Out for Launch!

Photos by Mitch Collins


Since we have been living in Central Florida I feel we have made quite the discovery! Because of our close proximity to Cape Canaveral, we have had ample opportunity to view several of the shuttle launches, and I can assure you, NASA puts on a really great show! And yesterday, was no exception! Like the shuttle program, our time here in Florida is limited, so we decided to take advantage of our situation and head towards Titusville to see the shuttle Atlantis make her final launch. We packed a picnic lunch and ventured out to one of the optimal viewing sites, but that plan was quickly aborted once we saw how many people were there!! Mitch and I are not what you would call crowd people, so we decided it was time to come up with a new plan. Plan B.

Plan B primarily consisted of getting as far away from Titusville and all of the people as quickly as possible! Once we were able to do that--we could move on to plan C.

Plan C was to drive back North and then head east, at first we were just going to head back to Ponce Inlet, our familiar, but trustworthy vantage point. But as we were driving we thought perhaps we might find a decent spot to see the shuttle on or near New Smyrna Beach. Once in New Smyrna, we came across a familiar restaurant called JB's Fish Camp and remembered someone telling us that it was a good place to see the shuttle. So we stopped in and had a quick lunch before heading out to the docks behind the restaurant.

JB's was the perfect location, because it was not very crowded, it offered an intimate setting right on the river, where people could kayak on the water or just relax on the dock while waiting for launch time. We were very amused by the pod of dolphins playing nearby and Mitch was able to get several pictures of them rolling around in the surf.

As it got closer to the countdown you could feel the anticipation, with everyone now on the docks, gazing south in hopes for that first glimpse of the shuttle as it cleared the tree line. The launch itself is very quick, a fiery plume hurtling skyward, following it's scheduled trajectory. Then with a final separation of the booster rockets, it disappears into another realm, far beyond the reach of common man, leaving behind a cloud of vapours in it's wake.

As Mitch and I watched the contrail, we thought once again, how this is one of those experiences, that no matter how many times you see it--it does not disappoint! And despite our earlier troubles with locating the perfect viewing site, I was quite happy that we made the endeavor!

A Tornadic Twist to a Dreary Dream

I have been having recurring dreams about tornadoes for the better part of twelve years now. Though not in the sense that I dream the exact dream over and over, it is more like a recurring theme. There is always a tornado and I always seem to be running away from it.

So as long as we are discussing recurring themes, I thought I might expand on the premise from my last post (my inane idiosyncrasies) and allow you to delve into the depths of my psyche for another issue at hand. Scary, I know! I came up with the idea for this blog topic the other day--after waking up from yet another tornado dream. Now I don’t have these dreams every night, just every once in a while and thought perhaps it might be time to find out the exact nature as to why I keep having these cyclonic nightmares. Because seriously, it’s just weird!

Now for some reason, I am equally terrified and intrigued by tornadoes. I really like those shows on the Weather Channel where people chase storms and video tape tornadoes. It is almost like I get sucked into the vortex of the drama being played out on the television, watching with growing anticipation at the panic that is likely to ensue. But at the same time I am hiding under the protective cover of my blanket. I am extremely interested in the science behind these storms and I could probably give you a whirlwind of tornadic jargon and even identify a wall cloud or two. I even think sometimes that I would like to see a tornado, though not really, but kind of, just not quite! That last sentence alone should be reason enough to consider therapy as a viable option. But anyway, my first step in this investigative process is to find out what a tornado might signify.

After visiting several sites online about dreams and tornadoes, I’ve realized that I don’t really have the knowledge to say whether one site is better than the other. I figure I might as well go with the consensus. So, here it is… A tornado in a dream can indicate anything from fear of experiencing a profound loss, or an abrupt life altering change, to problems in a relationship due to extreme emotional outbursts. Okay! I’m going to go with the former rather than the latter on this one.

The former makes sense in that for me, these dreams started twelve years ago, shortly after my father unexpectedly passed away. This would be fear of an extreme loss, but twelve years seems like a long time to continue having these dreams. It could be due to fear of change. I’m not a big fan. And it would make sense as to why I have been having these dreams lately, because we are moving in the next month. I have been worried about having to change jobs, or worse, not having a job.

At least I can take some solace in the fact that I am not alone in this. After reading countless accounts of people's dreams involving tornadoes and what they suggest in relation to their own lives, I feel that these dreams are not a big deal. It is just the way my subconscious deals with external conflicts, that of which are beyond my control. It is a coping mechanism, allowing my mind to process my fears in a more natural manner. But I’m not a professional, this is really just conjecture. All I know is that there are a lot of people that dream about tornadoes and that makes me feel a lot better! I am not really sure if I will ever stop dreaming about tornadoes, this is a situation that I am not quite sure how to rectify. One can only hope that I will someday be able to conquer my fears on loss and change, but after twelve years I am not very optimistic. As the saying goes, this will likely happen… “Only in my dreams!”

My Vitamins are Going to Kill Me

I started taking a women’s one a day multivitamin in an effort to promote good health and well being. I am getting older now (I won’t tell you how old), but I figured preventative maintenance can go a long way. Like an automobile, it is a whole lot easier to fix one problem before it results into many. I chose a multivitamin because I thought it would be easier to take one pill rather than several and this particular vitamin had what I needed--along with a few others that I thought would fit nicely into that preventative maintenance category. When I brought the package home, I dutifully read the directions, i.e. Take one tablet daily with food. As I opened the bottle and peered into the container--I just about had a heart attack when I saw how big these pills were. Now, I’m not one for taking pills, any pills, I wouldn't call it a phobia, but let’s just say--if I have to, the smaller, the better! But these pills are in a word-- gargantuan! But only because I really like that word. If I only had one word to choose for it’s description that would be it. But because I am the writer here--I choose to use more words for the depiction of these beastly tablets.

So this is where my predicament unfolds… I knew I needed to take these, I'm not really sure that the term "horse pill" would do it justice. I feel death capsule might more aptly describe this particular multipurpose supplement, but are they really worth my life? I can see the headlines now… “Death by Vitamins!” I like irony, but not as the main topic for my funeral. My first thought was to see if I could split this baby in half. Once in two, I felt better knowing that I had reduced my choking hazard significantly. I popped the half into my mouth and took a drink and swallowed-- well, almost! The half went down--eventually! It was definitely not easy going and I could still feel the offending object lodged in my esophagus, creating a most uncomfortable sensation. A sensation that was not likely to go away anytime soon-- no matter how much water I hastily consumed! Needless to say, the other half wound up not in my body, but in the trash.

The next day, determined to nip this issue in the bud, I chose a different approach. Instead of cutting the pill in half--I cut it into quarters--thinking the smaller pieces might go down just a little bit easier. Let’s just say--the plan was flawed from the beginning, in that I seriously neglected to take into account that the jagged edges would not be any easier to swallow than the bigger halves.

It was on day three that I seriously began to think that these vitamins were going to kill me. Not just because of the issue in swallowing them, but because there was also a severe level of anxiety that went along with this procedure. Making it quite the morning ritual, trying to psych myself up for inevitable... But I was still steadfast in my mission--after all, I am stubborn, I want to be healthy an by god I am going to do it. Besides, I didn't really want to live the rest of my life afraid of these pills, albeit a long life (because I stopped taking the deathly vitamins), but by now it had become the principle! These vitamins are not going to kick my ass!! So, I drove on unwavering in my belief that this was the right decision and that I was going to win by any means necessary. I tried several scenarios, cutting them in half and taking them with tea or coffee, hoping the hot liquid would less likely make my throat close. Not so much! I tried the quarter method again--with the hot liquids and both were the same. Orange juice seems to be the best method, making the pill go down with a little more ease, but there is still the anxiety. There is still the worrying and the pacing before pill time, there is still the pep talk, a running inner dialogue that needs to take place before game time, but I am still trying. And I will continue to try. It is not easy, and I know that lesser women have tried and failed.

By now it has been several weeks since I started taking my vitamin. And I would like to tell you that I have been successful, that I can now not only take my daily dose without almost choking to death. That I can do it with such an air of ease that I have forgotten why I have started this initial post. But alas, that is not the case. But I can tell you this... I have not defeated the vitamin, but I have defeated the process. A wise friend once told me to "work smarter, not harder!" So it was because of this anxiety that I went screaming to the computer in search of a better way. And I have found it... I have found it in the form of Flintstones Chewable Complete. I thought that Flintstone Vitamins were simply just for kids, but after doing some research and comparing labels--they are pretty much the same. So now not only will I get my daily vitamins, but they are also chewable and come in some "fun character shapes!" After all preventative maintenance is important. So don't forget to take your vitamins and by extension, don't forget to take your car in to change the oil!