Workcation
Another journal entry when the title came before writing...LOL I'm on a workcation...hehehe It isn't quite a vacation. It isn't quite a staycation. And it definitely isn't a naycation. I'm working from Disney World while also enjoying the amenities of the vacation capital of the world...hehehe
The room's coffee maker makes horrible coffee. So I made a quick trip to the food court to get a decent cup of coffee. I found a window of opportunity between rain showers. The impact of the storm is upon us here. It hasn't been bad yet. I actually don't know that it will ever get too bad here in central Florida. At least out of the ordinary for this area in this season of the year. The hurricane remains out in the gulf. The eye of the storm will not be passing over Disney World.
My workload is actually pretty light right now. Other people on my team seem to have heavier workloads than I do. However, they aren't the sort of tasks that can be shared with the likes of me. So, I'll just stick to my tasks and do my best not to worry about how others are doing on my team.
It's raining pretty heavy at the moment (9:45am). But the wind isn't bad. So, it seems like the typical rain shower for here. That said, it is definitely one of the bands of rain from the hurricane. I love watching the rain. I have the curtain opened to watch it...hehehe Unfortunately, people keep walking by and looking in...LOL When I walk by a hotel room's window, I look straight ahead. I don't want to look inside rooms...LOL
The hurricane is a category 2 now. The current predictions are now showing that it will be a 3 before landfall. Last night, it was looking like it might become a category 4 by then. Regardless, where it makes landfall will get devastated. My heart aches for those folks. Even if they get out of the way of the storm, they'll be going home to a disaster. The wind has picked up by a lot here now (9:55am). These storms are amazingly and beautifully dangerous. They must be respected.
I love Florida. Most of the time, there isn't anything to be concerned about. Storms pop up during this season. And on occasion there are these massive hurricanes. But for the most part, it is a lovely place to live. That said, I do question myself during these storms...LOL
The rain and wind are letting up now (10:00am). As you can see by the timestamps I included, a lot can change in 15 minutes...LOL
I'm hoping to be able to make it to one of the parks for lunch today. There should be a break in the weather long enough for me to do so. I think it'll be fun to take advantage of where I am. It'll be an experience I'll not forget. I might as well enjoy it for what it is while I'm living it...hehehe
I was able to make it to Animal Kingdom for lunch. I had a craving for Yak & Yeti, a nice restaurant at AK. They didn't have any lunch openings for reservations. But they do have a small bar and there is a walk-up option if available when you arrive. I figured I might be able to get in being solo. When I arrived, the bar was full. But the walk-up list was available. At first, it said a 10 min wait. Once I signed up, that jumped up to 55 mins with an apology...LOL I waited by the bar just in case someone were to leave. Less than 10 mins later, my walk-up reservation was called...LOL So, I ended up with a table within 10 mins after all...LOL
It was such a lovely meal and I had a wonderful time. I went with suggestions the Cast who served me mentioned for both my drink and entrée. The drink was some sort of passion fruit lemonade. It was delicious! It was sort of like a mocktail, I suppose. The entrée was something called a Dragon Bowl, I think. It was like a sushi roll but as bowl instead. Deconstructed sushi? It had all sorts of proteins in it. It was a perfect lunch. I also got a mango pie for dessert. I didn't take any photos of my food. But I did take plenty of my surroundings to always remember it by. I also took a short video to record the ambience.
At the end of my meal and after I paid, I asked them what I could pray about on their behalf. They mentioned the song More Than Able by Elevation Worship had been on their heart these past three days. So, they asked if I would pray that song over them. I invited a few of my friends and family to pray with me for them as well.
After that, I went over to the Safari to enjoy some animals before heading back to the hotel. The animals were pretty active considering the approaching hurricane...LOL I'm so glad I took the time to do the Safari. It was a literal walk-on. All of the folks I was walking in line with from the entrance and I got right into one of the trucks when we arrive at the loading dock...LOL
On my way back to the hotel is when I reached out to friends and family to pray for my new Yak & Yeti friend...hehehe One of them is a neighbor of mine who stayed home. We got to chatting about the scripture they are looking to as they ride out the storm. I think our conversation was an encouragement to them. They did some lovely drawings to help express their concerns about the storm as sort of a prayer to God.
Hurricane Helene is now a category 3 as of 3:15pm. It isn't quite parallel with my home yet. I imagine it will be soon or early this evening. It's ground speed is 20 mph. That's pretty fast. The sustained winds around the eye are 120 mph; which is what makes it a category 3. As of now, they still predict it will remain a 3 until landfall. I hope it doesn't get any more powerful than that. So far, I've not received any reports of major impact back home. All continues to be well there. But it hasn't peaked just yet. There are still several hours left with this. Fortunately it isn't like the last one in that the last one was super slow. It was exhausting...hehehe 48 hours of the storm. By comparison, this one will last about 12 or less hours for my area back home. It is just far more powerful than the last. Hopefully its speed will help it move along more quickly and reduce the impact due to spending far less time over the area. I'm still praying for safety for those back home and those in the path where it makes landfall.
My home area is on the edge of the storm. It isn't in the direct path. The reason there is any impact at all is due to being on the dirty side of the storm. Since it spins counter clockwise, the storm surge, wind, and rain mostly impact the east side of such a storm. Since it is out in the gulf, that puts the west coast of Florida where I live on the east side of the storm.
Tonight, I have plans to see Mack. I'm looking forward to seeing him. Weather permitting, we will go to one of the parks. EPCOT most likely. If not, we will just hangout in one of the many indoor options here on Disney property. There are plenty of places to enjoy the ambience of Disney without being out in the parks.
It's 3:30pm now and a big gust of wind and lots of rain are hitting...hehehe It's so weird to see the rain going at an extreme angle or even sometimes straight sideways...LOL
3:35pm now and the rain stopped and the sun is shining again...LOL I'm watching some live coverage of the hurricane as focused on the west coast of Florida. Right now they are talking about near where I live...hehehe They are talking about it being close to a category 4 hurricane. Landfall is about 5 or 6 hours from now...
I've been productive again this afternoon. Tracking the storm has been nice. I'm glad to be safe and sound. I've been keeping in contact with folks back home. All is still well there at 5pm. Praise the Lord!
I had a lovely dinner with Mack. We went to Sanaa at Animal Kingdom Lodge. We had their famous bread service. I had a seafood entrée. It was good to see Mack tonight. He had some things he needed to talk about. I'll also get to see him on Saturday. But that will be at Magic Kingdom for some magical fun...hehehe No deep conversations there.
While I was at dinner, the hurricane was upgraded to a category 4. It's on its way to a category 5. But it doesn't appear it will quite get there. However, this one is powerful enough and going fast enough to remain a hurricane well into Georgia! Wow! They are saying it will still be a category 2 hurricane almost up to Atlanta. This one is a storm for the record books.
I've been in contact with some neighbors. They are doing well. Power remains on and there wasn't any flooding. My heart is so happy that everyone is safe back home.
I'll be working from Disney again tomorrow. I'll also be switching hotels. I may go to EPCOT between hotels. I'll take my laptop with me so I can work from EPCOT if I need to. There is a gap between my checkout time from the current hotel and the check-in time for the next. This, of course, depends on the weather. If it is raining, I'll see if I can find a spot at the second hotel to work from until my room is ready...hehehe
This workcation has been an interesting experience. I stayed on top of the storm as if I was at home. I worked from a hotel room. And I enjoyed some time at a theme park. Experiencing God moments throughout this adventure has given me a lot to think and pray about too.
I reread this entry and noticed I mentioned a few times that I was in contact with folks back where I live...hehehe I guess I forgot I had already mentioned that. But I wrote this throughout the day without reviewing what I had already written...hehehe