catching up on the last week...

Today is a rainy, dismal Sunday in Daytona Beach. Don't get me wrong, we NEED this rain. I am good and tired of hearing about brush fires and subsequent road closures, so RAIN IS GOOD. But. It would've been nice to take a drive in the Beetle up the coast a bit, for lunch and to see the sights... Oh well, another day.

It is hard to believe but when I woke up just one week ago, it was about 50°. Mind you, I was in Connecticut participating in the MMRF
Race for Research. A proud member of Pop's Posse, I was tired by the time I completed the 5k, but the weather had improved dramatically and it was sunny and warm and beautiful. The team raised over $8500 and had 29 people and a dog walking in support of Pops - my uncle Paul.

Later that evening, I flew for a somber visit to Welland, Ontario, for the funeral of my dad's only brother. It was a quick turnaround - we were back to CT the next day - and it was a less-than-ideal circumstance, but it was very nice to see that side of my family. I think of them often and wish that Ontario and Florida were just a little closer together...

Then I was home. I had been offered a job before I left for CT - I accepted - but now I had to clear the background check. This is not a problem (no matter what you might think is hiding in my closet) so I was anxious to get started. But here I am, almost a week later, and I have not stepped foot into the building. Seems the Florida Dept of Juvenile Justice is dragging its feet and we are still awaiting results. Though I am assured it has absolutely NOTHING to do with me personally. We hope...

Yesterday, I woke up early and took a walk on the beach (though, I must admit, not TO the beach). I came across a lone shoe, a black stiletto sandal, discarded on the sand without its mate. I wondered about the circumstances of how it got there, and in the midst of my pondering, stumbled upon what appeared to be a (removed) silicon breast implant. I wondered, could this belong to the owner of the shoe? And where is the rest of this unfortunate woman? Soon, I found another implant. And then another! The beach was riddled with them! DUH - they weren't implants at all! They were moon jellyfish!

Later that morning, the Central Florida VW Club held a picnic for both members and non-members. We drove the Beetle over and sat in the sun. And mingled with other local enthusiasts while sitting in the sun. And ate while sitting in the sun. Did I mention we sat in the sun? As you can imagine, our faces are a wee bit red today! Maybe it's kinda good that I don't have to report for duty tomorrow...

And then today, I woke up early to take a walk. At almost the 1-mile mark, I was attacked by a male Red Winged Blackbird. Unbeknownst to me, there must have been a nest in a palm tree on the bank of the river, because before I knew it, this little guy was screeching and dive-bombing me! Crazy! A bit further down the path and I found the bunnies that I thought had disappeared. There were four of them nibbling on the grass and clover and whatever else they could find. See John? I knew you didn't eat them all along!


And now I'm here, in the house watching World Cup matches, annoyed by the rain, but also glad for it. Just a lazy, lazy Sunday.