It's important to be warm

I found this little gem in the lovely and truly dated “The East Coast of Florida is Paradise Regained” Season 1904

Nothing is calculated to give greater delights to one’s fair lady than to propose and hour in one of the safe, attractive yachts moored to the wharf, like restless steeds, impatient to bear either the robust or the invalid out on the bosom of the waters, that they may enjoy the soothing forgetfulness of the strenuous life ashore.

Yachting, unlike other outdoor amusements, never dies out, for the pure salt air breathed into the lungs, and the exhilaration attending a “Life on the Ocean Wave” gives zest, invigorates and fascinates, and increases man’s belief that he is the “noblest work of God,” especially when escorting snow-white gowned bits of femininity across the gangplank of his own yacht.

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Of all the states I’ve been in, I’ve never been in the state of Florida. We’ve remedied that. We got a fine show of it, too.

A house to visit in a very warm place in the middle of winter is offer we couldn’t refuse. The family of Ian’s former co-worker Robert owns a wee house in Daytona Beach. Robert’s mother moved into the house when she was two years old, back in 1932, and the house hasn’t changed much since. It’s right out of a picture book of old Florida, with its small rooms, fireplace, summer sleeping porch, and soft colors. The furniture has been there long enough to become humble antiques, all on the scale the house, in its quiet court, tucked into a candy box set of houses a few blocks in from the ocean.

The pier has seen better days, between the shift in the “desired” tourist population, and the hurricanes, the old carnival sort of boardwalk has a shabby decay to it that I was quite taken with. Robert commented that the town looked rough, but I found it endearing, blue tarp temporary roofing not-withstanding.

We rented snorkels, fins, masks and wetsuits and made ready watery adventures. The springs in Florida are 72 degrees year round, which is probably warm enough for me, not for the Ian. Besides, we got a super deal since it’s off season, and wetsuits make it so easy to puddle around.

Blue Springs is where manatees like to visit after a cold snap. The snap ended pleasantly just as we arrived and the manatees were out in force. In the spring itself, a manatee was peacefully bobbing around, nibbling on the greenery, bumping its snout into the sand to churn it up a bit, rubbing its face with its little fins, and generally floating around majestically as only a water mammal can.

A mother and her calf swam over to where Ian and I were floating, however we were all near the overlook dock, complete with gawking visitors and an overzealous park ranger. The ranger blew his whistle and hollered at us to swim away from the manatees and he didn’t seem to care that we weren’t going towards them as much as they were heading to us. They’re curious creatures and come swimming right up to you. It’s illegal to go to them, but they have their own ideas about these matters. We swam off sullenly but obediently and the manatees followed us out of the ranger’s sight down the curve of the river run.

A medium sized one, probably a teenager since it wasn’t too scarred up like some of the larger and older members of the community, came right up to me and checked me out fin to head. We looked at one another, my snorkel and mask to its dark murky purple squint and soft face. Simply magical.

(more later, with better internet)

Filed by joy at 8:27 pm under life
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Last night, I noticed a car parked and running out in the alley behind our house. Late model, white or silver, spoiler on the trunk. It stayed there running awhile, so of course I was suspicious. I spied on it a few times as we were ending our evening. From the vantage point of the upstairs window, I noticed the light into the car was much clearer. First I saw the jeans and a lot of shifting around, someone getting comfy in the front, someone writhing in the back. My last peep at the car showed a slender, creamy, and very naked feminine back leaning from the back seat in just such a position to be giving the splayed out driver of the car quite a holiday gift indeed.

Christmas is Love.

Some reactions, given age and cynicism:
1-Hiding from family is a holiday tradition, true enough, but the cars have gotten nicer.
2-You would think that with the price of gas, these kids could’ve afforded a room for the hour.
3-Wouldn’t a more private alley without the park’s overflowing lights be more…romantic?
4-This morning’s look out the window left me cracking up as I noticed what must be a very similar car, parked on the street in front of the house a few doors down. How do you say…Xmas break from college with your HS sweetheart… and really, the family could’ve looked out their back windows just as easily as I did.
Conclusion: Not the sharpest knives in the drawer.

Filed by joy at 10:50 am under life
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It’s not just pi anymore. It’s the upgrade to the blog.

Comments are open and welcome, but I get to approve them before they go live.

Pah and scoff on the 150 or so spam comments I got yesterday. Damn online casinos! What a hassle.

Filed by joy at 12:11 am under ubergeek
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I’m getting bombed by spammers in comments.

The blog may go down and comments may be turned off or deleted until I figure this out.

“You killed Kenny! You Bastards.”

Filed by joy at 3:56 pm under ubergeek
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WYEP is playing “Birthday” by the Sugarcubes this morning.

I consider it a very nice gift of my radio-luck, and the mid-day DJ Stephan.

Filed by joy at 10:37 am under life
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Heh heh.

I would like some gingerbread, yes please.

My birthday is Monday. I am taking the day off like it is some preordained right. I’ve instructed various work entities that they are not to call me. I will be getting a massage and a pedicure. I have even organized Ian to chauffeur me so my floating de-stressed self will not have to pay attention to such novelties as traffic laws.

I cannot wait.

Filed by joy at 11:33 pm under life
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I do like my spirits, mostly whiskey, but in this instance, I’m attempting to get into the holiday spirit. I enjoy celebrating just about anything that happens to come along, and despite all the worst renditions of every bad carol that the shops play this time of year, I really do like this season. I’ve just had a hard time getting into it this year. Partly it’s that the weather is just odd and out of place for December, not to mention that my head won’t seem to come out of my ass long enough to have a look around.

It’s taken me nearly two weeks to catch up with Susan’s wonderful Advent Calendar, and that gave me the bonus of uncovering twelve days all at once. That rather suits me anyway since I’m the sort who might just wait for all the issues of the story to be out before starting the first chapter.

We purchased a wreath for our front door from the man who is always outside Allegheny Cemetery: thin, moving fast, a bunch of flowers in each hand, never without a cigarette dangling from the side of his mouth. I drive by him so often, he’s a feature of my path down Penn Avenue. His presence alone makes me want to buy flowers more often, so I was happy to hand over a few more bucks than I might’ve spent at a shop for the same wreath.

It made the car smell great, even for just the few minutes it took to get home.

Filed by joy at 11:51 pm under life
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See that scarf I’m wearing? I made it! I’m still working on the first scarf I started, but that shimmery one, that was faster so it’s got credit as the first finished.

I knit while watching The Young Ones on BBC America, one of the three we actual watch out of the bigillion channels we have with our promo cable.

I’ve been very busy, but without any great stories to tell, until having dinner with Zig and her brood this evening.

I say: I always worry about you guys; I can eat twice as much as both of you together.
Z: I just can’t eat. I mean, I’m just not that good at it. Anyone could eat me under the table.
[pause]
Z: Oh my god. That is not what I just said.
[laughter]
Z: You were just waiting for me to catch that, weren’t you?
Me: Mmm-hmm.
(dialogue remembered, but easily ganked from her journal, thanks Zig!)

Oh yeah, and Rumsfeld…ugh. Sigh, I’m too exhausted by it all to even scoff.

Another gratuitous pic of Ian, this time with Saggar:

Nothing more to see here. Might as well consider it the end of the internet.
I forgot about this link for ages, until Haven visited and reminded me.

Filed by joy at 12:49 am under life
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Finally, the last month of 2004. Not a moment too soon.

I’ve had a hard time keeping this bloggythingie up not unlike Mimi’s beginning-middle-ending storytelling problem. Every little thing I encounter gets filed in my head under one of two categories: Reasons why this year sucked and How things will be better in 2005.

That’s not a lot of categories to make for interesting entries. Mostly, I’ve been knitting in any spare moments, which is just the best fidget ever and I’m so pleased to have learned the basics of it. It’s a useful obsession, and in the new year, it will have great added bonuses: I will be knitting instead of eating crappy food in front of the TV (already begun actually, but the official end to all crappy food is relegated to the new year). I’ve got goals regarding my state of health, and that’s traditionally a new year thing to do, so I’ll start then. After all, it’s just far too masochistic to get on the salad-wagon just before sweet-tooth heaven opens wide for hanukkwanzamas.

Not to forget my birthday, which I seem to care more about this year than most. I crossed the international date line on my birthday last year, so I legitimately got out of my 30th birthday successfully. This year, I will celebrate my 30ish birthday. Even with the date-line skipping, every five years, I have a rough one. It’s been on the age multiples of five, not year multiples, so 2005 will be better. See, the filing system in action!

Filed by joy at 3:10 pm under life
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