Still alive and kickin'

I spent three days at home with the cats and nearly went insane*. Not that the cats aren't great, but I needed to get out of the house for a bit. Going to the bank and to pay the water bill today seemed like a huge treat. And even then, Jack rode with me in the car...

Tonight I went out with Robert and Teresa to the Ruby Tuesdays in Merritt Island for dinner. (WOO-HOO! PEOPLE!!) It was Robert's birthday and we sat and talked for several hours after we'd finished the meal. In fact, the servers were all sitting together playing cards waiting for us last few tables to finally clear out at the end of the night! I enjoyed stories from scout camp and discussions of belay techniques when doing ropes courses. What a departure from our normal "space, space, space" conversation! Perhaps we are tired of the media coverage we've gotten lately... (YES, we are painfully aware of the "crazy astronaut" story in the news. "Astronaut" is a job title, not a decree of sainthood. We don't know her and are as confused by her behavior as anyone else.)

Things are going well around the house. Last week I tested out the new mop by scrubbing down all of the floors in the kitchen, foyer, hall, and bathroom (it worked great). Monday and Tuesday I cooked food and ate like a real person, so I am not starving. I have done laundry once since Jen left--and will finally fold it tonight!

Talking with my business partner Karen, I realized that I do my best work around and with other people. I've been spending a lot of time lately just looking at a computer screen working budget numbers or other paperwork. Alone. Cats not withstanding, I haven't been around other people and have definitely not been working up to my potential. I do have an office at the Center for Space Education at KSC that I moved into last week. (No windows, one other person in the maze of rooms, but it gets me out.) My new goal is to create more interactions with people on a daily basis. Anyone want to meet for lunch?

Thanks to everyone that has been checking in on me to make sure I am eating. I appreciate your help! Please keep the letters, phone calls, and dinner invitations coming.

*Just kidding! I think...

Post Holiday

We made it! After two weeks filled with family and friends, we've settled back into regular life...for a few days. So far, the new year has consisted mainly of us having a blast with our fancy new fridge and spending gift cards like crazy!

We went to see Children of Men last weekend. It was a great movie! Set in a future where all women are infertile, it showed how life could be in a closed-border, nationalistic, terrorist-filled country. Guess again: it's the UK! Don't worry, their Homeland Security looks just as scary as ours in the movie.

Jen leaves for her 3-month stay in Alabama in a few weeks :-( I can come visit her during her safety training class at Ft. Rucker, but only on the weekend. That's a looong drive for a weekend! If you're around the area (which nothing is around that area), be sure to give Jen a call! She's sure to get lonely in LA ("Lower Alabama").

As for me, I'll be deep into creating the education program for the World Space Expo and managing Sky Fire Lab. Both have picked up steam and are moving fast! Last week I shipped our first order from the online store :-) Hooray for garage-based inventory management!

This weekend we're movin' and shakin' around the house as we get a bunch of little projects done before Jen leaves. We're putting up shelves in closets and putting office stuff back in the office. A bunch of stuff has been living in the guest room as it had to move so my massive desk could come in! You may remember the 6ft. x 7 ft. "L" desk and hutch that was in the Port Orange House. Ok, maybe you don't. In any case, it's a BIG desk. If Sniper hadn't come over to help me figure out how to get it in, I would still have it in the garage (HINT: it's too big to come through the door and too heavy to think about while you're carrying it).

Happy holiday weekend! Jen doesn't work on Monday so neither will I. I love getting all federal holidays off :-)