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!!

Jesse's POW (May 2, 2010)

WHEN: May 1, 2010 WHERE: Town Point Park, Norfolk, VA I took few pictures this week and nothing really POW-worthy. I figured this one won the spot this week for nothing more than it's mere...oddity.

See where this picture was taken, here!

What Happened??

WHEN: April 2010 WHERE: Hampton Roads, Virginia What happened?? What's wrong?? Why hasn't Jesse posted anything for so long?? Although this is what is often in the mind of a blogger, I imagine most reading this probably haven't even checked my blog since my last post over 10 days ago. Nevertheless, it is the mind-struggle a blogger faces when they go through "blog withdrawal". I (as most bloggers I'm sure) feel guilty if I don't blog on a somewhat consistent basis, even though many readers may not read on a regular basis. And I don't think I'm even having blog withdrawal, I just don't think anything worth writing has happened in the past two weeks. But for those who care (my parents, Steph, and Oprah Winfrey), I have provided a quick synopsis of the past two weeks. Don't have any great expectations here. Friday, April 16 We had our informal "bicentennial pseudo-international weird food day" at work. A handful of us who work together all brought our random concoctions that each person individually enjoys eating but that are not what you'd call "pleasing to the masses". I had no good ideas so I opted to bring Circus Peanuts. I did not partake of every "dish" (e.g. banana & mayo sandwiches) but did test my gag reflexes with such delicacies as "peanut butter & relish sandwiches", "BLT with strawberries substituted for tomatoes", and an impromptu "peanut butter and bacon circus peanut sandwich". Although each one of these samples were bite size, my appetite was destroyed and I didn't eat anything from the lunch I had brought with me to work. Everyone's appetite was ruined and for that reason we decided to make this event a bicentennial one. Thankfully I regained my appetite because Stace & I decided to visit a local seafood restaurant that night out near the oceanfront. To make long-story short, the food was great and the view was nice but because you could only park on the street until 8pm (our reservation was for 7) I had to run out to get the car before I was finished eating, while Stace stayed inside to pay for the meal and gather our leftovers :(

The view from our table.

Saturday, April 17 Stace and I visited a local nursery to pick out some flowers for our deck. We each picked out flowers for our own pot and planted them together on our deck. They have grown wonderfully in the past two weeks and are much fuller and with twice as many flowers on them. They're a great addition to our otherwise drab deck. We ended the day by getting two deck chairs as well that we had had our eyes on for several weeks. We have used them many times since and enjoyed our new plants and the beautiful spring nights.

Our new and improved deck.

Sunday, April 18 After seeing a South Carolina license plate in the parking lot as we were leaving church, Stace and I began talking about Charleston. Literally, within 3 minutes Stace was texting my sister to see if they wanted to go to Charleston with us this summer. And just like that we checked our schedules and are now spending a long weekend there in June. We've taken several trips with Jay & Leta since moving out east and we're so thankful to be close to them. We're enjoying these "vacations on a whim" that we have done so often with them; before we all one day have kids and are much less flexible. Wednesday, April 21 The second cruise ship of the season was in port Wednesday but in a less glorious manner. The Enchantment of the Seas was in drydock as I strolled in to work, towering even higher out of the water. I stopped by the harbor side park on my home from work to get some pictures of it and in the process I found Kisses. Kisses is a private yacht out of George Town, Cayman Islands. She was docked next to the USS Wisconsin (which dwarfed the 175ft. Kisses) and I grabbed a couple shots of her as well. The yacht just left yesterday and had been docked here the past week.

Kisses and USS Wisconsin

Dual wooden staircases cascading down the stern. Enchantment of the Seas in drydock. She may not look like much from this angle but the ship is 990ft. long.

Just after Stace got home from work our doorbell rang (very rare). She said it was probably UPS (I had no idea why she would think it was them) and knowing how quickly they run away from the door with your package I opened the door without checking the peep hole. There stood an interesting-looking woman with a handful of papers, a laptop, and a government ID she flashed in my face as she introduced herself. She was with the CDC and was performing related surveys for the Census. She asked if I had a few minutes to answer a few questions and I foolishly accepted her request. Before it was all said and done and she left our apartment, ONE HOUR had been stolen from my life! For one hour I answered questions while Stace sat awkwardly in our bedroom, hiding from this lady. At one point I was answering questions like "How many times per month do you eat whole-grain pastas that are not fat free?" Oh, COME ON!! Unfortunately, we have seen her here numerous times in our complex since our run-in with her. Moral: always check your peep hole!

April 22-25

Stace and I went to see The Last Song in the theater Thursday night and rented Up Friday night. We also took advantage of Dairy Queen's "buy one get one for 25 cents" Blizzard special Friday and Sunday in honor of their 25th anniversary. We also started enjoying our deck more, now that the horrible pollen is beginning to subside around here (but still not gone by any measure). Monday, April 26 As has become our daily routine, Stace and I headed out to the deck for the evening, just in time for a thunderstorm that was rolling in. You could tell by the look of the green sky and eerie calm that it was going to be intense, and it was quickly approaching. I ran inside to check the radar quickly and saw a very red cell bearing down on Virginia Beach. It was very humid that day and there were popcorn storms all over the state. It was our turn! We watched the lightning dance all around the sky in front of us and the rain slowly but surely creep in. It didn't take long for it to intensify and soon we were scooting back to avoid the downpour. One bolt of lightning sent us scrambling to get inside as it likely hit one of the towers in Town Center or something even closer. It was unlike I had ever heard or seen lightning before. It was exciting to be out in the storm but we knew when enough was enough.

The clearing after the storm.

Don't adjust your screen - the sky really looked this color.

Thursday, April 29 I opened my email when I got to work to find an email from the previous night from our bosses, requesting any images/graphics related to the project we are working on for a last-minute article they were submitting to the Army Corps magazine. I had my camera on me and was thrilled at the thought of possibly my first published photo. I answered with a helpful reply and went to work down in the library. I have been to the library before and have seen some of the old maps the district has held on to over the past 200 years. But taking pictures of them and really thinking about what I would capture made me appreciate them again. I came across one that was of a drawing of a fort/artillery the Army was installing. The date on the map: November 1819. I wondered how I even had the right to pull this map out of the drawer and handle it like it was yesterday's newspaper.

Turns out my desire to have my first photo published was not strong this day. Not only did I not submit any graphics to our management team, I didn't even take any pictures relevant to what they were asking for. I got caught up in my own interest and never even put any effort into sending something off. Chalk one up for lethargic abandonment. Friday, April 30 Yep, that's today. You're almost finished with my terribly exciting post. Stace and I went on our first walk yesterday in over a month. This lull was for multiple reasons but mostly because of how bad the pollen has been. We finally got some rain this week (first this month really) which cleared the air somewhat. Also this week, a new green space was added to Town Center where a fenced-in construction site has sat for the better part of the past decade. As far as I know it was to be the site of a new tower for a bank but I imagine the current economy prevented that building from going up. Now, all that remains is an entire city block covered in nothing but sod. It looks great (anything's better than gnarled fencing, dirt, and rusty construction equipment) but it's obvious a temporary means to a postponed end; at least that's the way I see it. No attempt was made to add any aesthetic or recreational features (e.g. trees, fountains, benches). Rather, I imagine it will sit as an inviting green space until one day funds become available to build another tower, at which point grass can easily be removed (as opposed to trees and brick sidewalks). Whatever the case, it looks nice and we've walked around it both last night and tonight.

The new green space in Town Center

May 2010 The heat is on this weekend (90° Saturday and Sunday and lows of 70°) and we have many plans already to start off May with a bang. So, maybe I won't go another two weeks without something to blog about (and something more interesting perhaps).

April showers, bring May allergy relief!

Jesse's POW (April 25, 2010)

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

See where this picture was taken, here!