up, up and away
Shot this from inside (obviously) the Continental 737 out of CLE heading back to TPA.
See the video here: Continental flight taking off from CLE (Cleveland Hopkins International Airport)
not exactly 1.21 jigowatts, but brighter nonetheless
1.21 jigowatts.. Great SCOTT!
I changed almost all my bulbs to CFL's in my apartment. After all, there is no need to waste electricity and it can save you a few bucks on the light bill. There were 3-pack sets of Sylvania 15-watt CFL's on sale at K-Mart for ten dollars each. That's a very decent price, so I bought two sets. I was able to change every bulb except for my ceiling fan because it uses one of those itty-bitty bulbs - so I'll be picking up one of those mini bulbs later.
Strangely enough, a 15-watt CFL shines more light than a standard 60-watt incandescent bulb. (I bet you didn't know they were called that, did ya? Read my blog and you learn stuff. Who'da thunk it?) Hopefully they'll last a while.
Tip: If you want to use CFL's that most resemble standard bulb light, get the ones that have a 2700 Kelvin temperature, which is "warm white". Anything above 2700 has a different color, from yellow-ish (3500) to stark white (4100) to really stark white (6400). It doesn't matter what the wattage is; Pay attention to the Kelvin temp.
Funkin' Go-nuts
I stopped to get a coffee at a local Dunkin' Donuts on Busch Boulevard. They still have one of those old-old signs that shows both the old and the current DD logo, so I snapped a pic of it (as you can see here). The coffee I ordered tastes okay.. nothing great.. just okay. DD coffee just isn't what it used to be. I got one more or less thinking it would taste great seeing that I haven't had coffee from there in a long time. I was wrong.
But I will drink it. Cost me almost two bucks!
it'll cost a buck but it's worth it
I've decided to traverse the Sunshine Skyway Bridge today. Cost: A buck (for the toll). I'm leaving now and hopefully traffic won't be too bad.
For those interested in putting this in your GPS, the coordinates are (in decimal longitude/latitude) 27.62222 -82.65703.
seized
I was going to save writing this for later, however I'm writing it now so people stop freaking out about me. No, I am not dead.
[looking at old photo of a school class, speaking to students] They're not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined for great things, just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? - - Carpe - - hear it? - - Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.
-Robin Williams as Professor John Keating, Dead Poets Society
I am alive and well for the most part. Physically I'm fine. Emotionally I'm somewhere between elated and going into shock. But I'm fit enough to write on my web site, so I guess that means I'm okay.
Right now I am staying at a hotel somewhere in Florida. I say "somewhere" because I'm not exactly sure what town I'm in. However, I do know where I'll be going tomorrow - and that'll be Tampa. I just got a lease on a very tiny little studio apartment over there. It may be small, but it's mine.
Over the course of the next few days and thereon I will be acclimating myself to the area. So far I like it. Here a palm tree, there a palm tree. I like palm trees. In New England you never get to see those. They're interesting - especially when the wind is blowing through them. They just seem to have a very distinct sound when that happens. Very calming but at the same time a bit on the eerie side - only because I'm not used to it.
I'm elated because I am 100% out of New England. For good. Florida weather is obviously very nice, the people are well tempered, the roads are better and of course there's the aforementioned palm trees. I am happy to be here.
I'm going into shock because I just did the following:
- Packed everything I own into my truck - by myself.
- Drove 1500+ (not a misprint) miles from Maine to Florida - solo. That's a two-day trip. I did it in a little over one. Now I know what a truckers do day in and day out. I passed through every state on the East Coast of the USA with the exception of Rhode Island. For those keeping score, that's Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and finally half way through Florida to the town of Tampa. Twelve-and-a-half states. That, dear readers, is one long-ass drive.
- Grabbed an apartment the day after I arrived in Florida.
...and that's where I am now. Well, tomorrow because that's when I move into my new place. In my next article or two I will post some photos I took and write about the more pleasant parts of the journey. You could say I did a cross-country trip, but "cross" usually means from east to west and vice versa. I went north to south. Regardless of what direction I traveled, I'm fairly certain that no one would argue that I did travel the classic definition of cross-country.
I am also in the in shock mode because I know absolutely no one here. Not a soul. It will be up to me to make do and hash it out as best I can. I am walking the high wire with no net to speak of.
Some people who read this might think I'm crazy. Others might be envious. Maybe your opinion is somewhere in the middle. Maybe not. Maybe you have no opinion at all. I'm not the boss of you.
Regardless of what you may think, over the past few days I have definitely lived. Carpe Diem. I got out there and thensome. Yee-haw indeed.
Now the Big Question: Why did I move to Florida?
The obvious reasons:
- More sunshine (proven, even scientifically, to make one happier and feel more centered)
- Better opportunity (more jobs, more choice of jobs)
- No state income tax (hallelujah)
- No snow (I threw out the ice scraper I had in my truck)
The not-so-obvious reasons:
I thought, incorrectly, that I would be able to start my life over in Maine. Wrong. It was a step backwards. I went from the least known area of CT to an even lesser known area of Maine. It also doesn't help that the entire state shuts down for five months out of the year (November thru April) due to snow and hunting season. I'm not particularly fond of snow and I don't hunt. Double whammy.
I needed to be somewhere that was completely different from where I was, and Florida was it. Maine and Florida are as different as night and day. I wanted to stay on the east coast of the USA and go somewhere that would present me with some more options, and I wanted to do it alone - which I did.
So anyway... tomorrow I focus on moving into my new place, getting the phone turned on, learning the layout of the land and so on. Thanks to my trusty GPS, getting around is easy. I would say that even those without GPS wouldn't have too much of a hard time figuring Tampa out. Everything is laid out in a straightforward pattern. The only thing I consider "shocking" is the 70mph speed limit on I-75. That takes some getting used to.
Once I get used to everything, I'm just going to settle in and take it easy for a while, work work work, pay some bills and so on. I think I've earned it. ;-)
Burnside "The Lance" by Guild guitar
Below: Something I've been meaning to do for a while, that being showing photos of this particular guitar I own. Someone did a Google search (yet again) for this guitar and ended up on my site (I mention it in some other posts here), so I figured I'd make it official and make an entire post just about this guitar.
This is a Guild "The Lance" Burnside guitar. It was made to look very similar to the Jackson Rhoads V model. I bought this guitar years ago for $89.00 used from a music store in Southbridge Massachusetts and yes, I still own it. I had always wanted a "V" guitar and hey, the price was right so I couldn't say no. I've had it ever since. While it's true I own much better guitars like my Schecter C-1 Classic, I still play this cheap Guild from time to time.
The guitar is in its original color, with a 21 fret neck, stocked with EMG active pickups (the 9-volt battery is below the pick guard), the strings are top-loaded only and there are no holes in the back. The reason you don't see any bolt-on screws where the neck meets the body is because there are none. This is either a "neck-through" design or it could possibly be a one-piece.
Compared to other V's, this one is weighted perfectly. The headstock does not "drop" when you have it strapped on in standing position. The bowl-shaped cut in the back is unique to this particular model as it doesn't cut into your body at all (a nice touch).
The bridge is not original, it was replaced due to one of the string saddles breaking. One of the volume pot knobs is also obviously not original. I never bothered replacing it.. why bother?
Note added 7/10/2006: The replacement bridge is a Kahler "Flyer" fixed bridge system.
The back of the neck has its paint worn down (it was like that when I got it) and there is a finish crack.
On the headstock, the locking nuts are missing. Since I don't use the tremolo I never bothered to get replacements.
This guitar surprisingly stays in tune very well and has distortion so "hot" it distorts on clean when the bridge volume pot is turned all the way up.
The Lance is one of those guitars made in the glory of 80's heavy metal when every kid in town wanted to pick up a guitar, and manufacturers were more than happy to oblige. That time has past, but the guitar is still cool - and it still plays well.
When was this guitar made? Unknown. Were I to guess, I'd say around 1985, which would make this guitar over 20 years old.
