I cannot believe that it was 3 years ago today that I flew into Tampa on a Friday night. It was still daylight and a thundershower had recently passed and I could see two rainbows over the city as the plane was approaching the airport. I took that as a good sign!
The movers arrived with my belongings at 8:00 am the following morning. I was all fired up to get my things unpacked and the apartment set up to be my very own space.
I spent the first few weeks looking for a job and interviewing in between finishing up and settling in. Once I was hired at the credit union, I wanted to savor the remaining time I had by exploring the area and frequenting the beach. I had five weeks here before I began my orientation for my job.
The gold star indicates where my apartment is located, in the Old NE section of St. Petersburg.
Three years and I'm still loving it!
On Saturday afternoon, I went with Joe and Pete to the "Pride on 7th" celebration in Tampa. When we arrived a lot of the vendors were packing up, so we just headed down to Ybor to walk around and have dinner.
Quick snap of the passing streetcar. It's obligatory.
Here's Joe, thinking he's in Oz.
Here's Pete, thinking he's some sort of a pirate?
And here's me, wondering where I am and knowing it's not Kansas!
Attacking the hamburgers!
Rhee! Rhee! Rhee! Rhee! Mimicking the sound effects from the shower scene in Psycho!
My own personal heart attack, waiting to happen. Love those sweet potato fries . . .
I love the street theater in Ybor. Caught these mimes there outside Ybor Centro.
Afterwards we drove over to Sunset Beach to join Michael to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, the clouds decided to congregate there and it started raining so we made a bee line for the car.
So, we headed back to Pete's and Joe's for margaritas and pop corn and to watch The Crimson Mask
This has been a relatively relaxing weekend. My abbreviated work schedule (20 hours / week) is super. Although my schedule varies from week to week, it's really nice and provides lots of time for me to do other things.
I've been able to hit the gym more frequently and hang out with friends. I've hit a plateau with my weight and can't seem to break below it. But, I'm not trying all that hard either. I'll have to fire up my motivation again. I met up with Otto at Georgie's for dinner tonight. Got one of the specials, and it was delicious!
Speaking of which . . . Edys was on sale this past week at Publix, and I decided that the Mocha Espresso Sauce that Gina had given me for my birthday was just screaming to be opened. So after getting back to my apartment, I opened the Slow Churned Vanilla Bean ice cream, warmed up the sauce and drizzled! Well worth the wait! (or is that weight?)
OK! YES! I did eat a spoonful of the sauce!!!
Today is Joe's birthday! Because of him, I became a Daddy! Here he is on his first birthday, getting his shoes on so that he can party!
One of his earlier Halloween costumes. His Mom made it!
He loved lounging around and listening to his vast record collection. Quite the audiophile!
Joe with his cohort in crime, Anu!
He loved serenading his guests.
He loved being an engineer too!
He and me, sharing the drawing board. Let's see who finishes first! Funny thing: Joe has grown so much since this picture and I look exactly the same! Haven't changed a bit!
I used to make him t-shirts; this one is of the Transformers. Optimus Prime was his fave.
And Voltron too. I can't remember which came first!
My, time flies!
I know this was Birthday #5. After the party we headed over to a Clown Convention in Connecticut! What a blast that was!
Skipped a few years here!
Joe and Joy. Peanut butter and Jelly. Halloween a few years back.
Il Duomo di Milano, on one of his shoots.
Joe and his posse after shooting the '30' music video for Twisted Sister.
On the set of Sweet Lorraine.
Wearing 3D glasses on set of Shockwave Darkside, a 3D movie he shot. See the trailer here.
I talked with Joe on the phone before he leaves for New Zealand for another shoot. I'm very proud of him, can you tell?
You can see some of his work on his web site by clicking HERE
And see info on IMDB HERE
I recently had a hankerin' for beans and franks. My mother used to make these on occasion when we were kids. I bought some turkey franks last week, sliced some up, tossed them in a sauce pan to brown, then added a big can of baked beans. YUMMM!!!
What's that sound? It wasn't me!
Do I never learn? I was off from work on Friday and decided to make it a beach day. I usually go to Sunset Beach, so headed over there first, after a stop at Panera for breakfast. All of the beaches on Treasure Island are being re-nourished, so the beach is in various stages of disarray. I stayed there a short while. There were a lot of 'surfers' there because the waves were bigger than usual. The walking in the surf was very uneven. I decided to head elsewhere and maybe explore some other areas.
I headed down to Fort De Soto Park, North Beach. I have been there several times. The day was a perfect beach day. Beautiful sky, beautiful water, white sand, nice refreshing breeze. It was so perfect that I didn't want to leave! The beach there has been selected as America's Number 1 Beach several times!
So, last night when I got back to my apartment, I planned on taking a shower and then applying some Banana Boat lotion with aloe. But, the landlord had some repair work done to my bathroom ceiling (from a leak from the bathroom in the apartment above mine), and the shower rod was down, and the bathroom was a mess. So, I showered without the curtain, aiming the shower head towards the tile to minimize water on the floor. It worked fine. Then I applied the aloe lotion.
I had to work this morning, so one of the members was telling me about an old home remedy of applying vinegar to the sunburn. So, when I got home, I Googled to learn more. I decided to try it, so am now in the process of seeing how it works! Still applying lotion afterwards. I jokingly asked her if I could use balsamic vinegar, and she replied, "Sure, but it's more expensive." :-) So, I figured I'd add a little olive oil, some seasonings, feta cheese, and stick some spring mix greens to my skin, and I'd be good to go!
And refreshing myself with my latest, V8 V-Fusion. This is Peach Mango. I cut it with diet 7 Up. I love the different flavors of the V-Fusion and alternate them depending on my mood. V8 is crafty though. I first bought the 'Light' variety. Then realized, it's 50% juice and the rest water. So, for the same price, I get the 100% juice and cut it myself, and get twice as much! I'm sooooo smart! And it goes great with my salad!
The gold star indicates where my apartment is located, in the Old NE section of St. Petersburg.
