Orlando for my B'day...

As a pre-birthday present to myself, I took a quick trip to Orlando.

I went in early to work on Thursday (3:00 am) and had planned to stay until 11:00, but the weather started to look ugly so I left at 10:00. I had hoped to make it to the Tri-Rail station before the storm hit, but I didn't quite make it. By the time the train arrived it had stopped raining though and I was on my way to Ft Lauderdale at 11:00 instead of noon like I had originally planned.

When I was in line for the security check I heard an announcement about passengers waiting for my flight needing to proceed immediately to the gate for an important announcement. Is that ever a good sign?

The gate agent told us that our 1:50 flight had been delayed and our new departure time was 3:15. I gave Tom a call to let him know that I had rushed up there for nothing and I would be stuck at the airport for a while. I settled in and turned on my laptop to find something to do for 3 hours...

An email check informed me that the new new departure time was now 3:25

Oh joy!

I played around online for a bit and a final 2:00 email update said the even newer departure time was 3:20... yay, going in the right direction at least!

More sitting and waiting until finally they start boarding the flight. I arrive in Orlando, catch my shuttle to the hotel, check-in and am walking through City Walk on my way to Universal by 6:00. I was really looking forward to the new Simpsons ride that moved into the old Back to the Future ride building. A sign at the entrance showed a wait time of 70 minutes. The park closes at 8:00, so I figured this one ride might be the only thing I got done that evening, but I was determined to ride it anyway. I had all day Friday and part of Saturday to do everything else.

When I got to the ride entrance, the wait time showed 50 minutes. The actual time I was in line was only 30 though... not too bad. The ride is pretty awesome. I don't want to give away any details, but I really did enjoy it. I still had plenty of time before the park closed so I got in a ride on MIB Alien Attack, The Revenge of the Mummy, and Jaws.

Before heading back to the hotel I had dinner at Margaritaville... a BBQ Bacon Burger and a beer... I did a little shopping, bought a couple Tees for me and Tom and grabbed a cab back to the hotel for a shower and a sleep.

Friday morning I was up and gone at 8:00, heading straight for Islands of Adventure and the Incredible Hulk. My favorite way to start the day... front row on Hulk!



Stopped off to have a look at my picture... bought it and stuck it in a locker. I'll have to get my scanner working so I can post it. Next I was off to the Lost Continent and front row on the Ice Dragon! By this time they had the single rider line open for Spider-man... I took a ride on the Bilge Rat Barges at noon, got soaked, changed clothes and went over to Universal. I made the rounds of all my favorite rides, even got to do a solo ride on ET. I really wish I had remembered that I had my camera with me during that ride so I could have video taped him saying goodbye to me. Usually he's calling out a string of 12 names and sometimes it's hard to even hear him when he says it. There was no missing it this time. "Goodbye Melissa!" he said... "Goodbye ET!" I replied... :)

At around 4:00 the sky turned dark and it started to rain. I happened to be walking by the Jaws ride, so I figured that would be a good place to take shelter from the coming storm. I was surprised that the ride was actually still running, but that didn't stop me from climbing aboard. I'm so glad I did. This had to be the most hilarious ride of my life. Everyone had the same idea... the boat is covered, so we'll ride and stay dry... WRONG! Our poor skipper was just getting soaked in the front of the boat... and it was a cold rain too. The wind was blowing it in on all of us. Towards the end of the ride, when Jaws makes his final lunge at the boat, a small tidal wave came over the left side of the boat and soaked everyone from row 2 back. I have never seen that much water on that ride... everyone was laughing, except the guy that got a direct hit. He was sitting in the exact seat I had been in the night before...

Our skipper was great. He asked if the man's camera was OK. He said he wasn't sure, and that he'd come on the boat to stay dry. Our skipper told him there would be no extra charge for the drink... "The water is on me." To which I replied "It's on me too!" *High Fives*

I ducked in under an awning at Nathan's Hot Dog Stand just outside the boat house and called Steven and Tom to tell them about my adventure. I was soaked... I made my way from awning to doorway on my way to Finnigan's Bar & Grill for an early dinner. I was really cold from all the rain so I ordered a Bailey's and coffee and a bowl of their Guinness Beef Stew. Both were really good and just hit the spot.

I needed to make my way back to Islands for the end of the night, and to get a change of socks out of the locker. I'd been slopping around in wet socks for far too long... I'm still paying the price for that one too... ow! I have blisters in places I didn't even know existed.

I did a little more shopping as the park was closing and went back to the hotel to check out the damage on my feet... I'm definitely getting my $$ worth out of the podiatrist on Tuesday.

My flight wasn't until 6:00 on Saturday so the hotel kept my suitcase for me after check-out so I could go back to the parks for a few hours in the morning. I'm SO glad I did... I broke my old record on MIB by scoring 601,000 points!



GO ME!

I had planned to stay until 1:00, but by noon I was in quite a bit of pain from the combination of my heel spur and all my new blisters. I was back at the hotel by 12:30 and arranged for an earlier pick-up to the airport. I got there around 2:15 and my 6:00 flight was already delayed until 7:15. I had another long day ahead of me... I'm so glad I have this laptop. I spent most of the afternoon chatting with a friend...

Thanks for hanging out with me Sue!!!

I had a very bumpy flight back to Ft Lauderdale... and finally made it back to Miami around 10:30...

I'm pooped!

But I had an awesome time! I'd do it again tomorrow if I had the money for one of those scooter rentals! :)

Can't wait to get back there in October...

Let's see... where to begin...

When I last updated the blog I'd just gotten over being sick twice... today I am sick again. It's becoming a habit now, and one I'm not happy to have.

Since I was sick all weekend and not really paying attention to much of what's going on in the world, I just found out today that Steven Tyler checked into rehab last Thursday. I have very mixed emotions about this. I hate that he's going through whatever it is that he's rehabbing from... but I'd much rather find out that he's been in rehab for 3 days than find out he'd been dead for 3 days... so rehab is the bright side... right?

*sigh*

I don't want to let go of my Aerosmith yet... I know that band will not go on forever, but damnit... I'm not ready yet!!! I suppose I never will really be ready though... I'll always want that one more show.

I've been in zombie mode for about 2 weeks. I bought a couple zombie books: The Zombie Survival Guide & World War Z An Oral History of the Zombie War... both by Max Brooks. We've been watching a few George A Romero movies this week too... I spent yesterday afternoon watching the special features on my Shaun of the Dead DVD, and spent this afternoon watching the movie. I love it... it's awesome!

My trip to Orlando is coming up fast... just a little over 3 weeks and I'll be there. Yay! I can't wait to try out the new Simpsons ride... it looks great. It won't be a very long trip, but it should be enough to hold me over until my vacation in October. I'll be flying to New Orleans to meet up with Vera and Steven for the weekend. I reserved a loft at the Villa Convento... it's supposed to be haunted, but aren't all New Orleans hotels supposed to be haunted? Then I'll stay at their house for a couple days before heading back to Orlando for Halloween Horror Nights and 2 days at the parks. Yay again!

I have decided that the only shoes I can wear pain-free are Crocs. I don't care what people think of them... if they had ever gone through the pain I go through every day they wouldn't care either. I've worn my old "Professional" style Crocs all weekend and MY FEET DON'T HURT!



My 1st pair - Professional in Black.

They're awesome! So on Friday I ordered 3 new pair of Crocs. I can't wait for them to arrive...

My new Crocs:



Off Road in Khaki.




Professional in Chocolate.




Specialist in Black.


I really hope to be able to wear the Specialist style to work... because that's where I spend the majority of my time on my feet. Ugh! Don't even let me get started on work... that is an extremely sore subject for me these days...

My laptop...

I don't think I mentioned how awesome it was having that laptop with me on vacation.

That is the best purchase I have ever made.

It was SO heavy though... after carrying it around all day through 2 different airports I knew something had to be done before my return trip.

So I bought a cool little rolling laptop case... coming back to Miami was a breeze! It has space for clothes too... to double as a weekend bag. So I think that may be the only bag I take with me to Orlando in June.

I've already got the ticket and the room... I can't wait!

Bleh...

The week leading up to Valentine's Day I was sick... REALLY sick, with the flu, which after about 5 days turned to bronchitis. I went to the doctor, had the chest X-rays... got prescriptions for antibiotics, steroids, a new Albuterol inhaler and had to use a nebulizer while I was there. Bleh.

I had that annoying and lingering cough for a couple weeks. I went on vacation on February 28 and had to use my inhaler quite a bit while I was gone. So I don't think the bronchitis ever fully went away.

I flew back to Miami on March 9th... March 11th I was sick again... starting with a sore throat. I missed work on the 12th because I couldn't stop sneezing and I just don't think that mixes with food. I felt a bit better on the 13th so I went back to work... around noon I really started to feel bad again. That evening I had a fever so I was back at the doctor again yesterday... yep... bronchitis again. So now I'm on Advair indefinitely. Singulair too. And another round of antibiotics... oh joy! Luckily he gave me samples of all of it this time... he's also ordering a nebulizer for me so next time this happens I can treat myself and save a trip to his office.

Did I say "Bleh"?

Bleh.

Home Sweet New Orleans

We spent last weekend in New Orleans. Our first trip since Hurricane Katrina. We had a really good time. Driving in to town was a bit emotional for all of us... there are still a lot of areas that have damaged buildings, or places where everything is just gone.

When I get back to Miami I'm going to donate some money towards the rebuilding of one of my favorite cities. A place that years ago I wanted to move to. My home away from home...

New Orleans is a beautiful old city, and she deserves more help than she's getting.

Brad Pitt Launches The Pink Project

This is a project that Brad Pitt has launched to help the people of New Orleans the Right way. It is set to build one of the most "Green" Communities in the U.S. So it is a great investment in America. He is asking for the support of the people of the U.S. We all know our government will do nothing. But "We the People" will make a difference

read more | digg story

My new baby...

Sheba, the Toshiba Satellite Laptop.

I can't wait to take a trip and really try this thing out. I love it so far.

As an added bonus, I can finally play games at Pogo again! I hadn't been able to do that in at least a year on any of our desktop computers.

I'll be getting a plane ticket for a trip home soon. I'm planning to leave February 28th and I'll be gone about 10 days. The trip to Orlando was NOT long enough!

Later...

Happy New Year!

The first post of the new year...

I'm going to try to get more into updating this thing... I think I said the same thing last year, but this time it's true.

I just got back from a weekend in Orlando with Vera, Steven, Tammy, Tabitha, Tara, Teresa and Bobby. It was great!

I bought a laptop yesterday. It's awesome!

More later...

The artist...

formerly known as kitty...

I got a nice little present after kitty ate her dinner this evening... She's very artistic.




Seriously, this is exactly how it looked when I went to pick up the plate...





She's soooo talented!

"Tiny Cat"

There is this little black and white cat at a house on my way to work, it's not a kitten, but it's small... I named it "Tiny Cat"... each day as I walk to work, I pass by that house and see it in the yard. Most mornings I say hello to it and it just sits there and gives me a mean look...

I say it just has that mean ol' look on it's face to make up for being so tiny and it just looks at me more... so I keep going on my way to work each day.

This morning I saw a black and white cat by the side of the road, under a tree... it wasn't moving. I don't know for sure that it was Tiny Cat, it was a few houses down the street and there are quite a few black and white cats in that part of the neighborhood, but when I got there Tiny Cat wasn't in the yard...

I thought about that little cat most of the day, and when Tom picked me up from work I had him drive by that house... still no sign of my Tiny Cat in the yard, and that cat was still there by the tree...

I'll check again tomorrow... I really hope it's not the same cat... that poor little thing made me smile every morning I walked by the house... and that's a good thing.

No Mo Mrs Gap Tooth!

Well... today was the day. I took my birthday winnings and did something I have wanted to do for as long as I can remember. Here's a rarely seen before smile and a (hopefully) often seen after smile...



It feels weird... hope that weirdness goes away soon. The dentist said that was normal, and when he had his bonding done it took about a week before it felt normal and the feeling that something was stuck between his teeth finally went away...

I'm glad it's done though...

*S*

My birthday...

Yesterday was my 36th birthday and Tom took me to the Miccosukee Indian casino. I won 140.00 on a nickel slot machine, got nervous and left after only about an hour there. I really didn't want to risk giving it right back to them.

I'm going to use the money to do something I've wanted to do for as long as I can remember... have a little cosmetic work done on my teeth!

I've never smiled in pictures where my teeth would show if I could help it... maybe that will be changing soon...

After the casino I got taken out for a German dinner at Fritz & Franz Bierhaus.

It was a good day.

Samsung 932B LCD Monitor

I finally got something brand new for my computer... something not a hand-me-down from Tom...

Yesterday I bought a Samsung 932B 19" LCD Monitor.



I love it! It's hugemongous! My video games look awesome on it too!

*happy dances*

I'm freeeeeee...

got the stitches out today!!!

Day 5

Typing is getting a bit easier, but the finger is starting to hurt a little around that one really gross looking stitch.

They are being removed Friday. I can't wait!

Owwwww!

Wednesday night I spent 5 hours at the ER...

I sliced my finger open and had to get 4 stitches.

Typing is not easy...

Bleh...

It's not easy...

Your Life is 36% Green

You're on the right track to living a green life, and you're definitely doing your part to help out. You care about the earth, and hopefully this quiz has given you some ideas on how you can do more!

How Green Is Your Life?

Rock on!

You are a Rocker Girl!

If you don't have musical talent, you've got a talent for picking out great CD's. Music rules your life - and you've got the best MP3 collection of anyone you know. Many guys find you intimidating, but a select few think you're the catch of a lifetime. Start hanging out in more used record stores, and you'll find love with a fellow rocker!

What Kind of Girl Are You?

Star Wars Name

Your Star Wars Name And Title

Your Star Wars Name: Melcv Joroc Your Star Wars Title: Hcivan of Mot

What Is Your Star Wars Name and Title?

Alien Abduction?

There's a 24% Chance You've Been Abducted By Aliens

Even though you have a few alien abduction signs, you're almost certainly in the clear. However, if aliens ever do come to your neck of the woods... they'll probably be coming for you!

What Are the Chances that You've Been Abducted by Aliens?

Universal - April 2007

I arrived in Orlando before noon on Saturday (April 14). It was a quick flight up from Miami on a Beech 1900.


The view from my seat.

When I arrived I wasn't exactly sure how I was getting to the hotel from the airport. I'd looked up several options online before leaving Miami. A taxi with an estimated $35.00 fare. A shuttle for 17.00. Or the Lynx bus for just a few dollars, but making a few transfers.

Not being familiar with the bus routes I chose the shuttle this time around. Though after arriving at the hotel and seeing the bus stop right out front, I think maybe next time I'll try them out.

Our shuttle driver was very friendly and talked to us along the way. I shared the shuttle with a couple from Philadelphia that were staying at the Hard Rock Hotel. (Jealous!!!) After dropping them off he took me to my place.

I checked in and changed into some more comfortable (it was HOT) clothes and headed for Universal. I decided to walk because the girl at the front desk said it was about a ten minute walk that would save me about 8.00 if I didn't take a taxi. It actually took 15-20 minutes, but I walk all the time anyway so I didn't mind. If it hadn't been 900 degrees that day I could have probably made it quicker...

I chose Islands of Adventure first because I wanted roller coasters! The line for the Incredible Hulk coaster was 45 minutes and there was no single rider line so I decided to come back to him later. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man was my first ride of the trip. No wait at all in the single rider line for this one. Next I headed over to Lost Continent and the Dueling Dragons... Fire... and Ice!

I spent a few hours there and went to Margaritaville for a late lunch. Steven, Vera and Greg were still hours away on the road from Alabama and I was HUNGRY! I had the Cuban Meatloaf Survival sandwich and a Last Mango in Paris margarita. Mmmmmmm...

Next I was off to Universal Studios. I spent the rest of the evening there and then caught a cab back to the hotel.

After a shower and a late dinner from a nearby Wendy's I watched a little TV while I waited for the rest of the group to arrive. They got in late, around 11:00 I think. There was quite a bit of bad weather in the forecast for the early morning hours so we decided not to be in too big of a hurry to get going the next day. They were tired from the long drive anyway and we had 3 days there so we had no reason to be rushed.

By 8:00 or 9:00 the next morning, the weather still hadn't arrived, so we decided to get ready and go. We decided on an early lunch (around 11:00) at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co. We arrived at Universal and parked, but on the way through all the moving walkways that take you from your car to the entrance of City Walk the rain arrived. She short sprint from the last bit of covered walkway to Bubba Gump's front door was an adventure, and we were soaked when it was over. Our waiter was very nice... he cheered us on and high-fived us as we ran through the door "The Wet Family is here!"

Vera's boyfriend, Greg had never been to Universal Studios, so we took the first day slow and made sure he got to do everything this trip. Several times we split up so they could do shows we'd already done. Me and Steven were there for roller coasters and alien attacks.

On this trip, Steven became the new Grand Champion of MIB Alien Attack, beating my previous high score. The new score to beat is 714000. I was very close on my last try... 675000 I'll get you next time Steven!

After Orlando I rode back to Alabama with them and spent a few days being Miss Kitty's favorite sleeping spot. She was on my lap for 3 days...

I always hate leaving... I can't wait for the next visit...

Halloween Horror Nights - here we come!

I'm back...

and already counting down again...

Updates III

I just added 15 more pictures to the Rock City Gardens page of the "Etc" section.

The place really is beautiful. I hope to be able to fit another trip in there when I go home either next month or in the fall...

It's still countdown time...

Click it!

My new desk.

Yesterday I bought a new desk. My old desk had an open back and things were always falling behind it, never to be seen again. I went to Staples and looked at their computer armoires and found this one...



We put it together without the doors because there just isn't enough room for them in the space we're using it. I just LOVE it. There's so much more storage space than on my old desk and the back is closed in!!

May 25th!

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Woo Hoo!

Updates II

Pictures from our 2005 Rocky Horror Picture Show are up in the Alabama section!

Website Updates.

I'm beginning to catch up on some updates at Melissa's Trips that I've been putting off for a while.

I just added some pictures from our January 2005 trip to Desoto Caverns and I've gotten a few of our Rock City pictures up. It will take me a while to get captions on all of the pictures... that's my least favorite part about doing these updates so I always put it off as long as possible.

Bugs!

A few weeks ago I noticed a few small black bugs in our kitchen. I didn't think much about them at first, that is until the "few" became the "many". I started searching the 'net to see if I could identify them. My Google search led me to a site called What's that Bug? and on that site I found them! Pantry Weevils.

I talked with Tom's mother and told her we needed to go through all of the cabinets in the kitchen and find out where they came from. I knew there must have been some kind of food in there somewhere that was causing it.

That weekend I searched through all of the food that belongs to me and Tom and found nothing. I figured his mom had done the same and didn't think anything about it again until tonight.

While I was cooking dinner I noticed a LOT of the little bugs on the floor around the cabinets, and more on the wall behind them. His mom came in so I asked if she had gone through her cabinet. Nope... she said most of the stuff in there had never been opened so she didn't think she needed to check it. WRONG! I found several of the little buggers crawling around inside her cabinet, so she starts taking stuff out and came across a box of organic rotini pasta in the back and hands it to me. I could see a couple of the bugs crawling inside the package through the little "window" on the front. She tosses it in the trash and that's that...

After dinner I'm back in the kitchen with Tom and he opens the trash can lid to throw something out and it is FULL of them... seriously, the whole top of the bag and inside the lid is black, covered with bugs! Ack!

We tossed it in the can outside and sprayed everything with bug spray. I really hope that getting rid of the pasta will get rid of the bugs. I need to do a bit more reading about them and find out I guess...

Seems like it's always something around here...

Carnaval on the Mile Pics

A few pictures from last weekend...


Hot 8 Brass Band



---------------------------------

Miami Heat Street Band

Countdown time!

| Create Your Own

BBQ Time!

A few of Tom's friends came over for a BBQ last night and after dinner they walked over to the Mile with us to listen to some jazz. We missed the Hot 8's 7:00 show but they joined the Soul Rebels for 2 songs and it was really great. I've got one more chance to see them today at 4:30. We also missed Dr John. I had a pretty bad headache after we got back last night and didn't feel like walking back over at 11:00 to see his show. He's playing again tonight though, and we're definitely going.

It was SO hot yesterday. When I went over at 11:00 AM it was already 82 (felt like 86, or at least that's what TWC said, personally I think it felt like 186). It was much hotter when I went back over at 1:30 for lunch, so hot I didn't even want to know the exact temperature.

I stopped by a Greek booth and picked up a couple gyros for me and Tom and got back to the house as quickly as possible.

Happy Birthday Steven!

Today is Steven's 16th birthday!

Woooooo....

Carnaval on the Mile

This weekend is the annual Carnaval on the Mile Jazz, food, wine and art fest on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables, Florida.

I'm on my way over there now to check out the early exhibits.

I usually don't stay too long during the day because it's just too hot, but I'm definitely going back tonight at 7:00 to see the Hot 8 Brass Band and again at 11:00 to see Dr. John. The Hot 8 Brass band was there last year and they were great. Can't wait for the show...

CAT-astrophe!

Last weekend I had a cold so Tom had taken over the cat feeding duties at night so I could sleep. On Monday morning he told me of his sanity questioning adventure from the night before...

He said he had let our cat inside to eat her dinner because it was a little bit cold out... she ate, sniffed around the house a bit, and went back outside. At around 2:00 am or so he goes out to the kitchen to get something to drink and in the darkness he thought he saw a black cat run through the room. He wasn't sure... it was dark. So he gets his flashlight and searches the house, doesn't find anything and goes back to our room thinking he's losing it...

He watches a movie and around 5:00 am goes back out and is hit by this horrible smell when he opens the bedroom door. He again gets the flashlight and searches the house and this time finds a pile of poop next to the front door. He's really thinking he's losing it now... he can't find a cat anywhere in the house, and he's starting to think it must have been there all along, from when he let our cat in to eat. Now I'm having none of this idea because I just KNOW my cat would not poop in the house... seriously... I know. But really, what other explanation is there? There is no other cat and my cat was in the house earlier.

Now we get to Thursday night and we head out to the kitchen to get food for our cat. We hear this loud noise in the room between the kitchen and garage, like things are being knocked around and the blinds are being shaken. My first thought is that someone is out there messing around, but we look in and no one is there... no person anyway... there is a cat in there!!! One of our neighbors strays that she keeps around has hidden itself in there since Sunday night and we can't get it out. We use that room for storage of your basic junky stuff... empty boxes, camping gear, old books... The stupid cat has gotten down under all of that stuff and will not move. So at 10:30 pm, we have to start unloading all of the stuff in that room into the back yard and dig out the cat. Finally, we get enough stuff out that we can see exactly where it is... for a while we would just move a few things then stop and listen for movement... and poke around blindly with a broom handle. After we found it, that is when the fun began...

The cat was obviously terrified. It would run around the room climbing on top of everything it came close to. At one point it climed the window screen and got on top of the blinds. I had to go outside and tap on the window to get it down... It kept going back down under this old weight bench and hiding. Finally we were able to get it to run outside.

We were so worn out afterwards that we just left everything in the back yard overnight.

We're still not sure how or when the cat got in. The door had been left open by a few people throughout the day, so I guess it could have went in at any time and found a place to hide. It's just amazing to me that it was there that long and no one saw it.

Dog or Cat?

You Are: 30% Dog, 70% Cat

You and cats have a lot in common. You're both smart and in charge - with a good amount of attitude. However, you do have a very playful side that occasionally comes out!

Are You More Cat or Dog?

First Deadwood...

and now I think they're going to cancel Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

I'm really not happy about it either... I like the show alot. I've decided that we just shouldn't even start watching any new shows again because they eventually get canceled when we like them.

More BlogShares stuff

I still haven't gotten this thing figured out completely...

I made a voting mistake and now I have - Karma

I did figure out how to get my Networth graph though.



Maybe after I get over this cold I'll feel like reading about it more... right now I feel like crap.

It's the weekend...

and I'm sick!

I was just fine when I woke up yesterday and went to work. About an hour after I got there my throat got a little scratchy and in another hour I was sneezing, had a stuffy nose and just felt horrible. I think that's the fastest a cold has ever come up on me before...

Blog$hares

I started playing a game called Blog$hares last night. It's a fantasy stock market game where you buy shares of blogs. I've barely gotten started but so far it looks interesting.

If you want to try it out, click here... who knows, maybe I'll even get something if you sign up.

You do not need to have your own blog to play.

Oh yeah... I had surgery!

I have been letting this blog go unattended for quite a while...

I had surgery in December... got myself fixed so I could stop taking those evil birth control pills. They were doing all sorts of horrible things to me and after taking them for about half of my life I actually am starting to feel better since stopping them 2 months ago.

The surgery went well and I got over it relatively quickly... and I don't think I whined too much during recovery, but you would have to ask Tom to find out for sure.

He really took great care of me while I was recovering. Yep... I have got me one really good boyfriend.

I had a laparoscopic tubal ligation, and I have only a tiny little scar from it. The worst part of the whole ordeal was getting over the carbon dioxide bubble that parked itself under my right rib for about 3 days after surgery. That was a horrible feeling and it kept me out of work for a couple days longer than I had originally planned. I am SO glad that went away...

I'm very happy I had the surgery AND that I have fully recovered from it... I do not miss taking those pills every day.

Orlando trip - April '07

I finally made my hotel reservations at a Universal Studios area hotel and am really ready to go...

Is it April yet?

I'll be spending 4 nights at the Suburban Extended Stay Universal. It's nothing fancy, but it's definitely affordable and extremely close to Universal Studios. I was actually looking forward to being able to stay at a nicer than usual hotel on this trip but the surgery I had, and the unexpected extra doctor bill from that surgery put an end to that idea. It's not a big deal though considering the small amount of time we actually spend at the hotel when we are in Orlando. We're really only there to sleep and shower anyway...

After Orlando, I'll be hitching a ride back to Alabama with Vera and Steven for a couple days before flying back to Miami...

V Day!

Well it's almost time... time to spend 12 hours at work inflating helium balloons and selling flowers. I will be so glad when it's over.

It's Stupor Bowl Sunday!

It's the big day in rainy South Florida. I'm looking forward to all of the great commercials during the game tonight and also the big halftime show with Prince!

I've just started using a new IM program that is web-based. It's called Meebo!



Check it out!

Happy 2007!

I can't believe another year is almost gone...

Shula fired

Full Story

TUSCALOOSA — Alabama football coach Mike Shula was informed of his firing by UA athletics director Mal Moore in a meeting late Sunday night at Moore's house, a source close to the situation said early today.

The source said the university is scheduling a press conference today — likely at 2 p.m. — to formally announce Shula's dismissal. The meeting will occur after Shula has a chance to address his players about his firing, which he was not able to do late Sunday night.

Thomas Murphy, posted November 28, 8:58 a.m.

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I was really hoping they would give the guy one more year. I was sure he was going to do good things for my team.

Goodbye Coach Shula. I'm sorry to see you go.

It's Iron Bowl Day!

The Alabama Auburn game is today at 3:30. I hope my boys play well...

I am always really homesick on this day. Being down here in Miami where I'm practically the only person that gives a damn about this game, makes me wish I was home watching with my fellow Bama fans, cheering on our Crimson Tide.

I was surprised in Sears a little while ago when I got a "Roll Tide" from a girl walking by... sure don't hear that much down here, except when I'm saying it myself. It made me smile.

ROLL TIDE...

153

Yep... that's how many days until I'm back at Universal Studios with Vera and Steven.

But until then... we're getting ready for our busiest time of the year at work... Turkey Day!

After that will be Christmas and before you know it we'll be ringing in the new year!

It's hard to believe that 2006 is almost over...

After another loss last week, Alabama is facing LSU tonight.

Another TripAdvisor Review

is up!

Renaissance Concourse Hotel

Alabama 38 - FIU 3

Next week: Mississippi State

Ok... so I'm back...

It always takes me a while to get back to updating things when I get back from home. I am always very homesick and depressed when I get back to Miami...

I spent several hours last night updating Aerosmith Island with pictures from our show in Nashville.

The Motley Crue pics are here and the Aerosmith pictures are here.

The show was GREAT, but we froze our asses off all night. It was 45 degrees in Nashville and pouring down rain. We didn't let that stop us from having the time of our lives though.

Our only complaint was that Tom Hamilton wasn't well enough to rejoin the tour yet, so it just didn't feel right without him being there.

Get well soon Tom!

I hope I get another chance to see all 5 of the Bad Boys of Boston again someday.

Let's see... Alabama had 1 win and 1 loss while I was gone... today they are playing FIU.



I always wish I am home... so I guess it's no surprise that I've already bought my plane ticket for the next trip... in April.

Let the countdown begin!

I'm leeeeeaving... on a jet plane...

I'm going home today!

Alabama 30 - Duke 14

Next week: Ole Miss

It's almost time...

This time next week I'll be just about 9 hours from vacation time...

I'm going home!!!

I can't wait... got lots of stuff planned. Six Flags, Aerosmith & Motley Crue, Sloss Fright Furnace...who knows what else we'll get into.

*happy dancing*

Tyler has Hep C

Steven Tyler Reveals Hepatitis C Battle

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has revealed that he was diagnosed with hepatitis C three years ago, and recently went through 11 months of treatment.

"I've had hepatitis C for a long time, asymptomatic," Tyler tells Access Hollywood in a new interview set to air Tuesday. "And I talked to my doctor ... and he said now is the time and it's 11 months of chemotherapy. So I went on that and it about killed me."

Tyler, 58, says he's much better after undergoing the treatment. "It is nonexistent in my bloodstream as we speak, so it's one of those few miracles in doctoring where it's like a complete cure," says Tyler.

Hepatitis C is a liver disease spread by contact with the blood of an infected person, according to the Web site for the Centers for Disease Control. Many people who have hepatitis C show no symptoms of the disease.

Tyler also says the treatments, which included taking the drug interferon, were hard in his marriage to his wife of 17 years, Teresa, whom he split from earlier this year.

"I had a little problem at home, to say the least," he says. "I would run upstairs at night, you know, to put the kids asleep and wake up at 3 in the morning with a nosebleed you know, just passed out from the interferon, the treatment."

After keeping quiet about the disease for so long, Tyler says he'd like to share his knowledge about it with others.

"I may go on Oprah and talk about this," he says. "I mean you know it's just one of those things... it's one of those things people don't speak about it, but it is treatable."

In March Tyler announced he planned to undergo surgery for an undisclosed medical condition, which forced Aerosmith to cancel its remaining tour dates. At the time, his rep said that doctors had advised the singer "not to continue performing to give his voice time to recover."

People.AOL.com

South Park Personality Quiz

Alabama 13 - Florida 28

Next week: Duke

Alabama 23 - Arkansas 24

OUCH!



Next week: Florida

Alabama 41 - Louisiana-Monroe 7

By JAY REEVES

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) John Parker Wilson threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns in Alabama's best offensive performance of the season and the Crimson Tide beat Louisiana-Monroe 41-7 on Saturday night.

Full Story

Next week: Arkansas

Alabama 13 - Vanderbilt 10

By JOHN ZENOR

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -Freshman walk-on Leigh Tiffin hit a 47-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, lifting Alabama to a 13-10 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Next week: LA-Monroe

Alabama 25 - Hawaii 17

Alabama won their first game of the season last night against the University of Hawaii.

Next week: Vanderbilt

Tom Hamilton treated for cancer.

Today I found out that Tom Hamilton has just completed a seven week radiation treatment for throat cancer. He'll be missing out on the opening dates of the tour, but plans to re-join the rest of the band in mid-October.

Guess what!

The Aerosmith & Motley Crue Route of All Evil tour is making a stop in Nashville on October 19th and I'm going to be in Birmingham that VERY week!

When we first heard about this tour we decided that for Steven's fall break, instead of them coming here for Universal/Islands again, I would go there and IF there were any shows we could possibly make it to we would go. We didn't care where... we were going. Imagine our surprise when a show turned up just 175 miles away...

No tickets have been sold yet, but we're checking the Motley Crue fan club every day hoping for a pre-sale. Ticketmaster will start their sale on 8/19.

I was afraid when we first started planning this that we would end up having to drive to Chicago or somewhere... Nashville is much better.

During my high school years... when there was no Aerosmith... Motley Crue was my band. It's now been 17 years since I've been to a Crue show... my last was the year I graduated, in 1989. I didn't realize just how much I missed them until Vera and Steven started going to shows these last couple years...

My review is up!

Travelodge - International Drive

My Birthday trip to Universal.

Today is my birthday and I just got back from Universal Studios in Orlando, FL. My plan was to spend 2 days riding roller coasters at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure as many times as possible. Unfortunately Mother Nature had other plans.

We arrived in Orlando early Friday evening (June 23rd) and after checking in at the Travelodge - International Drive we went over to City Walk for dinner and a movie. We had a great dinner at Margaritaville and saw The Omen 666. While waiting for our table we picked up a couple of rum runners from Margaritaville's outdoor drink window. After being seated I decided I wasn't really happy with my drink so I gave it to Tom and ordered a (much better) "Don't Stop the Carnival" strawberry, banana, mango daiquiri. I had the Cuban Meatloaf Survival sandwich and fries for dinner and it was sooooo good. I wish now I had gone back for another one before we left. Tom had the Bayou shrimp pasta and practically licked his plate clean.

I thought they did a really good job on the remake of The Omen. The kid was creepy enough and Mia Farrow was great as the nanny.

After the movie we headed back to the hotel because we had an early start ahead of us on Saturday.

The next day we started out at 8:00 am and went to Universal first. We did the Shrek 4-D show first because Tom hadn't seen it and if you don't do it early you'll spend half your day in line for it later. Another thing you need to do early is Jaws. Lines get really long later in the day for that one. I talked Tom into riding Revenge of the Mummy with me once. We did MIB: Alien Attack... I love that ride! Twister is still great too... we also caught the Fear Factor Live show.

We started to get hungry in the afternoon and decided to head over to Islands and grab a sandwich at Blondie's. But first I had to stop by and visit my old friend the Incredible Hulk. So I run over to the single rider line and after a few technical difficulties (a small rain shower) I finally got to ride my favorite coaster. I had a turkey sandwich for lunch that was really good and Tom had the Dagwood... he was not impressed. Said it was only a so-so sandwich... nothing to write home about.

And then it happened...

Monsoon!!!



It started pouring at around 2:30 while we were having lunch. Thunder and lightning like crazy! After we finished eating we RAN over to a gift shop across the "street" from Blondie's and I bought us a couple of ponchos. We decided then it was probably a good idea to head back over to the theater and catch another movie. We hoped by the time it was over the rain would have stopped and we could get back to business... roller coaster business!

But... we picked a really bad movie... Cars. Normally I like those Pixar animated movies but I just couldn't get into this one. Maybe the fact that I REALLY don't like NASCAR had something to do with it. I was also freezing because my clothes were soaked and the theater had their air conditioner on full blast. We ended up leaving not long after the movie started and went back to the hotel to change clothes.

A couple hours later it stopped raining and we went back to the park until closing time. We stood in line way too long for the new High in the Sky Trolley Train Ride, but it was cute and I told Tom that if we got there early enough the next day I would like to ride it again because it's actually 2 rides that go on separate tracks around different parts of the park.

We had a great dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe Saturday night. I had their ribs and chicken combo with Joe's Bloody Mary (made with Joe Perry's Mango Peach Tango hot sauce) and Tom had a NY Strip.

Then it was back to the hotel we go...

Sunday's forecast wasn't looking so good. On Saturday it had been a 40% chance of rain and we got a monsoon... Sunday's was 60%...

So we packed up the ponchos and got another early start on Sunday. This time we went to Islands first and rode the Amazing Adventures of Spider-man first. When we came out it was drizzling rain a little so we figured since we were going to get wet anyway we might as well ride Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges. No one else was there so we had the boat to ourselves... and when the ride was over and we were thoroughly soaked, the guy on the dock asked if we wanted to go again... so of course we did... and again... we rode 3 times in a row before we had enough. Next we went back to Seuss' Landing to ride the trolley again... I don't envy whoever had to sit in our soggy seats on the next ride.

I rode Dueling Dragons next... Fire first, then Ice. I still prefer Fire... it seems to be a much smoother ride.





We got tired of the soaking wet clothes and each bought a pair of new shorts to change into and decided to go over to Universal for a while. We rented a locker for our wet clothes and started making the rounds. We did the single rider line for MIB a couple times and I got my highest score yet: 469,975! Yay! I took a solo ride on the Mummy and we cooled off on the ET Adventure. We watched the Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue show and it was great. I don't know why I'd never done that before...

After that we went back to Islands because I really wanted to ride the Hulk coaster again. I told Tom I expected it to start raining at any time because we had put the ponchos in the locker over at Universal. Unfortunately when we got there the Hulk coaster had been shut down again... it seems there was lightning in the area or something...so I went back to Spider-man. Then we walked back over to the Lost Continent area to see if the Dragons were running... no luck. So we walked over to the Jurassic Park Discovery Center and sat down for a while watching in the direction of the Hulk. A little while later it started running again so we started to go back over... Tom decided to wait for me in the Lost Continent because we had a 6:00 reservation at Mythos, and I figured I had just enough time to run over, ride Hulk, and run back before dinner. WRONG! I get to Hulk, call Tom on the cell to let him know I'm in line, get to the point in the line where the Express Pass people go one way and single riders go the other way when the guy there tells me they aren't taking single riders. Then I hear the "technical difficulties" thing again... it's POURING again and I'm on the opposite side of the park from Tom and Mythos. I call Tom back and tell him what he already knows... no Hulk for me. At this point I'm pretty pissed so I take off my socks and put them in my pockets (because I do NOT want to walk around in wet socks twice in one day) take off my T-shirt (no you pervs... I had on a tank top under it) and rolled it up tight. I want to try to keep it as dry as possible. I stick the T-shirt ball under my tank and take off running through our second monsoon of the weekend. I stopped off at Mythos on the way and cancelled our reservation because at this point I am just NOT in the mood and they thanked me for letting them know. I guess a lot of people just don't show up. I make it back to Tom and we sit there a bit waiting for the rain to stop. *sigh* At least I had a partially dry shirt to put on.




After the rain eased up a little we decided to call it a day. I had a couple stops to make... Vera wanted another bottle of Joe Perry's Mango Peach Tango sauce from the Hard Rock and I had to go back to Universal to get our stuff from the locker.

So we went back to the room... changed clothes again and went out for dinner. That was a whole other nightmare... all I can say is AVOID Sizzler on International Drive on Sunday night!

Now I'm back in Miami hoping to get back to Universal before the end of the year and hoping for better weather when I do get there...

Don't get me wrong... I had fun. Just not as much fun as I had hoped for.

Till next time...

1 more day!!!

By this time tomorrow we should be on the road to Orlando. I'm so excited!

Since buying my 2 park preferred annual pass I keep getting invited to all sorts of sneak previews at the parks. Unfortunately they are for times I'm NOT going to be in Orlando.

The first was a preview of the new ride in Seuss' Landing: The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!™ The preview was last weekend.

Today I got an invitation to be one of the first to see the new UNIVERSAL 360 Cinesphere Spectacular. That one is next weekend.

We're going THIS weekend.

Oh well... maybe next time.

Happy Birthday to me!

I quit smoking the week of my birthday (June 26th) 2002, but apparently I'm on Marlboro's mailing list for life...

When I smoked, I never got anything much from them. Now that I've quit I get stuff all the time... mostly coupons, but today I got a gift.

It's a bottle opener that's about the size of a credit card. It's made to fit in a wallet... it's kinda neat I guess. Though I haven't actually opened a bottle with it yet, so I don't know if it works or not.

I see that quite a few people are selling them on eBay... I don't know what they think they'll get for them... so far the highest bid is 99 cents.