The TW200 Wish - Sunday 9/28/08

For the most part, I've lived my adult life on the safe side. And I know why.

It was "the" accident. When I was six years old I visited one of my playmates on my block. During my visit, there was a terrible accident. Although it happened 35 years years ago, it seems like it was like yesterday. One moment I was swinging on a swingset with my friend and the next I was running down the hill in their backyard. My body was in flames. To make a very long story short, I ended up spending a couple months trying to survive...learn to walk...and resume my innocence. Although the initial accident stripped me of a couple months of school, it ultimately stole most of my childhood.

When I was younger, I became a "rebel-rouser." But, as I grew into an adult, I became fearful of life. I still don't know the exact time when things changed, but when I became an adult I began to believe that IF I was around .. an accident WOULD happen. Not IF, but when. My life lesson, was bad things happen to good people. I just couldn't seem to get over the thought that if I was there...it would happen. It was a Reverse-Field-Of-Dreams: "Build it and they will come". For me, it was "I am there and it will happen." The result over time was I learned to shelter myself from the simplest experiences. The more I sheltered myself, the worse the fear became.

A small glimpse into my mind pathology (sick as it was):

• If I fly on a plane, it will crash


• If I speed on the interstate, I will wreck


• If I travel over a bridge, it will collapse


• If I go to a backyard BBQ, the gas grill will explode

Now I understand. It was my brain's way of "protecting" me from the thought that YOU DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER YOUR LIFE. I wanted control and because I knew that control isn't possible (whether it is fate, or destiny, or God's Sovereignty over human events). At this point in my life, I understand that I will not ever have control. So, it is time to enjoy every day instead of fearing every day.

That is why I have the "Bucket List" of things I want to do. It's not just about the Yamaha TW200, but right now it is top on my list. The TW200 list represents the long list of things I want to do before I die. It represents:

• Whale watching, or


• The airplane ride, or


• The air balloon ride, or


• The Transcontinental cruise, or


• Dogsled adventure, or


• Cowboy cattle ride

I have to start somewhere. And at 42, I want motorcycle riding lessons and eventually a TW200....just for me!!

Moon Over Buffalo - Saturday 9/27/08

It's been awhile since I've written anything. What can I say? I lead a pretty normal existence...work, work, and just a little play.

Speaking of plays! DL bought tickets for my birthday to the Alhambra Dinner Theater. So, tonight DL, Kassidy, and I went for our 8PM production of "Moon Over Buffalo." I don't want to even suggest that I am any kind of theater reviewer, but if you are in Jacksonville and you get a chance..you really need to catch this new comedy.

It was fabulous. Act II was so funny that Kassidy and I were in tears. Go see it!

5 Random Observations of San Fran - Monday 9/15/08

#1 - EVERYONE is in a hurry. I mean everyone! Where exactly is everyone going? I'm still not sure, but what I do know is that they were always moving in the opposite direction of where I was going. I'm still thinking it was a conspiracy to keep this small town southern girl sandwiched next to the buildings on the right of the sidewalk.

#2 - EVERYONE is fit and thin. Overweight (a/k/a pudgy, stout, healthy, etc.) people beware! It must be mathematically impossible to be to have an elevated BMI when you live in a town where it seems no matter where you want to go...its all uphill!

#3 - This town is definitely culturally diverse. It was amazing to be a part of your city, even if it was for a short visit. Great city. I'll be back!

#4 - Does everyone dress to the "Nines?" I felt so...so.....well, underdressed. Don't ask!

#5 - What is it about people in San Francisco? Do they love their cold weather, or what? I heard a dozen times, "If I wanted this kind of heat..I would have lived in the valley!" Apparently, San Fran was experiencing an unusual heat wave while I was there. Go ahead. Blame me. I'm from Florida, so I probably brought the heat and humidity with me. I am happy to report, however, that temperatures have returned to the "norm" since my return to Florida!

Alcatraz slideshow - Saturday 9/6/08

Click photo above or copy and paste this link to view slide show:
http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/LadySerendipity07/San%20Fran/?action=view¤t=8f47459a.pbw

San Fran slideshow - Saturday 9/6/08

Click the picture above or copy and paste this link to view the San Fran slideshow:
http://s149.photobucket.com/albums/s63/LadySerendipity07/San%20Fran/?action=view¤t=665d1bbe.pbw

San Francisco Tour - Saturday 9/6/08

We had pre-booked an all day tour of San Francisco before we got here, so we were up and out the door by a little after 8:00am PST. The valet hailed a taxi and we were on our way to the bay area to meet up with our tour group.


We decided on an tour that would include a sightseeing tour of the Golden Gate Bridge, a visit to Muir Woods and Sausalito, and return to San Fran to visit Alcatraz. Our charter bus left right on time at 9:02am. Destination: the Golden Gate Bridge and Muir Woods (to see the tall Redwoods)!


Our tour guide was named Clay. He had a whispy, deep voice. And, Clay, loved to recite poems...too many for my liking, but interesting any way. We headed over the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a clear day and the view was amazing. Apparently, the people of San Fran hadn't seen a view like this in eons...and we were lucky to be in San Fran at the right time. I sat by the window on the way to Muir Woods, so I could take plenty of photos. Hey! No one told me that I would be looking over so many cliffs. Yikes!

We arrived in Muir Woods after a 45-minute harrowing ride up a mountain in Marin County. Ok. Maybe it wasn't a mountain, but if you've never lived higher than 8-10 feet above sea level...it looked like a mountain. We proceeded to disembark the bus. We walked around the path and were in awe. The trees were the biggest I've ever seen. Don was quick to point out that these weren't the largest Redwoods. Those lived about 4 hours north. I guess I will have to return to see those!

Soon we were back on the bus. Next stop was Sausalito Beach. We only had about 40 minutes to walk around this quaint town. There were a lot of shops, a lot of boats, and definitely a lot of cyclists! I couldn't even imagine myself trying to ride a bike up the hills that surrounded this cute little town. The weather was nice...a little on the warm side, but definitely sightseeing weather. After a quick walk down the main artery, a quick walk down the dock to look at the amazing sailboats, and a short photo stop...we were back on the bus to head back to downtown San Francisco. In 40 minutes, we arrived right back where we started.

We stayed on the bus and were transported to Fisherman's Wharf, where we would catch the ferry to Alcatraz. I have to say that the trip was very interesting. Although we were beat tired by this point, we jumped on the ferry and took a 2 hour tour of the small island. Once again, the weather was beautiful and the view from the little rock island was beautiful. Before we knew it, we were back on the ferry headed for the mainland.

Our legs were killing us! The hills in this town can be torcherous when you are used to living on flat ground. We starving and decided to grab a bite for dinner before heading back to the hotel. We decided to stop at the Rainforest Cafe. I had never been. The atmosphere was very cool with the jungle, mist, lightning, and jungle animals. We both ordered the pot roast dinner and we were not disappointed. It was delicious. We didn't even have enough room for the molten lava cake. :-(

We were back on the road, literally. We walked a few blocks to catch a cable car back to Chinatown. We waited and waited and waited. But, I wasn't about to walk all the way back, Uphill! Alas, we got back to our hotel and I sacked out for the rest of the night.

Earthquake Rattles Oakland - Saturday 9/6/08

Oakland, CA (AHN) -- A magnitude 4.0 earthquake shook Oakland Friday night, but no damage or injuries were immediately reported.

Residents reportedly felt the jolt and saw items in their homes shake and rattle for about seven seconds during the quake. At least three aftershocks followed according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

According to an official at the U.S.G.S, seismologist David Oppenheimer, the tremor was the first since 1990.

Article © AHN - All Rights Reserved
------------
Authors note: We slept right through it. Does this make me an earthquake survivor? ;-)

First Night in San Fran - Friday 9/5/08

We took a good nap. We woke up at about 5:30pm and decided we needed to go out and see some sights. We decided on Fisherman's Wharf. The only mode of transportation for me was riding a cable car. After all it was on my list of things to do before I die! After a considerable amount of time researching the city street map and cross referencing it with the cable car routes, we were ready to roll.

We walked up Washington Street right through Chinatown. And when I say we walked up Washington Street, I'm not exaggerating! It was straight up! We were both out of breath and our legs were aching by the time we walked the three blocks to Powell and Washington. Once we reached the top there was a bit of discussion on if my GIS capabilities were correct. #1 - we saw the Pickup sign, and #2 - we saw the cable tracks in the road. However, DL thought my navigation might be incorrect. Why? I still don't know.

DL: "Do you know if the cable car stops here?"
SF Police officer: "Uh. Yeah, it should."
DL: "Do you know if it takes you to Fisherman's Wharf?"
SF Police officer: "Where are we? (Looking at street sign) Yeah, it should. Ya know, there are two drop-offs, so it should drop you off at one of them." (Wow. Great 4-1-1)
DL: "OK. Thanks."

The second problem soon revealed itself. In the distance we saw a cable car heading our way. I quickly surveyed my memory banks. I remembered movies where the cable car didn't stop and you had to run and jump on while it was still moving. I quickly asked Don, "Uh. Is that thing going to stop to let us on?" (How would he know?) He said, "I think it will." Well, this girl (a/k/a IT Risk Analyst by trade) is not going to run, leap into the air, and hopefully catch the outside bar on the car as it runs by. So not happening! Luckily, the car did come to a complete stop. Whew! The next thing I know, I'm told that there are no seats left, so I will have to stand on a 3-4 inch ledge and hold on to the outside bar. Well, I am happy to report that I made it to my final destination with no injuries to report! And as a bonus, I get to add it to my list of things that I never thought I'd do!

We were hungry, so the first stop was to find a bite to eat. We decided on the Blue Mermaid. We stopped in for some great seafood. I decided on the shrimp scampi and DL went with the grilled salmon. After enjoying the great atmosphere, perfect weather, and some light banter...we were on our way again.

Compared to the trip there, the tour of Fisherman's Wharf was uneventful. We stayed and browsed the shops, visited Pier 39, saw the Sea Lions, and rode the cable car back. This time, I got to sit in a seat (although DL was still hanging precariously outside of the cable car). We walked down Washington Street and returned safely to our hotel room. It was time to go to bed. We were exhausted. We needed to get rest because tomorrow was a full day!

Flight to San Fran - Friday 9/5/08

I've been looking forward to this trip to San Francisco for months and today is the day. Well, it was actually an early start..3:15AM EST to be exact. The alarm sounded and I had to shuffle around like a zombie, trying not to forget anything I might need for the next five days.

DL and I arrived at JIA and checked my bag. There was a $15 bag fee; not too bad. After getting my boarding pass, we headed to the Atrium to get a bite to eat. DL picked up a Cinnabon (with extra icing, yum!), but I was so tired that I wasn't even hungry. We got through security and headed to our gate. We soon boarded the first leg of our trip. We settled into our seats and at about 6:35AM EST, we departed Jacksonville for Memphis International Airport.

We arrived in Memphis at 7:56AM CST (the time change threw us for a few minutes). Our stomachs finally woke up, so we headed down the B-Concourse to find something to eat. DL got a breakfast pizza (yuck!) and I settled for the Grits Bowl. DL, of course, wrinkled up his nose to my selection, but this southern girl loves her grits, bacon, eggs, and gravy -- all in one bowl. Yum! I should have taken a picture of it for those northerners that can't quite picture it. Maybe next time! After sneaking a quick smoke and grabbing a People magazine, we were soon back on a plane for the last leg of our flight. We departed Memphis at 9:00AM CST headed for San Francisco International airport.

The flight from Memphis to San Francisco was a LONG one! Man, I didn't think we would ever get to California. After 4 hours and 9 minutes, we finally landed at SFO at 11:05AM PST. We picked up my bag and the fun was to begin. We had decided that we would take the BART (high speed train) to downtown San Francisco. Well, in order to do that we had a crash course in accessing the BART. First, we had to take the Air Train from the terminal to the BART SFO station. Once there, we had to figure out what train to get on and what station to get off on. You would think that with a color coded guide, it wouldn't be so hard! But, after a little anxiety and frustration, we were able to board the BART at the SFO station and after about a 30 minute ride, we exited BART at the Montgomery Street station. Almost there! After another 30 minute walk with about 10 stop lights, a crowd of people, and luggage in tow, we finally arrived at the Hilton Financial District. We were able to check in early a little after 1:00PM PST.

Man, was I hungry. Airline food, which by the way, they charge for now. $5 for a box of snacks (e.g., 1 beef jerky, 4 crackers, 3 slices of cheese, wheat wafers, and a mini-pack of oreos) just didn't cut it. So, once we put my luggage down, we were ready to eat!! We were tired and it was lunchtime, so the only option was room service. Right? Wrong! For some unknown reason even though all of the literature said that they served lunch through 2:30pm, it was not to be. Room Service was closed and would open at 5:00pm for dinner. We couldn' t wait that long, so we ended up walking across the street and grabbing a Subway sub (with double meat of course) and headed back to our room. It was time to take a well deserved nap!