Archive for the 'Florida' Category

the final countdown

Published
by
Steve
on December 14, 2006
in Florida, Lifestyle and Travel
. 0 Comments

With now less than 48 hours before I leave, I realize I have a shit-load of things on my mind and things still left to do before I leave! :)
Computer back-ups, work to finish, a new iPod to load, final bag-packing, financial arrangements … family problems to attempt to mitigate … the list goes on.

I ordered a new 80 GB iPod to take on the trip. I had to. There’s just too many good uses for the durn thing. Music, Video, Picture display and storage, language helper, contact list, calendar … it will essentially replace my powerbook on some legs of my travels. I also got the final word on whether insurance will reimburse me for the replacement cost of the things that were stolen. YES! They are sending me a check for the majority, and I’ll have two years to replace the stuff to get full-benefits. What a relief!!! I am so, so glad I had renters insurance. This is the second time it has helped out.

Most of all though, I’ve decided, I miss being in Seattle. Not the weather so much, but I do miss that some. And, now, don’t get me wrong - I would not trade my time visiting here for anything. However - one huge benefit of being in Seattle is being insulated from family issues. Being so far away is really, really nice for me, because these problems aren’t mine. Unfortunately, for me, I’m the middle child and I apparently have quite the case of “Middle Child Syndrome.” I’m always wanting to be in the middle of things, to mediate and fix problems between my siblings or between my siblings and my mom or even in others. There are a lot of positive aspects of this, like I’m usually the one who brings people together. But there’s plenty of frustrations with it too …

I have to realize that I can not fix these familial problems, but I feel like I have an obligation to assist those who don’t have the skill and the gumption to open cans of worms. There are so many deep-seeded and convoluted problems, there’s no way they will get fixed. The only way to get through it is to open the can of worms that is their problems, let them wriggle and writhe on the table, realize they are there, put the worms back in the cans, put the lid on them and store them on the shelf. Their problemos can’t and won’t be solved per se, but everyone needs to stop being in denial and pretending - we are not perfect. Deal with it. No one change is going to solve all of the problems.

Ok? Got all that? (Not that any of my family members even read my blog …)

Needless to say, I am very much looking forward to leaving on my travels. And, I am soooo looking forward to traveling on my own and seeing the world. It is here - my departure from this sad state of a country. I can’t wait to open my eyes to the rest of the world! To lose myself in wander and wonder and travel. Live the freedom I have and just go!

nostalgia

Published
by
Steve
on December 11, 2006
in Florida and Miscellany
. 0 Comments

Some of the famThis last month has presented many great nostalgic moments. Whether it looking at old pictures like this one, or talking to friends and family about the past or even the other day at my brothers house - I found that he had kept my Dad’s favorite mug. I had coffee in it, and I wondered aloud to my brother whether my Dad even drank coffee when he was around. I can’t remember. But, it’s a sweet mug anyway, and I’m glad my brother has it.

I also scanned in a bunch of photos for my mom and she posted them on her flickr account. The majority of the ones up there were to show how much Cameron looks like Lynn. There’s no doubt, though, that Cam looks a lot like Jeff and Lynn.

In a week, I’ll be in London

Published
by
Steve
on December 10, 2006
in Florida and Travel
. 0 Comments

This time next week, I’ll be snoozing at the Lawn Guest House in Horley.

Actually, I probably won’t be able to sleep because I’ll be so excited about flying to Rome the next morning! I have quite a problem with traveler insomnia, actually. That first day seems like it will be a long one, with the flight from Orlando to London, the time difference and the exhilaration of FINALLY starting my travels.

Upon my friend Christina’s suggestion, I hope to spend at least some of the day exploring Southbank London. Hopefully we’ll even meet up with Christina herself, since it will be a Sunday.

This past week I finally received all the big monies for my trip. I’m pretty much set for quite a while. The insurance claim for the stuff that was stolen out of my truck is finally being processed. So, I placed an order to start replacing some of the stuff. Getting a new iPod will be interesting, the one I’m getting will have 60 Gigabytes MORE storage space that my last one. I’ll be able to fit every mp3 I have on my powerbook, a few movies and still have gigs and gigs of space left for photo storage.

I’m pretty beat right now though. I’ve been helping my brother put down a new floor in his bathroom. I haven’t laid vinyl tile before, or any tile for that matter, and it is a lot more work than I ever thought. It’s nice though. Feels good to do some manual labor. The only wish I have is that we started working on the floor earlier than the last week I’m here. It would be good to see it finished, but even more, it would be good to spend more quality time with my brother. It is truly something we haven’t shared for quite some time and it is really good to experience again. We work well together too.

That’s about it for now. I need sleep …