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Back on the East Coast

It’s been a while since I’ve written anything, but that’s mostly because I’ve been so busy traveling and such. I’ve been in Florida for four days now and I’m having a great time. Of course, I’ve done a lot of eating and sitting around, but I’ve also spent a lot of time with friends and having a great time.

There aren’t too many details to share because most of my trip has been simple relaxation and vacation. Today, I went to a Florida basketball game, which we won handily. It was fun to see our younger guys get some playing time and I thought we playe pretty well. We definitely need to work on our offense and our consistency, but we could be in good shape by March.

In a few days I’m heading to Jacksonville for Christmas. I’ll be seeing my family and some Jacksonville friends and hopefully meeting with a couple friends to talk more about the short we’ve been very, very slowly writing.

The following week, I’ll be off to Atlanta for more visiting and also to go to the Peach Bowl and hopefully see the Gators beat the ‘Canes.

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Livin’ large in L.A.

Not really. I mean, I’m out here for a couple days, but I’m only workin’ and then heading back to the hotel. I did make it to an In and Out Burger today, so that was good.

I’m stayin’ in a Sheraton and it’s really nice. Same one I stayed in when I was here back in October. Free high-speed internet and cheap valet parking make it a steal. Of course, all of this is made possible by my company.

The best part of my trip is definitely the First Class plane ticket. First class is so much nicer than coach, it’s not even funny. Seriously. Once the plane takes off (and sometimes before), the flight attendants offer you something to drink. Then, they bring a little dish of warm, assorted nuts and your beverage. Then, they bring you a little moist, warm towel to wipe your hands or face or whatever. Then, they take dinner orders: salad, entre, drink, dessert. I had so much leg room, I could put my legs straight out in front of me and not hit the seat in front of me. Also, the seats recline to nearly horizontal and they have foot rests that extend in front of you. Totally ridiculous, but really fun and comfortable.

Movie in the works?

Ok, so it’s been a couple years since I had any movie ideas in the works and I may be the boy who cried wolf, but I’m working on a short with a few friends (one in particular). I don’t want to talk too much about it (because I don’t know much about it), but it looks like we’re going to keep it short, simple and hopefully poignant. We were initially hoping to shoot while I’m home in Florida for Christmas, but that’s only about 2 weeks away, so I’m not counting on it.

Regardless, I’ve been wanting to work with this friend for several years and I think the end result will be excellent. We have complimentary skills that should lend themselves to creating something meaningful through collaboration.

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Yuppified

That’s my new little expression to describe various places and people who are becoming hip to technology and general trendiness. Of late, my term describes me to the hilt. I’m at the airport right now, writing this on my laptop at Starbucks where I tried to connect to the internet using their WiFi. Unfortunately, their WiFi ain’t workin’, so I hooked my cell phone up to my laptop and I’m using that as a modem. Meanwhile, I’m suckin’ down my Caramel Frappucino (decaf) and IMing some friends.

Once I get on the plane, I’ll bust out my headphones and a DVD to kill a couple hours. All this to avoid human interaction and general boredom. Really, I like interacting with people, but I have to be distracted or I’ll count each minute of my flight. I don’t mind flying, but it’s not particularly comfortable for me, so I try to be as busy as possible while I’m on the plane.

Anyway, we’re about to start boarding, so I need to split… just as soon as I finish my Caramel Frap.

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Back from L.A.

I’ve been back for a few days, but I’ve been too lazy to post. Go figure.

Anyway, my time in L.A. was great. I went to the Santa Monica Pier, hung out with a good friend, met a VP at Sony Pictures and got a free lunch, got a free tour of Sony Picture Studios, got hooked up with a free copy of Angels & Demons (I hear it’s good), got my headshots done, and saw Garden State.

Now, let’s get right to Garden State, shall we? I remember a teaser a long time ago where the announcer guy said, “Rolling Stone calls it the seminal movie of this generation” Obviously, I was interested because I wouldn’t want to miss something so important to my generation. I knew Zach Braff (“Scrubs guy”) was in it and I heard Natalie Portman co-starred, but that’s about all I knew. Turns out it’s a fantastic movie. I’ve been seeing a lot of those lately, but this one took the cake.

The plot is solid and poignant, the soundtrack is awesome, the acting is perfect and the movie comes together nicely to tell a great story that I can largely sympathize with (I chose “with” as the preposition to end that sentence with). I don’t want to spoil anything, but the movie just hits so many things right on the head; relationships first among those things. The movie explores many different types of relationships and seems to understand each type completely.

I need to stop rambling because I’m not even beginning to do this film justice. I’ll be buying it when it comes out on DVD in December.

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Florida: Days 9 through 11

Well, my last few days in Florida were relaxing, but fun. On Friday, we went out to Newberry for a baby-back-ribs fix and then watched Miami beat FSU again. Obviously, I take great pleasure in seeing the ‘Noles beaten again and it was even better that FSU could’ve iced the game with a late fieldgoal if only it hadn’t been blocked. Before the game, I predicted they’d go for something new and different since “wide left” and “wide right” were becoming sort of cliche. They didn’t disappoint.

Saturday, I went to the first Gator football game of the year and it was a route, just as everyone expected. I actually left near the end of the third quarter because we’d already been there about four hours thanks to a rain delay. We ended up winning 49-10 and, although we didn’t look perfect, all of the problems I saw can definitely be corrected by some well used practice time this week. I can’t wait for the Tennessee game on Saturday night.

Sunday, I went to church and then packed up and started heading home. A couple of my friends in Gainesville took me to Starke (half-way between Gainesville and Jacksonville) to eat lunch at Sonny’s and then they passed me off to another friend who got me the rest of the way to the airport. My flight home was uneventful (my favorite adjective for describing plane rides) and I got in about 9:30 last night. Since then, I’ve been laying around feeling absolutely exhausted and trying to get some things done around my apartment.

I’m really surprised how tired I am and I hope I’m ready for work tomorrow. I just realized that, before my 11 day trip, I worked 16 of 17 days consecutively and the last 4 days before I left were jammed with shopping and last minute preparation. Basically, I’ve been going for 3 weeks straight and I’m looking forward to doing nothing this week.

Acting trudging along

Since my coach left for LA and I’ve been out of town, I haven’t been working nearly as hard on my acting as I would like to be. I’ve been doing a little reading, but I haven’t been practicing, training or signing up for showcases and such as I should be. I feel like a real slacker. I guess the good news is that in three weeks I’m headed to L.A. for five days and part of that time will be spent getting my stuff together for acting. I’ll be getting headshots, meeting with my coach and hopefully doing a little networking. I really need to turn up the heat and get serious and I’m starting to feel a sense of urgency. Mostly, I feel I should always be moving forward and I haven’t been doing that lately (at least not at a pace I’d like).

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Florida: Days 6 through 8

Well, power was restored here a couple days ago and we finally got cable/internet back up today. This trip has been a lot different than my last trip because it’s basically been about seeing people and spending time with them. Usually, I spend time with people by getting a meal with them. My routine has been to wake up around 10:30, go to lunch with someone around noon, then come home and nap or whatever, then go to dinner with someone else (usually a group) around 6:00 or so, then hang out and play cards or something till around 2 AM.

Last time I was here, I spent more time playing frisbee golf and basketball and stuff like that. Ironically, though the two trips are a lot different, they’re very similar in that my goal is to spend as much time with my friends as possible. Last time, it worked out so I was playing sports with them; this time, I have spent my time just sitting around and eating with them. Both experiences have been equally fulfilling.

Last night, I went to a Crusade meeting and I was really impressed with how well it went. The emcees were great and the meeting flowed smoothly and was effective. I enjoyed it and I had a great time seeing everyone while I was there.

Tonight, I’m getting the crew together to head out to Newberry for Newberry Backyard BBQ–the best babyback ribs I’ve ever had. Then, we’re going to come back here and watch the FSU vs. Miami game. Hopefully, FSU will lose by a field goal. I guess the only thing better than that would be if they lost by a field goal that was allowed by some ridiculous oversight by the ref’s.

Only a few more days and I’m headed back to Texas. Looks like I’ll be traveling a lot over the next few months: First week in October, I’m going to be in LA; Third week in October, I’ll be in LA; Thanksgiving, I’ll be in Florida; Christmas, I’ll be in Florida and Atlanta. All this traveling is already putting a huge damper on my workout schedule. It’s a hard-knock life.

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Florida: Days 3 through 5

Well, hurricane Frances has come and gone… and where I’m staying, the power is gone as well. I’ve had a great time over the past few days, but we haven’t had power and it’s been difficult getting around town and sleeping because I don’t sleep well in the heat. All my clothes are perpetually damp because we’re at around 100% humidity and we have to keep the windows open to keep the house from getting too stuffy.

I’ve played poker a couple times since I got here and I’ve been doing well. I had lunch with a good friend today and we had an awesome conversation that I’ll mull over for a while, I’m sure. Mostly, I’ve just been hanging with friends, playing cards and goofing off. This isn’t how I would’ve planned my vacation in Florida, but I can’t say it’s disappointing at all. I’m really enjoying my time and I’m glad I have several days left here.

I’m sure it’ll only get better. Hopefully, I’ll have more to write about over the next few days, but I think things might keep being sort of uneventful yet fulfilling.

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Florida: Days 1 and 2 Well, my plane ride in was uneventful and quick. My only beef was that the A/C on the plane was weak and it was freakin’ hot the whole way to Florida. The hurricane has been a non-factor so far in my trip. Some friends picked me up at the airport and we immediately headed for Outback for some Cheesefries and a Special. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and talking. Friday, I spent the day with my family (as is my tradition when I come back this way). I had some great conversations and spent quality time with my parents and the rest of my family. At night, a couple of my buddies drove up from Gainesville and picked me up. We headed back to G-ville and played some poker till about 5 AM. That’s about it so far. We’re headed out to lunch pretty soon.

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Gettin’ ready for vacation

I haven’t had much going on lately because, in one way or another, I’ve been constantly preparing to go to Florida. I spent 8 hours at ‘the office’ (or ‘my cubicle’) this weekend and I’ve been trying to get everything done that I need done before I go: finish my workout cycle, get in some cardio, buy luggage, buy other clothes and stuff, etc. I leave Thursday afternoon and that leaves less than four days to tie up all loose ends and get ready to leave Texas for 10 days.

Pencil me in

I’m already trying to set up appointments, dinners and the like with my friends in Gainesville. While I’m a big fan of living on the fly, sometimes it’s necessary to intentionally set time up to spend with people, especially when I know they may or may not be hanging around where I am. Of course, I’m already looking forward to making a trip (or two?) to Newberry Backyard BBQ, Leonardo’s (deep dish pizza), Burrito Bros., Mellow Mushroom, and probably a bunch of other places around Gainesville. Anyway, I haven’t posted much lately because I’ve basically been preparing to leave. I know it sounds a little ludicrous to spend a week preparing to go on a 10-day vacation, but I like to get things done right and this is how I do that.

Braum’s

All this time in Texas and I’d never gone to Braum’s until today. I decided to drop in and try a shake because a buddy of mine at the gym said they’re pretty good. Turns out he was right. I went with the old standby (for me): strawberry. It was thick, filling and super tasty. I may’ve found a new vice.

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Three weeks to Florida

Well, since I went to Florida in April, I’ve been looking forward to getting back. I’ve already bought my plane ticket for September 2 and I’ll be there until September 12. I chose this week because Labor Day is on September 6, which means I’ll get an extra day without using any more Paid Time Off, and the first two Florida football games are on September 4 and September 11 at home. I’m hoping to get some tickets, but one thing at a time.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to going home for a while and I’m sure I’ll have a fantastic time.

California just over a month out?

Also, it looks like I’ll be going to L.A. for some training for work, but that won’t be happening until late September. I’m thinking I might take a few extra days to stay out there and take a little more vacation time, but I’ll have to clear that with work, first. I’m pretty sure it’ll be alright and it’ll give me some time to check out L.A. After all, I could be living there before I know it.

Florida again?

Also, I might be heading to Florida in late September or early October for work. Apparently, they like to send out some younger new hires to interview kids at the career fairs and showcases at Florida. I seem to be a good candidate, but they’re not sure if they’ll have the budget for it this year. Hopefully they will and I’ll get sent out to interview some folks and take a little vacation time on the company dime.

Thanksgiving trip, too

Also, I bought a plane ticket for the week of Thanksgiving because it was just too cheap to pass up. $164 round-trip. Anyway, I’ll be going home for that week and it’ll be nice to see my family at Thanksgiving. I was afraid going home for holidays wouldn’t be too easy, but at least I know I’ll have the chance during my first year.

And finally, Christmas

I guess I missed “Christmas in July”, but at least I can talk about it for a second here in August. My company has it arranged so that the whole company takes a vacation from about Christmas Eve until the New Year, so that means I’ll be taking about two weeks off at Christmas. That’ll pretty much use up the last bit of my Paid Time Off, but that’s ok with me. I’ve actually been told by those who’ve been working there a lot longer than I have that there’s no sense in trying to “roll over” vacation time. Just go ahead and use it up is what they tell me.

So, I’ll be heading home to Florida and probably spending a week up in Atlanta during that time. Campus Crusade’s Christmas Conference will be up there after Christmas and before the New Year, so I’ll go see some of my friends while they’re there. Also, I have several good friends that will be living in Atlanta then, so I’ll really be going to see them. I’m really looking forward to that week.

So, that’s a summary of all the traveling I hope to do for the rest of the year. I figure I only took Paid Time Off once during my first seven months here, so I have some time to make up. Here’s to cheap airfares…