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Of Thieves and Droids—Part Deux

On Sunday, we attended our friends’ annual Memorial Weekend party.  On the way there, we had to stop and find a wifi signal to hijack so Husband Fixture could post the final paper for his Master’s course, as we had been without the internet since Thursday.  Once completed, we had even more reason to par-tay.  (Yes, I spelled that correctly)

Our host had recently been inducted as an honorary member of a fraternity at his alma mater, so in addition to the usual crowd, his frat brothers attended.  Oh, how amusing it was to watch our dear friend try to keep up with the college boys.  My hubby and I were among the last few people standing at the end of the night.  Good times. 

The next day, we had to run out for a few things, including a new cell phone.  My phone ended up going for a swim the night before, and as they no longer make that phone, I’d have had to wait a few days for a replacement.  Yeah, not happening.  So I bit the bullet and upgraded to one of the Droid based phones, despite my total lack of interest in the, “there’s an app for that,” craze. But a few of my friends own these devices, so I knew I’d have help setting the danged thing up and using it. 

Then began what we now call the Hangover Redeux.  Basically, we invited a few friends to hang out at our place and nurse our hangovers while the kids ran rampant.  And a member of my personal Geek Squad helped me with my phone.  I’ve almost gotten the hang of it . . .    

Of Thieves and Droids—Part One

First, an update: 

In case you’ve been living under a rock, you already know that Hines Ward won Dancing With the Stars.   Needless to say, I was thrilled.  Now we just need that blasted NFL lockout to end, so he can return to playing football.  

Memorial weekend was rather eventful.  The chaos began on Friday, where I was scheduled to work at the high school library.  I was pumped about this assignment until I arrived to find that a nearby road had been closed and several teachers and subs were going to be late or calling out altogether.  I was re-assigned to a Biology classroom.  As I was reading through the lesson plans, the originally scheduled sub walked in and relieved me. 

My next assignment was for an English classroom, and I actually enjoyed my day—until I went to grab my car keys out of my purse and discovered my wallet was missing!  I dashed back to the classroom (which was at the opposite end of the school from the office, of course) to check that it hadn’t fallen out of my purse or something.  No such luck.  I was telling one of the secretaries that I was going to check my car before filling out a report, and the principal overheard and offered to walk me to my car.  My wallet wasn’t there, either, so the report was filed. 

I dashed home, and began making the necessary phone calls.  Husband Fixture and I were fortunate that I had discovered the theft and were able to report it before any suspicious activity occurred on any of our accounts.    And since I had no cash in my wallet, they pretty much only got a nice Coach wallet out of the deal.  HAH!  Take that, you thieving bastard! 

Not to be deterred from enjoying our weekend, we packed the kids up and sent them off to Grandma’s so we could enjoy dinner and a movie with friends as planned.  Dinner was fabulous, but we did have another snafu at the theater.   The show we wanted to see was sold out, and so was the next one.  So our friend Todd checked the listings for a nearby theater on his iphone and we were in luck.  We parted ways, and I somehow ended up riding with Todd, despite the fact that neither of us knew how to get to this theater.   Mr. Todd’s Wild Ride ensued, as we zipped through traffic and ended up in a residential neighborhood a few streets over from the theater.  I also developed an even more vehement loathing for iphones. 

But we did get to the theater in time to catch Hangover II with the rest of our friends, and enjoyed it thoroughly.  

The Classical and the Crass

I don’t normally watch Dancing With the Stars.  But when one of my favorite athletes, Hines Ward, signed on to do the do the show I made it a priority to tune in.   It is also not my habit to blog about  tv shows, but this week provided way too much fodder for discussion (even if that discussion was only between me, myself, and I). 

This week’s theme was classical, which I really enjoyed.  Even if the dances sucked, I had the chance to listen to some of the most beautiful music ever composed.  The only thing that really bugged me—besides Hines and Kym getting gypped in their scores, was the whole “Bolero” thing that almost every number contained.  For those that don’t get the reference, I guess I’m showing my age here.  Think Olympic ice dancing with  Torvill and Dean. They earned a perfect score (and the gold medal) with their performance to Ravel’s Bolero in 1984.  The number ended with both skaters lying on the ice.  For a few years after that, it seemed every ice dancing number ended with one or both of the team lying on the ice.   

Speaking of death, Kendra really needs to go the hell home.  Not only does she lack the grace and elegance for ballroom dancing, she cannot keep her mouth shut.  When the judges commented on her lack of elegance, she said, “I just don’t care about it.”  The next night, during the results show, Brook Burke asked her about her performance, and she admitted to not feeling her best due to , “womanly things.”  Really classy, Kendra.  

Something I did notice was that Jennifer Hudson (who performed beautifully) wore a dress that made her look like a Polly Pocket doll.  It seemed like it was cut too short, and I was concerned that there would be a wardrobe malfunction.

And speaking of wardrobe malfunctions, what’s up with Kirstie Alley losing her shoe?  Last week her partner dropped her, and this week her shoe comes off.  She just can’t seem to catch a break.  I hope next week goes a bit better for her (though not so well that she beats my boy).

Last but not least, I have to mention that the Lieutenant Len bit was bloody stupid. For those that were lucky enough to miss it, allow me to spoil your blissful ignorance.  Len, one of the judges, dressed up like George Patton with sequin accents. No, I'm not joking.  How I wish I were . . .   The celebrity contestants were dressed in army tees, hats, dog tags, and camo pants.  He barked "orders" at them, as he explained next week's theme to them (songs about America).   I have no problem with doing a cute bit to introduce the next week’s theme, and I get that Len is the toughest of the judges.  But the theme is patriotic songs, and he’s British!  Did I mention the whole bit was stupid?

That’s it for this week’s rant.  GO HINES!!  

Of Gimmicks and Godfathers

My followers (all four of you—thanks!) already know my posting here isn’t exactly regular, and the posts themselves are pretty random.  I originally intended to have a discussion topic per week at least, and possibly feature one famous left hander per post.  That obviously never happened.

And after reading some of the other blogs I follow, I think my main issue is that I don’t have a special theme or features for my blog.  As proclaimed in Gypsy Rose,  “Ya’ gotta’ have a gimmick.” Of course, once this realization smacked me in the head, I began wracking my brain to figure out what my gimmick should be.

I guess I'll be saying hello to his little friend soon.

Thank heaven for Facebook.  I stumbled upon blogging gold the other day, when some of my friends began quoting from the movie Scarface.  Upon my admission that I had never seen this film, I was informed that it was a lot like The Godfather, only more violent.  Uhm . . . I haven’t seen that one, either.*  I was threatened with shunning by my obviously cooler and more culturally savvy friends.   Luckily, they took pity on me instead, and an Al Pacino movie marathon was proposed.  It will take place over several months, watching one or more movies a week (in order), and we’ll take turns hosting.  This will also, I hope, garner me a few more followers. A girl can dream, can't she?

Of course, if I come up with any other brilliant ideas, or have something to get off my chest, I reserve the right to do so—regardless of whether I have any Pacino posting to do. 

*In my defense, I did at least attempt to see The Godfather.  Husband Fixture and I borrowed the boxed set from a coworker of his.  But the first DVD was damaged, and kept skipping.  It drove us so crazy, we couldn’t get through the movie.   

Trippin'

The Husband Fixture and I just returned from a week in sunny, Cancun, Mexico.  We tried to smuggle some of the tropical weather home with us, Customs wouldn’t let us.  Rat bastards!  Since we hadn’t traveled out of the country (by plane) in 15 years, we learned a few things on this trip.  As an educator, I feel it is my duty to share these lessons with ya’ll.  That, and do you really want to hear about what a good time we had lounging by the pool, drinking cocktails all day, and partying every evening?

 We left the house at 0615, dropped the kids at the bus stop/daycare, and got to the airport (Newark) and through security with 1.5 hours to spare.  Gold star for us on that one!

 Our plane arrived late, and we had to run across the Houston (Bush) airport to make our connection--only to have our passports questioned.  (The paper was peeling off the cover from when they got wet on our cruise excursion to Dunn’s River Falls five years ago.)  Thankfully, they held the plane and the Immigration official gave us the green light.  Needless to say, we’ll be replacing our passports when we return.  Grrrrrr!

Travel Tip #1:  If traveling out of the country, make sure your passports are valid and in good condition as soon as you start planning your trip. 

Travel Tip #2:  If possible, take a direct flight to your vacation destination.  The reduction in stress and inconvenience will be well worth the extra cost.

Travel Tip #3:  Make sure you have a pen in your carryon bag, so you can fill out the Immigration cards and your Customs declaration forms. 

Once in Cancun, we had to wait to get through Immigration and Customs, which was mildly annoying. But it was really frustrating to find out that when Expedia changed our flight information (the airline cancelled our original flight), they didn’t update the transport company, so we had to wait for almost an hour to get spots on a van to get to the resort. 

Travel Tip #4:  Unless you booked your   trip with a travel agent, make sure you confirm all reservations directly through the vendor, especially if there are any changes to your reservations. 

Travel Tip #5:  If you book a shuttle service, go directly to their booth.  Do not stop for all the vendors that are near the exit. There will be ample opportunities to book excursions once you get to the resort/hotel. 

Travel Tip #6:  If you bring any liquids/gels with you in your checked bags (ie sunscreen), make sure you put those containers in plastic baggies.  This way if they leak, they won’t get all over everything else in your luggage. 

Travel Tip #7:  A driver’s license will usually suffice for I.D. once you get through Immigration in Mexico, so put your Passports in the hotel safe.  If you insist on keeping them with you, keep them in Ziploc baggies. 

Travel Tip #8:  If you must have your phone with you, check with your wireless carrier about the rates for global roaming INCLUDING DATA so that you’re not unpleasantly surprised with a whopping bill when you get home.   

Travel Tip #9:  Bring snacks with you for the plane rides, as most airlines now charge for any food (even pretzels). 

Travel Tip#10: Pack your shoes in with your checked baggage, because apparently, TSA officials find them fascinating.  (They checked my shoe bag TWICE at the airport in Cancun!)

Travel Tip#11:  For all-inclusive resorts (or at least the one at which we stayed), it’s a good idea to bring your own insulated cups.  They’ll keep your drinks cold, and save you trips to the bar.  Oh, and you can pack your swimsuits in them, too. 

As I said, we had a wonderful time, but the trip home was LONG and tiring.  We lost two hours from Cancun to Newark, and we were still adjusting to Daylight Savings Time.  Blech!  Coming home to a house that looked like a tornado hit it didn’t help, either. 

Travel Tip #12:  Only bother to clean your house before going away if NO ONE will be there while you’re gone.  Otherwise, you’ll be wasting your time. 

Travel Tip #13:  Take an extra day off so that you don’t have to go right back to work the next day after vacation.  It will give you the much needed time to rest and get your house back to rights/do laundry/spoil your neglected pets.  

Mommysaurus Rex

I think it’s time I face facts.  I am a dinosaur.  Oh, this isn’t about my age, this is about the fact that my children and some of my friends have hinted (or stated outright) that I’m behind the times when it comes to my children’s access to technology.

My children do not have cell phones, nor do I plan to let them have one any time soon.  They do not have Facebook accounts, and in fact are rarely on the computer.  We have a “family laptop” that they may use, with our express permission.  Their accounts are parent-controlled, including the times that they may log in (between 7:00AM and 8:59PM).  They don’t even have tvs in their rooms.   

Lest anyone think I am a technophobe, they do have Zunes with the touch screens and Nintendo DS’s.  But they are only permitted to use them on the weekends.   Oh, and . . .  Hello!  You’re reading my BLOG, so I obviously do not object to technology as a whole. 

Part of this is because I feel it’s my job as a parent to monitor how my children spend their time, and to what material they have access.   All too often, I hear stories of kids being cyber-bullied, running up their parents’ phone bills,  or sending/receiving inappropriate texts.  I hear about kids (girls especially) who maintain contact with someone their parents have deemed a bad influence.  I’ve seen evidence of this in the classroom, too.  I have watched kids texting through their pockets, or by putting the phone in their desks while they fake reading.  Yes, if I catch them, I send the phone down to the office.  They know the rules. 

I’m sure eventually, as my kids get older, I may find it necessary (or at least convenient) to adjust my stance on these things. And at that time, you will likely begin to tire of my tirades on the inevitable nonsense that will ensue.  But for now, my archaic foot remains planted firmly in the ground.