Monday morning Blog Girl and I were up bright and early so she could drop me off at the airport on her way to the Mouse’s corporate offices. I had done almost all my packing the night before and gathered all my remaining items and we were out the door and at the airport 2 hours before the flight departed. We kissed on the curb in front of the departing flight level and I went inside with my baggage and got in line, happy to have everything going so smoothly. Some 5 minutes later when I stepped up to the ticket counter the young lady took my e-ticket, greeted me and asked, “May I see a picture ID, please?” I reached to my back pocket for my wallet and as my hand closed on empty space my stomach simultaneously gave me that sinking feeling that you dread having. I had forgotten my wallet!!

I stepped out of line, pulled out my cell and called BG and we quickly worked out a plan; she would return home, retrieve my wallet and bring it to me at the spot we kissed. Here is one of those (many) reasons I adore her; though this would probably make her late to work she never uttered one word of unpleasantness or displayed any kind of bad attitude. When I thanked her profusely later when she handed me the wallet, she said “You would have done the same for me”. Yes, I would have…just not as nicely. Thank you, ma chérie.

Other than that self-imposed glitch, everything else went very smooth. my flight arrived 10 minutes early, and even though I had to wait in line almost an hour, the folks at the car rental desk were gracious and helpful (I ended up with a Hyundai Sonora, a nice car that even has a sunroof which I haven’t tried out yet). I arrived at my hotel at 1:30pm and they were adamant that I could not check in until 3pm, so I grabbed some lunch and then went to the office to meet folks and get started on some paperwork and training. When I got off at 5pm I drove the 15 minutes to my hotel and checked in without a hitch. My room is a suite with a front room that has a 32″ TV in an entertainment center on the front wall, a three-person sofa on the left wall with an end table and a stuffed upright chair cornered to the sofa. The right wall has a two-seat dining table then a small sink, mini-fridge and microwave. Opposite the little kitchen area is my bathroom and then the back room is the bedroom with a king-size bed, nightstands, spacious closet and a set of drawers with another 32″ TV on top facing the bed. The back wall is a double window that gives me a beautiful view of…the front parking lot. Oh well, lol. Best of all, the rooms have wireless Internet!

I went back out after getting everything unpacked and hung up and/or put in drawers to buy a few groceries, then came back to the room ate dinner and sat down to watch TV. More on that later.

Work is going well. There is a lot of training, reading of policies and practices and classes to attend. Friday I get to drive to Americus, GA for a big press conference that will involve both of the U.S. Senators from Georgia and several U.S. Representatives, a mayor, etc. I just have to “shadow” one of my trainers, keep my eyes and ears open and my mouth shut, lol. But I have a LOT to learn in a month and while I am enjoying it, I am mentally exhausted at the end of the day. Tomorrow I’m going to try and start using the hotel’s fitness center for an hour each night to de-stress. Amazingly, they have no pool! I was looking forward to swimming while here.

This is not as hard on me (I’m a cave-dweller, remember?) as it is on BG, because of my hermit-like ways, but it’s still lonely here without her. Fortunately, we have a cell phone plan that allows unlimited cell to cell calls and long-distance that is free all the time, because we have been logging a lot of hours on the phone. Last night we chatted on webcams for about an hour and it was nice for both of us to see each other. Technology definitely makes being apart easier to take. Plus I’ve been in e-mail contact with lots of friends and loved ones (keep them coming!) and spent some time talking to my oldest friend, Dave, on the phone last night.

I noticed tonight, while watching the news on WSB-TV (the ABC affiliate) that former Orlando TV reporter Ross Cavitt is working here in Atlanta for WSB-TV. I always enjoyed Ross’ space shuttle program reporting and it was nice to see a familiar face in an unfamiliar city.

Speaking of seeing a familiar face, I also saw John Morgan doing a commercial for Morgan & Morgan, which I thought only had offices throughout Florida, but apparently has expanded. I almost felt at home!

Finally, this was in today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper under their “The Vent” section (similar to the Orlando Sentinel’s “Ticked Off” column) which was in response to an article a few days ago about people moving to the Peach State, and made me laugh out loud;

“Floridians are now moving to Atlanta? Just what we need - more Yankees”

I am Atlanta bound, or at least I will be tomorrow morning when my flight departs at 9:48am. Blog Girl will drop me off at the airport on her way to the Mouse House at 7:30am so that I will be able to check-in the requisite 2 hours ahead of departure time and I am scheduled to arrive at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 11:20am. After that I pick up my rental car, drive the 20 miles or so to my  hotel and settle in for at least the next 30 days at the Regional Headquarters of the Big Government Agency that employs me.

The process of getting ready to leave has been, on the one hand, easy, and on the other, hectic.

The actual work to set all the parts in action is easily handled by a service that Uncle Sam uses. You simply call, tell them where and when you’re going and how long you’ll be staying and they handle all the bookings and reservations of flights, rental car and hotel, e-mail you the packet and you’re all set. Well, supposedly. I’ll see about the “all set” tomorrow when I go to the airport, rental car and hotel, but hopefully there will be no problems along the way.

The hectic part has been the personal preparation. I have been spending several days wrapping up things around the Blog Cave that needed to be done before I leave. Cindy and I went Friday and bought some new clothes (gotta make a good impression, lol) and I needed a new pair of dress shoes. Dave let me borrow 6 books about wrestling I’ve been looking for the time to read (and will have now), plus I’m taking a book I’m reading to write a review about for another site, and I bought the new extended Fantastic Four DVD (with the Jack Kirby documentary) and the Back to the Future Trilogy DVD set to watch on my laptop. My checked suitcase may well be over the 50 pound limit imposed by the airline (it has bulges where I didn’t know it could bulge!), but I have thrown in a collapsible bag so that, if it IS over the weight limit, I can move some of the heavier items (books, shoes, etc) into the collapsible bag and check that as a second piece. Plus I’m taking my laptop and a carry-on with me in the passenger cabin.

Hey, 30 days is a long time, OK?

In addition, there is every possibility that I will find myself leaving to another assignment right after this one is finished, without a chance to return home, so I need to have all my “have to haves” with me. Cameras (digital still and digital video), external hard drive, mp3 player, books, magazines, DVD’s and the Internet (webcamming with Blog Girl) will help those nights and weekends alone pass more enjoyably. We’ve been pretty much joined at the hip since we found out I’d be leaving, trying to spend as much time together as possible.

Perhaps I’ll get a chance to explore a bit of Atlanta on the weekends. I know that the High Museum of Art has several pieces on exhibit that were loaned out by The Louvre, so it would be a kick to see some of those after visiting in The Louvre itself 6 weeks ago. I’d like to see how much Underground Atlanta has changed since I last saw it 35 years ago and maybe catch a Braves game. If I do get the opportunity to play “Man About Town”, I’ll be sure and post some pictures and/or video.

Hotlanta, here I come!

…at this unless you’re familiar with superhero comic books and superhero comic book movies,

Ok, that leaves you there, with the Superboy T-shirt that’s too tight (and NOT in a good way). Enjoy this look at the Marvel and DC superheroes when they get together after hours.

Oh,  and try not to rip that shirt by laughing too hard.

It’s a good thing I’m alone in the BlogCave, ’cause I fell out of my chair laughing at this one.

Today marks the start of the 2007 Hurricane Season, even though we’ve already had a sub-tropical storm in the Atlantic back in mid-May. Predictions from NOAA call for there to be “…13 to 17 named storms, with seven to 10 becoming hurricanes, of which three to five could become major hurricanes of Category 3 (111 - 130 mph) strength or higher,” and Colorado State University hurricane guru William Gray has predicted a 74 percent chance of a major hurricane making landfall in the U.S., with a 50 percent chance of one making landfall on the east coast.

Yet in spite of those predictions, and this country’s experience with hurricanes in the past 3 years, a recent Mason-Dixon poll showed that most coastal residents, from Texas to the Florida Keys in the Gulf of Mexico and from the Florida Keys up to Maine on the Atlantic coast side, still haven’t made hurricane survival plans. 53 percent of the surveyed in 18 Atlantic and Gulf Coast states said they don’t think they’re at risk from hurricanes, tornadoes and flooding, and 52 percent said they had no disaster plan in place.

Darwin was right.

Anyway, hopefully you’re not one of those with your head in the Florida sand. Here at the Blog Cave we’ve been preparing by stocking water, food, batteries and such, as well as testing flashlights, the battery-powered TV/Radio and the new weather alert radio we purchased this year. Important documents will be sealed over the next few days and we’ll add some things like rope and extra ice. We’ll keep cash on hand in case the ATM’s go out and gas in the Blogmobile for the same reason, although this year any gas station within a half-mile of an interstate, turnpike or designated evacuation route must have generators installed to run their pumps if power is lost. I just don’t like the lines and the waiting and the way some people turn into assholes during these things. I’d much rather be prepared and ready to ride something like Charley out on my own with loved ones.

Plus, I’m trying to be sure Blog Girl has everything she needs in case I’m somewhere else in the country when another 100 mph Charley comes roaring through here. I’m going to feel helpless enough by not being here, but at least I can be sure she is prepared, should that happen.

Also remember that, starting today and through June 12th, certain hurricane supplies in designated price and type categories will be Florida Sales Tax Free. That’s especially helpful if you’re purchasing a big ticket item like a generator.

Here are some helpful links to city, county, state, federal government and voluntary agency hurricane and disaster resource sites online:

City of Orlando Office of Emergency Management

City of Orlando Citizens Corps

Orange County Government Emergency Management

Osceola County Emergency Management

Seminole County Emergency Management

Volusia County Emergency Management

Brevard County Office of Emergency Management

Lake County Emergency Management

Florida Division of Emergency Management

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

American Red Cross

Volunteer Florida Disaster Response and Recovery

Personally, I’m looking forward to the day when Blog Girl and I move the Blog Cave to North Carolina.