Geek Rambler

Hands On Orlando Projects: Pawmosa Park

Since I'm finally done with university (for now), I decided that 2011 would be the year that I could begin donating a bit of my time for volunteer work. I wanted to be able to do a variety of things, but also something that had a flexible schedule so that I could pick my times around other activities. Fortunately, through a Meetup.com group that I used to hang out with, I heard about Hands On Orlando. They are a volunteer organization that works with a number of charities all around the Orlando area. They find projects that need volunteers, then sign up the volunteers and have them meet at the right place and time.

I found this really appealing, because this way I can work with different charities and different people and I can do a different kind of activity each time if I want to. They do have some events that recur every week or every month, but they do special one-time events like park cleanups or painting someone's house, too.

My first project was a dog park cleanup. There's a small park, actually not terribly far from my house, that has a little dog park attached to it called Pawmosa Park (part of Plumosa Park). Three or four times a year, Hands On Orlando brings volunteers to clean up the pathways and replace the mulch in the pet area. We spent three hours shoveling and hauling and pruning and hauling and picking up debris... and hauling. It was a lot of hard work, but I actually had fun with it. I guess some of the teenage volunteers were less than thrilled, but we managed to get whole lot of mulch spread despite that!

Here's what we saw when we all first arrived at the park...

 

Once we got started, I grabbed a shovel and dug in! Well, me and about 10 other people. Eventually, we got it down to this.

And then it was gone!

It was tough for me, since I'm not the fittest of felines, and I hurt like hell for the next couple of days, but I am very glad that I helped out and I would do it again. Fortunately, my next project doesn't seem to involve shoveling or getting terribly dirty - but more about that later.

For anyone local to Orlando, please visit Hands On Orlando to get info on the events and how you can help.

Fat Chick Does A(nother) 5k

So, late last year I started doing 5k races with a friend from work. That is, I started walking in 5k races - I'm so not ready to run just yet. I didn't get any pictures from the my very first one, but I did remember to take my phone for the latest one: the Seasons 52 5.2k in Winter Park. Currently I can manage about a 20-22 minute mile, so it takes me just over an hour. Basically that means that I'm the very last person across the finish line, or pretty close to it. I have started calling the two of us The Dead Last Walking Machine. It's okay. At least we make the effort, and we DO always finish!

Here's the starting line, sometime around 7 am. Ugh! By start-time, at 7:30, nearly 3000 runners and walkers were there and ready to go. The square at Winter Park was full of stalls with sponsors for the race. Some had coffee, some had water, and a couple had post-race fruit. Seasons 52 gave away a re-usable cloth bag and also some super yummy grapes.

Meet the Dead Last Walking Machine! And yes, I realize that I take horrible, blurry pics...

We just jump in at the back of the crowd to just stay out of everyone's way. We know we'll get there eventually! By the way, as you can see, doing 5k's is a great way to get free t-shirts. Or, at least mostly free, if you don't count the entry fee, which is approximately the price of a printed t-shirt, oddly enough.

I find all of the 5k events in my area at www.trackshack.com. They have a calendar of events, and lots of activities for runners. 

The Late, Late Show

So uhhhh... I never finished up my travelogue from England and France. I guess it's a bit too late to do that, really. Oh, why let THAT stop me....

Well... the last week in Cambridge seemed so "normal" by then, I guess, and it was really busy. And I was completely suffering from sleep deprivation by then, hehehee...

The last day of class was so nerve-wracking for me. I knew that B. was flying in that morning, and he was supposed to call me to get directions to St. Katherine's. Well, he surprised me - instead of calling, he just asked headed into town and eventually asked someone for directions when he got closer. So, as I'm walking back to St. Kat's, anxiously watching my phone, I round the corner and there he is. Yeah, lots of crying. People stared and cooed at us. It was awesome...

Some of the cool things we did in England... We had entirely too much Indian food - the only place open late in Islington was this deserted Indian restaurant/hotel, and we kept getting back to our B&B too late for anything else. We took a train to Bletchley Park, where the British broke the German code during the big war - and, to my husband's delight, where the National Museum of Computing lives; sadly, the museum volunteers were supposed to be off the day we were there; happily, two of them came in after all and decided to do an impromptu tour of the computing museum. (There was much rejoicing!)

That's a disk drive. Yeah... (Or, at least this would be a picture of a GIANT disk drive, provided all my phots weren't on my netbook instead of the computer I'm actually using right now.)

We actually went ALL the way back to Cambridge to do two things - hit the science museum (where another bit of luck was had) and to go to the second smallest town in England, Ely, which has a effing brilliant Cathedral (at least from the outside - coming up on it from down the hill was breathtaking, but my pictures came out very very badly). As for the science museum, they happened to have a special item on loan from the Cambridge Uni library when we were there - the Principia by Newton. In a case, and under a sheet to protect it from light, and those pictures also came out like crap, but Mr. Lala about plotzed - being a math major and all....

Oh, we also went to Greenwich to see the Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian. That wasn't as awesome as I'd hoped. All of the sciencey stuff was... really low level, as one might expect for a tourist exhibit. And then we hit the science museum in London as well.

It was a very science-esque kind of vacation.

Except for the Tower of London. Lots of steps, but a really good touristy thing to do. There was an armor exhibit in the White Tower, and that was fantastic. I have a hundred pictures of armor, seriously.

The big one fit a 6 ft 8 in dude. The little one fit at 37.5 inch princeling. (Ummm, once again... photos... netbook... elsewhere. Coming soon!)

Eventually we took the Eurostar to Paris.

I call that one "Heading for the Chunnel of Love." (Shoot me, now...)  (Okay, okay, seriously, you know what I'm going to say here right? So, for now, I'll leave you to imagine the Chunnel of Love for yourself...)

I have The Most Awesome Title Ever already picked out for the story about Paris, so I'll have to stop for now.

Lala

Running Late: Week 3 in Cambridge

My third week at Cambridge is almost over. I've settled in to a bit of a comfort zone, I guess, at least during the daytime (the nights are still miserable, but I won't whine about that again). Now that my time here is almost over I finally remember how to get to the pharmacy, the grocery, and the bank (the pubs were always incredibly easy to find!) and so on. I'm comfortable wandering about on my own down the various walking paths and off to the park.

Though it has been a little lonely this week. Priscilla & I are a bit on our own now, surrounded by mostly the under-twenty five set, with whom we have little in common. And then, Priscilla & I both tend toward a solitary life, so, while we spend mornings and afternoons together, we tend to go our own way after the last, class of the day. That's both good and bad, in its way. I generally do prefer to be alone to think or read and enjoy some peace n quiet without the emotional stress of socializing. But...

Well, that leaves me with a bit too much time for introspection, and for loneliness & homesickness to creep in.

So I walk. I'd like to sleep, but I can't. I sit outside and enjoy the weather instead. Apparently it is unseasonably warm and dry here in England this summer, but to me it seems a lot more mild than a summer at home. It has been quite cool in the mornings and evenings, generally warm and sunny in the afternoon. I've only had to break out the sweatshirt two or three times in the past three weeks. And it's only been TOO warm when stuck inside an airless classroom.

Today is Thursday, and I'm going to play a bit of hooky from the morning lecture to try to get at least a little sleep before the afternoon class. Afterward I want to try to get to Clare College to get a proper look at the Fellows' Gardens. I'll get some pictures if they're allowing tours.

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On Sunday we went on a sculpture walk and then to the Fitzwilliam Museum. For the sculpture walk, you grab a map with some pictures of the various sculptures, which are located in public spaces around town. It's a bit like a treasure hunt - you walk around the designated area and try to spot the sculptures and take photos of them. It was fun! There are two more of them to do, so I want to get to that before it's time to leave.

Here are a few of the ones we spotted. This first one is 'Inukshuk' from Baffin Island, Canada, located at the Scott Polar Research Institute.


And the next one is called 'Youth 1920' by Lady Kathleen Scott, also located at the Scott Polar Research Institute.

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The Fitzwilliam Museum was also very beautiful, but we weren't allowed to take pictures. I seem to be generally more interested in the antiquities sections than the art. I enjoy history, even the history of art, but I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that art doesn't really "move" me in the way that music, literature, or history can - with apologies to my artsy friends!

Speaking of which, there was a performance on Wednesday night of the Alberni String Quartet down at Lady Mitchell Hall. That was the first time I'd been to a live classical music performance, and I loved it! They performed the Haydn Quartet No. 68 in D Minor, Mozart's Quartet No. 19 on C Major (Dissonance), and Beethoven's Quartet No. 16 in F Major (for those of you who understand that sort of thing). They also shared a bit of history about each piece and the composer, which was really nifty! History again, you see...

I am beginning to run out of time to see or do the things I still want to get around to. I am glad I chose to do four weeks instead of two, just for this reason.

Nor have I done nearly enough of the reading I should have done for these courses. At this point I'm simply accepting these classes as an introduction to some wonderful novels and poems, which I need to read soon. Should I add that to the list of activities I intend to pursue in the nebulous period known as "after graduation"? (I think I will need to be a Renaissance Woman to accomplish all of it!)

Here's a random picture of a fortuitous rainbow which appeared one evening...

Rainbow over St Kats

Well, enough reflection for now. Next week is my last here. Coming up is Stratford-Upon-Avon on Saturday and a trip to the botanical gardens on Sunday. I still have several more museums to visit and I'd like to get to the nearby town of Ely, with yet another Cathedral and a market. And then there's also Grandchester (or is is Grantchester?) where Byron used to slip off with his paramours to a lovely, secluded pond!

Lala

Week 2 Begins at Cambridge

From 13 July, 2010

I've had a week to settle in now, and things are going well. I do get homesick in the evenings, when I'm alone, waiting for the time to come to call my love before bedtime. I miss my beloved and my cats. But most of the day is full and busy, with so many people to learn about. I've met people from all over the world and we've spent hours talking about the differences and similarities in our lives. It's good to discover that there are more similarities.

It seems as if I've left the old, frightened Lala on the plane. Perhaps she's wandering the skies even now. I suddenly have no fear of talking to people, taking new paths, doing something alone. I feel accepting of my body and myself. I don't seem to worry about what I look like or what people are thinking of me all of the time. We are all strange here, I guess. What will it be like when I get home?

Coffee

I'm getting over wanting coffee. Tea is pretty good stuff after all! Especially now that the "heat wave" seems to have passed and the cool mornings and evenings have returned.

I'm not getting enough sleep yet - but almost enough. Too much to do, to much to see, too much to study. I got a book from the library on the history of medieval English literature. Absolutely no time to read it, but I had to have it anyway. I am finally sending out my postcards to home today. Catching up. I've needed to get a blog out for a few days. I'm feeling the need to write again. All good stuff.

My new friend Karen returned to France this weekend. I have been missing her, though I only knew her a week. Friday night a group of us "older" ladies went out to the pub with her to say goodbye, talk and drink a little. I hope she remembers our time at Cambridge fondly.

I have more pictures to post (see Facebook, if I know you). I went to Canterbury Cathedral on Saturday and had a little boat tour up the Thames to London on Sunday.

I think most of you know that I'm not religious, but the Cathedral was truly inspiring. I can see why so many people have come there for centuries, and how easy it must have been to believe when you see the beauty and power of such a place. Our group went through the Nave and around to the place where Beckett was assassinated, and were about to head down to the Crypt when some music started. The choir was beginning to rehearse for a show - they sang Mozart's Requiem as we descended into the crypt. You could hear it ringing through the cathedral, muffled a bit as we went underground; later, as we emerged from the crypt, ascended the stairs, the music grew louder, rising as we did, then we stepped into the open and the Requiem surrounded us, filling the large open room with that endless Cathedral ceiling. It gave me chills, quite literally. It was so powerful and beautiful. A wonderful experience.

I won't say as much about London yet. The boat tour was lovely, though we were surrounded by about 1000 children on a summer school trip, they covered in leftover lunch, trading apples for oranges and different bags of crisps. They were from everywhere, and we were immersed in young voices speaking in a half dozen languages.

Tigger & Lori at London Eye

The friends that I went with walked around Parliament Square a bit (we were let off the boat at Westminster Pier). One of them was determined to get to Harrod's, though I could have cared less about shopping. But I had no real plan for the day, and didn't mind going as long as it was London, so we found the tube station and I had my first subway ride, down to Kensington/Chelsea. Harrod's was a nightmare. Jam packed with people. Fairly quickly I decided to wait for them outside. A girl from New York went with me, and we spent half an hour wandering around Kensington, taking pictures of interesting buildings, mostly flats. A rollerblade race went by as we walked, a large mass of folks rolling down the narrow road. Then, tube ride back to Parliament, not much time. We wandered around the bridge, over to the aquarium and under the London Eye. We rested on some steps down by the pier and watched the tourists go by.

Lala

First Days at Cambridge

From 6 July, 2010

Well, here I am. At first I was feeling a bit shell shocked, I think. After traveling all day and settling into my room, I was worn out and irritable, and all I wanted to do was turn around and go back home. Everyone I saw around me was way too young and way too loud and I felt completely alone.

But, before long it was time to go to the dining hall for dinner and I met several women of my own age and we got along famously. We've been going everywhere together, meeting for meals, and getting to know each other.

I've only got a few pictures so far, but I'll try to upload them to Facebook tonight. For now, here's one of the courtyard that my room overlooks. There's a lovely mass of container gardens on the side where I'm standing to take the photo.

I think I need to have a night in and catch up on my homework and

St Kats Courtyard

update my family.

I'll say more when I upload the pictures. It's beautiful here and the people are very interesting. I need to take my camera with me more - we took a lovely walk around a handful of the colleges last night and with the setting sun, everything was bathed in gold and picture perfect. We want to get to the Clare College gardens during the day, when you're allowed to go in, so I'll get some photos then.

I hope everyone is doing well. Oh, I'm getting a lot of walking in, and so far I have kept the eating to a pretty healthy level. I'll need to step it up soon, but right now I'm just trying to figure out what my new routine will be.

Cheers!
Lala

Going to Cambridge, England

I have sadly neglected this blog for a long time now. But July 2010 has proved to be an interesting month for me, so I'm using this space now to share my travel adventures with my family and friends. I have been blogging the trip a little from my Spark People blog, so I'll be transferring those first few entries about Cambridge here, too. I will likely post some pictures here, but most of them are already on my Facebook.

Earlier this year I decided to get my last literature credits by doing Florida's study abroad program, hosted at the University of South Florida in Tampa. So here I am, studying English literature at Cambridge University in Cambridge, England. I am staying at St. Katherine's College during my stay, which is right in the city centre, close to everything. I have been here since July 3rd, and the program ends (for me) on July 30th. A month is a long time to be away from home and the people you love, but the experience has been the most fantastic thing I could ever have imagined. I have met the most amazing, intelligent, and warm people from so many different countries, and have learned so much about different places and cultures, all the strange little differences, but also the striking similarities. These strangers are not so strange as they might seem from the comfort and familiarity of home.

Later today I will begin posting the first of the "retro" blogs to catch up those of you who haven't had access to my Spark People blog. I hope everyone is well back at home, and I hope you enjoy my little slice of adventure!

Lala

HaHa! You broke our country!

GWB gave his first official speech since he departed the White House:

"While Bush is unpopular in Canada, he is less so in oil-rich Alberta, the country's most conservative province and one sometimes called the Texas of the north. "This is my maiden voyage. My first speech since I was the president of the United States and I couldn't think of a better place to give it than Calgary, Canada," Bush said.The event's organizers declined to say how much Bush was paid to speak at the gathering.

Bush was full of jokes during his appearance. He joked that he would do more speeches to pay for his new house in Dallas."I actually paid for a house last fall. I think I'm the only American to have bought a house in the fall of 2008," he quipped." (pulled from Yahoo! News, emphasis mine)

Wait... what? Oh, I get it! It's hilarious that after 8 years under your rule that this country's citizens are destitute and homeless!

(Bastard.)

Some Like It Hot

Salsa

And yet again, a post with absolutely nothing to do with math or science... :)

If you happen to live in the part of the U.S. where people know what a Publix is...

and you happen to tolerate spicy foods...

and you are actually reading my blog (oh wait, that's... no one)...

you must go to Publix at this very moment and buy the Publix brand HOT All Natural Salsa. Well, okay, be a wimp and buy medium or mild if you have to, but seriously - good stuff, even for a store brand. I just totally ruined my dinner by finishing off what was left of the Tostitos with this stuff. Yum!

First, The DragonCon Wrap Up

I've been back home a while now and this post is long overdue, but getting caught back up from the missed school and work days was quite the rough patch. So... before leaving for DragonCon I listened to a couple of podcasts providing some advice for "surviving" the experience. Some of those ideas were swell and I thought I'd like to share them and add some thoughts of my own.

In no particular order:

1. Save some money - bring food. We drag a cooler and a tub with a tiny microwave hidden inside every year, plus another tub of assorted snacks, soup, bread, peanut butter, and so on. No one has ever called us on it or kicked us out, not even for the microwave (but your experience might vary). We bring plastic bowls and plates and ware and I am very careful to make sure these are washed and put away so as not to upset housekeeping or make the room smelly.
2. Wear good shoes. You will be doing some walking, and by some I mean lots. And Atlanta is uphill, all the way, and in both directions, or at least it seems like it sometimes. Plus, a point which will come next, it will probably rain, so you will want shoes in which you can climb wet stairs and in which you will not bust your arse on wet marble, tile, or shiny cement. Yes, that was me...
3. Yes, it WILL rain. Probably. The con is scheduled during hurricane season after all, so you can almost count on it raining at least one day, so pack an umbrella, even a small purse size one that you won't mind sticking in a backpack as you go. Also bring shoes that can handle getting a bit wet.
4. Bring a backpack or bag of some kind. You'll pick up swag, or bring a snack or bottle of water, or carry a camera, or a phone, or a notebook, or books you want signed, or the pocket program, or... whatever. Ya know, the umbrella. And you will get sick of carrying it all or trying to sit comfortably with too much crap in your pockets.
5. Consider a sweater. This one, of course, depends entirely on whether or not you are a "cold person" or a "hot person." In Atlanta in August the temperature is something close to that of the sun. Okay, I exaggerate, but it is generally in or near the 90's with much humidity. Outside, that is. Inside the hotels, restaurants, and shops, folks will tend to counteract this heat with arctic conditions. If you tend to get cold you will be miserable. If you tend to get hot you will enjoy this effect, except for when you're packed into a standing room only panel with smelly strangers and the AC suddenly doesn't seem to work so well any longer. Oops...
6. Plan. Obviously you don't want to schedule every minute of every day, but... plan some time to rest, some time to eat, and some time to shower. Please. Hungry, tired people get crabby and smelly people get... smellier.
7. Check out DragonCon TV. There was something new about DCTV this year. They started showing some of the mega panels an hour or two later, the ones that everyone wanted to go to but no one could actually get in to - like Battlestar Galactica stars, Star Gate stars, Whedonverse stars, and so on. Check the DCTV listing and see if you can just watch the panel from the comfort of your room. I mean, what's better than lounging naked while listening to Nathan Fillion talk?

So that's it for the moment. I'll have more about the stuff I did soon, and hopefully some pictures if I can get a link to the 300+ pictures our roomie took. I'll just wrap up with some links that are related to things I've talked about here:

DragonCon - They have tons of fan photo galleries posted.

DCTV -  They have video of some of their commercials and bumpers and videos.

DragonPod - The podcast of DragonCon with information and advice about going to the con. Scroll down the page a bit to find "Bonus Episode #1" with Mur Lafferty's advice on surviving  DCon, which inspired this post.