become part of my regular salary? (Vince asked for a raise) I figured it would come to another $1 or $2 per hour. He said he would look into it and see what he could do. I mentioned that tomorrow makes one year for me at FER.

Sometime in the afternoon I finally got my work caught up. I was able to surf for about an hour.

Orlando, FL

Today I got up around 6 am. I struggled with the idea of going into work today. I had the entire day off, but I knew work was piling up at the office too. So, I compromised - I went in for two hours, from 11 am to 1 pm. I got all of the orders logged, got my weekly PO report off to the partners, made copies of the orders for Hollywood, processed new orders, and read/handled all of the e-mail.

After I left the office, I drove across I-4 to the Orange County Animal Control Shelter to see the dogs in the pound and ask about the adoption process. The lady told me that I want to select a dog that is 10 mos to a year old so that we know how big it is going to be. Cost is $65 and they are spayed/nuetered before they leave. I saw a one-year-old Australian cattledog-Beagle mix named "Buddy" that I liked. The lady at the desk was very realistic about the downside of having the dog... I will need to think about it more.

Came back home and went to the pool for an hour and a half. Stayed sunnyside up this time -- trying to get more sun on my chest. I read my Wired magazine while sunning and I went into the water twice. The pool water has gotten nice and warm now!

I learned about "zillowing" from Wired mag. Zillow is an online database of real estate values, searchable by address, and viewable on a map.

Now I have to return to my routine tomorrow morning -- the gym, the office, back home, sleep, repeat. Except that this week will be a very short, three-day week! Another plus - I get paid tomorrow night ! Thursday will make one year for me at FER. I guess it will be about time to hit Craig up for a raise. I wish I made $1 or $2 more per hour.

Will write the rent check tomorrow night, then buy groceries Thursday after work. Thursday night we will pay most of my bills online at the computer. Getting a haircut and oil change for truck this weekend.

This weekend is the annual Gay Day's Party. I have never done the Gay Days at the theme parks, but the bars are sure to be crowded this weekend!

Memorial Day Part Two

I took the truck to The Octopus car wash and got most of the bugs cleaned off of the bumper and front of it. There are a few remaining, but I have another can of bug and tar remover, and you get a free car wash when you get an oil change at Sonny's, so it will be very clean this weekend. Wanted to put wax on the truck when I got home, but the metal was too hot.

Next I went to Eola and walked. Made three laps. There was a Memorial Day ceremony going on in the Disney orchestra shell. Stopped in at Panera and got coffee.

Back home I logged into chat and a small miracle happened that made me feel alot better about Rick going his own way. I went into the Orlando #3 room. This guy started chatting me and asking me how I was. I told him a little down. He asked why. I began to tell him, but soon he is going "OMG! What is his name?" Turns out this guy works for Disney Resorts. Rick was telling him all of the same nice things he was telling me. This guy moved heaven and earth to get Rick's room at the Coronado upgraded and get him an early check-in. Then, when Rick got here, he completely ignored him! Rick told me that Caroline got his room upgraded. Seems that old Rick plays this game all the time. I started to chuckle because this guy was reciting everything that Rick told me. I know some of it is true, but I strongly suspect that Rick has a wife or a lover at home and that is why he was so upset when I showed up in Pennsylvania.

Went by the SPCA today, but they are closed on holidays. Their hours are Mon - Fri from 10 to 4. Looks like I will have to go on my lunch hour. I am not saying I am going to leave with an adoption, I want to see what they have and ask the operators questions about the process.

When I came home I put on my trunks and went to the pool. I was only there an hour and ten minutes. Did not use sunscreen. Got a light dose of sun. It feels good.

Memorial Day Part One

Last night Rick dumped me. That really wasn't a surprise. You can't force a relationship to happen.

Still there are alot of unanswered questions about him... my friends all think he that he had something at home (wife/lover) that could not know about me, or that he did not want me to know about. Why couldn't I ever call him at home? Why always at work or on his cellphone?

Maybe if he lived here and we actually had a chance to date and talk more it would have turned out different. This is probably for the best.

Shortly after that, my other friend, Rick Mullis, came over and we drank a bottle of the merlot I ordered from the Internet. It was a good wine. Rick hung out here until around 10, then he went to Parliament House to meet his friends. I was too exhausted to go out.

I went to bed right after he left and I slept. I slept for six hours! The most I have slept in weeks!

This morning I had a cup of yogurt with flax seeds on it after swallowing my vitamins. It looks like rain today. I need to get the bugs cleaned off of the truck. But, with rain, I probably won't go to the pool.

One of my friends suggested that I get out more and meet more people. He suggested the local gay bowling team or the outdoors group. I will have to investigate those ideas. I don't think I will ever be a social butterfly, but it is good to have friends.

Sunday

This picture here shows a cactus I gave my Mom thirteen years ago. This year it has put more flowers out than ever before!

I slept on the living room floor for about four hours. I woke up at 2:44 am and decided that I was not going to fall asleep again, so I loaded the truck and got started.

I left Mom's at 3:00 am. Figured I would have nine hours of travel ahead of me. I made really good time. I stopped for gas at the South Of The Border on the stateline, and I stopped again at Kingsbay, near the Florida-Georgia line. I grabbed a sandwich here too.

Arrived home at 11:50 am! I carried my stuff upstairs and garaged the truck. Started my laundry and called everyone to let them know I made it home okay. In the mail today was my new check card from NFCU.

I weighed in and found that I am nine pounds lighter. I suspect this is mostly dehydration because my urine is very dark. Of course, I haven't eaten very much since Thursday either!

After a hot shower, my right eye didn't feel as sore. Maybe I don't have pink eye after all. Maybe I just got dirt in it. Anyway, seems like it is getting better.

My truck needs to be washed badly. It deserves it - it performed very well on this 2500 mile trip! Get paid Wednesday night. Thursday I will get some groceries, pay my rent and other bills, take the truck for its oil change on Saturday.

This evening I am going to empty the change from my ashtray and go to Winn-Dixie and cash the coins in at the Coinstar machine so that I can get bottled water into my refrigerator.

In the morning I think I am going to the gym as if it were a regular weekday morning. Since most everything else will be done, I will just lay by the pool and read I guess.

Memorial Day Weekend

I think I have made a big mistake.

Took off from work on Thursday evening around 5:30. I went home and showered, put my bags into the truck and drove to I-4. Truck started with 122,552 miles. Drove to Daytona in about an hour, then got on I-95 North. Stopped at Jacksonville around 8:30 for fuel. It began to rain and it rained really hard - everyone on 95 slowed down to 30-40 MPH. Once I was into Georgia it began clearing up.

I drove until 1:00 am on Thursday morning. I stopped at Florence, SC for fuel. Got 11.7 gallons (26 MPG). Then I drove to the rest stop just above Florence. I parked, put the sunshade into the windshield, got my blanket out from behind the seat, and tried to sleep for a couple of hours. I think I slept one hour. At 3:00 am, I got up, put my stuff away, and got back on the road. With little traffic on the highway I made very good time. 30 minutes later I was passing South Of The Border and then passed into North Carolina.

I crossed North Carolina in 2.5 hours! I stopped at Petersburg, VA for fuel at 6:45 am. Got 10.0 gallons here (26.2 MPG). I used I-295 to bypass downtown Richmond and continued north. As I approached Quantico, VA, the traffic backed up badly. There was an accident and morning rush hour traffic was backed up 18 miles!

Eventually I got past the wreck, but it cost me all of the time I had saved. At the "Mixing Bowl" in Springfield, VA, I took I-495 to I-270 toward Fredrick, MD. At Fredrick I went to US 40 to US 15. 15 was a nice four-lane road north. Passed Gettysburg and got into Harrisburg. At Harrisburg I went west on I-83 to I-81. Here I stopped for fuel at 11:30. Got 9.0 gallons (29.1 MPG). Then I went to a truck stop to shower and change clothes. They were charging $9 for the shower, but a trucker overheard me. He asked the cashier, "Hey, I have one shower left on my card, is it okay if he uses it?" She said she wasn't supposed to, but she let him!! Yay! Got showered and felt much better.

Continued up I-81 to US 20, followed it up the east side of the Susquehanna, then I crossed the river and followed US 15 north to I-80. Got onto I-80, crossed the river again, got on I-180 and went toward Williamsport.

Arrived at the Lycoming Mall at 2:00 pm. I went in and looked around for awhile. Tried to raise Rick on the phone, but I guess he was busy. The sales floor was not very busy. Holly asked me if I needed help and I talked to her for awhile.

Finally I got Rick on the phone but he was in a meeting. I begged him to answer a couple of questions. He was not happy to find me there.

He refused to have dinner with me and sent me away. The fact that I showed up like that unannounced really bothered him. He kinda feels like I am stalking him or that I might have a mental instability. I was hoping he would be happy to see me. I did not count on him reacting this way. I felt depressed when I left. I figured that I could go to Ohio - just three hours west, and see Dad, or I could go back down to DC and see Tony and Roger. I went to DC.

I retraced my route south to DC. Nearly ran out of gas by the time I got to Alexandria! Stopped on Franconia Road and got 11.6 gallons at 6:50 pm (29.3 MPG). Tony and Roger ordered pizzas once I got there and we talked for awhile about what we were up to. Tony is going to Vietnam in November to help identify remains of US POWs there. The tour only lasts 50 days. Then he will retire.

Last night I went to sleep around 9:30 pm on their sofa. I slept soundly for three and a half hours. Then I tossed and turned and stared at the ceiling until morning. This morning we went to The Magic Skillet where I bought breakfast for them since I owed them from my visit in April.

Back on the road around 10:27 am. Traffic was very heavy coming out of DC on I-95. I stopped at Wilson, NC for fuel at 1:50 pm. I got 9.0 gallons here (27.9 MPG). Three hours later I was at Mom's house in Hampstead. I guess I will spend the night here and then return to Orlando in the morning. I have checked my email from work. There were 30 messages in there! I weeded them out and now only 10 remain for me to do anything with.

Tomorrow I will start my laundry, clean the floors, and hang out. Maybe I will get to the pool on Monday - Memorial Day holiday, and then just return to work Tuesday before I fall any further behind.

Orlando, FL

I did not go to the gym this morning because my arms still hurt from yesterday morning! So I stayed in bed for another hour.

It was overcast this morning. On the way to work I got a few sprinkles on the windshield, but nothing more than that.

Nancy and Nick Baranet showed up this morning at the office. Dear God, that woman's perfume is sooo overpowering! Four hours after they left, the smell was still lingering in the file room!

For lunch I went to Wendy's and at the Mandarin Chicken Salad with a Diet Coke.

The phones were pretty quiet most of the day. Craig flew back from Chicago today and immediately began calling on dealers. He is pretty sure that Middleby is going to buy Enodis, but FER doesn't have anything to worry about.

The photo is of a 747 approaching the airport at St. Maarten. Apparently this plane just cleared the fence by a few feet! I found this picture while reading the article about 747 jet exhaust blowing cars off of the road.

I found a couple more things that I thought were blog-worthy too:

• Automated parking garage for Volkswagens that reminds me of The Matrix.
• How the DOD wired the Ho Chi Minh Trail in the 60's for surveillance.
• Australian rugby player dismissed after several episodes of "digital sodomy" on the field!

This afternoon it sprinkled some more, but nothing substantial.

The best piece of news I found today is that Ikea of Sweden is going to build and open a store here in Orlando next to Millenia Mall!! Half of my stuff came from Ikea.

Orlando, FL

Today seemed to fly right by!

Up at 5, dressed, downed my vitamins, ate yogurt, out the door. Shoulders, chest, and tri's. Back home for a breakfast of fried eggs and smoked porkchop. Showered, dressed, and down to the office - I was running about 10 minutes early!

Only two orders came in today. Not alot of money. It was rather quiet all day.

At lunch I came home and ate fish fillets and canned green beans. It was overcast all day, but it was still very warm.

When I got home I found the May issue of Wired in the mail. I stopped the truck outside of the garage so that I could sort things out behind the seat and take stuff out that didn't need to be there.

Now I am showered, fed, ready to sleep and do it again!

Sunday

Like I said, this must be the most boring blog in the world, and the Mad Commenter certainly agrees, but he said it is strangely compelling!

Yesterday morning I got busy and cleaned the kitchen floor and bathroom floor, ran the vacuum, and scrubbed the shower out. With the house work done I went to the leasing office to get my FedEx delivery of wine and pickup a new furnace filter.

I went to the pool for a couple of hours. I began reading my new book, China, Inc. It is interesting and really explains why the people and businesses of China behave the way they do.

After the pool I came in and wasted the rest of the day. The mail man only brought junk mail for me.

I took a few pictures of myself and sent them to Rick and I asked a realtor friend of mine about available commercial property that could be rezoned multi-residential. Ken found seven properties for me, but they are all in undesireable neighborhoods. I sent them to Rick anyway, but told him the neighborhoods were not good.

Made six stuffed peppers in the afternoon. Ate a couple of them and froze the rest.

I called and spoke to Tony Schlim briefly. He was in line at his commencement ceremony! Can you imagine that? A guy taking a phone call while in line to receive his certificate? He is graduating from George Washington U.

Earlier in the day I had intended to go out, but I started to grow weary. Around 8:45 pm Rick showed up. We chatted for 15 minutes, then he said "brb". Well, an hour later he still wasn't back so I signed off and went to bed."

This morning I was up around 6:30. Ate yogurt and a porkchop for breakfast. Found Rick online around 9 am. We chatted for awhile. He is kinda sick from something he ate yesterday. He said that it was a cold rainy morning there.

I went to Lake Eola to look at the Downtown Living and Art Festival. I was underwhelmed by it. I ate a chicken crepe sandwich and walked around the lake a couple times. Then got into my truck and drove around.

Around noon I ended up at West Oaks Mall. I went into the Borders Bookstore. I have never been to Borders. Browsing the shelves, I found two paperbacks that I will read next: a collection of engineering stories by Henry Petroski called Pushing The Limits, and a humanities study by Barbara Ehrenreich called Nickel and Dimed - On (Not) Getting By in America. I am sure I will devour both of these.

When I got home I went to the pool for a couple of hours. The sun was very strong! On the way to the pool, I heard my phone ringing in the bottom of my bag. I had to dig the phone out quickly. It was Mom. She is bored and trying to defrag her computer. When I buy a new computer with my tax refund next spring, I will give them this older one. I think they will like it much better.

For dinner I had a crab cake sandwich and a glass of spumante. Washing the pool towels, trunks, and other whites that were dirty. Might actually go out this evening for a couple of hours. Back to the grindstone tomorrow!

Yeah! Another Weekend!

It was tempting to keeping laying in that bed after the alarm went off. But, after about 10 minutes I pulled myself up and dressed for the gym. Downed my vitamins and two cans of yogurt and I was out the door.

Sixteen minutes on the elliptical, followed by two sets of 7-21's for biceps, then 150 pounds on the seated rower for two sets of fifteen reps, three sets of fifteen crunches, then back to the elliptical for another eight minutes, followed by eight minutes of walking on the treadmill.

Two eggs fried with a slice of cheese and a smoked porkchop for the remainder of my breakfast. Showered, dressed, and out the door to the office. I packed food to make salad at work today for lunch.

When I got to the office, I found that the Chick-Fil-A Fairy had visited and left six ice cream coupons and a $20 bill on my chair! We did not see Craig at all today. He had to go to his daughter's commencement, then get on a plane and fly to Chicago for the NRA Show this weekend.

I made chicken breast in the Combi oven and I made salad. It was tasty.

Our office did $276k this week and Hollywood did about $250k. All in all a good week for FER!

Another chapter in my Internet wine purchase: there was another FedEx door tag stuck in my door when I got home. So, I changed clothes, dressed in shorts, and drove clear over to Bennet Road to the FedEx facility. When I got there the man told me that the driver left it at the rental office (after he wrote a note saying he couldn't) and that Toni Ann signed for it. I guess I will finally get my wine tomorrow. I guess I won't be ordering from Ray's Station again.

I just want to relax tomorrow. I have to clean the kitchen and bathroom floors, run the vacuum, and scrub the shower, but that won't take long.

Tony wrote me lastnight. He tells me that Roger and him broke up. Dang. They were together for about 6 years. He said he is actually relieved. Tony reads my blog and says that it is "interesting"! LOL!! This has to be the most-boring blog in the world! He is supposed to call me tonight.

Orlando, FL

These past two days have been sunny and nice! Staying continuously busy at work too. Fay is giving me parts of her projects to organize and request factory quotes. We have two large hotel/casinos we're working on right now. Looks like it is going to be a good week for FER for orders.

In the gym yesterday morning my arms still hurt from Monday, so I ran, and then only did abs. That got me out of there a little early too.

Yesterday I blew out my diet. I told myself that I did not care, because I had been good for so long. I went to McDonald's and ordered a Quarter Pounder with Cheese (QPC) and medium fries. Well, when I tried to pay, the card reader couldn't read my card. Two of the sales people tried to get it to read. Finally the cashier said, "Don't worry about it... don't worry about it!" He wanted me out of the way because there were people behind me! So I got to cheat my diet and do it for free!

I called Rick right after that, but he was too busy to talk. He has a lot going on at work right now. I try not to bother him too much... gee, does two calls a week equal "too much"? I dunno. He said he'd call me back, but he couldn't.

This morning it was a little cool outside. At the gym I did cardio, shoulder presses, push-ups, crunches, ab twists with the medicine ball, tricep push-downs, more cardio, and outta there.

Sunny clear day today... really pretty. Still stayed busy today at work.

At lunch I counted out $11 in quarters in my ashtray, so I went to 7-Eleven and got a turkey salad sandwich and pork rinds. Tried to call Rick, but again, he was busy. I noticed that our cellphone reception is kinda spotty at the office, and for some reason, my cellphone battery is discharging quickly. Well, I've had that phone for three years, it just might be time for a new one.

Ray's Station shipped my wine via FedEx, but it was not delivered at the office today. When I got home, there was delivery attempt note on my door! That made me mad. I checked the order confirmation, yes, I wanted it sent to the office and they acknowledged that shipping address, yet they tried to send it to my home. There is no way I am going to try to drive all the way across town for two bottles of wine. They'd better reconsign it, or they are going to be taking it back.

As I was leaving work I managed to get Rick on the phone. He is very busy. Seems like a lot of things have gone wrong recently at work. He can't come down for Memorial Day Weekend. I asked him what he thought of me going up there, but he said he would only be off Sunday. That would be kinda frustrating. Oh well.

Spent about $51 at Wal-mart on eggs, bottled water, cheese, grapes, guacamole, chicken, hamburger, and yogurt. I will probably be broke before the end of the month.

Laundry is started now. Need to get a shower and just unwind now.

Orlando, FL

When I got up at 5:20 it was overcast. Warm and humid. I debated going to the gym while I lay in bed - my arms still hurt from yesterday. In the end I got up and went.

I did 32 minutes of cardio and did extra ab exercises this morning. Was back home a few minutes early. Made my routine breakfast, showered, dressed, and out to the office. Got to the office a few minutes early!

It began to rain this morning and it rained and drizzled all day long. A cool, cloudy, gray day.

Fay didn't make it in until 10:20. I guess she overslept.

At lunch I went to the little cafeteria in the office park -- the Corner Cafe. I had a chef salad and a Diet Coke. I brought a salad back from Fay because she couldn't go out -- she needed to catch up on her work.

The Orlando Sentinel has run some interesting headlines recently. Yesterday: "Alligator Attacks Leave Three Dead Statewide" and the Today: "State Extends Alligator Hunting Season". Gee, did one cause the other?

All things considered, it was a good day. A rather quiet day.

Orlando, FL

Saturday morning I went to Wal-mart first thing to get groceries. Spent just over $100. Brought those home, upstairs, and put them away. With that done, the vacuum run, and the shower scrubbed out, I was done with work. Now I could lay by the pool.

It was a very bright and sunny day. I covered myself good with Coppertone, but after swimming, I think my trunks came down some, because I have sunburned strip across the bottom of my back, about one-inch wide, just above my butt!

Stayed at the pool for about four hours. Tried to call Rick while I was at the pool, but he was too busy to talk right then.

Continued reading Dark Ages America back in my apartment. I just about have it finished.

Sunday I found Rick online and we chatted for about an hour or so. Then I went out. I went downtown and bought peppers and Brussel's sprouts at the Eola Farmer's Market. Because I did not wear socks with my tennis shoes, I ended up with a blister on my right heel.

Went to Pier 1 Imports to see if I could get ramekins there. They had one left. The clerk called the other stores, and the only store that still had them was the Altamonte store. It was hot outside, I did not feel like driving clear up there.

Ron said he was going to go to Parliament House to people watch on Sunday, but I guess he forgot because he decided that he would rather stay home and play his video game. I did not care to go out by myself, so I stayed in too.

Today I got up early and made it to the gym. Got in a good hard workout.

Fay was back at work this morning. She stopped taking her prozac. She said it was making her heart race, and making her dizzy. I guess she will have to see the doctor again soon.

We stayed continuously busy today. We processed as much in orders today as we did all of last week! Our Internet service has been giving us trouble. I called Bell Atlantic and they sent a technician out, but we had problems after he left. I guess they will have to do it again.

At lunch I went to McDonald's and ate the Asian salad again, they gave me a workout DVD with the salad! Then I went to Linens & Things to get ramekins. They had the white ceramic ones, but they were kinda expensive. I got some glass Pyrex® ramekins. I browsed the Living Quarters store next door too - they have some interesting things in there.

Now I need to shower, read some more of my book, and get some sleep... Repeat tomorrow.

TGIF !!

Yesterday when I returned from lunch it began sprinkling. While Fay was out at lunch it began to pour. It rained really hard for about an hour.

While Fay was out I went to the Crisper's website to look up the nutrition info for the Ham Harvest Cobb Salad I ate at lunch. I was dumbfounded to discover that it contained 100 grams of carbohydrate! No more of that!

In the evening, Fay said she was very tired and needed to go home and right to bed. She confided to me that the doctor put her on Prozac. Well, there you have it folks -- I am not the problem at all. It did seem like she was happier this week.

We both left promptly at 5 pm. I stopped at Mobil to fill my tank and then came on home. I was not up late either. I think I was in bed by 8:30. I read my book for awhile and then fell asleep.

I woke up around 11:30 to the sound of thunder and the flash of lightning. It was pouring again! I don't know how long it rained because I got back to sleep and slept until 5 am.

This morning Fay did not make it in at all. She said she was on her way, but she felt dizzy. So, she went home to lay down for an hour. That hour turned into three hours before Greg Olsen called her at home to fetch something out of her e-mail. Honestly, except for the phones getting busy a couple times, I did not miss her today!

Pictured here is a squirrel climbing the wall outside my office window. I see so much nature from my window -- various birds, squirrels, raccoons, lizards, insects, cats, and dogs.

Orlando, FL

As I was dressing on Monday morning I noticed that it was kinda dark outside and overcast. Before I finished dressing I heard thunder. It rained for several hours Monday morning. This rain is badly needed since there are still wildfires burning in Brevard and Volusia counties.

For lunch on Monday I made chicken breast in the Convotherm oven again. There was left over salad from Friday and I found a can of beets.

Craig said that the AutoCAD drawing of the Fort Lauderdale Grand Hotel kitchen line up paid off. It has helped Tom land an order!

Monday night something bit me on my back while I was sleeping. I don't know what it was, a spider or maybe a mosquito. It itched and it was where I could not scratch it easily. I only slept two hours Monday night.

Tuesday was a sleepy fog. I told Fay that I was leaving right at 5 pm. We both left shortly after 5 pm. I went to bed around 8:30 and I slept almost all night long! I needed it.

Up at 5:00 am and over to Bally Total Fitness for my routine. You can tell that the humidity is up again. Even inside the air conditioned building it is more humid than it was in December. It doesn't take long for me to build up a sweat and I leave soaked.

Fay called and said she would be 20 minutes late for work as she had to take her son, Lennox to work. So, I called and talked to Rick during that time. He is having another crazy week. He was bitten by a snake Tuesday while moving stone and had to be taken to the hospital!! Now his hand is swollen up with white blisters on it!

Outside my office window in the bushes there are a couple of mockingbirds building a nest. I see them come and go with nest material in their beaks. I took a couple of pictures of them through the glass. Fay really digs the birds because she minored in ornithology.

We have not been having a great week for sales. Last week was the same. Hollywood only brought about $50 in sales last week. Fay said that we are not allowed to tease Gabe about the sales anymore because he is sensitive about it.

Yesterday morning I made my first Internet wine purchase. I ordered two bottles of Ray's Station's 2001 merlot. They are marketing their wines as "hearty red wines for men".

Around 4:30 Greg Olsen, one of the partners called. He was thanking me repeatedly for following up on issues with his dealers and copying him on all of the correspondence that affects him or his dealers. It sure is nice to hear something like that. After I hung up, I asked Craig, "What's gotten into Greg?"

During the last few days I have been saving some links from surfing:

• Interesting software helps you publish your very own bound books.
• Is Hugo Chavez trying to become another Hitler, eerrr, I mean Castro?
• CSPAN made YouTube and iFilm pull the Colbert Bush Roast, but you can still view it on Google Video.
• Study shows that handling a gun raises testosterone levels. Hmmm... may be time to clean that gun again!
• Cute newspaper snippet generator.
• Nutrition data for the most common fast foods.
• Instructions with photos for making your own home brew.
• How to rip DVD's to small avi files.

Yes, I guess it is a wonder that I get anything done at work with all of the surfing that I do! Somedays I stay so busy that I cannot look at anything other than work. But then there are other days.

It is hard to believe, but we are almost through another week. Seems like my weeks and months just keep going past faster and faster!

Orlando, FL

Only slept about 4 hours lastnight. Tossed and turned for the last four hours. Got up around 5:30 to take my vitamins and layed back down for an hour. Then I got up, made my routine breakfast of two eggs, two slices of Canadian bacon and yogurt.

I started reading Morris Berman's Dark Ages America - The Final Phase of Empire this morning. Reviewers say this one is very well researched. All I know is that the little I have read so far has the "ring of truth" to it.

At lunch today I made more chicken breast in the Convotherm Combi oven. I thawed them out ahead of time. Total time in the oven was 15 minutes. Fay and I had chicken breast, left over salad, and canned beets for lunch. After lunch I took my walk around the office park. It was very hot, but there was a breeze to make it tolerable.

This evening I made a simple chili with ground round, black beans, tomatoes and peppers. Looking forward to reading further into this new book!

Weekend

Yesterday I went to the grocery store and got food. Carried it into the house and put it away. Then I worked on the kitchen line up drawing for Tom for a couple hours. Around 11 I went to the pool.

It was quiet at the pool when I got there - two old people sunning and a lady reading. An hour later people started to show up. It was a beautiful sunny day!

Around 3 pm I called Rick. We talked for the next hour and fifteen minutes. He is going to see if he can come back here Memorial Day Weekend. I can't wait to see him again.

In the evening I smoked ribs, steamed asparagus, baked cornbread, and made rice. My buddy Jamie came over and ate, then we went to the Full Moon Saloon and Studz. First time I have been out in weeks. Got back in around 1 am.

This morning I got up around 7 am. Worked on the kitchen drawing some more. Then I showered and went out.

I went to 100 South Eola Drive to look at condos in The Santuary downtown for Rick. There are several condo buildings under construction right now, so there will be more units on the market in the future. Pictured here is the swimming pool at The Santuary as seen from the 16th floor.

Finished my drawing, printed it out, and emailed it to Tom. Here comes another week.

Cinco de Mayo

Just another day like the others. Up at 5. At the gym at 5:30. Cardio, back and bi's, more cardio, and outta there!

I packed a bagged salad, cucumber, pepper, onion, sunflower kernels, canned black olives, and cherry tomotoes to take to work to make a salad at lunch. At the office I started up the Convotherm combination steamer-oven and made chicken breasts to go with the salad. It was a good lunch.

Left the office at 3:10 to go to the doctor's office. The nurse who saw me last time quit yesterday, so I had a female doctor today. They gave me a complete physical, including EKG. We went over my blood chemistry results. Everything is normal or perfect except for one thing -- a liver enzyme I have never heard of before, "billimin", is 0.2mg higher than normal. She said it does not signal disease because everything else is normal. To be safe, she wants me to have the hepatitis series done in about six weeks. Otherwise, she was envious of my blood chemistry! My blood pressure today was 130 over 74. My temperature was normal. Really, I am pretty much in good health.

This evening I came home and immediately began cleaning. I had to fold laundry from lastnight, and I started to dust and clean the kitchen and bathroom floor. I am going to scrub the shower when I get my shower later.

Kent State U Day

Yup, 36 years ago today, I was laying in my cradle, minding my own business, while on the other side of town the Ohio National Guard was mowing down university students. Times sure have changed.

Up at my usual time. Shoulders, chest, and tri's today. Back home for breakfast I had half a cantaloupe with my eggs and ham.

Not a terribly busy day. Infact, it hasn't been a terribly busy week for FER. We could use a couple of large orders.

I got e-mail from Ana this morning. I sent pics of Rick to her yesterday. She replied, "OMG, I can't believe how similar you both look! You could be brothers!" Funny woman.

It turned into a very hot day. At lunch I went to Chick-Fil-A and had the Grilled Chicken Southwest Salad and Diet Coke. Then I went to CVS Pharmacy to pick out some cards. Going to send a "get well soon" card to Linda. I am going to show off my new stamps mailing it! When I returned to the office, I made my walk around the office park.

During the afternoon it was actually pretty quiet. The phones were not busy, and I quickly disposed of the work of making project folders that Fay found for me to do.

Dr. Harding's office called to remind me about my appointment tomorrow afternoon.

I had Publix brand Cajun Fish Fillets for dinner. Now I have laundry started.

I am ready for the weekend!

In The Navy....

Thirteen years ago today I enlisted in the US Navy and flew to Orlando to start basic training and the schools that would lead to me becomming a nuclear propulsion specialist.

Four years ago today I sat in a C-2 Greyhound on the flight deck of USS George Washington waiting to be catapulted off. Last day.

Yesterday Craig, Debbie and I had lunch with Betsy Hummel of Walt Disney World Company. We at the Carera's Italian Kitchen. We ate there because Betsy likes the level of service there. This restaurant is in Doctor Phillips, across the road from my doctor's office. We brought a salad back to the office for Fay.

Lastnight my phone rang. The number displayed had a 704 area code. It was Roger calling from the hospital. Linda had a hysterectomy yesterday. They found cancer on one of her ovaries, but they did not get it all. They estimate 95% was recovered. So, Linda is going to have to have some chemo. They really enjoyed the time I spent with them while they wintered here in Florida.

I called Bill at home to let him know since Roger did not have his new phone number. Bill mentioned something about him and Mom coming to visit me this fall, and stopping to visit Linda and Roger too.

Today I stopped at Wal-Mart on the way to work and took my blood pressure. It was 120 over 74 this morning. At work I called Rick this morning. He was busy with a lawyer and an engineer trying to get his building fixed. Evidently they had some water problems with the foundation. Problem so severe it lifted columns! He really couldn't talk long, but he promised to call me in the afternoon.

I left the office around 11:15 to meet Ana at Florida Mall. We had lunch in the cafeteria upstairs in Nordstrom's. I had no idea it was there! We both had the Pear and Pecan salad. Ana talked me into sharing a creme brulee with her. The food was kinda expensive. We sat, ate, and talked. We had a lot of catching up to do!

Before I left, I got a salad "to go" for Fay back in the office. She gave me some money, but it was not needed. Craig told me to bring the receipt back and FER would cover it.

Around 2:20 pm, Rick called me back! I announced to Craig that I had to take that call, took my phone, and walked out the back door! We talked for about half an hour.

Stayed pretty busy all day today. Tom Dickie needs more AutoCAD revisions done on the drawing I made from him last week. Somehow I just don't see myself getting to it tonight.

This evening I found the stamps I ordered in the mail. I think I am going to mail a "Get Well" card to Linda with one, and maybe send a "Mother's Day" card to Mom with another. These stamps are cool because they feature a picture of ME on them!

Empire State Bldg - 75th Birthday

Shoulders, chest and tri's this morning. You can tell the humidity is rising again -- I was soaked and kept on sweating after I got out of there! Saw Matt in the gym for the first time in a couple of months. If I see him again I want to ask him to show me the ab exercise he does with the lunges and the medicine ball.

Today was not so bad at the office. Lots of phone calls, but only a few orders. I was able to sort all of the old orders and confirmations and get them filed.

Today was supposed to be "The Day Without Illegal Immigrants". They were supposed to be boycotting and demonstrating. Aside from the parade they had downtown, I could not tell the difference. I went to McDonald's at lunch for an Asian Salad, and McD's was fully staffed.

I called Rick this morning. He said he would have to call me back later. I felt a little down after that because I had not talked to him since last Wednesday. When I called on Saturday, he told me he would have to call me back later then too! I just have to remember that I cannot jump to conclusions.

This evening I had a chicken breast and frozen blueberries for dinner. Total grams of carbohydrate consumed today = 87.6

This evening I was browsing Metafilter when I found the following links to video of Steve Colbert's Bush Roast at the White House Correspondent's Dinner last week:

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three

After I finished the second one, I went back to Metafilter to discover that they had been pulled! Somebody does not want you to see these! They ARE funny! I recommend them. Check out the "Thank You" website set up too!

Tomorrow I am going to lunch with Craig, Debbie, and Betsy. I do not know where we're eating yet. I know Craig will have me back in the office by 2 pm though. Sometime tomorrow, Fay is going to visit Matthew Tang at Fairway and update the Garland prices in his computer too. Hopefully, it will be quiet tomorrow - LOL!