2011 Brings Us New Life
I was going to post one of those belated "2010 in Review" ramblings, but after thinking about it, there was no accurate way for me to portray 2010 here. On the bright side, I graduated from the University of Tampa, completed my internship and started in the University of Central Florida's Mass Communication graduate program, leaving my lifelong hometown in the process. On the dark side, 2010 was a year of loss in my family. Our cat Lucky died April 15 after suffering a stroke. Grandma's husband Dick reached end stage Alzheimer's Disease and died November 19. And perhaps most importantly, as documented on Facebook, I lost my dad to cancer on October 13. Not one person in the family wasn't hit hard, most of all my mom, who is now in the unenviable position of starting over after 25 years. And of course, I am left to do without the man I talked to more than anyone about every possible thing, chief among them our common interest in baseball and football. At least I can proudly say that Dad got to watch me graduate with my Bachelor's degree.
How are we rebuilding in 2011? I should count the ways.
-I got off to a strong start at UCF, finishing my first semester with two A's and a B+. Not bad for a semester marked by tragedy. It's my first good start at a new level since sixth grade. UCF's assistantship, in which I get paid to assist some professors in my program, covers tuition, which means this experience pays for itself. I should get out by the middle of 2012 and go job hunting.
-In some ways living in Orlando is not that bad. I'm on the east side away from the tourism, but on some roads (Colonial Drive) traffic volume is larger and more intense than even the most congested parts of Tampa. Some of the TV news is worth watching (Sonni Abbata on FOX 35 and Martha Sugalski on WESH 2), but the commercials seem bush league compared to those produced in the Tampa Bay market. On the positive side, I don't have a problem with my apartment complex, enough to where I just signed up to live there into 2012.
-We have no idea what our summer vacation plans are. Initially we planned on another massive Harmon family reunion in Mississippi, but some medical issues among the elders will likely delay that for one more year. So possible mid-summer destinations now include Barstow, California, where several family members live and others are not worlds away. This is mainly because people out there are begging us to go and we have never been there. I also have family in Minnesota who would like us to visit them, and none of us have been to Turner Field in Atlanta... or any place in Atlanta since around 1993. If only I had the resources to cover all of them in one summer.
-Spring Training is here and baseball is coming back. We have tickets (plus a hotel and dinner reservations) for our annual journey to the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex on March 5, wnen the Braves face the arch-enemy New York Mets. The Braves look like a strong playoff-caliber team. The Rays, maybe not so much, but they're not that bad either.
-Speaking of the Rays, I attended FanFest 2011 on February 19. I ended up with six autographs on my program, signed cards from catcher John Jaso and coach/former outfielder Dave Martinez, a piece of the FieldTurf they removed prior to this season and a 2000 Spring Training game-worn jersey with "Burkett" and the number 36 on the back. Apparently pitcher John Burkett went to training camp with the Devil Rays before they released him and he joined the Braves. Who would have thought? I also drove through Tampa for the first time since moving, and it's as if I never left.
-In my on-again, off-again quest to watch more wrestling shows, I've seen some WWE RAW and TNA Impact lately. Other than The Rock's epic return/pwnage of John Cena, nothing notable is going on. There are some entertaining portions and moronically-booked segments on both shows, but overall it's just stagnant. I figured I would touch on that because, for most of my time on LiveJournal, it was my main topic of discussion.
I think that basically covers it for now, unless something drastic happens soon. Until then (or 2012, whichever comes first), I am OUT.
How are we rebuilding in 2011? I should count the ways.
-I got off to a strong start at UCF, finishing my first semester with two A's and a B+. Not bad for a semester marked by tragedy. It's my first good start at a new level since sixth grade. UCF's assistantship, in which I get paid to assist some professors in my program, covers tuition, which means this experience pays for itself. I should get out by the middle of 2012 and go job hunting.
-In some ways living in Orlando is not that bad. I'm on the east side away from the tourism, but on some roads (Colonial Drive) traffic volume is larger and more intense than even the most congested parts of Tampa. Some of the TV news is worth watching (Sonni Abbata on FOX 35 and Martha Sugalski on WESH 2), but the commercials seem bush league compared to those produced in the Tampa Bay market. On the positive side, I don't have a problem with my apartment complex, enough to where I just signed up to live there into 2012.
-We have no idea what our summer vacation plans are. Initially we planned on another massive Harmon family reunion in Mississippi, but some medical issues among the elders will likely delay that for one more year. So possible mid-summer destinations now include Barstow, California, where several family members live and others are not worlds away. This is mainly because people out there are begging us to go and we have never been there. I also have family in Minnesota who would like us to visit them, and none of us have been to Turner Field in Atlanta... or any place in Atlanta since around 1993. If only I had the resources to cover all of them in one summer.
-Spring Training is here and baseball is coming back. We have tickets (plus a hotel and dinner reservations) for our annual journey to the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex on March 5, wnen the Braves face the arch-enemy New York Mets. The Braves look like a strong playoff-caliber team. The Rays, maybe not so much, but they're not that bad either.
-Speaking of the Rays, I attended FanFest 2011 on February 19. I ended up with six autographs on my program, signed cards from catcher John Jaso and coach/former outfielder Dave Martinez, a piece of the FieldTurf they removed prior to this season and a 2000 Spring Training game-worn jersey with "Burkett" and the number 36 on the back. Apparently pitcher John Burkett went to training camp with the Devil Rays before they released him and he joined the Braves. Who would have thought? I also drove through Tampa for the first time since moving, and it's as if I never left.
-In my on-again, off-again quest to watch more wrestling shows, I've seen some WWE RAW and TNA Impact lately. Other than The Rock's epic return/pwnage of John Cena, nothing notable is going on. There are some entertaining portions and moronically-booked segments on both shows, but overall it's just stagnant. I figured I would touch on that because, for most of my time on LiveJournal, it was my main topic of discussion.
I think that basically covers it for now, unless something drastic happens soon. Until then (or 2012, whichever comes first), I am OUT.