Twisted around, upside-down, part 1

The time of this post is just one element supporting the above title. 5:34 AM, Sunday. I didn't get up early... I'm still up. I won't lie and admit that the past few hours have been spent on the internet, but what can a person like myself expect when he hasn't seen a web browser in over a week?

Vacation has been everything I wanted it and needed it to be. The first rule of my vacation was that I was not allowed to think about work. The second rule of my vacation was that I was not allowed to think about work. It was initially much harder than I thought it would be, but for the most part, I think I did a pretty good job. I'll give myself an A-. Not perfect. But close. The rule unofficially existed as I figured it to be the main source of my late frazzled state. I say 'late frazzled state' as I think it's gone, dead, non-existent. At minimum, at a minimum.

A last-minute dinner party started things out on Friday #1. Good food, better company, all-around great night. Haven't been to many dinner parties, ever, really, so something different. Good. Three new people met. Great. Rock Band. Always fun. Dancing. Bonus.

Mom met me for lunch before driving me to airport. Was half-finished with The Alchemist, and already had new Vince Flynn (Extreme Measures) waiting to be read during the three flights... well Mom stole The Alchemist after I said she'd like it after I was only half-done, so I left with only the Vince Flynn, making sure to make her promise to bring it back when she picked me up when I returned. She did. I'll be finished with it before tomorrow night. No doubt in my mind. As for the Vince Flynn... finished half on the plane to Florida, and the rest in Florida. Oops...

I'll make a point to rate each of my three flights for this vacation. MSP to Orlando wasn't great... sat next to a rather big and slightly smelly guy around my age. He was exceptionally nice though. But big. And stinky. C-

Florida was... chilly. Caught a cold front. No biggie, I got to see Tails and meet her boyfriend. A very nicely decorated home for a great couple, an awesome little Daschund (weiner dog), and time to relax.

While in Florida... saw my second showing of Demetri Martin, a ridiculously intelligent and funny comedian (not live, just on TV...). YouTube him. I bet you like him. Heck, here's a link to the first part of the show I watched:



Also while in Florida... saw the new Bond. Liked it for the most part, but had, imo, some shortcomings. Good overall though. I'll shut up now so I don't slip and ruin anything.

Also while in Florida... visited a natural spring. WOW. Favorite part of the Florida trip. Crystal clear water surrounded by the natural beauty of trees and plants common to Florida that I'm not used to seeing. Oh, and while we were walking away from the spring, I was lucky enough to hear someone behind me say "Oh look, a baby manatee". I thought I misheard, and I asked Tails if she thought this could be... she said she didn't think so. Damn. We looked anyways. And there wasn't... only a baby, but the mommy as well. Whoa. This was so cool because it was in the wild, not in an aquarium or at a park. I could have reached out and touched it. One of these days I'll have to go snorkeling. I think I'd be blown away. Also, it was at this point in the trip where I really started missing my digital camera... :(

Also while in Florida... ate gator. I had to, right?

Also while in Florida... walked the beach and watched the sunset. Beautiful.

Also while in Florida... had dinner at a hole-in-the-wall pier restaurant overlooking the gulf in Tampa. Delicious grouper. Mmmmmmm

Also while in Florida... made temporary book trade with Tails' mom since I finished the Vince Flynn. She recommended James Patterson and gave me the first two books in one of his series... 1st to Die, and 2nd Chance. (Side note: it was a good thing she gave me two as I finished 1st to Die on the flight to Vegas and finished 2nd Chance on the return flight today. Makes the plane ride seem so much faster!)

Also while in Florida... didn't have to do any of the cooking and ate some good food. I was very aware of this and enjoyed every second.

Flight from Tampa to Vegas was the best, by far. Was my first experience flying Southwest, where they put you in order and you walk on the plane and seat yourself... kind of a free-for-all. Thought I screwed myself for not checking-in online (didn't have internet access) earlier and was one of the last in line out of around 130 passengers. They announced it was a full flight. I knew for sure I was doomed to a horrible middle seat. And I really do mean horrible, as the best middle seats would have obviously already been nabbed. Just shoot me. I got on and saw the few remaining middle seats. And then, like magic, a mom made a last-minute seat rearrangement with her family of four... instead of going window-aisle-aisle-window, they switched to window-middle-aisle-aisle, and offered me the window seat. JOY. And the remaining family member on my side was the daughter. Their very pretty daughter, around my age. Okay she was hot. Like, really hot. And smelled good. I nearly chose the middle seat over the window. So I sat there, waiting for the last passenger to take the middle seat. Minutes passed, and then the doors closed. I looked to the cute girl and asked if we lucked out and she smiled and shrugged. It took me a minute to fully realize and accept this had happened. Let's recap. Full flight on Southwest where seating is a free-for-all and I was one of the last ones on. I get a window seat next to a hot girl with the precious middle seat gap in-between us. And it's on the longest flight I've ever taken -- five hours (well, behind the one-way flight I took from South Korea to the US when I was adopted at 10 months old). For my best flights ever, this probably places a close second behind the one time I luckily got bumped to first class. Probably. I'd say it's debatable. A+ (Funny how this gets the longest paragraph of this post...)

I think that sums of most of the Florida part. The next part was much different... in Vegas. But that will have to wait. I'm finally getting tired. Part 2... sometime later.... zzzzzzzz