Yesterday I worked in the yard. Someone else’s yard, no less; that’s the type of generous guy I am. And needless to say it was hot scorching. Probably not the wisest idea to be working outside during the hottest month of the year, during the hottest time of the day. Regardless, it got me thinking about ways we Central Floridians can “beat the heat.” And particularly if one is out working in the heat; these can pertain to any outdoor activity. Just my personal tips so if you have any of your own…by all means please share!

Here we go:

1. Drink plenty of liquids. Preferably water but liquids in general are acceptable. Remember, the more you sweat the more you need to put back in! Replenish, replenish, replenish.
2. Work with a partner. This may seem a bit silly, but having someone else around will be a gauge of how hot you’re getting. Not feeling well? Make sure and let your partner know.
3. Wear something light [colored]. Black, gray, or navy blue are not the wisest colors to wear when you’re in the beating sun. So try white or another light color that deflects the heat of the sun.
4. Get out in the sun early in the day. Anywhere from 11am-4pm is not the time to be in the sun.
5. Take AC breaks. You may feel like you’re being “weak” or not getting as much work done as you should, but releaving yourself from the heat of the day is key to not overheating or passing out!
6. Have a plan. Determine beforehand exactly what you want to accomplish, and stick to it. That way you’re working toward something, and aren’t staying out in the yard for the entire day.
7. Work in the shade, if possible. Any sort of cover you can have will benefit you. Try to remain out of the high-heat areas until earlier or later in the day. (See #4 above.)
8. Select a day that might have some cloud coverage. (Same reason as #7 above.) Check Weather.com or any of your local news stations for expected weather in your area.
9. Recruit some friends. The more the merrier, as they say! Of course, the more people you have working together the quicker you’ll be done with your project. (You can always tempt them by providing pizza and beer!)
10. Pay someone else to do it! Obviously this might not always be an option, but hey…if you can afford it, I say give the work to someone else!

** I also put this in the category “Tourism & Travel” as I believe these are great tips for those visiting the Orlando area. **

…out-and-about on Church Street, in front of the developing 55 West building:

We already know “Pulse’s” klynn enjoys the live concert experience (see previous posts “Live Music” and “I Heart Live Music”). I, too, am a big fan of seeing live music, and have seen most of my favorite musicians live at some point during their career. So when I found out singer Michelle Branch is appearing at Downtown Disney’s House of Blues, I knew klynn would be my perfect concert buddy! She jumped at the chance.

Michelle Branch is known for catchy rock/pop songs like “All You Wanted”, “Breathe”, and most recently “Leave the Pieces” (as one of the two-member group The Wreckers). One of my favorite songs, though, and probably the one I’m most looking forward to hearing is “Are You Happy Now”:



General admission tickets for the show are $18.50 (+ tax and handling fees), which is really a great price…and even more appealing since House of Blues is a relatively intimate venue. If you’re interested in purchasing tickets you can do so at the House of Blues website or by doing a search for Michelle Branch on Ticketmaster.com.

I’m not sure if we’ll be able to sneak cameras in but if we can we’ll take some photos and share them with you here on the blog. Stay tuned….

…while out-and-about in downtown Orlando:

Just thought you might like an update on the progress of SoDo. I was driving by the development yesterday afternoon and snapped this picture of the newly erected SuperTarget sign! I’m so looking forward to having this store near me.

Chloe is a four-month old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (hey, just like previous “Pet Pulse” spotlight Guinness) that loves to chew, play and most importantly, sleep. She became a part of her family back in May of this year, when she and her siblings were found resting on the sidewalk in Winter Park. (What? She was just left alone in Winter Park?) She was simply too cute to leave behind.

As an AKC-registered puppy, her official name is “Blenheim Orange Blossom”. Blenheim is the name for the red-orange-brown color of the CKCS breed and the orange blossom is, of course, Florida’s state flower (the meaning of the name “Chloe” is “Verdant and Blooming”, too).

Most recently, Chloe has learned to swim in her grandmother’s pool. While she’s not one for swimming laps, she seems to enjoy the cool water on her belly. If nothing else, she loves to be outside and having freedom to run.

Her family is really looking forward to some of the dog-friendly events that take place around town, especially “Paws in the Park” around Lake Eola. As a puppy that loves to be the center of attention, it will be interesting to see how she behaves when thousands of dogs are around.

Judging from her recent completion of puppy class at PetSmart, she’ll probably be happy to let all of the dogs play while she looks around for people willing to pet her.

Caught this driving around town a couple of days ago. I have no earthly idea what it could mean. Any suggestions?!

I’m sure you’re familiar with local weekly newspaper Orlando Weekly. We’ve mentioned them several times here on “Pulse” (remember the “drink guide” post we published a couple of weeks ago?). If you’ve lived in the Central Florida area for any length of time you’ve heard of the Weekly.

Every year they dedicate one issue to “the best of” in Orlando and the Central Florida market. And included this year are everal local bloggers that were recognized in the “best of” categories, and I wanted to give them props here. Of course “Pulse” wasn’t mentioned anywhere, but that’s okay — we’ll blow ‘em all out next year!

Best Fat-Rights Blogger
http://www.therotund.com

Best Venemous Blog (klynn & I are not really fans of this blog)
http://www.defameorlando.blogspot.com

Best Lifestyle Blog
http://www.tackyfabulousorlando.blogspot.com

And a few honorable mentions, if you will, via the Color Readers’ Poll:

1) Damfame: Orlando (http://www.defameorlando.blogspot.com)

2) Orlando Arts Blog (http://orlandoartsblog.blogspot.com/)

3) Red, White & Dude (http://redwhitedude.com)

Congratulations to all who have been acknowledged this year. It’s great to see some of our local bloggers getting shout-outs, and blogging in general getting mainstream media attention.

I can’t recall a day in the past several months when gas prices, the mortgage crisis or even the cost of groceries weren’t mentioned on the daily newscast or the morning news magazine shows.

I work in PR, so I know “if it bleeds, it leads” is a media mantra.  But, enough already.  We know gas prices are as high as they’ve ever been, we know the economy is in the toilet and we’re at the grocery store daily so we certainly know that a box of cereal is like $4.00.  Spare us the everyday reminder, eh?

Maybe it’s just me, but I was already thinking of ways to personally counter the impending recession, like packing my lunch or hoofin’ it to the grocery store — reusable bags in-hand.  I don’t need the daily doom and gloom reminder that doing so may just not be enough.

Tipping. It can be a touchy topic of discussion for some, and it’s certainly subjective to the individual. I also think there are differences on the topic across cultures, as I’ve heard horror stories from friends who are servers. But I won’t go into details…after all, I still like the Brits!

Honestly, I’m not quite sure why I chose this topic to write on; perhaps I was out to dinner recently (we all know how I love to eat!), and realized I have a tendency to overtip.

The economy in Central Florida largely relies on tipping…in a way. We are, after all, primarily a service industry centered market. And many of the salaries of service industry employees depends on good tips. Granted, one must earn their tip — it’s a pretty sure thing if you are nice to me and make sure I’m taken care of, I’ll give you a good tip.

So what, really, is a fair tip? I’ve always heard 15% is standard. That’s “if you do your job” and not much beyond. Typically, I just tip 20% as a standard. But I’ve known people who are very specific about what they tip, and it’s a walk on the wild side to tip anything beyond 15%.

I ran across a website that might help. It’s called The Tipping Page, and while the site design isn’t all that appealing it does appear to contain some great information. I even found an article on Oprah.com that talks about appropriate tipping rates. What I like about hers is that it covers situations beyond dining (while out-of-date the article is still relevant).

What are your thoughts on the matter? How do you determine what sort of tip a server gets when you’re out to eat for a meal, or having a few drinks at the local bar? Take our poll and let others know.