A Place Temperature Forgot

WHEN: Late-May, 2010 WHERE: Mid-Atlantic While the calendar still says it's spring, most of the country is experiencing summer-like weather. From Duluth to Dallas, Miami to Maine, the oven has been turned on - high. That is, except for the mid-Atlantic. Nope, we here are still stuck in spring and you know I am no fan of being left out of summer! I do follow weather closely but mostly just extremes and temperatures. I don't follow, understand, or even really care about the physics or dynamics of weather patterns, so don't ask me what has set up along the East Coast's mid-section. All I know is we are smack-dab in the middle of a bubble the heat has forgotten. And this hasn't just occurred today. For the past week, the upper Midwest and Great Plains have been basking in unseasonable warmth while the mid-Atlantic shivers in average conditions (author's exaggeration). And this pattern will last at least through the next few days.

Today's forecast highs for the upper Midwest.

Today's forecast highs for the mid-Atlantic.

Heat indices at 3:15 EDT today.

Even Maine has been afforded heat-index-inducing conditions, while 500 miles to the south we questioned the thermometer even breaking 80° today (it didn't, and hasn't since May 15 in Norfolk). Now I know some of you experiencing this wave of warmth have not welcomed it with open arms and actually wish you could trade places with the states in the frozen tundra of the mid-Atlantic. And of all the things to complain about, temperature should not be on someone's list, especially when temperature (hot or cold) is a real threat to some peoples throughout the world. I'm really not complaining and like I said, I like extremes, so whether I am experiencing them or not I am always interested in them. Plus, I have to write about random stuff like regional weather patterns or else I wouldn't have a blog and then you (myself included) wouldn't have an alternative to TV for finding a place to waste your time. :)

Drastic difference between the first and second half of May in Minneapolis

My, how the tables have turned!

High temps for May 24. Oh, look where the highest number is on here! This post is brought to you by the number 9 and the letters H, O and T.

Jesse's POW (May 23, 2010)

WHEN: May 20, 2010 WHERE: 803 Front St., Norfolk, VA

See where this picture was taken, here!

Enchantment. Entertainment.

The Enchantment WHEN: May 20, 2010 WHERE: Elizabeth River, Norfolk, VA Until a few years ago, the Elizabeth River that runs through downtown Norfolk was on the country's Top 10 Most Polluted Rivers list - obviously not a good list to make it on. But today, like many days, it was a great place to be. It's not the Panama Canal or the Hudson River but sometimes it seems like it could be. About any marine vessel imaginable is not out of the question to be seen floating along on this waterway. From aircraft carriers, to nuclear submarines, from cruise ships, to 1000ft. cargo ships, from international pleasure yachts to restored colonial-era masted ships; any one of these marine craft are known to sail the waters of the Elizabeth River. Why all this traffic and why in a river in Norfolk, VA? I guess I don't have a definite answer but there are a couple giveaways. First and foremost is the fact that Norfolk is home to the largest naval base in the world; and the most powerful navy in the world at that. That alone makes it no surprise to see any kind or size of naval vessel cruising through its navigable waterways. Secondly, the Norfolk Naval Shipyard (as well as commercial shipyards) are found further upstream the Elizabeth River, which brings all types of vessels through downtown Norfolk. Built in 1767 by the British Royal Navy, the shipyard is the oldest, largest, and most faceted shipyard of the US Navy. Additionally, the Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard in Newport News is only one of two shipyards in the US that produce and service all nuclear-powered submarines and the only shipyard capable of building nuclear supercarriers. The famous Staten Island Ferry from New York makes frequent stops in Norfolk for repairs. Norfolk is even currently home to the two Hawaiian Superferries (the Alakai and Huakai) that ferried passengers between the Hawaiian islands for a few short years before the company went bankrupt. Three separate port terminals, including one owned by the largest shipping company in the world (Maersk-Sealand), also mean cargo ships can be seen steaming in and out of Norfolk Harbor, almost every hour. A new cruise center built in downtown Norfolk in 2007 has recently introduced cruises to the area, from the two largest cruiselines in the world - Carnival and Royal Caribbean.

The Staten Island Ferry on the Elizabeth River, 2/18/2010

The Hawaiian Superferry, Alakai, on the Elizabeth River, 2/18/2010. Alakai was leaving that day for Haiti to provide relief efforts for the earthquake victims. The USS Sam Rayburn on the Elizabeth River, 04/16/2010

Mix all that together and it becomes apparent why the Elizabeth River sees the type of traffic it does. And somehow I'm fortunate enough to be on its banks Monday through Friday. I've been set up with such an amazing first job that I imagine my next career can only be a demotion in terms of the view. Today, I was greeted (for the fourth time in a month) by a cruise ship on my way to work. Enchantment of the Seas pulled in to Norfolk this morning at 8am after a 5-night cruise to Bermuda. It left this afternoon on a 9-night cruise of the eastern Caribbean. This has been its schedule for the past month and will be for the next few weeks. I am still giddy like a kid when I see one or when other large ships or a submarine goes by. But I've almost come to expect these things, like I take them for granted. Eight months ago I had never seen a cruise ship or submarine or any naval vessel in person, yet already I've seemingly grown accustomed. What's that about?? Still, I enjoy them more than anyone else at work. I get some weird looks and I'm sure I'm known by strangers at my work place as "that guy", as I'm often seen racing out the door or down the sidewalk, camera in hand, chasing after the tenth, twentieth, fiftieth, umpteenth ship to go by that day. The enchantment of the Elizabeth River still hasn't worn off for me, and I hope it never does.

Enchantment of the Seas "spinning" (for lack of a better nautical word) in the Elizabeth River channel this afternoon. The ship is 990ft. long and the channel is about 1,000ft. wide here. Tight fit! Glad I'm not that ship captain, risking putting the prop into the river bed and delaying 2,000 passenger's expensive, tropical vacation.

Enchantment of the Seas blowing her horn as it pushes out on its way to Puerto Rico (cruise itinerary here)

Enchantment of the Seas passing by on the Elizabeth River, accompanied by a couple passing military choppers.

The Entertainment WHEN: May 21, 2010 WHERE: Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater I received an email Monday while at work from the district's Public Affairs Chief, saying that the Norfolk district had received 300 free tickets for the Brad Paisley concert here tomorrow. All we (employees) had to do was reply back if we wanted any and how many (max of 4). I sent my reply immediately and picked them up on Tuesday. We tried to find someone to come with us on the extra two tickets but have not found anyone. It also helps if you KNOW people to ask and don't work with 300 coworkers who have tickets themselves. Either way, we are glad to be going and even more glad that it's absolutely free! It will be our first concert we've been to in over 2 years. We tried to get to a Chris Tomlin concert for his Christmas tour and a Goo Goo Dolls concert last month but both were bad timing. This time the timing is great and price, even better! The concert will be held at the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater, as part of Brad's H2O Tour this summer. The amphitheater holds about 20,000 and will also be the site of other big headliners this summer, like Dave Matthews Band, The Jonas Brothers, John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Tim McGraw, Dierks Bentley, Rascal Flatts, Brooks & Dunn, Creed, American Idol LIVE!, and many others, past and present. Brad Paisley, along with many country singers, lost a lot of personal property and music equipment during the historic floods in Nashville earlier this month. All of Brad Paisley's touring equipment was flooded and ruined and was not available for his summer tour. The first stop on his H2O Tour is Virginia Beach, so they've been here since Monday, practicing with new equipment and trying to get everything in place after only a couple weeks to prepare.

The Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater.

Although Stace and I aren't hard-core country fans (or of Brad Paisley for that matter), we both enjoyed the genre at one time and we still enjoy it from time to time. Out of the 10-ish concerts I've been to as an adult, about 8 of them have been country concerts. And of the country artists I've experienced, they rarely disappoint. Their performances go all-out, they can actually sing in person, and their shows/crowds aren't rated R. Neither of us have seen Brad Paisley in concert and given that we haven't been to a concert in 2 years, a country concert in 4 years, and the tickets are FREE, I'd wager we will be entertained. Cameras are not allowed so I will likely have nothing to blog about regarding the concert beyond this post. If you're randomly, and extremely last-minute visiting Virginia Beach and have nothing to do tomorrow night, look us up! Don't say I didn't offer. ;)

Wherever I Go, You Go

WHEN: Once a week WHERE: You're already here ::Blog soundtrack:: In honor of my aforementioned half-vow ("wish") to keep my posts shorter and more focused on "space", I present you with a new feature for this blog. No, you can not shop on Dunder Mifflin Infinity or download iTunes from this URL but (even better) you can follow me every week as my camera and I chart new geographies in search of Jesse's picture of the week. I'll explain. First, I have to bore you with a Geography 101 lesson. Nevermind, let's just skip that part ;) Second, I DO need to introduce you to a fun online tool that some of you may not be aware of. It's not new but may be new to some. Bing ("But It's Not Google") is Microsoft's revamped search engine that was introduced last June and some of you may use it as your home page (we do). Although I think Google works better, Bing has beautiful photography as the homepage's background and the photo is updated daily. I suppose that's where I subconsciously got the idea for my "Picture of the Week". But my favorite feature about Bing is the Maps feature. Yes, I think Google does a better job with maps too (Google Earth, Street View, 3D Earth, etc.), because after all they are the best at everything, anywhere, anyway and will probably own planet Earth by 2011. However, Bing is the only source I know with oblique imagery of most places in the US. Their "Bird's Eye" feature allows you to see your neighborhood as a bird flying overhead. You can even zoom in and out by using your mouse scroller and rotate the picture north, south, east, and west. This can be particularly useful when you want to see what a house/building looks like and not just where your GPS (accurately or inaccurately) says it is. It is also useful if you want a good view of where a picture was taken, say, oh I don't know, like a picture of the week?

Bing's "Bird's Eye" feature Traditional (planview) shot of Wrigley Field in Chicago "Bird's Eye" view of Wrigley Field Traditional shot of the Statue of Liberty "Bird's Eye" view of the Statue of Liberty

I thought Bing's Bird's Eye imagery would be a relevant feature to add to my blog but wasn't sure where to implement it. I have decided on using it with my picture of the week (POW) and have added a link directly below each POW for where the picture was taken. I have taken the time to get the exact coordinates of where each picture was taken (or the subject in the picture) so the link should be accurate to within a foot or two. The only catch to my new feature is that the link takes you to a wide-extent, map (streets) view of the coordinates. You manually have to click on the Bird's Eye feature in the top left of the map under the "Aerial" tab. I know, I know, "Why are asking us to do so much? I have to get on to reading the next blog." Hey, you don't have to click on the link. But don't blame me if you find yourself wasting time "flying" through your neighborhood or around your favorite vacation destinations. Maybe I'm the only one that does that. I have also added some of my favorite national weather links to the right sidebar but I imagine I am the only one that will use those too. At least they make the blog look more geographical.

Jesse's POW (May 16, 2010)

WHEN: May 14, 2010 WHERE: 803 Front St., Norfolk, VA

See where this picture was taken, here!

Feelin' Hot, Hot, Hot!

WHEN: May 1-8, 2010 WHERE: Norfolk, VA

Average and Maximum temperature for the first 8 days of May.

May has started off on a hot foot and yours truly had to immortalize it in a map. During the first 8 days of May, Norfolk, VA has been warmer on average than a number of traditional hot spots across the country. For Duluth, MN it has been an unfortunately cold start to May however, including over 4 inches of snow on May 7! As of today, they still haven't broken 60° yet this month. Yuck!

This post is more than just an empty map and a catchy song though. But it is symbolic in some way. My blog currently has two main problems. One, the blog has been a lot more TIME (as much as "time" can be a subject) and a lot less SPACE. I NEED MORE SPACE (and cowbell)!! No, I don't need a bigger blog, I just need more references to 'space' - after all that's half of what this blog is about. Which brings me to the second problem...also space. Although blogging can be fun and exciting, it often becomes overwhelming, time-consuming, and therefore unfun and unexciting. The main point of my blog (as is with many bloggers) is to express my interests and keep my family and friends informed about my life; but I also don't want it to become my life. So, I need not dedicate more time to it than I really should. It's not rare that I spend several hours a weekend working on my blog (updating, taking pictures, making headers, proof-reading, more proof-reading, etc.) and I often feel like I've wasted my weekend. Stace and I spend hours a day three feet away from each other (on separate computers, with our backs to each other) yet go nights and weekends without ever "being with each other". So I plan on the "space" (size) of my blogs to be drastically reduced. This isn't to say there won't be the occasional drawn-out, boring post that only I care about, but I'm making an effort to do shorter boring posts that only I care about. So, here's to shorter blogs about space... PS-For those of you questioning the validity of the word "unfun" I used in the previous paragraph, I don't tend to follow rules when it comes to the English language and one shouldn't be surprised to see made-up words in my blog. The English language is littered with inconsistencies, so I don't hesitate to create my own when using it. Good daiye!

Jesse's POW (May 9, 2010)

WHEN: May 8, 2010 WHERE: Columbus Station Apartments, Virginia Beach

See where this picture was taken, here!

My Mom...

WHEN: May 8, 1984 (my first Mother's Day with my mom) WHERE: My belly button

27 Mother's Days ago - May 1983

My mom and I met at 12:19p.m. on Wednesday, June 8, 1983. She has taught me a lot since then and loved me every day. She taught me how to walk, how to talk, and she learned how to deal with the ramifications :) I will only ever truly understand the dynamics of a mother-son relationship from the son's point of view but I know it is a challenge, especially for your first son. Raising children is the hardest job there is and figuring out how to raise a boy and understanding why they are the way they are must be particularly hard for a mother. My mom already had 4 years of practice at being a parent before I came along but zero experience with raising a son. Even still, she raised me with every ounce of love a mother could and learned to embrace all the dirt, destruction, and decibels that came with a son. This is just some of our story over the past 27 years.

Boy - [boi] n. A noise with dirt on it.

June 9, 1983

Mom's one and only son. This was going to be an adventure! Spring 1984 My sister, my mom, my grandma, and my great-grandma. 1984?

My mom taught me how to walk; perhaps her first mistake. Give a son an inch and he'll break everything in your house. 1986? My mom found me like this (covered in permanent marker) one Sunday morning as she was distracted while getting ready for church. My dad told her to take a picture because some day we would look back and laugh. I'm sure at the time she wished she had had a second daughter instead :) 1987? If it has wheels or makes noise, boys will always find time for it. Easter 1987 Getting cleaned up, dressed up, and picking up is the last thing a son wants to do and that makes it something mom's loathe as well. It's no walk in the park for mom's either. 1988 My mom cut my hair for the first several years of my life. One time (at about this age) she cut my ear with the scissors on accident. She still mentions it today and feels awful about it. When your son or daughter is hurt, a mother's heart is the most sympathetic and when it's your fault it's even more heart-wrenching. Summer 1988 (Oh, yea! Photos with rounded corners!) I returned the "cutting" favor in the funnest way I knew how. I was all about yard work at an early age and am to this day. I spent 20 years taking care of my parent's yard and enjoyed every opportunity and volunteered whenever possible. Whether it was meticulously spraying off the entire driveway with the hose, planting trees, cutting down trees, planting grass, digging up grass, building ponds, building bigger ponds, watering my mom's garden, raking leaves, cleaning out the gutters, or pulling weeds, I took charge of every landscape project possible. And my love for nature/the outdoors stems directly from my mom. Even today, at least some topic of the weather, yard, or landscaping comes up in every conversation. I love that I'm like my mom in this way. 1990 My mom homeschooled me through 2nd grade but has been teaching me my whole life. 1990 My mom (and dad) taught me how to work hard at an early age which has made adulthood and "reality" much less of a shock. I shared a paper route with my sister before the age of 12 ($4 a month - just enough for a LEGO set), held 4 jobs at the same time through college, and completed a Master's degree. Finishing 7 years of college is much less to do about brains and everything to do with hard work and perseverance. The work ethic my mom and dad instilled upon me at an early age has prepared me well for growing up and one day, for raising children of my own. Fall 1991 I started climbing the tree in my parent's front yard when I was 5. This would begin what I imagine was my mom's biggest nightmare in raising her son - probably even more than when I got my license. Every year would lead me higher and higher in to the tree and eventually to the top (the tree is over 60ft tall). And as if that wasn't enough, all matter of lawn furniture, sticks, and garbage were carried up in to the tree (by all means imaginable), only to be thrown down from the top of the tree. Purely destructive entertainment. Nothing out of the ordinary...when you have a son! And when that would get boring (though it never did), hanging from branches with nothing between my feet and the ground but 30 feet of air was an entertaining alternative. That tree will always be a part of my life and will always remind me of my childhood. I just thank my mother for allowing it to be by not saying "NO!" to her son like I'm sure she wanted to each and every day. 1998? 1999? God did not choose me to be Zacchaeus because I probably wouldn't have come down. The view from 60ft up, with the hospital I was born at in the background. Not even winter, snow, and wind chills could keep me out of my tree. May 25, 2003 One of only a few pictures of just me and my mom as an adult. Mom, we need to work on this! If there were any stories my mom could tell you about my growing up that occurred more frequently it would most likely be about dirt. Not just getting dirty but actually making dirt. Digging holes was a ritual for me, even in to adulthood. No place in my parent's yard was safe. I could have filled dump trucks with the amount of dirt I dug up. I remember digging holes (usually in my mom's garden during dormant season) deeper than me as a kid, to collect rocks for science projects, bury broken toys (or anything nearby), and find earthworms. I even dug a grave-size hole in 2004 for a soil project in college my Junior year. The project was superfluous to the joy of simply digging a hole. By no measure did the project require the size of hole I dug. I'm thankful I was taught to be content with a shovel as a kid rather than remote controls and gaming consoles. I'd take dirt over video games any day! June 27, 2003 That's me inside a 6ft hole I dug, "just for fun" (at age 20...and I'd do it again today if I had a yard). September 7, 2004 "It's for a project, mom!" This hole eventually became 3ft deep and as of last month (when my parent's moved out of their house) there was still a huge indentation where the hole used to be. My mom loved me even when I dug canyons in her garden and had a mop for a hair-do. Spring 2007 This was my favorite "hole" I ever dug. It was actually a 4-year project that I would dig up and completely redo about every year. My mom figured all my practice as a kid had paid off. April 16, 2009 My mom rocks! She has loved me through thick and thin, on the ground or in a tree, dirty or clean, bruised or healthy, pimples or not, at home or afar, unconditionally. She has been a role model of Christ's love, of a Godly wife, and a loving mother. I will never fully understand the sacrifices she made for me and my sister but I will always be proud of her and thankful that God gave her to me (or vice versa). Their are thousands of children who have never had a mother in their life and yet others who have nothing to admire or aspire to in their mothers. God has blessed me with a wonderful, loving role model in my mom and I owe her so much. I could never repay her but I can offer her my respect, honor, and love in return. If nothing else, I will always have my belly button to remember my mother by. It's a symbol of a bond that everyone has but only with one person - their mother. HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MOM!!!

Soakin' Up The Sunshine!

WHEN: May 1-2, 2010 WHERE: Norfolk and Virginia Beach I LOVE HEAT!!! While that fact is surprising to few (none) reading this, I'm prefacing this post with its emphasis. I've always loved heat and rarely, if ever, has it bothered me. No matter how uncomfortable the heat and humidity may get, I always welcome them with open arms. I would take 100° over 32° ANY day of the year! Wouldn't you? Frankly (and I say this often, usually to Stacie's disgust), that I would be pleasantly content if the temperature never dropped below 85 all year long. While I could go off on this tangent for several posts, it's only a peripheral component of this post. Digression terminated. Well, the heat was on this weekend and Stace and I were not content to lounge around in our PJs and stare at our computers. We had planned on going out this weekend since last weekend and had several ideas of what to do. We were just fortunate to have nice weather to go along with us. Our main goal was to get down to Norfolk because Stace has only been downtown a few times since we've lived here. Not that there's a wealth of things to do in downtown Norfolk but there is a large mall, and for Stace that's all the reason she needed :) But I also wanted to take Stace down there to see the cruise ship that was in port Saturday as well as take her down to my office that she's never been to. We began with a walking tour of some of the areas I've gotten to know and wanted to show her then drove to my office to give Stace the official tour. She did not approve of my cubicle because "there was nothing in it". This is true. Somewhat because I'm organized and like everything to have it's place and look clean but mostly because 1) we just moved back in from our remodel 5 weeks ago and 2) this job is temporary. I've never felt like I can get established there between the remodel and knowing my stay is temporary. If any of you feel led to send pictures or cash for me to put in my cubicle, Stace would be much obliged.

Stace in Pagoda Garden

Bamboo Brasses

After my office tour I drove Stace around Ghent, a restored, historic part of downtown Norfolk that we spent a lot of time in looking for places to live before we moved here. We drove by some of the apartments we originally looked in then drove the the "local restaurant district". On a whim we decided to go to a local seafood place (A.W. Shucks, "Awww Shucks!") that I had been to before with coworkers. Even though it's a hole in the wall, it is a local favorite and Stace gave it the thumbs up. I'm not a seafood fan but I've been much more inclined and accepting living on the coast and knowing that the seafood is more authentic, fresh, and local there. When in Rome, I guess.

A.W. Shucks

Let's put another shrimp on the barbie!

I was getting antsy by now. It was after 2 and I was convinced the cruise ship was no longer docked. Stace had to see one up close. We picked a parking garage between the cruise center and the mall and set off on another walking adventure. No worries though, the passenger line was still well outside the door and Enchantment of the Seas was still docked and towering over the crowds. The were also Cinco de Mayo festivities going on in the park as well which turned out some very interesting costumes.

The passenger line winding down.

Someday Stace, someday!

Odd ballerina and piano player. Actually he wasn't playing at all, he just drove this contraption around the park (the music played itself inside). Stace hated this, as she does all clowns or characters that resemble them.

OK.

Turns out, the mall was perhaps the low-light of the day for Stace. All she came out with was a pair of shoes. She was disappointed with what she found (and didn't find). At that point, we had been in downtown for almost 6 hours, walking most of that time in the 90° heat and humdity. We were exhausted and crabby. Our last stop was an office party at the home of an older lady I work with. She had over a bunch of people for a big "Cinco de Mayo/Kentucky Derby" party. I've never heard of one of those parties either but now I can say I've been. But a house crowded with mostly strangers and no air conditioning was the last thing we needed at the time. We stayed for over an hour but we were about the last to show and first to leave. We were ready for showers (and bed)!

Sunday brought more heat. There is a bridge I like to take on our way home from church on Sundays with a great view of the ships anchored out in the Chesapeake Bay. There are usually 5-10 ships anchored a mile off the beach and sadly the view is our closest glimpse of the "ocean"/beach each week. I usually park and get out to walk down to the beach, which Stace has conflicting ideas about. She waited in the car (it was terribly windy, I'll give her that) while I walked down to the water and talked with a lady about the beach there. She had grown up in the area and said this was more of a local's beach (as opposed to the oceanfront). The water is very shallow there (you can walk out at least 500ft.) and the beach is less crowded. There are a lot of boats that leave through the inlet there from numerous marinas. She also said there are multiple entities that put on fireworks during the Fourth of July along that beach so the show is the best one to see. Not to mention, the airlines coming in to the Norfolk airport fly in low right over the beach there. I liked this place! I had planned on going to the beach Sunday and this one had quickly become my choice for the day. Stace and I did some grocery shopping on the way home then I threw on my swimsuit as soon as we got in the door. Stace stayed home to sleep and make from-scratch brownies (yum!)while I headed off to my first true "beach day" of the season! And because I was by myself I got to embrace the heat as I saw fit. The thermometer inside the car read 120° and I drove the whole way to the beach (15 minutes) with the A/C off and the windows up. I could never do that with Stace. The high Sunday was 92 (the low was 71) and both the high and low temps tied the previous records. I'm all about breaking records when it comes to HEAT! It was still 89° at sunset while Stace and I sat out on our deck and had ice cream and the brownies she made.

My new favorite beach spot.

Of course I fell into the trap of "too much, too quickly" and soaked up a little too much sun. Each year it's the same. You're so excited about getting some sun and you forget/ignore that you haven't had any for the last X amount of months. I looked like a lobster by the end of the day. Thankfully, my skin bodes well with UV rays because usually my burn turns to a tan the next day, as it did today. I'm still a little sore today but no one at work could even tell I had a burn.

This was me in April 2008, also the first "sun day" of the season. It wasn't this bad but this is about how I looked yesterday. I know both my mothers (and wife) are frowning at this.

The high was 87 today and temps are supposed to remain in the 80's for the remainder of the week. They took the pool cover off our pool today too and the new pool furniture arrived last week. Fitting that our incompetent apartment complex would open our pool after the scorching weekend (or wait until May period). Now all we need is for them to open the grill and we will be set. Summer is here whether the calendar says so or not. I couldn't be more thrilled!

See you in the HEAT!!