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!

I Like Cute Chicks

WHEN: April 20, 2010 WHERE: Norfolk, VA Every morning I take the same stroll in to work. It's a long(er) walk from the back parking lot to the building but thankfully there is a good view on the way in. A new walkway and fence were put in right on the water back in October. It provides a front row seat to any ship traffic on the harbor, frolicking water fowl, and beautiful morning skyscapes. It's often littered in bird droppings, washed up seaweed, and broken shells seagulls drop from the air to crack open. Nevertheless it's refreshing. The jaunt is my one last moment of sanity before I walk in and stare at a computer screen for 8 hours, with less than enough sleep the night before (probably because I stayed up too late blogging).

Mornings on the "boardwalk"

This morning was extra special as I witnessed something I had never seen on the walkway to date. I have little desire to see Canadian geese outside their namesake country. It seems there are few places these birds don't set up shop and call home. Not to mention, it is their poo that most often litters the walkway (and those aren't small droppings)! But today my attitude was temporarily swung to love towards these birds. And this is why...

A whole family of poopers!

They walked up to within 10 feet of me and my camera before stopping dead in their tracks. They looked a little confused but ma and pa quickly sized me up as non-threatening and decided to walk around me in the grass. The six little chicks followed without hesitation on the heels of their parents. Now I know these geese can be a force to be reckoned with, especially with a gaggle of little ones in their care (I had to Google what a group of geese was called and could not resist using the word 'gaggle' - because I'm 26 and still laugh at funny-sounding words). Yet somehow these geese had no qualm with me and went on eating the grass right in front of me as they passed by.

Off to work!

I'll just let you know now that one of these will more than likely be this week's Picture Of the Week. Secret's out! I had to share these cute little chicks with you - I couldn't keep all the adorableness to myself. And in case that wasn't enough cute for you in one blog, I've included a couple quick videos of the geese to wet your whistle.

Where Dreams Come True

WHEN: April 19, 2002 WHERE: The University of Northern Iowa Today marks the 8-year anniversary of Stace & my first prom together. What's the big deal about that? Nothing extraodinary, but neverthless it's a part of our history and something that goes along with the "TIME" half of my blog. At some point during every day on the calender, I try and think if anything significant that has happened. Today, April 19, "prom" ran across the "chronologic adhesive" that's genetically wrapped inside my brain. Dates just stick with me. Upon checking some old photos, I confirmed that April 19, 2002 was the date of our first prom and so this blog was born. I dug through some boxes of old pictures (you know, before digital) and found what I was looking for.

April 19, 2002 - our first prom together

The theme of that year's prom was "Hollywood: Where Dreams Come True" and was held at UNI's Commons Ballroom (banquet) and Wellness Center (after party). Stace and I had been dating for 7 months, high school graduation was a month away for me, and my hair was as ridiculous as ever. Dreams were coming true in abundance.

The night began with a dinner and "comedian" (also a UNI mathematics professor). This comedian's first victim he called on to the stage to asisst him was my beautiful date, because she "wasn't paying attention" (too busy talking to me). Stacie was not happy.

Stace enjoying herself on stage :)

My future brother-in-law, Dave, later presented me with the "Most Energetic" award but of that moment I have no picture to remember it by. You're in my family now Dave and that's all I need ;) I believe my future sister-in-law, Steph, also custom made our corsage and boutonniere. Steph, I tried real hard to find a receipt of Stacie's corsage but to no avail. I blame Flowerama. The banquet was then followed by a limo ride around town before being dropped off on the red carpet at the Wellness Center and introduced by a local news anchor (lights, camera, and all). I recall hanging out the sunroof for most of the ride, but no amount of wind was going to mess up the hairspray plastered in my mop.

Stace & I with Ann & Aaron

Oh, how the times have changed. I'm thankful for these kinds of memories of young love and high school that I will always have with my wife, my first love; but I'm also glad they are behind us. It's hard to believe we've been together almost 10 years now and amazing to think of all we've been through together and all the memories we've already made by our mid-20's. God blessed me with a wonderful wife and I'm thankful He gave her to me at an early age. Beyond the moppy, crispy hair and un-muscular figure, she somehow said yes to two proms, two Homecoming dates, and one marriage proposal...and our story continues. My dreams have come true (you knew that was coming). PS-Stace will NOT be happy to see these pictures of her on the world wide web. If my blogging is discontinued for a while, it's because I'm grounded.

Jesse's POW (April 18, 2010)

WHEN: April 15, 2010 WHERE: Pagoda Garden Tea House, Norfolk, VA

See where this picture was taken, here!

Lunch With the Tourists

WHEN: April 15, 2010
WHERE: Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center, Norfolk

I was pleasantly surprised to see this sight (and sound) as I rounded a curve on my drive to work in downtown Norfolk this morning.

The Costa Atlantica of Costa Cruises. It's home port is Genova, Italy and is 960ft. long (just to get the facts out of the way ;)

Costa Atlantica from my office.

 Bow-facing webcam atop the ship (at 8am).

Stern-facing webcam (with my office in the top left corner!)

Webcams on the ship can be viewed LIVE at the bottom of Costa Atlantic's website (in case you have nothing better to do).

Today marks the "beginning" of the cruise season in Norfolk. Not that the season is impressive by any means but if it means I get to see these ships in the front yard of my workplace, I am excited! At least according to the Cruise Norfolk website, there is a spring and fall cruise season. A different cruise ship - Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas - is scheduled to make an appearance about once a week during the month of May and twice in June, then cruises don't resume in Norfolk again until October. I was able to catch a couple cruise ships in port last Fall when I first started work in Norfolk. Today was the first time in 6 months since I've seen one and I was not content to observe from a distance. I grabbed my lunch pail and drove to downtown for lunch and ate in the shadows of giants.

The bench I ate lunch on today.

The USS Wisconsin

A nearby "tourist park"

Oriental restaurant (Pagoda Garden) within the park

Beautiful flower also inside the park. I just take pictures of them - I don't know names.

Mingling tourists

Never can be too careful when it comes to tourists these days.

Beautiful day in the park!

I asked two couples sitting on a bench if they were on the cruise then asked where it began/was headed. They said it began in Fort Lauderdale, FL and was headed to Quebec, Canada with a stop in New York City tomorrow. One of the couples was from England and the other was from Australia. After spending an hour walking among the hundreds of tourists, they were the first that I heard speaking English. Most appeared to be from the Mediterranean (many looked like they were from Italy or Greece).

I had "walked among the tourists" last Fall as well when one of the ships came in to port. It's a very interesting experience. For one, I'm from Iowa so the fact that I'm standing next to a cruise ship and I'm not on vacation...it's almost confusing. Once I get past the fact that I AM home and it is these people around me that are on vacation, I start to think of where some of these people have come from - from all over the world! I've never been on a cruise (or to another country for that matter) but I feel like I get a taste of it when I am down on the waterfront with these tourists. I'm within arm's reach of hundreds of people from countries I may never visit and from all walks of life I will never experience. It's like I'm setting foot into THEIR lives (not vice versa) but all at once and without leaving home. It's quite surreal and I look forward to doing it a few more times before the "spring cruise season" is over.

 Rotating in the channel, leaving port

Off to New York!

I've been keeping track of Costa Atlantica on its jaunt from Norfolk to New York tonight. Big surprise, right? I went to (too much) work making this map; but wasted time in the name of blogging is still bliss! That's debatable.

I need a cruise. On to bed...

Bon Voyage!