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This will be my last blog post from the comfort of my comfy, English desk for a couple of weeks. For two weeks I will not be sitting here, with the window slightly ajar, smelling the fresh, cool air as the cat sits on the printer. No, I’ll be globe-trotting and enjoying the 24-hour Wal-Mart, the 7-11 Crystal Light Slurpees, the flavoured coffees, the wide, open roads and the laid-back living. It’s that time of year again to celebrate our anniversary and my birthday (in that order) so we’re off to Florida!
We have my parents to visit, Kennedy Space Center to big farewell to Endeavour, a trip to LegoLand, plus I really want to stop by The Cheesecake Factory and Altamonte Mall just to be somewhere other than a theme park for a bit. We also have to find a Spirit Halloween store to get ready for our annual visit to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. We’ll spend a big chunk of our time at Disney World but after our last visit, we decided that three days of Disney is about all we can take. It’s so fun but it’s so exhausting. I like just being able to spend time by the pool and hanging out – that’s what Florida was made for! After Disney we’ll be able to do that though because we’ll be in Daytona Beach for a bit. Then it will be back to our hometown to hang out and do whatever, celebrate my birthday (hip-hip-hooray!) and then back to England.
I don’t have anything packed, unless you count the seasonal cloth items that I kept in the suitcase from last year (really, NE England, there’s no need for flip flops – it may be warm but those pavements are hazardous to exposed toes!) I know just to pack everything that is thin, cool, and comfortable as my body is no longer use to the humidity and heat, sadly. I swear, the minute that air hits me when I step out of the airport, my blood perks up and I feel alive again. However, after a week, I’m whining like the rest of them about how I can’t stand being in the jungle.
Ah, but it’s fun though! Best part? I can drive there! DRIVE!
Tomorrow, before I go, I have to re-take this stupid Theory Test because I didn’t understand the Hazard Perception Test at all. I flat our failed with a score of zero on four out of fourteen video clips. The trick is, you have to click on potential hazards but the actual hazard they want you to click on is played within a short window of time. If you click it exactly at the precise moment the test wants you to click, you get a perfect score of five points, if you click too early, you get a zero. If you click a little later than they want you can get a score of 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0 for missing the hazard completely.
Here’s the catch – you can’t click too much. Yeah, yeah, they say you can’t ever click too much, just too “rhythmically” but when the instructions say to click whenever your driving changes because of the hazard, you end up clicking each time you see the hazard, the hazard gets closer, the car slows down, the hazard is in front of you, the car stops, the hazard leaves, the car continues around, etc. So what I thought the test wanted me to do was click at least five times within that window to get my perfect score. Nope. It’s about timing.
My driving instructor said just to practice and practice but it didn’t matter because the stupid AA Pass Your Test software (notice my review on the product page) didn’t give me any kind of warning about clicking too much except maybe one time in the weeks I practiced. Every time it said I passed, but I failed the actual test. Now that I practiced again the “right” way, it tells me I fail or barely pass. Now, if I use the online practice test, I get a score of 71% which is awesome because you need a 44% to pass. Heck, with that online test my father and my friends on Facebook who have never driven in the U.K. or even prepped for said test passed it. Either my practice software is janky or I am. I’ll let you know after tomorrow morning. Sigh…
I also need to mention that I tried to watch The Lying Game this morning and it’s nothing like the first book. There’s no one dead for a start, which makes it way less interesting. It’s sort of like The Secret Circle where they took the basic idea and changed it, except this is less interesting than the book, which isn’t good at all. I’m also still trying to finish Season One of Downtown Abbey this week.
Skyrim Heathfire has totally sucked me in as well even though it’s completely broken. One of my housecarl won’t show up, the second one won’t give me a bard or furnish my home, and the other isn’t even available because the Jarl won’t ask me to be a Thane. And why do I need to keep going into town to buy stupid iron ingots? Also, my adopted son asked to keep my dog but, um, I haven’t seen the dog in months. I think he’s dead but I don’t think the kids realize that. Yes, the game is broken and I watched Steve play where something or someone will always come around and try to sabotage the house. Even this can happen: Hearthfire: Everyone Is Dead!
Anyway, I’m not sure if I’ll be posted here via mobile or via my Missus P. Mobile Tumblr blog, or if I’ll be able to post anything at all while I’m on holiday (vacation to those of us in Florida.) Last time I tried to write one blog post and it didn’t get finished until after I got back. Seriously, resting and relaxing takes a lot of effort!
I always feel bad about leaving the cat though. At least he has a sitter to stay with him here while we’re gone.
When we get back, the book should be done and available to readers. We’ve been trying to get it finished but since Steve’s working so much, it’s hard to get the art completed. But we’ll have it soon, then I can get the second one out the door as well.
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