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taz_39Here it is, August and the hottest summer I've ever experienced.
Every single day, high temperatures of high 90s (35C and up) and heat indexes in the triple digits (42-43C.) Every. Single. Day.
I don't want to go outside at all, and that makes me really sad. One of the things that I miss most about touring is walking and exploring everywhere. Public parks and cities and suburbs and museums and gardens. Lots of outdoor options.
Not here.
Anyway, at 9:30am it was 87F (30.5C) with a heat index of 101F (38C.) Sigh.
I went for an introspective walk.
- My step-grandpa is in the ER, and is not doing well. He's been in and out of the hospital for qiute some time so this isn't surprising, but it's painful to hear about. I'm not sure if I'll be expected to go home when...when the inevitable happens. I haven't felt that close to my step-family, but my grandparents were kind to us when we were kids, and we visited several times during summer breaks. They took us to kudzu festivals and butterfly gardens, museums, theatre shows, even the 1996 Olympics. We had several Christmases together. I feel that I should try to get up there if it comes to it.
(Beauty berries. This is one way to tell fall is coming, when the fuzzy little pink flowers are replaced with these gradient berries.)
- RE: the money that was stolen directly out of my bank account last week ($$$$): both my bank and XOOM have concluded their investigations. Both concluded that my claim was legitimate and I had NOT authorized the transfer. And both refunded me the money! Lol. So I called my bank to let them know to cancel their refund (I feel that the money was taken due to XOOM's irresponsibility and they should be the ones to refund me.) I'm glad to get my money back and glad that's all over.
(A cute bee enjoying some firebush flowers. Firebush are native to Florida and all pollinators love them, they're constantly humming with bees, wasps, butterflies, hummingbirds, etc.)
- My first day at the hat shop will be sometime next week, I don't know when yet. Meanwhile I've tried to book myself some Papa Pal visits, one cancelled but I have two scheduled on Saturday. It'll be a patchwork of hat shop, Prolific surveys, Papa Pal toilet scrubbings, and maybe if I'm lucky some trombone gigs. I'll keep looking for work, but I'm not sure any other combination would be flexible enough to let me continue to do Disney stuff. I also need to seriously ask myself if I'm going to certify in digital reporting, because if not I need to sell off all of the crap that I bought for that job (microphones, speakers, a mixer, reporting materials, etc.) It stresses me out to see all of that stuff sitting around...a daily reminder of what a failure I am.
(Very thankful that our neighborhood has adult trees which offer a patchwork of shade during the walk. Many other neighborhoods have young trees or no trees at all, and are just scorching hot concrete skillets. I think that even in this picture you can see how strong the sun is.)
- Jameson's bosses--and his job--have been treating him very strangely this week. He essentially hasn't had any work to do. But he's still getting paid. He's emailed and sent messages via the company chat, but they didn't respond until today, and then just asked him to "brainstorm" a new curriculum for one class. I don't know what to think but our entire lifestyle is dependent on his job, so this worries me. Whatever happens, we'll be ok...but I'm worried.
(Fallen palm fruit. There were many bees and flies getting nutrients from the rotting fruits. Summer in Florida is hot, humid, and rancid with the smell of overheated soil, rotting vegetation, decaying trash, stagnant water, and dead animals. Can you tell I'm in a mood about it on this sweltering walk?)
- I shared this with a friend over on DW, and thought it might provide some perspective to LJ friends as well. Mostly regarding my attempts at making Uber Eats deliveries...but also to show what it's like to commute, in general, in Central Florida, with Disney's big butt right in the middle of everything.
The blue dot is me (by the way, I have a Kissimmee zip code...but notice that Kissimmee is actually a 40-minute drive due east of us!)
The red circle is the theme parks, Disney and Universal property AND also the highways that encircle them and are impacted by tourist traffic.
The blue circles are some cities and towns where ACTUAL Floridians live and work: Orlando, Kissimmee, Clermont. There is also the airport, which as you can imagine with tourists and retirees and snowbirds and businessfolks and layovers en route to the Bahamas or Cuba or Atlanta or wherever, is a total hellscape at all times.
See how BIG Disney property is, and how it is directly between me and essentially everything. In order to reach universities, business parks, shopping centers, restaurant hubs, etc, my choices are to fight theme park traffic on those highways surrounding Disney, or take much longer circuitous routes (which are ALL toll roads btw.) See Winter Park up there above Orlando? That's where I spent three hours delivering Uber Eats last week. It took me an hour to get up there for just $20 in earnings, then an hour drive back.
To my west is a wetland/wildlife preserve. Although the road to Clermont north of us is usually free of tourists, it's still a 30 minute drive (I am considering testing Uber Eats up there also.) And eventually Davenport down south will be worth visiting too, but not for at least a few more months while they're building it up. But anyway I hope this gives some perspective on not only Uber Eats, but also commuting ANYWHERE in the Orlando area.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
The rest of Thursday was fine. I got cleaned up from the walk and put the meatballs in the crock pot for dinner, then practiced trombone and made us some no-bake cookies for no reason other than I wanted them. I did a half recipe which was only 13 cookies. Decorated some with Lucky Charms marshmallows, and some with butterscotch chips.
Dinner was sticky meatballs with mashed potatoes and lemon pepper green beans.
Despite looking so juicy the meatballs were somewhat dry, probably because they're turkey and because I was doing a half-recipe and let them simmer for too long. Lesson learned for next time. Still, it wasn't bad and Jameson even had seconds.
Meanwhile my firefly petunia is blooming for the first time since shipping, and put on a spectacular light show last night!
The flowers are small, about nickel-sized, but beautiful.
Here is daytime vs nighttime! I couldn't BELIEVE how brightly it was glowing.
For contrast, here is the photo I took the day I received the firefly petunia in the mail.
Same phone camera and same exposure settings!
The flowers were larger when I first received it, but the foliage was very weak. To be honest I'd rather have a healthy leafy plant than one with lots of blooms or bigger blooms.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, my Papa Pal canceled on me so I had the day free. After breakfast I cleaned the patio sliding doors, cleaned our bathrooms, and confirmed my Papa Pal visit for Saturday morning. The Saturday evening Pal called to cancel as well, idk what's going on this weekend but it's kind of a bummer for me.
I'd meant to swim in the pool or run misc errands but wasn't really feeling it. Didn't want to practice today either.
I want to start my job and waiting is difficult.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday morning was my Papa Pal visit. This was a 60-something male who recently herniated his back. I cleaned the oven and microwave, wiped down the cabinets and countertops, wiped out some silverware drawers, cleaned the glass coffee table in the living room, swept, and mopped. Unlike all of my other Papa Pal visits to date, this guy was talkative and kept up a steady stream of conversation about life, health care, politics, weather, tastes in music, his background, my background, etc. I actually preferred that, it made the time go faster and made me feel less like a servant. I also didn't have to scrub any toilets for once, a pleasant change.
This guy had a big white 90-pound pit bull who was a total sweetheart. I love how big and blocky pit bulls are in the head! Just wanna waggle their noggins and smoosh their dopey faces! Unfortunately this dog was rather stinky, so I had to stop at a gas station on the way home to wash up because the dog-smell was *gag*
I went to my bagel place (pumpernickel, egg, blueberry) then Publix for ingredients for Cubans tomorrow. Lunch at home, a little rest, trombone practice. It was weirdly breezy, I suppose because of the tropical storm headed our way (which no one cares about because tropical storms are not worth bothering about here.) And I was finally scheduled for three shifts at the hat shop, 18 hours' worth. Yay! It's a big relief to ACTUALLY be scheduled for shifts.
Scheduled myself another Papa Pal for Monday with an older woman who "needs help with yard work" and wants to "play board games." It's a two hour visit so my hope is that we'll garden for an hour and play games for an hour! But we'll see what actually happens.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday was quiet. I went for a walk after breakfast, ahead of Tropical Storm Debby. There were lots of people doing the same, walking their dogs or getting exercise or doing last-minute pre-storm yardwork.
The most interesting thing that I saw on this walk was a little garter snake sitting very still in a field, head raised above the grass, staring directly up into the sky. I thought he was a stick until I got closer and he angled his head back down to look at me. I wonder what he saw up there? Was he watching the storm bands rolling in? I didn't know that snakes looked up.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Back home I got the mojo pork marinating and got cleaned up. After lunch Jameson went to the masseuse and I confirmed my Papa Pal visit for tomorrow.
The daughter answered the phone, and we talked about what would be expected of me. This one will be unique: it's an elderly woman and her husband who has dementia. They are Spanish-speakers and I don't speak a lick of Spanish, but I have Google Translate and the daughter says this will be less about conversation and more about simply being present. They have no actual chores that need doing, so the plan right now is to make tuna sandwiches together and play some games (Chinese checkers was mentioned.) Since we're supposed to be in the thick of the tropical storm tomorrow, this honestly sounds like a lovely way to spend a few hours (and get paid for it!)
After that I cooked the tenderloin in the oven, cooled and sliced it.
Jameson gamed and I watched anime.
For dinner I made simple cubanos: Cuban bread from Publix, sliced pickles, the mojo pork slices, low sodium deli ham, Swiss cheese, and coarse mustard. Smash it all as flat as you can under a hot skillet, and you've got one delicious sandwich.
It rained for most of the evening, which isn't unusual but the 20mph winds and cooler temps (76 degrees, yay!) were a pleasant addition thanks to the tropical storm. It was still insanely humid but otherwise a lovely rainy day.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tomorrow I've got my Papa Pal during lunch, otherwise the only things to do are practice trombone and prepare for my first day of work at the hat shop. I'm excited and nervous but will do my best.
Every single day, high temperatures of high 90s (35C and up) and heat indexes in the triple digits (42-43C.) Every. Single. Day.
I don't want to go outside at all, and that makes me really sad. One of the things that I miss most about touring is walking and exploring everywhere. Public parks and cities and suburbs and museums and gardens. Lots of outdoor options.
Not here.
Anyway, at 9:30am it was 87F (30.5C) with a heat index of 101F (38C.) Sigh.
I went for an introspective walk.
- My step-grandpa is in the ER, and is not doing well. He's been in and out of the hospital for qiute some time so this isn't surprising, but it's painful to hear about. I'm not sure if I'll be expected to go home when...when the inevitable happens. I haven't felt that close to my step-family, but my grandparents were kind to us when we were kids, and we visited several times during summer breaks. They took us to kudzu festivals and butterfly gardens, museums, theatre shows, even the 1996 Olympics. We had several Christmases together. I feel that I should try to get up there if it comes to it.
(Beauty berries. This is one way to tell fall is coming, when the fuzzy little pink flowers are replaced with these gradient berries.)
- RE: the money that was stolen directly out of my bank account last week ($$$$): both my bank and XOOM have concluded their investigations. Both concluded that my claim was legitimate and I had NOT authorized the transfer. And both refunded me the money! Lol. So I called my bank to let them know to cancel their refund (I feel that the money was taken due to XOOM's irresponsibility and they should be the ones to refund me.) I'm glad to get my money back and glad that's all over.
(A cute bee enjoying some firebush flowers. Firebush are native to Florida and all pollinators love them, they're constantly humming with bees, wasps, butterflies, hummingbirds, etc.)
- My first day at the hat shop will be sometime next week, I don't know when yet. Meanwhile I've tried to book myself some Papa Pal visits, one cancelled but I have two scheduled on Saturday. It'll be a patchwork of hat shop, Prolific surveys, Papa Pal toilet scrubbings, and maybe if I'm lucky some trombone gigs. I'll keep looking for work, but I'm not sure any other combination would be flexible enough to let me continue to do Disney stuff. I also need to seriously ask myself if I'm going to certify in digital reporting, because if not I need to sell off all of the crap that I bought for that job (microphones, speakers, a mixer, reporting materials, etc.) It stresses me out to see all of that stuff sitting around...a daily reminder of what a failure I am.
(Very thankful that our neighborhood has adult trees which offer a patchwork of shade during the walk. Many other neighborhoods have young trees or no trees at all, and are just scorching hot concrete skillets. I think that even in this picture you can see how strong the sun is.)
- Jameson's bosses--and his job--have been treating him very strangely this week. He essentially hasn't had any work to do. But he's still getting paid. He's emailed and sent messages via the company chat, but they didn't respond until today, and then just asked him to "brainstorm" a new curriculum for one class. I don't know what to think but our entire lifestyle is dependent on his job, so this worries me. Whatever happens, we'll be ok...but I'm worried.
(Fallen palm fruit. There were many bees and flies getting nutrients from the rotting fruits. Summer in Florida is hot, humid, and rancid with the smell of overheated soil, rotting vegetation, decaying trash, stagnant water, and dead animals. Can you tell I'm in a mood about it on this sweltering walk?)
- I shared this with a friend over on DW, and thought it might provide some perspective to LJ friends as well. Mostly regarding my attempts at making Uber Eats deliveries...but also to show what it's like to commute, in general, in Central Florida, with Disney's big butt right in the middle of everything.
The blue dot is me (by the way, I have a Kissimmee zip code...but notice that Kissimmee is actually a 40-minute drive due east of us!)
The red circle is the theme parks, Disney and Universal property AND also the highways that encircle them and are impacted by tourist traffic.
The blue circles are some cities and towns where ACTUAL Floridians live and work: Orlando, Kissimmee, Clermont. There is also the airport, which as you can imagine with tourists and retirees and snowbirds and businessfolks and layovers en route to the Bahamas or Cuba or Atlanta or wherever, is a total hellscape at all times.
See how BIG Disney property is, and how it is directly between me and essentially everything. In order to reach universities, business parks, shopping centers, restaurant hubs, etc, my choices are to fight theme park traffic on those highways surrounding Disney, or take much longer circuitous routes (which are ALL toll roads btw.) See Winter Park up there above Orlando? That's where I spent three hours delivering Uber Eats last week. It took me an hour to get up there for just $20 in earnings, then an hour drive back.
To my west is a wetland/wildlife preserve. Although the road to Clermont north of us is usually free of tourists, it's still a 30 minute drive (I am considering testing Uber Eats up there also.) And eventually Davenport down south will be worth visiting too, but not for at least a few more months while they're building it up. But anyway I hope this gives some perspective on not only Uber Eats, but also commuting ANYWHERE in the Orlando area.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
The rest of Thursday was fine. I got cleaned up from the walk and put the meatballs in the crock pot for dinner, then practiced trombone and made us some no-bake cookies for no reason other than I wanted them. I did a half recipe which was only 13 cookies. Decorated some with Lucky Charms marshmallows, and some with butterscotch chips.
Dinner was sticky meatballs with mashed potatoes and lemon pepper green beans.
Despite looking so juicy the meatballs were somewhat dry, probably because they're turkey and because I was doing a half-recipe and let them simmer for too long. Lesson learned for next time. Still, it wasn't bad and Jameson even had seconds.
Meanwhile my firefly petunia is blooming for the first time since shipping, and put on a spectacular light show last night!
The flowers are small, about nickel-sized, but beautiful.
Here is daytime vs nighttime! I couldn't BELIEVE how brightly it was glowing.
For contrast, here is the photo I took the day I received the firefly petunia in the mail.
Same phone camera and same exposure settings!
The flowers were larger when I first received it, but the foliage was very weak. To be honest I'd rather have a healthy leafy plant than one with lots of blooms or bigger blooms.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, my Papa Pal canceled on me so I had the day free. After breakfast I cleaned the patio sliding doors, cleaned our bathrooms, and confirmed my Papa Pal visit for Saturday morning. The Saturday evening Pal called to cancel as well, idk what's going on this weekend but it's kind of a bummer for me.
I'd meant to swim in the pool or run misc errands but wasn't really feeling it. Didn't want to practice today either.
I want to start my job and waiting is difficult.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday morning was my Papa Pal visit. This was a 60-something male who recently herniated his back. I cleaned the oven and microwave, wiped down the cabinets and countertops, wiped out some silverware drawers, cleaned the glass coffee table in the living room, swept, and mopped. Unlike all of my other Papa Pal visits to date, this guy was talkative and kept up a steady stream of conversation about life, health care, politics, weather, tastes in music, his background, my background, etc. I actually preferred that, it made the time go faster and made me feel less like a servant. I also didn't have to scrub any toilets for once, a pleasant change.
This guy had a big white 90-pound pit bull who was a total sweetheart. I love how big and blocky pit bulls are in the head! Just wanna waggle their noggins and smoosh their dopey faces! Unfortunately this dog was rather stinky, so I had to stop at a gas station on the way home to wash up because the dog-smell was *gag*
I went to my bagel place (pumpernickel, egg, blueberry) then Publix for ingredients for Cubans tomorrow. Lunch at home, a little rest, trombone practice. It was weirdly breezy, I suppose because of the tropical storm headed our way (which no one cares about because tropical storms are not worth bothering about here.) And I was finally scheduled for three shifts at the hat shop, 18 hours' worth. Yay! It's a big relief to ACTUALLY be scheduled for shifts.
Scheduled myself another Papa Pal for Monday with an older woman who "needs help with yard work" and wants to "play board games." It's a two hour visit so my hope is that we'll garden for an hour and play games for an hour! But we'll see what actually happens.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday was quiet. I went for a walk after breakfast, ahead of Tropical Storm Debby. There were lots of people doing the same, walking their dogs or getting exercise or doing last-minute pre-storm yardwork.
The most interesting thing that I saw on this walk was a little garter snake sitting very still in a field, head raised above the grass, staring directly up into the sky. I thought he was a stick until I got closer and he angled his head back down to look at me. I wonder what he saw up there? Was he watching the storm bands rolling in? I didn't know that snakes looked up.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Back home I got the mojo pork marinating and got cleaned up. After lunch Jameson went to the masseuse and I confirmed my Papa Pal visit for tomorrow.
The daughter answered the phone, and we talked about what would be expected of me. This one will be unique: it's an elderly woman and her husband who has dementia. They are Spanish-speakers and I don't speak a lick of Spanish, but I have Google Translate and the daughter says this will be less about conversation and more about simply being present. They have no actual chores that need doing, so the plan right now is to make tuna sandwiches together and play some games (Chinese checkers was mentioned.) Since we're supposed to be in the thick of the tropical storm tomorrow, this honestly sounds like a lovely way to spend a few hours (and get paid for it!)
After that I cooked the tenderloin in the oven, cooled and sliced it.
Jameson gamed and I watched anime.
For dinner I made simple cubanos: Cuban bread from Publix, sliced pickles, the mojo pork slices, low sodium deli ham, Swiss cheese, and coarse mustard. Smash it all as flat as you can under a hot skillet, and you've got one delicious sandwich.
It rained for most of the evening, which isn't unusual but the 20mph winds and cooler temps (76 degrees, yay!) were a pleasant addition thanks to the tropical storm. It was still insanely humid but otherwise a lovely rainy day.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tomorrow I've got my Papa Pal during lunch, otherwise the only things to do are practice trombone and prepare for my first day of work at the hat shop. I'm excited and nervous but will do my best.
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