I’ve been in the habit of taking walks on all of my breaks at work for years. Once or twice around the building on ten minute breaks, drive to a local park on lunches, anything would do.

I got my new job and though the short walks were around a parking lot there was a nice park and pier both within a 5 minute drive, perfect!

But then…  they move the office.  To downtown Tampa.  Worst, there is a fence keeping you from even walking around the buildings because it’s a conservation area behind the buildings or something. Yay, conservation.  Boo, sitting at  my desk way to much.

I used Google and my GPS to find a nearby park, no go.  Nothing at all anywhere near.  I was truly bummed.  So I started walking up to the 7-11 on the corner and back, just to be outside a bit. FINALLY one day I decided to walk in the opposite direction and guess what I found?  The Upper Tampa Bay trail, a 4 minute walk from work.  Seriously?  No one I work with knew it was there and apparently neither did Google or GPS.  Saved!!!

So here is how I’ve been spending my lunches lately. Now THAT is better!

Why yes, that is a train track the trail goes under.  Cool, yes?If that wasn’t all groovy enough, yesterday I looked out the window and saw this. Good job conservation fence, now I appreciate you!

I took the dogs for a walk over at Starkey this morning, the weather could not be better today.  The mutts had such an exciting time they were more riled up for a while after the walk than before it – talk about a back fire. But they are mellowed out now, yay 5 minutes of peace!

For the first time in memory we were able to get over the little walking bridge, lately it’s always washed sideways.  That gave us two options, the road or the bridge. I chose neither since the dogs have to walk in tandem, but they headed over the bridge without a problem. Yes, the picture on the right is the road!

The mutts were happy because we passed about 10 other dogs and a couple of horses.  Not to mention the fact that we heard something big right off the path in the bushes (maybe a squirrel, maybe a mountain lion, who can say?).  If that wasn’t enough while we were walking on the narrow path back a bird ran right under their noses from one side of the path to the other flapping it’s wings and squawking like crazy.  I’m pretty certain the dogs thought it was the BEST walk ever.

I had fun too, if they care.  Florida can definitely have a zen like beauty!

Today was one of THOSE Mondays.  I drove to the park on my lunch break, walked a very wee bit, and the sky opened up and started dropping huge rain drops on me.  Whatever, no big deal.  So I went back to work and someone had cleaned out the fridge on a Monday at 12:10 and threw away everything.  Like my lunch.

Really? Who does that? And it wasn’t even done out of spite it was just a didn’t-think-that-through-it must-be-a-Monday thing so I couldn’t even get mad.

No need for re-living the entire day but sufficient to say I came home in need of some pizza, a drink, and a laugh. which I got from Twitter, and figured I’d share with you in case you not only need a laugh, but also share my sense of humor.  If not, sorry.  🙁

This sounds like being a vegetarian is as groovy as playing Minecraft! (although if Minecraft has levels I’m doing it wrong)

At lunch: What kind of vegan are you? “What do you mean?” My buddy said he is a level 5 vegan, is that high up? “What the!?” #vegrunchat

— I Ran With Robert (@IRanWithRobert) October 7, 2013

No reason

It must be annoying for British people to need their passenger to always order for them at the drive-thru.

— Bruno Pieroni (@brunopieroni) October 2, 2013

How is this not funny? and sad, but also funny..

If you want somebody to overthink something, I’m your man. Or maybe I’m not. I’ll, uh, well, I guess I’ll have to get back to you on that.

— Greg Wright (@GregHenchman) October 7, 2013

I may not have abs of steel, but I have overheard a lot of people whispering about my “rock bottom.”

— Greg Wright (@GregHenchman) June 4, 2013

And I have to add this one because it’s why I change my passwords weekly.

All my passwords are protected by amnesia.

— Wickedwordslinger (@StephenBCramer) October 8, 2013

You’re welcome. And now, since I didn’t sleep last night because someone with the wrong number kept thinking maybe THIS TIME it will be the right number until I unplugged my phone, I am going to read and to sleep.

Here’s to tomorrow being a wide awake, eating whatever lunch I bring, not getting rained on to much, happy and joyfull kind of day.

🙂

I’m not feeling much like writing today, I think some nice relaxing yoga is calling my name, or maybe even just a couch and a book. Sometimes it’s best just to chill.

You hear people say relatively often that we all need to stop and smell the roses. Hmm. I had some awesome rose vines and a miniature rose garden underneath them in Arizona, but here in Florida I’m sticking to a palm tree and a great big basil bush.  Oh well. Sorry, that was that squirrel thing again.

My point was, how often do you take time out of your day just to exist?  Yes, I said your day, not your week and not your month. I’m fortunate to work about 10 minute from 2 great parks, one with alligators (on rare occasions, but I still claim them) and the other with a pier. Almost everyday on my lunch break I drive to one or the other and walk around for about half an hour then drive back to work. Why? Well one, I work at a computer all day thinking too hard for my own good and two, just take a look.  Pictures really are worth a thousand words, even my always slightly crooked pics.

You don’t need roses and you don’t need a lot of time to take the occasional moment to  just stop.

I think that if I did not have kids and dogs I would love to have a job that involved a lot of travel.  I had to go out of town last week for the whole week; it was the first time I’ve gone anywhere out of state by myself at all let alone for a week. I was a wee bit nervous.  I loaded my Kindle with books, packed a backpack with clothes and my all important GPS and was off. 

First important lesson- if you can get away with just a backpack when you are flying it is IDEAL.  No luggage to check in and pick up and nothing to shove in the overhead compartments on the plane.  Just pushed it under the seat and was on and off the planes ( 4 of them!) easily.  Of course not even most guys are as lazy and light a packer as I am.

Second lesson – pack light but bring an extra t-shirt.  I had to wear but the tank tops I had for under my work blouses when I went out in the evenings, good thing the weather was perfect!

Third lesson I actually learned last time I went out of town – always try the local beer!  I don’t really drink much beer, but I made the rule and I must stand by it.  Oh, the trials and tribulations.

My first night there I drove through down town then went back to the hotel for pizza and merlot, the second night I went to to park then stopped at an Italian restaurant for pizza and merlot, and my third night I went to The Lazy Goat for pizza and a beer. and merlot.  Is there a theme there?  The Lazy Goat is very nice, but I have to admit I wasn’t thrilled with the pizza, just because it had a pesto sauce and I don’t really care for pesto.  For some reason I still try it about once a year.  Seems 2013 is not the year I suddenly realize I love pesto.  Oh well.

The company was good, the service was great, and the view was awesome.

After dinner we walked around downtown a bit, I even saw one of the mice on Main.  I hadn’t heard of them before or I would have gone mouse hunting!

Oh, and by the way, my last night there I had hummus and pinot noir.  Branching out!