Cure for the Run

SomaCow Media Presents: Cure for the Run!

This awesome event is a 0.05km 'challenge' benefitting the Rock for Hunger campaign out of Orlando, Florida. Rock for Hunger is a community brought together to battle homelessness and poverty in Orlando through music and peace. The Cure for the Run is happening August 22nd, 2009 at the Wall Street Plaza in Downtown Orlando at 5pm. Even if you can't make it out, I urge you to please promote or donate to the cause. Click on the banner below for more information.



If Orlando, Florida is a little too far for you to travel, but you would like to sponsor a runner to help out, please donate. Even something as low as $1 could make a difference.

Continue Reading

Day Six: The Vacation Finale

Boooo, Saturday came entirely too soon.

We were up at 9am to shower and pack before check-out time. Had to make sure the kids don't forget anything in drawers, closets or under bed. I really will miss the hotel room (including that wonderful jacuzzi tub!!) and the time spent away from Lakeland. In a few days we'll have to go back to our jobs and the daily grind, and every part of me is screaming, "I don't wanna!"

I'm glad Rich and I were able to sleep in a little. Getting up at 6:30am, I'm convinced, would of killed me. It wasn't due to my drinking the night before (I went easy), but I'm not used to all this physical labor. I sit on my ass behind a desk everyday at work, and well...what spare time I have I reserve for reading. As it was, I could function with some dirty water. We hastily gathered our belongings and the billion other items that we picked up during our vacation, then headed to Cracker Barrel for one last breakfast with the family. This morning it was down to the four of us and my parental-in-laws. I'm not sure what it was about this Cracker Barrel, but we had three servers all vying to fill our coffee cups before we could empty them, and for that reason alone I can't complain. Keep it coming!

My father and mother-in-law started the journey back to Lakeland after breakfast, and since Rich has promised RN we would ride go-karts while we were in the area, we headed to Old Town.

The Fun Spot in Old Town is expensive, and it's pretty easy to spend $40 right off the bat, but we had a good time. The boys were able to drive go-karts despite the drizzle, and both kids got their fill of rides and games while we were there. It was super hot amidst all the concrete under the Evil Day Star. I've had enough sun to last me until next summer now, thankyouverymuch. We refreshed with the small glass bottles of Pepsi you can get from the General Store on the strip after hitting up the arcade, and then it was time to head back to our humble Lakeland.

I'm glad we are home now, despite the great week. We were relieved to find our house still in one piece, and I am grateful that I had cleaned the Saturday before our trip so there wasn't too much to do other than unpack and do laundry. We grabbed a pizza for dinner (diet? what diet?) and after the kids were sent to bed, we caught Prime Time Geek live and just chilled, as we are prone to do on a Saturday night.

All in all, it was a fantastic family vacation. I sincerely hope we can do it again in the future. I don't know about you, but I'm going to enjoy my Sunday before I have to put on my 'responsible adult' hat again. I hope you guys enjoyed the blog posts and I will make sure there are pictures up on my Facebook account for those who are interested.

Thanks for reading my ramblings!

Continue Reading

Day Five: Part Deux

Welcome back! I hope you guys have enjoyed hearing of our Disney vacation. This week has gone by fast, way too fast, but has been a fantastic time! I don't look forward to heading back to the 'real world' at all and am flat out dreading work on Monday.

When I left off before, the full Silva Clan, Florida branch was heading to Smokey Bones to enjoy an end of vacation meal together. I know I've said this before, and no I'm not saying this only because they are reading, I truly mean it - I love it when all of us are together. My husband's family is a joy to be around and are all over great people. I have the best in-laws, ever.

Anyways, so we head over to the Smokey Bones near the restaurant to dine on barbecued animal carcasses. It didn't take us too long to get a table, considering how big our party was. And it seemed we were in for a treat - live entertainment! For a few minutes I feared they were setting up for karaoke, but it turned out there was a guy from New York serenading us with his guitar a couple of feet from our table. At one point my nephew volunteered to assist the guy on the maracas, and it was pretty neat.

We were about two-thirds into our meal when I glanced down the table to check on little T, and found her with her head on the table, fast asleep. This kid can go 100 miles an hour it seems, but even she has a limit. I'll admit, I was a little jealous I couldn't get away with doing the same.

Want to know the real reason we go to Smokey Bones? Cinnamon donuts. My father-in-law LOVES them, and you can't go to Smokey Bones without ordering a bag of sweet cinnamon-y goodness. I was trying to go easy on the fattening foods during the week, but even I couldn't resist having a couple. And with their chocolate dipping sauce - yum!

Afterwards we headed back to the hotel after a long day, but for Rich and I, there was to be no rest for the wicked. We quickly showered, changed and headed out for the evening to visit the SomaCow Media Network studio!

There are four shows that SomaCow Media produces: SomaCow, the flagship show on Friday nights, Prime Time Geek on Saturdays, Just Push Play on Mondays, and ComaSow, a show where Jen and Geoff review Indy music that is sent to them, on Wednesdays. They are all great shows and I recommend you check them out if you haven't yet. They are available on Itunes, or you can click their links for more information on each show and what they have to offer.

I'm kind of disappointed we were not able to make it to the studio earlier so Rich could sit in during SomaCow, but the fact that we were able to hang out with them after the show was awesome. I finally got to meet the prestigious Mr. J of NewsBomb fame, and we were able to enjoy some adult time during our vacation. Hanging out with Geoff, Jen, Mickey, J, Ross and little Rowan was a blast, and J makes some damn good martinis and fruity cocktails. It made me wish we lived closer to Orlando so we could visit with them more, but I'm content with chatting with Jen while listening to the live shows for now.

Speaking of SomaCow Media Networks - they are hosting a charity event called Cure for the Run on August 22 in Downtown Orlando to support the Rock for Hunger campaign. I will be putting up the information for the event in a couple of days, so please don't forget to check back for details. They are giving back to their community, something we should all think about doing.

It was late when we made it back to the hotel after our visit and I think we finally got to sleep around 4am. Tomorrow is our last day in Orlando, and there are still a few more things we'd like to get to before home sweet home.

Until then, ciao peoples.

Continue Reading

Day Five: In the Mighty Jungle - Animal Kingdom

It's another bright and early morning here on vacation. The dirty water is flowing freely and today is the last of our theme park adventures. We have the four-park passes, but since we have six months to use them up, we are holding off on Hollywood Studios until later in the year when the heat is more bearable. Today was Animal Kingdom and we were joined by my older sister in law and her husband, parents to my niece and nephew who were with us yesterday. The kids stayed overnight with us, much to the enjoyment of our kids.

After a dash to CVS to pick up more sunblock and chap stick, we headed out to conquer the jungle. Since I had been in a hurry to hit up CVS before we could leave, I managed to forget all about changing into my sneakers and arrived wearing a pair of sandals that may or may not have chewed up my feet after a full day of walking in them. But Rich came to my rescue and went back to the hotel to grab them for me. My husband is awesome, have I told you that before? Granted, he wanted to save himself from hearing me bitch about my feet all day, but the gesture was very much appreciated by both me and my feet.

We walked around the Oasis and looked at the various animals they have there. For someone reason our daughter thinks she can speak duck, and every time she see one, she quacks at it relentlessly until we have to pull her away. No matter how much she quacks, the ducks are not going to talk back to her, but that doesn't seem stop her. It's not by far the weirdest thing she does, either.

Our first stop once inside the rest of the park was Festival of the Lion King in Camp Minnie-Mickey. I have to say, it is one of the best damn live shows that I've seen in all of Disney. So much time and energy was put into it, and it shows. And the performers were enjoying themselves as much as we were. If you ever go to Animal Kingdom, I highly recommend you catch it. The kids loved it, and T was picked to join them at one point, dancing and shaking the maraca they gave her with high enthusiasm.

Once the show was over, we headed into Africa to catch the Jungle Safari. It was neat, seeing the animals in their pseudo-natural habitat. There were giraffes, rhinos, sleeping lions, etc. What you'd expect to see on a safari. From there we took the train over to the petting zoo (sheep, goats, a couple of loud-ass donkeys) and an exhibit with bugs and reptiles. The kids got a picture with Rafiki and we took the train back to Africa for lunch.

One thing about Animal Kingdom, it's humid as hell in that place. It was hot to begin with, but with the tree cover blocking the wind, it doesn't take long to feel sticky. Blegh. Seriously, do not forget to hydrate while in the jungle.

Filled up on burgers (bun-less for me), we hit up Kali River Rapids. It's a more intense version of Congo River Rapids in Busch Gardens. My brother in law and RN were completely soaked afterwards, and it was nice to cool off. After that we decided to dry off on Mount Everest, which was an awesome roller coaster as far as Disney was concerned. I had my 13 year old niece sitting next to me, clutching my shoulder and screaming in my ear, but I still enjoyed it.

A couple of us rode the Primeval Whirl after that - a cross between Mad Tea Party and a kiddie coaster. It was alright, and I could hear my older sister in law screaming in the car behind us (she'll kill me for telling you that), but after Everest it was meh.

Last, but not least, we caught Finding Nemo: The Musical. It was a good show, and well done, but the wood benches were hell on my ass. I think everyone was exhausted by that point, I know I was. I would of been happy to catch some zzzs during the 45 minute it took for Marlin to find his son (spoiler alert!), but they make those benches so damn uncomfortable. When we finally emerged, it was threatening to rain so we missed out on it's Tough to be a Bug in the 14-story Tree of Life, but I made no complaints.

That is all you get for right now. If you'd like to hear about our dinner at Smokey Bones, and our trip to to visit the SomaCow Media Network studio, keep reading. I hope you all are having a good one.

Continue Reading

Day Four: Making waves at Typhoon Lagoon

Ah! So nice to sleep in a bit. I wasn't roused out of bed until 9am, which was a blessing after the last few days. After a leisurely breakfast, I made sure the kids were bathed and then was able to spend some time on the computer. This week, unless you count the random tweeting from my cell phone, or the time I've spent updating the blog, I've been mostly 'disconnected' from the outside world, both news-wise and socially. I apparently missed a tornado hitting Orlando near the Florida Mall last night, the space shuttle launch, and something about a bus accident at Disney. I was able to catch up on some correspondence and return some tweets, but that was it.

And Walter Cronkite died! Ouch. RIP Mr. Cronkite, you will be missed.

My niece and nephew joined us this afternoon from St. Augustine and after lunchtime we headed over to Typhoon Lagoon, this time sans mother and sister in law. For Florida residents, if you purchase a ticket after 2pm, you get a year-round pass, so we took advantage of it. I'm not entirely sure how long that promotion lasts, but if you are a water-park lovin' Florida resident, do it!

Let me say this: the 'large' lockers at Typhoon Lagoon are probably okay for a single family and a backpack or two, but three backpacks do not fit very well at all! We did manage to get the locker shut, with only a small bulge at the corners, and then we were off to explore.

We made use of the lazy river as our in-park transportation, and hit all three raft rides. The little one enjoyed the hell out of those, but damn those stairs are killer after three days of non-stop walking. And in flip-flops, no less.

We peeped out the wave pool, which is pretty cool as long as you stay in the deeper water. We got our first vacation-related injury in the water furthest from where the big wave comes out. Our little one, T, was standing in the shallows when the big wave broke, and the aftershock wave knocked her down, scraping her elbow, back and knee. I guess they keep the floor of the wave pool textured so you can gain traction, but it only served to grate the skin of my daughter. So be careful!

She's fine by the way. Seems to freak out when she notices that she is bleeding, but once you slap a bandaid on it, all is kittens and rainbows again. She did depart with my father in law and niece shortly after, these long fun-filled days are taking a toll on Papa, and he deserves some rest. After they headed out, it was down to me, my hubby Rich, RN and my nephew. My husband and I watched as the boys did the Kowabunga, an enclosed slide that drops you straight down 214 feet. Rich has ridden it before, but I just didn't see the use in having my bathing suit crammed up my ass that far. I did check out Storm Sliders next door and thought it was a lot of fun.

The ride you really want to catch at Typhoon Lagoon is the Crush N' Gusher - a roller coaster-type water slide that was very neat. To me it was one of the best thrills at Typhoon Lagoon.

Now that we have our year-round passes, we'll probably hit this place up a couple more times. For now though, I have to get to bed. I physically can't think or type anymore tonight!

Tomorrow: Day Five and final: Animal Kingdom, and then a trip to the SomaCow Media Network studio! Yay!

Night, Internets.

Continue Reading

Day Three: Discover the Wonder at Epcot

Another beautiful early morning. Ugh, more dirty water, please.

We actually ended up getting a slightly later start out of the hotel this morning; my parents in law ended up having to head to Tampa at 4am to retrieve my sister in law due to the van's battery dying and OnStar being unable to revive it. Fail. Sadly, the few people that could pick her up with the other van and/or fix her van were all in Orlando, so they had no choice. They ended up staying at the hotel to catch up on some rest for a few hours while the Silva Jr. clan headed out.

We waited with the throngs of Disney-going crowds and foreign tour groups and finally made our way inside. We managed to catch both Daisy Duck and Stitch after entering and got the mandatory photos/autographs, then headed to the icon of Epcot: Space Ship Earth. I'm always amazed at how far us humans have come as far as technology. From cave drawings to high tech computers in the space of our existence. I can't imagine what our world would be like had those brave and open-minded few not taken the first steps forward. We've learned and passed down the generations so much information, and yet there are still so many things left to conquer.

From there we checked out manatees, sea horses and dolphins in the Seas with Nemo & Friends, and advances in greenhouse techniques with Living with the Land. Again, I'm amazed by how far we have gotten in making our planet thrive despite the damage we've done so far, though I wish more people would accept the fact that more must be done to preserve our mother Earth. Will our children's children have anything left to enjoy of our world if we keep this up?

We grabbed some Fastpasses to Soarin and hit Journey Into Imagination with Figment. After that we met up with the in laws at Honey I Shrunk the Audience (cute little rides/shows both of them), and decided to pick up some Fastpasses to Test Track on our way to view the World.

My husband and I dined in Mexico while the others headed to China for rice and various chicken things. They didn't have General Tso's chicken...boo. We hit up the singing Gran Fiesta Tour with Donald Duck and a few of us toured the World Showcase, stopping this place and that before meeting up with the rest of our party again in Canada.

Fastpasses are a great thing to have when the wait to a ride is 60-120 minutes long. We were inside Soarin within a half hour of getting into line. That ride, for me, was alright. I have a severe fear of heights and flying, but I managed not to scream, cry or wet myself as we soared over California and various water ways. It didn't cure me of my aviophobia, nor do I want to fly on a plane anytime soon, but it was a really neat ride and judging by the tightening of my fingers on the arm rest, quite realistic. Our 5 year old had a blast and thought it was fantastic, and it only took a few seconds for our 10 year old to get over the initial shock. I definitely recommend it.

We decided instead of wandering around the park trying to catch the rest of the characters for pictures and autographs, we would take advantage of Epcot's Character Spot. For a half hour plus wait in line, we managed to get Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy are taken care of, much to the excitement of the kids. There, we got the important ones and have no reason to track them down in Animal Kingdom on Friday. Score!

After hitting up a gift shop for RN, we headed back to the hotel for a hurried dinner so me, hubby and RN could go back to see the fireworks and Test Track. Our little one stayed behind to eat pie and hit the pillow with the in laws. As she said "I want to see the fireworks, but I just don't want to walk anymore". I promised her that we would catch fireworks sometime before we head back to Lakeland. I guess Fourth of July wasn't enough to quell her firework fix.

Sadly we missed ComaSow because of this, but since I always download the podcasts of the shows from SomaCow Media Networks (as should you) whether we catch the live show or not, no worries.

Unfortunately for us though, Orlando was hit by heavy storms and high winds with lightning, so the Test Track was 'suspended' for the night. From what I gathered there was many a tornado in the area, and I hope all my Orlando acquaintances were safe. We did have a chance to ride Mission Space, but only the 'less intense' version because of time and such. Our next time in Epcot will see us hit the Orange version, definitely. I want to experience some G-forces, yo.

We never did make it back to Test Track before the fireworks, and I'm a little disappointed. It's one of the first things we are going to hit the next opportunity, whenever that will be.

The sun caught up to me from the last few days, and I could somewhat pass for a lobster. We still have two more full days of theme parks, and the skin on my shoulders and my feet are protesting the thought. At this point, I'm dead on my feet and bid you all sweet dreams.

Tomorrow: Day Four and Typhoon Lagoon!

Until then.

Continue Reading

Day Two: Pass the dirty water, please

Granted, it's around the same time I get up for work, but mornings are always the bane of my existence. I'm just not a morning person, and refuse to apologize for bristling at any type of contact or movement before I've had a few cups of joe in me. It is safer for all to keep a distance, even while on vacation.

As it was, we were up bright and early again for round two. I really like the hotel room, with its high ceilings and space. The entire suite, the St. Lucia, itself is a few hundred square feet larger our house in Lakeland, and comfortable enough to house the seven of us comfortably. It's a nice little home away from home. Though the kitchen is lacking in counter space, the glass dining table is big enough and there is a dishwasher! Oh how I've missed being able to load a dishwasher.

My parental in laws have taken the master bedroom next to the living room, and we have the second master on the far side, with the kids' bedroom next to ours. The masters are setup with with a king-sized bed, and a large jacuzzi tub off to the side on tile. We lucked out and have twin sinks - a his and hers setup, and a huge walk-in shower. The toilet is in it a closet all its own with a door - I refer to it has the 'office'.

The water pressure on the shower sucks as most hotel showers do, but we have done our best to meet the limit on the hot water usage. I'm spoiled now as we were able to run the jacuzzi tub, the dishwasher, washing machine, and two showers simultaneously without a dip in temperature whatsoever. Our older water heater at home can barely make it through shaving my legs.

I know, I know. You guys want pictures - I'm working on it! I'll do my best Thursday night to flood my photobucket account with the pictures that we've taken. I want to share them as much as you want to see them.

Tuesday morning we had reservations at the Grand Floridian for a character breakfast. The Grand Floridian is super swanky; their concierges, bell men and house keepers all in elaborate Victorian get ups, and the lobby itself is five stories tall. We arrived early enough to wander around and take it all in before heading to a (surprisingly) buffet breakfast with Alice, Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins, Tigger and Pooh. I figured that Disney would be cheap and serve us a bowl of cereal while we waited for grumpy people in costumes to grudgingly sign autograph books, but it was a really pleasant experience. Alice and Mad Hatter seemed really into it, with Alice berating us for drinking 'dirty water' (coffee) instead of tea, and it was a smorgasbord of food: bacon, eggs, grits, Mickey Mouse waffles, omelets, pastries and even eggs benedict covered in lobster sauce. Swanky indeed. And they didn't even water down the syrup as most buffet places do. We gorged ourselves on food and coffee while the kids collected autographs and did the same, sans coffee. Character breakfasts are pricey, but I think the experience was worth it.

After that we took advantage of the outlets being right behind our hotel and went shopping. It was made more pleasant an experience by the 55lbs that I've lost since December, and could shop without self pity. It's amazing what the weight loss has done for my self image. I'd like to lose another 20lbs, but I am happy with what I see in the mirror now.

Later that day we lounged around the Pirate Pool with the kids and some other tourists and though the clouds threatened rain, we enjoyed ourselves. A couple of my sister in law's friends came by for dinner and pool time before they headed out to Tampa's IMAX threater for the midnight showing of the newest Harry Potter. After we finally got our kids settled into bed, my husband and I went down to the hot tub by the 'quiet' pool and were in bed by midnight.

It was another good day, and I am already dreading having to head back to the real world. Tomorrow: The Wonders of Epcot!

Continue Reading

Day One: The Magic Kingdom - The True Melting Pot

I had forgotten how much I missed living with my in laws; not because of financial reasons, or for extra hands where chores are concerned, but for the company. I get along extremely well with my father, mother and younger sister-in-law, and there is always an easy companionship when we are together. The conversation never seems forced, and when there is silence, it is always a comfortable one. They are great people, and I feel as though I lucked out getting them as in laws.

After getting up at the insane hour of 6:30am, on vacation no less (I didn't expect anything less and was surprised that I was permitted to sleep that late), we broke our fast, consumed as much coffee as we could fit into our cups, and readied ourselves for a busy day. Upon our arrival into Orlando Sunday afternoon we had turned our vouchers into actual tickets, so we were prepared to skip most of the morning wait. We arrived via ferry with the masses at the Magic Kingdom, our first stop in our week-long Disney adventure.

And oh dear Goddess were there masses. I counted at least three different tour groups from Brazil alone, and one or two from Italy. They say that America is the melting pot of the world, and after seeing people from China, England, Italy, Brazil, Germany, Mexico and Canada, I have no doubt in my mind that the heart of it is in Orlando. It's the one place that I've been fortunate enough to visit that can unite people from all over the planet, that really bring us together as human beings despite race, sex or religion, and I'm not just talking about the ride It's A Small World. I've never heard so many different languages spoke at one time, or English spoke with so many accents.

After hitting up Snow White for a picture and autograph, we hit most of the attractions that are mandatory for visiting the Magic Kingdom - Jungle Cruise, Pirates of The Caribbean, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain (Space Mountain is currently closed for renovations), It's A Small World, Dumbo, Country Bear Jamboree, Hall of Presidents, the 3pm Daily Parade, Swiss Family Treehouse, Mad Tea Party, Stitch's Great Escape (which used to be Alien Encounter), Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, and Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. We missed a handful of rides that we will have to hit first the next time we visit, like the Haunted Mansion, Mickey's Toontown Fair, Tomorrowland Transit Authority (which was down for either repairs or upgrades), and much more due to time restraints, but we covered as much as we could. Everyone enjoyed themselves, and there was little complaint from the kids when we departed. By the time 7pm rolled around, everyone was tired and the little one, T, was thankful to get off her feet.

Yes, we made the 5 year old walk almost the entire way on her own. I saw at least three 8-12 year olds being pushed in strollers by weary parents, and think its silly. I gave her a piggy back ride to the handicapped parking area after the monorail trip back from the Kingdom, but only to keep the complaining to a minimum and hurrying along the progress back to the car. She has two perfectly good legs, why not use them.

After returning to the hotel, we ordered pizza instead of cooking up dinner for the seven of us. Slaving over the stove, or even just shoving something quick into the oven was too much of a hassle at that point, though my mother in law threw together a salad. My feet ache a little despite the sneakers I bought early last week and we are all a little pink in the face/shoulders. As I write this blog, I can feel my eye lids growing heavy. I'm content with how things turned out today, and look forward to what the week may bring.

Tomorrow, Day Two: more getting up at the ass crack of dawn, followed by character breakfast at the Grand Floridian, shopping, and maybe a trip to Old Town to drive go-karts. Pictures will be posted in a day or two once I get them from our family photographer, our 10 year old, RN.

Sleep, perchance to dream.

Continue Reading

Time away from it all

A few more days, and the Lakeland branch of the Silva clan will be invading Orlando!

For a full week, July 12 though July 18th, seven of us will be slipping away from the daily grind of work, school, and responsibilities to play in Florida's tourist trap - Disney. It will be our kids' first real trip there (the oldest, my 10 year old step-son RN, has been before, but doesn't quite remember the trip as he was young at the time), and I'm very excited to share the experience with them. They are old enough now to fully enjoy the wonders and magic of Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM/Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, and my inner-child is already jumping up and down at the thought of seeing the castle.

The 'adult' part of me, though, is basking in the thought of being away from ringing phones, infinite paperwork and non-stop bitching of customers complaining that their fueling systems are not working properly. I don't even want to see a gas pump, though I understand that is unavoidable. I've worked here for nine years now, and this is the first time I've been able to take a full week of vacation not reserved for medical reasons. Granted, I've taken a few days off at a time, but never a full week like this. No arguing with my immediate boss about whose fault it was that I was two weeks behind in invoicing (it was totally his), or being told that my political beliefs are completely lacking by the CONservative Big Boss (sorry big guy, I'm not reading Glen Beck's book Common Sense that you forced on me, just not going to happen), and no stressing about deadlines for once. We are going to sit back and enjoy some quality family time away from the 'real world'.

Not to mention we will be visiting the SomaCow studio Friday night after the live show and I will finally get to meet the prestigious J of NewsBomb fame. I can't think of a better way to top off the week.

I will be sharing the experience with you, dear readers, and will throw in some reviews of the places we eat and stay at just for fun. I always need an excuse to write and post pictures, so why not? And later on I can print it all out and make a scrap book out of the blog postings for the kids to have to remember the journey.

Until we leave on Sunday, though, there is lots of cleaning and packing to accomplish and I should get on it.

Ciao,
M

Continue Reading

Welcome to My World

Thanks to my wonderful husband and Mickey from SomaCow - you can find them both on twitter: RSilva5 and SomaCow respectively - I am happy to announce that www.MontineSilva.com is now up and running!

Okay, linked to my blog, but it's still live. I have a presence on the web. It's daunting, but inspiring. I suppose. We'll find out!

Things to come here:

More of my ramblings. Duh.

Synnove. I'm writing again, and (hopefully) will have the Synnove prologue up for my selected test readers. After they've a chance to critique and/or crucify me, I will release it to the general public.

Remote blog from Disney, Florida. In three weeks, we will be embarking on the Silva Family Adventure: The Silvas invade Disney! For one full week, all seven members of the Silva Clan/Lakeland branch will be staying in Orlando, and I am fully prepared to blog the journey. It's going to be a great time, and a writing exercise for me. I'm excited, and so ready to take a break from work. This will be the first time that I've taken a full week vacation from work that was not related to our daughter's health.

Expect that to be followed up with at least one blog post about how behind I am at work and wishing I were back on vacation.

That is all you get for right now. If I don't get any actual work completed, then I'll stress the entire time we are gone, and I don't want that. I want to enjoy our time.

Ciao!

Continue Reading