After 5 years of dating, it'll be 6 in May, we still haven't told Itchy's parents. Yep, we're deceptive. Whatever. If his parents are going to disown him because I'm not Indian/Muslim/rich/whatever than they kind of had it coming. If you won't let your grown son choose what makes him happy, than you probably aren't going to really know your son and he's probably not going to be honest with you.
However, we are preparing to tell them. It'll have to happen some day. Itchy's got these hesitations about getting married and having kids without telling his parents. We've got various ideas on how this could go. All of them will occur after Itchy graduates.
Option 1: Tell them the whole truth. At which point, Itchy will be disowned.
Option 2: After the actual graduation, get Itchy's parents to take him out to eat to celebrate. I'll be in the Arby's or Applebee's (they love those 2 restaurants so it'll be easy to get them there). Itchy will pretend to choke. I will jump up and save his life. We pretend that this is out first meeting. Fate brought us together. We fall madly in love. There is also a variation that involves Itchy being nearly hit by a car and me pushing him out of the way, thus saving his life. Same theme, different details.
Option 3: Have Itchy's brothers, their wives, and their kids go over to his parent's house for a family dinner. Itchy and I will walk in like it's no big deal. His brothers and their wives will all say "hi Itchy and Lori" because they will be in on this. His parents will freak out asking who the heck I am. Itchy will become irate at them for forgetting the girl he is going to marry. How could they not remember me, they have met me several times. Then he will ask them why THEY invited us over if THEY didn't even know who I was. Itchy's brothers will chime in and agree that it is appalling that they would treat me this way. We will then storm out. His parents will feel so badly about it that they will just pretend that they knew about me all along.
Which option would you choose? None of them are ideal but we have to choose something.
Knowing that our time on The Island is coming to an end means that the time to tell Itchy's parents is coming quickly. We're trying to sort out the details of our upcoming move. We both want to go visit friends and family before we go to the new school in a new town. So if Itchy is in Town A with his parents, and I am in Town C with my family, how are we both going to get to Town D? We will need to drive there (road trip!!) but what if Itchy's parents want to go with him to help him get settled? What if they decide not to give him his car? I don't have a car so Itchy will have to pick me up (or he has to drive alone and I will fly but than what about my stuff?) and than drive to the new school. What about all of our stuff? We need to get it out of his parent's house before they find out about me, because otherwise we'll never see it again.
Yeah, it's stressful. Yeah, I'll be blogging about it. I try not to think about it too much. It's too hard to think about it with all the variables. Once we know what some of the details are, we can actually make plans. Besides everything always works out for Itchy. Right?
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
The middle
We won't be starting where we left off, because frankly, I don't know where exactly this falls in the time line. Just know that at some point, the subject of Itchy's parents were brought up. He had not, and had no plans to tell them that he was dating me. Itchy had just seen his oldest brother expelled from the family for dating and marrying a white woman. Itchy is Indian (dot, not feather). So are his parents (duh, well one is Indian and one is Pakistani but for simplicity's sake they are both Indian). Itchy's parents are also Muslim. They do not approve of their sons marrying white women. So when the eldest son did, they disowned him. Itchy did not want to deal with this, especially that early in our relationship. Since, really, who knew it would get this far?
I was told that we had to keep it a secret from them. I had no problem with that. Meeting someone else's parents is nerve wracking anyway. Why would I want to do that? It was pretty easy to do. His mom and dad lived an hour away due to his mom's work. They rented a house in Town B and owned a house in Town A, which is where I lived. But Town A is a big city, with suburbs, so we weren't even in the same suburb. Itchy's parents were only in Town A a few days a week. Itchy would live in my apartment when his parents were in Town B and then go to their house in Town A when they would be there.
Since Itchy's parents were under the impression that Itchy lived in their house, and only in their house, they kept it well stocked with food and other necessities. We did a lot of our grocery shopping there.
We kept this up for 3 years. With Itchy going back and forth between my apartment and his parent's house. There were a few close calls along the way. For example, we were staying at his parent's house because work was being done on my apartment, and his parents were on vacation in Asia. I had a lot of stuff at his house, as you can imagine. I got a call one night when I was at work telling me that I had to go get all of my stuff, including the cats, out of his house because his parents were coming back early! That was stressful. There were also a few scary moments when we would be hanging out in the house and would think that we heard the garage door open. We always had an escape plan. It was definitely interesting. It wasn't always easy. There were plenty of times when I was angry that he had to go back to his parent's house. We couldn't make plans on the weekends that his parents would be in Town A. It got old. It got stressful. It's a huge secret to keep.
Well, 2006 comes along. We had been dating for 3 years. Itchy is accepted into vet school. But the school is on The Island. He asks me to move there with him. I tell him YES! Hell, the chance to live in the Caribbean doesn't fall into your lap everyday. Of course, I'll go. But I think we should tell his parents first. The guilt was getting to me. It was getting to Itchy too. He wanted to tell them. It didn't seem right for his parents to be paying for school and all of our living expenses without them knowing.
Itchy was working out a plan to tell them. He talked to his brothers (by that point the eldest was back in contact with the family). They told him he was fool to tell them. His parents probably wouldn't pay for school if he told them. His brothers told him to keep his mouth shut. So he did.
We moved to The Island and didn't tell them.
I was told that we had to keep it a secret from them. I had no problem with that. Meeting someone else's parents is nerve wracking anyway. Why would I want to do that? It was pretty easy to do. His mom and dad lived an hour away due to his mom's work. They rented a house in Town B and owned a house in Town A, which is where I lived. But Town A is a big city, with suburbs, so we weren't even in the same suburb. Itchy's parents were only in Town A a few days a week. Itchy would live in my apartment when his parents were in Town B and then go to their house in Town A when they would be there.
Since Itchy's parents were under the impression that Itchy lived in their house, and only in their house, they kept it well stocked with food and other necessities. We did a lot of our grocery shopping there.
We kept this up for 3 years. With Itchy going back and forth between my apartment and his parent's house. There were a few close calls along the way. For example, we were staying at his parent's house because work was being done on my apartment, and his parents were on vacation in Asia. I had a lot of stuff at his house, as you can imagine. I got a call one night when I was at work telling me that I had to go get all of my stuff, including the cats, out of his house because his parents were coming back early! That was stressful. There were also a few scary moments when we would be hanging out in the house and would think that we heard the garage door open. We always had an escape plan. It was definitely interesting. It wasn't always easy. There were plenty of times when I was angry that he had to go back to his parent's house. We couldn't make plans on the weekends that his parents would be in Town A. It got old. It got stressful. It's a huge secret to keep.
Well, 2006 comes along. We had been dating for 3 years. Itchy is accepted into vet school. But the school is on The Island. He asks me to move there with him. I tell him YES! Hell, the chance to live in the Caribbean doesn't fall into your lap everyday. Of course, I'll go. But I think we should tell his parents first. The guilt was getting to me. It was getting to Itchy too. He wanted to tell them. It didn't seem right for his parents to be paying for school and all of our living expenses without them knowing.
Itchy was working out a plan to tell them. He talked to his brothers (by that point the eldest was back in contact with the family). They told him he was fool to tell them. His parents probably wouldn't pay for school if he told them. His brothers told him to keep his mouth shut. So he did.
We moved to The Island and didn't tell them.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
The beginning
This may be a little late, but I thought I'd explain the situation with Itchy's parents. In order to do this, I have to start at the beginning.
It all started in March 2001. I had just accepted an internship at a wildlife rehab facility. Itchy had just started to volunteer at the same facility. I was working in the mammal nursery and he was working with adult animals. We both worked on Saturday nights, along with a few other amazing people. The Saturday night crew was a really fun group. We often hung out long after the animals had been cared for. It seemed as though there was a lot of chemistry between Itchy and I. The summer went by quickly. The wildlife rehab facility really slows down in the fall. The internships are over and most volunteers say goodbye until the next summer. I loved that place and I knew I wanted to stay over the winter. I signed up for the Saturday night crew.
The following spring Itchy signed up for an internship in the mammal nursery. I had been offered an Intake specialist job (fancy for answering phones and admitting patients) and an honorary mammal nursery assistant job at the wildlife facility. The director of the mammal nursery (we'll call her A) thought Itchy and I would make a cute couple. She did her best to set us up. My schedule that summer was nothing short of chaos. I had an internship at a zoo, a job in the dirt lab, the intake job at the wildlife facility, and the assistant job in the nursery. I was at the zoo M-F during the day, the dirt lab most weekday evenings, the intake job and mammal nursery assistant on Wednesday nights and on weekends. Itchy's internship schedule was set up by A. She scheduled him for Wednesday nights, Saturday mornings, and Thursday mornings. He also continued to volunteer on the Saturday night crew. A had scheduled us together as much as possible.
Itchy and I worked together a lot that summer. It was a blast. I was busy and tired, but I always looked forward to going to the wildlife facility. Once again, the fall came and we said goodbye to most of the volunteers. But the Saturday night crew remained the same. Times were changing for the wildlife facility though. They were moving to a new building in the spring. Things were going to be different.
Spring semester started at the U. Itchy and I ended up, completely by coincidence, in the same ornithology class and lab. We sat next to each other in lecture and always found a way to be in the same lab group, despite how the groups were suppose to be divided. It made that class a lot more fun. I found out that for the Summer of 2003, that I would be the Mammal Nursery Director. I knew I would need help. Just running the nursery was a huge job, but I would also have to get the nursery set up in the new building. Not to mention that I would be gone for almost an entire month that summer (I had to go to big kid camp in order to graduate). It was not ideal. I immediately thought of Itchy. Except he didn't know this. He was making plans to study abroad. By the time I told him what was going on (I was told to keep quiet about A not coming back), he had already planned his trip. He was going to be gone for 2 months at the beginning of the summer, but was willing to do what he could. Since my month at big kid camp was the last month of the summer, I thought it would work. The wildlife facility found one other person to help, that would be there all summer long, and we were all set.
The nursery got off to a quick start. I had found a few really great interns, volunteers were coming back, and finals were coming up. Itchy and I ended up studying for the ornithology final one night after working all day in the nursery together. It was that night (well, early in the morning the day of our final) that we finally had our first kiss. We had our first official date a few nights later. By the way, we both passed ornithology.
A short time later, Itchy was off to study abroad. We emailed each other a lot and there were a few phone calls. I was busy trying to keep the nursery running smoothly. Time flew by. Before I knew it, I was packing for big kid camp. I left for big kid camp the same day that Itchy got back from his trip. I left early in the morning and he arrived late that night. We did not get to see each other. More emails were exchanged. About 2 weeks into big kid camp, we were given the option to take the weekend off! I drove back, a 4 hour trip, that night. The first person I called was Itchy. We got to spend the weekend together after nearly 3 months apart. I realize that we were only dating for about 1 month before he left, but it really did feel like we had been together for a lot longer.
Anyway, the summer ended and we were finally able to spend time together away from the wildlife center. That's how this all got started.
It all started in March 2001. I had just accepted an internship at a wildlife rehab facility. Itchy had just started to volunteer at the same facility. I was working in the mammal nursery and he was working with adult animals. We both worked on Saturday nights, along with a few other amazing people. The Saturday night crew was a really fun group. We often hung out long after the animals had been cared for. It seemed as though there was a lot of chemistry between Itchy and I. The summer went by quickly. The wildlife rehab facility really slows down in the fall. The internships are over and most volunteers say goodbye until the next summer. I loved that place and I knew I wanted to stay over the winter. I signed up for the Saturday night crew.
The following spring Itchy signed up for an internship in the mammal nursery. I had been offered an Intake specialist job (fancy for answering phones and admitting patients) and an honorary mammal nursery assistant job at the wildlife facility. The director of the mammal nursery (we'll call her A) thought Itchy and I would make a cute couple. She did her best to set us up. My schedule that summer was nothing short of chaos. I had an internship at a zoo, a job in the dirt lab, the intake job at the wildlife facility, and the assistant job in the nursery. I was at the zoo M-F during the day, the dirt lab most weekday evenings, the intake job and mammal nursery assistant on Wednesday nights and on weekends. Itchy's internship schedule was set up by A. She scheduled him for Wednesday nights, Saturday mornings, and Thursday mornings. He also continued to volunteer on the Saturday night crew. A had scheduled us together as much as possible.
Itchy and I worked together a lot that summer. It was a blast. I was busy and tired, but I always looked forward to going to the wildlife facility. Once again, the fall came and we said goodbye to most of the volunteers. But the Saturday night crew remained the same. Times were changing for the wildlife facility though. They were moving to a new building in the spring. Things were going to be different.
Spring semester started at the U. Itchy and I ended up, completely by coincidence, in the same ornithology class and lab. We sat next to each other in lecture and always found a way to be in the same lab group, despite how the groups were suppose to be divided. It made that class a lot more fun. I found out that for the Summer of 2003, that I would be the Mammal Nursery Director. I knew I would need help. Just running the nursery was a huge job, but I would also have to get the nursery set up in the new building. Not to mention that I would be gone for almost an entire month that summer (I had to go to big kid camp in order to graduate). It was not ideal. I immediately thought of Itchy. Except he didn't know this. He was making plans to study abroad. By the time I told him what was going on (I was told to keep quiet about A not coming back), he had already planned his trip. He was going to be gone for 2 months at the beginning of the summer, but was willing to do what he could. Since my month at big kid camp was the last month of the summer, I thought it would work. The wildlife facility found one other person to help, that would be there all summer long, and we were all set.
The nursery got off to a quick start. I had found a few really great interns, volunteers were coming back, and finals were coming up. Itchy and I ended up studying for the ornithology final one night after working all day in the nursery together. It was that night (well, early in the morning the day of our final) that we finally had our first kiss. We had our first official date a few nights later. By the way, we both passed ornithology.
A short time later, Itchy was off to study abroad. We emailed each other a lot and there were a few phone calls. I was busy trying to keep the nursery running smoothly. Time flew by. Before I knew it, I was packing for big kid camp. I left for big kid camp the same day that Itchy got back from his trip. I left early in the morning and he arrived late that night. We did not get to see each other. More emails were exchanged. About 2 weeks into big kid camp, we were given the option to take the weekend off! I drove back, a 4 hour trip, that night. The first person I called was Itchy. We got to spend the weekend together after nearly 3 months apart. I realize that we were only dating for about 1 month before he left, but it really did feel like we had been together for a lot longer.
Anyway, the summer ended and we were finally able to spend time together away from the wildlife center. That's how this all got started.
What are the odds?
I need someone to do the math. Because the odds of what happened last night must be nearly zero.
Last night Itchy and I went out to dinner. This rarely happens. I cook almost every single night. Perhaps 3 times a semester we will eat out. That's 12 times a year. Anyway, last night I was not in the mood to cook. Itchy was given the choice between frozen pizza and going out. He chose to go out.
Anyway we get to the restaurant and once we are seated, we realize that we are surrounded my large reserved tables. We really do not like to be seated by large groups. They are loud and obnoxious. The people sitting on the opposite ends of the table are always the ones that need to talk to each other. But instead of sitting next to each other, they choose opposite ends. Then they scream at one another. Everyone gets the hear them. Hate it. But Itchy asked what time the groups were expected to arrive. They were not scheduled to arrive for an hour. We decided to stick it out. We were making bets that the large groups would be new students at Itchy's school. They have arrived on The Island and are being orientated.
The large group behind Itchy arrived first. They were clearly not an orientation group. It was a family. The second large group arrived. Again, not an orientation group. This group is a mix of families. A few adults and their children. The next large group arrived just before our food did. This was the largest group, also not an orientation group. This was by far the most obnoxious group. Within seconds of them walking into the restaurant, it was loud. They get themselves seated, 5 adults on one end of the table and then 8 kids (ages 12ish to 19ish) on the other end. Given the kids' ages this should not have been a problem. However, the youngest of the bunch really wanted to sit next to her mom. But mom wouldn't move. Just told the girl to have the boy sitting next to her to help her order. They proceeded to read the menu out loud, tried to decide what kind of rum drink would be good, questioned whether they would be able to order things that were not on the menu, etc. All very loudly.
At this point, I overheard the 12 year old tell the other kids a story (she had to watch her sister graduate so she missed the bus to camp and her parents had to drive her instead, everyone else got to take the bus). It sounded oddly familiar. I took one look at the girl and immediately recognized her (still hasn't learned to brush her hair). These people had ruined our dinner a year ago! The same family. The same annoying behavior. Different restaurant.
See last year, we had gone out to dinner. A large group of people were seated behind us. They were loud and obnoxious. Itchy and I couldn't hear each other at all. They were incredibly rude. It's not like we were at Chucky Cheese, where you expect it to be loud. This was a quiet restaurant. Everyone else there was giving them the stink eye as well, so it wasn't just annoying to Itchy and I. We couldn't get out of there fast enough.
Imagine our surprise, one year later, when we have another rare dinner out ruined by these people. What the hell were the odds of that?
Last night Itchy and I went out to dinner. This rarely happens. I cook almost every single night. Perhaps 3 times a semester we will eat out. That's 12 times a year. Anyway, last night I was not in the mood to cook. Itchy was given the choice between frozen pizza and going out. He chose to go out.
Anyway we get to the restaurant and once we are seated, we realize that we are surrounded my large reserved tables. We really do not like to be seated by large groups. They are loud and obnoxious. The people sitting on the opposite ends of the table are always the ones that need to talk to each other. But instead of sitting next to each other, they choose opposite ends. Then they scream at one another. Everyone gets the hear them. Hate it. But Itchy asked what time the groups were expected to arrive. They were not scheduled to arrive for an hour. We decided to stick it out. We were making bets that the large groups would be new students at Itchy's school. They have arrived on The Island and are being orientated.
The large group behind Itchy arrived first. They were clearly not an orientation group. It was a family. The second large group arrived. Again, not an orientation group. This group is a mix of families. A few adults and their children. The next large group arrived just before our food did. This was the largest group, also not an orientation group. This was by far the most obnoxious group. Within seconds of them walking into the restaurant, it was loud. They get themselves seated, 5 adults on one end of the table and then 8 kids (ages 12ish to 19ish) on the other end. Given the kids' ages this should not have been a problem. However, the youngest of the bunch really wanted to sit next to her mom. But mom wouldn't move. Just told the girl to have the boy sitting next to her to help her order. They proceeded to read the menu out loud, tried to decide what kind of rum drink would be good, questioned whether they would be able to order things that were not on the menu, etc. All very loudly.
At this point, I overheard the 12 year old tell the other kids a story (she had to watch her sister graduate so she missed the bus to camp and her parents had to drive her instead, everyone else got to take the bus). It sounded oddly familiar. I took one look at the girl and immediately recognized her (still hasn't learned to brush her hair). These people had ruined our dinner a year ago! The same family. The same annoying behavior. Different restaurant.
See last year, we had gone out to dinner. A large group of people were seated behind us. They were loud and obnoxious. Itchy and I couldn't hear each other at all. They were incredibly rude. It's not like we were at Chucky Cheese, where you expect it to be loud. This was a quiet restaurant. Everyone else there was giving them the stink eye as well, so it wasn't just annoying to Itchy and I. We couldn't get out of there fast enough.
Imagine our surprise, one year later, when we have another rare dinner out ruined by these people. What the hell were the odds of that?
Friday, December 26, 2008
Merry Christmas
I hope everyone had a great day. Itchy and I took a break from the dogs (it was necessary for their survival) and went to the beach! Little windy but it was still a fun day. It was probably the last Christmas that we'll be able to spend at a beach. That's about the only thing I'll miss when we move back to the States. The tropical beaches. The gorgeous blue waters.
The dogs are still alive. We have 8 more days with them before their owners come back. They are doing everything that they can to ensure that we will never forget them. Jackasses. Needy jackasses.
I've updated the ticker at the bottom of the page. Go take at a look at that!!! It's not a definite date of departure but it's as close of an estimate as we can get at this point. We started talking about our plans for the big move. It's certainly not going to be easy. Itchy's parents make this more difficult than it should be. I have plans to spell out that whole story for you guys this week.
The dogs are still alive. We have 8 more days with them before their owners come back. They are doing everything that they can to ensure that we will never forget them. Jackasses. Needy jackasses.
I've updated the ticker at the bottom of the page. Go take at a look at that!!! It's not a definite date of departure but it's as close of an estimate as we can get at this point. We started talking about our plans for the big move. It's certainly not going to be easy. Itchy's parents make this more difficult than it should be. I have plans to spell out that whole story for you guys this week.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Cats vs Dogs
One of the age old debates. Are you a cat person or a dog person? Itchy and I are cat people. We know this. We embrace it. Don't get me wrong, dogs are fine. We don't hate dogs. Certainly aren't out there looking for puppies to kick. But I really don't want a dog. And never a puppy. Puppies are stupid. Adorable? Yes. But very, very stupid.
We are dogs sitting for friends. We have one week down and 2 weeks to go. There are 3 dogs. They are all lab sized dogs. One of them is a puppy. He is very stupid. He is very mouthy. He thinks it's a game. It was cute when he was tiny, but now he is too big for it to be anything another than painful. He is constantly trying to get everyone to play with him. But the only game he wants to play is wrestling and biting. No one wants to play this game with him. He's a jackass.
His sibling (adopted sibling) is older and less annoying. But good lord you can't walk out of the room without her at your heels. She is only content when you are petting her. She likes to stand in your lap when you are sitting and breathe in your face. She is a dog. She has dog breath. Yeah. She has no concept of personal space. At all.
The other dog is slightly less annoying. She too follows us everywhere. She is also very vocal. She likes to 'talk' to us. It's fine. I know dogs, I know she is just talking to us. But I can see why this scares others. And at 6 am, when they are begging for food, it is NOT cute. She also likes to jump on us. She has long nails. They hurt.
I do not regret agreeing to dog sitting. Not at all. This has just confirmed what I already knew. We are cat people. Our cats are not perfect. I know they have flaws. I also know that while I can live with their flaws, other people would not tolerate it. That's fine.
I'm not ruling out a dog completely. I'm sure there is a great dog out there that would be the right dog for our family. But I'm in no hurry to find it.
We are dogs sitting for friends. We have one week down and 2 weeks to go. There are 3 dogs. They are all lab sized dogs. One of them is a puppy. He is very stupid. He is very mouthy. He thinks it's a game. It was cute when he was tiny, but now he is too big for it to be anything another than painful. He is constantly trying to get everyone to play with him. But the only game he wants to play is wrestling and biting. No one wants to play this game with him. He's a jackass.
His sibling (adopted sibling) is older and less annoying. But good lord you can't walk out of the room without her at your heels. She is only content when you are petting her. She likes to stand in your lap when you are sitting and breathe in your face. She is a dog. She has dog breath. Yeah. She has no concept of personal space. At all.
The other dog is slightly less annoying. She too follows us everywhere. She is also very vocal. She likes to 'talk' to us. It's fine. I know dogs, I know she is just talking to us. But I can see why this scares others. And at 6 am, when they are begging for food, it is NOT cute. She also likes to jump on us. She has long nails. They hurt.
I do not regret agreeing to dog sitting. Not at all. This has just confirmed what I already knew. We are cat people. Our cats are not perfect. I know they have flaws. I also know that while I can live with their flaws, other people would not tolerate it. That's fine.
I'm not ruling out a dog completely. I'm sure there is a great dog out there that would be the right dog for our family. But I'm in no hurry to find it.
Monday, December 15, 2008
He Did It!
Ok, for a while there it looked like Itchy and I were going to be on this island for an additional 4 months. Itchy was mentally preparing himself for it. Itchy was telling me to prepare myself. I was having none of that. How could possibly prepare for something like that? I continued to plan to leave in April. Itchy continued to warn me. I figured I'd deal with it IF and only IF I had to.
Itchy had his finals last week. The class he was worried about was on the last day of finals. However, his plan of not studying for the first final (because he was doing well in that class) seemed to have backfired. He was pretty sure that he had failed that final and would, as a result of that, fail the class. He took his last final on Wednesday. We had to wait until Saturday to get the results. Longest days of our lives. There's nothing you can do. You don't want to go out. You don't want to do anything. All you can do is wait.
So we waited. The school sent an email on Thursday that the grades would be up Friday evening or early Saturday morning because the school was going to shut down their servers on Saturday for repairs.
This meant that we checked the grade website every 15 minutes all day Friday. The grades were finally posted at 1 am.
Itchy passed! With less than stellar grades, but I am so proud of him! I knew the Jedi forces would kick in. I don't know if you know this, but everything always works out for Itchy. Always. He is a lucky bastard. I don't know why he doubted himself.
Anyway, he is now in his last semester down here. We will find out where we are going to for clinics in a few months. I'm sure my anxiety will kick in soon, so look for those fun filled posts!
Itchy had his finals last week. The class he was worried about was on the last day of finals. However, his plan of not studying for the first final (because he was doing well in that class) seemed to have backfired. He was pretty sure that he had failed that final and would, as a result of that, fail the class. He took his last final on Wednesday. We had to wait until Saturday to get the results. Longest days of our lives. There's nothing you can do. You don't want to go out. You don't want to do anything. All you can do is wait.
So we waited. The school sent an email on Thursday that the grades would be up Friday evening or early Saturday morning because the school was going to shut down their servers on Saturday for repairs.
This meant that we checked the grade website every 15 minutes all day Friday. The grades were finally posted at 1 am.
Itchy passed! With less than stellar grades, but I am so proud of him! I knew the Jedi forces would kick in. I don't know if you know this, but everything always works out for Itchy. Always. He is a lucky bastard. I don't know why he doubted himself.
Anyway, he is now in his last semester down here. We will find out where we are going to for clinics in a few months. I'm sure my anxiety will kick in soon, so look for those fun filled posts!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Black Friday
Craziness. Absolute chaos. Did you go out into the madness? Any stories to share? I wish I could have gone out. I saw good deals on things I want and need. I doubt that our '"mall" had any good sales, especially since Black Friday is an American thing. Of course, the only "mall" we have here is filled with stores that sell personalized key chains and magnets. You can only have so many magnets, shot glasses, and key chains with your name on it before it gets old. So even if they did have great deals, I don't need another magnet with my name on it.
Of course, the trampling death of a store employee kind of ruins any good deals those people got. I mean, seriously, can you even imagine coming home and telling your family "I got the $8 fleece hoodies and the $9 DVDs! Oh and I was one of the people that trampled that guy to death. What a great day! I saved so much money". Wouldn't that kind of ruin your shopping high? Not to mention your weekend? I understand mob mentality. I get that once you're in that situation you have to protect yourself and the only way to do that is to keep moving. But the people who took the door off the hinges should be charged with manslaughter. Your bargain prices can wait. If no one was allowed in, who did they think was getting all the "good stuff"?
Anyway, I did get my own good deal this weekend. I got really cheap flea and heartworm medication for my cats. For $15 dollars I got a 12 month supply for both of my cats. That's a great deal. Yes, cats need heartworm prevention too. Even if they are indoor only. Year round is ideal for dogs and cats. I did have to wait in a long line and it was a poorly organized event. But no one got trampled.
Speaking of mosquito transmitted diseases, I may or may not have Dengue Fever. Dozens of cases have recently been confirmed on The Island. I've got some of the symptoms.
Of course, the trampling death of a store employee kind of ruins any good deals those people got. I mean, seriously, can you even imagine coming home and telling your family "I got the $8 fleece hoodies and the $9 DVDs! Oh and I was one of the people that trampled that guy to death. What a great day! I saved so much money". Wouldn't that kind of ruin your shopping high? Not to mention your weekend? I understand mob mentality. I get that once you're in that situation you have to protect yourself and the only way to do that is to keep moving. But the people who took the door off the hinges should be charged with manslaughter. Your bargain prices can wait. If no one was allowed in, who did they think was getting all the "good stuff"?
Anyway, I did get my own good deal this weekend. I got really cheap flea and heartworm medication for my cats. For $15 dollars I got a 12 month supply for both of my cats. That's a great deal. Yes, cats need heartworm prevention too. Even if they are indoor only. Year round is ideal for dogs and cats. I did have to wait in a long line and it was a poorly organized event. But no one got trampled.
Speaking of mosquito transmitted diseases, I may or may not have Dengue Fever. Dozens of cases have recently been confirmed on The Island. I've got some of the symptoms.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
Hope everyone had a relaxing day filled with good company and good food.
Itchy had school today (it's not a holiday on The Island). I did a ton of laundry. So it was a very normal day. Not holiday like at all.
In fact, last week when I was planning the meals for this week I completely forgot that Thanksgiving was this week. Oops. We ate the enchiladas that I had planned. We're pretending that it's out new tradition. Enchiladas for Thanksgiving and lasagna for Xmas. We'll see if I can remember.
ETA: The enchiladas were great. That is all.
Itchy had school today (it's not a holiday on The Island). I did a ton of laundry. So it was a very normal day. Not holiday like at all.
In fact, last week when I was planning the meals for this week I completely forgot that Thanksgiving was this week. Oops. We ate the enchiladas that I had planned. We're pretending that it's out new tradition. Enchiladas for Thanksgiving and lasagna for Xmas. We'll see if I can remember.
ETA: The enchiladas were great. That is all.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
I have the lazy
I can give you all a dozen or so reasons why I haven't been blogging but the reality is that I have the lazy. I'd rather just surf other blogs and read than try to write something sort of interesting here. Most if it is so utterly boring anyway that no one would want to read it.
But since I'm here and logged in an everything, here is what's going on. Itchy's flag football team went undefeated this season. Very proud of them. This was their last semester playing together because about half the team is leaving the island in December to start clinical rotations. The remaining players will throw something together next semester so they can play together again, but it won't be the same. It really was a great team.
My collar bone is healing quite nicely. It still hurts (especially when I lean forward) but it's getting better. My hand was crushed between a shopping cart and a checkout counter the other day, which is also causing some pain but that's not that big of a deal. Once the swelling went down it felt a lot better.
Umm, let's see what else. I've been playing a lot of Scrabble (well, it's called Lexulous, but it's scrabble). There's a really fun email version, live games, and a practice game as well. If anybody wants to play let me know and we can start a game.
Yep, still playing Webkinz too. It's addicting. But I realize that no one wants to hear about it, unless they play as well.
And now for the craptacularness. There's a possibility that I will be stuck on The Island for an additional 4 months. This was not in the plans. Sure things could turn out fine, but I've been told to prepare myself. I understand that living on a tropical island isn't the worst thing in the world and it could certainly be worse, but I am so ready to be done with this. It was not part of the plan. I think that's my biggest issue with this. Delaying the plan.
But since I'm here and logged in an everything, here is what's going on. Itchy's flag football team went undefeated this season. Very proud of them. This was their last semester playing together because about half the team is leaving the island in December to start clinical rotations. The remaining players will throw something together next semester so they can play together again, but it won't be the same. It really was a great team.
My collar bone is healing quite nicely. It still hurts (especially when I lean forward) but it's getting better. My hand was crushed between a shopping cart and a checkout counter the other day, which is also causing some pain but that's not that big of a deal. Once the swelling went down it felt a lot better.
Umm, let's see what else. I've been playing a lot of Scrabble (well, it's called Lexulous, but it's scrabble). There's a really fun email version, live games, and a practice game as well. If anybody wants to play let me know and we can start a game.
Yep, still playing Webkinz too. It's addicting. But I realize that no one wants to hear about it, unless they play as well.
And now for the craptacularness. There's a possibility that I will be stuck on The Island for an additional 4 months. This was not in the plans. Sure things could turn out fine, but I've been told to prepare myself. I understand that living on a tropical island isn't the worst thing in the world and it could certainly be worse, but I am so ready to be done with this. It was not part of the plan. I think that's my biggest issue with this. Delaying the plan.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Barack the Vote!
It's election day! Can you feel the buzz in the air? Today is going to be a historical day. It will either be the day that we elected Barack Obama or it will become the day that the Great '08 Riots started.
Get out there and VOTE! Get your sticker. I know there are places giving away free stuff if you show them your I voted sticker. So if you don't think your vote counts, at least take advantage of the free stuff.
Remember this isn't over until your brother counts the votes so get out there, do whatever you have to do, stand in line for as long as you have to, and make your opinion count.
ETA: I already voted. Absentee ballot. Barack all the way!
Get out there and VOTE! Get your sticker. I know there are places giving away free stuff if you show them your I voted sticker. So if you don't think your vote counts, at least take advantage of the free stuff.
Remember this isn't over until your brother counts the votes so get out there, do whatever you have to do, stand in line for as long as you have to, and make your opinion count.
ETA: I already voted. Absentee ballot. Barack all the way!
Ouch
I am pretty sure that I broke my collar bone. It hurts a lot.
It's really the freezers fault. Why does the freezer door have to be made of such hard plastic? See, I was putting groceries away in the bottom of the fridge. I stood up a little too fast and hit my collar bone on the freezer door. The rock hard freezer door. It freaking hurt. Today is worse.
I have not gone to the doctor. Pointless. It's not like they put a cast on your collar bone. At best they'll give me some random Island pain med. No thanks. I'll take my name brand Advil.
It's really the freezers fault. Why does the freezer door have to be made of such hard plastic? See, I was putting groceries away in the bottom of the fridge. I stood up a little too fast and hit my collar bone on the freezer door. The rock hard freezer door. It freaking hurt. Today is worse.
I have not gone to the doctor. Pointless. It's not like they put a cast on your collar bone. At best they'll give me some random Island pain med. No thanks. I'll take my name brand Advil.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Hmm
Well, that wasn't as bad as it could have been. Hurricane Omar came and went with little damage. I got a little worried when Itchy came home early from school last Wednesday announcing that the school had sent everyone home so they could get ready for the hurricane. Even more worried when we went out to pick up a few last minutes supplies and we saw a lot of worried locals. Last year, they mocked us for preparing for Hurricane Dean. But this time, they were out in full force buying supplies.
Hurricane Omar's eye passed less than 100 miles from the Island. Little damage was done. A few streets flooded, a few coastal areas had residents evacuated, and trees were knocked down, etc. But there was no serious damage. Our neighboring island had much worse luck. I guess they got hit a little harder and had more serious damage.
One tree in our yard fell over. Itchy saw it happen. Yes. He sure was standing by the window. Whatever. Last year we drove around during the hurricane. At least we stayed home this time.
We lost power for 12 hours or so, but since we'd been dealing with power outages for more than 2 weeks prior to this, it wasn't a big deal.
Speaking of that, it seems as though they've got a temporary solution to the blackouts. I know they haven't fixed the burned electricity machines yet, but they've got some backups working right now. We've had continuous power since Thursday afternoon. *Knocks on wood*
Once again it's midsemester break. We went to the casino last night and lost $16. I know, high rollers and what not. We've got beach plans for Monday if the weather shapes up. I am really sick of the clouds and rain.
Oh, and if you happen to scroll all the way to the bottom of the blog you'll see that it's only about 6 more months until we leave the Island. Still don't know where we're going. Honestly, right now our top three choices aren't even the same as they were 2 months ago. Itchy and I don't even agree on a top three. I try not to think about it too much because it just stresses me out. It makes both of us cranky. It's fun to think about the nice things we can have when we get back though. I've been picking things out. It's fun. Then the logistics of moving again makes me cringe and I don't want anything. Much easier to move when you live out of a couple of suitcases.
Hurricane Omar's eye passed less than 100 miles from the Island. Little damage was done. A few streets flooded, a few coastal areas had residents evacuated, and trees were knocked down, etc. But there was no serious damage. Our neighboring island had much worse luck. I guess they got hit a little harder and had more serious damage.
One tree in our yard fell over. Itchy saw it happen. Yes. He sure was standing by the window. Whatever. Last year we drove around during the hurricane. At least we stayed home this time.
We lost power for 12 hours or so, but since we'd been dealing with power outages for more than 2 weeks prior to this, it wasn't a big deal.
Speaking of that, it seems as though they've got a temporary solution to the blackouts. I know they haven't fixed the burned electricity machines yet, but they've got some backups working right now. We've had continuous power since Thursday afternoon. *Knocks on wood*
Once again it's midsemester break. We went to the casino last night and lost $16. I know, high rollers and what not. We've got beach plans for Monday if the weather shapes up. I am really sick of the clouds and rain.
Oh, and if you happen to scroll all the way to the bottom of the blog you'll see that it's only about 6 more months until we leave the Island. Still don't know where we're going. Honestly, right now our top three choices aren't even the same as they were 2 months ago. Itchy and I don't even agree on a top three. I try not to think about it too much because it just stresses me out. It makes both of us cranky. It's fun to think about the nice things we can have when we get back though. I've been picking things out. It's fun. Then the logistics of moving again makes me cringe and I don't want anything. Much easier to move when you live out of a couple of suitcases.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Vacation Wrap Up
Ok, so we left off with a trip to the lake. The plan was that everyone was going to spend the weekend at the lake. However, since everyone had to work all day Friday, Sunshine and I decided to take the 3 kids (Princess and Moonshine belong to her) to the lake on Thursday night. We made individual pizzas, went out on the paddle boat trying to catch frogs and turtles, had scavenger hunts, watched movies, etc before all the adults got there. I had a lot of fun. Moonshine, Darlin', and Princess had fun too. Once everyone else got there we got to do more fun stuff.
The Warden made drinks for the adults and then we all went out on the pontoon. The kids, Sunshine, and I all had fun jumping off the boat and swimming. Darlin', J, and I rode on the tube on the way back. We 'fell off' 3 times. It was hilarious. We had cake for Princess's birthday. Lots of fun was had.
Once we were home from the lake, Sunshine, the 3 girls, and I went to get haircuts. Then we hit up Target (because I love it so and still needed to get Princess a birthday gift). After that we went to dinner.
Let's see, that puts us at Princess's birthday. We had a little party for her at daycare. That afternoon I took the Big daycare kids bowling. I felt bad not taking Princess, as it was her birthday, but I was already taking 5 kids. I'm sure one more kid wouldn't have been a problem but Princess likes to run off. I can't chase after her and watch 5 kids all at the same time. So we just waited until she was watching the nap time movie. I don't think she really knows we went. Next time, I'll take her with.
A few days later I took the girls to a nearby town to go to the zoo. There was a little bickering on the drive there. I just turned to radio up a little. They are old enough to figure it out on their own, right? Had it gotten to the next level I would have jumped in. We got a little lost on the way there. Oops. Stupid detours. And lack of signage. It was easy to miss. Once we finally got there we had fun. The zoo I once worked at had some of the same animals so it was fun to tell the girls about that. They also had baby goats that were adorable. I think I got some cute pictures. Princess was pretty good about not running off but she had a case of the "I wants". Once we had see everything we went to lunch.
We found a Chuck E. Cheese type place close to the zoo. I told them we weren't playing games though. Just eating. But they were so well behaved that I did give them each a few bucks to play games. Of course they won a bunch of tickets and got to pick out junk before we left.
This is where we should have ended the day. It was all downhill from there. I wanted to stop at the mall before we went to the farm place. It should have been quick and easy. We were just going to run in and return a pair of jeans. It took the rest of the day. Princess was awful. She would not listen. She ran off about every 3 seconds. Once we finally got to the necessary store I was already pulling my hair out. The older two girls went to look at clothes for them. Princess and I tried to return her jeans. Except she kept running away. Or spinning the racks of clothing. Or unfolding every shirt on the tables. It was embarrassing. The store employees were staring at us. Meanwhile, the older girls found clothes that they liked. But they needed to try them on. Princess was not helpful. With the running around and screaming. I just wanted to leave. Of course, the girls needed other sizes or other colors than what they had on the racks so we needed more help. The employees were more than willing to help, JUST TO GET US OUT OF THERE. After more than an hour and a half we finally left that one store. I had to carry Princess. She was not happy. I was not happy. The older girls were not happy. We did not get to go to the farm. There was no time. We had to get back home to pick up Sunshine from work. I owe them a trip to the farm. Or something. I'll let them decide.
My last day there was pretty fun too. Sunshine and I took the kids around the downtown area. They have these animal statues all over downtown and we took lots of silly pictures. The pictures make me laugh. I know, I know, it sucks that you can't see them. But I will email them out to the girls soon!
That was pretty much my vacation. It took way longer than I thought it would. But my break from blogging had a big part in that. Oh well.
The Warden made drinks for the adults and then we all went out on the pontoon. The kids, Sunshine, and I all had fun jumping off the boat and swimming. Darlin', J, and I rode on the tube on the way back. We 'fell off' 3 times. It was hilarious. We had cake for Princess's birthday. Lots of fun was had.
Once we were home from the lake, Sunshine, the 3 girls, and I went to get haircuts. Then we hit up Target (because I love it so and still needed to get Princess a birthday gift). After that we went to dinner.
Let's see, that puts us at Princess's birthday. We had a little party for her at daycare. That afternoon I took the Big daycare kids bowling. I felt bad not taking Princess, as it was her birthday, but I was already taking 5 kids. I'm sure one more kid wouldn't have been a problem but Princess likes to run off. I can't chase after her and watch 5 kids all at the same time. So we just waited until she was watching the nap time movie. I don't think she really knows we went. Next time, I'll take her with.
A few days later I took the girls to a nearby town to go to the zoo. There was a little bickering on the drive there. I just turned to radio up a little. They are old enough to figure it out on their own, right? Had it gotten to the next level I would have jumped in. We got a little lost on the way there. Oops. Stupid detours. And lack of signage. It was easy to miss. Once we finally got there we had fun. The zoo I once worked at had some of the same animals so it was fun to tell the girls about that. They also had baby goats that were adorable. I think I got some cute pictures. Princess was pretty good about not running off but she had a case of the "I wants". Once we had see everything we went to lunch.
We found a Chuck E. Cheese type place close to the zoo. I told them we weren't playing games though. Just eating. But they were so well behaved that I did give them each a few bucks to play games. Of course they won a bunch of tickets and got to pick out junk before we left.
This is where we should have ended the day. It was all downhill from there. I wanted to stop at the mall before we went to the farm place. It should have been quick and easy. We were just going to run in and return a pair of jeans. It took the rest of the day. Princess was awful. She would not listen. She ran off about every 3 seconds. Once we finally got to the necessary store I was already pulling my hair out. The older two girls went to look at clothes for them. Princess and I tried to return her jeans. Except she kept running away. Or spinning the racks of clothing. Or unfolding every shirt on the tables. It was embarrassing. The store employees were staring at us. Meanwhile, the older girls found clothes that they liked. But they needed to try them on. Princess was not helpful. With the running around and screaming. I just wanted to leave. Of course, the girls needed other sizes or other colors than what they had on the racks so we needed more help. The employees were more than willing to help, JUST TO GET US OUT OF THERE. After more than an hour and a half we finally left that one store. I had to carry Princess. She was not happy. I was not happy. The older girls were not happy. We did not get to go to the farm. There was no time. We had to get back home to pick up Sunshine from work. I owe them a trip to the farm. Or something. I'll let them decide.
My last day there was pretty fun too. Sunshine and I took the kids around the downtown area. They have these animal statues all over downtown and we took lots of silly pictures. The pictures make me laugh. I know, I know, it sucks that you can't see them. But I will email them out to the girls soon!
That was pretty much my vacation. It took way longer than I thought it would. But my break from blogging had a big part in that. Oh well.
Friday, October 3, 2008
It's not true
You can all ignore the post before this one. It's just not true. This place is nothing like a civilized country. NOTHING. I take it all back.
We don't even have electricity anymore. Well, I do right now but it's limited. We only get to have electricity for about 10 hours a day. Yeah. Totally serious. Right now our hours are about 6 pm to 5 am. Good thing we stay up late so we can make good use of it. Otherwise we'd be sleeping our share of the electricity away.
Our local power station had a little fire. And by little fire I mean a huge fire. The two largest engines are done for. They have generators powering the entire island. Well, different parts of the island at different times of the day.
This is suppose to take WEEKS to fix. Weeks people. This is not funny. No power means no air conditioning. So I can't sleep because it's too hot (and I need the white noise). But why should I get up? There's no internet. No tv. Nothing. Itchy's at school. Next week I might just go to school with Itchy. They have generators there.
Send happy 'fixing the electricity machine' thoughts my way.
We don't even have electricity anymore. Well, I do right now but it's limited. We only get to have electricity for about 10 hours a day. Yeah. Totally serious. Right now our hours are about 6 pm to 5 am. Good thing we stay up late so we can make good use of it. Otherwise we'd be sleeping our share of the electricity away.
Our local power station had a little fire. And by little fire I mean a huge fire. The two largest engines are done for. They have generators powering the entire island. Well, different parts of the island at different times of the day.
This is suppose to take WEEKS to fix. Weeks people. This is not funny. No power means no air conditioning. So I can't sleep because it's too hot (and I need the white noise). But why should I get up? There's no internet. No tv. Nothing. Itchy's at school. Next week I might just go to school with Itchy. They have generators there.
Send happy 'fixing the electricity machine' thoughts my way.
Monday, September 29, 2008
It's almost civilized
Well, the island just celebrated it's 25th year of independence. There were many jokes about this; 25 years independent of thought, 25 years independent of intelligence, etc. Former President Bill Clinton even came to the island. Of course that was kept quiet until he had already left. Which is a damn shame because I'd love to meet him.
Itchy and I got to see the biggest fireworks display the Caribbean has ever had. It lasted for about 2.5 minutes. Not joking. These people just don't understand what a fireworks display is suppose to be. Did I tell you about the pathetic fireworks that they had for the 4th of July? Yes, I know it was not their independence day, but geez, there are a lot of Americans here. We could have just gone out and bought a few sparklers. Would have been better. Anyway, for their independence we were very, very close too the fireworks. Probably too close by any kind of safety standards, but those don't exist here.
The biggest news on the island these days is that the new movie theater opened. It's almost like living in a real city. Almost. I haven't been there yet because Itchy is swamped with school stuff (surgery on Wednesday!!!) and the one opportunity that we had to go was squashed by an awful sinus infection. I couldn't really sit upright, so the thought of trying to do so in a movie theater was not appealing. I'm sure we'll get there sooner or later. If only to find out if they sell beer in the concession stands.
There are also rumors of a Burger King coming to the island. You should have seen Itchy's face when he heard that. The boy loves his Whopper Jrs. with no mayo more than words can describe.
Yep, it's almost a civilized country. And just a mere 25 years after gaining their independence.
Itchy and I got to see the biggest fireworks display the Caribbean has ever had. It lasted for about 2.5 minutes. Not joking. These people just don't understand what a fireworks display is suppose to be. Did I tell you about the pathetic fireworks that they had for the 4th of July? Yes, I know it was not their independence day, but geez, there are a lot of Americans here. We could have just gone out and bought a few sparklers. Would have been better. Anyway, for their independence we were very, very close too the fireworks. Probably too close by any kind of safety standards, but those don't exist here.
The biggest news on the island these days is that the new movie theater opened. It's almost like living in a real city. Almost. I haven't been there yet because Itchy is swamped with school stuff (surgery on Wednesday!!!) and the one opportunity that we had to go was squashed by an awful sinus infection. I couldn't really sit upright, so the thought of trying to do so in a movie theater was not appealing. I'm sure we'll get there sooner or later. If only to find out if they sell beer in the concession stands.
There are also rumors of a Burger King coming to the island. You should have seen Itchy's face when he heard that. The boy loves his Whopper Jrs. with no mayo more than words can describe.
Yep, it's almost a civilized country. And just a mere 25 years after gaining their independence.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Technical Issues
I've got them. Blogger or my computer is eating my posts. After the third post was eaten I gave up. I just took a bloggy break. Sorry if any of you thought a hurricane hit me.
I'll wrap up the vacation tales so you can all have closure. Expect one long post on that.
Itchy has his first surgery coming up. Lots of practice has taken place on our kitchen table.
I have new neighbors again. Seem a little different to me, but I don't really know them. They are quiet and keep to themselves. There are four (dad, mom, and 2 teenage kids) of them in a rather small 2 bedroom apartment.
As for me, well, not much. I've got a new workout plan. I think I hate this one more than any other one that I've had. It involves sprinting. Sprinting is hard. It makes my regular treadmill running seem easier though.
I'll wrap up the vacation tales so you can all have closure. Expect one long post on that.
Itchy has his first surgery coming up. Lots of practice has taken place on our kitchen table.
I have new neighbors again. Seem a little different to me, but I don't really know them. They are quiet and keep to themselves. There are four (dad, mom, and 2 teenage kids) of them in a rather small 2 bedroom apartment.
As for me, well, not much. I've got a new workout plan. I think I hate this one more than any other one that I've had. It involves sprinting. Sprinting is hard. It makes my regular treadmill running seem easier though.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Vacation Part 4
I didn't intend for my vacation tales to take over the blog. Since a lot of this is blurring together I'm going to do some highlights (which is probably what I should have been doing to begin with).
My sister operates an in-home daycare. My nieces all attend this daycare. Guess where I was almost everyday? Yep, daycare. I know most of the kids there and they almost all know me so this works out pretty well. The bonus was that I could take my nieces and do fun things in the afternoon. I obviously can't talk about the daycare kids here, so I'll limit the stories to our afternoon adventures.
One of the first days I was at my mom's house I was stopped by the U.S. Border Patrol. I was out running and a border patrol guy stopped me (he was parked along the trail). He asked for ID, which I had (DL), and than started asking about when I had last left the country. He wanted to know where I had been, did I have a valid VISA to be there for that long, etc. Then he wanted to see my passport. Yeah, who carries their passport when they are running? For pete's sake, was I running so fast that he thought I was making a break for Canada? I asked him what the problem was and why he needed to see my passport. I am an American citizen. I entered the country legally through Puerto Rico. I was no where near the border. He was willing to follow me back to my mom's house to get my passport. Nope, sorry not without a valid reason. He couldn't give me a valid reason or even a stupid reason. He ended up running my name through his computer and than let me go, but seriously who gets stopped by the border patrol?
I think the first afternoon adventure (that wasn't shopping) was a trip to the splash park. It was a nice enough day out but that water was pretty cold. I didn't play in the water but the girls did. Princess (the 4 year old) ran off on me though. It seems to be a theme with her though. She's a runner. And when she is running she can not hear your voice. She took off to the nearby park with another little girl that was at the splash park. I was watching her, glanced away to check the big girls, and then she was gone. The other little girl was gone too. I looked over at the park and low and behold there she was. After we had a little talk and a timeout we all went to the park together.
The next day we had a picnic in the park (different park). That was pretty fun. The girls helped make the sandwiches. We had lots of yummy fruit (mmm, strawberries) because the groceries stores there actually have fresh fruit that doesn't cost a fortune. After lunch we all played at the park. It's a huge park with lots to do so everyone had fun. Princess had an accident which forced us to leave but that's ok.
Next up was the trip to the lake. We'll start there tomorrow.
My sister operates an in-home daycare. My nieces all attend this daycare. Guess where I was almost everyday? Yep, daycare. I know most of the kids there and they almost all know me so this works out pretty well. The bonus was that I could take my nieces and do fun things in the afternoon. I obviously can't talk about the daycare kids here, so I'll limit the stories to our afternoon adventures.
One of the first days I was at my mom's house I was stopped by the U.S. Border Patrol. I was out running and a border patrol guy stopped me (he was parked along the trail). He asked for ID, which I had (DL), and than started asking about when I had last left the country. He wanted to know where I had been, did I have a valid VISA to be there for that long, etc. Then he wanted to see my passport. Yeah, who carries their passport when they are running? For pete's sake, was I running so fast that he thought I was making a break for Canada? I asked him what the problem was and why he needed to see my passport. I am an American citizen. I entered the country legally through Puerto Rico. I was no where near the border. He was willing to follow me back to my mom's house to get my passport. Nope, sorry not without a valid reason. He couldn't give me a valid reason or even a stupid reason. He ended up running my name through his computer and than let me go, but seriously who gets stopped by the border patrol?
I think the first afternoon adventure (that wasn't shopping) was a trip to the splash park. It was a nice enough day out but that water was pretty cold. I didn't play in the water but the girls did. Princess (the 4 year old) ran off on me though. It seems to be a theme with her though. She's a runner. And when she is running she can not hear your voice. She took off to the nearby park with another little girl that was at the splash park. I was watching her, glanced away to check the big girls, and then she was gone. The other little girl was gone too. I looked over at the park and low and behold there she was. After we had a little talk and a timeout we all went to the park together.
The next day we had a picnic in the park (different park). That was pretty fun. The girls helped make the sandwiches. We had lots of yummy fruit (mmm, strawberries) because the groceries stores there actually have fresh fruit that doesn't cost a fortune. After lunch we all played at the park. It's a huge park with lots to do so everyone had fun. Princess had an accident which forced us to leave but that's ok.
Next up was the trip to the lake. We'll start there tomorrow.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
How annoying
Small interruption in the vacation tales. My car was broken into today. It happened between 3 am (when I was out there rolling up the windows) and noon (when I woke up). I don't think anything was stolen, but I don't know how many footballs were in our trunk. There's only one now. Everything was thrown into the yard/driveway. The doors were left open.
I'm pretty sure that it was just someone trying to be an asshole. It worked. Whoever did it was definitely an asshole. Way to go. Now, seriously get life. I don't want to pick all that crap up again.
I'm pretty sure that it was just someone trying to be an asshole. It worked. Whoever did it was definitely an asshole. Way to go. Now, seriously get life. I don't want to pick all that crap up again.
Vacation Part 3
I think I left off with getting ready for the Twins game. No, there was no paint involved. Just regular old T-shirts. It was hat day though, so we both got a free Twins hat. The Twins lost but it was still fun to watch. There were five 18 boys sitting behind us. They had painted their chests. Yes, they were those people. Loud and mostly amusing (until one of them spilled blue sno-cone on me). Because of those boys, my dad and I ended up on TV. Apparently, not once but twice. The first time was just before the game started and the cameras were just showing shots of the fans. The second time was because some announcer guy named Burt has this thing where he circles the fans. So people bring huge signs that say things like "Circle Me Burt" and other more clever things like that. The boys had these signs. I guess Burt circled them. But we were in that circle too! IT was funny.
On Sunday I returned the rental car and than we headed downtown again to see the progress of the bridge. It's amazing to me that they have come so far in such a short time. We also went down to see the new Twins stadium that is being built. Than we started the long drive north.
When we finally got there, my sisters, BIL, and nieces all came over to my mom's house to see me. Nothing to exciting, just a lot of chit chat.
I'll pick up there tomorrow.
On Sunday I returned the rental car and than we headed downtown again to see the progress of the bridge. It's amazing to me that they have come so far in such a short time. We also went down to see the new Twins stadium that is being built. Than we started the long drive north.
When we finally got there, my sisters, BIL, and nieces all came over to my mom's house to see me. Nothing to exciting, just a lot of chit chat.
I'll pick up there tomorrow.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Changes
Nope you are not hallucinating. I made some changes. You'll notice the picture at the top has been changed. It's all pictures of the island and a few cat pictures.
The other change that you'll notice is the slide show on the right. A good friend of mine has started a scrapbooking business. Very cute stuff. I know she's great to work with so if you have something in mind, I'd be willing to bet she can make it happen! There's link to her website, so go check it out.
The other change that you'll notice is the slide show on the right. A good friend of mine has started a scrapbooking business. Very cute stuff. I know she's great to work with so if you have something in mind, I'd be willing to bet she can make it happen! There's link to her website, so go check it out.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Vacation Part 2
I could have slept for an eternity but I had things to do. I woke up early on Thursday morning and had breakfast (free at the hotel, which I don't know if I mentioned it, but it was a much nicer hotel than I was suppose to be at). Then it was off to Target. I love Target. It's clean, shiny, and smells good. The shelves are well stocked. The employees are friendly. Maybe they just sense my love of Target. It must radiate from me. I buy the things I need and meander through the store for a good hour.
Back to the hotel to get properly ready for the day. Once that happens, I set off to Planned Parenthood. To make plans to NOT get pregnant. They have awesome walk in clinics and discounted birth control. Got what I needed from them and then I was off to the running store. Yep, seriously. I talked to some guy there that was really into running. Told him what my issues are (shin pain) and he asked a bunch of questions, looked at my old running shoes and then asked what my budget was. I told him I needed to go as cheap as possible. He recommended a shoe that was $135 or so. Not what I wanted to pay and to be completely honest, it didn't feel comfortable. Not enough arch support or something. I told him I'd think about it.
After that I went to Foot Locker and bought the same shoe for about $40 less. Still not sure that it fit right, but the running guy said it was what I needed. I went back to the hotel to try them out (hotel had a fitness room). Yeah, not helping the excruciating shin pain. Whatever. Shower again and then head out to meet up with friends.
I meet them at work (we all used to work together). We hang out there for a while because that place is like a blackhole. It's really hard to get out of there. But eventually they can call it a day. We head out to an old favorite just in time for happy hour. Gotta love two for ones. It was just so much fun. Probably had a little too much to drink and then started drunk dialing. Hilarious. One of them had to leave (she drove us there) but we talked 'grandma' into coming out with us. She picked us up at the bar and took us to get food. We hung out there for quite a while. Again, just so much fun. I miss them already. It was a really fun night.
Friday was fun too. I went to the zoo I used to work at. They have a new exhibit that I was dying to see. It's amazing. Beautifully done. I, of course, walked around the entire zoo and saw all the up dates they had done. The whole place looks great. And the weather was just beautiful.
After the zoo I went to the mall. Did some window shopping. You forget just how big that place is. It was bordering overwhelming. Since it was getting late anyway I left. I called an old friend of mine (not that she's old, we've been friends since grade school) and then went to her house. It was fun. I haven't seen her in a long time so we had some catching up to do. It was a late night.
I went running again on Saturday morning. Shoes still sucked. Then I went shopping. Looked at cameras. I realized just how much mine sucks when I was at the zoo. The cameras I had 'picked out' online didn't really live up to my expectations. They were confusing to me. I'm sure I could learn but I wanted something nicer than what I have and simple to use. Instead of getting a new camera I got my foot stomped on. I'm sure it was accident but seriously, it broke the skin. So there I am bleeding in Best Buy. I had had enough. I went outside and called my dad, who was meeting up with me. He was already in Minneapolis, waiting at the hotel I was suppose to be at. I gave him directions to the new hotel and told him I'd meet him there.
After he got his stuff up to the room we went back to the mall. He was looking for a birthday gift for my oldest sister. We couldn't find what he was looking for. So we went to lunch instead. Lunch was delicious. I ate way too much. After lunch we went back to the hotel so we could get ready for the Twins game.
I'll pick up there tomorrow.
Back to the hotel to get properly ready for the day. Once that happens, I set off to Planned Parenthood. To make plans to NOT get pregnant. They have awesome walk in clinics and discounted birth control. Got what I needed from them and then I was off to the running store. Yep, seriously. I talked to some guy there that was really into running. Told him what my issues are (shin pain) and he asked a bunch of questions, looked at my old running shoes and then asked what my budget was. I told him I needed to go as cheap as possible. He recommended a shoe that was $135 or so. Not what I wanted to pay and to be completely honest, it didn't feel comfortable. Not enough arch support or something. I told him I'd think about it.
After that I went to Foot Locker and bought the same shoe for about $40 less. Still not sure that it fit right, but the running guy said it was what I needed. I went back to the hotel to try them out (hotel had a fitness room). Yeah, not helping the excruciating shin pain. Whatever. Shower again and then head out to meet up with friends.
I meet them at work (we all used to work together). We hang out there for a while because that place is like a blackhole. It's really hard to get out of there. But eventually they can call it a day. We head out to an old favorite just in time for happy hour. Gotta love two for ones. It was just so much fun. Probably had a little too much to drink and then started drunk dialing. Hilarious. One of them had to leave (she drove us there) but we talked 'grandma' into coming out with us. She picked us up at the bar and took us to get food. We hung out there for quite a while. Again, just so much fun. I miss them already. It was a really fun night.
Friday was fun too. I went to the zoo I used to work at. They have a new exhibit that I was dying to see. It's amazing. Beautifully done. I, of course, walked around the entire zoo and saw all the up dates they had done. The whole place looks great. And the weather was just beautiful.
After the zoo I went to the mall. Did some window shopping. You forget just how big that place is. It was bordering overwhelming. Since it was getting late anyway I left. I called an old friend of mine (not that she's old, we've been friends since grade school) and then went to her house. It was fun. I haven't seen her in a long time so we had some catching up to do. It was a late night.
I went running again on Saturday morning. Shoes still sucked. Then I went shopping. Looked at cameras. I realized just how much mine sucks when I was at the zoo. The cameras I had 'picked out' online didn't really live up to my expectations. They were confusing to me. I'm sure I could learn but I wanted something nicer than what I have and simple to use. Instead of getting a new camera I got my foot stomped on. I'm sure it was accident but seriously, it broke the skin. So there I am bleeding in Best Buy. I had had enough. I went outside and called my dad, who was meeting up with me. He was already in Minneapolis, waiting at the hotel I was suppose to be at. I gave him directions to the new hotel and told him I'd meet him there.
After he got his stuff up to the room we went back to the mall. He was looking for a birthday gift for my oldest sister. We couldn't find what he was looking for. So we went to lunch instead. Lunch was delicious. I ate way too much. After lunch we went back to the hotel so we could get ready for the Twins game.
I'll pick up there tomorrow.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Vacation Part 1
I think I've almost recovered from my vacation. Don't get me wrong, I still have some unpacking to do. There is still laundry to do as well. But I'll get to that stuff later. Since Itchy is currently on vacation I have even more free time then usual.
As if you haven't heard enough about American Airlines sucking, let's start with my series of flights (all with AA) back to Minnesota. My first flight of the day was delayed because of rain. Not the heavy rain that you can't fly in. This was a moderate downpour but nothing that should have delayed us. The problem was that to board the plane (which is tiny) you have to walk from the airport out to the plane. The locals did not want to walk out to the plane and risk getting wet. They stood outside under the overhang and waited until the rain stopped. The brave few that risked melting in the rain screamed about it while we boarded. One in particular was especially begging to be punched in the face. She happened to be right behind me. Screaming at me to move faster because she was getting wet. God forbid. I was standing outside too. With no umbrella. Huge surprise here, but I was getting wet too. I couldn't move any faster because the people ahead of me weren't moving. Shut the hell up lady. I purposely walked up the stairs as slowly as I could. After all, they were wet and I needed to be careful. Wouldn't want to slip. After the rain stopped and every was finally in their seats we were able to take off 20 minutes late.
We land in Puerto Rico (you all know how I feel about Puerto Rico). It's nearly 9 am. My next flight isn't until 1:45 pm. This is a dreadfully long time to spend in any airport but in Puerto Rico it's almost an eternity. Nothing fun happened. I read a book, played some Nintendo, and people watched. Around 1:00 pm I notice that my flight has been delayed until 2pm. Then at 1:40 when we are suppose to start boarding it gets delayed again. Take off is now scheduled for 2:45 pm. Fine. Whatever. It's finally time to board the plane. This takes forever because it's a bunch of Puerto Ricans. We pull away from the gate at 3 pm. Then at 3:30 pm we pull back up to our gate because the plane has a small computer problem. It's going to be a ten minute fix. We are to remain seated with our seat belts fastened.
We sat there for almost 2 hours. We were not offered any type of explanation at all. We were, however, reminded several times to remain seated with seatbelts fastened and our chairs in an upright position. You know, since we could take off at any time. With no warning. From the gate.
We were suppose to land in Miami at 4:30 pm. We landed closer to 7 pm. At least the pilot had tried to make up some time, we did arrive earlier than expected. But because of that they didn't have a gate for us. So we circled the airport at a ridiculously slow pace until there was a gate ready. I didn't get off the plane until 7:40 pm. I had to get all the away across the airport to get on my next flight, which was already boarding and scheduled to leave at 8:15 pm. I had to run. Like an idiot. Every single one of the departure boards was saying that my flight was boarding. I got to the gate at just after 8pm. No one was boarding. They were all sitting, reading, eating, etc. But there was no boarding. It crosses my mind that I missed my flight. These people must be on the next flight leaving from this gate. I go ask the man behind the desk. Nope, I didn't miss my flight. It's been delayed for an hour due to the weather. He had JUST updated the departure boards. I ran for nothing. Bastards.
I called Itchy to vent and let me know that I was finally in America. I tried to call the car rental place but there was no answer. I called the hotel to let them know I'd be late. Then I wait.
The weather clears up and we take off. I get to Minneapolis at midnight. I've been up since 5 am. I'm really tired. I collect my luggage and head off to the rental car place. That was easy enough except, I really didn't need or care to be asked 20 times if I wanted to upgrade. Can I please just have the car I reserved? I reserved a small car because I wanted a small car. Granted, I hated the car I got (it didn't have power windows, call me lazy, but I like power windows) but that was my decision.
I drive off in search of my hotel. Finally find it, but they really should make a bigger sign. I walk in, tell the guy I have a reservation. He enters my name and then tries to push me over the edge. Tells me I have no reservation. I am late. They were overbooked. They had to give my room away. I don't think I even said anything to him. Just stared at him waiting for him to say that he was joking. When it became clear that he wasn't, I explained that I had called and told some lady (I actually had her name, but can't remember it now) that I would be late. He goes back to the computer and types for a while. He doesn't look happy. I can't blame him. I wasn't very happy either. He comes back and says that he has secured a room at a different hotel for me and that they would honor the price I had booked through Priceline. Big sigh of relief. His direction to the new hotel were crappy (take a right and then look for the tall building, not sure if this guy had ever left that particular hotel before, but there are many tall buildings in Minneapolis) so it took a while to find it. But I did. Got checked in and up to my room at around 2:30 am. I dropped dead at that point.
To be continued...
As if you haven't heard enough about American Airlines sucking, let's start with my series of flights (all with AA) back to Minnesota. My first flight of the day was delayed because of rain. Not the heavy rain that you can't fly in. This was a moderate downpour but nothing that should have delayed us. The problem was that to board the plane (which is tiny) you have to walk from the airport out to the plane. The locals did not want to walk out to the plane and risk getting wet. They stood outside under the overhang and waited until the rain stopped. The brave few that risked melting in the rain screamed about it while we boarded. One in particular was especially begging to be punched in the face. She happened to be right behind me. Screaming at me to move faster because she was getting wet. God forbid. I was standing outside too. With no umbrella. Huge surprise here, but I was getting wet too. I couldn't move any faster because the people ahead of me weren't moving. Shut the hell up lady. I purposely walked up the stairs as slowly as I could. After all, they were wet and I needed to be careful. Wouldn't want to slip. After the rain stopped and every was finally in their seats we were able to take off 20 minutes late.
We land in Puerto Rico (you all know how I feel about Puerto Rico). It's nearly 9 am. My next flight isn't until 1:45 pm. This is a dreadfully long time to spend in any airport but in Puerto Rico it's almost an eternity. Nothing fun happened. I read a book, played some Nintendo, and people watched. Around 1:00 pm I notice that my flight has been delayed until 2pm. Then at 1:40 when we are suppose to start boarding it gets delayed again. Take off is now scheduled for 2:45 pm. Fine. Whatever. It's finally time to board the plane. This takes forever because it's a bunch of Puerto Ricans. We pull away from the gate at 3 pm. Then at 3:30 pm we pull back up to our gate because the plane has a small computer problem. It's going to be a ten minute fix. We are to remain seated with our seat belts fastened.
We sat there for almost 2 hours. We were not offered any type of explanation at all. We were, however, reminded several times to remain seated with seatbelts fastened and our chairs in an upright position. You know, since we could take off at any time. With no warning. From the gate.
We were suppose to land in Miami at 4:30 pm. We landed closer to 7 pm. At least the pilot had tried to make up some time, we did arrive earlier than expected. But because of that they didn't have a gate for us. So we circled the airport at a ridiculously slow pace until there was a gate ready. I didn't get off the plane until 7:40 pm. I had to get all the away across the airport to get on my next flight, which was already boarding and scheduled to leave at 8:15 pm. I had to run. Like an idiot. Every single one of the departure boards was saying that my flight was boarding. I got to the gate at just after 8pm. No one was boarding. They were all sitting, reading, eating, etc. But there was no boarding. It crosses my mind that I missed my flight. These people must be on the next flight leaving from this gate. I go ask the man behind the desk. Nope, I didn't miss my flight. It's been delayed for an hour due to the weather. He had JUST updated the departure boards. I ran for nothing. Bastards.
I called Itchy to vent and let me know that I was finally in America. I tried to call the car rental place but there was no answer. I called the hotel to let them know I'd be late. Then I wait.
The weather clears up and we take off. I get to Minneapolis at midnight. I've been up since 5 am. I'm really tired. I collect my luggage and head off to the rental car place. That was easy enough except, I really didn't need or care to be asked 20 times if I wanted to upgrade. Can I please just have the car I reserved? I reserved a small car because I wanted a small car. Granted, I hated the car I got (it didn't have power windows, call me lazy, but I like power windows) but that was my decision.
I drive off in search of my hotel. Finally find it, but they really should make a bigger sign. I walk in, tell the guy I have a reservation. He enters my name and then tries to push me over the edge. Tells me I have no reservation. I am late. They were overbooked. They had to give my room away. I don't think I even said anything to him. Just stared at him waiting for him to say that he was joking. When it became clear that he wasn't, I explained that I had called and told some lady (I actually had her name, but can't remember it now) that I would be late. He goes back to the computer and types for a while. He doesn't look happy. I can't blame him. I wasn't very happy either. He comes back and says that he has secured a room at a different hotel for me and that they would honor the price I had booked through Priceline. Big sigh of relief. His direction to the new hotel were crappy (take a right and then look for the tall building, not sure if this guy had ever left that particular hotel before, but there are many tall buildings in Minneapolis) so it took a while to find it. But I did. Got checked in and up to my room at around 2:30 am. I dropped dead at that point.
To be continued...
Friday, August 22, 2008
A little financial advice for American Airlines
Dear American Airlines,
I just thought that I would give you a little friendly advice. I am no financial expert but I have taken one semester of microeconomics. Apparently, this has provided me with more financial wisdom than all of the people in your company. Particularly your employees in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Allow me to give you an example of the stupidity that goes on in Puerto Rico.
Let's say that you have a flight from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) scheduled to arrive in San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) at 6:55pm on Tuesday, August 19th. Now for the sake of this example, pretend that there are at least 12 people on that flight that are flying to SJU to connect to a flight to The Island. We'll also add in a hypothetical flight from Miami to SJU, also scheduled to land at around 7pm. There will be another 12 or so hypothetical people on this flight that are on the connecting flight to The Island.
Now, let's say that the flight from DFW takes off about 30 minutes late because of a last minute gate change. The flight from Miami will take off 15 minutes late because of the chaos that you call boarding.
Both of these flights land in SJU between 7:20pm and 7:30 pm. Approximately 24 people are scheduled to be on the flight to The Island. Not 2. Not 4. Twenty-four people. I mean, twenty-four hypothetical people.
At no fault of their own, 24 people are stuck in Puerto Rico until 7:40 pm the next day. You are kind enough to provide vouchers to each and everyone of these people for lodging, food, taxi services between the airport and hotel, and rebook everyone on the next flight the following day.
Let's say that each person was given meal vouchers totaling $22 (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), a hotel voucher for a hotel that costs $350/night, and taxi vouchers for $20. We'll pretend that people were traveling in pairs (since most people were, I mean most people do). Just a little bit of simple math tells us that you've now spent $4968 on vouchers. For the people missing one flight. I can't imagine that this was the only time that flights were delayed forcing people to miss their connections.
Explain to me how this is financially responsible. Please. I do not understand. If you had delayed the flight to The Island by just one hour you would have saved nearly FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS.
I know people hate when flights are delayed. I know that you hate listening to customers complain. In fact, you hate it so much that you just flat out ignore it. Perhaps if you would start making better financial decisions (like delaying a flight or 2 to save thousands of dollars) you could offer more reasonable prices on your flights. Has it crossed your mind that people would complain less if they haven't paid an arm and a leg for their tickets. Maybe you could talk to the people at Jetblue. They have much lower prices than you. Ask them how many complaints they receive.
I am so tired of you crying poverty at the end of every financial quarter. You've raised your prices. You've started charging for basic services (like luggage, who doesn't travel with luggage?). What's next? No more free water? Why not use some common sense?
If their is anything else I can help you with just let me know. I'm happy to help.
I just thought that I would give you a little friendly advice. I am no financial expert but I have taken one semester of microeconomics. Apparently, this has provided me with more financial wisdom than all of the people in your company. Particularly your employees in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Allow me to give you an example of the stupidity that goes on in Puerto Rico.
Let's say that you have a flight from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) scheduled to arrive in San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) at 6:55pm on Tuesday, August 19th. Now for the sake of this example, pretend that there are at least 12 people on that flight that are flying to SJU to connect to a flight to The Island. We'll also add in a hypothetical flight from Miami to SJU, also scheduled to land at around 7pm. There will be another 12 or so hypothetical people on this flight that are on the connecting flight to The Island.
Now, let's say that the flight from DFW takes off about 30 minutes late because of a last minute gate change. The flight from Miami will take off 15 minutes late because of the chaos that you call boarding.
Both of these flights land in SJU between 7:20pm and 7:30 pm. Approximately 24 people are scheduled to be on the flight to The Island. Not 2. Not 4. Twenty-four people. I mean, twenty-four hypothetical people.
At no fault of their own, 24 people are stuck in Puerto Rico until 7:40 pm the next day. You are kind enough to provide vouchers to each and everyone of these people for lodging, food, taxi services between the airport and hotel, and rebook everyone on the next flight the following day.
Let's say that each person was given meal vouchers totaling $22 (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), a hotel voucher for a hotel that costs $350/night, and taxi vouchers for $20. We'll pretend that people were traveling in pairs (since most people were, I mean most people do). Just a little bit of simple math tells us that you've now spent $4968 on vouchers. For the people missing one flight. I can't imagine that this was the only time that flights were delayed forcing people to miss their connections.
Explain to me how this is financially responsible. Please. I do not understand. If you had delayed the flight to The Island by just one hour you would have saved nearly FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS.
I know people hate when flights are delayed. I know that you hate listening to customers complain. In fact, you hate it so much that you just flat out ignore it. Perhaps if you would start making better financial decisions (like delaying a flight or 2 to save thousands of dollars) you could offer more reasonable prices on your flights. Has it crossed your mind that people would complain less if they haven't paid an arm and a leg for their tickets. Maybe you could talk to the people at Jetblue. They have much lower prices than you. Ask them how many complaints they receive.
I am so tired of you crying poverty at the end of every financial quarter. You've raised your prices. You've started charging for basic services (like luggage, who doesn't travel with luggage?). What's next? No more free water? Why not use some common sense?
If their is anything else I can help you with just let me know. I'm happy to help.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Vacation
Is it still a vacation when I don't have a "job"? And live on a tropical island? Probably not. Whatever, I'm calling it a vacation.
I'm vacationing in the States. Minnesota/North Dakota to be more specific. I'll be here for another week or so before heading back to the island. The stories will be fun but they'll have to wait until I get back. I'm busy trying to cram in some quality time with my 3 adorable, brilliant, and getting-too-big-too-fast nieces while I'm here. Since we don't get to spend that much time together, we try to make the time we can spend together fun. Princess is turning 4 tomorrow! I can't believe it. Happy Birthday Princess!
Oh I need some advice/help from all of you. I am the proud new owner of a Webkinz. I have no idea what I'm doing. By the time I'm back on the island I'll have two. Any advice? How do I make the most money?
I'm vacationing in the States. Minnesota/North Dakota to be more specific. I'll be here for another week or so before heading back to the island. The stories will be fun but they'll have to wait until I get back. I'm busy trying to cram in some quality time with my 3 adorable, brilliant, and getting-too-big-too-fast nieces while I'm here. Since we don't get to spend that much time together, we try to make the time we can spend together fun. Princess is turning 4 tomorrow! I can't believe it. Happy Birthday Princess!
Oh I need some advice/help from all of you. I am the proud new owner of a Webkinz. I have no idea what I'm doing. By the time I'm back on the island I'll have two. Any advice? How do I make the most money?
Friday, July 25, 2008
This is for you Itchy!
Yes, that is lobster stuffed with taco! It's our finest food stuffed with our second finest food. Looks delicious doesn't it?
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Still here?
Yeah, I'm still here. It's just been so boring. Itchy had two weeks of tests (and a week of studying before the tests started). For 3 weeks, we didn't really do much.
Now that the tests are over (well, not really 'over' as finals start in a couple of weeks) we still haven't done much. Spent Saturday at the beach. Nothing much happened there. Fun though. Then we went out to dinner at the largest resort on the island. Awesome customer service! I ordered a burger well done with no bacon. I got a medium burger with bacon. The best part was that it came a good 15 minutes after everyone else's food.
Now I'm just shopping around for a good deal on a rental car, health insurance, etc.
On a rather sad note, our outdoor cat (actually, he belonged to our landlady, but he spent a lot of his time on our porch, we fed him, we loved him, I wanted to steal him, etc) died 2 weeks ago. Hit by a car. That's the landlady's 3rd (or 4th) cat to be hit by a car in the 2 years we have been here. That's why our cats (the ones that actually belong to us) will only be indoor cats. The landlady has already bought a new kitten.
Now that the tests are over (well, not really 'over' as finals start in a couple of weeks) we still haven't done much. Spent Saturday at the beach. Nothing much happened there. Fun though. Then we went out to dinner at the largest resort on the island. Awesome customer service! I ordered a burger well done with no bacon. I got a medium burger with bacon. The best part was that it came a good 15 minutes after everyone else's food.
Now I'm just shopping around for a good deal on a rental car, health insurance, etc.
On a rather sad note, our outdoor cat (actually, he belonged to our landlady, but he spent a lot of his time on our porch, we fed him, we loved him, I wanted to steal him, etc) died 2 weeks ago. Hit by a car. That's the landlady's 3rd (or 4th) cat to be hit by a car in the 2 years we have been here. That's why our cats (the ones that actually belong to us) will only be indoor cats. The landlady has already bought a new kitten.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
I wonder if they can handle the responsibility?
Corporate sponsorship is a pretty good idea. It's nice to see big companies step up and help the community. They are already providing jobs and paychecks for a lot of people. But it's the extra step that makes them stand out. Like when banks sponsor educational programs. Or when cola companies sponsor sporting events. Everyone wins. The sponsors look good and the community benefits.
Here on the island, we see a good amount of corporate sponsors. We just had Music Fest, which had a ton of sponsors. Cricket is a big deal down here and there are always a lot of sponsors for the cricket tournaments.
One particular company seems to be going above and beyond though. It's a local development bank. I'm not really that familiar with the company but I think it's pretty much their job to help the island grow and thrive. So when we see them out there, putting effort into the community, we just know that they care a lot. I think everybody feels better when they see this sign:
I think some people are starting to get worried though. The Development Bank seems to be taking on too much. I mean look at their latest project:
Yeah, they adopted the grassy part of this roundabout. By themselves. No one is helping them with this. It's all up to them. This might just be what overextends them. What if they can't handle the responsibility? What's going to happen if they decide to back out? Who will take care of the roundabout? Think about what could happen to the roundabout. Won't somebody please think of the roundabout?
Like I said, I'm not really familiar with the Development Bank. This might be their only project. I've never seen any other signs around the island that indicate their work. I'm sure this project is a lot of work. It did take 4 days to put up the signs and the fence. Oh, you didn't notice the other sign? Yeah, there are two. Here look in this picture:
Here on the island, we see a good amount of corporate sponsors. We just had Music Fest, which had a ton of sponsors. Cricket is a big deal down here and there are always a lot of sponsors for the cricket tournaments.
One particular company seems to be going above and beyond though. It's a local development bank. I'm not really that familiar with the company but I think it's pretty much their job to help the island grow and thrive. So when we see them out there, putting effort into the community, we just know that they care a lot. I think everybody feels better when they see this sign:
I think some people are starting to get worried though. The Development Bank seems to be taking on too much. I mean look at their latest project:
Yeah, they adopted the grassy part of this roundabout. By themselves. No one is helping them with this. It's all up to them. This might just be what overextends them. What if they can't handle the responsibility? What's going to happen if they decide to back out? Who will take care of the roundabout? Think about what could happen to the roundabout. Won't somebody please think of the roundabout?
Like I said, I'm not really familiar with the Development Bank. This might be their only project. I've never seen any other signs around the island that indicate their work. I'm sure this project is a lot of work. It did take 4 days to put up the signs and the fence. Oh, you didn't notice the other sign? Yeah, there are two. Here look in this picture:
I just hope that this doesn't overwhelm the Development Bank. I'd hate to see a 20 foot diameter roundabout bring them down. The island needs them.
Money?
Yeah, we all need more of it. Life is expensive. That sucks. Last night Itchy and I were trying to figure out where all of our "student loan" money had gone. It was no fun at all. One would think that we'd be having all kinds of fun with as much as we spent, but no. Just bills. Bills are not fun.
On top of all the money we've spent, we've also been robbed. Right in our own house too. We were home when it happened, which makes it worse. It was just a kid, only about 4 years old. Never even suspected her. I just so happened to be taking pictures at the time and caught the whole thing. Silly cat burglar, monies are for people.
She looks so innocent doesn't she? All casual, not even looking at the purse.
Then, she makes her move.
On top of all the money we've spent, we've also been robbed. Right in our own house too. We were home when it happened, which makes it worse. It was just a kid, only about 4 years old. Never even suspected her. I just so happened to be taking pictures at the time and caught the whole thing. Silly cat burglar, monies are for people.
She looks so innocent doesn't she? All casual, not even looking at the purse.
Then, she makes her move.
When she thinks she's in the clear, she goes in for a closer look...
Then she has to resort to using her teeth to pull the money out.
This probably isn't the first time she's done this. I'm looking into rehab programs for her. Maybe they can help her become a better cat.
ETA: By the way, I didn't intend for such blatant product placement. But we do love our Nalgene bottle. So if someone from Nalgene sees this and wants to send me a free bottle, just leave me a comment!
ETA: By the way, I didn't intend for such blatant product placement. But we do love our Nalgene bottle. So if someone from Nalgene sees this and wants to send me a free bottle, just leave me a comment!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Persistance
"Energy and persistence conquer all things." -Benjamin Franklin
It's a pain in the ass, but sometimes you have to live by that quote. A mistake was made when I booked my return flight for my upcoming vacation. I swear I double checked everything before hitting ok. But alas, my return flight was scheduled for one day after I arrived. Yep, because flying for 16 hours, spending a night in a hotel, and then flying back to the island the next day is exactly what I want to do. I swear I double checked it. Whatever.
It had to be changed. Changes for international flights can not be changed online. That would be far to easy. You have to call the airline. Fine. They have 1-800 numbers to call based on where you are calling from. Not that it matters since I'm using a pay as you go phone, my minutes are getting eaten up anyway. I call the number that corresponds to my island. Except that the number doesn't work. I try calling a number for a nearby island. But a voice tells me that it will not be a toll free call. Please enter your credit card number so we can charge you a ridiculous amount of money for the call. Sorry no. Not happening.
So I sent an email to alert them that the toll free number for my area doesn't work. Their reply? Please call us. Yeah, I would except that the number doesn't work ya bastards.
This was weeks ago. Once a week I would try the number again. It wouldn't work. I would email the airline. They would respond with the same old reply. Seriously. Do they read the emails at all? I'm emailing them because the number doesn't work. I'd call the other number if they would tell me what rate I would be charged (provided it wasn't ridiculous), but since a friend was charged over $10 a minute for a call to the States, I'm not playing that game. Read the freaking emails!
This week was different though. The phone number for my island was working! It took an amazing amount of time to get through to a real live person, but eventually it happened. She was helpful but rather slow. It took her half an hour to make the changes. I found the info online, with my ghetto slow connection, in under 3 minutes. Not that it matters, it wasn't a competition. The changes have been made. I get a real vacation now.
I'm pretending that my persistence and energy resulted in the airline fixing the problem with the 1-800 number. Without me, no one from this area would be able to call toll free. I believe I will be rewarded for this. Not from the airline of course. But karma for sure. I mean, I did just help a lot of people right?
It's a pain in the ass, but sometimes you have to live by that quote. A mistake was made when I booked my return flight for my upcoming vacation. I swear I double checked everything before hitting ok. But alas, my return flight was scheduled for one day after I arrived. Yep, because flying for 16 hours, spending a night in a hotel, and then flying back to the island the next day is exactly what I want to do. I swear I double checked it. Whatever.
It had to be changed. Changes for international flights can not be changed online. That would be far to easy. You have to call the airline. Fine. They have 1-800 numbers to call based on where you are calling from. Not that it matters since I'm using a pay as you go phone, my minutes are getting eaten up anyway. I call the number that corresponds to my island. Except that the number doesn't work. I try calling a number for a nearby island. But a voice tells me that it will not be a toll free call. Please enter your credit card number so we can charge you a ridiculous amount of money for the call. Sorry no. Not happening.
So I sent an email to alert them that the toll free number for my area doesn't work. Their reply? Please call us. Yeah, I would except that the number doesn't work ya bastards.
This was weeks ago. Once a week I would try the number again. It wouldn't work. I would email the airline. They would respond with the same old reply. Seriously. Do they read the emails at all? I'm emailing them because the number doesn't work. I'd call the other number if they would tell me what rate I would be charged (provided it wasn't ridiculous), but since a friend was charged over $10 a minute for a call to the States, I'm not playing that game. Read the freaking emails!
This week was different though. The phone number for my island was working! It took an amazing amount of time to get through to a real live person, but eventually it happened. She was helpful but rather slow. It took her half an hour to make the changes. I found the info online, with my ghetto slow connection, in under 3 minutes. Not that it matters, it wasn't a competition. The changes have been made. I get a real vacation now.
I'm pretending that my persistence and energy resulted in the airline fixing the problem with the 1-800 number. Without me, no one from this area would be able to call toll free. I believe I will be rewarded for this. Not from the airline of course. But karma for sure. I mean, I did just help a lot of people right?
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Island Law
One of the doctors that I used to work with warned me before we moved down here that the police target white people. DWW (driving while white) was a pretty common offense. She has an uncle that lives on a nearby island that had experienced this quite a bit. The paler you are, the more likely you were to be a target.
I can verify that this is true on this island. Only it isn't just white people that they target. They are specifically targeting white students. If you look like a tourist, you'll get away with more crap. Since the police here are pretty useless and unbelievably lazy, they are mostly looking for traffic related offensives.
It's not like the US where the police pull you over either. Down here, they set up road blocks. They are looking for expired tags, broken/damaged license plates, expired insurance, and current driver's licenses. These are set up on the main road (i.e. the only road) so it's not like you can just take side streets to get around it. You have no option but to go through it. So you better have everything up to date.
Now, I know that it doesn't sound like they are targeting students based on the fact that they stop everyone. The thing is, they set up these road blocks near the school. The traffic that is going towards the school is stopped but the traffic that is going the other way is free to drive by. Sounds a little suspicious doesn't it?
Last week we received an email from someone at the school (a high ranking school official) after a student was thrown in jail for driving an uninsured car. Wasn't even his car, but he got to go to jail. And he'll have a huge fine. The email explained to us that it wasn't a rumor that the police were targeting students. It was a fact.
The police will find any reason to fine students. A friend of ours was recently in a car accident. She was stopped behind two taxis (driven by locals). One of the waved her around them (they were picking people up) and she went. Then as she was going around them, one of the taxis pulled out rather quickly and hit her. Her car rolled. Yep, she was hit hard enough to roll her car. It landed upside down. She was wearing her seat belt and was just hanging there. No one got out to help. There were two taxis full of people and no one got out to help her. These taxis are 15 passenger vans. 30 people and not one even walked up to her car despite her screams for help. At some point, 2 people who were driving by got her out of the car and brought her to the hospital.
The fault doesn't belong to any one person. They are both at fault. However, our friend was charged with a hit and run. Because she went to the hospital. Her car was upside down. She was injured (arm looked like hamburger). A hit and run. Unbelievable.
Sadly, over the weekend a student died in a car accident. We weren't that close to him, but we knew him from football and he had been down here just as long as us. It's very possible that he had been drinking prior to driving but what we've heard is that someone came into his lane to pass a car, while approaching a hill, and hit him head on as he came over the hill. He was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the car.
The police have not released any information just yet but no one is expecting it to be an accurate account of what happened. It is incredibly unfair to his family. They have a right to know what really happened. He will be blamed for this. Sure, he shouldn't have been drinking. But it is so very, very stupid to pass a car when approaching a hill. You just can't see if anyone is coming. The road is narrow, only one lane in each direction. There was no where for either one of them to go.
The police here should be focusing on the real problems on this island. Who cares if a license plate is cracked? How about going after the murderers? Or the gang of locals that are robbing local businesses? Or maybe they could look for the bastards that break into homes? I guess real criminals are just too hard to go after.
I can verify that this is true on this island. Only it isn't just white people that they target. They are specifically targeting white students. If you look like a tourist, you'll get away with more crap. Since the police here are pretty useless and unbelievably lazy, they are mostly looking for traffic related offensives.
It's not like the US where the police pull you over either. Down here, they set up road blocks. They are looking for expired tags, broken/damaged license plates, expired insurance, and current driver's licenses. These are set up on the main road (i.e. the only road) so it's not like you can just take side streets to get around it. You have no option but to go through it. So you better have everything up to date.
Now, I know that it doesn't sound like they are targeting students based on the fact that they stop everyone. The thing is, they set up these road blocks near the school. The traffic that is going towards the school is stopped but the traffic that is going the other way is free to drive by. Sounds a little suspicious doesn't it?
Last week we received an email from someone at the school (a high ranking school official) after a student was thrown in jail for driving an uninsured car. Wasn't even his car, but he got to go to jail. And he'll have a huge fine. The email explained to us that it wasn't a rumor that the police were targeting students. It was a fact.
The police will find any reason to fine students. A friend of ours was recently in a car accident. She was stopped behind two taxis (driven by locals). One of the waved her around them (they were picking people up) and she went. Then as she was going around them, one of the taxis pulled out rather quickly and hit her. Her car rolled. Yep, she was hit hard enough to roll her car. It landed upside down. She was wearing her seat belt and was just hanging there. No one got out to help. There were two taxis full of people and no one got out to help her. These taxis are 15 passenger vans. 30 people and not one even walked up to her car despite her screams for help. At some point, 2 people who were driving by got her out of the car and brought her to the hospital.
The fault doesn't belong to any one person. They are both at fault. However, our friend was charged with a hit and run. Because she went to the hospital. Her car was upside down. She was injured (arm looked like hamburger). A hit and run. Unbelievable.
Sadly, over the weekend a student died in a car accident. We weren't that close to him, but we knew him from football and he had been down here just as long as us. It's very possible that he had been drinking prior to driving but what we've heard is that someone came into his lane to pass a car, while approaching a hill, and hit him head on as he came over the hill. He was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the car.
The police have not released any information just yet but no one is expecting it to be an accurate account of what happened. It is incredibly unfair to his family. They have a right to know what really happened. He will be blamed for this. Sure, he shouldn't have been drinking. But it is so very, very stupid to pass a car when approaching a hill. You just can't see if anyone is coming. The road is narrow, only one lane in each direction. There was no where for either one of them to go.
The police here should be focusing on the real problems on this island. Who cares if a license plate is cracked? How about going after the murderers? Or the gang of locals that are robbing local businesses? Or maybe they could look for the bastards that break into homes? I guess real criminals are just too hard to go after.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
100 Things About Me
So in my last post I mentioned that it is tradition in the blogosphere to do a "100 Things About Me" post when you reach your 100th post. It's a right of passage that I feel obligated to participate in. Not sure why. Maybe because they are usually fun to read. So in no particular order here are 100 things you may or may not have known.
ETA: The combo of #1 and #100 scare me more than a little.
- I am almost 30
- That scares the crap out of me, but I'm not sure why
- I don't feel like I'm almost 30
- I've been dating Itchy for 5 years
- We were friends/coworkers for 2 years prior to our first date
- I was his boss when we started dating
- We are now the proud parents of 2 cats
- I live on a Caribbean island
- It's not what I expected, but if I had the opportunity to do it again, I would
- I hope that some day I will get to travel
- I love the smell of coffee
- But I think it tastes awful
- I was very addicted to Mountain Dew, but I quit cold turkey on December 29th 2004
- I quit after hearing an addiction meeting on the radio (call-in show, they had much more serious addictions, like cocaine and meth). I freaked out that I could identify with so many of them (planning my day around it, did I have enough for the next day or should I get more tonight, etc)
- I love chocolate
- But I don't like chocolate frosting or chocolate cake
- I love to read, doesn't matter what, I just crave reading (which explains my love of the internet)
- I worry too much (it runs in the family, thanks Mom)
- It doesn't take much to annoy me, but it takes a whole hell of a lot to actually make me angry. Once you've made me angry, good luck getting back on my good side. I don't forget the things that make me angry.
- I like dogs but I do not want one of my own. Yet.
- I do not like puppy breath
- I have framed pictures of my cats hanging on my living room walls
- I also have a paw imprint of each cat framed and hanging on the wall
- Someday I want to foster momma cats and their kittens
- I love The Simpsons, Homer still cracks me up even after all these years
- I watch too much tv (The Office, Gilmore Girls reruns, My Boys, etc)
- I have nearly every line from "Tommy Boy" memorized
- I don't wear makeup. Ever.
- "Doing my hair" consists of pulling it into a ponytail
- My favorite shoes are flip flops
- But I prefer to be barefoot
- Favorite color is blue (almost always has been, went through a brief yellow phase though)
- Autumn is my favorite season (the colors, the brisk clean air, the apples)
- I'm a bit of a germaphobe, the thought of sharing a glass with someone grosses me out
- I check my email at least 5 times a day
- I love sleeping in and I am really good at it
- I'm afraid of koalas
- And snakes in cages
- I never really had a nickname as a kid, Itchy has remedied that and rarely calls me by my given name
- I love the idea of having fresh flowers in my house
- But since the cats would just eat them or knock them over, I won't buy them
- I love a good bargain. Sometimes I want to buy things just because I can get a good deal. It's a sickness, I need medication.
- My dream car is pretty boring (Lexus ES in Black Sapphire Pearl with a black interior)
- My first car was a white Malibu
- Oddly, my first rental car was also a white Malibu
- I like the idea of bubble baths, but I find baths to be kind of gross. I prefer showers.
- I'm very sensitive to the chlorine in pools and often get really, really sick just from being near a pool
- I am nearly blind without glasses/contacts
- I need a fan/air conditioner running for me to sleep (totally Itchy's fault)
- I must have at least one blanket, not just a sheet, on me when I sleep
- I can NOT have the sheets/blankets tucked in at the foot of the bed
- The starting of every sentence with "I" is bugging me
- I played the clarinet in elementary/middle school, but I always wanted to play the drums
- I have no ear for other languages, can't really understand people that speak with a heavy accent, and despite years of Spanish class, I speak no Spanish
- You know those surveys that pop up on some websites, I take them every single time they pop up for me
- I also enter myself in numerous online contests, but never win
- Which explains why I also saved the "Turkey Points" from every package of Jeannie O Turkey that Itchy and I bought (we received a t-shirt, beach blanket, Frisbee, and cookbook)
- I am the baby of the family
- The typical profile for the botf (lazy, absent minded, self centered, etc) doesn't really fit me
- I had braces for 4 years
- Thanks to my wisdom teeth, my teeth are no longer straight
- Speaking of wisdom teeth, all 4 of mine are impacted
- I performed in a talent show as a child, I did a magic show (it did not go well)
- Unless countless hours of babysitting counts, my first job was in a soil testing lab
- My sister got me that job (easiest job ever)
- Although stupid people annoy me, I find them amusing
- Speaking of the stupid, I once corrected 2 fellow college students that sign language was not, in fact, used by the blind. I still find this story hilarious.
- I have very little tolerance for inconsiderate people
- I feared being called on in class (even if I knew the answer)
- My eyes change color (ranging from gray, bright blue, and green)
- I like to go fishing and am perfectly content to catch nothing
- I do not like to eat fish
- I do eat and enjoy other seafood (mmm, lobster)
- I'd like to have children soon
- Even though Itchy has not proposed, we have theoretically chosen the date
- I also have a potential location, color, and flower picked out
- But I wouldn't mind eloping in Vegas (big, fancy weddings aren't my thing)
- While in Vegas, I want to see Wayne Newton (he's an icon!)
- I have big feet (size 11)
- I trip over them constantly
- I've never had a manicure or pedicure
- My ears and my nose are pierced (ears hurt way more)
- I often think about piercing my tongue but chicken out and now I feel too old to do it
- I once drew a picture of a stick person, next to a lake, with a giant smiley faced sun as an answer on a final. In college. They did not give me credit. I can not blame them. It looked a little like this:
- Favorite food has always been, currently is, and shall always be pizza (toppings may change, but I love me some pizza)
- I have tried sushi, I wanted to like it, but I just don't
- I'm all too aware that many of these things are about food, it's no wonder I am overweight
- I once dropped my mom's (was her grandma's) kitchen aid mixer on my foot. It sliced my big toe and I still have a scar (the mixer was fine though it lived for many more years). I didn't tell my mom that it happened even though it probably should have had stitches.
- I don't put ketchup on my burger, I put it on the plate and then dip my burger into it
- I was accused of breaking my arm, on purpose, to get out of playing volleyball by my gym teacher (I didn't, I was pushed)
- I've seen a dolphin give birth
- I've bottled-fed at least 15 different animal species (moose, red panda, pronghorn, rabbit, hare, red squirrel, gray squirrel, raccoon, white tail deer, beaver, dog, cat, gray fox, red fox, opossum, mice, etc)
- The last concert I went to was Modest Mouse (Camper Van Beethoven opened for them)
- What now? was a phrase I often used. Not in the harsh, what do you want now kind of way, but in the sorry, I wasn't paying attention, what did you say just now variety. I like to pretend that I am a better listener now.
- I've yelled at a complete stranger
- But I try to be polite and kind (karma and all that)
- The first real musical (you know, not a high school production) I went to was Rent
- I was born in the year of the Monkey, which is odd because I collected them (stuffed, figurines, etc) as a child/teen. I had hundreds of them. I gave almost all of them away.
- I wanted to be Jane Goodall/Diane Fosey
- I don't really know what I want to be now
ETA: The combo of #1 and #100 scare me more than a little.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Holy Birthday Batman!
We had a birthday weekend extravaganza this past weekend. We went to our friend Mohawk's surprise birthday party on Friday night. We felt pretty old. We're 4 years older than him and 8 years older than his girlfriend (who really couldn't be any nicer). Yikes. But it was a fun night. Not sure if it actually surprised him, but if it wasn't at least he pretended.
Then on Saturday, our Other friends were throwing a party for Itchy and J. Her birthday was on Friday (I think) and Itchy's birthday was on Sunday. So a combined party was had. I was still a little tired from the night before, but it was a pretty relaxing night anyway. It was at Shots' house and she just got a new puppy. He is too freaking cute.
Sunday we had football. It was Itchy's birthday and all he wanted was a win. Not only did they win, but Itchy got a touchdown! Yay! I made Itchy a delicious birthday omelet after the game. He didn't want cake or anything so that's all we did. He had a test on Monday morning so we couldn't really do anything anyway. On a rather sad note, Itchy's own mother did not remember his birthday. She called last week to remind Itchy to call his dad on Sunday and when he said that it was HIS day and they should call him, she did not know why. He told her it was his birthday. On the other hand, MY mom not only remembered but sent a card.
We went to the beach on Monday after Itchy's test. More fun was had by all. I love the beach. It was hot out and the water was really, really warm. Almost creepy warm. The biggest surprise was that I didn't get sunburned! What can I say, wearing a hat and a t-shirt will help with that.
After the beach, Itchy and I went out to dinner for his birthday. It was difficult to choose a restaurant because none of them are really that good. Eventually, we chose one. Of course, it was also the busiest (probably) restaurant on the island. It took forever to get the food. And when we did get our food, I was pretty disappointed. I wanted steak. So I ordered steak. Itchy ordered a steak and onion sandwich. I got this dinky little steak and a little mound of mashed potatoes. Itchy's plate was overflowing with food. Giant sandwich and a huge pile of fries. For half the price. I was pretty hungry so I was regretting my choice a little. I mean, he may not have the best cut of steak, but it was still steak.
It the end though, my steak was really freaking amazing. Totally what I wanted. I'm not just saying that either. It was really, really good.
The only downside to the whole weekend was that Itchy lost his cell phone. Not a huge surprise since he loses things often. But he lost it twice this weekend. Once at a gas station on Friday night (a local kid flagged us down and gave it back) and then again on Monday. For a guy that loses stuff as often as he does, he gave up on finding his cell phone pretty quickly. By the time we got back from the beach on Monday he had already decided it was gone forever.
So today we went to buy him a new phone. Nothing fancy, but certainly nicer than the ones that we got when we got down here in August 2006. Itchy was busy doing homework so I was playing with it. I'll admit I was a little jealous that Itchy got a new phone and I didn't. Itchy must have realized that because he gave me the new phone and he took my old one. So now I have a fun new phone (same phone numbers for both of us though)!
As some of you may have noticed, this is my 99th post. It is tradition to do a "100 things about me" post as your 100th post. Something for all of you to look forward to. It'll probably be up by the end of the week.
ETA: I totally called the NBA finals! I told Itchy weeks ago that the Boston Celtics (and my beloved Kevin Garnett) would win the Finals in Game 6, with KG getting a triple double. He may not have gotten a triple double, but he still had a great game that resulted in a ring.
Then on Saturday, our Other friends were throwing a party for Itchy and J. Her birthday was on Friday (I think) and Itchy's birthday was on Sunday. So a combined party was had. I was still a little tired from the night before, but it was a pretty relaxing night anyway. It was at Shots' house and she just got a new puppy. He is too freaking cute.
Sunday we had football. It was Itchy's birthday and all he wanted was a win. Not only did they win, but Itchy got a touchdown! Yay! I made Itchy a delicious birthday omelet after the game. He didn't want cake or anything so that's all we did. He had a test on Monday morning so we couldn't really do anything anyway. On a rather sad note, Itchy's own mother did not remember his birthday. She called last week to remind Itchy to call his dad on Sunday and when he said that it was HIS day and they should call him, she did not know why. He told her it was his birthday. On the other hand, MY mom not only remembered but sent a card.
We went to the beach on Monday after Itchy's test. More fun was had by all. I love the beach. It was hot out and the water was really, really warm. Almost creepy warm. The biggest surprise was that I didn't get sunburned! What can I say, wearing a hat and a t-shirt will help with that.
After the beach, Itchy and I went out to dinner for his birthday. It was difficult to choose a restaurant because none of them are really that good. Eventually, we chose one. Of course, it was also the busiest (probably) restaurant on the island. It took forever to get the food. And when we did get our food, I was pretty disappointed. I wanted steak. So I ordered steak. Itchy ordered a steak and onion sandwich. I got this dinky little steak and a little mound of mashed potatoes. Itchy's plate was overflowing with food. Giant sandwich and a huge pile of fries. For half the price. I was pretty hungry so I was regretting my choice a little. I mean, he may not have the best cut of steak, but it was still steak.
It the end though, my steak was really freaking amazing. Totally what I wanted. I'm not just saying that either. It was really, really good.
The only downside to the whole weekend was that Itchy lost his cell phone. Not a huge surprise since he loses things often. But he lost it twice this weekend. Once at a gas station on Friday night (a local kid flagged us down and gave it back) and then again on Monday. For a guy that loses stuff as often as he does, he gave up on finding his cell phone pretty quickly. By the time we got back from the beach on Monday he had already decided it was gone forever.
So today we went to buy him a new phone. Nothing fancy, but certainly nicer than the ones that we got when we got down here in August 2006. Itchy was busy doing homework so I was playing with it. I'll admit I was a little jealous that Itchy got a new phone and I didn't. Itchy must have realized that because he gave me the new phone and he took my old one. So now I have a fun new phone (same phone numbers for both of us though)!
As some of you may have noticed, this is my 99th post. It is tradition to do a "100 things about me" post as your 100th post. Something for all of you to look forward to. It'll probably be up by the end of the week.
ETA: I totally called the NBA finals! I told Itchy weeks ago that the Boston Celtics (and my beloved Kevin Garnett) would win the Finals in Game 6, with KG getting a triple double. He may not have gotten a triple double, but he still had a great game that resulted in a ring.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Research
I'm moving. Not yet, but soon. See the ticker at the bottom of my blog. April 2009 and we are out of here.
Problem is that we don't know where. We won't know until sometime in January 2009 (maybe even February). We've been pretending that we'll have some say in it, but it's beginning to look like it's pretty random and not up to us at all.
Itchy's school requires students to complete their 4th year in a stateside school. There are 28 vet schools in the US. Only about 20 of them will accept students from Itchy's school. Itchy will get to submit his top three choices and (this is where the pretending comes into play) hopefully he will be sent to one of them.
He will submit his choices this fall so we have been thinking about this a lot. We saw the list of options and immediately eliminated over half of them. Just based on geography. There are places that we just don't want to live. I've been researching our remaining 7 choices. Plus one school that seems to take a lot of students.
Places that seemed like an obvious choice are now at the bottom of the list. One place is off the list completely. The school that takes a lot of students makes me want to cry. It sounds just awful. The school itself is fine, but the location is terrible. The research has given us a pretty good idea of where we want to go. We have some hypothetical lists set up. Again, pretending that we have some say in this.
Realistically, certain schools are guaranteed a certain number of students. Itchy's school is obligated to send them. Other schools will only take a few people. This is why it's so random. If 20 people all pick the same school, but that school only takes 3 people, how do they choose? It doesn't seem like it based completely on grades. Only a couple of schools do interviews, so it's not based on that. So what is it? Extracurriculars? Do they talk to Professors? Or is it random? It just seems so unfair. If Itchy studies all the time and then gets good grades, shouldn't that matter?
Not knowing where we are going doesn't really bother me. Sure, there are options that would really suck but I'm pretending that we won't go there.
Problem is that we don't know where. We won't know until sometime in January 2009 (maybe even February). We've been pretending that we'll have some say in it, but it's beginning to look like it's pretty random and not up to us at all.
Itchy's school requires students to complete their 4th year in a stateside school. There are 28 vet schools in the US. Only about 20 of them will accept students from Itchy's school. Itchy will get to submit his top three choices and (this is where the pretending comes into play) hopefully he will be sent to one of them.
He will submit his choices this fall so we have been thinking about this a lot. We saw the list of options and immediately eliminated over half of them. Just based on geography. There are places that we just don't want to live. I've been researching our remaining 7 choices. Plus one school that seems to take a lot of students.
Places that seemed like an obvious choice are now at the bottom of the list. One place is off the list completely. The school that takes a lot of students makes me want to cry. It sounds just awful. The school itself is fine, but the location is terrible. The research has given us a pretty good idea of where we want to go. We have some hypothetical lists set up. Again, pretending that we have some say in this.
Realistically, certain schools are guaranteed a certain number of students. Itchy's school is obligated to send them. Other schools will only take a few people. This is why it's so random. If 20 people all pick the same school, but that school only takes 3 people, how do they choose? It doesn't seem like it based completely on grades. Only a couple of schools do interviews, so it's not based on that. So what is it? Extracurriculars? Do they talk to Professors? Or is it random? It just seems so unfair. If Itchy studies all the time and then gets good grades, shouldn't that matter?
Not knowing where we are going doesn't really bother me. Sure, there are options that would really suck but I'm pretending that we won't go there.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
A Bug's Life
No, not the movie. The bugs that are trying to live in my house. In the last week or so we've seen a noticeable increase in bug traffic.
We live in the tropics so it's understood that we will have an occasional bug. Usually a large bug. Doesn't mean that I like it, but I get it. We've been pretty lucky, as we haven't had THAT many bugs. Rumor has it that some apartments get centipedes on a very regular basis.
However, we've definitely seen an increase in bugs. I'm not talking flies here people. Cockroaches. Centipedes. Ants. Disgusting.
The centipedes are the hardest to kill. They drink Raid like it's a fine wine. They bench press the heavy books we throw on them. Only a combo of Raid, Miller's Anatomy of the Dog (a nearly 7 lb book), a good beating with a heavy shoe, and sometimes a special slashing with a dedicated centipede knife will kill the bastards. Did I mention that they bite? They also run at you. Most sane bugs run away from you. Not these crazy fucks, they run right at you.
The one that Cuddles alerted us to the other night was probably only 7 inches long. Once I realized what he was looking at I flew over there to 1.)get him away from it and 2.) kill it. I have no mercy for them. If they are in my house, looking at my cat, and touching my stuff, well then they are going to die. They want to live, then stay outside.
Just about an hour ago, Itchy was caught off guard by a cockroach. He screamed like a little girl. I went in to his cave to kill it with Raid but it had gone under the bed. Patches, being the champion bug hunter that she is, ran after it. I don't like to spray POISON by my cats so I grabbed her and got her out of the way. Itchy moved the dresser and then Patches ran under the bed again. She forced it out from under there. Once it was out in the open it was easy to kill.
Those are just 2 of the bugs we've had recently. I'm tired of them. They creep me out. What if they are climbing on me when I sleep? I jokingly told people that I was going to live in a huge bubble while we were down here. Now I wonder if it would be possible. Maybe just for around the bed. At least I'd be protected while I sleep. Hmm, something like this might work.
We live in the tropics so it's understood that we will have an occasional bug. Usually a large bug. Doesn't mean that I like it, but I get it. We've been pretty lucky, as we haven't had THAT many bugs. Rumor has it that some apartments get centipedes on a very regular basis.
However, we've definitely seen an increase in bugs. I'm not talking flies here people. Cockroaches. Centipedes. Ants. Disgusting.
The centipedes are the hardest to kill. They drink Raid like it's a fine wine. They bench press the heavy books we throw on them. Only a combo of Raid, Miller's Anatomy of the Dog (a nearly 7 lb book), a good beating with a heavy shoe, and sometimes a special slashing with a dedicated centipede knife will kill the bastards. Did I mention that they bite? They also run at you. Most sane bugs run away from you. Not these crazy fucks, they run right at you.
The one that Cuddles alerted us to the other night was probably only 7 inches long. Once I realized what he was looking at I flew over there to 1.)get him away from it and 2.) kill it. I have no mercy for them. If they are in my house, looking at my cat, and touching my stuff, well then they are going to die. They want to live, then stay outside.
Just about an hour ago, Itchy was caught off guard by a cockroach. He screamed like a little girl. I went in to his cave to kill it with Raid but it had gone under the bed. Patches, being the champion bug hunter that she is, ran after it. I don't like to spray POISON by my cats so I grabbed her and got her out of the way. Itchy moved the dresser and then Patches ran under the bed again. She forced it out from under there. Once it was out in the open it was easy to kill.
Those are just 2 of the bugs we've had recently. I'm tired of them. They creep me out. What if they are climbing on me when I sleep? I jokingly told people that I was going to live in a huge bubble while we were down here. Now I wonder if it would be possible. Maybe just for around the bed. At least I'd be protected while I sleep. Hmm, something like this might work.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Crazy cat lady?
I readily admit that I am a crazy cat lady in training. These days, I'm wondering if the training isn't complete. I wonder if I will get a certificate? Granted, I only have two cats and I don't live alone (I swear, Itchy is a real person) so I don't know if I can ever truly be a crazy cat lady.
I have provided my cats with an Office Complex (I'm not sure what they do, but I know it involves typing and filing), a high rise Condo, a very nice Hobo Condo, a Cat Clubhouse, a tent (in case they would like to go camping and 'get away from it all'), a screened patio conveniently located to home and work (to watch birds, lizard and other cats), more toys than they could ever want, and of course, all of the furniture essentially belongs to them as well.
Think I'm joking? Here's the proof:
So, if the Society of Crazy Cat Ladies think I have completed my training, I would like my certificate now. I know just where to hang it.
ETA: This is not ALL of their stuff. I also have a 2 kitchen cabinets filled with their stuff (extra food, toothbrushes, 5 different hair brushes, new toys, treats, etc), there is a cat bed on my dresser, they have a feeding station, a drinking station, and a bathroom of their own.
I have provided my cats with an Office Complex (I'm not sure what they do, but I know it involves typing and filing), a high rise Condo, a very nice Hobo Condo, a Cat Clubhouse, a tent (in case they would like to go camping and 'get away from it all'), a screened patio conveniently located to home and work (to watch birds, lizard and other cats), more toys than they could ever want, and of course, all of the furniture essentially belongs to them as well.
Think I'm joking? Here's the proof:
So, if the Society of Crazy Cat Ladies think I have completed my training, I would like my certificate now. I know just where to hang it.
ETA: This is not ALL of their stuff. I also have a 2 kitchen cabinets filled with their stuff (extra food, toothbrushes, 5 different hair brushes, new toys, treats, etc), there is a cat bed on my dresser, they have a feeding station, a drinking station, and a bathroom of their own.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Horribly depressing
Last night Itchy and I were talking about my upcoming trip. With the price of gas, I would really have to limit how much driving I was going to do, which limits the things that I will be doing (I'm pretty much going to be sitting in a hotel hoping that people come to me). I'm debating with myself at the moment about whether or not I actually need a rental car. I also need to rethink the whole flying vs driving from Big City to Small City. I'm thinking flying might actually be about the same price and a hell of a lot more convenient for everyone involved. It's not like people were going to be making that trip just for fun, they were doing it because of me. Guilt is telling me to just book a flight.
Then Itchy tells me that he's actually worried about the future. Now, I know that this is not unusual, as everyone is worried. The economy sucks. But Itchy doesn't worry about many things. He believes that everything will just work out. I'm the worrier. It drove me nuts when we were moving down here and he wasn't worried about anything. I had a list about a mile long of things I was worried about. So Itchy telling me that he was worried, made me worry. A lot.
The profession that he is going into isn't going to be stable. People can't afford to feed their kids, they sure as hell can not afford to get the dog's teeth cleaned. Pets are a luxury. Pets are expensive. People are going to be forced to give them up. If they do decide to keep them, they're going to cut back on their medical costs. Does he really need blood work done? Can't we just wait it out?
This is going to affect Itchy's potential income. If no one can afford to take their pets to the vet, that means no paycheck. Ironically, there was an article in Yahoo news about this very thing topic today. My degree isn't going to help either. They've already cut those jobs. The jobs they haven't cut yet pay crap (as in, you might as well just volunteer). How the hell are we going to pay our bills? Hyperventilating here.
It's not like the economy is suddenly going to get better. Gas prices aren't going down. Jobs aren't being created. The whole situation is just horribly depressing.
Then Itchy tells me that he's actually worried about the future. Now, I know that this is not unusual, as everyone is worried. The economy sucks. But Itchy doesn't worry about many things. He believes that everything will just work out. I'm the worrier. It drove me nuts when we were moving down here and he wasn't worried about anything. I had a list about a mile long of things I was worried about. So Itchy telling me that he was worried, made me worry. A lot.
The profession that he is going into isn't going to be stable. People can't afford to feed their kids, they sure as hell can not afford to get the dog's teeth cleaned. Pets are a luxury. Pets are expensive. People are going to be forced to give them up. If they do decide to keep them, they're going to cut back on their medical costs. Does he really need blood work done? Can't we just wait it out?
This is going to affect Itchy's potential income. If no one can afford to take their pets to the vet, that means no paycheck. Ironically, there was an article in Yahoo news about this very thing topic today. My degree isn't going to help either. They've already cut those jobs. The jobs they haven't cut yet pay crap (as in, you might as well just volunteer). How the hell are we going to pay our bills? Hyperventilating here.
It's not like the economy is suddenly going to get better. Gas prices aren't going down. Jobs aren't being created. The whole situation is just horribly depressing.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Hiccups
Yep, I have them. Again. Second time today. So annoying. Itchy thinks it's funny. I do not. Nothing seems to help them go away. What do you do to get rid of them? I needs new ideas.
So in the spirit of distracting myself (the hiccups really are driving me crazy) we are going to play a game. A good old Google game. It's easy to play. Today's phrase will be "_____ wants". Just go to Google.com, type in your name followed by wants. Put the results in the comments section. It can be amusing. It's like a magic 8 ball. I'll go first.
Lori wants
Your turn. Post it in the comments. You don't even have to post your name, just the results.
ETA: Still have the hiccups, it's going on 45 minutes.
So in the spirit of distracting myself (the hiccups really are driving me crazy) we are going to play a game. A good old Google game. It's easy to play. Today's phrase will be "_____ wants". Just go to Google.com, type in your name followed by wants. Put the results in the comments section. It can be amusing. It's like a magic 8 ball. I'll go first.
Lori wants
- to return home
- to get out of prison
- clients to accompany her on shopping trips
- to go with Declan and attend the Monster Mash together
- to do a presentation on Braille for her school's competition
- to go professional into her barrel racing and go on the Wrangler Tour
- to do more
- a naked cat
- a passport
- to ditch the project
Your turn. Post it in the comments. You don't even have to post your name, just the results.
ETA: Still have the hiccups, it's going on 45 minutes.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Unbelievable
Why Itchy? Why?
We had a deal. We were eating too many sweets. We decided to cut way back on them. You promised that you wouldn't eat the crap at the bake sales*. Unless they had broccoli. We agreed that you could eat as much broccoli as you wanted. So why did you have a brownie today? More importantly, why didn't you bring one home for me? I mean really, if you were going to cheat than I should have at least had the option. Isn't that common knowledge at this point? In case you didn't know, I have a sweet tooth. I crave chocolate all the time. It isn't cool when you come home and tell me that you had a brownie. It's worse when you keep making excuses. I don't care if it was free. I doubt that "it wasn't that good". Just bring home half of the god damn thing!
Oh and we had plans for Saturday. Don't tell me that we can spend the day at the beach if what you mean is that you need to check with your football team first. I don't care if you have practice. You guys need to practice. You agreed to go to practice at 4:30, not 3:00. Leaving the beach at 2:00 is a lot different than leaving at 3:30. That's an hour and a half of beachy fun. And since we probably won't leave for the beach until at least 11, that hour and a half totally counts. You made plans with me first. So what if you told everyone that if they don't show up they shouldn't get to play. Do you really think that anyone else thinks that? Or would actually enforce that? They didn't even take Droppy McDropstheball out of the last game. I know you don't have control over what other people do. I understand that it was a voting situation. Here's the thing, you could have said 7 simple words. "I can not be there until 4". You have control over what YOU do. Football doesn't have to come first.
Of course, if it's raining on Saturday it won't even matter. Let's hope it rains. It'll just be easier. You won't have to check your phone every 20 minutes to see if it's time to leave. You won't have to pretend that you aren't thinking solely about football.
You fail at promises Itchy. Double fail.
*Itchy's school has an unbelievable amount of bake sales. They have 2,385,344 different clubs and whatnot. They all have bake sales to raise money. It's a bit ridiculous.
We had a deal. We were eating too many sweets. We decided to cut way back on them. You promised that you wouldn't eat the crap at the bake sales*. Unless they had broccoli. We agreed that you could eat as much broccoli as you wanted. So why did you have a brownie today? More importantly, why didn't you bring one home for me? I mean really, if you were going to cheat than I should have at least had the option. Isn't that common knowledge at this point? In case you didn't know, I have a sweet tooth. I crave chocolate all the time. It isn't cool when you come home and tell me that you had a brownie. It's worse when you keep making excuses. I don't care if it was free. I doubt that "it wasn't that good". Just bring home half of the god damn thing!
Oh and we had plans for Saturday. Don't tell me that we can spend the day at the beach if what you mean is that you need to check with your football team first. I don't care if you have practice. You guys need to practice. You agreed to go to practice at 4:30, not 3:00. Leaving the beach at 2:00 is a lot different than leaving at 3:30. That's an hour and a half of beachy fun. And since we probably won't leave for the beach until at least 11, that hour and a half totally counts. You made plans with me first. So what if you told everyone that if they don't show up they shouldn't get to play. Do you really think that anyone else thinks that? Or would actually enforce that? They didn't even take Droppy McDropstheball out of the last game. I know you don't have control over what other people do. I understand that it was a voting situation. Here's the thing, you could have said 7 simple words. "I can not be there until 4". You have control over what YOU do. Football doesn't have to come first.
Of course, if it's raining on Saturday it won't even matter. Let's hope it rains. It'll just be easier. You won't have to check your phone every 20 minutes to see if it's time to leave. You won't have to pretend that you aren't thinking solely about football.
You fail at promises Itchy. Double fail.
*Itchy's school has an unbelievable amount of bake sales. They have 2,385,344 different clubs and whatnot. They all have bake sales to raise money. It's a bit ridiculous.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
As the world turns
I feel like I've been busy. I haven't. But it certainly feels that way. I think it's because I'm going to the gym more, football season started up again, and that I am cooking real meals again.
Going to the gym takes up a lot of time. It is not just the hour and a half that we are AT the gym. It's the 20 minutes to get ready, the 10 minutes to drive there and back, and the showering/redressing afterwards. Not to mention the time it takes to do all of the laundry that going to the gym produces.
Football may only be on Sundays but man, it feels like it takes up the whole day. We have to get there early to set up, we stay for all the games, and then I pick up garbage after the games. I still can't believe that people leave behind that much stuff. I fill 2 or 3 garbage bags every week with water bottles. Water bottles that were not there when we got there. We set up the fields. I tend to notice the garbage laying around when we set up. There isn't much. I mean, locals use that field and they do leave behind their share of water bottles and shoes (or parts of shoes). It irritates me that people leave behind that much stuff. I pick it up every week because it's the right thing to do. Sorry about the tangent. Anyway, once we get home we shower and eat. Then it's time to update the football website.
It was Itchy's idea to start a website. I started a blog for him to give him ideas. It's not what he wanted but he's using it. I've done most of the design aspects. It feels like I've been cheating on this blog. Sorry blog.
The cooking thing has taken up a lot of time. I plan all of our meals. I have a 4 week rotation with foods the we like, can get ingredients for, and can afford to eat on a regular basis (obviously, things like steak and lobster are not on this rotation). It takes a lot of time. Once it's done I'm glad I did it but during the process it just seems like a giant pain in the ass. The actual cooking is no problem. Sure it takes longer than the 'already prepared' meals we had been eating (during the 6 weeks we had no cooking gas) but I think it's worth it. But it does take more time. And it creates more dishes. Which I have to wash. Which takes more time away from making seashell necklaces.
On a more fun note, I've got the camera back so I can get some of the pictures I need for future posts. Just have to quit being lazy and get the pictures taken.
Going to the gym takes up a lot of time. It is not just the hour and a half that we are AT the gym. It's the 20 minutes to get ready, the 10 minutes to drive there and back, and the showering/redressing afterwards. Not to mention the time it takes to do all of the laundry that going to the gym produces.
Football may only be on Sundays but man, it feels like it takes up the whole day. We have to get there early to set up, we stay for all the games, and then I pick up garbage after the games. I still can't believe that people leave behind that much stuff. I fill 2 or 3 garbage bags every week with water bottles. Water bottles that were not there when we got there. We set up the fields. I tend to notice the garbage laying around when we set up. There isn't much. I mean, locals use that field and they do leave behind their share of water bottles and shoes (or parts of shoes). It irritates me that people leave behind that much stuff. I pick it up every week because it's the right thing to do. Sorry about the tangent. Anyway, once we get home we shower and eat. Then it's time to update the football website.
It was Itchy's idea to start a website. I started a blog for him to give him ideas. It's not what he wanted but he's using it. I've done most of the design aspects. It feels like I've been cheating on this blog. Sorry blog.
The cooking thing has taken up a lot of time. I plan all of our meals. I have a 4 week rotation with foods the we like, can get ingredients for, and can afford to eat on a regular basis (obviously, things like steak and lobster are not on this rotation). It takes a lot of time. Once it's done I'm glad I did it but during the process it just seems like a giant pain in the ass. The actual cooking is no problem. Sure it takes longer than the 'already prepared' meals we had been eating (during the 6 weeks we had no cooking gas) but I think it's worth it. But it does take more time. And it creates more dishes. Which I have to wash. Which takes more time away from making seashell necklaces.
On a more fun note, I've got the camera back so I can get some of the pictures I need for future posts. Just have to quit being lazy and get the pictures taken.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Wii
I've been reading about the new Wii Fit game. There seems to be quite the demand. Of course, this is just internet buzz. I personally don't know that many people with a Wii. But according to the internet, a lot of people are going to lose weight with their brand new Wii Fit game.
I've seen the graphics for other Wii games and was curious to see if this was all cartoon like as well. It is. It would be better if the character was Mario. He's a fat guy. He could stand to lose some weight. Hell, even Princess Peach has huge hips. She should be a character. It would make the game more fun.
I don't know if it'll actually help people though. It seems like you barely move. I mean, you have to stay on the platform for almost everything. That really limits your range of motion. I guess it would help your balance. It has a yoga section which I suppose could be helpful. I'm just a skeptic though. That's probably because I work my ass off and well, my ass is still huge. How can running, biking, elipiticalling, and lifting weights not work? But stand on a white platform trying to balance on one foot and poof, there goes 10 pounds?
While I was looking for more info, I came across this video. It's pretty funny.
I've seen the graphics for other Wii games and was curious to see if this was all cartoon like as well. It is. It would be better if the character was Mario. He's a fat guy. He could stand to lose some weight. Hell, even Princess Peach has huge hips. She should be a character. It would make the game more fun.
I don't know if it'll actually help people though. It seems like you barely move. I mean, you have to stay on the platform for almost everything. That really limits your range of motion. I guess it would help your balance. It has a yoga section which I suppose could be helpful. I'm just a skeptic though. That's probably because I work my ass off and well, my ass is still huge. How can running, biking, elipiticalling, and lifting weights not work? But stand on a white platform trying to balance on one foot and poof, there goes 10 pounds?
While I was looking for more info, I came across this video. It's pretty funny.
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