A Red-Letter Day

Today was actually a pretty good day. I didn’t exactly get a lot accomplished work-wise, but other things made it a good day.

The best part of the day is actually pretty funny… we had a team meeting and it was announced that vacation capacity is being expanded for the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. We request vacation time every year in October and November. At that time last year, only two people in my department of 120 employees had less seniority than me. Since we can only request time off for one of these three weeks, I requested Thanksgiving. By the time bidding made its way to me, that had the shortest wait list. I was third on the wait list for Monday through Wednesday, but had Friday after Thanksgiving off (it’s a work day for my employer). But I figured I’d take what I could get and be happy.

In the past, 20% of the workforce is allowed off for those weeks. Today they announced an increased vacation capacity to 40% of the workforce. When I got back to my desk, I pulled up the vacation calendar for the department and confirmed with various personnel changes how many people are in my job classification in our department. Under 40% capacity, twenty-three people get time off during those weeks. Another quick glance told me nine people were approved off and seven were wait listed so that left seven available spots. I fired off an email requesting days off for Christmas Eve, the day after Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. I’ve been with the company for 3.5 years and I alley-ooped the most sought after set of vacation days out from under quite a few 20-year employees. I’ll give up my dates in October to have more time during the holidays. ¡No problema! This will never happen again, but I plan to enjoy it while it lasts!

Scott poked the hell out of my left trap again tonight and it hurts like the dickens, but it loosened up a lot after he used me for a pincushion on Tuesday and is looser still this evening. It’s also bruised clean through (you get stabbed by a bunch of needles and we’ll see how you feel!). By and large, though, it does feel better. He also wrangled a cavitation out of my thoracic spine–a feat in and of itself.

Now the icing on my day was getting my coffee table book of my trip back east. Ooo-la-la! Gorgeous!

I think I’ve told you, I use two different groups for printing my books. My personal books go through MyPublisher, if I’m hired out to do books/albums for others, I use Blurb. MyPublisher is limited to 100 pages, Blurb allows umpteen pages. The biggest difference, though, is the quality of the product. MyPublisher offers a heavier weight stock and a new heavily lacquered version that is scratch resistant. Better yet, the heavy lacquer creates crisper images and makes the colors in the photos pop. And the best part is that after four books with MyPublisher, my templates are spot on for how much room I have to allow for the gutter and trim marks (talkin’ a li’l shop, I know). My mama was, and is, a graphic designer. Yours truly used to own a graphic design business as well. Now I use my powers for good instead of evil and create my coffee table books to commemorate my many travels. (And if you click on the cover art, it’ll take you to my pretend business site on FB (basically the place I store the artwork for my various books–you’ll find the trip to Washington, D.C., Vancouver Olympics, and Europe from the last few years–because I have no intention of creating a real business site).) All that to say, my proof is perfect so I don’t have to make any corrections and do a reprint. Yippie!

My trip to Georgia in November won’t be a sightseeing endeavor as much as a shoring up of my person through some quality time with Jackie. I’ll go back in the spring to do some sightseeing. Utah, the preferred destination in October, will still be there in the spring as well. That means I won’t be working on some books for a while. I may still attempt a day trip to Scotts Bluff National Monument in Nebraska and Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument here in Colorado, but I won’t be making any huge trips in the near future. And that’s okay. I usually do one of those every eighteen months or so.

Okay gentlepeople, it’s that time again. I’m still exhausted so it’s off to bed for me. I just thought I’d tell you about my vacation score for the holidays (oh, and the company gives us two use-’em-or-lose-’em days to be used between November 1 and January 15) and my excitement over my book (it’s going to work tomorrow for the general population’s viewing pleasure (they know about my books and look forward to them as they live vicariously through my travels)). Tomorrow is a half-day (Saturday is my second-to-last mandatory Saturday shift ever!) and I’m headed to Andy and Debbie’s for family supper with a pretty large group (everyone else is legally related). Should be a hoot!

That said, g’night!

P.S. Almost forgot! Remember when I left my winter coat at my cousin’s house in Williamsburg, Virginia back in April? It arrived in the mail today. And not a moment too soon! I was in danger of becoming a popsicle… there’s snow on the Peak and it’s getting into the 40s at night now. And I’m rather partial to my winter coat… black, double-breasted, wool coat by Michael Kors. And most importantly, it fits! Like I said, a red-letter day!

Done and Done!

I know I’ve deserted all of you… but it hasn’t been in vain. Aside from my field trip last Saturday (to Wyoming and back), I’ve spent most of my spare time working on my coffee table book. And it is done! Ready to go to press! Sweet!

This is the cover… and you’re looking at part of one of the memorials to the men who died in the Battle of Gettysburg.

I haven’t sent the book off to press just yet. There are a few things here and there I want to stew over and just make sure everything is exactly as I want it. Because this trip was so mammoth, I basically had to start over three times. The first ninety pages (out of one hundred) have, almost to a “T”, been reworked from the ground up.

Two pages that have not been reworked are the Cyclorama at Gettysburg National Battlefield Park. These are my two favorite pages in the book and, as such, my favorite spread.

No flash photography is allowed when viewing the Cyclorama. Oh, this is a painting that is in a circle and spans the full 360°. It’s remarkable. Anyway, no flash photography. My camera is a Canon 5D. If I need a flash for a photo, I have to open my camera bag, grab the flash unit and attach it to my camera. That’s right. 5Ds do not have a pop-up flash. I love this! (No sarcasm.) I don’t carry a monopod or tripod… they’re too heavy for my back. The room in which the Cyclorama is displayed has a railing, so I braced my camera against the railing and was able to get the most outstanding time exposures. The saturation of the color and clarity of image were worth every second of not twitching. At least in the group that viewed the Cyclorama with me, I’d wager I was the person who walked away with the best pictures. Although these pages were put together in PhotoShop, my images have not been altered. The colors really are this bold, vivid, and rich.

My other favorite spread…

I am not usually someone who captures animals or birds well. Gigantic monoliths, sure… rivers, absolutely… beef, fish, or fowl? Well… not so much. Luckily, this dude moved slowly so I was able to capture the pictures as I saw them in my head. I was tickled to get such a great shot of him perched on the fence with his feathers falling behind him. They reminded me of a waterfall. And the teal is an absolutely beautiful shade. I can definitely understand from whence the term, “proud as a peacock” stems.

Since I hit so many places associated with the National Park System, I chose to use that as a theme throughout the book. Whenever you visit a location operated by NPS, you have the option of grabbing a brochure. It will contain a map if one is needed and various facts and/or history about the location.

Each brochure has a black stripe with the name of the location and the NPS logo. Me being me… I emulated it. My book is not for publication or sale, and as a logo of the branch of the federal government, there’s no copyright infringement. Yeah! Normally, if I’m going for a look such as this, I try to copy something as close to the original as possible. However, some location names proved to be a bit long for an 8.5″ page limitation (not counting the gutter widths left for trim). As such, I did have to shrink the text and then use the tricks of the trade to skinny it up on occasion.

If I could, I tried to put the locations in as well, as you saw with the Eisenhower NHS page. Franklin here had too many moving parts to do that. A third line of text was not possible. And yes, I like to include signatures where I can. Jefferson and Monroe had those honors… ooo, come to think of it, I might make a slight alteration to an FDR and MLK page to include these. My 2008 book to Washington, D.C. had Washington, Lincoln, Bobby Kennedy, and JFK’s signatures in it. Why not? It’s all part of history…

So yes, I deserted all of you to plow through this work. I can get pretty focused at times and my blog felt like a distraction while I was trying to get this done. Doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about you, though!

In the last week and a half, I’ve cracked way down on my calories and have shed the five pounds I gained whilst figuring out what was going on with my BP and remaining pretty sedentary, plus another pound for good measure. Yeah! And I’m holding strong. I still haven’t felt very motivated to get back to the gym, but that’s okay. My upper back has been a bit wonky and I’m back to wearing really nice tape art, er, kinesio tape on my thoracic spine.

About a week ago, I got a call from Dr. R’s nurse telling me it was time to schedule my yearly physical. Really? Because I’ve been in her office once a week for the past six weeks. They’ve drawn more blood out of me than I’ve had pulled in years. I’ve done all kinds of tests, including a stress test. So when I saw Dr. R for my final BP follow up on Wednesday, I asked her if I really needed to schedule a physical. Nope. According to her, I’m “very, very healthy” and don’t need to come in for a physical for another year. Works for me!

So there you have it… not too terribly much going on, but life is still moving forward. I have beans cooking on the stove for homemade chili, plans to head to Debbie and Andy’s for the first half of USC’s first football game of the season–Fight On, Trojans!–and then head home for the second half, a three-day weekend before me, and more projects to work on now that the book is done. Healthy, losing weight again, and busy.

And in case you’re wondering about what I did on the other 90-something pages, here you go:

Revolutionary Yet Civil

Good thing I didn’t send it to press… I just realized there’s a big typo on the colophon. Oops.

Because I Can

So, I drove to Wyoming yesterday. And back. Why? Because I can.

I wanted to see Fort Laramie National Historic Site. I’ve driven by it, but never seen it. So, I climbed in my car yesterday morning, went to the bank, and then set out in a northerly direction. It took just over four hours to get there and since I hadn’t topped off my gas tank prior to leaving, I stopped only once. To get gas in Guernsey, Wyoming. Yes, there is a town named Guernsey. And it’s a town–no stop lights that I could find. I drove through Chuckwagon, too. And over Fish Creek. Seeing the names of some of these places quickly confirms you’re in the back country. Had it been a weekday, I would’ve detoured from the freeway for one stop, to tour the state capitol. I drove through Cheyenne, but the capitol building is closed on the weekends. Bummer. I’ll just have to go back.

It was fun to walk around Ft. Laramie because you can still see some of the foundations for the original buildings. I think they said only one of the buildings is original, but many have been restored. Some buildings still have walls standing, too. Inside the restored buildings are period pieces of clothing, quilts, furniture, musical instruments, etc.

Fort Laramie is a crucial piece of our nation’s history. It played host to settlers on the Oregon Trail, California Trail, and Mormon Trail (a.k.a. Mormon Pioneer Trail). It was also a stop for the famed Pony Express.

My camera and I had a good time. Some of the other tourists–I was surprised at the number of people, including two German tourists and four French, milling around because you don’t “accidently” end up here!–were fascinated at my technique for getting pictures. First, my camera doesn’t have a flash. Pro-grade cameras don’t come with flashes, generally speaking. You have to buy a separate flash unit that attaches to the camera. As such, I don’t have to worry about getting a glare from the flash off of the glass in the doors and windows. You’re not allowed to walk through the rooms, touching items. Everything has glass, or more probably plexiglass, that you look through. I would also use my hands as shades to eliminate glare from the sun as it streamed through. I’m pretty sure all of my photos came out with nary an unwanted splash of sunlight reflecting off the glass. Yeah! And, without the flash, I should have plenty of warm tones in the photos.

And before you ask, no. I haven’t uploaded a single image to my computer yet. I have to finish up the coffee table book and then work over the photos from the Memorial Day weekender at Badlands National Park, Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Wind Cave National Park, and Jewel Cave National Monument. But I did get five stamps in my passport! (I know you’ve been chomping at the bit for that little piece of information.)

On my way out the door, I grabbed my lunch box, some ice packs, and some formula. It was kind of nice to eat drink on the road. When I made it back into town, I stopped off at Bird Dog BBQ to see my brother and pick up some turkey for dinner. After ten-and-a-half hours on the road, I wasn’t cooking dinner! Anyway, Brian, Ally, and I are going to dinner this evening. Should be fun. We’ll try a restaurant none of us have frequented, Tucanos Brazilian Grill. Dad has bragged on this restaurant for months, so we’re going to give it a go and find out what the hubbub is about. I haven’t seen Ally in a few weeks, so it’ll be an especially nice visit. (I see Brian about once a week when I go grab lunch at his restaurant.)

I also slept eleven hours last night. Finally! While I slept through the entire church service this morning, for the first time in weeks I feel like I’m rested. Apparently, I should’ve taken a one-day road trip weeks ago!

I had hoped to get to Scotts Bluff National Monument as well (it’s something like 1.5 hours east of Ft. Laramie), but there was more to see at Ft. Laramie than I had anticipated. I guess I have another Saturday road trip in front of me in a week or two.

I’m also considering an overnighter in October. I have a 5-day weekend scheduled then and I could go to Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park in Utah. I’ve not been to either. The drive there isn’t too bad (6.5 hours), but to properly tour Canyonlands, I’d need more than a day because elements of the park are very spread out and  you can’t just drive a loop, you have to go to each one individually and then return to a central location. That stacks on a lot of drive time. And there are four “districts” I’d like to see… Island in the Sky, Needles, Maze, and Horseshoe Canyon. Don’t get me wrong, I’d check out the others, but I really, really want to see these. They look like a photographer’s dream! The National Park Service recommends 4.5 hours to drive all of Arches and upwards of six hours to see everything at Canyonlands. Thus the overnighter option. And if I’m there that long, I’ll probably drop down a little ways to see Natural Bridges National Monument and then up to Orem to visit a friend from high school (and get some In-N-Out! (“In-N-Out, In-N-Out, that’s what a hamburger’s all about!” (if you know, you know; if you don’t, your loss))). I have to check with said friend and see if she’ll be available for a visit, chances are she will be. And it would be oh-so-fun to see her!

Basically, I got the annual pass from the National Park Service, the America the Beautiful pass, prior to going back east. I’m determined to get my money’s worth out of this thing! So far, I’m doing great! It’s good through March, so I have time to use it a bit more, too. Considering I didn’t have to pay entrance into Colonial NHP, Jamestowne NHS (part of Colonial NHP), Yorktown NB (also part of Colonial NHP), Manassas NBP, Minute Man NHP, Acadia NP, Badlands NP, Jewel Cave NM, and Fort Laramie NHS, I’ve almost paid off the pass. Originally, I had planned to hit another national park back east and the entrance to that park alone was $20.00. Now I’m just paying off the rest of my investment and getting awesome photos in the process.

I may take a loop through Rocky Mountain NP on one of my upcoming weekends as well. I’ve been there many times, but I’m hoping to catch up with a friend in Longmont on a coming weekend and I may just leave early and take the super scenic drive. There’s also talk of a handful of us possibly visiting my aunt and uncle in Arkansas. If we do, that’ll mean a trip to Fort Smith NHS and Hot Springs NP. (You didn’t think I was the only NPS nerd in my family, did you?)

I don’t mind doing these drives on my own… they’re incredibly relaxing, even if they’re tiring. (That many hours in a car just tires a body.) And I enjoy the solitude. My introversion gets to run rampant when I do something like this. It’s one of the things that made my trip back east so enjoyable. The day I drove from Williamsburg to Manassas, by way of Monticello and other stops in between, was all to myself. The same for my time in Gettysburg, the drive to Telford, my day in Philly, the drive to Boston, my day in Concord and Lexington, and the drive to Acadia NP. I enjoyed the solitude immensely.

So there you have it, I’m feeling quite rested. And it’s quite nice!

Practically Busting My Buttons

In 1984, Los Angeles hosted the Olympics. My family treated them as a full contact sport.

I remember going to Mom’s office where the staff had a party because the torch would be run right down that street. I remember being there, standing on the balcony at night, watching the torch bob by through a mass of humanity. I did the same in 1996 when the torch came through Exposition Park.

I remember watching the Opening Ceremonies on television and the aqua, pink, and salmon designs that dominated an Olympics in the 1980s. It’s good to know the color schemes have evolved a little, but I loved (and still love) Sam the Eagle, the 1984 mascot.

I remember waiting in line for a long time so my mom could buy tickets. And I remember going back to the same long line when my parents decided to allocate more money to tickets. Mom still has ticket stubs that read, “Issued To: <insert my father’s name>”… how cool is that?! They actually put the purchaser’s name on the tickets back then.

They purchased three season tickets to the equestrian events, which means we saw everything from dressage (the event where the horses have to show their obedience as they transition from various gaits, starts, and stops), to the show jumps, to the three-day event. I rode in my first limo at the three-day event. It was hotter than blazes and we were tired. My folks thought ahead to bring the trusty red wagon for pulling the kids along (all four of us were there), but the little legs were tired by the end of the day. This guy was waiting around for his patrons and took people to their cars for $20.00 or something ridiculous like that. It was a nice sideline for him and a treat for us.

My parents saw the U.S. and Canada play in men’s basketball.

The family went as a whole to Dodger Stadium to see baseball. You know how fans will get bored and start The Wave? Have you ever seen two waves going simultaneously? I’m sure some of you have–usually it happens when the upper deck tries to time when the bleachers are approaching the lower deck seats and everything gets off kilter. But have you seen one wave going clockwise and one counterclockwise in the same stadium at the same time? I have. Dodger Stadium. August 6, 1984. Judging by the blue seats in the photo, I witnessed it from the reserved level (yes, I can tell you the level by the seat color at my favorite stadium). And yes, that’s me… sporting my 1984 Olympic duds and my 1980 Dodgers All-Star t-shirt–toldya I’m a fan. That’s me in all of my 8-year-old glory. With binoculars… these days I’ve swapped field glasses for my camera. (I traded up, in my opinion.)

My folks went to women’s volleyball (indoor, beach wasn’t yet an event). We sat in lawn chairs on the side of the 10 freeway; the 10 was shut down for the running of the team cycling event, we sat there and watched the cyclists go by at a rapid pace. Check out the onramp side to the right and the CHP (California Highway Patrol) parked on the opposite side of the freeway just watching Team USA Cycling as they fly by. For everyone not from the SoCal area, shutting down the 10 for an entire day is nothing short of incredible. They shut it down for a few hours last year and the story ran on the news for months prior to the event. It was referred to as “Carmageddon” and the “Carpocalypse,” because that freeway is one of the most traveled in Los Angeles. But we made it work for the Olympics in 1984!

Our friend, Gene, was one of the coaches for Team USA in wrestling… Mom likes to say they were so close, they could spit and hit the mat because of the tickets he got for them.

Gene took Mom and Dad into the Olympic Village. Mom or Dad took a photo of Li Ning (before they got to meet him), the Chinese gymnast who lit the torch in Beijing. In 1984, he won gold in the Pommel Horse and Floor Exercise; silver in Still Rings and Vault; and bronze in the All-Around. Mom still has their passes for entering the Village (the athletes lived in the dorms at USC and UCLA, a perfect housing situation in SoCal).

We traded pins in Exposition Park (hallowed grounds, as far as I’m concerned–it’s across the street from USC). My mom actually has a very specific pin that she acquired from a Chinese official (who was with Li Ning) in the Olympic Village, too. There are set rules to the design of all merchandise thanks to copyright law. She given a pin that was misprinted and distributed before the error was noted and then recast with the correct design. Mom’s has the Chinese flag with the Olympic rings and then the red, white, and blue stars that were the LA Games’ logo. The only problem is that the stars were to be cast above the rings, not below. Mom’s pin has the rings sitting atop the stars. Oops. It’s rare and a fun bit of trivia in her collection. The interpreter for the official disclosed that information. Sure enough, the rest we saw were “correct”… I like hers better. It has provenance.

The entire experience had an indelible impact on me. I’ve never not watched the Olympics. And every year, I find myself wishing I could’ve attended. Julie and Ethan were able to take in a baseball game in 1996 at the Atlanta Games. Then Ethan, Adri, and I (along with Jason and Katie, Brian (not my brother, a different Brian), and Katie (another Katie)–they are the four unfamiliar faces with us in front of the torch) were able to go to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics where we attended two hockey games and a curling match and had an absolute blast! Beijing and London both had a huge pull for me, but neither were possible. I’m determined to attend more Olympic Games, summer and winter!

The Opening Ceremonies will be broadcast this evening and I can’t begin to explain how excited I am. Forget the Super Bowl’s hoopla! Every two years, my life comes to a screeching halt as I fit everything around the viewing of the Games. Winter and Summer, I love them both. I’m most excited for swimming, track & field, men’s indoor volleyball, baseball, gymnastics, and whatever else gets squeezed in there. Those first five are my favorites, though. Oh, and diving.

So the plan is to quickly go grocery shopping for the goods to make homemade chili tonight, cordon bleu tomorrow, and banana pudding sometime this weekend. After all, one must have the appropriate foods to fully enjoy an event such as this. Chili and sports just go well together. Perfectly, in fact.

After all of this, I apologize in advance. Consider me on vacation. Out of town. Away from all computer access. Not really, but my focus will be elsewhere for a bit. The Olympics will be taking over my social life in just a few short hours and I’m literally so excited I’m giddy, practically busting my buttons.

Remind Me Again?

Why exactly did I wait until my thirties to get healthy? Why didn’t I start this nonsense in my twenties? Why, oh why, oh why? Can I just say that developing all of these habits would have been a wee bit easier if I’d started when my body was a wee bit younger. Then again, I was recovering from back surgery at age twenty-six. Not much I could’ve done at that moment.

I had another short day today (I have to work four hours tomorrow). Even so, I went to lunch with one of my coworkers at Panera Bread where I tried their new Roast Turkey and Avocado BLT. Sans LT (no salad on sandwiches!). I also exchanged mayo for some mustard. Oh my goodness. Ta-sty! I had the half sandwich with a half Greek salad and ate less than half of the salad. That allowed for a delicious, yet not overfilling, lunch. If you haven’t tried it, I suggest the sandwich. Also, it’s on sourdough bread. Only my absolute favorite bread, right? <sigh>

After lunch, Cheryl dropped me off at my car and I took off for physical therapy. I had intended to pick up my 11″ x 14″ frames. All twelve of them. They arrived and it’s time I cleaned some glass and switched the photos from my old frames. And added pictures from my trip back east and then to South Dakota. Let’s face it. They are the best souvenirs I come home with. Bar. None.

Oh! I forgot to show you the pictures of Mt. Rushmore. Mea Culpa. Toldya we’d have blue skies by the time we made it to Mt. Rushmore. Please note, California’s Bear Flag (showing the California Grizzly Bear) is the flag off of the right side of the left pillar. Behind it on the same pillar is the Colorado flag (it’s there, you just can’t see it). For your own personal edification, engraved on the pillar below its respective flag is the date the state entered the Union. Those were not there when I last was–in 1993.

I’ll show you more pictures as I go back to what I was saying before I interrupted myself (it happens).

Tom, whose normal day off is Friday, worked on my back today since Scott is out of town. As I was getting ready to walk out the door, I had him tape up my thoracic spine. Kinesio tape to the back is one of the secrets of keeping my upper back under control. After I was taped up, I changed into the appropriate clothing to get sweaty at the gym (I’m not a delicate, feminine sweater… nope… I’m a disaster).

I walked on the treadmill for almost a full hour. I burned 500 calories. (P.S. Pick a fight with these big boys. You’ll lose.) I came home, showered, dressed again, made myself some oatmeal for dinner, and then planted myself in my rocking chair with a hot pad because my entire back is both fatigued and tight. I’ve contemplated a bit of ibuprofen, but since I haven’t had the rest of my meds in my system since the wedding last weekend, I’m not anxious to take a plunge back into that pool.

To catch you up to speed, I’ve lost nine pounds in the last five weeks. Some of that is rework since the donuts at Wall Drug did me no favors! That’s okay, though, because they were incredible! Since my body is willing to shuck weight when I increase my activity and decrease my calories, I’m okay with it. I’m planning to keep this up for another six or seven weeks as the weight loss contest at work wraps up toward the end of July. And when I’m done, I’ll be two pounds off the audacious goal I set for myself back in December when the EDS doc told me I should take off another twenty pounds to help out my back and my joints (after his statement I whined very, very loudly–he got the picture).

Alright, friends… I’m going to scoot and get some ibuprofen in my person now.