Frame of Reference

Back in Florida. It was very sunny after Birmingham, cold though. Well, 65 degrees isn't exactly cold, but still. Now, it's raining. Which is fantastic. One of the best sounds to fall asleep to! I have two blisters in the back of my throat and feeling like I need to take 3 showers, but in good spirits. Just tired I suppose. Got some great shots of my beautiful animal friends this weekend. Posted some on flickr, along with gorgeous orchids.  I had one of the best weekends I've had in a really long time. I needed it. Someone should research this weird fact: Food tastes a million times better when it is cooked by one's mother.  2:15 wake-up call, better skedaddle. 

I decided to take a last minute road trip Thursday night. I woke up at 3:15am on Friday and headed for the hills of Tennessee. I had a minor delay while some major storms blew threw but headed out at a decent 5am. The first 3 or 4 hours were filled with tense, white-knuckled driving. I still have flashbacks of hydroplaning, but with breathing exercises and lightening to distract me, it was "no big whoop". The rest of the drive was slightly boring. It rained or drizzled the whole way. I felt as if the dark, grey clouds were way to close for comfort and stretched often to get rid of that claustrophobic feeling.

I took a nap yesterday and woke up sick. How does that happen? I couldn't breathe through my nose at all and my head felt like it had picked up 20 pounds somewhere. I slept well last night until about 4am, then the stuffies attacked me again. I was on the floor, eating a bowl of cereal this morning when Pagles walked up and sat down gracefully in front of me. I looked at him and informed him that it was my bowl of cereal and I wasn't sharing. He calmly looked down at my bowl of cheerios and SLAPPED it with his paw before sauntering off with his tail in the air. I was in shock but couldn't help falling over in fits of giggles. It was just SO brat-like. I whole heartedly believe that water is going to start WWIII, especially if it's on sale for $1. Also, elderly people are surprisingly strong and wicked. They will push babies DOWN for a bargain.  

Upon reading my previous post, I have come to the conclusion that it sounds awfully pretentious. That wasn't my intention at all. I must have been tired, or delusional. Most probably delusional.  Last night I saw an open and oozing wound on Pagles ' neck. Mootchie was in the proverbial dog house for hurting my baby. Mr. P went to the vet just in case he needed antibiotics so infection wouldn't set in. To my surprise, Mr. P has allergies. It wasn't a cat bite at all. (He really is MY baby). He got a steroid shot and is now busy sleeping, curled up in my lap. He lets out a sigh every once in a while if I move too much and I find it IMPOSSIBLE not to grab him up and give him a thousand kitty kisses. I got home from work to find a glass door attached to the front entry way. I love how things just 'appear' around here, but what I love most is how unfazed we have all become to the mysterious and sometimes nonsensical ' appearances '.

I went to the zoo the other day in Gulfbreeze, FL. It's a bit small, but I've gotten some really good pictures there and I was feeling the itch to photograph. I still am, actually, but I think I got a few decent shots. I don't want to overload the system or anything, so I'll post sporadically on my flickr or deviantart. I worked on saturday (yuck) but it wasn't too terrible. I'm building up a reputation for making some pretty cool displays, lol. Still waiting for the food place to open up though. I'm getting antsy. My knee is feeling better. My heel still feels like its tearing when I stretch it though. I don't know if I should work on stretching it out or just take it easy and move it as little as possible. What if I don't stretch it and the tendons heal too tight? So many questions.  17 DAYS!!! Enjoy. P.S. The picture of the peacock's tail is forever more dedicated to the one who 'bore' me. 

I'm starting to get ideas for pictures in my head. Usually I just see something and I want to photograph it immediately. So, it's a new sensation I have skipping around in my head. What I want to convey instead of what I see. I went to a doctor on Wednesday. My knee finally starting hurting enough that it was necessary, in my opinion. From the gist of it, I tore some fibers in my achilles heel (on the left side) and by overcompensating, I caused swelling and pressure on some nerve behind the cartilage in my kneecap. I'm taking steroids and I've been told to ice it and elevate it. It probably would have gone away on it's own but I wanted to play it safe. Took these Tuesday morning. I'm itching to get some architecture though, I just can't find the right time of day...or the architecture. 

I think under hobbies, one should be able to check "Self diagnosing illnesses and injuries via internet". I swear, it's hella fun! Check this out. I did something wicked painful to my heel two weeks ago, over compensated by walking funny and pulled something in my knee. Took naproxen (miracle worker) but ended up with petechia all over my shins (AGAIN), not to mention extreme fatigue. With wikipedia's help I have come to the conclusion that I have this:   Pseudoporphyria . It's like a treasure hunt, really, finding these bizarre 'conditions'. I know for a fact it drives doctors NUTSO though. Everything in moderation, I say. I went to a psychic convention this weekend and procured myself a tasty necklace of Ocean Jasper. It really is beautiful. It fits perfectly in between my thumb and forefinger a la 'worry stone'. I had never heard of Ocean Jasper before. Apparently it's only found in Madagascar at low tide.  It has rained for three days strai...

I think I get asked "Where is the restroom" more often than anything else. Somehow, people always miss the pet section too. Some people who ask me where the pet section is, shouldn't be shopping in the pet section, (in my opinion), so I send them to the contraceptive aisle. A little hinting never hurt anyone.  I also find I have a hard time understanding people. I have a fabulous example: Guest: "Excuse me." Me: "Yo!" (Totally kidding. I actually raised one eyebrow and said in a very southern drawl, "yyeessss??" Guest: "Can you tell me where your claw rocks is?" Me: "What?" Guest: "CLAW ROCKS"  Me: "No, I heard you. I don't understand. Are you looking for a kind of rock?" Guest: (With a look that could wilt flowers) YOUR BLEACH!! Me: "Oooohhhhhh Clorox!!" I laughed for a good 5 minutes straight. Work is work. I don't mind it at all actually. It keeps me busy and it's mindless. I lo...

I've been wearing a pedometer sporadically while at work. I wear it sporadically because I forget to put it on in the mornings most of the time. I didn't forget yesterday (Even though I forgot my name badge) and I logged 22,335 steps. Since approximately (And I say approximately because it has been pointed out to me that people's strides differ) 2,000 steps equals a mile, that totals to about 11 miles walked yesterday. That was only at work between the hours of 8a.m. and 4:30p.m. Pretty spiffy don't you think? People at work have gotten used to seeing it hanging off of my pocket and will often times ask, "What are you up to now?" It's a great conversation starter, although that question ultimately will lead to, "I wonder what -I- walk. I should get one." It takes a lot of effort to not remind them that they just said that the day before. When it comes down to it, we really are "all about ourselves".

I woke up extremely early for a Sunday and it had nothing to do with the time change. I think I was simply caught up on my sleep. I watched the Travel channel and I learned how to make jalapeno cornbread, courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa. I then took a walk down the street to this tiny nature walk/bridge thing. It is a type of walk way/bridge that stands about 7-10 feet above this huge marsh. I like it there, a lot. While I was there I heard this enormous splashing and immediately reached for my camera. I thought I might catch an alligator, but to my surprise, I had no idea what I was looking at through the viewfinder. It was far away, but so oddly shaped I just didn't have a clue. It kept rolling and splashing in the water, kind of like a gator when it has something in it's jaws, but this creature was too small. It was about the size of a fully grown Labrador, but short. I thought maybe it was a gigantic Beaver or Otter, but in a marsh?? I just kept clicking away, hoping I...

Still learning to operate. Reading written words only goes so far. You have to feel it, touch it, and see it with eyes other than your own. It's a process. A magnificent, wonderful, amazing one that I never (in a million years) thought I'd be lucky enough to experience. But here I am, holding it in my hands. The fruits of my 'seeing'. --> Store opened on Tuesday. Today was my first experience being 'out on the floor'. The public amuses me to no end: "Excuse me miss, do you have bathrooms here?"  I blinked and settled on, "Nope, you're just gonna have to hold it." He laughed but I could see the split second of panic flash through his eyes and I knew right then that my day was complete. I did have a slight mishap that resulted in an injury. Apparently a shelf tilted and sent 3 glass bowls to the floor. I had to step on the glass to right the shelf and when I was trying to pull the glass out of the bottom of my shoe, a shard cut right thr...

The kestrel tilts its head while it rides on warm, dreamlike, updrafts of metaphors singing to the shadows as it glides lazily              (deceiving) looking for a place, never its own An untamed piece of beauty with wings I throw my heart towards the heavens and watch the kestrel catch my dreams A silent scream that could never echo amongst the cavernous reaches of the skies breaks free from my chest, a gift given and a world shown that I never knew existed