Deep Sea Fishing

Yesterday a bunch of employees from my company all went on a deep sea fishing trip. We took a boat out of Clearwater. Friday at work I was told a sunhat and sunscreen were non-negotiables for the trip. Since I didn't own a sunhat I went out and bought your typical oversized Florida sunhat. I never thought I'd own one and now I love it :]

We had an hour long ride to get out to where the fishing is good. The first hour and a half I felt a little nauseous, but after that I adjusted and was good to go- not everyone was so fortunate. We were fishing in water about 150 feet deep in the gulf and the water was pretty calm that day. It wasn't like the cast style fishing I grew up with. All I had to do was put some squid on the hook as bait, pull up the lever on my rod- keeping my thumb on the wire so that it didn't unwind too quickly and let it drop down to the bottom. Then pull the lever back down and wait for a tug. The most difficult part was keeping the bait close to the rocky bottom without catching the hook on the bottom- which I did twice. The boat hands had to come help me get it free again. The boat was pretty crowded so we had our lines get tangled a couple times, but it wasn't anything that we couldn't get undone. (I like to say I caught some frozen squid)

One of my grunts

The most popular fish we caught were grunts which you can keep no matter what the size. There were a few groupers caught, but only one was kept because they have to be at least 20 inches. My total for the day was 10 grunts and one (undersized) grouper. It was a lot more exciting than I expected, probably because I've never caught so many fish in one trip or caught one as big as my grouper who was over a foot long.

One of the groupers

This odd guy is called a mother-in-law (for it's big mouth and ugliness according to our crew)

We were out on the boat for 8 hours in the sun so it was pretty exhausting, but quite the adventure. At the end of the trip they strung up all the fish on lines which were arranged by number and everyone collected their keepers for the day.

All in a day's work :]

Florida Sunsets

One of these days I will actually have my camera on me when I want it! I've taken to walking along the water around 8 at night and watching the sunset. There is a walking strip that has the best view of the horizon. It's a little different from what I'm used to with the sky scrapers, but it's beautiful all the same. Tonight's sky wasn't too colorful, but the sun was a bright glowing red. Just stunning. I sat on the bridge until it set to take it in.

I also experienced my first Florida storm. I compared it to natures very own disco. The lightning was so frequent and lit up the whole sky like a strobe light and the thunder was the booming bassline :]

I live right next to the Tampa Convention Center so I see many oddly themed groups of people around the area for different conventions. This includes old women with matching outfits and as of late, anime characters along with the main character from V for Vendetta. I looked up the event to see what it was for and apparently it's Florida's largest anime convention this weekend. Here's the website:

http://www.metroconventions.com/

I found a new favorite restaurant here. It is called La Creperia Cafe located in YBor. Although the decor isn't very French, the crêpes are amazing! They have both sweet and savory crêpes and both are just wonderful. My favorite is called La French Rivera with chicken, cheese and artichoke hearts. They also have Orangina which is the carbonated orange juice drink that I loved in France so much! I felt like I took a little trip back to France for some cuisine :] Here's their website:

http://www.lacreperiacafe.com/menu.html

Other than that I've been playing my ukulele and enjoying participating in the free classes at the gym, my favorite being zumba!

That's all for now folks!

Clearwater Beach

I finally got my Florida beach experience! My apartment-mate Bryan, his friend Jeff and I went to the beach in Clearwater. The sand was so fine and white compared to the beaches in Marquette! We only stayed three or four hours which was probably for the best since I got the worst sunburnt I've had since the last time I was in Florida! I used sunscreen, but learned that I should reapply it more often!

The water was nice and warm (Unlike Lake Superior) and I stayed in it a long time, although I only went under once because the water is just so salty. (Also unlike Lake Superior) The beach was pretty busy and the water was filled with so many people playing catch, it was hard to know who was involved in which game! No jellyfish or shark sightings although I saw a lot of small sand colored fish. The beach also had a long dock going out into the water so that people can fish at the end beyond the point where people are swimming. Also, seagulls seem even braver here...

Laying in the sun can just be so exhausting :]

Now I'm just sitting on my bed reapplying aloe every five minutes...

Settling In

I've officially been in Tampa for two weeks and I feel like I'm settling in pretty well. I've walked around the area a bit; discovered a coldstone and a starbucks so I think I'll be set :]

I really like the fitness center that all RMS employees receive a membership to. I get three free sessions with a trainer and I had my first one with him last week. They also offer free classes such as spinning, zumba, ab workouts, etc. A bunch of my coworkers go to the zumba classes during lunch break so I've been going to those and it's really fun. It's a good cardio workout where you dance to modern music using a lot of salsa based steps.

My condo has a really nice pool and a beautiful courtyard. We also have the most wonderful view of the sunset from our balcony or there is a strip of sidewalk along the water where I really enjoy walking while watching it as well. The sunsets are just gorgeous here.

The parks around my condo:

They like hockey here too and even know what broomball is!!!

Really cool plants here:

There's my condo:

Inner courtyard:

The church that I've been going to is pretty neat as well. It looks like it's been transported out of Europe. It has a really old style, over 150 years old and is run by Franciscan monks! Here's their website:

http://www.sacredheartfla.org/index.html

One of my coworkers Ryan invited all of the new people over to his place for a memorial day BBQ. I baked some chocolate peanut butter brownies for the occasion which was pretty difficult considering I was very limited in my supplies, but I made it work. (The grocery store is a decent hike, especially in the heat.) It was really nice to just sit and soak up some sun with good food and good conversation! I did get a little sunburnt despite the sunscreen, but what more can you do?

I'm really enjoying work and my coworkers are really friendly! Tomorrow I get to start working on a new project, so I'm excited to see how it goes. I think it's going to be a good summer!

Yankees v. Rays

At work I was invited to attend a baseball game where the Yankees played the Rays. The company has really great seats which were in the second row above the visitor dugout. Two of my coworkers Jen and Justin were kind enough to bring us with them so that I could attend my first ever professional baseball game. Luckily I picked the correct colors to wear. (navy blue and gold)

Since the mascot of the Rays is obviously the sting ray, they had a big tank where you can go and pet the sting rays or even buy food to feed them. I have pet them once before, but I love how they are a really odd textured creature. They are silky yet slimy at the same time and they kept coming up to us begging for food.

I enjoyed watching the mascot run around and hearing the typical baseball music over the loud speakers. The stadium was pretty packed full of fans too. They had a pop bottle race where a bunch of people dressed in pop can costumes ran a race and they also showed this video of what is called DJ cat. It's pretty much a cat dressed in a Rays uniform being gangster on the turn table. I found it amusing anyways.

Here is the article on the game:

http://newyorkstateofsports.com/2011/05/16/game-39-yankees/

Arrival in Tampa!

I have arrived safe and sound into Tampa. My flight out of Marquette was delayed by an hour due to a broken fire alarm. Chelsea Muscoe and Nick Gonda were on my flight to Chicago going off on study abroad to Ireland and Spain respectively. It's so weird that that was me a few months ago! I spent most of the flight talking to a guy named Ray Sharkie who grew up in Marquette and went to high school with my Uncle Kevin. I feel cliché saying it, but it is a small world.

The delay made my layover a little rushed but I managed to find my gate and even picked up a Chai Frappiccihno and muffin from Starbucks on the way. I finished it just as the plane was boarding. I chatted with some college students from Tampa and they told me that I was in a nice region and advised me about some good places to visit and such. We landed in Tampa from Chicago a little early and I got my baggage pretty quickly. I was greeted by lots of green, palm trees, blue skies and a temperature of 82 degrees. I hired a taxi to take me to the condos where my apartment-mate Bryan came to let me in and give me my keys. It turns out we are on the eighth and topmost floor which is really nice for the view (There is an elevator, don't worry!)

The condo is really nice; I couldn't have asked for a better place. It's located on what is technically an island (although it's close to shore) and has a nice breeze from the water. It's right across the street from where I will be working and close to the gym where I will have a membership. After I unpacked some, Bryan and I walked to the nearest grocery store which is a couple blocks away and stocked up on groceries. The walk was so sunny and breezy and the water was sparkling, I think I'm in love! As we were walking, there was an outdoor restaurant with a live singer and it just made me think of how much this feels like a place to vacation! Also, it is weird to be surrounded by so many tall buildings. It's like a whole other world out here. This definitely isn't Michigan anymore.

Anyways, to sum it all up: I'm all unpacked and organized and my first day is tomorrow. I'm getting excited :] I've attached some pictures of the condo below:

My Room

View of the canals from the living room

Revenue Management Solutions

On May 16th I  will begin my summer internship at Revenue Management Solutions in Tampa, Florida. RMS works mainly with restaurants, advising them with their pricing based on statistical analysis and econometrics. Here is the company's website:

http://www.revenuemanage.com/

As an analyst intern, I will be working with programs such as SAS, SQL and Excel. I will also be using my French skills to communicate with offices in Quebec for a project! Everyone asked me how I would combine my statistics concentration with my international French minor and I have found an internship that does it!

As a born and raised Yooper/ Michigander, I am a little worried about how I will handle the Florida summer heat, but after having it snow just last week, I am pretty excited to see some sun!