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Road Therapy & Random Thoughts
Mar. 26th, 2014 03:25 pmThe road trip to Florida was amazing. Powered through the trip down (including getting pulled over for doing 20 miles over the speed limit in Georgia…whoops), relaxed in Florida for three days (well, two-and-a-half days).
In Florida, we met up with Crossbow & Hugmonster in Downtown Disney, as well as Kitch (who I haven't seen in years and unfortunately we didn't get a chance to spend more time with! Next time, assuming I'm not using the trip as therapy). SpotWeld and I are both Disney geeks so we spent a fair amount of time in Downtown Disney this trip, but we also did other things: we went orange picking and went to Kennedy Space Center, as well as a brief stop in Cocoa Beach (unfortunately it was raining that day, so no real beach time. NEXT TIME. Why is rain so much more pleasant when it's warm out?) where we hit Ron Jon Surf Shop and acquired ridiculous Hawaiian shirts and also found a really nice local seafood restaurant. I would've loved to spend more time in sunny Florida, but I also wanted to see things on the way back.
Stopped at the Charleston Tea Plantation in South Carolina (the only tea plantation in America), then went to Kitty Hawk in North Carolina. Yes, we saw both the Atlantis space shuttle AND the site of the Wright Brothers' first flight on the same trip. We did a brief loop around Chincoteague — sadly, no pony sightings, but it really isn't too far from home so we should go back sometime — and then over to Maryland. We met up with my dad for a tour of his work (this may seem uninteresting, but he's a rocket scientist, so it's totally not), then after a lunch at a local brewery, headed back home. We ended up stopping in Philadelphia for buttercreams and learning that the little candy shop I'd discovered years ago had been redone to its original turn-of-the-century splendor. The chocolates are still just as good, too :)
The trip made me feel great, but I have to admit: watching the temperature drop and the sky grey over as we drove up the coast was depressing, and I've since fallen back into my "takes a lot of effort to want to do anything" mood of before I left. My mom notified me that when she was my age, seasonal depression really knocked her down every year…I seem to be suffering from something similar, since this trip very much proved my mood changes with the weather. Sigh. Time to get a sun lamp…or a second house in Florida or southern California ;)
~*~
I've gained 20-some pounds over the past year or so (especially during that last job I had), and though I'm still within a healthy weight range for my height, 20 pounds is nothing to sneeze at, especially for a diabetic (and for someone who'd maintained a steady weight since she was a teenager — I'm assuming hormonal changes that come with age, along with comfort eating, had something to do with the gain). So, since getting back, both Spot and I have been exercising each night on our treadmill and exercise bike, and I've been attempting to eat healthier meals with a lot more veggies. I know darn well changes take a while to stick, so we'll see what happens.
I suppose I'm trying to lose weight before I have to buy bigger jeans, though to be honest, I could probably use new jeans anyway. Even at my former weight — 135 pounds — I had to wear a size 12 thanks to my ultra wide hips of doom.
~*~
Dr. Nerd Love: Socially Awkward Isn't An Excuse - A really good article on how to tell the difference between socially awkward folks and creepers, and what to do in both situations. Highly recommended read, especially for those who socialize at conventions and the like.
~*~
An interview with the writer & the artist of the new Figment comic, courtesy of Newsarama.
In Florida, we met up with Crossbow & Hugmonster in Downtown Disney, as well as Kitch (who I haven't seen in years and unfortunately we didn't get a chance to spend more time with! Next time, assuming I'm not using the trip as therapy). SpotWeld and I are both Disney geeks so we spent a fair amount of time in Downtown Disney this trip, but we also did other things: we went orange picking and went to Kennedy Space Center, as well as a brief stop in Cocoa Beach (unfortunately it was raining that day, so no real beach time. NEXT TIME. Why is rain so much more pleasant when it's warm out?) where we hit Ron Jon Surf Shop and acquired ridiculous Hawaiian shirts and also found a really nice local seafood restaurant. I would've loved to spend more time in sunny Florida, but I also wanted to see things on the way back.
Stopped at the Charleston Tea Plantation in South Carolina (the only tea plantation in America), then went to Kitty Hawk in North Carolina. Yes, we saw both the Atlantis space shuttle AND the site of the Wright Brothers' first flight on the same trip. We did a brief loop around Chincoteague — sadly, no pony sightings, but it really isn't too far from home so we should go back sometime — and then over to Maryland. We met up with my dad for a tour of his work (this may seem uninteresting, but he's a rocket scientist, so it's totally not), then after a lunch at a local brewery, headed back home. We ended up stopping in Philadelphia for buttercreams and learning that the little candy shop I'd discovered years ago had been redone to its original turn-of-the-century splendor. The chocolates are still just as good, too :)
The trip made me feel great, but I have to admit: watching the temperature drop and the sky grey over as we drove up the coast was depressing, and I've since fallen back into my "takes a lot of effort to want to do anything" mood of before I left. My mom notified me that when she was my age, seasonal depression really knocked her down every year…I seem to be suffering from something similar, since this trip very much proved my mood changes with the weather. Sigh. Time to get a sun lamp…or a second house in Florida or southern California ;)
I've gained 20-some pounds over the past year or so (especially during that last job I had), and though I'm still within a healthy weight range for my height, 20 pounds is nothing to sneeze at, especially for a diabetic (and for someone who'd maintained a steady weight since she was a teenager — I'm assuming hormonal changes that come with age, along with comfort eating, had something to do with the gain). So, since getting back, both Spot and I have been exercising each night on our treadmill and exercise bike, and I've been attempting to eat healthier meals with a lot more veggies. I know darn well changes take a while to stick, so we'll see what happens.
I suppose I'm trying to lose weight before I have to buy bigger jeans, though to be honest, I could probably use new jeans anyway. Even at my former weight — 135 pounds — I had to wear a size 12 thanks to my ultra wide hips of doom.
Dr. Nerd Love: Socially Awkward Isn't An Excuse - A really good article on how to tell the difference between socially awkward folks and creepers, and what to do in both situations. Highly recommended read, especially for those who socialize at conventions and the like.
An interview with the writer & the artist of the new Figment comic, courtesy of Newsarama.
