Start of the Trip Recap: Thursday and Friday

Let's be honest, I don't know how many posts it will take me to sum up! But let's time-travel back to last Thursday and set off for the airport.

I had to pull over to get a photo of the near-full moon.

Still visible at the airport:

Parked the car, shuttle to the terminal, go through security. Check out the lack of lines!

Because it was my birthday, I got my free drink from Starbucks, and they kindly gave me a cup of ice as well.

I got out my knitting and settled in to wait.

I was very amused by the coincidence of these two comics running on a day I was flying! Pearls Before Swine and Frazz are two favorites.

(Amusingly, another one ran today:

Everyone does that!)

Anyway, back to the trip. I was flying Delta, and didn't realize at first that the flight map would let me zoom in. This is quite an overview!

The seats on the plane were so damned narrow (and I do know that I am a large person, but whew) that knitting was off the table, and even reading turned out to be uncomfortable as I had to hold the book up and keep my elbows tucked in the whole time. So I went with a movie instead.

Somehow this movie came out 41 years ago; I felt very old. I wanted to watch something I was familiar with, so the inevitable interruptions wouldn't be as annoying, which worked out fine. I was able to laugh at the timing of this:

It's an enjoyable movie even now, and it passed the flight time to NY nicely. Soon enough, we were going in for landing.

I had a long layover (by design) (not 5 hours, but not 45 minutes either), with enough time for a non-rushed lunch a decent walk away (still within the terminal, of course), and even a delicious cookie in a laid-back seat in the sun.

They look like dentist chairs, but were decently comfortable for putting the feet up and relaxing.

While I was eating, my gate was changed to be even nearer to where I was, which was a pleasant surprise. The plane to Syracuse was smaller, the seats just as narrow but with more legroom, and the flight shorter. Finally got there, and picked up my rental car, which turned out to be a Chevy Equinox. A bit bigger than what I'm used to, but not impossibly so. Even though I was eager to get on the road, I spent a little time in the garage, figuring out where all the most important controls were. And then more time trying to figure out how to get out of the garage! That thing was a maze of poor signage. 

Finally I got on the road: the delays had taken me past the worst of rush hour, which is good because unfamiliar car on unfamiliar roads with roadwork in the dark was challenging enough. Made it to my aunt's safely, which is what counts.

We didn't have to rush anywhere on Friday: I had told my aunt that I was at her disposal for whatever shopping she wanted to do. After a stop at the bank for her, the next stop was for me, at a yarn store! She always buys me some yarn for my birthday, and we went to the Yarn Cupboard in Jamesville, where I had a fine time looking at things (they're not huge but had a really nice selection) and settled on this:

We had lunch at a little looks-like-nothing place nearby, called Robbie T's Pizza*, which was really good! I had a chicken bacon ranch wrap, and it was delicious. 
*I'm not surprised it doesn't have a website, they didn't even take credit cards! Bring cash, it's worth it.

Thus fortified, we were off to the big stop for the day: Wegmans! If you're not familiar with the chain, they are a grocery store that is so much more. It was a madhouse, but we took our time (we were probably there an hour and a half) and got everything she wanted. 

There was SU orange everywhere:

Would you try this? I'm slightly intrigued but maybe more repulsed.

Beautiful flowers to pass by.

And I chose a cheesecake for my "birthday cake"! Topped with cherry pie filling. Yum.

That was served after dinner of course, which my aunt made and was delicious as well!

That's enough for one day: next up is the Apple Festival, aka the reason why I went when I did. Ahhhh.

Catching Up On Walking

We're halfway through October, and so far I have walked/moved most of the days. Time to catch up! 

• As I wrote on the 5th, I went into the pool instead of walking, plus did condo checks.
• On Monday the 6th, I did a 15-minute online stretch class, and also parked in between two stops and walked back and forth instead of moving the car (it wasn't much walking, but it counts).
• On Tuesday, I didn't manage anything. Oh well.
• Wednesday, I had the stretch class again, and I was packing, which involves plenty of walking around, albeit inside.
• Thursday the 9th, I did plenty of walking in airports!
  
  
  
  
• Friday the 10th, I took my aunt to Wegmans, and we walked around for probably an hour and a half.
  
  
  
  
• Saturday the 11th was the big one: we went to Apple Festival, and of the roughly four hours we were there, I estimate I was on my feet for three and a half!
  
  
  
  
• Sunday the 12th I did go outside briefly, to look at the trees, but my legs were so sore from Saturday, I made it maybe 8 minutes before coming back inside. Walking from the car to the restaurant for dinner added a few more!
  
  
  
  
• Monday the 13th was my return travel day, and with flight delays, the 11-hour trip turned into 14 hours. Some of that was driving, some of it was sitting in planes or around airports, but quite a lot of walking was involved, too. Turns out that looking for the elusive quiet, comfortable, and not freezing cold place in an airport is kind of a lost cause, but I took a lot of steps trying to find it.
  
  
  
  
• Tuesday the 14th was a total loss in terms of walking, or anything else other than recovering. I didn't even finish unpacking! Totally flattened from Monday.

And that brings me to today, where I am less than totally flattened, though still somewhat lower-energy than my usual (which is not high). So I worked, did some of the unpacking, did the 15-minute stretch class, and that's that. Perhaps tomorrow I will summon the energy to go for a walk! Stay tuned.

Flattened

I am home. 

My travel yesterday was delayed, so I dragged through the door at 11 PM after a 14-hour travel day: two cars, three airports, two planes, and a shuttle.

I'm beyond exhausted.

But I'm home! It was a fun trip, return notwithstanding.

I'm giving Past Me a huge pat on the back for being smart enough to take a vacation day today. Well done, Past Me, wicked smart.

Much more to come.

Off I Go

I leave in the morning for my trip to the frozen north. Oh, you think I'm exaggerating? Look at the forecast.

That dip below freezing, just in time for my arrival, great... The highs that are lower than our lows right now, awesome...you know it hit 80 on Monday, right? I am unsurprised, but not excited. The weather always seems to know when I'm going north.

However! I am not going for the weather--I am hoping to see some pretty foliage, but weather isn't the point of the trip--and I'm looking forward to the rest of the trip! I have also packed many warm layers, including my down jacket, compressed within an inch of its life:

And I have packed a couple of hats, cowls, gloves...I kept a few things when I moved that I only use on these trips. I've decided I would rather deal with checking a bag than with wishing I had brought more warm things. Once I made that decision, I even had room for my big cozy warm ridiculous furry jacket thing, which is this size on its own:

And this size in the compression cube:

So I'll be nice and cozy around the house, as well as in all my wool layers when we go out.

I was lucky enough that work was quiet today, so I could intersperse bouts of packing with resting my back, rather than having to do all of the final stuff after work, headless-chicken style. (This way, I can sit on the couch like a zombie and watch the first Bruins game of the season, go Bruins!) I'm almost done now, though I did exclaim "Socks!" as I was typing. It's on the list, I wouldn't have forgotten, but still.

I really hate packing light, because I am by nature a "what if I want this" packer. You ask me if I should take A or B, and my answer is:

As long as I can carry the suitcases*, I'm still good, right?
*Yes, they are on wheels. But I can lift them if I have to.

Don't know if I'll be back before my return to Florida, but I hope to have lots of good pictures to share whenever I do get back on the blog! Y'all be good and take of things, okay?

Two (Three?) for the Price of One

I use both my phone (Samsung) and iPad, and have chargers for both that I keep by my chair in the living room. But sometimes, I'll be at my desk when I realize that one or the other is low, and want to charge them there. So I did the work of figuring out what types of charger-type things they each needed (don't laugh, my tech level is not high), and was able to find one cord that had both. 

I hung it by the computer, and have plugged it in now and again to charge a device. Excellent. It's the little victories.

But then! I was getting my packing organized for my upcoming trip, and noticing where I had "both chargers" highlighted as a last-minute pack item, I had a light bulb moment.

Here I have this cord that charges both. And while the other end is meant to plug into the computer, guess what else it plugs into? I went to a drawer full of random shit that I should really clean out, and:

Pluggy thing. It works! And I don't have to deal with both chargers, and worry about forgetting them the morning I leave.

And! See the case behind it? I had to buy a new power pack, as my old one was recalled (after six years, thank you) for a risk of fire, no thank you. I bought that case to hold it, as the new one is wider than my old one and wouldn't fit in the old case, and this case worked but was a bit too big.

Otherwise known as perfect to hold the charger cord and plug along with the power pack.

Whew! So many little victories.

Some Different Movement; Condo Checks

After Saturday's walk of regret, I didn't feel like walking in the heat of the day today, nor risk leaving it until tonight due to a chance of more rain (I am so ready for the end of rainy season). So midday, when it was mostly overcast but a little sunny, I did a different kind of movement:

I did about 15 minutes of vaguely-aerobic movement in the pool, which is about as much as I can make myself do without the structure of a class (I get bored on my own). Between that and condo checks, I'm having trouble summoning the energy to get my packing in order, but I think after a little reading time, I will get a second wind.

About the condo checks, since there was some interest in that topic. This is a small building, 15 units, and mostly stable, not a ton of turnover. There's a good sense of community and people looking out for each other, something that I appreciated a ton before I moved down here, knowing that there were people nearby for my mother (well, most of the year, anyway).

Part of the reason I'm willing to keep doing the condo checks is because of this sense of community. Part of it is because it's important to my mother, and harder for her to do on her own these days. And a small part of it is selfish: I don't want to have anyone trying to pressure me to be on the condo board: it's a thankless job, mostly, and I already have one of those. This way, I'm doing my part for the community already.

As for payment, I don't charge for it; my mother never did, and frankly I think keeping track of who is away for how long and how much to charge and who has paid and who hasn't sounds like a deeply unappealing way to spend my time. Most people do give either cash/checks or gift cards, which is much welcomed. Some people bring treats from where they were, or do other things (for instance, one is a supremely handy person who is happy to help out with random things around the condo and building, and much valued for it). It all works out.

As to what I look for and what I catch, the overall process is simple. Go in, kick off shoes, and walk around barefoot, the better to catch any water on the floor in the kitchen or bathrooms. Yes, that has happened! Even though people turn their water off. Leaky dishwasher, in the most recent case. 

While in the kitchen, open the fridge and touch a shelf to make sure it's cold (some people's fridges have a temperature display on the front and some don't). Walk around looking for anything out of place, any signs of water on the ceilings, that the lanais look okay. No water in the bottom of the water heater area.

It's funny how much you can notice unconsciously: I once glanced into a closet and stopped dead, something's different, before realizing a Command hook holding bathing suits had fallen and was on the floor. Not a problem, but a change!

In the bathrooms, look for any signs of water anywhere, including around the base of the toilets, as little leaks have happened there before. (Apparently when the water is turned off and evaporates out of the bowl, the seal can dry out enough for some drips.)

Finally, the big one is the temperature. Everyone has their own idea of what temp to leave it at, but a/c problems are the number one thing I catch, so I always report back on those being what they're supposed to be.

Some people have special requests. In one unit, they like to leave the ceiling fans on (some do and some don't), and the one in the living room will sometimes turn itself from low to high, and needs switching back. Another is worried about water under the sinks, and leaves a flashlight so those can be checked specially (as opposed to just the floor in front of the sinks, which I check for everyone). A couple of people want something added to their a/c systems monthly (one vinegar, the other bleach) to keep things running right. (Does it need to be done? Who knows.) I also check a couple of garages: one had a flooding problem and wants confirmation that the dehu and fan they set up are going, and the other leaves a car on a charger but that will turn itself off if there's a power surge, so I often have to reset it.

I don't know, when I write it all out, it sounds like a lot, but I'm honestly in each unit for about 2 minutes at a time, and although I'm pretty sick of it by this time of year, it feels good to be providing a valuable service to friendly neighbors. Grease the social wheels, you know? We all do better when we look out for each other.

The Walk That Was a Mistake

One of the drawbacks to doing your walking at night is if it's raining, your choice is to walk in the rain, or not to walk that day. Night. Whatever. I chose to walk in the rain, and this was a mistake. 

Not because of the rain itself (I brought an umbrella), and not because of the temperature, which was 75, but because of this:

The humidity. THE HUMIDITY. When I say I was dripping by the time I got home, this is not an exaggeration for effect. Yuck.

So. I walked. Umbrella shot:

I survived.

There were even flowers.

But yuck. Dripping. Yuck. No stars, will not do again.

Thank all the gods for air conditioning, amen.

Moving Around

I didn't go for a walk yesterday (day 2 of the CBWC): after work, Mom and I caravanned to the Kia dealership to leave it for them to work on today, then grabbed a sub for dinner on the way home to watch the Bruins game. It's not that I couldn't have squeezed in a 15-minute walk anywhere, but I chose not to try. Instead, I counted doing condo checks as my movement for the day. 

Have I mentioned condo checks before? Not recently, at least, I don't think. We live in a small condo building where almost all the owners are snowbirds, meaning they go to various places northwards during the summers. Years ago, my mother started checking condos for a few people during the off-season*: go in twice a week and look around, making sure that the air conditioning is working (that's the most likely problem), that there isn't water anywhere, and that nothing funny is going on. 
*Season down here, without a modifier like "rainy season" or "hurricane season," means tourist season, and is at its height in January and February, though it starts getting busy in November and goes well into April before you start to see a difference.

Once I moved here, I was Mom's backup for this, and the last few years, I've done it alone during the times when Mom was in hospitals/rehab or recovering. This year, I'm taking primary responsibility, with Mom backing me up. At the height of it, there have been 8 or 9 condos, though right now we're at 7, and I go in twice a week. It takes about half an hour, it's slightly outside as I go in and out, and it is movement, at least. I may walk on condo-check days that are less busy, but it counts if I want it to count.

It does mean no pretty pictures, though. The times I have to take pictures doing the checks, it means something is wrong, not photogenic!

For today, day 3, I went for another after-dark walk. The weather was quite pleasant:

Though I was still sweaty when I got home.

The moon is close to full, a few days off, and I tried to get a good picture, but my camera wasn't feeling it. This is the best I got:

But I did get one that illustrates how it isn't season yet. Not my building, but nearby, and not looking too busy yet.

And now: the weekend. 

Walk One

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm trying to walk a little every day, at least in October, and I did go for a walk tonight. Not as late as last night, at 7 instead of 9, and while the sun was mostly down, it was still a bit on the warm side. 

The moon was of course less impressive without the contrasting dark sky.

But we got sunset skies!

When I walked last night, it was after my mother was in bed, but tonight she was still up, and when I said I was going, she reminded me that I could call her if I needed her.

Next week, I turn 57 years old. For several decades, I lived alone, and talked to her perhaps once a week. Now she is concerned that I will need her during a 15-minute walk. Okay then.

I Plan to Move It, Move It

First, for the record, I have not found this covid vaccine to hit me that hard. I gave myself permission to take it easy this weekend, but other than soreness in the upper arm area pretty much right away, and an increase in that from overnight Sunday, it hasn't been bad at all. Less sore today than yesterday, in fact. Right now, it's the other side of my back that's giving me more trouble! (I have a persistent trouble area in my mid-left back and it has been acting up the last few weeks, ow.)

Next, tomorrow being October means it's the start of Elisabeth's Cool Bloggers Walking Club, wherein a random bunch of people are planning to move intentionally for ten minutes every day in October. I am going to try to do it daily, as I did last October, while not giving myself a hard time for imperfection*. 
*"Screws fall out all the time. The world is an imperfect place." Name that movie.

A few points:

• No, you don't have to be a blogger, all are welcome
• No, it doesn't have to be walking, just moving (as I reference in the title of this post, from the oddly catchy song from a movie I've never seen)
• For the full story, I refer you to Elisabeth's blog.

I've been thinking about when to walk. Thing is, here in Florida, it's still hot. I don't say this to rub it in anyone's face, it's just a fact. I checked the weather at 4:30 today, when I was done with work:

That's a bit warm to be out in the sun.

Now, walking in the morning would probably be a better idea, though it doesn't actually cool down that much at night (the forecast right now says that at 7 tomorrow morning, it will be 76 and feel like 81). But the bigger problem with morning walks is that I am all the way at the opposite end of the spectrum from "morning person," and I have enough trouble getting myself out of bed and ready for work at 8. I'm just not excited to add even 15 minutes more into that struggle.

This evening, though, it occurred to me that I could just ... go for a walk at 8:50pm. So I did. It was still warm:

But without sunlight, and with a nice breeze most of the way around the block, it wasn't too bad: I got warm, but not overheated. And other than a section of sidewalk that I had to divert around because sprinklers were going, it was very peaceful. I saw something small and fast zip into the bushes at one point, and at another, I could hear some sort of critter that was chittering and hooting, but there wasn't much else happening.

I did stop for a minute to take a moon-with-palm-tree picture.

So as a proof of concept, that's a definite possibility.