INAH: Maybe Dizzy

Maybe it's the still-sick-after-a-week-of-being-sick, maybe it's the news that I'm going back to 1st shift tomorrow after a day of being on 2nd (again), maybe it's the 10 hours in front of the computer while wearing polarized sunglasses, maybe it's the entire pot of coffee I drank today, maybe it's the poorly lit and poorly coned 192-to-I95 ramp-that-almost-resulted-in-a-wreck-with-a-construction-truck-tonight, maybe it's the haven't-exercised-in-three-weeks, maybe it's the too-much-to-do-before-bed-to-go-to-bed, but I'm feeling dizzy. INAH.

WORK: 2nd Shift

(I know that I've been sucking with the updating the blog. I guess it's because it's easier to post on Facebook, and there, people actually read and leave comments... oh well.)



This post is just to say that this week, I've been working 2nd shift (approx 1pm-10pm). This was supposed to be the case for the month of June, but because the equipment and software baseline aren't ready, I'll be switching back to 1st next week... and then back to 2nd until mid-July... or at least that's the plan for now.


My mind and body are confused as they try to navigate the change. I've gone to bed anywhere between 3am & 6am. I also wake up between 10am & 11am. I eat breakfast, and by the time I'm at the office, it's time for lunch, then I constantly snacking until the time I'd normally leave, and by then I've already eaten my dinner...


...so working 2nd shift, I have one huge meal... breakfast-lunch-dinner, or as I'm now calling it -- brunner. And the amazing thing is that once I get home at 11pm+, I'm just not hungry. And I know already that next week's going to be a mess.  :P

TOASTMASTERS: "Rock It!" Meeting

I was the TMoD for this morning's TM meeting. I had decided last week to give it a theme: "Rock It!". When I theme, I like to tie it to the particular day, and on March 24th 2006, Hannah Montana premiered on the Disney Channel -- hey, it was either that or the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill.

And it was a theme that everyone got enthusiastic about. I feel so much gratitude to everyone participating and putting in the time and effort.

When I was introduced, I walked up to the podium and gave an intentionally lack-luster "Are you ready to rock?." and got a huge "Yeah!" [come on guys... make me earn it! :)]. I then untucked my white button up (and oh yes, I was also sporting a vest [love it!]), djushed my hair, put on some shades, and threw on a Hannah Montana wig (featuring a couple purple-highlighted braids). And having become much better(???)-dressed, I gave a more enthusiastic and rocker-screeched "Are you ready to rock?!" to my adoring fans!

Seriously, I loved everyone's energy and appreciate all the love that people put in today. Fantastic was our Thought of the Day by one of our newest members; she shared a Dave Matthews Band lyric to uplift and inspire us. Then our grammarian had a quirky, relevant, and easily-accessible Word of the Day: 11 (Eleven) "as in one more than ten" (from This is Spinal Tap). And our Table Topics Master, another newbie, went all miscellaneous with rock references -- rock as a gift, rocket ship conference room, dinner with a rock star, and Fraggle rock -- I totally enjoyed the eclecticism. All of our speakers were well-rehearsed, and for our business session, there were quite a number of recognitions to hand out.

It was very uplifting meeting, which made for two in a row! Last week had a St. Patrick's Day theme, and it also carried well throughout that meeting. We're having more fun, the speeches are great, and our club's on its way back to Presidents Distinguished.

Many thanks again to everyone who was there. Y'all Rocked It!

JOURNAL: Off the course.

It's 4:45pm, and I'm already home. This week at work hasn't worked out very well. And it's only Tuesday.

The week started with a confrontation with a drama princess co-worker. It was too early in the week and too early in the day to have to put up with something like that. I confronted her back. And it has been awkward since. She gets over things quickly, but I feel like a dog peed on my leg and just walked away.

And today, my goal was to implement some changes to all our systems, but there were seemingly constant resource conflicts, and my screws were coming loose, so I bailed. I left work early with the intent to go in later tonight to put in what would be half a third shift. This really is kind of ridiculous since tomorrow is one of our TM club's speech contests.

In some vent-letting yesterday, I learned of a TM member's reluctance to help the club with a simple task. I already kinda sensed waning interest in the club, but the fact that this person put up such a "I'll be helpful" front to me... makes me feel unappreciated and like the Little Red Hen.

I'm realizing more and more how difficult it is to read people, and perhaps I should just prepare myself and allow myself the mistakes I'm going to make with them. I'm just afraid that prolonged exposure to this kind of environment will turn me into a greater cynic than I already am, and that's not the type of person I want to be.

Hence, that's the reason I had to bail today. I knew that I could get more done without anyone else around. I knew that my current assignment didn't really require working with anyone else (lots of waiting for people though). And I should have acted earlier and decided earlier to adjust my schedule. Also, my days have been too busy lately, and I need some time to myself -- perhaps sometime this weekend. But right now, I need to start a Boston Butt slow-cooking, finish some minutes, and get some dinner and a couple hours sleep.

Good luck everybody.

JOURNAL: Fourth Day.

It's Day 4 of 2nd shift, and I'm already seeing some patterns emerging.

The most obvious thing is that I'm waking up later and later... 8:00am, 8:15am, 8:30am, and this morning 9:00am. And with early commitments (e.g. Toastmaster meetings), I have even less time to get awake and prepped. My new mattress is being delivered tomorrow, so with this morning's slim time, I went out and got a bed frame -- hoping it's the right one.

I hope to start exercising again tomorrow, then next week start making arrangements with friends to meet for lunch.

We'll see how things progress.

JOURNAL: Day 3

It's the morning before day 3 of 2nd shift. Today, I have a visit to the Beachside Broadcasters before I head into work. I then have an evening Volunteering Stand-Up [not comedy] event (also beach-side) for this weekend's Melbourne & Beaches Music Marathon, then I'll probably head back into work. Tomorrow should be a "more-typical" day.

I'd like to start back up with some exercise soon. I'm thinking that I'll start the P90X maybe this Friday. I need to do something. Sleep and other efforts seem to be alright. Contact with friends has been a bit off kilter, but this is just adjustments.

JOURNAL: 2nd Shift

Howdy All,
I know... it's been another while since I've posted. Sorry. Been busy. Will try to do better next time.

Anyways, for the month of February, I'm working the second shift during our program's software integration and testing. I'm kind of excited about this change in schedule -- partly because of the sheer novelty of it and partly because I figure that I'll get a lot more blogging done in the morning when I'm the most creative. Still, this arrangement is going to take some adjustment.

I stayed up late last night, and I did like being able to sleep in (woke up at 8:30am). I can go run errands while all of the stores are open (kinda feel like an old person or a housewife in this aspect). But I have do have to give up evening volleyball at the gym this month as well as visits to some TM clubs I'll be supporting next TM year as Area Governor.

Weekends are filling up quickly with opportunities piling up. I'm having to make choices, and I've found that it's not as simple as "first to reserve" -- I have to assign priorities and think of the future. I'm feeling a bit grown up in this aspect.

Back when 2nd shift was only an prospect, I only had trepidation over my sleep schedule... was I suppose to go directly to bed after coming home from work circa midnight? Chances were that I'd be up til at least 3am, waking up late the next morning, and cutting into my housework time.

I'm just going to see how things manage and make the necessary adjustments.

But overall, I'm excited.

:)
~Cedric

RUN: 6.60 miles @58:44, Home <-LL-> Stdm Pkwy Loop (CCW) + WM+ (CW), Melbourne, FL

Oh Hai. My name is Cedric, and I used to blog here. (as Jake would say)

Yeah, it's been a while... busy at work and writing assignments that are easy anxiety fodder. But tonight I went for an hour-long run and am full of blog juice, so here I go.

Today is my holiday eve... eve. One more day of work before I am free (until Jan 4). This season, I've decided to just stay in Melbourne because family plans were too much in flux, and as hinted, I have a writing assignment looming.

Work's been challenging... more in the coordination of efforts -- I'm still trying to get everyone's story straight and figuring a path to plow forward on. Stacks of calorie-intensive holidays goodies and distractions abound -- and you'd think that dwindling office numbers prompted by the prospect of family gatherings (or justified laziness) would help, and it does, except when part of the affected are the people you need to coordinate with.

(yes, I'm rambling... better than too little?)

Anyways, one more day, and I'm looking forward to making more progress and setting myself up for a win early when we get back.

Stuff I need to catch up on: I have a post almost ready about the OUC Half Marathon earlier this month (except for the pictures & video), and I may get that completed towards the start of the true holiday; also, a few Disney trip reports, which will probably come after the big report -- this past weekend, I just got done with sorting through 1700+ photos, whittling them down to a neat 770.


Okay, about tonight's run. I hadn't run since the OUC Half a couple weeks ago. The weather had turned cold, but moreso I've been putting my pressure to work on the report ahead of my own personal well-being. And when I don't let myself out to run for a couple weeks, I really start to feel it. I've been getting more sleep these past couple nights (thanks to a new friend), and I thought that I'd capitalize on the self-pointed vividness and do this good thing.

I knew that it was really cold outside, and I didn't want to under-dress, so I wore my undies, running tights, running shorts, and sweatpants... long-sleeve cotton shirt, short-sleeved tech-shirt, and sweatshirt... two pairs of socks, gloves, and a skull cap. By mile 1.5, the gloves were off and tucked in my tights, and my sweatshirt was off and around my waist. I did run with a safety light (clipped onto the cap, so that had to stay on) and music: This American Life ("#1 Party School" episode).

Instead of being focused on the course/distance, I went out time-oriented -- I was going to run for an hour. I ran up Lake Andrew and did the Stadium Pkwy loop (CCW) sans VHS (since it was really dark). I ended up tacking on a CW WM+Stores loop, and made it home with 1:16 to spare (close enough). Traffic was heavy but not too bad.

By mile 2, my chest was feeling tight -- bad endurance, and I really felt like my form suffered. I slowed it down until I felt better then got into a better rhythm. As I was running the back stretch, I was running patient, feeling really good, and almost forgot that I was running... hence, the tacked on loop with no issues.

The weather was really quite perfect, and I wasn't hungry/thirsty/anything. I didn't really sprint it home tonight because of the leftover time and because it was a pleasant run (just right). And it was a good break-in run for my new shoes: Adidas SuperNova Glide, size 9 1/2 (they're still clean!).


Anyways, I seriously ate too many so many cookies at work today. This holiday saw quite a number giving cookies away as gifts, and they've all been delicious! I was able to take pictures of a couple of the sets -- one from my officemate and the other from another coworker's family.

Fantastic!

Anyways, I've gotta get a shower and some food/beer in me, then perhaps another early-to-bed.

One more day. Woo!

Oh, here's the sweaty ceddy pics (clothes on because it's chilly... okay, one shirtless):

RUN: 2.32 miles @??:??, Home<-LL->WM, Melbourne, FL

(reused map)
I left work early to race the sun. I got the lawn mowed before the sun went down, and I trimmed/edged in the dark (so quick). Afterwards, I was warmed-up and just took off to WM & back. It was the first time in a long time that I felt light on my feet. And I actually ran the mile there "without stopping". I made a pit stop at WM and chatted with the greeter who had recognized me from another late-night WM run (for headphones that other time). Then I ran the mile back home without stopping. I actually sprinted the last stretch, and it felt good to actually push myself.

Endorphinized, I was able to sing a full Anthem in the shower, and my mind and fingers were clear for a lot of typing -- a big change from this morning when I was having a bad/blah day at work. It all changed tonight with some happy emails/contacts that really brightened my day.

I have a lot to do: article writing, blog posts, weekend packing, photo orders. Still, tonight I mowed the lawn, went for a run, showered early, had dinner (and a couple beers), did a load of laundry (wash, dry, fold), clipped coupons, and caught up on Project Runway.

Anyways, here are tonight's pics:


[eop]

RUN: 2.00 miles @??:??, Home<-LL->WM (TheraFlu), Melbourne, FL

Tonight, I made another literal run to Wal-Mart -- this time for some TheraFlu and some ear buds. Honestly, my throat started killing me once I headed home from work. As for the ear buds, I'd just misplaced all of the ones I have. Usually, ear buds run for $10, but there were two that happened to be marked down to $5... good timing I suppose. As for the TheraFlu, I brought a coupon.

The weather was nice. Not as chilly at this weekend, but nice and calm. I intended on running to the Avenue light and back but decided just to head home. 2 miles is good enough for today. I ran 2 miles yesterday at the Merritt Island ProHealth HealthPlex last night after the SCR board meeting.

Anyways, today at work, Fischer was in the office with me and my officemate Kendal when another coworker came in and started throwing bubble gum at us. He hit Kendal directly in the eyeglass lens -- if she was wearing contacts today, she would've had a serious eye injury. But that's not the end. He proceeded to aim for Fischer and my faces.

Fischer then went off on him -- not only for hitting Kendal, but for the overall childish behavior this other coworker was exhibiting -- and forcefully told him to get out of the office... which was something he of course didn't do... seriously, what a d**chebag (and Fischer called him that to his face).

I was pretty calm about it before, but in retrospect, I'm pretty angry about it. That type of behavior (which includes the persistence) should not be tolerated. Perhaps my complaining here comes as part of my procrastination of preparing for tomorrow's speech. But seriously, the guy was a total d**che.

Anyways, I took a TheraFlu packet in some hot water, and my throat's still not feeling right. I'm going to take a long hot shower then get back on this speech.

I'll post pictures from the run later on.

[reserved for running pics]

[eop]

RUN: 2.32 miles @??:??, Home<-LL->WM, Melbourne, FL

Yes, tonight I ran on my own for the first time in probably over a month -- I had two [Disney] races since then, and yes, I am very far behind in postings and will [hopefully] eventually have time to write those up soon.

Anyways, I ran in the rain after getting home from volleyball -- no happy hour tonight. Volleyball really kinda sucked. Most of the regulars were there (no Cara or Vivi), which was nice, plus HB wasn't there to tantrumize, but DB/ED and SG were there acting stupid. And SP, who I previously thought well of, was making peacock noises all evening like a jerkette. Seriously. I had to tell her that that kind of behavior was dick-ish.

Side note: Monday at work, I [quite-loudly] called someone a jackass and an a##h### -- because he comes into my office and provokes me and my officemate with political stuff. He's known as the "Mini Rush Limbaugh" and as disturbing as that already sounds, he does have a radio platform to spout unsubstantiated statistics (total bs). Anyways, I wasn't going to any of his crap, so I told him off. I probably could've had to handled it... differently... but meh.

Yeah, it's been one of those weeks so far but I've also managed to be more productive nonetheless, so it kinda balances out.

Getting back... it's been a couple weeks since I've played, and I was on-and-off. The team of regulars rocked the rotational play. Also, I've been finding myself a bit distracted on the court. Susan knows. And I have mixed feelings about it all. Oh well. I realize that I don't need the extra drama.

Anyways, I'm making a lot of progress on my project at work. Most of the coding is done, and I'm transitioning onto testing, which is a drag but necessary -- time to get refreshed on operations. I'm glad that I'm able to stay busy at the office, but the thing is, there's a lot of project at home for me to do too. That said, I'm going to end this post here and give you a couple sweaty ceddy pics (did you miss them?):

don't make me angry
ran to walmart for cooking spray
more people need to see the bottom of my foot
[eop]

JOURNAL: Still trying to get back into the habit.

It'll take some time to get back in the habit of posting. The mass of photos is intimidating and life's forever busy. Anyways, I did want to mention some random mentions:

yeah, I didn't go to either one of last Saturday's Area Contests for Toastmasters. I slept in and then focused on planning a multi-stop shopping-with-coupons excursion; and it was successful.

in procrastinating the speech I should I had to do for this Wednesday, I did manage to setup my computer's backup. I don't think that it's working but the sentiment and effort was there. Also, my car got a couple new tramp stamps... an SCR decal and I replaced my Clemson license plate frame with a "Love the Land" (i.e., Disneyland) frame.

last Friday, I rearranged my desk and bookshelves at the office so that it doesn't face the hallway. I figured that it'd be less distracting, I'd have better access to my whiteboard, and I just needed a change. So far, so good.

volleyball was okay last night. I did too many cat-jumps for the ball (where the ball was too high for me to should've tried). there were some serious donkeys on the court heckling (seriously?). happy hour with the regulars afterwards was a lot of fun. once I got home, I passed out on the couch while watching a S2 ep of Mad Men.

catching back up on S2 of Mad Men this evening, I'm definitely intrigued with Salvador, then I realize that that character's wife, Kitty, is played by Bianca from Wonderfalls (ep. Karma Chameleon); that actress is great!

the sign-up sheet for this week's Toastmasters meeting was sparse, so I sent out an email with a challenge with homemade rice crispy treats as the bribe reward. It worked. I'll still be pulling double-duty but food has a way of keeping things light.

Alright, this is enough for now. I have a bill to pay and a letter to finish and send out before bed. G'night.

:)

[eom]

GYM: Run Instead Volley

It's Wednesday, so that means Toastmasters and Volleyball, and this time Toastmasters won out by a long margin.

For today's meeting, I presented a speech titled "Let's Go Sailing" about going beyond our club (from the Successful Club Series). I talked about sailing the 7 3 C's -- Club Ambassador Program, Contests, and Conferences -- and I gave it speaking like a pirate. I also had prizes, and the speech was well-received. It energized the rest of the day at work, which included staying a couple hours extra to make even more progress on my work (I'm coding!). It was a really good day at work.

As for volleyball, I fortunately arrived late. There were a number of basketballers there (who were being Major donkeys); this made for some incredibly obnoxious play. After they left, play was better but some of the people were still... unfocused; even though there was again no smoker or skinny dude -- plus the fact that tonight I scared off Larry Craig -- the damsels were still feeding the hormone soup, even being on separate sides.
...
It was still more than I could/wanted to handle. I quickly found myself complaining a lot more than my Ideal Me would, so I decided to take control of the situation. I opted off of the court and went upstairs and ran a couple miles on the indoor track. I really needed the miles, even if it was a simple two, but more-so I needed the time to refresh and get back down to the basics. Afterwards I made a quick stop at the court before heading home early. I spent an hour at the gym total.

Getting back to the first [and happier] part of the day, work was actually really good. Asides from the optimistic Toastmasters meeting, I managed to get to and through a code checkpoint (successful testing!). I'm doing work that I'm excited about, and I'm looking forward to accomplishing the rest of it.

Also, I'm enjoying the work environment. I think that our program is probably one of the closest teams in the company. With injury, bereavement, engagement, coming out (of sorts), and other events happening recently, we're like one big family. We can and do tease other, as we also support and encourage. Plus, I'm really liking Kendal as an officemate; we're both quirky and open to distraction, and we both give each other quick feedback.

Also a plus for today was all of the free food -- a Blueberry Muffin blueberry muffin (from Kendal), expired snack bags of chips (from Petrowski), and some leftover customer lunch (beef tips and mashed potatoes). Even out of the office, there was more free food. Being the last day to use the free Chick-fil-a sandwich coupon I got in the mail (new store promotion), I stopped by there and was handed a bag with two sandwiches; I told them I only ordered one and tried to give it back but was told to just take them because otherwise they'd still have to throw them away. Woo! In addition, just for ordering, the cashier gave me a voucher for a free Chick-fil-a breakfast item. Whee! (I haven't had to pay for food there yet!)

Lots of productivity, a nurturing work environment, and free food. What more could you ask for?!

That said, the status of my volleyball participation is in dire straits after this week, which is disappointing because beach volleyball was a lot of fun (omg, my face was peeling all week at the office). I really do need to concentrate on getting my mileage up. I'm looking at the Disneyland Half in less than a month and the OUC Half later this season. This doesn't even mention the increase demands of Toastmasters and the temptation to try for the top ambassador spot.

A lot to think about. Oh goodness... and a high school reunion trip in a couple weeks! I keep on forgetting.

I have a long weekend. I know that I want to do at least one marathon Disney trip (probably Friday), then I could do it again on Saturday (I've been seriously Jonesing a trip all week after a couple weekends away [seriously!]) but would also be happy just spending in Melbourne and getting with some friends from work.

Anyways, I have to stop rambling and get a move on on the running club's meeting minutes tonight (and shower and eat).

G'night for now.

PS - Random note: last weekend, I replace my lawnmower's spark plug, and that was the fix; the trimmer needs a new spring, which I'll have to order online.

FOOD: Pho Cali, Melbourne, FL (qp)

Today, Joey from site and I went to Pho Cali for lunch.

He got the grilled chicken:
and I got the grilled pork chop(s):

(ha!)
I get the same thing every time. The food's absolutely delicious, and going there is always a nice treat when people come to visit.

:) [eop]

GYM: Kind-of-Amazing Day.

The title says it all. For work, Toastmasters, volleyball... veryniiice.

Everyone at the office was in a good mood today. Plus I was able to get my one PTR as far as I could then start on the next one. I got help getting NetBeans set-up on my Sun (GUI work!), and I have some Java to look forward to (and I haven't touched that kind of code since 2000!). Then I also have another big PTR on its way -- and it's a mix of C/C++, HTML, and Javascript. Woo!
...
Today's Toastmasters meeting was also delightful. The two prepared speeches were very funny entertaining, the table topics were well-prepared, and I felt like I did a good job giving a speech evaluation. All of our members had a role and did great in explaining to our two guests(!!) the purpose of their part in the meeting. And we may have a new member of the club soon. The meeting was very organized and ran smoothly. Great job to all!

I was also able to show off a couple new forms I created for the member folders that I'm putting together as this year's VP of Education. I'm excited about getting them set up and hopefully, it'll be a good way of keeping track of everyone's progress. I'll make these available on our club's website when they're done.

I got to work a little late this morning, and with Toastmasters, I had some extra time to make up. I quickly went out for a late lunch -- a Southwest Salad with grilled chicken at McDonald's -- and managed to stay productive and get my 9 hours in. Then instead of heading straight home, I went downtown to pick up the running club's mail and to check out the library (I caught it on one of the two nights they're open past 5pm, so I was thankful for that).

And then instead of taking US 1 up, I went across 192 to I-95. This was for two reasons: First of all, there was a McDonald's on the right side of the road, and I needed to eat something before volleyball tonight -- plus they are having a Teenie Beenie Baby Happy Meal promotion, and I wanted to check out what was available (and they had the koala!).

Secondly, I wanted to avoid driving by the new Chick-fil-a.

The grand opening of the Viera Chick-fil-a is really tomorrow, but that just meant the line of tents for their First 100 promotion had been on since 6am this morning. I had wanted to participate not only for the year's worth of Chic-fil-a meals but also because it was sure to be an experience. I passed on it because I didn't have the fore-thought to put in vacation for it and because I was totally unprepared for it -- no tent, and busy as is to have given up an entire day-and-a-half.

So I tried to avoid the scene.

Still,... I snapped a pic from the exit ramp.

Tonight, I changed into volley-gear before leaving work, and after running the errands, went directly to the gym. There were 14 of us to begin with -- the game play was very very decent.

By the second hour, we kept steady with a dozen of us, and everyone was still amazing nice to each other -- none of Monday's meh-ness. The free-arms skinny guy actually played with two hands for a while, so there's hope yet. Communication on our side was absolutely fantastic. Our newbies were very good, and not to be under-estimated -- I think one of the guys actually served a perfect game.

As for me, I was fantastic with the calls and the short balls. I may have gotten all but one of my serves in, and overall, I was pretty awesome. I am not shy to say that tonight I was consistently making beautiful sets, and also got in a couple of good spikes. Tonight, there really weren't many spikes -- CBJ wasn't there, but Susan, ViVi, and BearJ were -- and there were a Lot of "amazing" rallies on both sides.

No +R guy either but Sylvia was there (I will learn all of the gym worker's names by the end of the year). The gym is really feeling like a second home now... like Orlando, like Toastmasters, and [dare I say] like the office.

So, it was a good day... a kind-of-amazing one.

Here are a couple more of tonight's sweaty ceddy pics:

Here's my toy (and you can bet that I'm going to get a few more of these)

:)

GYM: Full Volley

still no signs of definition :(
Tonight's volleyball was a interesting one to navigate. It was full court (14-16 all through the evening) and initially it happened to be veterans vs. newbies with me playing with the underdogs. It took a little while for us to get our feet -- hey, it's recreational.

Anyways, there was a new standout that joined our side, and he was quite encouraging -- he had great footwork, good hands, and played well with others. Eventually, when the field whittled down to 14, and CBJ came over to our side, and the two of them became a deadly combination of set and spikes.
...
As for me, I thought I played well tonight. In particular, my serve was very consistent -- only one net ball (and I felt it from the throw); asides, I had a couple of really good runs. I was a bit more vocal with the net play (blocking and spiking). I caught the net once, but as my court karma is, I was able to redeem myself on the very next point. I had a couple pretty good spikes... I had to step up my game since there are more hard players there now. I have the air, I just the need the timing and confidence. It will come!

Anyways, as far as positive reinforcement goes, I felt like I got a mix from the general population. *shrug*. There's the one person again that I just have to take as an opportunity to stand up for myself. I'm also recognizing the benefit of controlling my exit.

It was raining lightly both on the way there and on the way back -- both with moderate lightning (which makes me paranoid), so I took the short way over then decided to ease the long way back. It was an easy jog, and I did feel the start of a cramp in my left calf (yay!). I am going to build the pork chops back.

Anyways, I put in a full day at work (7am-6pm). There was progress, and I was able to do a lot of code and testing. There's still some polishing to do, but we're going to get there. I'm feeling a bit disoriented since I did come in on Saturday and Sunday (sneaked a trip to MK for the PH preview of HoP Sunday morning). I was ready to go home tonight and watch Wipeout!... which I'd usually do on Thursdays... It's Monday.

Nonetheless, I avoided getting a case of the Mondays, and I'm feeling better about the work. I did get snippy on a couple occasions, but who didn't? *sigh*. I just need to keep well-fed and well-hydrated. It's going to be a good week. Not sure about this weekend's plans... Fireworks where? Marathon park trip? Only one day in Orlando? Plus, I'm trying to figure a college friend's visit in a couple weeks. Planning and organizing is not my friend. Still, it's something to keep me busy and out of trouble.

Anyways, enough rambling. Here is tonight's sweaty ceddy jumping kitchen pic and a couple pics from last night's trip to McD (yeah, we were in the office on a Sunday until 10pm):

i need more white socks
the salad was mine
a baker's three(?) of chicken strips

JOURNAL: Square One Volleyball

Today's been a bit of a letdown. I guess it's the normal swing of life, and I'm just in a "meh" interval. I've been near-D&T at work because my project has taken a change of direction and and I am feeling unappreciated. There was also an instance today where I troubleshot a problem to its source and wasn't given any glimpse of encouragement.

In both cases, I was lucky that someone else was around that acknowledged my good deeds. When I discovered the missing cabling, Dan was there to give me a pat on the back. And when I was feeling down, Kendal was there to give me a much-needed hug. I do feel lucky that there will always be someone around who can cheer me up.

Still, I wished that I could've gotten more done today. The last code cut-off is this Friday, and even though I've taken a backseat on the coding at the moment, I still have to read up for when I have to perform the action items to come.
...
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I got home feeling drained, but like the end of last week, things balanced out in that I got quite a bit done with the blog. I set up for expanded posts (I think they look good), and I started planning for future entries, setting deadlines. I was feeling into it so much that I went to volleyball late.

I took the long way to the gym, and this evening there were seven to nine of us there for the duration. The reason this post is named "Square One" is because it was one of those nights where I felt like the newbie all over again.

The same guy who harassed me before was chastising me again tonight about how I was "holding" the ball. He didn't sugarcoat his criticism. Cara have me a smile and a quick, kind clarification, and on the next play, I buried a serve right in front of him. I like how court karma works.

CBJ wasn't there and my other source of +reinforcement only made a brief appearance, so I sensed that my mantra was "tread lightly". It was a bit ho-hum, but it was enough of a reality check to open my eyes to other opportunities.
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Now I'm back home, it's 10:33pm, and I'm going to quickly go and take a shower, ice some pulls, and prepare for tomorrow. I may draft some ideas about the next posts on my list -- HM Red Shirts (retro) and Saturday's PH Fireworks events.

It's a long week, and I need to conserve some sanity and get some more rest.

Here are tonight's sweaty Ceddy kitchen pics:

GYM: Volley Speech

Howdy all,
I just got back from volleyball, and it was another exhilarating time. There were 10-11 of us for most of the night, and I think that I played well. CBJ was there, and we were on the same team; I really enjoy the positive reinforcement. There was a new kid... a short quiet chubby kid with glasses, who really surprised us. He was actually quite terrific -- wasn't scared of the ball and made a majority of awesome shots. The other team had the over-zealous "newbie" and I kinda felt for the other players.

I was bit free with language -- going into PG/PG-13 territory a couple times briefly -- but did settle down. I dressed up a bit for tonight, donning my green swim trunks (which I Totally should've worn to the pool at the GD Expo) and a white U&R singlet. I felt preppy. I ran a shortcut to the gym, but ran a strong, steady L-way back home, adrenaline pumping, running on smiles. And I think... that the jumping pics turned out well.

Now I have to shower up and put down a draft of my Toastmasters speech. The more I talk about it, the better I feel that it's coming. I originally wanted the focus to be about how it was okay to make mistakes. I still want that to be part of the speech, but I am shifting the focus to be how we should keep that child's perspective of not being afraid of making mistakes... a slight nuance. Hopefully I can organize my points to lead the audience there.

I'm going to have three supporting ideas -- 1) a "Song of Myself" activity I did in grade school, 2) Sir Ken Robinson's TedTalk about how schools educate people out of creativity, and 3) Stephen Colbert's commencement speech in which he reminds us that we're human. Just by the nature of it, the speech will follow through an educational timespan. I think that I may actually have too much to talk about. I'm not going to worry about time. I just want to get through it with a smile on my face... much like some people's goals when running their first 5K.

So that's where that is.

As far as work work goes, there's still a lot that needs to happen. I'm a bit worried, but it'll be what it'll be. I need to stay well-rested, well-hydrated, and well-fed. There's some documentation that I'm not looking forward to, but it's gotta be done.

I'm really looking forward to the weekend. I'm totally taking it off. I'm hitting the parks on Saturday and probably Friday too. Then Friday will be pretty gay with a showing of Outrage at the Enzian and a performance of the OGC's "Oz & Beyond" concert.

Alright, I'm going to shower and hydrate, then crank out at least the outline of the speech before hitting the bed early -- yes, even with endorphins still rushing through. It was a beautiiiful evening and hopefully a good sleep.
~Cedric

Here's the pics:

GYM: No Neg Volleyball

Howdy All,
Just got back from volleyball. It was a pretty quiet affair tonight. There were a dozen of us on the court throughout, and I think that I had a very good session overall. I served well -- not too crazy -- and I am getting positions very well. There were a couple moments where I caught myself trying to play too much, but I adjusted and stayed positive the entire time. Everyone's used to each other, so there wasn't anyone giving anyone else instructions (wow). It was a good night.

CB wasn't there tonight but there was a briefly extended time at the desk afterwards -- a little shameless on my part, but it's all innocent.

Before the 8pm-10pm session, I had gotten home from work, quickly changed, and mowed the lawn. My mower will need some maintenance sometime soon (oil change?) but at least the power-started trimmer/edger/blower was working like a champ. I feel so much better now that that's done.

After work, I dropped off a frou frou pen to Sherri. I like her and Christopher because they're a good match, and that's always encouragement and a source of hope. Last night, a friend and I watched He's Just Not Into You and that movie's just an analytical and incestuous mess -- it was cynical and contrived. I'm glad that I'm the type to go out and find other positive role models. There are a couple couples at volleyball that have an endearing rapport.

Anyways, work was busy and pressurized. I think that everyone on our small project team are going through the emotions together. Today, we were all a bit de-energized. Still we managed to get some changes delivered to our golden copy, and we're progressing. There's still a long ways to go, and we'll all probably be in the office this Sunday. It'll be good though. We're trying our best.

Asides from work, I have some running club meeting minutes to write up -- that's the goal for tonight. I'm hoping to have my Honorable Mention Red Shirts post up on Friday night and the Top 10 Red Shirts up on Saturday night at the latest. The weekend will be busy with some running, a retirement party, a mystery dinner, and a Toastmasters speech to write (seriously). Yeah, it's non-stop over here.

I'm going to get a shower in, have dinner dinner, then work an hour or so on the meeting minutes (perhaps sending it out tomorrow morning before work), then going to bed.

[Oh, and I'm breaking in my new pair of running shoes; we'll see how I feel after a week in them.]

GYM: Nice Wholesome Volleyball

After an absolutely fantastic weekend at the parks (blog posts still in process), I returned to the office and had a gratifying day of testing code. I fixed some code I did on Friday and was able to solve another issue (that I didn't cause) -- our alert monitor wasn't making any sounds and I was able to diagnose the problem to a cable being connected to the wrong port (woo!). So, now I believe we've got a "Golden Baseline", and I'm going to nail down first thing tomorrow morning.

Also, a couple people brought in food for the office -- bagels, chocolate pie, and Smarties -- and lunch was a quick-and-good choice: Tropical Smoothie Cafe... a new place for me and Nga -- we each used a B1G1F coupon and each had a Baja Chicken flatbread and a Banana Berry Boost smoothie. Thomas joined us on this trip, and it was a nice having him there. He's such a good influence for me -- him and Nga. And today I felt like I was a couple steps closer to being the person I want to be.

At the end of the work day, I chose my exit and took an 8-hour day (arriving 45 mins late, leaving 15 mins early) and came home to take care of some picture management. I prepared a bag of Garlic Chicken Voila! and ate the entire thing, and also had some beer-battered shrip and tater tots while I watched an episode of MacGyver then took a 2-minute nap before heading out for volleyball -- I love how the gym's a half-mile from my house, and I haven't had to run in the rain yet.

Anyways, volleyball was really good tonight. There was a full dozen people on the court most of the evening plus there's always a couple new faces. Tonight, I was sloppy with my serving but managed to get on some good runs later on. I felt like I was much improved in my positioning, ball-handling, and hustling without being "too much". There was a lot of encouragement all-around (I love that) and just like on this last trip to Disney, I found myself more comfortable in taking on an "educator"/"manny" role. This could be from increased self-confidence from maturity; it could be maturity and/or the sense of being settled-in. Either way, it was a really good night.

Even on the run home, I banged my foot on a pipe I didn't see (it was dark) and a neighbor on a bike was nearby and asked if I was okay. The feeling of community was strong, and that's why I love where I am.

Anyways, I'm going to get a shower and put in a revision of the D23 draft. It'll be less "me-oriented" than my usual posts -- as I'm wanting to grow as a writer. It's an important skill. Alright, enjoy the sweaty jumping kitchen pics, and have a good night :)


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UPDATE: I also cut my hair tonight... it was needed, especially with Gay Days coming up this weekend. The effort almost went wrong, but I put the #2 attachment on the clippers and carefully blended my crown, and I think it's good. My receeding hairline is more pronounced, but *shrug* what can I do except embrace it.