The Florida quarter made its premiere today. Governor Bush unveiled it this morning at the Kennedy Space Centre complex. Inscribed with "Gateway to Discovery," the new $0.25 piece depicts the NASA Space Shuttle (which has been and continues to be grounded following the Columbia incident) and a Spanish Galleon sailing ship. Tickets to attend were free, but with my current financial situation I did not want to make the drive east.

What do you think of the new quarter?

I have been meaning to write out several stories based on current events that I think may be amusing to the general public but I have been rather lackadaisical with it. They will be coming soon however. In the meantime here are some items I just wanted to briefly mention.

• Gas Prices
  What the hell is going on at the gas pump? I dumped nearly $20.00 today to fill my just-shy-of twelve gallon tank. Luckily for me my 1994 Honda Civic EX will take that tank of regular unleaded fuel to around 350 miles, but still the prices around here are getting ridiculous. The average as far as I have been able to ascertain from driving around the Orlando metropolitan and surrounding areas must be somewhere around $1.71 per US Gallon. I would be very curious to hear comments from those around the country (and world for that matter) with regard to your local gasoline prices, so please reply with those.
• ATM for Books
  Whilst dropping off some friends at the Orlando International Airport so they could embark on a vacation to outside Denver, Colorado, we happened upon an invention we had yet to lay eyes upon: an automated book-dispenser. The touch-screen interface allows the end-user to browse through or search a limited selection of best selling fiction and non-fiction paperback and mass market books and make purchases using cash or a credit/debit card. Upon payment the machine spits out the book much like a snack or beverage vending machine. If you find yourself at the Orlando International Airport, take a walk past the W. H. Smith Books Company store and find this machine outside of it.
• Free Online PDF Conversion
  If you wish to create professional documents in the ever popular Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) but do not wish to shell out the money for a conversion utility I recommend an online product that does the job quite well and is free of charge. BLC Technologies' free conversion tools allow you to submit files to be converted to PDF or HTML formats and also decode PDF into more usable Microsoft Word, HTML, plain text and image formats. After submitting your documents you will receive an e-mail with the resulting file attached. The conversion was perfect for the Word files I made into PDF's and they arrived at my mail box quickly. Check it out: http://www.gobcl.com
• A Word from Our Sponsor
  Though I am still redeveloping my business website, I am currently in the process of starting a local advertising campaign for my services: professional yet inexpensive web hosting, domain name registration/management/renewals, on-site support/training and consultation. I will be specifically targeting small local businesses, artists, musicians, bars, pubs, cafes, art galleries and similar organisations. It is my belief that after being involved with the local downtown community for many years I can best support these artists and businesses by providing necessary services at a cost that is more than manageable. I have already received support from a local small business and an artist who are now going to be developing their online presences with me. I will be producing some fliers and hope to make a name for myself in the community. If you would like more information on my services or would like to get some business cards and fliers for your business or gallery, please let me know. Thank you.

Thanks to a special invitation from Orlando blogger Katharine, three of my friends and I were treated to the Orlando Theatre Project's interpretation of the Tony Award-winning production Copenhagen. Written by Michael Frayn, Copenhagen tells the story of physicists Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg (who may be best known for his uncertainty principle) and their conversation about the science of nuclear weapons in the midst of World War II.

This was my first opportunity to see a performance by members of the Orlando Theatre Project, but even by this first exposure alone it is apparent that the drive behind the performers and staff is truly one based on a love for the theatre. As the show began and the lighting gently illuminated the three stars of Copenhagen, it was clear this art would be something very different and at the same time rather interesting. From the execution of the lines to the carefully constructed conveyance of every emotion, the players and this story grabbed at the audience and drew them into a world of fear, science, morality and discovery; one that would not ease up on them until the final word was spoken, the lights raised and the performers bowed.

As the story of Heisenberg's clandestine visit to Copenhagen to chat with his friend and ex-colleague Bohr progressed, I was increasingly impressed with Frayn's ability to discuss highly scientific topics without downing the audience in technobabble as I was with the collaborative operation of Philip Nolen (Heisenberg), Doug Truelsen (Bohr) and Christine Decker (Bohr's wife, Margrethe). And even when the dialogue was forced because of the subject matter to delve into fission, atomic structure and theoretical physics, it was handled by the performers with such drive and motivation, yet at the same time very delicately so as not to loose anyone during the recounting. Even if you had no idea what the difference was between protons, neutrons and electrons, you did not feel like a child stranded on the corner after having missed his school bus. The interaction between the characters and the actors was nearly indistinguishable, an obvious outcome from a performance by talented actors who really grasped and understood the play.

I found the philosophical discussions, the scientific fact and the basic historical outline all very intriguing. The point of view of the characters is one of reflection, questioning and resolution; a point of view which I felt really helped show the audience the full picture of the chain of events. If you are at all interested in the history of the atomic bomb, World War II in general or science and physics, I highly recommend a viewing of Copenhagen. Additionally for those who live in the metro Orlando area, support the Orlando Theatre Project and their abundant talent by catching a showing. You will not be disappointed and may find yourself at future performances as well.

Copenhagen

Presented by the Orlando Theatre Project
Directed by Kristian Truelsen

Show Information

08 January 2004 to 25 January 2004
Thursday – Saturday at 08:00 PM
Sunday at 02:00 PM

General Admission: $22.00
Seniors and Students: $18.00

Location

Fine Arts Theatre at Seminole Community College
100 Weldon Boulevard
Sanford, Florida 32773

For More Information

407.328.2040
otpatscc@aol.com
http://www.otp.cc/

As you may recall I took a Saturday trip not too far back to the nearby city of Clermont to walk around the historic downtown, visit the Citrus Tower and just generally enjoy a relaxing day. The last stop on that trip was to the Lakeridge Winery where my friend and I sampled many of their wines and took a tour of their production facility. Below is a letter I recently received in the mail from them.

Dear David,

Congratulations on being the winner of our weekly Gift Certificate drawing. This letter may be redeemed at the winery for $25.00 in merchandise. Thank you for you coming in, we hope to see you again soon.

Dedicated to your good taste;

Kyle S. Johnson
Retail Manager

Well how about that! I think I can take another little trip out that way to pick up some more bottles of wine. Especially since I also got hired today; details on that to come later.

I have not really had a chance to go though and do anything but add some basic captions, but I have added to the gallery the photographs I have been taking for my project at work. I will at some point in the next few days go though and weed out a few pictures that may not have come out correctly and add some more verbose captions. In addition, since the pictures are for an online relocation presentation there are many pictures of random houses and apartments. I may consider moving all of those to the end of each album but until then, the pictures are sorted chronologically. Enjoy!