Itchin' and Bitchin'
OK, not much bitching, really, since I had a wonderful (and exceptionally long) weekend with Erin. (But it rhymed, so...)
The concert was great! I've only listened to a little bit of Over the Rhine's music, but since the majority of it has been their new album (Drunkard's Prayer, of which most of their set consisted), I was able to recognize a lot of the songs. To be honest, though, I think I liked Kim Taylor's (their opening act and backup vocalist) voice better--it was a tad smoother and a little easier to understand than Karin Bergquist's.
Following the concert, we took a two-hour drive up to Erin's parents' house in Titusville, where...we promptly fell asleep.
Most of Friday was occupied with our trip to Kennedy Space Center, which is always awe-inspiring. This time it was even more impressive, though, since there was a shuttle on the pad! I still haven't taken the pics off my camera, and my zoom isn't that great, so I don't know how much you'll be able to see, but it was really cool to be even as close as we were. They dropped the ISS exhibit from the tour, which was disappointing, but meant that we were able to get back to the main visitors' center in time to see both IMAX movies. (btw: Erin's even more of a space nut than I am, which is awesome!)
After the Space Center, it was back to Erin's parents' home for dinner. They have a really nice house with a front piano-foyer-dining room setup that mirrors my parents' design to an almost eerie degree. Shortly after we returned, we were treated to a great meal of taco salad and fried plantains, cooked by Erin's mom and sister. We then took a trip over to her grandparents' house to show off the paint job on Meg's car--a brilliant Gator blue with orange pinstriping. I was still a little nervous around her family, but I think I managed to hide that fairly well.
We spent a few hours Saturday on the beach getting tossed by waves, playing in the sand, getting baked in the sun, and seeing the shuttle from a better vantage point than the observation gantry. The waves were pretty big and I was constantly trying to flush salt water out of my eyes, mouth, and nose; I'm not used to the Atlantic Ocean, but Erin said it was rougher than normal, so I'm willing to give it another chance, since I did have fun during the 80% of the time when I was above the waves. Next time, though, I'm going to make sure I remember to re-apply sunscreen after being in the water for a while. I've only got a light burn, but I itch like a mofo. I can only imagine (by remembering my own days as a lobster) what Erin's feeling, since she got burned far worse than I did.
That evening, after getting back to Gainesville, we joined Sonya, Sjon, and a few other geeks for a Star Wars party. (Eps 1 and 2, in preparation for the release of 3) There was much t00by/geeky goodness, as you can read about in leiabelle's posts...because I'm too lazy to post on it on my own. ;P
The concert was great! I've only listened to a little bit of Over the Rhine's music, but since the majority of it has been their new album (Drunkard's Prayer, of which most of their set consisted), I was able to recognize a lot of the songs. To be honest, though, I think I liked Kim Taylor's (their opening act and backup vocalist) voice better--it was a tad smoother and a little easier to understand than Karin Bergquist's.
Following the concert, we took a two-hour drive up to Erin's parents' house in Titusville, where...we promptly fell asleep.
Most of Friday was occupied with our trip to Kennedy Space Center, which is always awe-inspiring. This time it was even more impressive, though, since there was a shuttle on the pad! I still haven't taken the pics off my camera, and my zoom isn't that great, so I don't know how much you'll be able to see, but it was really cool to be even as close as we were. They dropped the ISS exhibit from the tour, which was disappointing, but meant that we were able to get back to the main visitors' center in time to see both IMAX movies. (btw: Erin's even more of a space nut than I am, which is awesome!)
After the Space Center, it was back to Erin's parents' home for dinner. They have a really nice house with a front piano-foyer-dining room setup that mirrors my parents' design to an almost eerie degree. Shortly after we returned, we were treated to a great meal of taco salad and fried plantains, cooked by Erin's mom and sister. We then took a trip over to her grandparents' house to show off the paint job on Meg's car--a brilliant Gator blue with orange pinstriping. I was still a little nervous around her family, but I think I managed to hide that fairly well.
We spent a few hours Saturday on the beach getting tossed by waves, playing in the sand, getting baked in the sun, and seeing the shuttle from a better vantage point than the observation gantry. The waves were pretty big and I was constantly trying to flush salt water out of my eyes, mouth, and nose; I'm not used to the Atlantic Ocean, but Erin said it was rougher than normal, so I'm willing to give it another chance, since I did have fun during the 80% of the time when I was above the waves. Next time, though, I'm going to make sure I remember to re-apply sunscreen after being in the water for a while. I've only got a light burn, but I itch like a mofo. I can only imagine (by remembering my own days as a lobster) what Erin's feeling, since she got burned far worse than I did.
That evening, after getting back to Gainesville, we joined Sonya, Sjon, and a few other geeks for a Star Wars party. (Eps 1 and 2, in preparation for the release of 3) There was much t00by/geeky goodness, as you can read about in leiabelle's posts...because I'm too lazy to post on it on my own. ;P