Sorry for not blogging much these days. Spend too much time on Facebook or getting other things done.
Will return soon.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Journey in Atlantic City
I told one of the directors at work that I had won tickets to see Journey in Atlantic City. He said, "What? You're going on a journey?" Every time I go to a concert, he has no idea what or the band is. We went to a conference and the entertainment event was Don Henley. He sent me an email and said who is Don Henley and would I like his music?
Anyway, I won a radio contest and received two tickets to see Journey Friday night. Asked around and one of my friends was able to go with me. We wanted to leave around two, but due to work, we didn't really get going until 3:30.
We got to the Borgata in time to grab a quick bite to eat before the show. If you haven't been there before, it is a small theater, about 1,000 seats. I was happy to win the tickets, but I wasn't overly eager to go see Journey. I honestly didn't know much about them other than hearing their songs over the years. It was funny a few months ago, my now 14-year old son was telling me about his favorite song. He played it for me and it was the Journey song, Don't Stop Believing.
That is what I thought of when I thought of the band Journey - love songs - Faithfully; Don't Stop Believing; Anyway You Want It; Loving, Touching, Squeezing; Open Arms.....
The band came out on stage and my first impression was, they are old which means I am old. Weathered faces, mature bodies, holding their guitars and winking at the people in the front row, putting on their "hot rocker" gestures and expressions. Then their new lead singer came out. (I say new, but he's been with them since 2007.) He was little, Filipino, and leaping all over the stage, playing the air guitar, throwing his cordless microphone from hand to hand or flipping it up and catching it. He looked in his early 30's - a sharp contrast to the other band members. He sounded like Steve Perry. He overly emoted his facial expressions along with the lyrics and my first thought was Karoke! I felt that disconnect for almost the first half of the set. But by the end of the show, I wasn't thinking about the age of the members, their expressions or their gestures - I was immersed into the music. And, the band members seemed to warm up as well. I have to confess at the end of the night, I wasn't thinking that Noel and Jonathan were old and trying to look like younger rockers. I was actually thinking they were pretty hot and they could wink at me anytime.
But at the same time I was experiencing the disconnect with Arnel, I was struck by the expertise of the band members - Noel Schon, Deen Castronovo and Jonathan Cain. The live version of their songs allowed for much more extensive instrumentals than what a radio allows. We couldn't remember who their lead singer used to be - knew it was Steve... but couldn't think of the last name - so I googled Journey from my phone. We were shocked that Arnel, the new lead, was 41 years old. He doesn't look like he is in his 40's! But I also learned that Noel picked up the guitar for the first time when he was 5 and was professionally touring as part of Santana when he was 15. At 55, he is still incredible on the guitar and had many solos last night.
Deen, also sang many of the songs last night. Arnel cannot sing every song, not with the intensity of how he is singing the songs. (I liked it better when he was not trying as hard to sound like Steve Perry, but he is very good. Can you believe they found him on the internet by seeing some YouTube videos of some cover songs?) Deen is an fantastic drummer and it amazes me how someone can be as vigorous a drummer as he, while singing at the same time. Or, likewise, be jumping and running all over the stage, but at the same time singing without sounding like you are out of breath! Deen and Arnel got quite a workout during the set, but at least Arnel got the chance to run backstage every two or three songs. Vocals were alternated by Arnel, Deen and Jonathan. Every band member had the opportunity to perform at least one solo, generally more, to showcase their talents independently.
They played about two hours or so. Their tour schedule doesn't seem to be giving them too many nights off - they play again tonight, and two more times this week.
Anyway, I won a radio contest and received two tickets to see Journey Friday night. Asked around and one of my friends was able to go with me. We wanted to leave around two, but due to work, we didn't really get going until 3:30.
We got to the Borgata in time to grab a quick bite to eat before the show. If you haven't been there before, it is a small theater, about 1,000 seats. I was happy to win the tickets, but I wasn't overly eager to go see Journey. I honestly didn't know much about them other than hearing their songs over the years. It was funny a few months ago, my now 14-year old son was telling me about his favorite song. He played it for me and it was the Journey song, Don't Stop Believing.
That is what I thought of when I thought of the band Journey - love songs - Faithfully; Don't Stop Believing; Anyway You Want It; Loving, Touching, Squeezing; Open Arms.....
The band came out on stage and my first impression was, they are old which means I am old. Weathered faces, mature bodies, holding their guitars and winking at the people in the front row, putting on their "hot rocker" gestures and expressions. Then their new lead singer came out. (I say new, but he's been with them since 2007.) He was little, Filipino, and leaping all over the stage, playing the air guitar, throwing his cordless microphone from hand to hand or flipping it up and catching it. He looked in his early 30's - a sharp contrast to the other band members. He sounded like Steve Perry. He overly emoted his facial expressions along with the lyrics and my first thought was Karoke! I felt that disconnect for almost the first half of the set. But by the end of the show, I wasn't thinking about the age of the members, their expressions or their gestures - I was immersed into the music. And, the band members seemed to warm up as well. I have to confess at the end of the night, I wasn't thinking that Noel and Jonathan were old and trying to look like younger rockers. I was actually thinking they were pretty hot and they could wink at me anytime.
But at the same time I was experiencing the disconnect with Arnel, I was struck by the expertise of the band members - Noel Schon, Deen Castronovo and Jonathan Cain. The live version of their songs allowed for much more extensive instrumentals than what a radio allows. We couldn't remember who their lead singer used to be - knew it was Steve... but couldn't think of the last name - so I googled Journey from my phone. We were shocked that Arnel, the new lead, was 41 years old. He doesn't look like he is in his 40's! But I also learned that Noel picked up the guitar for the first time when he was 5 and was professionally touring as part of Santana when he was 15. At 55, he is still incredible on the guitar and had many solos last night.
Deen, also sang many of the songs last night. Arnel cannot sing every song, not with the intensity of how he is singing the songs. (I liked it better when he was not trying as hard to sound like Steve Perry, but he is very good. Can you believe they found him on the internet by seeing some YouTube videos of some cover songs?) Deen is an fantastic drummer and it amazes me how someone can be as vigorous a drummer as he, while singing at the same time. Or, likewise, be jumping and running all over the stage, but at the same time singing without sounding like you are out of breath! Deen and Arnel got quite a workout during the set, but at least Arnel got the chance to run backstage every two or three songs. Vocals were alternated by Arnel, Deen and Jonathan. Every band member had the opportunity to perform at least one solo, generally more, to showcase their talents independently.
They played about two hours or so. Their tour schedule doesn't seem to be giving them too many nights off - they play again tonight, and two more times this week.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Commuters and Regular Drivers
While driving to Philadelphia to see Billy Joel/Elton John last week with two friends, it occurred to me that I am no longer a regular driver. Actually, re-occurred or maybe just verbalized by me, because I have thought about it before.
When I was a child, we would go on family vacations and spent days in the station wagon on the road - to Florida or to Canada. Often we would go with another family and would follow that family in our car. Mr B was a traveling salesman. He flashed his lights at people who didn't drive fast enough or stayed in the left lane too long. He gestured a lot and was impatient. We tried to keep up with him, often times driving too quickly or switching lanes too often for my parents' liking.
Since I have become a long-distance commuter, I have become Mr. B. I don't flash my lights or gesture, but I am increasingly impatient and angry at drivers who drive the speed limit or slightly above the speed limit in the left hand lane. How dare someone go into the EZPass lane and slow down or God forbid, stop in the EZPass lane?!? My carpool members are also the same way. We take an evil pleasure in blocking someone from passing us on the right when we see them weave in and out of the lanes behind us. We mutter under our breaths when someone is driving too slowly in the left hand lane and refuses to move over to let us on our way. We glare at other drivers who cut us off and then later end up beside us.
Some of us react more strongly than others. One man in my carpool is by most appearances, very mild-mannered, and old-fashioned. He doesn't drink, doesn't swear and doesn't like to talk about 'questionable' topics. But behind the wheel of the car, he demonstrates a very strong road rage. Flash your lights at him and he is going to block your way in the left lane and refuse to let you pass. Cut him off by passing on the right and he is going to ride as close to the back of your car as he can.
I'd like to rig up my video camera as a dashboard cam so I could show some of the horrible driving we encounter. And, as we joked yesterday morning, our carpool stories and banter could make for a very successful comedy sitcom. A dashboard cam could pick up those stories as well!
When I was a child, we would go on family vacations and spent days in the station wagon on the road - to Florida or to Canada. Often we would go with another family and would follow that family in our car. Mr B was a traveling salesman. He flashed his lights at people who didn't drive fast enough or stayed in the left lane too long. He gestured a lot and was impatient. We tried to keep up with him, often times driving too quickly or switching lanes too often for my parents' liking.
Since I have become a long-distance commuter, I have become Mr. B. I don't flash my lights or gesture, but I am increasingly impatient and angry at drivers who drive the speed limit or slightly above the speed limit in the left hand lane. How dare someone go into the EZPass lane and slow down or God forbid, stop in the EZPass lane?!? My carpool members are also the same way. We take an evil pleasure in blocking someone from passing us on the right when we see them weave in and out of the lanes behind us. We mutter under our breaths when someone is driving too slowly in the left hand lane and refuses to move over to let us on our way. We glare at other drivers who cut us off and then later end up beside us.
Some of us react more strongly than others. One man in my carpool is by most appearances, very mild-mannered, and old-fashioned. He doesn't drink, doesn't swear and doesn't like to talk about 'questionable' topics. But behind the wheel of the car, he demonstrates a very strong road rage. Flash your lights at him and he is going to block your way in the left lane and refuse to let you pass. Cut him off by passing on the right and he is going to ride as close to the back of your car as he can.
I'd like to rig up my video camera as a dashboard cam so I could show some of the horrible driving we encounter. And, as we joked yesterday morning, our carpool stories and banter could make for a very successful comedy sitcom. A dashboard cam could pick up those stories as well!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Doesn't Seem Right
When he was alive, the headlines were about how strange he was, how strange he looked, how strange he acted.... Now he is dead and all the people are being interviewed, saying they knew he was abusing drugs, they knew there were problems and they desperately tried to save him. Did they really do all they could? Now the headlines are all about him, news coverage 24/7, praising him, but at the same time, sensationalizing his finances, his lifestyle, his manner of death....
Millions of people are mourning his death, gathering in large crowds across the globe, buying tributes of flowers and other gifts to mourn his death.
Protestors are dying in Iran. Children are dying in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and Darfur. Where are the millions protesting and spending money on tributes or aid? Is it that as individuals, we feel there is nothing we can do?
Millions of people are mourning his death, gathering in large crowds across the globe, buying tributes of flowers and other gifts to mourn his death.
Protestors are dying in Iran. Children are dying in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and Darfur. Where are the millions protesting and spending money on tributes or aid? Is it that as individuals, we feel there is nothing we can do?
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Political Unrest
Heard today that North Korea is going to annihilate the US. Why? Because inspecting one of their ships would be considered an act of war.
Heard today an Iranian protestor beg a tv correspondent to help the Iranian protestors. She cried and screamed on the phone, pleading for help, saying that they were being destroyed by the regime, asking why wouldn't anyone help them? He didn't know how to respond to her and there was an awkward silence after her pleas.
Heard today, the Iranian government say that Neda was shot by terrorist conspirators who set it up to look like the government killed her and then I heard them say that the government may have shot her, but it was an accident because they thought she was the sister of a terrorist.
Heard today a governor ask for forgiveness from his wife, his children and his constituents for deceiving them and for cheating on his wife.
Heard today that Cheney is going to get about $2 million at least for his memoirs. Profiting again from his mis-deeds.
Heard some of the Nixon tapes today where he coached Bush Sr. on getting more women (attractive women) involved in the Republican party.
With everything I have going on in my life and all I have to do, I can't stop checking Twitter and other sites to see what is happening with the Iranian protestors. My prayers are with them.
Heard today an Iranian protestor beg a tv correspondent to help the Iranian protestors. She cried and screamed on the phone, pleading for help, saying that they were being destroyed by the regime, asking why wouldn't anyone help them? He didn't know how to respond to her and there was an awkward silence after her pleas.
Heard today, the Iranian government say that Neda was shot by terrorist conspirators who set it up to look like the government killed her and then I heard them say that the government may have shot her, but it was an accident because they thought she was the sister of a terrorist.
Heard today a governor ask for forgiveness from his wife, his children and his constituents for deceiving them and for cheating on his wife.
Heard today that Cheney is going to get about $2 million at least for his memoirs. Profiting again from his mis-deeds.
Heard some of the Nixon tapes today where he coached Bush Sr. on getting more women (attractive women) involved in the Republican party.
With everything I have going on in my life and all I have to do, I can't stop checking Twitter and other sites to see what is happening with the Iranian protestors. My prayers are with them.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Bad, bad blogger....
I've been too overwhelmed with work and other stresses to properly blog. I can't write about work on-line and that's been the biggest part of what's been going on. I have done some concerts since Feb (my last post!!) but mostly work with a lot of business travel.
I also have gotten a little too involved in Facebook and that takes up a lot of my online fun time. But I will try and do better in the future. I see I get some regular hits on here so I don't know if anyone is still really checking here or not!
Hope everyone is having a great start to their summer!
Check out this article on the new healthcare proposal. I'm really concerned about the amount of debt the US is taking on. I wouldn't be as concerned if I thought it was worthwhile debt. But, it seems that most of it is wasteful and ill-thought out. For example, the rush to approve the economic stimulus bill - what has that really done for us? And, how much pork was in those bills? We are making some really bad decisions and the fear that was used to get us into an poorly executed war is the same type of fear that is being used for the economy and the healthcare situation....
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124398857510379561.html
I also have gotten a little too involved in Facebook and that takes up a lot of my online fun time. But I will try and do better in the future. I see I get some regular hits on here so I don't know if anyone is still really checking here or not!
Hope everyone is having a great start to their summer!
Check out this article on the new healthcare proposal. I'm really concerned about the amount of debt the US is taking on. I wouldn't be as concerned if I thought it was worthwhile debt. But, it seems that most of it is wasteful and ill-thought out. For example, the rush to approve the economic stimulus bill - what has that really done for us? And, how much pork was in those bills? We are making some really bad decisions and the fear that was used to get us into an poorly executed war is the same type of fear that is being used for the economy and the healthcare situation....
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124398857510379561.html
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Basketball Game by Text Messaging
Jason had a tournament game tonight. The weather was rather iffy today - first it snowed, then it rained, then it hailed and then it got very foggy. The game was over in the next county, about 50 minutes away. My mom and her husband were going to go to the game but decided not to because of the weather. My daughter also didn't go. We were late to the game due to the weather and rush hour traffic. We got there before the game started, but Jason was so upset in the car because he wasn't going to have time to warm up and he didn't want to play anymore anyway, blah, blah, blah...
So I kept my mom and daughter in the loop by texting.
6:22 pm (me) CMS 12-10 /*CMS is his team*/
6:25 pm (Mom) Good is Jason playing
6:26 pm (me) Yes, he just got in, they're only up by 1 pt
6:27 pm (Mom) Good
6:28 pm (me) Jason just scored
6:28 pm (daughter) Cool
6:29 pm (Mom) Yea
6:30 pm (me) They're up by 8
6:30 pm (daughter) Okay I dont need every update :)
6:31 pm (me to daughter) Should've come
6:31 pm (Mom) Great
6:34 pm (me) Scored again, end of first half, up by 7
6:35 pm (Mom) Thank you
6:36 pm (me to Mom) Other team has 2 tall boys; rest are tiny
6:47 pm (daughter) Sry
6:48 pm (me) Almost 3Q, up by 7, he hasn't been back in yet
6:49 pm (daughter) that's why I didnt go. He never plays when I go
6:52 pm (me) Beginning of 4Q, he's going back in
6:55 pm (Mom) Good how is Ty playing
6:55 pm (me to Mom) Ok, he's alternating the two of them it seems
6:56 pm (me) Tie game
6:57 pm (me) Jason just broke the tie with a 3 ptr
6:57 pm (daughter) Nice
6:57 pm (Mom) Wow
7:02 pm (me) Was tied again, Ty broke it and got an add'l foul pt. Ty just got fouled again,
we're up 3
7:03 pm (me to Mom) Ty and J are in together
7:05 pm (me) Jason was fouled; got 1 of 2
7:06 pm (Mom) Score
7:08 pm (me) Tie game, 17 secs to go
7:09 pm (Mom) Wow
7:11 pm (me) 2.7 sec, we're down by 2
7:16 pm (me) Lost by 2
7:17 pm (Mom) Bummer
7:19 pm (daughter) That sucks
Should explain that in the beginning of the season, while his father and I, and several other parents thought Jason played extremely well, the coach didn't put him in for more than 5 minutes a game. As the season went on, he got more playing time and in this game, he played half of the game, the 2 and 4th quarters. The other night I was late in picking him up for practice and it was just him and the coach hanging out for a few minutes. I spoke to the coach and told him how much Jason liked the game and he told me how much he had improved over the season. We talked about possible summer camps for basketball and then I got in the car where Jason was waiting. I said something about what the coach had said and he snorted and said, yeah, he told me I was getting to be almost as good as Ty. Shows how badly he thought of me. I said, well, there must be something that Ty is doing that the coach likes and maybe you can learn from him. (That comment didn't go over well.) In today's game, he alternated Ty and Jason except for the last few minutes where they played together.
It was a nailbiter at the end of the game, but well-played by both teams. We fouled too much and that's why they lost the game.
So I kept my mom and daughter in the loop by texting.
6:22 pm (me) CMS 12-10 /*CMS is his team*/
6:25 pm (Mom) Good is Jason playing
6:26 pm (me) Yes, he just got in, they're only up by 1 pt
6:27 pm (Mom) Good
6:28 pm (me) Jason just scored
6:28 pm (daughter) Cool
6:29 pm (Mom) Yea
6:30 pm (me) They're up by 8
6:30 pm (daughter) Okay I dont need every update :)
6:31 pm (me to daughter) Should've come
6:31 pm (Mom) Great
6:34 pm (me) Scored again, end of first half, up by 7
6:35 pm (Mom) Thank you
6:36 pm (me to Mom) Other team has 2 tall boys; rest are tiny
6:47 pm (daughter) Sry
6:48 pm (me) Almost 3Q, up by 7, he hasn't been back in yet
6:49 pm (daughter) that's why I didnt go. He never plays when I go
6:52 pm (me) Beginning of 4Q, he's going back in
6:55 pm (Mom) Good how is Ty playing
6:55 pm (me to Mom) Ok, he's alternating the two of them it seems
6:56 pm (me) Tie game
6:57 pm (me) Jason just broke the tie with a 3 ptr
6:57 pm (daughter) Nice
6:57 pm (Mom) Wow
7:02 pm (me) Was tied again, Ty broke it and got an add'l foul pt. Ty just got fouled again,
we're up 3
7:03 pm (me to Mom) Ty and J are in together
7:05 pm (me) Jason was fouled; got 1 of 2
7:06 pm (Mom) Score
7:08 pm (me) Tie game, 17 secs to go
7:09 pm (Mom) Wow
7:11 pm (me) 2.7 sec, we're down by 2
7:16 pm (me) Lost by 2
7:17 pm (Mom) Bummer
7:19 pm (daughter) That sucks
Should explain that in the beginning of the season, while his father and I, and several other parents thought Jason played extremely well, the coach didn't put him in for more than 5 minutes a game. As the season went on, he got more playing time and in this game, he played half of the game, the 2 and 4th quarters. The other night I was late in picking him up for practice and it was just him and the coach hanging out for a few minutes. I spoke to the coach and told him how much Jason liked the game and he told me how much he had improved over the season. We talked about possible summer camps for basketball and then I got in the car where Jason was waiting. I said something about what the coach had said and he snorted and said, yeah, he told me I was getting to be almost as good as Ty. Shows how badly he thought of me. I said, well, there must be something that Ty is doing that the coach likes and maybe you can learn from him. (That comment didn't go over well.) In today's game, he alternated Ty and Jason except for the last few minutes where they played together.
It was a nailbiter at the end of the game, but well-played by both teams. We fouled too much and that's why they lost the game.
Friday, February 13, 2009
New Computer
Got a new computer earlier this week. Now comes the joy of transporting files, photos and music from the old one! I am also finding software incompatibilities and the need to either upgrade or see if I can make the old versions work with the new computer....
Saturday, February 07, 2009
New Beginnings
A friend of mine and her husband have bought a small restaurant. I went there this morning for breakfast taking my son and two of his friends who had slept over the night before. When I walked in the door, a couple, who were my parents' best friends and who are still close to my mother, were sitting at the first table. I hadn't seen them for a while so it was great getting caught up with them. They are regulars at this place and told me that on the first day that my friends took ownership of the restaurant, my friend was so nervous and anxious, her hands were shaking.
I think she is still nervous, but excited over this new endeavor. Her husband has lost his job a number of times in the last few years. He has always loved cooking. It was his idea to buy the restaurant - said that he wouldn't get laid off and it would be up to him to fail or succeed. It's a very small place, almost like a diner, open from 5:30 am to 2:30 pm. I had never been there before, but had driven by it many times on the way to somewhere else. There are always cars parked anywhere possible so I knew it was a busy place. We were able to get a table when we got there but I heard that before we were there, you had to wait to get a table, and shortly after we got there, there was a line of people waiting.
Today was the first day that their son, my son's friend since first grade, was working at the restaurant as a bus boy. He was so proud and happy that his friends came to see him on his first day at work. He took a break and had lunch with us while we ate our breakfast. The boys had been at a middle school dance the night before. They talked about the girls they danced with and the sports they were playing. I watched their faces, noticing the changes that have started to come more quickly now as they move thru puberty. The bus boy who had always been a somewhat heavy boy, has lost weight, is taller than his mom and his face is thinner now taking on more of a man's face than a apple-cheeked boy. My son is almost as tall as me. The four of them have been close friends since first grade. There would have been five of them, but one was sick this weekend and missed the dance and the sleepover.
I think she is still nervous, but excited over this new endeavor. Her husband has lost his job a number of times in the last few years. He has always loved cooking. It was his idea to buy the restaurant - said that he wouldn't get laid off and it would be up to him to fail or succeed. It's a very small place, almost like a diner, open from 5:30 am to 2:30 pm. I had never been there before, but had driven by it many times on the way to somewhere else. There are always cars parked anywhere possible so I knew it was a busy place. We were able to get a table when we got there but I heard that before we were there, you had to wait to get a table, and shortly after we got there, there was a line of people waiting.
Today was the first day that their son, my son's friend since first grade, was working at the restaurant as a bus boy. He was so proud and happy that his friends came to see him on his first day at work. He took a break and had lunch with us while we ate our breakfast. The boys had been at a middle school dance the night before. They talked about the girls they danced with and the sports they were playing. I watched their faces, noticing the changes that have started to come more quickly now as they move thru puberty. The bus boy who had always been a somewhat heavy boy, has lost weight, is taller than his mom and his face is thinner now taking on more of a man's face than a apple-cheeked boy. My son is almost as tall as me. The four of them have been close friends since first grade. There would have been five of them, but one was sick this weekend and missed the dance and the sleepover.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Time For A Change
Tomorrow, my countdown to the inauguration goes to zero!! I started it a few years ago, counting down to the time that GW would be out of office. Watched DL Hughley the other night. He said he was trying very hard to say something positive and honest about GW on the final show before his farewell. What did he say? Something, like "George W Bush, you are our 43rd President...."
I am afraid of Obama's election. Not that I think he is a bad man or a bad choice. It's just that so many people are counting on him, depending on him, and worshipping him. It makes me feel uneasy. I am praying that he stays safe and that he can fulfill half of what we are asking him to be and do.
My daughter said to me a few months ago, "Why is everyone talking about this being such a big deal? Why wouldn't a black man be President? I don't understand, why is it such a big deal?"
Yesterday, in a church Sunday school, an adult said "Why are they calling him the first African-American President? He's not black. He's a half-breed."
Both statements make me want to cry. The first, because we are moving toward a world that is racially-mixed and more color-blind. The second, because we still have so far to go. (I could agree with the sentiment that he is not 100% black; he is multi-racial. But how many of us are 100% of one race? even if we think we are...)
But 2009 is a year of change for me. I am determined this year to decide what I want to be when I grow up. I may need my current job until my son graduates high school. But what do I want to be when my children aren't relying on me for support anymore? A better description would be, not when I grow up, what do I want to be when I don't have to be a grown-up anymore?
I am afraid of Obama's election. Not that I think he is a bad man or a bad choice. It's just that so many people are counting on him, depending on him, and worshipping him. It makes me feel uneasy. I am praying that he stays safe and that he can fulfill half of what we are asking him to be and do.
My daughter said to me a few months ago, "Why is everyone talking about this being such a big deal? Why wouldn't a black man be President? I don't understand, why is it such a big deal?"
Yesterday, in a church Sunday school, an adult said "Why are they calling him the first African-American President? He's not black. He's a half-breed."
Both statements make me want to cry. The first, because we are moving toward a world that is racially-mixed and more color-blind. The second, because we still have so far to go. (I could agree with the sentiment that he is not 100% black; he is multi-racial. But how many of us are 100% of one race? even if we think we are...)
But 2009 is a year of change for me. I am determined this year to decide what I want to be when I grow up. I may need my current job until my son graduates high school. But what do I want to be when my children aren't relying on me for support anymore? A better description would be, not when I grow up, what do I want to be when I don't have to be a grown-up anymore?
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Why are we so cruel?
My son told me Wed after school that a boy in his school had died. The boy killed himself because he was being bullied in school. My son told me about two incidents: He said that he was knocked down in the hallway and kicked by other kids in school. A girl told him that he should go away and just kill himself. There was more, I'm sure. My son didn't know him well. He is very upset about what the other kids did. I asked him if the boy told anyone about what was going on. He said no, but that the teachers knew about it and some of them tried to stop it.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
A GREAT RECIPE...
1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God about what is going on in your life. Buy a lock if you have to.
3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today. I am thankful for______________'
4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli , almonds & walnuts.
6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
12. You are not so important that you have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
17. Forgive everyone for everything.
18. What other people think of you is none of your business.
19. GOD heals everything - but you have to ask Him.
20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!
22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.
24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
25. When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings. You'll be smiling before you know it.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God about what is going on in your life. Buy a lock if you have to.
3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today. I am thankful for______________'
4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli , almonds & walnuts.
6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
12. You are not so important that you have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
17. Forgive everyone for everything.
18. What other people think of you is none of your business.
19. GOD heals everything - but you have to ask Him.
20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!
22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.
24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
25. When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings. You'll be smiling before you know it.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Latest Updates
Can't believe it has been so long since I've made a new entry! I've been very active on the net - just not on my own blog or even in visiting others.
So will write more later in case anyone still drops by, but the latest updates are:
So will write more later in case anyone still drops by, but the latest updates are:
- Puppy is still not housebroken. In fact, she just went in the hallway. I need to figure out how to clean my son's one bed as she pee'd all over it the other day and he didn't tell me about it until about 8 hrs later. She has other bad habits as well and is proving to be challenging.
- First dog and puppy get along very well now and enjoy playing tug of war with a knotted rope.
- Work is still insanely busy.
- My son's football team got into the playoffs and just lost their final game tonight.
- My car was broken into and I lost a bunch of electronics that were not fully covered by insurance.
- I'm thinking about getting a new car - decision may be accelerated a little more due to the break-in and the fact that I need to replace my GPS, my satellite radio, and my radar detector.
- My daughter just celebrated a birthday and is working two jobs and going to college.
- Went to the Who concert in Philadelphia at the end of October and had a great time with other Wholigans and a friend from work.
- Had many spirited political debates in the last few months. Am hoping that Obama lives up to his promises and that the world will be a much better place in a few years (or at least heading in a better direction!)
- My uncle who had a lung transplant is doing so well! Most of the family will be in town for Thanksgiving and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. I will have a house full - 2 cousins, another dog, and at least one sister, maybe two - plus I'm sure the five cousins will be in and out for the week. And, he and his family will be here as well (not staying with me, but at my other aunt's.
- I redid my family room, but still need to finish up a little more painting. Looks good but the sectional couch I bought is a little big for the room. First quarter next year, I want to re-do my bathroom and replace a broken dishwasher, but I'll have to wait for my bonus to do that.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Foxy - a New Addition
We have a new puppy, Foxy, a 3-month old mixed Labrador. Foxy is supposed to be housebroken, but she has christened my bedroom twice already. Once, right after she was outside and had already gone outside. She is very attached to my son already and cries when he leaves the room. In fact, because of my fear about her making more messes, I have a baby gate across the steps to the lower levels (have a split-level house) but to get to him, she has jumped over the gate three times down the stairs. She's learned now, I think, that I'm going to yell and bring her back upstairs, so now she's sleeping at my feet while I visit blogs and update my own.
I'm not used to puppies anymore. She jumped up on the kitchen chair and then onto the table. I have to keep an eye on her constantly!
So Far, So Good
For those of you on Rachel's community site, you know that my Uncle Mike had his transplant last Friday night. Today is a week and he is hoping to be out of the hospital in a few days. He is no longer on oxygen, is walking and doing incredibly well!
God is good!
God is good!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Not This Time
They were not able to do the transplant yet. At 3:45 am, they decided that the donor organ wasn't suitable. So, he'll continue to wait for a better chance. Keep him in your prayers that his health maintains until another opportunity arises.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
It May Be Time. Say a Prayer.
Uncle Mike was called in tonight for his lung transplant. Keep him and his wife and daughters in your prayers tonight and in the upcoming days.
I'm praying that they are able to do the operation and that it is successful.
I'm praying that they are able to do the operation and that it is successful.
What are you thinking? Do you really know these people?
Went off to Los Angeles last Wednesday afternoon for the VH1 Rock Honors show. The concert was awesome, far beyond my expectations. I got to meet many of the people I've been talking to on-line, some for over a year. Disappointingly, some were either not able to be at the show or I didn't get to spend as much time with them as I hoped.
My daughter and I stayed with my sister. Thursday, Sam and I spent most of the day at Santa Monica exploring the Third Street Promenade, window shopping, checking out the pier, and then having dinner with a friend of mine who left Johnson & Johnson and is working at Lion's Gate. Had blisters on my feet after that day! I also lost my camera in one of the shops there, so no pictures.
Friday, we spent the day at a state park near Huntingdon Beach. Colleen arrived and she and I went to meet some of the thewho.com bloggers for dinner. We had a wonderful time getting to know each other over dinner. Rob Lee, the webmaster, joined us for a bit, squeezing in a visit with everything else that he had to do. Mike Robbins, who organized our summit meeting, filled us in on the last minute details that needed to be done. Ken and Sara filled us in on their meetings with Dave Grohl and others. Kubacheck was there all the way from the DC area. Steve and his wife, Jen, filled us in on the various festivals in the Chesapeake Bay area, like HarvestFest. Joanne, who had the joy of seeing The Who play in the UK when they were first starting out shared her stories of the Monteray Festival (sp?) and going to see our favorites in bars and clubs, most of us have only heard about, but never experienced. Horace, from the San Francisco Bay area, was a fantastic person who has done a lot for the charity fund that we put together. Anna and her family from Long Island were a loud, crazy bunch - a lot of fun. And Dan and Melissa from Oklahoma were also there.
Rob Lee had to leave our dinner to go to a meeting that had been arranged between a thewho.com board member who was a fan of Roger's. Suffering from MS and basically confined to a wheelchair, other members had arranged to get her a ticket and to get her to the event. Rob and two of the members arranged for her to spend about 30 minutes with Roger. From what I understand, Roger was very tender and the meeting was a dream come true for Alyce.
Saturday was brunch in Huntingdon Beach and then off to the Summit. This was a party that started off in the planning stages as a tail-gating party, then turned into a much more organized event with a room rental, catering and a bar. We said everyone would chip money in and if there was extra monies, we would donate it to the Who charities. We then changed our focus to be a fundraiser for Meg Fox's children. People started donating items to be sold to raise funds. Horace donated quite a bit. It was so much fun getting to know the other bloggers, some from Rachel's site, but most of them from thewho.com. Rob Lee said a few words and Mark Wilkerson presented a letter from Happy Jack. He was going to speak more about his book, a biography of Pete, when we had a surprise guest, Pete Townshend who arrived to say a few words to us and also to sign some of the items that had been donated. These items will be put out on eBay to raise funds for the trust fund. Pete spoke to us about Meg and also the joy of our get-together and our warmth for each other.
From the Summit, we went to the concert. Unbelievably the show was not sold out. Colleen and I moved up quite a bit and if we would have been more daring, we probably could have gotten stage-side. Others did and one or two even talked themselves backstage. Security was so-so. Some of the guards were very vigilent. Others, if you presented yourself as knowing what you were doing, let you go without question. UCLA students waiting outside were basically allowed in free to fill the seats. Some people I know were purposely moved down into better seats to fill the camera sights. Others, I know, were disappointed that people were let in free to have better seats then they had paid good money for, but no one was sorry they had traveled far and spent quite a bit to be there to see the show.
The crowd was on their feet dancing the entire night and all the bands (Incubus, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, Tenacious D, Flaming Lips) gave their all to honor The Who. Adam Sandler was very funny in his tribute to the boys. The taped tributes from various musicians and other artists, plus interviews with The Who members, were very touching and heartfelt.
And then The Who came out. The sound system at the Pauley Pavilion is not designed for music shows, but the boys rocked the stadium. I've only seen them in their last tour so can't compare them to their earlier years, but I have never seen them perform before where they were all so energized and playing as a group. Pete and Zak had such a rapport and worked off each other's energy and spirit. Pino and Simon stepped forward from the shadows. Rabbit was there. Roger's voice was strong and Pete's guitar playing has never been so driven and passionate. I understand he ripped off a fingernail early in the show, but he never let it stop him. They were not going to let any younger band outshine them, not on their night!
After the show, we met up with ChrisCapp for some drinks and to get to know him. Another person, I've talked to only on-line. It was so nice to meet him finally. Chris, I hope to meet up with you again sometime.
Sunday, my daughter and I went to Long Beach for a champagne brunch with my sister and her two friends. Well, my daughter became our designated driver since she is underage, but we all had a good time. Then it was an afternoon by the pool and dinner then with Gary and Stephani. My daughter and sister can't believe that I was going to meet people for dinner that I've never met in person and only talked to on the 'net. "What are you thinking? Can you really say you know these people?" They come along for dinner to see just how crazy I am. But we had a great dinner. Stephani has such warm and caring eyes, full of laughter, and tolerance for the blogging world Gary and I sometimes live in. They are such a great couple. I really enjoyed meeting them and spending some time with them, even though I only had less than four hours of sleep and felt barely coherent. Guys, I will definitely give you a call when I am back in LA. Don't think I'll make it to the Nokia shows, but if you want to come to the Philadelphia shows, just let me know!
Monday, it was lunch at the Hotel Bel-Air with a friend. We were hoping to see some celebrities, but if they were there, we didn't recognize them. After lunch, it was off to CBS for the taping of "So You Think You Can Dance." Little bit of confusion with our tickets and for a few moments, I was thinking we would not make it into the studio. But we were finally seated and Sam really enjoyed the taping. Quite a different experience, but not too different from what I had expected.
Tuesday, back home. Totally uneventful flights so all in all, a great time!
My daughter and I stayed with my sister. Thursday, Sam and I spent most of the day at Santa Monica exploring the Third Street Promenade, window shopping, checking out the pier, and then having dinner with a friend of mine who left Johnson & Johnson and is working at Lion's Gate. Had blisters on my feet after that day! I also lost my camera in one of the shops there, so no pictures.
Friday, we spent the day at a state park near Huntingdon Beach. Colleen arrived and she and I went to meet some of the thewho.com bloggers for dinner. We had a wonderful time getting to know each other over dinner. Rob Lee, the webmaster, joined us for a bit, squeezing in a visit with everything else that he had to do. Mike Robbins, who organized our summit meeting, filled us in on the last minute details that needed to be done. Ken and Sara filled us in on their meetings with Dave Grohl and others. Kubacheck was there all the way from the DC area. Steve and his wife, Jen, filled us in on the various festivals in the Chesapeake Bay area, like HarvestFest. Joanne, who had the joy of seeing The Who play in the UK when they were first starting out shared her stories of the Monteray Festival (sp?) and going to see our favorites in bars and clubs, most of us have only heard about, but never experienced. Horace, from the San Francisco Bay area, was a fantastic person who has done a lot for the charity fund that we put together. Anna and her family from Long Island were a loud, crazy bunch - a lot of fun. And Dan and Melissa from Oklahoma were also there.
Rob Lee had to leave our dinner to go to a meeting that had been arranged between a thewho.com board member who was a fan of Roger's. Suffering from MS and basically confined to a wheelchair, other members had arranged to get her a ticket and to get her to the event. Rob and two of the members arranged for her to spend about 30 minutes with Roger. From what I understand, Roger was very tender and the meeting was a dream come true for Alyce.
Saturday was brunch in Huntingdon Beach and then off to the Summit. This was a party that started off in the planning stages as a tail-gating party, then turned into a much more organized event with a room rental, catering and a bar. We said everyone would chip money in and if there was extra monies, we would donate it to the Who charities. We then changed our focus to be a fundraiser for Meg Fox's children. People started donating items to be sold to raise funds. Horace donated quite a bit. It was so much fun getting to know the other bloggers, some from Rachel's site, but most of them from thewho.com. Rob Lee said a few words and Mark Wilkerson presented a letter from Happy Jack. He was going to speak more about his book, a biography of Pete, when we had a surprise guest, Pete Townshend who arrived to say a few words to us and also to sign some of the items that had been donated. These items will be put out on eBay to raise funds for the trust fund. Pete spoke to us about Meg and also the joy of our get-together and our warmth for each other.
From the Summit, we went to the concert. Unbelievably the show was not sold out. Colleen and I moved up quite a bit and if we would have been more daring, we probably could have gotten stage-side. Others did and one or two even talked themselves backstage. Security was so-so. Some of the guards were very vigilent. Others, if you presented yourself as knowing what you were doing, let you go without question. UCLA students waiting outside were basically allowed in free to fill the seats. Some people I know were purposely moved down into better seats to fill the camera sights. Others, I know, were disappointed that people were let in free to have better seats then they had paid good money for, but no one was sorry they had traveled far and spent quite a bit to be there to see the show.
The crowd was on their feet dancing the entire night and all the bands (Incubus, Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, Tenacious D, Flaming Lips) gave their all to honor The Who. Adam Sandler was very funny in his tribute to the boys. The taped tributes from various musicians and other artists, plus interviews with The Who members, were very touching and heartfelt.
And then The Who came out. The sound system at the Pauley Pavilion is not designed for music shows, but the boys rocked the stadium. I've only seen them in their last tour so can't compare them to their earlier years, but I have never seen them perform before where they were all so energized and playing as a group. Pete and Zak had such a rapport and worked off each other's energy and spirit. Pino and Simon stepped forward from the shadows. Rabbit was there. Roger's voice was strong and Pete's guitar playing has never been so driven and passionate. I understand he ripped off a fingernail early in the show, but he never let it stop him. They were not going to let any younger band outshine them, not on their night!
After the show, we met up with ChrisCapp for some drinks and to get to know him. Another person, I've talked to only on-line. It was so nice to meet him finally. Chris, I hope to meet up with you again sometime.
Sunday, my daughter and I went to Long Beach for a champagne brunch with my sister and her two friends. Well, my daughter became our designated driver since she is underage, but we all had a good time. Then it was an afternoon by the pool and dinner then with Gary and Stephani. My daughter and sister can't believe that I was going to meet people for dinner that I've never met in person and only talked to on the 'net. "What are you thinking? Can you really say you know these people?" They come along for dinner to see just how crazy I am. But we had a great dinner. Stephani has such warm and caring eyes, full of laughter, and tolerance for the blogging world Gary and I sometimes live in. They are such a great couple. I really enjoyed meeting them and spending some time with them, even though I only had less than four hours of sleep and felt barely coherent. Guys, I will definitely give you a call when I am back in LA. Don't think I'll make it to the Nokia shows, but if you want to come to the Philadelphia shows, just let me know!
Monday, it was lunch at the Hotel Bel-Air with a friend. We were hoping to see some celebrities, but if they were there, we didn't recognize them. After lunch, it was off to CBS for the taping of "So You Think You Can Dance." Little bit of confusion with our tickets and for a few moments, I was thinking we would not make it into the studio. But we were finally seated and Sam really enjoyed the taping. Quite a different experience, but not too different from what I had expected.
Tuesday, back home. Totally uneventful flights so all in all, a great time!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Farewell to the Mini-van
When I divorced my husband in 2000, I had a four-year old son and ten-year old daughter who had four best friends. The girls traveled in a pack and often went to a youth group meeting on Friday nights. My car was not in good shape and after putting several thousand dollars of repair into it, I decided it was time to go car shopping. Somehow, I ended up with this very sad car salesman. This man had a black cloud over his head - felt like crying whenever I left an appointment with him. His wife had died, his furnace stopped working ... one bad thing after another. He called me to tell me that he had a minivan he wanted me to look at - preowned, in good mechanical shape, just came into the lot. It was a good price and I ended up buying it. When I went back for its first service check, he no longer worked there. With his run of bad luck, he had probably been fired.
The minivan hauled lots of kids around. The five best friends managed to stay together until middle school and then gradually the numbers dropped until there was only one best friend who also was lost in high school. But there were church youth group trips to chauffeur and my son's friends.
And, then there is the carpool. We've grown to two cars now, but in my group, there are five of us who share driving to the Philadelphia office. Sometimes, when people are out on business travel, we combine the two cars into one and being able to have seven in the van is a good thing. Although, I have to admit, my van is not built to hold four men over 6'4" as well as three regular-sized people. On those days if I'm the driver, I generally squeeze into the third row and let one of the men drive my van.
I prefer to drive my car instead of the van and on the days in our carpool when there are only four of us, I drive the car instead. It is also a smaller car and squeezing five in it would be uncomfortable.
The van, however, needs repairs to pass inspection. So I am bidding it farewell. Am trying to donate it to charity - filled out the form a few minutes ago - honestly stating what repairs it needs. Hopefully they will accept it. If not, I guess I explore the junkyards.
Question is now, do I buy another car? The carpool and I will talk about it the next time we are all on board. We've been trying to get our work to buy us a van. They could cover it with advertising to promote our company's consumer products - thousands of people would see it every day on the turnpike. So far, the company has been considering it on and off, but has not been very forthcoming about doing it. They question whether they would be setting a precedent. Our argument is that this is the type of precedent you want to set - we say we are a green company who cares about the environment - why wouldn't you encourage car-pooling?
The minivan hauled lots of kids around. The five best friends managed to stay together until middle school and then gradually the numbers dropped until there was only one best friend who also was lost in high school. But there were church youth group trips to chauffeur and my son's friends.
And, then there is the carpool. We've grown to two cars now, but in my group, there are five of us who share driving to the Philadelphia office. Sometimes, when people are out on business travel, we combine the two cars into one and being able to have seven in the van is a good thing. Although, I have to admit, my van is not built to hold four men over 6'4" as well as three regular-sized people. On those days if I'm the driver, I generally squeeze into the third row and let one of the men drive my van.
I prefer to drive my car instead of the van and on the days in our carpool when there are only four of us, I drive the car instead. It is also a smaller car and squeezing five in it would be uncomfortable.
The van, however, needs repairs to pass inspection. So I am bidding it farewell. Am trying to donate it to charity - filled out the form a few minutes ago - honestly stating what repairs it needs. Hopefully they will accept it. If not, I guess I explore the junkyards.
Question is now, do I buy another car? The carpool and I will talk about it the next time we are all on board. We've been trying to get our work to buy us a van. They could cover it with advertising to promote our company's consumer products - thousands of people would see it every day on the turnpike. So far, the company has been considering it on and off, but has not been very forthcoming about doing it. They question whether they would be setting a precedent. Our argument is that this is the type of precedent you want to set - we say we are a green company who cares about the environment - why wouldn't you encourage car-pooling?
Friday, May 09, 2008
You Must Take Your Seats, We're Landing!!!!
I was in Orlando, FL, last week for a conference. Taking a flight to and from Orlando is hardly ever a fun trip. Planes to that airport are generally filled with children. Children who are excited about going to see Mickey. Children who have never flown before or babies that cry throughout the flight. Flights coming home are filled with tired children and families who have brought back way too many souviners and parents who are exhausted.
I changed my seat when I printed out my boarding pass for the trip down. I changed to the exit row as it appeared to be an empty row. And, it was until a man came up while we were boarding and decided to sit there until someone else came along. This plane had an extra row of legroom at the exit row so I know why he chose to sit there. I didn't really mind, but I am hoping the flight attendants didn't think I was with him. During the flight, he ate a bag of those individually wrapped miniature candy bars. As he unwrapped each piece, he dropped the wrapper on the floor and eventually the bag followed suit. The flight attendant asked him 2 or 3 times if he had any trash he wanted to throw away, like his newspaper, and he refused. He never read it again but he left it on the seat beside him as well as a trail of candy wrappers when he left the plane.
The center lavatory was near my seat and it saw pretty constant use. I fly at least 5-6 times a year, some years more, and I have never seen the bathroom events I saw on this trip. Apparently very few of the people on this plane knew that when you went into the bathroom and locked the door, the light above the door turned red. Many people tried to push open the locked door and were confused as to why they couldn't get the door open.
And, at least five people didn't know you were supposed to lock the door. One mother took her child to the bathroom and didn't have her lock the door. The mother stood guard outside the door, until I guess, she got bored and she went about four seats up and started looking thru the overhead compartment. When a man brushed past her to go down the aisle, she suddenly realized he might be going to use the bathroom. She goes tearing down the aisle after him trying to reach the door first, reaching over his shoulder to try and keep the door from being opened.
At one point in the flight, there were probably ten people lined up by the bathroom area (in my exit row). One guy, I thought, must have been drunk as he seemed rather unsteady on his feet. We hit turbulence around then and I thought he might land in my lap. As he turned around again, I realized he had a prosthetic leg which may have accounted for his unsteadiness. Although I later learned he was having an active, loud conversation with a woman two rows ahead of him and he was drunk. (I had a friend who was sitting near him on the plane.) At a later point in time, he returned for a second visit to the bathroom and also did not lock the door. A young boy came down the aisle and opened the bathroom door on him, looked inside for a while, and then shut the door. I only hope he had his back to the door.
We then approached Orlando and began our landing descent. While we were coming down, a woman and her child got up and went to the bathroom. Again, the mother did not lock the door and kept it partially open. Her child is in the bathroom. The flight attendent starts yelling over the intercom, "You must take your seats. We are landing!" The mother tells the child to hurry up and go. The flight attendant again, says, "You need to take your seats!" Finally, before we touched down on the runway, the mother and child returned to their seats. We were not that far off the ground - I was wondering if the pilot would abort the landing because they were not in their seats.
While taxing to the gate, again, a child got up and went to the bathroom. Again, the flight attendant told him to return to his seat. Again, he ignored her.
I changed my seat when I printed out my boarding pass for the trip down. I changed to the exit row as it appeared to be an empty row. And, it was until a man came up while we were boarding and decided to sit there until someone else came along. This plane had an extra row of legroom at the exit row so I know why he chose to sit there. I didn't really mind, but I am hoping the flight attendants didn't think I was with him. During the flight, he ate a bag of those individually wrapped miniature candy bars. As he unwrapped each piece, he dropped the wrapper on the floor and eventually the bag followed suit. The flight attendant asked him 2 or 3 times if he had any trash he wanted to throw away, like his newspaper, and he refused. He never read it again but he left it on the seat beside him as well as a trail of candy wrappers when he left the plane.
The center lavatory was near my seat and it saw pretty constant use. I fly at least 5-6 times a year, some years more, and I have never seen the bathroom events I saw on this trip. Apparently very few of the people on this plane knew that when you went into the bathroom and locked the door, the light above the door turned red. Many people tried to push open the locked door and were confused as to why they couldn't get the door open.
And, at least five people didn't know you were supposed to lock the door. One mother took her child to the bathroom and didn't have her lock the door. The mother stood guard outside the door, until I guess, she got bored and she went about four seats up and started looking thru the overhead compartment. When a man brushed past her to go down the aisle, she suddenly realized he might be going to use the bathroom. She goes tearing down the aisle after him trying to reach the door first, reaching over his shoulder to try and keep the door from being opened.
At one point in the flight, there were probably ten people lined up by the bathroom area (in my exit row). One guy, I thought, must have been drunk as he seemed rather unsteady on his feet. We hit turbulence around then and I thought he might land in my lap. As he turned around again, I realized he had a prosthetic leg which may have accounted for his unsteadiness. Although I later learned he was having an active, loud conversation with a woman two rows ahead of him and he was drunk. (I had a friend who was sitting near him on the plane.) At a later point in time, he returned for a second visit to the bathroom and also did not lock the door. A young boy came down the aisle and opened the bathroom door on him, looked inside for a while, and then shut the door. I only hope he had his back to the door.
We then approached Orlando and began our landing descent. While we were coming down, a woman and her child got up and went to the bathroom. Again, the mother did not lock the door and kept it partially open. Her child is in the bathroom. The flight attendent starts yelling over the intercom, "You must take your seats. We are landing!" The mother tells the child to hurry up and go. The flight attendant again, says, "You need to take your seats!" Finally, before we touched down on the runway, the mother and child returned to their seats. We were not that far off the ground - I was wondering if the pilot would abort the landing because they were not in their seats.
While taxing to the gate, again, a child got up and went to the bathroom. Again, the flight attendant told him to return to his seat. Again, he ignored her.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
