Vacation!

And now, (finally!) to revisit last month's vacation.  My birthday treat this year was to go visit Harry Potter World (part of Universal Studios in Orlando).  Being a big Harry Potter fan, I have wanted to go for quite some time, but waited until the second half of it (Diagon Alley) opened.

Bob took care of all of the details (part of my birthday gift) and I must say, kudos to him!   All I had to do was relax and enjoy.

For starters, we added a couple of hours into our schedule for the drive down (normally about a 5-hour drive).  We would be driving past Gainesville--where there is a wonderful natural history museum.  And places to get barbeque.

There are many very well-done exhibits, but I always gravitate towards the ice-age animals.

And then head out to the butterfly garden.  They've added some displays just outside of the garden of large floating felt butterflies and moths.  The nice thing about vacations is that when you're away from the land of "I'm busy and have things to do" and into the world of just hanging out and enjoying, you find yourself thinking "I could do that."  Who knows?  Maybe someday.

A pleasant stroll through the butterflies, and we were ready to hit the road again.

And this is where Bob outdid himself.  One of the things that I'm really really bad at is standing in line.  More than a 15 minute wait and I really start questioning how much I want whatever is at the front of that line. It's the reason we've never been to Universal, and it's been something like 30 years since we've been to Disneyland.  I also don't do crowds.  So he found out that if you stay at one of the hotels at Universal, you get to go on the grounds an hour before the gate officially opens.  And there is a water taxi to take you from the hotel to the gate--so no driving, and no long walks.

Of course, the sort of hotel that offers that kind of amenities isn't exactly a Hotel 8.

Yep--that's all one hotel.  The rooms are just as impressive (especially the bathroom)

 

 

The Portifino even describes itself as "swank" in its brochures--a term you just don't hear often.  I don't do "swank" much myself.  For one thing, it means you need a good pair of walking shoes and a GPS just to find your room (the check-in is at the tower in the back--our room was in the wing on the near left in the picture.   Other differences I noted  (was making a mental table of plebian vs. swank, aka Motel 8 vs. Portifino).  At a Motel 8, you park by your room, and there is usually a microwave and fridge in the room.  Also a free breakfast.   At swank, cars are kept out of sight (parking lot is past the tower) and you are not expected to eat it your room.  And a gourmet breakfast buffet is available for a pretty swanky price.   That didn't stop us--we always travel with cheese and crackers.  After a long day, I don't want to go out.

 

So the end of day one found us happily ensconced in swankiness with a glass of wine (and bottle of cider for Bob) and resting up for our trip into the world of Harry Potter.

 

 

Crawling into 2015: Reflections on Christmas

After three days of the 103 fever the novelty work off and I finally went to the doctor (verdict: pneumonia).  Drugs are kicking in but I'm still really really tired.   Someday I'll get those vacation pictures posted.

So . . . Christmas happened.  I'll make a statement--I like Christmas.  I'm not crazy about it--we don't decorate (would never be able to stay ahead of the cats), I don't own a single ugly Christmas sweater, and in general it's just not a big deal.  On the other hand, I'm not a Scrooge either.  I have a comfortably friendly relationship with the holiday.

There are some things that must happen.  Fruitcakes must be baked.  And Bob and I watch "The Hogfather" while having meat pies and sherry.  For how I feel about these, check out Dec. 2011's entry called (appropriately) "meat pies and fruitcake"  And I do some frantic gift-making--I believe in winding down the year in the proper order--Halloween first, then Thanksgiving, then my birthday.  And *then* I'll think about Christmas.  Only this year I was sort of busy writing a report on the collection and cleaning out my office, so I really didn't get started until the middle of the month.  Uhhhhh . . .   Actually, I didn't do too badly.  Wove two sets of dishtowels (because I personally love using handmade things as everyday items)--alas--woven, washed, hemmed and wrapped before I thought to take a picture.  Knitted an octopus scarf for a friend who is cephlapod-crazy.

Some fingerless mitts for a couple of friends (because they're fun to make and I thought they'd enjoy them) (yes those are little owls on the second pair)

 

 

And because I then had some yarn and a bit time  left over, a season-appropriate pixie hat

 

 

Which looked properly adorable on our newest family member, our grand-nephew Zeke.

 

 

 

We spent time with family (Amanda, Robert and the kids came home for Christmas) and with friends.  Maybe that's what I like about Christmas--everyone's lives are so busy, and it makes us take time to just realize we enjoy being together.  There is much silliness--Gill has introduced us to the English game of "pass the package" which is sort of like musical chairs.  There is a gift wrapped in a ridiculous number of layers of paper, and it is passed around as the music plays.  When the music stops, whoever is holding it peels off a layer (fortunately there is usually a chocolate piece in each layer).  The person who takes off the last layer has to keep the gift.  This year is was me, and here is my prize

 

 

 



You can imagine the somewhat raucous comments made about exactly where I was  going to scrub with that suspiciously smiling face . . . .

And gifts.  Admit it--getting gifts is fun.  Some are silly (chia zombie head).  Italian goodies the kids crammed into their bags.  Solid hand lotions and goat milk soaps--cast into tiny skulls just for me

 

Thoughtful gifts--a lovely silver hairpin/shawl pin that a friend saw me admire.   Chocolates and Christmas cake and hot cocoa.  Some that stop your heart, just for a moment

 

 

A hand painted portrait of our much loved and much missed goose Godwin.

 

Laughter, love, nostalgia.  Hugs, kisses, silliness. 

 

Yep. 

 

I like Christmas.

Almost 2015

"I'm hot-blooded, check it and see,
I've got a fever of a hundred and three . . ."

Obviously I decided to end 2014 in a very warm manner.  Too wiped out to do more than sleep through the Harry Potter marathon.

Before this hit, we did do a couple of days of volunteering at them museum in the cage-cleaning-and-food-prep area.  This little screech owl did not appreciate our good deeds.  Possibly because  I did not use the zoom to get this picture; I did indeed, like an annoying paparazzi, shove the camera in his face.

 

 

Off to find another hot toddy . . .

I'm Baaaaaack!

Whew!

Been sort of CrazyTown here.  To elaborate on my last post, I found out in a random bathroom conversation that I wasn't going to have a spring appointment as I had though (the dept. chair and I were washing hands at the same time, and I mentioned that a student wanted to work with me in the Spring--so that's how I found out I wasn't working).  This was on top of "forgetting" to appoint me in the fall (I had check with three people to make sure I was getting an appointment because it had been forgotten before).  The forgetting just seems bizarre.  I've been there 10 years, and there are only about 7 people to be appointed, so you'd thing they'd notice that they forgot someone.  So that gave me a month to get stuff cleaned up in the collection that I'd planned on doing over the next four.

And, of course, if you're going to retire, you're supposed to have your paperwork in a couple of months in advance--and you have to send for a retirement packet.  So I called, had a nice chat, they let me know that because of Thanksgiving it might take three weeks instead of the usual two.  Five weeks later Bob calls for me (because I was doing crazy at work trying to get stuff finished) and they . . un . . forgot to send it.

What's with all the forgetting??  I find myself singing a tune from "Chicago"

"Cellophane, Mister Cellophane

Could have been my name, Mister Cellophane

'Cause you can look right through me

Walk right past me

And never know I'm there"

 

Anyway,  Bob being more memorable than I, the packet arrived a few days later.  At this point, we're close to the Christmas shut down, and I didn't want to wait to apply for retirement in mid-January.  I call the nice person in HR (who had helped Bob with his paperwork, and remembered him, of course) and upon finding out that my separation from FSU was already in the past rather than a couple of months in the future, managed to fit me in and get me on track.

 

We did manage to fit in our trip (more on that later) but when we were pulling out of the drive, we saw that the brake light was on--Bob checked the fluid--low--and saw the brake fluid coming out of the rear tire.  Fortunately, we have another car.  Oh--and when I was trying to download some stuff for our trip (NPR's news show--Wait Wait Don't Tell Me) I also got some malware that shut down the computer.

 

So--in the last two weeks:

 

The Trip!    check

Collection room cleaned up, report made, and, and office cleaned out--check.

Retirement paperwork done--check

Social Security paperwork done--check

Car repaired--check

Computer repaired--check

Fruitcakes baked--check

Meat pies made for the annual "meat pie, sherry, and watch Hogfather" solstice tradition--check  (tried out new puff pastry recipe, which was excellent, but I think we ended up eating about a stick of butter each)

Christmas shopping done--check

Christmas gifts made . . . well . . . three knitted gifts, a fourth almost done, and another gift sort of getting there, and another one to be finished.  It's only Monday . . .

Helping out the animal department at the museum with cage cleaning and food prep (they don't have their usual student interns over the holiday) --check

 

So--back into the fray!

 

 



December already??

No, I haven't disappeared off the face of the earth.  November got busy.  Bob retired.  I found out that I was retiring myself (at least from FSU) earlier than I thought--Dec. 12 rather than May 1.  Trying to take care of stuff for Social Security and Retirement, cleaning the house for Thanksgiving, having Thanksgiving, re-cleaning the house so friend Jeff could housesit while we took my birthday trip, and taking my birthday trip.

TO HARRY POTTER WORLD!!!

Which was amazing.  But I can't report on it yet because I got some nasty malware on my computer that prevents me from doing anything.  Doing this quick post from work--but I won't have access to the work computer any more because, well, Dec. 12 is tomorrow and I won't be working.

So--stay turned.  In the words of the Arnold--I'll be back.

Halloween Howl 2014

Halloween Howl 2014 has come to a close.  We spent most of yesterday doing the last of the cleanup (well--almost the last.  But there are younger stronger people who can clean up the last bits).

The Howl is a museum-wide event, with kid's games, live music, costume contest and--our side of it--the haunted trail.  This year was a record-breaking success.  In the two nights that it ran, over 4,000 people attended the museum, and 1900 went through our trail (that number includes the repeats--those people who stand in the hour (or two hour) line, go through the trail, then get back in line again,  We're always proud of our trail--it's of a professional quality, truly scary (many people can't make it all the way through, and we get a share of people who scream, fall, or wet themselves) without resorting to the shock of blood and guts.

It's mostly done by our core group of four--Rob, Jeff, Bob, and myself.  We were lucky enough to get a few more hard-working volunteers for the build (shout outs to Donny, Joel, Phil, Gill, and Jim).  All told, there are at least 1,000 person hours involved to build, run, and then clean up the trail.  And for those two nights, it's worth it.

Problem is--I forget to bring the camera, or don't have time to go take pictures.  I will have to twist some arms to get people to send some to me.  But in the meantime, here are some preliminaries.


First, a couple of masks.  Jeff wanted some creepy scarecrow masks, and also some that looked like ritualistic skull masks.  Here's a sample of what I made (the oddness at the mouth of the scarecrow mask is that I built them on Jason-style hockey masks to keep the burlap off the actor's faces)

















All of the scenes start off by digging in a forest of 2x4s.  They would later be covered in walls to form mini-mazes (usually made by sheets, so we can take them down and use them year after year, unlike black plastic which has to go to the landfill).  We ended up planting almost 200 of them in the first weekend.  One just has to have faith that with some walls, decorations, and proper lighting that we can turn this into something so unnerving that people will forgo the hour or more that they stood in line, and turn back rather than enter it.   On this one, Bob has started adding the pallets to make walls (we can scrounge the pallets for free.  He also made use of wood that had been cut down the on the nature trail prior to a planned control burn.  He would later add more fencing, then the final touch of about 150 dolls and an equal number of candles to light them.  For some reason, many people find this scene to be disturbing.







I did get a quick shot of the volunteer tent where almost 30 actors get into costume and makeup.  No matter how good the sets, you have to have actors to make it come alive.

 

I did get one shot of an almost-finished scene.  This is Jeff's "Circus of Tate's Hell" (a local area of infamous reputation).  This was our final scene--our philosophy is that if you have a strong beginning scene, and a stronger final scene, that's what people will remember.

 

Keep your fingers crossed that I find pictures of the finished trail.

 

Jim Fowler video

Here's the finished video with Jim Fowler and the Museum's hawk.  It was filmed green screen with the pretty background added in.  What you can't see is me, the nervous stage mother, about 5 feet away hoping the hawk would behave herself (she did).  In the video, there is one closeup of the hawk--I'm holding her in that shot (invisibly, of course).

What I didn't think about until my office mate made the comment is what a nice video it is.  Most political ads are pure mudslinging--we're all happy when Nov. 4 comes around and we don't have to listen to all that negativity.  Voting seems to be choosing the lesser of evils.  So yes--I'm glad I had even a small part in this one.