Just Shy of Never

I got a new camera...

2007-04-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Megacon.

2007-02-20T17:28:00.000-08:00

Vote for Pedro!

Lloyd Kaufman and the folks from Troma made my day. He took time away from his busy schedual to talk to me, take pictures and sign some items for my brother.

A lot of people went all out on costumes. This was one of my favorite. I imagine if we had made it out on Saturday we would have seen some amazing talent, since that was when the contests were, but still people showed up ready to be stopped by every random dork (like me) with a camera.

Another amazing costune. This is the Smallville version of Green Arrow.

You got some red on you.

Christmas morning motorcycle crash.

2006-12-25T21:51:00.000-08:00

Not the best idea to read this, unless you were there.

We were driving home late Christmas morning, around 2 am. We were on the Howard Frankland, heading towards Clearwater from Tampa. A motorcycle sped past us, and I made some comment about him getting a ticket. I went back to trying find a CD, and Jarrett said "Oh my god, i think that guy went down". There were sparks ahead of us, and cars swerving. Jarrett went to swerve to the left to avoid the bike in the middle of the road, when I saw him laying there and yelled "don't hit him!" Jarrett pulled over, and I ran out of the car towards a nightmare. Two men were ahead of me, calling out something I couldn't really understand. When I got to him, they were checking his pulse. As soon as I saw him, I knew he was dead, but I asked anyway. They told me he had no pulse.
All kinds of things ran through my head. I was afraid, and I was angry. I wanted to walk away, but I was afraid to go. I walked past him, trying not to look down, and stood in the road in front of him, trying to keep cars from hitting him. I didn't want his mom to see him if a car hit him. It was a weird thought. I turned around, and looked down. I have no idea why. I didn't want to see him. I saw his arm move, and he took a breath.
People started to swarm at that point. They moved a car in front of him so he wouldn't be hit, and they dragged his motorcycle out of the road. Someone got him a towel so he could put his head on it, instead of the road. He tried to get up, and we yelled at him not to move. I went to check Heather, to make sure she couldn't see him and to grab a hug from Jarrett. I was shaking, and a flood was running through my mind. When I looked back over at him though, no one was with him.
I went back over to him, kneeled on the ground and talked to him with my hand on his back. Debris was being whipped at us from passing cars, and I remember hoping it didn't get in my eyes. A man saw that we were being hurt and stood between us and the passing traffic. It felt like a million years though, for any signs of flashing lights. I had time to see past the mangled rag doll. I saw the dread locks, and the superman tattoo on his hand. I saw the scrape on his forhead, and the nose ring hole that was closing over.
They got there, and I moved out of the way. They unfloded him and took him away. No idea where, or even who he was. There were a lot of good people trying to protect him. I've spent all day trying to find out who he is, and if he's going to be ok. I'm hoping that knowing will end the nightmare that seeing him dead has started. I'm hoping that someone who knows him is doing the same thing I am, and finds this post.
My mother said that if he didn't make it, I would have read about it, and to take that as a good sign. I hope so.

2006-12-12T20:25:00.000-08:00

Cancer has been such an overwhelming presence on my mind lately, I hadn't been thinking of much else. I think it's one of those things I would never consider thinking about until i had to, and then I couldn't think of much else. I missed a lot of the good going on around me. I was afraid to feel good about my blessings.

I think I've snapped out of it. I admit I miss the snow. Not all of it, just the first falling. The lights in the park are wonderful, and the decorations at the library are amazing. I'm actually looking forward to the holiday for a change.

I wanted to wish all of my friends and family a great holiday, and a New Years day sans hangover!

Images~

2006-10-26T22:16:00.000-07:00

Front of the building.

Lobby and entrance.

The courtyard.

Worktoom where I work for part of the day when I'm not at the front desk.

Leo A Daly

2006-10-26T20:22:00.001-07:00

I found the link to the library designer. It has some of the pictures that were in the magazine.

http://www.leoadaly.com/cgi-bin/projects.cgi?ref=markets&div=libraries&wbs1=003-02001-MK1&psid=6

Just click "aditional project images" under the picture of the library exterior.

Quick as can be!

2006-10-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

I need to take some pictures of my library. It was a feature in a new design magazine, and in fact my desk was on the front cover, but I can't remember the name. It's been a lot of fun. I've never had a job I like to go to before. I also like that it's just a short stroll through the condo, and I'm in the staff parking lot of the library.

Other than that, things have pretty much been the same. Getting ready for the holidays, playing a bit of original EQ, house hunting, a few projects and trying to stay in touch with everyone. Taking advantage of the heated pool since the temp dropped a bit this week, doing a lot of work related reading, thinking of taking a trip to the west coast to see family and friends before Christmas, and maybe head home for a few days as well. Guess I'll have to see what I can work out.

Pictures next time, I promise!

The storm that didn't.

2006-08-31T21:20:00.000-07:00

It looked worse than it was. In fact, it was very little of anything. ;)

2006-08-08T11:17:00.000-07:00

Heat lightning blows my mind. You see it in the sky, and you feel this panic to get away from it, but you can't stop looking up at the show. It branches off accross the sky over your head, and doesn't make a sound. It lights up clouds and looks like bombs are exploding in the sky. This is what you get in the rainy season on the days that it doesn't rain.

Zoom-Zoom!

Heather went back to school today and I chased down the cobwebs and dustbunnies on my day off. Still working at both the deli and the library, and it's pretty much same-ol, same-ol. Just thought I would take a moment for an update. ;)

It's been a busy week!

2006-06-22T21:21:00.000-07:00

New job, new car, same bunch of crazy. To top it off, I'm the maid of honor. Our friends Colleen and Chris are getting married this weekend, and since wearing black to a wedding is frowned apon, I had to get new clothes to boot. Jarrett tried to streak my hair, and well that was interesting. We picked out the cake, the flowers, the spot....and all with a weeks notice. I'm so freaking excited!

For those keeping track...

2006-06-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

I passed all of my tests, and got the job. I sign in tommorow for my security clearance and start on Wednesday. Contrary to my original plan, I'm keeping the old job as well. I can't deny the idea of being able to retire in 10 years was appealing, so I'll be there a couple of days a week. I was surprised, really. I've never had a boss make me feel so appreciated before. It was a nice tunr-around for having gone in to quit. I'll throw in some pics as soon as I get settled in. ;)

The Boat

2006-05-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

I started treatment for insomnia, finally. Anyone that knows me knows I have problems with sleep. Usually, that I just don't get any.
So, along with that came the idea that it was time to invest in a good bed. We went out, picked a really nice matress, and decided to pick a nice frame to go with it. We both thought the sleigh bed was perfect, and had it delivered a few days later.

Here is where the problem comes in. They assembled the bed. Only then did I feel like an idiot. I never measured it. It was massive. It takes up most of the room. The dresser is a tight fit, and looks silly in the corner. The desk is so close that I have to stand on my toes to squeeze through. There is no room on the other side for a night stand, and we can't see over the end of the bed to watch TV.

However, as much as I complain, I still love the bed. I think I just need a house big enough to put it in. It will also come in handy if we ever have a flood. I could ride it to safety.

Cleo decided to pose just for the picture. She just makes me so proud to be a cat owner. :(

Leonard Cohen

2006-04-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

http://www.apple.com/trailers/lions_gate/leonardcohenimyourman/

We've moved!

2006-02-15T08:03:00.000-08:00

I posted some pictures of our new condo, but I hit the limit of pictures it would let me upload.I had one of the outside, and one of the view from our front door. I'll have to get those up a bit later. It's been a crazy couple of weeks, trying to get everything hooked up, packed, unpacked and put away. We're enjoying it, though. I expecially like the walk to work. I was surprised I missed it.

2006-02-15T07:39:00.000-08:00

This is the pool deck, and you can see the shuffle boards behind the fense.

This is our pool. It's kept at 80, which is nice. You can see the tennis court behind it.

You can't really see it very well, but the bedroom is huge. There is a huge walk-in closet to the left of the desk, and a nice view of the yard from the window. We need another desk though, the computer set up is a bit much. ;)

I'm loving my kitchen.

The kitchen opens into the dining room, and living room. I don't even mind that the washer and dryer take up so much space.

The dining room, which as you can see is connected to the living room.

This is our livingroom. It's a bit bare for now, but that never lasts.

This picture is for Debby, of the clock I got for Christmas.

It's summer again!

2006-01-22T20:09:00.000-08:00

Ok, so maybe it isn't, but it sure feels like it. It's back up to 80 again. It was actually cold there for a while. Not Nova Scotia cold, but chilly. Oh, well.

We're condo searching. We found a few really nice ones. All of them seem to have pools, fitness centers, tennis courts...etc. I'm still under the self delusion that I might some day learn how to drive, but until then we've kept in mind I'll need to walk to work sometimes, so we're a bit limited in our choices. We've also been considering looking into a work Visa so we could consider a trip back to the great white north.....but it's a lot more stress than I'm willing to take on for the moment.

Heather has convinced me to enroll her in an arts program. She draws continuously. In fact, I've had a few teacher calls because she will draw on everything, from her notebooks, to her exams. Jarrett is encouraging her to try different graphics programs, and it's really quite amazing to see what she comes up with. I guess we'll have to get her a computer of her own pretty soon.

Working!

2005-12-04T15:59:00.000-08:00

So, I've been working for a few weeks now, and it's been interesting. 9 hour shifts and my back is acheing, but I like the job. The people are very friendly, and they always seem happy to see me. If Jarrett doesn't get this GP job where we have to move, I think I'd be happy to stay. Not to mention you just can't beat the benfits and profit sharing. If I don't lose a finger, it's all good. ;)

In other news...

This is Lenny. Colleen brought him home the other night, and he has to be the cutest puppy ever. He's a lemon beagle, 8 weeks old and all of the cats have moved into my bedroom. They are just not interested in training another dog. I woke up this morning to 3 of the 4 cats hanging out in my bed. Only one of them is mine.

He walks around with that big 'ol chew toy like he hunted and killed it himself. Tail wagging, just so proud and showing it to anyone that will look. He's a good puppy though. No barking, no chewing, no biting, no accidents. I'm just glad I'm not the one getting up at 5 am to take him outside. Heather couldn't be happier about the arrangement.

I just wanted to take a quick sec to draw your attention...

2005-11-18T19:06:00.000-08:00

Mar has a new song posted on MySpace that will only be there for 24 hours. After that you have to pick up the CD. the song is called Liar and you can check it out here-

http://www.myspace.com/silenticeland

I just got my new computer, so I'm trying to re-establish my boomarks and accounts. It's a bit of a mess. I think I've lost a bit of information and some emails I can't seem to get back off my old hard drive. I start work in the morning, and Thanksgiving is creeping up on me. I'm a bit missing. ;)

On second thought...

2005-11-11T06:43:00.000-08:00

it seems to be working again so I might just stick around. I just got offered a new job this week. There is a certain irony in the position, but it's a sad irony so I'll leave it at that. Self inflicted sadness doesn't survive without attention.

Anyway, I'm off to go fill out the paperwork.

Moving to MySpace

2005-11-03T10:06:00.000-08:00

Blogger is too much of a pain. It takes about 10 years for the Add Post page to load up, so I'm going with the one that's easier to use. I'll leave this up for a while, but I'm done updating it.

You can find MySpace here- http://blog.myspace.com/fedara

See ya there!

We're a sad pair.

2005-11-02T06:28:00.000-08:00

Jarrett got his wisdom teeth out on Friday and he was pretty miserable all weekend. Just looking at him made me nauseous and dizzy. It wasn't pretty. Apparently, at some point over the weekend, I did something to my back. I got it checked out today and they really didn’t explain it to me very well. Something to do with the muscles and the nerves. Anyway, they gave me something that made me positively retarded. We’re both pretty useless for the next few days at least.

Nature Hates Me

2005-10-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

Bugs bit me. A mouse chased me. A gecko leapt from the shower and onto my face as I was leaving the bathroom, and as I sat down to write this, Rudy decided to pee in my suitcase. In the last 4 days I havn't spent a moment where I wasn't scratching some bug bite or screaming and flailing my arms around like an idiot.
However, last night as I stepped outside I saw this guy just hanging out. Well....he was gripping to the tree for dear life since the wind was just a tad insane. I half expected to hear him say "O'Rly", but he might just be too cool for the internet. ;)

Heading for the hills!

2005-10-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

Well ok not the hills, but inland. No one seems to know exactly where or when Wilma is going to hit Florida, so rather than take chances we're heading out tommorow afternoon. We had planned to return Sunday night, but from the looks of it we may not know the damage until Monday or Tuesday. Till then!

Just Shy of Never Updated

2005-10-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

Some brat pointed that out to me. Well, I'll have you know, it's not my fault. Blogger hasn't been letting me post for the last couple of weeks. I imagine it's not just me, since Hipless Boy hasn't been updated in a while either.

I had about a week of dental horror. The first one I got fixed was pretty pain free and he did a great job. The second, which was supposed to be just a filling turned into a complete nightmare. I sitll have 2 weeks to go before it's finished. I'm trying not to give it much thought.

We spent the weekend with Jarrett's family, and his mother took me and Heather to see Saint Augustine. Besides being really beautiful, it's beaches are amazing. The water is so warm, the sand so soft, and it's breezy so it wasn't too hot. We took in some of the local spanish history and wandered through the shops in town. I forgot my digital, so we had to pick up a disposable camera, which I havn't taken to get developed yet. I'll put up some pictures when I get the chance.

We're doing pretty good all in all. The heat is finally letting up a bit, and the daily 30 minute thunder storms have taken a break for a couple of weeks now. I'll get to a better update when I have more than 5 minutes to give it some thought. ;)

Ophelia is headed your way...

2005-09-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

better duck and cover!