4:00 am... God, I didn't want to get out of bed in the dark! Shower, woke up Craig so he could go get his car... 30 degrees and raining.
5:30 am... Kissed Craig good bye at the security line. The Latinas behind us thought we were cute, and were giggling at us.
6:30 am... Flew to Atlanta. Made sure to take Dramamine before takeoff. Good thing, too.
8:00 am... What a miserable little airport Atlanta has. Dingy. Crowded. Concourses are too long and organized terribly. As if I didn't already have too long a layover, flight was delayed about an hour. This situation sucked, but it's not as horrible as the last time I got stuck in ATL!
Got on one of those little commuter shuttle planes where you actually walk out onto the tarmac and up the stairs. Two aisles of two seats each. I was in 12A, and that's the penultimate row. Which means there was a thirteenth row on this plane.
Blessedly, the flight was smooth. Very very minor turbulence. Didn't even make me nervous.
12:30 am... Landed in Melbourne, FL. Florida looks really pretty from the air. Very marshy. The beaches, though tiny from that altitude, looked lovely and white. I called Tim to come pick me up.
Got out of the plane on the jetway, and smelled the seawater. Melbourne Airport is a shithole. It's under construction, and the atmosphere is tacky in that way that only Florida can be. It also has that smell like an old house basement that's been flooded a few times.
Told Tim I'd be the redhead with glasses, because there's probably not too many of those walking around. He said he'd be in a Ford Taurus. I realized too late that description probably fit all the rental cars at the airport. No matter, he spotted me. We chatted it up, and stopped at a place to buy me a sandwich, because everyone else had gotten lunch, but they didn't know what to get me.
The hoagie place was sort of dismal and bare, but the guy behind the counter was very nice. He said he was still getting used to the heat,and how different this place is in many ways because he was from New York. Brooklyn, to be exact. He said no one's complained about his subs yet, so he hoped I would enjoy it.
Funny, the sign said "Hoagies", yet he called it a "sub." Perhaps it was not his establishment.
1:something ... Met the rest of the IT team. Very informal gathering. Ate and talked, and everyone told me a little about themselves.
It's always interesting to see what "business casual" means to people. Everything from button-downs and khakis, to jeans and a polo shirt. I don't mind being a tiny bit overdressed though. I would always rather be over- than under- dressed.
Very very informal discussions. Got a nice tour of the facility. It's an "o" shaped building, white walls, absolutely nothing remarkable. A lot of development and beta testing goes on here, so it was nice to see what they're using to do that. Lots and lots of server equipment and misc. peripherals.
Lots of grey hair on the techs... ;)
Monday, February 28
Wednesday, February 23
Parosmia and Phantosmia
If you are looking for the previous post and comments related to the above subject that lived in this location for five years, I've moved it. Please redirect your bookmarks to here:
http://parosmiaandphantosmia.blogspot.com/
Thanks!
http://parosmiaandphantosmia.blogspot.com/
Thanks!
Monday, February 14
You'll forever be my Valentine
'I used to love you, I love you still, and I'll always love you.'
PETER ST. ONGE
The Charlotte Observer
The trip is usually 10 minutes long, from her driveway to her husband's room. Leroy will be happy to see her, of course, and he might toss a playful jab at her, the way he does with visitors. Lollie will have a gift for him on this Valentine's Day.
They'll spend a couple of hours talking or walking or eating dinner. Margie, his friend, will probably be there, too. Sometimes, Lollie finds them walking together outside, or sitting on a bench holding hands.
Leroy doesn't remember he is married to Lollie. He doesn't remember their moments, their milestones, the arc of a shared life. But Lollie does. All of it.
They met in the fall of 1934, Leroy and Lollie. He was a Duke grad, a former captain of the school boxing team. She was a pretty Charlotte girl at her Methodist church's pool party.
She remembers their first date -- a scary movie on Halloween at the Carolina Theatre. He held her hand. "How does the song go?" she says now, and she hums until she hits the right words. "The moment my heart stood still," she softly sings, then stops. "That's what I felt that night when he held my hand."
She also remembers their courtship, how he'd pick her up for breakfast before work every Monday and place a little ceramic elephant -- their mascot -- on the restaurant table between them. He was that kind of sweet after they were married, too.
They had a son and a daughter, and they saved money when there wasn't a lot to save. They were not an outwardly affectionate pair, but one day, when Lollie picked up Leroy from work, she saw him walking down the stairs, so handsome in his suit. "Isn't he wonderful?" she said to her daughter, Martha, sitting with her in the car. Martha still remembers that.
The kids grew up, and Leroy and Lollie traveled, and they went to church, and she enjoyed a book club. Then, nine years ago, Leroy had a quadruple bypass. He was 83, and the surgery seemed to take something from his mind. Two years later, he was diagnosed with early stages of Alzheimer's.
The disease stole the memories he shared with her, then his short-term recall, then finally his ability to be in their house alone. Last summer, the burden was too much for a woman in her 80s. Leroy moved into The Haven, a home in Highland Creek.
She visits him three times a week, usually with Martha, who drives. Leroy doesn't always remember Lollie's name, but he brightens when she walks into a room.
Sometimes, there is a flash of something more, such as the day he looked at her and said: "I used to love you, I love you still, and I'll always love you."
Another day, he said to Lollie, "Hi, you're a nice person," then leaned over to a friend and whispered, "Who is that?"
The friend was Margie, who also has advanced Alzheimer's. She usually is there when Lollie visits. Sometimes, when Lollie is in the room, Margie sits between her and Leroy.
The nurses at the Haven ask Lollie's daughter, Martha, about this. Isn't Lollie jealous? Martha says no, and Lollie shakes her head now. She says she's had Leroy all this time, and she would have him still if his mind were sound. "I'm secure in that," she says. "And I don't want him to be lonely."
And so today, the Valentine's card she has for Leroy won't say nearly as much as the cheerful hello she has for Margie. It's a simple thing, Lollie says, the same as it has been for 70 years. She wants him to be happy. She has their memories. And: "I love him still."
'I used to love you, I love you still, and I'll always love you.'
PETER ST. ONGE
The Charlotte Observer
The trip is usually 10 minutes long, from her driveway to her husband's room. Leroy will be happy to see her, of course, and he might toss a playful jab at her, the way he does with visitors. Lollie will have a gift for him on this Valentine's Day.
They'll spend a couple of hours talking or walking or eating dinner. Margie, his friend, will probably be there, too. Sometimes, Lollie finds them walking together outside, or sitting on a bench holding hands.
Leroy doesn't remember he is married to Lollie. He doesn't remember their moments, their milestones, the arc of a shared life. But Lollie does. All of it.
They met in the fall of 1934, Leroy and Lollie. He was a Duke grad, a former captain of the school boxing team. She was a pretty Charlotte girl at her Methodist church's pool party.
She remembers their first date -- a scary movie on Halloween at the Carolina Theatre. He held her hand. "How does the song go?" she says now, and she hums until she hits the right words. "The moment my heart stood still," she softly sings, then stops. "That's what I felt that night when he held my hand."
She also remembers their courtship, how he'd pick her up for breakfast before work every Monday and place a little ceramic elephant -- their mascot -- on the restaurant table between them. He was that kind of sweet after they were married, too.
They had a son and a daughter, and they saved money when there wasn't a lot to save. They were not an outwardly affectionate pair, but one day, when Lollie picked up Leroy from work, she saw him walking down the stairs, so handsome in his suit. "Isn't he wonderful?" she said to her daughter, Martha, sitting with her in the car. Martha still remembers that.
The kids grew up, and Leroy and Lollie traveled, and they went to church, and she enjoyed a book club. Then, nine years ago, Leroy had a quadruple bypass. He was 83, and the surgery seemed to take something from his mind. Two years later, he was diagnosed with early stages of Alzheimer's.
The disease stole the memories he shared with her, then his short-term recall, then finally his ability to be in their house alone. Last summer, the burden was too much for a woman in her 80s. Leroy moved into The Haven, a home in Highland Creek.
She visits him three times a week, usually with Martha, who drives. Leroy doesn't always remember Lollie's name, but he brightens when she walks into a room.
Sometimes, there is a flash of something more, such as the day he looked at her and said: "I used to love you, I love you still, and I'll always love you."
Another day, he said to Lollie, "Hi, you're a nice person," then leaned over to a friend and whispered, "Who is that?"
The friend was Margie, who also has advanced Alzheimer's. She usually is there when Lollie visits. Sometimes, when Lollie is in the room, Margie sits between her and Leroy.
The nurses at the Haven ask Lollie's daughter, Martha, about this. Isn't Lollie jealous? Martha says no, and Lollie shakes her head now. She says she's had Leroy all this time, and she would have him still if his mind were sound. "I'm secure in that," she says. "And I don't want him to be lonely."
And so today, the Valentine's card she has for Leroy won't say nearly as much as the cheerful hello she has for Margie. It's a simple thing, Lollie says, the same as it has been for 70 years. She wants him to be happy. She has their memories. And: "I love him still."
Thursday, February 10
The most recent word is that I am the primary candidate for that job position I've been agonizing over.
The next step is to the technology training center in Melbourne, FL to meet some of the other people.
I have a feeling it's going to be a test. I hate tests. However, if I get through it, I'm hoping they will tell me right then that I have the job or whatever. I know one of the reasons I'm in the lead is because I'm the most readily available/flexible. There are some advantages to being a single person with no kids. Anyone can have tech knowledge. I'm hoping my superior troubleshooting skills and quick adapatbility will help.
The next step is to the technology training center in Melbourne, FL to meet some of the other people.
I have a feeling it's going to be a test. I hate tests. However, if I get through it, I'm hoping they will tell me right then that I have the job or whatever. I know one of the reasons I'm in the lead is because I'm the most readily available/flexible. There are some advantages to being a single person with no kids. Anyone can have tech knowledge. I'm hoping my superior troubleshooting skills and quick adapatbility will help.
Monday, February 7
Such a happy couple are we!
All the pictures from our trip are here in my gallery.
The captions are worth reading, if I do say so myself!
I had the biggest job interview of my life last week.
Pros include a more challenging work experience, advancement, better pay, and moving to a bigger city. I haven't heard anything about it yet, but I come highly recommended by my old boss, Curtiss. And his word is worth a few.
Waiting patiently until then. On the couch, because my back has gone out. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for some muscle relaxants!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)