Spring break: Day One

17Mar09

So, I’m officially on spring break. A well-needed vacation, actually; this semester thus far has been a whirlwind of notes, research, work and… sleep, I guess. I’ve been balancing everything pretty well… I have good grades and still manage to have a life and relax (and play Lego Star Wars with my boyfriend, my Valentine’s Day present to him, because I’m basically a kick-ass girlfriend who doesn’t buy lame stuff like cologne). But this week, it’s time for some sunshine and warmth. Because it snowed two weeks ago. WTF?!

So I’m in sunny Orlando, FL, home to Mickey Mouse and kick-ass killer whales. Palm trees, orange groves and a WHOLE lot of sunshine… no snowflakes here! We left Clemson at about 9ish in the piss-pouring rain, which basically continued all the way to the Georgia/Florida border. It was the dreariest six or so hours. But soon, the sky opened up and it was sunshine everywhere. We got into our hotel around 6:30 to drop off our stuff, then headed outside to watch the space shuttle launch. That was a cool experience; it was really pretty. It looked like a comet soaring across the sky. We watched until it was a mere bright dot in the sky; it looked like a star.

Then we went in to freshen up and decide where to eat. We ended up at Bogard’s Restaurant, which is a seafood restaurant with waitresses dressed up in high-heeled combat boots, leather mini-skirts and fishnets. “The restaurant your mother warned you about,” indeed.

Today, I tried my hand at tennis. I’ve never played before, and after discovering in third grade while playing softball that me attempting to hit a small round thingy with a long stick thingy really isn’t my forte, I’ve never really tried anything in that realm. Soccer (or football, for you silly non-Americans) is my sport, but tennis is in my blood. My dad was a state champion back in the day, so technically I should have some sort of genetic ability, I guess. In my opinion I did fairly well. No idea how the boyfriend and his buddy think I did, but hell, I made contact with the ball more often than I didn’t. Maybe one day I’ll be able to add tennis to my list of skills. For now, my body is aching in places its never ached before. That’s what happens when you hold your ass out in a tennis stance while someone is throwing balls at you for an hour.

After that, we were going to go to the pool, but I ended up skipping out because I have a residual ear ache from being sick the past week. I just chilled out and read the latest book I picked up, The Reader, recently adapted as a film starring Kate Winslet, who actually won Best Actress in this year’s academy awards for her portrayal as Hanna Schmitz. I want to see the movie, but I saw the book and figured it would be a good read for the break. It’s a surprisingly swift novel… I’m half through and I only started it today. I’ll reserve judgment until a later date.

Later on I felt better, so we all got showered and dressed, then headed out to get some food and go to the movies. There is an IMAX theater in Orlando, so of course we went to go see The Watchmen. For the record, IT WAS FREAKING AWESOME. My boyfriend’s other friend had read the graphic novels and said it was a killer adaptation, all things considered. He explained a few inconsistencies on the way back to the hotel, so it made more sense. He said he would recommend reading the graphic novels so as to understand it more, because otherwise it seems a bit jumpy. I think I’ll see about that… I’ve never really read graphic novels, but I think this one would be a good choice to start with.

And now, it’s 2am, and I’m damn tired. Good night!

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