On the Road in Rhode Island

This past Easter weekend, Chad and I celebrated our 10th anniversary with a trip to Providence and Newport Rhode Island.  I've always wanted to see the famous "cottages" of Newport and Chad was on a mission to take a photo in Providence.  More on that below.

Our plane was to depart from Tampa at 8:40am.   We very nearly missed the plane.

5 Lessons learned from our trip to the airport.  

1. Either spend the night in Tampa or leave much earlier than 6:00am.  
2. Never underestimate Tampa traffic.
3. Never divert from the Expressway even if you think you know a "faster" way on back roads. 
4. Long term parking at Tampa International is difficult to attempt under duress.
5. NEVER ride the monorail from long term parking to the terminal.  Trust me, a turtle could crawl faster. 

To say that the last 30 minutes of our car ride was tense, is an understatement.  We rode in complete silence.  My stomach was in knots.   We finally made it to baggage check-in at 8:10am.  The attendant  told us we could probably still make it, but the plane wouldn't wait on us.  We still had security to deal with.  We took our chances and RAN!  The image was pretty funny.  I would have taken a picture or video, but that may have been ill-timed and at the moment, possibly grounds for a divorce.  It went a little something like this.

Would you believe there was no line at security?  We furiously ripped off shoes and belts, then with the same ferocity, attempted to put them back on while running to the gate.  We were the last ones on, but we made it!  I was so winded that I wasn't even bothered by the takeoff (Typically, takeoffs and landings leave my hands sopping with sweat.) The flight to our layover in Detroit arrived 20 minutes early.  Take that, Karma!  As we were landing in Providence, Chad said, "I hope our luggage made it."

It did!  Thank God!

After a rather stressful beginning, we had a great trip.  We rented a car at the airport and stayed one night in Providence and two in Newport. Here are some photos to prove it.

First, the backstory on Chad's photo mission.  In 1943, Chad's grandfather was stationed in Providence for training as a Seabee. Either on a bet or a dare, he climbed up on the statue of General Burnside on horseback in Burnside Park.

Climbing up while his buddies cheered him on.

Fully mounted.

What we don't have is the picture of the MPs removing him from the statue with the help of a ladder.  Chad is not so bold as to also climb up on the horse, but we though we could get a picture of him standing at the base until we came upon...

Notice the handwritten graffiti.  Not written by us.

So we had to settle for this.

As we attempted to make our way through each city, Chad would declare, "I've been here."  Or, "I've walked this way."  I was like, "Chad, when have you ever been to Rhode Island?"  He said, "On Google Maps....virtual walk."  Oh Jesus, it's come to this.  Next, we'll be working out virtually.  Or worse, taking a vacation!

Now onto our attempt at photojournalism.  Unfortunately, the only picture of the both of us together was too dark.  The angle of the sun cast a lot of shadows on many of our pictures, but in some, it was a cool effect.  Please excuse my self-indulgence in thinking that the reader might actually want to see all of these pictures.

Lots of steeples and domes and really cool architecture.

The Capitol.

Not sure what flower this is, but they were in bloom all over the state.

A species seldom spotted in Providence...a blonde.

The closest I'll ever get to the gates of Brown University.

A typical old home near Newport's wharf.

The beginning of the Cliff Walk.

Beautiful view.  The Cliff Walk is 3.5 miles long and  backs up to many of the mansions.

Anyone who needs this sign to tell them to stay away from the edge, deserves to fall.

Just another day in the lap of luxury.

These thorn bushes are evidently meant to keep the lowerclasses from trespassing on The Breakers property.

Alright!  I get it!

For a portion, the path ends, and you must walk across these boulders.

Gotta represent!

On our walk, we came across an Easter egg hunt at Rosecliff, which was used as Gatsby's house in the movie.
Yes, that's a giant gold rabbit.

The eggs weren't very cleverly hidden.

Not your party, dad.

Another one bites the dust.

Chillin' at Alva Vanderbilt's summer "cottage,"Marble House.  It cost a cool $11 million in 1892.

Chinese tourists at Marble House taking a pic in front of....

No joke.  This was in the background of their picture.

St. Mary's Church where John and Jackie Kennedy were married.

Yet another Hookah lounge.  I have never seen so much drugparaphernalia for sale as I did in Rhode Island,
Amsterdam excluded. 

A Bedee trip tradition...a visit to every Irish pub in town.

It was a nice vacation and getaway for the two of us.  We definitely want to return some day.

R.I.P Leo

Leo the Cat

April 2000-April 2012

He was always so good with the girls.

And he put up with a lot.

We had to put Leo down today.  He ate something, possibly a reptile or insect, outside that infected his pancreas and made him really sick.  The worst part is that he was in severe pain for several hours before we found him at his worst.  The vet gave him pain killers and antibiotics, but he couldn't shake it.  We decided to put him out of his misery this morning.  Chad and I were with him and got to say goodbye.

Dear Leo,

I'm sorry that we didn't devote as much time to you as you deserved these past several years.  I'm especially sorry for letting you suffer.  I hope your days were good with us.  Say"hi" to Sassy for me.

Love, 

Your family

I Just Caught a Glimpse of Dystopia

Article first published as I Just Caught a Glimpse of Dystopia on Technorati.

And believe me, it wasn't pretty.  The Sears in our already substandard rural mall is closing.  Ours is one of 79 stores in the Sears Holding Corporation that is closing after a disappointing holiday shopping season. The store is currently liquidating its merchandise.  Electronics and home appliances are marked down between 25-50%.  Seasonal items, such as clothing, are marked anywhere from 50-75%.  These are not the sort of drastic sales you might expect because what doesn't sell by April 30th, when the store is set to shut its doors, will be transported to other Sears stores that are still in business. But still, the store is swamped with people trying to find a deal.

It's really a dismal atmosphere. Sections of the store are completely bare. There is no rhyme or reason to the displays. Everything has been picked over. The bright yellow signs hanging from the ceiling are depressing.  What's worse is the thought of an anchor store sitting empty after multiple smaller stores in the mall have already left.  With few chain retail stores left, I fear the whole place will be turned into a factory outlet mall.

In the hour I was in the store, I witnessed two altercations between customers and store employees.  In both instances, the customer was rude, and the employee lost his cool.

Episode 1

An irate man at the jewelry counter yelled, "Is anyone going to help me? I've been standing here 25 minutes." An employee walked past and said to him, "You have to let her finish helping that other man."  Then there was a back and forth exchange about which customer was at the counter first.  In frustration he said, "Never mind.  It's not worth it. This sort of thing is the reason why you're going out of business."  "No," retorted the employee, "it's because of people like you."  Again, they went back and forth and sounded like children fighting on a playground.  The customer left in a huff.

Episode 2

I actually  had to eavesdrop on this one.  A woman was arguing with the manager at the same jewelry counter over the amount of the discount.  She refused to believe that the 50%  had already been discounted.     Finally, the manager told her, "Look, I don't know what else to say to you.  That's the price.  I'm not going to argue with you.  If you want it, pay for it.  Otherwise, you need to leave the store!"  It was at that moment that I realized a security officer was standing watch.

When I went to the checkout counter to pay, I had to ask the clerk, "Does this sort of thing happen a lot these days?"  She nodded her head sadly, "It's really tough to come to work some days."  Then I asked, "What's going to happen to you once the store is closed?"  "I'm 78-years-old," she said.  "I've been with Sears for a long time.  I'll probably just gather my unemployment and be done with it."  "And the others?"  I asked.  She looked me in the eye and didn't have to say anything.  As I was leaving she told me, "Thanks for being understanding."

Unbelievable!  This is what it's come to.  Customers swarm the store searching for mega deals in a state of frenzy.  The problem as I see it is that everyone assumes that because the store is closing, they should be giving away items for free.  The philosophy seems to be:  We are doing you a favor by taking this merchandise off your hands.  In turn, the employees have nearly given up on being civil to the customers because there is no accountability.  It's not as if they have to concern themselves with losing their jobs.  It must be very demoralizing for the employees. I have seriously never witnessed a situation quite like this before. Sadly, I feel like what I saw today is a small-scale version of our society and culture as a whole.

An Easter Story (Melanie's Version)

First, an update on the chore chart as it pertains to this post:

The honeymoon is over.  The chores are still being done, but the sereneness of  three mornings ago has left.  It's now chaos as usual. See this for more info.  This morning they were fighting over...

Melanie was hoarding it.  Belle wanted to hold it  The following is a transcript of the morning's events.

Scene 1:  The Living Room

Belle:  Give it to me.  I wanna read it.

Melanie: You don't even know how to read. 

Belle:  Yes, I do. 

Melanie:  No, you don't. 

Yes, I do.  No you don't.  (Repeats roughly 25x)

Melanie:  Fine!  I'll read it really fast then give it to you.   (Furiously flips pages) Jesus dies on the cross.  Okay, next page (flip).  Mary is so sad she throws up all over Jesus (flip).  He rises from the dead.  Everyone cheers.  (Shuts book)  Okay, the end.  Here (thrusts book at Belle).

Me:  Melanie, show me the picture of Mary vomiting on her son.

Melanie:  I just said that to make Belle laugh. 

That's my girl distorting fact for fiction for comedy's sake.

Scene 2:  The Ride to School

(They are singing to the finale of Godspell.)

Belle:  (in a pseudo-deep voice bordering on sacrilege) O God, I'm bleeding...O God, I'm dying...O God, I'm dead.

Melanie: (playing air guitar) Will I be nailed or roped to the cross?

Me:  Uh...neither.  You will not be crucified at all. 

Melanie:  I'm excited that we get to see the end of the Easter video today.  I missed my favorite part yesterday...the crucifixion.

Ummmm...is that normal?

Chad says he'll be glad when Easter is over.  Melanie is taking it too hard.  She cried at bedtime tonight because Jesus died on the cross. Sounds like the onset of Catholic guilt. 

Epilogue

Melanie:  Mary, I have some bad news.  When Jesus grows up, he's gonna die on the cross.

A Reenactment

Wrong liturgical season, girls.

Nooooooooooooooooooooo!

I lost everything.  I wrote a post, and now it's gone.  Could it be due to the fact that I edited it on 4 different devices?  I'm as devastated as if it were my Master's thesis.

Back to the drawing board.

CMARWSQMDTHF

The Irony of Blogging

In an effort to make it appear as if I lead a fascinating life, I have actually forfeited real living.  I'm trying to ramp up my blogging to in turn help my writing.  I'm trying to get some freelance writing gigs, but I need samples.  I like the creative challenge of having to organize thoughts and put them in writing.  But blogging is way harder than I thought.

I am off on Mondays and did nothing today.  Seriously, I.did.nothing.  I did manage to squeeze in a workout and telephone call, and in doing so was almost late picking up my kids from school.  I can piss away a day better than anyone.  I almost need to write to keep busy.

I'd like to share with you a portion of my phone conversation.

Me:  Writing is hard. It's not easy trying to be witty and charming at the same time.

Natalie:  I liked the bit about the bear.  That was funny.

Me:  Yeah.  I'm hoping to create a whole Swingers  story line.  I'll need more animals.  Possibly some bunnies because they would sooo fit.  What I should really be doing right now is setting up some more shots with the bears. I'm thinking that I could---  

For clarification click here. 

Natalie:  Wait.  I'm sorry.  Let's walk that statement back. Did you really say you needed to snap pictures of stuffed animals?  That right there is a blog post.

 So the question is, do you write about funny happenings or create funny happenings in order to write?

My Spring Lineup

I don't watch as much television as I used to since I started reading more.  I seldom watch TV during the day anymore, with the exception of an occasional Real Housewives of _____ or Jerseylicious Sunday marathon.  My nightly viewing is typically contained to 8-10pm.  After 10pm, I enjoy watching re-runs of Friends.  What can I say?  I like to live in the past.

At any rate, these are the shows I'm keeping up with at the moment (in no particular order):

The Voice

Smash

The Real Housewives of Orange County

American Idol

GCB

Shows I'm anxiously awaiting this summer:

The Bachelorette (not impressed by choice of Emily)

Bachelor Pad (always entertainment)

So You Think You Can Dance? 
Dallas (so excited...please TNT, don't disappoint)
Rizzoli and Isles

Updates on episodes to follow.

Personal Responsibility, You are a Friend of Mine

Melanie's Weekly Chores

We instituted a new chore chart in our house yesterday, and it's working like a charm.  True it's only been in effect one day, but Lord what a difference it made this morning.  

As you know, getting the girls out the door for school without screaming and/or spankings rarely happens.  This morning, however, was a pleasure.  We used to use a chore chart on a white board that was attached to the refrigerator.  It worked well.  But for whatever reason, we stopped keeping track. My friend, Karen, gave me this. They attach this sheet to a clip board.  We brainstormed about chores that should be included.  The inspectors (Chad and I) add a sticker to the bottom for each day of completed tasks.  The reward is $5 at the end of week.

Melanie carried around her clipboard this morning making check marks along the way.  It was actually pretty funny.  The best part?  No yelling, no asking multiple times for them to get dressed, no spankings, a.k.a. NO STRESS!  Melanie even brushed her own teeth.  Note:  She's quite capable of doing this on her own, but I'm a little excessive compulsive when it comes to teeth brushing, so I had to do a follow-up myself....I know, I know!

Right now, this is novel.  We'll check back in 2 weeks' time to see if it's still working.

Gin and Bear It

GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES:
My dad gave the girls a giant bear for Christmas.
I too had a giant bear as a child.
There is half full bottle of gin in the cabinet from a party.
We got a new camera for Christmas.

THE DILEMMA:
What to do with your time on a Saturday night when all of these items are at your fingertips?

I give you our solution.  What you are about to witness is not for young viewers.  No bears were harmed in the shooting of this documentary. Dialogue seemed trite and awkward.  I've instead provided a mock-up of each scene.

Bear breaks up with girlfriend.  Buddy consoles him.

Bear turns to the bottle.

Bear struggles with calling said girlfriend.

Gin catches up with Bear.

Bear collapses in drunken fit.

"Don't ask."

This is not the last you'll see of the bears.  I just need more time to flesh out my concept.  Trust me, we have enough stuffed animals in this house for more characters.

Decision Points

Nothing gets me more charged than political season.  These crazy primaries have made me nostalgic for elections past.  I've spent the past several weeks delving in to the 2008 election.  I thought I'd revisit the beginning of last decade this time and read Decision Points by George W. Bush.

Admittedly, I was as down on the president at the end of his tenure as just about everyone else in the country.  But time heals all wounds and provides so much insight.  I found this book to be very interesting and well-written.

The structure is unique.  Instead of taking his presidency year by year, event by event, Bush focuses on critical decisions he was forced to make.  Each chapter focuses on a different decision.  Therefore, the book is technically not in chronological order.  But any fool knows the order of events since 2000 (or am I being too presumptuous?)  The first chapter discusses his choice to stop drinking and how it has shaped the rest of his life.  He then discusses the 2000 election, 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, the economic crisis, and other key topics.  I think its very easy for the armchair warriors to criticize choices any president makes.  It is mind blowing that the safety and integrity of our country rests in the outcome of decisions made by the president.  But he doesn't act without counsel.  The president has a team of advisers and is privy to intelligence briefings.  That being said, Bush takes complete ownership of all his decisions and admits that in some cases, he got it wrong.

I was not aware that Bush is as faithful and reverent as he is.  He reads the Bible every morning.  He wanted to make federal funding for faith-based organizations a part of his platform, but all his early ideas took the back burner after Sept. 11th.  I hadn't really thought about it until I read this book, but Bush had a very eventful 8 years in office.  You'd almost have to be a believer to get though all that without losing your sanity.

I found it very touching that he wrote personal letters to every family who lost a soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan.  While time consuming, I should think that's the very least he could do.  He concedes that his decision is what put the men and women in harms way to begin with.

The book also offers a glimpse into the daily life and traditions of the president.  For instance, every outgoing president writes a letter to the new one and leaves it on the desk in the Oval Office.  Bush left one for Obama after meeting with him in depth to discuss the economic fallout.  The peaceful change of power in our country really is something to marvel at.

Bush ends by stating that he knows all his decisions weren't popular, but that he made every one with the best intentions for the country.  I'm glad I read the book.  I'm also glad that I read it 4 years after the end of his presidency.   It gave me more perspective.  It will be interesting to see how he is perceived 20 years from now.

Truth or Dare

Madonna's Truth or Dare is on Palladia right now, and it's like crack to me. Ah...to be in 1991 again. How did I never watch this in its entirety before tonight? She looks so different, but then again, so do I. I completely forgot that Madonna dated Warren Beatty.

This totally makes me nostalgic. I can mark so many milestones of my life through Madonna's songs. My Fifth grade cheerleeding dance was to Lucky Star. I specifically remember sitting in class my Sophomore year of high school discussing Justify My Love. She provided a soundtrack to my life from elementary school to college.

Will any artist today have longevity? I feel like singers and bands today are fleeting. Will my daughters be able to name influential artists when they are I their (late) thirties?

I Know This About Myself

If you've read any of my blog entries, you know I'm a reader.  I like to fancy myself connoisseur of fine pieces of literature, but let's be honest.  Those types are better left for audio when an excellent voice actor can read it to me.  During the school year, when my brain is fried, I need quick, mindless, chick lit.

And I mean quick.  Like read-it-in-less-than-3-days quick.  After that, I'm over it.  I read reviews stating the common phrase "I stayed up all night to finish it.  I just couldn't put it down."  My nightly wine consumption prohibits me from achieving this.  I have to get all my reading done during the day.  We all have our priorities.

Cue choir of angels because I found the perfect book to meet my needs.....

This was "laugh out loud" and "read specific lines aloud to anyone who'll listen" funny.  As the title suggests, the main character, Babe, is a narcissistic rich girl who really doesn't have many problems.  Still she makes the case that her "white girl problems" are indeed real.  It really is such a hindrance that she hates the appearance of her vagina, and it's so unfortunate that her alter ego, Babette, emerges whenever she begins to feel strongly for a man.  It's supposed to be a memoir and is based on a Twitter feed.  As I read, I kept Googling  names and pictures and could find no matches.  Events and dialogue became more outrageous (e.g. grandmother mauled by lion in Africa while wearing zebra print, personal trainer who promotes strength and  flexibility through sex IN THE GYM), so I kept investigating.  Now, don't you think for one minute that I wasn't loving every delicious syllable of this book.  Just after turning that last page, I came across this article that FINALLY answered my questions.  Babe Walker is a fictional character invented by three friends!

Thank God!  Now I don't have to hate myself for wanting to be her best friend.  The writing is so clever.  It's really what makes the book.  If you enjoy sarcastic wit and well-placed dialogue, read the book.

Now I'm on to my other favorite snarky, bitchy writer....Jen Lancaster.

Finally!!!!

I have found a book that makes me want to drop everything and read.  It is Austenland by Shannon Hale.  I needed a quick and easy read, and this is it!  I just started today, and I'm already halfway through.  The downside is that I have not written the first lesson plan yet.  Ah well....  It's being made into a movie.  I highly recommend it!

http://www.amazon.com/Austenland-Novel-Shannon-Hale/dp/B001P3OMY6/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328567717&sr=1-1

Bookin' it...or not!

I am in such a reading slump right now.  The past two years, I have set reading goals for myself.  In 2011, I read or listened to 58 books.  Typically, I read every day.  In addition to the book I'm reading, I listen to one on audio while I get ready for work and in the car.

These past two weeks, my mind is all over the place.  I simply cannot focus.  I have started and stopped 4 books.  I want to stop listening to The Book Thief, but I'm doing it for a book club.  I mean, it's an award winning bestseller, but I just cannot be bothered.   I have got to get it together.

I have a Goodreads account  and love reviewing books.  Once I get my groove back, I will also add my reviews to my blog.  This way I may actually make regular posts.  Here's to hoping I get it together.

Mixed Emotions

Well, actually not even mixed.  I'm pretty clear on my emotions, and I'm not ashamed to say that I'm behaving pretty selfishly right now.

I left LHS to move to a PJPII to be with my girls and work part-time.  It really is the ideal job for me:  3 days a week, I see my children, the little ones are eager, minimal behavior problems...the list goes on.   In the past several months, I had been having feelings of regret over leaving the high school, especially while rehearsing for a Christmas play at the new school.

These kids have never really been introduced to a real theatrical experience; and certainly not my method.  It was frustrating because, at this time, the middle school students just don't have the maturity to handle what I'd like them to do.  We just had our performance, and it turned out pretty well.  Everyone seemed impressed.  I am encouraged that with more training, they will eventually rise to a certain level.  I miss working with high school students in that respect.  It is a different sort of fulfillment.  I don't miss the high school classroom, but I do miss high school theatre.  The exact opposite is true at PJPII.  I enjoy the classroom, but the theatre is difficult.

I had a whole day to enjoy the apparent success of my show.  My former Thespians competed in their District competition the same weekend.  I've not been in contact with them this semester, but I felt compelled to wish them "to break a leg."  This opened the flood gate of texts.  Saturday night, I learned they were awarded a Superior rating for their one-act play and will represent the District at the State festival.  This is an honor I received twice, but has alluded me since 2005.

This is where the "mixed" emotions part comes into play.  So many thoughts are swirling around in my head.  I don't even know if its worth trying to organize them into paragraph form.  So, I'll just list thoughts as bullet points.  Don't forget that I know I'm being childish and selfish.

• I wish I could have received that Superior!  I also wish I could share in their jubilation.  That is one of the best feelings in the world.  I worked really hard in years past and feel that we were judged rather unfairly, especially last year.
• I love the thrill of competition!  I miss that.  It doesn't last long...not much longer than the weekend. But it is sweet while it lasts.
• I can't help feeling that they're thinking that maybe it wasn't such a bad idea for me to leave.  The new director can take them places I couldn't.  Is she better than me?  Is her method of directing better? I guess what it boils down to is that I'm just jealous.
• Their play dealt with autism.  The director has an autistic son, so the topic is special and dear to her.  That sort of topic, when done well, is also a sure winner.  It reminds me of my Boys Next Door in 2005.
• I know the actors were superb.  I never doubted their talent.  I have to tell myself that I had a little something to do with that.
• A part of me feels that maybe I lost my edge during my time off from teaching. 
• They're putting on the play for the community this Saturday.  They've asked me to come.  I want to see it, and I want to support them.  But it will be really hard.  I really just want to avoid it.  Every time I read a Facebook post, it makes me sad.  How will it feel being there?
• I was ready to can the thought of more productions at PJPII.  I have a fire now to push those kids.  I am goal oriented, so this is my mission.  Maybe one day, we'll be ready to enter into a Junior Thespian competition.    

The LHS students who were texting me the results wrote some really nice things:  We miss you, We love you.  That was nice.  But still, I am a little down.

The Western Caribbean- A Pictorial Review (Better late than never!)

In late July, I went on a week-long cruise with my mom and Nana to Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, and Grand Cayman.  Sherry kept the girls because Chad had to work all week.  It was a nice getaway for me and a great three-generational bonding experience.  I've neglected both my blog and digital pictures of late, but in an effort to make amends, here they are:

We set off from Tampa.  This is a view from our balcony over the Florida Aquarium. 

Nana chillin' out on our balcony. 

This is the life!  I felt a little ridiculous carrying around this bucket of super-sized beer to the lifeboat drill. 

Bye bye, Tampa! 

Under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.  Full speed ahead.  P.S.  I'm buzzed by now.

The view from our balcony.  Couldn't be more ideal, except for a lot of swaying.  Had to invest in wrist bands that hit pressure points to help with nausea.  They work really well.  

At dinner one night.  Nana moves  pretty well for 96!  

Glad I was filming and didn't have to participate. 

I had the worst night's sleep...woke up about 5:30am and laid there.  Finally, I got up, had some breakfast, 
and went for a walk on deck.  This was the sun coming up over Cozumel.  That was a really peaceful time on the ship. 

As close as I got to Belize. I couldn't be bothered to go ashore. The ship tenders from really far out.

This image might outweigh the nausea. 

The port at Roatan, Honduras.  This was our favorite stop!  (and unfortunately, the shortest)

Getting off the ship at Roatan. 

A resort at West End Village, Roatan. We felt very safe and welcome here. 

Horseback riding along the beach. 

Excellent Honduran beer! We enjoyed a boozy lunch at Fat Tuesdays. 

Absolutely no excuse for missing  your call when the ship is this close to the port.  This was a really good day.  

And we continued our fun on the ship after our 3pm sail.  Some of us "rested" during dinner.

At port in Cayman Islands.  Our ship in the background. This port tenders. 

One of 2 shipwrecks we saw on a glass bottom boat at Grand Cayman. 

From a beach at Grand Cayman. It threatened rain all day, but never affected us. This place looks and feels very similar to Key West. 

We stopped by a turtle farm.  There were some there that were almost 100 years old.  P.S. Turtle soup is very good!

Nana holding a turtle.  Caption actually unnecessary. 

Room service at it's finest. The entire staff of the cruise was phenomenal. 

Melanie and Belle appreciated their souvenirs. $12 (each!) well spent on blowfish pina coladas. 

It was a fun trip, and I'm glad we went.  A week is a little long for me to be at sea, but we enjoyed ourselves.

Heather Dawe, This Post is for You!

I GOTTA FEELING!....or not

I've made several major life decisions based on gut instincts. One that pops out at me was my freshman year in college. I left FSU and enrolled at HCC. I chose the Brandon campus because it was closest to home. I went to my first day of classes and had this anxious feeling come over me. All I saw were Armwood grads. It was the 13th grade! Maybe I was embarrassed that I couldn't cut it at Florida State. Maybe I wanted to start fresh and leave high school drama behind. All I know is that I left that campus after my last class, drove straight to the Ybor campus and enrolled there. That was the best choice I could have made. I had great classes and professors and it gave me the confidence to give FSU another try.

I just had another feeling this morning. I'm not sure I'll act on this one, though. This one's more nostalgic than life altering. After dropping the kids off at school, I went to Dunkin' Donuts for a much needed coffee. I turned out of the parking lot on auto pilot taking my usual route home from LHS. It was a deja vu sort of moment. All of a sudden, I missed LHS and doubted my decision to leave.

This is not actually a new thing for me. I've been pondering this a lot lately. There are a million reasons why working at Pope John Paul is the best thing for me. Here are a few:

• My kids go there and love it.
• I only work 3 days a week.
• I only see the students once or twice a week and don't have a homeroom to deal with.
• The school has a wonderful sense of community.

Here are reasons why I should never regret leaving LHS:

• High school students' attitudes seem to be getting worse every year.
• Class sizes in electives are ridiculously large.
• Teacher moral is at an all time low.
• I couldn't keep up with all that teaching Drama entails and spend time with my own kids.

All that said, I still miss it. I hated it the last year I was there, but I guess the grass is always greener. I had a sense of belonging there that I don't get yet at PJP. I felt at home in the halls. I loved making my rounds in the office. I made a lot of good teacher friends. But, quite possibly the best feeling was being in the auditorium alone.

I think I may be nostalgic for another time, though. Seeing Miles in Footloose (blog post on this coming soon!) brought back a lot of good memories. I think I may be confusing those with more recent ones. 2003-2006 were some of the best years of my life, but that's over. I'm where I need to be now. I know that. Hopefully that feeling with kick in soon, because I am one who acts on feelings.

I'm an Awful Blogger

5/30/11

Why can't I do this properly? Lord knows I've got so many comments on a variety of topics. I'm anti-Facebook. I use Twitter solely for knowing the latest moves of certain celebrities. So, blogging should be my thing.

Dammit, I'm going to make this happen! It was a year ago that I started this blog. I was off for the summer and had the time. Well, it's summer again, so I vow to write.

I've chosen not to change the title of my blog. 37 Sense just doesn't have the same ring. Plus, I'm not particularly fond of the number.

I've got a lot of catching up to do. I'll do that in a future post.