Words, Words, Words.

I got back from Connecticut earlier this evening.

Long drive = groggy me

And I have at least 5 pages worth of my flist to read. (Whoa.)

( But the trip to NYC was a lot of fun. )

When I came home, I found that I'd gotten my Firefly DVDs in the mail a little earlier than I thought I would. (Happy day!) As a result, I wanted to take the opportunity to watch the series again, and maybe score a few converts while I was at it. I actually invited my father to watch with me which (and if you knew him, you'd probably agree), may have been shooting too high right off the bat. The man is particular about his Sci-Fi the way some people are picky about fine liquor. But we got through the pilot episode, and he seemed to enjoy it. He actually asked a few questions, which he probably wouldn't have done if he was completely uninterested. I'm taking it as a good sign to continue . . . and if he likes it, anyone else should be a piece of cake!

I hope everybody else had a great weekend. I've been thinking of those of you who are dealing with Dennis right now. I hope all stays well, and that he blows over quickly. *hugs*

(And though I'm not sure if she has access to the internet while she's away, happy birthday once again to sandy_s!)
EDIT: Ah! Looks like she does! Glad to see you had a terrific day, sweetie!

Several members of my flist are taking trips this weekend, and I seem to be among them.

I'll be heading up to Connecticut to visit Cort, then we'll be taking a trip into NYC tomorrow to spend the day. (I've never actually gone into the city without having a specific engagement planned -- like a show or a cruise launching.) It will be nice to just walk around with no particular goal; maybe do some shopping or have a nice lunch.

I hope everyone else has a great weekend. I'll be back on Sunday night. *G*

And after only two and a half days away from LJ, I've got a good bit of catching up to do! (One thing I definitely noticed was the spike in Firefly-related postings over the last few days. Looks like I chose an opportune time to join the cult fandom!)

The cruise was great. Just two days, but very relaxing and fun. I'm a bit bloated from all the excess eating, and more than a little sunburned, but still had a great time.

Also, I finally managed to get my hands on a copy of Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian, which had been released while I was away. I'd been looking forward to that book for some time now; I'd even gone to Borders on Sunday to see if I could snag it in time for my trip (I've found that they sometimes put books on the shelves a bit earlier than their scheduled release). After picking it up this afternoon, I was relieved that I hadn't been able to bring it with me on vacation. Wow -- it's a thick one. But I'm still eager to get started.

Hope everyone else had a lovely few days.

Today was my official first day of summer vacation. (I realized it all too well when I forgot what day it was - already - and missed going to glass. I had to call the Sensei to apologize for being a no-show.)

The interview this morning went well . . . at least from my perspective. I'll have to wait and see what they thought of me. It was my first one in a public school, so it felt a little strange. The school's principal and my prospective department head were the ones I spoke with (which was also a little strange, since the woman who is in charge of the Language Department was the very same person I replaced when I took my last job). Weirdness.

Tomorrow I'm going on vacation with the family for two days. Mom and Dad purchased tickets for a Cruise to Nowhere out of New York, so we'll be sailing the Atlantic until Thursday. Should be fun . . . no particular destination . . . just a cruise to, you know, -- nowhere.

Talk to everyone in a few days!

Glory, hallelujah!

Not only does the hotel have free wireless access (*squee*), but it's got these snazzy Sleep Number beds that I haven't been able to stop playing with since I got back to the room. (It's firm. It's soft. It's firm. It's soft. Hee!)

It kind of makes up for the fact that my former roommate gives the WORST. DIRECTIONS. EVER! I'm really glad making a practice run to the church and the reception hall was the first thing I did when I got here (while I still had daylight). Because if I had to try and fumble through them tomorrow (after they literally stranded me on a road to nowhere), I never would have made the ceremony. During my questing, it was discovered that the church just happens to be on the SAME STREET as my hotel (just about 10 miles away). So why Caryn's directions sent me back to the highway, around the perimeter of the city, coming at it from the opposite direction, and taking streets whose names weren't even clearly labeled on the corners on which I was supposed to turn, I'll never know.

Right now, I was planning on picking away at OoJ for an hour before turning in. But I just can't seem to stop playing with the remote control for the silly bed. *G*

Yay for middle-of-the-year vacations! This one definitely couldn't have come at a better time!

<----- (Insert me here!)

I'll be leaving for San Francisco around 4:00 tomorrow morning. (My flight leaves at 7:10, but I'm driving to New York to meet Cortney.) I'm sure I'll be all rejuvinated by the time I get back. My thanks again to all who have been so wonderfully kind and supportive throughout this very upsetting and frustrating week.

I look forward to returning a happier me!

Cortney called me today when she got the Heart Attack VISA Bill. Turns out, both our flight tickets for the San Francisco trip were charged to her credit card. (All I got charged for on mine was my portion of the hotel.) *snicker* Good thing we're, like, friends and all. Or I might have actually had to pay her back. (Okay, okay, so I wrote out a Buzz Lightyear check and sent her my portion.)

Good news for Cort, though, is that she gets double the frequent flyer miles on her credit card, whereas I get none. (But, oh, God, trying to sort it out through the VISA company would have been a nightmare. Easier to just give her my share.)

Now, the looming "wintry mix" scheduled for tomorrow morning is the only thing that's worrying me. If we get too many snow days before my trip in February, then I lose my four-day weekend and I actually have to send in lesson plans for the days I'll be gone. (Ugh. Planning for a sub for three 90-minute block schedule classes is not fun.) Yuck, yuck, and double-yuck.

Hopefully it won't come to that . . . though I'm probably the only teacher in my building who's not wishing for snow days this year.

No sooner did I book a trip to San Francisco for February, but I'm already planning another! (I'm so getting my travel bug back!)

My father was the one to bring this to my attention. He's planning to go with a friend of his who used to work for the US Border Patrol and asked if I'd like to join them this summer . . . The Camino Real Trek.

It's an approximately 50 mile walk (yes, walk) through the Panamanian rainforest from the Pacific coast to the Caribbean Sea. It's several nights in tents in the jungle. It's the balmy and unpredictable weather of a tropical summer. It's no phones, no air conditioning and no real beds.

In other words, it sounds freaking awesome!

It also includes a scuba diving trip near the end -- for which I can finally use my certification again! And it's work-related! The 16th century Spanish trial through Panama -- think of all the stuff I can tell my students afterward!

There's one in June and one in July that I would be able to fit into my schedule. I really hope I can make it work! It would be such an adventure!

Cortney and I booked our trip to San Francisco yesterday. So, yay! We'll be there for Presidents' Weekend in February.

I'm really looking forward to it; I've wanted to see SF for such a long time now, and I just know 4 days isn't going to be enough time to see everything I want. So far, we've got our hotel, but I'm going to have to do some serious narrowing-down when it comes to the other stuff. (I'd love to see Alcatraz, but what I'd really want would be to take one of those haunted tours.) We shall see.

Whatever we do, I can't wait! It's been a while since I really traveled and I've been missing it!


EDIT: Anyone on my flist who's ever been there want to offer "not-to-miss" suggestions?