Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

I have left my job at Microsoft as of April 8. Why? Well, how long do you have? Let's just say I was burned out with the whole situation.

So what now? I am working as a service provider for Weight Watchers International. I have been working as a receptionist and location coordinator part time the past few months. These next two days, I will be in Orlando for training to become a meeting leader.

This is a very radical change for me, and it took me a long time to give up a job that I did not like at all, but one that paid well and had a great benefit package (free health insurance!) to take on one that pays extremely poorly, but one that I enjoy immensely and one from which I derive a great deal of personal satisfaction.

I guess I decided that it was time to do what I wanted to do and what I enjoyed doing, not what was expected.

So here I am, about to start the next chapter in my journey. Yippee!

Yes, It's been a while

I have been through some difficult times in the past few months that have not left me feeling very sociable. My mother passed away from ovarian cancer on Christmas Day 2009. She fought bravely with an amazing strength and dignity for four years. When she was diagnosed, she was already stage 4. Women: know the symptoms and get tested if you show signs; early diagnosis is key. I think of her daily and I miss her very much.

But this long, cold winter is finally coming to an end (I got a sunburn yesterday while out for a walk!). And some significant changes are coming within the next month or so. Stay tuned!

Thanks for sticking with me, those of you who have. (If you haven't, well, then you wouldn't be reading this.)

Later!

U2 360 Show hits Tampa

Absolutely unbelievable evening.

Last night, the U2 360 degree tour hit Tampa's Raymond James Stadium, and we (myself and hubby) were there. To summarize, awesome seats, incredible stage, phenomenal set list, great time.

We arrived around 4:30 with tailgate supplies packed. No trouble getting to the stadium and parking. Traffic was light. We discovered we had a stowaway: a little green frog was hiding under the driver's side back door handle. It eventually crawled into the crack in the door and may still be there for all we know.


We entered the stadium around 6:30. Our first time at "Ray-Jay". Saw the pirate ship, then made our way to the seats. We were in section 122, "behind" the stage in the end zone. The seats were awesome. With the setup they have, being behind the stage was one of the best places to be, in my opinion. We could see the band enter and leave, and we were really close to the stage, otherwise known as "the claw".


You can't see the top of it in this picture. There is a spire that extends pretty high up. There's even a huge disco ball at the top (and one that comes out the bottom). At one point during the show, the screen extended downward so that it was only a few feet above the performers.

The stage is surrounded by a circular track, which allowed the band members to walk around all 360 degrees. There were also a couple movable bridges connecting the center of the stage to the track.

You can find a lot more pictures from the show here. I also posted some video clips on YouTube.

Here's the set list. (Thanks to this site for compiling it.)

• Breathe
• Get on Your Boots
• Mysterious Ways
• Beautiful Day
• I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / Stand By Me
• Stuck in a Moment
• No Line on the Horizon
• Magnificent
• (Conversation with the Cirque du Soleil founder from the space station … see this related story.)
• Elevation
• End of the World
• The Unforgettable Fire
• City of Blinding Lights
• Vertigo
• Dance Beat: Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) / I’m Gonna Go Crazy (If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight)
• (A Prayer for Iran)
• Sunday Bloody Sunday / Get Up, Stand Up
• MLK
• Walk On
• Video: Desmond Tutu: We are the same, We are one.
• One
• Amazing Grace
• Where the Streets Have No Name
• (Encore)
• Ultraviolet (Baby Light My Way)
• With or Without You
• Moment of Surrender

The crowd was extremely energetic, standing up and dancing through the whole show. It's really hard to describe the experience in words. It was my first time attending a concert of this magnitude (70,000+ fans - more than attended last year's Super Bowl in the same stadium) but you really didn't feel like you were in that big of an arena. I can't imagine attending a concert of that size without that kind of setup.

And it only took 45 minutes to get out of the parking lot after the show :-).

Best quote (not necessarily exact) of the evening: Bono's observation that "Tampa has a pirate ship, but we have a space ship".

Events coming up for us in the future:

• Robin Williams, October 20 at USF Sun Dome
• Bonnie Raitt, October 22 at Ruth Eckerd Hall
• TR3, November 7 at Skipper's Smokehouse

Check back here for reports on those shows.

Teafrancais.com update

The saga continues.

When we last left our story, back in July (see this post), I had convinced a manager there to send me a shipment of coffee (2 packages) in place of one shipment of teas (even though they had sent me three overall).

Well, I received one of the coffees, but I am still waiting for the second one. Here's a summary of the time line for this saga:

• In early June, 2009, I enrolled in their program. I was supposed to receive a sample shipment of 2 bags of loose leaf tea for $2, then future shipments would cost more. But within 14 days of enrolling, they charged me for 2 additional shipments at a cost of $40. So before I even received any of the product to try, I was out quite a bit of money. I originally reported about this in this previous blog entry.
  
• I called several times to complain. Finally, on July 20, I was able to speak to a manager. I was told they could not refund my money but that they would be willing to replace one of the tea shipments with an equivalent amount from their coffee selection. So I ordered two bags of coffee.
• August 20: coffees have still not arrived. I called and was told one of them had been on back order but just came in, so they would send it out right away.
• August 28: I received one bag of coffee in the mail, but the other was missing. I called and was told that they would send it right away.
• September 17: Coffee still has not arrived. This time when I called, they told me the variety I had ordered was out of stock (thanks for letting me know!). I ordered a different kind which they promised to "send right away".
• October 1: Coffee still has not arrived. Gee, they seemed puzzled and didn't know what happened. Will send right away.

So, there we are. I should run a contest and have people guess when (if) I will ever receive my coffee. But I have no prize to give out, alas.

I wonder if they have any satisfied customers? How are they able to stay in business?

Today's Florida wildlife report

Went for a walk this morning, as I usually do Sunday mornings.

I had to stop at the pond in my neighborhood for about 10 minutes to watch the very large gator and all the birds. There were about 10 birds of different types, including Sandhill cranes, Roseate spoonbills, and white ibises. All the birds were about 2 feet from the shoreline, around the pond, preening themselves and doing whatever birds do. I watched the gator approach the shore, then stop and watch the birds. The birds, almost in unison, turned their backs on the gator and continued doing what they were doing. Not sure if it was a "if I can't see it, it isn't there" thing, or if it was like a Klingon "discommendation" ceremony.

Sorry no pictures - I don't take a camera on my walks. Maybe I should.

Oh, I also saw turtles, and I think I startled another gator as I was walking by part of the shore, as I saw a big splash.