Incoming from MN!!!

Big day today! I can hardly contain my excitment. :) I'm about to head out of work for a four-day weekend... of hanging out with my three wonderful MN friends. The girls are flying in tonight for a little FL vacay with the quarter who split from the dollar (inside story). I'm a very lucky girl to be with my besties on my golden birthday! This boring lull of my work/life is about to be sprinkled with new pictures and fun adventures. I'm excited to see what kind of trouble we can get into in and around Jax over the next four days.

Their flight comes into Jax Int'l at 10 p.m. tonight. Hopefully they are on time, because I'll be waiting. If I have to wait too long in airports, I tend to start buying crap I don't need (Oh, there's a new Janet Evanovich at the bookstand. Look, Starbucks put out fresh banana nut muffins. That store is selling "Salt LIfe" t-shirts; I need one!)

Here comes the weekend!

Not an ideal exercise partner

This evening I thought it would be nice to take Libby for a walk on the path along Hodges. I brought along a DVD to return at the store and knew it would be about 2 miles there and 2 miles back. I don't think I EVER do that with her again.

We did okay until a little over halfway to the store... Libby plopped down in the grass in front of the Jax Golf and Country Club (not a bad patch of grass to plop into, actually) and took a 10 minute break -- I've never seen her pant so hard. Is it possible for a year and half old Shih-tzu to have a bad heart?! We made it there and back, taking lots of little breaks and scoring a Happy-Meal-sized cup full of water from McD's along the way. I've never seen Libbs so exhausted! To be fair, it's quite warm, and she's covered with hair and has only 6-inch long legs to work with.

Sorry, Libbs!

Getting acquainted with the city

So I've lived here just a little over a month now. With the shock of the move and new job waning a bit, I'm beginning to learn about and appreciate the city's features. History and trivia have a special place in my heart, so I apologize if the following well-researched list is not found by all to be as scintillating as I believe it to be. ;)

Jacksonville...

* is the largest city in the state of Florida in terms of both area and population.

* originated some pretty famous musical groups! The roster includes: Limp Bizkit, .38 Special, and Lynyrd Skynyrd (who inspired the naming of live music venue "Free Bird Live" -- located a block off the ocean down in Jax Beach).

* is the third largest military presence in the country. Military is the largest employer in Jax and has an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion.

* is the birthplace of Elizabeth Edwards, attorney and wife of Senator John Edwards, and Pat Boone, 1950s teen singing idol.

* made news last week when actress Debbie Reynolds' 75-foot boat, The Jean Marie, sank in the St. John's River. The $350K boat had to be removed from the river by a crane. Yipes!

* averages only 15 days of below-freezing temps. The last time it saw snow was when a thin layer accumulated on the ground a few days before Christmas in 1989. (Now I feel even sillier for putting my stylin' pink Northface boots on the moving truck).

* has an international port that provides cruises services to Key West, the Bahamas and Mexico. (I'm officially opening a vacation savings account).

* last saw hurricane devastation when category 3 Dora came ashore in 1964. Here's hoping 2008 is another uneventful year!

Don't take your job too seriously... seriously.

It's week three of new life and new job, and I'm finding myself quite busy with projects. The work days, while rewarding and robust, can also be long and tiring. But just when I start to take myself a little too seriously, I'll have an experience that makes me giggle, shake me head and lighten up.

Yesterday evening as I reached the back parking lot after work, was opening the car door to drop my weary butt inside and head home, a uniformed company security guard wearing pitch black aviator shades screeched up to my car on a rent-a-cop golf cart. "M'am, m'am, I need to speak with you. You'll have to end your phone call." I quickly bid good-bye, snapped my cell phone shut and with a nervous gulp turned from my open car door to face the weathered, pinch-faced security cop. Fast, anxious thoughts ran through my head... Is he going to reprimand me for working late? Have I parked my car in an un-approved area? Is this the standard "new employee hazing" shake-up?

"We've been checking all the cars in the lot and noticed some that don't have a company parking sticker affixed to their rear window yet... we're going to need you to put one on your car."

WHEW. That's it?!

He handed me a sticker and watched as I peeled back the label, secured it to my window and turned to him with a smile to ask, "Are we all set?"

"Yes m'am," came the serious reply, "You're free to go now."

(I was not hand-cuffed at any time during this interaction, I promise). :)

Reasons I need to cut back on my Wal-Mart excursions

1. I'm beginning to suspect some of the cashiers recognize and remember me (and I know they're thinking "Why didn't she pick up those batteries when she was in here on Tuesday?")

2. I keep cruising through the lawn and garden area in hopes of finding some reasonably priced adirondack chairs --and get frustrated that it takes longer than a couple weeks for displays and inventory to change.

3. I've recently discovered the entryway holds a Red-Box DVD kiosk -- cheap and dangerous time-sucker.

4. I'm probably getting pretty close to being re-stocked in terms of pantry items, household supplies, and other daily necessities.

5. I am not going to meet my new best friend on any one of these excursions, if last night was any indication. While transferring bags into my car, a nice-looking man doing the same in the spot next to me struck up a pleasant conversation about weather. Then he joked about going to church the next day, and I shared that I was new to town and hadn't yet found a place for worship. The next 10 minutes consisted of him shoving flyers into my hands, telling me all about his church, and sharing how he's become a different person since choosing to live with the homeless for 3 months and therefore having opportunities to "look into the face of the evil one." I had to politely decline an invitation to accompany him to his church the next morning, but did obligingly take his business card. Henceforth, my search for worship (and friends) will probably not take place in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

La Dia de Independencia

Happy 4th of July!

Here's wishing everyone a wonderful weekend of camping, cook-outs, and cocktails. (Mom - I'll be thinking about you and your long afternoon selling burgers and beers at the 4H concession stand after the Veseli parade!) I will miss the annual fireworks display over Silver Lake this year, but have been told there are some fabulous shows taking place down by the beaches here in FL. Libbs and I will surely go check it out... I wonder if she can be taught to howl "oooooo" and "ahhhhhh."

Little discoveries and observations

Every day I wake up, wonder how I slept 45 minutes later than my alarm with no recollection of hearing it or turning it off, and have to shake myself to remember that I'm living in Florida. And every day I encounter new people, new sights, and new processes. I'm enjoying the experience of soaking up and analyzing this completely polar lifestyle... dropping into a place like FL is proving to be a culture shock in so many ways!

* I spend precious minutes yanking the steaming hot straightener through my hair every morning to achieve that sleek, professional look. After returning from my 10 minute jaunt outside with Libby for her morning toilette, the mirror reveals a frizzy, kinky transformation. I'm probably going to have to retire the straightener until November...

* I can't understand my colleague's complaints about the long and inconvenient walk from the employee parking lots into the buildings. "You get to DRIVE to work?! And you can actually SEE the parking lot from your building?!!?" I enjoy sharing about the typical Rochester work commute --- AKA standing in the busline in a frigid ShopKo parking lot miles away from campus.

* I have recently stumbled upon a little franchise called Yogaberry -- and decided it will be my choice destination for obtaining a healthy summer treat! I'm already a fan of the original fat-free frozen yogurt cup topped with fresh strawberries and bananas.

* I've been asked by more than one person if I've developed my "Personal Hurricane Plan" (I haven't, which causes me to chew my cheek with worry and think hard about making a new friend who lives at least an hour inland and has a spare bedroom).

* I've discovered that the morning radio shows here are comparable in lewdness and humor to the ones in MN... however one notable difference exists in that a large portion of the prank calls they place and then broadcast tend to involve the topic of breast implants.

* I've been told that, in some respects, I'm actually residing in Georgia rather than Florida. Evidently the farther south you head in this state, the more you'll be surrounded by the transplant, Floridian culture. The farther north you head, the more likely you are to encounter people who will call you a "yankee" and ramble banal one-liners from the movie Fargo. You betcha!!!

* I've learned that two things are definitely banned on the beach: alcohol and dogs. However there are two things I've seen consistently on the beach: alcohol and dogs.

* I've already suffered and survived my first "drastic temperature differences" cold -- and I think I'm starting my second one. Because central air conditioning runs high and consistently here, transitioning from buildings to outdoors makes the wussy Northerners with thick blood especially vulnerable to colds! Ick.

* I flip the t.v. to NBC at midnight, see Leno on the screen and become disappointed that I've tuned in to a re-run. But I HAVEN'T! My favorite shows are broadcasting in Eastern Standard Time now (duh) and I'm just not connecting that yet.

* My neighbors own and harbor on their deck what sounds like a cadre of exotic birds... I'm trying to become accustomed to the odd honking and yacking and bleating that occur at any given hour. Thank goodness the noisy, powerful air conditioner motors for the entire building are located just below my bedroom windows.

* I'm going to love filing taxes as a FL resident next year (shhh... don't spread the word, but FL does not deduct state taxes from its residents' income). Nice!